Friday, August 31, 2012

Jumping Jacks: Eights & Weights Video


There are very many types of cardio: running, swimming, aerobics, etc. But if you're not the kind to throw on earphones and take off for a half hour, you could put together some cardio moves and still break a sweat. One of these types of moves is the jumping jack.

All you need to do is continuously jump while opening your legs and raising your arms, and closing your legs and dropping your arms. Sound confusing? Watch my video below to see a full illustration. If you're not breathing hard after a few minutes, you're not done :)


Cheers Eights & Weights!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Pole Dancing: Yes, I Did It!



Pole dancing has been gaining popularity in the media lately as a form of exercise because a lot of celebrities are beginning to be interested, and a lot of women are beginning to see it as empowering. As you are aware, it has been pretty much associated with strip clubs in the past, and so it is still sort of a "taboo" topic in some circles. But pole dancing is more than just shaking your bum and grinding in a man's lap.

In fact, in places like China and India, they have different forms of pole dancing that is predominantly performed by men, and is a very intense sport. In many other countries, including the US and the UK, pole dancing was a competitive sport before it became the thing you did in strip joints. However, most pole dancing fitness classes offered to women incorporate a lot of the sexy bit as well.

Why did I give you a little of that history? To lead into my next point. Pole dancing is not easy. You require a ton of upper body strength, flexibility, and the ability to endure pain. Why the last bit? Because you need that to use various parts of your body to grip the pole.

Usually, you start by learning basic little teasing moves, and then it gets a little harder as you learn strength moves, and how to grip the pole to hold yourself steady. At my first class, for a beginner like me, it was a little confusing to focus a lot on strength moves before the class started, mostly because I didn't know how much upper body work was required. But I followed on anyway, secretly wondering if we were going to ever touch the pole.

And then the instructor showed us the first spin. My mind was blown at something so basic. How was I supposed to spin around the pole without my legs touching the floor? This was the first class, no? But after trying and trying, I realized that just like any exercise, the bulk of the process is getting comfortable doing it. So after a few tries, I did the basic spin well.

Spinning!

We did a few other kinds of spins as she showed us how to place our hands and feet to make it easier, and not to hurt ourselves. By the end of my first class, I thought I was getting the hang of it, and my arms and core were starting to feel the burn, until the instructor said "Okay, it's time to climb the pole". Huh? I thought I was in a beginner class? I seriously did not believe there was any way I was climbing a slippery pole without falling on my butt. But I was determined to give it a shot. 

So I lifted my right knee so that my foot was on one side of the pole, and my knee was on the other (pressing my shin against the pole and grabbing it with the upper part of my foot). And then as the instructor said, I jumped up and put my other leg on the front of the pole so that I was cross-legged and the pole was now between my knees and ankles. And then I gripped the pole with both hands. And then she said to climb up the pole like a caterpillar. So basically, you grip with your knees and slither up one step at a time. And yes, I did it! That was probably my proudest moment in her class :)

Oh, but that wasn't all. Once we were up, we had to figure out how to stay up and then slide down sexily. We had to grab the pole between our inner thighs and just sit there that way. It may sound easy, but this is probably the part of all the classes I've taken that hurts the most. Gripping on to a steel pole with your inner thighs is not easy at all. Imagine the friction!

I'm smiling but it hurts!

I must admit, the funnest part of class is the humor of the pole dancing instructors. They are a lot of fun. I couldn't believe it when my instructor was training us to the "My Neck, My Back" song. A couple of us couldn't stop laughing. And then when they do some poses and you see how flexible they are, you come back down to planet earth.

Pole dancing has been a great experience and I will definitely be doing more. If you haven't tried it, you should. It is a good strength workout. You may not sweat too much because there is not too much cardio involved, but you build a lot of upper body strength, core strength, leg strength, and endurance. There are several classes being offered in different cities now so use Google, Groupon, Living Social, or one of those sites, and you'd be sure to find one near you.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photos by Oby Enyia

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Cycle Your Bum Away



Yesterday, my friends and I decided to cycle around lower Manhattan, across the Brooklyn Bridge, and around Prospect Park in Brooklyn. It was an awesome experience. The funniest part of the trip was right after our break. We stopped at a little Mexican spot close to the Brooklyn Bridge on our way back for some drinks and some dinner, and then got back on our bikes. None of us expected the burn our thighs were feeling after we had sat down for a bit. I mean, what did we expect after 3 hours of cycling?

Like running, or any other cardio exercise, you get a full body workout and burn tons of calories by pushing your body in a repetitive motion. Beyond burning calories though, cycling helps strengthen the muscles in your legs and butt because you're constantly pushing on the pedals to propel your bike forward, especially if your going uphill. 

Beyond just your bum, your legs and thighs also get a great workout. Your quads tone up from the forward leg motion, your hamstrings tone up from the backward leg motion, and your abs tone up from constantly keeping yourself upright on the bike. To get an even better workout, make sure your heels lower towards the ground on whatever foot is lower. That way, you work your calves as well.

Granted, cycling at a steady pace does not burn as many calories as running at a steady pace, which is why it is important to include hills in your route. The hills also help build muscle strength and stamina. And you need that stamina to push yourself as you climb up that hill.

If you're looking for a cardiovascular exercise, and running just isn't for you, look into cycling. The great thing about it is that you could buy a bike and cycle everywhere. If you live in a cosmopolitan city, chances are that your city has good bicycle routes and lanes to make it easier for cyclists. Take advantage and burn your way to your summer weight. I woke up today with post-workout burn in my thighs and butt, but it was totally worth it.

Cycle your cities and share photos with us.


Cheers Eights & Weights!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Donkey Kicks - Eights & Weights Video


You have not worked out your full body in the summer if you have not got your bum in order. And how do we help you do that? Make some bum toning videos!

The video below is the donkey kick. What does it involve, kick your legs like a donkey :) The form is pretty basic:

Kneel with your knees under your hips and your palms directly under your shoulders. Pick up one foot and kick back, using your butt to lift your leg straight backward. Keep your lower back straight (Tighten your abs to help you do this). As you extend your leg, also tighten your thigh muscles like you are trying to draw them close together. That works your inner thighs as well.

Try it at home and let us know what you think. See the video below for better detail:



Please note that you can put our videos together for a quick workout. So far, we've seen the pushup, the side plank with a twist, the squat, sit-ups, the roundhouse kick, the lunge, and the mountain climber. You can check out all our videos here: http://www.youtube.com/user/EightsandWeights. Your feedback is much appreciated.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Pulsing & Crunching Abs Workout


So you know the basics: the crunches, the v-sits, the sit-ups, planks, etc. An additional way to work on your abs is while you are doing other tasks like sitting at your computer or driving in your car. You can do a little pulsing motion, tightening and releasing your abs as you breathe in and out.

I figured that you'd probably have times when you literally have a couple of minutes, and just want to get something in. You can combine the two things I mentioned above (the abs exercises with the pulses) to get a quickie. I found the video below on Youtube that combined the two. Use it for your quick abs exercises. We will be releasing some more Eights & Weights videos soon.



Cheers Eights & Weights!

Monday, August 20, 2012

Exercise and the Importance of Proper Form



Sometimes, it seems like fitness professionals are always yelling about keeping your core tight, your shoulders down, and your knees behind your toes when you do exercises. It's not just because we like yelling (I know you thoroughly doubt this statement but just go with it), but because your posture is very very very important to your exercise routine.

Why? Because posture could be the difference between hurting yourself or not getting the most out of your exercise, and staying fit. What are the most common form flaws?

Shoulders up: When we run, do yoga, or do other exercises that require an upright position, many people tend to spend their energy unconsciously lifting their shoulder to their ears. If could be because most of us are now used to slouching over computers or because we feel it reduces pressure on other muscles, but it really makes us use less of our energy in the right place because we are busy using it in the wrong place. Think about it. The next time you exercise, just roll your shoulders back and out and your chest out, and feel the difference. We don't even realize we are doing it.

Core tight: To keep your body upright, you need great core muscles. A lot of men do exercises with a slouch, and a lot of women do exercises with our butts out, both putting pressure on the lower back. To maximize your output, always keep your core tight. It helps build those great abs too!

Knees in front of toes: Now, it is important to be really really careful about this one.A lot of folks bounce up and down in their squat without paying attention to where their knees are. If your knees go beyond your toes, you are putting a lot of pressure on those knees, and not working your bum enough. And that's supposed to be the point, right?

Landing hard on the heels: When you run or do plyomteric exercises that require a lot of jumping, it is easy to just let your feet fall on the ground with each step. But it is important to make sure you land on the balls of your feet, and not on the heels or the sides. Landing badly can hurt your ankles in the long run. In the short term, it reduces the impact to the right places (like your legs), and puts all the impact on the places you don't really want to be working hard (like your ankles and knees). Additionally, about a third of runners get hurt at least once in their lives, so it is important to be careful so you don't become one of that third.

Overstretching the knee: Have you heard your yoga instructor say "Don't lock in your knees"? What they mean is that you should always keep an internal softness around your joints. Don't jerk into positions because rather than give your muscles a workout, you are giving your joints a workout. Muscles need that contraction and relaxation motion to get the maximum effect, but it you are over-jerking, you are not allowing them get that motion, and you could potentially hurt your joints.

There are many other form mistakes people make, but these are the biggest ones I've seen. Stay safe folks! If you aren't doing it right, you're probably not getting the most out of it.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Ratemyarms.com

Sunday, August 19, 2012

5 Low Calorie Cocktails



Fact: Most people like alcohol. Even if you don't, you probably have a few drinks when you are in a social setting. With food, it is a little easier to gauge your calories because we have been taught that certain things are healthy and others are not. However, with alcohol, it is a little more difficult.

Cocktails can be particularly difficult because it all depends on what the bartender or mixologist decides to put in the drink. And most cocktails contain some form of syrup and a lot of alcohol. Syrups are predominately sugar-based, and of course, the more alcohol anything contains, the more calories it contains as well. 

To make sure you are staying within your caloric goals, the best way to approach this is to be prepared before you head to the bar. That means you should already know what drinks work for you. Let's look at 5 cocktails today that contain fewer calories that many of the others.

Infused vodka: A shot of 80 proof vodka (1.5 fluid ounces) contains about 100 calories. Yes, that's similar to a glass of wine. It is this way because the alcohol content in vodka is much more. And the more the alcohol, the greater the calories. However, vodka is drunk in less quantity than wine. Now, think about the vodka cocktails. They not only add in vodka, but they also add in some flavored syrup which can multiply the calories quickly. One way of minimizing the calories is to just get infused vodka. You could make your at home with all sorts of fruits or peppers, or you could ask for some at bars. Some companies like Absolut do make vodka infused with peppers, with lemon, etc. The infusion itself usually does not add many calories to the drink so you could remain in the 100 calorie region.

Rocket's Red Glare: This drink is made of 1 oz of TY KU Soju and 1 oz of 100% cranberry juice. Soju is an Asian distilled spirit that is smoother and lower in calories than vodka. Granted, you may not find it in every bar you go, but if you do find it, it is a great option. Soju itself only contains about 60 calories in a shot, and when you mix it with the cranberry, it comes to about 95 calories. Not bad huh?

Sake Sunrise: In Japanese restaurants, they usually serve a whole jar of sake. However, to make it into a cocktail, you really only need about 1.5 oz. That contains about 80 calories. To make the sake sunrise, mix the sake with about 2 oz orange juice for a total of about 105 calories.

Gin and Tonic: You can't go wrong with the old G&T. A regular-sized gin and tonic is about 4 oz (1 oz gin and 3 oz tonic) totaling about 105 calories. Who doesn't love that?

Champagne cocktails: Mostly, a 4 oz serving of champagne only contains about 90 calories. This means you can serve your champagne with a whole host of fruits in it and still say around the 100 calorie mark. Flavor it like you would do a sangria (chop up some fruits in it), or just put in a dash of 100% juice (and I mean a dash), or set some olives or cherries at the bottom of your glass.

I hope that helps as you go to summer parties! We don't want you wondering why your waistline is expanding though you've been eating the right things :)

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Sandiegomagazine.com

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Side Kick (or Roundhouse Kick) - Eights & Weights Video


Let's continue our exercise videos with more lower body stuff. This week, we have the roundhouse kick (aka the side kick). I like kicks because they involve both power and repetitive motion, allowing your body to burn calories and build muscles at the same time. And we all know I love my lower body exercises.

Instructions:
  • Bend into a high squat with both feet parallel to each other and hip wide.
  • Rotate your left foot to lift off the floor and come forward while you maintain a bend in your knee.
  • Extend your lower left leg with some power like you are kicking something on your right side (not your front).
  • If there was someone standing in front of you, you would be kicking their left arm with your left shin.

Confusing? Watch the video! Made just for you :)


Cheers Eights & Weights!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Powdered Peanut Butter



If you're anything like me, peanut butter makes life worth living. No, really. But then you turn the jar around and see that 2 tablespoons could go almost as high as 200 calories. Yikes! Yes, peanut butter does have a ton of protein (about 8g in those same 2 tbsp), but the calories could easily add up as well. 

So what's the alternative? Since I like shakes, I had been searching for something with a ton of protein that I could easily add to my shakes without all the calories. I found this PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter. I guess it really isn't a butter yet since it is powdered.

You're probably squeezing up your face going "There's no way powdered peanut butter can be a good substitute for the real thing". Well, let me give you my review.

Taste: Let's start with the taste. While nothing can taste as good as peanut butter straight out of the jar, this is a pretty good substitute. All you have to do is mix it up with a little water to the consistency you like, and voila, you have peanut butter. I have not gotten good at mixing it to look exactly like peanut butter, but I'm getting pretty close. But forget the look, it does taste great. And that's coming from a peanut butter snob.

Nutrition: It might seem a little strange to even be talking about powdered peanut butter. Obviously, when you blend peanuts, you don't get a powder. However, the process to get there is quite interesting. The manufacturers roast peanuts, and then somehow separate all the oil from the peanuts. What we are left with is the peanuts in powdered form. 

Now, peanut butter usually contains all that oil, which is where most of the calories come from. So separating the oil from the powdered peanut means you get fewer calories. Hurray! How few is 'fewer'? PB2 Powdered peanut butter contains about 45 calories in 2 tbsp and 5g of protein (vs the 190 calories and 8g of protein in peanut butter). Though the protein is less, the calories are pretty amazing.

Price: The cost is fairly similar. On the Bell Plantation site (the manufacturers), a 4-pack of PB2 goes for about $15.96. Unfortunately, PB2 is only sold online, and the manufacturer's website does not sell singles. But fret not! For Amazon will always redeem us :) On Amazon, 1 jar of PB2 goes for about $5, which is very similar to the cost of regular peanut butter. 

If you are not in the mood to order online and wait a few days, there are other brands out there. I do know Trader Joes also has a powdered peanut butter substitute, and I have been to a few local stores that make their own. Go to some health stores around you and I am sure you'll find a local brand.

Use: I love the flexibility that comes with peanut butter in powdered form. You can add it to shakes, you can make it thick and spread it on your toast, or you can use it to flavor peanut sauces if you make any. It's a win-win in my opinion.

Try it out and let me know what you think. 

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Oregontale.wordpress.com


Saturday, August 11, 2012

Your Vaginal Health



Whether it is lady cactus, box, vajayjay,... whatever words you use to refer to your vagina, it is obvious that vaginal health is really important, especially because if something isn't right, no one wants to talk about it. It is very interesting how much care the vaginal area needs compared to its male counterpart. This whole post stemmed from a conversation I had with a girlfriend last night about the vagina and yogurt.  Yes, these are the interesting conversations that make up life...

Besides what you see on the outside, your food consumption also has a lot to do with your health down there. Yes, what you eat could be the difference between being uncomfortable or feeling fresh and healthy. 

Good vs. bad bacteria: There is good and bad bacteria, and your vagina needs the good bacteria to thrive. The problem is that the kind of good bacteria it requires can be found in a very limited number of foods. Also, some foods actually provide a lot of the bad bacteria that you really don't want. Of course, the food that provides this bad bacteria is the food we always want to eat: sugary foods. Worry not though. The food that contains the good bacteria is great too: yogurt! So lots of sugar-free yogurt and less sugary foods. Good?

Sweat buildup: We work out here, and that may mean we sweat everywhere. Even if you don't feel the sweat down there, there is still a lot of build up of sweat, dirt, and oils after you exercise. As you shower, make sure you pay attention to the little miss. Some vaginal infections stems from not keeping the vagina clean enough.

Underwear: I know Victoria's Secret likes to sell all sorts of satin underwear. And we have been made to believe we should wear anything but cotton down there. However, cotton is the most breathable fabric, especially as underwear. When you can, stick to cotton.

PH Balanced washes: There are all kinds of fancy washes in pretty bottles nowadays. But it turns out that contents of these washes might be too strong for you down there. And so the best washes as the unscented PH balanced ones. I like my baby washes because they are PH balanced and mild.

Visit your gyno: Do not be a grown woman who has never been to see a gynecologist. Your vagina needs love too; the kind only a specialist can provide. No matter how much you try to look down there, you really don't know what's going on.

Diet: Certain foods are great at protecting your vagina against infection. For example, soy products help with lubrication, and cranberry juice can help prevent urinary tract infections. Generally, a healthy balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables to keep your whole body healthy also helps your vaginal area.

Practice safe sex: I don't think anyone needs to spell this out for you. If you are sexually active, please please please be safe. The only way to protect yourself against STDs is to use condoms.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Christinestanley1.wordpress.com

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Proper Squat Form - Eights & Weights Video


I got a chance to make a video for my favorite exercise! Today, we're looking at the proper form for a squat. As you know, this exercise works out your bum, thighs, and even your core if done right. Here are a few points to note with the squat:
  • Keep your knees behind your toes. If your knees are going beyond your toes, you're not working your bum as hard and you could hurt your joints.
  • Keep your upper body as upright as possible with your shoulders down and core tight. You get a core workout if you do that as well.
  • For balance, you can straighten your hands out as you lower in to the squat. Otherwise, keep your arms beside you.
  • Squeeze your bum as you lower down and as you come up. You get an even better workout that way.
So I've told you how to do it, and now I'll show you how to do it. I put together the video below. Watch and enjoy.


Cheers Eights & Weights!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Train Like an Olympian: Beach Volleyball



No one needs to convince you that those beach volleyball players are fit. When your sport requires that little clothes... well, need I say more? 

Kerri Walsh plays beach volleyball for the US in the Olympics. She is about 33 years old, unlike some of the other teenage and under 25 Olympians we have seen, but she is obviously terribly fit. What does she do to stay in shape to perform?

According to Kerri, she spends a lot of time doing interval, plyometric and isokinetic training. Interval training involves going hard for a few minutes, and then resting for a seconds over and over. Plyometric training really just involves powerful movements at high speeds to improve performance and build muscle strength. Isokinetc training involves doing movements at the same speed with variable resistance, so for example, spinning where you try to go at the same speed but move the resistance up and down. As you can tell, these are pretty intense types of workouts.

Beach volleyball players need strong core, leg, and shoulder muscles. The leg muscles help them run around a lot on the beach, the strong core muscles help them stay upright and move vertically, and the strong shoulders? Well, then have to hit that ball. 

Legs: To keep the legs strong, my go to exercise is the squat (If you've been reading this blog, you'd know I love the squat). But including variations of the squat is really important too for interval or plyometric training. Check out one intense variation here: The Squat Jump Tuck. Other leg exercises include: Lunges, Wall sits, Kicks, etc.

Core: Yoga is a great core workout, even though it doesn't always seem so. And anything that requires balance helps build your core strength as well. To build the muscles though, I always say you can get a core workout from almost any kind of workout; just keep your abs tight as you do them. But of course, if you want to focus on the core, you can do the pushup, the plank, bicycles, and other floor crunches.

Shoulders: Again, the pushup is great for your shoulders. But other exercises like arm circles, lateral raises, and tricep rows work on your shoulders as well as your arms.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Glamour.com

Sunday, August 5, 2012

White Rice Alternatives: Quinoa



I don't know about you, but where I come from, if eating rice was a sport, we would beat the world. In a lot of Africa and Asia, many of our meals consist of white rice (parboiled, long grain, jasmine, basmati, or something of the sort), which contributes to our diet issues. If you are trying to eat a more nutritious diet however, there are other options you can consider as your main carbohydrate in a meal besides white rice.

Quinoa is just one of these alternatives. If you have never heard of or seen quinoa, it is a seed that looks like a grain, and when cooked, it has a couscous-y look to it. But it is nothing like couscous. It's flavor is pretty different and so is its nutritional value.

Nutrition of Quinoa vs. White Rice
The caloric content of quinoa vs. most kinds of rice is relatively similar though. A cup of quinoa contains about 220 calories and a cup of white long grain rice contains about 205. However, the benefits of quinoa are in the protein content and in the fact that is is an unprocessed seed. Unprocessed foods tend to keep away hunger longer. In addition, the 8 grams of protein per cup compared to the 4 grams of protein in a cup of white long grain rice doesn't hurt. Quinoa also contains about 5 grams of fiber per cup compared to 1 gram of fiber per cup of white long grain rice. Fiber is great for the digestive system.

Quinoa for a Healthy Vegetarian Diet
Besides using it as a substitute for white rice, quinoa is big in the vegetarian and vegan communities. Why quinoa instead of rice? Non-meat-eaters have doctors worried sometimes because they don't always meet their daily iron requirements (especially women), which most meat eaters easily meet. Quinoa helps to close some of that gap because it is very high in iron. So in addition to the added protein benefits, you get iron and other minerals and vitamins that help promote heart and digestive health.

Where Quinoa is Grown
Quinoa has been grown and eaten on the South American continent for a long time. However, you don't have to go to Peru to find it as it is sold in local grocery stores. Depending on your location, you may find that it is a little more pricey than rice.

How Quinoa is Cooked
Quinoa is cooked in the same way rice is. To give it some flavor, you can boil it in some meat stock or coconut juice. You can basically do everything you do with rice with quinoa. In addition to these, you can also use quinoa as an oats substitute for breakfast by mixing it up with fruits or nuts.

Need some quinoa recipes to start? Check some out here.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Peasandcrayons.com

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Winner of the Jillian Michaels "6 Weeks Six-Pack" Giveaway



Yes, we have a winner! Actually, we have 2. I'm pretty psyched about the international participation we saw. Because of the overwhelming number of entries we received, we decided to go with one winner from Facebook and one from Twitter.

From Facebook, our winner is Lauretta Ovadjepikin-one. 
From Twitter, our winner is @Yteesmile.

Congratulations folks! Please let us know your progress towards those abs :)

If you did not win this time, or had trouble accessing the form, do not despair. We have more competitions coming up soon so stay tuned. Keep working out and eating right, and coming over to get the tips and support you need. You never know when the next giveaway is around the corner ;)

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Friday, August 3, 2012

Getting Rid of the Dreaded Arm Jiggle


Women know about this all too well. We put on weight, and we get the jiggle. We lose a lot of weight and we get the jiggle. It's like we can't win. Well, all hope is not lost. There are exercises you can do to get rid of that arm jiggle.

Dumbbells and machines are great, but I am a much bigger fan of exercises you can do without equipment. Why? Because you can do them wherever whenever. So I will list both exercises you can do with dumbbells and those you can do without so you have options. Here are a few "arm jiggle" exercises you can incorporate into your routine:

Triceps overhead extensions:
All you need is a dumbbell (something you can feel when you lift). Stand up straight and hold the bar of the dumbbell over your head with both hands like in the picture below. Keeping you upper arms (underarms to elbows) straight and squeezed in towards your ears, bend your lower arms (elbows to wrists) down behind you towards your shoulder blades. Lift back up. Continue this up and down motion and you should feel it in your triceps.


Tricep dips:
All you need here is a chair or some sort of elevated surface you can balance on. Sit on the chair with your palms on the seat on either side of your thighs. Your fingers should be facing forward. Extend your feet far in front of you still on the floor. Shift your bum out of the chair and lower in front of the seat like in the picture below. So now, your arms are holding you up. Lower down using the strength in your arms and raise back up, almost like you are doing a pushup but on the other side of your body. To make it harder straighten your legs out or lift one leg at a time as you do this.


Tricep row: 
Bend forward, but keep your back straight with your arms extended beside you holding dumbbells. Lift your arms behind you while managing to keep them straight from shoulder to elbow. You should also be using your upper back to push your two upper arms towards each other, but try to keep your shoulders down and your abs tight. Take a look at the image below as a reference.


Pushup:
Oh, the pushup. It just seems like it comes up all the time, right? Well, it is good for your arms as well. In fact, it does work on a ton of muscles in your upper arms, back and shoulders, so you should definitely try it. Check out my post on how to do a proper pushup here: Proper Pushup Form.


There are so many more exercises, but start with these for now to build those beautifully cut arms.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: Fantasiefitness.com, 110pounds.com, martamontenegro.com

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

I'm a Star!



Well, no. Not really. But I'm really happy to be featured in the FemmeLounge #WomenWhoBlog series. It is going on all week. FemmeLounge has selected a group of women who they believe are making a difference in the world of blogging and I was selected :) 

The series is about why we started blogging, our struggles, our topics, and just a little bit more about us and our perception of our audience. Please check out the interview here: #WomenWhoBlog: Suzanne Brume. Share it with your friends and family :) And while you are out there, please check out the other ladies featured in the series. There are a few people I know and respect.

Don't forget to get your workout in today!

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: FemmeLounge.org

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