August Arm Loving Challenge Week 4 Thursday

Only one more week till the challenge is over! Next week, the challenge will be a little tougher as we have to push more towards the end. 

Please look out for the September challenge coming soon. And it comes with prizes ;)

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Have You Been Ignoring Your Core?

Everyone wants abs, right? Or at least everyone working out does. Now, the mistake a lot of people make when trying to work on their abs is that they tend to go hard on the crunches and the sit-ups without very much cardio, and then get worked up when there are little or no results. Are you one of those?

The core is our center. It’s where our strength comes from for most exercises. It’s where most of our balance comes from. And so it is very important to build a strong core besides just building abs. But as you do regular cardio to burn fat, and do exercises to strengthen your core, you will notice that your abs become more defined.

So if crunches are not the way, how do you strengthen your core? By activating your core with every exercise you do! Rather than spend time on the floor straining your neck going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth (this has me tired already), tighten your core when you do other exercise that work on other muscles. What exercises, you ask? Well, I’ve been waiting to tell you a few :)

Running/Elliptical: When you go running or use the elliptical, there is the tendency to just be thinking about getting through it. In fact, most people do not run with the right form because they are so focused on the finish line. But that is a topic for another day. Where does your strength come from when you do these upright cardio exercises? Your first response might be “the hips”, but in reality, it should be the core. Squeeze as you lift each knee. Squeeze as you push forward. Propel forward from your core. You should literally feel your core muscles working as you do these cardio exercises.

Planks/Pushups: When you do exercises that require holding your body up on the floor, e.g. planks or side planks, try to use your core to hold your body in a straight line. It may be a good idea to do this in front of a mirror the first few times to make sure you are straight and holding your core tight. Remember: butt neutral (not high in the air and not sagging towards the floor), core tight, and elbows under shoulders.

Squats/Lunges: This sounds strange, right? But when you do your squats and lunges, you are supposed to keep your upper body as upright as you possibly can, while making sure your knees stay behind your toes. To keep your upper body upright, you use the strength from your core. This is why the stronger you get, the straighter your body can be. So tight tight tight as you go down.

Chest Press/Weightlifting: A lot of the weight lifting we do comes from not only having strong arms and shoulders, but having a strong back and core. As you do chest presses, use your core to push your lower back into the bench while you lift. This activates your core muscles.

Stretching/Yoga: Of course this should be intuitive. As you do yoga, the power to keep yourself upright in most of those poses comes from your core. The more you do the poses, the more you strengthen your core. And you know it is uber important to stretch after every workout. Now you have even another great reason to do so.

Are you going to engage your core today?

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: martamontenegro.com

Coupling Up: Work out with your Partner

Do you work out with your partner? Or do you want to work out with your partner and are not sure how? The benefit of working out with another person is that you tend to push yourself harder than you usually would, and you can get your body in positions that you may not normally be able to because you have someone to hold or push you.

Or maybe you’ve been looking for a way to get that man or girl of yours to the gym. Well, Eights & Weights is here with some ideas for partner workouts that you could always suggest. Bat those eyelashes, say you need this and cannot possibly do them without him/her, and pat yourself on the back as you help them also melt some of their fat away. It’s pretty much genius, isn’t it? Well, unless he/she doesn’t step back in after the first workout. Then, I’m not sure I can help you…

Wall squat (For your butt, thighs, and core) 

Do a wall squat with the other person as the wall with your backs to each other. Hold for 1 minute. Make it more competitive by squatting lower and lower and seeing who can go the lowest with your knees still behind your toes and your backs still touching each other. Consolation prize for the loser? A butt to butt workout. Need I say more?

Partner push-up (For your chest, arms, and core)

Face each other in an upper push-up position with about an arm length of space between you. Both lower into a push-up, and then come up. When you come up, both use your right hands to give each other a fist bump, and then lower back down. Obviously, you have to both move at the same pace or someone would be left hanging with his/her fist bumps. And we wouldn’t want that.

Floor chest press (For your chest and arms)

You’ll need dumbbells for this one. Lie with your back on the mat and your feet facing your partner’s feet. Both lift your feet off the mat and bend your legs until your knees are at a 90 degree angle. Now, rest your feet on your partner’s feet like it is a wall, so you both form like a rectangular shape with the floor. Lift your 2 dumbbells (at least 5 pounds) straight up over the chest with one in each hand, palms facing out. Bend the elbows and lower the arms down all the way to the floor and then raise again. The image above does not exactly describe the move, but it is close enough.

Medicine ball sit-ups (For your core and arms)

You’ll need a medicine ball. You should both lie with your backs on the mat and your feet on the floor. Your toes should be touching your partner’s toes. Hold the ball to your chest with both hands and come up into a sit-up position. Your partner does not have a ball at this time, but he/she comes up into a sit-up as well. As you are both up, throw the ball to your partner. He/she catches does a full sit-up, and then throws the ball back to you. Do as many as you can, with at least 20 reps.

Moving lunges (For your core, thighs, and butt)

Stand facing your partner with about a leg-long space separating you. Both move into a lunge with opposite legs (if you do right, the other person does left). Step back and do it with the opposite leg. Then take one step left (your partner takes one step right), and repeat. Keep going until you’ve taken 10 steps in one direction, and then switch and take 10 steps in the other direction. Again, the image above does not exactly describe the move, but it is close enough.

Don't forget to use the opportunity to *ahem* do some "feel up on me" stretching :)

Of course, if all else fails, you could bring your boxing gloves home and make your partner hold the pad so you can punch away. Just say you need to get your aggression out one way or another.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: crossfitfw.com, sandiegokaiafit.com, sparkpeople.com, lvrj.com