Category: Exercise (Page 27 of 34)

      Stay positive in the gym

      February 10, 2009 /

      When I first started seriously working out in the gym in college, I was fortunate enough to train with my roommate and one of my best friends, Jim. He?s easily one of the most positive guys I know and it was a pleasure to work out with him on a daily basis.

      One of Jim?s theories when working out is to always keep things positive. In other words, don?t bitch, don?t look at the clock wondering when you?ll be done and no negative reinforcement when the other person was doing one on one battle with the weights.

      Sometimes when I?m training now, I can still hear Jim say, ?Easy weight man ? you got this.?

      One summer in between years at college, I went home and decided to work out with another friend of mine. (Jim and I lived in different states, so we couldn?t train together in the summer.) It was amazing the differences between he and Jim. Instead of, ?You got this weight ? no problem,? I heard, ?Come on you piece of shit ? this weight is defeating you.?

      I asked my summer training partner why all the negative talk and he simply stated, ?Because I train better that way.? Hey, some people do train better when they?re partner is degrading them into pushing up the weight. Doesn?t make much sense to me, but hey, whatever knocks your skirt up, I guess.

      I worked out with my friend for about a week and then told him I wouldn?t be making any more trips to the gym with him. His berating style sucked the life out of me and going to the gym every day became a chore. Remember that when you?re working out with your partner. I now work out with a friend that follows my routine and my instruction. I never use negative reinforcement with him and he has since said that working out is starting to become fun, even though it never was before. To me, keeping things positive, whether it be in the gym or life in general, is always the better way to go.

      For more articles on negative reinforcement, check out this one by Men’s Fitness.com.

      On a side note, congratulations to Jim and his new fianc? Autumn for recently deciding to tie the knot. They make a great couple and I know they have a lifetime of great things to come.

      Bodybuilding, Exercise, General fitness, General training, Motivation, Sports Health and Fitness, Weight training, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

      Q&A with Mike Furci 2/4

      February 4, 2009 /

      In his latest question and answer session, Bullz-Eye.com Fitness Editor Mike Furci lays out the ground work to a sound diet and exercise plan, rehashes the definition of ?tone? with a reader and dispels a myth about exercising stunting your growth when you?re young.

      Q: Hey Mike!
      I was reading your posts on your website about how to lose love handles and I was very interested in your responses. Losing this extra weight around my waste is such a problem for me! Even though I am a very small girl I can?t seem to attain that hourglass figure — I feel like my midsection looks like a box. I was wondering if you had any advice for me concerning foods, exercises and things I need to eliminate. For instance, does alcohol really make you gain weight? Even when I do drink, I order Bacardi and Diet Coke. Recently I completely eliminated fast food, fried food and soda from my diet. Also, I don?t eat after 10 p.m., ever! But still feel like I see no results. Maybe you could set me up with the right foods to eat and when to eat them. Also what to stay away from and what I should work on at the gym to target this concern of mine. If you could get back to me I’d really appreciate it!

      To read Mike?s answer, click here to read the entire Q&A article.

      Bodybuilding, Diets, Exercise, Food preparation, Foods products, General fitness, General training, Men's Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Sports Health and Fitness, Weight training, Workout programs

      2009 Fattest cities in America

      January 27, 2009 /

      Miami, FLMen?s Fitness.com has ranked the top 10 fattest cities in America.

      1.) Miami, FL
      ? Despite wide availability of local running and biking trails Miami residents are 35 percent less likely than average to jog or cycle.
      ? Ice cream shops are 141 percent more popular in Miami than average.
      ? Mayor Manuel A. Diaz participates in fewer fitness-related public events than most mayors.

      2.) Oklahoma City, OK
      ? Oklahoma City residents received a bottom score in fruit and vegetable consumption, with only 17 percent eating the recommended five or more servings per day.
      ? Oklahoma City residents are 28 percent less likely to participate in fitness walking than average, the 2nd lowest overall participation rate among cities in our survey.
      ? Basketball courts are practically nonexistent here, among the fewest per capita in our survey. There’s just one court here for every 12,162 residents; the national average is one court per 6,909 people.

      3.) San Antonio, TX
      ? Just 12 percent of San Antonio residents have a health club membership. That’s 31 percent less than average, and the 2nd lowest rate in our survey.
      ? Just 2 percent of San Antonio residents have a home gym. That’s 57 percent less than average, and the 2nd lowest rate in our survey.
      ? According to the CDC, 28 percent of residents in the San Antonio area are clinically obese.

      4.) Las Vegas, NV
      ? Fast food, widely implicated as a contributor to obesity, is more common in Las Vegas than most places in our survey. In a per capita comparison there are 68 percent more fast-food joints here than average.
      ? Las Vegas has 106 percent more pizza places per capita than the average among cities in our survey.
      ? Las Vegas has 69 municipal parks, among the fewest of any city on a per capita basis, according to our exclusive survey of municipal park departments.

      5.) New York, NY

      ? The local commute is much more oppressive than in most cities ? 54 percent more oppressive than average, leaving less time to exercise and prepare healthy meals.
      ? Our survey has found 87 percent fewer sporting-goods stores in New York than average an indicator of an inactive populace.
      ? New York has one pool for every 135,648 residents ? 207 percent fewer than average in our survey.

      Exercise, Men's Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Sports Health and Fitness, Weight training, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

      Exercising with a cold

      January 22, 2009 /

      You’ve got a runny nose, coughing, sneezing and it’s hard to breath. You want to workout, but will it make your symptoms worse?

      Two studies were published over a decade ago that showed results that surprised researchers. The studies showed no difference in symptoms between those who exercised and those who didn?t. And there was no difference in the duration of the colds between the two groups. When symptoms were assessed, in some cases those who exercised said they felt better.

      The result of these studies are in no way meant to encourage people to train when they’re sick. The studies tested subjects who had head colds. One needs to be more cautious when dealing with a cold or other illness that produces fevers or other symptoms like chest congestion.

      The rule of thumb is: If you have symptoms above the neck it?s OK to workout. Below the neck, forget it.

      Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1997
      Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1998

      Edit: In the third paragraph, the mistake “their” was changed to the correct “they’re”.

      Exercise, General fitness, Men's Health and Wellness, Sports Health and Fitness

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