Tag Archives: sweat

SWEAT by BW: Booty Building Workout

Glute training, or “booty-building” as it’s affectionately known in the fitness world these days, is all the latest craze, and its popularity is not without merit.  Developing the glutes, upper hamstrings, and all of the powerful hip extensor muscles of the backside will not only give you a firm and toned posterior, it will help in injury prevention and create the stability and muscle tone needed to improve posture.

Booty-building has also received a huge pat on the back and validation from the physical therapy community.  Glute activation is one of the most significant themes in developing better posture and alignment in the hips and pelvis.  Orthopedic pain and many dysfunctional movement patterns can stem directly from our inability to activate the glutes in basic exercises and daily activities.  This is compounded with the typical postures we find ourselves forced into in the modern workplace and during activities like driving which leave the glutes weak and flaccid.  This also leaves the function of our hips weak and unstable, and since the hips are the center of all athletic functional movement, reclaiming that function should be a primary goal of any exercise program.

We live in a much more enlightened age of exercise than we once did.  In a world where strong is the new skinny, people have embraced a well-developed backside.  Perhaps the popularity of booty-building lies in a simple observation.  The fastest, strongest, and most athletic people on the planet tend to have well developed backsides!  Just take a look at major sporting events like the Olympics: sprinting, gymnastics, field and court sports have little in common except that the best in those sports clearly are using their backsides to perform!

If you want to simultaneously develop an athletic-looking backside as well as create a stable and balanced posture, these four booty-building movements should be a regular part of your program.

Hip Bridge

The hip bridge is probably the single most effective glute exercise out there.

1. Start by laying your upper back and shoulders perpendicular across a bench

2. Walk your feet out away from the bench until your ankles are directly under your knees and your shins are vertical

3. Start with your hips up in a bridge position to ensure proper muscle engagement

4. Make sure your abs and ribcage are braced down and your butt is squeezed hard!

5. To begin the movement, slowly lower your hips and torso together in one line until your butt points approximately toward the ground (or until stable depth is achieved)

6. Drive your hips back up powerfully to the starting bridge position and squeeze for 2 seconds

7. Complete three sets of 10-15 repetitions

For an added challenge, place a weight (barbell, dumbbell etc.) at your hips while performing all sets and reps.

 

Deficit Reverse Lunge

The classic reverse lunge is a stand-out in the myriad of leg and glute strengtheners, but the addition of the deficit puts this already great movement into overdrive!

1. Stack plates or identify a small block approximately 3-5 inches high

2. Stand on the elevated surface with both feet

3. Breathe in and brace your abdominals

4. Step backwards with one leg and soften your knees until the back knee lightly “kisses” the floor

5. As soon as floor contact is achieved, bring both legs back together on top of the elevated surface

6. Complete three sets of 10-15 repetitions per leg

For an added challenge, hold weights in your hands (dumbbell, kettlebell) while performing all sets and reps.

 

Single Leg Deadlift

The single leg deadlift simultaneously develops amazing hamstring and glute power while imparting incredible balance and coordination.  You’d be hard-pressed to find a more all-in-one exercise!

1. Place a light bar or dumbbells in each hand

2. Balance on one single leg

3. While keeping your hips and shoulders square to the ground, hinge at your hips, reaching one leg backward until a gentle stretch is felt in the back of the balancing leg

4. Return slowly back to standing position with both legs together for balance

5. Complete three sets of 8-12 repetitions per leg before adding heavier hand weights

 

Dragon Step-Up

This unique looking movement places great stress on the glutes while at the same time creating flexible hips and ankles for the ultimate in flexibility and strength!

1. Identify a step box that places the thigh at greater than parallel when one foot is on top

2. Standing to the side of the box, step your outside leg in front onto box. Press up to bring your inside leg to standing position on top of box.

3. Once you’re on top of the box, slowly step the same leading leg behind the other leg off the box. Bring your trailing leg back to standing position on the floor.

4. Repeat this process back across box in the other direction.

5. Complete three sets of 20-30 total box cross-overs

For an added challenge, place a light weight in your hands at chest level.

These exercises are fantastic as workouts in and of themselves but can also be easily added on to the back end of a classic leg training day in the gym.  For more intensity, try doing the above exercises in a circuit style.  The compound effect of circuit-style glute training will increase the impact of all of the movements individually.  But watch out for extreme DOMS (delayed-onset-muscle-soreness!) and build to the task over multiple workouts.

Get in Fighting Shape at These 5 Boxing Gyms

Boxing isn’t just for professional fighters anymore, it’s become the latest go-to workout for your favorite celebs and supermodels. Studios are popping up all over the US and they feature multiple methods and systems to incorporate boxing into your fitness routine, regardless of your fitness level or expertise. Great for improving your hand-eye coordination, decreasing stress levels, and improving your cardiovascular health, boxing is also a great stress reliever. Here are some boxing gyms across the country to get you started.

 

Rumble Boxing

Rumble Boxing features a unique mix of boxing and strength training all in one class combining high intensity interval training (HIIT), strength training, metabolic conditioning, and cardio in each class.  The group-based fitness classes give a sense of community which means extra motivation to push through your workout. And music is a big part of any rumble class! Celebs like Kendall Jenner, Selena Gomez, and Justin Bieber have all been known to frequent Rumble boxing classes. Rumble currently has studios in both New York City and Los Angeles.

 

9round

Shannon and Heather Hudson, a couple from South Carolina who previously owned a Karate school, founded 9round in 2008. The mission behind 9round was to create an affordable workout that would allow busy parents (like themselves) to fit an amazing 30 minute workout into a tight schedule. By 2012, 9round had expanded to over 100 locations across the nation, and they now boast over 700 locations all over the world with more in development.

 

Impact Strong

 

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“You can’t hire someone else to do your push ups for you” -Jim Rohn

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Impact Strong features 30-minute-long kickboxing classes that will have your body burning fat for up to 48 hours after you’ve finished your workout. Classes are available for all levels of fitness, from beginners to advanced and if you have extra time in your day, Impact Strong also has a separate 30 minute HIIT workout class that can be taken before or after your Kickboxing class to amp up your results.  Impact Strong currently has gyms in Texas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Jersey, and Utah.

 

Title Boxing Club

 

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#WCW – @xo.healthy – Stiff jabs over stiff drinks any day of the week. 🥊🔥 — #boxing #TITLEBoxing #FightLikeAGirl

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Title Boxing Club features boxing and kickboxing classes committed to giving people of all ages, fitness levels, and abilities access to an empowering workout. These classes aren’t routine, making every class different and challenging. Each workout includes a warm up, rounds, active rest, and a core and cool-down session. Title Boxing Club has over 180 locations and is available all over the United States.

 

Everybody Fights

 

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Our love for boxing is real 🥊❤️ #everybodyfights @rachelg_photography @hloonan

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Everybody Fights was founded by George Foreman III, a professional boxer with a perfect 16-0 record who grew up in the World of Boxing alongside his father, legendary two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman Sr. George opened the first Everybody Fights location in Boston in 2014 and now has locations in New York, Boston, Kentucky, and Chicago (a location in Philadelphia will be opening in 2019).

SWEAT by BW: Kettlebell Workout

The kettlebell is a powerful strength-building tool that bridges the gap between strength and stamina.  A kettlebell workout provides both a wide variety of classic strength-building exercises and of cyclical high-velocity movements; together, the benefits of this one simple tool can take your conditioning to the next level.

Kettlebells are odd-shaped objects.  When negotiating classic strength movements with the kettlebell, that awkwardness will translate into increased levels of strength as well as resilience that you won’t find with other free-weight implements. Handling kettlebells requires significant levels of joint control and stability.  This makes them extremely valuable as a tool for injury prevention.  The durability you can develop from kettlebell training will not only create loads of strength and functionality, but it will also safeguard against orthopedic injuries throughout your lifetime.

But probably the most magical (and difficult!) aspect of kettlebell training is in the series of movements from which kettlebell sport training was created.  These exercises are derived from the classic lifts found in the sport of Olympic-Style Weightlifting.  However, in kettlebell training they are done cyclically for very high  repetition counts and can take you to your cardiovascular and stamina limits. Here, we will give an introduction to the concept of cyclic repetition training, but we’ll keep you within your limits to promote good technique while you learn the movements.

Here is a series of classic strength-builders as well as a taste of cyclic high repetition exercises that will test your stamina and mental toughness.

 

Kettlebell Snatch

The snatch is the quintessential fast lift with a kettlebell and comprises one of the primary events in kettlebell sport competitions.  Get your lungs, shoulders, and back ready for one of the most grueling and powerful weightlifting moves out there!

– Place kettle bell in one hand at arm’s length with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart

– Begin the same hip-hinging motion described above for the KB swing

– Explosively open your hips to send the kettlebell out and up

– At approximately chest level, pull your elbow up and back and “flip” the kettlebell over to smoothly land on the back of your forearm

– As the kettlebell rotates, punch your arm straight through the kettlebell handle and guide it to arm’s length overhead with your bicep covering your ear

– Once the kettle bell is locked overhead, begin the next rep by letting the kettlebell fall and flip over your hand and back into your initial hip-hinge motion

– Absorb the force of the falling kettlebell and connect powerfully into the next rep

– Your breath should be drawn in quickly as the kettlebell falls toward your hips; then expel your air with equal force as the kettlebell explodes forward out of your hips

Complete five sets of 15-20 repetitions. For a more challenging workout try 30 seconds of snatching on your right arm followed by a 30 second rest, then commence 30 seconds of snatching on your left arm followed by 30 seconds of rest and repeat for five rounds on each arm.

 

Kettlebell Front Squat

The kettlebell front squat is a supremely tough squat variation as it places tremendous strain on the core and upper back musculature.  This adds a powerful core connection to an already unsurpassed strength exercise choice.

-Place kettle bells in front rack position.  Front rack position is where your hand is  inside the kettlebell handle with the kettlebell “ball” resting (or, “racked” as the name suggests) on the top of the forearm and upper arm.

-Set your feet approximately shoulder-width apart with your toes slightly turned out

-Breath in and brace your abdominals.  Also, inflate your chest to create a stable platform for the kettle bells

-Push your hips back and break at the knees simultaneously.  Descend until your hips are slightly below the knees (or to whatever depth you can reach that is stable)

-Once depth is achieved, drive your legs through the floor until you are back to standing position

-Complete three sets of 8-12 repetitions before increasing kettle bell weight. Note: The repetition tempo should be slow and controlled on the “down” phase and strong and quick on the “up”.

 

Kettlebell Press

The kettlebell press takes a classic strength builder and adds a massive trunk and shoulder stability element to it.  For a strong midsection and resilient shoulders look no further!

– Place the kettlebells in Front Rack position. (as described above)

– Set feet approximately hip width apart.

– Breath in and brace abdominals and chest.

– Drive both kettlebells to an overhead position where elbows are locked and biceps cover the ears.

– Once lockout is achieved and stable, return kettlebells to slowly to front rack position.

Complete 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions.

 

Kettlebell Windmill

The windmill will simultaneously challenge flexibility, balance and core strength.

– Place single kettlebell in overhead position with the “ball” side resting on the back of the arm.

– Set feet approximately shoulder with apart with toes turned slightly away from ketllebell arm.

– Breath in and brace abdominals

– Push hips sideways moving toward the direction of kettlebell arm.

– While creasing to the side reach free arm in from of the closest foot and slowly feel for the floor while you descend.

– Once fingers tough the floor (or as deep as you are stable), return to standing position.

Complete 3 sets of 6-10 repetitions. Due to the extreme balance challenge all phases of all reps should be performed in a slow and controlled manner. For an added challenge to your flexibility and control, try to place unweighted palm flat on the floor before ascending to standing.

 

Kettlebell Swing

The swing is our first look at the “fast” lifts done with kettlebells.  It is a necessary pre-requisite to all other fast lifts listed below.

– Stand with kettlebell hanging at arms length and feet slightly wider than shoulder width.

– Hinge your hips back and pull the kettlebell back with momentum

– Drive hips open explosively to send kettle bell forward at arms length to approximately chest level

– Allow gravity to send kettlebell down and back into hip hinge and catch and repeat

– Breath should be drawn in quickly as kettlebell falls toward hips and then expel air with equal force as kettle bell explodes forward out of hips

Complete 5 sets of 15-20 repetitions, or try 20 sec of kettlebell swings followed by 40 seconds of rest for 10 rounds for a more challenging workout.

 

 

Complete these workouts with good technique before increasing kettle bell weight.

SWEAT by BW: Flexibility Workout

Flexibility is one of the most sought-after qualities that can be expressed by the human body.  Nothing else displays a sense of health like effortless access to deep stretches and ranges of motion. Unfortunately, our modern lifestyles and even our exercise routines can leave our bodies with severely blunted flexibility and painful, creaky joints.

Many factors affect flexibility.  Our daily postures and lack of exercise certainly contribute to tight muscles and joints.  But even those of us who are regular gym-goers may be suffering from limited ranges of motion and poor flexibility.  Living and exercising in small ranges of motion leaves countless muscles unable to access their inherent length.

New research is emerging that suggests that the nervous system is the primary regulator of how much range we can access with our muscles and joints.  Our bodies learn to protect the ranges that they feel comfortable with and the nervous system locks into what it feels are “safe” ranges.  With years of poor posture, limited range exercise, or no exercise at all, we have left our nervous systems with no choice but to lock our bodies into a tight box of movement.  This understanding of the nervous system’s role in creating new ranges and protecting old ones is critical in the approach to create new levels of flexibility in the body.  Breathing becomes a critical component of flexibility training as the breath-body connection is how we send the signal to our nervous systems to relax and allow new range to be accessed.

This concept gives tremendous validation to practices such as yoga, ones that apply significant breathing connection into stretching practice.  However, with our busy lives, yoga is a hard-sell considering the amount of time necessary to access a yoga studio and/or a qualified instructor.  While well-worth the time, it is also a great tool to be able to stretch effectively and develop a flexible supple body at home or as a supplement to your normal gym routine.

Along with flexibility will come greater ease in all other activities and, in particular, better postures during strength training.  Having improved flexibility will translate to more effective training no matter what goals your fitness program may have. Here is a list of stretches and breathing patterns that will give your flexibility a major jumpstart and send you on the way to greater range of motion.

 

Lizard Stretch

The lizard stretch is an all-in-one hip-opener.  It will stretch the chronically tight musculature of the groin and adductors as well as the glutes and low back.

  • Place one leg forward on a flat foot and your opposite leg back with instep flat on the floor
  • Your hands and arms should be inside your front foot on the floor
  • Slowly lower your torso toward the floor until your elbows are flat on the ground next to your front foot, or, to a depth that feels like a mildly uncomfortable stretch
  • Once end range is achieved, begin breathing deeply through the belly and diaphragm on a cadence of eight-count in and ten-count out.
  • Hold this end range or gradually increase as time unfolds
  • Hold for two minutes on each side

 

Straddle Stretch

The Straddle Stretch is a fantastic exercise for opening the hips and creating flexible hamstrings and lower back.

  • Take a seated position on the floor with your legs opened wide in front of you
  • Your legs should open to the degree that your back can still stay flat while sitting upright
  • With your hands on the floor for support in front of you, slowly lean your torso forward until a mildly uncomfortable stretch is felt in the groin and adductors
  • Once end range is achieved, begin breathing deeply through the belly and diaphragm on an eight-count in and ten-count out.
  • Increase the end range and/or explore leaning toward each leg as time unfolds
  • Hold for two to three minutes

 

Frog Stretch

The Frog Stretch is legend among regular flexibility practitioners, not only for its effectiveness, but also for its uniquely deep level of hip opening.  The Frog will access your body’s internal hip range of motion, which doesn’t get accessed in everyday life too often, but is critically important for having healthy hips and proper pelvic function.

  • Kneel on the floor with your knees slightly wider than shoulder width
  • Place your lower leg in line with knees behind on floor
  • Turn your toes outward (away from your body) to each side so that the inside of the foot is flush with the floor
  • With your bodyweight supported on your hands or elbows in front, slowly sit your hips back between your knees toward your feet
  • Sit back until a mildly uncomfortable stretch is felt in the hips
  • Breath deeply with same pattern as described above
  • Increase the range gradually, or, pull in and out of the stretch for repetitions if the discomfort is too great to relax into
  • Hold the pose for two minutes

 

Pigeon Stretch

The pigeon stretch is the other side of the coin to the frog stretch as it accesses the hips’ external rotation ability.  This stretch is fantastic for the glutes and hips as well as the lumbar spinal musculature.

  • Place one leg on the floor with the knee under the shoulders and the lower leg as close to perpendicular to the torso as possible
  • Your trailing leg should be straight behind your body with the instep of your foot flat on the floor
  • Start with your torso upright over your front leg and weight in your hands for support
  • slowly lower the torso toward the floor and attempt to place the bodyweight in the elbows if your range allows or until a mildly uncomfortable stretch is achieved
  • breath deeply with the same pattern as described above
  • increase range gradually toward the floor or in any direction that increases the sensation as time unfolds (*Try holding for 2 minutes each side.)

 

Wall Supported Hip Flexor Stretch

This variant of a hip-flexor stretch will place a strong opening force on the hip flexor and psoas muscles as well as the front of the quadriceps.  It’s fantastic for helping with poor posture and may be my top pick for the most effective stretch if limited to one choice.

  • Stand facing away from a wall. Kneel down close to the wall, with a pad or mat underneath you for comfort, if desired.
  • Your other leg should be forward at a 90 degree angle with the foot flat on the floor; this will also provide balance
  • Place your hands inside your front leg with your torso low toward the floor to start
  • Slowly start to straighten your torso to an upright position by pressing your hands into the ground and eventually onto your front knee
  • As your torso moves upright and a mildly uncomfortable stretch is felt in the front of the hip and thigh of the back leg, hold
  • Breathe deeply with the same pattern as described in previous exercises
  • Gradually increase the height of your torso and even explore reaching the same arm as the back leg toward the ceiling
  • Hold for two minutes, then switch sides

 

Any of the above stretches individually is incredibly effective at developing new range of motion.  As an entire workout, however, they will serve to better each other.  Set aside some time after your workout, or on a rest day, and stretch out!