Get Shredded Abs with these Exercises

Performing a variety of ab exercises leads to an incredibly strong core. I complete an ab workout whenever my cores does not feel sore. That way I let my muscles recover and thereby allowing them to grow.

I try to perform as many exercises as I can in a row with no break in between, but don't forget to mix it up.

Here is a list of some of the exercises I enjoy. Give them a try.

Click each link for an illustration of the exercise.

• Toe Touches
• Russian Twists with Weight
• Hanging Leg Lifts
• Hanging Knee Lifts
• Barbell Ab Rollout
• Bicycles
• Front Planks
• Side Plank Push-Ups
• Ab Wheel Roller
• Lateral Kicks
• Bottoms Up
• Decline Sit-Ups with Weight
• Mountain Climbers
• Gorilla Chin Crunch
• V Up's
• Side Bridges

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33 Ways to Become Leaner

Here are a bunch of good ideas to incorporate into a healthy lifestyle to obtain a leaner body:

1: Drink a full bottle of water when you awake to kick-start your metabolism.

2: Walk around every time you are on the phone.

3: Don’t drink Muscle Milk or any other pre-made protein shake. Read on the back; they often have as much fat as a hamburger from MacDonald’s!

4: Eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism going.

5: Change up your workouts regularly for optimal results in burning fat and gaining muscle.

6: Don’t add any condiments to your foods apart from pepper, cinnamon and a select few.

7: Don’t consume anything that comes in a can.

8: Stay completely away from bread.

9: Don’t spend more than an hour on the couch a day. Actively doing something around the house burns calories.

10: Drink green tea or take green tea extract to boost your metabolism.

11: ALWAYS eat breakfast.

12: Include protein in every meal to fire up your metabolism.

13: Eat more bananas; they speed up the fat burning process through potassium.

14: If you insist on snacking, do it as early as possible in the day.

15: Avoid carbohydrates at night.

16: Always take the stairs instead of the elevator.

17: Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night, through a regular sleeping pattern.

18: Take shorter rests in between sets. Try 30 seconds of rest between each set.

19: Don’t eat anything two hours prior to bedtime.

20: Muscle mass burns fat; lift weights regularly!

21: Perform interval training instead of steady paced cardio.

22: Get your carbohydrates from green vegetables instead of potatoes, bread, pasta or rice.

23: Cut off visible fat on your meats, before you cook them.

24: Work out your legs more. Leg exercises burn off belly fat.

25: Walk around during sets in the gym.

26: Eat spicy foods as they speed up your metabolism.

27: Eat healthy fats, from almonds for example.

28: Cook all the food you eat from scratch. Stay far away from processed foods.

29: Drink at least a gallon of water spread out through each day.

30: Don’t eat protein bars. Read the nutritional facts to find out the truth about these.

31: Use fat-free cooking spray on your pans as opposed to oils.

32: Drink water to feel fuller before you eat.

33: Consume all food slowly.

You're welcome,

@FitnessOracle

Healthy Recipe: Spinach Salad with Tuna

Try this awesome salad as a healthy post-workout meal:

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Pull out a big bowl with plenty of room. Drain the can of tuna in water, half way, leaving a little water for moisture in the salad. Pour the tuna into the bowl and separate it with a fork.

Chop your 6 almonds into smaller pieces, while finely chopping a small red union. Larger slices of red union will dominate the flavor too much, so ensure that they are cut into very small pieces. Boil a handful of green beans and chop them all in half. Grab a big handful of spinach leaves and throw all the ingredients into the bowl. Stir the content around until it is properly mixed.

You can add fresh pepper in the end as desired.

Enjoy!

@FitnessOracle

Interval Training - Effective Fat Burning Technique

Tired of running on the treadmill for hours? Good. Interval training is much more effective as it burns fat up to 24 hours post-workout. A cardio session at a steady running pace of over 30 minutes assures that you burn off your muscles. Why is that important? Because muscles actually burn fat.

Interval Training (HIIT) aims to raise and lower your heart rate continuously through 15-20 minutes per session.

As a better alternative to steady-paced cardio try out interval training on a treadmill, stationary bike or on a good running surface:

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This is a very tough workout, so adjust to your own sprint pace. Work your way up to full out sprints.

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Fat Burning Circuit

I use these type of circuits at the end of my workout to shave off fat. They are designed to quickly raise and lower your heart rate in a short time. This is similar to interval training - one of the most efficient techniques to burn fat. Give it a shot.

Don't be scared to repeat the circuit several times or adjusting the repetitions to fit your own fitness level.

Have fun!

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@FitnessOracle

The Window of Opportunity - Protein intake

There are many facts, and many myths, in the nutritional realm but none are perhaps more recognized than “the Window of Opportunity.” The idea that a window of time appears immediately after a workout, closing within 30 minutes post-workout, where protein intake is crucial and seemingly becomes more effective if taken within this time period.

So, do we just blindly accept this nutritional theory? Or do we choose to question the information we gather as we continuously progress in exercising and dieting techniques.

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But lets think about this phenomenon using logic. What foods/liquids of nutritional value do you know take immediate effect?

You don’t become hydrated after a wet night out with friends by drinking two water bottles the morning after; it takes time to reach appropriate levels, again. You don’t get lean because you eat healthy and eliminate all snacks for a week, it takes time. As does anything of nutritional value you put into your body - and that does not exclude protein.

Protein is stored in your body, so that it is ready for use whenever it is needed. The body does not absorb the protein immediately following a workout. It does not obtain it that fast, nor does it really matter whether you receive protein immediately after. Why? Because it will take from what it already has stored and ready to go, as opposed to waiting until the post-workout protein has run its course through the body’s system. That's why its crucial to constantly feed yourself with proper nutrition. If you have been starving yourself for days, one protein shake won’t do anything to help repair your muscles, but the chicken, eggs and fish from yesterday and the day before that will.

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The Over Training Syndrome (OTS)

Exercising becomes a lifestyle, it becomes a part of every day life for those engaged in living a healthy life. It can, however, also become too much.

The Over Training Syndrome (OTS) occurs for endurance athletes and weightlifters when the Central Nervous System has been exhausted. It can hit anyone who is committed to exercising. The body is in complete overdrive and therefore does not have adequate time to recover completely.

The first sign that a break is needed is often signaled through reaching plateaus in your workouts. When this occurs it is crucial that you take time off, by either complete taking a break or by lessening the volume. If you don't you will overexert your Central Nervous System leading to a variety of symptoms caused by the OTS.

High volume training is important to improve performance for shorter intervals of time, but there has to be a de-load period immediately afterwards, which allows the body to recuperate.

I want to shed light on the symptoms to help all of you avoid the dark pit that is the OTS.

Note that these can occur at different stages of the OTS and you may not experience all of them, but only a select few.

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Be healthy and exercise, but be aware of the dangers associated with excessive training.

@FitnessOracle

Healthy Recipe: Greek Yogurt with Fruits

Breakfast is the most vital meal of the day. The body is deprived of nutrition, having slept for seven to eight hours with no food or liquid intake. I always start out the day with a full bottle of water, immediately kick starting my metabolism, but we also need solid foods.

One of my favorites, at the moment, is plain non-fat Greek Yogurt from Chobani. It swiftly provides energy and protein to an empty stomach, feeding the muscles fuel. The nutritional facts speak for themselves:

Per serving (8 ounces or 225 grams.)
- 0 grams of fat.
- 23 grams of protein.
- 9 grams of carbohydrates.

Non-fat plain Greek Yogurt is a diary product, providing essential ingredients for muscle building, while it also gives us calcium, feeding our bones with its favorite food.

My own recipe is simple and short. Try it for breakfast, but limit it to twice a week due to its relatively high sugar content of about 9 grams per serving, excluding the sugar from fruits.


- 8 Ounces of Chobani plain non-fat Greek Yogurt.
- One banana.
- 2-3 strawberries.
- One handful of blueberries.

Cut the banana and strawberries into small slices and mix all the content into a bowl. Consume slowly.

@FitnessOracle

Killer Chest Workout with Drop-Sets

Get incredible pumps with drop-sets.

The number of repetitions in my workouts are never set at a specific number; I always strive to perform as many reps as I possibly can with the weight I choose. I do, however, aim at a range by selecting a weight I am familiar with and that will hit that specific range. Gaining muscle mass and achieving a lean body is all about using heavy weight for as many repetitions as you can with good form, of course. If you at any point fail to perform the proper form you should immediately drop the weight – you have done what you were capable of.

To further push myself I always incorporate drop-sets into every exercise. I do this in several ways, but my favorite way to do this is by selecting a lower weight as a final set of an exercise and repping it out until my form fails. Always perform the single drop-set immediately after your ‘real’ final set. Often, I also perform 3 drop-sets in a row, by selecting three lighter weights, for example: 70-60-45 lbs. I line these 3 lighter weights up and then rep out each one until failure, right after one another. This gives you unbelievable pumps, which is what you should strive for every time you hit the gym.

Check out this killer chest workout, incorporating some of the techniques described above.

Flat Bench Dumbbell Press – Flex your chest as much as you can and increase weight each set.

                Set 1: 12-15 Reps.

                Set 2: 10-12 Reps.

                Set 3: 8-10 Reps.

                Set 4: 4-6 Reps.

                Drop-set: Select light weight, rep out until failure, right after 4^th set.

Incline Dumbbell Fly’s – Squeeze the two dumbbells together at the top, forcing you to flex your chest. Thumbs point towards each other the whole time.

                Set 1: 10-12 Reps.

                Set 2: 10-12 Reps.

                Set 3: 10-12 Reps.

                Drop-set: Push-ups until failure right after 3^rd set.

Decline Dumbbell Press (One big Super-Set.)

Pick 5 different weights, lowering the weight each set – No break in between sets.

                Set 1: Rep out until form collapses.

                Set 2: Rep out until form collapses.

                Set 3: Rep out until form collapses.

                Set 4: Rep out until form collapses.

                Set 5: Rep out until form collapses.

Standing Cable Fly’s

                Set 1: 15-25 Reps – squeeze your chest in the middle.

                Set 2: Push-ups – until failure, right after 1^st set. Then take 90 seconds off.

                Set 3: 15-25 Reps – squeeze your chest in the middle.

                Set 4: Push-ups – until failure, right after 3^rd set.

@FitnessOracle

300 Reps of Sheer Determination

Want to test yourself? Keep reading, but be aware; this won't be a walkover.

300, the movie, featured actors who appeared to be as fit as NFL players, and many wondered what their workout regiments were. How could these average athletes achieve such sculptured, lean  bodies? The key was a variety of workouts, along with proper dieting and rest obviously, but one has stood out to me ever since the movie was released.

It is said to be incorporated into their workout regiment as a final evaluation of their fitness levels. There is a misconception of how often the workout was performed, but many have verified that it was only completed once.  It was a workout they performed at the peak of their preparations for the movie, when they were in the best possible shape. In other words, this is certainly not a workout you should attempt out of shape, but rather a test of ability, determination and mental strength when you're fit and ready for battle.

Perform each exercise with as little break as possible, but remember to keep proper technique and form, otherwise you will be wasting your time.  300 total reps of sheer determination:

• 25 Pull Ups.
• 50 Barbell Deadlifts at 135 lbs.
• 50 Push Ups.
• 50 Box Jumps on a 24 inch box.
• 50 Floor Whipers with a barbell at 135 lbs.
• 50 Clean and Press with a 36 lbs kettle bell or a dumbbell.
• 25 Pull Ups.
• =
• 300 repetitions.

I completed it in 18 minutes and 31 seconds on my first try; let's see what you can do.

@FitnessOracle

A Guide to Leanness Heaven

Dedication is a necessity in refraining yourself from breaking these guidelines. Once you have adapted to this lifestyle, the routines become natural, and it gets tough to steer away from what you know, you have to do.

Sleeping Pattern.

Without the right amount of sleep, the body will be unable to recover. There will be no growth, whatsoever, without sleep. I recommend setting the alarm clock to eight hours past the point of going to bed. There is evidence that suggests seven to eight hours, for a fully grown human, is the paramount number of hours to sleep, as it lets you recover but also burns the optimal amount of fat. 


Fat Burning.

The same people, every week, run their lives away on a treadmill without any noticeable progression - something is wrong. It's vital to gain muscle as larger muscles burn more fat. Using a treadmill for over 20 minutes actually burns both fat and muscles. I suggest running intervals on treadmills or outside; 20-30 seconds of very high intensity, followed by one-two minutes of rest. Repeat 8-10  times.

Dieting.

Diet is the main foundation for achieving a lean and powerful body. The main thing I focus on is accelerating my metabolism. You do this by constantly keeping it working; small meals throughout the day, eating at least six times a day, drinking at least one gallon of water, spread out through the day. Remember to eat a variety of foods. Achieving a lean body takes dedication but also knowledge of all foods. Educate yourself and begin to understand what you are consuming and the outcome it will have on your body.

There are also other important rules I’ve incorporated into my life:

• No additional sugar, butter, oil or salt in any foods
•  No carbohydrates after six. P.M.
• No bread, not even whole wheat.
• No soda - only water, milk and low calorie Gatorade.
• All carbohydrates consumed are from vegetables.
• No food two hours prior to bedtime.
• Eat breakfast within 10 minutes of waking up.
• Three to five fruits a day.
• Consume your body weight in grams of protein (150lbs = 150 grams a day.)
• Only lean meats; chicken, fish, turkey, lean ground beef etc.

Muscle Building.

As stated before, burning fat and getting lean is greatly supported by a healthy and strong body. I recommend four-five days a week of heavy weight lifting. My general rule is to always include at least one powerlift. If you are unfamiliar with these they are: squat, deadlift, bench press, push press & hang clean. These exercises are vital in achieving mass and thereby the ability to obtain a lean, muscular body. Do not exclude them!

Make sure there is, otherwise, a variety, exercise wise, in your workout program. If you decide to include the same type of curling exercise in your weekly bicep workout it will eventually lose its effect and become less efficient in terms of gaining mass and strength. The only exercises that should be done every week are the powerlifts.

Be sure to include supersets, after your powerlift. Supersets are important because they raise your heart rate for a small period of time mimicking interval training. You perform a super-set by doing two or three sets with no break in between.

@FitnessOracle