Legs, Glutes, and Abdominal Exercises

Legs and Glutes

cable kickbacks (as shown): 3 sets/ 12-15 reps/ each leg

skies (side lunges): 3 sets/ 12-15 reps/ each leg

froggie on bench: 3 sets/ 12-20 reps

calf raises: 3 sets/ 12-15 reps

  * 1st set: toes pointed straight

  * 2nd set: toes pointed outward

  * 3rd set: toes pointed inward

                          Abs

                          hanging leg raises: 3 sets/ 12-15 reps

                          declined crunch with medicine ball: 3 sets/ 12-15 reps

                          side planks with a twist: 3 sets/ 12-15 reps

Keep Track of Your Progress the Cheap Way!

     You finally decided to make the plunge to reach your fitness goals you will come to find out that some things you need might be out of your range of your expenses. This should not be the reason why you just throw up your hands and quit! When I began my journey I did not have a lot of money to spend on a personal trainer so I did the next best thing. I learned how to do it for myself! I used the Internet, Discovery Health, Dr. Oz's Real Age, and pictures to document my progress.

Image Credits: michaelhyatt.com

     First step you should take is buy a journal. A journal is super cheap to buy at your local dollar pr grocery store. Write down the date, your feelings about starting this journey, your weight and measurements. You need to know where you start from because you will never reach your full potential if you mindlessly go through this. You can easily mess up an entire MONTH worth of weight-loss in one weekend of partying and eating whatever you want. This can easily result in a 6 - 10 pounds gain that you will cry about later. It is sad that many health and weight - loss/ management publications indicate that the average weight gain is 10 pounds a year, but this is true only if you are a fit and active individual which the majority of society is not. I have been a personal trainer for many years and I have seen people gain this amount in one weekend!

     Second step is to take pictures of yourself. Pictures speak a thousand words. There is nothing like the reaction I get from clients who have had their photos taken before and updated every 4 weeks. Our minds are designed to play games. You will never be able to see what others see if you do not take a pictures to document your progress. Even I have this problem. When I prep for contests I always take pictures to make sure I am seeing the changes I need to achieve. My clients always tell me how the can see the progress, but I cannot know for sure unless I see my updated progress 

photos. 

Image Credits: oxygenmag.com

     Third step is to search on the Internet or buy fitness magazines to help teach yourself how the train. I began my journey this way. My husband was a trainer for many years and would not teach me how to work out. I asked countless of people knowlegeable in fitness industry here in the Rio Grande Valley to no avail. My husband just felt he did not have the time to teach me. In addition, I believe the fitness professionals I asked in the past really just did not want me to know how to get fit. There never was a clear indication on what to eat, how to workout, or how much time train. Fitness magazines and online fitness websites like Oxygen, Muscle & Fitness, Muscle & Fitness for Her, & etc. give detailed directions on how to eat and how to train. You just have to use the information to your advantage. 

    In conclusion, having these simple tools will help you keep track. Write down your food, workouts, and feelings throughout the entire process. It will be an awesome feeling to look back at where you started and how much progress you have reached. Remember, your goals are not the responsibility of others. So, do not be suprised  if you have a gym partner and they stop going to the gym or walking with you. You need to do this for yourself, your health, and your family. Just like a car needs maintanence so does your health. Do not wait until it is too late!

Candace

Workout At Home If You Can Not Make It To The Gym!

Have you found yourself so busy during the week, that you think you do not even have time to get to the gym? Well if you can not make to the gym, then why not workout at home? A lot of you will say, "I get motivation when I'm at the gym with my friends". Which is great, however you should not depend on others when you are trying to reach your fitness goals. Your motivation should come from yourself and the results you want to reach! Remember, your goals are not theirs so when they decide to quit, are you going to quit too? Learning how to workout out at home without anyone but yourself will make sure you stay on track and keep up with your fitness goals. Here are some fitness ideas and equipment you can use during your training!

Image Credits: www.itsallyogababy.com

Yoga Mat

These are not only great for Yoga. There also for....

• Protection from a hard floor
• Keeps your feet in place without sliding
• Abdominal workouts
• Substitute for bench workouts
• Stretch routine

Stability Ball

Great for core strengthening! Working out on a stability ball forces you to use your core to stay in place. You can also

use the stability ball for ...

• Abdominal and total core workouts
• Great for unstable workout environments
• Resistance workouts for each body part
• Balance training 
• Replaces a bench
• Can also be used to stretch

Barbell

Barbells can be used for all different types of exercises for each body part. Make sure to buy it with the plates to save a lot more money. There are many types of barbells, the best are EZ bars and straight/olympic bars. Types of exercises include ....

• Barbell squats
• Barbell bench press
• Stiff-leg dead-lift
• Barbell curls
• Barbell shoulder press
• Barbell triceps extensions

Dumbbells

Even though a barbell  can do many exercises, you still need some dumbbells to make sure the body is being trained evenly. Stronger body parts will help the weak ones when it comes to lifting resulting in a weaker, uneven and smaller body parts. Examples exercises include:

• Dumbbell lunges
• Dumbbell front raises
• Dumbbell chest fly
• Dumbbell bicep curls
• Dumbbell triceps kickbacks

Calisthenics

Using your own body weight to exercise! 

• Push ups
• Hanging leg lifts
• Bear crawls
• Superman
• Superman leg curls
• Inchworms
• Lunges
• Wall Squats

Hit a Plateau? Here is What You Need to Do!

Things to Do When You Hit a Plateau

1. Our bodies have evolved to adapt to our surroundings, so if you are doing the same workout routine for 4 - 6 weeks, you are not going to see any changes in you body.
* Try out a different type of cardio (you never know what you like unless you at
least try it once).

* Split up your cardio between different machines.
-ex: 30 minutes on the treadmill, 15 minutes on a stationary bike, and 15
minutes on a stair stepper.

* Try a plyometrics between you sets
- plyometrics: a type of exercise training designed to improve performance
in sports by producing fast, powerful movements. It also improves the
functions of the nervous system.
- ex: jump squats, jump lunges, tuck jumps, lateral box jumps, etc. (lower
body).
- ex: over head throws w/ medicine ball, side throws, over back toss, slams,
explosive start throws, etc. (upper body).

* Try Circuit Training
- utilizes 6 - 10 -12 exercises for all body parts completed one after the
with little to no rest.
- an hour of circuit training can burn up to 550 calories depending on muscle
development.

* Eat Clean
- this simply means to stay a way from unnatural foods as possible.
+ ex: white bread, white pasta, boxed meals, microwaveable meals, sweets
( candies or cookies from the store), etc.
- natural foods are free from added sugars, trans fats, hydrogenated fats,
and any thing unnatural.
+ apples, bananas, free range chickens and eggs, organic meats and fish,
whole wheat flour, whole wheat pasta, etc.
- you will not see results if you keep on eating bad foods. you will be only
maintaining you weight and not burning it off no matter how much exercise
you do.

* Eat 5 - 6 Meals A Day
- Breakfast, snack, Lunch, snack, Dinner, snack.
+ if you are a really busy person, on your day off or when you have time
cook most of you meals for the week so that you are not in the kitchen all
the time.
+ ex: buy a large package of free range or grass feed chicken breasts,
marinate, and cook them all at once in a grill, roaster, or broil.
> you can eat the breast with some veggies, slice it up to make a wrap
sandwich, or make a chicken soup.
> if it is not boneless, you can use the bones with some carrots and
celery to make you own chicken stock.
- eating every 2-3 hours keeps you body active and burning. if you starve
yourself, you body will freak out and hold on every thing it can. thus, you
will not see fast results.

* Hire A Trainer
- if you are scared of lifting weights with the guys, hire a trainer to help
learn you way around the gym and exercises. plus, some people need
some one to push them to get to their potential.
- once you know what is up, you can exercise for yourself.

Chest, Back, and Abdominal Exercises

Chest
bench press: 3 sets/12-15 reps
inclined bench press: 3 sets/12-15 reps
declined bench press (as shown): 3 sets/12-15 reps
fly machine: 3 sets/12-15 reps




Back
close grip lat pulldown (as shown): 3 sets/12-15 reps
t-bar: 3 sets/12-15 reps
assisted pull-up machine: 3 sets/12-15 reps
back extensions: 3 sets/12-15 reps



Abs
figure 8 (as shown): 3 sets/15-25 reps
crunches: 3 sets/30 seconds - 1 minute

Portion Control: How To Easily Fix Your Servings With Your Plate

Portion Control

      When I started to shed the pounds many women at the gym would ask me what diet was I on. At the time, I was just trying to lose weight and other diets never worked for me. I also did not know much about counting calories or macronutrients. It would make me giggle when I would see their faces when I tell them that I am not on a diet, I just eat healthier and with different portions sizes. Below is an example how would I set up my plate when at home, at a party or at a restaurant.

     I learned to use a medium size plate when serving myself. This helps to avoid eating too much. Half of my plate would have dark greens or a rainbow of different veggies, 1/4 was protein, and 1/4 was carbs. This example can be for breakfast and lunch. Yes, you can eat veggies for breakfast! Adding veggies in the morning will help keep you full until your next meal or snack 3 to 4 hours later.







     For dinner, your plate should look like this one below. You only need your carbs for the first 12 hours that you are awake or in other words, from 6 am - 6 pm. Of course, this depends on when you are able to workout and what your work/caregiver schedule is. Not all of people in society can workout early in the morning. If you usually workout at 9 pm then your dinner will include your carbs. Carbs give you the energy you need to push weight and do cardio.

     Just remember all things take time and be patient! Taking baby steps is the best way because going cold turkey or starving yourself will backfire and make you crave bad carbs resulting in binge eating and weight gain.
  

Candace

Legs and Glutes Exercises

Legs and Glutes
side lunges with squat: 3 sets/12-15 reps each exercise
plie squat: 3 sets/12-15 reps
stability ball leg curls: 3 sets/12-15 reps
donkey kickbacks: 3 sets/12-15 reps
seated calf raises: 3 sets/12-15 reps
* 1st set: toes pointed straight
* 2nd set: toes pointed outward
* 3rd set: toes pointed inward

Chicken Fajitas Recipe

Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of lime juice (fresh or bottled)

1/2 cup of olive oil

5 cloves of garlic

sea salt

1/4 teaspoon of cumin

1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 large onions, thinly sliced

1 large bell pepper, thinly sliced

9-12 red corn tortillas

1 large tomato, chopped

3/4 cup of salsa

shredded lettuce

feta cheese

Directions:

Step 1: In a small baking pan, combine the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, red pepper flakes. Mix thoroughly and reserve 1/3 of the marinade for later use. Add the chicken to the pan and marinade both sides 10 minutes each covered in a refrigerator.

Step 2: Preheat the grill or boiler. Heat a large skillet on medium temperature. Once hot, add the onions, bell peppers, and half of the reserved marinade. Stir-fry for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Step 3: Grill or Broil chicken basting the breast with the rest of the reserved marinade. Cook both sides for about 10 minutes. Cut the breast in 45 degree angle into thin slices. Add the chicken to the skillet with the stir-fried vegetables and mix together.

Step 4: Serve the chicken mixture in warm corn tortillas. Top the tacos with the salsa, lettuce, tomato, and feta cheese.

Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders and Abdominal Exercises

Biceps
wide grip barbell curls: 3 sets/12-15 reps
concentration dumbbell curls: 3 sets/12-15 reps
cross body dumbbell hammer curls: 3 sets/12-15 reps



Triceps
tricep dips on bench: 3 sets/12-15 reps
tricep dumbbell kickbacks: 3 sets/12-15 reps
close grip bench press: 3 sets/12-15 reps

Shoulders
alternating shoulder press: 3 sets/12-15 reps
seated lateral raises: 3 sets/12-15 reps
bent-over lateral raises: 3 sets/12-15 reps
upright rows with barbell: 3 sets/12-15 reps


Abs
toes to ceiling: 3 sets/15-25 reps
weighted crunch: 3 sets/15-25 reps
oblique twist with medicine ball: 3 sets/12-15 reps

Chest and Back Exercises

Chest
assisted dips: 3 sets/12-15 reps
iso lateral inclined press: 3 sets/12-15 reps
iso lateral bench press: 3 sets/12-15 reps
bench dumbbell fly: 3 sets/12-15 reps






Back
reverse grip lat pulldown: 3 sets/12-15 reps
iso lateral front lat pulldown: 3 sets/12-15 reps
iso lateral row: 3 sets/12-15 reps
bent knee deadlift: 3 sets/12-15 reps

Benefits of Sea Salt

A lot of people ask me if I exclude salt out of my diet. I first let them know that I am not on a diet and yes, I do exclude salt but, not sea salt. What is the difference between salt and sea salt?

Regular table salt you buy in a store is mostly made up of sodium chloride and added iodine while sea salt has many natural minerals we need everyday. These minerals are potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
Pink Sea Salt
Sea salt is also a good source to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis. Dead
Sea salt (from the Dead Sea) has been found in some studies to alleviate symptoms of tendinitis and osteoarthritis.

Just because there are some health benefits in using sea salt does not mean you can go crazy using it. Just like regular salt, use wisely. In addition, make sure that you know what to buy. Real sea salts are either pink or grey, never white.

Grey Sea Salt

The Benefits of Coffee: A Natural Fat Burner!

Image Credits: iwcstockholm.se

Did you know a cup of coffee could help maximize your weight loss success? Drinking a cup or two of coffee one hour before a workout can:

1. Improves strength and muscular development for resistance training.
• The more muscle development means the more calories burned!
2. Can improve performance and endurance,
• Training hard but with caution leads to faster results.
3. Helps release of free fatty acids = caffeine breaks down fat.
•  High activity at the time, fatty acids (which bonds with glycerol to form fat) will burn immediately.
4. Not a coffee drinker, then you can easily go to your local vitamin shop and buy caffeine pills.
• Take: 1 - 2 pills (depending on the amount of mg) in the morning
• 1 - 2 pills one hour before your workout.

     I usually alternate between drinking coffee or taking caffeine supplements because drinking coffee can stain your teeth! It helps me to  sweat like a pig and gives me enough high energy without the crazy "heart pounding" effects a lot of "named brand" fat burners have. Many people at the gym ask, "What are you taking to be so energetic?" When I tell them coffee and they look dumb founded. Remember, this does not mean you can go crazy on coffee! Too much can lead to caffeine sensitivity and toxicity. Just like food or other supplements, too much of a good things is bad for you.

Try it as a fat burner for a month and let me know how it works for you!

Candace

Abdominal, Legs and Glutes Exercises

Abs
declined crunches: 3 sets/15-25 reps
reverse bench crunches: 3 sets/12-15 reps
lying side oblique crunches: 3 sets/12-25 reps



Legs and Glutes
side bench step ups: 3 sets/12-15 reps each side
barbell ski lunges: 3 sets/12-15 reps
donkey kicks: 3 sets/1 minute each set
smith machine squat: 3 sets/12-15 reps
smith machine calf raises: 3 sets/12-15 reps

Chest and Back Exercises

Chest (No weights day)
push ups: 3 sets/12-15 reps
inclined push ups: 3 sets/12-15 reps
declined push ups: 3 sets/12-15 reps
diamond push ups: 3 sets/12-15 reps


Back
lat pulldowns: 3 sets/12-15 reps
back extensions: 3 sets/12-15 reps
barbell bent-over rows: 3 sets/12-15 reps
assisted pull-ups: 3 sets/12-15 reps

Abdominal, Legs, and Glutes Exercises

Abs
scissors: 3 sets/15-25 reps
ankle touch: 3 sets/30 seconds - 1 minute each set
weighted crunch: 3 sets/15-25 reps


Legs and Glutes
one legged stiff leg deadlift: 3 sets/12-15 reps each leg
cable kickbacks: 3 sets/12-15 reps
smith machine chair squats: 3 sets/12-15 reps
seated calf raises: 3 sets/12-15 reps
* 1st set: toes pointed straight
* 2nd set: toes pointed outward
* 3rd set: toes pointed inward
one legged squat: 3 sets/12-15 reps each leg

Zumba Fitness

Yesterday, I officially became a Zumba instructor. I have still yet to organize my classes, but this is a big step for me starting my fitness career.

I originally started Zumba to learn how to dance better with my husband, Joe, who is from Bogota, Colombia. I was able to dance Merengue, Cumbia, Salsa, and Reggaeton, but I was real stiff. Being in the Zumba classes at my gym made me almost a pro in dancing those styles. Plus, it helped to define my waist line a lot more along with abdominal exercises.

Zumba is another way you can incorporate cardio in your workouts. I can not wait until I have the opportunity to teach my first class.

XOXO,

Candace

Legs and Glutes Exercises

Legs and Glutes

stiff legged deadlifts: 3 sets/12-15 reps

walking lunges with leg lift: 3 sets/12-15 reps

skies: 3 sets/12-15 reps

squat with front kick: 3 sets/12 -15 reps for each complete execution

calf raises: 3 sets/12-15 reps/toes pointed in, pointed out, and straight

* one stance for each set

Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders and Adominal Exercises

Biceps
21's barbell curls: 3 sets
alternating dumbbell curls: 3 sets/12-15 reps
hammer curls: 3 sets/12-15 reps






Shoulders
dumbbell front raises: 3 sets/12-15 reps
military press with straight bar: 3 sets/12-15 reps
dumbbell lateral raises: 3 sets/12-15 reps
bent-over lateral raises: 3 sets/12-15 reps



Triceps
lying tricep extensions: 3 sets/12-15 reps
overhead extensions: 3 sets/12-15 reps
rope pulldown: 3 sets/12-15 reps






Jumping Jacks
during rest periods between each set of exercises
* good way to keep your heart rate up and burn more calories

Abs

declined weighted crunches: 3 sets/12-25 reps

Russian twist: 3 sets/30 seconds - 1 minute

Legs, Glutes and Abdominal Exercises

Legs and Glutes
bench step ups: 3 sets/12-15 reps/each leg
side lunges with squats: 3 sets/12-15 reps/each exercise
plie squats: 3 sets/12-15 reps
donkey calf raises: 3 sets/12-15 reps
donkey kicks: 3 sets/1 minute each leg

Abs

declined reverse crunch: 3 sets/12-15 reps

bicycle crunches: 3 sets/30 seconds - 1 minute

ball crunches: 3 sets/30 seconds - 1 minute

Abdominal, Chest and Back Exercises

Abs
side leg lifts with stability ball: 3 sets/12-15 reps
reverse plank with stability ball: 3 sets/30 seconds - 1 minute
hands to toes: 3 sets/30 seconds - 1 minute


Chest
bench press: 3 sets/12-15 reps
inclined bench press: 3 sets/12-15 reps
declined bench press: 3 sets/12-15 reps
fly machine: 3 sets/12-15 reps




Back
t bar: 3 sets/12-15 reps
assisted chin ups: 3 sets/12-15 reps
straight arm pulldowns: 3 sets/12-15 reps
supermans: 3 sets/30 seconds - 1 minute

Legs and Glutes Exercises

Legs and Glutes Exercises
alternating leg extensions machine: 3 sets/12-15 reps/both legs
alternating kneeling leg curl machine: 3 sets/12-15 reps/both legs
glute machine: 3 sets/12-15 reps/both sides
donkey calf raises: 3 sets/12-15 reps
* set 1: toes pointed straight
* set 2: pointed inward
* set 3: pointed outward