SIMPLE EXERCISE TIPS TO STRENGTHEN, TIGHTEN AND TONE

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http://brentwood.patch.com/articles/simple-exercise-tips-to-strengthen-tighten-and-tone?ncid=M255

WHAT IS THE BEST EXERCISE FOR: ABS, BUTT, TRICEPS, ETC.?

FROM THE SERIES “ASK THE TRAINER”

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

There is really no ONE best exercise for a particular muscle group. There are some exercises that are better, because they work a particular muscle through the full range of motion and some that assure the highest stimulation of all muscle fibers. However, to truly give any muscle a nice, well defined shape, you have to work it in many different ways and especially at many different angles, choosing exercises that will use all the functions of the muscle in question.

Also, performing exercises that require a high level of stabilization can be very helpful in getting toned in a nice, even way, because you will be incorporating many different muscles around the one you are trying to work, and therefore getting a better challenge overall.

For more challenging exercise ideas, please visit my You Tube channel: PersonalTrainer90049.

HOW DO I LOSE "THIS" FAT?

FROM THE SERIES “ASK THE TRAINER”

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

Short of liposuction or liposculpture, there is no such thing as spot reducing. Everybody puts on weight somewhat differently, but the way you put the weight on is most likely the way you will also lose it. If you gain weight all over, then it will come off evenly from your whole body when you lose it. But….here are the exceptions: if you’re a woman, the older you get the more fat tends to accumulate on the back of the arms, on the hips and thighs, and most commonly, the abdomen. And that’s where it is also the hardest to lose. Tricep muscles don’t get used very much, so the area often looks flabby. Hips and thighs are a typical way for women to store fat. Some of it is predetermined by nature. Some is the result of eating way too many polyunsaturated fats, especially the bad quality and proinflammatory ones, which also cause cellulite. Some can be a result of being estrogen dominant, so common in our society because of many xenoestrogens in the environment. And some is caused by the cells in the hips and thighs being less sensitive to insulin than other areas of the body.

In regards to the abdomen, losing fat becomes particularly difficult because as women age the ratio of male to female hormones (specifically testosterone to estrogen) increases due to lower estrogen levels. This gives us a more male-like body, with practically no waist. Having a heavy toxic burden, wherever the toxins come from, be it heavy metals, organic pollutants like chemicals, etc., can make losing abdominal fat particularly difficult. Toxins get stored mostly in the adipose tissue and during the process of weight loss, they get released into the bloodstream. Your body will be protecting itself from being flooded by these toxins and work hard against your best efforts, making weight loss very hard, if not virtually impossible. If you suspect this might be the case, seek a doctor who is trained in environmental and functional medicine, and who will be able to do specific tests to find out what the causes of your difficulties may be.

All the above said, however, it still makes sense to exercise. What is flabby will definitely tighten up and what has no shape will look better if you put some work into it. I think it is much more attractive to look at a person that’s a little overweight but has a decent shape and toned muscles, than a, what I call, a” skinny fat” person with an overall thin body but high percentage of body fat and lots of flab.    

KILLER TRICEPS/CORE WORKOUT - Part 1 and 2

GREAT TRICEP EXERCISES INCORPORATING THE FULL USE OF THE CORE

By Monika Tarkowska-Carter, CPT, LWMC, HLC 2

This is another video where I tried to include a very intense use of the core muscles in all the triceps exercises.  Some of them are very advanced so make sure you can stabilize correctly and are able to do the easier ones first. They require minimum equipment and are all very effective if done slowly and correctly.

Please, do a 5-10 minute warm-up before doing any exercises.

Depending on your level, try to do 12-20 repetitions per set.  Aim for the amount of repetitions that gives you a nice burn but not to a point where your form is compromised.

If you haven’t worked out in a while, it’s probably smarter to start with just 1 set and progress to 2-3 sets as some of these exercises can produce extreme soreness.  The weights would vary from 5-15 lbs for women and about 10-25 lbs for men. As always, you don’t have to do all of these exercises in one workout, but rather alternate them with other muscle groups to get a better overall workout. For fat loss, toning and definition you should rest about 30 seconds between sets or switch to a different muscle group without resting at all. Proper stabilization is critical in these exercises as it is fairly easy to strain the shoulder joint doing them incorrectly.

Make sure you engage your core muscles in all the exercises. They play a very important role of supporting and stabilizing you, especially in full body exercises like triceps push-ups.

All the exercises should be performed slowly, without momentum, and through a full range of motion (if you don’t have any injuries or joint issues). Try to engage your triceps muscles at the very beginning of the exercise and then again contract them all the way at the end of the range.

If you don’t have much time to do your workout, choose the exercises that require more core involvement. This way you can skip the abdominal work as your abs will already be involved to a huge degree doing everything else.

Always consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.