Dangerously Fit

I’ll let you in on a little secret… I don’t like to do sit-ups. I do them, and I have my athletes do them, because they are a good exercise, but I don’t enjoy them. I have a hard time finding an application in my day to day life where the movement behind a sit-up translates directly to my day to day activities. Plus, I just plain find sit-ups to be boring.

Considering that the words “core training” are a staple in fitness magazines and gadget informercial sales pitches, you may be wondering what kinds of “core” exercises I enjoy doing, and suggest others do as well. Obviously, since so many people are talking about training the core, it must be important, right?

Lets first start off by discussing what the core actually is. Continue reading »

Bicep curls, lunges, bench press, chin ups… There are thousands of exercises out there, so how do you decide what exercises to work on when just starting out? Largely, the exercises you choose will depend on your goals. However, if your goal is to get stronger, I have 5 exercises for you to consider adding to your routine. These 5 exercises form a solid foundation for strength training, and in fact are useful for other fitness goals as well. I’d go so far as to say that everybody, regardless of age or fitness level would benefit from performing these exercises regularly. So, what are these exercises, and why are they the best? Continue reading »

With summer in full effect right now it is imperative to make sure you are keeping yourself properly hydrated during your workout. Many people don’t consume enough water, and this can be dangerous during any exercise, but all the more so during the summer months. Being dehydrated will make you fatigue earlier, and lead to loss of coordination. In fact, performance can decrease with as little as 2% of body weight loss due to dehydration.

So you are determined to get the most out of your workout, train safely, and stay healthy. How much fluid do you need to consume in order to keep the perils of dehydration at bay? There are a few simple rules of thumb to follow. Here’s what you need to know. Continue reading »

So, you’ve heard that trans fat is bad for you, and you have made it a point to purchase only foods that contain no trans fat. Perhaps you look for bold print on the front of a food package that exclaims “0 grams of trans fat per serving”. Maybe you even look at the nutrition label because you are an educated, health conscious shopper. But, even with your diligence, you may still be purchasing foods containing trans fat and not even know it! To explain why, lets explore a very brief history of trans fat, and then I’ll show you how to REALLY tell if you are purchasing trans fat free foods. Continue reading »

Hands down, one of the absolute best bodyweight exercises one can do is the pull up. A pull up done with proper technique works the latissimus dorsi, or “wings” to develop a strong, healthy, and powerful looking back. The pull up also provides benefits for many of the other muscles of the upper body including the biceps, the brachialis, the brachioradialis, rhomboids, lower trapezius and more. The grip strength developed as a result of training pull ups will increase strength, size, and appearance in the forearm muscles as well.

So, being such an awesome exercise, why don’t more people do it? Continue reading »