work out stories

Turbo Kick Boxing is by far the BEST aerobics class I have ever done in my 25 years of life. I try to make the class 3-4 times per week. Turbo Kick is an intense 45-55 minute cardio session that combines dance, kickboxing, and great music. Turbo Kick classes are offered in many gyms all over the United States. I live in Southern California and they are offered at all of the 24 hour fitness gyms in my area.

Today the class was taught by the creator of Turbo Kick, Chalene. She is amazing! Her class is always fun and challenging. Its great to get in a long cardio session in a fun environment.

Today was my first day back to the gym after a week long illness. Usually I do 5 days of 1-hr. cardio and 3 days of weight training per week. Last week when I was sick so the only thing I could do was walk. I couldn’t sit around and do nothing so I walked for 1hr- 4 out of the 7 days that I was sick. My mom always said that working out makes you feel better….Well, actually it can when you do not try and overdo it.

My workout:

• 1 hr hike with my husband

Over the past year I’ve been trying to gain weight and muscle. If you’re built like me, this is not easy. I’ve been skinny all my life…I could eat whatever I wanted and pretty much stayed the same size and shape. Putting on weight and muscle is difficult for me and takes a lot of time and work.

I’ve been eating like a horse and working out religiously, but I’ve also been taking some supplements. Here’s what I’m currently taking for muscle building supplements.

• Cytosport Cytogainer shakes - 3 to 4 per day (contains small amounts of creatine and glutamine)

When you start working out you’ll usually have multiple gym choices. Unless you live in a small town. The majority of us will have multiple choices though. 24 Hour Fitness, LA Boxing, Gold’s Gym, LA Fitness, Crunch Gym, and many other chains and small gyms. So how do you choose which gym to go with? What are the pros and cons to each?

I had the day off today for President’s day and it turned out to be a great day of exercise.

The wife and I went for a 2 or 3 mile hike for about an hour and a half. Great workout while being outside. Loved it.

Then I hit up LA Boxing for the real work out.

Warmup

• 1 mile run with interval speed changes
• Jump rope for 5 minutes

Boxing Training

• Speed bag training (10 minutes)
• High medicine ball toss in between speed bag sessions (2 sets of 20)

When you get serious about losing weight, and/or getting in shape, and/or losing weight, and/or building muscle, your diet plays a huge role.  Probably more than most people realize.  Regardless of your fitness goals, there are elements of your diet that should remain constant.  You need to eliminate sugars, eliminate saturated fats, reduce carbohydrates, and increase your intake of protein and other vitamins.

It will take dedication and will power to effectively change your diet and stick with it. And as I’ve mentioned before, one of the keys to getting real results is consistency. Consistency in your cardio training, lifting weights, eating well, etc.  If you are dedicated to working out and reaching your goals then you can make a few changes to your diet that will really help.

I was reading the Lebron James work out schedule at WebMD and saw that on one of the days he integrates “Unstable Jump Rope” into the routine.

Skip rope for 45 seconds on a cushiony surface, such as a stretching mat. The instability will help strengthen your ankles.

During my boxing training I’ve been jumping rope every day as part of my effort to increase stamina, get a cardio work out, and increase my leg strength.   Playing other sports, mostly football and basketball, have left me with a weak left ankle from being rolled too many times.

I think almost every single person that works out wants to have 6-pack abs. There are a few key things that some people don’t realize about working out and the body.

One of the most important things is that you may have very strong abdominal muscles from doing 1,000 sit-ups a day, but if there is a layer of fat on top of those muscles you’ll never see them. If you want to have ripped abs you need to drop your body fat percentage while building muscle.

I just finished reading a good article over at Trulyhuge.com about “Weight Training for Boxers The Myths”. It has some valuable information for those interested in building muscle through weight training and also boxing training. Many people are misinformed as to the co-existence of the two and how they can work together.

Weight Training Myth 1: Weight training decreases flexibility.

Hypertrophy is independent of flexibility, and large muscles are physiologically as flexible as small muscles. Weight training exercises done with proper form, through full ROM, do not decrease flexibility.

Weight Training Myth 2: Weight training leads to weight gain.

Getting started working out is a difficult thing for all people if they’ve never really trained before or been active. Whether you’re overweight, middle aged, senior citizen, or just out of shape, the thought of going to the gym can feel overwhelming. One of the hardest parts of working out is taking that very first step. Below are a few tips to help you take that first step towards getting in shape and working out.

Stop Making Excuses and Just Do it