Fitness Basics For A Healthy Heart

Wondering what you need to know to improve your physical fitness and help reduce your heart disease risk? Let’s start with these fitness basics.

Physical activity is anything that makes you move your body and burn calories.

For people who would benefit from lowering their blood pressure or cholesterol, the American Heart Association recommends 40 minutes of aerobic exercise of moderate to vigorous intensity three to four times a week to lower the risk for heart attack and stroke.

Below are several key types of exercise that can all help you improve your level of fitness.

1. Strength and resistance training

Strength and resistance training are important elements of a good physical activity routine. The American Heart Association recommends strength training at least twice per week.

A well-rounded strength-training program provides the following benefits:

• Increased strength of bones, muscles and connective tissues (tendons and ligaments)
• Lower risk of injury
• Increased muscle mass, which makes it easier for your body to burn calories and thus maintain a healthy weight
• Better quality of life

2. Walking and running

Walking is a great way to get you moving with minimal impact on your body. It’s also low-risk and easy to start. While the AHA recommends that adults get 150 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week, even short 10 minute activity sessions can be added up over the week to reach this goal.

A regular walking program can also:

• Improve your cholesterol profile
• Lower blood pressure
• Increase your energy and stamina
• Boost bone strength
• Prevent weight gain

Do you want to start jogging or running but aren’t sure how? Dr. Deborah Rohm Young, vice chair of the AHA’s Physical Activity Subcommittee, encourages women to start by setting small goals. Begin by walking 15 minutes four times per week, Young suggests. “You can experience an increased sense of wellbeing almost immediately,” she says. “From there, you can have more energy to do other things.”

3. Yoga

Yoga is an ancient practice with potential mental and physical health benefits for people of all ages.

Practicing yoga—as part of an overall healthy lifestyle—can:

• Help lower blood pressure
• Increase lung capacity
• Improve respiratory function
• Boost circulation and
• Tone muscles
• Give you a sense of well-being while building strength

In addition, yoga poses require stretching, increasing flexibility.

Flexibility activities are an appropriate part of a physical activity program. Note however that yoga does not count toward the 150-minutes-per-week of recommended moderate activity. That’s due in part because some forms of yoga do not raise the heart rate enough to achieve moderate intensity aerobic activity for a sustained period.

Try these yoga moves to improve your heart health.

Learn more about different types of exercises, including swimming and bicycling, to find what is right for you.

The Complete 4 Week Beginners Workout Routine

In the realm of fitness, three-month programs dominate the landscape. You’ve even seen plenty of them in this magazine over the years. Are they effective? Absolutely. But we’re going to let you in on an interesting secret: It doesn’t necessary take eight or 12 weeks to get your feet wet in the gym. Not that you’ll be a seasoned vet after four weeks, but if you can just get that first month under your belt, you’ll get yourself over the proverbial hump where so many fail and give up, and set the stage for a lifetime of gains.

Let’s just call this the accelerated beginner’s guide to bodybuilding. In this plan, your first month of training will be demanding, but not so demanding as to cause injury (or worse yet, burnout), and progressive in the sense that each week you’ll graduate to different exercises, higher volume, more intensity or all of the above. After four weeks you’ll not only be ready for the next challenge but you’ll have built a significant amount of quality muscle. In other words, one month from now you’ll look significantly better with your shirt off than you look now. (How’s that for results?)

This program isn’t just for the true beginner who has never touched a weight before; it’s also suitable for anyone who has taken an extended leave of absence from training. How long has it been since you went to the gym regularly? Six months? A year? Five years? No worries: The following routines will get you back on track in — you guessed it — just four short weeks. Let’s get to work.

WEEK 1: WHOLE IN ONE

You’ll begin the program with a full-body training split, meaning you’ll train all major bodyparts in each workout (as opposed to “splitting up” your training). Train three days this first week, performing just one exercise per bodypart in each session. It’s important that you have a day of rest between each workout to allow your body to recover; this makes training Monday, Wednesday and Friday — with Saturday and Sunday being rest days — a good approach.

The exercises listed in Week 1 are a collection of basic moves that, while also used by advanced lifters, we feel are suitable for the beginner as well. Notice we’re not starting you off with only machine exercises; a handful of free-weight movements are present right off the bat. Reason being, these are the exercises you need to master for long-term gains in muscular size and strength, so you may as well start learning them now. Carefully read all exercise descriptions, starting on page, before attempting them yourself.

In Week 1 you’ll perform three sets of every exercise per workout, which over the course of the week adds up to nine sets total for each bodypart, a good starting volume for your purposes. With the exception of crunches for abs, you’ll do 8–12 reps per set. This rep scheme is widely considered ideal for achieving gains in muscle size (the scientific term is hypertrophy) and is commonly employed by amateur and pro bodybuilders alike.

Notice in the workouts below that your first set calls for eight reps, your second set 10 reps and your third set 12. This is referred to in bodybuilding circles as a “reverse pyramid” (a standard pyramid goes from higher to lower reps), where you decrease the weight each set to complete the higher rep count. For example, if on your first set of lat pulldowns you used 140 pounds for eight reps, try using 120 or 130 pounds on set two and 100–120 pounds on set three.

WEEK 2: SPLIT DECISION

You’re only a week into the program, yet you’ll begin to train different bodyparts on different days with a two-day training split (meaning the entire body is trained over the course of two days, rather than one as in the first week). You’ll train a total of four days this week; the split includes two upper-body days (Monday and Thursday) and two lower-body days (Tuesday and Friday), and each bodypart is trained twice. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday will be your recovery days.

Several exercises from Week 1 are carried over to Week 2, but one move is added to each bodypart routine — with the exception of abs — so you can train all muscle groups more completely from multiple angles. Chest, for example, includes two exercises: One is a compound movement (dumbbell bench press) that involves multiple joints (both the shoulder and elbow) to work the largest amount of muscle possible, and the other is an isolation exercise (dumbbell flye) that involves only one joint (shoulder) and targets the pecs to a greater extent. (When doing presses for chest, the deltoids and triceps are involved to a degree, meaning presses don’t isolate the pecs as much as flyes do.)

You’ll again employ a reverse pyramid scheme of reps, though in Week 2 you’ll go slightly higher in reps (15) on your third set of each exercise. Fifteen reps may be just outside the ideal muscle-building range, but these sets will help you increase muscular endurance to provide a solid foundation on which to build size and strength going forward.

WEEK 3: THREE ON THREE

In the third week of the program we step it up to a three-day training split: Train all “pushing” bodyparts (chest, shoulders, triceps) on Day 1; hit the “pulling” bodyparts (back, biceps) and abs on Day 2; and work your lower body (quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves) on Day 3. As in Week 2, you train each bodypart twice a week, so you’ll hit the gym six days this week.

One new exercise is added to each bodypart routine to provide even more angles from which to train your target muscles to promote complete development. You’ll hit each muscle group with two exercises of 3­–4 sets each: four sets for large bodyparts (chest, back, shoulders, quads, hamstrings) and three sets for smaller bodyparts (biceps, triceps, abs, calves). The result is 16 total sets for the week for large bodyparts and 12 sets total for smaller ones — again, working in the 8–15-rep range — which is a substantial increase in volume from Week 1.

WEEK 4: TURNING UP THE VOLUME

In the fourth and final week of the program, you’ll train four days in a four-way split that hits each bodypart just once (except for calves and abs, which are each trained twice). Four-day splits are common among experienced lifters because they involve training fewer bodyparts (typically 2–3) per workout, which gives each muscle group ample attention and allows you to train with higher volume. As you’ll see, chest and triceps are paired up, as are back with biceps and quads with hamstrings, each a very common pairing among novice and advanced bodybuilders. Shoulders are trained more or less on their own, and you’ll alternate hitting calves and abs — which respond well to being trained multiple times per week — every other workout. No new exercises are introduced in Week 4 so that you can focus on intensity in your workouts instead of learning new movements.

Rep schemes remain in the hypertrophy range this week, but overall volume increases by adding more sets to individual exercises: up to five sets per move for larger bodyparts, and even 10 sets of calf raises on Thursday. This bump in volume will ensure that your muscles are overloaded sufficiently to continue the growth they’ve already begun experiencing in the first three weeks. Completion of this four-week program now entitles you to go to the next stage.

Originally posted by muscleandfitness.com

6 Tips to Help You Stick With Exercise

6 Tips to Help You Stick With Exercise

It's easy to talk yourself out of exercising. Even when you have the best intentions to work out, excuses are so easy to find -- “I’m too tired,” or "I’m busy," or "The weather is bad."

The right attitude and a few tricks can keep your fitness routine on track. Use these tips to stay in the game:

1. Do it for yourself. Studies show that people who are "externally motivated" -- that is, they hit the gym just to look good at your class reunion -- don't stick with it. Those who are "internally motivated" -- meaning they exercise because they love it -- are the ones who stay in it for the long run.

2. Take baby steps. You would never try to run 10 miles on day one, right? When you do too much too soon, you’ll end up sore, injured, and discouraged. Take it easy as you get started. Maybe you only run a quarter of a mile your first week. When that becomes easy, you can make it more challenging.

3. Hang tough. No one has perfect form the first day of strength training. Every workout takes practice. You'll get the hang of it if you keep making an effort.

4. Mix it up. Do different types of workouts to keep things interesting and to exercise different muscle groups. If the elliptical machine is usually your thing, hop on the stair climber for some cardio instead. Also, switch between machines and free weights when you strength-train. You don't have to reinvent your entire routine every week, but you do want to shift it around a little.

5. Don’t be your own drill sergeant. Half of all people who start a new exercise program ditch it within the first year. It often happens because they can't keep up the boot-camp pace they've forced on themselves. It’s better to work within your limits, and gradually get stronger.

6. Bring a friend. When your inner demons order you to hit the couch instead of the treadmill, a workout partner can steer you back in the right direction. It's easier to bail out on the gym than on the friend who waits for you there. Studies show you'll also work out longer when you have a pal along.

Originally posted by webmd.com

Why you should keep a workout log.

At my gym, WNY MMA and Fitness, we require all of our students keep a workout journal. In their journal they write down in detail their warm-up routine, the workout, the “score” or results of the workout, and any thoughts or feelings they had in regards to the day. When they write down the workout they include the weights they used and any modifications made to the exercises.

Why do we require students keep a journal?

First and foremost because keeping a journal accelerates the learning process. Starting a new workout routine can involve learning new skills and new jargon. By writing down your workouts you are taking an additional few minutes to process what you have learned, repeat the concepts and terminology to yourself, and engrain it into your brain. Plus, if you forget what an exercise is called, you now have an easy reference.

Logging workouts also helps you remember the appropriate weights to use on a workout.Sometimes from workout to workout it can be hard to remember which kettlebell you used or which weight dumbbell you lifted. You might be working out on your own and there’s nobody to ask, or maybe you wanted to do a little more than last time, but you’re not sure how much weight you had put on the barbell. Having a journal to double check can quickly give you an answer that’s possibly even more accurate than what your coach may estimate.

As a coach, I find that if you as a student are journaling, I have a greater ability to help you on your fitness journey. if you have a detailed log of your workouts, it aids me in giving advice on how to progress because I know exactly what you have been doing, instead of guessing. Perhaps your progress has stalled out and you’re not sure why. If you have a journal we can sit and look through your workouts and try to pinpoint the problem. This is especially helpful if you are also logging details like sleep, water intake and nutrition. Logging isn’t just for workouts!

Finally, the best part of journaling is being able to track your progress. This is a great benefit both for when you are having a good day at the gym and when you are having a bad day. I have been doing CrossFit for a little over six years and I have a stack of journals, one for each year. It’s a lot of fun to be able to look back and see how far I have progressed. And, when I’m having a day where I’m being hard on myself, it’s encouraging to see I really have come a long way already and that the journey is full of peaks and valleys.

What are the basic benefits of journaling?

• Faster learning
• Remembering weights
• Having information to analyze
• Tracking progress

And remember – journaling isn’t just for CrossFit. You can keep detailed records of your workouts no matter what your exercise regimen. For example, you can log your run times and distances, you can log the new yoga moves you learned and what was challenging about them, or you can log your weightlifting numbers. Personally, I keep a kickboxing journal where I write down any new combos or techniques I learned in class. 

So what all can you  write in your journal?

• Warm-up routine 
• Skill practice or new movements learned
• Workout and “score” of the workout
• Weights used and any scaled movements
• Post-workout stretching or mobility work
• Hours of sleep
• Water intake
• Mood
• Any circumstances surrounding the workout
• What the BEST part of your workout was!

No matter what you are doing for your health and fitness, journaling is a valuable tool that will help you remember details and accelerate your progress.

Origanal post

WNY MMA SQUATS

They’re sometimes referred to as the king of all exercises, and with good reason. Squats are a full-body fitness staple that work the hips, glutes, quads, and hamstrings, and sneakily strengthen the core. Squats may help improve balance and coordination, as well as bone density  . Plus, they’re totally functional. Time to banish those sloppy squats and help perfect the go-to move.

The Bodyweight Squat

Become a bodyweight squat pro, and you'll be ready to move on to weighted squats in no time! Just follow these steps.

1. Stand with feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart, hips stacked over knees, and knees over ankles.

2. Roll the shoulders back and down away from the ears. Note: Allowing the back to round (like a turtle’s shell) will cause unnecessary stress on the lower back. It's important to maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement.

3. Extend arms out straight so they are parallel with the ground, palms facing down (like your hands are on someone’s shoulders at a 7th grade dance). Or, if it’s more comfortable, pull elbows close to the body, palms facing each other and thumbs pointing up.

4. Initiate the movement by inhaling and unlocking the hips, slightly bringing them back. Keep sending hips backward as the knees begin to bend.

5. While the butt starts to stick out, make sure the chest and shoulders stay upright, and the back stays straight. Keep the head facing forward with eyes straight ahead for a neutral spine.

6. The best squats are the deepest ones your mobility allows. Optimal squat depth would be your hips sinking below the knees (again, if you have the flexibility to do so comfortably). Pro tip: Squatting onto a box until the butt gently taps it will be a reminder to squat low.

7. Engage core and, with bodyweight in the heels, explode back up to standing, driving through heels. Imagine the feet are spreading the floor (left foot to the left, right foot to the right) without actually moving the feet.

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If You Like It, You Should Put Some Weight On It

Beginners should start squatting with no added weight (bodyweight only!) and up the ante only after proper form is nailed down. (We don’t all have to be like this guy.) When using more weight, it’s more difficult to squat deeper, and deep squats with less weight trump shallow ones with heavy weight when it comes to making us stronger  .

While there are many ways to squat, three of the most common weighted variations are goblet, back, and front squats.

Goblet Squat

This squat (sadly) does not include a goblet full of wine(though we’ve found no studies disproving the effectiveness). Instead, hold a kettlebell, dumbbell, ormedicine ball at the sternum (center of the chest). With a slight bend in the knees, drop into a squat, going straight down and then standing straight up (do not reach back with the butt as you would for a bodyweight squat). When performing a goblet squat, drop the elbows between the legs inside the knees for a full range of motion. Goblet squats are great for beginners (and also experienced lifters) since they keep us from leaning forward (holding weight in front of the chest makes for a stable position).

Back Squat

Squats are much more challenging with a barbell, so if it’s your first time, it’s best to ask for a trainer’s guidance. For back squats, the weight rests on the traps(in one of two positions: low or high), where it’s generally easier to squat a heavier load. Hands should be facing forward, along the same plane as the shoulders, with elbows pointing down to the ground (arms will form a "W" along the bar). Keep hips back, and follow the same form for a bodyweight squat (ya know, minus holding your arms out of course!). The back squat is different from the bodyweight squat in one important way: breathing. When you're squatting a barbell, inhale before you descend, hold your breath for the squat, and exhale only once you've returned to standing.

Front Squat

The front squat requires getting comfortable with thefront rack position. When front-squatting with a barbell, this means resting the barbell just above the clavicles, right on the neck (the ends of the bar will rest on the shoulders if they're wide enough) and laying on the fingertips, with elbows up and pointed out and triceps parallel to the ground. While it may seem unstable to hold the bar with just the fingertips, the collarbone is a solid shelf for the bar, so the hands are only needed to prevent the bar from rolling. As long as the elbows stay up, extending straight out from the shoulders, the bar will be secure. For the descent in a front squat, the body will stay signifcantly more upright than it would in a bodyweight or back squat. Do not reach back with the butt (as you would with a back or bodyweight squat), as this will angle the body forward, making it difficult to stand the weight up. A great way to maintain an upright position is to think about keeping the elbows up and pointing forward throughout the movement.

The front squat can also be done with dumbbells. With one in each hand (palms facing in), rest a dumbbell lightly on each shoulder. Execute the squat, keeping the triceps raised and elbows up and pointed out.

Squat Snafus (and How to Fix Them)

Mistake No. 1: Not dropping down low enough

The fix: Take a slightly wider stance, which allows the body to stay steady while it squats deeper, and engages more muscle groups. It’s easy to want to squat just low enough so the thighs are parallel with the ground, but squats can be much more effective when we drop as low as possible (the hip joint lower than the knee joint) while still maintaining good form, Greatist Expert and trainerDan Trink says.

Mistake No. 2: The knees drift inward

The fix: Turn the toes out (between 5 and 20 degrees, to be technical) to keep knees from caving inward. Knees should track in line with both the ankles and the hips to help avoid injury and get deep in the squat. Glute bridges and lying clams will help knees from caving, says Greatist Expert Jordan Syatt. Another way to prevent the knees from coming in is to think of the cue "knees out" throughout the movement, says Greatist Expert Erica Giovinazzo.

Mistake No. 3: The body leans too far forward

The fix: Put most of your weight in the heels when lowering into a squat. The weight distribution will help keep the torso upright throughout the entire movement rather than causing you to teeter forward. It will also help keep the hips back and down, outside of the heels. Think of spreading the floor apart by driving outward through the back/outer portion of the heel.

Mistake No. 4: Descending too quickly

The fix: When weight is added, moving too quickly could increase chances of injury. It’s okay to explode with power when returning to a standing position (so long as the body remains controlled), but sitting into the squat should be a little slower to maintain proper form.

Mistake No. 5: Not warming up

The fix: Warming up is important before taking on such a complex move. It’ll help prepare the body’s joints and muscles for movement, and might even help prevent injury once heavy lifting gets underway. Jumping rope, rowing, and doing bodyweight squats help prep the body for movement, or try glute bridges to open up hips, which will allow the body to get lower in a squat. If squatting with a loaded bar, start with an empty bar and add weight slowly.

Original Post By:http://greatist.com/fitness/perfect-squat

WNY MMA & Fitness: Remember to do your push ups.

REMEMBER TO DO YOUR PUSH UPS!

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The pushup is one of the most basic and effective upper body exercises. Although it’s a fairly simple exercise, most people make a lot of mistakes. These five tips turn the standard push up from a chest/shoulders/triceps move into a full body exercise which means more muscle, increased strengthhttp://www.wnymma.com/ and faster results.

1. Brace Your Core
To avoid rounding your spine and doing “banana back” pushups, try squeezing or "bracing" your core. Imagine that you're going to get punched in the belly. Naturally, you’ll flex to guard. Bracing reduces the risk of injury by enforcing a neutral spine and engages your core, making the pushup of a full body exercise.

2. Squeeze Your Glutes
Your glutes are the one of biggest muscle groups in your body and often times the most inactive. By squeezing your glutes you will protect your lower back, improve posture, provide full body tension and help maintain a neutral spine.

3. Pack Your Elbows
A common tendency during pushups is to flare your elbows wide - a mistake and can lead to shoulder and rotator cuff issues. Instead, pack your elbows in towards your sides, trying to have less space between your armpits. “Stack” your joints, with your hands under your elbows, and your elbows under your shoulders. This will improve long-term shoulder health and recruit your triceps and lats more. Having joints in line also creates better range of motion in the shoulders and chest.

4. Grip The Floor
Instead of having your fingers together and pointing straight up, try this instead: Change your hand position so your thumbs are facing each other. Next open your fingers and grip the floor. This immediately creates more full body tension, tightens the lats and triceps and helps engage more upper back muscles.

5. Push The Ground Away From You
Instead of pushing yourself off the ground, think of pushing the floor away from you. This force production translates into full body tension and creates a bracing effect throughout the whole body. By pushing the ground away from you, you’ll use more muscles making the push up more of a full body exercise

source- Menshealth.com

Eat Well = Fight Well at WNY MMA & Fitness

Here at WNY MMA & Fitness we encourage a giving 100%, 100% of the time. And that's not possible without proper nutrition. And something we see all to often people not fueling themselves properly.We’re sure that between all the grilled chicken breast, cans of tuna, egg whites and both pre and post workout shakes, you’ve got no time for anything else but protein. Well if you’re looking to get more toned, fiber may just give you an advantage as an appetite suppressant and it’ll also provide you with a multitude of additional health benefits as well.

So How Does Fiber Help?

First things first, traditionally, foods that contain a significant amount of fiber take longer to eat. They tend to be somewhat chewy and that can give someone the feeling that they’ve eaten more than they really have.

Also, foods high in fiber typically take a longer time to digest, ultimately leaving you with the feeling that you’re full for longer.

And when you consume foods that contain soluble fiber (think mature beans or oatmeal) you’ll be stabilizing your blood sugar as the day progresses. This can also keep you from feeling hungry.

If what you’re looking to achieve is control over your weight, you’d be mistaken to not include more fiber into your diet. Fortunately, to help prevent cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other complications, you won’t have to eat an entire bowl of prunes and lettuce.

Here are a few alternatives that offer you a good source of fiber you may actually enjoy:

Cereal

Fiber: 7.7 grams (1 cup)

Some of our fighters here at WNY MMA & Fitness find it easiest to cram in a bunch of fiber first thing in the morning. This is easy to do because many breakfast cereals are loaded with fiber. Raisin Bran and all the other bran cereals on shelves everywhere offer you a pretty significant amount of fiber in a relatively small serving size. Besides just eating the cereal with milk, you could perhaps sprinkle some cereal as a topping on some yogurt!

Kidney Beans

Fiber: 5.7 grams (half-cup)

Be careful, the beans you’ll find in your burrito aren’t the type that’ll contribute to weight-management. Neither will the green beans. Look for mature or dried beans (kidney beans and chickpeas) for your source of fiber.

Mixed Vegetables

Fiber: 4 grams (half cup)

To add some variety, go to the frozen foods section and pick yourself up some mixed vegetables. Many of the vegetables you’ll find like beans, corn, etc. have fiber.

Nuts

Fiber: 4.5 grams (2 ounces)

We know how much protein means to a diet, so with nuts and other seeds, you’re essentially getting two for one. As opposed to meat, nuts have a ton of dietary fiber.

Fruit

Fiber: Apple – 5 grams, banana – 3.5 grams, orange – 4.4 grams

You can never have to many of these guys if you are maintaining a healthy lifestyle.Fruits that contain fiber, like bananas, apples, avocados and pears, can be especially beneficial. The skin cannot be discounted either, they’re good sources of fiber as well.

Gradually Adding Fiber to Your Diet

It’s not smart to one day just add a ton of fiber into your diet. It’s recommended that you begin adding it gradually. You can do this by supplementing a meal a day dedicated to good sources of fiber. This could mean adding kidney beans to a salad or a vegetable with your dinner.

Some other ways you can begin adding more fiber would be to supplement white breads with whole wheat bread or start eating oatmeal instead of frosted flakes.

It’s recommended that a grown man should consume somewhere around 38 grams of fiber per day. You shouldn’t over-do it, however you definitely shouldn’t leave fiber on the back burner

Womens Fitness at WNY MMA & Fitness: Beyond the Treadmill

Womens fitness at WNY MMA & Fitness: Beyond the Treadmill

Have you been staring at that scale in the morning, constantly wondering why you see the same numbers there from last week, and the week before that. I bet you've been running for hours, hoping to lose those extra pounds. Well, you're in luck because your friendly neighborhood WNY MMA and Fitness has the scoop on how to reach that goal of summer bikini body year 'round. 

What you may not have known:

According to a study to compare steady state exercise (SEE) and high intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE); HIIE was shown to be more effective in reduction of total body mass, fat mass, trunk fat, and fasting blood insulin levels. Okay, so what does this mean for the non-science people. When you workout using the interval training protocol, you will burn more calories and fat. This will reduce that ever hated tummy fat, also known as the dreaded muffin top. Plus, that ideal body weight that you wanted, yup this is the way to get it. 

Steady State Exercise: Don't worry, it's not as bad as you think

Now don't misunderstand me, if you are just starting to exercise and need to build a strong base; then steady state exercise is the way to go. SEE builds cardiovascular health, a strong heart will do wonders for the body especially when working towards interval training. Its equally as important as interval training when you are on the heavier side of the scale. I know what you're thinking, well what are some examples of steady state exercise; running at a steady pace for the duration of a session, aerobic dancing with the same rhythm, exercise biking without changing the pedal resistance or speed. What is the one thing that all of these things and many more have in common, its working out at a steady state. Keeping your elevated heart rate at a steady level during the duration of your workout.

High Intensity Intermittent Exercise: Interval training

The women's fitness and coed fitness program here at WNY MMA and Fitness follows this particular protocol when it comes to fitness. Why is it that HIIE, or interval training as it is most commonly known, has such a strong following from the fitness community. It's because it works, and it works well. Here's the rundown; interval training in the most basic of terms, is burst training. Alternating between intense activity with intervals of lighter, less strenuous activity. An example of this would be sprinting for a short duration of time, like a minute; while alternating with walking or jogging. There are no limits to how beneficial this protocol is for the public; increase in resting metabolism, reduction of total body fat, increase in muscle, less time consuming, and the effects last.

One Last Thing:

Compare the body of fighters, sprinters, etc with those of marathon runners. Which body would you want, strong and powerful or slow and steady. Stop by WNY MMA and Fitness to get the body of your dreams.

WNY MMA & Fitness: 5 Butt Exercises for the Beach

I know that those wonderful summer months are creeping on us, well, once the rain stops that is. Once that happens, everyone will be at the beach getting a tan. But I know you want to show off a bit at the beach, so why not add a little bit to your routine so that your butt looks absolutely amazing. Not saying that it already doesn't, but who doesn't want to look better. So I decided to share with you Alyssa Shaffers 5 Butt Exercises for the beach. If you are not the work out on your own type, then come on by WNY MMA & Fitness. We have Womens only fitness classes and Coed Fitness classes that are sure to get you looking great. I'm positive that its better than the gym you are currently going to. 

5 Butt Exercises for the Beach

Don’t just lie out on the beach—turn it into your own gym with this fun, fresh body-weight circuit

May 6, 2015

Alyssa Shaffer

Photography by: Ben Welsh/Corbis

Warmer temperatures tempting you to bare a bit more of your bottom? Hit the beach and get a workout for both body and mind. "Exercising outside provides an almost instant psychological and physiological boost that can’t be simulated anywhere else," says Jimmy Minardi, a personal trainer and founder of Minardi Training in East Hampton, NY. Minardi, who often brings his clients to work out on the white sandy beaches near his home, especially enjoys training seaside. "You’ll burn more calories when you exercise on the beach since your body has to fight to stay stable on the uneven ground. Plus, you’re coping with elements like wind resistance and shifting terrain."

But even if you can’t get beachside, you can still benefit from taking your routine outdoors. "You can do these moves in your backyard or a neighborhood park—anyplace where there is fresh air and open space," says Minardi, a former professional cyclist and lifelong proponent of outdoor fitness.

Try this high-intensity circuit, part of the Minardi Beach Workout taught year-round, to help strengthen all your major muscles while also burning calories and fat.

Mountain Climbers
Do these on an incline, alternating legs as quickly as possible. Do two sets of 30 reps per side; increase leg speed by about 20% after every 10 reps.

Jumping Jacks
Do 30 regular jumping jacks followed by 30 deep squat jacks. (After jumping with feet wide, do a deep squat, then jump back to center.)
Option: If you’re on a beach, do these in ankle-deep water for increased resistance.

Incline Pushup Series
Do these moves on a large rock, log, bench, or other raised surface.

• 10 Incline Pushups: Wrists should be directly under shoulders, with back flat; one set.
• 10 Triangle Pushups: Move hands together so your thumb and index fingers touch, forming a triangle shape; one set.
• 5 Alternating One-arm, One-leg Pushups: Raise one arm and opposite leg; switch; two sets total.

Lunge Split Jacks
Stand with feet staggered and lower into a split squat, then jump up and scissor-kick your legs, landing with your opposite foot forward for a total of 30 reps.

Plyometrics
Find a log, stick, rocks, or shells to use as a marker.

• 10 Tuck Jumps: Bringing your knees toward your chest as you jump up, land just over your marker and explode into the next rep as soon as your feet hit the ground.
• 10 Rotating Jumps: As you jump in the air, rotate your body 180 degrees to engage your core and land softly in the reverse position.

Agility Drills
Find 10 sticks or rocks and an incline. Space the markers about three feet apart in a vertical line. Weave in and out of the markers, slalom-style, staying as fluid as possible. Do 10 intervals, going through all the markers.

- See more at: http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com/training/other/5-butt-exercises-beach#sthash.wpPw7HGn.dpuf

Make WNY MMA Your First Stop For Fitness

The difference is that we are better. Here's the thing, you look at us and see scary looking stuff to the uninitiated; Heavy bags, cages, boxing rings, sledge hammers, kettle bells, tractor tires, etc. But here's the thing, I am going to give you things to think about when you are comparing WNY MMA and Fitness to those other places. See there, they already don't matter. 

I guarantee that more work is getting done here than at a spa!!!

• When you are at a gym, you are there to work: Look, I know the draw that these places have. There's a swimming pool, a sauna, there's a corner that does facials, oh and that juice bar is amazing. But lets stop and really think about what we are trying to get out of our gym time; when you made that new years resolution, did it include sitting around for an hour or so talking to other gym members about how you argued with your husband/boyfriend about painting the main bedroom fuchsia? No it wasn't, it was to get you butt in gear.

you thought I was joking about the conversation about fuchsia?

• Are you at the gym to run countless miles, or are you there to sweat and ache: You get up, go to the gym and run. Sound familiar? it should. That's because, countless people follow that very formula in the hopes of seeing the fabled body changes of legend. Let me guess, you also leave the gym having energy and a smile. If that's what you are looking for after working out everyday then you will be in for a very rude awakening training at WNY MMA and Fitness. Here you will be leaving sore and having aches in places you forgot even existed, and that's a good thing. 

• Working out getting boring, not here: Unless you have a private instructor to help you everyday, you will not be getting your times worth at a health club. There's a lot of stuff to get lost in, especially by yourself. Because of this, you revert back to what you know. There's just something different when someone is right next to you continuously lighting a fire under butt, you work harder than you would have otherwise. That means you will pass those plateaus that everyone else are stuck at. 

• Having other people working hard acts as motivation: Humans are competitive, that's how we survived for this long on this planet. It's hardwired in our brains, and for good reason. When you are doing something alone, you just don't push yourself as hard. Take a class here and have everyone doing the same exercise as you, now you feel like you're competing against these people; you try harder, this is very important. This is where growth comes from, not from just going through the motions. 

So let me stop being wordy here and just spell it out for you. If you really want to work, then come to WNY MMA and Fitness. Its plain and simple; if you want to chit chat and have a facial, then go to a health club. 

Why Circuit Training at WNY MMA & Fitness is Beneficial

Circuit Training Basics

Circuit training consists of performing multiple exercises on multiple body parts in a row with little rest in between exertions. The two most basic types of circuit training are horizontal training and vertical training. In horizontal training, all sets of one exercise are performed before a person moves on to the next exercise. In vertical training, one set of every different type of exercise is performed before returning to an exercise for the second time.

The amount of weight that a person lifts during a circuit training session can vary between sets. A person can start with light weights and work up to heavier weights (increasing pyramid) or can start with heavy weights and regress to lighter weights (decreasing pyramid). The most important component of circuit training is to take little rest in between sets, whether of the same or different exercises

Circuit Training Benefits

Due to the lack of rest that circuit training at wny mma demands, exercisers maintain elevated heart rates for the entire period of exercise. The combination of weight training and increased cardiovascular effort makes circuit training a beneficial type of cross training. The exerciser gains muscle through the resistance training. The exerciser increases his/her cardiovascular endurance during the slightly elevated heart rate that is maintained in between sets and throughout the overall program.  The exerciser burns high amounts of calories during the high exertion periods of his/her sets.

Circuit training is also a convenient way to exercise.  It maximizes the total exercise volume (number of sets, repetitions, and amount of weight) completed in a period of time. Exercises are completed in a row, and therefore, the time spent exercising is condensed. Separate cardiovascular training is not necessary. All body parts are trained in one session, and therefore, exercisers do not need to work out everyday. 

WNY MMA: The "Squats"

Squats are lifting royalty for curing chicken leg syndrome’ and building high-performance muscle mass. Squats develop total-body strength, stimulate tons of total body muscle growth, and improve athleticism.Yep, the squat reigns king among bang-for-your buck exercises at wny mma. World re-knowned fitness guru Michael Katilus states that the key to athletic prowess is built through postural chain building exercises and the squat is Zulu (a god in Scientology). 

"To maximize the squat you need the mobility to reach proper position and the stability to control movement through the intended range of motion."

Problem is, most lifters have the mobility of a cast-iron skillet and lack the ability to squat safely and effectively. To maximize the squat you need the mobility to reach proper position and the stability to control movement through the intended range of motion. 

It’s time to maximize your squat potential through improving technique, mobility, and execution. With these ten tips you’ll take your squat performance to new levels.

1. Train for Maximum Strength

Despite the fact you need to train heavy to build maximum strength, people often neglect heavy weights. Yes, training with submaximal loads will spare your joints and nervous system to a degree, but even to maximize submaximal training you need a base of absolute strength. Training at 60% 1RM for speed is much more effective when your 1RM is 1.5 to two-times your bodyweight.

Heavy lifting is generally defined as 85+% maximum effort for multiple sets of one to five reps. But it’s best to avoid missing lifts. Missing lifts consistently zaps your nervous system, engrains poor technique, and wrecks your confidence. Hit the reps you know you’ll make and save yourself for the occasional max-out attempts at wny mma.

2. Train Submaximal Reps for Power

Strength-speed and speed-strength are synonymous with power. They produce a sky-high power output compared with longer-duration, lower-velocity maximum strength exercises.

"Compare a tractor-trailer and a Ferrari. It’s great to have a ton of horsepower, but for high performance, it’s best to generate horsepower rapidly."

For breaking lifting plateaus or achieving more weight-room transfer from athletes, power development is key. Compare a tractor-trailer and a Ferrari. It’s great to have a ton of horsepower, but for high performance, it’s best to generate horsepower rapidly.Remember: Power= Work/Time

Most research shows that maximum power is achieved through moving moderate loads at high velocity with loads of 40-60% of your 1RM. Depending on the womens fitness athlete, there will be differences within this range and some experimentation will be needed to find what’s best.

For a big squat, speed squats are ideal for power development and technical practice.These can be used as long as a decent base of absolute strength is present and technique isn’t an issue.

3. Train Speed and Speed-Strength

Speed-strength works the lower-load, higher-velocity component of the force velocity curve to train explosive power. Once again, the greater your base of absolute strength, the easier it will be to express explosive strength. For most lifters, keep the emphasis on explosive jumps that match the biomechanics of the squat closest, i.e. jump squats.

There are tons of variations that address speed of movement, landing mechanics, and power without too much risk. Your best choices are broad jumps, vertical jumps, and box jumps to increase your rate of force development and explode through sticking points. Stick to single-response jumps and ensure sound landing mechanics before moving to multi-response jumps.

4. Squat Twice Per Week

Multiple squatting sessions per week maximizes technical and neuromuscular efficiency through training at variable intensities. Squatting twice per week at wny mma allows you to focus on one heavy and one speed session. Separate these sessions by 48-72 hours for full recovery.

"Targeting the squat pattern with multiple sessions per week while addressing the force-velocity spectrum leads to greater gains in power, strength, and explosiveness."

I like to combine a speed-strength method before squatting, followed by maximum strength (85-95+%) on the first squat day. On the second day, I’ll emphasize a pure speed movement with a submaximal strength-speed squat (40-75%). Targeting the squat pattern with multiple sessions per week while addressing the force-velocity spectrum leads to greater gains in power, strength, and explosiveness.

5. Train Your Squat Depth

Yes, building a big squat is great and should improve multiple performance parameters.  But the key word is “should.” Too many coaches and athletes sell out for big totals in the “big three” and being hardcore with ass-to-grass (ATG) squats no matter what.

 

While ATG will earn you props on the interwebz, it doesn’t mean anything if you’re risking injury to the lumbar spine. If you squat to depth without a tuck - keep going. But if you can’t maintain position due to lack of core control or bony hip anatomy, don’t force a deep squat.

. Cycle in Front Squats

Yes, back squats take the title as the King Builder, but front squats offer a plethora of benefits:

• Increased core integrity, allowing greater depth without compromised spinal position and, thus, greater relative muscle activation at lighter weights compared to the back squat.
• Similar muscle activation of the back squat without as much joint compression and shear stress due to using less weight.
• Increased strength requirements of the thoracic extendors to hold position - a bonus for desk jockeys with kyphotic posture.

7. Spread the Floor

Allowing the knees to buckle in, known as valgus collapse, is a great way to reinforce poor mechanics and set you up for a knee injury. For most people, allowing the knees to buckle engrains dangerous technique, especially if it leads to uncontrolled valgus collapse during sport or recreation activities.

"Allowing the knees to buckle in, known as valgus collapse, is a great way to reinforce poor mechanics and set you up for a knee injury."

Prevent valgus collapse by spreading the floor and pushing the knees out during the squat. This emphasizes hip and posterior chain development and will skyrocket your squat numbers.

8. Train the Pause

If you’re squatting to depth, you need to be stable in the bottom position. Train the pause by using submaximal loads and squatting to maximum depth while maintaining trunk integrity (this means no butt-wink). Unless you’re training for a big total and need to hit certain depth, the risk versus reward probably isn’t worth a rock-bottom squat under load in the presence of butt-wink.

9. Bend the Bar

Don’t be lazy with the bar. Get your Hulk on and try to bend it around your body. If you’re not actively applying force to the bar, the bar will act on you – jumping off or burying you in failure, we don't fail at wny mma.

"If you’re not actively applying force to the bar, the bar will act on you."

Drive your elbows down and back to engage the lats, provide a larger shelf for the barbell, and create additionally stability in the trunk. Solomonow, et al concluded that over 200 muscles are activated during squat performance. Use them all to maximize your squat performance. 

Additionally, you’ll prevent the bar from jumping off your back during explosive squats, improving rep quality and decreasing injury risk. You don’t want to be that chump who loses a barbell behind your back during training anyway.

10. Rack at the Correct Height

We’ve all seen it: a rack set-up too high, a calf-raise walkout followed by the poor sap nearly cracking his skull when re-racking. Besides inappropriate barbell loading, improper rack set-up is the best way to get injured.

Set the rack up with the barbell set between nipple and shoulder height, low enough to allow you to squat to weight out and easily re-rack, as well.

Summary

The squat is a technical movement and squatting appropriately for your body type and goals is imperative to long-term success.Optimize your technique first, and then start piling on plates.

Take these tips into consideration and you’ll be squatting big weights without pain for years to come.