Resistance Bands: A Serious but simple Core Workout

Many of you have seen resistance bands, and I am sure some of the most hardcore of you out there have laughed at them. How can a band or little tubes that stretches do anything for ME? Well, if this has been your attitude, it is time to lose it. Resistance bands, or exercise tubes as they are often called, are extremely efficient and extremely effective as well. The title of this article says serious but simple…simple because the bands can go anywhere you go and be used anywhere as well, but make no mistake, the workout you perform with them can be grueling and VERY effective.

Below are a few of the key core exercises that you can do using resistance bands:

Basic Squats-Squats are one of the greatest exercises for the entire body and they make an incredible foundation for your core strengthening routing. To perform them using exercise bands, simply put both feet on the middle of the band, and squat down while grabbing the handles with your palms facing outwards. When standing up, keep your elbows bent and your arms tucked into your side. Once you are standing straight up, begin squatting back down again, and make sure your knees don’t travel forward past your toes.

Woodchops-Woodchops provide an incredible core workout and are ideal to perform with a resistance band. Simply step on the band with your left foot and grab the band with both hands. Now, squat down and twist towards your left foot, then stand up, pulling the band with your hands so that when you are standing up, your arms are extended above your heard on the right side of your body. Imagine the action of starting a lawnmower and you will perfect this awesome core strengthening exercise using resistance bands.

Good mornings or Deadlifts-Working out your lower back is easy and much safer with resistance bands than with regular free weights. Simply by stepping on the bands and holding the handles in your hand you can bend that the waist keeping your legs straight and perform good mornings for your lower back or simply bend at the knees for some traditional deadlift exercises. Both provide an excellent core workout.

Any and all other exercises-When using resistance bands, any exercise you do will provide some training for your core. Whether you are doing bicep curls, triceps extensions, or lat pulls, you will have to stabilize your core and contract your abdominals and lower back during every exercise in order to perform the exercise properly and keep yourself free from injury. Focus on this core stabilization to maximize the benefits of using this incredibly effective, yet simple device.

Different drills can also be performed for a variety of athletes that requires speed and agility by following specific protocols that enhance lateral or stabilizing muscles. In addition the using a bands or tubes can be positioned in ways the body can only be hit or exercised while in the similar sport specific position during a portion of that sports typical movement patterns. For example, the over hand smash of a volley ball or tennis player, the extended arm of a pitcher or over head, reaching catch of a football wide receiver.

From just a few dollars of surgical tubing , to mass manufactured high end exercise bands costing $50 or more, resistance bands come in all shapes and sizes but one thing is for sure: There is no other piece of exercise equipment that is as portable or effective at helping you develop a strong core as resistance bands.

When most people grab one of the cables machines in the gym they do so to hit their arms or chest muscles. The fact is cable exercises for your core can also provide some of the greatest exercise benefits of all. One fantastic advantage with cables is because cables don’t have a singular plane of motion and can move in any direction you choose, they are a great complement to any athletic exercise training program.

Below are just five of the many exercises that you can do with cables to experience the phenomenal core workout.

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Hello and welcome to the Mr. Fat Loss blog!

This has been something I’ve wanted to do for awhile and with everybody  coming into the marketplace with a variety of fat loss products that promise the stars and the moon, plus make you look fabulous…I thought a personal guide to assist you would be a good idea!

The main reason is that I want to help you with sorting out some of the fluff and provide some direction for you while  you look for the right fat loss program that’ll help you.

After 32 years of personal experience with exercise, fitness and health…I still look for the “new” the better, the faster or best fat loss program.

Its very hard and determining the “best or right” program can be challenge when all the information is sounding pretty much the same, just a different person or company promoting the next “magic bullet.”

I’d like to provide you with as many resources available so you can look for yourself and measure the claims made by each of the experts on the marketplace. Along with the ones I feel are important to include when putting together and building effective fat loss programs.

I’ll also be very blunt in many cases, not to offend , but to shake some of you up that have been saying you are “trying, thinking about or should” do something or that “it’s too hard to change” a bit more than “doing” what you should be doing to accomplish healthy fat loss as your goal.

In my mind, over all improved mental and physical health should be the goal of everyone on the planet…actually, to be the best human being you can. But, without making this a political forum or blog, instead comments focused on important fitness and health related topics will be welcome and appreciated with fat loss more as a side benefit of healthy lifestyle changes.

I also will have people from around the globe looking at the information here with the translator bar in all dialects available…so welcome visitors! Along with that there are a few sections you may want to explore which contain elements you might not currently have employed in your own fat loss programs.

These individuals in my professional opinion are some of the best in the world and will offer you a lot of information so that you can judge their abilities for yourself before going any further.

In addition, there will be variety of teleseminars, videos, articles and Q & A opportunity with so much new information related to any and all areas regarding fat loss strategies…with fantastic, thought provoking content.

Although it seems that each year new ideas come out about the best or fastest method for fat loss…human beings have not changed physically in a long time and unlike technology, do not adapt or evolve as quick.

Same stuff that got people lean a hundred years ago, still works today…hard, purposeful work.

That being said, you will not find a short cut method here, nor will I endorse it, but just common sense approaches to an age old desire…lean muscle.

Thank you for stopping by,

Mr. Fat Loss

Hanging Leg Raises: A Superior Core Workout and MORE!

When you are ready to start training, one of the best things you can do for your body is make sure to include compound movements.
Compound movements, which will hit a variety of muscle groups at the same time, allow you to work out much more efficiently. By working several muscle groups at one time, you will burn more calories and build muscle tissue much more quickly than simply specializing on one at a time.

One favorite for many ab gurus is a compound movement called the hanging leg raise. This as a compound movement comes as a surprise to some because most people simply think of this as a simple ab exercise…An ab workout that usually hurts and is difficult that is, leading to many staying away from this extremely effective exercise.

So, what muscles are hit with hanging leg raises? Let’s start with your grip. When you grab the bar to perform hanging leg raises, you will want to engage a strong grip. This will work to build superior grip and forearm strength, especially as your reps of hanging leg raises increase. Once you get to the point of doing 20 or more hanging leg raises, you might have to depend on your grip and forearm strength for a minute or more.

Secondly, once you engage your grip, squeeze your lats as well. Your lats will get a great workout during hanging leg raises and once you get used to performing them, you can keep your lats fully engaged throughout the entire exercise.

Moving on, the next part of your body that will benefit from this “core” workout will be your hip flexors. These often overlooked areas of your core will get a terrific burn.

The last area to be hit will be your abdominals of course. Your abs will really receive a fantastic workout from hanging leg raises and those who start doing them regularly in their workouts often stop doing crunches altogether. The combination of the multiple muscle groups that are hit as well as the amazing ab workout you will get convert many to become solely devoted to this exercise as the basis of their core workout.

Performing hanging leg raises is simple. Simply grab onto a horizontal pull-up bar and hang. This first part is vital because this is the time you want to grip the bar tight and engage your lat muscles. Then, stabilize your core. Finally, slowly raise your knees to your chest and then bring them back down so that you are hanging fully extended once again. The first few times you perform hanging leg raises, your grip may fail before your abs do. This is fine because your abs and core will progress right along with your grip strength. Soon, you will be knocking out 15-20 hanging leg raises with ease. I can assure you this, by this time your core and specifically your abdominals will be REALLY strong. If you have been following a strict diet and doing some fat blasting cardio, you will probably own a seriously tight six pack.

There you have it, hanging leg raises. While others waste their time (and effort) by trying to focus on just their abs by performing hundreds of crunches, you can smile and know that just by knocking out 20 hanging leg raises, you will not only do more for your abs, but you will be hitting your entire core as well as other parts of your body as well.