http://tips.fitconnect.com FitConnect.com -- It's OK To Brag! Copyright 2007-2008 FitConnect LLC MatthewCole on 3/19/2008 (2 comments)

Hanging Leg Raises are becoming one of the most popular abdominal exercises, and with good reason. This intense movement is a great way to target the entire abdominal region including the difficult to hit lower abs.

If you’re not already incorporating Hanging Leg Raises into your ab routine on a regular basis, you should give them a go. Here’s the basic technique.

You begin the movement hanging from a Lat Pull-up bar. Your grip should be about shoulder width apart, and your arms should rem...]]> Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:28:48 GMT MatthewCole on 3/10/2008 (4 comments)

It sounds like an endorsement for your local dating service.

But before we go asking you what your personal preferences are, the tall, dark and handsome or the small, blonde, and petite, there’s one other such word of advice:

Get to know your own type.

While individual differences are always important, physical trainers use a generalized body-typing system to assess individual needs and goals. Regardless or age, race, or gender, you likely fit more or less into one of the following body...]]> Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:56:59 GMT MatthewCole on 3/8/2008 (6 comments)

1. Do not eat poor quality carbohydrates before bed. Poor quality carbohydrates are those that contain sugar or are highly processed. These would include most breakfast cereals, breads, snack foods, candies, and even fruits and juices. Eating these foods immediately prior to bedtime will likely result in increased fat deposit and will prevent your body from maintaining a successful fat-burning mode.

2. Increase your muscle mass! The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body will ...]]> Sat, 08 Mar 2008 19:17:15 GMT MatthewCole on 3/29/2008 (4 comments)

Like they say in that pantyhose commercial, nothing beats them. But if your goal is to get that great pair of legs, that’s precisely what you may have to do to achieve your gam goals: Beat them silly.

One such exercise that could get you kickin’ like a Vegas showgirl is the split jump. This vigorous regimen is not only ideal for building strong, shapely legs, it is also guaranteed to quickly get the heart and blood pumping.

With your feet only a few inches apart, take a dumbbell in each ha...]]> Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:54:10 GMT MatthewCole on 3/25/2008 (1 comments)

The curtain rises. The lights dim. The show is about to begin.

On this day, however, a movie screen is hardly necessary. All you need is any of today’s hot bodybuilders and you’re ready for action. Mr. Whoever flips around, drops his hands on his hips, and spreads ‘em as if he were under arrest.

What follows is nothing short of eye-popping.

At first, they look like enormous batwings, preparing to take flight. But a closer look at those bulging slabs of iron and there can be no mistaking...]]> Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:12:23 GMT MatthewCole on 3/16/2008 (1 comments)

You see it everywhere. It’s poking around in the back yard, it’s treading through your local lake, it’s floating around the sky above. It swims, it walks, it crawls, if flies, it does all of the above. It’s your protein source.

This is hardly a secret to bodybuilding fanatics. While most of what you eat is generally from sources of carbohydrates, approximately one-fourth of the calories in your daily intake should consist of protein. Otherwise, your workout hour will consist of anything b...]]> Sun, 16 Mar 2008 13:45:27 GMT MatthewCole on 3/12/2008 (2 comments)

Burn, baby, burn.

The inferno you’re about to set blazing through your midsection will be the result of a smoldering abdominal workout, one that’s designed to carve up that stingy midsection.

While many bodybuilders crave the “burn” that you get from tearing up a muscle group, nothing compares to the sensation you get from a fiery abdominal workout.

Unlike other muscle groups, ab workouts usually consist of a long, continual sets with no rest periods, maintaining constant strain and tea...]]> Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:08:16 GMT MatthewCole on 3/8/2008 (3 comments)

Getting motivated to work out is sometimes the greatest obstacle in your path. It’s not so much lifting the barbell or lifting those heavy weights that’s the problem. The real challenge is lifting your spirits just to get to the gym.

So here are a few ways to get pumped for pumping up:

- Set goals. How can you score the physique you’re looking for when you don’t even know what you’re aiming at? It is important to set standards for yourself, otherwise you will drift aimlessly until the bor...]]> Sat, 08 Mar 2008 19:15:21 GMT MatthewCole on 3/20/2008 (4 comments)

Come on, guys and gals. Those Trix are for kids.

And don't follow your nose. Toucan Sam? He never knows.

The sugary cereal you pour into the bowl every morning before drowning it in an ocean of milk is hardly the ideal way to start the day. That's right, no matter what that silly tiger says, those flakes are anything but GRRREAT!

Next time you're in the aisle full of colorful logos and wacky cartoon characters, take a look at the nutritional menu and you'll surely see that most cereals ...]]> Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:10:15 GMT MatthewCole on 3/29/2008 (1 comments)

The attic door swings open.

Behind the ancient bumper pool table, beside the old Zim-Zam set and underneath the ugly pair of K-Tel skis lies a round, leathery object covered by two decades of dust. At first, it looks like an old, warn soccer ball or volleyball.

But to many fitness trainers around the world, that simplistic medicine ball is the answer to all their workout prayers.

Once an invaluable training tool for track athletes, fitness fanatics, and prizefighters, the medicine ball ...]]> Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:52:54 GMT MatthewCole on 3/29/2008 (3 comments)

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) has only been used by bodybuilders and fitness athletes for a couple of years now. The initial results and the early University Studies are very promising.

CLA is actually a form of fat; that’s right, fat. It’s one of the so-called “good” fats and it’s found naturally in dairy products, lamb, and red meat. The problem, of course, is that these foods not only contain the “good” and beneficial CLA, they also often contain large amounts of “bad” or saturated fats. ...]]> Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:57:08 GMT