Weights

Weights develop and build muscle; with a good weights routine you can also work the full mobilisation of joints and muscles from each and every angle!

You can achieve things you quite simply can’t achieve on the treadmill. Weights give you a large metabolic spike after training and this lasts for

hours afterwards, even the recovery and repair process of the muscles burns calories too. The more muscle you can get, in theory, the more efficient your

body will become at burning fat. Weight training is also very good as working out a specific area of the body and allows you to target specific muscle

groups. You can alternate between quick repetitive sets, with a short amount of rest, through to the other extreme of exercising just one rep max exercises.

Cardio

Cardio allows your body to maximise calorie burn, remember; the key to losing FAT is to exercise at least 30 minutes a minimum of 3 times a week, with

cardio workouts you can simply increase the intensity and/or duration of a session. A short intense session may burn as much as a long steady session.

It’s true that weight training boosts metabolism afterwards, but cardio works in much the same way, and takes hours for your metabolism to return to its

normal level.

A great thing about cardio is all you need is a good pair of trainers so some may argue; it’s easier and cheaper to get a good workout done.
Bottom line is both Weights and Cardio have their advantages but to get any sort of progress I’d recommend planning your goals and deciding you want from

your fitness routine. You’re not going to become Arnold Schwarzenegger over night but it’s important to have a balanced training program as far too much of

one over the other won’t be ideal. A balanced routine is what you’ll see most benefit from.

If you fancy a good run this weekend and you are in or around London, why not check out the 2008 London Tree-Athlon being held this weekend, Saturday 20th September 2008 in Battersea Park, it's also good for the environment

as you get your very own tree sibling to plant and helps fund raising efforts for “trees in cities", which can only be a good thing.

I am very pleased with the dumbbells I bought last week. I have now integrated them into my fitness routine. I'd say they are a important part of fitness equipment even if you're regularly going to the gym. You can just pick them up and run a set of bicep curls or flies at any point when your at home! Also a great form of stress relief if you need to burn some energy quickly!

The weights themselves are solid and cast iron. The dumbbell bar bell is again very solid and good quality with a nice grip. There is a mesh on the bar to aid with the grip. All in all I am very pleased with my new set of dumbbells.

Dumbbell curls

Position your dumbbells so that you are holding them to the sides of your body with your palms facing inwards and your arms straight

With your elbows to the sides, raise one dumbbell and rotate forearm until forearm is vertical and palm faces your shoulder. Lower your arm to the original position and repeat with opposite arm. Continue to alternate between sides.

I'm starting with 3 sets of 12 on 18kg

Last week I managed to meet all of my proposed fitness targets which were:

This past week with my lack of access to a gym I feel the need for some more strength training. I'll continue doing the sit up, press up and pull up routines I just feel as though I should lift some weight to add some strength development exercises to my training.

I'm looking to buy some stretch cords and this morning I ordered some Body Sculpture 18kg Weights to get some strength training done at home as soon as they arrive! (can't wait!)

I hope to write a full review on the weights when they arrive!

This week I hope to continue my aerobic fitness through my running and my "Calisthenic" exercises.

I have written out my targets this week and feel this is what is helping me to push me along even though I have a busy schedule. If your targets are in physical form written down in front of you then it really helps you to achieve what you've set out to do, rather than just thinking "I'll get round to it".

It looks like a cannonball with a handle, but don't be fooled - Russian kettlebell is the ultimate muscle tool used in Russian special force unit and now becoming popular in UK and US.
Kettlebell training is suppose to bring 10 times the effects of weight lifting. Kettlebells come in 'poods'. A pood is an old Russian measure of weight, which equals 16kg, or roughly 35 lbs. An average man should start with a 35-pounder. It does not sound like a lot for a weight lifter but believe it; it feels a lot heavier than it should! Most men will eventually progress to a 53-pounder, the standard issue size in the Russian military. Although available in most units, 70-pounders are used only by a few advanced guys and in elite competitions. 88-pounders are for circus freaks.
An average woman should start with an 18-pounder. A strong woman can go for a 26-pounder. Some women will advance to a 35-pounder. A few hard women will go beyond.

The track with kettlebell should usually look something like that:

1. 5-10 sets of 1 arm swings. Rest a full minute between each set. Keep the form super tight; don't worry about swinging the bell above the
waist.

2. 2-3 sets of box squats - hold the bell by the horns in front of you, same feeling as 'reaching back with your butt to sit on a bench'. The bench should be at a comfortable height, lower it over the weeks as you get more flexible and balanced until you are practically sitting on the floor.

3. Overhead (Military) press - 2-3 sets of 3-4 on each side.
4. Windmills 2-3 sets of 3 on each side.
5. Power crunches or 'rollback' sit-ups to taste.

Start out learning the first 2 exercises and introduce a new exercise every week or so (unless you are impatient to proceed). Alternate hard and easy days, try to lift 4-6 times a week for 10-30 minutes to keep your muscles and nervous system in 'grease the groove' mode.

So you think you have it hard! How about this little guy? Finding time between kindergarten, napping and...body building?? Next time you think of finding an excuse (I'm tired. Gym is too far away. I forgot clean socks. It's raining), think of this guy and grab the dumbbells! Next time think of this little (literally - what is he, 2 ft tall?) man and start your workout!!