Want to tone your Butt? Try these exercises

Yes, lunges and squats are great to shape your butt, but deadlifts can work wonders to lift your booty and scoop the sides of your thighs. The deadlift is a classic weight training exercise and like the pull-up, targets the entire back. What’s more, it works on your hamstrings and makes them flexible. 

If you find deadlift intimidating or have never done them before, here are simple rules for you to follow. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and slightly bend your knees. Make sure you keep your back straight. Lift the bar with your hands slightly lesser than shoulder width (markings on the bar will indicate where you should hold). Now raise the bar slowly till the hip level and then bring it back to your shin. Perform the move squeezing your glutes using your legs, hips and other muscles and not your arms. 

If you have already mastered deadlift, you can try these variations recommended by fitness expert Ganesh Sakpal.

Stiff leg deadlift: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, grasp a barbell. Keep the knees slightly bent (or straight). Lower from the hips and raise the barbell. Maintain a neutral curve in your back. Squeeze through the butt and hamstrings to come back up and repeat. This move is excellent for hamstrings strength and development. Complete 10-16 repetitions of this move.

Romanian deadlift: Keep your feet wide apart. Use the same stance as regular deadlifts but don’t bend your knees. Bend from the hips, and lift the barbell slowly along the thighs without squatting. Stop raising the bar when it is below your knee caps. Hold for a second, lower slowly and come back to start position. It is excellent for hamstrings and glutes. Do two sets of 12 repetitions of the Romanian deadlift. Also, try these exercises to lose weight from your buttocks.

Keep in mind: Avoid these  moves if you have a lower back injury.

Fitness tips on your favourite equipment: Punching bag

Punching bags or sandbags are cylindrical equipment used for training by boxers, kick-boxers and martial artists. However, they can also be used by amateurs for exercise to increase muscle tone and mass. They come in a variety of sizes and materials. A heavier punching bag will provide more resistance where as a lighter one will provide less resistance.

Working out with a punching bag regularly delivers many amazing benefits.  It will increase your endurance, timing and power and will also give you a good cardiovascular workout. Throwing heavy punches on a sandbag will help you develop your upper body strength. It will shape your body through weight loss and muscle development. Hitting a punching bag can also help you relieve stress.

How to exercise with a punching bag

Power punching drill

Your whole body needs to be used in order to throw effective power punches. Hit the bag hard with both your hands for three minutes at a stretch. Now rest for a minute and repeat the set. Your legs, core muscles, upper body, shoulder and fists are engaged while you throw the punches.

Kicking drill

Kicking drill can be an excellent way to develop your roundhouse, front and crescent kicks. In roundhouse kick, you swing your legs in a semicircular motion while you strike with your front leg. When you perform a crescent kick, you need to lift your knee up and kick with your foot in a clockwise motion. The front kick simply involves extending your legs and kicking the target.

Start off with three right roundhouse kicks, followed by three front kicks and three crescent kicks. Repeat the same with your left leg. Now rest for a minute and repeat the three steps to develop more consistency. Make sure you deliver your kicks with power and intensity.

Tips to keep in mind

• Make it a point to use hand wraps while throwing punches to avoid damage to the wrists and hands.
• Always warm up with stretches or joint mobility exercises before you start punching or kicking the bag.

Foods to help you loose fat

Here are some interesting fact that you might have missed out. The below mentioned daily foodstuff could actually help u get rid of those extra pounds.

I am listing out the 10 most effective foods that will help you burn your fat.

1. Oats : Its not only tastes great but also reduces your hunger. Oats contains fiber which helps and stabilizes the levels of cholesterol.

2. Eggs : Eggs are the rich sources of proteins and low in calories. Eggs helps us to build the muscles and develops the good cholesterol.

3. Apples : Apples are enriched with powerful antioxidants and other supplements. Most importantly it contains Pectin which helps to reduce the fat cells in the body.

4. Green Chillies : Green chillies contains Capsaicin which helps to develop the body growth cells and burns the calories in quick time.

5. Garlic : Garlic contains Allicin which has anti-bacterial properties helps us to reduce the fat and removes the bad cholesterol.

6. Honey : Honey is the best one to burn fat. Add honey in warm water and take it daily in the early morning.

7. Green Tea : Green Tea is the most effective one which helps you to lose weight. It contains Antioxidants which helps and stabilizes our body weight.Take daily 2 cups of tea for a better results.

8. Wheat Grass : It boosts our metabolism and helps to reduce the fat.

9. Tomatoes : Tomatoes helps us to burn the fat in quick time. It also helps us to stay away from cancer. So Take tomatoes in your diet regularly.

10. Dark Chocolate : Dark chocolate contains Flavonoids, anti-inflammatory properties which helps to reduce the cholesterol levels in the blood. It boost the growth of serotonin in the blood and also burns the fat.

Guys this is a must share with all those in need of it. You know what I mean!

Best back exercises to loose weight

Whether you’re a guy or a girl, everyone needs strength training. The most neglected area in strength training is often the back and legs. But the thing is that you won’t lose weight unless you develop a proper body if you don’t exercise all the body parts. Weight training will help you build lean muscle, which will boost your metabolism and won’t make your lost weight come back with a vengeance. And ladies, don’t shy away from these exercises, they’ll help you get rid of any stubborn fat you have and give you back to die for!


But first a word of caution, the back houses many important muscles which are of utmost importance for your well-being including the spine! That’s why you need to maintain proper and form and posture while doing these exercises. Proper form is imperative when lifting weights to prevent the risk of injury and to get the most benefits out of the exercise, lift slower with control, connecting your mind to the move. Along with proper form comes the idea of proper alignment (posture) and breathing technique. Both contribute to getting the most out of the exercise and remaining injury free.


Pull -Ups:

It’s old school, it needs you to be tough and it’s effective. The pull-up is the ultimate test of your upper body strength and is a part of standard military tests across the world. It targets your entire back, along with your abs, arms and shoulders and separates the men from the boys. Remember don’t try to do this if you’re overweight. If you’re unable to do a pull-up, trying doing a chin-up (arms closer) failing which you can try to ask someone help you to get started.


Dead-lift:

If you sat down body builders to choose the most COMPLETE exercise, you’ll hear the name deadlift mentioned again and again. Now the deadlift is a classic exercise and while it requires you to learn the posture and grip properly, once you’ve mastered it, there no better exercise to shave off that fat and gain some muscle. It targets your entire back and also engages your chest, hips, hamstrings, quadriceps, biceps and abs.




Two seated row/Cable row:

Another great exercise for beginners, and is done a pulley or cable machine which is available at most gyms. It’s another compound exercise that works all your back muscles while preparing you for more complex exercises.





Lat Pull-Down:

The lat pull-down is a favourite because it targets the latissimus dorsi muscle and it’s so popular that Bollywood even had an item number based on it (okay maybe Lat lag gayi is not about the lat pull-down)! While doing this exercise make sure you grip the bar properly and keep your back arched so that the bar is slightly ahead of you. Make sure you don’t lock your head and neck which can lead to stiffness.



Hypextension:

A back exercise which is usually done with a piece of equipment called the Roman Chair also called a hyperextension bench. Most gyms have this equipment; it’s basically an inclined gym bench with platforms to lock your legs – in some gyms it’s also called the hyperextension bench and targets your lower back. Remember to do this exercise smoothly without any jerks.



Bent Over Dumbbell Rows:

Another old school favourite, this exercise works your back properly but like the deadlift you need to maintain a neutral spine. Start with a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward. Keeping your back straight and head up, bend at the hips until you are nearly parallel to the floor. Keeping your torso stationary, lift the dumbbells to your sides as you exhale, keeping your elbows close to your body. As you pull, squeeze your shoulders back and hold for a brief pause. Inhale as you slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.


One Arm Dumbbell Rows:

This exercise is usually done on a bench with one knee and arm on the bench and the other foot on the floor. This is an alternative exercise and targets only one side of the back and you’ve to repeat for both sides. It targets the middle back, the traps and biceps. Always look straight while performing this exercise as this will help keep the back straight. Keep the upper half of your body completely fixed while doing this and don’t let your shoulder drop. Make sure you’re pulling using your back muscles and not your forearm.


Goodmorning:

The Good Morning is one compound exercise that divides the bodybuilding community. Considered a more advanced exercise, it is revered by some for its effect on the hamstrings (primary muscle worked), glutes, abs and lower back while others vilify it for its high likelihood to cause injuries. While it definitely is an advanced move, when performed 
correctly, it has immense benefits.



Cardio and Diet:

And of course it’s impossible to shape any part of the body without following a proper dietary regime. For example, some things you need to keep in mind is to eat more meals but smaller ones, eat more fibre, stay away from saturated fats, stay hydrated, cut down on sugar, cut down on alcohol and most importantly keep track of what you eat. Along with that you need to follow a proper cardio regime withrunning , proper cardio regime with walking , cycling , swimming and other aerobic exercises which will improve your cardiovascular health and also help you lose weight.

Get that ripped body

When we watch these movies, talent shows, serials, Music and television videos etc. etc., I sit back and wonder, how do I get that ripped look like these upcoming Models and Heroes. Everyone wants to looks nice, feel good, stay healthy. That perfect body is also one of the reasons for confidence and a good Moral booster. Yeah! to get that perfect body to die for, will require a lot of hard work and extremely disciplined focus and determination.

Hmmm, but without following proper rules and without knowing the Do’s and Don’ts…Those months and years of hard workout could still give u nothing and leave you demotivated in the end. That is a common problem everyone falls prey to.

Lay of the sauce:All u party lovers have to keep your hands off alcohol. Alcohol causes fat to be stored instead of being used for energy. Essentially, your body will put a hold on the digestion of any food until the liver can excrete the alcohol. Alcohol also hurts you in two other areas, "It is a diuretic which dehydrates you and reduces energy levels. It also can decrease testosterone in our bodies which is critical for creating muscle,"

Substitute veggies with your fruits: Fruit is great, we have all been learning this since our school times. It is full of nutrients and antioxidants to help protect the body, but the downside is that they’re also full of sugars (carbs). How do you not lose out on all the benefits? Swap in veggies for fruit. This strategy allows you to keep the nutrients and antioxidants, but your sugar/carb and total calorie intake will be reduced. Bingo! Problem solved.

Ditch cardio for weights and circuits: Want to get lean, hit the cardio machine. Wrong. “You will not make more muscle this route,” says Tim McComsey (renowned Fitness expert and Dietitian). When you do cardio you're burning calories, but you're missing the muscle growth stimulation from weight training. "The more muscle that you have, the more calories and fat you'll be burning," he says. So it is highly recommended to hit the weight room 3-4 days per week with one of the days being a circuit style with a variety of exercises

Eat more fat:  “Fat doesn’t make you fat, too much food makes you fat,” Consuming more fat in your diet will actually help curb cravings after you’ve reduced your carb intake. Fats help curb hunger because it takes the body longer to break down, use or store. Hormones also play a role, especially when it comes to muscle-supporting testosterone. Fats are needed to create and balance out hormones in our body to function normally.

Have a carbohydrate strategy: We’ve heard it all before, “carbs are the enemy.” Well, not really. Completely slashing your carbohydrate intake will certainly help with dropping the pounds (and fast) but you’ll also be left feeling cranky, tired and lethargic. Carbs are essential for life as our brain and CNS requires them continuously to work properly. Restricting carbs completely will allow for any muscle mass to be metabolized to provide us with energy.

I hope some of these pointers would be of a little use to all you people. One must always work hard and eat smart. Cutting off something completely from a normal routine is not recommended unless and until you have successfully researched its side effects. Eat smart and stay Fit!