For many years, people all over the world have used the last few days of December, to formulate their New Years Resolutions. Resolutions can vary from weight loss,to continued education and everything in between. Most people pick “Big Changes.” These “Big Changes” typically revolve around remaking your body, your career, your LIFE!

Whatever your New Years Resolution is for 2016, take the remaining days of 2015 to carefully layout your plan for success. With all of the planning,success and setbacks will happen. Remember, through all of these challenges, the most important resolution is, to have fun! Make your “Resolution Journey” enjoyable and fun. Make your Resolution something you look forward to, everyday.

DO SOMETHING FUN!

To find some great, in depth fitness pointers for January, refer to the below ‘Tip of The Month,” from our good friends at Get Fit Forever. As we finish-up a most enjoyable year for AquaBells, we would like to thank all of you who have followed our Blog and supported AquaBells! Keep visiting our Blog, website and social media sites. Good luck with your 2016 New Year’s Resolutions.

January Tip of the Month

Get Fit Forever

1. Make your resolutions simple;
2. Make your resolutions specific. A resolution, such as “losing weight” is too general. A specific goal is needed. A good example would be to lose 25 pounds in 2015. The weight loss goal, could be then divided into mini resolutions. That could then be a manageable goal of losing 2 ½ pounds per month;
3. Have a “resolution buddy.” Pick a buddy who you are close to and you feel comfortable reporting your progress to. This should be someone who will challenge you and help you over various “roadblocks” you may encounter;
4. Choose a food that you know is unhealthy, but that you crave. Your resolution could be to eliminate that one food and replace it with a healthy item.

 

In my Blog of last week,I made reference to a now common fitness term,muscle confusion.Simply put,muscle confusion,is a training concept that is centered around variety in workouts.Muscle confusion is not a new concept. Body building guru,Joe Weider cited muscle confusion in the 1960’s.This in part,led to the creation of his famed,”Weider System”

We all recognize that muscle confusion is not a scientific term.So why all the controversy?The traditional body building camp,believes that workouts should target key muscle groups and be somewhat repetitive. Any changing of the set routine should involve increasing the sets of an exercise,increasing the repetitions and increasing the weight lifted. There are some who would also add in changing the speed of the repetitions and the amount of rest between exercises.The second distinct group,involves more recent fitness regimes,such as P90X,Cross Fit and H.I.IT.These new groups have initiated a new generation of fitness devotees.The traditional group,has called out the new entrees,for their devotion to the term muscle confusion. The old guard,would contend that muscle confusion,is purely a marketing ploy,to sell more exercise DVD’S!

The proponents of the muscle confusion theory,would contend that workouts should change daily and not be repeated,in the short term. This group,feels that muscles need to be challenged with new repetitions daily,or fitness progress will be stagnant and may plateau.

Is muscle confusion a viable concept,or a play on words without meaning?Common sense would indicate that doing any task over and over again,would led to being very proficient at doing that task. In training,you will become familiar with the routine with correct form and without sustaining injuries.This would be one of the positive points,for traditional body build group. Most of the current fitness advocates,are not body builders!Most,are busy people with a set amount of time to complete their workouts and get maximum results.Many of these same people are geared to new,better and innovative.With all of these factors in mind,changing-up your workout regime,may be good!

As I mentioned in last weeks Blog,everyone should do some sort of pre workout planning.This planning could be for the month,week,or day.The initial planning might be a broad overview of the month or week.The next step is to focus down to the daily workout.When you do the daily focusing down,take into consideration your individual time allotment,muscle groups to focus on etc.I personally alternate between a lifting day and the following day,an Aerobic session.This is where your individual planning comes in.For my lifting days of upper and lower body muscles,25-50% are carryover exercises.These could be in the free weight family,with Chest Press,Shoulder Press,Squat type exercises.The remaining time is focused on additional muscle groups,with various exercises that are cycled thru over the course of a tw0-three week time period.Additionally,always start each workout with a stretching session(more on stretching in future Blogs)if time permits,a stretching session at the end of the workout,to remove as much lactic acid from the muscles as possible.Adding in at least ten minutes of Aerobic activity will help “ready” the body for the workout ahead.During the lifting days,I build in cycles.This will allow you to add weight and repetitions to your routine and ultimately add muscle strength and endurance.This is the concept of Progressive Overload.Remember,if you feel yourself hitting a plateau and getting “stale”,this is a good time to re-fresh your routine.Any number of refreshing strategies can work.You can eliminate short term, or your “go to” basic exercises and replace them with others that still use the same muscle groups.If after two-three workouts you feel refreshed,return to your regular regime.Another key element,is the time you spend between each exercise.Previously,we mentioned most people have a set amount of time to complete their daily workout.That means not only challenging your muscles,but maximizing your time.I am a big believer in using no more than a 30 second rest period between exercises.If you workout in a gym,that 30 seconds should be the optimal time to move from one workout area to the next.By taking a short 30 second rest,you stay focused are always in motion and add an aerobic element to your workout.

Now we are at the point of decision. Is muscle confusion,fact,or myth?Everyone needs the routine and stability of a set exercises. Everyone also needs some variety in their routine. There needs to be a blend of old school traditional exercise programs and newer interchangeable exercise routines.Don’t get hung-up on slick marketing pitches or fancy terminology.Your workouts should include a healthy mixture of both. Consider the following,when structuring your workouts.

1. Always plan your workouts in advance.
2. Stretch at the beginning of each workout.Stretch at the end,if time permits.
3. Build a “fitness base”,that targets major muscle groups.Execute these basic exercises with correct form.
4. As you feel more comfortable,extend out to new exercises,using the same major muscle groups.
5. Limit your time between exercises to no more than 30 seconds.Always be Aerobic and always be in motion.
6. Achieving a high level of overall fitness is about reaching high levels of intensity,followed by adequate recovery time.This can be accomplished by alternating a lifting day,with an Aerobic day.

In closing,there are many different theories of how to gain optimal fitness.Do your research,plan your workouts,listen to your body and use common sense.

Good Luck!

 

With two exercise equipment options, AquaBells can offer excellent light, moderate, or extended workout programs. AquaBells dumbbells are shipped to consumers, as two complete sets. The dumbbells have eight total water chambers. Each water chamber weighs approximately four pounds, when fully filled with water. The dumbbell sets can be used with two water chambers on each bar, for a sixteen pound workout, or four water chambers on each bar, for a 32 pound workout. Water levels can be slightly reduced for a less than four pound weight per chamber. When using less water,make sure the level is the same in each chamber,for uniform balance.

 

There are numerous dumbbell exercises and routines than can be set-up for individual workouts. As with all workouts, plan the routine before starting your program. This will insure that all major muscle groups are included and your available workout time is maximized. All workouts, should start and end with gradual stretching (more on stretching in a future Blog). When planning each session, mix in new exercises each time. This will keep the workouts fresh, interesting and create, “muscle confusion.” Simply put, “muscle confusion,” is a training concept that is centered around variety in workouts. The body in total and major muscle groups specifically, can become familiar with a set exercise program. The rhythm of a the exercise, intensity and familiarity, can create complacency. The exercise program, become less than challenging! Adding new exercises targeting the same muscle group and varying the number of repetitions or sets are valuable ways to keep the exercise routine fresh and challenging.

Correct technique is a factor in gaining muscle strength and developing overall fitness. Incorrect technique can cause short or long term injuries and set your workout progress back, days,weeks, or even months. There are many keys to correct technique in your workout program. Listed below are some of the most important techniques to be used in dumbbell exercises.

1. Feet always shoulder width apart,for maximum balance. Dumbbells can be heavy and the weight can pull you off balance,if you don’t start the exercise with correct placement of your feet.
2. Knees bent. Always have your knees slightly bent. This action with your knees increases your stability and balance. Additionally, by bending your knees you gain the added benefit of engaging or tightening your Core muscles. Think of this, feet shoulder width apart and knees bent as an “athletic stance.” Your are now ready to commence with the actually activity phase of the exercise.
3. Straight lines. When using dumbbells for various exercises, always engage the dumbbells in straight lines. For example, when lifting both dumbbells upward from your shoulders (commonly called a Shoulder Press), raise each in a straight line. Even the slightest drifting of the dumbbells forward or side to side can cause a loss of balance. If you find yourself drifting, lessen the amount of water in each chamber.
4. Back straight. When doing upright, standing routines, always stand tall and keep your back straight. Bending over,or rocking back and forth, or side to side can cause a loss of balance. Also, this rocking motion can cause lower back injuries, if done over an extended period of time.
5. Full extension. When doing all dumbbell related exercises, lift the weight so that arms are completely straight, or extended. Lifting the dumbbells to full extension will insure maximum effort and results. “Short arming” a movement will basically cut the effectiveness of an exercise by 50%.

As you can see, AquaBells dumbbells, offer a wide range of exercise possibilities. The images below will show a few of the Top 20 AquaBells Dumbbell Exercises. For a complete viewing of all 20 routines, refer to the AquaBells Facebook page. Of course, there are many more dumbbells exercises that can be added into your fitness program. Good luck and look for additional dumbbell exercises from AquaBells in the future.