Posts Tagged skipping

Killer Circuit

This short workout is timed three minutes for each separate sequence. Boxing, skipping, and weight training incorporates to provide the body with a thorough workout.

Equipment Needed

  • Mat
  • Medicine ball
  • Boxing gloves and bag
  • 10-20kg dumbells
  • Stability ball
  • Skipping rope

The Workout

  • Jump rope for three minutes to warm up the muscles.
  • Do alternate punches to the heavy bag for three minutes. Try not to take a break, and if you do stay on your toes to keep the heart rate high. Throw upper cuts, jabs, and straight punches.
  • Sit on stability ball and grab your medicine ball. Perform three minutes of sit-ups slowly. If you struggle with the last minute and a half, transfer the sit-ups to the mat. Remember to exhale as you rise, and inhale when you drop your shoulders. This will hurt but will build strong abdominals. Alternatively, do sit-ups against the heavy bag and punch the bag with each crunch.
  • Pick up your weights and perform three minutes of weighted squats. Try to perform the exercise slowly to really work the buttock and thigh muscles.
  • Rest hands on mat and position feet closely on stability ball. Dip down into a press-up and then pull the ball in with your feet. This is a hard move but try to perform twelve. It strengthens core strength, works on balance, and tones the calves, back, and arms.
  • That’s one round. Try to perform two of the same circuit.

This workout will take on average 25 minutes. Take a rest in between each move for 30 seconds to one minute.  I really was sore the next day after this short workout.

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Avoid Overworking Joints During Exercise

Exercise is very important to heart and joint health. Weight bearing exercises, such as walking, skipping, and jogging strengthen the leg joints and help to prevent age degenerative diseases like osteoporosis (brittle bone disease). It is important to train at least every two days to give the body time to rest. It is during the rest periods that muscles grow bigger and stronger. Regular weight training is important to heighten the metabolism, and lean muscle tissue is sexy, but how can people avoid overworking their joints during exercise?

I am not stating that exercising every day is wrong. Some people like to train the upper half of their body one day and work on their lower half the next. That is perfectly fine, but working the entire body out every day can really put a strain on the joints. An excellent supplement to take to help cartilage repair is Glucosamine. It is a well known supplement that keeps the joints supple, and millions of people take it because it is safe and very useful for training and people of all ages can feel its benefits, even those who suffer from joint problems.

The muscles need energy in the form of glucose, and Glucosamine provides this. The body already produces Glucosamine in an adequate quantity to repair and maintain cartilage, but if you participate in hard exercise, it is always useful to take a supplement. There are two varieties available, Glucosamine Sulphate and Glucosamine Hydrochloride. Glucosamine Sulphate is more easily absorbed in the intestine by up to 98% in some arthritis sufferers.

Glucosamine is also an effective supplement to take to prevent arthritis, and millions of people worldwide suffer with this. Even in arthritis sufferers, especially those who suffer from osteoarthritis, Glucosamine can help to relieve inflammation. Studies have also shown that Glucosamine is more effective than mainstream anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofen.

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Lose Weight with Boxing Training

Aint’ it strange that you can never really notice weight loss in yourself until someone else spots it. A couple of weeks ago a person I hadn’t seen in years told me I had lost weight. The same day, a girl at the gym asked me if I had lost weight. Of course, I have been doing my usual weight training and skipping workouts and much less spinning. It’s so strange. Then I weighed myself at weekend and found that I had put half a stone on.

So perhaps I’ve added a lot of muscle tissue, which obviously weighs more than fat, although I have a fairly athletic build, but I don’t think I have added seven pounds of muscle. That is way too much.

Anyhow, I need something quick to get me fit and I’m now attending boxing training twice a week, body pump once a week and body combat once a week. That’s enough for me. I’m already aching after my gym session last night and boxing training tonight.

If you’re serious about conditioning your body, I would highly recommend boxing training. The hour and a half session started off with skipping. I used a weighted rope, which makes it a little harder but tones the shoulders nicely. Then there were sprints on the spot, high jumps, press-ups, burpees, star jumps, and sit-ups. Then it was out into the nippy air for a mile and half job followed by tiring two minute heavy bag punches non-stop. Sit ups and press-ups followed, then knees up throwing shots at the bag thirty seconds, heavy blows for half a minute, and alternate punches for a final thirty seconds. Two sets of these were performed.

Finally the last twenty minutes contained some seriously hard body weight training, some of which I coudn’t do (throw your body off the floor press-ups) but at least I tried but almost splatted my nose on the carpet. More tough sit-ups followed and then it was a stretch and warm down.

I am not sure what attracts me to hard training such as this but I know that the pain is worth it in fitness and the positive changes it gives to the body. Even my punching power has gained in strength and I am able to keep my guard up. I have big respect for boxers. I struggled throwing punches for just two minutes, let alone twelve rounds of three minutes.

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The Arm Killer

This is a tough little magic workout that fatigues the arms, works the pectoral muscles, abdominals, arms, back, buttocks, legs, and the heart through the cardiovascular workout and the skipping.

This workout will take around 25-30 minutes depending on how many breaks you take. It makes use of jump rope, plyometric training, and bodyweight training.

This can be performed anywhere, but somewhere like a laminate floor or gym based floor is best. Concrete is harsh on the joints, and grass will more than likely slow the speed of jump rope. Put a good album on which motivates you, and try a take at break when you reach 10 reps. Read the rest of this entry »

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