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PushUps

Sweet 16 - Push Up Progression
There's an almost endless variety of push ups.  Here is a progression with 16 variations from easier to most difficult.  Each successive variation decreases the stability and requires more core strength.   There are some easier versions and some harder versions, but these 16 are guaranteed to keep your push up routine interesting and fun.

Click here for an illustrated, downloadable guide to Sweet 16 - push up progressions.

Fitness Articles for You

The NASM OPT Model: Periodized Training and Progression

Until now, most training programs have been based mainly on the experiences and goals of body builders, coaches and athletes. There's aproliferation of scientifically unsupported trainingprograms that are not designed to meet the needs of an increasingly deconditioned and injury-prone society. NASM’s Optimum Performance Training (OPT) method is a comprehensive training program based on scientific research that provides results specific to individual needs and goals.

Assessment At the center of the OPT method is the assessment. This fitness and performance evaluation assesses an individual’s strengths and weaknesses in the areas of posture, movement, strength, flexibility and athletic performance. Before embarking on a training program, it is essential to address any existing imbalances to ensure success.

Optimum Performance Training: Individualized Program Design The OPT method provides a system for exercise selection based on the client’s needs, abilities and goals. The endless c…
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Do You Need To Change Your Workout?

Whether your goal is to improve performance, slim down, cut-up, bulk-up, reduce risk of injury or work around a problem area, a carefully considered change up in your workout might be just what the doctor ordered.  In this issue, the signs that your fitness program needs a change and the changes that can take you to the next level.  
If any of these statements are true, a change in program is overdue.
You've been doing the same exercises for more than 6-8 weeks, the only change has been to increase weight.   Your body adapts to the exercises, you will experience a diminished return on investment in terms of muscle development, and changing body composition (gaining or losing weight). Planned changes, or periodization, can help you break through the plateau.   What's more, continually performing the same exact movements makes you more susceptible to repetitive motion injuries.  Read more here Machines vs. Free Weights

You're taking up or increasing participation in a sport or …
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Get the Results YOU Want

Whether you're new to the gym, returning after a break, or resolved to bust through a plateau and take your fitness to a new level in 2013, this newsletter has you covered.  In this issue,  the tools you need including  help Setting Goals, Assessing Your Current Fitness, Scheduling and Commitment, Program Design and Measurement, and sample programs that you can adopt or adapt.  Effective Fitness Goalsare measurable, achievable, yet challenging.  Break big goals up into smaller goals so that you can track progress and be motivated by little successes along the way. Choose the right measurements of success: Some goals like strength and athletic performance and weight loss are easily measured in pounds, or with a ruler or stopwatch. For toning, body measurements, clothes size and subjective assessments of how you look and feel and move are often a better indication of change in body composition. Ensure successby incorporating the following into your plan:…
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BUSTED: Haagen-Dazs Corn Syrup Ingredient Alert

If you think that paying the price for super-premium products is a way to avoid ingredients WE don't want - like corn syrup - think again. After reading the fine print ingredients when I got it home, I recently discovered that the pint of Haagen-Dazs gelato that I paid about $5 for was made with corn syrup. I wrote to complain and was a bit taken aback by their response shown below. Let's forget that he called me Ms Raffle instead of Mr Raffle, and misspelled Karo syrup. Can we talk about arrogance?

According to Haagen-Dazs, corn syrup is a "kitchen friendly" ingredient. Is Lard also kitchen friendly? I think they really mean "bottom-line friendly." The thing that concerns me is that I like Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream, and I don't think it contains corn syrup ... yet. But I don't want to have to read the fine print to make sure I am not getting ingredients I don't want.

No apology for my dissatisfaction. No refund. No suggestion that i…
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SUPERSET CIRCUIT TRAINING: THE NEW YORK STYLE WORKOUT

SUPERSET CIRCUIT TRAINING: THE NEW YORK STYLE WORKOUT
by Cary Raffle
Pro Trainer, New York Sports Clubs, NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Copyright ©2005 Cary Raffle
We want results. We don’t have much time. And we want value. That’s why circuit training with supersets is working for my clients and me.
Circuit training involves a series of different exercises done one after another, with a brief rest period in between, like XPRESSline® at New York Sports Clubs. Circuit training is popular because it efficiently uses time, and can burn more calories than other workouts because there is limited rest. The National Academy of Sports Medicine says that circuit training is ideal for individuals trying to alter their body composition. The increased activity level and volume can help you to lose weight faster.
A superset combines sets of two or more different exercises, often for the same muscle group, with no pause to rest in between. By combining two exercises for the same muscle group into a s…
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What NOT To Do: The Six DO NOTS of Weight Loss

Happy New Year to all, it is good to be back.
We've all got the same thing on our minds after the holidays: getting back into shape and getting the most out of our fitness programs. In this issue, six simple tips about the things that don't work and alternative that do to help you get the most out of your efforts.  
1.  Don't Starve- Watching your calories is good, starving yourself and skipping meals actually works against you. When you skip meals or reduce your calorie intake too low, your body thinks you're starving and goes into "survival mode." It actually lowers your metabolism so that you burn less calories. Instead, plan on increasing exercise and reducing caloric intake so that you have a daily "calorie deficit" of 500-1000 calories. At this rate, you should lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week. The American Dietetic Association and American College of Sports Medicine consider this level optimal for long term weight loss.
2.  Don't Do Just Card…
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Myths About Perspiration, Fluid Replacement Guidelines, Your Personal Hydration Program

We're on track for ta hot summer, and with everybody sweating more, many of you have asked about hydration and fluid replacement strategies.

This posting  reviews common myths about perspiration and provides hydration and fluid replacement guidelines to enhance performance and avoid heat related illnesses.  Information comes from authoritative sources including position stands of The American College of Sports Medicine and peer reviewed publications of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.


MYTHS ABOUT PERSPIRATION
#1 - The More I Sweat the More Calories I Burn.  FALSE.  Perspiration is part of our body's cooling system, it does not necessarily require burning calories or correlate with caloric expenditures.  Example:  stand outside on a very humid 90 degree day, and you will sweat profusely.  Run indoors in a very dry 65 degree environment, and you may hardly break a sweat.

#2 - I Can Sweat The Weight Off.  FALSE.  -Weight loss due to sweating indicates dehydration.…
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