This week’s exercise is courtesy of sandbag-training expert Josh Henkin and Men’s Health adviser Rachel Cosgrove, creator of the Men’s Health Spartacus Workout Series (our legendary fat-blasting boot camp). The plank walkup with dumbbell drag is a new—and much harder!—version of the classic plank.

What makes it so novel and, more importantly, so effective? While in a plank position, it requires you to drag a dumbbell from one side of your body to another. “The plank exercise is about keeping your core perfectly stable,” says Cosgrove. “Adding the dumbbell drag means that you have to still maintain core stability while you move a load back and forth, making it an extremely challenging version of the plank.” (To make it even harder, you can use a sandbag instead of a dumbbell.)

By Marguerite Ogle, About.com Guide

Kneeling arm/leg reach is one of those Pilates moves that build core strength and balance by challenging stability. It is often recommended as an exercise for people with back pain. Though it is not a traditional Pilate’s exercise, kneeling arm/leg reach, done in a Pilate’s way, will build core strength and encourage balance and symmetry in the body.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 1 min

Here’s How:

Begin on your hands and knees.

Your hands are directly under your shoulders and your knees are directly under your hips at right angles to the floor.

Make your legs and feet parallel and hip distance apart.

Your neck treated as a long extension of your spine. So your face is parallel to the floor, gaze down.

Your back is in a neutral spine position supported by your abdominal muscles which are pulled in. Don’t let your back sag like an old horse, or arch up like a stretching cat.

This exercise is going to require shoulder stability. Take a moment to slide your scapula (wing bones) down your back so that your shoulders are away from your ears, your chest is open, and your scapula are settled on your back, not poking up.

Inhale: Extend your right arm straight in front of you and your left leg straight behind you at the same time. Your arm and leg will be parallel to the floor.

Please see tip below.

Balance. Hold one to three breaths.

Exhale: Return to hands and knees.

Inhale: Extend your left arm straight in front of you and your right leg straight behind you at the same time.

Tips:

This is a wonderful oppositional stretch where the head and tail bone are reaching away from each other, and the arm and leg are reaching in opposite directions along a diagonal through the body. It feels great, but don’t get carried away. You still want to work for core strength and stability by keeping your shoulders even and down, and your pelvis stable and even as well.

As you take you leg back, make sure it tracks straight back. Don’t hike up your hip to take it back, just extend the leg out of the hip socket.

By Rob Poulos..

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight fast for a special occasion then you’re probably all too familiar with fasting for weight loss. Most of what you know about fasting however is probably negative because the market is flooded with a variety of unhealthy fasts for weight loss.

Contrary to what most of us already know about fasting for weight loss, there are effective methods that you can use to fast safely. The key is to know what you need to lose weight, and find a way to factor fasting into your weight loss efforts.

Keeping reading to find out more about fasting for weight loss!

Diet & Exercise

Before you begin fasting for weight loss it is important to keep weight loss essentials fresh in your mind. There is no effective method of weight loss that doesn’t require eating less and working out more, so remember that as you research the various fasting diets on the market.

Fasting for weight loss can be an effective tool if used correctly, but so many dieters are in a hurry to lose weight and they presume that simply not eating will help them reach their weight loss goals faster. While that is technically true, that kind of logic won’t hold up for the long term.

Benefits of Fasting

Fasting for weight loss does have its benefits, one of the main benefits being that it gives you time to simply not think about food. You don’t have to think about what you’re going to eat for your next meal, the nutrition facts for that meal or what type of activity you’ll have to do in order to burn off the fat from that meal. A day or two without food on the brain can help you recharge your batteries so that you return to eating refreshed and ready to eat properly.

Another benefit of fasting for weight loss is that you can take a break from all food, but particularly from those foods that you find hard to resist. After craving chocolate chip cookies and resisting the craving for days on end, fasting will allow you to get those pesky thoughts out of your head before its time to eat again!

[Get your blender out for nutritionally beneficial fasts!]

Length of Fasts

One of the major issues with fasting for weight loss is how long you can safely fast. Many of the fad fasting diets like the Lemonade Diet or Master Cleanse or even a Juice Fast are very low calorie diets, which can cause problems with weight loss and your overall health. A fast that lasts longer than 2 days makes it difficult to maintain one important aspect of the basics of dieting: exercise.

Sure when you’re fasting you are eating less food than you otherwise would, but when you still need to exercise to keep your body burning fat all day long. A very low calorie fast will make you feel lethargic which can make it nearly impossible to energize yourself for a fat burning workout.

Rather than a long term fast, consider intermittent fasting for weight loss. Intermittent fasting allows you to take up to 36 hours off, which isn’t long enough to tire you out while also returning to food quickly enough that you don’t encounter any serious health problems.

Fasting Foods

When it comes to fasting for weight loss, most people decide based on what exactly the ingredients are for any given fast. A juice or smoothie fast is probably the healthiest methods of fasting for weight loss because you’re getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet as well plenty of nutrients. A juice fast will give you essential vitamins and nutrients like fiber and water that can help boost fat loss, without making you feel sluggish.

Other fasts like the Master Cleanse provides you with a strange blend of ingredients that you aren’t likely to enjoy, much less keep up for any length of time.

Bad Habits

One of the reasons fasting for weight loss gets such a bad reputation is because it really does nothing to address the bad habits that lead to weight gain in the first place. A healthy diet and regular exercise generally helps most of us address those bad habits—a bad diet or a sedentary lifestyle—so we can correct them and lose weight.

Fasting however does nothing to help you with those habits, because many long term fasts promise that you can go back to eating “whatever you want” when the fast is over. This is one of the reasons intermittent fasting for weight loss has become the go-to method of fasting, because you don’t spend days on end dreaming about a giant bag of chips or a brownie a la mode.

[Don’t return to food with these decadent dishes or you’ll regret it.]

Returning to Food

The key to fasting for weight loss is returning to food in a smart way that won’t undo the progress you made during your fast. When you return to a diet of whole foods then you need to make sure you don’t attempt to make up for the calories you didn’t consume during the fast.

During the days when you aren’t fasting for weight loss, you should be eating for weight loss, which means a well balanced diet that has fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. Don’t ‘reward’ yourself with foods filled with fat and sugar and salt, or else your fast will have just been a few days without food for nothing.

Want to fuel your workout? Maureen Callahan, R.D. reveals the 17 best fitness foods.

Avocados

The cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fat in these green health bombs can help keep your body strong and pain free. University of Buffalo researchers found that competitive runners who ate less than 20 percent fat were more likely to suffer injuries than those who consumed at least 31 percent. Peter J. Horvath, Ph.D., a professor at the university, speculates that the problem is linked to extreme low-fat diets, which weaken muscles and joints. “A few slices of avocado a day are a great way to boost fat for women who are fat shy,” says Leslie Bonci, R.D., director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Bagels, whole grain

Never mind Dr. Atkins–carbs are the optimal workout food. “Not the simple ones, because they wind you up and drop you down,” says Jackie Berning, Ph.D., R.D., a nutrition professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and counselor to sports teams. “You want complex carbohydrates in their natural package, aka whole grains.” A whole-grain bagel is an ideal pre-sweat-session pick: You’ll digest it slowly because of all the fiber, which will deliver a steady flow of energy over time rather than one big burst.

Bananas

Thanks to bananas’ high potassium content, peeling one is a speedy solution to that stitch in your side. While a lack of sodium is the main culprit behind muscle cramps, studies show potassium plays a supporting role: You need it to replace sweat losses and help with fluid absorption. Bananas are also packed with energizing carbohydrates. One medium-size fruit has 400 milligrams of potassium and as many carbs (29 grams) as two slices of whole-wheat bread.

Berries

USDA researchers recently placed fresh berries on their list of the 20 foods richest in antioxidants. Just a handful of blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries is an excellent source of these potent nutrients, which protect muscles from free radical damage that might be caused by exercise. Shop for berries by the shade of their skin: The deeper the color, the healthier the fruit.

Carrots

Close your eyes and they almost taste like crunchy candy. Carrots pack complex carbs that provide energy to muscles and potassium to control blood pressure and muscle contractions, Bonci says. And a half cup has just 35 calories.

Whole grain cereal

Looking for something to nosh before you hit the gym? Raid your cereal stash. The healthiest brands (see page 39 to find out what should be in your bowl) contain endurance-boosting complex carbs and muscle-building protein. Sixty minutes before a workout, fuel up with a 200-calorie snack: 3/4 cup of whole-grain cereal with 4 ounces of fat-free milk. “When you eat something before exercising, you have more energy, so you can work out harder and perhaps longer. And you’ll be less likely to overeat afterward,” Bonci says.

Chicken thighs

Skimp on iron and zinc and your energy will flag. Cooking up some juicy chicken thighs or turkey drumsticks is the best way to get more of both. “Dark-meat poultry is significantly lower in fat than red meat yet has all the iron, zinc, and B vitamins that women need in their diets,” says Seattle sports nutritionist Susan Kleiner, Ph.D., author of Power Eating.

Chocolate milk

There’s way more to milk than just calcium. In fact, it’s a damn near perfect food, giving you a lot of valuable energy while keeping your calorie count low, Kleiner says. The chocolate kind is loaded with calcium, vitamins, and minerals just like the plain stuff, but new studies confirm that milk with a touch of cocoa is as powerful as commercial recovery drinks at replenishing and repairing muscles.

Low fat cottage cheese

Despite its frumpy image, this diet staple packs 14 grams of protein per half-cup serving, along with 75 milligrams of calcium and 5 grams of carbohydrates. That protein is crucial to healing the microscopic muscle tears that occur during exercise, says Amy Jamieson-Petonic, R.D., health education manager at Cleveland’s Fairview Hospital.

Cranberries

This packable fruit delivers a generous pre- or postworkout blast of carbohydrates (25 grams per 1/4 cup). Plus, cranberries have proanthocyanins, compounds that help prevent and fight urinary tract infections. Running to the bathroom every 5 minutes definitely isn’t the kind of workout you need.

Eggs

Don’t skip the yolk. One egg a day supplies about 215 milligrams of cholesterol–not enough to push you over the 300-milligram daily cholesterol limit recommended by the American Heart Association. Plus, the yolk is a good source of iron, and it’s loaded with lecithin, which is critical for brain health, Kleiner says. What does brain power have to do with exercise? Try doing a sun salutation without it.

Ground flaxseed

“Flaxseed is full of fibers called lignans that promote gut health,” Kleiner says. Since flax lignans contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, they keep you regular. “When you’re trying to do an endurance sport, it can be disruptive to have digestive problems,” she notes. A daily dose of 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed tossed in your cereal nets you fiber without fuss.

Hummus

Complex carbohydrates, protein, and unsaturated fats–all the right elements to fuel activity–meet in one healthy little 70-calorie, 3-tablespoon package. Plus, hummus is often made with olive oil, which contains oleic acid–a fat that helps cripple the gene responsible for 20 to 30 percent of breast cancers, according to Northwestern University researchers.

Oranges

“They’re portable. They’re a fruit you can get year-round. And they’re a rich source of vitamin C,” Bonci says, “which helps repair muscle tissue.” One orange has all the C a woman needs each day–close to 75 milligrams. Vitamin C is also key for making collagen, a tissue that helps keep bones strong.

Peanuts

No wonder Mr. Peanut never stops tap-dancing. Soccer players kicked and sprinted just as well in the final minutes of a game as they did at the start when they added 2 ounces of peanuts a day to their regular diet, Horvath says. The extra fat may help improve endurance by giving muscles energy to burn up front so they can spare muscle glycogen stores later.

Potatoes

Sweat like a pig? Four shakes of salt (about 1,100 milligrams of sodium) and a small baked potato is the perfect recipe for electrolyte replacement. “The electrolytes, sodium and potassium, help maintain fluid balance in and around cells and make sure muscles contract as they need to,” Bonci says.

Salmon

Great for heart health, but here’s an added twist: New studies are suggesting that monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fats might help lessen abdominal fat. It’s too soon to understand the link, but “this could be particularly good for people working to tone their core,” Kleiner says.

Although many individuals turn up to the gym with similar luggage that you would expect to have on a 2 week holiday, here at The Gym Group we’ve made it easy for you by narrowing it down to just 5 essential items that you should never go without. So in no particular order let us take a closer look at each item and the reasons why:

1. Pre Work-out Snack: If you lead a hectic lifestyle and squeeze your training in between your work and social life then you can sometimes find yourself turning up to the gym having not consumed anything for several hours prior. This can result in both lackluster and below par performances. Always try and carry an energizing supplement or snack with you to give you that required boost during your training session.

2. MP3 Player: Quite simply, previous research has identified numerous benefits of listening to music whilst exercising. These include enhanced focus, performance and target achievement. It can also allow you to bypass the feeling of fatigue which may prove vital during the latter stages of your workout. Always remember to select music that mimics the exercise and state of mind you are trying to achieve. Love songs need not apply!

3. Gym Gloves: If you undertake any form of resistance training then you should not overlook this item. Not only do gloves allow for a better contact and grip between you and the resistance, potentially allowing for enhanced performance, but they also help reduce the likelihood of prominent calluses developing. Let’s be honest, no one likes holding the hand of someone who feels like they’ve come straight off a building site.

4. Post Work-out Snack: Similarly to the pre work-out snack, hectic lifestyles mean that not everyone has the opportunity to sit down to a fulfilling meal straight after a gym session. Previous research has identified a 60-90 minute optimal window of opportunity following training to consume a mixture of protein and carbohydrates in order to adequately replenish your body. Always ensure you have something that satisfies these needs.

5. Towel and Clothing Change: There’s no better feeling after a long strenuous session in which you’ve built up a sweat than jumping straight into the shower. Not only will this make you feel better but it will also allow your muscles to relax.

6. A water Bottle: H20 is a vital part of a training regimen. When you are training whether it’s boxing, kickboxing, mma, or weight training, you need to make sure you constantly refill your body with water.

Water is one of nature’s most important gifts to mankind. Essential to life, a person’s survival depends on drinking water. Water is one of the most essential elements to good health — it is necessary for the digestion and absorption of food; helps maintain proper muscle tone; supplies oxygen and nutrients to the cells; rids the body of wastes; and serves as a natural air conditioning system. Health officials emphasize the importance of drinking at least eight glasses of clean water each and every day to maintain good health.

Are you sick of seeing someone who does not meet your expectations in the mirror? Do you want to be as gorgeous as the Hollywood stars your wife loves? A lot of men want to be in better shape but it takes a big commitment to gain muscle. The rich and famous can work with great personal trainers and can spend hours working out every day but that is not something the average person can do. No matter what you do to gain muscle, you need to be determined.

There is no denying it is very difficult to gain muscle. Anyone who says different is lying. It takes a lot of time spent working out, and a lot of patience and determination to succeed. In order to gain muscle, you need to follow a strenuous training program and also do several other things. When you combine the three things you need and you do them all together at the same time, you will succeed at gaining muscle and improving your body. The three steps are:

(1) Eat a well balanced diet. This does not mean that you need to starve yourself because that is not what a “diet” means. A good diet is one that involves portion control and making good food choices. If your goal is gaining muscle, you are going to need to consume more calories than you can burn with your strenuous workout so your muscles have the fuel they need to grow. Your diet should consist of a combination of protein, soy, and fats. A nutrition expert can advise you on what exactly you should be eating and how much to eat.

(2) Create an effective strength training program. In order to gain muscle, you need to work them as hard as you can. If you sit on a couch all day, you are not going to grow muscles but you will grow a gut. A good strength training program is one where you keep lifting weights until your muscles give out. The muscles in your body respond to the hard work and get stronger, which means you gain muscle. You should progressively start lifting heavier and heavier weights to keep gaining muscle.

(3) Make sure you rest your muscles. You are not gaining muscle while you do your strength training workout. Your muscles grow when you rest them. Your workout puts your muscles to the test and works them hard if you do it right and lift heavy enough weights. As you sleep, your muscles start to repair themselves and you gain muscle. You need at least 8 hours of sleep a night if you are going to start gaining muscle.

These are the three things you need to do if gaining muscle is your goal. If you are committed to doing these three things, you will get the results you want. There is no time like the present so get started!

We’re really into core training, if the latest fitness trends are any indication, and one of my favorite ways to work the core is to incorporate it into traditional strength exercises. Not only does this add intensity to some exercises, it also freshens up exercises that can get a little stale.

Ball pushups with pikes are a good example of this, working the chest, arms and shoulders as well as the abs and back. Pikes are an advanced exercise, so you should be very comfortable using an exercise ball before trying it. The movement should be slow and controlled to avoid flipping over on your head (which, unfortunately, can happen). One way to modify this move is to bend the knees and roll the ball in, rather than keeping the legs straight.

Do it right: Get into a pushup position with the ball under the shins/ankles (easier) or the tops of the feet (harder). Bend the elbows and lower into a pushup. Push back up and contract the abs to pull the ball in as you lift the hips up towards the ceiling in a pike position. For a modification, bend the knees and roll the ball in towards the chest instead of keeping the legs straight. Continue alternating a pushup with a pike for 8-16 reps

1. Warm-up and stretch before exercising. Warming up and stretching can help the knee joint in many ways, including increasing the circulation of the blood and lymph fluid into and out of joint structures and the adjacent soft tissues and ensuring that the muscles and the ligaments attendant to the knee joint are not too tight. As a result, tension on the tendons is reduced, and pressure on the knee is relieved.

2. Develop muscle balance. Strengthen the muscles of the lower body to reduce the amount of force that goes through the knees. Make sure that you maintain an appropriate muscle balance between the quadriceps and hamstrings (i.e., a 3-to-2 strength ratio is recommended) to provide an improved level of stabilization and strength for the knee joint.

3. Avoid doing too much exercise. Some individuals hurt their knees because of the overuse syndrome. Simply stated, cumulatively, they place excessive demands on their knees.

4. Avoid sudden increases in the intensity of exercise. Allow your body to gradually and progressively adapt to the demands that you impose on it. Doing too much too soon can injure your knees. Keep in mind that some actions that alter intensity level are not as obvious as others. For example, changing your approach to exercising (i.e., running hills instead of jogging on a flat terrain) may unduly increase your level of intensity.

5. Protect your feet. Your feet (particularly how and where they strike the ground when exercising) can have a profound effect on your knees. In this regard, two of the most meaningful actions you can undertake are to wear shoes that fit properly and provide adequate cushioning and to immediately take care of any foot problem (e.g., blisters) that occurs.

6. Vary the mode of exercise. Using several exercise modalities keeps you from repeatedly stressing the same bones and muscle groups, thereby keeping the orthopedic stress on your knees to a minimum.

7. Be conscious of possible load forces on your knees when choosing your exercise mode. Whenever possible, avoid engaging in an exercise modality that places unduly high impact forces on your knees (i.e., running stadium stairs, running downhill, etc.).

8. Use exercise equipment properly. Improper use of exercise equipment can cause knee problems. For example, if you exercise on a stationary bike, check the position of the pedal crank relative to the seat post. If the crank is not relatively close to the seat post, you will place undue stress on your knees while exercising.

9. Keep your weight down. Maintaining an appropriate level of weight can reduce the stress on your knees. Excessive weight can increase your risk of degenerative conditions, such as osteoarthritis of the knee.

10. Listen to your body. Pain is your body’s signal that you may be placing too much stress on your knees. Reducing or stopping whatever is causing the stress is the primary step in ensuring that your actions don’t lead to a more serious injury.

James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM, is a freelance writer and consultant in sports medicine. From 1990 until 1995, Dr. Peterson was director of sports medicine with StairMaster. Until that time, he was professor of physical education at the United States Military Academy.

Copyright 2010 by the American College of Sports Medicine.

The best way to relieve stress might be just the opposite of what you’d think!

The therapeutic benefits of regular exercise are well documented. Study after study has shown that it increases health and general well being. It’s been said that if exercise were a drug, it would be the most powerful medication on earth. However, it still seems difficult to get people to workout on a regular basis. When life gets hectic, it’s generally the first thing that gets crossed off the “to do” list. In reality, it should be the last. It’s an industry standard to tell people that they should consult a physician before beginning an exercise program. Based on the scientific evidence, it would be more appropriate to consult a physician before parking yourself on the Laz-E-Boy for a session with the TV.