FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog » Exercise

How to Get Abs Progress Pics – Lights Out week

FitBuff Brandon — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:08:25 +0000

After posting her pics here on FitBuff for the last few weeks, Alley decided to start her own website, so her progress pics and stats on now on her new health and fitness blog here:

Athletic Alley

Here are this week's progress pictures and measurements for me…

Weight: 189.4 pounds (+1.4lb from last week)
Waist: 33 inches (-0.1" from last week)

As you may or may not have noticed, the house of FitBuff is in a bit of disarray this week, and these progress pics and measurements are actually exact duplicates of last week.

There have been some electrical problems that have cut power to parts of the house, so we're sorting those out, and will be back to our regularly scheduled progress updates next week…

How to Get Abs Progress Pics – Pizza Fusion week

FitBuff Brandon — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:08:13 +0000

After posting her pics here on FitBuff for the last few weeks, Alley decided to start her own website, so her progress pics and stats on now on her new health and fitness blog here:

Athletic Alley

Here are this week's progress pictures and measurements for me…

Weight: 189.4 pounds (+1.4lb from last week)
Waist: 33 inches (-0.1" from last week)

This week was still far from perfect, but at least our measurements didn't suffer much.

Maybe, it was because most of our dietary excursions were at relatively healthy places, like Pizza Fusion and Jason's Deli.

Pizza Fusion was awesome, and Alley has a great picture-filled post of it here, so check it out to see the people and pizza there and us enjoying it!

Progress Pics – Alley Gets Her Own Site

FitBuff Brandon — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:07:57 +0000

After posting her pics here on FitBuff for the last few weeks, Alley decided to start her own website, so her progress pics and stats on now on her new health and fitness blog here:

Athletic Alley

Here are this week's progress pictures and measurements for me…

Weight: 188.0 pounds (+1.2lb from last week)
Waist: 33.1 inches (-0.9" from last week)

While this week still wasn't quite up to par, as we readjust to "civilian life" back at home and off the road, it was still a big improvement.

I managed to gain another pound, and we're going to get back to regular working out this week, which will start building back the muscle, now that I've gotten better at getting enough calories on a vegetarian diet.

Tony Horton 10 Minute Trainer: Those who do, also teach!

FitBuff Blogger — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:10:05 +0000

Introduction
When Henry L. Mencken coined the famous saying, “Those who can — do. Those who can't — teach.” it was obvious that he had no clue of what it takes to be a fitness trainer. Imagine a fitness trainer who is a fat slob. Would you attend his training program or buy any of his fitness DVDs?

Obviously, the answer to that question would be a resounding no.

Now you would find several fraudulent instances on the internet in various fields promising you the world, but doing nothing. However, a few of them do work their magic if you just follow simple instructions, especially in the health and fitness business.

Reasons why workouts do not work for you
Now, some reasons why a particular routine might not work for you would be because:
1. Lack of time
2. Beginner
3. Lack of motivation
4. Inability to keep a routine
5. You do not take fitness seriously

The reasons three, four and five are not in the hands of the trainer but the first two can always be worked with for results.

Of these two, the first reason is the most popular one whereas the second one can prevent folks from making use of that costly gym membership that they paid for. Most people who are self-conscious will not use that membership and hide behind a whole bunch of excuses to go.

So, what does one do in order to stay fit?

If you don’t really have the time or aren’t confident enough to attend a gym, one can always find workouts that do not require two hours of your day, but just about sufficient time that you can afford to spend from your daily routine.

One such routine that comes to mind is the “Tony Horton 10-minute trainer” that has found success among a wide cross-section of people, right from busy dads and moms, movie and rock stars, and virtually professionals of every kind.

The Tony Horton 10-minute trainer
To put it succinctly, Tony Horton is a fitness trainer to the stars. And it’s not just movie stars and musicians, but television stars (of course, there’s a difference!), pro athletes, members of Congress and the list goes on.

Not being much of a fitness person in his early years (and I can so relate to that!), he achieved a transformation when he realized that he would never make it in Hollywood if he did not get into shape. Taking this new direction led him to produce one of the most successful home fitness program called the ‘Power 90 Extreme’, which has reportedly sold over 1.5 million units until now. In 2007, he created the 10-minute Trainer, designed specifically for people who could not find the time.

This super-efficient workout uses the Tony Horton Super Stacking Technique, which tones your muscles in a fast-paced yet fun manner. His approach to exercise not only gives you the results you want in a short period but also gives you a choice between eight different workouts on two DVDs. These different options consist of Total Body, Total Body 2, Lower Body, Upper Body, Abs, Cardio, Core Cardio and Yoga Flex. To ensure that you do get results, the package also comes with a resistance band kit, cardio belt, a customizable workout calendar as well as his tips and techniques to preparing low-calorie meals in less than 10 minutes.

Not only is the price of his DVDs a pittance compared to the exorbitant gym fees that you might have to shell out, it gives you quick results too, provided you follow his instructions (that he gives you) in detail!

Conclusion
Finally, if you are struggling for time these days but want to increase your fitness levels seriously, perhaps it’s time to try Tony Horton’s 10-minutes trainer, and perhaps understand why one has to do before they can teach in the world of fitness.

Alley and Brandon Censored Pictures – Valentine Edition

FitBuff Brandon — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:45:45 +0000

We just got back in town from our week-long Myrtle Beach trip. With it being much longer than our recent Vegas trip, there was more time for bad eating and temptation.

The results weren't terrible, but definitely a setback that we're ready to start correcting!

Here are this week's progress pictures and measurements…

Alley

Weight: 140.4 pounds (+0.8lb from last week)
Waist: 29.1 inches (+0.4" from last week)

Japanese food is my weakness, and Myrtle Beach has my favorite hibachi restaurant of all time, so yes, I ate there every single day!

I miss the food, but I don't miss the weight gain that comes with it, so I'm ready to get back on track now that we're home for a while this time.

Brandon

Weight: 186.8 pounds (+1.2lb from last week)
Waist: 32.2 inches (-0.2" from last week)

I only ate Japanese food twice and tried to stick more to the cooler of food we brought with us, so I managed to add about a pound, while dropping in my waist.

Now if I can just get back on track with the workouts now that we're home, I'll start adding muscle again, now that I'm starting to get better and more experienced at eating on a vegetarian diet.

Winter Olympics: Three sports that will get you into shape

FitBuff Blogger — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:12:47 +0000

Introduction
Of all the Olympic sports, the one that fascinates me the most is the weightlifting competition, particularly the feats accomplished by this Greek lifter known as Pyrros Dimas. When you are attempting a weight of 207.5 kilograms, one can only imagine (and draw inspiration from) the amount of effort that has been put in by the lifter to stay on top for years together.

When it comes to the Winter Olympics though, as Jerry Seinfeld aptly put it, one might wonder how Luge became a Olympic sport, where all you have to do is exert your calves to head off in the right direction (albeit at blinding speeds) as opposed to summer counterpart.

However, there are Winter Olympic sports that do require endurance and skill (and most definitely, a head for heights) in order to remain on top of the Olympic sporting world. Here are three Winter Olympic sport that are a test of spirit and strength:

1. Ice Hockey
For one thing, Ice Hockey is a physical and a fast-paced game apart from being a guy’s game. In addition, the words ‘physical’ does not merely mean just stamina and the ability to outwit the competition but to able to take a real beating, as it is a full contact sport. Most obviously, if you are looking to get into shape, this one can be the most effective amongst the Winter Olympic disciplines.

2. Nordic Combined
The Nordic Combined is a combination of two sports, cross-country skiing and ski jumping and no, this is not the Biathlon, which includes rifle marksmanship (bizarre or what?) with cross-country skiing. The cross-country skiing event tests one’s skill to the maximum where athletes have to cover fifteen kilometers with skis and poles.

As it is obvious from the sheer distance and the cold, one knows that it is not just about making cool skiing videos in slow mo, but building endurance and speed in a sport that truly requires you to go the distance. As for ski jumping, it’s obvious that in order to fly as far as one can go, one has to stay in shape (aerodynamically, perhaps?) apart from adopting the right technique that will help you cover maximum distance in the jump.

3. Long/Short track speed skating
This is a discipline in which aerodynamics and fitness plays a large role much like the Nordic Combined discipline, in which competitors race each other on skates around a 111 m or 400 m oval track.

Conclusion
These winter sports require qualities of sacrifice, endurance, strength and an indomitable will to go the distance that can either take you places or bring you down for good.

However, this is not a write-up that is an attempt at sports journalism but one that desires to convey the message that it is only those who were chosen to compete in any discipline at the Olympics did so by achieving near-perfect levels of fitness. Strangely, if one plays these sports regularly (as opposed to just ‘watching’ them) just for kicks it can turn out to be a fun way to get into shape.

Boxing Workout

FitBuff Brandon — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:51:37 +0000

There's a workout, and then there's a Work Out. And THEN, there's a BOXING WORK OUT. Trust me, there's a reason why boxers are able to spend over a half an hour in a ring exchanging punches and not go into cardiac arrest. It's because these guys and gals have trained their asses off for months before ever stepping foot in that arena, let alone that ring. But, you don't have to be Rocky Balboa to get the benefit
of a boxing workout, which is why I'm highlighting some of the basic boxing moves that you too use to help get you fighting lean.

First of all, be sure to always maintain a proper stance. This means keeping your feet a little more than shoulder width apart, with your dominant foot in the back (in other words, if you're right handed/footed, than you want your right foot in the back and for your left foot to lead). Try your best to stay on the balls on your feet, which will allow you to do all your fancy stutter-stepping footwork (or for now, just keep you balanced). Your hands should be made into fists and kept close to your face. Your elbows need to be tucked closely to your body. From here, you're ready to start dotting some imaginary bad guy's eyes.

There are four basic punches in boxing: the Jab, the Cross, the Hook, and the Uppercut. To keep things easy, we're going to only focus on the Jab and the Cross. To throw the Jab, you need to flick out your lead hand (which should be the hand that is not dominant — again, if you are right handed/footed, that hand/foot is kept toward the rear, whereas the weaker hand/foot leads…which, in this case, is your left). As you extend your arm to throw your Jab, your hand should twist like a corkscrew at the end of the punch. Once you have extended your arm, be sure to immediately bring your arm back, tuck your elbow back into your side and return your fist to the side of your face. To throw a Cross, you take your dominant hand and throw a straight punch with it, twisting at the waist as you do. Again, you want to twist your wrist at the end of the punch, adding more 'snap' to the motion. Once the punch is thrown, bring your arm back right away, tuck your elbow back in, and bring your fist back next to your face.

By combining these two punches, you are doing a 1-2 combination. A lot of times people will throw a few jabs before throwing a cross, which of course
is fine (and very much the case in an actual boxing match). Use this punch combination on a large heavy punching bag (the cylindrical kind that hangs
from the ceiling or stand) while wearing what are known as bag gloves (lightweight boxing gloves that can be purchased at most any sporting goods
store or even Wal-Mart).

Boxing is broken into three-minute rounds with one-minute rests in between each round. In accordance with this design, that is how you will also train.
Three minutes of, say, shadowboxing — using the 1-2 combination I just taught you, followed by a round or two of jumping rope, followed by three or four rounds of hitting the heavy bag, and then finishing off with a few rounds of abdominal work.

Even if you take it slow at first (which I really suggest you do), you'll find that the boxing workout is absolutely exhausting. This is exactly why so many health clubs now offer "cardio-boxing" as a group aerobics class. You'll burn far more calories doing this workout than you will on a stair-stepper or walking on a treadmill, and you'll do so during less time. Intensity is the key. Like I said, there's a workout, and then there's a Workout. And then there's a BOXING WORKOUT. Try this routine and, before long, you'll be wearing a grey track suit and running the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Alley and Brandon Censored Pictures – Myrtle Beach trip

FitBuff Brandon — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:46:17 +0000

We barely got settled back in from our Vegas trip, and it was already time to head out for another trip to Myrtle Beach.

It was much easier to eat healthier in Vegas with all the organic options and restaurants, since there's barely even an organic or natural food store here in Myrtle Beach.

We also forgot the camera, so the measurements below are updated, but they are still last week's progress pictures.

Here are this week's progress pictures and measurements…

Alley

Weight: 137.8 pounds (+1.8lb from last week)
Waist: 28.7 inches (+0.8" from last week)

I know the Myrtle Beach area very well, so I have a lot of favorite restaurants, and I've sampled a little too much.

I did manage to forgo all the meat options, even at my favorite Japanese steakhouse, but I clearly indulged more than I thought, as I gained almost 2 pounds.

I'll enjoy the rest of my time here, but I'm ready to get home and get the numbers moving back in the right direction.

Brandon

Weight: 185.6 pounds (+2.2lb from last week)
Waist: 32.4 inches (-0.6" from last week)

I've had the opposite experience from Alley. I was finally figuring out what and how much I needed to be eating and was up to 191-192 before we left for Myrtle Beach.

Then, once we got here, I've been a lot more strict on sticking to the organic food, so I've been eating almost exclusively from the big cooler of food we brought with us.

Apparently, I wasn't eating quite enough of the food from the cooler though, since I dropped another 2 pounds.

I'm definitely ready to get home and get back to our regularly scheduled eating!

Alley and Brandon Censored Pictures – What happened in Vegas?

FitBuff Brandon — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:56:20 +0000

Las Vegas was awesome, and we did a lot, including eating!

It was nice to finally have a few organic restaurant options. First, we tried an Indian organic restaurant which was amazing.

Then, there was an even better organic spot in the Venetian/Palazzo, and we ended our trip with a visit to Jason's Deli.

Here are this week's progress pictures and measurements…

Alley

Weight: 137.8 pounds (-0.4lb from last week)
Waist: 28.7 inches (-0.55" from last week)

I didn't work out at all while in Vegas, and I ate more meat than I have in a while.

Luckily, as soon as I got home, I fell right back into my workout and sauna routine and was able to erase the damages, and even lose almost an extra half of a pound from last week!

Brandon

Weight: 187.8 pounds (-0.2lb from last week)
Waist: 33.0 inches (+0.15" from last week)

Vegas was great, and the organic food was amazing, plus really cool to be able to eat out.

I only lost 0.2 pounds, so I'm beginning to find the right balance of new calories and food sources, though I'm still experimenting.

Alley and Brandon Censored Pictures – Pre-Vegas Results

FitBuff Brandon — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:58:23 +0000

I can't even remember the last time we had meat, and even more surprising, I can't remember the last time we wanted any either.

As we continue to get closer and closer to our goals, watching the progress and results just makes it easier and easier.

We're leaving for Vegas in the morning, staying 3 days and 4 nights, and we can't wait to try out the large assortment of vegan/vegetarian restaurants. The west coast has the east coast beat, hands down, when it comes to healthy eating options and awareness.

Here are this week's progress pictures and measurements…

Alley

Weight: 138.2 pounds (-1.4lb from last week)
Waist: 29.25 inches (+0.25" from last week)

Even though I only lost 1.4 pounds this week, this may be the most surprising and encouraging week yet, since Aunt Flo' is in town, and she usually brings at least 3 to 4 pounds of baggage with her :)

To think that not only did I not put on that much, but I actually LOST weight for the first time that I can remember is amazing!

SO excited for Vegas, can't wait!

Brandon

Weight: 188.0 pounds (-1.2lb from last week)
Waist: 32.85 inches (-0.05" from last week)

I lost a little more weight than I wanted to this week, but we are constantly adding new meals and snacks to our new eating habits, so I've got a lot more options for extra calories.

And, considering I don't seem to be losing any strength gains in my workouts, and actually setting a few new recent personal bests, with just a few more tweaks, I'll be right on track.

FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog » Exercise

How to Get Abs Progress Pics – Lights Out week

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

How to Get Abs Progress Pics – Pizza Fusion week

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Progress Pics – Alley Gets Her Own Site

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Tony Horton 10 Minute Trainer: Those who do, also teach!

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Alley and Brandon Censored Pictures – Valentine Edition

Alley

Brandon

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Winter Olympics: Three sports that will get you into shape

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Boxing Workout

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Alley and Brandon Censored Pictures – Myrtle Beach trip

Alley

Brandon

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Alley and Brandon Censored Pictures – What happened in Vegas?

Alley

Brandon

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Alley and Brandon Censored Pictures – Pre-Vegas Results

Alley

Brandon

Other Posts You'll Find Useful: