Last Blog!

We have come a long way my friends and I sadly have no more workouts to post for you. In my last blog I would like to talk to you all about why I chose this topic and why it’s so important to me. This is my last blog so please bear with me here (grrrrr) get it? Bear with me? A bear? Never mind. I hope you all enjoyed my blogs and thank you all for reading.

I chose this blog because it’s something I enjoy doing a lot and it’s my favorite hobby. I love working out because it makes me feel good physically and mentally. Working out is a good confidence booster and helps me cope with stress. Nothing feels better than looking in the mirror and seeing results after a good workout. Working out reduces your risk of depression, it brings up your energy levels and it just feels right. I started almost 4 years ago and I’m still going strong today. It is one of the best decisions I’ve done in my lifetime and I hope to keep going strong in my pursuit of a better and healthier lifestyle. Working out is something that takes a lot of motivation and dedication to start but once you begin, you will be hooked. It’s like love at first sight but better, I call it love after first lift.

Thank you all once again for reading my blogs, I hope they give you all the confidence and motivation to start going to the gym and changing your body and health for the best. Working out changed me for the better and I strongly believe that it will do the same for you. “Make yourself unstoppable “For the last time, thank you all for reading Maroun’s health and fit advice.

Arms And Abs

Finally we have reached our last workout together, it is time to workout those tiny little pipes that you call arms into weapons of mass destruction! I will also be incorporating abs into this blog because I haven’t had the chance to mention it in previous blogs and I do not have enough time or motivation to dedicate abs for a whole other blog. So without further ado let’s begin our last workout.

Skull Crushers

I like to start my workout with seated dumbbell biceps curls, it’s a good way to warm up the bicep muscles for the workouts to come.  Essentially, a biceps curl is when you keep your elbows close to your torso and rotate your palms until your hands are facing forward. Now curl the weights until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at the same level as your shoulders. Do four sets of this workout then move on to the next. Now we have a triceps workout called skull crusher, don’t be afraid it won’t crush your skull if you don’t go to heavy. Using the EZ bar and holding it with your elbows in as you’re lying down on the bench. Keep your arms perpendicular to the floor and slowly lower the bar by allowing the elbows to flex. Once it’s directly over the forehead pause for a moment then lift it back up to the starting position (Link 2). Next up I like to switch back to biceps and do some dumbbell hammer curls. For this exercise you position the dumbbells to your sides and then raise one dumbbells until forearm is vertical and your thumb faces your shoulder. Bring it back down and repeat with your other arm. Your biceps muscles should be on fire by now. Remember to do four sets with each workout. Next up some triceps with the cable. The most common grip is the overhand narrow one. Position your elbows to side and extend down. Return it until forearm is close to upper arm. You can also watch the next video to see different types of arm workouts.

Planking 

So for my ab workouts I like to keep them nice and simple because let’s face it, no one likes to workout abs. By now you should know how to do crunches, well I would hope. Start off by doing 30 crunches and repeat it for 3 to four sets depending how motivated you are. I also like to planks and ab machines. I have no time left so I will also post video links to explain some of the exercises.

I hope you enjoy this last workout and feel a good amount of pain in your arms and core. “ You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great”. Thank you for reading Maroun’s health and fit advice.   

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/dumbbell-bicep-curl 1

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/ez-bar-skullcrusher  2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiA9j-dR0oM Planking ( abs exercise)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdqzYZmL2Bc (skull crusher) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaZ1KQ1wngQ ( crunches 10 min ab workout. 

What Not To DO At The Gym

I’ve been wanting to talk about this blog for a while and wish I wrote it earlier on because some of you might have done some of these common and uncommon mistakes while going to the gym. In this blog I will be talking about the things that frustrate me while I’m casually working out at the gym. Some are quite funny and some are just annoying.

Fail 

Now I do not know where to start so I’ll just talk about the funny things I’ve seen in the past year or so at the Lifestyles on Dougall where I workout. Now ladies, as much as you love your Starbucks coffee or whatever Frappuccino they sell over there, it shouldn’t be with you while you’re walking on the treadmill because you’re defeating the purpose of walking on the treadmill and losing calories. To add to that, if you’re only going to the gym to walk or jog on the treadmill, why did you get a membership in the first place? I mean you can just walk outside… at least you’ll be going somewhere. Moving on to roid ragging Joe who gets a fit at the smallest little things and thinks the whole gym belongs to him. For example, I was warming up in front of roid ragging Joe one day and was blocking half of  his mirror space, not knowing he was self-conscious about is body, as a result he got angry and started an argument that ended with him finishing his set and leaving the gym in tears. Just kidding but he was angry and did leave the gym, don’t be that guy. Then we have talking Tommy who only goes to the gym to make conversation with others and only workouts for ten minutes, don’t be that guy! Now on to the next character, this one is precious and dearest to my heart, I call this person bouncing Betty. The reason for that nickname is very simple, he is in his little corner for an hour bouncing up and down doing biceps curls, what is he doing you might ask? That question remains to be answered…  Personally I think he’s developing a breakthrough workout technique that still hasn’t landed in the mainstream fitness world. Finally when you think something might be too heavy, chances are it is too heavy. For example little Jimmy thought he could squat 275 pounds by himself without a spot, he thought wrong and fell embarrassingly on his behind. Moral of the story is don’t workout harder, workout smarter. One last thing because I was mostly talking about males in the gym, ladies please you’re going to work out and not go out, all that makeup isn’t necessary.  

I could go on and on but I’m in a rush because these are my last minute blogs, do not procrastinate like me! I apologize for not posting this one earlier on in my blogs but I hope it gives you a sense of what to avoid while working out at the gym. “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you” Fred DeVito 

Shoulder Day

 It’s Thursday and you have nothing to do, so what are you going to do? You’re going to go pig out at buffalo wild wings by yourself because there’s a good deal on boneless chicken wings. But before you go, you realise its shoulder day today so buffalo wild wings will have to wait. I know you’re disappointed, but those scrawny looking shoulders won’t build themselves and that summer body won’t magically appear!

You should know the drill by now, that treadmill misses you and wants your acquaintance for at least 5 minutes. Because it’s shoulder day, while you’re running exaggerate shoulder movement to get ready for some lifting. Now that you’ve warmed them up, get to your nearest dumbbell rack and start doing your military press. Now if you are not comfortable with dumbbell’s yet because they seem a little too complex, head over to the military press shoulder machine. Now essentially all you do is put the dumbbells on your lap, then raise them to shoulder height by using your thighs as a lift mechanism. After that you push up until 

they touch and bring them back down to shoulder height again. Repeat the motion 10 times for your warm up set, then continue to do this with heavier weights until you rep out at the fourth set. The next workout is called lateral raises, when you put the dumbbells in front of your thighs with “elbows slightly bent, hip and knees slightly bent as well”. You then “raise  your  upper arms to sides until elbows are shoulder height’’. Lower and repeat that motion until you finish your set’’Link 2. Proceed to do all four sets like the last exercice. I also like to do front raises and seated lateral raises (go to link 2 for explanation). Finally to finish off my workout, I like to do shoulder shrugs to workout my traps. You grab two dumbbells and place them in front of your thighs and raise them by using your shoulders, lower them after a quick break and repeat. There should be different machines that allow you to do this at the gym without using dumbbells as well. Do four sets and you finished your shoulder workout.

Congratulations on finishing your shoulder workout and keep up the good work. “Fit is not a destination. It is a way of life”   

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/DeltoidLateral/DBLateralRaise.html1  1.

http://www.dumbbell-exercises.com/exercises/shoulders/#8  2.

http://www.imgquotes.com/workout-quotes-and-fitness-sayings-40/ 3 Quote

  

Back Day

It’s that time of the day again, now stop stuffing your face…… With healthy and nutritional foods and get to the gym! I’m obviously joking about the healthy food because we all know those cookies and chips you were eating aren’t at the top of the nutrition chart… Now get ready because it’s BACK DAY! The day you lose function of your back due to pain and maybe a bit of gain!

Dead Lift 

You should know the drill by now, get to that treadmill or elliptical and get that five minute warm up done. Now that you’re all warmed, get to working out that unbelievably weak back. Now I usually start off with pull ups but I’m guessing you can’t do any, instead go to the lateral pull down machine and do four sets. Remember start at a low weight and progressively move up in weight until you reach your max, then rep out. It’s important that when you do any back exercises, you feel a good squeeze in your shoulder blades. Next up, seated rows. These workouts target your latissimus dorsi muscle and your biceps, so you’re building your guns at the same time. Next up, some bent over rows with a barbell or a kneeling bent over row. If you’re feeling really motivated, you can do both! Those workouts also target your Rhomboids and post deltoids. Last but not least, my favorite workout of all time, DEADLIFTS. They are called deadlifts because plenty of people have died during and after trying it! Just kidding, but avoid going heavy if you never tried it. Deadlifts are an effective way of targeting your lower back muscles and hamstrings on your legs. I usually do deadlifts at the beginning of my workout do to the fact that it takes up most of my energy.

 To conclude the end of this workout, stretch or you won’t be able to move the next day. Take your time in every stretch, at least 30 seconds per stretch. Remember to stay motivated because you’re already done half the workouts. “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great” 1

1.http://www.hd-wallpapers-3d.com/motivational-quotes/

Workouts explained in order by videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEb-dwU3VF4  Lateral pull down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZbfZ033f74 Seated row

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT2GjY_Umpw Bent over row

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYcpY20QaE8 kneeling Bent over row

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyJbvWAh6ec The Deadlift

Chest Day !

Chest Day!!!!

Chest day ladies and gentlemen, the best day of your entire week! Working out chest is probably the most fun muscle group to tackle. It’s one of the most intense workouts of the body, and you should always have a spotter. Chest day incorporates the pectoral muscles of your body and the triceps as well. So be prepared for an awesome workout that will surely rip your chest apart!

Bench Press Link 1

Decline Bench Press Link 1

Like I said previously, you should always begin your workout by doing a quick warm up (approximately 5-10 minutes) to avoid injuries. After you’re all warmed up, get on that bench press and get to work. As I said, you should have a person behind you spotting just in case. Start off at a low weight and progressively move to your maximum weight for a good 2-4 repetitions. Finish it with a proper set (rep out) and then move along to the next workout. Do the same for the following exercises, incline bench press and decline bench press so you can target your upper and lower pectoral muscles. I suggest that you change it up by using dumbbells so you do not reach a plateau (not seeing any more gains or progress). Another workout you should consider are push ups, dips, and lower cable chest raises. All these workouts are excellent at targeting your pectoral muscles. Now for ladies who think they shouldn’t workout their chest, you are wrong! Not working out your chest creates an off balance workout routine resulting in a bad posture, and can lead to injury when using chest muscles for other workouts (Body Building). So ladies do not skip out on this one. If you are not comfortable with using certain areas of the gym or do not have a partner, use the chest machines.  

Incline Bench Link 1

So now that you have a pretty good idea of how to workout your chest, go give it a try. Remember to always have a spotter with you when you’re doing these exercises. Workout hard and never give up, you’ll start seeing results. It won’t happen in a day or two, it takes time and dedication so keep going at it. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more of Maroun’s health and fit advice.  

Motivation quote (Link 3)

http://www.bodyteen.com/anmuch.html#a ( ideas of how to do certain types of workouts)

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/why-women-cant-afford-to-avoid-chest-training.html

Your First Workout

Your First Workout

Now that you have learned how to get started, it’s time to tackle your first workout. To begin, it’s important to have an exercise schedule for the whole week to know exactly what muscle group you want to target that specific day of the week. On Mondays, I like to start off with the biggest muscle components in the body, which would be legs. If you do not workout your legs, you will have what I call “Chicken Legs Syndrome”, which means you will have very small legs and a bigger upper body. There are plenty of ways to target the 3 main muscle groups in your legs; the quadriceps (thighs), hamstrings (the back of the thigh) and your calves.  

Me showing off 

Firstly, I highly suggest to start with compound exercises and finish off with individualized exercises. Compound exercises are the ones that use multiple muscle groups at one time, whereas individualized exercises only use one muscle group at a time. To begin, you should always do a quick warm up by running on a treadmill or an elliptical to get your heart rate up and to avoid injuries. Then go to the nearest squat rack to begin the first exercise. Squats are a very complex exercise to do, therefore, I suggest to have a spotter (a person who supports you while you’re doing an exercise) with you. You should always start at a low weight and progress to your heaviest. Four sets is ideal and to finish off, you rep out at the last set, which means you do as many as you can at a light weight to finish the exercise. You do the following for the next exercises coming up. 

Lunges target all the muscle groups in the legs including your glutes (butt), so for all the ladies that want a bigger behind, that workout is for you. Then you should use the knee extension machine for your quadriceps, the knee flexion machine for your hamstrings, and calf raises, well, for your calves… After you finish make sure to stretch very well, hold it for at least 20 to 30 seconds!

After you’re done, I am confident that you will most likely be walking with a limp for the next couple of days, especially if it’s your first workout. So remember to follow the following exercises to have an awesome leg workout! Stay tuned for more of Maroun’s health and fit advice.

“Pain is weakness leaving the body” 

http://www.omnibeaufort.com/nutrition-advice/nutritional-motivational-images/attachment/exercise-quotes-tumblrget-your-gym-on-motivational-mondays-caros-weight-loss-journey-tpthzkwm

How to start ?

So once you are mentally prepared to start your journey to a healthy lifestyle, and think you can take on the task ahead, a good place to start is at a gym facility. There are plenty of gyms in your area, if you live in a big city do your research and find the one that is near by and suits your budget. In Windsor where I live, you can find good quality gyms that might help you achieve your fitness goals. For instance Goodlife has two gyms; one is located in Devonshire Mall and the other in Tecumseh Mall. Also, Goodlife even has two women’s only gyms. Lifestyle which is a bit more expensive has three locations; on Dougall, Central, and Tecumseh. All are good gyms but it really depends on your taste and budget. There’s even a YMCA gym located in the downtown region open to the public at a very affordable monthly fee. It might take long but remember you’re choosing the place you are committing a good hour or two on daily basis to achieve your goals, so choose wisely..

Now that you’ve done your research, and found the gym that suits you, try to find a gym partner! I can’t stress enough how important a gym partner is especially one who has the same goals, or knows a thing or two about working out. I was lucky enough to have a brother who worked out, and who was a personal trainer. He helped me start off and kept me motivated during the whole process. A gym partner will help you go that extra set, and will make sure you don’t skip a workout, especially when it's leg day!! They can spot you while heavy lifting and make the whole experience more desirable and fun. Almost every day I see people working out with siblings or friends. So find a partner in crime and get to work!

Last but not least, prepare your meals and have a good workout schedule. I’ll get into more details later on in my other blogs but knowing what to eat and having a set schedule of what you are going to workout makes a huge difference! For example, prepare your meals accordingly to your goals and what muscle groups you will tackle on that specific day. Now like I said, I’ll get into more details about nutrition and different types of workouts later on but it should give you a good idea of how to start. Remember you're only doing this for your own benefit. “Take Care of Your Body. It’s the only place you have to live in” so stay tuned to get more of Maroun’s Health and Fit advice!

Quote source: http://www.mind2body.net/blog/inspirational-fitness-quotes-joseph-pilates-celebrities

Personal Story, Dedication and the Will to Change Bad Habits

Me grade 6,7,8 

Would you believe me if I were to say that I was once a chubby, video game addict and sore loser who did nothing but stay up till three in the morning playing Halo? Well I was that person coming in to high school! I was lazy and young and didn't really care or have the motivation to exercise or play sports. I didn't really care about working out. I thought that playing video games, like Call of Duty and Halo 3, while eating a good amount of cereal was the best thing for me. It was easy, fun and I even made friends who lived in Toronto all the way down to Florida. Until one day, my brother told me straight forward that I was out of shape (fat). 

It didn't really get to me until I actually started to think about it. I was spending so many hours doing nothing productive whilst ruining my health at the same time. I was missing out so much regarding sports and hanging out with real friends that I actually got mad. I decided from that day forward, I would change the way I lived my life. I started off by going on runs and bike rides, and then got my brother to train me in our backyard. The workouts were hard but it was because I wanted to change my body so much that I kept on going.  

Almost 5 years in, I now go to the gym with him almost every day and keep myself motivated to stay on track. So my first advice to all the people who want to change their body and be healthier is to set a goal for yourself. Remember the reasons why you want to get healthier every day to stay motivated. Start off by doing small things like going for a run or biking for half an hour to an hour, do small exercises outside or inside your home. Avoid sitting down for long periods of time. Be proactive. Start those good habits and afterwards they will become your new and improved lifestyle!

Quote of the day: “Believe you can and you are half way there” 

Source of Quote: http://www.motivationblog.org/

Fitness And Why You Should Start

When someone mentions fitness what comes to mind?

·         Someone who eats healthy?

·         A bodybuilder?

·         A dancer?

·         Or someone who walks for 30 minutes a day?

My Fitness Lifestyle 

What if I told you that according to the American College of Sport Medicine “ACSM” you’re fitness level could be determined by how well you perform on the toe touch test. So can you touch your toes? If you can’t, you have nothing to worry about.
That’s just one of the many ways a person’s fitness level can be evaluated. Some even say that physical fitness is a state of mind that leads to better health and more productivity. So, what is fitness?

To keep things simple, there are primary components and secondary components to fitness (Foundation of professional personal training 2008). The primary ones consist of your cardio (so how long you can last being chased by a raging pitbull), muscular capacity (can you keep the mouth of a lion shut while subduing a rhino on your lunch break… caution: do not actually attempt), flexibility (can you place your legs behind your head), body composition (pretty straight forward, you probably don’t have the body of a bodybuilder or a supermodel). The secondary ones are mostly balance, coordination, agility, speed, power, etc.

Now why am I here boring you with all this information? Let me get straight to the point, the benefits of a healthy and fit lifestyle are tremendous! You LOOK better, you FEEL better and you PERFORM better. Going on the path of eating healthy and doing physical activities such as working out can benefit you now and in the long run. Fit is the new skinny and I hope by starting this blog, I will motivate you to become the best you can be physically, mentally and spiritually. So stay tuned for some of the best fitness and health advice Maroun can offer.