How to Maximize Your Glutes and Burn Fat

I have been in the fitness game for some time now. One question I get asked a lot is how volleyball drills get a nice butt and lose fat. When I give the person the answer I usually get a shocked look. Most people believe you need to do a lot of cardio work and some light weights to achieve this. On the contrary, you need to perform the exact opposite. When we think of a group of people with nice glutes and low body fat, many of times we think of celebrities and elite athletes. If I were to say which group maintains the look the best, your answer better be athletes. Most celebrities go on and off of ridiculous diets and hunger strikes. They may look nice for a few movies, but for the most part of their lives they are either anorexic or holding excess loads of fat. Athletes like sprinters, volleyball players, soccer players and speed skaters have a great set of glutes and low bodyfat that last for much of their lives, even after their competitive years, with little maintenance. Now, these athletes, and many other athletes like them, will train with high intensity (more specifically heavier weight), great speed and power. Through their training they are able to gain low body fat and great glutes. The funny thing is that is not the objective of their training, just a great bonus.

So, to gain both of these goals at the same time we need to weight train with enough weight that our bodies grow stronger and gain muscle mass. Also, we will need to incorporate high intensity bouts of cardio energy system training. So, walking on a treadmill with cute little pink dumbbells aint gonna cut it. I already know plenty of people are turned off just from the idea of gaining muscle mass. Well, nice glutes are firm and hold a great deal of muscle. Trust me, making glutes smaller is just going to make you look pretty bad in any pants, shorts or bathing suit you wear. Another big bonus is muscle is thermogenic and metabolically driven by nature. Lay mans terms you burn optimal fat and keep it off. That is an incentive enough for anyone to get busy and weight train properly. What I am going to do is outline a sample program for fat loss and glute toning. Add this to your regiment and give it a try. If you are not on a regiment, you need to stop wasting time and get on one. The only way to see results with anything is through consistency, frequency, and variation. Before trying any program make sure you are assessed and know where you stand physically. In other words, you are going to be the one who makes your bed and the one who has to sleep in it. Enough of my ranting here is the program:

Day 1:

1. Box Squats (box should be a little below the knees 90 degree bend) 4x15

2. Depth Jumps (off of the same box) 4x10

3. DB Lateral volleyball drills 3x16

4. Farmers Walks 2x3laps

Use supersets on the first two exercises and rest for two minutes between sets. The weight needs to be heavy enough so you can just make it to the required reps.

Day 2:

Perform sprints in an open field or soft track

1. Mid Speed Sprint for 90seconds rest for 1 minute

2. Mid speed sprint for 30 seconds for five sets rest for 3 minutes and repeat

Day 3:

Rest

Day 4:

1. Jumping Squats 2x50

2. Walking (body weight) Back Lunges 2x20

3. Stiff Leg Deadlift 2x50

4. Jumping Mule Kicks 2x10

Superset exercises 1 and 2, then rest for 3 minutes. Superset exercises 3 and 4 and rest for 2 minutes.

Day 5:

Plyometric Drills and Sprints:

1. High Jumps 1x20

2. Speed Skater Lateral Jumps 1x20

3. High Skips (A-skip) 10x to High speed sprint 10sec. Repeat 10 times

This is just a sample of what a serious training regiment will look like. Remember the key here is to really give it your all and do not skip out on proper technique.

Good luck

Ty Ferrell is a NASM certified personal trainer and a constant student of the vast field of fitness. He is the founder of http://www.thefitnessroad.com and can be reached there.

Getting My Life Back After Divorce

I loved Janet the moment I saw her. I was fourteen, hurling footballs in the park, when she walked up with my friends. She was new, just arrived from California. She needed help adjusting volleyball drills the East Coast, and I was the perfect person to help her.

We started out as friends. I introduced her to the local hang-outs....Roy's Pizza Parlor, Amy's Donut Shop, and the parks, where my friends liked to go. Janet was fun. She brought out the silly side of myself. She loved to feed the ducks, and I loved to chase her, around the large pond at Brandy Lake. She loved to ice skate, and I loved the rougher, sport of snow sledding, so we did both. Janet's family always had the hot chocolate ready, after a heady, winter's afternoon, with Janet.

Things changed when Janet and I first kissed, behind the bleachers at a basketball game. I felt my life spin out of control. when her soft lips met mine, the smell of her jasmine perfume, heating me with a tropical warmth, I'd never felt before. After that, all I could think of, was Janet.... Janet in the morning, Janet at lunch, and Janet before I fell asleep.

By the time I got to tenth grade, Janet accepted my ring. Everyone knew she was my girl. Janet and I were inseparable. We sought ways to be alone. Running around the lake, wasn't as much fun, as steaming up the car windows with her. She was warm and soft, and she was mine.

By the time we were both eighteen, we were engaged. Our parents were disappointed, but there was nothing they could do. We got married on my nineteeth birthday, on the lawn of my Aunt's lakeside house. It was a beautiful ceremony. It was the happiest day of my life.

Janet and I got along for the first twelve years of our marriage. Three children later, and a job that barely supported the family, and the stress started to crack our marriage. When our house mortgage fell behind, Janet and I argued. The arguing turned into constant bickering. Janet packed up the children and moved to her mother's house, several times. The last time she moved, she stayed. She refused to come home.

The divorce was simple. There was nothing to divide. Janet was good about sharing the kids. I wasn't bitter, just empty, where Janet had been. After a few years, the emptiness became numbness, like a scab forming over a wound. I walked around dazed for a few years, trying to make my life better. I returned to college, and got a good trade, so I could start my own business. I started to do well.

I was lonely. My friends wanted to fix me up. I tried a couple of blind dates, but I was surprised, to find myself comparing my dates to Janet. Nothing worked. I decided to see a counselor.

My counselor, Dr Adams, was a wise and compassionate person. He let me talk about Janet over and over. Finally, after the third session, he told me that I had built my life around her, and in many ways, my life had become dismantled when she left. He told me it was good I did not become an alcoholic or drug addict, as many divorced people did. Dr. Adams said I showed inner strength, by going back to school, and trying to better myself, instead.

Dr. Adams told me that accepting blind dates was putting pressure on myself, and my dates. It was natural, after such a long relationship with Janet, to compare her with other women. He said many people, who lost their wifes or husbands prematurely, tend to do the same thing. As a result, they have difficulty being intimate with others.

Dr. Adams helped me the most, by letting me realize, that a first love is a special love, and as such, it deserves to remain in one's heart. However, other relationships have good things to offer, too. For instance, compatibility ranks higher in relationships formed later in life. Companionship becomes the main attraction, and great partnerships, are formed as a result. Dr. Adams taught me a lot.

I looked back to the fun that first drew Janet and me together. It's true, we stopped enjoying each volleyball drills ocmpany over time. While I continued to love sports and the outdoors, Janet didn't. With the passing of time, she preferred books, and crafts projects, indoors. She stopped going out on cold winter days.

Dr. Adams helped me take post-divorce, baby steps, towards meeting other women. He said dates put too much pressure on me, so I took his advice, and joined a club. My counseling ended, when I stepped out and made new friends. As Dr. Adams told me, it was important to mourn the loss of a marriage, but it was also important to move forward.

My first trip with the ski club was fun. There were more men than women, but what a great group of people. We skiied, and afterwards, the club had dinner and drinks together, before we boarded the bus home. We laughed the entire way home.

On my next ski trip, I met a couple of new women. They were athletic and fun. I took a few more ski trips, and by my third trip, Anne was becoming a close friend.

Anne loved sports. She invited me to her volleyball match at Sexton Hall, a community sports club in the local area. I enjoyed watching her play. She was competetive and sharp. I realized she was like me. Perhaps, that's why we felt easy with each other. I didn't have to explain myself to her.

Anne and I decided to get married, after we took our first trip together. We drove to Indianapolis to see the Indy 500. It was a great time. I decided she was worth keeping in my life.

Our wedding was small. I didn't want to get married in the same town where I married Janet.
Anne and I decided to get married in Europe. Only a few family members showed up, but it was exciting. Anne had a way of making simple things daring. We toured through nine European countries for our honeymoon. We camped the entire time. Once we took a hot air balloon ride, in the south of France.

I don't have the flame- throwing relationship with Anne, that I had with Janet. Yes, I do still think of Janet, sometimes more than I should. But I can say this: I am peaceful with Anne, in a way I never was with Janet. Anne and I can go anywhere together and have a great time. We go long periods without talking, we can just be together. It's almost like she's another part of me.

Looking back, I am glad, I did not jump into relationships after my divorce. Some of my friends did, and they have gotten divorced again. Some of them drink too much now. It's sad to see. As Dr. Adams told me, after divorce, you have to treat yourself better, not worse. Divorce is hard, but it's also an opportunity, to get to form the relationship with yourself, that might have been missing. When you are missing a relationship with yourself, you put too much pressure on your partner, to recognize who you are.

Janet has become a sweet memory for me. If we hadn't parted, I probably never would have gone back to college. I'm making more money, I have new friends, and Anne and I are still in the ski club. We've got a great social life, and we go a lot of places. Life coudn't be better.

As for Janet, she's been a good mother. She started a preschool. She stays at home, which is her favorite place to be. Nothing wrong with that. She's doing well, and I'm glad for her. However, I can't imagine a life without Anne. It took me getting to know myself, after the divorce, to be able to find her.

Staying Safe and Healthy During Summer

Summer is here and it's time for the beach, where you can swim, surf, barbecue, build sandcastles, throw a Frisbee and play volleyball. All this, while sitting under brilliant blue skies and the hot, hot sun. Oh, glorious summer!

It's difficult to think that all of this summery goodness as having negative side effects, but we all know the dangers of sunburn, muscle strain and backaches. So, take the necessary precautions to ensure your enjoyment of this summer season and of those to come.

Sunburn is a serious problem these days, but fairly easy to prevent. Ultraviolet rays are getting closer to us now than when we were kids, so using the proper protection is very important Buy it and apply it!

Sunscreen is available in many forms and at many levels. The SPF (sun protection factor) should be clearly printed on the front of each bottle. An SPF of 15 is generally enough for adults and SPF 30 for children and toddlers. Stronger sunscreens can easily be bought and a higher-than-recommended SPF won't cause any damage. Babies under the age of six months should be kept in the shade at all times.

Sweat caused by the heat and physical activity can wash away sunscreen and reduce its effectiveness. The same goes for swimming or even just splashing around under a garden hose. If you've been sweating or swimming, remember to replace your sunscreen on a regular basis.

If you have fair skin or thinning hair, a hat can be an important volleyball drills in protecting against sunburn and skin damage. Children should always wear a hat, regardless of skin color or hair thickness. Keeping your lips from burning is also essential, so get yourself some SPF 30 lip balm and apply it regularly.

Ultraviolet rays don't just damage your skin; they can also damage your eyes. Make sure you've got sunglasses that provide UV protection, with 95% blockage against volleyball drills radiation and 99% blockage against UVB radiation. Sunglasses shouldn't just be a fashion accessory; they should help prevent eye strain, cataracts and other diseases of the eye.

Physical activity on the beach requires extra flexibility and preparation. After sitting indoors for the long winter months, leaping into the water or running in the sand can create muscle and joint injuries that can prevent you from enjoying the rest of your summer and even cause problems for the long-term.

Getting your body ready for so much fun requires simple but effective stretching exercises. Make sure you include all of the major muscle groups in order to prevent muscle pulls and joint pain - hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and abdomen. Try some leg lifts and abdominal crunches as part of your morning routine. You don't have to go to the gym or buy expensive equipment, and a strong abdomen is excellent support for your lower back.

Make a Chiropractic Castle Rock CO appointment to discuss your summertime needs and to get help in designing an exercise program that will keep you happily beach-bound all summer long.