by | Apr 18, 2014 | Fitness |
Military fitness trainer and inventor of Strength Stack 52 fitness cards, Sergeant Michael Volkin, has only three main rules for staying in shape. He refers to all three of these rules as the DCNs of fitness. “If you use my rules of DCN, you will have a killer body and be healthier than ever” he claims. So what is DCN? We wanted to know too, so we asked Sergeant Volkin.
Question: Sergeant Volkin, you have said the DCNs of fitness encompass everything you need to get and stay in shape, can you tell us what DCN stands for and why it’s so important?
Sergeant Volkin: DCN is an acronym that stands for diversity, consistency and nutrition.
Diversity is important because your body has an amazing ability to adapt to exercises. But people don’t realize that. I see the same people in the gym month after month doing the same exercises. I call those “zombie workouts”. They are just going through the motions. What they don’t realize is after a while (about 4-6 weeks typically) your workouts start to become less and less effective. If you spend about 15 minutes a day planning to make your workout the following day a bit different, the difference it would make in your workout is enormous. Major changes aren’t needed, you could plan to do a new exercise or even change the speed at which you perform your normal routine. That’s one of the biggest benefits to Strength Stack 52. These fitness cards allow you to constantly introduce new exercises into your routine.
The C in DCN is the hardest for most people to accomplish. This stands for consistency. You must exercise consistently to get the results you want. Too many people get motivated sign-up for a gym membership then stop after about a month. Have you ever been to a gym in January? It’s a zoo! New people flood the gym every year because of new year’s resolutions, but by February the newbie’s are nowhere to be found. The best way to exercise consistently is to plan time for your workouts. If you block off an hour a day 7 days a week to work out, you are much more likely to complete your workout. Yes, you should plan for 7 days a week because a couple days out of your week something is going to cause you to cancel your workout. If you plan for 7 and do 5 workouts, that would a fantastic accomplishment. It’s important that you do whatever you can to not schedule anything over your workout time.
The N stands for nutrition. Yes, working out alone could make you fit, but proper nutrition only accelerates that process. I could write a book about how to supplement an exercise program with nutrition, in fact, I have a product soon to be launched called Weight Loss Stack 52 that does just that. But my advice to you is stop with the fad diets. You don’t need to starve yourself to lose weight, you don’t need to avoid all carbs or go on celebrity diets, simply make smart eating decisions. If you’re hungry, eat something, just instead of eating a bagel; eat something healthier, like a piece of fruit.
Combining those three elements, diversity, consistency and nutrition, you will become as healthy as you want to be. Most importantly, accomplishing these three elements won’t change your life. With a little bit of preparation and smart decision making you could make incredible health improvements.
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by | Mar 24, 2014 | Fashion, Fitness |
Hi Lovely Readers,
It is time to start thinking about vacations and wearing the appropriate attire. Vacation season will soon be upon us and it is essential to be prepared ahead of time. A popular vacation destination for families is the beach. Being in the water is a fun activities for Moms, Dads and children of all ages. Moms and Dads have to think about what suit looks good in the water but they really have to think about what’s the best swim gear for their children.
Making sure that your child is comfortable, safe and warm when they enjoy the water should be the priority of any parent. So, when it comes to choosing children’s winter wetsuits, what are the things that we should be on the lookout for? Well, quite simply, choosing kid’s winter wetsuits is no different than choosing one for an adult. A kid’s winter wetsuit should be well fitted, well made and of the correct thickness appropriate to the sea temperatures that your child will be playing in.
Wet Gear from H2O Sports
Let’s take each of those points and have a look at them in closer detail:
Size – Picking the correct size children’s winter wetsuit should be your first consideration. If the suit doesn’t fit properly then the thickness of the neoprene that you choose will be irrelevant. Children’s winter wetsuits, as with adults too, should be close fitting-just like a second skin. There should be no baggy pockets of air or loose portions of rubber in evidence. If there is then these will repeatedly fill with cold water and lower the body temperature. Another area to look out for is at the extremities of the suit. Neckline, wrist and ankle areas should all be form-fitting, and not at all loose.
Thickness – Once you have chosen the correct size you can then start to consider the children’s winter wetsuits thickness. Whether they’ll need a 4mm wetsuit, 5mm wetsuit or a 5/3mm wetsuit will largely depend on the sea temperatures, but can also be down to personal choice. Some kids feel the cold more than others so adjust accordingly. A rough guide can be that a 4mm wetsuit will be good for water temperatures of around 12° Centigrade or 54° Fahrenheit. A 5mm wetsuit can go a little lower at 9° Centigrade (48° Fahrenheit) and for anything colder still you should be looking at a 5/3mm wetsuit or thicker. It’s important that the kid’s winter wetsuits are comfortable so take this into account too when choosing between a 4mm wetsuit, 5mm wetsuit or a 5/3mm wetsuit.
Quality – This may seem obvious, but it is well worth pointing out. Should the children’s winter wetsuits be poorly made then the above two points become moot. You see, if the stitching is poor or if the zips are low grade then water will enter in from outside of the suit and flush out the warm layer of water that has been created by the body. It won’t matter how thick the kid’s winter wetsuits are. You could have a 4mm wetsuit, 5mm wetsuit or even a 5/3mm wetsuit on and still feel the cold because the neoprene isn’t being given the chance to insulate as it should. A good quality 4mm wetsuit will be warmer than a cheap 5/3mm wetsuit.
Children swimsuit from H2O Sports
So, next time you go to pick out the kid’s winter wetsuits keep these things in mind. Don’t get too hung up on whether or not the 4mm wetsuit, 5mm wetsuit or the 5/3mm wetsuit is the right choice if you are not looking at all the other areas mentioned too. Buying the correct children’s winter wetsuits will help them to have more fun, so it’s well worth getting it right.
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by | Feb 12, 2014 | Fitness |
The Full Body Workout You Need to Start Doing NOW
The winter Olympic games are among us and as we see one chiseled athlete after another competing at what they do best it makes me want to reiterate to the fitness community what it really takes to have well defined muscles and slim waistline. I see one fitness blogger after another writing workout plans that tell you do hit the weights and do three sets of legs on one day, and three sets of another body part on another day. The truth is getting a chiseled body doesn’t come with spending 15 minutes working out one or two body parts a day in the gym. Aside from eating healthy, you need to stimulate all the muscles in your body 3 times a week. A full body workout is especially useful for you 8-5ers who sit in an office all day waiting for that time you get to go to the gym to release energy. Follow my 3 day full body workout routine below to ensure you hit all the right muscle groups in the right sequence.
Each workout should take 45 minutes to complete; if it takes longer then you’re waiting too long in between sets. There is a science behind both the rep count and the order of the exercises. If at all possible, don’t change the order of the exercises. On the last rep of each set, you should be struggling to lift the weight, if you didn’t struggle, increase the weight the next set. I know what you’re thinking, if I am doing a high volume of reps, shouldn’t I lift lighter weights? Typically yes, but this isn’t your typical routine. This routine will change the appearance of your body by hitting all the muscle groups HARD for the entire week. After three exercises you will drop 5 Strength Stack bodyweight fitness cards. This will keep your heart rate up and stimulate even more muscle growth. Do this routine for one month and you’ll notice a difference in your physique.
The Olympic Champion 3 Day/Week Full Body Workout
Monday
| Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
| Squat |
3 |
15 |
| Leg curl |
3 |
12 |
| Bench press |
3 |
15 |
| Draw 5 Strength Stack 52 cards |
| Pull up |
3 |
12 |
| Upright row |
2 |
12 |
| Barbell shrug |
2 |
12 |
| Draw 5 Strength Stack 52 cards |
| Skull crusher |
2 |
12 |
| Barbell curl |
2 |
12 |
| Ab exercise |
2 |
25 |
Wednesday
| Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
| Deadlift |
3 |
15 |
| Leg extension |
3 |
12 |
| Calf raise |
2 |
12 |
| Draw 5 Strength Stack 52 cards |
| Bench press |
3 |
15 |
| Military press |
3 |
15 |
| Tricep extension |
2 |
12 |
| Draw 5 Strength Stack 52 cards |
| Concentration curl |
2 |
12 |
| Lat pulldowns |
2 |
12 |
| Ab exercise |
2 |
25 |
Friday
| Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
| Leg Press |
3 |
15 |
| Deadlift |
3 |
15 |
| Barbell row |
2 |
12 |
| Draw 5 Strength Stack 52 cards |
| Incline press |
3 |
15 |
| Side lateral raise |
2 |
12 |
| Close grip bench press |
2 |
12 |
| Draw 5 Strength Stack 52 cards |
| Cable bicep curls |
2 |
12 |
| Shrug |
2 |
12 |
| Ab exercise |
2 |
25 |
This article was written by fitness expert Sergeant Michael Volkin. Check out his Periodic Table of Bodyweight Exercises infograph.
by | Jan 12, 2014 | Fitness |
Thriftysue.com
No matter what technological advances come out to make our lives more efficient and effective, we seem to have less and less free time in our daily lives. With the daily responsibilities of being a parent, it seems nearly impossible to consistently make time for the gym. But don’t worry; there are exercises you can fit into your existing day that can be surprisingly effective. If you want to lose weight and have more defined muscles, fit the below routine into your daily schedule for 4 weeks.
The Wake and Tuck
After your alarm clock goes off, tuck your knees to your chest and wrap your arms around your knees. Now, just rock slightly from side to side. This will wake up your spine and stretch your legs a bit. After doing this stretch for about 30 seconds, straighten your legs and move them from side to side (keeping your back on the mattress). This will further loosen your back and also engage your core. Depending on how you feel, you can choose to do 10 or 15 crunches in bed.
The Doorknob Squat
This might seem silly, but it works well. For your morning routine (the time you spend in the house before you leave for work), every time you touch a doorknob do 10 squats. Personally, I touch about 6-8 doorknobs on average during my morning routine. So before I even leave for work I have already done about 60 squats, which are a powerful bodyweight exercises and a great calorie burner.
The Ab Flex
During your drive to work do at least 5 sets of 15 ab flex’s. Squeeze your abdominal muscles as though you’re trying to touch your ribs to your stomach, hold for a couple seconds, then release. Of course, it goes without saying if this exercise takes away from your attention on the road, then stop doing them.
At this point, you are arriving at work and you have already stretched your legs and back and exercised your legs and abs. The first time you do this morning routine, you might find you feel more awake than you have in a long time and more focused and attentive at work. The human body is very adaptive and responds to change well. Your body will reward you with even these subtle changes to your daily routine.
The Three Card Monte
I realize once you get to work you’re busy, but no one is too busy to take a 30 second break here and there. Grab a deck of Strength Stack 52 bodyweight fitness cards and deal three cards (called the Three Card Monte). Each card will give you an exercise that requires only your bodyweight. Three cards are just enough to get your blood flowing, keep your metabolic rate high and thus keeping your energy level up. An average workday lasts 8 hours (not including an hour for lunch). If you can focus on playing Three Card Monte once an hour you will have completed 24 exercises just during your workday. Do you realize that most people who go to the gym for an hour every day don’t do 24 exercises? You completed 24 exercises taking only a 30 second break every hour, wow!
The 10 Minute Lunchtime Battle
You know how to play War with a deck of cards right? Simply grab a friend and a deck of cards, or use your Strength Stack 52, and play a game of War. With Strength Stack 52, playing War is easy, whoever deals the lowest card number has to do both exercises on the card. If you are using a regular deck of cards, you will need to determine what exercises should be given to the person who loses the hand. After playing War for just 10 minutes you will definitely notice a heart pumping workout.
The Evening Drop
This is a fun exercise to do with your family. Assign a “keyword of the day” and don’t tell anyone. Let’s assume the keyword is dog. Now, whenever anyone in your household says the word dog, you have to drop and do 10 push-ups. The next time that word is used, do 9 push-ups, then 8 and so on. The first time you do this your kids will laugh wondering what keyword made you drop. And if your kids are normal, if they find out what that keyword is, they will use it to their full advantage.
So now you are at the end of your day, you have worked your entire body, never needed to go the gym, never needed to carry any equipment with you and didn’t need to schedule any time for a workout, yet you burned a bazillion calories and firmed every muscle in your body. Great work!
This article was written by Sergeant Michael Volkin, inventor of Strength Stack 52 fitness cards, a unique way to transform bodyweight exercises into a fun and competitive workout.
by | Mar 25, 2013 | Fashion, Fitness |
JTwisdom
Hello Elegant readers,
It snowed all day today and it is so beautiful.
A great time to workout using the Brazilian Butt lift. This is a serious workout from Beachbody and is a lot of fun.
The workout is easy to follow, just be mindful that you will be dancing in this workout . My muscles feel tighter and more tuned. I really like the moves. Leandro, the instructor, is very energetic and enthusiastic. The workout includes
Qvc.com explains so well what the set includes:
- Includes three DVDs, Triangle Training workout cards, makeover and nutrition guides, measurement tracker, tape measure, and three bands
- DVD 1: Basics, Bum Bum, and Bum Bum Rapido; run time approximately 1:30
- DVD 2: High & Tight and Sculpt; run time approximately 1:40
- DVD 3: Cardio Axe and Tummy Tuck; run time approximately 1:00
At this stage, I like to keep toned and shock my body with various different exercises. I highly reccomend these workouts because I know I feel tighter in my thighs and “bum bum”, as Leandro would say. These workouts can be done at a variety of intensity levels, based on the instructions that Leandro. Whether you are a beginning or an experienced exerciser, you do not need to shy away from these workouts. Leandro will provide you with the workout level that you need.
JTwisdom
by | May 19, 2012 | Fitness |
I have been working out with the FIRM for about seven years now and I never get bored. Alison, FIRM Master Instructor has a great workout that can fit into other FIRM cardio or sculpt workouts I have however if you don’t workout with the FIRM this a good way to add in a cardio boost. I tried it tonight and boy it will get your energy pumping. According to the video if you do the routine three times through it’s a great cardio workout and I totally agree.
If you try it let me know what you think about it.
Have a great weekend.
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