My Experiences up to Date.

 

It’s been a very long and exhausting semester, I think we can all agree about that. However, this blog has been an interesting experience. I Never thought that I could really manage a blog, but hey, life is filled with surprises! I figured because this was a class project that I would not enjoy it, but boy was I was wrong. Not only have I had a great time managing this blog and learning about WordPress, but I’ve begun to explore the amazing worldly blogs of WordPress. I’m even considering developing another blog, but that’s another story.

I know that this post may be a bit dull, compared to the others, but I just want to talk about some of the experiences I’ve had with this blog and WordPress over the semester.

I really liked how I was able to link this blog up with Twitter and Facebook because I was able to expand my demographics via social media. I try to follow connect with a lot of people over Twitter and Facebook, and the sidebar widget allowed me to connect this blog with my followers.

There really isn’t much about WordPress that I don’t like, however, I wish there were more free layout designs available. That would be my only complain.

One of my favorite benefits of having a WordPress is that you can power a small company or a business. WordPress can allow a company or business connect with its followers at a cheap price. Here’s an article regarding why WordPress is great for small businesses.

WordPress: So easy a child can operate it.

 

Not to discredit or make fun of WordPress, but I’ve found out that WordPress is so easy and simple that a child could operate a blog. And that’s not a bad thing, if more sites were as simple to operate like WordPress, We’ed be living in a better world.

 

 

I usually leave you with a motivational quote, and I know this post had nothing to do with working out but I’m still going to leave you with a quote.

 

“Just like in bodybuilding, failure is also a necessary experience for growth in our own lives, for if we’re never test to our limits, how will we know how strong we really are.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger 

Best of luck everyone, but for now, farewell.

Keep Calm and Lift Legs.

Don’t be stuck with “chicken legs.”

 

“I’m actually really tired today. I think I’ll just skip leg day again, for the tenth straight time.” Yeah I get it, working out legs is no fun, but you know what’s even worse? Looking like a chicken in the gym – having a huge upper body, and very small lower body.

I’m sorry to be blunt but there are so many reasons to workout legs.

• Creates an even balance of bodily functions.
• Making your body look symmetrical appealing so you don’t look like a fool.
• Creates stability for the body.
• Improves your core strength

Increase strength of and mass of your muscles.

 

Before I give you some examples of the exercises you can do around the house, here are some things that Bodybuilding.com suggest you do if you have time to go to the gym. They include exercises that workout

• Hamstrings
• Quads
• Calves

However, if you don’t have the time to go the gym or a more common, but excusable excuse during this time of the year, reason is that you’re either snowed in or the streets have iced over. Don’t kill yourself trying to get to the gym. If the driving conditions or if the weather is unbearable, then don’t risk it, just stay home and do a workout in the comfort of your own home.

Here are just a few exercises that you can do at home, they are, but not limited to:

• Single leg calf raises.
• Single leg step-ups.
• Single leg squats.

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Even though the exercises aren’t enough to grow the biggest legs in the world, but they are enough to create a stable core and really give those legs a good burn. We all know that working out legs can be tough, but you have to push threw that mentality. Just know that a few lousy minutes a day working out legs is a lot better than looking like an upside-down triangle.

 

Good luck with this workout. I know it’s getting really cold outside, burr, but I promise these exercises will warm you up!

 

“Getting fit is all about mind over matter. I don’t mind, so it doesn’t matter.” – Adam Hargreaves, Mr. Lazy’s Guide To Fitness.

But can you WALK the talk?

You have a day off, don’t you?

If you don’t, then you need to. There’s no way that you can work 365 DAYS A YEAR without at least ONE DAY OFF! Let’s just say that you have a day off tomorrow, now what? You can be like EVERYONE ELSE or you can be DIFFERENT! Here’s what a lot of people do on their days off:

• Sleep
• Wake up to grab a snack
• Sleep some more
• Think about getting up to grab dinner, but….
• Rather stay in bed and Sleep!

So if you haven’t caught on by now, a lot of people like to sleep on their days off. There’re are SO MANY, let me say it again, SO MANY things that you could do on your day off from work. For example you could:

Quality Family Time

• Spend time with the family.
• Go Workout – always a solid choice!
• Play baseball with friends and family.
• Go Swimming if it’s nice enough outside.
• Go on a walk with your dog or a friend. One of my favorites.

• I love to go running, go on walk and hike with Scout. (He’s my dog if you haven’t read about him yet.) I mean realistically you should on a run or walk more than once a week. The guidelines made by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention say that you should either get 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. However, if you are just starting out 10-minutes at a time should do the trick. They want you do go for a 10-minute brisk walk, 3 times a day, 5 days a week which will give you the 150-minutes of moderate-intensity activity you need.I know even that sounds like a lot, but hey, going as often as you can is better than never going at all. I know a lot of people that are given a massive and vigorous workout routine and decide not to do it because they would rather not start it than fail. Failure is part of Success! Nothing is life comes easy, NOTHING!

  I’ll admit it, I don’t even get the 150-minutes required each week, but I do go usually go for a 15-minute hike in the morning and in the evening with Scout.

  

  Someone’s a bit anxious to get on the trails.

  I have a lot of fun on these hikes with Scout. He’ll usually stay with me until he sees birds, or his favorite, squirrels, but what can I do, he’s a dog. We’ll usually go on a light job for about 15-minutes then head back home were he get’s him morning meal with some peanut butter (his favorite).

  I’m not saying that you have to have a dog to go on trails. Grab a friend or relative and hit the trails. San Marcos is home to some of the most beautiful trails I’ve seen, and you haven’t been on the trails then you haven’t experienced the real San Marcos.

  

  A Selfie with Scout.

  The best part of these walk are they take less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Walking and hiking on your days off are the best, but you don’t have to have a day off from work to go on these trails. If you only have an hour to get to work then go on the trails and take a quick shower before your shift.

  

  Happy pup on the trails.

  

  That’s what I call a “pooped pup.”

  Everyone leaves the trails with a smile on their face. Scout’s smiling because he got to chase some squirrels and rabbits, and I’m happy because I got my cardio in for the day.

  Okay everyone, you know what to do. Go hit those trails. Good Luck!

  “You play the game, you play it straight, you play it by the rules, you do everything you’re supposed to, and you’re gonna die screaming anyway. There’s no point in not trying to accomplish every stupid, frigin dream I’ve got!” – Kevin Smith (better known as Silent Bob)

One day at a time!

So you say you’re tired, right? All I can I to you is, “So What.” I could tell you to get over it, move on, push forward, one foot at a time, but in the end you’re the only person that can make yourself move on.

Life is filled with challenges. Challenges appear to the left, right, above and below you. How you  deal with those challenges ultimately transform into either strength or weakness.

Believe in your STRENGTH

There’s a term in circulation that caught my attention not too long ago: The Daily Grind.

I love that phrase because it means so much. The Daily Grind, to me, is what you and I go through to get through the day, and prepare ourselves for tomorrow. The Daily Grind is:

• Waking up at 6 A.M.
• Having a 15 minute lunch break for 9 hours of work.
• Getting back at 5 P.M. and knowing that you still have so much homework left before tomorrows 8 A.M. class.
• Only having time for a small meal.

The Daily Grind is never going to change. Everyone goes through the daily grind. The only differences is that someone else’s daily grind may be easier to deal with than yours, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The hardships and struggles you endure will transform you into something that your own definition of “greatness” can’t even grasp.

I’m not here this week to give you another “mini-workout” before class. I’m here to tell you that you that just it’s not enough to just put the time into getting fit. If you think that putting just a few minutes a day to getting fit is enough, then I’m sorry to tell you this, but you’re wrong. This is a long life commitment.

Don’t ever feel sorry for yourself because the second you feel sorry for yourself you realize that FAILURE is acceptable. Failure is NEVER acceptable. Success is a transformation of blood, sweat and tear. No one ever said that managing school classes, work, pets and school homework was going to be easy. But that’s what is going to separate YOU from EVERYONE ElSE.

GET MOTIVATED RIGHT NOW – NO DAYS OFF, NO EXCUSES

You’re going to want to stop with these workouts because, like always, you don’t have the time. I get it, TIME is the most valuable currency in the world, but you have to take advantage of the time that you are give. Don’t spend your free time snacking on a bag of potato chips or watching Netflix. Get up, and tackle the Daily Grind. You’re at the point of your life where you can reinvent yourself.

Think of a major goal you want. Now think that you have experienced a lot of disappointments and setback, or may be you already gave up. There’re are winners, there’re losers and there’re are people out there who just need some coaching to learn how to win. On the other side of that door lies success, but you need a key to open that door. You don’t have that key, but what you need to know about getting to the other side is that “It’s possible.” Just remember that someone else has done it before. If that someone has made their dream a reality then it’s possible that you make your dream a reality.

This is where I could say, “Good luck,” but “luck” has nothing to do with it. All I can tell you, for lack of a better phrase, is to “JUST DO IT.”

If this blog isn’t enough, or if you just want more content then go check out my page on Storify.

“It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” – Socrates

Going above and beyond!

Welcome back everyone!

I had an epiphany today and noticed that people tend to workout a lot hard when someone else is telling them what to do. Haven’t you noticed that you tend to push just a little bit harder when you’re working out with someone? Now why is that?

This is why I think most of us workout harder with someone else:

• You want to impress the person you’re working out with.
• You want to show-up the person you’re working out with. (my number one reason)
• You want to grab the attention of that guy or girl working out in the same gym as you.
• You want to prove to yourself that you CAN DO IT!

I, and I hope most of you, like being pushed towards the right direction when it comes to physical health and strength.

You’re going to like 1000 push-ups because I say so.

Whatever your reasons may be, there’s nothing wrong with working out with someone else. But what if you can’t find someone to workout with you, or what if your workout partner can’t go to? Then what?

I have the solution right here! I will be developing an app for your mobil phone and tablet in the near future to give you ideas for your “quick but effective” workouts before classes and shifts at work.

If you ever find yourself with a few minutes to spare but don’t know what exercise to do then just open up the app. It will then ask you which muscle and or muscles you want to exercise. Then the app will randomly give you an exercise to perform.

Some of the muscles, but not limited to the list below, that are available to pick from are:

• Biceps and triceps (arms)
• Chest
• Legs
• Back
• Core

Choose Your Weapon

 

Get your pump on!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I’m not going to be there screaming in your face until you knock out every repetition in that set, but I will be there to motivate you and encourage you take advantage of your time!

Every now and then we like to hear other peoples tips and opinions, and that’s what the app is going to be – It’s going to allow you to get a second opinion on how you should take advantage of your time.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to get this app up and running soon, but until then , stick with your productive “time clinching” workouts.

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” Norman Vincent Peale

Don’t be satisfied with Beer Curls!

They say, “curls for the girls,” but don’t you dare think that BEER CURLS are enough! For those of you that don’t know, a beer curl is the process of contracting your bicep in order to drink your beer. Hardy har har, right? NO!

He said, “Look ma, no bies!,”

I’m not saying, “Don’t do any more beer curls,” I’m just saying cut down on the beer curls and take a more conventional route. Do I dare suggest that you actually perform a conventional bicep exercise with resistance bands or free wights? You beat your ass I am!

Biceps are important to work out because they help in the aid of back workouts. Over time, the stronger your biceps are they stronger your back will become.

Here’s what I like to do. I can usually do bicep exercises in the comfort of my living room because you don’t generally focus too much time on your biceps. I like to perform bicep curls with a resistance band in between commercials. You can get a cheap set of various exercise bands with a wide range of resistance on Amazon.  

Bicep curls with an exercise band. Starting position.

Here’s what to do.

• Place the arch of your foot over the exercise band while making sure you have a firm grip over the band.
• Without bending your elbows, slowly contract your biceps. This is the transition phase from the starting to the ending position.
• Squeeze your bicep when you reach the peak of contraction and hold it for a second. FEEL THE BURN!
• In a controlled manner, slowly lower your arm back to the starting position.
• Repeat six sets of ten-to-tweleve reps every other day for best results.

Transition phase: from starting to peak.

Did you get your tickets to the gun show?

What I like about bicep curls with an exercise band more than any thing else that there’s a constant stream of difficulty. When people perform curls with free weights they like to stay at the top of the contraction to rest. It doesn’t get any easier if you stay at the peak of the exercise, as a matter of fact, it gets even harder.

A Word of Thought: There’re are so many difference exercise bands out there, so be sure to get the one that best fits your goals and desires. If you want bigger biceps then get the exercise band with the highest resistance – more weight with less repetitions. If you want leaner biceps then get the exercise band with less resistance – less weight with more repetitions.

Do you even bicep, bro?

Don’t give up when it hurt. If you push through it, you won’t be disappointed.

Best of lucky everybody!

“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” – Collin Powell

Excuse me, did you say Burpees?

We’re going to kick things up a notch today with some BURPEES! “But why?” so many of you ask. Cardiovascular exercise is very important. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention adults need at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity. But what if you’re strapped on time and only have about half-an-hour until your next shift or class? Or what if it’s raining outside and you don’t feel like getting run over by a car today? BURPEES! BURPEES! BURPEES!

If you didn’t catch that, the answer is BURPEES! A burpee, in its basic form, is a flowing, four-step exercise which works out almost every muscle group in the body, with the exception of the back.

Here’s a quick demonstration on how to and how not to do a burpee. 

Here’s how to preform a burpee:

• Begin in a squat position with hands on the floor in front of you.
• Kick your feet back to a pushup position.
• Immediately return your feet to the squat position.
• Leap up as high as possible from the squat position.
  

  Transition of squat position to leaping position.

Starting squat position and the third position.

Leap for greatness! 

Now here’s the fun and exhausting part, you have to jump as high as you can. Now be sure that you land safely on the ground with your knees slightly bent when landing because you don’t want any unnecessary pressure on your knees.

I like doing burpees in between commercials. I know it’s hard to ask you all to do burpees for five minutes until your favorite show comes back on and that’s okay. I don’t even do burpees that long, I’m usually tired after about one-minute.

Think about it like this: Let’s say you watch T.V. for about two hours a day and commercials are about twenty minutes long for each hour divided. And that hour is divided into about four separate   commercial breaks. Now, let’s say you do the burpee for two minutes during each commercial break. You just knocked out sixteen minutes of burpees in two hours. That’s pretty tough, and don’t let anybody put you down just because they weren’t consecutive minutes.

Here’s your challenge for today: Perform burpees during your next commercial break instead of going to the refrigerator and staring blankly at it and never getting anything from the refrigerator in the end.

Good luck everybody! Have fun working up a sweat to your favorite show or movie.

“Never be satisfied. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you failure.” – Thomas A. Edison

Let’s get BACK into the game!

Welcome back everyone!

I hope you all liked the last exercise I gave y’all and ready for the next one. Today we are going to focus on what exercise to do throughout the corse of a day.

We all want that Arnold Schwarzenegger back, but the chances of that happening are slim, at best. Okay now, take a deep breath, it’s going to be okay. Look at it this way: his job was working out and pushing his body to the limits. You and I, on the other hand, have to manage the stress of school and work at the same time. But just in case you think you can handle one of Arnold’s back workout, then try this one.

What years of dedication looks like.

I have this friend of mine that hardly ever goes to the gym and his back’s massive. I hate to admit it, but I was really jealous. Not because of the fact that he had a bigger back than me, but because he rarely went to the gym. So one day, after sucking up my pride, I asked him what his secret was. He told what it was, and now I’m going to pass that secret along with you.

Where do you think the number one room that most college students and people spend their time at? College students frequently enter and leave their rooms numerous times in a day. Here’s the secrete to a better back: put a pull-up bar on your door and do three-to-five pull-ups every time you walk into and walk out of the room. The best part is that you can get one on amazon relatively cheap compared to other exercising equipment.

Pull-Ups for a better and stronger back.

Every time you walk into and out of your room just take about five seconds to do a few pull-ups. You’d be surprised how effective a few pull-ups here and there will be towards your physical well-being. Here are some of the benefits of pull-ups:

• Rely on body weight, so you don’t need any additional equipments, besides the pull-up bar.
• Strengthens your latissimus doris muscles. Also known as your “latts.”
• Strengthens your rhomboids
• Increases arm strength and muscles.
• Also an effective cardiovascular workout.

Here’s what you’re going to do. Your starting position is when you’re hanging from the bar with your palms facing away from you. Then you’re going to contract your arms until you chin is either parallel or slightly above the bar.

Starting position of a pull-up.

Then you are going to come back down, but in a controlled manner. Don’t transgress in a fast manner from the ending position to your starting potion because you don’t want to hurt yourself.

Ending position of a pull-up.

A lot of people don’t like to do pull-ups due to a variety of reasons, but performing back workouts are essential to developing an even balance of upper body strength.

Here’s an overview of todays workout.

• Begin in the starting position.
• Face your palms away from you.
• Slow contract your arms until you are at the ending position.
• Once you are at the ending position, hold that position for about a second and squeeze your back.
• In a controlled manner, slowly transition into the ending position.
• Repeat three-to-five times every time you walk into and out of your room.

You may not have time to knock out 100 pull-ups in half an hour, and thats okay. But here’s my challenge to you: Try to knock out 100 pull-ups every other day in the course of a day. Just do a few pull-ups when you walk into and out of your room.

Here’s one of my favorite cliches. “Pain is just weakness leaving the body.”

Best of luck everybody!

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!”  – Audrey Hepburn

Get Down, get low and get dirty with some home push-ups!

Push ups are one of the basic and most common exercises for the human body. They’re not only great for your chest, but do wonders for:

• Defining your abs. No matter how hard we try to deny it, we all want those Taylor Lautner abs.
• Triceps.
• Shoulders.
• And last but not least, your torso.

You want to know why I love push-ups? Because you don’t need to sign up to an over-the-top gym, you don’t need an expensive equipment and best of all, you can practically perform them anywhere you are!

Here’s an even better part. So you come back from school and you only have about an hour to get ready to go to work. We can all understand that an hour is not enough to get ready, go to the gym, come back home, eat, shower and get dressed for work. Well, here’s what you can do INSTEAD.

Put some food in the microwave or the oven. And while you’re waiting for your meal to be done grab the living room table, or an elevated object, and place your feet on the edge of the surface and get into push-position.

When you’re in your starting position and ready to begin, slowly – key word, slowly – go down. We will call this the transition stage of the push-up because we are transitioning from the starting position to the ending position.

Transition Stage. I think Scout is figuring out the routine.

Starting position. Scout is intrigued.

We’re going to use a five-count system. That means that you should take five seconds to get from the starting position to the ending position, and at the count of five you’re going to immediately extend your arms to the starting position.

So just about how many times a week and for how long are you supposed to do this for? Well, here’s the best part, you only need to commit about three days a week for a total of about 30 minutes a week until you start to notice

• Physical strength
• Fitness
• General health.

By the time that your food is ready, you’ve already knocked out a basic exercise that will improve your torso, abs, triceps, shoulders and your chest. Just do an elevated push-up exercise when you’re short on time. You can hit so many muscle groups with just one exercise instead of dedicating one exercise for each of those muscles.

Ending position. Scout figured out the routine and decided to join the fun!

Here’s an overview of today’s exercise!

• Find an elevated object and place your feet at the edge of that object.
• Get into starting position.
• Slow transgress into the ending position while counting to five.
• When you count to five immediately extend your arms to get back to the starting position.
• Repeat until your food is ready.
• For best results, preform exercise at least three times a week for a total of at least 30 minutes a week.

Good luck everyone!

“If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree.” – Jim Rohn

Where do we start?

“I don’t have the time.” “I’m too tired after work.” “The gym is never open when i’m available.” These are just some of the few excuses that people use when the topic of working out comes up. We were all students at one point or another, and we all have or have had to handle school, work and staying fit at the same time; however, I have found out over the past that one of the three usually have to be sacrificed. And unfortunately it’s always working out and staying fit that is sacrificed, and it’s understandable. But what if I told you that you don’t have to sacrifice your health and physical image in order to handle being a student and maintaing a job at the same time. Well lucky for you, that’s exactly why i’m here!

In each post i’m going to give you an example of what you can do at home or during your free time, and you’ll never have to leave the comfort of your own home. Each post will tackle a major body muscle and i’ll give you an easy work-out to do in between commercials, before you go out with your friends or even before you go to school or work.

Here are just a list of some of the exercises that i’m going to introduce you to, but not limited to:

• Push-up
• Bur-pees
• Jumping Jacks
• Close-grip push-ups
• multiple versions of pull-up
• External and internal shoulder rotations

You may not like some of the advice that I give you, but in the end you’re the only one who can make the decision of doing them. No one is going to force you to do anything, but if you enjoy doing them, why stop?

Don’t be that person who spends all their free time on the couch.

I hope you guys are ready for some great tips and workout routines.

“I don’t believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe have to be better than you ever thought you could be.” – Ken Venturi