Fitness

Did you know that the first ever female boxing match took place in 1876?

However, women were prohibited from boxing by most major organizations and licensing bureaus until the late 1980’s and it was not until Sweden lifted its ban on women in amateur boxing in 1988,- the first country to do so, that other major players of the sports, such as, the USA and other followed suit and female boxers gained global respect.

While there is no doubt that in the relatively short history of women’s boxing, the sport has already produced a few who are already being talked about the would be fighting legends, this article is all about the ones who are not only amazing boxers, but have an oomph of sizzling babes when out of the ring.

Kina Malpartida

Born in Lima, Peru in 1980, Kina Malpartida’s mother worked as a supermodel with a record number of magazine covers in some of the leading fashion magazines of the world and that is where her looks come from.

Towering at 5’8 inches, she is the current World Boxing Association Champion in the Super Featherweight class. She has been involved in 17 fights till date and have won 14 of them- 4 of which have been by KO (knockout).

Need we say- dare with care?

Zulina Munoz

Méxican bantamweight Zulina Muñoz was born in San Vicente Chicoloapan, México. She still boxes out of México City. and her love towards boxing started at the age of 16 when her father Fernando took her to the gym where he used to coach his son. With an astonishing record of 36-1-2 (Win, loss, draw), this WBC female super flyweight title holder obviously picked things up well under her father’s guidance. Oh and by the way, her nick name is- La Loba, which means- fierce angel!

Jennifer Salinas

Before we start talking about this bombshell from Bolivia- also known as The Bolivian Queen, we must tell you an interesting fact. And that is- that she has three kids of her own! Hard to figure out isn’t it?
Anyway, Jennifer began boxing at age 19, while working as a waitress at a Mexican restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan. that was next to a boxing gym. When she first went to the gym and expressed her interest in learning boxing- inspired by a woman who was training there and had told her that she was the state champion Golden Gloves for three consecutive years, her first coach; popularly known as Mr.Love had a gutted laugh as he thought that she was too feminine to get into the ring.

However, after months of training and sweating hard practicing, she proved all wrong and won the Golden Gloves championship and has not looked back ever since.

Cecilia Comunales

She is 5’9″, born and brought up in Uruguay, is 24 years old and has a win loss record of 11-1 till date! Add to that the killer charm that she posesses and you have a package that every man wants in her woman to be. She has been listed in the top 25 sexiest sports women list by the bleachers report couple of seasons back and has donned the cover pages of a lot of sports and fashion magazines.

Lauryn Eagle

Boxer, model and water skiing champ, Lauryn Eagle from Australia does it all. She has won Miss Teen International in 2004 and even competed on the Australian version of the celebrity apprentice. She hit the limelight out of the ring even more when she shed her feathers and went nude from the top for one of the leading men’s magazine of the world last month.

Just to let you know, out her 6 wins from the ten fights that she has been into in the ring, three have been won by KO’s, so it is not just all about beauty, the babe has got some mean muscles to pack you down too.

Just like reinforced steel can bear more weight than sheet aluminum, a strong, well-conditioned back can withstand more stress, and protect the spine better, than a back that has not been conditioned through exercise. Conditioning through flexibility and strengthening back exercises not only helps the back avoid injury, or minimize the severity of injury if the spine is traumatized, it also can help relieve the pain of many back conditions.

Here are few workouts, which we are sure will help you gain strength at your back and be much stronger and fitter than you have ever been before!

Hip Bridge
How to do it: Lie on your back, feet flat and hip-width apart, arms relaxed, and knees bent. Squeeze your buttocks as you lift your hips, creating a straight line from the knees to the shoulders. Hold for a slow count of two, then lower slowly. Build up to 10 to 12 repetitions.

What it does: This move counteracts the effects of too much chair time, which puts excessive pressure on the spine. It stretches the hip flexors and strengthens the muscles that stabilize the spine, including those of the lower back, the gluteals, and the large, stabilizing abdominal muscles.

Bird Dog
How to do it: Begin on all fours, knees hip-width apart and under the hips, hands flat and shoulder-width apart. Squeeze your abs by pulling belly toward spine. Keep the spine neutral, without arching the back or rotating the hips, and extend your right leg back and your left arm straight ahead. Hold for two to three seconds or as long as you can maintain form. Repeat five to six times on each side.

What it does: This exercise improves muscle balance and coordination, making it easier to keep the spine stable for everyday moves, such as walking, running, dancing, and carrying a child. It also tones your glutes, upper back, lower spine, and hamstrings. Tighter abs also keep the spine supported.

Side Plank
How to do it: Lie on your right side, in a straight line from head to feet, resting on your forearm. Your elbow should be directly under your shoulder. With your abdominals gently contracted, lift your hips off the floor, maintaining the line. Keep your hips square and your neck in line with your spine. Hold 20 to 40 seconds and lower. Repeat two to three times, alternating sides. (If this is too challenging, start with bent knees.)

What it does: Builds strength and endurance in the core. This will help keep your lower back protected and stable during activities that require movement in the hips or back.

Lunge
How to do it: With your abs gently contracted and hands on hips, take a big step forward with your right foot. Sink down so your right knee is at a 90-degree angle, then push back to the starting position without pausing. Repeat 8 to 12 times, then switch legs and repeat.

What it does: Improves whole-body control, which is key to protecting the spine during walking, running, or stair-climbing. Recruits both surface and deeper stabilizing muscles along the sides, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves.

I’m a powerlifter and bodybuilder. When I go to the gym, I want to make my big lifts bigger and add size with some hypertrophy work. If you’re interested in being strong and looking strong, I’ll show you how to accomplish both goals in a single workout—without spending hours in the gym.

For this workout, you’ll start with one of the “big three” lifts—the squat—and then progress into muscle-building accessory work for arms and calves using cluster sets and blood-flow-restriction (BFR) training. These are advanced techniques, and they may sound intimidating, but don’t be scared away without giving them a shot. I’ll even show you how to do them on video and explain more in this article.

This workout is tough, yes, but it’s effective. If you have multiple goals—like getting as big and strong as possible, as fast as possible—it’s going to help you reach them. The template is also extremely versatile and can be used with any of the “big three” lifts. If you want to repeat the session for other body parts, you can simply implement the deadlift or bench instead of the squat, and then incorporate accessory work of your choice for other body parts like your back, delts, or chest.

LAYNE’S LEGS AND ARMS BLAST

SQUAT HEAVY
Even if you’re not a powerlifter, the barbell squat is one of the best movements for building overall strength and size. It’ll challenge your entire lower body and help make your core iron-strong. Because you’re following a low-rep scheme, you should be moving some pretty heavy weight on this exercise.

There’s nothing magical about doing 4 sets of 6 on squats; I like this rep range because it allows you to use heavy weights and still get quite a bit of volume in. I encourage using a variety of rep ranges as part of a properly periodized training program.

Don’t just get into the rack and start squatting. Think about what you’re going to do. Think about how you’re going to do it. If you have a squat ritual, follow it. Each set should be a concentrated effort.

I like to take 5-10 minutes of rest between each set. A lot of people believe that increasing your rest period cuts down on muscle stimulation, but that’s not really the case. The time your muscles spend under tension is cumulative, so even though I take a fair amount of rest, my muscles get plenty of time under tension (TUT) to grow. Moreover, by taking longer rest periods, I can give max effort to each set and lift near-max weight.

There are definitely benefits to using less rest, but if you decide to do that, you’ll have to use lighter weight. If you’re simply a little afraid to lift heavy and want more coaching on the best ways to perform the squat for your body type, check out my squat tutorial article.

CLUSTER TRAINING
Cluster training may seem a little complicated, but it’s a great way to get in a lot of reps without spending too much time working. In a cluster set, you break up a traditional set with short, intra-set breaks. This allows you to lift more than you’d be able to otherwise at the same amount of volume.

For each exercise after the squat, you’ll perform two cluster sets and rest 1-2 minutes between clusters. Each cluster set contains 4 “mini sets” of 30, 15, 15, and 15 reps each. Rest 30 seconds between each of these sets.

1 cluster = 4 sets of 30, 15, 15, 15 reps (rest 30 seconds between each set)

BFR
In addition to using cluster sets with these exercises, you’ll also employ blood-flow-restriction training, in which you wrap your appendages with a knee, wrist, or other wrap to restrict blood flow to the veins, not the arteries. This restriction causes an increase in cell swelling that may help you build more muscle!

I like to use BFR because it allows me to get a lot of volume and muscle stimulation without taxing my joints too much or detracting from my main lifts. BFR using low-intensity resistance may be just as effective at increasing strength and hypertrophy compared to traditional hypertrophy training.

I find BFR helpful because, after a heavy lifting session, I can get the same hypertrophy results without using heavy weight. This puts less strain on my joints and nervous system, making it easier for me to recover and get back in the gym.

BFR may sound dangerous, but research indicates that it’s completely safe when done correctly. The most important thing is to not wrap too tightly. If you’re in pain before the exercise starts, or you feel any numbness or tingling, the wraps are too tight. It’s normal to be in discomfort during the exercise, but you shouldn’t be in pain beforehand.

If you can’t complete the sets and reps, either the weight is too heavy or the wraps are too tight. The point is to go light because you don’t have to use heavy weights to get growth with BFR.

WRAP IT UP
When using BFR with these cluster sets, I like to keep the wraps or cuffs on for the whole cluster. When I finish one cluster, I take the wraps off, rest, and then rewrap.

No matter what muscle you’re training, wrap at the proximal (upper part) of your arms and legs. Even when you’re training your calves, you’re going to wrap as high on your leg as you can. This basically means you should wrap under your shoulder and high on your inner thigh.

I prefer using a small cuff when I’m training my biceps and triceps. For lower body, you can use a knee wrap or other large band.

When utilizing BFR, select a weight that’s about 20 percent of your one-rep max. Don’t go as heavy as you can! You want high reps and volume here, not weight

Wrap to about a 7/10 tightness level on your legs and 9/10 on arms. Keep in mind that you don’t want to occlude blood flow entirely. You want to get blood into the working muscle without letting in leave. If you’re ever in pain before the exercise or can’t finish the reps, the wraps are probably too tight or the weight is too heavy.

You’ll notice that by the end of a cluster set, you’re going to have a ridiculous pump. It’s awesome, but it’s also going to be painful. Part of the challenge of utilizing BFR is increasing your pain tolerance.

Make your sets consistent. If one takes you much less time than the others, it may mean that you’re rushing. Take your time through each set. As you go through the set, you’ll feel your heart rate go up, but that’s normal. Your heart is working harder to circulate that blood through the restriction.

GO LIFT!
Now it’s time to get into the gym and try some of these things yourself! If you have any questions, hit me up in the comments section below.

Words: Layne Norton
Article and VIdeo Courtesy: www.bodybuilding.com

Michael Phelps, is loved by millions of fans across the world not only for the 22 medals (or more) that he has won for America in various forms of swimming, but also for the jaw-dropping chiseled muscles of his, which creates a different level of magic altogether to his already dominating demeanour.

It goes without saying that there are many a guys out there who want to have a body like him, albeit without swimming for hours and hours that Michael had to do to find a place in the history book, the way he has! And if you are one of those blokes who doesn’t want to sweat in the pool for those long hours but still want to have that raw physique, the your eyes are precisely on the right page!

Push ups

Push ups is not only one of the most basic workout, but the most effective one too to work on the muscles that benefit all four strokes in swimming; especially the pull phase. It is best suited for breaststroke swimmers because it mimics the underwater pull performed during the start and turn and each wall. To do this, lean with your chest forward as you lower your body at a steady pace. Take a pause when your upper arms feel a stretch in the front part of the shoulders and then move back to the opening position slowly. Start with 20 reps in a set if five, but increase the count as and when your strength increases.

Aerobics

The first thing that you need to include in your workout regime is to incorporate aerobic activity for a a minimum of 180 minutes/week. The best form for that is to go for easy paced running that can help you immensely to improve your cardiovascular fitness, which also burns calories and helps build muscles. Your next best friend to get a swimmer’s body without swimming is going hard on Pilates for building long-lean muscles that mimic a swimmer’s build. One of the most common, yet effective, Pilate exercise includes- the hundred! To do this, lay on your back with knees bent into your chest and as you exhale, concentrate on pushing your chest and stomach towards the floor.

Rowing machine

The rowing machine works directly on your core muscles;upper and lower abdominals, obliques and lower back muscles and including this in with your aerobic activity is a very good mix. You can also take it as a warm-up to your regular aerobic activity to keep it as a stress-free regime.

Lat pulls

Give special attention to lat pulls to have better results on upper back and arm muscles.To do this, sit at a machine that has a bar suspended by a cord and is attached to weights with a chair positioned right under the bar. Keep your arms shoulder-width apart, lean back slightly as you pull the bar right in front of your face and lowering the bar toward your ribs. Start with 12-15 reps in a set of four and increase the reps once you gain strength and stamina.

– Sandeep Verma

While you can find plenty of ways to attack your delts. rest assured, most of us still end-up cribbing about how the routine is not exactly helping us pump our delts.

There are people who like working out and there are people who ‘just like working out. Remember how we talked about the astonoshing Frank Medrano in one of our recent posts (Read Here), which talked about how he defies all the rules of gravity? Well, if that wasn’t enough, here we are again, with one more name that stands our in the field of body building/athleticism and physical science all across the world.

And that name is Jim Stoppani!

Who is he?

Jim Stoppani received his doctorate in exercise physiology with a minor in biochemistry from the University of Connecticut. Following graduation, he served as a postdoctoral researcher in the prestigious John B. Pierce Laboratory and Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at Yale University School of Medicine, where he investigated the effects of exercise and diet on gene regulation in muscle tissue with great success.

He was awarded the Gatorade Beginning Investigator in Exercise Science Award in 2002 by the American Physiological Society for his groundbreaking research and is one of the most respected name in the domain.

Jim Stoppani the author

He has written thousands of articles on exercise, nutrition and health and is author of:

– Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength (Human Kinetics, 2006)

– Co-author of the New York Times Bestseller, LL Cool J’s Platinum 360 Diet and Lifestyle (Rodale, 2010)

– Co-author of the book Stronger Arms & Upper Body (Human Kinetics, 2008)

– Co-author of the chapter “Nutritional Needs of Strength/Power Athletes” in the textbook Essentials of Sports Nutrition and Supplements (Humana Press, 2008).

One of his achievements is that he is the creator of the Platinum 360 Diet as found in the book, LL Cool J’s Platinum 360 Diet and Lifestyle (Rodale, 2010) and creator of the diet program found in the book, Mario Lopez’s Knockout Fitness (Rodale, 2008), which are followed by a huge audience that likes to live a healthy and sound life.

Where he stands different

It seems that with Stoppani we have a man who properly studied what he is writing about and in his articles makes sure to point at the science that backs his words. The claim at the top his website, “using real science to design real programs for unreal results,” should find a lot of you in rejoice.

Dr. Stoppani has been the personal nutrition and health consultant for numerous celebrity clients, such as LL Cool J, Dr. Dre, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Mario Lopez, and has appeared on the NBC television show Extra as an extra life changer.

If you are still boasting of your prowess with dumbbells, then we are sorry to say but you do seem like an old-age uncle to us, who is living on the glory days of yesteryears and its outdated fitness regime.

For, now there’s a more refined way to command cred: the yoga arm balance—more specifically, poses like crow, crane, firefly, lifted lotus, and eight-angle pose, as shown in the picture, which require equal parts strength and balance.

How to…

Sit with legs in diamond shape in front of you, soles of feet together. Lift and cradle right calf in front of chest with both arms, elbows bent, palms facing body, foot flexed. Grab right heel with right hand, left hand under right calf, and lift and hook right leg over right shoulder. Place left palm on floor outside of left leg and press into floor to lift butt slightly, then place right palm on floor in front of you. Lift left leg and cross left ankle over right, feet flexed. Use abs to lift butt and torso slightly forward, straightening legs out to right side.

Three Moves That Will Make You Arm-Balance Ready

Single Knee Plank
Start in downward-facing dog, then lift right leg to ceiling (three-legged dog), keeping hips facing forward. Shift forward to plank pose, bringing right knee into chest, back slightly rounded, palms pressing body away from floor, abs engaged, toes pointed. Hold for 3 breaths, then press back into three-legged dog.

Repeat 5 times.

Dolphin
Start in downward-facing dog, then lower forearms to floor, elbows directly under shoulders, and walk feet in a few inches toward head, pressing heels toward floor. Hold for 3 breaths, then lower knees to floor to relax.

Repeat 3 times.

Bicycle Crunch
Lie face-up, right leg extended about 3 inches off floor, left knee bent 90 degrees, hands behind head, right elbow touching left knee. Moving slowly and with control, switch sides, rotating torso to right, extending left leg out in front of you and bending right leg 90 degrees, touching left elbow to right knee for 1 rep. Do 10 reps slowly.

Repeat 3 times.