With spring or summer fast approaching people tend to get into the swing of things with their fitness workouts a bit more, aiming for that summer body. Whatever the reasoning is, it’s always great to get moving and doing something to keep fit. Some people may just want to move a little and work up a sweat while others may have as a goal to get abs. If you are planning to get those abs visible, remember to start with your diet and keep a close eye on your calories that you consume and expend. Once you have that down, have a look at a few basic ab and core exercises below. You can pick and choose from them and add certain exercises into your workouts as you feel.

Simple Crunch 

Just lie on your back, and make sure that your knees are bent and feet planted. Similarly, keep your arms crossed across your chest. Then raise your chest using your abs, and lower down. Here, your upper abs will already feel near to fatigue but try to hold each rep’s top posture for a minimum of one second to make them work.

Bicycle Crunches

In bicycle crunches you need to lie on your back, keep your hands near to your temples and keep your legs raised while setting your knees at a 90° angle. Next, take your right knee up towards your chest at the same time raising your chest and twisting, so your left elbow touches your right knee. 

Then, lower down and do the same on your opposite side. Throughout this exercise make sure that you keep your shoulders and feet off the floor to force your abs to act hard to steady your upper body.

Flutter Kick

Lie on your back with your legs straight, and your arms should extend out at your sides. Then, you need to lift your heels nearly 6 inches off the ground and quickly kick your feet up and down in a swift, scissor-like wave. Be sure to keep your lower back pushed flat on the floor.

Lateral Plank Walk

For this workout, take a high plank position with your palms flat on the ground, keep your hands shoulder-width apart, your shoulders should be stacked directly above your wrists. Extend your legs behind you, and keep your core and glutes engaged.

Next, take a step to the right starting with your right hand and foot and then following with your left hand and foot. Make sure that you maintain a plank position as you move. It will count as a single rep. 

Russian Twists

Sit holding a dumbbell, weight plate, medicine ball or kettlebell with your arms extended and feet off the floor. And then, once everything is under your control, swiftly twist at the chest, turning from your side to side, maintain control throughout each rep.

Hollow body hold

For the hollow body hold, get into the same position lying on your back as you would for the flutter kicks. Raise your arms above you and backwards so that your biceps are in line with your ears and your shoulders are slightly off the floor. Left your legs slightly off the floor and press your lower back down into the floor and hold the position for counts of between 5 – 50 seconds.

Hardstyle Plank 

It is one of the easiest exercises, as all you need for it is a plank. Rest on a forearm plank position with your elbows aligned underneath your shoulders, and your hands balled up in fists. Well, you know the routine. The key is to squeeze your entire body and take deep breaths. Keep the glutes tights and lower back rounded with a pelvic tilt.

Ab-wheel Rollout 

If a stronger core and defined abs are your goal, an ab wheel rollout is the key. This exercise strengthens your abs while keeping your spine neutral. Hold an ab wheel with a firm grip and start to roll. 

Also, keep your back straight and engage your core. Slowly return to the starting position. The more strength you have in your abs, the better you will execute this exercise. 

Hanging Leg Raise 

If you are a regular gym-goer, this one’s for you. Stand in a dead hang position from a pull up bar with your legs straight. Now use your abs to raise your legs so that they are parallel to the floor, hold for a second, and then slowly lower yourself back to the starting position. 

You can also try the knee raise and knee twist positions while performing this workout. This simple yet powerful exercise will activate all your muscle fibers in the lower abs and keep them engaged throughout. 

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What are some of your favourite leg exercises?

• Squats
• Lunges
• Leg extensions

What are your top 3 tips when training your legs?

1. Challenge yourself and add some weight.
2. Train legs at least twice a week.
3. Make sure your form is correct.

In your opinion, which is the most common leg exercise that people do incorrectly?

Squats. We all, when we start off make the mistake by trying to squat too heavy. Start off lighter and concentrate on your form.

What does a typical leg workout look like for you?

• Weighted High Steps
• Weighted Lunges
• Squats
• Leg extensions
• Lying leg curls

What are some of your favourite ab exercises?

• Hanging Leg Raises
• Crunches

What are some of your tips to the ladies for getting such rock hard abs like yours?

• Train your abs everyday.

Eat clean, its true what they say “abs are made in the kitchen.”

How often do you train abs?

Every day, it’s my favourite muscle group to train.

Do you add weight?

I alternate between the days.

• Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Bodyweight
• Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: Weighted (3 Kgs).

What does a typical Ab workout for you entail?

• 100 leg raises
• 100 crunches
• 100 reverse crunches

Read Natasha’s Full Interview!

The post Legs And Abs Training And Full Workouts With WFF Pro, Natasha Martens appeared first on FitNish.com.

I train abs three times a week.

Ab Workout and exercises:

Read Castro’s Full interview here!

1. Normal Planking

• 4 sets of 1 minute each.

2. Side planking right

• 4 sets of 1 minute each.

3. Side planking left

• 4 sets of 1 minute each.

4. Lying down crunches

• 4 sets x 20 reps

5. Hanging leg raises

• 4 sets x 20 reps

6. Lying down leg raises ( Medicine Ball)

• 4 sets x 20 reps

7. Bicycle crunches

• 4 sets x 20 reps

8. Ab Crunch Machine

• 4 sets x 20 reps

9. Ab Crunch Rotation with Medicine Ball

• 4 sets x 20 reps

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Quick Stats

Name:  Roxy Firmani
Age:  24
Height:  1,71 m
Competition weight:  55kg
Current weight:  58kg
Current city:  Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa
Where do you train:  Virgin Active, Sunninghill
Occupation: Brand Executive for OPI

How long have you been training for and how did you get started?

I started training when I was about 16. But nothing too serious; just cardio and the circuit! My Dad used to do Bodybuilding Shows so I would tag along with him to the gym every now and again!

“About 2 years ago, I met a very influential man in the fitness industry and I decided to start training to compete!”

Did it come easily for you or was it quite a ‘life’ adjustment?

Because I have grown up in a fairly active family it came quite easy. I am also SO passionate about being fit and living a healthy lifestyle that it really is something I enjoy!

What do you love about it?

I love knowing that my body is in its peak condition! Being fit makes doing anything and everything a lot easier and living a clean and healthy lifestyle ensures that I rarely get sick, always feel energetic and enthusiastic, and that I will have better luck with my health and body condition as I age!

What competitions have you competed in and your placings?

2012

• Fitness SA
• Body Beautiful SA, Bikini, 3rd

Last year I competed in my first show, Fitness SA. Although I did not place in the Top 10 it motivated me to work harder for my next show. I then competed in Body Beautiful SA and placed 3^rd in the Bikini Division line-up!

You were a part of the JAR (Nutrition Store) team. How did that work out and did it help with your training and dieting?

Being part of team JAR was and is amazing.

“This is a tough industry and having a group of people to support and motivate you all the time is great.”

It is also nice to have a team of people with different knowledge about training and dieting. We can all put our minds together to better our understanding of what works and what doesn’t!

What are your future plans?

This year I plan to compete in 3 or 4 shows, the main one being WBFF SA on the 19^th and 20^th of July! I also want to do a nutrition course and try to get more involved in helping other people get into the fitness competition scene! I love helping people with training and nutrition and it is my dream to one day, make a career out of it!

Take us through an average day of yours:

Because I work full time I have a very early start to my day!

• I wake up at 4:30am, gulp down my Titan Labs Isomax or Slim Core shake and go to the gym. I’ll do a small amount of cardio (just to get the blood flowing) and then hit the weights section!
• After that its home to shower, eat and get to work by 8am.
• During my contest season I will normally hit the gym after work (two or three times a week) to get in an extra bit of cardio.
• Then its home to chill, prep my meals for the next day and get to bed for some beauty sleep

Give us a description of your philosophy on your diet:

I have quite a balanced philosophy on my diet. I don’t believe in a so called ‘Diet’, I believe that you should eat clean (no processed foods) and eat regularly! I eat 5 – 6 small meals a day and I ensure I get a good amount of Protein, Fats (the good types) and Carbohydrates (Low GI).

Here is a sample of my meals that I pretty much stick to all year round:

• 5am: Titan Labs Isomax/ Slim Core Shake
• 7:30am: 50g of Oats and 3-4 Egg Whites
• 11am: Chicken Salad with Avo/Nuts
• 1pm: Chicken Breast with Vegetables and Sweet Potato/Brown Rice
• 4pm: Another Titan Labs Shake and Some Almonds
• 7pm: Lean Protein Source (Chicken/ Fish/ Ostrich) with Vegetables
• 10pm: Slow release protein (Low Fat Cottage Cheese/ Titan Labs Aftermath)

What keeps you motivated and so disciplined to get through your training and sticking to your diet day in and day out?

I find that I am most motivated and disciplined when I stick to a routine and have a goal to work towards!

“Setting goals is something you should do every month. I make sure the goals I set are realistic and are measurable.”

Every month I sit down and measure my current goals, and then re-evaluate them accordingly. Without goals there would be nothing to work towards! And without a routine it becomes very hard to maintain discipline!

What’s your favorite healthy meal?

I absolutely love the good fats! Avo’s, Almonds, Peanut Butter; I could eat these all day every day! I also love my Titan Labs Aftermath Dessert Protein! It is such a good thing to eat before you go to bed because it keeps a constant source of energy for your muscles while you sleep AND it tastes like chocolate mousse! I always make mine and put it in the freezer for a bit so it is like chocolate ice-cream

What’s your supplementation like?

There are a few supplements I use on a daily basis:

• Multi-vitamin: This is essential when you train on a daily basis
• Protein Shake: A quick and easy way to get your protein requirements, and great for when you are on the go, need to have a snack OR straight after a training session!
• BCAA’s: These are essential when you train. They aid in muscle recovery and also prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue. I mix a serving of Glutablast and Amino Rush from Titan Labs and sip on that while I train. It tastes great and helps your muscles while you train!
• Fat Burner: Only during my competition season! Good to help get leaner for my shows! I would highly recommend Xcelerate from Titan Labs – it is by far one of the best on the market these days!

Give us a description of your philosophy on your training and on average how long do you work out for?

I don’t believe that you need to spend hours in the gym every day! I spend about 45-60 minutes at the gym and believe me that is more than enough. As long as you make that time count! I do a split training program, so I train each muscle group once a week (except for legs).

So for example I will train:

• Chest on Monday
• Quads on Tuesday
• Back on Wednesday
• Hamstrings and Glutes on Thursday
• Arms and Friday
• Shoulders on Saturday
• Sunday’s I rest!

How do you measure your progress? And how often?

I do not believe in the scale! Body weight is such an ineffective way to track progress, especially because muscle weighs more than fat! I believe it’s how you feel, look in the mirror and fit in your clothes!

What’s your take on utilizing cardio in your training regime? What’s your favorite form of cardio?

Like I said earlier I always do a few minutes of Cardio before I start my weight training session! My favorite type is High Intensity Interval Training. This is bouts of high intensity cardio with rests in between! So for example I will sprint for 1 minute and then walk for 1 minute for up to 20 minutes.

I also do steady state cardio once or twice a week. That is medium intensity cardio for a longer period of time (about 40-60 minutes)

What’s your secret to having rock solid abs? What would you say are some of the best exercises women should include in their ab work outs?

The key to Abs is Diet! You can do 1000 sit ups a day but if your diet is wrong you will never see those abs! So keep your diet clean. I love to do weighted crunches and leg ups!

Fitness models or bodybuilders?

The person who I look up to most, the one that got me interested in this industry, is Jaco De Bruyn. He has been a Mentor and an Inspiration from the get go. And then of course there is my coach, Kirk Wentworth! He is the most knowledgeable, passionate and helpful person I know! He really has helped me get to where I am now and helps me with all of my competition prep!

Favorite female fitness icon(s):

Wow I have so many! At the moment I must say I have a bit of a crush on Bella Falconi, her physique is just mind blowing! I also follow Anna Delia, Jamie Eason, and locals such as Anna Wood!

Favorite Quote(s):

This one sums it all up:

“Eat Clean. Train Mean. Stay Lean.”

I also love

“It never gets easier, you just get better.”

What were some of the mistakes you made when starting out in the gym?

Thinking that cardio was going to give me a toned physique! I see so many girls at the gym every day slaving away on the treadmill and their bodies never really seem to change! I also don’t think people realise how big a role your diet plays in seeing the results you want!

“Girls need to stop being afraid of both the weights section and protein shakes!”

Advice for someone wanting to change their lifestyle and achieve their ideal physique?

Take it one step at a time. Too many changes at once can become overwhelming and disheartening. Also make sure you get proper advice from someone who knows what they are talking about. I’ve seen some crazy diets and programs given to friends that are just ridiculous!

“My rule of thumb is that the person you get your advice from, should have the physique you wish to achieve, that way you know that it worked for them and should in turn work for you!”

Where can people get hold of you?

• Facebook: Roxy Firmani Fitness Model
• Twitter:  @RoxannePaige
• Email:  roxyfirmani@gmail.com

The post One on One With Bikini Competitor and Team Jar Member, Roxy Firmani appeared first on FitNish.com.

Here are 6 simple tips that you can incorporate in your own life to get yourself started, if you have absolutely no idea where to begin on your road to losing that extra weight.

Now most of these tips should primarily be applied by people with a lot of fat to lose, with body fat percentages in excess of about 18%. But, all the points can still be used by pretty much anyone looking to shed that extra fat and/or for someone beginning to change their sedentary lifestyle into a more active one and firm up.

1. Start weight training with COMPOUND LIFTS at least 3 times a week

Compound lifts/exercises are ‘big’ exercises which use much more than just one muscle or muscle group. The more muscles/muscle groups you recruit in an exercise the more calories you can burn. So keep these exercises as the main focus of your training regime in order to stimulate more of your muscles in less time.

Some great compound exercises include:

• Deadlifts
• Bench press
• Standing Shoulder Press
• Squats
• Dips

2. Keep your rest periods between sets, anywhere from 45 seconds to 1 and a half minutes

The idea here is to keep your workouts intense. You don’t want to be wasting time unnecessarily and in turn not burning as many calories as you can.  If you’re using relatively heavy weights then you can rest a bit longer but try to keep your rest periods, between sets of each exercise, up to 1 and a half minutes max.

3. Don’t waste your time with ab specific training initially

Many people are still under the impression that in order for them to lose fat on their stomach they need to do every available ab exercise all the time. By doing sit ups, for example, does not necessarily mean that you will lose fat on your tummy specifically; you cannot choose exactly where you want to lose fat from, by doing specific exercises.

Check out this article to find out more on spot reduction: Can Spot Reduction (Losing Fat on Specific Areas) Be Done?

So rather focus on your weight training to burn calories and shed the fat which covers your abs, and keep the ab exercises for every now and then and for when you can start to see your abs.

4. Add in cardio slowly and build it up over time

Cardio should be used as an additional tool to burn fat, in addition to your weight training. The key with cardio is to start small and gradually increase or build it up. Don’t just go from doing no cardio to doing 5 cardio sessions of an hour each per week and expect to change your body in a week. You really do not need to do so much in order to lose weight. Small gradual changes can have more of an effect. So, as you (or your body) get used to something, then you can make a change and increase one aspect of your cardio to challenge your body a little bit more and thus keeping it from getting used to one thing. Another great way to do cardio, and burn a lot of calories in a small amount of time is with HIIT cardio. Basically this is where you, (lets take running for instance), jog for a minute, then sprint for a minute; that’s one cycle. You can repeat this 4 to 5 times or do it for 10 – 15 minutes. It is a lot more intense, but it beats doing boring steady state cardio for 30 minutes.

5. Review your diet and drink more water

When your goal is to lose weight/fat, you HAVE TO, HAVE TO, HAVE TO, clean up your diet. Without giving your diet the attention and discipline that it needs, you really cannot expect to achieve that goal. Again, to make it easier start with small changes. Cut out certain things one by one and slowly clean it up until it becomes your lifestyle and a way of life. Dont think about completely eliminating all the junk and bad stuff such as fizzy drinks, sweets, cakes, biscuits, fast food, etc., start with REDUCING it all initially.

Drinking more water is also a must, not only to help with losing weight, but also to maintain optimal hydration levels, and optimal health.

6. Be Consistent

I’m sure you may be tired of seeing this point in almost every article, but this is one of the most important factors involved in getting ahead and we need to be constantly reminded of it. You need to keep at it and keep pushing through, day in and day out to see results. Don’t stop and don’t give up!

The post 6 Tips To Losing That Gut, And To Getting You Started On The Right Track appeared first on FitNish.com.

This workout should not take you more than an hour and 15 minutes or so, just remember to keep your rest periods relatively short, about 45 seconds to 1 minute and 15 seconds.

When training the chest muscles, I find that by really tensing and squeezing the chest on each rep, helps to keep focus and tension on the chest, and allows more work to be done primarily by the chest.

When training abs, many people try to rush through the exercises and just ‘go through the motions.’  For example when doing traditional sit ups, people tend to move up and down in a very quick fashion trying to get it done as quickly as possible without truly working the abdominals.

I really think with abdominal exercises, a more slow, controlled movement, allowing you to feel the abs contract at the top, bottom and in the middle of each movement is best.  Be sure to exhale as you contract the abs.

BUT I also believe that the fast paced exercises can also play a role, but only every now and then.  Rather have a few exercises where you use proper control, and then one or two exercises where you just bust it out and try to do the exercise relatively quickly, because trust me, you will still feel the burn.

This workout can be done by pretty much anyone, male or female who has a bit of experience in the gym.  For the beginners, you can also do it, just maybe scale back on two or three of the exercises or decrease the amount of sets you do per exercise.  The rep ranges are all between 6 and 20, so nothing too heavy, but you need to choose a weight which will suit you.  Do not try to go too heavy too quickly.  Make sure to use proper form and FULL range of motion in all exercises.  If your range suffers then reduce the weight!

Download a printable workout log of the Chest and Abs Workout here:

• Editable Word Document: WOW Chest And Abs
• Pdf Document: WOW Chest And Abs

Chest and Abs Workout

Exercise 1:

• Incline barbell chest press

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 10, 8, 6
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 2: 

• Flat (bench) cable chest press (using the cable machine)

Sets: 5
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8, 6
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 3:

• Flat (bench) dumbbell flyes

Sets: 4
Reps: 20, 15, 12, 10
Increasing weight each set.

Super Set With

Exercise 3.1:

• Flat dumbbell chest press

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 12, 10, 10
Increasing weight every second set.

What is a super set?  A super set is where you perform one exercise straight after another.

Exercise 4:

• Decline barbell bench press

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 10, 10, 8
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 5:

• Standing cable crossovers

Sets: 2
Reps: 20, 15
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 1:

• Hanging leg raises

Sets: 4
Reps: 25, 20, 15, 10

Super Set With

Exercise 1.1:

• Decline bench sit ups with weight

Sets: 4
Reps: 25, 20, 15, 10

Exercise 2:  

• Incline bench lying leg raises with hip thrust

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 12, 10, 10

Exercise 3:

• Crunches (Extending and straightening legs after each rep)

Sets: 4
Reps: 20, 20, 15, 15

Super Set With

Exercise 3.1:

• Bicycle kicks

Sets: 4
Reps: 25, 25, 20, 20

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