TRAINING

Hardbody Training: Change Up your Cardio with Amanda’s Triathlon

January 9, 2012 By Hardbody Staff 1 Comment

The holidays are behind us and if you’re like us you may have noticed your pants fitting a bit tighter than usual. Diet and exercise is the key to trimming that booty down. One of the key ingredients to getting the butt you’ve always wanted is hitting the cardio. As you know, cardio can be quite boring especially if you’re doing more than 20 minutes. That’s why we’ve adapted a new routine that IFBB Pro Bikini and cover girl Amanda Latona suggested on her twitter account.

Amanda shared, “Great cardio session today. Bike, ski, and stairs.” Which got us thinking – hey that’s kinda of a cool way to mix things up. So we gave it a try. We chose the stair-climber, rowing machine and elliptical at 20 minutes each. Talk about whoop your butt! When we shared that this was going to be known as the Amanda Latona Hardbody Triathlon she responded, “Yeah buddy! My new thing… enjoying different styles of workouts. Cardio is fun now, not robotic ”

Give it a try and let us know how it went for you in the comments field or on twitter @hardbodynews. Follow Amanda on her twitter account @AmandaLatona and be sure to become a fan on her Facebook Page. Make cardio fun again! If you try it post on Amanda’s Facebook Page and let her know you tried the “Amanda Latona Hardbody Triathlon”.

Photos by Ron Avidan.

Filed Under: Featured, TRAINING

Amanda Latona’s Shoulder Workout & Video

January 5, 2012 By Isaac Hinds Leave a Comment

Hardbody Amanda Latona takes you through her shoulder workout and it’s a good one. The cover girl shares her workout, some tips and a boatload of energy in this Bodybuilding.com training video.

AMANDA’S SHOULDER WORKOUT:

Warm-Up: 2-3 minutes with light weight (standing dumbbell shoulder press, lateral raise and front raise)

Rest Period: 30 seconds rest between working sets

Exercise 1 - Dumbbell Shoulder Press
(4 sets of 10-18 reps)

Exercise 2 - Lateral / Front Raise Combo
(4 sets of 15-18 reps)

Exercise 3 - Dumbbell Upright Row
(4 sets of 10-12 reps)

Exercise 4 - Reverse And Forward Hammer Strength Shoulder Press
(4 supersets of 12-15 reps)

Exercise 5 - Reverse Pec Dec Superset With Rear Lateral Raise

Click here to get the complete details and tips on this workout.

Props: Bodybuilding.com for the lead image and content.

Filed Under: Featured, TRAINING, Videos

Build A Hard Body with Short, Intense Workouts

December 20, 2011 By Hardbody Staff Leave a Comment

You don’t have to train for hours every day to build a hardbody. Long training sessions may seem like a good idea but you can achieve the body you want with short, intense workouts. The key here is INTENSE. There’s no time to stand around and chat about what was on tv last night. Get in the gym, haul ass and get out.

You want to burn fat, right? Well, it is going to require a hardbody state of mind and a commitment to change. You will need to get out of your comfort zone and elevate your heart rate while you’re in the gym.

Visit Bodybuilding.com for a solid article that details how you can elevate your game and heart rate. We’ll continue down this path to building a hardbody in the weeks ahead. If you have specific questions, email us at info @ hardbody.com or post them in the comments below. Until then, get in the gym and GET HARDBODY!

Props to Bodybuilding.com for the image and featured article.

Filed Under: Featured, TRAINING

Gina Suggests Tabata Training – Find out Why

June 8, 2011 By Isaac Hinds Leave a Comment

G’s back with a tip of the week. This time she shares a tip on Tabata training. What The Freak is that? Check it out.

G’S TIP OF THE WEEK:
Say you don’t have enough time to workout or don’t think a few extra minutes can get the job done, reconsider with Tabata training! Everybody has an extra four minutes on hand. Tabata training is a quick, fun and intense way to gain amazing results. The full Tabata program is four minutes long but may be the longest four minutes of your life. Tabata intervals follow this structure:

Push hard for 20 seconds
Rest for 10 seconds.
Repeat this eight times.

You can do this with exercises, preferably large muscle exercises, such as front squats or better yet, I love to use Tabata training for sprint work! Of course, this will not replace every cardio/workout session but for a change, when you have limited time, get in and get out with Tabata!

Gina Aliotti-Silva
Nutrition, Fitness & Lifestyle Consultant
www.ginaaliotti.com

After reading G’s tip, I was intrigued to find out more on the Tabata workout. Here’s an except from www.weightloss-hq.biz.

The Tabata workout routine was discovered by Dr. Izumi Tabata, along with a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo. The team studied a speed skating coach’s workout that consisted of six to seven 20 second full speed sprints that were followed by 10 second rest periods.

During the study, men who performed the routine five days a week for six weeks improved their maximum aerobic capacity by 14%. Aerobic capacity is the measurement of the body’s ability to take in oxygen. The more oxygen a person can take in, the longer and harder a person can run. Not only did it improve their aerobic capacity, but it also improved their anaerobic capacity by 28%. Anaerobic capacity is the measurement of your speed endurance.

Read more on the workouts and the thought process behind it here.

Filed Under: Gina Aliotti's G's tip of the week, TRAINING

Follow IFBB Pro Felicia Romero’s Training & Nutrition Program

June 8, 2011 By Isaac Hinds Leave a Comment

Top IFBB Figure Pro, Felicia Romero grew up an athlete spending many of her college days practicing and playing softball. She’s steadily improved her physique into one of the best it the Pro League and scored a few covers along the way. Now Felicia works as a personal trainer and helps run a gym in Arizona. Find out what it takes to get a body like hers!

Visit the 2011 Bodyspace finalist’s page on Bodybuilding.com to see her complete training regime and cutting program. When preparing for a cover shoot Felicia changes her diet up. Check it out, it’s all broken down here!

Filed Under: Competition Nutrition, Misc, TRAINING

Laura Bailey’s Nutrition, Training & Supplementation

May 26, 2011 By Isaac Hinds Leave a Comment

Laura Bailey is one of the top NPC Figure competitors in the nation. She’s consistently done well in her competitions and it’s not by accident. It takes hard work, dedication a proper nutrition plan and solid training. Laura was one of the finalists in the Bodybuilding.com BodySpace Spokesmodel compeition and gives us a look into how she got that rock’n hardbody.

Visit Bodybuilding.com to get Laura’s exact training, nutrition and supplementation program. It’s a sweet breakdown of everything she eats and includes the breakdown of calories, protein, carbs and more. You’ll also get an idea of her workouts on the site. Great content from Laura and TEAM BODYBUILDING.com.

Laura’s Personal Philosophy:

Nutrition
My philosophy regarding nutrition is simple: “If it doesn’t taste good, I’m not eating it!” I hear so many people say, “I can eat plain chicken and oatmeal forever”. No they can’t, otherwise they would stay in shape forever.

This is exactly why most people fall off their nutrition after about a week, and is also the reason most competitors rebound so bad in the off season. Their nutrition plan makes them miserable. They are cranky and don’t like what they eat.

I don’t believe in eating food; I believe in eating meals….good meals! There’s a big difference. “food” can be bland and boring, but “meals” have flavor and life! I have to enjoy what I’m eating if I’m going to make those habits a lifestyle rather than something that is only seasonal.

The best investment I ever made was in a nutritionist. He helped me relearn everything about eating and completely changed my perspective.

I never enjoyed cooking, but have learned to become quite the chef out of necessity. I took foods that I enjoyed and learned how to prepare them with healthy substitutions that still allowed me to eat them, even during competition season.

Some of my favorites are: lemon poppy seed muffins, chocolate muffins, zucchini bread and carrot cake muffins, strawberry pancakes, 7-layer bean dip, Mexican pizza, potato skins, crab cakes, chicken and shrimp fried rice. Now that’s good eating! I always look forward to my next meal, and so should you.

Get educated about nutrition, get recipes, get in that kitchen, and get creative! You’ve got nothing to lose except pounds!

Check out Laura’s video and more here!

Filed Under: Competition Nutrition, Featured, TRAINING

Follow Bodyspace Spokesmodel Jenn Rankin’s Winning Workouts

April 7, 2011 By Isaac Hinds 1 Comment

Jen Rankin was crowned the 2011 BodySpace Spokesmodel Winner earlier this year and now she’s sharing some of what helps keep her fit. Find out what this small-town Texan does for her workouts and nutrition on Bodybuilding.com.

Nutrition
Meal 1:
4 Egg Whites (1 Yolk)
1/3 cup Oatmeal
1/3 Banana

Meal 2:
1 scoop HydroWhey (Whey Isolate)
1 tbsp all natural Peanut Butter

Get the Jen’s complete diet and training routine here.

Filed Under: Misc, TRAINING

Which Body Do YOU Want?

March 17, 2011 By Isaac Hinds 2 Comments

Bodybuilding.com has a feature on Nicole Wilkins, the 2010 & 2011 Figure International Champion and Nicole Nagrani the 2011 Bikini International Champ. Which of these two bodies do YOU want? Check out what both women did for their diet & nutrition, training and supplementation which helped them win their respective titles.

Check out their complete diet, training and favorite supplements on Bodybuilding.com!

Filed Under: Misc, NUTRITION, TRAINING

Muscle & Fitness HERS Video: Nicole Wilkins-Lee Shoulder Training

September 7, 2010 By Isaac Hinds 2 Comments

Check out this Muscle & Fitness Hers training video with current Figure Olympia Champion, Nicole Wilkins-Lee. Nicole and her training Kim Oddo take you through a sample shoulder workout. This video was shot at the beginning of Nicole’s Olympia prep.

Nicole’s shoulder workout typically takes her 45 minutes but the video is condensed down to around 11 minutes. It’s chalked full of some helpful tips. View the video here.

Props: MuscleandFitnessHERS.com

Filed Under: Misc, TRAINING, Videos

Meet Your New Running Partner

September 7, 2010 By Isaac Hinds 2 Comments

Nike has launched a super cool new app available in the iTunes store. The Nike+ GPS App helps you get more out of every run with a variety of features. You can track your indoor and outdoor workouts without a sensor. It allows you to record your pace, distance and even a running route. The app shares messages from some of Nike’s top athletes and you can set a PowerSong to help keep you motivated. The new app is designed for the iPhone but it’s also compatible with the iPod touch.

The App allows you to set goals, brag to friends or set up challenges on Nikeplus.com and Facebook. I think I’ll give it a try since it’s only $1.99. Share your thoughts in the comments below if you’re a Nike+ user.

Download the Nike+ App.

Filed Under: Misc, TRAINING