Proper Form Squats – The secret to becoming a lean machine

        Do you want results? Then do proper form squats.  Get your ass to the grass.  Squats are key to getting big, strong, and lean.

         Squats are the best way to burn fat and increase lean muscle mass.  Since they workout so many muscles in your body you can basically consider it a full body exercise.   Everyone who goes to the gym to get big does weight lifting, but it’s the ones who do squats who actually get the body they want.  But taking it another step forward, is the people who do proper form squats who achieve the best results.  By proper form I mean get your butt to the ground.  By going all the way down will increase your strength and allow you to overall lift more in the future.  It will also strengthen your knees and will help you avoid injuries.

     If you need help with any weight lifting techniques, or even tips on using weight lifting machines then let us know! We are here to help!

                                                         ©Licensed under Creative Commons: Brett Jordan (2011

Altitude Masks… - The worst gym apparel ever

              Altitude masks … I’m already at a loss of words before I even start typing.  Okay, they make the oxygen thinner so you get a better workout, but really? You are going to go to the gym to bench press with it? 

           Okay, altitude masks are okay if you’re training for a marathon or an event, but not if you’re at the gym lifting weights.  I’ve seen people at my local health club do chin ups, bench, deadlifts, and curls wearing altitude masks and I just don’t understand why.  It’s probably some of the dumbest gym apparel I’ve ever seen.  Like I’d rather wear a Hawaiian shirt as workout clothes than be seen at the gym with an altitude mask.  If you don’t know what an altitude mask looks like, just think of Stormtrooper helmets from star wars.  As soon as you see one you will stop, look, and be like “why, just why?”

        What is the wackiest kind of gym apparel you’ve ever seen someone wear at the gym?

                                                      ©Licensed under Creative Commons: USASOC News Service (2011)

Breaking Equipment And Leaving The Gym

Have you ever seen someone break a weight lifting machine and just walk away without notifying anyone especially the people who work there! Everyone at the gym should have good etiquette regardless of the event.

                                © Licensed Under Creative Commons : Paullete 2011.

People who work at the gym and use the weight training equipment should use at their own will and should have good etiquette because broken weight lifting machines will not only cause a problem for the gym, but also will ruin workouts for other people planning to use the machine. I remember at the gym once the rowing machine was dysfunctional because someone dropped the weight to quickly and I had to find a substitute for my back workout, I had to ask one of my fellow gym members for some tips as the weight lifting machine was broken. To conclude, have good etiquette in the gym will make it fun for everyone and will also benefit you and other gym members!

What Do You Guys Think Of The “Pad”?

            You know that thing called the “pad”? Not the one I know your thinking of, but the one you find in the gym.  The one that protects your back when doing squats or lunges. 

                There are many people at the gym who use the “pad” to protect their back when doing squats and other workout equipment.  And to be honest, I’m one of them.   I don’t think it’s a bad thing to use it but a lot of people look down on it.  People put that in the same category as using gloves and altitude masks.  But in reality you won’t hurt your back when lifting heavy weights or using strength training machines.  So here’s my question for you, our readers, do you agree with using the pad while working out?  Also, if you have any fitness tips to share, feel free!

                                                        ©Licensed under Creative Commons: Usodesita (2007)

      

 What about gloves and altitude masks? Do you do any gym exercises with those?

How Your Sweat Affects Not Only You! – Wipe your fitness equipment

There are so many times when I walk up to a machine and its sweaty and gross.  There’s a reason why health clubs have sanitizer and wipes next to the fitness equipment!  Clean your dang machines when you’re done with them!

If you ask anyone who goes to their local health club, one of their number 1 pet peeves are when people don’t wipe up their sweat when they’re done with their gym workouts.  It is considered horrible etiquette and manners in the gym to not clean up after yourself.  I remember when I was in high school and heard the horror stories about the equipment.  There were a couple times when they had to close down the high school weight training area because people kept getting ringworm.  This is a parasite that you can contract from using contaminated gym equipment.  If only the students would have wiped down the machines when they were done with them.  That whole situation might have been avoided.  So wipe the darn equipment folks!

                                                          ©Licensed under Creative Commons: Heather Kennedy (2005)

  Do any of you have horror stories about people not cleaning up their fitness equipment?   

Is It Appropirate To Yell At The Gym?

Ever wondered why people at the local gym yell while they are lifting their weights? There are many gym articles that explain this reason but certain people yell at every rep that they do.

                                © Licensed Under Creative Commons : CNS 2008.

We all go to the health clubs and gyms in the area only to see that one person with their headphones on and yelling at the top of their lungs while lifting there weights. All local gyms have the one person and we all ask ourselves. Is it appropriate to yell while working out? The answer is no. The reason being because it is a distraction to others around you and will ruin others workouts as they will have to listen to your antics while they are trying to pump some iron. Certain gym articles state that it is fine to yell because it releases tension and pressure while lifting weights and will relax your muscles while finishing your rep. To conclude, it is not okay to yell at the gym while lifting weights or whenever for that matter as it is a distraction and considered weird for other people at the gym.

How Do Sleeveless Shirts Increase Lifting Power?

Have you personally tried different workout clothes and sports clothing to see if your performance in the gym has changed? Well it has been proven that with the right gym apparel, including sleeveless shirts.

                                        © Licensed Under Creative Commons : Zazzle 2010.

Having proper gym apparel such as a sleeveless shirt can help performance at the gym because it will decrease resistance and increase flexibility. A shirt with sleeves will constrict your arms and will keep you tensed up and it will make it more difficult to life weights. Purchasing workout clothes and various sports clothing will enable you to perform better and help you at the gym. Furthermore, having a sleeveless shirt will help you overall by keeping away resistance, if there is too much resistance while lifting weights, you will not get the results that you are looking for and this will be disappointing!

Texting And Phones In The Gym Are Whack! Here are some fitness tips.

Ever been in the gym and see people on their phones more than they are actually exercising? This post will give you a couple exercise tips as well as fitness tips that you can give people on their phones.

                                © Licensed Under Creative Commons : Fox 2010.

A good gym workout and having a little bit of fitness tips can make you an expert in the gym and will show results. An exercise tip that would be helpful to most would be to do exercise that you enjoy doing. If you don’t enjoy the things you do at the gym, minimal effort will be put in and results will not be seen. Secondly, exercise with a friend. Having good gym workouts and a partner that can motivate you will boost your stamina and give you more energy and motivation to do your workout. Lastly, an exercise tip that will keep you working at the gym, keep your phone in your locker or pocket and dedicate time to exercise!

Should I Bench Press All The Way To My Chest?

Everyone always wonders what the most correct bench form is and if proper lifting will increase gains in muscle and body mass. The bench press is one of the most popular machines and most used machines in the gym and also in professional sports.

                               © Licensed Under Creative Commons: Andrew Blight 2010. 

 Now the question is asked, should I bench press all the way to my chest? The proper bench form is to bring the bar all the way to your chest and push it back up. This is the proper form because touching your chest tenses your pectorals and will tear the muscle fibre which is what we need for growth. A substitute for a bench press would be the free weight dumbbell chest presses but they are not as efficient as the bench press. Proper bench form will lead to mass chest muscle growth and will develop with you as you train so having good form will become a habit in your days of chest workouts. To conclude, if you are on the bench press and the bar doesn’t hit your chest then it doesn’t count. Period.

What Is The Best Equipment To Burn Fat?

What’s the best workout equipment used to burn fat?

 Have you ever wondered what different exercise equipment and fitness equipment are necessary for burning body fat? Well you’re at the right place to know.

                                © Licensed Under Creative Commons : Fitness Gym 2013.

 The best way to burn body fat and not only through hard work but also with the help of workout equipment. Proper form and correct use of fitness equipment will ensure that body fat is burned and is gone for good. Having proper exercise equipment is very helpful but also a balanced diet and dedication is the second part.

1.    Eating smaller meals but many of them a day can keep your metabolism running instead of having 1 or 2 huge meals throughout the day.

2.    Eating lean protein such as meats, peanuts, legumes and such things can help your muscles stay toned and keep yourself in shape!

3.    Honest Cheating. Working your body for weeks and days can be stressful and cause a lot of pain in the body so put some times during the weeks for a cheat day.

Curls Are for Girls, Tri’s Are For Guys – Should I be lifting weights for the girls?

            The first time I heard the phrase “curls are for girls, tri’s are for guys” was when I first started lifting weights.  A buddy of mine told me that biceps only make of a quarter of your arm, while triceps make the rest. 

 

           When I first started lifting weights, I would always prioritize my biceps over my triceps.  Oh what a mistake.  Having biceps looks nice but its nothing compared to having huge defined triceps.  Well… I still don’t have those triceps but now I at least understand how people end up with huge arms.  Using weight lifting techniques such as free weights and machines, try and concentrate on those triceps.  As your triceps grow so will your arm.  All girls like nice biceps, but all guys really want huge triceps.

  

 Do you guys do weight lifting for the girls?

                                                                                                        ©Licensed under Creative Commons: ~ggvic~ (2009)

Top Mistakes Made In The Gym – Listen to our fitness tips and do things the right way

        Have you ever gone to the gym and seen people work out and say to yourself “This kid knows nothing, why does he even bother?”  Unfortunately, most people don’t know the fundamentals of working out and struggle to grasp the basics because they were never informed.  That’s why we’re here.  We want to provide fitness tips, gym workouts, and a good understanding of fitness equipment so everyone can have a good time.

Here is a list of the top 10 mistakes made in the gym in my opinion.

                                                                                               

1)     Ass-to-grass squats – Go all the way down!

2)     Don’t curl everyday – You don’t need to workout your biceps 5 times a week.

3)     Just cardio – Cardio is great, but lifting weights burns a ton of calories as well.

4)     Cell phones – You come to the gym to workout. Not socialize.

5)     Tight shirts – Don’t wear tight shirts if you’re too skinny or too large.  It just looks dumb.

6)     No spotter – We don’t want to see anyone die in the gym.

7)     Flexing in the mirror – You can do that at home son.

8)     Wipe your equipment – This could be exercise tip #1.  Very important.

9)     Put away your equipment – It makes life easier on all of us.

10) Wash your clothes – No one wants to smell your sweat.

                                                                What’s your top 10?         

                ©Licensed under Creative Commons: Pete Bellis (2009)

                                                                        

What About Laundry? – Smelly workout clothes or Freshly washed fitness clothing?

The gym is filled with different kinds of people, with different attitudes about everything, so todays topic stems from the ever lasting argruement, should you wash your sports  clothing everyday? Once per week? Or what?

Personally I like to wash my gym clothes every 2-3 days, only because I wear different stuff each time I go, I have about 2-3 outfits I wear consistantly to the gym. What we want to find out today is what is the consensus amount that an individual should be washing there workout clothes? I have had this discussion with many people prior to posting this and some say once per week is fine, while others claim that this isn’t your highschool gym class anymore and people should not have to smell you from across the gym! While I was one of those kids in highschool who only washed his gym clothes every now and then I would have to agree that smelling someone from across the gym is not something I look forward to when going to the gym! But I am also not someone to mess with a persons workouts.. if you are increasing your weights because you believe that dirty gym shirt is the reason then power to you, continue to smell up the gym!

When do you wash your fitness clothing? How often should people in your opinion? And if you are brave enough, fess up to being one of those people who doesn’t wash them often and let us know why?!

Form in the gym is lacking!!! Lifting Weights Is Easier With Proper Form!!

The best thing you can do while weight lifting is perfect your form, the worst thing you can do is have bad form, allowing yourself to lift weights with bad form will not only not allow you to lift as heavy but there are also serious injury risks associated with bad from!

© Licensed Under Creative Commons: Brett Jordan (2011)

When thinking about starting out in the gym there are many things to take into account, the most important of those things is the form/ technique you use while lifting weights. One thing people always seem to do wrong, and I see it in the gym all the time is the squat, Proper form squats are an amazing asset to have in your workout regime and should be taken seriously. I was in the gym the other day and noticed someone doing squats but doing them completely wrong, they were leaning too far forward, they were up on there toes and last but not least only going about a quarter way deep into there squat, needless to say this will lead to extreme injuries in the future when getting into heavier weights! You should be properly aligned, the bar coming down in a straight line, weight back on your heels and getting full depth in your squat (hamstring covering your calf). Proper form is not to be joked about, if you are serious about taking your training to the next level make sure you spend the time to research proper form squats and exercises, and hey if you are at the gym don’t be afraid to ask someone! All us gym rats love to talk about exercise!

Do you have a story of someone doing an exercise with bad from? Did you chime in and help of just watch? We want to hear your stories!!!

Old fitness equipment and an out dated gym.. THE WORST!

I once walked into this gym, it looked fantastic from the outside, banners, advertisments I really thought it was going to be a fantastic setup inside with nice exercise equipement… Boy was I wrong!

This gym had advertisments of new equipment, fit trainers and all things needed to look great from the outside, but as soon as I stepped foot into the building I was shocked. Old looking exercise equipment, there was no upbeat music, and the interior design was completely bland with no vibrant colours or anything, Needless to say it wasn’t a place you could get pumped up to workout in. The worst I found of all of these

things was that the fitness equipment was from the 80’s, stuff that I have not even seen before (that’s how out dated it was) the elitpicals and treadmills were basically falling apart. The reason I write this review is to get everyone to understand that they need to go check out a gym before signing up for a membership, make sure you know what you are in for. Thankfully I only went with my buddy for a free session, but I do feel bad that he has to workout there all the time! Ill stick to my upsclae gyms for now and continue to go beast mode at the gym!

Is you gym old and raggity? Equipment falling apart? Let us know how you would want to improve this or what your gym says about it when asked!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 © Licensed Under Creative Commons: Shankar s. (2005)

My Favourite Apparel – Sports Clothing

My personal preference when looking at clothes for the gym is sports clothing, this is probably because I grew up playing sports and wearing this type of clothing, its something im comfortable in and can get a great workout wearing!

                                             © Licensed Under Creative Commons: CherryPoint (2012)

I played football for a really long time, so naturally I like wearing things in the gym that I would wear when practicing or playing football and other workout clothes, such as a well fitting sleeveless shirt, basket ball or workout shorts and as always a good pair of gym shoes! Now like in our previous posts I don’t wear anything too tight ( not very appealing!) or to baggy but a well fitted shirt that allows me to do all the movements I need while keeping safety a priority. Going into the lower attire, im not very big on wearing pants in the gym I believe that shorts are the way to go they allow more movement and you don’t get as hot! Basketball shorts are not extremely baggy nor are they compression shorts, so they work best for me. Last but not least, Shoes! Personally I love shoes and even in the gym I want to have nice shoes, you would be shocked how much a good shoe can help you in certain weight lifting exercises! Try to shoot for something that will allow you to run freely (light) and also something with a hard heel for pushing through a squat!. Here are some examples of what I would wear and what you should try, http://www.underarmour.com/shop/ca/en/mens/new-arrivals

Do you wear the same attire as me? Or something completely different? Let us know what works for you and why you decide to go this route instead of the more conventional sports attire!

Is re-racking my weights after use considered good etiquette? WELL DUH!!

When lifting weights you have to pick them up off the racks and perform your sets right? SO WHAT IS STOPPING YOU FROM PUTTING THEM BACK! Etiqutte and manners aside, If you can lift them off, you can put them back!

You gotta hate it when you go into the gym and the weights are scattered around the gym, I don’t want to go searching for the weights I need, they should be back in the place from which they were taken!. Just because you are at the gym that doesn’t mean you lose all regard for other people, you should still be considerate and use good etiquette in the gym. If you are capable of unracking 100 pound dumbbells and hammering out 3 sets of 10 reps, you are more than capable of lifting them  one more time back onto the rack for the next user! To answer your question, Yes re-racking your weights is considered good ettiquette and manners and should be done by every gym goer!.

Do you hate when the gym is messy and weights are scattered? Let us know how your gym measures up in the cleanliness department!

                                                           © Licensed Under Creative Commons: jerryonlife (2009)

Top 3 Exercises for lifting weights! – Get You To Your Goals!

       Want to get big like those guys on the covers of magazines or look like the models on the covers? Here is a tip, try exercising with weights to get you there! These 3 weight lifting exercises will get you one step closer to your goal!

Everyone wants to be fit and look great, these weight lifting exercises are the top 3 exercises you should incorporate into your routine to build lean mass and get that look you have wanted for so long!

1. Squat – The squat is a great movement which primarily works your quadriceps and posterior chain (hamstrings and glutes) since your legs take up half of your body they are key in developing lean mass and acheieving that chizzeled look!

© Licensed Under Creative Commons: Official US Navy Page (2010)

2. Bench Press – The bench press is a great compound movement which works your chest and triceps mostly, those guys on the covers of magazines with the massive chests and cut arms.. ya they bench press!

3. The last exercise with weights we only recommend if you have been going to the gym for a while and this exercise is the Power Clean. A little more complex than the other 2 because it involves a series of movements, but this exercise is bound to take your physique to the next level!

Are these exercises in your routine? Are you stuck at a plateau? Let us know what your program looks like and we will give you suggestions to take your training to the next level! Stay tuned, more posts coming soon!

Top Local Exercise Clubs in Mississauga!

          Do you ever stop to think about what the top exercise clubs are in the city of Mississauga? Here you will find a list of the top 3 for visited exercise clubs, followed by a few gym exercises and fitness center equipment.

While signing up for a gym membership, people want to know what sort of good clubs there are, what gym exercises you can do and what different fitness equipment the clubs have. As for the top exercise clubs in Mississauga, it would be Goodlife Fitness, Lifetime Athletic and LA Fitness. 

These 3 clubs have solidified themselves as the top gyms in the city and are most popular among young adults and middle aged people. In fact, Goodlife Fitness has now shown us that 1 in every 39 Canadians is a Goodlife member now. These 3 exercise clubs are the biggest in the city and are well known throughout most of society!

                                        ©Licensed Under Creative Commons: Paul Hamilton 2011.

So when looking for a gym to join check out these! keep in mind that each person will have different things that influence them! Let us know what you think of your gym and where it ranks in Canada!! 

Are Yoga Pants The Best Invention Ever? – The best ladies sportswear

         I ain’t no pig or anything but women have a huge selection of attractive sports clothing and it’s tough for most guys at the gym not to notice.

         As most guys would agree, yoga pants could just be the best invention ever and I feel like that would complete this entire blog post.   But since I’m already typing this out, I might as well say why they are the best ladies sportswear.  If you ask any girl who wears yoga pants, almost every one of them say it’s the most comfortable thing ever.  According to them it’s also very flexible and easy to workout in. Sort of like the Underarmor brand of sports clothing.  Now why do guys like them? Do I really need to divulge into this?

To all you ladies out there, what are YOUR favorite workout clothes?

©Licensed under Creative Commons: midwestnerd (2012)

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Top 3 Worst Gym Outfits Ever! – Workout Clothes You Shouldn’t Wear!

Ever wonder what your workout clothes look like during a workout? Here are 3 examples of sports clothing you should never wear while working out at the gym!

While working out everyone likes to think they look fit, and can pull off everything that they are wearing… but what about those once in a while people who just wear something outrageous!!... Here are the top 3 examples of fitness clothing that should not be worn!

       1.    Thigh High spandex shorts with an equally tight sleeveless spandex shirt. Things of this nature should only be worn   

if you are living in California, and going to Golds Gym in

the 80’s. Prime example of people who wear this. < - - - 

2.       All kidding aside, as tight clothing is actually better to

wear in the gym, our next example is extremely baggy clothing! Not only is baggy clothing a safety hazard in the

gym but it also decreases motivation, wear something

that properly fits you and makes you look and feel good!

      3.     Last but not least you should never wear old raggity running shoes in the gym! Shoes can make all the difference and should be taken seriously, a new pair of gym shoes might just change the way you workout forever!

©Licensed Under Creative Commons: Cam Switzer (2010)

What kind of workout clothes do you wear in the gym? Does it follow Gym Do’s and Don’ts guide lines? Let us know!