24-Hour Fitness: Irvine Marketplace Super Sport

Can You Lose Weight With a Tricycle?

Adult tricycles make the case for having fun while losing weight. Getting trim doesn't have to involve sweating it out in an exercise class or struggling through an hour on the treadmill. Any movement -- including pedaling a trike -- that gets your heart beating faster will burn the calories. So if you're wondering whether you can lose weight by riding a tricycle, the answer is definitely "yes."

Types of Trikes
Adult tricycles resemble a standard diamond-frame bicycle, except that there are two wheels at the back instead of one. Tricycles also come in the recumbent style where the rider is placed in a seat with a back, leaning slightly backward. With this type, there may be two wheels either at the front or back of the cycle. According to a study by the University of Michigan, upright models may require a greater range of motion than the recumbent styles, resulting in more calories burned -- though both types will help you burn calories.

Calories and Weight Loss
Losing weight is all about creating a calorie deficit. If you want to lose 1 pound of fat, you have to create a deficit of 3,500 calories. While most types of cycling burn fewer calories than exercises like running or climbing stairs, cycling does burn more than other low-impact exercises such as walking. While it's difficult to estimate the exact number of calories you'll burn, according to MayoClinic.com, a 160-pound person will burn about 292 calories cycling at a leisurely 10-mile-per-hour pace; a 200-pound person will burn an average of 364 calories during that same amount of time.

Benefits of Triking
If you're planning to start a routine that will help you lose weight, triking may be preferable for a number of reasons. If you have balance issues, riding an upright or recumbent trike can help you stay more stable -- though keep in mind that turning is slightly more challenging than you might think. If you're overweight or have joint issues, the recumbent trike may also be preferable, since it won't force you to place your weight on your wrists. You'll also be in a more relaxed seated position which can make it more comfortable to cover long distances.

Diet Vs. Exercise
Let's say you decide to ride your trike for about 1 hour, four days a week. For a 160-pound person, that will burn about 1,168 calories per week, which equates to a weight loss of about 1 pound in three weeks. To boost fat loss, trim the number of calories you're consuming on a daily basis. If you cut another 250 calories from your diet every day, you'll have a 1,750 calorie deficit every week; along with your trike riding, this may help you lose 1 pound about every week. Limiting calories may not be as hard as it seems. Consider that a lager beer contains about 220 calories, and a scone contains about 225 calories. With that in mind, simply cutting out some of the "extras" you're eating is a good place to start.

Running Strategies for Quick Weight Loss

To lose weight running, you must burn more calories daily than you take in. Although quick weight loss seems appealing, losing up to 2 pounds weekly will help ensure you keep the weight off long term, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Running regularly can help you lose about 2 pounds per week, especially when you control your calorie intake.

Run Regularly
Run, or substitute other forms of cardiovascular exercise for running, most days of the week to keep your calorie expenditure high. “The Ochsner Journal” suggests working out 45 to 60 minutes, five to seven days weekly to successfully lose weight. Keep a running journal to ensure you exercise at least 250 minutes weekly, which is the duration recommended for weight loss by authors of the 2009 review in “The Ochsner Journal.”

Track Calories Burned
You can lose 2 pounds weekly by burning 1,000 calories more than you eat daily. According to Harvard Health Publications, a 155-pound adult burns 596 calories running 5 mph for one hour, 744 calories running 6 mph for an hour and 818 calories per hour running 6.7 mph. To estimate your individualized running calorie expenditure based on your body weight, use a running calorie calculator, such as the one provided by the American Council on Exercise.

Interval Train
Incorporating interval training into your weight-loss running regimen will amplify weight loss, note authors of a review published in 2012 in the "Australian Family Physician." Authors of this review suggest working out in intervals of high intensities -- for at least 30 seconds -- followed by lower-intensity recovery periods lasting one to five minutes. Interval training also reduces total and abdominal body fat, according to a 2012 study in the "Journal of Obesity."

Cross Train
If you use running as your only means of exercise for weight loss, you’ll likely burn out quickly. Running every day increases your risk for injury and muscle fatigue, which can decrease running performance and increase your perceived effort during runs, notes the American Council on Exercise. Try changing up your weight-loss exercise routine by working in some other forms of cardiovascular exercise between running days. Examples include biking, walking, swimming, rowing and using an elliptical machine.

Control Calorie Intake
If you’re unable to burn 1,000 calories daily running, try reducing your calorie intake in addition to increasing your calorie expenditure to lose 2 pounds weekly. For example, if you burn 500 calories running, reduce your food intake by 500 calories as well to create a 1,000-calorie deficit. Reduce – or eliminate – added sugars, refined grains, high-fat meats, full-fat dairy foods, sugary drinks and foods rich in trans fats, such as margarine, shortening, fried foods and commercial baked goods.

HIIT Exercises

Go to the gym, and look around. Chances are you'll see rows and rows of sweaty men and women trudging away on treadmills for 30 minutes to an hour. They aren't happy -- they're tired, and they're bored. They aren't getting the results they used to, but they have no idea how to course-correct. This is where high-intensity interval training comes to the rescue.

Slow and Steady Does Not Win The Race
HIIT differs from jogging and other forms of steady-state cardio in several ways. It requires bursts of maximum effort followed by rest periods, as opposed to sustained moderate levels of exertion. Additionally, HIIT improves both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, while steady-state cardio only improves aerobic fitness. By implementing HIIT you will burn fat while maintaining muscle.

Beginner Routine
If you find the idea of HIIT intimidating, fear not. Developed by Jamie Timmons, professor of aging biology at Birmingham University, this beginner program will give you the benefits of HIIT while maintaining control over the environment. Hop on an exercise bike, and peddle for two minutes at a slow pace, then give it your all for 20 seconds. Repeat this pattern two more times. Perform this program three times a week. Use the program for four to six weeks, and then decide if you're ready for a tougher challenge.

Push Yourself
If you're ready for more advanced work, follow this rule of thumb: Whatever the work period is, double the rest period. For example, the American Council on Exercise recommends a HIIT program consisting of four work intervals consisting of one minute each. Between each work interval, you'll perform an active rest interval of low- to moderate-intensity for two-minute durations. This is sandwiched between a warm-up and cool down that are both five minutes long. Notice the total work time is only four minutes. HIIT routines are extremely efficient, but if you're looking to increase the challenge, ACE also recommends working up to eight to 10 intervals in total.

Contraindications and Further Progressions
If you're sedentary or your physician has voiced concerns over your ability to exercise at high intensities, it's best to start with the beginner option. You don't need to perform the intervals on a bike; ellipticals, rowing machines and treadmills are acceptable substitutions, especially if you have any injury irritated by biking. On the other hand, the ACE workout loses its luster when you continue to increase the challenge using the aforementioned rule of thumb. It's unlikely though you'll want to increase the work intervals beyond the three-minute marker. Alternatively, you can increase the number of intervals. ACE recommends working up to eight to 10 intervals in total. Keep a water bottle close by to stay hydrated.

Exercise for Inner Thighs While Sitting Down

A common trouble spot, your inner-thigh muscles can be difficult to target and slim down through standard exercises. While you can target your inner-thigh muscles through exercise, how much you can change your thigh size depends on a range of other factors, including diet and genetics; your thighs may simply be larger because you inherited them. You also cannot spot reduce any one area. In order to lose weight in your inner thighs, you need to lose weight overall, although inner-thigh exercises can tone your muscles, giving your legs a firmer appearance.

Inner-Thigh Muscles
Your inner-thigh muscles are also known as your adductor and gracilis muscles. Working in tandem with your hip flexors, your pectineus muscles, your inner-thigh muscles help rotate, extend and bend your legs, as well as providing general stability to your lower body. Through a mix of lower-body endurance cardio — such as distance running — and resistance exercise, you can work your inner-thigh muscles, building leaner muscle that gives you a more slender appearance.

Crossed-Leg Leg Raise
The leg raise is a bodyweight-only exercise that can be done almost anywhere — including the office — where you can do it discreetly under your desk. Extending both legs, cross your right leg over your left, bending your knee so your right ankle sits on your left shin. Engaging your abs and bracing yourself in your chair, engage your inner-thigh muscles, keeping your leg bent, and raising your left leg as high as possible. Hold for eight seconds before lowering. Repeat 10 times per side for two sets.

Stabilty Ball Squeeze
The stability ball squeeze can be done with a stability ball or, if you don’t have access to one, a sweater or a folded towel. Sitting at the edge of your chair, place the ball/sweater/towel between your knees. Squeeze both knees together, pushing as hard as you can, while keeping your back straight. Hold for 10 seconds before relaxing your legs. Repeat 10 times for three sets.

Hip-Adduction Machine
A variation on the stability ball squeeze, the hip-adduction machine can be found in many gyms. Using weight plates, this exercise works your inner-thigh muscles harder than the bodyweight exercises. Sit with your back against the seat rest and move the center knee pads out to the side as far as you can while still being able to place your legs around the outside. Place your legs on the outside of the knee pads, so the padded area rests against your inner knee. Hold onto the two arm levers and engage your abdominals as you bring your knees slowly together, until the pads are almost as close as they can get. Slowly open your legs back up, stopping when the weighted plates are almost touching. Repeat 10 times for three sets.

The Best Activities to Avoid Weight Gain

There are many activities that can help you avoid weight gain. It is important to differentiate between different kinds of body weight. Gaining a little muscle mass is generally considered to be healthy. In fact, according to Dr. Mehmet Oz, gaining muscle speeds up your metabolism, enhances immunity, and protects your body against frailty. On the other hand, gaining excess body fat threatens your overall health and may make you more susceptible to heart disease, diabetes, and premature death. Some of the best activities to avoid gaining body fat are resistance training, cardiovascular exercise, outdoor activities, and walking.

Resistance Training
According to “Xtreme Lean” authors Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman, resistance training is one of the best ways to burn body fat, thus avoiding weight gain. Resistance training speeds up metabolism for more calorie burning. It also increases the body’s production of potent fat-burning hormones like HGH (human growth hormone). You may gain a little bit of lean muscle from resistance training. However, this further boosts fat-burning because muscle tissue is metabolically active, meaning that it burns calories even at rest. To avoid gaining muscle weight, simply use power or endurance-oriented training rather than training specifically for muscle growth.

Cardiovascular Exercise
When people think about cardiovascular exercise they typically imagine countless hours on a treadmill, exercise bike, or elliptical machine. Maybe you think you need to become a marathon runner or go jogging several times a week to avoid gaining weight. This could not be further from the truth. One great way to add cardiovascular exercise to your schedule is to do what “Metabolic Surge” author Nick Nilsson calls in-set cardio. Basically, you add short bursts of cardio between each resistance training set. For example, 30 to 60 seconds of bench steps-ups, jumping jacks, walking lunges, or jumping rope.

Outdoor Activities
For those who enjoy walking or running, get out and do it. Never before has there been such a wealth of information and opportunity for people who are interested in marathons, triathlons, and other competitive pursuits that help to keep you fit. There is no need to be locked up in some commercial gym to get a workout. Swimming, biking, hiking, rock climbing and recreational sports are also great ways to avoid weight gain without becoming a “gym rat." You can make your exercise fun by choosing activities that you enjoy and sharing them with family and friends.

Walking
Simply walking a few times a week is a great way to get out in your community and burn some extra calories. Unlike more intense options, walking is an activity that you can sustain throughout your life, regardless of your age or athletic ability. You can take three 30 to 60-minute walks per week or more frequent, shorter duration treks, depending on your unique schedule and time constraints. If you need more of a challenge, follow Tim Ferriss’s advice: Set an alarm for 15 or 20 minutes and walk as far as you can, as fast as possible. When the alarm goes off, turn around and go home. You can even challenge yourself to walk further in less time on the next round.

Pilates Standing Exercises

Most Pilates standing exercises have been adapted from matwork exercises, allowing you to use your body weight as a source of resistance. If you’re hoping to make certain daily tasks a little easier to perform, or would like to improve your balance, consider adding standing exercises to your Pilates routine.

Standing Rolls
Stand straight with your feet planted approximately hip-width apart to begin Standing Rolls. Pretend that your back is pressed against a wall and roll forward one vertebra at a time, like you’re going to touch your toes without your legs losing contact with the imaginary wall. You should feel your hamstrings stretch. As you roll back upwards, keep your core tight and move slowly. Repeat a few more times. This move helps to create a better sense of balance, since your core must be engaged in order to roll forward slowly.

Standing Lunge
For the Standing Lunge, hold light weights in both hands with your arms at your sides and your palms facing away from your body. Step forward, right foot first, and bend your knee so that your right thigh is parallel to the floor and your left leg is extended and bent slightly at the knee toward the floor behind you. When going back to a standing position, focus on using your left glute until you’ve returned to the initial stance. Repeat the move for the other leg. The hand weights will help to create resistance. This exercise will help to strengthen and tone glutes, quads and calves.

Side Plie
The Side Plie Pilates move will help to tighten your core. While in a standing position, move your feet just beyond shoulder-width and stretch your arms out to either side of you so they form a straight line with your shoulders. Turn your right foot so that it is pointing 45 degrees away from its original position and lift your left leg for as long as you can. Switch leg positions and repeat.

Toe Lifts
Because of restrictive footwear, most people will lose flexibility in their feet, causing instability while walking. By doing toe lifts, you can improve each foot’s strength. While standing straight, lean slightly so your weight is supported by your heels. Lift your toes and tap them together to perform one set and repeat until fatigue.

The Calories Burned With 55 Minutes of Low-Impact Aerobics

Fifty-five minutes of low-impact aerobics can help you reach your calorie-burning goals. Many types of aerobic activities are considered low-impact, including walking, dancing and step aerobics. Your calories burned depends on the activity, your body weight and, of course, the amount of energy you put into the workout.

Reduce the Impact
The easiest way to define a low-impact aerobic exercise is to say it is an activity that is rhythmic, continuous, uses your arms and legs, and always has one foot in contact with the floor. In other words, you never have both feet off the ground, even for a second as you do when running, which is a high-impact exercise. Aerobic exercises improve your heart-health, while burning calories to fuel your workouts. You burn a higher number of calories when you use more muscle groups. For example, use your arms when dancing or walking to increase the calorie-burning benefits. Or, vary your intensity. For example, walk fast and then slow your pace before you walk fast again. These various intervals increase the number of calories burned.

Dancin' Machine
One of the most common types of low-impact aerobics is a group exercise class. Also known as aerobic dance, group exercise classes that are labeled low-impact, use dance-based movements to burn calories. According to Harvard Health Publications, a 125-pound person burns approximately 302.5 calories during 55 minutes of low-impact aerobic dance. The more you weigh, the more calories you burn. For example, a 155- and 185-pound person burns 374 or 445.5 calories during 55 minutes of low-impact aerobic dance.

Step it Up
Low-impact aerobics performed on an aerobic step burns a slightly higher number of calories than aerobic dance performed on the floor. The aerobic step increases the intensity of the workout, but one foot remains on the floor when you keep the exercise low-impact. Harvard Health reports that for 55 minutes of low-impact step aerobics, those who weigh 125, or 155, or 185 pounds burn approximately 385, 473 or 572 respectively.

Walk About
Walking is another way to perform low-impact aerobics and burn calories. The faster you walk, the more calories you burn. However, keep your pace at a level that always keeps one foot in contact with the ground. A 125-pound person burns approximately 220 calories walking at 3.5 mph for 55 minutes, or 275 walking at 4.5 mph. A 155-pound person walking at 3.5 mph burns approximately 273 calories or 341 calories walking at 4.5 mph. And a 185-pound person burns approximately 326 calories at a 3.5 mph pace, and 499 at a 4.5 mph pace.

Upper Body Super Set Workout

Supersets are an advanced training method that help increase the intensity of your workout. According to fitness trainer Cory Gregory writing for Schwarzenegger.com, upper body supersets pairing his chest and upper back, helped Arnold Schwarzenegger build his impressive physique. But supersets are not the preserve of bodybuilders. You can use upper body supersets to improve your muscle tone, and increase muscle endurance.

Superset Theories
A superset is when you perform two back-to-back exercises with no rest between sets except the time it takes to move between stations or exercises. You can perform three types of supersets. Antagonist supersets involve pairing opposing or antagonist muscles. Agonist supersets involve working the same muscle group. Pre-exhaust supersets involve targeting the same muscle group with an isolation exercise followed immediately by a compound exercise.

Taking a Leaf from the Governator
Increase your upper body strength with antagonist supersets of two compound exercises pairing your upper back and your chest. Pair barbell bench presses with pull-ups. Start with a warm-up superset of 12 reps on the bench press with a comfortable weight followed by 10 pull-ups. Then do three working supersets. Use a weight on the bench press that allows you to do 10 to 12 reps followed by six to 10 pull-ups. Hang a weight on a dipping belt or have a training buddy place a dumbbell between your crossed ankles to increase your resistance. Rest about two minutes between supersets.

Going Beyond Exhaustion
Hit your shoulders with pre-exhaust supersets. Isolate and work your medial deltoids with dumbbell lateral raises, then do dumbbell shoulder presses. The dumbbell shoulder press is a compound exercise that targets your medial and anterior deltoids with a secondary effect on your triceps. Your exhausted medial deltoids kick in to help you complete the dumbbell press assisted by the latter two muscles. Do three supersets of 10 to 12 reps per exercise.

Working Those Guns
Finish your workout with supersets pairing the opposing muscles of your triceps and biceps. Combine lying triceps extensions, also called skull crushers, with barbell curls for your biceps. Using a comfortable weight, do a warm-up superset of 12 to 15 reps of each exercise. Perform three working supersets with a weight that allows you to do 10 to 12 reps per exercise. The last two reps should require some effort. You should feel your arms burning after you complete your three supersets.

What Are Corkscrew Exercises?

Corkscrew exercises focus on your core muscles, using a twisting motion to stretch, build and tone muscle. Corkscrew exercises can be done lying down or standing up, using dumbbells or bodyweight only. The combination of simultaneous stretching and toning helps provide extra suppleness to your muscles, as well as elongating muscles and encouraging them to relax. Because you may not be used to stretching and working your muscles at the same time, take a break from corkscrew exercises if you feel any pain during these exercises.

Corkscrew -- The Basics
This basic corkscrew uses a chair or table to keep your upper body stable. Lying on your back, raise your arms behind you and grasp onto the legs of a chair or table to maintain stability. Keeping your legs together, raise your feet to the ceiling, forming a 90-degree angle between your torso and your legs. Lift your hips off of the ground, and turn your legs to the right, going as far as they can before slowly turning them to the left. Repeat the full exercise 10 times.

Corkscrew, Pilates-Style
The Pilates corkscrew is a beginner level exercise in Pilates that stretches out your lower back muscles while building core strength. Lying on your back with your legs together and your arms at your side, inhale as you raise your feet towards the ceiling, keeping your legs straight and together. Breathing out, lean your legs to the left while keeping your back and lower back on the floor. Breathe in as you tilt your legs forward, creating a 45-degree angle between your legs and your torso. Breathe out as you tile your legs to the right, keeping your legs together and your back on the floor. Repeat all three movements five to 10 times.

Perfect Pairing: Corkscrew Pushup
The corkscrew pushup works your core muscles as well as your upper and lower body regions, making it an intense exercise that also elongates your abdominal muscles while providing all-over tone. Start in a push-up position, with your torso straight, your legs together and your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor. Bring your feet forward until your knees form a 90-degree angle. You hips will be higher than your head. Pushing up slightly, turn your body to the right, lowering your left side and bending at your elbows, but keeping your hands firmly on the ground. Hold for three counts before turning your body to the left, lowering your right side. Return to starting position and repeat 10 times for one to three sets.

Another Variation
A corkscrew can also be done in a standing position. Also known as the Russian twist, you start off with both arms extended in front of you. If you like, you can hold a dumbbell or medicine ball with both hands, although the exercise can also be done with bodyweight only. Pivoting on your right foot, keep your arms fully extended while twisting your body and torso to the left. Change direction to complete one repetition. Repeat 10 to 12 times for one to three sets.

Long Cycle Jerk Training for Kettlebell Competitions

The kettlebell long cycle is one of the exercises contested in kettlebell competitions. Competitors can either choose to compete in this, or the biathlon, which consists of jerks and snatches. During competition, you have 10 minutes to perform as many long cycles as possible without putting the bells down. Due to the highly demanding nature of the event, you can't just roll up on the day and have a go -- you need a specialized, structured routine.

Ground Rules
The long cycle is composed of two separate moves -- the clean and the push jerk. Men compete using two bells, while women typically sling just one. The move starts with a clean, where you swing one or both kettlebells back through your legs, then push your hips forward quickly to generate momentum to bring the bells up to your shoulders in the rack position. From here, the International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation rules state that there must be a distinguishable pause before you go into the jerk. Jerking involves pushing the bells straight above your head until your arms are locked. You can use leg drive to help you, but on the descent you must hit the rack position again, rather than dropping the kettlebells all the way down. You score one point for each successful lift.

Teaching the Technique
Breaking the move down into three parts may help, notes RKC instructor Chris Rubio. Perform two sets of eight to 10 cleans at the start of every workout and remember to look forward, flare your elbows out slightly, snap your hips and let out a little air to absorb the force from the bells in the rack position on every rep, advises Rubio. The rack position is where you can rest during competitions, so make sure you have a comfortable position that you can sustain for some time. You're not allowed to press the kettlebells up, so make sure your knees and arms move in tandem during the jerk. Once you have each individual section perfected, start putting the move together.

You're on the Clock
A beginner shouldn't attempt anywhere near 10 minutes straight on the long cycle and even an intermediate kettlebell trainee may want to start with a shorter timeframe. Stick to straight sets and reps first, by performing three sets of 10 reps three times per week and gradually add more sets and reps until you're up to five sets of 15. Once you're here, try as many reps as possible in three minutes and progress to five, eight and finally 10 minutes.

Cleaning Up Your Routine
Practicing the long cycle and building up your endurance in the lift is crucial, but other exercises and modes of training will help too. Kettlebell world record holder Ken Blackburn, owner of Extreme Athletic Training, recommends mixing up longer timed sets with shorter timed sets to improve your speed, as well as explosive moves to build power and other forms of conditioning for general fitness. A sample long cycle-focused workout could start with three sets of five on jump squats or heavy swings, then a couple of sets of cleans, before moving on to your timed long cycle. Rest for five minutes, then perform three sets of eight to 12 reps on accessory moves, such as snatches, high pulls, goblet squats, windmills and push presses.