Squatting Barefoot?

The other day I was in the gym, It didn't happen to be my leg day but I saw an older guy who was squatting and he was doing it barefoot. My immediate thought was that's disgusting do you know how much sweat is on that floor!!! Once my moment of disgust passed I wondered why is he squatting barefoot? I came home and did some googling and found a few discussions boards on the topic. 

From the discussion boards I found that alot of bodybuilders like the barefoot because it helps their stability and balance which I guess I could understand how being more grounded could help with your balance. I also found that some people found the barefoot at the gym just as gross as me and some of them would squat in socks rather than barefoot, which is better hygiene wise for sure. 

While I did find many supporters of the barefoot their were many people who suggested that if you are going to be lifting frequently go out and buy chuck taylors or lifting shoes because they are worth it. I also found that if you are truly going to be doing alot of lifting then running shoes are an absolute no no. My brother who has been lifting for awhile has shoes made for lifting he hasn't gone the chuck taylor route because he doesn't do any crazy Olympic lifting however he found that nikes that were geared towards lifting worked much better for him in the gym all around compared to his running shoes. 

This is where so research  in to journals comes in. In (THE EFFECTS OF WEIGHTLIFTING SHOES ON SQUAT KINEMATICS  Dave Fortenbaugh1, Kimitake Sato2, and J. Kyle Hitt2) they found that shoes that are made for weight lifting are best to use they help in keeping the best form while squatting.

So what am I to do? I currently have running shoes, why after reading all of this you might ask... personally I spend alot more time doing cardio and hiit intervals then I do squatting and dead lifting (I dead lift like never to rarely). If I ever feel that I am lifting more or doing much more in the weights area of the gym I may splurge on some lifting specific shoes, and I can guarantee you will never see me lifting barefoot, I'm still alittle grossed out to be honest.   

What do you think? Barefoot? Lifting shoes? Running shoes? let me know your opinions in a comment below! 

Stephaniexx

Beginner Treadmill Interval Workout

While some cardio days I like running endurance (even though I'm not great at it) and others I feel like I get a better work out when I am running Intervals. This is my most recent interval work out that I tried and really loved it pushed me and definitely got my heart rate up. However, this is definitely more of a beginners workout because my brother looked at it and told me to increase some things next time but it was a good start so I figured I will build in to it more and more as I go.

Treadmill Interval Workout

1 Minute Walking at 3.8mph

4 Minutes Jogging 6.3mph

1 minute Run 8.0mph

30 sec rest with your feet on the sides of the treadmill

1.5 minute run 8.0mph

30 sec rest 

1 minute Run 8.0mph 

30 sec rest

1 minute run 8.0mph 2.5 incline

1 minute rest
1 minute run 8.0mph 2.5 incline
1 minute rest
1 minute run 8.0 mph 2.5 incline
1 min rest
30 seconds run 8.0 mph 4.0 incline
1 minute rest
2.5 minute jog 6.5mph
1 minute walk 3.8 mph

This was my calorie burn after those first 21 minutes of interval cardio If you are looking for alittle extra burn like I was I finished out my 30 minute treadmill workout with 9 minutes of  walking at 3.8mph and a 10 incline! this really just keeps your heart rate up and finish out the 30 minutes

This was once the whole 30 was done! It was a great workout for me and it kept me going instead of a long endurance run which occasionally I get bored while doing that on a treadmill. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know in a comment below if you try this workout or if you have any other interval workouts for me to try out! 

Stephaniexx

My Favorite Fitness App of the Moment

As someone who is just begining my look in to health and fitness and trying live better by living healthy one thing that I have been doing alot more recently is downloading any and all free fitness apps trying them out seeing what I do and dont like about them. My favorite of these apps at the moment is the bodybuilding.com app, I really like the layout and the accessability of this app not to mention that it is a free app and I can honestly say that I rarely pay for an app I'd rather my money go towards music. 

Any way so In general I love using bodybuilding.com and I am not what I would call a body builder and you dont have to be to use this site there is alot of good information about nutrition and exercise that you can get out of it, I would recomend signing up for an account and even if you dont use it religiously as I do its something to look in to in my opinion it has a wide range of programs and something for basically everyone my entire family has accounts and me and my brother use the app all the time especially at the gym and I will tell you why shortly

This is the main page of the app 

The My bodyspace, stats and goals, workout tracker, friends, and photos are all links to your own profile I like the stats and goals section as well as photos because they go by measurements and pictures rather than the scale because the scale is the enemy when it comes to trying to lose weight and be healthy 

My favorite section of this app is the exercise section 

When you click on exercises the first page you will come to lists different categories of exercises so strength training, plyometrics, ect. I also really like to use the streching section the variety of streches and exercises you get from the tab keep your workout changing and your body guessing so its not getting in to a groove with exercises its getting to experience different things. 

Once you pick a category of exercise it then narrows to the body part you want to target which I find very helpful in figuring out what muscle exactly a exercise is working out so you are not under or over working any particular muscle group

lastly once you pick your muscle then youre given a list of exercises when you pick an exercise you get images of how the exercise is done, a description of how to do it and what its working on, as well as the option to view a video of how to do it

I love this part of the app because It is handy at the gym If I want to try a new exercise or am not sure what to do to work out a specific muscle then I grap my phone bring this up and I am set I know the muscle I am working and I get to see and read the exercises before I do them so I know I am doing them correctly. 

Another part of this app that I love are the forums where both experienced trainers and unexperienced athletes can post as they wish the trainers have great in sight and the athletes are there to ask the questions that maybe you didn't think of but could be alot of help for you and your goals. 

I really hope you enjoyed this outline of my favorite fitness app of the moment and I hope you take advantage of this awesome app. 

Let me know in a comment below what you think of this app? If you use it? If you like a different but similar app better? 

Stephaniexx

Favorite Songs For Different Parts of Your Workout

So yesterday I was at the gym and was thinking about how I like to listen to certain songs for certain parts of my work out. For example I have a specific song I like to listen to when I'm trying to push through my last set of squats or bench press so I thought I would go through my favorite songs for specific parts of your workout 

Working on my muscles as you can see above i am a poor example of biceps

I will list when I like to listen to it then the artist , song, and album hope you enjoy! 

Starting up your Cardio or the Begining of a run

Fall Out Boy - The Pheonix - Save Rock and Roll 

The Downtown Fiction - I Just Wanna Run - Best I Never Had 

When you need that Extra push to get through the rest of cardio 

Fall Out Boy - My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark - Save Rock and Roll 

Zedd - Clarity - Clarity

Linkin Park - Bleed It Out - Minutes to Midnight

Wolfmother - Joker and the Thief - Wolfmother

That Last Set 

Skillet - Hero - Awake 

Miley Cyrus - We Can't Stop - We Can't Stop 

Atreyu - Blow - Lead Snails Paper Anchor 

Plyometrics or A HIIT Interval 

Avicii - Levels - Levels

Cartel - Typical - Cycles 

Cool Down 

One Republic - Counting Stars - Native

Avril Lavigne - Heres to Never Growing Up - Heres to Never Growing Up 

Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines - Blurred LInes 

Hope this was helpful to anyone looking for some new songs for your playlist 

Leave a comment below if you Have a specific Song that you listen to at a certain point in your work out! 

Also be sure to check out my tumblr for my almost daily food and exercise logs! 

Stephaniexx

Squat Challenge

I hope you all had a wonderful monday!! I actually dont mind mondays its back to a schedual and a plan usually by wednesday I am dying for friday lol but for now I'm happy with my mondays. However this post is not about mondays al though today as long as the start to the week is the start to a challenge that I found on tumblr yes I have a tumblr it is pushhardermovefasterbestronger if you want deffinitly go check it out!! Anyway so after my morning workout I was eating breakfast and browsing tumblr and came across this awesome challenge and decided I could use to tighten up my butt up a bit so he goes nothing 

I am sorry for the huge butt picture lol 

I have completed day one of the challenge lets just hope that a few more days in a can actually do a squat lol If you decide to do this challenge with me deffinitly leave a comment below!! 

Stephaniexx

In need of a Gym free workout!

So as you may know if you have seen my recent posts I am graduating this week so I have alot of things going on which also means that I have been eating horidly and have had not much time to get a work out in. So I browsed some fit blogs and came across an awesome workout by sarahfit! Now this is an outdoor workout which I really enjoyed because it has been pretty nice out so I was excited to do a workout outside which didnt require me to get to the gym. Outdoor workout Just click that link and it will bring you to her youtube video! she also has alot of imformative workout videos and such that I would deffinitly recomend checking out too!! This work out is a whole body workout and the only weights you will need is your own body weight, it is 5 sets of 4 different work outs completed in a circuit. 

First is me pre work out then me post work out and finally the time it took me to complete the circuit. If you take on this challege work out be sure to let me know in a comment below as well as your time I cant wait to do this challege agian and try to beat my time!

Stephaniexx

Jillian Michaels!

If you haven't figured out why I was in Connecticut last night yet then you will now! I went to the Jillian Michaels Maximize your Life Tour! It was great she is such an inspirational and motivational speaker and touched on everything from Eating Healthy to Exercise to Improving your Self. Now I do have a minor obsessionwith Jillian I listen to her podcasts have watched every season of biggest loser and just think she is a fantastic role model to so many people, and truelly she has very simple concepts that are just so reasonable for everyone and anyone to follow. So since I am sure many people are not going to get out to be able to go see her I am going to take a few of the things that I learned there and give that information to you. In no way should this replace going to see the show because honestly it was amazing and she is hilarious and I absolutely recomend going to see her live. I also only have like a breif little outline of what I took ut of it and you may take something completely different out of itso GO SEE THE SHOW! its worth it. 

Essentially I am going to just give you guys some of the notes that I took on my phone durring the show (yes I am that neurotic that I took Notes) and then give some comentary on my opinions and such. 

- Read food Labels Carefully ~ When you are look at something that says its healthy really take a look at the label because alot of companies make them to confuse you, check the serving size! 

- Check the Ingredients ~ Ingredients are listed in the order of what is most prevelant in the food, I think it is very important to check Ingredients there are so many artificial dyes and colors and chemicals that are in foods and it is so important for you health not to eat those chemicals 

- "clean 15" ~ essentially these were foods in her presentation that have thicker peels and skins that pesticides have harder times breaking through and getting to your foods so these are foods that if you can't go organic it is not as bad as those with thinnner skin. So sweet potatoes great, mangos great, strawberries go organic :( I know that was rough for me to hear because I LOVE my strawberries and I lack some money in the back pocket lol but it makes sense

- Spend more money on organic meats that organic fruits and veggies ~ now have you ever seen the movie food inc. its pretty gruesome but if you want a reason to buy organic meats check it out 

- Eat 4 meals every 3 to 4 hours~ Now while I am an epic picker lol I think this is a good concept to organize my meals and keep them to eating 4 a day 

- Stop using workout machines~ I LOVE THIS CONCEPT when you sit on a machine and move in one motion constantly maybe that muscle is soar but when youre walking around doing house work are you using one muscle at a time ofcourse not you are using your whole body and thats how you should work out by using your whole body! 

- Train in Circuts ~ this helps to keep your heart rate up and you moving constantly and have one of the exercises in the circuit be a heart rate increaser like jumping jacks or burpees or jup rope or jogging in place

- If you love something do more of it ~ for example I love blogging maybe I don't have thousands of followers or views or make a ton of money but I love doing it I love thinking up different posts and writing down my thoughts and so I am doing more of it!! 

- Gear your environment for Success ~ So in your house remove temptations, pack your gym clothes the night before so they are there and kind of a like hey I have to get my butt to the gym, Pack your lunch the night before so when someone says to you hey want to go get sandwiches no I'm okay I brought my lunch. 

So those are just my quick little notes that I took I would really recomend that every one see the show if they can it was a really great experience and I had a great time! 

Stephaniexx