If you are looking for a way to really challenge yourself physically and push yourself to the limit, then you will want to incorporate plyotmetrics training in your workout routine.  What is Plyometrics?  Plyometrics is jump training…it is used by professional athletes to gain a competitive edge by gain leg strength that helps speed and vertical jumps.

Do not think because you are not a professional athlete that plyometrics cannot apply to you.  Plyometrics can add that missing element to your workout that can help you shed those unwanted pounds.

Here are some plyometric workouts:

The Box Jump – The box jump is simple.  Place a box against a wall for support; standing on the floor with both feet on the ground, perform a vertical jump up onto the box and then jump immediately back to the ground. Do as many as you can.  You can also try doing different size boxes.  You can try to do this as fast as possible, but make sure you remain in control.

Long Jumps – This is also a very simple, but very affective workout.  Start behind a line; squat down and jump forward as far as you possibly can using a double arm swing. Upon landing, immediately jump forward again.  You may need a lot of room to do this workout. If you are limited on space, you can perform 2 jumps, then turn around and do another 2 jumps.

Barrier Lateral Jumps – Stand with the barrier(something you can jump over, like a stair-stepper or a box) to your side; Jump sideways to opposite side of barrier. Upon landing, immediately jump to other side.

You should really start to see some great results by performing these plyometrics exercises.

Joe Asked:

I am currently doing weight training daily, is this okay to do or do I

need to give the muscles a break?

Ask The Fitness Dudes Answer:

Well Joe, it is okay to do weight training everyday as long as you are working out different muscle groups.   It is bad when you are doing upper body workouts everyday, or even full body workouts everyday.  You never want to workout the same muscles everyday.  By alternating muscle groups, you will be allowing your body to recover and build.  I would still allow yourself one day where you do not do any workouts at all.  When you do weightlifting your muscles tear and then when you rest your muscles repair and rebuild.  If you were to workout the same muscles everyday, they would never repair.

It’s weird to me that I have to write about reasons why it is important to stay healthy, but people need to know.  So many people do not take care of their bodies and because of that they are experiencing many health issues.  Issues like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes are infecting people like it is an epidemic, and many people do nothing about it.  We need to understand that our choices are not just affecting our own lives, but they are also affecting friends and family around us.  Especially parents!  The way we live our lives is going to reflect and influence our children’s lives.  If we teach them bad eating habits or teach them no workout habits, it is possible that when they grow up they too will also struggle with obesity, heart disease or diabetes.

Besides family and friends, here are some other reasons to live a healthy lifestyle:

You get one life! - This is not some type of game that you can hit the reset button on and start over.  Your life is valuable, you get one chance to live this life.  When we live unhealthy lives, we not only limit our lifespans but we also limit the fun things we can do in this world.

Save money! – Everyone is trying to save money.  Do you know that you can be saving yourself thousands of dollars if you live a healthy lifestyle.  Being healthy will help you stay out of the hospital, and help you fight off diseases, reduce injuries  that can land you expensive bills.  Plus as you get older, your life insurance will be cheaper too.

Self-confidence – The feeling of looking yourself in the mirror and not liking what you see can be very depressing.  When you start to make healthy choices and begin to look better it can help your self-confidence and help reduce depression.  I know it sounds kind of vain, but it is true.

Strength – Being strong might not appeal to you, but it is absolutely amazing what you can do when you become strong and have stamina.  Getting on a healthy and livable diet and teaming that with a great workout routine, can give you strength and stamina to do thing you were not able to do before.

So those are just a few reasons why it is important for us to live healthy lifestyles.

B. Hampton asked:

Should I do weekly rotations between ChaLean and Insanity? I can’t seem to maintain a straight program of Insanity and thought a rotation would be more helpful rather than no workouts because I’m tired or worn out.

Ask The Fitness Dude’s Answer:

First off, if any of you are not familiar with the ChaLean Extreme Workout or Insanity Workout, they are workout DVDs that can be done in your very own home, for either 60 to 90 days.  Both ChaLean Extreme and the Insanity Workout come with nutrition guides and fitness guides.  To answer Mr. Hampton’s question…Yes, you can do anything you want with these workout DVDs.  If you get bored or if the workouts get repetitious , then it is definitely okay to switch it up.

Just make sure that you are not always working out the same body region.  Another disadvantage is that you will not be able to follow the calendars that the workouts plan out for you.  You will need to make sure that you stay disciplined and keep really good track of where you are at in the workouts.  Both of these workouts are great and different, so they should compliment each other very well.

Than you for your question.

I wanted to take a moment to talk about a new In-home workout routine that is going to come out in the spring; it is Chalean Johnson’s Turbo Fire Workout. I will be doing a review of the Turbo Fire workout, so you definitely want to read it. Chalene Johnson is a pretty popular personal trainer, who has found huge success in the workout DVD world. She has come out with Turbo Jam Maximum results, Turbo Jam Elite, and Chalene Extreme. Her newest workout, Turbo Fire is supposed to be one of her best workout DVD releases yet.

Here is why I like these workout videos…they allow you to workout at your home. It helps you get rid of the unnecessary membership and monthly payment fees at the gym. I am a firm believer that people do not need a gym to stay in shape, or get in shape. With the right motivation you do not have to spend all that money.

So here is a little info on the Turbo Fire Workout:

Turbo Fire is a high intense workout that involves plyometrics (which I am a big fan of) and cardio bursts called “HIITS”, which means High Intensity Interval Training (which I am also a big fan of). The Turbo Fire is more like Turbo jam, but with more plyometric training and more interval training. Turbo Fire will focus on lengthier intensity bursts and shorter breaks. The Turbo Fire workout is said to be very difficult and very extreme, it is considered a anaerobic workout that will focus on burning your fat and toning your body.

What comes with the Turbo Fire Workout?

The details are still shady but…Supposedly, there is 17 workouts if you get the deluxe version. It will come with a Turbo Fire Nutrition Guide, a Turbo Fire Fitness Guide, 15 Flash Cards, and Turbo Fire Weighted Gloves.

Although the workout is not out yet, you can get information of its release by clicking here…Turbo Fire.

I will also be coming out with more information, as it gets closer to its release date.

Ben Asked:

What should I eat after a workout?

Thanks for the question Ben.

Well, there are a couple ways you can go about this.  It depends on what you’re trying to accomplish physically with your workout.  If you are trying to build lean muscle and lose weight, I would say to have a mixture between protein and complex carbs.  If you are trying to pack on more muscle, I would say to eat more protein foods than carb foods.  You should have something to eat at least 30 minutes after your workout, your body will absorb the nutrients better.  Although I would not really find something to eat, but more something to drink.  You have a small window of opportunity to replenish your body with protein and complex carbs, and sometimes food just takes to long to break down.  But liquid forms are great.  I would get a whey protein powder to drink right after a workout if I was you.  Whey protein will help promote either a toned looking body or a muscular looking body.

I hope that answers your question.

Do YOU have a question? Then Ask The Fitness Dude and get an answer!  Just click on the notepad located at the bottom of the screen.  Fill out and submit the form.

Katie asked:

I heard if I were to sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair I will lose weight. Is that true?

Ask The Fitness Dude’s Answer:

This is actually a pretty common question, and there is always someone saying, “My cousin lost 20 lbs. by sitting on a ball!” It is those statements that give life to this rumor.  Although it would be nice if we could lose weight by sitting on a ball, that is just not the case.  Sitting on an exercise ball will help strengthen your core, but it will not allow you to burn off enough calories to shed off fat.  People might experience some weight loss if they have not worked out in years, but for the most part people will see very little weight loss.  Exercise balls are great though!  There are tons of workouts you can do with an Exercise ball that can strengthen your whole body, but unfortunately sitting on an exercise ball is not one of those exercises.

Thank you for the question Katie, sorry if it was not the answer you were hoping for.

Do YOU have a question? Then Ask The Fitness Dude and get an answer!  Just click on the notepad located at the bottom of the screen.  Fill out and submit the form.

Carlos asked:

Does it matter what order I do my workouts in?  What should I do first…Cardio or Weight Lifting?

Ask The Fitness Dude’s Answer:

That is a great question Carlos!  It actually depends.  It depends if you are working out the same muscle group.  Let’s say you were doing some weight lifting for your legs or lower body and running for your cardio.  You would actually want to do the weight lifting first, because lifting weights help you retain your muscles, especially if you are dieting.  Cardio does not retain your muscles.

On the other hand…Let’s say you were lifting weights for your upper body and running for cardio.  The order simply does not matter.  Begin with whatever you feel like.

Thank you for the question Carlos, I hope that helps.

Do you have a question? Then Ask The Fitness Dude and get an answer!  Just click on the notepad located at the bottom of the screen.  Fill out and submit the form.

Other than exercising and working out your body, the best thing you can do for your fitness is eating healthy.  Food is important for fueling our bodies, and when we eat the correct food we can turn our bodies into a fat burning, muscle building, and lean machine with tons of energy.  Food and fitness go hand and hand, they are like the dynamic duo! There is a terrible rumor that says, “Healthy food is lame.”  This statement is so far from the truth, because the fact is…food can be healthy and delicious.  I do have to say, if you are a vegetarian…you probably will not enjoy this article.

Here are four different foods that are great for your fitness:

Let’s start if off right! 

Beef – I used to love watching those beef commercials, “Beef, its whats for dinner.”  I loved it!  Even though the commercials were awesome, red meat has gotten a pretty bad rap over the years, but did you know that beef is 20% leaner than it was 10 years ago.  And if you eat grass-fed beef, it can actually help lower your cholesterol.  There is so many benefits to eating beef.  Beef highly contains amino-acids, which are great for building muscle.  A 3-ounce steak provides over 10% of your daily intake for some nutrients.  Including B6 and B12, protein, phosphorus, niacin, selenium, and riboflavin.  Beef also includes a healthy dose of zinc and iron.  But with any type of food, do not over do it.  You can have a 3-ounce steak around 3-4 times a week.  Look For steaks that are less in fat, like rounds steaks or top sirloin steaks, filet mignons are also low in fat and super good.

Oatmeal – Breakfast is for champions!  And Oatmeal is a great breakfast.  The wonderful thing about oatmeal, is that it is quick and easy to make.  Plus you can add other incredible foods to it.  Like blueberries, raspberries, bananas, and strawberries..the list goes on and on.  Oatmeal is not only good for your heart, but it is also good for weight loss.  Oatmeal is rich with soluble fiber, with helps lower you cholesterol.  When picking oatmeal, make sure that you get normal oatmeal.  Oatmeal packets usually have a lot of added sugars in them.  Look for quick oats in the big tubs.

“100%” Whole-Wheat Bread – The reason I emphasized “100%,” is because only true whole wheat bread have 100% on it.  So make sure to buy 100% whole-wheat or whole-grain bread.  Whole-wheat bread is great for giving you energy, and it does not spike your energy levels like white bread does.  White bread cause your body to store fat, whole-wheat bread does not.  Whole-wheat bread will also help you feel full longer.

Salmon – You probably love or hate it, but it is still one of the best foods you can eat for fitness.  3-ounces of salmon provide you with 20-grams of protein! And why is protein so important?  Because it helps speed up your metabolism 3-4 times faster than carbs or fat, plus it helps fill you up.  Salmon is also rich in Omega-3’s, which are fatty acids that help clean your arteries.  Salmon is like the superman food.  It is great for muscle building and for keep your heart healthy.

This is a very important day in our history, it is one that recognizes someone who fought for what he believed in and demonstrated the belief  with honor and integrity.  I hope everyone has an incredible Martin Luther King Jr. Day.