Tag: muscles

Muscle loss can already start in your thirties – but it is possible to prevent it

Depending on your age, you may have noticed that certain physical activities that used to feel so easy now require more effort. The reason for this might be related to something called sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss. According to a recent study by Harvard Health, sarcopenia can already start around age 35. Generally, this form of muscle atrophy occurs at a rate of 1 to 2 percent per year. Once you’ve entered your sixties, the process will most likely accelerate to around 3 percent per year. Does this sound scary to you? Don’t worry – there are ways to significantly slow down the process.

How do people lose muscle mass?

You already know that when you stop training, it is a matter of time before you start losing muscle mass. For most of us #fitgirls, working out is relatively easy when we’re in our twenties: we’re young, fit and motivated and we can always manage to squeeze in a workout, even when we’re busy. And then at some point, life will get in the way. You may start a demanding full-time job, have a baby, get injured or sick. Or maybe it is a simple shift in priorities that cause you to train less frequently than before – or quit altogether. Decreased activity or training will inevitably lead to muscle loss. This is the most common reason that people tend to get less fit as they get older. However, if you do manage to maintain the same level of activity, a decrease in the size and/or number of muscle fibers may also be caused by not getting in enough protein and amino acids. You could train just as frequently as before, but if your diet is not as balanced, chances are you will still start to lose muscle mass (read up on the importance of getting your protein, if you’re not convinced).

What can you do to prevent muscle loss?

Looking at the causes of age-related muscle loss, the solution is fairly simple: keep training and watch your diet. If you want to get a head start on prevention, it is recommended to do weight training at least 3 times a week, ensuring that you target a different muscle group each day. In other words, instead of doing a full body workout 3 times a week, you could for example target your legs and glutes on day 1, your core and back on day 2 and your shoulders and arms on day 3. And no, you don’t necessarily need to go to the gym to have an effective workout. In fact, body weight exercises are perfect to prevent muscle loss. Push-ups are super effective (this is how to make your push-ups more effective), just like sit-ups, squats, lunges and planks. And you don’t need any equipment to do them. And if you still want to turn it up a notch, you can always add dumbbells to your exercises.

Final thoughts

It is very normal for our priorities to shift as we get older. And while you may reach a point where you couldn’t care less about how much muscle mass you have, it is still important to try and slow down the process of age-related muscle loss. Losing muscle mass hinders your ability to recover from injuries and illnesses. Aside from that, it can also attribute to other health-related issues. And your health should always be your top priority, regardless of your muscle mass.

5 tips for fat loss

You begin with your Fit journey and you want to achieve your goals as fast as you can. Sometimes you go really fast, but the next day it looks like nothing happens. We give you tips to lose fat, so you can achieve your goals step by step.

1. EAT ENOUGH AND DON’T SKIP MEALS

It’s a fact that you burn calories if you eat less than the amount that you burn calories. But when you are going to eat fewer calories, your body will adjust and you will burn less calories. Try to gradually reduce your calorie intake and plan a day in the week that you eat a bit more calories than normal. That’s how you prevent that your body will adjust too much.

2. COMBINE CARDIO AND WEIGHT TRAINING

Yes, cardio can have a positive effect on your calorie intake on a day. But you won’t achieve your goals by only doing cardio! At least, if you want to keep your muscles. During cardio, you burn fat, but proteins are also extracted from your muscles. Try to find a good combination of cardio and training with weights, that works for you. Besides, lots of muscle mass ensures a higher fat burning, which makes losing weight easier! Also, there are some good fat burners on the market. For example, you can read a really detailed review of the Burn XT Fatburner.

3. LEAVE THE SCALES

I think everyone has been through it once: you think you are going pretty well and think that you have lost a lot of weight. But when you step on that scale, you see that nothing has changed! At least, you think that. Keep in mind that muscles also weigh and try to get away from that scale. Instead, try to have your fat percentage measured, which gives you a better picture of how it’s going.

4. DON’T BE SCARED OF FAT

To lose fat, you have to eat them too. It sounds weird, but it’s true. Your body needs fat to function and restore. Fats are a good source of energy, but it’s good for your sight, muscles, and heart as well. Fat stays longer in your stomach, so it gives you longer the feeling of satiety. Your body needs a balanced diet. Good fats are for example fish, avocado, nuts, and peanut butter!

5. DRINK ENOUGH

Drinking water stimulates your metabolism, which in turn causes that you will burn more. Besides that, it’s a good ”check” if you are really that hungry. You automatically grab a snack, but you could have solved that with a glass of water. And it’s of course a good replacement for soda. It contains zero calories and it’s super good for you!

Hopefully, with these tips, you are now a step closer to achieving your goals. And the last tip: Be nice to yourself and have patience. If you really want something, you can achieve everything!

Disclaimer: Every body is different. You just have to find what fits for you.

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Best Pre-Workout Food

Now we know what to eat post workout, pre-workout food can’t be left forgotten! The right pre-workout food is just as important as post-workout food, maybe even more.

A lot of people think that exercising on an empty stomach is a good idea to burn more fat. In reality, your body will just use whatever energy there is available and this might not be fat but muscle. Another side effect of exercising on an empty stomach is that you might not have the energy for that killer workout and your exercise will be less effective and less fun.

Best Pre-Workout Food

About 1-2 hours before your workout, carbs are your BFF. The best is to have a mix of complex (like whole wheat products) and simple ones (like fruit) so that the release of energy during your workout is slow and steady throughout your routine. So if you are up for a great workout, try one of these pre-workout foods:

A granola bar
A slice of whole wheat toast with half a banana and cinnamon
Apple wedges with almond butter
Lisa’s banana muffins
A few whole wheat, or flax crackers
Greek yoghurt with trail mix or granola
1/2 cup of oatmeal with some raisins or banana slices

For about 15 to 30 minutes before your workout it is important that the food is easy to digest. This way you won’t have to work out with a full stomach but you won’t be hungry either. These foods will provide you some energy quickly:

Fruit juice or smoothie
Banana, apple, or any other piece of fruit

So enjoy your snack and own that workout!

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Three Boob-Boosting Exercises

Let’s workout they said. It will be fun they said! Until your boobs slowly started to disappear… Are you one of those girls that lost their boobs or boob shape on a Fit Journey? Well, don’t be sad! There are some ways to make your chest look bigger and/or more perky with the same way you lost it, exercise! 😉

Of course, you’re welcome to buy that extra-double-filling-padded-pushup bra’s that will do the work for you but that isn’t your only option. Developing some muscles underneath your boobs could enhance the look of them. Please keep in mind that these exercises won’t turn A’s into B’s or C’s but it can give that that little all-natural push-up effect that you were missing. Don’t expect miracles to happen. There hasn’t been any scientific research about booblifting exercises, but it’s worth the try, right?

The muscles behind the story
Before we start talking about the exercises it’s good to know what muscles we will be working on. First of all, when we talk about the chest, we talk about the pectoralis. Actually we have two, a major and a minor one. The pectoralis major is a thick, fan-shaped muscle, situated at the chest under our boobs. Underneath the pectoralis major lays the pectoralis minor: a thin, triangular muscle. In sports such as bodybuilding, the pectoral muscles are often referred to as “pecs”. Next to the pecs we will be working on shoulders, back and arms while doing the exercises. Not bad huh.

If you’re a Fit Girl, you probably are familiar with the upcoming exercises because they are quite common in the gym. But did you already know that your chest will thank you for doing these on a regular basis? These exercises strengthen the muscles underneath the boobs and in some cases it helps them become more perky.

It’s all about them weights
To make this work you need to choose weights that are heavy enough. Make sure you can do max 12 reps with the weights you choose and no more. You can try this out yourself: pick some weights and count until 10. Do you feel like you can do 10 more? Way too easy! Pick a heaver weight. Do you feel like you can do a few more (2 or 3) but not that many? Then this is the right weight. Did you already stop at the eight rep? Then the weight is a bit too heavy. Pick a lighter weight and try the heavy ones again in a few weeks.

It’s really important to challenge yourself with heavier weights over time but always make sure to be safe when doing these exercises! Follow the instructions and don’t use weights that are too heavy. Remember to do the exercises well at your own pace and take more time rather than focus on speed.

1 | Dumbbell bench press

Lie faceup on a bench with your arms straight up and a dumbbell in each hand. Lower the dumbbells until they’re close to the sides of your chest, then press them back up to the starting position. That’s one rep.
Do a total of 10 reps.

2 | Push up

Yes, the old fashioned push up. Start with your hands and feet on the ground, your palms slightly wider than your shoulders and your feet close together. Your body should form a straight line from head to toe. Lower your body down until your chest almost touches the floor. Keep your upper arms along your torso. Pause, then push back to the starting position. If you can’t do a regular push up you can do one using your knees instead of your toes.
Do 10 reps in total.

3 | Dumbell fly

Lie down on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, resting them on top of your thighs. Raise the dumbbells like you’re pressing them, but stop and hold just before you lock your arms. This will be your starting position. With a slight bend in your elbows (in order to prevent stress at the biceps tendon) lower your arms outward to both sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch on your chest. Breathe in as you perform this movement. Keep in mind that throughout the movement, the arms should remain stationary. This means that the movement should only occur at the shoulder joint. Return your arms back to the starting position as you squeeze your chest muscles and breathe out.
Do 10 reps!

Try to do all these sets without taking too much breaks in between. You muscles need to refill with energy but if you rest them for too long they will be fully recovered before starting the other rep which won’t make them grow. Rest for max 60 to 90 seconds.

We would love to know all about your experiences with these boob-boosting exercises! Let us know in the comments below how the results turned out.

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5 exercises for the lower abs

Is your goal to tighten your stomach area or loose a little weight? Here are 5 perfect exercises to tone your lower abs. While the upper abs are relatively ‘easy’ to build, the lower abs can be more challenging. The lower abs mostly hide in a cozy layer of body fat which makes them hard to see and frustrating to develop. These 5 exercises are great to do at home or at the gym and don’t take a lot of time. You only need a weight, such as a dumbbell, kettle bell or plate. Let’s grow some abs!

Weighted crunches

The crunch is a well known exercise. Lots of people like to do this one because it’s easy to figure out. Just lay down on your back like with a normal sit-up. The difference with the sit-up is that you don’t come all the way up. With a crunch you only come halfway up and go back down again. This is where you keep your core tight and you don’t release that muscle tension when you sit up straight. Now get a dumbbell, plate or kettle bell. Keep it, with straight arms, above your chest and do a crunch again. You will immediately feel that there is more tension in your core. Take it easy because you don’t want the weight to crush down on you. Always look at the ceiling above you instead of trying to look over your knees as this will hurt your neck.

Reversed crunches

Start by laying flat on a mat and resting your arms parallel to the floor, palms down. Rest your hands on the floor lightly and do not use them to push off. Raise your legs off the floor in a bent knee position. In a slow, steady and controlled movement, use the strength of the lower abdominals to bring the knees close to the chest so that your butt lifts slightly off the ground. It’s important to do this slowly, because toning occurs less from repetitions and more from consistent tension. Keep your muscles flexed. Slowly release to the starting position and repeat.

Leg lifts

Start by laying flat on a mat with your legs straight and your hands (palms down) beneath your booty. Keeping your hands underneath there provides back support and balance for this exercise. Keeping your ab muscles contracted, slightly bend your knees as you slowly lift your legs into a nearly vertical position. Don’t lock your knees, which cuts off the blood flood flow in your legs. Hold this position as you inhale. Lower your legs slowly until they almost touch the ground. Hold them there and breathe. Repeat this as many times as you can or try to make sets of 10 for example.

Plank

The plank is an allround and full body exercise which can make your core (abs and lower back) really strong. If you want to know more about planking, the do’s and the don’ts, go to my previous back to basics article about planking.

Eat healthy food

Wait, what? I know this isn’t an exercise but it is REALLY important to grow some decent abs. Stop eating so much crap and you will notice a difference real soon! Good ab foods include: salmon, almond, berries, yoghurts, quinoa, rice, turkey and natural peanut butter.

As you can see, the exercises aren’t that hard. Unfortunately there isn’t a lower ab fairy who is going to just bring you some. But, it’s your determination that will decide if you can grow some pretty lower abs. With some sweat, equipment and a LOT of patience I’m sure you can get them!

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Omega 3 supplements

Don’t immediately run off when reading the word ‘supplements’. I know most of us are not a huge fan of this word as we tend to associate it with bodybuilding or steroids, but there are actually some healthy supplements that can support you on your fit journey! So, don’t write them off just yet. One of these good supplements is omega 3, also known as fish oil. I will tell you about the pros and cons of omega 3 supplements from my personal experience with them.

Remember when I wrote about protein shakes? I started drinking them and discovered that they have a lot of benefits when you’re working out regularly – maybe some of you have changed your perspective on it as well. Well, it turns out that there are more healthy supplements that are good for you and will help your through your fit journey. I want to emphasize the word healthy, as I will never feed my body crap in order to make it look fitter. That’s definitely not the way to go! Luckily for you and me, there are good supplements out there as well. So, what do we know about omega 3 so far? You’re probably sick of commercials idealizing their products by claiming “it is super rich in omega 3” or “contains the recommended daily dosis”. Although they may or may not be lying about their product, omega 3 really is good for you.

What is Omega 3?

Omega 3 is a collection of polyunsaturated fat, a fatty acid that lowers your cholesterol and reduces inflammation throughout your body. Let’s get a bit scientifical: the fatty acids found in omega 3 are eicosapentaenic acid (EPA), docosahexanoic acid (DHA), found in fish, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is found in plants. EPA and DHA are essential fatty acids which the body does not produce by itself. That’s why it’s important to get them from foods or supplements. You can find high doses in fish like salmon, tuna and herring, so if you already eat a lot of fish then don’t overdo it by taking supplements (howstuffworks.com). If you are not into the omega 3-rich sea creatures, let me tell you why it would be beneficial for you to take omega 3 supplements.

Omega 3…

Reduces the chance of cardiovascular disease
Decreases the risk of arrythmias (an abnormal heartbeat)
Prevents blood clots from forming
Slightly lowers your blood pressure
Improves your learning abilities and memory (good for when you want to concur the world someday)
Protects your brain against depression and other mood disorders
Improves the health of your skin

That’s nice and all, but how does it help you get fit, you might wonder. Omega 3 helps your body to burn fat, increases your insulin sensitivity which causes your body to store less fat, and it keeps your joints and muscles supple. Basically, it helps you turn into a fat-burning machine – even if you’re sitting down. Sounds promising, doesn’t it? But do remember that I’m not an expert in this so I do not know whether this has been proven scientifically, and you will probably not be able to see tangible changes by solely taking more omega 3. Also, there may be some cons that you might experience as well:

Unpleasant aftertaste
Fish-tasting tiny burps (Ewl! Sounds gross)
Mild diarrhea (if you take too much on one day)
Rashes

These are symptoms that you may or may not encounter, they do not happen to everybody. For example, I haven’t experienced any of these myself (yet?). I take one capsule a day with my breakfast, so that probably covers up the unpleasant aftertaste. Regarding the other cons – figure out what your body needs and how it reacts, you can always adjust the dosis or decide to take in your omega 3 dosis through food. If you’re interested, you can try out these capsules from MyVitamins.

I’m curious to hear what you think about omega 3 supplements. What are your experiences with them? Let us know in the comments!

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5 ways to add dumbbells to your exercises

Dumbbells, they come in all sizes, shapes, colors and weights. But besides training your arms with them (and looking like a beast doing so), there are many more exercises you can do using these babies. Have you been squatting for a while now and are you getting bored? Is your daily home workout routine not challenging you anymore? Or do you want to add some extra sweat and tears to the 30 day ab challenge? Then I’d like to welcome you to the wonderful world of dumbbells. Try out these 5 favorite dumbbell exercises of mine!

1. Dumbbell Squats

We all know squats are good for the booty and we should be doing them, but let’s be honest: they become quite boring after a while. To make squats more interesting I started adding weights to them, which I’ve become quite hooked to! I hardly ever do any squats without dumbbells anymore. You can hold them in different ways, or even switch the different types up during your squatting exercise:

Hold 1 or 2 dumbbell(s) in front of you while squatting. It gives you a great balance and puts extra pressure on your abs and arms.
Hold 1 dumbbell in each hand and keep your arms vertically, completely stretched out along side your body. Then go on doing your regular squats.
Keep 1 dumbbell vertical and fold your hands underneath the upper weight part, like you’re forming a cup with your hands. This one you will also feel extra in your abs and arms.

2. The Ab Workout

Want to spice up the 30 Day Ab Challenge? Add weights to the exercises! Or do an extra set of russian twists.

Make the crunches harder by holding a dumbbell to your chest while you do them. Try not to hold it in front of your chest, but really on it, so you will have to lift that weight as well when you come up. This might be somewhat easier to execute for those in #teamsmallboobs but also our more busty fit girls can do it!
Have someone lay the dumbbell on your back while planking. Definitely way harder than a regular planking session.
Try russian twists! They are a killer exercise for your obliques. While in sit-up position, hold 1 dumbbell with both hands and move it to the side of your body until it nearly touches the ground. Then move it back up to the center and go over to the other side, and so on. Going from left to right counts as one russian twist. If you want to make it even harder, elevate your legs up into the air.

3. Heavy Lunges

Lunges are already hard, I know. But still, if you have a set of dumbbells or weights, why not use them in every way you can? Lunge through the house with those heavy babies!

Just like option #2 of the dumbbell squats, keep one dumbbell in each hand and keep your arms vertically, completely stretched out along side your body. Lunging will become quite a bit harder with that extra weight to carry around.
You can also hold one dumbbell at the back of your neck and support it with your hands and shoulders to add some extra weight to the exercise.

4. Schwarzenegger Arm Workout

No, you’re not gonna get arms like Arnold. But of course when you have dumbbells, you also have to do some arm exercises. Imagine being super lean and bikiniproof but having bony chicken arms, that would be… Well, let’s just say it would probably make for some funny gym memes 😉

Take 1 dumbbell in each hand and lift them up to shoulder height with your arms stretched. Your feet need to be at shoulder width. Now start making small circles with your entire arm.. And feel the burn.
For an arm & shoulder workout that we often do at Elevator Sports you need 2 dumbbells. Take 1 in each hand and keep your hands alongside your body, your arms completely stretched. Now lift your arms up horizontally, still completely stretched, up till your shoulders. Slowly lower them again to your start position. Now lift your arms up in front of you, up till your shoulders, and back. Lastly, you lift the dumbbells in front of you while bending your arms – keep the dumbbells horizontal and make sure your elbows point sidewards. Lift them up to your chest and lower them. Repeat this cycle as much as you like.
A classic dumbbell arm workout: keep your arms along side your body, with 1 dumbbell in each hand. Make sure that your hand palms are facing front, and then lift the dumbbell as far as you can towards your shoulder. Repeat repeat repeat!

5. Deadlift Exercises

Deadlift. It always sounds so tough to me, which is partly why I love them! While doing deadlifts you should really pay attention to your form, because if they aren’t done right, your back will hurt like hell. Read the instructions well and maybe even look up a video tutorial if you are doing them for the first time.

For a classic deadlift, you take 1 dumbbell in each hand. You put your feet at shoulder width, with your knees slightly bend. Now slowly lower the dumbbells untill they are just underneath your knee while you bent over forwards, and come up again. Make sure that your back is kept straight at all times during this exercise. Do not arch over or let your shoulders hunch, that will ruin your back, while we are trying to strengthen your back with this exercise! If you have never done a deadlift, please look up an instruction video.
You can also use the couch as a gym tool (no we’re not gonna sit on it). Place one knee and one handpalm on it, and put your other foot flat on the ground. Now take a dumbbell in the remaining hand and raise it to your midsection and back. Again, make sure your back is straight!

Try out these exercises and let me know which one you like (or hate) the most! I’m curious to hear what you think. Do you know about any other dumbbell exercises that I could do at home?

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5 reasons why you should stretch

Stretching. We all know that we should do it before and after a work out, but do we really do it every time? Nah, we don’t. However, we keep hearing over and over again that we really should do it. So, I did a little digging and found five good reasons for you to start stretching again!

1. Stretching makes your muscles loose and supple, meaning you will become more flexible and get a wider range of motion. So, this will finally stop happening…

2. If you stretch properly before and after a work out, you will notice that your muscles will be less sore the day after. No more waking up feeling incredibly sore.

3. Stretching has a calming effect on you. By being less stressed and more zen you’ll be more apt to deal with other people’s sh*t.

4. By stretching, you encourage better flow of blood to your muscles, thereby warming up your body. When the blood flows to your muscles, they are being provided with enough oxygen and nutrients to endure a work out.

5. A good stretching session will help you gain more balance. The extensive pressure that is being exerted on your muscles while working out will cause them to tighten up. When you stretch these muscles, you will alleviate muscle tightness and become more balanced.

Are these reasons enough for you to start stretching? I sure hope so, let us know how you feel the day after! 😉

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Tip: Start strength training with MuscleWiki!

For women who start strength training, it can be very difficult, at first, to get a good training schedule that works for you. Not everyone has the money to hire a professional to create a workout plan for them. And a lot of the times, the workout plans that are available at the gym are not very extensive. Fortunately, the Internet was invented, and there is a crazy amount of information online that you can find about strength training. Most recently, I stumbled upon MuscleWiki, a site where you can target a specific muscle group that you want to find exercises for. Super handy!

Musclewiki is a fairly new website created by fitness dude Ryan. He has the opinion that fitness, no matter how difficult it sometimes seems, should be made simple so everyone is able to do it. To him, the difficulty lies most of all in the journey. By that, he means, that it is especially hard to find the right exercises and that’s what motivated him to start this site. The website MuscleWiki is made in such a way that it is suitable for beginners and advanced lifters. Personally, I think it’s a bit low for advanced people because there is not a large amount of exercises available. But if you’re just starting with strength training, it is the perfect tool.

How it works

When you start strength training, it is an absolute must to set up a program that you stick to. When you repeat the same exercises for a few weeks, you’ll be able to track the progress that you’ve made. At some point, you will find yourself able to do more reps or heavier weights.

When you go on MuscleWiki, you’re immediately met with a picture of the body. At the top left, you can indicate whether your’re a man or a woman. From that point, it speaks for itself: Click on the muscle group that you want to work on and you will see an array of exercises you can do. These exercises also have helpful GIF’s and an extensive explanation in the text. That way, you can clearly see and read how to have the perfect form for the move.

Calculators

Besides strength exercises, you can also find a few helpful calculators on MuscleWiki where you can (among others), calculate your caloric intake and your macros. With the “one rep max tool”, you can see how much weight you can lift for one rep based on your strength and endurance. When you’re lifting heavy though, it is recommended that you never try it alone. Ask someone to spot for you and help where necessary.

MuscleWiki is a very handy website that’s growing it’s database of exercises everyday. I find this a pretty good thing, because after you’re busy with strength training for a long time, then most of the exercises won’t be anything new for you. It seems like soon home work-out exercises will also be added. Exciting!

How did you start strength training? Are you going to give it a try now? I’m curious! 🙂

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5 exercises a runner can’t do without

Are you a runner? Then you probably know that you’re at risk of getting injuries in your ankles, shins, knees or hips. Getting the right running shoes can prevent a lot of complaints, as well as building up your training schedule and taking your rest days. Last but not least: if you implement strength exercises in your training, chances are less that you’ll get injured! Today, I’ll share 5 of my favorite runner’s exercises with you. All you need is your bodyweight and a bench. This makes them the perfect exercises to implement in your running laps. Let’s go!

1. Step ups (10 x left, 10 x right)

Place your foot on the bench and step up. Straighten your body completely at the top, then carefully step down.

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Work those legs and butt!

As a model you need to have a fit and lean body, especially with my goal to work as a sport model. When you see me you probably think, what the heck is she talking about, you look already super fit. Well.. to be honest, I am not satisfied with my legs and butt..

To give you an idea.. this is how I look…

You know those mixed girls with a beautiful round butt, which they received as a present from mother nature? Well mother nature didn’t give me that much.. :-/ So, it’s a pretty simple choice for me, if I want to have a firm butt with nice legs, I have to work hard. It doesn’t only looks nicer, I also feel more confident during sport jobs.

Balance is the key! By reaching my goals, I need to create a balance for myself. I know I could push myself to a limit that’s way too far.. Or.. after 2 weeks I get bored and my motivation gets so low that I really want to quit.  My goal is to train with a lot of variety so I can keep it up on a longer base. I hope with this method I can intergrate fitness as a part of my lifestyle.

I have to say that I am very lucky that my partner Jesse is a good Personal Trainer (Owner of Body and Mind Control). He knows how to motivate me during sports and also knows how to push me beyond my limits, which is something I really need. I asked Jesse to make a workout schedule for a month for my legs and butt.

I always start my workout with a warming up of 10 minutes. Then I continue with the schedule of Jesse. To reach my goals I need to train with weights and try to raise in kg because only then I create a round butt. In sport terms they call it ‘positive overload training’. Besides the butt and legs I also train a smaller muscle group for example my arms. I do this with 2 or 3 different kind of exercises. I finish with a cooling down of 10 minutes and some stretch exercises. Do you have the same goal? Then start your own challenge with my butt and legs schedule and push yourself to the limit. Keep me posted about your experience.

Let’s do this ladies!!

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How to use a foamroller

After a lot of questions through my Instagram account and #FITGIRLCODE, I’ve decided to write my own little piece about the infamous foamroller. It can definitely help you to a ‘Next Level’ within your current running- or weight lifting training. Super interesting, but do know how to use a foamroller safely.

Self myofascial WHAT?

Self myofascial release or the use of a foamroller means nothing more than self massage. ‘Fascia’ means connective tissue. The fascia surrounds and connects the muscles and other connective tissue in the body. During our workout, we burden the body but also the posture. If you force this, adhesions (also known as knots or trigger points) will form. These adhesions can in turn lead to an injury. However, we can decrease these adhesions by using a foamroller.

Using a foamroller is safe because you only apply pressure with your body weight. You actually press the specific adhesion to ‘massage’ it. You want to bring all muslce fibers back into one line so that the muscle can function correctly again.

Rolling pin 2.0

Be honest. If your boy/girlfriend is using it, your BFFF, and even your neighbour, you cannot stay behind. The solution to how we should use something is often easy. But in the case of the foamroller we need to take into account a couple of essential rules of ‘how to use’.

Let’s rock and ROLL

Option 1

Use the foamroller while moving. Gently roll across the full length of the muscle. Repeat this 15-20 times in 2-3 sets. You mostly use this technique when the tension in, for example, your calf muscle is very high.

Option 2

Let’s use the example of the calf muscle again. Put that muscle on the foamroller. Gently roll across the muscle until you’ve found a sensitive point, or: the adhesion. Stay at that point for 30-45 seconds. The muscle should feel more supple after this. If not, then repeat this 1-2 times more at a spot next to the current adhesion.

Before you start the exercises above:

Do a proper warm-up in which your entire body is active. Choose 2-3 core exercises.
Choose which muscle groups you want to tackle. It’s recommendable to choose a maximum of 2-3 (besides the fact that you cool down, it’s quite intense 😉 ).
Treat 2-3 parts per muscle group.
Work with an intensity scale: 0 = no intensity – 10 = painful. The goal is that after a few sessions with the foamroller, you can more easily recognize your personal pain boundaries. You treat the part where you feel an intensity between 7 and 8.
Relax as much as possible and breath in and out as even and relaxed as possible.
If you have any questions, always contact your trainer!

Advantages of training with a foamroller

It will stimulate your body to decrease the knots in your muscles on the basis of your own body weight.
Your muscles will feel ‘broader’ and more flexible.
You get to know your body better and know what you can work on before, during ánd after your training.
On the long term you can cope with way more load because the fascia has become more flexible (if you train this structurally!).

Exercise 1 (left) + 2 (right)

This image is in Dutch (sorry!) but the left exercise is for the front of your upper leg, for the quadricep. The right exercise is for the backside of your upper leg, for the hamstring.

Good luck with the first exercises or applying one of these options. FYI: Kayla Itsines now also has a foamroller guide (check the header ‘equipment’) with all sorts of handy exercises, so if you really want to get into this, maybe that’s of interest to you. Let me know if it works out for you and feel free to ask me any questions on Instagram! #LIVEWITHOUTFEAR

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Complete body work out

Looking for an effective bodyweight routine that floats your boat? You have come to the right place! Iris and myself got’chu all set with this on-the-go complete body work out – Bodyweight AMRAP. AMRAP is an acronym for “as many reps as possible”, so strap on your shoes, grease those elbows and lets go!

Elevated sumo squats

Place two plates on the floor and perform a regular sumo squat on top of them. Make sure you do not bring your knees over your toes and hold proper form. The use of plates will benefit your balance and will activate and work the muscles in your legs and glutes. Squeeeeeeeze those buttcheeks when you come back up for a guaranteed extra burn. Looking for a challenge? Hold a plate or a kettlebell while doing these.

Elevated squats

In contrary to those sumos you just did, this time you will ‘just’ do a perfectly executed squat as many times as possible, while standing on the plates. Form is still key so do not compromise on that. Make sure you wiggle your toes and do not put them on the floor as keeping them lifted will help target your balance while at the same time this will make the exercise more of a challenge.

Elevated donkey kicks

This time you will have to place both hands on the plates and you will work your legs separately. Starting in plank position, you will lift your leg up, bending it at the knee while making sure your foot is flexed and your sole is up. From this position you will keep on lifting your foot up to the sky, keeping your body straight, your back flat and your core engaged. When you have done as many reps as possible, you switch to the other leg of course! We don’t want an uneven booty now, do we?

Elevated crow hold

Rounding up with some upper body strength, we are throwing in this elevated crow hold especially for you. Start in a wide squat and place your palms on the plates. Bend your elbows back, and rest the inside of your bent knees on the back of your upper arms. Lift up onto your tiptoes, and place most of your weight on your hands. With control, shift forward, lifting your feet off the floor. Hold for a breath or two and then with control, lower your feet to the floor. Repeat rocking in and out of this crow hold to strengthen your core, upper body, and the muscles in your hands.

We would love to know how this workout turned out for you so make sure to let us know in the comments or on Instagram.

XoXo

Ily & Iris

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Yola’s back to basics: Burpees

Let’s talk about the famous and probably most hated exercise there is: the burpee. This is an exercise that is well known in CrossFit but is used in many other workout programs as well. There are millions of variations on the burpee that go from low-intensity to holy-shit-I’m-dying-intensity. But what does a proper burpee look like? And how can you make it more or less intense?

Muscles
Burpees are known as a compound exercise which means you train multiple muscle groups in your body at the same time. It’s a really demanding bodyweight movement. Most of all you use your legs containing hamstrings, glutes and calfs. But when you do a proper burpee (including the push up) you also need your core, chest, triceps and shoulders. No muscles are left behind!

How to
First of all burpees are a great exercise when you don’t have and/or want to use any equipment but you do want an intense workout. Burpees get your heart rate up in no-time and can give you some serious muscle soreness for sure. A burpee isn’t that hard, you just have to follow some steps. Six to be precise:

1. You start by standing up straight with your arms next to your body. Now bend over, squat down and place your hands on the floor in front of you
2. Kick your feet back so that you’ll end up in a plank position
3. Exactly, now we drop to a push up. Remember to keep your core tight!
4. Push yourself up back into the plank position
5. When you did your pushup kick your feet back in towards your hands
6. Explosively jump up in the air, arms reaching straight overhead

On the first three burpees you think: “Oh, this is nice. I can do 50 of them”. At number 10 you think: “F*ck this, I’m never doing these again”. But after all we know you love burpees because they make an awesome workout and you can do them everywhere and at anytime.

Do’s
✓ Take good care of your burpees. Don’t speed them up too much. It will only make you look like an idiot that fell down and stood back up again. Keep in control of your burpee, don’t let it control you.

✓ Always keep your core contracted while jumping up, going back down and doing the push up.

✓ Try to find a steady pace that works for you and the type of workout. So if you only have to do 10 burpees, you can go a little faster. But if you’re doing 50 burpees, go slower so you can maintain a consistent pace. Always remember: form over speed!

✓ When you think you can’t do any more burpees, scream out loud and do 5 more. You can do this for sure!

✓ Try to combine burpees in a workout with other compound exercises like squats, lunges, situps , jumping jacks and crunches. You just can’t do burpees all the time. It will be too exhausting and you will get bored really soon. Don’t believe me? Just try to do burpees for only five minutes in a row… Now we can talk!

Absolute don’ts
✗ Don’t stop halfway, only stop when you are done. Resting in between will only make it harder to get going again.

✗ Don’t hold your breath! Find a rhythm for your breathing while doing burpees. Get in that robot-mode and keep moving and focusing on one movement at a time instead of how many there are left.

✗ If you can’t perform burpees anymore, don’t arch your back. Just modify the movement by leaving out the pushup or the jump and keep going steady.

Variations
When you are a beginner and you want to do burpees you can do them without the jumping and/or pushup part. Just stand up, come down, jump back, (push up), jump back in and stand back up. If you can’t make a full push-up yet you can do one on your knees as an alternative.

You can also try the jumpee. This is a burpee with a jump to the left, right, front or back. For example you can set goals from starting at a wall and jumpee to the other end of it. Of if you are outside you can jumpee in between trees.

If you want to challenge yourself you can try the #FITGIRLCODE 30 day burpee challenge, with looooots of burpees. Soreness guaranteed! And always keep in mind: when life knocks you down, do a burpee! Or 10!

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10 Things a Fit Girl who starts lifting should know

On the hunt for some much needed pointers on starting your own lifting journey ? Search no more as I hook you up with the tips I found here, which helped me when I started taking my lifting game seriously. These 10 things a Fit Girl who starts lifting should know will have you up and running no time.

1. Lift with guys and with other girls.

Lifting with men is very motivating; however sometimes they just don’t understand certain things. Such as, why we act crazy in the gym. Only girls can understand why you have to turn up Beyonce, why you check your booty and mascara in the mirror to pump you up and why you break out in your PR dance every time you hit it. I think other girls, especially those who you have built a strong friendship with and have a sense of loyalty to, will keep you motivated even on the worst of days, and be smiling and cheering with you on the best of days. It’s like opening a fresh jar of Nutella, but better.

2. Know that you will cry.

Weightlifting digs down in to the deepest parts of your soul, and can dig up some fierce emotions. You will cry because you made a lift you have been working so hard for and on the other hand you will cry when you miss one. You will cry when your trainer yells at you, and you will cry because your BFFF just had a break through. You will cry because you want to quit, and you will cry because you don’t. You will cry because you’re afraid. These crying episodes do not make you a cry-baby-titty-mouse; they make you passionate about what you care about: the barbell, ‘dem plates’ and lifting all of it, just because you can.

3. Your fave skinny jeans aren’t going to fit anymore.

Your body is going to change. You are going to build muscles, develop traps, tris (triceps) and back muscles and your legs are going to get bigger. This doesn’t mean you can’t be sexy and feminine. There is a big misconception that lifting will make girls manly. I don’t agree – duhhhh! You just have to know that you’re going to have to give up the size 0 runway model look, and recognize your ass is going to be more like Serena Williams’ and your quads are not going to squeeze into skinny jeans anymore. You’re going to start living in your Jogha tights and want to wear jeans less and less. You see, you’re going to have to move up a few sizes, simply so your ass and legs can fit. And then you are going to have 4 extra inches of waist just hanging out all loose and poking out above your booty because your waist will likely still be pre-lifting small. You will have to wear long shirts; otherwise when you sit down everyone will see your butt crack as the jeans ride half way down your ass. This will happen. Just accept it now. But despite your problems with finding jeans, you can still wear high heels and dresses and look hot. You will have a nice rear end, quads and a sexy back— just flaunt that sh*t!

4. You will more than likely pee a little when you squat or clean heavy.

It will happen eventually; don’t be embarrassed. You will likely pee a little or squeeze out a fart at some time. Hey! This stuff happens when you are squeezing and pushing. It happens to all of us. You are just human.

5. You need to have patience.

Snatching and Clean & Jerking can be frustrating, painful, scary, rewarding, hard, easy, tiring, and exciting. If you go into weightlifting thinking you are going to be a world champion in 6 months, I hate to burst your bubble. You have to learn to be patient and not get frustrated every time something goes wrong. This is easier said than done, but really try to go into the gym every day and set little daily goals for yourself. Remember the good things that happen in the gym, and hang onto those on days you are feeling broken. Always remember that setting yourself up with good technique and patience will get you a long way. Don’t just stack the weight on and lift it with shitty form. Trust that all the time you spend working your technique, movement and body awareness will totally pay off.

6. Have a life and interest outside the gym.

Whether it be cooking or baking, shopping, hanging out with friends, reading, serial dating, being a cat lady or chasing unicorns, try to have interests outside the gym. This will help you stay sane. If your life is 100% weightlifting all the time, you will never stop thinking about your bad benchpress practice or the fact that your deadlifts suck right now. You have to have some time outside of the gym so you can regroup and not dwell on your frustrations.

7. Shorts and tights.

If you wear booty shorts to the gym, which of course are uber comfortable, make sure there are no men sitting directly behind you unless you want to bend over to grab the bar to snatch or clean or pull and give them a show. The same goes for thin tights.

8. Nails.

If you go get a manicure, know that once you chalk up your hands a couple times, snatch 5 sets of triples, and do some jerks, your manicure is going to be chipped and you are going to be freaking PISSED. If you go get a manicure use something a little more sturdy like gel. It costs a little extra, but your nails will look freshly painted for 2 weeks, and they won’t chip or peel that easily.

9. Knee sleeves & gloves.

If you wear knee sleeves or gloves, they are going to stink badly. You will start to have stinky knees and hands after training. My advice is to not put them in your gym bag straight away, and instead let them air out. I have a small gymbag that I use to put them into so I can keep them from smelling up my bigger bag. You can also put them in your trunk to let them dry outside your gym bag so they don’t taint all your other belongings. I also keep baby wipes handy to wipe off my knees and hands after training so you don’t walk around with fresh stink.

10. Have fun.

Have fun in the gym. Have fun feeling strong. Weightlifting will make you strong mentally and physically, and it will make you feel empowered. In the gym, or through the sport, you will meet some of the greatest people. I have met some pretty awesome people in the gym and through spreading my love for it here and on Instagram. I even found the girl in most of the pictures there; my new hero Quiana Welch. That, along with all the lifting I have done amazingly, makes it all worth it.

Bonus advice anyone? Drop ’em in the comments!

ILY

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Roos’ 6-weeks push up schedule

At #FITGIRLCODE we get a lot of questions about push ups! A lot of girls struggle to go from half push ups (on your knees) to full push ups. That’s not very strange! Because full push ups are suddenly a lot harder! So the question is: how do you get off your knees? I made a schedule in which you will strongly improve your push up strength. You train 3 times a week, about 10 minutes a day. Are you joining?

Roos’ 6-weeks push up schedule

This schedule is meant for girls who can already do good push ups on their knees. It’s a standardized schedule, so you need to/can adjust it if you notice that you have a different level. Is it way too easy? Skip a week ahead. Is it way too heavy? No worries, just take a step back and repeat an easier week.
You train 3 times a week: on Monday/Wednesday/Saturday OR Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday. No excuses!
The exercises are meant to be really heavy! That’s how you quickly build new muscle strength. So go deep and give it everything you’ve got!
For push ups you need: strength in the chest, strength in your triceps, and power in your core. That’s why the exercises are: (adjusted) push ups, tricep dips and the plank!
Make all repetitions extra slow and go deep, this is the key to success. Don’t cheat!
Take about 45 seconds of rest between every set.

Good luck! Leave me a message if you join so we can support each other! You can also do that on my Instagram: @fitgirlroos