A Bench & Ball Kind of Day: Arms & Glutes

A Bench & Ball Kind of Day: Arms & Glutes

The medicine ball, the exercise ball, and the bench are widely used pieces of equipment because there is a variety of exercises you can do with them to work any part of the body.  Whether you consider yourself a workout beginner, or if you’ve been hitting the gym for decades, these items are must haves in your “workout closet.”

Today we’re focusing on a laundry list of exercises that work different parts of the body, while keeping you on your toes – literally.  This workout only includes one set of exercises that you’ll perform two times through.

Note that many of these exercises involve sitting on an exercise ball. Sit on this type of ball with both feet firmly placed on the floor, hip-width apart or wider. Keep your back straight and your head aligned with your spine. Maintain this position on the ball throughout each exercise.]

 

Focus: Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Glutes, Core

Time: 45 minutes

Warm Up: Five minutes of cardio

Set (repeated two times)

Toe Taps

  • Equipment: Medicine Ball
  • Reps: 50 per set
  • Tips & Tricks: Focus on tapping the top of the ball with the bottom of the foot to keep the ball in place

Bicep Curls

  • Equipment: Exercise Ball; Dumbbells
  • Reps: 25 per set
  • Weight: Start with 15 lbs. or more; increase weight by 10 lbs. one the second set
  • Tips & Tricks: Keep the back straight, bend the arms to meet the shoulders and straighten completely with each repetition

Shoulder Press

  • Equipment: Exercise Ball; Dumbbells
  • Reps: 25 per set
  • Weight: Start with 15 lbs. or more; increase weight by 10 lbs. one the second set
  • Tips & Tricks: Keep the back straight; on each repetition, bring arms perpendicular to shoulders (but not lower) before pressing up                                                               

Overhead Tricep Extensions

  • Equipment: Exercise Ball; Dumbbells
  • Reps: 25 per set
  • Weight: Start with 15 lbs. or more; increase weight by 10 lbs. one the second set
  • Tips & Tricks: Hold a dumbbell with both hands wrapped around the dumbbell handle; keep elbows pointing forward and straight, but not locked

Shoulder Raises

  • Equipment: Exercise Ball; Dumbbells
  • Reps: 20 per set
  • Weight: Start with a manageable weight for the first set; increase weight by 5 lbs. on the second set
  • Tips & Tricks: Keep the arms straight out to your sides as you slowly lift and lower the weights (do not lift more than a foot up)

Full Sit Ups With Ball

  • Equipment: Exercise Ball
  • Reps: 20 per set
  • Tips & Tricks: Lie flat on your back; bend the knees and place the legs over the ball; extend arms to touch the toes as you roll up

Fire Hydrants

  • Equipment: Bench
  • Reps: 20 per side
  • Tips & Tricks: Position yourself on your hands and knees on the bench; lift one leg straight out to the side and back down, keeping the knee bent; do not allow the leg to extend past the hip

Side Leg Kicks

  • Equipment: Bench
  • Reps: 20 per side
  • Tips & Tricks: Position yourself on your hands and knees on the bench; lift on leg straight out to the side and kick forward, keeping the leg straight

Back Leg Kicks

  • Equipment: Bench
  • Reps: 20 per side
  • Tips & Tricks: Position yourself on your hands and knees on the bench; kick one leg straight out behind you and slowly bring forward

Backwards Lunges with Press

  • Equipment: Dumbbells
  • Reps: 25 per set
  • Tips & Tricks: Lunge backwards while simultaneously pressing upwards; be sure to keep the back knee two inches off the floor as you lunge

This is a great workout to focus on your arms and the glutes, and finish with an exercise that puts focus on both.

Looking for more? Want to get access to over 6,000 workouts like this? Book an appointment with Body By Fadi today and discover what all the program has to offer.

 

 

Body By Fadi Client Success Story Robin Tanis

Body By Fadi Client Success Story Robin Tanis

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Robin Tanis

    Who is Robin Tanis?

 

Hello gang this is Fadi Malouf of Body By Fadi  here to share with you an interview with one of my favorite clients, Robin Tanis.

The main objective with this is to highlight her success first of all, get some tips about her lifestyle, and how she was able to accomplish her goals. With a little bit of luck somebody will read this and they will be inspired to do the same thing for themselves.

    Robin stands 5 foot 3 inches tall and is 58 years young. She is a married mother of two, and grandmother of three with another on the way. She is Head Librarian at Saint Pius X Catholic High School here in Atlanta Georgia. With all the technology over the past 24 years she is finding more and more time in front of the computer and less time teaching. She started her fitness journey about ten years ago lifting weights but never really made any progress until about 4 years ago.

          

Enough is Enough…

“I finally said enough is enough. I was over 200 pounds. I found the book “Eat Clean Diet Recharged” by Tosca Reno.  It became  my bible, and how I started getting off processed food.”

When I asked her thoughts on if it was expensive for her to eliminate processed food (because there are many people out there say that it costs more to eat healthily)

Robin explained it like this ” Well yeah, but I think it is a wash. You’re buying more fresh one-ingredient foods which may be more expensive, I do buy very lean cuts of meat. But I am not buying bags of chips or soda pop or frozen dinners or anything like that. So I think it all evens out in the long run. Plus I never get sick, so I save on Doctor bills!”

Alright so I guess maybe a little bit more but you can save a lot on insurance. Best insurance policy out there!!

 Getting Help From Body By Fadi.   

She lost 55 pounds on her own by getting off processed foods, exercise (cardio and weight lifting), and counting calories. She first started going to Body By Fadi  in 2010. I was working with her to lose the last 15 pounds. She lost it rather quickly, then a series of misfortunes; her mom passing away and a back injury occurred. She stopped and got into bad habits and over that period she managed to gain that 15 lbs back. That’s when in February 2014 she came back to get going in the right direction again.

Hard Working Robin

Hard Working Robin

Robin explains, that since she came back she has been going to the gym every day.

      “I might take off one day a week.  I spend an hour a day doing cardio then I lift three days a week for an hour” however prior to that she explains ” I was doing at least five days at the gym, but never stopped lifting over the 10 years years. I have always been lifting”

 What is Your Secret Robin?

 “There is no secret just diet and exercise. It was not until I changed my diet that I started to lose weight. I have been dieting for years and years I was not losing the weight. Then something clicked. As soon as I made that lifestyle change with nutrition that’s when the weight started coming off. The book that resonated for me “Eat Clean Diet Recharged” by Tosca Reno I recommend to everyone. I always had it with me” she told me.

Her Biggest Takeaway.

Her biggest takeaway that she can share with others about the book is just to get off processed foods, eat real foods, and smaller, more frequent meals.  Pretty simple, right?

 Taking Care Of Others, Don’t Forget Yourself!

” I was overweight all my life. I was a grazer, being a mom and a wife I was taking care of everybody else and not taking care of myself”.

I work with a lot of moms; they are the people with the biggest heart and know what the key is to everybody else except yourself. The biggest heroes never go unrecognized. Me and the team at Body by Fadi thank you, and appreciate it. I know just with conversations I have had with my own mother about getting on a treadmill.

  Well  Worth The Investment?

” I had been spending six hundred dollars a month on training, which I have cut way back on, since my husband and I are preparing for retirement. It can get expensive, but it’s been worth it and I love it. I have cut back and am starting to take ownership of my training. When you start to own it, I think that’s the best thing. It’s a bigger commitment, because there’s nobody waiting for you at the gym. You HAVE to do it on your own. You must be self-motivating and the results are worth it”

Robin wants to go down another five pounds. She is very happy with the way her upper body looks but the lower body as she claims needs some work,

“I am going to work hard and do my best.” she told me

Did you think you could take off the 55 pounds originally?

robin2

Robin Making It happen

 
 
 
 “Once I got it going yes, most definitely. I like what I’m doing, I like what I am eating, and my exercise.  People comment on how disciplined I am, but I don’t see it that way,  it’s just what I do.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Robin at the gym

Robin at the gym

  
 

As seen in this picture Robin’s top half is jacked up, arms, shoulders, chest, abs. She looks amazing,  her lower body looks great as well but not to her liking

Robin states. “I know I’m strong down there but I can’t see muscle”   She is heading in that direction.

                   

 

 

 

What Does Robin Think of Fadi and Body By Fadi?

   ” What’s motivating for me is your enthusiasm and your knowledge. When I come down to see you every Monday at 6:30 in the morning, it’s good for me. You hold me accountable. It gets me pumped up for the week. That’s why I came back to you. You have the nutrition piece which I know is the key to the whole thing. You did it for me the first time, and you did for me again. I can tell that you care. It’s not just for me, it’s with everybody. You’re just up all the time you have a genuine caring attitude about everybody.”

Thank you Robin! That made me smile from ear to ear. You should see me when I am by myself I’m all depressed and eating bon- bons every day. LOL. But seriously, I appreciate that.

 Nutrition Guidance and Fitness Workouts.

 Robin and I  have not done much weight training together. I gave her a few custom routines back when she started up again. All we have done is tweaked her nutrition and give her some direction on what to do on her own in training. Robin says she feels like she could do more things on her own more than before, and that saves her a ton of money. I know people have said that it can be expensive, and if you work directly with me yes, it may get expensive but the new programs that the Body By Fadi team and I have created make it affordable for everyone to use.

Robin and Coach Scott Black..

Robin also likes talking nutrition with Coach Scott Black. “He is very responsive, very knowledgeable and he knows quite a bit on nutrition. Since February I drink a protein smoothie he recommended for breakfast every morning. He has a great book out called “Living In High Speed” that is full of delicious smoothie recipes.”

Food Preparation.

Robin feels another thing that leads to success is preparing your food ahead of time.  That way, you always have something in your refrigerator ready to go.

 “Typically on a Sunday I  spend maybe an hour or two doing what I call passive cooking. Get some chicken breast out. Put some seasoning on it throw it in the oven and walk away. Vegetables you can pre-cook. Meats I always have ready to go. I make an egg casserole for my second breakfast.”
homemade breakfast     I’ve seen some of those meals she posts on Facebook. They look fantastic. Often I get hungry and need to eat after I see them. She brings me a few treats when we meet on Monday mornings. Who can resist free healthy homemade food? Her day starts early in the morning, so she takes her smoothie along with her morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack .                                                                           

 

Robin and Tracking.

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Robin is a pro at tracking. She calls herself obsessive compulsive about it. She uses the MyfitnessPal app. which is very easy to use, and she loves it.

For her, it’s more planning than tracking. She will plug in her food for the next day. She wants to make sure it fits her nutritional needs. Then she knows exactly where her nutrition stands and what she is eating the next day. Less stress. It’s all in there It helps her stay organized.

 

 

What’s Next?

Okay so Robin was up to 205lbs then lost 55 pounds on her own following the book ”Eat Clean Diet Recharged”.

So that that put you at a 155 pounds, and now you’re at 134.5. Whats next?

Robin said, “My next goal is 128, and I just finished talking with Scott.  He adjusted my calories and proteins and that’s the plan for now.”

She is on an 1150 calorie plan for now, however, we are working on upping that soon. And I am sure Robin is looking forward to that!

We have been carb cycling; three days high protein and the fourth day is high carb. Then we start the cycle again.

Why are you doing this?

“I was extremely motivated to get back to what I call my fighting weight, it’s not been hard really. When you see your weight and the inches come off it’s very motivating”

Making a Lifestyle Change..

There you have it gang. Robin Tanis losing an astonishing 70.5 pounds and six more to go which she hopes to reach soon. She does not set goal dates and explains why.

“I do not like to set goal dates because I never meet them. It’s not just about hitting the goal by a certain date. That’s part of it but in the long run you are making a lifestyle change. It’s not a diet that you’re going to go off and gain it all back. It’s something you can sustain for life.”

Moving Forward.

As long as we’re moving forward making changes we are all pretty happy with that. People think that it is just in the losing weight, but you’re losing body fat and you’re maintaining lean muscle mass. What I like to see is that a person is losing inches in the thighs and areas like that. That is a tell- tale sign that you’re losing body fat, not muscle. Also, you’re able to eat a little bit more. That’s what Robin and I are going to work on next: Getting her calories up, while sustaining and continuing to drop inches, and possibly weight, as well. That’s yet another sign when you’re able to eat a lot more without having to gain body fat.

Thank You Robin and Congratulations!!

Robin Now

Robin Now

Robin again thank you so much for sharing your journey, and we’re looking forward to you hitting your goal marker at 128. You are living the lifestyle, you are happy, and that makes me happy. Awesome job and congratulations!

  

 Celebrities Who Can Relate.

Along with Robin some celebrities have lost some major weight using diet, portion control, and exercise. Just to name a few Drew Carey(80 lbs), John Goodman (100lbs), Kelly Osbourne (50 lbs) Seth Rogen (30 lbs), Valerie Bertinelli (50 lbs), Mo’Nique (45 lbs) Al Roker (140 lbs), Ricki Lake (140 lbs) Nicey Nash (50 lbs). Of course, these are just some of the transformations that some celebrities have gone through. We congratulate all those who made the decision to live a healthier fit life.

 

 
 
 
Reverse Extension on Swiss Ball

Reverse Extension on Swiss Ball

CLICK ON IMAGE TO WATCH

CLICK ON IMAGE TO WATCH

 Reverse Extension on Swiss Ball

Try the Reverse Extension on a Swiss Ball as a great way to strengthen and improve your stabilizing muscles. This exercise focuses on the Erector Spinal muscles of the lower back as well as the Gluteus Maximus.

Using the ball keeps your upper body stable and provides support to the lumbar region as you lower and raise your legs, placing less stress on the lower back.

It’s only necessary to come up to a straight body position at the top of the movement, and not to hyperextend the trunk.

Exercise Instructions:

1 – Lie face down with your chest on the ball, your hands and feet on the floor

2 – Raise your legs up behind straight, making a line from your feet to shoulders.

3 – Do not bounce up and down on the ball as you perform each rep.

4 – Have fun!

 

 
 
Circuit Training For Beginners

Circuit Training For Beginners

Circuit training is not just for beginners but it is an excellent system for beginners. The primary goal of circuit training is to improve general fitness.

FitnessBuilder

The main objective in completing all of the “stations” in the circuit is to decrease time. In designing a circuit program  ensure to choose exercises most important to your sport, or those exercises most important to eliminating your weaknesses. The most important exercises are placed earlier in the circuit and the least important are placed later in the circuit. You then perform each in succession, attempting always to improve upon your time and weights. The results of an effective circuit program are to improve cardiovascular, strength and toning. As targets are reached or as new weaknesses crop up, changes in the circuit should occur.

The circuit may be repeated for as many sets as desired, by resting between sets at each station, or by going through the circuit non-stop several times. 

You can find many circuit training or beginner workouts within our amazing membership. Register to the right ===>

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