Training

All fast food meals are not created equal. Fried or grilled? Fries or salad? Sugary drink or water? It’s just an innocent meal, right? We compare two Chick-fil-A meals and how different your workouts will have to be if you want to stay fit. Holy Cowz preach, “Eat more Chikn”. But if you want to be part of the healthy flock, watch what you’ve herd.

Easter is near. This, the most important Christian holiday, is a time to celebrate the life of Jesus Christ and the salvation and hope He has given. Are you prepared? Faith & Fitness Magazine is hosting a 12-day online event that gives you the tools to prepare spiritually, physically and nutritionally. Participate and you can benefit others.

Every year the Arnold Sports Festival hosts all kinds of competitions. Long known as one of the main bodybuilding events in the nation, athletes train with extreme discipline. Grueling workouts, strict diets and demanding focus are required. Many say they feel as if they could die. It’s THAT tough. We follow Melanie Evans, one competitor at this year’s event. She’s learned that if you don’t prepare to die to your self-will, your biggest dreams and your darkest fears then you can never come alive to your greatest potential.

Can you imagine seeing an older woman bench pressing weights or a young athletic man practicing his balance on a stability ball? We associate certain physical activities with certain age groups. But, your body is meant to be strong on five levels through several forms of training. Don’t limit yourself by limiting your mind. What can we learn from each other? The answers are here.

Express workouts, gym memberships, home exercise videos, mall walking, personal training and hundreds of other ways to get fit have been devised. Still can’t seem to find the time for health? Still wondering what is the best way to get fit? Then you need to use these 7 steps to find the workout plan that is right for you.

SURVIVAL TRAINING Direct from the French Commando School deep in the Pyrenees Mountains of France, former U.S. Army Special Forces Officer David Redding has survived harsh and brutal training. Now he shares with you 10 principles he has learned from his survival experiences. Both men and women who are serious about taking training to the next level will benefit from these tips. If you apply them to your training and life they will be all you need to know to survive.

CROSS-CONDITIONING BODYWEIGHT TRAINING Traveling with my church youth group to Kenya, East Africa requires being in good physical fitness. We needed to do exercises that could be done anywhere with minimal equipment. This new 30x4 workout is a great way to do 30 different exercises that cross 5 different conditioning target areas in just 30 minutes. Use the included 30-minute video and start having fun training.

TRAINING FOR AN OBSTACLE COURSE RACE Getting mud in my eyes (literally), helped me to see a completely new way to train and enjoy fitness. The Spartan Race is quite the adventure. I know because I did it along with my team – Team John 9. This article is loaded with videos. So plan to watch them all. Then find a race, build your own team, use my training tips and then… well, you’ll know at the finish line that there is indeed power in the mud.

The chapter summaries and primary concepts outlined in this section help organize reading the book Every Body Matters, bring focus to conversations in the Every Body Matters Fitness Program and support reflection in your personal journaling. ACCESS ALL OF THE EVERY BODY MATTERS ONLINE RESOURCES.

A DIET AND FOOD RESOURCE: Get information, resources and access to nutrition professionals. You can contribute to this section and follow updates from the author’s wife.

This section offers helpful ideas on HOW TO use the Every Body Matters book and do the Every Body Matters Fitness Program with different people and needs.

The Every Body Matters Fitness Program is a simple, effective and engaging approach to help people exercise and get their deeper spiritual needs met. The program facilitates thoughtful instruction and conversation with user-defined fitness activities. Access all of the Every Body Matters ONLINE resources for a wide range of support tools and networking as you do the Every Body Matters Fitness Program.

You’ve heard of the South Beach Diet or a Los Angeles style bootcamp. They’re cool names for nice trendy programs that improve you. But if you’re ready to get a bit more extreme and improve the life of others then check out the North Korean Workout. Add a whole new edge to fitness. It’s a life changer.

Rules can show us a right way and a wrong way to accomplish something. Keep safe and get results. We give you the DO’S and DON’TS for a variety of exercises. But we don’t stop there. You’ll learn how you can “break the rules” and have fun. Want more? Discover how these rules relate to your spiritual life. Time to get training.

Oh, those aches and pains make it tough to stretch and perform like you want. Your spirit is willing but your flesh --- well it just needs a little help. Everyone can benefit from improved flexibility. If you have the nerve to try something new, we have the flexibility training that will get you moving further. Read more to learn how you can receive a FREE Z-Health Flexibility Phone Consultation with our Training Department Editor, Jason Rhymer.

If you’ve hit the weights but never really achieve the gains or muscularity that you want then think about adding 3 supplements that are “must haves” to pack on some quality size. Add them to hard work and consistency and reach your full potential.

TIMED FATIGUE TRAINING To reeeeeally feel the burn you’re gonna’ need to train a little harder. OK, maybe a lot harder. Here are two programs that will blow up your traditional sets and reps paradigm. Effective for both gals and guys, timed fatigue training is the answer to your question, “How do I get pumped?” Print it, take it to your next workout and get pumping.

COMBAT READINESS TRAINING Are you a soldier that is ready for battle? Gain confidence with combat readiness training. This training program includes a complete printable guide that you can easily follow. Time to have some fun, train hard and become “soldier” strong physically and spiritually.

CORE TRAINING Want to quit having back pain and limited movement? You need a strong core – those all-important muscles that give you a solid base of support. Kirsten demonstrates core exercises you can add to your workout and discusses the importance of a strong spiritual core. Now is the time for you to build a stronger foundation.

You made it to the final exercise of this holiday training program. Time to do some biceps curls and Triceps Extensions. Do the curls (each arm) first. Then do the triceps extensions (each arm). They are your 12 bonus reps.

The Romanian deadlift is quite a mouthful. Call it RDL for short. Stand with a barbell, dumbbells, sandbag, or other implement in front of you with arms extended (Picture 1). Slightly bend the knees, but don’t bend them once you start the next part of the movement.

To do the one-arm Row as your tenth exercise do 5 on each side (each arm). – I like to tweak this great strength move a bit so that you get more core involvement.

Keep both feet even on the ground (other versions have you put one knee on a bench), and reach onto a bench or other secure object. The goal is to get the back flat and parallel to the ground. Grab a dumbbell or other implement with the other hand and pull it to your side, getting your elbow as high as possible.

The good news about doing jumping jacks in this holiday training regimen is that this is a rest set before your last 3 big sets. Hopefully, you have been doing jumping jacks since you were a child and the pictures will tell you all you need to know about this classic fat burner.

Low-Impact Version– step instead of jump and keep arms even with the chest as they move.

For the kettlebell Swing I realize you may not have access to a kettlebell. If that is the case, you can do this same exercise with dumbbells (even a filled household plastic bottle with a handle – like a gallon milk bottle). However I highly recommend you use kettlebells. Invest in some for your personal home gym.

The shoulder press can be done with any implement. I have pictures of a thick band and a set of kettlebells. The way I teach this now is different from years ago. I am most concerned now with bone stacking.

For this part of your holiday training do 3 lunges with each leg. Take a long stride step and focus on lowering “through” the front heel. Your back leg is for balance and the front leg is for work. Lower the torso straight down between the two feet in the long stride position. Focus also on maintaining a long spine. You can stay stationary or walk the lunges around your workout area, alternating for 3 reps with each leg.

If you are still singing the song then you are at the, “5 golden rings” part of this exercise. Be sure to do 5 push-ups every time.

Pistols (Assisted) are basically a single-leg squat while holding on and lightly assisting with the upper body. The focus is extreme range of motion (notice how low Kirsten is getting…sit on your heel if possible). Return to a standing position by driving your heel through the ground, keep the spine long, and only pull with your arms as needed.

Pull-ups are an upper body compound pulling exercise where the body is suspended by extended arms, gripping a fixed bar, then pulled up until the elbows are bent and the head is higher than the hands, utilizing an overhand (pronated) grip. Focus on getting the elbows by your side and activating your shoulder blades rather than focusing your arms doing the work.