My Easy/Great At Home Workout Routine WITHOUT Equipment

December 18, 2012 by admin | 1 Comment

bloodypushups

["All those pushups and you can't even lift up a bloody log!" - Alfred to Bruce, Batman Begins]

Alright guys and gals, for those of you who are still reading this blog (hey, hopefully I’ll be able to get the numbers back up) — I mentioned that I was going to start working out again. What I didn’t mention is that I was going to do an easy, or in my opinion great, at home workout routine WITHOUT equipment. If you want to start working out with me, feel free. It is probably the EASIEST exercise program you’ll ever see.

Why?

Because it’s only pushups and pullups. Pushups and pullups were enough for Batman, and they’re enough for us. Here’s the plan:

[Above is essentially a video version of this blog with some images.]

Passionate Fitness is Back

December 17, 2012 by admin | 4 Comments

Hey guys,

This is Rafi Bar-Lev. After a hiatus of around 2 years, I have returned to blog here, and this time — with a gusto!

Here’s the deal. I also stopped working out. Now I need to get back into shape, so we’re in this together. To start, I’m planning to work out with body weight workouts and possibly improvised weights for things like weighted pullups.

Here’s what’s on the agenda for Passionate Fitness: Basic workout tips/workouts, eating tips, and motivation to keep on going. You have those three things, and you have yourself a path to getting fit.

If there’s anyone still listening, I’d appreciate if you give me a holler and let me know and leave a comment. Looking forward to getting into shape with you all!

The Perfect Workout

August 19, 2011 by admin | Leave a comment

Are you looking to tone and strengthen your stomach? Well, you came to the right place- because I am going to show you the PERFECT workout to get in great shape and really tone that belly. Here’s how:

When looking to burn off fat, the critical component here is to put your body in the “fat-burning zone”. To help with that, I’m going to recommend a special training technique called High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT.
The idea behind HIIT is simple. By getting your heart beat up in a workout, you increase your body’s metabolism for a limited amount of time, allowing you to burn calories even when the workout is better. Now, here is a little more information about these exercises for belly fat:
We’re going to combine sprinting with body weight workouts, for a full toning and burning effect.

Here’s the workout:

From 2-8 60 meter sprints depending on your level. 30 seconds to 1 minute of rest in between and light stretching. Before you start, do a 5 minute jog for a warm up:
100% max push ups, Rest for 30 seconds.
80% max push ups. Rest for 30 seconds.
50% max push ups. Rest for 30 seconds.
1 minute plank.
100% max pull ups. Rest for 30 seconds.
50% max pull ups. Rest for 30 seconds.
50% max pull ups. Rest for 30 seconds.
1 minute side plank (right side).
1 minute side plank (left side).
Walk briskly for 5 minutes to cool down. This is the end of the fat burning workout.

This workout is pretty amazing for toning a stomach and burning fat. Enjoy!

Bodyweight Training – Still in Style

August 19, 2011 by admin | Leave a comment

Why Bodyweight Training is Still in Style

There are many people who believe that body-weight training is no longer the most effective. They will tell you that you need to exclusively use weights or exercise machines, and that body weight is not enough to get in a great workout, especially at the most advanced levels.

Of course, these people seem to forget that historically and even currently, bodyweight training has been a critical component of warriors and soldiers. That alone should tell you that it is incredibly effective. In fact, I would wager to say that body weight training is the MOST important part of your workout if you’re interested in functional fitness.

Here’s why:

When you use weights, you’re using them in such a motion that is often not entirely natural. You also have to be more careful in how you use them lest you worry about injuring yourself. That’s why when it comes to normal weights, you can’t possibly go full the full range of motions or the explosive style workout routines as safely as you can with body weight.

Think about it this way. If in real life, you were training to be able to run 3 miles quickly, jump a fence, and then swim to safety in a James Bond style run-out – would weights be the way to do it? No, pull-ups, running, and swimming would be the 3 main components.

Sure, weights wouldn’t hurt as a SUPPLEMENT to your routine as they would help you isolate certain muscles in your workouts – but they’re not the core component. Which is why I want to get to the main point…

Weights should be looked at as a way to supplement your functional strength, not an ends within themselves. Getting bigger and stronger can help you day to day, but it’s not the only thing that matters.

They are a great tool when use to help your daily functional fitness, but when your functional fitness suffers because of your weight lifting (for instance, if you’re sacrificing cardio or working too much on one muscle group) – then it’s no longer effective. Which is why you should always be using body weight as a part of your training.

Fat Burning Workout for the Weekend

May 20, 2011 by admin | Leave a comment

NOTE: If you don’t know how to do these exercises, check out my post on body weight training for newbies for tutorials.

Hey guys, I just wanted to give you all a fat burning workout you can do for the weekend. The idea behind it is that it combines muscle building exercises with a cardio workout to get the full on fat burning effect.

Here it is:

Warm up: Jog for 5 minutes. Light stretching after jog as well.

1. Do 5(beginner) to 25(advanced) push ups depending on your level, or kneeling push-ups if you can’t do a push-up.

2. Do anywhere from a 15 second (beginner) to a 2 and a half minute (advanced) plank.

3. Do anywhere from 5(beginner) to 30(advanced) body weight squats.

Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat two more times for a total of 30 times and then stretch.

If you still have some energy, after this workout do 4 fifty meter sprints outside. Rest for 30 seconds to a minute in between each sprint. Stretch when done.

Have a great weekend guys!

-Rafi

Chicken Nutrition

May 15, 2011 by admin | Leave a comment

Chicken nutrition.

Chicken is an excellent source of nutrition. In general, it’s relatively low-calorie, has a lot of protein, and isn’t the “red meat” variety. It also tastes great!

Here are some of the nutrient facts for 100 grams, in this case for a chicken patty, according to the USDA:

3 Meaningful Changes To Start Losing Weight & Getting Fit Now

May 12, 2011 by admin | Leave a comment

Hey guys, this is Rafi Bar-Lev. With all the site changes lately, I was a little busy to write a new article. So luckily, my colleague Greg Hayes from Life Fit Blog offered to guest post for me.

Also, the RSS feed had to be changed because of the site change – so please resubscribe to my RSS so you can keep getting new posts. (Sorry about that guys!) Without further ado, here’s Greg’s guest post:

["Lose weight? Does that like...require getting off the couch? Because I don't see that happening."]

Coca Cola Nutrition Facts

May 4, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Coca Cola Nutrition Facts

Many people are looking for information on the nutrition facts for coca cola. But here’s the thing:

Mango Nutrition Facts

May 4, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Mango Nutrition Facts.

All right guys, I’m going to be taking a short break from my usual posts to do a series of posts on nutritional information on popular foods. Today I’m going to do mango nutrition facts.

Most Effective Ab Exercises: Abdominal Exercises for Men and Women

April 28, 2011 by | Leave a comment

People are constantly asking what the most effective ab exercises are, which is why I decided to do a post on abdominal exercises for women and men.

Above I have a few pictures of four different exercises. One in the gym. One yoga exercise. One windsurfing, and one stretch. Do you know what is common among all of them?

If you said that they all of the exercises work the ab muscles, then you would be right.

That is the really crazy thing about the abdomen – you don’t need to work it specifically in order to get defined abs. Do stomach workouts speed up the process and make it go faster? Yes. But is it necessary? No. All workouts get your core going.

By the way, here are a couple of free videos that will show you how to get an amazing body. The first is for men, and the second is for women:

Video for men:

Video for women:

So if you have a low body percentage and workout routinely, chances are your stomach will be defined.

Okay, but you didn’t come here to get lectured about low body fat percentages and about how “core” exercises have been taken to the extreme by the fitness industry. You want the most best workouts for your midsection to get a toned, defined stomach by summer. Well, you asked, and I delivered. Here are the top 5 exercises: