Workout Motivation

I had just spent a long time rehabing my knee injury, and the doctor had finally gave me the green light for running and more intensive exercise. I was pretty excited about it because my cardio was horrendous from the layoff and I felt that I had less energy because of it.

A friend of mine who was out of shape and looking to improve asked to join me in my workouts. I was happy to have the company so I gladly told him to come. He could only do a few pushups could not do one pullup, but I knew that if he would keep coming that he would improve quickly.

And he did. After only a few workouts, he was able to do his first pullup. He was also doing a lot more pushups and I gave him some ideas that would help him with his diet. I was also making a lot of improvements myself, and was excited to watch someone else improve as well.

But then something that happens all too often occured…

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I recently started running for the first time in years since my knee injury. I haven’t been timing myself since I’m just letting my body get used to it, but I can feel that I’m getting faster and closer to my past speed. That being said, I don’t think I ever did the mile in under 6 minutes – something that I definitely want to do. Here are some things I’ve picked up while trying to increase my speed on how to get faster at running:

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In “Men in Black”, Will Smith’s character is running after an alien. He seems to have unlimited stamina, and not only can he run, but he seems to be able to climb, jump stairs, and pull his bodyweight with total ease continually in a short period of time. He never tires (until the plot demands it), and even gets inducted into a secret alien watching organization because of his endurance alone.

In “I am Legend”, we see him exercising by performing countless pull ups. Later on, he singlehandedly wages a war against the super-mutants, and even manages to wrestle one out of a crashing window without showing any signs of fatigue…

What is one thing in common with all of Will Smith’s characters that allows them to keep on going when normal people wouldn’t be able to continue? The answer is simple. Muscular Endurance.

What Muscular Endurance Is, and Why You Need It…

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Well, this is Rafi Bar-Lev and I’ve got great news for the 5 of you (just joking) that are still reading this despite my long hiatus…I’m back! I’m not going to get into a long explanation about why I was away (one of the reasons was I wanted to get my knee injury at almost 100% before I started working out seriously again…and I hate writing about things unless I’m actually doing them)

– but the fact is that I am more pumped than EVER to help you get in the best shape of your life and yes – the picture to your left is me.

Just to give you a little teaser of some articles to expect in the coming days, here are some really cool things I want to discuss with you:

1. Muscle endurance – why you need it, how to train for it.

2. Do you really need weights?

3. Does working out really help guys get girls or girls get guys?

4. Why cardio is still cool in 2011.

And a lot of other really awesome stuff that I’ve discovered on my way too long break from writing here.

I know all of you want to get in ridiculously amazing shape for summer – so be sure to stick around because we’re going to make it happen baby!

Oh yeah – and just so I know I’m not talking to myself over here – leave a comment!

After saying to myself that I was going to do it for over a year now, I finally took the time and practiced until I was able to do my first muscle up. I had forgotten what it’s like to do an exercise you never were able to do before – and I will tell you it feels great.

What makes the muscle up so fun to learn is that most people can’t do it. It’s the same idea behind getting really good at the butterfly stroke for those of you who swim. It’s not really necessary for a good workout…but you look sweet doing it. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little showing off here and there.

What is a Muscle Up?

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For those of you looking to strengthen your abs using “unconventional” style workouts, then exercise ball ab workouts are the way to go. The reason exercise ball workouts are so good is because by their very nature, all exercises done with the ball require core strength, including your abs. The second reason that the ball is so good is because it puts less strain on your back, allowing you to push your body harder and to avoid injury.

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Even though there aren’t really any stomach exercises for women only, many women still would like a list of exercises to get a toned, flat stomach specifically for women only. The reason for this is that a lot of women feel like they feel that if they do “guy exercises” they’ll get a guy’s physique – even though it’s simply not true.

Men and Women Have Different Genetics

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[I have a serious question about this picture. Is this a "belly shirt" or did she roll up a normal shirt specifically for this picture. What do you think?]

If you’ve ever wondered how to tone your stomach – you’ve come to the right place. In fact, tons of people think getting 6 pack abs is one of those things regulated only to some athletes and models. But it doesn’t have to be so, because almost anyone get 6 pack abs if they follow the right steps.

Here are the 3 easy steps you have to follow to get 6 pack abs and a flat stomach as well as a free video:

• Step 1: Exercise
• Step 2: Diet.
• Step 3: Repeat

Now, that may seem simple enough – but it’s not. Why? Because not all workouts are equal and not all diets are equal!

If you are seriously interested in getting a flat, toned stomach, then you NEED to know three things:

1. How to mentally prepare yourself to succeed.

2. The best fat burning workouts.

3. Diets that actually work and aren’t ridiculously hard.

And there’s only ONE way to be sure you’ll learn about the above three. And that’s to enter your email below to sign up for my free stomach toning tips!

Enter Your Email Here:

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Update: I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to have room on my email list (I only have space for a limited amount of people). So make sure to sign up now for these free tips before there’s no more space left for new sign-ups!

[I wanted to find a picture of a sports drink without turning this post into an ad for a specific brand. I think this picture does a good job of that. ]

I found out about Greg Hayes and his fitness blog called the “Live Fit Blog” a couple of years ago when he commented on one of the first articles I ever wrote as a blogger.

Greg is a father himself, so he unsurprisingly spends a lot of time commenting on articles that have to do with schools and children/adolescents. I thought having him write something about the effects of energy drinks and the debate about sports drinks in schools would be a nice addition to Passionate Fitness. Enjoy!

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