The 12-step workout program

What HAPPENED?? Not so long ago you were in good shape, could see your kneecaps and could touch your toes. Now the only fingers touching your toes are the fast food chicken strips you dropped on the floor. The office is what happened. You spend a minimum of 8 hours of day confined to a small space and its taking a toll on your waist line. Here is a very short and basic workout you can do anywhere for all you workout fanatics and weekend warriors to get you back you on the right track to a summer beach body. Its only 3 weeks away so let's get to it. 

1. 10 minute warm-up. This could be anything from a walk to a jog. Maybe even a combination of the two to get your heart pumping and your body moving. 

Upper body exercise

2. 50 big arm circles both directions (forwards and backward)

3. Pushups. You can do these a number of different ways, from your knees or from your hands and toes. Start with ten and work your way to 25.

4. Bench dips. Keep your hips close to the bench as you move downward towards the floor.
 

5. Crunches. Don't stop until you get to 50.

6. Plank. Hold for 60 seconds from your hands and toes (pushup position) or challenge yourself in low plank on your forearms and toes for 90 seconds.

7. Pull-ups. Find a bar of any kind and pull yourself up to it. Maybe even find a low hanging tree branch (make sure it can support your weight!). Go for 5 and work your way up to 15 in a row.

Lower body exercise 

8. Hand squats. Put your hands on the floor 24 inches from your feet and bend your knees so your hips come down toward your heels then raise them back up as high as you can. See if you can do 50 without toppling over.

9. Hip press. Lay on your back with the bottoms of your feet flat on the floor and press you hips off the ground. 25 should do the trick. 

You can also try a Heel press, where you point your toes toward the sky. On this one, the further your feet are from your hips, the harder the exercise. Press your hips up for 15 reps for a nice burn in your hamstrings and gluts.

10. Dirty dogs. Go to your hands and knees and lift your leg to the side while bent like a dog peeing. Make sure the opposite elbow is locked during your 25 reps.

11. Knee squeeze. Lay on your back with the bottoms of your feet on the ground and squeeze your knees together as tight as you can while you slightly raise your shoulders off the ground to reach your palms to the top of your knees. After 60 seconds you should start to feel the fatigue in your inner thighs.

12. Calf raises. This is one of my favorites. You can hang your heels off of a stair or a platform of some sort and raise them as high as you can 50 times. If you want to work on balance try it with one leg and if you really want to challenge yourself, try doing it without holding on to anything.

This is a great workout that works your full body. If you are going to do this routine, I would suggest doing it 3 times a week with cardiovascular exercise or a just day of rest in between. Stay healthy everyone and Forge ON!

Workout for your bed workouts

There are pills, pumps and everything in between to make you better in bed. Some are done to increase your stamina; some are keep you primed so you are ready to go at any given time. All of these things can be accomplished just by working out. Getting a good an effective workout for just a short amount of time can have lasting effects in bed. Here are some ways that exercise makes you better in bed and some exercises that you can do to please your mate…or whoever you are trying to impress.

Exercise increases stamina When you exercise for long periods of time (over 30 minutes), you can increase your stamina. This does not mean going to the gym for 45 minutes and drinking a smoothie however. Your exercise should be at least 30 minutes of continuous movement. This gets the body moving through the aerobic cycle, going from anaerobic to aerobic. Training your body to maintain itself in the aerobic portion of the cycle increases stamina in your workouts and gives you the ability to do more, while using less energy. Going for a light jog for 30 minutes or a brisk walk are some things you could do to help pump your stamina up to the next level. Speaking of pump… 

Exercise improves your thrusting ability There are exercises that you can do that increase your thrusting ability. Everyone knows how important that is for both men and women to be able to use your hips. To increase your thrust you must strengthen your hips and gluteus. Squats are one way you can do it. Obviously, the more weight you can handle with squats, the more you are strengthening your thrusting muscles. There is another exercise that is also very effective. I call it the heel press and it is executed by you lying on your back with your feet on the floor while pressing your hips and butt off the ground. You can hold it up or you can try to press till exhaustion. 

Exercise strengthens your core When your core is strong, your posture improves significantly. Along the lines of posture, you also have the ability to hold yourself more upright (no pun intended). I'll let you use your imagination about how being able to keep yourself upright might be useful in bed. Exercises that can help you to keep in those precarious positions are crunches, sit-ups and planks. Try your hand at 100 crunches and sit-ups, I guarantee your abdominals will not be the only thing the opposite sex will notice.

Exercise increases readiness Make up sex is nothing in comparison to post workout sex. People say they have the best experience in bed after a fight. This is because they have their engines running high. They are already primed for excitement. Studies show that blood flow to the genital region was significantly increased following a physical activity. The general school of thought before was that relaxation for both men and women would help to increase readiness for that partner who was not quite up to the task. However it is shown that vigorous activity such as that from exercise releases hormones, such as testosterone, that rev up your engines and will have you prepared to be crowned the best that they ever had.

Exercise increases flexibility I shouldn't even have to tell you why flexibility is good, but I will anyway. That position that you read in that one book or you saw on that one movie can't happen unless you both have flexibility. Take time to stretch before your workout and after your workout and you'll see a distinct decrease in pulled muscles across the board. 

All in all exercise can be fun and have more than its fair share of benefits. Exercising with your partner can also be a great bonding experience as you help to push and challenge each other, thus strengthening your relationship in a non physical manner. That is also a great way to ensure that you and your partner stay fit and the mutual attraction continues for a long time to come. Forge ON!