The Fit 5 Archives - Just J.Faye

The Fit 5: Back

June 9, 2015 by Jenna

It’s time for another Fit 5 post! This time we’re going to focus on our back muscles.

Many exercises are forward moving and front facing, so it can be easy to forget about the back. We shouldn’t – for every push there should be a pull.

And for every The Fit 5 post there should be some facts.

I definitely needed to triple check the spelling on some of those muscles. The Transversospinalis muscles rarely come up in my writing or everyday conversations – surprising? But it’s always great to know these things. You never know when it could pop up in trivia.

Basically, the back is made up of a few larger muscles and a lot of little ones. All of these are important, so we should pay attention to them, treat them with respect, and make them stronger.

Here are some exercises that will help with that!

These are just a few to get you started. I love a good row or pulldown, but after incorporating a lot more yoga into my life the last few months, I’ve noticed the benefits of doing isometric holds – like the Superman. They are always a little bit more difficult than you think they’ll be, but are extremely beneficial.

I recommend incorporating at least one back exercise into your strength training routine. That’s totally doable, right?!

Check out the other Fit 5 posts for some good exercises you can pair these with: Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, Chest, and Balance Training.

With The Fit 5 Back thrown into the mix we almost hit all the major muscle groups! Woo Hoo. Stay tuned for more.

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The Fit 5: Balance Training

May 5, 2015 by Jenna

It only seems fitting that I should post my next “The Fit 5” on 05.05.15. Really, it was pure coincidence, but the stars must be aligned today.

Today, on this day full of 5s, we’re going to learn about balance.

Balance is important in many aspects -> balancing work and life, balancing healthy eating with a few indulgences, balancing running with cross training, balancing introvert time with social activities, balancing on one foot… it’s all important.

I’m better at some of these than others. I’m not going to say which ones.

For this post specifically I’m going to talk about balance training for you body – what it means, why it’s important, and how we can incorporate more of it in our lives.

Let’s kick it off with 5 Fit Facts about balance:

Based on all of those facts, you can see why it is important to incorporate some balance training in your exercise routine. You can start out with something as simple as balancing on one leg for 30 seconds. Once you have that mastered try to master it on a half foam roll, then a wobble board, and eventually a bosu ball. This could take weeks (or months!) to progress through, but by progressing slowly and properly you will be increasing your neuromuscular efficiency and the strength in your stabilizer muscles.

Besides standing on one leg, here are some other balance exercises that you can add into your routine:

You will notice that a lot of these exercises mention to “hold for a few seconds” before continuing with movement. This is where you are really going to challenge your balance. Make sure to engage your muscles and focus on stabilizing your body before moving on.

You can add 1 or 2 of these exercises before/during/after your normal strength training routine. You could also make an entire workout just focused on your balance by cycling through these in a circuit.

Don’t forget to check out the other The Fit 5 posts: shoulders, biceps, triceps, and chest!

Another way that you can train your balance today is by ditching the chips and dip veggies into your guac instead… while you enjoy a margarita – happy Cinco de Mayo!

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The Fit 5: Triceps

March 2, 2015 by Jenna

Hello! Welcome to March and to the 3^rd installment of “The Fit 5”!

In January we talked about shoulders, learned what the heck the coracobrachialis is, discovered that the shoulder is the most moveable joint, and did rows, raises, presses, and shrugs.

In February we learned all about biceps, how it is an awkward sounding single noun and it inspired the word “muscle”. Then we did a lot of different curls.

Today, we move to triceps!

TRICEPS. They are my least favorite muscle group to train. Also, probably, my weakest. Coincidence? No. Not at all. However, I do know how important they are to strengthen and work on. No body wants to see flabby underarms.

So. Today I am going to give lots of love to the triceps. First, we’ll learn. Then, we’ll do.

LEARN…

If you can recall The Fit 5: Biceps I mentioned that the word biceps refers to a muscle that has both a long head and a short head – two heads. Based on that logic how many heads do you think a triceps muscle has?

If you said three, you are both brilliant and correct. The triceps brachii muscle has three heads: long, lateral, and medial. Now here are some more Fit 5 Facts about the triceps muscle.

And guess what?! It’s another awkward sounding singular noun. Hurray! As if I weren’t awkward enough.

DO…

Now that we know more about the triceps, let’s strengthen them. It’s almost summer, so before we know it we’ll be wearing tank tops and waving to people all over the place.

Right?! Summer is almost here?! Or at least spring? Or at least 30-degree weather?!

Blah. This is what we are going to do to get them into shape for whenever the weather starts to turn (or I hop on a jet plane to somewhere warm).

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: adapt these exercises to get the results that you are looking for. To work on your stability, perform the standing triceps extensions on one leg or sitting on a stability ball and do the lying triceps extensions lying on a stability ball instead of a bench. To build muscle use heavier weights and low reps; to maintain lean muscle use lighter weights and higher reps.

It is good idea to mix up the variables (reps, sets, tempo, intensity, rest, frequency) from time to time. If you are always using 8 lbs dumbbells for you triceps extensions, try bumping up the weight to 10 lbs or 12 lbs once a week. Also, play with your tempo. Try slowing things down and really focus on contracting and extending your tricepses. They will hate you and then they will love you.

I am going to pledge to you that I will start giving more love and attention to my triceps and fitting more of these exercises into my normal routine. Here are some ways that I am thinking:

Alternate these with the biceps exercises. Triceps and biceps are essentially opposite muscles. While one contracts the other extends, so let’s keep them even.
Perform an upper body circuit with biceps, shoulders, and triceps.
Pick two of the exercises for this week. Early in the week use light weights and high reps, then later in the week use heavier weights and lower reps. Then next week pick two other exercises any follow the same pattern.
Perform all 5 exercises with a set of squats and/or lunges in between.

People, the possibilities are endless.

As always, reach out in the comments with questions! Otherwise start working on those triceps!

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The Fit 5: Biceps

February 2, 2015 by Jenna

In January I kicked off a new series called “The Fit 5” and talked a lot about shoulders. This month it’s all about the biceps.

When I say “biceps” I am referring to the biceps brachii muscle on your upper arm, not to be confused with the biceps femoris, which is a part of the hamstring muscle group. Also, did you know that biceps is actually a singular noun? It refers to a muscle that has both a long head and short head; the plural form is “bicepses”. This can lead to awkward sounding sentences.

The biceps on my right arm is sore. My bicepses hurt from all those hammer curls. Awkward, but correct.

Here are some more interesting biceps facts!

Now, let’s talk biceps exercises. I am sure you are familiar with biceps curls, but there are other exercises you can do to build those biceps!

As always, adjust the variables to meet your needs. For example, the dumbbell hammer curls can be done standing on one leg, standing on both legs, sitting on a stability ball, or sitting on a bench. Use heavy weights and perform less reps (20 lbs, 8 reps) or lighter weights and more reps (10 lbs, 15 reps). Just do whatever you are in the mood for and then switch it up the next time you do them!

Here are a few ways you can incorporate these exercises into your strength training routine:

Between each biceps exercise do a set of squats.
Do 10 burpees after each biceps exercise.
Alternate these with the shoulder exercises.
Perform one exercise every day, Monday-Friday.

These are just a few examples of so many more possibilities!

Side note: I am pretty excited about these plank hammer curls. They are an awesome full body exercise!

I hope you enjoyed the second edition of The Fit 5 and learned a little bit about bicepses (still so awkward!) If you have any questions about these exercises, feel free to ask in a comment.

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The Fit 5: Shoulders

January 5, 2015 by Jenna

It’s the first Monday of 2015. Welcome back to real life. Also welcome to a new series here on Just J.Faye! I call it “The Fit 5”.

In this series I will post 5 different exercises that can (and should) be incorporated into your strength training routine. The series will usually focus on one specific muscle group (back, triceps, quads), but I will also do some broader areas as well (full-body, upper body, plyometrics). To accompany the 5 exercises I will post 5 facts about the muscle group, because knowledge is power and it never hurts to learn more about your body.

So fun, right?! YES. So let’s get started with the first edition: SHOULDERS.

I won’t lie to you, before I started learning more about the body I pretty much ignored any shoulder exercises. To me upper body strength training was basically bicep curls and triceps extensions. But, hellooooo, there are so many more muscles up there to work!

Eesh. I know now though. Better late than never, right?!

So how much do you know about your shoulders? Do you know what the shoulder joint is actually called? Or how many bones it is composed of? I’m sure you’re aware that helps move your arms up and down, but what about the other movements?

I know. A lot of those words are a bit intense. Like, coracobrawhaaaat?! I broke out the ole kinesiology book for those fun (can we call them fun??) facts.

FYI, the coracobrachialis is basically the muscle that runs from the scapula (upper back triangle looking plate) to the humerous (upper arm bone). It helps the shoulder joint to adduct (when your arm moves in towards your chest).

We are learning things here, people!

Now onto “The Fit 5” shoulder exercises.

All of these exercises are adaptable to whatever strength training stage you are in!

Working on stabilization? Perform the lateral and front raises while standing on one leg and the shoulder press while sitting on a stability ball.
Lifting heavier weights? Performs less reps and sit on a bench.
Looking to increase endurance? Choose lighter weights and do more reps.

I strongly recommend sprinkling these into your strength training routine. Here are some suggestions:

Choose 1 or 2 of the moves and superset them with squats and lunges. Fun fact: when you do a circuit like this that alternates between upper and lower body exercises you are performing a “peripheral heart action system”. The more you know.
Perform all 5 exercises in a circuit format for an all shoulder workout. Just make sure to give yourself a solid 30-60 seconds of rest between each exercise, so that you don’t wear your muscles out right away. After running through the circuit once do some elliptical intervals or plyometric exercises (like squat jumps or burpees) then repeat the circuit again. Add in a third time if you’d like!

I am definitely going to be spending a little more time on my shoulders this year! Plus, I really want to be able to do a headstand and I feel like shoulders play a huge role in that feat.

We will keep learning more in future Fit 5 posts! If you have any questions about these exercises or anything I mentioned, feel free to ask them in a comment below!

What did you think? Will you try out these exercises?

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