Fitness 1 by Coach KK

Lets face it. To look good and still fit into those old jeans, we have to exercise and eat right. While some people may find it easy and convenient to hop onto the treadmill and eat a salad for dinner, most of us do struggle adhering to our so called fitness programs. There can be many reasons due to which following a fitness based lifestyle can be difficult, following are just a few of them: Following a cookie-cutter program. Following someone else's program.  Implementing random suggestions into your own life style. Trying to do what others are doing. Trying to do too much. Lastly, doing too little.  Another aspect that gets ignored most of the time is the fact that weather the program being followed is correctly designed to begin with. In this post, I will go over some variables that you can manipulate to both check, if the fitness program you are following is correctly designed for you and how you can choose one from the hundreds available for free. It is worthy to

Lemon with warm water has for long been considered as the secret ingredient for losing belly fat. I’ve heard of countless people resort to drinking water with lemon first thing in the morning with the intension of reducing their waist line, over the years. Now if this was to done to say, detoxify the body or increase Vitamin C intake I could understand. However, losing belly fat is just not one of the primary benefits of consumption of water+lemon either in the morning or at any other time of the day. If you are already in a calorie defici t and consuming lemon water, you would lose fat, however the fat loss is coming primarily from the lowered calorie intake and not the lemon water. Lemon water is a good source of Vitamin C which may boost immunity. If you consume lemon water first thing in the morning, it is going to do exactly what it should, supply the body with Vitamin C. Losing fat from any one specific area of the body usually does not happen. When on a fat loss program

Sugar is a form of carbohydrate, not a good one but it still does its job when taken in the right amount and at the right time. Most people do tend to eat loads of sugar while exercising little to nothing. Eliminating sugar will do two things as follows: Reduce the amount of calories that come from sugar. Alter mood. Sugar is famously irresponsible in changing mood by elevating serotonin and dopamine. In addition, some people accustomed to consuming lots of sugar daily, feel a sudden loss of energy when they entirely remove it from their diets.Instead of completely avoiding sugar (unless its a medical issue that requires immediate attention), its better to reduce it slowly over a period of few days, to a bare minimum. Say for example, if the current daily sugar consumption is 100grams, reducing 20grams every day for the next 4 - 5 days is a much better option.For healthy adults, the best time to consume sugar is around the workout i.e. either before, in-between or after the w

Most fitness enthusiasts make it a point to perform a short pre-workout ritual commonly known as the "Warm up" before moving onto their training session. This short duration activity is usually performed for few minutes and is lower in intensity and volume. Some common warm up techniques used by many are: Walking Light jogging     Running  Jumping jacks Arm Swings Hip Rotation The duration/repetition for each the above mentioned exercises performed is something which is  dependent more on the individuals "getting in the zone for training" capacity rather than a random arbitrary number which should be adhered to. Another variable here is the weather conditions in which the training is ought to be carried out. It takes much less effort to warm up the body and get ready both physically and mentally in the summers, in comparison to the winters. Following are some of the advantages of warming up before a training session: Increase in body temperature.

Whey protein in recent years has gathered so many followers and consumers that it is hard to ignore it any more. Up until the 1990's not many had heard about whey protein and little did people know that one day it would become a staple for many fitness enthusiasts. What separates whey protein from the rest of the supplements available is its marketing and distribution. While one may or may not find any other relevant supplement, whey protein would surely be available for purchase at any time of the year. Whey protein supplements come in many forms as follows: Whey Protein Concentrate : Contains high protein, moderate carbohydrates and fats. Whey Protein Isolate : Contains high protein, no carbohydrate and fats. Whey Protein Hydrolysate : Hight in protein, although marketed for its partially broken down amino acid structure to aid in digestion. Whey protein is generally marketed as a post workout supplement, which means consuming it immediately after a heavy weight train

Personal fitness consulting and training has gained some popularity in recent years with more fitness enthusiasts looking out for hiring a trainer for helping and guiding them to achieve their respective fitness goals. Now weather personal fitness training is a lucrative career option is a whole other topic and deserves its own post, for this article my focus would be only towards aspects that you may or may not be aware of and that may prove to be beneficial while making the choice before hiring a trainer both online and in person. Academic Background : No matter how good looking, well built and fit a trainer is, an academic background can the most ignored aspect which one may consider before choosing a fitness professional. Having a graduation and/or post graduation degree is exercise science, nutrition, strength and conditioning, etc. makes the professional more aware about human anatomy, muscle structure, neuro-muscular functioning, human digestion, supplementation, injury pre

Most individuals especially men desire a well built and muscular physique, with those perfectly rounded shoulders, tight core and arms which would stick to the circumference of their t-shirt. There are also some who don't really care for looks as such and focus primarily on either lifting or moving as much load as they possibly can. The first example above would relate to Hypertrophy and the second one to strength. Both have different training methods, different recovery strategies and different progression schemes. However, gaining either strength or increasing muscular hypertrophy are not mutually exclusive and both can be achieved by the same individual at varying rates. Training for hypertrophy may overtime also lead to an increased strength and similarly training for strength may overtime lead to increase in muscle mass, provided that diet, recovery and adherence are optimal. Strength can be defined as the force produced by the musculoskeletal system in response to an exter

Every time one hears of dieting to lose body weight the concept of metabolism surfaces, especially phrases such as "increasing metabolism" or "increasing metabolic rate", etc. For those who are unaware about what this means or its relevance with weight loss may find it exciting or even intimidating at times to having been given the secret power to change/alter their metabolic rate by following a unbalanced, low calorie, nutrient deficient, and bland weight loss diet. Most people dieting to lose weight coupled with being less aware about what metabolism is may end up with a altered metabolic rate, physiological and psychological response than may potentially take them further away from their fitness goal/s. Metabolism Metabolism is defined as " The sum total of all reactions taking place within the body geared towards building it up and breaking it down". Building up functions are based on anabolism (anabolic functions) while breaking down functions ar

Carrying a gym bag to the gym with you can be quite beneficial. Gym Bags allow one to have access to certain items that may be needed either before, during or after a gym session. Following are some items that I would consider to look into as part of my gym bag accessories list: 1. Gym Bag : Obviously a gym bag is the most essential item that is required to carry all other items to the gym. Following are all great options for a gym bag.   2. Sports Drink : Workout can be dehydrating and as such having a sports drink can be helpful to replenish both energy and electrolytes. You can either make one at home yourself or go for ready made ones like those linked below.      3. Shoes : This is by far the most neglected aspect of preparing for the gym session. Having the right kind of shoes for the activity you would be performing can only enhance your performance. There are specially designed shoes for Olympic Lifting, Power Lifting, Running, Endurance training, etc. These ar

Sustaining weight loss is as important as losing weight to begin with. After having achieved weight loss most people simply get back to eating what they were before staring the weight loss diet. The result is a regain in both weight and fat to the level that was prior to the start of the weight loss or even more than before in certain cases. While this is certainly not the case with everyone losing weight, these are some who do experience it. During a weight loss diet, the calorie intake is reduced well below maintenance levels and thus as the diet gets over most people just jump back to their maintenance level intake while some even surpass this level taking in a lot more than would be needed. Another aspect to take into consideration is the hormonal status of the individual during weight loss. Cravings are at their peak and resisting food especially high calorie foods is just not that easy after the weight loss diet ends. Not to forget the fact the during weight loss phase, as in

Most of us who are into strength training must have heard the words "Power Rack" at some point in their training years. While an extremely beneficial piece of equipment, the power rack is rarely found in gyms in India especially gyms in smaller cities and towns. A standard Power Rack consists of four vertical columns attached to each other, hooks for placing the barbell, safety bars for catching the barbell (if it may fall) and a pull up bar. It is designed keeping the most important parameter i.e. Safety in mind for the strength training enthusiast. A Power Rack is easily confused with a squat rack, which most gyms have or even a smith machine which is a totally different equipment serving a different purpose. Some other terms used to describe a power rack are power cage, half rack (which is basically half i.e. having only two vertical columns) and a squat cage. A standard heavy weight power rack should be a compulsory item in a gym or even at home if you train at h

For those that may not be familiar with calories and macro nutrients can go through  Calculating Current Macros and Calories  this post will give a brief introduction on calculating current calorie and macro nutrient intake. Based on this current intake adjustments can be made to accommodate for a fat loss aimed dietary intake. Do keep in mind that there can be a difference between your recommended daily calorie intake and the current daily intake you'r consuming. If there's a big gap between these two numbers then it may be better to not reduce calories further as it may lead to a further slowing down of metabolism and thereby hindering the fat loss goal. I have done the following calculation taking a hypothetical individual "A" as an example. This is just to explain the concept and you should not assume this to be the recommended fat loss intake and thus should only understand the concept rather than start following it. Example: Recommended Body Weight Maintena

Weight loss unarguably is one of the most common fitness goals that keeps on confusing most, even though it is well studied and information relating to it is freely available. Following are my top 5 tips to help you know more about weight loss, how it can be achieved and effectively managed even if you've tried and failed before. Medical Check-up: Believe it or not but this is probably the most underrated weight loss parameter. This helps to check for any pre-existing medical condition (hormonal, etc) and nutritional deficiencies (vitamin d, iron, etc.). Sometime clearing these nutritional deficiencies and/or addressing the necessary medical issue may be all that is needed for weight loss. It is always better to get a check up done by a qualified doctor before starting any random type of diet and exercise program.  Calorie Deficit: No matter how much you sweat in the gym, if you’r not in a calorie deficit as per your needs, weight loss will not happen. Calorie deficit m

The question of using whether free weights or machines or both often arises in the mind of gym rats. Free weights are mainly the freely adjustable dumbbells, fixed weight dumbbells, fixed weight barbells and plate loaded barbells. These are some of the common free weight instruments found in most gyms and can even be purchased for personal use at home. Machines are classified as fixed weight machines, plate loaded machines, cable and pulley machines, hammer strength machines, etc. Although the use of either free weights or machines is dependent on the goal for which the individual is training, sometimes because of lack of availability or maybe making a purchase for personal use at home or for simply the sake of trying a new thing, choosing between free weights and machines becomes necessary. Following are three simple factors that may work for most people while choosing either free weights or machines or both: Training Goal: If training for a specific sport such as olympic w

How much protein should I consume is probably the first question that comes to mind when starting a strength based fitness program. It is not uncommon for people to remain confused about protein consumption even after they get the right answer. There has been too much negative vibe created towards protein by the so called experts that protein consumption is now looked upon as a pathway to ill health and disease. During my school life I heard many stories about the local akaharas (local gyms) where the pahalwan's (wrestlers/athletes) drank literally gallons of milk and chugged down bowls of ghee (clarified butter) each day. At that time there were no packets of low fat or fat free milk available. Assuming that they drank nearly 2 liters of milk (it could be more or even less) it amounts to approximately 60 grams of protein. Of course this was not the only thing they consumed, considering a typical Indian diet comprising of dal (lentils/beans), roti (whole wheat), rice, fresh frui

Most people have at some point of time been infatuated with developing an attractive and ripped mid section commonly known as "abs". The abs is short for abdominal which is a combination of a number of muscles such as Rectus Abdominus , Transverse Abdominus , External and Internal Oblique . Each of these muscles have a specific function (movement) that they perform. While depressing the ribs and flexing the vertebral section would fire the rectus abdominus muscle, simply compressing the mid section would work the transverse abdominus muscle. Both the internal and external oblique muscles are involved with spinal rotation and side bending. It is not uncommon for fitness enthusiasts to endlessly spend an entire session at the gym multiple times each week performing some form of exercises involving one or more core movements as mentioned above, working as hard as possible to get that picture perfect six pack. From crunches to leg raises, from planks to side bends, they

It is not at all uncommon for people to hit a plateau while on a fat loss program. For those that may not know, plateau during a fat loss phase is said to occur when in spite of lowering calorie intake and exceeding energy expenditure through exercise, weight does not decrease. During a plateau body weight stays the same or may even increase is some rare cases. Following are some strategies that may be helpful while dealing with a fat loss plateau: 1. Take a break: If you have been dieting for a very long time chances are that your metabolism may have adapted to a lower calorie intake. What this means is that by further decreasing calories for a very long period of time it may do more harm than good for your overall health and fat loss goals. Taking a break also does not mean that you have the option to now go hunting for food and eat anything you set your mind on. Slowly going back to maintenance calories and staying there for some time may be a good option. A break may last f

First of all, for those that may not know, PR stands for personal record. PR is quite common among strength and power athletes and is generally used to motivate and inspire an athlete to break their own past records by lifting more weight. While PR is in no way related to blood pressure, jumping to a conclusion from the number of people willing to start an exercise and diet program to manage their blood pressure levels, PR seems to fit in quite easily. For this post our focus would be the abrupt increase in blood pressure i.e. Blood Pressure Personal Record (PR). Blood Pressure varies as the heart pumps blood through the arteries and veins to each and every part of the body. With each beat, the heart pumps blood into the arteries thereby raising blood pressure and this pressure is dropped gradually as the blood passes through the veins back to the heart. Blood flow in the body is maintained through a complex system. Usually, blood pressure fluctuates not only with every beat, but

Abdomen and Lower Body are two of the most common places where most individuals store body fat in addition to arms. While the density of fat stored by different individuals in different areas of the body varies, abdomen is the one that generally leads the way for most people. Although, there is no specific diet which has thus far been proven to reduce fat from any one area of the body, blindly following any random diet may do more harm than good for some. Reducing body weight itself is not difficult for most people, however keeping it off for the rest of their lives is the hard part. A majority of people losing weight have regained it back (some even more) after a few years. There has been some research showing that dieting often or a lot of times during a lifetime may result in a substantial gain in body fat percentage over the years. Reducing body fat percentage and keeping the fat off for a very long time requires good adherence and consistency. To know more about measuring

Cholesterol management is in the prime of its popularity these days. With so much research done on cholesterol and the vast amounts of data available through various sources, managing cholesterol levels keeps on getting more and more difficult for some people. Some functions of cholesterol include aiding in formation of cell membranes, Vitamin D synthesis on skin, hormone production (sex hormone, etc.) among a host of other functions. High Cholesterol levels if left un-managed may lead to atherosclerosis. Cholesterol is usually measured in milligrams per deciliter i.e. mg/dl. Primarily affecting the human body through LDL (bad cholesterol), HDL (good cholesterol) and Triglycerides, cholesterol management may be achieved through dietary strategies. Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) is commonly referred to as the bad cholesterol as it can potentially clog the blood vessels and arteries leading to clots and obstruction on blood flow, which over a period of time may increase the risk of he