10 Reasons You Should Do The Color Run

We all know that running delivers a boost of feel-good endorphins, but The Color Run™ amplifies those happiness-inducing chemicals ten-fold. Here are 10 reasons why The Color Run should be on your "must-run" list.

1. It's Not Timed

Check your watch at the door and leave pacing worries behind while you soak in the event. Sure, we all love scoring a new PR, but sometimes it's best to just run for the fun of it. With no pressure to hit a specific time, you'll be reminded of why you fell in love with running in the first place.

2. Group-Friendly

Ever run a race with friends only to struggle to stay close to each other the entire way? Between flailing elbows, dodging slower-paced runners and constantly listening for, "On your left!," it can be hard to stick together. Not at The Color Run. Without the element of timing and a chill approach from the start, this race is perfect to experience with friends.

3. Great Swag

Let's face it: Nothing tops off a great event like awesome swag. And The Color Run doesn't disappoint in this category. Runners score an awesome T-shirt, finisher's medal, colorful sweatband to rock like it's 1985 and color packets to throw on friends. Nothing like a good color-throwing party to turn up the fun.

4. Sparkle Zone

This doesn't really need much explanation. In a world full of neutrals, it's fun to not only let your colors shine, but to sparkle while doing it. The 2015 Shine Tour still features The Color Run's traditional color-throwing stations where runners are covered in brightly hued powder, but also includes a final station with glitter. Finish the event literally glistening, bringing new meaning to the statement, "I don't sweat, I sparkle."

5. Channel Your Inner Tutu-Loving Self

Don't fight your need to wear a tutu any longer. Put on your best tulle skirt and get ready to run. And you won't be the only one—prepare to run in a sea of tutus. Participants should wear as much white as possible, but expect to finish looking like a rainbow.

6. Happiest 5K on the Planet

Dubbed the Happiest 5K on the Planet, The Color Run can turn any frown upside down. With a pre- and post-race dance party, running through color-throwing stations and plenty of photo opps with friends, it's nearly impossible to be in a bad mood at this event.

7. Make a Fashion Statement

Katy Perry isn't the only one who can rock colored hair with confidence. While the cornstarch powder washes out post-run, fashionistas can take the opportunity to see themselves with a Perry-inspired do. The temporary color helps runners stay on trend and makes good on the old adage, "Try it before you buy it."

8. Practice your Selfie Skills

The Color Run is the perfect place to practice your selfie skills while documenting the day. Don't forget to bring your camera (or smartphone) to snap pics of you and your friends covered in color. Before and after shots can accurately depict your journey from clean to colorful. After all, don't we all sometimes run for the Instagram?

9. Run for Charity

What's better than running for fun with your friends? Running for fun with your friends AND helping others while doing it. Because The Color Run organization feels strongly about giving back to communities, they raise money to give to local and national charities each year. With over $4 million donated to date, this is an event you can feel good about running.

10. Two Words: After Party

As if running isn't enough, the founders of The Color Run wanted to top off the event by hosting a dance party for runners to boogie down after the finish line. Round out the day by hanging around for the Finish Festival, complete with jammin' music and more color-throwing fun.

Cut It Out! 4 Things To Watch Out For In the Ingredients List

If you’re trying to lose weight and get in shape the first thing you will want to get in the habit of doing is reading your labels. Know what you’re consuming and how much at all times. The days of guessing are long gone and nutrition information these days is easily at your fingertips.

But what exactly should you be looking for? Here are a few things to be cautious of when reading labels:

1. Fat

Always say no to trans fats. These fats are not found in nature and are used in highly processed foods. Marketers will try to deceive you with catchy phrases like, “high in protein” or “gluten free!” printed on packaging, but labels don’t lie. Trans fats are bad fats. Period.

Small amounts of saturated fats are okay but stick to “good fats.” A general rule of thumb for good fats is fat that you can find in nature. Think foods like salmon, avocado, olive oil or nuts. Limit these to less than 10g a day. Do not eat one thing with more than 5g of saturated fat per serving.

Total fat should be limited to less than 50g per day. Again, only eat healthy fats and stay away from fried and junk foods.

2. Sugar

Small amounts of sugar also are okay but stick to natural sugars only (if you are trying to lose a large amount of weight quickly you’ll want to cut out all sugar). Find out how much sugar is in one serving of your favorite fruit and limit yourself to less than 15g of sugar per serving of fruit each day. Everything else you consume should be as close to zero grams of sugar as possible. It seems like an impossible feat but it can be done. To start, don’t eat anything with more than 5g of sugar. Drinks can sneak in a lot of sugar in a short period of time, so drink your water! Try adding Crystal Light for flavor.

3. Too Many Ingredients

Too many ingredients could mean that you are looking at something man made and highly processed. If there is an ingredient on the list you cannot pronounce, return it to the shelf immediately!

4. Serving Sizes

Portion control is one of the biggest health and nutrition issues we face in American culture. Understand the serving sizes of the foods you are eating and be honest with yourself about how much of the product you consume. If you love nuts and you know that one serving of almonds is about 15-20g of fat per serving, then that’s great! But are you eating just one serving? Labels will sometimes break down servings by ounces or number of servings per package and you can also use a food scale to measure things out to be absolutely sure. Portions may seem small at first if you’re used to eating more food but eat smaller, more frequent meals to help curb hunger pains.

The One-Week Carb-Loading Program for Extreme Size and Definition!

Carb-loading is a quick fix for getting into top shape, commonly used by athletes for various endeavors, particularly long distance endurance events. The practice dates back to the late 1960, when a Swedish physiologist Gunvar Ahlborg discovered the phenomenon of glycogen super-compensation.

In short, this method requires large short-term changes in your consumption of carbs, sodium and water, and is usually implemented by depleting carbs for several days and then reloading your muscles with glycogen, which creates miraculous changes in muscle conditioning. The end results are an increased aerobic capacity caused by feeding your muscles with the maximum amount of glycogen possible, and enhanced aesthetics, which is very important for competitive bodybuilders. Regardless of your goals, carb-loading is guaranteed to provide you with the perfect mix of size and conditioning in the shortest period of time possible.

If you think this sounds too good to be true, try this one-week program and get a taste of the biggest and leanest version of yourself!

Prepare for cutting: increase intake of sodium and water

A day or two before starting the carb-cutting part of the program, start increasing your sodium consumption by simply sprinkling some extra salt on all of your meals and eating more sodium-rich foods such as beets, celery and meat. This will increase water retention in your body. Follow the high-sodium diet until one day before starting the carb-loading, which should happen on the 6th day of the program. Pair the increased sodium consumption with drinking 50% more water than usual, which is very important for achieving the best definition possible at the end of the program.

Part I: Deplete carbs (Days 1-5)

• Cut your carb consumption in half – In the first three days, reduce your intake of carbs by 50% and stick to slow-digesting carbs in your pre- and post-workout nutrition.
• Increase protein consumption – As your carbs intake drops, your protein consumption should mildly increase for the sake of preventing muscle breakdown. However, this needs to be done slowly, by adding about 50 grams each day during the first five days of the program. If you increase your protein intake too much or too fast, your body will burn the excess protein as fuel instead of depleting its glycogen stores.
• Train with higher reps – During the five days of carb-depletion, use lighter weights than usual and double the number of sets you would normally perform, with 12-18 reps per each set. This kind of training is most effective at maximally emptying your carb reserves. Don’t forget – the more carbs you lose now, the more you can store during the second part of the program, resulting with bigger and meaner muscles.
• Give carbs the final blow – Between the third and fifth day, reduce your carb intake even further, lowering it by an additional 25-30%. Consume no more than 0.7 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight daily and make sure to take them early in the morning.

Part II: Reload (Days 5-7)

• Pause from training – During the carb-loading phase, it wise to avoid training and physical activity as much as you can so that you don’t lose any of the newly arriving carbohydrates and keep your muscles as full as possible.
• Cut down on sodium and water – The time to drop the extra salt you’ve been consuming in the last 5-6 days has come. This will spur changes in aldosterone levels, causing your body to excrete more water, especially from beneath the skin, resulting with greater definition. Also, eliminate those 50% of extra water you’ve consumed in the previous phase. The restricted water intake will push your muscles to use up the last drops of subcutaneous water, resulting with an optimally shredded physique.
• Carb up – By this point, your muscles should be extremely low in fuel, thanks to the last five days of low carb consumption and high-volume training, so now you’re ready to replenish them. Consume 3-5 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight on a daily basis and all of this carb goodness will go directly to your muscles. Again, opt for complex-carb sources like potatoes and whole grain products and avoid fast-digesting sugars as much as you can.
• Reduce protein – Cut down the extra protein you’ve added to your diet – as your carb intake increases, you won’t need that much protein anymore, so drop down to one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily during the last two days of the program.
• Pump up! – On the 7th, final day of the process, pump up your muscles using relatively light weights and focus on completing a full range of motion, while keeping the reps in the lower range. Your muscles will be full and maximally ripped, giving you a much larger and tighter appearance. Don’t forget to photographically document your amazing condition and use it to track your bodybuilding progress.

Hormone Control

Most people think that dieting is all about lowering the carbs intake. Although it’s true that by lowering your carbs you also reduce the amount of calories you digest, there is much more to getting ripped than simply eliminating sugars from your diet. In order to achieve muscle growth and reduce body fat percentage, you need to learn how to control your hormones.

In this article we’ll try to explain the basic functions of your hormones, and provide you with several advices on how you can keep them in balance better in order to achieve quicker and more efficient muscle growth. We’re going to focus on six hormones that have the profoundest effect in this respect: insulin, testosterone, estrogen, cortisol, human growth hormone and the thyroid hormones.

INSULIN

Although the increased presence of insulin stimulates body fat build up, this hormone also participates in muscle growth, by providing an anabolic effect.

The trick is in maintaining your insulin levels low during the rest period when your metabolism isn’t pumping as hard. On the other hand, you’d want to keep them up during training so you’ll rip the full benefits.

Provided that you have not consumed too much calories, the low insulin levels help you burn fats during the rest period. Keeping the levels up during the training supports the anabolic process and helps muscle growth.

To achieve this, you need to limit your carbs intake during the day. Stick to vegetables and protein sources. Consume carbs along with protein just before training and immediately after training. Aim for 0.2 grams of carbs per each pound of body weight before workout, with 0.3 grams per pound after workout. In this way you exploit the one hour post-training anabolic window.

TESTOSTERONE

Testosterone is arguably the No.1 hormone when it comes to bodybuilding. It increases both the size and strength of your muscles. Try keeping your testosterone levels up to achieve better growth.

When your testosterone levels are low, your metabolic rate slows down. One possible explanation for this effect is the reduced production of growth hormone, which can be triggered by the low testosterone. The fat burning properties of growth hormone have been confirmed by numerous studies.

One way of stimulating your testosterone levels with diet is to increase the intake of fats. Dedicate two days of the week to consuming foods packed with fats. Beef, egg yolk and nuts provide good sources of healthy testosterone boosting fats. You should also limit your carbs intake. Although consuming fat will increase your calorie intake, they are absolutely crucial if you want to  maintain healthy testosterone production.

The other trick is to drastically increase your carbs consumption one day in the week, taking it to 3 consumed grams of carbs per each pound of bodyweight. This will trigger insulin spikes, which are known to hinder the activity of sex hormone-binding globulin. This glycoprotein binds with testosterone in our bloodstream, and  and determines how much testosterone will reach our muscle tissue.  Insulin inhibits this property of SHBG, freeing the testosterone in our blood. This allows it to enter the muscle tissue and stimulate the muscle growth.

GROWTH HORMONE

The two main functions of the growth hormone are: fat burning, and hindering muscle loss. It’s essential that you keep your growth hormone production up. This will preserve muscle mass during your diet, and keep your metabolism running. The increased levels of growth hormone boost up the fat burning process.

The best recourse for stimulating growth hormone production is taking supplements. Of course, you can also increase its production naturally with training and sleep. Taking arganine before training will not only raise your growth hormone levels, but it’ll also bring more blood in your muscles.

CORTISOL

You would especially want to keep an eye on your cortisol levels. Although this hormone participates in the fat burning process, high levels of cortisol lead to muscle waste, and negatively reflect on the metabolism.

You’d definitively need to avoid having high cortisol levels for a prolonged period of time, as it will result in reduction of your muscle mass. Just remember, it’s your muscle mass supports the fat burning metabolism. The bigger the muscles, the better the metabolism.

One approach in hindering the cortisol production is with post training insulin spikes. Pick two days of the week when you’re not consuming too much carbs, and consume fast burning sugars after your training. Opt for russet potatoes, white rice, Gatorade, cookies, and other foods packed with carbs. Creating the insulin spike two days in a week will protect your muscle mass, and rev up your metabolism.

ESTROGEN

Although it’s generally known as the female hormone, estrogen is also present in men. When it builds up in your body, it inhibits the fat burning process. You should always at keeping your estrogen production down, and increase your testosterone level.

The amount of testosterone and estrogen in your body determine you physique. With lower estrogen levels, and high testosterone presence, you can make your muscle stronger, decrease the body fat percentage and prevent water retention. The best way to keep your estrogen levels at bay is consuming crunchy vegetables that contain indoles. According to the research these compounds are especially efficient in reducing the effect of estrogen in our body, both by lowering its production, and by hindering the estrogen absorption in our cells.  Include more vegetables in your diet, and go easy with the carbs.

THYROID HORMONE

The thyroid hormones (thyroxine and triiodothyronine) help the metabolic process, and help protein synthesis.

A drop in the levels of these hormones produced by the thyroid gland, reduces the ability of your body to burn the fats. It also leads to reduction in protein synthesis, i.e. it slows down the amino acid absorption from protein based foods. Preserving the healthy function of your thyroid gland and the production of these hormones is crucial in your shredding efforts.

The drop of thyroid hormones can be triggered by extreme dieting. To prevent this, you should take a one day brake from your diet every 10 to 12 days. Provide your body with sufficient amount of carbs (3 grams per each pound of body weight). This tricks the body into thinking that the dieting period is over, and prevents sudden drops of thyroid hormone levels.

CONCLUSION

Learning the functions of your hormones and how you can manipulate them can make your diet more effective.  The first thing that you should have in mind that continuous deprivation of calories, carbs and fat cna have adverse effect in your diet. Every once in a while you should brake the diet, using the aforementioned methods.  This will help you preserve muscle mass, and help you in lowering the body fat percentage.

Mixed Grip: When to Use on Deadlifts and Why

The deadlift has the reputation of being the king of lifts. And if you’ve had even the minimum experience with it, you already know why. Basically, the deadlift is the best feat of raw strength you could perform. Some of its most prominent positive effects include triggering immense muscle growth, especially in the posterior chain, and enabling an excellent carryover of strength into the rest of your lifting.

When it comes to the king, there are three main styles of grip to choose from – the hook grip, the double overhand grip and the mixed grip. As expected, each of these variations offer a different set of benefits and limitations, but none of them has caused as much controversy as the mixed grip. With the hope of clearing some of the confusion surrounding it, in this article we’ll dig in deeper into the importance and usefulness of this popular grip variation and provide some precise answers to your most troubling questions.

So what’s up with the mixed grip?

The mixed grip involves placing one hand over the bar and the other under the bar, which makes it very difficult for the bar to slip out of your grip and enables you to lift more weight. Unlike the double overhand grip, the mixed grip traps the bar in your hands so that you can resist gravity for longer. Most people prefer to place their dominant hand facing up but switch which hand faces up on each set to prevent developing muscular imbalances and injuries. And others believe the mixed grip is dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. Of course, this is completely false. The mixed grip is actually very safe as long as your deadlift form is solid. But if both your form and technique suck, everything you try to do in the gym will be more or less dangerous, regardless of your grip preferences. In addition, you don’t have to alternate which hand faces up on each set in order to avoid muscle imbalances if you’re using the mixed grip properly, i.e. only for your heaviest deadlift sets.

Here are three important things to remember:

#1. The mixed grip improves your grip for deadlifts

If you want to build strength and muscle, you must deadlift heavy. And regardless of how strong your back and legs are, if your grip lags, you won’t get too far. But since the bar can’t rotate in your hands when you use the mixed grip, your grip strength for deadlifts will increase significantly. This means that you can use this grip to deadlift heavier weights when your normal grip fails you. You can also get more reps because it allows you to hold the bar for longer.

#2. Deadlifting with the mixed grip isn’t cheating

Even though the mixed grip increases your grip for deadlifts, you’re still lifting the weight by yourself without using any outside tools. In this respect, it’s much different than using straps, which basically enable you to get away with a weak grip and can weaken it even further over time if used regularly.

#3. The mixed grip won’t weaken your grip for deadlifts

Like we said, it’s just you and the bar, no outside tools. No matter how you grip the bar, the same laws of physics apply to the movement – gravity pulls the bar down and your grip muscles work hard to keep your hands closed. As long as you use the mixed grip properly (on heavy sets), your grip strength will develop even further, so you don’t have a reason to avoid it. Don’t let a bad grip stall your deadlifting progress.

When should the mixed grip be used on deadlifts?

For starters, don’t use it from day one. When you’re new to deadlifting, it’s best to use the normal grip for as long as possible because the rotation of the bar will challenge your grip muscles more, thereby helping you increase your grip strength. Also, if you deadlift with the mixed grip from early on, you’ll have nothing to switch to when your grip fails at heavier weights.

Here are some basic rules for optimal deadlifting results with the mixed grip:

• Don’t use the mixed grip on every set. The best way to increase grip strength without performing additional exercises is by using the normal grip for most of your sets because it allows the bar to rotate. This challenges and thereby strengthens your grip.
• You can either warm up with the normal grip, then switch to the mixed grip on your last warm-up set and perform all your work sets with it, or warm up with the normal grip and use it as long as you can, and once you can’t hold the weight with the normal grip anymore, switch to the mixed grip.
• Switch to the mixed grip if the bar slips out of your hands mid-set. That way you’ll increase your grip and get those extra reps that you otherwise wouldn’t.
• Put your dominant hand up and the other one down, and don’t alternate the hands on every set. This will help you reach maximum efficiency in the shortest time possible.
• The perfect grip width should be about shoulder width apart.
• Place the bar low in your palms and wrap your thumbs around the bar. Squeeze the bar as hard as you can to secure your grip.
• Be prepared to feel uncomfortable at first. As with every other change, it will take some time and practice before you get used to it. Just stick with it until it becomes equally comfortable as the normal grip. Practicing with the same hand facing up on every set will speed up this process.
• If you experience shoulder pain when deadlifting with the mixed grip, stop using it for a while. While slight discomfort is normal, pain isn’t, especially if you have a pre-existing shoulder injury, so try switching which hand faces up and don’t overdo it.

Can the mixed grip cause muscle imbalances or biceps injuries?

One of the loudest complaints certain lifters have about the mixed grip has to do with the creation of muscle imbalances. More specifically, they believe that using the mixed grip with the same hand always facing up will lead to imbalances in the trapezius muscles

The truth is that the imbalances that could develop over time would be microscopic compared to the imbalances that could occur because of uneven foot or hip position and other mistakes caused by bad form. If you use the mixed grip correctly, i.e. only for your heavy deadlift sets and only once your normal grip can’t hold the weight anymore, you have no reason to worry about any muscle imbalances. Besides that, lifting the same way every time increases the amount of practice that side gets, which leads to better technique and increased effectiveness.

However, if you would rather practice the mixed grip by altering the hands on each set, you are free to do it that way. That will lower your chance of developing one side more than the other even further and help distribute the strain on the tendons evenly

As far as biceps injuries are concerned, deadlifting with a mixed grip can’t cause them on its own, while deadlifting with bad form and a mixed grip certainly can. But then again, bad form is guaranteed to result with injury, no matter which grip you use, so you don’t really have to worry about using the mixed grip. Instead, focus on correcting your form and technique. Biceps tendon tears are not the direct result of the mixed grip – they are caused by lifting with bad form, including bent elbows, rounded lower back and leaning at the top, regardless of the grip choice. Unfortunately, only a handful of people will admit they deadlifted with improper form, while the majority will blame the grip for their troubles.

Here are the 3 most important tips that will help you prevent biceps injury:

1. Deadlift with straight arms. Don’t bend your elbows – they must be locked from start to finish. The straight arms and locked elbows are the basics of proper deadlifting form.
2. Don’t try to pull the weight with your arms. Let your legs and back muscles do the biggest part of the work and use a full range of motion.
3. Avoid grinding as often as possible and don’t hitch your deadlifts – these tricks will ultimately keep you weak and they’re forbidden in powerlifting competitions. Also, if you rest the bar on your thighs, then bend your elbows and hitch the weight up, you could cause the biceps of the hand which is facing up to tear. If the bar pauses at any point, consider it a failed rep.

Mixed grip vs. hook grip – which one is better?

The hook grip (both hands face you) has gained popularity among deadlifters during the last decades because it supposedly lowers the risk of biceps injuries and muscle imbalances. But as we’ve discussed before, these two are the result of bad form and overusing the mixed grip on most deadlift sets instead of using it only on the heaviest ones. The second most common argument in favor of the hook grip is that Olympic Lifters use it, but as we all know, the mixed grip doesn’t work very well in their routines and the hook grip is the best option they have (the normal one is simply less secure), so that’s not a valid argument when it comes to comparing these two. Olympic lifters drop the weight on the floor, while deadlifters have to hold the weight in their hands for longer and lower it back down, which is far more challenging for their grip.

That being said, some lifters find the mixed grip uncomfortable or providing unnecessary torque to their backs, while the hook grip feels easier and more balanced. Some even feel that the hook grip enables them to better activate their lats. If you’ve tried both for prolonged periods of time and feel the same way, stick to the hook grip. After all, what is better for one person isn’t necessarily better for the others.

However, the hook grip can become a bit troublesome after a while or when dealing with very heavy weights. The main problem is that your thumbs are stuck between the bar and your fingers for the duration of the whole set, meaning that the bar compresses the joints, nerves and nails of your thumbs. When compared to the mixed grip, the hook grip places far greater stress on the thumbs and can be very painful. And pain isn’t something you should ignore. This however isn’t a cause for concern for Olympic Lifters because of the short duration of their sets. In addition, if you have small hands or short fingers, you may never get used to the hook grip. Many top level deadlifters who have big hands use the hook grip regularly, while others achieve the same great results using the mixed grip, which is undoubtedly safer and at least equally efficient. And it works from day one without any pain.

Final thoughts

Regardless of what others around you say or do, you need to discover what works best for you by yourself. This doesn’t mean that you should disregard all safety warnings because you’re too lazy to put in the effort – it just means that you should listen to your body and trim your routine as you see fit. But before you do that, make sure to do your homework and be prepared for the outcome of your choices. The purpose of this article was to provide you the basic information about the role of the mixed grip in the world of deadlifting and useful tips on how to safely implement it into your deadlifts, not convince you to use it by all means. As always, the choice is only yours. And the consequences, however good or bad, will be only yours as well. So stay safe, watch your form and keep lifting!

How to Stop Wrist Pain on Bench Press

If you’re experiencing wrist pain during the bench press, it’s time to address it. Don’t worry, this ailment is pretty common and probably happens to 8 out of 10 lifters. However, that doesn’t mean that it should be left untreated. There are plenty of tricks and exercises that you can use to get rid of the pain, but that won’t fix the real issue. When doing the bench press, a lot of stress can be put on the wrist joint, depending on how heavy the weight you’re using is, and if you’re not lifting with correct form, this could lead to permanent wrist damage.

The first rule in the book is this: if you can’t grip it, you can’t lift it. As simple as that. In other words, before you start lifting you have to make sure that your grip is strong and adequate to the mechanics of the lift you’re attempting to perform. And a proper bench press grip relies on good wrist stability and grip strength. But that’s not nearly enough to ensure correct form and a safe and efficient performance.

So let’s see what you can do to fix the real cause of your wrist pain, instead of only delaying it and making things worse.

Stop Benching with Bent Wrists

Wrist wraps and wrist curls can temporarily alleviate wrist pain but they won’t fix its cause. And the root of almost all bench press ailments is bad form, period. Now, if you’re a serious lifter, you already know that the safest way to bench press is with straight wrists. If you let them bend back, the weight will easily stretch them past their normal range of motion, resulting with pain.

In addition, bent wrists make it a whole lot harder to bench press, because the force you generate when you press the bar can’t go straight into it like it does when your elbows, wrists and the bar form a straight line. As with any other movement, proper form is what matters the most when it comes to both effectiveness and safety. If you damage your wrists, your lifting career will end before it even really began, so it’s very important to correct your form and technique as soon as possible and avoid injury. Most people get wrist pain because they grip the bar wrong, which causes their wrists to bend, no matter how hard they try to straighten them.

To fix it, grip the bar low in your hands (griping it too high causes your wrists to bend), close to your wrists, keeping them straight, and wrap your thumbs around the bar using the full grip. Squeeze the bar hard so it can’t move in your hands. The goal basically is to have your wrists and elbows aligned with the bar and your forearms vertical to the floor, so that the bar rests directly over your forearm bones. This should take care of any wrist problems and enable you to increase your bench press.

Check Your Grip Width

Another popular cause for wrist pain is using a grip that’s too wide. Some people use a grip too wide for their build, while others take it to the extreme. Sure, some powerlifters bench wide to decrease the range of motion, but they use wrist wraps and bench shirts.

Regardless of what feels most comfortable to you, a wide grip will move your elbows out and put your wrists at an angle which excessively stresses the joints, as well being too hard on your shoulders. And to avoid pain, you need your wrists to stay right above your elbows. So first of all, check your grip width. If your wrists aren’t above your elbows, narrow your grip until your forearms become vertical.

Forget about the thumbless grip

The thumbless grip, otherwise known as the suicide grip, requires holding the bar with the thumbs on the same side as the fingers. It’s been used by a few famous bodybuilders because it feels more comfortable and places less stress on the wrists, but those advantages are not nearly enough to make up for its huge flaws, such as the dramatically increased likelihood of the bar dropping on your head and killing you on the spot. With the thumbless grip, the bar automatically rests lower in your hands and your wrists are forced to stay straight, resulting with zero pain and an increased power transfer from the forearms to the bar.

Of course, the pros with decades of training experience under their belts can get away with it, but that doesn’t make it justifiable and awesome. And if you believe that this is highly unlikely to happen to you, remember that it only takes once. Maybe one day you’ll be extremely tired, won’t be paying enough attention or won’t squeeze the bar hard enough, and it will start rolling mid-set.

With the thumbless grip, you won’t be able to stop the bar from falling out of your hands because you won’t have your thumbs to help you, and you’ll end up either breaking a few ribs or die from a crushed skull. In such situations, even the best spotter in the world won’t be able to react fast enough to save you, and only a few lucky guys have managed to escape from under the bar in the last century. So just don’t bench press with a thumbless grip – it isn’t worth the trouble and can be substituted with other safer variants.

Try the bulldog grip

One of the easiest ways to grip the bar the right way is the bulldog grip.

Grip the bar with your thumbs and index fingers first, then rotate your hands in so that your thumbs point to the floor. If you do this correctly, the bar should rest right between the base of your thumbs and palms, positioned diagonally in your hands. Put your fingers on the bar and squeeze it hard. If the bar moves in the middle of the set, you need to squeeze it harder so that it doesn’t move up towards your fingers.

With the bulldog grip, your wrists will never bend and the power transfer from your chest, shoulders and triceps into your forearms and the bar will be higher. If you’re like most people, you’ll find it a bit uncomfortable or even unsafe at first, but this will change once you get used to it, so you need to stick with it for a while to get a chance to recognize its strengths. Ultimately, the bulldog grip will reduce the pain in your wrists and help you get more reps with heavier weight.

Wrist Wraps for Wrist Pain

Wrist wraps are pieces of cloth or leather that loop around your wrists and the bar with the purpose of making it easier to hold on to a heavy weight. Their main function is to support your wrists and prevent your wrist joints from moving around. As simple as they may appear, wrist wraps can be an extremely valuable tool for bodybuilders and powerlifters who are looking to make immense strength and size gains.If your wrists hurt when you bench press, wraps will provide significant relief and it’s highly recommendable to use them when lifting huge weights. However, wrist wraps can’t fix bad form, which is almost always the root cause for bodybuilding injuries. And no matter what you do to protect your wrists, if you don’t correct your form, pain and injury will be inevitable as you progress to lifting heavier weights.

In conclusion

The two things we most often hear from lifters who experience wrist pain is that their wrists are too small or too weak. So, these guys try to get rid of the pain with the help of wrist wraps and exercises that strengthen the wrists, but the pain never seems to really go away. Why is that so?

Because those two reasons are only excuses for not fixing their form. In reality, your wrists are very unlikely to hurt because of weakness or size. They hurt because you grip the bar wrong and your wrists are bent. And this mistake can both hurt you and prevent you from increasing your bench press in the long run. Or even worse, provided with the extra support from the wrist wraps, you could continue to bench press with bent wrists and end up reaping far worse injuries.Wrist wraps aren’t meant to help you get away with bad form, so save them for the huge weights and just straighten your wrists. As you increase the weight, your wrists will become stronger and able to support the weight itself on most sets.

Strength Training for New Runners

Essential moves for beginner runners to build power and prevent injury.

Sure, it’s easy to get hurt when you’re just starting out.  There are countless aches, pains, and ouches that you’re bound to feel when you’re pushing your body farther and faster than it’s gone before. But here’s the good news: There’s a lot that you can do to prevent the most common running injuries.

Be sure to get good shoes, follow a training plan that gives you a chance to recover from your hard efforts and keeps you from doing too much too soon, and integrate a strength-training program into training. 

Strengthening your feet and legs can increase the strength and control of the smaller muscles in your feet and the larger muscles that control movement at the pelvis, hips, and knees. This strength-training routine was designed by Heather K. Vincent, Ph.D., director of the Human Performance Laboratory and Sports Performance Center at the University of Florida. Do this routine three or four times per week. After you’ve been at it for about two months, you can ratchet it back to three times per week.

Unless otherwise noted, for each of these exercises, start by doing as many repetitions as you can on each side while maintaining proper form. Start with one set of 20 reps, and build up to three sets of 20 reps, resting for 45 to 90 seconds in between sets. Then increase the resistance so the effort feels harder, and you can get keep getting stronger. Maintaining proper form is the most important thing. So when your form starts to suffer, that’s a sign that you’re tiring and have done your final rep. “Doing these exercises with improper form puts you at risk of injury,” says Vincent. Not to mention, it’s a waste of time!

LEG STRENGTH

These exercises will help build strength in your hips, legs, and feet. To perform many of these, you’ll need a rubber resistance band. These can be found in most sporting-goods stores or online. Strip bands are the least expensive, and these rubber strips can be cut to different sizes. Tube bands come with handles and can be held during exercise. There are varying levels of strength: light (which provides 3 to 5 pounds of resistance), medium (which provides 8 pounds of resistance), heavy, and extra-heavy. Heavy and extra-heavy bands provide 12 to 20 pounds of resistance and are designed for people who are already trained. To determine whether the band is right for you, test it out in the store. Look for extra features that matter to you, like extra clips, handles, cuffs, or rings. Consider buying two different resistance levels for different exercises.

Seated Hip External Rotator

1. Sit down fleon a bench. Attach a resistance band to the left end of the bench and loop the other end around your right foot.
2. Keeping your knees together, lift your right leg out to the side to a count of two, then release it back down to a count of two. Repeat on the other leg.

Standing Hip Flexor

1. Put your right foot in the resistance band, then stand and turn so you are facing away from the band’s anchor.
2. Keeping your right leg straight, lift it forward to a count of two, then release it back down to a count of two. Repeat on the other leg.

Standing Hip Abductor

1. Attach a resistance band to a stable object.
2. Loop the other end around your right foot so the band crosses in front of you.
3. Standing with your left leg slightly behind you, keep your right leg straight and lift it out to the right side. Lift it to a count of two, then release it back down to a count of two. Repeat on the other leg.

Side-Lying Leg Raise

1. While lying on your side on the floor, raise one leg straight up to about 45 degrees.
2. Do not let your leg move toward the front of your body or go behind your back.
3. Raise the leg 15 times. Repeat on the other leg.

Pelvic Drop Exercise

1. Use a stair, or a step from a step exercise class.
2. Stand sideways on the step on one leg. This is your support leg. Keep that leg straight, and keep your abdominals engaged.
3. Allow your other leg to hang off the edge of the step. Let that leg slowly lower toward the ground by allowing your pelvis to slowly drop down. Do not let that foot touch the ground. Just control the movement with a slow, steady drop. Keep your support leg as straight as possible.
4. When you’ve gone as low as you can without touching the ground, hold this position for two counts, keeping your abs tight.Raise your pelvis up to raise the foot back up. When the pelvis is level and your hips are even, that’s one rep.
5. Do 10 to 15 reps on each side. When it becomes easy, build up to two or three sets of the exercises, or hold a lightweight dumbbell in your hand to increase the resistance. 

FOOT STRENGTH

Any time you’re sitting down you can work on strengthening your feet. This will help you as you’re starting to run or transitioning to any new kind of training program. You can do these exercises while you’re watching television, sitting at your desk, or taking a break. Perform 15 reps of each exercise. Do each of these exercises three or four times per week. Choose four from the group, and rotate different exercises each day.

Heel Raise

1. With your feet on the floor lift your heels up while keeping the balls of your feet on the ground.
2. Lower your heels.
3. Repeat.

Toe Grip

1. With your feet flat on the floor, move your toes as if you are raking them backward and curling up the arches of your feet.
2. Flatten your foot again.
3. Repeat.

Dorsiflexion and Plantar Flexion

1. With your legs stretched straight out in front of you, push down your toes like you are pointing them (plantar flexion).
2. Then bring your toes back.  (This is dorsiflexion)
3. Repeat.

Toe Spread

1. With your feet flat on the floor, envision spreading your toes like you would spread the fingers of your hand.
2. Relax your toes.
3. Repeat. This is tricky and takes some practice.

Toe Tap

1. With your feet flat on the floor, tap each of your toes up and down on the ground in sequence like you would tap your fingers on a table.
2. Repeat.

Exaggerated Inversion and Eversion

1. Starting with your feet flat on the floor, drop your arch in and lift the sides of your feet outward.
2. Hold for two counts, then lift your arch while you push the outside of your feet firmly down on the ground.
3. Hold for two counts.
4. Repeat.

Grabbing and Passing a Towel

1. Place a small hand towel on the floor.
2. Alternate which foot will pick up the towel using your toes.
3. Pass the towel from the toe grip of one foot to the other foot and hold in place for two counts to strengthen the grip.

Hot Sauce To Melt Your Waistline

Ok. Now that we know Beyonce wasn’t talking about carrying an actual bottle of hot sauce in her bag, what are we going to do with all these bottles of hot sauce we purchased after “Formation” snatched the Super Bowl bald?

Well, before you trade in your Louisiana Hot Sauce for a Louisville Slugger bat, take a second to consider the health benefits of the ingredients contained in most hot sauces:

Capsaicin

Capsaicin, one of the active ingredients in peppers, has antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. According to Time.com, the hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it may contain. But, what you pair it with could make a huge difference. Capsaicin is a fat-soluble molecule. So, pairing it with an oil, versus a raw vegetable, will draw out more of its benefits.

“The bottom line is that any kind of vegetable material you consume will improve your health… But hot peppers are really beneficial for you, if you can take the spice,” said David Popovich in a Time.com article.

Capsaicin is often used in pain-relieving creams for its analgesia properties.

Capsinoids

As crazy as this might sound, many nutritionist have encouraged their clients to add hot peppers and hot sauce (with low sodium and low sugar) to their diet. This is because capsinoids, an active ingredient found in red chili peppers (also found in Tabasco), helps to activate “brown fat,” or a healthy fat that aids in burning calories according to research.

Spicy peppers are also known to decrease the appetite and increase the metabolism.

Vitamin C

Peppers are loaded with vitamin C. One ounce of sliced jalapeño peppers contains 40 milligrams of vitamin C or 66% of your daily vitamin C requirement.  As you may already know, vitamin C works wonders for the immune system. It can also lessen the duration of colds and cold symptoms. In fact, many people use hot peppers or hot sauce in their cold remedies.

Put the right hot sauce in your bag…swag!

The ideal hot sauce contains peppers, vinegar and garlic. Try to stay away from hot sauces that are high in sugar and sodium. 

7 Benefits Of Drinking Hot Water

Many people are realizing the importance of drinking water on a daily basis. Physicians usually recommend that you drink at least 64 ounces of water every day. However, what you may not realize is the many health benefits which come from drinking your water warm or mildly hot.

Drinking hot water offers a myriad of health benefits. Did you realize drinking hot water offers anti-aging benefits for your skin, helps ease pain and can be used a natural way to detoxify your body?

Let’s delve deeper to uncover 7 ways drinking hot water can improve your health:

1. Anti-aging for skin

When you drink water, we know that it is a natural way to remove toxins from your body which helps your skin to recuperate quicker. Dehydration is one of the most common reasons our skin loses elasticity. But, if you drink warm water, this helps your skin even more. Daily, your skin comes in contact with germs and free radicals. Drinking warmer water can help your skin’s cells repair quicker, in addition to improving your skin’s elasticity and appearance. I’m not sure about you, but I’m willing to drink some hot water over buying another anti-aging product. It’s less costly and effective!

2. Improves digestion

Mayo Clinic facilitated some research around the impact of drinking cold water after you eat a meal. They found that when a meal was consumed with cold water, the oils found in the food the participants digested hardened. This was relevant because this is one of the causes of intestinal cancer. But, when food was consumed with warmer water, this same reaction did not occur with the oils. The warm water was actually an aid in helping with the digestion and movement of the food through the system.

3. Relieves congestion

The worse part of a sore throat or nasal congestion is the pain associated with swallowing and the discomfort associated with feeling congested. Swallow something cold can make the process of staying hydrated difficult. However, for the most part when you drink something warm, it is more soothing. It’s not your imagination. Warmer water helps when your throat is sore or when you have coughing associated with your cold. Warmer water moves easier through your system and helps to alleviate some of the built up phlegm, helping you to recover from being sick a little bit quicker.

4. Body detoxification

Lots of time when you think of going through a detox you usually head to your local health food store to explore options and specific detox kits. But, drinking warm water is an alternative way to get that detox. According to the American Liver Foundation, your body temperature will rise and this will cause you to sweat, which is a sign that toxins are being eliminated from your body. All of this happens just with drinking warmer water.

5. Eases menstrual cramping

Being on my period is always tough because of the premenstrual symptoms that occur along with my menstrual cycle. But, what is even worse is the cramping I feel. I am always looking for natural remedies versus taking medication to soothe my cramps.

Here is how you can use something that has worked for me when I have my menstrual cycle. Instead of reaching for cold water, drink warmer water. It helps to loosen your abdominal muscles responsible for the cramping, decreasing your cramps and spasms.

6. Helps with constipation

If you are having some difficulty with being regular and are experiencing constipation, hot water can help with your digestion. Drinking warmer water helps with dehydration that causes your intestines to accumulate stools that back cause constipation. According to studies, which were done by the Digestive Disease Associates of York County, drinking warm water helps to make you regular. And here is another helpful hint. If you have not eaten yet and you drink warm water first before eating, it helps with getting rid of remnants of food that may be left in your system. This is another way to help you get your digestive process going in the right direction.

7. Stimulates hair growth

Dehydration and dry hair is often the culprit of breakage and an inability to get your hair to grow longer and healthier. By drinking warm water, you are helping your roots by giving them the hydration they need to be healthy. Warm water helps to activate your roots, decrease dehydration of your hair, which ends up helping your hair grow.

Now that you know the health benefits of drinking warm water, what’s stopping you? You have nothing to lose and so much to gain with regard to improving your health, alleviating pain, aiding your digestive system and helping to improve your skin. Drink up!

What Will Extreme Protein Consumption Do To Your Body ?

Increasing the recommended daily protein intake from 1.5 – 2 grams per kg of body weight to 3-4 grams per kg of bodyweight will not result in increasing the muscle mass and strength in bodybuilders and athletes according to a study. However, according to the same study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition the increased protein intake will result in greater reduction of body fat.

The Recommended Protein Intake

It is a common knowledge that the optimal growth of muscle mass in bodybuilders is achieved by consuming 1.5 to 2 g. of protein per each kg. of bodyweight. But what will happen to your body if you double the protein intake? Will it result in gaining more fat? Will it have negative impact on your overall health?

Research

According to the research performed at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, none of this will happen. The researchers set to answer these questions in an eight week study that included 48 young non-professional bodybuilders, who had at least few years of weight training under their belts and had been consuming the recommended intake of 2-2.2 grams per kg. of bodyweight.

They were divided into two groups. The first group resumed with the same protein intake, while the second group was asked to double the protein intake, without making any other drastic changes in their diet. In other words, their intake of carbs and fats remained the same. The subject were free to choose the protein source for their increased intake. Some of them consumed additional protein from supplements, while the rest consumed high protein foods.

At the same time, both groups continued their training using identical workout protocols.

During the course of this study, both groups increased their protein intake. Studying the table below, we notice that the group with normal protein intake increased the daily intake to 2.3 grams of protein per kg. of bodyweight. The second group upped their daily protein intake to 3.4 grams per kg. of bodyweight. This increase also meant that they increased the total amount of consumed calories.

Results

Interestingly enough the results of the study reveal that the increased protein intake had no effect on muscle growth. Namely, the increase of lean muscle mass remained the same in both the normal protein group and in the high protein group.

However, the subjects that had high protein intake recorded a drop of body fat percentage. This comes as some surprise, because the increased protein intake also increased their calorie consumption by 400 kilocalories compared to the other group. This effect is probably a result of increasing the resting energy expenditure.

Both groups recorded increased strength gains. Although the group that consumed 2.3 g. of protein per kg. of bodyweight  recorded slightly better strength gains, these differences were so small that they have no statistical value.

Both groups were subjected to medical examinations aimed at determining whether the increased protein intake had negative effect on their health. The results confirmed that the increased intake was not harmful for the body.

Conclusion

This study once again confirms that increasing the protein intake will not result in greater body fat. On the contrary. It also confirmed that the daily amount of 1.5–2.0 grams of protein per kg body weight is sufficient for making muscle and strength gains, and that there is no need for increasing this amount.

The Training Secrets and Regimen of Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is currently the number one tennis player in the world as ranked by the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time. He is also thought by many to be the fittest in the sport, as well as the fittest athlete on the planet. So, how did he manage to achieve this level of greatness, even though only as recently as 2010 he was collapsing while playing due to, what many thought, was poor conditioning?

Novak Djokovic’s problems with gluten

In his book “Serve to Win: The 14-Day Gluten-Free Plan for Physical and Mental Excellence”, he reminisces about the many moments when his body simply gave up in the middle of the match. He and his trainers knew something was wrong, but they couldn’t quite put their finger on what the main cause was and wrongly attributed it to either allergies or asthma, or simply due to poor conditioning. After a while, they found out that he had dairy and gluten intolerances and that his nutrition regimen was the reason he was experiencing difficulties on the court. His diet was quickly re-adapted to his intolerance and the problems went away.

He was sure that his misdiagnosed condition had cost him some championships where he couldn’t compete in optimal condition, particularly the 2012 Australian Open in which he lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He also considers this the lowest point in his career, but since then it has cemented his resolve to approach the fitness component of his training. This helped him achieve the levels of sportsmanship, once his nutrition was put in order.

He started training for 14 hours per day, which included practicing every morning and afternoon, lifting weights, running or riding a bike and lots of mobility work. The constant traveling did not impede much with his training regimen. One example is that he continued his practice even in Abu Dhabi, in its scorching heat and high humidity.

While his training regimen and diet advice may not make a lot of sense for a regular athlete, Novak offers some advice that might apply to the overall fitness population as well and can have a tremendous impact on your overall level of fitness, athletic ability and quality of life. The new training and diet principles that he started following have had a huge effect on his game and efforts to achieving top level status in world tennis.

What we’ll explain in this article is Novak’s advice on foam rolling, stretching, yoga, how his use of the “egg pod” helps him with his overall fitness and the minimum dose of effective workout one can complete in about 20 minutes or less.

Modern life has created sedentary lifestyles, however humans have evolved to endure great physical exertion, so it’s no wonder that you feel a lot happier after you’ve finished exercising. It’s the same rush of dopamine your ancestors felt. Let’s try and make it a lifestyle!

The Novak Djokovic Training Routine – Stretching and Achieving Real Flexibility

Before starting the match, Djokovic does a routine consisting of thorough body warm-up and stretching. He begins with either a light run or a bike ride until his body warms up sufficiently and then starts a dynamic stretch routine. The dynamic stretch is different from the static stretch in that in static stretching you are supposed to assume a fixed position and hold that position for a certain amount of time, whilst with a dynamic stretch you are trying to simulate a movement done in everyday life. The way he does that is by doing a 5-minute jog or riding a stationary bike, after which he proceeds with 10-15 reps of the following list of exercises, with no rest between them:

• Inverted hamstring
• Squat thrusts
• Jumping jacks
• Reverse lunge with backward reach
• Lunge with side bend
• Walking high knees
• Low side-to-side lunge
• Walking high kicks
• Inchworm

Foam Rolling

Being a top level athlete means you are surrounded by a team of people following you around, making sure that you are functioning at the optimal rate to deliver the best results possible. A part of the team is a masseuse with which he works daily and whose massages help him with his muscles recovering faster after a grueling match.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for the vast majority of athletes, let alone regular people. However, using a foam roller onto different muscles of your body can have a similar effect in regards to the loosening up of connective tissue around the muscles and lowering the stiffness, which in turn increases the overall mobility of your muscles and joints.

Here’s another list of exercises which he recommends. Do each exercise for 20 seconds and pause additional 10 seconds on any problematic areas you might encounter:

• Calf roll
• Glutes roll
• Lower-back roll
• Upper-back roll
• Hamstring roll
• IT band roll
• Quadriceps/hip flexors roll
• Shoulder blades roll

Yoga – entering the spiritual dimension

Djokovic is also a yoga practitioner and highly recommends it. You need not be an expert at it to reap the benefits. Just do some of the most basic poses to help you loosen up your body and relax. You can do that post-workout or before you do to sleep. We have chosen the following poses that will give you a good stretch in all parts of your body and make you much calmer and relaxed. You should hold each position for 30 seconds and gradually increase that to a minute. Take deep breaths while you are doing them:

• Downward dog
• Rabbit
• Cobra
• Cat

This list doesn’t include any strength movements or conditioning work. For those who have a tight schedule and want to add strength training in their workout routine, we’ve got you covered later in this article, but first a bit more exotic “tip”:

How to Build Bigger Chest Muscles

Growing a respectable chest isn’t easy work, especially if your only tool in the box is the bench press. Defeat flatness and increase your chest size with these training tips.

First of all, these two are the most common chest building mistakes that are probably hindering your progress without you even noticing it: too much isolation work and too little food.

Nope, you can’t stimulate decent chest growth by performing endless reps of isolation exercises. Chest muscles demand the challenge presented by compound movements in order to grow. In addition, you must make sure to eat plenty of high-protein foods, as well as great sources of carbs that will replenish your body’s depleted glycogen stores and support maximum muscle growth.

Now, here’s the right way to grow some pecs of steel:

• Eat! – Depending on the frequency of your workouts, aim for 4-6 calorie-dense meals per day, but make sure they’re made from top quality protein, carbs and fat sources.
• Train with compound exercises – If you want to trigger optimal release of muscle building hormones, heavy-weight compound movements like squats, deadlifts, bench presses and overhead presses must be a staple of your training routine.
• Perfect your form and technique – Even the best exercises are worth nothing if they’re performed with bad form and incomplete technique. Learn how it’s done the right way and keep your performance tight.
• Allow yourself enough rest – Since your muscles grown when they rest, you need plenty of that. Hit your chest twice per week. Overtraining will only leave you right where you’ve began.
• Lift fast – Try to lift as fast as you can on the way up while maintain good form. This will enhance the recruitment of more muscle fibers and enable you to use more weight. Lower the weight down in a controlled, but not slow manner.
• Be patient – Extraordinary results don’t happen overnight. They need to be earned with plenty of hard work over the course of a longer period of time. Make sure you have a decent training and eating program and sooner or later, results will follow.

That being said, here are the best 4 exercises of all time for massive chest development:

#1. Bench Press

All hail the king! This exercise engages more than one muscle group and allows you to use heavy weights.

#2. Weighted Dips

The weighted dip is a prime old-school exercise for building a thicker chest. As long as your shoulders are up to the task, this move will ensure your pecs are getting all the attention they need.

#3. Dumbbell Press

Dumbbell Press. Although you can’t use as much weight as you normally do with barbells, you can trigger a stronger growth response by stretching your pectoral muscles on eccentric part of the lift.

#4. Weighted Push-ups

The push-up effectively hits your whole upper body, but if you place your hands wider than your shoulders, your pecs will be greatly challenged to grow faster and bigger.

There are many ways to train your chest, but these three exercises are a part of any serious chest routine. It’s best to include them on every second or third gym session (as we’re sure you’ve already noticed, pecs don’t like to be overstimulated and they assist in most upper body movements) but make sure to use heavy weights for best results.

Making Running A Habit

Follow these 4 steps, and gradually exercise will become a no-brainer.

After a few weeks of running, you'll begin to believe that there's something to this “runner’s high” thing. Feel-good brain chemicals—like dopamine and endocannabinoids—will be released while you’re on the road, and you’ll feel so proud of what you accomplished that it will take more discipline to rest than to work out.

But until that happens, it can be hard to force yourself out the door. And relying on willpower just won’t work, experts say. “We tell ourselves we will make ourselves do it, but that puts a lot of strain on your willpower resources, and everyone’s willpower is a limited resource,” says Heidi Grant Halversorn, associate director of the Motivation Science Center at Columbia University’s Business School. Once your resolve gets weak—when you’re tired or stressed, and there are so many things that seem more appealing than running—willpower breaks down.

Here are some tips on how to make running a habit and make it stick from Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit. “Once exercise becomes a habit, it just feels easier,” says Duhigg, who trained for the 2012 New York City Marathon. “So when you don’t feel like doing it, it doesn’t take as much willpower.”

1. MAKE A PLAN. According to Duhigg, every habit is made up of a group of cues (e.g., time, place, mood, music, certain other people), a reward (chocolate, massage, hot shower, smoothie), and a routine (the running). So pick some cues (e.g., the most convenient time to run, the best route to take) and rewards that will incentivize you to run. Then write out a plan with the cues and rewards, and post it where you can see it. Let’s say the best time to run is morning; you’ve got an energizing music mix on your iPod; and your reward is a relaxing long, hot shower. Your plan would be: “If it’s morning, and I hear this music, I will run, because then I’ll get a long, hot shower.” Post the plan where you can see it. Try it for a week. If it doesn’t work, try changing the cues or the rewards. Get the Start Running Plan.

2. KEEP IT REGULAR. Create a prerun routine to cue your body and mind that it’s time to run, and repeat it every time you go. Always go at the same time of day. Put your workout clothes next to your bed. Put on your same workout music before you go out. “In order to make something like running into a habit, you have to have cues to trigger you, and they have to be consistent,” says Duhigg. “You’re creating neural pathways that make the activity into a habit,” he adds.

3. REWARD YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY. Right after your run, treat yourself to something you genuinely enjoy—a hot shower, a smoothie, even a small piece of dark chocolate—so your brain associates exercise with an immediate reward. “You have to get the reward right away for something to become automatic,” says Duhigg. “You can’t intellectualize your way to a reward. You have to teach the brain about reward through experience.”

4. BUILD YOUR OWN SUPPORT SYSTEM. Equip your running routine with the activities that will make you feel good about it and get you revved up to get up and go each day, says Duhigg. Meet up with friends so that the run doubles as socializing time; track your miles so that you can see the progress you’re making and the fitness improvements.

Stop Doing These 5 Things If You’re Trying To Lose Weight

Weight loss can be a serious pain in the you know what. I mean, we can be doing everything right, from practically eating a vegetarian diet to exercising six days a week, and still see little to no results. It just doesn’t make any sense and some of us are about one fat-free Chick-O-Stick away from losing our motivation and being done with the entire idea.

If you’ve gotten to a point in your weight loss journey where you’re starting to question whether or not you can meet your goal, take a second to see if you’re doing one (or more) of these five things. Here are five things that can help you get past your plateau and get the scale moving in your favor again.

1. Being impatient

Weight loss takes time. Instead of stressing about why the scale went up two pounds after weeks of progress, focus on your spiritual journey and mental weight loss. Getting your mind right is just as important as whipping your body back into shape.

A lot of people lose a significant amount of weight and gain it back because they still hold onto the mental baggage that lead them to unhealthy eating habits. Your temporary setback can be as simple as eliminating stress, a common factor of weight gain.

Getting yourself prepared mentally will help ease the expectation of fast results and remind you that you are on a journey of change, something that takes time.

“Achieving and more importantly maintaining weight loss requires patience. When it comes to your overall health it’s important to play the long game… Think about what’s sustainable for you as an individual. Attempting to lose 10 pounds in a week is not healthy or realistic, it’s just not the way the body works. Plus it can lead to bad habits, like yo-yo dieting,” said Tangia Estrada, the creator of Hello Gorgeous Fitness.

2. Weekend binging

An entire week of clean eating can make weekend temptations a little harder to resist. But, falling off of your normal routine not only discredits all of your hard work during the week, it shows a lack of commitment to your decision to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

“The body keeps an accurate record of everything you put into it and it responds accordingly. Just because you stuck to a healthy meal plan for five days in a row, doesn’t mean that you can spend Saturday and Sunday eating everything in sight and drinking like a new prohibition era is about to start,” said Estrada.

According to Estrada, that weekend binge behavior is undoing all the hard work you put in during the week. That behavior not only has a negative impact on your body, it’s also emotionally demoralizing.

3. Focusing on calories instead of nutrition

It’s possible to lose weight by maintaining a caloric deficit, even if that includes a slice of cake or a row of Oreos. This is why many weight loss programs encourage an occasional “treat.” But, many times having that occasional treat means sacrificing more fulfilling meals throughout the rest of the day or prolonging your workout to burn off the excess calories, both of which can lead to unnecessary stress.

“Eating packaged food because it says “low-fat” or “diet” is a poor substitute for quality nutrition. The key to great health and reaching weight loss goals is quality nutrition. Diet food, is really just a code word for “chemical sh!t storm,” as they often have fillers and extra sugar to make them taste good, defeating the purpose of eating them in the first place. Switching your diet from processed products to whole foods will make weight loss easier. It also has the added side effects of increasing energy and mental clarity, and improving overall health,” said Estrada.

4. Staying in #BeastMode

There are several mental and physical benefits of “owning” a workout. But, choosing a routine that has you questioning why you went to the gym in the first place may be causing more stress instead of relieving it. Mix up your routine with high and low intensity workouts, like boot camp and yoga, to balance things out. Most importantly, choose exercises that you enjoy and look forward to.

“The recent trend of forcing yourself through a brutal workout that secretly has you wishing for death is actually holding you back. For one thing, you are opening yourself up to injury. Secondly, extreme workouts cause a hormonal stress response in the body that causes the body to hold onto weight. Stress works against you and your fitness goals. When you workout, you should challenge yourself and it should feel like you are working hard, but it should not feel like you’re going to collapse,” said Estrada.

5. Forgetting to meal prep

Nobody wants to eat the same thing over and over again. But, unless you’re a pro at counting your macronutrients and making sure you’re getting the right amount of carbs, fats and protein while maintaining a caloric deficit, meal prepping is the way to go. Taking a couple of hours, two or three times a week, to prepare your meals will take the guesswork out of figuring out what to eat. It can also help ward off fast-food temptations during the lunch hour.