NIFS Healthy Living Blog

You might have seen people in the gym lying on the ground and standing up with a weight. Don’t let them fool you; this is not as easy as it looks. This is a movement that has been around since the strongman days, and there is a reason it hasn’t left. The Turkish get-up (TGU) is a total-body workout that everyone should try. Here are five reasons I think you should try it.

• Stability. The TGU promotes shoulder stability along with core stability. If you cannot maintain either, you will not be successful when increasing weight. Before you even add weight to the TGU, you should be able to do the exercise while balancing your shoe (or something similar) on your fist when completing the get-up without it falling off. Once you can be stable enough to balance the shoe throughout, keeping your arm straight, you are stable enough to add weight.
• Hits every movement plane. During your workouts, your goal should always be to train in every plane. When doing the TGU, you can hit every plane. You are in frontal, sagittal, and transverse—there aren’t many moves that enable you to hit all three at once.
• Works your core. The TGU effectively trains the core in more than one area. Your entire trunk has to fire in order to maintain stability throughout the movement.
• Cardio. Once you start to lift a heavier kettlebell, the TGU can become taxing on your cardiovascular system. Even though you are making small, controlled movements, your heart rate increases.
• Everything is working! The TGU is a total-body movement. You work your shoulders, legs, and core—strength and mobility/flexibility. If you are short on time and can get in only a few strength exercises, this is one you should do.

Don’t knock the TGU until you try it. This is a challenging and effective exercise that everyone should add to their routines. If you need any help on form, stop by the track desk and have a NIFS HFS help you out!

This blog was written by Kaci Lierman, NSCA-CPT, CFSC, NASM-CES,CAFS, personal trainer. To learn more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

When most people think about core exercises, they just think of sit-ups or crunches; however, there are many options people don’t know about or forget. If you are only doing crunches, you’re not working your entire core. Think of your core as a cylinder; you have to work every part. Crunches target only one section, but they give you the “feeling the burn” sensation that makes you feel you got in solid core work.

Here are the top 5 core strength exercises that I think you should try.

1. Deadbugs

Deadbugs are an underrated core exercise. They look easy, but don’t let that fool you! They will work your core. Here’s how to do it:

1. To start, lay flat on your back, arm straight up toward the ceiling, leg up with a 90-degree bend with knees pointed toward the ceiling.
2. Once in your starting position with your low back in contact with the floor, start by slowly lowering your right arm/left leg down to a hover above the ground.
3. Then repeat on the other side.

The most important thing to remember with these is keeping your lower back pushed into the floor. Once you’ve lost contact, you’re no longer working your core as much as you could be. Make sure your movements are slow and controlled. If you go too fast, you won’t feel these as much.

2. Anti-rotation Hold or Press

When you think of working your oblique muscles, rotation exercises always come to mind. What many don’t know is that resisting rotation can be even more challenging than rotating. This can be done using a cable or a band. Follow these steps:

1. The band/cable should be at chest height.
2. Once you have the right position, grab the handle with the hand that is farthest away; then place the other hand on top. This prevents your shoulder from doing more work than it needs to.
3. Once you have a hold of the handle, bring it in front of your chest.

If you would like more of a challenge, hold your arms out straight.

3. Chops/Lifts

Chops and lifts can be done with a medicine ball or with the cable machine. To start, you should do these in the half-kneeling position (watch video) so that you can’t get any help from your legs.

• When you are doing chops, the knee closest to the cable machine (or your partner, if using a medicine ball) should be up. Think of this as a rowing-a-boat motion; you are chopping high to low.
• When doing the lift, the knee farthest away from the cable machine is up. The start position is low, then you are lifting up and across your body.

4. Crawling Patterns

Bear crawl, dog crawl, alligator crawl, inch worm, scorpion crawl, lateral crawl—there are many different ways to crawl! These are great work for your core. Working on moving your opposite arm/leg works on the cross patterns. When crawling, to get in the most core work, you want to try to get little to no hip shifts. Trying to keep your hips square to the ground will allow your core to do more work.

5. Turkish Get-ups

Everyone’s favorite way to get off the ground! Turkish get-ups work much more than just your core, but are great to have in your core exercise bank.

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Try these core exercises during your next workout. Stop by the NIFS track desk if you need to see a demonstration.

This blog was written by Kaci Lierman, Health Fitness Instructor. To read more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

When it comes to working out, the first weeks are usually great. You are excited to get to the gym, and you love the feeling of exercising. Once the “honeymoon” stage of your new workout routine is over, it gets more challenging to get to the gym: your bed is just too comfy in the morning, or you have extra work at the office that prevents you from going in the evening.

Reasons to Find Someone to Exercise With

It’s easy to cancel your gym session with yourself. That’s why it’s important to find a workout buddy. Here are five reasons why everyone needs to go find a workout buddy.

1. Accountability: When someone is counting on you to meet them at the gym, it’s a lot harder to skip. Having the accountability of a buddy always keeps you going. On days when it’s hard to get out of bed early in the morning, you don’t want to skip because you know your partner is waiting on you.
2. Fun: If you aren’t someone who loves exercise, maybe a workout buddy is just what you need to keep you coming into the gym. Having someone with you who can make you laugh will make exercise more enjoyable. Going through an intense workout alone is never as fun as having someone right next to you working hard and making you laugh.
3. Variety: When you have to come up with your own exercises all the time, they can start to get a little repetitive. If you and your buddy take turns picking the workout, it will change things up. You both might enjoy different types of exercise, so the variety will keep each workout from getting boring.
4. Motivation: When you exercise alone, there is no one beside you cheering you on between sets. It’s encouraging to have someone with you saying “You can do it” in the middle of your set; sometimes that’s just what you need to hear to finish out strong.
5. Competition: If you are someone who thrives on a little healthy competition, you definitely need a workout buddy. You will always be competing with your workout buddy. If they move up in weight, you don’t want them to drop the weight back down for you, so you push yourself to go up. If you are running, you push yourself to go longer so that you don’t make your buddy stop.

How to Find a Fitness Friend

Having someone to work out with makes a big difference in the quality and frequency of your exercise. Ask a friend to join you, check out these apps, sign up for group fitness training, or try these other ways of finding a gym partner.

This blog was written by Kaci Lierman, Health Fitness Instructor. To read more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

We have all seen people in the gym just walking around carrying weights such as kettlebells, dumbbells, and maybe even sandbags. It may look easy since they are just walking, but carries are a complex exercise that, when you give it a try, you will realize are actually pretty challenging. Don’t knock them until you’ve tried them!

Ways to Carry Weight

There are several different carries:

• Farmer’s carry: Two heavy kettlebells or dumbbells, one held in each hand.
• Suitcase carry: One heavy kettlebell or dumbbell, held just on one side.
• Racked carry: Two kettlebells or dumbbells, held in the clean position in each hand.
• Waiter walk: One kettlebell or dumbbell held overhead.
• Bottoms-up carry: Kettlebell held upside down. The bigger part of the bell is in the air.
• Rack and suitcase: One kettlebell is held in the racked position while the other is in the suitcase position.
• Rack and waiter: One kettlebell is in the racked position, while the other is in the waiter position.

Reasons to Add Them to Your Workouts

Carries are total-body exercises that have many benefits. Here are five reasons you should add them to your workout.

• Work capacity—do total-body work. If you want to work on building overall strength, adding farmer’s carries or any type of carry to your routine will be beneficial. It’s a total-body exercise that should not be left out. They are taxing and will help increase your heart rate.
• Improve grip strength. Carrying weight is one of the best exercises to improve your grip strength. Farmer’s carry really works in the development of your grip and the strength of your forearm. If you want to step it up and really challenge your grip, try kettlebell bottoms-up carries.
• Help with your posture. Doing carry exercises forces you stand upright. If you round your shoulders and have a forward head position during the carry, you will not be able to hold the weight. The carry forces you into good posture and helps build posterior strength (for example, the backside).
• Build a stronger core. No matter which type of carry you choose to do, your core is firing and working. If you choose to do a carry on one side like the suitcase carry or single-arm racked walk, you will really feel your oblique muscles working.
• Shoulder health: Farmer’s carries help build shoulder stability. Gripping the weight turns on the rotator cuff and shuts off the deltoid, allowing the shoulder to get into the right position.

Carries are one of the most functional and effective exercises. You should add them to your program if you are not already doing them and see the many benefits in a short time!

This blog was written by Kaci Lierman, Health Fitness Instructor. To read more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

It’s coming…the holiday season! Many people tend to give up or have the “I’ll start fresh next year” mindset when it comes to exercise around the holidays. Don’t let that be you this year! Halloween is over and before we know it Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here. Parties will start, normal schedules will be crazy, and more food will be added to your life.

Three Tips for Staying on Track with Workouts and Food

This season, let’s go into the holidays with a different mindset. We know what’s coming—it happens every year! Here are three tips to keep you on track.

• Schedule time for your workouts. If you know you have a party or family gathering, plan ahead. Write your exercise time on your calendar each week just like you would anything else. Scheduling time for fitness should be a priority.

• Something is better than nothing. Gym time cut short? Don’t just blow it off! Just get into the gym and move. Getting 30 minutes of exercise is better than getting 0 minutes. Don’t let your busy holiday gatherings keep you from your exercise routine. Even if you have to do bodyweight exercises at home or portable exercises on the road, don’t just skip your workout.

• Do a little bit better next time. You overate, you missed your workout, you have another party today. It’s okay; you didn’t lose the battle of fitness. You don’t need to overeat at the next party. Just do a little better than you did at the last. Healthy eating and exercise don’t have to be all or nothing. Just do better every day. Move a little more, and eat one less holiday treat than the day before.

Change Your Mindset—and Ask for Help!

The holidays don’t have to be a time to let it go and start over during the New Year. This year, make it different! These three tips will help you change your mindset as we enter the season of craziness and delicious goodies!

If you need help on a quick workout idea, stop by the track desk and ask a NIFS HFS to help you out!

Remember 30-minute workouts are proven to be just as beneficial as longer workouts. If your short on time or just feel 60-minutes is too long, try one of our 30 minute Group Fitness Classes such as Tabata, or Extreme Core. Check out our Group Fitness Schedule below.

Happy Holidays!

This blog was written by Kaci Lierman, Personal Trainer. To find out more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

“I don’t need to join a gym; I work out at home.”

“I have videos I watch when I want to work out.”

Do these things sound familiar? I hear it from people I talk to all the time. There is a place for everybody at the gym; and in fact, there are many good reasons that you should join one! I am here to give you the top six reasons why you should join a gym or fitness center.

1. Community

When you join a gym and you go at the same time each day and each week, you start to see some familiar faces. The gym has one of the best communities around that you can be a part of. Everyone is welcoming and working toward the same goals: to get fit in some way or another. It is an encouraging and motivating place to exercise. And I know from personal experience; some of the individuals I have worked with have met lifelong friends at the gym.

2. No Distractions

At home, there can be many distractions to interrupt your workout. Your dog licking you in the face while doing pushups, the laundry buzzer going off in the middle of your yoga, or someone knocking on your door in the middle of your squats can all be frustrating and get you out of your workout groove. Luckily, the gym doesn’t have any of those distractions (sadly, no dogs). You can get your workout accomplished in peace without the potential of having 100 other things get in the way.

3. Accountability

As I mentioned in the “Community” section, when you join a gym and go at the same time every day, you usually start to see some familiar faces. If you do not come for a while, they will question where you have been, and possibly will even call you to check in and see if everything is going okay. The gym environment, from personal training to small group training, helps to hold you accountable for coming into the gym. No one wants to hear, “Hey, I haven’t seen you lately,” when they walk into the gym. The relationships you build with other members and the staff help hold you accountable for your health and fitness goals.

4. Friendships

Some of the best friendships start in the gym. This is something that you won’t encounter if you stay at home for your exercise. Asking someone for a spot or joining a class is a great way to kindle a friendship that may end up lasting a very long time. Good workout buddies are hard to find, but a good place to look for one is in the gym.

5. Trainers

At home, you may have a video telling you what to do and taking you through a workout, but at the gym, you get the real thing. Whether you are in a personal training session, a group fitness class, or just taking advantage of the trainers walking the floor, there are fitness experts around who can answer your questions.

6. Fun

The gym is a fun place to work out. Who doesn’t want a little more fun in their life? Some people claim that exercise is not fun; I totally disagree with that statement. There are plenty of ways to make exercise fun. Come into the gym and find out for yourself! This is not to mention the fact that the plethora of equipment available to use at the gym is much more than what you typically have at home.

Come try the gym today. We’d love to have you experience all of the six things listed above. Try us for free for 7 days! Click here to find out more.

This blog was written by Kaci Lierman, Personal Trainer and Health Fitness Instructor. To read more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

Busy college schedule? No time to fit in your workout between exams, papers, and class? Don’t let school be the excuse to skip or miss your workout. According to The Lancet, people who exercise as little as 15 minutes a day have a 14% lower mortality risk than people who don’t exercise at all. Just remember, something is always better than nothing!

Quick at-the-Gym Workouts

Here are some quick workout options, that require dumbells or kettlebells, that you can do if you are short on time.

Workout 1: 2–3 rounds

• Pushups x 8–10
• Squats x 8–10
• Bent-over rows x 8–10 each side
• Kettlebell swings x 30 seconds

Workout 2: 2–3 Rounds

• Split squats x 6–8 each side
• Pullups x 6–8
• Shoulder press x 8–10
• Farmer’s carry 30 seconds

Fast Workouts That Don’t Require Equipment

No equipment, no problem. You can still get in a quick workout. Just because you do not have weights available doesn’t mean you should skip.

Workout 1: 3–4 rounds

• Walking lunges x 8 each
• Pushups x 10
• Squat hold x 5 (hold the bottom position of your squat for 10 seconds)
• Side plank lifts x 8 each side
• March in place x 30 seconds

Workout 2: 3–4 rounds

• Side lunges x 8 each side
• Bear crawl x 30 seconds
• Single-leg bridge press x 8 each
• Eccentric pushups x 5 (8–10 seconds on the way down; 1 second on the way back up)
• Jumping jacks x 30 seconds

Always remember, something is better than nothing! “No time” should never be the reason for not getting in some strength movements as a student. If you need more help for quick workout ideas, stop by the track desk at NIFS and a trainer can help you out.

This blog was written by Kaci Lierman, Health Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer. To read more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

Have you ever wanted to try out small group training? If you’ve wanted to but have never taken the step to do so, maybe you share some of the same concerns as many others. A common concern that I often hear is that working out for a full 60 minutes is not currently your cup of tea because of your schedule or fitness level. Maybe you have seen people in SGT workouts before and you don’t feel up to that level. Or maybe you just haven't gotten around to it yet.

If any of these things strikes a chord, I have something that might be in your future. I am excited to announce that I have started small group training EXPRESS! This express-style group training will offer the same benefits as regular group training and a similar format, but for 30 minutes instead of 60!

Here are the top 3 reasons I think you should try it.

1. The 30-Minute Format Is Perfect for Those Shorter on Time

SGT EXPRESS is only 30 minutes! That is 2.08% of your day. You get to the gym, get in a great workout with the perk of training with others, and before you know it you are finished. I think some days short and sweet workouts are all you need. I know some may be thinking, 30 minutes, is that even worth it? The answer is yes! You will still benefit from a 30-minute workout. During this half hour, we will simply maximize every minute instead of spanning it over an entire hour. So don’t let the shorter time keep you from trying it. Also, this class is offered during the lunch hour, perfect for squeezing a workout into your busy day and clearing your mind before getting back to work.

2. Get in That Much-Needed Strength Workout

If you have only 30 minutes to work out, many people don’t think they can squeeze in a good strength session, so they go on a run instead. With SGT EXPRESS, you will get that total-body strength workout that you need to get in for the week. No need to think about what you can squeeze in; the workout is already planned for you. A typical SGT EXPRESS workout will consist of a warmup, core/power movement, a strength portion, and a finisher to leave you walking out knowing that you had a great workout.

3. All Fitness Levels Are Welcome—and the Group Setting Will Give You Motivation to Push Yourself

SGT EXPRESS is for a beginner or a veteran of exercise. All exercises have different progressions that can easily be adapted to meet any fitness level. I will coach you in choosing what works best for you. Training in a group setting also brings out most people’s competitive side. The group will help you push yourself harder than if you just came in for 30 minutes on your own. Don’t let the SGT part of it scare you away.

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Try your first SGT EXPRESS session led by trainer Kaci Lierman FREE! Contact Kaci at klierman@nifs.org for more information.

This blog was written by Kaci Lierman, NIFS Personal Trainer. To read more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

If you are short on time but still want to get your workout in, there are many ways to make sure you are getting the most out of your limited time in the gym.

Here are four exercises you should do if you don’t have time to do your usual routine:

• Bear crawl
• Squat and press
• Side lunges with an upright row
• Kettlebell swings

Bear Crawl

The bear crawl, if done correctly, is a great exercise that will work your entire body! You will feel this in your core and shoulders. Mix it up! You don’t have to just go forward; crawl backward or side to side. This movement will get your core firing and shoulders working.

Squat and Press

Multi-joint movements are a great choice if you are tight on time. You get more bang for your buck since you are working more than one muscle group. The squat and press can be done with any piece of equipment. Dumbbells, a sandbag, kettlebells, or barbells are just a few great options.

Side Lunges with an Upright Row

Most people go through life only moving forward or backward. It’s important to get some side-to-side movements in your workouts. Side lunges are a good way to get some lateral movement in. Adding the upright row to the lunge gets your arms and back working as well.

Kettlebell Swings

Kettlebell swings are one of my favorite short-on-time exercises! They get your heart rate up, work on the core and butt, and are especially good if you have been sitting all day. The kettlebell swing movement is a hinge pattern that is great for firing up your posterior chain (which doesn’t get worked if you sit on it all day).

Next time you go to the gym when you are in a hurry, try out these four exercises! If you need help learning any of the exercises, stop by the track desk and have a NIFS HFS help you out or check your form. Don’t let limited time be your excuse for not getting a workout in!

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Small Group Training (SGT) classes now available. Find out more and try a class for free!

This blog was written by Kaci Lierman, Personal Trainer at NIFS. To read more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.

The weather is getting warmer; people are starting to take their running from the treadmill to the streets and training for upcoming spring races. With the warmer weather comes endless options for races to run and events to participate in. Maybe you are up for a new fitness challenge this year, a type of race that you have never tried before.

Obstacle course races (such as Tough Mudder and Warrior Dash) are new and exciting to a lot of runners. They bring something different from the normal concrete road races—something enticing, new, and exciting! If you are considering an obstacle race this year, here are five things to consider when picking which one is best for you.

Although these are just five factors to consider when deciding what obstacle race to run, hopefully they will help with your decision. Go out and pick one that is the best fit for you.

Happy running!

This blog was written by Kaci Lierman, Personal Trainer. To find out more about the NIFS bloggers, click here.