Blog - Page 42 of 48 - 12 Minute Athlete

7 Phenomenal Push Up Variations You Should Do

Push ups are one of the most underrated exercises of all time.

Most females assume they can’t even do them, and most guys assume they’re too good for them.

So what happens? People just don’t do them.

But here’s the thing: push ups are one of the best exercises you can do. Not only do they target every single muscle group of your upper body, they get you stronger, leaner and fitter overall in no time at all.

Push ups are also awesome because:

They’re a compound exercise, meaning you’ll save time on having to target all the individual muscles in your upper body.
They promote muscular balance in your body.
They are a total bodyweight exercise, so you never have to go to a gym or pull out any equipment to do them.

In fact… drop down and give me 10 push ups, right now!

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How to Start (and Keep) a Consistent Workout Schedule

When it comes to starting something new—such as creating a workout habit—the hardest part is to stick with it long enough and keep a consistent enough schedule that it becomes a habit for life.

Because while it’s pretty easy to start doing HIIT, or eating healthy, or foam rolling after your workouts, sticking with it in the longterm is a much more difficult feat.

And we all know it’s only too easy to make excuses not to work out. You get busy. You’re too sore. Life happens.

And sooner than later, the excuses start to pile up. You end up skipping a few days, a week, maybe even a few weeks—and before you know it, you’re back at square one. It’s a vicious cycle.

In fact, learning to keep a consistent workout schedule is one of the subjects 12 Minute Athlete readers email me about the most. But it doesn’t have to be that difficult.

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I'm Not Perfect, and Neither Should You Be: 39 Things You Should Know About Me

Despite what you may think, I haven’t always been this active.

In fact, there was a time in my life when I was actually a little chubby. I didn’t work out. I ate way too much Trader Joe’s mac & cheese. I couldn’t do a push up or pull up to save my life.

Born into a family of extremely active people, I was constantly bitter that being healthy and active didn’t come naturally to me as it seemed to for most of my family. Even now, despite being in his mid 60’s, my Dad still skis, kiteboards, windsurfs, SUPs, surfs, bikes, goes on crazy hikes, does CrossFit and is always looking for a new sport to try. He’s my inspiration. But I used to think I was nothing like him.

Because for a long time, I thought that the ‘active gene’ in my family had skipped me—since I hated the thought of exercise so freaking much.

Along with this lack of desire to exercise, I also suffered from near constant depression starting in my early teenage years. In short, I hated myself. I was restless and always unhappy. I hated what I was doing (or not) doing with my life. I hated the way I felt every day. I hated the way my body looked.

Bodyweight Training: How to Get in Incredible Shape With Zero Equipment

Most people think that the only way to get the fit, strong body they want is to work out with machines or heavy weights.

But most people are wrong.

Because here’s the thing: the popularity of training equipment mostly comes down to marketing. Fitness companies need to have something to sell you, so they sell you on machines, fancy gadgets, and complicated systems.

Sure, weights and a few pieces of uncomplicated equipment like plyometric boxes, kettlebells and medicine balls can be useful tools to propel you to the fitness level you want. But the truth is that you don’t need any of these to get into incredible shape.

Because the simplest and most effective way to develop strength, gain endurance and lose fat is to train using nothing more than your own body.

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The Amazing Wonder of Coconut Butter (And How to Actually Use It)

If you’re anywhere near the health food or fitness circles, you’ve no doubt heard of coconut oil by now.

But have you ever heard of coconut butter?

Until about a month and a half ago, I hadn’t. And oh my gosh is it good.

It tastes like the most delicious, decadent, oh-so-bad-for-you treat.

Except, it’s not. It’s actually good for you. In fact, coconut butter packs a crapload of benefits:

It’s rich in lauric acid, which boosts immunity and destroys harmful bacteria, viruses, and funguses.
It actually boosts your metabolism, which aids in weight loss and increases energy levels.
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How to Work Out Like an Athlete

I really, truly believe that deep down, everybody is an athlete.

It doesn’t matter if you sucked at sports in high school. Or how uncoordinated you are. Or if you can’t do a pull up (yet).

If you believe it, you are an athlete.

“If you have a body, you are an athlete.” – Bill Bowerman, Nike Founder

But you can’t truly harness your power as an athlete if you don’t act like one when you’re working out. If you really want to be an athlete, you have to train like one.

So here’s how to get started:

Why I Stopped Doing CrossFit

I love CrossFit. Like, love it.

I think it’s one of the coolest, most challenging workouts around today. I love its focus on functional fitness. I love the variety. I love the community aspect of it.

In fact, I did CrossFit for nearly a year before I decided to give it up. When I was living in Brooklyn, I went to the most amazing CrossFit gym, CrossFit Virtuosity, and had the time of my life.

The people were cool. There were both men and women, and no one expected me to work less hard because I was a chick. And the coach (as they’re called in CrossFit) was inspiring and just, well, awesome.

But when I moved to San Francisco, I decided to give it up.

Handstand Push Ups: Why They Rock (And How to Start Doing Them)

If you’re like most people I know, then then there’s a high probability that of the hundreds of different exercises we do during 12 Minute Athlete workouts, handstand push ups intimidate you the most.

Maybe they’re so intimidating that you’ve never even tried them, and have a habit of skipping any workouts where they’re included.

In fact, you probably think they’re near impossible — that they’re only for gymnast types with insanely broad shoulders, and strong, compact bodies.

But let me tell you a secret: you can do handstand push ups.

I don’t care how strong you are, how long your arms are (my nickname for years was spaghetti arms, so I can relate), how unbalanced and uncoordinated you are.

Unless you have a shoulder injury or something else actually prohibiting you from standing upside down, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t do handstand push ups.

Because here’s the thing: you don’t have to be superhuman to do handstand push ups. And just like anything else, you can break them down into progressions that will eventually lead you to working the full thing.

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Burpees 101: Everything You Need to Know About How to Do a Burpee (Infographic)

If I had to choose on exercise to rule them all, there’s no doubt in my mind that the burpee would be it.

Burpees have it all: they’re cardio, strength training, balance, plyometrics and functional fitness all rolled up into one, incredible, mind-blowing exercise.

Sure, most people hate burpees. And if I had to take a guess, you probably do too. But burpees pack so many awesome benefits, they’re totally worth it.

That’s why I’m declaring burpees the official exercise of 12 Minute Athlete.

Because if I could only get you to do ONE of the 50+ exercises on the site, it would be burpees, hands down.

To celebrate, I’ve created a handy little infographic so you have no excuse not to do burpees at every waking hour (just kidding):

11 Nutrition Rules I Swear By To Make Healthy Eating Easy

Let’s face it. It’s not always easy to eat healthy 100% of the time—especially if you’re not used to eating that way.

But along with consistent exercise, healthy eating is what’s really going to propel you to the fitness level you want. Plus, it will make you feel better, give you more energy, and help you achieve the body of your dreams.

But it doesn’t have to be difficult. Healthy eating can actually be incredibly easy and enjoyable—if you know how to structure your meals and your days around it.

Along my fitness journey, I’ve discovered there are eleven healthy eating rules I follow that when combined with the HIIT workouts, mean I never, ever have to worry about my weight.

And that’s pretty awesome, if you ask me.