Pushups
Most common yet beneficiary, pushups would never let anyone be at ease and would slowly but surely build up the healthy muscles in your arms and shoulders.

Follow these easy steps–

• Lie face down on the floor
• Be at ease and put  your hands slightly wider than your shoulders.
• Extend the arms fully while you slowly push the body up
• Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor
• Repeat

It is the best exercise if you would want to target to specific muscles like Triceps, core muscles, chest muscles, deltoid muscles.

Lunges

The one exercise which can be done anywhere you want. It’s great for bulking up and fine -tuning leg and butts for a healthy muscles. Just make sure you don’t lean forward while doing one of this, keep your upper part of the body firm and straight.

Follow these easy steps-

• Take a big step to the front
• Lower the body until your thigh is parallel to the ground and your shin is erect vertically
• Push backwards on your heel to shift yourself back to your initial position.
• Repeat for the other one

This exercise will help you gain muscles in buttocks and gluts, Quadriceps and Core Muscles areas.

Squats

One of the only body exercise which is the simplest in the market right now which fine tunes and strengthens the lower body and is often one of the best workouts to gain body weight.

Follow these easy steps-

• Be erect with the  back straight and feet a little more than hip-width apart and eyes should be looking straight forward.
• Do not just bend the knees but make sure to move the butt a bit backwards
• Try to keep the breathing pace.
• Make sure to do a full squat by going down till the hip joints are lower than the knees.
• Hold the position for few seconds
• Exhale and keep the body breathing pace going.
• Repeat

This exercise will help you gain healthy muscles in Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes, Abdominals and Calves.

Bench Press

Bench press is the decent  way to add muscle mass in our chest area. However, like every other exercise, it’s crucial to do this weight gain workout in a proper form. This is a good exercise for bulking up.Higher the weight, the more muscle you’ll build.

Follow these simple steps-

• You may begin by lying on the bench and holding  the bar.
• Begin without any weights and slowly keep on adding weights till comfortable.
• Hold the bar again and lock your elbows out before lowering the bar to the chest.
• With arms fully extended inhale deeply and raise the bar above the chest
• Bring the bar back to the original position and repeat the entire process.This exercise is will help you gain healthy muscles in Chest muscles, Triceps, Shoulders, and Back.

Crunches

Most of the time this particular exercise means to people to reduce belly fats and yes they do are right but what people never came across is the fact that doing crunches also increases the muscles mass and boost the core strength to have a perfect body weight and a desirable midsection.

Follow these simple steps-

• Lay down your body  on a carpet or yoga mat with knees bent and feet flat on the ground
• Inhale  and contract your abs while placing your arms across the chest.
• Exhale and lift your upper body while keeping your head and neck relaxed.
• Inhale and return to the beginning position.
• Repeat the entire process

This exercise will help you gain healthy muscles in Obliques and Rectus Abdominis.

If you’re returning to workout after covid recover, here’s what you need to know.

“Some days, like today, I don’t want to move one inch,” she explained.
The mother-of-two further stated that ladies frequently approach her, inquiring as to where she has the energy to “dance with her kids” and “make culinary videos with her saas (mother-in-law).”

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Sameera talks about her issues

“I’m hormonal, I have PMS, and there have been days — indeed, this [whole] week — when I haven’t been able to pull it together. But that’s the great part: being able to accept it and then move on. “And then taking small measures to maintain that pattern so that you don’t fall off the waggon,” Sameera said in a video, adding that it is good to “become fatigued,” but that you must then “get up and begin moving.”

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“Trying to remain on the waggon, Moody?” Hormonal? Or simply exhausted. It’s natural, and I’m remaining on track while keeping in mind that I have bad days.”
“#fitnessfriday #inspiration is also about being honest with ourselves since only being fully connected with your body and mind can get you on a healthy habit,” the actor posted on Instagram.

Meanwhile, her comment area was flooded with supportive remarks from individuals who congratulated her for raising awareness of this genuine and relatable issue. Someone wrote, “I needed this, thank you.”
“I’m so relieved to hear we’re not alone,” said another.
“This was much needed to hear.”
“I can’t thank you enough for always keeping it honest. To be honest, my exercise or anything else regimen flies out the window for those few days, and I don’t let myself feel bad… That’s the best I can do,” another person wrote.

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How has your workout programme been going?

Currently, you may recognise her as a fitness celebrity who is pioneering the way for women in the muscle-building industry. But it wasn’t always this way for her. But where there is a will, there is a way–and Kiran is evidence that nothing can impede you when you resolve to achieve greatness. She is, after all, a DJ, climber, celebrity fitness instructor, and businesswoman.

 

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But Kiran was not the same ten years ago…

If you believe Kiran’s goal has always been to be a fitness influencer, you’re incorrect. She was entirely focused on her children–a boy and a girl–about a decade ago.

Destiny had a distinct master plan for Mrs Kiran Dembla. She was diagnosed with a blood clot in her brain shortly after the birth of her second pregnancy.

 

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“I was shocked and shattered. The stress of it all, as well as the post-pregnancy weight increase, hit me all at once. “I used to look in the mirror and realise how much of myself I had lost over the years,” she recalls.

“I didn’t know what I was doing with my life.” It was almost as if I hadn’t done anything till the age of 30. I was obsessed and didn’t look anything like I did in college. And believe me, that was not a pleasant place to be. I couldn’t concentrate on anything”.

 

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Then came her pivotal moment, when everything shifted for the better for Kiran Dembla

She tried yoga, swimming, and ultimately a gym, where she was “too nervous.” “Sometimes, I’d just go in my salwar-kameez and attempt to blend in, hiding behind the equipment.”

This world of weight lifting, repetitions, and protein drinks were foreign to Dembla so she just mimicked what the gym bunnies around her were doing. “Eventually, I made friends, and the lads would assist me out. I became obsessed with working out and shed 25 kg as a result. I was in a better mood.”

 

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She informed her spouse a year later that she wanted to begin her own gym. He said, “Are you insane? All of a sudden, yeh kaunsa bhoot chadh gaya dimag mein?” “But I was motivated, so I took an online gym training course and hired a neighbouring flat so that I could be close to my home as well.”

It didn't end there for her…

When she reached 40, she established a new goal for herself: to have a six-pack. “However, there was a lot of pushback; people began saying on social media that I was getting macho and using steroids. Nobody dared to say it to me directly because they knew they’d get slapped if they did.”

Kiran Dembla had her six-pack and an opportunity from the Indian Body Building Federation to compete in a World Bodybuilding Championship in Budapest seven months later.

“My husband opposed since I’d have to wear a bikini, but I eventually won him over. I consider it a blessing that I do not live with my in-laws, as they do not interfere with my decisions.”

 

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She represented India at the competition after four months of rigorous training and adhering to a strict meat-based, high-protein diet.

Dembla’s life is now a few galaxies distant from her previous one. “I moved from being a housewife with no aspirations or hobbies to being a bodybuilder and a personal trainer to hundreds of people. I had to give up my love of eating and afternoon siestas, but it was well worth it.”

 

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Exercise or yoga, on the opposite hand, is just like the lubrication you would like for your joints and muscles, which not only comes from the postures but also correct breathing. In the early morning hours, crucial hormones testosterone helps build muscle mass are elevated in the body. By exercising within the morning, you are taking advantage of those naturally circulating hormones as they’re peaking, instead of later within the day when they’re lower. Moreover, your rate will receive a fast boost, allowing you to burn more calories for the remainder of the day.

Here are a couple of exercises that one must incorporate into their lifestyle –

Full Body Stretches- It involves dynamic stretches. It touches every joint of the body, improving mobility, and is the start line for warming up your body so as to start out the exercises.

Squats- Squats help in developing your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. They are very beneficial for your legs.

Lunges- Keep your upper body straight, together with your shoulders back and relaxed and chin . In order to focus, you can choose a point in front of you. This will disallow diversion of attention. Move forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Repeat this for both the legs.

Push-ups- Push-ups are very effective in building strength and stamina. They help to figure the main muscle pectoral and therefore the minor triceps.

Planks- Planks work miraculously to strengthen your core. It is one of the most miraculous exercises for the abs.

Mountain Climbers- First, get into a plank position and pull one knee upwards in towards your stomach. Repeat the same with the other knee. 

Surya Namaskar- An ancient yoga asana, Surya Namaskar is performed in the morning to show respect to the Sun God, and also to recharge your body from within, activating various energy points.

Thus, an excellent start to a fine morning may be a rigorous workout and it keeps the remainder of your day running smoothly.

Whether you’re a weightlifter or a yogi, you can improve your practice by cross-training. However, research shows that Yoga is everything your body needs to function at its absolute best. While many may accept this, some may feel pumping iron keeps the body young and strong.

Like life, Yoga and Weight Training both have their Yin and the Yang. If you think Yoga is easy, Yoga can be challenging, but it does lack the the ability to build additional strength and muscle past a certain point. Similarly, If you focus on weight training, you will for sure develop muscles and a physique that you were aiming for, but by disregarding mobility and a strong foundational level of fitness, you’ll be putting yourself at a higher risk of injury.

Let’s begin with the pros and cons of Yoga.

Pros of Consistent Yoga Practice:
– Achieve the balance through Yoga: Balancing is not a skill. It requires strength, stability, and muscle awareness. Continuous yoga practice will help you balance by strengthening and bringing awareness to the muscles around joints such as your ankle, knee, and hip.
– Calm yourself down and relax: It is a very soothing form of activity which allows your mind to switch off whilst you reconnect with your breath and listen to your body. Practicing yoga postures allows you to concentrate on many different facets of your body.

– Flexibility, Motion and Mobility: Yoga Poses held for several rounds of breath serve to create a deep connection to the muscle tissue, encouraging it to relax and stretch. In fact, many people notice a 35 percent increase in their flexibility after only eight weeks of regular yoga practice.

Cons of Only Practicing Yoga:
– Yoga primarily involves pushing exercise and if you only practice pushing motions, you’ll most likely have muscular imbalances, and end up with shoulder pain.
– Yoga does a great job of targeting your lower-body and core, but it just doesn’t give you a comprehensive workout for your upper body.
– When you go to the gym, you probably don’t need a personal trainer to help you figure out the treadmill or leg press. With Yoga, it may be difficult to learn to perform poses correctly without a trainer.

If you’re really looking to pack on muscle to your upper-body, to build a bigger chest, bigger shoulders, and pump up those biceps, you’ll need to do more than just yoga. Doing only Yoga might just limit your overall muscle growth.

Pros of Consistent Weight Training:

– Weight Training can be high impact, sweaty, adrenalin based, constant muscle contraction, weight bearing exercise which helps you load your muscles with the appropriate amount of tension to facilitate muscle growth.
– The risk of injuries is less. Having strong muscles limits the load that occurs through our weight bearing joints and provides the spine with great support, ultimately reducing repetitive strain. Thus decreasing the chance of injuries to the muscle groups you are working on.
– It helps increase metabolism. Research estimates that for every one-pound of increase you have in muscle mass, your resting metabolism rises by 30 to 50 calories. If you are trying to lose weight, this is definitely good news!
– An increase in bone density helps make strong bones which in turn helps to prevent fractures and osteoporosis.
– As you get stronger, you will ultimately reach a point where you need to push your muscles a bit harder to continue building lean muscle tissue. And that can be done through weights!

Yoga can help with building some muscle size through strength and mainly endurance work, but weight training is way more effective.

Cons of Only Practicing Weight Training:
– You could be limited to your mobility and flexibility. You might get the muscle and physique you’ve been wanting but you’ll be putting yourself at a higher risk of injury because of lack of mobility and omitting the strong foundation of workouts.
– The limited range of movement can lead to poor postural patterns creating pain and discomfort.

– Once you begin with weight training, you need to complete it with the correct technique or it can cause injuries.
– The rate of burning calories is not as good as you may expect. You need to keep a tab on your diet, focus on lean protein sources and choose fruits and vegetables as your carbohydrates during weight lifting.
– We agree with “No pain, no gain,” but overusing your muscles while engaging in strength training and sports results in varying degrees of pain that may persevere for several days.

According to research, doing a combination of both Yoga and Weight Training will help you move every part of your body and give overall strength. Yoga can help you get better at weight training, and weight training can improve your yoga practice. However, you need to experiment with your own body and understand the signals that could mean you are overtraining or under training.

A good base workout schedule is:
Monday : Weights
Tuesday: Yoga
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Yoga
Friday: Weights
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Yoga

Listen to your body and understand what it requires. That is the best way to figure out what’s the best way of working out. Opt for Yoga if you feel lazy or have had a long day at work. If you feel like you have no strength, go for weight training and you’d know how much your body can give you. Working out can always be fun. Explore your options and achieve that well balanced body on a schedule that personally benefits you and your body, both mentally and physically.

Happy Training!

Pilates is a form of low-impact exercise that aims to strengthen muscles while improving postural alignment and flexibility. Pilates moves tend to target the core, although the exercises work other areas of your body as well. You can do Pilates with or without equipment.

1.It tones your muscles

While people often say Pilates leaves you with “long, lean muscles,” technically all muscle is lean mass. But the workout does strengthen and stretch your limbs in one go.

2. It gives you a rock-solid core

Probably the most well-known Pilates move is all about abs. But exercises that target your tummy are hardly the only reason it’s a dynamo core workout. Most Pilates moves require you to keep proper alignment and challenge your stability to stay balanced, which helps fire up your midsection. In fact, after just 12 weeks of a Pilates routine, a majority of people saw improvement in the core strength.

No wonder Pilates has been a favorite of dancers for decades. The workout is about strengthening and stretching—It comes with a major muscle-loosening payoff. After only eight weeks of a Pilates routine, people can see the improved flexibility in their body.

4. It improves your posture

A big focus of the workout is maintaining good alignment and balance as you slowly move through all the exercises. So it makes sense that doing a mat or reformer routine on the reg will help you sit and stand tall the rest of the time too. A strong back, glutes, and abs won’t just look good but are key for nailing perfect posture.

5. It might ease your aches

Pilates helps relieve chronic back pain. It can help relieve lower-back pain, partially because it adds support to your core. A regular routine can also help prevent future injuries by improving your flexibility and mobility.

6. It counts as cardio

Cardio while lying on your back? All right, it might not pack the same punch as running intervals, but Pilates does include a dose of cardiovascular exercise.

7. It might help you lose weight

Pilates continued for three times a week for eight weeks can result in weight  loss and inches in their waist.

-Photos by Jonathan Colon