Squats: The Foundation of Leg Workouts

Squats are often considered the foundation of any leg workout routine. This compound exercise targets multiple muscle groups in the legs, including the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves. Squats not only help to strengthen these muscles but also promote better overall lower-body strength and stability. According to fitness experts, squats are crucial for maintaining functional movements in daily life. Rose McNulty, a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, recommends incorporating squats into your exercise routine consistently.

To perform squats correctly, start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips or in front of your chest. Keep your spine neutral and maintain good posture throughout the movement. Bend your knees and shift your hips back, lowering yourself into a squat position. Aim to lower your thighs parallel to the floor, then push through your heels to stand back up. For bodyweight squats, aim for four sets of 15 reps, while weighted squats can be done with three to four sets of eight to 12 reps.

Step-ups: Improve Lower Body Range of Motion

Step-ups are a versatile leg exercise that can be done anywhere with minimal equipment. This exercise helps to improve lower body range of motion, strengthen the legs, and enhance overall mobility. Step-ups also work one leg at a time, reducing the chance of muscle imbalances or compensation.

To perform step-ups, stand in front of a bench, step, or plyometrics box. Step onto the elevated surface with your right leg, followed by your left leg. Then, step back down with your left foot, allowing your right knee to bend before placing your right foot back down next to your left. Alternate between legs for 12 to 15 reps per leg, aiming for three to four sets.

Side Lunges: Engage Multiple Leg Muscles

Side lunges are an effective leg exercise that targets the quads, glutes, and adductor and abductor muscles on the inside and outside of the thighs. By engaging these muscles, side lunges help improve hip stability and strengthen the lower body.

To perform side lunges, stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands in front of your chest, holding a weight if desired. Take a big step out to the right with your right foot, keeping your toes facing forward. Ensure your feet stay flat on the floor as you bend your right knee and shift your hips back, lowering your right thigh until it is parallel to the floor. Push off with your right foot to return to the starting position, then switch to the left side. Aim for 10 reps per side, completing three to four sets.

Front-and-Back Lunges: Improve Balance and Stability

Front-and-back lunges are an excellent leg exercise that challenges balance and stability while strengthening the muscles in the legs. By incorporating both forward and backward movements, this exercise helps to improve coordination and stability, which are especially important for women over 50.

To perform front-and-back lunges, stand with your hands on your hips or in front of your chest, and your feet hip-width apart. Take a big step forward with your right foot, shifting your weight onto that foot as you plant it. Bend your right knee until your right thigh is parallel to the floor, then push off with your right foot to return to the starting position. Next, step your right foot back, hovering it above the floor as you bend your left knee and lower down into a lunge. Aim for three sets of 10 reps per leg.

Side Lying Leg Raises: Strengthen Hips and Core

Side lying leg raises are an effective exercise for targeting the hip abductors on the outer thighs, as well as the sides of the abs and glutes. This exercise promotes hip strength and overall core stability, which are crucial for maintaining balance and preventing injuries.

To perform side lying leg raises, lie on your right side on a mat with your legs extended and your head supported by your right hand. Place your left hand on your hip or on the mat in front of you. Lift your left leg off the floor, focusing on engaging the glutes and outer thigh muscles. Lower your leg back down and repeat the movement. Aim for three sets of 15 to 20 reps per side.

Stiff-Leg Deadlifts: Target Hamstrings and Glutes

Stiff-leg deadlifts are an excellent exercise for targeting the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. This exercise helps to improve strength in the posterior chain and promote proper hip hinge movement, which is essential for functional movements like bending and lifting.

To perform stiff-leg deadlifts, hold a light weight such as a dumbbell, plate, or kettlebell in each hand. Stand with your knees slightly bent and your feet hip-width apart. Hinge at the hips, allowing your hips to shift backward as you lower your torso forward and down. Keep your spine neutral and shoulders back. Once your hands are at about mid-shin and you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, reverse the motion and return to the starting position. Aim for 12 to 15 reps, completing three to four sets.

Flutter Kicks: Engage the Quads and Hip Flexors

Flutter kicks are an effective leg exercise that engages the quads and hip flexors while also targeting the core muscles. This exercise helps to improve balance and stability, and can be modified to suit individual fitness levels.

To perform flutter kicks, lie face-up on an exercise mat and engage your abs. Keep your arms down on the mat or place your hands behind your head, being careful not to pull on your neck. Lift both legs a few inches off the floor, ensuring your lower back stays on the mat. Move your feet up and down in a scissor-like motion, alternating between each leg. Aim for 30 to 45 seconds of flutter kicks per set, completing four sets with 60 seconds of rest between sets.

Additional Tips for Effective Leg Workouts

In addition to performing the above leg exercises, there are a few additional tips that can help make your workouts more effective and enjoyable:

• Warm up before each workout to prepare your muscles and joints for exercise. This can include dynamic stretches, light cardio, or mobility exercises.
• Use proper form and technique for each exercise to maximize effectiveness and minimize the risk of injury. If needed, seek guidance from a fitness professional to ensure proper form.
• Gradually increase the intensity and difficulty of your leg workouts over time. This can be done by adding weights, increasing repetitions, or incorporating new variations of exercises.
• Listen to your body and take rest days as needed. Recovery is crucial for muscle growth and overall fitness.
• Stay hydrated and nourish your body with a balanced diet to support muscle growth and overall health.

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Do you recommend Roar Ambition Deals?

HeySpotMeGirl.com reached out to Roar Ambition to see if they had any deals, discounts, coupons or savings that we could offer to our readers.

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Are Roar Ambition Supplements backed by research?

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Reviews on roarambition.com:

*As with any supplements, ensure that they are safe and consult your doctor if you have any concerns or condition or are taking any medication.

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Having a strong upper body is the key to a well-rounded, trimmed physique as well as overall health. With better strength in your arms, back and chest you’ll benefit from a better posture and body balance[1].

All you need are a few sets of small dumbbells or resistance bands – you could even use your own bodyweight for some of these moves. Below, we’ve listed the seven best exercises to tone up your arms. For each exercise, we’ll include different options to suit your choice of resistance.

Warm-Up

Warming up before an arm workout will help reduce the risk of muscle soreness and injury. Try this sequence of dynamic warm-up exercises to prepare your body.

• Arm circles – 8 reps forward and backward
• Walk-outs – 8 reps
• Overhead shoulder stretches
• Jumping jacks – 10 reps
• Swinging toe touches – 8 on each side

To sum up

If you want to add some shape to your arms or build some upper body strength, these exercises will help to get you there and tone up your arms. To make even more of an impact, follow a calorie-restricted diet or complement these strength moves with a clever cardio routine.

Head to the gym and sprinkle some of these moves into your workout plan – you won’t regret it!

It makes no sense to hit up the gym and stray from what you’re there to do. So here are a few Spot Me Girl tips and tricks to help you be more productive in the gym

To sum up

Being more productive in the gym is what will help you start seeing results from your workouts. When your daily schedule seems like a never-ending to do list, exercise always seems to be at the bottom of the list.

Not anymore, girl! With these top tips, you can strategize your time in the gym and maximize your efforts while you’re in there.

The benefits of exercise also extend far beyond having a better figure. It’s a great productivity booster in general, working to kick up your energy levels and improve brain function. Don’t forget to make your training fun and you’ll be even more motivated to work out!

With several stringent measures in place, things certainly don’t look exactly how we remember them. And unless you’ve been training in a well-kitted home gym during lockdown, your body will not be able to train in the same way it once did.

If you’re teetering on the edge of whether to hit up your gym or not, this girl guide is for you!

It’s time to bid goodbye to the daily walks, zoom exercise classes and bodyweight HIIT in your living room. These 6 tips will help you return to the gym safely and confidently. Get your body ready and get back in the gym.

To sum up

Not sure if you’re ready to head back into the gym? Don’t worry girl, we’ve all been there. Just follow these 6 simple tips and we’re positive you’ll feel more confident to ease yourself back into it and get your body ready.

All it takes is a little preparation, motivation, and knowledge. Just take the necessary steps and stay safe.

Reignite your fire for the gym and start transforming your body. Your gym is waiting!

As well as being admired by guys, these fitness models can be a great source of inspiration for us – following their lifestyle and seeing their clean diets on Instagram can really help kick us into gear!

For this reason, we’ve put together a list of the top 5 most inspirational fitness models to be following in 2019. Enjoy!

Top 10 Female Fitness Models 2019

1. Cass Martin

Since beginning training at 23-years-old, Cass has shown the world what we’re capable of. Her arms are bigger than most guys’ and she still looks more feminine than most girls – something that’s hard to pull off.

She’s sculpted an incredible figure after embarking on her fitness journey with her boyfriend – later earning over a million followers on Instagram.

Cass posts videos and pictures of her workouts almost everyday; she’s definitely one to watch and her hot booty deserves its place at #1 on our list.

Follow her here: @cassmartin

*Info taken from: http://www.greatestphysiques.com/cass-martin/

2. Heidi Somers

Known as ‘Buff Bunny’, Heidi is pretty much perfect in every way…seriously, just look at that body.

It’s no wonder that she’s followed by millions of fans around the world – and ladies, if you don’t strive towards a muscular figure, then Heidi’s slim and toned body will be your motivation.

But she wasn’t always one of the hottest fitness models out there; Heidi was once overweight and worked hard to get to where she is now. With her inspiring backstory, this Buff Bunny hops herself to 2nd on this list.

Follow her here: @buffbunny

3. Alexia Clark

We couldn’t complete this list without the ‘Queen of Workouts’ herself…cue Alexia Clark, one of the hottest female properties right now!

She graduated from college with a marketing degree, but later pursued a career in her true passion…fitness!

Since then, Alexia has sculpted an amazing figure and helped promote a fat burner supplement – as well as her own workout guide.

She regularly posts videos of workouts on Instagram, constantly filling us with ideas on how to get fit! Alexia is the Queen of sass and workouts, and she’ll definitely help motivate you towards your fitness goals.

Follow her here: @alexia_clark

4. Bakhar Nabieva

Not much is known about Bakhar Nabieva – but who doesn’t love a mystery right?!

We know that she was born in Azerbaijan but now lives in Ukraine..and that she’s sculpted one of the hottest figures in 2017. In fact, she’s known as ‘Miss Iron Bum’ to her millions of online fans – and you can see why after seeing her Instagram.

One thing’s for sure; Bakhar definitely squats!

Follow her here: @bakharnabieva

5. Sommer Ray

Okay ladies, we’ve saved the best for…5th place. There can’t be a hot list without this Sommer Ray on it – she’s the full package, and her over 15 million followers proves that she’s F.A.F.

With a body that every girl wants, Sommer has become one of the biggest models this year. If there’s a fitness model on this list that might get you questioning your sexuality – then Sommer Ray is definitely the one.

Follow her here: @sommerray

6. Eva Andressa

There can’t be a top female fitness list without any Brazilians on here. That’s why we’ve included this beauty, Eva Andressa here.

It’s no suprise that this fitness model has attracted over 4 million followers on Instagram, with her out-of-this-world figure – but she wasn’t born with it.

Ultimately, Eva has been working out for over 14 years to achieve her incredible body. Hard work pays off, ladies!

Follow her here: @eva_andressa

7. Courtney Tailor

Courtney was born with sporting talent, performing numerous sports at a high level. She started working out in 2014, and has since won numerous awards as a fitness model – including earning ‘Playboy’s perfect girl next door’ title.

You know you’re hot when Playboy admire you, and there’s no doubt that Courtney deserves her place on our list.

Follow her here: @courtneytailor

8. Callie Bundy

From being a TV personality to becoming a fitness model – this girl has done it all.

Callie Bundy is one of USA’s leading female fitness models. She’s even known for her insane football skills on Instagram! For these reasons, Callie has sneaked into this list at #8.

Follow her here: @calliebundy

9. Anllela Sagra

Anllela became Columbia’s first competitive fitness model when she stepped on stage in 2013. Since then, she’s become known for her awesome abs and figure – inspiring countless girls around the world to lift weights.

Follow her here: @anllela_sagra

10. Paige Hathaway

This girl is a fitness icon and inspiration to many. She worked numerous jobs to get through college, managing to sculpt one of the hottest female bodies along the way!

Paige’s story has attracted over 4 million fans on Instagram, and she continues to motivate both men and women to lead a healthy lifestyle through her online posts.

She’s been on the cover of countless magazines, and now Paige Hathaway has rounded off our top 10 female fitness models in 2019!

Follow her here: @paigehathaway

Related Articles:

• Female Fitness Model Workout
• Top Female Bodybuilders and Powerlifters You Need to Follow on Instagram
• Best Fat Burners for Women

You’re a girl that’s not afraid to mix it up in the strength room. You push your body to its aesthetic and athletic max, and you’re never afraid to rise to the challenge.

Naturally, you want to understand more about how your body works.

The term ATP is one that’s been talked about in dusty old biology books for years. But as science teases its way into mainstream fitness, it’s an acronym that’s used more than ever.

In this article we tell you all about this ‘energy currency’ and why its your best friend in the gym (and also keeps you alive which is also kinda important too)…

SMG Article Preview

• The ATP and energy link
• The body’s ‘energy currency’
• Energy systems and exercise
• Do ATP supplements work?

ATP, Energy and Life

ATP is the compound needed for molecular energy transfer. Without it you wouldn’t be here.

As you sit there right now there’s something flooding every cell of your body. No, it’s not the protein shake you just chugged… or those double gin and tonics from last night either.

It’s an organic chemical called ATP or adenosine triphosphate.

As a nucleotide molecule, it’s made up of various chemicals. It consists of a nitrogenous base of adenine which is attached to a sugar called ribose. It then has three phosphate bonds that connect to it like a tail does from a cat.

Every single cell in your body needs ATP to survive. Not just yours even; both animals and plants use it too.

From muscle contraction and nerve transmission, to digestion and metabolism; adenosine triphosphate regulates how you use this uber-important compound.

Your body’s ‘energy currency’

Adenosine triphosphate is a bit like a baseball glove. Only it doesn’t catch a hard hitter’s slog, it catches energy.

When you eat food, your body has to break down the nutrition inside it into chemical energy – what we know as calories. ATP captures this chemical energy with a home-stealing catch and ushers the calories into the cell so they can be used to power cellular and metabolic processes.

If energy was coal and muscle was the open fire, ATP is the burly dude shoveling it into the coalface.

Key Point: ATP is the principle molecule for storing and chaperoning energy into cells.

How Does ATP Work?

Adenosine triphosphate regeneration is linked directly to exercise intensity. The harder the workout, the faster you need it.

There are nerdy scientists with shelves and shelves of calculations, statistics and information on cellular pathways relating to how ATP is used by the body to create energy.

The whole thing is complex and to be honest, pretty difficult to understand.

Luckily we’re just going through the basics girls.

ATP is like a supercharged energy firecracker

Because of its chemical arrangement, the three phosphates that hang from an adenosine molecule are held together by high-energy bonds.

When a cell needs energy, one of those bonds is broken off.

As such, that energy bond is made available to cells in a way that’s similar to a firecracker going off – the chemical reaction from the broken bond causes a release of energy.

BANG!!

All of a sudden you power up the cell and away it goes doing what it does best.

This occurs through a process called hydrolysis (which just means breakdown of hydrogen). And it happens over and over, again and again, every second you’re alive.

Once that individual phosphate bond has broken away, you’re left with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) as you only have two phosphate bonds attached to adenosine.

And now you need to somehow find that missing phosphate, attach it back, and convert ADP back into ATP.

‘Energy systems’ help you make more ATP

Adenosine triphosphate is vital for life.

Your body only stores around 80-100 g of ATP in your body at any one time. That’s only enough for 3-4 seconds of full-intensity exercise before it’s all gone.

And if it totally runs out you die of course!

In fact, a lack of ATP means you can’t detach muscle fibers from each other. That’s why we see rigor mortis in dead bodies.

Dying isn’t cool, obviously. So your body has evolved to generate as much of the powerful compound as possible.

The following three systems can be used by your body to make more ATP.

• Phosphocreatine – this system uses creatine to make ATP very quickly, but with only a small amount of creatine stored in your muscles it can only make enough to last 8-10 seconds of intense exercise. This is why you naturally slow down after a few seconds of sprinting at max intensity.
• Anaerobic glycolysis – uses glycogen to make ATP. Because you store more glycogen in muscles than creatine, you can maintain a high(ish) intensity exercise for 60-120 seconds before you become depleted and need to slow down. This system kicks in during moderate to high intensity exercise such as fast running.
• Aerobic glycolysis – uses oxygen, glycogen and fatty acids to make ATP. This system is slow and inefficient but gives you loads of ATP. It’s used primarily during low to moderate intensity exercise such as jogging, as well as when you’re chilling out at rest.

ATP use is directly related to exercise intensity

If you go for a gentle walk you’ll use a little more energy than when you’re just sitting around. And if you lift weights or hit the track for sprints you’ll deplete ATP stores quicker.

The 3 energy systems work either together or on their own to find that missing phosphate and slam it back into ADP to make more ATP.

The phosphocreatine system is fastest but doesn’t last long. Aerobic energy production yields most adenosine triphosphate… but it’s laborsome and slow.

If these systems can’t make enough ATP (to match the intensity of your workout) you hit a point of fatigue and have to slow down. But there’s never a point when you’re not generating at least some ATP from at least one of these systems.

Key Point: The chemical reaction caused by phosphate hydrolysis causes energy which is used by your cells.

Do ATP Supplements Work?

Check the shelves of some supplement stores and you’ll see products labelled with “ATP” in the ingredients. And what a cool idea that is – pack a supplement full of pure energy and it’ll ramp up results in no time.

Won’t it?

Only there’s one kinda big problem…

They don’t work!

The way ATP works means you can’t orally dose it and expect it to work. According to one large review, supplements containing the compound have zero bioavailability.

A single dose of orally administered ATP is not bioavailable, and this may explain why several studies did not find ergogenic effects of oral ATP supplementation.

In fact, the only study that’s found any benefit to ATP supplementation was conducted on rats… and funded by a company that makes and sells those very supplements for financial gain.

Sounds a bit dodgy to us.

So how do you improve energy levels?

Keep things simple and stick to what works best:

• Exercise regularly
• A good, clean diet
• The right supplements to burn fat and boost workout productivity

These will optimize the way your body uses adenosine triphosphate.

The best way to ensure a bar-bending workout is to get motivated and train hard. Use a pre workout to supercharge your physical and mental performance and approach every training session with drive, focus and energy.

Check out our article on ‘What Pre Workout Should a Woman Take?‘ to get the very best product in your life.

Key Point: Supplements claiming to boost adenosine triphosphate levels are a waste of money.

Summary – What Is ATP?

ATP is a nucleotide molecule stored in all cells and used for energy production. It’s the chemical that helps convert the calories in food into usable energy for muscle contraction and nerve transmission.

During exercise, you use more and more ATP for energy. Luckily, you have in-built systems that help you generate as much off the molecule as possible so you can work out harder, for longer.

While supplements claiming to contain adenosine triphosphate don’t work, a solid pre workout will give you the energy, focus and motivation to blast through fatigue and develop a leaner, more athletic figure.

Where next? Check out these related articles…

• Why women can hack training volume better than men
• Could carb cycling help crush your body fat goals?
• What does pre workout do?

We all know protein post-workout is key to building muscle, but there’s a whole lot more science to it than that. With the right know-how, you can optimize your muscle growth and repair for maximum gains and minimal muscle soreness. That means you’ll feel stronger and be back in the gym sooner.

As soon as you start taking protein to build muscle, there’s no doubt you will have heard of something called the anabolic window. It’s long been considered the key to maximizing gains, however recent research might prove otherwise.

Read on to find out when you should be taking your protein to get the most out of your muscle growth.

Key takeaways

Before we get started, here’s exactly what you need to know:

• Spacing your protein doses throughout the day and hitting your total intake is the most effective way to heighten muscle protein synthesis
• Consuming protein immediately after a workout has no impact on your ability to build muscle
• Eating carbs immediately after exercise does not impact your glycogen stores

In this guide, we’ll give you all the most up-to-date information on the anabolic window, so you can get the most out of every workout.

Let’s get down to the science.

What is the anabolic window?

The anabolic window has long been considered the key to ensuring gains after a workout. It’s defined as a period of time, usually 30-60 minutes, after you’ve finished working out. Apparently, this is when your body’s anabolic processes are firing on all cylinders.

During this window, it’s considered essential that you consume protein, to increase protein synthesis. The idea is, by doing this your body can repair itself more quickly and efficiently after the strain of a workout, and you get maximum muscle gains.

For a long time, the general consensus has been, if you miss the window, you can kiss muscle gains goodbye.

However, these days, science is saying something different.

Is the anabolic window real?

To be blunt, no. The anabolic window isn’t real.

Don’t get us wrong, there’s no harm in taking a protein shake after you work out, but it definitely isn’t a game changer in terms of growing muscle.

There is actually no evidence showing a relationship between eating carbs and protein immediately after a workout and raising your rate of protein synthesis[1].

With that in mind, you really shouldn’t be saving the majority of your protein for right after your workout. You body can only process so much protein at once, so you’re much better off spreading your consumption throughout the day to achieve a high total.

There’s no secret trick or perfect timing that will send your progress through the roof. The anabolic window isn’t real.

What about carbs?

Another element of the anabolic window is focussed in on carbs. Specifically, replenishing your glycogen stores as quickly as possible. It turns out, you might not need to get in there immediately at all.

A study has shown that consuming carbs directly after a workout has no impact on your glycogen levels [2]. The research examined muscle biopsies 2 hours, 8 hours and even 24 hours after exercise and discovered the glycogen levels were all exactly the same.

All you need to do, is make sure you’re getting enough carbohydrates in your daily diet to keep your glycogen at a good level.

How should I plan my nutrition to gain muscle?

The key with protein is to simply ensure you’re getting enough. By consistently feeding your body with protein throughout the day you will benefit from the muscle growth you’re looking for, and timing doesn’t appear to have an affect [3].

By enjoying a carb and protein-based snack before you head to the gym, you can fuel your body enough to get in a good workout, and keep your protein synthesis at a good level [4].

How much protein do I need to gain muscle?

If you want to gain muscle, you need to ensure you’re taking on sufficient amounts throughout the day. To achieve this, you should be taking between 1.4-2.0g of protein per kg of body weight [5]. If you’re working hard and looking to boost muscle, you’ll be at the higher end of that spectrum. Anyone looking to maintain muscle mass would be in the bottom to middle end of this range.

For example, a 70kg girl who works out and is looking to build mass would eat around 140g of protein every day.

This protein should be eaten regularly throughout the day, ideally at three hours intervals [6] is the recommended way to make the encourage muscle repair after a workout. Science shows a regularly spaced intake of 20-40g of protein throughout the day is the most effective way to raise your muscle protein synthesis.

Follow these rules and girl, your workouts will convert into the gains you dream of.

Fasted training and post-workout nutrition

If you’re into fasted training, things change slightly in terms of post-workout nutrition. Eating in this way puts you in a catabolic state where your body might be breaking down your muscle protein into smaller amino acids for energy.

Science says that, if you work out in a fasted state (basically, before you’ve had breakfast), muscle protein breakdown is very high [7]. That means it’s essential you get carbs and protein into your body to slow down that process and take your body out of the catabolic state. If you don’t, your gains really could be at risk.

The final word

It turns out, girl, that there is no magical properties to the anabolic window. In fact, the science shows timing doesn’t make a difference unless you’re working out in a fasting state.

The overall takeaway is, to get results you should be spreading your protein and carb intake throughout the day. As long as you’re consuming a sufficient amount of both macros, you’re in a good position to make all the gains you dream of.

Become an expert in all things fitness with more SMG guides:

• Squats – Everything Women Need to Know
• How to Get Abs Fast: A Guide for Girls
• Vegetarian Muscle Building Guide for Women

Once you’re hitting the gym on a regular basis it becomes ingrained in your daily routine, especially once you start to see fat melt away and your fitness levels increase. Your motivation is at an all-time high, and you feel ready to take on the world.

But not all women get that luxury.

Feeling tired after a tough, sweaty workout is completely normal. But persistent, extreme fatigue isn’t.

And it can make it near impossible to reach your fitness and physique goals.

In this article we talk about post exercise fatigue syndrome. And why chronic exhaustion is much more than working out too hard.

What Is Post Exercise Fatigue?

Part of any successful exercise program is taking your body past its comfort zone. You have to progressively and consistently overload your muscles and cardio system to force it to adapt.

It’s all about gritting your teeth, giving it your all, and developing a strong female attitude – motivated, driven and unrelenting in your quest for a stronger, leaner figure.

But more isn’t always better. Work too hard for too long and you’ll soon begin to suffer fatigue, burnout and staleness.

Post exercise fatigue syndrome indicates an intolerance to high-intensity exercise

As a multi-factorial disorder, post exercise fatigue syndrome is characterized by multiple symptoms.

• Constant and excessive tiredness, fatigue and loss of energy
• Pain and stiffness in the muscles and joints used during exercise
• Sickness, nausea and vomiting
• Headaches and dizziness
• Unusual or unexpected breathlessness and high heart rate

These symptoms can last for well over 24 hours and have a severe effect on day-to-day life. It’s completely different to the soreness and discomfort you get from something like delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS).

Symptoms can be moderate, strong or completely debilitating. Imagine getting severe flu every time you worked out.

That’s post exercise fatigue syndrome.

It’s not only high-intensity workouts that can cause this disorder either. For some people, moderate intensity exercise can be a trigger. Even a long walk can cause exhaustion, only fixed with bed rest.

Extreme fatigue after exercise – why do you feel so tired?

Although fatigue is often restricted to larger muscles such as your legs, arms and upper body, it can also affect smaller muscles in the hands and feet too.

Post exercise fatigue syndrome is a complex condition.

Often called exercise intolerance, it refers to the inability to maintain exercise exertion at a given level.

Post exercise fatigue syndrome is far more severe than the type of fatigue you’d experience from a normal workout. And the mechanisms that cause it can be varied.

This is what makes it a syndrome.

It’s not a disease or illness in its own right, but could be caused by other disorders such as heart conditions, respiratory illness, chronic fatigue or genetic disorders.

If you feel fatigued for days and days after your workout, you may have an underlying issue such as post exercise fatigue syndrome.

Like with any health-related condition, you need to see your health professional if you have concerns.

Those with chronic fatigue disorders often have issues with regulating oxygen consumption.

They can’t process energy like other people, and as such, can’t get fuel to their cells efficiently enough to power their bodies during exercise. In this context, post exercise fatigue syndrome is down to a metabolic ‘fault’.

Some suffers of chronic fatigue fall victim to mitochondrial dysfunction. The function of your mitochondria is to help turn energy from food into a usable type of energy called ATP.

If your mitochondria can’t work effectively, you can’t make energy fast enough to sustain exercise for either intense or long periods of time.

There’s also a relationship between post exercise fatigue and higher creatine kinase (CK) levels as well. CK is a marker of muscle damage, and is often elevated in those that take part in extremely tough workouts for months and months.

With post exercise fatigue syndrome, even one workout can cause dramatic increases in CK.

There’s more to it than being unfit

No matter how hard you try, a lack of energy will eventually cause fatigue.

Symptoms of post exercise fatigue syndrome are very similar to myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), sometimes called chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

It’s hard to measure and there’s no specific cause. But the symptoms are very real.

For a long time, health professionals and other members of the medical community dismissed post exercise fatigue syndrome and CFS as poor fitness levels, a lack of fitness and even kinesiophobia – the actual fear of exercise and movement.

But as evidence grows, more and more experts are accepting post exercise fatigue syndrome as an actual disorder.

If you can’t exercise you’re going to be unfit. It doesn’t mean that being unfit is the thing that’s causing post exercise fatigue. It’s very much a chicken and egg situation, and can be extremely frustrating.

What If It’s Not Post Exercise Fatigue Syndrome?

The problem with feeling tired after your workout is you might be looking for answers that just aren’t there.

Post exercise fatigue syndrome actual affects a very small number of people in the US. Chances are that if you’re tired after your workout, it’s not down to an illness.

There are other reasons why you might be feeling tired and sluggish after your workouts.

• Stress (physical, emotional and psychological)
• You’ve been training too hard and are suffering from overtraining
• Dehydration
• Lack of post workout nutrition
• You’re not sleeping well enough
• Fitness levels are low
• The workout was too hard
• You’re under-eating and possibly calorie / vitamin deficient

How to stop feeling tired after workouts

If you’re experiencing general tiredness after your workouts, you can bring your energy levels back up to normal quite easily.

And if you don’t suffer from post exercise fatigue but still feel tired after your workouts, here’s what you need to do:

1) Make sure you get enough recovery

It’s easy to get a little too enthusiastic and hit the gym far too often. And while your body can cope with the demands of excessive exercise for a good few weeks, eventually you’ll start to wear it down.

Muscles take time to repair, so structure your workouts in a way that avoids training the same muscles two days in a row. Or take a day off between strength-based workouts if you need to.

Train hard, but train clever.

2) Replenish lost energy

Imagine your body as a battery. When you’re exercising, you’re using up stored fuel and your battery starts to decrease.

It goes from green, to amber and finally to red.

If you don’t ‘recharge’ it, you’ll eventually be running on empty, and your body won’t function optimally. Eating a meal that contains protein and carbohydrates within 30 minutes of exercise is the equivalent of sticking your cell phone on charge.

You’ll soon be back at 100% and fighting fit for the next workout.

Take some pre-workout and post-workout supplements to help your recover quickly. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our top choices here:

3) Prioritize good quality sleep

One of the most anabolic things you can do is sleep. It’s the best time for your body to restore, regenerate and repair itself, helping to reduce the residual fatigue you built up during a busy week of workouts.

There’s a big correlation between sleeping 8 or more hours each night and lower levels of body fat, higher muscle tone and better health.

4) Make sure you’re hydrated

Losing just 1% of your body mass through dehydration can affect your physical and cognitive performance.

Drinking 500 ml of water before your workout, and another glass or so afterwards helps to boost your metabolism and lose weight, optimize athletic performance and replenish lost water through exercise.

Click on any fitness infomercial or visit any large fitness equipment outlet and you’ll find fitness trends sold to you by snake oil merchants who play on your weight loss dreams and the frustrations you have of not being able to reach your goals.

In this article we take a look at some of the craziest and downright stupid fitness trends that have worked their way into modern fitness culture.

Do you want to know which fitness trends to avoid this year?

Take a look at our naughty list…

Fitness Trends Might Seem Cool… But They Don’t Always Work

Being athletic, lean and curvy will always be fashionable. There’ll always be millions of women, just like you, that want to look and feel their best.

And rightly so.

But let’s face it. Achieving a body to be proud of isn’t easy.

Being able to hit the gym a few times per week and watch what you eat might sound like a simple task, but it’s really not that easy if your mind isn’t in the game.

And that’s where the problem lies.

Because many women avoid the sweat and the effort and seek the easy option instead.

Only it doesn’t really exist, no matter what people tell you.

It’s easy to get attracted by the newest gadget or the coolest type of exercise class that everyone seems to be doing right now. Especially when they’re advocated by some pseudo-celebrity who guarantees results themselves.

Yep. That’s pretty normal practice when it comes to weird fitness trends.

The industry knows this is all bullsh*t too.

But with clever wording, beautiful models and poor science, it can entice you to believe the hype very easily.

They usually package it up as ‘the next big thing’ or ‘the secret that the pros don’t want you to know about’.

But we know that they’re just weird trends you need to avoid.

Top 5 Weird Fitness Trends to Avoid

In a world where pressure to look your best gets greater each year, it can be tough to not be at least interested in the latest uber-cool training method, diet or equipment.

But we know what works (and what doesn’t).

These are our top 5 weird fitness trends you should stay clear of…

#1. Waist trainers

This is just the most stupid thing to hit our gyms since we can remember. And we’ve seen it all!

Waist trainers were made popular by various celebrity endorsements – and that’s always a red flag for fitness products that make promises that aren’t delivered.

Now don’t get us wrong.

Even though the Kardashians are vile, money-grabbing people, we respect them as women. They’ve built an empire on savvy business decisions and clever marketing. Who else could form a multi-million dollar brand based off the back of a poorly-delivered blowjob?

The waist trainer pitches the idea that you can lose weight by wearing a corset-like belt that cinches your waist and ‘trains’ it into an hourglass shape.

Makers claim that because it generates heat, it burns more fat and reduces appetite. Some even suggest that it removes ‘impurities’ too, whatever that means.

So why is it a weird fitness trend to ignore?

Waist trainers are basically a crush injury waiting to happen. They’ve been found to cause serious side effects such as breathing difficulties and high blood pressure.

Some women have even had their internal organs shifted around their body, such as kidney displacement and lower rib crushing.

It really is the most weird thing we’ve ever seen. Avoid.

#2. Shake weights

Vibrating weights that help you lose fat and get fit! Sounds crazy doesn’t it?

That’s the basic the idea behind shake weights. That in just 6 minutes per day you can trick your body into more muscle tone, less body fat and better fitness levels.

Shake weights are a bit like dumbbells. Only they vibrate and pulse at high speed in order to use ‘inertia technology’ that tones your arms and shoulders.

But if vibrating helped you tone up, women that rode the bus would be jacked. Your electric toothbrush would have your jaw looking huge. And those that liked a little bit of personal time with their favorite gadget (if you get what we’re saying) would have lady parts with super-impressive strength and performance.

It doesn’t work like that.

The thing is though that high-frequency oscillation has been shown to elevate muscle activity in a lab. That’s why vibration training is used in elite performance under supervision of a trained coach.

But a cheap, handheld dumbbell does not have the same effect.

Nowhere near.

#3. Squat magic

This is one of the newest (and dumbest) weird fitness trends to grace our 3am infomercials and social media feeds.

What is squat magic?

Well, imagine a pogo stick. Only you don’t wrap your feet around it, you sit on it.

Squat magic claims to be a revolutionary device that allows you to harness the power of it’s squat assertive technology (or SAT for short, which is a cool pun of an acronym to be fair to their marketing team).

It uses a pneumatic seat to support you on the downward phase of your squat, and assist you on the way up.

The idea is that it helps you squat easier, and as such can transform your butt from saggy to peachy, without the hard work of squats.

Erm, okay then.

What’s wrong with regular body weight squats, or getting under a heavy bar and smashing out a set of big squats to build that luscious booty up?

Making exercise easier won’t help you get better results. That’s like designing an automobile that drives slower but gets you to your destination faster.

It’s impossible.

Why is the squat magic a weird trend you should avoid?

This machine basically makes your body weight squat easier by unloading some of your own weight. We’re not entirely sure how that stacks up to make gains.

Nope. In the bin with you please.

#4. Power breathing

Power breathing is a technique where you take long, drawn-out and purposeful breaths that last around 20 seconds or so. It originated in Russia but is becoming popular again in the US for some reason.

A few years back there was a scientific paper released that showed what actually happens to fat when you use it for fuel.

It highlighted for the first time that when you oxidize fat during exercise you breathe our around 75% of it. The rest you just secrete via sweat and urine.

Some genius somewhere had the idea that if you breathe out more air, you’re also breathing out more fat.

But they missed one point entirely. Physiology doesn’t work like that when it comes to fat loss.

Breathing is just the process of elimination. Yes, when fat breaks down it oxidizes into hydrogen, oxygen and carbon.

But to burn more fat you have to stimulate oxidation in the first place.

Breathing drills are great for those with high blood pressure or limited health. But it has no effect on fat loss whatsoever.

#5. Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS)

The last gimmick on our hit list is EMS training. This is a relatively new method of exercise to hit the boutique gyms and studios across the US.

It hopes to improve muscle tone and fat loss by using specialized suits that send electrical pulses through your skin to your muscles.

The general premise behind EMS suggests that it by shocking your muscles with a small electrical current you can simulate what happens to muscle fibers during exercise.

Combined with a workout, the EMS is said to make exercise more efficient by increasing muscle activation.

But here’s why EMS is a weird fitness trend that you need to avoid.

Just because a muscle fiber is activated doesn’t mean it will tone up. In order to grow muscle or increase strength, their has to be an element of whats called progressive overload too – you essentially have to fatigue the muscle fiber, not just activate it.

And the science that’s been done on EMS and fat loss has found absolutely no link whatsoever. Nada. Zilch.

Much like the other trends on our list, it’s just bullsh*t wrapped up in a nice marketing system, hot fitness models and blatantly poor science.

You’re not to blame.

With today’s hectic lifestyle and less time to spend on you, many women find they’re just too busy to focus on themselves.

As time has passed you’ve noticed that things have gone too far.

Your toned and athletic body has disappeared and your health has gradually started to get worse. You don’t eat healthily like you used to and your gym membership is sat collecting dust.

The good news is though, that with the small changes in this article you’ll be able to turn things around in simple, manageable ways.

It’s time to make those changes and own it.

Reclaim your body, your confidence and mostly importantly, get back what makes you, you!

Here is your first steps to getting healthy program…

#1. Assess your starting point

Whether its a builder coming to survey a house remodeling, a stylist wanting to give you a full makeover, or a personal trainer wanting to get you fit; all journeys need a clear starting point.

Your first task to getting healthy is to find a quiet space, grab a pen and paper and make a food diary for the last 3 days.

What did you eat?  When did you eat it? And how much are you eating each day?

You can then run it through a calorie calculator to see how you pitch against healthy levels.

Put your details in honestly and truthfully and you’ll be given a daily calorie intake that you should be sticking to.

If you’ve been going above it consistently, you might find that you’ve been slowly putting extra fat on.

If you’ve been under-eating you might find that you are underweight, weak and have little endurance.

You won’t lose weight or excess body fat if you go above your daily calorie count.

Next, make a list of any physical activities you take part in. It could include sports, the gym, walking, housework – anything that either gets your heart rate up or entails you being on your feet and moving around.

Finally, take measurements of your weight, waist, hips, arms and legs. You can revisit these every so often to chart your progress.

Once you’ve done this, you’ve got your starting point.

All journeys need a starting point. Take the time to plan your goals, assess your objectives and make some honest decisions about where you are right now.

#2. Don’t go over your daily calorie count

At this stage you’re hopefully full of motivation to make big changes.

And that’s great.

If not, don’t worry – your enthusiasm will build in time as you start to see the results of getting healthy.

Your first, and most important rule, is to make sure you don’t go over your daily calorie count.

If you go over your calories, your body will start to store the excess energy as fat. But if you go just below your daily count, you’ll unlock your fat cells and begin to use that excess energy for fuel.

A 20% deficit (around 500 calories) is great for weight loss.

As the days pass you’ll notice that your clothes fit better and you begin to lose the pounds you’ve built up over the months.

Calories are the key to getting healthy. If you eat too many, you just can’t trigger fat loss. But reigning in your energy intake will help you get leaner in no time.

#3. Build up your activity levels

There’s no need to start hitting the running track every day when it comes to getting healthy.

Physical activity should be part of your daily routine eventually, but you can’t expect to go from zero to one hundred overnight – your body just won’t let you.

If you’re currently very inactive, set yourself a goal of exercising 2-3 times per week for the first month, and then 3-4 for the next month.

Building up gradually allows you to reach achievable targets. And part of getting healthy is about building habits that you can stick to.

If you’re already active, start to add intensity to your workouts and really push what you’re able to do.

Perfectly, you should be aiming to achieve the following within 3 months:

• Walk a minimum of 10,000 steps per day.
• Take part in 3-4 gym or sports sessions per week. At least 2 of those should include strength training.

The main thing is to stick to activities that you enjoy. If you’re a big fan of jogging, hit the sidewalk. If you hate group cycling class, avoid it.

If you enjoy an exercise you’re much more likely to stick with it. Build up your activity levels gradually to form positive habits.

#4. Make healthier choices… most of the time

The problem with most diet plans is they just don’t work in the real world.

They’re too restrictive or ask you to eat foods that wouldn’t be fit for your Guinea pig, let alone you.

Making generally healthy choices will help you smash the diet barrier and form a positive relationship with food that doesn’t rely on restricting the foods you enjoy.

• Make sure that vegetables form the basis of each meal. You can vary it as much as you like for maximum vitamin and mineral content, but as a food group, veggies give you most food bulk (and therefore fill you up) in the least number of calories. Our favorites are sweet potato, broccoli, bell peppers and carrots.
• Eat protein throughout the day. This nutrient gives your body the energy it needs to boost your metabolism and keep your muscles toned and shapely. Lean cuts of meat such as chicken and turkey are great for dieting, and eggs, yogurt and soy are fantastic health foods too.
• Wholegrains give you energy. Whether it’s from oatmeal, popcorn, rice or pasta; grains give you the get-up-and-go you need to power through your gym workouts.

If you eat healthy like this for the majority of each week you can sneak in the odd treat here and there and not worry about putting the brakes on your progress.

Research shows that flexible dieting is more successful than restrictive eating, because ti allows you to have things like alcohol and chocolate from time to time and not start off a cycle of binge eating and guilt.

Just make sure it’s only occasional and doesn’t take over your healthy food choices.

Healthy foods should make up the majority of your daily diet. But if you’ve got calories left and you fancy some sweet treats, go for it.

 #5. Drink more water

This is probably the simplest point in this guide to getting healthy. But it’s one of the most important too.

Your body needs water to survive.

And research shows that drinking plenty of water also helps to improve body composition and health too, by:

• Boosting metabolic rate
• Decreasing calorie intake and hunger
• Increasing blood volume and lowering blood pressure
• Improving skin elasticity
• Optimizing immune function
• Keeping your waterworks healthy

When it comes to getting healthy, water is a simple addition to your lifestyle that makes a huge difference.

#6. Build a social network

Going it alone might work well for you. Many women getting healthy prefer to keep things to themselves for fear of failure.

But sharing your journey with friends adds accountability and support.

Organizing a regular gym workout with your BFF, or meeting with family to play sports are great ways to help keep you motivated.

Even if it’s not exercising with someone face-to-face, there are many online groups that you can plug into to help keep you motivated.

Sharing new recipes, ideas for fitness or even discussing barriers and pitfalls with like-minded women can all help make the health journey that little bit easier.

Summary – getting healthy and finding your old self again

It’s never too late to take a firm hold of your lifestyle, and make positive changes to your diet, activity levels and health.

Everything comes down to you and your motivation.

But with a starting point, a clear path to travel down, and some small changes along the way, you’ll be well on the road to getting healthy and rediscovering the old you.

Good luck and make sure you tell us how you’re getting on.

A video of bodybuilder Ella (Eleonora) Dobrinina showing off her six-pack sparked controversy over whether her physique was healthy.

Many users noted the tongue-in-cheek “zero percent body fat” title was impossible and anyone with zero percent body fat would be dead. Indeed, the essential body fat for a woman is between 10 and 13 percent. Dobrinina is probably closer to seven percent.

What does this mean? Women need more fat than men for basic physical and physiological health—not all fat is bad fat! Women need a certain amount of fat for ovulation. You may know a woman who has lost her menstrual cycle after getting too lean.

So how lean is too lean? A research paper published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2000 concluded women between the ages of 20 and 40 under 21 percent body fat are considered “underfat” and 21 to 33 percent is considered healthy. For men in the same category, eight percent is considered “underfat,” whereas a healthy range is between eight to 19 percent.

Many bodybuilders diet down or even maintain numbers well below this range on a regular basis, but it is important to know the difference between training for aesthetics and training for health. Of course, body fat is only one measure of health. To imply that anyone who has a six-pack and eats well is “underfat” or “unhealthy” is a stretch.

The same goes for men, however, Andreas Munzer was one of the world’s top bodybuilders and claimed to boast the hallowed “zero percent body fat” before his death in 1996, which was largely thought to be related to the excess in diuretics he consumed.

The ideal body fat for aesthetics is even more subjective than the ideal body fat for health. The majority of comments on Dobrinina’s shredded body were anything but complimentary. Users called her body “disgusting” and “ugly,” questioning whether she was even a woman.

On the other hand, lean yet feminine physiques like fitness model Michelle Lewin are idolized in both the bodybuilding world and by us mere mortals. Lewin self-purported her body fat percentage to be 9.9 percent on her Twitter account (although this estimate is probably a little low).

Body fat percentage can be estimated several different ways, including the use of calipers and bioelectrical impedance scales, but the margin of error can be up to five percent! Hydration levels and food intake can be enough to skew the test.

The hydrostatic dunk test is believed to be one of the most accurate tests. The subject must submerge themselves in water and blow all of the air out of their body—probably not a test you’re going to do on a regular basis.

Read on for a revolutionary new way to measure your body fat.

The Naked 3D Fitness Tracker will use similar technology to hydrostatic dunking in the convenience of your own home. This mirror/scale will allow the user to upload a 3D body scan to their smartphone accurately recording their body fat percentage, measurements and weight. This supercomputer is available for pre-order and will begin shipping in March 2017.

You’ve probably heard the term “skinny fat.” Just because someone is a healthy weight per BMI (body mass index) charts doesn’t mean they are healthier than an athlete with a higher BMI due to lean muscle mass. Dig a littler deeper and you will find the most dangerous type of fat (visceral) is found around the organs and is linked to diabetes and heart disease much more than BMI. This type of fat can only be reduced through diet and exercise. Sorry Kanye, lipo isn’t going to cut it!

So although women may not appreciate the extra fat they tend to put on in the hips and thighs, it’s not dangerous to their health like the fat surrounding their organs in and around the waist.

What does this all mean? The tradeoffs for achieving a “healthy” body fat range are well worth it. You will experience better health, more energy and help ward off diseases including heart disease and diabetes.

When it comes to getting super lean? It’s up to you to determine whether the tradeoffs are worth the six-pack. Being super lean has almost nothing to do with being healthy! Pushing your body fat into the low teens for a woman goes against biological cues.

For many, this means exercising while exhausted, ignoring your desire for food and relying on intense focus and dedication. Many women who finally reach these levels often decide the lifestyle isn’t right for them.

POP Pilates creator Cassey Ho says she achieved her competition bikini body by working out for four hours per day while only eating 1,000 calories per day.

“It was one of the most terrible times of my life, because it actually spiralled me into a type of eating disorder,” she said.

Ho says she now realizes it was a mistake. She was easily irritated, snapped at people and felt cloudy in her head.

But the comments on the photos she was posting motivated her to keep going. People wanted to know how she was doing it and told her she looked amazing.

“You’ve got to listen to your own judgment,” Ho said.

After the bikini competition, she admitted she was happy the whole thing was over and says what she did was not sustainable.

The bottom line? Extreme diets don’t work. In order to be healthy and happy, you need to find a balance.