Gold's Gym: Jacksonville

06/28/2016

The Right Way To Do A Lunge For A Stronger B***y

Lunges are one of those classic exercise moves for a reason—they work. But since they’ve probably been a part of your workout routine for as long as you can remember, it’s easy to let your form slip and rely on what you’re used to doing, even if it’s not entirely right. By getting back to basics, you can make sure you’re getting the most bang for your workout buck—and efficiently building strong legs and a butt that Will. Not. Quit.

Need a refresher? NYC-based trainer Courtney Paul, an instructor at RIPPED Fitness, is here to go through Lunges 101—because they’re definitely worth getting right. “The lunge is one of the most effective lower-body movements,” he says. “Lunges work the glutes, quads, and also engage the hamstrings.” These compound movements are also especially effective to include in your gym routine, because you burn more calories when you have more lean muscle mass.

There are a gazillion different lunge variations, but for now we’re going to focus on nailing the perfect reverse lunge. You’re using the same muscles as you would in a forward lunge, but this variation is a little easier because your center of gravity doesn’t change. That will help you stay balanced and stable during the movement, explains Paul. And it will “force you to push through the (front) heel and into the hips and glutes, which is exactly how it should be executed,” he adds.

Ready to get down (the right way)? Master the reverse lunge and the gym is yours.

Yurok / Getty Images Lunges are one of those classic exercise moves for a reason—they work. But since they’ve probably been a part of your workout routine for as long as you can remember, it’s easy to let your form slip and rely on what you’re used to doing, even if it’...

06/24/2016

Natalie Coughlin’s Gold Rush

“Nobody wanted biceps before Michelle Obama made them cool,” Coughlin says, here with fellow Olympic swimmer Nathan Adrian, one of her training partners.

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2016 issue of SELF.

Natalie Coughlin is early. We are scheduled to meet for lunch at one of her favorite restaurants in Berkeley, California, at 1 P.M., but when I arrive at 12:50 she is already seated at a table by the window. Because her livelihood is measured in seconds, she is perhaps more aware of time than the average human. “I’m in a sport where hundredths of a second are the difference between gold and silver,” she explains.

Coughlin is smaller in person than what you would expect an Olympic swimmer to be—so compact, in fact, that when she stands to greet me, she seems to be little more than huge blue eyes framed by long dark lashes. But when I catch a glimpse of her shoulder muscles poking through her T-shirt, I remember I’m dining with a woman who can swim backward faster than I can run forward. “Michelle Obama has done so much for arms,” Coughlin says, laughing as she looks down at her impressive biceps. “Nobody ever wanted these before she made them cool!”

This summer in Rio de Janeiro, Coughlin hopes to swim in her fourth Olympics; at age 33, she has nearly a decade on most of her twentysomething competitors. “I don’t feel old,” she says. “I’m stronger than I’ve ever been.” Depending on how the U.S. trials go at the end of June, she may compete in the 100-meter freestyle, the 100-meter backstroke and perhaps a few relays as well. And if she medals in any of those events, Coughlin will become the most decorated American female Olympian in history, a situation she calls “totally crazy.”

It’s been eight years since Coughlin won a medal in an individual event, but she’s been recording times that have her among the top 10 in the world and just a few 10ths of a second from the podium. I ask her what it’s like to be able to swim so fast. “You know how when you’re a kid, people ask you ‘If you could have any superpower, what would it be?’ And you say you want to fly?” she says. “That’s how it feels. Weightless.”

Coughlin’s ascent to swimming’s loftiest heights has a comparatively modest beginning: lessons at her local YMCA when she was 10 months old. Her father, Jim, was a police officer in their hometown of Vallejo, California; her mother, Zennie, works as a paralegal. Though neither pushed her or her younger sister, Megan, to become athletes, she took to the water immediately. By age six, she was racing against other kids. “It was fun because I was good at it,” Coughlin says matter-of-factly.

Being good is one thing. Being the best in the world is another. By the time Coughlin entered high school, she was one of the fastest teenage swimmers in the country. At 19, she became the first woman in history to swim the 100-meter backstroke in less than one minute. At 21, she earned two gold medals, two silvers and a bronze in Athens. Four years ago in London, she won her 12th Olympic medal. Her explanation for why she turned her childhood hobby into a meteoric career is simple: “I love the competitiveness and the training. I love to push my body to be faster and stronger. I love the feeling of racing against the best swimmers in the world.”

And being compact can have its advantages. At 5 feet 8 and a skosh over 140 pounds (her “fighting weight,” she says), she is one of the smallest in her sport. (Many of her competitors, like her teammate, 21-year-old wunderkind Missy Franklin, are over six feet tall.) Competitive swimming demands that athletes be able to contort their bodies. In the water, speed equals power minus drag, where drag is defined as any physical or mental wrinkle that slows a swimmer down. “My suit is so tight, it feels like Spanx times 100,” Coughlin jokes, and she’s only sort of kidding. To get where she is now, she’s had to develop a deep awareness of what every muscle in her body is doing at all times; a slight hip over rotation could be the difference between a gold medal and a 10th-place finish. Forget to keep your belly button pulled in tight when you inhale, and you might not even qualify for the event.

“Nobody wanted biceps before Michelle Obama made them cool,” Coughlin says, here with fellow Olympic swimmer Nathan Adrian, one of her training partners. This article originally appeared in the July/August 2016 issue of SELF. Natalie Coughlin is early. We are scheduled to meet for lunch…

06/21/2016

Try Our 5-Minute Abs On Fire Workout

Strong and toned abs are not only sexy, they’re essential for a strong core and can help reduce back pain. The lower part of your abs can be tough to work, so we’ve created a short workout – it’s under five minutes – that targets that area! The workout requires no equipment so you can do it at home, and it’s quiet too.

Strong and toned abs are not only sexy, they’re essential for a strong core and can help reduce back pain. The lower part of your abs can be tough to work, so we’ve created a short workout – it’s under five minutes – that targets that area! The workout requires no equipment...

06/17/2016

5 Simple Tricks For Mastering The Perfect Push-Up

Push-ups remain a standard move in fitness classes everywhere for a simple reason: They work. Sure the exercise works your arm muscles, but it’s also great for your core and chest. “It’s a full-body toner,” says celebrity trainer Astrid Swan. “You are strengthening your shoulders, triceps, biceps, back, chest, core, and glutes. Engaging all of these muscles at once means you are upping your metabolic rate, burning a significant amount of calories, and you’re helping to improve your posture, too.”

Simply put, the push-up is one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do—and there are plenty of ways to make the move beginner-friendly or more challenging. Here, Swan breaks down three basic push-up variations, and the essential dos and don’ts that’ll help you master every one.

Guido Mieth, Getty Images Push-ups remain a standard move in fitness classes everywhere for a simple reason: They work. Sure the exercise works your arm muscles, but it’s also great for your core and chest. “It’s a full-body toner,” says celebrity trainer Astrid Swan. “...

06/14/2016

Why Lifting Weights Is Best For Fat Loss

Admit it: the last time you wanted to drop a few pounds or decided to reclaim your health, the first thing you did besides throwing out that last batch of macaroons was cardio – lots and lots of cardio! We get it. We’ve all made the mistake of thinking the only way to lose weight is by punishing ourselves with mind-numbing hours of cardio. But the truth is that weight loss isn’t exclusive to people on the ellipticals and Stairmasters. In fact, lifting weights has been proven to be just as beneficial to overall weight loss and better lean body composition. The bottom line is if you really want to lose weight, lifting weights is essential. Here are a few of the reasons lifting can do more to drop weight than cardio!

Get More Out of Your Effort

There might be nothing more annoying than going to the gym and putting in the work and not seeing results. According to Travis Jones, CPT and owner of Result Based Training, your pounds may not be coming off because you’re not lifting: “Lifting weight burns more fat than an equal amount of time doing typical cardio sessions.” Not a believer? Jones told us that an eight-minute weightlifting workout focusing on major muscle groups could burn up to 250 calories, while that many minutes on the elliptical likely won’t even reach a 150-calorie drop.

Burn More Calories Than Cardio

After you’ve done your workout, it’s time to rest, right? Well, if you’ve worked out by lifting weights, you may be resting, but your body is still burning calories. Why? According to Mike Kamo, certified nutritionist at Nutrition Secrets, “When you target your muscles by weightlifting, your body has to expend the energy to repair those muscles after each session.” Said Kamo, “most people experience a spike in their metabolism for almost 40 hours after a weightlifting effort in the gym.” Sounds like weightlifting is even going to make watching Gossip Girl a part of your fat-burning efforts.

Stay on Your Diet

Ever notice how the people who tend to lose the most weight are the ones who work out regularly and stay true to their diet? According to Holly Perkins, CPT and owner of Promax Nutrition, “When you lift weights regularly, your mindset towards your health and fitness changes towards your diet, making you more likely to stick to your daily caloric allowance.” If staying on track with your diet has ever been your problem, and we figure there might be a few of us out there that have this problem, it’s time to stop spending so much time weighing out portions and more time lifting weights.

You’ll Be Able to Do More

By now, it must seem like lifting weights is the answer to all of your fat-loss woes – and it is! The benefits of lifting weights can even positively impact how much you can do during a day as well! Terry Asher, CPT and owner of Gym Junkies, told us he has found that “people who lift weights are usually more productive than those that don’t work out or those that only do cardio.” Doing more at the gym can lead to doing more throughout the day and residual weight loss that comes as a result – which is a bonus – but it also means that you’ll be more productive at work, play, and in anything you do! Being able to do more in a day couldn’t possibly be on any our wish lists, right? It sounds like we all need to get into the gym and start lifting!

Cardio Fitness Fitness Tips Gym Health Training Weight Loss Why Lifting Weights Is Best For Fat Loss Posted on June 11, 2016 Admit it: the last time you wanted to drop a few pounds or decided to reclaim your health, the first thing you did besides throwing out that last batch of macaroons was cardio...

06/09/2016