5 Latest Articles on My Fitness Tunes

A Workout Routine for the Busy Holiday Season

Joe Lawrence November 14th, 2018 | 15 Minutes or Less, Strength Training

Staying fit during the holidays is very difficult. There are 1,000 reasons and excuses to break your day-to-day fitness routine. Although, exercise is the best remedy for the ensuing holiday stress, we still tend to find reasons to ignore exercise. This made me think of my off-week program I used to do when prepping for a tournament.

When preparing for something like a martial arts

Holiday Ab Preparation

Joe Lawrence November 7th, 2018 | Core, Strength Training

Everyone loves the holidays. Spending time with family and friends celebrating our religious beliefs and all the traditions that go along with them is a great way to boost morale and bring everyone closer together. The best way to bring people together is with food and many of us eat enough for a small village this time of year. I actually moved my military fitness test to October so

A Moment of Quiet and Peace

MPK October 31st, 2018 | Mind & Body

Last week I wrote about winding down at the end of the day. While I love being able to fit fifteen minutes of yoga into my schedule, it doesn't happen nightly. Sometimes those days when I really crave that relaxation coincide with days that are filled with stress. I have found a simple way to relax on a day when I truly don't have time. Allow me to introduce you to The Quiet Place.

I don't remember how long ago I found this website or what directed me there, but I am so grateful that I discovered

Martial Arts Leg Strength

Joe Lawrence October 24th, 2018 | Lower Body, Strength Training

I have always been a fan of building useful muscle. Being in the military, I have worked with many young studs that have muscles on top of muscles. However, these guys are not always the best workers as their strength is not always practical. For example, changing a component on an aircraft engine that weighs 50 pounds and requires some dexterity. I would choose one of these muscle heads to help me, but they were as useful as a screen door on a submarine.

Reflecting back on my life experiences, those with the most “useful” muscles have been fellow martial

Soccer Leg Strength Exercises

Joe Lawrence October 17th, 2018 | Lower Body, Strength Training

Recently, I wrote an article about how to build your leg muscles like a Parkour pro. Not only do I love to explore how to cross train other sports workouts into my own, so did a lot of friends whom I shared the information with. This week I am going to do the same thing; however, I am going to use some soccer exercises.

Soccer players have extremely strong leg muscles, but they also know how to use them for speed and for endurance. This routine will help.

First exercise is the one legged squat. To do this prepare for a

Practical Leg Strength

Joe Lawrence October 10th, 2018 | Lower Body, Strength Training

It is funny how things evolve. In my late teens and 20s, I wanted to become a beast with muscle upon muscle. I took all sorts of supplements and spent hours in the gym. However, once my 30s hit me and children appeared…life changed. I was no longer able to spend hours in the gym and all that hard work went to the wayside.

At first it was tough to accept, but then I turned my frown upside down. I decided to do things that are functional and practical. I spend a lot of my time now doing exercises that

Everyday Leg Exercises Using Body Weight

Joe Lawrence October 3rd, 2018 | Lower Body, Strength Training

Legs are an odd creature in the fitness realm. They are probably the simplest muscle to work out, but they are the most dreaded for the same reason.

We do not do anything throughout our day that does not require the use of our legs. Walking, stairs, standing, sitting, dancing,

Avoid Chest Routine Injuries

Joe Lawrence September 26th, 2018 | Strength Training, Upper Body

The harsh reality to any fitness program is an injury can happen. Injuries are more likely to happen during the infant stages of a new program or when you begin to plateau and decide to push yourself extra hard without proper rest. Chest muscles are a very common area where injuries are likely to happen. Shoulder injuries are very common to those pushing chest routines improperly. However, there are a couple of easy ways to avoid them.

For starters, I am going to tackle form over intensity or quality of quantity; however you want to view it. Bottom line is

Quick Chest Workouts

by Joe Lawrence September 19th, 2018 Strength Training, Upper Body

The hardest part about getting into shape is finding the time to do it. When I was younger, I could spend hours at the gym and never skip a beat. However, now I am in my 30s, married, two kids under five…it is almost impossible to work out. I have been able to find a routine that works well for me and I will share the chest portion of it with you.

I still get in some workouts, but only about 45 minutes or so at a time. I do chest twice a week, back twice a week, arms once

The Heavy Bar is Still Relevant to Chest Routines

Joe Lawrence September 12th, 2018 | Strength Training, Upper Body

In my past few articles I have discussed the benefits of using dumbbells. They help with breaking down mental barriers we place on ourselves and build stability muscles. Although they are my favorite tools for the job, there are also benefits to hitting the heavy bar.

I was taught a very simple workout a long time ago and was reminded of it again recently as I was going through old workout articles. It consists of only four exercises: incline bench, flat bench, dips, and flies. However, it produces a great chest workout and shocks the system a bit after using

What Do You Bench?

Joe Lawrence September 5th, 2018 | Strength Training, Upper Body

Go to any gym in the world and it is a given that there will be somebody on the flat bench trying to see what his one rep max is on bench. For some odd reason, this is the one statistic that you will be asked if you tell someone you went to the gym. There is an infatuation with benching…not sure why. However, I will tell you it is ok to skip the bench for a while.

First off, when you begin working out, you can get discouraged very quickly over this question. It is tough to get to

3 Cardio Exercises That Create a Toned Butt

Marnie Bii August 29th, 2018 | Assorted Workouts, Cardio

If you want to shape your butt while improving your overall fitness levels, consider focusing on cardio-exercises that utilize your glutes. Push yourself to make the most of each cardio session. At max effort, the muscles you use to move your body strengthen and tone up. After several months of performing the following routine two to three times a week, you'll notice a big difference in your body composition, especially in the butt area.

Take a Squat For a Firm Butt

Joe Lawrence August 22nd, 2018 | Lower Body, Strength Training

Many of us have a desk job where we sit all or most of the day. Sadly, this builds up the stress in our bodies as we instinctively want to be out and about. Another problem is that while our bodies are completely engulfed by the chair, we are

Get a Mountain Climber Butt!

Joe Lawrence August 15th, 2018 | Lower Body, Strength Training

Working out your gluteous maximus does not have to be a chore or even a boring task. In fact, it could be as fun as climbing a mountain.

Going back to my martial arts days, brings back memories of my instructor telling us something similar. We did many exercises and drills to strengthen our legs and core. Especially the muscles in the butt area because the hips generate so much power and the beefy muscle masses of the upper leg and butt could really add the snap to the whip.

Usually when he was angry with us over something he’d tell

3 Exercises to Shape Your Butt

Joe Lawrence August 8th, 2018 | Lower Body, Strength Training

The top reasons people list for starting a diet or workout is to lose fat and most of these people go on to say they want to lose the fat in their stomach and butt. I am sure this is not news. Most exercises, though, are focused on the stomach, arms, and chest. Little attention is given to the gluteus maximus. That ends today.

With only three exercises, you can tone your butt and build leg strength. They do require weights for the full benefits. The exercises are squats, leg press, and walking dumbbell lunges.

Squats: almost all gyms have a

15 Minute Butt Workout

Joe Lawrence August 1st, 2018 | 15 Minutes or Less, Lower Body, Strength Training

Bellies and butts are two areas that are very easy to grow, but very difficult to get back into shape. That is because they are the center of gravity for the human body and all things seem to want to stay there for awhile. Today we are going to focus on da’ butt. There is hope and in a 15 minute workout, you can start to take control back. I am pretty certain Sir Mix a Lot will not be thrilled, but he will

Family Fitness While on Vacation

Joe Lawrence July 25th, 2018 | Lower Body, Strength Training

Vacations are a necessity! Without a break from the norm, we would all go crazy with the stresses we face on a daily basis. However, most of us fall out of our fitness routines while we are on vacation and it is a major reason that people state for stopping a workout regimen. That is not going to happen to you if you have a plan.

One solution is to set aside some time to go work out in the morning or plan a break

16 Minute Vacation Workout: Tabata

Joe Lawrence July 18th, 2018 | 15 Minutes or Less, Strength Training

Ah the crashing waves, the sun rising over the mountains, the sights of the rising skyscrapers, or whatever beauties your vacation offers you. Being on vacation is often very relaxing, especially those first few moments after rising from bed. However, it is easy to fall out of your workout routine. There is a way to get in an incredible workout in less than 20 minutes. It is called Tabata.

Great!

Vacation Fitness Exploration

Joe Lawrence July 11th, 2018 | Strength Training

The last thing we want to do while on vacation is to get lazy with our fitness. Sure we can slack off a bit and allow our body to get some rest as we relax the mind too. However, a down week should be used to switch to a different gear, not to turn off the engine all together.

For many it is more stressful to find a gym with the same types of weight machines or whatever that you are used to back home. Do not stress over it. There are other options.

This is your golden opportunity to do

Simple Vacation Exercise Ideas

Joe Lawrence July 4th, 2018 | 15 Minutes or Less, Strength Training

Welcome to the summer! This is the time of the year where the kids are out of school and we are excited to take the family vacations. However, I always fear getting out of my exercise rhythm while relaxing on the beach or chasing my kid who just saw Mickey Mouse. There are some very easy ways to exercise

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