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Do you warm up?

Warming up before a workout or sport is an important part of improving performance and preventing injuries.  Warm up with dynamic stretching moves that mimic the motions of the muscles you will be working that day.  Dynamic moves are active stretching where your body stretches the muscles with movements in constant motion.  These are not stretches you hold for a specific time, which is static stretching.  Holding your stretches, or static stretching is best post workouts and cool down, where you stretch the muscles worked for a time frame of 20-30 seconds.   The benefits of a proper dynamic warm up include:

• Increasing the rate at which your muscles contract
• Increase activity of the cells in the muscles
• Increase the amount of time a muscle can maintain a series of contractions (to a certain extent)
• Improving connective tissues in the muscle and their ability to accept force
• Decreasing the risk of potential injury
• Increased muscle temperature for enhancing oxygen through body’s red blood cells

Try some dynamic stretching moves out before your next workout to fully warm up the body for a better workout.

Char Biggs

Are you hurting or helping your results?  Seem to be stuck in a rut with your workouts?  Here is my first installment quick fix guide of things you could be doing in the gym that are hurting you and some BIGG tips to help fix or try out a new solution to your best body.

BIGG TIP 1: Not training intense enough.  

Have you been going to the gym performing the same routine, same exercises, at the same pace… over and over and over?  How long really are your ‘rest’ breaks between working sets?  Are you reading while working out?  On a perceived exertion scale of 1(Sitting doing almost nothing) – 10 (This is super intense, I need to stop now) you should be trying to push yourself to a range of 7-9 almost every workout.  Hard work = quick results.  Put down magazine, and train like an athlete (people with athletes’ bodies do not read magazines during their workouts). A simple key is to try to keep most rest breaks from 45-60 seconds you are trying to drop body fat or up to two minutes if you are working more towards pure strength gains.  Try supersets, drop sets, metabolic training, circuit training, push/pull workouts, upper/lower body workouts to push your body harder and up the ammunition.

BIGG TIP 2:  I am using 15-20 reps and can’t lose body fat still.

Higher reps and lighter weights don’t necessarily mean burning more calories.  15 reps or more will work more on slow twitch muscle fibers and endurance.  To gain muscle/tone up and really boost up your metabolism shoot for reps from 6-12 repetitions for almost all working sets, male or female.  Moderate to heavier weights (with proper form) will increase your metabolism post workout, so you burn more calories even while sitting doing nothing.  Try max interval training with body weight movements at home or add on 5 pound increments to your exercises until you feel comfortable lighting slightly heavier with good form.

BIGG TIP 3:  Ladies, is your purse heavier than the dumbbells you work out with?

This one is simple.  Ditch the 3 pound dumbbells in most cases.  Challenge yourself.  You will not gain massive amounts of muscle or look like Arnold Schwarzenegger by lifting weights you can reach from 6-12 reps.  Simply put, there is not enough testosterone floating around in your blood stream to bulk you up.  However, training the right way will tone you out and make you look like a superwoman vixen such as Halle Berry.

BIGG TIP 4:  I do 500 crunches and cannot see my abdominal muscles.

Your abs will always be there, they never go away.  They are just covered with a layer of body fat.  You cannot spot reduce fat.  You need to have the proper caloric balance of energy in, verse energy out to drop body fat and save your muscle.  Combine weekly strength training, up the cardiovascular work, and implement a clean diet; with the right proteins, carbs, and fats for your needs 80 percent- 100 percent of the time.  This will put you on the right track and bring your abs out in no time.

BIGG TIP 5:  I can’t put on weight no matter what I do.

Some people are ectomorphs. This means you have a very fast metabolism.  That does not mean you cannot put on muscle though.  Analyze really how many calories you are taking in.  Chances are they could be under your needs.  In the gym, perform heavy compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and presses to boost your muscle building hormones.  Try adding an extra 500 calories into your diet.  Slowly taper them up 100-250 every week to make sure you are putting on muscle and not so much body fat.  Eat every 3-4 hours with enough calories for your needs in your meals for the day.  Aim for 1 gram per pound of body weight in protein, and 2-3 grams per pound of body weight in complex carbs for starters.  Add small amounts of healthy fats to your meals to meet the rest of your dietary needs.

Try some of these tips out and help boost through plateaus you could be reaching. Reach your goals! – Char Biggs

Puff, Puff, Pass.  Here is a quick note on smoking.  I am sure you have heard many reasons why you should not smoke, but check this out while you are at it to make you think one more time about what you are actually doing to your body.  Smoking negatively effects for the most part every major cell in your body like your lunges, brain, heart. Smoking also has MANY negative effects your endocrine glands:  thyroid, adrenals, pituitary glands, and hormonal glands (testicles and ovaries).  The endocrine system is extremely important to your body’s daily function and metabolism.

Smoking elevates cortisol levels which can cause your muscles to breakdown and add or keep primarily belly fat on your frame.  This comes along with an increase of internal stress levels.   Smoking can increase your body’s resistance to insulin.  Ever hear of syndrome X or type 2 diabetes?  This is where people have insulin resistance, along with factors of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and increase risk of type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke.  Smoking can influence and increase the probability of developing symptoms to syndrome x and developing type 2 diabetes. Smoking and the harmful chemicals in smoking can directly influence these symptoms.  Do you think quitting will make you gain weight?  Not so much. Think about how the chemicals in cigarettes influence increasing problems with thyroid and polluting it as well as your body.  Your thyroid is a major contributing factor to determine how fast or slow your metabolic rate is.

Find other ways to enjoy life other than buying a pack of cigarettes or replacing smoking with food.  You don’t need to fix boredom with food or putting something like a cigarette in your mouth.  Make a list of positive things to do in your spare time instead of smoking.  With all the money you spend on cigarette packs a week you could get a nice relaxing spa day, get a manicure, go on a small vacation or treat yourself to new outfit to make yourself feel better.  Try to break the habit

Happy Hour!

Woohoo, it’s Friday!  Let the weekend begin and the work week end for most of us.  A lot of people love enjoying their Friday happy hours and after work cocktails, but they are also infamous for putting a hold on your body and good nutrition efforts for the week.  One or two drinks won’t completely ruin you.  However, if you are looking for a total transformation of your body in a shorter, achievable time or to make major progress in the gym, excess alcohol is a BIGG no, no.  Alcohol here and there is better off when you are in a ‘maintaining mode’ for your body, not a ‘body changing experience’.  If you choice to enjoy, here are 5 BIGG Tips to keep your body fat at ease:

BIGG TIP 1:  AVOID SUGARY, FRUITY DRINKS AND HEAVY BEERS.  Sugary and fruity mixers are loaded in calories and sugar.   Regular margaritas, heavy beers, hurricanes, long island iced teas and some fruity martinis can load on 300-500+ calories from ONE drink.

BIGG TIP 2:  GO CLEAR.  Stick with clear vodkas and club soda as mixers to cut major calories.  One shot of vodka has roughly 80-100 calories in 2 oz.  That’s jammed packed, and most likely your bartender is doing a 2 or 3 serving pour. It adds up fast!  Bacardi and Diet Cokes are good choices too; however club soda has less junk and fillers in it.  Sometimes too much diet soda can lead you to having worse cravings for carbs later on in the day with too much artificial sweetener.

BIGG TIP 3:  TEQUILA TIME.  Tequila on the rocks, makes your body pop they say.  A 2oz rocks pour of tequila has about 90-100 calories.  Flavor it with fresh lemons and or limes to help you out.  A rocks glass of tequila will keep you more incline to ‘sip it’ throughout the evening, instead of pounding down one drink after another leading to less calories saved on your gut.

BIGG TIP 4:  YES, I WANT ANOTHER (ON THE SIDE).  Order an extra tall glass of club soda or water with lemon and/or limes to drink on back and forth between drinks.  This way the extra liquid will help keep your stomach fuller, hydrated, and it will be more likely for you to keep you downing your cocktails one after another.

BIGG TIP 5:  RED WINE AND DINE:  Red wine is full of antioxidants, especially resveratrol! Get to love this stuff! It is an antioxidant which helps with anti-aging, lowers blood sugar levels, and has anti-inflammatory along with cancer fighting properties.  It is best if you keep your glass to a standard 1 serving 4-5oz pour.  The whole bottle won’t give you any extra benefits, just extra calories keeping body fat on your frame.

Have a great weekend … Char.

Do you love your pasta, but are afraid it could be packing on the pounds or keeping you from losing weight?  Don’t worry; here are 5 BIGG tips to help you make healthier, better choices if you love your pasta and won’t give it up on your diet.  PS: you don’t need to!

BIGG TIP 1:  ALWAYS go 100 % Whole Wheat.  Whole wheat pasta is superior to regular pasta when it comes to keeping your body fat levels in check.  Whole wheat pasta contains 2-3 times as much fiber as regular pasta, which helps slow down the digestion of it.  Regular pasta digests at a very quick rate; raising your insulin levels. Therefore, regular pasta makes it much easier to pack on body fat. GO WHOLE WHEAT!

BIGG TIP 2:  Watch your portions.  Too much pasta = too many calories and too many carbohydrates that your body can’t always use in one sitting.  A portion of pasta is NOT the whole plate in your eyes or filled to the top of the bowl.  It is NOT family serving size at your favorite restaurant.  If at a restaurant or at home, opt for a fist size serving- about 1 cup- to help you keep yourself more in check with your calories and carbohydrates.

BIGG TIP 3: Don’t eat pasta by itself! Add in some lean protein and possibly a small portion of healthy fat.  Adding in 3-6 ounces of lean proteins (turkey meatballs, lean chicken, fish, scallops or meat) will further help slow the digestion of the pasta into your bloodstream.  Adding protein to your pasta will help get the amino acids from the protein into your muscles.  If you workout regularly, this means repairing and building your muscles more efficiently.  If you are trying to gain some lean muscle, try adding an extra serving of healthy fat.  For example, one tablespoon of olive oil will help you add extra calories depending on your personal needs.  The fat and protein along with your pasta will help keep your insulin levels in check even more.

BIGG TIP 4:  Don’t eat pasta right before bed.  Duh, think about it.  If you are getting ready to sit down and relax to watch your favorite TV shows you don’t need as many carbohydrates aka PASTA.  Try to include it 4 hours before bed.  This way your insulin levels will be lower towards bed time.  When your insulin levels are high at bed time, it makes it hard for your body to produce its fat burning hormone- growth hormone.

BIGG TIP 5:  Don’t overcook it.  Overcooking your pasta will increase your risk of packing on the pounds because it will increase your insulin response.  Over cooking will also take away some the vitamins and minerals that make it good for you!  Overcooking leads to less B vitamins (energy), magnesium(strong bones) and selenium(protect your immune system).

BONUS FACT 101:  Whole grains reduce the risk of heart disease and the fiber in them can help lower cholesterol.  We love that!  :)

Check this video out below:

Here is your BIGGSbuilt workout challenge for the week!  I put together these two exercises (some of my favorite signature exercises) for two reasons  :  It will give you a great butt and backside, as well as, help you chizzle out your chest, shoulders, and triceps without even needing to go to the gym and use weight equipment.

Find a ledge at least 12-24 inches high anywhere outside this week.  Complete 100 reps on the right side of your body and 100 reps on the left side of your body.  You can do all the repetitions at once on one side of your body, or you can break them up 5, 10, 15, 20 reps alternating til you complete 100 each side.  If you need to modify, do your burpee on both legs and work your way up to one leg. Try it for total time and see how fast you can get it done.

Get to it!

PS:  BIGGSbuilt Outdoor Bootcamps will be starting up shorty for Spring and Summer.  Hello, new summer body!  Check back for more info.  I Promise it to be one of the best bootcamps you will ever take under the sun in Philadelphia!

Char Biggs

Food labels are tricky: sugar-free, fat-free, low-fat, no sugar added, low carb. Are they good for you? Are they hindering some of your results to drop fat? Here are some tips to help you clear up common food label misconceptions:

• BIGG Tip 1: Sugar-free does not mean carbohydrate free or lower in overall calories. Look at the overall carbohydrate content on the label and not just for sugars. Are there hidden sugar alcohols added in? Some examples on the ingredients list for sugar alcohols would be: maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol etc. Although they might be artificial sweeteners, and not real sugar, too many in some cases can cause stomach distress. Sometimes often causing you to crave more sugars later on in the day.

• BIGG Tip 2: Fat-free foods are not often ‘low calorie foods’ and tend to be way higher in carbohydrate content then their regular version. Often the fat free version will contain almost as many calories as the version with fat in them. Healthy fats and fiber help slow the digestion down the digestion of your carbohydrates and keep your glycemic index lower in the body ( aka better fat burning ). Take a look next time. Are the fat free cookies really that different? Sometimes fat free foods are not always the better choice, so read carefully, not just what the eye sees.

• BIGG Tip 3: No sugar added foods are not sugar-free foods. This simply just means they do not add extra sugar in during the food making process, but often do contain sugar or high amounts of things like high fructose corn syrup, which is the main ingredient in most regular sodas.

• BIGG Tip 4: Low-fat foods might be lower in fat; however, companies usually take out the fat calories and replace it with sugar/carbohydrates. The calories in some low-fat foods and their regular counterparts are sometimes very similar. A great example is low-fat peanut butter. They may have taken out 5-7 grams of fat for you, but they replaced it with an extra 10 carbohydrates with 5-8 of them being sugars. The calorie difference? Ten calories lower at the most. You are better off grabbing the all-natural regular peanut or almond butter if you really want healthier foods.

• BIGG Tip 5: Ingredient listing order. The ingredient list on the back of food labels is ordered from what is most predominant in the food to least. It is not a good sign if you look on the ingredients list and see something very good for you last on the list. If you see ingredients like sugar, white flour, enriched or bleached, or high fructose corn syrup within the first few listed, chances are this is a processed food and not your best choice to take home with you. Opt for more natural whole grain products. If you cannot pronounce it on the food label most likely your body does not want it in it.

Take these tips into consideration the next time you go food shopping and see if they can help you out to pick better nutrition choices for a healthier body.