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Equipment Guides Health and Lifestyle

Can Resistance Bands Build Muscle? Are They Effective?

Have you considered buying resistance bands, but you aren’t sure if they will actually help you build muscle? If so, you’re not alone. Many people wonder about the prospect of using resistance bands and how effective they can actually be in helping you achieve your fitness goals. If you’ve found yourself wondering these same things, you came to the right place. This article offers an in-depth guide to resistance bands, including what they are, how to use them, the pros and cons of using them, and best practices for using resistance bands to gain muscle.

resistance bands on a power rack

What Is a Resistance Band?

A resistance band is a stretchy band or rope usually made of latex or rubber. They come in a variety of different resistances, i.e. some are very easy to stretch while others “resist” more, or are more difficult to stretch. Resistance bands can be used for a number of different exercises, and they allow people to work out by using the natural resistance of the band instead of lifting their own body weight or heavy weights. They are a very safe option for training because they tend not to overstrain any muscle groups. 

Resistance bands are also a popular choice for people who have to travel a lot or work out on the go. The small bands can easily be packed into a backpack or suitcase and you can use them to work out pretty much anywhere. Plus, resistance bands tend to be inexpensive, compared to a lot of other fitness equipment, which makes them an appealing choice. 

How Do Resistance Bands Work?

Resistance bands work by providing a resistance for you to push or pull against during your training. They are different from weights in that instead of being a weight that you lift, pull, or push, they create tension throughout your reps and sets. As you pull the band further, it gets tighter and harder to move throughout the movement. 

Can Resistance Bands Build Muscle?

If you are looking to start building muscles without spending long hours at the gym, resistance bands can be a really great option. Especially considering that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that all adults do strength training exercises two times a week. You can do strength training in a number of different ways – including using resistance bands. They are an excellent option for people just starting out on the fitness journey and looking to build and tone muscles early on. 

To build muscle size, you have to overload the muscle with weight or resistance. The overload creates small tears in the muscle fiber (hence the term “getting ripped”) that allow new muscle tissue to grow. Lifting weights, lifting your own body weight, and using resistance bands helps to overload your muscles and build them up. The International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy found that resistance bands were just as effective as a weight machine in activating the quadriceps during the concentric or “up” phase of a knee extension.

Progressive Overload

The way that muscles get bigger and bigger is through a process called progressive overload. We tear the muscle fibers and the body repairs them bigger and stronger than before. As we progress, we need bigger weights or more resistance and a variety of exercises to keep growing. 

The body is responsible for doing all the repairs, and it uses hormones, such as testosterone, to do a great deal of this work. But we also have to give it extra fuel, in the form of calories and protein, to make sure it has the energy to repair the muscle damage. 

If you get enough resistance from the bands to contract your muscles beyond a point they have gotten used to – and you are consuming enough protein and calories, then you should be able to build muscles. Up to a point. 

Practicing Progressive Overload with Resistance Bands

In order to make sure that you are building muscle and not just toning, you have to keep forcing your body to adapt to more stress or tension. Here are some ways to do so with resistance bands:

  • Using higher tension bands: As mentioned earlier, resistance bands come in varying levels of resistance. Over time, you will want to increase the resistance level so that you continue to build muscle instead of just toning your muscles. 
  • Increase reps: Continuously increasing the number of reps you do with resistance bands will promote muscle breakdown. 
  • Increase sets: In addition to increasing reps per set during your training, you should also increase the number of sets you are doing for each exercise. 
Resistance bands

Benefits of Using Resistance Bands

Training with resistance bands is much different than lifting weights. With bands, your muscle is constantly under tension and contracted. This makes it a much more effective and high-quality workout. Bands also use stabilizing muscles, which create a more well-rounded workout than just exercising the big muscle groups. They can be added to body weight exercises, such as doing banded push-ups, to increase the intensity of the exercise. Let’s look at some of the other main benefits of using resistance bands.

Portable

Resistance bands are small, lightweight, and easy to pack, making them an excellent choice for travel. You can take them on trips with you or store them at home for easy workouts wherever you are. 

Inexpensive

Resistance bands are also much less expensive than hand-weights, barbells, and power racks. You can also save money on a gym membership by using resistance bands at home. 

Less Chance of Injury

Lifting weights is undoubtedly a great way to build muscle. But they also come with a higher chance of injury than resistance bands. It is possible to drop weights on yourself as well as injure vulnerable spots on your body, such as wrists, elbows, and knees. Resistance bands make you much less prone to injury during your workouts. They are also great for healing injuries because they can add resistance to different movements without putting undue stress on your joints. 

Stabilization

Resistance bands can be used for their own exercises or you can add them to your existing workout routine to promote instability in your muscle movements. This is a great way to bring stabilizing muscles into the mix. For example, if you are lifting a barbell, the gravity of the weight pulls your muscle back down to the starting position. With bands, there is no gravity acting on your muscle, so the stabilizing muscles need to jump in and offer help. 

Help with Stretching

Resistance bands not only build muscle but can also be used to help you stretch and lengthen your muscles. Attaching resistance bands to door handles, legs of furniture pieces, or your own body can help you use the resistance to stretch out tight muscles – a key component of building muscle and maintaining a healthy body. 

Concentration

Using weight machines or benches that focus on one large muscle group can make it easy to zone out during a workout. Resistance bands require a lot more focused concentration, fostering an improved mind-body connection. 

resistance bands

Cons Of Using Resistance Bands

Just like with other forms of exercise, there are cons to using resistance bands, too. 

Bands Can Snap

It’s not common, especially when bands are used correctly, but resistance bands are subject to snapping or tearing. They are usually used on their own without other equipment for this reason. 

Hard to Measure

When you lift weights, you know exactly how much weight you are lifting. This makes it easy to track your progress. When you use a resistance band, however, it’s not that easy to measure just how much resistance you are getting. The resistance level depends on your input, which tends to rise and fall depending on how much energy you have or how weak your muscles have gotten toward the end of a workout, etc. 

Not a Full Workout On Their Own

Resistance bands are an excellent addition to any fitness training program. But they don’t serve as a replacement for weights. They are meant to supplement your resistance/strength training because they work muscles that you don’t use as often as your larger muscle groups. But you’re not going to get a chiseled all-over body just from using resistance bands on their own. 

It is absolutely possible to build muscle with resistance bands – especially if you are a beginning weightlifter. Once you have progressed into further stages of muscle building, resistance bands are better suited for toning muscle than for building it. Toning doesn’t necessitate the same level of muscle breakdown as building muscle. It’s more about maintaining the status quo of the muscle fibers than breaking them down. 

Word of caution…

Like with any exercise equipment, remember that resistance bands can break down over time due to normal wear and tear. Make sure that you inspect the bands often to see that they are safe and that the latex or rubber doesn’t have any tears in it. Also, make sure that you always release a resistance band slowly when it is under tension. Suddenly releasing the band can cause it to snap back, which can cause serious injury if you aren’t careful. 

Are you shopping for resistance bands?

Ready to supercharge your workout? Check out our heavy resistance bands, designed to meet all of your strength training needs. These durable latex bands are the perfect addition to your home gym. They can aid in pull-up assistance, add resistance to stretches and bodyweight exercises and add resistance to the barbell for various lifts.

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Health and Lifestyle

Powerlifting vs. Strongman: 12 Differences You Need to Know

In the world of weightlifting, the two words you’ll probably hear most often are “powerlifting” and “strongman.” Although you might see the terms used interchangeably, each refers to a specific type and weightlifting style. When comparing powerlifting vs. strongman, each offers different results and requires specific training routines.

Interestingly, when comparing powerlifting vs. strongman, you’ll find that both disciplines often use the same equipment, but it’s used differently. For example, powerlifters and strongman lifters use dumbbells, barbells, and power racks to achieve their strength and training goals. Fortunately for home gym users, much of this equipment can be used interchangeably for powerlifting and strongman routines.

Powerlifting and strongman are excellent fitness regimens and great for cardio, fat burning, and body sculpting. Plus, if you want to take your athleticism to the next level, both regimens allow you to compete at various achievement levels. If you’re considering powerlifting vs. strongman and wondering which style is right for you, here’s a look at 12 differences between these two classic weightlifting styles.

person working out

1. Powerlifting has its own specific goals

In powerlifting, the main goal is to increase your ability to lift the heaviest weights, using three primary lift techniques (which we’ll discuss below). Powerlifters typically use only a minimum of repetitions, motions, and movements to achieve this.

2. Strongman has different goals from powerlifting

With strongman training, the primary goals are to increase raw power, strength, and endurance. To accomplish this, it’s necessary to build muscle and stamina through more repetitions, as well as a variety of movements.

person using a yoke

3. Powerlifting relies on basic resistance training

If you’re considering powerlifting vs. strongman, you’ll need to know what type of training is involved. Powerlifting depends primarily on resistance training to build up strength. This type of training often uses lower rep counts than strongman training, although the loads are still extremely heavy.

When lifting heavy barbells, it’s crucial to protect yourself from strain and injury. For ultimate protection, check out these Safety Squat Olympic Bars. They’re constructed with a built-in padded harness that enables you to lift more weight while decreasing the strain on your shoulders and back.

4. Strongman is based more on endurance and power

Strongman training focuses on activities that build core stability, strength endurance, and mighty functional strength. Toward this end, strongman training uses more reps and movements that might involve carrying or moving extremely heavy loads.

To increase raw power, strongman training sometimes requires different types of barbells that you might not find in a commercial gym. For example, these Axle Barbells from Titan Fitness are often used in strongman training. They weigh a comfortable 24 pounds yet have a hefty weight capacity of 880 pounds.

5. Powerlifting has specific key components

When looking at powerlifting vs. strongman, it’s essential to know that their primary components are fundamentally different. The key components of powerlifting are the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. Throughout the training, the goal is to increase overall strength while performing these movements. As you build strength, you’ll want to invest in heavier barbells, such as these Blues City Power Bars. They weigh around 45 pounds. And have a weight capacity of 1,500 pounds. Thanks to their rigid design, they’re built to accommodate the extremely heavy weights necessary for competitive powerlifting.

person working out in home gym

6. Strongman uses different movement-based components

Unlike powerlifting, strongman relies heavily on crucial components such as pulling, pushing, and pressing heavy objects. This is because strongman competitions feature a wide range of specially created obstacle-themed events. In each of these competitions, lifters have to achieve lifts and carries, moving heavy objects to and from designated locations within a set time limit.

7. Powerlifting uses progressive overload training

Powerlifting uses a training technique known as progressive overload. To achieve this, you’ll want to increase your performance boundaries gradually. For example, if you can bench press 75 pounds on Monday, you’ll want to push it to 80 pounds in a later session.

Powerlifters use barbells with bumper plates to increase their weights. Bumper plates can be costly, but at Titan Fitness, we offer them at a wide range of affordable prices. For example, check out these LB Economy Bumper Plates, available in various convenient weight-coordinated colors.

8. Strongman uses progressive overload in a different way

Progressive overload techniques are also used in strongman training but are adapted differently. In strongman lifting, progressive overload can be readjusted by adding more reps, changing tempo and pace, and decreasing rest time, as your trainer recommends. In addition, strongman training includes a variety of movement exercises, including distance walking with heavy weights, hoisting logs overhead, and giant tire flipping.

For this type of specialized training, these EZ Curl Rubber Fixed Barbells are ideal for your home gym. They have built-in weights, so you can follow a progressive overload regimen without having to change plates.  

9. Powerlifters aren’t typically as “shredded” as strongman lifters

When considering powerlifting vs. strongman training, you may have noticed that powerlifters usually don’t have the massive, muscle-heavy, “shredded” bodybuilder physiques like strongmen lifters. Of course, powerlifters can get a great physique with good muscle definition if they train hard enough. However, if you want a classic, Atlas-style shredded bodybuilder physique, strongman training is better for achieving those oversized, ripped muscles you see in the competitions.  

10. Powerlifting competitions focus on three events

Powerlifting competitions focus on the three basic components of powerlifting: squats, bench presses, and deadlifts. The lifter is allowed three attempts in a typical competition, with a maximum single repetition for each lift. The most successful lift attempts are added to calculate the lifter’s final score.

Person using a yoke outside

11. Strongman has a wide variety of competitive events

Strongman has a designated roster of competitive goals and challenges designed solely for strongman events such as the World’s Strongest Man (WSM) competition. Here are some of the most popular strongman challenges:

Atlas Stones

Atlas Stones requires competitors to lift five heavy round stones, each weighing 220-352 pounds, and place them atop five high platforms along a course that’s 16-33 feet long. The contestant who completes the task in the least amount of time is declared the winner.

Farmer’s Walk

One of the most popular strongman events, Farmer’s Walk, requires competitors to walk at a specified distance while carrying extremely heavy items such as refrigerators. In some events, competitors often carry multiple items, weighing as much as 350 pounds.

Vehicle Pull

As the name implies, the Vehicle Pull involves the competitor wearing a harness and pulling a heavy vehicle with a rope. These vehicles typically include trucks, buses, train cars, and airplanes.

Deadlift

While most powerlifters know about deadlifts, the strongman version takes it to a new level. The lift is still done in one strong pull from the floor, but lifters must perform multiple repetitions of the move with extremely heavy weights. This shows off the lifter’s overall endurance as well as strength.

Fingal’s Fingers

Introduced comparatively recently in 2000, Fingal’s Fingers requires competitors to lift a series of progressively heavy hinged poles (or “fingers”), then flip them to the opposite side. As with many strongman events, the competitor who achieves the highest score in the shortest time is the winner.

12. Strongmen lifters often have coaches or trainers

While it’s not necessary to have a coach or a trainer to prepare for a strongman competition, the experts strongly advise having one. This is because each event has strict protocols and regulations that must be followed, and coaches can help competitors strategize these rules for maximum effect. Also, coaches can share time-honored techniques for achieving the highest possible scores on each event.

Special coaches aren’t as essential for powerlifters because the events aren’t as varied but focus on the three primary lifting techniques. However, a good coach or trainer can help you optimize your abilities, correct bad habits, and hone your technique to help you ace your next powerlifting competition.

Powerlifting vs. Strongman: Which should you choose?    

The experts agree: Strongman training provides an excellent foundation for powerlifting. With the strength and raw power you’ll develop through strongman training, you’ll be able to transition into powerlifting easily. Likewise, the opposite is true — powerlifting can provide great muscle buildup to help you transition easily to strongman training.

Powerlifting vs. strongman: Which discipline is easier? To be honest, both have their challenges and advantages. However, if you’re using a commercial gym, you might not find some of the specialized equipment you’ll need for strongman training. For example, you’ll find the barbells and dumbbells needed for both disciplines, but you probably won’t have access to Atlas Stones.   

That’s why lifters around the country know that the best way to train is to build your own home gym. You can customize your equipment and add specialized pieces you’ll need, such as this rugged Atlas Stone Platform from Titan Fitness. And if you decide to join the thousands of lifters who train for both powerlifting and strongman, you’ll be able to maintain the right equipment for both disciplines in your own customized home training space.

Whichever discipline you decide to pursue, Titan Fitness has you covered with a wide range of powerlifting and Olympic barbells, specialty bars, power racks, dumbbells, and just about everything else you need for your home gym. Titan Fitness offers premium quality equipment without the premium costs, so you’ll be able to equip your gym fully and still stay within your budget. Plus, Titan Fitness has free shipping on everything and offers a one-year warranty so that you can buy with confidence.

If you’d like to know more about buying the right equipment for your powerlifting, strongman training, or daily exercise routine, visit Titan Fitness. We’ll provide you with the equipment you need so you can create your dream gym at a price you can afford.

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Health and Lifestyle How To's

How to Build Your Own Workout Routine: Plans, Schedules, and Exercises

A customized workout schedule can be a fun and rewarding experience – not to mention a goal many people strive to achieve. Finding the right combination of cardio exercise, strength training, and rest days can help you fine-tune your body to get into optimal shape. But many people trying to get on a regular schedule have many questions about how to build a workout routine that gets results.

When you are just getting started on the path to designing your workout program, there are a ton of variables to consider. What kinds of exercises are best for your body? How many sets and reps do you need to gain muscle? How many days off should you take? How quickly should you increase the amount of weight you are lifting, the length of time spent training, etc.? The list goes on and on! This guide takes an in-depth look at everything you need to know about building a workout routine so you can get started on your own.

Whether you are a seasoned weightlifter looking to update your exercise schedule or designing your first workout plan, read on to learn everything you need to know about building a workout routine that works for you.

Person working out outside

How to Build a Workout Routine

When designing a workout routine, there are a few key questions you will want to consider. 

What are your goals?

First things first: what do you want to accomplish with your workout routine? Are you trying to lose weight? Do you want to build muscle? Are you training for a 5k or a marathon? Whatever your goals, you should write them down and keep them top of mind so you know what you want to achieve. Your goals will direct you on how to build a workout routine that gets you where you want to go. 

When creating goals of any kind – but specifically when it comes to fitness goals – try using the SMART method. SMART is an acronym for:

Specific: Make sure your goals outline what you are trying to accomplish in a clear and concise way.

Measurable: Your goals must allow you to measure your progress. For example, maybe you want to lose 5 pounds by a specific date. Or, perhaps you would like to be able to do ten bench presses with a certain amount of weight. Whatever your goals are, you need to make sure you can connect them to tangible progress markers. 

Attainable: Make sure your goals are realistic. Depending on your body weight and BMI, losing weight, gaining muscle mass, etc., will take different amounts of time. 

Relevant: Keep your goals relevant to your interests, likes/dislikes, abilities, etc. For example, if you hate running or have a leg injury, setting a goal to run x amount of miles won’t be relevant. 

Timely: Make a timeline for your goals that ensures that you stick to a steady schedule without putting yourself at risk for injury. 

What has worked in the past? 

If a particular type of training has worked for you in the past, the odds are pretty good that you can continue with that training and see results. Consider the types of exercise that made you feel excited about training – and the types that you didn’t enjoy. That way, you will have a baseline of activities to start with. 

person benching

How much time do you have to devote to your workout goals? 

You also have to determine the level of commitment that you can devote to your goals and training. This will be primarily based on your work schedule, lifestyle, family life, social obligations, etc. Training 3-5 days per week is a good goal for most people. Once you have figured out how many days a week you will train, you can start to schedule your days to design a training split and training frequency. 

Training frequency

Training frequency refers to how often you will train a muscle. Usually, people start with training a muscle group 2-3 times per week. This means 12-18 total sets per week. Of course, it’s a good idea to experiment with the amount of training and sets you do in order to find the best results and track your progress early on. 

Training Split

Training split refers to splitting up which workouts will train which muscle groups. If you train 2-3 days per week, you might consider doing a full body split. This means that each day you work out, you are working on your full body instead of just one set of muscle groups. If you train more frequently, you will want to factor that into how to build a workout routine. You might spend two days on your upper body, two days on your lower body, etc. 

How long will you give yourself to reach your goals?

Make sure that you set realistic timeframes for gaining muscle or losing weight. If you’re trying to lose weight, the best way is to maintain a calorie deficit by consuming 250-500 fewer calories per day than your normal calorie intake. This should result in losing 1-2 pounds per week. 

If your goal is to gain muscle mass, aim for a calorie surplus by adding 250-500 calories to your normal calorie intake. This results in gaining lean muscle mass of about .5 pounds per week. 

What exercise and movements should you include?

There are so many different exercises to choose from – it can be overwhelming when you are figuring out how to build a workout routine. The most important factor for strength, muscle gain, and general fitness is to create a workout program that builds a foundation for success in the future. Here are a few of the most important considerations when you’re deciding how to build a workout routine.

Bodyweight movements

Bodyweight movements are pretty much just what they sound like. They are exercises where you are moving your own body weight vs. lifting or pressing weights. Developing a firm grasp of bodyweight movements can help you develop a better form in other movements. The main bodyweight movements include push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, single-leg squats, jumping, and more. 

Compound exercises

Compound movements are key for building muscle. These are movements that stress multiple muscle groups at the same time. This means they involve multiple joints flexing, extending, and/or rotating in unison with each other. They train more muscles at once, making them more time-efficient and increasing loading stress. Common compound movements include the deadlift, rows, and the overhead press. 

person performing a barbell squat

However, compound lifting can also have some disadvantages to watch out for. It can be difficult to isolate muscles, muscle fatigue can sometimes make the movements less effective, and it can be challenging to address movement imbalances. 

Accessory movements

Accessory movements exist to support the main lifts in your workout and help support your growth over time. They add additional balance, coordination, and strength to your workout goals. Accessory movements are a great way to add variety, creativity, and fun to your workouts. 

It’s Time to Begin Your Fitness Journey

When you’re deciding how to build a workout routine that works for your body, it’s hard to go wrong with a full-body program. It can help you establish a workout routine while also keeping your schedule super simple, and they let you train the main muscle groups multiple days per week. Full-body workouts are also great if your goal for working out is for your general health rather than for aesthetics. And another perk is that they require much less time, whether you are working out in a gym or in your home gym. 

At Titan Fitness, we have all the equipment you need to achieve your workout goals. Our home gym equipment can help you figure out how to build a workout routine that makes your body look and feel great in no time. 

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Health and Lifestyle How To's

The Ultimate Guide To Losing Fat and Gaining Muscle at the Same Time

In the quest to build a strong, healthy body, fitness enthusiasts often focus on either losing fat or gaining muscle. But is it possible to work toward both goals at the same time? Many trainers and fitness experts will tell you that losing body fat and gaining muscle simultaneously is possible — but you have to understand how to do so and be willing to do what it takes to get there. Let’s take a closer look at how to go about losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time.

What Is Losing Fat and Gaining Muscle All About?

Essentially, losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously means “getting toned.” It refers to shaping the body and slimming down. It would be one thing if the human body were made up of only one consistent material, but it’s not. Our bodies are comprised of many different types of materials of varying densities. Getting the body into shape involves both losing fat and gaining muscle. But muscle and fat are two very different materials, and working with each requires a different approach. 

In other words, we can’t swap out fat for muscle or muscle for fat. Your body composition is the ratio of fat mass to lean mass. Fat mass is just what it sounds like — body fat. But lean mass includes your muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, organs, etc. 

At first glance, the methods needed for the respective goals of losing fat and gaining muscle seem to be at odds with each other. Losing fat requires burning more calories than you consume. But to build muscle, you need to consume more calories than you burn. 

To burn fat, you need to ensure your body is in a calorie deficit. This means eating fewer calories than you burn every day. A deficit means that your body must tap into pre-existing fat to get the energy to move or exercise. On the flip side, your body needs to be in a calorie surplus to gain muscle. A surplus means that your body has excess calories to rely on for energy, so any fat stored on your body remains untouched. 

So, how do we tackle the paradox of losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time? 

Person doing kettlebell squats

Is it Possible to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle at the Same Time?

Getting toned is not always easy — but it is possible, and anyone can do it with the proper guidance, knowledge, and self-discipline.

Making your body more athletic, or losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously, is done by changing the fat mass ratio to lean mass. This process is very different from weight loss. Losing weight means losing both fat and muscle. It makes your body smaller, but your shape doesn’t change. Many people can lose weight and feel very slender but not have the shapely and toned physique they want or the muscle strength they desire. 

Instead of aiming for weight loss, focusing on fat loss tends to be healthier for your body. It also helps to ensure that you don’t lose muscle definition. Fat loss boils down to consuming fewer calories than you burn — or being in a calorie deficit. 

The Mayo Clinic offers a free calorie calculator to estimate the daily calories you need to maintain your current body weight. 

When you’re low on calories or on a cutting diet, as some trainers call it, your body will depend on pre-existing fat when you’re exercising, but it will also start to break down muscles. For optimal health, it’s generally best to avoid breaking down muscle. This will result in a healthier body that looks and feels toned. 

Losing fat and gaining muscle help reduce your body fat percentage because the fat mass ratio to lean mass decreases. You are changing your physique, not your weight. As you begin this process, you can see your body change. You might notice that your favorite pair of jeans fit slightly differently or that your stomach looks firmer. Even if you begin to gain weight, it will feel like your physique is smaller overall. 

What Does Energy Have To Do With Losing Fat and Gaining Muscle?

When working on losing fat and gaining muscle all at once, it’s essential to consider where calories go. When we burn calories by expending energy from the body, does our body pull from muscle or fat tissue? The short answer is: we don’t know! When we reduce our caloric intake, we don’t get to control whether our bodies turn to fat or muscle for energy. It would be great if all our calories fed our muscle tissue and none fed our body fat, wouldn’t it? The uncertainty of where our calories will go is called calorie partitioning. 

What Is Calorie Partitioning?

Calorie partitioning depends on how much protein our bodies gain or lose when they are over-fed or under-fed. This number is referred to as the P-ratio. For the most part, we can’t control the P-ratio because it tends to be genetic. But physiologist Lyle McDonald explains that we do have control over about 15%–20% of it, based on how we diet and what we do when we exercise. 

Table of food

Hormones are one of the main determinants when it comes to our P-ratios. Higher testosterone levels lead to reducing more fat than muscle. And chronically high levels of cortisol lead to reducing more muscle than fat.

However, it’s still tough to predict what percentage of energy goes toward creating muscle cells versus fat cells when we are in a calorie surplus. If you are doing enough training for strength, consuming enough protein, drinking enough water, etc., your body could theoretically use stored fat to build muscle tissue. But it doesn’t happen this way for most people. 

You want to eat 300–500 calories per day above your baseline needs for sustainable muscle gain without excess fat gain.

How to Easily Lose Weight and Gain Muscle at the Same Time?

The people who stand the best chance at losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time fall into two different groups based on how long they have been strength training, their current ratio of fat mass to lean mass, hormone levels, and genetics. 

See which group you fall into to find out how to go about losing weight and gaining muscle at the same time.

People With High Body Fat and No Training Experience

If you haven’t done strength training before, it will be easy for you to gain muscle. And those with a higher percentage of body fat have more energy to spare and gain muscle. A higher body fat percentage also means that your body is likely more insulin resistant, a condition in which your fat cells resist taking on more calories, so the energy is diverted toward muscle.

Strength training will help muscles grow rapidly, improving insulin sensitivity and the muscle cells’ ability to uptake nutrients. When both of these factors are present, it is a perfect combo for losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. 

Very Athletic People Coming Back From a Break

Athletes who, for various reasons, have not been as active in some time also find losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time much easier than most. They lost muscle mass and gained body fat during their reprieve, but it is easy to rebuild that mass due to the muscle memory effect. They are also more likely to be the kind of people excited about working out and may have previously had a training schedule they can easily jump back into. 

What About Everyone Else?

Losing fat and gaining muscle is more difficult for people who are very lean and muscular — but it is still possible. It requires an exercise program and diet that maintains the right amount of caloric intake versus expenditure. 

The best way to approach this problem is to tackle one objective at a time. Losing fat and gaining muscle can be subsequent goals instead of simultaneous goals. Many people have found it most effective to focus on losing body fat first and then working toward toning and gaining muscles. 

You need a healthy diet and cardiovascular exercise to get into a calorie deficit that enables fat loss. Fad diets are never good because they often aim to shed pounds too quickly. This isn’t safe or healthy, and these diets are tough to maintain over time. Lower your calories and do cardio exercises that keep your heart rate up, and you will start to trim some fat off your body. 

Once you have shed some fat, you can begin the muscle-building process. This involves strength training and dietary changes. You want to add protein to your diet — and a lot of it. Protein helps your body convert fat into muscle. When you do strength training, you push your muscles to the point that they start to tear and break down. In the time between workouts, protein helps your body repair muscles and build them back up. 

In addition to changing your diet and incorporating cardio exercise and strength training, it is critical to ensure that your body gets adequate sleep each night. Sleep is the body’s time to repair, replenish lost energy, and heal broken tissues. 

How Titan Fitness Can Help

Losing fat and gaining muscle isn’t easy — but it certainly is possible. With a blend of determination, discipline, and mental strength, you can achieve anything! If you’re interested in setting up a home gym, Titan Fitness has all the equipment you need. Browse our collection of home gym equipment and choose the gear you need to meet all of your health and fitness goals. 

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Health and Lifestyle Workouts

The Titan Fitness Challenge – Week 6

The Titan Fitness Challenge. Week 6. Woman standing doing a cable rope pulldown. There is an American flag behind her. There is a full workout and it is written out below.

This week marks the end of the Titan Fitness Challenge – 6-weeks that we hoped improved your health and life. Way to go! Give yourself a pat on the back (at the end) for finishing the whole challenge.

If you’re just finding out about our Challenge, feel free to start at Week 1 of our Titan Fitness Challenge and complete the workouts on your own 6-week block! It’s never too late to get fit.

These workouts are part of our 6-week fitness challenge, where one of our top personal trainers put together a series of workout routines meant to challenge all fitness levels. Tweak the weights and rest times to your level of fitness.

Titan Fitness Challenge: Week 6

Day 1 Workout

Equipment needed:   

Workout:

  • Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 x 10
  • Cable Chest Flys | 3 x 10
    • Alternative exercise: Dumbbell Chest Flys
  • Reverse Cable Flys | 3 x 10
    • Alternative exercise: Reverse Dumbbell Flys
  • 1-Arm Row (Each arm) | 3 x 10

Conditioning: 3 Rounds:

  • 30 sec. Plank
  • 15 sec. Side Plank (Each side)
  • 50 Jumping Jacks

Day 2 Workout

Equipment needed: 

  • Set of Dumbbells

Workout:

  • Dumbbell Split Squat (Each leg) | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Goblet Squat | 3 x 10, (2 x 1 Tempo)
    • Take 2 seconds to lower the weight, and a 1 second pause at the bottom
  • Dumbbell Straight Leg Deadlift | 3 x 8

Conditioning: 20 – 15 – 10

Do 20 reps of each exercise, then 15, then 10

  • High Plank Opposite Knee to Elbow
  • Jump Squats

Day 3 Workout

Equipment needed: 

Workout:

  • Barbell Overhead Press | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 x 10
  • 1-Arm Row (Each arm) | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Curls | 3 x 10

Conditioning: For Time (Finish As Fast As Possible)

  • 50 Jumping Jacks
  • 40 Walking Lunges
  • 30 Sit Ups
  • 20 Box Jumps
  • 10 Burpees

Day 4 Workout 

Equipment needed: 

Workout:

  • Hyper Extension | 3 x 10
  • Kettlebell Goblet Step Through Lunges | 3 x 5
    • 1 rep is forward and reverse lunge
  • Kettlebell Goblet Squat | 3 x 10

Conditioning:

  • 1 Mile Run
  • 50 High Plank Shoulder Taps
    • Opposite hand to opposite shoulder

Day 5 Workout 

Equipment needed: 

Workout:

  • 1-Arm Dumbbell Push Press (Each arm) | 3 x 10
  • Barbell Row | 3 x 10
    • Alternative exercise: Dumbbell Row
  • Cable Tricep Rope Extension | 3 x 10
    • Alternative exercise: Dumbbell Kickback
  • Dumbbell Curls (Each arm) | 3 x 10

Conditioning:

Partition any way, meaning any order and rep scheme

  • 1 Mile Run
  • 50 Doulbe Unders or 100 Jumping Jacks
  • 50 Burpees
  • 50 Sit Ups

Congratulations. You made it to the finish line. Now that you’ve completed the last week of the Titan Fitness Challenge, don’t let your momentum slip away! Go check out our workouts playlist on YouTube, pick a workout, and keep up the great work!

Visit our Instagram to see how others did, and remember to post your own pictures! Use the hashtag #TitanFitness30DayChallenge and you could be featured on our Instagram! Once again, congratulations on finishing the Titan Fitness Challenge!

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Health and Lifestyle Workouts

The Titan Fitness Challenge – Week 5

The Titan Fitness Challenge. Week 5. Woman on a seat doing a lat pulldown. There is a full workout and it is written out below.

You’ve made it past the halfway point and you’re almost to the finish line. Congratulations! This week we have new exercises, such as Zottman Curls, to challenge you while providing a fun and effective workout.

At Titan, we believe that fitness is for everyone, and shouldn’t be overwhelming to begin. So, if you’re finding out about us, feel free to start at Week 1 of our Titan Fitness Challenge and work your way here! It’s never too late. These workouts are part of our 6-week fitness challenge, where one of our top personal trainers put together a series of workout routines meant to challenge all fitness levels. Tweak the weights and rest times to your level of fitness.

Titan Fitness Challenge: Week 5

Day 1 Workout

Equipment needed:   

Workout:

  • Flat Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 x 6 , (2 x 1 Tempo)
    • Take 2 seconds to lower the weight, and a 1 second pause at the bottom
  • Seated Dumbbell Overhead Tricep Extension | 3 x 10
  • Lat Pulldown Machine (Supinated Grip) | 3 x 12
    • Alternative exercise: Chin Up
  • Zottman Dumbbell Curls | 3 x 10

Conditioning: 3 Rounds:

  • 10 Dumbbell Strict Presses
  • 20 Jumping Jacks
  • 30 sec Hollow Hold

Day 2 Workout

Equipment needed: 

Workout:

  • Dumbbell Walking Lunge (Each leg) | 3 x 10
  • Reverse Hyper Extension | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Squat | 3 x 10, (2 x 1 Tempo)
    • Take 2 seconds to lower the weight, and a 1 second pause at the bottom

Conditioning: 3 Rounds:

  • 30 Mountain Climbers
  • 15 Sit Ups

Day 3 Workout

Equipment needed: 

Workout:

  • Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press | 4 x 6
  • Seated Dumbbell Reverse Flys (Each arm) | 3 x 10
  • 1-Arm Kettlebell Bent Over Row | 3 x 10, (2 x 1 Tempo)
    • Take 2 seconds to lower the weight, and a 1 second pause at the bottom
  • EZ Bar Skullcrushers | 3 x 10

Conditioning: 20 – 15 – 10

Do 20 reps of each exercise, then 15, then 10

  • High Plank Opposite Knee to Elbow
  • Jump Squats

Day 4 Workout 

Equipment needed: 

Workout:

  • Kettlebell Goblet Squat | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Box Step Ups (Each leg) | 3 x 8
  • Straight Leg Deadlifts | 3 x 10

Conditioning: 3 Rounds:

  • 10 Push Ups
  • 15 Ab Bicycle Kicks

Day 5 Workout 

Equipment needed: 

  • Barbell
  • Kettlebell
  • Cable Machine or Lat Pulldown with Rope Extension

Workout:

  • Barbell Row | 3 x 10
    • Alternative exercise: Dumbbell Row
  • Kettlebell Horn Curls | 3 x 10
  • Push Ups | 3 x 15-20
  • Cable Tricep Rope Extension | 3 x 10
    • Alternative exercise: Dumbbell Kickback

Conditioning: 10 min. AMRAP

  • 10 Sit Ups
  • 10 Box Jumps or Step Ups
  • 5 Burpees

You’ve completed Week 5 of the Titan Fitness Challenge. Just one more week until you’ve finished the entire 6-week Challenge! Congratulations on making it this far. If you’re struggling to finish your workouts, consider lowering your weight or resting for more time in between sets.

Visit our Instagram to see how others are doing, and please remember to post your own pictures! Use the hashtag #TitanFitness30DayChallenge and you could be featured on our Instagram!

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Health and Lifestyle Workouts

The Titan Fitness Challenge – Week 4

The Titan Fitness Challenge. Week 4. Woman on a seated stationary bench using dumbbells to do shoulder presses. There is a full workout and it is written out below.

Now starts the home stretch of the Titan Fitness Challenge – Week 4. When you finish this week, you’ll be more than 50% done, and can take away a renewed sense of motivation. Don’t give up now!

If you’re just finding out about our Challenge now, it’s never too late to get involved! Start by completing the first week of our Titan Fitness Challenge. These workouts are part of our 6-week fitness challenge, where one of our top personal trainers put together a series of workout routines meant to challenge all fitness levels. Tweak the weights and rest times to your level of fitness.

Titan Fitness Challenge: Week 4

Day 1 Workout

Equipment needed:   

Workout:

  • Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 x 8
  • Banded Pull Aparts | 3 x 12
  • Lat Pulldown Machine | 3 x 12
    • Alternative exercise: Pull Up
  • Cable Chest Flys | 3 x 10
    • Alternative exercise: Dumbbell Chest Flys

Conditioning: 20 – 15 – 10

Do 20 reps of each exercise, then 15, then 10

  • Jumping Jacks
  • Crossbody V Ups

Day 2 Workout

Equipment needed: 

Workout:

  • Barbell Reverse Lunge (Each leg) | 3 x 8
  • Reverse Hyper Extension | 3 x 10
  • Kettlebell Goblet Squat | 3 x 10

Conditioning: 8 Min AMRAP

  • 15 Jump Rope Double Unders
  • 30 sec Plank
  • 5 Burpees

Day 3 Workout

Equipment needed: 

  • Set of Dumbbells

Workout:

  • Dumbbell Overhead Press | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Upright Row | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Curls (Each arm) | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Tricep Kickback (Each arm) | 3 x 10

Conditioning: 3 rounds

  • 30 second side planks (30 seconds each side)
  • 30 Mountain Climbers

Day 4 Workout 

Equipment needed: 

Workout:

  • Kettlebell Goblet Step Through Lunges (Each leg) | 3 x 5
    • 1 rep is forward and reverse lunge
  • Reverse Hyper Extension | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Box Step Ups (Each leg) | 3 x 8

Conditioning:

  • 1 Mile Run
  • Flutter Kicks | 3 x 50

Day 5 Workout 

Equipment needed: 

  • Set of Dumbbells
  • Barbell

Workout:

  • Overhead Barbell Press | 3 x 10
  • 1-arm Dumbbell Row (Each arm) | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Lateral Raise (Each arm) | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Reverse Flys | 3 x 10

Conditioning: 3 Rounds

Rest 1 Minute Between Rounds

  • 10 Dumbbell Thrusters
  • 20 Second Hollow Hold
  • 30 Jumping Jacks

That ends our fourth week of the Titan Fitness Challenge. Once again, congratulations on getting more than halfway through to the end!

If you’re struggling to finish your workouts, consider lowering your weight or resting for more time in between sets. If you feel like giving up, remember how far you’ve come to make it to Week 4.

Visit out Instagram to see your fellow challenger’s progress – and please remember to post your own pictures! Use the hashtag #TitanFitness30DayChallenge and you could be featured on our Instagram!

Categories
Health and Lifestyle

Fitness Resolutions: 22 Goals for 2022

Let’s all treat 2021 like it was the warm-up for our 2022. We all learned a lot about how to get in kick-butt at-home workouts, and how to build the perfect home gym. Now it’s time to put that into practice and commit to a healthier 2022. Here are 22 resolutions to kick the year into gear! If you happen to do one or all of them, let us know by tagging us on Instagram at @betitanfit.  

KICKSTART YOUR NEW YEAR BY… 

  1. Writing a mindful daily routine  

A written routine will have you motivated from the moment your feet hit the floor and keep you from wasting any time during your day. It helps you focus and keeps you going throughout the day.  

Start by setting an alarm for the same time each day, preferably when you have some ‘quiet’ time. Use that time to write out your day’s schedule, affirmations, and whatever else you think will help! 

  1. Ditching the scale

Instead, go by how you feel and how your clothes fit.

If you spend too long focusing solely on the numbers on a scale, you will never see progress made anywhere else. Focus on the positives of getting stronger and builder a healthier body rather than what the scale tells you. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat! 

A man at the top of a deadlift rep, looking intense.
  1. Being consistent 

You started off 2021 by working out, every single day. You were on track to hit all those resolutions! Then you missed a workout because you were tired. Then two more the week after that because you were sore. But you’ve been working out every day, so it shouldn’t matter. You were still on track to hit your goals…right?  

Sound familiar?  

So often we start telling ourselves we need to work out every day, only to burn out a week later. Start small by committing to working out 2 or 3 days a week and work up from there. Increase your commitment when you can sustain a new schedule for 2 months minimum. Don’t wait for motivation, aim for discipline to crush those resolutions. An easy way to start is to find a challenge or workout program that has your days planned for you, like the 6-week Titan Fitness Challenge. The challenge can be adjusted as needed to meet your level of fitness and goals.

  1. Improving your form  

Focus more on using proper form and less on lifting more weight, even if that means lifting less to achieve better mechanics. Master the proper forms first, and then work your way up slowly while keeping your technique clean! Your joints will thank you, and the (new and improved) results will follow! 

A man has a slam ball raised above his head, poised to throw it on the ground. He is standing on his toes, fully extended.
  1. Learning new moves 

A fun goal is to learn new movements– such as pistol squats, Turkish getup, or weighted ball slams! Plus, using new equipment like kettlebells and slam balls is fun! 

  1. Trying a new workout  

Keep your workouts interesting by testing out a new workout split or training type: German volume training, push/pull, 5X5, etc. 

  1. Being mindful of what you put in your body  

Make a renewed commitment to eat whole foods while avoiding overly processed snacks. Just cutting out one can of soda or bag of chips a day can have a ripple (no pun intended) effect on your overall health.  

  1. Walking 10K steps daily  

Aim for 10,000 steps a day – even on rest days. Anything over 10,000 steps a day goes directly towards your fitness goals.  

  1. Resting (Yes! Really!) 

You’ve heard it 1 million times before, but you can’t pour from an empty cup. Set aside time to rest and relax so you can make sure that your fitness resolutions and goals are sustainable.  

  1. Consuming food, not media  

Sit down to eat every meal without any electronics or distractions. Have a family meal at a table, instead of on the couch.  

  1. Stretching 

It’s great to keep in shape and work out those muscles, but flexibility will give you sustainability and movement for a long healthy life. Issues with range of motion? Try using resistance bands for an improved stretching experience. 

A woman on a fan bike, looking directly at the camera.  We can see her from the quadriceps and above.
  1. Getting your heart rate up  

Work in some sort of cardio and get your heart rate up at least three times a week. This is where HIIT mixed with weight training is a stellar option. Too cold outside to run? Investing in a piece of cardio equipment like a fan bike or a rower is a smart idea to stay warm while staying fit. 

  1. Journaling  

Write down your goals and continue to document what you have done and how you feel throughout your fitness journey. By documenting all that you accomplish, you will be able to see a shift in mindset and have you will be able to see how far you have come. 

A woman carries a metal object during a Spartan Race. The object says 'TITAN' on it.
  1. Signing up for an event 

If you need deadlines to keep you motivated, find a local event like a 5k, Spartan Race, or a 30-Day challenge and sign up!  

Having an event or challenge in mind, and even paying money for it, will keep you energized to reach your goals. The sense of community these events foster brings more enjoyment, satisfaction, and desire to achieve your goals. 

  1. Creating a space in your home to workout 

If a gym is not in the cards, you can still find a designated space for your gym. It can be a spare bedroom, your garage, or even your living room after the kids go to bed.  A home gym package like the Titan Space Saver Starter Package helps to provide gym essentials while maximizing space efficiency.

  1. Buying some new gear 

This is a fun one! Commit to yourself, your workout, and your goals by buying some new gear. It can be as small as a new water bottle or towel, or as large as a new power rack. Whatever you choose, make sure if energizes you and reminds you of your goals whenever you use it. 

Related Article: How to Elevate Your Home Gym Experience.

  1. Strengthening Your Core 

Even if it is just one exercise, abs are something that you can work out every single day. Building a strong core is important to be able to keep moving, prevent injury, and help your balance. A stronger core means better balance and stability, which improves all areas of your life! 

A woman sitting on the ground, against a wall.  She is drinking from a water bottle in her right hand.  Her left hand is resting on a slam ball. A towel is draped over her left shoulder.
  1. Hydrating, hydrating, and hydrating some more!  

Be mindful of how much water and electrolytes you are consuming throughout the day, especially before and after workouts. Get a specific water bottle where you can keep track of how many times you fill that up a day.  

The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine states that women should aim for about 91 ounces of water each day, and men, 125 ounces.

Remember: your body is composed mostly of water, so it’s important to keep those stores up!

  1. Aiming for 7-8 hours of sleep every night  

This may not always be easy or work out with your schedule, but aim for at least 7 hours of solid sleep every night. Getting enough rest will have you feeling refreshed and ready set you up for success the next day. 

Getting adequate amounts of quality sleep has numerous health benefits across many areas of life. To name a few:

  • Getting sick less often
  • Helping with mental health
  • Building new muscle (and helping them grow bigger after a workout!)
  1. Doing one new activity a month 

There are so many activities that get your heart rate up – basketball, tennis, paddle boarding, etc. Choose one a month and enjoy the exercise while mixing up your routine.  

Two men doing pushups on slam balls, side by side, looking at the camera
  1. Inviting a friend to join you 

Invite one new friend every month to workout with you. This is a great plan for accountability and to spread the love of health and fitness. 

  1. Planning for the week 

Try to plan your week as a whole rather than scrambling to make plans the day of. If your goal is to work out three times a week, choose the days ahead of time. Once you have set a schedule, it’s easier to hold yourself accountable. 

Using a paper calendar can help you visualize your month, and can help you keep track of your progress over time. A scheduling app (or even just the native Calendar app on your smart phone) with reminders can help keep you focused.

Bonus! (for those of us with kids) – get your kids involved with one (or more) of these resolutions (signing kids up for an obstacle course sounds fun!) and start good habits young! 

NOW WHAT? AND A WORD OF ADVICE… 

If you’ve been able to consistently apply one or more of these goals and resolutions to your life, congratulations! You’ve successfully completed one of your 22 fitness resolutions for 2022.  

So now what?  

One thing we suggest: documenting your journey and sharing it with others! Taking before and after photos or keeping a log of your progress can bring great satisfaction and a renewed drive to achieve even more in 2023.  Sharing your success stories with others builds a sense of community, accountability, and can motivate them to achieve their own goals. Even if you don’t share your progress, having evidence of your progress to look back on is rewarding on its own.  

Happy 2022! 

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Health and Lifestyle Workouts

The Titan Fitness Challenge – Week 3

The Titan Fitness Challenge. Week 3. Person on a weight bench using a dumbbell with a single arm curl. There is a full workout and it is written out below.

Now starts Week 3 of The Titan Fitness Challenge. Since you’ve successfully completed Weeks 1 and 2 of the Challenge, you’ve built consistent and healthy habits. Congratulations! At the end of this week, you’ll be halfway done with the challenge, so don’t give up now!

If you’re just joining us now, it’s never too late to start the first week of our Titan Fitness Challenge. These workouts are part of our 6-week fitness challenge, where one of our top personal trainers put together a series of workout routines meant to challenge all fitness levels. Tweak the weights and rest times to your level of fitness.

Titan Fitness Challenge: Week 3

Day 1 Workout

Equipment needed:   

Workout:

  • Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 x 6
  • Incline Dumbbell Chest Flys | 4 x 12
  • 1-Arm Dumbbell Row (Each arm) | 4 x 10
  • Reverse Dumbbell Flys| 4 x 10

Conditioning: 4 Rounds

  • 100m Sprints

Day 2 Workout

Equipment needed: 

Workout:

  • Kettlebell Goblet Step Through Lunges (Each leg) | 3 x 5
    • 1 rep is forward and reverse lunge
  • Dumbbell Straight Leg Deadlift | 3 x 10
  • Yoga Push Ups | 5 after each set of Deadlifts
  • Barbell Squat | 3 x 10
    • Alternative exercise: Kettlebell Goblet Squat

Conditioning: 3 Rounds

  • 10 Push Ups
  • 15 Ab Bicycle Kicks

Day 3 Workout

Equipment needed: 

  • Set of Dumbbells
  • Barbell 

Workout:

  • Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 x 8
  • Barbell Row | 3 x 12
    • Alternative exercise: Dumbbell Row
  • Dumbbell Hammer Curls (Each arm) | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Overhead Tricep Extension (Each arm) | 3 x 10

Conditioning: 15 – 12 – 9

Do 15 reps of each exercise, then 12, then 9

  • Burpees
  • Box Jumps or Step Ups
  • Sit Ups

Day 4 Workout 

Equipment needed: 

  • Kettlebell

Workout:

  • Kettlebell Goblet Step Through Lunges (Each leg) | 3 x 5
    • 1 rep is forward and reverse lunge
  • Kettlebell Russian Swings | 3 x 12
  • Lying Supermans | 3 x 10

Conditioning: 2 Rounds

  • 50m Walking Lunges
  • 50m Bear Crawl

Day 5 Workout 

Equipment needed: 

Workout:

  • 1-Arm Farmer’s Carry (holding on each side) | 3 x 50m hold
  • 1-arm Overhead Kettlebell Carry (holding on each side) | 3 x 50m hold
  • EZ Bar Curl | 3 x 10
  • Cable Tricep Rope Extension | 3 x 10
    • Alternative exercise: Dumbbell Kickback

Conditioning:

  • Burpee Box Jumps: 10, 8, 6
  • Lemon Squeezer: 20, 16, 12
    • Partition anyway you choose, meaning an order and rep scheme

That brings us to the end of our third week of the Titan Fitness Challenge. Congratulations on making it this far – you’re halfway through!

If you’re struggling to keep up, consider lowering your weight or resting more in between sets – but whatever you do, don’t give up or quit now!

Visit out Instagram to see your fellow challenger’s progress – and please remember to post your own pictures! Use the hashtag #TitanFitness30DayChallenge and you could be featured on our Instagram!

Categories
Health and Lifestyle Workouts

The Titan Fitness Challenge – Week 2

The Titan Fitness Challenge. Week 2. Person on a plyometric box and using a kettlebell. There is a full workout and it is written out below.

Welcome back to Week 2 of The Titan Fitness Challenge! With the first full week in the books, it’s crucial to push forward and practice consistency in your fitness journey. Now is not the time to take a break, continue pushing yourself, and get into the habit of challenging yourself.

It’s okay if you missed the first week of the challenge, you can always go back to that set of workouts. This is part of our 6-week fitness challenge, where we had one of our top personal trainers put together a series of workout routines meant to challenge all fitness levels. Join us as we strive to continually better ourselves and accomplish all the challenges that come our way.

Titan Fitness Challenge: Week 2

Day 1 Workout

Equipment needed:   

Workout:

  • Alternating Dumbbell Flat Bench Press | 3 x 8 each arm
  • Barbell Row | 3 x 12
    • Alternative exercise: Dumbbell Row
  • Cable Rope Tricep Extension | 3 x 10
    • Alternative exercise: Dumbbell Kickback
  • Cable Rope Curls | 3 x 10
    • Alternative exercise: Dumbbell Curl

Conditioning: 3 Rounds

  • 100m 1-Arm Kettlebell Farmer’s Carry
  • 20 Low Side Plank Reaches | 10 each side

Day 2 Workout

Equipment needed: 

Workout:

  • Kettlebell Goblet Reverse Lunges | 3 x 10 each leg
    • This exercise can be done holding a single dumbbell
  • Kettlebell Russian Swings | 3 x 10
  • Kettlebell Goblet Squat | 3 x 10
    • (Tempo 2 x 1) 2 seconds lower, 1 second pause at bottom

Conditioning: 10 min AMRAP

  • 2 Hanging Knee Raises
  • 2 Box Jumps or Step Ups
  • 30 Jump Rope Double Unders
  • 4 Hanging Knee Raises
  • 4 Box Jumps or Step Ups
  • 30 Jump Rope Double Unders
    • Continue adding 2 reps after each set. Jump Rope remains the same.

Day 3 Workout

Equipment needed: 

Workout:

  • Standing Dumbbell Push Press | 3 x 12, 10, 8
    • Increase weight after each set
  • Lat Pull Down Machine | 3 x 10
    • Alternative exercise: Pull Up
  • Standing Cable Reverse Flys | 3 x 10
    • Dumbbell Reverse Flys

Conditioning: 3 Rounds

  • 25 Mountain Climbers
  • 50m Bear Crawl

Day 4 Workout 

Equipment needed: 

  • Set of Dumbbells
  • Workout Bench or Plyometric Box
  • Kettlebell

Workout:

  • Dumbbell Squat | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Straight Leg Deadlift | 3 x 10
    • Yoga Push Ups | 3 x 10
      • 5 reps immediately after each Deadlift set
  • Dumbbell Box Step Ups | 3 x8 each leg

Conditioning: 20-15-10

  • Jumping Jacks
  • Kettlebell High Plank Drag Throughs
    • 20 of everything, then 15, then 10

Day 5 Workout 

Equipment needed: 

  • Set of Dumbbells

Workout:

  • Dumbbell Curl to Press | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Lateral Raises | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Bent Over Row | 3 x 10
  • Dumbbell Kickback | 3 x 10

Conditioning:

  • 1 Mile Run
  • 50 Double Unders or 100 Jumping Jacks
  • 50 Burpees
  • 50 Sit Ups
    • Partition anyway you choose, meaning an order and rep scheme

This concludes the second week of the Titan Fitness Challenge! Continue to check back each week for the next set of workouts for this series. Don’t forget to post pictures of yourself participating in the Titan Fitness Challenge. If you tag us @betitanfit and use the hashtag #TitanFitness30DayChallenge, you may be featured on our Instagram page!

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