Category: Workouts

We all have our favorite day at the gym, but let’s be honest it’s hard to beat Chest Day! To many, the routine is simple: hop on a bench and lift heavy. But what is oftentimes overlooked is the all-important warm-up. Sure, you could slap on a few 45lbs plates to a barbell and do a quick set of 10, but is that really considered a warm-up? A warm-up benefits you not only by helping avoid injuries but is also a top way to improve your overall performance. Coach Chris Lane, a loyal Titan Fitness customer, and Certified Personal Trainer stopped by to talk about the benefits of warming up before you hit the bench.

An adequate warm-up should last 5-20 minutes and achieve the following:

1. Elevated heart rate
2. Increased respiratory rate
3. Increased flexibility
4. Stimulated CNS and neuromuscular systems

By priming ourselves for movement, our training becomes much more focused and efficient. An adequate warm-up also decreases risk for injury. For those of us still in a time crunch and ready to dive under the bar, here is a “quick and dirty” shoulder health, mobility, and bench activation sequence that will get you activated and ready to bench!

The Perfect Bench Warm Up:

Equipment Needed:

• Light Exercise Band
• Medicine Ball
• Barbell
• Workout Bench

The Warm-up:

Each exercise is performed at one set with the recommended rep count. Once you complete an exercise, jump immediately to the next.

Now that you have completed your warm-up it’s time to tackle chest day. Always remember to lift with controlled movements and ask for a spotter whenever you are lifting weights over your body.

For more fitness tips follow @coachchrislane on Instagram.  #BeTitanFit

Cardio can be a great way to enhance your performance and burn a few extra calories. When it comes to cardio, you’ve got a few different options. Cardio machines, like a fan bike, or outside running both can benefit your body but what are the key differences between the two?

Equipment & Environmental Differences

Let’s take a look at equipment & environmental differences. The obvious difference between running and using a fan bike is access to the equipment. You can either join a gym or purchase your own fan bike. Depending on the bike you pick, price can range anywhere from a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars. The Titan Fitness Fan Bike runs under $700.

Running is definitely more budget-friendly, but there’s still some equipment you need to select. You’ll have to find a pair of high-quality running shoes, if you want to avoid repetitive stress injuries. In addition to shoes, you may also need to consider other equipment like exercise clothing, water bottles, and fitness trackers.

When selecting equipment for your cardio, remember there is a major difference between environments. Using a fan bike is almost always done inside, which has the added perk of avoiding extreme heat, cold, and rain from ruining your workout.

Meanwhile, running has to be done outside if you want to achieve any real distance. There are some perks to exercising outside. Studies have found that time spent outdoors boosts your mood and reduces stress. Just keep in mind that you may not be able to exercise unless the weather is nice.

Difference in Impact

Another difference between the two is impact. Impact essentially refers to how much stress you put on your joints during the exercise. It’s important to consider impact and how much your body can handle during cardio. Doing a high-impact activity all the time can end up increasing your risk for injuries.

Overall, a fan bike has a lower impact than running due to being seated during most of the exercise. The bike supports some of your weight, so your joints are not put under as much stress. This does not mean air bikes are entirely impact-free, but there is just a little less risk of injury when using an air bike.

The difference in impact means that a fan bike might be better for those who have bad joints. If you’re older or worried about injury, a fan bike can also be safer. People who want to run outside but are worried about the impact can opt for shoes with better shock absorption along with running on softer surfaces 

Cardio & Calorie Comparison

Of course, the main thing people want to know is which exercise works better. Figuring out a cardio & calorie comparison for the two can be tricky since they use different sets of muscles and different methods for calculating intensity.

There is no definitive amount for how many calories running will burn versus a fan bike. Things like your weight, the bike’s resistance level, the type of ground you run on, or the speed you pedal at will all change how many calories you burn. In general, when a typical person runs or pedals at an average speed and average difficulty for the same amount of time, running will burn more calories.

Running tends to burn more calories because it uses more muscles and requires you to move your own body weight for the entire exercise. For example, the typical runner might burn around 400 calories in a half-hour run. Meanwhile, the typical 30-minute session on a fan bike would just burn around 300 calories.

When it comes to improving endurance and building muscle, things are even trickier to measure. Generally, if you were running at an average pace, you would build a bit more muscle and aerobic capacity than you would cycling. 

However, your actual results may vary a little more. Some people just naturally perform more intensely with one exercise. If you hate the heat, you might find yourself working out more vigorously on a fan bike inside. If you get bored easily, you might end up running faster or longer when you have changing scenery outdoors.

Ultimately, it all just comes down to your exercise goals and your individual preferences. Both fan bikes and running can be a great tool for getting in shape.Regardless of which choice you pick, success really depends on your own motivation. The best exercise for you will always be one that you find yourself able to do on a regular basis.

When you’re working out, you want to make sure you’re targeting all areas of your body. One of the areas you may want to target is your chest. Exactly what is the best chest building exercise? Keep reading to find out.

How Can I Build My Chest Muscle Fast?

If you are wondering, “How can I build my chest muscle fast?” it’s best to use primarily free weights as opposed to machines. The slight differences in the angle during each repetition are likely to create more muscle growth, but you’ll be performing each repetition exactly the same if you use machines. 

In addition, the key to building muscle in any region of the body fast is by varying your exercise routine. If you simply perform the same exercises over and over, your muscles will adapt to those specific movements only, which results in less muscle growth. The best way to be sure that you’re varying your exercise routine enough is to use a rotation, which includes different chest exercises each session or each week. 

Not only is it important to vary your chest exercises by doing different exercises, but you can also vary how quickly the exercises are performed and how much weight you use. Remember that if you lower the weights very slowly, you won’t need to use anywhere near as much weight as you normally would. 

Luckily, if you want to build up your chest muscles at home, there are lots of ways that you can do it. One great way to bulk up your pecs at home is by using the proper equipment. You can get a wide range of dumbbells, barbells, and machines to build up your chest at home. 

What Is the Best Chest Building Exercise?

If you’re looking to build chest muscle, then you need to do the right exercises. However, you’re probably still wondering, “What is the best chest building exercise?” and the answer to that question varies greatly from one person to another. However, these are a few of the best chest exercises that you can choose: 

• Barbell Bench Press: In order to perform this exercise properly, you’ll lie down on the bench, and then you’ll raise the barbell up until your arms are fully extended but not locked. Then, lower the barbell back to the level of your chest. The barbell should remain in line with your mid-chest at all times. Do not arch your back. This exercise is one of the most popular ways to build chest muscle.

• Flat Bench Dumbbell Press: This exercise is the same as the barbell bench press, but the only difference is that you’ll be using dumbbells instead of barbells. Many weightlifters feel that this exercise is an even better way to build chest muscle than the traditional barbell bench press.

• Machine Decline Press: While this exercise involves using a machine, it can be a highly effective way to build chest muscle in your lower pecs. This exercise involves performing a bench press on a bench that is slightly elevated, which means that the bar is being brought down to a lower part of your chest.

• Seated Machine Chest Press: The seated machine chest press involves sitting upright in a chair while pressing the bar out from the center of your chest. This exercise is performed on a machine. However, it can be an effective way to add some variety to your exercise routine.

• Incline Bench Cable Fly: Chest fly exercises are perfect for building up your entire pectoral region. This exercise requires you to use a machine, but the fact that cables are used makes it more similar to free weight exercises in some ways. Perform this exercise by arcing the cable handles toward the center of your chest prior to lowering the cables back to the sides. Use a bench that’s angled 30 to 45 degrees, and position the cables on each side of you.

• Low Incline Barbell Press: The low incline barbell press involves sitting on a bench that’s tilted 30 to 45 degrees. The bar is lowered to your upper pectoral region, which makes this a great way to build up your upper chest. This exercise can be performed with a free barbell or on a bench press machine.

• Svend Press: This exercise focuses on building the muscles in the central part of your pectoral region, and you can perform it by pressing two barbell discs together and moving outward from your chest. You can perform this exercise in three different ways to target specific areas of your chest muscles.
  
  If you move the discs upward and out from your chest at a 45-degree angle, it will target your upper part of your central pecs. If you move the discs downward from the center of your chest at a 45-degree angle, it will target the lower region of your central chest.
  
  Moving the discs outward from the center of your chest will target the middle region of your central pecs. Unlike the other exercises on this list, you won’t want to use too much weight starting out. In fact, you may want to start with as little as two 2.5- or 5-pound discs.

How Do You Build Your Upper Pecs?

If you are wondering, “How do you build your upper pecs?” it’s essential to make sure that you consider the angle of the barbell, bar, or dumbbells. You want to make sure that you perform chest press or bench press exercises with the bar in line with the upper region of your chest. Even if your main goal is to bulk up your upper pecs, you should make sure that you perform a variety of chest exercises to ensure that you build up your entire pectoral region. 

There are a number of ways to improve your chest muscles. You can use a barbell bench press, barbell discs, or a chest machine to get the results you want. Consider combing these tools so your chest muscles get a variety of workouts in. Whatever method you choose, it’s important that you have a dedicated schedule.

To get fit, many start routines with serious effort and commitment. After a few weeks, the results begin to show. People begin to notice and comment on the progress. After a while, though, the traditional three days of cardio and three days of weight training in the gym leave some looking for diversity in their workouts. Strength training at home utilizing a five-day workout routine is a great solution for this. What should a 5 day workout consist of, though, and what makes it so effective?

What Should a 5 Day Workout Consist Of?

A five-day split workout is the optimal strength training routine that builds the maximum amount of muscle in the shortest amount of time. The focus of the program is to apply maximum effort to a specific body part on a consistent day of the week. The consistency exhausts the muscle and allows sufficient rest for it to build. So, what should a 5 day workout consist of?

The five-day workout should focus on muscle groups by promoting intense bursts and sometimes consisting of two body parts per day. Isolating muscle groups with targeted exercises encourages muscle growth and definition. 

The workouts will always address the commonly identified muscle groups such as the chest, back, biceps, triceps, shoulders, abs and legs. Many bodybuilders and fitness gurus adopt this training regimen to gain pure muscle and reduce overall body fat. Muscle-building calls for a proper combination of stress on body parts working together with focused intensity.

It is critical to identify the days you want to work out and the body parts you want to work out. You also need to allow a sufficient amount of rest in between days. There are certain muscle-building rules to maximize the development of the workout. Some of these rules include the following:

• The chest, leg, shoulders and back workouts should be worked no more than once in five days.

• The abdomen, bicep and tricep muscles should be worked twice a week, incorporating a light workday and a heavy workday and with a three-day rest period in between.

• Monitor the number of sets and reps during each workout.

• Incorporate no more than one hour of training per workout day.

The Benefits of a 5 Day Workout Split

Applying the combination of the above rules, the benefits of a 5-day workout split are tremendous. Maximizing your effort and intensity into one specific muscle group per day keeps the mind focused. This style of training also promotes muscle depth and striations.

One of the pitfalls that many fitness enthusiasts experience is overtraining. The five-day split routine, in combination with the above guidelines, minimizes the potential for overtraining and injuries. When someone who was injured returns to lifting, the potential to push too hard is real.

With the proper amount of rest and recovery, you are allowing the muscle to absorb nutrients and to develop and grow. Allowing the repair process to thoroughly cycle gives a boost to muscle growth. The results of targeting muscle groups are superior to full-body workouts.

Based on your intensity during each workout, there will be an uneven number of calories burned simply because each exercise has its level of “burn.” In other words, focus more on your fat-burning strategies during your cardio sessions. Your workout sessions are simply to build muscle. Hence, you will maximize the benefits of a 5-day workout split.

What Are the Best Muscles to Work Out Together in a 5 Day Split?

Figuring out the proper combination as to which muscle groupings would work most effectively in a workout needs some guidance and thought. When working out from home, you might need to get creative so you can maximize these muscle groups. What are the best muscles to work out together in a 5 day split? They are as follows:

• Chest and triceps (light)

• Back and biceps (light), followed by a rest period

• Abs

• Shoulders and triceps (heavy)

• Legs and biceps (heavy), followed by a rest period

Here are some recommended exercises to complete from home for each muscle group:

• Chest and triceps: Pushups, bench dips, triceps extension, dumbbell bench press and fly

• Back and biceps: Upright row, bent-over barbell row, wide grip barbell curl and dumbbell biceps curl

• Abs: Crunch, side crunches and 6-inch straight-leg toe lift

• Legs: Squats, lunges and toe raises

• Shoulders: Lateral raise, front raise, military presses and shrugs

Train your legs at the end of the weekly cycle because the leg workout is the most taxing one of all body parts. Due to the leg having long muscles that need stretching, it takes a lot of effort and intensity to maximize the benefits of this exercise. In many instances, the fitness enthusiast needs additional rest and recovery during the leg workout and the mental fortitude to maintain proper form during each rep and set. 

The recovery period from your leg routine will limit movement due to soreness and exhaustion. Allowing a full recovery day from any exercise on any body part is ideal. 

Many home-based products can assist you in building muscle, such as the Hex Trap Bar V2, the Seated Leg Curl/Extension Machine, the T-3 Series Power Rack and more. At Titan Fitness, these and our other fitness products are reasonably priced, and we provide fast shipping. Having professional equipment at home is everybody’s dream. You don’t have to wake up, get dressed and drive to the gym. You can roll out of bed and know that quality equipment is there to help you build your muscles from home.

The fast pace of life and commitments at work and home leave fitness enthusiasts looking for a way to efficiently increase the results of each workout. Hence, the benefits of a 5-day workout split are tremendous. The split-day program has been around for many years, and the most successful bodybuilders and fitness devotees utilize it because of the outstanding results derived in a short period. Having the right equipment gives you the comfort in knowing that you can reach your fitness goals.