Rock Your Core Strength Workout

Who said you need weights to strength train? These Rock Your Core: Circuit Workout moves from POPSUGAR Fitness use your balance and your body weight to strengthen and tone your core. This no excuse, simple workout will engage all of your core from your abs to your glutes and even your shoulders and hamstrings to build muscle mass. The full circuit we've put together should take you about 20 minutes.

The more lean muscle tissue your body builds, the higher your basal metabolic rate, which is one of the best ways to burn more fat throughout the day. And, not to mention, you'll feel so much stronger!

The Bird Dog

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

This move works your abs and back simultaneously, and even a little bit of inner thigh and arm strength!

1. Start out on all fours with your hands right under your shoulders and your knees right beneath your hips. Pull your abs up toward your spine as your bring your left knee and right elbow together to meet beneath your torso.
2. Keeping your torso stable, straighten your right arm and left leg. Reaching through your left heel toward the back of the room to engage the muscles on the back of the leg and your butt.
3. This completes one rep. After completing 10 to 15 reps, switch sides.

Alternating Side Lunge

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

The lateral movement of this exercise is an awesome way to engage the glutes and inner thighs.

• Start with your feet right under your hips. Step your right foot wide to the side coming into a lunge and reach your left fingers to your right foot. Important: your right knee should not extend out past your right toes. Make sure your chest stays lifted and your weight pulls back into your heels.
• Press your weight down into your right foot to return to standing, then lunge sideways to the left to complete one rep.

Elbow Plank and Rotate

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

Planks are one of the best moves to work your whole body, and twisting just adds an extra fire to the obliques, the abdominal muscles that crisscross your core and wrap up around your waist.

• Begin in a regular elbow plank with your feet just slightly wider than hip distance.
• Twist your entire torso to the left reaching your left arm up toward the ceiling. Your pelvis will rotate, too, but try to keep it in line with your body. No sinking or lifting. 
• Return to back down to the elbow plank, and repeat the twisting motion to the right for one full rep. 

Single-Leg Bridge

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

Strengthen your glutes, lower back, and hamstrings with this powerful and simple move.

• Lie on your back, and pull your left knee into your chest, clasping your hands just below the knee. Lift your right toes up off the floor, and press your right heel down into the floor to press your pelvis and torso up toward the ceiling.  
• Gently lower your torso back to the ground and you've finished one rep. After completing 10 to 15, repeat on the other side.

Weightless Deadlift

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

This simple exercise is a weight-free version of a deadlift, working your glutes and back, kind of like a reverse crunch.

• Start with your feet hip-width apart, and place your hands lightly at the back of your head with elbows opened wide. 
• Pull your abs up and in toward your spine and keep your back flat while pressing your butt backward to bend forward, careful to stop moving when your back is almost parallel to the floor. Allow a slight bend in your knees as you hinge forward.
• Return to standing and squeeze your glutes as soon as you are upright for one rep.

Dead Bug

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

This is one of our absolute favorite moves. The name may be silly, but it engages the entirety of your core.

• Lie on your back with a your hips lifted and knees at right angles with your palms pressed into your thighs just the knees. 
• Pull your abs down toward the floor, keeping your ribs and pelvis contracted as you lengthen your right arm and leg out until they are almost parallel to the floor. 
• Return to the start, and repeat on the left side to complete one rep.

Reverse Lunge With Reach

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

This move works your body's biggest muscle groups and tests your balance by adding in the side reach.

• Stand tall with your hands at your waist and step back with your left leg into a deep lunge. Lift your left arm overhead and reach toward the right. 
• Return to standing position, and repeat this move on the other side to complete one rep. 

What are your favorite core moves? Tell us in a comment!

5 Fitness Myths You Need To Ignore

Fitness is not a series of singular truths that work for everyone. In fact, the same holds true for weight loss overall. It's not about avoiding deadly diet mistakes and signing up for the latest trendy class that everyone in Instagram's #fitfam can't seem to get enough of. It is about getting to know your body, knowing your goals, and knowing it make take a little bit longer than you expect to find out what works to get you there. This list, adapted from a Refinery 29 article, includes five commonly circulated fitness myths that we felt we needed to clear up.

Source: refinery29.com

Myth #1: Muscle weighs more than fat. A pound of feathers weighs the same as a pounds of bricks: One pound. The question is the amount of space that each requires to reach a pound. Fat has about a third of the densisty of a muscle, which is why resistance-based training is key to create the body composition you want, not just lose weight without getting healthier.

Source: refinery29.com

Myth #2: All you need is cardio. Cardio is fantastic, but so are strength and flexibility training. And to constantly challenge your body and continue improving your fitness level, you'll need to cross train.

Source: refinery29.com

Myth #3: Don't work out at night. You benefit from exercise no matter what time of day you're able to squeeze it in. Check out this 2013 National Sleep Foundation study that literally busted the myth that exercise, even at vigorous level, has a negative effect on sleep quality. If working out at night is your only option, it's much better than no workout at all.

Source: refinery29.com

Myth #4: High intensity exercise is best. True for a few. But it's not best for every body and every goal. There's a lot of research out there that supports high-intensity exercise for becoming leaner and stronger; but if that's not your goal, this isn't necessarily your workout. Variety is always best, in our opinion, the best exercise programs mix it up with a combination of high- and low- intensity training sessions.

Source: refinery29.com

Myth #5: It's not a real workout unless you're sweating and sore afterwards. No. A real workout is the one that works for your interest and your goals and makes you feel good. Whether or not wake up and can't walk down the stair. Find a workout you enjoy and get moving in a way that works for you.

Did any of these surprise you? What would you add to the list? Let us know in a comment! 

Top 5 Wedding Workout Tips

We know that getting in shape is at the top of many brides' Dream Wedding To Do lists, whether that means toning up your arms or losing 50 pounds. But if you're not really sure just where to start, you've come to the right place for wedding weight loss tips! If you want to look and feel your healthiest for your wedding, we advise these five basic tactics to find a fitness routine that makes sense for your lifestyle without placing a huge burden on all of your other planning tasks.

1. Set A Plan.

This is the first step to really getting success out of your workouts. Thirty minutes on the elliptical one day, doing 100 crunches before bed the next, and parking at the far end of the parking lot the next week are wonderful choices to make on their own, but weight loss comes from visualizing (and sticking to) a set plan. The Knot has a fantastic long-term one, the Shape Up: 6-Month Wedding Fitness Plan, and Pinterest is brimming with options for ideal bridal body workout schedules. Find something that suits your schedule and commit.

2. Find A Workout Partner.

Maybe your future hubby or your MOH are also not-so-enthusiastic about all of those not-so-natural photography angles. (This is where we shy away from what Pinterest has to offer.) Team up and motivate each other to get active, even if it's just so you can both exert maximum energy on the dance floor.

3. Fit In Four Days Of Cardio.

For weight loss, we advise 30 to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise four times a week. That can be a walk on your lunch break, two Zumba classes, and a Saturday morning bike ride. Easy.

4. Consider Workouts Appointments.

You wouldn't skip a scheduled fitting or a cake tasting, would you? Write your sweat sessions down in your planner just like everything else you want to do to make sure the big day is as stress-free as possible.

5. Walk To Your Wedding Errands.

Speaking of all of those other pre-big-day tasks, you can use those to sneak in some more calorie burn! Haven't found your flowers yet? Scope out all of the local florists within walking distance and set aside some time to check them out. Need to mail out Save The Dates? Walk over to the post office in town. Meeting with the bridesmaids to plan your final hurrah as a single lady? Suggest a walking meeting at the closest park. Multitasking at its finest!

How are you getting in shape for your wedding? Share your wedding workout tips with us in a comment!

Things To Do In Pittsburgh: Summer Fun That Keeps You Fit

Pittsburgh is a beautiful city. We may be slightly biased, but Forbes, BuzzFeed, and The Huffington Post all agree, so we feel justified in saying it. When the summer sun glistens off the spires of the PPG building Downtown, it's hard to argue that Pittsburgh is just plain gorgeous. So, we've rounded up some of the best ways to get outside, get active, and enjoy it.

Source: http://www.kayakpittsburgh.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Kayak-Pittsburgh-2.jpg

Kayaking

With kayak rentals in the North Shore and at North Park, Kayak Pittsburgh can give you gorgeous views and a great shoulder and core workout!

Image source: Venture Outdoors

Hiking

Venture Outdoors offers guided group hikes of varying difficulty from a 3-mile evening stroll through Shadyside, to a 7-mile Waterfall Hike, to a 13-mile Historic Hike in Cooks Forest. You can take in the local scenery and a little bit of knowledge while building up those calf muscles.

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Biking

Pittsburgh has 20+ miles of traffic-free riverfront trail, so you can ride by Point State Park, PNC Park, Downtown, the South Side and so many more iconic Pittsburgh landmarks. Bonus: an hour of biking burns anywhere from 300-600 calories! If you don't have a bike of your own, Golden Triangle Bike Rental sits right on the "Jail Trail" downtown, and even has tandems!

http://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/citiparks/Highland_Park_Swimming_011.JPG

Swimming

There are 18 outdoor Citiparks Swimming Pools in and around the city. Some even offer water aerobics classes and dedicated lap swim times through a splash of fitness into your fun. City of Pittsburgh residents can get season passes at any pool site.

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Yoga In The Square

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is offering free yoga throughout the summer on Sundays at 10am right in Market Square. Yoga In The Square is adapted for all levels of yogi and is a great way to stretch out your body and your mind in the fresh air and sunlight.

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Ropes Course 

Put your strength, flexibility and coordination to the test at North Park's Go Ape Ropes Course. Their treetop adventure features high ropes, crossings, tunnels, bridges and an "epic wind-in-your-face zip wire" to finish. The course keeps you moving and challenged for 2-3 hours navigating up and down and around obstacles, and gives you a bird's eye view of one of Pittsburgh's biggest parks.


Interested in more Get Fit Fun In Pittsburgh? Check out our list of unique Pittsburgh fitness classes! Or tell us in a comment where you've found fit fun in Pittsburgh this summer!

Top 20 Workout Songs Of The Summer

Staying motivated is half the battle when it comes to working out like a champion. If you don't have a gym buddy, a race or a competition to train for, or a trainer yelling "10 MORE SECONDS" in your beet-red, sweat-laden face, it's hard to push yourself to your limits. Unless, you plug in your earbuds with upbeat, uptempo music, research has shown.

Brunel University's Professor Costas Karageorghis, a respected authority of studies on fitness motivation, said: "in some instances we have seen performance benefits of up to 15%. As well as enhancing performance, music lowers the perception of effort. It dulls or masks some of the pain associated with training. We know from scanning the brain that when athletes are played loud upbeat music there is an increase in activity in the ascending reticular activating system." Basically, great music = a great workout.

Add some spark to your stride and strength to your sets with these upbeat tunes from the summer's hottest artists. These 20 songs add up to a workout playlist so good you'll hardly be able to wait to lace up your sneakers. Click the link to preview or download the song on iTunes.

1. Pitbull & G.R.L. – Wild, Wild Love – 120 BPM
2. John Legend – All of Me (Tiesto’s Birthday Treatment Remix Radio Edit) – 128 BPM
3. Avicii – Addicted to You (Albin Myers Remix) – 128 BPM
4. Imagine Dragons – On Top of the World – 100 BPM
5. Ariana Grande & Iggy Azalea – Problem – 103 BPM
6. Calvin Harris - Summer - 128 BPM
7. OneRepublic - Love Runs Out - 121 BPM
8. David Guetta & Skylar Grey - Shot Me Down - 129 BPM
9. Armin van Buuren & Trevor Guthrie - This is What It Feels Like - 130 BPM
10. Bastille - Pompeii (Kat Krazy Remix) - 129 BPM
11. Ellie Goulding - Burn (Magic Man Remix) - 87 BPM
12. Rihanna - What Now (Firebeatz Remix) - 128 BPM
13. John Newman - Love Me Again - 126 BPM
14. Lana Del Rey & Cedric Gervais - Summertime Sadness - 125 BPM
15. Calvin Harris & Florence Welch - Sweet Nothing (Tiesto Remix) - 128 BPM
16. Flo Rida & Sia – Wild Ones (Project 46 Remix) – 126 BPM
17. Madonna, Nicki Minaj & LMFAO - Give Me All Your Luvin' (Party Rock Remix) - 132 BPM
18. Nero - Promises (Skrillex & Nero Remix) - 142 BPM
19. 30 Seconds to Mars - Kings and Queens - 165 BPM
20. Alex Clare - Too Close - 126 BPM

What's a workout song you can't get enough of this summer? Share with us in a comment! 

The Complete Guide To Interval Training (Infographic)

If you've heard of HIIT (high-intensity interval training), but aren't really sure what it is and why it's such a hot topic in fitness, this awesome infographic from Greatist breaks everything down. 

If you want to try it out, we've provided three cardio circuits that are only 20 minutes long on our blog to get you started! 

Questions? Ask us on Twitter @GPMWeightLoss!

The Supplement You Didn't Know Helps Your Workout

Image source: http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/research-fish-oil-lowers-breast-cancer-risk

Nope, it's not protein. It's the elusive white whale of the supplement world: fish oil, mainly due to it's richness in omega-3s, but also partially because you'll run a lot faster if you're being hunted by Captain Ahab. Ok, we promise, no more Moby Dick jokes.

Moving on, we often let the main benefit of heart health overshadow some of the other ways that omega-3 fatty acids can help the body. For one, they can support athletic performance and recovery. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the combination of fish-oil supplements with regular aerobic exercise improves body composition and cardiovascular disease risk factors moreso than either effort on its own.

What's an omega-3?

Omega-3s are essential fatty acids (EFAs) that have been shown to offer a ton of benefits, which you'll see some of below. They're called "essential" because we need them for proper function, but our bodies don't make them, so we have to obtain them through food or supplements. Fish and fish oil supplements are the richest source of omega-3s — the main two are called EPA and DHA.

How can they help me?

You'll recover faster. Consistent fish oil supplementation results a lower level of inflammation. If inflammation in the body is high after exercise, it can have a negative impact on muscle soreness, tissue repair and other important aspects of recovery.

Slow muscle loss. According to Why Athletes Need Omega-3s by Jeff S. Volek, Ph.D., R.D., emerging studies showing that omega-3s may regulate muscle growth and help during extended periods of rest by slowing the loss in both muscle and bone. This is especially notable for athletes during breaks in training or those who sustain an injury.

They'll reduce muscle soreness. Omega-3 fats have also been shown to increase blood flow to the muscles during exercise. They also have decreased muscle soreness by 35%, reduced swelling, and increased range of motion after damaging exercise.

Melt fat. Omega-3s support fat loss by switching on enzymes that trigger fat burning in cells. They also might improve leptin signaling in the brain, which in turn causes it to turn up fat burning and turn down appetite. Studies also show increased omega-3 levels may enhance insulin sensitivity, which inhibits fat storage and improves fat burning in muscles. Check out our other recommended best supplements for burning fat.

Lower your triglycerides. Subjects in the study referenced earlier who supplemented with fish oil were able to decrease blood triglycerides by 14%, increase “good” cholesterol by 10% and improve the functioning of their blood vessels. All of these points result in better recovery and improved health for athletes.

Don't eat fish?

That's ok! If you're vegetarian and still want the benefits of fish oil, try flaxseed oil, a vegetable source of omega-3s. It's nature's best source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 precursor to EPA and DHA. ALA can also be found in canola oil, and in some nuts like walnuts and almonds. It makes a good alternative to salad dressings. And it's great in a protein shake!


*Always talk to your doctor before adding any supplements to your daily routine.

What supplements do you use to enhance your workout? Let us know in a comment!