10 MINUTE ABS

Posted on by costafitness

🔥10 MINUTE ABS🔥

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Warm up first – jumping jacks 3 x 30 seconds. Mountain climbers 3 x 30 seconds.

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Set a timer for 10 minutes and get as many rounds as possible in! ⏱ 

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🔸Full Body Pillow Pass

-10 reps 

🔸Alternating Cross Body Toe Touch 

-10 each side

🔸Russian Twist (elbows touch) 

-20 touches each side

🔸 Globetrotters 

-20 passes each side

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📺 if you had to leave a show on in the background, what tv show would it be?? I’ve been leaving on Shark Tank 🦈 if I would have unmuted this all you would have heard was “we’ll do $100k for 10% equity” 😂

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#ironstrengthandconditioning #gym #abworkout #fitness #weightloss #bodybuilding #athlete #athletetraining #strengthtraining #10minuteworkout #10minuteabs #athomeabs #athomeabworkout #athomeworkouts #sharktank

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Get FASTER At Home With This 1 Drill

Posted on by costafitness

GET FASTER 🏃💨

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Get faster with this 1 drill that can be done at home! Takes less then 5 minutes and can be done just about everyday

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1️⃣Find a stair or stack up some books to about a 4-10 inch elevated surface

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2️⃣go down to one knee and take the other foot to the top of the stair

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3️⃣set a stop watch and hold on to something lightly for balance. Lift up the foot on the stair about an inch and hold it there

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4️⃣ do 4 sets of 10 second holds each leg the first couple days. Then go 15 seconds. Work up to 30 second holds every set for each leg. 

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⭐️ keep the core engaged and don’t lean back or forward too much. That is why I’d prefer you to use a nearby wall if you can to keep balance.

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🔥 this drill will add strength to the hip flexors with the help of isometric training. You won’t typically get too sore so you can do this 3-6 days a week. Start lower at first and add more days as your body gets used to this movement!

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Tag one of your homies that needs this exercise to beat you in a race 🏃‍♀️🏃

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#ironstrengthandconditioning #costafitness #gym #legday #legworkout #fitness #athlete #athletetraining 

#strengthtraining #speed #speedtraining #speeddevelopment #sprinting #sprinttraining #trackandfield #tracktraining #sprinttechnique #runningtechnique #getfaster #runfaster #hipflexor

Elevated Lunges for Strength, Speed & Size

Posted on by costafitness

This is an exercise that will really help with:

⭐️ Growing and strengthening the glutes 🍑

⭐️ Increasing squat & deadlift 🏋️‍♂️🏋️

⭐️ Jumping higher 🐰

⭐️ Increasing sprinting speed 🏃‍♀️🏃

⭐️ Getting more flexible in the hips 🧘‍♂️🧘

Elevated lunges have recently became one of my favorite leg exercises for creating more strength, size and explosive power for my athletes.

Here are a couple details to pay attention to when doing this exercise:

👉Set up an elevated surface of about 4-8 inches. I typically use a couple weight plates to start off.

👉I would start without weight to really get the flexibility down and then you can start adding in weight to increase the intensity.

I like to program these after the main movement on lower body day. Depending on the client and goal, I will program 3-5 sets of 4-10 reps each leg.

For a better physique I would do 4-5 x 10 🍑 .

For strength and most athletic goals I would typically prescribe 3-4 x 5 each leg with heavier weights (only after you get used to the movement, because of the excessive stretch). 🏋️🏋️‍♂️

Tag your gym amigos and get to work 💪

#ironstrengthandconditioning #gym #legday #legworkout #fitness #weightloss #bodybuilding #athlete #athletetraining #strengthtraining #glutetraining #gluteworkouts #increasevertical #increasespeed #lunges

Have a great day!

-Alex Costa-

How To Make A Decline Bench – (GYM HACK)

Posted on by costafitness

GYM HACK💥

Want to target that lower chest? A decline angle is a great way to start. However you may be in the gym and the decline bench is taken, but need to get going. Take some bumber plates if available and set up a mini stack. I would not do more than 3-5 plates depending on how it is set up. Place them under the lower half of the bench to set up a decline angle.

This is also a great technique for if you have a flat bench at home and want to switch it up. The couple things you need to watch and check are safety factors. Make sure the bench is stable. I typically test this by pushing the bench at that end and sit on it and perform the movement WITHOUT weight first to ensure it will not slide. If you have rubber gym flooring and rubber bumber plates, you should be good. PLEASE use caution when doing this. I would try to get a spotter to help by spotting the weight and have the spotter also keep an eye on the bench to make sure it doesn’t slide.

Share with a friend and get to work! 

-Alex Costa-

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TIPS-Training on Vacation

Posted on by costafitness

It’s that time again! We’re all going on spring break or vacations and this tends to be the end of a good habit, we just let loose. Some places have gyms and some do not. When you are traveling, trying to find a gym can be hard to do in that case. I have done a lot of traveling the last couple years and experimented with this. So in this article, I want to show you how you can still workout on your vacation!

 Let’s say you are going to a city where it is common for gyms to be. A good place to start is by doing research before you even leave. Google gyms around that area that you will be in. This will give you a good idea of what type of facilities you will be around. Make sure you write down an address and phone number. You may want to see if they have free day passes or if they cost money. Most gyms nowadays have at least a $10 day pass so call in advance so you know if you need to bring extra money.

On the other hand, let’s say you are going camping or camping out in the middle of nowhere. You usually will NOT have access to a gym. In this case, you have the option to get your workout done still! You can do bodyweight workouts. Here are only a few great examples of bodyweight exercises you can do without a gym on vacation:

There are a lot of different ways to keep working out on vacation. The best thing that tends to work for me is at home workouts. I tend to make that more of a total body workout most of the time.

However you may be going somewhere that is basically a workout in itself. These are the trips where you go hiking, do a lot of walking during the days and do other fun outdoor activities. There are many options to pick from when going to places like that, for example when I went to Michigan and didn’t have a gym I did all the following to keep the training going:
-canoeing
-hike
-swim
-played sports

The point of this article is to give you ideas of what you can do to still train when on a vacation. Check out my Instagram page for the workout Wednesday this week! I’m going to post a workout that can be done without equipment and when you are on vacation!

Thank you for the support! Make sure you share this website and vlogs with friends and family to help grow a strong community!

-Alex Costa-

Stay Away From Gym Viruses With These Tips

Posted on by costafitness

It’s that time of the year again.. The flu is hitting us in full force. In this article, I am going to show you what you can do to steer clear of germs in the gym, where the germ hot spots are and how to decrease the chances of getting sick!

{TIPS TO STAY CLEAR OF GERMS} 

As you could probably guess, the gym can be home to many kinds of germs and viruses. Now just because there are a large amount in gyms does not mean you can’t fight them off. Here are some of my top tips for staying clear from those pesky flu germs:

  • Use the sanitizer bottles around the gym to spray off the gym equipment BEFORE and AFTER use
  • Don’t touch your face around the mouth and eyes during sets
  • Try carrying a mini bottle of hand sanitizer in your gym bag and use it throughout your workout
  • Wash your hands after your workout
  • Cover ANY open wounds or sores on your body especially if they are to come in contact with a piece of gym equipment
  • Try to keep dirty clothes you just worked out in, in a different gym bag or in a couple plastic bags

{GERM HOT SPOTS IN THE GYM}

There are a ridiculous amount of germ hot spots in a gym, who would have figured… I am going to give you some of the top HOT SPOTS to keep in mind!

  • LOCKER ROOM- The locker room can be home to almost as many germs as in the actual gym section itself. With the steam from the showers and the dampness of the room sometimes, this can be a hot spot for staph, strep, and MRSA. Sitting naked on the bench can be a bad idea as well. In the article “Germs at a Gym” by  Maridel Reyes, there is a study that found “traces of vaginal yeast there, which can put you at risk for an infection.” So always wear a towel before sitting naked on the bench in the locker room.
  • FREE WEIGHTS- This is a no-brainer here. Hundreds of hands full of who knows what germs grabbing the dumbbells, barbells and weights EVERYDAY. These can easily lead to viruses like the common cold and other infections so again if you have even a paper cut, bandage it before entering the weight room! A study that was in the article “How Going to the Gym Can be Bad for Your Health” by Lisa Ryan stats a fact that may shock you! It says the “average set of free weights has 362 times more germs than a toilet seat” This is why you carry germ sanitizer and spray your machines and weights before and after.
  • EXERCISE MATS- The mats in the gym can be a huge hot spot that carries great amounts of germs. This goes back to cleaning your equipment before and after. This decreases the chance for these germs significantly. Exercise mats are more commonly used now than before. They are used for yoga, fitness classes and a lot of ab workouts I see are done on the exercise mats. This can lead up to anywhere around %50 of the members in your gym using them. This can lead to viruses like skin infections, athlete’s foot, colds and hepatitis A.

{HOW TO DECREASE THE CHANCES OF GETTING SICK}

Well I think you get the point by now but just incase you don’t here are my favorite tips to staying healthy and decreasing your chances of getting sick:

  • WASH YOUR HANDS
  • CLEAN THE EQUIPMENT USED
  • CLEAN AND DISINFECT YOUR GYM BAG
  • BRING A NEW TOWEL DAILY WHEN USING IT
  • COVER UP ANY OPEN WOUNDS
  • TAKE VITAMINS
  • EAT HEALTHY

Alright so lets wrap this up. On this closing note I also want to say that if you are a person that is interested and wants to make sure they pick the cleanest gym they can then try doing some research on the gyms of your choice. I also recommend going and taking a tour of the gym you are looking into, this will be a good chance to see if the gym is clean enough for you and if its what you’re looking for. Also try seeing if they have cleaning stations and if so, how many. This is a common indicator to see if they take the cleaning and gym sanitizing seriously.

I hope you enjoyed this article and learn something new! Try staying away from those viruses and diseases with these tips! Have a great Monday and enjoy your week!!

-Alex Costa-

Photosource: Scooby 

10 Ways to do Cardio Without Knowing

Posted on by costafitness

Image result for running

Time for cardio…sigh

If this is your reaction to cardio, then I might not only have 1 solution to your problem but 10 solutions!

Spring break is upon us and most people choose to start cutting and toning up. This usually leads to countless hours of boring cardio. Don’t you wish you could get cardio in without doing it? I am one that has never been a fan of cardio. The thing with cardio is you can still get the time in without realizing it. I am going to give you 10 ways underneath on how you can feel like you are “cheating” the system while still weeping the benefits!

Image result for basketball

#1) Pick up basketball games are a great way to get your daily cardio in without feeling like you have to be stuck on a treadmill for 45 minutes. The good thing about this is even if you don’t have enough people to play a game, you can shoot around. By chasing the ball around for 30-60 minutes you will be surprised by the amount of calories you will burn!

#2) Take a nice swim day! I personally believe that swimming in a pool can be one of the best ways to burn an excess number of calories without even knowing!! Have kids? Take them out for a nice day at the pool and swim a few laps every 5 minutes or so! When I say swim day, I don’t mean that sitting poolside getting your tan on counts as swimming. Even just doing an extensive amount of walking or running in a pool will burn those extra calories!

#3) Beat up on your punching bag.  Have you ever noticed how Rocky was ripped or for matter of fact, almost all boxers. Boxing workouts can be a great way to take out some frustrations and torch fat right off! Throw some gloves on and start punching!

#4) Dance! Yes of course I had to put dancing on the list. With the compound movements that are involved in dancing, this sets you up for a ton of fun, hefty amounts of calories being burned and a fresh style to bring to the dance floor when you go to a wedding. Try some dancing classes with your significant other or a group of friends!

Image result for climbing

#5) Climbing can be a great activity that can be a great exercise and cardio movement. With some practice, I guarantee this will leave you with a strong and toned back. This can be a great date to take your significant other on if you are looking for something with a little more adventure. This is something great to pick up and take on in the real world, my friend Max has went on some great climbing trips in Colorado and hits up the indoor wall climbing all the time for fun.

#6) Taking the dog on a walk or jog is one way for you and your best bud to stay fit! Start of with 5-10 minutes walking then turn it into a slow jog, I guarantee the dog will love it and you’ll be forced to keep up with the pup. You can always do runs for 5 minutes and walking for 5 minutes for a grand total of 40-60 minutes and you will get a nice cardio sesh in.

#7) Kayaking is so much fun and is a tremendous workout! I have had the chance to kayak in the great state of Michigan and it can be beautiful depending on where you are. I recommend this when you go on vacation around lakes or a safe body of water, it is a great way to stay active and get a vacation of cardio in!

#8) Riding a bicycle is one of the most common ways to stay active and get some extra cardio in. You can increase the difficulty with riding up hills for part of the bike ride. Take a buddy with you and ride around the bike path to get that cardio in!

#9) Throw the good ol pigskin! Throwing can be a form of light cardio, the more cardio you want to get in, the worse the opposite thrower should be. If you have that one buddy that has never thrown a football in his life then you could be looking at a high intensity cardio session. This is simply because he probably could not hit you right on the spot so you will be chasing the ball half the time. Now on the other hand, if you want a good workout then set up a quarterback and line up at receiver to run routes. Run about 5-10 routes then switch places! This is a great way to burn fat due to the short durations of speed you are running. So what are you waiting for? Call your dude and grab a football!

#10) Golfing without a cart is a great way to get that extra cardio milage in. I know what you are thinking though, that’s probably a lot of walking and yes you are correct. It adds up to a pretty good amount of steps but it beats running in place on a treadmill for an hour, plus you can be having fun, relaxing and getting the health benefits as well!

I think that everyone should do cardio even if its lighter cardio. It has great benefits for a healthy heart! I don’t do a lot of cardio currently but I would not mind knocking some of these activities off the list!

Picture source: track ,basketball, climbing, kayaking