Here are a couple cool exercises for the next time you’re in a park. Pushups on the swings, put one hand on each of two swings, one foot on the ground. Pushups. If that is too much, try both feet on the ground and use a wide stance.

Number two is an inverted row. Stand between two swings, grab a chain with each hand and lean back and do a chinup or rowing movement.

See you outside.

The results were that I lost 2 lbs. during this time.  I normally eat pretty well anyway so I was mostly cutting desserts and eating more veggie and fruit than usual. The TV probably had more impact than anything. I finished a couple of drawings, wrote some new music and read a great deal. My workouts have been going great. The weather has improved here so I’ve been out for sprints on the track and at the hill. On the last week of a 12 week bench press cycle that has my upper body strength back where I want it. And I continue to work the kettlebells and total body training.

All in all I look at it as successful. I don’t need to lose weight. If you do, I would recommend going off the sugar and processed foods. You will be surprised.

Here we see Karen working legs. First up is one of the great leg exercises you can do. LADIES! This exercise works the quads and glutes in a functional running position. So balance, stabilization and core strength are all challenged during this exercise. When you do a machine leg press, most do not require balance, just a little stabilization and not much core.

This particular lunge is using one of my home-made balance tools, the water pipe. It is partially filled with water and Karen is showing an advanced version of the exercise with the tool held overhead. This requires a great deal of core strength in addition to the great leg benefits it provides.

Stanimal is training clients in Glen Ellyn. If you have fitness or training questions email or leave a comment. Thanks.

1) Train with Stanimal. If you did train with stanimal you would have increased strength and vitality, improved joint stability, reduced body fat and better cardiovascular performance. Unfortunately I can only train a few folks.
But you need to exercise. We all know this. 30 minutes every day break a sweat from exercising. The end.
No gym membership required, no equipment needed, just 30 minutes and a new attitude. Stop back soon I will give you a killer body weight circuit to do.

2) Eat better! Does this seem to make sense to anyone? If you are eating Twinkies or donuts or worse yet skipping breakfast totally. You’re not trying very hard. Eat smaller portions more often. Five or six “meals” per day, control the portion size. Eat veggies and fruits. Done.

3) Think. Think about the consequences of your actions. A six pack and a pizza once in a while won’t kill you. It will kill brain cells and make you feel bad physically. Watching TV and never exercising will make you depressed, uninteresting and unattractive to the opposite sex. Cool.

4) Challenge yourself. Get out of you comfort zone and try something new. Stop looking for the closest parking spot. Jog it in. Take the stairs. Run the stairs on lunch or go to the high school and run the stairs at the football field. Ride a bike, skateboard, sprint. Take a walk in the fresh air. Increase your activity level with something fun.

Here are a few exercises that I include in my workouts. People often ask me what I do for exercise. These are a few. I also like to add sprinting in between or rowing or some other form of interval work. This makes for a tremendous challenge. If you have questions about my workouts or are interested in how to improve your fitness or would like to lose some weight comment. Shoot me an email. stanimal@trainwithstanimal.com. If you live near Glen Ellyn or Schaumburg, I train in these areas.

Live from Schaumburg and Glen Ellyn, Stanimal demonstrates a figure eight and a wood chopper. These are both safe and effective core training methods. Dig it!

Haley is pregnant. Who would’ve guessed. She is exercising just like always. She feels better when she works out. She and the baby will be healthier because of it. And she will recover faster after the baby is born.

Please no excuses about not working out. They just don’t hold water.

Ouch, bad pun.

Birthday today so I’m thinking about age just a little. This is me tossing the sandbag.Check out this woman Beatriz Maullins. She is bench pressing at 87. See her story here.

This is from their last workout with me (so far). Rita finally rocked the Hard. Not Easy shirt and everyone enjoys doing burpees with a side leap. Hope you enjoy. Keep a safe distance from the mountain lions. See you.

Kettlebell training is one of the best methods I have come across for total body training and weight loss. Works great for any fitness level. Above is Greg doing the single snatch, one of the pillars of kettlebell training.

There are many types of swings and presses available. I am especially interested in the single arm movements. The off-center weight of the bell make these movements really good for core development. The cardio demands are great as well so your metabolism will be tuned up. Keep the rest as low as possible.