There's a workout, and then there's a Work Out. And THEN, there's a BOXING WORK OUT. Trust me, there's a reason why boxers are able to spend over a half an hour in a ring exchanging punches and not go into cardiac arrest. It's because these guys and gals have trained their butts off for months before ever stepping foot in that arena, let alone that ring. But, you don't have to be Rocky Balboa to get the benefit of a boxing workout, which is why I am this week highlighting some of the basic boxing moves that you too can add to your fitness routine.

First of all, be sure to always maintain a proper stance. This means keeping your feet a little more than shoulder width apart, with your dominant foot in the back (in other words, if you're right handed/footed, than you want your right foot in the back and for your left foot to lead). Try your best to stay on the balls on your feet, which will allow you to do all your fancy stutter-stepping footwork (or for now, just keep you balanced). Your hands should be made into fists and kept close to your face. Your elbows need to be tucked closely to your body. From here, you're ready to start dotting some imaginary bad guy's eyes.

There are four basic punches in boxing: the Jab, the Cross, the Hook, and the Uppercut. To keep things easy, we're going to only focus on the Jab and the Cross. To throw the Jab, you need to flick out your lead hand (which should be the hand that is not dominant -- again, if you are right handed/footed, that hand/foot is kept toward the rear, whereas the weaker hand/foot leads...which, in this case, is your left). As you extend your arm to throw your Jab, your hand should twist like a corkscrew at the end of the punch. Once you have extended your arm, be sure to immediately bring your arm back, tuck your elbow back into your side and return your fist to the side of your face. To throw a Cross, you take your dominant hand and throw a straight punch with it, twisting at the waist as you do. Again, you want to twist your wrist at the end of the punch, adding more 'snap' to the motion. Once the punch is thrown, bring your arm back right away, tuck your elbow back in, and bring your fist back next to your face.

By combining these two punches, you are doing a 1-2 combination. A lot of times people will throw a few jabs before throwing a cross, which of course is fine (and very much the case in an actual boxing match). Use this punch combination on a large heavy punching bag (the cylindrical kind that hangs from the ceiling or stand) while wearing what are known as bag gloves (lightweight boxing gloves that can be purchased at most any sporting goods store or even Wal-Mart).

Boxing is broken into three-minute rounds with one-minute rests in between each round. In accordance with this design, that is how you will also train. Three minutes of, say, shadowboxing -- using the 1-2 combination I just taught you, followed by a round or two of jumping rope, followed by three or four rounds of hitting the heavy bag, and then finishing off with a few rounds of abdominal work.

Even if you take it slow at first (which I really suggest you do), you'll find that the boxing workout is absolutely exhausting. This is exactly why so many health clubs now offer "cardio-boxing" as a group aerobics class. You'll burn far more calories doing this workout than you will on a stair-stepper or walking on a treadmill, and you'll do so during less time. Intensity is the key. Like I said, there's a workout, and then there's a Workout. And then there's a BOXING WORKOUT. Try this routine and, before long, you'll be wearing a grey track suit and running the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

For a great video demonstration I found online that features the basics of boxing, click HERE.

Note: The content presented in this post is for informational purposes only. Please consult your doctor or fitness professional before starting a physical fitness program.

If there's any one exercise that everyone seems to use as a show of pure strength and power, it is certainly the bench press. "How much ya' bench?" is a popular question thrown around weight rooms, and the answers are almost always inflated so as to match the ego of the responder. But, throwing around as much weight as possible may not exactly be the best way to see and feel results from this exercise. That's why I am highlighting the proper form, execution and target muscles of this gym workout staple.

The bench press targets the development of the pectoral muscles (aka the chest muscles), but also calls upon help from your triceps (located on the back of your arms) and deltoids (aka shoulders). To properly do this exercise, you first have to lie flat on your back on a bench (or sturdy alternative -- remember my makeshift bench idea with milk crates and a long, thick plank of wood?). You will then place an equidistant grip on the bar with your hands, lifting it off the support rack. Once you have the bar securely above your sternum and with your arms fully extended, you can now begin. Slowly lower the bar until it touches the chest or stops only an inch from the chest (this is up to you), but be sure to not let the weight "bounce" off of you. Once you've reached the bottom of the movement, hold for one second and then press the weight back up to the starting position. Tip: when you raise the bar, be sure to exhale the air you took in while you were lowering it. Also, when you press the weight upward, try to avoid completely locking your elbows to full extension. This will ensure that there is constant pressure and also help avoid elbow injury). Continue this motion for the desired number of repetitions and sets.

There are several variations to the bench press, including the incline bench press, the decline bench press, the dumbell bench press, etc. Also, you can try mixing up the amount of reps you do from one set to the other, or even the amount of weight you place on the bar. Bear in mind that if your goal is size and strength, fewer reps/longer rest in between sets/fewer sets/heavier weight is the combination you want to go with. If muscle tone and a bit of cardiovascular effect are your desired results, I would stick with a combination of more reps/shorter rest in between sets/more sets/lighter weight.

For a good video demonstration of the bench press, click HERE.

Note: The content presented in this post is for informational purposes only. Please consult your doctor or fitness professional before starting a physical fitness program.

Just because the summer season has reached its end, it doesn't mean that it's time to let our exercise programs go. People tend to put on more weight during the colder months for a few reasons: 1) Because they probably won't be donning their bathing suits at the beach for quite some time, and 2) Because our bodies are designed to slow our metabolism down -- a carry-over from our more primitive days when food sources became more scarce during the cold season. For these reasons, and probably about eight thousand others, it's a smart idea to keep stoking the flames of your metabolism right through the upcoming frost. So, to help you do just that, I'm showing you an exercise this week that will help you burn some serious calories while toning up your legs.

Called the Step-Up, this cardiovascular movement will help you speed up your metabolism as you strengthen and tone your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and even your calves. To perform this exercise, start by standing in front of a weight bench or any safe substitute for one (tip: take two milk crates, spread them apart, and place a firm, wooden board over them -- a great, makeshift bench). Next, take your right foot and place it on the surface of the bench. From there, step-up onto the bench, using your right leg to power the rest of your body up. Once you are standing firmly on top of the bench with both feet, step back down with one leg and follow with the other. Then, step up onto the bench with your left leg, following with your right. Repeat this movement for several repetitions, increasing speed and perhaps even adding small weights (dumbells in hand work well, as does holding a medicine ball) as you get stronger and more familiar with the movement.

I found a very good video demonstration for the Step-Up on ShapeFit.com. To view it, click HERE.

Note: The content presented in this post is for informational purposes only. Please consult your doctor or fitness professional before starting a physical fitness program.

If you've been following the Exercise of the Week since the last time I wrote, you should have experienced some great workouts in the pool. If you'll recall, last week I highlighted the breast stroke, one that is fairly easy to perform, but requires a great deal of effort. Well, you can finally towel off -- because this week we're getting back into the gym. Still, don't expect to stay dry; because you're going to do more than your share of sweating!!

Some of the best fat-burning and muscle-building exercises are those that combine several movements into one. The squat-press is probably one of the well-known of said movements. And while you may very well want to add that exercise to your routine, I'm instead going to focus on a different multi-muscle movement: the Side Lunge with Upright Row. Although it doesn't have a fancy combo name like squat-press, the results can be just as impressive.

To perform this exercise, start by holding a dumbell in each hand with your palms facing in. Next, take a big step to the right side with your right foot. As you do, bend your right knee approximately 90 degrees and keep it in line with your toes. As you do this, try to keep your left leg as straight as you can. Now, this is where it really gets good and difficult -- as you lower your body to the side by bending your knee, lift your elbows until the dumbells are just below your chin. As you then press off from your foot and return your leg to the original position, slowly lower the dumbells. Continue by next going to the left leg, then back to the right, and so on and so forth. For a very good demonstration, click Here.

Compound movements of this kind are a great way to ignite your metabolism and jump-start your muscles. I'll be sure to show you a few more like it in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, feel the burn, baby!!

Note: The content presented in this post is for informational purposes only. Please consult your doctor or fitness professional before starting a physical fitness program.

Let's start this Tuesday off right - with a new installment of the Exercise of the Week. Over the course of the past few months, I've highlighted several exercises that can be done either at the gym or in your home. This week, however, we're taking our workout into the water.

Look at any avid swimmer and you'll most likely see someone with long, lean, aesthetic physiques. A fantastic cardiovascular workout, swimming also utilizes just about every muscle in your body. Even the most highly trained weightlifter or long distance runner can oftentimes find themselves struggling to catch their breath after a few laps in the pool, which is why many Olympic, pro sports, and boxing trainers typically incorporate some sort of "aquacize" into their athlete's workout regimen.

For this week, let's take a look at what is the most common swim stroke (save for the doggy paddle, that is), the breast stroke. Although one of the most difficult strokes to maintain over a long period of time, the breast stroke is among the easier to perfect. The stroke is done while laying flat in the water on your chest, with the arms breaking the surface of the water only slightly and the legs underwater the entire time. The legs do what's known as a frog kick, basically because they look like the kick a frog makes when swimming.

Always be sure to swim in a pool, lake, or ocean that has a lifeguard on-duty and, just as important, do not exceed your known performance capabilities.

Note: The content presented in this post is for informational purposes only. Please consult your doctor or fitness professional before starting a physical fitness program.

For many people, particularly women, the back of the arms is many times an area of physical concern. When waving goodbye to a friend, oftentimes this area of the arm will wiggle and jiggle long after your hand has finished turning. While having flabby arms isn't necessarily a sign of poor health, it is a clear indication that the tricep muscles (which are the muscles located on the backside of the arm) are a bit underdeveloped and in need of some attention.

Enter the solution: The French Press. No, this is not the same French Press that is used to make those fancy-schmancy coffees. Rather, it is an exercise; one that effectively targets all three "heads" of the tricep, therefore making it a great way to tighten and tone this portion of your arms. To perform the French Press, lay down on a bench or on the floor as if you were about to perform a bench press. Next, hold a barbell, with your arms fully extended, in a position that lines the bar up with your chin. From there, you want to bend your arms toward you, so that your hands and the barbell slowly make their way closer to your forehead. Once the bar has just about reached your forehead, you want to then extend your arms until they are straight again. This makes for one complete repetition. My suggestion is to perform 1 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions of the French Press one or two times per week.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, I have no idea why this exercise is called the French Press. I'm sure if you searched hard enough, you can find the answer to that question. But, instead of wasting my time researching the etymology of the name of an exercise, I thought my time would be much better spent finding a video demonstration of this exercise that I could share with you. After searching for a whole 23 seconds, I came across this video right HERE.

Note: The content presented in this post is for informational purposes only. Please consult your doctor or fitness professional before starting a physical fitness program.

It's Tuesday, which means two things: 1) Every girl named Ruby feels missed; and 2) It's time for another installment of The Exercise of the Week here on TheCardioBlog. This time around, I want to highlight a movement that targets an oft forgotten -- but critically important -- area of the body: The lower back. The way we're going to do that is with an exercise known as the Hyperextension.

To perform this move properly, you will need to utilize a specific piece of gym equipment. Basically, you need your feet and upper legs to be secured so that you can bend freely at the waist and not have to worry about tipping over. If, however, you don't have access to a gym, fear not. It is possible to perform this exercise at the end of any long, flat surface (like a bench or even a bed). The tricky part is that you'll need something, or someone, to weigh down your legs. Whatever you ultimately use to secure yourself, the next step is to bend at the waist, so as to allow your head to come near the floor. From there, you want to slowly and steadily raise your upper body until it is completely in line with your lower body. An easy way to make sense of how this move should be performed is to think of it as sort of a reverse sit-up (not to be confused with the actual move known as the reverse sit-up), in that you are lifting the back of your head toward the ceiling rather than the front of your head.

Explaining an exercise with words alone sometimes doesn't quite do the trick. So, as I always do, I scoured the internet to find a video sample of The Exercise of the Week. That said, if you'd care to see this video demonstration of the Hyperextension, click HERE.

Note: The content presented in this post is for informational purposes only. Please consult your doctor or fitness professional before starting a physical fitness program.

For this week, I would like to introduce you guys and gals to a variation of the traditional pull-up. Called the Incline Pull-Up, this exercise is also very effective at targeting the muscles in your back and arms and core, but it does not require the ability to be able to lift your entire body weight.

To perform the Incline Pull-Up, start by placing a bar across a sturdy platform -- preferably a squat rack. The bar itself should be positioned at a height about equal to your stomach when you stand next to it. Next, slide your body underneath the bar and grasp it with both hands a bit wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your feet together and planted on the floor, you want to lift your upper body by pulling chest toward the bar. Throughout the entire movement, your feet should remain situated in the same place.

I found a good video demonstration of the Incline Pull-Up on a website. To view it, click HERE.

It's that time of the week again. Yup, it's time for me to drop a little knowledge on you and offer up my Exercise of the Week. If you'll recall (if if you'll simply go back in the archives), last week's exercise was The Plank. While this was a static exercise, this week we'll get you a bit more mobile.

It's called the Spider-Man Crawl, and it's a great exercise to get your heart rate going while at the same time stimulating several of your primary and ancillary muscle groups. A word of caution: Besides the typical exercise disclaimer about consulting your physician before beginning any exercise regimen, I also suggest that you perform this exercise in a wide open space. Due to the amount of "climbing" you will be doing, performing the Spider-Man Crawl in a crowded gym may not be the best idea. With that out of the way, let me tell you how the Spider-Man Crawl is done ...

For those of you who were with us about six months back, I introduced an ongoing exercise program that centered around your TV viewing schedule. More or less, I offered up workouts that you could perform during your favorite TV shows, using visual and audio cues from said shows to start and end a particular exercise. For example, if you were watching CSI, you may have been doing a set of 25 crunches every time a character in the show mentioned the word Blood. There were various cues for various shows, and by the end of the week you had completed an enjoyable workout without missing even a frame of your favorite programs. Getting back to that idea, I thought it would be fun to highlight a new exercise each week. Although this does not directly involve watching television, you could surely set-up your own cue system to just about any show you wanted. The important part is to be armed with an assortment of effective and easy-to-do exercises, which is what I hope to show you at least once a week for many weeks to come.

With that all said, I think the Exercise of the Week will be the Plank. In what at first blush actually looks more like a frozen stance than an exercise of any kind, the Plank is nonetheless a great exercise to work your abdominal and lower back muscles (making up what is commonly referred to as your core). By placing your body in a push-up position, you should place your forearms flat on the floor beneath you. Then, your goal is to keep your body as straight as you can off the ground as you remain in this position for approximately 30 seconds. If you can't last for 30 seconds, try 20. If 20's a no-go, reach for 10 or 15. Soon enough you will build your core strength to a point where 30 seconds seems like child's play. Do at least 2 total sets of this exercise.

As stated, the Plank may not look like much, but mark my words: You'll feel it. Expect to feel tension in your midsection, arms, and back. And while it isn't exactly classified as an aerobic exercise, you will still feel a bit winded by the end of the determined amount of time you hold the position.