That's Fit

If your goal is to get jacked, resist the urge to only focus on your vanity muscles. Though it may seem like hitting the gym every night and performing a bunch of bicep curls and tricep press-downs will help build the buff bod you're yearning for, by following this approach you're actually doing yourself a disservice.

Aside from the fact that an imbalanced physique is at greater risk of injury, focusing only on these smaller muscle groups deprives your body of its full release of testosterone. Because such a large percentage (60 percent) of your overall muscle can be found in your legs and back, working these areas will actually benefit your whole body. And, when you tax these larger muscle groups, your body releases greater amounts of natural growth hormone, causing you to grow all over.

So, the next time you're at the gym, rather than hammering out your umpteenth set of dumbbell curls, try performing some sets of deadlifts and squats. Your body -- even your vanity muscles -- will thank you with the muscle growth you've been hoping for.

Let's set the stage ... you've been training for quite some time, you managed to shed a good amount of fat and have even put on some lean muscle, and you're seeing glimpses of what may actually be the start of a six-pack. But, for whatever reason, your butt is still looking more George Lopez than Jennifer Lopez. What do you do?

While it is almost impossible to spot reduce fat from your body, it is very possible to target specific muscle groups. And though I usually suggest treating the body as a whole rather than a collection of individual parts, the fact remains that sometimes certain muscle groups lag behind a bit. With specific regard to your butt -- also known as your glutes -- there are certain exercises you can perform to help shape your booty. Here are just a few of them:

Stiff-Legged Deadlifts. Maintain only a slight bend in your knees and keep your back straight. Slowly lower the weight (barbell or dumbbells) in front of you. Once at the bottom, slowly return to the upright position, squeezing your glutes as you do.

Just when I think I'm doing pretty good in the fitness department, I see a video like this one. Check out these people cranking out pull-ups, dead lifts, box jumps. Holy Cow, do I feel inadequate. And weak. And far from physically fit. I also feel inspired, and a little worried I might hurt myself if I jolt my body they way these folks do.


Spartan 300 Challenge from CrossFit Central on Vimeo.

What you see in this clip is the new CrossFit Central Spartan 300 video. Kind of makes you want to join in, doesn't it? It does me.

If you're a neophyte in the whole working out scene, deciding on which exercises to perform may be somewhat difficult. With so many machines and movements to choose from, it's easy to get lost in the decision-making process. To help you along, you may want to consider starting with the following five exercises. And, for those of you who have been working out for quite some time, you too may want to give thought to adding these five moves to your workout.

Some are lesser-known, some are pretty common, but all are dynamic muscle-toners. Just don't hate me if you're sore in the morning.

1 - Box Jumps. Think of this exercise as a squat without a bar but somehow still as difficult. Not only will your quads be screaming by the time you're done with your set, but your heart will feel like you just ran wind sprints, making this a fantastic resistance/cardio exercise.

2 - Pull-Up. A sure-fire method to get that famous V-taper is to do this exercise. Try any number of variations on this classic muscle-builder, and you'll soon see the definition in your back, shoulders and arms that you were hoping for.

When we hear about our core muscles, a number of fairly specific exercises come to mind. Chances are, your mind is shuffling through at least four or five of them right now. Well, if you really want to work your core, you might be better off skipping those exercises and instead focusing on two traditional weightlifting exercises: weighted squats and deadlifts.

Just in case you were wondering, no, the source of this information was not some musclehead magazine. In fact, it was actually Women's Health that pulled information from a recent study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

According to the article, weighted squats and deadlifts strengthen the core muscles 50 to 70 percent more than Swiss ball exercises. So, rather than always concerning yourself with "working your abs" -- as is if they were a separate entity, try working your entire body with these compound lifting movements.