Fitness
Does Using Resistance Bands ‘Count’ as Strength Training?
In other exercises—like a row or pull-down, for example—the resistance is flip-flopped: It’s heaviest when your muscles are at their weakest, and lightest at their strongest point, which is also a plus as it can help you progress through your strength training by working on the point where you struggle the most, Dr. Reiner explains.
What’s more, bands are an “excellent way” to ease into strength training or rehab from injury, Dr. Reiner says. That’s because they create a slower progression compared to weights, since you can make exercises more challenging in smaller increments by simply shortening the length of the band (versus picking up the next set of weights, which may be several pounds or more heavier.) “You can inch your way toward full-on strength training that way,” Dr. Reiner says. Plus, in a rehab (or prehab) scenario, you can use them to isolate specific muscle groups and work in different planes of motion simply by changing your position to the band, Dr. Reiner explains, which can be an easy, effective way to pinpoint specific areas.
They’re also stellar for getting in some form of strength work when you have limited access to other equipment, she adds, like those times when you just can’t make it to the gym after work or are traveling with no weights at your disposal.
To boot, bands are budget-friendly (you can buy a five-pack on Amazon for $24), portable (just toss ’em in your gym bag or suitcase), and highly versatile (they work with tons of different exercises—from traditional strength moves like lunges, bridges, and presses to more stability-focused exercises like pull-aparts, clamshells, and lateral walks).
Lastly, the fact that they’re basically just oversized rubber bands can make them less intimidating compared to a bulky set of free weights. “It’s a lot less scary to look at a resistance band than a dumbbell,” Hart says, which can make them a more approachable tool for anyone new to, or otherwise overwhelmed by, strength training.
But there are some downsides worth knowing about too.
Besides the fact that bands can only provide strength training to a point, making them a not-so-great-choice if your goal is heavy gains, their shifting resistance level could hinder your strength gains through your full range of motion, if you’re relying on bands alone and no weights, Dr. Reiner says.
Fitness
Ivanka Trump’s 5 exercises to achieve toned physique at 42 – VnExpress International
Ivanka Trump maintains her toned physique at 42 with a disciplined workout routine that encompasses 5 specific exercises: deadlifts, back squats, push-ups, presses, and pull-ups.
Sandy Brockman, a trainer based in Texas, shared with Page Six that Ivanka lifts weights 4 times a week and includes a yoga session occasionally.
The daughter of Donald Trump consistently performs these 5 exercises during her training sessions, adjusting the weights based on her fitness objectives.
Although individual strength varies, Brockman recommends aiming to lift one’s body weight. Her strength goals for clients are: 5 strict push-ups, two strict pull-ups, one bodyweight barbell back squat, one bodyweight barbell deadlift, and a 45-pound barbell overhead press.
Ivanka Trump at the age of 42. Photo from her Instagram |
Effects of the 5 core exercises:
Deadlifts: A compound movement that enhances multi-joint strength, starting with the weight on the ground and lifting it up before returning it to the floor, as outlined by USA Today and Stronglifts.
Back Squats: Ideal for beginners and those looking to boost power, back squats focus on the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings, contributing to strength and speed, according to Healthline.
Pull-ups: Recognized as a comprehensive upper-body workout, pull-ups engage all muscle groups, enhancing core strength, as noted by Shape.
Push-ups: A fundamental bodyweight exercise that strengthens core and muscle functions, as reported by Men’s Health.
Press: Overhead presses test strength and are effective for improving functional performance and correcting posture, particularly targeting the shoulders and upper back.
Fitness
The Best CrossFit Gear for Your Home Gym, Tested by Fitness Editors
What to Consider
Space
CrossFit encompasses a lot of different exercises that require an abundance of equipment. You can adapt and scale most WODs to what you have, but as you go deeper down the rabbit hole, it’s likely that you’ll want to collect more tools to broaden your training. That said, our list contains 13 categories, and there’s certainly more gear you can buy if you’re so inclined.
To house all this equipment, you need a room about the size of a one-car garage. And if you’re not ready to go all-in on this list, that’s OK. We’d suggest investing in a jump rope, pull-up bar, barbell, weight plates, and squat stand to start. That’s enough gear to tackle plenty of WODs. As your CrossFit journey unfolds and/or you move into a place with more space, you can begin to add other picks from this list.
The Workouts
If you’re deep into CrossFit, then it’s likely you’ll tackle lots of WODs. To stick to the WODs as written, you’ll need all of (sometimes more than) the equipment listed below—plyo boxes, a jump rope, gymnastic rings, a weighted vest, an AirBike and rowing machine, and so on and so forth. Our list is extensive because it includes all the equipment we deem essential for CrossFit. If something is on this list, it isn’t a frivolous add-on but a necessity (or, at least, a commonly used nice-to-have).
Build Quality
You’ll find that none of the gear below are strictly “budget” picks. That’s by design. CrossFit demands a lot of work, and it isn’t uncommon for pro athletes and serious hobbyists to train twice daily. As such, we’ve picked brands and models known to be quality-built and durable. You don’t want to replace your barbell, plates, or rower every year. As the saying goes, buy once, cry once.
How We Chose
Our fitness editors and writers researched the different types of CrossFit equipment that most people want and need to develop the list below. In some cases, these pieces have been used by our team for years, in others they were tested for just a few sessions, with the above considerations in mind. We made sure that each product was the best in terms of CrossFit workouts, footprint, and durability. Scroll below to check out the best CrossFit gear for your home.
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Fitness
Laura Dern, 57, Loves This Low-Impact Workout That Only Takes 11 Minutes
It’s been a minute since fans have seen Academy Award winner Laura Dern in a movie. But now, she’s showing up big time in the new Netflix romance Lonely Planet, which co-stars Liam Hemsworth.
The 57-year-old looks super glowy as novelist Katherine, who falls in love with Liam’s Owen on a writer’s retreat in Morocco. But it’s hard to miss how fit she looks, too—especially as the film gets a little steamy.
So, what’s Laura Dern’s workout and wellness routine? Here’s what she’s shared.
What is Laura Dern’s workout routine?
On the fitness front, Laura does “literally whatever I can get, whenever I can get it.”
“Before kids, it used to be an hour and a half of yoga in the morning,” she told The New York Times in 2017. “Now I try to fit in some exercise on a dog walk. As a working parent, you’re just constantly trying to fit it all in.” (Laura shares kids Ellery Walker and Jaya with ex-husband Ben Harper.)
Laura loves yoga, but it’s difficult to fit it in as a busy mom. “My yoga practice has become, like, 11 minutes in the morning, because I don’t have the time,” she told Vanity Fair in 2019. “You have 11 minutes. You could hold a plank and do a couple sun salutations and meditate for even a few minutes and have a very centered day—as opposed to the day where you wake up to your phone and you’re checking a hundred texts, and then you go into the newsfeed and see all these hopeful promises that stress you out.”
But yoga isn’t the only workout that Laura does. She’s also been spotted out hiking with her pal and former Big Little Lies costar Reese Witherspoon:
For diet, she ‘listens’ to her body.
Laura seems to have a healthy approach to what she eats. “Diet is weird. It’s elusive. I just try to listen to my body,” she told the Times. “Lately, I’ve been doing matcha green tea with my whisk, and I really love it.”
Laura added that her kids are “actually very healthy,” noting that her son is “an impassioned surfer” who enjoys nutritious foods and juices. “We don’t have a lot of gluten and dairy in the house,” she added.
She’s so known for her wellness habits, in fact, that John Cusack (with whom she worked for the 1989 film Fat Man and Little Boy) once joked that Laura’s idea of a good time is “a little more granola on her yogurt.”
“I remember I was growing sprouts in my hotel room and eating so clean,” she told Vanity Fair. “I had some kind of charcoal filter for my water, and I would meditate every day. I was excited about setting a pattern of health in my life, and it brought me here.”
But Laura also said that now she doesn’t have as much time for all of that. “The hope is that you’re obsessive at a time you can be, so that you can start to weave in practical habits,” she says. “[Otherwise] the same habits are being sleepless and overworked and in your workaholic nature, and then… you go to the club to release tension.”
She turns to art and mindfulness to relax.
To unwind from her busy work day, Laura is big on art. “I look at the ferocity of Nan Golden’s work, listen to Patti Smith, read—and reread—books like Little Women,” she told Shape in 2020. “It’s inspiring and incredibly healing to learn from women who are their true selves. And that’s not easy. I care a lot about what other people think.”
Laura is also “a meditator.” She aims to do transcendental meditation for 20 minutes a day.
“If I don’t end up with 20 minutes, and just end up with a little bit of time, it’s better for me to get some of it in, being a vigilante about my practice,” she told W in 2020.
She’s also big on making gratitude lists, writing down five things she’s grateful for and five things she did well each day. “It helps me be kinder to myself,” she told Shape. “There’s no greater beauty trick in the world than that.”
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
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