Monday, 3 August 2015

Fitness Fashion Guide: Men’s Gym-Wear

GET THE RIGHT OUTFIT TO TAKE ON YOUR NEXT GYM WORKOUT

To help you out we’ve separated gym fashion into tops (shirts & singlets), bottoms (shorts, pants, compression pants), shoes and specialty items & accessories that make you look like a gym pro. To make life even easier, we’ve included links to some of the most awesome online shops so you can get started right away! 

Gym Fashion For men: TOP’s (shirts and Singlets)


When you are working out in a gym, you have a range of options – t-shirt or singlet. The modern trends are compression gear and climacool fabrics that breath easily and keep you fresh while you workout. Stay away from grey or lighter colors as sweat will show easily. Try going for white, fluros (brigh yellow or green) or dark colors.
Brands we like:
We really love Reebok lately with their new cross fit focus, awesome color combinations, and stretchy shirt materials. Under Armour are another up and coming brand taking the compression wear world by storm. Nike and Adidas are also good choices for shirts and singlets.
Where to buy: 
You can grab great men’s sports tops from Souq.com.
What I should pay: 
Pick up a decent sports top for about AED 100. Souq.com have some great men’s sportswear specials over summer so be quick!

BOTTOM’s (shorts, pants, tights, compression pants)


In the gym, there are a couple of options for men. If you like a loose, breathable feeling, basic basketball shorts will do the job and there’s a variety of colors that you can choose from. Compression Pants are a more modern trend that has come about from the cross-fit scene. Compression pants are like tights and are designed to maximize your range of motion while also keeping your muscles warm and blood circulation to a maximum. You can wear them in combination with basketball pants, short running shorts or just on their own. You can find a number of shorts that will look great at Namshi. You can also visit Sun and Sand Sport in Dubai Mall for a great selection of all types of gym pants.
Brands we like:
We really like the GUESS lounge shorts. These lounge shorts are made from a poly-cotton blend French terry fabric. We love the fact that the button down fly is concealed. For Compression Pants you can’t go past Reebok and Under Armour – both brands have awesome design and you will feel thedifference.
Where to buy: 
You are able to pick up the Guess shorts, Reebok and Under Armour atNamshi.
What I should pay: 
You should be able to pick a pair of shorts that you like for anywhere from 200- 500 AED. This will depend on the style that you are going for as well as the material that you want.

SHOE’s (Tennis, Sneaker, High Top)


As long as you are not outside or running around, your basic sneakers will work allowing you to use the treadmill or lift weights. You want to find a good pair of shoes that will be able to support your ankles as you work out. You will also want to look at some of the awesome color combinations that are out there.
Brands we like:
This is why we recommend the Converse Chuck Taylor classic colors hi top canvas sneakers. You are able to get them in a number of different colors and they are able to support your ankles as you are working out or lifting weights. We also recommend the crossfit selection by Reebok. Nike have some cool flyknit style shoes, but they are not so functional once you step out of the gym.
Where to buy: 
Not only are you able to find the Converse Chuck Taylor classic hi top shoes but a number of different types of shoes at Souq.
What I should pay: 
Depending on the style that you are looking for as well as the fashion statement that you want you will generally pay anywhere from 150- 900 AED for a good pair of shoes.

SPECIAL (shower shoes)


You might want to make sure that you bring in a pair of shower shoes for when you are done working out. Look for a great pair of shower shoes that have a decent tread to help prevent slipping.
Brands we like:
We found Nike Jordan super fly team slide not only have a great look but you can pick them up for a reasonable price. With these shower shoes you will notice holes throughout the shoes to help the water to move through the shoes.
Where to buy: 
You should be able to pick up a great looking pair of shower shoes at Namshi
What I should pay: 
There are a number of different types of shower shoes that are out there for you to change from. Depending on exactly what you are looking will determine the price that you will pay. Generally you are looking at prices ranging from 150-300 AED.

SPECIAL (ear buds)


To really get into the flow of your workout consider picking up a pair of ear buds so that you are able to listen to your favorite music and jam while you are working out.
Brands we like:
For a pair of reliable ear buds that will stay in while you are working out we recommend the JBL earphone tempo J01A. These ear buds will allow you to listen to music or answer your phone while you work out.
Where to buy: 
You can find these ear buds and another many more at LULU. They have a variety of different types of ear buds for you to select from.
What I should pay: 
Depending on the features that you are looking for in the ear buds will determine their price. You will want to make sure that you take the time and really look for ear buds that will be able to stay in while you are moving around. You should be able to pick up a pair for about 100-500 AED.

Thursday, 30 July 2015

What To Wear For Yoga This Year - for Men

We’ve brought together some of the best Dubai online shops for you to purchase your Yoga wear from this summer, and presented them together with practical tips to help you decide what to wear for your Yoga class.

The most important thing to consider when choosing what to wear for Yoga is that your body must be able to move freely. You need to be comfortable and having the right clothing to wear will ensure that you can flow through the various poses and positions of your Yoga practice with ease and grace.
Men are choosing to wear breathable vests or T shirts for Yoga. Go for T shirts that are slightly fitted. Ideally they will be loose fitting but not baggy, allowing you to move without too much excess fabric getting in the way as you flow through poses.
Buy tops for men from:
1.  Souq has a wide range of fitness tops, vests and T shirts for men.
http://uae.souq.com/ae-en/athletic-wear/men/fitness—and—yoga|sportswear-tops|martial-arts/a-6356-12/l/
2. yApparel also carry mens tops
http://www.yapparel.com/collections/m-tops

What To Wear For Yoga This Year - for Women

We’ve brought together some of the best Dubai online shops for you to purchase your Yoga wear from this summer, and presented them together with practical tips to help you decide what to wear for your Yoga class.
 
The most important thing to consider when choosing  wear for Yoga is that your body must be able to move freely. You need to be comfortable and having the right clothing to wear will ensure that you can flow through the various poses and positions of your Yoga practice with ease and grace.
Your clothing must stay in place and you don’t want tops which are too baggy as they will get in the way when you practice your inversions. Having breathable Yoga wear is also im-portant, and cotton is a favourite.
This summer is all about loud, bright florals and animals prints, and you will find plenty of Yoga clothes that are bang on trend here.
Fitted cotton mix cami tops are ideal, and can be layered with long sleeved tops over them. Layers are great, both for the appearance and also for practical reasons as you are likely to warm up as you move through your practice
Buy Yoga tops for women from:
1. Souq has a large selection of women’s Yoga and fitness tops.
http://uae.souq.com/ae-en/athletic-wear/women/fitness—and—yoga/a-6356-12/l/?page=2
2. yApparel has some gorgeous speciality Yoga wear for women
http://www.yapparel.com

Tuesday, 28 July 2015

30 Day Challenge: 50 Chin-ups in a row

SHUT UP AND CHIN!
Chin Ups are the ultimate separators. Plenty of people will boast to you about their bench press strength but ask them how many chin ups they can pump out and suddenly they go eerily silent. Why? Because they are damn hard to do. Yet, they are also a tremendous upper body movement. Chin Ups are, of course, a fantastic upper back exercise. They are the best exercise you can do to develop the latissimus dorsi muscles – the ones that give a “V” shape to your upper body. Yet the movement actually works your whole body. It will place direct stress upon you abs, lower back, biceps and forearms. This movement is deceptively simple – all it involves is hanging from a bar and pulling your body up so that your chin goes over the bar.
If you’re already a chin-up pro – Skip right to the Challenge Workout Program

Optimized Chin Ups Form
The name Chin Up is actually a misnomer – it gives people the idea that they have to get their chin up and over the bar on each rep. This leads them to do all sorts of crazy things to make that happen. They will kick, squirm, kip and crane their neck. You don’t have to do this. Just go as high as you can. You don’t have to get your chin over the bar each time.
You should do your chin ups slowly. The right speed is about 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down. This allows you to work the lats without injury. When you do them too fast, you are likely to start swinging and using momentum to get up. You should also keep your shoulders flexed throughout the chin up movement.
You can perform perfect chin-ups in 3 easy steps . Check this video tutorial also
  1. Extend your arms to the bar while retracting and pulling your shoulder down.
  2. Drive your elbows to the ground as you pull up to the bar. In the top position your elbows should be parallel to the line of your upper body.
  3. Return to a full hang with arms fully extended.
Here is one more Video Tutorial On how to do Chin-ups
5 Tips to Success
  1. Commit publicly: Tell your friends and family that you are on a program that will have you performing 30 chin ups in 4 weeks. Publicly commit. Put it out there!
  2. Observe your rest days: When you do chin ups you create micro tears in the muscle fiber. They need time to heal and regrow. The program relies on a rest day after each workout – make sure you observe it!
  3. Use good form on every rep: Have integrity. Kipping motions and half reps are not chin ups – why cheat yourself?
  4. Do the challenge first thing in the morning if possible: This will prevent your being spasmodic because of having hard day at work.
  5. Don’t be discouraged: Chin Ups are hard work. Work consistently and don’t give up. If you do miss a day, don’t beat yourself up, just jump back in there. Even if it takes you an extra week to knock off the challenge, so what? You still will have accomplished something special.
Visit 30 day 50 chin ups workout challenge program for more information.

How to do 100 push-ups in one go!



A 30-DAY PROGRAM TO DO A SET OF 100 PUSH-UPS

The push up is the ultimate barometer of strength. Not only is it the perfect upper body exerciser, it also hits the abs and even the quads. When it comes to pumping out the reps, the holy-grail for push ups is 100. Drop down and pump out a century with good form and you’ve just garnered for yourself a whole lot of respect.
For most people, the prospect of doing 100 push-ups is as distant as running a four-minute mile. The average guy on the street would struggle to do 20 reps of anything that reasonably approaches a push up. Yet, 100 push-ups is a goal that is achievable by anybody, and it’s achievable quicker than you think.
In this challenge, you are being asked to commit to making your 100-rep push up goal a reality in 30 days. That’s right - in just one month, you will take it from zero to hero, maxing up your strength and your muscle mass.

How To Do The Perfect Push Up

The first step towards your 100-rep push up goal is to believe that you can do it – because you can!The first step towards your 100-rep push up goal is to believe that you can do it – because you can!

The next step is to learn how to perform a push up properly. We’re only interested in full, complete reps – not those 1/8th movement joke reps that so many people seem happy to delude themselves with.
Check out this perfect form video to make sure that you’ve got it right
  1. Set yourself on the ground, face down with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Your feet should be touching.
  2. Keeping your body in a straight line, rise up so that your arms are fully extended. Tense your buttocks and tighten your abs to prevent your butt from lifting you into a ‘v’ position.
  3. Look straight ahead rather than down. Now steadily lower yourself until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle. When your chest touches the floor, explode back up to the start position
Get down on the floor and practice that form until you have got it down pat. Remember, no sticking your butt in the air, no looking down and no partial reps – keep it strict all the way.

Tips to Success
  1. Consistency – this challenge is built upon incremental progressions. If you miss a day, your progress will stutter. Fortunately, push ups are a movement that can be done anywhere, any time – and they only take a few minutes.
  2. Interest – boredom may be your biggest enemy. To fight it, keep your goal constantly before you. You should also vary the types of push up that you do. Try inclines, decline, knuckle and fingertip variations. You should also break up the target number in your mind – knocking 10 sets of six (with no break between mini sets, of course) is less of a mental hurdle than doing 60.
  3. Speed – 100 push-ups is both a strength and an endurance challenge. Play it smart by doing your first 60 reps as fast as you can (without sacrificing form). If you can hit 60 before your arms and pecs fatigue, pure grit should allow you to bang out the final 40.
  4. Mental toughness – As indicated above, the last 40 % of this challenge is mental. You need to shut down that nagging voice in your head that tells you that you’ll never get beyond 75 and just do it. With the end in sight, realize that you will not die and grind out until you reach absolute positive failure – you’ll soon find that the 100 rep benchmark will arrive first.
click for full 100 push up challenge program