Help, I Need a New Workout!

Try It Thursday to the rescue! If you’re ever running out of workout ideas because you’re the kind of person that wants to stay in shape but doesn’t like the monotony of repeating the same exercise routines over and over, Hungry & Fit are here to help. As fitness professionals that have worked with individuals of varying levels, ages, and body types, we have experience innovating and creating new workout programs. Now, we are going to bring these to you… for free of course!

Last week Hungry presented his first Try It Thursday through his Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. (We’re still working on YouTube, Bodyspace, etc.) Since it didn’t get much attention and he liked it so much, we’re going to provide you with the same challenge. However, every week it will change. It might be something you can do once a week, or something that will help you build a workout routine for a whole week. It’s not necessarily a full program for someone with strict goals but it can help everyone try something new and build some new strengths and skills.

We would love to see you perform, capture, and share your Try It Thursday workouts! Use whatever social media you have or write about it in the comment section of the website. Hungry showed his last week and he really wants to see all of yours! Why? Because it’s fun, because it shows you’re trying, and because we love to see what you’re up to. Keep your eyes posted to all of our social media outlets for the Try It Thursday workouts. They will be coming to you on Thursdays for you perform any time throughout the week. Here is a recap of last week’s Try It Thursday.

Perform a superset of two exercises, which means perform the two exercises back to back. Then rest for two minutes, and continue to perform the two exercises until you have either completed six full sets of each or have performed them for 20 minutes. Remember to warm up before you start this workout for injury prevention. Do not rest in between the first and second exercises, if possible, in order to keep your heart rate elevated. What makes this Try It so much fun? YOU get to choose the exercises!

a. Something you are really good at doing (Reps/duration and weight depend on the exercise!)

b. Something you are really bad at doing (Reps/duration and weight still depend on the exercise…)

It’s that simple. The idea here is that you are stimulating yourself both physically and mentally. Dominating the exercise you already are skilled at will help boost your confidence going into the exercise that needs improvement. Even after you possible lose some of that confidence during the challenging exercise, you will be excited to be going back to something you are so good at! It’s a whole bunch of trickery, my favorite way of training clients and working with athletes. Here is what I did.

a. Swim butterfly (against a rip current) in the ocean, breathing every five strokes (1:05 100 pace until fatigued)

b. Practice handstands on the beach (10-12 attempts)

This was a really fun one because I really need to work on handstands and I love the beach. I also capitalized on the rip currents from Hurricane Marie to use the ocean like an Endless Pool and stay in one spot. That way I can come right back out and do my handstands in the same place.

I hope that everyone who is looking for a new workout keeps an eye on Hungry & Fit all over social media. If you subscribe/follow/like us you will be able to see these every week. Even if you have a serious regiment, it doesn’t hurt to have some extra fun and if you are completely lost and just want to start working out, then these are going to be some really fun free exercises for you!

Use Try It Thursday to stay Hungry & Fit!

Aug292014

Home Upper Body Workout (HIIT!)

You’re not always going to have a gym to go to. In fact, you may not even be subscribed to a gym right now! It’s important to have your own personal arsenal of home workouts and exercises. This is a great workout for everybody and anybody! Some people (women especially) choose to ignore strengthening their upper body. And why? We should keep our whole body strong! For this workout, all you need is a pair of light weights and a resistance band. Let’s do it.

Boxing (with 5lb weights) for 1 min

Jamie, the star of our last guest blog post!

Biceps Curls (with whichever weight you can do) for 1 min
Triceps Extensions (with whichever weight you can do) for 1 min
Boxing for 1 min
Rear Delt Flyes for 1 min
Shoulder Press (with whatever weight you can do) for 1 min
Boxing for 1 min
Push-ups for 1 min

Dips for 1 min
Boxing for 1 min
Face pulls for 1 min
Reverse Curls (with whatever weight you can do) for 1 min

Now take a break for crying out loud! Our next and final “set” is going to be faster pace, shorter time, and increased intensity. Try going with some heavier weights than before since you will be doing it for half the time.

Boxing (same 5lb weight) for 30s
Biceps Curls for 30s
Jumping Jacks for 1 min
Triceps Extensions for 30s
Boxing for 30s
Rear delt flyes for 30s

High knees for 1 min
Shoulder Press for 30s
Boxing for 30s
Push-ups for 30s
Quick toes for 1 min
Dips for 30s

Boxing for 30s
Face Pulls for 30s
Jump Rope for 1min
Reverse Curls for 30s

And that, my friends, is a great upper body workout for your muscles and your heart! Jamie and I were sweating and aching by the end of it. This particular upper body workout took us around 40 minutes in total, but you can trim things down or buff them up how you’d like. Make sure you have a reliable timer nearby to count each segment. Try to push yourself through each part even though your muscles are screaming at you. Fight til the end! Do this upper body home workout to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Silly Sajah

Aug222014

The Mecca – Gold’s Venice – Not Just a Bodybuilding Gym?

While the fitness industry is growing at an incredible rate, there has been an unfortunate amount of negative energy between different communities. In the past, athletes got along really well and were considered a clique (in high school, college, etc.) but now people can’t even agree over who is an athlete and what is a sport. Different kinds of athletes (Olympic/sport, martial arts, strongman, powerlifting, endurance, CrossFit, etc.) have all become increasingly hostile and instead of supporting other groups, they put others down in order to lift themselves higher. Since there is no clear competitive comparison of any of the different communities, it all comes down to subjectivity and trash talking. It’s a shame since everyone working towards a healthier lifestyle should continue to motivate one another. While I won’t get into anything in-depth about the can of worms I just opened, I will get back to the topic at hand. Let’s talk about (arguably) the most famous gym in the world.

Gold’s Gym – The MECCA of Bodybuilding – Venice Beach, CA – Since 1965

These are various pictures of me wearing Gold’s apparel…the gym’s in the background are NOT of Gold’s

Ever seen Pumping Iron starring Arnold and Lou Ferrigno? A lot of that footage was shot at Gold’s and Muscle Beach. (Lou was in NYC) Watch Mike O’Hearn‘s YouTube videos? Mostly at Gold’s yet again. Pictures from your favorite bodybuilders on Instagram? Venice! The Mecca has always been the place to be for bodybuilding and it has become even more popular than it was when Pumping Iron came out, despite the rise in competition. (I’ve been to a lot of good gyms across the world and I am sure you have too!) There is no question that the weather, members, posters on the wall, and equipment scream “come here to be a pro bodybuilder” but let me approach this with a different angle. Is Gold’s not just a bodybuilding gym?

When we moved (back) to L.A. (Santa Monica) recently, I told myself I need to join a new gym because I cancelled my YMCA and 24 Hour Fitness memberships. That gym needed to be 1) open late, 2) have amazing equipment, and 3) be able to motivate me in some way. Well, Gold’s was open until midnight, had dumbbells up to 200 lbs, and was full of extremely hard-working and passionate people. Whether they were big or small, strong or weak, natural or not, these people were giving it their all and I love that drive, since I DO NOT HAVE IT. But we all know one thing… I am NOT a bodybuilder! So the final question was, is this gym good for someone like myself? Someone who does not have any concrete goals but just works out because he/she enjoys it. Someone who has participated in sports and martial arts their whole life, using concepts and exercises from every community to become the best athlete possible. And that is precisely why I ended up a member at Gold’s. Because of the following that make it NOT JUST a bodybuilding gym.

(The following is a random list of things that I love at Gold’s, that a bodybuilding gym does not NEED, but this one has them anyway!)

1. Jacobs Ladder – Not one, but two! These are amazing machines and some of the only cardio equipment that I use. Jack up the speed to work on your eye-hand-foot coordination. It helps you maintain relative strength while you build absolute strength.

2. Plyo-Boxes – One that is actually tall. 48” and A TON of them. Different models with one that is just insanely tall. This is one gym where I don’t have to stack boxes on top of each other dangerously to get those high box jumps.

3. Sleds – Multiple sleds in their outdoor workout area. With a countless number of plates to load onto them. Amazing way to build explosive speed and strength in your lower body, while elevating that heart rate.

4. Endless Rope Machine – There are very few gyms in the world where I have seen one of these. It helps you get a full upper body workout, while working on rope climbing turnover technique, grip strength, and elevating your heart rate. And it’s fun!

5. 200 lb dumbbells – And everything in between. If you are a strongman or powerlifter, heavier weights are necessary for your workouts. You can’t do singles, doubles, and triples with 100 lb dumbbells if you want to make it to the top of the mountain!

6. Cambered Squat Bar – I’m impressed when gyms have 100 olympic barbells. Even more so when they have multiple model hex bars. But when you throw a rackable cambered squat bar into the mix, that makes my day. I love the little things!

7. Olympic Platform – It’s often locked up, but it’s a full Olympic platform with bumper plates, chalk, and no mirror! Olympic lifts are not recommended for bodybuilding so for them to have this platform means this gym is for other athletes too!

8. Kettlebells – Oh, we’re not talking about 12 lb ones. They have 40 kg kettlebells… matching! So you can do your front squats, snatches, and walking lunges with a heavier load! They’re outside too so you can throw up in peace!

9. Punching Bag – Or full body striking bags. Heavy ones. That hang. And 4 of them, at least. These aren’t cheap bags either. Don’t tell anyone but I was testing these out the other night and they took a good beating from my legs.

10. A huge dirty wall – That’s right! A huge dirty wall in back. That way you can do wall assisted handstand push ups without having to take your shoes off, or getting yelled at for taking your shoes off, or getting yelled at for putting your shoes on the wall, etc. You can also do flips off the wall, or use the wall for assisted pullups, etc!

As you can tell, I can go on forever. But I will stop here and tell ALL ATHLETES that visit Los Angeles to stop by Gold’s Venice for a day and get a workout in not just for the equipment but more for the culture. It’s an experience you won’t forget. Plus, you might get to see some real monsters there.

Disclaimer: Chris KING Tucci and Hungry & Fit LLC have NO AFFILIATION, personal, or professional relationship with Gold’s Gym Venice, Gold’s Gym, or any of its employees. This was written because I wanted to write it to get a few points across. As always, stay hungry & fit.

Aug202014

16-Minute Core Workout

Happy Workout Wednesday! As many of you know, I love “timed abs.” What are timed abs? It’s basically core exercises non-stop, so that your core muscles are seizing up and burning to oblivion. I usually do them 30 seconds each. Here is an awesome workout I did this week and my core is still sore from top to bottom and all around. My favorite kind of burn! There really are no excuses–especially when a workout only takes 16 minutes. And if you don’t even have that–try 8 minutes!

So repeat the above workout twice if you can. Rest in between sets, but when you’re in the middle of these exercises, try not to take a break. It will burn, it will scream, but push on. It’s an easy workout to throw in your day that you will be feeling for a few days after. Use a timer of some sort to count each 30 seconds–I used my phone timer. Please comment below if you have any questions about the exercises above.

There are always ways to pull out excuses, but this is a workout that can combat that ugly voice in your head trying to sucker you out of exercising today. Fight it! And fight on! Use this workout to stay hungry and fit!

*Question of the Day: What’s your favorite core exercise?

BONUS KITTY PIC

Sleepy babies

Aug062014

It’s a Wrap! ACE Brand Has a New Clip

I have been using ACE™ Brand Bandages for as long as I can remember. I remember sitting on my mum’s bed, sticking my leg out so she could wrap up my ankle. That was at least ten or fifteen years ago. ACE™ Brand products are still around today, helping provide stability and support to people who need it. They improved their products, innovated new products, and maintained their same high quality. If you follow us regularly, you know that Hungry and I usually get our bodies into trouble somehow. Whether it’s banging up a knee or an elbow, something is usually tender on our bodies. That’s why I’m excited to present to you the ACE™ Brand Elastic Bandage with the new ACE™ Brand Clip.

Good for the ankle

Bringing you back to the memory of having my mum wrap my ankle, I used to be afraid of one thing. That scary, spiky metal clip. With the new ACE Brand Clip, those fears vanish. Instead of getting stuck with the sharp end of the metal clip (whether it’s my mum’s fault or the clip’s fault, I’ll never know), it’s an easy plastic clip that you simply press to make it stay. Hooray! It’s an easy way to wrap up anything that needs support without having to fumble with a clip that’s not attached. It makes it much easier to wrap it yourself. All you do is wrap to your likened tightness, put the clip on the top layer of the wrap, and then click it into place!

I enjoyed trying it on all the parts of my body that usually need some extra support. Each one fit well and was easy to do–even my elbow!

It doesn’t snag on clothes and holds securely. Of course, it’s great for athletes during their sport or workout, but it works for everyday life as well. It helps support my problem-knee during an active day at work as I am constantly on the move. And even between clients and meetings, with the new clip, I can fix it very quickly! Convenient and comfortable–two of my favorite words. Whether it’s sprains or strains, this new ACE Brand Clip allows you to customize the compression that feels right. I usually like mine fairly tight, while others like it loose. With the new ACE Brand Clip, you have a much easier time to adjust the ACE Brand Elastic Bandage how YOU want it to fit.

ACE Brand also just came out with some funny, quirky promotional videos of the new ACE Brand Clip. Find it in the YouTube playlist below. If you’re an athlete, an active person, or just a regular person needing some support, check out the new ACE Brand Clip. It worked for us! I know I’ll be keeping it on my sore knee when I need it. And as always, stay hungry and fit!

Jul282014

Our (Last) Weekend (in Boulder) in Pics

Precious little girl

Great workouts

Chris’ love for Mexican Coke almost got us one of these cases

Went to WaterWorld and had a blast

More cute kitties

Pretty flowers

Yum food

Saying bye to our apartment as we finally finished packing at 2am

Jul162014

3 Foods to Supplement Your Supplements

If you’re a weird one like me, I don’t take many supplements. Sure, I take multivitamins and sometimes a Cytosport electrolyte drinks and also some protein powder. However, it’s not an everyday thing. Hungry, on the other hand, lives in the world of supplements. Everyone has their own way of doing things. This specifically addresses pre-workouts. I have a sensitive body to things like caffeine and other stimulants. I have not found a pre-workout that doesn’t send my body through the ringer. This is why I present to you a list of foods that often serve me well as pre-workouts.

1. Kombucha with chia seeds. I know, I know–“so Boulder.” But really, this stuff gets my energy up and my muscles ready to pump! My favorite is the Raspberry one, enough sour to sweet ratio. There are tons of Omega-3s, Probiotics, and antioxidants. You also have a few grams of carbohydrates, to give you some energy. Those chia seeds just get me going without making me full.

2. Grapefruit. Pure and simple–a wonderful easy snack to get ready for your workout. Lately, I like to put cinnamon on top as well. With an entire grapefruit boasting about 100 calories with 26g of carbohydrates, this tasty yet tart fruit will be sure to get your energy going. It’s the perfect amount of food to keep you from being hungry during your workout, but won’t weigh you down.

3. Peanut butter and jelly on matzo. Don’t look at me like that! Seriously, this is an amazing combination. We always have matzo in the house. By using matzo instead of traditional bread for this “sandwich,” you are taking out some of the filler that could make you feel heavy and full during your workout. This cracker-like substance is the perfect medium for peanut butter and jelly to do their thing. Now, this is a light layer of both peanut butter and jelly (or jam, as we use). I promise you this one-of-a-kind snack will not dissapoint. The matzo and jelly give you some carbs for energy while the peanut butter will give more sustained energy for long-term and keep you from feeling hungry.

Those are my top 3 for pre-workouts. Try them out and let me know what you think! I have no hate towards supplements, but sometimes it’s fun to try regular old food products. Try these “pre-workouts” to stay hungry and fit!

*Question of the Day: What’s your favorite “pre-workout”–supplement or not?

Jul142014

Our Weekend in Pictures

Abusing people

Yummy eats

Cute kitties

Great workouts

Chris thinking of tattoos…

World Cup games and yumminess

Chris went to Marshall’s and DIDN’T get any shoes, so proud

LOTS of yummy eats

Adorable animals

Workin’ out

Korean food

Great tunes

^.^

Tip well!

More Korean

BRUNCH

Kittens

Homemade eatz

Jul052014

An Easy Way to Switch-Up Your Workouts

I’ve found something exciting. Or rather, they found me. It’s a new app, released January of this year. An app that even Apple featured in one of my new favorite commercials (see below). What does this app do? Let’s first visit the topic it relates to: workout routines. We all have our routines, whether they focus on lifting, endurance, body weight, etc. I know, at least personally, that sometimes I’m not into my typical workout, that I get somewhat bored with it. This app is here to shake that boredom up.

See that guy on the beach doing his step ups and push-ups? (Pretty sure that’s Santa Monica, by the way). That app is the Johnson & Johnson 7-Minute Workout app created by Chris Jordan. It’s an app that allows you to create more than 1,000 (yeah, ONE THOUSAND) variations for your workout. 36 exercises and 12 additional workouts too. As you may be able to tell, I’m pretty excited about this. I always like to shake up my workouts because if I get bored in my routine, it simply will not be a good workout. I will get distracted or not push myself. Then this app comes along.

So many options!

This is perfect for people who aren’t sure of what they want to do for their workout, want to shake it up, or need to do a home workout. Oh yeah, one of the highlights of this app is that it can be done anywhere. No need for a gym membership for this one. It’s useful for all levels of people regarding fitness. The customization is great for people who know exactly what they want. And for beginners or people not used to creating their own routines, each exercise is shown by video while you are doing it as well as audio instructions and tips. I find it incredibly helpful. And finally, another feature I appreciate, is an eye-appealing timer-like function. You’ll see a circle of red dots around the instructional video that counts down your time for that exercise. Perfect for counting down the seconds of when you can end your plank.

This app is all about working out “smart” and it is science-based. This means no “bro-science,” no fads, and no nonsense. It means you’ll be working out according to proper form, function, and efficiency. It means working out safely while improving your fitness in the way YOU want to. It gives coaching tips that helps you maintain that fitness into your lifestyle. I really appreciate that. I detest fitness fads and unsafe instruction. I’m all about playing it smart and safe to build up into a powerful fitness level.

You can download the app on your iPhone or Android. And the best part–IT’S FREE! No need to pay money to get the “premium” version or any monthly subscription. This is a free app that will guide you to wonderful workouts. I know that I will be using it each week to shake things up and test myself. I’m going to have lots of fun playing around with customization and seeing what kind of tough workout routines I can create. Let me know if you have any questions about the app. Download the Johnson & Johnson 7-Minute Workout app to stay hungry and fit!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Fitfluential. All opinions are 100% ours (we actually love this app).

Jun242014

The World CUPDATE!

Cute name, right?

So here we are over a week into the World Cup! Who else has been waiting four years for this moment? We most certainly have and we are also looking forward to the Women’s World Cup in Canada, which we will be attending. Come meet us in Vancouver as that is where we will be setting up base camp and watching games live in person.

Yesterday, four teams were sent home and four were sent to the round of 16. We were happy to see Brazil go through as the host country, but preferred Croatia advanced rather than Mexico. Mexico’s keeper has been one of the absolute stand-out players of the cup thus far. Spain, the defending champions and top team in the world, were sent home after some coaching decisions on older and tired players didn’t work out for the best. David Villa did end his WC career scoring a goal, which was great to see. We look forward to having him in New York. Netherlands asserted themselves once more as a dominant force and potentially the most impressive team thus far. Most people think they will win and it’s hard to argue with that. Chile is the other advancing team, who will face the hometown boys in the next round. That will be a good showdown.

In terms of teams that have not yet advanced or been eliminated… there are tons! We always pull for underdogs so African and Asian teams are our favorite. If Ghana and Cote d’ivoire make it to the final, we would be thrilled. Also, we are always rooting for the Koreans and Japanese, although both are as good as gone and the Koreans have been playing miserably and even worse have been very boring! The Japanese simply don’t have enough good players to take them through in their group. Furthermore, Hungry has always been a fan of France ever since he saw Zizou and Henry led them to glory over a decade ago. France in the final would give them the opportunity to make up for that horrendous showing in Germany in 2006. Also, of course, part of us wants the US to make it as far as they can. Unfortunately, in the Group of Death, an injured Cristiano Ronaldo and the Germans, who have one of the deepest benches in the history of the World Cup, will not let that happen easily.

Today, we get to see who advances out of Columbia, Cote d’ivoire, Japan, and Greece in Group C (we think Columbia and Cote d’ivoire will go through, but it could be easily not if Japan or Greece wins and Cote d’ivoire does not). We also get to see who of Group D gets to pass through. Unfortunately, England is at the bottom, which is just painful to see for us. Costa Rica leads Group D with Italy and Uruguay tied behind. Fit thinks Costa Rica and Italy are going to advance as Uruguay haven’t been doing great. But you never know–that’s what we love about the World Cup. It could be anyone’s game.

Love of the game runs in the family

All in all, we’re just some ex-futbol/soccer players that are willing to put on our boots and play anytime and anywhere. We aren’t reliving the glory days but we recognize how great of an event the World Cup is for the world. Countries come together that usually don’t have diplomatic relationships with the rest of the world and participate as equals. It is a beautiful game and an opportunity for cultures and traditions to be shared. We’re not asking you to watch the event, but try to acknowledge what it means to so many people around the world. Futbol is the most popular sport in the world, factually, and in America it is not even one of the three most popular sports. This doesn’t have to change, and I know that some players and countries give the sport a bad name by flopping and acting so often, but it is a great way for countries that don’t get along to pick each other up and respect one another. We’re all in! As always, stay hungry and fit!