FLEXPRO CONNECT

The plain and simple answer to this question is: there is no answer. There are too many variables that go into how long you should workout to have one definitive answer that holds true for everybody. Some fitness experts will tell you to do 45 minute workouts everyday; no more, no less. This may be the best route to go for some people - but not all people are the same. Therefore, you have to listen to your body and figure out what works best for you with a little trial and error.  Here are some things to consider when trying to figure out the duration of your workout: Experience Level- Are you a newbie to the world of fitness, a seasoned muscle head, or somewhere in between? If your body isn’t accustomed to the punishment getting in shape involves, your workouts should probably be short and to-the-point (anywhere from 20-30 minutes) to begin with. Once you start noticing that you are becoming stronger, you can either start bumping up the length and/or intensity of your workouts.  Fitness Goals- The types of workouts you do should be directly related to your fitness goals. If you're wanting to gain mass, then you will probably be doing a lot of high volume weight training routines which all vary in length according to how long your breaks are and what muscle group you are targeting that day. If you are training to be more athletic, some of your workouts, like plyometric or HIIT routines, will be shorter due to the high level of intensity.  Intensity- The intensity of your workout is a huge determining factor in how long you should workout. When weight training, some people can go for longer periods of time (1-1.5 hours), especially if they are taking long rests in between sets. In contrast, some CrossFit workouts only last 8 minutes, but they are so intense that you often won't be able to peel yourself off the floor for the rest of the day. The thing to consider here is, did you push your body to the point of extreme fatigue? This is what causes you to change and become stronger. Remember, quality over quantity! Personal Time Constraints- Some people have crazy, hectic lives that only leave them a small allotment of time to get a workout in. If you're one of those people that only have a tiny window of time to workout, doing a 20-30 minute workout is way better than doing nothing at all. The good news is, studies have shown that short, but intense workouts can burn the same amount of calories as a longer workout due to something called the after burn effect. This means you'll continue to burn calories at an accelerated rate even after you're done working out if the intensity was high enough. The key thing to remember is what works for someone else may not necessarily work for you. Listen to your body and happy working out!

Pull-ups have long been considered one of the most fundamental exercises in creating a strong back and that ever-coveted V-taper many guys desire. Being able to preform pull-ups is considered by many organizations, like the military, to be an indicator of superior physical fitness. However, pull-ups provide a lot more benefits than just looking good and impressing people. Here are just a few of our favorite benefits:  1. Compound Upper Body Move- Not only do pull-ups target your upper-back muscles, your biceps, forearms, shoulders, & core also come into play when preforming a pull-up. 2. Variation Variety- There are tons of pull-up variations you can do all depending on your hand placement. Each type targets your muscles differently. For instance, a chin-up incorporates more biceps while a close-grip pull-up targets more of your forearms.  3. Increasing Intensity is Easy- As with every other exercise, you must continually increase the intensity in order to grow and avoid a plateau. Pull-up intensity can be easily increased by simply doing more reps or adding weight with a weighted belt or vest.  4. Increased Heart Rate- Pull-ups use large muscle groups, so they will have your heart rate pumping in no time!  5. Increase Grip Strength- Pull-ups are one of the best ways to increase grip strength which comes in handy for other weight-training exercises and climbing. 6. Convenient- Pull-ups can be done almost anywhere. You don't need thousands of dollars worth of gym equipment to do this exercise-- just your body, a bar, and gravity. Don't Have Access to a Pull-up Bar? Doorframe pull-up bars are relatively inexpensive and work great!  Check out your local running trail. Many of them have outdoor workout stations that include pull-up bars. Head to the nearest playground and use the monkey bars. If you have an open beam ceiling in your basement, use the beam as a pull-up bar Head outside to your patio and use the edge of the deck or railing Do you integrate pull-ups in your workout routine? Tell us how in the comments below!

Are White Potatoes Really Bad for You?  Since the beginning of the low-carb revolution brought on by Dr. Atkins in the early 90's, white potatoes have caught quite the bad rep , while sweet potatoes have been elevated to superfood status. Until that time, regular potatoes were a staple to the healthy american's diet, so are they really all that bad for you? Which should you be eating to attain maximum health? Compare the nutritional content of 100 g of sweet potatoes and white potatoes in the chart below:  You'll probably notice that they are pretty darn similar with white potatoes looking slightly better because of its higher protein content, and lower calorie, fat, carb, sugar, & sodium content. So why has the spud been demonized for so many modern health-conscious people?  One problem stems from the fact, that when most people think of eating potatoes, they come in fatty processed forms like french fries, chips, and tater tots. Obviously these are not the best decisions for anyone, but what about unprocessed whole potatoes that aren't slathered in grease, sour cream, cheese, and butter?  Glycemic Index Another reason regular potatoes have been given blacklisted-status is because of a little something called the Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index (GI) is the measure of how quickly food converts into glucose (sugar), so the higher the GI, the quicker the food converts to sugar.  Listed in the chart below are the GI levels of Sweet Potatoes and Regular potatoes along with a few other popular high-carb for comparison: As you can see, regular potatoes and sweet potatoes both have a higher GI than other healthy carbs, with baked potatoes shooting above the rest at the score of 111. Those can be scary numbers, but consider that the way you cook your potato helps to determine the GI. Boiling a sweet potato can lower its GI score of 82 to 46, while boiling a regular potato can bring the GI score from 111 to 82. When deciding what to include in your diet, high glycemic index scores are not necessarily a deal breaker. If you're an active individual, your body can process high glycemic carbs better, so consider your lifestyle and all of a food's benefits before you write that food off for having a high GI score.  Benefits While both sweet and white potatoes have a higher GI compared to other foods, they're pros far outweigh the cons. Here are the benefits of both:   Both are highly satiating, meaning you will stay fuller longer and won't be binging on junk when you're hungry 30 minutes later. Both are also chock-full of vitamins & minerals. Both contain tons of antioxidants and phytonutrients essential for keeping your immune system healthy.  Both contain "feel-good" chemicals like dopamine and the those found in Valium White sweet potatoes contain something called Caiapo which has been known to help treat diabetes!! Both taste delicious! Both contain resistant starch which is starch our bodies can't digest, so while they are high in carbs, they don't act like other high-carb foods.  Conclusion  While white potatoes have generally been blacklisted from the health community, both regular and sweet potatoes have a place in the active person's diet. As long as you are mindful of the way you prepare them and what you put in/on them, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes add tons of value to every active person's diet! 

Get Ready to Burn More Fat in Half the Time! If you've been to a gym or opened a fitness magazine lately you've probably have at least heard of the word HIIT, but what the heck does HIIT even mean? HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training, and it has very quickly become one of top trending ways to burn fat. Why? Because if done correctly you can burn up to 9 times the amount of fat than a traditional steady-state cardio workout would!How is it Done?HIIT is done by alternating high intensity exercises with low intensity exercises (or resting) for a set amount of time (20-60 seconds) and can be done with pretty much any bodyweight exercise including running, squatting, lunging, kicking, punching, jump roping, & more! Benefits of HIIT Metabolism Increase- HIIT will speed up your metabolic rate for up to 48 hours after you've finished working out.  Fast & Convenient- Most HIIT routines are less than 30 minutes and you can literally do it anywhere since little to no equipment is required. Gone are the days of not having time to workout!  No Equipment Required- The only weight you need for HIIT is the weight your own body supplies. Most moves in HIIT routines use bodyweight exercises; although, feel free to add weighted moves to up the intensity.  Burns More Fat While Retaining Muscle- Studies have shown that over a 20 week period, people who consistently did HIIT routines burned 9 times the amount of body fat and retained more lean muscle mass over the people who just did low intensity, steady-state cardio.  Ready to give HIIT a try? Here are few example workouts for you to give a go!10 Minute Beginner HIIT Workout 3 rounds- 20 seconds high intensity, 10 seconds rest Jumping Jacks Squats Jab, Cross (Right Side) Jab, Cross (Left Side) *30 seconds of rest in between each round Advanced HIIT Workout3 Rounds- 45 seconds high intensity, 15 Second Rest Burbpees Jumping Lunges Tricep Dips Side Lunges Push-ups Tuck Jumps Mountain Climbers *1 minute of rest in between each round Have you tried HIIT Before? Let us know your favorite workout in the comments below!