Hello and welcome to Lounge's fitness roundup for the week. Getting fit and keeping at it requires consistency and a good measure of motivation, which is what we attempt to provide you with the health and fitness stories we publish every day of the week. Here's a recap of the stories from this week that we are sure will keep your motivation levels pumping high as you hit the gym in the week ahead.
If you like mixing up your workout routines, are looking for ideas to get the best results out of cardio, and are someone who likes giving viral fitness trends a shot, then we've got stories that you will enjoy reading and putting into practice.
What I learnt by doing the 100 push ups challenge
Whether you like them or not, viral fitness trends are hard to ignore. And one such trend that has been getting fitness influencers pumped up is the challenge that requires you to do 100 reps of an exercise every day for a month. Shrenik Avlani gave the challenge a shot and did 100 push ups every day for an entire month to see if there was any truth to claims being made of drastic positive changes to one's body weight and fitness levels. What was the outcome? “I am convinced that I never want to do a ‘100’ of anything for a month on the trot,” writes Avlani. Read the rather personal story to understand why following trends blindly is not a good idea when it comes to your fitness journey.
7 exercises that channel the animal in you
Doing the same routines day in and day out can get monotonous. It's always a good idea to mix new workouts - not only do they make exercising fun, they also push your body to stretch beyond its comfort zone. The Animal Flow workout style, which takes its inspiration from the movements of animals, is an effective way to improve your body's flexibility, mobility and core strength. From Bear Crawl to Crab Walk and the Cat-Camel pose, Shrenik Avlani shares seven animal flow exercises you should weave into your regular training routine.
How to fit cardio into your workout week
If you are a regular gym goer, you may be used to having a dedicated day for cardio. But is focussing on high intense activities like HIIT or Tabata on one day of the week the best way to incorporate cardio into your routine? Or is it better to spread all of those activities out over an entire week? Pulasta Dhar shares thumb rules you can follow to plan an effective cardio programme that ensures you gain maximum benefits without having to dread ‘cardio day’.
Also read: How javelin throwers like Neeraj Chopra train for maximum fitness
