Fit

Your muscles need recovery time to be able to repair, change and function properly before your next training session. Overworked muscles, damaged muscles and muscles that have been through hell and back will need some kind of downtime, but most of the time a good night’s sleep is all that is required. You can, in fact train every day, provided you don’t hyperload the same muscle groups and don’t put the same pressure on them several days in a row. That in fact, is the best and the fastest way to make fitness part of your lifestyle – just like brushing your teeth every morning. The problem with complete rest days, blank days on the calendar where you virtually do no exercise whatsoever, is that your mind wanders and if you are not into fitness already, you have higher chances of dropping out and giving up. Fitness is all in your head, that’s where it starts and that’s where it ends, one day without training, even a little bit of training – nothing hardcore, can potentially be the last d...

In the past, we used to only diet to lose weight so it was fairly straight forward, all we needed was basic scales to track our progress. These days we all know that just dieting isn’t enough, we also need to exercise to look and feel good, but exercise means muscle and muscle is heavy. The muscle mass is the gains you want but it makes scales all that more irrelevant when you want to see just how well you are doing. There are several ways to track your progress depending on your goals and how precise you want to be. If you only diet, you will not only lose weight, you will lose fat and muscle (which can have serious health consequences later on in life), and in this case you can use basic scales that only show you your general weight. If you exercise as well you will need to get more creative. Take weekly or daily photographs.  It’s not just a way to see how you are progressing but a way to stay motivated. Seeing yourself as you are can be a good reality check – after all, we all ...

here is training and then there is  Saiyan training . At it's core there is a simple fact: no matter how strong you are there is always a way to raise your power levels and advance to the next level. You transform and then continue your transformation when you constantly push yourself to the absolute limit... and then go beyond it. Saiyan training doesn't just take you out of your comfort zone physically, it challenges you mentally as well. Training like Goku takes a lot, a lot of hard work... and serious ballz.  There is only one rule: the moment you can do something raise your standards - that's the key to training on a Super Saiyan level. If you can do 100 sit-ups, go 200. If you can do 100 push-ups, go 200. If you can run 10K go faster, go longer, run with a heavy vest Goku-style. Turn your every activity into a challenge and never, ever take shortcuts. Go  100 times Earth's gravity Perform an exercise in slow motion to force already tired mus...

Anybody who has bounced a little in a boxing stance in front of a mirror with the theme song from Rocky playing in the background, understands the hidden power of music. Songs can be triggers, activating emotional, psychological and then physical reserves inside us that help transform us into something greater than ourselves. Music can do this because it has a neurological effect on our minds that is then transformed into a physiological effect in our bodies. This is exactly why the playlist you choose to exercise to is now an important aspect of your training.  Your playlist then can potentially make or break the quality of your training session. The wrong song with the wrong kind of beat and lyrics can discourage and bring you down but the right song at the right time can give you the extra boost and see your through a tough set and then another one, and another one and another one after that. Every time you work out you don’t just fight your body’s current limitations, you fight...

Every time you do something physical your body changes. As a matter of fact it changes even when you don’t do anything physical which is the problem. Your body is an adaptive machine that’s in constant dialogue with its environment. Sit in a chair for eight hours a day doing nothing more strenuous than pushing a mouse around and this is what happens: your muscles begin to weaken, your metabolic system slows down. Your body stockpiles calories in the form of excess weight “just in case you need fuel in the future”, your aerobic and cardiovascular systems remain unchallenged and begin to degrade - your body thinks they are not really that necessary to keep at peak any more. As an adaptive machine your body does all this because it thinks you no longer need to swing a club or outrun saber-tooth tigers therefore it sheds all the excess high-maintenance abilities it has (muscle, finely-tuned cardiovascular and aerobic functions). Conversely, should it be physically challenged it also adapts...

Rob Gronkowski apparently is indeed officially off the market, according to a former Patriots cheerleader. Camille Kostek said in an interview with The Boston Globe that she and the New England Patriots tight end are seeing each other. Kostek, a former Patriots cheerleader, opened up in an interview with the Globe centered around her new relationship and new modeling gig with Benrus. “Rob and I have been seeing each other,” she told the Globe. “We’re both super busy right now. Obviously he does a lot and I do a lot.” Kostek left the Patriots’ cheerleading team after this past season, and some wondered if her relationship with Gronkowski forced her to leave. However, Kostek told the Globe she was just looking for new opportunities. “I kind of relate myself to Vince Wilfork,” she explained. “There wasn’t a better way to close it out.”

More from Athlon Sports: Top 10 coaches on the hot seat this spring / Top 20 WRs on the rise in 2015 / Alabama is ready for another title run / Florida could win SEC East in 2015 / North Carolina's D must step up in 2015 / South Carolina in danger in SEC East A handful of SEC teams enter the offseason with uncertainty at quarterback, but there's no doubt about which player belongs at the top of the rankings for 2015. Mississippi State's Dak Prescott is the reigning first-team All-SEC quarterback and one of the top signal-callers in college football for 2015. After Prescott is where the intrigue begins in the SEC. Auburn's Jeremy Johnson is poised for a breakout year in his first season as the starter, while Texas A&M's Kyle Allen and Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs are two other rising stars to watch in 2015. Missouri's Maty Mauk and Arkansas' Brandon Allen are experienced options looking to make a move up the rankings. Note: To help compile the rankings, t...