Core Skills Workout Tone: Fill & Download for Free

First of all, Pilates was created by a man. Joseph Pilates was a sickly child who suffered from asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever. He dedicated his entire life to improving his physical strength. He studied both western and eastern forms of exercises. By the age of 14, he was fit enough to pose for "anatomical charts". Later on, not only was he a successful boxer and gymnast, he was also a skillful skier and swimmer.You are not going to get huge muscles from doing Pilates, but your body will be toned with nice definition and leaner looking muscles.Pilates workouts are a series of core exercises that promote strength and balanced muscles. Not only is Pilates about building strength, stability, flexibility and stamina, it's also about the mastery of your mind over the total control of your body.I highly recommend you try out Pilates, but just keep in mind that a good instructor is very important! Maybe you should attend a few different classes before you decide which instructor to go with.Check out the below pictures of Joseph Pilates for references:

If you’re thinking about starting working out and you haven’t really made up your mind on which direction you want to go – calisthenics or weight training – this post will go right down your street.We are going to explain the pros and cons of both types of training and we’ll be answering some of the most common asked question about the two.After reading this you will be able to decide for yourself which option will suit you best, depending on your personal lifestyle and fitness goals. So let’s get to it.What’s the difference?With calisthenics you are using just your bodyweight to workout and most of the time the focus here is on building your relative strength – meaning your strength in relation to your total bodyweight.Now, with weight training you are using external resistance to workout and the focus is on building your maximum strength – meaning how much weight you can lift, regardless of your bodyweight.So, for example – pull-ups, chin-ups, dips and pushups are bodyweight exercises falling under the calisthenics umbrella.And exercises such as bench press, deadlifts, over head presses and skull crushers are weight training exercises.Nevertheless, there are calisthenics exercises you can’t ever reproduce in weight lifting and vice versa.Pros and Cons of calisthenicsProsThe major advantage of calisthenics or any bodyweight type of routine for that matter, is that you will need minimal or no gym equipment to do it. You can do it at home, in the park or pretty much anywhere else as long as you have at least a pull-up bar.Another benefit of calisthenics is that it will allow you to access a lot of different muscle in your body that you can’t really hit by following a weight training only type of routine. And here we are referring mainly to core muscles and a whole lot of stabilization muscles which you will use in calisthenics to create that body awareness, but not that much when you are weight training.With calisthenics, you can advance to learning amazing skills that the average person can only dream of doing, even something as simple as a muscle up will WOW people. You don’t really have that same option with weight training.NeutralWith calisthenics, you progress by using different angles and leverages to make exercises harder, so you will learn how to move your body in space and do some really cool stuff, but progressive overload is not as simple or linear as just adding more weight.ConsThe biggest disadvantage of calisthenics is that you probably can’t get into it if you are severely overweight, since all exercises are based on your bodyweight.You will be less likely to build that much muscle using calisthenics only. Yes, you will get toned up; there will definitely be some muscle definition and muscle gain, but calisthenics is not the optimal way of training if your goal is purely to build a muscular physique.Chicken Legs! Training legs with only bodyweight is a major issue. Which is why many people do calisthenics for their upper body and use squats, deadlifts and other explosive lower body barbell movements to build strong tree trunk legs.Pros and Cons of weight trainingProsWeight training is the best way of developing your muscles and your strength. These two right here – muscle and strength development, are the most important benefits of weight training.It’s no secret that progressively overloading your muscles by lifting heavier and heavier weights is the optimal way of building more mass and more strength. Working out using weights that are heavy enough will target the fast twitching fibers inside your muscles which are capable of great strength output over a short period of time and also have a great growth potential.It’s very easy to track your progress when weight training. Simply look at the weight you’re using for your main compound exercises and see how heavier they’ve gotten over the course of your training.It’s also very easy to progressively overload your muscles when weight training. Since you’re using an external load, you just up the weight of that load from what you were doing before and you will have progressive overload.ConsYou will definitely need a gym membership to do your workouts. You need to have access to at least a handful of heavy gym equipment such as a power rack for your squats and deadlifts, some dumbbells, barbells, a bench and the list of equipment and machines could go on forever.Another potential downside is that with weight training the risk of injuries is a little bit higher than in calisthenics. Using heavy weights can possibly affect your joints or your back, especially if your form is not that good. So definitely make sure your form is in check and don’t ever use weights that you can’t handle.It can get boring. Let’s face it, the most impressive thing you can do with weight lifting is upping the weight. And while it’s cool to see some guy benching 315 lbs, it will never compare to seeing a guy doing a full planche or a sick front lever.Frequently Asked Questions:#1 – Can you build muscle with calisthenics?Even though calisthenics is not the optimal way to build muscle, you can definitely develop your muscles with bodyweight exercises. Additionally, if you want to take things to a new level, you can start attaching weights to your body to develop your muscles more.So you can do weighted dips, weighted pull-ups or you can start playing around with the tempo or the leverage to activate a specific muscle group more.#2 – Does calisthenics strength transfer to weight lifting and vice versa?Sometimes. Of course there is a certain overlap between the two, but this will greatly depend on the specifics of the routines followed by each individual.For example, most calisthenics athletes that attempt weight lifting will be able to move pretty impressive weight if they’ve done a calisthenics equivalent to that certain weight lifting exercise. Doing a move like the handstand push-up will definitely have carry over to something like an overhead press.As for weight lifters attempting calisthenics, they will be able to do the basics (pull ups, push ups, etc) but a lot of weight lifters have poorly developed core and stabilization muscles which will not allow them to perform many (if any) of the more advanced calisthenics movements.#3 – Can calisthenics get your ripped?Most people who are into calisthenics have a six pack, great muscle definition and are pretty lean. So does calisthenics get you ripped? Well, if you are looking at what science tells us, it’s a caloric deficit what gets us ripped, not a specific sport.Of course, you will need to have a pretty low bodyweight to be able to perform most of the calisthenics movements, so that’s why people who are into calisthenics are usually lean. But as long as you are eating fewer calories than your body burns, you will be losing fat regardless of the type of sport you are performing.So..What’s better?The real question here is not which one is better, but – what is your goal? If you want better mobility, a nicely built and overall strong & fit body you will probably be better off with calisthenics. But if you want to get bigger and stronger, and you are not that much concerned with being able to perform bodyweight movements, then weight lifting is the best way to go.Over to youSo, with that being said simply take a step back, think a little bit about that you want to achieve with your body and just pick the option which is going to serve your goals best. Also, keep in mind that calisthenics and weight lifting don’t need to be two totally separated worlds.There are ways to incorporate different exercises from both of them and create really fun and effective workout routines that will build you an all-round nicely developed body. Just don’t set limits for yourself.

Absolutely swimming is better than any other exercise let me tell you why,Swimming not only helps with general physical fitness, but it encompasses a host of other benefits such as muscle toning, breath control, and meditative qualities. It’s a total body workout that stretches your body—something it probably doesn’t get enough of.Related: 8 Benefits of Swimming You Probably Didn’t KnowThe swimming versus running discussion is less a debate and more of a one-sided argument that leaves runners in the wake of swimmers. Here are just 12 reasons why swimming is better than running.1) We Get To FloatThe feeling of weightlessness in the water is awesome. It just feels better to be in the water. It’s more liberating. Swimmers get to exercise in a weightless environment. How cool is that?It’s the best thing next to spacewalking!2) It’s Low ImpactRunning is a high-impact activity that can cause muscle strain, inflammation and other injuries. While there remains some debate of whether running leads to joint problems, its impact does leave runners susceptible to a myriad of problems. Swimming is low-impact, which means you can do it into your 100s (literally)!3) You Don’t Have To Shower AfterThe fact that you’re already wet makes it 10x as easy to either dry off and change almost immediately after finishing a workout, or take a quick rinse. The convenience of already being wet makes swimming the perfect option if you’re on a tight schedule.4) More Training Toys To Put On Your Wish ListLong fins, short fins, paddles, snorkel, pull buoy, kick board, the list goes on! The endless amount of training accessories keep swimming fun and engaging. They make the perfect stocking stuffers, and are great presents for anytime of the year.5) It’s A Total Body WorkoutFrom head to toe, swimming engages your entire body. Each competitive stroke engages different muscle groups so you’ll torch calories! Fun Fact: swimming butterfly is the most taxing movement among all sports. According to NutriStrategy Nutrition and Fitness, the calorie torching ranges from 649 calories for a 130-pound person to 1,024 calories for a 205-pound person.6) Three Words: The Olympic GamesThe Olympic games is the world’s largest sporting event – it attracts nearly 4 billion viewers. Swimming is the most popular Olympic sport and occupies 8 days of prime-time television in the first week of the games. Top athletes from the Olympics emerge as Global icons and national heroes.7) Improves Body AwarenessSwimming improves flexibility, range of motion, and functional strength in the water. This leads to improved core strength and mobile stability in all your joints, as well as stronger muscles and enhanced motor skills. Swimmers have incredible core strength and stability.8) Group Swim Workouts Are More SocialWhile staring at the black line can get monotonous, so can running at the same pace. If you swim with a group, the camaraderie is unbeatable. Between sets, swimmers literally do nothing but talk with each other. Have you ever tried to hold a conversation during a run?9) VarietyNo two-swim workouts ever have to be the same. While some swimmers enjoy the consistency of doing the same workouts over and over, most enjoy mixing it up! The ability to change strokes, alternate energy systems and use equipment makes swimming a mentally stimulating experience.10) Swimming Makes You SmarterYour brain loves swimming. The extra blood and oxygen helps you become more alert, awake, and focused. It releases endorphins, the “feel good” hormones in our body.Swimming requires your mind to make neural muscular adjustments to imbalances created from continuous movement through the water. As a result swimming improves dynamic balance and coordination, reflexes, bone density and muscular endurance.11) No sweat! Or at least it doesn’t feel like it!Okay, you do sweat when you swim, but because your body heat is conducted by colder pool water, you don’t sweat nearly as much as you would if you were exercising out of water. Have you ever tried going for a run in 90-degree heat? Let’s just say we’ve all been there when your t-shirt changes color from the start of your workout…12) The Swimmer BodyThere are a ton of health benefits swimming has to offer, but probably none that serves our vanity quite as much as having a swimmer’s body. Don’t be shy about your swimmer body. You earned it!