Tausi Insider

Photo : Lazy_Bear ( Shutterstock ) Every form of exercise has a preferred style of shoe. For lifting, you want specific heeled or flat shoes . For running, you want shoes that fit your feet and feel comfortable on the run. For cycling—indoor or outdoor—you want shoes that work with the type of cleats you use on your pedals. Shoes are a personal choice, but they’re also something all athletes go through multiple pairs of. So if you can’t get them to drop a hint about a new type of shoe they’d like to try, all you have to do is sneak a peek at the tag inside their current pair. (This is especially good for runners, whose shoes wear out so quickly they’re basically disposable.) They’ll be grateful for a fresh pair. https://www.tausiinsider.com/16-of-the-best-gifts-for-the-fitness-fanatics-gym-bag/?feed_id=331080&_unique_id=6451453526df8

Setting Up for the Deadlift Watching powerlifters deadlift is a great way to learn about technique. Everybody has their own quirks, and when you see enough different examples, you’ll get ideas for things you could do differently in your own workouts. But an awful lot of powerlifters approach the bar in weird ways. Why does he hold his arms out like that? Why does she wiggle her feet? In this video , Meg Gallagher explains her own setup, which involves an unusual motion she calls “ T. rex arms” to help her engage her lats. Then she goes on to narrate and imitate the setups of two other powerlifters with very different styles. It’s a great introduction to the idea of finding your own, personal, best way to approach the bar. https://www.tausiinsider.com/7-of-the-best-videos-to-start-or-perfect-your-deadlift/?feed_id=328972&_unique_id=642a733d54676

Photo : Chepko Danil Vitalevich ( Shutterstock ) Both before and after Roe v. Wade was overturned, people made sure to pass each other tips about abortion access on social media. Some of these were helpful, like websites where you can connect with an organization that can help you get an abortion. Others were downright dangerous, like insinuating that anyone with an unwanted pregnancy can easily terminate it by drinking a cup of pennyroyal tea . Meanwhile, the scientific literature has documented deaths from self-administered pennyroyal. The stuff can cause liver failure. In truth, herbal abortions are far more dangerous than the medical kind, and they don’t even necessarily work. Or, as I put it in the post linked above: “This is a medical procedure. It’s one where you may be going into it not even knowing the appropriate dosage, the side effects to watch out for, the success rate, or the risks you are taking. Would you accept that for anything else?” https://www.tausiinsi...

Photo : Microgen ( Shutterstock ) Do you ever get the feeling you’re not pushing yourself hard enough in the gym? Or, on the flip side, do you see other people sweating and groaning while you just kind of go through the motions? Let’s talk about how hard your workouts should be, and what to change if your current routine isn’t in the right zone. Most of your cardio should be easy Let’s talk about cardio first. Whether you’re jogging or cycling or doing dance cardio videos, you build your aerobic base with plenty of miles (or minutes) of easy-to-medium work. In terms of heart rate zones , that would be a zone 2 or sometimes 3 out of 5. Or to put it another way: If there’s a jogger who cruises around your neighborhood every morning, smile on their face, making a fast pace look easy, you may compare yourself unfavorably to them. “If I were running that fast, I’d be gasping for air and then I would die,” you might think. But the secret is that if you took up a morning jogging habit...

Photo : PingPong56 ( Shutterstock ) If you have fitness resolutions but would rather stay away from the gym crowds, you might want to browse some deals for at-home gym equipment. Here are some of our favorites right now. Where to find discounted adjustable dumbbells If you were to only buy one item for your home gym, I’d say to make it a pair of adjustable dumbbells. If you search the “best pair of adjustable dumbbells,” most review sites will point you to the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells. A pair will normally cost you around $430, but you can get them for $379 from most stores right now. You could also use Honey’s free reward points system to get an extra $10 off (you’ll need a PayPal account to use it. ) If you think you’ll only need one, you can also get a single dumbbell for $189 . Also worth mentioning are the Fuel Pureformance Adjustable Dumbbells , which dropped from $220 to $99 according to Honey’s price history . And NordicTrack’s adjustable dumbbells are discount...

Photo : Jacob Lund ( Shutterstock ) If you’re not approaching getting your new January gym membership with the same mindset you would use for a car dealership negotiation, you’re probably not getting a good enough deal. January is the Black Friday of gym members hips , and you need to strategize accordingly and go in with a plan: You need to know what you want before you go looking if you want to come out the winner. Unfortunately, there are many tricks and strategies that gyms practice at the time of contract signing that, if you’re not aware of them, might come back to bite you in the rear. Here’s what you need to know. Shop around Exactly like you would with dealerships, you should visit several gyms in your area. You can even “test drive” the gyms since many will be offering free trials, usually for seven days, so you can see how it would feel to commit to the gym long term. Is the commute from work or home sustainable? Do people rack up their weights back on the stands...

Photo : Berkomaster ( Shutterstock ) When you’re just getting started with squatting movements, a goblet squat is easy—just pick up a tiny kettlebell (or dumbbell). At that stage it’s light enough that you can simply bend your arms to raise the bell to chest level. But as you get stronger, that isn’t going to work anymore. What then? I’ll give you four different techniques for getting a heavy kettlebell into position for goblet squats, starting with the easiest. Set it on a bench There’s no technique to this one. You pick up the kettlebell and set it down on a bench or box in front of you. The end of the bench or the corner of the box is perfect. (This works with dumbbells too, by the way.) Now, with your hands empty, squat down so that the bell is around chest level. You can pick it up from here, taking your time to position your hands in any way you like. If you want to try holding the kettlebell upside down, gently tip it on its side and then pick it up with your hands cupping ...

Photo : Andrey_Popov ( Shutterstock ) Who doesn’t love a superset? Pairing two exercises saves time in your main workout, provided the routine allows. And if you’d like to do a quick bit of extra work at the end of the day, a superset is an efficient way to fit it in. So let’s look at a few perfect pairings you can add to your next workout. But first, a little background: To do a superset, you simply do a set of the first exercise, then, while those muscles are resting, you do a set of the second exercise. You can take a brief break before repeating the pair, if needed. Repeat for the desired number of sets. Most of the supersets in this list are ones that would work well as a finisher, providing a little extra volume at the end of your workout. Try three sets of each exercise for 8-12 reps. By the way, I’m only including things on this list that are easy to set up together , because nobody wants to run back and forth between the cable machine and the squat rack. I’m also main...

Photo : Jacob Lund ( Shutterstock ) When an experienced person uses a rowing machine, it’s almost a thing of beauty—a continuous rhythm, their whole body moving back and forth continuously as the numbers on the screen rise higher and higher. So why, when you get o n, does it feel immediately im possible, and also your back hurts? There is a learning curve to the rowing machine ( also called an erg) , but you can master it—probably more quickly than you think. It’s also common to note the damper setting and assume it works the same way as the resistance setting on any other cardio machine, but that’s not exactly the case . But once you’ve f ixed your technique and learned where to set the damper, and soon you’ll be sliding along rhythmically yourself . Push with your legs, then pull with your arms The biggest technique mistake most of us make is to grab the handle and immediately yoink with our arms. After all, the point is to row it toward us, right? Not really. The fir...

Photo : Anna_Kuzmina ( Shutterstock ) When nature dumps a load of snow onto your driveway, it’s a free workout in disguise—but maybe not one you’re really in shape to tackle. If you’re always sore (or, worse, injured) after the first big storm of the season, read these tips on how to make shoveling easier on your body. Recognize what you’re asking your body to do Look, just because shoveling is a common chore doesn’t mean it’s one that everyone’s body is automatically ready for. Be honest about whether you’re trained for this. You wouldn’t ask “how can I run a marathon without my legs being sore the next day?” if you haven’t done any running at all in the past year. Jumping into something you’re not ready for is going to suck. If you know you’ll be shoveling a lot, plan ahead. Deadlifts in the gym will help you build the strength you need in your back, core, and legs, for example. If you’re not up for that, any full body fitness regime will leave you better prepared than doing ...

Photo : platinumArt ( Shutterstock ) We lift to grow and strengthen our muscles, so it’s natural that a lot of us find bodybuilders’ piece-by-piece mindset appealing: Y ou focus on the specific muscle that you want to work, and make sure that you feel it working. But what happens if you do a glute exercise but you don’t feel it in your butt? Or you do a lat pulldown but you only feel it in your biceps? Here’s a guide. You may not always feel a muscle, even if it’s working Here’s the most important thing to know: you don’t have to feel a muscle for it to be working. Say you’re doing a pullup: Your lats are working whether you feel them or not. The lats are the upper back muscles that bring your arms closer to your torso, so a pullup simply cannot happen unless your lats are getting engaged. Or take squats . A barbell squat works your quads, your glutes, and a lot of other muscles besides. But when you’re doing a heavy squat, your brain is processing a lot of information. It’s f...