Fit Tip: An Olympic-Style Workout with Stacy Berman

From cyclists to swimmers, Olympic athletes are among the most healthy and physically fit people in the world. They spend countless hours training, working out and eating properly in order to become the absolute best at their respective sports. While it may remain a pipe dream for most of us to win a gold medal, it is possible to adopt a do-as-they-do attitude and incorporate an Olympic-style approach to our own workout routines.

Have you ever noticed the shoulders on a swimmer, the thighs and calves on a cyclist and the biceps on a rower? Stacy Berman has. She's a certified fitness trainer and the founder of Stacy’s Boot Camp in New York City. “While every Olympic athlete has exceptional balance, strength and agility, they develop specific muscle tone based on the unique movements of their sport," says Berman. "So, if you’re in the market for strong, lean and defined legs, hit the track. If you’re looking to build up those back and shoulder muscles, you may consider rowing or volleyball."

Here are a few Olympic sports (along with Stacy's tips) that will jump-start you to that gold medal body you’ve always wanted:

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5 Tips to Summon Your Inner Athlete

Maybe it’s the smelly locker rooms or the requisite killer instinct, but the term jock has just never really fit you.

But strong? Now you’re talking. And fit? Jackpot.

So maybe it’s time you merged all of the above — minus any real (or really obsessive) competition.

Joe Wuebben (over at Muscle & Fitness) and Jim Ryno (my husband) give you some workout tips, to add to your athletic routine. You can visit the link, or download the article below. They are designed to get you in shape as if you were training for a specific sport.

For all you real jocks, you can use these and find more tips on building greater athleticism, by reading "Athletic Support" in the October issue, on newsstands now.

Hey, you’ll not only look better on the court, field, or at the net, you’ll look better in real life.

5 Routes to Greater Athleticism

Fit Tip: Top 10 mistakes people make in the gym

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently polled 2,500 certified fitness professionals to find out what they consider to be the top 10 mistakes made by health club members today.

Here are the surprising (and not-so-surprising) results of that study:

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Train like the pros: Turn to page two in ESPN Magazine

If you don't already read ESPN Magazine, well ... you should! If for nothing else, turn to page 2, they have this amazing little monthly titled 'SWEAT SPOT' which gives you a blogger sized article listing a Jock, a Workout and The Benefit (of said workout) ... it's usually a killer move that a dedicated athlete does to amp up their performance. Something we can all do, but just didn't think of.

Lucky for you: I found one online! Check out World Cup Skier Julia Mancuso (pictured above) in this SWEAT SPOT.

Photo by Marco Garcia for ESPN

Fit Tip: Daily Cardio Plan

Tis the season to show some skin, so we're here to help with some fitness tips that you can incorporate (over the next five weeks) into your fitness plan. Week one starts with basic cardio tips from fitness expert Jim Ryno and a menu (to come) that averages about 1,200 calories a day. Be on the lookout: Over the next few weeks, LIFT will be helping to buff up different parts of the body.

Find a steady pace
Start with a 45-minute treadmill run that maintains your optimal training heart-rate zone for 35 minutes. To find that zone, first find your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. Your training heart-rate zone is the range between 65 percent and 85 percent of your maximum heart rate.

Break a sweat
Amp it up, don't be afraid to do an hour-long session (including a 5-minute warm-up, 45 minutes in the training heart-rate zone and a 10-minute cooldown).

Vary Intensity
Ryno recommends interval training (alternating high-energy exercise with periods of rest) twice a week to burn extra calories in half the time. Alternate walking and running laps during a 30-minute treadmill workout.

Mix It Up!
Get the heart pumping with 20 minutes on a stair-climber or step mill, followed by 10 minutes of jumping rope.

Stay In The Zone
Keep it up! If you want sun, substitute skating, hiking or swimming for machines!

Fit Tip: Quick and Easy Leg Workout

Celeb trainer Jim Ryno, recommends these simple sculpting moves that you can do at home:

Exercise 1: Kitchen squats
While holding on to the lip of a counter, stand with feet shoulder-width apart and dip down into a basic squat. (The cabinets beneath the countertop will prevent knees from moving forward.) Do two sets of 12 to 20 reps.

Exercise 2: Calf raises in the shower
For tones calves, raise both heels together off the shower floor. Repeat for two sets of 12 to 20 reps.

Exercise 3: TV-time thigh toning
While watching TV, put a pillow between the knees and squeeze thighs together. Hold for a beat, then release. Repeat throughout a half-hour show.

For more of Jim's workouts, go to Podfitness.com.

Fit Tip: Sculpt the back of your arms

These are among the easiest areas to make over, since fat melts away here much more readily than it does from your abs and thighs. Jim Ryno likes overhead tricep extensions: Sit on a chair or 90 degree angle bench, head up, back straight, feet firmly on the floor. Hold one dumbbell (vertical to floor) with both hands overhead. Keeping your upper arms in place, slowly lower dumbbell straight down behind head, as low as you can naturally go. Keeping elbows at one fixed point. Raise the dumbbell upward over your head until arms are extended, rotating your hands up and over until the top plates are resting in palms of hands, thumbs around handle. Lower the dumbbell behind your head in a slow, controlled manner.

Try to keep your elbows at the same fixed point throughout the lifting and lowering motion and keep upper arms (from shoulders to elbows) close to sides at all times. Do this exercise two or three times a week, and see changes in as few as two weeks. To smooth away back-of-arm bumps, go for a lotion with lactic acid, like Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Body Creme.

Fit Tip: Shape the curve of your waist

If you're more straight-up-and-down than hourglass, the right moves can give you a sexy, nipped-in shape--even if you never achieve flat abs. The key is to target your oblique muscles, which pinch in your waist, says Jim Ryno, personal trainer for Podfitness.com. Try the Side Plank every other day: Lie on left side with legs and feet on top of each other, prop body up on left forearm, place right hand on hip and, keeping your legs straight, lift hips eight to 12 inches off the floor. Hold for 20 seconds, lower and repeat if you can. Switch sides. You should see curves in about three weeks.

Fit Tip: Get sleek and sexy calf muscles

The two to four inches of leg just below the back of your knee tends to be one of the most difficult areas to develop for women; but with consistant training beautifully shaped calves can be achieved. Jim Ryno's favorite move is the Stability Ball Calf Raise. Stand with your feet hip width apart lean your chest against the ball (which has been placed on a wall)... Your toes should be pointing forward.

Contract your calves by pushing off the balls of your feet to raise heels up in air (standing on toes.) Lower heels and repeat. Remember to keep knees slightly bent throughout movement to prevent any knee strain.

This exercise can also be done lying down on the ball with your feet shoulder width apart. With the stability ball under your chest, contract your calves so that you roll on the ball until it is almost under your stomach.

Fit Tip: Build a better butt

You've got three major muscle groups here; depending on how you train them, you can change their shape significantly, says Jim Ryno, who is a podfitness.com trainer. He recommends a basic squat (sit back as if you were lowering into a chair) while holding five- to eight-pound weights for added sculpting power. And, since the butt is one place women tend to store excess fat, cardio workouts (about 30 minutes a few days a week) will help show off your results.