Ask the Pros / Workout program like t25

This link should help you search for similar programs. 

You can select "Intense" difficulty levels and also choose bodyweight or equipment based programs.

https://www.skimble.com/programs/filtered

Ask the Pros / Bruising after workout

There are a lot of different reasons this could be happening. 

My first thought would be trauma to the leg, whether from the outside, or the inside.

I'm assuming you have not accidentally bumped your leg on anything during any of the exercises. 

Also, in some cases, You could potentially bruise from intense muscle action/contraction.

Hopefully it has gotten better by now!

Ask the Pros / Special needs

Definitely!

Most of the workouts on Skimble are not custom made, so feel free to pick and choose the exercises you do. Always feel free to make modifications, if needed. So long as they are safe, and suit your needs.

Do you have access to a pool, exercise bike, or a nu step? Those could be great options for you to get good workouts in given your intense back pain. 

I hope this helps.

Ask the Pros / Overwhelmed Workout Newbie

Great points, Omer!

I will list a few links to help guide you towards a few low impact and walking based workouts within Skimble.

Ask the Pros / What to do about muscle soreness

Luna brings up great points, for sure. 

Without knowing much else about your particular training situation, a couple of other ideas come to mind as well. The beginning of the year is the time when everyone goes hard, and abnormal overuses aches/pains/injuries may develop due to possibly increasing your workload intensity, duration, frequency, etc. Also, if you suddenly change your program into more impact based exercises (plyometrics, sprinting, etc) you may feel these extra aches and pains. 

Keep in mind, you want this to be sustainable for the long run :)

Like Luna said above, and especially depending on your age, adding collagen into your diet could pay off very well for you. Making sure you are eating mostly WHOLE or REAL foods, instead of processed foods will also help with recovery, performance, and health overall. 

Hope this helps!

Ask the Pros / Keep up shape over 45 yo

Hi Orsi, 

I will give you the first 2 key points that pop into my head. Although, for a more extensive answer, more details to your situation are needed (nutrition, sleep, type of exercise/current program, stress/anxiety . .  kids?, work?). 

Please don't undervalue or overlook the importance of sleep, and proper nutrition. Proper sleep consists of 7-9 solid hours per night, few to no interuptions. Proper nutrition consists of a well rounded diet, think whole, unprocessed foods, think minimally processed and quality meat, fruits, veggies, nuts/seeds, etc. Green Tea is actually a great/nutrient dense drink that can also help you initiate fat loss, when combined with exercise, and a healthy diet. 

Please feel free to add more detail to your exercise, nutrition, sleep, stress patterns. 

Ask the Pros / Fitness struggles

Great post to get a much needed conversation started. Hopefully others will join on.

I will start with revealing a nutritional weakness. CHIPS AND SALSA sometimes when I get going, I'm like a run away train :) Although, overall, I like to view food as what it does to my body. Foods have the ability to promote health or oppose health. They make you better, or make you worse off. It took me quite a while to replace the idea of 'does it taste good or bad?' VS 'is this good for my body or bad for my body?', but once you get there, it's a great place to be. 

As a trainer, we have a narrow strip of excuses to not workout, but sometimes even I get caught in the rut of a poor balance of work, family, self care. With 2 young kids, sometimes my day gets away from me before I know it. That's why working out first thing in the AM works well for me. Also, don't underestimate the power of a 10-20 minute run or run walk, a couple of sets of 3-4 full body exercises, a short bike ride. If you live a busy life, some days you may not be able to get a full length workout in, and that's OK. Keep moving forward, stay on track. Consistency in diet and exercise is key. 

Thanks for the post, Elrick!

Hope you are well.

Ask the Pros / Punching bag weight loss

Also, here are some pre made Skimble workouts, and a program that may satisfy your needs. 
Check them out, and let us know what you think!

https://www.skimble.com/workouts/1033764-kickboxing-extreme

https://www.skimble.com/workouts/936944-punch-kick-dodge-sweat

https://www.skimble.com/workouts/722122-heres-the-kicker

https://www.skimble.com/workouts/618787-lean-mean-kickboxer

https://www.skimble.com/workouts/1019774-kickbox-hiit

https://www.skimble.com/workouts/1039303-kick-butt-cardio

Program . . .

https://www.skimble.com/programs/244-kick-off-mania

Ask the Pros / Punching bag weight loss

My mind initially goes to intervals. It's a quick and easy to plan, buttt . . . not so easy to do, way to get a sweat on and blast your body metabolically. 

Here's a sample workout:

This one is utilizing a stopwatch. Even the one on your phone works well. Or you can DL an interval timer.

-Jumping jacks 30s

rest 15s

-Punch bag 30s

rest 15s

-Ice Skaters 30s

rest 15s

-Kick bag 30s

rest 15s

-mtn climbers 30s

rest 15s

-burpee to punch kick bag, to repeat alternating sides 30s

rest 2 mins

3X

Feel free to tweak, replace exercises with others, replace time with reps, add in equipment based exercises (dumbbell, jumprope, kettlebell, stability ball) if you have them, etc. 

Get creative & keep it mixed up!

Ask the Pros / Handstand help

Headstands help a lot with the balance and proprioception portion as well. This should allow you to hold your handstand position for a prolonged amount of time without being so hard on the shoulders and arms. 

Most active people should be able to do headstands.

Have a competition! 

Ask the Pros / Tighten skin?

It is really hard to say, without knowing a lot more details, such as your age, nutrition and hydration habits, sun exposure, sleep quality, etc. (Keep in mind, these all matter) . . . BUT, I will give you a very general answer. I hope this helps.

Eat well and hydrate. Mostly non processed, whole foods. Lots of veggetables and fruits, in that order. 

Sleep well. Usually 7-9 hours a night, for most people. "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker is an amazing book that will astoundingly help you realize just how important sleep is. 

Supplement with collagen peptides/protein or bone broth, regularly. Your body's collagen production is a big factor in determining what makes your skin look great, or not so great. Our bodies stop producing as much collagen somewhere in our 20's. We can supplement, and get more help for our skin, hair, and nails. Just make sure you buy good quality supplements, and not dirt in a bag :) Read reviews and do research before picking out your buys.

Don't get too much sun exposure. To much UV ray exposure can damage your skin and decrease elasticity. Sun is very beneficial for Vitamin D production, however, so don't rule it out entirely! In most cases, 5-10 minutes a day (depending on where you live), with sun on the most skin surface as possible, can be very healthful.

Ask the Pros / Tips to keep in mind

Love it!

Thank you for the post

Ask the Pros / Tighten skin

Hi Carrie!

Welcome to Skimble. Hope you are liking it, so far.

Could you please give me more details on your current nutriion and workout programs? Please be as detailed as possible. 

Just curious to see if we can make any major/minor tweaks for the better to get you dialed in for your 8 pack :)

Ask the Pros / PCOS

Here is a great resource

https://youngwomenshealth.org/2013/12/12/pcos-nutrition/

Keep in mind that processed foods are rarely a good idea, and try to stick to whole natural foods. Green and non starchy veggies (broccoli, asparagus, spinach, kale, etc) are best choices for veggies, but keep variety! Look for lower sugar, and higher fiber and nutrient contents from fruit. A few great choices are citrus fruit, berries, and avacado. If you eat meat, I would recommend, grass fed, grass finished, uncured, pasture raised, and/or as natural as possible. This will result in an intake of mostly low glycemic index foods, which will allow you to keep insulin levels down and control blood sugar. 

Hope this helps!

Ask the Pros / Knee pain

Stay away from high impact and deep knee bending exercises until they start to feel better. Exercises like jumping jacks, squat jumps, heisman, split jumps, lunges, side lunges, pop squats, pogo hops, etc will more than likely bug your knees right now. 

If I were you, everytime those exercises came up (anything that bugs your knees), I would perform floor bridges, or different types of planks to strengthen hips and core. Over time, they should start feeling better, but just always know the culprit exercises and keep your distance. 

Ask the Pros / 31 year old Male getting back Into fitness how hard do I push myself?

Also, I'd pay special attention to what specific exercises may or may not be wrecking you. Trap bar deadlifts and leg press may be OK on the knee, but weighted lunges or box step ups might leave the knee overly sore for a few extra days. Keep a log of what exercises you do, sets, reps, and weight. 

Progression is key. Don't overdo it, or it's counter to your goals and setting you back more than moving you forward. Listen to your body. Eat well. Hydrate. 

Good luck!

Ask the Pros / Weight Gain Program

I would do my biceps on back day, since biceps are crucial to most upper body pulling exercises anyway. 

In general, it looks like a good plan. I would have to see more details (exercises, sets, reps, structure of workouts) to get more of an idea of how good the program is. Don't forget that nutrition is a massive part of your results here. At least HALF of your results. 

Ask the Pros / Structuring weekly program

You could take this in several different directions. My initial thoughts are that you would like a split routine. An example of a split routine: Monday-Legs (Back Squat, Front Squat, Deadlift, Split Squats, Box Steps, etc) Tuesday-Chest & Triceps (Bench, Shoulder Press, Push Ups, Cable Flys, skull crushers, rope pushdowns, etc) Wednesday- Back and Biceps (Pull ups {or assisted}, Rows {body, cable, or dumbbell}, Reverse Flys, hammer curls, etc) Thursday - Legs Friday- Chest & Triceps Saturday- Back & Biceps Sunday-rest

Remember that this is only one of many ways to approach this issue. 

Good luck!

Ask the Pros / Structuring weekly program

You could take this in several different directions. My initial thoughts are that you would like a split routine. An example of a split routine: Monday-Legs (Back Squat, Front Squat, Deadlift, Split Squats, Box Steps, etc) Tuesday-Chest & Triceps (Bench, Shoulder Press, Push Ups, Cable Flys, skull crushers, rope pushdowns, etc) Wednesday- Back and Biceps (Pull ups {or assisted}, Rows {body, cable, or dumbbell}, Reverse Flys, hammer curls, etc) Thursday - Legs Friday- Chest & Triceps Saturday- Back & Biceps Sunday-rest

Remember that this is only one of many ways to approach this issue. 

Good luck!

Ask the Pros / Army ACFT prep (new army PT test)

I didn't realize they changed it. 

Could you give more details on the actual test?

Ask the Pros / Growing leg muscles

Jennifer makes a great point. Nutrition plays a big role in your end result. 

Are you increasing your weight as you get stronger? Bodyweight squats are great, but they don't typically add mass to ones body. You need to lift higher loads and vary your exercises.

Here are some extra lifts to add into your routine, if you aren't already doing them.

Deadlifts, split squats, lunges, side lunges, rear foot elevated split squats (AKA Bulgarian Split Squats), Single leg RDL, Goblet Squats, Sumo Squats, etc. 

Hope this helps!

Ask the Pros / A way to track reps/weight on each exercise

Also, feel free to contact the "behind the scenes" crew at 'support@skimble.com'

That would be your best bet in figuring out the situation entirely.

Ask the Pros / Erasing old workouts which I've editted since publishing it.

Got it

This sounds like a problem beyond my exercise minded brain power. If you copy and paste is message in an email to 'support@skimble.com' they will better be able to help you with this matter. 

Ask the Pros / Roundbouse Kicks

Here are 3 flexibility programs that quickly come to mind throughout our programs . . . 

Yoga Sculpt I, Detox Yoga I, Best Bodyweight Flex I

Your hips sound pretty tight. Don't feel like you have to be as flexible as the trainers in the videos. Do what you can and listen to your body. As long as you perform regular hip stretches, you will get more flexible over time. 

You may also want to look into a local yoga class for better insctruction and camaraderie. 

Ask the Pros / Tips

What are your goals?

Two of the best, but also most elemental things to remember are to be consistent with your workouts and eating well. 

How are the workouts going so far? Do you have any specific questions?