Gyms are big business, pulling in around $22 billion annually as an industry. It helps that the average membership , and that figure skyrockets if you live in a city. Brooklynites, for example, pay about $135 a month听to hit the gym, while people who live in Austin pay $88. Here鈥檚 another alarming fact: only about 33 percent of members use their gym enough to get their money鈥檚 worth.

That鈥檚 why you should consider buying some good at-home exercise equipment. You might invest more money up front, but you鈥檒l save in the long term. 鈥淭here鈥檚 also nothing more convenient鈥攁 set of equipment in a closet is an excuse killer,鈥� says Kevin Larrabee, a trainer at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning and host of the FitCast, a popular fitness podcast. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l also save commute time, there are听no crowds, and you can blast your own music.鈥�

And if you think the gym has some magic, fitness-enhancing power, think again. 鈥淚鈥檓 an employee at one of the best gyms in the world, and I鈥檝e been able to have focused and challenging home training sessions that鈥檝e helped me get stronger,鈥� says Larrabee, who lives in an apartment in Boston. Of course, you鈥檒l give up some of the fitness camaraderie you鈥檇 find in a CrossFit box or boutique gym, but you鈥檙e getting that with your running and riding buddies, aren鈥檛 you?

Here are our favorite products.

The Essentials

These four items cover all your fitness bases and don鈥檛 take up much room.

Super Bands

You can use these big, burly rubber bands to augment pullups, pushups, and squats. You can also use them for at-home rows. They roll up to the size of a pair of socks. Tuck them into a drawer鈥攐r back into your suitcase鈥攚hen you鈥檙e done.

Two Key Exercises

1. : Anchor the band to something secure, like a door handle or bedpost. Face the anchor with an outstretched arm, hold the band in one hand, and step away from the anchor until the band is taut. Pull the band into your chest. Repeat until fatigued, and then switch arms. This move is ideal for paddlers or climbers.
2. : To make this classic exercise a little tougher, do pushups with the band looped under both hands and around your back.

We like: ($23)

Pullup Bar

The pullup is a staple in workouts ranging from old-school bodybuilding routines to CrossFit burners.听The ability to perform them听is required for entry into the military and FBI. It鈥檚 just about the best bodyweight exercise you can do鈥攅specially for mountaineers and climbers.

Two Key Exercises

1. : You know what to do. A few pointers: Keep your body perfectly straight throughout, and for most reps, try to use the handles that allow your palms to face each other, which puts less stress on your elbows.
2. : Tight lats can cause everything from shoulder to hip pain. This move loosens your lats, helping you avoid injury. Using an overhand grip, hang from the bar with your arms straight. Flex your hamstrings so your pelvis is tilted slightly forward. Now take a big breath in, then slowly blow it all out. You should feel a stretch in your lats. Repeat.

We prefer bars that hang on your door frame because they鈥檙e versatile and听secure听and don鈥檛 require any drilling. Try: ($24)

Suspension Trainer or Rings

Suspension trainers鈥攂asically two straps that hang from a door frame鈥攁llow you to make any bodyweight exercise harder. You can stuff them in a drawer when not in use. Members of the military have been known to bring these along when deployed.

Two Key Exercises

1. : This move teaches you to lock down your core while extending your limbs, which is important in everything from mogul skiing to fly-fishing. Get into a plank position with your forearms flat on the ground and feet in the suspension trainer handles. Your body should be rigid and parallel to the ground. Keep straight as you push your body backwards about a foot. Pause, then move your body forward, away from the handles. Continue that back-and-forth motion鈥攍ike a saw鈥攗ntil fatigued.
2. : Hold the handles and face the anchor. Lift your left foot slightly off the ground. Push your hips back, bend your right knee, and squat, keeping your left leg out in front of you. Drop until your knee is 90 degrees or lower, then push back up. Try to use the handles as little as possible throughout鈥攖hey鈥檙e only for stability. Do all your reps, then switch legs.

We like: ($150)

Valslides or Paper Plate

Easy to toss into a听drawer or carry-on, these simple pads make any exercise less steady, which听strengthens听your core and small (but important) stabilizing muscles.

Two Key Exercises

1. : You probably don鈥檛 work your hamstrings and glutes enough, but they鈥檙e actually your body鈥檚 most powerful muscles. For this move, lie on your back with your legs straight and heels on the slides. Raise your pelvis slightly off the floor, then slide your heels toward听your butt until they鈥檙e under your knees. Slowly extend your legs back out and repeat.
2. : Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your left foot on the plate. Slide your left foot back, bending your right knee and dropping into a lunge position. Repeat to fatigue, then switch. This lunge variation leads to better form, mobility, and muscle activation.

We like: ($30) or, if you鈥檙e on a budget, actual paper plates.

The Hard and Heavy Items

Take your at-home gym to the next level by adding some heavy weights to the mix.

Kettlebells

These small but effective weights allow you to do heavy, explosive exercises from the comfort of your apartment. Runners, cyclists, hikers, and skiers take note: Kettlebells are especially great for strengthening your lower body. Kevin Larrabee recommends getting three sizes: 26, 44, and 70 pounds.

Two Key Exercises

1. : This move builds the power in your glutes, which are your 鈥済o muscles鈥� for running, cross-country skiing, and riding. (Stronger glutes may also help reduce your risk of injury, according to Larrabee.) Stand with a kettlebell on the floor about two feet in front of you, your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend over, keeping your back straight and knees slightly bent, and hold the handle of the kettlebell. Hike it back between your legs. Now thrust your hips forward, stand tall, and let the weight swing to shoulder level with your arms straight out. Repeat, hiking the weight back down through your legs, then swinging it up again.
2. : Outdoor athletes are prone to imbalances, and this exercise is a total body tune-up that helps prevent injury. It鈥檚 quite a complicated move, so we recommend simply watching the video.

We like: ($40, $55, and $85)

Weighted Vest

Toss on a weighted vest and your entire workout becomes more challenging. If you鈥檙e especially masochistic, you can load a vest with 20听pounds and do the famed CrossFit workout Murph, where you run a mile, do 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, then run another mile.

Two Key Exercises

1. Pullup: While wearing the vest, do a basic听pullup. Try to keep your body straight throughout, and think about slow, controlled movement.
2. : Critical for hikers and mountaineers, this exercise improves your balance, mobility, and ability to carry a heavy load over a distance. Step forward with your right foot听and lower your body until your right knee is bent 90 degrees. Stand up and immediately repeat with your left leg. Think of it as walking lunges in place.

We like: ($57)

The Final Touches

You鈥檒l be better equipped than most gyms if you cap off your at-home quiver with these two purchases.

Sandbags

When you incorporate sandbags into various moves, the weight shifts inside the bag, forcing you to engage your stabilizing muscles and core. This can improve your balance and help you stay on your feet on technical trails.

Two Key Exercises

1. : Hug the bag so it鈥檚 up against and parallel with your torso. Slowly squat, keeping your torso upright. Because you鈥檙e hugging the heavy weight, this squat also recruits all of your upper body.
2. : Hold the handles of the bag听with听your arms straight and at your waist. Perform a reverse lunge. As you do so, drop the bag to the side of your forward leg, locking down your core to resist the bag鈥檚 pull. Reverse the move and immediately repeat on the other side.

We like: ($230)

Fan Bike

This cardio machine doesn鈥檛 take up much space, but it鈥檚 arguably the best interval trainer in the world. It engages your entire body, leverages exponential resistance (translation: the harder you pedal, the harder pedaling becomes), and is safer than most other cardio machines because you can鈥檛 mess up your form.

Two Key Exercises

1. : This famous routine will wipe you听out. It鈥檚听from Japanese scientist Izumi听Tabata鈥檚听听in which a group of PE students performed the following workout five days a week for six weeks and increased their anaerobic capacity 28 percent:听Pedal as hard as you can for 20 seconds, followed by ten听seconds of rest. Repeat eight times. If you feel like death afterward, you鈥檙e doing it right.
2. Ten-Minute听Max Calories: Regardless of whether you want to lose or gain weight, calorie burn is an easy, tangible way to measure effort. Set the bike鈥檚 computer to display calorie burn. Burn as many as you can in ten听minutes. A good score is 300 calories. Try to beat your score every time you do this test. It鈥檒l hurt, but you鈥檒l be better for it.

We like: ($999)

The post Everything You Need to Build the Perfect Apartment Gym appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Being an Olympian seems pretty romantic. The Games often transcend sport (remember The Miracle On Ice?),听and for two weeks its athletes become the most watched people on the planet.听

But for most Olympians, the four years leading up to the games are not glitzy. The majority have day jobs听and struggle to train while also paying the bills. That鈥檚 because most Olympic sports just aren鈥檛 lucrative鈥攈ello, trampoline and canoe slalom鈥攁nd,听thanks to , participation at an elite level actually costs per year. More than half of the nation鈥檚 top ten track and听field athletes, for example, make less than $15,000 from their sport annually.听
听
Yet a handful of Olympians manage to live in a glamorous bubble, thanks to success in sports听with big purses and contracts, plus big corporate sponsors. Of the 11,000 athletes from 206 countries, these 20,听from basketball to badminton players, bring in the big bucks. Unsurprisingly and unfortunately, the richest male athletes make significantly more than their female counterparts (except for Serena鈥攕he's getting paid).

Richest Women

1. 听 听 Serena Williams

Net Worth:听$150 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听USA

Serena has made double the amount of prize money than any other female athlete鈥攅ver. She鈥檚 managed to build herself into a culturally relevant brand that extends beyond the court, which is why Nike originally听听to a $40 million sponsorship deal in 2004.

2. 听 听Venus Williams

Net worth:听$75 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听USA

When Venus entered professional tennis, Clinton was in his first term, the band Ace of Base was atop the Billboard charts, and Tupac was still alive and well. Since then, the 36-year-old has won 21 Grand Slams, started her own clothing company, and inked deals with brands like Kraft and Wilson.听

3. 听 听Saina Nehwal

Net worth:听$24 Million
Sport:听Badminton
Country:听India

Called 鈥淭he Darling Daughter Of India鈥� by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 26-year-old badminton player is the 1.25 billion-person country鈥檚 most successful female athlete of all time. That makes her extremely marketable: Nehwal represents various Indian and international brands. 听听

4. 听 听Caroline Wozniacki

Net worth:听$20 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听Denmark

This year鈥檚听听female athlete makes the majority of her dough from sponsorship deals with top dollar brands like Rolex, Proactive, Adidas, and Sony.

5. 听 听Agnieszka Radwanska

Net worth:听$14.7 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听Poland

鈥淭he Professor,鈥� a nickname given to her by other players due to the 27-year-old鈥檚 brilliant use of the court, has won more than $23 million in career purses.

6. 听 听Jelena Jankovic

Net worth:听$15 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听Serbia

听has raked in more than $18-million in prize money since she started playing pro in 2000.

7. 听 听Ana Ivanovic

Net worth:听$15 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听Serbia

Okay, the Serbian tennis star didn鈥檛 turn into the $100-million dollar woman听听a decade ago. But thanks to some big wins like the 2008 French Open and deals with Adidas and Rolex, the 28-year-old surely isn鈥檛 destitute.听

8. 听 听Garbine Muguruza

Net worth:听$12 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听Spain

The Spanish-Venezuelan turned pro in 2012, and this year upset Serena in the French Open final. That win not only put the tennis world on notice, but also corporate sponsors鈥攖he 22-year-old is currently ranked as the听听athlete in the world.

9. 听 听Inbee Park

Net worth:听$9 Million
Sport:听Golf
Country:听South Korea

You may not know it, but South Koreans听. Among them, Inbee Park is queen. The 28-year-old, who now lives in California, has 25 professional tournament wins, and has spent more than a year as the top ranked female golfer in the world.

10. Eugenie Bouchard

Net worth:听$7 Million
Sport:听Tennis
Country:听Canada

Bouchard is the tenth听highest paid female athlete in 2016, thanks to endorsement deals with mega brands Coca-Cola and Nike.

Richest Men

1. 听 听Novak Djokovic

Net worth: $160 Million
Sport: Tennis
Country: Serbia

While the 29-year-old听,听Djoko is the first tennis player to reap over $100 million in match prize money. Contracts with听Uniqlo, Head, and Adidas, and a business and real estate empire in his home country, certainly don鈥檛 hurt either. The good news is that all that money hasn鈥檛 spoiled him: Djoko is still a pretty .

2. 听 听 Rafael Nadal

Net worth: $120 Million
Sport: Tennis
Country: Spain

Tournament wins have delivered the 30-year-old nearly $80 million over the course of his career. 鈥淭he King of Clay鈥� is also sponsored by Nike, Kia, and Tommy Hilfiger, among others. Despite his general success, Rafa鈥檚 trip to Rio was harrowing. He not only lost a medal match, he was 听Chinese food.听

3. 听 听Kevin Durant

Net worth: $120 Million
Sport: Basketball
Country: USA

Ballin鈥� for the Thunder and, this coming season, the Warriors, while cashing checks from Nike, Gatorade, and Degree, has made 27-year-old KD very rich. Forbes says Durant will be worth by 2024.

4. 听 听Carmelo Anthony

Net worth: $90 Million
Sport: Basketball
Country: USA

鈥楳elo signed a five-year, $124 million contract with the Knicks in 2014. The Brooklyn-born small/power forward also has endorsement deals with Jordan Brand, Draft Kings, and Las Vegas Sands. He鈥檚 been impressive so far on Team USA, but on whether the team is听actually听any good.

5. 听 听Neymar

Net worth: $75 Million
Sport: Soccer
Country: Brazil

As of 2014, the 24-year-old phenom was the fourth highest paid soccer player in the world, raking in about $28 million from his contract and sponsorships each year. His net worth, however, may be as volatile as his on field emotions鈥擭eymar has famously , and recently bought a $15 million yacht that requires $500,000 a year in upkeep.

6. 听 听Andy Murray

Net worth: $70 Million
Sport: Tennis
Country: Great Brittan

Coming off a 2016 Wimbledon victory, the 29-year-old Scott beat Argentine Juan Martin del Potro to take top honors in singles men's tennis at Rio. His sponsors鈥擴nder Armour, Jaguar, and Evian, among others鈥攁re very .

7. 听 听Pau Gasol

Net worth: $65 Million
Sport: Basketball
Country: Spain

Gasol made his money primarily from lucrative contract deals with the Grizzlies (鈥�01 to 鈥�08), Lakers (鈥�08 to 鈥�14), Bulls (鈥�14 to 鈥�16), and, now, the Spurs. According to Forbes, Gasol, 36, pulls in a relatively small $2.5 million a year in endorsements (Kevin Durant, for example, makes $36 million a year in endorsements).

8. 听 听DeMarcus Cousins

Net worth: $62 Million
Sport: Basketball
Country: USA

The Sacramento Kings鈥� averaged 27 points and nearly 12 rebounds a game last season. The team is probably glad they signed Boogie, 26, to a massive four-year deal in 2013.

9. 听 听Michael Phelps

Net worth: $55 Million
Sport: Swimming
Country: USA

Just two percent of Phelp鈥檚 net worth comes from prize money. The rest: sponsorship deals with Under Armour, Visa, and many more. That鈥檚 why Phelp鈥檚 success in Rio is so important for his long term earning potential鈥攈is 2014 DUI frightened some sponsors, but his current sobriety and dominance is an his brand.

10. 听 听Lee Chong Wei

Net worth: $45 Million
Sport: Badminton
Country: Malaysia

Yeah, we were surprised, too. But badminton is reportedly the in the world, behind soccer. Consider Wei, 33, the Ronaldo of badminton: he spent nearly four years as the world鈥檚 #1 ranked player, and he鈥檚 allegedly the highest paid Asian athlete. His fortune makes sense when you 鈥攈e鈥檚 the Bruce Lee of racquet sports.

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Does your training routine feel a little, well, routine? No doubt, logging mindless miles on the road or trail for your next race or adventure can quickly become an exercise in the mundane.听

So mix things up: 鈥淎 training plan isn鈥檛 exactly a recipe,鈥� says , who trains various pro athletes, including Kelly Slater. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to follow it exactly鈥攖hrowing in a few fun sports every now and then keeps you sane and can actually help you get into better shape for competition.鈥澨�

Swap your next training sessions for the following five, ultra-effective pickup sports鈥攁nd become fit for the podium.听

Standup Paddle Boarding听

Fighting against the waves and current is a great test of your balance, says Park. 鈥淚t requires you to engage your entire core, including your lower back, and it also improves your posture.鈥� That can help prevent and relieve low back pain, which is especially common in cyclists. 听

What鈥檚 more, you鈥檒l also strengthen your legs, upper back, and shoulders in a low impact way. 鈥淎nd once you become proficient at standup paddling,鈥� says Park. 鈥淵ou can do intervals and high intensity work for more aerobic benefit.鈥�

Tennis

If you鈥檙e an endurance athlete, you probably only move in one direction: straight ahead.听

鈥淓veryone should move in all directions,鈥� says Park. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛, you鈥檙e at greater risk of injury when you eventually move in a direction you鈥檙e not used to.鈥�

That鈥檚 why Park recommends that single-plane athletes, like road runners and cyclists, take up a racquet sport like tennis or squash. It only takes you and a friend, and you鈥檒l move in 360-degrees, he says. 鈥淎nd it also builds your hand eye coordination.鈥澨�

Basketball

Like tennis, basketball requires that you cut side to side, and it improves your hand-eye coordination. That makes you a better athlete.听

鈥淵ou鈥檒l also become more explosive,鈥� says Park. 鈥淎ll of that jumping improves your ability to explode in different planes of motion.鈥� Legs that kick like pistons are a requirement if you want to be competitive at your next trail or road running race.听 听

Ultimate Frisbee

You might think ultimate Frisbee is a hobby reserved for those who went to small, liberal arts colleges, but the sport gives you great interval training, says Park, without even thinking about it; ultimate is essentially a series of sprints and rests.听

And science confirms that ultimate Frisbee can give you a killer workout: in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that a during a match, players routinely max out their heart rate, complete more than 17 all-out sprints, and cover nearly three miles of ground.听

Soccer

Soccer players are some of the fittest guys in the world鈥攁nd getting in on a pickup match is an ideal replacement for your marathon training run. That鈥檚 because, in a 90-minute match, you can easily run more than seven miles, says Park.听

And because you go from jogging, to sprinting, to jumping, to cutting, you train multiple skills in a single workout. That gives you huge bang for your buck, helping you become better at nearly every other sport.听 听

The post A New Sport’s the Best Cross Training appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The squat might give you the most calorie-burning, performance-enhancing bang for your buck of any exercise, endowing you with coordination, strength, and power in your glutes and hamstrings that will come in handy in just about any sport. But you don鈥檛 need to do the classic dump-in-the-woods to realize the move鈥檚 powerful effects. We asked , a trainer at Beverly Hills' (where Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis train, among other Hollywood stars)听for five squat variations you can do anywhere to build legs that kick like pistons.

How to Squat

An old-school move holds the key to unlocking your power; if only you can do it right

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Goblet Squat

Blame tight muscles caused by sitting all day, or bad coordination, but most guys can鈥檛 do a regular squat. That鈥檚 why Bruno digs : 鈥淗olding a weight in front of you helps you get into good form,鈥� he says, by forcing you to stay upright. Lean too far forward or backward, and the weight will tip you over.

It鈥檚 best done with a dumbbell or kettlebell, but if you don鈥檛 have either of those, you can hold anything that weighs over 10 pounds, like your kid, or a fat cat.

Form Tips: Hold the weight directly in front of you, keeping it close to your torso鈥攖hat ensures you鈥檙e keeping your torso upright. This move is called the goblet because if you use a dumbbell, your hands should cup the top end, like you鈥檙e holding a goblet, with each end of the dumbbell touching your torso.

Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat

This might be Bruno鈥檚 favorite squat variation. (On you can watch him perform the movement while weighted down with more than 300 pounds.)听

鈥淭his exercise is great for a few reasons,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more challenging than a regular squat, people tend to pick up the form easily, it鈥檚 safe, and it also stretches your hips, which is something anyone who works in an office job needs to do.鈥�

Form Tips: Lower yourself until your front knee is bent 90-degrees, and your back leg is just above the ground. You should feel a stretch in your back hip. Want to weight it? Start by holding a dumbbell goblet style (or another weight), then progress to holding a weight in each hand.听

Lateral Split Squat

Most people only move front to back, which leads to imbalances. 鈥淭he builds side-to-side strength,鈥� says Bruno. That helps you perform better and may reduce your risk of injury.

This exercise also stretches the insides of your hips, an area that tends to be tight for most people. But fair warning, says Bruno. 鈥淒on鈥檛 weight this鈥攊t has a tendency to make you crazy sore.鈥�

Form Tips: Stand with your feet wide enough that you can lower your torso until your hips are in line with your knee. You should feel a killer stretch on your non-working leg. Focus on going as low as possible while keeping your torso upright.

Reverse Lunge

OK, so this isn鈥檛 technically a squat, says Bruno. But that doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 not a stellar lower body exercise, one that can help you perform better in your next road race.

鈥淟unges are great because they require that you step, but forward and walking lunges tend to put a lot of stress on your knees,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he delivers the same performance benefits but minimizes deceleration, so your knees feel better.鈥�

Form tip: Step back to find the sweet spot where your forward knee is bent 90-degrees. Want to make it harder? Hold a dumbbell, goblet style, or another weight close to your torso.听

Skater Squat

Regular old bodyweight squats are great. 鈥淏ut they鈥檙e not very challenging unless you do a ton of them,鈥� says Bruno. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I have people who are relatively strong do 鈥攖hey put all the load on just one of your legs.鈥�

That makes it a true strength test, says Bruno. 鈥淏ut it also helps you build great balance.鈥�

Form tips: Keep your hands in front of you and try to lower yourself until your knee is bent 90-degrees. Pause, then push yourself back up, exploding through your hips.

The post 5 Ways to Upgrade Your Squats appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Most outdoor athletes lack upper body pushing strength. That not only hinders performance, but can also lead to imbalances and injury. The simplest way to remedy the problem: pushups.听

Sure, you could do the classic military-style move. But you'll get a more bomb-proof physique faster by performing听more effective variations. In fact, the following five alternatives鈥攃ourtesy of , the assistant strength and conditioning coach of the San Jose Sharks鈥攚ill not only help you build strength in areas where it counts out in the field, they鈥檒l also improve your mobility. The result: You鈥檒l perform better, no matter your sport.听

Lateral Crawl Pushup

This pushup tasks you with crawling side-to-side between reps. 鈥淭o do that you have to use your core to fight rotation,鈥� says Sanchez. 鈥淎nd you also have to stabilize your shoulders.鈥� Locking down those two areas is key to avoiding injury while moving fast.听

The exercise also forces you to do a movement you probably haven鈥檛 done in years: crawling. It might feel awkward at first, but it gives you a new movement stimulus, which can improve your athleticism by forcing your brain to make new connections with your muscles.听

Form tips: Keeping your body perfectly straight, do a pushup. Then crawl two 鈥渟teps鈥� to the right, 鈥渟tepping鈥� with your opposite hand and leg. Do another pushup, then repeat, this time going left.听

Pushup with Hip Flexion

鈥淢ost people can鈥檛 dissociate flexing their hips and flexing their back,鈥� says Sanchez. And bending at your back instead of your hips can set you up for low back injury in a ton of athletic movements, such as skiing, climbing, or even just picking up gear. 听

This variation teaches you to extend your hips, while locking down and stabilizing your core and back, keeping you pain and injury free.

Form tips: Get into pushup position with your right foot on a Valslide or paper plate (do this exercise on carpet). Perform a pushup, keeping your body perfectly straight. Keep your back straight as you slide your right foot forward so your right knee is under your stomach. Return to start. That鈥檚 one rep. Do all your reps on your right, then repeat with your left leg.听

Spiderman Pushup

Blame sitting too much, but your hips are probably tight. And that can throw off nearly any lower body movement you do, whether you鈥檙e lifting or running.听

This pushup tasks you with moving your legs and pelvis in a way that improves your hip flexibility, says Sanchez.听

Form tips: Perform a pushup. Then step your right foot just outside your right arm. You should feel a stretch in your hips. Reverse and repeat, this time moving your left foot outside your left hand.听

Shoulder Tap Pushups

If you want to build balance and stability from the hips up, try this variation. It works because you have to pack your shoulder and lock down your core so you don鈥檛 twist, says Sanchez. That makes it especially great for climbers.

Form tips: Perform a pushup, your body perfectly straight throughout. At the top, lock down your core, and slowly touch your right shoulder with your left hand. Return to the pushup position and repeat, this time touching your left shoulder with your right hand.听

Renegade Row Pushup

One you鈥檝e mastered the shoulder tap pushups, progress to this killer variation. It not only works your core and shoulders to a greater degree, says Sanchez. 鈥淏ut it also works the pulling muscles in your back.鈥澨�

That makes it more of a total body exercise鈥攐ne that鈥檚 especially great for sports that require strong back muscles, such as climbing and paddling.听 听

Form tips: Do each rep deliberately. Perform the pushup, then lock down your core and slowly bring the dumbbell in your right hand up to your chest. Pause, then return the dumbbell to the ground and repeat, this time lifting the dumbbell in your left hand.听

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If the surging popularity of CrossFit competitions, obstacle races, triathlons, and traditional road races tells us anything, it鈥檚 that competition fuels people to tackle their fitness goals.

The ability to see how you stack up against your buddies and community is partially why social applications like Strava and MapMyFitness exploded in popularity. But most apps and trackers that include a social function only deliver one metric of fitness鈥攜ou wouldn鈥檛 know, for instance, if the Strava buddy you outran this morning also logged a kettlebell circuit before his run.

Enter , a new fitness tech company that听. They鈥檝e developed a virtual fitness arena that aggregates all your fitness data into a holistic fitness score, which the company then uses to rank you among other people in your city and workplace. In other words, it鈥檒l let a runner objectively compare his fitness to a cyclist. Or a CrossFitter听to compare herself to a runner. Or a CrossFitting runner to compare himself to a climber. You get the idea.

FitRankings culls data from more than 100 fitness tracking platforms鈥攅verything from a FitBit or Polar heart-rate monitor to mobile applications like Strava鈥攔uns some numbers, and gives you a fitness score recorded in MET-minutes.

A MET, or Metabolic Equivalent, is an expression of an activity鈥檚 intensity compared to your resting metabolic rate. One MET is equal to what you burn while resting. Doing an activity worth 10 METs burns 10 times the energy compared to being at rest. MET minutes are simply METs multiplied by time.

For example, if a leisurely stroll is worth three METs and kettlebell swings are worth 12 METS, then a person who strolls for 10 minutes racks up 30 MET minutes, while a person who completed five minutes of kettlebell swings tallies 60 MET minutes.

that you log anywhere from 500 to 1,000 MET minutes each week. That range is associated with a host of benefits, such as a reduced risk of early death and various cancers.

鈥淭aking data from different fitness monitoring devices then boiling it down to MET minutes allows us to provide people with an apples-to-apples fitness comparison,鈥� says Patrick Hitchins, the CEO of FitRankings. 鈥淚t gives you a true fitness score.鈥�

Fitness experts agree. 鈥淚t鈥檚 actually a pretty smart metric for this because it tells you how long and hard a person is working. And it cuts out variables鈥攕uch as someone鈥檚 fitness level鈥攖hat some popular measurements such as VO2 can鈥檛 account for,鈥� says Pat Davidson, former professor of exercise science at Springfield College, and current training director at New York City鈥檚 Peak Performance fitness center. 鈥淢ET minutes let you know what your workout is really worth.鈥�

Of course, the service only works well if you use fitness racking gadgets and applications religiously. So a single untracked workout can dent your ranking.

The website-based service is currently available in 13 different cities for free. The company makes its money by signing on corporate users looking to drum up friendly competition between co-workers or between different companies. For example, vacation rental website Home Away recently used the service to launch a campaign to entice workers to move more; whichever employee logged the most MET minutes at the end of a period won tickets to Austin City Limits.

The upshots for the companies who buy into the service are varied. A recent German study showed that active CEOs tended to run more profitable companies. FitRanking鈥檚 Hitchins, meanwhile, believes using his service may help lower health insurance premiums for participating companies. 鈥淭here are tons of benefits to having fit employees. Insurance companies are actually starting to recognize fitness data to determine premiums,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e put all of someone鈥檚 fitness data in one place, into one number.鈥� Insurance underwriters may find that simplicity attractive.

Whether or not you care about the competition鈥攐r corporate鈥攆actor, Davidson notes that performance numbers are one of the best ways to motivate a person to improve. 鈥淒ata keeps people honest,鈥� he says. 鈥淎 number lets people know exactly how hard a certain workout was. People naturally strive for a high number, and then they want to beat it the next workout. So you could use this individually to make sure you鈥檙e working hard enough, and logging enough exercise in general. 鈥�

Possibly the best part? Now you can see if your cyclist friends really are fitter than you. Let the fitness wars begin.

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You鈥檙e in a slump, reading these words hunched over a keyboard or your smartphone. It鈥檚 habit that鈥檚 throwing your body out of whack and resulting in a musculoskeletal system that鈥檚 about as architecturally sound as that 1950s-era gramps left you.

鈥淥ur bodies adapt to the positions we put them in the most,鈥� says James Wilson, owner of . 鈥淲hen you sit hunched over a desk all day a lot of areas become tight, off kilter, and weak.鈥�

If you鈥檙e the kind of athlete who supplements outdoor sports with strength work in the gym, performing some of the most popular and oft-prescribed exercises鈥攍ike barbell back squats, conventional deadlifts, and military presses鈥攃an set you up for injury. 鈥淐lassic barbell exercises are great if you can do them right,鈥� says Ben Bruno, C.S.C.S., a Los Angeles-based trainer. 鈥淏ut they鈥檙e the most commonly butchered because they鈥檙e highly technical and require a lot of mobility.鈥�

Take the squat and deadlift, which require all the muscles in your body to work together. 鈥淪o mobility deficits, asymmetries, and weaknesses in your hips are going to throw the entire move off, shifting the weight to delicate areas like your knees or low back,”听Wilson says.

The fix: Chose exercises, like the five presented below, that hardly ever go wrong.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 a question of risk versus reward,鈥� says Bruno. 鈥淭hese moves have far less risk, but their rewards and payoffs are the same.鈥� By their very nature, these five exercises remove your weak link and put your body in a position where you can likely perform each rep with perfect form, reducing your risk of injury. And besides keeping you off the DL, these five moves have another upshot, says Wilson. 鈥淭hey all carry over to adventure sports more than their alternatives.鈥�

Swap out your old barbell exercises for these improved variations. For a total body workout, do each exercise for three to five sets of eight to ten reps.

For Your Lower Back

Instead of: Barbell back squats
Do: Bulgarian split squats

鈥淭his exercise gives you the same lower body training effect as the back squat,鈥� says Bruno. 鈥淏ut because it doesn鈥檛 require as much hip, ankle, and thoracic mobility, most people can do them with ease.鈥� The move also trains you to maintain the bottom position of a lunge, and then power out of that position, which is why it鈥檚 especially great for tele skiers, hikers, and trail runners.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand facing away from a bench, with the bench about a foot behind you. Place your right foot on the edge of the bench so you鈥檙e standing on your left leg. Lower your body until your left knee is bent to 90 degrees, then push back to the start. Do all your reps, then switch legs.

Build Explosive Strength听

Instead of: Barbell deadlift
Do: Kettlebell stagger stance deadlift

The conventional deadlift requires serious hip mobility. And if you don鈥檛 have that hip mobility, you鈥檒l bend at the low back, shifting the weigh there, which is a recipe for disaster. The stagger stance deadlift cuts the mobility requirement. What鈥檚 more, it uses the exact same foot positioning and movement patterns that bikers use for seated pedaling and the downhill attack position on a mountain bike, says Wilson.

Put two kettlebells side-by-side on floor in front of you. Place your feet in a stagger stance, your left foot slightly forward and your right just behind and to the side of it. Push your hips back, bend your knees slightly, and grasp the handles of the kettlebells. Then thrust your hips forward to come to a standing position, the brunt of the weight on your forward leg. Squeeze your left glute at the top of the move. Return the kettlebells to the start. Do all your reps with your left leg forward, then switch legs.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=PhrXHutUnF0%3Frel%3D0

Protect Those Shoulders

Instead of: Barbell military press
Do: Externally rotated pushup

The military press is risky because most guys can鈥檛 lift weight straight overhead without bending their lower back. What鈥檚 more, biking, climbing, skiing, and fly fishing all keep your arms and hands internally rotated鈥攜our palms facing downward or inward, like in the military press, says Wilson. The externally rotated pushup puts your hands and arms into an outward position, which engages your underused shoulder muscles. Strengthening those muscles can help you prevent injuries down the road, like issues with your rotator cuff.

Set up a TRX and hold the handles out in front of you, the straps taut. Walk a step or two back so that your entire body is leaning forward, your weight resting on your hands. Rotate your hands so your thumbs are pointing out and your palms are facing up. Now, bend your arms and do a pushup, lowering yourself until your chest touches the TRX handles. Pause, then push yourself back up.

Get Ready to Climb

Instead of: Bent-over barbell row
Do: Chest supported row

Climbing is essentially a series of pulls. So to work that pulling motion, most guys do bent-over barbell rows. 鈥淏ut you see a lot of body [movement] when guys row the weight,鈥� says Bruno. 鈥淎nd that puts stress on the low back.鈥� Adding support from the bench allows you to maximally work your upper back without involving your lower back. And those bolstered pulling muscles will help you last high into your favorite climbing route.

Set an adjustable bench at a slight incline. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and then lie facedown on the bench, the dumbbells hanging in your hands near the floor. Pull the dumbbells up to just below your pecs. Pause, then lower them back down.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=lthUc2I9NNo%3Frel%3D0

Build a Rock-Steady Core

Instead of: Situps
Do: Kneeling Inch Worm

Situps put undue stress on your spine. Plus, there aren鈥檛 many adventure sports that require you to flex your spine forward like you do in a situp. Kneeling inch worms teach you to brace your core and stabilize your shoulders, says Wilsom. That鈥檚 key in any speed sport, like skiing and biking.

Get on your knees and place your hands on the ground in front of your knees. Brace your core as you slowly walk your hands out in small 鈥渟teps.鈥� Walk as far out as you can while keeping your core braced, then walk slowly back to the start. That鈥檚 one rep.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=oOs5HSl744k%3Frel%3D0

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