“Curls are for the girls” is a common expression heard in weight rooms.
It basically means that excess biceps curls don’t do much that benefit people in everyday sports or activities, but will result in big arms that the ladies will like.
It is important to incorporate curls into your workout – one of the worst injuries to deal with is a torn bicep – but in actuality the saying should be “Tri’s are for the girls.”
The way to big, powerful arms is working out the triceps hard. The triceps account for approximately 60 percent of the mass in your arms and do even more of the work compared to the bi’s. They also come into play with a lot more sports and everyday motions, so they’re more essential, too.
The bi’s may be more fun to work out because you can really feel the pump and see the results in the mirror. However, the tri’s should get equal work, if not a little more.
The following is a “Triceps Blaster” workout program I like to do on triceps days:
Day 1
* Push-ups 3×20 (three sets of 20)
* Dumbbell seated overhead triceps extension 3×10 (I sit against something that will support my lower back, such as backwards on preacher curl bench or a chair)
* Dumbell triceps kickbacks 3×12

Day 2
* Close-hands pushup 3×15
* Triceps machine pushdown 3×10
* Dips 3×10

Day 3
* Dumbbell seated triceps extension 3×10
* Close-hands pushup 3×15
* Dumbbell seated overhead triceps extension 3×10

Note: A lot of people like to do skull crushers, lying on bench and bringing weight down to your skull with elbows straight. I find those put an uncomfortable strain on my elbows, but these are good to sub in also.

To change these up, you can also incorporate a workout ball and do pushups and dumbbells balancing on the ball. Good luck with your triceps workouts. Do these and you’ll see the horseshoe form in your tri’s in no time.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

When I say “Thanksgiving” what are the first two words that come to mind?
For many people like myself, it’s Turkey and then Football. Oh yeah, family, too, sorry mom.
For the vast majority of the people out there, they’ll at least see some of an NFL game on TV at some point today. Many more will watch a good part of the action.
If we weren’t separated by many, many states, I’d love to throw the ole pigskin around with my brother, too.
For those of us who don’t have people handy to play some catch with, or even hold a little neighborhood Turkey Bowl, the next best thing is to watch the pros on TV.
In case you’re wondering what the NFL schedule is for today, here ya go below. Unlike many years, there’s actually a triple-header, but as usual the Detroit Lions are playing. Please, no Cleveland Browns jokes for those readers who know – after the Lions win over Cleveland Sunday.
Enjoy the day and the games, Happy Thanksgiving!

Thursday’s Thanksgiving game schedule, Nov. 26
GREEN BAY (6-4) At DETROIT (2-8)
12:35 p.m. ET, Fox
OPENING LINE — Packers by 11
RECORD VS. SPREAD — Green Bay 5-4-1; Detroit 2-7-1
SERIES RECORD — Packers lead 87-64-7
LAST MEETING — Packers beat Lions 26-0, Oct. 18, 2009
LAST WEEK — Packers beat 49ers 30-24; Lions beat Browns 38-37
———
OAKLAND RAIDERS (3-7) at DALLAS (7-3)
4:15 p.m. ET, CBS
OPENING LINE — Cowboys by 14
RECORD VS. SPREAD — Oakland 5-5; Dallas 5-5
SERIES RECORD — Raiders lead 6-3
LAST MEETING — Raiders beat Cowboys 19-13, Oct. 2, 2005
LAST WEEK — Raiders beat Bengals 20-17; Cowboys beat Redskins 7-6
———
NEW YORK GIANTS (6-4) At DENVER (6-4)
8:20 p.m. ET, NFL Network
OPENING LINE — Giants by 5
RECORD VS. SPREAD — New York 4-6; Denver 6-4
SERIES RECORD — Giants lead 6-4
LAST MEETING — Giants beat Broncos 24-23, Oct. 23, 2005
LAST WEEK — Giants beat Falcons 34-31; Broncos lost to Chargers 32-3

There is probably no single holiday more centered around eating than Thanksgiving. It’s other name is Turkey Day, so that right there tells you something.
At the end of the day you could come out stuffed like a turkey yourself, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Here are five Thanksgiving eating tips to follow that your body might thank you for on Friday. Notice I didn’t call them diet tips because I don’t think most people should approach this day of thanks in diet mode, but do be smart about your eating.

Eat slowly
It takes 20 minutes for your body to know that you’re full. Enjoy your food, lift your head up from the plate to talk during the meal and enjoy each bite. There’s nothing wrong with putting your fork down a few times, too. It doesn’t constantly have to be in motion.

Drink lots of water
Water is a model’s best friend and it knows how to be a good friend to you, too, if you let it. Water can help control your appetite by letting you feel full faster. If you’re drinking beer, mix in some glasses or bottles of water during the day.

Get your grub on early
Don’t show up at the Thanksgiving feast on an empty stomach. Eat a good breakfast that day, preferably with protein and fiber to help digest the turkey legs to follow. Maybe even eat some fruit, like an apple, an hour or so before Thanksgiving dinner. It’s always better to space out small means instead of one giant one during the day. And it will really help you eat less at the Thanksgiving dinner.

Be a food connoisseur
Don’t waste your calories by loading up on items you can have year-round, like mashed potatoes, gravy and rolls. Instead, go easy on those high-calorie foods and take small samples of other things, too, that you rarely get to eat, such as sweet potatoes, certain types of vegetable casseroles and a piece of pumpkin pie.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

You know your calorie count is likely to go up – OK, maybe way up – during the Thanksgiving Holiday.
That’s OK to over-indulge a little bit, but you’ll feel a lot better about yourself if you find time for a little fitness during the holiday as well. Mix in some exercise along with drum stick presses and 12-ounce beer bottle curls.
Here are five Turkey Day conditioning tips to get a head start on burning off some of those excess calories.

Plan a Thanksgiving Day sporting event
While the turkey’s in the oven baking, get family and friends together for fitness early in the day. You could maybe even make it the start of a family tradition. Play a touch football game, take a hike, go to the park with the kids and dogs, or if the weather’s nice enough where you live have a family baseball or softball game.

Run a turkey trot
Go for a run on Thanksgiving morning. A lot of communities hold 5K or 10K Turkey Trot races, or you could simply find some people to go run with in a small group. If worse comes to worse, go on the run by yourself. It might be nice to get some quiet time before being surrounded by a gazillion relatives.

Go on a bike ride
Same concept here as a run, get some good exercise in before the feasting begins. Wave to other bikers on the trail and tell them Happy Thanksgiving.

Get an abbreviated workout in
Some of you may be so disciplined that if Thursday is a planned workout day, you don’t want to skip it even on Thanksgiving. If you’re running short on time, then just do a half-routine, maybe cutting short on cardio or a couple lifts. Give yourself extra credit for being that dedicated and go ahead and have Aunt Sue’s pumpkin pie for dessert, you deserve it.

Walk it off
Recruit a couple people to go on a post-Thanksgiving meal walk around the block or back 40. It’s probably unrealistic to think you’ll do any heavy exercising, but a good brisk walk will certainly help you burn at least some calories and feel better about yourself.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

The average person consumes around 2,000-3,000 calories at a Thanksgiving dinner. If you snack and drink throughout the day, that total can easily rise to 5,000 or more calories.

A lot of people would be surprised to know exactly how those calories are broken down.
Below is a typical Thanksgiving dining list for people and how many calories are involved.
So before you reach for that extra dinner roll or piece of green bean casserole, now you’ll know what it will cost you calorie-wise.
Thanksgiving is a great time to spend with family and to eat good food, but remember to dine in moderation. Your body will thank you later

A.D.‘s Thanksgiving dinner scorecard
Turkey, white meat, 6 oz. – 330
Stuffing, 1/2 cup – 180
Mashed Potatoes, 1/2 cup – 150
Candied Sweet Potatoes, 1/2 cup – 150
Green Bean Casserole, 1/2 cup – 120
Gravy, 1/4 cup, 75
Dinner roll with butter, 2 – 110
Cranberry Sauce, 1/2 cup – 190
Jello mold, 1/2 cup – 120
Wine, 2 glasses – 240
Pumpkin Pie, 1 slice, 180
Whipped cream – 75
Ice Cream, vanilla, 1/2 cup – 145
Coffee, with cream and sugar, 2 cups – 50
For a grand total of 2,115 calories for the meal
Source: Health-e Illinois

If you’ve eaten all this, sit on the couch for a little while and watch some football. Then go take a walk, it’s time to start burning some calories away.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

The Holidays are quickly approaching and we all know how hectic they can be. There are holiday plans to make, gifts to buy, work demands and then when you finally sit down at your family’s dinner – enough food to feed a small army.
The average American packs on 5-10 extra pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s day.
Here are some tips to make sure you give yourself the gift of fitness – not an unwanted present of 10 extra pounds:
* Control your diet – Eat smaller meals rather than one epic smorgasbord. Eat an apple or other healthy snack one hour before you sit down at Aunt Maggie’s Thanksgiving feast to help curb your appetite.
* Be disciplined with your workout schedule – It’s even more important than usual to stick to your workout schedule. It will not only help you burn off extra calories, but aid with stress relief from staying at your mother-in-law’s house, or dealing with cousin Bryan’s seemingly wild pack of indoor dogs and cats.
* Be forgiving of yourself - Don’t beat yourself up too badly if you slip up on your diet once or twice, or miss a workout or two. Just try to compensate by getting back on the treadmill or jogging trail as soon as you can.
* Make time for yourself - Finally, with all the demands other people put on you, which can result in great family memories, make some time for yourself, too. And that time should include fitness!

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

For people looking to give the gift of fitness and not break the bank, there are some great gift ideas out there for under $50.
You can call some of them stocking stuffers, or if they’re a little too big to hang by the chimney with care then wrap them as special side gifts

For the Man in your life:
* Trigger wheel – Great device for stretching and working muscles.
* Sports grip – Get a better handle on things by working the grip while he watches the game on TV. Take some extra stress out, too, if his favorite team is losing, especially if he’s a Cleveland pro sports fan.
* Weighted jump rope – A tremendous way to combine cardio and strength training
* Lifting straps – These help hang onto to the bar easier for weight lifting.
* Travel stick – A smaller version of the Trigger Wheel for stretching

For the Lady in your life:
* Step pedometer – She can count her steps and see how far she’s walked.
* Jump rope – This is great exercise for the ladies, too. Get a weighted or regular jump rope.
* Massage peanut – She’ll thank you for this compact massage unit to relieve achy muscles.
* Exercise ball – One of the hottest pieces of equipment on the market, there are lots of exercises to do on the ball, ranging from sit-ups to weight lifting.

Bonus gifts for – well, really anyone
* Exercise DVDs
* Exercise clothes
* Water bottle
* Energy bars / sports chews

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

There aren’t too many more practical holiday presents than giving the gift of fitness.
Whether you’re buying for someone else or yourself, a gift of fitness equipment is one that can be appreciated and useful every day of the year.
Here’s the lowdown on three of the latest high-tech pieces of fitness equipment that are really worth checking out:
* Octane Q47 Elliptical – This machine has a realistic running motion and adjustable stride. It has great versatility. In one example I was told about, a husband is 6-foot-7 and the wife 5-8 and they both used it thanks to the adjustable stride. This machine is rated for someone up to 300 pounds in weight, but we’ve seen even heavier people use it with no problems. That also speaks to the durability of the Q47. It’s also rated to be very forgiving on people’s knees. At a price of around $3,700, it’s well worth it for a top of the line piece of equipment.
* Torque F7 Folding Functional Trainer – With folding doors and a smooth feel this is an amazing home gym. It takes up very little space when stored, but unwraps to deliver a three-dimensional motion trainer that will work out your body the way it moves in everyday life. There are really just about an infinite number of exercise possibilities with the dual weight stacks and swivel pulleys and bars. It’s one of the best buys you can make for a home gym under $3,500.
* Vision Fitness 7100 Elliptical - An adjustable incline and challenging levels make the VF 7100 another one of the top ellipticals on the market today. There are countless workouts you can program into this elliptical, which like the Q47 is also rated high for durability and user friendliness.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

Your workouts are going nicely, you’re noticing results and getting compliments on an improving physique.
Then, all of a sudden, it happens. A pull, twist, turn, strain or sprain. Oh no, you’re injured!
Sports and fitness related injuries can happen to anyone, no matter what your fitness level.
For severe injuries, it’s usually pretty obvious if immediate medical attention is required. Most injuries leave people hobbling, but able to go about their daily business for the most part.
For people who are dedicated to fitness, the big question is what to do after getting hurt?
Just because you’ve got a hitch in your get-up, doesn’t mean your fitness program has to be put in park.
Whether or not you opt to see a doctor, or rest/treat an injury on your own, like a sprained ankle, you can and should keep trying to work out. Just tweak your routine.
If it is an ankle sprain, then there’s no reason you can’t do upper body lifts or sit-ups. Instead of running, maybe your ankle will be able to tolerate swimming or a stationary bike.
If you’ve strained a shoulder muscle, it shouldn’t prevent you from working out your legs.
Just because you are hurt, doesn’t mean you should stop working out.
As for the injured body part, research on your own, use common sense and/or consult with a sports medicine outfit or doctor.
While you’re working out other body parts, you may also slowly start to rehab your injured area.
If you’re injured too badly to do much of anything, then there’s still something you can do to prevent adding on weight quickly: really, really watch your diet!
While we’re discussing injuries, here’s a little trivia on the subject.
Studies show the most common areas for pulls or strains are the hamstring and quadriceps, followed by calf muscles.
For overweight people, ankles and kneecaps are highly vulnerable.
Great ways to prevent injuries are to stretch and stay hydrated by drinking water.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

No one wants to get injured while working out, or deal with a nagging issue such as sore knees or shin splints.
One of the best ways to heal faster, or make a chronic problem more manageable is to ice the area correctly.
It’s important to know the right way to ice, or else you could do more harm than good.
Here are some icing Dos and Don’ts, so that your body doesn’t freeze up long term:

* Do ice the affected area as soon as possible after a workout or game if you‘re experiencing pain. This decreases swelling and starts the healing process.
* Don’t ice before a workout or run. Numbing your body can block pain receptors that might tell your body to ease up and could set you up for further injury.

* Do ice for 15-20 minute increments, the ideal time that almost all trainers recommend Any shorter time period will cool your skin, but have minimal effect on the muscles.
* Don’t ice for more than 20 minutes. This is one instance where more isn’t better and you could actually risk getting frostbite. If the skin starts looking red, you’re pushing it. You might want to put a thin layer, such as a paper towel, between the ice and your skin.

* Do ice during the day, with five different treatments ideal. Space them at least 45 minutes apart
* Don’t put off seeing a doctor if ice and rest doesn’t improve an injury.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net