Before cable machines and Bose balls, even before kettle bells and dumbbells, people trained using their own bodyweight. Although this type of training developed out of necessity it has stood the test of time.

Bodyweight training goes back thousands of years and was the chosen training method for the Greeks, Romans and Navy SEALS, and has been a consistent component of nearly every military organization from past to present. Outside of being used in the training of the world's greatest warriors, bodyweight exercises continue to be used in the athletic training world and is a key component of many of the best fat loss and muscle gain workouts available.

Bodyweight training is any exercise that involves using the body as a means of resistance against gravity. Common types of body weight training include calisthenics exercises like sit-ups and push-ups plyometrics to improve explosive power and yoga emphasizing a mind-body connection.

Bodyweight training became popular because of its inexpensive nature, the inherent convenience of not needing any equipment and being able to perform these exercises anywhere. While there are plenty of different methods and fitness equipment to choose from, bodyweight training still has advantages over traditional training options.

Because of individual differences in size and strength, it is difficult to construct strength-training machines to accommodate everyone's needs and shape, while bodyweight training is unique to that individual.

Another advantage of bodyweight training is that most exercises are closed chain exercise. Closed chain exercises are performed where the hand or foot is fixed and does not move relative to the body. Pull-ups and push-ups are examples of closed chain exercises, while the lat pull down and bench press are open chain exercises. Closed chain exercises often involve multiple muscles and joints and in turn use more energy to burn fat or increase lean muscle mass. For the most part, if you are moving your body toward or away from an object, it is a closed chain exercise; if you're moving something either toward or away from your body, it is an open chain exercise.

The biggest disadvantage to bodyweight training is that it is perceived as too easy for the experienced trainee and too hard for the beginner. However, with proper exercise execution and knowledge, it is possible to develop a bodyweight only training program to fit anyone's needs.

Bodyweight training is not only effective on its own, but when added to a program involving weights, increases efficacy as well. External loads can also be added to exercises like dips, push-ups and pull-ups to challenge the strongest of athletes. Many people feel they need specialized exercise equipment to reach their goals, but the most effective and most underutilized piece of equipment you already own.

Kyler Crouse, BS, CSCS is a personal fitness coach that works out of Sierra Athletic Club and in the homes of clients in the greater Lake Tahoe area.

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Health and Fitness: Back to body weight

It's all things Zumba this week at Orlando's Zumba Convention, with a sold-out event devoted to the dance fitness craze.

Zumba Convention August 9-12 Orlando, Florida, US

Zumba organizers are holding their biggest members-only party to help fitness professionals share new spinoff Zumba techniques, fashion, foods, and music. The four-day festival is described as a "Zumba playground" with some 7,000 Zumba network professionals in attendance. Now expanded, Zumba will hold a convention in Los Angeles on February 15-17, as well as a European convention in the spring 2013. Exact dates and location yet to be announced. http://convention.zumba.com Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77TsW8NAOA8

Devon Yoga Festival August 10-12 Devon, England

Set in an idyllic location in the heart of the Devon countryside, this festival features more than 40 yoga workshops, live music and kirtan, healthy food and cozy accommodations. http://www.devonyogafestival.co.uk

Canfitpro International Trade Show August 15-19 Toronto, Canada

Some 10,000 fitness enthusiasts are expected to attend Toronto's fitness blowout trade event, Canfitpro, one of the largest fitness events of its kind and now in its 20th year. Similar to Los Angeles's IDEA World Fitness Convention, the event offers up-and-coming techniques a chance to gain wider appeal in the Canadian market. http://www.canfitpro.com/en/toronto

World Humanitarian Day August 19 Worldwide

World Humanitarian Day has been celebrated since 2009 and is a day to honor aid workers, shed light on populations that need humanitarian aid and find ways to give back to your community or international humanitarian aid organizations. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/annual/world_humanitarian_day/en/index.html

Natural Products Expo Asia August 23-25 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong

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Health and fitness agenda: Zumba Convention

If youre like most people, you probably own a few IRAs, a 401(k), and a Roth IRA. And, if youre like most people you might have a wee bit of trouble keeping track of all the key dates associated with those and other retirement accounts.

Yes, Uncle Sam didnt make it easy on those of you saving for and living in retirement. IRAs have numerous deadlines that people need to be aware of, said Jeffrey Levine, an IRA technical consultant with Ed Slott and Co. Most of the time, missing a key deadline is an irrevocable and irreparable mistake. Even in the rare cases when a deadline mistake can be fixed, the solution tends to be costly and time consuming.

Thankfully, however, there are plenty of folks, including Levine, who know the key dates for you to put on the calendar nowbefore the rest of the year gets away from you. (In other words, enjoy August.)

Sept. 30

Anyone who is inheriting an IRA from someone who died in 2011 should pay close attention to the Sept. 30, 2012 cash out date, said Levine. This is the last day to pay offcash outa beneficiary of an account so that they will not be considered when calculating required minimum distributions or RMDs from an inherited IRA.

Yes, Sept. 30 is the deadline by which certain beneficiaries must be removed from inherited IRAs, according to Denise Appleby, editor of IRA News, Views, and Tips.

Generally, if you are one of multiple beneficiaries, you are required to use the life-expectancy of the oldest beneficiary in the group to calculate your RMD amounts, Appleby said. If you are one of the younger beneficiaries, using the life-expectancy of the oldest beneficiary can reduce the amount of time over which you have to distribute your inherited IRA, and can negatively impact income tax and tax planning opportunities.

This issue is compounded if one of the many beneficiaries is whats called a nonperson such as a charity or an estate. That might require the amount to be distributed over an even shorter period, said Appleby.

So, if the IRA owner died in 2011, you can avoid this problem by removing older and nonperson beneficiaries by Sept. 30 of this year, said Appleby. Of note, she said, this removal process requires older and nonperson beneficiaries to take full distributions of their amounts by Sept. 30, 2012, or the older beneficiaries to properly disclaim their portion by Sept. 30, 2012.

Levine offered this example: Lets say a 65-year old died in 2011 and leaves their IRA 50/50 to their only child and the Red Cross, a charity. Since the Red Cross is not a designated beneficiary, if they were not cashed out by Sept. 30, 2012, the entire inherited IRA might have to be withdrawn within five years. On the other hand, if the Red Cross received their entire share of the inherited IRA and were cashed out, the child would be able to use his/her remaining life expectancy (as determined by IRS tables) to calculate their inherited IRA RMDs, allowing for increased tax-deferral and minimizing Uncle Sams bite.

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Don’t Miss These Critical Retirement Deadlines

Many people strive to retire early. But retiring early could reduce your Social Security benefits, which means you have to save even more on your own. Heres how early retirement impacts your Social Security payments, even if you delay receiving benefits until the full retirement age of 67.

Eligibility. You need 40 credits of work in order to receive Social Security benefits. For 2012, you can earn one credit for every $1,130 you earn, up to a maximum of four credits each year. If you worked for at least 10 years and paid Social Security taxes, then you probably will be eligible for Social Security.

Average earnings. Social Security payouts are typically calculated using your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME). This calculation involves adjusting (or indexing) your entire earnings history to reflect changes in wage levels and the standard of living throughout your career. Then your 35 highest earning years will be totaled and averaged out to a monthly earning.

Payouts. Your AIME is then used to calculate your primary insurance amount (PIA), which is the amount you will get if you claim Social Security at your full retirement age. For 2012, your PIA is the sum of:

(a) 90 percent of the first $767 of your AIME, plus

(b) 32 percent of your AIME over $767 and through $4,624, plus

(c) 15 percent of your AIME over $4,624.

However, these amounts may change in future years. And benefit payouts are decreased if you claim before your full retirement age, and can be increased if you delay claiming up until age 70.

Early retirement can impact this formula in a couple of important ways. If you retire significantly early, you will most likely stop working during your peak earning years. This will reduce your average earnings and, consequently, your Social Security benefit. And if you retire with less than 35 earning years, Social Security will average in zeros for those years.

For example, if you retire at age 52 after working for 30 years, your average earnings will be computed with 30 years of earnings plus 5 years of not earning. This will bring down your average earnings and reduce your Social Security benefit. This Social Security online calculator will allow you to see exactly how early retirement will affect your benefit.

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Early Retirement Will Impact Your Social Security Benefit

Retirement planning rules tend to be very specific to individuals financial situation, lifestyle, retirement plans and location. But there is one rule experts tend to agree on: Pay off your mortgage before entering your golden years.

When you look at where Americans spend their money, 30% to 40% is on housing, says Joseph Montanaro, a certified financial planner at USAA. When you look at retirement, you can create a much smoother income plan when you dont have that requirement. For retirees, reducing fixed expenses like housing provides more financial flexibility and less stress on an investment portfolio.

Most people in retirement are on a fixed income made up of savings, investments like a 401(k) or IRA, Social Security benefits and pensions. Not having to worry about making monthly mortgage payments can provide peace of mind, says Michael Eisenberg, a certified public accountant in Los Angeles.

Not having a mortgage payment will also free up cash flow. When you retire, the outflow of dollars changes as you may have other expenses, such as elevated health- care costs and discretionary goals. If you sell the house, all that cash will be available for other purposes, says Eisenberg.

If you dont sell your house, there still are other things you can do with that asset if necessary. In retirement, you cant get unsecured debt because you dont have any income, says chartered financial analyst Robert Stammers, director of Investor Education for the CFA Institute. You can get secured debt, and youll have your house.

How to Pay Off Your Mortgage

Before working to pay off your mortgage beyond the monthly payments, Stammers suggests eliminating other consumer debt like outstanding credit card bills and creating an emergency fund that covers six months of expenses.

When determining the best way to pay your mortgage early, experts recommend keeping your available cash in portfolio accounts. If youre going to liquidate your accounts to pay off your mortgage, ask whether it makes sense to use that money and leave yourself with no cushion, says Eisenberg. Youre leaving yourself cash poor.

Experts also recommend diverting extra cash to pay off your mortgage while youre working by changing the amount and when you pay, here are a couple options:

Accelerated Mortgage Payments. Split your mortgage payment in half and make payments every two weeks, says Stammers. Youre matching your payments with your cash flow, and youll make an extra two payments [or one monthly mortgage payment] each year. If you have a $225,000 mortgage at 5% for 25 years, for example, by paying your mortgage biweekly, you can shorten your mortgage by about three to four years and save about $28,000 in interest payments.

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How to Pay Off Your Mortgage Before Retirement

Kaifu Lee revealed personal information of American coach John Leonard on blogging site Weibo Details were retweeted 14,000 times and led to at least one death threat Mr Lee has removed post but said Leonard should apologize for remarks made about two-time gold medalist Ye Shiwen

By Louise Boyle

PUBLISHED: 18:08 EST, 2 August 2012 | UPDATED: 18:08 EST, 2 August 2012

The Olympic row between the U.S. and China rolled on today as the personal details of the American swimming coach who questioned the gold-medal success of Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen were shared with 15 million bloggers.

The home and work addresses, phone numbers and email of John Leonard were posted to Sina Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like site.

The information was posted by Kaifu Lee who once ran Google in China. He has since deleted Tuesday's post but not before it was retweeted 14,000 times.

Going public: Kaifu Lee posted the details of American swimming coach John Leonard on to Chinese site Sina Weibo - where they were seen by his 15 million followers

Mr Lee wrote that he had read numerous articles on 16-year-old swimmer Ye Shiwen and that all were 'relentless attacks from John Leonard'.

According to the BBC, he then wrote: 'John Leonard should apologize. Below are his background and contact details. If you want to contact him, I suggest using civilised and factual approach.'

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Ye Shiwen: Ex Google boss Kaifu Lee posts personal info of coach John Leonard on Weibo

Coach who is suspicious of absurdly fast Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen has his personal details posted on Sina Weibo, the Chinese Twitter, by the former head of Google China. Is this Guy Adams II?

Ye Shiwen. Yay, she wins.

These Olympics have been so exciting that it has almost made me want to watch tape-delays, rather than merely read and write about them.

Even in the last 24 hours, NBC has shown a bare female breast, not shown the downfall of a great Russian gymnast, and generally suggested that, like the color of Bob Costas' hair, all may not be quite what it seems.

However, now I bring you a controversy that surpasses even that of Twitter and NBC huddling together to have Independent correspondent Guy Adams suspended from the site.

For a U.S Swimming official has had his personal details exposed on China's equivalent of Twitter -- Sina Weibo -- by the former head of Google China, Kaifu Lee.

The BBC tells me that John Leonard, the executive director of the American Swim Coaches Association, had uttered suspicious whispers about the performance of Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen.

He felt it somewhat odd that Ye had swum faster than America's Ryan Lochte, given that Lochte is male and Ye is not.

Oh, ye of little faith, lamented Lee.

So he used the power of his 15 million followers to give Leonard something of what is now known as the Zenkel Treatment -- named after the NBC executive who had his work e-mail address exposed by the aforementioned Adams.

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U.S. swim coach's personal info crawls onto China's Twitter

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTG5e0TqAq0

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Think and Grow Rich Success Philosophy Seminar (PersonalGrowthCafe.com "Daily Personal Growth Walk") - Video

Track cyclists will be hoping for medal success today after Bradley Wiggins' gold win in the time trial.

In all likelihood, however prolific they are it will be a step back from Beijing four years ago where they blazed a trail with seven golds, three silvers and two bronzes.

Cycling governing body the UCI put paid to a repeat of that by introducing the one-rider-per-nation-per-event rule, meaning that Britain will not be quite so medal rich in the table after events at the Velodrome.

But the team showed at the World Championships in Melbourne earlier this year that they are once again top dog in the sport.

Partly because of that UCI ruling and Jason Kennys fine form at both the worlds and in training since, Sir Chris Hoy has been denied the chance of completing the fairytale of defending all three Olympic titles.

Hoy still has two golds on the line, starting with todays team sprint although he, Kenny and the teenager Philip Hindes will have needed to have taken a huge step forward in the intervening four months since their disqualification at the worlds to dream of winning gold here.

Hoy has accepted the decision over the British individual sprint spot with good grace, going as far as saying that British Cycling had made the right choice. He even pointed out his tussle with Kenny could aid his team sprint and keirin hopes having inspired me to work harder.

Id love to be going for three events but now I can only do two, he said.

The other thing to have inspired him in recent days was the Tour de France victory of former track team-mate Wiggins, something Hoy, caught up in the emotion of it all, perhaps overdramatised by calling the greatest achievement of any British sportsman ever.

The person hoping to set Hoy on the road to glory is 19-year-old Hindes, a German-born rider with a British father who switched to the Team GB in 2010. A potentially awkward plastic Brit debate has been neatly swatted away by Hindes himself, who cannot understand the fuss and points out I feel British without any irony as he delivers the words in a German accent.

Continued here:
Chris Hoy and Team GB expected to follow Bradley Wiggins' medal success

LONDON - Seven years after longtime favourite Paris lost the bid to host the 2012 Summer Games to England's capital city, France is edging its old cross-Channel rival in the medals table.

Unprecedented swimming success and a powerful women's judo team have propelled France to six golds and 16 medals overall.

France was fourth in the medals table after Thursday's events, with the host nation on five gold and 15 overall.

The French success story starts in swimming.

Three golds in London have doubled France's all-time total in the Olympics pool, with team sensation Yannick Agnel helping create a halo effect. French judo and canoeing teams are also radiating success.

"We're very proud because these athletes have also sent the message that French sport is high-performing and that France knows how to win," Christian Donze, technical director of France's swimming federation, told The Associated Press.

Agnel left United States star Ryan Lochte in his wake twice to anchor the 4x100 relay team to victory, and take the 200 free individual title. French President Francois Hollande was poolside at the Aquatics Centre to hear "La Marseillaise" anthem played for the 20-year-old from Nimes.

"He could be the star of the games," Australian three-time Olympic champion Grant Hackett said of Agnel, who will anchor the 4x100 medley relay team on Saturday.

Camille Muffat has a medal of each colour, getting her gold in the 400 free to dethrone home favourite Rebecca Adlington.

Like Agnel, Muffat is coached in Nice by Fabrice Pellerin who persuaded the 22-year-old local girl to switch from the medley event she raced in Beijing.

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France surfs wave of Olympics swimming success to edge old rival Britain in medals table