Author: Shellane Demarest

It’s November and fall is officially here, so you know what that means. Have you seen the commercials? No, I don’t mean the ones for the latest toys or hottest sales at the mall. I’m talking about Bowflex, Nutrisystem and Weight Watchers. The dreaded battle of the bulge is among us. Every year you promise yourself to watch what you eat and add more exercise to your routine. During the holidays, it’s very easy to slip up on your healthy eating plan and enjoy some extra little goodies. How much can that really hurt? Well, read on to find out…

Temperatures are dropping and the urge to workout begins to subside. It’s so easy to tell yourself, “I’ll just go jog outside” or “I’ll watch what I eat today and workout tomorrow.” Before you know it a week goes by and your sneakers have not moved from last week. How do you stay motivated to workout, especially when the weather makes you not even want to get out of bed let alone out of your house? Not to mention all of the little cookies and other holiday treats are coming at you full force. What to do? Read on! First…

If you’ve ever watched CrossFit competitions or seen different WODs, then you might be familiar with those incredible handstand pushups some of the amazing athletes perform during their workouts. Well, if you don’t currently have the upper body strength needed to do this intense movement then this video will be perfect for you. Most people simply can’t perform handstand pushups, so Shellane will take you through a modified version of this exercise in the video below. The modified version of the pushup is still no simple task to complete so Shellane provides several excellent strength drills using plyometrics to help…

At 47, years “young” I have to say I am in the best shape of my life. I not only feel stronger during my workouts but I also look better than I did when I was in my 20’s. This is very apparent when I’m outside of “the box” and dressed in regular clothes. I’m often approached by women commenting about my arms. They are inquisitive about what they can do to get them. This often makes me laugh because the rest of me is pretty awesome too! I’m not sure if they are expecting some magical secret they have…

Mobility. What exactly is it? Well, think of it as “pre-hab” instead of “rehab”. It is the following: prevention of injury, increasing and improving one’s performance in range of movement whether it be functional movements or athletic performance. I used to be unfamiliar with mobility until May 23, 2010. That day changed my life forever. It all started when I was a fitness instructor for Gold’s Gym. I was teaching 15 classes a week. There was very little stretching or any kind of mobility prior to teaching my classes. I just didn’t have time for it. Usually, I’d teach two…

In this article I will take you through different mobility drills and exercises to help improve your flexibility, range of motion and overall stability when you’re working out using different styles of training such as CrossFit or traditional weight lifting. I want to show you a couple of exercises that I do right before I perform a workout when I am training. A little bit of mobility goes a long way and I don’t feel that there is enough mobility done in CrossFit classes. When I coach my clients, I physically take them through and show them a few things…

This article will focus on the pull-up which is one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do for developing the muscles of the back (latissimus dorsi, teres minor, teres major, infraspinatus) and building size in the upper body. The pull-up is an exercise that scares most women (and even some men) when asked how many repetitions they can perform. This is understandable since the pull-up can be a very difficult exercise if you don’t have a lot of strength. This is an excellent and effective exercise that can be performed virtually anywhere and it truly gives your upper body…

In this article I will discuss the proper exercise technique for performing the Russian kettlebell swing which is an excellent whole body exercise that targets several major muscle groups including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, deltoids, abdominals, overall core area along with the biceps and triceps. This instructional video below was shot at Maverick Training in Orlando, Florida and it’s an excellent facility if you’re looking for CrossFit classes and workouts. In order to get an effective muscle building and fat blasting workout, all you need is one kettlebell and a whole lot of determination, so let’s get started! Choose a…

In this article I will demonstrate the proper exercise technique for the deadlift which is one of the best overall mass building multi-joint compound exercises you can do for building muscle and increasing strength. The video below was shot at Maverick Training in sunny Orlando, Florida and if you’re looking for a CrossFit gym with great classes and workouts in this area then definitely come and check them out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-4YlkaKLIk The deadlift is a common exercise that is performed in regular gyms, fitness centers and schools along with being one of the core exercises used in CrossFit gyms. For this…

Some of the best workouts you can use to build strength and tone up your physique don’t necessarily require an expensive gym membership or fancy and costly exercise equipment. Instead, exercises like the ones in this video use the weight of your own body to help you build strength, increase muscle and reach your optimal level of fitness. They combine cardio (when performed back to back with no rest in between exercises) and resistance training and can be modified for anyone to perform! Bodyweight exercises have tons of benefits and have been shown to provide real fitness results with very…