Preston Noble: Brains Brawn

There is much more to Preston Noble than his spectacular calves. This amateur bodybuilder was a finalist for the 2012 BodySpace Spokesmodel Search, and he's only been in serious bodybuilding mode for about a year. Even before he started in the industry, this Arizona native was taking great care of his body. Now he clobbers weight in the gym and adheres to an honest eating philosophy based on sound science and his mother's good example. In this video you can follow his complete program - training, nutrition and supplementation - and find balance between brains and brawn.

Tyler Sarry: Triple Threat Tree Training

A tree with a massive limb: That's all you need to strengthen and shape your upper body muscles. In this video fitness model and personal trainer Tyler Sarry works out in the park and demonstrates chin-ups with many variations. His Triple Threat Tree Trainng is easy to apply, effective, and funny.

Jay Parks: New AAG Model

It's better, if an undershirt does not cover his well-toned upper body. Admirably fit, athletic, adventure-seeking: Jay Parks is an aspiring fitness/crossover model, originally from the state of Michigan, now living in New York. He loves hunting, fishing and just overall hanging out in the woods - he's very much a 'country guy'. Jay also loves to workout and enjoys spending time with friends and family. He's not shy about showing off his body and enjoys the perks that come with being a full time male model. All American Guys' parent company Z Productions arranged for Jay to work in the big apple in 2012 as a fashion model, and so far he has been well received. Keep an eye out for Jay as he makes a name for himself in the industry.

Age at date of debut on AllAmericanGuys: 21 years
Height: 5'11, Weight: 173
Hobbies: Hunting, working out, riding horses
Favorite food: Steak and potatoes
Favorite singer: Country music in general

You find many high quality photos and videos of Jay Parks here on AllAmericanGuys.

Tuan Tran: Profound Arm Sculpting

This is far more than a simple arm training video. Tuan Tran, the competitive bodybuilder and powerlifter, begins with a proper goal setting. Then he demonstrates his biceps and triceps workout using cables, barbells, the preacher curl machine, chin-ups, and ropes. Finally Tuan explains his personal goals, his strength, and his weakness, and how he handles it to build imposingly huge and sculpted arms.

Mischa Janiec: Intense Six Pack Abs Routine

Mischa Janiec calls it humorously "The circle of death", because it is exceedingly hard, but all the more effective. It is part of his routine to build six pack abs, consists of three exercises (without a rest, three rounds), and takes five minutes. The 21-year-old Swiss natural bodybuilder says he works his abdominals only once a week, never longer than ten minutes, but very intensely, due to his "circle of death".

Nathan Wilson: The Rising Bodybuilding Star

The muscle mass and definition he has built at his early age are highly imposing. Nathan Wilson is a 20 year old natural bodybuilder from Washington state who flew down to Phoenix, Arizona, to shoot with PumpingMuscle in the gym, outside and inside in the spring of 2012. He started competing as a teen bodybuilder in 2011 after doing track and football in high school. He is currently pursuing work in acting and modeling.

In this video Nathan introduces himself, and poses at the end of a three day video and photo shoot in Phoenix, Arizona in March of 2012.

4 Top Fitness Models Gym Session

Four of Britian's top sponsored athletes and fitness models together for the first time at a special shoot for 'Muscle & Fitness' magazine: The series, 'It's a Hardcore Life' profiles these elite athletes, and looks at their diet and training regimes. The guys are Jamie Alderton, MuscleMania novice champion and member of Team Grenade; Shaun Stafford, WBFF European Champion; Ryan Ginsberg, cover model and Reflex sponsored athlete, and Olly Foster, eight times Men's Health cover model. Thanks to MuscleWorks Gym in Bethnal Green, the home of British bodybuilding, and to Dr Dan Reardon of Muscle & Fitness magazine.

Dumbbell Hammer Curls

This exercise is similar to the dumbbell curl. It works the biceps, brachialis, and forearms.


Grab a pair of dumbbells. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Let the dumbbells hang at arms length on each side of your body. Keep your elbows close to your torso at all times and keep the palms of your hands facing each other.
Moving only your forearms, use your bicep and forearm strength to curl the dumbbells up to shoulder level. Do not rotate your hands as you curl the dumbbells. Hold the top position for a second to maximize the peak contraction in the biceps. Slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position. Repeat.
Tips - do not lift excess weight and use momentum to swing the dumbbells up. Use a lighter weight and keep the movement slow and controlled. For variety you can do this exercise with one arm at a time.

Standing Dumbbell Curls

This exercise is similar to the barbell curl. It works the biceps and forearms.

Grab a pair of dumbbells. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Let the dumbbells hang at arms length on each side of your body. Keep your elbows close to your torso at all times.
Moving only your forearms, use your bicep strength to curl the dumbbells up to shoulder level. Rotate your hands so that your palms are facing upwards at the top. Hold this position for a second to maximize the peak contraction in the biceps. Slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position. Repeat.
Tips - do not lift excess weight and use momentum to swing the dumbbells up. Use a lighter weight and keep the movement slow and controlled. For variety you can do this exercise with one arm at a time.

Standing Barbell Curls

This exercise is a basic movement that works the biceps and forearms.


Grab a barbell with an underhand grip. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Let the barbell hang in front of you at arms length. Keep your elbows close to your torso at all times.
Moving only your forearms, use your bicep strength to curl the barbell up to shoulder level. Hold this position for a second to maximize the peak contraction in the biceps. Slowly lower the barbell to the starting position. Repeat.

Tips - do not lift excess weight and use momentum to swing the barbell up. Use a lighter weight and keep the movement slow and controlled. For variety you can use different types of barbells (i.e. an ez curl bar) to work the muscles at different angles. You can also do this exercise with a bar attached to a low cable pulley.

Toning shoes and calorie burning

Skechers made new shoes called Shape-Ups and claimed that they toned muscles, improved posture, and burned fat, while reducing stress on knees and ankles. Unable to substantiate these claims, the company made a $40 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, under which customers who spent between $50 to $100 for these toning shoes can claim a refund. Independent researchers have found that toning shoes don't help to improve posture, burn calories or build muscle any better than basic sneakers. Last year Reebok made a $25 million settlement with the FTC over its toning shoes: the EasyTone. Under the settlement Reebok was barred from: making claims that toning shoes and other toning apparel are effective in strengthening muscles, making any health or fitness-related efficacy claims for toning shoes, misrepresenting any tests, studies, or research results regarding toning shoes and other toning apparel.

Miranda Kerr wears Reebok EasyTome shoes in the new 'Satisfaction' advertising campaign. Martina Jahrbacher, head of Reebok Women's Sport division, says that the company agreed to a settlement only to avoid a protracted legal battle and they now have an independent study to back their claims on calorie burning claims for toning shoes. According to AdAge, Reebok's independent study ran for 12 weeks, with women aged 22 to 39 wearing EasyTone shoes or regular flat sole sneakers. Both sets of women followed the same fitness program of supervised aerobic walking three times a week. The result was an average 2.5% reduction in body fat.

Miranda Kerr keeps in shape with yoga and a mostly organic diet, but as the new brand ambassador for the Reebok EasyTone collection, she is obliged to credit the toning shoes with body shaping benefits: "I love EasyTone! They look great and they're super comfortable. I love the results you get wearing them and that I can just throw them in my suitcase and have them with me all the time when I'm travelling. My life is so busy that I can't always make it to the gym but I love to walk as much as I can and I make EasyTone part of my fitness routine by wearing them when I'm walking." Whatever kind of shoes you wear, the only way of burning calories is to get moving!

Exercise away menstrual cramps

Menstrual cramps are pains in the stomach and groin regions as a result of a woman's menstrual period. Menstrual cramps most often occur in a girl who has just started having her periods, or after the first year. Surveys reveal that over 90% of adolescent girls report having menstrual cramps. But happily menstrual cramps tend to improve with age, and among adult women only one in seven report severe cramps....the kind of pain that makes you double over. There are biological reasons for cramps, but the pain is intensified by emotional stress and lack of exercise. In our pill popping culture, aspirin or acetaminophen is recommended for girls experiencing mild cramps, ibuprofen for moderate pain, and oral contraceptives for severe menstrual cramps. Herbs and spices like ginger, turmeric, fenugreek, fennel, and Dandelion tea are also believed to relax the uterine muscles and ease menstrual cramps.

Exercises like yoga are the best way of easing menstrual cramps. The camel pose shown here helps to stretch the pelvis and belly. The Wide Squat pose stretches the hips and buttocks, while the child's pose relaxes the spine and lower back. Another useful yoga exercise for easing menstrual cramps is the pigeon pose.

Regular walking is another good exercise. Getting an abdominal massage and using abdominal heating pads seems to work for some women. It is important to also get adequate rest and sleep. Sexual intercourse and masturbation also works in providing relief from menstrual cramps.

Paddleboarding lowers stress

Brazilian model Alessandra Ambrosio does some paddleboarding in Hawaii. Stand-up paddleboarding is an increasingly popular water sport and a fun family activity. Paddleboarding skill levels are pretty standard for people of all ages....you just need to stay balanced on the board. It is easier for women because of a lower center of gravity in female bodies. Gliding along on water, while enjoying the outdoors is a fun way to lower mental stress.



Left, actress Jenna Dewan, and right singer Rihanna, paddleboarding on their knees. Balancing on the long wide board while standing is quite easy, but it is also a neat workout that lowers physical stress. You need to maintain a good posture and that helps to tone the leg, back, and core muscles. Using the long paddle works out the arms and upper body. With all the fun that you're having the workout seems to be moderate but you burn more calories while paddleboarding than in surfing. That's because you paddleboard for a longer time, hardly ever fall, and can do it in still waters.

White girls play more sports

From The New York Times: This month marks the 40th anniversary of Title IX of the Education Amendments becoming law. This legislation has been monumental in women’s and girls’ sports participation. But the focus of Title IX has been gender equity, not racial equity in women's sports. The most glaring outcome of the legislation is that white women — as athletes and administrators — have been the overwhelming beneficiaries. According to a 2007 report by the United States Department of Education, among high school sophomores, white girls had a 51 percent participation rate in sports, compared with 40 percent for black girls. The percentages were lower for Asian/Pacific Islanders (34 percent) and Hispanics (32 percent).

In college African-American women are underrepresented in all but two sports: Division I basketball, where black women represent 50.6 percent of athletes, and indoor and outdoor track and field, where they represent 28.2 and 27.5 percent. They are all but missing in lacrosse (2.2 percent), swimming (2.0), soccer (5.3) and softball (8.2). They are an underrepresented rising presence in volleyball (11.6).

Fitzgerald Mosley, of the Washington forum, discovered sports through physical education classes. She was exposed to gymnastics at school, liked it and asked her parents for private gymnastics instruction. Today Fitzgerald Mosley is chief of sport performance for USA Track and Field and chairwoman of the board at the Women's Sports Foundation. Mosley says: "There’s a whole host of African-American women who have benefited greatly from Title IX. We've gotten college scholarships and college degrees; we've made Olympic teams. Track and field is an area where a large number of African-American women receive college scholarships. But in the grand scheme of things, Caucasian girls have benefited disproportionately well, especially suburban girls and wealthy Caucasian girls."

Popular yoga poses and questions

Actress Chyler Leigh in a half lotus pose, meant for yoga beginners. A popular and well-known yoga pose it brings up the question: yoga looks easy but I need something that challenges my body? When people get around to doing yoga, it dawns on them: my body is sore all over, why's yoga sooo hard?? Yoga is an all round exercise system that builds strength, flexibility, balance, and yes it burns calories and makes you slim. As you get more into yoga, you discover that it also provides mental health benefits, and helps the body to fight diseases.



Redhead actress Amy Davidson in a scorpion handstand pose, while Disney starlet Debby Ryan on the right does a wheel yoga pose. Looking at these girls, beginners may ask: do I need to be flexible for yoga? The wheel pose improves spinal flexibility, makes the arms strong, and stretches the shoulders and chest. The handstand strengthens the core muscles, shoulders, and back, while improving balance.

These poses are for advanced yoga practitioners. When you get to doing them you will have become more flexible from doing all the beginner and intermediate poses. Yoga poses are categorized by the kinds of exercises: whether standing, supine, inverted, backbending, or seated. And all these kinds are grouped by the level of difficulty: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. This brings up the question: can I learn yoga on my own or do I need to join a class?

With all the free information, illustrations, and yoga instructions available on the Internet you can easily learn beginner poses on your own. Checkout youtube videos, buy DVDs or books, and join yoga classes for more advanced poses.

Nicole Scherzinger doing the cow pose, which is for beginners and helps to make the back more flexible while increasing core strength. What are we supposed to wear while doing yoga? Any kind of clothing that is not restrictive, that you're comfortable in. Or you could buy cute yoga pants that are soft, stretchy, and form fitting, costing anywhere from $10 to expensive $100 at Lululemons. There's a whole fashion industry behind yoga wear which sells yoga pants, leggings, tops, tanks, tees, shorts, bralettes. You can even do yoga in swimwear.

The child pose is a restorative pose that provides a gentle stretch for the hips, thighs and back. It can help relieve back pain. Another common question is: where to do yoga? The answer is anywhere you're comfortable. On the beach, in your home or garden, or in a yoga class.

A yoga class doing the upward dog pose, which strengthens the arms, wrists and abdomen, and increases the flexibility of the spine. All this stretching is fine, but how will yoga burn calories and help me lose weight? Yoga is pretty effective at burning fat. All the poses workout your muscles, stretch the joints and ligaments, and increase heart rate. You can feel your body getting sore just doing the beginner poses. When you get better at yoga, you try out a combination of poses in a quick sequence, and that is just like an intense aerobics wrokout! The upward dog is part of the ten poses in the sun salutation exercise. Bikram and Vinyasa Yoga systems probably burn the most calories.

Actress Denise Richards doing the popular warrior pose, which strengthens the legs, opens the chest and shoulders and stretches the arms. Right, TV personality Marla Maples does the triangle pose that makes the legs strong, and stretches the groins, hamstrings, and hips. This yoga pose can help relieve back pain while opening up the chest and shoulders. There are hundreds of yoga poses, so how do we remember them all? The great thing with yoga is that even the beginner poses are beneficial for your body and mind. If you stay interested, you'll find yourself moving to more advanced poses. Otherwise you will just pick out your favorite yoga poses and stick with them.

Australian model Miranda Kerr in the pigeon pose for advanced yoga practioners. This pose makes the back strong, and really stretches the hip flexor muscles, the throat, chest, abdomen, as well as the groin and thighs.

Miranda Kerr has been doing yoga for years and she incorporates yoga poses in her modeling shoots. Seen here doing a variation of the side reclining leg lift yoga pose, which stretches the thighs, hamstrings and groin, and improves balance. A common yoga question is: how long are we supposed to do it? If you're looking to stretch and get toned then 20 minutes is good enough. But if you really want to make changes in your body and burn a ton of calories then take your yoga workout to 60 minutes or even 90 minutes.