Too fat for the armed forces? Lose weight for the military

It was roughly 7 years ago when the Air Force set new weight requirements for joining. As you can see from the chart below, there's no difference between men and women. So whether it be taking your running shorts out for a test drive or breaking in some new workout clothes, we're going to whip you into shape for recruitment.

Push-ups
While the push-up primarily targets the muscles of the chest, arms, and shoulders, support required from other muscles results in a wider range of muscles integrated into the exercise.


According to some treacherously complex math, when you are doing a full-blown pushup, you are "lifting" about 56% of your body weight (the other 44% is held up by your feet). In other words, for an average 200 pound person, doing one pushup is similar to (but not exactly the same as) doing a bench rep of 112 pounds. This is a great way to tone those muscles and trim the fat.


Losing weight? Sit-ups probably not the best way.
Losing weight is all about eating high quality foods and exercising regularly to burn excess calories. You can try to lose weight just by doing sit ups, but it is not the smartest or most efficient way to lose weight, according to this dude. In order to burn 3500 calories in 2 weeks, you can do (on average) 1,000 sit ups a day or walk or jog 2.5 miles a day. So it's best to grab your mesh training shorts and hit the road.


Burpees

Grab a towel for this one. You're gonna be sweating. Bodybuilding.com says Burpee Intervals are one of the best conditioning drills. These intervals consist of Burpees and shadow boxing. For example, you will perform...

• Burpees x 30 seconds (squat to leaping position, then push-up and repeat)
• Shadow box x 30 seconds
• Continue for 2 - 3 minutes

You will begin with 30 seconds of Burpees, and immediately follow with 30 seconds of shadow boxing. Continue this pattern for a full 2 or 3-minute round. You will then rest 1 minute (or 30 seconds) between each round. Shed the pounds like mad and tighten those muscles.

Happy 70th Birthday to Muhammad Ali

He's one of the greatest fighters to ever set foot inside a boxing ring. His personality and flamboyant outpourings defined a generation of sports.

Happy birthday to you, Muhammad Ali. You're an inspiration to fighters everywhere, and it's an honor to suit up in fight gear if not to be half the pugilist you became. We strive to be better, fight harder, work tougher and live longer because of you.

Best ab workouts for men - Starting off

Look, we all want a set of abs to brag about. Problem is, the six pack is probably buried under a keg unless you're an extreme training addict, MMA fighter or genetic freak.

So it's time to get off the couch and start a routine to swear by. It's 2012 kids, and we aren't getting any younger. You want extreme training? We'll give it to you.

Here are a few workouts to help sculpt those abs into something worthy of a magazine cover. You'll find getting ripped isn't as impossible as it looks.

Elbow planks

- A good warmup for beginner and intermediate ab workouts.

Assume a pushup position, but with your elbows bent and your weight resting on your forearms. Your body should form a straight line. Now brace your abs as if someone were about to punch you in the gut. Hold for 30 seconds. Rest 30 seconds, and repeat once.

  

Single leg side planks

- A good warmup for beginner and intermediate ab workouts. Lay on your side and extend your upper body with your forearm perpendicular to your body. Lift your leg and keep it there as long as you can. For an extra challenge, use ankle weights.

Hip lifts 

- Lay down on your back. Keep legs straight and don't let them rock back as your lift your hips. Keep palms on the ground facing up - don't use your hands to push up. Only use your hips for raising - it's tougher than it looks!

Meet the women of MMA | Fighting Femme Fatales

Somewhere between blood-stained MMA shorts and sweaty training gear is the "art" behind mixed martial arts.

For most folks, gaping gashes and splintering bones aren't the defining points of beauty. But if you look hard enough - even in MMA - you'll find a reason to stop and smell the roses.

Except in this case, these roses are Venus Fly Traps.

Some women break hearts. Women like Gina Carano (start of the upcoming movie "Haywire") or Kyra Gracie will break your freakin' arm. These aren't the girls mommy warned you about - they're the ones she'd never dare speak of out of pure, unwavering fear.

Female MMA competition is usually more prominent in Japan, but as the MMA circuit continues to explode stateside, more and more girls are trading their pom poms for padded gloves.

So here's to the women of MMA - may you fight like a girl and bleed like a Spartan.

MMA glossary | Know your fighting terms

At XT46, we have some ass-kicking MMA gear to make your long hours at the gym easier. But beyond the shorts and training shirts, you need to know what you're getting into before entering a steel cage.

So we're here to help with some MMA terms you might hear on a UFC broadcast.

XT46 MMA Training shorts

Arm Bar: A finishing hold where a competitor puts pressure on his/her opponent’s elbow joint by attempting to bend it the way it does not naturally bend. The competitor situates himself so that the opponent’s arm is between his knees, enabling him to use his hips to intensify the pressure.

Clinch: A position where competitors try to control each other’s bodies by wrapping their arms around one another, fighting for good arm and hip position, frequently as a precursor to a takedown attempt. The clinch looks a bit like hugging, but is not affectionate.

Dirty Boxing: A combination of wrestling and boxing techniques that enables a competitor to close the distance between himself and his opponent and execute punches and elbows from the clinch.

Guard: A grappling position where one player is on his back and has his legs around an opponent, who is either standing or kneeling. A competitor who is in someone’s guard may try to pass the guard and get to side control or the mount, both of which are more offensive positions, though the competitor may also try to land blows from the guard. A competitor who has someone in his guard wants to prevent his opponent from passing, and avoid getting punched or kicked.

Nate Diaz locks in a triangle choke

Mount: A ground position where a competitor is on top of his opponent with his legs around the opponent’s body. The opponent is on his back, and the competitor is facing him, driving his hips forward to maintain pressure. People who are competing may “take the mount” or may “be mounted.” This position is very advantageous for the person on top and very dangerous for the person on the bottom.

Triangle: A choke performed by a competitor wrapping his legs around the opponent’s head and one of his arms, bending one knee over the other ankle/shin. Named for the shape of the space between the legs, this choke can be executed from the guard or from the mount.