Archive for the ‘Conditioning’ Category
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
Yes it is true, I have joined my local Crossfit. They call themselves The Savage Society, and they are based out of Manchester, NH.
Why Join Crossfit?
Crossfit is a place we can go to use revolutionary exercise ideals to create an elite level of fitness. This is not so much about strength and size, as it is fitness, which is a goal that I think has been lost to the majority of gym goers nowadays.
Rather than paying $10 a month for access to treadmills, ellipticals, and some free weights, with virtually no help or planning unless you pay $100s for a trainer, Crossfit has a formula to help you attain your personal fitness goals with workouts of the day and special routines to help you. It takes some of the thinking out of designing the perfect routine.
This will definitely be a new, positive experience, and I will probably end up getting Crossfit certified myself some day.
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Tags: Conditioning, Crossfit, Workout Routines
Posted in Conditioning, Crossfit, HIIT Routines, Workout of the Day | 3 Comments »
Thursday, March 25th, 2010
How to Sprint Faster
Sprinting is the foundation of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), and will make your legs big, strong, fast, and powerful. Sprints are great for developing endurance, but also for developing lean muscle mass and speed strength.
Ever seen a skinny sprinter? I didn’t think so.
Sure, squats are the almighty kings of the Gym Exercise Kingdom; but sprints are like the kings of the Functional Exercise Kingdom whose jacked-up, super-lean army of massive wheels is constantly trying to overthrow the squat as the #1 top leg exercise.
You think you can sprint, but can you?
Here are 21 tips you can follow to improve your sprinting:
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Tags: Conditioning, hiit, run, running, Sports, sprint, sprinting
Posted in Conditioning, Exercise Technique, Fitness Tips, Sports | 13 Comments »
Friday, March 12th, 2010
Increasing Your Vertical Jumping Ability
A single vertical jump for maximum height is one of the most intense exercises you can do.
Why? Because it requires you to utilize your entire lower body chain in a maximal effort contraction, to produce a maximal amount of force in a split second.
The important aspects of training to work on, to increase your vertical leap include:
- Squatting strength – Maximal leg strength transfers directly to a vertical jump. A strong 1 rep max = a big jump.
- Squatting speed – The faster you can squat, the more power you can generate, the higher you can jump.
- Squatting power – Tied in directly with speed and strength, squat heavier and squat faster and you will jump higher.
- Acceleration - You want to continue accelerating out of the hole all the way through the top of your jump.
- Single leg strength – To eliminate strength imbalances and to improve neuromuscular coordination, train your legs individually.
- Calf strength – Your calves are used at the end of the jump, so max calf strength can mean an extra inch on your vert.
- Sprint speed – Sprinting trains the Type-II Fast Twitch muscle fibers, which are what you need to attain your highest jump. Acceleration applies here as well.
- Hip drive – Your hips are responsible for a significant portion of jumping power from a parallel squat position to standing.
- Glute activation – Your glutes are responsible for driving you out of the hole at the bottom of a squat or jump.
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Tags: glutes, hips, jump squat, jumping, jumping rope, jumps, leaping, leg training, legs, plyometrics, squats, squatting, vertical
Posted in Conditioning, Fitness Tips, Weight Training, Workout Routines | 4 Comments »
Friday, February 12th, 2010
At a body weight of 180 lbs, Willie Albert of Iron Will Strength and Fitness in Ottawa Ontario Canada performs 10 total rounds of barbell back squat with 445 lbs, standing military press with 135 lbs, and barbell deadlift with 425 lbs. He was attempting to complete this circuit for time and finished in 4:35.
For all you math geniuses, that would be a total of 10500 lbs of work in less than 5 minutes. He’s not lifting elite powerlifting numbers, but to complete 10 rounds of this in 4 and a half minutes is impressive to me. I bet if he were going for a 1 rm, he’d be squatting and pulling in the 600s, and would be shoulder pressing 200+.
Keep reading to view his video…
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Tags: Conditioning, Crossfit, hirt, Weight Training, weightlifting
Posted in Conditioning, HIRT Routines, Weight Training | 5 Comments »
Monday, February 8th, 2010
So apparently Bob Greene is Oprah’s personal trainer. He is credited with giving Oprah an exercise and nutrition plan that has actually helped her maintain a healthy weight.
** Comment on this post to qualify to win a free copy of this DVD. **
Obviously you must know by now that Oprah started off huge, lost a ton of weight, ballooned back up again, lost it again, gained it all back, etc… But from what I understand, thanks to Bob Greene’s workout plan and nutrition tips, she is finally maintaining a healthy weight.
Free Product Alert!
Allow me to announce Project Swole’s most recent free giveaway: Bob Greene’s Total Body Makeover DVD.
I haven’t watch this, nor will I, but I can tell you what it says on the DVD package.
- An 8-Week Program for Maximum Results in Minimum Time
- 8 Express Workouts on 1 DVD – Customized for Every Level
- Nutrition and Diet Advice
- Motivational Tools
- Bonus: A 24 Page Makeover Plan
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Tags: bob greene, dvd, fat loss, giveaway, lose fat, lose weight, oprah, Product Reviews, weight loss
Posted in Conditioning, Workout Routines | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Originally posted: 1/27/10
Updates:
2/1/10 updated routine, added Excel spreadsheet workout logs)
3/8/10 added example HIIT routines for days 2, 4, and 6.
Many of you are asking for a full body workout routine to burn fat, so here you go.
I have even customized the program for both men and women.
You can skip the details and go straight to the routines if you wish:
The Program
We are integrating 3 full body training sessions with 3 HIIT routines and taking the 7th day off. Since the goal is fat loss, we are striving to add some muscle mass, maintain strength, and burn as many calories as possible.
This is accomplished by staying in a slightly higher rep range than we would normally use for strictly strength training, while using super-sets for most of our exercises. We add an optional set to the end of each workout in case you are able to finish the workout early.
Major compound exercises are rotated to prioritize a different muscle group on each of the 3 training sessions each week.
(more…)
Tags: Conditioning, fat loss, full body, hiit, lose fat, lose weight, weight loss, Weight Training, weightlifting, workout routine, Workout Routines
Posted in Conditioning, HIIT Routines, Weight Training, Workout Routines | 234 Comments »
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Originally posted: 1/26/10
Updates:
2/1/10 updated routine, added Excel spreadsheet workout logs)
3/8/10 added example HIIT routines for days 2, 4, and 6.
Many of you are asking for a full body workout routine to burn fat, so here you go.
I have even customized the program for both men and women.
You can skip the details and go straight to the routines if you wish:
The Program
We are integrating 3 full body training sessions with 3 HIIT routines and taking the 7th day off. Since the goal is fat loss, we are striving to add some muscle mass, maintain strength, and burn as many calories as possible.
This is accomplished by staying in a slightly higher rep range than we would normally use for strictly strength training, while using super-sets for most of our exercises. We add an optional set to the end of each workout in case you are able to finish the workout early.
Major compound exercises are rotated to prioritize a different muscle group on each of the 3 training sessions each week.
(more…)
Tags: Conditioning, fat loss, full body, hiit, lose fat, lose weight, weight loss, Weight Training, weightlifting, workout routine, Workout Routines
Posted in Conditioning, HIIT Routines, Weight Training, Workout Routines | 37 Comments »
Monday, December 28th, 2009
Circuit Training for Fat Loss
Chohwora Udu & Jim McHale are the Authors of Hardcore Circuit Training for Men, which will be available at SportsWorkout.com and bookstores nationwide on January 1st.
Special Project Swole discount:
Use coupon code HCCT to get 15% off the cover price!
Click here to order.
I will actually be reviewing this book in a couple days. It seems pretty good so far.
Lose that Holiday Weight Gain, the Circuit Training Way!
By: Chohwora Udu & Jim McHale
Overindulging during the Holiday season is all too easy, we know from experience! Even the best intentions can get forgotten amongst all the different parties and generous portions.
So what happens in January when you want to shed those extra pounds? Back to the same old gym routine? Why not start the New Year with a new training philosophy – high intensity circuit training.
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Tags: circuit training, Conditioning, Guest Post, hirt
Posted in Conditioning, Guest Post | 6 Comments »
Friday, December 11th, 2009
What is High Intensity Resistance Training (HIRT)?
Originally written: November 20, 2009
Updated: December 11, 2009
Click Here to Browse the Table of Contents for This Post
High Intensity Resistance Training (HIRT) is essentially resistance training for fat loss, and like HIIT, it really is a big deal. HIRT training is the most effective way to increase your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), increase your Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), and burn calories at the same time.
When using HIRT you will execute several exercises together (sometimes called a super-set or giant-set), for a certain number of reps per set, for a certain number of minutes, without rest.
Along with HIIT, HIRT is a useful tool when avoiding endurance cardio while trying to lose fat, and it actually increases muscle mass more effectively than HIIT.
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Tags: cardio, cardiovascular, Conditioning, hirt, weight, Weight Training, weightlifting
Posted in Conditioning, Workout Routines | 60 Comments »
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
Update 1/5/2010
This contest is now over, and as a result of a random drawing, the winner is…
Todd!
Congratulations Todd, I will be in touch to ask you where I should ship your Powerhouse Hit The Deck.
Original Post:
Do you want to win a fitness game?
Apparently you just set a timer, draw a card, and do whatever exercise is on the card until the timer goes off. Then draw another card and do it again.
I’ve never used this, but if you want to win one for free, just leave a comment at the bottom of this post. I will choose a winner at random on Monday December, 14 2009. I will just need an email address, which won’t be posted, to contact you if you win, at which time I’ll need a name and shipping address.
Get more information about Powerhouse Hit The Deck here: Powerhouse Performance Coaching
(more…)
Tags: fitness, game, giveaway, powerhouse
Posted in Conditioning | 19 Comments »
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