Articles on Conditioning, Weightlifting, Powerlifting, Strongman, Diet, Nutrition, Martial Arts :: Project Swole | Hooksett, NH

Increase the Number of Pull-Ups You Can Do By 50 Percent in One Day

Pull ups are hard, but they are one of the few true tests of strength. I say this because some powerlifters can bench 600 or squat 800, but they also weigh 300+ and can barely manage 5 pull ups. This is one of the few exercises where you can measure relative fitness by comparing the ratio of the number of pull ups completed to bodyweight. Some of you might get mad at me, talking about powerlifters training for strength rather than endurance, but the fact of the matter is that when I was powerlifting I could still do 15 pull ups at 195 lbs.

Now, let me take you back to high school gym class… the year was 1993, I was 15 years old. Mr. Buatti the gym teacher, who happens to bare a striking resemblance to Coach Buzzcut, called my name to stand up in front of the class and do an many pull ups as I can. The football jocks each knocked out from 10 to 20 and the wiry tough kid with only 3 fingers on one hand completed 14 of them. I got 3. It was humiliating.

Now we come back to the present. Recently I started doing pull ups again after a year layoff. On my first set, I got 5 reps. A week later I was up to 8 reps. Just yesterday I did a set of 11 reps. But I want more. I’ve done 18 pull ups before; I’ve also done 5 pull ups with a 45 lb plate hanging off a belt. So, how can I get back to that place? How can you get to that place?

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Tags: pull-ups, pyramid

Question of the Week: Which Presidential Candidate Needs More Focus in the Weight Room?

There are still 4 presidential candidates for 2009. Allow me to break down the candidates and explain to you why each one of them needs to get back in the weight room. At the end, I would like to introduce you to my surprise independent candidate; the only player you can really count on to save the day.

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• John McCain, who will probably keep us in Iraq for eternity, thus killing off thousands more Americans, burning many more billions of ‘government’ dollars, and sinking the economy into a deep recession by 2010. I mean, it doesn’t make him look good when everyone knows he would make American women suffer by staffing his offices with pro-life Nazis.

  Maybe he could improve his appearance and popularity by following a couple conditioning tips here on Project Swole. He’s getting older, and could probably firm up that face with a couple High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions each week. I would also recommend some resistance training with free weights twice per week to help increase bone density.

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Tags: Business, politics, president

11 Reasons to Supplement With Omega-3

What are Omega-3 Fatty Acids?

Essential Omega-3 fatty acids are alpha-linoleic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Both the Omega-3 ALA and Omega-6 linoleic acid are essential nutrients which must be obtained from food or supplements. The human body cannot synthesize Omega-3 fatty acids, but it can form 20 and 22 carbon, unsaturated Omega-3 fatty acids from the 18 carbon Omega-3 fatty acid ALA.

Synthesis of the longer Omega-3 fatty acids from linoleic acid within the body is competitively slowed by the Omega-6 analogues. This is why it is very easy to end up with a deficit of Omega-3 fatty acids if additional Omega-3s are not ingested through Omega-3 supplementation. Thus accumulation of long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids in tissues is more effective when they are obtained directly from supplements or when competing amounts of Omega-6 analogs do not greatly exceed the amounts of Omega-3.

1. improved cardiovascular system
2. improved circulatory system - mostly due to increased thinning of the blood and decreased cholesterol and triglycerides
3. reduction in stickiness of blood platelets - this helps prevent unnecessary blood clots, and trust me when I say this is a good thing. Coming from a man that has had blood clots twice, I am telling you, you do not want them!
4. relief from arthritis and chronic inflammation - supplementing with Omega-3 will help to decrease inflammation in irritated tissue, including muscles and joints
5. reduction of joint aches and pains - Omega-3 fatty acids help to lubricate your joins, making them function smoothly, with less pain and inflammation
6. healthy cholesterol levels - benefit by Omega-3 supplementation by enjoying a healthier ratio of LDL to HDL
7. healthy triglyceride levels - in a recent study, patients that supplemented with 2 g of Omega-3s per day, saw decreased triglycerides within the first 2 weeks of the study
8. normal heart rhythm - the theory is that Omega-3s decrease heart disease through blood thinning and moderation of the heart rhythm
9. healthy brain & memory function - this is especially important in infants and children. Your brain uses a vast array of nutrients to do what it does. Omega-3 fatty acids are vital to proper brain function and growth. Thus, before your next test, interview, or public speaking event, you should definitely supplement with additional Omega-3s.
10. healthy pregnancy - a mother’s health and optimal development of her child’s brain, nerves and eyes during pregnancy & breast feeding are facilitated by supplementing with Omega-3 fatty acids
11. healthy insulin levels - in a recent study, 3 weeks of Omega-3 supplementation at 1.1 g EPA and .7 g DHA/day, decreased insulin response to increased blood glucose by approximately 40%, with lower glucose oxidation and higher fat oxidation.

Which Omega-3 Supplement is Best?

As you would expect, I have a solution. One of the best Omega-3 supplements on the market is Iceland Health Maximum Strength Omega-3.

Unlike most other shoddy Omega-3 supplements, Iceland Health offers the following high production standards:

• Made to FDA production standards
• Made from fish caught in the cold, clear waters of Iceland
• Toxin-Free, not made with artificial ingredients and fillers
• Pharmaceutical grade ingredients
• No side effects like prescription drugs

Save Money With This Sweet Offer

Iceland Health currently offers your typical Buy 2, Get 1 Free offer, but now for a limited time they are doing something ridiculous. Right now, Iceland Health is promoting a Buy 3, Get 3 Free super savings discount. I personally don’t care if you buy 1, 2, 3, or 0; after all I am just the messenger. All I know is that I would jump on a chance to get this product at 50% off, in fact I am going to place my next order this week since my current supply is going to run out at the end of May.

Summary - Iceland Health Omega-3 Supplement

If you’re like most Americans, you’re only first hearing about Iceland Health Omega-3. Well, tens of thousands are seeing remarkable improvements to their health and longevity, as well as getting the immediate benefits of increased energy, better sleep and improved memory. Icelanders, who eat a diet rich in fish and fish oil, have the world’s longest life expectancy and best health. Their rate of heart disease, stroke, blood pressure, cholesterol, and joint problems are the lowest in the world. For years, researchers were stumped as to why fish bestowed so many benefits.

Recently it’s been determined that Omega-3 contains 2 remarkable nutrients: EPA and DHA. These nutrients both thin the blood and reduce inflammation in the joints and blood vessels thereby reducing the strain on our hearts, enhancing easy blood flow to the brain, and relieving aches and pains. Heart, brain and joints simply work better and more efficiently – and who wouldn’t want that?

Order Icelandic Health Click Here

Tags: fish oil, Healthy Lifestyle, Supplements

No Pain No Gain is Still Sometimes True

I totally live by the mantra, “No brain, no gain”, because, “No pain, no gain”, is essentially a counterproductive philosophy. It is one in which you could easily end up sick, injured, or worse. On recent occasion though, I have found it necessary to dig back into my, “No pain, no gain”, mindset in thai kickboxing class.

The reason I say this, is because there does indeed seem to be a problem with my lungs. I still think they might be damaged from some blood clots a couple years back. The thing is though, is if I push myself, how much bad can actually come of it?

My lungs could get stronger. They could be forced to repair damaged tissue. Maybe I really am just straight up out of shape. Well no matter, because when I feel like it’s time to throw in the towel and huddle in a corner gasping for breath, I just repeat to myself, “No pain, no gain”, because this is how I will make it through the workout… this is how I will force my body to adapt and get stronger.

Thai Kickboxing

In the last 4 days I have attended 2 kickboxing classes and I have completed 6 sets of 10 pull-ups. Today I am sore. Kickboxing seems to be getting better after my month layoff. I am feeling stronger and faster during each class. I do feel like my lungs are working better sometimes, but then other times I find myself gasping, taking 1/2 breaths. For now I’ll just keep pushing it.

Pull Ups

The 10 reps on pull-ups makes me feel OK. At least I’m not a complete sissy anymore. My general goal is to hit a set of pull-ups each morning and each evening, nearly every day of the week. On each set I will maintain strict form, and will always try to get one more rep than I did previously. Right now I’ve been stuck at 10 reps for a couple days, but I intend to hit an 11 rep set on Mother’s Day.

Soon it shall be time for me to start working towards my 10 week, 300 Workout Challenge goal. Once again, the 300 Workout isn’t something that we do every day. It is more of a training goal. You train your body for conditioning, endurance, and a small amount of strength, then at the end of your 10-12 week session, the 300 Workout is a test that you can use to gauge just how successful your training went.

That’s it for today… bring on Mother’s Day!

Tags: kickboxing, progress, pull-ups

Matt’s Meat - An Atkins Style High Protein Meal

At times there can be a benefit to scheduling some zero carb, high protein, high fat eating in your diet. You might consider going on a 3 week Atkins-style super-low carb diet to kick start a hardcore fat loss phase in your training. For this, you will need to eat lots of meat, cheese, and vegetables, and not much else. I have the perfect recipe for this; it’s called Matt’s Meat and I wish to share the story of Matt’s Meat with you.

Back in 2004 I was living in a house called “The Deuce” with 5 other guys. These were the college days, so I was pretty dedicated to training and nutrition. Aside from class and homework, I didn’t have much else to focus on. One day one of my roommates, we’ll call him Matt, tossed a bunch of meat and spices into a frying pan and cooked it up. We ate it with cheese and either blue cheese or ranch dressing and it was like a party in my mouth. The meal was henceforth dubbed “Matt’s Meat”, and today I would like to share the recipe with you.

The Recipe

• 1 pound of extra lean ground beef (or pork, turkey, chicken)
• two large green peppers
• a sprinkle of every non-salt based spice you can find in your cabinet
• 1/4 cup of your favorite hot sauce
• 1/4 cup of crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup of ketchup
• 2 tbsp of mustard
• a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese
• chunky blue cheese or ranch dressing

First thing’s first, dump the meat in a frying pan and cook it on medium until the fat starts to separate and boil around the meat. While you are waiting, cut the peppers into small squares. Once there is considerable fat in the pan, point you want to hold the pan at an angle, push all the meat to the top, and try to dump out as much of the fatty grease as possible. Now that the grease is gone you can add the peppers, spices, mustard, and hot sauce.

The final ingredient is optional if you are going for a die-hard zero carb meal, but it really makes the meat tasty. Sort of gives it a sloppy joe flavor. Anyway, add the ketchup and mix it up.

To serve, top 1/2 cup of meat with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese, heat for a couple seconds to melt the cheese, and finally top with 1-2 tbsp of chunky blue cheese dressing.

I have no idea how much fat and protein is in this meal, but I’m betting it’s high. This is a good meal for a strict low carb diet and will probably satiate your appetite for at least 4 hours due to the fat content. Just remember, do not add anything with carbs other than the peppers and ketchup or you will lose the whole purpose of the meal.

Tags: atkins, high-protein, low-carb

Quit Smoking! 64% of Deaths in Smokers are Attributable to Smoking

I have never smoked cigarettes. My dad smokes, many of my extended family members smoke or used to smoke, several of my friends in high school and college smoked, but I don’t. Given all the teenagers that pick up cigarettes to ‘fit in’ or ‘be cool’, I am just glad that I didn’t succumb to the peer pressure at a time in my life when I was probably one of the most unpopular kids in school.

Recently I read this study about smoking, which is really not all that different from most of the other studies. Essentially it can be summed up like this:

“If you smoke, you have a much greater chance of dying from smoking related diseases. If you quit today, you will be 50 percent better off in 5-10 years, and 100 percent better off in 20 years.”

That’s reason enough for me to tell you to quit smoking today.

The Study

Within five years of quitting smoking, major health benefits include a 13 percent reduction in the risk of death from heart and vascular problems. But quit today, because it can take decades to rid yourself of the increased risk of lung cancer and for your body to repair respiratory damage.

A study says that after 20 years, on average, the risk of death from smoking-related causes is the same for folks that quit smoking as it is for those who never started smoking. Within five to ten years of quitting we see an 18 percent reduction in the risk of death from respiratory problems; within twenty years the risk is similar to that of nonsmokers.

The study says good things about the risk of lung cancer, as there is a 21 percent reduction within five years, but it took 30 years to alleviate the excess risk caused by smoking in the first place. Thus I say again: quit smoking today!

Who Was Involved in This Study?

The health histories of a group of 121,000 American women were followed and recorded from 1976 to the present. Although this study involved only women, similar findings were recorded for men who also stopped smoking.

The most powerful message that I retained from this study is that 64 percent of deaths in people that currently smoke are directly linked to smoking, as are 28 percent of deaths in former smokers. In fact, quitting reduces additional risk of death for all major causes examined in the study. This is a significant statistic that makes me want to slap all those teenagers that even bother picking up a cigarette for the first time. If your kids smoke, help them quit!

Calling All Parents

Additionally, the study states that people who start smoking later in life do not incur as high a risk of death for the predominant causes, as someone who starts smoking early. The downside is that studies all across the board show us that kids are picking up cigarettes earlier than ever.

As a parent, I am calling you out. Be responsible, talk to your kids about smoking. Not just that, but talk to them about peer pressure, about feeling comfortable within their own skin. Kids need to know that they are great people, that they can accomplish anything in life if they just stay focused and put their minds to it. There is no need to poison their body with chemicals and toxins just to fit in. That is my rant for today.

If you follow the quit smoking links in this post, you will find a product called ZeroSmoke. This product is guaranteed to help you quit smoking in 30 days. Click on the link, read about the product, and purchase it if it sounds right for you. This is one of the best product on the market to help you quit smoking.

I will leave you with this: if you smoke, QUIT SMOKING TODAY; if you don’t smoke, don’t start.

Tags: health, smoking

Kickboxing and The 300 Workout

Yesterday I went to my thai kickboxing class where my lungs were served to me on a silver platter. After taking about a month off from kickboxing, I have lost most of my endurance. Not all that surprisingly, my lungs still don’t really seem to be working properly, as I am able to take only half breaths when my heart rate starts to rise. This is one of the reasons (aside from family and job issues) I started to slack at kickboxing for the last month. I attribute this to one of three things:

1. My lungs really are damaged from the incorrectly diagnosed blood clots (pulmonary embolisms) I had about 4 years ago. Thanks so much RIT Student Health center for diagnosing me with pneumonia for weeks on end resulting in me almost dying in my apartment, even after you had me get X-rays and an MRI. I wish I could sue them.
2. I have developed some sort of asthma perhaps?
3. I am in such horrific physical condition that my lung capacity has regressed to less than 2/3 of what it used to be.

The 300 Workout

My original blog about the 300 workout I will be starting is here: The 300 Workout for Total Body Conditioning. I have not really started this yet, but I am preparing myself.

This is the tree on which I have been practicing my pull-ups. A couple weeks ago I was only able to get about 5 pull ups in a row, something that I used to be able to do with a 45 lb plate hanging from my waist. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Anyway, I can see in this picture my lack of width and girth, and the decrease in the circumference of my arms. It will be good to get swole again.

This is the bench on which I will be doing step ups and any other exercises that might require a bench. Just to get back into the swing of pressing, I will probably bust out some high rep 45 lb Powerblock presses using this bench like I would an Olympic bench.

This is the park in which I will be doing any sort of running or carrying exercises. Any exercise that doesn’t involve a stationary tool of some sort will be done in the park.

PR of the Day

As of today, I am back up to 9 consecutive pull ups without cheating. My goal is to hit 20, something I’ve never done before, but if I practice this all summer and keep my weight down through conditioning drills, I should be able to attain this before next winter.

Tags: kickboxing, The 300 Workout

TopSitesFitness.com - A Networking and SEO Resource for Fitness Websites

Finally we have a popular top sites directory dedicated to the health and fitness industry. By filling this directory up with quality fitness blogs and fitness communities, we will drive up the page rank and site authority, thereby increasing traffic and other search engine optimization factors for our own sites. Call it a networking / SEO resource for fitness blogs and fitness communities.

In addition to helping us by listing our blogs and communities, TopSitesFitness.com will also blog about search engine optimization (SEO), website traffic utilization, analysis tools, monetization strategies, and so much more. Although TopSitesFitness.com is designed for the fitness community, the majority of the content will be geared towards improving your blog or community, and providing the most value to your visitors.

Visit TopSitesFitness.com today to complete the two step procedure to improving your traffic and your content.

Step 1: Join TopSitesFitness.com
Step 2: Login and publish the tracking code to your website

Join me today in creating a top SEO and networking resource for web publishers in our fitness community.

The 300 Workout for Total Body Conditioning

By now everyone has heard of the movie 300, and most strength and conditioning athletes know about The 300 Workout. This is how all those ripped actors in the movie got into such great shape. The 300 Workout is well known as a pretty hardcore conditioning program. Not everyone can complete this workout, and those that do have seriously trained for it before attempting the final challenge.

Most of the actors trained 5 days per week for 8-10 total weeks, while Gerard Butler (the star, King Leonidas) trained for 12 weeks. This is something that anyone reading Project Swole can accomplish, and this is definitely something I can accomplish in 10 weeks. Let’s take a look at the original workout:

The 300 Workout Challenge

• 25 pull-ups
• 50 deadlifts at 135 pounds
• 50 push-ups
• 50 box jumps with a 24-inch box
• 50 “floor wipers” (a core and shoulders exercise at 135 pounds)
• 50 “clean and press” at 36 pounds (a weight-lifting exercise)
• 25 more pull-ups — for a total of 300 reps
• 300 Total Reps

I have heard of versions of this program where you have to complete the desired number of reps by alternating exercises. For example, you might perform push ups as a superset to pull ups, performing 3 sets of 10 reps each to hit a goal of 30 before moving on to the next exercise. I will incorporate this strategy for my first two sets only.

Some 300 Workout routines consist of bodyweight only exercises, while others are apprised strictly of plyometrics. I have included some bodyweight exercise in my attack strategy, and hope to phase in some plyo movements as I get back into shape.

My 300 200 Workout Challenge

• 15 Pull Ups on a tree branch
• 25 Push Ups with push up handles
• 25 DB Deadlifts with 45 lbs on Powerblocks
• 25 1-arm clean and press 35 lbs on Powerblocks
• 25 18-inch bench jumps (box jumps)
• 25 Burpees
• 25 1-arm clean and press 35 lbs on Powerblock
• 20 Jumping jacks
• 15 Neutral grip chin ups on the tree
• 200 Total Reps

I have a stopwatch, which will be nice for measuring progress and setting goals. Some goals will be about adding a new exercise, some goals will be about completing more reps or more weight, while yet others will be about beating my previous time record. I also have to force myself to take pictures and measurements both before and after. All of which I suppose will be posted to this blog.

My weekly schedule will consist of The 300 Workout and Thai Kickboxing. The plan is to exercise 5 days a week. On the mornings when I do not have kickboxing the night before, I will complete a 300 Workout. Other mornings will be off. I must make up missed workouts on the weekends. Eventually I will be doing a true 300 rep workout. My 200 workout is just to help get back into shape again.

So, this is the plan and I am going to stick to it for 10 weeks. There is plenty of room for flexibility, so I should be able to get in at minimum, 4 workouts per week, but I will strive to hit 5. Before and after information will be posted. So who’s with me?

Caution

If you are not in shape, have a heart condition, or some other serious health ailment, please consult your physician before starting an intense exercise program. You should not attempt to complete the original 300 Challenge if you are not already somewhat in shape from conditioning and exercise.

Tags: 300 workout, Conditioning, Workout Routines

1 Rep Max Calculator for Weightlifting and Strength Training

There are many strength training programs that involve calculating your 1 rm or 1 repetition maximum. Some programs want you to use a % of your 1 rm, which is sometimes even harder to calculate. Most of us do not how how to figure out this number without performing the actual rep itself.

The problems with finding your 1 rep max by doing the actual reps:

• If you do too many warm up sets or too many attempts, your 1 rm will be lower due to fatigue.
• If you are having a bad day either in life or in the gym, your 1 rm will be lower due to stress.
• If you are using steroids or supplements, your 1 rm will be higher due to the supplementation.

What I have provided here for you today, is a simple 1 rm calculator. Simply plug in the weight you used and the number of reps you completed before failure, without assistance, and you will have an idea of what your 1 rm is.

The problems with the calculator:

• Everyone’s body is different. If you are built for endurance, the calculator result will be too high.
• If you are built for absolute strength and explosive power, the calculator result will be too low.
• You should use 3 different weights at 3 different rep ranges, and average those numbers to get a closer approximate result.

Like I said, these numbers could be off depending on the way you train and your genetics. They are probably accurate within 10-20 pounds on either side, but these are the numbers I would suggest using in a weight lifting program if you don’t already know your 1 rep max or any of the other percentages. Now go lift!