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 March 26, 2010 in
Fitness Tips 3 Comments »I haven’t verified this tip yet, but Charles Staley once said that you can lift more weight if you look at your dominant hand when benching. Although you are not supposed to turn your head at all.
Really, I have no idea if this works, but if you give it a try please let us know what happens. It doesn’t sound like anything I would ever tell anyone to do, but maybe it has a place in max effort training?
I remain skeptical.
Tags: bench press, benching, chest, powerlifting
Posted March 22, 2010 in
Fitness Tips 11 Comments »As most of you know, I am not a huge advocate of biceps training. I think the biceps get worked pretty hard in you train your back correctly using pull ups, chin ups, and various rows. See my post on the top 5 best back exercises.
In reality you probably only like 4-6 total sets of biceps training a week. That would be 2 sets for 2 or 3 exercises a week, spread out over the course of the week. Choose your biceps exercises based on my list of the top 5 best biceps exercises.
At least if you are going to train your bis, whether twice a week or with a dedicated arms day consisting of 8 biceps exercises, let me tell you how to get the most out of each rep.
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Tags: arms, biceps, bis, curling, curls, Weight Training, weightlifting
Posted March 19, 2010 in
Fitness Tips 4 Comments »Blow It Out, Suck It In
When doing crunches, sit ups, or any other abdominal work, you should always blow out forcefully at the top of the movement and suck your abs in for a full contraction.
In order to flex your abs and contract them fully, you need to blow all of the air out of your lungs and abdomen. When you do this your abs will experience maximal contraction and will actually work harder to perform the exercise.
Isometric Contractions
For a slimming isometric exercise simply stand up straight, tighten your abdominals, blow all of the air out of your lungs and abdomen, and hold the contraction for 30 seconds.
Do this for 5 minutes a day every day, and you will actually see results after a couple weeks.
Do this all day every day, and you will actually train your abs to stay tight and flat permanently.
Tags: abdominals, abs, six pack
Your core is extremely important – so important that the word “core” has become somewhat of a catch phrase in today’s fitness society. Core training is used nowadays as the focus of group exercise classes, 30 minute workout routines, and garners an entire niche in resistance training.
As a unit, the “core” refers to all of the muscles from your hips to your rib cage, front to back. The transverse abdominals, multifidus, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominus, and erector spinae (lower back). The latissimus dorsi, glutes, and trapezius are secondary core muscles.
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Posted March 16, 2010 in
HIRT Routines 3 Comments »This is a 40 minute abdominal circuit. I also refer to this type of workout as a HIRT routine.
Warm-Up
5 minutes of non-stop kickboxing combinations, jump rope, or calisthenics
Circuit 1
Try to perform this abdominal circuit at least four times in a 5 minute time period without resting between exercises or sets. You should attempt to complete the required reps for each set before moving onto the next exercise. When you finish the last exercise, start at the top again until your time is up.
Once the first 5-minute circuit is up, rest for 2 minutes, then repeat this circuit again.
Gauge your progress by counting the number of circuits you can complete in 5 minutes.
- Windshield wipers (or Russian twist holding a medicine ball if you can’t handle it) – 10 wipes or twists
- Sit-ups with medicine ball on chest – 20 sit ups
- Flutter kicks – 40 total kicks
Circuit 2
Try to perform this abdominal circuit at least four times in a 5 minute time period without resting between exercises or sets. You should attempt to complete the required reps for each set before moving onto the next exercise. When you finish the last exercise, start at the top again until your time is up.
Once the first 5 minute circuit is up, rest for 2 minutes, then repeat this circuit again.
Gauge your progress by counting the number of circuits you can complete in 5 minutes.
- Crunches with punches: throw a punch past your opposite knee with each crunch – 30 crunches
- The Captain’s Chair (vertical leg raise) – 10 leg raises
- Ab wheel roll outs to the left, straight, right, repeat – 15 roll outs (5 at each angle)
Cool Down
5 minutes of non-stop kickboxing combinations, jump rope, or calisthenics
Stretch for at least 5 minutes.
Tags: abdominals, abs, core, hirt, workout routine, Workout Routines
The best way I have found to stay motivated to train, is to keep track of my stats.
Here are some statistics you can use to measure your progress at the gym:
Tags: Diet, dieting, Fitness Tips, Motivation, Weight Training, weightlifting, Workout Logs
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 March 10, 2010 in
Fitness Tips 2 Comments »Double Your Calf Size with These Two Simple Tips
Calves tend to be a bodybuilding problem spot. Even Arnold used to worry about the size of his calves in relation to the rest of his body.
Here is a simple tip to double the size of your calves in no time:
Since your calves are made up of two muscle groups, you will need to train your calves in a standing and seated position. Most calf exercises can be tweaked to include straight-knee and bent-knee variations. Use them both.
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Tags: bodybuilding, calf training, calves, legs, weight lifting, Weight Training, weightlifting
By: Michael Lipowski
Think it takes five hours of weight training, and six hours of aerobics each week to look lean and muscular? Think starvation diets are the only way you’re going to burn body-fat? If that’s the case then you’re about to get a healthy dose of reality… and you’re gonna love it.
That is unless you’re completely turned off by the idea of discovering exactly what your individual requirements are for building muscle and burning body-fat and prefer to aimlessly follow what others do (who also are not training or eating according to individual needs) and continue to waste precious time in the gym.
If you’re one of those who simply loves to exercise regardless of whether you are making progress or not then much of what I’ll say is likely to fall on deaf ears. However, if you’re primary focus is on looking and feeling your best and you’re willing to take a different approach, maybe even workout less, if it means better results, then keep reading because this advice is intended just for you.
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Tags: body building, bodybuilding, pure physique, strength training
Posted March 8, 2010 in
Fitness Tips 3 Comments »How to Train with a Busted Arm or Leg
When you hurt one of your arms, you shouldn’t necessarily stop exercising the healthy arm.
A study at the University of Oklahoma suggests that when you train a single arm (or leg), the muscle nerve fibers in the opposite appendage are stimulated. This means you will still get the benefits of Central Nervous System (CNS) adaptations in an injured limb as long as you train the opposite healthy limb, over a short period of time.
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Tags: arms, injuries, injury, legs, Medical, Weight Training
For those of you who do not check the old routines regularly, please see the updated Men’s Full Body Training for Fat Loss and Women’s Full Body Training for Fat Loss, as I have added example HIIT routines to days 2, 4, and 6.
Thanks,
Steve
Tags: fat loss, lose fat, workout routine, Workout Routines
By: Trainer to the Stars Cornel Chin
If you’re one of many who work in an office and find yourself seated at a desk for prolonged periods of time, then you’re asking for trouble. The mass office working culture has led to more sedentary lifestyles.
Your body is designed for movement, so sitting for long hours at a time doesn’t do your body any favors. It’s therefore vital that you find ways to move around in order to keep the circulation in your body moving and to stave off unwanted fat or weight that may well be creeping up. Staying stationery for long periods can also lead to backache, stiffness and headaches.
If you don’t even get up and move around every so often you’ll gradually begin to feel uncomfortable, your energy level’s decline, and you’ll probably feel lethargic and possibly begin to lack concentration resulting in below par productivity.
Office exercises isn’t a total replacement of your regular exercise routine but it will help to keep you active, burn off the excesses of the day and hopefully give you the motivation to partake in regular exercise to keep your body trim and healthy.
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Tags: fitness, Guest Post, stretching, work
Posted March 4, 2010 in
Fitness Tips 5 Comments »Is there an exercise that you hate? For some people it’s squats, for some it’s deadlifts, and for others it could be something that most of us consider fun, like dips or the ab wheel.
An Entire Exercise Could Be Your Weak Spot
If you any any particular exercise because it is hard, awkward, or uncomfortable, then you have probably found your weak spot.
Depending on the exercise, the main muscle used and/or the ancillary muscles used, are probably weak points for you. There is likely a muscle imbalance, or at least a weak muscle that should be prioritized for a couple months.
The best exercise you can do to bring up your weak point, is the exercise that you hate.
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Tags: Medical, plateaus, Weight Training, weightlifting, workout
Posted March 3, 2010 in
Fitness Tips No Comments »Trying to build a rippling, powerful, V-shaped back?
Trying to max out rear-view sexiness for bikini season?
If you said “Yes!” then you should use these tips for isolating your back muscles when training with pull-ups, pull-downs, and rows.
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Tags: back, fitness, Fitness Tips, weight lifting, Weight Training, weightlifting, weights
Posted February 27, 2010 in
Diet,
Supplements 3 Comments »Get Acai in Egypt
Acai is one of the top 5 foods you can eat for good health and it speeds up fat loss too!
Acai berries help to speed up fat loss considerably when you follow a healthy exercise and diet plan. As a bonus, the high concentration of antioxidants in acai will keep you feeling healthy and looking young as you grow older!
Find out why antioxidants are so important to your health in the antioxidant bible.
I talk about acai all the time, so constantly I am asked the question:
“Do you know how I can get a free trial of acai pills sent to Egypt?”
Finally I can say to all the Project Swole visitors from Egypt:
“Get your risk-free* trial of acai berry supplements shipped to Egypt using this link:”
Get a free trial of Acai Berry shipped to Egypt today.
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Tags: acai, acai benefits, acai berries, acai berry, acai slim, antioxidants, extreme acai, herbal acai berry, Supplements
Posted February 26, 2010 in
Fitness Tips No Comments »So you want to be a dolphin. Or perhaps you want to be a competitive swimmer. Or maybe you just want to swim faster.
Unless you are really lucky (or would that be unlucky?) you probably weren’t born with webbed feet or toes, so you will have to look at other ways to increase your speed in the water.
The best way to increase your swimming speed, is to increase the flexibility of your ankles. Flexible ankles act like flippers, which will help to propel you through the water faster.
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Tags: Flexibility, flexibility training, swimming
Posted February 25, 2010 in
Fitness Tips No Comments »There is a ton of weightlifting equipment out there and the bench is one of the most important pieces.
As with all purchases, you should do your due diligence. Of course if you are ordering a weight bench or browsing the stores, you will want to do your initial research into product quality, customer reviews, and the amount of time the weight bench manufacturer has been in business.
After that, you should examine and try out each bench before you make your decision. Listed below are some common criteria for selecting a bench that will make you happy and keep you safe.
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Tags: bench press, benching, chest training, Exercise Equipment, workout
Posted February 24, 2010 in
Fitness Tips 14 Comments »Back in the day you might have been told to avoid situps because they can strain your lower back and neck. That could be true if you have bad form, but it is generally a myth to avoid doing situps in favor of crunches.
It is a myth perpetuated in the 1990s and early 2000s by foo foo personal trainers trying to convince middle-aged overweight Americans that they don’t have to do situps to get good abs, and in fact doing situps is ‘bad’.
Bollocks I say! We can file that one up there with high carb / low fat diets and curling in the squat rack.
To protect your neck, read the post on How to Reduce Neck Strain.
To protect your back, the answer is simple: keep your back as straight as possible throughout the movement, lay on a towel or mat to protect your tailbone, and avoid anchoring your feet as that can sometimes cause lower back strain.
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Tags: abdominals, abs, crunches, situps, training, Training Articles
Posted February 23, 2010 in
Fitness Tips 2 Comments »You want to save time building muscle and losing fat. You want to put in as little time as possible, using as few days out of the week as possible, and get the most bang for your buck. In that case you should exercise only when you can maximize your returns on time invested. Here’s how:
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Tags: build muscle, exercise, fat loss, fitness, gain muscle, lose fat, lose weight, weight loss
