Posts Tagged ‘training’

Do Cardio After Weight Training

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

Should Bodybuilders Do Cardio After Weight Training?

Cardio After Weight Lifting

Spend some time in a corporate gym and you will see hundreds of bodybuilders lifting moderately heavy weight for sets of 10-15 reps, then you’ll see them hop on a StairMaster or elliptical machine for about 20-30 minutes of moderate intensity endurance cardio. There are many reasons for this behavior, the most common being that weight training is just a hell of a lot more fun than cardio.

Apparently the weights-first-cardio-second protocol is considered the most effective way for bodybuilders to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. But is it?
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All Athletes Must Train to Failure

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

Should Bodybuilders Train to Failure?

“No pain, no gain!”

You hit the gym like a maniac. You want every rep to burn. Every set has to be a max rep attempt. Maybe you even enlist a spotter to help you eek out an extra rep or two. Is training to failure or past failure a good practice for bodybuilders?

The Myth

“The only rep that counts, is the one you can’t finish.”

To grow as a bodybuilder you need to push every set to failure. That’s how Arnold and all the great 70’s bodybuilders trained, right?

Some of the following techniques, called “Weider Training Principles” are used to take each set past failure:

  • forced reps
  • forced negatives
  • rest pause
  • partial reps
  • drop sets

This is how bodybuilders have trained for years and it’s how bodybuilders should train today. Is it right?
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The Chris Hemsworth Thor Workout

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Would you rather look like Brad Pitt in Fight Club or Chris Hemsworth in Thor? Fitness model or super hero?

Brad Pitt Fight Club
Brad Pitt in Fight Club
Chris Hemsworth Thor Muscle
Chris Hemsworth in Thor

The Fight Club fitness look comes from eating little food, doing lots of cardio, and lifting light weights for high reps. Is that really what you want? I’m going to guess that most Swole readers would prefer the Chris Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman look.

So how did Hemsworth transition from the fitness look to the super hero look? The simple answer is, lots of protein and heavy compound weight lifting. Just like Werewolf Muscle Training and Swole 3×5.

Let me tell you a little more about the Chris Hemsworth Thor workout.
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Staying Motivated to Lose Weight with P90X

Saturday, March 12th, 2011

Order P90XWith so many at-home cookie-cutter workout routines out there, I figured it would be a great idea to discuss one of the best: P90X. After all, P90X is pretty cheap compared to paying a gym membership and hiring a personal trainer.

Will P90X turn you into a bodybuilder, a powerlifter, an Olympic gymnast, a marathon runner, or a sport-specific athlete? Oh, hell no!

Could P90X possibly get you in the best shape of your life with a minimal initial investment? Could P90X strengthen your body, improve your cardiovascular fitness, help heal nagging injuries, and dial in your 6-pack abs for summer? Oh, hell yes!

Click here to check out all of the Project Swole P90X articles, tips, tricks, hints, and reviews.

How to Lose Weight with P90X

PX90 suggests that a ninety-day weight loss regime jumped into with both feet will start you on your weight loss journey. The program implies that shocking yourself with the first 30 days of their system will get your metabolism going, and because of the results you see, you will be gung-ho for the rest of their ninety-day program.

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What is the P90X Home Workout System?

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

Order P90XWith so many at-home cookie-cutter workout routines out there, I figured it would be a great idea to discuss one of the best: P90X. After all, P90X is pretty cheap compared to paying a gym membership and hiring a personal trainer.

Will P90X turn you into a bodybuilder, a powerlifter, an Olympic gymnast, a marathon runner, or a sport-specific athlete? Oh, hell no!

Could P90X possibly get you in the best shape of your life with a minimal initial investment? Could P90X strengthen your body, improve your cardiovascular fitness, help heal nagging injuries, and dial in your 6-pack abs for summer? Oh, hell yes!

Click here to check out all of the Project Swole P90X articles, tips, tricks, hints, and reviews.

What is P90X?

You may already of heard of P90X (other names: Power 90X, X90 Workout, and PX90) either by way of TV and radio commercials or word of mouth. And you may be intrigued by the numerous reports of success enjoyed by people who have shed unwanted pounds, and by the images of people who have used the P90X program to work their way to a toned and attractive physique.

The collection of articles I will be presenting delves into the potential of the P90X program and whatit has to offer you as an individual. I consider it my job to provide sufficient information in this series to answer any and all questions you might have about P90X.
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Intermittent Fasting: Workout Planning

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Intermittent Fasting Part 3 – Training to Burn Fat

And so, faithful readers, we have arrived at the final installment of our intermittent fasting series. In part 1 I gave you a brief overview as to what intermittent fasting is and what some of the benefits are. In part 2, I laid out the guiding blueprint to help you create your own nutrition plan, but today we’re gonna talk about how to create the sexy via resistance training.

Intermittent Fasting Results - Front Intermittent Fasting Results - Back
Here are the results of Roger’s recent bout with Intermittent Fasting – Nice work Rog!

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Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern Workout Secrets

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010

Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern Workout: The People’s Choice in Brightest Day

Ryan Reynolds Workout
Ryan Reynold Workout

Guest post by: Chris Cannon

Is there a hotter commodity in Hollywood today than Ryan Reynolds?

The Vancouver, Canada-born actor (b.1976) has built an impressive T.V. and movie portfolio over a two-decade career. Best known for his roles in romantic comedies (“Rom-Coms”) like “Just Friends” (2005), “Definitely Maybe” (2008), and the blockbuster “The Proposal” (2009), Reynolds has also quietly built an impressive action hero portfolio.

Many of us recall his portrayal of Hannibal King in “Blade: Trinity” (2004), where his chiseled “six-pack” physique was prominently featured. More recently, Ryan played the swordsman-mercenary Deadpool in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (2009) opposite Hugh Jackman, and is slated for the title role in Warner Bros. and DC Comics’ “Green Lantern“, due out in summer 2011.

Other personal accomplishments include being named People Magazine’s “Sexist Man Alive” for 2010, and the new face for Hugo Boss fragrances.

Ryan Reynolds also happens to be married to actor Scarlett Johansson, GQ’s 2010 “Babe of the Year”.

Some guys have all the luck…
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Top 5 Things Women do That Hinder Their Progress in the Gym

Friday, September 10th, 2010
Clint From Crude Fitness

Today’s guest post is by Clint Nielsen. He has 10 years of experience with fitness and nutrition. Clint runs a no-nonsense health and fitness blog over at Crude Fitness which is all about helping others achieve their fitness goals without the gimmicks currently being promoted in the fitness industry. Check it out.

Every time I set foot in the gym, I see people that haven’t the slightest clue as to why they are there, nor what they should be doing.

I often see them struggling with weights that are way too heavy or i find gym-goers that are training with the intensity of a sloth on Valium.

I’m not trying to be sexist here by any means, as these traits often apply to both genders.

Without further hesitation, here are the Top 5 things women do that hinder their progress in the gym:
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How to Increase Your Squat

Monday, August 9th, 2010

How to Increase Your Squat By 100 Pounds in 10 Weeks

Update: Here is an old post I found about increasing your squat strength. I’m not sure that anyone ever really gave me much positive feedback on it, so I’m posting it again in case anyone wants to take a stab at putting 100 pounds on their squat in 10 weeks.

Arnold Squats
Arnold Squats

The squat is arguably the best exercise that any athlete can perform. Overhead press, bench press, and deadlifts rank right up there too, but I digress… No one wants to have a weak squat. To be considered ‘really strong’ you should be able to squat 2x your bodyweight.

Back in college I was regularly squatting 450 or so at a fluctuating bodyweight of 190-210 lbs. I have no genetic gifts when it comes to muscle size and strength. If I can lift 450 anyone can, so man up and put in some effort.

The goals of this workout plan are:

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How to Strengthen Your Core

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Swole Fitness Tips

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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Werewolf Training 2: A Weightlifting Routine to Gain Strength

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

Werewolf Training
Werewolf Training

Gain Strength

Originally posted: 12/31/09
Updated: 1/20/10 (update rest time on HIRT circuits, added Excel spreadsheet workout logs)

This training routine is designed for you to gain strength. That’s it.

So you have already been through two or three Werewolf Training for Muscle Gain cycles. You gained 5-10 pounds of muscle in that time and you got a little stronger. You are psyched about your progress but you’re a little bored with the program.

It is time to change up your training a little bit, but you know you can’t jump right into a strict fat loss phase, or you risk losing most of your new muscle. What to do? What to do?

Use this menu to skip to:

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Conditioning Workouts Do Not Affect Strength Gains

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Need another reason to add either HIIT or HIRT into your workout routine?

A university study has concluded that a combination of cross training and strength training produces the same strength adaptations as strength training alone, while also eliciting the wonderful benefits of cardiovascular conditioning.

Conditioning
Conditioning

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Sandbag Training Video

Monday, December 15th, 2008

I recently discovered sandbag training. Similar to kettlebell training, Cross Fit training, and P90X training; this is a revolutionary form of training that should really be considered for functional workouts.

Now, you might laugh at me for calling any of those training methodologies ‘revolutionary’, but they are all training styles that fall outside of strict free weight training, cardio training, powerlifting, or any such well-defined training methodology fad. Of course, all of these idea have led to eye-opening, insightful ideas about training and conditioning.

So, let me introduce sandbag training. Allow me to entice you with this one video, and later I will write more about this methodology with some links to get sandbag training equipment. Anyway, check this out:

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Hey Pencil Legs! Turn Those Calves into Cows

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

Bodybuilder CalfCalves are a weak spot for most weightlifters and athletes. Your average male weightlifter doesn’t put the same effort into his legs as he does into his chest and biceps. Well I am here to tell you that it’s actually easy to develop some meaty ass calves as long as you’re doing your foundation exercises.

Calf Physiology

Bones and Joints

The lower leg is comprised of two long bones, the tibia and fibula. The tibia is the larger of the two and is located toward the middle of the lower leg. The fibula is the smaller bone and it is located on the outside of the lower leg.

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Body Types – Ectomorph | Mesomorph | Endomorph

Thursday, March 13th, 2008

You could be wasting your time with exercise and proper nutrition, if you don’t know how to train and eat based on your body type!

Everyone’s body is different, I am sure you will agree. All bodies look different, smell different, work different, move different, etc… Why would you train like someone who is genetically gifted to be a bodybuilder, if you are genetically gifted to be a Kenyan endurance runner? It doesn’t work. Let me explain how you can better target your daily routine to your body type.

What is a Body Type?

A body type describes how easily it is for you to gain and lose, fat and muscle. Some people are just predisposed to being large, like Ronnie Coleman for instance. While others tend to stay skinny no matter what they do. Let us get into the details. There are three kinds of body types; ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph.

Ectomorph Body Type

Ectomorph Body Type
Ectomorphs usually refer to themselves as hard-gainers, which means that in order for Ectomorphs to gain muscle, it takes significant hard work, dedication, and lots of food. These folks usually carry very low levels of bodyfat, tend to have smaller muscles, and often have a smaller skeletal structure.

Training for Ectomorphic Body Type

Ectomorphs should be lifting heavy weights. That’s all there is to it. These guys need to build a strong core, a strong foundation, upon which to build the physique they desire. Compound exercises with a rep range from 3-5 should be used to facilitate strength gains. After a stable base is built, Ectomorphs will want to incorporate hypertrophy training, which is about 8-10 reps of slightly more isolationist exercises, like seated dumbbell shoulder press, or dumbbell bench press, single arm triceps extensions, perhaps single-leg extensions, and maybe a few curls. Since maximal intensity is needed during sets, and since stored ATP should be replenished as much as possible, rest periods between exercises should last about 2 minutes.

Diet for Ectomorphic Body Type

You skinny bastards have metabolisms faster than a bullet. If you are not eating, you should be. When you’re not hungry, eat. If you just ate and you’re full, eat some more or drink some milk or a protein shake. Pick the high calorie, high protein, healthier foods, and constantly be eating. Foods that are highest in healthy fats should provide the biggest bang for the buck since the Omega 3’s and calories will go a long way to putting on some bulk. Try 95% fat free beef, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, and all-natural peanut better. Keep milk, yogurt, kidney beans, and fruit on hand for snacks. Protein bars are good too, if you can stomach them. I prefer Pure-Protein bars and Chef Jay’s Trioplex.

Mesomorph Body Type

Mesomorph Body Type
Mesomorph bodies are more inclined to gaining muscle mass quite easily. These folks are considered the ‘genetically gifted’ when it comes to bodybuilding. They are not necessarily easy gainers, but they are definitely not hardgainers either. Mesomorph body types are very athletic looking and are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. These are the guys that people refer to as jacked, ripped, and cut; and they usually walk with good posture. Mesomorphs can build muscle faster than Ectomorphs and can also lose fat much faster than Endomorphs, as long as they eat and train properly.

Training for the Mesomorphic Body Type

The best form of training for a Mesomorph would be heavy weight lifting utilizing maximal force. This would include the kind of explosive training found in powerlifting and Olympic lifting. Different exercises should be utilized in each and every training session targeting every muscle in the body with heavy weights to increase size and strength. Full body training probably works best for Mesomorphs since they can recover quickly and adapt to traditional training programs easily. Cardio should still be performed, but kept to a maximum of 2 sessions a week. This will keep the heart and lungs healthy, and the fat at bay, while not impeding muscle growth. 30-40 minutes for each cardio session is ideal. Intensity should be kept at a high intensity to focus more on the fat burning process rather than the chance of minimizing muscle mass. Interval sprints and other explosive exercises should be mandatory.

Diet for the Mesomorphic Body Type

For the mesomorph, a balanced diet should be maintained. A 30/30/40 balance of protein/fat/carbs should be utilized. This will give the trainee a full supply of nutrients and enough diverse calories to facilitate muscle growth and to maintain a lean physique.

Endomorph Body Type

Endomorph Body Type
“Hey fatty, having trouble getting lean?” You don’t want to say this to an endomorph because most likely he is stronger than you and will either crush you with his fist or sit on you. This body type is more likely to gain fat but is also more likely to be big, strong, and large boned. Endomorphs usually have a soft and squashy appearance, and they have much tougher time losing fat than the other two body types. The most can be made of this body type with a dedicated workout routine, and a dedicated nutrition plan. It is not that bad to be a big fat guy, as long as you know how to turn it into a jacked, ripped, son of a bitch through diet and exercise.

Training for the Endomorphic Body Type

Weight training should be kept to a higher rep range for most workouts. I recommend 1-2 complexes per week with several exercises strung together and little rest between sets. An example of a complex might be a deadlift into a hang clean into a push press into a back squat into a rear push press, and back to the floor. This will train for endurance, strength, and will keep the metabolism elevated. Endomorphs will still want to dedicate one day a week, one week a month, or two months a year, to serious strength training. The majority of the training though, should focus on the 8-12 rep range. Cardio is a big plus for endomorphs. 3-4 sessions of cardio per week is recommended, for 40-50 minutes at a time. At each cardio session, different types of cardio exercises should be utilized. Sprints, complexes, jumping rope, cycling, and kickboxing classes are all examples of decent cardio exercise.

Diet for the Endomorphic Body Type

It is best to eat about 7 or 8 small meals through the day. The key phrase here is SMALL MEALS. I am talking like 300-400 calorie meals. This type of eating increases your metabolism and your body burns additional calories when it is digesting food, so keeping your body in a constant state of digestion is a bonus. Concentrate more on protein and carbs, and keep fat to a bare minimum, especially saturated fats. Fats are the higher calorie nutrient and should be kept to only 20% of your overall diet.

Now that you know where you stand and have a better idea of how to train for your body type, I expect that you will examine your current diet and exercise plan. Make the changes that you need to make in order to maximize your efficiency, and get back in the gym! Be sure to contact me with any questions.

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