I’ve never done these, and I can imagine that they must be somewhat uncomfortable. Tom Venuto talked about these squats recently on his Body Building Secrets Blog. He also included some pretty cool videos of some guys lifting some pretty serious weights in this style. So if you’re looking for a way to add a little variety to the way you do squats, check out Zercher Squats!
How dedicated are you to losing weight, gaining muscle, or whatever goal you’re trying to achieve? Adam showed some real dedication by doing this. Now, is doing this type of thing something that everyone should do…well, I don’t know. I think that a lot of people could really benefit from making their goals a little more public. That way you know that people are going to wonder what you’re up to. It sort of puts you in a position where you have to succeed, or face the humiliation of not doing it.
So should everyone do it? I think that’s a question that everyone should ask themselves on a personal level. So instead, the question would be should you do it? Would it help you to reach your goals?
Here’s a link to Adam’s blog: RTP-Blog
Well, take it for what it’s worth, but my opinion is you should focus most of your time at the gym one the Big 3 Lifts. Just a reminder, the Big 3 are the Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press. These are the three best compound lifts that will help to build mass.
Another thing I’d like to mention is that if you’re in a situation where you have very little time to workout, and can only make it to the gym once a week, don’t waste the rest of the week. How long does it really take to drop to the floor and do some pushups or situps? You can find plenty of excuses not to get any exercise, or you could find plenty of ways to at least get a little bit of exercise.
You take your pick of what you want to do, but I think it comes down to self discipline and making yourself do some things that you don’t really want to do. If you have time to watch TV, you have time to do some pushups. If giving up TV is too hard for you, do some pushups during the commercials! If you really want to achieve lifetime fitness, you’re going to have to make some changes!
I know that many of you may not like this idea, but have you ever considered doing a little exercise right when you get up? Granted, some of you probably do this anyway, but I also know that a lot of us are more the afternoon and evening gym goers.
Also, I’m not talking about even going to the gym. What if you started your day of by doing some pushups and situps, ride a stationary bike, or maybe a little yoga. Nothing big, just a quick little 10 minute “warm-up” to your day.
Think about the benefits of starting your day out this way:
- It gets you out of bed!
- Gets you energized, heart pumping
- Helps you be more alert during the day
- Helps you to get a little exercise every day
This is not intended to replace your regular workout, you could still do that later in the day if you are an afternoon or evening gym goer. But talk about a great way to start off your day.
I would challenge you to give it a try for 7 days. Then see how you feel. This type of a morning routine can really help you to reach your lifetime fitness goals!
Let’s face it: life will happen. We all try to come up with what we think is the perfect plan or program that we will be able to stick to no matter what. The problem is that things will always come up because life is going to continue to happen regardless of what we plan for it.
So, I think its a good idea to have a “fitness recovery plan.” This would be a plan of what to do when things get off track; a plan that would help you to get back on the original plan that you had. Here are some general points for a good fitness recovery plan:
Give Yourself a Break
One of the most important parts of this fitness recovery plan is not feeling guilty for having slacked off. If all you do is mope around thinking about how bad you are for getting off track, you’re not going to get anywhere. Just realize that life happened, then start to take control again and move on. This is the quickest way to fitness recovery.
Modify Your Original Plan
It is also a good idea to develop a new version of your original plan as well. It could be that the plan you were on before needs some revisions before your mind will allow you to get back on the plan again.
Ease Back In
Also, you may have to ease your way into it. Consider it as a way of starting over. This also depends on how long you’ve been off, but don’t plan on just hitting everything full force again the first week. This is the same advice that you would probably give to someone just starting to exercise for the first time.
Don’t Look Back!
We will all have setbacks from time to time. But remember that there is always another chance to get back on track and reach your lifetime fitness goals. Don’t let the mistakes of the past hold you back from what you can still accomplish!
Well, the danger of having a group that you call your favorite is that it could lead you to a level of favoritism with that body part. The problem with this is that you are likely to get some unbalanced development. This is not just a bad idea, but can look outright funny!
For example, I remember back when I had first started lifting weights. There was a guy on the pec deck that had very developed pecs, but that was it! He must have spent all of his time doing chest work and nothing else because the rest of his body looked under-developed in comparison. Not just a little different, but obviously a lot of favoritism going on there.
So rather than playing favorites, make sure that you are developing your body in a balanced manner.
This last weekend I was reading in the book Scrawny to Brawny by Mike Mejia and John Berardi
Unfortunately this isn’t something that is commonly talked about in most of the magazines and articles out there. Nor do I have all of the answers either! But it’s worth taking a look into so that you can make sure that you’re not in risk of injuring yourself do to improper form for your body.
If you happen to be more on the tall and skinny side (ectomorph), I would highly recommend Scrawny to Brawny
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Off and on over the last few weeks we’ve been mentioning several ideas to get outside and get a workout rather than always being indoors. Today we’d like to approach that same topic again. This time we’d like to talk about going for a more leisurely bike ride on beach bikes.
Beach bikes are not meant for any type of a high intensity workout, but can be great for a day out with family and friends. This type of bike riding is probably best for long cardio workouts, not for short, HIIT type cardio workouts. These are simple bikes, usually only with one speed, but that also keeps the cost of them down as well. Even with one speed you can still get a good workout, and if you use them for what they were meant for (cruising on the beach) you can also get a really good view for your workout as well!
If this is something that you’re interested in getting involved in, check out XYZ Bikes. They have a nice selection of simple bikes that can help you get involved with beach cruising. These bikes are also fun for those of you that are into the more ‘retro’ style of bikes.
This may sound like a strange concept, but what if you could just head over to the playground and still get a really good workout? Most of us remember swinging from the monkey bars as kids, so why not use it for a good workout tool when you’re older!
This idea actually comes from John Berardi of Precision Nutrition. The story goes that one day he couldn’t get into his gym, but instead of just missing the workout he used some ingenuity and got a great workout over at the local playground. It worked out to be a good workout, so he actually recorded the same idea so that you can watch and learn the same techniques that he used for this workout.
Here’s the link to the videos (if you don’t have a membership to Precision Nutrition, you can either sign up for a full membership or a free subscription to see the videos): The Playground Workout
This idea goes along with our post a short while back about getting creative and getting some good out door workouts. Give it a try and get some variety!
Most guys want to build the 10th floor of the building before they have built the first floor. Regardless of your goals, this is your first step.
You have no freaking business using weights if you can’t stabilize, control and move your own body weight.
Yet so many people ignore this. Probably because it looks better to Lat Pull-down 150 pounds with a violent pull than struggle with 3 or 4 chin ups…
Unless your bodyweight is overly obese, then get use to bodyweight exercises. Don’t worry, the heavy weights will come soon!
Vince makes a really good point here. If you really want to get started in the gym, do it properly! Learn how to control your body first, then start to build your body. Here are some of the goals that he recommends you shoot for with body weight exercises (This doesn’t mean you have to be able to do these numbers before you start going to the gym, but you should at least be well on your way to hitting these numbers to see some good control and progress in the gym):
60+ Pushups
20+ Wide Grip Pullups
40+ Dips
20+ Chinups
Focusing on doing these reps in one set of bodyweight exercises will really help you to build a good foundation for your muscle building goals.
Here’s a link to the full article: The Basics of Muscle Building
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