Busy...

5 Exercises to Give You The "Power" Look and Get You Movin' Like An Athlete

I remember when I first started lifting weights and "working out."  I was confused as hell.  I didn't know how to do it, but I remember watching Rocky and The Terminator thinking 'Jeez, these guys look like tanks!  I want to look like that."

They looked like super-heroes (albeit with some meat on their legs).  It didn't matter which angle you saw them from- the front, the back, the side- they looked thick and indestructible.  They had squared shoulders, were up to their ears in traps (literally), and thick back musculature.  I wanted that.

Over the course of the years I toyed around with dozens, if not hundreds, of programs guaranteed to make you look like 'so-and-so'.   Some insisted that full-body routines were the best bet.  Others said that hitting your muscles from every imaginable angle was the best way.  Hell, I even tried the super-slow training; you know, where each rep takes like 3 weeks to complete.

Well, some worked better than others, but it wasn't until I started incorporating these 5 movements into my training that I really started to see the results I was after.

Quick tangent: I hear it all the time.  "Get strong as hell on the bench press, squat, and deadlift and eat a lot."  Ok, I agree to an extent.  Yes, you absolutely need to get stronger on the three basic movements and their variations.  No way around it, Bub!  BUT, strange as it sounds, not everyone is built the same.  Some people need to incorporate variations of basic movements to continue to see progress.  With that said, I am not saying that people should stop benching, squatting, and deadlifting.  I'm saying that, in addition, you should incorporate some variations of the basic, compound lifts to really take your physique to the next level End tangent.

These 5 exercises will not only make you look like a beast, but you'll be more athletic, you'll lose fat, and you'll be building some... wait for it... functional muscle!  Without further adeu:

1. Hang Clean /Hang Snatch -  Ok, I know that not many people think to use the Olympic lifts for building mass, but you know what?  There's something to be said for moving a relatively heavy weight as fast as you can and having to stabilize it over your head.  Give these a consistent shot for 6 weeks or longer.  Trust me, the next day you'll be brutally sore in your traps, upper back, possibly lateral/rear delts, hamstrings, glutes, and jaw (to avoid this last one, make sure to move yo' head out of the way upon the initial lift).  Don't worry if you can't lift much weight on this one.  It's a highly technical lift that takes years of coaching to perfect.  We're using it for the sole purpose of building some muscle and training our bodies to move a weight quickly. 

 

2. Tire Flips-  I have never been as sore as I was the day after my first time flipping a heavy tire.  Hole.  Lee.  Crap.  You'll be sore in your forearms.  You'll be sore in your back.  You'll be sore in your calves. You'll be sore just about everywhere.  This full-body power move is not only sport-specific, but unless you're trying to move it fast, it aint goin' nowhere, boy.  It stands to reason that the more muscle involved in an exercise, the better the anabolic stimulus, and thus the better return for your energy-investment.  You'll be shrugging and pulling and squatting and pushing and fighting with this hunk-o-rubber and trust me, it'll beef you up...fast!

3. Push Presses- Having big shoulders looks pretty cool, huh? If you're the guy in the gym who builds his shoulders using lateral raises but is about as wide as a Bic pen, then give these a shot. Added bonus: your bench press will improve because your shoulders, an assistance muscle used in the bench press, will become stronger, thus allowing you to press 

more weight! No brainer.

4. 1-Arm Dumbbell or Corner Row- We've hit the traps and delts, now let's handle our upper back. I don't care what you say, a big back looks badass. Not only does it look cool, but it'll help you curl more, bench more, squat more, alleviate shoulder pain, etc. No, form doesn't need to be super strict here, but we do want to use as much of a rowing motion as possible. Pack on some weight and you'll pack on some mass. I've gone as high as 180 for 13 reps. The guy in the video, Matt Kroc has gone as high as 300 for 10!

5. Sled Rows- These have slowly become one of my favorite exercises for building upper back/trap/lat mass. Get your back into a stretched position and then extend your hips and pull as hard and as fast as youcan. Really squeeze the hell out of your shoulder blades. Now, why is this such a cool exercise? You can do it practically everyday with minimal soreness. Why? There is no eccentric, or lowering, portion of the exercise. High-frequency back training == one big back.

Wrap up:

There you go. Five new exercises to add to your toolbox. Try out 

different set/rep schemes, set up "challenges", try different grips,

whatever. Get creative with your training and you'll never get bored

or stop progressing ever again. Sure, you'll hit bumps in the road here

and there, but if you've got variations upon variations of exercises you

should be set for a pretty long time!

Grow stronger,

Tony

Ordinary people. Extraordinary attitude. BeASTs

Back in the saddle...

So it's been a rough few days, which explains my lack of posting.  Let me preface by saying that I got my appendix removed in December of 2008, or so I thought.  Over the past few weeks I'd been having some pretty intense pain on the lower right sight of my abdomen.  Last week, though, it got unbearable to the point of having to head into the hospital to get checked out.

Now, I had all of the symptoms of an appendicitis, but dammit, "I already got my appendix removed, so it's got to be something else, right?!"

WRONG!

The idiot surgeon left part of my appendix in during the first surgery.  Over the course of the last 13 months I developed an abcess, or an open wound inside my abdomen.  The infection apparently became very severe and bordered on life-threatening (if that fucker'd ever bursted, I'd be in a ton of trouble!).

Anyway, long story short, I had to get my appendix RE-removed, which sucks, and regardless of what anyone tells you, having your abs cut open hurts like crazy.  You really notice your "core" working when it's in pain!

So today I've been reading and came across a great article that I'll share with you HERE!

There's a ton of interesting stuff within the article, but my favorite part talks about how people are "too busy to train."

Unfortunately, most people view training as a liability, rather than as an investment in their health.

Go figure.

Anyway, that's all I've got for you today.  Needless to say, my training is going to change a bit over the coming weeks.  I'll keep it all updated here for anyone who cares.

Stay healthy and keep training hard!

Biceps, Pressing, and Squats... Peace to yo' mutha'

Pressing and Upper Body Work from several max, dynamic, instructional days

Squats and lower body work from several max, dynamic, and instructional days

I hope you like pain!

My training, as of late, has been heavily inspired by what you are about to see:

Eat More Food, Store Less Fat?

Hey Guys and Gals!

I recently conducted an interview with intermittent fasting and fat loss nutrition consultant Martin Berkhan, which'll be available to all of you shortly.  Really, you aren't going to want to miss this one.

Your head will spin when you read about his approach to nutrition- don't eat breakfast, eat a lot later in the day, yes you can include cheesecake, yes you'll lose a ton of fat!

Wait, what?

"I though breakfast was the most important meal of the day...?  I can eat cheesecake and not end up looking like a manatee?  Get out!"

Well, I'm no doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, and I can tell you that I'm getting less and less convinced that our nutrition "guru's" and "experts" know what the hell they're talking about.

Tangent:

Perhaps I'm being too cynical, but not only am I thinkin' Arby's, but I'm thinking that you're going to have a hard time convincing me that eating a processed "whole-wheat" cracker is healthier than eating a natural, wholesome egg or some meat.  As people start gaining more weight dietitians recommend MORE carbs (grains, cereals, and breads) and LESS protein (lean meat, chicken, turkey, eggs, milk) and you know what?  As a society, we've never been more unhealthy or out of shape.

Then again, I am on the Special K diet, use the "Shake Weight" as my sole form of exercise, and rock my totally cool Sketchers shoes.

Ya, great advice- "Don't workout!  Just buy these shoes!"

I digress.

So, keep your eyes, and mind, open for my interview with Martin over the next day or so, but in the meantime, head over to his website and browse some of his articles, including his most recent one, "The Marshmallow Test ".

You'll really start to question everything you thought you knew about how to eat to optimally lose fat!  And before you get too heated and think this guys off his rocker, read "A Letter from YOUR Belly Fat!".

If that post applies to you then maybe having an open mind and trying a different approach is what'll really help you make some progress!  Hell, invest in a month of Martins services; it's very reasonably priced, and what've you got to lose?  (well, aside from Mr. Belly Fat.  You know, the guy/gal hangin' over your belt buckle.)

A Letter From Your Belly Fat

by Craig Ballantyne

How's it goin'!?

This is a letter from your ol' pal, Belly Fat. We had a great run this winter, didn't we?  Lots of good times, great food, and plain ol' sitting around eating too much.

Well, I'm thinking about sticking around another year if you don't mind. But you might need to get a bigger pair of pants, as I was thinking about expanding my place down here.

So do me a favor, avoid that boot camp you were thinking of doing. The last time you did that stuff, I nearly had to look for a new place to live. I felt like the Wicked Witch of the West in the land of Oz.

Did you hear me yelling, "Help me, I'm melting!"?

Instead, stick to that slow cardio stuff. Sure I get a little sweaty, and the ol' brain up there thinks it's doing "a real fat 
burning workout", but it's never enough to melt me outta here.

Another thing, keep listening to those experts who say strength training doesn't burn body fat. Since research shows they're wrong, if you added strength training to your program, you'd practically need to throw me a going away party!

After each one of those superset workouts you tried last January it felt like someone lit a match under our collective butt. I was burning up down here!

But boy oh boy, I sure was glad you gave that up and went back to just lifting utensils and not dumbells. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to celebrate another summer together this year.

Sometimes I wonder, ‘what did you ever do in college without me, your trusted belly fat?’ Back then you were probably one of those people that couldn't wait to get to the beach to show off your body, unlike these days.

Nope, stay in the shade and keep the cover-up clothes on, that's the way to go now. Besides, it’s a lot closer to the cold beer and the BBQ when you're sitting in the shade avoiding all the fun down on the beach.

Well, it sure was good catching up with you. I'm sure we'll be in touch more often, as long as you stay away from that interval traininig.

Brings a tear to my eye whenever I even think about that workout program and all of the belly fat it's burned. Heck, it's fried more fat than a short order cook at a roadside truck-stop.

So again, if you want to keep your dear old belly around for another year and another summer, do NOT use interval training - otherwise, its all over pal, and you'll never see me again.

Belly Fat says, "Don't use this.  Don't Click Down There!!!  Don't even think about it, bub!"

==> 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp! 

Your friend and spare tire,

Belly Fat

PS - Seriously!

Don't go near that interval training  unless you want to see me, Thunder Thighs, Manboobs, Jigg Lee Arm Fat, and Luv Handles pack our bags and hit the highway. 
  
It will be a sad farewell, and you'd be stuck with ripped abs, gorgeous glutes, and toned arms, and you know how much attention those guys get from the opposite sex.  None.  Nada.  Zip!  Who needs it, I say.

PPS - Don't do what this guy and gal did.

Ed Mariscal 

Amanda Perez 

Marc Jimenez 

Where do you stand?

We use this workout as a 'benchmark'. Obviously, if your completion time improves then you're getting leaner, healthier, stronger, and more fit! There are a number of 'benchmarks' we use, but feel free to give this one a shot. The workout can require little to no equipment, which means that it's about as versatile a fat-loss workout as you'll get.

Basic But Brutal Benchmark (B4) 

100 Mountain Climbers w/each leg

50 Burpees

100 Sledge Hammer Swings*

 *substitute with squats or leg lifts

Rules: 

1. finish as quickly as possible

2. do not move on to the next exercise until you've completed all the reps for the previous one

3. jog 200m, do 50 jumping jacks, or jump rope for 45 seconds

Gettin after it...

 Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp

AST: Strength Camp

Got a couple of killer interview coming up in the next week or so.

I'll be interviewing Martin Berkhan, who specializes in intermittent fasting, a nutritional strategy that is stripping fat off of his clients like you wouldn't believe.  I'll be asking Martin to spill the beans on his approach to nutrition and how he maintains a shredded physique year-round while eating foods like cheesecake! Check out his website at Lean Gains ! (you'll see a picture of his cheesecake adventure on his website)

Next Tuesday night I'll be interview professional Strongman and Strength Camp gym-owner Elliott Hulse.  This guy is known, not only for lifting some monster weight and changing peoples physiques, but he has some of the most inspirational rants on YouTube.  Remember the "you've got to get really comfortable getting uncomfortable" thing?  That was Elliott.  We'll be talking about his new program, Lean Hybrid Muscle Building.  Find out more about Elliott at Elliott Hulses's Strength Camp!

Until then,

Train harder, get leaner, grow stronger!

Tony

Workout of the Day

Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp (partners)

a1. Tire Flips x 5

a2. Jumping Jacks (AMAP while partner flips the tire)

Complete 5 rounds

b1. Car Push x 30yds

b2. Kettlebell Swings x 20

b3. Leg Lift s x 15

Complete 3 Rounds

ASC 

a. Squat to day's 5RM

b1. Car Push x 30yds

b2. Reverse Hyper x 15-20

c. Bodyweight Heels Elevated Squats x 100

Workout of the Day

Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp

Burpees

Squats

Ninja Pushups

Perform as many reps of each as possible in 30 minutes.  Jog between sets.  Post your score in the comment section to see how you fare!

Authentic Strength Camp

Incline Press to 5RM

-2x max reps with 85% daily max
a1. Chinups to 5RM

a2. Face Pull x 12-15

b1. Barbell Curl work to 6

b2. Lying Tri-Ext. work to 6-10

Log your workout in the comment section!  Keep yourself accountable!

Some Simple, Effective Squatting Tips

The squat is one of the most basic, most effective exercises for improving your body.  Unfortunately, some "experts" have said that the squat is hazardous to the knees.  Well, if performed incorrectly, yes.  Yes they're bad for your knees.  That is why it's absolutely necessary to teach proper movement.  Keep in mind, the squat is one of the first movements we ever do.  

Somebody better tell this kid that he's hurting his knees..

Whether you're a member of our Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camps, our 
Authentic Strength Camps, or just train on your own you should 
know how to squat!  Period.  Here's how we teach proper squatting 
form to our clients.