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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.)