The arch...

So there was the guy working out today and I saw my (2nd) pet peeve hard at work. This guy was hammering away at his biceps (no pun intended) and he was actually taking more away from his biceps then he was adding to them. What I am getting at is the guy was curling the dumbbell and arching his back. I can't stress enough how bad this really is for the work out. Now many people will say that it is okay to cheat by arching your back. Sure every now and then it is okay but for the most part it is not recommended by me for any one to do it. The biggest problem here is that when you arch your back you are not only risking a back injury but you are also taking away from the stress you are supposed to be placing on your arms. In addition to the back injury, less stress on the bicep, you are working your deltoids more than anything. I know it is hard to imagine this with out images I know but please try.

The bicep curl:

1. Start by placing your feet firmly on the ground about shoulder width apart
2. With a straight tight core (mid section/abs) curl your arm(s) palms facing up toward your face
3. Squeezing your biceps tight at the peak of the movement and then lower your arms back to the starting position.
4. If you feel yourself coming to your sticking point, Bend forward slightly. This decreases your range of motion (ROM) and makes the last few reps easier.
   

Getting Big Guns!

Okay there are many people out there who want huge arms but not a big chest or set of legs to go with them. To me that is like having a pistol that shoots blanks. There is really no point to having a gun that does not fire a real bullet. As well it is silly to get big arms and not focus on the rest of your body. Think about it, you are flexing some major biceps and look like you could bench about 25olbs as a warm up but your one rep max is about 130lbs. Do you see what I mean?

I am all for getting results so lets move past my tangent. You want big arms? Put the dumbbells down. No seriously drop them right this instant (seriously). Now this raises a big question why drop the weights if I want to make them bigger? Simple we are going to use our bodies. Huh? I mean use your body weight. The chin up! It is an amazing work out that hits your arms and back. We can't lose. If you weigh 160lbs and can complete 5 sets of 5 chin ups (complete no cheating) you are lifting a lot more than you are at 30lbs per dumbbell. And trust me, you will see faster results because a lot of us don't do the chin ups so when you shock your muscles with this routine the body will recruit more energy and rebuild your muscles much faster. Then you can incorporate routines that have chin ups one day then later in that week do some dumbbell curls or hammer curls.

Now lets say you try some chin ups but only crank out 1 or 2. It is okay to take your time. If you rush for results you're more likely to injure yourself. So to start slow keep it simple if you can only do one or two reps keep doing that until you can complete a full set of five. When you get to a full set work on adding one or two more after the set of 5 until you hit 3 sets of 5. A way you get there faster is to do underhand grip pull downs on the lat machine. This is a good way to get your body use to the idea of this routine if you feel like start out with chins might be too much. More to come on this later.

A Joke

Okay, I was on a site, to remain nameless and saw a link to this site that talked about supplements. So I followed it, and read what it had to say. Well anyone who has common sense would know what the site had to say was true about supplements. But here is what is even funnier about the site, not only did it tell you how much money you can save on making your own supplements but you could get it for a nominal fee per month or a one time charge the choice is yours.

So why bring this up? This is a hack, nothing more than another person trying to scam an innocent consumer. Not to say that the idea is not honorable in itself but why charge! Share for free. Does no one get it. If you can provide a service for free more people are going to talk about it and do it. It is not about he dollar it is about the lifestyle. Helping people meet their goals is what should matter most. Many supplement companies will say they care but seldom actual do and very few sell a product that does what it promises. Stick to protein and creatine. Both are natural and found in many supermarkets. When you need to lose weight do more aerobic exercises take in more protein and hydrate! If you are adding mass, take in more protein, carbs and calories and hydrate!

Top performance

The best way to improve your gains is to lift with top performance. A lot of people think they are lifting the right way. Well in fact a lot of us do, but there are also a lot of us that don't. How do I know if I am lifting right or not? Simple... I would look at two things. When you are lifting are you "feeling" the target muscles work? E.G. when you are doing dumbbell bench presses you should feel the majority of the work coming from your pec's [most of the feeling should be here], tri's and delts [as secondary groups]. If you feel discomfort or more effort on your back or any other part you are lifting wrong.*
*refer to ego
At this point if you are lifting wrong take a day or a week and step back in your training. Use lighter weight & move with controlled speed and focus on the muscles when you are performing the exercise. Think about the muscles when you move. This sounds silly but really try to imagine your muscles working when you curl the bar or push the weight away from your body. Doing this helps you "listen" to your body and you can feel & see what you are doing. When you start lifting right you will notice a huge difference in how much you can lift and how fast your gains come in.

The Rules for a New Year of lifting!

Here are seven simple rules to get started this new year or when ever you are ready to start working out/living better.

1. Find a gym/fitness center
   make sure it has all your needed machines and weights
2. See what offers the gym has
   e.g. Free Personal Trainers, Referrals, Day Care etc.
3. A goal.
   pick a goal that is reachable with in a small time frame. Try not to pick one that is outrageous i.e. loose 90lbs in 4 weeks. Not that it can't be done. It may be probable but not possible.
4. Set a diet plan and exercise routine
   make sure your plan and routine are something that will meet your needs and are realistic. Avoid if possible ideas like a different body part each day, not to say these don't work. Unless you are already in peak condition you need to get the mass started before fine tuning which is what these routines really do.
5. E6! This means eat six times a day.
   With your diet whether you are gaining or losing weight you need to eat six meals/times a day. Breakfast - Snack - Lunch - Snack - Dinner - Snack. Keep it healthy with a few cheats here and there.
6. Keep a log.
   Write down what you eat, when you eat. Write down your exercises and the time you exercise. Doing this will help you look back when you find yourself feeling/performing at a lower level than you did the previous day. As well it helps you keep track of your habits.
7. Focus -
   Stay focused and get focused. Now this is a rule that is a little off base for some. When you are working out get and get out. If you spend some time between sets/reps talking there is no problem. But if you are spending more time talking than lifting you're wasting your time & energy. Not to mention you are also going to be in the way of other people using the machines/weights because we don't know if you're done or just taking a break. Stay focused and chat briefly or save it for when you are done.
   

The Dreaded Squat

The squat is one of the best exercises ever. Great work out for your legs and core. For some like me who have severe injuries it becomes difficult to perform this exercise. In fact, I dread this exercise more than any other. I have a bad injury from my youth that keeps my range of motion (ROM) very limited and painful when I squat. But with this new program I am doing it has become easier each time.

The third part of my routine *prep phase* start with low rope pully (rows), Push ups and then squats. Yesterday I did my routine and when I approached the squat rack I began to think this is going to be painful! Why, I should do something else, like leg presses. NO! I went through with it. I threw on a light load (doing high reps) and got under that bar, found a focus point (to keep my head up to avoid arching of the back) and went for it. Finished my reps and man I was okay. There was pain, but nearly as bad as it used to be in the past.

Now most people will say, oh well if it hurts stop doing it. Well it is not a discomft for me. It is a pain that you get when you have bad knees and the weather is cold. For my injury (according to a doctor and my PT) these lower body work outs are good for improving the mobility and strengthing the muscles arond my knee to help with the pain. So there! :)

The moral: Stop if there is discomfrt. Do the routines correctly and do not be afraid to use lighter weight if you need it.

The EGO

Okay you are all aware of someone in your life that has a huge ego. Sadly for those of us (gym rats) we are surrounded by them more than we care to be. Actually some of us are that person, whether we admit it or not. So what is the point? Well my point is simple; LET IT GO! You need to check your ego at the door much like you would a rain coat in a five star resturaunt.

Why? Well when you are in the gym and you are acting like a complete fool (egotistical) then you are not only annoying practically every one in ear shot of you. You are also increasing your chance of injury and delaying your progress. Throwing around weights and huffing and puffing almost like you are going through labor makes you look and sound really strange if not stupid.

With your ego checked at the door your more concerned about performing the routines correctly, accurately, and safely to full completion. Other wise you are 85% (by my estimate) to worry more about how you look in the mirror when you are lifting the 65lb dumbbell for your curls. Same would hold true for squats. So many people do this unknowingly. They don't want to be seen in a weight room lifting "sissy weights" on the squat when the guy behind you in line is about to drop 450lb squats for his warm up. PLEASE do not feel like a wuss or feel dumb when you lift lower weights. It is safer for you, less chance of really making your self look dumb because you will do the exercise correctly and you wont be stuck under the bar when your legs buckle and you get hauled off to the E.R. for an ego-removal.

None of us are innocent, we have all done that. Just remember next time you are trying to get your pecs torn or your arms blasted don't do it because you think you need to impress someone (or yourself) just lift smart and safe.

Okay now that the holidays are "over" I can get back to what I want to do. School is around the corner. So I have little time to get situated with what I need to do. Today was week 2 of the starting phase. I did some mid pulleys, decline neutral grip and Bulgarian Split Squats. It was a good intense work out. So tonight I get ready for installing some new operating software on my PC, taking care of my daughter and spending time with the family (my wife). My work out log will be posted soon. I am still working on that.

I have been sick the last few days. So I have not been able to post much. Later today/night I will post more.