Category Archives: Benefits of doing “man” exercises
Cardio I Like? – Tabata Training
So usually when I talk about cardio, it is to rant against it. I HATE long, steady-state cardio.
I do however, really really like sprints. And tabata training falls within the sprint category.
Tabata training is essentially performing as many reps of an exercise as you can for 20 seconds. This can be running, jumping, squatting…anything. After 20 seconds of work, you get 10 seconds of rest. You repeat this process 8 times.
The whole set of 8 rounds is 4 minutes. But boy is it a deadly four minutes. I swear 20 seconds has never felt so long or 10 seconds so short!
In that 20 seconds you work as hard as you can – you give 100% effort. And in the 10 seconds that follow, you barely recover before your right back to work.
Yesterday, Candy and I did a squat jump and burpee mixed tabata. We alternated exercises each round and trust me…our legs and lungs burned. The first round of squat jumps, you feel the burn but you bust out about 1 per second. Then you go into burpees and your legs feel like jello. The 10 seconds of rest feels like nothing when you start jump squats again. Your legs burn after three and the 20 you did the first time seems like an impossible number to reach. But you push on, trying to complete as many reps as you can in that 20 second. And you keep pushing – through all 8 rounds.
After the 8 rounds, we did two minutes of jump rope and then repeated the four minutes of burpee-squat jump hell before two more minutes of jump rope.
12 minutes.
That’s all it took to make our legs and lungs feel like we’d done cardio for an hour…12 minutes. Of course the push up/pull up pyramid we completed before definitely didn’t make us feel any better…but even if we hadn’t…that 12 minutes would have been enough!
And the thing is, you don’t even need 12 minutes to get in plenty of cardio. You just need 4.
On Tuesday after a heavy leg workout, Candy and I did tabata sprints.
We jacked the speed up to 10.5 (which isn’t our fastest but give us a break it was after legs!). We jumped on and sprinted for 20 seconds. The first one wasn’t fun, but it felt doable. We jumped off to the sides and rested for 10 seconds. The second one was ok, but you could tell the last few were going to be a struggle.
After 8 rounds, I was wiped out. Four minutes of sprints…that was all it took to give me a great cardio workout.
4 minutes.
So why are you wasting 60 minutes on a treadmill when you can get great results just doing 4?
You save time by doing tabata workouts. You’ll burn more fat. And unlike long, steady-state cardio, you will not only improve your aerobic system, but also your anaerobic system.
I thought this was a great site for more information on Tabata training! Try it!! I guarantee you’ll get a great workout!
Empowerment
Empowerment [ɪmˈpaʊəmənt]
- The giving or delegation of power or authority; authorization
- The giving of an ability; enablement or permission
I started thinking a lot about this last night as I was falling asleep….(Which unfortunately kept me from falling asleep and then made me start hearing creepy noises around the apartment, which I don’t usually hear since I’m passed out by like 8….)
Anyway, I started to think about how much more empowered I’ve felt since I started doing my heavy lifting/Crossfit style workouts a couple of years ago. Not only have I gotten physically stronger, but I also feel mentally stronger – more confident, more enabled, more capable.
I’m not intimidated by challenges or other people’s negativity. I actually believe that my workouts have helped me develop a stronger sense of self.
It’s kind of weird to think that something I’ve always done just for fun and to keep physically healthy, may have actually done even more for my mental health and strength.
Why has working out made me feel so empowered?
Because I’ve taken risks and experimented. Every single workout, I risk failure. I risk not lifting up more weight. I risk not being able to complete all of the challenges I’ve written out for myself that day.
Each and every workout though, I REFUSE to give up. I refuse to not push myself to my limits.
And guess what? I never fail even when I fail.
Sometimes, I can’t lift up as much weight as I want. Sometimes, I can’t run that last sprint as fast as I would have liked. But the thing is, I TRIED. I risked failing.
Just like I risked failing when I entered that powerlifting meet.
And guess, what? The risk paid off because now I’m more confident and stronger. AND I even found something I enjoy!
I dared to try something new. And each and every time I experiment with my workouts, I push myself to overcome new challenges and risks. I’m not afraid to face failure because I know it will only make me stronger.
Daring to try something new. LEARNING and EXPERIMENTING. Risking and ACCEPTING failure…No wonder I not only got physically stronger, but also mentally tougher….
And the thing is, I think my new dieting endeavors and experiments are having the same payoff.
There are risks every time I adjust my diet. I always worry the new adjustment won’t get results or will even cause me to backslide. Each and every time I change something, I make myself face new challenges. Sometimes I even push myself to the limit of my self-control.
But each time, I learn something new about myself. Whether or not I succeed or fail, I learn something new.
And the thing is, I never give up.
And never giving up, gives me confidence not only in the realm of diet and fitness, but in everyday life. My experimentation and risk-taking with diet and fitness have empowered me.
Now, what makes you feel empowered?
Who gets paid to write this shit? (Excuse the language)
Seriously who the heck pays stupid people to write stupid articles that only serve to further mislead the public about diet and exercise?
haha
I had another post planned for today, but when Francine posted a link to my wall called “10 Fitness Facts that Everyone Gets Wrong” and said, “OMG WHO WROTE THIS? THEY SHOULD BE JAILED,” I felt the need to read and RANT about it.
I first started reading the article and thought, “Ok I don’t like how this guy words stuff, but I see his point.”
I mean, no you don’t have to train hard to see your abs. You can have the strongest abs in the world, but if you eat too much and store excess fat, you will never see them. Dieting really is key to getting six-pack abs.
I also saw his point about the point of exercising NOT being about burning calories. Exercise should be used to get in better physical shape. Diet is truly at least 80% of the weight loss battle.
But that is where my agreement with him ended and my temper rose exponentially.
He next claims that “weightlifting is an effective fat loss strategy” is false. He says that it pales in comparison to cardio when it comes to calorie burn.
EXCUSE ME!?!
Here is a link (Fat Loss Wars: Cardio vs. Weight Training) about how good weightlifting is for fat loss (this article also disproves a few of his other points). Even his own site refutes him. I found another article on Askmen.com called “Weightlifting for Fat Loss” that states:
Choosing to abandon your weight-lifting program when it’s time to cut fat is one of the biggest mistakes you can make, so be sure you don’t commit this progress-damaging error.
Below are a few points from his article that I would also like to dispute:
- He states that “Weightlifting does burn calories, but when compared to hard aerobic training, it pales.” While that is true if you only consider calories burned while you are working out, it is false when you consider OVERALL calorie burn. Here is a quote from Women’s Health proving that weightlifting is great if you want to burn calories and torch fat: “Though cardio burns more calories than strength training during those 30 sweaty minutes, pumping iron slashes more overall. A study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that women who completed an hour-long strength-training workout burned an average of 100 more calories in the 24 hours afterward than they did when they hadn’t lifted weights. At three sessions a week, that’s 15,600 calories a year, or about four and a half pounds of fat—without having to move a muscle.”
- The author of this horrendous article then states later, “as you improve physical fitness, your body begins to operate more efficiently so that you burn fewer calories while at rest and during exercise. While this is true, it is easy to keep challenging yourself so that you keep your body burning more calories. Here is another quote from Women’s Health again explaining how important weights are to burning calories and fat: “What’s more, increasing that afterburn is as easy as upping the weight on your bar. In a study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, women burned nearly twice as many calories in the two hours after their workout when they lifted 85 percent of their max load for eight reps than when they did more reps (15) at a lower weight (45 percent of their max). (This is also proof that women should lift heavy weights!!!!)
- He also has the audacity to state that low carb diets aren’t an effective weight loss tool. UHM WHAT!?! Has he ever seen Marks Daily Apple? There are about six million success stories on there that prove just how great for you a low carb diet is!
- And then he goes on to state, ” I know that some experience weight-loss success with this approach (low-carb), but I consider this diet as a last resort for the lazy.” WHAT!?! How is someone doing something healthy lazy? Just explain how a low-carb diet is lazy?!?!?!
- And the last point I would like to rant about is his comment that low-carb diets “restrict the good carbs that are essential for exercise performance, the ones that can be quite satiating and contain valuable nutrients.” Uhm no. I’m sorry low-fat diets restrict way more nutrients than low-carb diets. I eat ten bazillion more vegetables and fruits on Primal than I ever did on any other diet. I mean on a diet where you aren’t allowed grains, rice or legumes where else are you going to get calories from but nutritious fruits and vegetables!?!? All low-carb diets do is cut out the crap.
Get off the floor and stop doing crunches
99% of the people you see in the gym at some point do crunches, planks…any sort of ab exercise during their workout.
But only about half of those people ever do some of the BEST exercises for their abs and for that matter their entire bodies (and these exercises AREN’T crunches!)
They are four awesome exercises called the pull up, push up, back squat and deadlift. And to be honest, they are really all you need to have great arms, chest, back, abs, butt, quads, hamstrings and even calves!
So why are you wasting time on crunches? Actually, why are wasting time on a lot of those silly single muscle group movements!?! I mean seriously…those exercises only help the top 1% not the average Jane/Joe.
If you think you don’t have enough time to workout, you should stop wasting it by doing crunches and single muscle group movements and start doing these four exercises!!!
Pull ups:
Let’s face it…we know these are a great exercise because no one ever wants to do them! When no one wants to do an exercise, it generally means it is hard.
Just look at all the muscles used:
- Lats
- Lower sternal fibers of the pec major
- Posterior deltoid
- Teres major muscles
- Lower traps
- Pec minor
- Levator scapulae
- Rhomboid
- Serratus anterior
- Bicep
- Rectus abdominis
- Erector spinae
- Transverse abdominis
- Obliques
All of these muscles are used some more or less depending on which pull up variation you perform. (And if you need to make all of those muscles work harder just hang some weight around your waist or perform repetitions till failure!)
Grip can effect which muscles are used more during the movement. Chin ups and narrow grip pull ups are usually the easiest and engage the most bicep while wider grip pull ups isolate the lats more. For example, with a chin up the biceps brachii are used the most but with a prone or pull up grip the brachialis and brachioradialis (muscles that are part of the bicep) are used more than the biceps brachii.
Even the positioning of your lower half can alter which core muscles are doing more work. Ideally you want a straight position though so you are fully engaging every muscle in your core!
And there are no excuses for not doing pull ups. There is always a pull up assist machine around OR a band you can use to help pull you up. Heck even start with jumping pull ups! There is no excuse to skip these! There is a variation for all fitness levels!
Push Ups:
Again, rarely are women doing push ups in the gym and neither are men actually…Men usually prefer the more illustrious bench press…But push ups are AMAZING! AND there are a bazillion variations of push ups so they will never ever be too easy!
If you need proof of how amazing, here is a list of all the muscles worked:
- Deltoids (anterior, posterior and medial)
- Triceps
- Pecs (both major and minor)
- Rhomboids
- Erector spinae
- Rotator cuff
- Serratus anterior
- Rectus abdominus (ABS!!!)
- Transverse abdominus (Oh and abs again!?!)
- Gluteus maximus
- Quadriceps
You may be thinking, “What?! Push ups work your legs too!?!” YES THEY DO!!!
Your glutes and quads aren’t primary muscle groups in the movement, but they do assist if you do push ups from your toes. They keep your body in a nice straight line!
And like the pull up there are variations that work the muscle groups listed in different ways. There is the narrow push up, which engages more tricep and shoulder (also known as the chaturanga or even the diamond push up) and there is the wide grip push up, which isolates the chest more. There is also the decline push up where you elevate your feet, which not only makes the push up harder but also works your pec major more. AND if you put your hands on unbalanced or uneven surfaces you can work your core more!
I mean there are just a bazillion push up varieties so you will never get bored. AND beginners can’t claim push ups are too advanced! Push ups from the knees are a great modification as well as incline push ups. You can even start by doing push ups by leaning against a wall! There is no excuse why anyone can’t do an incline push up against the wall! 😉
Back Squat:
Ok I love legs so I really love this move. And not only does this move work the biggest muscle group in your body but it also really works your core! (And if you want a great butt….SQUAT!)
A quote from “Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training” stating just my point!
Squats are considered a vital exercise for increasing the strength and sizeof the legs and buttocks, as well as developing core strength. Isometrically, the lower back, the upper back, the abdominals, the trunk muscles, the costal muscles, and the shoulders and arms are all essential to the exercise and thus are trained when squatting with proper form.
So the muscles worked:
- Glutes
- Quads
- Hamstrings
- Transverse Abdominus (abs!!!)
- Erector Spinae
- Abductors
- Adductors
- Soleus (calves)
- Gastrocnemius (calves)
So one thing I haven’t mentioned with the two previous exercises (which is also true for them), but all of these strengthen your lower back, which so many people neglect while doing all of their crunches! And trust me, your back is as much a part of your core as your abs are even if it isn’t something you notice while wearing a bikini.
And there are also a bazillion variations of the squat. I personally have picked the back squat here to highlight because it is the most basic and you can add a ton of weight to it to make it challenging (I like heavy weights!).
Deadlift:
MY FAVORITE EXERCISE EVER!!!
Maybe I love it because it works like everything!! It works everything from your fingers (grip strength!!) to your toes!
It works (and I copied this list because well…the deadlift works everything).
- Torso
- Front
- Abdomen
- Rectus abdominis (under aponeurosis)
- Obliques
- Abdominal external oblique muscle
- Abdominal internal oblique muscle
- Abdomen
- Back
- Iliocostalis
- Intertransversarii laterales lumborum
- Latissimus dorsi
- Levator scapulae
- Longissimus
- Quadratus lumborum
- Rhomboideus major
- Serratus posterior superior
- Serratus posterior inferior
- Splenius cervicis
- Teres Major
- Trapezius muscle
- Front
- Legs
- Quadriceps
- Rectus femoris
- Vastus lateralis
- Vastus intermedius
- Vastus medialis
- Hamstrings
- Biceps femoris muscle
- long head
- short head
- Semitendinosus
- Semimembranosus
- Biceps femoris muscle
- Quadriceps
- Hips
- Gluteal muscles
- Gluteus maximus
- Gluteus minimus
- Piriformis
- Superior gemellus
- Gluteal muscles
- Forearms
- Flexor digitorum profundus
Enough said? haha
I’m 25, but feel 40
I was stunned when I read this on a perspective client’s exercise questionnaire. 25 but feels 40!?!
Aren’t we the society that is trying everything to be 40 and look and feel 25?
When I asked her about the statement she said, “I don’t know how I let it get to this point.”
But so many people do let it get to that point.
It is actually easy to let your physical fitness spiral out of control. You’re too busy, too tired, too injured, too stressed….too anything! The “toos” are so numerous it’s any wonder anyone ever works out!
But the “toos” are just excuses – excuses that will later come back to bite you in the ass. I’m sorry, but they will.
At some point you are going to have to take responsibility for your health. And if you don’t spend the time working out now to prevent diseases, you are probably going to be spending a butt-load of money later to correct all of the injuries and illnesses that have accumulated over the years…and that’s if you are lucky enough to catch everything before things have gone too far…
So start working out people! Not for weight loss or to look good, but for your health!
You want the key to being 40 and looking 25? It isn’t in some bottle of lotion or syringe.
It’s exercise. Exercise is the fountain of youth.
So if you are thinking to yourself now, “Wow that woman who says she is 25, but feels 40 sounds like me” now is the time to stop using the “toos” and get your butt into the gym!!!
Ok…that is my rant.
Working Out – Stressful or Stress Relief?
Most of my clients tell me they are too stressed to find time to workout. While I understand the feeling, I also believe that working out can be a great way to relieve stress.
Yes sometimes you feel like you have too much work to step away. Yes sometimes you have like a bazillion things that you could put before doing something for yourself like working out. Yes sometimes you would prefer to just go straight home after such a long day of work.
But sometimes working out can be just what you need to relieve all the stress!
For one, working out boosts your production of endorphins, which are the brain’s “feel-good neurotransmitters.” While most people are familiar with a “runner’s high,” you can get the same feeling from doing any physical activity that you enjoy!
For two, you can get lost in the workout and forget about all of the stresses of the day. I find that when I do a hard workout all I can think about is the task at hand. Working out is a time for me to just focus on me. It relaxes me and gives me the energy to take on the rest of the day and the rest of the week!
For three (and maybe the most important one!!), working out improves your mood and helps you sleep better, which makes you feel better all around!!! Regular exercise can help you build self-confidence and lower symptoms caused by depression and anxiety, which in turn will help you sleep better. All of this combined will ease your stress levels and make you feel in control of your body and life!
So personally I think all three of these reasons are enough to put up with the “stress” of starting a workout routine! What do you think? Is working out more stressful or more stress relief for you?
Cardio Queens
Ladies – Step away from the cardio machines. PLEASE!!!!!
I taught an hour of spin today, which in my opinion is way more than enough cardio….for like the week haha.
But to my amazement there were females that decided to do MORE cardio after my class.
WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU LADIES!?!
I couldn’t believe it. I was stunned. I would understand if they decided to do weights after, which is what I did. But more cardio?
I almost wanted to walk up to them and tell them that they should have just worked harder in class, but I didn’t.
I just couldn’t believe it. These women spend hours doing cardio.
And guess what?
Their bodies never change. They never look any more toned. They never stop looking soft.
They just stay skinny-fat (or anorexic looking).
Don’t they realize that they don’t need to slave away for hours doing chronic cardio if they want to look amazing?
Don’t they realize that weight lifting and diet are way more important if you want a toned, lean body?
Apparently not.
But I guess it isn’t totally their fault. Even trainers prescribe too much chronic cardio for clients that want to lose weight.
Not me though. For one, I don’t like to make my clients do anything I wouldn’t do…and I definitely avoid long cardio sessions like they are the plague.
For two, I honestly don’t think you need to do ANY cardio to lose weight. Yes it can help make the process a bit easier, but you really don’t need cardio to lose weight.
The first key to losing weight – DIET. The first thing I ask my clients about is their diet. While technically I can’t prescribe a diet plan, I do make recommendations…aka I tell them how well Primal works! Diet is 80%…maybe even 90% of the weight loss battle.
The second key is a good weight lifting routine. By lifting weights, you will add muscle, which will not only make you look more toned and fit but will also help you burn off the unwanted fat!
And if you do a fast weight training circuit, your heart rate is going to go up and you are going to burn a TON of calories.
There is no need for long, steady-state cardio sessions.
I mean if you really want to go do cardio, do some interval training or some sprints. But PLEASE lay off all that chronic cardio. It really isn’t going to help you look the way you want to…I guess of course unless you WANT to be skinny fat or anorexic looking…
P.S. For those of you diehard Cardio Queens who aren’t convinced here are some more articles to look at. Not only is chronic cardio not the key to weight loss but it truly isn’t that good for you!
I think she looks way better as the muscle machine, but hey....
Burn Body Fat – 8 Reasons why you should lift heavier weights
Here is an article about how important diet is to weight loss.
Building the Biceps
I want to build my bicep...just maybe not that much...
I’m not a big fan of single muscle group movements (Brian on the other hand is…especially bicep curls). I don’t like doing bicep curls or tricep extensions or even overhead presses.
And many trainers will tell you there really isn’t ever a need to do these movements. For one, most compound movements work your arms enough to gain general strength. And two, it is more important for most clients to move their entire bodies and burn more calories, which means that compound movements are much more efficient.
And I do in general agree with those two statements. I rarely have my clients do single muscle group movements.
BUT I do think single muscle group movements are super important if the client trains numerous times a week and if they are really focused on upping their lifts numbers.
That is why I’ve started personally doing more single muscle group movements especially with my upper body.
And not surprisingly, my bench numbers, have gone up.
Just yesterday I repped out 5 at 105 after already completing 4 sets. Considering that just about a month ago that was my max at the competition, I’d say my numbers have definitely gone up!
So sometimes you do just need to work on building those biceps…or triceps or shoulders. It can really make a difference!
Resistance to Change
I have never seen so many people so unhappy about having a renovated club with all brand-spanking new equipment!
They are just so set in their routines that they don’t like having to adjust to the new versions of machines or find the new placement of equipment. They don’t like change!
It actually made me sad that people were so unwilling to try something new. It’s like they haven’t varied up their routine in the six bazillion years they’ve been members here!
You should vary up your routine like every 4-6 weeks. Not every 4-6 decades!!!!
Variety is key! If you aren’t varying up your routine, you probably aren’t getting the results you want…Did you just have an AH HA! moment?
Did you just realize why you’ve probably been stuck on the same plateau for the last 5 months?
AH! Come on people! Spice it up! Add some variety!
Ok that is my rant for today. But seriously, if you need help adding some variety to your program, email me at manbiceps@gmail.com. I mean…do you really like being stuck on that plateau?
Do you need help!?!
So yesterday was the first weekday that I’ve been at home and NOT posted. Why didn’t I post yesterday?
Because I was mentally fatigued from running billing for our club and physically drained from moving around all of our new equipment.
Deadlifting treadmills and ellipticals isn’t easy (neither are elliptical “sled pushes.”). Farmers walks with kettlebells, dumbbells and plate weights aren’t a piece of cake either.
Actually I got a good enough workout from moving equipment to make my forearms and calves sore!
But anyway, the point of this post isn’t that moving is an AMAZING workout. The point of this post actually relates to something that happened while we were moving.
I had deadlifted up one of the ellipticals and was wheeling it out on to the floor with Candy monitoring my progress since I was walking backwards. (And by this point Candy and I had already moved about 6 or 7 ellipticals on our own.)
All of the sudden this guy, from the company that was moving in some of the new pieces of equipment, runs up to me and goes, “Here let me help you!” He was like frantically trying to grab the elliptical from me.
I said I was fine and continued to walk backwards. Before he had come up to me, I’d already picked it up and walked like 10 feet with it and was doing fine.
But even though I said I was fine, he hovered around and kept asking to help. And when I set it down, he like barged in to make sure it was in place and that I didn’t have to move it anymore.
I said thanks but was fairly annoyed that he didn’t think I could do it. As I walked away with Candy, I asked if I’d looked like I was struggling.
She said no, that I had been doing fine.
I know this guy was trying to be nice, but still! I mean he took one look at me…all 5 foot 3.5 inches of me (I found out I shrunk at the doctor’s yesterday) and decided I couldn’t possibly lift the elliptical on my own.
Now even though Jon isn’t much taller than me (sorry Jon!), the guy didn’t offer to help him!
Nope. I was a short-ish, not bulky female and he decided he was stronger than me!…Ok he might have been stronger than me, but I could still handle the elliptical!!!
Anyway, the point of all this is that the belief that females are weak and can’t lift heavy things (unless they look like men) still exists!
And we women have to disprove it! Don’t be afraid to show your muscles ladies!!! Get in there and lift the heavy stuff with the guys!!! YOU CAN DO IT!
Man Bicep 