Category Archives: Man Biceps
Because You Can Never Know Too Much
The moment you think you know everything, you are in trouble.
Because you can never know everything and the second you stop learning, you will be left behind.
That is why I’m constantly looking for things to enhance my training and workout routines. I always want to be learning and growing to make my workouts better and more efficient.
I mean…Why wouldn’t you want to be better?
Why wouldn’t you want to be more efficient or find something that works and makes your life even easier?
I would!
Here are some great exercises and tips to help you continue learning and growing this week!
1. Here are 10 Suspension Trainer Exercises to work your entire body. These exercises are all core focused and many of them will strengthen your backside. So if you are having neck, shoulder, back or hip problems, you need to try these suspension trainer moves.
2.I think one of the hardest areas of our body to work when we don’t really have any equipment is our back. Here are 5 Equipment-Free Bodyweight Back Exercises. All of these are must-do moves if you sit at a desk all day and want to remain injury free!
3. The Deadlift is one of my favorite moves because it works your entire posterior chain, which, let’s face it, we all need to work because we sit way too much during the day. And the thing I love about deadlifts is there are a ton of variations to work your back and legs in different ways! Check out these deadlift variations.
4. Often when people want to work their core, they turn to crunches. And crunches can be “fun” but really, in general, they are pretty useless. This 30-Minute Core Workout, works the big muscles of your core and gets your heart beating to really burn some calories and create a strong core. It includes some of our favorite moves like the Turkish Get Up, Crawl with Pull Through and Sidewinders.
5. If you’ve upped your mileage this summer or are training for a race, you need to make sure to take care of your body so you don’t get injured. These dynamic stretches for runners will help improve your mobility so that you stay injury free. These are quick and easy to do right before your run!
6. Can you tell I’ve been very focused on upper back, shoulder and neck pain recently!?! Maybe because it is such a common problem since too many people sit hunched over a computer all day and then try to go workout without doing anything to first improve their posture (aka stretch and activate). Here are 5 great foam rolling moves you should be doing if you have a desk job.
7. And finally here are 25 Core Training Exercises. They are broken down by equipment so that you have bodyweight, slider, sandbag, and resistance band exercises.
What have you researched and learned recently to make you better? How are you constantly changing and growing?
Monday Motivation – Be Greater Than Your Excuses
Life – It is truly one big excuse.
Something can and will always be getting in the way, making your goals more complicated and difficult to accomplish.
Basically what I’m telling you is there will always be excuses and reasons NOT to do something.
The question then is…How bad do you want it?
Because if you really want it bad enough, nothing will hold you back and you will find a way to accomplish your goals.
If you aren’t dedicated to your goals, any excuse will cause you to fail.
And I’m sure right now a few of you are shaking your head and telling yourself…”But I really don’t have time/money/resources/knowledge…whatever to accomplish my goals and I really REALLY want to.”
Uh sorry…But you are LYING TO YOURSELF and making excuses.
And to some extent all of those excuses are valid. They all are reasons why you can’t accomplish your goals. They are all barriers and hurdles that you have to overcome if you want to succeed.
The point is, if your desire is strong enough, if your plan is good enough, then those excuses are just that – merely hurdles that you can overcome.
Notice that I said DESIRE and PLAN.
Because motivation will only keep you going for so long that you need to create a plan to help keep you on track when the excuses build and you want to stop moving forward.
Wait…So I said if you want it bad enough you won’t give into your goals yet I also said that motivation isn’t enough and that you need to have a PLAN.
YUP!
If you want it bad enough, you will create a PLAN that will not allow excuses to derail your progress.
You will create a meal prep plan that doesn’t allow you to give the excuse that you are too busy or stressed to cook. And you will create a workout program that is convenient and quick that fits your crazy, busy schedule.
You will create a plan that address your excuses instead of using your excuses as a way to get out of doing what you know you truly want to be doing!
Because when you really want something, you PLAN for success!
So what’s your plan for this week? How are you going to be greater than your excuses?
P.S. A huge thanks to everyone that came out to celebrate our Grand Opening on Saturday! Had so much fun! Here are some pictures from the event…
The Redefining Strength OFFICIAL Grand Opening!
Felt like a chicken with my head cut off this week running around finalizing everything for the grand opening Saturday…but it will all be worth it!
This coming Saturday, August 16th, Redefining Strength is hosting an official Grand Opening celebration.
At 9:30 am on Saturday, we will be hosting a FREE bootcamp. The workout is open to anyone and everyone who wants to come. We will play around with barrels, sleds, pulleys, monkey bars, ropes, rowers and well all the other toys we have!
Then following the workout, at 11 am we will be hosting a small health fair with local Orange County vendors. We have Lorna Jane, My Fit Foods, Sportkini and many other great companies joining us! The event is totally free and open to everyone.
So if you are local to Costa Mesa California, come by on Saturday and have some fun and meet some great people!
Click here for some more information if you are interested in stopping by.
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
Most of us do not like trying new things or changing up our routine.
We like things the way they are EVEN if we don’t truly like things the way they are because we are, to some extent, COMFORTABLE.
But if you want to reach your goals, you’ve got to do things you aren’t comfortable with. You’ve got to do things DIFFERENTLY!
You’ve got to be willing to TRULY try new things. You’ve got to stop making excuses as to why you can’t do something or why something doesn’t work when it is really just that you don’t want to change or do things differently.
You don’t want to sacrifice or be uncomfortable. But you’ve got to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and putting yourself outside your comfort zone if you want success.
You’ve got to do things you don’t want to do.
And sometimes you have to make sacrifices. Because getting a different result than you’ve been getting means you have to do things differently – it means CHANGE.
So how do you change when we are so resistant to change? How do you get comfortable being uncomfortable?
You have to take a step in a different direction.
It may be a big step or a small step, but you’ve got to do something you know is good even if you don’t want to.
Sometimes it means jumping in head first and just sucking it up. Other times it means making the smallest, least scary, change first.
In situations where you have lots of support and accountability, it may be easier to jump in head first. If you are going it alone, you may find that any drastic changes create backlash so taking a small step and adjusting to that first works better.
Either way though, you must first recognize that part of the reason it is hard to move forward is because it is uncomfortable.
Once you accept that you will need to be uncomfortable, you can general force yourself to do new things – whether it is a big step or small step forward, it is still a step forward.
And the best part is, when you get over that initial fear and JUST DO IT, new things become way less scary and uncomfortable.
So get comfortable being uncomfortable and take that step forward toward your goals!
Partner Exercises, Workouts, Isometrics and More
Start your week off right with some new workouts, exercises and tips. Check out these posts:
– Three Fun and Challenging Partner Exercises – Sometimes you need a good laugh as much as you need a workout. Try these partner exercises and have some fun as you get your sweat on!
– Build Up Your Endurance Workout – Building endurance doesn’t have to mean running on a treadmill or elliptical for 30 minutes or more. If you get bored with steady-state cardio, but need to improve your endurance, try this circuit workout!
– The Superman Exercise – Often we get very focused on working the front of our core, our abs, because we want a six pack and we ignore our posterior chain. But the Superman exercise is a great way to work our backside and help us prevent and alleviate low back pain! Here’s how to do the move and other variations!
– Circuit Training Workouts – Circuits are workouts where you perform one exercise after another back-to-back. They can help you build strength and burn fat. Check out these great circuit training workouts!
– Best Glute Exercises – I LOVE LOVE LOVE butt workouts. I love when my legs are sore and I especially love when my glutes are sore. Here are some of the best glute exercises…And you may be surprised to find that deadlift isn’t one of them. While I LOVE the deadlift, it doesn’t actually activate as many gluteal fibers as the hip thruster does!
– The Towel Taz – I love cardio exercises you can do anywhere with only very basic equipment. And the Towel Taz is just such a move. It works your entire core and elevates your heart rate. Check out these three basic Towel Taz variations. Grab a big blanket or towel and get moving!
– 20 Isometric Exercises – Isometrics are a great recovery tool to help you improve your mobility and stability and prevent injury. Check out these 20 great isometric exercises and stretches to help you move and feel better!
Have a great week and have some fun!
MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE
I’ve harped on this before, but it is worth discussing again.
If you don’t measure, you will never know if you are progressing.
Because often we are too close to see results.
You see yourself every day and may overlook the subtle changes that are occurring.
You see the bad workouts where you don’t have any energy and don’t make any progress and therefore you forget the 6 days before where you did lift more or run faster.
You feel yourself still getting so exhausted by that same workout, but you don’t realize that you are actually pushing harder and doing more.
You DON’T see all the good things, all the progress, because you are so caught in the day to day.
That is why you have to take measurements…Not every day or even week, but every few weeks or months.
Those measurements will help show you all the small forward progress you are making each day. Even on days when you don’t feel like things are going right.
And when you take measurements, don’t measure in only one way.
Choose a few different things to measure to show your success. Because even though your scale weight doesn’t budge that doesn’t mean you haven’t lost fat!
For instance, if you want to lose weight, don’t just weigh on the scale and use that as your only measurement. Take circumference measurements as well.
And I even like to set a few performance as well as “habit” goals as well. These goals let you celebrate other successes that LEAD to you achieving your ultimate goal of weight loss.
For instance, if you set a goal to do more pull ups, you will be working out hard to achieve it. And those workouts to help you do more pull ups will also help you lose weight.
So even if you don’t see huge weight loss one measurement period, if you see yourself getting stronger, you know you are doing all the right things.
Same goes for “habit” goals. Habit goals are goals that you set based on simply DOING the right things. If you do the meal prep you set out to do or workout the number of times you plan to, you record it and even celebrate your success.
Because DOING the right things WILL ADD UP.
Plus it lets you know that you are truly following through with your program. (Often we “think” we are doing the right things when actually we aren’t truly sticking to our program. And then we wonder why we aren’t achieving results. These habit goals make sure we are ACTUALLY doing the right things!)
So if you want to succeed and SEE that success, make sure to start measuring!
In case you’ve missed these….
So I’ve done a few posts over at Redefining Strength, which I think are pretty helpful….
In case you didn’t see them (and in case they will help you since I know they answered a number of questions I’ve received recently), I’ve posted them below!
This first post “10 Hanging Core Exercises” is because I get asked for “ab exercises” all the time and honestly crunches really give you very little bang for your buck.
Hanging core exercises on the other hand work on your grip strength, lat strength and core strength. They can help you work toward all sorts of exercises such as pull ups, L-sits and front levers.
They are a compound movement and have some functional benefit…unlike crunches.
For 10 of the Hanging Core Exercises I use most often, check these out!
And while we are discussing core strength, I think it is important that we cover BACK PAIN. One of the best tools to alleviate back, hip, neck and shoulder pain is the PEANUT.
The Peanut is a cheap, homemade tool made out of athletic tape and tennis balls. Here are instructions on how to make and use the Peanut to alleviate your pain! (Can I also just say…It isn’t freaking easy to use spray paint!?!)
And the last two posts I want to point out are on Rotational Exercises and the Dip.
The 10 Rotational Exercises post came up because all too often people are only training in one plane of motion…And then they wonder why they get injured lifting something in everyday life. It is because in everyday life we lift awkward crap in every plane of motion. And if we want to remain injury free, our workouts need to reflect that. (Plus…still on my whole “strengthen your core thing” rotational exercises are great core moves!)
And the Dip post is for all of you women out there asking me how to get sexy arms for tank top, strapless dress and bikini season. The Dip can be a great compound movement to strengthen and tone your entire upper body. Don’t waste your time with isolated movements like the tricep extension! Work numerous muscles at once. And if you are already doing push ups, the Dip is a great vertical push exercise to include in your routines!
And if you can’t do a full dip, the post has some great ways to regress the movement!
Find Your Strong – Happy Fourth of July!
I think every holiday should be celebrated with a special workout…And of course food…But definitely a special workout.
Ryan and I every Fourth of July have gone out and done workouts outside at playgrounds.
This year we had our own indoor playground as well as a ton of friends around to play with us!
Celebrate your fourth in style and try our 4th of July Team Workout Challenge!
TEAM WORKOUT CHALLENGE
Set a timer for 5 minutes. Complete as many rounds of the exercise as possible in the 5 minutes. Try to get a team of 3-5 so that you can alternate turns during the 5 minutes. Only one team member may work at a time. Record your score.
#1:
5 minute Rower (record meters completed by team)
#2:
5 minute Bag Pulls (record number of pulls…This can also be back rows)
#3:
5 minutes Stagecoach Battling Rope Waves (record the number of waves that go all the way down)
#4:
5 minutes Partner Sled Pull (your partner stands on slider and you walk backward pulling them. Each 50ft length is one rep)
#5:
5 minutes Monkey Bars (every length you complete is a rep. You can also replace this with a hanging ab exercise or even an inverted row.)
#6:
5 minutes Slam Bagz Burpees (every burpee is a rep…Press the bag overhead then bring it down to the ground and jump back then jump back up and press overhead)
#7:
5 minutes Sledgehammer (count the number of slams…Can also be med ball slams if you don’t have a hammer)
How’d you do!?! Share your scores below!
Here are our scores:
1st Place Team USA with 2,079.5 points
2nd Place Team Cougars with 2,019.5
3rd Place Team Musketeers 1,868
4th Place Team Giraffes 1,845
5th Place Team Pup ‘n Suds 1,639
And I’m also proud to announce that one of my good friends has joined me at Redefining Strength. Jeff has launched his own training program The Resistance Training!
He is absolutely amazing and I can’t be happier for him. I’ve never had someone smile so nicely at me as I just wanted to roll over on the ground and not move for the next hour.
He tailors all of his workouts to meet your specific needs and he knows how to push you just the right amount to get results.
So if you have a chance, check him out!
Man Bicep’s New Home – The Redefining Strength Studio!
This month has been a whirlwind – A crazy, hectic, AMAZING time that hasn’t left me near as much time to post as I would usually like. And I’m sorry if I’ve been a little MIA and slow to respond.
But I’m excited and proud to announce that I’m officially opening The Redefining Strength Fitness Studio in Costa Mesa, California!
Before I say any more about the studio, I need to first thank all of the WONDERFUL and AMAZING people who I have in my life who’ve supported me on this new journey.
When going after your dreams, you know there are going to be people who will put you down and try to hold you back.
And you can’t let yourself listen to them. You can’t let the doubts creep in.
Going after your dreams is going to be hard. It’s going to be stressful. There will be setbacks and days you want to quit.
But no matter what, you can’t give up.
And there will be those amazing friends and family members around you to help keep you moving forward. They will question you. They will force you to work.
They will not blindly follow and agree…And that is what makes them so amazing and supportive.
They will be pushing you forward and making you better.
So before I say anything more about the studio, I want to thank all of you amazing people. I couldn’t have done this without all of your enthusiasm, encouragement and love.
SO THANK YOU!
AND NOW….The Redefining Strength Fitness Studio!
On this wonderful Monday on the last day of June, we are officially open for business! We offer both in-person small group and personal training sessions as well as online training.
We use battling ropes, sandbags, slam bagz, monkey bars, climbing ropes, sledgehammers, tires, kettlebells, sliders, slide boards, rowers, pulley systems, resistance bands, barbells, landmines, dip bars, pull up bars, sleds….And so much more in our training.
If you are looking for a personal trainer in Orange County (or small group training!), check out Redefining Strength! I can guarantee you’ll love it…Not only because I’m amazing, but because the people that I work with are the most friendly/supportive/amazing/hardworking/WONDERFUL people in the world. 😛
I’m so excited for Man Bicep’s new home and all of the great information and posts I can now provide all of you Man Bicepers with!
Go In With A Plan
Yesterday I sent out an email about going into your workouts with a plan.
When we are prepared and go in with a plan, we are a bazillion times more likely to accomplish our goal.
Think about the times you’ve gone into the gym without knowing what workout you are going to do.
How many times do you slack off because you don’t have a clear direction and feel tired from a long day at work? How often do you half-ass your workout just so you can go home sooner and eat dinner? How often do you string together random things just because that equipment is available even though the exercises really have nothing to do with your goals?
Probably all too often.
Because when you don’t go in with a plan, you aren’t going to be as motivated to push yourselves to work hard toward your goals.
Going into your workout with a clear idea of what you need to do motivates you to push hard even when you are tired. You have something you are SUPPOSED to accomplish. So even if you are tired at the end of the day and you only want to do 3 rounds, you are going to push through and do the 5 you have written down to complete.
When you don’t have something written down, you can easily adjust, but when you have something concrete written, you will push through because, most of us, don’t like knowing there is something that we didn’t do.
Also, when you don’t have a program written down you often just do whatever is easiest with no regard to whether or not those exercises or weights will move you forward toward your goals.
You will sub in other exercises that may not even work the same body parts just because that equipment is available. Or you may even turn to a cardio workout because the weights area is busy.
You tend to go the path of least resistance unless you have a guide….almost all of us do.
Having a pre-written workout is a great way to guide ourselves forward even if it isn’t the easiest or most convenient thing to do.
It keeps us on track and motivated. It guides us and even allows us to track our progress because we can make nots on what we actually did.
If we don’t write things down to begin with, it isn’t likely we are going to go home and record every detail about our workouts right after.
And if you can’t track your progress, how will you know what is working and what isn’t? How will you know what changes need to be made?
Plus if you aren’t going off pre-written workouts, you probably aren’t going to be consistent enough in the first place to truly get results!
So start going in with a plan.
Not sure how to write-up a workout? Then check out my Workout Library with 50 free ones! And if you have questions about them, email me at manbiceps@gmail.com. (Plus I even have some great ones under the workouts tab on this site!)
Man Bicep 