Category Archives: Workout
“Fuckarounditis”
This is an article by a guy that I worship, Martin Berkhan. Ryan sent me this article today and I love it! It is a great article that makes you really think about the way you workout and if it is working.
If you have any of the 25 symptoms (and I know a lot of women who suffer from number 10), you should really rethink your workout program. And Man Bicep can definitely help you with number 10 (You’re afraid of “bulky muscles” and use terms like “toning.”).
I’m pretty sure most of us will find we suffer from at least one. I know Candy and I suffer from number 4 (You’re doing too much shit). We definitely aren’t minimalists with our workouts, which is something we will be working on.
Anyway, check it out! Lean Gains “Fuckarounditis”
Top 10 – Brian’s FAVORITE Upper Body Exercises
So Brian’s FAVORITE (and I mean FAVORITE) thing to work is his chest…and upper body in general. These are his 10 FAVORITE upper body exercises.
1. Bench – Ok who doesn’t love bench!?! Barbell Flat Bench is by far Brian’s favorite. It is a GREAT compound exercise. And as Lisa mentioned, “Strengthening your “man pecs” helps keep the twins perky!” The bench press works your pecs, triceps, shoulders and abs among other things! Here is an article about the flat bench press. You can also vary up your bench press by doing incline barbell or dumbbell variations. There are also other tortuous variations such as pause bench…but that is an exercise for another day.
2. Push ups – Brian thinks push ups are easy…I don’t exactly agree but I do think they are awesome for you! Push ups are one of those exercises that you need to actually DO to get better at. Doing bench and such will help, but to truly get good at push ups…you need to DO push ups. Girls don’t just do push ups from your knees because you are girls!!! Channel your inner man and bust them out from your toes or even attempt a decline push up or two (or 10).
3. Dips – You can do these off a bench or from a dip machine, but DO THEM. I find the ones off the bench much easier than full dips, but both can be good. I feel that the ones on the bench pretty much only tire out my triceps while the full dips from the bars work my chest, lower traps, triceps and my anterior deltoid (the front of your shoulder).
Full, off the bars dips.
4. Wide grip pull ups – I happen to agree with Brian about these….I LOVE PULL UPS! THEY ARE AWESOME! Wide grip are especially awesome because they are hard and they isolate your lats. Regular pull ups tend to use a lot of bicep so these are great to mix in to just work your back!
5. Dumbbell 1 arm row – Brian loves this one because as he said, “You can use heavy weight and it is a good way to build strength and size.” That’s what us Man Bicepers love! 🙂
6. Seated DB Military Press – If you want to improve your bench and push ups, you need to strengthen your shoulders. Military press is a great way to do that. Using dumbbells engages more stabilizer muscles in your core and shoulders. Doing the military press seated instead of standing can also be safer if you aren’t as sure of form – just make sure your back is fully pressed into the back of the seat.
7. Front to Side Raises – Shoulder murder. 1 rep is a front raise and then a side raise.
8. Posterior Deltoid Flyes (with a resistance band) – Brian loves this one because no one works on their posterior deltoids. He says, “They are neglected. People focus on the anterior and medial deltoid.” (Brian also mentioned the fact that Candy has what we jokingly call “monster anterior deltoids.”) Choose a resistance band that you can stretch all the way out while having your hands about shoulder width apart.
9. Straight Bar Bicep Curl – This hits every aspect of the bicep. Don’t cheat – go all the way down and all the way up and DON’T SWING! Stagger the feet if you need to. BUT DON’T CHEAT!
10. Skull Crushers – Please don’t crush your face when you do these. Grab dumbbells and lay flat on a bench or floor. Bending at the elbows and keeping your triceps perpendicular to your body, lower the weights down toward your head. Try to keep your elbows in. Stop before you hit your face and straighten the arms back up without any flexion of the shoulder.
Some others that Candy and I love that weren’t on Brian’s list: Dumbbell pullovers and Iron Cross. Iron cross is also shoulder murder and DB pullovers are a great exercise to work your chest, back and triceps all at the same time! If you do a pullover while holding a glute bridge, you get the added bonus of working your core, glutes and hamstrings.
Some that we hate:
Candy hates pull ups.
I hate Overhead Tricep Extensions…UGH!
We both hate manual tricep pushdowns (which almost made Brian’s list).
Do I nauseate you?
The answer seems to be…yes.
Candy told me last night that the workout I designed (which ended with Medball Burpee Slams and Sumo Deadlift High Pulls) made her want to barf.
This morning a new client also told me that she felt nauseated. She said she’d never felt like that before during a workout.
So what is it about me and my workouts that make people want to barf?
The workouts are fast paced. The workouts cram as much stuff into as short a time as possible. You usually have very little rest. And I try to incorporate as many full-body exercises as possible so that I fatigue each and every muscle as much as possible. I also love to push you by adding in challenging weights. And I try to add in burpees as often as possible (or as one of my clients calls them…barfies).
Plus I’m always looking to add in more reps and sets than you would normal push yourself to do.
So that is how I make people want to barf. Because I push them to do way more than they would usually do. I force them to challenge their bodies. And because their bodies aren’t used to the challenge (or in Candy and my case because we push ourselves to the point of no return), they feel like they are going to barf…or at least they get light-headed.
Do I take pride in making people want to barf? No…unless it is Candy or me. But I do take pride in the fact that I force people to work hard and even make them enjoy the challenge….at least I figure they like the challenge since they keep purchasing more sessions….
Does all of this make me and anyone else that loves working out till they feel sick a little sadistic? Yes, probably so.
Happy Birthday to My Man Bicep Sister
Happy Birthday Candy! In celebration, Candy and I will be spinning and doing yoga today. Yoga…uhm…
I haven’t done yoga in a while. And I should be doing it more often…like almost once a week.
While I don’t think yoga should be the only workout that you ever do, it does have some great benefits!
Here are some benefits:
1. Improved flexibility.
2. Improved strength – Holding warrior one (aka a low lunge) or doing a chataranga (not sure if that is worded correctly but it is essentially a push up) isn’t easy! How could holding a lunge or doing a push up not make you stronger?
3. Improved posture – Stronger and more flexible muscles = better posture.
4. Improved lung capacity – Yoga focuses on deep breathing which can help you relax and increase your lung capacity.
5. Improved mental state – Yoga will help you relax. It will also teach you to relax while holding uncomfortable positions. This is, in my opinion, the second biggest benefit besides improved flexibility. I’ve found that most of my clients give up mentally before their bodies actually have to. Yoga teaches you to be mentally stronger. It can really help you push through those last painful reps during a weight workout.
Ok so enough about the benefits of yoga. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAST JR.!!!
Top 10 Leg Exercises (that Candy and I now hate)
So yesterday Candy and I did a leg workout. The last two leg workouts we have done have absolutely murdered our leg muscles.
Here are the 10 best (most tortuous) leg exercises (in no particular order because all can be equally dreadful):
1. Heavy Back Squat (Candy’s least favorite)- There is something about putting a heavy barbell on your back and having to squat down and stand back up that is just fear inducing. I’m always afraid I won’t be able to stand back up…which has happened before.
The Back Squat is a full leg workout, primarily targeting your glutes, quads and hamstrings as well as your adductors, abductors and calf muscles. Your erect0r spinae as well as your transverse abdominus are also engaged so you are working your entire core too! A great first exercise to do! Yesterday we did 5 sets of 5, increasing weight with each set.
2. Cocktail Lunges – Cocktail lunges are a front and back lunge combined. You lunge forward and then backwards, trying to not tap your foot down in the middle. A forward and backwards lunge is one rep. The front lunge and back lunge do both work your entire leg and the stabilizer muscles in your hips, torso and spine. However, your quad is the primary mover in both so you really burn out the quad by combining the two lunges into one rep!
For an extra burn, complete all reps on one side before switching to the other leg. Candy and I did 10 reps on each side before switching (one rep is one forward and one rear lunge). We added some weights to make it even more of a challenge!
3. Slider Side Lunges – Let the adductor machine gather dust and pick up a slider instead! Place one foot on the slider and one on the ground parallel to your foot on the slider. Slide the slider away keeping that leg straight as you bend the standing leg and squat down. When you stand, drag the slider back in keeping the leg straight. As Brian says, “It feels like my groin is ripping!!!”
4. Step Ups – I don’t know why…but I absolutely hate these. Like cocktail lunges, they always make me out of breath. They are simple. Pick a tall box (a challenging height) and step up. If the box is higher, it will also isolate the hamstrings more (but don’t make the box too high…you want it to be about knee height). And if you start farther away from the box, you will work your glutes more. When you step up, tap the other foot on top and climb back down. Isolate one leg first. Add some weight and increase the challenge!!
5. One leg squats (to bench or with TRX) – So the goal here is a pistol squat…no bench…no TRX…just a one leg squat as low as you can go. Candy and I both need a little assistance especially since this isn’t usually the first exercise we do. This is a great full leg workout. It makes you work extra hard too because you have to maintain your balance. AND by isolating one leg, you can make sure that each leg is doing the full amount of work instead of one leg dominating!
6. Kettlebell Swing – KB swings are supposed to be the absolute BEST exercise for your back side. After doing one round yesterday, I wanted to take the kettlebell and let it fly out a window. I usually like KB Swings, but yesterday they were brutal and today my butt is very very sore. So if you want a nice butt…do kettlebell swings.
7. TRX Hamstring Curls – We love to hate these. They destroy your hamstrings and you just want to be done with them. Ten times better than the leg curl machine for you!
8. Split Squat Jumps – We did these today. You start in a lunge position then jump up and land in a lunge on the other side. If you do them quickly and get low, split squat jumps are cardiovascular and really burn your legs.
Want some lean legs? Then definitely do these plyos.
9. Preacher Squats (aka Pitcher Squats, Bulgarian split squats or Balance Lunges) – Brian always wants to skip these. He has weak quads and preacher squats really really work the quads. Enough said.
10. Jump Squats -Squating and jumping. A plyometric exercise that will help you develop lean and powerful legs. What could be better?!?
Runners Up: Wall sit, Box Jumps, Air Squats, Front Squats, Plie Squat (Sumo Squat) and box shuffle.
Deadlift didn’t make the list because it is so much more than just a leg exercise. It is the Man Bicep Move!!! You can torture your glutes, hamstrings, traps, back and core with the deadlift!!!
Rest
When people talk about exercising and getting great results, they often don’t often mention “rest.” But getting enough rest is really key to getting the results you want.
Rest is when the body repairs and strengthens itself. Every time you workout, you break down your muscles. If you don’t rest, they won’t rebuild and get stronger. If you don’t give your body enough rest, you may be hindering your own progress!
The reason I’m even thinking about “rest” right now is because I’m going on vacation on Wednesday. Sometimes it takes a vacation to get me to take a few days off from working out/lifting. I don’t like not working out!
And I don’t mean that I won’t workout or be active over my vacation. I just mean I won’t lift weights. Rest doesn’t have to mean being a couch potato (even though that can be fun sometimes too!). Active rest can be just as effective if not more so at times.
Give your body a break from the usual grind. For me it means backing off the weights for more than a day or two. It means nice easy rides along the beach, paddle boarding and hikes. It means maybe doing only one crossfit outside in the California sun (mostly just because I love working up a sweat in the sun)!
So remember, working out super hard in the gym is only one piece of the puzzle. You also need to take some time off. If you aren’t seeing the results you want, take a look at how many days you’ve taken off recently. Lack of rest may be the issue!!
Man Bicep Form Bible – Deadlifting and Benching
So today during our workout, we took a couple of videos to show our form.
The first video is of one of our favorite exercises – deadlifts. This is during my warm up round.
1. I set my feet and my hands. My feet are a little wider than shoulder width apart and my hands are right outside my shins.
2. I sink low, putting my weight in my heels.
3. I put tension on the bar by pulling up as I raise my head and chest. (You always want your head and chest up instead of sagging toward the floor. This will keep your back from rounding. I sometimes even like to raise my chin right before I settle in to remind myself to keep my chest up. And you can also look at the ceiling to remind yourself not to round. Don’t pull your whole head up. Just pick a place with your eyes.)
4. I pull up on the bar by pushing through my heels, keeping my butt down. (Don’t let your butt come up too fast or you will put more strain on your back.)
5. As I pull up, I keep the bar close to my legs. (Usually my pants or shins are scrapped up from the bar after a deadlifting workout!)
6. At the top I lock out by squeezing my glutes and pressing my hips forward.
The other main lift we did today was bench. After a push up/pull up pyramid yesterday it wasn’t easy. Candy rocked it out though. Below is one of her sets.
1. Set your hands about shoulder width apart.
2. Tuck your elbows in slightly as you lower the bar. (Your upper arms actually shouldn’t be at a 90 degree angle to your torso because this puts more pressure on your shoulders.)
3. Lower the bar all the way to your chest/upper abs.
4. Press back up, locking out your elbows. Always push back toward the rack.
5. Throughout the movement try not to arch and keep your feet on the ground.
Now go out and lift!! Work on those Man Biceps! 🙂
Ouchies
I love being sore. I don’t love being sore and then having to teach 2 hours of spinning. I don’t love being sore and teaching 2 hours of spin after waking up at 4:30 a.m.
BUT I practice what I preach. I make people workout even when they are sore and tired. I make clients stick to a routine because developing a routine is essential for those new to exercise. A routine will create a habit and if you make a habit of exercising, you will keep yourself healthy!!!
I may not be new to exercise, but I do have a routine. And my Thursday routine includes waking up at 4:30 a.m. and teaching two hours of spin. I’m grumpy, but I’m happy deep down that I did it!
On a happier note…Candy made Man Bicep shirts for all of us (me, Brian and herself). They are awesome!!! I’ll try to snap a picture tomorrow, but for tonight a description will have to work.
Front of shirt: Show me yours
Back of shirt: I’ll show you mine. (And then below a picture of the man bicep I have up on the blog!)
Show me your biceps weight lifting women!!!
The New Man Bicep Move
So Candy and I fell in love with the burpee box jump today. How do you do it? You perform a burpee but instead of just jumping straight up at the top, you jump onto a box. It is tough but wonderful.
Of course the push up/pull up pyramid afterwards wasn’t too fun, but at least we found a cool new move!
Try it!
Get your feet all the way on the box though please!
Man Bicep 