More exercise variations to try

1) Roll curl for the biceps-This exercise does not need much resistance to complete so check your ego at the door. Also note that you must have great form and and control in order to get this movement right. Start the movement just like you would a regular standing barbell curl. Make sure the shoudlers,hips and knees are all in line. Begin by keeping the bar in contact with your upper thigh and as you lift up maintain the contact to the body all the way up. It helps to keep your elbows back as you curl it up. Do the movement with a controlled tempo and squeeze at the top. Below is a video on how to do this.



2) Sumo-Romanian Deadlift-Do this just like a Romanian deadlift but with a very wide stance and the toes pointed out. This variation with hit different aspects of the hamstrings than the traditional Romanian.


3) Ahrens Shoulder Press-Named after Chuck Ahrens, who was considered to have some of the strongest shoulders in the world. This variation of the shoulder press comes from his workouts. Set yourself up like a normal dumbbell shoulder press but instead of pressing them straight up you will press them up and away. You will essentially make a "V" with both arms. This exercise is great since it puts the medial head of the shoulder under high tension as the move is completed. Make sure to start with lighter weight and do this under control until you master the movement.

Try these 4 unique exercises

1) Decline Step-up

Just like doing a normal step-up but on a decline bench. Make sure your toe is a couple of inches below your heel. The foot should be on the low end of the bench. You can add a barbell or dumbbell to increase the load. Great exercise to burn the quads and butt.

2) Fly-away

Think of this as a combination of a dumbbell bench press and fly. To perform, do a regular chest press and then pause at the top and lower the weight like you would when doing a fly. Do this for each rep. Press the weight up like a bench press, fly the weight down.

3) BOSU ball pushup

Not a huge fan of the bosu ball for many things but it works great for this exercise. Turn the ball over so you can grip the bottom handles. Perform pushups and see how lit up your core gets. Try elevating your feet for an even better workout.

4) X row

This exercise can be an alternative to the seated row or pulldown. Use a cable crossover setup and grab the left handle with your right hand and right cable with left hand. Knee or sit a couple of feet in front of the cable setup making sure the cables are at its highest point. Pull and cross the handles in front of your hands until your hands end up in the middle of the pecs. Make sure to pause and contract the muscle of the mid back on each rep. Great exercise for the middle of the back.

Conditioning options

Ehh cardio.....It is definitely not my favorite thing to do and I think its safe to say you feel the same. Running in place on a treadmill, cycling on the bike or sweating on the elliptical just doesn't compare to knocking out some pullups or pulling a heavy deadlift off the floor. The good news is that you can make conditioning more fun and more interesting and here are some ideas.


1) JUMP ROPE-Hard to not think of Rocky or really any boxer when talking about jumping rope. Jumping rope is great for your feet and agility and overall is a solid conditioning exercise. One of the drawbacks of jumping rope of course is not everyone can do it. Despite that drawback, jumping rope is time and space efficient and will make you feel more athletic. A sample jump rope workout could look like this below.

JUMP ROPE for time

CORE-1 SET

repeat this for 6-8 rounds

( you could include this with your normal cardio....doing half jump rope half cardio on the treadmill etc )


2) PLATE PUSHES-This is the alternate version to doing the Prowler ( for those who don't know is a sled you push ) that can be done indoors. Basically put between a 25-45lb plate on the floor and push it. Sounds simple but don't think simple means easy. For those stronger you might even need to stack 45s. Keep in mind the type of surface you have in your gym. Make sure to keep your spine and head in neutral when pushing the plate. Below is a sample workout you can do.

PUSH THE PLATE ABOUT 25 YARDS, REST 15-25SEC....THEN PUSH IT BACK THE SAME DISTANCE. NOW REST 60-90 SEC OR SO.

*THIS EQUALS 1 SET. DO 5-8 SETS

** To change things you can push for a longer distance, do more rounds or decrease your rest periods


3) HILL SPRINTS-If they were good enough to get Walter Payton into great shape then they are good enough for you and I. Hill sprints are intense and they will leave your legs and lunges burning like no other. Keep in mind the steeper the hill the harder it will be. One of the drawbacks is finding a good hill especially if you live in the city. Another drawback is hill sprints tend to be tough of the ankles and Achilles. There is no exact workout for hill sprints but I would start with something you can do. Generally get up the hill as fast as you can, walk down and repeat 6-10x. Remember that hill sprints are tough on the body so I would only do them 1-2x a week.

5/1 workout

The 5/1 workout consists of three different exercise groupings of three and are time based. Generally it is best to stay between the rep ranges of 6-8 reps. I have also found it best to have the same rep scheme for all three exercises.For each circuit you will have three exercises and you will aim to get as many rounds as possible in 5 minutes then taking 1 minute of rest. You will then repeat this sequence for a total of three rounds of 5 minutes with the goal of each round being to equal the work done in the previous time period or better. It becomes a 15 minute to 3 minute work to rest ratio when done. You should be getting a solid 3 rounds on these circuits if the rep scheme is correct. Below is how it would look

Seated row-8 reps
Goblet dumbbell squat-8 reps
Stir the pot on ball-8 reps each direction

5 min of work/1 min rest/5min work/1 min rest/5min work....done

If you did 3 rounds on the first 5 min then you would aim to get 3 rounds or better on the second and third 5 min rounds. The whole idea of the 5/1 workout is to make the body work hard each and every round and not drop off in performance. I have found this method to be great for improving overall body composition and dropping body fat.

** Key point is to make sure you have quality movement. Do not sacrifice bad form to makeup time. Also make sure the weight you choose is not too heavy because you need to keep the weight the same throughout every 5 minute round to keep consistency.

Ideal exercise selection can be any of the following-

upper body pull/upper body push/lower body

upper body/lower body/core

lower body hamstring or glute dominant/lower body quad dominant/upper body

upper body/lower body/conditioning exercise like ropes or ball slams


sample workout

A1)Seated row-8 reps
A2)Goblet squat-8 reps
A3) *Stir the pot with ball-8 reps each direction
** Stir the pot is when you get yourself in a plank position with your forearms on a ball. Then you make small circles in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions by moving your forearms on the ball
5/1 ratio x 3

B1) Neutral shoulder press with dumbbells-8 reps
B2) *Hamstring curl with ball-8 reps ( if too easy you could do 1 leg at a time )
B3) Chinup-8 reps
** Lie on your back with arms extended straight out as support. Place your heels on the ball, then bridge yourself up by squeezing your glutes. Next dig your heels in the ball and draw the ball in towards your butt. You should feel this in the hamstrings.

5/1 ratio x 3

C1) Band chops-8 reps
C2) Dips-8 reps
C3) Lateral lunge with dumbbell-8 reps each leg

5/1 ratio x 3

Done!

I only like to put this into a program for 1-2 weeks before moving onto something else since this workout consists of a heavy volume of work.

Random thoughts.....

• One of my favorite new snack bars is called 18 Rabbits Nibblin' Apricot. They have no added sweeteners or refined sugars and they are a good source of fiber. Sure like any healthy bar they can taste a little dry, but the apricot gives the bar a great flavor. http://www.amazon.com/18-Rabbits-Nibblin-Apricot-1-9-Ounce/dp/B000QV0M1A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330474925&sr=8-2

• Aerobic training doesn't do much for fat loss. Sure aerobic training should be included in a fast loss program, however it should not be the focal point. Resistance training and intervals should be a larger portion of what you do.

• There is no "secret" to fat loss. Eat right, workout hard as hell and get your sleep. The secret is most are not willing to do these things consistently to get results. Sure some programs are better than others, but there is no magic pill.

• If you are trying to add muscle start doing what Arnold did and work your weak spot first. If you have a weak and underdeveloped back then work the back first thing in your workout. Get your lagging muscles up to speed by emphasizing them first while you have the most energy.
  

• If you read while you workout.......you will never get results. Join a book club. Gym time is not book time, end of story!

• Pushups to me should be a staple of everyone's program but especially women. Great for the core, shoulders, triceps and chest.
  

• Sometimes the easiest way to change your workout is to look at changing your grip. If you always row with your palms down, then switch to palms up. If you press with your palms facing forward, press with your palms facing one another. You get the drift.

• To me the best 3 exercises for your glutes are- 1) glute thrusters 2) high box step ups 3) Donkey kicks
  

Unique exercises/techniques for you to try!

PHA + Dynamic interrupt workout

This workout includes full body balance by working both the upper and lower body as well as core. Compared to past PHA workouts posted this workout emphasizes heavier weights and more of a strength circuit. The goal of a strength training circuit is to help build muscle and shred fat while gaining strength. Muscle equals metabolism! In order to make this routine effective make sure you choose the appropriate load for the stated reps.

DYNAMIC INTERRUPT

What is this dynamic interrupt? Think of the dynamic interrupt as a major metabolic enhancement circuit. The dynamic interrupt was first intended as a way to increase conditioning with athletes. What was found was that is works great for fat loss! The dynamic interrupt will usually be a series of bodyweight exercises that will increase heart rate and lead to a greater metabolic effect. The lower rep ranges of the strength circuit plus the higher reps of the dynamic interrupt will lead to major fat loss!

A1) Pullup- 5 reps
A2) High step up- Use a high box, increasing emphasis on glutes- 6 reps per leg
A3) Alternating neutral grip shoulder press ( standing )-6 reps each arm
A4) Glute thrusters-5 reps, pause 2 seconds at the top of each * Most will need to use a barbell for extra weight
A5) Lateral step and chop with band-10 reps each http://www.youtube.com/user/H4training#p/u/45/RX-_yvo7Ez8

4 rounds without rest. If you need the recovery then give yourself 60sec-30sec. Once your done with all 4 rounds go right into the dynamic interrupt.

DYNAMIC INTERRUPT

1) Jackknives ( burpees )-set your timer and do as many as you can for 60sec
2) Mountain climbers-set your timer and do as many as you can for 45 sec
** Left leg, right left is 1 rep
***Make sure to record your numbers for each exercise

Just 1x then take 2min rest before starting B

B1) Alternating seated row with cables ( palms facing each other )-6 each
B2) Deadlift with barbell-6 reps
B3) Incline dumbbell chest press-6 reps
B4) Alternating front lunges with dumbbells-6 each
B5) Pull and punch decline crunch with dumbbell-6 each

4 rounds without rest. If you need the recovery then give yourself 60sec-30sec. Once your done with all 4 rounds go right into the dynamic interrupt.

Your goal is to equal at the very least the number of reps you did on the dynamic interrupt the first time through.

DYNAMIC INTERRUPT

1) Jackknives ( burpees )-set your timer and do as many as you can for 60sec
2) Mountain climbers-set your timer and do as many as you can for 45 sec
** Left leg, right left is 1 rep
***Make sure to record your numbers for each exercise

Do this just 1x

Done!