Tuesday's Random Tips

• MOVE more in your workout. Too often do I see people sitting around on gym equipment or walking from machine to machine with little effort. Get in the gym and make the most of your time! Sitting is something people get way too much of and nobody needs to sit more. Stay active the whole workout or at the very least don't sit down.

• Avocado is a great thing to add into your diet. Jammed packed with nutrients and antioxidants and is full of healthy fats. 

• Varying the speed in which you lift can help you build muscle and lose body fat. Changing the speed, or tempo, is a great way to change the stimulus to the muscles to break plateaus and shed some body fat.

• Shuffle exercises in and out of your program. If you do deadlifts at least 1x a week for 3-4 weeks in a row then take a couple weeks and move away from deadlifts and change it up. Simply moving from a traditional deadlift to a single leg deadlift for a couple of weeks can work too. 

• COMMIT TO YOU! Take the journey for you and only you. When it becomes important to you you will do whatever it takes to accomplish your goals. 

• 3 simple concepts if you are trying to drop body fat

A)GREAT NUTRITION
B) GREAT NUTRITION
C) FAST PACED FULL BODY WORKOUTS

10 things most people need to be doing

1. More back work- A ratio of 2-1 of back to chest work is a good place to start. It's amazing how some shoulder issues can be solved by just getting better balance between the chest and back muscles. Remember to do both vertical pulling moves like pullups and chinups as well as horizontal pulls like row variations. If you have access to TRX straps those work great as well to develop the lats, traps, rhomboids and help the rotator cuff.

2. Less chest/shoulder- As guys we love our bench press days but too often we over do it. It would do you good to cut down on the volume of work for the chest and shoulders and start doing more back work like stated above. If you notice you always have shoulder issues then this could be a clue you should do less press and more pull.


3. More posterior work for the legs- Give some more love to the hamstrings and glutes. We all love the mirror muscles but the backside of the body needs more development. If you are an athlete stronger hamstrings and glutes will equal more speed and explosiveness. For those of us general population lifters more posterior chain work means less back pain and knee injuries. Start doing more glute thrusters, deadlift variations and leg curls with valslides.

4. Eating less food, Eating less carbs and processed foods, Eating more veggies and protein-  seems simple but if most people did this they would look and feel better.


5. Heavy carries- Pickup dumbbells or better yet a pair of kettlebells. Stand tall, puff your chest up tall, squeeze your shoulder blades together and start to walk nice and slow planting the heel then the the rest of the foot squeezing the glutes with each step. Carries are great for the shoulders, core and hips. Add them at the end of your workouts.


6. Having more intense workouts, having more rest days- You will get better results by working out with more intensity. If you take up the intensity this will mean you will need more recovery. Better recovery, better workouts.


7.  Sprint ( if you can )- If you cant because of the joints or injuries you can use the Airdyne bike or any stationary bike to do intervals.


8. Make less excuses- We all have them.....it is just rather if we chose to use them. Let nothing stand in your way!!


9. Full body workouts- unless you have specific hypertrophy goals, using body part splits is not the best way to go. Stick to full body routines 3x a week and get more out of each workout and save time. Bang for your buck!


10.  Being more consistent- stick with it to get what you want

Monday random tips

• Do full body lifts 3x a week to maximize your fat loss potential. Full body workouts burn more calories than split routines since they work more total muscle mass than say just working the chest one day.

• Do you notice you do the same routine all the time? Odds are you don't take notice, so in order to really change you should start keeping track of what you do for 2 weeks.After 2 weeks you can look and see what pattern you fall into and then you can make changes!

• Butter is ok! If you follow a low carb diet then you will need to eat fats. Butter is high in fat soluble vitamins especially Vitamin K.  Make sure it is organic and from grass fed cows. Moderation is always key however!

•  If you have shoulder issues and still want to press start adding in floor presses especially with a neutral grip or landmine presses.

•  Bored with your routine? Do 3-4 weeks with high reps ( 15-20) , do 3-4 weeks with medium reps ( 10-12) and do 3-4 weeks of low reps ( 5-8) and heavier weights.

• Score small victories when it comes to eating and eventually those will lead to major gains!

• Training to failure on multiple sets or for consecutive days will lead to decreased performance and less gains in the long run.  If you train for explosive power than you should avoid training to failure all together.

Friday format to try

I have used this format with clients recently and I really like the response I have got from it. This format blends both heavy lifting with high intensity conditioning. The key is to make sure you have picked the proper weight for the reps so that you really challenge yourself while still keeping form This works best to cycle in to someones routine for 1-2 weeks.


A1) UPPER BODY PULL EXERCISE 6-8 reps  * you can even add a 2 sec pause on each rep
A2) UPPER BODY PUSH EXERCISE 6-8 reps * you can even add a 2 sec slow count
A3) LOWER BODY EXERCISE 6-8 reps * you can add a 2 sec pause
2 sets. Take 60-90 seconds between sets

** As soon as you finish set  number 2 from group A go right into B

B1) CONDITIONING EXERCISE 
B2) CONDITIONING EXERCISE
B3) CONDITIONING EXERCISE
2 sets. Take 60-90 seconds between sets

Take a full rest and then repeat this whole sequence again starting back with group A. Once you get through another sequence, so 4 total sets of each group move on.

C1) UPPER BODY PULL EXERCISE 6-8 reps  * you can even add a 2 sec pause on each rep
C2) LOWER BODY EXERCISE 6-8 reps * you can add a 2 sec pause
2 sets. Take 60-90 seconds between sets

** As soon as you finish set  number 2 from group C go right into D

C1) CONDITIONING EXERCISE 
C2) CONDITIONING EXERCISE
2 sets. Take 60-90 seconds between sets

Take a full rest and then repeat this whole sequence again starting back with group C.


PULL-any back exercise
PUSH- any chest, shoulder exercise
CONDITIONING-ball slams, burpees, kettlebell swings, jump rope, agility ladder drills, plyo exercises, surfer get ups, etc.

10 Thursday lose your belly fat tips

1.  Reduce stress- I know its hard but do yoga, meditate, go for a walk, read or get into boxing....something to lower your stress will help the battle against fat!

2. Eliminate sugars and sweeteners

3. Eliminate pop, juices and sports drinks. Stick to water, tea and coffee

4. Workout with short rest periods and high volume ( Meaning 30-45 sets  per workout )

5.  Do a high protein and low-glycemic breakfast

6.  Don't be scared of fat, just make sure you eat the right kind- focus on wild meats, avocado, nuts, fish, olive oil and coconut oil.

7. Try not to train on an empty stomach-This will not only hinder the body using fat as fuel but also lower your calorie burning potential post exercise.

8. Eat your fiber! Most people lack in this department. Low fiber equals poor insulin health which equals belly fat.

9. Use hypertrophy rep ranges between 8-12 reps

10. Rest and recover- get your sleep!!!

4 Keys to Success

1. Be Consistent- Get yourself in the gym and do some work. Consistency is one of the biggest keys to success and it is ironically what must people lack. Consistency allows you to build momentum and once the ball gets rolling you are on your way to achieving what you want. If you fall off the wagon don't worry about it, pick it back up and start it up again. CONSISTENCY IS KING!

2. Surround yourself with the right people-If you are going to be successful you need only people who are going to be there for you during the journey. Boot the crabs and vampires who suck the life out of you and get around those who will only make you better. Finding a training partner like a spouse or friend works great or even hire a trainer. What matters is you get someone who has your best interest in mind.

3. Do everything with a purpose- When you eat, make sure you eat how you need to be and get rid of the garbage. When you workout, be intense and don't waste your time. Everyday should serve its purpose in leading you to your goals.


4. Keep chopping- Unfortunate injury.. keep chopping!, people trying to drag you down...keep chopping!, you have a bad week at work....keep chopping! Don't let anything slow you down!

Random Friday Thoughts...

• Start doing your pressing movements on a decline even if it is only a slight decline make the change. Not only will you decrease shoulder involvement but it is also more of a natural pressing angle. Start mixing in the decline and see what happens.

• Keep two words in mind when it comes to your workouts

           EFFICIENT and EFFECTIVE

          

• I don't have the energy is one of the worst excuses someone could have to not workout. When you start exercising more you will have more energy, period......so do it! This is why some of the most successful people in the world workout because they know it will give them more energy in their day to do better business and work longer hours.

• If you walk into the gym and feel totally brain dead and have no idea what to do that day simply follow this:

            AFTER A WARMUP

         

            Alternate between upper and lower body exercises, choosing 3-4 of each. Do between 10-12 reps and do 3-4 sets taking rest between rounds as long as you need but no longer than 5 minutes. End with some core.  Follow the KISS principle and keep it simple stupid as they say.

• Watch this video to see some different ways to use the barbell in your routine