FitMarker Journals

5 basic tips for your training

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 10:54:55 -0500

Passive muscle building Aka rest. It does not matter if you say it once too often (actually I said it last week). It is during the rest you build up the body and without rest, the greater risk of damage and degradation. You don’t want your body to eat itself right?! Always make sure your body gets the recovery that is required before the next workout. This is especially important if you do full body workouts, but even if you work different muscle groups every day rest is still important. Abs are made in the kitchen Whether your goal is to lose weight or add muscle mass your diet has a huge role in your final results. Think about what you put in you and what you need, you need to think about when and how much you consume in relation to what you want to achieve. Some people say calorie intake is the only thing that’s relevant, but there’s a huge difference in eating 500g of carbs each day, and 500g protein. Sure, they may give the same amount of energy, but you can’t build muscles with chocolate and candy. Muscle makes muscle. Structuring your training A training program is a great tool in your training and to help you achieve your results. Most people think going to the gym is boring just because they don’t know what to do when they get there. So they do a few leg extensions, leg press and other weird machine exercises (which I really don’t care for…). If you’ve got a structured plan it is much more fun to work out, and you suddenly have a purpose to go to the gym. You can try to write your own programs, but if you are a beginner you should probably just hire a professional. Otherwise you’re stuck with curls/bench/lat pull/stupid Smith machine work (sorry, I mean coat rack) and an insane amount of upper body exercises. I don’t know about you, but I know I look at peoples glutes/quads/hammies first, and sometimes their face. Just get help. Listen to your body In the case of damage, it is always best to listen to your body. If your shoulder hurts, then perhaps you shouldn’t do any pressing exercises, like bench or military press. For someone who has been working out for a long time it is easier to feel the difference between pain and discomfort. Training is not supposed to be easy or comfortable, so discomfort is normal. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is also normal, and should not keep you from working out. Pain on the other hand, is something different and should never be ignored. Find motivation Motivation plays a huge role in whether you will succeed or not. Only you can set the limits, and with the right thinking you can go far. Leave the past behind and try again. Believe in yourself and do not give up. When I last tried to set a PR in log press I didn’t make it until the sixth try. I was way more tired by then, but not succeeding gave me that extra push I needed to get it up. It’s when you’re in the right state of mind that you go from average to Awesome. By: Isa Olsson Content originally written for Fitmarker.com -- © 2011 All Rights Reserved.

Barefoot Running

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 07:04:38 -0500

Barefoot running is appealing not only because it taps into our primal caveman instincts, but more importantly, because it encourages forefoot running, which is generally considered the safest, most efficient running technique. Forefoot running lessens joint impact and facilitates a higher stride frequency, which is often correlated with faster race times. Will Barefoot Running Make You Faster? Maybe, but probably not. However, barefoot running will help you learn how to run with less impact, which will reduce the likelihood of pain and injuries – at least in the long run (pun intended).

Transitioning to Forefoot Running While running barefoot or with minimal footwear is a great way to learn the forefoot technique, it isn’t absolutely necessary. You can learn to run on your forefoot in any comfortable sneaker. When making the transition to forefoot running, it is common to experience severe soreness in your calves. This doesn’t mean that you’re doing anything wrong. It just means you’re using muscles that you aren’t used to using. In time, those muscles will become stronger and the soreness following a run will subside. The Technique Other than the obvious, there are a few key differences between the forefoot running technique and the heel-to-toe technique. First, in forefoot running, your foot lands right under your hips instead of in front of your center of gravity. This does not mean that you’re up on the tips of your toes the whole time, but rather that your foot will land almost totally flat, with the heel just barely making contact with the ground. Maintaining good posture while bending your knees and leaning forward from your ankles will help facilitate this. Forefoot running technique is more about using your hamstrings and glutes to kick out behind you, as opposed to using your quads to reach out in front. Don’t think about lifting your knees, instead just think about picking your foot up off the ground. The rest should take care of itself. Another difference with barefoot running technique is that you aim to keep your foot in contact with the ground as briefly as possible. Rather than leaving your foot down there while you roll from heel to toe, in forefoot running, you strike down quickly and move into the next stride immediately. Whether you choose to wear shoes or not, relax, focus on proper posture and listen to your body to avoid pain. Ease in slowly and gradually, allowing yourself time to adapt. Al Kavadlo, CSCS is a personal trainer, group exercise instructor and author of the book, We're Working Out! A Zen Approach to Everyday Fitness. To find out more about Al, visit AlKavadlo.com.

The Complete Goal Setting Manual

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 07:58:38 -0500

In my article Goal Characteristics and the Likelihood of Successful Outcome I talked about the science behind goal characteristics when setting goals thus maximizing the chances of your goals leading to the necessary actions to complete them. But how can you bridge the performance or weight loss goals with the direct actions needed? In this manual I’ll show you how to link the wanted outcome to the actions needed - by making the actions the goals themselves. The goal setting procedure: Here I will walk you through the different stages of successful goal setting. I will introduce my goal sheet and show you how to fill it out. I will have Client X serve as a fictive person to help you understand the different stages. In the end there will be a short summary and some practical tips. 1. Identify Point B This is the ordinary goal setting process you see everywhere. When you set your goals make sure to follow the characteristics I outlined I my article on Goal Characteristics The goal needs to be specific, difficult yet attainable and proximal. Client X wants to “lose weight and gain strength”. After setting long-term goals and dividing them into short term (proximal) goals we state his goals the following way: Weight 95 kilos by June 1st while squatting 85 kilos and performing 10 strict chin ups. 2. Identify Point A (assessment) Where - related to Point B - are you this very moment? The importance of an assessments cannot be underlined enough because it shows the effort needed to complete the task in the given time period which serves as an important motivational factor. Client X: current stats: 100 kg, 80 kg squat, 8 chin-ups.

This is the classic performance based goal setting strategy used a lot. I’ve found thought that just setting goals do not always lead to the necessary actions needed to actually get to Point B. That’s why I’ve come up with a system to bridge the performance goals with actual action goals. 3. Identify the factors needed to be in place for you to get to point A to point B in the given timeframe. This can be different depending on your goals but often the five important categories are Training intensity and programming, Recovery, Nutrition, Knowledge and Motivation. Back to Client X: Factors that needs to be met to maximize the chances of me reaching my goals: I need to be in calorie deficit to drop body weight. My Training needs to be very intense since I only have 4 weeks to increase my squat by 5 kg and add 2 reps to my chin-ups. My recovery will be hampered because of the deficit so I need to maximize that. My biggest obstacle though is to make sure I stay motivated through the process. So factors that need to be met: Calorie deficit, intense training, maximize recovery, stay motivated. 4. Brainstorm This is one of the most vital parts of the goal setting process. You need to brainstorm direct actions you can take that will make sure the necessary factors outlined in part 3 are met – to maximize your chances of achieving your performance goals. Example of Client X brainstorming: Training (programing/intensity): Do a squat workout, box squat, do chin-up variation X, take my creatine. Nutrition: have a 1500 calorie rest day, take fish oils, drink 2 liters of water, eat 500 g veggies/meal Recovery: Sleep 7 hours, do a 30 minute walk, eat 3000 calories and 400 grams carbs on training days. Knowledge and Motivation: Read Bojan’s fitness articles, Listen to podcast X, Watch hardcore training videos on YouTube, post my daily goals on twitter, upload photos on Facebook…. The list usually grows a lot longer than that but these are just examples to make my point. The important part is that you ask yourself the question: Which direct actions can I take that will make the factors in part 3 met, so that I can maximize the chances of reaching my performance goals? Introducing the GOAL SHEET The goal sheet is your personal action goal calendar. Every box represents one day and every row one training cycle or week. The figure in the top of each day is the number of days left until Point B. Start by writing down point B in the left right corner and dividing it further into performance goals for every week and wright them in the PERFORMANCE GOALS column. Then proceed to step 5 - writing daily action goals.

5. Set daily action goals. Every day you pick 5 of the actions above and make them the goals for the day. I usually have 3-4 generic goals (habits) that stays pretty much the same through the week and 1-2 “challenges of the day” that are specific for that given day. It can be big actions or small actions – the most important thing is that you do SOMETHING every day that will get you closer to your goal, because that’s the plan of this protocol – constant action taking. With clients I sometime don’t even let them know beforehand what the goals for the day are – I text them in the morning. Turns a boring fat loss journey into an interesting game with daily challenges. Example of how Client X’s goals for this 6 day training cycle might look like: I know that he wants to train Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and that he will be invited to his aunt’s birthday party on Saturday so that he won’t be able to count his calories on that day- but instead he’ll have to make sure to eat 500 grams of veggies to every meal (makes him less prone to over-eat there). Since his biggest obstacle is to stay motivated he’ll have quite a few daily goals from the motivation category.

You set the goals for one week/cycle at the time on the last day of the cycle. Then your complete focus is on the daily action goals. 6. Feedback and evaluations. A big component of achieving a set goal is to get feedback on your progress and reward successful accomplishments. By setting short term PERFORMANCE goals after the daily goals you can see if the daily actions lead to increases in performance the way you predicted. If not – you need to evaluate what factor is not being met and focus more on that when setting the goals for next week/cycle’s daily actions. Client X: after the first cycle I might expect him to weigh 89 kg, Squat 81,25 kg and do 3 sets of 5 strict pull ups. So after the first 6 day cycle we make an evaluation – How many points did he earn for that week and did it get him to reach the performance goals for the week? Why? Why not? What needs to change for next week’s goals?

7. Rewards. You need to reward good behavior in order to stay motivated. Each day that you complete ALL FIVE daily actions you get one point. Write the score earned for the week in the right SCORE-column and have a pre-set reward if you complete a number of points in the given period. It is important to remember that you reward the ACTIONS taken, not the performance per se. If your actions didn’t make you reach your performance goals you still earned the reward (event though you have to change your action goals for next month, or set more realistic performance goals). Client X: Has been planning a new tattoo for a long time. He decides that if he reaches 80% of all the points he’s finally going to go through with it. That means that all he needs to do is to earn more than 20 points this 4 week cycle (20/24 days) and he deserved it. This will keep him motivated, after all – its only 5 tasks/day to a lean, strong, tattooed body– how hard can it be? Summary: 1. Write down your performance goals 2. Identify your current status and write your performance goals on the goal sheet 3. Identify the factors needed to be in place to maximize your chances to get to point B in the given timeframe 4. Brainstorm about actions you can take that will make sure those factors are met 5. Write daily action goals 6. Evaluate if the actions let to improvement in performance and set new goals on the last day of the cycle 7. Score your adherence to the plan and reward yourself by the end of the month (big time) Putting it all together This might be a bit lengthy and detailed but I wanted to give you a complete guide to goal setting. Really all you might need is the steps in the summary but I want you to be able to go back and look at the explanations in case you need to. Once you set the goals for the week it’s a no-brainer. You get up in the morning, look at the five goals of the day, live your life, and before going to bed make sure you finished them all, give yourself one point and go to bed proud, that reward is just ahead of you! FREE STUFF! You can download the goal sheet in the examples Here (this is a 6 day cycle sheet, so you might have to alter it to fit your training cycle). You can also download this guide in .pdf-format Here in case you want to print it out and save for future usage – and you should – or if you just want a more colorful and funky version. You can thank me later. So, what can you do TODAY that will bring you one step closer to your long term goals? Now do it. Bojan Kostevski MD cand, Personal Trainer, Education junkie, an overall really busy guy, with a big interest in getting folks strong and sexy. Follow him on Twitter , Facebook or : Google+ for more awesome shit: or add his RSS-feed to your favorite reader.

Overtraining - A Setback In Your Development

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 08:17:00 -0500

It's fun to work out, but sometimes too much exercise cause overtraining, or "chronic fatigue". This means that the training exceeds the body's ability to recover after exercise. Then you get the opposite effect (catabolic) of what you want and break down the body constantly. This takes you one step back instead of forward in your training and development. Overtraining may be due to several reasons, but the most common reason is that a person starts to train too intensively and increase workouts too quickly. It may also depend on a limited rest in the form of sleep, that it is stressful at work or that you’re working out even though you are not feeling well. Recovery is key. The main cause of overtraining is because you get too little rest and your body does not have time to recover before going on the next workout. Despite the relatively light term "overtraining", it can lead to greater risk of infections and even depression. Signs of overtraining Overtraining often differs the more experienced athletes with good training background and people who are just starting to exercise but have very high goals. If you are a professional athlete you probably know exactly what you are doing as opposed to the beginner, who often assumes that “more is more”. It takes a lot of training before you are ready for the same training load that a professional athlete can handle. Common signs of overtraining include: - Poorer performance - Increased risk of infection - Increased fatigue - Depression - Increased heart rate - Headache - Weight loss - Insomnia - To not wake up refreshed For someone who trains, it can be difficult to detect overtraining. If you can’t lift as much as usual or easily get tired we usually want to exercise more and think that not working out enough is the main cause of poor performance. It is important that we learn the difference between quantity and quality, and that quality is always better. It is important not to ignore signs of overtraining. Prevent overtraining To prevent that you are not overtraining, it is important to find a balance between exercise and rest. One must ensure that you get the sleep your body requires for recovery. Exercising excessively can easily lead to overtraining; it is thanks to your rest that you can build muscle. Not only is enough sleep important for your training, but you must also have off days. A regular nutritious diet that is tailored to your needs can also help you prevent overtraining. Do not be stingy on the carbohydrates, because they are important for your overall energy intake during the day and make sure that you're getting enough fluids. Adjust your protein intake so that you get enough to build muscle. Recovery from overtraining It requires both mental and physical recovery when you are experiencing overtraining. Rest is a given. If you have really gone too far in your training it is important that you “start over” again and take things slowly. Some studies have shown that low intensity aerobic exercise 5-10 minutes a day can help you in recovery from overtraining. Then slowly increase the intensity until you are back on track again. By: Isa Olsson Content originally written for Fitmarker.com -- © 2011 All Rights Reserved. Images copyright of their respective owners.

Weight Vest Calisthenics

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:00:54 -0500

Wearing a weighted vest is one of the best ways to up the intensity of calisthenics workouts. From push-ups to pistol squats and, yes, even muscle-ups, there’s hardly a bodyweight exercise out there that can’t be cranked up by wearing a weight vest. Sure, some of you guys (and gals) are still learning to do a pull-up, but I know lots of you can peel off 15 or 20 of them in a row (I’ve seen your videos on youtube). If you’re looking to add a new challenge to your bodyweight regimen, weight vest training could be for you.

It’s All Good While working towards higher reps on basic exercises like pull-ups, dips or squats can lead to progress in your training, wearing a weight vest when performing these exercises can shock your body and stimulate new growth. That’s not to say you can’t continue to increase your strength with just your bodyweight. If you continually work towards harder exercises, no equipment workouts can still be very intense! However, it is helpful (and fun!) to vary one’s training stimulus on the road to a well-rounded, functionally fit body. “Weight” For It Only once you can perform a given bodyweight exercise for ten or more reps with proper form should you consider adding resistance. Better to wait until you are ready than to get injured because you were overzealous.

Do the Math Keep in mind that the amount of weight in your vest must be relative to your body weight. A man who weighs 135 pounds might find doing dips with an additional 25 pounds to be very challenging, whereas a man who weighs 235 might barely even feel a difference with 25 extra pounds. It’s better to base your decision on a percentage of your bodyweight, rather than a catchall number. First timers should add between 10-20% of their bodyweight (depending on the difficulty of the given exercise). When you can get at least five reps with clean form, feel free to gradually ramp up that percentage. Maybe This Weight is a Gift Weight vests are not the only way to add resistance to bodyweight exercises. You can use a weight belt, have a training partner provide manual resistance, or simply toss some free-weights into a backpack. Just don’t do that last one at your gym or they might get the wrong idea; free-weights doesn’t mean free weights! Check out this video of me doing some weight vest training for more. Al Kavadlo, CSCS is a personal trainer, group exercise instructor and author of the book, We're Working Out! A Zen Approach to Everyday Fitness. To find out more about Al, visit AlKavadlo.com.

Goal Characteristics and the Likelihood of Successful Outcome

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 09:40:53 -0500

Everybody knows the importance of goal setting when it comes to fitness and weight loss. But what are the parts that constitute effective goals? What is the difference between a successful person, that reaches his/her goals and a dreamer who always plans but never actually takes the necessary steps to eventually unlocking their true potential? Is it something in the way the goals are constructed that makes the difference between success and failure? This topic has been researched quite extensively and the results are quite conflicting. One of the reasons is the lack of definition for what “goal setting” really is and the fact that the term is quite abstract makes it hard to study in a sequential manner, so the studies use different methodological setups and the results are hard to compare between one another. Lee, Locke and Lantham who have contributed massively to the research on goal setting in workplaces define a goal as “that which one wants to accomplish; it concerns a valued, future end state.” Based on their work, another group of researchers developed a four-step goal-setting process, oriented more towards goal-setting strategies in nutrition counseling situations. The study pointed put the following four vital parts: 1. Recognizing the need for change 2. Establishing a goal 3. Adopting goal-directed activity and self-monitoring it 4. Self-rewarding goal attainment Despite the conflicting results in research on effective goal setting strategies the aspect of Goal Characteristics and the potential successful outcome is pretty straight forward. Is there an aspect of the way the goals are written that can predict a more favorable outcome and increase the probalility of the subject to take the necessary action steps to complete the task? Goal Characteristics In a meta analysis by Locke et al 99 of 110 studies showed that proximal, specific, difficult yet attainable goals resulted in higher task performance compared with ‘no goal’ or ‘easy goals’. Furthermore, adding feedback and rewards to the goal setting progress increases motivation and task performance. Let’s take a look at why these are vital parts of effective goal setting: Proximity: Goals can have a proximal (short term) or distal (long term) focus. Proximal goals mobilize instant actions and are more unlikely to be postponed compared to distal goals. That’s why all long term goals should be divided in to short term goals and the greatest focus should be short term. An example: My goal is to lose 1 pound until next Friday vs. Until next new year my goal is to lose 50 lbs. Which do you think has the biggest potential to lead to instant actions? Specificity : A specific goal provides a clear and narrow target and makes it easier to track the progress. A goal such as: A 225 lbs. bench press by the end of my next training cycle is a better goal than I want a stronger bench . Difficulty : To induce effort , a goal has to be difficult. This forces you to step out or your comfort zone. The mild stress makes the task a lot more interesting and keeps you motivated. Still the goal needs to be realistic and attainable for you to stay motivated and keep striving for it. Unrealistic goals are more likely to lead to frustration and increase the risk of giving up. Ask yourself when setting a goal: What results can I expect in this given timeframe if I made this goal my biggest priority? Always aim high, but stay realistic. Feedback: Keep track on how close you are to reaching your goal. That’s a good way to stay motivated and make necessary adjustments to your plan. Plan in regular evaluations. Define your current status compared to your goals and make adjustments to the plan. You can do this yourself or have somebody else do it. For body composition changes, regularly taking photos of your current condition are a great way to give yourself feedback on your progression rate. Tracking strength or limb measurements is another way to do the same thing. Rewards: An important factor for continuous motivation and continued goal striving. They can be internal (pride) or external (recognition). When talking about changing body composition - Posting your progress pictures on Facebook, getting comments from friends and family or celebrating every 10 lbs weight loss with a new clothing item might be examples of rewarding activities that will keep you going. Putting it all together: So much for the theoretical part. Next week I’ll try to break it all down and fit it into a nice little system that will increase the likelihood of you getting and staying motivated by you goals and actually taking the necessary actions that will get you one step closer to unlocking your true potential. In the meantime ask yourself: What action you can take TODAY that will get you one step closer to reaching your goals? Now do it. Bojan Kostevski MD cand, Personal Trainer, Education junkie, an overall really busy guy, with a big interest in getting folks strong and sexy. Follow him on Twitter , Facebook or : Google+ for more awesome shit: or add his RSS-feed to your favorite reader.

How To Get Your Confidence Back When It Matters

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:04:12 -0500

Self-confidence is every lifter’s best friend and just as with friendship, you have to maintain your confidence all the time. You are of course aware that one moment you can be full of confidence and optimism, and a minute later, your self-confidence is blown away. What you're easily able to pull during training suddenly don’t work at all in a competition. A mistake often leads to another mistake and you find yourself performing at a level where you were several years ago. Confidence is the key to performing well. But if confidence fails me during the competition - what do I do? Unfortunately there is no magic spell to take in such situations, but there are some things you can do to increase your confidence in an emergency situation. Try them next time, it could be the difference between winning and losing.

Here are five tips to quickly get back your confidence during competition. 1st) Go back to basics. Most of the times when we perform worse than we are accustomed to, we have forsaken the basic technique, the one we have used for years and really mastered. In a situation with high pressure we have instead begun to complicate the technique and let go of what we usually do to try to “fix things”. You should probably never try anything for the first time in a competition. Visualize a successful performance and take some extra time to gather yourself before it's time for the contest. 2nd) Don’t think too much about the result. Sometimes when we are performing well, we start thinking about the results of our performance. We are too obsessed by performing as good or better in every lift, and compare ourselves to other peoples results rather than our own. When we’re going to do the same thing again it may not be as good, and that is when the negative thoughts start coming. Then we must remind ourselves that failure is a natural part of our sport and it is a motivation to try harder next time. Forget the result, concentrate on the actual execution. Just do it! 3rd) Forget the past – Start fresh Put your energy into what you can influence. You can’t do anything about a bad start. Whatever it is, you have let the past setbacks affect your performance and your confidence. What has happened has happened and no matter how much you want to change it, you can’t rewind the tape and do it again. It’s easy to start dwelling on failures, you lose focus and energy, and your day is ruined. Try again and make it better. 4th) Stay in the present This is also a "classic" mistake. Everything is going great, you are focused and relaxed, but in your mind you are already doing your next pull. You already beginning to think about what is going to happen next and how well you are going to perform in the event AFTER this. Suddenly you have lost your, and it’s easy to be doing unnecessary mistakes. 5th) Be careful with your expectations. It is important to have high expectations, but being too confident and cocky can make you lose your focus and (subconsciously) abandon the winning game, the simple and basic stuff that brought you to where you are today. You start thinking too much and make things much harder for yourself than they need to be. Do not expect perfect every time, it is not realistic. However, you should have very high expectations of your own attitude - every time By: Isa Olsson Content originally written for Fitmarker.com -- © 2011 All Rights Reserved. Images copyright of their respective owners.

The Best Time To Work Out

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:14:38 -0500

Do you have a hard time fitting workouts into your busy schedule? People often ask me when is the best time of day to exercise. Let’s weigh the pros and cons of a few different approaches: Morning People A lot of people like to exercise first thing in the morning in order to get it out of the way. If you do your workout before the stresses of the day start to pile up, then you don’t have to worry about life getting in the way and derailing your plans. I like this approach. On the other hand, a good night’s sleep is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle. Sacrificing sleep in order to get a morning workout might be solving one problem, but it creates a new one in the process. Besides, you’re unlikely to muster up the energy for a great workout if you’ve only had 4 or 5 hours of sleep. If you're going to work out in the morning, just make sure you get to bed early the night before. The Lunch Crowd If you can slip away from the office in the middle of the day, it can be a great time to fit some exercise into your schedule. Gyms are usually pretty quiet in the afternoon, which can let you get your workout done without a lot of distraction and wasted time. Just make sure you don’t skip lunch. Nutrition (especially post-workout) is a key part of the fitness equation. After Work The evening is generally the most popular time to go to the gym. After a stressful day, exercise can be a great way to blow off some steam. Plus you don’t have to wake up any earlier than usual! The downside is that the gym can be very crowded and you may wind up spending half of your time waiting for the equipment you need. It’s helpful to have a back up plan and to be able to improvise in these situations. Additionally, some people find that evening workouts rev them up too much and cause insomnia. If you are going to the gym in the evening, you might want to give yourself a few hours to settle down before bed. Trainer Tips: It takes time to make a habit stick–eventually early risers will go to bed earlier and it will get easier. But for night owls, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day can allow for deeper and more restful sleep. No matter when you get your workout in, the important thing is consistency. Get it in when you can fit it in, but don’t stop working for it or it might stop working for you! Al Kavadlo, CSCS is a personal trainer, group exercise instructor and author of the book, We're Working Out! A Zen Approach to Everyday Fitness. To find out more about Al, visit AlKavadlo.com.

Epic Pull Up Variations

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 06:19:21 -0500

This is the last part of my series about the pull-ups. After mastering the chin-up , reading my chin-up love story , learning the basics trying some exotic rope and towel variations, you might be ready for the advanced progressions in this article. Many fitness enthusiasts dream of mastering these exercises and let me warn you: this is some hard shit. However, dreams won’t get you anywhere. If you are interested in this kind of training, you need to get down to work and start practicing. Today. Many of these are hard to show with pictures, and that’s the reason I’ve linked the title to YouTube clips. So click the title to see the exercise.

Clapping pull-up:Plyometric stuff. This one looks really cool, but let me warn you – when trying the first time make sure there is not much people in the gym. Chances are pretty big you’ll fall of the bar and that will look fucking hilarious. Anyway, the how-to’s: Start by building up speed, focusing on really fast eccentric pull ups. When you get the speed up start to “jump” in the top position. After adding height to your jump you can start practicing the clap. It’s really hard, takes some serious explosiveness but looks really cool.

Muscle up: This is almost like a pull up and a bar dip combined. You need good pull up strength and explosiveness to get enough speed to get yourself moving, great technical skills and body coordination/balance to get above the bar, and some decent pressing strength to straighten the arms. This is a really fun exercise that looks a lot easier than it is. For technical details I recommend Al Kavadlos article about the muscle up, he covered it in great detail.

One Hand Pull-Up: This is one of the coolest exercises known to man. Master it and you will impress just about anybody. No explaining of the technical parts here, since there aren’t really any good cues. Basically it’s about getting brutally strong, often a little bit lighter (although I have seen a 300 lbs guy nail it), add some decent grip strength and dial in the technique. Use the same progressions as in mastering the chin-up article but start with iso holds and negatives using one hand only. And let me know when you master it, and I might post it here. Hope the posts gave you some valid reasons for learning the chin-up and inspired you to try some new variations. Mastering all of these and you are on your way to becoming a bodyweight training master such as Hannibal or D300 . This is some amazing stuff and inspires me a lot. Hope I managed to share some of the enthusiasm. Bojan Kostevski MD candidate, personal trainer, education junkie, an overall really busy guy, with a big interest in getting folks strong and sexy. Follow him on twitter or facebook for more awesome shit: http://www.twitter.com/BojanKostevski or add his RSS-feed to your favorite reader.

Failing and Winning – At The Same Time?

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 18:42:19 -0500

As I wrote weeks ago, I signed up for a competition only a month or so before it was to happen... It actually happened last Saturday and I am both happy and surprised. Actually I am super proud of having accomplished this oh so scary goal! If someone said to me three months ago that I was going to do this I would never believe it. I only started training in the beginning of May when I found out that there were actually people training this stuff in my backyard. Well, almost.

Hard work.

So, after a lot of hard work and very fast results I finally completed Ockelbo Showlifting, my first competition in strongman!! Or strongwoman. Whatever you like. It was a day in the true spirit of Awesomeness. I set 4 out of 5 new PRs! I finished 6th/last (by far) but I really can't compare myself to the super strong ladies who entered. It was great to meet so many awesome people with the same interest as me! It started with a deadlift. Well, it was higher (knee height), but I’m not sure if it actually has another name. Either way, as I’ve only ever pulled 90kg/200lbs before it was really hard for me to rep out like crazy on 120kg/265lbs. I didn’t actually manage a single rep. But since I didn’t even get it off the ground I didn’t get any points. I was so pissed off after, so when it was time for the next event I had a little more fire in me. Yoke certainly isn’t my favourite event. I had only walked 20m with 100kg/220lbs before, and now the weight was up to 180kg/397lbs. A week earlier I couldn’t even get 120kg/265lbs UP, so it was a PR with 80kg/176lbs. I was happy just to get it over the starting line to get my first point, but I managed as far as 1,9m!

Next event was log press. One Apollon’s Axle of 40kg/88lbs, then three logs of 41kg/90lbs, 50kg/110lbs and 60kg/132lbs. I’ve practiced this like crazy and managed to press 40kg/88lbs four days before the competition. On my sixth try that is. I had never tried Apollon’s Axle before. I was slightly worried that I’d fail it, but it felt easy, so I could go on to the 41kg/90lbs log. I thought it would feel heavier, so I used a little too much force… It came up so quick that I got the balance way too far back (as you can see in the picture). I let it go behind my back (poor shoulders) and then gave the 50kg/110lbs log a good try, but it didn’t really go anywhere. I was surprised to see that two of the other girls only managed the two first ones as well. I was slowest though, so I just got one point. Two points to me, YAS. I need to practice some more log cardio. Heh.

After a long break it was time for Conan’s Circle, 190kg/419lbs. I managed to walk 8,5m before letting go. I got a little sway so it hit the ground and I couldn’t keep it up any longer, but it was a new PR with 70kg/155lbs. This was actually my second time with Conan’s, so I’m super happy I managed to get it up and walk with it!

Lastly, there was a medley. Three tire flips, 20m Farmer’s Walk and finish with two natural stones that were to be lifted from the ground to a 1m platform. The tires were no issue (175kg/386lbs), but apparently the Farmer's wasn't 60kg/132lbs as announced, but 80kg/176lbs (!!), and I walked almost 10m. PR with 25kg/55lbs. After dropping the weights I couldn’t get them up again, so unfortunately I didn’t get the pleasure of lifting those stones.

It was an awesome experience and I think I’ve found my calling! The world will definitely see more of me, but not in the bottom… I’m aiming for the top! Next competition is in October and then I'll be SUPER AWESOME. Promise xx /Wonder Woman

Bodyweight Training: Levers and Leverage

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:01:12 -0500

Your arms and legs are complex machinery, but they move under basic principals of physics and gravity. All of our body’s movements are performed through a system of pulleys and levers; front levers and back levers are just an exaggerated example. What makes front levers and back levers unique is that instead of using leverage in your favor (like you do during a deadlift) you’re doing the opposite–using primarily your arms to move the rest of your body!

Front levers and back levers are two challenging exercises that require tremendous core strength as well as a powerful upper-body. Practicing towards these movements can build serious strength in your arms, chest, back and abs. Perhaps more importantly, levers train you to use your muscles to work together, which is how to utilize them most effectively. Front Levers A front lever involves holding your body out in a straight line parallel to the ground with your hands grasping a bar(s) or ring(s). Your chest faces upwards. Note the placement of the hands is closer to being over the hips than it is to the shoulders. In addition to thinking about keeping your abs tight and extending your back, you need to be actively pulling your hands down towards your hips, engaging your lats, triceps and chest. A pullover is a great exercise to build strength for this movement.

Back Levers A back lever is the same idea but now you are facing downward. These are also best performed with a pronated (overhand) grip. Keeping a narrow grip is also a good idea as it allows you to leverage some of your weight against your arms. A great way to practice performing a back lever is to lower yourself down into it slowly and/or use a bent knee position to progress to the full version. As you drop into position, pitch your chest forward to wind up with your hands over your hips.

Variations Front levers and back levers can also be performed on parallel bars. There are subtle differences between the two that I encourage you to explore for yourself. Also, remember that levers can be easier when using a bent knee position. Performing a front lever with a split-legged position or with just one knee bent also works as a great variation on the way towards the full lever position. Experienced trainees might want to challenge themselves by practicing towards a one arm lever–you can always find a new challenge! Al Kavadlo, CSCS is a personal trainer, group exercise instructor and author of the book, We're Working Out! A Zen Approach to Everyday Fitness. To find out more about Al, visit AlKavadlo.com.

8 Reasons To Warm Up

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:02:49 -0500

There are plenty of reasons to why you should always warm up.(1) The temperature in the muscles used during the warm up is increased. A warm muscle can both contract and relax faster than a “cold” muscle. In that way you improve the conditions for both strength and speed. It also reduces the risk of muscle strains. When we warm up (3) we also increase the flexibility in our joints. Warm up (4) expands the blood vessels which reduces the load on the heart. At the same time (5) it activates the body's cooling system (eg sweating), which helps athletes to avoid becoming overheated during exercise during a workout. When the body and muscles get warmer (6) the blood's temperature also increases. Warm blood doesn’t maintain oxygen as well as “cold” blood, which therefor increases oxygenation to the muscles and allowing them in that way to work a little harder. (7) Hormone production is stimulated during warming up, which immediately makes us more energetic. Hormone balance also ensures that more carbohydrates and fatty acids are burned in power consumption. Finally, warming up is of (8) mental significance. It is an opportunity to mentally prepare for the upcoming performance, clear your head, focus, and to develop a strategy. Basic components of warming up The very term warming up is defined as the period of preparatory training to improve performance of your next exercises. The type of warm up that we usually refer to, suggests a three-part split exercise that can be modified depending on what kind of training that follows our warm up. The first part of warming up usually consists of some form of an aerobic exercise to increase body temperature. Then specific stretching, adapted to the type of sport or exercise you are performing after your warmup. For example, leg muscles should be a priority if you’re planning to squat. Some people argue that you should not stretch before your body temperature has been increased, because the increased blood flow and temperature in the muscle prevents injuries. A good time to hold a position is 20-30 seconds. Then release the tension and you can stretch further a bit more next time. The last part of warming up should consist of exercises and movements that are similar to those your body will perform during your workout. If we take the example of squatting again, it means that you should do a few bodyweight or lightweight squats before starting your work sets. Remember that the perfect warm-up is totally individual and can only be created by trial and error. Try different warm-up exercises (with a focus on the muscle group to be loaded during the workout) with varying intensity until you find the warm up that is best for you. Personally, I like to start my warm up sessions with foam rolling. I love foam rolling. Give me a PVC pipe and I’ll roll my ass off. I always do my feet, calves, pecs, posterior shoulders and lats with a lacrosse ball and my quads, adductors, abductors, hammies, hips and T-spine with a foam roller or PVC pipe. I prefer to go soft on the back, but as hard as possible on the legs. After rolling everything smooth I do a dynamic warm up consisting of various exercises that warms up pretty much every part of my body no matter what my workout will contain. My program consists of pretty much full body every day (don’t worry, I don’t overwork it!), so it is crucial to give myself a full warm up, rather than just windmilling my arms and doing one warm up set like most guys I see in the gym. After my warm up is done I’ll finally proceed to my workout. But of course I always do warm up sets. I think half an hour of your time is a fair investment in your health! By: Isa Olsson Content originally written for Fitmarker.com -- © 2011 All Rights Reserved. Images copyright of their respective owners.

Ropes and Towels – A New Pull Up Experience

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 05:14:50 -0500

So my series of articles on the chin-up and my favorite variations continues. In case you have missed any of the other articles you can find them here: Mastering The Chin-up A Chin-up Love Story Progressing The Chin Up – The Basics After covering the basal variations last week I want to look into some more advanced versions that I’ve come to love. The biggest difference is that you don’t do them from a fixed reference point (the bar) but something that moves which ads a stabilizing component to the movement. Generally most of them are also a lot more taxing on the grip and will develop your hand and forearm strength. Not to mention that they are really fun to do, and a great way to add some variation to your training. The ropes and towels gives your muscles and nervous system a different stimulus and it’s is not unusual for people to add some impressive strength and size to their arms and forearms just by adding these variations to their training. Plus they definitely help to improve your regular pull ups by increasing grip strength and overall body control. Just as with regular pull ups you can add weight to the exercises as strength progressively increases with a weight belt or by holding a dumbbell between your legs. You can also use continuous movement, using the stretch reflex of the back muscles or start every rep from a dead hang, to really develop that start strength.

Rope pull-ups: You simply throw a rope over the bar and you are set to go. These are really taxing on the grip muscles and after a few reps your forearms will burn like crazy. The thicker the rope the harder this exercise gets. I also find this movement to be pretty friendly on the shoulders as it allows you to rotate the arms in a natural motion when performing the exercise.

Towel pull-ups: Definitely one of my favorites. You can do them with one or two towels. With one towel the exercise is similar to the rope pull-up above and the towel is set up the same way. With two towels you get a different exercise, which also allows you to vary grip width. These are really taxing on your hand musculature and will hurt really bad in your hands in the beginning. The longer the ropes the more stabilizing it gets to prevent your body from swinging. A big plus is the minimum of equipment needed to do them. A must try-out!

Mixed fruit bag: You can mix any of the variations above to get a totally different, asymmetrical movement to play around with. These can be extremely taxing and hard on the stabilizing muscles and give you a totally different stimulus than your body is used to. I would not base my programming around any of these mixed grip variations but they can be fun to play around with from time to time. You can mix the variations above and combine them and the fixed bar or make the bar thicker by using fat gripz or wrapping one towel around the bar to make it thick - the sky is the limit. Just don’t forget to switch hands from time to time. Next week I will end the my series on basic and exotic pull-up variations by giving some of the hardest exercises and pull up variations known to man: muscle ups , plyometric pull ups and clapping pull-ups, and the mighty One Arm Pull-up, the one and only exercise that will ALWAYS get you laid. So if you are ready to become the master of the pull-up you do not want to miss next week’s article! Until then – train hard! Bojan Kostevski MD candidate, personal trainer, education junkie, an overall really busy guy, with a big interest in getting folks strong and sexy. Follow him on twitter or facebook for more awesome shit: http://www.twitter.com/BojanKostevski or add his RSS-feed to your favorite reader.

Pain, Discomfort and Overtraining: Separating Fact from Fiction

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 07:16:04 -0500

When conducting a personal training session, one of the worst things to hear from my client is, “this hurts!” After all, I am there to help them, not to mess them up! However, a lot of the time when a client complains that something “hurts,” what’s really happened is that they’ve confused pain and discomfort. Pain is something to avoid; discomfort, on the other hand, is something to accept. Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference.

Experiencing a burning sensation in your muscles (and/or lungs) during exercise is common, and should not be mistaken for pain. Once you can accept this and get on with what you need to do, you can really start to get somewhere. A common characteristic amongst great athletes is a high tolerance for physical discomfort. Soreness following a workout – even extreme soreness – can be unpleasant, but it doesn’t mean that you are injured or over-training. When people experience the severe soreness that results from doing a serious leg workout for the first time, it’s not uncommon to be concerned that something has gone wrong. Rest assured this is not pain, just discomfort.

Real pain, if you are ever unlucky enough to experience it, doesn’t leave any vagueness as to its nature. True, you’ll hear the occasional story of the guy (or girl) who walks around on a broken foot for 3 weeks without realizing it, but those stories are exceptional because when bones break and muscle tears happen, it’s usually painfully clear what has occurred. While over-training can be a real concern to elite athletes in competition training, it is rarely, if ever, something that is experienced by the average Joe. Yet I hear this concern brought up in the gym surprisingly often. Being sore doesn’t mean you’re over-training. Doing two workouts a day doesn’t mean you’re over-training. The problem is that most people are under-trained! While you should generally avoid doing heavy weight training on the same body part every day, you simply have to get yourself conditioned to exercise - your body will adapt. If your workouts are so intense that you actually manage to cross the threshold into over-training territory, you won’t have to ponder it – you’ll know it.

Whether we’re talking about a boxer getting conditioned to taking a punch or an ultra-marathoner building the endurance to run all day without resting, we humans have an uncanny ability to adapt. While the idea of daily workouts might seem overwhelming to most people, an individual who builds up their strength and endurance gradually should have no problem working out for an hour every day. It’s okay to take it easy on some days (active recovery workouts have long been a part of my regimen), but don’t let fear or laziness stand in the way of getting fit. They are the two biggest obstacles to achieving any goal, be it in fitness or life, and it is up to you to overcome them. Al Kavadlo, CSCS is a personal trainer, group exercise instructor and author of the book, We're Working Out! A Zen Approach to Everyday Fitness. To find out more about Al, visit AlKavadlo.com.

Stretching it

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 07:18:59 -0500

Stretching is by far, my favorite inclusion from training with Dick Talens has been the stretching. The stretches that I have been introduced to have showed serious impact on my gains as well as giving a nice relief post workout. Pain aside, of course. I wanted to give a few pictures with commentary of how best to perform the stretches recommended while in the Doggcrapp routine. Quadracep

Photo credit to theswole.com. Thanks Mike! During this stretch you should really be aiming for a straight line to a slight bow peaking at the groin while on the ball of your feet. I do not have a specific hand/grip placement on this one, so just go for whatever feels best for you. I also try to keep my legs slightly separated so that both legs get worked as much as possible. Hold this stretch between 30 to 60 seconds. Hamstrings

Photo credit to theswole.com. Thanks Mike! This one is the classic touch your toes stretch. Except with a barbell. I try to keep a 6 - 8 inch width grip for my hand placement because anything larger or smaller just feels awkward and counter productive. Feet together. Knees locked out. I start off by taking the bar as low as possible until the stretch gets that nice burn sensation. For me, after a short time, the stretching sensation stops. In order to continue the stretch I move the bar around to feel the stretch out more. I keep my arms locked and move the bar closer to my shins, no higher than middle of the shin. Then gradually get it back to the vertical position. Also, shift your weight from heel to ball of the foot. You will feel it switch from the bottom of your glutes to the back of your knees. That is what you are aiming for. Stretch for 45-60 seconds. No less. Lats

Photo credit to theswole.com. Thanks Mike! This one is the beast. I have a rough time of holding on for longer than 30 seconds. Go for the widest pull up bar you can find and get a good amount of weight on a dip belt. (I go for 50lbs myself) Get in the starting position of a wide grip pull up and start counting. I force my head forward and down as much as possible to get that oo so good feeling. Hold on for as long as you can. If you can go more than 60 seconds then I want to punch you in the face. Or hug you. Whatever fancy I have at the time. Bicep

Photo credit to theswole.com. Thanks Mike! Place a Barbell in a Squat Rack at slightly less than shoulder height. (The normal you were going to do a Squat) Grip the bar directly behind your shoulder with palms down position. Now go into a parallel or less then parallel squat (if you can/need to). Feel the stretch in the bicep and hold it there for as long as possible. If you start to feel something more in your elbows instead of bicep then you have gone to far into the squat. Hold for 30-60 seconds. Shoulder

Photo credit to theswole.com. Thanks Mike! Using the same Barbell position as the Bicep stretch grip the bar with a palms up position. Directly behind the shoulder as well. This time, place feet in a spot where you can lean forward and get a good 75-65 degree angle. When at the angle, roll your shoulders to the front position and squeeze the bar with as much strength as possible. I find this the best way to focus and get the most out of the stretch. Hold between 30-60 seconds. Tricep

Photo credit to theswole.com. Thanks Mike! Take a fairly decent weight (a weight you probably couldn't go over 5 reps with) and get into the deepest tricep extension that you can. I prefer to do these seated so that I can focus more on the tricep and not falling over. I also tend to lean my head back and arch my back so the weight doesn't rest anywhere and ruin the full extent of the stretch. With this weight I would not suggest going over 45 seconds (if you can, again, punch in the face or hug... meh). I also tend to reach back and assist myself out of the "hole" for the tricep extension. Chest

Photo credit to theswole.com. Thanks Mike! This will be the basic Dumbbell Bench Press position. Again, use a weight that you would probably only be able to do 5 reps with. Get into the starting position of the press and hold this for 10-15 seconds. Keep focus on your arm position to ensure you get the most out of this first part. Once that time is up, drop into the deepest starting position that you can. Hold this for about 25-45 seconds. The pain will be crazy at first, but then subside as the muscles get worked properly. I would recommend doing all of these stretches post workout after EVERY workout. Including bicep stretches on Deadlift days. Enjoy! http://trimmingthebeard.tumblr.com/ (My blog while training under Dick Talens, attempting to get to below 10% body fat while maintaining current strength.)

Progressing The Chin-Up – The Basics

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 04:08:45 -0500

After introducing the chin-up and explaining why it is such an awesome exercise in my article last week, I want to give you a few tips on how you can vary this exercise. That’s just another of the awesome things about the chin-up, you can progress, regress, and vary the exercise in so many ways without a lot of equipment. Can’t do a single chinup? Make sure to read my article on mastering the chin-up to get that start strength before trying to do different variations. In this first part I want to take you to the basics and show you the most basal variations of the exercise that you have to master before progressing to the more exotic variations. Next week, I’ll start with the more advanced progressions that you may not have heard about.

Chin-up

The godfather of pull up movements. Palms facing towards you, I do them with a grip that is slightly wider than your shoulder with and pull from a fully extended position until the chin is above the bar. The exercise puts the biceps in its strongest position which makes it one of the primary movements of the lift and can be a good variation if you are trying to develop arm strength and size. You can vary grip width, range of motion, you can start from a dead hang or use the eccentric stretch effect of the back muscles. And you can use a little kipping to get those last reps. Doing kipping chin-ups is like doing push presses instead of standing overhead press –it’s a tool in the box that you can use it if it has a purpose, not to cheat yourself or others.

Pull-up

Similar to the chin-up but palms facing away from you. This allows you to comfortably take a wider grip on the bar. I like to vary grip width from shoulder width apart to extremely wide, depending on the purpose. A wider grip makes it a bit different than the chin-up because it turns an humeral extension (elbows going to the back) into a humeral adduction (elbows in towards the body). This takes some tension of the biceps because of the pronated position and might stress the lats more than the chin-up version, although I haven’t seen any EMG studies looking at this so it’s purely speculative. (Anyone seen any studies on this please let me know)

Neutral grip pull-up

Palms should be facing each other. I like to use this variation sometimes because it takes some stress of the wrist and elbows. I particularly like to use it on obese clients when doing negatives and static holds, just to take some stress of the joints. I also find this variation to be pretty good for beginners – I guess it just feels natural with the neutral grip. The movement itself is more similar to the chin-up than the pull-up. You can do them on a regular chin-up bar if it has the right attachments or with a V-handle attached to a regular chin-up bar like in the picture above to add an instability factor to the movement.

Mixed grip pull-up

A nice variation. Easier on the grip but also ads a stabilization component to the exercise since your body will try to rotate. Not a variation I have used a lot but I’m experimenting with it a bit right now and find it has some unique benefits to it. Plus the list wouldn’t be complete without it. Those are the basic versions you need to master before progressing to more complicated variations. Try all the basic setups above out, and next week I’ll give you some other, exotic variations of the exercise to progress to to take it up a notch. Bojan Kostevski MD candidate, personal trainer, education junkie, an overall really busy guy, with a big interest in getting folks strong and sexy. Follow him on twitter or facebook for more awesome shit: http://www.twitter.com/BojanKostevski or add his RSS-feed to your favorite reader.

Stop Thinking Like A Loser

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 20:17:01 -0500

It’s not what’s happening to you that matter, but how you react to it. This is important when you come across unexpected issues or problems you are not mentally prepared for. There are a few ways to strengthen yourself mentally, and become the winner that you deserve to be. Focus on the future Whatever challenges you are facing, focus on the future instead of the past. Instead of worrying for who did what and who to blame, keep full focus on your future goals and what you have to do to achieve them. Create a clear vision of your goals and decide how to take the necessary steps on the way. To reach any long-term goals it is also useful to set up some short-term goals. Find the solution Whenever you are faced with difficulties or setbacks, find the answers in the solutions instead of getting caught up in the problems. Think and talk about how to overcome your difficulties rather than dwell on the issues over and over again. Solutions are positive and problems are negative. The moment you decide to start thinking in terms of solution you become a different person, who thinks constructive thoughts and is more positive. See the positive side Assume that there is something good in everything that happens – in every problem there is also a possibility! “Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.” – Henry Ford Sometimes it may not be all that easy to understand what is going on and why things are happening, but if you have an optimistic outlook to begin with, you will find it easier to see the positive side even if it is hard to see from the start. In some cases you need to actively seek it. What have you learned from it? Look for the lesson to learn. Think that what happened didn’t happen by coincidence, but by a special reason. Don’t dig yourself a hole, failing is a part of progress and to be able to get better you need to allow for mistakes to happen. Learn from them and move on to bigger things. The world would never have known about Michael Jordan if he stopped playing basket ball after not being selected to join his high school team. But he wanted more, and it is a master’s signature to constantly work on improving their weaknesses. But the great talent was there all along. At age 21 he became a professional player and from that day on his career went straight up. Jordan led his Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles, won countless titles and holds a gazillion records. Surely you’ll remember the Dream Team and the Olympic gold medals.

On a question of success and failure Jordan replied; "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." One of the greatest athletes in history has spoken and what can you learn from this? Keep in mind that this guy has probably failed a million times more than you and still you think he’s better than you. So failure does not make us losers, failure creates winners. It’s easy to forget that the road to success is often filled with failure, but you need to learn how to handle them and move on. You can’t gain anything in life without loosing a little. A positive mental attitude is a must if you want to succeed in your sport. Observe elite athletes and learn from their good and bad sides. Then apply what you've learned from them to you own life, and stop thinking like a loser. By: Isa Olsson Content originally written for Fitmarker.com -- © 2011 All Rights Reserved. Images copyright of their respective owners.

The Importance of Flexibility

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:19:41 -0500

I once knew a guy who threw out his back while grabbing a can of beer out of a cooler. Seriously. If you don’t take care of your body, at some point you’ll wind up getting an (easily preventable) injury. Flexibility is often the most overlooked aspect of fitness, but without a full range of motion in your joints, basic exercises like squats, overhead presses and even pull-ups can be problematic.

The most common areas where people tend to become overly tight are the hips, hamstrings, shoulders and back, though tightness in the wrists and ankles can also pose a problem when performing exercises like push-ups and squats. If you’re inflexible, you need to devote as much attention to improving your range of motion as you do to increasing your strength. After all, without a healthy range of motion in your joints, you can’t fully work your muscles. Hamstring Flexibility The standard way to assess hamstring flexibility is the sit and reach test. (See photo above) After warming up, have a seat on the floor with your legs extended straight in front of you. Without bending your knees, reach forward for your toes. If you cannot touch your toes, you need to work towards loosening your hamstrings. Hip Mobility To test the range of motion in your hips, you’ll need a sturdy table or ledge just below waist height. Pick up one leg and place the outside of your ankle on the table. Now rotate your hip to try to touch your knee to the table as well (your shin should be perpendicular to your body.) If you cannot touch your knee to the table, your hip mobility could stand to improve.

Shoulders and Back Shoulder mobility can also be easily tested. Lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Reach both hands overhead and try to touch your wrists to the ground without raising your lower back off the floor. If you cannot do this, guess what? You have poor range of motion in your shoulders and upper back. While men generally tend to be stronger than women, flexibility is one area where the ladies get the long end of the stick. Most men will not be able to pass all three tests (I can’t – my shoulders are tight!) so don’t feel bad. Luckily, there is a simple solution to this problem – stretch!

Improving your flexibility takes time, especially for older individuals as your body has had more time to get used to being stiff. You must be patient and dedicated if you wish to increase your flexibility. Al Kavadlo, CSCS is a personal trainer, group exercise instructor and author of the book, We're Working Out! A Zen Approach to Everyday Fitness. To find out more about Al, visit AlKavadlo.com.

Felt the change, now back to work

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:31:48 -0500

Last week I talked about feeling the change in me when it comes to choices while on a cheat day. I felt mentally strong from dealing with a not so optimal situation. Things, may or may not have changed. We won't know until we try. And so, this past Saturday was another cheat day and another opportunity to test myself. What I found out was I am not Superman or an amazing awesome kinda dude. I am Ironm... a mere human and mortal when it comes to cravings. When it came to my temptation, it came in the form of bread. I just wanted bread and more bread with some carbs on the side.

I broke down and ate things like, pita, hummus, salty/cheesy bread sticks, a double dose of cereal with milk, and some peanut butter sandwiches. After doing this, I ran blubbering to Dick Talens about what I had done. The confessional didn't go as I thought it would in my head. He laughed, said it was okay, and the macro of choice was probably the best for me. After talking about it for a little while I got on with the rest of my day and started back on track with my diet plan first thing Sunday morning. I weighed myself that Sunday morning as well, which came into a whopping 153 lbs. Each day there after (still following a non-modified diet) I lost about 1.2 lbs a day up to today, Wednesday. I am at 150 lbs (basically where I was last week before my fiasco... oh noes!) and I honestly feel okay about it. I am upset at the stalling of my progress, but I have come to accept things like this will happen. What matters is getting back on track and keeping to the plan. And that is what I did. My reps for almost all of my exercises went up (as planned!) and I was/am still eating like a horse. All of this while losing the weight. Astonishing! Talens' has a good head on his shoulders and it has helped me get to this awesome spot so far. I can only imagine what will happen when keeping to his advice and staying on par with every step he sets before me. My main point in explaining this, is to let you know that it is okay to let go on a cheat day. It is okay to indulge a bit on a few things. Eat what you are craving, but don't engorge yourself (like I did) and that happy medium should not be too far off. If nothing else, fall back on pre portioning those cravings into manageable macros for yourself and indulge throughout the day. Save your sanity while you save your body! You should, of course, still test yourself, and if you "fail" then pick yourself back up and get back into your groove. Follow your training, eat what fits your goal, and put yourself into everything you do. This will be the way to success in everything that you hope to achieve. Now that you've tested the waters and know where you stand, get back to work!

http://trimmingthebeard.tumblr.com/ (My blog while following Dick Talens' training. Attempting to get to below 10% body fat while maintaining current strength.)

A Chin-Up Love Story

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 05:12:15 -0500

I’m a big fan of the chin-up. If you ask me it’s THE king of all upper body exercises. We were evolutionally gifted with muscles that let us pull ourselves up with magical precision, control and muscle coordination. Still, that’s one movement we don’t do very often, compared to pressing movements that we do pretty often in our everyday lives. That’s why training the chin-up movement is a big and important aspect of general upper body strength, shoulder health maintenance and not at least athletic looks. I’m focusing on the general chin-up information/glorification in this post and hope to give you guys some more detailed descriptions of different variations in my article next week. Humans have unreasonably large back muscles. I read somewhere that it’s because evolutionally we climbed trees and needed the strong and big back muscles to get from point A to B. Sounds reasonable. But nowadays they’re just a nice esthetical detail reminding us of our evolution. That is also the reason why a wide back is very athletic looking to the common population. Not many people that aren’t working out (and working out hard) have big, wide backs.

So natural

The back muscles have enormous strength potential. I mean think about it; most people when they start working out can’t do a single one properly. But still with consistency most trainees master it pretty fast. And once they master it, it’s not unusual people increase their endurance and strength until the point where they can do as much as 15-30 reps or do them extremely heavy with a lot of weight added in a weight belt. That impresses just about anyone. Variations of the chin-up: When you master the basic chin-up you can do quite a few different variations to develop all aspects of the movement. Here are some of my favorites: Regular supinated chin-ups, neutral grip chin-ups, pull ups, mixed grip chin-ups, ring pull-ups, rope pull-ups, towel chin-ups, unilateral towel chin-ups, muscle ups, clapping chin-ups and the one arm pull-up, which is pretty much the most badass thing in the world. You can also add weight with a weight belt or holding a dumbbell between your legs in all of the variations, or vary your grip with from really narrow to really wide, options are indefinite. In next week’s fitness article I’ll go through the variations above in greater detail hoping to give you guys some ideas on how you can further improve the king of all upper body exercises.

The back of a true chin-up lover

Until next week- train hard. Bojan Kostevski MD candidate, personal trainer, education junkie, an overall really busy guy, with a big interest in getting folks strong and sexy. Follow him on twitter or facebook for more awesome shit: http://www.twitter.com/BojanKostevski or add his RSS-feed to your favorite reader.