Train Movements not Muscles
workouts, split routines, muscle isolation, advice
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When designing your workout program try thinking about things from a different perspective. The days of split routines and isolation exercises have long since past outside of the realm of bodybuilding and/or specific weakness in a particular muscle group that is causing other issues ie., injury.
Training individual body parts is a time consuming and ineffective fitness model for fat loss. Split routines are very inefficient and many times the root of common repetitive motion injuries. Here is a short list reasons a split routine is not the best option for fat loss.
Less effect on EPOC (Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption)
Less overall Calorie burn during the workout
Lends itself to inconsistency
Time Consuming
Repetitive Motion injuries due to overtraining and emphasis on one muscle group
Encourages isolation of muscle groups when performing a complex movement in life
Neuro-muscular confusion as to role play within a particular movement (the wrong muscles are taking over during a movement or exercise)
To train effectively and efficiently shift your thinking to the following movements and then perform movements that produce them.
1.) Up and down
2.) Push and Pull
3.) Bend and Twist
4.) Ambulate (move forward, back, side to side etc.)
These are, in a nut shell, how we move. We get up and down; we push things away or pull them to us; we bend and twist and we move by walking, running, etc. Setting up your workout like this can result in the following 4 exercises:
1.) Squats
2.) Push ups
3.) Sit ups
4.) Walk or run
Or
1.) Lunges
2.) Rows
3.) V – sits
4.) Side shuffle
The combinations and exercises are endless and to be more efficient you can combine two or more movement patterns like... read entire entry
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on 9/2/2008
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6.2
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Know your outcome
goals, motivation, dreams, advice
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Have specific goals. Get a photo (or several) of what you WILL look like when you reach your goal, and then focus only on that image. The picture could be of you before you had kids, before you gained unwanted fat weight or before you got out of shape.
The picture could also be of someone elses success that inspires you or you know you can achieve similar results. Quickly erase any negative beliefs or images that may enter into your mind during your day.
When I entered this contest I looked at pictures of past winners everyday - NOT at myself in the mirror.
Don’t look back, only look forward to where you want to be and go after it with everything you have. There will be times that you doubt yourself or when life seems to get in the way. When that happens pull out your picture goal and focus on that.
Know it. Go after it. Win.
Dave
www.homeofficeworkouts.com
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on 8/25/2008
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5.2
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Shoulder hurt? 5 steps to get a grip.
advice, shoulder pain, farmers walk, bench press
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Shoulder hurts? Get a grip.
Have you been feeling discomfort in your shoulder.
Did you hurt your shoulder doing overheads or bench press?
So many of us are trying to work around, over, under or through
some sort of ache or pain so it does not limit our workout efforts.
By no means do I encourage anyone to "grin and bear it", continuing to
push throught the pain as to not miss a shoulder workout.
If you have had persistent or consistent pain in any joint or muscle you
should have it evaluated by a medical professional.
Grip strength is a vital component to any well designed program and it is
not always so obvious how easy it is to implement it into your plan.
In fact we now know that when you grip a bar or dumbbell TIGHTLY prior to beginning an
exercise it sends a message to your rotator cuff (amongst other areas) to contract. It is an involuntary reaction. When this happens your rotator cuff takes on the roll of stabilizing and preparing the shoulder joint
to take action.
Some prominent and progressive physical therapist are actually using grip strength to rehab
rotator cuff injuries instead of the old protocols of internal and external rotation, etc.
The thought sometimes is when trying to isolate certain muscle groups ie., anterior and middle delts
with a dumbbell overhead press, we grip lightly as to take the tension out of other muscles.
However this is the opposite of what we want to do.
I guarantee if you grip harder you will lift more and without discomfort. I had a chronic left shoulder
impingement issue and after only a few weeks of gripping hard it got much better and now I am at the point
that it simply is not an issue.
Here are some easy ways to increase grip strength and improve shoulder health.
1. Grip tightly even ... read entire entry
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on 8/20/2008
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12.6
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The Short Game
human behavior, motivation, advice
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If you want to get the most out of your workouts, your job, your business…your life than take a moment to think about what you should focus on. What have we taught ourselves to do? Are we going in the right direction.
Is what you are doing getting you closer to your goals - or further away?
Take 30 seconds and read this brilliant email I received from an honest, intelligent and caring family man I am honored to associate with. Steve Sisler has a knack for helping people stop life as a human doing and start a new as a human being.
THE SHORT GAME
Friends,
When it comes to the game of golf, wisdom dictates that 70% of all golf shots take place within 100 yards of the pin. This is what is known as the “short game.” The short-game involves little things like pitching, chipping and putting to name just a few. This particular aspect of the game represents 70% of your score.
Now go figure; wouldn’t you think that if you were going to improve your golf score, you would spend 3-4 hrs practicing your short game for every hour you spent on the driving range acting like Godzilla? But, that would be smart, most people are somewhere between stupid and brain-dead.
If you’re playing 18 holes, you’re statistically using short irons and putters 50 times, while using a driver about 14-15 times according to statistics. If people can’t fix their idiosyncrasies in golf, can you imagine the driving force behind fixing their faults at work? Yeah, you guessed it… about zilch. If your emotional short game is what I statistically believe it is, then maybe you should set aside some time and practice being human again.
Steve Sisler
www.behavioralresourcegroup.com
A simple yet effective way at exercising more that your muscles!
Stop doing. Start BEING. Win.
Dave
www.homeofficeworkouts.com
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on 8/12/2008
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4.9
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Answering a great question...
workouts, advice, strength, imbalance
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I recieved a question from one of my "fitsters" yesterday and I asked him if I could post my answer because I think it would be very useful information for a lot of people. He agreed and actually had the same idea so here it goes.
The question had to do with whether or not I had any advice for him because he feels less strength on one side of his body (particularly his chest and arm).
1.) First know we are all made with imbalance. Its a right brain, left brain deal and that is partially what makes you left or right handed. If you are right handed you will most likely hold a child or groceries in your left hand as you open the door with your right. Fine motor skills with your right or dominant hand and gross motor (big movement) with your left. This is speaking in general terms but I think you get the idea. Perfect balance left to right, in my opinion, is unattainable but you want to bridge that gap as much as possible.
With that said don't worry too much unless the imbalance seems to be significant - which leads to what I think was the original question.
2.) What to do...
Here's a short list.
a. When doing ANY exercise one side at a time - always do the weaker side first. Set the bar with that side and then match your strong side to that. Doing it strong side first will allow both sides to get stronger but the weaker side will never catch the strong side.
b. Stay away from straight bar benching and curling.
c. So...use dumbbells when ever possible.
d. Try a single arm dumbbell bench (flat)...great movement.
e. Try push ups with a medicine ball under your weaker hand and make sure you extend all the way up so that when you finish your strong hand is off the floor. This also hits that side of the chest a bit deeper so be careful.
f. Stability... read entire entry
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on 7/9/2008
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5.9
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