100 inch biceps? Supposedely it is true!!

Imagine that.  I was reading through some of my old magazines, and came across an article that made me laugh.  Laugh, because I used to believe this garbage.  Add two inches to your biceps in just 8 weeks was the article. Then all the weird and wacky, supposedely technical things on how to do it.  Nowhere does it mention that if you are a beginner this may (I stress, may) be true.  It has you believe that this routine has limitless results.  Let's think for a minute, and do the math.
8 weeks = 2 inches
52 weeks (in one year), a bit more than 12 inches right?
Make a commitment to using this routine for just two years, and your biceps (with no triceps, of course), would be about 25 inches. 
So if you started with a 16 inch upper arm, now you would have an extra 25 inches of biceps on that 16 inch upper arm.  Keep going, and you will get to 100, and more.
Do you get it?  Doesn't happen folks.


Then the creatine stories.  Does it help for that 5-30 second exertion?  Does it allow you a little bit more ATP regeneration? I believe yes.  Will you gain a possible 3-7 pounds in 4 weeks?  I believe yes.  I have even seen one of my students gain 20 pounds in 4 weeks. 
But the fact of the matter is, you eventually lose all that weight.
I would always hear my members with the standard response, "you keep about 70% of what you put on".
Here we go again.
70% of 7 pounds is 4.9, or lets say 5 pounds.
5 pounds in 4 weeks is what you supposedely retain right?
That is 60 pounds in one year that you will then gain.
You will gain 180 pounds of solid muscle in 3 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOT BAD EH?


When I was in high school, I used to run to the post office probably twice a month, to get my order of supplements that I had been convinced were sure to work. I suppose I could have been buying harmful things instead, so I don't feel too bad.  Fact is, when all is said and done, save your money, use your given brain, and don't fall for gimmicks.  If it were all true, think of the size that everyone would be. 
The only thing that works is knowledge, enthusiasm, open mindedness, and rock-solid commitment.
Please don't be fooled like I used to be.

Bored with your chest routine?

If you're bored with your chest routine, try these. It might help.

For 30+ years, I have loved using superset combos for chest. Arguments could be made for which order to perform these, but I like to go flye into press. Go to failure with your flyes, then immediately switch to your press.

Don't forget, dumbbells are very effective also. I myself, use them at times. But by adding these two different apparatuses, you will not have to rely on cables or a pec flye machine when training at home.

Watch this video (to understand what I'm talking about) and tell me what you think.

What is a Rep?

A Rep.  The most over-used word in a gym or sports setting, yet the most misunderstood.  A rep only means something if it is a consistent measure, from workout to workout, or practice to practice.

Person 1, tells me that they can do 50 pushups, and bench press 250 lbs. for 10 reps.  IF IT’S TRUE, that’s great. 

Person 2, tells me that they can do 30 pushups, and bench press 250 lbs. for 6 reps.  IF IT’S TRUE, that’s great.

Question: Do we assume that person 1 is a lot stronger than person 2?

WE HAVE NO IDEA!  Don’t let rep count numbers fool or intimidate you.  Let's even assume that both people are doing full-range reps, and have great form (I know, it’s a stretch eh?). There is something missing here.  It’s not about REPS.  Think about it.  If person 1, has a rep cadence (or tempo) of 1-1-1 (1 second up, 1 second down, and a nice controlled 1 second pause at the bottom) then that person's rep is 3 seconds long, and therefore can pushes up for 150 seconds, and benches 250 lbs. for 30 seconds.  Still, not bad.

Now, person 2, has a rep cadence of 2-3-1. See where I’m going here?  A six-second rep.  Therefore, this person can control a 250 pound bench press for 36 seconds, and can push up for 180 seconds!!!!

The weights and times are only an example, but see what I mean? 

I always laugh when I hear coaches screaming out at their players (whether they are 6-years-old or 20-years-old) to “give them 30, or 50" or some other ridiculous request, after a player has missed the net with a shot or missed a fly ball in center field.  The player gets down into pushup position, bobs up and down 25% of the way, with a time count of half a second per rep.  AMAZING.  50 pushups, supposedly done in 25 seconds, and only 25% correctly to boot.  And just think, if he misses the net 6 times, he will have done 300 pushups, as well as practising!  That will be the talk of the school tomorrow morning.

Now I must calm down.

Crazy, from workout to workout, how your rep count one day will be 10, then the next time 14, ("WOW, I am getting stronger" you think to yourself). Then "oh no, I am getting weaker, what is going on", when you're back down to 7!!!!!  Nothing is wrong, other than you are NOT being consistent with your full-range of motion and more importantly, with your tempo.  You have to be consistent, for a rep count to matter.  Even that little twist at the bottom of a movement, to produce some added momentum, will throw things off.

The fact of the matter is, it should be about getting to muscular failure within a certain time.  Very complicated subject that I will touch on later.  But right now, GET RID OF YOUR REP COUNTS.  To build strength, I believe that you want to reach muscular failure in 45-75 seconds.  (So if you insist on counting reps, if your rep cadence is 5 seconds  or so, you will have a set of 9-12.)  Get a clock in front of you, find the weights that will get you gassed in this time range.  Because the length of the set is lending itself to a lot of fast-twitch muscle activity, you will probably need to work on at least a work:rest ratio of 1:2, if not 1:3.  But I am talking about beating yourself up on every set, FOR REAL.  If you don’t, this concept will not work for you.  But you must be progressive.  When your sets are going too long, with consistent range of motion and tempo, bump the weights.  Don’t stand still.  Ever.

The word "rep" is supposed to be a precise measure of something, but because there are so many variables, it is not precise at all, but in fact it's vague, telling us really nothing.

If you are lifting weights, everything positive comes from getting strong.  Use your clock for your set times, keep bumping the weights where possible, and YES, every now and again…….. YA GOTTA DO IT......  The dreaded SINGLE REP MAX. I do it myself, to see where my training is at (I told you that my gym has as much free weight as alternative stuff). The fruits of your training labour.  It is stressful but rewarding.

Now for some fun. My three favourite MEANINGFUL REPS as a gym owner:

1) The kid’s 435 pound deadlift, with a beautiful descent, not wrecking my house.

2) The 500 pound deadlift, when he wasn’t really mentally sure that night.  Good job J.R.

3) Then the old guy, with a perfect descent, pause, and push.  408 pound bench press.  J.R., Dad may have outdone you on that one.

BIG YELPS, HUGS AND SMILES.

The true quantitative meaning of a rep.

Video Inspired Me

I just did the quick hit with squats, pushups, and core that I suggested you people try in this video.  For extra resistance, I choked up on a red band for squats, used the chains for pushups, and the 7 pound dumbells for core.  As I suggested, use a 1:1, work:rest ratio.  Here are my results.
Squats with red bands:  90 secs. Rest 90 secs.    40 secs. Rest 40 secs.    25 secs. Rest 2 mins, then
Pushups on chains:        58 secs. Rest 58 secs.    43 secs. Rest 43 secs.    22 secs. Rest 2 mins, then
Core with 7 lb db's:      55 secs. Rest 55 secs.    45 secs. Rest 45 secs.    32 secs. Rest.  DONE!!


I'm gassed.  So many different options can branch off this. 
Too many to put on video.  I've got unlimited ideas on tempo change, rest change, exercises.  Silly little thing gets really scientific.  BUT you gotta want to learn.  Email me if you need help.
By the way....
Total Time.......
About 19 Minutes.......
NO EXCUSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More Innovative Chest Exercises

The photos above show the start and near-lockout position on the incline barbell press.  As you can see, the bar is clamped, and safety pins are in.  Yes, these procedures may take you an extra 60 seconds, BUT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE!!  The rack also allows you to perform negatives, static overloads, to name a couple of ideas.  If you are serious, you will need a rack eventually. Remember to control your tempo; suggested rhythm is 2 counts up and 3 counts down with a slight pause at top and bottom.

These next two photos show the start and finish positions of the banded incline flye.  I know, my body isn’t inclined, is it? It is straight up, but look at my line from bottom to top.  You must start down low, and follow through to halfway between regular flat chest press and overhead.  These work.  As you get tired, hold on for dear life because you will be all over the place.  These can also be done standing.

Next band exercise - the two photos above show the start and finish of an incline band press.  Same line, but now it’s a press movement.  Pretend your hands are on a bar, and therefore must stay parallel to each other the whole time.  Really concentrate on controlling the bands.  By doing this, you will start developing muscles and cuts that you didn’t even know you had. It's important to go through the whole range of motion and keep the bands off your forearms because they provide stability that you don't want because you want to be challenging your muscles to keep the bands in a steady line. 

Now these two photos above show start and finish of the incline dumbbell flye on a bosu.  Lots more stability needed to control the weights.

Now these show start and finish of the incline dumbbell press on the bosu.  Again, lots more stability needed.  Really try to stay in control of the weights, using all synergistic muscles to play into it.

Here we go.  My favourites.  Wanna get a chest, deltoid, triceps, trap, workout and feel like you have been booted in the ribs, abs, and all other core areas at the same time? 

The next photos below show start and finish positions of the incline chain press.  Very tough, and very dangerous.  But if you are strong enough, and can hold that pike position, you will love them.  But you will have to, of course, get some chains.

Now the next two shots take it one step farther, and illustrate the incline chain flye:

Funniest thing: when we had our gym, supposed body builders would say that we weren't a body building gym because we didn't have enough machines. If they had tried these exercises, they would have seen muscle definition that they never had before. The power lifters would have seen their bench press go through the roof. Give this stuff a chance, it works. Oh, and you'll need a major rest between workout days if you've done them properly. Video demo coming shortly - stay tuned!

 

Deadlifts, Calf Raises, Flyes Not Functional? Gimme A Break!

The word "Functional" has become trendy - certain groups of people think that only certain exercises apply to them.  Drives me crazy!!!  Some people with busy lives have trainers come to their houses to show them exercises using soup cans, and ten different ways to move with them.  This supposedly gives you "Functional Strength".  After an hour of this garbage, she/he drives away in the $50,000 car that you have just helped pay for.

Athletes, of course are not supposed to lift mind-boggling weights because they do not want to get too "bulky".  Because they are not ever going to need to do a deadlift on the ice, why bother doing them?  Instead, they need to be in "shape".  So everything is done at 50% intensity, and the weights are those that an 8-year-old would use.  But because these athletes turn these low intensity levels into a non-stop 20 minute circuit, rest a bit, then do it again, they sweat alot.  THAT'S WHAT ATHLETES NEED, RIGHT?  Ah yes, another soft athlete bailing out.

Have you ever tried to put 85% of your 1RM on the bar for your deadlift WORKING WEIGHT?  Do a set until failure, but real failure, no cheating yourself, rest 2:30-2:45, another set, another rest, and then one last set? See what happens.  In about 8 or 9 minutes, you will have the most complete single exercise workout ever, and you will take a long time to recover.

Whether you are an athlete, or that person who is scared of their "personal trainer", we are told that single joint exercises like shrugs, toe raises, and flyes are not needed because they are not "FUNCTIONAL". Because they don't involve as many muscles as a deadlift, lunge, or a bench press, they don't burn as many calories, or have that overall drain on your body... I agree.  But they are still necessary.  Have you ever grocery shopped, and had to carry your bags a long distance to the car?  Have you ever had to reach up to a high cabinet in your house? You hockey players...what does the last part of your skating stride involve when you extend that foot? You football guys...ever had your arm straight out from your body, parallel to the ground, and try to hold someone back? You 50-year-old gardeners...have you ever had to pull out trees, vegetables or shrubs out of the ground? The answer is, of course, yes to all of these I'm sure. Carrying bags is a shrug, reaching up high is a toe raise, extending your foot against the ice is a toe raise, the football analogy is a flye, and you gardeners, you are doing deadlifts.

The point is, all exercises are functional and have their place.  EVERYTHING is necessary.  It has all got to come together with a balance to get you strong.  EVERYTHING GOOD COMES FROM GETTING STRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still Cannot Walk Properly

I still can't walk properly, and my student is now gassed too!!!!! It's been three days, and my 25 minute lower body workout is still badly biting me.  Stairs are a hazard first thing in the morning.  So I figured I would try it on my student.  He's a 17-year-old, AAA hockey player.  Great kid, smart kid.  He's been here with me for 4 months now.  HUGE improvements.  He's getting it.  Not workload, it's about HARD WORK.  Thought I would just fast forward a bit, and show you the exercises from that session.  Remember, I have been lifting for 35 years, him......4 months.  It will work for everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Here is the video.

Kinda Confusing, Sort Of

I know that I am talking about innovative training in your home, but then showing you some "gym exercise photos".  Doesn't make sense, right? WRONG.  Part of being innovative is bringing everything together, for the most complete workout possible.  If the only things that worked were chains, bands and slider boards, the world would be screwy.  I told you that I have the world's best gym, right?  Interesting that you see a bench, dumbells, bars, loads of plates, a fully modified lifting cage, and yes, even two machines.  All this plus the alternatives.  Hundreds of options.  Hundreds of ways to get strong, BUT NOT BORED.  Hopefully, I will convert lots of you with the full package.  But in the meantime, do ya got 200 bucks for some chains and bands, a weight bearing beam, some kind of pole, and a slippery piece of floor or plastic? If you have that, and an open mind - you can change your workouts forever, AT HOME. Pro athlete, 12-year-old field lacrosse player, 40-year-old mother. It works for everyone. Watch the video segments and learn.  The possibilities are endless, especially if you do supplement your gym with a cage, some dumbells, and weights.
By the way, how many exercises do you think that I can do with my cage, and calf machine??????????????
If you ask me, I will tell. Until then, it's my secret.