Arnold Clip

After my recent post on the Arnold press I took it upon myself to do a little bit more research on the man himself. To see what drove him to become a seven-time Mr. Olympia champion. Then I came across this clip. When I watched it all my questions were answered. Everything came full circle and why he was so good at his sport came to light. So enjoy my video podcast of that clip.

Shoulder Workout- Arnold Press

This exercise stays true to its name. The man Arnold Schwarzenegger invented them while achieving his crown as seven-time Mr. Olympia. It goes without saying that this exercise has been proven to work.

You are going to need a couple thing before you start. First, find a bench and put it in the seated position. Then go to the dumbbell rack and find a weight that you can do. Go back to the bench, sit down, and put the weight on the ground.

The best way to get the weight up to the start position is to curl the weight up. Pick up the weight and do a bicep curl all the way up until you hit your chest and stop there. This is the start position. Now push up with equal force in each arm, twisting your wrists on the way up, until they are fully extended and back down. That was one repetition. You need to do 3 sets of 10.

Some people like to do these in the place as military dumbbell press. I personally like to keep both in my shoulder routines. They are both perfect for sculpting the shoulders and easy to do.


Check out my Podcast!

Shoulder Workout- Standing Upright Row

There aren't a lot of shoulder exercises that incorporate the e-z bar. Which is why the standing upright row is unique. This exercise mainly works the inside of your shoulder. It also helps to give you that ever desirable shoulder cut. There are a couple of things you need to know about how to do it properly.

You need to find the e-z bar and locate some weight that you can do. After you got the weight on both sides of the bar you need to secure it. There should be weight clamps scattered through out the gym. Grab two of them and put those along side the weights. Make sure that you have ample space around you to do the exercise.

Execution is a major part of the exercise. If you do it wrong then your not getting the most out of your work. On any e-z bar there are two sets of grips. Find the inside ones and put your hands around them making a fist. Stand up taking the weight with you. Make sure that you are lifting with your legs to avoid any back injuries. You should be standing up right, arms fully extended, holding the weight. This is your rest position. Pull the weight up as if you were going to hit your self in the chin with the middle of the bar. Make sure that you are bending at the elbows as you're coming up.

From straight arms to the bar underneath your chin is one repetition. Shoot for three sets of ten.

Check out my Podcast!

Shoulder Workout- Dumbbell Military Shoulder Press

Click on the title of this blog to listen to my podcast!

Are your looking for a great shoulder exercise that is guaranteed to give you results? Then stop looking because that exercise is right here. What is this mysterious exercise? It's the dumbbell military shoulder press. Long title I know, but it's no joke. There are a couple of things your gonna need to know before you start it.


Warming up is key before you do any shoulder exercise. Go to a weight rack and grab two 10 lb plates. Then put four fingers in hole in the middle of the weight. Finish your grip by locking your thumb on the outside of the weight. Then start twirling you arms in circles. Do them front and backwards until you feel your rotator cuff and shoulder muscles losen up.  

For the execution you first need to locate a bench. Put it in the up right position so it looks like a chair. Then go to the weight rack and pick a weight thats right for you. Normally I start out with 45lb dumbbells, but if your a beginner I suggest starting small. You can always work up to a heavier weight, and it's a good policy to make sure that you don't get hurt. After you have chosen your weight go back to the bench, sit down, and put the weights on your knees. The next step is going to be to kick the weight up with your knees to the rest position next to your head. Then push up with both arms until they are fully extended. Down and back up. That is one repetition. As always do 3 sets of 10. 

Chest Workout Continued- Dumbbell Press

This exercise is a perfect change of pace. It can take the place of bench press in your routine since it is essentially working the same part of your chest. However, I like to put both the bench and dumbbell press in my workout.

Like the cable flys there isn't one solid bar. You are going to be using dumbbells hence the name. Each arm is going to be working independently form one another. Which is going to force your stabilizer muscles in your chest to start working. 

The execution is pretty simple. Get your weight off the rack. For beginners, like always, start off small. Sit on the bench and rest the weight on your knees. Now while your are laying down on the bench bring the weights with you. So by time your completely flat on your back your weight should be in the start position. Push up just like you are doing a bench press repetition. Be sure to push with equal force in each arm. All the way up and back down to your start position is one rep. Still do 3 sets of 10.

It is going to take a couple of tries to get your rhythm. So don't get discouraged if you don't get it right away.  

Chest Workout Continued- Cable Flys

Now we get to introduce one of my favorite exercises. The cable flys are a great change up from the pressing exercises that I have touched on.  There are a couple of things that make cable flys such a great part of your workout.

When your working out with the cables your muscles are constantly working through each rep. With other chest exercises you are only working one way, but with cables your muscles are working during the rest part of your repetition too.

On the cable machines there isn't one solid bar for flys. Instead there are two individual handles. When you take each handle off the rest position you are engaging all the little stabilizer muscles in your chest to keep those handles straight. Muscles that don't get much attention during the pressing exercises.

As far as the execution its pretty simple. There are going to be two weight racks on each side of the machine. You need to select a weight that you can do 10 times. The handles for this should be at the top of the rack, if there not you need to put them there, so put your hands in each handle. Lift the weight off the racks, and extend your arms forward till they touch each other in front of your chest. That is one repetition. As always do 3 sets of 10.

Remember that if you select 60 on one side you need to select 60 on the other to keep it even and prevent injuries.

Chest Workout Continued- Decline Press

The next exercise in the chest workout is the decline press. This primarily works the bottom part of the chest. Between decline and incline press there are some subtle differences which I will point out to you.

First off the angle of the bench is inverted the opposite way of the incline. Your head is going to pointed toward the ground almost as if your hanging somewhat upside down. The thing that is going to keep you in place is that at the end of the bench, by your feet, there should be an extension for you to hook in your legs for support.

When your finally hooked in and ready to do your set, you need to be aware that the way you press is going to be different. After you take the bar off the rack you are going to touch your chest and back up. However, since the angle your at is different from the incline bench exercise it's going to feel weird at first when you do your first repetition. The weight is going to try and go toward your throat and chin, but you need to use your chest muscles to stabilize it. Your aiming to touch the bottom of your chest, right around the nipple area, with the bar so you need to take that into account.

For your first couple of times that you start this exercise I HIGHLY suggest that you get someone to spot you as your doing your reps. Just in case you can't keep the bar on track for the middle of your chest and so that you won't drop it on your throat or face. The same sets and reps apply for this exercise 3 sets of 10.

Chest Workout Continued- Incline Press

Bench Press is taken care of so now we can move on to the next exercise. Incline press is a great exercise and primarily works the top of your chest. Pay attention because there are a couple differences from the bench press.

The bench itself is at an angle upward so that you are no longer lying flat on your back. You also need to be careful with how much weight you put on the bar. You are not going to press as much weight on the incline as you did on the bench. So my recommendation is that however much weight you used for bench cut that in half and start off with that for your incline. Remember that you can always add more if it's too light. If you hurt yourself trying to press to much weight before your ready there's going to be a long recovery process and possible surgery.
How far you bring the bar down is another difference. After you take the bar off the rack, bring it down to the bottom of your chin instead of touching the bar to your chest. Now if you have heard that you need to touch your chest for this exercise trust me you DON'T. If you do your only putting increased strain on your shoulders. For one repetition you have to come off the rack all the way down to the bottom of your chin and then back up again.

Remember for this exercise you still need to do 3 sets of 10.

Stereotypes

So one thing that really bugs me is people that love to put stereotypes on anyone that goes to the gym. They see a guy that has put in the work, has good tone and definition, and automatically asume that he is on steroids. Okay now I am not talking about the guy on the far right, because he is definitely on steroids. I'm talking about the guys in the middle and on the left. I know that on several occasions I have gotten accused of using illegal supplements even by my family and friends. Others see you bettering yourself and always try to put you down. I feel like there are no categories of people that workout. Just people that enjoy it and do it for that reason. However, there are so many more stereo types out there then just the cliche that guy must be on steroids. For example:

Machines

Most like to be found: doing squats
The machines are the hardcore regulars of the gym who generate an aura of respect. They normally have a single minded determination and can lift roughly a million times the amount of a normal human. They are generally friendly characters who enjoy a bit of gym comaraderie. However they do not take kindly to their session being interrupted. They are there when you arrive and will be there when you leave. It is unknown whether they have a home at all, or whether they infact live at the gym. If more than one machine meet they will usually begin to work together. Sometimes several will congregate around one machine. Often this makes an area of the gym inaccesible or intimidating for the timid gym goer who feels they are not welcome. Don't be afraid to approach, you may even learn something

Civilians

Most likely to be found: on resistance machines
Civilians are basically anyone who comes to the gym out of habbit or because their wife made them. They don't really want to be here but they feel that society demands it of them. Their lack of enthusiasm leaks from their pours

I stumbled across these and more at http://www.the-biomatrix.net/gym-characters.html. If you are are interested in reading up on them and see if your are categorized.

Bench Press

Okay now that we covered nutrition we can start to talk about workouts. Were going to take this step by step so we'll start off talking about chest workouts. The first exercise that you should start off with is the bench press. Now the main thing that you need to remember is that the bar alone weighs 45 pounds. So beginners need to know that before they put to much weight on the bar they could end up hurting themselves. If you have never used a bench press before then you need to start off with small weight so that you can judge how much you can truly lift. If you’re a man I suggest that you put 25 pounds on each side just to start. If you are a woman I suggest you start off with just the bar. Now after you have your weight on, you need to make sure that it is secure. You need to locate clamps to put on alongside of your weights to make sure that they don't slip off the bar mid rep. I have seen this happen and take it from me it wasn't pretty.

Now that you’re ready to go, ask another person in the gym if they could spot you so that if you are struggling they can help you rack your weight. Something to remember is hand placement. There should be two lines on each side of the bar. If you want to work your entire chest then you need to put your middle fingers on this line and then make a fist. If you want to work your chest and triceps then your hands need to be closer together. For this grip you will need to put your thumbs in the middle of the bar where it starts to become course and make the fist. Now take the bar off the rack and bring the bar down until you touch your chest. Now do this slowly! You don't want to drop the weight onto your chest really fast because you are liable to hurt your sternum. Now after you touch your chest with the bar, bring it back up to where you took the weight of the rack. That is one repetition. To get a good workout you need to be doing three sets of 10, which means 10 reps. Then take a small break, and then 10 more, a little break, and then 10 more. It is important that when your starting off that you do the exercises properly so make sure that your are going all the way to your chest and back up. Other wise your only hurting your own progress and results.

DINNER

Dinner is extremely important to your body. It is the meal that gets your body ready for the next day. If you have an unhealthy dinner chances are you are more likely  to wake up feeling sluggish. So my version of a perfectly healthy dinner is a serving of protein, carbs, and some sort of vegetables.

The serving of protein should be chicken or fish, since they are the best sources of good proteins. The best way to prepare them is to grill them. Now I have a George Forman, which I use to prepare a lot of my meals and it is perfect for helping to separate a lot of the fat out of your meat. It even has a nifty tray at the bottom for catching all the fat that gets grilled out of your meat. However, if you don't want to pay the 20 dollars to invest in one you could always boil your meat. But I have to warn you, that if your going to take that route your meal is going to be rather flavorless. On the flip side, red meat has a large amount of protein too. But red meat is hard for your body to move and digest. If you love steaks and eat them often you will need large amounts of fiber to help your body process it and keep you regular.

Your servings of carbs are going to pretty straightforward. Wheat pasta and brown rice are the ideal example. The more organic the carbs the more your body is going to get out of them. The best way to cook pasta is to put it in boiling water. If your going to be eating rice a lot you should look in to buying a rice cooker. Now I feel like I should also talk about the sauce that is normally put on these sides. Everyone loves soy sauce on his or her rice. The big problem with that is soy sauce is jammed pack with sodium. Now your body does need sodium to function, but indulge in too much your body starts to retain water. So the healthiest choice is to put your meat on top of your rice and let the good juices from that meat be your flavor. The healthiest choice for pasta is marinara. I know everyone’s first choice is going to be alfredo, but you need to take the time to read the nutrition facts. Alfredo sauce generally has 90 calories per serving with 80 of those from fat. So marinara will give your pasta some personality without adding to the fat that your trying to burn off.

For your veggies option is pretty up in the air. Since you could go so many ways with it. You could make a little side salad with a combination of your favorite veggies. Another option is a side of broccoli or corn both work well with the rest of your dish. A great way to cook a majority of these vegetables would be to steam them. I know that I prefer my veggies cook rather then raw. They always seem to taste better. That's the thing with vegetables, you can eat which ever one you like the best and there isn't a down side to them. Just make sure that your not putting a ton of fatty toppings on the veggies. For instance, butter on your corn, or cheese on your broccoli. Which totally defeats the purpose of having vegetables in the first place.

HD video Clip

This is my HD video clip that I shot when I took my girlfriend to Disney on Ice

Dimensions: 320x180
Compressed in H264

Lunch Time!!

 In one of my previous blogs I discussed the importance of breakfast. Now we need to talk about what to eat from breakfast to lunch. After that all important breakfast you are going to need a snack before lunch. I know this might go against everything that some of you believe but it is the truth that 6 small meals a day are the best option when your trying to stay healthy and lose weight. So the snack before lunch is nothing major. An apple is a perfect example of a great snack to have. If your not an apple fan and want something sweet than try celery sticks with some peanut butter in the middle. It might not sound good but trust me it is. Now for lunch the general idea is to have something light. So a salad or a sandwich is the ideal choice. You must hear these choices all the time, but take it from me. It's what i eat before a soccer game or a big work out in order to prepare my body for strain its about to go through. There are some things to know though. For instance, if your going to get a salad make sure that you are not getting fatty dressing. Ranch has 110 perserving and 100 of those calories are straight fat. So italian dressing is the perfect alternative. Its usually about 20 calories and 0 of those are from fat. If your not prepared to give up your beloved ranch you can always get fat free ranch. It never tastes as good but at least you still get that general ranch taste and at half the calories as normal ranch. Its the same thing for sandwiches. The mayo that most of us enjoy on our turkey and cheddar is 90 calories generally and 70 of that is fat.  So for everyone that doesn't want to sacrifice taste when it comes to their favorite sandwiches try honey mustard. It is my favorite and has only 10 calories per serving not to mention that it is FAT FREE. Still if my choice has you feeling like you would rather have homeless person sweat for dressing instead. Then there is always the light mayo with 45 calories and 20 from fat. Now I know that my examples wont be ideal for everyone. Some people hate salad and sandwichs. So for you trendy eaters certain sushi tends to be really healthy for you. The tuna (maguro) roll has 184 calories and only 2 grams of fat. Now thats pretty good. The most healthy roll is the Kappa Maki with its slender 136 calories and 0 grams of fat. Now generally the healthy choices that I have given above come in at around 385 calories with cheese and stuff on them. Then if you look at the quarter pounder from McDonalds with its 745 calories with 400 of those straight from fat. It's easy to see how people could pack on those extra lb's. So when its lunch time again make sure that your making the right choice for a more healthy and fitter you.











Feel free to leave me comments if you want more extended examples of great lunch choices and in the meantime I will keep researching good tasting alternatives for lunch. Also stay tuned for my next blog when we dive into what to eat for dinner. :)

                                                            

Don't be Intimidated

I know that most people that are new to the gym come in and are immediately overwhelmed by what they see. I am here to tell you that you don't need to be. I see it on a daily basis. The look on the faces of individuals around the gym. Its like they want to work hard and improve themselves but it's almost as if they feel intimidated. So they do one set when they feel like no one is looking and wait for a time when they feel comfortable again to continue the workout. Not knowing that they are just harming themselves by letting their heart rates drop and decreasing the amount of calories that they are burning. The people that you see doing bicep curls with 50 pounds in each hand have been avid gym goers for years. You don't need to compare yourselves with them. You are just getting into it. We must learn to walk before we can run. So don't be ashamed that you are working out with 20 pound dumbbells. We all started out at that point. I myself started out curling 25 pounds. Don't let how you feel about the weight your working out with or how you feel about your body image effect your work out. If you do your only hurting yourself in the end. Just take comfort in the fact that not everyone had the great body and good strength when they first started. It's a process that takes time, hard work, and dedication. Trust me, I know first hand what it takes to reach your goals.

First things First: Nutriton- Breakfest

Now I dont wan't this to come across like I am beating a dead horse here, but the truth is that Breakfast is key. I know when you hear me say that it takes you back to a time when you were running out the door for school and your mom grabbed you and made you eat your eggs. While you were thinking moms retarded I don't need to eat now. The truth is mom was right. Think of it this way, would you try to start your car and drive it to work if it was on an empty tank. No, you wouldn't. Your body is the same way. Wether you know it or not while you sleep your body is burning calories. I know that sometimes we wake up and were not hungry, or think that we can hold off until lunch. I have been guilty of it on more than one occasion, but we need something besides the GLORIOUS coffee to help kick start our bodies in the morning. I'm not saying that you need to wake up every morning and make egg whites with wheat toast, because it's unrealistic. What I am saying is that you should have some granola bars or some fruit. It's what I do. I'll usually have an apple or banana ready to go on the kitchen table. Something healthy that I can grab and eat  on the way to work. Your body needs fuel to perform throughout the day. Don't believe me? Then have a peek for yourself.


http://www.newsrecord.org/2.7225/skipping-breakfast-can-cause-irritability-fatigue-1.773531

What is Fitness?

What is Fitness? The dictionary defines it as the capability of the body of distributing inhaled oxygen to muscles tissue during increased physical effort. This is just a scientific way of saying that fitness is measured by how fast you recover after exercise. To me Fitness is so much more than that, it's a way of life. If you want to be Fit then you have to change the way you live. No more jack in the box 3 times a week. Or drinking a soda every time your thirsty. You have to be mindful of what you put into your body. Working out will only take you so far to your ideal body image. Nutrition is essential to achieving your goal. You could work out 5 times a week, but if after your work out you go home and eat a number 7 from McDonalds it'll be like you didn't work out at all.  In my blog im going to tell you the proper way to work out and what to eat. I'll also throw in the funny stuf that i experience in the day to day. Of course it will all be fitness related :).