This really gassed me. It's great for conditioning. This is a really good exercise for teaching full body tension. Squeezing the kettlebell handles helps you to stabilize the shoulder. I really like this exercise - my forearms were destroyed!
3 Pieces of the Muscle Building Puzzle
There is a specific combination of work, fuel and rest required to build muscle. If you're missing any of the parts of the puzzle your body won't gain lean mass no matter what you do. I'm going to attempt to quickly summarize these requirements for you. Here we go!
Consistency is key when you're trying to change your body. When you start a brand new exercise program, it takes your body approximately 8 weeks to adapt to your training. Unfortunately most people don't ever see the results they want because many people drop exercise plans after only 2 months, the same amount of time it takes you to even begin to see results. Most of the "gains" you make in the first two months are just your neuro/muscular pathways growing and your brain learning to recruit more of the fibers in your muscle. In bodybuilding lingo, this neuromuscular facilitation is often referred to as "the mind/muscle" connection. Muscular and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy happens after this point and takes consistent, intense and varied activity over time. It's important to use the overload principle to progress and build mass and size. You have to constantly challenge yourself by increasing weight, reps, sets, intensity or by reducing rest time.
Other than consistent resistance training building muscle also requires proper nutrition (fueling) and rest to help facilitate the body's healing process. The act of resistance training creates microtears in the muscle fibers. The "swole" or "pumped" feeling you get after a tough session is your body sending blood to the area to clean up damage, deliver oxygen and carry away lactate and other metabolic waste. After training when at rest the body uses ingested protein to repair the damage to muscle and connective tissues. It's especially important for athletes and bodybuilders to consume enough protein for it to be readily available for the body to use. The best types of protein for these purposes come from animal sources.
You also have to rest, ideally at least 6-8 hours. This is the time when your body repairs itself! Muscles aren't built during the time you spend in the gym, they are built that night while you sleep, and the next night. Less than the ideal number of shut-eye for you will stunt any gains you may have made if you had proper rest. This is due in part to hormonal irregularities (testosterone and cortisol) caused by lack of sleep as well as the stress on your body of running when it should be in standby.
TLDR; If you're interested in building muscle you have to train consistently, for a long time. You have to do the work, get plenty of rest and eat plenty of protein. All three of these things are necessary and if any are missing you won't see the results you hope for.
New Logo? I think so!
So I haven't started color correcting or printing anything out yet but I'm 99% sure this is our new logo! I love this artwork, I think it's exactly the visual style that I'm going for and I love the ecg blip in the bicep. Comments? I'd love to hear them!
About getting fitness information online...
Many of my personal training clients are office workers. I know that some of them get fitness information online, but how much of that information is good? I was browsing through a few subreddits on popular site reddit.com for about 15 minutes today and came across a great deal of bad fitness there as well. I also find some popular men's and women's magazines that get it all wrong, despite their intentions.
So how do you wade through the huge amount of information online and weed out the good from the bad? I have a few tips:
1) Understand the context of the information you're searching for and adjust the application of that material based on your individual situation.
If you're researching the current Mr. Olympia Phil Heath and decide to do the same exercise program he uses, you will end up very injured. Phil has been doing what he does for a very long time and has a lot of pharmaceutical assistance. He has had time for his muscles, bones and connective tissues to adapt to the extreme stresses he places on them and his nervous system is adapted to insane amounts of intense training. He does this for a living and you (probably) don't.
2) Reject Supplements or protocols that claim to "cleanse" or "detoxify" you. They are inherently deceptive. Your body is self-cleaning. The only things you can do to detoxify is to avoid toxins in your food and drinks, eat organic food from farms and not processed food from factories. Drink plenty of clean, filtered water. Popular fasts like the "Master Cleanse" claim to cleanse your body and kickstart your metabolism. In reality they are unhealthy because you're not getting the two essential macronutrients, fat and protein. The result of this are not a cleaner or leaner body. Your metabolism slows to a crawl. Your blood sugar dips and spikes. Instead of burning fat your body starts squirting out lots of cortisol, a stress hormone that causes you to retain fat around your midsection. Then your body starts breaking down your muscle to retrieve protein instead of getting it from your diet. Your brain, connective tissues like ligaments and tendons and the meniscus in your knees and discs in your back are all made from fat you ingest. Enough said?
3) Check the sources - If the article or site is talking about research studies, do they provide links? Are these links to peer-reviewed medical journals? Don't trust wild claims about information from scientific studies if those studies aren't provided or if the author is unable to provide them if you ask. Anyone giving fitness information online should have credentials to back it up or be able to point you to those studies to show they have read them.
4) If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. How does it hold up on further investigation? Over time? This is specifically for ridiculous things like "The Cookie Diet". C'mon? Really? This is also true for weightloss programs that help you lose weight without exercise. This isn't doing you any favors and it doesn't take into account the loss of muscle you experience trying to lose weight without resistance training. Who wants to lose muscle?
I just can't stay motivated!
We all have days we want to skip a workout because we're just not feeling it. If you're not feeling motivated it can be tough to get out of the door and into the gym. You can't let this excuse hold you back!
Take this list and print it out. Hang it on your fridge or a mirror. If you don't have motivation go through this sucker and find a tip that will work for you! I've listed 52 ideas so there's one a week for a year!
I'd love to hear your ways to motivate yourself! Comment and let me know what works for you!
1. Make a new year's resolution
2. Make a bet
3. Ask someone to hold you accountable
4. set a specific goal with a date
5. Join a gym
6. Buy yourself a new workout outfit
7. workout at a specific time every day
8. Find a workout buddy
9. write your goals on your bathroom mirror
10. register for a race
11. make a vision board
12. run with your dog, or a friends dog
13. start a journal or blog of your exercise
14. Change up your routine by finding a new exercise
15. Take photos to document your progress. Take a new photo every other week and track your changes.
16. Make your workout a game, with a goal to go heavier, more intense or longer than last time
17. Schedule an appointment with a personal trainer
18. Sign up for a group exercise class
19. reward yourself after a hard workout with a massage
20. Commit publicly by posting about your workouts on social networking sites
21. Just show up. Sometimes getting to the gym is the hardest part!
22. Watch exercise videos. Sometimes just seeing other people working out with give you motivation to get out there yourself!
23. Make a list of the benefits you've experienced from exercise.
24. Make it a rule never to skip two workouts in a row.
25. Join a charity fund-raising fitness group. You can train and raise money for a good cause!
26. Listen to music or books on tape when you exercise.
27. Prepare your workout clothes before bed and make exercise the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning.
28. Make a list of common excuses you use not to work out, and a response to each of them. Use it when you feel like skipping your workout.
29. Get a calendar and give yourself a gold star each day you work out. Reward yourself when you hit every scheduled workout for a month.
30. Try a friend's workout routine and have them try yours.
31. Get a pedometer and see how many steps you take in a day. Make a game to take more steps than you did yesterday. Active people usually have at least 10000 steps a day.
32. Subscribe to a fitness magazine or online newsletter
33. Take measurements. A tape measure is a good way to show you progress.
34. If you've been logging your workouts, look back on old workouts to see how far you've come.
35. Find a mantra. Lots of people have phrases they repeat to themselves to keep motivated.
36. Change your scenery. Do your workout in a different place.
37. Having a tough day? Use your workout to relieve stress! Being upset or angry at someone can be a great motivator to turn up the intensity in the gym!
38. Plan for special occasions - weddings, class reunions, or big dates are a great reason to exercise!
39. Find a winter sport you love to stay motivated when it's cold outside!
40. Think about the health benefits. You'll be less likely to get sick or run down if you're in better shape!
41. Make yourself a priority! Often times we don't exercise because we have other things that need our attention. For you to be at your best you have to take care of yourself too!
42. Get started today! Don't wait until a specific date to begin your quest for health.
43. Going out of town? Make sure any hotels you stay at have a workout room and take advantage!
44. Make it a habit! Once you have a pattern of exercise for 3 or 4 weeks in a row you'll really start to miss it on the days you skip.
45. Buy an outfit that you really love but doesn't QUITE fit. Use this as your goal and get to work!
46. Take time to meditate every day about your goals. Set new goals as you achieve them!
47. Take baby steps - sometimes even small gradual changes will make a big difference down the road!
48. Find a photo of someone who inspires you to be fit (children, spouse, friends) and put it somewhere you’ll see it often. When you see it, imagine new fun, active things to do with that person.
49. Look for one article talking about or photo of your favorite activity each day to keep it fresh and exciting.
50. Climb Spencer's Butte (or any hill or butte you’d like) and record your time to the top. Make a specific goal to improve your time in a month.
51. Watch an inspirational movie or have a Rocky marathon!
52. Put your money where your mouth is! Pay yourself to exercise… Put a dollar in a piggy bank every time you exercise and crack it open once a year and have fun!
Take this list and print it out. Hang it on your fridge or a mirror. If you don't have motivation go through this sucker and find a tip that will work for you! I've listed 52 ideas so there's one a week for a year!
I'd love to hear your ways to motivate yourself! Comment and let me know what works for you!
1. Make a new year's resolution
2. Make a bet
3. Ask someone to hold you accountable
4. set a specific goal with a date
5. Join a gym
6. Buy yourself a new workout outfit
7. workout at a specific time every day
8. Find a workout buddy
9. write your goals on your bathroom mirror
10. register for a race
11. make a vision board
12. run with your dog, or a friends dog
13. start a journal or blog of your exercise
14. Change up your routine by finding a new exercise
15. Take photos to document your progress. Take a new photo every other week and track your changes.
16. Make your workout a game, with a goal to go heavier, more intense or longer than last time
17. Schedule an appointment with a personal trainer
18. Sign up for a group exercise class
19. reward yourself after a hard workout with a massage
20. Commit publicly by posting about your workouts on social networking sites
21. Just show up. Sometimes getting to the gym is the hardest part!
22. Watch exercise videos. Sometimes just seeing other people working out with give you motivation to get out there yourself!
23. Make a list of the benefits you've experienced from exercise.
24. Make it a rule never to skip two workouts in a row.
25. Join a charity fund-raising fitness group. You can train and raise money for a good cause!
26. Listen to music or books on tape when you exercise.
27. Prepare your workout clothes before bed and make exercise the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning.
28. Make a list of common excuses you use not to work out, and a response to each of them. Use it when you feel like skipping your workout.
29. Get a calendar and give yourself a gold star each day you work out. Reward yourself when you hit every scheduled workout for a month.
30. Try a friend's workout routine and have them try yours.
31. Get a pedometer and see how many steps you take in a day. Make a game to take more steps than you did yesterday. Active people usually have at least 10000 steps a day.
32. Subscribe to a fitness magazine or online newsletter
33. Take measurements. A tape measure is a good way to show you progress.
34. If you've been logging your workouts, look back on old workouts to see how far you've come.
35. Find a mantra. Lots of people have phrases they repeat to themselves to keep motivated.
36. Change your scenery. Do your workout in a different place.
37. Having a tough day? Use your workout to relieve stress! Being upset or angry at someone can be a great motivator to turn up the intensity in the gym!
38. Plan for special occasions - weddings, class reunions, or big dates are a great reason to exercise!
39. Find a winter sport you love to stay motivated when it's cold outside!
40. Think about the health benefits. You'll be less likely to get sick or run down if you're in better shape!
41. Make yourself a priority! Often times we don't exercise because we have other things that need our attention. For you to be at your best you have to take care of yourself too!
42. Get started today! Don't wait until a specific date to begin your quest for health.
43. Going out of town? Make sure any hotels you stay at have a workout room and take advantage!
44. Make it a habit! Once you have a pattern of exercise for 3 or 4 weeks in a row you'll really start to miss it on the days you skip.
45. Buy an outfit that you really love but doesn't QUITE fit. Use this as your goal and get to work!
46. Take time to meditate every day about your goals. Set new goals as you achieve them!
47. Take baby steps - sometimes even small gradual changes will make a big difference down the road!
48. Find a photo of someone who inspires you to be fit (children, spouse, friends) and put it somewhere you’ll see it often. When you see it, imagine new fun, active things to do with that person.
49. Look for one article talking about or photo of your favorite activity each day to keep it fresh and exciting.
50. Climb Spencer's Butte (or any hill or butte you’d like) and record your time to the top. Make a specific goal to improve your time in a month.
51. Watch an inspirational movie or have a Rocky marathon!
52. Put your money where your mouth is! Pay yourself to exercise… Put a dollar in a piggy bank every time you exercise and crack it open once a year and have fun!
Support
It's important to have supportive people around you. When you are trying to change your body it requires a good amount of dedication and discipline. Sometimes if you feel weak or depressed or frustrated or are just having a rough day, having a supportive person there who understands what you're trying to do can be the difference between make or break.
This can be especially important when you live with someone else. Sometimes your wife/husband/significant other/roommate brings things into the house that are tempting or otherwise not in line with your idea of healthy eating or your macros. Sometimes you have to eat out for a business dinner or a special occasion. It' easy for this to throw you off if you've been in a good groove.
Sometimes it's hard to find time to fit your training into your schedule. Once again this can be complicated by other peoples schedules too. This can be a sleep issue - maybe you're not able to get to bed as early as you could because someone is up late playing video games or making noise.
There are a number of other ways that not having a good support system for your body change can really interfere. One thing that can help is to sit down with that person or persons and explain to them why you are doing the things you are doing. Whether it is a dietary restriction, a time restriction or just a pattern that is going on that prevents you from being the best you can, sometimes talking to that other person and asking them to help and support you is necessary.
It can be tough to have that conversation but once you do it can make a huge difference. Sometimes people don't realize how difficult it can be to make real physical changes or don't even realize that something they are doing is making it tough for you. Take a chance and ask for their help! Explain you want to be the best you can so you have more healthy energetic time to spend with them. Having them there to support and help you can help you stay consistent when you're having a hard time by yourself! Communication is key!
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