Last time I talked about how most gyms are a waste of time and money. One of the reasons is the ideas the gym and their trainers have. They almost always focus on looks and not practicality. Of course a big reason is because most of the general public has come to confuse looks with actual athletic ability. The gyms are just meeting the public's expectations.
How did this happen? Much of the blame goes to bodybuilding and media, especially models and movies. People equate huge muscles with strength, speed, and overall athleticism. But what people don't understand is that having a 25 inch biceps or rippling abs isn't necessarily going to make you a better fighter, swimmer, soldier,etc. In fact, some of these overdeveloped muscles could hinder performance. Most Americans, especially men, seek to build huge biceps, huge pecs, huge quads, and tiny waistlines.While the slim waistline is good, the other things are one of the reasons for muscular imbalances, which can hinder performance, and in some cases even lead to injury. Huge pecs can lead to slouching and is a negative in sports like swimming and boxing. Seriously, the muscles people should work on , but are overwhelmingly neglected, are lats , hamstrings, glutes, and forearms.
People think Mr Olympia is the symbol of excellence but they're greatly mistaken. Professional bodybuilders through much of the year use moderate weights with high reps, follow very tight , often unhealthy diets( I recall reading one guy restricted his water intake to tea spoons ), along with tons of supplements. On contest day they also use various oils to make their muscles stand out. Of course the final push comes from a bottle or a needle ( lots of diuretics and of course steroids ).Think I'm exaggerating? Read any bodybuilding magazine. Most are quite honest. Look at the guys. There are champions who are under 5"10 yet weigh over 300 lbs!It's all for looks. They however are not necessarily super strong or fast unless they train specifically for such things.
TV and movies have also given us false ideas. One of the worst is Mike " the situation" from Jersey Shore. What can he do, besides shots? Even the Italian Stallion Stallone isn't real. I remember as a kid reading how he had 2% body fat during Rocky 3. Yeah, but he was living on raw eggs and tuna, getting mercury poisoning in the process. No real boxer would train like he did. That's not to say boxers wouldn't train hard and eat right, becoming lean and muscular ( think Paciao or Mayweather ) but they certainly wouldn't be dizzy all day ( like Stallone himself admitted).
It wasn't always this way. The first bodybuilders, at the turn of the 20th century, would demonstrate feats of strength, as well as showing off their muscles. Guys like Arthur Saxon and Eugene Sandow ( who the Mr. Olympia trophy is named after ) would lift barbells with 1 arm or bend steel bars, while their muscles would stand out. This became the first display of muscles. But these guys, while bigger and defined than most people, they certainly weren't anywhere near the size of todays bodybuilders. Even the first wave of "modern bodybuilders " ( Arnold Schwarznegger, Franco Columbu, Dave Draper, Serge Nubret,etc.) trained for strength most of the year ( heavy bench presses, heavy squats,etc.) with limited emphasis on sculpting ( flyes, tricep extensions,etc.) only during contest time. And they weren't built like dinosaurs ( Arnold at his peak was 6'2 and weighed 235 , a far cry from todays guys ).
Many people now equate size with strength , and even ridicule the lean, muscled look. 1 guy on Amazon, reviewing Pavel Tsatsouline's excellent strength training book , Power To The People, made the ridiculous claim that Tsatsouline looked like a prisoner from a Soviet gulag! Pavel is 6'1, 175-185 lbs. While definitely no Mr. Olympia, the man hardly looks like that. I think that shows where the reviewers mind is. Pavel has also dead lifted 3 times his weight, can do 20 pull ups, and military press a 80 lb + kettle bell. His "gulag' like muscles seem to be doing just fine.
Remember, guys like Bruce Lee, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, and Manny Paciao may not come in a Calvin Klein ad or appear in Flex magazine, but their lean muscles certainly produced results .
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
What Do I Have Against Commercial Gyms?
Many commercial gyms are a big part of the problems in the fitness industry. Notice I didn't say all. There are definitely some good gyms out there but to paraphrase Bruce Lee " 90% of commercial gyms are baloney" ( or some stronger words ).
Actually in most cases the gyms philosophy of training isn't the problem. The one exception I can think of is Planet Fitness ( aka Planet Fit less or Planet Fatness ).Their so called " judgement free zone " is really a no progress zone. Seriously, alarms going off when you exhale, staff rushing up to you when you do a strenuous lift. While everyone doesn't need to dead lift double their body weight , doing only light lifts always will definitely not improve anything. In fact, it's a way of keeping people out of shape, and thus constantly dependent on the gym.
The 2 biggest problems with most gyms are the trainers and equipment. Most trainers are poorly paid and make their money through commissions ,thus the often high pressure sales pitch . Also, most trainers themselves only know accepted ideas ( work every body part individually, static stretch before you work out,etc. ) and have limited real world experience using fitness( competitive athlete, military vet, first responder ) .
The other problem is the equipment most modern gyms have . 90 % of the equipment are machines . As I've mentioned in previous posts , machines take away your supporting muscles , move you through the same range of motion every time, etc. Seriously, it doesn't mean anything if you can do 100 pec deck flyes. On the other hand , a double body weight bench press or 100 push ups takes serious effort and will work your chest , triceps, and many supporting muscles . There are a few reasons for all the machines. They're much easier to use so gym owners get those. Also like the trainers I mentioned earlier, many gym owners have wrong ideas about what works. Finally, they can get more clients in a gym with machines. Free weights on the hand are not as appealing to much of the public. This gets to their bottom line, the gyms profits. They want alot of clients , and if they can get them to take a personal trainer that's even better for the gym. They want to get as many people as they can, and get them in and out of the gym .
Part of the problem is also the public's perception of what works. Often some people won't even hire a trainer if they don't work in a gym. I guess they never heard of Pavel Tsatsouline, Stew Smith , or Mike Mahler . All those guys have proven themselves athletically many times over ,Smith in particular in his 7 1/2 years as a SEAL. These guys also don't work for any gyms ( although they do sometimes hold seminars in a gym ). Most of Smith's work outs are in fact done in parks.
Now there are definitely good gyms with good trainers in them. Crossfit Witchita,Tx. has strength coach Mark Rippetoe for example. Pat Flynn works out of the Dragon Gym in Pa. Clearly there are exceptions. The problem is finding the good ones if you want a gym. Many good trainers will work with you at your house, the park,etc. But if you don't want a trainer and just want to work out on your own here are a few things to look for. Make sure the gym has lots of free weights. You would also probably want a bench and squat rack although these may be unnecessary. Other useful things would be kettle bells and dumb bells. Depending on your goals you may want to look for specific things like a heavy bag ( for boxing and martial arts ) and a pool ( obviously for swimming ).
I'm not trying to scare you but I'm trying to show you the facts , saving you some big money in the process and hopefully still reaching your goals.
Actually in most cases the gyms philosophy of training isn't the problem. The one exception I can think of is Planet Fitness ( aka Planet Fit less or Planet Fatness ).Their so called " judgement free zone " is really a no progress zone. Seriously, alarms going off when you exhale, staff rushing up to you when you do a strenuous lift. While everyone doesn't need to dead lift double their body weight , doing only light lifts always will definitely not improve anything. In fact, it's a way of keeping people out of shape, and thus constantly dependent on the gym.
The 2 biggest problems with most gyms are the trainers and equipment. Most trainers are poorly paid and make their money through commissions ,thus the often high pressure sales pitch . Also, most trainers themselves only know accepted ideas ( work every body part individually, static stretch before you work out,etc. ) and have limited real world experience using fitness( competitive athlete, military vet, first responder ) .
The other problem is the equipment most modern gyms have . 90 % of the equipment are machines . As I've mentioned in previous posts , machines take away your supporting muscles , move you through the same range of motion every time, etc. Seriously, it doesn't mean anything if you can do 100 pec deck flyes. On the other hand , a double body weight bench press or 100 push ups takes serious effort and will work your chest , triceps, and many supporting muscles . There are a few reasons for all the machines. They're much easier to use so gym owners get those. Also like the trainers I mentioned earlier, many gym owners have wrong ideas about what works. Finally, they can get more clients in a gym with machines. Free weights on the hand are not as appealing to much of the public. This gets to their bottom line, the gyms profits. They want alot of clients , and if they can get them to take a personal trainer that's even better for the gym. They want to get as many people as they can, and get them in and out of the gym .
Part of the problem is also the public's perception of what works. Often some people won't even hire a trainer if they don't work in a gym. I guess they never heard of Pavel Tsatsouline, Stew Smith , or Mike Mahler . All those guys have proven themselves athletically many times over ,Smith in particular in his 7 1/2 years as a SEAL. These guys also don't work for any gyms ( although they do sometimes hold seminars in a gym ). Most of Smith's work outs are in fact done in parks.
Now there are definitely good gyms with good trainers in them. Crossfit Witchita,Tx. has strength coach Mark Rippetoe for example. Pat Flynn works out of the Dragon Gym in Pa. Clearly there are exceptions. The problem is finding the good ones if you want a gym. Many good trainers will work with you at your house, the park,etc. But if you don't want a trainer and just want to work out on your own here are a few things to look for. Make sure the gym has lots of free weights. You would also probably want a bench and squat rack although these may be unnecessary. Other useful things would be kettle bells and dumb bells. Depending on your goals you may want to look for specific things like a heavy bag ( for boxing and martial arts ) and a pool ( obviously for swimming ).
I'm not trying to scare you but I'm trying to show you the facts , saving you some big money in the process and hopefully still reaching your goals.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
The Value of Circuit Training
Circuit training is essentially doing one exercise after another , with little to no rest . This is a great way to build strength endurance , burn fat, build muscle , work the whole body ,as well as work different adaptations.
Circuits generally use 1 or more pieces of equipment although it's not an absolute requirement. I do believe you will make faster progress with a mix of equipment and body weight exercises. Suspension equipment ( TRX, Jungle Gym, etc.) , dumb bells, and especially kettle bells are all great equipment to work with . The kettle bell is especially valuable because of its versatility as well as the sheer number of exercises that can be done with it. Weights on the other hand are less than ideal for circuits . Weights are generally for maximal strength ( 1-3 reps ) as well as the fact that you'd have to waste time changing the weight between exercises . This isn't to say it's impossible but either you would have to lower the weight or limit the number of exercises.
The exercises you choose should be relatively simple , although not necessarily easy . Examples would be push ups , pull ups, military presses , swings . Usually you want to do moderate to high reps ( 3 - 10 + ) depending on the exercise , although you could do a 1 rep exercise in the circuit as long as there was enough time to recover . The number of sets can range from as low as 3 to as high as 10 or more .
Here are a couple of examples . 1 circuit I did the other day. It was a mix of maximal strength , strength endurance, and a little explosiveness . It also worked grip , pushing, and pulling strength . I did 16 diamond push ups , then using my 16 kilo ( 36 lbs ? ) kettle bell , I held it with the handle down ( known as the bottoms up grip ) and did 5 lateral lunges ( for both legs ) , then immediately 5 bicep pull ups ( the pull up bar in my room ) , and ran back to the kettle bell and did the 2 hand swing for 25 reps . I immediately got back down in push up position and started it all over again .I did this for a total of 10 sets. That's a total of 160 diamond push ups , 50 lateral lunges , 50 bicep pull ups, and 250 swings . This type of mixed training has recently been termed metabolic resistance training . Another goal is to try to beat the previous time . In the above work out , last week I did this in 42:06 . This week I did it in 40:36 . I did the same amount of work in less time . That's progress.
This morning I did a circuit on the beach that focused on explosiveness and speed. I did 2 hand swings with the kettle bell x 25 reps, the hopped laterally over the kettle bell x 5 reps, the immediately sprinted to the shore and back to the kettle bell ( about 20 -50 meters , much in soft sand ) .I did this for 10 sets in 16 :15 . Notice the overall reps were much lower as well as the overall time . That's because this was a much more intense circuit ,namely the jumps and sprints. However the results are more than perfect.
As shown , circuits don't have to be limited to the gym . You could swim laps and alternate them with body weight or resistance exercises. The only limitation is your imagination .
And if you want to add an extra fat burning element , consider some non stop aerobic exercise immediately afterwards . In the example of my 2 circuits , after the long 40:00 circuit I ran a mile . After the beach circuit I ran 4 miles on the beach .
I would recommend at least a couple of circuits a week although more won't hurt . I would say however not to do the exact same circuit more than twice a week , if even that ,and certainly not 2 days in a row .
So get your equipment ready, set your timer, and go.
Circuits generally use 1 or more pieces of equipment although it's not an absolute requirement. I do believe you will make faster progress with a mix of equipment and body weight exercises. Suspension equipment ( TRX, Jungle Gym, etc.) , dumb bells, and especially kettle bells are all great equipment to work with . The kettle bell is especially valuable because of its versatility as well as the sheer number of exercises that can be done with it. Weights on the other hand are less than ideal for circuits . Weights are generally for maximal strength ( 1-3 reps ) as well as the fact that you'd have to waste time changing the weight between exercises . This isn't to say it's impossible but either you would have to lower the weight or limit the number of exercises.
The exercises you choose should be relatively simple , although not necessarily easy . Examples would be push ups , pull ups, military presses , swings . Usually you want to do moderate to high reps ( 3 - 10 + ) depending on the exercise , although you could do a 1 rep exercise in the circuit as long as there was enough time to recover . The number of sets can range from as low as 3 to as high as 10 or more .
Here are a couple of examples . 1 circuit I did the other day. It was a mix of maximal strength , strength endurance, and a little explosiveness . It also worked grip , pushing, and pulling strength . I did 16 diamond push ups , then using my 16 kilo ( 36 lbs ? ) kettle bell , I held it with the handle down ( known as the bottoms up grip ) and did 5 lateral lunges ( for both legs ) , then immediately 5 bicep pull ups ( the pull up bar in my room ) , and ran back to the kettle bell and did the 2 hand swing for 25 reps . I immediately got back down in push up position and started it all over again .I did this for a total of 10 sets. That's a total of 160 diamond push ups , 50 lateral lunges , 50 bicep pull ups, and 250 swings . This type of mixed training has recently been termed metabolic resistance training . Another goal is to try to beat the previous time . In the above work out , last week I did this in 42:06 . This week I did it in 40:36 . I did the same amount of work in less time . That's progress.
This morning I did a circuit on the beach that focused on explosiveness and speed. I did 2 hand swings with the kettle bell x 25 reps, the hopped laterally over the kettle bell x 5 reps, the immediately sprinted to the shore and back to the kettle bell ( about 20 -50 meters , much in soft sand ) .I did this for 10 sets in 16 :15 . Notice the overall reps were much lower as well as the overall time . That's because this was a much more intense circuit ,namely the jumps and sprints. However the results are more than perfect.
As shown , circuits don't have to be limited to the gym . You could swim laps and alternate them with body weight or resistance exercises. The only limitation is your imagination .
And if you want to add an extra fat burning element , consider some non stop aerobic exercise immediately afterwards . In the example of my 2 circuits , after the long 40:00 circuit I ran a mile . After the beach circuit I ran 4 miles on the beach .
I would recommend at least a couple of circuits a week although more won't hurt . I would say however not to do the exact same circuit more than twice a week , if even that ,and certainly not 2 days in a row .
So get your equipment ready, set your timer, and go.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
The Importance of Anaerobic Training
There's a view that training should always be long duration. This is especially true in what are considered aerobic activities , ( any activity over 30 seconds ) mainly running , swimming, and biking. Some strength training programs also train in an aerobic manner . This training is viewed as very good for the heart and as the best method for conditioning , as well as helping people to burn fat . People often train in what's commonly called " long slow distance " training ,i.e 30 + minutes , often a an hour or even more.
While there's a place for such training it's not necessary for everyone . For endurance athletes like marathoners , long distance swimmers, and long distance bikers such training is a must. But even they shouldn't always train long and slow . And for most people , there's no need for long workouts, at least not all the time . What's often overlooked is anaerobic training . Anaerobic simply means no or little oxygen is used . Obviously such activities are very short, often only a few seconds . Sprinting is most often associated with anaerobic activities but other examples include bench presses , Olympic snatch , and gymnastic somersaults. These are stop and start activities that don't last long . They do however require intense effort.
2 articles I recently saw really drive home that point . One at naturalrunningcenter.com , was ironically an article on building endurance .But part way down ,the article mentioned incorporating some sprints into your training in order to make your running complete . The other article, at livestrong.com , lists the many benefits of sprinting including , increased oxygen capacity , greater fat burning , as well as shaving time off your runs . Training in a long , slow , pace all the time will eventually lead to staleness, and even regression . I know because it happened to me . Some years ago after my success in my first half marathon ( first in my age group ,1:34 ? , 7th overall ) I tried to take it even further . I also thought about trying a full marathon , as well as misunderstanding how good runners train, i.e. , 10+ miles a day . Well I started to run at least 10 + miles a day , often finishing Saturday with a 13 + mile run .Remember ,I mean 10 miles at the same pace for the most part .The first week was pretty good but by the second week my times started to go up . I tried to mix up the speed but I found I couldn't bring the speed . I was devestated .I was only trudging through . I changed my training , bringing short sprints like 100 meters on an interval, into the picture . I also cut the mileage , and never ran the same amount twice a week . After awhile my speed returned and my times went back down.
While I mentioned running just now ,the same rules apply to other activities like swimming and even strength training . Lifting the same light weight every day or doing the high rep, low intensity ab work will eventually work against you . You need to throw in some short intense work outs such as 1 or 2 rep heavy lifts or a few explosive jumps . Such intense work as mentioned earlier improves your vO2 max , your maximal oxygen capability , and builds muscle , among other things.
So remember , whatever your goals , a little intensity goes a long way.
While there's a place for such training it's not necessary for everyone . For endurance athletes like marathoners , long distance swimmers, and long distance bikers such training is a must. But even they shouldn't always train long and slow . And for most people , there's no need for long workouts, at least not all the time . What's often overlooked is anaerobic training . Anaerobic simply means no or little oxygen is used . Obviously such activities are very short, often only a few seconds . Sprinting is most often associated with anaerobic activities but other examples include bench presses , Olympic snatch , and gymnastic somersaults. These are stop and start activities that don't last long . They do however require intense effort.
2 articles I recently saw really drive home that point . One at naturalrunningcenter.com , was ironically an article on building endurance .But part way down ,the article mentioned incorporating some sprints into your training in order to make your running complete . The other article, at livestrong.com , lists the many benefits of sprinting including , increased oxygen capacity , greater fat burning , as well as shaving time off your runs . Training in a long , slow , pace all the time will eventually lead to staleness, and even regression . I know because it happened to me . Some years ago after my success in my first half marathon ( first in my age group ,1:34 ? , 7th overall ) I tried to take it even further . I also thought about trying a full marathon , as well as misunderstanding how good runners train, i.e. , 10+ miles a day . Well I started to run at least 10 + miles a day , often finishing Saturday with a 13 + mile run .Remember ,I mean 10 miles at the same pace for the most part .The first week was pretty good but by the second week my times started to go up . I tried to mix up the speed but I found I couldn't bring the speed . I was devestated .I was only trudging through . I changed my training , bringing short sprints like 100 meters on an interval, into the picture . I also cut the mileage , and never ran the same amount twice a week . After awhile my speed returned and my times went back down.
While I mentioned running just now ,the same rules apply to other activities like swimming and even strength training . Lifting the same light weight every day or doing the high rep, low intensity ab work will eventually work against you . You need to throw in some short intense work outs such as 1 or 2 rep heavy lifts or a few explosive jumps . Such intense work as mentioned earlier improves your vO2 max , your maximal oxygen capability , and builds muscle , among other things.
So remember , whatever your goals , a little intensity goes a long way.
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