Working on that Form

As I mentioned last week, form over weight.

It's not about how much you can lift, but rather HOW you lift.

Today was my first leg day session where I applied some new techniques that hopefully will improve my form. For starters, I made my grip more narrow, as well as put the bar primarily on my traps, instead of on the base of my neck. By placing the bar on my traps, I felt that it was easier to keep my upper back tight during the movement.

I did four sets of five at 185lbs, 195lbs, 205lbs, and 215lbs. The weight wasn't too difficult, but I feel like I still need to work on not falling forward. Is my chest up enough during the movement? Overall; however, I felt good about this form, and I feel like it'll only get better over time.

(185x5)

 

 

(215x5)

 



 

 

 

Let me know what you think, and how I can improve!

Squat Form Check

After recently realizing that my shoulders have been falling over while squatting, I knew it was time for a change.

Typically, I would use a very wide grip that would cause my elbows to slightly flare outwards, as well as limit my ability to keep my upper back tight. Due to this, I feel like my back (specifically my lower back) seems to round during the upward portion of the squat.

Thus, I have brought my hands closer together to hopefully avoid this problem. However, I still feel like there is unnecessary movement in lower back during the movement.

The video below is from this morning's leg workout. This is 10 reps at 185. It was done with ease, but I'm more concerned about my form in this situation, rather than the weight.

Let me know what you think!

A Time For Readjustment

It's very easy to get caught up in the amount of weight you're lifting.

Believe me, I'm notorious for this. If I don't lift a given weight I believe I should be able to perform for a certain amount of repetitions, I get very upset with myself. It's not pretty.

This happened yesterday for example, as I was hoping to squat a set of 250lbs for a set of four reps. I was able to hit the goal (sloppily with the help of a spotter). After the set, my spotter told me that he thought a lot of the force I was using to come up from the squat was from my lower back. I immediately went home to watch some clips of my previous squats sets, and read up on common squat mistakes when it finally it hit me...

During the last couple weeks, I've been forgetting about one of the "golden rules" of weight training: FORM OVER WEIGHT. 

I've been squatting with a hand-grip that its extremely far from my shoulders. This causes me to lose tension in my shoulders during the movement. By not keeping my shoulders tight, my shoulders fall forward during the upward phase of the squat, causing my back to round.

When I first realized this yesterday, it was extremely frustrating. This is because I've been able to squat heavier then ever. But the more I think about it, the more I begin to remember that what is the point of lifting a weight if you can't perform the exercise CORRECTLY?

A similar grip issue has occurred recently when bench pressing as well. I have been benching with a wide grip that certainly targets the chest, but not so much the triceps. As a result of this, I have realized that I have been putting additional pressure on my shoulders. Therefore, I plan on benching with a narrower grip that allows me to emphasize not only the chest, but also the triceps. In the end, I think this will also help me be able to lift even heavier, as the triceps are vital for bench press success.

The point of this post is to understand that you shouldn't become obsessed with what you're lifting, but rather HOW you're lifting. By performing each rep of each exercise with proper form, the gains you're hoping for will never go away.

Designing an Exercise Program (Part 2): Accessory Exercises

Last week, we stressed the importance of emphasizing compound exercises. By doing so, not only are you working two muscle groups at the same time, but you are also increasing the amount of testosterone that is being stimulated in the body.

As important as it is to perform compound lifts, it is just as essential to incorporate accessory (aka: secondary) exercises in a program as well.

I believe accessory exercises are important for two key reasons: 1. These types of movements typically allow you to isolate a specific muscle group, and 2. Performing these exercises can help you improve on weak points on compound exercises, thus creating more opportunity for growth.

Secondary exercises should always be performed for a moderate to high amount of repetitions (eight plus). I recommended that you include at least TWO secondary lifts (in addition to a compound lift) when training any body part, as hypertrophy (muscle growth) best occurs when you perform at least three exercises per muscle group per session.

Here are some of my favorite accessory lifts for the most common muscle groups

Chest: Dumbbell/Machine/Cable Flys, Dips (Chest slightly forward)

Back: Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows, Seated Cable Rows, Lying Bench Rows

Shoulders: Lateral Dumbbell Raises, Front Dumbbell Raises, Seated Incline Rear Delt Raises, Barbell/Dumbbell Shrugs

Legs: Seated Leg Raises, Seated Leg Curls, Dumbbell Calf Raises, Calf Raises on Leg Press

Biceps: Every bicep exercise is typically considered to be an accessory exercise. My favorites include: Barbell/EZ Bar Curls, Seated Incline Curls, Concentration Curls

Triceps: Every triceps exercise (except for close grip bench) is typically considered to be an accessory exercise. My favorites include: Triceps Rope-Pulldown, Dumbbell Triceps Extensions, EZ Bar Skull-Crushers

Make sure to perform at least two accessory lifts in each of your weekly training sessions. By adding these to your compound lifts, growth will be on the horizon!

Designing An Exercise Program (Part 1): Centralizing Compound Exercises

One goal that I really want to accomplish through this blog as a whole is to be helpful.

As fun as it is to showcase my progress in my attempts of living a healthy-lifestyle, what I really want to achieve is to help YOU on your own journey.

Since 2015 is just 16 days old, I thought this would be the perfect time to write a series on how to develop a solid training regime. This is solely based on the thought that you can't train properly if you don't know HOW to train.

With that being said, let's talk about one of the most important aspects of a good training program; the compound exercises are ALWAYS performed first.

Compound exercises are lifts that work multiple muscle groups at once. A common example would be barbell bench press which uses both the chest and triceps. These types of exercises should ALWAYS be done first during a session because of the fact that they use multiple muscle groups, and stimulate a greater amount of testosterone compared to isolated (exercises that only use one muscle group) lifts.

Here are some examples of compound exercises:

Chest: Flat/Incline Barbell Bench Press, Flat/Incline Dumbbell Bench Press, Push-Ups (All will work Chest, Triceps, and even shoulders to some extent)

Back: Bent Over Barbell Rows, T-Bar Rows, Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups, Lat-Pulldowns (All will work the back muscles and biceps)

Shoulders: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Barbell Shoulder Press (AKA Military Press), Clean and Press (All will work shoulders, and some aspects of the arms)

Legs: Squat (Back or Front Squats), Leg Press, Deadlifts (Could also be considered a "Back" exercise) (All will multiple muscle groups (if not all of the muscles) found in the legs)

Biceps: Chin-Ups. By using an underhand grip, the biceps are emphasized in this movement that also works the back.

Triceps: Close-Grip Bench Press, Dips (With the Chest slightly forward) (Both of these exercises work the chest and triceps)

Make sure to do some type of compound exercise first in your workouts as these lifts work more than just one muscle group, and promote greater testosterone stimulation allowing you to GROW!

Sources:
 http://www.livestrong.com/article/477024-list-of-compound-exercises/
http://testosteroneboostingexercises.co.uk/compound-exercises-and-testosterone/

Training Goals

Last week, I stressed the importance of knowing your nutritional goals when striving to live a life full of physical activity.

As necessary as it is to have nutritional goals, it is just as essential to have TRAINING goals.

Do you want to build muscular endurance? Do you want Hulk-like strength? (I sure do!) Or do you just simply want to look fit?

Despite what some believe, in order to attain any of the goals mentioned above, one simply cannot just walk into a gym and start lifting weights. He or sure must have some sort of PLAN.

First, decide how often you want to be in the gym weekly. Does a three-day full body routine sound appealing or do you prefer to train closer to five days a week with each session emphasizing a different body part (ex: Monday: Chest, Tuesday: Back, Wednesday: Legs, Thursday: Shoulders, Friday: Arms)

Knowing WHEN you want to train is the first step for success.

After figuring out the frequency of your training, it is VITAL to know HOW you want to train. What I mean by this is understanding the set/rep/intensity scheme that goes in tune with your goals.

Here are my recommended training schemes for specific fitness goals:

Strength: 2-6 sets of six repetitions or less (Intensity should be at least 85% of 1-RM). Rest period should be three to five minutes in between sets.

Hypertrophy (Muscular Growth): 3-6 sets of six to 12 repetitions (Intensity should be 67%-85% of 1-RM). Rest period should be 30 seconds to two minutes in between sets.

Endurance: 2-3 sets of at least 12 repetitions (Intensity should be less than 67% of 1-RM). Rest period should be under 30 seconds in between sets.

Having a plan is the first step in achieving anything in life. Now it's time to put in the work. As LeBron tweets regularly, "Strive for Greatness."

Five Guidelines for Proper Nutrition

Yes, consistently going to the gym is important.

However, what truly leads to muscle growth and a 'kickin' body is what you do OUTSIDE of the gym.

In order to become progressively stronger in the weight room, one needs both adequate sleep and nutrition. The sleeping part is easy, just make sure to sleep 7-8 hours per night. But the nutrition part??? Not so much.

Here are my five rules for developing a sound nutrition.

1. Know Your Goal- Are you trying to gain, maintain, or lose weight? Each goal requires a different caloric intake, and amount of macronutrients (grams of protein, fats, and carbohydrates)

         To Gain Weight- Start by increasing your daily caloric intake by 250-300 calories (ideally through complex carbohydrates) If you steadily start to gain weight, maintain that intake. If you don't see any weight gain after a week, up your intake by another 250 calories.

         To Lose Weight- Do the opposite of above. Simply decrease your intake by 250-300 calories initially and go from there. Do what works best for YOU. Ideally, it should be carbohydrates (specifically sugars) that should be decreased.

         To Maintain- Keep eating the same amount of calories as is. However, make sure your intake correlates with your activity level.

Staying true to your goal is SOOOOO much easier through logging your food on a calorie-counting site. I personally use caloriecount.about.com

2. Be FLEXIBLE!- Believe me, as healthy as meals such as grilled chicken with sweet potatoes are, it gets boring FAST! Therefore, one has to be flexible to in order make a clean eating regime work. Here some examples of proteins, fasts, and carbohydrates one can eat frequently in order to make his/her diet full of variety.

Proteins: Grilled chicken, tuna, lean ground beef, veggie burgers, lean ground turkey, Greek yogurt, whey/casein protein

Carbohydrates: Brown/white rice, oatmeal, sweet/baked/mashed potatoes, whole wheat bread, wheat tortillas, whole grain pasta, vegetables (green/black beans, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.)

Fats: Peanut Butter, eggs, avocado, nuts (peanuts, almonds)

3. CHEAT!- One or two times a week, it is OKAY to have a few pieces of pizza or that cheeseburger with fries. However, be responsible doing it! Don't go overboard!

4. Go Out- Just because you're eating healthy doesn't mean you can't eat socially with friends or family at restaurants. Before going out, type into Google, the name of the restaurant that you're going to, and look at its menu in order to get an idea of what you should order. Most restaurants actually post the nutritional value of each meal online!

5. Drink Water- Muscles are largely made up of water, therefore an adequate consumption must be consumed in order to keep the muscles happy. The formula that I was taught regarding proper water intake was: Weight (in lbs) x 0.5 (ounces) = Recommended intake


Eating healthy consistently can be difficult; however, through being flexible, and having the occasional cheat meal, it is SO possible! Hopefully these guidelines help you on your journey of living a healthy lifestyle.

New Squat 12-RM

Hit a new 12-RM during the first workout of the new year!

Since this morning was considered a leg "pump" day, I did four sets of 200lbs on barbell squats for 12 repetitions. Rest time was two minutes in between each set.

I ran a little over three miles yesterday as "active" rest, so this workout was brutal.

The "raw" video below is of my fourth and final set. Some reps are a tad deeper than others, but overall, I was really happy with this set.

Comments and tips are always appreciated!