It all started one day at a new training center I was visiting. This was an intense place, designed for football teams to do strength training. Far more advanced than my home gym (especially back then) and it made my regular fitness center look like a badminton club.
- Some exercises are simply better with a hex bar/trap bar
I saw these absolutely huge guys doing shrugs with these odd-shaped bars. They were hexagon shaped so the lifter stood in the middle of a hexagon hole. (See picture to the right.)
I asked one of them what it was called. “A hex bar,” he answered.
Ok, nobody won any creativity awards for that name.
But what amazed me was the range of motion it allowed for the shrug. I waited until he was done and sidled over to try for myself. Holy cow – I was in love!
See, I’ve always loved working my traps, and I love the way big traps look. But doing shrugs with a barbell had range of motion issues. Doing them in front hit my “jewels” and doing them in back hit my butt.
And shrugs with dumbbells are a real challenge because of grip issues. Once you start shrugging heavy, it’s really hard to hold on to those 150 lb dumbbells. (And forget about using straps with dumbbells. Not only is it awkward. You’ll also get made fun of like a 5th grader picking his nose. And someone might even give you a wedgie.)
Using the hex bar for shrugs was perfect – I could lift heavy, get a full range of motion, and grip issues were negligible.
Next Up: Trap Bar Deads
Feeling stoked, I moved on that same day to try an exercise I had vaguely heard about, but then saw a football guy doing: hex bar deadlifts (a/k/a trap bar deads). (more…)
Join the forum discussion on this article, or comment below.Continue reading about My Love Affair With The Hex Bar (aka Trap Bar)
![Buddy McKee squatting 810 Lbs. at age 53 at the APF Louisiana Open in Sept. 09 [pic taken by Teresa Frank]](http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/buddy-powerlifting-la-09-small-300x200.jpg "buddy powerlifting la 09-small")
- Buddy McKee squatting 810 Lbs. at age 53 at the APF Louisiana Open in Sept. 09 [pic taken by Teresa Frank]
Buddy McKee hasn’t followed a typical path. It’s been an exceptional path, covering multiple sports, various powerlifting records, NFL free-agent, competitive bodybuilder, full-contact karate (before MMA was in vogue), teacher, and coach. And if that weren’t even, he even recorded a hit song he wrote and sang (#80 on the national charts many years ago). [For a more complete bio, scroll to the bottom of this article.]
Buddy is STRONG. His in-meet records are Squat – 810 lbs. Bench Press – 600 lbs. Deadlift – 622 lbs. And of course, in the gym he’s lifted even more.
He’s held various titles and records recently in the over 50 class. And, at the prime age of 54, he’s still competing and 2010 may hold a couple of new records for Buddy.
I talked with Buddy a couple weeks ago, and he was kind enough to let me record the call and share it with you!
The tool below lets you listen to streaming audio of the interview. LeanLifters will get the full MP3 download via email. (more…)
Join the forum discussion on this article, or comment below.
Three quick reminders:
1) Hypertrofreak is available at http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/more/hypertrofreak.html and anyone who comments on the forums by December 31 will get a 20% coupon. More news about the program coming in January.
2) I’m working on consolidating emails so that you get multiple articles in each email. Bear with me (more…)
Remember when we asked you to Take Your Worst Picture Ever? Well it’s time to take it out. If you haven’t taken it yet, or are new to World Fitness Network, we’ve got reminders at the end of this post…
What Do You See?
That old picture of yourself – is that what you still look like? Have you made any progress? Have you made enough progress? I’m not here to lecture you – I’m here to help you lecture yourself.
If you think you’ve made good progress, skip to the Take a New Picture section and then compare.
If you haven’t made progress, do these things right now:
- write down every excuse you can come up with; don’t hold back!
- now rank those excuses by their “power”; the stronger their power over you, the closer to the top of the list they go
- for each of your top 5 excuses (more if you have the gumption), write down at least one action you are going to take to eliminate it as an excuse moving forward
- take your top 5 excuses and share them with someone who cares about you; ask them for their advice on how they think you can eliminate those; don’t share the previous step with them – you want original ideas
- take the combined list of approximately 10 ideas to combat your 5 major excuses, and tape the list to your bathroom mirror
- every day (especially on your workout days) recite that list out loud; if you get embarrassed reading it out loud, good! you’ve got to break through some barriers if you want to eliminate those excuses
- now act!
And time to take a new picture:
Haven’t Taken Your Picture Yet? Or Need To Take A New Picture?
Did you fail your self-evaluation? Or are you just now planning to get in shape, but haven’t quite started yet?
Or even if you’ve made progress, you now need a new benchmark – a new picture.
Go into your room and take all your clothes off. That’s right, strip down to nothing but your briefs, your Spiderman Underoos, your boxers, your lingerie, whatever you are wearing underneath. (more…)
Join the forum discussion on this article, or comment below.Continue reading about It’s Time to Look At Your Worst Picture Ever, And Take A New One
Those of you who have ever bought any of my lifting programs know I always include shoulder presses, in various forms.
I adamantly believe that the standard barbell vertical press (a/k/a barbell shoulder press, a/k/a military press, a/k/a some other names) is the best form to be doing throughout the year. That said, I hate monotony and include Arnold Presses in some routines (for example the 6x6x6 Routine).
Most people do Arnold Presses sitting down. DON’T!
Doing them sitting with your back on a seated bench has various drawbacks:
- reduced core stabilization
- usually done with improper back arch
- requires you to wait around for that seated bench to be available (wastes time)
- less transfer of skill/strength to other exercises
Instead, do them standing. This video shows you how to do them, but I add something most people forget about: low ceilings.
Many of you, like me, often work out in home gyms with low ceilings. So what should you do?
Should you do them sitting? Again, NO!
You do them kneeling. So I call them “Kneeling Arnolds”. You get almost all the benefits of standing.
Here’s the video: (more…)
Continue reading about How To Do Arnold Presses – Killer Shoulder Exercise
Why is it that the world is focusing more and more on fitness, but at the same time everybody seems to be even more out of shape?
Scores of new diets come in and out of the market place that promise us amazing results in a matter of weeks. There’s (more…)
Continue reading about Why Lifting Weights is Key To Your Health- New Year Approaching
- Don’t delay getting in the best shape of your life…
Are you waiting until January to get serious about fitness?
I’m already starting to hear a phrase I absolutely hate: “After the holidays I will… [fill in the blank]“
For some it’s “After the holidays I’ll get serious about eating right (more…)
How will I ever find time to workout with my busy schedule?
It’s a question that anybody who exercises regularly has had to deal with. Finding time to workout is not easy, it’s unlikely, and quite frankly, you shouldn’t even try to find time to workout.
What kind of advice (more…)
Continue reading about The Only Way You Will Ever Have Time To Workout
