It’s time I come clean.
Sometimes I feel pretty dumb about fitness
I have no idea what I’m talking about when it comes to strength and conditioning.
At least, that’s how it felt after I finished a full-day fitness seminar in Boston put on by Perform Better last weekend. This was an amazing event featuring Todd Durkin (I wrote about meeting him before), Mike Boyle, and Gray Cook.
In case you don’t recognize the names, these are GIANTS in the strength and conditioning world. We’re talking about the guys who not only train pro sports teams. These guys train some of the most explosively strong athletes on the planet: American football, hockey, and more.
The day was broken into morning/afternoon: lectures/hands-on practical. So tons of knowledge was dropped before lunch and after lunch we actually were trained, hands-on, by these guys. Both experiences were amazing. Here’s what I learned from the day – there are many take-aways you can put to use yourself… (more…)
- Does semi-fasted cardio help with fat loss?
In the bodybuilding world, “morning cardio” or “semi-fasted cardio” is often cited as a key for getting uber-ripped. But is it true?
Recently I wrote about fasting for fat loss and muscle growth.
But the concepts around semi-fasted cardio training have been around longer. Seems like there would be conclusive science on this right? Unfortunately not.
Nonetheless, today I’ll take you through enough science for you to draw some lessons and I’ll finish with 10 tips for you. (more…)
Continue reading about 10 Steps Towards Semi-Fasted Morning Cardio For Fat Loss
I know you have questions about how to get leaner and/or more muscular, no matter what level you are currently at in your fitness goals.
And you aren’t the only ones with your question. Most people have the same 10 to 20 questions. All that differs are the numbers.
Last week I asked you to submit your questions for me – and I got flooded!
I’ve recorded the answers in the audio below – just click the start button and listen. It’s only about a half hour or so, and I’ve got a surprise at the end. So enjoy!
Join the forum discussion on this article, or comment below.
- You can keep lifting weights after 60, into your 70s, and beyond
I recently took my family to visit my parents and got to workout with my dad at his gym (Gold’s Gym – wow, their membership fees are really low!). While coaching him, I was reminded of many tips that I bet you’ll find valuable. (Dad, you don’t mind do you???) Let’s get right into the list of 12 Tips and Observations:
- After Your Warm-ups, Every Set Is A Working Set. Don’t stop at the end of set #2 with “gas still in your tank” so that you’ll have more energy for set 3. Go all out for set #2. And then, go all out again for set #3.
- Old Guys Can Still Lift Heavy – My dad is almost 70 and of course he can’t lift what I can lift. But there’s no reason to go easy on yourself. Even if you are “an old guy” you still need to lift heavy – that means heavy FOR YOU. For me, lifting heavy might mean X pounds. For you, lifting heavy might mean Y pounds.
- Cable Machines Are Not “Machines”. I discourage use of machines. My dad uses a lot of these newer cable machines from a company called FreeMotion. They really are excellent. I even used them for deadlifts (there wasn’t enough weight on the stack for doubles but it was still surprisingly effective). But most fixed-path machines still suck.
- Intensity Trumps Volume. I had to remind my dad, and I’m guessing you can use the reminder too, that it’s better to do 4 exercises really intensely than it is to do 6 exercises without going all out. 30 minutes of intense lifting is better than 50 minutes of moderate intensity. Of course, you do need to be safe and you can get “too intense”. But I’d bet you are currently really far away from being too intense. (more…)
Continue reading about Lifting Lessons With My Dad – 12 Tips
You might remember a while back an article by Tom Venuto on the front squats.
Today I’ve got a new take for you – from Mike Geary. I’ve been doing front squats for a while now, and I’ve gotta agree with Mike about how amazing front squats are as a full-body exercise. Here’s what he has to say:
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
The Front Squat is a surprising exercise not only for legs, but also rock hard abs!
As you may have already discovered, the squat is at the top of the heap (along with deadlifts) as one of the most effective overall exercises for stimulating body composition changes (muscle gain and fat loss). This is because exercises like squats and deadlifts use more muscle groups under a heavy load than almost any other weight bearing exercises known to man. Squats and deadlifts use hundreds of muscles throughout your entire body to move the load and also to stabilize your body while doing the drill.
Hence, these exercises stimulate the greatest hormonal responses (growth hormone, testosterone, etc.) of all exercises.
In fact, university research studies have even proven that inclusion of squats into a training program increases upper body development, in addition to lower body development, even though upper body specific joint movements are not performed during the squat. Whether your goal is gaining muscle mass, losing body fat, building a strong and functional body, or improving athletic performance, the basic squat and deadlift (and their variations) are the ultimate solution.
If you don’t believe me that squats and deadlifts are THE basis for a lean and powerful body, then go ahead and join all of the other overweight people pumping away mindlessly for hours on boring cardio equipment.
Squats can be done with (more…)
I love running. I love bodybuilding. I keep hearing that you “can’t ride two horses”. But I do. True, my gains in each are probably more moderate than if I gave one up. But being fully human means making choices to move up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
If you get past the conditioning phase of cardio (whatever kind of cardio you choose, not just running), you too may learn to love it as much as you love pumping iron. You’ll find ways to do progressive cardio. You can have your cake and eat it too.
People who are cardio haters have recently glommed on to the HIIT craze (high-intensity interval training). I’m working on a more elaborate article comparing HIIT to steady state cardio for fat loss, but here’s a preview: HIIT is not necessarily better for fat loss. Like any modality of exercise, HIIT has pros and cons. One con is that it is really hard to do properly and so most people only think they are doing HIIT – actually, they are just doing intervals.
While I think HIIT could make some sense, for some people, some of the time, I’m one of those freaks who likes long, steady-state cardio.
Regardless of HIIT vs. steady state, there’s a movement afoot that says “If you are lifting weights, you don’t need to do any cardio at all.”
Huh?
Fitness Gurus On Crack
Lots of fitness experts are saying that you should stop cardio altogether! Why?
I think part of it is a combination of fad, lemming behavior, and marketing.
You see, people want to believe they can skip cardio. Most people hate cardio and will believe any argument that tells them what they already want to hear.
Wouldn’t it be great to hear that you can be healthy and lean without having to do any work?
So these fitness gurus play “you can skip cardio” on their flutes, and many people start following them.
And these guys are in great shape to be sure. So if they look that good without doing cardio, it must be the ticket, right? (more…)
