Looking for 4 Common But Useless Fattburning Exercises?

You may be wasting your time in the gym or at home if you are trying to shape your body or get rid of bodyfat.

Most people are. That is when it comes to exercise for getting rid of bellyfat and getting into better shape.

I was in the gym today (nothing new... ; ) and I saw all 4 of these exercises being performed by various gym members (again... nothing new.)

And they are useless for 99% of the people on the planet.

Here they are...

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USELESS EXERCISE 1: Walking Dumbbell Lunges

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Okay ladies, this one is for you... although I see guys do this exercise as well.

This is where you take a pair of dumbbells and kneel with one leg, then the other, and so-on, walking around the gym as you go.

The idea behind this exercise is to work the butt, and to some extent the thighs... but it's a joke. It's something invented by trainers who should know better.

If you want to build and tone your butt, exercise one leg at a time. Lunges are a great exercise for this, but save your energy. Do them on a Smith Machine or with a barbell. Work one leg at a time, too. Do not alternate legs. This just wears you out aerobically before it has a chance to get to your glutes.

Here's how I perform lunges: On a Smith Machine, with pretty heavy weights... one leg at a time. I will do 2-3 sets, or do them in my 7 Minute Body-style workout fashion. I will finish one leg (and one butt cheek) before moving to the other leg.

Why? Again, to focus on the muscle more intensely and to avoid turning a leg/butt workout into a cardio session.

Jon Benson covers exactly how to work the butt area for the best results in 7 Minute Body and 7 Minute Muscle, found right here:

click.here ----- > 7MM
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USELESS EXERCISE 2: The Sit-up

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I'm shocked that people still think sit-ups done the old-fashioned way actually work the abs. Even worse, most people have been fooled into believing this actually helps get rid of bellyfat.

Nonsense. Bellyfat is burned off when you have a good nutrition plan and through general exercise, not using exercises for the abs. Ab exercises are fine, but guess what?

I never train my abs more than 3-5 minutes. Today my ab workout took 3 minutes and 12 seconds to complete. And my abs are sore!

But without the nutrition plan, forget it... I'd never SEE my abs at all. I'd just have a nice wall of muscle with a bunch of flab covering it up.

The best nutrition plan for abs is The Every Other Day Dietplan, found here:

click.here ----- > EODD

The best exercises to do for the actual ab muscles are hanging leg raises, done slowly, crunches (if you do them right)... and that's really all you need.

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USELESS EXERCISE 3: The Bench Press

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I'm going to get a lot of flack from the guys out there who love to bench, but I'm here to tell you that this exercise for bodyshaping is all but worthless.

Why? Because most people are not built right body-wise to bench press on a flat bench with a barbell. I am not, that's for sure.

Bench presses work if you have short arms, a relatively short torso, and your shoulders are genetically strong.

Protect your shoulders and really work your chest by doing incline dumbbell presses with your palms facing OUT, not in toward your head. This protects the rotator cuff, a part of the shoulder that is often injured using barbell bench presses.

Combine this with a good cable fly or press movement and you're set. Again, you only need about 7-14 minutes of chest work tops to get the job done.

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USELESS EXERCISE 4: Most Cardio Exercises

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Yep... saved the best for last.

Here's a fact: Most cardio (bike, treadmill, glider, whatever) is a waste to time... UNLESS you do it at the right time with the right nutrition plan.

The calories you burn from cardio will be easily negated simply by eating a bagel! Hardly effective for getting rid of bodyfat. Weight training and/or resistance training at home or with your body weight, as covered in 7 Minute Muscle, is your best bet for exercise that burns-off mega-calories and keeps on burning long after the exercise session is over.

Here's how to use traditional cardio wisely:

1. Do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach;
2. Keep your heart rate down to 75% of your max (220 minus your age x .75 will give you this number, at least approximately);
3. "Burst" for 2-3 minutes in your session up to 85-90% of your max heart rate.
4. OR, do cardio right after weight or resistance training when your heart rate is already elevated and your blood sugar is lower. Your body burns blood sugar first during exercise.

Cardio for most people only needs to be performed 3-4 times a week for 20 minutes. The only time I break this rule is when I want to get my bodyfat below 10%. Then I will do more, but only using the rules above.

Hope this saves you a ton of time with your workouts.

Enjoy your holidays!

Thomas

P.S. You can get both books, The Every Other Day Dietplan and 7 Minute Body, for a big-time discount by going here and watching this presentation:

Click.here to watch the video <-------

Top 5 Holiday Workout Gifts

Cutting it close?

Need some help???


With Christmas gifts and New Year's Resolutions only a few weeks
away, fitness and fat loss expert Craig Ballantyne sent me his top
5 gift suggestions to share with you.

It doesn't matter if you're buying for someone or if you want to
know the best workout gifts to ask for, Craig has the 5 best
present suggestions.

#5 - A Stability Ball

The stability ball is one of the most versatile fitness tools, and
it allows you to exercise your abs and back of your legs better than
any bodyweight only exercises.

#4 - A kettlebell

With a kettlebell, you can burn calories, do intervals, work your
abs, build strength, and completely sculpt your body. Beginner women
should start with a 12-18 pound kettlebell while beginner men can
start with an 18 or 35 pound bell. You should be able to find
quality kettlebells at a local sports store or online at Dragondoor.

#3 - Kettlebell Workouts

Once you give or get the Kettlebell, you'll also need workouts, and
the best source for beginner and intermediate kettlebell-bodyweight
workouts is the Turbulence Training Kettlebell Revolution program.

Click here to get this program:

=> Kettlebell Revolution

#2 - A Gymboss Timer

This little timer allows you to set two different intervals and will
alert you when each interval is up. For example, you can set it to
do Tabata Intervals (20 seconds on with 10 seconds of recovery) or
to do 30 seconds of Kettlebell swings followed by 30 seconds of rest.
It's a cheap - $20 - tool that will help you organize your workouts
and maximize your results.




#1 - The Turbulence Training Fat Loss System

With Turbulence Training for Fat Loss you can lose fat and sculpt
your body in the comfort of your own home, without doing long, slow,
boring cardio. It is a proven, guaranteed program that will help you
lose belly fat and get a lean, hard, flat stomach.

This is the #1 home workout and perfect for your New Year's fat loss
program, especially if you hate going to busy gyms.

Plus, you can even try out Turbulence Training for less than the
price of a giant, fancy coffee at Starbucks.

Click here to give Turbulence Training a 21-day try-out for less
than 5 bucks:

=> Turbulence Training Trial Click Here!!

And remember: This program is guaranteed to work for you. You have
nothing to lose - and it is the perfect program for anyone in your
family or group of friends who loves to workout.

So those are the 5 best workout presents you can give - or receive -
this year.

Happy Holidays!

Tom

PS - Don't miss out on your chance to use Turbulence Training to win
up to $1000 cash in the 7th Turbulence Training Transformation
Contest that starts on Sunday, December 27th.

Click here to get ready to get started with Turbulence Training:

=> Trial Offer Click Here!!!

More details on the 7th Transformation Contest coming soon!

SANDBAG Power Cleans!

SANDBAG Power Cleans!
By Zak Evan-esh

My favorite sandbag exercise is bar none, the Sandbag Power Clean. {This is my favorite also!!}

Nothing like gripping and ripping into a sandbag to develop nasty hand and grip strength and full body power.

Squat over your sandbag and assume the bottom position of the squat:

flat back
chest high

Grab the sandbag and rip it straight up. You want to try to get the bag air born. Catch with your arms under the bag and make sure you stand straight up.

Squat the bag down rather than dropping it.
This saves wear and tear on the bag and gives extra work to your lower body.

Try hitting the sandbag power clean for 5 x 5 reps first in your workouts.

Don’t fear the heavy bags. It’s the wrestling of the bag that really tests your physical and mental drive.

See the video below…




You don’t have to dip under the bag as David Ellis does in this video. You can try to pull the bag faster to get it higher.

Kill it!

--Zach—



For the ultimate collection of Underground Sandbag Training Click here {then on "Workouts}!!!

In Ten Cities…

Intensity - 1 : the quality or state of being intense; especially : extreme degree of strength, force, energy, or feeling
2 : the magnitude of a quantity (as force or energy) per unit (as of area, charge, mass, or time)

Yes I stole the idea for the title from a Ted Nugent album.
.
The definition is from Webster’s dictionary.

The first one describes your feelings or state while working out. There are ways of getting to that state, everyone has there own methods. Some people can just turn it on as soon as they walk into the gym, for others it is a process. It may take a few moments of meditation, thinking about what they will be doing, going over their workout in their mind before actually working out. There are the screamers, the ones who psych [spelling???] themselves up before they attempt a lift. These are just a few methods everyone has their own, or at least should. What is yours? I walk through my workout in my mind, not so much meditating, just visualizing it.

The second one is the one I really want to get into. I realize there are many views out there on how to use intensity when talking workouts, so I want to add mine.
I use the variables weight, reps, and time, to measure intensity. If you look at the above definition using force, and force being mass x acceleration, and for arguments sake acceleration is a constant [gravity] we will just use mass. Mass will be the weight we are working with, for simplicity 100lbs. Performing 25 reps of 100lbs in 5 minutes time will give us our starting point [2500lbs/5 or 500lbs/1 minute]. Increasing the intensity of the next workout can be accomplished several ways, increasing the weight, increasing the reps, or decreasing the time. Time can be increased, but if you do that, you want to finish with a higher ratio of 500lbs/1. Just increasing the time and sets, while not improving on the ratio is increasing the work but not intensity, not a bad thing, just not increasing intensity.

To work on our example of 2500lbs/5 lets increase the weight by 10lbs now that give us 2750/5 or 550/1
Or
If we decrease time to 4 minutes – 2500lbs/4 or 625/1
Or
We could increase the reps to 30 giving us 3000lbs/5 or 600/1


That is my take on intensity, which also show the importance of keeping a training journal, hopefully this clears things up or creates a discussion as always feel free to comment/ask questions!

Looking to loose fat, gain muscle, and increase conditioning?

Looking to loose fat, gain muscle, and increase conditioning?

Elliot Hulse released his latest training program,"Lean Hybrid Muscle", this week to a lot of fanfare and excitement. Was it all hype?

I bought into the hype, and purchased the program. Am I happy or disappointed???

The program revolves around a new discovery made by Elliot and Mike Westerdal [Critical Bench]. The discovery is a “type III” muscle which helps you build muscle and burn fat at the same time. The book goes into great detail about this new discovery and what lead to it, and both guys give their individual takes on several subjects regarding training. There is also some interesting nutrition information.
The reason I purchased it was for the training, it revolves around “resistance hybrid cardio” as being the best way to develop a lean muscular physique in less time. This training develops the “type III” muscle fibers. It can be incorporated into any type of training you are doing right now and the bonuses show you how.
There is also great demonstrations on the exercises and how to cheaply acquire some of the equipment [no real special equipment is really needed] that can be used, like a beer keg.

The only problem I had was with the way the term “intensity” was used in the book. Elliot’s take on intensity, from this book, heavier the weight = higher the intensity. My take on intensity was always multi-faceted, could almost be a physics formula. By this I mean weight is involved as well as time and work done, one simple example would be if you squatted 400 lbs and did 50 reps in say, 15 minutes and the next workout you did it in 13 minutes you have just increased the intensity of your workout. I could go about this in great detail, and might just do that in my next post, but the point being once I got past his usage of the term everything became clearer and I am very glad I made the purchase. I highly recommend "Lean Hybrid Muscle" for everyone from athletes to trainers to gym rats, a great program!

Click Here for LEAN HYBRID MUSCLE!

Best Abs Exercises Technique For 3-D Abs!

Best Abs Exercises Technique For 3-D Abs!

By Jeff Anderson

Check out any local gym and you'll see inexperienced members training their abs with endless sets of situps and crunches, right?

While the abs are predominantly made of Type 1 (endurance) muscle fibers and respond to slightly higher repetition ranges,your abs are made up of muscle just like any other part of your body.

Therefore the best abs exercises to get that "cut" look are those that are resistance-based and treat them like any other muscle.

But there's a special little trick you must know in order to maximize your abs training on your way to having a stacked 6-pack.

In fact, ignoring this principle, could force you to develop "lopsided" abs that are so common among beginner bodybuilders.

Let me share this secret with you now...

The main abdominal muscle you want to be working when training your abs is your "rectus abdominis", that sheet of rippled muscle that goes from your rib cage all the way down the front of your body to your pelvis.

What's unique about this abdominal muscle group is that the upper abs can work separately from the lower abs (to some extent)...BUT when you work your lower abs exercises, your upper abs are ALWAYS working as well.

This is why most people (including myself from years of military training focusing on upper abs) had overdeveloped upper abs but underdeveloped lower abs.

Here's how to correct this...

Make sure you train your LOWER ABS first in your abs workout (ALWAYS!) which brings both upper and lower abs into the workload!

If you don't work your lower abs first, you exhaust your upper abs too soon and when you DO target your lower abs, your upper abs will fatigue too fast and you'll end up with under-targeted lower abs.

So the best exercises for lower abs are:

* Incline Leg Raises
* Incline Knee Ups
* Hanging Leg Raises
* Flat Bench Leg Raises

And then follow up with the best upper abs exercises:

* Crunches
* Weighted Crunches
* Situps
* Hanging Knee Raises

For more info click here!!!!

Kettlebell Training: Is It For You?

Looking to get started with Kettlebells?
Kettlebell Training: Is It For You?

A note @ last post

One thing I forgot to mention in my last post, I time the 10X10 rounds so the next workout I try doing them in less time, & when the sets get too close together I know to add weight.....

Woo Hoo Blog Repaired!!!!!!

Finally I believe my blog is fixed, big thanks go out to Kathy Moore owner of “The Blog Shoppe”
Now since I’ve been away I’ve been working on creating a workout that is a mix of things. So far I have day 1&3 down, day 2 is still a work in progress. That is because I want to utilize the sandbag on day 2. I’ll share what I have with you now, and then when it is finished I’ll post the rest. I guess it is like one of the 7 habits, “start with the end in mind”. Maybe I’ll turn it into an ebook. It is not very complicated so here we go…

Remember to warm up 1st

The format remains the same all 3 days

Day 1
Superset squats with kettlebell cleans 1 arm at a time work up to 5 rounds
Then
10X10 of a chest and a back exercise I am doining incline press and seated rows, I do chest first then back.
Warm down

Day 2 [so far]
Sandbag shouldering & around the world
10X10 KB Presses and upright rows

Day 3
Deadlifts & snatches
10X10 arms …now I am not big on working my arms so I am doing them indirectly by doing decline presses and pull-downs [palms facing you]

On off days intervals, core, calves, & forearms as needed.

Let me know what you think all input is welcome!

Need a hug?

I know you are wondering how that fits here!
Well I am going to explain, doing the 7 minute workout, I decided to use weights, kettlebells, and my sandbag. So for leg work I decided to try and add bear hug squats. I am not sure if that is what they are called but they are now.
So what is a bear hug squat?
You take your sand bag, mine is filled with @125lbs right now, and I’ll comment on that in a moment, and you straddle the bag. Bend down, bending your knees, grab the bag with both arms, pull it up, and hug it to your chest. I grab, I mean hug, it below the ½ way point so more is on top when I stand up. Maintain a straight back and squat up and down while hugging the sandbag. I know the 125lbs might not seem like a lot, I know I thought it would be light, but let me tell you it is tough! [ I normally can do reps at 405 on a bar] My legs are wobbly today, and my upper body has a great pumped feeling to it! This is truly a fullbody workout it self, go out and give it a try.

“I’m too busy to workout”

How many times have you said or heard that?
I know I’ve said it, recently as a matter of fact. After the Kettlebell Fatloss [http://kbfatloss.ning.com/ ] challenge [3rd place by the way] I had decided to try a workout, but the one had originally picked looked great but was more time intensive than the time I had available. Several months ago I had used a workout that produced GREAT results.
I am talking measurable results workout to workout! The best part is if you workout 5 days a week the lifting portion is only 7 minutes, yes that is correct 7 minutes. I am doing it 3 times a week two 7 minute sessions each workout, and believe me after the 14 minutes of lifting; you feel a true sense of accomplishment. Oh and it is called “7 Minute Muscle”. If you order and want a copy of my 3 day a week workout contact me and I’ll email it too you.This one reminds me of “Something About Mary” but if you looking for a short but highly effective ab workout, Craig Ballantyne has the perfect 6 minute abs routine and you can get it by visiting HERE

More free stuff: Kettlebell fatloss is having a membership drive and all new members receive free gifts once the goal of 1000 members is reach and it is free to join, just tell them Tom sent you

Stiff body cure...

Creak, crack, arghhh…

Have you ever woke up and were barely able to get your body moving?
My brother and I re-roofed my garage roof yesterday. He did most of the work on the roof, where as I lugged the materials and tools up and down the ladder. Didn’t seem like much until I woke up for work today.

I figured I was going to have to do something once I got to work to get myself going or it would only get worse. The 1st thing that popped into my mind was my sandbag, I didn’t think much about it at the time and just loaded it into my truck and was off to work. As I was driving I was thinking, “why the sandbag?”.

Once I got here and did my rounds I broke out the sandbag and a rubber band I keep here at work. I warmed up which included a few sets of “hindu squats” I then did 4 rounds of supersets with the bands.

What I did was sort of a seated row without a seat. With my thighs parallel to the floor as well as my back [well pretty close], and my arms fully extended with tension on the band so I can feel the stretch, this was the starting position. I then simultaneously sat upright and rowed the bands back, and slowly went back to the starting position.

Next were flies with the bands again with tension on the stretch position.

With both exercises I held the contracted and extended parts for @ 3 seconds each, and went from contracted to stretch in a controlled manner. Like I mentioned I did 4 rounds of 8-10 reps.

Now the sandbag, which today weighs @100lbs [100.4 to be exact]
1st I did Zurcher [spelling?] squats -3 sets no idea how many reps.
Next I did 3 sets of bearhug squats just 1 set.
Then I just walked with the bag about 80 feet each time, the area I used in the boiler house is @ 40 feet long. One time each, bear hug, left shoulder, right shoulder and, just holding it by the handles.
I finished, well sort of finished, with 4 rounds of shouldering 10x each shoulder. By “sort of” I mean I will continue doing a round of sandbag shouldering with each of my hourly rounds of the plant, BTW 12 hour shift.

This all did work forthe stiffness ....today

Truth About Kettlebells

The Truth About Kettlebell Training

By Jon Le Tocq

The chances are if you've found yourself at World's Toughest Workouts, you've already entered the world of kettlebells - no well-rounded, killer training plan can be complete without them!

However, is the kettlebell revolutions destined to crumble faster than Ricky Hatton's unbeaten record when something new comes in to excite peoples' training?

Personally I love the damn things. They've nearly killed me on a few occasions and yet you still feel happy to have them around and have them in your life.

The question is, are they just flavour of the month and only suited to certain people?

When are they really right for us?

Training goals

I like kicking the crap out of myself in training. It's what I do. Yeah I want muscle and minimal body fat, but quite frankly I can't be bothered to watch every calorie that goes in and my macronutrient ratio percentages.

Kettlebells are awesome for my goals. They can be moved in such a way that it almost becomes an art form capable of destroying every muscle in your body in a matter of minutes.

I regularly perform complexes or circuits which leave me feeling like I got hit by a ton of bricks.

Try 5 rounds of 8 reps with two bells of double swings, double snatches, double jerks and renegade push-rows with some burpee-pull ups thrown in for extra pain.

However, if your sole training goal at a particular point is to optimise growth, I don't believe kettlebells are the way forward.

Sure you can alter tempo and work with escalating density parameters to ensure progressive overload for hypertrophy but I still believe the fastest and most effective way is to structure 90% of your training around the big lifts (squat, deadlifts, bench, rows).

Performing squats with bells heavy enough for significant hypertrophy is pretty much impossible.

For those more advanced, the chances are you don't have access to heavy enough bells for deadlifts.

Functional training

Let's be honest, most people who promote 'functional' training don't really know what they mean.

Bicep training through doing curls isn't functional apparently as it's not a compound movement or involve rotation.

But what about athletes who need a strong bear-hug style grip such as in the NFL or MMA?

However, I believe there are certain exercises and areas EVERYBODY should pay attention to regardless of goals. This includes shoulder mobility, stability and strength, glute strength and the posterior chain in general.

The nature of kettlebell training especially lifts such as the swing and snatch, windmill and get ups, force positive adaptations in these areas. Yes, these can be replicated with dumbbells and barbells but not with the same challenge to stabiliser muscles.

Even bodybuilders need to be doing this stuff unless they want shocking posture and bench press injuries.

What's REALLY working?

A lot of people do like I just did and promote kettlebells because they're great for the posterior chain.
This is true but only when the muscles involved are firing in the first place!

You may well want to kick ass in your training session and see if you can achieve 200 snatches in 10 minutes, but if your glutes aren't firing, all you will do is end up with an overactive lower back and eventually, a sore one!

Most peoples' glutes don't work and should be doing a lot of work like this before they go near kettlebell swings....

(This applies to lunges, squats and any other exercise which is supposedly good for the arse!)

Power training

I believe everybody of any age, fitness level and goal needs to be doing power training.

However if we just look at the top end of the spectrum at those who want athletic ability and to improve sports performance, we hit a bit of a stumbling block.

Unless you have grown up as a gymnast or spend hours each week on mobility, practicing olympic lifts can be just too time consuming to let you get any other training done.

Now don't get me wrong, I think we SHOULD be doing a lot more mobility work than we do, but sometimes the time constraint of our goal just doesn't allow lots of this work to be done. Much of it requires a skilled trainer to work with which many just can't afford or access.

Whilst it still requires practice to master, kettlebell training enables power training to be done through single arm snatches and clean and jerks much more easily. I also think single arm power work is more applicable to many sports such as boxing, tennis and volleyball than barbell work anyway.

However, once you start getting to the heavy stuff, manoeuvring kettlebells can become somewhat harder to move than a barbell, especially holding at the rack position.

For instance, cleaning an 80kg bar is easier for most than 2x40kg bells.

It's also easier to progress by adding 2.5-5kg at a time to the bar than going from 2x40kg to 2x44kg bells.

Again, the training goal matters.

If you want more speed endurance than raw power, kettlebells are probably more appropriate!

Versatility

This bits easy.

You can throw kettlebells around anywhere at anytime.

Kettlebells are just behind bodyweight training in the 'Get out the shitty gym world' stakes.

****************************************************

The key to kettlebell training is understanding why you are using them. It sounds obvious but many use them just because they've heard a lot about them.

You also need to make sure you're firing up the right muscles and using them properly or shoulder and back injuries won't be far behind - leave your fat ego at the door when learning kettlebells.

Get your arse working first. Trust me on this!

They are like sharks - mess with them when you don't understand them and they will eat you alive.

Master kettlebells as part of your arsenal and then we can talk about pulling it altogether for some of the World's Toughest Workouts!

Let me know your thoughts on kettlebell training and how you use it in your own killer plans!

NOTE "INTENSE CONDITIONING" BY JON LE TOCQ is on SALE until this Friday [July,10, 2009] 50% off!!!

Happy 4th plus...

I know I keep having excuses for why I have not done anything here, this time it was a 3 week vacation plus the other excuses J…

Well I took part in the Kettlebell Meltdown transformation
[@ http://kbfatloss.ning.com/] [it is free to join!!!] I lost +18lbs even with the vacation in the middle of the contest.
Next I will be trying to accomplish Josh Henkin’s , “The Ultimate Sandbag”, 3 Rounds of hell, I am a ways off on that so it should be fun. You can read more about it on his blog which you can reah via his website link HERE.

Today [7/3/09] is the last day of Vince Delmonte’s Meal Plan launch sale, so if you are looking for meal plans right down to shopping lists this is for you
Click Here NOW!!!!!

Today workout is from Chaos plus a few changes
A 300 workout
Box jumps 30
Sand bag shoulder 10ea Side
Kettle Jerks 5ea Side
KB swings 20 ea
Complete 3 cycles as fast as possible

Have a great weekend and Happy 4th

P.S. if anyone is having problems viewing my site, like I am please let me know how to fix it thanks

Another Pet Peeve + Some Links

Are there certain things that go on in the gym that really bug you?
In the past, for example, I wrote about things like people on their cell phones while working out, or socializing around a piece of equipment instead of actually using it.
Well I have 2 new ones!
Last week I went to the gym and decided I was going to break from my regular routine, Kettlebell Meltdown – Chaos, because I felt like doing a squat workout. I was then going to do a kettlebell circuit for a few rounds.
As I walked to the “POWER” rack I noticed there was no bar, as I turned to get one another guy came up with one. So I asked if he is using the rack to do squats and he said “NO!”. Ok I realize I’m not the only one in the gym so I figure this huge guy was going to do heavy shrugs or something…. NO!!!! He was doing curls, with (1) 10 pound plate on each side. Now he was a pretty big/cut dude, I would have respected it if he was using +45s, but no…. 10s!!!!
It is called a “Power rack” not a “I don’t feel like using the pre-loaded bars and bending down to pick them up rack”. I know “power” can be relative, but come on now!!!
So the workout I did while waiting for him to finish,[which he never did ---@ 2 minutes between sets!] was as follows:
KB snatches one side at a time
KB clean and press one side at a time
Bent Presses
Swings – switching hands each rep
Did 7 circuits, the last 2 were done while having a conversation with another guy about the heavy curler
Which brings me to my 2nd item, I know kettlebells are fairly new in gyms, but give people some extra “personal space when they are using them, don’t walk right in front of someone doing swings. For you own safety as well as the KB’r.

Keep these things in mind

What are your peeves?

HARDGAINER??? Free MP3 Click here!!!

Visit Meltdown: Kettlebell Fat Loss Training

Return of The Kettlebell

How to Master Advanced Kettlebell Drills-And Explode Your Strength!

A hard man's plan for dramatic strength gains-combining the sharpest edge of scientific research with the inherent power of the ancient kettlebell


DVD Return of the Kettlebell
Explosive Kettlebell Training for Explosive Muscle Gains
By Pavel
With Kenneth Jay, Master RKC
and Missy Beaver, RKC


Order by midnight PDT, Thursday, May 21 and save $5.00 on your investment.

Thoroughly master Pavel's Enter the Kettlebell! program and you can consider yourself a "Kettlebell Black Belt". But once you're a Kettlebell Black Belt, then what?

Well, say hello to Return of the Kettlebell, which takes it for granted you already own those Black Belt fundamentals-and offers you a dramatically tougher, yet highly systematic program for explosive and massive muscle gain.

Return of the Kettlebell's protocols were born from Pavel's insights while training elite power athletes. Several champions made astonishing, almost mysterious, strength and muscle gains-at least two broke new powerlifting world records-thanks to kettlebell training. Pavel decided to reverse engineer this "What the Hell" effect experienced by the champions-so all others could benefit from their success.

Return of the Kettlebell presents the final fruit of Pavel's research-combining the very best of ancient lifting wisdom with modern day scientific breakthroughs.

Central to Pavel's new program for explosive muscle gain is the skillful use of double kettlebells. Discover smokers like the Double Clean, classic strength builders like the Double Snatch and Double Press and enjoy the supreme intensity of the Double Clean and Jerk.

But just mastering the double kettlebell methods alone will hardly take you to the Promised Land of consistent, long-lasting and massive muscle gain. And here's where Pavel delivers the key plans and training schedules, designed according to the breakthrough Russian "block system"-plus a slew of vital tips-to ensure you continue to gain and gain and gain.

Like the Breakfast of Champions, consume what's on the Return of the Kettlebell menu and watch yourself grow-and grow!

Order by midnight PDT, Thursday, May 21 and save $5.00 on your investment.

Doin the time warp...

Feels like déjà vue all over again….
Have you ever been so busy you completely lost track of time to the point where 2 weeks just disappeared?
Well that just happened to me, we took on new responsibilities at work and the training plus the regular things in life just consumed me.
Hopefully I’m back to my blog!!!

When I last wrote I had just gotten my sandbag and was ready to test it, well I really, really like it. I did start out light to get used to the movements’ using the sandbag which starts out by at first feeling awkward. Once you master the moves, you feel them working your whole body including your deep core! I also felt it a lot in my hands the next day. It is a GREAT piece of equipment which I highly recommend. I am incorporating it in my “Kettlebell Meltdown” workouts I like the variety it offers me. Like kettlebells it is completely portable, so, for example, if you like to run on a track you can leave the sandbag at a point on the track and set up a sort of interval training session – Sandbag exercise, sprint half the track [or part of it] then jog to the sandbag, repeat. For a sandbag exercise try doing squat thrusts and clean and presses, your sprints might just get shorter !

Some sales going on at Dragondoor regarding:

RKC LEVEL II

Pavel's September 2009 Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certification

And Also “Enter the Kettlebell” part 2 also known as “Return of the Kettlebell”


ALSO THERE IS A SANDBAG SALE GOING ON RIGHT NOW!!!

All Filled Up & Ready to Go!

WOW!

I finally added a new option to my training.

I’ve been wanting to add this for a while so I can’t wait to add it to the “Kettlebell Meltdown Program” starting tonight.

Oh yeah I filled up my sandbag and I am ready to get started with it. I will stick with the big iron portion f the workout but will start experimenting with sandbag movements… This will add some great options and different feel to exercises that I am already doing. I figure tonight I will do some shouldering, lunges, cleans, & overhead walks… this is going to be fun!!!!
I’ll let you know how it all worksout!!!

ORDER YOUR SANDBAG HERE!!!!

Critical Bench Results

Looking to improve your chest or bench by the summer? You still have time...

I just finished my “Critical Bench” program. Let me preface this by saying I have benched heavy in the past, @ 15 years ago, so there may be the argument that I may have muscle memory. I have not benched heavy since then, nor have I done any bench specialized programs in a while. My target after the 10 week program was 375 lbs which was 30lbs heavier then what I tested at prior to starting the program. Well I did it, for 5 reps, I then tried 405… I feel if I did not push 375 for the 5 reps, did 2 instead , I would have had it. {I will try again soon!!}
So I have to say “Critical Bench” works!
Now I will concentrate on “Kettlebell Meltdown” to burn fat, but I will continue throwing chest work in there, and also concentrating on improving my clean and press of the 105lb kettlebell ~~

By the way Dragondoor is now offering kettlebells at 30% off, yes that’s right 30% off!!!!

I Was Bored....

The other day, Wednesday, I was bored at work and had @ 2 hours left of my 12 hour shift. I had been planning on working out at home, doing week 3 day 1 of Kettlebell Meltdown. Instead I decided to get the workout in here at work. Working in a powerplant gave me a few interesting options and here is what I did.
Deadlift ladders [4 sets 1-5, per side] with a spool piece @100lbs [shipping weight was over 100 but there was packing included.
I do have a 40lb bell at work so I was able to do most of the circuit potion with the exception of the “farmer walk” so I used 2 large valves for that portion.
Even though I had the option of working out at home sometimes you just have to use your imagination to eliminate the excuses [no time, no gym, no equipment….etc] So don't be afraid to use your imagination!

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MUD

Have you ever felt like you are running in deep mud??
I know I haven’t written in a while so let’s get out of the mud and catch up.
A couple great new programs came out recently, more on them later…
I have been using the program “Critical Bench” for the past few weeks. I haven’t done a dedicated chest/bench workout in YEARS!!! I had forgotten that if you bench hard you will use your whole body!! Driving with your legs as you thrust the heavy weight off your chest, you will feel it! Of course I still do fullbody workouts, so in that respect I have strayed from the “Critical Bench” plan. I dedicate Mondays to the bench program, but I get 2-3 full body workouts the rest of the week. I had started using “Turbulence Training”, but I had gotten info on a new program, “MMA Ripped Fat loss” so I was adding that to my workouts. These workouts are great for MMA fundamentals, fat loss and conditioning WARNING you will learn some MMA fundamentals this does not mean you are ready for the UFC cage!!! So I have implemented some of these workouts into my schedule
The next program was released this week “Kettlebell Meltdown” I’ve been waiting for this one for a while now so I am real excited. I will start using this in March.
Today’s workout was one I came up with myself, I like to improvise at times, reading and doing a lot of programs helps with this, so here it is:
Kettlebell clean and press [single hand] 16, 24, 32, 36, & 40 Kg bells 5x each side then 3 sets of singles with the 48kg bell – finshed this portion with a burnout push press set with [2] 32 kg bells
3 sets pull-ups/ swings
Finished with hindu squats to failure

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WONDERING ABOUT MY GOALS???

Back to goals….
I am going to list a few of mine shortly. Of course you should have goals in all the areas of your life. As Tony Robbins puts it think of each area as a spoke in a wheel, you want to keep them of equal size, so the wheel does not wobble
Besides telling someone your goals to give you accountability, another way reach your goal is a journal or notebook. On the 1st page of the journal you can write down your goals, then every night you can write everything you did that day, no matter how trivial in the beginning. Then put a plus or minus next to it depending if it helped you to reach any of your goals. Doing this will help in a few was, it will keep your focus and let you know how you can better manage your time throughout the day to help achieve your goals by eliminating the negatives that can be removed. For example preparing and eating lunch each may be that can not be removed, but watching the same episode of Sport Center 3 times the same day can be, now you just found time to workout.
Here are some of my Health/Fitness goals:
Increase overall strength by a minimum 10% , and conditioning
- I will use Squats, Trap Bar Deadlift, Bench, & KB C&P, create an increase in each, so that overall it is 10% or better.
I have started using “Critical Bench” for my bench I will follow exactly on Monday’s using the bench routine, but will modify it the rest of the week – Legs the following day, with squats. Rest. Deadlift/Backs/Shoulders [DBS] will be the next workout.
- Also, not sure if it fits into this category exactly but will do KP presses for 10 minutes, no rest, with 32kg kettlebells
This will be worked on as well as the KB C&P on the DBS day
- 100 swings with the 48kg bell, then will go for less time
I will finish each workout with swings, the days I workout in my garage I will swing the 105lb bell – on Saturdays I will do 100 swings with it recording my time, of course this will not be done in one set.
I did not post any body transformation goals I figured doing the above will achieve that.
I will post other items I will be doing to meet my goals and more tips soon…

BREAKING NEWS -- NEW TT CONTEST!!!

At the last minute Craig Ballantyne decided to do another Twitter
Transformation Contest inside of the regular Turbulence Training
Transformation Contest.

Here's what you need to know...

1) You can do both the regular TT Transformation Contest and the
TT Twitter Transformation Contest at the same time.

2) The Twitter Contest starts today and lasts 60 days. The deadline
to submit your "Before and After Photo" and Essay is March 20th,
2009 (60 days from tomorrow).

3) There are cash prizes and Membership give-aways for this contest.

I hope this gives you the incentive you need to start transforming
your body - and your life - today!

For all of the details about this contest and how you can win big
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OOOOPS...LAST MINUTE!!!!! Sorry

Sorry I wanted to get the contest info out as fast as I get them but...????

01/12/09

Mark it down.

Make a plaque, put it on your wall.

Get it tattooed on your arm.

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Monday, January 12th is the day you'll remember as being THE day
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You have everything in life. Great spouse, wonderful kids, job you
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Can't keep up with the kids.

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BRIAN TRACY ON GOALS

A Single Step
By: Brian Tracy

The hardest part of achieving any goal is usually starting in the first place.

You have amazing possibilities and potentials just waiting inside you, but most of them can die stillborn waiting for you to take action. The Nike commercial contains one of the best pieces of advice in the world: "Just Do It!"

"A journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step," wrote Confucius.

Do you want to be happy? Do you want to be thin? Do you want to work at something you really enjoy? Do you want to make money?

Whatever it is, write it down. Take a few minutes for "Gap Analysis." Look at where you want to be and then look at where you are.

Examine the gap that exists between the two and think about how you could close, it like building a bridge or staircase across an open space.

What would be your first step? What would be your second step, and so on? Most of all, what action would you take right now if you were guaranteed of success?

What would you do if you had no fear of failure? What would be your first step on the staircase toward your goal?

All great accomplishments begin with a leap of faith into the unknown. They begin when you take action toward your hopes and dreams before you have any assurance of success.

Most people are paralyzed by the uncertainty that surrounds any new venture. They hesitate. They stop. They turn back.

But not you. You know that "nothing ventured, nothing gained." You know that you have to stick your head up if you want to get above the crowd.

You know you have to go out on a limb if you want to get the fruit, because that's where it is.

Go for it! Take that first step and everything else will follow.

Do anything you want just by setting a goal -- Achieve your dreams! Learn how with "Goals!" by Brian Tracy.

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