Update on arm workout

I recently finished that 2 week arm workout I posted about and.....I added nearly 2"!!![17 1/16" - 19" But I have to also add I almost NEVER work my arms so I believe that helped. I still think it is worth giving atry.



My new workout is as follows

Squats [@15reps] supersetted with double kettlebell swings [as many as possible,"leaving one in the tank"] 3 sets

3 sets of chest and back supersetted

2 sets of side raises immediately followed by one set of double kettlebell clean and presses to failure

Core work

If you have any questions please ask!

Pavel's New Book

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Here is a link for a free eBook which will b up for only 72 hours, it is from Mike Mahler. If you are not familiar with him check out his site or Dragon door [link on the right!!!] order his DVD I did a write up in the past on one "The Kettlebell Solution for Size And Strength" excellent. Believe me after reading the ebook your going to want to order!

Here is a copy of the email:
Okay I am in a generous mood and I am giving the E-book away for free forthe next 72 hours. Once 72 hours is gone, the offer goes with it. Do noteven think of emailing me after 72 hours for the e-book.Go here to download it:
URL:https://createpdf.adobe.com/cgi-pickup.pl?LOC=en_US&CDS=446BDBF6-51CE-28745D&LID=MAHLER25
Document-id: 446BDBF6-51CE-28745D
Login: MAHLER25
Password: charlie
Again you have 72 hours. If you like what you see in the book, sign up fora seminar and get my DVD's. Or just be cheap and enjoy the free info ;-)Mike

Tom

Inches to your arms in 2 weeks!!!!

I came across this workout by Ellington Darden, Ph.D,
When I first read this I thought it didn’t seem all that much, 2 workouts a week for 2 weeks [4 workouts!!!!] add @1/2”! it consists of one set of super slow pull-ups supersetted with curls and then one set of superslow dips supersetted with tricep extensions. This is done 2 times the 1st week. Then on the 2nd week add a slow set of negative pull-ups and dips. The full training article is on T-nation.com [http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1040772 ]. Then I gave it a try. I had planned on doing it in the beginning of my workout then doing a set of leg ext , leg curls, squats, then some “non-arm” work. Now I train alone 99% of the time,so it can be done that way, it comes down to if you want it or not, you are only cheating yourself! I place my bench in the power rack so I can place my feet on it too assist me in the slow pull-ups. Then do the curls. I then place my bent into a “U” piece of pipe in the rack at a level so my legs can again assist me, do my dips then my extension. My arms were so pumped I could not straighten them out and up to even do squats! I did squats the next day. I suggest giving this a try for the 2 weeks.
I ordered a kettlebell from Kettlebell Concepts their everyday prices are low, so if you interested check them out click here

Kettlebell SALE!!!!

Dragondoor is running a 1 day only sale on kettlebells, 25% off, tomorrow Wenesday April 26th. You can use the link on the right or in my previous post

Been a while......

WOW! It has been a while. Been so busy with work and my business almost forgot about my blog. Enough of the excuses….
Since I’ve been extremely busy I’ve changed my workouts to accommodate this lack of time. I’ve increased the number of sets for each exercise, and have been setting up the excercises so I can go from one to the next with little to no rest in between. I start with some ab/core work on a swissball. {Get one especially if you have any back problems just sitting on it watching TV helps!!!!} Then I start with, [of course] squats and pull-overs. Squats I do 20+ reps 2x then superset with pull-overs, with a light weight for @15+ reps. Then I’m go to chest, back then shoulders for 3 sets in a giant set fashion. An example of my favorite combo is incline press 3x 8-10, pull-ups 3x, clean and press with kettlebells 3x. Then I do normally do 3 sets of dips and curls superseded. I do this workout as quickly as possible without sacrificing weight and form. I finish with some rope jumping or heavy bag work. I get this in at least 2 times a week, plus I get to do some kettlebell work on the job, so that’s good too.

Kettlebells are a lift

Kettlebells are a lift

Warrior Diet update

Well I've been on the Warrior Diet around 2 weeks,[with a superbowl party and a birthday squeezed in there] and I've lost @11lbs and reduced my bodyfat by 3%. Also it is true that protein requirements are lower as mentioned in the book. I was taking in over 230 grams a day I'm now down to @150 still making gains with no signs of overtraining, and energy is up. So what are YOU waiting for?
Training-from Pavel's Kettlebell Change Tip
"The key is to take more out of an exercise than the exercise takes out of you," says Louie Simmons of the Westside Barbell Club. "If you can train with a 53-pound kettlebell for a 700-pound bench, that's great,why go heavier?"Start with one kettlebell, the table below will help you pick the right one. If you have the funds, get a set of three kettlebells referring to the table for sizes. Do you need two kettlebells of the same size? Not yet. Doublekettlebell drills are great, look what they have done for Senior RKC Mike Mahler, but they are not for beginners. Get good with one bell, then we'll talk. An average man should start with a 35-pounder. What is average-Given the bench press as a typical, albeit misguided, standard of strength, men with a bench press under 200 pounds should generally start with a 35. If you bench more than 200 a 44 that weighs as much as a big barbell plate will do the trick. Unless you are a powerlifter, you have no business starting with a 53. I know, it doesn't sound a lot, but kettlebells feel a lot heavier than their weight suggests! An average woman should start with an 18-pounder. A strong woman can go for a 26-pounder. Most women should advance to a 35-pounder. A few hardwomen will go beyond.
Russian kettlebell power to you!

Another kettlebell resource Kettlebell Concepts Give them a Look

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Health -- Team effort

Good article on alternative workouts
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Health -- Team effort

I came across this exercise in Pavel's newsletter sounds real tough. I am working on a way to set it up and try it in my power rack.
Power by Pavel: the Kettlebell Crush Pullup Here is one extreme pullup from 'Bodyweight Exercises for Extraordinary Strength'. Suspend your kettlebell from a pullup bar. Com. Brad does not want to scratch the paint with a chain so he uses Iron Mind's daisy chain. Crush the kettlebell between your palms and pull up. Try not to grip the kettlebell with your fingers, rely on your pec's crushing power. If you have failed, read the book, it shows how to progress from zero to hero in this and other extreme feats of bodyweight strength.

Compact workout

While eating lunch the discussion of a shorter/faster effective workout and how to accomplish one came up. After deciding that we wanted to do a fullbody workout, we wanted to keep the number of exercises to a minimum. [This type of workout was also in a recent issue of Ironman I believe] So, of course, I said Squats had to be in the workout, after MUCH debate we agreed that we can rotate squats and deadlifts. Then also will rotate bench and dips, I prefer dips because you are moving your body through a plane and that increases work and hormone production. Now we needed one more, the clean and press [or push press on deadlift days, up to you]. So here it is:
Squats after warm up 1x20, if you don't know how to do 20 rep squats here is a quick review. Take the poundage you would normally do 12 reps with and start your set at around the 10th rep start taking 2 deep breaths between reps and get 20 reps. Adjust poundage as needed to get to 20.
For deadlifts 2x8-10
Bench/dips 3x8 [or bodyweight for dips{or more added weight if you can!}] Do 5 sets if you are working out 2x a week
Clean and press 3x8-10. Do 5 sets if you are working out 2x a week
You can alternate, superset your exercises if you like, I will
Try it out....

About the Warrior Diet, {See last post}I am liking the results thus far, my energy and strength are up and my pants are loose.!

Starting a new diet

Ive decided to try a different diet to loose weight and maintain strength. So I looked around, seen a few I tried in the past, was going to go back and do the "Anabolic Diet", {any intrest???}but I decided on something else. New? No it has been in use for a long time, just not discussed much. I've seen a few articles about it in different mags and decided I'll give it a try. It is the "Warrior Diet" by Ori Hofmekler. The simple explanation of the diet is that it is based on dividing the day into 2 phases a "controlled fast" or "under eating phase" and an "overeating phase". The author goes into very understandable detail as to the how, what, when of the diet. The thing I like about it is that it seems like it will work all the time, when trying to loose or maintain weight. So I'll keep you posted.
I recieved an email from Vic Johnson and this was in it from Christopher Guerriero
Here's a great article that Christopher wrote that's got some great information.
11 Steps to the Body of your Dreams in 90 days or Less!1. Persistence! Violate this step and you'll never achieve permanent results. We recently concluded a 10 year study which proves that persistence is the single most important aspect of any diet or exercise program. The study followed a group of people (group #1) who exercised and dieted very strictly, but sporadically and compared those results to a group of people (group #2) who exercised mildly and followed a very basic diet, but this group never varied from their routine. Even though group #2 exercised and dieted far less (but did so persistently) they got 68% better results than those who exercised and dieted VERY STRICTLY but only occasionally.2. Workout around other people.Working out with others will get you about 43% faster results!!!3. Don't take bad advice. Take ONLY the advice of those people who look strong & healthy themselves, and, whom you know to be knowledgeable about health & fitness!4. ALWAYS keep an eye on your pulse.When doing aerobic or cardiovascular training keeping your pulse inside your 80% target heart rate zone will burn up to 9 times more calories. Dropping below your target heart rate will not burn nearly as many fat calories, and going above your target heart rate may lead to muscle breakdown.5. Surround yourself with winners.One of the key qualities of all successful people is that they avoid negative people and they spend the majority of their time surrounded by those who have already achieved what they themselves seek to achieve. So if your goal is to weigh 135 pounds by eating healthy and living an energy full life - then seek out others who already live a healthy lifestyle and weigh 135 pounds. Hanging out with people who just talk about getting in shape but never take persistent action will ensure that you never reach your goal.6. Know your outcome.Have specific goals. Get a photo (or several) of what you WILL look like when you reach your goal, then focus only on that image. Quickly erase any negative beliefs or images that may enter into your mind during your day.7. Increase you water intake.Water is a key component to life. No living creature can survive without a fresh supply of pure water each and every day. If you do not consume enough fresh water every day your body will age faster, appear fatter, be more susceptible to germs and colds, lose joint mobility, and much more. Generally speaking, most people who weigh under 150 pounds require no less than 8-10 glasses per day, those who weigh between 150-250 pounds require about 16 glasses per day.8. Watch where your calories come from. Without a doubt, we eat way too much sugar and fat. Moderation was the key in the past, now the key is moderation and the exclusion of junk food. One or two binges per year are generally OK if you are a normal healthy individual, but more is absolutely not OK.9. Increase the number of meals consumed per day.On average, you should be eating some form of protein and vegetable combination that's low in fat and high in fiber every 2 -3 hours of the day. Doing so will give you an almost unfair advantage over those who only eat the normal 3 meals (or less) each day.10. Visualize Clearly and Often.Design your new body in your mind first. You cannot achieve your idea of the perfect body if you don't have an idea of what the perfect body means to you. Take 10 minutes when you are sure not to be disturbed by people or phone calls, get comfortable, fully relax, then begin to dream about what you will look like when you have achieved your goal. Be specific, what will your calves look like, your legs, your butt, your lower back, your stomach, your chest, your upper back, your shoulders, your neck and your face. Then review this image as often throughout each day as possible (never less than 3x/day).11. Cardio...Cardio...Cardio.Cardiovascular exercising does more for the health and the appearance of the human body than any other form of exercise. Learn how much and what type of cardio is right for your particular body. Then refer to step #1 and do it persistently.

I would replace 11. with INTENSE Workouts!!!!
That is all for today....

A Rant...

Hope everyone's holiday is going well.
I just felt the need to bring this up [vent/rant]. I was reading the latest issue of a bodybuilding mag. [no names when being negative] and something just grabbed me. This particular magazine recently printed the same arm workout in 2 issues [in a 3 month span!] and even gave the workout cover headlines both times. The workout was about putting 1" on your arms in 1 day. By the way the workout consists of doing a superset of a Bi and aTri exercise every 30 minutes for 8 hours. The workout is an "oldie but goodie" as it is described in one of the articles. The thing that gets me is that in the latest issue the publisher puts down kettlebells because they are old school and cause blisters [WEAR GLOVES %&##@!]. I don't get it, was he serious??? His magazine was one of my favorites, but recently it has become more and more a catalog for his supplements, which I am not for or against but keep up the quality magazine, try new/alternative things even if they are "old school". Stop recycling, at least not so close together, and bring back the posters!!!!
Continue having a great Holiday Season!!!

Happy Holidays

This will be my workout starting January
Squats [of course] 1x20+
A Ladder consisting of:
Incline presses, done to mimic a punch, start palms facing and as you press up rotate so palms face away, elbows out, explode up, and slowly down.
Renegade Rows [or regular rows or pull-ups], these are done with kettlebells, go into a pushup position, row up with one arm and press into the ground with other arm you can go back and forth or one arm then the other.
Cleans, I prefer with kettlebells
I will then finish with as many squat thrusts/ snatches that I can do in 2 minutes again using kettlebells.
If needed you can throw in a set of arm work.
I will be doing this 2-3 times a week

Here is an interesting change of pace for a workout from Dragondoor, a new Dragon Door author, Master Zhongxian Wu, whose Chinese Shamanic Tiger Qigong DVD that they are releasing today with a $5 discount.
Have a great Holiday Season and Support the Troops!!!!

Diet Basics, Fitness, Exercise, and Weight Loss with Marty Gallagher

A cool link with a lead in from Pavel

Power by Pavel: 'Purposefully Primitive' Fitness

When I recently visited my friend Marty Gallagher
in his PA compound I witnessed something
extraordinary. Together with his star pupil Kirk
Karwoski the former coach of men's Powerlifting
Team USA was coaching a group of overweight folks
in his garage. There was not a single stationary
bike or Pilates gimmick in sight. A barbell, a
bench, a power rack.

'The Cat Herd', as Marty calls his students, does
only the three powerlifts. No curls, no crunches,
just the squat, the bench, and the dead. They
follow the classic American powerlifting template
of the Coan and Karwoski fame and lift for a mere
30min three times a week. They walk outdoors for
cardio and learn cooking from Chef Gallagher.
Now what sort of results could such a primitive
system produce? Judge for yourself. Following are
two examples of what the Cat Herd has accomplished
in sixty days.
63-year old Betty came to Marty weighing 303 lbs.
and was unable to deadlift an empty bar from the
knees. Two months later Betty gained 8 lbs. of
muscle and lost 43 lbs. of fat. And pulled 135x4
off the floor!
Ron, a 49-year old factory worker, took his
bodyweight from 235 lbs. to 189 - while adding 12
lbs. of muscle in the process. Ron'd deadlift shot
up from 95x10 to 340x4!
Read the rest of the Cat Herd success stories on
www.martygallagher.com

Shape Magazine

Good article in Shape, not that I read Shape, but anyway....
Here it is

Continuous Tension

Here is a training idea that is another great way to increase intensity and also bring up a lagging body part. This is cut from an Ironman training article
"We’ve talked about Ronnie Coleman, the current Mr. Olympia, who does only partial reps on almost every exercise—and those partials always include the max-force point, where fiber activation is red-lining (the X Spot). Another interesting detail is that he rarely does low reps as you’d expect—they’re usually up around 12. So what he’s doing is keeping tension on the muscle for a considerable length of time (we’ve said that around 30 seconds or more is best for hypertrophy). He’s also enhancing fiber recruitment by using a controlled explosion right at the semistretched point on the stroke—like near the bottom of a bench press. But let’s talk tension time first...Locking out on exercises where the target muscle can rest is useless because it kills continuous tension. That means moving the bar all the way up on bench presses and squats is costing you mass gains. The top range of the squat is almost all glutes, so the quads get a rest. At the top of a bench press your pecs relinquish the load to the triceps and front delts. So if you lock out, it’s like doing a series of singles, which is fine for powerlifters interested mostly in strength development and who have to lock out in competition (we’re interested in maximum muscle mass first, with a strength side effect).We’ve come to the realization that if you’re after the most mass stimulation possible, you should avoid the top third of the stroke on those types of exercises. Remember, continuous tension blocks blood flow to the muscle (occlusion), which triggers an incredible anabolic response—if that tension lasts long enough. (Longer tension times is one reason Ronnie Coleman is so freaky huge!)Time under tension—King TUT—is very, very important. In fact, we’ve labeled short, or lower-rep, sets as one of the biggest mistakes, if not the biggest mistake, in muscle building. Why? Because most bodybuilders are obsessed with using heavy weights and lower reps, so time under tension is cut short on every set. They’ve been conditioned to believe that low reps build the most mass, which isn’t true.Extended tension times—up to a point—do more for muscle mass than lower reps (one reason is the size principle of muscle-fiber recruitment, which is explained in "The Ultimate Mass Workout" [See IronMan link on the right] Low reps are more for strength with a slight size side effect. Nevertheless, lower-rep sets every now and then can enhance your bodybuilding progress by increasing your nervous system response—more strength may allow you to involve more fibers eventually on any one set (Coleman does low reps every so often, like on squats). If you want to insure more muscle stimulation, we suggest you add X Reps to those low-rep sets. That way you exponentially jack up the mass-building effects. For example...Let’s say you do a set of bench presses with a heavy weight that allows you only seven reps. If every rep lasts about three seconds, that’s only 21 seconds of tension time—good for strength, not so good for size (and remember not to go to lockout so that your pecs stay engaged throughout). When you miss on rep eight, you want to somehow keep firing the muscle to extend the tension time. Lower the bar to just above your chest, the X Spot, and blast up to just below the midpoint of the stroke. You may need help from a partner, but the growth response you’ll get from more stress right at the max-force point will be well worth the extra effort. (X Reps are impossible on free-bar squats, so you may want to do your X-Rep set on a Smith machine or hack machine.)Think about it. If you can get six X-Rep partials, each one lasting more than one second, you can push your low-rep set closer to 30 seconds of total tension time, the anabolic time zone. That gives you a double-whammy—strength-building effects from the lower reps and more size stimulation by extending the tension time.You get bigger muscle dimensions with more continuous tension, so blast out some X Reps on most of your lower-rep sets. It’s like size-building insurance! "
Try using that on your next workout
Tom

Bicep Workout from “Ironman” newsletter

I know I never give an individual bodypart workout but if your biceps are lagging you can throw this in at the end of a workout.
“…sometimes to build a muscle, or at least make it appear larger than normal, you have to look beyond attacking only the target bodypart.
What the heck are we talking about? Well, the biceps is a perfect example. There’s a muscle that snakes underneath that upper-arm mass, and when you build it, it pushes the biceps skyward. You may have heard of it, because Arnold was a big proponent of training it for arm mass. It’s the brachialis. If you want your arms to take on new dimensions fast, you gotta build this muscle!
When your upper arm is up and flexed to show off the biceps, the brachialis is a knotty mass on the outside of the arm that sits between the biceps and triceps. And when that sucker is pumped and plumped, you’ll get a more gnarly, jagged peak to your biceps so that every time you flex, people’s eyes will pop out of their heads. (Your arms will look much bigger just hanging at your side too because of the new thickness and density.)
First, the best exercise: According to MRI studies, the incline hammer curl really lights up the brachialis. Why is it so good? Because lying back on an incline bench with your arms straight down angling back behind your torso and your thumbs facing forward puts the brachialis in an elongated state. Remember what we said about stretch-position exercises? They trigger extreme anabolic responses in muscle tissue and also have the potential to stimulate fiber splitting. One study produced a 300 percent muscle mass increase in a bird’s wing with stretch overload—in only one month! (Stretch-position exercises for each bodypart are identified in The Ultimate Mass Workout e-book.)
But getting a muscle bigger faster takes more than just working it in the stretch position. Remember, you want capillary bed expansion and maximum fiber recruitment as well. Here’s how to get it all in just two sets:
Set 1: Use a pair of dumbbells that allow you to get 10 reps in pistionlike fashion—no rest at the top or bottom, 1 1/2 seconds up and 1 1/2 seconds down. Keep tension on the brachialis muscles throughout the set, and when you reach nervous system exhaustion, do X Rep pulses from just out of the full stretch position at the bottom to just below the middle of the stroke. If you can’t pulse, do a static contraction—hold the weight steady—at that max-force point till you can’t stand the burn. Rest about two minutes and admire the swelling that’s happening—but it’s just the beginning. Now for the money set...
Set 2: Use less weight on this set, as you’ll be using the Double-X Overload technique. Between each rep, do an X Rep at the bottom—the max-force point again for maximum fiber recruitment. When you can’t manage another full rep, do X Reps or a static hold at that sweet spot—but you’re not done (even though your arms will be screaming). Now stand up and do regular hammer curls to extend the set. You may only get a couple, but it will be the muscle-building icing on the cake!
Do this quick-hit torture session after your normal biceps routine, as biceps curls hit the brachialis with big midrange work. The above brachialis attack will be the finisher and provide unique fiber activation, occlusion and extended tension time for capillary bed expansion—and the stretch will kick up anabolic hormone release and may even trigger some fiber splitting. In other words, it’ll put some freak on your biceps peak!—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson www.X-Rep.com"
Best of luck
Tom

Some Christmas gift ideas

Hi there,
A reminder: further down in this email you'll see an offer for Sarah Lurie's DVDs that won't be repeated [Sorry about the lateness].
Special one-time offer: Order Volumes One and Two together before Midnight PST, Wednesday, November 30 and pay only $39.95 (a $56 value).
When Pavel and I reintroduced kettlebells to the US about four years ago, we were both astounded at how they caught on. Kettlebells' impact on fat loss, muscle gain, heightened performance, you name it, is now almost taken for granted…
The first kettlebell pioneers relied on Pavel's groundbreaking The Russian Kettlebell Challenge and his kettlebell certification trainings to forge their new bodies.
The second wave of kettlebell innovation came with the imagination of Steve Maxwell, Jeff Martone, Mike Mahler and Steve Cotter, who each broke new kettlebell ground with their inspired kettlebell programs.
What has only just started to show up however is the third wave of kettlebell resources — which concentrates on kettlebell circuit training. The leader of the pack to date has been Anthony Diluglio with his outstanding The Art of Strength program.The new gal on the block in terms of hard-hitting, highly professional kettlebell circuit training DVDs is Sarah Lurie, owner of the highly successful IronCore la Jolla, which is exclusively devoted to kettlebell training. .
I'd recommend any of the above programs as an ideal "gift that goes on giving" to that special person in your life. Right now, because it's brand new — and I'm convinced it'll make the perfect Holiday gift, I'm giving a special plug to Sarah's Kettlebells the Iron Core Way DVD. Special one-time offer: Order Volumes One and Two together before Midnight PST, Wednesday, November 30 and pay only $39.95 (a $56 value).

Happy belated Thanksgiving

Hello, I hope everyone's Thanksgiving went well.
I just got a new Kettlebell DVD, The Kettlebell Solution For Size and Strength, Mahler's Aggressive Strength, By Mike Mahler. I must say is it is very good. I'll put it this way if someone was to just tell me that there would be over 20 minutes on the overhead press, I would have asked "why?". That said the 20 minutes goes by and you wish the whole dvd spent that much time on all the exercises. It is very informative and has some humor, I think this is a must for everyone, and it can make a nice stocking stuffer!

I added something to my workouts and they are called ladders, I believe we discussed these before. Ladders are way to change the intensity and the workout. The idea behind ladders are just like a regular ladder, the higher you go up the further you have to go down. Here is how they work, it is like a tri-set with a twist, I am using cleans, overhead presses, then squats, all done with kettlebells. [You can use dumbells or whatever you like] The 1st set-1 rep each, 2nd set - 2 reps each, 3rd set - 3 reps each...you get the pictture. Now the catch is say you get up to 8 reps now you have to come back down, 7,6,5....get the picture? You can double up on a strong exercise, say squats ex. 1st set would be 1 clean,1 press, and 2 squats. Remember to keep the rest time between steps of the ladder to under 1 minute.

Let me know what you think

Tom