The Shake Weight might not be on your wish list for Santa, but perhaps you’d like to order this DVD instead:
You’re already good at working your quads with bodyweight exercises. Squat jumps, lunge jumps, bulgarian single leg squat, pistols, step jumps.
And you know how to work the upper body with no weights as well: If you’re at the park, you can do pullups on the monkey bars, dips on the hand rails, pushups with feet on step, body rows on monkey bars with feet on the ladder, flies on rails with feet suspended.
But how about the neglected hamstrings? What about them?!
Here’s a workout you can do in between your quad exercises to get you all wobbly-legged and sore the next day.
My daughter Devan demonstrates the Monkey Bar Leg Curls. She is a pretty fit 13 year old. She does cheer, dancing, and track. And after a rest/pause set of 3×10 she laughed and said, “Whoa dad. I really feel them in my legs!” I love that little girl! {single tear}
Notice her superior form! See how she keeps her arms straight! With this exercise, curl your legs, not your arms. If you bend your arms you’d be doing body rows which are damn good, but this is not that.
See how she curls her body? This is also working her abs a bit, similar to knee lifts or as I prefer to call them, “body curls”. But the emphasis is on her hamstrings. They are working hard to curl the legs and pull her body up.
Hold it at the top for 1 Mississippi, then come down SLOWLY! Like I’ve said many times on this site: Don’t just drop like a sack of—brown rice! Take 3 seconds to return to the bottom position. Then a quick 1 second lift.
Get it?
Do 10 reps, then rest while hanging in the bottom position for a count of 10, and do another set of 10 (or as many reps ’til failure). Rest another 10 seconds while hanging and do it one more time. Then come down and do a jumping or upper body exercise. Or you can rest 45 seconds instead of doing an in-between exercise.
3 rest/pause sets is one super set.
Do 3 of those sets for a total of 9.
We good?
Soon, I’ll post my complete PARK WORKOUT that I love so damn much. Whole body, baby!
If you are not seeing results in your calves despite training them like a beast, you might want to try this technique on for size.
This aint me btw. : (
From what I’ve experienced, heavy weight/low reps seems to do nothing for me. Maybe it does for you, or maybe it used to work, but not anymore, but overloading the calves with MANY MANY REPS seems to finally give me the limping, painful aftermath we all seek after working out.
Yes, you seek that. You should seek that. It means you kicked your muscles’ ass pretty bad and they’re pissed. Therefore, they’re going to get bigger and stronger so they can deal with your monkey ass next time you pick on them. You big bully.
Take, for example, yesterday’s workout. Besides squats and other crap I did for the quads and hams, I bombarded the calves with what scholars everywhere refer to as a “fuckload” of reps. 6 sets of standing, 6 sets of seated.
Smith Machine Calf Raises:
1. 15 reps or til you can’t take the burn (if you don’t get to 15, pause for 5 secs then continue like that ’til you hit 15) All the way down for a good stretch, hold it for 3-4 secs, then all the way up, stand on the balls of your feet for 5 secs really crunching that shit, then back down)
Walk it out for 10 seconds.
2. 15 reps or til you can’t take the burn (if you don’t get to 15, pause for 5 secs then continue like that ’til you hit 15) All the way down for a good stretch, hold it for 3-4 secs, then all the way up, stand on the balls of your feet for 5 secs really crunching that shit, then back down)
Walk it out for 10 seconds.
3. As many reps as you can without altering the weight, again ’til your calves begin to FUCKING-SMOKE! (no need to hit 15 this time; just your max)
4. Now, jump around! On the balls of your feet, don’t let the heels touch the ground. don’t bend your knees. Jump HIGH. On landing, your heels will come down but they should barely “kiss” the floor if touching the floor at all. Perform a little hop in between and exhale before each high hop.
Do this for 20 seconds.
Your calves and FEET should feel pain.
Walk it out for 10 seconds.
5. 15 reps or til you can’t take the burn (if you don’t get to 15, pause for 5 secs then continue like that ’til you hit 15) All the way down for a good stretch, hold it for 3-4 secs, then all the way up, stand on the balls of your feet for 5 secs really crunching that shit, then back down)
Walk it out for 10 seconds.
6. As many reps as you can.
Walk it out for 10 seconds.
Total Standing Calf Raises: 65-75 (depending on the “as many reps” sets. Assuming 10 or 15) Plus 20 seconds of power jumps.
Seated Calf Raises:
1. 15 reps. Add enough weight so that you can only do 15. But make sure you go down SLOWLY. Do them just like the 10 in 30 method of 1 sec up, hold 1 sec, 3 seconds down. Then hold at the bottom, ensuring a good stretch for 3 seconds.
Don’t make it so heavy that you’re conking out at 10. Remember, we’re going for max reps without getting ridiculous.
Walk it out for 10 seconds.
2. 15 reps.
Walk it out for 10 seconds.
3. ‘Til failure.
Walk it out for 10 seconds.
4. Jump around! Just like before. Jump up, jump up and get down. 20 seconds.
Walk it out for 10 seconds.
5. 15 reps.
Walk it out for 10 seconds.
6. ‘Til failure.
Total seated calf raises: 65-75 (depending on the “as many reps” sets. Assuming 10 or 15) Plus 20 seconds of power jumps.
DONE! Total calf reps in all: 130 through 150 with no more than 10 seconds of rest between sets of 15. Plus 40 seconds of high calf power jumps.
The key to this madness is the very little rest times. You’ll be surprised how fast the calves recover and you’re able to do more complete sets. Also, the bodyweight power jumps will join in the ass kicking. Those calves have many bullies.
IF you don’t have a Smith, or just hate the shit out of it, you can use the calf raise machine at the gym. Or the leg press. In fact, if you’re trying to enlarge your calves like I am, you should train them TWICE a week, this hard, and alternate between doing them on the Smith (or standing calf raise machine) and the leg press machine. The press is significantly different because it eliminates one pivot point—your waist. Calf raises on the leg press are similar to Donkey Raises such as:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWJhEsPrueQ&start=26
OH NO THEY DINT!
____________*********************______________
High Intensity Interval Training is an effective, highly popular form of cardio and fat-burning exercise where you push yourself to the max for short bursts and then recover before repeating. Super effective for super fast results!
It is basically the opposite of steady-pace cardio like long distance running or cycling. You perform intervals of high intensity sprints or bursts of all-out energy where you give 100% maximum effort, and then you take it all the way down to a slow, calm “active recovery” interval and repeat.
Try the 10in30 “12 Minute HIIT”!
(click on pic)
This has been proven to be a highly effective form of cardio that will help build muscle and burn fat at a much faster rate than its steady-pace alternative. However, like its name implies, it is high intensity so you can actually end up losing muscle mass if you don’t have proper nutrition. NOOOOOOOOOOO! This is bad for both men and women.
Therefore, don’t just do your HIIT workout and call it a day! Even if you do see results without proper nutrition, your results can plateau faster, you can get tired and over worked, and your results will be far better if you fill your body with the nutrients it needs at the right time surrounding your workout.
To ensure that you are not depleting your hard earned muscle, here are some tips on what you should consume to get the most out of your HIIT:
1. Caffeine
Half hour before you workout, have a cup of coffee or other source of around 100 mg of caffeine. A typical cup of coffee contains 100mg. Or you can have a Red Bull (80 mg), or do like I do; green tea fat burning pills with a whopping 150 mg of caffeine. It takes 20 minutes for your body to absorb most nutrients so at .5 hr you should be up and ready to start your work out.
If you can’t have caffeine for medical reasons, then a simple carb like a fruit juice or sports drink like Gatorade (with sugar, not the splenda version) will help energize you, sans caffeine.
2. BCAA’s
Branched Chain Amino Acids are important for muscle recovery and to prevent your muscle from being used as energy. You worked hard to build the muscle you have, so don’t let it get eaten up by your body when it’s desperate for energy. This is called a “catabolic” state. Bad.
Start drinking a serving of BCAA’s around 15 minutes before you start working out and continue drinking throughout your workout. I highly recommend Xtend as it also contains electrolytes which will ensure you don’t get dehydrated and start cramping up. And it has glutamine and vitamin b6 too!
3. Protein and simple carbs
These must be consumed immediately upon finishing your HIIT workout.
Drinking your protein is far better than eating some meat or other solid since time is of the essence after a tough workout and liquids get absorbed by your body much faster than solids.
You can have a whey protein shake but you’ll still need some simple carbs since most whey protein powders don’t come with carbs (they use splenda or other non caloric sweeteners). Having some white bread product with your protein shake will suffice, or you can drink a cup (8 oz) grape juice right before your protein shake. Simple carbs such as sugars help deliver the protein and other nutrients to your muscles by raising your insulin levels.
Some say that it’s not necessary to consume protein after a workout and give examples like prisoners with restricted diets and no access to supplements that still manage to get buffed. Your body might be able to adapt and do the best it can with what its given, but I would rather do the most I can for my body while I can control it.
My all-time favorite supplement is Universal Nutrition’s Torrent, post workout shake. It has everything you need; protein, simple carbs, amino acids and even creatine. If you can buy this, go for it. The convenience alone will be worth it let alone the awesome taste!
If you’d rather keep your supplements expenses low, a really cheap and tasty treat that has been proven to work is your very common chocolate milk. It has protein and simple carbs through the sugars it provides for the chocolate. Consume an 8 ounce serving of it and you’ll get 8g protein and 26g simple carbs.
So that’s pretty much the basics of what you should consume before, during and after your high intensity workout. The only other supplement that will ensure your body is functioning at its best and you recover quickly is a multi-vitamin. It doesn’t revolve around your workout but you should take one every morning or per dosage on the bottle.
The multi-vitamin along with the 3 supplements listed above will allow your body to perform at its maximum and get the full benefit of your workouts! Let me know if you begin taking these supplements and how you feel after a few weeks, ok?
CHEERS!
A recent exchange between me and a commentor on my blog.
User5906: I must express my honor for your kindness for all those that need guidance on this one field. Your special commitment to transferring the answer up and down has been tremendously practical and has always influenced many people the same as me to achieve their goals. Your astounding insightful information entails a lot for me and also especially to my associates. Thanks a ton; from all of us.
Admin: Wow, I’m totally flattered. You’re too nice. “Astounding insightful information”, wow. Yeah, I try. Lots of research and experimentation goes into my info, so I’m so glad you appreciate my workout tips. Keep working out and eating right and you’ll soon see results!
User5906: Want cock enlargement pills? www.e8kfreaksSouliere4014.aol.com
Admin: uh, what? No, of course not. Just telling you about my workout tips. Still interested, right?
User5906: Viagra? Ciallis? www.buyCheapHardOnPills.com
Admin: Um, I’m going to go now. You are obviously a spam robot.
User5906: No, seriously, how often should I do cardio if trying to gain mass?
Admin: Oh. Ok, then, yeah. If you’re trying to put on 10 pounds, then minimize the cardio to twice a week, with one of those being pretty light. You’ll burn fat while lifting, and worry about the excess fat after you gain muscle.
User5906: Dear sir. I am an African prince from Kenya. I am contacting you because I’d like a favor from a kind and noble person such as yourself. I would like to deposit US $500,000 [five hundred thousand dollars] to your bank account of which you can keep half. (continued)
Admin: OK, fantastic! Here’s my bank account info…
I’ve updated the GAIN 10 POUNDS in 30 DAYS workouts. First of all, the layout has changed to make it more pleasant to read and videos were added in the layout.
And remember, you’ll only gain pounds if you’re eating like it says in the Gain plan. If you don’t want to gain weight but do want a superb weights workout, you can keep your calories low while doing these exercises for maximum muscle gain.
Leg Day 2 (Typically Thursday) has gotten a face lift! It still shares the squats with Leg Day 1, but we’re doing lighter weight, more reps. Plus, squats are combined with Hamstring Curls for a kick-ass superset. We’ll also be doing the amazing Deadlifts to work out the hammies a bit more since they weren’t really worked on very much on day 1. Straight leg ’til failure, then chase them with some regular bending-leg deadlifts.
I’ve also moved the forearms workout from Friday’s Shoulder and Arms day to Leg Day 2. After further examination, I found that the grip and forearms have suffered enough on Shoulders/Arms day so adding forearms may not be the best. Solution: Leg Day 2, when the grip and forearms are pretty fresh.
Shoulders/Arms day stayed the same except for the aforementioned forearms switch, but Abs got its face rearranged too!
Crunches are now weighted by default whereas before, adding weight was extra. The awesome Machine Crunches were added to target the upper abs again and a vid was placed in the layout. Then, after Windshield Wipers and Vertical Toe Touches, a video was added to show the side planks with hip lifts. After Plank Madness, another favorite of mine was added; Reverse Crunches on Incline Bench. I love these as they really target the lower abs.
And I know that doing crunches will not burn belly fat but try these and you’ll see your lower abs actually looking firmer if not flatter!
_______________ : ) __________________________________________
Women: if you’re getting bored of your current workout and and not seeing results TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE.
This will get your leg and butt muscles so sore you’ll be walking funny for days! That’s a good thing. Means you did something right and didn’t waste your time. Also means that when your muscles are repaired, they’ll turn into nice, “seck-sy” curves! Do this workout once a week if you mostly do plyometrics type of exercises which are also really good. Also, you should not do any legs exercise the next day, and probably not even the 2nd day after doing this workout except for running. Your newly beat-up muscles need time to recover. You can jump ’til your heart’s content in 3 days.
1. Barbell Squat. Video (as shown in the picture at top) Squats aren’t only for men. Squats do wonders for women too. They’ll give women a nice, sexy, firm butt and upper legs besides strengthening the upper body and core. You need to tighten your abs to avoid topping over backwards and your back muscles to avoid leaning forward. To keep from falling to the sides, your obliques are engaged as well. And men, you probably know that building the leg muscles raises your testosterone levels and greatly helps increase your muscle mass in the rest of your body. So you see? Squats totally rule!
Be sure to go all the way down—we’re not doing some sorry-ass half squats! This will help build your entire upper leg muscles, including the hamstrings in the back and they’re great for building you a nice butt!
If you don’t have access to a squat rack, choose a weight that you can easily shoulder press over your head when done. We’re not going for super heavy squats, especially if you don’t have a rack to safely put the barbell back down. Again, this whole plan concentrates on high reps and speed.
Proper form: Tighten your upper back and rear delts (shoulders) and flex them inward toward your spine. Place the barbell on your back so that the the barbell rests on your upper back muscles, NOT your neck bone. It should be a bit low on your back and your hands are only there to support your back. It should feel very light on your hands since nearly all of the weight will be on your back.
If you have to pause before getting to 12 reps, it’s ok. Stop and hold the weight on your upper back for around 10 seconds. Then continue ’til you do all 12. If you absolutely cannot get to 12 reps for 3 sets, you’re lifting way too heavy. Lighten up She-Ra, Princess of Power!
Reps: 12
Sets: 3
Rest: 1.5 minute
Pace: go up in a fast, explosive 1 to 1.5 seconds, and without pausing at the top come back down in 3 seconds
2. Leg Curl/Extension Superset. Extension Video. Curl Video.
Don’t just throw the weight up. It’s ok to do that (use momentum) toward the later reps, but try to pause & hold at the top for a second.
Reps: 18 of each, back to back. Rest when both are done, then do the remaining sets. Should be heavy enough that it burns when getting to 18. If not, adjust accordingly.
Sets: 3
Rest: 30 seconds (one muscle is already resting while the other is working)
3. Romanian Deadlifts. Video. (keep legs slightly closer than the chick in the pic above) Grab a pretty heavy barbell and stand in front of it with your legs slightly bent. Stick your butt way out, arch your back, bend down and pick it up without bending your arms at all. Straighten your torso to a sanding position with the bar hanging just below your waist. Back down slowly.
Reps: 12
Sets: 3
Rest: 1 minute
4. Barbell Walking Lunges. Video. Use a barbell that’s light enough that you can press over your head easily when done.
Reps: 12 steps. Count each step (6 steps left, 6 steps right)
Sets: 3
Rest: 1 minute
If space is limited, try to get three groups of 4 steps before u-turning.
DONE!
Proper workout nutrition is important!
Be sure to drink a protein drink IMMEDIATELY after finishing. You should also have some simple carbs at this time, so some white bread product, fruit juice, or simple sugar will help. Since this workout is pretty intense, drink a Gatorade with sugar while working out. (the simple carbs will help your workout) The Gatorade with splenda won’t give you the energy. Also have a half cup of coffee .5 hr before starting.
Let me know how it went in the comments and ask if you have questions. Good luck and HAPPY LIMPING.
_____________________
Would you call her "skinny"? She too buff for ya?
We often hear people compliment others, usually girls, by saying, “Wow, look at you; you’re so skinny!” or something similar. While their intentions are good, hopefully they are referring to her lack of fat instead of what “skinny” really means.
The difference between skinny and fat
For technical purposes, or as technical as I can get on this here fitness forum, “skinny” refers to a lack of mass, or more specifically, lack of firm muscle.
On the other hand, when you say someone is “fat”, you’re clearly describing their excess body fat, not the excess lean muscle they have; duh. That part is easy.
So, you see, skinny is NOT the opposite of fat. Describing someone as “skinny” refers to the lack of muscle one has, and describing someone as “fat” specifically talks about body fat.
Therefore, you can be skinny AND fat at the same time; the worse way to be. This is when you have too much fat on your person, while not having enough muscle to give your body a decent shape, not to mention the functional purpose of muscles.
That’s why “losing weight” is not specific enough. You can’t just lose overall weight without considering how much fat you lost (good) and how much of that was muscle (bad). You want to keep as much muscle as you can, because as it has been said many times on here and pretty much everywhere else; muscle burns fat.
Having muscle on your body requires energy to maintain it, thus burning fat in order to keep the useful muscle you just earned. And it’s obvious that pretty much all men want to build and keep muscle, but not all women are aware that building muscle makes them loose fat. Muscle also gives the body a much better body composition and therefore, a sexy physique.
Who’s skinny, who’s fat, who’s hot?
Picture one: Skinny legs. She does not have much fat as you can see from her firm legs and abs, but neither does she have much muscle. Not terribly bad, and great for fashion (although I don’t know why) but you can do much better. And men; what do you think, hot or not?
Picture two: Skinny fat. This is what I described earlier. Does not necessarily have a big barrel of a stomach nor does she resemble an elephant. However, her fat percentage is quite high, and her muscle is super low. She is technically obese. Sexy, isn’t she!
Picture three: Low fat, high muscle without looking like a manly buff chick. Amanda Carrier is a Maxim and fitness model. She works out. And not just by running around, which is ok for burning fat, but to get a strong, lean, sexy body like this you must hit the weights. This is meant for women since, like I said before, men already know they should hit the weights.
^ Sorry, but I had to post this so that you see another example of skinny fat, from a “reverse perspective”.
Saggy butt syndrome. Again, she does not have thunder thighs or a giant, space-hogging bean bag of a body, but neither does she have enough muscle—at least on her butt—to make it attractive. And some of you might give me crap about how, “We’re all different. Not everyone likes what YOU like.” or “Maybe some men like that!” Well good luck with your saggy butt and your saggy-butt loving man. Looks like you scored. I wish you well.
For the rest of you, lifting weights will give you a strong, sexy body and firm behind that will own the Vegas pool or beach next summer. Or for that matter; this winter in Mexico! F*ck cold weather!
For a firm behind:
Squat with heavy weight using a barbell on your shoulders so you don’t have to rely on your hands to grip such heavy weight. It should be heavy enough that you can barely get to 12. You can use heavier weight if you have a squat rack as pictured above so you can just walk up to it and put the barbell down right from your shoulders. If no rack, then use a weight that’s light enough that you can easily press it above your head when you’re done with the squats.
Press your shoulder blades together, arch your back, stick your butt out and go all the way down so your butt touches your ankles. This will give you a really good stretch in the quadriceps, hamstrings, and buttocks muscles which will get them to grow into firm sexy curves. Do a set of 12 reps, rest for 1 to 2 minutes, and repeat twice for a total of 3 sets.
Then do step-ups or lunges, again with a barbell on the shoulders. 3 sets of 12.
Squats, step-ups and lunges will not only help your lower body, but will also do tremendous good for your core/abs, help kill fat, and tone up your muscles all over your body! No one will call you “skinny”, let alone “fat”, but will most likely refer to you as “hot” or the more formal, “effing hot”.
Lesson:
Ladies, don’t be afraid of lifting heavy! It can only do your body good, and you can ease up if you feel you’re getting too muscular. BTW, you won’t suddenly look like a bodybuilding competitor by accident, don’t kid yourself. It would require a deliberate effort to get really lean and build a ton of muscle, especially because of the low testosterone levels in women. In fact, think about it; it’s kind of insulting to the true body building women—saying that you might get like them without really trying to.