Want to burn fat while keeping the muscle you worked so hard to build?

burn fat keep muscle with kettlebells and other plyoWant to burn fat while keeping the muscle you worked so hard to build? Here’s what you do: Throw in some plyometric, full body stuff in between your regular weight session. It’ll send blood all over your body, get your heart rate flying, and you’ll get cardio at the same time as your muscle work.

Your weight session should not be slow, calm, with huge rest periods. What, are you trying to gain mass? If you’re trying to lose body fat and obviously not lose muscle, then your weight session should be non-stop, higher reps (therefore lower weights), with back-to-back supersets of antagonistic muscles.

Did you just mouth, “What the f is he talking about?” That’s ok, I’ll explain. Working antagonistic (opposite) muscles already delivers a huge pump that’ll immediately be visible. You can combine body parts such as chest and back or quads and hamstrings.

Add some short but intense cardio in between sets and you just transformed yourself into a SUPER FAT BURNING MACHINE.

So today was ARMS day. Biceps and Triceps. 3 super drop sets. Those are better than mere super sets. I did barbell curls followed by a lighter barbell (drop set). Then immediately picked it up above my head and did tricep extensions (super set). Then I put the barbell down and went with cable triceps pushdowns.

I really dig these. But hold at the bottom and really “crunch” it for one second. And concentrate on having good form.

I varied the grips on the bicep curls from normal, to wide, to narrow. Didn’t do overhand grip. Not against them, I was just pressed for time. Usually, I do 4 super drop sets of 2 bi’s and 2 tri’s with the last set having 3 bi’s and 3 tri’s as you can see in the Arms day of my Gain 10 lbs workout.

Now, this is where the fun begins.

I did these intense cardio exercises after the supersets, sometimes between supersets, and sometimes I did two of them before continuing with the sets of weightlifting.

Burpies 2x
Mountain Climbers 1x
Kettlebell Squat, Curl n Press (one arm, separated the squat, and didn’t hold the squat like in the link, but both ways are good) 2x
Kettlebell One-Arm Cross-Leg Clean – keeping your arm straight squat down so the kettlebell touches the opposite foot twisting your torso slightly, then swing it all the way up above your head and out to the side as you straighten your legs. 12 reps per arm 1x
Mountain Climber 2-legged Kickbacks or “Ass Kicks” (because they resemble a kicking donkey?) instead of alternating legs, kick both out, then bring both in. 1x

You can also throw in some squat jumps and high jumps. I do those often when I’m really looking for an ass kicking. : P

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Make yourself look like a cobra.

LOG: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, TWO THOUSAND ELEVEN.

Had a great workout during lunch today. Serious Back and Lats with Tricep Supersets and some Abs/Core as a topping on this bitter-sweet desert.

Have I mentioned that music makes a big difference in work out intensity? At least, to me it does. Went with my old-school iPod with wired earplugs. They sound great but I hate the wire. I have to get those Motorolla wireless, stereo earplugs like the ones I got my beautiful wife.

Took two pills of my green tea pills. Didn’t go with the dosage of three because I didn’t have anything to eat since 8:30 and I was just being safe. Haven’t received my Xtend, OR my Torrent, and I’m completely out of Whey, so I had nothing but water while working out.

Here’s what I did:

Bent over Bar Bell Rows x4
Tricep cable extensions
Skull Crushers – full hang to activate chest and lats as well

Bent over Dumbbell Rows x4 (last set was with forearm on bench for different angle)
Tricep rope extensions
Bent over Dumbbell extensions

Pulldowns 4x went heavy 6 reps + one drop of an additional 6 reps
Cable overhead rope extensions – (extending forward in front of face. feel the burn)

Levers (straight-arm pullups) 3x of around 6 reps, try to hold for a sec up there.
Immediately superset: Straight-arm Lat pulldowns on Lifeline cable machine (love the hell out of this machine)
Side, straight-arm Lat pulldowns <– bad-ass.

ABS/CORE:

Hanging Leg Lifts. my favorite
Machine Crunches
3x of both, back to back like the rest of the exercises today and mostly every day!

 CHEERS, DRINK UP AND HAVE FUN, FOR LIFE’S SHORT!

 

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Chest with Supers.

Was feeling kinda slow and tired on this Monday but pushed myself to go to my daily, lunchtime gym session. Today was Chest day. Remember folks, just grab your gear and GET THERE. Once you’re there, the change in environment, the lively atmosphere, the site of the equipment, lights, fit people, not so fit people, girls, and of course weight plates will wake you the hell up! Doesn’t hurt to have some caffeine .5 hr before or some apple or grape juice (simple carbs).

Today’s workout:
Incline Bench: 25, 45×3
Super: inverted body rows

Incline DB press: x3, + lower incline x2
Super: one handed seated cable rows x3 &
Straight-arm cable extensions on Life fitness cables

High jumps x1

Wood choppers x3
Cable crunches x1

Back to back:
Cable crossovers: high x1
Life Fitness cable press x1
Hammer incline press: x1

Squat jumps x1

Lots of free weights for the chest, but included some opposite muscle group work for balance (rows). Also, a bit of core with the choppers and crunches and some fat-burning cardio to reach my goal of 3D abs by Labor Day. : )

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CHEST & ARMS BOMB!

deltoids "rotator cuff"

Today, was Chest and Arms, with a hint of Rear Delts and Rotator Cuffs as pictured above. Have I mentioned that it’s a good idea to do some opposite sets when you’re targeting a specific body part? For example, today was Chest, but to be well balanced and not start looking all lopsided with the chest curling in, I did some light upper back and delt work. Not to mention; I don’t want a shoulder injury from too much pressing like I had before.

This is also beneficial to the targeted body part itself. Apparently, the chest will get a bigger pump and will therefore perform better when you complement it with some back work. You can easily see that on the upper arms if you’re doing my GAIN 10lbs Friday Arms workout where you follow an intense shoulder workout with super drop sets of biceps, then immediately go to triceps.

Don’t believe me? Ask Arnold. Go ahead call him.

Here’s my workout for today:

INCLINE BENCH: X3
COMPLIMENTED WITH LIGHT WEIGHT BENT-OVER REAR DELT EXTENSIONS

INCLINE HAMMER PRESS: X4
COMPLIMENTED WITH BODY ROWS ON HORIZONTAL BAR

STRAIGHT HAMMER PRESS: X4
MORE BODY ROWS/DELT EXTENSIONS

ROTATOR CUFF EXTENSIONS, SIDES: X2
ROTATOR CUFF EXTENSIONS, TOP: X2

BAR BICEP CURLS WITH BOMBER:
SUPERSET: UNILAT CABLE CURLS 16 REPS. X3

TRICEP PRESS DOWNS V-BAR WITH BOMBER
SUPERSET: UNILAT CABLE PRESS DOWNS WITH BOMBER X2

REVERSE-GRIP BICEP CURLS WITH EZ BAR. NO BOMBER. “TWENTY-ONES”: 7, 7, 7!

FOREARM CURLS BEHIND THE BACK
FOREARM REVERSE CURLS ON PREACHER
FOREARM CURLS FRONT OF BODY

biceps bomber

I love the Bicep Bomber for really isolating the biceps. It also works great for the tri’s during press downs, both unilateral and bilateral because it makes sure your upper arms are not rotating at the shoulder. Be sure to adjust the height so your elbows are a little below the bottom edge of the Blaster, and press it to your body when curling or doing tricep-press downs.

I had a few guys ask me about it at the gym and one dude tried it, and really dug it. At $29, it’s an inexpensive new gadget to get you excited for arms day again.

THEMS Rotator Cuff Extensions are fucking-fantastic for making your rear delts explode!

deltoids "rotator cuff"

You do them enough and you’ll quickly see that little bump behind your shoulder that you hadn’t noticed before. Gives your shoulders a much more massive appearance since there’s an additional muscle taking care of the rear shoulders. Since the delts and especially the rotator cuffs are pretty fragile, be sure to use light weight, high reps. I did 12 reps each set.

ALSO, don’t forget to vary your grip on barbell curls. The additional cable curls will help you out with that, but it’s still good to do 1 set of straight barbell curls, 1 set of wide grip, and one of narrow or EZ bar.

____ SEE YA AT THE GYM _____

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5 techniques to boost training intensity

FITNESS RX FOR MENThis info was learned from many issues of my favorite fitness magazine, FITNESS RX, which is based on scientific research and PUBLISHED results from studies conducted by respected organizations such as the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Their website sucks balls, but their magazine rules. No bullshit, no hype. Just straightforward info that’s not too wordy and cuts to the chase. And they always site their sources.

5 techniques to boost training intensity:
How to ensure you’re hitting your max with every set

Forced reps: (partner helps with the last two.)
Negatives: after failure, partner can lift so you do only the neg portion for a couple of reps. Or better yet, Negative Accentuated Training: Lift with two limbs, return with one.
Rest-Pause: Higher weight, fail at 3-4. Rest 10 secs. Around 2 more reps. Rest another 10 secs. Finish with another 1-2 reps. This way, you reach failure 3 times.
Drop Sets: Fail at 8 reps, then lower the weight to 70-80% and fail again.
Cheating Reps: use momentum for the last 1-2 reps BUT, you have to pause at the top at least briefly for true effectiveness.

PLUS:
Long-ass rest periods can significantly increase muscle hypertrophy (increase in muscle cell size). Consider FOUR minute rests between sets for at least one day per week. You don’t have to sit around like a weirdo, either. If you’re doing bench, go do the ab-crunch machine or perform a set of Plank Madness, then rest the remaining time ’til the four minutes are up.

YES, this is still true:
(shit you’ve known to be true, but knuckleheads have recently tried to disprove. this is based on recent studies proving they’re still true)

Running better than biking, but biking still good. Running engages more muscles including the core and the glutes a lot more than biking. And hills are best.

Consuming protein after a workout is gold. High protein, low carb meal after a workout boosts metabolic fires, repairs muscles, and decreases fat storage.

HIIT much better than steady state cardio to prevent muscle loss, burn fat faster, and speed up your metabolism so you burn fat all day

“)(”

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My Supplements

Currently taking:

OPTI-MEN Multivitamins. 3 a day, every day. keeps everything functioning right, specially formulated for people who work out, and push their bodies.

ON Whey protein with 5g BCAA’s, 4g Glutamine. Twice a day, one or two scoops, sometimes with milk for an extra 10g protein.

ON BCAA + Creatine 5g each, orange flavor. 30 – 45 minutes before a workout. BCAA’s make the muscles not tear down so much and creatine makes them grow.

Cytomax Sports Drink. 22g carbs, 60mg potassium, 6mg calcium, 14mg magnesium. Energy and endurance with electrolytes. I drink it during the workout itself. Prevents my friggin calves from cramping when running after a weight session.

Universal TORRENT. My newest and favorite supplement. All in one, post-workout recovery drink. 20g protein; 52g carbs including D-glucose, waxy maize, and maltodextrin; 3g creatine; 7g amino acids blend (taurine, glutamine Alpha Ketoglutarate AKG), L-Leucine, + more.

Fish Oil. 2 a day for essential fatty acids.

Blueberry Nut mix. More omegas and stuff for the heart.

Diet, Caffeine-Free Coke. Love the Coke, got to keep caffeine low. Already drink coffee or espresso in the morning, and sometimes another hit before the noon workout.

You can get more info and buy these HERE.

Questions, comments, suggestions, recommendations, and WTF’s are all welcome. Post in comments.

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Feeling down?

sweaty runner

sweaty runnerFeeling down? Not liking life too much these days? Try this: Stop thinking about yourself so much and liven the heck up! Easier said than done? Well you can’t do anything without giving it a wholehearted effort. Nothing! It aint gonna fall onto your lap.

So here’s a Recipe For Livening The Heck Up:
Sweat your buttocks off. Literally. Go outside and run Forest. If you come back and you’re a little cold, dry, and still feeling crappy, you didn’t run right. You ran wrong.

Try running harder. You can do this by running uphill. And I mean RUNNING. I didn’t say, “Barely moving your legs a bit”. Running, in this post, means SPRINTING. Full stretch of the legs to the front, and full movement to the back, while pumping your arms. Sprint ’til you can’t anymore, around 30 seconds, then jog or walk briskly for a minute or two before doing it again.

Can’t run, or don’t like to? Then lift weights. Intensely. Don’t like that either and love to take options away from yourself? Then do body-weight exercises. (squat jumps, pushups, high jumps, burpies, etc)

JUST SWEAT, MATE!

Take a look at this quote from WebMD:

“When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain.

 Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. For example, the feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as “euphoric.” That feeling, known as a “runner’s high,” can be accompanied by a positive and energizing outlook on life.”

Read more here.

HELL YEAH, I feel euphoric after a workout! I feel like taking on THE WORLD! Not only because of the endorphins that are released, but the sense of accomplishment as well. It’s even stronger when you beat your previous record or hit a goal.

Try it once, and see how you feel. Soon you’ll be addicted and inclined to keep repeating, just like the street drugs you’re taking, you druggy. (kidding, don’t hit me) But this is a GOOD addiction. It will benefit the heck out of you.

As always, cheers and GOOD LUCK!

– BUM
 your pusher

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The Great Fitness Product Giveaway!

Or at least; The Pretty Good Fitness Product Giveaway!

To encourage folks to join and participate in the brand new 10 in 30 Forum, I have decided to give stuff away. While I’m not giving away a car, a date with an adult actress, or a trip over the Middle East in a hot air balloon, I am giving away something of value.

The first 30 people to join the forum and honestly and legitimately enter their stats along with a “before” pic are entered in a drawing to win one of two choices of workout gear. Remember, you can crop out your face if you’d like to remain anonymous.

To join us and enter,
Join and Enter!

That’s a 1 in 30 chance! Pretty good odds, eh? The winner can choose one of two prizes:

Biceps Bomber:

biceps bomber

or

Pullup Bar:

pullups bar

Both prizes are awesome for developing your body. Girls and guys can both benefit form the Biceps Bomber because it ensures proper form and isolates the biceps just like a personal trainer would if he were there with you. Keeps your elbows from swinging so that you only use your biceps for curls OR triceps during triceps pushdowns. You want those lean and mean upper arms right?!

The Pullups Bar is fantastic for doing pullups in your home with the variety of grips it provides. You can also do one of the most effective and my favorite ab exercises from my plan; Hanging Leg Lifts 4X.

hanging leg raises

^ Great for both guys and girls!

The drawing will end on Thursday, June 30, 12 noon Pacific time and will only be held if there are at least 30 participants. I will gather names and randomly pic one in whatever method I feel like at that moment. I’ll announce the winner here and on my Twitter account. I’ll contact the winner at that time and get shipping info. Must be a U.S. resident.

To join us and enter,
Join and Enter!

No need to buy anything, just honestly participate in something that will do you plenty of good by motivating you in the form of a group environment and you’re in! Now, I stress the idea of “honesty”. Meaning that you really are interested in doing this workout and nutrition plan and will honestly give it a go while participating in the forum by posting your progress, more pics, etc. By joining, you agree that I reserve the right to restrict anyone from entering this giveaway whom I determine is not actively participating in the workouts.

And if you’re not really keen to the names of this post, here’s another: “The Better Than Nothing Fitness Product Giveaway”. Or you can name it anything you want in the comments. : )

Thanks and good luck with the drawing and your fitness goals!

– BUM

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