I'd like to add a couple of recent tweaks to excercises I've previously talked about. These thing evolve so I feel I've got to tell you about it. The excercises I'd like to amend are from the Back Sets blog and they would be the Arms Extended Back Raises, and the Seated Half-Row. I would recommend that if you plan to implement these excercises into your workout you should start with the versions of these I've described earlier before adding the little nuggets I've discovered more recently.
Amendment to the Arms Extended Back Raises;
Do it faster. It's just the same wide sweeping arc of a movement with arms extended in a good gymnastics "neutral", biceps by the ears, shoulders reaching up. Recently I've taken to using a 5 to 8 lb dumbell instead of a plate, but it's held out just as far. Now, try to accelerate the upward "positive" part of the excercise and without moving your shoulders you will actually be able to let go of and catch the dumbell at the very top of the movement. Be sensible about it though, don't go for distance and make sure it never really leaves your grasp. It'll go weightless for a sec if you do it right. Then the negative is slowish but controlled, not the focus of this one. This one's about the thrust. Generate force for as long and wide of a movement possible. Throw the dumbell without moving from the shoulder, keep it straight. One line from your hips (fulcrum) to the dumbell (load) on the way up to a slight unforced arch at the top. If you need to do a bridge to warm up for it, go ahead. The image I focus on while doing this is that of the first half of a back handspring. If you've ever seen one done, and I believe most people in the world have, that's good enough. Copy it in the back raise bench, and throw a back handspring like you meant to do more than one in a row.
An explosive movement type of excercise in the fast/slow twitch muscle fiber discussion.
Ammendment to the Seated Half-Rows;
Get yourself situated in you gym's Seated Row Bench and poke the peg in at around your own bodyweight. Grab the stirrup, straighten you body (parallel to the floor/bench, like a deadlift only horizontal), then start the negative. As you are approaching 90 deg. take weight with your feet on the footpad panel thingy with straight legs until you find your buns of steel are no longer on the bench. Lock out the knees. There should become a point of balance at the 90 deg. position with the bench no longer taking any of your weight. Now that you've achieved that, angle your straight (of course they're straight) arms downward so that they are level with about the 3rd or 4th rib below the sternum. A tad lower than your solar plexis should be about right. Hold for 10 seconds, then do the negative.
A held position type of excercise in the fast/slow twitch muscle fiber discussion.
If I advance these any further, of course I'll let you know.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Incline Push Ups
Lots of people do push ups, it's the first excercise we ever learn and it's perfectly effective in it's simplicity. You move your own body weight up and down. You don't even have to belong to a gym or health club. You can do them in the privacy and convenience of your own home. If you have no home you could choose to do them on the sidewalk. No man (or woman) has any excuse to have undeveloped or underdeveloped chests, triceps, or front deltoids. I could press the point and say abs and core too, but that may be beating a dead horse in the mouth. My real point is that with a little imagination and an open mind there are literally uncounted variations on this most basic excercise. I, myself, have 5 different ones in my current rotation of training excercises, know of many more, and could make one up on the spot at any given moment. I'm aware that that might have sounded smug, but I'll lay one on you now, and save some others for a later blog entry.
Incline Push Ups.
These are similar to the handstand push ups I've described before, only opposite. Start with your back to a wall. Place your hands 2 to 2 1/2 feet or so from the wall. I like to use the floor grip handles that are often used for extended push ups giving you an extra 3 inches or so of range of motion. If your gym doesn't have a pair of these just put your hands flat ont he floor. I also like to place the hands in an underhand position, this is to emulate a gymnastic technique that I aspire to in my faux handbalancing wannabe aerial artist on straps pursuits. Now, walk your feet up the wall until your straight body is at an angle of at least 135 degrees from your hands, a perfect handstand being 180 degrees. So if you count from your shoulders, it's at least 45 degrees up. You're upside down so you can't get out your protractor and slide to rule to calculate the exact angle-you'll have to rely on your best guess. Now try some push ups. If you flex your feet at the top, where your arms are straight and point them as you descend you should be able to attain a suitable range of motion. I also do this in deferrence to gym (and home) owners who might not want to mark up their paint jobs from shoes sliding up and down against the wall. This angle is comparable to an inclined bench press, so the target muscles are the upper pectorals and the front deltoids. Arms are bending and straightening, so your triceps get in on the action too. When I do sets of these I can only get about 6 reps in. then in an attempt to save face I hold the last one at the bottom for as close to 10 seconds as I can for your "fast twitch" tissue. Stay hollow and keep the body straight and you're involving your core. Give 'em a try.
Incline Push Ups.
These are similar to the handstand push ups I've described before, only opposite. Start with your back to a wall. Place your hands 2 to 2 1/2 feet or so from the wall. I like to use the floor grip handles that are often used for extended push ups giving you an extra 3 inches or so of range of motion. If your gym doesn't have a pair of these just put your hands flat ont he floor. I also like to place the hands in an underhand position, this is to emulate a gymnastic technique that I aspire to in my faux handbalancing wannabe aerial artist on straps pursuits. Now, walk your feet up the wall until your straight body is at an angle of at least 135 degrees from your hands, a perfect handstand being 180 degrees. So if you count from your shoulders, it's at least 45 degrees up. You're upside down so you can't get out your protractor and slide to rule to calculate the exact angle-you'll have to rely on your best guess. Now try some push ups. If you flex your feet at the top, where your arms are straight and point them as you descend you should be able to attain a suitable range of motion. I also do this in deferrence to gym (and home) owners who might not want to mark up their paint jobs from shoes sliding up and down against the wall. This angle is comparable to an inclined bench press, so the target muscles are the upper pectorals and the front deltoids. Arms are bending and straightening, so your triceps get in on the action too. When I do sets of these I can only get about 6 reps in. then in an attempt to save face I hold the last one at the bottom for as close to 10 seconds as I can for your "fast twitch" tissue. Stay hollow and keep the body straight and you're involving your core. Give 'em a try.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Back Sets
Sorry, it's been a while. I believe I promised a nice back workout so here 'tis. Now when I say "back" as I have explained before, I do not refer to the lats as some do. I consider the back to be the erectors and rhomboids up either side of the spine from the can to the shoulder blades. I do lats another day, but even though not featured they are there for support on one of these excercises in particular.
Excercise 1; The Arms Extended Back Raise
Find a padded back raise bar or bench, every gym should have one and select a nice setting, if applicable, so that your hips are close to the business end of the pads and put your feet in whatever anchor is available. As you bend forward the edge should be pretty close to your bladder. The heels hooked, you'll notice your hamstrings are involved. Now with a small plate weight, start with a 5lber, hold it directly above your head with striaght arms, biceps close to the ears. Start doing back raises. Get as full a motion as your space permits on the way down and come up as far as your back arch will permit without any type of pinching pain. I've heard people say that any arch in the back is unhealthy on these, but since the body does bend in such a manner it's okay if you ask me. But what do I know, being unauthorized and all. The beauty of this particular excercise is that the wieght is doing an arch as far from the fulcrum(your hips) as is possible so it's as difficult as it can be the more correct it is.
I superset 4 sets of 10 reps of this alternating with;
Excercise 2; The Seated Half-Row
Find your gym's seated row pulley, sit facing it feet planted on whatever base your machine has, insert the peg by a number close to your body weight. Grab the stirrup or whatever close grip you choose and with shoulders neutral, at your sides niether forward are behind the rest of your torso, and arms straight pitch it all back until your body is parallel to the floor. It's like a dead lift only sideways. Now do a slow negative until your hips are at about 90 deg. and hold for 10 seconds or so. Then continue forward to the limit of your sustainable pike position. At the 90 deg. position with a flat back and neutral shoulders you'll notice the point of this one and as a bonus the lats jump in to stablize and keep the shoulders neutral.
I can only usually do about 5 or 6 reps of the Seated Half-Row per set.
The 3rd excercise I'll call; Bench Hug Back Raise with Ball
Start face down longways on any bench with your hips (or bladder-hopefully not too full) at the edge. Get a smallish medicine ball and place it between your feet. Once you get a good solid hold around the bench, hug it, straighten your legs holding the ball between said feet and raise it up and down as far as you can arch up and to the floor on the way down. I do 4 sets of this of about 15 reps with a 6lb ball. And between I sit straight legged on the bench and stretch out the hammy's and lower back with a nice forward pike stretch.
This would be followed by the back cleavage shrug set I described in an earlier blog.
I've been experimenting lately with static type of suspended strength excercises. A good example is the seated position held in the Half-Row. This is for the fast twitch muscle fiber I'm told. I just know it burns calories and developes the kind of strength and particular stamina one would need to call upon in real life. Say, you're in line at the DMV and you happen to be carrying a television set. You never know. As a watermark for a good amount of time to hold a position for the fast twitch workout would be 20 seconds. Work up to that, it's not going to happen the first time.
Excercise 1; The Arms Extended Back Raise
Find a padded back raise bar or bench, every gym should have one and select a nice setting, if applicable, so that your hips are close to the business end of the pads and put your feet in whatever anchor is available. As you bend forward the edge should be pretty close to your bladder. The heels hooked, you'll notice your hamstrings are involved. Now with a small plate weight, start with a 5lber, hold it directly above your head with striaght arms, biceps close to the ears. Start doing back raises. Get as full a motion as your space permits on the way down and come up as far as your back arch will permit without any type of pinching pain. I've heard people say that any arch in the back is unhealthy on these, but since the body does bend in such a manner it's okay if you ask me. But what do I know, being unauthorized and all. The beauty of this particular excercise is that the wieght is doing an arch as far from the fulcrum(your hips) as is possible so it's as difficult as it can be the more correct it is.
I superset 4 sets of 10 reps of this alternating with;
Excercise 2; The Seated Half-Row
Find your gym's seated row pulley, sit facing it feet planted on whatever base your machine has, insert the peg by a number close to your body weight. Grab the stirrup or whatever close grip you choose and with shoulders neutral, at your sides niether forward are behind the rest of your torso, and arms straight pitch it all back until your body is parallel to the floor. It's like a dead lift only sideways. Now do a slow negative until your hips are at about 90 deg. and hold for 10 seconds or so. Then continue forward to the limit of your sustainable pike position. At the 90 deg. position with a flat back and neutral shoulders you'll notice the point of this one and as a bonus the lats jump in to stablize and keep the shoulders neutral.
I can only usually do about 5 or 6 reps of the Seated Half-Row per set.
The 3rd excercise I'll call; Bench Hug Back Raise with Ball
Start face down longways on any bench with your hips (or bladder-hopefully not too full) at the edge. Get a smallish medicine ball and place it between your feet. Once you get a good solid hold around the bench, hug it, straighten your legs holding the ball between said feet and raise it up and down as far as you can arch up and to the floor on the way down. I do 4 sets of this of about 15 reps with a 6lb ball. And between I sit straight legged on the bench and stretch out the hammy's and lower back with a nice forward pike stretch.
This would be followed by the back cleavage shrug set I described in an earlier blog.
I've been experimenting lately with static type of suspended strength excercises. A good example is the seated position held in the Half-Row. This is for the fast twitch muscle fiber I'm told. I just know it burns calories and developes the kind of strength and particular stamina one would need to call upon in real life. Say, you're in line at the DMV and you happen to be carrying a television set. You never know. As a watermark for a good amount of time to hold a position for the fast twitch workout would be 20 seconds. Work up to that, it's not going to happen the first time.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Day 1 again
I promised to tweak Day 1 for you, so here goes.
Legs;
I'll still start with a lunge set but I'll up the ante. When stepping front in the lunge put a foam pad (about 2 1/2" thick) to where your foot will fall in the front. If one is not available at your particular gym you could substitue a "core board" or one of those half balls that are part fitness ball part flat surface. Idealy I use the foam pad and I control my step out so that just the ball of my foot and toes are on it. As you lunge forward you have to engage all those little stablizers in the foot and ankle as well as your core and if you use a weight (I usually grab a 15lb dumbell and hold it at my upper chest below the chin just like I described in an earlier blog entry) you might not want to have people around to see it. It's going to feel like something the Highway Patrol would make you do and you might not convice him of your sobriety... Fight for control and do a set of about 10 to 15 reps.
If I use a core board I aim for the center as I do with the half ball.
Alternate this with a squat set. The squat set I choose for today's blog entry I'll call snatch squats. You've seen the event called the snatch in competitive weight lifting? The position at the end of the actual "snatch", a deep squat with a barbell held overhead arms straight in a wide grip, is the bottom of the movement. One could actually do a nice superset combining the snatch and the squat, but I'm only squatting. You don't have to use that much wieght either. I use a 25 or 30lb barbell and grip it wider than my shoulders, the wider the better. First control the wieght overhead and realize that the shoulders will open front as the wieght is actually slightly behind your head at the bottom of the movement. The plumb line from the barbell to the floor is your actual center and in placing an equal 50% of your entire weight ( your body and the barbell) in front and back of that imaginary plumb line you'll be balanced and able to safely execute the squats. Try to get in sets of 20.
Alternate these 2 in a superset 3 or 4 times for a total of 6 to 8 sets.
Follw this with the same calf raise I wrote about earlier.
next up; back raises
Legs;
I'll still start with a lunge set but I'll up the ante. When stepping front in the lunge put a foam pad (about 2 1/2" thick) to where your foot will fall in the front. If one is not available at your particular gym you could substitue a "core board" or one of those half balls that are part fitness ball part flat surface. Idealy I use the foam pad and I control my step out so that just the ball of my foot and toes are on it. As you lunge forward you have to engage all those little stablizers in the foot and ankle as well as your core and if you use a weight (I usually grab a 15lb dumbell and hold it at my upper chest below the chin just like I described in an earlier blog entry) you might not want to have people around to see it. It's going to feel like something the Highway Patrol would make you do and you might not convice him of your sobriety... Fight for control and do a set of about 10 to 15 reps.
If I use a core board I aim for the center as I do with the half ball.
Alternate this with a squat set. The squat set I choose for today's blog entry I'll call snatch squats. You've seen the event called the snatch in competitive weight lifting? The position at the end of the actual "snatch", a deep squat with a barbell held overhead arms straight in a wide grip, is the bottom of the movement. One could actually do a nice superset combining the snatch and the squat, but I'm only squatting. You don't have to use that much wieght either. I use a 25 or 30lb barbell and grip it wider than my shoulders, the wider the better. First control the wieght overhead and realize that the shoulders will open front as the wieght is actually slightly behind your head at the bottom of the movement. The plumb line from the barbell to the floor is your actual center and in placing an equal 50% of your entire weight ( your body and the barbell) in front and back of that imaginary plumb line you'll be balanced and able to safely execute the squats. Try to get in sets of 20.
Alternate these 2 in a superset 3 or 4 times for a total of 6 to 8 sets.
Follw this with the same calf raise I wrote about earlier.
next up; back raises
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
An Off Day
I've actually had a few off days since my last entry, but prior to that I trained but not in the gym. Behind it actually, in an alley. From a fire escape I rig or hang my circus prop, that being the aerial straps, which I believe I've referred to at least once. See the picture above. That's what's going on there. I started doing this a couple of years ago for one main reason, cost. I don't have to pay the gym anything extra and I don't have to rent a truss or space with a cieling point. I get to work on the basics, and I can't actually do much more than that because of the space restrictions so I adapt to the venue and get my work in.
Up until a shoulder injury occured over a year ago I had aspirations to develope an act that I could shop around and make some money performing. I did, in fact, develope and perform an act but only once as it worked out-then got too busy with other things. Now it's sort of been downgraded to hobby status, but it's a good workout nonetheless. Some of my upper body gym excercises came about specifically to support this activity and they're okay but there's nothing like the real thing. I've been training on straps off and on for about 6 years now.
Depending on my schedule and the weather I often do two-a-days, that being gym earlier in the day and straps later (on these days I crave a lot of protein). Some days I work a series a strength conditioning type of "academic" excercises and other days are a little more "artisitic".
My last day out there I worked 2 completely seperate muscle groups. I alternated 5 minutes or so pressing handstands on the straps and doing inverted crosses and front plange handstands with an excercise for that other muscle group I referred to. The handstands are good overall upper body type things that rely heavily on the front and side deltoids. The inverted cross really brings the upper pecs into play. It's very similar to a gymnast doing rings, only easier. That's good and bad. It's easier to achieve these positions on the straps when you're supporting your body weight at your wrists, forearms, or elbows compared to your hands with rings in them at the end of an outstretched arm. It's bad because since you can cheat and spot your balance upside down with your feet on the straps themselves, bad habits and bad technique can creep in. That being said you can be strict with yourself and hold a correct handstand. No sag in the back....
The other outdoor activity that I alternated in that day was walking, tight wire like, on a length of PV piping that I found out there. I had been doing this in the gym on their barbells unbeknownst to the management. This is an excellent excercise for all those little stablizing muscles in the feet and ankles. Specifically, I think this helps stave off injury to those areas that jumping (and landing) could cause. I occasionally have to jump to try and get a job, or even tumble.
A second benefit to this "pipe walking" is that it's a cheap alternative to keeping a skill that would otherwise require a practice wire to walk on. They're not cheap. There does exist such a thing as practice wire. It's a cable about 2' to 3' off the ground that you learn high wire on. One should realize that in order for a cable to support one's weight it needs a couple thousand pounds of tension on it to do so. The PV pipe is so very light, however, and it rolls under your feet so that walking it is a lot harder than what I remember the last time I was on a wire and it's also harder than the barbells that my gym managers never saw me walking on. After spending some time on this I'm curious as to how I'd do an a wire again.
Next Blog I'll start tweaking Day 1
Up until a shoulder injury occured over a year ago I had aspirations to develope an act that I could shop around and make some money performing. I did, in fact, develope and perform an act but only once as it worked out-then got too busy with other things. Now it's sort of been downgraded to hobby status, but it's a good workout nonetheless. Some of my upper body gym excercises came about specifically to support this activity and they're okay but there's nothing like the real thing. I've been training on straps off and on for about 6 years now.
Depending on my schedule and the weather I often do two-a-days, that being gym earlier in the day and straps later (on these days I crave a lot of protein). Some days I work a series a strength conditioning type of "academic" excercises and other days are a little more "artisitic".
My last day out there I worked 2 completely seperate muscle groups. I alternated 5 minutes or so pressing handstands on the straps and doing inverted crosses and front plange handstands with an excercise for that other muscle group I referred to. The handstands are good overall upper body type things that rely heavily on the front and side deltoids. The inverted cross really brings the upper pecs into play. It's very similar to a gymnast doing rings, only easier. That's good and bad. It's easier to achieve these positions on the straps when you're supporting your body weight at your wrists, forearms, or elbows compared to your hands with rings in them at the end of an outstretched arm. It's bad because since you can cheat and spot your balance upside down with your feet on the straps themselves, bad habits and bad technique can creep in. That being said you can be strict with yourself and hold a correct handstand. No sag in the back....
The other outdoor activity that I alternated in that day was walking, tight wire like, on a length of PV piping that I found out there. I had been doing this in the gym on their barbells unbeknownst to the management. This is an excellent excercise for all those little stablizing muscles in the feet and ankles. Specifically, I think this helps stave off injury to those areas that jumping (and landing) could cause. I occasionally have to jump to try and get a job, or even tumble.
A second benefit to this "pipe walking" is that it's a cheap alternative to keeping a skill that would otherwise require a practice wire to walk on. They're not cheap. There does exist such a thing as practice wire. It's a cable about 2' to 3' off the ground that you learn high wire on. One should realize that in order for a cable to support one's weight it needs a couple thousand pounds of tension on it to do so. The PV pipe is so very light, however, and it rolls under your feet so that walking it is a lot harder than what I remember the last time I was on a wire and it's also harder than the barbells that my gym managers never saw me walking on. After spending some time on this I'm curious as to how I'd do an a wire again.
Next Blog I'll start tweaking Day 1
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Day 2 part 2
Right, I said we're doing lats next but let me clarify that this is the second part of Day 2's routine. Do it after the chest routine or before, but the same trip to the gym.
The lats are a big muscle also and if you build them too big it's going to cost you some flexibility, so I just use, you guessed it, my own body weight.
Lats;
First up are "L" shaped pull ups. Find a chin-up bar and grab it overhanded and maybe a little wider than your soulders. Hang, then lift you legs straight in front of you at a 90 deg. angle from your torso, parallel to the floor. Do a set, don't skimp on the range of motion, try to lower yourself to practically straight arms. Do six sets in total, you might get 10 or 12 reps in on your first set and that'll probably tapir down to about 5 by the last set. There are a variety of hand grips you can use; parallel grip, underhand grip(not as wide as the overhead grip), or one that I can do on the pull up station in the gym I go to, I grip the actual frame on one side of the pull up station, not the bar( a Hammer Strength free standing sort of deal). It's sort of "V" shaped but your hands slide down some at different times of the year, on colder days they slip more for some reason. You might not want to try the "L" the first time and since it's quite wide there's less range of motion. Next time I get to Lat day in my blog I'll put a little mustard on this one.
A Superset:
Somtimes I go from one to the other without rest, sometimes I get dizzy....
Hand Stand Push Ups: Find a wall where the floor is relatively level, in NY sometimes buildings sag you know. Kick up to a handstand, feet (and or backside) to the wall. Keep the body straight and crank out some push ups. In the middle of a set of these it's easy to catch yourself sagging in the middle, so don't! It's not healthy and it looks bad. As a consolation I'll tell you to not knock yourself out with range of motion on this one at first. If you're new to them just get 'em moving however you can, then later you can get brave and try to get your head all the way to the floor. A wider stance with the hands will work your delts more, a closer narrower stance gets your triceps and they can die a slow death on the way to muscle failure. Back Straight!
Part 2 of the Superset:
Parallel Pull Ups: A gymnastic "front plange" position is the objective here. With a slightly-narrower-than-your-shoulders overhand grip, or parallel where available, do a pull up stopping for a second at the top. Now, straighten your arms, pitch your shoulders back and bring a straight body parallel to the floor (think hips front and up) and hold for a second if you can. When you can't hold it any more catch the negative with your straight body and straight arms feet going down until the body is verticle again. Do about 5 or 6 in a set.
Alternate these two excercises 6 times each.
There, now you've worked not only your lats but your "core", and your delts side and back. After trying this the first time the next morning you will notice that your rear delts woke up and started barking before you did.
That's the basic workout, as I write more I'll expound on these excercises and to quote that over-rated hack Emeril,"bump it up a notch".
The lats are a big muscle also and if you build them too big it's going to cost you some flexibility, so I just use, you guessed it, my own body weight.
Lats;
First up are "L" shaped pull ups. Find a chin-up bar and grab it overhanded and maybe a little wider than your soulders. Hang, then lift you legs straight in front of you at a 90 deg. angle from your torso, parallel to the floor. Do a set, don't skimp on the range of motion, try to lower yourself to practically straight arms. Do six sets in total, you might get 10 or 12 reps in on your first set and that'll probably tapir down to about 5 by the last set. There are a variety of hand grips you can use; parallel grip, underhand grip(not as wide as the overhead grip), or one that I can do on the pull up station in the gym I go to, I grip the actual frame on one side of the pull up station, not the bar( a Hammer Strength free standing sort of deal). It's sort of "V" shaped but your hands slide down some at different times of the year, on colder days they slip more for some reason. You might not want to try the "L" the first time and since it's quite wide there's less range of motion. Next time I get to Lat day in my blog I'll put a little mustard on this one.
A Superset:
Somtimes I go from one to the other without rest, sometimes I get dizzy....
Hand Stand Push Ups: Find a wall where the floor is relatively level, in NY sometimes buildings sag you know. Kick up to a handstand, feet (and or backside) to the wall. Keep the body straight and crank out some push ups. In the middle of a set of these it's easy to catch yourself sagging in the middle, so don't! It's not healthy and it looks bad. As a consolation I'll tell you to not knock yourself out with range of motion on this one at first. If you're new to them just get 'em moving however you can, then later you can get brave and try to get your head all the way to the floor. A wider stance with the hands will work your delts more, a closer narrower stance gets your triceps and they can die a slow death on the way to muscle failure. Back Straight!
Part 2 of the Superset:
Parallel Pull Ups: A gymnastic "front plange" position is the objective here. With a slightly-narrower-than-your-shoulders overhand grip, or parallel where available, do a pull up stopping for a second at the top. Now, straighten your arms, pitch your shoulders back and bring a straight body parallel to the floor (think hips front and up) and hold for a second if you can. When you can't hold it any more catch the negative with your straight body and straight arms feet going down until the body is verticle again. Do about 5 or 6 in a set.
Alternate these two excercises 6 times each.
There, now you've worked not only your lats but your "core", and your delts side and back. After trying this the first time the next morning you will notice that your rear delts woke up and started barking before you did.
That's the basic workout, as I write more I'll expound on these excercises and to quote that over-rated hack Emeril,"bump it up a notch".
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Chest, lats, delts
The pectoralis is a pretty muscle. I'm not making it up, society at large has always appreciated broad manly chest. Mind you I am of the opinion that most "big guys' big chests" probably have a good amount of scar tissue and aren't as strong as they would have you believe. If your gonna build muscle try not to excede what your frame would naturally wear and it would be the kind of muscle you would use in your everyday life, say if you had to throw a car or a piano.
Most of my chest excercises are done with my own body weight, as are my pull-ups, and what I do for delts. That's this workout;
Chest;
I'll start with one that defies my last statement, I use dumbells. I guess I'll call it a Ball Press. Get one of those big fitness balls in your favorite color and from a seated position pick up 2 dumbells that would add up to about 1/3 of your body weight. When they are secured in your lap scoot your feet down until your body is parallel to the floor, knees at a 90 deg. angle. Do a bench press set of about 8-10 reps. Now don't start pumpin' away until your knees and feet are together. Stay on the ball-which should have rolled up your spine and stopped no higher than your shoulder blades, that's what's supporting your body parallel to the floor if you haven't sorted that out yet. Do at least 4 sets and the next time you do them use an underhand grip. I think 12 is a good number for total sets per body part and I do 2 more excercises for this one.
Parallel Bench Dip Negatives; Grip the dip bars like your going to do a regular dip set. Hoist up on straight arms, then pitch you shoulders forward without piking the hips so that you try to get your body (straight legs optional, but tougher) parallel to the ground, control the negative down, right yourself at the bottom push up like it's a dip. Squeak out about 5 or six per set. Do 4 sets, at least. This position when held is the bread and butter of flying strap act. Going in a big circle he hits this position, parallel. Holding it requires chest and front deltoid strength with a touch of erector muscles in the lower back.
Now how about a push up?
Downward Angle Push Ups;
I do these on the dumbell rack itself. It's about mid-thigh to the knee high on me. With 2 of the littlest dumbells i.e.5lbs measured evenly to the point your foot is going, place them on the floor gripping them underhanded. Yes, palms forward. Get a toe in that dumbell rack and pick your body up straight. It should be at about a 45 deg. angle. Keeping your body straight crank out 20 if you can. Don't be afraid to get your face near the floor. Don't sag in the middle. Imagine your spine as if you were laying on your back and the whole spine was touching the floor, meaning, small of the back. It's what the Eastern European gymnasts call getting "hollow". Your body is one piece. Do at least 4 sets and if you're feeling brave mix in one foot on the rack one in the air behind the other.... not touching... and do them both...if you do them.
I have an uncalculated number of push ups,
but we're doing lats next.
Most of my chest excercises are done with my own body weight, as are my pull-ups, and what I do for delts. That's this workout;
Chest;
I'll start with one that defies my last statement, I use dumbells. I guess I'll call it a Ball Press. Get one of those big fitness balls in your favorite color and from a seated position pick up 2 dumbells that would add up to about 1/3 of your body weight. When they are secured in your lap scoot your feet down until your body is parallel to the floor, knees at a 90 deg. angle. Do a bench press set of about 8-10 reps. Now don't start pumpin' away until your knees and feet are together. Stay on the ball-which should have rolled up your spine and stopped no higher than your shoulder blades, that's what's supporting your body parallel to the floor if you haven't sorted that out yet. Do at least 4 sets and the next time you do them use an underhand grip. I think 12 is a good number for total sets per body part and I do 2 more excercises for this one.
Parallel Bench Dip Negatives; Grip the dip bars like your going to do a regular dip set. Hoist up on straight arms, then pitch you shoulders forward without piking the hips so that you try to get your body (straight legs optional, but tougher) parallel to the ground, control the negative down, right yourself at the bottom push up like it's a dip. Squeak out about 5 or six per set. Do 4 sets, at least. This position when held is the bread and butter of flying strap act. Going in a big circle he hits this position, parallel. Holding it requires chest and front deltoid strength with a touch of erector muscles in the lower back.
Now how about a push up?
Downward Angle Push Ups;
I do these on the dumbell rack itself. It's about mid-thigh to the knee high on me. With 2 of the littlest dumbells i.e.5lbs measured evenly to the point your foot is going, place them on the floor gripping them underhanded. Yes, palms forward. Get a toe in that dumbell rack and pick your body up straight. It should be at about a 45 deg. angle. Keeping your body straight crank out 20 if you can. Don't be afraid to get your face near the floor. Don't sag in the middle. Imagine your spine as if you were laying on your back and the whole spine was touching the floor, meaning, small of the back. It's what the Eastern European gymnasts call getting "hollow". Your body is one piece. Do at least 4 sets and if you're feeling brave mix in one foot on the rack one in the air behind the other.... not touching... and do them both...if you do them.
I have an uncalculated number of push ups,
but we're doing lats next.
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