In order to bring some order to my blog I have decided to simplify it a bit and discuss three topics a week. I am going to piggy back off of The Sweatbox rip and shred series and offer posts discussing abs(hard core), upper body(gun show), and lower body(booty hell).
For our first offering in the #HardCore category we want to give you a short workout you can use in order to workout all four areas of the abdominals. You will see constant contractions in the abs throughout the entire workout and I will break a sweat. Make sure you focus on keeping your abs constantly engaged you can do this by trying to pull your belly button down towards the floor. I know this is impossible to do, but that will make you contract your abs and increase your work load.
Equipment:
You will need a stability ball and a mat. You can purchase these at any wal-mart, target, or fitness store.
Exercise Levels:
Workout Grunts(beginners): attempt 30 reps of each exercise and 10 reps of each interval
Workout Warriors(intermediate): attemps 50 reps of each exercise and 20 reps of each interval
#BEASTMODE(expert): attempt 100 reps of each exercise and 30 reps of each interval
Repeat this set three times giving yourself about 1 min. of rest in between each set. It is going to burn like hell, however tight abs come with a price.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
The Gun Show
The almighty biceps and triceps!!! Guys would love to see Mt. Everest on the top of there arms and ladies never want to feel the back their arms do a harlem shake when they go to put on a shirt. Today I am going to discuss how to maximize output in the biceps and triceps by understanding the overall make up of this muscle group.
It is good to know that the Biceps have two heads a short head and a long head. This is important because different positioning and exercises will maximize output in the short head vs. the long head and vice versa. The short head of your bicep is located on the inside of your arm and the short head is located on the outside. If you just do bicep curls all day no doubt your arms will get bigger and you will even get stronger but will you be getting max output highly unlikely. In order to get a great burn going in the biceps I am going to suggest three simple things you can do to take your bicep curl to the next level.
Traditional Curl: This is what you see in your average gym 99.99% of the time it is a single joint movement beginning with the back of your hand on your thighs and you curl up until your bicep is flexed then you release back to the resting position and repeat. We can enhance this by focusing solely on the three different contractions involved in a bicep curl. First is the concentric contraction, you want to maximize this contraction by exploding from the resting position straight to the top of the curl. Once in this position you will experience an isometric contraction where the bicep is flexed I advise you maintain that contraction for three seconds doing this will help you generate approximately 20% greater strength. Once you release this position you will want to count three more seconds down before you are back to the resting position this will generate approximately 50% more strength. These small changes allow you maximize the output in both the long and short head of your bicep helping you to generate more strength and turn those garden snakes into pythons. I suggest doing this exercise 3x10 and going up from there.
Tricep Dips: Doing a tricep dip for instance is something you can do from the comfort of your home but it can be as effective as anything you ever do for your triceps if you do them right. Take a chair and put it against the wall so it won't move. Once you have got it comfortable turn around and put your hand on the chair palms down so that your fingers are gripping the edge of the chair. Your legs should be straight so that the only things supporting your body are your hand on the chair and the heels of your feet on the floor. From here you want to extend up so that your elbows are locked out once you are in this position I want you to hold it for three seconds as well. Release that position and begin dipping back down I want you to count to three before your elbows are bent and resting at a 90 degree angle. Rinse and repeat. I suggest doing this exercise 3x10 and going up from there.
Again, tweaking these simple exercises by understanding the different contractions will maximize output and work all the heads on your biceps and triceps. Overtime you will feel yourself get stronger and notice the results.
Be healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
Micah Hayes
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Hard Core
Everyone wants nice abs but no one knows where to start. In order to get a Hard Core you have to understand what you are working with. First off, your abs are not just made up of the ncie six pack you see in the middle they are actually separated into four major sections that together act as a girdle to help you maintain proper balance, movement through out the torso, and protect your spinal column.
Your six pack or keg whichever suits you best is scientifically known as the rectus abdominus, underneath your love handles and spare tire are the transversus abdominus, and wrapping around you on the sides are your external and internal obliques.
Now that you understand how they are separated and where they are located now we can talk about how to maximize there output. The rectus abdominus are responsible flexing the abs and receive the most attention from different crunch variations. The transversus abdominus compress the abs and get most of their work done during a leg lift or plank variation. The obliques rotate and bend the torso and get a great burn during oblique twist or side crunches.
Doing one kind of abdominal exercise is not going to get you your desired results, however mixing them up is going to help you to train multiple areas in the abdomen and give you a great burn. BUT ab work alone is not going to get this six pack you have been looking for because that type of exercise does not lend itself to fat burn. Involving some kind of cardiovascular work either before, after, or during your ab workout is going to get you optimal results.
For Example:
100 CrunchesRide the bike for 3 minutes
100 Bicycles
Ride the bike for 3 minutes
100 Flutter KicksRide the bike for 3 minutes
Doing some variation of an interval like the one above is going to keep your workout upbeat and fresh and allow you to work in several different muscle groups during one session. Obviously your circuit will last longer than the one above but it is a start. Make sure you mix it up and keep it fresh and you will be on your way to a HARD CORE in no time.
Be healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
Micah Hayes
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Mental Strength!!!
I forgot about one very important kind of strength yesterday when I was going off on my rant about the subject; MENTAL STRENGTH.
This is maybe the most important strength of them all, and the most difficult to develop. How do you push through pain, disappointment, and fatigue when trying to reach your fitness goals. I hope I am not making this seem to dramatic but if you think about you encounter all of those things on your way to the top of Mt. Fitness.
I have seen a client break a finger climbing a rope and keep going (I wanted them to stop, but he was definitely in his zone), break down and cry in the middle of a workout, throw tires across the room in frustration all because of the pain, disappointment, and fatigue they encountered during their workout. I am not suggesting that you have to run through a brick wall before you can develop mental strength. However, I am asking how hard are you willing to work for it. What are you willing to sacrifice to look like the person you dream about, to break last year's half-marathon time, or just to be the best.
First things first, it takes time. You are not going to just walk into any arena of life 100% prepared for what is going to happen to you. As you encounter different challenges in the gym you will adjust, you will break down, then you will adjust again, and so on and so forth. Just like you are breaking down your muscles so that they can heal and come back stronger you have to allow your mind to endure the same process.
Secondly, dont take the process for granted. It is in the process that you learn about who your are and how you will respond to stressful situations. If you can hang tough and be diligent in a week when you only lose 1lb and continue to push through you will look up and see a week where you have lost 5 lbs. It is all about staying the course and appreciating every step of the process.
Finally, be realistic about your expectations. Exercise is not a miracle drug and done right it takes time to get you exactly where you want to be. Get rid of the reality tv mentality that says I am going to lose 20lbs this week but only go to the gym twice. It will not happen. Give yourself a year and set out 3 month goals. Give yourself something to look forward too and something to work towards. Otherwise you will be off the wagon in a matter of weeks.
That all being said, mental strength ultimately has to be gained. It will come through the ups and downs of your personal process. Embrace your process, stay focused on your goal, and work hard. Before you know it you will be a model of mental toughness and strength.
Be healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
Micah Hayes
Monday, January 23, 2012
What is strength?
Strength- the ability to contract your muscles with maximum force against an external object.
However, that is only the beginning of strength. Strength has many different faces and the better you understand what kind of strength you desire the better suited you are to excel at whatever form of competition or fitness you like to participate in.
Limit Strength:
You can think of limit strength as how much force your muscles can generate for one all out effort. Much like your max weight during a bench press, squat, or power clean. This kind of strength can even be broken down into three subcategories eccentric which is how much weight you can lower with out losing control, static how much weight you can hold stationary with out losing control, and concentric how much weight you can lift at one time with out losing control. The key here is that you are giving an all-out effort with each contraction. Think of a linemen when they go to block a defensive end, basketball player when they go to dunk a ball, golfer when they are driving off the tee, or a tennis player during their first serve. Maximizing this kind of strength helps them perform at a much higher level.
Speed Strength:
This describes how well you can apply force with speed. Think of your ability to explode from a still position to an explosive move efficiently. When you see a boxer throwing a knock out punch, shot-putter throwing the shot as far as possible, or a pitcher throwing a 100 mile an hour fast ball remember it all comes from the ability of their muscles to accelerate from a still postion to an explosive movement and this is most commonly found in your fast twitch muscles.
Anaerobic vs Aerobic Strengh
Anaerobic strength is an activity that can be done without the use of oxygen as an energy source. Running a sprint, swimming for 100 meters, swinging a baseball bat, or participating in the triple jump are all good examples of this. All of these activites are explosive in nature and do not last long enough for oxygen to be used as an energy source.
Aerobic strength can be measured during activites lasting longer than two minutes in duration such as 1600 meter run or swim.
Improving my strength
All of these forms of strength can be improved using resistance training of some sort. In order to be more strength specific you want to be sure that the duration of your exercise last as long as your event. This will help you create similar conditions and apply similar stress to the body. Once your body learns to recognize that stress your strength will increase and you anaerobic/aerobic thresholds will increase allowing you to lift more weights, be faster, and go further. For instance if you run long distance work on putting together a circuit that when you go straight through last over two minutes allowing oxygen to kick in as an energy source combining this with the actual experience of running will help you perform better. If you run sprints or want to get a better serve you want to focus on giving all out effort at a few very focused exercises. Try lifting fewer reps but heavier weight.
As to avoid only being proficient in one area of strength I like to cross-train my clients so that their bodies can experience the stresses of all conditions. This allows them to have strength in all areas.
As always go talk to a trainer and ask them to explain to you what you will need to do to excel at whatever event you would like to participate in. Hopefully, they will put together a competent workout plan and you will see your performance sky rocket.
Until next time be healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
Micah Hayes
However, that is only the beginning of strength. Strength has many different faces and the better you understand what kind of strength you desire the better suited you are to excel at whatever form of competition or fitness you like to participate in.
Limit Strength:
You can think of limit strength as how much force your muscles can generate for one all out effort. Much like your max weight during a bench press, squat, or power clean. This kind of strength can even be broken down into three subcategories eccentric which is how much weight you can lower with out losing control, static how much weight you can hold stationary with out losing control, and concentric how much weight you can lift at one time with out losing control. The key here is that you are giving an all-out effort with each contraction. Think of a linemen when they go to block a defensive end, basketball player when they go to dunk a ball, golfer when they are driving off the tee, or a tennis player during their first serve. Maximizing this kind of strength helps them perform at a much higher level.
Speed Strength:
This describes how well you can apply force with speed. Think of your ability to explode from a still position to an explosive move efficiently. When you see a boxer throwing a knock out punch, shot-putter throwing the shot as far as possible, or a pitcher throwing a 100 mile an hour fast ball remember it all comes from the ability of their muscles to accelerate from a still postion to an explosive movement and this is most commonly found in your fast twitch muscles.
Anaerobic vs Aerobic Strengh
Anaerobic strength is an activity that can be done without the use of oxygen as an energy source. Running a sprint, swimming for 100 meters, swinging a baseball bat, or participating in the triple jump are all good examples of this. All of these activites are explosive in nature and do not last long enough for oxygen to be used as an energy source.
Aerobic strength can be measured during activites lasting longer than two minutes in duration such as 1600 meter run or swim.
Improving my strength
All of these forms of strength can be improved using resistance training of some sort. In order to be more strength specific you want to be sure that the duration of your exercise last as long as your event. This will help you create similar conditions and apply similar stress to the body. Once your body learns to recognize that stress your strength will increase and you anaerobic/aerobic thresholds will increase allowing you to lift more weights, be faster, and go further. For instance if you run long distance work on putting together a circuit that when you go straight through last over two minutes allowing oxygen to kick in as an energy source combining this with the actual experience of running will help you perform better. If you run sprints or want to get a better serve you want to focus on giving all out effort at a few very focused exercises. Try lifting fewer reps but heavier weight.
As to avoid only being proficient in one area of strength I like to cross-train my clients so that their bodies can experience the stresses of all conditions. This allows them to have strength in all areas.
As always go talk to a trainer and ask them to explain to you what you will need to do to excel at whatever event you would like to participate in. Hopefully, they will put together a competent workout plan and you will see your performance sky rocket.
Until next time be healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
Micah Hayes
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Energy Crisis in Your Body
Ever wonder where you get the energy to workout or better yet where that energy went once you started any physical activity? In today's post we are going to dive into the body's Energy Crisis.
Our body creates fuel from a series of chemical reactions called energy metabolism. The source for that energy is found in foodstuffs (carbs, proteins, and fats). Our body will convert those foodstuffs into energy based on what kind of physical activity we engage in. That being said there are four basic forms of physical activity: Strength-Power, Sustained Power, Anaerobic Power-Endurance, and Aerobic Endurance. Each of these forms of activity use a different blend of energy sources. All of which originate as a chemical called ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
ATP is a source of energy normally used during anaerobic exercise the point at which every physical activity starts. As that physical activity is prolonged the energy sources changes to CP(creatine phosphate), Glucose, and Oxygen (combined with lactic acid and glycogen).
If you are wondering exactly which exercises coorelate with what energy source we will get into that next.
Ultimately, the most ideal situation to get max energy output from your body for a prolonged period of time would be to combine the training methods so that you are able to maximize each energy source. That is why cross-training has become such an intricate part of the fitness model these days. No athlete at the peak of their game ignores any advantage given to them so why should you? Make sure you have a well rounded workout routine that allows you to build muscle, power, and endurance.
On the next blog we will discuss some basic anatomy it will be more in the for of FACT page just to throw out some interesting information about your body and how it all works together.
Until then stay healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
-Micah Hayes
Our body creates fuel from a series of chemical reactions called energy metabolism. The source for that energy is found in foodstuffs (carbs, proteins, and fats). Our body will convert those foodstuffs into energy based on what kind of physical activity we engage in. That being said there are four basic forms of physical activity: Strength-Power, Sustained Power, Anaerobic Power-Endurance, and Aerobic Endurance. Each of these forms of activity use a different blend of energy sources. All of which originate as a chemical called ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
ATP is a source of energy normally used during anaerobic exercise the point at which every physical activity starts. As that physical activity is prolonged the energy sources changes to CP(creatine phosphate), Glucose, and Oxygen (combined with lactic acid and glycogen).
If you are wondering exactly which exercises coorelate with what energy source we will get into that next.
- ATP is primarily used during power lifting competitions, golf swing, tennis serve, or any other ballistic movement that requires max output last no more than 3 seconds.
- CP is the secondary source of energy that is used druing sprints in track, fast breaks in basketball, bouts as in wrestling or football linement blocking.
- Glucose is used during endurance events lasting 1-2 minutes such as a 400 meter dash or a 100-yd swim.
- Oxygen is used during events last over 2 minutes such as distance running, cycling, or soccer.
Ultimately, the most ideal situation to get max energy output from your body for a prolonged period of time would be to combine the training methods so that you are able to maximize each energy source. That is why cross-training has become such an intricate part of the fitness model these days. No athlete at the peak of their game ignores any advantage given to them so why should you? Make sure you have a well rounded workout routine that allows you to build muscle, power, and endurance.
On the next blog we will discuss some basic anatomy it will be more in the for of FACT page just to throw out some interesting information about your body and how it all works together.
Until then stay healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
-Micah Hayes
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
My Metabolism and Me
What is metabolism? Metabolism is the chemical processes occuring within a living cell or organism that are necessary for the maintenance of life. In metabolism some substances are broken down to yield energy for vital processes while other substances are created.
These chemical processes are categorized into two phases: anabolism and catabolism. These processes occur at the same time to keep your metabolism in balance. Anabolism is basically the building up of complex chemical compounds in the body from simpler compounds and catabolism is the breaking down of the same complex chemical compounds into simpler ones.
Simply put anabolism is the use of nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to store energy in the body for muscle repair and cell maintenance and canabolism is the use of that energy for muscle contractions and nerve impulses.
If you can picture this your body is in an anabolic state usually during rest and recovery from any activity and your body is in a canabolic state during activity (i.e. walking, weight lifting, and etc.)
Your body seeks to maintain a "set point" called the basal metabolic rate. This is the state in which the body can operate using the least energy. Small things in your environment can effect this rate (i.e. temperateure, activity level, and diet). It has been shown through research that you can manipulate your own basal metabolic rate through diet and exercise. Low calorie dieting often times slows down your metabolism because your body is trying to conserve energy so that it can operate. Exercise increases your metabolic rate and causes your body to use more energy. The combination of the two can help create a deficit in your daily caloirc intake which will ultimately result in weight loss. If you do the opposite and eat a high calorie diet and exercise you will get a net gain in caloric intake which will result in weight gain.
While the metabolism is much more complexed and in-depth this provides you with a general understanding of how the body works to maintain a constant state of balance and how you can manipulate that balance in order to obtain specific results.
On thursday, I will write about the specific energy sources the body uses for exercise and activity. Until then stay healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
-Micah Hayes
These chemical processes are categorized into two phases: anabolism and catabolism. These processes occur at the same time to keep your metabolism in balance. Anabolism is basically the building up of complex chemical compounds in the body from simpler compounds and catabolism is the breaking down of the same complex chemical compounds into simpler ones.
Simply put anabolism is the use of nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to store energy in the body for muscle repair and cell maintenance and canabolism is the use of that energy for muscle contractions and nerve impulses.
If you can picture this your body is in an anabolic state usually during rest and recovery from any activity and your body is in a canabolic state during activity (i.e. walking, weight lifting, and etc.)
Your body seeks to maintain a "set point" called the basal metabolic rate. This is the state in which the body can operate using the least energy. Small things in your environment can effect this rate (i.e. temperateure, activity level, and diet). It has been shown through research that you can manipulate your own basal metabolic rate through diet and exercise. Low calorie dieting often times slows down your metabolism because your body is trying to conserve energy so that it can operate. Exercise increases your metabolic rate and causes your body to use more energy. The combination of the two can help create a deficit in your daily caloirc intake which will ultimately result in weight loss. If you do the opposite and eat a high calorie diet and exercise you will get a net gain in caloric intake which will result in weight gain.
While the metabolism is much more complexed and in-depth this provides you with a general understanding of how the body works to maintain a constant state of balance and how you can manipulate that balance in order to obtain specific results.
On thursday, I will write about the specific energy sources the body uses for exercise and activity. Until then stay healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
-Micah Hayes
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