Fitness advice from a bum?  Nope, it’s just me looking very homely today.

Listen to me ramble a little bit about the use of exercise equipment and why I don’t believe machines are gods gift to the gym.

How do you feel about training with machines?  Good?  Bad?  Is there a place for them in a solid fitness routine?  Let me know how you feel.

Goal: To keep my metabolism up through the fat season and avoid putting on any excess lbs.

Since my last update I’ve only gained 2 pounds of body mass.  Not bad considering all the chocolate I got into during the last couple weeks.  The kicker; although my bodyweight has gone up, my waist size has dropped by two measures.

This is a great indication that I have gained or maintained a good amount of lean mass while dropping some fat mass.  I’m happy with that.  Let’s see if I can keep it up.

Here’s what I did this past month.

Lifted weights three times a week alternating between these 2 routines.  Each routine takes about 35 minutes with warming up.

Workout A

Superset
Deadlift 150lbs x 20reps x 2sets
Bodyweight Rows x 20reps x 2sets

Superset
Alternating Lunges 10lbs x 20reps x 2sets
Push Ups x 20reps x 2sets

Plank :50 seconds

Workout B

Superset
Stability Ball Leg Curls 20reps x 2sets
Assisted Pull Ups 7pl x 20reps x 2sets

Superset
Step Ups 20reps x 2sets
DB Military Press 20lbs x 20reps x 2sets

Side Plank :45 seconds

I also did cardio three times per week on my non weight training days.  I use an elyptical/cross trainer.  Here is what that looked like.

4min warm-up at level 5

4min HIIT :15 sprint :15 moderate on level 10

And those 8 minutes is really all I do for cardio.  I find if I try to throw in another set of intervals I lose weight much too fast.  You can hate me if you want but when I do those sprints I am in lots of pain, trust me.

I’ll be switching my routine up through November and see if I can’t keep this momentum up through New Years.

I’d love to hear what everybody else is doing to keep off the fat during fat season.  Please leave your comments below.

Warm up: Solute to Sun (8 mins)

Exercise 1: Hip Dominant

Exercise 2: Upper Body Pull

Exercise 3: Quad Dominant

Exercise 4: Upper Body Push

Do 10 - 20 repetitions of each and repeat 3 or 4 times.

Based on a premise I learned from Mike Rousell and Alwyn Cosgrove I decided to do a micro 4 minute workout today.

The idea is to do these small workouts in between our much larger workouts in order to take advantage of the compounding fat burning effects that take place for up to 36 hours “after” we train.

Only in my case I’m not so much trying to burn fat as I am trying to put on some lean muscle.

So what’s my rationale?

Well I’m not at risk of over training because the workouts are small and consist mainly of higher rep exercises.  So no muscle damage occurs.

I feel they’ll be beneficial because I will be pumping blood and nutrients to the muscles I trained hard the previous day.

Not to mention it won’t hurt to stimulate my metabolism a little.  Especially because when I train to put on muscle I consume more calories and I’d like them to be going to the proper place if you know what I mean.

If it works out well I’ll definitely report on the subject again in the near future.

Until then, you can check out some of Mike and Alwyns stuff at Warp Speed Fat Loss

Or if you’re interested in creating your own micro workouts check out the Body Bot

By Jason Ferruggia

Let’s face it; nobody wants to be skinny and weak. Deep down everybody desires the ripped, muscular physique of a UFC fighter or an NFL running back. That’s the kind of look that attracts the ladies and earns respect from the guys. But the question that perplexes many of you is “how do I get that look?” Well search no more because I am about to teach you how to gain weight and build muscle at break neck speeds and finally achieve the head turning physique you have always dreamed of.

Most skinny guys and wannabe mass monsters make numerous mistakes in their training programs and naming them all here would take an entire book. But the important thing is that you stop making those mistakes immediately and start following my top ten tips on how to gain weight fast.

1. Train Heavy- You will never build any significant size with high reps and light weights. If you want to get huge you need to add weight to the bar and bring your reps down a bit.
2. Don’t Train For More Than 45 Minutes Per Session- Your testosterone output is dramatically increased during a weight training workout but this only lasts for 45 minutes. After that point its shot. What happens then is that your testosterone levels start to plummet and cortisol levels start to rise. Cortisol eats muscle and increases body fat storage. So hit it hard and get out quick.
3. Always Follow the Law of Progressive Overload- If you want to get huge you have to use progressive overload in your training. What this means is that you absolutely must improve upon your previous performance every time you enter the gym. You can do this by lifting heavier weights, doing more reps with the same weight, doing more sets, doing the same amount of work in less time or doing more work in the same amount of time. But whatever you do, DON’T do the exact same thing as the last time you were in the gym. You must give your body a reason to grow and repeating the exact same workout as last time does not force muscle growth.
4. Use Big, Compound Exercises- Exercises like squats, deadlifts, military presses and rows should be the staples of your mass building workout program. These are the exercises that build the most muscle and stimulate the greatest testosterone production. Most machines are a waste of time and do very little to help you pack on size. Stick with free weight movements like dumbbell presses and good mornings, and bodyweight exercises like chin ups and dips.
5. Eat Big- No matter how good your training program is you will never develop a massively muscled physique if you don’t consume enough calories. You need to eat every 2-3 hours and focus on getting one gram of lean protein per pound of bodyweight daily and an ample amount of clean carbs and healthy fats. For super skinny guys with a fast metabolism I recommend focusing on foods like rice, potatoes, pasta and consuming 30% of your calories from healthy fats like avocado, nuts and cold pressed oils.

By following those five tips you will start to pack on slabs of new muscle in no time. For more explosive tips on how to gain weight rapidly check out http://www.thebuffgeek.com/musclebuilding.php .

 
Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He has trained thousands of clients during his 14 years as a professional fitness coach, including more than 500 athletes from over 20 different sports. Jason has written hundreds of articles for numerous top rated training magazines and websites and has authored four fitness books. He is also the head training adviser for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more great muscle building information, please visit http://www.thebuffgeek.com/musclebuilding.php

Recently I wrote an article for lifehack about activities you can do to replace regular exercise.

It seems as though I have missed one.  Parkour.

Check this out.  It doesn’t get much better than this.

Body Weight Movements

Plyometrics

Mobility

Danger

Fun

and bad ass ninja like skills.

I think I found myself a new hobbie.

Can you still get results when only working out for 30 minutes or less?

The Roles hormones and the Central Nervous System play during your workouts.

Who are Roger Bannister and Jordan Jovchev?

Not bad for a couple of guys who only worked out for 30 minutes a day.

Ok, so here is my little version of :08 minute abs.

Only this routine doesn’t consist of any direct abdominal exercises.

Lets get right to it.

Month 1
Pick a piece of cardio equipment, any piece. Warm up by taking a nice steady pace for about 4 minutes.

On the 4th minute your going to push yourself as fast as you can for 10 seconds and then cool back down for 20 seconds. Repeat the 10 seconds on and the 20 seconds off until you get to the 8th minute. Done!! Cool down and go home. Repeat this 3 times a week on non weight training days.

Month 2

Same warm up. This time 15 seconds on 15 seconds off for 4 minutes.

Month 3

20 seconds on 10 seconds off. Still using the 8 minute format.

This brings you to August, you should be nice and ripped for the beach. No time was wasted doing endless non-productive hours of aerobics.

Research backs this up.

Department of Physiology and Biomechanics, National Institute of Fitness and Sports, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

This study consists of two training experiments using a mechanically braked cycle ergometer. First, the effect of 6 wk of moderate-intensity endurance training (intensity: 70% of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), 60 min.d-1, 5 d.wk-1) on the anaerobic capacity (the maximal accumulated oxygen deficit) and VO2max was evaluated. After the training, the anaerobic capacity did not increase significantly (P > 0.10), while VO2max increased from 53 +/- 5 ml.kg-1 min-1 to 58 +/- 3 ml.kg-1.min-1 (P < 0.01) (mean +/- SD). Second, to quantify the effect of high-intensity intermittent training on energy release, seven subjects performed an intermittent training exercise 5 d.wk-1 for 6 wk. The exhaustive intermittent training consisted of seven to eight sets of 20-s exercise at an intensity of about 170% of VO2max with a 10-s rest between each bout. After the training period, VO2max increased by 7 ml.kg-1.min-1, while the anaerobic capacity increased by 28%. In conclusion, this study showed that moderate-intensity aerobic training that improves the maximal aerobic power does not change anaerobic capacity and that adequate high-intensity intermittent training may improve both anaerobic and aerobic energy supplying systems significantly, probably through imposing intensive stimuli on both systems.

When you run a fitness facility people often comment.

“oh, you should get (insert piece of fitness equipment here) I really like that one.”

It makes me wonder. Why do you “really” like that one? Because its comfortable to do for 45 minutes to an hour?

Chances are you have some sort of goal when you enter the gym. Chances also are if you like a piece of equipment its not helping you toward that goal.

I can understand if you’re new to the whole gym scene and you don’t want to intimidate yourself. But most of these people who inquire about (insert piece of fitness equipment here) are regular gym goers.

Here are a couple of pieces that I absolutely can not stand. (which is good)

Airdyne Bike

Versaclimber

Step Mill

Concept Rower

It really doesn’t matter what piece of equipment you choose. As long as you’re putting the “work” in, they can all be helpful. As a whole I just think people are way to comfortable at the gym. Which is why we rarely see change.

Every time they get in the gym.  Every geek or computer guy I know runs right for the equipment where they can sit down.

Why?  It seems like thats become the geek fitness way.

You have been in that position all day long in front of a computer.  I know its comfortable to you but fitness is not about being comfortable.

In order to make progress you must take your self inch by inch out of that comfort zone.

When it comes to exercise choice,  try picking the exercises that force you to stand.

Examples…

Instead of a Recumbent Bike use a Cross Trainer.

Instead of Seated Rows do Standing Rows with a functional cable unit or rubber bands.

Instead of a Seated Pressing do some Push-Ups

Instead of Decline Sit-Ups with your legs anchored try Planking for a minute.

Its time to go from geek to athlete.  Give it a try for a while.  I guarantee your back will also thank you.