Exercise of the Week: Front Foot Elevated Bulgarian Squat

Two things about this week's exercise:

1. It could go by many different names: Bulgarian Squat From a Deficit, Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat From a Deficit, Front Foot Elevated RFESS or whatever else you want to call it.
2. If you hate Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats, you're really going to hate this version. Hate is good in this case.

This version of the Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat increases the range of motion by elevating the front foot which makes the exercise harder. Placing the front foot on a single aerobics step should do. You can choose to load the exercise by holding a dumbbell in one arm, both arms or in a goblet position. I do not suggest using a barbell because another one of the added difficulties of this exercise is getting into the starting position.

Weighted Chin Up w/100lbs

I have been working on some fat grip weighted chin ups for the last couple of weeks as part of Eric Cressey's Show and Go program. Today, feeling strong, I decided to ditch the Fat Gripz on my last set and see if I could get a rep or two in with 100lbs attached to the dip belt. My previous best was 90lbs a little over a year ago.




Yes, there is 100lbs there. Two 45's and a 10lb plate on the back side.

Basic Fat Loss Programming: Part Three

Alright. Time to get to the grass fed meat and sweet potatoes of the program, the strength portion. When setting up a program towards fat loss, I usually design the workouts around the following basic principles:

1. Total Body Workouts
2. Multi-joint or compound exercises make up most of the movements
3. Use supersets, alternating sets, tri-sets or something similar
4. Keeping rest periods fairly short (30-60 seconds)

The above principles have been shown to induce the largest amount of blood lactate. Increased levels of blood lactate correspond with increased levels of growth hormone, which happens to be the body's number #1 natural fat burner. But no, you are not going to produce the amount of growth hormone that is going to leave you with a head the size of Barry Bonds.

Besides the fat burning purposes of the above principles, these principles also work from a productivity standpoint. Can you burn body fat on other programs that have upper body and lower body days or split into body part days? Sure. But the number one complainant I get from people who are struggling with body fat loss is that they just do not have the time to get their workouts in. They have it built into their head that they need 7-10 hours of exercise a week to shed those love handles. For someone who who could be classified as advanced, yeah, that may be the case. But I know very few advanced people. Standing on a Bosu ball trying to throw a medicine ball through your legs does not classify you as advanced by the way. It classifies you as lost. I would throw a good portion of these people into the basic category. Remember this is a program for fat loss. With a basic program and a basic individual yet can get results with as little as 3-5 hours of exercise per week...if it's programmed right.

As mentioned in a previous post the program will have two different workouts: Workout "A" and Workout "B". The first week you will do Workout "A" twice and "B" once. The following week you will do Workout "B" twice and "A" once. So it looks like:


Week One: Day 1 -A, Day 2 - B, Day 3 - A
Week Two: Day 1 - B, Day 2 - A, Day 3 - B


Then week three looks like week one and week four looks like week two.


Within each workout you will see a couple things:

1. Movement patterns rather than exercises. This gives you the option of plugging in your own exercises depending upon what you have available and enables you to basically switch up your program every 3-4 weeks. This does not mean to do a different exercise with each workout. This is not P90x. This is not Insanity. Stick with the exercises you selected for 3-4 weeks and then plug in another exercise that fits that movement pattern.
2. You will see each exercise will have a designation of a number and a letter before it. This designation sets up your alternating sets. For instance if you see 1A) and 1B), you will alternate between these exercises with the suggested rest periods until all sets are completed. Then you will move onto the next pairing
3. A rest period will be suggested. Again, the rest periods should be kept fairly short to get the largest fat burning effect. With the larger compound movements in the beginning the rest periods will be a bit longer. With the exercises at the end that are not quite as demanding, the rest periods will be a bit shorter. Shorter rest periods doesn't mean to go light on the weights though. I still want you to push the intensity with each set. You should select a weight that would not take you beyond 2-3 reps of the suggested rep range.

So here we go. I suggest performing 1-2 warm up sets of the first two exercises in each workout. The heavier your starting weight the more warm up sets you will need. Just do not gas your self with the warm up sets. Keep the reps around the five rep range, giving or taking a few reps.

Workout A
1A) Squat: 4 sets, 8-10 reps, 60s rest
1B) Horizontal Pull: 4 sets, 8-10 reps, 60s rest

2A) Single Leg Quad Dominant: 3 sets, 10-12 reps, 60s rest
2B) Horizontal Push: 3 sets, 8-10 reps, 60s rest

3A) Push Up Exercise: 3 sets, 15-20 reps, 30s rest
3B) Scapular Retraction: 3 sets, 12-15 reps, 30s rest


Workout B
1A) Deadlift: 4 sets, 8-10 reps, 60s rest
1B) Vertical Pull: 4 sets, 8-10 reps, 60s rest

2A) Posterior Chain: 3 sets, 10-12 reps, 60s rest
2B) Vertical Push: 3 sets, 8-10 reps, 60s rest

3A) Anti Rotation or Anti-Flexion Core: 3 set 8-10 reps or 30-45s for planks, 30s rest
3B) Shoulder External Rotation, Triceps, or Biceps: 3 sets, 12-15 reps, 30s rest

Examples of exercises you could use for each category are:

• Squat: BB back squat, BB front squat, BB Bulgarian squat, single leg squat
• Horizontal Pull: seated cable row, inverted row, DB Row, bent over BB Row
• Single Leg Quad Dominant: split squat, forward lunge, Bulgarian squat
• Horizontal Push: bench press, close grip bench press, DB Bench Press, BB floor press
• Push Up: weighted push ups, band resisted push ups, feet elevated push ups
• Scapular Retraction: prone Y or T raise, band pull aparts, face pulls
• Deadlift: BB deadlift, sumo deadlift, suitcase deadlift, trap bar deadlift, rack pulls
• Vertical Pulls: chin or pull ups, band assisted chin or pull ups, X pulldowns
• Posterior Chain: Val Slide leg curl, glute/ham raise, Swiss ball leg curl, pull thru's
• Vertical Push: DB incline press, BB overhead press, DB push press, BB push press
• Core: kneeling cable lift, side plank, side plank w/row, belly press, landmines
• Shoulder Ext. Rotation: side lying, cable, 90/90 cable, elbow on knee
• Triceps: rope pressdowns, X pressdowns, lying DB extensions, EZ bar extensions
• Biceps: DB hammer curls, EZ bar curls, BB curls, cable curls, TRX curls

In the last part of this series I'll suggest some conditioning work or finishers to perform at the end of each session in order to get that fat burning engine running not only during the workout, but also for a good period of time after your workout. Until then, get training.

Exercise of the Week: Cable Resisted Side Plank

I fool around with different exercises from time to time to see if I can come up with different variations or different ways to load a particular exercise. But the exercise has to make sense. It has to have a purpose. I'm not doing it for the sake of doing something different just for the hell of it.

Here I came across a different way to perform your traditional side plank. The side plank is classified as a core stability exercise. It is used to train stability by resisting lateral flexion. By adding resistance from a low cable setting we can also add in some anti-rotation training. You will also get the benefits of training some scapular stability here also.

Basic Fat Loss Programming: Part Two

So in Part One, we went over your pre-workout foam rolling and stretching. From here we are going to progress into your dynamic flexibility and joint mobility warm up. This part of the workout has probably been the biggest change to most training programs over the last ten years. I remember just throwing a client on a treadmill or elliptical for 10-15 minutes thinking that was an effective warm up. It was nice to get the blood flowing and increase the core body temperature, but that's about it. Then the corrective exercise craze started and dynamic warm ups become popularized. In addition to increasing blood flow and core body temperature a dynamic warm up will provide more central nervous system stimulation and heightened mental awareness for the upcoming workout. You basically become more tuned into what is about to follow.

A dynamic warm up can be different for each individual and this is where corrective exercises can be placed. For instance someone that is suffering from chronic knee pain may want to emphasize some hip extension, hip abduction and mobilization of the hip flexor area. Or someone that is dealing with some shoulder pain may want to work on some thoracic extension, thoracic rotation and scapular retraction exercises. I would usually suggest performong 6-8 exercises as part of your dynamic warm up.

The video below samples a pretty basic dynamic flexibility/joint mobility warm up that coud be used for the typical individual: lack of hip mobility, stiff through the thoracic spine, maybe dealing with some low back issues and has a tough time squatting correctly. The exercises are:

1. Side Lying Thoracic Rotation


2. Cradle Walk


3. Heel Pull Back


4. Overhead Walking Lunge


5. Split Stance Broomstick Shoulder Mobilization


6. Squat to Stand

Perform about 8-10 reps of each exercise. It may take you a couple minutes longer initially, but once you get used to the exercises and transitioning of one exercise to the next the dynamic warm up should take you no longer than 8-10 minutes.

Now these are just exercises I would suggest using for the warm up portion of the fat loss program I am about to lay out for you. If you already have a dynamic warm up that works for you, great. If you want some other suggestions of exercises to include as part of your warm up there are plenty of great products out on the market today such as Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson and Bill Hartman's Assess & Correct or Mike Boyles Joint by Joint Warm-up and Training DVD.

All parts of your warm up are covered, time to move onto the part you are probably waiting for. Time for the fat to be burned.

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Exercise of the Week: Single Arm TRX Row w/Rotation

Basic Fat Loss Programming: Part One

I would bet that for the general population at least 80% of you work out with fat loss being the number priority, especially this time of year. In other words you want to get "ripped" or "tone up". I would also bet that 80% of you are going about it the wrong way: worrying too much about how many calories you are burning, spending way too much time doing steady state aerobic work and using a set/rep scheme that is doing very little to elicit fat loss.

There are many theories about what a fat loss program should look like. There are also many advanced methods. Methods that may be beyond the scope of the general population and the scope of this post. What I want to do here is lay out a pretty simple template for you...the general population. Something that is not going to confuse the hell out of you, yet something that is going to be effective. Something that is not not going to require a ton of time, may be 60-75 minutes max with each workout. Something that is going to get you looking like The Situation, not like Snookie. So, let's move onto the programming.

I'm basically going to lay out a template for you with some suggestions for each part of the template. The template is going to consist of two workouts that can be used over the course of the week. You will alternate through each workout over the course of each week. For instance if you are going to perform two workouts per week, you will perform each workout over the course of the week. If you're going to perform three workouts per week, one week you will perform Workout A twice and Workout B once. The next week you will do Workout B twice and Workout A once. Got it?

Each workout will be divided up into four parts:

1. Foam Rolling & Static Stretching
2. Dynamic Flexibility/Joint Mobility
3. Strength work
4. Interval training or conditioning work

Today, let's cover Part One: Foam Rolling and Static Stretching.

I know the question you are asking right now is, "What the hell does foam rolling and stretching have to do with fat loss? Am I going to roll the fat off my body?". Nice idea, but "no" is the answer. It has to do more with training over the long haul. For any fat loss training program to be effective it must be performed frequently. You can not train frequently, especially with any intensity, if you are going to keep getting hurt. So foam rolling and stretching are going to lessen your chances of injury and and increase your chances of training frequently.

If you do not have access to a foam roller, go get one.


If your gym doesn't have a foam roller, go join another gym or ask them to spend the $18 to get one. Once you have your foam roller you're going to execute about eight patterns, spending about 20-30 seconds with each pattern. The areas I suggest working on are:

1. Quads
2. Hip Flexors
3. IT Band
4. Glutes/Piriformis
5. Adductors
6. Lats
7. Rhomboids
8. Calves
9. Thoracic Extensors

This should take you no more than 5-10 minutes. Foam rolling is going to set you up for your static stretching. The idea behind foam rolling or any other type of self myofacial work is to reduce the density of the muscles and facia, in turn making them more pliable when it comes time to stretch.

After you are done foam rolling you are going to perform your static stretches. Why are you stretching now? One, as I just mentioned your muscles are going to be a bit more pliable after working on the foam roller. Two, it just has to do more with what people tend to do. Put stretching early on in the workout and people are probably going to do it. Put stretching in at the end of the workout and people are probably going to head to the car early without getting in any stretching at all.

With the static stretching you want to address areas that are overly tight. For a good amount of people this will be the hip flexors, hip external rotators and the upper trap area. If there are some other areas that might be issues for you, you may want to address those. Below is a video of some stretches I will use prior to a workout.

Your foam rolling is out of the way. Your static stretching is out of the way. About 15 minutes has passed. Time to get moving. In Part Two, I will cover your dynamic flexibility/joint mobility warm up.

Exercise of the Week: Towel Pull Ups

Without getting too fancy here's another pull or chin up variation. This one here places great demand on your grip strength. So if this is something you're looking to bring up, work this variation into your training for a 3-4 week period.

"So What Do You Eat?"

Whenever I am discussing nutrition with a client or with a friend or with some lovely lady I met on a Saturday night, this question comes up a good amount of the time. I start out talking about THEM and it leads back to ME. Does it really matter what I eat when this other person is the one who is looking to lose weight or get into better shape? Maybe it does. Maybe I should be leading by example. Maybe I should be practicing what I preach. Sorry, it's not going to happen. I enjoy the occasional beer with a couple extra on the weekend. I enjoy a large meat lover's pizza every now and then. I will choose the sweet potato fries as one of my sides a good majority of the time. But, if I was looking to get into better shape or get down into single digit body fat percentages these are things I would have to eliminate. Along with eliminating these things I would have to time up my carbohydrate intake, eat more fruits and vegetables and more evenly divide my fat intake (33% saturated fat, 33% monounsaturated fat, 33% polyunsaturated fat).

The things I am pretty good with (I think) are eating breakfast, eating every 3-4 hours and including a protein source with every meal. So let's take a look at a typical day for me:

5:30am: When I wake up the first thought on my mind is "Breakfast!!" Breakfast yesterday was 1/2 cup Ezekial Golden Flax Cereal with a 1/4 cup of almond milk, some fresh blueberries, some cinnamon sprinkled in and all mixed together with a tablespoon or two of peanut butter. Add 2 cups of coffee of course.

8:30am: 1 cup of Fage Greek yogurt with some mixed nuts, blueberries, cinnamon and a scoop of chocolate whey protein powder mixed in. Throw in a cup of Green tea.

12pm: 1 can Tuna Fish on Ezekial Sesame Bread with a slice of American cheese, plus my daily green apple.

3pm: Post-workout shake consisting of about 35 grams of protein.

5:30pm: 10oz sirloin tips with a cup of steamed broccoli.

8:30pm: 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with some cinnamon, frozen mixed berries and a a bit of mixed nuts thrown in.

That's it. Six small meals or what some call "feedings" spaced out anywhere from 3-4 hours apart. A protein source at every meal. Not enough vegetables. I should be doubling up on those. Could use another cup of green tea. And the carbs that are not coming from fruits and vegetables should be falling within the 1-2 hours after my workout. Oatmeal at breakfast has been a staple for years which is something I do away with for a couple weeks if I'm working on lowering my body fat percentage. And I have no idea how may calories I take in.

Every day is pretty much the same with the exception of the weekends when I tend to get a bit lazier with my nutrition. Cottage cheese and football don't go together as well as a pizza, a Guinness and football.

What's your day look like?