Exercise of the Week: Anti-Rotation Goblet Squat

This week's exercise combines two exercises that are used in a lot of my clients programs:  the anti-rotation hold and the goblet squat.  Each exercise used alone will get at your core.  Put the two together and you get an enhanced effect.

In order to perform this exercise all you are going to do is loop a Super Band around a power rack or some other type of post and then wrap the other end of the band on the far side of the kettlebell handle.  A 1/2 inch Super Band should be more than enough resistance.  If you do want more resistance, before you get into your squat step further away from the post.  Once you are set up and have the kettlebell in the goblet position, descend into your squat while resisting the rotational pull from the Super Band.  Perform 6-10 reps facing one way and then 6-10 reps facing the other way.

Here's what it looks like:

Exercise of the Week: Band Resisted Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing is an explosive exercise in itself....at least when it's done right.  So there may be no need to make it even more explosive.  But may be you do want to make it more explosive?  Or may be you do not have access to a heavier kettlebell.  Here's where the band resisted kettlebell swing comes into play.  By simply employing a Super Band or some other type of resistance band you have made the swing a bit more explosive and a bit harder since you now have to overcome the additional resistance from the band.  Take a look at the setup and execution of this swing version in the video below.



One thing before you go trying this exercise out.  You have no business doing a band resisted swing if you can not do a proper kettlebell swing.  Really take the time to learn the swing because I'm not seeing a whole of good swinging going on out there these days.

Exercise of the Week: Half Kneeling Landmine Press

The Landmine Press is a nice alternative pressing motion for those who may not be able to handle direct overhead pressing.  It's also an exercise that is going to place a demand on core stability because of the off set loading.  Here it is performed in a half kneeling position.  From the half kneeling position I'll progress it to a standing position and then progress that to a more dynamic movement where a stepping, lunging or squatting pattern is used.  A simple yet effective exercise with a simple yet effective progression.

20 Healthy Ways to Eat, Drink and Be Merry

1. Don't have time to workout?  Shorten up your workouts.  Every workout doesn't need to be 60 minutes long, which seems to be the standard time for a workout.  You can get a quality 20-30 minute workout in when you are pressed for time.
2. Make sure you eat before going to that holiday party.  Don't save your self for the party because then you are going to be more likely to overeat.  Maintain your normal eating schedule.
3. Do not wait for New Years to start exercising and eating right.  Get started on it now.
4. Just because desserts are in abundance doesn't mean you have to eat them in abundance.  Pick one dessert you really like and go with it.
5. Body weight can be used as resistance.  Getting a workout in doesn't mean you have to go to the gym.  A workout consisting of body weight exercises such as push up variations, plank variations, squats, squat jumps, lunges, burpees, etc. can do the trick.
6. So you did enjoy that holiday party a little too much?  Try to fast for an extended period of time the following day.
7. Don't have time for a "cardio" session?  Good. Do a 12-15 minute interval session instead.
8. Keep your protein, vegetable and water intake up to stave off any cravings.
9. A few drinks here and there is fine.  A lot of drinks here and there is not so fine.
10. Because everyone else is overdosing on cookies and egg nog doesn't mean you have to.  Because everyone else is skipping their workouts doesn't mean you have to.  Be yourself.
11. Try to maintain your normal sleep schedule.  
12. Chill out.  Stop stressing over which ugly sweater to purchase for your loved one.  High stress means high cortisol levels.  High cortisol levels means an expanding waistline.
13. Keep your workouts simple.  Now is not the time to start experimenting with stuff you have never done before.  
14. Use your body weight exercises as a measure of where you are at.  If push ups or chin ups are getting harder as the days and weeks go you are either not keeping up with your workouts or having a few too many Christmas cookies.
15. Dropping the volume of your workouts means you want to keep the intensity of your workouts up.  
16. Forget about fat loss in the gym.  Focus on strength.  Focus on fat loss outside the gym by trying to keep your nutrition in check.
17. If you are currently keeping a food log do not stop keeping a food log just because it's the holiday season.  If you are not keeping a food log, it might be a good time to start.  Each day during the holidays counts just as much any other day during any other month.
18. Allow yourself some extra carbs on days that you get a workout in.  Days that you are not working out focus on keeping your vegetable intake high.
19. Plan ahead.  You know how much shopping you have to do.  You know when the parties are.  Know when you are going to get your workouts in.  Get them on your schedule.
20. Don't accept the fact that average American gains weight during the holidays.  The holidays are an excuse to gain weight, not a reason to gain weight.  And who wants to be average anyway?

Happy Holidays!

Exercise of the Week: Slideboard Lateral Lunge

 

Exercise of the Week: Low Cable Split Squat

Here's a a single leg exercise I haven't done in a while. Having the front foot elevated increases the range of motion a bit while using a low cable will bring the hip and core stabilizers more into play.


 

Exercise of the Week: Alternating Cable Pulldown

I'll use the alternating cable pulldown in place of the standard cable pulldown for three reasons:

1. It's just another vertical pulling variation.
2. It reinforces scapular retraction.
3. It's a way of making the standard pulldown harder without bumping up the load.

Observations From...

....my trip to a commercial gym while I was stuck in London for a few extra days.

I have not been to a commercial gym in a long time.  In fact I can not even tell you when it was or what the name of the last gym was.  I'm pretty spoiled having my own facility to work out in on a daily basis.  The studio is less than ten minutes from my apartment, has all the equipment I need to train with and I can play what ever music I like.  Some days it's some old school Backstreet...I mean Beastie Boys. Other days it's some new school hip hop.  And when I am away from home it's usually not too far since I do not a whole of traveling.  I'll usually just throw a kettlebell, a TRX, a pair of Val Slides and a jump rope into the back of my truck.  That usually does the trick   So for me to step into a commercial gym, especially a commercial gym in another country, made me feel a bit out of place.    Making it a bit more uncomfortable I must have stood out immediately as "the American" since I was the only one with a hat on.  I picked up on the stares in a matter of 15 seconds.

So I walk into this gym that looks great from the outside.  I go past the front desk, walk down one hallway, walk down another hallway and then find myself looking over the training floor.  After taking a quick glance from what I can see  I'm thinking this place is pretty legit.  It has about 4-5 TRX's set up, some battling ropes laid out, a nice collection of kettlebells aligned nice in a few racks and some decent music going.  I walk down a flight of stairs to the training floor and after taking more of it in my idea of legitness had quickly changed.

I like to start each of my training sessions with some foam rolling, but I can not do any foam rolling if there is no foam roller around.  My bad.  There was one foam roller, but it was softer than a down pillow making it pretty much useless.  So I move on to my dynamic warm up.

As I'm doing a quick five exercise dynamic warm up I take an inventory of the cardio section: 30 treadmills, 25 elliptical and about 12 bikes.  That's 67 pieces of cardio equipment that I'm guessing costs anywhere from $2,000-$6,000 each.  You know how many pieces of those 67 were being used at one time?  Five.  Besides taking up the majority of the training floor that doesn't seem too cost effective from a gym owners standpoint does it?

After my quick warm up I weave through all the cardio equipment and find my way to the free weight area which is about 1/8 of the size of cardio area.  Three adjustable benches.  No squat rack.  A pre-historic Smith machine.  And dumbells everywhere.  And I do not mean they had a great assortment of dumbbells.  I mean they were scattered everywhere.  It's hard enough converting kilograms to pounds to get an idea of what weight I want to be using.  It's even harder when the dumbbells of the same size are no where near each other.  And it gets worse when the dumbbells are literally placed on top of one another so that I had to lift up the 20kg dumbbell to get to the 40kg dumbbell....and then go down to the other end of the rack to search for the other 40 kg dumbbell.

Besides taking inventory of the gym, I'm taking a look around to see what others are doing for training.  Did not see one person doing a chin up or pull up.  Did not see one person doing a squat.  I will give credit where credit is due.  I did see one guy doing some barbell split squats.  But I am only going to give credit to that one guy.  And I'll cut these people some slack because I know it happens at gyms everywhere.  When most people are left to their own devices in the gym who knows what the hell is happening.  But when these people are working under the supervision of a trainer I start to get a bit edgy which leads to to my next point.

I'll be the first to say that I still have a lot to to learn as a trainer and that's after training for 12 years.  So when I'm observing another trainer working with a client I have to be careful.  But it's not too hard to spot something that is blatantly, potentially disastrous.  For instance, I watched this one trainer trying to teach deadlifts to his 20 something year old female client.  Awesome.  He's trying to get her to deadlift.  But there were two major problems.  The gym had no bumper number plates so he's trying to teach her to deadlift with standard 25lb plates on each end.  What's the problem with that?  The bar is lower to the floor which means this girl needed more mobility that she didn't have to get set up in a proper position.  The second problem?  This girl is absolutely gassed....because the trainer has her doing squat jumps between each set of deadlifts!!  Trying to teach someone to deadlift  while having them do jump squats between each set is what I would call is just irresponsible....and apprehensible!!

My last observation has to do with with everyone's training.  I saw too much training to fatigue or training just to get tired whether it was the gym members working with the trainers or those who were not. Flying from one exercise to the next.  Taking each set to fatigue.  No recovery between sets.  High rep sets.  Anyone can train to be tired but training to be tired is not going to guarantee you that your strength numbers go up or your body fat goes down.  It just means that you got tired.  Fatigue will mask results.  It's not that hard to train to be tired.  But not everyone can train to get stronger, get leaner, and address dysfunctions.  That's where the science and knowledge of training comes in.

A good night out in Vegas will also make you tired

So that's my latest hot take on the commercial gym scene.  I'll be back with another hot take on commercial gyms after my next trip....which will probably be about ten years from now.

Exercise of the Week: Rear Leg Supported SLDL

This week's exercise comes from the combination of two things.  One, I picked up a single leg squat stand from Perform Better a few backs.  It has been a hit with clients so far since using the stand makes it much more comfortable on the elevated leg and foot as opposed to using a regular bench.  So that's great.  Only problem is I wish you could do more than one exercise with the stand.  Two,  I love the single leg deadlift (SLDL) as a a lower body exercise to get at the glutes and hamstrings.  The only problem with the SLDL is that sometimes it becomes a balancing act with people rather than a strength exercise.  Problem solved.  Take a look:



Now it doesn't look exactly like an SLDL but it's pretty damn close.  Even if it's not exactly an SLDL it's still another great single leg lower body exercise targeting those under utilized glutes and hammies.

Simple Dynamic Warm Up

With just about every dynamic warm up that I give to my clients I am usually trying to do two main things: open up the thoracic spine and shoulders and open up the hips.  Here's a pretty effective six exercise warm up that requires minimal time, minimal space and minimal equipment that just about anyone can do:

1. Quadraped Extension / Rotation x8 each side
2. Scap Wall Slides x8
3. Reverse Lunge w/Reach x8 each side
4. Squat to Stand x8
5. Prone T Raise x12
6. X Band Walk x30-60 seconds

Here's a video with each exercise:

11 Quotes.....

....from articles I've read over the last few weeks that really stood out to me.  Some have have to do with training and nutrition.  Some have to do with life in general

• "If you want that toned (there I said it), athletic look, you need to drop the pink dumbbells and Zumba class, and lift real weights." - Tony Gentilcore
• "Functional training has nothing to do with what the exercise looks like, nor does it have to do with the type of equipment you're using – functional training is all about transfer into your training goal(s)!  Put simply, if the exercise transfers positively into the target sport, activity or physique goal you're training for, it's functional!" - Nick Tuminello
• "Real fitness is not about six pack abs or boulder shoulders, it is about a better quality of life.  Oh sure, getting shredded is a result of a good program and a good diet, but moving better, feeling better, and getting more confidence is  'Real' fitness. " - Jim Smith
• I"f you can’t fight, you better be able to run. Sprinting makes you better at sports, leaner, and will make girls like you." - Max Shank
• "How you eat is how you’ll feel. So if you eat dairy, gluten and sugar every day you’ll look like crap all the time. But if you eat foods like grass fed beef, cage free eggs, berries, greens, Jasmine rice, sweet potatoes and pumpkin every day you’ll feel and look incredible." - Jason Ferrugia
• "Try everything.  Try every training program and every diet.  But when you try them, go full out and commit for the total length.  Program hopping isn't a good idea.  A complete lack of direction is almost as a bad as pure dogma." - John Romaniello
• "You never know what kind of impact you can have on someone by just saying hello" - Manti Te'O, Notre Dame linebacker.
• "Take a step back, and simplify as much as possible — that’s the first thing you must do. Follow a few basic strength training and nutrition principles and let the other details sort themselves out. " - Nia Shanks
• "Stop trying to take the easy way out and put your head down and start grinding.  When things get tough, get tougher." - Jim Smith
• "There's no such thing as a short path to greatness so enjoy the long haul" - Alan Aragon
• "Some day you will look back fondly and realize that being a good person and a good role model counted for much more than you ever thought. Every day you go to work remind yourself that you have the ability to change lives." - Mike Boyle

Exercise of the Week: Goblet Step Up

I've been using the goblet hold a lot lately when it comes to having my clients do lower body exercises, especially single leg work.  Why?  Two reasons.  One, the limiting factor a number of times when holding dumbbells at the side is grip endurance, especially with higher rep sets.  Basically the grip tires out before the legs do.  Holding a single dumbbell in the goblet position takes care of this.  Two, one of the coaching cues I repeat most often is "Chest Up". Using a goblet hold automatically takes care of this without me saying anything.

The goblet hold can be used for squats, most lunge variations and in this video it is used with step ups.

Exercise of the Week: TRX Plank Rollout

Same idea as the Swiss Ball Plank Rollout, just a bit harder.    Loop your arms through the foot handles of the TRX and then move your feet forward or backward to adjust the difficulty of the exercise.  Once you are in your plank position you are just going to extend your forearms out in front while trying to resist extension through the lumbar spine.  That's it.

Exercise of the Week: Bottoms Up Kettlebell Press to Stand

Technically this is the Half Kneeling Bottoms Up Kettlebell Press to Stand, but  that sounds like a mouthful....not that Bottoms Up Kettlebell Press to Stand doesn't.

You have a whole lot of stability going on here: shoulder stability, core stability and hip stability.  Before performing this exercise you should already be able to perform a Half Kneeling Bottoms Up Kettlebell Press. Remember, progressions are there for a reason.



 

Exercise of the Week: Straight Leg Sit Up w/Sledgehammer

One way to train core stability is through off set loading whether it be suitcase carries, lunge variations, squat variations or pressing variations.  You can also create an off set load while performing the straight leg sit up by placing a dumbbell in one arm or by using that trusty old sledgehammer that might not be getting a lot of use.

 

Perform half the set with the head of the sledgehammer on one side and then just switch the sledgehammer around for the second half of the set.  And then when you're done go find something to smash to pieces for some extra work.

Random Thoughts....

....while I am sitting here in a state of giddiness waiting for the Patriots to start another run towards the Super Bowl.

• One of the biggest trends nutritionally over the past year or so has been Intermittent Fasting (IF).  For those who are not familiar with IF it's just what it sounds like: going through a fasting period that can last anywhere from 12-24 hours depending upon which version of intermittent fasting you are following.  Some versions are made up of daily fasts while others, usually the longer fasts, are done a couple times over the course of the week.   For those who are doing it the results are really noticeable, but sorry I just can not get myself to do it.  I enjoy eating breakfast too much.  It's tough passing up on eggs and bacon.  Plus I am just not mentally tough enough to push my first meal off to noon time.  If anyone who's reading this post has tried it, shoot me an email and give me your thoughts on it.  
• The good thing about intermittent fasting is that it makes your realize that there is a difference between psychological hunger and physiological hunger.
• Your push up position should resemble your plank position....that is if you are doing a plank properly.  What is proper position?  If you were to take a dowel and run it along the length of your spine it should have three points of contact: the glutes, the thoracic spine and the head.    Your head head should not be up and your head should not be dropping to the floor.
• Speaking of push ups, I can not believe how many guys can not do a legit set of 10 push ups. TEN FREAKIN' PUSH  UPS!!  I used to be amazed at how many guys could not do a chin up.  Yes, a chin up.  As in one. Now I just take guys not being able to do chin ups for granted.  But 10 push ups?  Come on fellas!!
• When someone says they can not squat I usually take that to mean they do not want to squat or they do not know how to squat.  I can not help you with not wanting to squat.  That comes from you wanting to put the work in.  But I can help with not knowing how to squat.  If I was to perform a squat the way most people squat I would not be able to squat either.  Work on fixing your squat pattern before you just throw squats out the window.
• Sometimes random thoughts are not so random especially when I am sitting here thinking of random thoughts.  
• Just a heard a commercial for Olive Garden's never ending pasta bowl.  Does that really sound appetizing to anyone?  Does that come after the never ending bread basket?  
• Some things such as being able to eat carbs or being able to back squat must be earned.  You have earned your carbs if you got in a workout that day or are walking around at about 12% body fat or lower.  You have earned the ability to back squat after you have worked on goblet squats and front squats with good technique and are able to maintain good spinal alignment while executing the.  One more thing that must be earned.  If you are sixteen years old your arms have to be larger than six inches in diameter in order for you to wear a tank top or talk about protein drinks.
• Looking back on my high school training for football in the good old day I always wonder where the hell that training came from.  Our strength training revolved around the bench press.  Our set/rep scheme for each exercise was the same: 10 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps, 4 reps.  We did change up the set rep scheme for crunches and sit ups doing sets of 50 reps at a time.  One of our conditioning tests was the mile run.  But despite the horrible programming we had a team that was in pretty good shape and had some pretty strong guys on the team.  Everyone was busting their ass in that small, sweaty, radio less weight room or out on the track.  It goes to show you that a great effort on a poorly designed program will always trump a poor effort on a well designed program.  Would be nice to know what would have happened if we combined our training knowledge from today with that effort we put in back in the day.  
• With lower body exercises there are so many ways you can change the loading pattern without having to reinvent the exercise.  Let's take the Val Slide reverse lunge for example,  one of my favorite lower body exercises that can be used with just about any training population.  You can use a Goblet hold.  You can use a contra lateral load by placing a dumbbell or kettlebell on the side of the leg going back.  You can load up the exercise further by holding a weight in each arm.  You can place a weight over head on the contra lateral side or you can place a weight in both arms overhead.  You can perform a pressing action on the contra lateral side. You can use a sandbag with a Zercher hold.  You options are almost limitless.  
• Sleep is essential for fat loss.  Sleep is essential for muscle gain.  Sleep is essential for proper recovery.  Sleep is a must in order to reduce stress.  So why the hell are people staying up until midnight watching bad TV or creeping on Facebook...or reading this fascinating blog.  Get to bed!

Exercise of the Week: Glute Activation Mini Band Circuit

This quick three exercise circuit is a good series of exercises to use as part of a warm up, particularly to get the glutes going a bit or for those who might be dealing with patella tracking issues.  The three exercises are going to engage the glutes through three different movement patterns: hip external rotation, hip extension and hip abduction.

Exercise of the Week: Trap Bar RDL

Same movement pattern as a barbell or dumbbell Romanian deadlift (RDL), just a different method of loading the pattern.  With your standard barbell or dummbell RDL the load is held out in front of the body which increases shearing forces on the spine   With the trap bar the load is closer to your center of gravity which is going to decrease shearing forces on your spine.

In the video below I perform the exercise from a low step just to increase the range of motion a bit more.




 

Exercise of the Week: Swiss Ball Roll Out

Borrowing a logical line of reasoning from strength coach Mike Boyle, I would put the Swiss Ball roll out as the first progression in the roll out progression.   Progression can even be used within the Swiss Ball roll out by moving from a larger ball to a smaller ball.  Once you are able to handle the Swiss Ball roll out for a couple sets of 12-15 reps then I grant you permission to move onto ab wheel roll outs.

What You Can Get for Two Grand

Every now and then someone will ask me for a good recommendation of a good treadmill or elliptical they could purchase for their home.  My answer is usually the same, "If you want a good treadmill or elliptical that is going to hold up for a good period of time you are probably going to have to spend at least $1500.  If you want something of really good quality you are going to have to spend $2000-$3000.  Some good brands are....".

I've been thinking about this answer I've been giving and realized I have not been truthful with these people that have been asking.  What I should be saying is, "Why the hell do you want a piece of equipment that can that you can only do one or two things on. With a treadmill you can only walk or run.  With an elliptical you can only go forwards or backwards.  Hell, on some ellipticals you can only go forward.  And don't give me that BS about your arms getting a workout with the arm handles.  Your arms are just along for the ride.  As far as the treadmill goes,  you can do the same thing on a treadmill that you can do outside....for free.  You're just going to have to suck it up in the hot or cold weather.   If you're looking to get the least out of $2000-$3000 go right ahead.  But let's think about how else we can spend that $2000-3000".

How else can you spend that moola you ask?  By purchasing multiple pieces of equipment that have multiple purposes that are going to give you more bang for your buck.  Let's take a look at a better way of spending $2,000 and setting up a pretty nice hone gym for yourself.

• York Adjustable Bench $479 (You could probably find a pretty good floor model or used one for much less)
• Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells (up to 52 pounds) $549
• Valslides $30
• Jungle Gym XT Suspension Trainer $75 (Same thing as the TRX suspension trainer but at half the price)
• PB Elite Soft Molded Foam Rollers $15
•  Magic Speed Jump Rope  $15
• Superbands $70 (two 1/2 inch bands, two 1 inch bands, one 1 3/4 inch band)
• Mini Bands $10 (one each of light, medium, heavy and extra heavy resistance)
• X-Vest $150 (adjustable up to 20lbs)
• Dynamax Medicine Ball $70 (10lb ball)
• Kettlebells $160 (this includes one 8kg, one 12 kg, one 16kg and one 20kg)
• Ab Wheel $15
• Battling Ropes $140 (40ft, 1 1/2 inch rope)

                                                    
What do you think that list totals out to?  All that would cost you $1748.  We didn't even get to $2,000.  You can spend the remaining $252 by picking up another medicine ball or maybe some more bands or another piece of equipment that I may have just left out.  And as time goes on you can spend a little here and there to add to your home gym.  But to start out that looks like a pretty nice home gym to me.  It gives you plenty of  training options rather just one or two options with the purchase of a treadmill or elliptical.  So think about it.

If you really are considering picking up some equipment for your home, Perform Better is having it's annual summer clearance sale where you can pick up some really good stuff at really good prices.  Just clink on the link below:

                                           

Exercise of the Week: Band Resisted Push Up Drop Set

I've seen drop sets methods for push ups with chains or weight plates.  Working out on your own it's pretty tough, actually may be impossible, to place weights or chains on your back and then remove them as the set goes on.  So here's another method using the Super Bands.  Start the set with a once inch band and go to failure.  Replace the one inch band with a half inch band and go to failure again.  Remove the 1/2 inch band and finish up the set with no resistance.



Drop sets are a method that can be used on a high rep day or at the end of an upper body workout as a finisher or to get some more volume in.

Real Men

You know what drives me more batty than a woman saying she just wants to "tone up"?  A man who tells me the same thing.  For women I understand it a bit more when they say this.  This is what they have been lead to believe by mass media or within their social circles. When a woman is talking about another woman who is in shape she usually refers to her as toned.  I get it.  But since when did men start describing other men as toned?  Not once in my lifetime have I ever described another guy as toned.  I've used the words lean, ripped, in shape and fat, but never toned.  If any guy ever referred to me as toned I might slap him upside the head.  Apparently some other men are not thinking the same way I am, because I have had a number of guys tell me they just want tone up.  I question whether these guys are real men and then slap them upside the head.  Then after suppressing my furor for a good thirty seconds I come to the conclusion that these are men who are not going to want to do any real strength training, pick up any real weights, or eat any real food.  They are not real men.

I would describe myself as a real man....sometimes too real.  Call it machosim.  Refer to me as Neanderthal Man. Call me want you want.  I am going to call it real. Being a real man I think I have an idea of who real men are and who they are not.  Let's take a look at what makes a man a real man.

• Real men are not looking to tone up.  Real men are looking to lean out or drop body fat or get their fat asses into shape.  Basically they are looking to do anything except tone up.  If they are looking to tone up a nice set of brightly colored neoprene dumbbells would make a nice birthday gift for them.
• Real men train their legs.  They do some variations of squats, deadlifts, lunges, step ups, etc..  Real men do not say that their legs are strong from running or biking.  
• Real men do not care how many calories are in certain beers.  Real men do not drink MGD 55 or some other beer that should not be classified as beer just because they are watching their calories.
• Real men can do chin ups or want to be able to do chin ups if they can not do them.  Real men do not think lat pull downs and chin ups are the same thing.
• Real men do single leg training.  Real men do not think lunges and step ups are just for females.
• Real men realize that they need fat in their diets.  They do not think fat in their diet is going to make them fat.  They realize they need fat in their diet in order to optimize their testosterone levels.
• Real men realize that "ellipticaling" does not count as a workout.  If they do use the elliptical they use it for a warm up or for recovery.
• Real men spend most of their strength training time using free weights or doing body weight exercises.  They do not do the ten machine circuit at the local global gym and call that strength training.
• Real men realize that the leg press and squat are not the same exercises.  They do not update their Facebook status with their latest leg press numbers.
• Real men think the Bosu ball is the biggest waste of $120 around.  They do not do their entire workout standing on the Bosu ball while trying to press no more than five pounds over their head.
• Real men like to move heavy weight, but they like do to do so with good execution.  They do not shorten up their range of motion in order to move more weight and sacrifice their technique.  They check their ego at the door...before locking up their fanny packs.
• Real men can place heavy  dumbbells down on the floor after an exercise without any anyone noticing.  They do not do finish up a set of dumbbell bench presses of 30 pounds and drop them on the floor like they weigh 100 pounds.  
• Real men accept calloused hands as part of their strength training.  They do not wear weight lifting gloves to protect their pretty, delicate hands.

The last thing real men do not do: Real men do not wear skinny jeans, own a pair of skinny jeans, have ever shopped for skinny jeans or have ever had a desire to wear skinny jeans.  Keep it real fellas.

Exercise of the Week: Anti-Rotation Reverse Lunge

Here's an exercise that primarily works the anti-rotation function of the core while adding in a dynamic component, a reverse lunge.

Exercise of the Week: Hip Airplane

The hip airplane is a hip stability exercise that incorporates hip external and internal rotation.  From a programming standpoint this is an exercise I might plug into the dynamic warm up of a rotational sport athlete such as a golf or tennis player.

Exercise of the Week: Dumbbell Squeeze Press

The meathead in me has gotten the best of me lately as I've been doing a body part split routine lately: shoulders/abs, quads / arms, hamstrings / calves and chest / back.  I break this type of routine out usually only one time a year, the summer.  Why summer?  Because "when the sun is out, the guns are out".

All meatheadeness aside, the squeeze press is really just another dumbbell pressing variation that targets the chest a bit more.  All you're going to do during the squeeze press is press both dumbbells with the dumbbells staying in contact with one another by squeezing the dumbbells together as hard as you can.  A neutral grip position probably works best because it will press less stress on your wrists.

Exercise of the Week: Deadstop Barbell Row

A version of your standard barbell row where the weight comes to a complete rest at the bottom for a second or two. Feel free to use either a pronated or supinated grip.

Exercise of the Week: Med Ball Chest Pass w/Forward Step

Exercise of the Week: Medicine Ball Side Throw w/Shuffle Step

Principles To Train By

Here are some principles I've picked up from various strength coaches throughout the years that could be applied to most individuals training and nutrition.  Heck, some of these principles could even be applied to every day living.

K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid): Most people tend to over complicate their training and nutrition.  They make it harder on  themselves than it actually needs to be.  Let's get real here.  Unless you are a professional or college athlete or have been training for ten or more years you are not advanced and do not need advanced methods.  Even if you are a professional athlete or have been training for ten plus years you still may not need advanced training methods.  Most people would be better off sticking to the basics: (squat, lunge, deadlift, push ups, eat protein at every meal, displace calorie containing beverages, etc.), especially when they are not even doing the basics.

Pareto Principle (80/20): Back in the early 1900's Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto noticed that 80 % of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population.  This principle then was applied applied to different parts of business, such as 80% of your profits will come from 20% of your clients or 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your products.  If we apply this principle to your training, 80% of your results are going to come from the most important 20% of your training.  The 20% of your training that is going to deliver the most results are your key exercises in your training program such as squats, deadlifts, chin ups and mobility work.  All that other stuff you throw on top of those exercises are referred to as assistance work for a reason.  They will assist with results, but will not be the big difference makers in getting results.

180 Degree principle:  I first heard this principle from strength coach Charles Staley.  Basically, do the complete opposite of the norm or what most people doing, because what people are doing is not working.  Go into a commercial gym and most people are doing slow steady cardio on the elliptical.  Do the opposite and strength train or do some high intensity intervals.  Most people when they do strength train are using the old "low weight, high rep" method.  Do the opposite and pick up some heavy weights and train with lower reps.  Most people are flexing, extending and twisting their spine for their core work   Focus the majority of your core work on spinal stabilization exercises. Most people are afraid of fat in their diets. Don't be afraid of fat in your diet.  We could keep going on  and on with this principle.  Hopefully you get the idea.  Do the opposite of the norm unless you want to be the norm.

The Shit Test:  If it looks like shit, it probably is shit.  If you're doing an exercise and feel like your technique looks pretty shitty, it probably is. Regress the exercise or clean up your movement patterns until you are ready for that particular exercise.  If a program that you found in some news stand magazine looks too advanced for you and is going to beat the crap out of you. it probably will.  Find a program that fits with your needs and goals.  If some new diet looks too good to be true because you can eat all the cookies you want as long as they are after 9pm, it definitely is too good to be true.  Get some basic, good nutrition in place first such as cutting back on cookie at all times.  Sometimes there is no need to smell shit in order to find out if it is shit.  Sometimes all you need to do is look.

Exercise of the Week: Half Kneeling Single Arm Cable Press w/Lockout

Another longwinded name for an exercise but that is the best I can come up since that's what the exercise is....a half kneeling single arm cable chest press with a lockout.  It's an exercise that will challenge hip stability, core stability and shoulder stability.  A lot of stabilizing going on in addition to getting in your horizontal pressing.

A couple things:

1. The pressing arm is going to be on the side of the down knee and the locked out arm is going to be on the side of the up knee.
2. Really tighten up the glute on the side of the down knee in order to stabilize the hips.
3. Do not forget to switch up the downside knees when you switch up the pressing and locked out arms.
4. Do not get all macho and try to load this up just because it's a pressing exercise.  Control the weight and maintain your position throughout the set.

Exercise of the Week: Kettlebell Complex

Here's a four exercise kettlebell complex performed with 12 reps of each exercise:

• Two handed swings
• Goblet reverse lunges
• Single arm rows
• Goblet squats

Exercise of the Week: Push Ups w/Feet on Wall

Yep, another push up variation.  In order to keep your feet against the wall you are going to have to push your heels back into the wall.  Pushing the heels back is going to create tension from head to toe and increase the demand on your core stabilizers.

25 Random Fat Loss Tips

1. Start your day off with a glass of water.  Then continue to drink water throughout the day aiming for a total amount of ounces that is equal to half your body weight.  For example if you weigh 180 lbs, aim for 90 oz. of water.
2. Eliminate calorie containing beverages.  Yep, that means more water and no alcohol.
3. Aim to get in at least three strength training sessions a week.
4. Strength training training sessions should be full-body routines.  
5. Stop wasting your time with crunches.  It takes about 22,000 crunches to burn one pound of body fat.  Make better use of your time.
6. Walk or run.  Don't jog.
7. Include a source of protein at every feeding opportunity.  
8. Your total protein intake should be close to 1gram of protein per pound of body weight.  You weigh 150lbs?  Get in 150g of protein a day.
9. Don't fear fat.  Eating fat is not going to make you fat.  Eating excess calories and carbohydrates will.
10. Speaking of carbs, "carbs must be earned".  The leaner you are, the more carbs you can have.
11. Foam roll, stretch and do a dynamic warm up.   You can't train if you're hurt.  You can't lose fat if you can't train.
12. Supplement with fish oil.  Aim to ingest at least 2-3 grams of EPA / DHA per day.
13. Get more sleep.  Aim to get in 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
14. Increase the intensity of your workouts, not the duration.
15. Eliminate grains.  Yes, you do not need bread.
16. Drink 2-3 cups of green tea per day.
17. Stop using the elliptical.  Walk into any commercial gym and look at the people who are using the ellipticals.  You will know what I mean.
18. Switch from plastic to glass.  Stop drinking from plastic water bottles and microwaving your foods in plastic containers.
19. Eat more vegetables.  Shocker, I know.
20. Supplement with at least 2,000 IU vitamin D per day.
21. Plan your meals and workouts in advance.  "You fail to plan, you plan to fail."
22. Forget about the scale.  Weight loss and fat loss are not the same thing.
23. When strength training keep your rest periods in the 30-60 second range.
24. Don't set a goal of running a 5k.  Set a goal of doing more chin ups or single leg squats.  Can't do a chin up or single leg squat?  Then that is your goal.
25. Pretend you never heard about: low weight / high rep strength training, doing "cardio" and low fat diets.

Exercise of the Week: Dropback / Lateral Lunge Combo

This week's exercise is a hip mobility exercise to get at the hip adductors and abductors.

Picked Up Bits and Pieces....

.....from the Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification (HKC) workshop I attended a couple weekends weekend out at Skill of Strength in Chelmsford, MA.

I have been using kettlebells over the last five years or so as part of my own training and my clients training.  I think I have a fairly good understanding of when and how they should be used.  But I wanted to get a better understanding of three of the most common kettlebell exercises: the swing, the get-up and the goblet squat.  So I went to an eight hour workshop on a beautiful sunny day to learn about three exercises?  And my certification was going to revolve around three exercises?  You are correct.  Yeah, you can probably find some sort of instructional video on YouTube about these exercises, but you could also find crap like this on YouTube:



Without going into a rant about everything that is wrong with that video here's a breakdown of what I learned about the swing, the get up and the goblet squat.

The Swing 

• It is called a swing because it is a swing.  It is not a squat and a front raise which is what you will see being performed a good majority of the time, especially if you're doing Kettleworx.
• Before you are cleared to do the swing, you should be able to a pretty good looking kettlebell deadlift.  Before you are cleared to do the kettlebell deadlift, you should be able to do a pretty good looking hip hinge.
• When deadlifting or swinging focus your eyes on a spot on the floor about 10-15 feet away.  Keep your eyes on that spot throughout the entire movement.
• The swing is an exercise to produce horizontal force, not vertical force.  If you were to release the kettlebell at the end range the kettlebell should project forward, not up.  Please don't start throwing kettlebells around.  Just take my word for it.
• There is no need for the kettlebell to travel higher than shoulder height unless you're doing Crossfit or unless you are looking to jam up your shoulders.  If you want to get a kettlebell overhead work on kettlebell snatches.
• The top of the swing should basically resemble a standing plank.  There should be tension in the glutes, upper back and core area.  You should be in complete extension, not hyperextension.
• On the descent the kettlebll should pass through the "triangle" which is at knee height or above.
• Once you feel comfortable doing the two handed swing try working on some one arm swings and hand to hand swings.
• Swings can be used a number of ways in your training program.  They can be used as a power development exercise.  They can be programmed as a hip dominant movement.  They can be used as a metabolic exercise by themselves or as part of a metabolic circuit.

The Get Up

• I remember doing the get up for the first time about ten years ago.  I basically laid down on the floor with a dumbbell in one arm and then kept that arm vertical as I found a way to get up to a standing position.  I thought it was as simple as that.  Little did I know know that there was a way to doing a get up correctly.
• Before you attempt to do a get-up with any weight you should be able to a naked get-up correctly.  Let me clarify.  A naked get-up is not you stripping down to nothing and then doing a get-up.  A naked get-up is doing a get-up with no weight.
• After you've done a naked get-up work on doing a get-up by placing a shoe on your fist with the  bottom of the shoe resting on your fist.  For the entire duration of the get-up that shoe should stay planted on your fist.
• The shoulder of the loaded arm should stay packed down the entire time.
• During the first half of the get-up your eyes should be focused on the weight.  Once you get to the half kneeling position your eyes should look straight ahead.  The same goes for returning to the starting position.
• When getting back down from the top position one of the most important parts of the descent is taking a big step back to set you up for a nice leg sweep to get your hips back to the floor.
• Don't rush through your get-up. Break it down into small parts.  
• The get-up is a great exercise to identify asymmetries, a great core exercise a great shoulder stability exercise and a great exercise to use as part of a warm up.
• I think the mistake I made with get-ups in the past was using too high of a rep range so that I was completely gassed and my technique fell flat on it's face.  And that was even before doing the other side.  At least for the time being I plan on loading my get-ups a bit more and keeping them in the 1-3 rep range.

The Goblet Squat

• The goblet squat is an exercise that was popularized by strength coach Dan John a few years ago and for good reason.  When someone has a poor looking squat pattern have them goblet squat and almost immediately the squat pattern cleans up.
• Before I'm going to have anyone do any type of barbell front or back squats I'm going to have them work on goblet squats for awhile. In fact, I may never get past a goblet squat with some people and that's quite alright.  
• Just because you are not using a barbell doesn't mean you can't load the goblet squat up.  You can go have heavy as you want with this bad boy as long as your form doesn't fall apart.
• There is no arguing about what is proper depth with the goblet squat.  When you are doing goblet squats you are going to lower to the point to where your elbows touch just inside your knees.  
• If you can't get to that depth work on some goblet squat static holds.  Stand a couple feet away from a doorway or post and lightly hold onto to that doorway or post as you drop your butt towards the floor.  Hang out in that bottom position for a bit while you shift your weight from side to side trying to "pry" your hips open.
• Two things to think about on the descent.  One, push your knees out in order to engage your glutes a bit more.  Second, pull you yourself down into the squat by actively using your hip flexors.
• From a programming standpoint, the goblet squat can be used as a main lower body lift, as an accessory lower body lift or as part of your warm up.

Now you're probably wondering if me having a kettlbell certification is going to turn me into a "kettlebell guy".  Or maybe you're not.  Whatever.  The answer is no.  I've never latched onto one piece of equipment or form of strength training as the end all be all.  I look at something like the kettlebell as another tool to put into my toolbox along with dumbbells, along with the TRX, along with battling ropes, etc.  I feel it's not a tool I can or will get everything done with, but a tool that can be used in the right situations.

Lastly,  a big thanks goes out to RKC  instructors Doug and Laura Nepodal for a terrific job of leading the HKC workshop.  And another thanks goes out to RKC trainers Mike and Amanda Perry for hosting the HKC at their wonderful new facility, Skill of Strength.  You can never go wrong with a great day of learning with some of the best in the business.

Exercise of the Week: Trap Bar Squat Jump

I know what I don't have....some serious hops.

Accelerated Transformation Tip #11: Putting It All Together

Over the last couple of months you have been given some nutrition and lifestyle tips to help your with your body transformation process.  If we put some of the more important tips together with the hope that you are following each of these tips, here is what a typical day should look like for you:

•        Protein with every meal or snack.  Each time you eat you should be including some source of protein.
•        At least one fruit or vegetable with every meal or snack.  You should be aiming to get in 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, preferably more vegetables.
•        Eliminate calorie-containing beverages.  Drink a boatload of water and up to 2-3 cups of green tea each day. 
•        Watch your carbs.  Starchy carbs are allowed only at breakfast or in the post-workout window.  All other carbs should come from fruits or vegetables.
•        Take your supplements.  Suggested supplements to take are fish oil, a multivitamin and vitamin D.  If you are not getting in enough vegetables or protein add a greens supplement and protein powder to your list.
•    Get Compliant.  Adhere to each of these strategies 80-90% of the time in order to achieve your best results

Exercise of the Week: Plyo Push Up w/Hands Staggered

This is one of many variations of a plyometric push up.  Start by staggering your hands so one hand is a few inches out in front and the other is a few inches behind your normal hand placement.  Descend towards the floor and rapidly extend up while trying to throw yourself as as high as possible while switching the staggered hand position in mid air.  Repeat for for a total of 4-6 reps.

I like using plyo push ups to really fire up the nervous system prior to some upper body training.  One day I'll use some medicine ball throws.  The next day I'll use a plyo push up.

Accelerated Transformation Tip #10: Get Compliant

Up to this point you’ve been given a number of strategies to aid with your transformation. All of these strategies are designed to work successfully for you. But they will not work successfully if your are not compliant with these strategies. Fifty percent compliance is not going to get it done. And 70% percent compliance may not get it done either. What you should be aiming for is 80-90% compliance with each of these strategies.

How do you know if you are being compliant 80-90% of the time? It’s time to start tracking each meal or snack. Meals and snacks that are compliant adhere to the following rules:

1. There is a source of protein.
2. There is a fruit or vegetable source.
3. There are no starchy carbs unless it’s at breakfast or post-workout.
4. There are no calorie containing beverages.

Let’s say you have eaten five times over the course of a given day. You are shooting to be compliant at least four of those times. On the bigger picture, let’s say you have had 40 meals or snacks over the course of a week. You should be aiming to hit on 32 of those to be at 80% of compliance. The fewer the misses, the better the results.

Exercise of the Week: Forward Lunge w/Band Dislocation

This week's exercise is one I saw performed by strength coach Ben Bruno awhile back. It's a great bang for your buck mobility exercise to use as part of your dynamic warm up.

Accelerated Transformation Tip #9: Cycle Your Carbs

You can make carb cycling as hard as you want or you can dumb it down and make it as easy as you want. I’m going to give you the dumbed down version. It's as simple as this: Consume a higher amount of carbs on training days and consume a lower amount of carbs on non-training days.

On a training day you can allow yourself a higher intake of carbs with those carbs coming at breakfast and during the post-workout window (1-2 hours post-workout). It's a day where you can allow yourself some starchy carbs and more fruit than usual. If carbs are up on these days try to keep fat intake down and protein intake up.

On non-training days try to limit your intake of carbs from starches. Your primary sources of carbs on these days are fruits and vegetables. Your fruit intake should be a little lower than that of a training day. Protein intake should be maintained on this day and you can allow yourself a higher fat intake.

Dr. Jon Berardi sums up this strategy nicely when he says, "Your carbs have to be earned"

Exercise of the Week: Single Arm DB Bench Press

Accelerated Transformation Tip #8: Fiber Up

A number of studies show that diets consisting of a greater amount of high fiber foods are more successful when it comes to weight loss. This is not surprising considering that a majority of fruits and vegetables are usually these high fiber foods.

Why do high fiber foods work in terms of weight loss? High fiber foods tend to leave you feeling full longer because they slow down eating, increase satiety and help manage blood sugar.

What makes up a high fiber food? A high fiber food is going to contain more than 5g of fiber per serving. Some examples are:

• Apples
• Berries
• Pears
• Beans / legumes
• Sweet potatoes
• Pumpkin
• Steel cut or whole, rolled oats
• Sprouted grain breads
• Quinoa
• Brown rice

At end of the day your fiber intake should be at least 35 grams. If not, you may want to consider a powdered fiber supplement.

Exercise of the Week: Half Kneeling Cable Pullover

This is a core stability exercise I stole from strength coach Dean Somerset. In order to to execute you're going to:

1. Attach a rope to a high pulley and set up in a half kneeling position facing away from the pulley. Once you're in the half kneeling position really focus on contracting the glute on the side of the downside knee. In fact, anytime you're in a half kneeling position focus on locking that glute up, even if you're Tebowing.
2. Once you get a hold of the rope, lower your arms out in front while keeping them straight the entire time. The only movement should be occurring at the shoulder. You shouldn't be flexing your spine in order to get those arms down in front. If you are, the weight is to heavy and the core stability aspect exercise goes right out the window
3. Return your arms to the starting position by keeping them straight on the way back and trying not to extend through your spine. If you are extending through the spine the weight is.....too heavy and the core stability aspect goes right out the window.
4. After about 6-8 reps with one knee down, switch the downside knee and do 6-8 reps with that knee down.

Got it? No? Then took a look at the video below.

Accelerated Transformation Tip #7: Get to Sleep!!

The most underrated component of any weight or fat loss program may be the amount of good, quality sleep that you are getting in on a regular basis. A number of studies show that people who tend to get the suggested 7-8 hours of sleep each night are more successful with weight and fat loss. Getting an adequate amount of sleep helps regulate hormones, such as cortisol and growth hormone, that are going to have a big impact on your weight loss. In addition to controlling hormones getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night is going to aid in recovery, which will in turn enhance your training program.
If you are trying to get that 7-8 hours in each night, but are unable to do so, here are some tips that may help:

• Tune out: An hour before you plan on getting to bed, put the paperwork away, get off the computer and shut down your cell phone.
• Lights out: Make your room dark. Block out as much light as possible, turn off the TV and leave your cell phone or other lit up objects in another room.
• Get to bed at the same time: Whenever possible try to get to bed around the same time each night. Also, the sooner you can get to bed before midnight, the better. Each hour before midnight equals two hours after midnight.
• Cut back on the caffeine: If you are one of those who gets that buzzed feeling from caffeine, limit your caffeine intake.
• Supplement: Deficiencies in zinc and magnesium are pretty common and in turn can lead to poor sleep quality. If you are not getting enough zinc and magnesium through your dietary intake you may want to consider supplementation with either one or both.

Exercise of the Week: Chin Up w/feet Loaded

I really underestimated the difficulty of this exercise. Usually if I'm doing weighted chin ups I will use a dip belt or weight vest for additional load. Mixing it up a bit I thought I would place the load on my feet by hooking my feet through a pair of kettlebells. The amount of weight I could use this way for a set of five reps was about 50% less than using a dip belt. It also left my abs sore for a few days. In order to hold onto those kettlebells you're going to have to go into a position of dorsiflexion which I felt created some real rigidity throughout the body and a tightening of the midsection.

And then I went out and "un-tightened" the mid-section by enjoying a few Guiness on St. Pattys Day.

Accelerated Transformation Tip #6: Some Worthwhile Supplements

Before considering any supplement, take a look at your overall nutrition. If you are guilty of such things that have already been discussed such as not ingesting protein at each feeding, not getting in enough fruits and vegetables or eating starchy carbs at the wrong times of day, supplementation may not help. Aim to improve your nutrition before you search out for supplements. With that being said, people who are good with their nutrition and are active on a regular basis may be lacking essential macro- and micronutrients. Or maybe it’s a case of you wanting to accelerate your fat loss, enhance recovery or bolster your overall health. In these cases you may want to consider one or more of the following supplements:

· Fish Oil: can help with cardiovascular health, joint health, cognitive function and fat loss. Choose a fish oil that has high levels of EPA/DHA since you should be aiming to get in 2-3 grams of EPA/DHA daily with supplementation of fish oil.

· Protein Supplement: can help bring up your overall protein intake, which should be around 1g/lb of body weight for an active individual. Will also help speed up recovery post-workout.

· Multivitamin: can help bring up micronutrient deficiencies for optimal overall health. Whole food based multivitamins are your best bet.

· Greens Supplement: provides antioxidant support especially when regular fruit and vegetable intake is not optimal.

· Vitamin D: extremely important in regards to immune system function and can help improve insulin sensitivity. Supplementation with 2,000 I.U. of Vitamin D is suggested, especially when exposure to sunlight is limited.

Exercise of the Week: TRX SLDL

As I mentioned in a previous post, people think of using using the TRX to do some pretty cool bodyweight training or to advance bodyweight training. On the other end of the spectrum we can use the TRX to regress bodyweight training or use as a teaching tool.

With the single leg deadlift (SLDL), the TRX can be used to help keep you in a position of thoracic extension and to help with single leg balance, two things the average indidvual has a hard time with when learning the SLDL.

Accelerated Transformation Tip #5: Time Up Your Carbs

When it comes to fat loss, your carbohydrate intake must be earned unless those carbohydrates are coming from fruits and veggies. Those “other” carbs, such as your starchy carbs, should only come at two times over the course of the day. These are times when insulin sensitivity is usually greatest: at breakfast and during the post-workout window (1-2 hours after exercise)

When it does come time for you to ingest those “other” carbs try to minimize your intake of carbohydrates from sources such as sports drinks, soda, cereals, muffins and bagels. Preferred sources of carbohydrates outside of fruits and vegetables are:

• Beans/legumes
• Sweet potatoes
• Steel cut or whole rolled oats
• Oat bran
• Sprouted grain breads, English muffins or tortilla’s
• Quinoa

Exercise of the Week: Med Ball Slam w/Reverse Lunge

Who doesn't love med ball slams? Pretty simple and pretty aggressive. Raise a medicine ball overhead and attempt to put a hole in the floor....and then repeat. You want to add a little variety to it? You can add in a bit of of rotation when the ball comes overhead. Or you can vary up what the lower body is doing, such as in the following video where I add a reverse lunge movement to it.

Accelerated Transformation Tip #4

According to estimates, calorie containing beverages are the fourth largest source of calories in the average American’s diet. These beverages include sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks and sweetened bottled water. In addition these calories usually come from nothing more than added sugars that do nothing but impair health and increase inflammation. Some examples of these calorie-containing beverages are:

• Pepsi (12 oz) – 150 calories
• Orange juice (8 oz) – 110 calories
• Red wine (5 oz) – 120 calories
• Coors Light (12 oz) – 102 calories
• Frozen margarita (12 oz) – 300 calories

So instead of downing calorie containing beverages focus on drinking more water or unsweetened beverages such as tea, unsweetened iced tea or seltzer water.