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.