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.