Although the majority of people continue to rely on exercises like sit ups and crunches when it comes to training the abdominals, research has proven that these movements place excessive loads on the lower back, leading to a lot of pain for a lot of people. Repeated, loaded spinal flexion is one of the leading causes for disc herniation. In fact, the traditional old school, slow speed sit up has been shown to place 730 pounds of compression on the spine! Other commonly used ab exercises place over 1,000 pounds of compression on the spine!
Boy, do I wish I knew all this in my teens and early 20’s when I did thousands of spinal flexion exercises per week, eventually leading to two herniated discs.
Not only are you risking long term back problems by doing all those sit ups, crunches, and all their useless variations but you are not even providing optimal stimulus to the abdominals. Research has proven that bracing actually trains the abs much more effectively than spinal flexion. To properly employ this technique you need to brace your abs as hard as you can like… …continue reading.
Question: I have a question about how to build big calves. Mine are like string beans and can’t get them to grow. Got any good suggestions?
Answer: Whenever people ask me how to build big calves, I immediately check their training volume. High volume works great for calves. They are probably the hardest muscle to build. I have always had calves like string beans. Just doing a few sets for them never did anything for me. Since I had no desire to train them and preferred to focus on strength, athleticism and bigger compound lifts they stayed that way for years.
The only time they finally responded was when I hit them with very high volume. I usually do this for about a month and then I am bored to tears and stop training calves again for another year. Also, you can’t really tolerate the high volume loading for too long before you will start to develop some ankle/achilles problems. If you are an athlete and run or jump a lot, don’t even consider doing high volume calf work.
If you just want to get them jacked then you need to really increase your volume… …continue reading.
I presented on Real World Fat Loss at the 2007 Perform Better event in Rhode Island and the 2008 NSCA conference. As part of my presentation I talked about my “story” – why I became fascinated with fat loss and effective fat loss training — and the need to destroy the myths that surround the topic — and why it keeps me up at night scouring journals for new information.
I believe that behind every person who is trying to change something — or present something new — there is a passion – an overwhelming why – that drives them to find the answers. It’s become something that I look for before really listening to coaches or trainers. The why. The Raison d’être.
When I was in Rhode Island I called my long time friend Jason Ferruggia (Jay and I first met about eleven years ago)to invite him to the seminar. Jay couldn’t make it, as he was busy putting the finishing touches on his muscle building course. I was surprised that he hadn’t mentioned it to me before as it was a big project.
But then when I… …continue reading.
Ever since I first discussed the importance of “the power look” and how important it is to earn respect and separate you from the pencil neck, I am repeatedly asked about how to build big traps. The best trap building exercise in existence is the deadlift. One need look no further than the massive trap development of elite powerfliters to see how effective this exercise is at building these intimidating muscles. But pussyfooting around with light weights will never get the job done. You need to deadlift heavy weights (with picture perfect form) for sets of 3-10 reps. A good goal for most lifters is to be able to pull double bodyweight for five reps. If you want traps like Brock Lesnar aim for 2.5 times your bodyweight for a set of five. Deadlifts should be performed once a week for 1-3 sets of 5-10 reps.
Any discussion about how to build big traps would not be complete without discussing the Olympic lifts and their various pull variations. Utilizing Olympic lifts and their pull variations such as snatches, cleans, high pulls and clean pulls are another great way to build huge traps. A… …continue reading.
In a dream come true I was able to spend my Valentine’s Day at home with my girlfriend eating an amazing dinner, and dessert consisting of homemade chocolate coconut pudding (made with the best protein powder on the market) while watching NBA All Star Saturday Night. Now that’s my kind of Valentine’s Day. I text messaged a few friends and told them to enjoy their price fixed dinners with the crappy holiday menu and that they could catch the highlights on Sports Center in the morning. I used to never miss this event but haven’t been as into it the last few years. Let’s face it; things haven’t been the same since MJ retired. But I did find this years festivities very entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed the All Star Game last night as well.
Seeing guys like Lebron and Dwight Howard dominate the court really emphasizes the point of how important strength training is for almost all sports. When I was growing up most of the guys in the NBA weren’t half as jacked as the guys today. When you’re bigger and stronger than everyone else you are hard to stop.… …continue reading.
It has often been said that you can’t lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. That statement is actually incorrect. Beginners can do it. Even guys who have been training for a long time who make drastic changes to their diet and their workout programs can do it. You can’t do it for extended periods of time, but it can be done.
For example, if you are currently doing traditional steady state cardio, switch to sprints. Sprints have an anabolic effect and do not produce cortisol at the same rate that traditional cardio does. Not only that but they burn twice the fat. So you will build muscle and get leaner at the same time.
If you are currently using light weights and high volume workouts, increase the weight and reduce the sets and reps. This will help you get stronger, build muscle and avoid unnecessary cortisol production.
If you are currently eating 2500 calories per day, jack it up to 3500 calories per day. This will ignite your metabolism and you will start building muscle and burning fat faster than you have… …continue reading.
I had to post this email that I got this morning because it was beyond belief. My response follows below.
I wanted to write you to inquire if you would help me make a dream come true. This spring My wife and I have put together a great program that will truly bless some football players. It is a 4 month program that will give 16 kids an opportunity to train with me, learn discipline, learn nutrition, the importance of character, and learn the benefits of hard work. I was talking to a friend of mine that played D 3 football in the same conference I did and we talked about how a lot of kids do not learn the necessary tools to succeed in athletics, life, and work.
I can remember growing up in a single parent home with my mother and just playing sandlot football to perfect my skills on the field. We did not have the knowledge about a well structured training plan, knew nothing about nutrition, and did not have a system… …continue reading.
I am a huge New York Yankees fan. Have been since the day I was born. But I honestly don’t want to hear another word about Alex Rodriguez as long as I live. I’ve had enough of it. And you know why? Because it’s all nonsense.
The fact that most people are failing to realize is that there is no drug or chemical substance in existence that can help you hit a baseball or throw a perfect strike. Everyone who is crying about A-Rod and Barry Bonds has probably never stepped foot on a diamond before and has no idea what it takes to excel at that level.
These are the excuse makers. “I could have been that good (ripped, lean, muscular, strong, big, fast, whatever) if I only had better genetics or had taken that pill.”
If all it took were brute strength then you would see powerlifters and strongmen competitors dominating the Major Leagues. Instead, guys like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle were able to drink a case of beer and still come to Yankee Stadium the next morning and dominate the game.… …continue reading.
By Henry Rollins
I believe that the definition of definition is reinvention. To not be like you parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. Completely.
When I was young I had no sense of myself. All I was, was a product of all the fear and humiliation I suffered. Fear of my parents. The humiliation of teachers calling me “garbage can” and telling me I’d be mowing lawns for a living. And the very real terror of my fellow students. I was threatened and beaten up for the color of my skin and my size. I was skinny and clumsy, and when others would tease me I didn’t run home crying, wondering why. I knew all too well. I was there to be antagonized. In sports I was laughed at. A spaz. I was pretty good at boxing but only because the rage that filled my every waking moment made me wild and unpredictable. I fought with some strange fury. The other boys thought I was crazy.
I hated myself all the time. As stupid at it seems now, I wanted to talk like them, dress like them, carry myself with the ease of knowing… …continue reading.
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