Great workout tonight. Did some rowing, squatting, shrugging, etc. and finished with the battling ropes of death. I have gained back about 20 of the 48lbs that I lost and am feeling pretty good. The shoulder is coming along and I am happy at this weight. Gaining another 30 pounds on top of this is probably something that I won’t be doing. I’ll see how I feel as I progress but I feel very good being lighter. My natural adult weight is only about 165 at an even six feet tall and my wrists are only slightly bigger than six and a half inches. Carrying an extra 65 pounds around for all those years probably led to some additional wear and tear on my body and would continue to do so if I gained it all back. We’ll see what happens…
Anyway, here is a clip of the battling ropes from tonight. And also the aftermath.
And the aftermath… Unfortunately we didn’t capture the main blast on film, but the end was still entertaining.
Today we are going to discuss how to improve on chin ups. Chin ups are one of the best overall muscle and strength building exercises around. The problem is that many beginners can’t do a single rep and many intermediate trainees can not seem to progress on them no matter what they do. One very simple solution is to get a JumpStretch rubber band and loop it around the bar to assist you, as shown in the accompanying video. Start with a strong enough band that allows you to do 5 reps. When you get up to 10-12 reps switch to a lighter band and start over again at 5 reps. Repeat this process with one or two more bands until you are strong enough to do them on your own.
Since the video will explain it more clearly than words ever could, watch below to learn exactly how to improve on chin ups.
For more great muscle building information please visit http://www.MuscleGainingSecrets.com/ now.
If you have never heard the name Alwyn Cosgrove before let me just tell you that he is one of the top fitness experts in the world and someone we could all learn a lot from.
He is also a great friend of mine who has gone out of his way for me more times than I can remember.
Not too long ago I was overcome with sadness because I thought I was going to lose my friend. I simply couldn’t imagine how someone could battle back from Stage IV cancer yet again.
But he did.
And as a multiple time cancer survivor Alwyn is doing his part in the fight for a cure.
He has gathered the top fitness experts in the world to contribute to an 800 page manual of incredible information that is available for only $24.99. The best part is that 100% of the proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Please help this great cause by clicking the link below:
Thanks,
Jason Ferruggia
Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Chief Training Adviser, Men’s Fitness Magazine
Author, Media Spokesperson, Consultant
The late “Iron Guru,” Vince Gironda once said that 80% of building muscle is nutrition. While I don’t agree with that exact percentage, I will say that what you eat is just as important as how you train, if not more so, when you are trying to gain muscle fast. Sadly, the importance of muscle building nutrition is overlooked by the large majority of skinny guys who spend their lives in the gym but never seem to get anywhere.
Many of those that get it often complain that they can’t eat enough or that they aren’t hungry. Other skinny guys come to the gym and tell me that they are eating a ton and wonder why they can’t gain weight. When we sit down and add it up it turns out that they are only eating slightly more than 2500 calories a day. And that just aint gonna cut it.
Here a few quick muscle building nutrition tips that will help you get down more calories, easily and quickly:
-Eat foods… …continue reading.
While a good belt will help you squat more and a pair of straps will help you pull more, there is actually nothing more important that you can bring to the gym than a training journal. Every time you go the gym you should have a goal in mind of beating a previous performance. If you don’t write down what you did in each and every workout you will never know what numbers you are trying to beat and will never be able to track your progress accurately. The most important principle in weight training is the oldest and most basic one and that is the principle of progressive overload. The principle of progressive overload states that if you want to get bigger and stronger you need to continually lift heavier and heavier weights over time. In order to be sure that you are following this principle you need to write down everything you do at every workout and then look back at those numbers and try to beat them in upcoming workouts.
Another reason why keeping a training journal is so important is it shows you what worked and what didn’t. Everyone is individual and thus not everything will… …continue reading.
Guns, jacks, pipes, hooks, pythons… Whatever you call them, the fact remains that most guys want bigger arms. While they are nowhere near as impressive as a big set of traps, you still don’t want to have and extra six inches of space in your shirt sleeves; that’s for sure. So the question is how to build bigger arms? The answer is not as simple as you might assume. If it were easy, you would see tons of guys walking around with 18 inch arms. But that simply isn’t the case.
It’s been said over and over again that in order to add an inch to your upper arms you need to gain ten pounds of bodyweight. This advice has become gospel and it seems that nearly everyone agrees with this these days. Real world evidence shows that this is not the case, however. Walk into any public gym on a Monday night at five o’clock and you will see quite a few skinny guys, weighing no more than 170 pounds, who are sporting decent sized arms.
Many of them probably have not gained more than 10 or 15 pounds total since they started training but they all have… …continue reading.
After what seems like a hundred years of training a million people I can unequivocally state that your results in the gym are directly proportional to your IQ. You either “get it,” or you don’t. The first time someone walks in the gym I usually have a pretty good idea of what their long term progress will be within thirty seconds of meeting them. If not, I know for sure by the end of their first workout. Their attitude, work ethic, and usually most importantly, intelligence are the telltale signs of where they will be in twelve weeks. Some may question why I put smarts before work ethic, but the fact is smart people always work hard. That’s why we call them smart.
If I demonstrate an exercise and someone can’t do it fairly well, no matter how complex the movement, within five minutes of me teaching it, they are probably never going to be a good athlete nor will they ever be one of the big dogs in the gym. That’s just how it is. This has never been proven untrue during the 15 years that I have been training people.
- Rebel Without A Pause- Public Enemy
- We’re Back- Bobby Creekwater, Cashis, Eminem, Obie Trice & Stat Quo
- Renegade- Hed PE
- Bleed it Out- Linkin Park
- PscyhoSocial- Slipknot
- War Within a Breath- Rage Against The Machine
- Fish Out of Water- Mudvayne
- Davidian- Machinehead
- Zero- Smashing Pumpkins
- Survival of the Streets- Cro Mags
- 99 Problems/ One Step Closer- Jay Z & Linkin Park
- Freedom (live)- Rage Against The Machine
- Butcher Knife Bloodbath- Jedi Mind Tricks
- What a Day- Nonpoint
- You Don’t Know- 50 Cent, Cashis, Eminem, Lloyd Banks
- Undead- Hollwood Undead
- Prophets of Rage- Public Enemy
Well, its official… After much prodding, I finally bit the bullet and joined Twitter. I will be sharing training and nutrition tips, my daily workouts and diet as well as letting you into the deep, dark recesses of my demented mind.
http://twitter.com/JasonFerruggia
See you there.
Top 3 Exercises Per Implement
Dumbbell- 1 Arm Row, Flat Dumbbell Press, Dumbbell Military Press
Bodyweight- Pistol Squat, Chin Up, Dip
Kettlebell- Clean, Snatch, Swing
Sandbag- Shouldering, Zercher Squat, Walking Lunge
Keg- Clean, Overhead Press, Snatch
Medicine Ball- Chest Pass, Soccer Throw, Rotational Throw
Log- Clean, Clean and Press, Bench Press
Suspension Straps- Pushups, Inverted Rows, Ab Fallouts
Swiss Ball- Flat Dumbbell Presses, Flat to Incline Dumbbell Presses,
Sledgehammer- Overhead Swing, Rotational Swing, Forearm Exercises
Power Wheel- Handwalking, Alligator Pushup, Pike or Ab Roll Out
Thick Ropes- Rows, Tug of War, Battling for Conditioning
Fat Bar- Curls, Timed Holds, Rack Bench Presses
Plyo Boxes- Step Ups, Depth Jumps, Box Jumps
Please leave your comments below.