Measuring strength and fitness gains

Hopefully, some / most / all of what I've been saying about my approach to fitness and training makes sense, is hitting home and is believable. But over the weekend, I decided that I needed some way to measure my progress and prove to you that my approach (again...high intensity / short duration training sessions for strength and conditioning that is applicable in daily life) is working. So, starting today, I'll be regularly sharing with you my performance on two key body weight movements: pullups and pushups.

Measurement method


I'll be tracking the maximum number of pushups I can do in 10 sets, resting 45 seconds between sets and the max pullups I can do in 5 sets, again resting 45 seconds between sets. (One note on this: I'm doing pullups on a beam in my basement, so I can't actually wrap my hands around it. Overall, I like this because it's challenging my grip more and making me functionally stronger, but I likely could get more pullups on a standard bar.)

Baseline performance (September 6, 2009)


- Pushups: 171 total in sets of 40, 25, 15, 15, 16, 13, 12, 13, 10, 12
- Pullups: 25 total in sets of 8, 5, 4, 4, 4

Every month, I'll post an update showing my progress.

The other measure I am going to begin watching is body fat percentage. I plan to buy a monitor soon and will share the baseline measurement with you all then. Over the last several months, I have been using the body fat tracking feature on our scale, but I don't know how accurate that really is (on our scale, you can step on, get one reading, get off and back on immediately and get a different reading, so...). Right now, I'm around 20-21 percent, which for a male my age (35) falls between the "good" and "fair" categories depending on what chart you look at. My goal is to get to 15 percent.

(I think body fat reduction will be my biggest challenge because it is so dependent on nutrition. While I already eat reasonably healthy, I definitely still have work to do in limiting processed foods. I also have a true Renaissance man's weakness for red wine. Nutrition isn't something I've gotten into a lot yet, but it's coming.)

Look for updates on my results in the future (again, the point is to prove that what I'm espousing works, not impress you with my numbers!). Better yet, why not join me? Establish your own baseline (and share in the comments if you are comfortable) and track your own progress. Remember, the baseline numbers don't matter at all - it's the dedication and hard work you put in to improve them that counts!

No excuses,

Jesse

6 great ways to get "accidental exercise"

Clearly, I'm a big advocate of high-intensity training sessions to improve strength, conditioning, overall health and appearance. If I had my druthers, this wouldn't be necessary because I'd be living a consistently active lifestyle like generations before us. But sadly, most of us these days are confined to 8-10 hours a day at a desk, so we're not naturally in good shape from hunting, gathering, farming and building our own shelters.

But we CAN lead more active lifestyles that will contribute to our overall fitness almost by accident. Starting today, try the following 6 no-brainer ways of getting accidental exercise. (These are really, really convenient...I'm not even going the whole "bike to work instead of driving" route...)

1. Whenever it's an option, take the stairs rather than the elevator (yes, you've heard this a million times, but I bet you don't do it)
   
2. Rather than wasting time, gas and patience looking for the closes possible parking spot, find the one farthest away and WALK (yes, you've heard this a million...well, you know)
   
3. Stand up! Standing up burns one more calorie per minute than sitting. You can go extreme with this like I have and use a standing desk rather than a typical office desk / chair set up. I was having neck pain from all the sitting (which, during the course of the day invariably became slouching...). I'm only a few days into this experiment, but the neck pain is gone and I'm finding myself more energized, focused and productive. Oh, yeah, and I'm burning 500 or so more calories at my desk. I don't expect everyone to go this route, but get out of the damn chair more!
   
4. If you're just doing a quick trip to the grocery story, carry a basket rather than pushing a carriage
5. Instead of loading up on bags when carrying in groceries, take two at a time and do more trips
6. When your kids want to be held, use them as your resistance to do curls, upright rows, swings, presses. You're getting some exercise and they'll have a blast (in fact, from my experience, you'll have a hard time getting them to let you stop!)

OK, I really wanted this post to be SEVEN ways, but a beautiful day calls, so leave a comment with your favorite to round out the list!

No excuses,

Jesse

The future of fitness training (or "Why your gym - and its trainers - suck")

I have been planning to do a post talking about why most commercial gyms and the personal trainers - or as my wife and I have always called them "rep counters" - that work at them suck. Yes, this is an over generalization. I'm OK with that.

Then I came across this post on Alwyn Cosgrove's blog from Thomas Plummer. And, you know what? I'd really struggle to say it any better than this.

Granted, this is a fitness business coach / expert writing to fitness professionals, but it is all based on what consumers are demanding.


Give it a read and let me know what you think.

No excuses,

Jesse

Sample upper and lower body strength routines

In my last post, I provided an overview of my current training split and gave you a brief, but intense sample routine to improve your conditioning. Below are examples of workouts I use on my upper and lower body days. Again, those are separate days right now, per my training split:

Saturday - conditioning
Sunday - strength / power, upper body
Monday - rest / active recovery
Tuesday - strength / power, lower body
Wednesday - conditioning
Thursday - strength / power, upper body
Friday - rest / active recovery

While conditioning days are really focused on getting the heart rate up, I'm not exactly lallygagging on strength / power days. Each pair of exercises is performed as a superset (one exercise immediate after the other, with no rest between) and then I rest approximately 30 seconds between supersets. For now, let's focus on two options for how you group your supersets (there are more, but we'll get into that down the road).

• Option 1 - pick two "opposing" movements, such us upper body pushing (for instance, overhead press or chest press) and upper body pulling (such us pullupus or rows). If you choose this option, it's best to pair exercises that are working in the same plane. So, you would pair overhead presses with pullups and chest presses with rows.
• Option 2 - use your second exercise in each superset is really meant as an "active recovery" which, in this case, means I'm using different muscles than the primary ones being trained in the first exercise. For me, that usually means some ab or posterior chain work - gotta do it anyway, might as well get it done efficiently!

Typically, I go with Option 1 on upper body days and Option 2 on lower body days. OK, on to the samples...

Upper body sample routine:

3 rounds...
1A) 1-arm db press x 4-8 reps
1B) pullup x max reps

rest 60 seconds after completing all three rounds

3 rounds...
2A) db floor press x 6-8 reps
2B) bent over db row x 6-8 reps

rest 60 seconds after completing all three rounds

2 rounds...
3A) cheat curl x 4-8 reps
3B) db shrug x 8-12 reps

2 rounds...
4) 60-second banana (just hold the banana position for 60 seconds, don't do the rocking)


Lower body sample routine

3 rounds...
1A) sandbag Zercher squat (you can also use a barbell, log, keg, whatever) x 8-12 reps
1B) hanging knee raises x max reps (make sure to get that butt up!)

rest 60 seconds

3 rounds...
2A) deadlifts (use a dumbbell, barbell, sandbag, your kid, whatever) x 4-8 reps
2B) kneeling cable crunches x 10-15 reps

rest 60 seconds

2-3 rounds...
3A) some type of hip mobility movement x 10-12 reps
3B) db swings x 10-12 reps

In what should now come as no surprise, you should get through these routines (including warm up!) in 30 minutes or so.

No excuses,

Jesse

Putting theory into practice

UPDATED with links to videos showing proper exercise form.

I've had some offline questions about how I'm actually applying the training principles I outlined in an earlier post.

So, this post will break down my current approach (as I've said, you have to change things up periodically). My training "split" looks like this:

Saturday - conditioning
Sunday - strength / power, upper body
Monday - rest / active recovery
Tuesday - strength / power, lower body
Wednesday - conditioning
Thursday - strength / power, upper body
Friday - rest / active recovery

Here is an example of a conditioning routine I did the other day. You should complete this in approximately 20 minutes, including warm up.

warm up - 60 jumping jacks, 15 bodyweight squats and 20 "huggers" (swing your arms back and across your body as if you are hugging somebody)

6 rounds (no rest between rounds)...

1A) prison squat x 20 seconds
1B) hold the "down" position x 10 seconds

rest 60 seconds

4 rounds...
2A) pushups x 20 seconds
2B) hold "up" position x 10 seconds

rest 60 seconds

2 rounds...
3A) plank x 20 sec
3B) right side plank x 10 sec
3C) plank x 20 sec
3D) left side plank x 10 sec

rest 60 seconds...

4) 60-second banana x 2 reps (in this case, just hold the banana position for 60 seconds, don't do the rocking)

rest 60 seconds

5) high knees done in a Tabata sequence (Tabata sequence is 8 rounds of 20 seconds work, immediately followed by 10 seconds rest, rinse and repeat 7 times; so, the total 8 rounds takes 4 minutes)

While 20 minutes might not seem like enough time to really "get in shape", you have to try this approach to see how effective it really is and how the results are applicable to other areas of your life. I recently ran a personal best 5K race after not having done ANY training runs in the 6 weeks leading up to race day. My conditioning was done solely through workouts like the one above. Conversely, if I had being doing "traditional" 5K training and then tried to do the workout above, I probably wouldn't have been able to complete it!

Again, keep in mind the key principles:

- high intensity, short duration
- movements that use multiple muscle groups and / or your whole body
- strength and conditioning should go together

The next post will lay out sample upper body and lower body strength / power routines.

Let me know if this was helpful. I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

No excuses,

Jesse

I am a liar!

In my post on bodyweight exercises for strength building, I promised to provide some more challenging alternatives to the suggested movements in my next post. But then I got all distracted with that productivity and efficiency debate. Anyway, if you are finding any of the 'core four' movements I suggested too easy, try mixing in some of these alternatives:

• 10 great variations on the bodyweight squat
• if you are some sort of freak who finds standard pull-ups (done properly) too easy, try muscle-ups (btw - those Bar-barian dudes are kick-ass!!)
• you could also do weighted pullups, but that's adding in some equipment
• there are TONS of ways to switch up push-ups 
• instead of sit-ups, try hanging knee raises (the mistake most people make is to not raise their butts - try it both ways and feel the difference in your core)

If you do nothing other than what these two posts contain, switching up your set / rep / interval scheme and choice of movements occasionally, you WILL get in phenomenal shape.

No excuses,

Jesse

No money, no equipment, no time? No problem!

Too many people never start strength and conditioning training because they think they don't have the time or can't afford a gym membership or are intimidated by the equipment. Others start, but then quit because they were trying really hard (or, at least, they thought they were), but not seeing the results they wanted.

Ironically, a lot of women fear achieving results that are "too good" - ladies, unless you are using steroids, you WILL NOT become bulky, Hulk Hogan-looking creatures. You will build muscle, but not like a man does. (It has to do with our hormonal and muscle fiber makeups.) And, since muscle burns more calories than fat, you will actually become leaner through strength training than through the typical "cardio" routines you probably have tried in the past. I have to tell ya, a little muscle is a lotta sexy. Don't believe me? ask your male friends if they find Nicole Richie or Jessica Biel more attractive.

The following routine will improve your strength, endurance, conditioning and appearance, can be done at home (or at the local playground), for free, with virtually no equipment other than your own body weight, and will only take 15 minutes a day, 3 days a week. (Can you find that amount of time in your schedule? If you say 'no' you are lying!)

Here's what to do: perform the following exercises back-to-back, with no rest between. For each exercise, do as many reps as you can without sacrificing proper form (check the links for videos on how to perform each movement).

- bodyweight squats
- pullups (if you don't have access to a pullup bar, use a tree limb or a sturdy beam or joist in your house)
- pushups
- sit ups

That's it.

If you are just starting out, do just one round and then add more rounds as you progress over time. You should be able to get at least 3 rounds in within 15 minutes.

If you are not used to strength training, it's possible some of you won't be able to do standard pullups or pushups. That's OK, there are some alternatives to use until you build up more strength...

If you cannot do pullups, try chinups (the underhand grip described in the video). Or use momentum, jumping up to the bar and continuing in one fluid motion (rather than starting from a dead hang). If even that is too hard, do the flexed arm hang - just grab the bar and jump up so your chin is over the bar and hold yourself in that position as long as you can, then S-L-O-W-L-Y let yourself down, fighting gravity the whole way. The goal obviously, is to progress to multiple-rep sets of proper pullups.

If you cannot do standard pushups, start off doing them from your knees.

Try it for 4 weeks and let me know how it's going. (Folks, that's a total time investment of 3 HOURS in the next month...surely your health and appearance is worth that!) Oh, and if you think you haven't really worked out if you're heart isn't beating out of your chest and you don't look like you just got out of a pool...try this and tell me how it compares to those 45 minutes on the elliptical machine.

Next post, I'll tell you some alternative versions of these core movements that you can try if you find you are not challenged enough in one area or another. In a month, we'll explore some ways to mix this routine up even more. In addition to staving off boredom and keeping your motivation high, switching things up is important because your body adapts to stimulus / stress over time and you stop making progress.

(It's worth noting that, while this is intended for beginners, it's a great change of pace or maintenance program for folks already in shape.)

No excuses!

- Jesse

What's in a name? (Or, WTF should I call the way I train?)

CrossFit, caveman, natural, underground, turbulence, renegade, HIIT...is there really a difference to these approaches to training and health?

By the letter, yes. But in essence, no.

My personal training could probably fit into most or all of these categories...or none of them perfectly. What's important isn't the details that make these systems different, but the core principles that they share. So, what are those principles?

• Using your body the way it was intended to be used. These means compound movements where all your muscle groups (or at least, multiple groups) and systems working together to squat, lunge, push, pull and rotate
• You are training for strength and conditioning you can apply in every day life. Certainly, looking better is generally a byproduct of this, but it's not the primary objective
  
• HIGH intensity, short duration of training sessions - not only is this a far more effective approach (a lot more to come on this in future posts), but it also gives you more time to spend with your family and to pursue other interests (in a well-rounded life, you, like, have other interests)
• NO "isolation" movements or machines - when is the last time in a real life scenario you needed to curl something using only your biceps power while your elbow was braced firmly against the inside of your knee? Right, I thought so
• NO long sessions of steady-state cardio (for example, an hour on the exercise bike on the same setting) - first, it's boring as all hell; second, it's woefully ineffective; and third, who has that kind of time? (My own exception to this rule is running outside. I like to run, I like to do races, so I do. If you love the elliptical machine as a hobby, I guess you should do it, but not until you've had your head checked for mental imbalances first.)
• Get outside often
• Train as naturally as you can. I try to be barefoot whenever possible and safe, I never use weight belts and straps. Expensive shoes, belts, straps, etc. are all just crutches that are actually creating imbalances and weaknesses in your body
• Variety - it stimulates the body, mind and soul
  

Again, there are details that vary between the systems I named (and others like them), but the principles above fit squarely into all of them.

It's working for me - I'm stronger, leaner, faster and have fewer aches and pains than ever before. Plus, my motivation doesn't wane and I have no excuses to not get in a great workout (I have techniques that kick my ass in as little as 8 minutes with no equipment necessary.)