Training

3 Old-School Exercises That No One in Their Right Mind Would Try Today

Like bad 80’s shoulder pads and frosted tips, some exercises go out of style—and for good reason. Here are the exercises trainers would never recommend you do nowadays, and their safer, more-effective alternatives.

STOMACH SLAPS

Some trainers thought that hitting the stomach of someone performing crunches would cause them to brace their core, creating a tighter muscle contraction.

The idea was that this would lead to better-looking abs, but the only people who might find it useful are MMA fighters because they actually take hits in the breadbasket,

Better option: The hollow-body hold

Try the hollow-body hold if you want a serious punch to the gut—in a good way.

“It’s a stability exercise used by elite gymnasts to build extreme core strength,”  And it works. After all, how many gymnasts have you seen without high-definition abs?

Do it: Lie on your back on the floor or a mat with your legs straight and your arms down by your side. Bend your knees and lift your feet until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor.

At the same time, contract your abs, raise your head and shoulders blades so they no longer touch the floor, and lift your hands a couple of inches so they hover next to your body.

To progress the movement, straighten out your legs so they are a few inches above the ground. Your body should form one long line.

To take it up another level, reach your arms over your head so your body forms a banana shape. Hold this position.

BEHIND-THE-NECK PULLDOWN

The movement was originally used to zero in on the upper-back and shoulders. But trainers soon found out that the exercise puts your shoulder joints and upper spine in an awkward position, increasing your potential of injury to those areas.

“The risk definitely doesn’t outweigh the benefit,”

Better option: Front pulldown

You’ll minimize your injury risk, and maximize your muscle activation.

Do it: Sit down in a lat pulldown station and grab the bar with an overhand grip that’s just beyond shoulder width. Without moving your torso, pull the bar down to your chest as you continue to squeeze your shoulder blades. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position.

BARBELL TWIST

“Apparently, loading a barbell on your shoulders and twisting back and forth was supposed to work your obliques,”  But it’s actually more likely to damage your spine or knock out another gym patron, he says.

While your obliques play a role in bending and twisting your torso, they actually work harder when you try to resist movement to protect your spine—so that’s how you should work them.

Better option: Band-resisted anti-rotational press

Your obliques won’t twist during the band-resisted anti-rotational press. Instead, they must keep your torso from rotating against the pull of the band.

Do it: Grab a continuous-loop exercise band and tie it around a vertical post so it’s just below shoulder height. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the right side of your body facing the post.

Pull the band in front of you so it’s even with the middle of your chest. Holding it in both hands, take a step or two away from the post to create more tension in the band.

Extend your arms out in front of you, pressing the band away from your body. Pause, and then reverse the movement to return to the starting position.

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The Exercises You Should Do Every Day

These three moves will help you look better and feel better

There are some exercises that you just can’t get enough of. Three such examples: wall slides, thoracic rotations, and single-leg hip raises. Unusual names, yes. But while you may not be familiar with these moves, chances are, you should be doing them every day. Why? Because they help offset the toll that working on a computer—or even a mobile device—takes on your body. Specifically, that toll is poor posture, which frequently leads to neck, shoulder, and back pain. And because sitting and slumping as you type, surf, or text can consume hours of your day, the more frequently you perform these moves, the better. The best part: You can do these no-weight, no-sweat exercises anywhere.

Exercise 1. Wall Slides
Stop what you’re doing right now, and imagine that there’s a string attached from the ceiling to your chest. Now imagine that the string is being tightened, pulling your chest closer towards the ceiling. If you were sitting with good posture, your chest wouldn’t rise much. But if you’re like most people, you just raised up a few inches. (You can also remind yourself to sit as tall as you can.) This is a good way to see how much you slump. And if you do, you should start doing an exercise called the wall slide immediately.

For best results, do 10 to 15 reps of this exercise up to three times a day. (It’s easy to do in your office, and a great warmup before you lift weights.) Yes, it looks simple—and it is. But you’ll love how good it makes your shoulders and upper back feel.

2. Hip Raises
It’s not just slumping that hurts your posture. Simply sitting can be harmful, too. For instance, when you sit constantly—as most of us do—the muscles on the fronts of your hips become short and tight. What’s more, your glutes—or butt muscles—actually forget how to contract. (Think about it: With so much chair time, they’re not being used for much of anything except padding for your hipbones.) Now, the combination of tight muscles on the front of your hips and weak muscles on your backside causes your pelvis to tilt forward. This pushes your lower abdomen outward, making your belly pooch out—even if you don’t have an ounce of fat. Worse, it also puts more stress on your lumbar spine, which can lead to low-back pain.

But the single-leg hip raise can help. It strengthens your glutes and teaches them how to contract again—which helps allow your pelvis to move back in its natural alignment. Do 5 to 6 reps for each leg, holding the top position of the exercise for 3 to 5 seconds.

3. Thoracic Rotation
Like wall slides, this is another great exercise for your upper body posture. Just look around your office: See anyone with a hunch in his upper back? (Make sure to take an honest look in the mirror, too.) Compare his posture to that of Superman. The difference should jump at you: Superman has his chest up and shoulders pulled back; your colleague is just the opposite. The reason is simple: Your muscles and connective tissue tend to “set” in the position your body is in the most often.

Now you can’t fix 8 hours of slumping with just one exercise. But you can counteract some of the daily damage using thoracic rotation. This exercise helps “mobilize” your upper back by rotating at your thoracic spine. (That’s where the name comes from.) This helps restore natural, healthy posture. It also feels really good! Do 10 reps on each side. Frequently.

 

By Adam Campbell

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The “717” Rule (rapid fatloss)

The following 7 days were designed to make you lose fat rapidly.

No matter your body type, if you are currently consuming a lot of sauces, vegetables, fruits, carbs, or any other form of sugar, I have an excitingly easy and approachable way for you to lose fat in the next 7 days.  I’m not a nutritionist, so this is simply my own experience and experience I’ve had with clients that decided to give it a try — without fail so far, it works.

It’s called the “717 Rule,” and it’s quickly becoming recognized as the easiest-to-understand and most rapid fat loss 7 day diet — here are the only things you have to remember and follow for the next week:

  • No more than 7 grams of sugar per day
  • No more than 17 grams of carbohydrates per day
  • Day 7 is a Cheat Day (eat anything you want, but no trans fats or preservatives)

That’s it — super simple, and amazingly effective.

Reset your body’s relationship with sugar, strategically consume sugar and other carbohydrates every 7 days, and allow your body the opportunity to repair insulin sensitivity rapidly.

Every day add an Alive workout……….

That’s it..

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3 Nutrition Tricks that Target Your Trouble Spots

by Bruce and Janet Krahn
Trouble Spot Training & Nutrition Experts

 
Trouble Spot Nutrition Trick #1: Cycle Your Calories
(STOP eating the SAME amount of calories every day)

It’s no secret that in order to lose fat your body needs to be in a calorie deficit each day (burning off more calories than you’re consuming).

Conversely, in order to build muscle your body requires a calorie surplus (taking in more than you’re burning off).

However, eating the same amount of calories day in and day out when trying to lose fat can quickly result in adaptations, making it impossible to lose weight… OR gain muscle.

The solution is to “cycle” your calories. For example:

-> Weight Training Days = Calorie Surplus (12-15 x Lean Body Mass)
-> Cardio or Diet Days = Calorie Deficit (8-10 x Lean Body Mass)

This will keep your thyroid activity (T4-T3 conversion) efficient and leptin sensitivity high – all while helping you maintain the proper estrogen to testosterone ratio necessary for fat loss and
muscle gains.

Trouble Spot Nutrition Trick #2: Cycle Your Macronutrients
(STOP eating the SAME amount of carbs, proteins, and fats every day)

All calories are NOT created equal.

Proteins, fats and carbs are all metabolized differently by the body and each produces a unique hormonal response…

… Especially when it comes to the hormone insulin.

IMPORTANT: Some people are more “sensitive” to the actions of insulin, while some are more “resistant”.

If you have stubborn fat areas or trouble spots that won’t budge no matter how hard you try, you are likely insulin resistant, which means you would benefit greatly from replacing your “healthy” carbs such as rice and potatoes with healthy fats.

When this is done the right way it can make your body become more insulin sensitive, resulting in greater fat loss and more lean, calorie burning muscle – especially in stubborn body parts.

Trouble Spot Nutrition Trick #3: Cycle Your Food Choices
(STOP eating the SAME types of foods every day)

Food allergies are extremely common these days.

Eating foods which you are allergic to can increase levels of inflammation causing your adrenal glands to secrete more cortisol.

This in turn increases insulin and blood sugar levels causing your body to hold on to and deposit fat, rather than allowing you to access your stubborn fat for energy.

The best way for you to avoid developing food allergies is to rotate your food selections.

A few tips that will help is to avoid eating the same types of proteins back-to-back, while reducing or eliminating wheat and dairy – the two most common food allergens.

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5 Reasons that I Think Treadmill and Elliptical Machine Workouts are a Waste of Time

Plus 10 workout ideas that I believe are more effective and fun!

by Mike Geary,

Now that I made all of the treadmill and elliptical machine worshipers angry… let me say that if you truly enjoy mindlessly pumping away on a treadmill or elliptical (or exercise bike for that matter too), then by all means, keep doing what you enjoy, because enjoying your exercise is one of the most important aspects to sticking with any exercise program…

However, don’t say that I didn’t warn you that you were wasting your time with all that mindless cardio machine boredom.

If I haven’t mentioned it before, I don’t believe in cardio machines, and to be quite honest, I don’t think I’ve personally used a treadmill, elliptical, or exercise bike for at least the last 10 years or so.

As a matter of fact, I don’t even use cardio machines anymore for warmups before a workout (I did before occasionally)… Nowadays, I prefer to do dumbbell orkettlebellsnatches and swings mixed with bodyweight exercises as the perfect full body warmup at the beginning of my workouts.
So why do I have such hatred for cardio machines?  Well, here are 5 reasons:

1) Treadmills, ellipticals, and exercise bikes are mind-blowingly BOOOORING!  Personally, I can think of a million things I’d rather be doing than pedaling my way to nowhere!

2) Mindless steady state cardio exercise while watching TV or reading creates a mind / body disconnect resulting in poor results from your exercise routine.  Instead of reading a gossip magazine or watching a cheesy reality TV show on the TV screen in front of the cardio machine, a REAL workout consists of actually having your mind engaged strongly in what your body is doing!

3) I’ve seen studies that indicated that treadmill running may be less effective than outdoor running for various reasons such as stride abnormalities on treadmills vs natural running, slightly less caloric burn compared to outdoor running, etc.

…although I never recommend just “jogging” anyway (or as Ron Burgundy would say, “yogging”) … Instead, variable intensity walks / runs or sprints are so much more effective, training your heart rate in a much wider range instead of just the same pace during the entire workout.  I choose to do a lot of hiking up mountains and also sprinting, but never steady state jogging.

4) Treadmills and ellipticals are ridiculously expensive and a waste of money for people that workout at home… there’s so many better options for home workouts you could have spent your money on rather than wasting it on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical.

The perfect home gym setup is MUCH cheaper… there’s no reason you need anything other than a jump rope, bodyweight exercises, a few dumbbells, stability ball, maybe a few kettlebells (if you want to get fancy), and perhaps high tension bands for some more variety.  And of course… the great outdoors has some of the best workout options of all… hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, skiing, sports, and more!

5) Treadmills and elliptical machines are just a very ineffective way to workout compared to other options.  The metabolic response is much lower compared to the types of workouts ideas that I describe below.  Why should you do treadmill or elliptical workouts when you can get better results by doing more interesting forms of training that actually stimulate a fat-burning hormonal response and stimulate your metabolism to a greater extent…

So what are the alternatives to treadmills, exercise bikes, and elliptical trainers? Here are TEN of my favorite types of alternative workouts:

  1. jumping rope – great mind-body connection – try speed jumping, crossovers, and double jumps once you get skilled at it.  An amazing metabolic exercise with one of the cheapest pieces of equipment available.  There’s a reason that every world class boxer uses this exercise!
  2. kettlebell training – nothing will get your heart pounding like high repetition KB swings and snatches or clean & presses (can be done with dumbbells too, but I prefer KBs).  Personally, I think one of the most intense body changing exercises ever invented are double kettlebell snatches (snatching both kettlebells at the same time overhead from the floor).
  3. outdoor wind sprinting (the ultimate exercise for a rock hard ripped body… just look at the chiseled powerful bodies of world class sprinters, and compare that to the weakling withered physique of a typical marathoner… nuff said!  I generally do wind sprints 2-3 days a week during the warm times of the year, and I’ll do something such as 50 yards, 60 yards, 70 yards, 80 yards, 90 yards, 100 yards, and then repeat (with about 40-60 second rests between sprints).  By the way, for the international folks, a “yard” is just slightly shorter than a meter.
  4. hill sprinting – yet another classic exercise for a rock hard lean and powerful body!  I like to do 30 yard sprints up a steep hill and then walk down and repeat a bunch of times for maybe 20-30 minutes.  Amazing workout.
  5. The rowing machine – ok, I don’t really lump this in as a “cardio” machine like treadmills and ellipticals… I think the rowing machine is actually a great full body workout that actually uses resistance… The best results come from using variable speeds and really pulling hard to challenge your body.
  6. Sprint style swimming workouts – a more muscular workout than steady state distance swimming… I actually love the upper body pump I get from sprint style swimming — this is the same concept as sprinting vs jogging but in a pool instead.  It’s all about intensity!
  7. heavy bag punching / kicking workout, speed bag, rebound bag – all are great forms of training and much more interesting than boring cardio machines.  These exercises are also great examples of exercises that require an intense mind-body connection, which is missing in boring cardio equipment like treadmills and elliptical machines.
  8. shadow boxing – This is an awesome workout, but if you’re shy, this is best saved for your home workouts since you’ll get some crazy stares doing this at a typical gym from people who think they’re “too cool” for stuff like this.
  9. dumbbell circuits — This is a super metabolic type of workout that involves alternating between various full-body multi-joint exercises to get a crazy fat-burning workout in minimal time.  A good example would be alternating between dumbbell lunges, overhead presses, bent over rows, step ups, and squat presses all with minimal rest between.
  10. bodyweight training – bodyweight squats, pushups, lunges, jumps, bear crawls, mountain climbers and jumpers, planks, and the list goes on and on.  Another example of great mind-body connection and much more metabolic type of training than treadmills and ellipticals.

Well, I hope this article helps give you ideas on how you can get away from all of these mindless and ineffective treadmill and elliptical trainer machines (and exercise bike) workouts that are just wasting your time and energy that could be better spent on more effective workouts.

If you want maximum results, it’s all about your intensity levels and also your mind-body connection… and that all important mind-body connection is usually missing when it comes to elliptical and treadmill workouts, that most people do while watching TV or reading.

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