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3 Rules for Building Strength Without Weights

3 Rules for Building Strength Without Weights

Listen, you’ll have no problem putting on some serious strength and size without hitting the weights… as long as you know how to PROGRAM your training.

As you may or may not know, my “thing” is training for muscle and strength with body weight – and so I wanted to give you three “rules” to help you accomplish this goal.

Follow these rules, and you’ll be on your way to getting big and strong with bodyweight exercise … neglect them, and you’ll likely have a hard time reaching your goals.

3 Rules for Building Strength Without Weights

1 – Stick to the basics

Cool calisthenics moves and tricks are AWESOME – my personal goal list for the year includes these exercises:

– solid clutch flag on both sides
– elbow lever
– free handstand

And a few more.

HOWEVER … when it comes to actually gaining STRENGTH and MUSCLE, these moves are not going to help a ton. They are more “skill” oriented … and are GREAT exercises … but not perfect for getting big and strong.

To gain muscle and get strong with your own body weight, you need to be focusing on things like:

– push ups and advanced variations
– pull ups and advanced variations
– squats and advanced variations
– jumping
– sprinting

2 – Do the “right” amount of volume

If you are training for skill – practicing handstands is a great example – you want to go LOW reps, and do a lot of them, frequently, and NOT to failure. It’s like PRACTICE more than anything.

But let’s say you’re going for hypertrophy, like we do in phase one of Body Weight Strong … you want to pound those muscles with some volume.

Now, you don’t have to go old-school, “golden age” bodybuilder-style and do thirty sets for each body part … but here is an example of what a workout might look like:

(...NOTE: workout does not include warm up, skill work, metabolic “finisher” at the end, etc...)

push up / one arm push up progression – 30-45 seconds, as many reps as possible
+
vertical jump progression – 30-45 seconds, as many reps as possible

four sets total of each move

THEN

pull up progression progression – 30-45 seconds, as many reps as possible
+
squat / one leg squat progression – 30-45 seconds, as many reps as possible

four sets total of each move

3 – Higher reps for size, “medium” reps for strength

A lot of folks think these two things are one in the same … and while there is without a doubt a relationship between the two, training to get big is actually different than training to get strong.

As you can see in the workout above, you end up getting around 8-12 reps of each exercise … this is generally best for that muscle size goal.

If you’re going for STRENGTH … like we do in phase TWO of Body Weight Strong … you want to move towards a little lower in the rep range, like 3-5 ish … this is best for raw strength.

Boom! Your three “rules” of body weight strength.

Train hard, and until next time -

by Forest Vance
Author, Body Weight Strong

How to Avoid Growing Man Boobs

How to Avoid Growing Man Boobs

By Brian Klepacki, MS, CSCS, CISSN, FMS
From optimaxperformance.com

Aug 11,2015

Clearwater, Florida




We’ve all seen them. Man Boobs. Maybe you have them but I can be sure you don’t want them. Interestingly enough this is medically diagnosed condition known as gynecomastia.
Gynecomastia is triggered by a decrease in the amount of the hormone testosterone compared with estrogen. The prevalence of gynecomastia peaks between the ages of 50 and 80. At least 1 in 4 men in this age group are affected.

When we hear the word estrogen we quickly think of Lifetime, you know, that estrogen laden TV channel where it’s always the man’s fault… But don’t be so quick to judge this hormone for all of your misery because the truth is, estrogen is found in every man and in some cases higher levels than what is deemed normal.

Gynecomastia (a.k.a. man boobs) is caused when estrogen levels are out of balance with testosterone levels. This imbalance simply leads to the growth of breast tissue in men over time. Now this condition isn’t just an issue with aging men and it’s not always externally influenced.

This condition occurs is more than half of male infants due to the effects of their mother’s estrogen level. Generally, the newborn’s swollen breast tissue goes away with two to three weeks after birth. Swollen breast tissue can also occur in males experiencing puberty.
This is relatively common since the body is being pushed through a vortex of hormonal changes. This side effect from puberty will naturally go away within six month to two years.
However for most men, gynecomastia is often a preventable condition. Now we should know by now that men cannot escape estrogen because it is naturally occurring in the body but we can limit estrogen exposure by avoiding these 5 things throughout our day.

1) Beer

Pounding a six-pack of beer every night is bad enough for weight gain but can also lead to the growth of man boobs. Phytoestrogens (compounds that mimic true estrogen in the body) are present in the hops used to make beer, and are also found in other plants involved in the making of alcoholic beverages.

Alcohol is toxic. There’s no other word that can describe alcohol. It is pure toxic and the list of harmful effects on the body is lengthy. Alcohol negatively affects the liver in multiple ways.

Gynecomastia has been associated with liver disease (cirrhosis). The liver is largely responsible for metabolizing hormones, and if there is any disruption in the proper function of it, the liver will convert many androgens into estrogens, which will result in the growth of breast tissue.

2) Cigarettes
Just like alcohol, there is nothing good that comes from cigarette smoking… unless you are in the family line of Philip Morris. If yellow teeth, nasty breath, ugly skin, and a raspy voice aren’t good enough reasons to quit smoking then maybe this will be the kicker.

Lung cancer is among the most common reasons for cancer-related breast growth- and is also, of course, one of the most preventable forms of cancer. Cancers can produce hormones for their own benefit and growth, which can result in hormone imbalances and in turn accelerate the growth of breast tissue.

3) Getting High

I don’t care if you are in favor of legalizing weed in your state. This isn’t a right-side/left-side debate. This is the truth. Marijuana is not acceptable… at least as far as your chest is concerned. Abusing weed (as well as other drugs like heroine, amphetamines, and methadone) is plausible to increasing the amount of breast tissue in men.

Given that gynecomastia is a result from a hormone imbalance, some studies suggest that marijuana depresses testosterone levels for up to 24 hours which ultimately affects the estrogen:testosterone balance.

Unfortunately the exact mechanism isn’t yet known on how this works but until that time comes, stop smoking weed, and protect your testosterone (and your brain) just in case research does prove this to be true.

4) Not Eating Enough

This might sound like a no-brainer but make sure you eat enough throughout your day. Habitually depriving yourself of adequate nutrition will cause your testosterone levels to drop and the unfortunate part is that your estrogen levels stay the same.

Now while some men will develop man boobs during this time of food skimping, some men won’t grow boobs until their nutrition levels and caloric intake returns back to normal. This phenomenon was first noted in 1945 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

This epidemic was commonly referred to as “refeeding gynecomastia” and was seen when war prisoners (men) during World War II were liberated. These men grew breast tissue within a few weeks of resuming a normal, healthy diet.

Yes this is an extreme situation that might not ever be replicated again; you can take the same mechanisms and apply them today with crazy work schedules, stress, or sickness. Significant weight loss and malnutrition are often accompanied by hyopgonadism 
(decreased testosterone production). It is easy to skimp on eating properly so do yourself a favor and never miss a meal fully loaded with nutrients (and of course protein).

5) Herbal Products

Before you go lathering up with your wife’s shampoo, read its label. A recent study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that when applied topically, tea tree oil and lavender oil can cause gynecomastia. In pure form, these oils mimic estrogen activity and slow the effects of androgen hormones in the body.

So there you have it men. Make sure to avoid these 5 things during your daily routine and you’ll be in better control of your chest.

Brian Klepacki, MS, CSCS, CISSN, FMS
http://themenshealthdaily.com/man-boobs

Beginners Pull Up Workout Tutorial Week 1 strength training for pull ups...

Single Leg Bridge Exercise

The single leg bridge exercise is a great way to isolate and strengthen the gluteus (butt) muscles and hamstrings (back of the upper leg). If you do this exercise correctly, you will also find that it is a very powerful core strengtheningtechnique.

In order to hold the pelvis level throughout the exercise, you need to contract both the abdominal and lower back muscles. Use this exercise for a unique twist on the traditionalcore and abdominal strengthening exercises.

How to Do the Single Leg Bridge Exercise

• Lay on your back with your hands by your sides, your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Make sure your feet are under your knees.
• Tighten your abdominal and buttock muscles.
• Raise your hips up to create a straight line from your knees to shoulders.

• Squeeze your core and try to pull your belly button back toward your spine.
• Slowly raise and extend one leg while keeping your pelvis raised and level. If your hips sag or drop, place the leg back on the floor and do a double leg bridge until you become stronger.

The goal is to maintain a straight line from your shoulders to your extended leg and hold for 20 to 30 seconds. You may need to begin by holding this bridge position for a few seconds and switching sides. It's better to hold the correct position for a shorter time than to go longer in the incorrect position.

If you can't hold this position, begin with the basic Bridge Exercise to build strength and then progress to the one-leg bridge.

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/strengthtraining/qt/onelegbridge.htm

The Basic Bridge Exercise for a Better Butt

The Basic Bridge Exercise for a Better Butt

The bridge exercise is a great way to isolate and strengthen the gluteus (butt) muscles and hamstrings (back of the upper leg). If you do this exercise correctly, you also will find that it is a good core stability and strengthening exercise that targets the abdominal muscles as well as the muscles of lower back and hip. Finally, the bridge exercise is considered a basic rehab exercise to improve core and spinal stabilization.



How to Do the Bridge Exercise

Lay on your back with your hands by your sides, your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Make sure your feet are under your knees.
Tighten your abdominal and buttock muscles.
Raise your hips up to create a straight line from your knees to shoulders.

Squeeze your core and try to pull your belly button back toward your spine.
If your hips sag or drop, lower yourself back on the floor.
The goal is to maintain a straight line from your shoulders to your knees and hold for 20 to 30 seconds. You may need to begin by holding the bridge position for a few seconds as you build your strength. It's better to hold the correct position for a shorter time than to go longer in the incorrect position.
If you find the basic Bridge Exercise too easy, you may want to move up to the One-leg Bridge Exercise.

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/strengthtraining/qt/bridge-exercise.htm

5 Tricks for the Best Nap Ever

5 Tricks for the Best Nap Ever

When it's noon, it's naptime

Naps used to get a bad rap, conjuring up all sorts of unfortunate—and unfair—images of slackers, rambunctious kindergarteners in need of time outs, and AARP members looking to rest their weary bones.

Not anymore. A 2013 Gallup Poll revealed that 40% of Americans get less than the recommended seven hours of sleep a night; what’s more 43% admitted they’d feel better if they got more sleep. So it makes sense that we’d try to catch some extra zzz’s whenever (and sometimes wherever) we can.

And more and more people are doing just that. Companies like Google, Ben & Jerry’s and Proctor and Gamble encourage employees to take nap breaks. The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is one of several colleges to set up rooms for napping. (Located in the school’s library, UM’s nap station is equipped with vinyl cots, disposable pillowcases, and a 30-minute time limit.) And Barclays PLC, a global financial group, got some unwanted publicity last year, when the Wall Street Journal revealed that exhausted interns were slipping into stalls to take “toilet naps,”using their phones as an alarm. And then there’s Google Naps, a parody of Google Maps, which can tell you the best places in your cityto catch a few winks—from libraries to park benches.

Before you Type A’s get all judgy, know this: Feeling sleepy before bedtime is completely normal. Our body’s internal biological clock (otherwise known as circadian rhythm), which regulates our physical, mental, and emotional changes 24/7, also controls our wakefulness. According to research from Harvard Medical School, we usually feel alert during the day then gradually become sleepy as we move toward evening. But some of us experience a bout of mid-afternoon drowsiness, and a quick snooze can be just the ticket for handling that fuzzy feeling.

What’s more, studies show that there is a virtual laundry list of benefits to be had from nabbing some shut-eye (hey, they don’t call it a power nap for nothing). Among them: A nap can boost brain power,make you more alert, and improve your memory. Oh, it can also help your waistline: lack of sleep can trigger hunger and could lead to overeating.

And now that the weather’s turned ridiculously cold (in the some parts of the country, anyway), can you think of a better time to indulge in a little cozy midday shut-eye? Here’s how to get the most from hibernating:

Find the middle ground

As with many things in life, timing is everything. “Basically, the best time for a nap is as close to the middle of the day as possible,” says Michael Grandner, PhD, psychiatry instructor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. “Before lunch is too early,” says Grander. “Lie down too late in the day and it will interfere with your nighttime sleep. Now it’s getting darker earlier and daylight has shifted, so probably not before noon and not after 3:00.”

Keep it brief

Telling yourself, “I’ll lay down for however long I sleep” is not a great idea. You need figure out a set length of time for your nap and set the alarm. Ideally, a power nap should be 20 to 30 minutes. “You can go to 60 minutes, though once you go beyond 30 minutes, you get diminishing returns as far as improving brain function and reaping other benefits from your nap,” says Grandner. Plus, he says, if you extend your nap past 60 minutes, you’ll enter into a deeper (or slow-wave) stage of sleep and might wake up feeling groggy—which could affect how the rest of your day goes.

Sack out on the sofa

Your bed signals to your body that you’re nodding off for the night and can put you in a nighttime sleep mode. What you’re looking for, says Grandner, is a place that’s comfy, but not too comfy. The couch is your friend.

Keep it quiet

Be protective of your sleep space, says Grandner. You’re looking for a place that’s as quiet as possible (consider a white noise machine or ear plugs to drown out any noise). It should be dark enough to close your eyes, but not pitch dark. “You don’t want to confuse your brain into thinking you’re retiring for the night,” says Grandner. The temperature shouldn’t be too hot or cold—slightly cool is ideal for maximum comfort. (If you’re too hot or too cold, your body has to regulate its temperature, which might make it hard to relax.)

Coordinate the caffeine

It might seem counter-intuitive, but a 2003 Japanese study found that downing a cup of Joe right before settling down can contribute to a restful nap. Here’s why: Caffeine doesn’t kick in until about 20 to 30 minutes after it’s ingested. So you’ll wake up just as the coffee is taking effect—and feel wonderfully refreshed.

Simply resting can help, too

Looking for a doze at work? Grandner assures that rest, even without sleep, can be beneficial. Just relax, close your eyes, take deep breaths, and you’ll perk back up in 20 to 30 minutes. In fact, we may have found just the thing to help you wind down during your 9-to-5: Meet the Nutshell sleep pod, a wearable sack of blissful solitude, designed by a resourceful student at the New York School of Visual Arts. It’s just a prototype right now, but fingers crossed. (Hey, it beats hanging out in a restroom stall, right?)

http://time.com/3616535/napping-best-nap/