The Band and Ball combo might be the best $20-25 you ever spend. Bands can be used for lower body stretching too(we'll visit this in the future), but they really lend themselves to a quick and easy, yet thorough upper body stretching program.
Always loop the band around your wrist, THEN grab it, this way if you accidentally let go, the band will still be in your hand, if not "You'll shoot your eye out!".
Pecs: Place band at shoulder level, grab and turn away, keeping the torso upright, it's more about stepping away than leaning away. Turn the palm up slowly for a deeper stretch of the pec minor.
Lats: Place band around eye level or higher(most people seem to get a deeper stretch from an overhead band). Bend at the waist, keeping the arm straight, place the opposite foot forward and angled so you are sinking back in the stretch across your body.
Overhead/Triceps: Place band at slightly lower than shoulder level. Get close to the anchor point, then turn away, keeping the elbow high and close to your ear. For a deeper stretch, step away, once again it is more about stepping away and keeping the torso upright than it is to lean forward to increase the stretch.
Biceps/Forearms: Grab the band with both hands, palms facing down, the closer your hands are to each other, the more intense the stretch. Step away and press the hips forward, keeping an upright torso(by now I sound like a broken record but hopefully you get the idea).
Adductor: Sit next to the wall, sideways, turn and lay down. Butt should be against the wall, knees straight. Let gravity do the work for you.
Quad/Hip Flexor: Drag your knee down the wall(the closer to the wall, the more intense the stretch) and raise the arm of the side of the down knee. Your other leg should be planted and bent at roughly 90 degrees.
Hamstring: Lay down, keep your bottom leg bent until your raised leg is in position, straighten the raised leg first, then straighten the bottom leg. Bend the bottom leg first when coming out of the stretch.
Piriformis: Drop one leg down onto the bench at a 90 degree angle, you can bend forward for a more intense stretch if need, just make sure you keep your back flat and chest high(don't round the back or "crunch" your abs).
Calf(Gastrocnemius): Lean forward and lead with your hips(think about pressing your waist forward not your chest), raising the knee makes it even more effective. Make sure your heel is on the ground and the ball of your foot is on the frame, foot should be at about a 45 degree angle.
These stretches should be held from 30 seconds to as long as you like. These are best performed as a cool down or totally separate from your workout, but if a muscle is particularly tight, it's ok to do a static stretch for it before working out.
So, you'e been doing your cardio, and some machines, probably some "core" but you really don't know how to, or why, you should be lifting weights. Hopefully I can clear some of that up for you. The STRONGER you get, the EASIER everything else is going to be for you. This doesn't mean that if you don't ever run, but you are strong, you will be a better runner than someone who runs all the time. It means, that whatever physical activities you partake in, adding some serious strength will really, REALLY help you out. Getting stronger also has numerous other health benefits, two really important ones being increasing bone density(staving off osteoporosis) and injury prevention(women typically have wider pelvises and shorter femurs than men and this presents an increased risk of knee injury, getting stronger and correcting mobility and postural issues can make a big difference).
I've designed this program to be very simple and easy to follow, requiring minimal equipment(some dumbbells and/or kettlebells are pretty much all you need) and sticking with basic exercises that work a bunch of muscles at the same time, teaching your body inter-muscular coordination, which is the basis for all athletic movement. As a beginner, isolation exercises are best left as part of a warm up, or as injury rehab/prehab. The main ways that the body moves are upper body pushing and pulling, lower body pushing and pulling, and structural integrity(planks, turkish get ups and various other stabilization exercises). We will include an exercise from each of these categories, and performing these exercises competently will be a great basis for future programs. Let's get on to the exercises…
Push Press:
Hold the weight at your shoulder, elbow forward, forearm vertical, dumbbell level, feet shoulder width apart, off hand out to the side for balance. With a short, quick dip, drive the legs up, as if jumping, and press the weight to lockout, finishing the exercise with upper body power. Think about pushing up and back, with your elbow ending up next to your ear. Hold it for a split second in the top position, if it's hard to keep it in place, you are probably too far forward. Do 3 sets of 5 reps(per side), on the third set do as many reps as possible, if you can get 8 or more reps, increase the weight next time.
Kettlebell Swing:
Pick up the kettlebell(or dumbbell), keep your back flat and chest high, weight on your heels. Stand all the way up. Do what we like to call a "baby swing" a smaller swing just to set up your first real swing. Keep your weight on your heels, back flat, stay relaxed in the upper body, this is NOT a shoulder raise exercise, the hips raise the weight and the arms are just along for the ride. The bell should feel weightless as it reaches shoulder height, don't fight it on the way down, let it swing freely and when it reaches the bottom, explosively "pop" your hips from bent to standing. You should feel it in your hamstrings and glutes, if you feel it in your lower back, you aren't popping your hips fast enough. Do 3 sets of 10 reps, on the third set, do as many reps as possible, if you can do more than 15 with no breakdown in form, use a heavier weight next time.
Goblet Squat:
This is a deceptively hard exercise, it doesn't take a lot of weight for it to be challenging. Hold the weight at your chest as shown in the video. Feet should be slightly wider than shoulder width, toes pointed out 15-20 degrees. Lower back is flat, as you descend, shove your knees out so they stay in line with your feet, squat BETWEEN your legs, not on top of them. Push from your heels not from the balls of your feet. You should be able to curl your toes up inside your shoes and still do this exercise properly. Go down to where the top of your thighs are parallel to the ground, or even lower. Elevating the heels slightly sometimes helps with getting deep enough, just make sure you still push from the heels. Do 3 sets of 5 reps, like the push press, if you can get 8 reps or more on the 3rd set, increase weight next time.
Body Row:
You can use a Smith Machine bar or put a bar in a power rack. The closer your feet are to being underneath the bar(and the higher the bar is), the easier it will be. Keep the body tight, flex your glutes, quads and core muscles, this helps keep the body locked in and your power will be fully applied to the rowing motion. Don't let the chin tuck or the head come forward, keep it in line with the rest of your body. Do 3 sets of 8 reps, on the 3rd set, rep out, if you can do more than 12, increase difficulty by changing bar and foot position(lower bar and feet further away from bar = harder).
Turkish Get Up:
This is an incredible exercise that almost no one does. It reveals AND corrects many movement distortions and postural imbalances. Jordan Vezina is a renowned kettlebell instructor, his tutorial is really great:
Do 1 rep per side, repeat 3 times, resting as long as you need between pairs of reps. Add weight when your current weight feels comfortable, this exercise is as much about proper movement as it is trying to use as much weight as possible.
That's it! Pretty simple, right? Simple doesn't mean easy though, work these exercises as hard as you can, adding weight whenever possible without sacrificing form. You should make rapid progress if you are new to lifting. Do this routine twice per week, for 6-8 weeks.
Write down your starting weights and log your progress, you will be shocked at how much you improve. This still leaves time and energy for yoga, cardio, pilates and whatever else you do now. Try to do this workout on it's own day, do it first if you plan to do anything else, it's not productive to strength train when fatigued from other activities. Also, during your first week of workouts, just work up to a weight that is moderately difficult and don't worry about repping out on your 3rd set, worry more about form and mechanics.
Before we get into any specific workouts, I think it's important to learn a little about movement preparation(warming up). A good warm up will not only increase body temperature and blood flow, it will also help stretch any tight muscles, put your body through its different ranges of motion, and help activate(kind of like waking up) any muscles that are somewhat relaxed and dormant.
Many people do something like a 10 minute repetitive motion cardio exercise like jogging, stair master, or (God forbid) the elliptical. This accomplishes raising body temperature and increasing blood flow, but it doesn't stretch the tight muscles and activate the lax ones. The sequences in the video do a great job of getting the heart rate up, and basically putting the body through it's paces, but without over fatiguing it.
Things I generally look for in mobility warm ups:
-Glute Activation
-Shoulder girdle stabilization/activation
-Loosening up the structures of the Lumbo-Pelvic Hip Complex(lower back, obliques, hip flexors, piriformis, biceps femoris, medial hamstrings)
-An element of balance and coordination
-Establishing good basic movement patterns for total body exercises, especially those planned for the main workout of the day.
The emphasis on dynamic mobility doesn't mean we forsake all static stretching before working out, a very effective blueprint for a typical workout session is as follows:
1. On any overly tight or sore muscles, do soft tissue work with a ball or roller, then static stretch those muscles.
2. Dynamic Mobility Warm Up as illustrated in the video
3. Strength Training
4. Conditioning(Cardio) work, if any.
5. Static Stretching cool down.
This sounds like a whole lot of stuff, but it really isn't. A person can easily squeeze all of this into a workout that is finished in under an hour.
Mobility sequences are also a great thing to do on days between workouts to aid in recovery. Happy Mobilizing!
I'd like to talk about one of the most versatile pieces of equipment found in modern health clubs, the Smith Machine. It is amazing how many cool things you can do with this one device. I'll list just a few of my favorites.
- Hanging a TRX: this is a great place to hang a TRX suspension trainer, without getting in the way of people doing barbell squats, pulls ups, deadlifts and all sorts of productive exercises. The TRX is awesome, not as awesome as heavy weights, but a good compliment to them nonetheless.
-Attaching bands for mobility and speed work: Tie your bands to the frame and stretch away! Or sprint away(don't worry you'll come back)!
-Pull Ups: When wanna-be bodybuilder bro is doing cable crossovers or some other variation of flailing around under the pull up bar, and you don't want to risk your well being or sanity being anywhere around any of that, you can do pull ups hanging from the bar on the Smith Machine.
-Push up progressions and body rows: Adjust the bar to the appropriate height and crank out some body rows or push ups, both are really great exercises when done properly.
Exercises to AVOID on the Smith Machine:
-Everything it was (erroneously)designed for: Squats, Lunges, Bench Press, Shoulder Press, basically anything where you put weights on the bar and move it. All of these exercises are better done with actual barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, the Liberty Bell, Blue Bell Ice Cream, really with ANYTHING BUT the Smith Machine.
Oh, I forgot, it's a great place to hang a towel too.
The case for Mobility and Strength work, and the case against Cardio(aka You're Doing It Wrong!!!!!!11111)
This sounds like crazy talk doesn't it? The "case against cardio"? This guy must be nuts, I mean even my out of shape upstairs neighbor knows that cardio is the most important thing in the world!
When most people start an exercise program they do it ass backwards(pretty much how uneducated people that don't seek the help of more knowledgeable people do everything but I digress). All energy is spent towards prioritizing "cardio" and little is paid to mobility work and strength training. The exception of which is yoga, where mobility is the main goal, but other aspects of fitness are largely ignored, and in a group setting, each individual's specific needs probably won't be addressed. It's great stuff but can be very inefficient time-wise.
There are almost limitless reasons as to why focusing on steady state cardio is a bad idea for virtually everyone. So why does almost everyone who starts exercising emphasize this mode of training? Ignorance, really, is the main answer. People think it burns way more calories than it actually does, and people are unaware that the best way to decrease body fat levels isn't through exercise(it helps a little) but through moderate calorie restriction. It is way more efficient to not eat 500 calories than it is to burn 500 calories.
Let's crunch some numbers. One pound of fat is 3500 calories. A typical 30 minute cardio session might burn somewhere around 300 calories. If a person did 3 workouts per week for one month, they would burn a total of 3600 calories. Congratulations, you just spent 6 hours and a month of your exercise time to burn ONE POUND OF FAT. Someone on a 500 calorie per day deficit(which is very manageable) will lose ONE POUND PER WEEK with NO EXERCISE AT ALL.
Don't get me wrong, I am not against people doing some steady state cardio work, especially if they really enjoy it, or need it for sport specific reasons. I am however, against making it the focus of your training under some false hopes that it will get you a more balanced, leaner, "healthier" body without paying attention to caloric intake or doing mobility and strength work. Usually you will end up skinny fat, weak, with all sorts of recurring injuries based on your repetitive and faulty movement patterns and muscle imbalances.
When I train a new client who is de-conditioned, I really hammer the mobility work, I want to make sure everything on their body is working like it should before we tackle higher intensity stuff. This doesn't mean we don't train for strength almost from the get go because we do. Strength training will help solve these movement and postural dysfunction, and often helps to uncover them(having a beginner do squats, get ups and swings will tell me A LOT about their body). What I don't have them do is cardio work. Why not? Well if they aren't moving well, are weak, and haven't done any exercise, why would I want this person doing a repetitive movement pattern that won't make their body any stronger or more resilient? Also, the weight training we do will have a bit of a cardio effect as far as cardiovascular fitness is concerned(ever done a set of 15 kettlebell swings?). We have to lay a proper foundation of movement and strength before we go onto other things.
When I talk about mobility work, I mean everything from a general movement prep warm-up, to static stretching and SMR(self-myofascial release with a ball or roller). Also under the realm of mobility is posture, and uncovering any movement and/or postural imbalances. Think about it this way, if your body isn't moving correctly, using the right muscles at the right time, eventually muscle imbalances occur and injury will be inevitable. Proper posture, movement patterns, and avoiding dysfunctions in these areas are the proper foundation for all other activities.
When it's broken down into simple terms, isn't this approach sound and logical? When a person is deprogrammed from the false belief that cardio training is responsible for fat loss, and made aware of how important it is to eliminate dysfunction from their body, they are well on their way to success in their fitness endeavors.
Let's look at the two vastly different programming models and figure out which one you would rather operate under:
Model 1: Typical Gym Going(thru the motions) Normal Person
-does tons of cardio, like literally can't get enough of that elliptical!
-probably adds a lot of what they think is "core" work
-uses machines because they don't want to get "too big", they strangely weren't concerned about ice cream causing the same effect
-possibly does a few stretches here and there, but nothing that is science or evidenced based, and mostly as an afterthought
If this person pays attention to their diet, they will get leaner, but will still be weak(think about your older age and osteoporosis if you aren't sure why being weak is bad), have a lot of aches and pains from a program that puts wear and tear on their body(lower back pain, knees hurting, etc). People also look at their butt and are generally disappointed.
Model 2: Smart, Hard Working, Kick Ass Renaissance Chick
-mobilizes effectively
-lifts heavy things
-does interval conditioning and steady state cardio as needed
If this person pays attention to their diet, their butt will have the power to rule nations and when you wave goodbye to them, their hand is the only part of their arm that waves back to you.
*I realize some of this is redundant if you have already read my initial entry, but these are fundamentals that literally can't be read enough.
Lift and Get Hot. Female Beauty through Strength Training. Say what? Let me break it down into the simplest of terms:
Women who eat correctly and train hard with weights look really, really good.
That's the gist of it. Like it or don't like it but embrace it and believe it, for it is certain.
The devil is in the details(and probably some lululemon tights) but at it's core, that is probably the most correct statement you will ever hear espoused from any so called fitness expert(such as myself), so I will repeat it:
Women who eat correctly and train hard with weights look really, really good.
So, if I make a statement that says X+Y=Z I had probably better at least attempt to define what constitutes X, Y, and Z.
Let's start with X, eating correctly. Without going into excessive detail, as there are countless sites and blogs dedicated exclusively to this, I will say it has to do with eating the correct number of calories(if you are overweight this means less than you eat now) and right amount of protein(probably more than you eat now). The rest is somewhat important but nowhere near as important as those 2 factors, run from anyone telling you differently especially if they are pushing an agenda like veganism or "clean" eating or mention anything about "cleansing" or "toxins".
Now on to Y, what constitutes training "hard" with weights? My definition is training full body, multi joint movements, and trying to get as strong as possible at them. Squats, deadlifts, rows, presses, kettlebell exercises like swings and get ups, or dragging a sled with as much weight as you can move. I think you get the idea. Notice I did not include anything machine related or small isolation movements like curls or standing on a bosu ball pressing pink 5 pound dumbbells.
When I train female clients I use body weight exercises, med balls, the TRX, bands, gymnastic rings, sandbags, all sorts of things for conditioning/core work, but the foundation is laid with heavy, basic weight training. It comes back to the basic idea: Lift some heavy s**t on a regular basis and you will look better.
We've covered X and Y, so now onto the hard part, Z. This is of course subjective and there are many body types and looks that most people will consider attractive. Most of these come down to a lean, athletic body, which is what lifting heavy and eating properly will certainly give you. The following is one of my favorite quotes(and there are many) of noted author Mark Rippetoe:
"The fact is that aesthetics are best obtained from training for performance. In both architecture and human beauty, form follows function. Always and everywhere, the human body has a certain appearance when it performs at a high level, and depending on the nature of that high-level performance, this appearance is usually regarded as aesthetically pleasing, for reasons that are DNA-level deep. The training through which high-level performance is obtained is the only reliable way to obtain these aesthetics, and the only exceptions to this method of obtaining them are the occasional genetically-gifted freaks-people who look like they train when they were just born lucky. As a general rule, if you want to look like a lean athlete-the standard that most active people strive to emulate-you have to train like an athlete, and most people lack the "sand" for that."
Women lack the testosterone to build huge muscles, the women you see with huge muscles are hormonally more male than I am(ie they are on PED's). Women who train hard with weights generally arrive at two outcomes:
1. A disciplined woman who eats correctly will get smaller and firmer/tighter almost proportionally with her increases in strength.
2. A less disciplined woman who has a hard time managing her caloric intake will get stronger and generally stay at the same body fat levels depending on how bad her eating is.
Both of these outcomes compare favorably to their counterparts who base their workout routine on "cardio" and don't lift weights.
1. A disciplined eater who does a lot of cardio will be lean, but they will usually have a flimsy body(typically skinny-fat), bad movement patterns(and posture) and be susceptible to injury(as well as a stiff wind knocking them over).
2. A non-disciplined eater who does a cardio based program(this is the standard person in a commercial gym that just doesn't get any noticeable results at all despite exercising frequently) will just keep being overweight AND have the movement and postural dysfunctions and imbalances, talk about a lose/lose situation!
