Push-Up Training

Push-ups are one of the most effective and versatile exercises you can do.  Even if you're stuck in a hotel room, prison cell or bunker, you can do push-ups. 

Trouble with your push-ups?  Try this technique that we've developed at FEAT.  When you're at the bottom of your push-up - raise your hands slightly off the floor.

Raising your hands like this forces you to bottom-out completely.  You will develop a stronger push-up that no one will question.  Once you're strong, you can quit the hand-raising and just blast out good push-ups.  Twice weekly do 1 set of as many good push-ups as you can.

You also need good core strength.  When you do a push-up you are basically moving into a high plank.  So practice your planks.

 

If you can't lock your core when you're doing a push-up it just looks really sad.  Practice planks regularly through the week.  Challenge yourself regularly to reach a new maximum amount.

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Tom

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Bicep Training Video

Blast your biceps with this basic workout

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my fellow Canadians.

Tom

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Serratus Anterior

Meet Serratus Anterior

Serratus Anterior is a cool little muscle group that packs a lot of punch for its size.  It looks really wicked from the front and sides.

This muscle group is responsible for shoulder protraction and scapula rotation.  Train it with small movements.  One option is the High Plank Press:

To do High Plank Press, start in the high plank position.  Relax so that your shoulder blades come together.  Now, press down hard.  You will only move a few inches, but this will work Serratus Anterior.

You can do this motion in another way:

Work the Serratus Anterior while you're doing Bench Press by really giving an extra strong push at the top of the lift.  Maybe even pulse it for a couple reps at the top.  Again, this will be a very small movement.

Tom

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Grip Training

You never know when you'll find yourself in a tough predicament where grip strength will save you.  Here are a couple of the many ways to build grip strength.

Farmer's Walk

Farmer's Walk looks easier than it is.  Grab a couple of heavy dumbbells or kettlebells or whatever you can get a good grip on.  Then, go for a walk.  Soon, you will notice an uncomfortable ache in your forearms.  This will soon be followed by burning pain.  This is a sign that your forearm flexors and all the small gripping muscles are getting a good workout.  See how far you can go without stopping to set the weights down.  Rest for a minute.  Then, pick them up and go back.

Plate Pinch

Grab a couple of nice smooth metal plates of equal size.  Place them together so that they're inclined to slide easily.  Now grip them with your fingers and thumb.  Then, lift edgewise and hold.  It will require great effort from your grip to hold them.  Do ten on each side. 

She has a grip

Tom

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Overhead Tricep Rope Press

The Overhead Tricep Rope Press is a wicked arm workout.  This exercise really blasts triceps.  Set up at a cable machine so that the rope handle is up high behind you.  Grab the handles.  Lean forward.  Point your elbows up and forward.

Press your arms out until your elbows lock.  Let the cable tension pull your hands back.  Repeat.  Try to keep your elbows steady.  Aim for 3 sets of 10 reps.  The Overhead Tricep Rope Press is great on its own or as part of a more advanced tricep routine.

Tom

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Deltoid Training Video

Basic Shoulder Training Routine

 

 

 

Tom

 

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Get Ready for the Beach

Now is the time to start getting ready for summer.  That layer of winter weight may not just melt off as fast as it used to.  Just because there are plenty of overweight people at the beach doesn't mean that you have to be one of them.  Its April - you can get in much better shape by July...if you start now.

Weight Training

Ridiculous

You want muscle.  Lean, healthy, calorie-burning muscle tissue.  Being totally fat-free without any muscle is just wrong.  To get muscle you need to jack iron or find some other way to overload your muscles. 

Leg Work
Currently, I really like the Decline Leg Press.  I blast my clients' legs with this machine and use it heavily myself.

This exercise blasts quads, glutes and hamstrings.  This is the foundation exercise to get your beach body.  Do a few warm-up sets with light weight and then start stacking on the plates until you're down to tough sets of 6 reps.

Standing Calf Press

Calf work is next.  Hit your calves with 4 sets of 15 reps on the Standing Calf Press machine.  These will burn...and they will pay off.

Chest Work

Incline Dumbbell Press is a nice exercise to develop your pecs.  If you've been doing flat bench press all winter, this exercise will fill-out the upper chest area.  Grab some moderate weight dumbbells (at least 20lbs).  Rock back onto an incline bench and pump out 4 sets of 10 reps.

Back Work

Seated Cable Row works the lats nicely.  Lats are important to tone and shape the back.  Pictured above is the less common single-handed cable row.  Below is the more common double handed cable row.  Try both for variety.  Go heavy - 3 sets of 8 reps.

Shoulders
Great delts are critical to any physique.  The foundational shoulder exercise is Military Press.  You can use a barbell or dumbbells for this exercise.  Keep your back straight.  Lock your elbows out at the top.  Do 3 honest sets of 12 reps.

The Big Guns

Biceps are fun to work and usually get a lot of attention.  Here is one of my favourite bicep exercises; the Concentration Curl.  One of my clients, Bridget, hates this exercise because she feels like a douchebag doing them.  Frankly, they have made her biceps grow more than any other single bicep exercise that we have used in her training.  Give them a shot.  3 sets of 10 reps.

 



Triceps

The Dumbbell Kickback is a fantastic exercise for triceps.  Aim for 4 sets of 12 reps.  Go nice and slow so that you can really feel it in the muscle.

Abs
Try Knees to Elbows.  This is a wicked ab workout.  Hang from a bar.  Now swing your knees up to touch your elbows.  10 reps should be enough for you.  Keep trying to add one more each time you work out.

Cardio

Cursed cardio.  So hard to get started...so necessary.  Get moving and sustain the motion for about 30 minutes.  Run, swim, bike.  Do something that will get you breathing hard and sweating (that you can sustain for 30 minutes).  This complements your weight training but is not licence to gobble pizza. Do cardio 3-6 times a week depending on how much fat you need to lose.

Nutrition

Your diet is the single most important factor in how you will look on the beach.  Be frugal with what you eat.  Eat clean.  Fresh fruit and vegetables.  Lean meat.  No crap.  No pop (even "diet" pop).  Eat less than you really think you can.  Make peace with hunger.  Drink water.  Lots of water.  Eat lots of fibre. 

Tom

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Quads of Steel

The Quadriceps is a group of 4 muscles on the front of your thigh.  They are responsible for knee extension and hip flexion.  These are typically large powerful muscles that can do a lot of work.  Nice quads are impressive and will give you an advantage in almost any sport.

Leg Extension

This exercise isolates the quads.  There are countless varieties of machines that do this job.  Make sure that you do a good warm-up first (light weight with 2 sets of 15-20 reps at least).    Once you're warmed-up, start ramping up the weight.  Aim for a total of six honest sets.  If you experience sharp pain at or near the knee - stop! The tough sets should be down to 8 reps.

Front Squats

Front Squats are a great barbell squat variation that hits quads really hard.  Rest the barbell on your front delts.  Keep your back straight and your heels glued to the floor.  Go for 4 sets of 8.

 

Wall Sit



The Wall Sit is a great static exercise if you just hold your back against the wall and hold it as long as you can.  If you have a stability ball, you can squish that between your back and the wall and roll the ball slowly up and down.  Try to hold these until your quads are burning.

Lunges

Lunges, especially weighted lunges, are great for building quads (and glutes and hamstrings).  Try Walking Lunges if you have the room.  Go for 3 sets of 15.

Cardio

Cycling is a great form of cardio that really works the quads.  Work this exercise into your routine.

Tom

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Healthy Snack Idea - Sunflower Seeds

Nutritious

Sunflower seeds are a healthy alternative to junk food snacks.  A decent source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, sunflower seeds provide your body with healthy fats in controllable levels.  They are a good source of minerals and vitamin E and a decent source of protein.

Delicious

Sunflower seeds are prepared in a variety of styles and flavours.  Choosing seeds that are still in the shell satisfies the need to fidget and play with your food.  This slows down your consumption and reduces the chances of overeating. Often called "Spits" because of the requirement to spit out the shell, these seeds can be annoying to friends and family and cleaning staff.  For that reason, they are best enjoyed outside.

Tom

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Help! I'm Going to Daytona!

Panic!

So, you thought that you were going to visit your folks or otherwise do something fat-friendly for March Break?  But, now your friends have convinced you to join them in the sunny, sandy south.  The problem is...you've been swilling beer and lattes all winter and have been slowly moving up in pant sizes. 

What to Do

Starting right now: eliminate salt and sugar.  Scrutinize the nutrition labels on all your food.  Start and keep a food diary.  Cut out all booze.  Cut out all bread and anything like bread (pizza dough, bagels etc).  Cut out all soft drinks.  Be careful with pasta.  I'm not talking about normal healthy nutrition here.  I'm talking about emergency fat loss diet time.

Jack Some Iron

Intense weight training will burn blubber.  Not only do heavy lifts demand a lot of caloric energy but they develop muscle tissue which burns even more calories.  Deadlifts, like the lady in the picture is doing are excellent.  Split your routine so that you are blasting iron 6 days/week.  Think of the beach.  Promise yourself that you will stay in better shape next year.

Pay Your Cardio Dues.

You need to do cardio twice a day to blitz your body over the next 3 weeks.  Do a 20 minute cardio session first thing in the morning before you eat.  Do another 30 minute session later in the day, after your weight training workout.  Do whatever it takes to get your heart pumping. 

If you're not sweating and breathing hard and gulping water; you're not pushing yourself hard enough.  This is workout cram time.

Keep Track

You're on a mission.  You need to stay focused.  Put up a calendar with a count-down on it.  Write out your workouts and write down your weight.  Drive yourself.  Be obsessed.

Keep Motivated

Find a picture of what you want to look like and tack it up on your fridge.  That way, before you pull the handle to gobble some cheddar, you'll be struck with a pang of guilt.  Hopefully, it works.

 



Find a Workout Partner

Link-up with someone who will push you and hold you accountable.  Pick someone who has the same work ethic that you do (or even better).  Push each other.  Compete with each other.

Good Luck

You have about three weeks until showtime.  Make them count.

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