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

Hate Me Now - Thank Me Later

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Powerlift Training

The Deadlift

The deadlift is one of the sweetest tests of sheer, raw power.  In this post we'll talk about this lift and how to train for it.

Push or Pull?
Good question.  The answer is: it's both.  Some lifters think of this lift as pressing into the floor.  No matter how you look at it; the deadlift involves a lot of muscles.  Some say that this one lift is an example of one of the most complete exercise lifts you can do.

Grip Choices

You can choose from standard overhand grip or the reverse grip.  Both are pictured above.  Experiment with both grip techniques to see which works best for you.

Stance Choices

Sumo Stance
Sumo stance as pictured above is the less popular option.  Characterized by a wide footing and hands inside the legs.  Try it; you may like it.

Standard Stance

The standard stance pictured above is more popular.  Try both the sumo and the standard stances to see which works best for you.

Supporting Exercises

Box Jumps

Box Jumps develop explosive lower body power.  Do a whole bunch of them and they'll quickly become a cardio workout.  Box jumps develop the glutes and hamstrings.  Also good for general athletic body awareness, balance and proprioception.

Glute Ham Developer

The Glute Ham Developer is a beast.  Even with just bodyweight this is a tough exercise.  If you have one of these rigs at your gym try 3 sets of 8-10 reps of these.  After that gets too easy - try holding a plate to your chest.  If you don't have a Glute Ham Developer, you can try kneeling on a mat while a buddy holds your feet down.

Deadlifts Off the Block

Once every few weeks, throw this twist into your routine.  Deadlift while standing on a stable surface that is 1 to 3 inches off the floor. You are forced to reach farther down for the bar.  Try this at the 50 - 75% max range of your workout.  It helps develop that deep power at the start of your lift.  Go for 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps.

Deadlift

The best way to get strong in the deadlift is...to...deadlift.  Start with a thorough warm-up with 30% of your max lift.  Go for 2 sets of 8-12 reps.  Work on technique.  After you're warmed-up, start slapping on more plates.  Quickly work up to singles.  By the time that you're at 80% max you should be doing single reps.  Keep adding more weight for each successive lift.  Challenge yourself each workout to beat your last maximum level.  Blast out an honest deadlift workout once a week.

"LIFT IS GOOD"


Tom

Hate Me Now - Thank Me Later

www.facebook.com\FEATTraining

Training for Box Lacrosse

Box Lacrosse is the redneck, uncouth cousin of field lacrosse.  Shockingly rough and fast, box lacrosse demands complete fitness from its participants.

Box Lacrosse Players Must Have Great Cardio.

Sprinting up and down the box is demanding on heart and lungs.  A great exercise to add variety to your training is called Mountain Climber.

Mountain Climber is simple and brutal.  Assume the high plank (push-up) position.  Then, drive one knee toward your chest.  Return that foot to its original position as you drive the other knee upward.  You're doing it right you'll feel like a cartoon character spinning his wheels.  Count each time a knee comes up.  Do 30.  Rest for 15 seconds and repeat...a few times.

Box Lacrosse Players Must Have Strong Upper Bodies.

There's a lot of pushing and shoving in box lacrosse.  You need strong chest and arm muscles.  Specifically, pectorals and triceps.  Here's a sweet exercise to develop explosive lacrosse power, the Plyo Push-up:

Plyo Push-up starts out like any other push-up, then it gets wierd.  Instead of just pushing up nice and easy, you shove yourself upward hard enough to launch yourself clear of the floor (except your toes).  Clap your hands once and then catch yourself as you land.  Repeat as many times as you can.

Box Lacrosse Players Must Have Powerful Core Muscles.

There's a lot of twisting and turning in box lacrosse.  When you launch the ball, you gotta get your whole body into it.  This demands strong core muscles.  One of the best core building exercise is the Barbell Pivot:

Grab a barbell.  Plant one end in the hole of a 45 lb plate laying flat on the floor (don't jam the bar into the corner of the gym).  Start with feet wide apart, arms straight.  Hold the end of the bar in front of your face.  Now, twist back and forth from one side to the other.  It looks easy.  Hah!  Try it.  Very, very tough on the whole core, especially obliques.  Do 20.

Good luck this season.  Go Wolfpack!

 



Tom

Hate Me Now - Thank Me Later

www.facebook.com/FEATTraining

Coming Soon - Training for PARE

PARE means Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation.  It is the principle fitness test used during the recruitment process for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).  It is also used to re-evaluate the physical fitness of serving RCMP members.

Check back here for tips on maxing-out on the PARE.

Tom

Hate Me Now - Thank Me Later

www.facebook.com/FEATTraining