How to Get Ripped, QUICK – A Story From My 10 Day Meditation Retreat
I recently spent 10 days doing a solitary meditation retreat. I had a little hut to live in, brought plenty of food, some simple workout equipment (homemade pullup bar, training sandbag, and some dumbells), a couple good meditation books, and plenty of determination.
I would be doing simple sitting meditation, basically paying attention to my breathing, for over 8 hours a day, every day for the next 10 days.
[The yurt (hut) I was staying in was much like this one, with an ocean view. photo: emdot]
Meditation is great, and I recommend it regardless of your religious background. Believe it or not, there are forms of meditation from the Christian, Muslim, and of course, Hindu and Buddhist traditions that have been around for centuries. And if you’re an athiest or agnostic, you don’t have to believe anything to practice meditation. You just do it. It’s helped me to relax and enjoy my life more.
At this point, you might think that I am some sort of freak! Maybe I lost my mind somewhere during those 10 days and am now going to turn this simple little workout blog into some sort of meditation cult recruiting platform. HA! I’m not, don’t worry…
All mystical mumbo-jumbo aside, something interesting happened to my body during those 10 days: I got RIPPED!
I lost around 5 pounds on the scale, cut most of my stomach fat, and felt like I actually gained some muscle.
Here’s what I did:
Diet
I made a conscious effort to eat smaller portions:
eating until I was no longer hungry, rather than eating until I was full.
Read that again. Being ‘full‘ is different than ‘not being hungry.’
I think this was the key to losing fat – I just ate less.
Here’s a look at my typical daily diet during these 10 days:
Breakfast – I usually had 1 1/2 cups (cooked) oatmeal, with a scoop of protein powder, 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter, and some rice milk.
Lunch – Palm sized portion of protein, steamed veggies with olive oil, 1/2 palm size of baked beets, carrots, & yams. A couple tangerines for dessert.
Dinner – Same as lunch.
All Day – LOTS of water
I cooked in big batches every 3-4 days, which made preparing meals MUCH simpler.
But diet was only one ingredient. Exercise, as you know, is key to getting into great shape…
[Of course, what would a post at homeworkoutblog.com be without a gratuitous bikini shot? Here is a mermaid. photo: AlaskanDude]
Workouts
I made sure to schedule around 45 minutes in the afternoon for some exercise. I thought this 10 day retreat would be a good time to get super disciplined with my workout regimen.
I got Ross Enamait’s “Never Gymless” book a while back, and decided to follow the sample program (with a few of my own modifications, which I’ll get into) in the book during this 10 day period. I don’t get any sort of compensation for recommending this book, so keep that in mind when I say that “Never Gymless” is, hands down, the best ‘home workout’ guide I have ever seen. Not to mention, it is a bargain at around $20.
I do plan on releasing/selling some of my own programs and books in the future, but I will have you know that you would probably be better off just buying Ross’ book and following that! Ha!
Anyways, let’s get into the program I was following. It’s a pretty simple 5 day split:
Day 1: Integrated Circuit training
These routines combine strength and conditioning. Aim for variety in conditioning workouts. It keeps your body guessing and adapting to limit ‘plateaus.’ So here are a couple options: check out the bodyweight conditioning circuit I posted about earlier. Also, here is a slightly modified integrated circuit training workout from ‘Never Gymless’:
10 minutes, with no rest:
Round 1:
Burpees x 60 seconds
Pull ups x 60 seconds
Squats x 60 seconds
Dive Bomber Pushups x 60 seconds
Round 2:
Burpees x 45 seconds
Pull ups x 45 seconds
Squats x 45 seconds
Dive Bomber Pushups x 45 seconds
Round 3:
Burpees x 30 seconds
Pull ups x 30 seconds
Squats x 30 seconds
Dive Bomber Pushups x 30 seconds
Round 4:
Burpees x 15 seconds
Pull ups x 15 seconds
Squats x 15 seconds
Dive Bomber Pushups x 15 seconds
There’s no rest between exercises OR circuits, ideally. I used the countdown timer on my watch to time each exercise.
Day 2: Strength Workout
Since I was eating less than normal, good strength workouts were essential to maintain lean muscle mass while losing fat.
I like to keep things simple for strength workouts. I like to do a heavy lift, a heavy pushing motion, and a heavy pulling motion. I try to maintain balance by working pulling and pressing motions in the same plane during the same workout.
Here’s an example: on Day 2, I worked a vertical pushing motion (overhead press) along with a vertical pulling motion (weighted pullup). I feel like this keeps my body from getting overuse injuries that could come from focusing too much on one type of movement, like shoulder injuries that happen to people who train the bench press without working their upper back as well.
I always do some brief rotator cuff exercises, and then warm up with a couple easy sets of pushups, pullups, and squats.
For each exercise, I used a weight that was heavy, but that I could comfortably lift 5-8 times. I would stop each set 1 repetition before failure, leaving one rep left ‘in the tank.’
(In case you were wondering what Sandbag Shouldering looks like, here’s a great video tutorial:)
Day 3: Enhanced Interval Training
If you ever played sports, you probably remember doing wind sprints – running hard for a little bit, then resting for an even smaller amount of time, and repeating this torture until your coach got bored or someone started puking.
Nothing will get you in shape like wind sprints! But what if you added some OTHER exercises into the mix along with the sprints and short (or nonexistent) rest periods?
Then, my friends, you would have Enhanced Interval Training.
Here is one enhanced interval training workout that I adapted from Ross’ book:
Warmup with some rotator cuff exercises and calisthenics, as with the other workouts. Then,
Continue moving through this circuit for 15 minutes. That’s right, don’t rest, just keep going! It’s pretty brutal.
Day 4: Strength Workout
For this workout, I would warm up as described above, then do a strength workout similar to Day 2. Except for this workout, I would focus on horizontal pulling and pushing motions, and maybe mix in some one leg squat work:
Weighted close grip pushups with feet elevated
Rest 60 seconds
Sandbag Cleans
Rest 60 seconds
Weighted body rows on DIY suspension trainer
Rest 60 seconds
One Legged Squats
Repeat this circuit 5 times, using the weights and rep ranges as described on Day 2.
Day 5: Rest!
After 4 days of hard workouts, I went for a long walk on the 5th day of each cycle. Walking is great for recovery, AND health in general. (Here is a great post from fitnessblackbook.com on why walking is an ESSENTIAL part of working out, no matter HOW fit you are).
Post-Workout – Yoga
Yoga has been great to my body, helping me to heal, preventing injuries, and improving my athletic performance. I try to do around 30 minutes after each workout. Here is a great video from my friend Ray’s site, zenmyfitness.com, showing how to do a great yoga sequence, the sun salutation:
“How to Get Ripped Quick” – Summing it all up…
I didn’t intend to get ripped during my meditation retreat, it just happened!
To summarize, here’s what I did:
Ate until I was ‘no longer hungry’, NOT until I was ‘full.’
Drank a lot of water
Did 2 conditioning workouts and 2 strength workouts every 5 days
Yes, it’s time to talk about one of the most exciting moves in sports – the slam dunk, and it’s time to answer that age-old question – “How to jump higher?”
[She won't improve your vertical jump, but she still belongs in this post. photo: daily sunny]
Whether you’re short, tall, white, black, purple, WHATEVER, there is a simple, proven way to increase your vertical jump. And we’ll get into that in a moment.
But first, who the hell is Jacob Tucker?
This is Jacob Tucker:
Tucker is 5’11″ and has a 50″ vertical leap! That’s ridiculous!
[He plays for Division III Illinois College, and submitted this video trying to get a spot at the Division I slam dunk contest.]
To put that vertical jump stat into perspective, Blake Griffin -the winner of the 2011 NBA slam dunk contest- had the 2nd best vertical jump in the 2009 NBA draft with 37.5″. Tucker beats him by over a foot!
Tucker has joined the ranks of :
Spud Webb, who is 5’7″
And of course, Billy Hoyle (Woody Harrelson’s character in White Men Can’t Jump)
All these guys are under 6 feet tall and can throw down a dunk.
So if you’re in the same boat and want to get above the rim, how can you train to increase your vertical jump?
How to Jump Higher in 3 Steps
To improve your vertical leap and jump higher you need to get more powerful.
What is power?
Power = Strength (Force) x Speed (how quickly you can apply that force)
Let’s see how you can use this formula to maximize your vertical jump ability:
Step 1 : Get Your Bodyfat to Less Than 10%
How can you expect to get above the rim if you are carrying around a 20 pound spare tire around your waist?
Lose that gut with a combination of general fitness and diet (see my six pack abs workout for more details)
Step 2 : Get Strong
You can’t launch a rocket to the moon if it’s powered by a little go-kart engine.
Remember – to jump high, you need to be powerful. And strength is the first component of power.
How strong is strong enough?
Here is a good rule of thumb:
Work up to being able to squat at least 2x your bodyweight
It’s no surprise that Frank Hatfield, the first man to squat 1000 pounds, had a vertical jump of 40 inches without training specifically for it. Strength is the foundation of the vertical jump, especially if you don’t have very good natural jumping ability due to your body structure.
But what if I don’t have access to heavy weights and a squat rack?
You don’t necessarily need access to a squat rack to get really strong legs. Never fear. Here at HomeWorkoutBlog I am always looking out for the equipment-challenged. Here is one great option:
One Legged Squats
[Here I am doing a one legged squat using a post for balance]
And when these become too easy, try adding weight like this guy:
Don’t worry if you don’t have a weight vest lying around. Just grab your diy training sandbag (click for instructions) and throw it into your backpack. You can wear the backpack on your chest to make balancing easier.
Step 3 : Get Quicker
The second part of our definition of power is speed or quickness.
You could be as strong as a bull, squatting 600 pounds, but you won’t be able to dunk unless you can apply all that force quickly into the ground to blast yourself into the air.
Here is a rule of thumb for quickness -
Can you jump back and forth over a 1 foot high cone or string 20 times in 10 seconds?
Jumping rope and other agility drills are great for improving foot speed, as are plyometrics.
Wrapping up… How to dunk
So, to improve your vertical jump and start throwing down mean dunks, do the following:
Get Lean
Get Strong
Get Quick
If you can apply the force of a 2x bodyweight squat QUICKLY into the ground, guess what?
You’ll be doing dunks like this in no time:
(That was 5’10″ French/Algerian dunker Kadour Ziani, with a 56″ vertical leap(!), by the way)
Thanks for reading and have a great week.
-Ian
Other Resources:
Kelly Baggett took himself from a vertical jump of around 20″ to 42″, and can dunk easily even though he’s only 5’9″. He came up with the strategy summarized in this post. Check out his excellent guide to improving the vertical jump, the Vertical Jump Bible.
Well, just like any other important question, the answer depends on who you ask!
[Palm trees and snow? Wintertime here in California is a trip. One day it's 80 degrees at the beach, the next day, this! Photo: mbtrama]
If you go to your local gym and ask the resident meathead, the answer you’ll probably get is “8-12 reps.”
If you were to ask Mark Ripptoe, preeminent powerlifter/strength coach and author of the classic “how-to” strength book Starting Strength, you would get a chart like this:
[I found this chart on the excellent blog, commonstrength, which I highly recommend]
Myofilla-Sacroplas-what?!?
Muscle growth (hypertrophy) occurs primarily in two ways:
Myofibrillar Hypertrophy – This refers to growth of the actual muscle fibers themselves. As Rippetoe’s chart shows, training for this kind of muscle growth results in maximum strength and power gains that are crucial for explosive athletic performance. Gains in muscle fiber growth are also longer lasting, slower to leave if you happen to stop training for a while. (Myofibrillar hypertrophy also gives muscles a denser, harder, more defined appearance, for those of you on the cast of Jersey Shore).
Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy – Ever do a maximum set of pullups and then felt like your biceps were going to rip your sleeves open? Doing higher rep sets causes the sarcoplasm – the thick gel in your muscle cells that lies between the actual muscle fibers – to swell, giving you that short lived “pump”.
[Here is Arnold talking about this 'pump' feeling - This video is too damn funny - but it might not be work safe, just as a warning!]
[the euphoria Arnold describes is probably due in part to steroid use - apparently the 'pump' on steroids can be as good as good sex. It had better be, since you won't be able to even HAVE sex after abusing steroids for any length of time!]
Ok, so let’s get back down to it – How Many Reps to Build Muscle?
I have found Jason Ferrugia’s recommendation of 4-7 reps per set to be the best for my own muscle growth.
4-7 reps per set targets with longer lasting, more ‘functional’ myofibrillar growth while also producing some sarcoplasmic hypertrophy as a side benefit. It’s the best of both worlds.
Now that We Know the Best Reps to Build Muscle, What Exercises are Best for Muscle Growth?
Doing simple compound exercises (such as the deadlift, weighted chin ups, weighted pushups, or the movements found in a poor-man’s improvised home strength workout) for 4-7 reps, will rapidly build strength and muscle. This rep range requires you to move heavy weights (your own or an object’s), which triggers anabolic (muscle-building) hormone response, causes nerves to recruit more muscle fibers (see ‘Neural Adaptation’ on Rippetoe’s chart), and develop powerful, long-lasting myofibrillar growth.
Here are some other resources:
Rusty Moore has found a muscle rep ‘hack’ that has worked well for him – here is his blog post at fitnessblackbook.
Here is a free pdf I wrote covering some common questions about muscle growth. It’s basically a summary of some of my favorite points from Jason Ferrugia’s Muscle Gaining Secrets program, which I highly recommend.
On the other end of the reps spectrum is Dragan Radovic, the world’s fittest 61 year old: He founded Fitness 4×4 and the “Hour of Power” which is basically an hour of total body endurance weightlifting. It looks like it works pretty well for him. I would like to try it out at some point.
Another Cool Plank Exercise for the Chest, Arms, and Abs
I like this one too:
Plank Walk to Pushup
This one is pretty awesome – the circuit is intense, but look at around a minute into the video for the ultimate plank/pushup combo:
How can I use these new moves in my workout?
I like to use the plank walk to pushup variation shown above as part of a warmup circuit. It works my chest, arms, and abs/core, activating my entire upper body for the day’s workout.
Plus, since the core muscles’ main job is stabilization, a function that is NOT trained by traditional ab exercises like crunches and situps, this exercise will help you build functional core strength while at the same time hitting your arms and chest.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m experimenting with a few workouts and diet strategies to lose that holiday weight and get back into fighting shape.
Here is a 20 minute workout I did today that hits the body from all angles, building upper body strength, lower body explosiveness, and excellent cardiovascular conditioning.
Check it out…
[After a long, stressful holiday season , Santa relaxes with Mrs. Claus back at headquarters. photo: fivedollarones]
The (under) 20 Minute Home Circuit Training Workout
Warm Up – do a set of rotator cuff exercises, then do a few easy sets of s pushups, pullups, and bodyweight squats.
Then, do three sets of the following circuit, with no rest between exercises or circuits:
50 Jumping Jacks (active rest before you begin the circuit again)
Then, the FINSIHER – tabata sledgehammer intervals (20 seconds of intense effort followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times). Here is a demonstration by Ross Enamait:
Timing the Tabata Interval
There are fancy interval timers that will time both the 20 seconds of exercise and the 10 seconds of rest that make up the Tabata Interval, but I have found a setup with just my simple digital watch that works great.
Here is what I do: I set my countdown timer for 28 seconds. I start the exercise interval right at the 20 second mark, and stop when I hear my timer go off. It then takes around two seconds for me to reset my timer, so once it’s counting down again, I have 8 seconds left before I start my next 20 second interval.
It’s pretty straightforward.
Bodyweight Rows
Bodyweight rows are a great way to complement the horizontal pushing motion of pushups, bench presses, etc. Working both pushing and pulling motions in the horizontal plane will not only help you get stronger, but also keep you from developing overuse injuries that can come from focusing only on pressing motions (bench press anyone?)
Here are a couple pictures showing me doing bodyweight rows using my DIY suspension trainer setup, although today I did them with my new toy: Elite Gymnastics Rings (a review is in the works!)
Give it a shot and let me know what you think!
Good luck,
-Ian
Other Resources
Here is a great summary of the research behind the Tabata 20/10 interval approach and its benefits.
[A 10 minute workout? More like a 20 minute marathon just trying to paddle out on days like this! A nice winter morning here on the Central Coast. photo: mikebaird]
The Christmas Gut Syndrome
The holidays are over. Gifts have been exchanged, long lost family members have flown back to their homes, and most of us have gained a few pounds of fat!
But since you read homeworkoutblog.com, you know that you can fit in an intense workout no matter where you are or how little time you have.
Stop trying to do curls with that turkey!
Eating Too Much + Not Exercising Enough = Weight Gain
Ok, I ain’t going to lie – I ate like an absolute pig this past month or so.
And I loved it!
If I wasn’t surfing a few times per week, I would have definitely gained 15 pounds (no joke). As it stands, I added about 7. And while that extra blubber DOES keep me warmer on those cold, windy mornings, it also makes me move more like a walrus.
[Post-Christmas brunch, ready for a nap. photo: polarphotos]
It’s time to get back on track.
I want to go in depth with a new diet approach I am trying, but I will save that for another post. Let’s first have a look at a quick, (somewhat) easy way to get ‘back on the wagon,’ exercise-wise.
Here is a 10 minute workout I just did that really kicked my butt:
10 Minute Workout for Holiday Fat Loss
Warm up with a few easy sets of pushups, pullups, and squats (no more than 1 minute), then…
Part 1
Repeat 4 sets of the following without stopping:
10 Burpees
Towel Pullups (stop each set 1 rep before failure)
As always, feel free to adjust the difficulty as you see fit. If this workout is too easy, just try doing burpees for a mile, as these gentlemen demonstrate:
If you are into these sorts of bodyweight intervals, have a look at Tacfit Commando, a go-anywhere, zero-equipment bodyweight training program used by US and Israeli Special Forces operatives. I used it for a couple months last year and was amazed at how lean and agile I became. Ninja-like, I dare say.
If you are ever scratching your head trying to come up with a new workout, have a look at this forum post from rosstraining.com with a TON of sample workouts. Check it out.
So, I spent a couple weeks traveling up an down this great state of California, visiting friends and whatnot, and haven’t worked out hardly at all, outside of a few surf sessions.
[There are so many beautiful women in San Francisco. Here is one. Photo by sfmission.com]
The thruster is basically a front squat into a push press, as you can see above.
This is an outstanding total body exercise, combining a deep squat and an overhead press. Combining it with pullups would hit most of the major muscles in the body (more on that later).
Do this exercise as explosively as possible.
FORM POLICE – As you can see above, my tailbone ‘tucks’ under in the low position of the front squat. This is due to some lack of flexibility in my hips and ankles, and could potentially put my back at risk of getting injured under a load. Ideally, you want a completely neutral spine (i.e. flat back).
After seeing this photo, I have made it a point to work further on my squat flexibility by doing low squat holds as you can see below:
But, for the purposes of this particular workout, I saved wear and tear on my back by just not squatting as deep for the front squat portion of the thruster.
Exercise #2 – Towel Pullup
This exercise balances the overhead pushing movement of the thruster.
Simply roll up a towel, throw it over something strong, and pull up.
Exercise #3 – Burpees
Everyone knows how to do burpees. But in case you need a refresher, here is a burpee video courtesy of an ex-Soviet supermodel that could probably beat me up:
You COULD do them a little faster than her, but you probably wouldn’t look half as good!
Exercise #4 – Sandbag Bent Over Row
Simply grab folds of the sand bag and pull the bag to your chest.
This horizontal pulling motion complements the horizontal pushing action of burpees, balancing opposing muscle groups.
When done with standard equipment like dumbbells, this exercise targets the back and biceps, but by grabbing folds of the sandbag, it also develops your grip strength and endurance.
Reps & Sets
I did 4 circuits of these exercises. For the thrusters and pullups, I stopped 1 rep shy of failure. I then did 10 burpees and 10 bent over rows. The sandbag I am using here is between 95 and 100 lbs.
Ideally, there would be no rest between exercises, and around 45-60 seconds rest between circuits.
Another Option
I did a YouTube search for “thrusters workout” and found this awesome Cross Fit workout, called “Fran”. I definitely plan on attacking this with my sandbag and towel/rope setup:
It goes like this: 21-15-9 rep sets of thrusters alternated with pullups, for time. The standard weights are 95 lbs for men, 65 lbs for women.
Let me know what you think!
-Ian
Other Resources
Renegade Strength and Conditioning coach Zach Even-Esh develops wrestlers, MMA fighters, and ordinary Joes and Janes into absolute BEASTS by using sandbags, playground equipment, and simple objects like rocks. His Underground Strength Kit has loads of ideas on using simple equipment for explosive strength and fitness gains.
Here is an article from the CrossFit Journal comparing power requirements for total body conditioning moves like the thruster and kettlebell swing.
An At Home Strength Training Workout With Minimal Equipment
If your email inbox and browsing history look anything like mine, at this point you are up to your ears in bodyweight exercise circuits.
[This photo has nothing to do with our topic. My philosophy is - when in doubt, post a picture of a beautiful woman. Photo by tibchris]
Believe the hype. You CAN get extremely fit without touching a weight or stepping foot in a gym.
(heck, you could spend a year just doing 100 burpees in a row, 3 times per week, and be fitter than 99% of the gym-going population)
But what about getting stronger?
If you are like me and don’t have access to a gym, are you destined to merely crank out thousands and thousands of pushups and bodyweight squats (not that there’s anything wrong with that…) in the pursuit of strength?
Here is another option that I have been trying out: a home strength training workout using just a couple pieces of improvised exercise equipment.
Warmup
First, spend a few minutes getting your body ready for action. I like to do some rotator cuff exercises (I hope to cover this in a future post), and a few easy sets of pushups, pullups, and squats. Just take 5 minutes or so to get your blood pumping and muscles activated.
I like to cap off the warmup with a set of partial handstand pushups against a wall, stopping a few reps short of failure.
I have been doing a set like this a few times per week for the last few months, and my handstand pushup strength has improved quite a bit as a result. Plus, this movement gets the shoulders ready for our first exercise:
Try to do “strict” presses, using just your arms to raise the bag overhead.
Use a weight that will allow you to do 5 reps for each set, with one rep “left in the tank.” Don’t push to failure for any of these exercises.
One Arm Pull Up Variation
Next, we want to do a pulling motion in the 5 rep per set range.
For the past few months, I have been working through the step-by-step progression to one arm pullups found in the bodyweight strength guide, Convict Conditioning.
Do 3 sets of 5 with each arm. Remember, don’t go to failure. Rest for 60 seconds between sets.
Alternate these sets with:
Elevated Diamond (Tricep) Pushups
Put your feet up on a bench around 2 feet high and do some diamond pushups (index fingers and thumbs of each hand are touching). Keep your elbows close to your sides.
This variation works the triceps and the hard-to-target middle and upper chest.
Do 3 sets of 10. If your bodyweight is too easy, wear a backpack filled with some weight (your sandbag, for instance) while doing this exercise. Rest for 60 seconds between sets.
One Leg Squat Variation
Next, it’s time to work the legs…
One legged squats are a true test of leg strength, balance, AND flexibility.
If you have a hard time doing them free standing (me too at this point!), try using a beam or door frame to provide assistance.
Do 3 sets of 5 reps for each leg, providing just enough assistance to complete each set with a rep or two left in the tank. Rest for 60 seconds between sets.
Plank and Side Planks
Finally, do a round of standard plank and side planks to work the stabilizing function of the core muscles.
Work up to holding each position for 2 minutes.
Summary – Home Strength Training Workout
First, Warmup. Then,
Sandbag overhead press – 3 sets of 5 reps
One arm pullup variation – 3 sets of 5 reps supersetted with:
Elevated triceps diamond pushups – 3 sets of 10 reps
One Leg Squat (with assistance as needed) 3 sets of 5 reps
Plank and side planks
Rest for 60 seconds between each set.
Let me know what you think!
-Ian
Other Resources-
Ever wonder how prisoners get so strong? Reformed ex-prisoner Paul Wade’s Convict Conditioning shows the step by step progressions that led him from being unable to do a pushup to doing bodyweight feats of strength like one arm pushups, one arm pullups, one arm handstand pushups (!) and more.
Jim Bathhurst’s site Beastskills has many excellent tutorials for one arm pullups, one leg squats, and other bodyweight exercises.
The sledgehammer – a simple and brutally effective tool of destruction, if there ever was one!
Just think of the sledgehammer’s medieval battlefield counterpart, the bludgeon. Merely saying “bludgeon” brings to mind gruesome scenes of peasant-on-peasant footsoldier warfare, while noble knights daintily fought on horseback.
[That sledgehammer also might come in handy when you have to bludgeon down a castle wall to save this princess.]
Ok, enough of the medieval war imagery for now. (I just saw Robin Hood. It was pretty good). Back to our sledgehammer workout.
If you have ever had to manually break up and get rid of a large concrete slab, you already know how repeatedly swinging a sledgehammer will tax EVERY muscle in your body. From grip, arms, core, legs, to feet, everything is involved.
[Want to get ripped arms like this dude? Swing that sledgehammer! Photo by Editor B]
This makes the sledgehammer an ideal tool for total body conditioning. But before you start bashing apart your back patio, let’s cover some details.
Step 1 – Get a Tire
Since I don’t want you to go out and start destroying your neighbors’ driveways and patios, you will need something else to swing that sledgehammer into. A tire works really well.
You might see videos of people hitting massive tractor tires. That’s great if you can get ahold of one and have the space to store it. But there’s no need, really. I have found that a simple truck tire works great.
Go to your local tire store and ask to check out their used tire area. Find a solid looking tire, and throw it in your car. The price should be right around free-ninety-nine, plus tax.
Step 2 – Get a Sledgehammer
Since you will be hitting a rubber tire instead of a concrete slab, the hammer’s handle is much less likely to break.
But with that said, for maximum safety and durability, get a new, fiberglass handled sledgehammer like a Ludell, available at Home Depot.
Head weight should be anywhere between 8 to 20 pounds, depending on what kind of shape you are in. (Go lighter if you are just starting out).
Step 3 – Swing Away!
Just like with any exercise tool, there are nearly infinite variations to sledgehammer workouts. Here a couple that I like:
Here is Ross Enamait, one of my fitness heroes, demonstrating a Tabata (20 seconds of work/10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times) sledgehammer workout:
Here is another video showing a montage of MMA legend Fedor Emilanenko’s workout routine, including swinging a heavy sledgehammer into a huge tire.
Quick Sandbag and Sledgehammer Workout
And finally, here is a workout I came up with, continuing with the theme of moving heavy objects with simple, compound movements:
30 sledgehammer swings into tire, switching grip after 15 reps
Rest for 1 minute
Repeat 4 or 5 times.
Feel free to alter the repetitions, rest intervals, and total sets as you see fit.
I like this circuit because it alternates an explosive hip extension/pushing movement (clean and press) with a violent hip flexion/pulling motion (sledgehammer swing). Plus it’s fun.
[WWJSD? If you have seen The Transporter, you know the answer to this question... Photo by tibchris]
From classics like Snatch to The Expendables,Jason Statham is the man.
You know why? The man lives his life. When it’s time to enjoy a few weeks of good food, good beer, and good friends, he just does it. Calories and weight gain be damned.
“I never gave a f–k about a calorie,” Statham says.
Once I was on a surfing trip, and some B-grade actor that happened to be around turned down a beer because he was “on a diet.”
WWJSD? He wouldn’t do that. That’s for sure.
Don’t be that guy who turns down a beer from friends because he is worried about getting fat. Man up and have a few with the boys. Unless, of course, you are getting ready to be do something like this:
Here’s what is so great: One month you will be in the checkout line at the supermarket and see Statham on the cover of US magazine, along with some other bloated celebrity, with a caption like “Jason Statham – FAT!”
Then, a month and a half later, he’s lost nearly 20 pounds and is taking care of business:
So, what’s his secret? Here are the workout and diet strategies that allowed Jason Statham to lose nearly 20 pounds in 6 weeks.
WWJSD – 30 minute Jason Statham Workout
Statham’s workouts are right around 30 minutes long and follow two rules:
Never do the same workout twice.
Record the details of each workout.
By never repeating the same workout twice, his body is continuously adapting and never has a chance to reach a plateau. Since all details of each workout are recorded (weights/reps lifted, sprint distances/times, etc.) future workouts can be scaled for maximum benefit.
Warmup – 10 minutes
Statham spends 10 minutes warming up on a rowing machine, which gets blood pumping to all major muscle groups.
If you are poor like me and don’t have access to a rowing machine, try warming up by alternating small sets of bodyweight squats with easier body rows, using your DIY suspension trainer.
Moderate Intensity – 10 minutes
Next, Statham will do one of the following options, depending on the day:
Heavy compound lifts at around 75% of his one rep max for 5 or less reps: deadlift, squat, power clean, bench press, etc. (poor man’s option: heavy sandbag clean and press)
Brief circuits using light weights (bodyweight exercise circuits would work well here)
Kettlebell exercise circuit (poor man’s no-hype option: buy a cheap used adjustable dumbell and wrap a bunch of tape around the handle – same difference – then do some swings, snatches, and get-ups – check youtube for details)
Medicine ball throws (drop some weight out of your sandbag for this one)
High Intensity Intervals – 10 minutes
Statham uses circuits of conditioning exercises like burpees, rope climbs, and farmer’s walks along with sprints and more plyometric moves like medicine ball slams.
Again, he mixes it up for each workout.
Here is one interpretation of a Jason Statham / Expendables High Intensity Interval sprint ladder workout, by Jeff Cavaliere of AthleanX, an excellent 90 day body transformation program:
On the 6th day, he will do an hour-long trail run.
What About Jason Statham’s Diet?
As we all know, all the working out in the world won’t help if you are supersizing every meal at McDonalds. If your diet is crappy, your results will be crappy as well. Here are some of the diet tips that allowed Statham to lose nearly 20 pounds in 6 weeks:
Don’t eat the white stuff: sugar and flour are out!
Avoid drinking calories – that means (for this intense weight loss period) no fruit juice and no booze! (if your friends give you a hard time, give them each a roundhouse kick to the chin!)
Drink around 1.5 gallons of water per day
Record EVERYTHING eaten or drank, including water
Eat 6 small meals a day, for a total of 2000 calories
To be honest, I am really fired up about adapting some of these workout strategies for my own use. The 10min/10min/10min split seems like a great way to accomplish both general conditioning and strength training in minimal time.
Let me know how it goes for you!
-Ian
[For an excellent, step-by-step guide to getting an A-list Hollywood body like Jason Statham, check out renowned fitness trainer Rusty Moore's new lean muscle program, Visual Impact]
(To read the source article, visit the Men’s Health Website here)
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[The yurt (hut) I was staying in was much like this one, with an ocean view. photo: emdot]
[Of course, what would a post at homeworkoutblog.com be without a gratuitous bikini shot? Here is a mermaid. photo: AlaskanDude]
[She won't improve your vertical jump, but she still belongs in this post. photo: 
He founded 
[You had better bring your 'A' game to even think about approaching this woman. Wow! what a pose... pic: 
Grab your 
