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, . . . → Read More: How to Get Ripped, QUICK – A Story From My 10 Day Meditation Retreat]]> 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.

Then, the workout:

• Sandbag Shouldering
• Rest 60 seconds
• Overhead Press (use Sandbag, dumbells, or whatever you’ve got)
• Rest 60 seconds
• Weighted Pullups on homemade chin up bar
• Rest 60 seconds

Repeat for a total of 5 circuits.

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,

• 10 Burpees
• Sprint 50 meters
• 10 Bodyweight Rows (use a sturdy table, ledge, or use a DIY suspension trainer)
• Sprint 50 meters

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
• Took the 5th day off and went for a walk.

Try it out and see how it works for you.

Anyways, take care and have a great week!

-Ian

If there is one home workout equipment essential, it’s the chin up/pullup bar.

You can buy a door-frame mounted pullup bar for around $30. But in this economy, what if you don’t even want to spend THAT much?

[Here's a reminder that summer is just around the corner. photo: daily sunny]

Here is a sample homemade workout equipment tutorial from my new 62 page ebook, Homemade Workout Manifesto (get it for free when you ‘like’ my facebook page):

Let’s take a look at one way to make your own homemade . . . → Read More: How to Make a Homemade Chin Up Bar for Under $5]]> How to Make a Homemade Chin Up Bar for Under $5

If there is one home workout equipment essential, it’s the chin up/pullup bar.

You can buy a door-frame mounted pullup bar for around $30. But in this economy, what if you don’t even want to spend THAT much?

[Here's a reminder that summer is just around the corner. photo: daily sunny]

Here is a sample homemade workout equipment tutorial from my new 62 page ebook, Homemade Workout Manifesto (get it for free when you ‘like’ my facebook page):

Let’s take a look at one way to make your own homemade pullup bar for DIRT cheap.  You will probably find that most of the things you’ll need for this quick project are lying around your garage. And even if they aren’t, this setup won’t run you more than $5.

But first…

Why Bodyweight Exercises?

Pullups are one of the three essential exercises in the core bodyweight total body workout trifecta: pushups, pullups, and bodyweight squats.

Just doing these three exercises can get you into amazing shape. Herschel Walker, for example, has used a daily routine of simple bodyweight exercises like these (including around 1,000 pushups per day(!)) to achieve NFL stardom and a pro MMA career at age 45!

(Here is Mr. Walker in his pro MMA debut:)

DIY Pullup Bar – What You Need

So let’s get started. Here is what you’ll need:

Around 10 feet of polypropylene trucker’s rope. (20 cents per foot)

1 foot of 1″ diameter white pvc pipe (20 cents per foot)

A drill with a 1/8″ and 1/2″ drill bit (if you don’t have a 1/2″ bit, don’t worry, just find the closest size you can)

*(optional)* A tie down strap

10 feet of line is a ballpark estimate. You might need more or less depending on how high you want your chin up bar, and how high the object you are tying to is. In my case, 10 feet of line is more than enough for tying up to a 10 foot high beam.

Cut Pipe, Drill Holes

Go to your local hardware store and see if you can find a foot or so of pvc pipe. Ideally, try to get some grey pvc – this is schedule 80 pipe and has a thicker wall than the standard white pvc pipe.

I had around a foot of white pipe laying around, so I used that.

I marked off two points around 1/2″ in from each end, centered on the pipe’s printed text to keep the holes aligned:

I then drilled the holes – first with a smaller 1/8″ bit, then with a bigger bit. The hole still wasn’t big enough for the rope, so I rotated the drill while drilling the hole, expanding the hole with the sides of the drill bit:

Cut Rope to Length

Cut around 10 feet of the polypropylene trucker’s line. Tape the cut point with some masking tape, cut it, and then melt the ends with a lighter to keep the rope from unraveling.

Thread Rope Through Handle

First, thread the rope through the pipe, passing in one hole and out the other, as shown below:

Threading the rope through these holes prevents the pipe from rotating while you are gripping it, making it much easier to hang onto.

Tie Handle

Now we need to tie the handle loop. We will use the ever-useful bowline knot, and add a bit of extra security by making it a double-bowline. Here’s how to tie the double bowline knot:

Step 1: First, take the free end of the rope, then pass it over and tuck it underneath the standing part, as shown below:

Step 2: Once the free end is tucked under the rope’s standing part, pull the free end to form a small loop in the standing part:

Step 3: You now will have the free end passing through a small loop in the standing part, see below:

Step 4: Now we will repeat steps 1-3, forming another loop for our double bowline. First, pass the free end over the standing part:

Step 5: As in steps 1-2, continue to pass the free end over and tuck it under the standing end, to form another loop, as shown below:

Step 6: You should now have the free end passing through two identical loops in the standing part. Below is a closeup. Make sure that your loops look just like these:

Step 7: Now pass the free end behind the standing end:

Step 8: Now the free end travels through the two loops, following the arrow as shown below:

Step 9: Tuck the free end through the loops:

Step 10: Here is what the knot should look like at this point:

Step 11: Tighten the knot by pulling on the free end and standing part:

Step 12: Tighten the second loop by pulling the big loop in opposite directions as shown below:

Double Bowline – Done!

(This knot is great. Mariners use it because it handles a load very well and is easy to untie afterwords. Once you get the hang of this knot, you will be surprised how many uses it has. Especially when you combine it with the trucker’s hitch.)

Mount Pullup Bar

Now, all we need to do is mount the pullup bar. Here are a couple options:

Option #1 – Tie it On

With the extra length of rope hanging from the chin up bar, it’s easy to tie your new pullup bar to an branch or beam overhead.

-*-SAFETY NOTE-*- Be safe – test your knot before you trust it – give it a few strong pulls, make sure everything is secure before proceeding.

You can tie a double bowline around the object, following the instructions above, or tie an even quicker knot, two half hitches through the loop:

Option 1a: 1 Loop Attachment

Pass the free end of the rope through the loop as shown below:

Next, follow the arrow – pass the free end around the standing part of the rope as shown, then repeat, following the arrow shown below:

Here’s what the knot should look like when complete:

Give the rope a few pulls to make sure the knot is secure, and you’re ready to roll. This one loop option is great for throwing over some odd objects for your pull up workout:

Option 1b: 2 Loop Attachment

For a more permanent setup (although you will get really quick with these knots as you tie them more and more) you can set up your pullup bar like this:

Just thread the rope through the holes in the bar, and tie a double bowline at each end of the rope, looping over the overhead object as shown above.

Option #2 – Use a Cinch Strap

If you have a cinch strap/tie down strap lying around, mounting your new diy chin up bar can be pretty simple:

Just throw the strap over your overhead object, pass it through the pullup bar’s loop, and cinch it to what ever length you want:

For safety’s sake, tie a couple half hitches through the loop to secure it fully:

That’s it! Now you have yourself a homemade chin up bar.

Be Safe

• This setup is strong, but it’s only as strong as the object you tie to. I weigh 210, and have done weighted pullups with 50 lbs on this setup. But choose your overhead object wisely – a strong 4 x 12 beam is best.
• Polypropylene rope doesn’t do too well when left out in the sun for days on end. So if you plan on using this setup outside, store it indoors when you’re done.
• Also, check your rope before each workout to make sure there isn’t any fraying or other potentially compromising damage.

and again,

• Always check your knots before you begin!

For More Homemade Workout Equipment Tutorials:

Check out my new ebook, Homemade Workout Manifesto, free as an ethical bribe when you ‘like’ my new facebook page.

It’s 62 pages packed with this and other homemade workout equipment tutorials, workouts, and more. MOST of it hasn’t been featured on my blog, and I’m sure you’ll like it.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

-Ian

Everyone around me had been getting sick for the past month. I thought I had dodged it by some stroke of good luck, good hygiene, and paranoia-inspired raw garlic ingestion.

[As the picture says, people, if you're sick - keep it to yourself! photo: welivefast/tobyotter]

I was wrong. I got sick.

So it’s been a few days of headaches, coughing, and feeling pretty crappy.

On the upside, I have gotten to watch around a dozen great movies.

(like this ridiculous chase scene from the 1971 classic, French Connection.)

(Some quick trivia: this scene was filmed in NYC and aside from the . . . → Read More: Is Working Out While Sick a Bad Idea?]]> Is Working Out While Sick a Bad Idea?

Everyone around me had been getting sick for the past month. I thought I had dodged it by some stroke of good luck, good hygiene, and paranoia-inspired raw garlic ingestion.

[As the picture says, people, if you're sick - keep it to yourself! photo: welivefast/tobyotter]

I was wrong. I got sick.

So it’s been a few days of headaches, coughing, and feeling pretty crappy.

On the upside, I have gotten to watch around a dozen great movies.

(like this ridiculous chase scene from the 1971 classic, French Connection.)

(Some quick trivia: this scene was filmed in NYC and aside from the staged crashes, the rest of the cars were just normal traffic and had no idea what was going on!)

I look over at my training sandbag and have a hard time imagining ever lifting the beast.

My mind wants to DO something, but my body says “Go back to sleep…” I think to myself,

working out while sick – is it a bad idea?

Well, according to the experts, it depends on what you’re sick with:

Have a Fever? Take it Easy, Turbo.

According to this WebMD post, doing vigorous exercise while sick with a fever can overstress your immune system and lead to further dehydration, making you sicker for longer.

Your body is working as hard as it can to get rid of those bugs and get you back to full strength, so sit back and let it work its magic. If you get impatient and decide to go blast out a set of 100 burpees, you might just cause yourself to be sick for even longer than you would have otherwise.

No Fever? Keep it Mellow

In one study, scientists injected 50 healthy college students with the common cold virus (you can make pretty decent money being a lab rat as a college student. I had one friend who was paid $1000 to have a spinal tap done. Anyways…).

Half of the students didn’t exercise while sick, the other half did 40 minutes daily of moderate biking, running, or stair climbing at no more than 70% of their maximum effort.

Afterwords, the scientists looked at the data and found that this sort of exercise did not have any effect, positive or negative, on the length or severity of the subjects’ illness.

What you DON’T want to do…

When you are feeling sick, fever or no fever, don’t do anything like this:

(100 burpees to pullups – great workout, just not when you’re sick)

Your immune system is responsible for helping your body recover from intense exercise (think HIIT intervals or heavy resistance training), repairing your muscles/tendons/etc., making them bigger, stronger, and faster. If you ask your immune system to do this while it is already fighting a battle against the cold/flu virus, it won’t be able to kick the sickness as easily. So take it easy.

The Health Benefits of a Simple Walk – Moderate Exercise Boosts Immune Function

[Here is a mother and daughter enjoying the health benefits of walking along the beach in nearby Morro Bay. photo: mikebaird]

Studies show that just going for a brisk walk can cause the immune system to increase the number and activity of natural killer cells and neutrophils (think of these little guys as the bouncers/doormen of your immune system, killing any suspicious intruders).

In fact, people who have a habit of doing regular moderate exercise are less likely to get sick than the general population. Elite athletes, on the other hand, often have a higher rate of upper respiratory tract infections, possibly due to the immune system working double time for exercise recovery as we just discussed.

Wrapping up… Is Working Out While Sick a Bad Idea?

So, here’s a quick summary:

• Have a fever? Rest up. Don’t make your immune system work a double shift.
• No fever? Do some moderate aerobic exercise if you feel like it.

That’s it for now, stay healthy and have a great week.

-Ian

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 . . . → Read More: How to Dunk If You’re Under 6 Feet Tall]]> How to Dunk If You’re Under 6 Feet Tall

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.
• Here is a great article Kelly did on 3 ways to become a better athlete.
• Dave over at NotYourAverageFitnessTips did a great article on using plyometrics to increase vertical jumping ability. Check it out.

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:

. . . → Read More: How Many Reps to Build Muscle?]]> How Many Reps to Build Muscle?

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.

That’s it for now!

Good luck and have a great week.

-Ian

Just a quick post today. I wanted to share a new arm, ab, and chest exercise that you can use to warm up OR as a workout in itself. Check it out…

[You had better bring your 'A' game to even think about approaching this woman. Wow! what a pose... pic: DeusXFlorida]

So with out further ado, here it is:

An Ab, Arm, and Chest Exercise, all in One…

I tried another variation of this move as part of my warm up yesterday, and my arms, chest, and abs were BURNING after 30 seconds or so. Good stuff.

Here is another . . . → Read More: An Arm and Chest Exercise that Gives You Ripped Abs]]> An Arm and Chest Exercise that Gives You Ripped Abs

Just a quick post today. I wanted to share a new arm, ab, and chest exercise that you can use to warm up OR as a workout in itself. Check it out…

[You had better bring your 'A' game to even think about approaching this woman. Wow! what a pose... pic: DeusXFlorida]

So with out further ado, here it is:

An Ab, Arm, and Chest Exercise, all in One…

I tried another variation of this move as part of my warm up yesterday, and my arms, chest, and abs were BURNING after 30 seconds or so. Good stuff.

Here is another excellent plank variation from Jason Ferrugia:

(Ferruggia has some cool ideas for gaining strength. Here is a free .pdf I made that summarizes some of my favorite points from his program, Muscle Gaining Secrets)

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.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Have a great week,

Ian

[A casual Steelers fan, enjoying a relaxing pre-Superbowl stroll. photo: daveynin]

Since most of us are about to eat (and drink) a week or so worth of calories between the coin toss and post game celebration, I thought I would share this cool Super Bowl themed 10 minute workout from Jeff Cavaliere of AthleanX.

Check it out (and scroll down for some ideas on how to . . . → Read More: Super Bowl Halftime 10 Minute Workout]]> It’s time for that yearly tradition – dust of your deep fryer, prime up your keg taps, open up that 55 gallon drum of ranch dressing, and get ready for the Super Bowl!

[A casual Steelers fan, enjoying a relaxing pre-Superbowl stroll. photo: daveynin]

Since most of us are about to eat (and drink) a week or so worth of calories between the coin toss and post game celebration, I thought I would share this cool Super Bowl themed 10 minute workout from Jeff Cavaliere of AthleanX.

Check it out (and scroll down for some ideas on how to adapt these exercises to whatever equipment you might have on hand):

Halftime 10 Minute Workout:

• Quarterback Snatch x 15 reps (can use a dumbell instead of kettlebell)
• Running Back Combo x 60 seconds (high knees running in place mixed with a burpee every 10 steps or so)
• Defensive end bursts x 20 (no elastic band? Try doing 40 split jumps as shown in the video below)
• O-Line Clean and Shuffle x 15 (I like this one. If you don’t have dumbells, or even if you do, try it with a training sandbag – here’s how to make your own)
• D-Back Box Jumps x 50

No Elastic Band? Sub Split Jumps for Defensive End Bursts:

A Side Note On Form

This guy is following the generally accepted idea that you should not let your knee move forward past your toes.

Most physical therapists seem to agree that the knee moving past the toes or even the ankle can lead to knee tendinitis and more serious knee injuries.

As for myself, I would tend to follow this advice, especially for an explosive movement like this.

However, some advanced trainers have found that training athletes to properly move through deep squatting and lunging exercises where the knee extends PAST the toes has an interesting effect – it seems to help heal and prevent knee injuries! (here is an interesting forum post from drsquat.com that goes into detail on this subject)

Decisions, Decisions…

So now you have one more option at half time, in case you don’t feel like watching the lingere bowl:

Enjoy the game!

-Ian

Other Resources:

• Here is another 10 minute workout I posted earlier.
• For more info on form for exercises like the squat (and others), check out stronglifts.com
• Check out the lingerie bowl!

Mr. LaLanne was truly ‘fit for life,’ and a true pioneer in home workouts, bringing fitness right into millions of grateful Americans’ living rooms.

[Here is Mr. LaLanne at age 90, just hanging out. photo: CrossFit Oakland]

He had a penchant for amazing feats THROUGHOUT his life (check here for an impressive list), including:

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

[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 . . . → Read More: A 10 Minute Workout To Shed That Holiday Flab]]>

[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)

Part 2

• Tabata jumprope high knees (20 seconds intense effort, 10 seconds rest, repeated 8 times.)

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:

Good luck and Happy New Year!

-Ian

Other Resources

• Here is another post I did on a bodyweight interval circuit that I really enjoy.
• 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.