After taking my own advice from the previous entry I took 10 days completely away from the gym, and spent it all with family enjoying great food and lots of time outdoors in Wisconsin.
I hope everyone has a great 4th, and get out and enjoy the warm weather. Long summer days are perfect for getting outside and doing some training in the fresh air. Grab some of your favorite tools, find an open space and get to work. Lately I've been enjoying the simplicity of climbing ropes, sandbags, and bodyweight gymnastic-type exercises on rings and ground-based.
You'd be hard pressed to find anyone stronger in relation to bodyweight than gymnasts. And the funny thing is alot of gymnastic movements tend to work the important stuff such as anterior and posterior core, and pulling movements - all of which do much to keep us healthy, as opposed to bodybuilding style training which often does the opposite, in my opinion.
Here is a short video taken a while back of me climbing a rope on Santa Monica beach. Do a bunch of these and you'll know you've done some work.
Simple, but not easy.
Showing posts with label bodyweight training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bodyweight training. Show all posts
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Use What You Got
I was catching up on some blog meat and ran across this post by Steve Maxwell, kettlebell guru, world champion Brazilian Jiujitsu player, and ultra-fit 50 year old.
In it Steve makes a good case for the importance of bodyweight training. That is no machines, barbells, or anything using external loading.
I too have found bodyweight exercises to often be the toughest for people that are either overweight, weak, or both. When someone reaches the point where they can do 10 chinups and more than 30 consecutive pushups (in good form!) then you can bet that person will not only look good, but likely have good core strength, healthy shoulders, and a strong back.
How about someone that can do a leg matrix (24 jump squats, 24 lump lunges, 24 squats, 24 lunges) in 2:30 or less? Chances are they will have strong legs and be in pretty damn good condition.
The same cannot be said for alot of guys you see in gyms benching and squatting.
So now if I may rant a bit if you happen to see someone doing pushups, chances are their form sucks, so let's lay out proper form:
The elbows should be tucked to a 45-degree angle to the body should actively “pull” himself down to the bottom position using back muscles (recruiting scapular retractors). The hips shouldn’t sag (leads to back pain), and the head/neck should be neutral, not letting your head drop forward. The chest, not the chin or hips, should touch the ground first.
At the top the arms should be straight - no significant bend in the elbow. In other words finish the movement.
Now the beauty of all this is that now you have no excuse to not train, no matter if you are traveling or don't have access to a gym. If you want to feel and look good consistent and hard effort is required. It's as simple as that.
In it Steve makes a good case for the importance of bodyweight training. That is no machines, barbells, or anything using external loading.
I too have found bodyweight exercises to often be the toughest for people that are either overweight, weak, or both. When someone reaches the point where they can do 10 chinups and more than 30 consecutive pushups (in good form!) then you can bet that person will not only look good, but likely have good core strength, healthy shoulders, and a strong back.
How about someone that can do a leg matrix (24 jump squats, 24 lump lunges, 24 squats, 24 lunges) in 2:30 or less? Chances are they will have strong legs and be in pretty damn good condition.
The same cannot be said for alot of guys you see in gyms benching and squatting.
So now if I may rant a bit if you happen to see someone doing pushups, chances are their form sucks, so let's lay out proper form:
The elbows should be tucked to a 45-degree angle to the body should actively “pull” himself down to the bottom position using back muscles (recruiting scapular retractors). The hips shouldn’t sag (leads to back pain), and the head/neck should be neutral, not letting your head drop forward. The chest, not the chin or hips, should touch the ground first.
At the top the arms should be straight - no significant bend in the elbow. In other words finish the movement.
Now the beauty of all this is that now you have no excuse to not train, no matter if you are traveling or don't have access to a gym. If you want to feel and look good consistent and hard effort is required. It's as simple as that.
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