Posts

What's the best fitness program for you?

There is no 1 size fits all when it comes to working out But there is 1 size fits many though. What do I mean? Well there are general "buckets" that people fall under depending on what their workout/body building goals are . The Goal - KNOW your goal before you start any program / routine. Are you: Someone who's simply looking to eat healthier? Someone who's trying to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way? A beginner at the gym who's looking for a solid routine? An experienced body builder looking to build lean muscle? An experienced body building looking to build mass? A veteran looking to enhance techniques and achieve better results? And this doesn't even cover everything! The reason I stress this point however is because you NEED to know what you're trying to achieve before starting any routine (in the gym) or regimen (in the kitchen). If you just have a vague idea of what you want you WILL: Make excuses for not hitting a t

Dynamic vs. Static stretching

Which one is it?! Everyone knows the benefit of stretching before and after a workout. Cool. But should you static stretch or dynamic stretch? First, let's take a step back. Static stretch is the traditional way - touching your toes, pushing your palms together, etc. Dynamic stretching is when you move - it's almost like a warm up. Again, I'm not one for dense scientific information so I'll get straight to the point -  Dynamic stretching trumps static because: 1 - It activates muscles you will use during your workout. For example, a lunge with a twist is a dynamic stretching exercise that engages your hips, legs, and core muscles.  2 - Improves range of motion. So if you feel like you can barely bend over to tie your shoes after a long day at work, a dynamic warm-up routine can help you feel more limber. 3 - Helps with motion and power. Studies reveal dynamic stretching before a workout can help you lift more weight and increase overall athletic perfor

If you had to do 3 exercises for the rest of your life

If you could only do 3 exercises to get ripped, what would those be? I'll go straight to the point: 1) Pull-ups 2) Benching 3) Dead-lifts Wow, that's arbitrary as heck, I don't believe you You don't come to my blog for in-depth, long, dense, and scientific reasoning, so let me explain it to you like this: Think about our neanderthals ancestors. They didn't have fancy equipment to keep them fit yet they were mostly shredded body wise. Diet aside, think about their activities - Pulling themselves up (Pull-ups) Pushing things away (Benching) Lifting things and carrying them around (Dead-lifts) As usual, if you would like scientific data to back these claims up, please Google this information. I try to position my blog as one for fast answers/information without information overload. Talk to you guys next time!

OMG, body fat percentage?!

Image
What's my body fat % and how do I decrease it? Let's start with the first part of the question. Although there are many ways to "guesstimate" your body fat percentage, the below pictures provide a general rule of thumb -  *Courtesy of Google Images* For more accurate results, you will need to find a professional and/or use a BOD pod (pretty hard to find). Okay...I think I'm at XX%, so what? Well...nothing actually, it's really up to you what you want your body fat % to be at. But let's assume you're a guy who's looking to get that 6-pack in the 9-10% range or a woman looking to become a little leaner, is there something you can do? Of course. Short answer I'll get slapped for - Eat less! Well no s*** Sherlock, what else can I do? Here's the thing. Many people who are new to the body building/fitness/dieting scene thing there are some magical ways or exercises you can do to lose weight. There really isn't.