Is it going to the gym?
Wrong
Is it reading the latest diet plans from your magazine?
Wrong
Is it being a personal trainer?
Not necessarily
What makes a true health enthusiast is someone who is passionate about providing others health tips, whether for free or by some book they write or seminar they put on. A true health enthusiast is someone who shares a life long passion about themselves to serve themselves and their bodies better. Doesn't have to be a Doctor, or physician or even a personal trainer.
I find that many people share a passion for a better future through the use of proper nutrition, health and wellness. However few people actually take this information to heart or beyond. Most people read a few items, think they know everything, then quit. Those people often loose site of their goals and choose to except things just because. It is also said that most people quit right before they start to see results. What a shame.
What is the purpose of working out, dieting, starving (like some do) or putting yourself through things that you really don't like to do. I mean come on, who seriously loves the gym. We hate the gym, but live the results and what we are doing for ourselves. If you workout for yourself and not others, you will progress further. Although the support of others helps, you must first have the inner desire to change, because without the inner desire, you will not push hard enough and waste your time.
After all if we were not true enthusiasts and we don't share the inner desire, why would we push ourselves that hard in the gym everyday?
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Colby Butler
Love the Gym?
People always ask me, "Do you love the gym or something, your always here?" Well quiet frankly no, I do not love the gym. I just like being fit and trying to stay in the best shape that I can. If that means going to the gym 5 days a week then so be it.
However its not always just the gym. On the weekend I like to stay as active as possible. Ride my bike to a friends house, play some baseball, maybe go kayaking, a walk around downtown, anything to keep me from sitting on my butt all weekend.
People take for granted what good physical fitness does for you. Good physical fitness keeps you on top of your game. Whether its walking around the mall or going to a hike in the woods. You need to be in your best form at all times.
Recently a friend of mines dad starting going back to the gym. He did this because his doctor said you go or your health will increasing get worse. Now, that same guy can't wait to get back into the gym each trip he makes. It's that kind of feeling which keeps me going back. I hate the feeling of laziness, so I try to avoid this at all costs. Heck there are even some guy in their 50's that can still lift as much as I can, probably because they have been going to the gym since they were young too.
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Colby Butler
However its not always just the gym. On the weekend I like to stay as active as possible. Ride my bike to a friends house, play some baseball, maybe go kayaking, a walk around downtown, anything to keep me from sitting on my butt all weekend.
People take for granted what good physical fitness does for you. Good physical fitness keeps you on top of your game. Whether its walking around the mall or going to a hike in the woods. You need to be in your best form at all times.
Recently a friend of mines dad starting going back to the gym. He did this because his doctor said you go or your health will increasing get worse. Now, that same guy can't wait to get back into the gym each trip he makes. It's that kind of feeling which keeps me going back. I hate the feeling of laziness, so I try to avoid this at all costs. Heck there are even some guy in their 50's that can still lift as much as I can, probably because they have been going to the gym since they were young too.
You can subscribe to my posts by clicking here SUBSCRIBE
Please leave a comment, I appreciate them!
Colby Butler
Core training
I cannot stress enough how important core training is for your body.
Your core supports everything you do practically. Without good core stability your back slouches, your shoulder can roll and your neck can hurt. These are all based on examples, however if you view a person who has bad pasture, then you will soon figure this out.
A person with a weak core, will find that they develop soreness in their lower backs more often. A weak core places more pressure on your back to support your body. Over time this develops into a back problem.
Core training is not just sit ups and crunches. Its much more then that. One should work out lower back, stomach, lower stomach, and obliques. As a person with a former back injury I know how bad a person can ruin there body. Overtime I have worked out many areas of my core to be able to support my body through out daily functions and routine. Yet have the ability to take on something harder if needed.
I'm not a super fit guy, yet I can do most of these with ease. I also was not blessed with a great metabolism like most people you see in muscle and fitness mags. Yet I probably can keep up with them in the gym, in some case, surpass them.
Things to try:
Your core supports everything you do practically. Without good core stability your back slouches, your shoulder can roll and your neck can hurt. These are all based on examples, however if you view a person who has bad pasture, then you will soon figure this out.
A person with a weak core, will find that they develop soreness in their lower backs more often. A weak core places more pressure on your back to support your body. Over time this develops into a back problem.
Core training is not just sit ups and crunches. Its much more then that. One should work out lower back, stomach, lower stomach, and obliques. As a person with a former back injury I know how bad a person can ruin there body. Overtime I have worked out many areas of my core to be able to support my body through out daily functions and routine. Yet have the ability to take on something harder if needed.
I'm not a super fit guy, yet I can do most of these with ease. I also was not blessed with a great metabolism like most people you see in muscle and fitness mags. Yet I probably can keep up with them in the gym, in some case, surpass them.
Things to try:
- Planks - front, and side one arm. Step it up to one leg and one arm.
- Oblique crunches
- Standing side bends
- Seated side bends
- Floor leg lifts with weight
- Swiss ball plank crunches. Like a plank but bring your legs to your chest on the ball
Check this video out.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=24719260
Colby
Pushups versus Bench press
Did you know that the Bench Press exercise can actually do more damage then a standard push up? Lets look at the factors:
Bench Press:
Bench Press:
- A bench press applies pressure to mostly your shoulder area and not your entire chest/arm/shoulder area.
- It is not a natural movement
- Requires no stability of your core
- If done incorrectly can ruin your posture and your shoulders permanently
If done correctly:
- Can build a strong chest and add some size to you arm and shoulders
- Will make you look powerful in the gym
- Work the four sections of your chest independently for maximum results
- Works your grip strength along with routine
Push up:
- Is a natural movement when preforming life routines
- Builds and requires all parts of your body to preform well
- Does not require a spotter or gym
- Can be effective in building all parts of chest in one movement
- Is more impressive when done with weight or vertically
I'm sure I could come up with more comparisons, however I think you get the jest of it.
For people with rotator cuff problems or or shoulder related injuries that wish to work out their chest, should prefer a push up over a bench press. I am a good testament to this. I have been doing push-ups for about a two years now. Recently started doing bench presses. Found my shoulder to be really week and need two days of recovery after doing each bench press. Switched back to push-ups, with weight, and have since conquered my shoulder weakness.
A good friend of mine was struggling to lift 175 on the bench press. After a little two week period of working with weighted push ups and higher reps, he can now lift a maximum of 2 lifts on the bench press now at 225. That's a pretty good result in just two weeks I think.
Colby
How I train when I can't go to the gym
Many people have asked me how I lost 85lbs and keep it off. Well, I train to keep it off. I don't just eat right and better then I used to, I exercise at least 4 times a week. Even when I miss the gym for a few days, I work out at home.
Its simple to work out at home when needed. All I use is my own body weight and a simple 37.5 lb dumbbell. Anyone can do core training at home, abs, obliques, and even lower back. However keeping your upper body and lower body in check is a little harder.
For example:
I put my rear car seats to good use. Each weights between 50-80 lbs, so just lifting them is like a work out. However I use the heavy one for squats of 20 reps, dead lifts, and rows. The smaller one I will use for curling, standing overhead extensions, side bends, and weighted push ups. Basically I use them however I feel I can at the time of working out. Now mind you, this does not totally replace the gym. The gym allows you to lift much more weight then you would have around your house.
It becomes easy to look around your house and find something that you can use to lift when you can't get to a gym. Some of the best strength is built when you lift odd objects. These odd configurations form different muscles in the body to preform harder and with more efficiency. Steel and metal plates are great at the gym, however not sufficient to real life objects.
Colby
Its simple to work out at home when needed. All I use is my own body weight and a simple 37.5 lb dumbbell. Anyone can do core training at home, abs, obliques, and even lower back. However keeping your upper body and lower body in check is a little harder.
For example:
I put my rear car seats to good use. Each weights between 50-80 lbs, so just lifting them is like a work out. However I use the heavy one for squats of 20 reps, dead lifts, and rows. The smaller one I will use for curling, standing overhead extensions, side bends, and weighted push ups. Basically I use them however I feel I can at the time of working out. Now mind you, this does not totally replace the gym. The gym allows you to lift much more weight then you would have around your house.
It becomes easy to look around your house and find something that you can use to lift when you can't get to a gym. Some of the best strength is built when you lift odd objects. These odd configurations form different muscles in the body to preform harder and with more efficiency. Steel and metal plates are great at the gym, however not sufficient to real life objects.
Colby
Weight Training for Uniform Strength
I use this rule of thumb for weight training. Your Squat percentage should be about double what you can do on your bench press. Your leg press should be about triple you bench press. The squat may be a combined weight of you body as well in some cases, if you lift a lot with your chest in the press.
I took for example the number 135 for a bench press, most people should be able to preform this much. So on your squat rack you should have approximately 270. The 270 breaks down into about (2) 45lbs plates on either side with (2) 10 lbs and (2) 2.5 if available, including the typical 45lbs bar used. However if you can not lift 270 with your combined weight from your body, then you should factor your body weight and subtract that from the 270 to achieve what is required.
For example if you way 165, subtract that from 270 to figure out 105. That would be a good starting point and with the combined weight of your body, you can achieve the 270 required for this way of training. Once you have the appropriate weight, see what you can do with that amount and either adjust up or down accordingly to preform a constant 12 reps with proper form to reach maximum load on your legs without reaching complete fatigue each set.
So at 135, you should be able to triple this number based on your leg press. The leg press is at a 45 degree angle initially giving you an advantage, in addition you do not have your body weight to incorporate either. So you can really load the plates on and look like a monster. 135 * 3=405, which equates to (4) 45lbs plates and (2) 10lbs plates, and (1) 2.5lbs plate on either side, if available. Ask anyone at the gym, this looks like a ton of weight, however really isn't as much as it seems.
Colby
I took for example the number 135 for a bench press, most people should be able to preform this much. So on your squat rack you should have approximately 270. The 270 breaks down into about (2) 45lbs plates on either side with (2) 10 lbs and (2) 2.5 if available, including the typical 45lbs bar used. However if you can not lift 270 with your combined weight from your body, then you should factor your body weight and subtract that from the 270 to achieve what is required.
For example if you way 165, subtract that from 270 to figure out 105. That would be a good starting point and with the combined weight of your body, you can achieve the 270 required for this way of training. Once you have the appropriate weight, see what you can do with that amount and either adjust up or down accordingly to preform a constant 12 reps with proper form to reach maximum load on your legs without reaching complete fatigue each set.
So at 135, you should be able to triple this number based on your leg press. The leg press is at a 45 degree angle initially giving you an advantage, in addition you do not have your body weight to incorporate either. So you can really load the plates on and look like a monster. 135 * 3=405, which equates to (4) 45lbs plates and (2) 10lbs plates, and (1) 2.5lbs plate on either side, if available. Ask anyone at the gym, this looks like a ton of weight, however really isn't as much as it seems.
Colby
In lu of my last post.
Well as for the rep hold routine. This is not so much for cutting, but rather shear muscle stamina and strength building.
Think about this for instance:
The longer you hold something, the harder it becomes, yes? Just like the part in the movie Punisher, when the evil son of the bad boss is told to hold a mine in his hand. The mine only weighting about 7 lbs, although over a prolonged period of time becomes seemingly more heavy. Hence he eventually drops the weight in his efforts to stay alive.
Something else to try:
Look at stamina core training. This makes the most sense to me. I don't care how many sit-ups I can do, rather how long I can hold a sustained position. I do what in the exercise fitness world calls a plank.
Plank: Core training routine where the user sustains a position much like a push-up for 30-60 seconds.
However a modified positions using either weight or a Swiss ball to preform a harder variation of this routine.
Planks are by far, not over rated, rather overlooked. I see so many gym users who don't try these its insane. Guaranteed core strength in about 2 weeks from doing these. You may not get your six pack this way, however you will get plenty of strength.
Which do you prefer?
Colby
Think about this for instance:
The longer you hold something, the harder it becomes, yes? Just like the part in the movie Punisher, when the evil son of the bad boss is told to hold a mine in his hand. The mine only weighting about 7 lbs, although over a prolonged period of time becomes seemingly more heavy. Hence he eventually drops the weight in his efforts to stay alive.
Something else to try:
Look at stamina core training. This makes the most sense to me. I don't care how many sit-ups I can do, rather how long I can hold a sustained position. I do what in the exercise fitness world calls a plank.
Plank: Core training routine where the user sustains a position much like a push-up for 30-60 seconds.
However a modified positions using either weight or a Swiss ball to preform a harder variation of this routine.
Planks are by far, not over rated, rather overlooked. I see so many gym users who don't try these its insane. Guaranteed core strength in about 2 weeks from doing these. You may not get your six pack this way, however you will get plenty of strength.
Which do you prefer?
Colby
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