Your lunges are terrible.... So bad you shouldn't do them. At least not until after you read this. Your lunges probably don't look like this.... I can say with almost 100% certainty that when you do a lunge one of these things happens: From start to midpoint: Step out is too small, not giving the hips enough room to drop down. Step out is too big and the back leg has to be kept straight to be used as a kickstand. The Step out foot is placed towards the mid-line of the body. Contact on the step out foot is on the ball of the foot not on a flat foot with pressure in the heel. The knee collapses in towards the mid-line of the … [Read more...]
Doing It Better: Dumbbell Bench with Progressions
December 13, 2012 by
Monday is and will always be National bench Press day. That's just how it is folks....there are too many Bro's in wifebeaters, Ed Hardy jeans and blowouts in gyms across America for it to be any other way. Short of a major cultural shift, we're going to have to try to educate the "indigenous" people of Bro'merica. It's going to have to be a slow and (almost) painless progression as we move them from a regimen of chest, shoulders and bi's 3 x's a week to well-rounded programs that include things like The entire back side of your body. and The very skinny things they walk on....I think they call them toothpicks legs. But we'll have to take it … [Read more...]
Doing it Better: Elbows Flared Edition
December 6, 2012 by
Here's a secret: Just about every guy (and girl) gets into working out because they want to look better. This has been the truth since forever... At the heart of it all: We all want to get laid We want to get laid by good-looking people. We believe that being "in shape" gives us the best chance of this occurring. So if you're like me and about a gazillion other red-blooded, testosterone driven teenage boys out there you decide to start lifting weights. Eventually, after a few weeks, months, years maybe of aimlessly doing whatever..... i.e. 3 days a week of benches, incline benches, dumbbell flys, biceps curls and a set of leg extensions just for … [Read more...]
Doing it Better: Exercises That Don’t Hurt You.
December 4, 2012 by
I'm a total Debbie Downer.... Last time I was all like, "you shouldn't do these stupid things" and folks were all like, "But I like to do those....so what should I do instead?" .....actually, they were like, "YOU SUCK, azzhole"... but really that's an everyday thing and doesn't fit the narrative or this blog....any way. I really hate when people point out what's wrong or point out a problem and NEVER give a possible solution. That's not productive. So, in the name of productivity here are substitutes for the Exercises that are Hurting You. Parallel Bar Dip vs. Bench Dip: If you have shoulder issues dips probably are not a good … [Read more...]
Doing it Better: My Knees Hurt Edition
November 1, 2012 by
Most folks move more like this: and less like this: http://youtu.be/XcE0mZhoxwU There is nothing fluid, powerful, integrated, supple and athletic about their movement. In short order that's why your knee's hurt. It's not from the 3 inch knee bends "squats" with 100lbs on your back you did 15 years ago for 4 months in high school weight training class. Years of poor movement, lack of mobility, lack of strength, lack of power are usually the culprits. So how do we fix knee pain or at least train around it if it's not fixable (which is sometimes the fact of the matter, but not typically the case)? Follow some basic rules/ strategies: Initiate … [Read more...]
Doing it Better: The Push-up
September 27, 2012 by
Know what every guy in every gym does on every Monday? He benches.... Monday is basically National Bench Press Day every week all year.... The funny thing is that all these 200lbs guys and their 225lbs benches, which they think is really good cause "they do it at the combine" can't do 20 good pushups. Which is a shame because pushups, in a lot of respects, are actually a much better exercise. Here's some of the awesomeness of pushups: Core activation Serratus activation Safe on the rotator cuff The scapula get to move naturally (small upward rotation) Self limiting i.e. hard to get hurt Thoracic extension Take note: all of the above only … [Read more...]
Doing it Better: Planking
September 20, 2012 by
Planks are really boring. "Planking" is really stupid: Planking is a photo fad which involves lying face down with arms to the sides in unusual public spaces, photographing the scene and sharing the image online. In form, it bears striking resemblance to the Lying Down Game, a similar photo fad that became popular among UK Facebook users in 2010. http://youtu.be/csS_oySjfjU But planks have value and even though they are boring as hell I still make people do them cause, plain and simple, they work. Problem is that after a couple of months most folks can hold a plank without any problem....for ......a ........long........time. Yes, I used to make people … [Read more...]
I don’t want to lift weights, I’ll get too BIG!
November 20, 2009 by
This is awesome........she's using 100's http://youtu.be/HjgYHylUJhc Holy [email protected]'s not like all HUGE and stuff..and she can lift 100lbs dumbbells. Damn, that's weird cause it was definitely the 20lbs dumbbells you did chest presses with that time and not all the crap you ate for 4 months that made you bigger, cause it's real easy for women to get HUGE and stuff...right? I just looked again, she weighs 115lbs... and can do this: http://youtu.be/NUsly_gwqvI 95% of the guys I know can't come close... Sooooo, I guess the point is WEIGHT TRAINING DOESN'T BULK UP WOMEN!!!! (95% of the time, The other 5%? Their called Outliers, not just a great book … [Read more...]
