May 31, 2019 · 8:17 am
Do you want to train for health, performance and to feel better because if that is the case keep reading.
Three things in the gym you should ideally be able to do.
1 – 1x Double Bodyweight Deadlift
3 – 1x 3/4 Bodyweight Press
1 – 1x Double Bodyweight Deadlift
None of the above requires astronomical strength.
Hit the above though and chicness are you’ll have some good base results.
Say you struggle to achieve these then it can mean a few things, such as you might have been injured one upon a time, have a legitimate medical excuse that makes you exempt etc.
If you have no aliments (real ones), then it may mean this:
Now a lot of people will get the hump reading this.
Some will scream and shout about their not being any cardio goal however I shall explain why there are none.
(I’d recommend a sport, like boxing, BJJ, skipping etc)
Think about it logically for one moment, please.
You can go from couch to 5k in a matter of weeks, perhaps even train to run a marathon within 6months (I’ve known people to go form never doing any fitness to that feat, it was most impressive).
Yet when it comes to building strength you’ll find that shit takes a long time, especially if you’re very de-conditioned.
Strength, or base strength has a universal crossover to life.
As does mobility, as such here are three other things you should be able to do:
– Sit in a full ROM squat pain free for 5min
– Lay down, stand up, crawl and climb things pain free
– Pass all minimum ROM tests (google this)
Many will see me as overly harsh, other will know my intentions are good though.
Like a post I shared a few weeks ago about being abel to haul around a sandbag of your own bodyweight.
Ideally you should be able to carry it for at least 1min without any real trouble. get it to your shoulder and even over head too with not too much soul crushing effort.
^^ All of this will build decent CV levels by the way.
(If you want to build strength and CV use kettlebells)
We’ve become so sedentary.
All of the above seems like truly huge feats and they’re not.
Investing in your own strength, mobility and base levels of conditioning will help stave off meeting Charon too soon.
May 17, 2017 · 8:18 am
“I want to be big and strong”
^^ A sentence many a man has said over the years and continues to say to this day.
“I want to be lean and strong”
^^ Something I’m pleased to announce more women are saying, it seems there has been a shift in them saying ‘I just want to be skinny’ to now learning the benefit of being lean and strong, it’s great to see.
While it is only my opinion, I feel everybody should be strong.
I’m not talking about record breaking strong, just strong enough to stay healthy and stave off the effects of ageing on the body.
These sports all centre around lifting:
– Weightlifting (olympic lifting)
– CrossFit (some may not like this one)
Did you know lifting weights can have the following positive effects on the body:
– Hormonal benefits: Higher testosterone, better insulin regulation, more growth hormone, lower cortisol to name a few
– Lowers body fat (great for improving health)
– A higher TDEE (total daily energy expenditure, more calories burnt in a day)
– Increased strength for sport/daily life
– Looking better naked (the most important benefit, obviously)
Those are only some of the benefits, there are numerous more.
Personally I’d say the mental improvement is the pivotal one as this can have the biggest impact on a persons life in a very positive way.
If you’re not an athlete and lift for health/confidence you should do it because you enjoy it, not because you feel you have to, that’s the secret to balance and long term sustainability.
Don’t eat yourself up if you miss a session, chalk it up to life and sue it as a rest day, that way you’ll be more motivated when you get to go in, excited to train in fact. Keep this in mind and you’ll find you don’t fall out of love with training.
What if lifting isn’t for you?
That’s cool, find soothing you do enjoy, here are some other options for improving strength and all achieving all the other benefits mentioned above:
– Calisthenics: bodyweight/movement training, loads of fun
– Kettlebells (sport or hard style)
– Climbing/outdoor sports
There are almost endless options.
Find something you enjoy, training shouldn’t be a chore.
Now go, have fun and make progress.
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June 30, 2015 · 8:22 am
We all would like to think of ourselves as strong, but in what context?
Being able to lift 2x your body weight over your head is phenomenally strong, so it deadlifting 4x body weight from the floor. With strength levels like this you would assume such people could perform basic body weight movements without any issue and for multiple reps too.
Some people do not disappoint you in this aspect, but there a great many that would leave you speechless at their complete lack of body weight strength.
If we are to take the largest compound exercises most commonly used – Squat, Bench, Deadlift and Overhead Press – then convert these in to body weight alternatives with some target rep ranges how would you fair?
Squat – Box Jump 3/4 of own height & 40 Burpees
Bench – Push Up 60 reps (Male) 40 reps (Female)
Deadlift – Broad Jump your own height & perform 1 Nordic Hamstring Curl with full R.O.M
Overhead Press – Wall supported Hand Stand Push Up 10 Reps (Male) 5 (Reps Female)
It’s also worth throwing in Pull Ups (overhand grip) 20 Reps is the target for Males and 10 for Females.
*All of these reps should be performed with good form and in an unbroken fashion.
These are simple standers to meet but not many people would achieve them. I myself can’t do them all, I hit 6 reps on the handstand press up and start to lose form which shows my shoulders need some work.
I have based these number off of various different sources (military standards, gymnastic standards and people who purely train in calisthenics).
Do you think you have what it takes to hit these necessary requirements?
Test your might!
Enjoy
Ross
