Up until recently, the last time I did a back bridge was in a junior high PE class. This winter I am doing a routine that incorporates a mild version of the back bridge, called the hip bridge. As soon as I added in hip bridges, I knew this is the exact exercise that my body was looking for. My back has been injured for 20 years and my lower spine has a tendency to lose the healthy natural curve and flex forward a bit. Things like sitting at a desk for a lot of the day just add to the problem. This past week I have been researching back bridges and possibly incorporating this exercise into my routine permanently. But they are kind of controversial.

[This picture doesn't have a lot to do with this post, but people keep telling me that Rain from Ninja Assassins got in great condition for this movie. Yeah, the guy looks pretty darn ripped.]

My Experience With Hip Bridges
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Tags: Main, barbell, bridge exercise, flexibility, gymnast, hip bridge exercise, hip flexors, planks, Stuart McGill

Mark Sisson, over at one of my favorite sites, recently wrote a post called Grok Tag. It is so well written because his description of recess is "spot on". I lived for recess back in Elementary School! It was a blast. I remember basically doing all activities full throttle and having fun no matter what we were doing. This article is not a tip or anything like that. I just wanted to back Mark's message from his recent post.

[I will never be too old to enjoy a great rope swing! I need to find a great one this summer...and a good place for cliff diving. This stuff never gets old!]

I Have a Love-Hate Relationship With Technology!
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Tags: Main, HGH, HGH flush, mark sisson, marks daily apple, Video Games, workout

If you have watched any TV or logged into a computer the past couple of weeks, you have probably seen or heard of Taylor Lautner. This past Friday, I took my girlfriend, her 14 year old daughter and 14 year old niece to see New Moon (opening night). I realize that this movie isn't aimed at my demographic, but actually enjoyed the movie. Taylor Lautner, the guy who plays Jacob Black, got in outstanding condition for this role. What really struck me was the reaction of many of the teenage guys and girls in the theater. Every time there was a shirtless scene with Taylor Lautner you could hear a bit of whispering back and forth. Then it struck me: This could possibly be the first time this generation has had a blockbuster movie written for them, with an incredibly fit actor they can relate to.

[New Moon was shot just a few hours from where I live in various parts of the rain forest near the Washington and Oregon coast. Yes it rains like crazy, so as a bonus, they probably didn't need to bring in any props to generate fake rain.]

I Predict Taylor Lautner Will Create A HUGE Impact in Fitness
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Tags: Main, brad pitt, cam gigandet, Daniel Craig, Hugh Jackman, jessica biel, muscle tone, taylor lautner, working out, workout

I actually don't believe in the term fitness expert. I don't consider myself an expert. I am a student of fitness. I consider the other bloggers, readers, people who comment, and product owners as one big mastermind. I soak up knowledge, look at and consider the newest philosophies and fine-tune my approach over time. What I recommend today is slightly different than what I would have recommended 2 years ago. Two years from now, it will be slightly different than today.

[I can easily understand how someone could be completely thrown off by all the conflicting advice online. With the Internet, this becomes even more confusing. There has never been so much information available at the click of a button.]

Almost an Unlimited Amount of Approaches Will Work
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Tags: Main, body weight circuits, brad pilon, craig ballantyne, fitness experts, fitness sites, john barban, lyle mcdonald, mark sisson, muscle definition, steady state cardio

Instead of doing a post analyzing a scientific study, I wanted to make a list of random fitness tips that came to my head when thinking about staying in shape and eating well, etc. These are just some observations I've made over the past 39 years. I don't turn 40 for another 3 months, but close enough. I am hoping to start this little brainstorming list and have people reading this, add to the list in the comment section.

[I like to think of posting an article on the Internet as sending a message in a bottle. It is crazy where the info winds up. I send out from my apartment in Seattle and within days it is found in many remote areas throughout the world. I really love the whole concept.]

So This is Just a Random List of Fitness Tips & Observations
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Tags: Main, bodybuilder, bodybuilding, eat stop eat, fat loss, fitness, fitness blog, fitness tip, fitness tips, james bond, lose weight, workout routine

A little over a month ago I was doing a bit of research online on improving posture. This research wasn't for a blog post, it was because I was trying to insure that my own posture didn't get worse due to sitting at a desk all day. While searching for a good routine to improve posture I stumbled across a series of great blog posts on the subject. The site I found is called JCD Fitness and I am quickly becoming a fan. The author (JC) does a great job at explaining technical subjects in an easy-to-understand, easily digestible format. In this day of information overload, I seek out sites like this.

 

[Probably the most common type of bad posture is due to sitting for long periods of time. Many of us sit all day at our jobs as well as during our free time. This post will explore how to correct common problems in posture caused by sitting.]

"Hey JC, It's Rusty. Can You Do Me a BIG Favor?"
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Tags: Main, . JCD Fitness, chiropractor, fitness, hip flexors, JC, muscle groups, stretching

Increasing natural Human Growth Hormone (HGH) levels in your body is a major key in staying lean year round. It is also a plays a big role in preserving muscle mass when losing those last few pounds of body fat. I'm convinced that anyone can lose weight up to a certain point, but it is that last little bit of fat that takes skill. In my opinion the two biggest fat loss skills to master are to eat in a way that produces a calorie deficit over time & workout in a way that boosts up your levels of HGH and increases that calorie deficit. Another great skill to master is to keep your insulin levels stable, but that is a topic for another post.

[Here is a picture from 1959 of a group of surfers. Surfers are almost always lean because many of them fast all day out in the surf. Their sport also mixes in short bursts of activity followed by slower steady activity. Does any of this sound familiar? It should because this interval-exercise-and-fasting-combo is a potent way to release HGH! It has been exactly 50 years since this photo was taken and most of these people are in better shape than 90% of gym go'ers today. Has the fitness industry gone backwards?]

You Asked for Scientific Studies and I Found Them
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Tags: Main, calorie deficit, fat cells, growth hormone, HGH, human growth hormone, insulin, laird hamilton, lose weight, metabolism, steady state cardio, surfer

Time to talk about your body's potent fat burning hormone: HGH. I wanted to let you guys know up front that this post isn't a grand scheme to sell some sort of HGH supplement. There are some pills and supplements that can make a little difference, but this article will be dedicated to increasing your Human Growth Hormone (HGH) with just a solid diet and exercise routine. I've talked in passing about HGH in the past, but felt the need for a post that goes a bit more in depth.

[The science behind HGH is as simple or as complex as you want to make it. I will touch on how HGH works in your body, but mainly focus on actions you can take to increase this natural fat burning hormone in your body. Oh yeah, this picture is suppose to be a mad scientist.]

The Basics: What is HGH (Human Growth Hormone)?
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Tags: Main, body fat, body fat percentage, body weight circuits, burn fat, calorie deficit, circuit training, circuit training routine, fat cells, fat loss, growth hormone, HGH, HGH flush, IF, insulin, Intermittent Fasting, lose body fat, low body fat, steady state cardio, treadmill, working out, workout program

I am naturally a pretty positive and upbeat person, but don't buy into the whole positive thinking movement. The way I look at achieving goals like getting in great shape or building a successful business is that it is positive actions that matter most. Simply do the actions necessary to reaching your goals, and forget how you feel. What I found is that the proper actions always lead me to feeling better anyway. My advice about getting in shape is that sometimes you will feel like exercising and sometimes you won't. Make sure and exercise either way!

[Thinking about getting fit and doing what it takes to get fit are two very different things. It is great to learn and to discuss fitness, but make sure you become a person of action as well. You need to take consistent action to get great results.]

I Like to Keep it Simple – Do the Actions it Takes to Succeed
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Tags: Main, leo babauta, personal development, positive action, positive thinking, steve pavlina, the positivity blog, zen habits

I can't believe I've been blogging for close to two years now! Back on June 8, 2007 I made the first post on this site and was just hoping that someone would eventually find it. I waited 4 days and got my first comment and immediately responded back. This was exciting, because the goal was to create a community of people sharing fitness ideas. I didn't want this to be about me giving lessons. I can't thank everyone enough for making this a positive and entertaining environment to talk about fitness.

[The amount of sites online is staggering. It almost seems like there is too much competition to ever become successful. If you are considering starting a site, don't think like this. We are in desperate need for helpful sites written by people who want to make a difference.]

Just Checked the Stats – Over 9,400 Comments!
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Tags: Main, blogging, fitness blog, fitness sites, fitness tips

I believe that people should do what they enjoy and if they like to follow bodybuilding, that is cool. That being said, it still boggles my mind that such a large amount of people watch bodybuilding contests, idolize professional bodybuilders, etc. I figured bodybuilding would die out back in the early 90's at the end of Arnold's popularity on the big screen, but it is still going strong.

[The guy on the left, Ric Arango, was a Calvin Klein Obsession model in the 90's. This is a recent picture of him and he still looks great. The guy on the right, Ronnie Coleman, is an eight time winner of Mr Olympia. To me Ric has a much better physique than Ronnie Coleman. Coleman's muscles are so big that they look droopy, not angular and masculine. What is up with his abs?]

"I Do It for Myself Not for the Approval of Women!"
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Tags: Main, body fat, bodybuilders, bodybuilding, build muscle mass, GQ, great shape, mr olympia, roids, spandex, working out

If you want to lose fat at a rapid pace, you do need to push hard at things like intervals, circuits and HIIT. The problem is knowing how hard should you push. Figuring out the ideal workout intensity for things like interval training is almost an art. Besides diet, proper intensity in your fat loss workouts is what makes the difference between looking good and looking your best.

[One indicator of proper workout intensity is your skin feeling hot to the touch. It takes a bit of self-discipline to push your comfort zone to reach this point.]

What I Mean by Fat Burning Workouts
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Tags: Main, body fat, body weight circuits, brad pilon, fat loss workout, HGH, HGH flush, HIIT, Interval Training, low body fat, low intensity cardio, metabolism, muscle definition, personal trainer, treadmill

What if Tarzan met up with Conan and a fight broke out? Maybe Conan made a move on Jane or Tarzan did his famous yell at 5:30AM and Conan was nursing a bad hangover. Whatever the case, these two Alpha males would certainly clash if they ran across each other. Although Conan would probably win in a head to head fight, I think Tarzan would school Conan in most athletic events. It is time to Geek Out!

[Note: These are real photos of Tarzan and Conan when they were in peak condition. I'm delivering the hard-to-find photos again. It's all about connections!]

Tarzan's Height and Weight vs Conan's Height and Weight
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Tags: Hollywood Fitness, Main, bodybuilding, bulky muscle, conan the barbarian, excessive muscle, fitness tips, functional strength, gym, movnat, pushups

If you are blaming a slow metabolism or bad genetics on being overweight, then you are limiting your ability to get lean. In fact, blaming a circumstance for anywhere you are in life takes away of lot of your power. The less you blame and the more you take personal responsibility, the better results you are going to get. This applies to anything, not just weight loss.

[Do what it takes to overcome obstacles. The alternative is coming up with tons of excuses and never reaching any of your goals.]

A "Tough Love" Wakeup Call!
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Tags: Main, fitness goals, lance armstrong, metabolism, slim down, slow metabolism, weight loss, weight loss goals

Many people think that standing barbell military presses are just great for shoulder development. Although this exercise works the heck out of your shoulders, you can do them in a way that works your abs like crazy as well. Sometimes the best lifts are the ones that appear to be the most basic. Let's use some advanced techniques to make the most of this basic lift.

[When you do this exercise while standing, the abs become the link between your hips and your shoulders. You can maximize the amount lifted as well as increasing ab definition by flexing and generating tension in your abs while lifting the weight overhead.]

A Quick Refresher Course on Generating Strength in a Muscle
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Tags: Main, ab exercise, barbell, breath of dragon, bruce lee, dumbbell, getting stronger, irradiation, military press, Pavel Tsatsouline, planks, triceps, workout