Fitness Black Book » Workout Routines

Motivation Tips for Sticking to Your Workout Routine – Guest Post by Gym Junkies

admin — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:17:37 +0000

Today I am putting up a guest post from Vic over at Gym Junkies. Although my workout philosophy is different than what Vic teaches, the guy keeps in amazing condition year round and has my respect. I'm the first to admit that there are many, many approaches to getting lean and fit and I would be skeptical of anyone who claims to have "the only way that works". Gym Junkies might be the most organized fitness blogs online today. My favorite part is the "How to" videos that are organized in the left hand sidebar. The site is just full of step-by-step instruction and feels almost like a paid course in strength training.

[Once you get lean, it is easier to stay motivated to eat well and workout. The key is to get to he point where you feel like you look great. Once you feel and look your best, you won't want to go back.]

Reduce Calories and Reduce Unnecessary Time Spent Working Out

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:05:26 +0000

If you reduce calories consumed you can get the same fat loss results with less time spent exercising. Eating 2,000 calories more per week than you need and then doing cardio 5 times per week to burn those 2,000 calories leads you to a net fat loss of nothing. A lot of people ask me how many times per week they should workout. My answer is that it depends upon how many excess calories per week they plan on eating. I enjoy exercise, but it is just a small part of my life. I used to train 4-5 times per week, but now I am more likely to get in 3 sessions per week. The key is that I have reduced calories to get just as good of results with less visits to my gym.

Advanced Bodyweight Exercises: No Gym, No Problem! – Guest Post by Coach Adam Steer

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:20:46 +0000

Several readers have recently asked me about good bodyweight exercises to stay in shape while on vacation. While I could come up with a good routine or two that I have used in the past, my buddy Adam Steer is the master of advanced bodyweight exercises. I asked Adam to kindly do a guest post on this topic and give you an intro to what he is all about. Make sure and ask him questions in the comment section. He can certainly help tweak your bodyweight program to get better results.

[Gymnasts display incredible muscle tone largely from doing body weight exercises. I used to make the mistake of only using free weights to increase muscle tone and muscle definition. I believe the best way to that slim and ripped Hollywood physique is a combo of using weights along with body weight work.]

Why Most Celebrity Workout Routines Are Overrated

admin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:02:46 +0000

I have to come clean and admit something before I begin this post. I use celebrity workout routines and various celebrity names to pull in additional visits to my site. For some reason, celebrities get more searches than any other subject matter online. I'm not impressed by an actor or actress who spends 3 hours per day for 2-3 months getting in shape for a role. It just shows me that they haven't adopted a lifestyle of health and fitness. Getting in shape isn't an impressive feat if it takes too much time. What is more impressive; someone with a lean and slim body who spends 10-12 per week training, or someone who is slim and only spends 3-5 hours per week training? Easy answer!

[Things aren't always as they appear in Hollywood. Celebrities have several tools at their disposal to make themselves appear better on camera than they do in their day-to-day lives.]

Creative Circuit Training – Experimenting With Fat Loss Workouts

admin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:18:29 +0000

There are dozens, if not hundreds of circuit training routines that are effective at helping you drop body fat. I was doing my daily cruising of the Internet and found an outline of a routine by Nick Nilsson, author of "Metabolic Surge", that reminded me of the large variety of effective circuit training routines. I'll give you an outline of the routine he recommends as well as a few others that I've recommended in the past. Use these as a reference when constructing your own ideal fat burning circuit.

Personal Training – Good for Brainstorming, But Not Ideal for Long-Term Success

admin — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:43:56 +0000

I don't have anything against personal training or personal trainers. Having said that, I think ultimately you are the one who will eventually find your own ideal routine. Even the goal of my site is to give out guidelines and "tweaks", so that you can find the routine that works best for you. I am always hesitant to give out exact routines, because copying something that works for me 100% isn't something that will be best for any other person.

Get in Shape for Summer – My Detailed Spring Workout Routine

admin — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 23:04:14 +0000

I typically recommend that people stay in shape year round, so they don't ever have to worry about getting in shape for summer. That being said, the reality is that it is easy to slide when you are bundled up for part of the year. This blog has been around for 2 years and I don't think I've ever done a detailed post on any of my workouts. For those who are interested, here is the exact routine I'm doing this spring. Hopefully it will you guys a few ideas.

Move Your Body Through Space – "Live Long and Prosper"

admin — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:34:33 +0000

If you aren't familiar with the term "Live Long and Prosper", then you are probably too cool to be reading my blog. Yeah I'm a Star Trek geek, but not one of those guys who dresses up as Captain Kirk. In this article I'm going to talk about the importance of doing movements that require you to move your body as resistance, not just lifting a weight. While a pushup looks like it works the same muscles as a bench press, they provide a different type of resistance. Also, running in place on a treadmill is different than propelling your body over the ground. “You can’t win, Darth. Strike me down, and I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.” Ooops, wrong movie!

Body Weight Circuits Are Kickin' My Butt!

admin — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:14:31 +0000

I used to think I was in outstanding shape. I can go into any gym and lift impressive weights for my size and I look like a Ninja Master on the treadmill. I can run a few miles in a decent period of time, I don't have any noticeable body fat, etc. That was until I explored the world of bodyweight circuits. My 20+ years of consistent lifting and intense cardio, have not prepared me at all for the intense torture called Bodyweight Circuits.

Cam Gigandet's "Never Back Down" Workout Aproach

admin — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:13:57 +0000

So I rented a pretty bad movie the other night, called Never Back Down. It had terrible acting and cheesy lines, yet I was completely entertained. I am a sucker for movies where a guy gets beat down and then trains hard to learn some fancy fighting technique. I prefer it when they go to the mountains or jungle and use extreme training techniques with a "master". In the movie Kick Boxer, Van Damme had raw meat tied to his legs and had to run away from German Shepherds. Now that is the type of corny action I get into!

Craig Ballantyne – 7 Questions and Answers About Turbulence Training

admin — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 08:54:20 +0000

In Part 1 of this Turbulence Training overview, I outlined how Craig came up with this extremely time efficient fat loss workout back in graduate school. I also talked about my misconceptions about how this workout worked, who it was geared toward, etc. Here is the part where I ask Craig some questions. I am very grateful that he took time out his busy schedule to give some detailed answers. I will also give women a link to get his report on burning Stubborn Female Fat & guys a link where they can download a way to Burn Fat and Retain Muscle at home with only bodyweight and dumbbells.

Turbulence Training – The Most Efficient Fat Loss Workout?

admin — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 06:32:37 +0000

You may or may not have heard of Turbulence Training by Craig Ballantyne. I remember reading about it a few years back and kind of shrugged it off as a workout for beginners. I figured such a brief workout wouldn't work for someone like myself who has lifted for over 20 years. I was wrong! As a matter of fact, Craig has case study after case study of advanced athletes reaching ultra high levels of conditioning with Turbulence Training.

Fat Loss Workouts – Are You Wasting Your Time?

admin — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:04:19 +0000

I hit my gym around 3-4 times per week, for about 45-60 minutes these days. What is funny is that I see a regular group of men and women who seem to be hanging out and working out for 2 hours at a time. There isn't a sense of urgency in their workouts and as a result, they aren't in very good shape and never experience any fat loss. How can someone spend so much time working out and get such poor results?

[When I can't find a suitable picture, I default to a picture of an attractive woman. Sorry, you won't find too many gym shots on the blog...I think people should workout to look great outside of the gym, so that is what I'd rather highlight.]

Stop the Weight Gain Before You Become a Yo-Yo Dieter!

admin — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:07:20 +0000

I'm going to get completely real with you in this post. It is summer and my workout program has been kind of lame. I'm not apologizing, because life happens. I just don't want anyone to think I'm some workout machine who never skips workouts. The point of my site is to discuss getting and staying in tremendous shape, while leading a full life. At times your life will be so busy that workouts will have to be cut back for a period of time. I'm going through one of those times and would like to discuss it with you. I also want to discuss why I will stop this from turning into a yo-yo diet.

Muscle Tone VS Muscle Mass Workout Routines

admin — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 07:12:48 +0000

I don't believe in damaging a muscle when you are going for tone. If you want to build muscle mass (which I don't), then you want to do enough volume of lifts to induce a bit of damage...then you want to allow the muscles enough time to recover to rebuild themselves a bit bigger than they were before. If you are going for tone...you want to do less sets and volume so you don't damage the muscles...since you are not damaging the muscles you can work those same muscles out more often.

Legendary Surfer Laird Hamilton's Workout Routine

admin — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 21:19:54 +0000

Laird Hamilton quite possibly has the perfect physique...and is truly an amazing role model when it comes to fitness. He is in better shape than just about anyone on the planet and he gets there largely by leaving the gym and cross-training.

Turbulence Training Meets the 300 Movie Workout

admin — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 07:10:38 +0000

Craig Ballantyne, the author of the groundbreaking fitness book Turbulence Training, did a quick summary of the "300 Movie Workout".

Rocky Balboa's Workout Program is Better Than Yours

admin — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 06:23:36 +0000

I'm convinced that Rocky Balboa had an incredible workout program that is far superior to the routines being pushed today. Seriously...if you can get past the "short shorts", 70's hair, and "AAAAADRIAN"....you could learn a thing or two from Rocky.

A Jump Rope Workout That Burns Belly Fat

admin — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 05:12:46 +0000

A lot of people think of jumping rope as more of a game or a kid's toy...the ironic thing is that it is actually an extremely effective form of exercise. Almost every person I know could easily walk at a brisk pace for 15 minutes, but I bet less than 1% of the population could jump rope for that long.

Best Chest Exercises to Build Masculine Square Pecs

admin — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 04:01:51 +0000

So why would a guy want to concentrate on building square pecs instead of rounded pecs? Well...the more rounded a guy's chest muscles look, the more they look like breasts. That probably isn't the look most men are shooting for.