Today, I’d like to look at the idea of focusing on just one exercise per muscle group, compared to using a variety of exercises. If you have never tried a workout where you do 8-10 sets of the same exercise, you will probably be in for a shock. This is a tough workout! It looks basic in nature, but is simply another tweak you can add to your routine if you are at a sticking point. I’ll discuss how limiting your exercises down to one per muscle group can help with both increasing strength as well as muscle size.
[
"There Can Be Only One!" I Had to throw in a quote from one of the best movies ever. I don't care if Rotten Tomatoes gave
Highlander 67%...this movie is awesome! The
Queen Song they play while flashing back to MacLeod's wife growing old and dying while he stays young...gives me chills every time. Brilliant stuff!]
Probably Not Something I’d Recommend Long Term
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Starvation mode is a term that gets thrown around loosely. Many people believe that too little protein or too few of calories in a day will cause loss of muscle mass. What if I told you that it is extremely difficult to go into starvation mode until you get down to 5% body fat(10% for women)? Brad Pilon and John Barban have given me permission to give you access to the first 15 minutes of one of their paid recordings: “Starvation Mode”. Brad and John discuss surprising findings of a military study, where they purposely tried to get the soldiers to lose muscle and get into starvation mode. They found it took extreme conditions to reach this point.
[Just a cool vintage restaurant sign. This reminds me of something you would see on a road trip in Nevada or Arizona on a 2 lane highway, hours from the big cities.]
Brad and John Show You How to Get Into Starvation Mode?
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I roughly remember my first HIIT cardio workout. I had read an article in Muscle Media 2000, written by Shawn Phillips (in 1993 I think) describing a way to do cardio to burn fat like crazy. When I went to my gym and performed HIIT on the treadmill, people gave me some crazy looks. I’ve been experimenting and studying up on HIIT cardio ever since…and after close to 20 years, I’m still in learning mode. In this post I’m going to break apart a study that compares short 30 seconds intervals with longer 3 minute intervals. This study found that the 30 second intervals could be more effective than 3 minute intervals. I’d like to give you some practical ways on how to use the findings in this study.
[Rugby is an example of the effect that sprint intervals have on the body. Obviously these guys train in a number of ways, but the tempo of the game contributes to low body fat levels displayed by all of the players.]
Greater Calorie Burning With Less Pain?
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Compound Exercise Overload is a technique I recently heard about through Nick Nilsson’s Newsletter. While I have different goals than Nick, I respect him for being a trail blazer and thinking outside the box. I subscribe to a bunch of fitness newsletters to see who actually delivers solid info, and so far I’m pleased with the info I’ve received from Nick. Good stuff! In this post I want to discuss one of his muscle growth techniques in more detail. Nick calls it “compound exercise overload”. I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks to me like it would work extremely well.
[I wish I would have known about this technique when I started out. I struggled with the bench press for quite a few years and this would have helped me avoid lengthy sticking points.]
The Story of “Bear” – The King of Our College Gym!
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I’m going to do something I haven’t ever done before on this blog. I’m basically going to do half a post, then send you over to another site to get the rest of the info. I’m not an expert on this subject and just want to guide you in the right direction. If you think “4 X 7″ means 4 sets of 7 reps, then you would be mistaken. It is referring to something quite a bit different than that.
[I learned about 4 X 7 periodization from my buddy Ryan. I had a beer with him earlier this year in Seattle and he told me of his plans to move to Malta. I thought he was crazy until I saw some of his photos. This place is amazing!]
What is the 4 X 7 Model of Periodization?
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It is possible to do effective interval training outdoors, but you have to take a slightly different approach compared to doing them on a treadmill. With a typical cardio machine you can adjust the intensity level by simply pressing a button. When you perform intervals outdoors, you are simply guessing at how hard you need to run for the intense portion of the interval. I plan on outlining a solution and better way to perform HIIT when you aren’t near a cardio machine.
[The idea of this post is to give you a workout you can do outside on any surface. Don't be put off by how simple it is...this type of progressive training works extremely well.]
“It’s Kind of Hard to Gauge When You Are Not On a Treadmill”
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This article is going to talk specifically about CrossFit for fat loss. In Part 1 of this 2 part CrossFit series, I gave a basic overview of what CrossFit is all about. Today I’m talking with the Head Trainer of a CrossFit gym who has recently perfected a special method of Crossfit that is laser-focused on burning body fat. The workout is called SpeedX and from what I understand, it has been working wonders for people in his gym. Jarett Perelmutter, of Brick Sport Performance Gym in West Hollywood, agreed to do an interview outlining his new SpeedX system. He even put together a pdf with 2 sample SpeedX workouts exclusively for readers of FBB.
[The entry way of Brick Sport Performance Gym looks like a fancy downtown boutique. One of the coolest gym interiors I've ever seen...would love to live in a place with this type of aesthetic.]
An Interview With Jarett Perelmutter About SpeedX ™
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Although CrossFit seems like an overnight success, its story began quite a few years ago. The first time I heard about CrossFit was back in 2006, about a year before I started this blog. At that time it simply looked like a small program to train SWAT teams and police units. Supposedly in 2005, 10 years after the opening of the first gym in Santa Cruz, CA there were just 18 gyms. From 2005-2011 this has grown to from 18 to over 2,500 affiliates. In this post, I simply want to talk about this massive growth as well as give a brief overview of this growing CrossFit movement.
[No doubt in my mind that Rocky would train in a CrossFit gym. On a side note, Rocky IV was a BIG deal when it came out in 1985. I bet almost 100% of the kids in the 80's saw this in the theaters. I always got chills then the Rocky theme played. Still do.]
CrossFit – Coming to a Neighborhood Near You
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I’ve recently read some conflicting advice on Omega 3 supplements in regard to weight loss. Studies have shown that fish oils and other Omega 3 supplements do promote weight loss, but are these supplements healthy? How much is healthy? How much do you need to lose weight? Do you need to even include these in your diet? So time for a little research.
[Most people think of "fish oil" as the best source of Omega 3. Through research, I have found that this is simply not the case.]
I’m Going to Try and Simplify This As Much As Possible
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Have you heard of The Slow Carb Diet? This is an eating approach outlined by Tim Ferriss in the book The 4-Hour Body. I’m a big fan of the book, but not the biggest fan of the diet plan. I went on the diet last month for 30 days and I’d like to give you the low down on whether you should consider giving it a shot.
[The Slow Carb Diet seems to work best for people with more than 10 pounds of weight to lose. I'm not sure it works as well for someone who wants to get really lean.]
You’ve Probably Heard of The 4-Hour Body
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