What The Heck Is An Antagonistic Superset?

Antagonistic Superset. Sounds super crazy, right? Well hate to burst your bubble because as it turns out, it is not so complex. See all of our muscles work in pairs. While one contracts, the agonist, the other relaxes, the antagonist. So to perform an Antagonistic Superset we would first do an exercise that hits the agonist, say a bicep curl for the biceps and immediately after we finish our set of them, we hit the other half of the muscle pair, the triceps, the antagonist, with say a triceps push down. Make sense? You just work them back to back.

This is how I personally work out but I full body circuit train 3-4 days a week, I do not break down my work outs by body parts. I always work out in Antagonistic Superset form though. I start with my legs, hit them from all angles, dead lifts, lunges, squats then calf raises. Then I go to my back then into my chest then into my shoulders then into my biceps then triceps and I round it all out with 3 different ab exercises. I do this all the way through 3 times. It is a fast and intense way to work out that burns lots of calories and hits every single body part. If you keep it moving, as you should, your heart rate will be elevated the whole time. Plus it also saves time, so what’s not to like 😉

Here Are A Few Examples Of How It Works…

Biceps Curl….Biceps Are The Agonist…Triceps Are The Antagonist.

Seated Cable Row…Latissimus Dorsi aka Lats Are The Agonist….Pectoralis Major aka Peks Are The Antagonist.

Dumbell Shoulder Press…Anterior Delts Are The Agonist…Latissimus Dorsi Are The Antagonist.

Leg Extension…Quadriceps Are The Agonist…Hamstrings Are The Antagonist.

Standing Calf Raise…Gastrocnemius Is The Agonist…Tibialis Anterior Is The Antagonist.

The Green Revolution.

Get fit and start a revolution? Sounds like a good idea to me 🙂

Meet The Green Revolution, a way to bring your love for fitness and the planet together. This awesome company has come up with a product that helps convert the energy you expend at the gym into clean, renewable energy we can all use. Best thing is, this new energy we create does not increase our greenhouse gas levels.

If your gym hooked up its spin bikes with The Green Revolution technology and ran 8 classes a day on those bikes, they could in turn power the average home for 1 year. Not bad, huh? And since every bike shows you what’s going on, while you are peddling away you can actually track your energy expenditure. A very cool way to watch your carbon footprint and pants size, decrease. The Green Revolution also happens to work on every brand of spin bike so there is no need for gym’s to go out and buy all new equipment, this is important because gym equipment does not come cheap.

So far The Green Revolution is only available in the US and Canada. Over the next year they hope to be branched out into more markets, I think it is safe to say, this will probably be happening. Below is the link to their website, it has tons of info for the public, for investors and for those institutions looking to add The Green Revolution to their situation.

http://www.egreenrevolution.com/

GoFit Women’s Xtrainer Gloves.

Now here are some cruelty-free, vegan workout gloves that are strictly for the ladies. They are cut smaller, fit tighter and of course have the obligatory pink stitching on them. I personally was hesitant about trying them out but they proved me wrong. These are great little gloves for lifting, body pump classes and even for cross training. They are breathable and very, very comfortable. I dare to say, they are the most comfortable weight lifting gloves I have ever owned.

GoFit is good like this, they do make gloves with real leather gripping but they make at least 2 pairs, one for men and one for women, that are vegan. I find the synthetic leather grips to provide way more grip then the standard leather ones do and the fit of these gloves is perfect for women’s smaller hands and slimmer fingers. Personally, I do not see myself ever using another type of gloves, these mixed with some wrist straps and I am good to go.

You can buy these off Amazon, as well as right off Gofit’s website. I have attached the links to both below…

http://store.gofit.net/Women-s-XTrainer-Gloves-p/gf-wct.htm For Sale At GoFit’s Web Store.

http://www.amazon.com/GoFit-WomenS-Training-Synthetic-Leather/dp/B004MF4VIQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1360158512&sr=8-2&keywords=gofit+womens For Sale On Amazon.

Medicine For Your Abs.

I know I am not the only one who loves training their abs with a medicine ball. It is one of the best ways to hit the abs from every angle without having to do a ‘real’ sit up. On that note, here are 4 exercises that will definitely get your abs in gear from top to bottom, obliques included. A 5-10 pound medicine ball will do the trick but feel free to go higher if you so desire. If you do go higher, be sure you can still complete high reps so you avoid ‘bulking up’ in the ab region. I suggest at least 15-20 reps of each exercise and when it comes to training abs, I suggest picking 3 exercises per work out. 1 for your lower abs, one for your overall abs and one for your obliques.

Medicine For Your Abs.

Exercise 1: Wood Chopper With Medicine Ball.

Start in a standing position with feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and your knees slightly relaxed. Hold a medicine ball with both hands and arms straight at just above head height. Accelerate the medicine ball across the body while squatting in a “Wood Chop” motion high to low(right to left or left to right) while maintaining solid core, tall chest, hips back and keeping knees from sliding forward past toes. In a continuous motion, decelerate the medicine ball just outside the knee and return to start position in a smooth controlled motion.

Exercise 2: Russian Twist With Medicine Ball.

While sitting on the floor holding a medicine ball in both hands. Find your center of balance and then raise your feet off the floor so that you are balancing on your buttocks. Proceed with the medicine ball out in front of you with straight arms and twist the torso to the left and then to the right, reaching and planting the medicine ball on the floor each side.

Exercise 3: Reverse Crunch With Medicine Ball.

Place a lightweight medicine ball between your knees and lie flat on your back, arms at your sides, abs engaged, lower back flat on the floor, and legs lifted into a table-top position. Be sure to keep your knees bent, knees in line with hips and shins parallel to the floor. Keeping abs engaged, knees bent and upper body relaxed, use your abs to pull your knees toward your chest. Slowly return your legs to the starting position to complete one rep.

Exercise 4: Weighted Crunch With Medicine Ball.

Lie on your back on the floor, bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor and place the medicine ball on your abdomen. Keep your arms close to your sides while lifting the medicine ball into the air. Place your upper arms on the floor, bend at the elbows and lift with your forearms, be sure to hold the medicine ball in a steady position. Use your abdominal muscles to lift your upper body forward until your shoulders are even with your knees, allow the weight to slide toward your knees. Proceed back to the original position in a controlled manner.

Super Slow Is Not The Tempo.

When it comes to lifting most people have their own way of going about it. Many people blow through their reps with shotty form and weak weights while others take it super slow, paying the utmost attention to detail. So what is the deal? What tempo are we supposed to be at when we are lifting? We all know super fast with bad form is a no-no but what about super slow?

Well according to recent studies, taking it slow does not pay off as much as lifting at a ‘normal’ rep pace does. A study from the University of Oklahoma took two groups of women and had them weight train 3 days a week accordingly. One group worked out at a ‘normal’ pace and the other at a super slow pace. Not only did it take the super slow lifters take 10 more minutes to complete their work outs, they also had less strength increases than those in the group of ‘normal’ pace. That is right after the end of the study, those who lifted at a ‘normal’ pace made greater strength gains then the super slow group did.

So there you have it. There is no reason for you to crawl through your reps. Get into a good groove, a nice tempo and let the weights swing. Everyone has their own personal tempo that they feel comfortable working out at. If you feel you are totally exerting yourself, you will know it. I know many of us can truly push ourselves bit more than we currently do, pick up the tempo a bit and rest less between sets. I can assure you, the changes will come 🙂

Garden Of Life Raw Protein Powder.

This stuff is GOOD. I go through plant-based protein powders like crazy over here and I must say this Garden of Life really surprised me with not only its ingredients list but it’s taste and mixability. The Beyond Organic Protein Formula that I used is made from raw organic sprouts and sprouted brown rice protein. With 17 grams per serving, this one is no slouch in that department either.

Not only is this stuff raw and organic, it is also dairy free, soy free, non-gmo vegan and gluten-free. The sprout protein it contains comes from Amaranth Sprouts, Quinoa Sprouts, Millet Sprouts, Buckwheat Sprouts, Garbanzo Bean Sprouts, Lentil Sprouts, Adzuki Bean Sprouts, Flax Seed Sprouts, Sunflower Seed Sprouts, Pumpkin Seed Sprouts, Chia Seed Sprouts and Sesame Seed Sprouts.

Since all of the ingredients have been allowed to sprout, the nutrition profile is super versatile and well-rounded. Not only high in protein, you are also getting Live Probiotics, Bioactive Enzymes, Glucomannan, Glutathione, Lipoic Acid, Essential Trace Minerals, Glutamine, CoQ10 to name a few. Those are all things we need to build lean muscle and some plant-based protein powders do not bring them to the table.

Add to all that good stuff that there is nothing artificial or preserved about Garden of Life Raw Protein. And as a company they buy 100% Certified Renewable Energy.

Good stuff all around 🙂

http://gardenoflife.com/Products-for-Life/Foundational-Nutrition/RAW-Protein.aspx Read About It Here…

Pocket Hercules.

I love being impressed, I really do. I love people who push themselves, work hard and are left with lots to show for it. Take Manohar Aich for example. The 1952 Mr. Olympia is still drawing ‘Oooh’s and Ahhh’s’ from the body building community. Nicknamed ‘Pocket Hercules’ due to the fact that he only stood 4’11 in his prime, Mr. Aich is also a 3 time Asian games Gold Medalist in body building.

Manohar was born in a remote village in India, he was always naturally athletic and was always very into sports. At age 12 he caught black fever and his heath took a turn for the worse. He lost much of his strength while he was sick so naturally he turned to body building once he recovered, to gain back his strength. At the age of 27 he enlisted in the Royal Air Force and this is where Manohar Aich the body builder was truly born. A disrespectful, racist comment made by a British Officer led Mr. Aich to smack him and in turn landed Mr. Aich in jail. Jail is when Manohar started to hit the weights, hard core. 12 hours a day. His work ethic and physique were so off the hook, the prison staff started to make him his dietary specific vegetarian meals. And the rest is seriously some body building history.

At age 37 he entered the Mr. Hercules contest and won. The next year in 1951, he entered Mr. Universe and placed 2nd, in 1952 he won Mr. Universe and then in 1955 he placed 3rd at the age of 42. In 1960, he placed 4th in Mr. Universe at the age of 47, not very common in body building, especially not back then. When asked about his life and his accomplishments he credits nothing to luck and everything to his ‘healthy lifestyle of no alcohol, no cigarettes, daily exercise and a strict vegetarian diet.’

Mr. Aich is now 100 years young but that is not stopping him, he still works out for 90 minutes a day and he freely admits that he does more stretching now then he used to. He also still trains and mentors champion body builders at his own gym in India. As for his daily eats, think starches and lots of fruit like guava, bananas and jack fruit as well as vegetables. Manohar claims he feels nothing that most people feel with age, no pains, no weakness, in fact he says he only ‘feels young at heart.’

This guy is a living legend and the prime example of what body building and healthy living should be about. Here’s to many more years of health, happiness and fitness, Mr. Aich 🙂

Stopping Sarcopenia With Resistance Training.

Sarcopenia is the term used to define age related muscle mass loss. In fact, inactive adults over the age of 50 lose almost half a pound of muscle each year. That’s a lot, right? Seriously. Sounds like bad news but the good new is that you can prevent this by getting on the work out train now and staying on it.

Studies have shown that a lack of resistance exercise aka lifting weights, is one of the foremost reasons for muscles loss in older adults. Even though it may not stop/prevent it completely, it will slow it down significantly in comparison to those adults who choose to remain sedentary. Aging and inactivity are the two main reasons for Sarcopenia, which by the way has no specific ‘reason’ for happening. It seems to be a combination of things. For example, as we age our hormone levels decrease, which is also another reason we lose muscle and many older adults simply are not eating enough to retain the muscle on their bodies. Add to that, our protein synthesis decreases as we age. Now you see why getting a head start on avoiding Sarcopenia is a good idea?

Even before diet, resistance training is the go to for Sarcopenia. This makes sense because lifting weights builds muscle, increases hormone production, increases protein synthesis and stimulates ones appetite. So all around, problems are being solved by only doing one thing. Resistance training. The frequency and way one resistance trains is important in this situation. It is recommended that 8-10 exercises are done for all major muscle groups, think circuit training. Each exercise should be done in a rep range of 10-15 and multi joint exercises are preferred to single joint ones. Multi joint exercises are things like squats and dead lifts, they produce more anabolic hormones then a single joint exercise like a leg extension, does.

So see, it all sounds a lot scarier than it is. Now get to lifting 😉

http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/sarcopenia.html  

http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_100/125_fitness_tip.html About Multi Joint Exercises.

How Do You Know When It’s Time For New Kicks?

Deciphering when it is time to get new gym kicks can be a bit tricky because looks can be deceiving. Ever realize kicks you only use in the gym tend to look ‘new’ forever? Seriously, I look down at my deflated ass gym shoes from last year and get kind of sad. On the outside they look wearable and stuff but once you wear them for a cardio session and feel the hip and knee pain the next day, you then learn what it means to be deceived by looks.

Knee and hip pain are common signs that your shoes are busted and have got to go. Just think, you may not even have lower back pain, you may just be working out in some busted kicks. For real. I feel it the next day when I have gone too long with a pair of mine. It is not like a ‘I worked out hard’ pain either its a not good, not normal kind of pain. So yes, pain in the knees, hips and lower back are sign one that your gym sneaks are finished.

You can also go by mileage, if you run like that and pound on your shoes like that. The average mileage for a pair of running sneakers is 400-500 miles, then they too have got to go. If you are not pounding the pavement like that, you will be able to wear your sneakers for a bit longer than a runner does but usually never over a year.

Sometimes simply looking at your sneakers will tell you that it’s time to say bye to them. A good sneaker will look sturdy. A busted sneaker will have ‘molded’ to the shape of your foot. The top will be a bit collapsed from pulling it down with laces and the soles will show wear. When you put a well-worn sneaker next to a new one you will see what I mean.

And lastly, they will feel a bit too loose. A shoe eventually just does not do its job anymore. You may have to start pulling the laces tighter, you may feel a loss of stability. All in all these are just more signs that you have to invest in some new kicks.

Let me close this by saying, if there is one thing you should never skimp on when it comes to athletics, it is kicks. Seriously. Who cares what kind of t-shirt or fancy shorts you work out in. At the end of the day they do not matter but sneakers do, you can get hurt badly with junk on your feet, so shell out for the gym shoes and save on the gym clothes 🙂

Drink This After You Workout.

As well all know, when and how we refuel our bodies after we work out is one of the most important aspects of the whole ‘getting fit, losing weight, getting a better body’ deal. Taking in some protein and carbs within 30 minutes of completing ones work out will help you get the results you desire. If you are not refueling after your work outs then this is a good time to start 🙂

Drink This After You Work Out…Cherry Almond Breeze Smoothie.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Silken Tofu Broken Up With A Fork.

1 Cup Soy Milk.

1 Cup Dark Sweet Frozen Cherries.

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract.

2 Tablespoons Slivered Almonds.

Directions:

Toss All Ingredients In Blender And Blend Until Smooth Consistency.

Drink Immediately.

Serves One.

Nutrition 4-1-1: 377 Calories. 23 Grams of Protein. 6 Grams of Fiber. 16 Grams of Fat. No Cholesterol.