Squat: The King of All Exercises That's what the squat has been called. Why? Well, a good, heavy, squat works, well, EVERYTHING. From top to bottom: Upper Back: Gotta keep the mid back (rhomboids), lats, traps TIGHT AF through the movement to maintain upper torso stability. <---you NEED to be LOCKED INTO the bar. You DO NOT want to be balancing the bar on your upper back. Grip: At least in the back squat and Kettlebell Goblet Squat. Better be CRUSHING the bar to tighten the whole body and help keep that bar in place. Core: Lot's of people who have never squatted anything relatively challenging will tell you, "squats don't work the core" Those … [Read more...]
5 Pretty Common Ways to Jack Yourself Up in the Gym Part 1
December 18, 2012 by
What does this guy have in common with you? Chances are you're both: Jacked Up, This is a phrase largely equivalent to screwed up. It roughly means "in a state of disarray" and is commonly used in the phrase "to jack someone/something up". urban dictionary People come to the gym to un-jack themselves but a lot of the stuff they do when they get here is completely Fubared. Here's 5 off the top of my head things I see and why doing them isn't helping but hurting you and your progress. Jacked Up Thing 1: Walking on a Flat Treadmill. Walking on a flat treadmill, incline at 0%, is terrible for your knees and hips. On a treadmill you're not actually propelling … [Read more...]
Doing it Better: Elbows Flared Edition
December 6, 2012 by
Here's a secret: Just about every guy (and girl) gets into working out because they want to look better. This has been the truth since forever... At the heart of it all: We all want to get laid We want to get laid by good-looking people. We believe that being "in shape" gives us the best chance of this occurring. So if you're like me and about a gazillion other red-blooded, testosterone driven teenage boys out there you decide to start lifting weights. Eventually, after a few weeks, months, years maybe of aimlessly doing whatever..... i.e. 3 days a week of benches, incline benches, dumbbell flys, biceps curls and a set of leg extensions just for … [Read more...]
STOP DOING THIS!! “Tampon” Edition
September 18, 2012 by
"Squats With the Bar Hurt my Neck" When someone says this they have told me instantly that they have no idea what's going on. First question is: What the hell is the bar doing on your neck? Of course it hurts your neck. Reach around (no not that type of "reach around"...perverts) and feel the back of your neck. Go ahead, do it. You were probably all like, A. "You're stupid and this is stupid and I'm not doing it and I'm done reading this ridiculousness." or B. "It feels like skin and bony, knobby things which I probably shouldn't have a metal bar weighing a couple hundred pounds on." For the A's in the audience: That's not nice. For the B's: You're … [Read more...]
