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ASK ANDY: ‘How can I get leaner in the next 10 days?’

on July 25, 2021 by Author

Even though I’m no longer living in Los Angeles, I still help out some friends in the entertainment industry when they have questions about health and wellness.

An actor friend called earlier this week and was excited that he’s going back to work — his new TV show is starting production again. So, facing life in front of the camera in 10 days, he wanted to know the best way to lose five pounds, and get leaner fast!

This question applies to all of us — while you may not be about to film a TV show, you might be prepping to go on vacation, go to a wedding, or have a family photo shoot!

Caveat: If you’ve been reading this “Ask Andy” column the past couple of months, then you have heard me say this basic tenet before, but it bears repeating here: There are no “magic pills,” and I don’t believe in temporary diets to get leaner. Instead, we must create good habits that can become our lifestyle over time, NOT a quick fix that is so unrealistic that we will inevitably give up and go back to our old ways, or worse.

That said, there are some basic truths that will kickstart your metabolism and move your body into the state of fat-burning (where it wants to be in the first place). Here are the main ideas of the direction I gave him.

When it comes to intake (anything you eat/drink), I advised him of two major rules:

No ABC’S Allowed

Pormezz

No Alcohol, no Bread, no Cheese, and no Sugar. I’m sure you may want to debate the merits of any/all of these much-loved items, but I have learned the simple truth that our bodies look/feel/perform better without these four. Sounds cruel and unusual, right? Well, remember, my friend was in a hurry, and he was really motivated to get leaner quickly. Maybe it’s a bit extreme to imagine yourself avoiding all four of these forever … BUT, if you remember the 80/20 rule we’ve discussed before, you can apply that rule here. Simply remove these as options during 80% of your week, and then you can enjoy any of them as treats 20% of the time.

Chicken, broccoli, brown rice, and repeat

Brent Hofacker / Shutterstock

Unless you have dietary restrictions/allergies/vegan, etc., that is the template for what your meals should look like — you can substitute lean proteins for the chicken, plenty of green veggies for the broccoli, and sweet potatoes or quinoa for the brown rice.

When it comes to portion size; think 25% protein, 25% carbs, 50% vegetables (you literally can’t eat too many veggies). Again, for the short-term nature of this column, then be relentlessly self-disciplined with your intake for the duration of your challenge. But, for long-term sustainability, the 80/20 rule applies here as well.

Establish these good habits to the point where your meals are pre-planned and predictable — you’re eating 80% of your meals as fuel, and you look forward to the 20% of meals and all its deliciousness.

Fit in two workouts each day

gilaxia / Getty

First thing in the morning, my friend agreed to do fasted cardio. Some caffeine in the form of coffee, tea or other natural/non-sugared beverage is fine beforehand as well. This cardio session should be between 30 minutes to an hour, and it can be anything that gets his heart rate up and makes him sweat. A brisk walk, jog, bike ride, elliptical, swim, whatever. It need not be a sprint or anything too stressful, you’re just trying to fire up the metabolic bonfire.

Then, at a convenient point later in the day, he will conduct a short and sharp resistance training circuit of 30 minutes, including warmup/movement prep. This can be a bodyweight circuit session, HIIT interval session, targeted muscle group session- anything that involves taxing some big muscle groups in both the upper and lower body, core work, and little to no rest between rounds. As discussed in earlier articles, we are not aiming for completing the world’s greatest workout- rather, we are going for consistently good, total-body training that will induce the EPOC “state” where your body will continue burning calories at an advanced rate for longer into the rest of the day.

You’re probably thinking, That’s it? No fat-burners or drinking distilled water to intentionally dehydrate his body, or slathering Preparation H over his abs to thin out his skin to look more shredded on camera? NO! Not only are those crazy ideas unsafe, but they are also a waste of time and money.

The basic truths of exercising smartly and consistently, combined with a clean intake, are ALWAYS EFFECTIVE. Yes, it is simple. No, it is not easy. But trust me, it is worth it… I still adhere to these basic truths myself, because they are lessons that have been proven consistently with my clients and in my own training over the last 30-plus years of working out every day. Just this weekend I had a fitness photo shoot to prepare for, and so I dialed in a bit extra to be camera-ready myself.

Want to look, feel, and perform the best you ever have — read this answer again, and make the commitment to yourself.

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Military Monday: Get Torched with This Legs, Core, and Cardio Workout

on July 20, 2021 by Author

With strong legs, a solid core, and high aerobic capacity, you can do damn near anything (at least from a physical performance perspective). This legs, core, and cardio workout was created to help soldiers survive the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), but it can also be used by civilians to survive, period.

That’s functional fitness, people.

Featured Trainer: SPC Chris Kellum is a sniper team infantryman in the Florida Army National Guard. A NETA-certified personal trainer and member of the Bravo Sierra team, his mission is to inspire others by incorporating fitness and military on his YouTube channel and documenting the process of transitioning to a warrant officer to go to flight school. All of his workouts can be found on his Playbook fitness app.

Equipment Needed: Fully equipped gym — barbell, plates, loaded sled, mini resistance bands, exercise ball, dumbbells, cables.

Time Commitment: About an hour.

Workout Overview: Kellum’s routine will increase aerobic capacity while building strength and ultimate functionality in the lower body. The main components of the workout are as follows:

Lower-body strength circuits (3) – The first one incorporates two classic lifting moves (squats and lunges); the second prescribes sled work (push and pulling) and lateral band walks; and the third hits posterior chain and calves with Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts, and calf raises. “You’ll be lifting less weight than usual, as the intensity is high,” says Kellum. “But we still want to focus on proper form, which can be compromised by lifting heavy while depleted.”

Core isolation – Four exercises (a crunch, two rotational moves, and a plank hold) performed with short periods.

HIIT cardio sprints – Two miles total of running, broken up into two 800-meter jogs (warmup and cooldown), two 400-meter sprints, two 200-meter sprints, and four 100-meter sprints. A 1:1 work-to-rest ratio will make this portion of the workout challenging (if not downright grueling).

“This workout has been designed to create a structure to increase the combat effectiveness of our service members,” says Kellum. “The Army has released the new Army Combat Fitness Test, and to help soldiers master the events, I developed my own ‘Hybrid Warrior’ training plan. This is Part 1 of the plan to help build strength and endurance in the legs.”

Chris Kellum’s Legs, Core & Cardio Workout

Warmup

Forward Leg Swings – 20 reps per leg
Lateral Leg Swings – 20 reps per leg
Groiners – 2 sets, 20 reps per leg
Sled Push – 2 sets, 20 yards (slow march, long steps, 1-2 45-pound plates)

Legs Workout

gradyreese / Getty

Circuit 1 | 4 Rounds:

- Barbell Squat – 10-12 reps
- Reverse Lunge – 12 reps per leg
- Rest 45-60 seconds

Circuit 2 | 4 Rounds:

- Sled Push & Pull – 20 yards down (push), 20 yards back (pull)
- Lateral Band Squat Walk – 20 yards down, 20 yards back
- Rest 45-60 seconds

Circuit 3 | 4 Rounds:

- Romanian Deadlift – 12-15 reps
- Glute Hip Thrust – 12-15 reps
- Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise – 12-15 reps
- Rest 45-60 seconds

Core Workout

G-Stock Studio

Complete all sets of each exercise before moving to the next; rest 15 seconds between sets.

Exercise Ball Crunch – 3 sets, 30 reps
Mason Twists (aka Russian Twists) – 2 sets, 40 reps
Side Cable Twist – 3 sets, 15 reps per side
Plank Hold – 1 set, max time (shoot for 2 + minutes)

HIIT Cardio Workout

Jesus Cervantes

Perform this cardio protocol after the above circuits and core workout, or in a separate session.

Directions: Alternate between sprints and rest – sprint the distance listed, then rest the amount of time it took to complete the sprint. For example, if it took you 3 minutes to run 800 meters, rest for 3 minutes then start the working sets. If it takes 90 seconds to run the first 400-meter sprint, rest 90 seconds before the next.

Warmup

Jog 800m

Working Sets

2 x 400m sprints
2 x 200m sprints
4 x 100m sprints

Cool down

Jog 800m

Exercise Notes

Barbell Squat – Use a weight that’s approximately 50% of your 1-rep max (1RM); for example, if your 1RM is 320, use 160 pounds for the 10- to 12-rep sets. If you don’t have a barbell (or prefer not to do the barbell version), use dumbbells, a kettlebell, or a Smith machine instead.
Reverse Lunge – Load with either a barbell on your back or holding dumbbells or kettlebells at your sides. Use enough weight that 12 reps is challenging.
Sled Push & Pull – Push the sled 20 yards fast, then pull it back slowly (walking backward) to the starting position.
Lateral Band Squat Walk – Perform this exercise by placing a mini-band around your thighs, just above the knees. Get into a squat position (thighs around parallel with the floor), take lateral steps in this position. Go 20 yards to one side, then 20 yards in the opposite direction. To increase difficulty, hold a plate or dumbbell out in front of you for core and shoulder activation.
Romanian Deadlift – This can be done with either a barbell or dumbbells.
Glute Hip Thrust – Perform this exercise with a barbell resting in your hip crease, sitting sideways to a bench, with your upper back on the bench.
Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise – If you have a seated calf raise machine available, you can use that instead of dumbbells. Otherwise, place two heavy dumbbells on top of your knees to perform the move.
Mason Twists – To increase difficulty (for advanced individuals), hold a medicine or weight plate over your chest with arms bent.
Side Cable Twist – Perform this exercise standing sideways to the weight stack, holding the cable in front of you and twisting your torso to one side. Do all reps for one side, then repeat on the other side. Don’t rest between sides. This exercise can also be done with a resistance band.
Plank Hold – If you repeat this workout more than once, make it your goal to increase the hold duration each time.

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HIIT the Beach With These Fat-Burning Workouts

on July 20, 2021 by Author

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) means different things to different people. For some, it’s about sprinting on a track or pounding away on a rowing machine. For others, HIIT means battling through a CrossFit-style regimen of burpees, pullups, and box jumps. Still ,others think of HIIT as a grueling outdoor workout simulating the challenges found in an obstacle race. There’s no right or wrong answer, but come summer your HIIT sessions should take the form of beach workouts (if you live by the water).

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HIIT is less about the content of the workout than the protocol. It’s the opposite of taking a long easy jog or going through the motions of a familiar strength training regimen or yoga flow. The term high-intensity interval training could be considered redundant since the alternating work-rest nature of interval training is inherently high intensity. But many people in our short attention span culture struggle to maintain any sort of intensity when working out, preferring to zone out listening to podcasts or, worse, check social media and email while “training.”

That’s why it’s a good idea to get away from it all and do beach workouts, leaving your phone and music in a gym bag. Not only are outdoor workouts a welcome break from the gym, but the sand and surf also provide more options, heightening the intensity.

Previously you might have done 60 minutes of steady-state cardio without feeling much of an impact. Now you might feel exhausted after 30 minutes of HIIT training. You’ll get twice the benefit in half the time. Here are five HIIT beach workouts to try right now.

HIIT the Beach With These Fat-Burning Workouts

Workout No.1

Directions: Repeat exercises below until you reach 30 minutes total for the workout.

Barefoot run x 400 yards: Run 200 yards out, then 200 yards back at 60 percent effort the first time, then 80 percent in subsequent rounds.
Pushups x 15
Mountain Climbers x 20
Barefoot Run x 400 yards
Squat Jumps x 10: Start in an athletic stance and squat down slightly, as if sitting in a chair. Jump straight up while extending arms overhead. Bring arms back to sides upon landing. Land softly with knees and feet pointing straight ahead. Repeat in a controlled manner without bouncing. Beach workouts have the added benefit of making familiar exercises much harder (thank the sand).
Sand-Surf-Sand Sprint: Run into the water, dive under, then run back out.

Workout No.2

Directions: Repeat exercises below until you reach 30 minutes total for the workout.

Barefoot run x 400 yards: Run 200 yards out, then 200 yards back at 60 percent effort the first time, then 80 percent in subsequent rounds.
Pushups to Dips Ladder: Find a bench and alternate between hands-elevated pushups and dips. Do 10 reps of each, then 8, 6, 4, and 2)
Box Jumps: Stand in front of a park bench. Squat slightly, as if preparing to sit. While swinging your arms, jump and land on top of the bench, keeping toes pointed straight and knees directly over toes. Step down and repeat for a set of 10.
Barefoot Run x 400 yards
Burpees x 10
Sand-Surf-Sand Sprint: Run into the water, dive under, then run back out.

Workout No.3

Directions: Repeat exercises below until you reach 30 minutes total for the workout.

Barefoot run x 400 yards: Run 200 yards out, then 200 yards back at 60 percent effort the first time, then 80 percent in subsequent rounds.
5-10-5 Drill: Position three cones or objects in a line 5 yards apart. Start at the middle cone. Run five yards to your right and touch the ground by the cone, Then run 10 yards to your left, touching the ground, then sprint back to the starting point. Repeat twice with 30-second rest between sets.
Get-ups: Lie on your back and raise your right hand in the air. Stand, using (at most) your left hand. If you have sufficient core strength, get up without the use of your arms. Do 5 reps, then switch sides and repeat.
Barefoot Run x 400 yards
V-ups x 60 sec.: Begin on your back with hands extended overhead. Lift legs and crunch up at the same time so your body forms the shape of a “V.”
Sand-Surf-Sand Sprint: Run into the water, dive under, then run back out.

Workout No.4

Directions: Repeat exercises below until you reach 30 minutes total for the workout.

Barefoot run x 400 yards: Run 200 yards out, then 200 yards back at 60 percent effort the first time, then 80 percent in subsequent rounds.
Farmer’s Carry x 40 yards: Find two objects of similar size and weight (beach chairs, beach bags, etc.). Hold one in each hand, then walk 20 yards out and 20 yards back.
Butt Kicks x 10: From an athletic stance, squat slightly as if sitting in a chair. Jump, bringing heels to glutes. Don’t arch the lower back. Land softly in an athletic stance and repeat.
Barefoot Run x 400 yards
Diamond Pushups x 10: Touch index fingers and thumbs together to create a diamond, then perform pushups.
Sand-Surf-Sand Sprint: Run into the water, dive under, then run back out.

Workout No.5 (for swimmers)

Directions: Repeat exercises below until you reach 30 minutes total for the workout.

Swim x 200 yards: Freestyle along the shore (100 yards out, 100 yards back), then run out of the water as if in a triathlon transition.
Three-Hurdle Drill x 60 sec.: Lay three objects—sticks, rocks, etc.—two to three feet apart from one other. Stand parallel to the first object and straddle it. Run laterally over the obstacles, stepping over them, never crossing your feet. Only the outside foot goes beyond the outside obstacles.
Burpees x 10
Swim x 200 yards: Freestyle along the shore (100 yards out, 100 yards back), then run out of the water as if in a triathlon transition.
Middle Blockers: Squat until your thighs parallel to ground, then explode up. Think in terms of extending your ankles, knees, and hips in a straight line, then landing on the ground in an athletic stance. The difference between this and a squat jump is you keep your hands up as if looking to block a volleyball at the net. If there’s an actual net set up on the beach, use it.

Pete Williams is a NASM certified personal trainer and the author or co-author of a number of books on performance and training.

The post HIIT the Beach With These Fat-Burning Workouts appeared first on Men's Journal.

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Swim Like an Olympian with These Pool Workout Tips for Beginners

on July 15, 2021 by Author

How many times have you walked past your gym’s pool and almost worked up the nerve to step outside of your typical cardio routine?

To give up the comforts of the horrible gym soundtrack or being able to shuffle through your own playlist and text messages while breaking a sweat for the seclusion of the water is something that deters a few gymgoers. What they’re missing out on is a calorie-burning, no impact, full-body workout. And doesn’t working out in the water sound awfully comforting in this summer heat?

Two-time Olympic swimmer Scott Dickens is an obvious advocate of the benefits of swimming and helping swimmers train effectively. He’s now the director of strategic partnerships at FORM, the world’s first smart swim goggles that provide real-time performance metrics while you swim.

Dickens was a power sprinter, competing mostly in the breaststroke events. That required him to generate a lot of power while maintaining consistent speed. His workouts were on the explosive side, consisting of box jumps with weights or a medicine ball, squats, bench press, and shoulder press. Assuming you don’t have your sights set on the Paris Games in 2024 and are looking into adding swimming to your everyday fitness routine, Dickens offered his advice on getting started and ways you can become a better swimmer to make sure you’re getting a quality pool workout.

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ASK ANDY: ‘Has gym etiquette changed post-pandemic?’

on July 10, 2021 by Author

So, now that the country is starting to return to normalcy, the big question for gymgoers is: Has gym etiquette changed in any way?

The answer is yes it has. And in some ways, the “new normal” at the gym is a better normal.

We have truly experienced many different phases of “gym life” throughout the past 15 months, haven’t we? Personally, I was lucky enough to have a little bit of equipment in my garage, and I worked out alone for the first seven months or so. I think many of us were in that same boat- and kudos to you if you stayed on the fitness journey and strived to stay in shape or even improve yourself while under “lockdown.” It wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it— not just physically but mentally, emotionally, and relationally as well!

Since then, it seems that gyms have opened up at different rates around the world. Depending on where you’re reading this, you might be still training at home, while others might have a gym that feels safe to be 100% open. I’m in the Chicago area, and we are fortunate that our gym has finally been able to return to somewhat normal levels. Since I’m a psycho and I’m usually at the gym twice a day (who’s with me?), I see it all — and I’m learning the new norms in real-time, just like you guys.

As you return to the gym, and hopefully back to “normal” life, here are a few things to keep in mind to be considerate to our fellow humans:

Yes, you should wipe down the equipment you just finished using. Actually, we always should have been doing this anyway. It’s not only courteous, but it will also help protect the rest of us from the germs that causes the common cold, flu, or just from touching that gross sweaty mess you just left on that bench…
This leads to our second thought …
“Working in” might not be a thing anymore. Some folks are still pretty sensitive about the six-foot rule or just about spreading germs in general, so they don’t want to share personal space or equipment with a stranger. So, if you’re walking into the gym ready for a heavy squat day, but you see someone in your favorite rack, rather than asking if you can work in, try to be patient! Maybe you can add five minutes of mobility work into your warmup while you wait for him or her to finish that part of their session.
Be flexible. If it’s chest day, then maybe you aren’t going to be able to spend 20 minutes sitting on your favorite bench press. But, if you open your mind to the 50 other great exercises for activating the pectoralis muscles, then you can substitute dumbbell presses or dips or pushups and get a terrific workout using different pieces of equipment in other areas of the gym.
That said, we should all try our best to stay off of our phones! I’m as guilty as anyone of getting distracted by an email that pops in while I’m at the gym at lunch time, so I’m talking to myself here too. We all need to realize that there could very well be someone waiting for the piece of equipment that we’re using, and if we do a set and then sit there and stare at our phone for five minutes before doing our next set, well that is just plain rude — not to mention a waste of our time and inefficient exercise tempo for our bodies. Keep moving!
Finally, I know this is a challenge for many of us, but it’s more important than ever to just BE NICE. We’re all making a comeback to face-to-face interactions with actual humans, and it seems that some of us have forgotten how. The gym has always been an intimidating place, especially for beginners or folks who are trying to restart their fitness journey after a long layoff. Since I hope you all agree with my basic belief that the world would be a considerably better place if everyone exercised, then we gymgoers especially should take it upon ourselves to make our gyms at least a little friendlier. I’m not saying you need to strike up 30-minute conversations with every new face you see, but a quick hello and a smile can really mean a lot to someone, and it costs us nothing. So, it might not be easy, but we have to break out of the hermit lifestyle we were all forced to adopt for so long and come out of our shell and actually help each other by practicing simple kindness.

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‘Fit Body Fusion’ Leader Jami Debernard Defies Many Fitness Myths

on July 5, 2021 by Author

The phrase “age is just a number” gets used a lot, but it has been proven to be true in many instances. If you need evidence, look no further than Jami Debernard. She works as a coach, but she has competed onstage at the highest level. She not only turned pro at 40 years old, but she competed at the Olympia twice afterward. That experience serves as inspiration and credibility in her current profession.

Jami Debernard joined Femme Flex Friday host Lenda Murray and guest co-host Whitney Jones on this week’s episode to talk about her career and share her words of wisdom for competitors, including that you don’t have to be in your 20s to make the jump into physique sports.

“It was one of those things where it was just something that I was so passionate about, and I fell in love with weightlifting and the idea of being able to change your body so dramatically,” she said. “It’s like a piece of art to sculpt, to be able to do that to me was so exciting, and then to get up there and show that.”

Ultimately, she found another way to contribute to the sport in the form of coaching. She tells Jones and Murray that her current profession serves as a way of giving back, but her business “Fit Body Fusion” grew into something much bigger over the 10 years since she started.

“I almost kind of fell into it a little bit. Because of my corporate background, that ended up launching into now, I think we’ve got somewhere around 1,300 athletes on the team and 25 coaches.”

Debernard also feels it is important to dispel a lot of the myths about training and competing that have been spread throughout fitness circles. Murray started with what may be the biggest one of all; strength training will bulk you up. Debernard was quick to address this one.

“No, definitely not, and there are so many benefits to strength training. For myself now in my 50s, I feel so lucky that I found this so early on. It’s allowed me to stay a little bit leaner, to stay healthier, and more functional in my body,” she explained. “There are so many benefits to weight lifting, and it takes a lot to build muscle, so many years and lots of hard work. It’s not like something that you’re going to go in the gym, look at some weights, and all of a sudden (flexes) boom. I wish it were that easy.”

Another myth that they cover is that a lot of cardio is the key to fat loss. Debernard shared that she actually uses an approach that would be considered the exact opposite.

“I do my best to keep cardio pretty minimal,” she says. “I mean certainly we want heart health and things like that, so doing some is great. But building muscle is really going to be what increases the metabolism. It gives you the long term benefits. So cardio is a component, but it shouldn’t be what you’re leaning on.”

The co-hosts and guest also cover include the myth of spot reduction, how her business allows her coaches to focus on coaching, and several other topics. Catch the full episode and every episode of Femme Flex Friday over at wingsofstrength.net.

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Get ‘High’ with These Box Jump Tips From World-Record Holder Christopher Spell

on June 30, 2021 by Author

Whether you are a box-jumping legend, or have stayed away from this training apparatus altogether, the same general principles can be applied for improving your performance. While higher jumps are no doubt great for the ego, owning the correct technique to get those extra inches will bring significant fitness benefits for all.

Christopher Spell is 25 years old and holds the Guinness World Record for the highest standing box jump at 67 inches. The Cortlandt, NY, native credits his football experience at the University of Buffalo as being a great springboard for a jumping career.

For Spell, much of his success his owed to his lower-body strength. “I was able to jump 60 inches on my first day, because of my solid base of strength and explosiveness,” he says. But no matter your starting level, “a beginner should just start,” he adds.

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For the purposes of this guide, we are focusing on higher jumps to work on your explosive power and speed. If you are looking for box jumps that are beneficial for endurance, you should be aiming for a lower box with higher reps and shorter testing times.

Choosing the right time to jump

Thomas Barwick / Getty

Since high box jumping requires complete effort and expenditure, it makes little sense to attempt them at the end of the workout. “I suggest performing high box jumps before a workout, because this exercise requires maximal intent in order to be effective,” says Spell.

Don’t forget to warm up

franckreporter

Good body mechanics require that you are ready to perform, so make sure to warm up with some lighter, less demanding stretches and jumps. Calf stretches, kettlebell swings and stepping up and down the box are a great way to activate the muscles that jumping recruits. For serious athletes interested in a more detailed warmup, Spell is a NASM CPT and PES certified trainer, and offers a World Record Jump program.

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Work on your core strength and stabilization

Oleksandr Zamuruiev

“Core training should always be a part of any training program,” says Spell. A stable core is necessary for holding your start and end position when making a jump. Likewise, your core will be utilized to drive your body skyward. The plank is a great exercise to build core strength and stability, and will greatly support your box jumping efforts. Strengthen your back and glutes with exercises such as single leg, back extensions.

Mastering the basic box jump

candidphotos / Getty

Stand shoulder width apart and step back about 2 feet from the box.
“Load” by lowering yourself into a quarter squat and bring your arms behind you.
Jump using your feet, knees, and hips whilst vigorously swinging your arms forward.
Land on the box, in a quarter squat to soften the impact.

Psychological barriers

As kids, we’d leap up and down with no fear, and although the average box may not look all that imposing (often ranging from 3 inches to 2 feet), the process of actually moving your grown-up body onto one can be more difficult than first imagined.

For many of us, a sedentary lifestyle with luxuries such as elevators and escalators have only served to rob of us our balance and coordination. It is not uncommon to second guess yourself and make false, or half jumps when getting started. To top it off, some boxes are made of hard wood and can take a dent out of your leg if you get it wrong. So, use a sturdy foam-based box as a great way to combat the fear of hurting yourself. “Start on a soft box, and start at a lower, appropriate height,” says Spell”

Once you’ve committed to getting both legs off the floor at the same time for a few reps, your mind and muscle connection should make future jumps far less intimidating. This was a journey that even Spell, himself, had to overcome. “This went away with building the pattern of following through with the jump every time,” he says.

Ready, set, go

To gain the additional muscle required to exert more power, studies have shown that high intensity, low volume training with plenty of rest time is key. “Properly programming volume, and adequate rest, is vital for longevity and vital for making progress in the long term,” says Spell.

Work yourself upward from one to three sets, jumping for three to five reps per set. Since box jumping is a plyometrics exercise, it’s all about improving your explosiveness, harnessing your ability to create speed and resistance.

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Lift-off

Mike Kemp / Getty

From the quarter-squat position, your body is replicating a coiled spring. Making sure that you are close to the box, lift upwards rather than outwards, to make efficient use of all that potential energy.

Face upward and lift your chin up. Push down with the balls of both your feet and swing your arms up towards the ceiling as this will lift your torso. It don’t mean a thing (if you ain’t got that swing), so thrust those arms forward with force. At the same time, lift your knees up towards your chest, initiating the jump. As you move towards becoming air born, extend your knees and hips to progress the jump further. Swing those arms forward fast and early, aiming for hyperextension.

Assess your hip mobility

Hip mobility is an essential aspect of a great box jump. “You need to quickly go from full hip extension, to hip flexion,” says Spell. “This rapid change takes skill.” Many people suffer with a low range of motion in the hips, and this may explain why progress is not being made with increasing the height of your jump.

Hip flexion can be achieved by bringing your knee to your rib cage, and this is something you can test to check out your own range of motion. If you are unable to raise your knees all the way to the ribs, or suffer pain when trying to do so, you may need to work on your hip mobility. Unlocking your hips will have a huge impact on your jumping performance, but don’t be discouraged by your individual limitations.

“Some people say that box jumps are mostly about mobility and flexibility,” says Spell. “But they are also an excellent way to increase lower body power and hip flexor explosiveness, which can then translate to faster sprint times, longer broad jumps, and higher vertical jumps. Hip mobility is definitely important and will make things a lot easier, but contrary what people think, I do not have great hip mobility or flexibility.”

Keep setting higher goals

Goal setting is an important part of making gains with box jumping, and Spell is no exception. As a two-time world record holder, he’s already eyeing up other jumps, such as the single legged jump, to add to his list of accolades. For the rest of us, goal setting is just as important. “A master box jumper would be working on training consistency, injury reduction and proper volume management to squeeze the last bit of potential out of themselves,” says Spell.

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Torch Calories and Get Stronger with Erik Bartell’s 30-Minute Floor Workout

on June 25, 2021 by Author

Going to a gym is awesome. No one is going to dispute that. Having a home gym with a decent amount of equipment is great too, but let’s be clear. It’s not necessary to have a great workout. As a matter of fact, all you need for this 30-minute floor workout is a pair of dumbbells and a floor.

Not convinced? That’s OK. Erik Bartell agrees, and he proves it every Tuesday and Thursday by providing workouts for followers of the M&F Instagram page. You can join him at 7 a.m. if you need an early session to get your day going.

In the meantime, he has offered this 30-minute floor workout for you to try right here. This workout came from one of those IG sessions, and you can give this one a go at your own convenience. You’ll see that the dumbbells and floor space will be plenty for you to sweat and get pumped up.

Follow along with the video on the post if you need to see how he is performing each exercise of if you feel the motivation will help you power through the session.

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Erik Bartell’s 30-Minute Floor Workout (Warmup Phase)

Getting prepared is important when it comes to an intense session like this one. Bartell offers three movements here to help you prime the entire body for the work to come. Perform each of the movements for 30 seconds. Don’t worry about counting reps. After you complete all three movements, take a one-minute rest period to sip water, take some deep breaths, and get ready for the main event.

The Warmup
Exercise	Duration
Half-Jacks	30 Sec.
Reverse Lunge	30 Sec.
Lateral Lunge	30 Sec.
Rest	30 Sec.

Erik Bartell’s 30-Minute Floor Workout

The Workout
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Dumbbell Reverse Lunge into High Knee	3	10	30 sec.
Goblet Squat (1 ½ Reps)	3	10	30 sec.
Floor Press / Floor Flye superset	2	10/10	30 sec.
Split Squat Dumbbell Row / Dumbbell Shrug superset	2	10/10	30 sec.
Dumbbell Skull Crusher / Dumbbell Curl superset	2	10/14	30 sec.

Exercise Details:

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge into High Knee: Take the dumbbells in each hand. Perform a reverse lunge with a deep stretch. When you bring your leg back up, throw a high knee forward. Return to the starting position, and repeat with the other leg. That is one rep. Take three seconds for each negative portion of every rep.
Goblet Squat: Hold a dumbbell in front of you with both hands. Squat down until your hips are lower than your knees. Go halfway up, back down, and return to a standing position. These are known as 1½ reps. Perform 10 reps like this for one set before resting.
Floor Press / Floor Flye Superset: Lie on the floor with both dumbbells. Elbows should be on the floor at a 45 degree angle from the body. Press up and lower back down.For the flyes, keep the elbows at a 45-degree bend. Lower the weights out to the sides until the upper arms touch the floor. Bring them back up until they are over your chest. Take three seconds to perform the negative portion of the reps for both exercises.
Split Squat Dumbbell Row / Dumbbell Shrug: Get down on one knee with a dumbbell in front of you for support. Take the other dumbbell in one arm, lean forward and row back. Do the same thing with the other side.Upon finishing, stand up with both dumbbells, hold them down to the sides, and perform shrugs. The shoulders should come straight up and back down. Don’t roll them forward or backward.
Dumbbell Skull Crusher / Kneeling Dumbbell Curl: Lie on the floor with weights pressed up to arms’ length. Bend the elbows and lower the dumbbells to the sides of your head or behind your head. Straighten the arms and flex the triceps while doing so. Keep the elbows in, don’t let them flare out.Once you finish, get up to your knees and hold the dumbbells to your sides at arms’ length. Perform 7 curls with one arm, then 7 with the other, and then 7 simultaneously for 14 reps total for each arm.

Erik Bartell’s 30-Minute Floor Workout (Ab Finisher)

Abs Finisher
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest
Reverse Crunch	1	25	0
Side Touches	1	25 (each side)	0
V ups	1	25	0
Shoulder Tap	1	25 (each side)	0

Exercise Details:

Reverse Crunch: Lie on the floor with your hands under your butt or your arms stretched behind your head. Your legs should be at a 90 degree angle with feet elevated. Contract the abs and lift the knees up. Control the descent to the starting position.
Side Touches: Position your body into a V-position. The upper body should be slightly elevated, and the legs should be straight with feet off the floor. Alternate tapping each side. Both sides equal one rep.
V-Ups: Maintain that V-position you had in the last exercise. Keep the arms stretched behind the head. Lift both the upper body and the lower body up as if you want them to touch. This will contract the abs. Lower yourself back to the starting position and repeat. “Getting into a rhythm with these makes it easier,” Bartell says.
Shoulder Taps: Get on your hands and feet as if you were in the top of a pushup position. Take your left hand and touch your right shoulder. Once the hand returns to the floor, repeat with the opposite hand to the opposite shoulder. This is one rep.

Erik Bartell’s 30-Minute Floor Workout (Cooldown Phase)

Deep Breathing – 30 seconds
Reverse Leg Raise Stretch – 30 seconds per side
Leg to Side Stretch – 30 seconds per side
Reverse Lunge Stretch – 30 seconds per side
Arm Circles – 5 forward, 5 reverse for both arms

The cooldown shouldn’t be ignored because it can help kickstart your recovery from the intensity of the previous half-hour of work. It can also help bring your heart rate back down. Perform these movements as long as you feel you need to. Once you complete all five, the workout is done.

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Top Bikini Coaches Kim Oddo and Damian Segovia Share Competition Tips

on June 20, 2021 by Author

The Bikini division is one of the most popular divisions in the IFBB Pro League. It’s also one of the most competitive. Standing out with the best physique and presentation is a must, and even one mistake can cost a competitor the victory. This is why bikini coaches are so valuable to these athletes.

Fortunately, Femme Flex Friday co-hosts Alina Popa and Lenda Murray knew just who to call to share valuable expertise. This is why pro bikini coaches Kim Oddo and Damian Segovia were the guests on this week’s episode of FFF.

Oddo was a lightweight competitor himself before he made the plunge into coaching. His first clients were female bodybuilders, and he also worked with couples. Among his clients were former Figure Olympia champion Nicole Wilkins and the 2020 Bikini Olympia winner Janet Layug. One insight he offered immediately was the importance of keeping up with the times in the sport.

“The sport evolves and you have to evolve with it,” Oddo said. “It’s a lot of talk, and it’s a lot of discussion, and it’s a lot of mistakes and learning from that to get the physiques to fit the protocol.”

Segovia came into bodybuilding from the world of college football. He was seeing success onstage, but he got more satisfaction from helping others who would ask him for advice. His work in coaching began in the early 2000s. He has only worked with female clients over the years since, and he is now one of the go-to bikini coaches in the sport. One key that he found to be important is having a strong support system around the athletes he is working with.

“For us, it’s important to put them around positive people. Kim and I make sure that our team members actually help one another and want to help one another. Unfortunately, there are a lot of negative people sometimes that trickle in and out of the sport,” he warns. “The young people, if you allow them to get in a circle that’s not conducive to them becoming successful, they’re not gonna be.”

Oddo wanted to speak to the co-hosts about another aspect to their jobs — helping them with focus and maintaining a positive mindset. “There are more aspects to this sport mentally than there are physically. I think physically we can accomplish and achieve anything we set our minds to. The mental aspects of it can be very brutal,” he explained to Murray. “I always tell everybody, ‘It’s not about being perfect. It’s just about standing out of quicksand because there can be many pitfalls throughout a career.”

Segovia then talked about preparing ladies for competition, and he discussed the ability to hide structural “flaws,” such as a wide waist or overly wide shoulders so they are less likely to be judged for having them.

“If they have a very broad upper body, then I would say tone down the shoulder training and make sure when they pose that they’re not opening up very wide and trying to project their shoulders much wider than they really need to,” Segovia stated. “The nice thing about Bikini is you can hide a lot. So if you do have some structural flaws, you can hide them, whereas in Figure you just can’t.”

The information that both coaches share can be a source of tremendous wisdom for anyone, male or female, that want to get into the sport or fitness industry. Watch this whole episode as well as every episode of Femme Flex Friday every week over at www.wingsofstrength.net.

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Smart Home Gym Equipment to Level Up Your Fitness

on June 20, 2021 by Author

We want you to turn your living room into a hotbox. (No, we don’t mean the smoke-filled Camaro from your high school days.) We mean we want you to transform any spare space into your sweat gauntlet in lieu of a gym. As such, we’re putting the spotlight on five pieces of smart home gym equipment that provide personalized attention from virtual trainers, progressive challenges via artificial intelligence and detailed insight thanks to sensors. Best of all, no one will know if (read: when) you drag your dog-tired body into the bathroom and sit in the shower for 45 minutes post-workout. It’s your world.

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1. Use AI for Gains: Tonal

Sometimes lifting is all about quality, not quantity. Tonal has two extendable arms that generate up to 200 pounds of resistance, plus a motion-sensor camera hidden in its 42-inch screen to analyze form and offer cues to boost performance. An initial fitness assessment determines your baseline, then AI algorithms take over. “Spotter” mode drops weight if you struggle in the bottom of a chest press, while “Burnout” mode reduces weight one pound at a time at the end of a set of curls, so you can work your biceps to failure.

[$2,995 plus $49/month membership; tonal.com]

Get it

Man exercising with Mirror — Courtesy Image

2. Hire a Personal Trainer: Mirror

The full-length reflective surface of Mirror hides an LCD screen controlled by an iOS app. Try a class in more
than 50 disciplines, or connect with a personal trainer on-demand. Using the built-in two-way audio and video, your trainer provides expert feedback, form corrections, and encouragement in real time for $40 a pop—a fraction of what you’d pay for a trainer at the gym. You can even sweat to your own workout playlists via Apple Music.

[$1,495 plus $39/month membership, mirror.co]

Get it

Man swinging JaxJox smart kettlebell — Courtesy Image

3. Buy One Weight That Does It All: JaxJox

A true total-body strength workout usually requires multiple sets of weights or a pricey squat rack. Not
so with the space-saving JaxJox connected kettlebell. It adjusts from 12 to 42 pounds in seconds. While you’re swinging, motion sensors track reps, sets, weight, and power, so you can review your “Fitness IQ”—which measures strength progression—in the app. Users can also subscribe to on-demand workouts.

[$229 plus optional $13/month membership, jaxjox.com]

Get it

Man performing front squats with Arena portable gym — Courtesy Image

4. Make Any Room a Weight Room: Arena

Arena houses a multidirectional cable system and specialty attachments capable of more than 300 exercises, from hamstring curls to woodchops. The portable device uses opposing electro-magnetic fields to generate hundreds of pounds of resistance (same tech that powers electric cars). Motorized resistance technology safely recruits more muscle fibers than traditional strength training, so you get better results in less time.

[$1,995 plus optional $20/month membership, goarena.co]

Get it

Courtesy Image

5. Get Real-Time Biofeedback: Nurvv

Solo neighborhood jogs. Treadmill intervals. All-out track sprints. With 32 sensors, Nurvv smart insoles capture all your running idiosyncrasies including cadence, step length, footstrike, pronation and balance. That might not mean much to you, but they indicate efficiency. The app provides tailored training tips and exercises to help fine-tune your technique and avoid injury. Looking to hit sub 7-minute miles? The Pace Coach feature provides target zones for your cadence and step length, with in-run alerts synced to your headphones like “shorten your stride” or “increase your cadence.”

[$299.95; nurvv.com]

Get it

The post Smart Home Gym Equipment to Level Up Your Fitness appeared first on Men's Journal.

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No ABC’S Allowed

Chicken, broccoli, brown rice, and repeat

Fit in two workouts each day

Chris Kellum’s Legs, Core & Cardio Workout

Legs Workout

Core Workout

HIIT Cardio Workout

Exercise Notes

HIIT the Beach With These Fat-Burning Workouts

Workout No.1

Workout No.2

Workout No.3

Workout No.4

Workout No.5 (for swimmers)

Choosing the right time to jump

Don’t forget to warm up

Work on your core strength and stabilization

Mastering the basic box jump

Psychological barriers

Ready, set, go

Lift-off

Assess your hip mobility

Keep setting higher goals

Erik Bartell’s 30-Minute Floor Workout (Warmup Phase)

Erik Bartell’s 30-Minute Floor Workout

Exercise Details:

Erik Bartell’s 30-Minute Floor Workout (Ab Finisher)

Exercise Details:

Erik Bartell’s 30-Minute Floor Workout (Cooldown Phase)

1. Use AI for Gains: Tonal

2. Hire a Personal Trainer: Mirror

3. Buy One Weight That Does It All: JaxJox

4. Make Any Room a Weight Room: Arena

Courtesy Image

5. Get Real-Time Biofeedback: Nurvv