I’ve been talking a lot about exercises and methods of training that you can do at home. Here is a sample of a workout you could do in your own home:
Circuit #1 (go through these exercises without resting between)
--Wall Sits w/Abdominal Contraction 30secs at low angle, mid and high
--Pushups x20
--Russian Twists x40
--1 Leg Hamstring Bridge x3 reps of 30sec holds for each leg
--Feet on Wall Pushups x15
--Pikes x20
--Hindu Squats x40
--Spiderman Pushups x20
--Flutter Kick 30secs
Rest 1min and repeat (twice through)
Circuit #2
--Either Pullups, Supine Pullups, or Bodyweight Rows (depending on what you have to work with) to muscle failure
--Bench Dips x20
--Superman x20
--Hindu Pushups x15
--Gladiator Presses x10each side
--Thinker 1min
--(Yoga Poses) Upward Dog into Downward Dog x10 hold each pose for a couple secs
--Diamond Pushups x20
--6 Inches x1min
Rest 1min and repeat (twice through)
Try this out. It should take you about 40 minutes or so, and happy training!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Isometric Training (from River Weekly 3.6)
Another proven method of training without the amenities of the gym is isometric training. Isometric exercises are static exercises, meaning that the angle of the joint and the length of the muscle do not change throughout the exercise, but the intensity of resistance may. Basically, you’re either pressing, pulling, etc against a fixed object (the wall, a bar, etc) or holding your body in a static position (weights can be used for this).
The primary benefit of isometric training is obvious: you don’t need a gym. Isometric training also offers excellent strength gaining benefits. Though you don’t develop strength in a full range of motion with isometric exercises, as you do in dynamic exercises, isometric exercises are much better than dynamic at increasing maximum strength at the particular joint angle.
What does that mean? It means that, isometric exercises will get you stronger in whatever pose or position you practice them. For example, if you are doing a wall sit, which is an isometric exercise, you will get stronger at the angle at which you are sitting.
Keeping this in mind, you must realize that in doing isometric training, it is important to change the angle of the exercise. Again, let’s use wall squats as an example. In order to get stronger at a full range of motion, you must perform the isometric exercise at a variety of angles—low, mid-low, mid, mid-high, high.
Now that we have the basics of isometric exercises down, let’s highlight some exercises. We’ll start at the top and move down. Shoulders—a great one for the shoulders is the hand stand. If you can’t balance yourself, do a handstand with your feet on a wall, and again remember to change the angle at which you hold the headstand.
Hanging from a pull-up bar will work the back, biceps and shoulders. To hit the biceps harder, change your grip to an underhand position. Placing your hands further apart will really hone in on those lats.
For the chest and triceps, you can hold yourself in either the pushup or dip (or bench dip) position. Both exercises will work both muscle groups. The pushup position will focus most of the load on the chest, while the dip position will focus most of the load on the triceps.
The dying cockroach is a great isometric ab exercise. Basically all you’re doing is holding yourself in a pike position. The thinker (some call it the bridge) is also a good one for your abs as well as your lower back.
As I said earlier, wall sits are a great isometric exercise. These will give you a good burn in your legs, especially your quads. Holding yourself in a hamstring bridge position (on your back, knees bent at a 90 degree angle, butt off the ground) will also work the legs, more specifically, the hamstrings and glutes.
You can also do isometric exercises by pressing against a stationary object. For example, get a sturdy base and press against the wall in a pushup position, as if you were trying to move it. Hold that position for a while, and you’ll begin to feel the burn in your chest and arms.
The primary benefit of isometric training is obvious: you don’t need a gym. Isometric training also offers excellent strength gaining benefits. Though you don’t develop strength in a full range of motion with isometric exercises, as you do in dynamic exercises, isometric exercises are much better than dynamic at increasing maximum strength at the particular joint angle.
What does that mean? It means that, isometric exercises will get you stronger in whatever pose or position you practice them. For example, if you are doing a wall sit, which is an isometric exercise, you will get stronger at the angle at which you are sitting.
Keeping this in mind, you must realize that in doing isometric training, it is important to change the angle of the exercise. Again, let’s use wall squats as an example. In order to get stronger at a full range of motion, you must perform the isometric exercise at a variety of angles—low, mid-low, mid, mid-high, high.
Now that we have the basics of isometric exercises down, let’s highlight some exercises. We’ll start at the top and move down. Shoulders—a great one for the shoulders is the hand stand. If you can’t balance yourself, do a handstand with your feet on a wall, and again remember to change the angle at which you hold the headstand.
Hanging from a pull-up bar will work the back, biceps and shoulders. To hit the biceps harder, change your grip to an underhand position. Placing your hands further apart will really hone in on those lats.
For the chest and triceps, you can hold yourself in either the pushup or dip (or bench dip) position. Both exercises will work both muscle groups. The pushup position will focus most of the load on the chest, while the dip position will focus most of the load on the triceps.
The dying cockroach is a great isometric ab exercise. Basically all you’re doing is holding yourself in a pike position. The thinker (some call it the bridge) is also a good one for your abs as well as your lower back.
As I said earlier, wall sits are a great isometric exercise. These will give you a good burn in your legs, especially your quads. Holding yourself in a hamstring bridge position (on your back, knees bent at a 90 degree angle, butt off the ground) will also work the legs, more specifically, the hamstrings and glutes.
You can also do isometric exercises by pressing against a stationary object. For example, get a sturdy base and press against the wall in a pushup position, as if you were trying to move it. Hold that position for a while, and you’ll begin to feel the burn in your chest and arms.
Monday, April 4, 2011
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Bodyweight Exercises
Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to any exercise. Bodyweight exercises have a couple on either side, but the advantages tend to supersede the disadvantages.
The major disadvantage with bodyweight exercises you will run into is the fact that you’re always working with a set weight (the weight of your body). However, there are ways to combat this disadvantage.
You can always add extra weight to your body. Throw on a bookbag with 20+ pounds of books in there. You can change the angle at which you are doing an exercise (try a pushup with your hands at your hips, it’s a lot harder) or you can incorporate tougher bodyweight exercises, like the planche pushup (this is a pushup with your feet off the ground and most people can’t do even one rep of these; training is required to master this exercise).
Though you can’t vary the weight you’re using when doing bodyweight exercises, there are still advantages to them. For starters, bodyweight exercises are perhaps the best way to improve your functional strength. Think about it, all of the bodyweight exercises are natural (no equipment is needed, with the exception of a pull-up bar or wall). They utilize movements that you need to use to function.
Bodyweight exercises are also the best way for a person to get into shape if they don’t have access to a gym. Like I said, with the exception of maybe a pull-up bar and maybe a wall or, if you like variety, a swiss ball or something of that sort, you don’t need any equipment.
With this said, let’s return to perhaps the only disadvantage of bodyweight exercises and consider some alternative methods for increasing the resistance and load in these exercises. Since the last edition of River Weekly focused on pull-ups and pushups, we’ll take a look at these two exercises specifically.
If you’re looking to strengthen your back, pull-ups are the exercise for you. Let’s say you’re a novice on the workout scene. If you want a strong back, you can start off doing a pull-up workout that includes supine pull-ups (lay on the floor under a bar and pull your sternum up to the bar), horizontal pull-ups (same thing as the supine, except your feet are on a bench), squat pull-ups (start in a squat position and pull yourself up while straightening your legs), jump-ups (a pull-up with a jump to get you started) and negatives (jump up or stand on a chair so that you get your chin above the bar and slowly let yourself down)
After you master these exercises, you can move on to regular pull-ups with perhaps some changing grips worked in. And then you can start incorporating variations like the straight leg pull-up (legs straight out and pull up), gorilla pull-ups (pull your knees to your chest while pulling up), pull-ups with a clap at the top, weighted pull-up, etc. Eventually, you may find that you’ve gotten strong enough to do one-arm pull-ups.
Pushups are a chest exercise, and if you’re looking to get stronger in that area, you can do it with the pushup. Let’s start at the novice level again. Pushups on your knees are the classic “easy” way to start. Once you feel like these are too easy, move on to the real thing. Then start changing your hand position. Do diamond push-ups, wide arm push-ups, and then you can venture into the world of the pushup from the hip, which is really demanding. Along with the pushup from the hip, you can try some explosive pushups or elevated wall pushups (put your feet on the wall and do pushups), and maybe one day you will master the planche pushup.
Basically these outlines illustrate that you can compensate for the bodyweight exercises’ shortcomings by progressively doing more difficult exercises. There are some who think that you will have a tough time getting stronger with bodyweight exercises, because of the lack of variety in the weight you use. I disagree. I have been adding more and more bodyweight exercises into my workouts, because I would like to be able to do a planche pushup. Right now, I bench press 200+ pounds, yet I can’t do one planche pushup. This just goes to show how strong you have to be (functionally as well as brutishly strong) to do some of these bodyweight exercises.
Happy training!
The major disadvantage with bodyweight exercises you will run into is the fact that you’re always working with a set weight (the weight of your body). However, there are ways to combat this disadvantage.
You can always add extra weight to your body. Throw on a bookbag with 20+ pounds of books in there. You can change the angle at which you are doing an exercise (try a pushup with your hands at your hips, it’s a lot harder) or you can incorporate tougher bodyweight exercises, like the planche pushup (this is a pushup with your feet off the ground and most people can’t do even one rep of these; training is required to master this exercise).
Though you can’t vary the weight you’re using when doing bodyweight exercises, there are still advantages to them. For starters, bodyweight exercises are perhaps the best way to improve your functional strength. Think about it, all of the bodyweight exercises are natural (no equipment is needed, with the exception of a pull-up bar or wall). They utilize movements that you need to use to function.
Bodyweight exercises are also the best way for a person to get into shape if they don’t have access to a gym. Like I said, with the exception of maybe a pull-up bar and maybe a wall or, if you like variety, a swiss ball or something of that sort, you don’t need any equipment.
With this said, let’s return to perhaps the only disadvantage of bodyweight exercises and consider some alternative methods for increasing the resistance and load in these exercises. Since the last edition of River Weekly focused on pull-ups and pushups, we’ll take a look at these two exercises specifically.
If you’re looking to strengthen your back, pull-ups are the exercise for you. Let’s say you’re a novice on the workout scene. If you want a strong back, you can start off doing a pull-up workout that includes supine pull-ups (lay on the floor under a bar and pull your sternum up to the bar), horizontal pull-ups (same thing as the supine, except your feet are on a bench), squat pull-ups (start in a squat position and pull yourself up while straightening your legs), jump-ups (a pull-up with a jump to get you started) and negatives (jump up or stand on a chair so that you get your chin above the bar and slowly let yourself down)
After you master these exercises, you can move on to regular pull-ups with perhaps some changing grips worked in. And then you can start incorporating variations like the straight leg pull-up (legs straight out and pull up), gorilla pull-ups (pull your knees to your chest while pulling up), pull-ups with a clap at the top, weighted pull-up, etc. Eventually, you may find that you’ve gotten strong enough to do one-arm pull-ups.
Pushups are a chest exercise, and if you’re looking to get stronger in that area, you can do it with the pushup. Let’s start at the novice level again. Pushups on your knees are the classic “easy” way to start. Once you feel like these are too easy, move on to the real thing. Then start changing your hand position. Do diamond push-ups, wide arm push-ups, and then you can venture into the world of the pushup from the hip, which is really demanding. Along with the pushup from the hip, you can try some explosive pushups or elevated wall pushups (put your feet on the wall and do pushups), and maybe one day you will master the planche pushup.
Basically these outlines illustrate that you can compensate for the bodyweight exercises’ shortcomings by progressively doing more difficult exercises. There are some who think that you will have a tough time getting stronger with bodyweight exercises, because of the lack of variety in the weight you use. I disagree. I have been adding more and more bodyweight exercises into my workouts, because I would like to be able to do a planche pushup. Right now, I bench press 200+ pounds, yet I can’t do one planche pushup. This just goes to show how strong you have to be (functionally as well as brutishly strong) to do some of these bodyweight exercises.
Happy training!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)