Articles

The Nutrition Journey of Joey Sheather

Sat, 29 May 2010 07:46:00 GMT

My dear fellow weight trainers...

At the start of every year I create a list of goals that I want to achieve and I set an interesting challenge or two.

My challenge for 2010:

Enter and win my first ever natural bodybuilding competition.

You may find it hard to believe that someone who has trained with an extreme degree of passion, intensity, dedication and consistency for over 16 years has never competed. Honestly, I've never felt the need to. My training has always been something that I do for myself. I just love it, and I enjoy the challenge and creativity of each workout.

I have always eaten very good food. My diet is healthy, balanced and nutritious but I am not an extreme food nazi and I like to enjoy my life. This is all well and good but as I approached 30 it became obvious that my metabolism was slowing down. My older friends warned me that it would happen but I figured that because I trained so hard and carried a lot of muscle it wouldn't affect me. I was wrong...

So about a year ago I decided to clean up my diet and made the following changes:

No sugar - only honey in coffee and tea and on cereal if needed
Less salt
No soft drink, fruit juice or energy drinks
No junkfood
No desserts except on special occasions
No carbs after lunch
Smaller dinners
Only skim milk or water in protein shakes
No RTD protein shakes (too much sugar)
More low-fat and low-carb options
More lean meats
Slightly less wine (there is no way I'm giving up my other passion)

This made a big difference and I went from 94 kilos to 90 with my best ever combination of muscularity and condition. This became a very helpful starting point for the bodybuilding comp.

3 months out from the Sydney ANB Show I cleaned up my diet a little more. 2 months out I did the same and 1 month out I implemented some drastic changes:

No alcohol - I miss my cellar terribly
No honey - I now use stevia or nothing
No carbs at all - not even for breakfast
No flavoured or salted tuna and salmon cans
No fruit
Only green veges or salad greens - no other colours
Only very lean beef, chicken, kangaroo or fish
Only egg whites - no yolks
Only fat-free, natural yoghurt
Low-fat cottage cheese
Only skim milk Double espresso (instead of large latte with extra shot and honey)

I also upped my supplementation:

Branched Chain Amino Acids - 3 caps morning, before/after training, evening
Glutamine - 3 caps morning, before/after training, evening
Dymatize Xpand - 4 caps morning, before training
Kre-alkalyn - 2 caps morning, before training
Fish Oil - 2 caps morning, evening
Juice Plus+ - 2 fruit caps morning, 2 vege caps evening
Multi-mineral - 1 tab evening
B-group vitamins - 1 tab morning
Probiotic - 1 cap after training (before protein)
Melatonin - before bed

The results? A very lean, mean and healthy 86kgs... WITH NO CARDIO!!!

That's right. I haven't performed ANY cardio during my contest prep. I decided to use this competition as an experiment to see if it is possible to drop body-fat with nutrition and weight training alone.

So with one week to go I am on track and have shown beyond a doubt that it IS possible get very lean by focussing on nutrition alone.

This demonstrates how important your food choices are. Everything that you put into your body has an effect on your physical and mental performance. Make wise food choices by reading nutritional panels, researching on the internet and focussing on whole-foods. If you are going to eat shit you will look and feel like shit. Life's too short for that. Eat like a champion every day.

Wish me luck.

Regards,

Joey Sheather

Unleash the inner mongrel...

Unleash Incredible Muscle Mass With These 10 Awesome Compound Exercises

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:18:00 GMT

There is an endless choice of exercises to include in a weight training program and they can all be quite effective if performed with proper technique and intensity. However, some exercises have a far greater positive impact on the body and should be included in your training program each week. If a range of goals can be achieved from just one movement then it becomes more efficient and more effective than an exercise that has only one specific goal. We are talking about Free-weight, Compound Exercises.

What Is A Compound Exercise?

A compound exercise is a movement that occurs through two or more joints in the body involving a range of muscle groups. It is a synchronised, coordinated, team-effort and is an effective way to build muscle strength, size, tone and fitness.

Example: The Squat – this a compound free-weight exercise that delivers resistance and movement through the hip, knee and ankle joints engaging a diverse range of muscles.

Movements that occur through a single joint are called Isolation Exercises. They can be very useful but are inefficient as limited muscles are involved.

Example: Leg Extension – this is an isolation exercise that only affects the muscles used in knee-extension (the quads).

What Are The Benefits Of Employing Compound Movements?

They are time-efficient because many muscles are trained in a single exercise. If you are using isolation exercises more are required because fewer muscles are involved.
Example: A ‘Push-press’ trains the shoulders, triceps, quads, glutes and a range of ancillary muscles. If you were performing isolation exercise to train these muscles you would need to do ‘lateral raises, tricep extensions, leg extensions, hip extensions’ and more to emulate the same amount of muscular stimulation.
There is a greater capacity to build mass and strength. This is because heavy loads can be applied safely with the pressure divided between multiple joints and muscle groups all contributing varying levels of force.
Inter-muscular coordination is learned through different muscle groups and joints interacting to execute a large, complex movement with synchronised efficiency. This means that the muscles become a powerful team that work well together.
There is a reduced risk of injury (if good technique is always applied). With compound movements the load and stress is shared between many muscle groups and joints. During an isolation movement a single joint must handle the lot.
You must build a strong core and mid-section. If you intend to lift heavy weights with good technique and intensity your abdominals, lower back and the inner muscles of the spine must be strong. Focussing on compound exercises will stabilise your body and keep you safe. Build up the weights slowly and engage your abs and core all the time.
A positive hormonal environment is created when big muscles are stimulated with big exercises. When you focus on the big exercises larger amounts of growth hormone and testosterone are released into the system to support your body’s battle with the heavy weights.
The cardio-vascular system is more heavily involved because the greater amount of large muscles working in compound movements require increased quantities of blood and oxygen. This of course must be supplied by the heart and lungs.

10 Great Exercises

1.Deadlift

Why?

It is a great foundation exercise that involves many muscles groups that must interact safely to potentially lift very heavy weights. Expect massive increases in strength and size on the quads, glutes and traps and muscle thickness in the middle and lower back. It is a workout unto itself.

Technique

Set up a barbell (BB) on a rack at waist height
Grasp the BB with straight arms a hand-space wider than your hips
Feet are shoulder width apart with toes slightly turned out
Head and chest are up with the back arched and the abdominals engaged
With the BB against the thighs slowly lower it towards the floor bending the knees, letting the hip go backwards and the chest go forwards
During the descent; the back must remain arched, the abdominals must remain engaged and the BB must remain in constant contact with the front of the legs
Stop at the point where you either reach the floor or your lower back starts to round then be ready to perform the ascent
Before you lift the BB back up to the starting point force the hip down and the chest up, tighten the abs then pull with the legs not the lower back
Follow the same path up as you did on the way down and stand up straight at the top
Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up
After a warm-up and stretch pyramid the weights and perform; 1 x 15, 1 x 10, 2 x 7

2.Medium Grip Chin-up

Why?

This is the best exercise for building serious back width and arm thickness. Massive amounts of controlled, positive stress are powered through the latissimus dorsi (lats) and the muscles surrounding the shoulder blades (scapula). The biceps and forearms also get thoroughly trained by assisting the back muscles. Neutral grip chin-ups and reverse grip chin-ups should also be used frequently to hit slightly different areas of the back. Sometimes my entire back workout is spent on the chin-up bar.

Technique

Take a grip on the chin-up bar so that when the elbows and shoulders are at 90° the hands are a hand-space wider
Stretch the body out to full extension, lift the head and chest, arch the back slightly and engage the abdominals
Pulling through the elbows lift the body up until the chin is level with the hands then slowly release down to full extension
Breathe out on the way up and in on the way down
After a warm-up and stretch perform; 3 x 10

3.Fit-ball DB Press

Why?

Thickness and strength can be built through the entire chest while stabilisation work is encouraged through the rest of the body. The fit-ball ensures that strict technique is employed, the spine is supported, the back muscles are protected and the abdominals, core and hip create a stable foundation for heavy lifting. If you are strong on the fit-ball then the bench exercises become easy.

Technique

Sit on a fit-ball holding two dumbbells on your legs
Roll forward and lie down bringing the dumbbells onto the chest
The feet should be shoulder width apart, the hips pushed upwards, the abdominals engaged and the head slightly down over the back of the ball
Push the dumbbells to full extension above the middle of the chest then pull the shoulder blades together and keep them there throughout the movement
Slowly lower the dumbbells down to the outside of the chest until a gentle stretch is felt
Push them back up to the starting position
The path that the dumbbells follow is like an inverted U
Roll back to the seated position when the set is finished
Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up
After a warm-up and stretch perform; 3 x 10

4.70° BB Row

Why?

This exercise is the best for developing thickness through all the back muscles. A lot of weight can be moved safely with assistance from the quads, hips and mid-section. If incorrect technique and poor body position is used then it can be a dangerous movement but if your form is strict it will make you big and strong. Mr Olympia ‘Dorian Yates’ called this exercise the ‘Upper Body Squat’. The Squat is known as the ‘King of Exercises’ and will build overall mass in the body. The 70° BB Row will do the same.

Technique

Stand with feet shoulder width apart holding a barbell with an overhand grip -on the outside of the legs
Bend the knees slightly and lean forward until the torso is at 70°
Keep the back arched, the chest and head up and the abdominals engaged
From full extension pull the BB in constant contact with the thighs up the legs into the hips squeezing the shoulder blades together
Slowly release the BB down the thighs stretching the upper back by opening the shoulders blades, maintain the original body position
Breathe out on the way up and in on the way down
After a warm-up and stretch pyramid the weight performing; 1 x 20, 1 x 15, 2 x 10

5.BB Squat

Why?

As discussed above the squat is a super effective exercise for developing muscle strength and size. The target muscles are the quadriceps and gluteals but many other muscles groups are needed to support this lift. The entire body must become a rigid powerhouse in order to properly support the weights that the powerful muscles of the hips and thighs can lift. It is another exercise where strict technique is a must. If you squat correctly everything will grow.

Technique

In a power rack set up the barbell so that it is slightly lower than shoulder height and set up the safety bars in line with the top of the hips
Grip the BB a hand-space wider than shoulder width and step under it squeezing the shoulder blades together to rest the BB on the trapezius
Stand up with the weight and step back so there is room to perform the movement
Take a shoulder width stance, lift the chest and head, arch the back, engage the abdominals
In this position bend the knees lowering yourself towards the floor allowing the chest to go slightly forwards and the hips to go slightly backwards
Stop before the lower back starts to round or at 90° at the knees then push back up to the starting position but don’t lock out the knees
Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up
After a warm-up and stretch pyramid the weight performing; 1 x 20, 1 x 15, 2 x 10

6.Push-press

Why?

This is one of my favourite exercises. It builds mass and strength through the entire shoulder girdle with assistance from nearly every muscle in the body. The thighs and glutes begin the movement by driving the BB up with a ¾ front squat. Then the shoulders and triceps take over pressing the BB powerfully above the head to full extension. At this point the BB is at a great unstable height and requires full engagement of the abdominals, lower back and core to keep it still and to keep your body safe. Big movements like this tax the entire body stimulating it to become big, fit, toned and strong.

Technique

Stand up with the legs wider than the shoulders and feet turned out to 45°
Hold a BB a hand-space wider than shoulder width just in front of your chin
Arch your back slightly, lift your chest, engage your abs and bend the knees slightly
Slowly squat down to just above 90° at the knees then drive the BB up with the legs and press it over the head with the arms in one big, powerful yet controlled movement
The legs and arms must straighten and complete the movement at the same without fully locking out
Pause at the top of the movement to gain control and make sure the abs are contracted tightly protecting the lower back
Lower the BB slowly down to the front of the chin, pause briefly, then squat down slowly to continue the exercise
Breathing; Take a slow, deep breath in as you squat down, breathe out forcefully as you drive up, breathe in on the way down to the chin, breathe out as you pause at the chin, repeat
After a warm-up and stretch pyramid the weight performing; 1 x 15, 1 x 10, 2 x 8

7.Standing Single-arm Press

Why?

Let’s compare it to a standard Seated Overhead DB Press. With the Seated Overhead DB Press; you are completely supported by a bench taking away any need for the ancillary muscles, core and abs to stabilise your body. There is no need to employ coordination and control. Both sides of the body aren’t forced to do exactly the same amount of work. Only the shoulders and triceps become strong. With the Standing Single-arm Press the entire body becomes strong, stable and under perfect control while strength and size is gained evenly by safely pressing a heavy DB above the head.

Technique

Stand up with the legs slightly wider than the shoulders
Hold a single DB just above the outside of your shoulder with the elbow pointing to the floor
Arch your back slightly, lift your chest, engage your abs, bend the knees slightly and place the free hand on the hip
During the movement your focus in on maintaining a straight line through the middle of the body because force will be applied on one side at a time
Press the DB up and in until the whole arm is straight and perpendicular to the floor
Pause briefly then release back to the starting position
Breathe out on the way up and in on the way down
Repeat on the other side
After a warm-up and stretch perform; 3 x 10 each side

8.Fit-ball DB Pullover

Why?

Performing a DB Pullover on a fit-ball forces you to use far greater control than on a bench. If you do not use strict technique and engage the abdominals properly you will fall off and hurt yourself. Pullovers train the lats, triceps and chest very thoroughly but on a fit-ball the abs, core, glutes and thighs are employed too. You have to think about each rep which will make each set perfect. It is a great exercise to include on back day.

Technique

Sit on a fit-ball holding a single dumbbell and roll forward lying back on the ball placing the feet wide on the floor
The hips should be extended up, the chest should be lifted up and the head sloping slightly down over the back of the ball
Hold the DB vertically above the chest cupping the underneath of the upper side with both of the hands and bend the elbows slightly
In this position lower the DB very slowly over the back of the head tensing the abdominals hard so that your position on the fit-ball is secure
Stop when the hands are in line with the back of the head or when a good stretch is felt through the latissimus dorsi then lift it back to above the chest
Make sure the fit-ball remains stable throughout the movement
Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up
After a warm-up and stretch perform; 3 x 15

9.Close Grip Bench Press

Why?

I think people waste far too much time on little, ‘fluffy’ exercises for triceps. The close grip bench press is a great way to apply heavy but safe stress to the triceps building mass and strength. It also is great for targeting the inner chest and front of the shoulders. A lot of weight can be moved safely and it is actually far more comfortable than a standard bench press. Whether you are training large muscle groups like the back or small muscle groups like the triceps you must focus on free weight compound movements before moving onto the smaller exercises.

Technique

On a flat bench set up the barbell at a height where the hands are shoulder width apart and the arms fully extended towards the ceiling
Lie under the BB so that it is above eye level and take a shoulder width grip
Lift it off and bring it forward holding it above the chest then with elbows pointing forwards lower it slowly down to just below the chest
Then push it back up to above the middle of the chest keeping the elbows in
Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up
After a warm-up and stretch perform; 3 x 10

10. Dynamic Wood-chop

Why?

This is the best total mid-section exercise. It trains the lower abs, upper abs, obliques, erectors (lower back), and the internal muscles that support the spine (core). The ancillary muscles include nearly the rest of the body. The whole body works together in a smooth, flowing, powerful movement. A crunch will only train the upper abs, this efficient movement will do the lot.

Technique

Attach a straight bar handle to the upper attachment of a cable cross-over
Standing side-on to the pulley grasp the handle with an alternate grip (closest hand to pulley is underneath and facing out other hand above facing in)
Walk two metres out from the pulley and stand side-on one foot back from being in line with the pulley
Feet are very wide apart, knees are bent, abs are engaged inwards hard, arms are straight and pointing up towards the pulley and the body is braced in readiness for the movement
With good force drive the handle with almost straight arms in a wide arc away from the body and down until it touches below the inside of the knee of the outside leg
The torso can bend forwards during the powerful downward motion and the hips can move naturally side-to-side when needed
Pause very briefly at the knee then release slowly back through the same path to the starting position
Repeat on the other side taking care to set up the body position as a mirror image of the first side
Breathe out on the way down and in on the way up
After a warm-up and stretch perform; 3 x 15 each side

Last Word...

These exercises are so effective in building total strength, mass, muscle tone and stabilisation that it is a crime against your body to not perform them. Include them in your training schedule with focus and intensity but get the technique exactly right. You will find that gains are greater and results faster. You will also get far more bang for your buck. This is training with the bigger picture in mind. Don’t waste time on isolation exercises until you have built a solid, fantastic foundation. Enjoy yourself, push the envelope and get what you want…..

Regards,

Joey Sheather

Unleash The Inner Mongrel...

Build And Isolate Your Biceps Safely With: Prone Strict Cable Curl

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:09:00 GMT

Target Area – Biceps
Ancillary Muscles – Forearms
Goal – To build, strengthen and isolate the bicep
Alternate Exercises – Standing Cable Curl, Standing Strict BB Curl

The worst thing you can do to your training career is injure your lower back. There are many ways this can happen and the common theme is always sloppy technique. One of the worst offenders is Bicep Curls. At some point we have all performed a few ‘Cheat Curls’ putting a bit of hip, shoulder and lower back into a bicep exercise. Occasionally and under control this is acceptable but most of the time please be kind to your body and use strict technique. Leave your ego at home and you will remain injury-free and built bigger, better biceps.

This clever exercise is designed to take the entire load off your body and direct the stress straight into the biceps. It is impossible to cheat unless you can move the floor and that aint gonna happen. Read the following technique description carefully, study the photos and try it at the gym.

Technique:

Set up a cable pulley 20-30 centimetres above the ground and attach a short, straight curling bar
Lie face up on a mat with your feet on either side of the pulley and your body straight
Hold the bar with an underhand grip on the outside of your upper thighs
Keep the triceps in constant contact with the floor as you bend your elbows curling the bar up to your mid-chest
Pause briefly and squeeze the biceps at the top of the movement then lower slowly to the upper thighs
Breathe out on the way up and in on the way down

Perform 3 sets of 15 slow, controlled repetitions with a weight that allows perfect technique until failure on the 15th rep.

Do you love the burn and pump that you get from this exercise? Do you want bigger, harder and more powerful biceps? Read my article:

Building Bulging Biceps

You will be blown away with this short encyclopaedia about bicep training. Who would have thought there was so much to know?

For more great stuff about training and nutrition visit: www.AustralianWeightTraining.com.au

Unleash the inner mongrel.
Regards,
Joey Sheather

10 Advanced Dumbbell Pressing Variations for Bodybuilders and Strength Athletes

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:16:00 GMT

Free-weights should always form the dominant portion of exercise selection for building muscle-mass, building strength and toning the body. Dumbbells are a highly effective free-weight that demands control and strict technique. And we all know that if you employ Dumbbell Pressing movements in your training it is a sure-fire way to add strength, mass and thickness to your Chest and Shoulders and indirectly to your Triceps.

In order to get the most out of your Dumbbell Pressing movements it is essential that you introduce variety by adjusting the style and technique of the basic and most valuable exercises. This will keep your body in a state of surprise and readiness pushing it towards greater levels of development and will build a more complete physique because it has been attacked from all angles and options.

A STANDARD DUMBBELL PRESS

During a standard Dumbbell Pressing movement the correct technique requires you to hold the Dumbbells on the outside of your chest or shoulders with your palms facing forward (away from your body). Once you start pressing it is ideal for the Dumbbells to follow a path upwards and together in a smooth ‘Inverted U’ shape such as this; ∩. This technique ensures that you get a good stretch at the bottom and a strong contraction at the top with optimal power and control.

DUMBBELL PRESSING VARIATIONS

1. Alternate Presses from the top for Chest

Technique:
- Lying down on a bench or fit-ball hold the Dumbbells with straight arms above the chest with the shoulders blades held together behind the body.

- Slowly lower one Dumbbell down to the outside of your chest while the other Dumbbell remains still then press it back up completing a full repetition.

- Repeat on the other side using the same technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result:
Performing one rep at time on each side allows you to:

1) Focus on the individual Pec muscle increasing the intensity at the maximal point of contraction.

2) Concentrate on your technique and core strength so that the increased torque doesn’t make your body contort.

3) Build more endurance with the increased set time.

4) Get the benefit from a static contraction and a dynamic contraction.

2. Alternate Presses from the top for Shoulders

Technique:
- Sitting up on a bench or standing hold the Dumbbells with straight arms above the head and shoulders with the palms facing forward.

- Slowly lower one Dumbbell down to the outside of one shoulder while the other Dumbbell remains still then press it back up completing a full repetition.

- Repeat on the other side using the same technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result:
Performing one rep at time on each side allows you to:

1) Focus on the individual deltoid complex increasing the intensity at the maximal point of contraction.

2) Concentrate on your technique and core strength so that the increased torque doesn’t make your body contort.

3) Build more endurance with the increased set time.

4) Get the benefit from a static contraction and a dynamic contraction.

3. Alternate Presses from the bottom for Chest

Technique:
- Lying down on a bench or fit-ball hold the Dumbbells with bent arms on the outside of the chest with the shoulders blades held together behind the body.

- Push one Dumbbell all the way up and in to a full contraction while the other Dumbbell remains still then slowly lower it back down completing a full repetition.

- Repeat on the other side using the same technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result:
Performing one rep at time on each side allows you to:

1) Focus on the individual Pec muscle increasing the intensity at the maximal point of stretch.

2) Concentrate on your technique and core strength so that the increased torque doesn’t make your body contort.

3) Build more endurance with the increased set time.

4) Get the benefit from a static contraction and a dynamic contraction.

4. Alternate Presses from the bottom for Shoulders

Technique:
- Sitting up on a bench or standing hold the Dumbbells with bent arms on the outside of the shoulders with the palms facing forward.

- Push one Dumbbell up and in to a full contraction while the other Dumbbell remains still then lower it back down completing a full repetition.

- Repeat on the other side using the same technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result:
Performing one rep at time on each side allows you to:

1) Focus on the individual deltoid complex increasing the intensity at the maximal point of stretch.

2) Concentrate on your technique and core strength so that the increased torque doesn’t make your body contort.

3) Build more endurance with the increased set time.

4) Get the benefit from a static contraction and a dynamic contraction.

5. Supination Pressing for Chest

Technique:
- Lying down on a bench or fit-ball hold the Dumbbells with bent arms on the outside of the chest with the shoulders blades held together behind the body and the palms facing forward.

- As you push Dumbbells up and in to a full contraction slowly turn your thumbs out so that by the time the Dumbbells are together the palms are facing each other.

- Lower the Dumbbells down in the reverse technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result:
Using this technique facilitates a more powerful contraction at the apex of the movement.

6. Pronation Pressing for Chest

Technique:
- Lying down on a bench or fit-ball hold the Dumbbells with bent arms on the outside of the chest with the shoulders blades held together behind the body and the palms facing each other.

- As you push Dumbbells up and in to a full contraction slowly turn your thumbs in so that by the time the Dumbbells are together the palms are facing forward.

- Lower the Dumbbells down in the reverse technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result:
Using this technique allows a deeper stretch at the bottom of the movement.

7. Supination Pressing for Shoulders

Technique:
- Sitting up on a bench or standing hold the Dumbbells with bent arms on the outside of the shoulders with the palms facing forward.

- As you push Dumbbells up and in to a full contraction slowly turn your thumbs out so that by the time the Dumbbells are together the palms are facing each other.

- Lower the Dumbbells down in the reverse technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result:
Using this technique facilitates a more powerful contraction at the apex of the movement.

8. Pronation Pressing for Shoulders (Arnold Press)

Technique:
- Sitting up on a bench or standing hold the Dumbbells with bent arms at the front of the shoulders with the palms facing you.

- As you push Dumbbells up and in to a full contraction slowly turn your thumbs in so that by the time the Dumbbells are together the palms are facing forward.

- Lower the Dumbbells down in the reverse technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result:
Using this technique allows a deeper stretch at the bottom of the movement and increases anterior deltoid (front of shoulder) involvement.

9. Single-arm Pressing for Chest

Technique:
- Lying down on a bench or fit-ball hold a single Dumbbell with the arm bent on the outside of the chest and the shoulders blades held together behind the body.

- Engage the abdominals and lock the body into position to reduce any body roll.

- Push the Dumbbell all the way up and in to a full contraction then slowly lower it back down completing a full repetition and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result:
Performing a set on one side of the body at a time allows you to:

1) Focus on the individual Pec muscle minimizing imbalances.

2) Concentrate on your technique and core strength so that the increased torque doesn’t make your body contort.

3) Build more endurance with the increased set time.

4) Make your core very strong, especially if you are on a fit-ball.

10. Single-arm Pressing for Shoulders

Technique:
- Sitting up on a bench or standing hold a single Dumbbell with the arm bent on the outside of the shoulder with the palms facing forward.

- Engage the abdominals and lock the body into position to reduce any body roll.

- Push the Dumbbell all the way up and in to a full contraction then slowly lower it back down completing a full repetition and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result:
Performing a set on one side of the body at a time allows you to:

1) Focus on the individual Shoulder complex minimizing imbalances.

2) Concentrate on your technique and core strength so that the increased torque doesn’t make your body contort.

3) Build more endurance with the increased set time.

4) Make your core very strong, especially if you are standing.

To break through training plateaus and to push your physique to new levels include these variations in your workout plan. It is an extreme advantage to have an arsenal of effective and interesting exercises that you can implement when your motivation is waning or your training seems a little stale.

I have been training for over 14 years and I would have quit a long time ago if I didn’t use variation and creativity to keep my workouts exciting and effective. Experiment and implement and your body will thank you for the kick in the arse.

Train hard.

Regards,

Joey Sheather

Unleash The Inner Mongrel...

Building Bulging Biceps

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:16:00 GMT

No-one has a perfectly balanced body with each muscle group complementing the all the others. To earn such a title is evidence of a long and consistent journey through years of good nutrition and great training. Everyone has some dominant body-parts that respond well to training and grow easily while other muscle groups are stubborn requiring an intense and strategically implemented plan of attack to see even small results. We are all so different and today we are talking about Biceps.

I have had clients who have never trained before and have walked into the gym with a decent set of guns. For this they can thank their parents. Then I have had other clients who have built magnificent physiques but have had to endure extra torture to bring up lagging Biceps. They can also thank (or curse) their parents for this. This happens with all muscle groups but there is always a way to beat it. Make a plan. Never ever give up…..

Plan of Attack

Know the functionality and main movement patterns of the Biceps:

1. Angle of Greatest Stretch – this is the most important one and is often missed during a workout. Big mistake. Arnold knew about it and look what it did for him! The position is where you have your arm behind your body. This is achieved during an Incline DB Curl when you are seated at 45º or lower and perform strict bicep curls keeping the upper arm perpendicular to the floor. In this position the muscle fibers are pulled the maximum distance apart and the biceps is stimulated all the way along from origin to insertion causing maximum muscle fiber damage and therefore growth.

2. Angle of Greatest Contraction – this one is also important but is too often the focus of bicep workouts. The position is when you have your arm in front of your body during an exercise such as a Preacher Curl. At this angle the muscle fibers aren’t fully stretched at the bottom of the movement…

3. Neutral Grip to Pronated Grip (i.e. palm facing in twisting slowly to palm facing up) – the bicep doesn’t just cause elbow flexion (a normal curling action) but also rotates the thumb outwards where a full contraction is achieved. If you add this small, twisting motion during a bicep curl then you are utilizing the full action of the biceps creating maximum stimulation.

4. Neutral Grip (Hammer Grip) – performing curls with the palm facing in emphasizes the brachialus (outside of upper arm), the brachioradialus (the long, thick part of the forearm running from the inner elbow to the base of the thumb) and the long head of the biceps. This will give your arms more thickness and make them more complete.

5. Reverse Grip Back Exercises – bicep mass isn’t created performing concentration curls. It is a direct result of regularly and intensely pounding away at heavy, compound back exercises. Perform Reverse Grip Chin-ups, Reverse Grip Lat Pulldowns, Reverse Grip Barbell Rows and your arms will grow at a far greater rate than if you were to rely on specific bicep work alone. It allows your biceps with help from your back muscles to lift a mountain of weight safely.

6. Shoulder Flexion – one of the first things that you are taught when training biceps is to keep your elbows locked against the side of your body. This is to minimize the involvement of the anterior and lateral deltoid (front and side of the shoulder) so that the biceps is fully isolated and fatigued. Most of the time this is a good idea but when you are performing a heavy mass building exercise such as Standing Barbell Curl or Standing Alternate Dumbbell Curl a little elbow movement backwards and forwards can be beneficial. A little known fact is that the bicep assists in shoulder flexion so raising the elbow during a curl not only allows you to deliver more power it also facilitates a more complete contraction.

The Rules

Creating a great Bicep workout plan

• Train arms only once per week – they are involved in all of your upper body and some of your lower body exercises and need time to rest and grow.

• Perform repetitions of 6 to 15 – biceps (and triceps) respond well to a broad range of reps with high intensity and good technique.

• Perform 2 super intense work sets per exercise – this will allow you to focus your intensity and achieve greater exercise variety hitting the biceps from all angles.

• Choose 4 to 6 exercises – it sounds like a lot but remember that (after warming up) you are only performing 2 sets per exercise.

• Superset biceps and triceps together set for set – this is the best way to train arms. While one is working and fatiguing the other is recovering. You can lift heavy for the entire workout and get extreme muscle pumps.

• Use a mix of Dumbbells, Barbells and Cables.

• Always employ safe, strict, controlled, intense technique.

The Workout

45º Incline DB Curl 1 x 20, 1 x 15, 2 x 10
+
45º Incline BB Extension 1 x 20, 1 x 15, 2 x 10

Standing EZ BB Curl 2 x 8
+
Close Grip Bench Press 2 x 8

Standing Alternate DB Curl 2 x 8 each side
+
Seated Overhead DB Extension 2 x 10

Cable Preacher Curl 2 x 15
+
Rope Pushdowns 2 x 15

Kneeling DB Hammer Curl 2 x 10
+
Weighted Bench Dips 2 x 15

You will not find a more effective or more complete Bicep workout than this. All bases are covered. To learn the proper technique for all these great exercises please visit the Video section of my online Weight Training and Bodybuilding website www.AustralianWeightTraining.com.au Thank you for your time and attention. Train hard and watch your arms grow.

Regards,

Joey Sheather

Unleash The Inner Mongrel...

The Perfect Rep: Unlocking The Ultimate Secret For Permanent Effective Training

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:18:00 GMT

This will be the most important piece of information that you will ever read about weight training.

Repetitions… Your entire training career is composed of millions of them. You group them in sets and they are the basis of each workout. Performing them correctly is the difference between success and failure. A perfect repetition, seemingly simple, has many components and is powerfully effective. I am going to explain how to perform the perfect rep and why it is so important.

At the impressionable age of 14 I was lucky enough to be introduced to the world of weight training by a competitive bench presser and ex-Olympic wrestler. He was a cartoonish 5 foot 3, 65 kilo powerhouse with a barrel chest and black pony-tail mullet down to his arse. At his gym in Bellingen he would ensure that I learned and retained precise lifting technique during my first 12 months of training. Thank-you Kevin. Under his supervision I went on to become the Australian School-boys Bench Press Champion at the ripe old of age of 15 with a lift of 87.5 kilograms (192.5 pounds) at a HUGE (laughs) body-weight of 66 kgs (145 lbs). That was after only 6 months of training. Technique and intensity is EVERYTHING!

Kevin sold the gym to a great man called Scott who became a very close friend of mine, a fantastic training partner and the catalyst for my career in Personal Training. He looked somewhat normal in comparison to Kevin sporting a natural, balanced, muscular bodybuilder’s physique. His basic training philosophy was to hit each muscle group from every angle with perfect form designating set and exercise volume in proportion to the size of the muscle group, i.e. back being the most complex and largest received the most exercises while biceps being one of the smallest received the least. I learned a lot from him. Exercise form was always at the fore-front of his teachings.

From Kevin I discovered that each exercise has an optimum movement path to generate maximum power safely. Scott showed me a broad range of exercises and how to apply good technique to each of them for consistent effectiveness and efficiency. I have taken these lessons with me throughout my career and applied them to my training and the hundreds of exercises that I have created myself.

Anyone who knows me will find that I am extremely particular about good exercise technique. I pay very close attention to the body position and movement pattern adjusting fine components so that the exercise is totally optimised. I must annoy the hell out of my clients sometimes. It works though.

WHY IS PERFECT EXERCISE TECHNIQUE SO IMPORTANT?

Reduced Risk Of Injury…

If you are to remain injury-free throughout your training career you must practice safe, tight, controlled lifting technique for every single repetition. If the movement is as close to bio-mechanical perfection as possible you will receive maximum stimulation with minimum risk. Injuries will halt your progress every time and can be very serious. Any chance to avoid them should be harnessed, implemented and retained.

Decreased ‘Cheating’ And Involvement Of Unrelated Muscle Groups…

If your form is sloppy there is a good chance that you are not hitting the target muscle as completely as you could be. As soon as your technique declines other muscle groups come into play assisting during the lift, often in an unsafe manner. A classic one is allowing your torso to swing during a bicep curl using your lower back, glutes and hamstrings to get the weight up. There is not only the danger of hurting yourself there is also the probability that you are not taking the target muscles to failure. Keep the form tight and you will stimulate the muscle safely and entirely.

Decreased Involvement And Fatigue From Ancillary Muscle Groups…

Related to the last point the execution of a perfect repetition every time will ensure the target muscle is isolated and fully fatigued before the ancillary muscles (assisting muscles) give out. To make this more clear I will describe two examples where this is a common occurrence.

Example 1: when you perform a back exercise if you do not focus on engaging and isolating the targeted muscles of the back then the forearms and biceps will crash and burn before the back is fully worked.

Example 2: when you perform a chest exercise if you do not focus on isolating the pectorals during the movement then the triceps and anterior deltoids will give out first impeding the progress of the chest.

It is easy for ancillary muscles to come into play during an exercise if your form is sloppy because they are there to assist the movement. But because they are smaller and weaker if you do not make sure that the target muscle is completely fatigued first they will always give out holding back your progress.

Increased Motor Neuron Innervation And Muscle Fiber Activation…

If you isolate the target muscle group and contract it slowly and intensely through the entire movement you will activate the greatest amount of muscle fibers. A safe and full range of motion (ROM) will involve muscle fibers from the origin (initial attachment) right across to the insertion (final attachment) of the muscle. A slow, intense, precise movement during the entire concentric contraction (muscle shortening) and eccentric contraction (muscle lengthening) will innervate more motor neurons ‘firing’ more muscle fibers. This will facilitate a maximum activation of the muscle fibers and total muscle contraction maximizing strength and muscle gain.

Improved Mind-Muscle Connection…

The mind-muscle connection is your ability to feel the target muscle contract completely and under total control during the execution of an exercise. Usually a muscle group that you find difficult to feel and to develop is one that you have a poor mind-muscle connection with. Consistent, strict form on all of your repetitions will help you gain control of these stubborn body-parts. The mind-muscle connection improves when the path from your motor cortex (the control centre of your brain for movement) to the working muscle becomes more efficient.

Improved Focus, Discipline, Intensity And Quality Of Training…

This level of precision for every single repetition that you perform during your workout demands a massive amount discipline, will-power and intensity. You control the movement of every exercise and apparatus as though it were part of your body. Be patient and apply it to all exercises performed until it becomes second nature. By this stage it will feel awkward to train with sloppy technique and you won’t miss it because you will become stronger and more muscular and injury-free.

COMPONENTS OF A REPETITION

1. Starting Point – where the body is in the appropriate position to begin the Repetition.

2. Concentric Contraction – where the muscle shortens as the weight is lifted through the predetermined Range of Motion (ROM). Also called ‘The Positive Phase’.

3. Mid Point – the point of greatest contraction at the top of the Repetition where you pause briefly before releasing the weight.

4. Eccentric Contraction – where the muscle lengthens as the weight is released to the Finishing Point. Also called ‘The Negative Phase’.

5. Finishing Point – same as the Starting Point.

GUIDELINES TO PERFORMING THE PERFECT REP

Learn And Practice Proper Technique…

Take the time to study the extensive step-by-step video and photo exercise descriptions on my website www.AustralianWeightTraining.com.au They are demonstrations personally performed by me explaining all the muscles involved, the detailed technique and what the repetitions should look like during a set. There are over 300 hundred exercises; learn them before you perform them.

Apply And Maintain Proper Technique…

Once you have learnt the exercise guidelines make sure you apply them to your training in the gym precisely and consistently. If you forget how to do something go back to the site and look it up.

Repetition Speed…

The repetition speed should for muscle growth and strength in bodybuilding, shaping and toning and for general health should be medium (1-2 seconds) during the Concentric Contraction (where the weight is lifted) and slow (2-5 seconds) during the Eccentric Contraction (where the weight is released). The exact seconds required for each phase of the repetition depends on the size of the range of motion (ROM) of each individual exercise.

Example; Calf exercises have a smaller ROM so the time required to perform the repetitions slowly would be reduced. Squats, on the other hand, have a large ROM so the time required to perform the repetitions slowly would be increased.

Performing exercise with speed is not without merit and it is prevalent in functional training, power-training, and sport-specific training but there is an increased risk of tissue injury with the sudden force exerted when lifting. There is also greater focus on the tendons, ligaments, bones and joints rather than the muscles.

Ancillary Muscles And Stabilizers…

You cannot perform an exercise safely or effectively unless your body is positioned in accordance with the guidelines for that exercise. This means that once you are set your ancillary muscles (the direct assisting muscles for the movement) and the stabilizers (the muscles that hold the rest of the body in the correct place) must be engaged so that a perfect repetition is performed every time. This will make your body safe, strong and functional.

Abdominals And Core Muscles…

It doesn’t matter which exercise you are performing your mid-section must be switched on for total maximum gains. The abdominals and the core inner muscles of the spine are the superstructure of the body which holds everything together under the stresses of exercise. They lock you safely into the correct position and maintain it during the set. Engaging them properly will stabilise the body, increase your total strength, increase the strength of the abdominals and core muscles themselves, protect the spine and facilitate the implementation of perfect repetitions for all exercises. * To use your mid-section properly during exercise pull your lower abs in towards the spine, pull in the obliques, contract the entire abdominal complex and lift the chest *

Symmetry And Precision Of Movement…

To be certain that both sides of your body develop evenly you must ensure that each exercise is executed symmetrically. Human bodies are never built with faultless balance and the rigors of life make that deviation from perfect symmetry even more profound. To diminish the impact of this continuing you need to train in front of a mirror as much as possible or utilise the constant critical eye of a training partner. This will allow you to supervise and fine-tune your exercise technique at all times reducing imbalances of strength, muscularity and functionality.

Range Of Motion…

Most of the time you need to use a full range of motion (ROM) to stimulate the all of the muscle fibers from the origin, across the belly (the middle bulk), to the insertion of the muscle. If you cheat and continuously use partial repetitions you will lose flexibility and miss out on muscle and strength gains from the outer angles. There is a limit, however, to how large the ROM should be. It is individual to each exercise and should be large enough for maximum muscle fiber stimulation without causing any joint or tissue injury from over-extension. There are techniques and set sequences that are based on partial repetitions but they have their own strict technique and should be used sparingly for shock tactics and variety.

Breathing…

You need to breathe properly during each repetition to maintain a continuous delivery of oxygen around the body to the working muscles. It will also reduce the build-up of carbon-dioxide. This will give you the energy to power through the set and decrease the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA – that awful burn from lactic acid which is caused from glycogen being burnt for energy without the presence of oxygen). Breathing properly also takes the pressure off your cardio-vascular system facilitating normal function under conditions of high stress from intense exercise. It is important to keep the blood pressure down and unnecessary strain off the body as no-one is unbreakable. Another advantage of full, rhythmic breathing is that it will pace the tempo of your repetitions. You can’t take slow, full breaths if your reps are fast and messy.

BASIC BREATHING TECHNIQUE DURING A REPETITION

1. Take a slow, deep intake of breath as the weight is released (when the target muscle stretches and lengthens during the eccentric contraction).

2. Breath out more forcefully as the weight is lifted (when the target muscle engages and shortens during the concentric contraction)

3. There are alternate breathing techniques but this one is simple and safe so remember: breathe in when the weight is released and breathe out when the weight is lifted.

INTENSITY

Finally we come to my favourite word; INTENSITY. To cause the greatest amount of muscle fiber damage and to induce growth producing chemistry within the body you need to push each set to absolute failure or beyond. By that I mean that you make sure you grind out each repetition with perfect technique until it is not possible to perform another without losing your form. To go beyond failure you must utilise a training partner or spotter or perform intensity increasing techniques which are described on our website www.AustralianWeightTraining.com.au. You must however maintain precise technique for each repetition throughout the set no matter what your goal is or how far you push yourself.

There you have it my friends. I have given you the key. Place it in the lock and turn it. Don’t look back. There is so much out there to learn, understand and apply to your training. You may get a little lost among it all but if you know how to perform ‘The Perfect Rep’ every time the most basic element of successful training will be with you forever. Good luck and have fun…

Regards,

Joey Sheather

Unleash The Inner Mongrel...

7 Ways To Get Your Body Ripped For Summer

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:17:00 GMT

1. Lift Weights to Build and Tone Muscle

Increasing your muscle mass and tone will accelerate body-fat loss. When your muscles grow the demand on your body’s energy resources increase. Therefore your metabolism starts running at a higher rate burning more calories during rest and while you exercise.

Muscles require a lot of energy to:

- Fuel their normal function in rest

- To power the 3 main energy systems with ATP (Adenosine Tri-phosphate; the energy molecule), Glycogen (a string of Glucose molecules) and Adipose Tissue (Fat) during exercise

- To replenish energy stores after exercise when the muscles are drained and facilitate the sustained hyperactivity of the muscles chemistry

Bigger and stronger muscle also enhances your bodies’ ability to perform and sustain high intensity exercise. This in turn can increase the potential calorie burning effect of your workout.

2. Perform Low Intensity Sustained Exercise

Have you ever noticed someone who is overweight pounding away day after day on the treadmill sweating and panting but never really getting anywhere? I certainly have. This is because of a fantastically great misconception that I can’t believe still exists today: The harder you go on the cardio the more fat you burn! I’m afraid not. If you learn about the basics of the human body and how the energy systems work you find out that it is in fact the opposite.

Fat burning occurs and peaks during sustained low intensity exercise in the presence of oxygen. This means that when energy is required quickly for short or medium bursts of intense exercise ATP and Glycogen becomes the source of that energy. They can be used instantly and without oxygen resulting in a by-product that everyone has experienced, Lactic Acid. Anaerobic Exercise predominately uses these fuels during brief periods that cannot be sustained. Aerobic Exercise utilises fat as the dominant fuel because the low amount of intensity is sustainable allowing blood supply to the muscles that is rich in oxygen, fats’ catalyst.

So what does this mean for all you lovely people out there? If you want to concentrate on burning fat during cardio-vascular exercise drop the intensity to a level where your breathing rate increases but you can still have a fairly normal conversation with someone. A more scientific approach would be:

Get the number 220, take away your age to get your maximum heart rate (MHR), multiply that number by 0.65 (the fat burning range) and use the answer as your target heart rate (THR) during cardio-vascular exercise. Example;

220 – 30 = 190

190 x 0.65 = 123 beats per minute (BPM)

Maintain this heart rate for 30 minutes to 1 hour to hit your peak fat burning range. If you are fit however, I’d increase it by 10 BPM as your bodies’ chemistry and response to exercise are more developed.

3. Cut Out Excess Calories and Pleasure Foods

I’m not talking about dieting because to me that word sounds temporary and unsustainable. I’m talking about a sensible and attractive lifestyle change that is logical and positive. You don’t need all that crap. Eating certainly needs to be enjoyable but eating in excess of what your body really needs is unacceptable 90 percent of the time. Do yourself a favour and put food into perspective.

Food only exists to fuel, nourish, maintain and rebuild the body. Humans have made eating a way of life and we let it get out of control treating ourselves constantly to food that is very high in empty calories and low in nutrition. Junk food tastes good but is that short few minutes of pleasure really worth deteriorating the function and capability of your body?

Good food tastes good. I think that there is just as much pleasure and satisfaction or even more out of supplying your body with nutritious foods as there is with eating fast foods, desserts, sugar and chocolate. If you have a great training session a healthy protein drink or a steak and salad is what you feel like because that is what is going to support the desired outcomes of your exercise routine. Lollies or candy will do nothing positive and makes you feel gross afterwards.

If you think about the big picture and you want to get the most out of your life you MUST look after the ONLY body that you have. How on earth can people justify owning an expensive car or boat or whatever, spending time and money on maintenance, repairs, supplies, services and accessories giving it the best of everything while they only supply their own bodies with sub-standard fuel? Cars and other toys are replaceable and only needed a few hours of each day. You CAN’T replace your body. You need it all day every day until you leave this world. It’s your best friend and should the priority receiving everything it requires for peak performance.

I always suggest that one day a week everyone should consider letting their guard down and eating something nice and naughty but for the rest of the time you must eat healthy, fresh, nutritious, varied food. It’s a crime not to and will only lead you down a negative path.

Enough preaching. Here are some suggestions to help shed unwanted body-fat through your eating habits:

i. The food and exercise equation

First there is an element of experimentation. You need to find out how to balance and manipulate the equation between the food that you eat and the exercise that you perform. This can be simplified further by calling it ENERGY IN and ENERGY OUT. Increase or decrease one or the other to make your bodyweight go up or down.

Example:

- if you eat more and exercise less your bodyweight will go up

- if you eat less and exercise more your bodyweight will go down

- if you are at a point where your food intake and exercise output balance each other your bodyweight will remain the same

Work out the extent of change you need to apply to change your bodyweight.

ii. Increase your meal frequency and decrease your meal size.

If you eat three large meals a day you receive an uneven spread of calories and energy. This can affect you in the following ways:

- Slowing down of the metabolism ( the bodies total demand for energy and ability to burn it)

- A lack of energy due to the large meal gaps

- Storing of excess calories as body-fat from the large meals

- Sleeping on a full stomach again promoting body-fat storage

If you eat 5 to 7 smaller meals throughout the day all these point can be turned around increasing your metabolism and facilitating exercise and normal function.

iii. Don’t eat complex carbohydrates or junk-food after lunch.

Eat foods that are dense in energy early in the day for a sustained release of energy throughout the rest of the day. As you get closer to sleeping you need nutritious foods, such as salads and stir-fried veges, lean meats and fish, that provide less energy because excess calories will be unused and stored as fat. Dinner should also be a smaller meal than it traditionally is to aid this. Breakfast and lunch should be the larger meals as they are the energy providers for your day and any exercise that you do.

iv. Drink lots of water.

Water is the catalyst for every function and chemical reaction in the body. If you keep yourself hydrated it will assist you in many roles such as body-fat loss. You can train harder and longer maintaining a healthy internal environment by keeping up the blood volume reducing pressure on the cardio-vascular system. The sodium and potassium concentrations of the muscles will remain balanced promoting healthy muscle contraction. Drinks lots of water to exercise properly and stay healthy. Adequate water supplies will speed up all the processes within the body including fat metabolism.

v. Avoid.

White pasta, white bread, buns, oats, cereals, white rice, noodles, potatoes, mash, chips, pumpkin, couscous, polenta, pastry, alcohol, junk-food, snack-food, desserts, pizza, crumbed stuff, batter, oil, butter, transfats, refined sugar, designer sugars, salt, MSG, cheese, fast food and fried food especially after lunch.

vi. Eat.

Salads, vegetables, fruits and herbs of many colours. Fresh, raw, organic and cooked foods. Fish, beef, chicken, tofu, lean lamb, protein drinks and supplements. Vitamins, Minerals, Essential Fatty Acids, Antioxidants, Bioflavonoids.

Do what is best for your health and enjoy it.

4. Perform Your Cardio First Thing In The Morning

Perform your fat-burning cardio exercise first thing in the morning before you have breakfast. There will be no food in your system to use as energy and the glycogen stores in muscles and liver won’t be utilised if the exercise intensity is low (where it should be). Glycogen is limited and will deplete leaving fat as the primary fuel. Keep yourself well hydrated with water but don’t have breakfast until after you have finished your 30 minutes to 1 hour of cardio. Fat will be maintained as the dominant fuel source.

5. Cut Down Rest Time Between Sets

Weight training is traditionally performed with approximately a minutes rest between sets or even longer. I think that most people rest for too long losing potential workout intensity and other possible benefits. I recommend 30 seconds to 1 minute and often less or none!

Reasons for reducing rest time between sets include:

- Increased exercise intensity through continual muscular stimulation whilst fuel stores are depleted. Limiting rest time forces the muscles to work extra hard as their energy stores do not have time to replenish. The blood also cannot deliver oxygen rapidly enough to retard lactic acid accumulation.

- An increased cardio-vascular effect produced because the body moves continually from one exercise to another taxing the heart and lungs. So you not only facilitate muscle strength, growth and tone you also improve heart and lung fitness.

- Improved fat-burning effect with the sustained exercise during the workout and in recovery afterwards. More calories are burned training in this manner.

- Enhanced body chemistry through increases in oxygen delivery, lactic acid removal and energy repletion.

How to decrease rest time during your workout:

- Utilise agonist/antagonist supersets. This is where an exercise is performed for a muscle followed immediately by an exercise for the opposing muscle group

- Utilise pre-exhaustion supersets. This is where an isolation exercise (single-joint) is performed to specifically fatigue a muscle followed immediately by a compound exercise (multi-joint), which uses additional fresh muscles, to further fatigue the target muscle

- Perform circuit-type training where there is little to no rest for the entire workout

- Be focussed and motivated and hungry

6. Perform Sprint Workouts

Twice a week take yourself to a sports field or flat park and mark out a 100 metre length. Complete a 10 minute jog and 10 minutes of stretching focussing on the legs. Perform a run at 50%. Walk back. Perform a run at 75%. Walk back. Perform up to 10 runs at 100% walking back slowly each time to recover.

This type of intense anaerobic exercise will:

- Alter the chemistry of the bodies energy systems forcing them to work harder and faster

- Increase the basal metabolic rate (BMR) burning more energy at rest

- Change the muscle fiber composition of the muscles training them to be stronger, more powerful and able to work at higher intensities for longer

- Cause more fat to be burnt during recovery

7. Use Variety In Your Cardio And Fat Burning Program

I’ve talked about using variety to get the most out of your weight training and while it’s not as frequently required with cardio-vascular exercise it still needs to be implemented. Instead of using the treadmill for 40 minutes every try one of these mediums:

- Rowing Machines
- X-Trainers
- Stair Climbers and other machines
- Circuit Classes
- Barbell Classes
- High Energy Classes
- Boxing and Martial Arts Classes
- Spin Classes and other group fitness activities
- Team Sports
- Dancing
- Walking, Jogging, Running
- Cycling, Swimming
- Other dynamic pastimes, games, sports and activities

Changing your routine regularly will keep your body stimulated achieving constant improvement. It’s also fun and will keep you interested.

Enjoy your training, respect your body, love your life.

Regards,

Joey Sheather

Unleash The Inner Mongrel...

How To Hold Dumbbells When You Workout

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:17:00 GMT

In the pursuit of your physical goals you must always be receptive to education. If an opportunity to improve your training presents itself grasp it, learn it and apply it. Sometimes it is huge change such as a brand new training program other times it is a subtle concept like the one I will discuss today.

Once you have taken your physique to a respectable level you need to pay attention to these sort of details to fine tune the various areas of your body you consider to be sub-par. There will be sections of your body that lag compared to your dominant muscle groups. Therefore you must devise strategies to create symmetry and balance throughout. This will make you stand out from the crowd.

By adjusting something as basic as the hand grip on a dumbbell you can perfect the execution of an exercise. This will increase the specificity of the movement, which means the target muscle will be stimulated to its full potential. That is an unstoppable step forward.

I won’t go through the full exercise technique descriptions as they are fully explained at AustralianWeightTraining.com.au. Only the hand grip adjustments will be discussed.

The Exercises…

1. ALL DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE MOVEMENTS

Change – Hold the back of the dumbbell so that the little finger is against the outside plate. Let the front of the dumbbell rotate forwards slightly as you lift it.

Result – The lateral deltoid (side of the shoulder) will move into a position where it will become the prime mover. This will reduce the involvement of the anterior deltoid (front of the shoulder) and broaden your shoulders.

2. ALL DUMBBELL CHEST PRESS MOVEMENTS

Change – Hold the inside of the dumbbell so that the thumb is against the inside plate.

Result – The dumbbell will tilt outwards slightly aligning the wrist and hand into a safe and comfortable position.

3. ALL DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS MOVEMENTS

Change – Hold the inside of the dumbbell so that the thumb is against the inside plate.

Result – The dumbbell will tilt outwards slightly aligning the wrist and hand into a safe and comfortable position.

4. ALL DUMBBELL BICEP CURL MOVEMENTS (DOES NOT INCLUDE HAMMER CURLS)

Change – With palms facing up hold the inside of the dumbbell so that the little finger is against the inside plate. Let the thumb and dumbbell rotate outwards.

Result – The biceps will move into their position of greatest contraction. This will cause the greatest amount of muscle fiber innervation building peak and volume.

Experiment with these techniques for the greatest results in your training. For any more information contact us at AustralianWeightTraining.com.au where your questions are important to us and will be answered as soon as possible.

Regards,

Joey Sheather

Unleash The Inner Mongrel...