2 Outside-the-Box Exercises (to do with as you may...)
My turn: Even if you're not a "tech-junkie," please consider following us on Twitter, watching us on Tumblr, and/or Like-ing us on Facebook to help spread the good word! Getting right to it, I thought I'd share two exercises you probably haven't tried before. The first is something I had toyed around with (and liked it) in the Summer of 2009, and the second is a tool we'll use with some of our wrestlers and combat athletes.
1. The 1-Minute Chinup
I forgot how brutal this really was until I went to try it again. As the name implies, it's a chinup that takes you one minute to complete. That's one rep, performed for 60 seconds. Take 30 seconds to pull yourself up, and then immediately transition into a 30-second eccentric. I wouldn't try this unless you're already fairly proficient at chinups (able to execute 12-15 bodyweight reps with perfect form). See the video below for a demonstration (fortunately, you can't see my face...):
I would say this exercise is good for 3 reasons:
- A variation to improve your chinups (crazy, huh?!). My guess, however, is that this variation will help improve your chinup endurance as opposed to maximum chinup strength. Thirty seconds is a loonnng time to be moving through the concentric portion of the lift, and an equally long time to be controlling the eccentric portion of the chinup. It's also pretty widely accepted that isometric training will help to improve strength and neural control for the given joint angle involved in the contraction, and with the 1-minute chinup you essentially receive a "mini-isometric" throughout the entire range or motion (and thus, each joint angle) of the chinup.
- To the gents in the crowd seeking to Sculpt 'da Gunz: you can't go wrong with some time-under-tension to elicit some growth in the biceps. I honestly don't think there is one particular exercise that is superior for increasing arm size. However, rotating exercises will almost always elicit a favorable response from the body as you have to adapt to that new stimulus. Given that very few people I know have tried this, it will probably be a solid catalyst for growth for you Broz out there.
- To make you hate life. Don't think I need to explain this one.
Again, to reiterate: don't try this unless you already possess pretty solid chinup proficiency. Also, I would suggest keeping the frequency of the 1-minute chinup to one day a week in training.
2. Scramble to Tire Flip
I realizemany of you reading probably won't be able to do this due to equipment limitations (although you can always pick up a tire FOR FREE at your local tire supplier....just sayin'). However, it's just plain fun, which is enough reason for me to share it. Below is SAPT athlete, Greg (state runner-up and seven-time all-American wrestler), demonstrating the movement as he prepares for his college wrestling career:
Given that wrestlers - and fighters - frequently need to quickly reset their spatial orientation/focus (from rolling around, or being flipped over) and push back on an opponent, we'll often add these "scramble to tire flip" variations in their training program. You can perform a number of drills before flipping the tire: rolls (as Greg displays), side crawls, up-downs, etc. You're limited by your own imagination.
If you're not a competitive wrestler or fighter, you can always give these a shot to make you feel good about yourself, or if you're simply feeling pumped up after watching a testosterone-infused movie like gladiator.
Off to go find some Maca root to add to my smoothie recipe.... - Steve
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Here’s an amazing food you’ll want to add to your diet IMMEDIATELY. If not sooner: Maca. I first discovered it about 2-months ago while searching for foods to help fight adrenal fatigue...
This first bit of information I pulled from www.raworganicmaca.info
Background
Maca is a root that grows high in the Peruvian Andes at altitudes of 14,000 feet (3500 m) above sea level. It has been cultivated for 1000s of years and used by indigenous people to boost their energy while living at such extreme elevations where oxygen is in short supply. It looks similar to a radish or turnip and comes in a variety of colors ranging from white to dark purple.
Peruvian maca root has the distinction of being the highest growing food plant anywhere in the world. The extreme climate and conditions where it grows include freezing cold, intense sunlight and strong winds. The soil is probably some of the worst anywhere for growing food. And yetmaca root is a survivor and thrives in these inhospitable conditions. Perhaps it is this tenacity to live that is imparted to those who it eat, giving them increased energy and ability to survive in intense conditions. No doubt it has made a productivelife possible in the very high mountains for generations of indigenous people.
Peruvian farmers tried the maca root on themselves (after they noticed positive changes in cattle) and found that it made them much more energetic, strong, better able to withstand the high altitude, harsh climate, and also that it made them more sexually active and fertile. Since then, there has been widespread knowledge and facts about the reputed ability ofmaca root to be a true aphrodisiac, and a fertility enhancer as well as a very effective energizer, strengthener, and giver of overall well being.
Commonly reported benefits:
- Increased energy and endurance
- Increased stamina
- Alleviated chronic exhaustion (fatigue) syndrome
- Improved sexual function and libidoin bothmen and women
- Enhanced fertility in people and animals
- Reduced hormonal dysfunction during menopause & andropause
- Balancedhormonal irregularities
- Alleviateddepression
- Reduced anxiety and stress
- Improved circulation leading to reduced anemia and faster wound healing
- Enhanced memory, learning, and mental ability
- Improved and more youthfulskin appearance
- Healthy teeth and bones
Maca also:
- Acts as a fungistatic and bacteriostatic
- Acts as an anticarcinogen and antioxidant
- Is an alternative to anabolic steroids, helps to build muscle
How Raw Maca Works:
Nutritionally, maca root isrich in amino acids, phytonutrients, fatty acids, vitamin and minerals. According to nutritional researchers, [information] published in the Journal “Food Chemistry” in 1994 and 2001 maca contains the following:
- Composition: 59% carbohydrates, 10.2% protein, 8.5% fiber, 2.2% lipids
- Essential Amino Acids: nearly all including Aspartic Acid, Glutamic acid, Serine, Histidine, Glycine, Threonine, Alanine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Valine, Methionine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, HO- Proline, Proline, Sarcosine
- Free Fatty Acids: 20 have been found of which the most abundant are linolenic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid
- Vitamins: A, B1, B2, B3, C, D
- Minerals: iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, sodium, potassium, calcium
- Macaenes and macamides: novel polyunsaturated acids and their amides
- Sterols: campesterol, stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol
- Alkaloids: Aromatic glucosinolates including: benzyl glucosinolate, p-methoxybenzyl glucosinolate
- Isothyocyanates: benzyl isothiocyanate, p-methoxybenzyl isothiocyanate
That alone makes maca a true nutritional powerhouse and amazing daily supplement.
But maca root, like ginseng, is also an adaptogen. Adaptogensaresubstances that raise the physical body’s state of resistance to diseases through physiological health and emotional health improvements. This makes maca a broad based healer able tosupport and rejuvenate overwhelmed, tired adrenal glands eventually resulting in much greater energy, stamina, clarity of mind and spirit, and the ability to handle stress.
One other important note is that scientistshave also discovered that maca root has the ability to regulate, support, and balance the hormonal systems of both men and women for optimal function. One of the very great things about Peruvian maca root is that it is not “gender specific” and works equally well at the hormonal changing benefits for both sexes equally.
To confirm these claims, I went ahead did a bit of my own research to see if these claims are legit. In fact many of them are – here are the PROVEN benefits I found in scientific research that has been published:
- Stimulation of body metabolism
- Control of body weight
- Increased energy
- Stress reduction and anti-depressant activity
- Memory improvement
- Enhanced sex drive and the production of sex hormones
- Reduction in prostate size and weight
- Reduction of psychological symptoms of post-menopausal women (including anxiety and depression).
- Unlike supplements, maca is a whole food so there are no side effects.
Lastly, this stuff is easy to use. Just add it to any beverage and drink up!
It doesn't matter who you are, there is something in numbers 1-8 that could stand some improvement. - Sarah
Diminishing Pushups
These are great for athletes who are in-season or for anyone looking to improve strength-endurance. Here’s how Diminishing (or Depletion) Pushups work: Do… 3xAMAP – translation: 3 sets of As Many As Possible repetitions
Rest… :90 between each set
What will happen… set 1 will be a high repetition set, the second set will be approximately 50% of set 1, and set 3 will be the lowest at about 30% of set 1.
Why do them?... For athletes in-season, depletion pushups are a great way to end the training week. They are tough, but do not cause any big time fatigue or CNS drain. The big upside is that, via the total body bracing that occurs throughout, the lower body muscles will actually get stimulated and encouraged to maintain strength simply from the main working muscles. Please note that what I’m suggesting here is only appropriate for very high level athletes who are nearing the end of their competitive season. In no way am I suggesting this is an appropriate long-term way to maintain strength during the season.
For everyone else, they can be added to the end of an upper body training session to encourage upper limb conditioning, better core bracing/strength, and to achieve a pretty sick pump.
Happy Memorial Day
I hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day weekend. I know I've certainly been enjoying this awesome weather and allowing myself to get outside a little more than usual, and I hope everyone else is doing the same. At the same time, please don't forget the purpose of this weekend. Remember our heroes that have fallen for our country in years past, and also take a moment to spare a thought to the countless troops that are still fighting for us today. Thank you to our soldiers!
Going along with the theme of Memorial Day weekend (and along with the fact that I promised myself I wouldn't spend more than 10 minutes at my computer today), I'm going to spare you all from a long blog post and show a quick clip of one of the Army Rangers running through a workout. This blew my mind when I found out this is just the WARM-UP for these guys. This is quite impressive for many reasons, and I chuckled a bit when I saw the guy was barely breaking a sweat at the end. It's always awesome to know those defending our country lead from the front!
Now, get off your computers and spend some time outside today!
-Steve
3 Training Myths Exposed
(I recently had an article published over at OneResult, a pretty cool company that publishes training/nutrition information, workout plans, and also sells supplements that are NCAA-approved only.) Contrary to popular belief these three training techniques are doing absolutely nothing for your strength, size, or athletic performance.
I can’t tell you how many times I’m in the middle of coaching and think to myself:
“Man! If only I knew in high school what these kids know right now, who knows how my athletic career would’ve ended up…"
You see, most of the athletes I work with are 14-18 year-olds, which is the very age range in which I made almost every conceivable training mistake. Because the resources available to me were muscle magazines and “bodybuilders” at my local gym, I wasted a lot of my physiological potential on erroneous training methods that did nothing to improve my athletic performance.
You can continue reading HERE
Have a great weekend! - Steve
Distance coaching success, and social media announcements!
I received the following email last week from one of our adult distance coaching clientele, Frank. His email and accompanying picture say it all… “310# on the bar... it's my entire Olympic set(!).... I'll be at 400# by the end of the summer... just need to get some more weights...
PLUS... I pulled 45# for three sets in the NG pullups (35# for the remaining 2 sets). I can remember not being able to do a single lousy bodyweight pullup. I'll be at 90# by the end of the summer...
I'm pretty stoked!”
To take your strength and conditioning prowess to a whole new level, just click HERE!
Also, please check-out SAPT’s new social media outlets! You can find us on tumblr at saptstrength.tumblr.com, where we’ll be sharing up to date training photos. Poke us at our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SAPT-Student-Athlete-Performance-Training-Inc/37943878495. And, enjoy our twittery-tweets at @saptstrength!
Always a good day when you outgrow your current weight set….
Chris
