I love deadlifts.  It is no secret. . .  When I talk to people about lifting weights or bodybuilding, at some point, I will start talking about deadlifts.  There’s a reason why I love them–  It’s not just because it is my most impressive lift, though that certainly helps.  Before I give my thoughts, here are some quotes relating to Deadlifts:

“There is no easy way to do a deadlift – no way to cheat, which explains their lack or popularity in most gyms around the world.” – Mark Rippetoe

I really enjoy this quote, because it’s true.  I was squatting 365 lbs., but had to take most of it off because I found out that not all of my reps were parallel.  Now, I started them “ATG,” and I’m down to 245 lbs.  That’s a big difference when you’re not cheating, and luckily, I can’t cheat with my deads.

“Half the movements you see people doing in gyms these days are movements you’d never do in the “real world”. Deadlifting has a basic, straight forward, real world application… picking heavy things up off the ground!”

This is a fun one just because you’ll often hear the phrase, “Just pick up some heavy weights and put them down” in the bodybuilding world.

“Your back doesn’t hurt because of deadlifting. Your back hurts because you DO NOT deadlift.” – Mark Bell (Here’s the Article this is from)

Someone told me recently that, after my suggestion, they tried deadlifting but didn’t like it because it hurt their back.  I responded with this quote.

Anyway!  I have been struggling with my goal for a while now.  My goal is to accomplish a “four plate deadlift,” (The amount of plates, when referenced like this, speak only of 45 lb. Olympic plates on one side. . .  This is 8 plates total, or 405 lbs.) I don’t just want my one rep maximum to be four plates–  I’m looking for a working weight, where I can do 1 set of 5 repetitions.  I’ve been steadily working my way toward this goal, until I got to 375 lbs.  It was supremely difficult to complete 375 lbs., and when I moved up to 380, I could barely do two reps.  But last Monday, I hammered out 3 strong reps, and the fourth was one of the greatest physical struggles I’ve encountered.  I eventually locked it out, but it was so taxing.  Until you do this, you can’t explain how this feels. . .   This feeling of complete exhaustion with the euphoria of lifting two times your body weight off the ground multiple times.  It goes along with another quote regarding deadlifts:

“Our bodies are designed to work this way, and when you lock out a heavy deadlift, there is some kind of primal satisfaction you feel because of this.”

The ultimate struggle, and the ultimate satisfaction that comes with it.  On top of that, it’s an exercise that works almost your entire body in one movement;  It’s so effective, that most bodybuilders agree that all you need is 1 set of 5 reps for it to be most effective.  Anything more and you’re not lifting enough weight.  Above all, though, it’s the ultimate judge of how strong you are.  I’ve had people ask me how much I can bicep curl, and I laugh, because it’s a useless exercise practiced by vanity muscle warriors.

“[Everybody] dies, but not [everybody] really deadlifts.”

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Obviously, especially to those who know what “Vanity Muscles” are, this is a joke. . .  This is not an actual anatomy lesson, but rather, one of those warnings on how to not be “that guy.”

Have you ever seen someone in the gym training biceps, exclusively, for 45 minutes?  Have you talked to someone who says all they work for lower body is calves?  How about the guy who devotes 20 minutes to wrist curls and reverse wrist curls?  These are examples of people who only work their vanity muscles.  Vanity Muscles are comprised only of muscles that you can see while wearing a T-Shirt and Shorts:  Forearms, Biceps, and Calves.  Some people include Chest and Shoulders in the grouping, but your typical Vanity lifter won’t care about these muscle groups, and most people don’t include these muscles either.

So, why do people work only their vanity muscles?  For the very reason that they are vanity muscles. . .  It’s the mentality of, “Why work muscles that no one will see?”

Well, here’s why:  If you only work those muscles, eventually, you’re going to come to a place where you look out of proportion.

Hercules focused a lot on calves and forearms early in his career.

On top of that, your gains will come a lot slower compared to a normal weight lifter / body builder.  What most people don’t realize is that compound lifts do a lot for muscle growth all over your body–  Dead Lifts, Squats, and other compound lifts release a lot of testosterone, which is necessary for muscle growth.  If you spend all day doing Bicep Curls, you are robbing yourself of the opportunity to release some great, muscle building testosterone.  This is the source of the old bodybuilding adage, “If you want bigger biceps, dead lift [and / or squat] more.”

Besides. . .  Why would you spend a day working forearms when your Dead Lift will give you stronger forearms?  Or, why spend a day doing Bicep Curls when your Bent Over Rows / Lat Pull Down / Pull Ups will work your Biceps?

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Alissa:  Hello!  I realize that we posted progress pictures only about a month and a half ago, but the progress we have seen in that time with carb cycling and the ketogenic diet have been so remarkable that we wanted to share new pics with you.

December 2010 - January 1st, 2012 - February 12th, 2012

At first I was concerned that this diet would be difficult to follow, or that it would cause all sorts of strange side effects.  After doing it though for a month and a half I can happily say that I have not had a hard time at all.  I actually really enjoy my low carb days.

I have tried a lot of things over the years to lose fat and this has by far been the most successful thing I have done.  My original goal was to get to 138 pounds and 18% body fat.  I am successfully at 138.8 pounds currently but still have about 2% body fat to lose to get to my goal.  This will most likely put me around 136 pounds.  I am very pleased with my results thus far and look forward to reaching a goal I wasn’t ever should I would!

Gabriel: And now for my pictures. . .  Which are both depressing, and inspiring.  The first photo is from when I was obsessed with long duration cardio / endurance training, so while I was very thin, my body fat was higher than I wanted. . .  Around 8.5 – 9%.  Before getting started in bodybuilding, I was down to a lean 7%, but had so little muscle mass that I looked silly.

And then we got to where we were in the last post, when I was part way through cutting the fat off so that I could see the muscle that I built. . .  I was cutting the traditional way, with additional cardio and just eating less than my TDEE.  I was seeing results, but not the way I wanted–  I was losing a touch of muscle along the way, and the results were not that fast.  Enter carb cycling, and now I have leaned out immensely. . .

December 2010 - January 1st, 2012 - February 12th, 2012

But now I can see where I’m lacking muscle the most.  In my quest, I’ve gained 14 pounds of muscle, and I think only 1/2 a pound went to my chest, which is an area that I work constantly, have seen tremendous strength gains, but not the size gains to go with it. . .  It makes no sense.  Outside of that, I’m decently happy with the progress I’ve made–  I’ve added 5 inches to my shoulders, an inch and a half to my arms, 2 inches to my thighs, and have seen plenty of progress elsewhere–  I’m currently at 10.2% body fat, and once I get down to the 7% I’m looking for, I’m going to do another bulking cycle to get my chest up to speed–  I may abandon my belief in full body workouts in favor of a day of mostly chest. . .  We’ll see.  It’s also worth noting that carb cycling is my friend–  Since I’ve started carb cycling, I’ve lost 3.5 lbs. of fat while gaining one pound of muscle.

I’m also on my way toward my goal of a “Four plate Dead Lift.”  (405 lbs.)  Right now I’m rocking 350 lbs., and expect to add more soon.

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Lately, I’ve seen this picture floating around on facebook a lot:

"Which one weighs what? You have the option of 120 lbs. and 140 lbs.

I’m actually very happy that this is floating around, because it demonstrates what today’s blog is about, and something that is unbelievably important:

When most people talk about dieting and getting in shape, they only think about “losing weight.”  Well, what weight do you want to lose?  Most people only concern themselves with the number on the scale, and do obsessive amounts of cardio to “attain” their “goal.”  Without any focus on weight training, the body will catabolize (read: eat) muscle for energy rather than your fat stores, and while you will “lose weight,” you won’t look any more lean until you’re on the verge of looking emaciated from lack of muscle.  The high cardio approach only works for those who are excessively overweight, and only initially.  You need a balance of cardio and weight training, and they need to be done at optimal times.

We need to “Lose Fat,” rather than “Lose Weight.”

When are those optimal times?

Glycogen has everything to do with fat burning.  You want to weight train when you’re not hungry, and when your glycogen stores are stocked–  This will ensure a quality workout and will keep your muscle from being catabolized.  That’s simple enough–  Just eat a short while before going to the gym. . .  Now, when you’re doing Cardio, there are only two times you should really do it if you’re looking for it to be effective:  Immediately upon waking up, and immediately after weight training (Though, with this second option, you shouldn’t do more than 15 minutes).  Why is that?  At these points, your Glycogen stores are depleted and your body is chemically correct to separate the fat and burn it for energy.  If you do Cardio at other points throughout the day, you’re burning off food that you ate throughout the day, which will prevent it from being converted to fat, but it won’t burn the existing fat on your body.  A word on post workout Cardio:  If you’re going to do cardio and weight training together, be sure you do the cardio after–  This will cause your body to burn fat for fuel since weight training depleted your Glycogen stores.  If you do the cardio first, you’re going to burn muscle for fuel as your Glycogen stores were already depleted from the cardio, and you’re body can’t readily switch to fat for a fuel source during anaerobic activity (read: Weight Training).

Remember, muscle weighs more than fat (Something the picture above is pointing out), and there’s no such thing as “toning;”  If you want to look lean, you need to build muscle, then preserve muscle, while burning fat.

So, the next time you, or anyone else says “I need to lose weight,” just ask yourself what exactly you’re trying to lose.

In the coming few posts, we’re going to do some new progress pictures, and will have a Vlog soon!  Stay tuned!

*Obligatory Disclaimer: It’s worth noting, and is fairly obvious, that this is not our photo.*

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This, is a “Power Rack.”

This, is a “Squat Rack.”

These pieces of equipment are meant for many different exercises, such as Squats, Dead Lifts, Bent Over Rows, Military Press, Select Olympic Lifts, etc.  Here’s what these are not used for: Bicep Curls, Upright Row, or anything else that is completely unnecessary to hog a power rack for.

If you need to do Bicep Curls, you should use an EZ Bar, dumbbells, or the standard bars that most gyms provide. . .  Most of the time, the people that are curling at a power rack are doing so little weight that the use of a 7′ Olympic Bar is completely unnecessary.  (Just the other day a guy was curling 60 lbs.  The gym has a standard bar fixed with 60 lbs. for this purpose.)

Not only is it proper gym etiquette to use the equipment how it should be, it’s an unspoken rule that you steer clear of the power rack if you’re not doing a big compound lift. . .  Otherwise, it could easily cause friction, you will annoy people, and you will be made fun of via YouTube. No. . . Seriously. I’m not kidding.  (While I neither agree with, nor condone recording people at the gym without their consent, people do it quite often in these situations.)

Exercising proper gym etiquette is like proper etiquette in any circumstance–  It’s the way you should behave for the benefit of all parties involved, whether it be bowling, weight lifting, or at attending a classy dinner.  Plus, no one wants to be “That Guy.”

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When you do a workout, do you know what muscles it works?  There are some obvious things out there, like how the bench press works your chest;  Crunches work your abs,  and squats work your legs. . .   This hardly scratches the surface, though.  For example, would you believe me if I told you that squats work your Obliques?

. . .  Well, they do.  We’re going to talk about the classifications for muscles trained during exercises, since this is where you can find out how effective your workout is.  By doing Isolation work, you only work small muscle groups and it will take you forever to work the same amount of muscles that Dead Lifts would. . .  My goal is to have you reevaluate your exercises when we’re through with this post.  Let’s start simple:

Target.  This is the primary muscle / groups intended for the exercise.  For the sake of this post, we’re going to look exclusively at my favorite exercise:  The Dead Lift.  The Target for this exercise is your Erector Spinae, also known as your lower back. Other examples would be: The target of the Bench Press is your Sternal Pectoralis Major (a.k.a. Your chest); The target of crunches if your Rectus Abdominis.

Synergist.  Official Definition:  A muscle that assists another muscle to accomplish a movement.   That’s pretty straightforward, right?  You could look at the “Target” as a primary, and the “Synergist” as a secondary group that is worked.  In the Dead Lift, you have quite a few synergists:  Your Gluteus Maximus (Your Rear), Adductor Magnus (Inner Thigh), Quadriceps (Thighs), and your Soleus (A muscle in your calf).  These all assist your lower back and are worked in the Dead Lift.  Another example is your Clavicular Pectoralis Major (“Upper Chest”), Triceps Brachii, and Anterior Deltoid (Shoulder) in the Bench Press.  That’s not all, though. . .

Stabilizer.  A muscle that contracts with no significant movement to maintain a posture or fixate a joint.  That seems pretty straightforward, right?  Basically, a muscle (or group)  that enhances your stability.  In the Dead Lift, it’s your Neck (Trapezius Upper, Middle, Levator Scapulae) and you Rhomboids.  These are mostly engaged by keeping your grip and rounding your shoulders at the top of the lift–  And this is why Dead Lifts work your entire body.

Dynamic Stabilizer.  This is a little more complicated, so I’ll give the definition, and then an explanation, and finally, an example: A biarticulate muscle that simultaneously shortens at the target joint and lengthens at the adjacent joint with no appreciable difference in length. Dynamic stabilization occurs during many compound movements. The dynamic stabilizer may assists in joint stabilization by countering the rotator force of an agonist.  In basic terms, the Dynamic Stabilizer keeps the joints that are in motion stable by supporting the “agonist” (The muscle causing the motion).  In the Dead Lift, your Hamstrings and Gastrocnemius (Calves) are keeping you stable and supporting your Synergist muscles during the movement.

Antagonist Stabilizer.  A muscle that contracts to maintain the tension potential of a biarticulate muscle at the adjacent joint. The antagonist stabilizer may be contracted throughout or at only one extreme of the movement. The Antagonist Stabilizer are activated during many isolated exercises when biarticulate muscles are utilized. The Antagonist Stabilizer may assist in joint stabilization by countering the rotator force of an agonist.  Antagonist Stabilizers also act to maintain postural alignment of joints, including the vertebral column and pelvis.  Similar to the Dynamic Stabilizer in function, but typically by the opposite muscle group.  During the Dead Lift, your abs and obliques are engaged for most of the lift, offering a counter force to your lower back, which is the target–  This prevents hyper extension of your back, which leads to proper form and less risk of an injury.

So. . .   When analyzing the exercises you do, how many muscles do you work?  How many different exercises do you do?  At the end of the day, a good rule of thumb is to work as many muscles in as few exercises as possible.  This is why the rookie workout is so effective, and why compound movements are the key to everything.  How does your workout add up?

Be sure to check back on Monday when we detail our new approach to achieving the body fat percentage that we have set as goals!

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In understanding health and fitness, one must understand many things.  You should be knowledgeable about weight lifting and cardiovascular training;  You should have a decent grasp on health, anatomy, and nutrition; And it will help immensely to understand some basic principles of Kinesiology, which is the study of human movement.  We aren’t experts in this field, but we can help you with the basics, such as today’s topic:  Understanding the classification of a workout.

The first is to understand the Utility: Is it “Basic,” or “Auxiliary.”  A good way to look at this is, are you training complete, basic muscle group or are you training a group of muscles that supplement the other.  Example:  Bench Press works the entirety of your Sternal Pectoralis Major (Your chest), and also works your Clavicular Pectoralis Major (“Upper Pecs”), Triceps and Deltoids.  This is considered a perfect “Basic” workout.  On the flip side, the Incline Press targets your Clavicular Pectoralis Major, and also works your Sternal Pectoralis Major, Triceps, and Deltoids.  This is generally considered an auxiliary workout, as a supplemental muscle group is the target.  For the scientific definition:

A principal exercise that can place greater absolute intensity on muscles exercised relative to auxiliary exercises. Basic exercises tend to have more of the following characteristics:

• Gravity Dependent.
• Inclusion or shift of resistance through multiple muscle group throughout the range of motion.
• Natural transfer of torsion force to compression force (e.g., lockout on squat, bench press, etc.) or tension force (e.g. extension of arm curl) to the bone(s) and joint(s) during full range of motion.

The scientific definition for an Auxiliary Workout is as follows:

An optional exercise that may supplement a basic exercise. Auxiliary exercises may place greater relative intensity on a specific muscle or a head of a muscle.

Next up in the classification is the “Mechanic” of the workout.  We have two options here, and it’s pretty straightforward.  A Compound Movement is one which involves two or more joint movements.  Examples include the Bench Press, Dead Lift, Squat, Bent Over Row, Military Press, etc.  The other mechanic is an “Isolation” workout.  An isolation workout is “an exercise that involves just one discernible joint movement.”  Examples include Bicep Curls, Wrist Curls, Dumbbell Fly, etc.

Now, you’ll notice that the examples given for the compound workouts are exercises that everyone talks about, and are also the exercises that determine your actual strength and physical prowess.  The reason for this is. . .  Well, that’s a whole post on it’s own.  Expect that soon!  All that you should know for now is that 90% of your workouts should be compound movements.

The last part to workout classification is the Force.

Not that “Force”. . .

The force of the movement is simple:  Push, or Pull.  Is the movement going away from, or toward the center of the body during the “Concentric Contraction”?  (An example of Concentric Contraction is when you push the barbell up during the Bench Press.)

We will continue to discuss Kinesiology over a few blog posts, but this is the start of it.  Tune in on Monday for our Special New Year post!

All quoted definitions are courtesy Exercise Prescription on the Net.  Star Wars is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd.

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I work in a place that sells workout equipment and accessories.  For anyone who has ever seen the fitness department in a store and is knowledgeable in the ways of the body, it’s a good laugh!  There is so much stuff being sold that no one needs, and is full of inflated claims. . .  That is the start of this series:  “Stuff You Don’t Need.”  Today’s topic is. . .  Lifting Straps, a.k.a.  Wrist Straps.

What are these used for?  It’s for people who can’t get a proper grip on a bar and need some sort of assistance to complete the lift.  You’ll most often see this when used with Dead Lifts, as they require a supreme amount of forearm strength.  You’ll also see people use them for other workouts such as the Upright Row, and for some reason, the Lat Pull Down.

What is wrong with wrist straps?  Wrist straps are just like any other piece of unnecessary lifting equipment, and the problem with these items is that they handicap you.  By using the straps to grip for you, you are robbing your forearms of most of the work they have to do.  While this doesn’t seem like much a problem, when you look at the bigger picture, it is:  Your forearms are involved in most lifts in one way or another, and if you don’t allow them to develop with the rest of your body, you jeopardize all of your lifts.  In addition, this will cause your body’s different muscle groups to develop at different rates, which could lead to a disproportionate physique.  Finally, there’s something called “Lift Integrity,” which people often look at me strange for saying. . .  To maintain the integrity of a lift, you must use proper form, follow the standards for the lift, use little to no assistance, and the maximal load based on your goal.

What should I use instead of wrist straps!?  Your forearms.  And if you’re having a trouble with grip, develop stronger forearms.

At the end of the day, do as you will. . .  There’s a piece of equipment I use that is shunned by about half of the bodybuilding community, so in the end, it’s all up to you on how you want to treat your workouts–  I just chose to handicap myself as little as possible, and recommend you do the same.

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I am constantly fielding questions at work about health, fitness, and nutrition–  The other day, while discussing these subjects, someone told me their workout routine.  I could immediately recognize the problems, and suggested they do the rookie workout, which is an unbelievably simple, full body workout that is the perfect place to start when it comes to workout programming.  The rookie workout is this:

Day 1

Squats 5 X 5 (Sets X Reps)
Bench Press 5 X 5
Bent Over Row 5 X 5
Ab Work (Can be anything effective.)
Chest Dips 3 X 12
Pull Ups / Chin Ups 3 X 8

Day 2

Dead Lift 1 X 5
Military Press 5 X 5
Front Squats 5 X 5
Ab Work
Chest Dips 3 X 12
Pull Ups / Chin Ups 3 X 8

Day 3

Squats 1 X 5
Bench Press 1 X 5
Bent Over Row 1 X 5
Ab Work
Chest Dips 3 X 12
Pull Ups / Chin Ups 3 X 8

It goes without saying that you must have at least a day of rest in between.  Anyway, regardless of your goals, if you’re struggling with a weight training routine, or are stuck doing a lot of isolation exercises, start here–  This will help you attain your goals regardless of what they are.

(Our longtime readers may recognize that my weight training routine is derived from day 1 of this workout.)

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So, in my most recent post outlining my current plan, I forgot to discuss what my plan revolves around:  Cardiovascular training.  While I’m still doing weights three days a week, I’m also doing Cardio three days a week–  More specifically, I’m doing High Intensity Interval Training three days a week.

In the post about the basics, I discussed what HIIT and why it’s great, but here I’ll talk about the different things that I am currently doing.

Sprints – These are what I do most often, and what I hate most.  I will go on the treadmill and start with a warm up: 1 minute of walking at 3 MPH at an incline of “4.”  The next minute, I’m walking at 4 MPH at an incline of “10.”  For the next two minutes, I will walk at about 4.2 MPH at the “10” incline until I feel warmed up–  That’s when the fun begins.  For the remainder of my time on the treadmill, I vary between walking at speeds between 3 and 4 MPH, and sprinting at speeds between 7 and 9 MPH, all while adjusting the incline constantly.  Also, my ratio of walk to run is 1 minute : 1 minute (During the sprints, not the warm up).  I do a minimum of 32 minutes of sprints–  5 minute “warm up,” and a 2 minute “cool down.”

Stairs – I will go to the dreaded stair master and do battle.  Again, I do a warm up, and then after about three minutes of warm up, I start in with my most varied cardio workout.  Every minute I alternate between one of the following:  A gentle pace of “6;”  A pace of “4” while kicking my legs behind me with each step; A fast pace of “10;”  A pace of “9” while doing it sideways (30 seconds on the left, 30 to the right); a faster pace of “12;” or my maximum pace of “15.”  This is the workout the leaves me the most exhausted, but it is very, very effective.

Elliptical – In a similar fashion to stairs, I adjust the resistance of the elliptical every minute and do a 3:2 minute ratio of forward to backward movement.

The Run – This is very straightforward.  I go for a run to the local grocery store and back, which is a bit over 2 miles, and I periodically sprint for bursts at a time–  Typically while crossing streets, or between light poles.  At some point, I always stop at an intersection and sprint across a road until the light turns.  Then I do the next one, and the next, until I’ve done sprints across all four roads;  I then rest for about a minute, and continue my run home.  This is workout I do least often.

Home Workout – This is for my lazier days, or when I’m really strapped for time.  I will jump rope for 3 minutes, and then sprint from one end of my apartment complex to the other.  I will then rest for 30 seconds, and do it again.  After the second and fourth rounds, in addition to the sprints and rest, I will do some push ups.  I do this until I’ve been at it for 20 minutes, and then I’m done.

I make sure that I don’t do any one workout more than two cardio days in a row, as I don’t want my body to even consider settling into a habit.  During all of them, at some point the speed (or resistance) goes really low for a moment so that my heart rate can plummet.   I will then step it up to a crazy level immediately after to shock my system.  What do you do for HIIT?

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