I was getting frisked by security before the Pogues concert in New York . The guy grabbed the back of my leg and tensed up and said "Do you have a knife?" It was my calf. He thought my "calves of steel" were a knife. Funny. ( A lot of good eating advice in the thread).
You don't even need to do traditional cardio for fat loss. I HATE traditional cardio.. soooo boring. Anyone with a goal of fat loss (and a somewhat masochistic mindset when they exercise) should check out Cardio Strength Training by Dos Remedios. I've followed his programs for years now and my changes have been unreal.
I have heard all about this "fat burning zone" when you do cardio and how getting your heart rate too high will not burn fat as well...that whole aerobic vs anaerobic thing. I've tried it....all my workouts used to end with 1/2 hour of this sort of cardio...and maybe it worked but maybe it didn't. I was eating so well and working out so consistently that my results may well have been due to the combination of things I was doing. One thing I do know is that people who do traditional cardio consistently and mind their diets always look like they are in shape. I am sure the other approaches work well too, but at the end of the day it all works. I hate jogging compared to doing an objective-based activity...I'd much rather be playing hockey or squash...but that's not always an option so...
I've learned to like cardio more lately....because all the hot chicks at the gym are in the cardio room. By the way at lunch yesterday I ate the veggie chow mein, the egg roll, 2 chicken balls and about 2 forkfulls of rice. Not bad, not great, but could have been worse.
I would argue that most trainees should probably stay away from "power cleans". And not to nitpick, but if they were to implement them in their routines, I don't like the idea of 5 rep schemes for the exercise, either. But whatever. I'm not hear to preach. Not like my own programming isn't in need of some dire tweaking, either.
I don't do power cleans. I should have changed that. Hopefully no one is out there with bulging discs. I do bent rows in place of the power cleans.
Hey Mr. E, I responded to your PM, but I'm going to share a little of it here. For anyone who can afford one I highly recommend purchasing a Gazelle (I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before.) I have had one for about a year now, and it's probably the single greatest investment I've made in terms of my health. It folds to like 2 inches flat, so I prop it against the wall when not in use, and I use it a lot. It's basically a non-mechanical elliptical. It's simple to store, and quick to just pull out and "run" on while doing something like watching tv. I find it far better than the exercise bike I had because it's so simple to move around the house, so if I'm in the living room just lounging, I can grab it out of the room and get some time in while I'd otherwise just be slouching on the couch.
I find it easier to set short term goals when working out. Every month I list what my goals will be, and I build a month long workout plan around that. This month I want to focus on my triceps and calves. I have been working out my biceps too much and they are beginning to look a little unproportional. My calves have always been smaller. I used to run in high school for track, so I focused more on maintaining condition rather then lifting when I should have been prepping for the next football season. I don't have a plan specific for next month yet, but I do know it will have much to do with strengthening my core. Bent over rows are the way to go. If you go to a gym, look for a machine that is specifically used for this. It's a great exercise for your back and isn't hard to do at all....the machine will also help if you are inexperienced with this exercise. I looked at some pics of me last year around the new year and I looked pretty chubbed. I was near 200 pounds and probably in the worst shape of my life, after being in the best shape of my life a mere 6 months before that. Unemployment got me depressed, and its hard to do anything when you are that down. I've slimmed down to 188 and Im getting in better shape every day. I never really had alot of body fat, so when I start working out hard, I tend to see the results fairly quickly. I have plans to get in amazing shape before this summer, something I haven't fully been able to do. If im spending $50 a month to work at a Supersport complex, I might as well make it worth every penny....
http://www.menshealth.com/celebrity-workouts/workouts/The_300_Workout.php a) Pullups - 25 reps b) Deadlifts with 135 lbs - 50 reps c) Pushups - 50 reps d) 24-inch Box jumps - 50 reps e) Floor wipers - 50 reps f) Single-arm Clean-and-Press with 36-lbs Kettlebell - 50 reps g) Pullups - 25 reps I dont complete the full workout but I try to get as much in as I can with each one.
But bent over rows on a machine wouldn't be bent over rows at all, now would they. Rows are cool but the bent over versions just tax my lower back way too much so I find it tough to incorporate it into my programming without conflicting with my other lifts. I do alot of DB and chest supported rows, though.
Its not so much a machine as it is an aid. You just put the weights on the ends like you would if it were a straight bar. Its designed to have you leaning over at acute angle to the ground, and you just lift the bar off its rest and do your reps. It's practically the same thing. I played it a little loose with the work, "machine." Your place may not have it, not sure. I work out at the 3rd largest 24 hour fitness in the US, so they have a ton of shit there. I have seen it other places though, so you may just have to look for it...
Yes. If im visualizing it correctly, I am fairly certain it is... EDIT: yea, it looks a little something like this.
