No Gym? No Problem! Everything You Need To Know To Get A Good Workout At Home

Do you have a minute?

Society in general is seemingly becoming more and more health conscious as the information age in which we live continues to shine light on the negative health effects the environment, as well as dietary choices we make, have on health. More and more people are choosing to ‘make time’ for fitness than in the past, in which there were apparently less hours in the day (at least they made it seem that way by using time, or lack thereof, as a reason to not prioritize health/fitness). This health conscious mindset, which oddly enough, seems to come with more hours in the day, is even influencing where people choose to live (is there a gym close by? or does it come with access to a fitness facility? etc).

How The Strongest Man Of All Time Can Help You Add 15% To Your Squat, Deadlift, or Bench - Progressive Movement Training

If the strongest man the world has ever seen can do it, I can do it!

Paul Anderson is said to be one of the strongest human beings who ever lived and it’s likely that not many would argue that statement given that he reportedly squatted 1,000 lbs, and possibly even 1,200 lbs! Certainly there is much to be learned about the training of this man, but this article will simply shine light on a form of training he popularized, which undoubtedly assisted in him attaining the superhuman strength levels he was known for.

Why Lowering Builds More Strength AND Muscle Than Lifting! A MUST READ FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS RESULTS

Do you even lift?

It’s a safe assumption that fitness nowadays is more popular than it has ever been, and that building muscle, even for a female, is at a socially acceptable all-time high, while continuing to rise. Gone are the days in which it was frowned upon to be in good shape and have ‘muscles’, and where those who took care of themselves were labeled as ‘on steroids’, while receiving stares of envy and jealousy from those who were not, but wish they were. It’s no longer frowned upon for girls to lift weights, or for men to do yoga. Skinny is out, and fit is in. This is an exciting time for a fitness enthusiast, that’s for sure!

More and more people are joining gyms, running, biking, swimming, playing various sports, doing yoga/pilates or crossfit, competing in physical competitions like ‘tough mudder’, and just generally becoming more health conscious with their lifestyle choices. The ‘New Year’s’ crowd is lasting longer and longer, and in actuality, it doesn’t even appear that there is much of a New Year’s crowd anymore, as the gym feels as full, or busy, as it has for the past several months. This either means that most people are already members of the gym, of there are no ‘new’ enthusiasts anymore. Unfortunately, while the intent is always positive when one is trying to be more health conscious, the outcome for most is negative.

There is a mindset generally associated with ‘getting fit’, not sure where it came from, in which most associate ‘results’ with ‘hard work’, and that the harder one works, the more results there is to be had. While this may sound logical in theory (to the uneducated ear), in practice, this simply is not the case. If it were, all anyone would have to do to get ‘fit’, would be to use their vacation time and take a week or two off work (depending on their starting point, and desired end point), workout like a machine non-stop, transform into the superhuman that they wish to become, and get back to their everyday life as a ‘new you’.

Load VS. Time Under Tension - What's More Important For Building Muscle?

The formula for results

Regardless of what motivates you to utilize the time you have to get into the gym and push yourself to create some sort of physical change (increase strength/muscle mass, or decrease bodyfat/improve endurance), the equation (if there ever was one) for getting results is, and has always been:

Load X Time Under Tension = RESULTS! – The amount of weight you can lift multiplied by the duration in which you can generate tension. If you want to get any sort of result in the gym, you better familiarize yourself with this formula! Anything you do, either exercise-wise (how you perform), or programming-wise (when you perform), that takes away from either variable in this equation will negatively affect the end result

How Counting Down Can Make Your Numbers Go Up! (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)

What’s On The Menu Tonight?

Strength is a skill that is best developed, like any skill, through stress and repetition. Ideally one must expose the neuromuscular system to the highest levels of tension, as frequently as possible without overworking the body’s ability to recover from the workload. Factors like the size of the muscles involved will also greatly influence how much weight can be lifted, therefore linking one’s size, to one’s strength levels, and vice versa. And while you can make improvements in strength, or size, without seeing an improvement in the other, progress in most cases won’t be optimal and is why focus should be on improving in both areas as much as possible. The exception being for those who have to perform at a certain bodyweight in that gaining as much strength as possible without gaining weight is ideal.

Typically when the goal is to gain strength, the reps are recommended to remain below 5, as anything over 5 could lead to metabolic fatigue, therefore decreasing performance on the remaining sets (definitely not something you want to have happen when relying on the nervous system). To make up for the lack of work being done, more sets are generally added. The ‘sweet spot’ for total reps usually falls around 25, no matter how you slice it (8 sets of 3, 6 sets of 4, 5 sets of 5, 12 sets of 2). While most examples suggest performing the same amount of reps per set (be it 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 for each set), there’s no rule that says you won’t be successful by performing reps on both ends, or even throughout the entire 1-5 spectrum (there’s no real rules at all, really, but you know what I mean).

Super Sets, And A Little Trick To Increase Size And Strength (By Training Biceps or Hamstrings First!)

What A Super Set Is

Two sets performed in succession for either the same muscle group, opposing/antagonist muscle groups, or unrelated muscle groups, is referred to as a ‘super set’.

The Three Ways To Practically Apply Super Sets

If the goal is to recruit and fatigue as many motor units as possible, with the purpose of building muscle, performing a super set for the same muscle group is the most appropriate way to go.

If the goal is to pump as much blood to a given area (the arms or legs in most cases) for hypertrophic purposes, or to maximize performance and minimize recovery, than performing a super set for opposing/antagonistic muscle groups is the most appropriate way to go. The reason being is that when one muscle group is acutely fatigued, the opposing muscle group will receive the added benefit of a greater level of net motor unit recruitment during the succeeding set.

If the goal is to improve conditioning and/or body composition, or direct more volume to a lagging bodypart, performing a super set for unrelated muscle groups is the most appropriate way to go. Generally these types of super sets involve fairly large muscle groups, unless the goal is to bring up a lagging smaller bodypart, to ensure the body is exposed to as much tension as possible so that caloric expenditure and cardiovascular conditioning is maximized.

As always, your goal should dictate just what type of super set would be best for you. There is no shortage of material out there about the benefits of super sets, and there are countless options in which an effective super set can be done, but there is one principle that has remained under the radar that is worth mentioning, and that is – FLEXION before EXTENSION.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Constant Tension Is What It's All About

Stimulate – Definition: to excite/cause

Growth – Definition: the gradual increase

Results Are Linked To One Common Attribute

Stimulating growth is the one common attribute that links nearly everyone’s fitness goals together either directly, or indirectly. A larger muscle will directly influence how much force can be generated (this is beneficial for those looking to improve performance, or rehabilitate an injury), and indirectly positively affect ones health (by improving body composition and therefore health, and also contributing to a leaner, more developed physique, which likely also increase self-esteem/mood).

The Most Practical And Effective Way Of Escalating Density For Maximum Results

It’s no secret that if you want to make any sort of progress in the gym, you have to push your body beyond its limits to promote the desired adaptations (while providing it with the necessary nutrients, hydration, and rest as well) to occur.

Traditionally this is done with a program in which the loading parameters are adjusted accordingly, based on ones goal. However, the typical, but extremely effective, alternation of accumulative phases with intensive phases can become rather redundant over time. This is especially true for those who have been hammering away at the iron for multiple years on end, leading to a drop in motivation to get in there and hit it as hard as possible. Thankfully, like pretty much everything else in life, there is more than one way to arrive at a given destination and get a desired result.

SPECIAL THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY ARTICLE - Principles Take Precedence Over Everything

Three years later...

The fact that I’m writing this article three years, and over 100 articles, after, I had set out to start putting out the most relevant, effective, and practical information on the web related to maximizing the results one gets for their investment of time, is an accomplishment in itself for me.

Just over three years ago, after searching endlessly online for a single resource that covered all aspects of maximizing human performance that I felt were most relevant and necessary to getting the best results in the shortest period of time, I had come to the conclusion that much (not all!) of what is available online for others, with a hunger to learn, to rely on as a resource of information was incomplete at best, and complete and utter bullshit at worst. As a student of the game that is health and fitness, with a passion for maximizing human preparedness and subsequent performance, I decided that my time would be better suited by doing something about the lack of structured information available by being one that provides it, instead of just another ‘know it all’ who complains about it. In doing so, I had essentially forced myself to rapidly expand my horizons, so that I could keep up with the self induced commitment to constantly put out the most relevant, effective, and practical information possible.

Success Leaves Clues

Success leaves clues

It’s been said that ‘success leaves clues’, and as it relates to strength training, one with a keen eye and deep understanding of biomechanics and physiology, as well as programming, can pick up on subtle variables when analyzing the training routines of past champions of the iron game in an attempt to seek out clues that may have lead to their success so that they can apply them to their own training routines. To the ‘untrained eye’ however, finding clues may not be all that easy and here’s why.

Fitness while traveling - Stay in shape on the road By Mike Manning

Traveling can be exhausting both mentally and physically. Hours of sitting in a vehicle, bus, train or airplane can be uncomfortable and stressful. Once you reach your destination, business meeting or social activities may fill your days and evenings. It's important to find the time for physical activity while on the road to relax and stay healthy.

SPECIAL 100th ARTICLE - Everything You Need To Know About Glute Activation And Development

What can’t the glutes do?

Aside from the improved cosmetic appeal and boost to ones self-esteem that comes with having fully developed glutes, other benefits of having strong, developed glutes include, improved performance by way of being able to lift more weight with movements that take the hips through various degrees of flexion and extension/hyperextension (think squats and deadlifts), being able to run faster and jump higher, as well as relieving the lower back and hamstrings of unnecessary stress that they take on during various strength training movements and everyday functional activities (standing, walking, running, etc).

Regardless of your goal, the strengthening and developing the glutes is of paramount importance as these muscles are the biggest, strongest, and primary, hip extensors/hyperextensors, and are also responsible for hip abduction (spreading the legs apart), and external rotation of the femur (rotating the thigh/foot away from the midline of the body). The stronger these muscles are, the greater your potential becomes at seemingly everything, and the greater room they have to grow. Literally.

The Most Effective Exercises That Can Be Done While Lying On The Floor

No bench, no problem

I would imagine that, when most people think of ‘going to the gym’, lying on the floor to perform any sort of exercise is generally not what anyone would have in mind. But, performing exercises while lying on your back, on the solid, stable ground can be a very effective way to add variety to your training, and increase your strength.

Pretty much any exercise that is performed on a flat bench can easily be performed on the floor, along with many standing exercises with the help of a low cable pulley.

Everything You Need To Know About The 'Upper Chest' And How To Maximize Its Development

Focus on what you CAN control, not what you CAN’T

When it comes to muscular development there are two factors that will ultimately influence the end result in how you look. One of them is genetics, which is completely out of our control, and no matter what we do, we are limited by our genetics in our ability to develop our body to look a certain way that is most satisfying to us. Unfortunately, we had no influence on where are muscles would originate, where they would insert, and how full the bellies of the muscles will become as we develop them.

The other factor is the decisions we make as far as exercise selection, and all the other parameters that go into developing a workout program. Fortunately, we can influence how much tension we choose to subject very specific compartments of our muscles to, with the hopes of it shaping the exact way we desire. Ultimately, our only limiting factor here is our knowledge base. If you don’t know how to modify the exercises to mechanically direct a greater level of tension on the area you wish to see improvements, then progress cannot be expected to be made at an optimal pace.

The Most Effective Exercises Popularized By Iron Guru Vince Gironda

Vince Gironda is best known as a guru in the bodybuilding world, having worked with some of the best bodybuilders of his time. He left his mark on the bodybuilding world by popularizing several high volume methods that he believed were most effective for building muscle. Among them were the 10 by 10, 8 by 8, 6 by 6, 10-8-6-15, and 15 by 4 methods.

But, being a bodybuilding oriented person myself, the one thing that stood out most to me when studying the many methods and techniques that he is known for, were the modifications that he made to various exercises to direct more tension onto the targeted muscle. While the modifications negatively affected how much weight could be lifted, percentagewise, they place a greater amount of the weight being lifted onto the primary muscle group being trained, which is what any bodybuilder would want to do in the first place.

Find Out What May Be Limiting You From Making The Progress You Want To Make

In the book, Science and Practice of Strength Training, the authors write “The heaviest weight that is lifted through a full range of motion cannot be greater than the strength at the weakest point”, meaning that one is limited to how much weight they can lift by the amount of strength that they have at the most disadvantageous position of a lift.

The Best Exercise For Minimizing Pain In The Elbow While Maximizing Recruitment In The Triceps

Repetitive stress injuries are something that the majority of lifters will inevitably undergo while in pursuit of their goals, and ultimately these injuries end up limiting their ability to do things that they were once able to do without pain. One of the more common repetitive stress injuries I hear of in experienced lifters, and I deal with myself is, sharp pain in the elbow.

There can be a variety of causes for elbow pain from physiological (ex. inflammation), to biomechanical (ex. muscular imbalances), to the more obvious as it relates to an experienced lifter, repetitive stress from the accumulative effect of both direct (ex. lying triceps extension), and indirect (ex. bench press), tension taking its toll on the body.

The Single Greatest Physical Attribute That Anyone Can Develop

The Importance Of Strength

Strength is the one physical attribute that crosses all athletic/sporting barriers, as well as the gender barrier. There is not one person, male or female, or one activity that they’d choose to perform, that wouldn’t benefit from them being stronger! Think about it: the stronger you are, the easier (or less physically demanding) everything else becomes, relatively speaking.

With that being said, I realize that there are optimal amounts of strength required for various activities, and that more strength doesn’t always translate into better performance/results, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt.

The Best Methods To Quantify Progress

“Progress is a slow process”: Many of us have probably heard this quote at some point and as it relates to the development of physical attributes such as body composition adjustment (AKA weight loss, nay, FAT loss), strength development, or attempting to create a symmetrically developed, aesthetically pleasing physique, for either competitive or personal reasons, it is incredibly accurate.

Most beginners will notice that gains in strength come relatively easily at first, but this is primarily due to neurological adaptations. In a sense, lifting weights is a skill, comparable to other skills like swimming, or riding a bike, in that, once you learn to swim/ride, there’s not much room for improvement after that, and if you want to continue to progress, you need to progressively overload the body, and force it to undergo further adaptations.

Traditional vs. Specialization

TRADITIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS

Traditionally, one would devise a plan in which they focused on developing everything evenly, and thus create a balanced physique. But even with the most solid plan, imbalances still exist, as they are nearly impossible to get rid of, the best we can do is try to minimize them as much as possible.

These imbalances can be either strength imbalances, in which one muscle is relatively weaker than it should be in relation to another, or aesthetic imbalances, in which one muscle is relatively underdeveloped in relation to the rest of the body.

Everything You Need To Know About Making Every Muscle Cell In Your Body BIGGER!

If you want to build muscle, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the following equations:

1.    Net Muscle Protein Balance (NMPB) = protein synthesis vs. protein breakdown = *hypertrophy

2.    Energy Balance = calories in vs. calories out = weight gain/loss

*Hypertrophy = the increase in muscle fiber size due to an accumulation of contractile and non-contractile proteins inside the cell

Improved Leverage Sets (Mechanical Drop Sets) - One Of The Best Ways To Increase The Efficiency Of Your Workouts

With training, there are many techniques that enable you to extend your efforts, in attempt to promote a hypertrophic response. Drop sets, tri-sets, giant sets, rest-pause sets are all examples of techniques that enable you to push yourself beyond concentric failure with the hopes of building bigger, stronger muscles, while burning off unwanted bodyfat. The only issue with many of those techniques is that you have to rely on the equipment needed to be available in the gym you are training at.

What Everyone Needs To Know About Sodium, Potassium, And How They Impact Performance And Appearance

Sodium plays a pivotal role in performance in and out of the gym, as well as achieving a certain level of conditioning/vascularity. Sodium is an extracellular cation (the primary positively charged ion outside of the cell), responsible for regulating blood volume and blood pressure.

SPECIAL TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY ABOUT FASCIA - Everything You Need To Know About Connective Tissue And How It Can Affect Your Performance

As it relates to strength training, fascia (connective tissue that envelopes everything within the body, most notably as it relates to strength training are the nervous and circulatory systems) can easily become a limiting factor directly (circulatory), and indirectly (neurologically), in strength and size development. Obviously if you are training to get the best results given your time and effort, then you probably want to avoid any sort of derailments that could throw you off track.

ADHESIONS

Adhesions are when the cells and fibers that make up our fascia (connective tissue) get bound together.