Archive for Strength training
Upper Body Exercises Part 3
Posted by: | CommentsI would like to start off today with my apology for taking this long to post part 3 of this series. I actually thought i posted the video about 10 days ago and quickly realized my error. However, it is always better late than never at all. So here is the 3rd part of the series of videos i put together showing some simple freeweight exercises to be performed at the gym. They will assuredly strengthen,tone and firm up your arms, shoulders and upper back muscles.
Here is the link to the previous videos
Do you guys like or dislike this exercise? Let me know..
Keep Goin’
Jeff Hazzard
Upper Body Exercises Part 2
Posted by: | CommentsThe other day i put up the video of some great free-weight exercises that can be used to strenghten and tone the upper body. I originally crafted it as a 3 part series, so in light of my amazing video making capabilities 
(yea right) i am sharing with you part 2 today. Here are a couple of my favorite upper body exercises…
I hope you guys enjoyed the video! As always….
Keep Goin’
Jeff
Upper Body Exercises Part I
Posted by: | CommentsI wanted to share this quick video with you, it is part one of a little three part series of videos i have put together. These are just a few simple free-weight/dumbbell exercises you can use to help strengthen and tone your upper body. Here it is…
A few quick notes about the exercises i just demonstrated.
1. Perform each exercise for anywhere from 8-12 reps.
2. Breathe in and out consistently.
3. Contract your abdominal muscles during each exercise.
4.perform each repetition in a slow controlled manner.
5. Now get the strong, toned, defined arms and shoulders you have been looking for. 
If you have some exercises for the upper body that you like better please share them with us, just drop a quick comment!
Keep Goin’
DTLW
Are You Tired of Back & Shoulder pain?
Posted by: | CommentsIf this is the case for you then rest comfortably, because you are not the only one. There are thousands upon thousands of people everyday in America and even worldwide who are suffering from chronic back and shoulder pain. Say it isn’t so Jeff is probably what you are thinking right now , haha. Although the causes of this pain is usually hard to identify the least we can do is offer up some form of treatment to reduce the pain in the affected area on top of strengthening the muscles around it. Here is a quick video i filmed the other day to help you out if you are one of the many who are being beat up by these chronic injuries/pains….
If you guys don’t mind i would like to add a few coaching points to hit on real quick that i forgot to mention in the video.
External Shoulder Rotation w/ Resistance Band
1. Initiate the movement by sliding shoulder blade closer to spine.
2. Keep shoulder blade pinched back like that throughout movement.
3. Thats all, now go kick butt.
Lying Superman
1. Perform 10-15 reps for 2-4 sets
What are some exercises that have helped you relieve back or shoulder pain? Share with us and let’s help everybody out.
That’s all for today everybody. I hope you enjoyed the video.
Keep Goin’
DTLW
5 Great Lower Body Exercises
Posted by: | CommentsHey everybody today i wanted to share this video with you to give some exercises that you can do anywhere. Whether you are at home, working overtime at work, in the park, at the gym, in a hotel room, wherever! The following video is a lower body bodyweight circuit that is great for a warm up before your workout. However, these exercises can also be performed as a workout by itself by simply adding 5-7 more repetitions per exercise and then allowing adequate rest between each set performed. Here ya go guys. Enjoy…
Okay to follow up on that video i want to give you a few kinetic checkpoints “tips” to ensure you get the best results from these exercises as possible.
* When performing the body-weight squat initiate the movement at the hips not the knees or ankles, this will make the gluteus maximus and quads/hamstrings do all the work.Just imagine trying to sit in a chair but make sure to keep lower leg as straight as possible and don”t let the knees move in front of your big toe. Also try to keep weight more on your heels as opposed to the ball of your foot because this will ensure proper muscle firing sequences.
* When performing the forward, reverse, and diagonal lunge keep all the weight on the lead foot and try to keep your lower leg as straight as possible this will allow the hip joint to be the primary mover allowing the glutes, quads and hamstrings to handle the load.
*When performing the lateral squat use the same principle as above and imagine you are about to sit in a chair, you could even place a bench or chair behind you to ensure you use the proper depth when executing the exercise.
Okay ladies perform these exercises and you will be amazed at how much tighter and more toned your legs will become in a very short time. And for the fellas do these exercises so you won’t have those bird legs that the ladies sometimes like to make fun of.Also make sure to have the form perfected before you start to add weight to these exercises, same goes for the ladies too.
Get Goin’
Best Weight Loss Workout
Posted by: | CommentsHey everybody, i hope you find yourself on your journey to a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle right now. If you are then whatever your fitness goals might be you will achieve them.
If you are off the bandwagon right now and are feeling a little discouraged at the moment don’t worry, it only means that you are human and from time to time we all have our ups and downs. But today i want to help you fast-track your success with a great weight loss workout. Many trainers and fitness professionals will try to throw some crazy,misguided weight loss workout your way and tell you it works but the truth may be that it really doesn’t. So for today i wanted to bring to you one of my proven best weight loss workouts that one of my clients did last week that i guarantee will kick your butt, if you are not completely beat by the end of this workout then come back here and feel free to leave me a nasty comment of your desire. However odds are that this workout will kick your tail into serious shape. So….
Workout #1 (Horizontal Push/Pull)
-5 minute treadmill warm-up
-resistance bands
1-lateral rotation
2-medial rotation
3-horizontal push
4-horizontal pull
Bench Press- (50-55%)
Set 1 w/active recovery planks 30 sec.
Set 2&3 w/active recovery side planks 30 sec. each
Seated Row- (50-55%)
Sets 1-3 w/active recovery Triceps overhead
Incline Dumbbells
Sets 1-3 active recovery core biceps
Super set machine high row & Low machine row
3 sets increasing weight each time w/active recovery stretching
¼ mile run 8mph then 20 push ups, 20 russian twists
** repeat sequence 4 times
1- do this workout
2- do this workout
3- do this workout 
That’s all i ask of you for today. Just copy and paste the workout into a notepad,word document etc. and be on your way to the gym. If you have any questions just post them in the comment section and i will respond
Get Goin’
p.s. drop us a comment and let us know what you think of the workout
How to get a body like ‘Dancing with the Stars’ dancers!
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Hey everybody. I hope all is well for you today. I for one feel great except for the very uncomfortable muscle soreness in my legs and core as a result of my workout yesterday. It was exceptionally difficult but i was able to push through it and now i am stronger today because of it. Well as i am sure you all know there is a lot of buzz going around right now as to who will be in the next ‘Dancing with the Stars’ lineup for the shows 10th airing that begins in about 2 weeks. Now obviously the celebrities that will be on the show will put in extreme amounts of effort and energy in order to win the competition. But i would like to focus on the dancers themselves. These individuals have incredible physiques. I am sure that a major part of their physical fitness can be attributed to there dancing 5-6 days a week, however i would be willing to bet my life that theses dancers are incrediblydevoted to their exercise routines consisting of both cardiovascular and resistance training. So with that in mind the workout i performed yesterday works on both resistance and cardiovascular fitness, and now i want to share with you this workout that will help begin to sculpt your body so you can look like one of the very gifted dancers of dancing with the stars. Okay so here it is….
First you must find a hill in your neighborhood that is approximately a 30-45% angle and anywhere from 20-40 yards long, (please try to find a grass hill, concrete is just so tough on the joints of the knees, hip, and back) second have plenty of water as you will need it, third wear proper shoes that can handle grassy terrain, fourth and most importantly get a proper active warm-up consistingof a light 3-5 minute jog or walking lunges or high knees or butt kicks before you begin this workout. Now that you are properly warmed up it is time to begin the workout. You will start at the bottom of the hill and sprint to the top of the hill for a total of 10 times. For the first 4 sprints you will progress your speed from 50% then 60% then 70% then 80-85%. Sprints 5-10 will be all out 100% sprints. This workout will be very demanding but the nice part of it is that you have the opportunity to catch your breath and get the heart rate lowered while you go down the hill backwards on your toes to exercise the calf muscles even more.
Tips: Drive arms and legs as hard and fast as possible on the way up the hill. When at top elevate arms above head to fully maximize your lungs ability to bring in fresh oxygen. Return down hill at a controlled pace going backwards and walking on toes for even more of a calf muscle exercise. If this workout is not difficult for you then next time perform 10 push ups,or 25 crunches, or bodyweight squats, or squat jumps at top of hill before returning down, this will really add the resistance training aspect into the equation.
Guys i hope you enjoy this workout aor at least the results as much as i have.
Get Goin’
Jeff
Post-Workout Nutrition
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Hey guys TGIF huh? I have recently been doing some reading on post-workout nutrition and what i found did not surprise me too much, but when i talk to my friends and colleagues and they ask me about post-workout nutrition i tell them what types of foods and drinks they should be consuming and all i get back from them is a puzzled look on their face. So today i am here to give you a better idea of what you should be consuming both immediately and in the 2-3 hour window after you finish your workout. So lets say you just finished your workout (hopefully resistance training + cardio) and now you are depleted. Little do we know that during that workout our bodies underwent many physiological reactions, including breaking down of our precious muscle tissue, depleting our muscle and liver glycogen stores(carbohydrates). So now you are thinking to yourself, i just did all this work and just want to lose weight so i will just eat a salad or something light. WRONG!!! Even if you are wanting toonly lose weight, this window of opportunity after your workout is priceless. Within 15-30 minutes after you finish your workout you should consume anywhere from 20-60 grams of simple sugars to replenish your depleted glycogen stores , how many grams you consume is dependent on the intensity of that particular workout. Here are a few examples of some great simple carbs to consume after your workout-
Post Workout Simple Carbs- Gatorade or sugary drinks, chocolate milk, chocolate shake , fruits, white rice, white bread, sugar snacks(gummi bears, jelly beans etc.), bagels and things like this.
Now i know for some of you this seems crazy but immediately after an intense workout you can consume 20 -60 grams of one of these types of foods but if you are really intent on losing a lot of weight fast then stay around 20 grams and this will at least help stabilize your blood sugar levels as well as speeding up your recovery.
Post-Workout Protein- 
After this window approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour post-workout it would be advised to consume a whey protein shake with approximately 20-30 grams of protein. The whey protein absorbs into the muscles quickly and efficiently allowing your muscles to begin their recovery from the workout.
Now that we have covered the 1 hour window of opportunity post-workout, you will want to consume a healthy meal within the next 1-2 hours to keep the metabolism up and the fat storage down. Like always a healthy meal with lean meats, veggies and complex carbs should complkete the trifecta and have you on your way to a better, healthier physique.
As always guys remember… “It’s not a diet, it’s a LIFESTYLE”
Signing off, Jeff Hazzard
p.s. if you can have other great post-workout snacks that you love. then feel free to comment and let us know!
Resistance band training and its “benefits”
Posted by: | CommentsOk guys we know that Terrel Owens has always found himself in the middle of controversy, but despite all of that his performance on the field speaks for itself! This guy is 37 years of age and still performs at an all pro level. He gives all the credit towards his dedicated diet plan and the implementation of resistance band training over the last 5 years. During this time span he was able to increase his speed when most players have already began to slow down, as well as increased his strength and flexibility helping him prolong his great career well into the future!
In fact backing up T.O.’s claims, a recent study found that when resistance bands were added to a strength training routine, the control group increased strength by 10% and gained more muscle mass than those training without resistance bands. Also it showed that through the mechanics of using resistance bands the load on your joints is lessened greatly. Here is a great look at some of the many exercises that can be done from the comfort of your home or local gym.
We have recently incorporated Terrel Owens resistance band training routine in our workouts for the last couple of weeks and have certainly felt the benefits! So next time your at the gym give it a shot and let us know what you think.
If you want more information on an intense training program click here!
Until next time, Matt and Jeff