Almost universally, the first exercise that everyone does when they walk into the gym is the barbell bench press. While the bench press may be the poster boy of weight training, the deadlift helps to strengthen the entire body and causes a significant increase in functional strength. Yes the bench press may look good, but how often do you think our ancient ancestors had to press a weight off their chest while lying down? Now think of how frequently you need to lift something up from the ground. This foundational movement that engages our legs, back, and even our arms and abdominals remains present in our lives today is the basis for the barbell deadlift. Therefore, if you at all want to build a strong back, sculpt powerful legs, or develop a six-pack, listen up!
Introduced in 1992, the USDA food pyramid gave Americans a general guide to how they should eat. Growing up in the United States, I personally was blasted several times with this so called “food pyramid.” We were told that a healthy diet should include, 6-11 servings of grains per day, and only 2-3 servings of meats, nuts, or beans. So, great, now that all americans know how they should eat, we should become a more healthy country as a whole. We all know how that’s turned out. In this article, I hope to reveal the conspiracy of the food pyramid, as well as explain (and prove with data) why it is an ineffective diet plan. In addition, I will suggest a much more effective diet that actually makes sense.
Like most guys, you probably want a bigger, stronger chest. I don’t blame you; a developed chest is a sign of power. As a result of this being such a desirable group of muscles, there are dozens of different workouts you can find to help strengthen your pectorals. But in this list, I will try to narrow down the many many chest exercises out there to just 5 extremely effective and easily performed exercises that can hopefully better your physique as well as increase your bench.
A muscular back is one of the ultimate symbols of power, as well as a very useful group of muscles to develop for athletic performance. In total, the dynamic bent-over dumbbell row works 13 separate muscles, including the middle trapezius, the lower trapezius, the rhomboids, and the biceps. With the help of this magnificent exercise, which is one of my favorites, you too can have a powerful back like the one in the picture to the right.
But before you can perform this great exercise, you are going to need some equipment. Most importantly, you will need a pair of dumbbells or a barbell (I will discuss this variation later), as well as a bench to support yourself on. You can purchase some pretty good adjustable dumbbells You can buy some great adjustable dumbbells here
To start out, I would like to point out one key thing to remember about fitness: there are no shortcuts. But now that that’s out of the way, I can continue with what you really want, the 13 most effective ab exercises. While I have my own opinions on different abdominal exercises, I’m not just making his stuff up. In a recent study conducted by the Biomechanics
Lab at San Diego State University, researches took a unique look at 13 ab exercises, ranking them from best to worst.
To determine which exercises were most effective at working the abdominals, the researches used EMG equipment to monitor each participants muscle activity. Just for fun, researches included two infomercial products in the testing. For dramatic purposes, I will order the list from worst to best, starting with the least effective of the 13 exercises as ranked by the Biometrics Lab.
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The statue of Doryphoros by Polykleitos displays the perfect proportions of a Greek God. Who doesn’t want to have a body like this, with ideal proportions and a great set of abs. To achieve such a perfect body, one must workout eight different muscle groups to match this statue.
1. Neck Workout
It may seem strange, but you will need to workout your neck to match the massive 19 inch neck of Doryphoros.
Exercise #1: Dumbbell Shrug.While grasping the dumbbells tightly, and your arms at your side, relax your shoulders. Now raise your shoulders as high as you can go. Now slowly return to the starting position while relaxing your trapezius and your shoulders. Again, try to use a weight that you can do 3×8.
Exercise #2: Upright Row. Begin by holding a barbell in an overhand grip and your hands comfortably apart. Let the weight hang directly in front of you. Lift the bar straight up, keeping the bar close to your body. Lift until your elbows and forearms are level with the ground. Lower the weight slowly to the starting point. Make sure you have good form as this exercise can be dangerous if done improperly. Also do 3×8, but make sure the weights are to heavy (don’t hurt yourself).
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Let’s be honest, every one wants big, powerful pectorals. Perhaps more than other other muscle in the body, having a strong chest shows that you are strong overall. Although every one knows about the bench press, I greatly prefer the dumbbell bench press, which really forces your arms to stabilize even more than the standard barbell bench press. But the major benefit of the dumbbell bench press over the barbell bench press is that you do not need a spotter for the dumbbell press, although having one is still a good idea.
To perform this exercise, you are going to need some standard dumbbells. You can buy some great adjustable dumbbells here
While push ups are one of the most well known and popular exercises, many people do not actually know how to perform a perfect push up. I’ve seen people cheating on push ups countless times. Most people just don’t know any better, but if you want to maximize the many benefits of one of the most versatile chest exercises, you should learn how to properly perform a push up.
But before we discuss proper form, why should I even care about push ups? What makes them so great? Well, first of all, they are essentially the only effective chest exercise that can be done in the comfort of your own home, without the need for expensive equipment. In addition, push ups are a compound exercise that helps develop the pectorals, triceps, deltoids, serratus anterior, coracobrachialis and the midsection as a whole. Also, push ups epitomize manliness.
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So you need to drop a couple pounds, and you think that cardio is the best way to do it. To burn the fat, do you need to run for miles and miles? No! Not with high-intensity interval training (HIIT). With HIIT, you can burn just as many calories and just as much fat as standard steady-state cardio in way less time . In addition, research has shown that HIIT increases your metabolism for hours after you exercise, so you burn extra calories even when you aren’t moving.
The fundamental idea behind HIIT is to significantly improve performance in the least amount of time . In general, a HIIT session involves a warmup period, several short, maximum-intensity efforts separated by moderate recovery intervals, and a cooldown period. For the maximum-intensity periods, you should be exercising at about 90% energy level, and during the recovery periods you should be doing 50%-60%. Each session is amazingly intense and you will definitly want to use your cooldown period to help remove lactic acid and allow your heart to return to its normal rate.
I’m going to start this post off by letting you in on a little secret: there is no "secret" to getting six-pack abs. There are no magic workouts, diets, or pills that will get you a six pack like this guy’s in under 2 weeks. So if you see a magazine promising sculpted abs in under a month, just remember it’s bullshit.
But while there is no magic way to get abs, it is possible to get great abs, it just takes time, dedication, and self-discipline. Many people believe that the best way to get abs is by doing 500 crunches every day. This belief is simply wrong and you will not get abs following this philosophy because you will give up from boredom in a week. In reality, the "secret" to powerful abs is a clean diet supplemented by abdominal exercises and high-intensity interval training . In addition, weight training is also highly recommended.
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