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Wednesday 13 February 2019

5 Movements / Exercises to Have the Best Workout

If I had to choose 3 to 5 exercises to burn fat, build muscle or lose weight, I would stick with the following:

1. Squat
2. Push
3. Pull
4. Single Leg
5. Core

These 5 exercises make the best combo for a fat burning program. There are many different variations of squats, push, pull, lunge movements etc... It's upto us to get the best results out of it.


You could perform this in a circuit fashion, straight sets, super sets, ladder sets or any other combo you see fit. It's always the ones who stick with the workout and diet for more than a month who actually see results.

Are you one of the losers or winners?

You do not have to go extreme, it's wise to start with baby steps to make sure you gradually adapt to the lifestyle your body needs, without challenging the lifestyle your brain and mind is used to.

Here's an interesting article on fat burning workouts you can do at home without equipment - see if it intrigues you. I've added 2 more movements to the mix, but that article clearly explains what I'm trying to get at.


My favorite routine as of late

Barbell Squats (12,10, 8 reps)
Incline Press (12,10, 8 reps)
Dumbbell Rows (12, 10, 8 reps)
Barbell Split Squats (12, 10, 8 reps)
Hanging Knee Raises (12, 10, 8 reps)

For the hanging knee raises, I add an additional second hold for the 10 and 8 rep sets if I find them easier to perform.

You see, it's about how you control your intensity to get results. Be smart, avoid information overload and start belonging to the crowd you always dreamed of being a part of.

Tuesday 12 February 2019

Can't Do a Single Chin Up? Here's a Few Tips to Fix that

Are you getting embarrassed / bullied at the gym? If you are finding it difficult to perform chin-ups or pull ups, you need to try some of these solutions to help you get on track with your fitness routine.

1. Get yourself a pull up / chin bar installed at home.


It doesn't matter what other fitness equipment you may or may not own, but it's of vital importance that you have this set up at home, if you are not a regular gym go-er or you feel embarrassed by the lack of strength to perform a chin up. Even the strongest bodybuilders have a time perform this strength summoning exercise, but you don't have to suffer for too long.

2. Start with Negative Training

Do not let pride get in your way. You HAVE to start with negative training. This is where you climb on a stool or chair until your arms can easily grab the bar without having to jump.

Once you grab the bars, jump up from the stool to the top of the chin-up position, and then take 5 seconds to come down until your feet touch the stool again.

Perform 3 sets of 8 negative reps with 2 minute rest in between.

3. Prioritize your Back Strength


Your fore-arms and your back muscles are the main limitations for your inability to perform a chin-up. Performing negatives will fix that.

In order to get the best results, focus on making sure this exercise is your utmost priority. This means, make sure you perform 3 sets of negatives on every single strength training workout your perform.

You have to perform a minimum of 3 strength training workouts per week, and the negative pull ups should be the first exercise in your routine.

This makes sure your back and arms are not tired from other movements.

4. Progressive Overload


Once you find it easy to perform 8 negative reps easily on each set of the chin up, it's time to add more reps or add more seconds to the negative. In this manner, you are always challenging your muscles to grow without having them be bored or stagnated.

Increase the seconds from 5 to 7 per chin up OR focus on getting 9 reps on each set, and keep increasing the reps when you find that easy too.

Either ways, always focus on improvement. It's the only way to get stronger.

4. Consistency for 30 days.


Perform this routine for a month without losing consistency.  You may try to perform a full chin up without support within this period, but don't feel disappointed or let down if you still can't. Wait for the full 1 month period of training on negatives, and then be confident that you WILL perform at least a minimum of 2 full chin ups with ease. Guaranteed. 

Stay motivated and visualize your success - you WILL WIN!

So, this article covers 4 important pointers to help you perform not a single but minimum of two chin ups with a training period of 30 days. 

Hope you enjoyed reading this article, and we hope you succeed in performing your full chin-up with the knowledge you gained from this article.