Working out a Stress Reliever?

Personally, one reason I love to lift weights is because it allows me to relieve some pent up anger and stress. I take my frustration out on the iron. I notice when I wasn't lifting I was much more easily irritated than I am now. This led me into doing some research on stress and weightlifting. And if the belief that working out served as a stress reliever. What I found was shocking. Working out helps not only your body but your mentality an immense amount. And yes, it does in fact relieve stress here's a great article that explains what tolls exercise can have on your mind, endorphins, etc. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469. So always remember if your feeling a little stressed at work or school don't be afraid to take a break and hit the weights, you'll come back feeling refreshed and ready to go!

Bench Pressing 101

One of the staples of weightlifting, bodybuilding and fitness is the a lift called the bench pres. Often when you tell people you lift a common response is "how much ya bench?". Although I believe the bench press is an overrated lift it can still be useful when executed properly. Often times I see people benching with poor form allowing then barbell to smash off their sternum to build more momentum on their press but this can risk injury and isn't very beneficial overall. Here is a great tutorial on how to bench https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRVjAtPip0Y telling you how to bench press correctly and what to avoid. The bench seems like a simple lift but there are multiple steps that people often miss hurting their progress and potentially cause injury!

Mind to Muscle Connection

As I continue to educate myself training properly and efficiently the more people I'm beginning to notice more and more people doing their exercises all wrong. I tend to see people going as heavy as they can causing them cheat on the exercise which really prevents isolating the muscle that they are training. After researching the mind to muscle connection I realized I had to make some changes in my training. For example, instead of going up to the 45's on dumbbell curls and using my momentum to swing the weights up I use the 35's and make sure to only use my biceps going slow and making sure to squeeze at the top of the motion. Same goes for really any isolation exercises I do now; chest fly's, late pull downs, tricep extensions the list goes on and on. I'm really beginning to focus on getting the squeeze in the muscle I'm training and feeling my muscles contract with every movement. I'm already starting to see major progress and highly recommend this type of training to others it'll help you progress and get the best pumps as mentioned in my last post!

The Greatest of All Time; Arnold Schwarzenegger

I decided to blog this week about arguably the greatest bodybuilder of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is a man that revolutionized the fitness industry and has inspired people everywhere to take on the sport of bodybuilding and to live an overall healthier lifestyle. During the late 70's and throughout the 80's Arnold's popularity exploded as he went from being a poor Austrian boy to being one of the most successful men of all time. He grew to become a highly marketable actor who played starring roles in dozens of movies to now being the governor of California, but his success all started in the weight room with a desire to get in shape and to be the best  bodybuilder to ever grace the stage. Personally I don't know where I'd be if Arnold never played the valuable role he did, because he is who inspired my dad to take on lifting in his early teens and my dad eventually inspired me. I can remember watching movies with my dad when I was younger and I used it think I wanted to look just like Arnold! In his prime it was very rare meet a guy who wasn't jealous of almost superhuman man. He is without a doubt the most influential man in the fitness industry inspiring millions; the fitness industry and the sport of bodybuilding wouldn't be the same with you Arnie!

Just thought this was a funny gif for you guys!

The "PUMP"

Have you ever been in the midst of a tough workout and got hit with "the pump"? The other day during my arm workout I began to feel my arms swell. This is one of the best feelings one can achieve while lifting. Whatever body part that has "the pump" begins to swell and increases in size and vascularity. You can literally get this feeling in any body part if you work it hard enough... biceps, triceps, chest, quadriceps the list goes on and on. After my workout session it got me thinking; What is truly happening when you feel the pump? This led me to doing some research once I got home and what I found was pretty cool. Here is a very informing link to a great article that discusses scientifically what "the pump" is, what it means and the best ways to achieve it http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson161.htm . If you have any questions don't hesitate to drop a comment in the box below! Keep calm and pump on my friends!

Form is Key

Always remember form is key guys! Lately I've been seeing a lot of people going too heavy and not maintaining proper form throughout their lift. This is what we call "ego lifting" or "half reppers" lifting too much weight to boost your ego but using terrible form. Practically anyone who has ever stepped into a gym can admit to ego lifting at least once (including myself). But it's not a laughing matter, not only can you injure yourself using improper technique but you also won't make much of an improvement to your body. Most times when people go too heavy they don't get that full range of motion for their muscles which can really put a dent in making progress. For example, I see it a lot of times in the squat rack guys will load up plates on each side of the barbell but only go down a couple of inches which really isn't doing much, instead they should lighten up and go down to at least parallel to work the proper muscle groups. Here is a great video that explains the pros and cons of ego lifting discussed by renowned athletes in the fitness industry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToOsOjqIEAo&spfreload=10  ... (there is a little crude humor and swearing).

DEADLIFT DAY

This weekend I went back home and worked out at my fathers facility. My workout consisted of deadlifts and deadlifts only. I hadn't deadlifted in so long because unfortunately the HUB gym here on campus bans deadlifting due to their not being any padding under the floor. Which sucks for me because personally my favorite lift is the good ol' fashioned deadlift. So being able to finally do some deadlifts felt great. It's my favorite lift but it's also one of the most dangerous if improper form is used. If you go too heavy and throw your form out the window some serious injuries can occur, most commonly to the lower back. Here's the best tutorial I could find given by a legendary powerlifter, bodybuilder and health scientists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5eGGZXb0Is it's a fifteen minute video that gives a rundown on everything from what equipment to wear to the proper form. It's a very informative video and I highly recommend watching it if you're afraid of injuring yourself on a heavy deadlift. It also covers something I wanted to cover, the great Sumo deadlift vs. Conventional Deadlift debate. He covers each and the differences in both. I love both deadlifting variations but I can deadlift much heaver with a sumo stance. The video below is of me deadlifting 275 as a warm up for 3 reps. I use the conventional style in this video.