Hang Clean Day-
As always I am more than happy to take criticism on what I write about and how I go about doing things on this blog. Today my sister suggested that most readers wouldn't know what some of the lifts that I write about are and how to properly perform them. She suggested that I create a separate page on this blog to list a description of all the lifts I put in posts. In the next few days I will be hopefully (barring design difficulties) implementing this. I believe that this step will make my page and my writing more appealing to the casual onlooker. I am open to any ideas I receive so please, if you have a suggestion, comment or tweet at me to let me know at @fitness4student.
Today's workout has me more sore than I have been in a long time. The combination of my knee problems and simply not doing a lot of hang clean recently is going to take its toll on me tomorrow morning. Good thing I'm planning on attending yoga in the morning to have my active rest day activity. Reminder if you haven't read my blog from last fall about yoga here is a link. http://collegestudentfitness.blogspot.com/2012/10/yoga-classes-my-experiences-and-health.html
It is important even on a lifting rest day to get some sort of exercise in and yoga is a perfect option for that. So go out tomorrow, be active, have fun. I know that's my plan for tomorrow. Don't be sedentary, be active and be on the lookout for the new page with descriptions of all the lifts. Until then, I believe I am using common enough names to google and be successful finding what you need
Today's Lifts-
3x10 Hang Clean to Front Squat
3x12 Pectoral Fly with Max Set of Push-ups following each
2x5 Single Arm Dumbbell Clean and Press- Each Arm
2x Shoulder Series
5-10lb Weights Arm lifts- Palm down in front, Palm up in front,
Palm down to the sides and Iron Cross ( Hold weights out in a "T" at shoulder level)
3x5 Hang Clean Progression( Shrugs, Upright Row, Hang Clean)
Abs- 2x24 Each
Sitting Leg In and Outs
V- Leg touches
Have a great rest of your day.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Daily Workout- Triceps and Legs- In Gym
Tricep and Leg Workout- In Gym
Today was a very nice workout and had me pouring sweat for most of it. As with yesterday's workout credit goes to my high school strength coach. It was a nice variety of different lifts to compliment each other. The order of lifts for the week plays on each other nicely so it never seems like you are going to over exert a muscle. It has been a great week for workouts and I'm very excited to be back blogging about my hard work. It gives me an extra reason to be active and do what I already love doing. I have received a great deal of support from people and that reinforces the idea that this is a good thing. I thank you all for reading and hope that you get some sort of motivation out of it. I hope that everyone can find the time in their schedule to make working out a habit.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." ~ Aristotle
Today's Workout-
3x8 Close Grip Bench Press
3x8 Squat
3x8 Skull Crushers
2x20 Plate Twists
2x20 Plate Oblique Dips Each Arm
2x 30sec Push-up Plank/ Side Planks
2x Failure Dips
3x12 Tricep Pushdown
3x8 Straight Leg Dead Lift
Go out and be active and get a workout in. If you haven't been working out, there is no time like today to start. Follow me at @Fitness4student for motivational quotes throughout the day.
Today was a very nice workout and had me pouring sweat for most of it. As with yesterday's workout credit goes to my high school strength coach. It was a nice variety of different lifts to compliment each other. The order of lifts for the week plays on each other nicely so it never seems like you are going to over exert a muscle. It has been a great week for workouts and I'm very excited to be back blogging about my hard work. It gives me an extra reason to be active and do what I already love doing. I have received a great deal of support from people and that reinforces the idea that this is a good thing. I thank you all for reading and hope that you get some sort of motivation out of it. I hope that everyone can find the time in their schedule to make working out a habit.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." ~ Aristotle
Today's Workout-
3x8 Close Grip Bench Press
3x8 Squat
3x8 Skull Crushers
2x20 Plate Twists
2x20 Plate Oblique Dips Each Arm
2x 30sec Push-up Plank/ Side Planks
2x Failure Dips
3x12 Tricep Pushdown
3x8 Straight Leg Dead Lift
Go out and be active and get a workout in. If you haven't been working out, there is no time like today to start. Follow me at @Fitness4student for motivational quotes throughout the day.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Daily Workout- Back
Back Workout-
Today I was lucky enough to lift in my high school weight room that I am still in love with. I've never been in a weight room that made me feel as at home. It has the right amount of free weights as well as an abundance of Hammer Strength machines. You just don't get the same kind of lift out of pulley machines as you do out of a hammer strength machine. I also missed the atmosphere that is created in that weight room. I am going in a few minutes to do some cardio so working out is on top of my mind right now. I'm just trying to get into the zone right now. I cannot take credit for this workout, my high school strength coach created it and it reminded me of how much I liked (and hated at the same time) going to lift at his workouts. These type of intense workouts are important for building your body to be ready to compete in an athletic sport. The lowered rest time that is expected in between each set really helps for your muscle endurance.
My Workout Today-
Warmup- Agility ladders
(as fast as you can, for me and my knee that turns out to be pretty slow.)
-3x6 Pull-ups (Wide grip, Narrow grip, Neutral grip)(3 sets each)
-3x8 Bent over rows
-3x8 Hammer Strength Lat Pull down
-3x20 Calf Raises
-3x8 Hammer Strength Row
-2x20 Back Extensions
-2x30 second superman holds
-4x20 (sit-ups, crunches, scissor kicks in a row)
I can tell you that I was beat because the pace that we went at for this workout makes it tough. One after the other, short breaks. It really got the sweat going.
My cardio later will most likely be minute intervals on the ARC machine. Please comment, follow, share my blog with all of your friends. It would be much appreciated. Check back tomorrow for my daily workout.
5 Easy Weight Loss Tips to Help You Today
5 Easy Weight Loss Tips to Help You Today
Sometimes all you have to do to start towards your weight loss goals is stumbling across a well put together list of easy things you can do to lose weight. Recognizing this, I decided to put together a list of tips that I personally find very helpful.
1. Eat Less: Often times changing your entire diet is difficult. You have to move slow and not make too drastic of changes. Instead of changing your entire diet, to start your way to weight loss just eat a little bit less. A wrestling coach I had in high school one told me and a friend, when we were contemplating eating barely nothing to make weight, that it wasn't a smart idea and we had to do it a better way, he said, "Think about how much you eat normally. Every meal only eat half as much as you normally eat. You can survive on half of what you eat now, and this is much better than just not eating." If you listen to your body, you don't ever need to be extremely full. Instead of the 4 pieces of pizza you eat and feel really full after, eat 2. The pounds will start melting off.
2. Drink Water: There are many reasons why drinking water can help you lose weight.
-To burn calories efficiently, you body must have enough water.
-If you feel hungry at a non-mealtime, you can drink a glass of water to curb the hunger.
-Drinking water with a meal can make you feel more satisfied with less food.
-Dehydration harms your ability to exercise. To have a better workout, drink more water.
3. Eat More Protein: You should be eating protein with every meal. It will help your muscles repair themselves nicely as well has fight off hunger pangs better. Try for a 40%/40%/20% split of
Complex Carbs/Proteins/Fats. Try to stick to the leaner proteins, turkey over ham, fish over steak.
4. Do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Interval training is the new wave of fat-loss Cardio. The best way to burn fat isn't to jog for an hour in your fat loss zone, the best way to lose fat is to burn more calories. In a 16 minute HIIT you can burn more calories than an hour at steady pace. Along with more calories burned during the exercise, HIIT ramps up your basal calorie output for hours after you are done working out. You need to remember that the majority of your daily calories burned are outside of the gym. If you can raise the amount burned outside of the gym by spending less time IN the gym, I think that's maximizing your efforts.
5. Weight Train: Girls, I'm going to say this once right now but I will say it a thousand more times. LIFTING HEAVY WEIGHTS WILL NOT MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE A BODY BUILDER. If you want to "Tone" your muscles and tighten up areas that you aren't happy with, LIFT WEIGHTS. Weight training is essential for building a lean body. If you only do cardio to lose weight, the majority of your weight lost will be in muscle mass. You can't look lean and toned if you don't have any muscle. You can only look skinny. Being overly skinny is not the current trend and I think that it should stay that way. No one wants a twig. Having more muscle, increases your basal caloric output, or how much calories you burn just sitting around. To maintain your muscles, your body has to burn more calories and in turn will help you lose fat easily.
Go ahead and hit that like button, share this on facebook and twitter. Comment below and I will field any questions that come up.
I will be going to workout soon here. My workout post will come shortly after that. Be well.
Sometimes all you have to do to start towards your weight loss goals is stumbling across a well put together list of easy things you can do to lose weight. Recognizing this, I decided to put together a list of tips that I personally find very helpful.
1. Eat Less: Often times changing your entire diet is difficult. You have to move slow and not make too drastic of changes. Instead of changing your entire diet, to start your way to weight loss just eat a little bit less. A wrestling coach I had in high school one told me and a friend, when we were contemplating eating barely nothing to make weight, that it wasn't a smart idea and we had to do it a better way, he said, "Think about how much you eat normally. Every meal only eat half as much as you normally eat. You can survive on half of what you eat now, and this is much better than just not eating." If you listen to your body, you don't ever need to be extremely full. Instead of the 4 pieces of pizza you eat and feel really full after, eat 2. The pounds will start melting off.
2. Drink Water: There are many reasons why drinking water can help you lose weight.
-To burn calories efficiently, you body must have enough water.
-If you feel hungry at a non-mealtime, you can drink a glass of water to curb the hunger.
-Drinking water with a meal can make you feel more satisfied with less food.
-Dehydration harms your ability to exercise. To have a better workout, drink more water.
3. Eat More Protein: You should be eating protein with every meal. It will help your muscles repair themselves nicely as well has fight off hunger pangs better. Try for a 40%/40%/20% split of
Complex Carbs/Proteins/Fats. Try to stick to the leaner proteins, turkey over ham, fish over steak.
4. Do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Interval training is the new wave of fat-loss Cardio. The best way to burn fat isn't to jog for an hour in your fat loss zone, the best way to lose fat is to burn more calories. In a 16 minute HIIT you can burn more calories than an hour at steady pace. Along with more calories burned during the exercise, HIIT ramps up your basal calorie output for hours after you are done working out. You need to remember that the majority of your daily calories burned are outside of the gym. If you can raise the amount burned outside of the gym by spending less time IN the gym, I think that's maximizing your efforts.
5. Weight Train: Girls, I'm going to say this once right now but I will say it a thousand more times. LIFTING HEAVY WEIGHTS WILL NOT MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE A BODY BUILDER. If you want to "Tone" your muscles and tighten up areas that you aren't happy with, LIFT WEIGHTS. Weight training is essential for building a lean body. If you only do cardio to lose weight, the majority of your weight lost will be in muscle mass. You can't look lean and toned if you don't have any muscle. You can only look skinny. Being overly skinny is not the current trend and I think that it should stay that way. No one wants a twig. Having more muscle, increases your basal caloric output, or how much calories you burn just sitting around. To maintain your muscles, your body has to burn more calories and in turn will help you lose fat easily.
Go ahead and hit that like button, share this on facebook and twitter. Comment below and I will field any questions that come up.
I will be going to workout soon here. My workout post will come shortly after that. Be well.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Therapy and Leg Day- Opportunity
Therapy Day-
Today I had therapy for my leg. I was finished with therapy for awhile but I was at a point where I was allowed to go further into exercises such as jumping and I had no idea where to start. Going back to therapy has given me a better baseline to know what I am actually capable of doing. It has helped a lot and I am very happy with the decision to go back. Having someone telling you what to do and wanting to push yourself to the limit in their guidance is a very good way to reach your full potential. This brings me to an important tip.
Choose a Workout Partner Who Motivates You
If your current workout partner isn't motivating you to
1. Go to the Gym 2. Work Hard 3. Stay Focused.
you need to pick a new partner. There are people out there that better suit your goals. Pick someone who doesn't let you skip a workout you had planned. Pick someone who doesn't just want to talk to you the whole time instead of doing work. Pick someone who is better than you to ask for a little help. If you lift with someone who can lift a lot more than you, strive to be them. Different people offer different incentives of being their workout partner. Weigh the options and pick the best one for you.
Therapy today consisted of-
10 minutes on the Elliptical
Walking lunge with medicine ball twists
Resistance Band Back Pedaling
Resistance Band Karaoke Drills
Resistance Band Side Shuffles
Leg Press Until Fatigued
Balance Exercises
Step ups- Right leg Left leg up then Right leg Left leg down
As fast as you can for about a minute.
10 minute cool-down on the stationary bike
Today I locked in the privilege to work with my high school football team in the weight room and I am more than ecstatic about it. Just being in the weight room that I love the most made me jump into a group and start lifting with them. While I was in there I got a text from a teammate that said "Raider Pride til You Die" and I would have to agree. I miss being in competitive sports and this is an opportunity to stay in touch with the program that gave me so much as well as help out the next generation.
Today I had therapy for my leg. I was finished with therapy for awhile but I was at a point where I was allowed to go further into exercises such as jumping and I had no idea where to start. Going back to therapy has given me a better baseline to know what I am actually capable of doing. It has helped a lot and I am very happy with the decision to go back. Having someone telling you what to do and wanting to push yourself to the limit in their guidance is a very good way to reach your full potential. This brings me to an important tip.
Choose a Workout Partner Who Motivates You
If your current workout partner isn't motivating you to
1. Go to the Gym 2. Work Hard 3. Stay Focused.
you need to pick a new partner. There are people out there that better suit your goals. Pick someone who doesn't let you skip a workout you had planned. Pick someone who doesn't just want to talk to you the whole time instead of doing work. Pick someone who is better than you to ask for a little help. If you lift with someone who can lift a lot more than you, strive to be them. Different people offer different incentives of being their workout partner. Weigh the options and pick the best one for you.
Therapy today consisted of-
10 minutes on the Elliptical
Walking lunge with medicine ball twists
Resistance Band Back Pedaling
Resistance Band Karaoke Drills
Resistance Band Side Shuffles
Leg Press Until Fatigued
Balance Exercises
Step ups- Right leg Left leg up then Right leg Left leg down
As fast as you can for about a minute.
10 minute cool-down on the stationary bike
Today I locked in the privilege to work with my high school football team in the weight room and I am more than ecstatic about it. Just being in the weight room that I love the most made me jump into a group and start lifting with them. While I was in there I got a text from a teammate that said "Raider Pride til You Die" and I would have to agree. I miss being in competitive sports and this is an opportunity to stay in touch with the program that gave me so much as well as help out the next generation.
Revival- Comeback
Revival-Rehab
I am back. I've been away from this for far too long and I've been waiting for the right time to get back at it. For the last 6 months I have been rehabbing an ACL reconstruction and meniscus trimming. I had been living injured for the 2 months before I had the surgery, hoping that I wouldn't have to have my second ACL reconstruction of my life and it would just heal by itself. It didn't heal.. So I am still on the long recovery back (congrats Adrian Peterson for being a much better healer than I am). Knowing the things I learned from my first blown-out knee helped me dramatically to stay in better shape and in a better frame of mind. My first injury is what started the slow spiral to my 40 pound weight gain. I was determined to not let my body take that kind of abuse again.
6 months later, my right quad is still about half the size of my healthy left quad. This is the driving force in my workout plans currently. I have to be very careful still with my cardio. I just received the okay to start jumping a few weeks ago. While I am allowed to jump, I am not allowed to cut athletically yet and won't be cleared to play any athletic sport for a couple of months. This is a byproduct of a second ACL reconstruction as well as a byproduct of having a cadaver graft for the ACL which takes a little bit longer to heal.
My workout plans now are based on Upper-body switching off with Lower-body each day taking rest days on Wednesday if I feel sore and resting the majority of Saturdays and Sundays. I am currently doing all of the upper-body muscle groups every day that I work upper-body and the same for lower-body. I am working in modifications each day so I never do the exact same workout two days in the same week.
The majority of my training has been molded into sets of 6-12 depending on the day with 2-3 sets of each workout. A lot of my lower body workouts I have been doing single leg variations of exercises so that my body is unable to try and cheat and let my healthy leg take the most of the weight. I also try to work a little bit extra in my right leg to try to catch up as much as I can.
Today was an upper-body day, and I am in a different gym for the summer and I'm starting to get into a good routine in this gym. Going to this gym means there is less free weights and more machines. I try my best to do as many lifts on the dumbbells as I can. Before the last month I had not used dumbbells as much as I wanted to. The only thing I am really missing for free-weights is being able to bench. There is something about having a good bench-press Monday that just makes life seem to have a little extra color in it. I just have to work my muscles in a different way and, to be honest, this isn't too much of a bad thing. It gives me a chance to confuse my muscles.
My workout today-
6 Minute warm-up on the stationary bike
3x8 Dumbbell Shoulder Press
3x8 Pull-ups (use assisted pull-up if a guy was on it forever and you had to do it last instead of second in your workout..tsk tsk)
2x20 Dips (close to failure)
3x8 Bicep Curls
3x8 Lat Pull-Down
3x10 Tricep Pushdown
8 minutes on the Arc trainer 1 minute intense intervals
Sometimes all you need is a little prod of inspiration to get you out there working to improve your health. This blog had been such an inspiration to me knowing that people were reading what I did in the for my workout each day. This made me excited to create new workouts to try and test out.It gave me the prod that I needed to work that little bit harder. If reading my blog can give that inspiration to a single person, I would be overjoyed. I may have a new body part in my knee, but I'm still the same person who wants to be the biggest help that I can be. I am more than willing to respond to questions in the comment section. I would actually be overjoyed to know that I could be of some help. So please, do NOT hesitate to comment.
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