Here is a question from the email inbox.  Thanks motts for the feedback. I hope you enjoy the weight lifting routine.

I’m planning to switch to a split when the new school year starts. Problem is that the weight training class is around 40-50 minutes long. So I drafted out a workout accordingly.  How does it look?

Mon: Chest
Tues: Back
Wed: Legs, Calves
Thurs: Shoulders, Triceps
Fri: Biceps, Traps, Abs

Mon:
2×8 BB Flat Bench
2×8 DB Incline Bench
2×8 Flat DB Flies
2×8 Pec Dec

Tues:
2xF Pull Ups
2×8 Deadlifts
2×8 BB Row
2×8 Lat Pull Down

Wed:
2×8 Squats
2×8 SLDL
2×8 BB Standing Calf Raise
2×8 Machine Standing Calf Raises

Thurs:
2×8 Overhead Press
2×8 Rear DB Flies
2×8 Skullcrushers
2×8 Pushdowns

Fri:
2×8 Reverse Curls
2×8 Incline DB Curls
2×8 DB Shrugs
2×8 Weighted Decline Sit Ups

I’ll switch between DB and BB every week. Reason for 2×8 is for time. Like I said this is my first time making a weight lifting routine so there’s probably a lot of errors.

Thanks, motts

- 5 days a week on weights is unnecessary in my opinion. For muscle growth, your body needs rest and recovery time. So tearing down your muscles 5 days a week and only really resting 2 days isn’t enough time in my opinion for optimal muscle growth. I would go with a 4 day weight lifting routine. That extra day of rest will be great. Your Friday can be just added into other days that work that same motions.

- Your split could be better too. This also has to do with the rest and recovery time between each muscle. With back and leg day next to each other, you’re not going to give your muscles enough time to rest. Deadlifts and squats are your two most draining exercises if you do them correctly. You want to have as much space between these guys as possible.

- I would say don’t bother switching from dumbbell to barbell each week. You want to have muscle progress, and you can’t tell if your doing the right things unless we can measure this progress. By switching from dumbbell to barbell you’re strengthening them both but hindering how fast your strength could go up if you just focused on one. For maximum muscle growth, the barbell will be your best friend. Dumbbellss are good for sculpting. You have to gain a lot of muscle before it will look good sculpted.

I would go 3 sets of 8 too. I just don’t think 2×8 is enough, after you’ve been training a while.

Here is what I would make your weight lifting routine too:

Monday (Chest, Biceps)
Bench Press
Incline Bench Press
Preacher Curls, DB Curls, or Normal Curls
DB Flies (optional)

Tuesday (Legs and Abs)
Squats
Straight Leg Deadlifts, Glute Ham Raisers, or Good Mornings
Calf Raises (I usually do 3×20 just because my calves are stubborn)
Weighted Situps

Thursday (Shoulders and Triceps)
Seated DB Overhead Press
Weighted Dips
Lateral Raises
Skull Crushers

Friday (Back and Traps)
Deadlift
Wide Grip Chins
Bent Rows
Shrugs

All exercises 3×8. Try it out. If you eat big, you will get great results with this weight lifting routine.

You can get great muscle building routines with No Non-Sense Muscle Building. It’s a great program to help develop that perfect body you’ve been wanting.

Travis

With more and more people starting to exercise everyday, there is a lot of demand for a more convenient workout.  What’s more convenient than working out at home?  Not much!  But can everyone get great results from an at home workout?

Unless you’re trying to become a serious athlete or a body builder, you can get the results you want from an at home workout.  The results you get from exercising without weights won’t be as efficient though.  You can still get great results but there isn’t much that compares to using weights. 

There are many at home workout programs out there.  So how do you know which one is going to work?  Well lets think about what the basics are to getting results.  To develop your body into the wanted physique, you’re going to have to develop some muscle and lose fat.  For these results, you want to do some resistance training and get your heart rate up.  Since you will have to do light weight exercises, your reps will want to be higher. A intense workout at home will be the most beneficial.

You want to choose a program that takes advantage of all your surroundings as well. You can do countless exercises on pretty much any household item. When you find yourself doing an at home workout, you have to get creative sometimes. One of the most important aspects of staying devoted to an exercise program is keeping it interesting. You don’t want to get bored by doing the same exercises everyday.

Check out my article on a great workout at home.

If you’re serious about building the body to the best shape you can, take a look at No Non-Sense Muscle Building.

Travis

The ankle in comparison to the rest of the body is a very weak point.  Ankle injuries are one of the most common mishaps to happen during any sporting event.  Even everyday activities like walking up and down stairs threaten your poor ankles.  We can help prevent these injuries though.  With strengthening ankle exercises you help decrease the risk of a twisted or sprained ankles.

Actively stretching your ankles helps reduce the risk as well.  Just by bending your ankle in different directions and holding will loosen the ligaments and tendons allowing less damage on impact.  Stretch the ankle side to side and front to back.

These strengthening ankle exercises will help build stronger ankles:

Jump Rope 

This basic strengthening ankle exercise with low impact is great for building the ankle and knee joints as well as build cardiovascular endurance.

Body Weight Calf Raise

Hold onto a chair or table.  Flex your calf muscle, raising yourself onto your toes.  Hold this position for 5 seconds.  Slowly lower yourself to start position and repeat this 10 times.

Toe Pulls

While standing, roll back onto your heels.  Keep your toes pulled back as far as you can and hold this position for 5 seconds.  Repeat this 10 times.

The Alphabet

This can be done anywhere, at work, at home while watching t.v., or even at the dinner table.  Use your foot to write the alphabet in the air.  Finish the whole alphabet and repeat with the other foot. 

These exercises are both great for preventing ankle injury as well as recovering from one.  Of course, take it at your own pace if you are suffering from an ankle injury. 

To help increase ankle strength, there are a few peices of equipment that come in handy.  Exercise bands are great to add resistance to your light weight ankle exercises.  The bosu ball comes in handy when wanting to improve balance and ankle stability. 

For more info about helping a sprained ankle, check out Go Healthy Fitness’ article “Let’s Decrease that Rehab Injury Time“.

Travis

It’s monday morning.  You feel great and you’re excited about your workout later.  Once you get to the gym, you lie down on the bench press and get ready to lift your first set.  Everything that has happened up to this point has been spot on for a good workout, but that bar feels like its 300 pounds.  Its the beginning of a bad week for exercise.

When this happens an immediate depression sets in.  You know the workout is going to be dreadful and all your lifts are going to be weak.  Most of us will leave the gym after a couple of failed sets.  And most of us won’t return for the bad week.

These workout days happen to everyone.  Many times, these days are a breaking point in someones workout regimen.  They will begin to workout less and less until they are back to a sedentary lifestyle.  To get the results you want you have to learn how to move past this bad week. 

A bad week of exercise is just part of the road to results.  There are many reasons that can play a part into the bad workout.  It could be anything from stress, how much you’ve been sleeping, the amount of food you’ve taken in or many more.  Here are some things to think about that might help you fight past your bad weeks.

First, you have to remember that everyone has a bad week.  You have to realize that its just a bump in the road when it happens.  It’s part of the battle to get the great results you’re after.  So after that first set that feels like 300 pounds, just sit back and relax.  Don’t get discouraged. 

Finish the full workout.  I know its tough but push yourself through it.  If you are having a hard time finishing your sets for the day, then switch up your rep/set scheme for the day.  Drop your weights and increase your reps. 

You can also try different exercises for the day that hit the same muscles.  It helps to do exercise you really enjoy.  So if I was doing hangcleans, my least favorite exercise, to hit my back for the day, I would do my favorite exercise instead, deadlifts.

So remember, push through those crappy workouts.  The dreaded bad workout will come to us all eventually.  You just have to know they are coming.  To really help get past your bad week, check out No Non-Sense Muscle Building. It will help you learn to develop your ideal body.

Travis

Yesterday, Go Healthy Fitness talked a little about the benefits of trying a boxing workout. Today, I’m going to give a small 15 minute boxing workout that you can add to your current workout for a boost in fat loss and metabolism. You can do this routine 2-3 times a week. Make sure to keep at least 1 day rest in between these intense days. I suggest adding this routine to your cardio days instead of your weight days.

Your going to need a few things before you can do this routine.  You will want some gloves.  These don’t have to be regulation boxing gloves but any padding on your knuckles will help soften each blow.  A punching bag would be recommended for this but you can do the punching exercises against the air. 

Heres the routine:

Warmup (3 minutes)

Jumping Jacks – Begin by performing 3 minutes of jumping jacks.  This will get the blood pumping quickly through the body as well as get a light sweat started.  As your progress gets better, you can switch this for jump rope. 

After the warmup, this routine is 1 continuous circuit.  Rest no more than 30 seconds between sets.  All these exercises equal 1 set.

Circuit 1 (6 minutes) 

Straight punches 50% speed for 30 seconds - Alternate punching left and right hands.  Keep the motions fluent and strong.  Don’t allow your hands to drop for the duration of the exercise.  Hit the bag harder by twisting your body and using your levarage to generate more force.  Each punch should be a good solid hard hit.

Push ups 20 reps – These pushups are to be done as a normal pushup.  Keep good form with a straight back and hands alittle wider than shoulder width.  Complete a full range of motion with your nose touching the ground to full extension.

Sprint Sit Ups 20 reps – Lie flat on your back.  Quickly bring 1 knee up towards your chest as you lift your opposite shoulder and elbow towards the knee.  Repeat this motion with the opposite limbs.  Do these very quick as if to imitate a sprinter taking off the starting line. 

Repeat 3 times

Circuit 2 (6 minutes)

Straight Punches 100% speed 30 seconds – This is the same as the first exercise except, you should be hitting the bag as quick as you possibly can.  Keep a good punching form but your impact shouldn’t be as hard. 

Bench Dips 30 reps- Place your hands on the edge of a bench holding your body over the ground.  Lower yourself down as you would a normal dip.  Your feet can either be on the ground or raised onto another bench or chair. 

Squat Uppercuts 30 seconds – To do this exercise, perform a body weight squat.  As you are in the movement upwards, throw a solid uppercut to the bag.  For each squat rep, you should be alternating hands you’re punching with.  Twist the body and keep the elbow in to maximize force of the punch. 

Repeat 3 times

So, try this nice 15 minute routine out on a few of your workout days and watch the fat come off.  If you still have trouble burning that fat and shaping your body, take a look at Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. It has been the leading nutrition ebook for quite sometime and has helped thousands get their dream results.
 

Travis

Are you ready to become your after picture? I hope so. Go Healthy Fitness is here to give you a hand. Check out these 10 tips on getting the body you’ve always wanted.  Transform your body now!

1. Start today!

   Don’t hesitate. There is no reason to wait till Monday to start a healthy living plan. Start now instead.

2. You are in control of your metabolism.

   If you live a sedentary lifestyle, then your metabolism is going to be sedentary. Unless you have a thyroid problem, you can increase your metabolism. You can accomplish this by eating 5-6 meals a day. Your digestive system constantly being active increases calorie use. Constant absorption of nutrients will increase your energy levels and you’ll find yourself being more active during the day.

3. Morning cardio = good

   Doing your cardio workout first thing in the morning will increase your fat loss. Your body is prime for burning fat soon after you wake. Drink a glass of water before and after your cardio. Getting the blood flowing before you eat breakfast can greatly increase weight loss.  Cardio is very important to transform your body.

4. Lift those Weights!!!

   Muscle is good!!! Even for you ladies. Let’s think about it for a minute. Muscle burns more calories than fat. A pound of muscle will burn around 50 calories. Add 10 pounds of muscle this year and be burning 500 more calories in a day. Every week you will be using 3500 more calories which is equal to 1 pound of fat. Resistance training also increases bone density, ligament, and tendon strength. It is a common misunderstanding that lifting weights will bulk you up…this just isn’t true. So get lifting.

5. You bite it you write it.

   To transform your body, nutrition will play a large key into success.  Keep a exercise and nutritional journal. If you write down what you’re doing, you will be more likely to achieve your goals. You can learn from what you do in the past, and you won’t remember what you’ve done without writing it down. 

6. Only 1 scoop please…

   Don’t eat large portions! Try and consume a complex carbohydrate, a protein, and a fat each meal. Your carbs should be the largest, protein 2nd, and fats smallest. I suggest each meal should only be able to fill a smaller tupperware container.

7. Think ahead.

   Like I’ve said before, if you don’t plan what you’re going to do, you won’t have as good a chance of reaching your goals. Think about what you’re going to eat the next day, as well as your exercise plan.

8. Make Healthier Food Choices

   By choosing the right types of proteins and carbohydrates, you can increase your fat loss and your health. You want to take in complex carbohydrates such as whole wheat foods, brown rice, and vegetables. Lean protein sources like chicken or turkey are great for your diet.

9. Drink more water!

   You need to be hydrated to lose weight. Try and have 8 glasses of water throughout the day. Soft drinks or coffee don’t count towards your water intake.

10. Enjoy your food.

    You’re not going to be able to keep the weight off if you can’t keep your good eating habits. So choose foods and flavor foods the way you like. There are thousands of recipes out there. Search around and find some healthy ways to cook your food. I believe having a cheat day a week is very beneficial as well. Don’t over do the cheat day but eat the foods you like.

If you’re still looking for help on how to transform your body, read my product review of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.  It provides great insight on healthy nutritional plans to help you get the look you’ve always wanted.

Travis

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