Month: February 2009 (Page 2 of 5)

      Stretch for Muscle

      February 21, 2009 /

      Are you typically a hardgainer or have you hit a plateau in the gym? Maybe stretching your muscles more is your answer to making gains again in the gym.

      MensFitness.com lays out six ways to stretch for more muscle:

      Chest. Grab a pair of dumbbells that you can perform 12-15 reps with on a dumbbell bench press, and get into the bottom position of the exercise (your hands near the outside of your chest).

      Back. Hang from a chinup bar in the bottom position of a pullup, palms facing away from you.
      Biceps. Set an incline bench to a 45-60-degree angle and sit on it with a dumbbell in each hand. Allow your arms to hang.

      Triceps. Hold the end of a towel with one hand and grab the other end behind your back. Pull down with the hand behind your back so that your opposite elbow points upward and that arm’s triceps is stretched. You should look like you’re in position to do a one-arm overhead triceps extension.

      Quads. Rest one foot on a bench set to a low incline, and bend the opposite knee so that you go into a split squat position. You should feel the stretch in your rear thigh and that leg’s hip.

      Hamstrings. Rest one heel on a bench, step, or other surface that’s three or four feet off the floor. Bend forward and try to kiss your knee.

      Click here to read the entire article.

      Arms, Bodybuilding, Chest, Exercise, General training, Legs, Men's Health and Wellness, Weight training, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

      Interview with “no holds barred” powerlifter Dave Tate.

      February 19, 2009 /

      Recently Dave Tate spoke with Testosterone Muscle. A native of Findlay, Ohio, he is a world class powerlifter and businessman. Dave is well known for speaking his mind, not only on powerlifting, but on a wide variety of subjects.

      Fuck Moderation

      I have two speeds: blast and dust.

      It’s just a personality trait. I’ve talked with a lot of entrepreneurs, top CEOs, business people, and athletes that operate in the same mode. You’re 100 percent on for weeks or months, just knocking everything out until nothing is left standing. And then, boom, you’re on the couch for three weeks. Training and business have been that way for me. Fuck moderation. I don’t have time for it.

      If I have some Oreos, I’m going to eat the entire bag. I’m not going to have two or three. If I’m going to launch a business, I’m going to do it all the way. If I’m going to train my ass off, then I’m going to do it hardcore. I would rather have no cheat meal for 12 weeks and then eat like a fucking hog for a month, than just have a cookie here and there. I’m going to run on all cylinders and then just disappear.

      What I’ve managed to figure out is that I can stagger the roles in my life. So if training is going to be in 100 percent blast, then I know business is going to be in dust. If business is going to be in blast, training is going to fall back in dust. That’s just the way it is.

      Dave Tate Interview

      Bodybuilding, General training, Interviews, Power lifting, Weight training

      Ways to dress up oatmeal

      February 18, 2009 /

      OatmealIf you research the benefits of oatmeal, you?ll find that its health benefits range from lowering your blood cholesterol to helping you reduce the risk of heart disease when you combine it with a low-fat diet. Simply put, oatmeal is one of the healthiest carbohydrates that you can consume regardless of whether you?re trying to bulk up or drop weight.

      But anyone who eats oatmeal on a daily basis (and I?m not talking about the crap you find that?s already pre-loaded with preservatives and sugars) knows that it can be boring as hell. The taste can be bland and therefore you could wind up punting it out of your diet and replacing it with an unhealthy cereal.

      Raisins seem to be the go-to when oatmeal is involved, but there are alternatives. Personally, I like to eat steel cut oatmeal, which already has a nuttier taste than regular rolled oats. (Although fair warning ? steel cut oatmeal takes longer to cook.) With my steel cut oatmeal, I also like to mix in a serving of all natural peanut butter for a good dose of protein and fat, as well as a sprinkling of cinnamon for taste. I?ve also seen some people mix cinnamon and Splenda together for even more taste, but I state away from sweeteners as much as I can because they can be a trigger for migraines.

      If the peanut butter and cinnamon aren?t enough for you, mix in a scoop of your favorite protein powder. It may sound strange but trust me ? depending on what flavor protein powder you use it can be very tasty. I?ve also heard people mixing in applesauce to help improve the taste of oatmeal, but for those that want to add size, going with a serving of peanut butter and/or protein is more beneficial. I’ve been known to cut up a banana and mix in it, as well.

      Cholesterol, Diets, Food preparation, Foods products, Men's Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

      Meditation for beginners

      February 17, 2009 /

      Men?s Fitness.com outlines three ways to meditate, which can help elevate stress and make you feel more positive throughout the day.

      Our world’s a pretty crazy place lately. Instead of letting all the negativity and frustration of daily life get you down, experts say, you should set aside time to reflect. But daydreaming while you fast-forward through commercials doesn’t count. We’re talking quality reflection ? the kind you get from meditation.

      You don’t have to sit cross-legged in a mass of pillows, either. “Even if you’re just looking for a little boost in your mood, meditation can help you do it,” says Bruce Frantzis, author of The Chi Revolution: Harness the Healing Power of Your Life Force. His suggestions on how to get started:

      FOCUS ON YOUR BREATHING
      Try to physically center yourself, taking long, slow, deep breaths and inhaling as much air as you can. “Breathe deep from your belly,” says Frantzis, “and relax your nerves while you do it.”

      RELEASE TIGHT MUSCLES
      Concentrate on how your body
      is feeling, and wherever you sense tightness, try to alleviate it. “Relaxing your belly will automatically relax your brain,” he says. This is when those pesky daily stresses start to disappear, and your perspective will naturally start to change.

      THINK POSITIVELY
      According to Frantzis, there are things that make people feel alive and things that make people feel dead. A “dead” example is any form of anxiety, while emotions like “love” and “hope” make you feel alive.

      Click here to read the entire article.

      Magazine Hype, Men's Health and Wellness, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

      Interview with trainer to the pros, Ed Downs.

      February 17, 2009 /

      Ed developed the patented Downs Disc Fitness System, a training and exercise system. It is used and endorsed by professional athletes, the University of Miami basketball team, high schools around the country, rehab centers, pregnant women, and thousands of people with weight, type 2 diabetes and respiratory problems. Without corporate funding, Ed realizing his dream through self-financing (by asking clients to pay him in advance), taking out a second mortgage and the sweat equity of 14-hour days.

      Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

      BE: You?re actually training the natural form and function of how the body works.

      ED: How the body works. How the body works my man. I love talking to somebody that understands what I?m talking about. Because sometimes it sounds so technical but it?s not really that technical.

      BE: That?s kind of what attracted?you know when Stephanie gave me the e-mails and I started looking into your stuff, that?s what really attracted to me to your style of training. And there are some other coaches out there, not the same obviously but they have similar?they?re trying to accomplish the same goal. You?re taking, which actually in the lab is a fairly complex subject, and you?re making it very simple. You?re just doing what the body does.

      ED: What it does. I mean, thank you. When we walk, you take your right foot forward and your left arm goes out. We don?t walk with your right foot forward and your right arm going at the same time; you would look goofy as hell. So we want to work in patterns of our natural movement. So I don?t care if I?m working with a lady or a man. A lady carrying a baby and getting ready to put it in her car seat; she?s kind of awkward when she?s reaching and bending down and they wonder why they twist their back. So I?ve got to be able to train their bodies to be able to move in unexpected movement, right?

      Read the rest of the interview, HERE.

      Exercise, General fitness, General training, Interviews, Workout programs

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