I've gotten great feedback on the "Better Than Steroids" ebook. The emails are still coming in on the impact of the principles in the book. I just wanted to thank everyone for the emails and let you know that I am glad to hear about all of your progress. Keep it up my friends! If you want your own "Better Than Steroids" ebook just click Here!
Subscribe To My Blog!
Posts
All Comments
Friday, July 31, 2009
Great Feedback On My "Better Than Steroids" Ebook!
I've gotten great feedback on the "Better Than Steroids" ebook. The emails are still coming in on the impact of the principles in the book. I just wanted to thank everyone for the emails and let you know that I am glad to hear about all of your progress. Keep it up my friends! If you want your own "Better Than Steroids" ebook just click Here!
Aerobic Progression - How a Beginner Can Go From Walking to Running!
Everybody talks about starting up a workout and exercise program, but most beginners don't even know where to start? If you absolutely have no clue the easiest thing to remember is that doing something is always better than doing nothing!
In all of my years of training people I have come to discover that many of them kickoff their exercise programs much in the same way. A lot of people that just start out end up taking a nice stroll around the block or at the local park. This is a great way to begin. However, the question of where to go next is always the following concern for many. For the sake of this article I'm not going to discuss the resistance training element, but the same questions arise there also. So if you decide to take a nice evening walk and can only make it halfway around the block today this can be your measuring stick.
In other words, today you made it half the distance so next week shoot for completing the whole distance. Eventually walking 2 or 3 times around the block might get a bit time consuming so the next step to progression is to ease into a light jog. You may not be able to complete the same distance that you walk when progressing into the run because you have intensified your work. Intensifying your workout is always the next step. If you are walking then jogging should be the next logical step. If you are jogging then running should be the next logical step. You understand where I am going.
The point is that you get yourself going doing something. The physical benefits of exercise all seed positive results from using your body. No matter your program always ask yourself how you can intensify it and move on from there.
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Strength Training - Groups Vs Doing it Alone!
Having specialized and played for years in team sports I have had plenty of experience with sharing pain, blood, sweat, and tears in a group setting. I am also aware that there are plenty of individual sports and people that just prefer to engage in physical activity by themselves. In the following article I want to address the importance of team unity and the motivation of the group factor when pursuing a goal!
Like I said, I have been in vigorous training environments in the past whether preparing in the off-season for football or baseball, or by training athletes and getting involved with team oriented fitness programs. I have always considered myself as somewhat "driven" when it came to my own personal journey towards physical dominance, but it was never easy and I am a professional that specializes in doing this for a living. Based on this I want to point out the importance of having a training partner or group when trying to push yourself to the next level. From what I remember about those crazy early mornings in boot camp and football camp it was miserable.
The only comfort or solace that I had was knowing that I wasn't the only one that was miserable when I looked around and saw how bad off my friends were. This is why I would encourage you to get involved with a friend or friends if you are truly serious about taking your journey of personal physical dominance to the next level. Share your glory with others. Earn and obtain the respect, honor, and discipline of your friends and peers as you ascend to greek-god status.
Remember, if you aren't even motivated to drive to the gym how do you expect to make this journey riding solo? This is why I am a big supporter of groups over the individual. Enjoy my friends!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Circuit Training - The Superior Way to Develop Total Hard Body Construction!
In my personal opinion there are two definitions of circuit training. The first definition is pain, misery, body-shock, and total mental and physical exhaustion. The second definition that Webster probably uses is the method of physical conditioning in which an individual moves from one exercise station to another without resting. Every station is different and can consist of a variety of exercises designed to challenge the body in multiple ways.
If you are looking to step up the intensity of your workouts this is the way to go. Every circuit training environment can be structured in a variety of ways. A circuit can be as little as 2 or 3 exercises coupled together or 20 exercises linked at once. Stations can be set up to be resistance-oriented, running-oriented, or both. Either way you choose to set up your circuit program its not going to be easy if you have done it correctly. The idea is to run through all of the stations before allowing yourself a rest period. Obviously the length of this rest period will depend on either how big and intense the circuit is or by your level of fitness. The bottom line is that you will be able to gauge how in shape you are when you do first start and when you have progressed to doing it on a regular basis.
Don't waste time getting the results you have always wanted. This is the quickest way to HARD BODY CONSTRUCTION! Remember that intensity is the key to fitness success.
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com |
Sets and Reps - A Formula For Strength!
Have you often wondered how sets and reps are structured to gain strength? When you think back to the days that you played ball and the coach had often had a different set count and rep count for the bench press every week did you ever wonder why? You probably noticed that it was like that on every lift from week to week, especially if you had a descent strength coach.
Lets start answering these questions by first defining strength. The definition of strength is the bodys' ability to produce muscular tension when a force is applied to it. Now that we know this how does it apply to building this phenomenon we know as strength? There is a relatively simple explanation for this. Whenever force is constantly applied to a muscle the muscle adapts by being tricked or practiced into the role of having to handle the stress of that load. By doing this the muscle becomes fitter and can more forcefully contract to move a weight or object more effectively. A good strength coach or trainer also knows that strength can be built by applying the maximal amount of force to the muscle consistently over time without training the muscle to failure. For example: Lets say that a man can bench press 200lbs for 3 sets of 4 reps. This is a total of 12 repetitions. Now lets say we want to get him stronger so we add 10 lbs bringing his bench to 210 lbs. Now with the added load he can only do 3 sets of 3 reps. This is only a total of 9 repetitions. To get him stronger doing the same total number of reps with more weight all we need to do is add an additional set. Now the man is doing 4 sets of 3 reps totaling 12 reps, but with more weight!
This is the key to structuring sets and reps to build ultimate strength. I used the bench press in this particular example, but this principle applies to the entire body. Now you know the secret behind the Formula For Strength!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Interval Training - An Intense Way to Build Serious Fitness and Top-Notch Endurance!
You are probably wondering how in the world you can squeeze a butt-kicking workout in on your lunch hour and still have enough time to inhale that sandwich before returning to the office. Well this article will cover the concept of interval training which will give you a plan that will combine both aspects of cardiovascular conditioning and resistance training in one BIG BODY BLASTING workout!
To start, the concept of interval training is something that is generally used by runners. The definition of interval training is to engage in high intensity exercise immediately followed by a lower-intensity type of activity (or actual interval). Even though this particular model of activity has been generally associated with runners, I'm going to refer to it so you can modify it to fit into your resistance training program. There are many ways that you can structure this model to fit into your personal program. You can alternate your resistance training exercise with each interval that you do. For instance, you can do a set of push-ups and then engage in 2 minutes of jump-rope. You can also alter it again to get all of your sets of push-ups completed and then do your 2 minute intervals of jump-rope. Another way is to super-set a couple of resistance training movements an then do the interval. All of these variations work and produce tremendous results.
Remember that the bottom line is to intensify what you are doing since there is a sacrifice in your time. You want to be able to hit a great workout and shovel down your lunch before running the risk of getting back to work late to find out that the boss has shoveled your job!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Protein - The Absolute Truth About This Essential Ingredient For Building Lean Muscle Mass!
There are many fad diets and misconceptions all over the television, radio, internet, and in books about nutrition and fitness. Most all of these fads can be written off pretty quickly when in most cases people can't stick to them effectively due to unrealistic expectations and misguided loyalty towards the product. The following article will provide the facts about protein along with an appropriate recommended daily allowance of this specific nutrient.
I just want to discuss one of three main nutrients that is an essential ingredient in building lean muscle mass and necessary for muscle recovery. I am talking about protein. For you to have any successful strength and conditioning program you must be getting enough high-quality protein. This is the nutrient that builds our muscles back up to a recovered state after the wear and tear of working out. You see our skeletal muscles themselves are made up of nothing more than many fibers of protein, so it takes the same thing to nurture them back to a full recovery.
How much protein should I have? This is a great question. The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) has different recommendations for you based on your level of physical activity. Observe the amount below:
Mildly Active: 1 gram per kilogram of body-weight
Moderately Active: 1.5 grams per kilogram of body-weight
Very Active: 2 grams per kilogram of body-weight
Note: There are 2.2 lbs in 1 kilogram.
Tip: Protein from animal-based products or meats have a higher biological content than those acquired from a vegetarian or plant-based food product.
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Six Pack Abs - Is it Possible Or Just a Hollywood Myth?
Are Six-Pack Abs a Hollywood myth and only something that we see on magazine covers and TV? By the looks of most Americans one might think that it is a myth. So is the possibility of having a rock hard stomach and Greek god physique even a goal worth striving for? Is this something that is obtainable yet too unrealistic or time-consuming to take a shot at? My answer to this question is NO!
The answer to this question is no, but it will take some sacrifice. The sacrifice has to be a consistent change in your lifestyle and your personal diet and exercise program, but it is a very reasonable goal to strive for. You have to absolutely commit to sticking to a steady healthy diet and completely cut out all of the junk. You can have a cheat meal from time to time, but you most always have to eat perfectly healthy. Now this isn't as unreasonable as eating perfectly unhealthy, right? You can commit to being a loving father or mother, husband or wife, commit to paying your bills all of the time, so why should this be any different. If you take on this mindset you are 90% there.
Gaining a Greek-god body is not as far from the realm of possibility as you would think. We've established the significance of having the right frame of mind. Next you need a well structured strategical plan. One of my favorite quotes from the movie "The Usual Suspects" Kevin Spacey says, "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn't exist!" Well, in referencing a rock hard body and six-pack abs this is the very mindset of many people when it comes to achieving that level of fitness. Most think that it doesn't really exist, at least for them. This is not true.
Consistently working out EFFECTIVELY and eating the healthy diet CONSISTENTLY is the key. Remember that with your workouts it is much better to have a short intense workout than a long leisurely one. This is what I mean by an effective workout. As long as, you can engage in this as steadily as you pay your bills and kiss your spouse on the cheek everyday, or at least in the case of working-out, every other day then the results will blow your mind!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Animal Walks - An Easy Concept and a Creative Killer Workout!
What are animal walks? Well, its certainly a more difficult way for people to move around rather than just walking around on our own two feet. Animal walks are just what they sound like. You can get a heck of a workout simply getting on the ground and moving around in as many creative ways as you can come up with.
To start, for some people its hard enough to walk in the normal erect human way for any reasonable distance. So if you want to get in shape and really get creative with developing a top-notch strength and conditioning program without the need for equipment then animal walks are the perfect way to go. All you have to do to start is to simply get down on all fours and walk around. You can create many different variations of these by shifting more of your weight to your arms by keeping your legs completely straight (aka bear crawls). You can also do 3 limb walks and body slides. These can generally be done on just about any surface depending on what kind of walking or sliding drills you plan on doing. For instance, if you are going to do slides you need a relatively slick level surface. You simply get on your stomach outstretch your arms and pull your body forward for the slides. However, if you want to make your bear crawls harder try doing them walking down hill. You quickly see how easily these can be manipulated to be super intense drills.
Animal crawls, slides, and walking variations are all tremendous for developing core strength, cardiovascular conditioning, and great mobility. These walks provide a rigorous and unique type of stress to the body in order for it to adapt to a harsh physical environment. Once again, the importance of being able to handle your own body-weight is the true way to develop the most elite level of fitness!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
The One-Arm Push-Up - Truly Mastering the Age-Old Exercise!
If you have ever seen guys grinding out 50 to 100 push-ups at a time its a pretty impressive demonstration of muscular strength and endurance. Doing the traditional push-up is one thing, but in my opinion if you have ever seen the one arm push-up executed flawlessly it easily "one-ups" the normal 2 arm drill.
The one arm drill is truly a display of upper-body power and shows that the individual doing the drill has started to tame a high level of intensity. Like any one arm tamer you have to practice this drill to truly master its full dynamic. Many guys that have tried it have injured themselves by not holding their body in the correct position for creating ultimate tension for their body to stabilize throughout the movement. You must realize that unlike your traditional 2 arm drill a greater amount of your total weight is distributed to the one side that you choose for the drill. This is where you quickly realize the importance of weight distribution when it comes to doing any single limb exercise.
The benefits of executing this drill are immense. You develop total upper-body power to generate huge pushing and punching power. You also learn how to manipulate your trunk or core to bend and tension to achieve greater flexibility and a fuller range of motion. The intensity of the drill alone builds mind-blowing strength, hardens the muscle, and develops more resiliency. It also vastly increases your perceived level of exertion adding to the conditioning effect of your total workout. All of this is achieved and at the same time you get to look good! Forget doing high reps and worry about the "Mastering" of this intense physical task!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com |
Kettlebell Talk - A Conversation With My Brother on His Most Recent Battle With the Iron Cannonball!
I am one of two of my parents' children and I am the oldest son. So being the big brother I always took on my responsibility in making sure that my little brother would be tough enough to play the sports and be competitive with other kids his age. I did this by making sure to participate in years of physical torture and normal aggravation towards him in the role that all older brothers generally take part in, at least to some degree. This awesome job that I did in being the big brother has certainly paid off with his kettlebell training. I guess I knew all that big brother torment would eventually payoff somehow!
I had the fortunate opportunity to hangout with my "little" brother recently. I say that word "little" jokingly because now my so-called "little" brother stands about 6'2" and weighs in at about 220 lbs on average. I also made sure to take on my responsibility in keeping him interested in training his body long after the days of serious athletic competition. Well, like always, he met all the challenges and has certainly responded very well. He recently filled me in on how he has incorporated the iron bell into his personal program to achieve size, strength, and overall conditioning.
He used an approach that was rather simple, but the level of difficulty was immense. Basically, he explained that he was structuring a powerlifting type workout focusing on variation squats, deadlifts, and chest presses. He elaborated saying that he wanted to do a somewhat traditional powerlifting type workout with the inclusion of high volume kettlebell swings between every set of squats, deadlifts, and presses. He said that he even incorporated a normal progression of pyramiding working up to intense weight with the traditional lifts while still hitting the swings between every set. All I could say was WOW, as I followed up by asking him how long he was able to last. He said "as long as I could, and then I left the weight-room!" The result is that he has had an increase in size, strength, and overall endurance. Now I will always be the "Big" brother, but I may not try to aggravate him so much anymore without thinking twice. Ok, I've thought about it. He's not getting off that easy!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Cyclist - The Importance of Strength Training For the Cyclist!
Cycling is a very physically taxing activity that your muscles must be able to endure at varying intensities. If you are a competitive cycler then you understand how hard it is on the muscles to climb the hills and still have enough left at the end to beat out your competition. This article will look at the importance of strength training for the body of the cyclist.
To be a cyclist there is no doubt your legs have to be powerful. They are constantly churning against a resistance that is constantly changing whether you are going straight, uphill, or downhill in your event. Even though that cycle has a seat you may find that your rear is out of it during some of the more demanding parts of the course. Leg strength is essential because of this very reason. My opinion on all cyclist that want to enhance their ability is that an effective strength training program should be as important as time on the bike. When we look at the demands on the legs of this event some may automatically assume that the legs are the sole muscle to train for this event and that is not necessarily true. Yes, the legs will endure a great deal of the load of an effective strength training program in this case, but the body should be more trained as a whole with more emphasis on the lower body as a foundation.
If you think about your time on the bike you realize that deep into the race you have to have a strong pair of legs, a strong back, and outstanding cardiovascular conditioning. Being on that 2 wheeled machine pedaling yourself silly should definitely be part of your conditioning, but the inclusion of effective strength training can further enhance both qualities of muscular strength and endurance. I would approach the program by doing variations of deadlifts, squats (single and double-leg), cleans, and a variety of plyometric drills(single and double-leg). The key to optimizing your performance here is also having a base understanding of the importance of periodization. You should engage in a high volume of both lifting and riding and strategically taper it down as you approach your competition.
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com |
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Athletic Development - A True Misconception About How the Athlete Should Build Strength!
I am here to tell you the truth about off-season strength training and total-body conditioning to maximize your performance for the next upcoming season of your sport. You don't need the fully-stocked weight-room to achieve optimal performance. The following philosophy is a proven fact and translates over ALL boundaries to ALL sports!
So you are thinking "what is he talking about?" Well the truth about building strength is easy, but you have to have a definite logical plan in your approach for your optimal performance development. You see the only way to truly get stronger is to maximize muscular tension. Tension is what builds absolute body strength. This is achieved best by engaging in lifts of 3 dimensional movements. Now when I say lifts I don't necessarily mean weights, I mean lifts that create resistance! You should always try to master different ways of handling a load rather than just handling a different load of weight. For instance, I may be able to deadlift 500 lbs as a football player, but to truly get stronger should I continue to increase the poundage to maybe do 550 lbs? The answer to this is no. Rather than trying to improve the poundage of the DEADLIFT I would better OPTIMIZE my strength by changing to do snatches, cleans, jerks, lifting rocks, sandbags, variation animal walks, and a engaging in an arsenal of plyometric drills.
Now what I have mentioned so far can all be varied by utilizing alternative tools to traditional weights found in a weight-room. To name a few examples: your own body-weight, rocks, sandbags, buckets of water, swinging a sledgehammer, tires, and throwing heavy objects! Creativity is underrated. Any multi-planar movement will stimulate your neuromuscular system to not only adapt to a heavy load, but to adapt to MOVING that heavy load therefore giving you OPTIMAL performance!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Kettlebells - 2 Tremendous Strength Exercises For the Avid Golfer!
If you are a golfer that has a decent game then its about to get better. You have probably read some of my other material and realize that the kettlebell is a great tool to train military personnel, athletes, and regular people that have a hard attitude for working out. Its also a great tool even for golfers. The following 2 exercises will increase your flexibility in your hips and shoulders and increase your leg power and core strength!
Exercise 1: (The Double-Arm Kettlebell Swing) This is pretty much the staple of all kettlebell lifts. It involves swinging the bell from between your legs up to chest-level with your body fully extended at the top of the movement. You get double fiexion and extension of the hips and knees working the glutes, hips, low back, and mid-back. The arc of the bell swinging from between your legs up to your chest in front of your body also constantly challenges your abdominals, lats, delts, traps, and certainly grip strength. All are highly activated when trying to out-drive Tiger Woods.
Exercise 2: (The One-Arm Turkish Getup) This lift is highly dynamic and challenges the body for further balance, stability(especially shoulder stability), core strength, and core flexibility. This lift starts by you lying on the floor with the bell in one arm fully extended perpendicular to the floor throughout the lift. From the floor the object is to stand up through a series of learned steps until you are on your feet. The bell stays above your head throughout the movement. There is a lot of movement required with the upper-body and side-bending of the trunk in order to execute the lift. Because of these intense movements with the trunk it promotes outstanding flexibility, strength, and range of motion which is where your BOMBING drives will benefit.
Both of these lifts are great for turning your golf game into something worth buying a new set of clubs over. Learn and execute these flawlessly!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com |
Iron Abs - 2 Ab Blasting and Conditioning Exercises!
I want to state that getting those "six-pack abs" involves a lot more activity than just doing crunches. Doing sit-ups and crunches train the muscles of the abdomen, but they don't speed up your metabolism to burn excess body-fat away from your body so those developed muscles underneath are revealed. Now I will say that your nutrition should be about 90% of your attempt at getting iron abs, but this article is going to discuss 2 exercises that will train the muscles of the abs and help to speed up your metabolism.
Iron Ab Exercise 1: (The Rolling Squat) The rolling squat has a funny name and is a rather challenging exercise that will hit a lot of muscles in your body while blasting your abs in the process. You want to start this by making sure that you are standing on level ground with maybe some sort of relatively soft surface behind you. Either grass or a soft mat will do. You want to stand with your feet about shoulder width distance apart. Next, in one quick explosive movement, you want to do a deep squat lowering your rear all the way to the ground. In the middle of this movement you roll back on the ground lifting your feet off of the ground with your knees bent. Still in the middle of the roll quickly thrust and roll your body forward firmly planting your feet right back to the ground where they were and stand up to execute a vertical jump! Every rep afterwards should be executed in rapid succession.
Iron Ab Exercise 2: (The walk-out plank) This one is rather simple to explain, but just as hard to execute. Consider the same situation as above as far as your surroundings. Here your feet are also shoulder-width distance apart. Next you just simply crouch or squat down placing your hands on the ground in front of you. Next you simply just walk with your hands out extending your body and placing yourself into a plank position. From here just push yourself back up with your hands and walk with your hands back to a standing position.
This is the secret to your Iron Abs! Enjoy!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Push-Ups - 2 Tips to Triple Your Number of Push-Ups in 3 Weeks!
So you are wondering how to increase the number of your push-ups by 3? I'm going to give you a rather simple formula that you can follow that will definitely allow you to do this rather quickly.
Tip 1: The very first thing that you need to do in order to figure out how to improve your total number of push-ups is to test yourself to find out how many you are capable of doing. You'll want to do as many as you can to failure. I'm going to assume that your technique is sound and that you have a legitimate test and knowledge of your true number. Make sure that your range of motion is full and that there is NO cheating during the test. So once you have your number now its time to move on to improving it!
Tip 2: For the sake of argument lets say that the most you are capable of doing is 10. So the magical number that we have to work with is 10. Now from here on out you will practice your push-ups 2 to 3 times a day everyday of the week! Yes, I said 2 to 3 times a day everyday. Now we have determined, for the purpose of this article, that the most you can do is 10. So every time you go to practice your push-ups you won't do 10, but rather only about 5 or 6. Now this is the secret because by doing this you are not training the muscle to failure and you are only doing a single set. The key here is that you will be doing this single set of 5 or 6 reps 3 times a day! This means that the volume of your push-ups are ranging between 15 and 18 per day! By now you probably see where I'm going with this. After about a week you'll find that practicing your set of 5 or 6 will become easy so this is where you'll want to start to practice more like 7 or 8 up to 3 times a day. From here you will eventually be able to practice 10 or more multiple times a day. This is where your overall number can be tripled or more in such a short period of time.
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Just Recovering!
After 6 weeks of intense training, writing, and working 7 days a week I think it has all caught up to me. I just wanted to take this time to tell everyone that I hope you are getting a lot of the information that you are seeking out through the blog. If you want me to post on any one single topic please feel free to message or leave a comment. If you are reading this then that means you are on the blog and for that I would just like to say hello and I hope you get as much as you can out of it! Once again thank you for your interest and I'll be back soon to post again.
Monday, July 27, 2009
My New Ebook: Better Than Steroids
I am very excited to introduce the release of my new ebook "Better Than Steroids!" This is a project that I made sure would connect with the fitness culture. As a matter of fact, I explain the meaning of what I like to refer to as the Strength Culture in the ebook. This is a concept of mine that ties into my philosophy of training and life. There is a lot of hard-hitting information that I guarantee will improve your level of fitness and change the way you think about working out forever! If you are interested then just simply go here to www.betterthansteroidsebook.com to learn more about the product and to get your own. Train hard and enjoy my friends!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Here was my interesting day at the pool! Aquatic workout with the kettlebell was challenging. I did 3 rounds of double-arm swings, single-arm swings, snatches, and clean and presses in the water. Ran a whole circuit of 30 reps per exercise in the water with a 16kg bell! I can handle the big bells, but trust me the water adds an entirely new dynamic! Feel free to look over to the right and click on my facebook page link to view some other cool aquatic photos!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Easy Weight-Loss - The Lazy Mindset!
I want to take the time to address the mindset of many people that are always looking for the "easy way out" when trying to lose weight. I have dealt with many people over the years that have a lazy mindset when it comes to working out and overall fitness. This article is meant to address that problem and to try to explain the importance of hard work and self-motivation.
I have had many years experience in training some of the greatest athletes in the world for the sole purpose of getting their bodies in top-notch condition in order to perform at the highest level. Because of this past experience with the most "Elite" I can certainly manage working with anyone else in the general population. Now I'm not saying this to sound arrogant because I'm about to get my point across. I just find it hilarious that a lot of people that THINK they have all the answers never totally get the results that they continually seek. Now the people to which I am referring are primarily those that want to act like they know what they are talking about, but are always looking for the easy way to try to get what they want!
You see them walk into the gym with 3 tubs of supplements and a huge gym bag full of other so-called quick fixes. You always see the ones with the "lazy mindset" spend all the money to get that "magical pill." The truth is that these people will never achieve their goals until they change their mindset and get motivated. I have even had people that pay for my services and because they spent the money think that I will magically cause their gut to disappear. This is a truly lazy frame of mind. The truth is that motivation comes from within. If you don't have the inner drive with anything in life, including working out, you will never succeed!
Change your mindset to be proactive and not reactive. Remember that only you can make YOUR OWN CHOICES!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Your Body - The Real Weight Room!
I would say that your own body is the best weight-room or gym around. It amazes me that most people don't get the concept of progression. Time and time again I see people that can bench-press a pretty good amount of weight but lack the ability to execute one correct form push-up. Their logic is backwards.
I would like to start by saying that if you are not capable of performing some basic body-weight exercises such as push-ups, squats, and planks then you have no business adding an additional load to the body like the act of lifting weights! You see these are all forms of resistance. Whether you are lifting your own body-weight or you are throwing weights around in the gym you are simply adding resistance to the muscle causing it to tense up. This tensing up or tension is what builds strength. You have to progress in order to gain optimal function and overall development of strength.
When you engage in such exercise that involve your own body-weight such as push-ups you will find that they can be pretty challenging. You can get a heck of a workout by participating in this age-old movement and others that are like it with just your own resistance. My opinion is that if you cannot execute these movements by using your own resistance effectively then you lack development in your stabilizing muscles and overall core strength.
Make sure that you understand how to progress in a fitness and exercise program before you start. Always have a plan before blindly throwing yourself into something hoping that it will all just automatically happen. Learn and practice these movements flawlessly and then move on to more difficult and challenging workouts.
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
The Kettlebell - A Great Supplemental Tool For the Powerlifter!
Most of the powerlifters that I have spoken to primarily include 3 big lifts into their program. The usual bench-press, back-squat, and deadlift are all 3 staples of the powerlifting culture. They may include other side or additional lifts like RDL's and pull-ups, but they generally have a fix on the main 3.
If you are a powerlifter and are curious about what a kettlebell is then I will explain. It is basically a cast-iron cannonball with a metal handle attached to it. They come in many sizes ranging from 8.8 lbs. all the way to 105lbs.! The bell is a great tool for building strength due to its unique shape. The shape of the bell causes your body to counter-react to it in order to stabilize the bell because it is always pulling away from your body. This stabilization is quickly amplified when utilizing this tool in certain lifts that really challenge your body causing it to adapt quickly.
The bell can readily be incorporated into your program and the technique of some primary lifts can be learned quickly. Its a very dynamic way to train the body and certain lifts are quicker and more explosive type lifts to execute when using the bell. This is also a benefit because it not only assist you with tremendous strength from stimulating the stabilizer muscles, but it also helps by increasing your range of motion and flexibility! The bell is also very hard to handle because of its shape. You will quickly find that by using the same weight kettlebell at the same weight as you may use a dumbell is completely different. The kettlebell is much harder to handle than the dumbell even at the same weight.
To further enhance your powerlifting program include the kettlebell into your program before your next event. This is a device that will absolutely make the difference in your program. Don't wait, learn and apply!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Walking - Making Your Walking Program a Fat-Burning Adventure!
Walking is a great way to stay active and to get some physical activity included into your day. Whether or not you just prefer walking to most forms of exercise or you have physical limitations that don't allow you to do a whole lot of anything else, there is always a way to make your walking program more effective.
First of all, any kind of physical activity is better than being a couch potato. I often see people that don't engage in any physical activity whatsoever and it personally aggravates me. However, if you at least have started something as simple as walking its a great way to start to promote some possible weight-loss, cardiovascular health, and overall well-being. If you are starting a walking program or are thinking about it there isn't too much planning that needs to be involved. Just go outside and take a stroll around the block. Once you are in the habit of doing this then you may find that you will naturally kind of start planning your walks. Today you may just go half-way around the neighborhood, but next week you may take the full route around your neighborhood.
So now you are fully involved in walking and have progressed from doing a mile or so into walking for many miles. You now are seeing that time is becoming an issue for you to get all of those miles in. What can you do about this? Well there are some additional advances that you can take. You can intensify your walk by finding a place where there are hills, stairs, and rougher terrain. This will challenge your cardiovascular system quicker and promote further calorie burn, weight-loss, and cardiovascular health. If you really want to challenge yourself go and buy a weighted-vest. Yes, they do sell these and they offer many different options for the desired poundage.
Walking is a great way to get a workout. You can take something this simple and make it a truly challenging conditioning program of your own!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
The Kettlebell - The Tool For Correcting Problematic Asymmetries
Have you ever been to the gym to see these guys that have a huge upper-body, but a pair of toothpicks for legs? Maybe you've seen guys who spend every workout doing primarily one particular lift like the bench press as seen with your typical gym rats! Well I want to take the time to explain the importance of symmetry, and how the kettlebell is a great tool for achieving this.
The Problem: To start, many people don't consider necessarily what they are doing when they go to workout. They don't properly address their individual weaknesses in their workouts. This is a common theme with most because they don't have a clear understanding of the human body and how it works. By now you know that I have broken down the push and pull as the two primary movements of the human body. I also like to execute both of these movements in either 2 separate lifts or a singular complex lift with the kettlbell that covers both. The problem with not executing both a push and pull dynamic is that if the body develops asymmetries then there will be a mismatch in the overall function of the muscles, and eventually this could result in an injury.
The Solution: To make sure that your strength and conditioning program is effective enough for you to pass the "eyeball contest" is one thing, but making sure that you can also feel strong and healthy is just as important. You must always vary your workouts to include a variety of exercises that serve completely different purposes. Variety can be as much as never repeating the same workout ever! Though this is somewhat very creative and challenging the benefits far outweigh the negative costs. Make sure that you alternate movements of push and pull with every exercise that you do. Also make sure you engage in very dynamic lifts (like the kettlebell one-arm turkish getup) that incorporate many muscles and move the body through every plain of motion.
This will definitely provide you with a much more functional and less injured body!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Fitness Training - The Gruesome 10 - Time Efficient Training For the Busy Mom and Dad
I have talked to many moms and dads that spend the better part of their day working, picking up kids from school, running errands, preparing meals, and doing yard work. This sounds like the life of a typical functioning family that generally takes on the attitude that working out and being fit is an impossibility. I'm here to put that mindset to rest!
I want to talk about scheduling a workout in what I like to call the "gruesome 10!" Most people live a busy lifestyle of work, kids, chores, and fast-paced weekends. Working out is not an option to these moms and dads because they don't have the time to get to a gym or to buy equipment to stock up in the garage. Still there is no reason why a fit lifestyle couldn't be accomplished in their hectic schedules. I would like to introduce the "gruesome 10" philosophy. The "10" stands for 10 minutes and the "gruesome" stands for miserable, heart pounding, shaky arms, and shaky legs due to all out shock! The entire workout is only 10 minutes and the results are tremendous.
You are probably wondering "how does this work?" The gruesome 10 is a workout that needs to be completed when it needs to be completed! In other words, there is not a necessary schedule of a time and place, but only when there is 10 minutes of uninterrupted "go time" available. Keep the format simple, but continuous. The 10 can also mean the number of exercises and rep count. Combine 10 different body weight exercises into a giant circuit. Each exercise is 10 reps. You can go from 10 push-ups to 10 squats to 10 crunches and on and on. The key is to not stop until the 10 exercises are completed or your 10 minutes are up.
The objective here is to ramp up the intensity level. There is no equipment, no kids, no wife, no husband, instead there is just that high-paced 10 minutes of strength and conditioning!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Grip Strength - 2 Exercises to Give You a Herculean Grip!
The one thing that I have learned over the years in observing some of the most successful athletes and weightlifters is that they all have tremendous grip strength. I mean the kind of grip that can give them ultimate victory in any hand-shaking contest if there were any such of a thing. Below I will discuss 2 exercises that you can execute in order to achieve this kind of herculean status.
The Fingertip Push-up: This is just what it sounds like and there are a few variations of this exercise. The first is to simply get into an upright push-up position. Instead of your hands being flat you will only be bracing the weight of your body on your fingertips! From here simply execute a full push-up. Do as many as you can without going to failure. The second variation is the pop-up method. This is a bit more intense and I wouldn't attempt this until you have mastered the first method. For this one you want to start out in an upright push-up position with your hands normally braced on the floor as if you were doing a normal push-up. Next, execute the push-up and when you have fully ascended in the range of motion in one quick movement immediately pop-up onto your fingertips. From this position just as quickly pop down with your hands flat back into the start position. Repeat this process for every repetition.
The Kettlebell Bell Up Press: This particular one requires the use of some cold hard steel. The idea is pretty simple. You want to pick up the kettlebell with the bell part (round bottom portion) of the weight balanced in the up position and not against your forearm like it normally is in the holding position of the clean. There is no other part of your body touching the bell except your hand which is solidly embraced around the cold hard steel handle of the bell. From below your chin simply press the bell above your head and lower back.
You will no doubt develop a herculean grip when executing these exercises. Practice it flawlessly!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Kettlebell - My First Experience With This Tool of Fat Destruction and Muscle Construction
I have about as much of a qualified past as anyone when it comes to me lending my two-cents about anything that pertains to fitness or strength training. I am an ex-athlete and have always been very active in terms of training my body to pass the "eyeball test" ,as well as, being able to perform. I had the fortunate opportunity to serve on the football strength and conditioning staff at UGA under an outstanding program with great overall leadership. No, that is not a dig at other programs outside of UGA, but it is the truth.
With my athletic background I have always considered myself to be fairly fit and strong, but that was all quickly progressed even further when I got introduced to the kettlebell. The first one that I ever purchased was a 20kg (44lbs). I quickly learned how to execute the infamous "swing." I have always been able to execute Olympic style lifts but with the bell I had to continue to use my hips to snap and generate momentum to keep the bell moving. I quickly realized how exhausting this single lift was in my first attempt. From here it was all big progress!
I quickly moved on to the 24kg (53lbs) and further executed more intense lifts like the single-arm overhead snatch. My heart felt like it would beat out of my chest after executing 20-30 reps of these at one time. The conditioning was almost overwhelming and so was my excitement. I got even more fired up when I started doing one-arm push-ups and eventually one-arm one-legged push-ups! Now like athletes my body has a lot to do with my work, but I had not done things like this since I was in high school. Even being a strength specialist I still got impressed with this device quicker than anything else I have ever included in my personal programs.
Just like you it was all new to me at one time. I really wished that I could have had access to this gruesome tool when I was a teenager.
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Pull-Ups - 2 Types That Are Almost Mutant-Like and Will Get You Ultimate Lat Strength!
I will simply say that just when you think your strength and conditioning program is top notch there is always room for improvement. I want to teach you how to boost your pulling ability to a level that you would have never imagined. The following 2 exercises will teach you how to achieve a status of "power pulling" that will seem like that of some kind of animal or mutant!
The Staggered "V" Pull-Up: This pull-up is a variation of a normal style with a slight twist on the movement that is involved. First, lets picture a normal style pull-up. You start by positioning your body by jumping up to grab the bar. Hanging from the bar you simply pull yourself up until your chin is slightly above it. The Staggered "V" pull-up is essentially the same except when you go to pull yourself up you shift your weight to stagger the midline of your body over to one side. So you are basically shifting and loading your weight more over to one arm. From here you control your descent and transition to the other side. You are forming a "V" when moving from left to right. When executing each side you have completed a single rep!
Around The World Pull-Up: This pulling motion is merely a variation of the Staggered "V". From here you want to start by hanging from the bar and shift your weight like with the "V" to one side. From this point instead of descending you now want to shift your weight while still ascended to the other arm and then descend. You repeat this motion going the same direction. Either a clockwise or counter-clockwise motion. Here, you want to make sure that you complete the movement in each direction for it to be considered a rep!
As you start to implement these into your routine you will find a lot of people staring in curiosity at your "mutant-like" strength! Practice often and flawlessly to master this feat.
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.htmlI'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Workout Plateaus - 3 Ingredients to Avoiding Them and Continue Gaining Optimal Fitness
Where do I begin? Well, I have often been asked, "What do you do to stay in shape?" Well, I pretty much reply with "Its my job." People often shrug or laugh, but the fact is our bodies are our responsibility or job. It doesn't matter if you are a world-class athlete or an average housewife. I have worked with both and all of us are only given one body at birth to work with for a lifetime. So this is how the fittest athletes, business executives, neighbor down the street, and myself avoid exercise plateaus and continue to burst through and continue gaining OPTIMAL FITNESS.
To begin, I want to explain the concept of multi-joint or multi-purpose exercise. Yes, it is what it sounds like. Multi-joint or multi-purpose exercise involves doing exercises that involve more than one joint, therefore more than one muscle is working at one time. When creating an effective exercise program this is going to be a huge ingredient in your quest for INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION! Yes, it will make a huge difference in your exercise program. An example of a multi-joint exercise is a push-up, squat, or dead lift. What sense does it make for me to try to strengthen my quadriceps muscle (thigh) by doing a seated leg extension, or my hamstring muscle by doing a lying leg curl when I can accomplish both by doing a free standing squat. The same goes for every other body part.
Second, I have explained the key ingredient of multi-joint movement, but you are probably wondering well, what is next? To continue, the key is that the human body is basically capable of two basic movements. This involves either a push or a pull. When we look at a push movement a good example would be a push-up, bench press, or squat. Pull movements would involve pull-ups, dead lifts, or rows. Again, notice that I use examples of multi-joint exercises only. Now the key here in starting an effective exercise program is to start out your program by combining the push and pull together in what we know as a superset. This is where you will execute a push movement exercise first and immediately without rest you will execute a pull movement. By doing this while your push-oriented muscles are working, your pull-oriented muscles are at rest and vice versa. The key point that you will discover here is that the one muscle that does not rest here is your heart!
The third and final ingredient in obtaining OPTIMAL FITNESS is to progress your program into eventually doing a form of circuit training. This is where you may involve 3 or more exercises in a row without rest. If you are dealing with 3 exercises you may be dealing with a push-push-pull or push-pull-push complex. It doesn't really matter the order as long as you try to vary your workouts every session so you don't overtrain on a particular movement. At this point of your program you will discover that your overall workout has been intensified drastically.
Finally, by adding these principles and restructuring your daily workouts you will see that you have consolidated your resistance training and cardiovascular training into a single hard hitting workout. Remember, you have to be willing to make the change for success. Your body is your job! Show everyone that you are good at it!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.htmlI'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro! |
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The Kettlebell Snatch - 2 Huge Benefits of This Superior Lift!
You have probably realized by now that the kettlebell is about 95% of my client and personal strength program. It is a device that is superior to the rest in terms of overall strength, human performance, and lean muscle development.
To start, you are probably familiar with the kettlebell swing. The double-arm swing is challenging and the single-arm is even more challenging. Here I want to talk about the overhead snatch. You know that the snatch is an olympic lift and its singular form is similar, but varied when executed with the bell. For the purpose of this article I will be addressing the overall benefits of the single-arm overhead snatch with the bell.
First of all, when participating in a high intensity snatch it is a tremendous lift that can be utilized for explosive vertical power. Generating enough force to execute this overhead lift with a heavy bell not only adds tremendous shoulder stability, but incorporates many muscles of the core and hips to generate amazing vertical force. This is beneficial because it stimulates the nervous system to allow muscles to contract more forcefully. This immediately builds total-body power and resiliency! It hardens and toughens the body to withstand outside forces such as being able to take a hit and reducing the risk of injury.
Secondly, if you think that the double and single-arm swings are intense wait until you attempt this monster lift. Again you can engage in heavier bells to develop total power or a slightly lighter bell to build amazing conditioning. You see here the benefit of shoulder stability is still huge, but even by executing this lift with a lighter bell you will still generate cardiovascular conditioning that is unlike anything that you have ever experienced. The overall benefit is a win-win situation whether you are a regular Joe or a super athlete!
If you ask me, anyone that includes the kettlebell into their strength program isn't such an "average Joe!" Execute the overhead snatch frequently and flawlessly! Instantly engage in HARD BODY CONSTRUCTION!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)