First Cut Fitness

So, I was up late the other night, and noticed an infomercial for the latest piece of home exercise equipment called The Rack. In all honesty, it really isn't all that special - basically a run of the mill foldable dip rack - something that's been in existence for awhile now.

For upper body development, the dip is without a doubt one of the best exercises you can perform, with a myriad of variations for adding resistance, from altering the time period of each rep, to changing the angle, to even adding some external weight.

What makes this ad interesting is the giant $14.99 plastered all over, leading people to think that this is the final price. However, if you click on the links on the site, you will soon realize that this is merely for a one month trial, and the actual sticker price is $160! Granted, this is certainly not mindblowingly exorbitant, but why even bother when the local park has this very same set up... for FREE?! Better yet, you can just set up a couple of chairs at home, and do the same exact workout!

To this day, the only piece of infomercial exercise equipment that is worth the money is the Iron Gym pull up bar, one of my favorites, and something I use on almost a daily basis. You can easily find it at many retailers for as little as $20, and is definitely a wiser investment than The Rack.

P.S. Do you seriously think these fitness models in the commercials really got this ripped solely from using said product?

 

Well, as many of you may have heard, the site that I use to host my blog, Posterous, has recently been purchased by Twitter. While this is great news for the developers of Posterous, the future of the service, and more importantly - the actual users - is in doubt.

So, in other words, whether this blog will remain or cease to exist in the coming days or weeks is anyone's guess. However, not to worry! All along, I have also been publishing these same entries on the First Cut Fitness Facebook page. In addition, I have a lot more useful links and information on the Facebook page than I do here, so make sure to check it out!

Hopefully, we shall know the fate of this Posterous blog within a few days, if not weeks. Until then, continued strength and fitness to you!

We get asked this question a lot. Since we are pro-calisthenics, this must mean we are against the actual lifting of weights, right? Before we get into more details, let's clarify. "Lifting weights" indeed also covers calisthenics, as your own body is considered "weight," but semantics aside, when most people think of "weightlifting," it pertains to the metallic objects at the gym.

So, are we actually against the usage of gym equipment? Not at all! As a matter of fact, we were all pretty much gym rats back in the day before getting bitten by the calisthenics bug. Once in awhile, we'll feel compelled enough to actually visit the gym to whip out some compound movements, such as deadlifts and squats (never any curls or isolation exercises), but the majority of our program still involves only bodyweight, including 100% of upper body movements.

When training our clients, we certainly recommend calisthenics for ease and convenience, but of course it all depends on their needs and wants. We have a few right now who are on strict bodybuilding and powerlifting workouts, while others are doing nothing but calisthenics.

What it boils down to is what resources you have available to you, and what your end goals are. The workout you most enjoy doing, and see the best results with, is the one you will stick with.

I usually reserve this space to generate my own content, but today I came across a simple, yet to the point article that really hammers home the benefits of calisthenics. There is a reason why the movement for bodyweight training has blown up recently, and will only continue to do so in the near future and beyond.

Top 6 Reasons Why Bodyweight Calisthenics Are Important

by Coach Eddie Lomax

When I look at many popular physical fitness training programs I am often shocked at the overwhelming absence of bodyweight calisthenics exercises.

Do you really need a costly gym membership and access to all the shiny machines or expensive equipment and magic powders to improve strength, conditioning and fitness?

Absolutely not!

Bodyweight calisthenics exercise is one of the most versatile, effective and beneficial training methods available to both the serious athlete and non-professional fitness enthusiast.

1. Bodyweight Calisthenics Can Be Done Anywhere

You don't need expensive gym memberships or costly equipment to benefit from bodyweight calisthenics... you have everything you need right here and now.

Indoors or out... there are a multitude of bodyweight calisthenics exercises that you can perform to greatly improve strength, conditioning and fitness. 

2. Bodyweight Calisthenics Are The Perfect Place To Start

If you are just starting a physical fitness training program... bodyweight calisthenics are the perfect place to start.

Bodyweight calisthenics will prepare you with a physical base from which to effectively and safely add more advanced resistance training.

Learn how to control the weight of your own body first before exploring other training methods.

3. Bodyweight Calisthenics Can Be Adapted For Any Fitness Level

There are many variations to bodyweight calisthenics exercises... giving you the ability to make them easier or harder.

This is why they are great for beginners as well as seasoned fitness enthusiasts.

4. Bodyweight Calisthenics Train Natural Body Movements

Often, resistance training methods do not directly improve movement patterns that are naturally used in everyday life... but this is not the case with bodyweight calisthenics.

Fitness excellence is often measured by your ability to control the movements of your own body... and not your ability to control the movement of an object.

Train the way you naturally move to see more physical improvements applicable in the real world.

5. Bodyweight Calisthenics Can Improve Muscular Strength, Power And Endurance

Depending on the exercises used, the reps and sets and the intensity... you can effectively target strength, power and endurance separately or collectively.

Vary rarely are the challenges of sport, work and life one dimensional... but rather a combination of strength, power and endurance weaved together.

Bodyweight calisthenics are a great way to train all three and the seamless flow from one ability to another.

6. Bodyweight Calisthenics Can Simultaneously Improve Strength And Cardiorespiratory Endurance While Burning Fat

When most of us participate in a fitness training program we want to improve strength and cardiorespiratory endurance... and simultaneously burning off unwanted fat.

Bodyweight calisthenics can do all three... in the same workout.

By varying the exercises, stresses and intensities of your workouts you can effectively and efficiently get stronger, better conditioned and leaner.

Conclusion...

Don't let the simplicity of bodyweight calisthenics fool you... they are one of the best tools you have for the improvement of strength, conditioning and fitness.

And just because they look simple does not mean they are easy or ineffective... just try a one-armed push up, one-armed pull up of one-legged squat if you don't believe me.

Bodyweight calisthenics exercise should be the foundation for any physical training program... It is the perfect place to start, and should remain an important part of your fitness workout program as you add more training methods.

People often ask me what the true definition of "calisthenics" is. In the simplest terms, it basically constitutes performing strength building exercises using nothing more than what good old mother nature gave you. This means not doing any type of "weight training" in the typical sense.

Now, this does not mean that I am anti-weightlifting, not in the slightest. I actually have a background of going to the gym for 10+ years before ever getting into this whole calisthenics movement, so I definitely endorse the merits of both. As a matter of fact, for many, it would be most beneficial to dabble in a mixture of the two. However, for the most part, I currently pretty much do nothing but calisthenics, and also endorse that to my friends and clients.

Here comes the tricky part. Every once in awhile, someone will "catch" me with some sort of weight in my hand, be it a sandbag, dumbbell, etc., and ask me if I'm cheating on my own principles. Well, not necessarily. There indeed is a fine line, and some people may have differing definitions, but here is my take on it. By adding weight to an exercise that I already perform consistently without weights, it is merely making it more challenging through increased resistance. For example, slapping on a backpack full of rocks when doing pull ups, doing dips with a weight belt, running with a weight vest, or practicing punching drills with light dumbbells are all effective methods of taking your skills to the next level.

In a nutshell, I am still lifting my body as the main source of resistance, and not solely relying on external weights to provide it. The idea is that you do these same exercises regardless of whether you have the weights or not. The weights are only to compliment the movement to make it more difficult.

Here is a great article about adding weights to simple calisthenics.

Two of the biggest myths when it comes to nutrition are as follows:

1. Eating late at night is bad for you.

2. Multiple meals per day are the best to stroke the metabolic fire.

Now, all of the regular readers of my blog will know that I certainly do not buy into this bro-science, although like everyone else, there was a time in my life when I used to swear by it... before I knew any better, of course. Just the other day, I found this great article entitled "5 Surprising Health Myths" that backs up my thoughts on these issues and a few others.

Eating late is night is no worse for you than at other times of the day, unless you subscribe to the Taco Bell "Fourth Meal" model, and actually devour something in addition to the dinner you already had. The truth of the matter is that your body does not have a set clock on when to burn calories. The bottom line is "calories in, calories out."

Say your daily allowance is 2,000 calories. It doesn't matter if you consume all of that first thing in the morning, right before you go to sleep, in four meals of 400, or 20 snacks of 100. It all adds up to 2,000, and in the end, that's all that matters.

Sure, there is nothing wrong with eating multiple meals a day, but it is certainly no better or worse than just eating twice, or even just once. As a matter of fact, it is easier for things to get out of hand with more frequency, as portion control is difficult to manage, not to mention the trouble of having to prepare so many snacks per day.

Keep in mind that I have never counted calories in my life, nor should you. If you follow proper dietary protocol, there is really no need to.

Photo courtesy of LeanGains.

Well, another year, and yet another crazy Vegas adventure is in the books. However, despite all the days of insane clubbing from dusk till dawn and pigging out at the buffets and steakhouses, I made it out with nary a scratch, without gaining a single ounce of fat, and above all, not losing any muscle mass.

It makes me chuckle a bit when I hear people talking about having to diet hard after returning home from Vegas. If you play your cards right (no pun intended), there really is no need to gamble with your health, and risk compromising that slim, pool party physique you've been working so hard the past few months for.

All you need to do is follow these three simple rules before, during, and after your trip:

1. No breakfast.
2. Work out first thing in the morning.
3. 8 hour eating window.

Easy as that! Now let's break them on down:

1. No "breakfast" is a very easy rule to follow, especially when you are on vacation. This rule can also easily be applied at home as well. Don't buy into the age old saying conjured up by the marketing staff at General Mills that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Have you ever gotten up still feeling stuffed from last night's dinner, yet still scarfed something down (and felt like crap afterwards) only because it's what you were taught to do? On the flip side, have you ever accidentally skipped breakfast and even lunch during a super busy day at work, and actually felt not only less sleepy, but even more energized? Yes, since the blood that would normally have been gushing to your stomach to digest excess food instead remains in your head, you end up feeling much less woozy, and free from the dreaded "food coma."

Of course, if you want to get technical, no one ever really skips breakfast, since your first meal of the day - regardless of whether it's morning, afternoon, or evening - is when you "break the fast." However, for all intents and purposes, I am just going by the most common usage.

Oh, and if you are one of those who thinks that by not eating every three hours, you will lose muscle mass, you have nothing to worry about.

2. Every morning, when I first woke up, I didn't even bother with the gym at the Palazzo, nice as it may be. I just basically did a 10 minute continuous circuit of burpees, push ups, squats, pistols, handstands, running in place, jumpstyle, and various other calisthenics exercises right in the hotel room. This is the same workout I mentioned in a post from a few weeks ago. It also saves you precious time from having to go all the way downstairs. Time is of the essence when you are on vacation! Don't squander it all working out. In addition, when in Vegas, you are bound to do a lot of walking throughout the course of the day (in the baking sun no less during the summer months), so this will also help.

3. Obviously, in Vegas, one of the main attractions is the plethora of culinary delights. To forbid yourself from such pleasure would be a tall order for even the most disciplined of eaters. However, no one said that you have to torture yourself. As mentioned earlier, the only thing you need to do is skip your morning meal. For the rest of the day, just make sure all your caloric intake takes place within an 8 hour time frame. This falls withing the parameters of the popular Lean Gains plan, but with slightly more flexibility.

So, if you "break the fast" at 2 pm, that means you have until 10 pm to finish your last meal of the day. While this doesn't necessarily give you permission to pig out for the entire duration, you can certainly feel less guilty if you happen to give in to a confection or two. Just make sure to avoid those 3 am binges at the Peppermill after a raucous night at Marquee.

See, not so hard after all, is it? Now, all you need to do is follow these rules on a daily basis, and you will easily maintain your Vegas pool party physique year round.

Well, it's about that time of year when the kids are all back in school! What does that mean for us exercise enthusiasts? The parks and playgrounds are all free! Join me as I partake in a quick workout at the local park, one of many more to come as I kick off the new season!

I know I have mentioned Jamie Oliver and his Food Revolution many times in the past, but the time has now come that not only can you support the cause by viewing the show, but you can lend a voice by signing this petition for better school lunches! With the baby boomers getting older, the youth getting more and more out of shape, and a health care system in disarray, if actions aren't taken immediately, America is about to be hit with the perfect storm.

Join the Food Revolution today, and make a difference in the lives of our children and the country as a whole!

I know it is almost cliché to talk about quick fix workouts for those with limited time, but I am a firm believer that in order to obtain and maintain a fit and stellar physique, there is certainly no need to be be killing yourself for hours on end at the gym. Along with the aforementioned Tabata Method,  this is definitely one of my favorite no frills, no hassle workouts, and often used in my rotation. Basically, it is based on Ross Emanait's "No Excuses" system, and all it takes is 10 minutes per day.

In a nutshell, you choose four calisthenics exercises that you can do comfortably, yet are still somewhat challenging. I typically like push ups, burpees, squats, pistols, handstands, pull ups, and muscle ups, but you can also do running in place, box jumps, planks, mountain climbers, shadow boxing, etc. You should preferably have enough variation to make for a full body workout, so try to include both the upper and lower body. These four exercises shall be performed in this manner, with no breaks:

Round 1: Each exercise 1 min = 4 mins
Round 2: Each exercise 45 secs = 3 mins
Round 3: Each exercise 30 secs = 2 mins
Round 4: Each exercise 15 secs = 1 min
Total elapsed time = 10 mins

And there you have it! 10 minutes to a lean, mean physique using nothing but bodyweight exercises. Oh, and did I mention that you do this all nonstop? Of course, this would be the ideal, but if you need to catch your breath or if you get stuck on an exercise, by all means, take a quick break, but just make sure it's not too long! And as mentioned earlier, don't pick movements that are way too easy, nor ones that will have you gasping for air in a matter of seconds!

An alternate pattern I like to use is this:

Round 1: Each exercise 1 min = 4 mins
Round 2: Each exercise 1 min = 4 mins
Round 3: Each exercise 30 secs = 2 mins
Total elapsed time = 10 mins

This one sometimes works better than the first because in Round 4, 15 seconds apiece is sometimes not enough time, considering that it usually takes a few seconds to switch from exercise to exercise.

I normally like to perform this first thing in the morning as the perfect way to kick off the day. Start off doing this 3 times per week, or if you are game, you can even go every single day as long as you switch things up. Prepare to get psyched up physically and mentally for work or school every morning!