Train the Way Mother Nature Intended

The notion of "going to the gym" for an hour or two per day is an entirely modern idea concocted to make up for an entire day of sitting behind a desk. The bottom line is that the human body was not designed to sit sedentarily all day, nor was it meant to compensate for this by fiddling with metallic weights and machinery at an indoor facility for a few hours immediately after a long state of stagnation.

Over the course of thousands of years, humans have evolved to create the perfect physique for hunting, gathering, farming, etc. all day long. This is why you often see individuals with labor intensive jobs who are still ripped to shreds without ever "lifting weights." They are doing what their body was made to do.

So, what if you work at an office? No need to worry. Since exercise equipment is limited, the best way to emulate what the human body was created for is to do calisthenics and other natural bodyweight movements such as parkour throughout the day in short spurts. You can always perform push ups, pull ups, squats etc. every top of the hour or every time you take a restroom break. Best of all, you save a ton of time by not needing to head to the gym.

Something like this always works well!

All Hail King "TUT!"

And by "TUT," we are not referring to good old King Tutankhaman, nor the dance moves that are named after him, but in this instance, it stands for "Time Under Tension." When it comes to calisthenics, in order to build muscle, it's not about how many reps you can bang out in a row, nor the amount of weight pushed or pressed, but rather, as the name suggests, how much time you put your muscles under pressure, or tension.

See how the gymnasts do long sets on the rings, parallel bars, and pommel horse? That is what is referred to as time under tension, and is the very thing that allows them to create such massive musculature. Doing a 100+ push ups every day, while an impressive feat in its own right, will not give you that long sought after shredded physique. As a matter of fact, despite the fact that your strength and endurance may have gone through the roof, your body may not look much different at all.

As demonstrated by the gymnasts, time under tension is accomplished by performing long, drawn out, continuous sets with multiple movements. For example, on the bars, you can start with muscle ups, then move onto front levers, back levers, ice cream makers, pull ups, etc. all back-to-back, nonstop. Basically, you just keep going until you get gassed. The same can be done on the floor, with varying positions of push ups, handstands, planche (or planche progressions), etc. Just remember to do each rep in a slow and controlled motion. The idea is not to do as many as you can, as fast as you can, but to be able to feel the tension on your muscles for the entire duration.

For an example of "TUT" in action, check out this video. It's one of our favorites.  ;-)

Happy training!

 

RIP Free Gym

Not too long ago, I wrote an article about the pathetic state of calisthenics parks aka parcourse in the area. Well, no need to worry about that anymore. I was going about my morning routine the other day when I was rudely greeted by this.

The weird thing was that I was just at this park a few weeks ago filming my promotional video for MEELectronics. *Please vote for us by "Liking" the video on YouTube!*

I can't help but think that perhaps it was I who contributed to the demise of the park with my moves. Then again, I was merely doing what the equipment should have been intended for... had it actually been maintained properly. Good thing I wasn't actually working my magic when it collapsed! Then again, I could have sued the city for millions! Darn... missed opportunities are the story of my life.

To top if off, I got accosted by a homeless dude for infringing on his territory. The local parks and recreation will be receiving an e-mail shortly.

MEElectronics Sport-Fi S6 Challenge

A few weeks ago, we at First Cut Fitness caught wind of the Sport-Fi S6 Challenge held by MEElectronics, one of the more desirable brands for quality earphones at budget prices. The S6 is the newest incarnation of the wildly popular M6, designed to provide superior sound while staying in place during more aggressive sporting activities.

Part of the deal to receive a free pair of earphones was to film and produce a video of ourselves using them while exercising. Lo and behold, here it is! We hope you find it entertaining, and please "Like" it on our YouTube page if you enjoy it, so we will have a better chance to win the grand prize! Thanks!

Here are some stills from the shoot!

Watch Sport-Fi S6 Challenge Video Here!

Skateboarding is Not a Crime!

Looking for a fun way to get in shape without spending a whole lot of cash, yet still be cool at the same time? Skateboarding is the way to go! Not only is it a great cardio exercise, but you also work on balance and leg muscles as well.

Growing up, I was never really much of a skater, as I was more of a BMX'er. However, as an adult, I've always thought that a skateboard would make for an excellent transportation device. Although I had been considering getting one for awhile, I'd never really been compelled enough to actually shell out the bucks... until now.

I was just poking about in Santa Monica the other day, when I noticed these cool boards made of plastic! This particular design made by Globe is one of many from various brands (others include Penny and Stereo) setting the trend for this new throwback wave of skating. I knew I couldn't leave the store without one of my very own!

And guess what? I've been hooked ever since! It's too early to tell how much leaner I'll get from adding skateboarding to my repertoire, but I'm sure it will pay quick dividends, not to mention how much fun I'll be having!

In closing, if you are still unsure about the health benefits of skating, just answer this one last question...

Have you ever seen a fat skater kid? Exactly.

Happy as a lark!

Awesome Home Exercise Equipment

A few weeks ago, I made mention of the Rack workout bar I noticed on an infomercial. The verdict was that although this is a great piece of equipment, it is still grossly overpriced, and not absolutely necessary.

Just recently, I caught wind of this great product sold at Wal*Mart of all places. It is a standalone power tower that pretty much allows you to do all of the most effective upper body exercises, such as pull ups, dips, push ups, v-sits, , levers, planches, and it looks even sturdy enough for muscle ups as well.

If you have space in your room, garage, or even backyard (not sure about how rustproof it is), I would definitely recommend grabbing one of these for the bargain basement price of just $117! I just might order one myself.

 

 

 

The Sad State of Calisthenics Parks

It's such a shame that these once plentiful calisthenics parks (also known as parcourse, from the same root as parkour) have all fallen into a state of disrepair. That is... for the ones that actually still exist. And people wonder why the youth obesity rate is now reaching epidemic proportions. There just aren't any places left for them to be active anymore. Fortunately, this one near us is still intact, but for how long, who knows...

Honestly, a lot of it also has to do with the advent of the gym chains. These parks were thriving well into the late 80's, and early 90's. I'm sure a lot of us remember fondly the fun times we had there with our parents as wee little lads. However, once the big fitness corporations came along, leading everyone to think that lifting weights is the only way to go for staying in shape, say good bye to these poor little parcourse facilities. Of course, we at First Cut Fitness are not anti-gym by any means, but we can all acknowledge their role in this rapid decline.

What is even more sad is that it's not just the calisthenics parks. The entire playgrounds seem to be deteriorating, as the budget for the recreational amenities has been severely cut back by the government. As a collective, we need to lobby with the higher ups to put an end to this. Picture this. What is going to cost more money? Maintaining the parks system and promoting to people of all ages the merits of staying active? Or the exorbitant cost of health care, welfare, and other social programs needed to care for those in less than ideal health?

These pictures below from the same park as above pretty much tell you how much the government cares about the play areas these days. To quote a former presidential candidate... time for a change!

 

Sorry little Billy! Why don't you go home, sit on your duff all day while stuffing your face with gobs of Oreo ice cream, and play some Mass Effect 3 on your X-Box instead? You are the future of America! We are counting on you!

Rack Workout Bar Worth the Money?

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?

 

Goodbye to blogging?

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!

Is First Cut Fitness Anti-weightlifting?

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.