Tips to Make the Gym Trip Easier

I have noticed obvious frustration on the faces of gym-goers due to the larger crowd the last couple days and I wanted to share some dieas to make your trip to the gym easier:

1. Gym too crowded? Ask the desk worker when the least busy time is during the day. Chances are you can get in the gym when it is less of a fight to get everything you need to get done accomplished.
2. Define what makes you miss the gym- Do you leave work and stop by your house with intentions to go to the gym, and then end up staying at home. Make it your goal to go straight to the gym after work. When you go home, things come up and distratctions are there. Pack a snack to eat at work to hold you over until dinner after your workout. Pack your workout clothes and change at the gym.
3. Surround yourself with go-getters- If you really want to transform your body and improve your health, find some friends and/or family that want to do the same. Pick people that stick to goals. You will fail at attaining your present goals if your workout partner is the one trying to get you to skip the workout.

If you are just starting to workout again then it is a large enough of a task to break your bad dietary habits and sedentary lifestyle, use these tips to make the transition to a healthier you as easy as possible.

Legs are back!

Man it feels good to get back under the bar pain-free. It seems like injuries have been a common theme of my last 6 months. I have taken some time off from compound movements with my lower body and finally feel able to start getting back in a squat rack.

Around Thanksgiving I couldn't even do a rep with 275 without my back feeling like a gnashing of my teeth. Seriously, I tried multiple times to do 275 and was so beaten by not even being able to do one rep with what I used to use for a set of 12 for a warmup. Progress is to be made on this, but I am encouraged by my last two leg days.

1/14/2011
Back squat
the bar x 10
135 2x12
185 2x10
225x6
275x6
315 x 4,1

I felt like myself again. I had my max squat PR in March 2010 at 445lbs, obviously raw.

I felt so good I did squat again on the following Monday. I am going to continue the really low volume leg days and continue to inspect my form to make sure it is flawless. As my confidence increases, so will the volume.

1/17/2011
135 2x10
185 x 10
225 x 10
275 x8
315 x6
345 x 1-----> could have gotten more but wanted a heavier set
355 x 2

I am really pleased with my legs coming back and even happier about the soreness in my quads.

what are you currently working on? how are those resolutions going?

Happy Thanksgiving

Try these exercises today, more than likely you will be taking some time off of the gym this week with traveling and family time. Hey, I'm realistic. I would hope you at least worked out yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

1. Walking Lunges holding an EZ curl bar Overhead- Make sure there is room for you to walk with the weight OH. I did ten steps with each leg with just a 30lb EZ curl bar and I felt it in my quads and shoulders. An excellent exercise to incorporate multiple muscle groups. I also superset these with one-legged leg extensions for an extra burn
2. RDLs with a Barbell Row at the bottom- Obviously you want to pick a weight that is somewhat light for RDLs since you have to be able to Barbell Row it, but push yourself. Complete 12 reps each of rows and RDLs and superset in some jump squats.

Both of these exercises will kick your butt and you can shoot through them quickly if you are crunched for time. GET AFTER IT!!!

Conditioning Circuits

Need some new conditioning ideas? Use this as part of your routine, killer at the beginning or end of a conditioning workout.

Complete 4 times through, with 30-45 seconds in between cycles:

1. 8 knee-tuck jumps
2. 6 burpees
3. 30 second jump rope