Archive for fat loss
How To Master The Pushup In 6 Weeks
Posted by: | CommentsThe Official Push-up Mastery Program
How to become a pushup pro in 6 short weeks!
Step#1- Find your current Push-up Total
Assuming a regular floor push-up position, perform as many reps as possible (AMRAP) with perfect form and technique in 60 seconds. Be sure to place a tennis ball or yoga brick on the floor- your chest must make contact with this object to count as a full rep. Record your rep total and then take 60 seconds of rest (no longer). Repeat by performing one more set of AMRAP in 60 seconds and then record your second set total. Add both your set one and set two totals and then divide by two. This is your current push-up total.
Step#2- Follow the custom push-up mastery program based on your current push-up total:
The following program will systematically take you from level I to level IV six weeks at a time (not including a week of rest between levels). It is important to note that you must be following the appropriate fat loss training (total body strength circuits and cardio interval training) and nutrition plan to lose unwanted body fat that is weighing you down and literally halting your push-up totals in its tracks. In addition, be sure to change up the selected push-up variation at each and every strength workout to best prevent training plateaus. Here’s an example of how to switch things up for one week of training:
Day1- Close-Grip Push-up Variation (to emphasize the triceps and front shoulders to improve push-up lockout)
Day2- Loaded/Band-Resisted Push-up Variation (to improve strength and thus make it easier to perform body weight push-ups)
Day3- Stability Ball Push-up Variation- Hands Ball (to build trunk and scapular strength stability to prevent injury and maximize force output)
Remember, the better you get at every push-up variation the better you will get at regular push-ups. Once you achieve a current push-up total of 30 reps or more, you will notice the focus now will be on getting stronger by mastering the 1-arm push-up. Improving maximum strength automatically improves your muscular endurance, though it doesn’t work the same the other way around.
Please note that you should only follow this program if you have healthy shoulders. In addition, since you will be performing extra pushing movements, it is critical to add in some scapular retraction and depression work to prevent unwanted strength imbalances. Please note the addition of a certain amount of reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats following each set of push-ups for your “Extra Push-up Work” to achieve this end. The Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squat was selected because it simultaneously works your upper back and opens up your chest while working your lower body to boost metabolism. Plus, it’s an exercise you can do anywhere. Lastly, the “Extra Push-up Work” is best performed throughout the day to be fresh and allow for full recovery.
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Level |
Current Push-up Total |
Push-up Protocol |
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Level I |
0-1 |
- Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of negative push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):
Week1- 5 sets of 2 reps of 5-second negatives Week2- 5 sets of 3 reps of 6-second negatives Week3- 5 sets of 4 reps of 7-second negatives Week4- 5 sets of 5 reps of 8-second negatives Week5- 5 sets of 5 reps of 9-second negatives Week6- 5 sets of 5 reps of 10-second negatives
- Follow each set of push-ups with 10 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
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Level II |
2-5 |
- Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of regular floor push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):
Week1- 5 sets of 1 rep Week2- 5 sets of 2 reps Week3- 5 sets of 3 reps Week4- 5 sets of 4 reps Week5- 5 sets of 5 reps Week6- 5 sets of 6 reps
- Follow each set of push-ups with 20 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
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Level III |
6-12 |
- Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of regular floor push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):
Week1- 5 sets of 5 reps Week2- 5 sets of 6 reps Week3- 5 sets of 7 reps Week4- 5 sets of 8 reps Week5- 5 sets of 9 reps Week6- 5 sets of 10 reps
- Follow each set of push-ups with 30 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
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Level IV |
13-20 |
- Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of regular floor push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):
Week1- 5 sets of 10 reps Week2- 5 sets of 12 reps Week3- 5 sets of 14 reps Week4- 5 sets of 16 reps Week5- 5 sets of 18 reps Week6- 5 sets of 20 reps
- Follow each set of push-ups with 40 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
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Level V |
21-30 |
- Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of regular floor push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):
Week1- 5 sets of 20 reps Week2- 5 sets of 22 reps Week3- 5 sets of 24 reps Week4- 5 sets of 26 reps Week5- 5 sets of 28 reps Week6- 5 sets of 30 reps
- Follow each set of push-ups with 50 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
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Level VI |
31+ |
- Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts
- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of a 1-arm push-ups variation with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off). Progress from stage 1 to stage 3 in choosing the appropriate 1-arm push-up variation:
Week1- 5 sets of 1 rep Week2- 5 sets of 2 reps Week3- 5 sets of 3 reps Week4- 5 sets of 4 reps Week5- 5 sets of 5 reps Week6- 5 sets of 6 reps
Stage1- Modified 1-Arm Push-ups on Knees/Inclined
Stage2- Regular 1-Arm Push-ups 5-second Negatives
Stage3- Regular 1-Arm Push-ups
- Follow each set of push-ups with 60 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats
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Step#3- Re-Test Your Current Push-up Total
At the end of each 6-week training block, take 5 full days of rest before re-testing your new push-up total exactly as previously outlined in step one. Record your new push-up total and then take the rest of the week off for recovery before moving on to the next level of push-up boot camp.
Well, you now know everything you need to know to safely and effectively perform more push-ups than 99+% of the world. Remember, the leaner you are the better you will be at push-ups and the more push-ups you can do, the better you will look- time to master the push-up!
Cooking Up Trouble…Paula Deen Is A Hippocrite
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"Mmmm, donuts and diabetes...y'all"
This week, TV “Chef” Paula Deen announced that she has been a diabetic for over 3 years, all the while cooking high-calorie, sugar and butter-laden dishes on her popular Food Network show “Paula’s Best Dishes”. Why did she wait so long to make this public?
Pay attention…
She has just begun a lucrative parnership with a pharmaceutical company, promoting diabetes drugs. Is it just me, or is this reeeeeal ly convenient that she announces this, starts selling diabetes drugs, yet continues to cook the unhealthiest food on the planet?
Here are some her greatest hit:
- Deep Fried Cheese Cake
- Lady’s brunch Burger (bacon cheeseburger with egg, placed between 2 glazed donuts)
- Broccoli Salad (made with 8 slices of bacon, a cup of mayo, 8 oz cheese, and a quarter cup of sugar)
- Twinkie Pie
- Cheesy ham and banana cassarole (a nasty combination of ham, bananas, bacon, cheese, and potato chips between layers of white bread)
Last year she declared butter is still her “must-have” ingredient and her favorite kitchen gadget is a deep-fryer. In fact, she urged other cooks out there who might be remodeling their kitchens to have a deep-fryer installed while they’re at it. Also last year, her “Paula Deen‘s Southern Cooking Bible” was named one of the Five Worst Cookbooks of 2011 by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. The group reserved special mention for her hot buffalo wings — 910 calories and 85 grams of fat in a single serving — and noted that diets heavy in meat raise the risk of obesity.
And obesity, as we know, is a prime risk factor for Type 2 diabetes.
When she announced her condition on the “Today” show Tuesday, Deen explained she kept the diagnosis quiet because she needed time to “figure out things in my own head.”
100% BS
She needed to figure how to spin the info into $$$, pure and simple. Paula Deen is not responsible for her audience’s eating habits, however, she does have a responsibility to BE responsible with her product. This is especially true considering she is diabetic, and has been hiding it for 3 years!
She also has a responsibility to the Southern people she represents. Southern states are the fattest, and least healthy of all the states in the union, and if what she cooks truly is “Southern Food”, I understand why.
Ultimately, we all choose our own nutrition paths. Paula Deen can cook whatever she wants, and you can eat what you want. However, when you have a platform of influence the size and reach of Deen’s, you must bear responsibility for what you put out to the universe. Hiding a diabetic condition when you could easily be a force for change, and selling medication over lifestyle change is disingenuous, and gets you put in the same fraud file as Jillian Michaels and the people who created the “Shake Weight”.
4 Days…The Challenge
Posted by: | CommentsIt is Tuesday, December 27 2011. That means that you have just 4 days to get on the stick, and end this year right. Here is a 4 day “Finisher” program to do at the end of every workout this week. They are only 4 minutes, and will help you burn some additional calories for the week. Trust me, you’ll probably need the extra work after what you’ll likely get into Saturday night… ;P These finishers use the “Tabata” method of pushing as hard as you can for 20 seconds, then resting for 10 seconds. This is repeated 8x for 4 minutes. You’ll be alternating between two exercise for a complete, full body workout. This will be the hardest 4 minutes of your life. Ready? Let’s go!
Day one: *Dumbell Thrusters/Kettlebell swings* Use a dumbbell if no kettlebell is available
Day two: *Jump rope/Medicine Ball slams*
Day three: *Alternating Side Dumbell Lunge with Overhead Press/Single Leg Alternating Dumbell Row
Day four: High Knees/ Skaters
Add these finishers to the end of your workouts for the last 4 days of 2012, and you’ll have a great lead in to 2012!
Chad Smith is a Hagerstown personal trainer, fitness columnist, radio show host, and speaker whose “Metabolic Mayhem” fitness training program was called “One of The Best in The Country” by Emmy Award winning fitness celebrity Rocco Castellano. Find him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/hometeamfitness, or listen to him weekdays at 12pm est on his FTNS radio show “Jump Start With Chad and Kat” on http://www.ftns.co
5 Quick Tips For End of Year Fat Loss
Posted by: | CommentsWe’re 10 days away from 2012, and there is absolutely still time to finish strong here at the end of 2011. Here are 5 quick tips to make sure you finish the year with a bang, and steamroll your way into 2012!
- Keep the drinking to a minimum. There are few benefits to alcohol consumption, and non to weekend binging. Keep it to less than 3 per night, and you’ll do minimal damage to your fitness efforts. And if you aren’t already, drink lots of water all day, and between drinks to stay hydrated, and to minimize the buildup of alcohol in your bloddstream.
- Skip the chips. Party food is the worse! Remember your first priorities are PROTEIN and PRODUCE. Fill up on non-breaded meat and vegetable items, then eat the other stuff. Your waistline will thank you for it.
- Rest up! Try to get an extra hour or 2 of sleep at night to help your body deal with the added holiday stress. Stress causes fat storage hormones to increase, and noone needs that. Sleep more, dream it all away!
- Try something new. Train differently than what you normally would. Breaking up the monotany of your usual regimine will remotivate you, plus may produce better results than what you’ve seen for a while.
- Invite friends to workout with you. Get someone to the gym with you, you’ll not only help start someone on the fitness path, according to research, you’ll also turbo boost your results. Buddy up, and good stuff happens.
What do you think? Got any other ideas for finishing strong in 2011? Leave your comments below!
Chad Smith is a Hagerstown personal trainer, fitness columnist, radio show host, and speaker whose “Metabolic Mayhem” fitness training program was called “One of The Best in The Country” by Emmy Award winning fitness celebrity Rocco Castellano. Find him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/hometeamfitness, or listen to him weekdays at 12pm est on his FTNS radio show “Jump Start With Chad and Kat” on http://www.ftns.co
Trainer vs Trainer: It’s On!
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Let's Get It On!!!
I got an interesting comment from a fellow fitness pro in my area, Lee Daugherty in regard to my post “Why I Hate CrossFit”. It was a pretty long comment, so instead of making an equally long response to his points. I posted it right here, so you could read, and leave your comments. Was my ”Why I Hate CrossFit” post unfair and unfounded? Or is my opponent failing to see the truth? You decide. Read on!
He begins:
“I almost always agree with your advice to folks trying to get fit, but as a CrossFit certified trainer , I had to respond to this post. Here’s my rebuttal:”
1)The “certification” program: Most fitness instructors I know have attended 2-day training programs at some point in their career. This type of training is common practice in virtually all industries, let alone the fitness industry. Unless you’ve attended the cert. (have you?), I’m not sure how you can criticize. Would you also explain what impact the cost of the program has on it’s validity?
Lee, as I’ve been a fitness trainer with multiple certifications for close to 2 decades now, I am perfectly qualified to criticize a certification program as I see them described on the organization’s website, and based on descriptions from certified individuals. 2 day personal training certifications are ridiculous enough, without the terrible anti-science of CrossFit. I’ve taught certification courses, and I can tell you, as many other experts will tell you, the curriculum in relation to the actual “system “ is subpar. A 2 day course is NOT sufficient to be set free in the world to conduct ANY high level training session. Let’s not even talk about Olympic lifting. The impact of cost on validity is simple. For the $1000 someone spends on a CrossFit cert, a more respected, and globally recognized certification, or two, can be enrolled in. For example an NASM, or ACE, or NSPA certification, can all be purchased for under $1000. The student will learn the science based foundations of training, and be prepared. To design safe, and effective fitness programs.
2)Lack of programming logic: See New Rule #9 from Alwyn Cosgrove’s New Rules of lifting (Everything Works, Nothing Works Forever). As far as mastery of exercises, practicing the lifts is built into each CrossFit workout, and workouts are scaled to accomodate all fitness levels. Speed is not added until a person is proficient in the lift(s).
Lee, don’t bastardize Alwyn’s brilliance trying to justify the lack of programming logic. Learning exercise technique is meaningless if it isn’t married to a well-designed systemized training SYSTEM. If you are going to use Mr. Cosgrove as a justification tool, don’t forget to mention that he is considered to be THE authority in the art and science of program design. If the CrossFit method were a legitimate method for the masses, he’d be doing it. However, he is not. In fact, he is quoted as saying this about CrossFit in T-Mag “This type of all over the place programming can be dangerous…”. He went on to say: “A recent CrossFit workout was 30 reps of snatches with 135 pounds. A snatch is an explosive exercise designed to train power development. Thirty reps is endurance. You don’t use an explosive exercise to train endurance; there are more effective and safer choices.
“Another one was 30 muscle-ups. And if you can’t do muscle-ups, do 120 pull-ups and 120 dips. It’s just random; it makes no sense. Two days later the program was five sets of five in the push jerk with max loads. That’s not looking too healthy for the shoulder joint if you just did 120 dips 48 hours ago.”
I’m just sayin. Innovation is good if it moves science forward. CrossFit completely ignores science, and dares you to say anything about it. Strength and conditioning expert Charles Poliquin had this to say about CrossFit: “
3)Elite Snobbery: Not sure what to say to that, except as your blog post reads it’s like the pot calling the kettle black. As it relates to the topic of specificity, there is a reason why the military, law enforcement and emergency services communities have gravitated to the CrossFit model – the lack of specificity in the programming. Specialists are typically good at one thing, but in real world situations, being a specialist could have life or death consequences. Military and emergency services professionals may be called upon at any moment to perform any combination of the ten physical skills. Failure to be proficient in any one could be devastating.
Ok, the people you just mentioned who have chosen CrossFit because it has a pumped up, macho image, not because it is PROVEN to be superior to any other training system on the planet. To assume that is crazy. Many top level fit pros like JC Santana have also served these groups with more sensible programming. I dare you to examine JC’s programming, and call it inferior to CrossFit. I know you are smarter than that, Lee. Heck, I’m no JC Santana, but I’ve also trained military, police, and EMT personnel, and they have all seen massive improvements in their performance without CrossFit. This is my exact point about CrossFit. Too many CrossFitters beat their chests, and act like they know something no one else knows, and are somehow “elite” because they can excel at a poorly designed workout. As far as your “calling the kettle black” comment, at no point do I ever claim to be the end all be all world’s greatest trainer, and if you aren’t training in my system, yours is crap. You know me, Lee, I’m shocked you would even put that kind of personal attack out there. You did, however, prove my point.
4)Denial of risk of injury: See New Rule #12 (fast lifting is not more dangerous than slow lifting)from Alwyn Cosgroves’ the New Rules of Lifting. The ability to sustain movement in a fatigued state is an identifier of fitness capacity. Certainly no one is endorsing an unsafe training program, but people must explore the boundaries of their fitness capacity if they want to elicit a training response. An Olympic lifter’s goal is to perform one rep max lifts in the games, therefore they are specialists and have no need to train any other way. To say that the Olympic lifts should not be utilized as a training tool in other ways is shortsighted. A friend of mine recently broke her toe taking a ballet fitness class. I guess there is no room for sloppy in that class either.
Once again, Lee, you take Alwyns words out of context. He wasn’t speaking about Olympic lifting when he made this rule. Fast lifting isn’t more dangerous than slow lifting IF the exercise in question is a stable, low tech exercise like a bench press. Do repeated sets of loaded, barbell snatches for reps, and technique WILL breakdown, putting your trainee at high risk of injury. It’s a fact, and you know this, you aren’t new, Lee. In fact, the one and only Mike Boyle had this to say : “I think high-rep Olympic lifting is dangerous. Be careful with CrossFit.”. Once again, it’s not just me saying this, it’s high level, respected strength coaches around the nation who are saying this as well. Strength and conditioning legend Charles Poliquin said: “If you try to do everything in your workout, you get nothing. CrossFit is different, and maybe even fun for some people, but it’s not very effective. No athlete has ever gotten good training like that.”. finally, are you really comparing ballet to CrossFit?!? You are really reaching, Lee. It seems as if you haven’t read my post in its entirety . The evidence behind my statements is solid, and you haven’t helped Crossfit’s case at all with the nonsense in your rebuttal.
5)The guy who started it all: Greg Glassman is a former gymnast who suffered an injury years ago. Unfortunately this injury has impacted his ability to perform exercise as he prescribes. Vince Lombardi didn’t suit up and take the field with his team on Sundays, so does that mean he wasn’t a great coach? You’re using broad brushstrokes to paint an unfavorable image of CrossFit and it’s founder, very surprising to me given the normally positive and enlightening approach you give to most of your writings.
Greg Glassman: “If you find the notion of falling off the rings and breaking your neck so foreign to you, then we don’t want you in our ranks,” he said in a 2005 New York Times article. Glassman responded to a lawsuit filed by Makimba Mimms, a former Navy CrossFitter who claims he suffered permanent disability from a CrossFit workout, by posting a video of children doing the allegedly dangerous workout, which was sarcastically renamed “Makimba.” (CrossFit and Glassman were not named as defendants in the suit; Mimms was ultimately awarded $300,000 for his injuries.). Glassman has endorsed the “Pukey the Clown” award given to people who push themselves to point of vomiting, and the “Uncle Rhabdo” character commonly found in CrossFit “boxes”, which represents a real, potentially life threatening injury caused by overtraining. Lee, tell me where I’ve misunderstood Greg Glassman? Tell me 5 good things about the man. Share one positive thing he has contributed to the fitness industry. By the way, being a former gymnast who got an injury is no excuse to be fat, and out of shape if you are representing a FITNESS PROGRAM! I have had numerous injuries in my wrestling career, including several degraded cervical vertebrae, a surgically repaired torn pectoral, and low back injuries. Know what? I’m 37, and regularly maintain less than 10% bodyfat, and I’m as strong as ever. An expert fitness trainer knows how to work around injuries to ensure the represent their product at all times.
Lee, I respect your knowledge, and what you’re doing to help improve the condition of our community. However, in this instance, I feel you are completely without a leg to stand on. The science of training flatly supports my stance on the CrossFit method, and as for it’s founder, well, his words and actions speak for themselves. I truly belive the concept behind CrossFit is legit, the but it’s the method behind the concept that is extremely flawed. However, if someone likes the activity in the CrossFit method, more power to them. Any physical activity is better than none!
BTW, this is the absolute last time I blog about Crossfit. Comments can be left below, and I will gladly speak to anyone wanting to discuss this topic more. But there will be no more full posts dedicated to the topic. As much as I still want to, lol…
Thanks for commenting Lee, I definitely look forward to talking to you more about this in the future!
Chad Smith is a Hagerstown personal trainer, fitness columnist, radio show host, and speaker whose “Metabolic Mayhem” fitness training program was called “One of The Best in The Country” by Emmy Award winning fitness celebrity Rocco Castellano. Find him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/hometeamfitness, or listen to him weekdays at 12pm est on his FTNS radio show “Jump Start With Chad and Kat” on http://www.ftns.co
