Tag Archives: Health

A New Year

Posted by Tim on

2013I usually don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, but I felt like doing it this year. There are a few simple ways that I know I can better myself, both physically and mentally. A New Year is a good starting point to set some goals, and forget about all of the failures of the past. Its a clean slate. I’ve got larger goals in a few years, (buying a home, for instance) but in the meantime, I might as well focus on some smaller things.

Dieting is easy for me. I can put on weight and lose it at the drop of a hat. I’ve been working out and dieting for years and I know my body well enough where (if I wanted to) I could lose 50 lbs in a few months and put it back on in a few more months. The New Year’s diet really has nothing to do with my weight; I’m comfortable in my body. But I could be healthier; not that I’m noticing any problems.

First things first – no more fast food, no more soda, no more alcohol. Its been a week, and this has already made an impact. I’ve cut out these things before, and I always have more energy when I do. But fast food is convenient, especially since I spend a lot of my time driving. The extra energy helps take the place of soda, which I mainly drink for the caffeine. And alcohol – well. I’m not a big drinker anyway, but I might as well cut that out too. It’ll at least save me some money.

I also plan to read a book a week for the rest of the year. So far, so good. Already read Russell Kirk’s “Edmund Burke: A Genius Reconsidered“. Next up – “America the Beautiful” by Ben Carson. This will be a way to take up some extra time since I won’t be spending it at bars or at restaurants. More time at home reading means less time out spending money that I could be saving.

Unfortunately, this also means that less time will be spent writing on this blog. Don’t worry – I’ll make enough time for the occasional blog post, but updates will come slower than last year. Which reminds me; its been over a year since this blog took off. Over 200 posts and nearly 20,000 views. Thanks everyone! Please feel free to comment on anything I write and share the blog with your friends. Suggestions are always welcome as well. ;-)

Here’s to another year in America; another year in Wisconsin.

Recommended Reading (8/5/12)

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Competition is the force which drives improvement. In some ways its very obvious – competition in the automobile market pushes manufacturers to provide better products at lower prices. In other ways its not so obvious. If the Russians hadn’t competed with the Americans in the Olympics during the Cold War, they never would have invented steroids, which today are used by countless American athletes – hitting home runs and scoring touchdowns – keeping us entertained all year round. Yes, competition is the key.

Speaking of Russians and those ultra-competitive Olympics of the Cold War era, much of what they pioneered in weight training we are still using today. The most common training templates used today by America’s top powerlifters were written about decades ago by Soviet trainers. In more recent times, Vladimir M Zatsiorsky has written Science and Practice of Strength Training.

Zatsiorsky worked with the Soviets for 26 years, training literally hundreds of top-level athletes. Currently he teaches kinesiology at Penn State (let’s just avoid the Sandusky conversation, shall we?), but he also holds honorary degrees from universities in Poland and Russia. He’s authored over a dozen books, and his works have been published in English, Russian, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, and other languages.

In Strength Training, Zatsiorsky delivers a complex analysis of the actual science of training. The book is full of charts and graphs, showing the effects of various training intensities, timings, and muscle recruitment. No matter the goal, whether it be strength, size, endurance, or speed, Zatsiorsky and, more importantly, science have the answers. Instead of just giving the reader a mindless training schedule, he gives you the knowledge needed to create your own – the right way. Along with the science, Zatsiorsky gives specific recommendations for certain populations – women, the elderly, and young athletes – and he also includes some tips for injury prevention.

If every trainee, or just every ignorant personal “trainer”, read this book there would be a lot less confusion about how to train for any desired effect. Too often young people go searching the internet forums for an answer to their troubles and all too often they get a bunch of hogwash, and end up just wasting time, if not money as well. Instead of that – buy this book, read it, and apply it. It’ll change the way you look at strength training forever.

On another note, I haven’t had a ton of time to sit down and watch this year’s Olympics, but I did manage to catch some women’s weight lifting last week. A 17 year old girl from Kazakistan weighing 116 lbs lifted 270 lbs over her head like it was nothing. I died a little inside. Really? She’s younger than me, smaller than me, a girl, and she’s way stronger than me. How’d that happen?

More Tips For Gaining

Posted by Tim on

We live in the age of instant gratification. We want it all and we want it now. Forget about saving up for a new TV or computer – just put it on the credit card and pay it off $50 a month for the next 2 years. Forget about learning how to cook, buying healthy tasteful ingredients – just go down the street to Burger King and stuff your face. I’m hungry NOW! And when it comes time to lose the weight you’ve gained by eating junk food and watching that expensive TV – lyposuction to the rescue!

The same mentality goes for the muscle gaining, weight lifting, meat-head community. Instead of studying the best way to train, learning about diet, and understanding rest and rehabilitation cycles, let’s just find the newest coolest supplement that the bodybuilding magazines are pushing this month. It has your favorite athlete endorsing it so it must be legit, right? Wrong! The supplements that have been proven to work have been around for decades, and unless you plan on switching to the “dark side” (steroids), there isn’t much else out there besides your basic whey protein and creatine.

There are other options available to help gain muscle, though. And you’re in luck. Since you’ve just spent all of your money on that new TV you couldn’t afford, you’ll be happy to know that these ways to increase muscle gains are free. That’s right! FREE! Here’s a couple tips that might not be on your radar, but could really help speed up gains.

1. Carb loading. There are plenty of new supplements out there that promise to give you the energy to get through your toughest workout. Most of the time these are just simple carbohydrates and/or caffeine, which gets you about halfway through a tough workout until you crash. Hard. And you don’t want to crash when you’re trying to go for a new PR. Instead you’ll need to load up your muscles with glycogen, giving your muscles enough energy to last a long workout. An hour or so before you plan on working out, eat some pasta, potatoes, or rice.

2. Spike your insulin. Insulin is what moves nutrients into your muscles. The way to spike your insulin is to eat simple sugars – fruit juice, for example. Your body’s blood sugar will go up, and to even out the ratio your pancreas will spit out a bunch of insulin. Along with the simple sugars you consume, drink your whey protein shake and follow it with a good meal about an hour later. Just consuming protein won’t do your body any good if it can’t use it. Spike your insulin after your workouts to get the most of your post-workout shake.

3. Rest. A lot. Too many young trainees think that they’re invincible. They don’t need to rest or sleep, and they can workout multiple times a day. This will work for a while, but your body’s central nervous system will begin to shut down after a few weeks of this. Your muscle gains will stall, and your strength gains will disappear. That’s right – you’ll start getting weaker. Time your workouts. A heavy deadlift workout can easily take a week to fully recover from, and you don’t want to deadlift again until after that point. Its for this reason that I only deadlift once a week, sometimes only once every 10 days or so.

4. Red meat. As much as we all love our chicken and fish, its important to eat plenty of red meat too. Beef has been show to increase testosterone levels in men, and its also a natural source of creatine. Because it takes your body so long to digest, you can actually go a while after eating it without worrying. Your body won’t shrink – it’ll have plenty of cow to live off of. A huge meal of steak, salad, potatoes, and cheesecake can be enough to boost your gains. Sometimes it just takes a huge meal to get off that plateau.

Rules of Grip Strength

Posted by Tim on

Anyone who has ever spent a lot of time in the gym and under the bar knows that after a certain point strength is almost useless in day to day life. Sure, being strong makes opening pickle jars easier, an will help you win and arm wrestling match or two, but by and large, being strong isn’t that necessary in today’s world. Oh, you can run a marathon? That’s great. I can drive a car and get where I’m going faster and without breaking a sweat. You see my point?

(That hasn’t stopped people from continuing to pursue their athletic dreams though. I’m not a competitive lifter, and I don’t even discuss my personal records with anyone, but I still keep track of my heaviest lifts and I train so that every couple months I can put up a bigger number. It may not be useful, but I do it for myself.)

One part of lifting that is often overlooked is grip strength. It also happens to be something that is actually useful in everyday life. Every once in a while someone at work will need something ripped apart and they call on me. It seems so easy to me, but no one else could do it. I’m not bragging – I’m just pointing out that my grip is stronger than most people’s. The thing is – I never focused on training my hands, on strengthening my grip. How did it get strong then?

Rule #1 – I am adamantly against wearing gloves, and using lifting straps or lifting hooks when working out. The reason is simple. These tools are aids. They aid you by allowing you to lift the weight more without the bar slipping out of your hands. The natural way to do this is to increase your grip strength, which will come naturally if you don’t use these aids. Want to increase grip strength? Throw away your gloves!

Anyone who says that lack of gloves or lifting straps is inhibiting their rows or deadlifts needs to be patient. Grip strength increases rapidly, and soon enough your grip strength will be able to handle the level of any weight you want to lift. Its foolish to let a weak grip hold you back. Just suck it up, grab the bar like a man, and lift it. Like Mark Rippetoe says – “If you insist on wearing gloves, make sure they match your purse.”

Rule #2 – Free weights are almost always better than machines. Machines limit your range of motion and steady the lift – aiding it. Not only does this mean that your grip doesn’t need to be as strong, but it means that many of the stabilizing muscles are not being used. A bench press (assuming proper form) of 150 lbs will deliver better muscular stimulation than a press machine of the same weight.

Rule #3 – Diversify. Its sad to see so many guys standing in front of mirrors at the gym constantly doing bicep curls. (One of the reasons I left commercial gyms.) As much as I argue that bicep curls are by and large a waste of time for any sport other than bodybuilding, if you insist on doing them try to switch things up. The standard curl is all fine and dandy, but try some reverse curls. Not only will this target the long head of the biceps, giving your arms a better overall shape, but it will really engage your forearms.

Not everything we do in the gym will transfer to real life, and after a certain point, very little of it will. Grip strength is one thing that is always useful, whether its tying a really good knot, opening a jar of pickles, or winning at tug of war. Avoid using aids that inhibit growth and strength gains, go for free weights instead of machines, and add in some reverse curls. Do this and you can throw out your lifting straps and never look back.

Limbaugh and Diet?

Posted by Tim on

Well, I imagine this will be my last written blog post before Tuesday’s Recall elections here in Wisconsin. As I stated in weeks past, my personal life has been busy, leaving little time for blogging. I still read the comments, Tweet a lot, and I keep up to date on whats going on in the world. Syria is getting pretty crazy, ey?

I couldn’t help myself today. It was that timeslot – noon to 3pm. In Milwaukee that means one thing – Rush Limbaugh. If I have a radio near me, there’s a good chance I’ll be listening. I remember a few years back when Chris Matthews (Hardball – (P)MSNBC) demanded that any Republican politician come out and disagree with Limbaugh on something. No one did – thereby “proving” that Limbaugh was the de-facto leader of the Republican party. I occasionally challenge myself to try to do the same – disagree with Limbaugh on something.

Before I get ahead of myself, its important to note that I’m not the most loyal Limbaugh listener. I prefer listening to the local talk hosts over him, and even as far as nationally syndicated hosts go, he’s not my favorite. There may be more issues than this one that I disagree with him on; I just haven’t heard it.

Today Rush made some kind of comment about exercise. Oh boy. Seriously? He stated that exercise is not nearly as beneficial as “the left” claims it is. In fact, a recent study showed that exercise can actually hurt some people – 10% the study claimed. Give me a break! Wow, if I had only known that exercise isn’t good for you, I wouldn’t have been doing it so much.

Limbaugh used himself as an example of someone who is perfectly healthy – normal blood pressure, cholesterol, etc – without having to exercise. The doctors are shocked by how healthy he is! They even try to give him medication he doesn’t need, because they are sure he’ll need it soon. But Limbaugh knows better. He’s healthy without exercise, and its only those crazy leftists that will make wild claims about exercise being good for everyone.

Now, I don’t want to sound like a Limbaugh basher; we have enough of them circling him constantly in the liberal media. This is just a topic that I know more about than he does, and where I’d rather he just stay out of. Encouraging people to not exercise? Based on 1 study? Sorry, bud. I love ya, but you’re flat out wrong.

While there are certain populations (particularly overweight populations) who could actually suffer serious heart problems from exercise, for normal people exercise is beyond beneficial. I’m curious what this study classified as “exercise”. Was it P90X or walking slowly on a treadmill? If you try to get a fat person to do hard core aerobic exercise, then yeah – it’s going to strain their already weakened heart. But the fact of the matter is that their heart is weak because of lack of exercise in the first place.

Looking only at one point in time and not looking before and after – that’s what leftists do with economics. Rush – don’t do that. And please, don’t equate diet and exercise with the left. Many proud conservatives take pride in their health – its the one thing that the government hasn’t figured out how to tax and steal from us. Michelle Obama is not the poster child for diet. Diet is a great thing – Michelle is a hypocritical bafoon who knows about as much of the subject as you do. Who thought politics and exercise would ever mix?

Tips for Hard Gainers

Posted by Tim on

It seems that most people are never happy about where they are in life. Being content is completely alien to most people. Its sad, really, but this is the way it is. If we were content we wouldn’t be where we are. Think about it – if we were content being hunters and gatherers, we wouldn’t have come up with domesticated animals and farming. Its true - not being content has improved our way of life greatly. So has greed. Altruism is phony. (See Ayn Rand for details.) But I’m getting away from what I want to talk about.

No one is happy. If you’re skinny, you want to be muscular. If you’re fat, you want to be skinny. Well, being that I’m just so pleased with myself (physically, at least) I thought it’d be nice of me to give all the skinny guys some easy ways to pack on a few pounds. These are simple ways to add some calories to your diet each day. Before we get started, however, its important to understand the basics of how to gain weight. In the end, you’re going to need to eat more. Get over it. Everyone says they eat a lot, but really – you’re going to need to eat more if you want to put on weight.

TIP 1 – Gas stations are the place to go. We live in a day and age where gas stations show up on nearly every street corner, and most of them have a few relatively healthy food choices for the average wannabe meat head. Get yourself over to the fridges at the back of the store and buy 1 quart of chocolate milk. Get the highest calorie version you can. I’ve managed to find one that’s 200 calories per serving – 4 servings in a quart – tada! There’s 800 calories right there! Combine it with a Kind granola bar and you have over 1000 calories.

TIP 2 – A common problem people have is that they’re too busy at work to eat anything throughout the day. I call bulls**t. You just need to be more creative and resourceful. Most employers offer their employees a lunch break or a short 15 minute break every 6 hours or so. Most employers also have a break room with a refrigerator in it. Mix yourself a shake at home, take it to work, put it in the fridge, and halfway through your day find 2 minutes to chug it. Its simple, fast, and gives your body the extra nutrients it needs to stave off muscular atrophy.

TIP 3 – Buy in bulk. Instead of buying a protein bar here and there for $3 at your gas station, buy a box of them. I’m lucky enough to have Supplement Warehouse based not too far from my home here in Wisconsin, so I can buy bulk easily. Some of you may need to buy online instead. Either way, it helps to have a box of protein bars around the house when you’re in a rush. Grab a bar as you walk out the door. Most of them taste like crap, but I’ve found the Supreme Protein bars to be tolerable.

TIP 4 – I’m going to go ahead and NOT recommend doing a dirty bulk. I’ve talked about it before – the dangers of it. So let’s not even go down that route. Instead of fast food, opt for Subway or Q’doba. When you’re at Subway, double up on the meat. Subway isn’t the healthiest option, but its good enough. The problem is that the sandwiches don’t always have enough calories to help you bulk up. With that in mind – double the meat, get as much mustard and mayonnaise as you like, and throw in a bag of chips.

Well, that’s all I can think of right off the top of my head. Enough with the excuses. Find the time to reach your goals. Plan ahead, spend a little extra money, and be aware of the cheap and easy ways to fill your stomach when you’re on the go.

Who Said Diets Don’t Work?

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I hear all of the time that diets don’t work. Sometimes people just don’t lose weight when they’re on the diet, but more often people complain that the diet failed because once they went off it, they gained back the weight they had lost. To me this is perfectly reasonable. Of course you gained the weight back – you went off the diet! Its for this reason that whenever I talk diets with someone I stress that a diet isn’t something you go off and on. Its a permanent lifestyle change.

Along with that change comes a slew of other things. Diet alone can only solve so many problems, and it can only solve them so fast. If someone wants better results, or faster results, they ought to drastically change their whole life. This means more than switching to diet soda and low fat ice cream, and exchanging fries for salads at McDonald’s. While someone might lose a few quick pounds by doing these things, in the long run, they’re still eating crap and their body will reflect it.

On the list of important things in your life, where does your health go? For most people its near the top. For me, its after God and family. Its more important than my job, and more important than any possession I could own. Like anything else that is important, its important not to take it for granted and not to half-ass it. Either play to win or don’t play at all. All or nothing. That’s the kind of mindset that people ought to have if they really want to get in shape.

Don’t switch to diet soda – give up soda entirely! The diet sodas contain far more harmful chemicals in them (often linked to cancer), and studies have shown that these chemicals actually encourage your body to store fat. Some people like to enjoy a soda at the end of their day. They say they’ve “earned it”. Well that’s bull! Why would you sabotage any progress you’ve made by sucking down something that will rot your teeth and stomach, spike your blood sugar, and raise your blood pressure? Those extra 200 calories could be the difference between losing weight and gaining it. Don’t be stupid and lazy!

Don’t switch to “healthy” options at McDonalds – avoid McDonalds all together. We all know that Big Macs and Super Sized fries are awful for us, so instead we make a weak attempt to change our diets. We skip the fries, and get a salad. Sorry guys – that salad probably has no nutritional value in it, and was most likely sprayed with some pesticide designed to kill bugs. But the pesticide probably wasn’t washed off the plant before it was put onto your plate. Low and behold – something designed to kill bugs will also kill you! (Exaggeration) Well… you’d have to drink a lot of it, but poison is poison. Skip fast food all together, forever!

Want to exercise? Get off the treadmill and take a walk outside. The fresh air will do you good. There is a big difference between running on a treadmill and running outside. I’m sure many people are self conscious about being seen exercising, especially when they’re disgustingly overweight, but look at it this way – people will see you and know that you’re making a positive change in your life. For that alone, you’re a step above a lot of people. Not only that, but you may inspire someone else to start making changes in their own lives.

The point is that people ought to make big changes – not little ones. The problem isn’t that you get fries at McDonald’s instead of a salad – the problem is that you’re going to McDonald’s in the first place! When you dance around the real problem you not only avoid reality, but you push off progress longer and longer, eventually discouraging yourself to the point when you give up entirely. People see small changes and they lose their motivation, but they’d see big changes if they made them! Stay motivated by going all out. End rant.

Back to Gaining Weight

Posted by Tim on

I have a confession to make. I’ve been cutting. No, I’m not some kind of mental midget who cuts himself with a razor blade. I’ve been cutting weight. I honestly don’t really know why. I suppose its just out of sheer boredom. Last year around the time I weighed right around 220 lbs. Most of it was muscle, although I admit I hadn’t been doing much cardio and my diet sucked – there was a little fat too. I then dropped to around 210. In the last week I’ve lost another 15 lbs or so – weighing 198. Not bad, ey?

When I tell people this they assume that it was hard to do, or that I had to go on some extreme diet to lose that much weight that quickly. Its really pretty simple. Work long days at work, don’t eat lunch, and don’t eat before bed. Eat a small breakfast, drink a lot of water, and have a poor sleep schedule. Its easy to lose weight if you just don’t eat, guys. Anorexic people do it all the time, and they’re skinny as hell!

But all that is behind me. I heard a story today about a friend who got in a near fight. I thought to myself, “If I was there…” but I had to rethink. I’m not quite as big as I used to be. At 220 I was a beast. Now I just look “in shape”. Not nearly as intimidating. What was I thinking, losing all this weight. It wasn’t just weight – it was muscle! Well, I guess its time to get back to where I used to be, maybe go a little further.

No timeline this time. I was an impatient teenager before, and I don’t want to do all that again. Disgusting weight gain protein shakes, 5-10 different supplements, huge triple Whoppers from Burger King. Nah. I’m going to take it a little slower this time. But watch out. Soon enough I’ll be back at 220 lbs. Stronger than before.

Stay tuned for a lot more posts pertaining to diet, and exercise…

Picking a Protein Shaker Bottle

Posted by Tim on

If you’re a health nut, or maybe just a guy looking to gain some muscle for summer, you’ve probably come across all the different protein supplements that are being sold not only in GNCs and Vitamin Shoppes, but even at your local grocery store and Walmart. These powders usually come in big buckets, and are artificially flavored to taste like chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. The prices range – supposedly in accordance with how “pure” the protein is, but I imagine it has more to do with name recognition and advertising. None the less, people buy this stuff up.

I’ve used a variety of protein powders over the years, and I’ve come to chose only Optimum Nutrition brand protein supplements. The taste:price ratio is pretty fair, I think. It also mixes well in what we meat heads call a “shaker bottle”. Not familiar? It’s a water bottle, basically, that you put your liquid into, then your powder into, and then shake until its mixed. Unfortunately, the powder doesn’t always mix real well with the liquid, which can lead to clumps of non-dissolved powder floating in your drink. It’s pretty gross, especially when your drinking and you feel a big chunk hit your tongue without warning.

Many of these problems can be solved by adjusting how much liquid you use. If your protein powder doesn’t dissolve, use more water or milk. The proportions listed on the back of the tub of protein aren’t always right. Experiment and figure it out. There are times, however, when this still is not enough. Some substances just aren’t easily dissolved. With that in mind – here are a few tips for picking out a good shaker bottle.

1. Find a shaker bottle that is big enough. Not all shaker bottles are designed for weirdos like you and I. They’re designed for middle aged women who heard from their holistic wanna-be docter/trainer friend that “protein helps boost your metabolism”. These women buy little shakers, for their little shakes. (After all, they don’t want to get huge!). Find a bottle that is made for bodybuilders. Whether you’re a pro, an amateur, or just a wannabe, you’ll appreciate having a shaker bottle that can hold 20-25 ounces of your favorite drink.

2. Find a shaker bottle that doesn’t have a lot of grooves on the sides. The best shape for a shaker bottle is a simple cylinder. There are bottles with hand grips built into them, odd decorative designs, etc. Forget that stuff. Not only does it make your shaker bottle a pain to clean out, but it allows protein to stick in these grooves. When they’re in the grooves, they either a) are getting drank or b) are getting drank but aren’t getting dissolved. A bottle that is as close to a basic cylinder is the best.

3. Chose a grater over a mixer. There are bottles that come with weird spiral “mixers” that you put in them. Although this may look like it will help mix your drink, for me it’s done nothing expect add something for me to clean. So, instead of cleaning something that has no purpose, get a bottle that has a grater. This will keep you from drinking all the gross chunks that don’t get dissolved.

4. Make sure the mouth opening is big enough. Remember, this isn’t just water or milk – its water or milk with a bunch of protein in it. You don’t want to sip it, you want to chug it. Make sure your bottle has an opening larger than a straw. You should be able to just tip the bottle and easily drink.

5. The simpler the better. Skip the electric bottles, the automatic mixers, the mixers with a ball in them, and all of that crap. The fewer pieces involved the better. The shaker should consist of three parts – the bottle, the grater, and the top. The more parts, the more hassle when cleaning it, and the more likely that you’ll lose a piece of it or break it altogether.

It may seem that a lot of thought went into buying a $5 shaker bottle, but its quite the opposite. Very little thought should go into it – buy a simple bottle that will serve its purpose, be easy to clean, and keep gross protein chucks out of your mouth. Drink up!

Outdoor Weight Lifting

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Sometimes I don’t know what I’m going to write about until I write it. I’ll start a blog post without having any kind of idea for a thesis. I play it by ear, see where my thoughts take me, and “wing it”. Sometimes it works out and it turns into something. Other times I delete the whole post and walk away feeling like I’ve wasted a small amount of my ever-so valuable time. I think I’m doing this right now – the whole “wing it” thing.

There isn’t a whole lot that’s new right now. Politics are pretty much the same – high gas prices, the Republican primary continues, nothing super interesting happening. You know when people are talking about Obama’s daughter’s vacation that things are slow in politics. But hey – we can always fall back on the weather. That’s the cliche, right? “So, the weather has been interesting, ey?” Well, really it has. It’s March and I’m already using my air conditioner. It’s not great for my energy costs, but on the plus side, it means that its warm enough to work out outside.

I’ve talked about the pros of working out at home versus at a commercial gym. (You can read the post HERE.) You avoid a lot of the problems that public gyms have, but sometimes public gyms offer things that a home rarely can offer. For me, this means overhead presses. If I’m working out in my basement, it’s kind of hard to be doing power cleans, push presses, and the occasional snatch. I prefer to do these exercises outside, but in the winter these exercises pretty much lose their place in my training program.

But summer is back, at least it is for the next few days, and I’ve taken the bar outdoors again. I’m getting the hang of things. Its been a few months since I’ve done any olympic lifts, so I keep the weight relatively low, and concentrate on form. Nothing too fancy was done today – a few sets of power cleans, and a few sets of push presses. Gotta get myself back into the game, and I keep it simple at first.

These big lifts are great. They’re especially fun outside in the summer because they get your heart rate going real fast, and in the summer heat – they get you sweating real fast too. (Be sure to keep some chalk nearby so the bar won’t slip out of your hands.) The fresh air, the hot rays of the sun – everything is perfect for lifting. Its these lifts that are a lot of fun to do, and that have the best impact on your athletic ability. If you have a home gym, I strongly encourage you to take a bar and some plates outside and practice your olympic lifts.

The power clean is extremely useful for anyone involved in sports. It’s the exercise that forces your body to convert plain old strength into power. Explosiveness is key to the power clean, and explosiveness is key to most sports. Football, baseball, and wrestling all require an athlete to be fast AND strong. If being both fast and strong is your goal, better learn the power clean.

The other exercise I love to do outside is an oldie but a goodie – the press. As Mark Rippetoe says, “The Press is the oldest upper body exercise using a barbell. The day the barbell was invented, the guy who invented it figured out a way to pick it up and shove it over his head. After all, it is the logical thing to do with a weight.” He goes on to say, “…pressing the barbell overhead is still the most useful upper body exercise in the weight room.” There is nothing that will strengthen your shoulders more than the overhead press. The muscle control involved, especially when using heavy weight, is extreme, and extremely beneficial.

I’ll stick to those two for now. Really, guys. If you want to build muscle, skip the bicep curls and all the lame machines at the gym. Get outside, bring the barbell, and start moving some weights.