Hey ya’ll, Relatively uneventful week/weekend. (Jessica says: Ryan, with you, uneventful tends to be a good thing.) I did however fall victim to a new burger joint opening up near my office. This burger joint has incredible choices, few of them are healthy. I stuffed myself with a burger covered in ranch sauce (ranch sauce, Ryan?!), cheese, onion rings etc. for lunch, and felt sick until I went to bed (like 12 hours later). It is nice to see that my body isn’t as used to handling that garbage as it once was. Back when I was 230lbs I wouldn’t have had any trouble with a meal like that. Work out wise I kept it simple this week: strength work outs, running, and yoga!...
Read MoreQ: If I could only do one workout, out of yoga, pilates, cardio or strength training, what should it be? A: This answer has two parts. The thing that will work for you the best is whatever you LIKE the best. Why? Because you will do it more consistently and frequently. And the more you move, the better! But, if you like all of the above equally and are very results-driven, well then I would have to say that circuit training, which combines cardiovascular bursts (such as burpees and mountain climbers) with multifunctional strength moves (think lunge with bicep curl, chest press in a bridge position) is the most effective way to train. You’re getting more work...
Read MoreWith so many of us always sitting rounded over computers and desks so much of the time in this technology-driven age, anatomies are really suffering the consequences. We have to train accordingly, to press our posture back into place. Not only that, but what is sexier than a strong back, on a man OR a woman? Here are your principles for doing the most classic upper back exercise: the row. Note – the biceps, delts and core also get fantastic toning with this one.
Read MoreEvery good strength training program needs to be changed up now and then to spur change and growth in the muscle. A program I like to switch to, after too many weeks of doing full body 3 days/week, is the push/pull program. There a number of ways you can do the split, but I will cover a 2 day split program. This means your program will be divided into two days, and you can train four days / week. The idea behind the push/pull program is basically training opposite muscle groups on different days, or those used for pushing exercises vs. pulling. Squats, chest presses, overhead presses, crunches and tricep dips are all push exercises, for example. Hamstring curls,...
Read MoreMost people aren’t doing bicep curls as accurately and effectively as possible. Here’s the number one trick – when you are training the muscle that lies in between the shoulder and the elbow, those two joints need to be perfectly stabilized in order to optimize the isolation of the bicep. If the shoulder and the elbow are swaying or moving even ever so slightly, the range of motion is displaced from the muscle you are attempting to work – and you simply won’t be getting the results you are looking for. Here are the movements that your body will subconsciously try to kick in, in order to save your poor bicep from proper isolation (in other...
Read More