New Year’s Muscle Program
One thing that 2020 taught us is that your home workout game needs to be strong. You cannot simply do your gym workouts at home. Unless you have a sweet home gym.
Most people’s home workouts fail them because they are not designed to get the most out of the workouts.
The Odyssey Program.
Starting a fitness program can be a daunting task. How do you know what you are doing is the best thing for you to be doing?
If you are just starting out, you should follow a program that is designed for beginners.
7 reasons you are training with pain - and how to fix them [FREE guide].
If your training is not lifting you up and making you feel stronger and younger with more energy then something may be off with your training.
If you are typically more beat up and notice it is harder to lift weights as you did before then it is time for you to change your approach to training.
7-Day Strength and Mobility Reboot [FREE guide].
If you are having a harder time exercising or performing your daily activities, I have good news and bad news.
The bad news is that these issues WILL NOT resolve on their own. They will just get worse if left unchecked.
The good news is that, in most case, you can not only alleviate but actually resolve the issue in question.
The strategies in the 7-Day Strength and Mobility Reboot Guide will help you move better, have less pain, and get back to doing things you thought you could no longer do.
The strategies are simple and easy to do and there is a minimal time commitment involved. To make these work, consistency is the key. Follow the plan to start feeling better.
Abs weak? Time for EBM’s Ab Week.
There are so many distractions at home and unless you have a dedicated space and are good at blocking off specific times to train, home workouts get sabotaged real easy.
To that point, make sure you have an area that is designated to workout.
Block the time on your calendar just like any other appointment.
Barring emergencies, this is your time and it is not to be interrupted.
FREE Home Workout Guide
Sometimes, getting to the gym just isn’t going to happen. Maybe there is an impromptu work function, some family-related outing or maybe a global pandemic literally shuts everything down.
No matter what the reason, being able to get good workouts in at home is an ace you want to have up your sleeve.
How to exercise when traveling.
Do you need a gym to exercise?
The short answer to that question is, no.
Going to a gym is nice because there is a large variety of equipment, lots of classes, social interaction and because misery loves company.
But, all that equipment may be sweat-stained by that dude that doesn’t know how to wipe things down. And, to be honest, you will not use most of the pieces of equipment anyway.
Sometimes people suck and having to be around them when you exercise just makes the whole experience worse.
All exercise programs MUST start with an assessment.
You are thinking about starting an exercise program. You are ready. You are motivated and you are going to dominate and accomplish all of your goals. How do you know what exercises to start with?
Is it some random drawing by throwing exercises in a hat and pulling them out? Do you hit up the internet and find the latest and greatest to follow? Do you turn to Instagram and the girl with the painted-on yoga pants or the guy-that-never-seems-to-wear-a-shirt-in-any-video?
Your poor balance is probably not a balance issue.
Many of us know someone who seems to be a little more clumsy. Maybe they trip a lot, stumble often and sometimes even fall. Maybe I am describing you.
Occasionally losing your balance or stumbling here or there is not a balance problem.
Vertigo is a true balance disorder. Issues that involve the vestibular system (which is a fascinating system) are true balance disorders. These can be triggered by head, neck and eye movements and are often associated with nausea, dizziness and true loss of balance (LOB) which often results in a fall.
Balance is a difficult thing to quantify since it involves many systems and many variables. Your balance is maintained by a dynamic interplay between three systems in the body. In the ideal world, all three systems would work harmoniously together.
How to stretch your hamstrings and not your sciatic nerve [video].
Most people stretching their hamstrings are really stretching their sciatic nerve. In general, nerves do not like it when you stretch them. The hamstring runs from the bottom of your butt to the back of the knee. Therefore, bending your spine to stretch the hamstrings makes no sense.
The right way to stretch your hip flexor [video].
Most people attempt to stretch the hip flexor incorrectly by moving too far forward and arching the low back too much. If this is you, watch the video. The key is the setup.
Pulling exercises. You're doing them wrong [video].
Rows, pulldowns, pull-ups, and other movements that initiate movement through the scapula should make up a good amount of your upper body exercises in your program.
Did I just make hamstring drops harder [video]?
Set up with your feet anchored under a dumbbell rack or other solid structure that will not move. Focus on bracing the abs, staying tall throughout the motion and not bending at the hips. Perform the hamstring drop with only one leg on the way down and both legs coming back up. Try to keep the emphasis on the hamstring, not the arms and shoulders. The upper body is definitely assisting the movement, but the hamstrings should be the focus. Enjoy.
Brutal hamstring exercise [video].
This will punch your hamstrings right in the mouth. Set up with both knees bent, feet flat on the ground with a slider under one of your feet. Lift the foot that is not on the slider off the floor. Perform a single-leg bridge with the other leg. Once at the top of the motion, straighten the knee by sliding the foot away from the body. When the knee is extended, keep the hips on the floor, bend the knee and start again with the single-leg bridge.
Spiderman stretch [video].
This is an excellent movement for mobilizing and stretching the hips. Start with the first position and progress to the others as needed. Remember, focus on a mild-to-moderate intensity in the hip and glute area when performing these. Start in a pushup position. Bring one leg forward to the outside of the arm. In the second video, bend the elbow and try to get it as close to the floor as you can. In the third video, rotate the arm up towards the ceiling. Make sure to rotate the body, not just the arm. One way to help do this is to keep your eyes on your hand. The arm should not travel where the eyes cannot follow it.
Stop stretching your tight muscles.
"My muscles are tight, I have to go stretch"
- Almost every person I know
It seems simple enough. If you have muscle tightness, the remedy is to stretch said muscles.
Simple. Easy. Done deal. Moving on.
Not so fast.
I will start Monday.
People think this idea is ludicrous just as much as they think Monday is the only day of the week to start their new plan.
First, Monday's carry no special significance. If you want to start something new or change something that needs changing, start now. Right now.
Stop telling yourself that you will start Monday when you spend the weekend doing the exact opposite of what you should be doing. Stop kidding yourself and start now.