Simple Sledgehammer Workout!

A Simple, 30-Minute Sledgehammer Workout

When it comes to sledgehammer training, there’s no need for bells and whistles, fancy workout gear, a whole bunch of fancy exercises to remember or a notebook to keep track of your workout. All you need to get the most out of this fitness tip is a sledgehammer, a tree stump and a half-an-hour…

Sledgehammer training is beautiful in its simplicity. Swing the sledge, hit something and repeat. You sweat, you grunt, you ache, you feel like you really accomplished something. Oh, and your neighbors think that you are stark-raving mad. But really, that can be a good thing…but my misanthropic leanings can be discussed at a later time. For now, this fitness tip is all about the sledgehammer.

This is the simplest workout that I’ve ever done, and it’s one of the most rewarding.

And my disclaimer for trying this workout is as follows: don’t do this workout if you haven’t spent at least 3-4 weeks following the “Shovelglove” workout and another 4-5 weeks working with the sledge outdoors, and have been able to complete workouts that consist of 300-400 swings – with contact – on either a tire or tree stump.

Warm up for 3-5 minutes by doing some jumping jacks and an easy jog around the block and you’re ready to go.

Grab your 10-pound sledge and whack away at your favorite tree stump or tire, taking 5 swings from both the right and left sides until you’ve completed 100 swings. This should take about 3 and a-half minutes, so you can rest 2-2 and a-half minutes before you step up to the stump again.

In the second set take 10 swings from each side until you reach 100, and use the same rest interval as the first set, as this set should take about the same amount of time to complete as your first set.

Your third set will have you taking 20 swings from each side until you reach 80 swings and then take one set of 10 swings from each side to round out your third set of 100 swings. If you feel like you need to, you can add 30-60 seconds the 2 and a-half minutes rest before starting set four.

At this point about 12 minutes will have passed.

Shoot for 200 total swings in the fourth set taking 20 swings from each side. There’s nothing wrong with giving yourself 10-15 seconds to take a few extra breaths after every 20 or 40 swings, as by this point in the workout your heart will be pumping and muscles throbbing a bit from having already done 300 swings, on your way to 500.

This set should take about 6 minutes to complete, and take 3-4 minutes to rest before starting your final set of 100 swings, taking 10 from each side. This will put you at 600 swings for the workout and should take just about 30 minutes on the nose.

A workout like this should be done once per week, especially if you are currently lifting weights during the week. This kind of high-volume workout places a lot of stress on your body, and you will need to give yourself ample time for recovery.

Swimming is hands down the best form of cardiovascular exercise and getting into the pool is the single best change that you can make to your exercise routine.

Unlike jogging or any form of machine-based cardio exercise, swimming places no impact force on the joints and connective tissue, and is an incredibly efficient, total-body exercise. You don’t need to spend hours in the pool every week in order to reap the benefits from swimming, as 20-minutes once or twice per week will do the trick.

The reason more people don’t swim is that it’s difficult, it takes effort. Unlike the Stairmaster, treadmill or any of the most popular forms of cardiovascular exercise, swimming is tough. Machine-based forms of cardio are popular because they are easy. As a matter of fact, any exercise that is unpopular – especially in a big, open gym setting – is usually more difficult, and as a result more effective, than the less popular options.

For example, in most “big box” gyms there are literally tons of leg machines (leg press, leg extension, leg curl, etc.) but usually only a few squat racks, and these racks are rarely used for squats. At the big box gym I belong to there are hundreds of treadmills and Stairmasters, but only 2 Concept 2 rowing machines.

It seems like everyone jogs and “climbs stairs” – even the people who wait to park their cars in the parking spaces closest to the entrance – but nobody sprints or does running and agility drills.

Translation; walking (except from their car) and stepping are easy, sprinting and rowing is tough.

Recovery Time!

A Recovery Meal is an Important Part of Your Workout

How many of you know what a “recovery meal” is? Everyone needs to make a recovery meal an important part of their training regimen…

A recovery meal is designed to replace your glucose and glycogen stores, the fuels that provides you with energy and the fuels that are depleted as a result of exercise. Consuming a recovery meal within 30 minutes after exercise is one of the most important habits that people can develop. Not only does this meal replace the stores of this vital energy source, these calories also help the body to recover from a training session and can possibly result in reduced soreness, as well.

Since carbs are the preferred fuel source of the body, maintaining and replenishing your carbohydrate stores keeps protein from being broken down to be used as energy. So by having the proper levels of carbs in your system you allow protein to do what it does best, build muscle tissue.

The ideal recovery meal consists of a 20-ounce sports drink, such as Gatorade, and an orange. You should then eat a regular meal within 2 hours after activity to ensure that you get essential nutrients into your system to further aid the recovery process. As an alternative to this ideal recovery meal, consume a carbohydrate gel – such as a Clif Shot – drink 20 ounces of water and eat an orange.

To ensure that you can perform at your best while training, and to give your body the best chance to properly recover from your workout, you need to stay hydrated by regularly drinking water throughout the day. Save the sports drink – and the calories that they contain – for your recovery meal. Many people sabotage their hard work in the gym by regularly drinking high-calorie sports drinks during the day rather than good old, low-calorie and all-natural water.

In extreme conditions, sports drinks can be consumed right before, during and immediately following competition or rigorous training/practice, but in the vast majority of cases water is all that you need. If you drink water regularly and are hydrated before your workout or competition, sports drinks will be more effective when you do drink them.

Here are some fluid guidelines that everyone needs to be aware of:

Before activity 14-22 oz

During activity 6-12 oz every 15 minutes

After activity 16-24 oz per pound lost

Drinking enough water to stay hydrated and eating a recovery meal are two great habits that can help people to get the most out of their training sessions.

Why use Kettlebells?

One of the latest phenomenon’s taking the exercise world by storm is the kettlebell. A kettlebell is an iron weight that looks like a bowling ball or a cannonball with a built in handle. Kettlebell exercises provide many key workout benefits and are proving to be more than just a passing fad. Since kettlebells work out the entire body, they can be a valuable way to switch up your regular routine a little bit and keep your workout regimen from becoming dull or boring.

Kettlebells: A New Way To Experience An Intense Workout

Once relatively obscure, kettlebells are cropping up in more and more places as people are discovering the great benefits of working out with them. In fact, many websites on the Internet are plastered with kettlebell training tips and routines, allowing you to try a different one every week without ever running out of new options. For finicky exercisers who thrive on variety, kettlebell exercises might be just what the doctor – or athletic trainer – ordered. In many ways, using a kettlebell is like working out with weights and doing step aerobics at the same time – and the results can be phenomenal.

Become a Lean, Mean, Fat-Burning Machine with Kettlebells

These deceptively simple looking devices make for a truly heart-thumping, envelope-pushing workout. Although kettlebell training has been popular with bodybuilders and other professional athletes for some time, everyday folks looking to burn fat more efficiently are turning to kettlebells in droves as their fat-burning capabilities are being promoted more and more. Many people pick a kettlebell up thinking it will be “no sweat” to mix in with their routine, only to gain a healthy dose of respect for the device after using it for just a few short minutes.

Take Your Workout Routine To The Next Level – Try Kettlebells Today

Whether you have grown bored with the same old workout routines – or have a sincere desire to burn a tremendous amount of fat in a very efficient way – kettlebell training might be right for you. It’s important to ease yourself into kettlebell exercises as much as possible; jumping right in might burn you out too quickly. Test the waters by finding simple kettlebell routines online, or ask your personal trainer about basic exercises. Over time, you can use kettlebells to cut fat, increase stamina, improve agility and much more – truly pushing your body to its maximum potential.

What is Krav Maga?

Israeli Krav Maga is the official self-defense system used by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and descends in its current form from Krav founder Imi Lichtenfeld’s original organization, the Israeli Krav Maga Association (IKMA).

While there are other Krav organizations, Israeli Krav is recognized by the Israeli government as the authority for krav maga, and Grandmaster Haim Gidon, the founder’s handpicked successor, supervises the training curriculum. In the United States David Kahn is the IKMA’s Chief Instructor, and he has written several instructional books on the Krav Maga.

Krav Maga is based on the principals of enhancing natural instincts and using the appropriate level of force for self-defense, and all types of people can learn its techniques and tactics in a relatively short period of time. Krav Maga means, “contact combat,” and the system relies on natural instincts, reflexes, awareness and mental conditioning.

According to the Israeli Krav Maga’s website, these are the, “Six Pillars of Krav Maga Training.”

• Simultaneous defense and attack
• Focus on vulnerable soft tissue
• Continuous Combat Movement (Retzev)
• A Building Block Learning Process
• Decisive Action
• Subduing Techniques

Krav’s philosophy is to never use more force than necessary but teaches its students to react with speed and economy of movement in order to end any confrontation as quickly as possible. In extremely threatening situations, kravists are taught to do whatever necessary – strikes to the groin, eye gouging, head butts, biting, choking, screaming into attackers ear – to protect themselves.

As opposed to the more well-known and popular martial arts, krav maga teaches its students to use any means necessary to protect themselves and constantly reinforces the reality that there are no rules in the street. Israeli Krav Maga doesn’t shy away from the aggressive and ruthless approach that’s needed to prepare people to do whatever it takes to survive a possible attack.

From IsraeliKrav.com, “Krav Maga is well known for its simplicity, instinctive nature, utility, use of weapons of opportunity, adaptability and proficiency.” In addition to teaching people of all ages and ability levels how to defend themselves, Krav Maga offers a fantastic way for people to improve their fitness level.

Weight Vest Training

Whether you are a personal trainer, strength coach or workout on your own, you should invest money in a weight vest and incorporate this exercise accessory into your routine.

To the uninitiated, a weight vest might seem like a piece of exercise equipment that’s strictly for the hardcore, but nothing could be further from the truth. A weight vest is a simple, yet versatile, piece of equipment that is beneficial to people regardless of their fitness level, from beginners to elite athletes. I have had a great deal of success incorporating weight vest training into the routines of my personal training clients.

For folks who walk and stretch a weight vest can make these activities much more effective by wearing a weighted vest with as little as 10-pounds. The demands placed on the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems by wearing a weight vest make simple movements much more effective, and research indicates that wearing the vest can improve spinal bone density.

Weight vest training is based on the pretty simple theory that if you exercise with more weight than the body is accustomed to, the exercise can be more demanding, and therefore more effective. And we’re not talking about a lot of extra weight. I weigh 205-pounds and have found that a vest weighing as little as 20-pounds can make a single set of 45 jumping jacks much more difficult.

The weight vest can be used to make every exercise more challenging and more effective, from simple exercises like stretching, to complex movements like squat thrusts, squats, pull-ups and push-ups. Weight vest workouts are an effective and efficient way to get yourself in better shape.

If your fitness routine consists of going on regular walks a weighted vest can help you to achieve an improved level of fitness and offers a vastly superior alternative to carrying hand weights while walking. Hand weights put a lot of stress on the connective tissue of the hands, wrists and arms and over time, carrying these weights can lead to problems like carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis. But with a weight vest the weight is evenly distributed and does not put any unnatural stress on the back or joints. Weight vests can be loaded with weight in one-pound increments so you can slowly – and responsibly – increase the load you carry.

Whether you are a beginner or have reached a high level of fitness, are a personal trainer or a weekend warrior; the weight vest should be a part of your routine. Make an investment in your health and fitness and start training with a weight vest.

Tricky Supplements

1) Green Tea Extract

Yes, it’s healthy, and yes, it certainly is the darling of the fat loss supplement world these days. After all, research shows it helps you burn 80 extra calories per day, it doesn’t have any side effects, it might even help prevent cancer, and even Oprah recommends it (or at least that’s what the SPAM in my inbox says).

But the bottom line is that it won’t help you lose fat any faster.

By taking a look at this supplement more closely, we see a couple of dirty little secrets. First, while it helps you burn an extra 80 calories per day (as shown in one research study), that doesn’t add up to much in a week (1/7th of a pound of fat). And do you know how easy it is to eat 80 calories? Why, all it takes are two tablespoons of non-dairy creamer, or a cup of juice, or as little as TWELVE potato chips, and you can say goodbye to the supposed benefits of the expensive daily Green Tea supplement.

And finally, you shouldn’t expect to get that 80-calorie increase in metabolism everyday. It’s more likely that your body gets used to the Green Tea (just like it gets used to everything), and that it doesn’t increase your metabolism by 80 calories everyday. So while it’s important to keep on drinking several cups of Green Tea per day for the health benefits, you can save some money by skipping the expensive supplements.

3) Hoodia

Ah yes, the secret supplement of the African Bushmen and the fat-loss miracle pill that I hear about a dozen times each day thanks to SPAM e-mail. Well, if it were only true.

Hoodia is one of those supplements where no one probably has true access to the real ingredient, and if they do, they’ve added it to the product in such small amounts that it is worthless.

Doubt me? Take a look at your supplements. Why don’t they list the amount of Hoodia (or any other ingredient in there)? Instead, they list proprietary, trademarked laundry lists of ingredients to B.S. you into thinking that there is an effective amount of anything in the product.

The truth? The only thing effective about Hoodia is the marketing!

4 Foods Sabotaging Your Fat Loss Program 1) Rice Cakes (& Other Low-Carb, Processed Snacks)

So many people, including bodybuilders and fitness models, have been fooled by the innocent rice cake. Made popular in the 90’s during the low-fat craze, it required Dr. Atkins to prevent the world domination of these high-glycemic snacks.

But I still talk to clients that insist on afternoon snacking with rice cakes. You see, rice cakes do not fill you up, do not help you control your blood sugar, and are not part of a good fat loss program. So drop the low-fat, high-carbohydrate, processed snacks such as rice cakes and cereal bars and eat only by these three words: Whole, natural, foods.

2) Juice & Energy Drinks (aka Liquid Sugar)

Wake up to a glass of sunshine, or more truthfully, wake up to a cup of sleep-inducing, energy-sucking, fat-loss sabotaging sugar. And those so-called energy drinks? They are nothing but a disastrous cocktail of sugar, artificial flavors, and oftentimes energy- crashing caffeine. Want to see your abs? Stay away from sugar-soaked drinks.

Juices and Energy Drinks are nothing but sugar that will stop your for fat loss. Substitute a fiber-rich, nutrient-dense piece of fruit or a vegetable in place of your juice, and use water or Green Tea in place of Energy Drinks. Whole, natural foods and calorie free beverages reign supreme for controlling your blood sugar and fat burning.

3) Coffee Creamer (& Other Added Calories)

There are many ways to get lots of evil calories in a small package, and coffee creamers are only one of them. Other ways are butter, sour cream, and mayonnaise. The key point to remember is that the benefits of an entire can be wiped out in one or two small mouthfuls of food. Choose wisely when making your food and condiment choices.

4) Foods That “Burn Calories”

Mainstream media (especially magazines like Woman’s World and even Men’s Health) love to champion the miniscule benefits you’ll get from adding lemon to your water, or pepper to your meals. “Burn extra calories”, they claim. “Boost your metabolism with this one secret ingredient”, the headlines shout. Lies! All of it.

None of these little tricks will help you lose one extra fat cell, no matter how much we believe in them. After all, if a powerful drug like caffeine is of no help to your fat loss plan, than how can we expect a slice of lemon to conquer the extra pounds?

Another magic potion exposed for what it truly is...useless.