Today's bench press tip is this...If you are doing bench press and only going half-way down, just stop. Stop doing bench presses and find another exercise.
If you are not going to do the full range of motion bench presses because you think its bad for your shoulder, then just do something else. Stop looking like a dork who thinks he has a big bench press but doesn't do the exercise properly.
Go do dumbbell presses, or pushups, or something else. But stop with the fake bench pressing.
That was one of the questionable things I saw in the gym. I guess I should call these posts, "Lessons from the Gym" but that title is lame. If you have something better, please let me know. "Stupid Pet Tricks" is already taken by Letterman.
During my workout today, I really didn't see anything hideous, but I did see something I wish you were there to see...
In the cardio area, there were two overweight girls on elliptical machines. Their workouts looked awkward, un-coordinated, and about as effective as sitting on a couch.
Beside them was poetry in motion.
An actress from the Stratford Festival, was running on the treadmill with perfect posture. She looked like an Olympic athlete. Lean, slim, powerful, strong, fit, graceful. I could go on and on.
It was the perfect contrast between the two machines.
I promise you this: If you give up the elliptical machine and learn to become more athletic and run and move like an athlete, you will lose more fat and become the lean, strong, fit person you desire to be.
If you don't, I fear you will struggle with weight loss, remain un-coordinated, and never reach your goals.
Girls can and should do pushups, chinups, bodyweight rows, 1-leg squats, kettlebell exercises, sprints, and anything and everything boys do. That will get you far better results than elliptical machines, cardio classes, spinning, and weight machines.
If you are struggling, I take full responsibility for not saying this earlier. I've been too lenient with folks who ask for exemptions.
Drop the elliptical, and take up the athletic.
I know this will upset a lot of people. Frankly, I hope it does and motivates you to become more athletic.
If you have sore knees, lose weight with nutrition and build up lower body strength with my floor-based bodyweight exercises. Get rid of your sore knees and move onto athletic based training. Your body will improve much faster than staying in the elliptical comfort zone.
Now onto my workout...my modified version of Turbulence Training 2K3, workout A. Frankly, this workout was almost too much upper body work for me...I'm not into those types of workouts anymore...but I know a lot of you love them.
Warmup
Prisoner Squat
Pushup
Forward Lunge
Shoulder Rotations
Neck Rotations
Some stretches, and a few other things too hard to describe.
Specific Warmup
Bench press - 45x15, 95x12, 135x10, 185x6, 225x1
Single leg exercises - 3x10
Strength
Bench Press - 235x3x5
TT Supersets
1A) Chinups (stop 2 reps short of max) - 12, 8, 6
1B) Pistols - 15, 7
2A) DB Incline Press - 80x2x8
2B) Snatch Grip BB Row - 185x3x8
3) 3-Minute Arms (another good one today!)
Train for performance and your body will change dramatically,
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training
PS - Strength training and interval training are the keys to burning fat and sculpting a lean athletic body...
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