Jan 5 2010

How to Create the Best Bodyweight Exercise Circuits

Bodyweight training is simply the act of working out with your own bodyweight. This form of training has existed since the time men began to engage in sports. In fact, bodyweight exercises were really the only method that one could improve their strength and conditioning to face the rigors of life.

Weapons training and the act of lifting heavy objects to get stronger came much later on. But before that, it was just man and his/her bodyweight.

Over the years, bodyweight training has evolved from just simple pushups, pullups, and bodyweight squats. New exercises and training methods have been introduced. And although pushups, pullups, and bodyweight squats can take you far, but one should always try to expand their knowledge and learn new ways of moving their bodies.

A New Era of Bodyweight Exercise: CST

CST, or Circular Strength Training is a training style developed by Coach Scott Sonnon. CST is famous for two important breakthroughs in fitness: the 4×7 progression method, and 6 degrees of freedom. The 4×7 progression method is a unique progression method that teaches you to program your fitness schedule based on varying degrees of intensities to prevent burn out and to encourage positive changes in your strength, conditioning, and fitness.

The Six Degrees of Freedom idea is a unique concept which teaches your body how to move through, literally, 6 different directions. These degrees of freedom include:

  • Heaving: Moving up and down the vertical axis
  • Surging: Moving along the front-to-back axis
  • Swaying: Moving along the side-to-side axis
  • Yawing: Moving around the vertical axis
  • Rolling: Moving around the front-to-back axis
  • Pitching: Moving around the side-to-side axis

As you can see, pushups, pullups, and squats only cover 1 degree of freedom: heaving. I have realized that a full training program must include exercises that target each degree of freedom. Ideally, you want to hit each degree of freedom within a single workout.

And it is possible to hit two degrees of freedom within one exercise. It all depends on what you add to the movement. Many CST movements are derived from Prasara Yoga. In fact, one of it’s most commonly used movement, the Quad Squat, is derived directly from Prasara Yoga.

Creating a Better Bodyweight Circuit

Out of all the unique training methods I’ve talked about on this website, Circuit Training is the basis of them all. Circuit training is simply the act of performing a number of exercises back to back with little to no rest in between each set.

From this simple idea, you can come up with dozens of variations including supersets, tabata intervals, trisets, giant sets, pha, and interval circuits. But, the main theme is to keep your body moving and always guessing.

Some of my earlier circuit workouts were based around pushups, pullups, and bodyweight squats. But now, I try hard to incorporate other movements that train other degrees of freedom. In order to take your fitness to the next level, you need to choose movements that train each of the degrees of freedom.

These will be your “next generation” of bodyweight circuit workouts. Head CST Coaches Adam Steer and Ryan Murdock have developed some great products that features unique exercises and workouts revolving around the 6 degrees of freedom and 4X7 Progression idea.

But my suggestion is to grab a copy of Bodyweight Exercise Revolution. It’ll give you a basic introduction to the CST Bodyweight Training methodology, plus provides you with 5 great bodyweight workouts.

Click here for more information


Dec 9 2009

Bodyweight Exercise Revolution Sample Workout #1

Bodyweight Exercise Revolution is a bodyweight eBook developed by CST Coaches Adam Steer and Ryan Murdock. But in order to get a better understanding of the CST training methodology, it’s a good idea to check out some of their sample workouts.

I’ve decided to develop a series devoted to finding the best CST bodyweight workouts for you to sample so that you can make an educated decision on whether or not to grab your own copy of Bodyweight Exercise Revolution.

So, let me introduce the first workout. Coach Adam Steer shares with you one of his toughest workouts he uses with his clients. The workout starts with a full body movement known as the side ground engagement.

Then, you move straight into the quad squat, which is a unique CST bodyweight exercises which combines a pushup and bodyweight squat. It is one of the more famous and well-known movements.

The next movement is known as the dog burp. The last movement is a regular jump squat. You perform each the workout as a circuit, moving through each exercise as quickly as possible.

Spend a minute for each movement. For beginners, I’d suggest spending 30 seconds with each movement. Coach Steer also shows you how to make the movements more difficult as you get stronger.

He also shows you some cool drills to build up to performing the quad squat, which is a surprisingly difficult move to perform. Coach Steer also shows you another variation of the dog burp.

Try the workout and post your results to comments:

Bodyweight Exercise Revolution is an overall introduction to CST bodyweight training and features 5, 28-day fitness programs. There is one for fat loss, strength, mass gain, general fitness, and athleticism. If you go through each program separately, in 5 months you’d have literally transformed your health and physique. Click here for more information.

You need to make the decision today: Are you going to continue to follow pointless fitness magazines and never get any impressive results, or you going to take a chance and try some trully unique ideas using CST bodyweight exercises? Start today with either Bodyweight Exercise Revolution.


Dec 8 2009

Bodyweight Exercise Revolution vs. Bodyweight Blueprint for Fat Loss

Bodyweight Exercise Revolution (BER) and Bodyweight Blueprint for Fat Loss (BBFL) are two bodyweight eBooks written by Adam Steer and Ryan Murdock. Individuals who have purchased BER have all rushed to purchase BBFL.

However, people who are not familiar with Coach Steer or Murdock’s work are often confused as to which eBook to purchase. This article will hopefully clear up some of the confusion.

Comparison: Workouts and Content

First, lets talk about the workouts. BER gives you 5 unique workouts, each one for mass gain, fat loss, strength, longevity, and athleticism. That’s 5, 28-day training programs or 5 months of training.

BBFL, on the other hand, only gives you 3 months of training. However, these 3 months are devoted solely to fat loss. You will gain strength and mass, however the primary concern withBBFL is to help you lose as much fat as possible.

So, if your goal is to get a general overview of how you can use bodyweight training to achieve your goals, then BER is the right choice. But if your goal is just fat loss, thenBBFL is the right choice.

Now lets talk about content. BER is a single 165-page manual manual which features 5 unique workouts, as mentioned earlier. Each workout has it’s own video, so that you can get a better sense of how to perform the unique exercises.

It also features a Prasara Yoga demo workout video and a Inti-Flow Joint Mobility video. These two pieces are extremely important for your 4×7 programming. The manual itself gives you a great introduction to the 4×7 programming template and other CST concepts such as the 6 degrees of Freedom.

BBFL also features videos for each of the workouts they provide. But they have more videos and information regarding the Prasara Yoga and Intu-Flow mobility.

As mentioned before, these two pieces are very important if you want to maximize your recovery and progress with bodyweight training. In addition to these videos, Coach Murdock and Steer have contacted 4 nutrition experts and have provided audio reports to give you an introduction into their unique approach to nutrition.

So you have 4 different dieting options: Mark Sisson’s Primal Fat Loss, Joel Marion’s Cheating Ways, Brad Pilon’s Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle, and Kardena Pauza’s Vegetarian Lifestyle.

For the sheer content alone, it would seem that BBFL is the obvious choice. However, you must ask yourself – do you want lots of info, or lots of workouts? BER features more workouts, butBBFL features more information.

The Cost of Fitness

Now, lets talk about the price of each product. BER costs $47. You’re getting 5 workout programs with videos, plus 2 videos with sampleintu flow and prasara yoga videos.

BBFL costs $77 for a 3-month fat loss program, with videos for each workout. In addition, you’re getting 2 full Intu Flow recovery workouts, and 3 prasara yoga videos.

Which is the better program? Well, it depends on you and what you’re looking for in a bodyweight training program.

Click here for more information on Bodyweight Exercise Revolution.

Click here for more information on Bodyweight Blueprint for Fat Loss.


Dec 2 2009

Increasing Strength with Bodyweight Training

Most people use bodyweight training to lose fat. And I’ve already written quite a few articles on building muscle mass with bodyweight training. However, one thing I have not yet written about is increasing strength.

The obvious way to increase your overall strength using bodyweight training is to make the exercise more difficult. For example, ifpushups start to become too easy for you, you can simply change your hand grips or perform elevated pushups.

There are many different variations to choose from.

However, there is another great way to improve your overall strength using bodyweight exercises. This is a tip that was posted today on Nick Tumminello’s website.

His idea was to simply make the movement faster. For example, instead of saying “do 20 pushups” say, “do 20 pushups in 20 seconds.” All of a sudden, your body’s going to be pushing itself much harder in order to achieve that level of speed.

When you train with speed, you train your body use momentum. This is something that Nick did not mention, but I’ve always believed that speed training helps recruit greater muscle fibers.

So, if 20 pushups was difficult for you, a few days later, you’ll be able to perform those same 20 pushups much easier, simly because you’ve taught your body to activate more muscle to perform the movement.

Here’s the video Nick posted up on his website:

In the past, I’ve used a similar method where I would set a time limit on how fast I complete a workout. For example, if I wanted to do 5 rounds of 5pullups, 10 pushups, and 20 squats, I can place a goal of performing this work under 10 minutes.

Through this method, I’ve noticed greater fat loss, and muscle mass. I also noticed that the exercises I was performing were becoming easier. However, I did not make the connection that it may be due to the fact that I was moving through the exercises at a greater speed.

Give this new method a try and let me know what you think. If you’re looking for a solid program designed to improve your strength through bodyweight exercises, then I suggest checking out Bodyweight Exercise Revolution.

Bodyweight Exercise Revolution is an eBook written by Coaches Adam Steer and Ryan Murdock. It features workouts for fat loss, mass gain, strength, longevity, and general athleticism.

Click here to read my review of this spectacular eBook.


Dec 2 2009

CST: More than Just an Intense Workout You Can Do at Home

Hey guys, did a guest post on BodyweightCoach.com, a bodyweight training website developed by Coaches Adam Steer and Ryan Murdock. Click here to read the guest post.


Dec 2 2009

Bodyweight Routine for Busy Dads

Well, in reality this routine can be useful for just about anyone. First, lets look at the exercise:

So what you’re going to do is get down into pushup position. Bring your right hand and touch the left side of your body, without twisting. Just a quick tap is enough.

Repeat with the other hand on the other side. Next, lift your right leg and bring your knee towards your chest as far it will go. Return to starting position and repeat with the other side.

Finally, perform a pushup. So, there’s three exercises you are doing consecutively: 1) opposite hip touch, 2) mountain climber, and 3) pushup.

There are many different ways you can organize this into a routine. If you saw the video, you see Chris Lopez in regular clothes, working out in the hallway. Lets say you have 5 minutes between meetings, you can just get down, and perform the bodyweight routine for 5 minutes straight.

You can also use this routine as a simple warm up before your regular workout. It’s a great way to get your heart rate up, but it may not provide an intense workout for stronger individuals.

Making this workout even harder is very simple. Here are some ideas:

Opposite Hip Touch

  • Lift your opposite leg off the floor as well. For example, left your leg foot off the floor, and touch our left side with your right hand.
  • Perform a plank for 30 seconds before starting the movement.

Mountain Climber

  • Jump slightly and bring both your legs in at the same time.
  • Bring your legs in, and stand up.

Pushup

  • Perform the pushups on an elevated surface.
  • Perform a close grip pushup
  • Bring your feet off the ground behind you, place them against a wall, and perform a handstand pushup.

I can go on and on with unique ideas and exercises you can use to keep modifying this simple routine to make it harder. But the main idea that I want you to take away from this is not to use “busy” or “lack of equipment” as an excuse to not working out.

A simple 5-minute daily workout will keep in good health.

For more unique ideas to use with your bodyweight workouts, check out Bodyweight Exercise Revolution, developed by Coach Adam Steer and Ryan Murdock. Click here for more information.


Dec 2 2009

How to Do a One Arm Push Up

The following is a guest post fromĀ  bodyweight coach Adam Steer, co-author of Bodyweight Exercise Revolution.

Perhaps the most famous one arm push ups are those performed by the Italian Stallion in the Rocky movies. But a reader reminded me that G.I. Jane gives Mr Balboa a good run for his money.

No matter who your money is on for the most impressive Hollywood one arm push up, you have to admit there is a certain cool factor associated with this bodyweight strength exercise.

Where does this mystique come from? It’s probably due to the fact that these things are just plain tough! They’re a mix of strength, coordination and balance.

3 Tips For The One Arm Push Up

The Tighter the Lighter
Have you ever tried to pick up someone who has passed out? Did you notice how much “heavier” they seem. Compare that to picking up the same person once they have stiffened up all their muscles… To become tighter and lighter, stretch the crown of your head in one direction and your heels in the other. This will force all your stabilizer muscles into action to lengthen you out – and it’ll tighten your whole structure up too.

Lock and Load
Whether under a bench press or doing a push up, one of the big mistakes I often see is letting the shoulders drift up towards the ears. Keep your shoulders locked down away from your ears if you want to optimize the involvement of the powerful pecs and triceps. You’ll also greatly reduce your chance of injury by concentrating the force in your shoulder through structural elements instead of soft tissue.

Go Wide
Spread your feet wider apart than for a regular push up. This is part of the balancing act required for a great one arm push up. You’ll also have bring your working arm closer in to your center line.

There you go. Three tips to get your one arm push up coolness going. If you need a bit more help, you can check out this build up exercise for one arm pushup training.

Visit BodyweightExerciseRevolution.com for a free bodyweight workout the likes of which you’ve never seen before. We’re the home of Circular Strength Training bodyweight exercise.

Adam Steer is a Head Coach of the Circular Strength Training system. He’s also a fitness trainer and coach in Quebec city and an avid blogger on the subject of health first fitness. Adam has delivered workshops to fitness professionals in Singapore, Australia, Washington State, Philadelphia and New York City.

Click here to check out my review of his eBook, Bodyweight Exercise Revolution.


Nov 24 2009

Fat Loss Workout Without Using Weights For the Busy Traveler

Losing fat while you’re constantly going from one business trip to the next is tough. Especially in this economy where you need to work harder and longer to make the same amount of money as you did before, and don’t have the time and money to get in a great, fat burning workout.

Well, that’s what you think. In reality, you can easily get a great fat burning workout without using weights. And you can get this fat burning workout in an extremely short period of time. Lets first focus on how to workout without weights. Well, I’m sure you’ve heard of the basics: pushups, pullups, and squats.

These basic movement are great, but they fail to take into account the full needs of a busy traveler, such as yourself. You see, as a busy traveler who’s constantly on the go you need to perform exercises that gets you moving faster, and boosts your energy level so you can focus better on your work.

Re-Learning how to Work Out

I recently came across a great bodyweight training resource called Bodyweight Exercise Revolution. This amazing program, developed by Coaches Adam Steer and Ryan Murdock, features some of the most unique bodyweight movements I’ve seen.

I’ve literally been re-taught how to workout. And I’m going to pass that knowledge onto you. First of all, the movements that you choose need to multi-dimensional. After all, you have very little time on your hands. So, if you can target 3-4-5 or even 6 muscle groups at the same time, then you can get a full body bodyweight workout in an extremely short period of time.

The second thing I learned was how to organize my workouts. Bodyweight Revolution workouts incorporate something known as interval training. This is where you perform an exercise for a short period of time (30-60 seconds) before moving onto the next exercise.

Best Workout without Weights

Coaches Adam Steer and Ryan Murdock have a lot of great workouts. Here is my favorite workout, and one you can do easily in a hotel room:

Perform as a circuit:

* CST Side Ground Engagement, 30 seconds

* CST Quad Squat, 30 seconds

* CST Dog Burps, 30 seconds

* CST Jump Squats, 30 seconds

Start off with 3 rounds, and build up to 10 rounds. Non-stop. Each circuit is 2 minutes long, so a 10-round workout would take you only 20 minutes. Once you’re able to perform 10 straight rounds, it’s pointless to keep adding rounds or increasing the time intervals.

Instead, seek to make the workouts harder. For example, you can combine the dog burps and jump squats into one movement. Or, you can add in a pullup in between (if you have access to a pullup bar). There are many bodyweight exercises you can choose from.

For more high intensity bodyweight exercises and workouts you can perform at your home or in a hotel room, check out the Bodyweight Exercise Revolution. Click Here to find out more information about this incredible bodyweight program.

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Nov 19 2009

A Stupid Holiday Appetite Control Trick

Hey Guys, the following is a tip sent to me by Adam Steer of BodyweightExerciseRevolution.com:

It takes your body about 20 minutes to register a feeling of fullness, also called satiety. When you scarf down a plate of food in under 7 minutes — which an awful pile of people do — then you could conceivably make it back to the buffet table three times before you even start feeling even a bit full!

So here’s the tip…

It’s actually a two parter. When you take a mouthful, immediately put down your utensils. I mean physically let them go — don’t touch them at all. Don’t prepare your next bite while you are still chewing.

Wait until you have thoroughly chewed and swallowed your food.

And here’s part two. Now that you’ve swallowed, you STILL aren’t allowed to touch the silverware. Take a second to say something tosomeone else at the table before you prepare your next mouthful.

Who knows, you may even start an enjoyable conversation.

Not only is this more social — and a more enjoyable way to spend your meal — but it’ll take you a lot longer to eat and you’ll be more likely to feel it when you start to get full.

Try this “stupid” trick the next time you’re faced with a holiday buffet and I bet you’ll end up eating a lot less than you normally would. It all adds up…
Here’s to healthy holiday eating!
Cheers,

Adam

PS If you’re looking for a program that’ll help you drop a few pounds BEFORE the holidays, you may want to check out Bodyweight Exercise Revolution. It sports a 28-Day Fat Loss program that can be done anywhere and anytime.

Click Here to Grab Your Copy of Bodyweight Exercise Revolution


				

Nov 13 2009

Bodyweight Exercise Revolution: First Bodyweight Exercise Workout Completed

NOTE: If you’re Looking for my Bodyweight Exercise Revolution Review, Click Here.

Just completed my first workout using the exercises I learned from Bodyweight Exercise Revolution. My first reaction was that I was surprised by how inflexible I was. I’ve been relying too much on pushups, pullups, and squats to get the job done.

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