If you haven’t heard of the program yet, Gladiator Body Workout is a home fitness program which combines bodyweight and dumbbell exercises to create 6, 4-week programs. Gladiator Body Workout has a few competitors, however the one thing that separates Gladiator Body Workout from other programs are the unique exercises.

I personally love high intensity, power movements. I’m talking about movements such as a the snatch, swing, and clean. The snatch and clean are traditionally barbell movements, but CoachLomax, author of Gladiator Body Workout, shows you how to perform them with Dumbbells.

He also teaches you a number of other unique compound and hybrid movements such as the Turkish Get Up, which is proving to be one of the most challenging movements I’ve done with a Dumbbell.

8 Unique Movements I’ve Learned with Gladiator Body Workout:

I thought that I knew most of the exercises you could do with a dumbbell and your bodyweight. However, there were a number of movements that I had never seen anywhere. I would say 30-40% of the movements in this manual, I had never seen before.

And for the average person who’s been following magazine workouts for most of their life, at least 80% of the movements will be brand new. But, let me share with you 8 of these movements:

1. Dumbbell Saxon Side Bend
2. Dumbbell Alternating Floor Press
3. Dumbbell Golf Squat
4. Dumbbell Front Squat, See Saw Press
5. Bodyweight Lying Hip Rollers
6. Dumbbell Sumo Deadlift
7. Dumbbell Bent Press
8. Dumbbell Twisting Military Press

Coach Lomax’s Training Methods

The second thing I love about Coach Lomax is that he doesn’t stick to just one training method. Variety is the key to long term fitness. Just when your body adapts to a program, you gotta do something to switch it up and shock your body back into growth.

I’ve got a full, more detailed review of Coach Eddie Lomax’s workout. Click here to read the review.

This article links out to a product. If you purchase this product, I receive a percentage of the sale. Click here to read my disclaimer.

By Paul J.O’Brien

B.A., N.C.E.H.S., Dip. Acu., Cert Clin. Med. M.T.C.M.C.I., M.C.Th.A.

www.Strong-in-7-Seconds.Com

Exercise for seniors, not a major aspect of the fitness industry is it? No. Unfortunately most fitness instructors don’t consider the elderly good candidates for fitness. Luckily you and I know better.

Old school physical culture is the basis for modern fitness and health clubs, and yet its most valued and experienced practitioners are ignored or written off completely. I was the same once. I remember my grandfather, a great man, who in his time explored jungles people had never heard of, built walls bigger than giants and never missed a day of exercise in his life.

It wasn’t exercise for seniors it was just exercise. In his eighties he didn’t consider himself too old to not be active, and by god he wasn’t. Everyday when I got home I’d find him leaving for his 4 o’clock walk. Away he’d go, out pacing and outlasting the young whippersnappers on the street running about. He’d just chuckle and laugh and keep going.

He was always a strong man. He worked hard everyday of his life and it showed. His arms were taught like layers of thick rope twisting and pulled hard. His posture was impeccable and his energy astounding. He was sharper and faster mentally than most college graduates who think they have all the answers. The reason ‘ he exercised every day without fail.

Exercise for Seniors is important. It strengthens the immune system, the internal organs, promotes better hearts and lungs. It keeps the mind sharp and the memory accurate, the bones strong and days enjoyable.

If you are a senior why don’t you show the youth of today what real dedication is like and get back to exercise? If you are a son or daughter teach your parents the exercises on these pages and enjoy a nice relaxing break from the rush of modern life.

Every exercise for Seniors here can be performed at home with or without equipment. Many can be done form the comfort of your arm chair. Remember fitness and strength are two forms of freedom all of us can enjoy.

Where can you train?

Let’s look at some of the ease places to apply isometrics exercise for seniors. You’ll never have to leave your room. So lousy weather is no excuse. You don’t need a gym membership and you don’t need equipment. Remember you can find full animated instruction for these exercises on my website.

Your Bed: Yep. You can get a great workout in bed, and is not what you are thinking. A little known fact for those that may be reading this, bed was where Bruce Lee began his workouts. It’s true. Lying in bed Bruce lee went through a series of isometric stretches and olds to get the blood flowing to his muscles and energise and focus him for the day ahead. Take a tip from a legend, start your day the right way. Workout out the minute you wake.

Your Armchair: I know, it’s amazing. You can watch TV; listen to the radio, chat with friends and workout. Simple movements like pulling your legs in against the chair strengthens your hamstrings. Pulling in your arms while holding the armrest strengthens your back and lats. A minute of this and gets the muscles awake, strong and invigorate the body with little effort.

Your Door: Next time you leave a room or get up to answer the door get in some strength training. Try pushing against the door with your arms to strengthen and tone your chest and triceps. Push up on the top of the door frame to work your shoulders.

Most senior citizens have access to a bed, a chair and a door frame. That’s all you need and few minutes of your time to improve your strength, fitness and energy levels with isometric exercise for seniors.

If you’d really like to improve your health you can get in the best shape of your life whatever your age and enjoy the most effective and intense workout of your life when you follow my step by step 7 week course, 7 Seconds to Build A Perfect Body, the Scientifically Proven Method for Transforming Your Body in Just Seconds! Over 250 pages and filled with more than 100 photos it will transform your body from your face down to your toes, sculpting your physique and letting you develop astonishing strength with just seconds of exercise.

All the best,

Paul J.O’Brien

B.A., N.C.E.H.S., Dip. Acu., Cert Clin. Med. M.T.C.M.C.I., M.C.Th.A.

www.Strong-in-7-Seconds.Com

---

About the Author: Paul J.O’Brien is an international recognized expert in Isometric Training and physcial performance, a certified personal trainer, licenced acupuncturist and western clinical medic and writer. Paul is the author of “7 Seconds to A Perfect Body,” which teaches you how to develop a lean muscular physique without drugs, supplements or equipment using secrets of the forgotten founders of fitness. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat, increase your lean muscle tissue, sculpt your phsyique and skyrocket your strength by visiting: www.Strong-in-7-Seconds.Com

How to Perform the Best Chest Exercises at Home

How to Perform the Best Chest Exercises at Home
By Wayne Hopkins

When most people think of building up their chest, they think of exercises that include weight machines and a series of weights which they do have at their own home. However, if you want to build up your chest in your own home along with the rest of your body you have several options that will all allow you to get the best chest exercises without leaving the front door. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to own a bench press to get the pecs you have always wanted.

The simple push-up

One of the best ways to get started building up your chest muscles is with the basic push-up. Push-ups are a great way to build your chest muscles because while they are one of the best chest exercises, they are also one of the best exercises for other areas of your body as well. Thus, you can exercise many areas of your body at one time which makes a few push-ups well worth your time. Once you get comfortable with pushups you can also advance into more specific styles of pushups that will bring greater rewards.

Click here for More Bodyweight Exercises You can Perform at Home

Kettle balls

Many people forget that kettle balls exist, let alone consider purchasing them for their own use at home. However, due to their weighted design and easy handles you can use kettle balls in place of just about any exercise that you would normally do with a bench press and a bar. Thus, the simple ten dollar purchase can allow you to replicate many exercises at home that you generally need a machine for at the gym which is why they are one of the best tools for the best chest exercises at home.

Click here for More Kettlebell Exercises You can Perform at Home

Dumbbells

If you are not quite ready to make the transition to kettle balls, you might consider using a more familiar style of free weights: dumbbells. These are easy to find just about anywhere and can be used for pec crunches, curl ups, and side curl ups which help strengthen your outer and inner chest muscles. Although you may have to take some time to learn the exercises, this tool will open up dozens of the best chest exercises for you at home.

Click here for More Dumbbell Exercises You can Perform at Home

Exercise ball

Admittedly, an exercise ball is not the most masculine form of exercise equipment out there, but it is an effective tool for stretching, toning, and shaping your chest muscles. For an even finish after you complete a set of the best chest exercises, several exercise ball regimes a week will help define your chest and make it easy to work on your pecs while not on the gym. As a perk since the ball is easy to tote around you can pound out a few exercises in front of the television watching Rambo if it makes you feel a little better about yourself!

Click here for More Exercises You can Perform at Home

Wayne has been writing articles for nearly 2 years. Come visit his latest website over at http://swingdanceshoes.net/ which helps people find the best swing dance shoes and a lot of essential information when looking for dance shoes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wayne_Hopkins
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Perform-the-Best-Chest-Exercises-at-Home&id=3414995

This article links out to products. If you purchase these products, I get a percentage of the sales. Read my disclaimer.

As we age, we begin to naturally lose muscle mass. Our bones become weaker and smaller. And our cardiovascular health slowly deteriorates. Men in their middle age are in a crucial position in their life: they can either continue their life of inactivity and place themselves at risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, back pain, and osteoporosis – or they can do something about it.

Strength training is one of the best ways of strengthening your muscles, reducing body fat, and improving cardiovascular health. Jogging or aerobic exercise can only help you with the prevention of one or two diseases. However, weight training can have a dramatic positive effect across many areas of your physical life.

The Right Fitness Program for your Needs

So what kind of strength training program will help you get the best results and allow you to dramatically turn around your health? Well, there are certain key aspects that you should look for in a strength training program:

• Compound Movements – Compound movements are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once. When you activate lots of muscle mass at once, you release human growth hormone and testosterone. Both of these hormones have been linked to increased muscle mass and decrease fat.
• Body Control – Many fitness programs out there focus on how much weight you can lift, or how big your arms look. But the true mark of good health is how well you can control your body. As you age, your joints lose their range of motion and are not even able to support their own bodyweight.
• Cardiovascular Health – You need a program that actually works your heart. Most regular cardio programs don’t really force your heart to work harder. This is why I prefer higher intensity training as opposed to lower intensity training. Sprints and interval training are a great start.

The Benefits of a Combination Bodyweight and Dumbbell Program

I think that the best way to get started on improved health, especially for middle aged men, would be to combine bodyweight and dumbbell exercises. This is because dumbbell movements, as long they are compound exercises, are best for putting on lean muscle mass and strengthening bones.

Bodyweight training is also great for increasing lean muscle mass. However, it’s greatest benefit is body control. Basic bodyweight movements and mobility drills will allow you to move better in daily life and sports. If you’re experiencing knee pain, back pain, or hip pain, then you should try bodyweight training as a way to reduce this pain and increase your range of motion.

Finally, if you construct workouts using bodyweight and dumbbell exercises and perform them in a high intensity manner, then not only will you get a great strength and conditioning benefit, but you’ll also be making your heart and lungs work hard.

That to me, is a form of cardiovascular training.

Developing your Program

The best way to get started on a good combination bodyweight and dumbbell program is make a list of all the bodyweight and dumbbell exercises that you know how to perform, or look like they are easy to learn. You can start off with basicpushups, pullups and squats for your bodyweight exercises.

For dumbbell exercises, you can do overhead press, bent over row, and chest press. You can easily organize these movements into a superset fashion for a great, intense workout. A superset is where you alternate between two exercises with little to no rest in between each exercise.

Or, if you’re looking for a great combination bodyweight and dumbbell program, then you should check out Gladiator Body Workout. Click here for more information.

For some reason, our society accepts the gradual regression of the health of our body. In fact, in some parts of this country you’re SUPPOSED to have a pot belly after a certain age.

Even in some cultures, being fat is a good thing. In the last Biggest Loser, Tongan’s Filipe and Sione stated that food and being overweight were a part of Tongan culture. Even where my family is from India, after a certain age you are expect to be out of shape.

We are where we are because of our society: the majority of our time is spent in front of the television, in front of a computer screen, eating, or sleeping. Most people that claim they do not have time to workout, actually Continue reading

Research is very important in your quest to improve with bodyweight training. The following are some research tools you can use to improve your fitness levels.

Some of these resources are free, and others are not free. Lets go over a few free ones first. The first free resource is your own training diary. If you do not have a training diary, then start one right now!

How to Start a Exercise Diary

Here are a few things you need for a successful training diary: Continue reading

There are a lot of things that go into developing the right muscle building workout. I came up with 6 key aspects that you need to know before you even BEGIN a muscle building workout:

Consideration #1: To Train, or Not to Train like a Bodybuilder

Let me tell you something. I trained like a bodybuilder for 6 months straight at my University gym. All I got was a bloated stomach, and slow muscle fibers. Coming from a martial arts background, I want to be fast and lean, not big and slow. So, this is the first decision you need to make. Bodybuilders are good at one thing: building muscle. But it comes with a price. All those isolation movements are going to confuse your body. It’s going go from “athletic” mode to “aesthetic” mode. Your body adapts to the way you train it. It you train it solely to look good, then it’ll just look good. If you train it to be athletic, it’ll only be athletic. Now, there are a ton of athletes who have the perfect mix of size and athleticism, but these guys are not a)bodybuilders, and b) not as big as bodybuilders.

Consideration #2: To Release, or Not to Release Testosterone

I’m not a scientist, but one thing I know for sure is that Testosterone is a crucial factor in muscle building. Our society is anti-Testosterone, with all it’s sugar laden sweets, and high-carb fast food greasy cheap but unhealthy food offerings. The first step is to eat healthy. Eat as healthy as possible. If you like junk food, remember that it comes with a price. And for you young guys out there, you’re not indestructible! We’re seeing just how unhealthy young guys are, especially with this insane childhood obesity epidemic. But, I’m guessing most of you reading this have your nutrition in order. If your workouts last more than 45 minutes, then yeah, you’re killing your Testosterone levels. Bodybuilders can afford to train for 2 hours a day because of all the juicin’ they’re doing.

Consideration #3: To Switch, or Not to Switch up your Workouts

I get emails all the time which start like this, “I’ve been doing the following workout for 6 weeks now, and I just hit a plateau.” Well then, switch it up! It’s time for something new! You can’t expect to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results! Now when I talk about switching things up, I’m talking about REALLY switching things up. If you were doing 3 rounds of 10 repetitions of a circuit. Go ahead and do 10 rounds of 3 reps per exercise. Yeah, you’ll be lifting a lot heavier, or will be performing more difficult bodyweight exercises. Also, switch up your frequency. If you’ve been doing 3 days, 45 minutes a day, try 6 days, 20 minutes a day. If you’ve been lifting heavy, then lift light. I can keep going on an on and on with this, but you get the point.

Consideration #4: To Buy, or Not to Buy Supplements

I hate supplements. I hate medications. I hate pills, period. I always tell people, look at the word SUPPLEMENTS. Supplements are a SUPPLEMENT to your diet and training. They are to help, not to replace a sound diet and training. But no, high school, college, and most adults won’t listen. They’ll go to GNC or Vitamin Shoppe, drop $100 to a grand on expensive supplements, and will just sit there, take their creatine, go to the gym, lift some weights, talk to their friends, check out the hot girl in the corner, think about approaching her, but then decide not to, and they’ll go home. After a few weeks, they get their credit card in the mail for all the supplements they bought, and nothing to show for it. Take my advice – stay away from it. But in the end, the decision is yours. If you have everything else in order, maybe supplements will help you.

Consideration #5: To Write, or Not to Write a Program

I still come across some people, even my training partners, who don’t have a solid plan. I have really random workouts, but I still have a plan. I still know where I want to be, and what I want to do on a daily basis. The problem with just going into your backyard or home gym and doing whatever you feel like is that what you feel like is what you’re good at. I suck at upright rows, so I’m going to do them. I suck at pull ups, so I’m going to do them. That’s how training works, and that’s how you make progress. Figure out your weaknesses, develop a plan around them and go and do it. Another draw back of not having a plan is that you waste a lot of time figuring out what to do.

Consideration #6: To Eat, or Not to Eat a Lot

I’m afraid of food. I’ll be very honest. I’m afraid of food because I’ve struggled with my weight all my life. I need to remind myself, force myself to eat everyday to maintain my caloric intake, because if I under eat, I get fat. Isn’t that funny? Genetics is a really annoying thing, but it works the other way for most people. If you have a super fast metabolism, or if you have a high activity level, then you NEED to eat, or else you’ll shrink and look like a skeleton, seriously. Even if you have to eat 5 plates of pasta and 29 fig newtons (I do not recommend this diet, I’m just trying to be funny), then do it (once again, don’t do it. This is just an example). The point is, if you’re not gaining weight, then you’re not eating enough.

Now that you know these 6 important keys to setting up your fitness program, let me show you some great mass building workouts that you can do in the comfort of your own home:

Superior Dumbbell Workout

• Superior Dumbbell Workout is a manual which teaches you how to use Dumbbells to improve your health and fitness.

• The eBook features not only exercise descriptions, but also teaches you how to develop your own effective training programs.

• If you purchase the Combo Pack, you can also get two other eBooks which Author Coach Eddie Lomax sells separately: “Extreme Dumbbell Fitness,” and “Gladiator Body Workout.”

• The Basic version sells for just $19.95. The value of the Combo Pack is $73.95 but coach is giving it to you for just $47.00.

Click here for more information

Extreme Dumbbell Fitness

• Extreme Dumbbell Fitness features workouts that focus on a variety of training goals. The idea is to rotate through these workouts for complete fitness

• The eBook features not only exercise descriptions, and full workout routines, but also teaches you how to develop your own effective training programs.

• If you purchase the Combo Pack, you can also get two other eBooks which Author Coach Eddie Lomax sells separately: “Superior Dumbbell Workout,” and “Gladiator Body Workout.”

• The Basic version sells for just $19.95. The value of the Combo Pack is $73.95 but coach is giving it to you for just $47.00.

Click here for more information

Athletic Body Workout

• Athletic Body Workout combines Dumbbell, Bodyweight, and Barbell training to develop an athletic and aesthetically pleasing physique.

• The eBook features not only exercise descriptions, but also teaches you how to develop your own effective training programs.

• If you purchase the Combo Pack, you can also get two other eBooks which Author Coach Eddie Lomax sells separately: “Superior Dumbbell Workout,” and “Workout Without Weights.” Coach is also throwing in a free guide on how to combine the principles from all three eBooks.

• The Basic version sells for just $19.95, and the Combo Pack is just $39.95.

Click here for more information

Image by The Fit Malasyian

I love this concept of Metabolic Conditioning – training which adequately taxes your musculature and cardiovascular system. This style of training makes a lot of sense for law enforcement officers, military personnel, and mixed martial artists. However, does it make sense for the average joe who’s just looking to get into better shape?

• The truth is that the average joe does not need incredible amounts of strength, nor does he need amazing cardiovascular conditioning. Maximal strength and extreme endurance are two ends of the fitness spectrum. Metabolic conditioning simply combines these two aspects together to develop base levels of strength and endurance in a rather short period of time.
• When I look at things, I try to think of ways I can accomplish a lot of work in a short period of time. Saving time is one of the most important things to me. It means I have more time to focus on other aspects of my life.
• Health and fitness is important, but I personally can not imagine spending an hour a day working out. Unless I’m training for a particular event, it simply is not necessary. Our society likes things in “packages.” I want this, this, this, this, and this, and I want it quickly.
• Well, metabolic conditioning can give you all of it, and can give it to you quickly. Let me warn you. Metabolic Conditioning (MetCon) will not turn you into a bodybuilder, powerlifter, or distance running. If you plan to participate in these sports, then you are on the wrong website.
• I believe that what our society needs is a “best of both worlds” solution. First, there was the aerobic revolution where everyone started doing hours of cardio per week.Tae bo, zumba, and anything else that had to do with aerobics was extremely popular.
• Then, with the introduction of such infomercial products as Bowflex, strength training was touted as the end-all solution to health and fitness. However, even to this day not enough people are strength training.

But there is a better, smarter way of exercising. MetCon simply combines two methods of training – strength and cardio – and packages it into a form that is fun, exciting, challenging, and produces results.

What are the Benefits of Metabolic Conditioning Workouts?

The main idea of metabolic conditioning is to move extremely fast amongst a variety of tasks. So, for example lets take a workout that alternates between Burpees andChinups. Burpees will train your lower body and upper body pushing strength, while Chinups work your upper body pulling strength.

So here’s the workout:

5 rounds for time of:

• Burpees, 10 reps
• Chinups, 5 reps

This workout is a definite “puke buster.” It’ll get your heart rate up, especially performing those burpees, as long as you keep moving back and forth between the two exercises as fast as possible. Increase heart rate will tax your cardiovascular system.

The goal of this workout is to be able to perform more work in a shorter period of time. For example, if the first time you performed this workout your time was 10 minutes, and the second time you did it in 8 minutes, then you’ve made a 2 minute improvement in time. If you can do 50 chinups in a shorter period of time, you’ve effectively improved you levels of strength.

I’ve talked about importance of lactic acid when it comes to improvements in mass gain. When lactic acid is released into the blood stream through a high intensity workout, certain chemical reactions take place, which release Human Growth Hormone (HGH). HGH is a vital component in muscle recovery, mass gain, and fat loss.

In other words, if done properly and at a high enough intensity level, MetCon aids with:

• Mass Gain
• Strength
• Fat Loss
• Cardiovascular Endurance

Image by Basics Sports Medicine Blog

Is this all I need to Do?

Yes, if you’re comfortable with a decent level of strength, mass, and endurance, then this is all you need. However, if you wish to specialize in one particular aspect offitness then there are some modifications you’d need to make with your training:

Strength – Perform 2 Metcon Workouts per Week with 2 Maximal Strength Workouts (Choose 1-2 exercises per session)

Mass – Perform 2 Metcon Workouts per Week with 2 High-Volume workouts incorporating Isolation Movements

Fat Loss – Perform 2-4 MetCon Workouts per Week. Start off with 10 minutes of extra steady state cardio per week, and steadily increase as needed.

Cardiovascular Endurance – Perform 1-2 Metcon Workouts per Week with 2 Steady State, distance cardio workouts per week

Image by The Drill Coach

Show me How to Do MetCon Workouts

Ready to give MetCon a try? Well, if you’ve tried any of my workouts so far, you’ve already been doing MetCon. The following are a few more workouts for you try the can be categorized as Metabolic Conditioning:

• Interval Training with Burpees
• How to Improve your Running and Pullups with One Workout
• The Most Insane Bodyweight Routine on the Planet!

After my “How to Perform Chinups with a Pullup Bar” article, I decided to explore the topic of exercising with homemade equipment a little further. I can try and pretend that I’m an expert at creating home gyms, but honestly, there are guys out there who’ve done some amazing things with things they’ve found lying around their house. Ross from RossTraining.com is the first expert I want to spotlight. Here is one of his famous videos from YouTube:

Here’s another great video from Ross on the topic of training with limited equipment:

Here is how Ross created his abdominal wheel:

Here’s a video of one of my favorite form of cardio:

Second part of sledgehammer training video:

If you can’t afford a kettlebell, maybe creating your own may be an option:

Here’s a great way to do sprints if it’s too cold outside:

And now to prove that Ross’s equipment ideas actually work, here’s a fan of Ross making his own medicine ball:

Another great cardio option:

Second part of jump rope article:

Hope these videos have helped you to develop the perfect home gym. If you have any interesting ideas or videos you’ve found, then drop the link in comments. You can check out more of Ross’ training ideas at RossTraining.com

I find it ridiculous how many companies out there are trying to push you stupid training equipment, when in fact you can simply use things lying around the house to create your own training equipment.

• I’ve developed some really intense workouts using things lying around the house. I’m not a handyman, and hate the thought of actually building things. But, I recently had an issue with figuring out how to do chinups in my garage.
• There’s absolutely no way you can hang any sort of doorway pullup bar, or bolt anything to the walls (because I don’t own my garage). Theres a wooden overhead thingamagig you can hang off of, but it’s really dirty.
• You’d probably get a lot of splinters in your hand, and it might even break or wear down. The garage is old – maybe even over 50 years.

So, I decided to scour my house and garage to see what I could find. I tried out a few ideas. The first idea was hanging a piece of a water hose over the top of the wooden thing. They didn’t work because there was basically no grip.

• You’d slip after performing 2 chinups. The next idea I had was putting a belt over the top, but as I was about to do that, I realized that my Karate belts might be tougher. So I pulled out my purple belt, tied a not, swung it over the top, and walla!
• I had a chinup implement. The karate belt was perfect because it was extremely durable. I’ve used it for a few months and there is absolutely no sign of wear and tear. In addition, it solves the grip problem, since when you tie the two ends of the belt together, they create natural handles.

Check out this video to see what I’m talking about:

I hope the video motivated you to go out and find new ways of training in your own home or garage.

P.S: For more great bodyweight workouts, exercises, and tips, check out Bodyweight Exercise Revolution. Click here for more information.