Be a Mechanic, Work on Your Wheels

After deciding to go back to one leg day a week until after the winter, I realized that my leg day needed to be all encompassing and brutal to keep seeing results. I still do quad and ham "touch ups" on other days and run hill sprints at least once a week but I only have on full leg blast planned per week.

I watched several Kai Greene videos leading up to Olympia and I found that his instruction and technique is by far one of the best out. His workouts are precise, methodical and will change your mind about what a leg workout really is. That being said, I took my "Kai Lessons" and, combined with my own knowledge, built this killer I did with my little bro last week.

Leg Extensions: 20, 20, 20, 15, 12, 10 (first 3 are a warm-up)
Lying Leg Curls: Same as above.
Jefferson Squats: 3 x 12-15
Front Squats: 3 x 12-15
Squats: 15, 15, 12, 12, 10, 10
Leg Press: 20, 20, One set until failure (Minimum of 25)
Seated Calf Raise: 4 x 25
Standing Calf Raise: 4 x 25
Walking Lunges: 4 x 10 ea leg
Stiff Legged Deadlifts: 4 x 12-15
Iso Leg Extension: 16, 12, 10, 8 ea leg
Standing Leg Curl: 16, 12, 10, 8 ea leg
Giant Set x 4
     Abductor: 25
     Adductor: 25
     Glute Kickbacks: 8-10 ea leg

Now, for some they may think this is overkill but for those who go hard and only have one day to really punish the wheels this will be right up your alley.

The first exercises should get your major muscle groups activated. By moving from those into Jeffersons and then Front Squats it gives you a chance to really work on your form and practice keeping your back upright before the mother of all exercises, Squats.

The calf raises almost serve as a small break before you go back into a few more compound movements and finish off with some isolations.

I spent a lot of time working on my brothers form and took my own weights down to really focus on remaining as upright as possible on my squat movements.

By the time I was done I was smoked but I had a sense of satisfaction. I found my groove and a workout for the ages. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

DO YOU

-SideMeat

WARNING NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART

I am going to start off by telling you THIS IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. This is only for those who want who will commit the time, dedicate to the nutrition, get the proper rest, and WANT TO GROW. That being said, here is my current training split. 

MONDAY: Abs, Upper Chest, Back (Rows only), Rear Delt, Side Delt, and Bicep Touch-ups

TUESDAY: Calves, Quads, Hamstring Touch-ups

WEDNESDAY: Abs, Tris, Bis, Shoulders

THURSDAY: Calves, Back (Pulls only), Chest (Flat movements and lower chest), Rear Delt, Side Delt, and Tricep Touch-ups

FRIDAY: Abs, Hams, Quad Touch-ups

SATURDAY: Calves, Shoulders, Bis, Tris

Seem like a lot? It is, and I love it. I do make changes as necessary and when time permits. Here are a few alterations I have made:

1) Do Upper Chest and Side Delt Touch-ups on Sunday afternoon and do the rest Monday.

2) Same as above but split it into an AM and PM workout on Monday. 

3) Do an AM and a PM workout on Tuesday and hit Shoulders and Touch-ups in the evening. 

4) Same as above but in the evening hit Shoulders and Touch-Ups.

5) Do an AM and PM workout on Thursday with Calves, Back and Rear Delt Touch-ups in the morning and the rest in the evening. 

I actually do the two-a-day plan most Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. When doing the two-a-day portion of the plan, especially if you are trying to gain muscle, make sure that you do a post workout shake immediately following the workout and a large meal 30-45 minutes after that. 

I know someone right now is saying "I don't have time to work out twice a day." I would challenge that. You can go before work, during lunch, or late at night. I often lift during what would normally be lunch time for most people and then around 10 pm. I get done around 1130, drink a shake, eat midnight and go to bed by 1230. I won't say all, but a lot of you are up this, late. Why not be productive? 

If you only have time for one workout session per day just make sure you have plenty of food in you before your training session to avoid tiring. Sipping a pre-workout product through the training session can also help. I often plan to drink half of my pre-wprkout shake before my workout and sip the second half through the first half of my workout. 

Give it a try for four weeks with a solid nutrition plan and 7-8 hours of sleep and just watch what happens! If enough people ask for a specific exercise split maybe we will post one ;)

DO YOU

-SideMeat

42 and Out! A Back Blast from "The Giant Killer"

Need to get your back right? Here is a quick blog post from Shaun "The Giant Killer" Clarida about a not so quick back session with his buddy Hulk: 

Today, I had the pleasure of training with Philly Native Hulk Bailey, a bodybuilding competitor looking to get his pro card. His friend Wade reached out to me explaining that Hulk was a fan of my physique and was hoping to come down to train with me and I of course said yes!

We went back and fourth with possible dates and we finally set a date, place and time…we were ready to rock!

Wade and Hulk came down to my gym where I train (and work) and had a kick-ass back workout. I had explained that I’m a huge volume guy, especially when it comes to back and I had once did a 40+ set workout and Hulk said he’d be down for something like that and we both felt good so we agreed that today would be a 40+ day.

We hit our back from every possible angle, various pulls, various pull-downs, different row movements…we did everything possible to light our back up! About 2.5 hours later, we reached the end and hit a grand total of 42 sets. My back was feeling nice and tight, just as I hoped. Upon finishing up, we headed across the street to the diner, where we refueled on some good eats.

GK

Wondering what the workout was? Well Shaun was "kind" enough to share this punishment with his boys over at SideMeat! Give it a try and get that back nice and wide. 

Pull ups- 4 sets

Reverse Pulldowns- 6 sets (last 3 drop sets)

Dumbbell Incline Rows- 4 sets

Seated Cable Rows- 4 sets

V-Bar Pulldowns- 4 sets

Dumbbell Deads- 4 sets

Mid-Back Pulls- 4 sets

Free motion Cable Lat Pulls- 4 sets

Weighted Hyper Extensions- 4 sets

Rope Pulls- 4 sets

Let us know what you think and make sure you check out Shaun's blog: http://www.shaunclarida.blog.com

DO YOU

-SideMeat

Chest Round 2!

Just for fun, here is another Chest routine.

Today was my normal Chest day so I hit it even though it was still a little sore from Friday. I know everyone won't have time for 1000 reps but this should give you a good, well-rounded routine:

Dumbbell Flyes: 2 x 25, 1 x15 (warm-up)
Incline Bench: 12, 10, 10, 8
Dumbbell Flat Bench: 12, 10, 10, 8
Decline Hammer: 3 x 12-15
Cable Crossovers: 3 x 15-20
Flat Bench: 10 x 10 (THIS IS NOT A TYPO)

Other than the Flat Bench, increase weight on every exercise. On the Incline Bench and Dumbbell Flat Bench make sure you take a decent rest between sets and push that weight! On everything else try to keep the pace!

Please excuse my face in the photo. I was hurting but two sayings come to mind: "No pain no gain!" and "Be sore or be sorry!"

Any questions? Just ask!

DO YOU

-SideMeat

SideMeat went for a 1000 reps

By Friday of last week I had hit everybody part pretty hard and I had an itch to do something a little different. At first I was going to do 300 reps for chest, 300 for back and my touch-ups. About halfway through my first chest exercise I decided to go for 1000 reps. I quickly put together a plan and went for it. Man can you say a pump!

Here are 10 "rules" to get that chest ready to explode:

1. Choose 10 exercises for 10 sets of 10

2. Try to finish in 1 hour and 40 minutes. That is an average of 10 reps per minute. Now, I did not time each set or each exercise. Typically, I spent more time on my power movements such as Barbell Presses as I wanted to keep the amount of weight I used up. On exercises like Cable Flyes and Crossovers I cut my rest down significantly. 

3. Find a way to count. Maybe 10 pennies in a pocket that you move over. This especially helps if you are by yourself as you may loose count, especially when the pain starts! I had some coins in my bag I used and it worked great. 

4. Be flexible. If someone is on the equipment you want to use keep it moving! Your pace may be a little high to try to work in.

5. This is for two people or less. A third person would extend your wait between sets too much. 

6. If you are having trouble selecting exercises design two full five exercise chest workouts and use those exercises. 

7. Go as heavy as you can every set. If you need to decrease weight after a set feel free.

8. Check your time every 250 reps or so to ensure you are on pace. 

9. If you use pre-workout it may be good to sip it through out the workout. I think mine helped keep my rolling, especially the last 300 reps or so. 

10. GET YOUR MIND RIGHT BEFORE YOU START. If you are pushing yourself, at some point you will most likely think about stopping. 

With that being said, here is what I did:

Warm-up

1. Incline Bench

2. Dumbbell Flye

3. Hammer Decline

4. Cable Crossovers 

5. Dumbbell 30 degree Incline

6. Flat Bench

7. Hammer Incline

8. Incline Dumbbell Flye

9. Dumbbell Flat Bench

10. Upper Pec Cable Crossovers (from the bottom)

That was it. Plain and simple. You don't have to use the same exercises I used. Pick your favorites and, like I mentioned before, stay flexible. You may have to switch pieces of equipment to keep moving! When I do it again I will more than likely do different exercises. I will definitely add some Pullovers to get a good chest stretch in the middle. 

I think my chest grew on that day! I know not possible but may was I hurting! I plan on doing this again in the future, maybe once a month for a while. To close, all I can say is this: It's Tuesday and my chest still hurts. 

Give it a try and let us know what you think! 

DO YOU

-SideMeat

A SideMeat Shoulder Blast

It has been a while since we put up a workout so here is a killer and we will focus on that three-headed monster, the shoulder.

While the shoulder does consist of more than just the three major heads of the deltoid (anterior, middle, and posterior) and the traps, if you directly work all of these areas you should also be able to exercise the minor muscles associated with it. So, let's get to work. Here is the workout.

Lying Side Lateral Raises - 4 x 8 - 12 (no breaks)
Superset:
     Barbell Shoulder Press: 16, 12, 10, 8 (increase weight)
     Dumbbell Shoulder Press (palms facing in): 4 x 8 - 12
Superset:
     Wide Grip Up-Right Rows: 16, 12, 10, 8 (increase weight)
     Dumbbell Lateral Raises:  4 x 8 - 12
Superset:
     Underhanded Cable Front Raises (straight or cambered bar): 16, 12, 10, 8 (increase weight)
     Dumbbell Front Raises:  4 x 8 - 12
Superset:
     Dumbbell Bent-over Lateral Raises: 16, 12, 10, 8 (increase weight)

     Dumbbell Shrugs: 4 x 15 - 20

Now, as you can see, this workout is a burner! It is very high volume for a body part you use a lot! Think about it, when you work Chest you hit your front delt and when you work back you hit your rear delt. That being said, and, due to its complexity, with the shoulder being highly prone to injury, make sure they are getting enough rest and recovery. I have trained with guys who barely work their shoulders and it works great for them. I have also worked with guys who blast them every chance they get! Make sure you learn your body and listen to what it to tells you. This may be something you work into your routine every other or even every third week. 

That also brings up another important point. You have to make sure that your delts (shoulders) keep up with the rest of your body strength wise. If you do not, there is a good chance you will injure yourself when doing heavy chest or back work! Think about come injuries, especially in weightlifters and  bodybuilders. You rarely hear about torn pecs but I bet you know quite a few guys who have rotator cuff and other shoulder injuries. Preventive lifting to strengthening the smaller muscles and rotator cuff area is another story but is very important as well. If you build quality shoulders with good from an technique from the start hopefully you will be able to avoid these injuries. 

This workout can work very well for ladies who are trying to improve their shoulders as well. Just keep the weights light and form strict. With all the different movements here you will hit every potion of the shoulder. It also can serve as a great fat burner if you keep your tempo up! What could be better than melting of that fat and getting some quality lean muscle at the same time?

That's it for now. Look for more from your boys soon and let us know if we can help!

DO YOU

-SideMeat

Supplement Review: Vitamin C

Supplement Review: Vitamin C

What is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble nutrient found in some foods. In the body, it acts as an antioxidant, helping to protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are compounds formed when our bodies convert the food we eat into energy. People are also exposed to free radicals in the environment from cigarette smoke, air pollution, and ultraviolet light from the sun.

The body also needs vitamin C to make collagen, a protein required to help wounds heal. In addition, vitamin C improves the absorption of iron from plant-based foods and helps the immune system work properly to protect the body from disease.(1)

Benefits of Vitamin C for Athletes:

- protects the body from damage by free radicals, especially during intense physical exercise.

- plays a role in injury prevention as well as recovery because it is required for the synthesis of collagen, which is a extremely important structural component of tendons & ligaments.

- important for energy production as it is required for the synthesis of carnitine, (amino acid) which is essential for the transport of fatty acids to the cells for conversion to energy

- boost mental focus and training intensity as well as a role in suppressing the body's production of the catabolic cortisol.

- studies have shown that a high dose of vitamin C before and after intense exercise could reduce oxidative stress and muscle soreness.

- Dosage of Vitamin C: 2000-3000mg per day spaced evenly throughout the day, can be taken with or without food

So, get some vitamin C in your life this winter to keep you healthy and training! The best sources are fruits and vegetables, specifically citrus fruits. If nothing else you can always pick up a vitamin C supplement if you feel you are not getting enough!

DO YOU

-SideMeat

1) http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-QuickFacts/#h1

Supplement Review: Milk Thistle

What is Milk Thistle:

it is a shrub like plant that has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. Milk thistle has been used mainly to promote over all liver health. It is a very powerful antioxidant which helps to remove toxic elements from the body. When the liver is damaged by alcohol consumption, steroid usage, pollutants, or any other environmental factor, milk thistle helps the liver to generate new liver cells.

Milk Thistle for Athletes:

Athletes and bodybuilders can benefit from the use of milk thistle because most typically use many nutritional supplements at one time or another in order to boost performance levels. Using numerous supplements at one time may produce synergism that results in enormous stress being placed upon the liver. After any "cycle" type wether it being; anabolic steroids, pro-hormones, thermogenics, or any other supplement athletes can find it helpful to allow the body to rest from supplementation, to cleanse and detoxify their livers.

Dosage:

Milk Thistle is commonly used in oral form but also can be consumed as a tea. The recommended daily dosage is between 400-600mg which needs to be evenly spaced throughout the day for maximum absorption.

This is just a little information on a great supplement. If you are a drinker, a "GNC Chemist", or a pro bodybuilder Milk Thistle should find it's way into your tool kit. Go ahead and get a little "Thistle" in your life!  

DO YOU

-SideMeat

Concentration is the key to arms but not in the way you're thinking!

Everyone has a body part that stands out. Whether it be killer quads or a massive chest, anyone who works out has that one piece that looks like it sneaks off at night and works out by itself! My part happens to be arms. 

A lot of that part with most people is genetics but, after training with many people and helping them see results, there are some factors that, in my opinion, can really help turn those pea shooters into guns and those guns into cannons! 

First, most people think that to build bigger arms you have to go heavy. This is partially true. You want to go as heavy as you can with good form. Cheating is actually an advanced technique and should only be used sparingly. I see so many guys using heavy weight on arm exercises and they never realize the fatal flaw: your major muscles are doing majority of the work. Take for instance the guys you see leaning forward with the whole stack doing triceps pressdowns. Sure, it looks great to watch the whole stack go up and down but the chest and shoulders are doing majority of the work. Now some of you may think that you have seen bodybuilders lean on the stack and they have amazing triceps. True, however, they are on another level. Their mass and body control and way past the average guy trying to get some good beach arms. 

So, what to do? Try tightening your form on majority of your arm exercises for a couple months and see what happens. Keep your shoulders back and out of the movements, try to keep your elbows between straight down and maybe 10 degrees forward at most. I actually like to do my triceps extensions at 10 degrees and push away from my body!

Second, people rarely prioritize their arms. Everyone has seen the good old Chest/Tri, Back/Bi work out plan. Now, if your arms are lagging, why would you get them tired before you really target them? Your triceps work extremely hard when you work chest and the same can be said for your biceps when you work back. There have been many a time I have had a little bicep soreness after working only back! 

To correct this use the priority principle. I really wouldn't recommend doing them before the major body part but you can do them on their own day! If your arms are really lagging and you hit everything once a week you could try something like this:

Day 1: Chest

Day 2: Back

Day 3: Legs

Day 4: Rest

Day 5: Bis/Tris

Day 6: Shoulders

Day 7: Rest

Note the rest day before you do your weakest part! That is something I have incorporated for whatever part I am really focusing on. I always try to do that part after a day off. If you really want to go hard core you can still do the basic Chest/Tri, Back/Bi routine and THEN do them again on day 5!

The third and final tip I have is to make sure you vary your exercises! This can prove difficult for most people as they often select exercises that overlap in purpose and don't get a complete arm workout. Because of this, when people do get a good arm workout and then just continue to do the same exercises repeatedly. It is important to incorporate various exercises into your routine to build quality arms. This will also help keep your arms in shock and, therefore, constantly adapting and growing. 

Well, that's it! Try to incorporate these principles into building those arms up and let us know if it works for you! Need a workout or two to try? Let's us know! 

DO YOU

-SideMeat

Blow that frame up!

Mini-meat with his favorite tank on.

I mentioned in a previous blog that changing your split is a great way to shock the system and continue gains. So, along those lines, here is my current Chest and Back two day split. This week I am working out with the big-little homie, Sean Hansen. He is only 18, fresh out of high school, and recently won his first show with a little assistance from Team SideMeat and a few others. Not bad. He has tree trunks for legs but now he needs to get the upper body to match. Not that the top is bad, but we all have weak areas. So, this is what Sean and I will do today and Friday for Chest and Back:

Day 1: Upper Chest and Pulling Movements for Back
Back
- Wide Grip Pull-ups: 4 x 10-15
- Close Grip Pull-downs: 4 x 10-15
- Cable Front Pull-downs: 4 x 10-15
- Underhand Pull-downs: 3 x 30-36 (these are drop sets with 3 stops)
Chest
- Incline Dumbbell Fly: 2 x 25, 1 x 15
- Incline Hammer: 4 x 10-12
- Incline Dumbbell Press: 4 x 10-12
- Cable Crossovers from bottom: 4 x 12-15
***Incline Machine Press: 7 x 8-12 (FST 7)

 Day 2: Lower Chest and Flat Movements and Rowing Movements for Back
Back
- Parallel Grip Pull-ups: 3 x 10-15
- Seated Cable Rows: 4 x 10-15
- Overhand Barbell Row: 3 x 10-15
- Underhand Barbell Rows: 3 x 10-15
- One-arm Dumbbell Rows: 4 x 8-15

Chest:
- Flat Fly: 2 x 25, 1 x 15
- Bench Press: 4 x 10-12
- Decline Hammer: 4 x 10-12
- Cable Crossover: 3 x 15-20
***Peck Deck Fly: 7 x 8-12 (FST 7)

Hard work pays off. Congrats!

This workout has done very well for me. I have noticed improvement in my back and chest definition. Maybe it is the intensity, maybe it is the fact that, until a few weeks ago, I had never split my chest and back workouts into specified areas. Either way, this is a burner and it is intense. It doesn't matter what you do first, chest or back. It is probably best to go with your weaker area up front.

So, here is another free workout from your boys! Try them out and let us know what you think. If you have any questions please ask!

DO YOU

-SideMeat

No coning allowed!!!! Get those legs right!

Coning (kōn ing)  v. - 1. The physical look created by those at the gym who only do 
upper body 2. Baby legs 

Are you coning? Need to put a blast on those legs? Try this workout from my Monday leg session:

Iso Leg Extension: 2 x 25, 1 x 15

Superset:

 -Dumbbell lunges 4 x 8 each leg

 -Fronts Squats 15, 12, 10, 10

Leg Press: 4 x 10-12 HEAVY!!!

Lying Iso Leg Curl: 2 x 25, 1 x 15

Superset:

 -Standing Leg Curl 15,12,10,10 each

 -Dumbbell Stiff-leg Deadlift: 4 x 12

Squats: 7 x 8-12 (FST 7)

Here are a few specifics to really make it burn.

Leg Extensions: Come down to about 80 degrees and really focus on the lockout and squeezing your quadriceps. 

Front Squats: Try to keep your feet shoulder width apart and really hit the inner quad.

Leg Press: Where you put your feet plays a huge role in which muscle you emphasize. I prefer to place my feet "high" and get it in my quads. The "lower" (think towards your butt) you place your feet the more you hit your quads. 

Leg Curls: I always do some at full extension to ensure I get a full stretch on the muscle and some only going down to about 15 degrees to keep the tension on the hamstrings and glutes. Try doing one leg curl exercise one way and one the other.

Dumbbell Deadlift: If you have heavy dumbbells in your gym try using one dumbbell pointed straight up and holding one end. Try to place the other end between your feet while keeping the legs nearly straight, your chest out and your head up. This will force you to push your butt back and really hit your posterior leg muscles. 

Squats: Since these are at the end I went rather light and put my butt on the floor! This makes it a major exercise for both the quads and hams! Remember FST means that you are using minimal rest between sets. If you have a partner and aren't changing weight by the time he is done you should be right back at it. 

That's it. If you aren't FRIED at the end you didn't go heavy enough and rested too long between sets! 

That was Monday's work. I will be back on them tomorrow.

DO YOU

-SideMeat

Go Grocery Shopping With Me!

So, I just got back to Germany which means I needed to restock the food supply. After a quick leg lift, which I will hopefully put up later today, I hit the grocery store. Quite a few people have asked me what I eat so here is what I picked up:

- A few bags of trail mix (nuts, berries and raisins only)

- Rice cakes

- All natural peanut butter

- Bio all natural cheese

- Various frozen vegetable mixes

- Several packages of frozen broccoli 

- Frozen bio salmon

- Two pre-made mixed green salad with tunafish (those will get knocked out today and tomorrow)

My post workout shake/meal.

- Six different steaks

- Six chicken breasts

- Fresh sliced deli chicken breast

- Fresh sliced deli turkey

Thats it. Now I did have a couple of items at home.

- Brown rice

- Jasmine rice

- Eggs (Man I hope I can still eat these!)

- Green tea

- Coffee

- Protein Powder

- C4 Pre-workout 

That's it. This food should last me somewhere between a week and 10 days on my current intermittent fasting eating plan which consists of two large meals, two protein shakes and constant snacking during my eight hour eating window. 

This type of diet really fits my lifestyle and allows me stay pretty lean year round. Any questions? Just ask.

DO YOU

-SideMeat

Keep Your Split Right!

We haven't done any training plans or articles in a while so it's time to get those rolling again. So, let's talk about that training split.

Many of us start working out with someone who has been at it for a while. We learn what works for them and that becomes our workout law. We tend to stay with working the same groups and even the same exercise on the same days each week. Here is a common body part split we have all seen:

Monday: Chest and Tris "Push"
Tuesday: Back and Bis "Pull"
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Legs
Friday: Shoulders
Sat& Sun: Rest

Now there is nothing wrong with this split, if it fits your needs. If you have worked out with me before, we may have done this exact split. However, what if you arms are lacking the rest of your body, does it make sense to do them on the end of your workouts?

There are quite few factors to look at when choosing a body part split or any workout plan. Make sure you are using the priority principle, know what other responsibilities you have (kids, work, school, ect) and that you are making sure you get enough rest. Please don't confuse rest with under training. Periods of over training can actually be very beneficial but we will cover that in another post. Here are three splits I have used this year:


SPLIT 1:
Monday: Legs
Tuesday: Upper Chest and Back (pulls only)
Wednesday: Shoulders, Bis, and Tris
Thursday: Legs
Friday: Back (rows only) and Chest (Lower and Flat movements)
Saturday: Rest or Functional Workout
Sunday: Rest

SPLIT 2:
Monday: Chest and Bis
Tuesday: Back and Tris
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Shoulders
Saturday: Legs
Sunday: Rest

SPLIT 3:
Full body 3 - 5 days a week.

***Each split is only the weight training portion of the workout. Cardio varies and is done 3 to 5 days each week.

As you move towards your goals, it will be necessary to make adjustments to your plan. Need help customizing your split? Need exercises for any the splits listed above? Just ask!

DO YOU

-SideMeat

Out of town? Still gotta earn that weekend!

What's going on guys? This is just a quick post. I had a great day yesterday. A little exhausting but still a great day...

I was about an hour away from home with three hours between meetings due to a cancellation. Originally I thought I wouldn't be getting a workout in. As is my custom when away from home, I had a gym bag with me. I followed these four steps and had great results:

1) Google gyms.
2) Go to nearest private gym (no chains)
3) Pay day fee.
4) DO WORK.

Here are my results.....

Now this may not be possible and can be expensive. The most important part is I was ready. I had my stuff and if necessary, I would have found a park, ran and done work with body weight some 20lbs dumbbells (yeah, I roll like that sometimes). It's better than nothing! Your best bet? Get a GOOD set of resistance bands, keep that bag packed and always be ready to DO WORK when time allows!

It's Thursday, you got two days left. EARN that weekend!

DO YOU

-SideMeat

Endurance Swole! Weights are for everybody!

A lot of you guys out there on Team SideMeat are endurance atheletes. You run long distance, cycle, swim, and even do triathalons. Some of you have asked what is my opinion on strength training with weights for endurance athletes. My answer is that you should definitely incorporate strength training into your training regiment. 

Weight training and increased muscular strength has several benefits for endurance athletes such as:

-Increase of efficiency (more powerful push offs, distance per stroke, ect)

-Greater resistance to injury

-improvement in coordination which can also help improve movement patterns

Most guys think that lifting will make them bulky. There are quite a few items that effect bulk such as genetics, diet, and overall training regime. With the amount of calories burned by most higher level endurance athletes a large amount if bulk rarely occurs. Also, majority, but definitely not all, endurance athletes are ectomorphic body types which is not conducive for gaining a large amount of bulk.

Another item to consider is that most endurance athletes train totally wrong in the gym. They use lots of reps and small rest periods to work on cardio and avoid bulk. Riddle me this Batman: If you are doing cardiovascular training outside the weight room why would you turn your weight training sessions into cardio sessions as well? Answer? YOU SHOULDN'T! Once you have developed a base and some muscular endurance your rep range should tail towards the strength and power range which, depending on who you ask, is between 1 and 10 repetitions. Now, periodizing your training and mixing numbers of reps is important as well as weightlifting muscular endurance needs to be maintained for the purpose of maximizing capability during your strength and power sessions. 

Finally, when you design a program, if it is for you sport and not general fitness, ensure you use exercises that are going to improve your primary movers but this also can be use as an opportunity to help correct imbalances in the body, some of which may be cause by your sport! Ensure you avoid overtraining and try to base the number of sessions in the gym each week with amount of endurance training you are doing. You could have anywhere from 2 to 4 sessions per week depending on how much tim you actually spend training for your sport. 

There are a million other factors we can discuss here. The purpose of this is to give my endurance guys a base for stepping up their weight training regiments. I have had one of my wrestlers whose primary sport is cross country lifting 3 to 4 times a week all summer with the occasional day off to down load. His last timed 5k was 13:45. When I asked him about his distance running training now he told me his sprint at the end of his runs is now longer and faster than ever before with no drop off in his pace on the rest of his run from before he started training. I wonder what he will run next time......

DO YOU

-SideMeat

I earned it on Sunday.....

This past Sunday I was feeling extra good, extra blessed, and extra thankful for everything I have. So I figured I would earn it by smoking myself with a some power and functional training. You looking for a burner of a workout? Give these four exercises a try:

Clean and Push Press 12, 10, 8, 6

Dumbbell Burpees with push-up and Shoulder Press 4 x 10-12

Renegade Rows 4 x 6-10 each side

Turkish Get Ups 4 x 5-6 each arm

Now, after EACH SET do 80 - 100 jump ropes rest 30 - 45 seconds and go right back at it! Once you have completed these four exercise complete the core circuit below four times with little to no rest.

Hanging Leg Raises x 12
Standing Cable Crunches x 12
Corkscrews 8-6 each side

Finish it all off with 10 minutes of sprint intervals and you have 45 minutes to an hour of pure, uh, enjoyment!

Give it a try and let us know what you think.

DO YOU

-SideMeat

Monday Motivation - YOU CAN'T FAIL

TGIM! Another week we can get better! Your boys from SideMeat will have some good training and motivation for you as well as random Olympic updates!

As you approach your week and your training, just remember that every time you put true effort into your training you can't fail. Why? Because you know you went hard and, because of that, tomorrow you will be better. With that being said we will ask a question:

Try applying this to your health and fitness efforts this week. As long as you are giving it your all, you can't fail. Now that you know that, let's see what you do. Failure is a state of mind and you only fail if you quit.....

DO YOU

-SideMeat

What is your relationship with yourself?

This is Friday so I won't bore you too much. Just a few thoughts....

A lot of us go on "diets" to get in shape. Most diets are proponents of a cheat day  or meal which I always tell my clients to have from time to time. The problem with cheating is that we take it to the extreme. We over do it. We take our day and turn it into three fast food meals and/or night of binge drinking where consume 3 days worth of our caloric intake and ruin our bodies for the next three or four days! Why take 3 steps forward during the week only to take 2 steps back EVERY WEEKEND. All in moderation guys. Don't ruin your hard work and effort week after week. Remember you are in control and you make these decisions. I guess in the end it is all about what you want out of life. One of the people that was interested in working with me said they don't want to give up drinking 4 or 5 times a week. I said, "That is fine, you don't want a six pack."

They said, "Oh no I do."

I replied, "Actually you don't, you want to drink. When your physical condition becomes more important to YOU than boozing you will cut back the drinking."

You have to prioritize and decide what is most important you. I am not knocking anyone for partying hard because I know I have had my YEARS in life but you can't serve two masters.

Once you make that decision about what is important, don't sabotage yourself. Dedicate yourself to reaching your goal. You have to establish a relationship with yourself as one of two things: Best Friend or Worst Enemy.

So what are you going to do this weekend? I will be in the gym a few times for sure. I may go out for a drink but, chances are, I won't.

DO YOU

-SideMeat

No Complaining.....TGIM!!!

TGIM = Thank God It's Monday! That's right! Take a different approach to your week. While you may love your weekends when you get to relax and party, the week is when you are progressive and proactive and you push yourself to get better and achieve your goals. So do yourself a favor, embrace your hustle and stop complaining! Be happy you have an entire week to work on yourself. Along those lines, here is a little motivation for your gym grind. HAPPY MONDAY!

DO YOU

-SideMeat

Dream Team Plus!!!!

The US men's basketball team handled Spain pretty easily last night. Even though they were without Mark Gasol, Spain got trucked and I think Team USA was sending a message. 

Recently, the current team caused a bit of an uproar when they said they feel they could beat the 1992 Dream Team. Since the teams will never play, it is all speculation but, in my opinion, the 1992 team easily wins a 7 game series in somewhere between 4 and 6 games. 

If I had to bet on a number I would gamble on 5. The reason? ANYONE can when 1 game. As the announcers said last night, Spain and Argentina are dangerous because this tournament is single elimination. But, as far as who was the better team, it's not even close. Actually, if you look at the 2008 Olympic Team, they match up better with Dream Team due to having Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh (I can hear all the Bosh jokes now but Coach K even raved about his play at center in the Olympics and he is 6'11"!). With those two and Wade I give the 2008 team a much better chance to win 2 games in a 7 game series. 

My favorite question was: If you could take players from both teams (1992 and 2012) who would you take? Well, if I were to fill out the roster like an NBA roster (2 per position plus a last 2) here is the SideMeat super squad:

Centers: Ewing, Robinson - This is the easiest selection with Dwight Howard not being available. Even with Dwight I don't think I would select him over the other 2 even though he has slightly higher rebound numbers. His free throw shooting is so poor (49%)I would have to rule him out. 

Power Forwards: Malone, Barkley - Probably the next easiest selection. There no true power forwards on the current roster outside of Kevin Love. He is a great player and a "stretch" 4 but Malone and Barkley are all-time greats.

Small Forwards: James, Durant - Larry Bird is an all-time great, however, he was fresh off a back injury and was selected on name recognition. He did not make an All NBA Team that year (Mullin and Malone were first team, Pippen and Barkley were second, Kevin Willis and Dennis Rodman were third). Also, hse only played in 2 games the whole qualifying tournament because of the injury. While I know some people are cringing I would have to go with who I feel are the two best players in the NBA right now. Even Larry himself said these guys are good and atheletic. He actually said if he was playing today he would be "in trouble" in an interview. Just remember we are talking 1992 Bird vs 2012 Durant and James, not about Bird's overall body of work. Chris Mullin is better than people give him credit for and was coming off one the best seasons of his career (25.6 pts, 5.6 rbs, 3.5 ast, 54.4% FG%). However, he comes in 4th in my opinion beating out another all-time great, Scottie Pippen.  

Shooting Guards: Jordan, Bryant - This is actually very close in my opinion. Clyde Drexler was coming off his BEST SEASON EVER with 25 pts, 6.6 rbs, 6.7 ast, as opposed to Kobe's 27.9, 5.4, 4.6, and his aforementioned All NBA 1st Team selection. Overall nod goes to Kobe due to his defense and pure tenacity. 

Point Guards: Johnson, Paul - This was closer than you think and would have been a very tough choice. We hate on Stockton but he came off a 15.8 pts, 13ast, and 3 rbd season AND he led the league in steals...Paul was 19.8, 9, 3.5 and led the league in steals as well but had less than Stockton. However, Paul has to get the pick because of intensity and on ball defense. 

Last 2: Pippen, Drexler - Due to the versatility of the current line up, this had to go to guys who could play more than one position. With all of the forwards being good rebounders (8+ per game), I don't feel the need for a 3rd center. Lebron and Durant can both play power forward as well. Even though Deron, Stockton, and Russell are solid, I feel like you need to get a 2 or 3 who can play multiple positions. I considered Carmelo seriously (HE PUT IN WORK LAST NIGHT!) but, at the end of the day, I feel like Pippen and Drexler are the two best all-around guys remaining.

Starting 5: Johnson, Jordan, James, Barkley (this one was a toss up in my opinion but Barkley makes me laugh so I take him), Ewing (another close one)

As you can see, this is all very debatable but this would be "Team SideMeat". What do you think? Who would be your ultimate combo squad?

DO YOU 

-SideMeat