All sport coaches would like big, strong athletes and most combative athletes want to be big and strong. However, most athletes and coaches run into a problem when training for both size and strength at the same time. The longer an athlete trains; usually they begin to hit a plateau with their current routine. They increase the volume (an increase in sets) or they increase the intensity (percentage of 1 repetition maximum, not perceived muscular discomfort), however they do not do both. Volume training is great for increasing muscle mass, and increasing strength-endurance, however it is not an effective method for stimulating neural (strength) gains.

Muscle mass is generally stimulated by neural gains. The higher the athlete’s maximal strength levels, the higher the intensity used in repetition exercises can be used. Another problem coaches and athletes run into with neural training is the rest intervals must be higher in intensity training for recovery of the neural system (CNS).

The problem is in the old saying, a trainee can train hard (intensity) or train long (volume) but cannot do both. Some coaches, such as T-Nation’s Chad Waterbury have proposed using a low(er) intensity 75-85% bracket and increasing the volume to accommodate this intensity bracket and a decrease in the rest intervals (i.e. 10 sets of 3 with a 6 repetition maximum, with 60 seconds rest intervals). While this is an excellent method and I am not putting it down, I feel there is a better way to work in a higher intensity bracket (80% to 100%) and utilize sufficient volume to increase both size AND strength!

Generally, novice athletes and trainees can make fantastic gains within the 60-70% intensity bracket, usually working their way to 80%. This 80% threshold rule is that strength generally is stimulated above this percentage and this usually calls for a decrease in sets and an increase in rest intervals. So our method will be working above this 80% threshold in every scenario.

Enter Cluster Training

Cluster training is not a new concept; in fact most Olympic weightlifters use this method without knowing it! Some very well know authors have done much to bring this powerful method to light such as Charles Poliquin, Christian Thibaudeau, and Mike Mahler to name a few. Olympic weightlifters must drop the weight to the ground after each repetition; this is followed by a short pause, and another repetition. Most Olympic weightlifters outside of the super-heavy weight division sport tremendously muscular, athletic physiques to go along with their incredible strength!

Cluster training allows the athlete or trainee to utilize intensity above the 80% threshold rule (generally even higher 85-100%), with sufficient volume to increase both strength and size (i.e. more reps at a higher intensity). However, this method is highly demanding on the central nervous system and is not recommended for beginners or high school freshmen and sophomores. While this is a powerful method, it should only be applied to ONE lift per movement group (horizontal push/pull, vertical push/pull, etc.) or ONE exercise per body part. Another caveat is that this method necessitates excellent spotters. If you do not have at least one good spotter, do not do this method. This is not a method that will be kind to an athlete if their spotter(s) decide to take a nap! Cluster training must also be broken into, not jumped into. I show will a progressive model to breaking into cluster training and moving into more advanced methods. Coach Thibaudeau breaks them into levels, level 1 consisting of three methods, level 2 consisting of three methods and level 3 consisting of two methods. For athletic purposes I will only be covering levels 1 and 2, level 3 will come at a later time.

Level 1

The first progression in cluster training is the extended 5s method, coined by Coach Thibaudeau. The goal of the extended 5s method is for the athlete to do 10 repetitions with a weight they can only do for 5 repetitions. Obviously this is an outstanding growth stimulus, as there is an increase in both intensity and volume (85% x 10 repetitions). An extended 5s set would go like this…

The athlete takes their 5 repetitions maximum (RM) and does 5 reps and then racks the bar. Resting approx 7-12 seconds (counted out loud by a training partner or spotter), the athlete then un-racks the bar and does another 2-3 repetitions. Upon racking the bar again, another rest of 7-12 seconds is taken, and a final 2-3 repetitions are performed. The goal of the set is to get 10 repetitions total. Generally an athlete will need two to three pauses to accomplish this. The athlete rests 3-5 minutes and repeats 3-5 times. This is an excellent introductory method to cluster training! Here is a summary…

Extended 5s Method

· Load- 80-85% of 1 RM or 5 RM (repetition maximum)

· Reps- 5 Reps with 5 RM, 7-12 pause, 2-3 Reps, 7-12 pause, 2-3 Reps

· Sets- 3-5

· Rest Intervals- 3-5 Minutes

· Target Goal- 10 Repetitions with a 5 RM

The next progression in cluster training is the classic cluster method. Charles Poliquin wrote about this method in his text Modern Trends in Strength Training (2001) and Mike Mahler has written articles on this method calling it Rest-Pause Training. Regardless of the name, it is a powerful and effective method. This method is best used for increases in relative and maximal strength and hypertrophy of the type II-B muscle fibers (the ones with the most potential for force and power output). This method uses a higher intensity bracket than the extended 5s method, usually 87-92% of 1 RM and attempts to hit 5 intermitted repetitions with that load. A classic cluster set would go like this…

The athlete would take their 3-4 repetitions maximum and performs 1 rep, racks the bar, 7-12 seconds pause, 1 rep, 7-12 second pause in the rack, 1 rep, 7-12 seconds pause, 1 rep, 7-12 seconds pause, and a final 1 rep, and a 3-5 minute rest. Usually 3-5 sets are employed. Here is a summary…

Classic Cluster Method

· Load- 85-92% of 1 RM

· Reps- 5 Total Reps, intermitted, 1, pause, 1, pause, 1, pause, etc.

· Sets- 3-5

· Rest Intervals- 3-5 Minutes

· Target Goal- 5 Repetitions with a 3-4 RM

The last progression in level 1 is the antagonist cluster method. This is basically a variation of the classic cluster method, with the exception being that the athlete alternates between to opposing exercises with minimal rest (the pause is taken by the opposing exercise being performed). Reps and sets still apply, however the execution of a set is a little different…

The athlete would take their 3-4 repetitions maximum and performs 1 rep of bench press, racks the bar, proceeds to do 1 rep of bent over barbell rows, 1 rep on the bench press, 1 rep of the row, 1 rep bench press, 1 rep of the row, 1 rep on the bench, 1 rep on the row, and a final 1 rep on the bench, and 1 final rep of the row and a 3-5 minute rest. Usually 3-5 sets are employed. Here is a summary…

Antagonist Cluster Method

· Load- 85-92% of 1 RM

· Reps- 5 Total Reps each antagonist exercise, 1 Rep Exercise 1, 1 Rep Exercise 2, etc.

· Sets- 3-5

· Rest Intervals- 3-5 Minutes

· Target Goal- 5 Repetitions with a 3-4 RM on two opposing exercises

· For those who need to know antagonists, examples would be horizontal push and horizontal pull (bench and row), vertical push and vertical pull (shoulder press and chin up), quad dominant and hip dominant (squat and good morning), arms (curl and triceps extensions).

Level 2

It goes without saying that a foundation of cluster training should have been built in the previous level prior to taking on the more advanced methods here!

The first progression of the second level is named after the late Mike Mentzer, a highly successful bodybuilder. I first learned the Mentzer cluster method through Coach Thibaudeau’s excellent DVD on cluster training, and I continued to research it by reading Weight Training the Mike Mentzer Way. This is a very powerful method and should not be taken lightly. The goal of this method is to perform 4 to 5 total reps at 100-80% intensity. First the athlete will perform 2-3 singles in classic cluster fashion at 90-100% intensity and drop the weight approx 10% and perform another 1-2 repetitions with that weight in classic cluster fashion. For example…

The athlete takes 98% of their 1 RM and does 1 rep, racks the bar, 7-12 seconds pause, another 1 rep, 7-12 seconds pause, another 1 rep, 7-12 seconds pause, the spotter reduces the weight (in 7-12 seconds) and the athlete performs 1 more rep with this weight. Here is a summary…

Mentzer Cluster Method

· Load- 90-98% of 1 RM

· Reps- 4-5 Total Reps, intermitted, 1, pause, 1, pause, 1, pause, reduce weight 10%, 1 Rep

· Sets- 3-5

· Rest Intervals- 3-5 Minutes

· Target Goal- 4-5 Repetitions with a 1-3 RM

The second progression is called the drop set cluster. This is a blend of the classic cluster method and the Mentzer cluster method. Most trainees know what a drop set is, a descending scheme of dropping weight after performing some repetitions. The drop set cluster still uses high intensity (90-100%) and drops the weight 5-10 lbs per drop on single repetitions. Again 5 reps are the target goal. An example being…

The athlete does 1 rep with 98-100% intensity, racks the bar, and the training partner or spotters remove 5-10 lbs from the bar during the 7-12 seconds pause, the athlete does another single, Racks the bar, the spotters proceed to strip 5-10 lbs, athlete performs another single, racks the bar and more weight is stripped, athlete does another rep, racks and spotters reduce weight further, and athlete completes last rep. The drop set cluster allows a higher level of muscular tension, due to the repetition’s slow speed and the rep is being performed at 100% maximal momentary strength (i.e. all muscle fibers are being recruited to lift the load) (Poliquin, Modern Trends in Strength Training, 18-19). A summary can be found here…

Drop Set Cluster Method

· Load- 90-100% of 1 RM

· Reps- 5 Total Reps, intermitted, 1, pause lower weight 5-10 lbs, 1, pause lower weight 5-10 lbs, 1, pause lower weight 5-10 lbs, 1 Rep, pause lower weight 5-10 lbs, 1 Rep, pause lower weight.

· Sets- 3-5

· Rest Intervals- 3-5 Minutes

· Target Goal- 5 Repetitions with a 1-3 RM

The final progression in level 2 is called the accentuated eccentric cluster method. Caution: this method will require a competent spotter! As you might know, I do like to accentuate the eccentric portion of an exercise (see Eccentric Training for Athletes article). This method combines the classic cluster method with an accentuated eccentric portion of the lift. Again, the set and rep scheme stays close to the classic cluster method, however during the eccentric or lowering portion of the exercise, the training partner will push down on the bar and release at the mid point. This requires a very skilled spotter! They should only apply enough resistance to have the athlete still lower the bar under control! If the bar is dropping like a bag of bricks, it is not helping the athlete it is hurting them! Here is an example…

The athlete would take their 3-4 repetitions maximum and performs 1 rep with the training partner applying pressure to the bar in the lowering portion, racks the bar, 7-12 seconds pause, 1 rep with the training partner applying pressure to the bar in the lowering portion, 7-12 second pause in the rack, 1 rep with the training partner applying pressure to the bar in the lowering portion, 7-12 seconds pause, 1 rep with the training partner applying pressure to the bar in the lowering portion, 7-12 seconds pause, and a final 1 rep with the training partner applying pressure to the bar in the lowering portion, and a 3-5 minute rest. Usually 3-5 sets are employed. Here is a summary…

Classic Cluster Method

· Load- 85-92% of 1 RM

· Reps- 5 Total Reps, intermitted, 1 with the training partner applying pressure to the bar in the lowering portion, pause, 1 with the training partner applying pressure to the bar in the lowering portion, pause, 1 with the training partner applying pressure to the bar in the lowering portion, pause, etc.

· Sets- 3-5

· Rest Intervals- 3-5 Minutes

· Target Goal- 5 Repetitions with a 3-4 RM

Advantages for the Athlete

In his Modern Trends in Strength Training (2001) text Charles Poliquin points out the advantages of using cluster training for athletes, this is what he wrote…

· A higher total number of repetitions with a higher mean intensity in the same amount of time as classic strength or neural based training

· Increased total training time under tension for the high-threshold fast-twitch fibers; a prerequisite for reaching hypertrophy of these selected fibers. This may seem contradictory to the concept of relative strength, but hypertrophy can be beneficial if it is done in the right motor units.

· Higher force/lower velocities repetitions-a prerequisite for inducing maximal strength gains.

Putting it together

Cluster training is without a doubt a growth and strength stimulus. But how do you incorporate it into a plan? Clusters should not be used for more than 3-4 weeks, or else the method will become stale and your body will have adapted to the method anyway. So the method must be integrated into a yearly plan or at least a periodized cycle.

If an athlete or coach utilizes a conjugate method approach, cluster training would fall into the plan as a Maximal Effort Method, due to its use of high loads. So one would essentially use it like this…

Max Effort Day

ME- Classic Cluster Method

Assistance work done using classic hypertrophy methods (2-4 x 8-12)

If the athlete or coach decides to utilize linear periodization, cluster training would fall within the Strength Phase bracket and each movement would be given the cluster training method.

Strength Phase

Day 1- Horizontal Push/Pull

Bench Press- Classic Cluster Method

Bent Over Barbell Row- Classic Cluster Method

If the athlete or coach is utilizing undulating periodization (i.e. rotating between various strength methods by weeks with a training cycle) cluster training could be used for maximal strength work.

Strength Weeks

Week 1 and 5

Day 1- Horizontal Push/Pull

Day 2- Hips Dominant/Quad Dominant

Day 3- Vertical Push/Pull

1 Exercise per Movement Group-

Classic Cluster Method

Cluster training is very versatile, and athletes can benefit from this method by increasing both strength and size. However, like any other training tool, this one should only be used in moderation due to the intense fatiguing effect it has on the Central Nervous System. Also this method requires competent spotters, a luxury some do not have.

Cluster training done properly can help to jump start new growth or new strength adaptations in athletes. It can also increase all ready existing levels of size and strength. Any athlete (with the proper foundation) can benefit from this style of training! Good luck implementing this method in your and your athlete’s training!

Sources & Further Study

1. Poliquin, Charles Modern Trends in Strength Training (Self Published) 2001.

2. Thibaudeau, Christian (2005) Cluster Training [DVD].

Some fitness coaches who specialize in hockey training insist that hockey players should stay off the ice during the summer months. The advocate a return just in the weeks prior to training camp. Some believe that riding the bike is the best mode of energy system development for hockey players. Others, like me, use a combination of modes to train hockey players who will be fitter, faster and more injury resistant.

The elite level players that I train skate 1-2 times per week. Some of them go to the local power skating guru and work on their skating skill. This is my preference, I do not really want them scrimmaging, I want them skating. For the pro players, we go on the ice twice per week, once for medium duration interval sessions and once for agility and quickness training. The skating is supplemented with land-based agility training, a track or hill workout and yes, even some biking. You may be asking yourself, “What is the difference? As long as they are getting more fit what does it matter if they only bike or not?” To be clear, I am not saying that hockey players should not ride the bike. I have my hockey players ride the bike at times during the summer, just not all the time. And I think it is a great tool to use during the season. Here are a few of the pros and cons of using the bicycle with hockey players:  

PROs   I like biking because you can very easily adjust the resistance. It is relatively safe; no athlete is going to sprain their ankle riding the bike. From a skill perspective, there is a level playing field for different athletes. If you are running at the track, some hockey players have a great running stride whereas some athletes are not nearly as proficient. Finally, the player will get a great leg workout. When we do intervals on the bike they will tell me that their legs feel the same fatigue they feel when they are on the ice.  

CONs   I dislike the bike because it trains the hockey player in a hip flexed, spine flexed position, a position where they already spend a good amount of their time on the ice and sitting on the bench. If they are a student then they spend all day sitting at their desks in a hip flexed, spine flexed position. With these sustained postures we see shortening of the hip flexors among other adaptations. When a player skates she must extend at the hip to get a full powerful stride. If the hip flexor is tight they will not be able to get this range from the hip joint and will likely compensate by either taking short choppy strides or by hyper-extending the lower back. This will reduce their skating performance and may lead to overuse injuries.   

One of the arguments against skating in the off-season is that it lets the player’s groins recover from the use they get when skating. This is used to support the use of the bicycle as a training tool. If you look at someone bicycling you notice that their thighs stay parallel as they pedal, the movement is in the saggital plane. So you can see how this will not put the groins on a stretch the way skating does.   

If I take an athlete who needs to abduct at the hip (which puts stretch on the adductors or groin muscles) to move in their sport and train them in a way that does not put any stretch on those muscles, can you see how they may adaptively shorten in response to the new demands? They are not being repeatedly stretched, so they do not need to be as long and they will shorten. Then if the athlete starts skating everyday, they are now putting those adaptively shortened groin muscles on repeated stretch and risk a strain. Not a great way to start training camp.   

So my argument against riding the bike in the off-season is that it compounds muscle imbalances that already occur in hockey players and undoes some of the adaptive lengthening that is necessary in the adductor (groin) muscles. Both may reduce skating efficiency and contribute to overuse injuries.   

I will finish by saying that there are some amazing fitness coaches out there who specialize in training hockey players, love the stationary bike, use it effectively as a part of their overall hockey training system and produce some very effective players. Clearly they are addressing the muscle imbalances and mobility issues in other areas of their training. My goal is to encourage you to continue thinking about the specific demands of hockey on your athletes and train them systematically with those demands in mind.

Terrell Eldorado Owens wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals recently created a home gym in conjunction with Blake Kassel the owner of Bodylastics international. They called this home gym the “Terrell Owens Super Strong Man” resistance bands system.

However, recently the company has renamed the product and it’s now called the “Bodylastics Super Strong Man Edition Resistance Bands.”

This is not the first time that Terrell Owens has been fired or quit from a company. His reputation as a flamboyant loudmouth has gotten him in trouble when he played for the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and even at the San Francisco 49ers.

Aside from the fact that his name no longer appears on the product it is still an outstanding value. And in our opinion, it is probably one of the best home gyms on the market today that sells for under $100. In this article, you will discover some of the benefits of purchasing the new Bodylastics super strong man edition resistance bands.

First, let me outline some of the benefits or features of this product that you will really like. For example, the system comes with more than 250 pounds of tension. And the system allows you to perform more than 139 different health club type exercises in the convenience of your home or even your office.

Furthermore, the company even provides you with access to their online video training website and most recently they began offering a streaming online daily workout. Which, you can follow along while you exercise at home. They offer a training program for women, teenagers, advance bodybuilders and even provide a sport specific workouts.

So, for example if you’re looking to improve your performance in football, martial arts, golf, baseball or just about any other sport – they have a workout program for you.

Recently, they have introduced a P90 X style workout DVD that is included with the purchase. The major advantage of this is that you won’t have to spend 150 bucks for the power 90 extreme workout DVDs. However, this product lends itself easily to the P90 X workout. So, if you already own Tony Horton’s workout then you may want to consider using resistance bands instead of dumbbells. Fitness tubing has many advantages over free weights. For one thing, they provide you with dynamic resistance. What that means is that the tension level is smooth throughout the entire range of motion. But, during the exercise as the tubing stretches out it becomes more difficult to complete the movement. As a result, you become stronger quicker than by just using free weights.

Whether, you decide to take a look at the Terrell Owens Super Strong Man system or not the most important thing is to get started with an exercise program.

We requested our fitness experts to put together a compact list of do’s and don’ts for every beginner to follow. So for those of you who have taken that healthy decision to get off the couch and start exercising, we say, Bravo! You have taken the first step towards a healthier mind, body and spirit.

A number of questions, doubts will creep into your head… How long should I workout? Do I need to workout every day? So we have put together this basic list to set you on the right track. Just apply these basic do’s and don’ts in your workout regimen, and enjoy a great beginning to this new way of life.

1. Easy Does It

Most experts say that for beginners, it’s good to start with 2/3 days per week, and for at least 30 minutes per session. You can then gradually crank it up from there. Don’t start with a tough daily regimen – Easy Does It! Start with 30 minutes of cardio 2/3 times a week and strength training once a week. Continue this for two to three months until this regimen becomes an integral part of your daily routine.

2. Warm Up and Stretch

Always, always, warm up first. Take your body through basic movements that will loosen and stretch your muscles. This will ensure that your body performs at an optimum level and more important, you avoid injury issues.

3. Don’t Follow the Same Set of Exercises

This is a common mistake made by many beginners. Do not stick to the same set of exercises every day. Mix it up. Alternate between the 3 main types of exercise – aerobic, anaerobic and flexibility

Aerobic exercise is exercise which requires the use of oxygen to fuel the body for exercise demands. This form of exercise is traditionally thought of as cardiovascular exercise, such as running on a treadmill or cycling. Anaerobic exercise is a form of exercise that requires glucose for short intense workloads. Strength training and sprinting are forms of anaerobic exercise.

4. Weight Training

The great thing about basic bodyweight training for beginners is that, you can, as a beginner, train from anywhere – even from home. You can even start working out at home with just a basic exercise band. There are excellent YouTube videos with basic exercise band workouts. All you have to do is choose and follow one of the better rated videos.

Dumbbells are another great way of starting basic weight training. Compared to barbells, dumbbells look far less intimidating for beginners. Dumbbells also have an added stabilization challenge, and point out muscle imbalances pretty easily. for those who wish to start weight training with a little more intensity, barbells is certainly the way forward. If your goal is strength above all else, this is the option that we recommend. Barbells allow you to progress clearly and quickly, allowing you to add small increments of weight each week.

5. Give your body adequate recovery time

Take a break, periodically. No pain, no gain. So if you find your body hurting during the initial stages after you start working out, well, that’s a good sign – you are on the right track. But, don’t make the mistake of pushing yourself to the limit and not giving your body adequate time to heal and recover. Also avoid taking painkillers, as they only mask the pain. The best way forward is to let your body recover naturally

If you do not give your body time to heal and repair itself, your performance will go down and you will get into a vicious cycle where you never fully recover. And if you are sore after a workout, that’s good (unless it hurts too much). Do not run to take a painkiller, because that can mask pain and cause you to do real damage to your body. Let yourself recover naturally.

The TT Bodyweight 1000 workout is one of Craig Ballantyne’s famous bodyweight workouts. You must be able to complete the 500 challenge first, before you attempt the 1000 challenge.

After the 500 workout, use the following progressions to get up 1000 repetitions:

The Bodyweight 250:

• 30 Jumping Jacks or Jump Rope
• 20 Close Grip Pushups
• 10 Jumps
• 10 Pull-ups
• 40 Squats
• 25 Pushups
• 20 Walking Lunges (10 reps per side)
• 15 Underhand Inverted Rows
• 30 Bicycle Crunches (15 reps per side)
• 25 Squats
• 25 Jumping Jacks or Jump Rope

The Bodyweight 501

• 100 Jumping Jacks or Jump Rope
• 25 Close-Grip Pushups
• 15 Jumps
• 15 Pull-ups
• 50 Squats
• 51 Pushups
• 40 Walking Lunges (20 reps per side)
• 30 Underhand Inverted Rows
• 60 Bicycle Crunches (30 reps per side)
• 15 Chin-ups
• 50 Squats
• 50 Jumping Jacks or Jump Rope

The Bodyweight 750

• 100 Jumping Jacks or Jump Rope
• 25 Close Grip Pushups
• 20 Jumps
• 20 Pull-ups
• 75 Squats
• 25 Stick ups
• 50 Pushups
• 50 Walking Lunges (25 reps per side)
• 40 Underhand Inverted Rows
• 25 Stability Ball Leg Curls
• 100 Bicycle Crunches (50 reps per side)
• 20 Chin-ups
• 50 Mountain Climbers (25 per side)
• 50 Squats
• 100 Jumping Jacks or Jump Rope

The Bodyweight 1000

• 100 Juping Jacks or Jump Rope
• 25 Close Grip Pushups
• 25 Jumps
• 25 Pull-ups
• 100 Squats
• 25 Stick Ups
• 50 Bicycle Crunches (25 reps per side)
• 100 Pushups
• 50 Walking Lunges (25 reps per side)
• 50 Underhand Inverted Rows
• 50 Stability Ball Leg Curls
• 100 Bicycle Crunches (50 reps per side)
• 50 Decline Pushups
• 25 Overhand Inverted Rows
• 50 Mountain Climbers (25 reps per side)
• 50 Squats
• 25 Chin-ups
• 100 Jumping Jacks or Jump Rope

Lets go over a few exercises that you may not be familiar with:

Squats

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Tighten your abs and glutes. Push your hips back as if you were sitting back in a chair.
• Bend your knees. Do not let your lower back round. In fact, keep your chest out and back as straight as possible. Keep going as low as you can.
• From this position, push with your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps to return to starting position.

Stability Ball Leg Curl

• Lie on your back. Place the soles of your feet on a stability ball. Tighten your abs and contract your glutes. Lift your hips off the floor. Keep your abs and hamstrings tight as you slowly curl the ball back towards your hips while in the bridge position.
• Pause and slowly return the ball to starting position.

Mountain Climbers

• Start off in the top position of the pushup. Contract your abdominals. Pick one foot off the floor, and bring the knee up to your chest. Bring your leg back, and repeat with the other leg.
• Do not let your hips sag or rotate.

Stick Up

• Stand with your feet about 6 inches away from a wall. Lean back so that your butt, upper back, and head is against the wall. Place your hands against the wall over your head.
• Keep your shoulders, elbows, and wrists in contact with the wall throughout the movement. Slide your arms down the wall, tucking your elbows to your sides.
• Keep the elbows close to your sides, so that your shoulder blades come down together. You should feel a strong contraction in the muscles between your shoulder blades and shoulder muscles.
• From this bottom position, slowly slide your arms against the wall until they are straight up above your head. Repeat.

The calf muscles are a set of muscles often overlooked as the primary focus is placed on larger lower body muscles like the quads or hamstrings. While these are the muscles you should focus on; this should not be to the neglect of your calf muscles. Having muscular calves will give you the foundation on which all other movements are done and will ensure you are not as at-risk for ankle injuries. Proper calf training is a must. Many people either ditch calf training altogether or just are not performing calf training as they should.

Here are a few quick tips you should remember next time you prepare yourself to do calf work…

Half Reps Are An Excellent Idea. If you want to really up the ante of your calf training program, consider adding a few half reps into the mix. Half reps, where you move only through the top half of the range of motion, or if you are brave, the lower half, places enormous strain on your calf muscle because there is no point of relaxation in this rep range.

Usually, the best way to employ this technique is to perform ten full reps of your calf exercise and then move into ten reps or so of the half reps. Then, if you are not thoroughly exhausted, you can do another full ten reps to finish the muscles off.

Full Range Of Motion Is A Must. Next, make sure you are moving through the full range of motion: this means you are going beyond parallel. Many people do standing calf raises off the floor. While this is good to a degree, it will be far better if you let your feet drop below parallel: this gives you a much more significant stretch at the bottom of the exercise, which then translates to superior strength progression.

Try doing those calf raises off a step and see the difference that makes.

Take Balance Out Of The Exercise. You might think doing single leg calf raises while trying to balance is a great way to get more from this exercise. And, if your goal is stability or core strength, then it very well may be. But, if your goal is to build stronger calves, avoid doing single leg unsupported work.

The problem with single leg unsupported work is more of your energy is going into just balancing, which may mean you do not have the strength capability to lift the weight you want. Furthermore, if you are placing quite a load on your back as you do this, the chances of rolling your ankle and severely injuring yourself are also higher.

It is okay to do single leg work, but do it supported instead.

Do Seated And Standing Work. Finally, to hit your calves from all angles, consider doing seated and standing work. Each type of exercise is going to work the muscles from different angles and hit the soleus and gastroc muscle differently. Therefore, both should be in your plan.

If you apply these calf training tips, there is no question you will be seeing superior results and noticing this muscle take on a great shape in no time.

Here are 2 great exercise routines for fat people. A big mistake a lot of trainers and “weight loss experts” make is that they give 1-size fits all routines for everyone. Wrong… overweight people will often get injured on these type of programs. If you have more than 25 pounds to lose and you want a program that helps you to lose weight fast and over the long term while minimizing the risk of injury, then this article may be the answer to what you’re looking for.

Exercise Routines for Fat People

1. Focus on just 1 exercise

Look, right this minute, you’re just trying to lose weight. Not have the best body in the world. So you don’t need to do a bunch of different things. Instead, focus on 1 thing that is good for weight loss and make it work for you. This can be many things. Here are a few safe things for overweight people.

Walking up and down stairs for 15 minutes non-stop, jumping on a mini-trampoline during 5 different tv commercial breaks, doing jumping jacks during tv commercial breaks, and walking on a 15 degree inclined treadmill for 25 minutes.

Those are all great ways to lose weight while minimizing your injury risks.

2. Take 2 exercises and jump back and forth between them

You can take the above exercises I mentioned and switch up between them. Say for example… during 1 commercial break you’ll walk up and down the stairs in your house. Ok, then the next commercial break you’ll do jumping jacks in front of the tv. And so on. You can spread out the workouts… they don’t have to be during consecutive commercial breaks. Just sneak them in wherever it works for you.

These are 2 exercise routines for fat people that are proven to work and they won’t put any undue injury risks on you.

Undeniably, mobile healthcare and fitness apps development soared in the recent years, making huge scopes for people to embark into a healthy living. When the real fitness boom in the apps industry exploded in 2014, sports and healthcare apps became the new trend. Mobile app development market saw an unexpected expansion from apps of gaming, social, photo editing to apps catering sportsmen’s spirit and avid runners. With the advent of such apps, people are wearing smart devices, synced to apps on their mobiles to monitor caloric intakes, exercises, fat burns, pulse rate and other critical metrics. While fitness is a never-ending and pretty hot topic now at every open discussion, let’s find out the crucial facets to remember while planning out the development of a perfect fitness app.

Consider the type of app

Fitness apps are of varied types and come with different features like activity tracking, health signs assessment and workout tips. While some are like a personal coach to users, some are like dieticians guiding them a daily food regime. Thus, you need to decide which type of app you are going to offer and what functions you want to integrate into your app for that.

Allow intensive personalisation

Irrespective of the type, a personal account is certainly a must-have in a fitness app to offer end-to-end personalisation of the activities. Users can create own accounts and put in their all personal health criteria to get the fitness recommendations/support from the app that best suits their criteria. Further, a personal account will allow users to switch to different devices for separate activities without losing any data as both Android and Apple’s ecosystem now consolidate all data from various activity trackers and fitness apps in mobiles.

Alerts through push notifications

This is one of most crucial aspect for consideration in any fitness app as in-app push notifications will always alert the users about necessary workouts and diet plans. This will no doubt keep them motivated. Further, enabling push notification pop-ups from time to time are must-have for users because they can set them according to their workout schedules and personal fitness goals. Thus, notifications will keep them reminding about the activities, needed for fulfilling their pending targets.

Integrate options for socialisation

Fitness apps’ makers need to consider socialisation aspect too to allow users to connect with other like-minded and health-conscious freaks. This is necessary as users can share their personal fitness accomplishments which will eventually make them happy.

Provide tips for health planning

Lastly, make sure that your app will help users to plan appropriately a healthy lifestyle and a diet regimen. Aimed at helping users to achieve their personal goals, apps must contribute towards their healthy living by providing vital tips on diet, exercising, the process of gaining/losing weight, on maintaining stable heart rate, sugar levels and so forth. To cut it short, apps that allow creating personal profiles to users as per their physical attributes, should also be capable of planning and providing solutions to any health situations.

To put in a nutshell, creating a fitness app is not as easy as a pie and needs lots of considerations that will make it a perfect one for guiding people on healthy living. While it is no doubt a challenging task for owners and developers, these core attributes are compelling requirements for a fitness app to let it bloom in a short span of time.

What to Eat and Avoid

1. Stay Hydrated

The most difficult part of preparing for a PT test is the most intuitive. Staying properly hydrated seems like so simple of a task that it is often overlooked. There is much more to staying hydrated than drinking water. The first suggestion is not to drink too much water. Drinking large amounts of water in a short period of time will flush the body of necessary electrolytes. Once the electrolytes have been flushed out, there is nothing in your body to keep you hydrated. Salts help retain the water. This is not to say that you should be taking in a ton of salt either. Too much salt will have the opposite effect. Eat something with some salt while you drink your water. I recommend a banana for every three glasses you drink. If you’re going to drink Gatorade the night before a PT test, do so in moderation. Large amounts of sugar and salts will do nothing but dehydrate you. Gatorade should only be drunk after a workout to replace lost fluids and electrolytes. If you really want the best possible drink for hydrating, go out and buy Pedialyte. I know it’s for kids and not as sweet as Gatorade, but it is designed to hydrate in a hurry. It is costly, but one large bottle will do the trick.

2. Do not “Carbo-load”

There is a common misconception that eating a large amount of carbs the night before a workout will give you more energy the next day. This couldn’t be further from the truth. When your body breaks down large amounts of carbs, it will process them into stored energy or fat. This process actually uses a great deal of energy also. Increased energy will come from meals eaten within two to five hours depending on what you eat. Carbs are broken down faster than other forms of food. If eaten about 4 hours before working out, they can be very helpful. Unfortunately, PT tests are scheduled at 6 a.m. Getting up at 1:30 to eat just isn’t a good solution. Sleep is much more important than a small boost in energy. The other issue with eating a lot of one particular is that your body cannot process all of it. This causes more waste to be generated. I let you guess how a large amount of waste would affect you on the day of a PT test. Since you aren’t going to get up at one and you shouldn’t carbo-load, what should you do? Eat a moderate balanced meal with protein, vegetables, and some carbohydrates.

Have you ever wondered if it’s really possible to achieve significant fat loss and muscle gain in around 6 weeks? Many workout routines make similar claims though are often hard to implement or fail to deliver the stated results. 

Herein I’d like to give an overview of the three key factors in achieving significant fat loss and simultaneous muscle gain. By the end of this article, you will not only know the details of the three pronged approach, but how to integrate it into your exercise regimen. 

The three key factors are: 

1) Weight training

2) A smart eating plan &

3) High intensity Cardio workout 

Weight Training: 

Lets start with the generally approach of the masses towards fat loss. Many men and women want to burn fat and go about it in a fairly predictable way. They choose to walk or jog, ride or swim; all of which are cardiovascular exercises. This is a good start, though cardio only burns fat for the amount of time you are doing the exercise. When you stop, so too does the fat burning. 

Weight training on the other hand consumes energy both during the exercise and after, during the recuperative phase, hence burning fat for longer. The result of effective weight training, is that you not only get thinner around the middle, but bigger up top and in the legs simultaneously. 

Dieting: 

The second factor in effectively cutting fat and building muscle mass in around six weeks is managing what goes in your stomach. Basically, you should aim to eat less, more often. What you eat and when you eat it has a much greater impact on muscle growth and fat loss than you may believe. 

What we are aiming for in this program is to increase your protein intake, while managing your carbohydrates and simple sugars. You should aim to eat 5 to 7 times a day, loading at three meals into the first half of the day and the others throughout the afternoon and evening.

Now, while you will be eating more often, you’ll be consuming less than you may in your regular diet. Let’s take a look at a typical daily meal plan: 

Breakfast: A small bowl of cereal & two boiled eggs. (Carbs & Protein, with a minimum of fat) 

Meal 2 (Mid Morning): A piece of fruit such as a banana or apple, plus a few strips of grilled chicken breast. 

Meal 3: A small bowl of pasta or fried rice. (Carbs to fuel your afternoon, that will take longer to break down.)

Meal 4: A handful of mixed nuts and another piece of fruit. 

Meal 5: Protein Shake Pre workout 

Meal 6: Optional Protein shake post workout. 

Meal 7: Small dinner. 

Basically, by eating smaller meals throughout the day, you will give your body the energy it needs, when it needs it. As you’ll be working out, your body will be hungry for fuel. 

High Intensity Cardio:

The final factor in high speed muscle gain and simultaneous fat loss is a form of cardio workout known as High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT for short. 

In HIIT training, you continue to do the same kind of exercise you’re familiar with, such as biking or jogging, except you alternate between high output and low output over a shorter period of total training time. 

If done immediately after your weight workout, you can cram more fat burning effort into a shorter period of time. HIIT cardio workouts should be limited to around 20 minutes at the outset. 

The result of this integrated approach to weight loss and working out is great efficiency and more noticeable results.