The Biggest Loser…
NBC’s The Biggest Loser started a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been watching. I’ve caught a few episodes here and there over the past seasons, and sometimes hang on for a full season.
I’m liking this show right now, and I’ll tell you why.
In a society where pills, surgery, and other shortcuts seem to be the norm, the show’s trainers (Bob and Jillian) emphasize a good diet and hard exercise. And they work their victims to the bone too.
On top of that, they use real exercises for strength training. I don’t think I’ve seen them doing concentration curls or tricep extensions. They do squats, deadlifts, thrusters, etc.
This season I think I’ve seen kettlebells in each episode. They have also used Read more
Popularity: 33% [?]
Long time, still no posting…
Hey guys,
Once again I have gone too long without adding new content to this site. I’ve also been slacking off in my training as well.
However, I’ve recently decided to make some commitments, and part of that involved getting back into my training, as well as beginning to post here again.
I’ve always had an interest in “old time” stuff, and strength training is no different. Strength athletes from the late 1800’s up to the 1950’s and 1960’s have interested me almost since I started training.
These guys built crazy strength (and also had the physiques to show it) with remedial equipment, little to no nutritional supplements, and no steroids (until the 1950’s I believe).
So, I’m thinking about maybe starting a new category just for this stuff. I’m not going to turn this into an “old time strength training” site, but do plan on posting more methods, advice, and techniques from the old days.
Popularity: 43% [?]
Functional Strength Training…
“Functional strength training” has become a buzzword. However, as popular as it seems, there are still people everywhere who don’t get it. So, let’s take a quick look at what it is, why it’s important, and how to do it.
Functional strength training is basically using exercises in your workouts that transfer to real life in a practical way. Think about your training program – especially if you’re into bodybuilding. Will tricep extensions carry over to real life? What about chest crossovers? Leg extensions? Leg curls? No, they won’t. Even the ever-popular bench press offers very little in the way of practical use. None of these will be much use to you as you Read more
Popularity: 80% [?]
The Slosh Pipe
Steve Maxwell has a reputation for finding, creating, and sharing unique training methods and tools. I remember seeing the slosh pipe a while back, and saw last week or so that Steve had posted an article about it.
Basically, a slosh pipe is a length of PVC pipe that you fill with water, capping both ends (use a screw-top on one end). In his example, he uses a 9.5′ length of 4″-6″ PVC. When filled with water it weighs in at about 40 pounds. It doesn’t sound like much, but the way the water sloshes from end to end makes it Read more
Popularity: 39% [?]
Gaining Size… Why?
I’ve had this thought on and off over the years and thought I’d post.
I remember when I was 18. I saw some photos of bodybuilder Achim Albrecht in a muscle magazine and thought, “Man, I’d love to look like that.” If I remember right, he was about 5′10″ (my height), and weighed about 250 (about 100 pounds more than me). But, I really wanted to look like that.
I just looked up some photos of him (same photos, in fact) and, well… Read more
Popularity: 31% [?]
