If you’re heavy into cross training, you can increase your risk to injury even though the exercise is of direct benefit to your health and fitness.  Exercises involving types of running and squatting can put a tremendous amount of stress on your knees due to the pounding and pressure.  However, there are a few workout alterations you can implement to help out your knees.

For running, make sure to use well cushioned shoes and avoid running on concrete and asphalt when at all possible.  Your knees absorb a tremendous amount of shock from the asphalt so steering towards softer surfaces like …read more

Everyone shies away from a few exercises every now and then. I know I do. I don’t mind bench press or curls at all, but there are a few weight training exercises I dread doing. Below are the 5 worst:

Lunges with step ahead onto half/medicine ball to balance.  These are absolutely brutal.
Squats.  I hate doing squats.  I suck at them and usually my back or knees end up hurting.  Squats have always been my kryptonite.
Dumbell military press.  These aren’t the worst, but I still don’t like doing them.  Shoulder shrugs are so much easier.
100 yard sprints.  These …read more

Have you seen the YouTube beast yet? His name is Justin Harris and I’m a little bit jealous of the weight weight he’s putting up. It’s not only the amount of weight, he’s also got great form and putting it up with relative ease. Because the videos load slow, I’m only going to post two, but you’ll get the idea.
Checkout this bench press – 365×10 raw:
He does a great job of making this look way easier than it is.
Now take a look at these squats at 500 lbs for 16 reps:
Holy cow! This man is amazing. …read more

Outside of my workout time, my days are mostly sedentary during this summer.  I was thinking about this during my workout today and I decided to start getting in some light muscle work during some of my favorite tv shows – Simpsons, Seinfeld, Family Guy, and Operacion Depot.  When you think about it, if you workout during the show or even just between commercials, you’re not going to miss anything and you’ve become a lot more efficient with your physical well being.
Here are some exercises you can work on:

air squats
sit-ups/crunches
bridges
air punches
running in place

You can also add an array of exercises …read more

The closer you get to the ground, the better your leg workout is going to be.  Consider the different leg exercises where getting low pays off big.
Squats – you want to lower your legs to where your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Running Pushups – get in pushup form and start running.  Great burn on your legs.
Weight Pushes – when you’re driving weight, the lower you get to the ground, the better your workout will be.
Lateral Sprints – keep the pressure on your thighs to hold you body weight and your ability to get low and move well laterally will …read more

Resistance training is not only limited to dumbells and iron plates.  You can also use bands, your body weight, or a medicine ball to grow stronger.  In today’s workout I integrated every form of resistance training except for bands to create an exceptional workout.
As you know, I’ve been focusing on building better balance in my legs lately.  This is paying off.  Just by putting shorts on, I can already tell my balance is much better than before.  Now that I’ve moved up a few notches with my balance, I’m adding to that foundation and working to increase my coordination as …read more

Exercising in the morning is so much better than waiting until later.  Today, I was headed to the gym for treadmill and then weights but the morning air was so nice I decided to run on the streets before lifting.  You know how some people say there is a honey dew taste in the air?  Well, if there is such a thing, it probably was present this morning.
I ran 30 and change before lifting weights.
The weight lifting today consisted of curls and legs.
The first exercise was split into two different exercises.  For one set I was doing step-ups with 40s …read more

If you’re looking to add condition and strength to your upper legs – which you should be – incorporating incline treadmill or if you have a hill you can run on is a great way to not only shave fat off your thighs but add muscle as well.
I started off my workout today on the “hard” treadmill.  It felt especially hard today.  I labored to finish 1.85 miles in 20 minutes.  I always knew the “hard” treadmill was on a slight incline, but after how much I struggled I knew as soon as I finished I was going to find …read more

The squat is one of the best muscle building exercises there is but most squatters have incorrect form so the exercise is never done right.  The incorrect form usually comes from not going down far enough and/or not putting enough emphasis on the glutes.
One idea is to get away from the weight and engage in a squat simulation or other form of a squat.  You may want to try standing in front of a bench and squatting down until you’re butt touches the bench.  After you touch, go back up with your weight resting on your heels and not your …read more

Squats can be very beneficial to your lower body base, but they also put a heavy strain on your legs. Research has shown that the most unstable knee angle occurs when your 90s are bent 90 degrees and your legs are slightly above the point where they would be parallel to the ground. Thus, you want to get in the habit of repping deep, full squats (if your body permits).
Here are some key points to achieving the perfect squat:

Rest the bar on your traps (never your neck)
Keep your head erect and look forward.
Your shoulders should be pulled back …read more