Step Ups And Their Effectiveness

 A good portion of the time, a simple exercise like Step Upas can really take you down if you know the right pace and tempo. Maybe it might be too simple but is it really so? I guess it depends on your point of view. Does it replace Squats? Overall, not necessarily but some prefer the Step Ups and others prefer Squats and that's awesome. At least you're getting in some kick ass leg training either way.

Some scoff at the idea of Step Ups because to them, squats are king and other leg exercises are just second class which in and of itself is far from the truth. Some even say Step Ups are the lazy man's leg training; obviously that's pure bullshit otherwise by logic you're saying someone like Bob Backlund is lazy. How natural is Step Ups in comparison to Squats? Well, why compare their natural entities when both are natural type exercises and have pros and cons to both while their effectiveness may be different, they still generate incredible strength, power, conditioning and overall health for the whole body.

Having done thousands of reps from both of them, safe to say for me personally, I get more out of Step Ups than Squats and I'll tell you why....With Squats, they were the foundation and gave me a solid pair of legs over the years while also saving time by doing high reps either in a row or using a deck of cards. As time went on and doing other things, they became a bit more uninteresting to me and felt like they weren't a priority anymore. With the transition to Step Ups, I not only go longer & do more reps, they give me greater focus by working my legs individually. They help even out the areas where one leg seems to have more muscle than the other and it feels more meditative while being a conditioning exercise.

Step Ups are a different form of cardio and it has become grossly underrated over the years. Other than Bob Backlund advocating them, they don't get as much traction or attention in comparison to Squats and it's a damn shame. They go far beyond just going up and down and switching legs, they are a great addition to just about any routine as they can be an exercise to do instead of resting for your next set. They can be used to as a superset exercise to other movements to really tackle your conditioning and they put you in a better state of not being as sore yet get more out of it.

Despite its benefits of health and overall fitness, it has a safer aspect on the knees and lower back if you have those particular issues. We do Step Ups more often than we are led to believe because of climbing stairs on an almost daily basis so this exercise actually strengthens that form of movement along with strengthening the joints for things like biking, hiking and swimming. Training this way helps in a ton of sports and other activities.

As always, just be careful how you do them and don't go so fast that you'll slip/trip and fall on your ass; I've done it a time or two and even broke part of a step and after those, I learned to pace myself better and being aware of my footing while going at a decent clip. Got to a point where I can do 30 within a minute and do 500 in under 23 minutes. Ideally it's not a sprint exercise because like I said, if you go too fast, it's going to bite back so respect the movement and go at a clip where it's keeping your heart rate going but not in a rushed manner. 

When I train this exercise, I don't care much how many sets/rounds I do, I pick a number to do each leg and go for time whether for 10, 15, 20 or 30+ minutes straight. If I'm in the middle of a set and the timer goes off, I just finish the set and add the + to the workout lol. Numbers wise, I stay within a 10-15 rep range each leg and just keep going. Sometimes I'll speed up during the workout and other times I just keep pace and focus on my breathing and footing. Said it before, it becomes meditative at times. Better cost effective than a treadmill that's for damn sure. 

It just feels good overall and I love how my legs feel afterwards. I don't get sore almost at all and I can do other exercises later on like Isometrics, carries and even hammer stuff. It has kept me in pretty decent shape for some time now. Give it a go and maybe someday you'll put up Backlund numbers but do what's possible for you and keep improving while being amazingly awesome. 

Why Are Hybrid Isometrics So Effective?

First of all, what in the blue hell are Hybrid Isometrics? Some kind of supernatural entity of exercise? Doubled forms of fitness to create some kind of Superhuman? Although it sounds cool, Hybrid Isometrics are mainly an advanced variation of Isometric Exercise that takes you some steps further to achieving great strength and muscle building. I didn't make up the name, that goes to one of the most prominent trainers in the art of Isometric Training today and that's Matt Schifferle.

Now, what makes up of Hybrid Isometrics? It's literally a combination of Overcoming Isometrics & Yielding Isometrics. Overcoming is the style where you work against something immoveable and stay at that sticking point for intense contractions in a Push/Pull/Squat/Grip Format. Yielding in a nutshell is the type of Isometric Training where you're fighting against gravity such as a plank or horse stance for example. The Hybrid style by definition of the first two styles is the combination of hitting a sticking point while going against gravity at the same time. Here's an idea of doing a Hybrid Plank (This engages the Core far more than the regular Plank plus you're working your lower back and hips from sagging by pressing against the strap). 

How are these as affective if not more than typical Isometric Exercise? Because of the combination of both Yielding & Overcoming styles, you're generating a different level of strength training in order to successfully hold positions for either time or through the 7-12 seconds of intense contraction. It puts a different spin on what constitutes being in a position where the muscles are working harder than normal and not particularly isolating certain muscles either, you're literally working many muscles in order to stabilize yourself. The real effectiveness is that it doesn't take long to really feel it and you aren't going to last very long doing some of these exercise which in the case of plank, if you can hold the elbow or even palm plank for 2 minutes or more, the hybrid would put most people down within 30-45 seconds or less. It is very tough to do and is a plank on steroids. However, because of the short amount of time you'll hold this position, you're going to build strength in ways that the regular plank can't. 

Isometrics are a fascinating form of training and the plethora of ways to work them can turn you into a fitness machine or can help you in rehabbing injuries. When it comes to Hybrids, they rank right up there as some of the simplest yet toughest exercises you can do. I use them as an addition to my regular Isometric Training. A great product you can use to work Hybrid Isometric is the Iso Loop. For other forms of straps to work your exercises check out StrapWorks on Amazon. Get the most out of your Isometric Training and for more info on what Hybrids are and some of the exercises you can learn, grab a copy of Overcoming Isometrics by Red Delta Project. RDP also has a Youtube Channel that shows tons of exercises, workouts and other tips on fitness training. 

Have an amazingly awesome day and train well. 

Thick Thighs Save Lives

 At least from what I've seen. Can never stop advocating for the Step Up Exercise. It truly is one of the most essential yet underrated leg exercises there is. Shit if the legendary Bob Backlund can do them and the strength & conditioning they gave him, why not others? Sure it's important to make sure you're not working with potentially harmful injuries especially in the knees and ankles but for the most part, these can highly be a godsend for building incredible leg strength, health and for your cardio.

I've been doing this exercise for many years now and it doesn't seem to slow me down, matter of fact, has kept me in pretty damn good shape. I hate jogging and Sprinting in below ten weather in the wintertime here is not always an option. If you want an alternative to sprints, do the Bear Crawls bro (read about my micro workout on this exercise). Step Ups especially done in high numbers bring incredible benefits which one of the perks is that you won't get as sore as you would with squats. Now that doesn't mean squats aren't good, they're awesome, I'll do them as part of my deck of cards workout with the Step Ups. Squats have their place and are as essential as any basic movement, I just prefer Step Ups as my go to Leg Exercise. 

Although it doesn't look like much (quite frankly its the exercise equivalent to a leg exercise from Wish to some people) but for others, it brings out all the benefits of cardio training without needing a treadmill or getting burned out from hundreds of squats. You ever hear the story about Backlund and the Marathon runner? I've written about it before but it's for a repeat: So this marathon runner thought Step Ups were pretty easy since after all, he withstands 26.2 miles for a lot of years so he wanted to see if he could give a Backlund a run for his money (no pun intended). So for the most part, this guy thinks this is a no brainer but roughly 20 minutes in, Bob is still killing it and this distance runner walks out the door and is never heard from again. He couldn't take it and it goes to show that you never underestimate the power of a simple yet effective exercise.

I've done my fair share of them over the years in a variety of ways from doing them straight through for 30 min to an hour at a time to doing supersets with other exercises such as Farmer's Walks, shoulder carrying my 50 lb sandbell or bear hug carry to slamming my slam ball. The deck of cards workout where it's Step Ups & Squats ranks right up there with that Rugged Conditioning type of training. The objective is to get to 500 Step Ups & 250 Squats by the end of the deck and if you can finish it in under 30 minutes, kudos for you man; I'm just a notch above the 30 min mark when I finish it. One time, I doubled the reps that came out to 1000 & 500 respectively going back and forth between two decks of cards with barely a break. Until you've done it, it's not something easily to describe. 

 Despite it's overwhelming simplicity, Step Ups gives you not incredible leg strength and conditioning, it's a pretty damn good muscle builder too since you're working your legs unilaterally. It's had me keeping my California Redwood legs in tact so far. My dad doesn't call me a tree trunk for nothing. With natural muscle, strength & cardio, you're looking at some solid boosting of testosterone and HGH. Our legs provide the means to develop our sex organs, energy and power. When you consistently train your legs (safely of course and not getting injured frequently), you're bringing more vitality and desire into play. Don't be surprised if you start to feel like a wild teenager again, it is possible. It's important that we can increase our testosterone as we age ( with the right tools and not always go to drugs) but we also don't want to overload it because too much testosterone isn't always a good thing. Work it until you reach a certain level and maintain that. Mine's in the normal range for men in my age group and normal to elite level of testosterone is around 300 and 1,000 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL); I'm in around the 350's so for 35-45, that's pretty good. It could be better with diet and intense training but take things one at a time. 

Training and eating good gives off incredible boosts but the type of training you do should be intense and rugged like Sprints, Isometrics, Strength Training whether with weights or bodyweight and doing enough to recover efficiently. The diet is not always easy especially if you're on a budget but if you keep the junk to a bare minimum if at all, stick with a good source of meats, eggs, certain fruits and veggies along with drinking plenty of water. We all have our vices but I do love a good steak and eggs or rice with some liquid IV for hydration or make bunless cheese burgers with eggs. I usually scramble my eggs or do them fried with butter. I' am getting a bit better to not eat a ton of bread or minimize a bit more than what I'm doing now. Heavily on the Carnivore type plan but I like my sandwiches and some good Tempura Shrimp & Fries from time to time. You don't want to completely deprive yourself, enjoy things every now and then. 

Overall, add Step Ups into your routine or do them by themselves it's up to you. Start with a few minutes doing 5-10 reps per leg continuously and start adding time. You can add reps especially if you want to test yourself (like with the deck of cards) but if you work 10-25 reps each leg and keeping doing that for up to 30 minutes straight, that's some awesome cardio. I've done 1000 total reps in 41 minutes so I think my cardio is right where it needs to be. Doing Supersets with them is just another addition to boosting your body's natural levels of hormones. 

Train with intent but also make it as enjoyable as possible. Be amazingly awesome.