Feeling forced to workout is a sure sign you aren’t getting your mindset in the right place. Training by making it an adventure is a whole different experience and it’s never the same after every workout. Loving what you do instead of making it a necessity is a better understanding of what makes you get the results you truly desire.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Train With Love, Not A Necessity
Monday, July 9, 2012
Building Animalistic Strength With Handstand Pushups
Today's Guest Writer is my good friend and the Renaissance Man of Physical Culture himself, I give you Logan Christopher, enjoy everyone....
The regular handstand pushup is when your head will come to the floor. The truth is this is still a partial range of movement. Some people even call this a headstand pushup because you do come to a headstand position. Still with each range of motion increase these pushups become harder and harder.
When you’ve hit the ground and can press back up you’re at a major milestone and can say with confidence you can do handstand pushups but there is further to go.
Handstand Pushups on Handles
For the next step I typically use some form of pushup handles. The reason is that these extend the range of motion to the next step. They’re also more stable then trying to now use the phonebooks to raise your hands as they could slip out. A pair of heavy kettlebells work or any pushup handles. If the increase in distance is too much, again add phonebooks under the head to lessen it.
Be forewarned. The sticking point in pressing for almost everyone is right around this level. That means this move is going to be dramatically harder then the regular handstand pushups. Of course when you master this movement you’ll be that much stronger.
Full Range Handstand Pushup
Now it’s time to move onto the last step where you actually press up your entire bodyweight along a full range of motion. For this I usually use two chairs placing my hands flat against them. If you had a parallettes these would work just as well.
Again you can take this position and also place the books under your head to make steps in between. But you may find the bottom of the press isn’t as hard as the sticking point we just worked through.
If you follow through on working these different ranges of motion in the handstand pushup as the main method of progression you will eventually achieve them all. The vast majority of people alive cannot do a regular handstand pushup let along one that is full range. Of course, there are further steps you can go from there but this is more then enough to get you started.
Logan Christopher is the owner of Legendary Strength and Lost Art Of Hand Balancing - If you want much more information on this exercise be sure to check out The Ultimate Guide to Handstand Pushups.
Handstand pushups are one of my favorite all time exercises. They happen to also be one of the very best exercises you can do. They can be used to build truly unbelievable levels of strength, and they’re not bad in the muscle building department either.
Here’s the problem. Most people can’t even do them. I know I certainly couldn’t when I started training. The handstand pushup was one of my first major goals when I got serious about bodyweight training. I could hold a handstand against the wall but if I tried lowering to my head I came right down.
In this article I’ll be showing you the most simple way you can progress from not being able to do handstand pushups at all, all the way to the full range style.
Let me also say this. There’s a certain very popular book, and rightly so, that has a progression towards a one arm handstand pushup. This is great, except that the move has never been achieved in the form promoted in the book. While moving to one arm works for many things, I think you’re much better off going to the full range of motion in the handstand pushup.
Hold a Handstand
For this progression we are only going to be doing one thing, and that is altering the range of motion. In the handstand position you should be quite strong. I’d say that you should work up to at least 30 seconds holding a handstand against a wall before you even try to work on handstand pushups. Some people may be able to do this right away, and others will have to devote some time to it.
Because your arms are locked out in the handstand you’re relying more on bone structure to keep you in the handstand, rather then strength. But as soon as you bend the arms you throw that weight onto the muscles of the arms and shoulders.
Quarter Handstand Pushup
Now what we have a good handstand position we’re going to start the first partial handstand pushup. Take a stack of books under your head. A pile of phonebooks work great. But any object which you can raise or lower the height will work.
You want to position this stack right under your head. When you kick up into the handstand you’ll lower a couple inches until your head touches the books then you press back up. If you’re going too far that you can’t press back up add another book.
Half and Three Quarters Handstand Pushup
If this is easy and you can crank out reps then you can lower down further. Try handstand pushups with half the range of motion to the floor. When that’s easy go for three quarters the range of motion. You’re almost there.
Regular Handstand Pushups
Here’s the problem. Most people can’t even do them. I know I certainly couldn’t when I started training. The handstand pushup was one of my first major goals when I got serious about bodyweight training. I could hold a handstand against the wall but if I tried lowering to my head I came right down.
In this article I’ll be showing you the most simple way you can progress from not being able to do handstand pushups at all, all the way to the full range style.
Let me also say this. There’s a certain very popular book, and rightly so, that has a progression towards a one arm handstand pushup. This is great, except that the move has never been achieved in the form promoted in the book. While moving to one arm works for many things, I think you’re much better off going to the full range of motion in the handstand pushup.
Hold a Handstand
For this progression we are only going to be doing one thing, and that is altering the range of motion. In the handstand position you should be quite strong. I’d say that you should work up to at least 30 seconds holding a handstand against a wall before you even try to work on handstand pushups. Some people may be able to do this right away, and others will have to devote some time to it.
Because your arms are locked out in the handstand you’re relying more on bone structure to keep you in the handstand, rather then strength. But as soon as you bend the arms you throw that weight onto the muscles of the arms and shoulders.
Quarter Handstand Pushup
Now what we have a good handstand position we’re going to start the first partial handstand pushup. Take a stack of books under your head. A pile of phonebooks work great. But any object which you can raise or lower the height will work.
You want to position this stack right under your head. When you kick up into the handstand you’ll lower a couple inches until your head touches the books then you press back up. If you’re going too far that you can’t press back up add another book.
Half and Three Quarters Handstand Pushup
If this is easy and you can crank out reps then you can lower down further. Try handstand pushups with half the range of motion to the floor. When that’s easy go for three quarters the range of motion. You’re almost there.
Regular Handstand Pushups
The regular handstand pushup is when your head will come to the floor. The truth is this is still a partial range of movement. Some people even call this a headstand pushup because you do come to a headstand position. Still with each range of motion increase these pushups become harder and harder.
When you’ve hit the ground and can press back up you’re at a major milestone and can say with confidence you can do handstand pushups but there is further to go.
Handstand Pushups on Handles
For the next step I typically use some form of pushup handles. The reason is that these extend the range of motion to the next step. They’re also more stable then trying to now use the phonebooks to raise your hands as they could slip out. A pair of heavy kettlebells work or any pushup handles. If the increase in distance is too much, again add phonebooks under the head to lessen it.
Be forewarned. The sticking point in pressing for almost everyone is right around this level. That means this move is going to be dramatically harder then the regular handstand pushups. Of course when you master this movement you’ll be that much stronger.
Now it’s time to move onto the last step where you actually press up your entire bodyweight along a full range of motion. For this I usually use two chairs placing my hands flat against them. If you had a parallettes these would work just as well.
Again you can take this position and also place the books under your head to make steps in between. But you may find the bottom of the press isn’t as hard as the sticking point we just worked through.
If you follow through on working these different ranges of motion in the handstand pushup as the main method of progression you will eventually achieve them all. The vast majority of people alive cannot do a regular handstand pushup let along one that is full range. Of course, there are further steps you can go from there but this is more then enough to get you started.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Do This, Do That…You Know What Screw It
I really get pissed sometimes when I hear people tell others what they should or shouldn’t do because they feel they’re right and you’re wrong. Certain personal trainers just don’t really care about what the person they’re teaching is really fitness. I’ve even heard some trainers who have had previous injuries tell some poor shmuck how to do an exercise that got the trainer injured in the first place. What’s the deal with that?
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Die Hard Pull-ups
Pull-ups are one of the most difficult forms of strength and
conditioning because it’s the one basic exercise most people have trouble
doing. It doesn’t have to be a burden to learn how to do pull-ups. Once you
learn the basics an can do a few reps what’s next? Just doing a few reps alone
makes you a strong person at that exercise but it’s really the quality of the
reps that count and not so much the quantity. Repetitions in any exercise up to
a point can be boring like the 500 push-ups or the 1000 Hindu squats or even
the military goal of 20 or more pull-ups to get 100 points on your PT Test. I
like doing reps but I get bored easily so to enhance my interest I change grips
and do them as best as possible. To get the greatest benefit in your reps, work
different parts of the pull-up and try different tempos in speed and precise
movement.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Swimming, Nail Bending & Isometrics
So far across the country, the summer is in full blossom,
heading to the beach, hiking, running, playing and plenty of parks to go to
with the kids however in Idaho, I’d like to call it MPD weather (Multiple
Personality Disorder). It’s almost as like weather by Sybil, the temperatures
change everyday and it can rain or be hot within a given minute. Hell it’s had
thunderstorms and rain off and on lately, when it is warm out you better make
sure to take advantage it. That’s why as of late I’ve been going to a lake a
couple miles away to go for a dip in the water and just have a blast. When I do
go I’d like to bring my cell for music on Pandora, bring a few bottles of water
and vitamin drinks and best of all, and bring my 60D penny nails to mess around
with. No I don’t show off for all the kids and pretty girls there, I like to do
a little training while I’m out in the sun and practice various styles.
At this particular lake, you can view the mountains and green
trees right in front of you and just see the beautiful sight of nature and the
flow of the water just rolling by. I like doing various Muscle Control and
visualize myself as one of the old school bodybuilders from back in the day, I
realize I’m not at that level but come on, a little exercise while baking in
the sun and looking at nature won’t kill you, who knows, a girl might come up
and ask what you’re up to and you just have this big smile on your face. Just
doing a few flexes and having fun with the people with you or just yourself,
who cares who’s looking at you; you’re having fun that’s what really matters.
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