Want Six Pack Abs?

Month three of Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 Program is well under way and I am still having a great time. I love knowing exactly what I have to do and not stressing about how heavy I should go or if I really went "all out". One point I think is worth noting about Wendler's program, and he makes it repeatedly in his book, is to start with a light weight and take your time cycling up to big weights. So in your first month use weights that are not very challenging, then add only 5 or maybe 10 pounds per lift per month max. I thought I started light but quickly realized how tough it is to max out on reps with 420lbs loaded for the deadlift. It sucks. Another point is to do lots of pulling drills. I like to do pull-ups between every set of the main lift. This way you are not sitting on your ass too much and your back and rear delts get a lot of much needed volume. Plus, pull-ups work the abs and arms nicely as well. Lastly. and this is a new one for me, Fat Bar High Pulls rock! I mean it. They give you many of the benefits of Olympic lifts without having to worry too much about form. Just keep upright and explode through the hips. High Pulls, and I mean explosive high pulls from the ground all the way to elbows level with your face, will give your metabolism a kick start as well as improve explosiveness and build some muscle in the calves, hamstrings, quads, glutes, back and rear delts. Bottom line, high pulls are underrated. Here are the training sessions I did for the week, following Wendler's 5/3/1, month 3, week 1: Squat Session Mobility work, bar hang, deep squat and hold, foam rollerA1 Squats135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 5, 330 x 5,5,6A2 Pull-ups7 x 8-10 with various gripsYoke Walkworked up to 600lbsProwler Pushing3 long hard pushesKettlebell ConditioningArm Bar x 2 one minute holds per armlots of swings, cleans, high pulls and snatches Bench Press Sessions Mobility work, bar hang, deep squat and hold, foam roller A1 Narrow Grip Bench Press with Fat Bar95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 285 x 5,5,8A2 Pull-ups7 x 8-10 with various gripsB1 Strongman Log Clean and Press4 x 5B2 Rows4 x 10-12C1 E-Z Bar Curls4 x 5C2 Skull Crushers4 x 8 Kettlebell ConditioningArm Bar x 2 one minute holds per armlots of swings, cleans, high pulls and snatches Deadlift Session Mobility work, bar hang, deep squat and hold, foam roller A1 Deadlift135 x 5, 225 x 5, 315 x 5, 420 x 5,5,10A2 Pull-ups6 x 8-10 with various gripsAtlas Stoneslifted a bunch of big stones for about 30 minutesKeg Carriesdid a bunch of carries until I was tired (pretty scientific eh?) Military Press Session (I really have to put my ego aside on this lift and suck it up) Mobility work, bar hang, deep squat and hold, foam roller A1 Fat Bar Strict Military Press45 x 10, 95 x 5, 135 x 5, 150 x 5,5,6A2 Pull-ups6 x 8-10 with various gripsB1 1 Arm Dumbbell Military Pressworked up to a max triple with each armB2 Fat Bar High Pull (I am discovering something magical about this drill)5 x 5C1 Cable Curls3 x 15C2 Overhead Cable Triceps Extensions3 x 15 www.kettlebellplanet.com

Let's face it, your shoulder take a beating. From slouching at your computer, to slouching in your car, to spending more time working the front of your body than the back, you are setting yourself up for shoulder pain. I have been experiencing chronic shoulder pain for almost six months now. I have tried a few different things with moderate success such as ice, mobility drills, clubbell drills, and traction with a flex band. Luckily I re-discovered this gem of a drill. The kettlebell arm bar will make your shoulders feel like new again. I have yet to find any drill that comes close. That being said, expect your shoulders to hurt during the drill. But afterwards, you won't believe how great your shoulders feel. Here is a video to demonstrate the drill. www.kettlebellplanet.com

Today was a week 4, month 2 of Wendler's 5/3/1 program. If you haven't checked out Wendler's book yet, I highly recommend it. 5/3/1 is simple, fun and so far seem to be quite effective. Today's workout focused on the deadlift, which is lift I don't see nearly enough trainees working in the gym. If you want to be strong, have thick back, powerful glutes and really bring up your hamstring strength, then deadlifts are a must. All athletes could benefit from stronger hamstrings because it will make you faster and help prevent pulling a hamstring when sprinting. Also, not that I spend a lot of time checking out other men's asses, but frankly a lot more dudes could stand to gain a bit of muscle mass around their ass. A powerful ass is a sign of athleticism, plus chicks dig it. Here is the workout I did today, really simple but damn tiring: Foam RollingMobility WorkA1 Deadlift135 x 5, 225 x 5, 315 x 5, 405 x 5, 465 x 3, 500 x 1, 565 x 1A2 Pull-ups7 x 8, various gripsAtlas Stone Liftingplayed around with 285, 300, 315 stones for about 30 minutesKeep deadlifting and you just might put some muscle on. But only use straps if you are bodybuilder pulling 800lbs for reps. http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

It is minus 30 degrees Celsius, or minus 22 Fahrenheit for you Americans, here in Calgary, Alberta today. On days like these I prefer to head straight home after work rather than risk death driving to the gym on icy roads. Enter the kettlebell, still my favourite "home gym in a can" after all these years. And what better kettlebell drill to focus on than the snatch. It will build muscle, improve your explosiveness, and burn fat all at the same time. One of the challenges with snatch's is to get enough volume in to stimulate your metabolism before you gas out. This is where ladders come in handy. The ladder is a rep scheme that flows upwards or downwards. For example, you do a set of 1 rep, then a set of 2 reps, then 3 and so on until you cannot complete a set. Then you might go back to 1 rep and start climbing the ladder again. Conversely, you might start at a high number and count down the reps. It would like reps I did for the snatch in the workout below. Here is the kettlebell workout I did today, using a descending ladder method to sneak in extra volume on the snatch. Two Hand Swing x 20One Hand Swing x 10 each armClean x 10 each armHigh Pull x 10 each armSnatch x 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 each armHere is an example of the ladder being used for a series of drills. www.kettlebellplanet.com

Here is an upper body workout I did today focusing on the military press, following Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 template. I really suck at over-head pressing so the focus 5/3/1 puts on this lift is much needed. It is easy to avoid the drills you suck at, but usually those are the ones you need to work on the most. Here is the workout I did today: A1 Fat Bar Strict Military Press145 x 5,5,7A2 Pull-Ups6 x 8B1 Log Clean and Press (no leg drive)4 x 5B2 TRX Row4 x 5C1 Pull-Over Skull Crusher4 x 8-10C2 Barbell Curl4 x 8-10 http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

I've got a confession to make: I'm your prototypical skinny-fat ectomorph. Tall. Narrow shoulders. Wide waist. It's the recipe needed to look thin while simultaneously sporting a muffin top. It's also the combination that gets called "lanky," a word I've grown to hate. The truth is that I'm tired of seeing the skinny fats (as I like to call them) falling victim to advice given by the, "I've-been-lean-since-I-was-a-fetus" guys. The same guys that told me that I needed to shovel sustenance into my mouth without regard for body composition. That might have worked for you, Mr. Lean, but it sure as hell didn't work for me. Skinny fats can't play by the rules of the rest. With that in mind, here are 11 tips for the skinny fat ectomorph that wants to look good naked. Keep in mind that these are my personal reflections that worked for me, given my lackluster genetic makeup. 1. Stop Cutting and Bulking Yes, traditional bulking allows you to gain more muscle when compared to the infamous "clean" bulk. But we skinny fats are terrible nutrient partitioners, so more of our excess calories are stored as fat, not used for muscle. This means that without performance enhancing substances, our cuts will be so long and intense that most of the muscular gains wither away. We don't prosper in malnourished environments very well. Hell, we don't even prosper in nourished environments. Going through the whole bulking thing isn't worth the roller coaster of weight fluctuation and the filling (or perhaps creation) of fat cells. Editor's note: You could also try Indigo-3G™ and take your nutrient partitioning capabilities to the next level. 2. Carb Cycle There's nothing wrong with taking your time to add muscle – especially when trying to stave off fat accumulation – but the problem most have is that they eat like an emaciated Ethiopian. Maximizing muscular gain, while limiting fat gain, is about optimizing the body's hormonal profile at the right times. For the natural trainee, this means cycling carbs according to training. I'm not going to go into detail as there are tons of articles devoted to this. Let's just say: more carbs, less fats, and enough protein on training days; less carbs, more fats, and more protein on rest days. 3. Get Lean, But Forget About Abs One of the biggest rules I have for skinny fats is to lean out first and never go on a traditional cut ever again. This, of course, requires never getting so fat that you need to cut. Most skinny fats will operate best (as far as gaining muscle is concerned) just outside of the six-pack zone in 11-12% bodyfat (assuming 10% is six-pack level). This is lean enough to be considered lean and "fat" enough to gain muscle. 4. Don't Underestimate Bodyweight Training It's common for trainees that want to build muscle to revolve around the barbell, as it's the most fabled piece of equipment. Squats, bench presses, deadlifts – ahh, smell the manliness. But don't neglect bodyweight training like push-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, muscle-ups, and perhaps even some handstands, planche training, and front levers. Not only do these lifts keep your bodyweight in check (performance decreases if you're overly puffy), but they can build muscle and stave off body fat accumulation. 5. Don't Neglect Isolation, and Use Thick Bars Compound lifts work better for just about everything. But without isolation movements, a skinny fat's arms will have about as much definition as a PVC pipe. Don't neglect direct arm work. You need it. Our breed is known for having tiny wrists, which is why I also recommend using thick bars (or Fat Gripz) for all pressing and all biceps work. You can also throw in some thick bar pulling exercises for good measure. This will be the bane of your workout, but you'll see growth in your forearms, upper arms, and shoulders like never before. 6. Sprint, Carry Don't worry about "conditioning" work to "burn calories." Become a short-term power machine. Run sprints, be it on a hill or a track, from 40-100 meters, but don't turn it into a high intensity interval feast. Sprint, walk back to the starting line, catch your wind, and then go again. Also, do farmer's walks, waiter walks, and carries. You'll know why soon. 7. Be Cautious of Max Effort Work Skinny fats have terrible recovery capacity. Shorter, brick house powerlifters, with their shortened range of motions and supreme levers, can lift maximally with less trouble. Our lanky stature is inferior in this regard. Be mindful of the recovery process. 8. Be a Bodybuilder, Not a Powerlifter Similar to above, skinny-fats won't thrive on minimalistic powerlifting routines. That's not to say you can't train in the lower (3-5) repetition ranges, or that all powerlifting routines are bad, but we're much more suited to higher repetition ranges, training at a lower percentage of our maximum, and using a little more volume. 9. Shoulders, Upper Chest, Lats, Upper Back Skinny fats are pyramids: their waists are bigger than their shoulders. This needs to change. Focus on everything above the deltoid tuberosity – shoulders, upper chest, upper back, and neck. Also include lats in there, as wide wings make the waist look smaller. A steady diet of chin-ups, incline pressing, dumbbell floor pressing, heavy lateral raises (with body English), overhead work, and rows with the elbows flared will do the trick. Oh yeah, remember when I told you to carry stuff? Farmer's walks are your new BFF. 10. Wave Your Repetitions Skinny fats tend to need variation to kick start progress. This doesn't have to be complicated. One of the oldest methods of progression was to increase reps and not weight. Let's say you're benching 225 and you can get four sets of six reps. All future workouts stay at 225 until you work up to four sets of twelve. Once you hit that, add 10-20 pounds to the bar and repeat the process. This forces you to train with heavier weights and lower repetition ranges for a while, followed by a period of lighter weights and higher repetition ranges. Most everyone benefits from altering intensity and volume, so don't convince yourself that the end all of strength and size development is five reps. 11. Every. Damn. Day I'm going to end on a crapshoot. Some skinny fats are soft because they're babied. From a biological standpoint, having muscle is an artifact of living a lifestyle that demands its creation. So it may be worthwhile to try training every day to provide a signal to the body that being a skinny fat just isn't going to cut it. Something tells me that running a combination of Waterbury's PLP and Dan John's 40 Day Program could do wonders for anyone. Conclusion Skinny fat sucks. There's no denying it, sugar coating it, or trying to pretend it has any redeeming qualities. But it doesn't have to be a life sentence of avoiding public beaches and swimming with your shirt on. If you're tired of hiding love handles and having the hormonal profile of an ovulating woman, give these tips a try. Original Source http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

I am into month two of Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program and so far have nothing but good things to say about this system. It is fun, simple and appears to be effective. I also like the slow and steady approach to increasing the weight. It is a nice change from always putting as much weight as possible on the bar but then missing attempts regularly. Today was a deadlift day and at first the weights felt pretty heavy, but once my nervous system woke up I was surprised at how many reps I was able to get. If you don't do deadlifts you best check yourself. Deadlifts are awesome, just ask Bill Kazmaier. Here is the workout, A1 Deadlifts135 x 5, 225 x 5, 315 x 5, 415 x 5,5,10A2 Pull-Ups6 x 8Tire Flip850lbs x 6GHR3 x 10 http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

Here is a simple kettlebell conditioning workout to help you burn fat and increase your explosiveness. If your focus is conditioning, keep the rest periods as short as possible. Otherwise, take your time between sets and try to explode the kettlebell up as violently as you can control. Do a mobility drill between each set: 2 Hand Swing x 20, 201 Hand Swing x 2 x 10 left and 10 right1 Hand Clean x 2 x 10/101 Hand High Pull x 2 x 10/101 Hand Snatch x 5 x 10/10Flex Band Curls x 3 x 10Flex Band Pull Aparts/Face Pulls x 3 x 15The kettlebell snatch is the best all-around drill for conditioning and athleticism so if you are feeling fresh include more sets or reps of this drill. http://www.kettlebellplanet.com/

Hello everyone, all of my posting is now being done on kettlebell planet. Over 500 posts and counting so I hope to see you there! http://kettlebellplanet.com/ If you are looking for a personal trainer in Calgary, contact me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com

I am in Bangalore, India on a work assignment. It is an amazing place I tell you, friend me, Nathan Donahue, on Facebook or flickr to see the pics. Be sure to mention the blog or I will think you are a creep and not friend you! Anyways, it is an amazing place but not the easiest city to find a proper gym. Especially one with barbells and dumbbells instead of just cardio machines and some mulit-gyms. Needless to say I let this challenge get in my way and failed to train my first few days here. In other words, I bitched out. Luckily I have friends with strong posterior chains who are always looking to motivate me! This video was sent to me by Paul Vaillancourt, professional strongman and owner of Ultimate Fitness. He is doing the massive trap bar deadlift at 20 seconds in. After watching this video I realized I was being a soft little girly man and letting this obstacle prevent me from reaching my goals. As the saying goes, "the weak see obstacles as an inconvenience, warriors see them as challenges!". So, since checking myself I have been hitting the "gym" in the hotel hard. My first workout was pretty simple and not overly challenging as the heat kicked my ass pretty quick. Here it is: mobility work, 30 mins in my hotel room10 pound dumbbell circuit in the "gym", these are the heaviest dumbbells there!Series of high pulls, clean and presses, presses, rows, lunges, squat thrusters, one leg deadlifts, jumping jacks, push-ups, and overhead twits to failure, 30 minutesJump rope to failurePretty basic and honestly not very well thought out. Oh well, the important thing here is I broke the cycle of missing workouts due to a lack of kettlebells or barbells and got back in the game. Tomorrow is another day and a chance for a better training session.India is famous for yoga, which doesn't really interest me, but it also has these traditional wrestling schools called Akara's where locals lift stones and wrestle in the sand. If I can find one of those places it would be awesome!

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