Monday, June 14th, 2010
Here is a video of how to use a foam roller for mobility and flexibility reasons. The foam roller is a great tool to use before your workout, after your workout or even on off days. If lifting big weight and being able to tie your shoes at the same time is a priority to you for the span of your life than I highly suggest investing in a foam roller and using it between lifts.
Friday, May 28th, 2010
Here is a quick and effective workout that can performed in 30 minutes tops. All you need is a chin up bar and a couple of kettlebells.
Perform a KB clean & press followed by a chin up and see how many sets you can get in 15 minutes.
Rest for 3 minutes and then perform a 1 arm snatch with a descending ladder of 10 reps each arm followed by 8 reps, 6 reps, 4 reps, and finally 2 reps.
This will give you a great workout in minimal time, which is what most people lack. Enjoy!
POST YOUR FAVORITE QUICKIE WORKOUT IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
Saturday, May 1st, 2010
Training outside is a great way to add variety to your workouts. Too many times we get stuck in this rut of having to train in the gym and it can get boring and we can lose our motivation. If this is the case bring your workout outside.
Today I did my intervals on the beach. It felt great. It was a beautiful day and it felt great to get some exercise in outside. What better place to run than alongside the ocean. This is just one of many ways to get your workout outside during the nicer whether.
Below is a video clip of a conditioning workout I did the other day in my backyard. It was beautiful out and I had limited time to get a workout in so I hit a 25 minute metabolic session in at home. Not much equipment needed and it was a GREAT workout.
Sunday, April 11th, 2010
New Jersey Powerlifter and Strength Coach Mike Hanley is adjusting his exercise routine and making more metabolic to increase his fat burning results
This week I start a new phase of training which is much more metabolic as opposed to more strength based. I have switched from a 2 day upper body and 2 day lower body split to a full body routine. I have been feeling the need for a change in my workouts for a few reasons. First reason is to create more oxygen debt in my workout. I want to add more conditioning into my training and performing full body workouts will do the trick. Second is that I have been feeling beat up from the long term powerlifting program and I feel the need to add more unilateral work into my routine. Unilateral work will do two things for me. It will help me correct any imbalances I have going on in my hips, core, and shoulders and it will also will increase the amount of time under tension my body will get. Instead of doing 10 reps of squats which will take anywhere from 20-60 seconds, I will do lunges which will double that amount of time since I have to do both sides. This requires more work from the body metabolically and will cause a better environment to burn fat during my workouts.
I will be performing a rotation with my full body workouts which will look something like this:
Week 1: 5 Full Body Workouts in 7 Days
Week 2: 4 Full Body Workouts in 7 Days
Week 3: 3 Full Body Workouts in 7 Days
Repeat 3 times
This will give me a 9 week plan which will bring me about 3 weeks from my wedding. I will add sprint training into this phase as the weeks go on.
My Sprint Training will consist of a few different variations. They will be performed on the beach, up hills, and with the prowler as my body gets capable of handling more work. I will also do sprints in the form of yards. The 2 sprint workouts I like are 6x40yd sprints followed by 4x20yd on one day and the other day will consist of 4-8x100yd sprints. I will vary the rest interval but for the first day it will be kept to 2-4 minutes between each sprint and around 8 minutes between the 100yd sprints.
My calories are pretty steady at 2250 with a 40-30-30 split. This has been working well for me since I have been back from my vacation. So I will keep my calories the same as I increase my workouts during the next few weeks. I will adjust according to my results.
Stay Tuned for Updated Photos as well as my Training Log!
Mike
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Today I have a little exercise video for you that I think is a great core strengthener as well as a shoulder stabilizer. The video you will see below is of a Blast Strap Push Up. You can purchase Blast Straps at www.elitefts.com here.
I love to use this exercise as one of my assistance exercises in an upper body day. I also use it on a recovery day to increase blood flow to the chest and shoulder region. I will perform blast strap push ups after my bench workout or after a military press workout to add much needed volume to my workout. What I like to do is combine it with a pulling movement and perform each back to back for 3 to 4 sets.
This exercise puts a great amount of added stress to your stabilizers in your shoulder since the straps are not stationary and they move freely causing your shoulders to create the stability in order to perform the exercise. By doing so the body also recruits the abdominal region to help the shoulder stabilizers to hold still. This puts much needed added stress to the core muscles which in turn will create a healthier mid-section. This is a great variation to the push up and should be included in any advanced training program.
Tip of the Day: Instead of doing the normal dumbbell bench press or incline bench press after your bench press training, try throwing the blast strap push up into the routine for a few weeks. It will get you off your back and in a position that stresses your abs as well as pumps some volume into your chest region.
Friday, February 26th, 2010
If you train at my gym see if this sounds familiar:
Interval training can cut exercise hours sharply
Intense, brief workouts twice as effective as other regimens, experts say The Associated Press updated 12:25 p.m. ET, Thurs., Feb. 25, 2010
LONDON – People who complain they have no time to exercise may soon need another excuse.
Some experts say intense exercise sessions could help people squeeze an entire week’s workout into less than an hour. Intense exercise regimens, or interval training, was originally developed for Olympic athletes and thought to be too strenuous for normal people.
But in recent years, studies in older people and those with health problems suggest many more people might be able to handle it. If true, that could revolutionize how officials advise people to exercise — and save millions of people hours in the gym every week. It is also a smarter way to exercise, experts say.
“High-intensity interval training is twice as effective as normal exercise,” said Jan Helgerud, an exercise expert at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. “This is like finding a new pill that works twice as well … we should immediately throw out the old way of exercising.”
Intense interval training means working very hard for a few minutes, with rest periods in between sets. Experts have mostly tested people running or biking, but other sports like rowing or swimming should also work.
Helgerud recommends people try four sessions lasting four minutes each, with three minutes of recovery time in between. Unless you’re an elite athlete, it shouldn’t be an all-out effort.
“You should be a little out of breath, but you shouldn’t have the obvious feeling of exhaustion,” Helgerud said.
In Britain and the U.S., officials recommend that people get about two and a half hours each week of moderate exercise.
When compared to people on a normal exercise routine, like jogging, research has shown those doing interval training can double their endurance, improve their oxygen use and strength by more than 10 percent, and their speed by at least 5 percent. Even studies in the elderly and in heart patients found they had better oxygen use and fitness after doing interval training.
Still, most studies have been done in young, healthy adults, and experts advise people to consult a doctor before starting any fitness program.
For Adamson Nicholls, a 36-year-old Londoner and martial arts enthusiast, interval training is a way to boost his endurance so he can outlast sparring opponents. “It’s a shortcut to explosive fitness,” he said, adding the training results in snappier and heavier punches.
Using interval training, Nicholls got into top shape last year in about six weeks, using weekly 45-minute sessions. He estimates the same level would have taken about three months via regular training.
Experts say that’s because intense bursts of activity are precisely what the body needs to build stronger muscles. Traditional workouts lasting an hour or more simply don’t push the body enough.
“A lot of the (benefits) from exercise are due to a stress response,” said Stephen Bailey, a sports sciences expert at the University of Exeter. “If you disturb your muscles, there’s an imbalance created and your body will start signaling pathways that result in adjustments.”
Bailey said intense bursts of exercise help the body to convert one type of muscle fiber into another type that uses oxygen more efficiently and is capable of exercising a lot longer. Even though interval training only takes a few minutes, its effects last for hours.
“You’ve exercised at such a high intensity that you’re going to create a massive disturbance in your muscles,” Bailey said. That creates a higher metabolism for several hours afterward, which the body will bring down by burning fat and carbohydrates.
Helgerud and others predicted that as further studies confirm interval training is safe for wider populations, authorities will include it in their exercise guidelines.
“This is definitely the way forward to save time on your exercise,” Nicholls said. “The results are worth it.”
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35581793/ns/health-fitness/
Want a quick solution to losing bodyfat with minimal time?Grab yourself a copy of Juliet’s Tabata for Fat Loss Book HERE
Post your Favorite Interval Style Workout Below
Monday, February 15th, 2010
Ok guys here we go.
Do you want to get ready for the summer!
Have you ever looked beach ready before?
Do you want to?
Are you ready to get SHREDDED?
Well than follow me on my journey to my wedding date in June and join me in the Summer Shred Program!
I will be posting my training log as well as my food log on my blog regularly. You will leave your logs in the comment section and we will Get Shredded TOGETHER!
Tomorrow I will start posting my food intake and my training along with tons of videos on metabolic conditioning, intervals, meal prepping tips, among various motivation tools to keep us on the path of victory.
Here is your first motivational video to get you ready for the ride, you must have a sense of humor for this one. It is a great abdominal bracing exercise that will make you laugh.
Come on, you have to laugh……life is short:)
Stayed tuned, tomorrow it will be rocking over here at Hanley Strength.
Monday, January 11th, 2010
Yesterday was my last heavy squat/deadlift session of my meet cycle. I will be competing in about 21 days. I took a an opener in a suit yesterday and took my 2nd attempt with reverse monster bands. I got some videos of the squats and pulls. This is how the day went:
Squats
Warm up: bar x5, 135x5x2, 185×3
Briefs : 250×1, 340×1, 390 x1, 430 x1, 480×1
Suit Straps Down: 505×1
Straps Up: 535×1, 585×1
Rev Band: 635×1
My opener will be a little bit lighter in this meet than last to reserve myself for my 2nd and 3rd attempt. Overall I felt good yesterday and am looking forward to the meet.
Deadlifts:
135x2x2, 225×1, 315×1, 365×1, 405×1, 455×1, 495×1, 545×1
Most of these are done with my suit on which is not too ganster just to get a feel for the suit. This is usually my strongest lift so I am happy with this.
After wards I performed some back raises for reps and some standing ab work for reps.
Here a video of my last couple squats and deadlifts:
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
Last night I spoke with a friend and colleague of mine Kevin Weiss. Kevin has been in the iron game for most of his life and is tremendously knowledgeable. I was lucky enough to allow him to share it with you guys so here is the 20 minute interview where we talk shop regarding training for strength, size, etc. Kevin also gives you his top 3 tips to give you the optimal results you are looking for. Listen to it NOW!
POST ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE FOR KEVIN OR MIKE BELOW!
That link again is:
http://www.hanleystrength.com/bonus/Kevin-Weiss-Interview.mov
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
So you are getting ready to start a workout program first thing tommorrow. You joined a gym as part of your New Year Resolution. That is AWESOME! I am glad that you are putting your health as a priority. Now what was the workout plan for the week?
When it comes to the type of workout you should do, most people get it all backwards. How bout this statement, “I heard I should lose some weight first before I start to workout with weights.” What kind of crap is that? I have never heard something more outrageously ridiculous as this one and yet I have heard this a thousand times from prospective clients at our facility. People have this fitness thing all backwards when it comes to losing bodyfat. Weight training is THE #1 soultion for losing bodyfat. Here are a few reasons why you should choose weight train as your first priority:
1. It increases your testosterone and growth-hormone levels better than any other form of training so you can quickly gain strength and muscle, even after a hiatus from exercise.
2. Weight training improves the strength of your ligaments and tendons, if the exercises are done in full range of motion. This will decrease the chance of any overuse injuries as your training intensifies.
3. It boosts your metabolic rate because of the high caloric expenditure of multi-joint movements, as well as from the resulting increase in lean muscle you will experience after a few weeks to months of regular exercise.
So when you go to the gym tomorrow please do not jump on the treadmill or elliptical and do an hour of cardio as your first workout back. Here is what I suggest you do:
1. Sign up for my newsletter and grab your gift which gives you the 10 Top Muscle Building Exercises
2. Head over to the dumbbells and grab a pair and get to work!
3. After your workout jump back over to this blog and post your workout for the day. I will critic it for you and give you some feedback regarding your workouts.
Have a Great Workout!
Mike
