Today I have a video for you on how to perform the kettlebell bent press.  This exercise has been around since the Sandow strongman era however it faded out of most trainees routines.  When Pavel re-introduced the kettlebell craze into the country the bent press became a well known kettlebell movement.

This movement is great for the lat muscles of the back as well as puts a tremendous amount of tension on the core muscles.  The bent press can be a great exercise to supplement to a bench press routine since it teaches one how to flex the lats.  Flexing the lats is one of the best things you can learn when trying to improve your bench press numbers.  If you want a  bigger bench than add this movement into your training routine for a 6-8 week period.

I highly recommend seeking the guidance of a professional coach to teach you the proper mechanics of the bent press.

If you have any questions or would like to see any other kettlebell exercise comment below.

Here is my first video blog.  I am planning on trying to get 2 in per week with exercises, instructions, Q&A and whatever else you would like.

Leave a comment below and tell me what you want to see

Ok guys it is a brand new week and I am totally excited for the week ahead of me. I have been logging my foods on fitday regularly and starting to get into a nice groove with some of my workouts.

Not too much changes in my training program, I always train first and foremost for strength and then add my volume and conditioning in as I go. Obviously if your goal is to get into low single digit bodyfat levels than your strength may suffer slightly torwards the very end however if you plan it right you can hold on to most of your strength. Really depends how lean you are trying to get. The is an inverse relationship with the amount of work/volume you can do when training for pure strength and vice versa.

What’s interesting is a program designed training for maximum strength gains can accompanied by a lower carbohydrate diet since your are really using your central nervous system when training for low reps and the glycolytic systems are not needed as much therefore the carbohydrate intake is not as important.

When training for muscle size you need to add volume to your training program in the terms of more sets, higher rep schemes, going ot failure, etc. This involves more glycogen therefore your tap into the system that requires carbohydrates to perform at its best. This does not mean you should scrap the heavy lifts but what it means is you need to add some extra sets/volume to your main lift. If you max lifts start to suffer than you have too much volume and intensity and you need to find a balance between them.

Since we are adding volume which in turn taps into our glycolytic system than your carbohydrate intake must be increased in order to make the muscle size gains that you are looking for in a higher volume training program. This is one of the mistakes that most guys make when planning out their training and nutrition program.

To put it very simply, if your main objective is to get bigger sized muscles than your caloric intake must be in a surplus from what your body needs to take in. So if your body requires 2000kcal. and you want to put on muscle size than you are going to need to take in more than 2000kcal in order for that to take place. If you are looking to get lean and lose some bodyfat than you need a deficit in your caloric intake and therefore it would be less than 2000 kcal per day. Usually a good way to determine how many less calories to take in would be a 10-15% decrease in calories. This will give your body the amount of calories it needs to run efficiently yet put you in a deficit to use fat stores as energy.

If you do not know how to find out your caloric intake or your BMR than find a coach to do this for you and go from there.

Mike’s Plan for the Week:

What I plan on doing for this week is to keep my calories right where they are which is 2400 calories per day with a breakdown of 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat. The change that I will make this week is to increase my volume in my workouts. So I will add another round of my barbell comlex in on one day, increase the run that I am performing on another day, add a 20 minute airdyne bike session at the end of one of my workouts. The slight changes that I make will cause just enough change in my body to cause some more fat loss.

Keeping my calories the same and adding more exercise which requires me to burn more calories will have my body doing more work with the same amount of food therefore use fat stores to burn for fuel. This will cause fat loss. Each week from here on I will slightly change my calorie intake and my exercise program to cause my body to utilize my fat stores to burn as fuel. It’s that simple. It just has to be planned and followed.

Stay focused on your goals and if you don’t have goals than focus on getting some!

Mike

So I had a great couple of days of training.  Switch my main lifts back to the 531 Method to bring my raw strength up a bit and I feel really good.   I have also been adding some complexes and light conditioning into the mix.  Training for a powerlifting meet I tend to back off on any intervals or higher volume conditioning training as the meet gets closer.  I like like doing it for my heart.  On thing I have been adding into my conditioning is a timed 1 mile run.  I took this from my boy Joe Defranco’s latest manual “Built Like a Badass”.  My time sucks right now but I like doing it and it gives you something to get better at.

Food Log is tight for the first week.   I am looking forward to the change of pace right now.  Things are going better than expected at the gym and our clients are training hard.

Here is a video of some of my training this week.  Enjoy!

So every now and then my mom forwards me like a billion email forwards from my aunt in Long Island and so I am obligated to read them (well at least some:).  This past few have had some really good health related topics that I thought I would share with you guys.

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression “going bananas” is from the effects of bananas on the brain.. Read on:

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!

This is interesting.

After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.

But energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier..

PMS: Forget the pills – eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a “cooling” fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance.. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills.. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, “A banana a day keeps the doctor away!”

PASS IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe….polish with dry cloth.. Amazing fruit !!!

Have  a Great Day guys and eat a Banana:)

Mike