In this blog and video below I want to go over some really awesome ways to improve your grip strength which will lead to a healthier shoulder. Because of our lifestyles of driving countless hours to work, sitting at a computer all day or the many other unhealthy positions we put our body in on a daily basis I thought this would be a good time to talk about our shoulder and how we can make it STRONG. The exercises shown below are not for the beginner or for the unhealthy shoulder. They are for someone who has aches and pains in a somewhat healthy shoulder who may want to improve his strength in a weathered shoulder.
Posts Tagged ‘marlboro strength coach’
Bottoms Up for Grip Strength & Shoulder Health
Thursday, May 5th, 2011
5 Reasons to Start Doing the Kettlebell Windmill
Monday, April 25th, 2011
Today I want to go over an exercise I think is a great one for many many reasons. The kettlebell windmill is an exercise that I think everyone that works out should be incorporating in some way into their workouts routines. I have used this movement with great success in a number of different situation with clients. The other reason I thought of this exercise to post is after doing my deadlifts the other day I finished my workout with some windmills which I think is a great thing to do after deadlifts. I remember talking with Pavel years ago and he suggested it to me to do after deadlifting. If you missed the the 4 Tips to a Stronger Deadlift Video & Blog I suggest you go and check it out.
Here is a list of the reason the kettlebell windmill is such a great exercise.
4 Tips to a Stronger Deadlift
Thursday, April 21st, 2011
Over the years I have been fortunate to visit various gyms and coaches and learn an immense amount of valuable information regarding strength & conditioning. The deadlift has been one of my better lifts and I love training it. Sooner or later you find yourself getting stuck and not progressing in your lifts and you have to figure out what is the cause. Is it that I am training too much? Is it that I have some sort of injury? What is the weak link? So what I have done is when I have reached certain standstills I have reach out for help and asked other coaches. Guys like Dave Tate, John Bott, and Louie Simmons are just a few who have helped me continue to progress in this ion game.
Here is a few tips that I think can help anyone out with their conventional deadlift.
Add Variety to your Workouts
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.
Training Log: Week of 4/12
Friday, April 16th, 2010
All my movements will be performed with an explosive speed trying to move the weight as fast as possible with control. I will rest as long as needed between sets. I do not want my heart rate to completely relax. I will keep it elevated throughout the entire workout. As I get more conditioned I will cut my rest time shorter.
Monday 4/12/10
1a. Incline DB Bench: 65x10x2, 75x10x2
1b. Bulgarian Split Squat: BWx15ea, 15x15ea, 15x12eax2
2a. CG Pulldowns: 105×15, 120x15x2, 120×10
2b. DB Forward Reaching Lunge w/ Side Lateral Raise: 15x12eax2, 20x12eax2
3a. Seated DB Alternating Shoulder Press: 25x12ea,30x12eax2,35x12ea
3b. Spidermans: BWx10 eax4
4a. Standing Barbell Curls: 55x15x4
4b. Elevated Push-ups b/t 2 Med Balls: BWx20,20,15,15
5a. Triceps Pressdown: 95x15x4
5b. MB Vertical Chop: 7kgx15x4
6a. Reverse Hyperextensions: 120x12x4
6b. Standing Chest Press w/ Bands: Yellow x 20×4
Full Body Metobolic Training Phase
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
Setting Your Caloric Intake
Sunday, February 21st, 2010
Okay so this past week many of you know I started my “Summer Shred” in which I plan on taking the next 20 weeks to get myself nice and lean for my wedding. What I did last week was basically what I call a clean up week in which I cleaned up my foods that I was eating. This wasn’t too different from what I was doing however the main things was to start cooking my own foods and limit what I ate at the deli up front and from other places around the gym. The deli actually can make us egg whites and I usually get chicken breast on rye bread so it really isn’t bad. I just know that when I make my own food at home it is real clean and I also save a boatload of money.
So what I get out of the clean up week is a average daily intake of calories that I am eating. I started using fitday again which I haven’t done in years. So after logging my food into fitday last week I came up with my daily caloric intake. My average caloric intake was 2600 calories on average for 5 days of logging. With that number my first step is to maintain that amount of food for 1-2 weeks. I do not want to drop my calories from the start because I want to give my metabolism a chance to get adjusted to maintaining a set number of calories for a small period of time before I create a deficit. This caloric average can actually be maintain for 6-10 weeks before creating deficits from it.
At this point my goal for the next 2 weeks is to log 2600 calories EVERYDAY and keep my workouts exactly as is which I will get to later or in another blog. I will follow this for 2 weeks in which point I will make a small adjustment to either my caloric intake or my exercise volume. Notice I said I will make a change to one OR the other and not both. This is key to determining what method actually works best at that time for you. If I decrease my calories and add more exercise all at the same time I will never truly know what is causing the change in my physique. So in two weeks I will make an adjustment to my plan. For now the goal at hand is to get my workouts in 4 times per week with intensity, and break my daily caloric intake down into how much is needed in each meal in regards to protein, carbs and fats and stay on a steady path for 2 weeks.
Tip of the Day: Remember to make yourself small attainable goals in order to not overwhelm yourself with the bigger picture. I will prepare each days meals and have my workouts written out for the week in order to stay focused.
3 Reasons You Must Weight Train
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
Bench Day
Monday, October 19th, 2009
Today I had a dynamic effort day. It went something like this:
DE Bench - 95 x 3 x 3, 115 x 3 x 6
*this was perform with a mini band doubled around the bar and band peg. I use 3 different grips when doing speed bench. Close grip, thumb from smooth and pinky on the ring are my grips and I do a set of each then repeat.
Accessory Work
1a. DB Bench Press – 50×6,65×3, 75×20, 75x 8,8,12 * couple extra reps this week.
2a. Fat Grip Pullups – BW x 8,8,8,8
2b. DB Power Cleans – 20×15,15,15
3a. Band Pushdowns – Monster mini x 25 x 3
3b. Iso-Hold DB Curls – 15 x 15ea. x 2
* This week I used the Tyler Grips which are fat rubber handles to put over the bar.
Cardio - I walked the treadmill for 30 minutes at an incline of 8 and a speed of 3.4, I really do this to keep myself loose and get some recovery work for my hamstrings.
Post your Workout in the Comments Below!
Wednesday Workout
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
Today I had a lower body workout which can change depending on the week. Since this coming sunday I will be taking a heavy single in my suit bottoms with 3 chains I decided to just get some free squatting in to practice form for the most part. I also did assistance work. Here is how the workout looked.
1. Free Squat: barx10, 145×5, 195×5, 235×3, add briefs: 285×5, 325x5x2, 375×5
* this was performed to practice form more than anything else, I used the competition squat bar so the bar weighs 10lbs more therefore my numbers look a bit different. I also used my competition briefs which are metal ace briefs
2. SSB Reverse Lunge: bar x 10 each leg x 3 sets
* this was just to get some blood flow in my quads and some single leg work which I do less of during a competition cycle.
3a. GHR: BW x 10 x 3
3b. Fwd/Bwd Sled Drag: 3 Plates x 10 yds (2 laps) x 3
4a. Reverse Hypers: 200 x 12 x 3
4b. Pushups: BW x 20 x 3
4c. Seated Rev Grip Cable Row: 160 x 15 x 3
I did a little upper body to get some blood work in and break a little sweat.
Over all it was a really nice workout and I have been feeling really good. Looking forward to my meet in November.
