I always find it interesting the different ways people will accomplish an exercise if the equipment they generally prefer to use is occupied.

To explain exactly what I mean, I’ll provide a quick example. Jimbo and I were trying to get in one of our last workouts of our college careers. We were exercising chest & back, using the “push & pull” concept. For some reason, unbeknown to me, the gym was packed during finals week (I’ll assume everyone had finished studying…). The four bench presses were filled. It seemed as though everyone in the gym wanted to exercise their chests at the same time.

Rather than just wait around forever, we decided to take a weight rack generally used for squatting (a quick googling indicated its called a “power rack”?), and threw a bench under in the middle. We then lowered the bar, and essentially crafted an impromptu bench press.

As long as you understand the motion and muscle which each exercise you perform is working, creativity can be a very important tool, especially for those traveling. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve exercised different muscles with equipment not originally designed for that purpose (intentionally).

If you have any exercises you’ve had to “re-create” post them in the comments, we’d love to hear them!

A few days ago, while Jimbo and I were at the gym, we were asked what type of supplements we’re currently taking. The person explained they were a vegetarian, and wanted some tips for putting on size. We figured it was a great topic to write about.

As we explained to the person in the gym, vegetarian or not, what it comes down to is a greater consumption than expulsion of calories.

Of course, if you’re looking to gain mass, you need to consume the right calories. What I mean by that, is the amount of protein you consume each day, should make up a high amount of your calories, if you’re looking to gain muscle.

The formula which body builders use, is 1 gram of protein, per lb you weigh, each day. Because most generally have 6 meals a day to keep a high metabolism, they separate this high amount of protein into those six meals (also for proper protein absorption). So my rule of thumb, is (your body weight/6)= protein per serving.

Continue reading for the full story Read the rest of this entry »

If you saw our earlier post about the ab boot camp workout, we figured you might like a video demonstration.

Ab Boot camp Abdominals Workout Demonstration from Nash on Vimeo.

I often see people consistently working only on their abs, after limited cardio. They think to themselves, “I exercise my abs all day long, and yet, I still don’t have a six pack, or any definition.” The truth is, they do have abs. They probably have very strong abs. The fact is they’re just under layers of fat, which is why they can’t be seen.

What I’m really getting at, is the idea of “spot training.” Spot training is the idea that you can exercise a singular part of your body, to trim the fat in that area. Unfortunately, is doesn’t work that way. To successfully cut fat, you need to lose it equally over your entire body, which is a gradual process, as your body needs to burn that fat (a.k.a. stored energy).

As with abs, exercising any singular body part, will only make it bigger, under the fat. If the fat isn’t lost, it could make you look even bigger.

So if you’re goal is to let people see your abs, or you want more defined arms, or shoulders, or anything else, work on losing weight through cardio, and your diet.

Today’s exercise of the day, is the last one in our series on Triceps, and is a great exercise to mix up your workout. I would suggest starting with a low weight at first, until you have the proper form before moving up.

Standing Dumbbell Triceps Extension Exercise from Nash on Vimeo.

Continue reading for instructions on how to perform this exercise: Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve noticed the minor change to our logo, you will have learned that we now will be broadcasting in HD. What this means is that our demonstration videos will begin to be of much much higher quality, real HD as a matter of fact.

Although we’ve already started to work on new demonstration videos, we still have a few more of less quality which we still have yet to post. So stay tuned!

If you’ve ever heard the term “overtraining” before, you probably have some idea of how bad it can be for you. The type of overtraining which I’m going to discuss today, is know as localized overtraining. This occurs when a muscle group is overworked, or it doesn’t receive the proper amount of rest. There are many effects of overtraining, but what it boils down to, is that your muscles will not be able to gain size or strength due to not being able to repair themselves.

How can I avoid overtraining?

There are many things you can do to avoid overtraining.

First, ensure the split to your workout has no muscle group being worked out more than once every 48 hours (or more).

To accomplish this, instead of doing the same workout every time you hit the gym, you can do chest one day, back another, then legs, then cardio etc.

If you exercise your muscles hard enough, they’ll need the extra time to repair. Its also important that you are on a proper diet and consuming enough protein and other nutritional requirements to properly repair your muscles.

Its also important that during each workout you don’t do too much. Listen to your body, if your arms feel like jello, and it doesn’t feel good to continue, you’ve probably reached your limit.

Read the rest of this entry »

Going along with this week’s focus on triceps exercises, today’s exercise of the day are “Bench dips.” This is a great exercise which can tone up your triceps and can be done anywhere. You can even add weights to make the exercise more intense for a focus on gaining mass. Check out the video below to watch Jimbo and I (and friends) demonstrate how to properly perform the exercise.

Bench Dips Triceps Exercise from Nash on Vimeo.

Continue reading for detailed instructions about this exercise: Read the rest of this entry »

When I lift weights, 99% of the time I start in a hooded sweatshirt. Even in the summer. That’s right, I’m that guy. That schmuck you walk in and see who’s sweating his ass off, for “no reason” at all.

There is a reason for it, surprisingly enough.

A long time ago, I was told that to get your best lift, you should try to lift when you are most awake. For most people, this is sometime in the afternoon, probably around 2 or 3 PM. The reason for this, is each day at the same time, when you are most awake, your heart is beating faster. When your heart beats faster, it pumps more blood, and you can lift more weight.

If you lift every day at the same time, your heart rate will naturally begin to increase at that time each day.

Keeping all of this in mind, I wear a sweatshirt when I start lifting weigh to intentionally make me really hot so I can get my heart rate up. When I feel like its high enough, I take my sweatshirt off and continue on with my workout like normal.

Click here to go to a web site to see your target heart rate. Read the rest of this entry »

This week we’ll be focusing on the triceps muscle group. Today’s exercise of the day, is the “kick back exercise” also known as a kneeling triceps extension. This is a great exercise that really isolates the triceps, and doesn’t need a lot of weight to be very effective.

Don’t be afraid to try this exercise with a low weight first, if its too low, just move up on your next set, its always safer to start low, and you can always move up later.

Kick Back Tricep Extension Exercise from Nash on Vimeo.

Continue reading for some quick tips for this exercise. Read the rest of this entry »