Tag: Blog – Nerd Fitness

So you’re interested in enlisting in the Military Diet, eh cadet?

Not so fast there.

This is a seriously controversial diet – and that’s not including the fact it has NOTHING to do with the military.

What’s even worse? It works (temporarily).

Though you’ll hate yourself, I promise.

We advise all our Online Coaching Clients to avoid this like the plague.

We also advise them to avoid the plague, but that’s less relevant here.

What diet should you try to lose weight quickly? Let our coaches help you decide!

So let’s discuss the Military Diet (click to go to that answer):

• What is the Military Diet?
• What does the Military Diet plan look like?
• Will the three-day Military Diet help you lose weight?
• Are there any benefits to the Military Diet?
• Are there any drawbacks to the Military Diet?
• Where did the Military Diet come from?
• Is the Military Diet safe?
• FAQ on the Military Diet.
• Alternatives to the Military Diet.

Before I make you fall in line, if you’re interested in changing the way you eat to get in shape, you may like our fun new habit-building app!

NF Journey helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

What is the Military Diet? How does the Military Diet work?

If the Military Diet could be described in two quick words, those words would be “short term calorie restriction.”

Crap, that’s four words.

Ahem.

The diet focuses on ruthlessly cutting out calories in order to spur weight loss.

There are some claims out there that you can lose up to ten pound in one week on the Military Diet. Which would be impressive – and should also be setting off your skeptical spidey-senses.

So I can understand your curiosity, recruit.

Now you’re thinking: “What exactly does ‘extreme calorie restriction’ look like Steve?”

How about one meal consisting of just a single piece of bread, a half cup of tuna, and some black coffee?

That’s it.

If you ask for more food you’ll be forced to climb a rope.

The Military Diet is broken into two stages, one for three days and the other for four.

• 3-day plan on the Military Diet. For three days, breakfast, lunch, and dinner is picked out for you. You get this meal only soldier, nothing more! Forget about snacking. For three days, every single crumb is accounted for. I’m only slightly exaggerating. And these three meals only add up to 1,000 calories per day. Ouch. That’s not much chow.
• Four days of leave. The Military Diet does go easy on you after the three days, with four days of slightly more food. And by that I mean 1,500 daily calories. How generous. You’re on your own on what to eat for these four days, with the only guidance being to “eat healthy” and keep it at “1,500 calories.”

Three days on, four days off. You repeat this three day and four day rotation until you reach your ideal weight.

That’s the Military Diet in a nutshell.

Okay, you probably want to know, to the crumb, what you get to eat on the Military Diet? Sure.

But it ain’t pretty.

What does the Military Diet plan look like?

As I mentioned, the Military Diet provides strict orders on what to eat for three days. Your mission looks like this:

DAY 1

Breakfast:

1. Half a grapefruit
2. One slice of toast
3. Two tablespoons of peanut butter
4. One cup of coffee or tea

Lunch:

1. Half a cup of tuna
2. One slice of toast
3. One cup of coffee or tea

Dinner

1. 3 ounces of any type of meat
2. 1 cup of green beans
3. Half a banana
4. One small apple
5. One cup of vanilla ice cream

DAY 2

Breakfast

1. One egg
2. One slice of toast
3. Half a banana

Lunch

1. One cup of cottage cheese
2. One hard boiled egg
3. Five saltine crackers

Dinner

1. Two hot dogs (no bun)
2. One cup of broccoli
3. Half a cup of carrots
4. One banana
5. Half a cup of vanilla ice cream

DAY 3

Breakfast

1. Five saltine crackers
2. One slice of cheddar cheese
3. One small apple

Lunch

1. One egg (cooked however)
2. One slice of toast

Dinner

1. One cup of tuna
2. Hald a banana
3. One cup of vanilla ice cream

If you find yourself thinking, “That’s not much for rations, Steve.” You’d be right.

Not only that, but I bet your normal serving of peanut butter is significantly larger than 2 tablespoons. Yikes.

But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

I’ll keep filling you on the details and then share my real opinion at the end here.

Substitutions?

Some websites will guide you through substitutions to stick with in case you’re vegetarian or lactose intolerant, etc.

Think tofu dogs for hot dogs.

But you are told to match calories exactly for replacement, since the name of the game here is restriction.

For the most part however, substitutions are discouraged on the Military Diet.

What about after these three days? 

If you haven’t gone AWOL, you get a pass for four days. Some websites suggest you can enjoy a meal of shrimp fried rice or a black bean burger on your leave.

To stick with the strict Military Diet strategy, you would keep it to 1,500 calories for each 24 hour period.

Eating only 1,000 calories a day is really difficult.

1,500 isn’t exactly easy peezy either.

Is this actually worth it?

Will the three day Military Diet help me lose weight?

In the short term, the Military Diet will most likely cause you to lose weight.

Why, you ask?

Because science.

It’s the reason “all diets work in the short term.”

If you eat more calories than you burn in a day, you will gain weight over time. If you do the reverse, and burn more than you consume, you will lose weight^[1].

Granted, there’s some finer details in that equation. Muscle, fat, body fat, etc.

But for simplicity sake, it works.

The Military Diet works by practically guaranteeing you will burn more calories than you consume.

If an overweight person who usually eats 2,500-3,000+ calories in a day, suddenly switches to ONLY eat 1,000 calories for multiple days in a row, their body will operate at a caloric deficit while it seeks the energy required for drills, push-ups, and cleaning the mess hall.

When this is repeated for a few days, the number on the scale will get smaller!

So will YOU (specifically you, in the green hat) lose weight?

Depending on where you are now and your current intake, that deficit (and thus the accompanying weight loss) could be DRAMATIC.

But will you lose 10 pounds in one week like some sites claim? I highly doubt it. Unless you have 100+ pounds to lose and usually eat 5,000+ calories per day, you can only lose so much water weight in a short time period.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. People don’t get overweight in a day. And people won’t lose all the fat they want to lose in a day either.

Here’s another truth bomb that needs to be said: Even if the number on the scale drops significantly in a week, most of it is water weight.

Your body contains a lot of water, especially if you normally eat very salty, carby foods. So when you remove those foods from your system, the amount of water your body holds can decrease significantly too.

So if somebody strictly followed the Military Diet down to the calorie for a week they could lose maybe one to two pounds of actual fat.

They could lose multiple pounds of water weight too, but that won’t continue from week to week.

ATTENTION!

It’s time to hit you with more knowledge: Any weight you lose while on the Military Diet will only remain lost if you stay on the Military Diet.

Temporary changes create temporary results.

This is super important and will be stressed again later.

Are there any benefits to the Military Diet?

Any kind of calorie restricted eating program, if adhered to consistently, will likely result in weight loss.

Remember that guy who lost weight eating Twinkies^[2]?

It worked because he made a strict protocol of his calorie requirements. Then, he followed it.

Yeah, he filled a lot of his diet with junk food.

But the point is he managed his food intake according to a plan to lose weight, and then stuck to it.

And it worked!

Before you get all mad at me, I too believe that the quality of calories is as important as the quantity.

One of the FEW things I like about the Military Diet is that it provides a strict protocol to follow. You don’t have to worry about what to eat. It’s breakfast time on Day 2.

That means you eat one egg, one slice of toast, and half a banana.

It’s the same reason why many people love the Paleo Diet or Intermittent Fasting or Keto Diet or the Mediterranean Diet: there are specific rules to follow that removes all guesswork from “what should I eat, and how much?”

I won’t lie to you and claim that a guide on what to eat has no benefits. Lying will get you court-martialed.

Hell, we even have our own free 10-level diet blueprint that tells you exactly what to eat to help cut out the guesswork (you can get yours when you sign up in the box below):

But as your friend, I can’t give you only one side of the story.

Are There Any Drawbacks to the Military Diet?

DON’T DO THE MILITARY DIET!

Sorry, I’ve been holding that in this whole post. Literally. I typed this whole post up to this point while holding my breath so that I could then blurt this out.

I won’t deny that you could lose weight following the Military Diet. But can any diet telling you to eat bread, crackers, and ice cream actually be good for you?

I know you know better.

You’re an adult with a good head on your shoulders, and you’re probably considering the Military Diet because you want a quick weight loss win without having to make any permanent changes.

Unfortunately, things like “science,” “thermodynamics,” and “reality” will keep getting in the way.

The Military Diet is what we in the fitness world call a “crash diet.” Crash diets are designed for quick weight loss in a short amount of time.

These diets – and I can included “cleanses” here – prey on people’s desperation to “get fit quick.”

They know that if you follow a short term diet, lose a bunch of water weight, and see a lower number on the scale – you’re convinced it worked and then you can go back to how you were eating before.

Then when you quickly put all of that weight back on…you’ll come running back to the diet that got you short term results.

This is how they make their money, get your attention, and ultimately leave you sad and right back where you started.

Other examples of terrible crash diets include the Cabbage Soup Diet, the Baby Food Diet and just about any juice cleanse on the market.

I won’t even link to them, that’s how annoyed I am about their existence.

The reason these diets are short term is because they are not sustainable. Can you eat nothing but cabbage soup for a week? Sure. For an entire year? No way.

Crash diets are temporary diets. Which means their results will be just that, temporary.

The Military Diet is extreme and short term. Why do people in the military do this to themselves?

Spoiler alert: they don’t.

Where did the Military Diet come from?

Here’s another crappy bit of info: The Military Diet has absolutely nothing to do with any branch of the Armed Forces.

As quoted in CNN, Patricia Deuster explained, “In my 30 years working with the military, I’ve never heard of it.”

And she would know, because Deuster helped write the nutritional guide for the U.S. Special Operations Forces^[3].

So if it doesn’t come from the actual military, where does the Military Diet come from?

This three days crash diet has gone by different names before, the Cleveland Clinic Diet 3-Day Diet, the Kaiser Diet, the American Heart Association Diet, and the Birmingham Hospital Diet^[4].

Despite the different names, the three day meal plan is exactly the same.

And guess what?

None of the organizations claim to have created or support their namesake diet.

So where did it come from? Honestly, I don’t care.

It’s silly and I don’t need to meet the person who created a three day crash diet, that co-opts the military name to make itself sound reputable and legitimate.

Is the Military Diet safe?

There’s nothing inherently dangerous about the Military Diet. It’s just eating moderately healthy/unhealthy food in small quantities.

Which, depending on your current diet – could be a big improvement from eating unhealthy food in large quantities.

I don’t know you or your situation, but if you want to practice Karate kicks in the garage and become best friends, I’m down to clown.

Now, based on my 10 years of running Nerd Fitness, helping hundreds of thousands of people lose weight safely and in a sustainable way, I’m gonna tell you that this is probably not the diet you’re looking for.

Why?

Because this diet will make you miserable, and sticking to the portion sizes will make you unhappy and hangry.

As soon as your 7 days are up, you’re gonna gorge yourself and probably end up even worse off than where you started!

This probably isn’t your first rodeo, nor is it the first quick fix you’ve sought out for weight loss. How have the previous attempts worked out for you in the long run?

I’m not saying this to be a jerk, but rather to make a point:

I like you, your friends like you, and the world needs you to be the healthiest superhero version of yourself you can be.

And that will never happen if you keep chasing extreme short term diets.

I’d rather see you make changes you can stick with. Even if it’s one small change. Gradually reduce the calories you eat, by switching to REAL food.

Things like veggies, fruits, and good quality meat. Build a plate that looks like this:

If you make one change, like eggs and avocados for breakfast, you’ll be making a great step in the right direction.

Small changes are something you can live with.

Studies have shown that decreasing your caloric consumption by 25% can be fine for your mood^[5]. Perhaps even beneficial. But dropping down to 1,000 calories? There’s no way that can, or should, be maintained.

I wouldn’t recommend you reduce calories by reducing the quantity of food, like ordering you to eat a meal of five saltine crackers, a slice of cheddar cheese, and one tiny apple.

Instead, I want you to make small changes to REAL food. That’s the ticket to long term weight loss. We’ve seen it over and over again here at Nerd Fitness.

Want help making the switch to REAL food?

Not sure how to make all of that work in your busy lifestyle?

I hear ya. It’s brutally difficult to stick with any diet, and that doesn’t even factor in when your kids get sick or work sucks or there’s two feet of snow on the ground.

It’s why we launched our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: to help create specific solutions and accountability for people that want guidance on how to eat, how to train, and the confidence to know they’re doing it correctly!

Learn more how our coaching program can help you fix your nutrition:

Frequently asked questionS on the Military Diet

1) Do foods in the Military Diet help boost your metabolism?

There’s some debate on this. For example, can coffee help you lose weight by raising your metabolism?

I’ll go with: HIGHLY unlikely.

Any effect of caffeine to your metabolic rate isn’t enough to make a substantial impact^[6]. If anything, it might act as an appetite suppressor^[7].

Which isn’t nothing. But don’t count on it to raise your resting caloric expenditure like magic.

However, here are two things outside of diet that will help keep your metabolism high:

• Strength training. The more muscle you have on your frame, the more energy you will use at rest^[8]. It’s one of the reasons we recommend it so much. I have no problem playing drill instructor and demanding push-ups.
• Stand up and move more. Any movement helps and even just standing up, outside of any walking, can help raise your metabolism^[9]. A standing desk, for those long hours in the office, might be a good move.

Do either of these strategies, or better yet both. It’s better than relying on grapefruit powers to burn calories.

2) Will I enter starvation mode on the Military Diet?

Most likely not.

Sure, if you go without food for a lonnnng period of time, your metabolism might slow down slightly, though this requires EXTREME nutritional restriction over a long period of time^[10].

This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. If there’s nothing to eat in sight, it might be that way for a while.

Depending on how often you repeat it, the Military Diet might reduce calories to a point where this slow down of metabolism kicks in.

However, it’s more likely that as you lose weight, your body doesn’t need to burn as many calories because there’s less of you to manage every day!

So your metabolism WILL slow down as you lose weight, but it’s not due to you eating fewer calories in a day.

Now, some would say the climb up to 1,500 calories might help prevent this, but each person is different.

My take: The fear of “starvation mode” is overblown, and it should be the least of your concerns while eating bread and ice cream and calling it a “diet”

3) Is the Military Diet a form of intermittent fasting?

Not really:

• The MIlitary Diet focuses on restricting calories at a specific meal, by counting the amount of hotdogs you can have, for example.
• Intermittent fasting centers on making a strategic decision to skip certain meals on purpose.

With intermittent fasting, you narrow the size of your eating window, or you occasionally do fasts of 24 hours.

For instance, you can start eating at noon and finish up by 8pm, essentially skipping breakfast.

I wrote all about it in our “Beginner’s Guide to Intermittent Fasting,” where I outlined the benefits of teaching your body to consume food more efficiently, and also reduces the total number of calories you are probably eating.

Conversely, the Military Diet teaches your body to run on hot dogs.

I’ve personally been utilizing intermittent fasting for three years. But I have never, nor will I ever, follow the Military Diet.

Shots fired.

If you’re interested, Nerd Fitness Journey has an intermittent fasting adventure that you can start today!

You can give it a whirl for free right here:

Why you should not do the Military Diet, and What to do Instead.

We all want instant gratification. Unfortunately when it comes to fitness and diet, instant gratification will always fail you.

Short term changes only lead to short term results and heartbreak.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO THE MILITARY DIET: Godspeed, soldier.

Good luck with your 7 days, and let me know how it goes in the comments below.

My only request: use those 7 days to learn about yourself and nutrition (maybe by reading this post?), and do what you can implement permanent adjustments to how you choose to eat after.

I’d imagine most people who do this diet are hoping for a permanent fix with minimal work in just a few days time, and I’m here to caution you against that line of thinking.

LIFE DON’T WORK THAT WAY.

DON’T DO THE MILITARY DIET. DO THIS INSTEAD:

• Eat real food when possible.
• Eat a damn vegetable every once and awhile. Yes, even if you hate them.
• Cut out liquid calories like soda and juice (essentially sugar water). Drink water, black coffee, tea, or diet soda.

If you can eat real food, minimize liquid calories, and eat veggies, and do so consistently for months and months – you’re going to have permanent success.

Making these changes too tough to do permanently? Change fewer things!  

Start thinking in terms of “days and years,” not “weeks and months:”

Try one meal, based on REAL food. Forget the crackers and ice cream.

If you want a strict diet to follow with rules, create your own.

Or find one that already exists.

Try Keto. Or intermittent fasting.

Maybe Paleo. Or Mediterranean.

But don’t waste your time with the Military Diet or any other crash diet. Instead make lasting changes like I lay out in that video above.

If you read all of this and you’re overwhelmed, and you’re just looking for guidance on how to eat for your situation, you’re not alone!

We had so many people ask us for specific advice that we built an Online Coaching Program to help them get results.

Our professional coaches are regular people like you, with families, hobbies, and struggles – but they spend all day helping busy people like you live better, lose weight, and feel better about themselves.

If you’re like “hey I want somebody to tell me what to do,” schedule a free call with our team to learn more by clicking in the big box below:

Back to the post: You don’t need to do the Military Diet.

The people in the military certainly don’t.

INSTEAD, YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT:

• Cut back on your liquid calories. If it’s not water, tea, or coffee (black), try cutting back in a deliberate fashion. Switch to diet sodas. Switch to coffee instead of lattes. Realize that juice is just sugar water.
• Prepare one healthy meal. Consider my healthy go-to option. Just make sure it has a vegetable, okay? Don’t overthink this.

If you can do those two things this week, and then repeat that week after week, you’ll be 10X better off a year from now than if you had followed the Military Diet for 7 days.

And lastly, remember, THE MILITARY DIET HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MILITARY!!!

Ahem.

Any questions?

-Steve

PS: Check out the actual guide for Special Operations Forces – Special Ops Forces Nutrition Guide. But those folks work out A LOT. Adjust your caloric intake accordingly.

PPS: And if you already did the Military Diet, please drop and give me 20 push-ups 🙂

Not sure how to do them correctly?

Our new app will teach them to you!

ALL Photos Sources can be found in this footnote here^[11].

from Blog – Nerd Fitness https://ift.tt/2OGiLqg
via IFTTT

The Inverted Bodyweight Row is one of the BEST, simple, most effective exercises you can do for your “pull” muscles.

If you’re trying to get to your first pull-up, or even if you are already doing pull-ups, adding bodyweight rows to your workout routine is a great idea!

This is one of our favorite exercises to program for our Online Coaching Clients, and we use this exercise as a stepping stone to help people get their first pull-up!

A custom workout program designed for your goals. Learn more:

When you do proper bodyweight rows, you build strength and muscle in your back, your biceps, your forearms, your grip, and even your core.

As part of our Strength 101 series, this guide will cover everything you need to know about this awesome exercise:

• What is an inverted row or bodyweight row?
• How to do an inverted bodyweight row properly (with video).
• How to progress with inverted bodyweight rows.
• When should I do inverted rows in my workout?
• How to do bodyweight rows at home with your kitchen table.

Before we jump in, if you’re looking for ways to do inverted rows in your very own home, we have an adventure in Nerd Fitness Journey that will help you do just that!

Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). You can test-drive it for free right here:

What is an Inverted Bodyweight Row?

You’ve probably heard of the regular barbell row. You pick up a barbell, bend over at the waist (keeping your back straight), and pull the weight up towards your chest.

It looks something like this:

This can be a great exercise, but improper form could cause complications or you might not have access to a barbell and plates.

Luckily, the bodyweight row (or inverted row) takes care of all of that.

By the way, I’ll be using “bodyweight row” and “inverted row” interchangeably in this article.^[1]

To-may-to, To-mah-to.^[2]

When doing this movement, you only need a bar to lean back from and your body weight. There’s also no extra stress on your back, like with a traditional barbell row.

As an added bonus, you get a decent core workout too.

And there was much rejoicing. 

Think of it like this: “bench press” is to “pushing” as “inverted row” is to “pulling.”

Balance FTW!

Why the inverted bodyweight row is so great: 

I’m a huge fan of compound exercises (like the squat and deadlift, pull-ups and push-ups), and I’m also a huge fan of exercises that don’t require expensive machines or lots of extra bells and whistles.

An inverted row works all of your pull muscles:

• All of your back muscles
• Your biceps
• Your forearms
• Your grip
• All the stabilizer muscles in between that make those muscles work together.

If you’ve been doing bench presses regularly, start doing an equal amount of work with your pull muscles to stay in balance and away from injury.

Oh, and if you want to eventually be able to do pull-ups THIS is the exercise you need to add into your routine until you can do a full pull-up.

When we created our pull-up adventure in Nerd Fitness Journey, we start off by teaching rows. If you want, you can try the app right now for free:

How To Do An Inverted Bodyweight Row

Let’s start with the people who have access to a gym (see a no-gym variation here): 

How to do an inverted row or bodyweight row:

1. Set the bar (or your rings) around waist height. The lower the bar, the more difficult the movement becomes.
2. Position yourself under the bar lying face up. Lie on the floor underneath the bar (which should be set just above where you can reach from the ground).
3. Grab the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width (palms facing AWAY from you).
4. Contract your abs and butt, and keep your body a completely straight line. Your ears, shoulders, hips legs, and feet should all be in a straight line (like you’re doing a plank).
5. Pull yourself up to the bar until your chest touches the bar.
6. Lower yourself back down with proper form.

If this movement is TOO difficult, no big deal, we just need to back up a few steps.

Set the bar higher so that when you lean back, your body isn’t down on the ground; maybe it’s only at a 45-degree angle.

We’ll walk you through a row progression right here.

Here’s Staci again demonstrating it at a higher angle:

By setting the bar higher, it takes more of your body’s weight out of the equation.

As you get stronger (and/or lose weight), you’ll be able to drop the bar until you’re parallel when pulling yourself up.

I grabbed a video of Senior Coach Staci from Team NF demonstrating a bodyweight row with gymnastic rings, but the instruction you’ll get in the video will really be helpful too.

How to do a bodyweight row with explanation:

Here are some tips and tricks for doing a proper inverted bodyweight row:

• Don’t let your butt sag (squeeze your buttcheeks, flex your stomach, and keep your body rigid from head to toe).
• Don’t flail your elbows. Grab the bar with your hands a little closer than you would if you were doing a bench press, and keep your elbows at that angle from your body.
• Pull the bar towards the middle of your chest. Don’t pull the bar up towards your throat, or down towards your belly button. Right in the middle!
• Keep your abs tight. Keep your abs tight throughout the whole routine. Your body should be a straight line the whole time, and the only thing moving is your arms.
• Pull your shoulder blades down and back towards each other through the movement. Don’t shrug your shoulders. Imagine you’re trying to pinch a pencil between your shoulder blades to keep it from falling!
• GO all the way. Don’t half-ass it. Lower yourself until your arms are completely extended, and raise yourself until your chest touches the bar.

Need help getting better at bodyweight rows? Let our coaches check your form!

How to Progress with Inverted Bodyweight Rows

Let’s provide a blueprint on how you can level up your inverted bodyweight rows.

#1) Doorway Rows

At first, just start doing some rows in your doorway:

This will help you start training your “pull” muscles.

#2) Towel Rows

Still utilizing your doorway, you can use a towel to lean back even further to increase the challenge here:

Coach Jim walks you through setting up your towel row in this video, “No chin-up bar?? No problem! Five alternatives!!”

#3) Inverted Row (High)

Next, try doing an inverted row, but set the bar high so it’s easier to perform:

#4) Inverted Row (Low)

Once your inverted rows become easy, lower the bar to increase the challenge:

#5) Elevated Inverted Row 

If you place your feet in the air, you’ll make this exercise even tougher:

#6) Inverted Row (Weighted)

If you really want to up the difficulty of your inverted rows, try doing it with a little bit of weight attached to you:

When Should I Do Inverted Bodyweight Rows?

If you are building your own workout plan, you can mix Inverted Bodyweight Rows in wherever you normally do your pull exercises (pull-ups, pull-downs, rows, etc.).

When I go into a gym, my time is extremely limited, and I’m working towards developing strength.

Here’s a sample two day split for me:

• Day A: Squats, bench press, inverted rows, dips
• REST DAY: OFF
• Day B: Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Pull-Ups (or chin-ups), Planks (Floor Swipes).
• REST DAY: OFF

Both days work my full body, I can do a full routine in less than 40 minutes, and I’m building strength.

• If you can’t do dips on Day 1, you can do push-ups.
• If you can’t do pull-ups on day 2, you can substitute assisted pull-ups.

On the rows, aim for 3 sets of 10. We cover this in our “sets and reps” article, but you can never go wrong with 3 sets of 10!

If you can’t do that, do 3 sets to however many reps you can do, and build your way up to 3 sets of 10.

Once you can do that, put your feet up on a chair, throw some weights in a backpack, put it on reverse (so the bag is hanging in front of you), and then do the rows.

You got this!

Overwhelmed? I personally know how that feels. It can be scary embarking on a strength training practice for the first time.

Are you doing your moves correctly? Should you be lifting more weight or less? What do you eat to reach your goals?

We created the Nerd Fitness Coaching program to tackle these questions directly. Your own coach will get to know you, build a program based on your experience and goals, and check your form on each movement (via video):

HOw to Do Inverted Bodyweight Rows at Home

Just because you don’t have access to a gym doesn’t mean you can’t work out your back, you just need to get VERY creative.  

Here’s how you can do Inverted Bodyweight Rows at Home:

PATH ONE: Use your kitchen table. Or your desk. Be very careful with this one.

Lie underneath your table so your head and shoulder are sticking out above it.

Grab the table edge with an overhand grip, and pull yourself up (just like it’s explained above).

Warning, don’t pull the table over with you, and make sure you don’t break the thing!

PATH TWO: Get a really thick wooden dowel or pipe, something strong enough to support your weight. Lie it across two of your kitchen chairs, and then lie down underneath it.

Make sure it’s sturdy, and the bar isn’t going to break/move on ya, and pull yourself up.

Don’t forget, you want to stay in balance.

If you don’t have a pull-up bar and gymnastic rings, find a way to do some bodyweight rows whether it’s between two chairs or under a table.

You’re smart, get creative!

This should allow you to start mixing in bodyweight rows into your Strength Training Routine!

Any more questions about the inverted bodyweight row?

Leave em below!

-Steve

PS: Our new app Nerd Fitness Journey will walk you through doing simple rows, all the way up to a full pull-up! Instead of worrying about what to do next, simply follow the workouts built into the app!

PPS: Be sure to check out the rest of the Strength Training 101 series:

• Strength Training Guide: How to Get Strong
• Strength Training Beginner Workouts
• 6 Levels of Gym Workouts For Beginners
• How much weight should I be lifting?
• How to do the Deadlift with proper form
• How to do a Squat with Proper Form
• How to do the Overhead Press

You can also get the guide free when you sign up in the box below and join the Rebellion!

###

from Blog – Nerd Fitness https://ift.tt/2EEg83S
via IFTTT

If you want to get started training with gymnastic rings, you’ve come to the right place!

We teach many of our coaching clients how to incorporate gymnastic rings into their workout, and today we’ll share with you the same lessons!

Have your Nerd Fitness Coach help you get started with gymnastic rings! Learn more here!

Here’s what we’ll cover so you can get started training with gymnastic rings:

• What are the benefits of a gymnastic ring workout?
• What are the best gymnastic rings to buy? (4 things to consider)
• How to set up gymnastic rings (How to hang your rings)
• 7 beginner gymnastic ring exercises 
• 4 tips and tricks for using gymnastic rings.
• How to get started training with gymnastic rings. 

If you’re interested in training with gymnastic rings (which you are, ’cause you’re here), you may want to try our new app! It contains workouts that will have you level up to working out with rings. No guesswork needed, just log into the app and follow the next steps.

You can sign-up for a free trial right here:

What Are the Benefits of a Gymnastic Ring Workout?

Show me somebody, male or female, who trains with rings and I’ll show you one healthy, bad-ass individual!

I used to think rings were only for gymnasts. But much like other bodyweight exercises, rings are great tools for beginners, too.

Young or old, male or female, big or small, you can start simply by spending a few bucks on a set of gymnastic rings and working on some very basic movements.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a complete beginner or a super-advanced fancy person (and it certainly doesn’t matter if you’re “skinny” or “stocky”, male or female, Gungan or Wookie): Anyone at any experience-level can train successfully — and safely — with rings.

How do I know so much about rings? Because I never leave home without them!

My love affair with gymnastic rings began as a simple crush many many years ago. I watched Olympic Gymnasts doing crazy stuff on the rings and said, “I also want to do crazy stuff on the rings some day, but I don’t know how.”

It was around this time that I had just moved to Washington, DC, and discovered that one of my fitness heroes, Jim Bathurst of BeastSkills fame, ALSO lived in Washington, DC. Eventually, I sheepishly asked him if he could show me around the rings, and he taught me how to get started with them.

In fact, he helped me get my first muscle up (flash back to Skinny Steve in 2011):

After that, I’ve been in love with ring training and they never leave my side. For the past four years, I’ve been using my rings and training under the guidance of an online coach (my friend Anthony Mychal) – the results have absolutely blown me away.

Which is why anytime I travel, I throw a set of rings and some chalk in my suitcase and I know I have a portable gym anywhere I can find a tree branch or swing set to hang them from!

I firmly believe that my quest to become Captain America has been aided by my ring training – it’s helped me build functional strength, bigger arms, broader chest, wider shoulders, and more. Plus I can now do cool things like this:

View this post on Instagram

Fun with gymnastic rings, tryin to make @beastskills and @anthonymychal proud! Note to self: next time move over one spot so I can actually do the straddle front lever! Have you ever tried gymnastic rings? Happy weekend! #nerdfitness #lordofthegymnasticrings #bodyweight training #levelupyourlife

A post shared by Steve Kamb (@stevekamb) on Jun 10, 2016 at 11:55am PDT

And rings aren’t just for dudes! You know Staci from Team NF, right? Here she is doing muscle-ups with added weight:

View this post on Instagram

Well, deadlifts and bench didn't go fantastic but I did my first weighted muscle ups (3×1 with 10lbs – I tried 25 and just flailed a bit 😂). So – all in all I guess that makes it a good day? 🙂 #muscleup #rings #bodyweight #strength #strongereveryday #fitness #fit #nerdfitness #bodyweightstrength

A post shared by Staci Ardison (@staciardison) on Feb 3, 2016 at 1:24pm PST

In addition to ring push-ups:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Staci Ardison (@staciardison) on Jul 13, 2016 at 1:36pm PDT

And ring l-sits:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Staci Ardison (@staciardison) on May 21, 2016 at 11:55am PDT

Now, you might have watched all those videos and then looked down at your stomach and said, “Uh, yeah. There’s no WAY I could ever do that stuff!”

WRONG!

Like any video game, there’s a leveling system you can follow. You start with basic movements like hanging from the rings:

Or holding yourself up in the push-up support position:

You can then progress to slightly more difficult things like a chin-up:

Or full push-up:

And eventually end up doing all sorts of crazy stuff like muscle-ups:

And iron crosses:

If I haven’t scared you off yet, let’s get you started down your path to ring domination. You know my friend/hero Jim that I mentioned earlier? He’s now on Team Nerd Fitness (and our Head Coach!), and he helped us put together a pretty killer resource to help you become…

THE LORD OF THE FLIES RINGS

[cue the Rivendell music]

What Are the Best Gymnastic Rings to Buy? (4 Things to Consider)

You might be lucky enough to train in a Crossfit Gym or a commercial gym that happens to have gymnastic rings available.

However, if you’re like me, you might train at home or in a gym that doesn’t have rings, which means you’ll need to buy your own.

That’s okay!

Rings are cheap (especially when you’re just starting and don’t need anything fancy). I’ve probably gone through 6-10 different pairs of rings to test them all out, and I’ll share my thoughts with you below.

For starters, you can either go with plastic/composite rings, or wooden rings. Jim, Staci, and I agree that wooden rings provide a better experience than plastic ones, but if plastic is your only option, make do with what you have!

Here are 4 things to consider when buying gymnastic rings:

#1) CHEAP AND EASY: If you’re not sure if rings are for you, but you’re ring-curious, I would consider starting with a set of wooden rings like these Peak Fitness Wooden Rings for less than $30. I guarantee the last thing you spent $30 won’t change your life the way these rings will.

#2) HIGHER QUALITY: My friend Peter runs FringeSport.com, and I can testify that his wooden rings are the highest quality rings I’ve ever used. If you KNOW you’re going to love rings and want to have a great pair that will last forever, go with these.

#3) FAST SET UP AND TAKE DOWN: These days, I use Rogue Competition Rings for one reason above all others. I have to set up and take down my rings each time I train, and the carabiners and segmented straps make for a quick set up and take down.

#4) SMALLER HANDS?: Look for rings that are in “FIG” size. These International Gymnastics Federation rings are a bit smaller and thinner, which allows for better control for smaller hands.

How to Set up Gymnastic Rings (How to Hang Your Rings)

Now, if you’re responsible for hanging your own rings, either at home or in the gym, there are a few key things you need to be aware of.

For starters, where will you be hanging them from?

Depending on your clearance or where you choose to train, ANY of the following could be anchor points for you to hang them:

• A tree branch in your local park (Be safe. If there’s any doubt of stability, move on!)
• The top bar of a swingset in the playground down the street
• The highest pull up bar at your gym
• The bar on the top of your squat rack in the gym
• Two eye-bolts in your garage ceiling or use rafters/ i-beams in your basement or garage.
• Hanging from your door frame pull-up bar

THE FIRST THING you need to do, if you have rings with proper clips, is learning how to hang them properly! I’ve seen MANY people hang rings improperly and can be very dangerous.

Here’s a video on how to hang your gymnastic rings, step-by-step:

If you are hanging them over something square or rough, it’s recommended to lay down some old towels first to minimize wear to the straps.

What’s that? You don’t have a place to hang your rings at home? Do you have a door frame? If so, you can MacGuyver a set up like Jim has done here in his home with a door frame pull-up bar! (His pull-up bar is this one.)

View this post on Instagram

"I shall either find a way or make one." . . I learned handstands + handstand pushups in my bedroom, which was about the size of a walk-in closet (plenty of kicked furniture). . . I got my first one arm chin-up in a musty basement next to a washing machine. . . Now that I work from home for @nerd_fitness, I bought a doorway pull-up bar and some rings for workouts and to keep myself sane during the work day (h/t @caseyneistat) . . Now I know that not everyone is going to feel comfortable with this combo on a home set-up (stay safe!) – and a big, fancy gym is always awesome – but just understand that it's the Wizard, not the Wand. You don't need perfect conditions to get after it! . . L-sit muscle-up to forward roll. Your move @stevekamb! . . Also, @Nerd_Fitness is going to be releasing a Rings/Handstand course soon! Buy your equipment and get excited!! . #NerdFitness #CampNF #Gymnastics #Rings #Bodyweight #Calisthenics #MuscleUp #Hannibal

A post shared by Jim Bathurst (@beastskills) on Sep 29, 2016 at 11:48am PDT

Depending on how much clearance you have, you might need to adjust the ring height a few times so that you can do work above or below the rings. (Exercises like dips, supports, and l-sits require different heights than rows and front lever holds).

WHAT ABOUT GLOVES? Working with rings (and barbells) will inevitably build up some callouses on your hands. While we here at Nerd Fitness will simply pumice or shave off the extra skin, that might not appeal or be an option for you.

You can certainly wear gloves during your ring work, but we recommend against it.

A better alternative?

Take care of your hands and use some chalk to hold on tight!

Gymnastics chalk can be applied lightly to the points of contact (fingers, palm, and wrist) in order to absorb sweat and oil and give a better grip. There is even a “liquid chalk” product if your gym doesn’t allow regular chalk!

• Chalk bag (this is what I use on my hands when I train)
• Liquid chalk (what Jim uses in Gyms that don’t allow traditional chalk)

The 7 Best Gymnastic Ring Exercises for Beginners

The exercises below can help anyone get started TODAY with rings; you don’t need a childhood full of gymnastics practice.

Here are the 7 best gymnastic ring exercises for beginners:

#1) Hang From the Rings

One of the simplest exercises to do? Hang from the rings! This exercise is accessible to beginners, but is no joke.

It will help build up the grip strength necessary for future skills, and you may not be able to go long at the beginning.

If hanging from your ring is too difficult for you:

• Simply adjust the rings so that you can hang from your arms and have part of your feet on the ground.
• Don’t worry if you feel like 99% of your weight is still in your feet, there is still that 1% in your hands and arms, and that will definitely improve over time!

For those hanging from the rings with no problem, you can practice hanging scapular retractions. This is a fancy way of saying that we’re going to pull our shoulders and shoulder blades (scapulae) down away from our ears.

Do this with elbows totally straight, so all movement is going through the shoulders. Retract, relax, repeat. Tough stuff!

Here’s a video of Jim and myself going over the movement:

 

#2) Support Position

If you have never used rings before, even just holding yourself up with straight arms will be challenging! The rings will want to move all different directions.

Just like the hang from the rings, you can also set the rings up to a height where you can assist with your feet on the ground.

And again, even if you feel like 99% of your weight is in your feet, we can still work and improve the 1% that you are putting into your arms!

#3) Ring Rows

Ring rows are a classic exercise to build yourself up to a pull-up. You can set the rings up somewhere around hip to knee height. Then grab the rings and lean back to start the exercise.

By moving your feet forward or away from the anchor point, you can position your body in an infinite number of angles (which will adjust the difficulty).

• Make it easy by leaning back just slightly,
• Make it hard by putting your feet up on a bench and starting horizontal.

With an infinite number of angles you can position your body (to adjust difficulty), they are for absolutely everyone.

Make sure whatever your rings are attached to is solid before leaning back with straight arms and body. Then puff your chest up and pull it to the rings!

#4) Ring Chin-ups

Chin-ups on rings work the same as they do on the bar. You can also move your hands around easily to different positions (palms forward, inward, and backward).

Not quite at a chin-up pro yet?

Adjust the height of the rings to be able to assist with your feet! Or use a box like so:

#5) Ring push-ups

Push-ups on the rings will be much more challenging than ones on the ground, because you have to stabilize the “ground” before you even move!

Just like rows, you can adjust your body at an infinite number of angles to the ground to make the exercise easier or harder.

#6) Ring Dips:

Ring Dips are one of my favorite exercises for the awesome challenge they provide. Lower yourself down until your chest touches the rings (yes, that low!) and then push up until you are in a straight arm support position.

As with many of the other ring exercises, you can easily adjust the height of the rings so that your feet can assist a little or a lot.

#7) False Grip Practice

The false grip is a way to hold onto the rings so that the wrist is in contact with the inside edge of the rings. This will allow us to build up to more advanced skills like the muscle-up! (Aka a ring chin-up that transitions into a dip!):

Think of the false grip like a hook on the rings: between your forearm and hand.

To perform a false grip:

• Place your wrist, pinky side and just below the crease of the wrist, on the inside edge of the ring.
• Flex the forearm hard.
• The support point is on the wrist, with the hands grabbing firmly to the ring.

Any of the pulling and hanging exercises we went over can be done with a false grip, just be warned that they’ll be a lot harder!

Want help pulling this all together for a full-body workout? Our new app will do all that for you, so you can start using your rings to their full potential:

 

4 Tips and Tricks for Using Gymnastic Rings

Keep the following four points in mind as you begin your gymnastic ring training:

#1) Your relationship with rings isn’t going to be a “do this for a month and be done”. This is a lifelong relationship – if you like it then you should put a ring on it. Get it? Because Beyonce and also Gymnastics.

Get used to playing with rings as often as you can… wake up your inner kid again and just enjoy moving around on the rings.

You didn’t think about a structured workout when you were a young kid on a playground; you just moved around and had fun. And while you’re discovering that fun again, your grip, muscles, and joints will be getting stronger.

#2) “What if I don’t have rings?” Well, if you want to learn to swim, you’ll have to eventually get into a pool, right!?

But if you’re at home, waiting for your rings to arrive, you can still perform a number of these exercises! Pushing and support exercises can be done on two sturdy chairs or the ground. Pulling and hangs can be done at a jungle gym (even the false grip can be practiced on a bar!). Be safe, but get creative!

#3) GO SLOW AND BE PATIENT! I know people who started doing violent kipping muscle-ups before their body, joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons were ready… and they injured themselves pretty seriously.

I even struggled with elbow tendonitis for a bit thanks to pushing myself too hard too soon on the rings. So slow down, build up your strength in each exercise slowwwwwly, and…

#4) Have fun with them. Remember, our goal is to find a workout that is not only something we don’t dread, but something we can look forward to! Working out without realizing it is a sure way to commit for the long term.

I’ll mention that helping people find workouts they enjoy is one of the benefits of our coaching program. If you dread heading to the gym to jump on a treadmill, maybe we can help!

We build fun workouts for our clients. Learn how here!

How to Get Started Training with Gymnastic Rings

You now know everything you need to get going with gymnastic rings: what rings to buy, how to set them up, and how to train with them!

It’s time to shine my young Padawan!

Want help progressing with your gymnastic ring training from here? I’ve got 3 great options for you!

#1) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Check out Nerd Fitness Journey!

Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

#2) If you want step-by-step guidance on how to build a gymnastic ring workout, get stronger, and even eat better, check out our killer 1-on-1 coaching program:

Our coaching program changes lives. Learn how!

#3) Join The Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get strong, get healthy, and have fun doing so. 

I’ll also send you tons of free guides like our Strength Training 101 ebook when you sign up:

Okay, your turn!

I’d love to hear from you:

• What sort of questions do you have about getting started with rings?
• What is the biggest thing holding you back from giving them a chance?
• Have you already trained with them?

-Steve

PS: I enjoy this gif way more than I should:

I told you gymnastic rings were for everyone!

Photos: Gymnastic Rings, Small Child Gymnastic Rings, Iron Cross, Gymnastic Rings, three rings, Gymnastic Murals Rings, Rings.

from Blog – Nerd Fitness https://ift.tt/2h9uDD1
via IFTTT

Let’s get you comfortable using the bench press, starting today!

We specialize in helping people pick up barbells for the first time. Our new app centers on helping people train, with any and all equipment available!

You can give it a test-drive if you want right here:

Here’s what we’ll cover so you can start using the bench press:

• How important is the bench press?
• What muscles does the bench press utilize?
• How to set up a bench press.
• The most important bench press tip (keep tight).
• Proper bench press form.
• What’s a beginner bench press weight? (Determining your starting weight)
• 5 common bench press mistakes. 
• How to ask for a bench press spotter.
• How to bench press without a spotter.
• FAQ on the bench press (including tips on getting started)

This guide is part of our Strength Training 101 series. I would encourage you to check out the rest of the articles if you’re just starting your weight training. 

If you’re in a rush, you can download the entire guide for free when you enlist in the Rebellion (that’s us!), by joining our free bi-weekly newsletter: 

How Important is the Bench Press?

For the last 30-40 years, the bench press has become the universal lift for bros everywhere to determine how strong someone truly is. 

The questions are things like:

• How much do you bench?
• Do you even lift?

As popular as it is, the bench press in its current form is really less than 100 years old.

Until the 1930’s, people did a movement called the “floor press”, which was similar to a bench press only done from the floor.

In fact, at first many people did a movement called a “belly toss” – where the bar would come down and bounce off the belly to help the lifter get it back up.

The three movements – bench press, belly toss, and floor press were all popular until the 40’s and 50’s, when the bench press started to become more and more popular, as bodybuilders liked how the bench worked their pecs (better than the other two movements).

As the bench press became more and more popular, powerlifting emerged in the 1970’s and separated itself from weightlifting as a sport of its own.

What Muscles Does the Bench Press Utilize?

The bench press is a great movement to have as a part of your strength program, and one move we consider to be a part of the “big 4” basic lifts. 

The other three lifts? 

1. The Squat
2. The Deadlift
3. The Overhead Press

Some of the issues coaches have with the bench press (such as a tight chest creating bad posture) don’t come from benching itself, but come from bench being one of the ONLY movements in your program, and can disappear when incorporated as a part of a well-rounded strength program.

In other words, don’t JUST train using the bench press.

The bench press is widely known as a “chest” exercise, however, that’s definitely not all it is. The bench strengthens your:

• Shoulders
• Triceps
• Forearms
• Lats
• Pecs
• Traps
• Rhomboids
• Plus pretty much every muscle in your upper body

However, the bench press doesn’t JUST use your upper body.

When you bench properly, you use your lower back, hips, and legs as well. Just like our other main lifts (the squat, deadlift, and overhead press), the bench press, while putting an emphasis on specific muscle groups, is a full body movement.

Think about it – while you’re benching, the rest of your body is not just lying there doing nothing.

Your entire body should be working – your shoulders are pinched together and your lats are engaged, while your back, hips and legs are tight, stabilizing your entire body to create a solid base and help you generate drive from the round.

How to bench press: The Setup

There are a lot of different ways to perform the bench press.

We’ll start you out with a standard and basic bench press variation, which we believe is the best (and safest) method for general strength.

Remember: just because you see someone benching a ridiculous amount of weight at the gym does not mean they are using proper or safe form.

They could be an advanced athlete who is making compromises to their form (knowingly or unknowingly) in order to bench higher numbers.

What do you need to perform the bench press?

1. A weight bench with uprights:
2. Barbell – the standard weight is 45 lbs, but this may be too heavy to start. No matter how strong you are, I recommend starting with a PVC pipe or broomstick to learn proper form.
3. Spotter – once the weight gets heavy (we will discuss options later in case you just don’t have someone else to spot you)
4. If you like to learn via video, please watch “How to Bench Press Safely” from Jim Bathurst, our lead coach from the Nerd Fitness Coaching Program:

How to Set Up A Bench Press

There are many different ways to set up for a bench press – as you’ll see by watching any powerlifting competition, or even by spending just 20 minutes in your local gym.

Some people get on the bench and curl themselves under the bar, some enter the bench from the back and slide in under the bar, and others just lie down and then get tight.

The key here is to set up in a way that helps you get your body tight and ready for the lift.

Before you begin, it might be a good idea to roll the bar forward on the uprights, as this is where you will be lifting it off from.

Having the bar in the same spot in the uprights will help you with a standard set up that is the same every time.

Here’s how to position yourself during the bench press:

1. Squeeze your shoulder blades together (as if you were trying to hold a pencil between them), press your lats into the bench, and raise your chest up slightly towards the bar.
2. While you’re doing this, squeeze your butt and plant your feet into the ground. Your entire foot (heels included) should be on the ground, on either side of the bench.
3. Keep your entire body tight. The raising of your chest to the bar, squeezing your shoulders together, squeezing your butt, and driving your heels into the ground will create a tight arch in your back. (more on this later).
4. Imagine you are a superhero and pretend you are sucking all the energy out of the room and absorbing it. As you the bar descends, absorb that energy and get ready to explode upward with the bar.
5. Your shins should be perpendicular to the ground and directly below your knees. If they are out in front of you, your feet are too far forward and you won’t be able to generate proper drive.

When you look up, your eyes should be just north of the bottom of the bar – you should see the bar directly above your eyes. Your head, upper back, and butt should never leave the bench.

Note: Some people (including myself) find it easier to get tight in their upper back if they put their feet up on the bench, grab the bar, get tight in their upper back, and then place their feet on either side of the bench one at a time.

This is just another method and something you can try out after you get the hang of the bench!

Next, take your arms and put them straight up, and grab the bar. Your grip should be with your thumbs around the bar.

A thumbless grip is not to be used on the bench press, as it is unsafe, and often nicknamed the “suicide grip,” as it is far too easy for the bar to fall off of your hands and land on your body (warning: hard to watch).

When you hold the bar, it should be in the heel of the palm (the same spot in your hands as for the overhead press.) Your wrists will not be extended, and your forearms are under your wrists, forming a solid line of support.

If you hold the bar in the upper half of your hand or the fingertips, not only are you not in a strong position, but you could hurt your wrists.

Bench Press Grip

Bring the bar (or, preferably PVC as we are just learning) down to your chest. At your chest, the width of your grip should make your forearms straight up and down (as perpendicular to the floor as you can).

Get a friend to help you (as you won’t be able to see on your own), or tape yourself so you can see. Don’t stress too much about getting your forearms 100% perfectly vertical.

Once you get comfortable with the movement, you may change the width of your grip, as there is wiggle room for personal preference, but this is a great place to start.

Also, keep in mind that your grip may seem way wider or narrower than your friends based on the width of your shoulders. This is normal!

Why would people alter their bench press grip?

• A wider grip is more pec-focused
• A narrower grip is more tricep focused

You will see powerlifters use a super wide grip because it reduces the range of motion and therefore allows them to lift more weight in competition.

However, more weight does not always mean stronger, and our goal today is safety and strength!

Which is why we recommend a grip with your forearms in a vertical position, it’s the most well-rounded and safest version for overall strength.

If you’re worried about whether you have the right grip in place, record yourself and match it against the videos in this guide. If it’s close, you’re doing great.

Our new app also contains loads of videos and gifs for you to compare your workout too. You can try it out right now (for free) if you want:

The Most Important Bench Press Tip (Keep Tight)

If you’ve set up correctly, your entire body should be tight.

Focus on the following when performing your bench press

1. Think of your body as one single unit, not single muscle groups.
2. Drive your feet into the ground, tighten your entire lower body and core, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and squeeze the bar. You should feel like one solid, single unit.
3. When you tighten your body, your neck, upper back, and butt should be on the bench (and your feet and heels on the ground).
4. When you drive your heels through the ground, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and raise your chest to the bar, it will form a small arch in your back – this is natural and what we’re aiming for.
5. You don’t want to push your lower back into the bench to create a “flat back,” or try to not create an arch. If you have heard people talking about not using an arch in the bench press, they are most likely referring to the extreme arch used by many powerlifters:
6. That is not what we are going for here – that is a way to help you lift more weight by reducing the range of motion, and is only safe to look into when you have been benching for a long time and really know what you are doing. For overall strength, we recommend benching with a full range of motion instead of trying to reduce it.

Now, feel how tight your body is? It is very important that you keep this tightness throughout the entire movement.

Proper Bench Press Form

Now that we are set up and have our hands around the bar, we want to think about having our elbows tucked in and not letting them flare out.

One way to do this is that when you grab onto the bar, think about trying to bend it in half upwards towards the sky.

This “upward bending” cue will also help you engage your lats, which doesn’t actually help you with the press, but do help you keep your body tighter.

We review how to bench press with proper form in this video (taken from NF Prime): 

Here’s how to perform the bench press:

#1) Unrack the bar and position the bar directly above your shoulders (without losing tightness – keep squeezing your shoulder blades together!).

#2) Continue to look up at the ceiling, unlock your elbows and lower the bar to your chest. Don’t just drop the bar to your chest – you want to pull it down towards you with control.

#3) At the bottom of the movement, you want the bar to touch a few inches below your clavicles. If it’s up by your throat or on your stomach, it’s in the wrong position.

#4) Once the bar touches your chest, press up to put the bar back to its starting position.

Note that unlike the deadlift and squat, the bench press movement will not be in a straight up and down motion.

Because of our anatomy, the bar will follow a slightly diagonal path down, and then follow the same path back up.

#5) While pressing, remember to keep your elbows tucked in, and don’t let them flare out. 

Think about squeezing so that your biceps touch the side of your chest (though you won’t be close enough to have this happen), or try to get your elbows under the bar.

You don’t want to be too tucked though – the goal is about a 45-degree angle: 

#6) As you press, the same parts of your body that were touching the bench before should still be touching the bench, and your feet should still be on the floor. Don’t let any part of you (the most common is your butt) come off the bench.

To help prevent your butt from coming off of the bench, instead of pushing up when you drive with your heels, think of pushing up and back, towards the front of the bench (where your head is).

#7) To re-rack the bar, move the bar backwards to the uprights and touch them with the bar, and then let go of the bar. Don’t look at the racks, you know that they are there! For beginners, it’s great to have a friend help you guide the bar back to the right position in the rack.

What’s a Beginner Bench Press Weight? (Determining Your Starting Weight)

Okay okay, you’re wondering how much you should put on the bar as a beginner who is starting out with bench pressing. 

This is a very important question, and for somebody that is trying to level up as quickly as possible, you’ll be tempted to put WAY more weight on the bar than you can probably handle.

In other words, your ego is writing checks your body can’t cash.

So here is what you are going to do.

Check your ego, and start with:

The bar. And ONLY the bar.

Your ego will survive. I promise.

As we cover in our extensive guide: “How Much Weight Should I Be Lifting?“, you should ALWAYS start every session with just the bar.

Hell, even veteran powerlifters who can bench press 500+ pounds will always start out by just bench pressing the bar.

You can too. Nobody in the gym cares. I promise you.

NOTE: The bar STILL weighs 45 pounds, which MIGHT be too heavy for you. That’s okay! You don’t go to show people how strong you are at the gym, you go to the gym to get stronger.

So start by making sure 45 pounds isn’t too heavy for you.

If you are even SLIGHTLY concerned that it might be, consider using dumbbells or finding a smaller/lighter barbell in the gym and using that to build up to the strength with the bar.

HOW TO BENCH PRESS MORE:

Now, if you can bench press the bar safely, great.

Do 3 sets of 10 on your first day in the gym.

When it’s time to bench press again, add 2.5 lbs (1.2KG) to each side of the bar, and repeat.

You’ll then be lifting a total of 50 lbs.

Each week, add 5 pounds total (2.5 to each side) to the bar. This will be “slow going” at first. However, even at a paltry 5 pounds per week, you’ll rapidly reach a point in the next 6-12 months where you’ll approach a weight you can no longer lift.

“BUT STACI, I CAN LIFT WAY MORE THAN THE BAR, WHY START THERE?”

Because you need to train your body correctly, and we’re looking to build momentum. When you practice perfect form with light weight, your body starts to learn the proper pathway for the bar. Your muscles, tendons, and joints all learn how to bear the load of a weighted bar.

And each week, you get slightly stronger.

Repeat this week after week, combine it with a diet to get stronger, and you will build muscle like a superhero!

The entire strategy of our new app, Nerd Fitness Journey, is based off this strategy: slow progress over time. And because we’re nerds, you’ll actually build a superhero along the way (because why not!).

5 Common Bench Press Mistakes

1. Not keeping body tight – As soon as you lose tightness, you have the potential for missing the rep. Make sure even when you are warming up and the weight is light, that you keep your entire body tight.
2. Butt coming up – make sure your butt stays on the bench at all times! It’s easy to let it come up off the bench once the weight gets heavy and you really start driving through your heels. Instead of thinking about driving upwards through your heels, think about driving up and backwards. If you’re struggling with your butt coming up, either try putting plates under your feet or re-evaluating your foot position (or lower the weight).
3. Bouncing off your chest – when you come to the bottom part of the lift, don’t bounce! Lower the bar to slightly graze your shirt, and then press.
4. Half reps – One of the most common faults I have seen in the gym! Make sure you are hitting full range of motion every single rep (down to chest!).
5. Wrong starting, middle, and ending positions (pictured below) – we’ve learned in the past that a vertical line is the most efficient way to move a bar, but with the bench press, the safest is to move the bar at a slight curve. The bar will start and end above your shoulders, but the middle point of the bar will be below your clavicles. If your middle position is above your shoulders, in a vertical line, your middle position is too high.

How to Ask for A Spotter with the Bench Press

Spotting is a very important part of bench pressing – not only having someone spot you, but having you spot other people. It can be extremely dangerous to bench press alone.

A spotter’s purpose is to ensure the safety of the lifter – not to help the lifter with reps.

The spotter always watches every rep while staying out of the way.

The only thing they may help with is giving you a lift off, but after that, it is all you!

*A lift off is when you help the lifter take the bar out of the rack, and then let go of it when it is in the correct starting position.

You don’t need a spotter for your warm-up sets, but everyone should have one for their work sets.

How do you ask someone to spot you? “Hey, will you spot me real quick?” usually works (it’s really that simple!). I’ve never had anyone turn me down.

If you’re always at the gym at the same time as someone else, make friends and spot each other.

That way you’re not always nervous asking someone random to spot you.

If someone asks you to spot them, always ask:

• How many reps they are going for?
• Do they want a lift off?
• How would they like to be spotted?

Some people don’t want you to touch the bar unless they tell you to; others want you to help them guide the bar up if they start to fail, and others want you to take the bar immediately if they fail the rep.

Some want a lift off, and some don’t.

When you ask someone else to spot you, they will probably ask you the same questions!

What if I don’t have a spotter? Can I bench press without a spotter?

If you don’t have a spotter, you can use the power rack to bench.

A power rack would look like so:

NF Coach Jim demonstrates how to bench press using a power rack here:

Just set the pins at a level just barely below your chest, so if you miss a rep you can get out.

If you don’t have a power rack, and absolutely don’t have a spotter – you can either not put clips on the bar, and then let the weight slide off one side at a time, or do the “Roll of shame,” where you roll the bar down your body, sit up, and pick up the bar.

However, both of these methods are dangerous and you’re risking injury by doing them. Please do not bench press alone – especially when just starting out. Even if the weight seems light, it’s very possible to injure yourself.

The best thing you can do is to ask someone at the gym to spot you.

There’s nothing weird about it all – in fact, it’s normal and expected!

If that’s not an option, consider dumbbell presses or another chest exercise until you can find a spotter.

Frequently Asked Questions about The Bench Press (Plus Tips to Get Started)

1) “I see people with their feet up on the bench – what’s going on?”

This isn’t technically correct – but it’s really a completely different movement than your standard bench press. It eliminates the use of the lower body in the movement, and can be good for people with injuries or as an assistance exercise.

I’ve seen it the most in bodybuilding routines. We recommend you stick to the bench press form we presented until you master the movement.

2) “If the bench is one of the ‘big 4’, why do some people not bench press?”

The bench press is a great way to build strength. But out of the big 4, it is the lift that has the most alternatives available.

While it’s hard to replace a heavy deadlift, you can easily replace the bench press with push-up and dip variations and continuously get stronger with just your own bodyweight for a very long time.

Push up:

Dip:

Here are the best 42 bodyweight exercises if you want to start training that way first!

I personally keep the bench in my program because I enjoy it, but also because it’s a competed lift in powerlifting.

Steve, however, has chosen to not bench press and replaces it with bodyweight variations of push-ups and a lot of gymnastics ring work.

3) “Okay, I get it! What do I do now?”

I’m glad you asked! I have three great options for you:

Option #1) If you want step-by-step guidance, a custom strength training program that levels up as you get stronger, and a coach to keep you accountable, check out our killer 1-on-1 coaching program:

Our coaching program changes lives. Learn how!

Option #2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Check out Nerd Fitness Journey!

Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

Option #3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. 

Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. It’ll help you start incorporating the bench press into your training:

So that’s all there is to it! Next time you are in the gym, give the bench press a shot!

Start with just the bar, and add weight each time when you hit your weights. Just don’t forget to have a spotter!

So, what kind of benching questions do you have for us!?

-Staci

PS: Don’t forget to check out our other articles in the Strength 101 Series!

• Strength Training 101
• Strength Training 101: Equipment
• Strength Training 101: Finding the Right Gym
• Strength Training 101: Where do I start?
• Strength Training 101: How much weight should I be lifting?
• Strength Training 101: Inverted Rows
• Strength Training 101: How to Squat Properly
• Strength Training 101: The Deadlift
• Strength Training 101: The Overhead Press

###

photo source: leg0fenris: legos, Alexander Danling: Benches, Christian Hernandez: Superman , Arch in bench press, LEGO bench press, Beam me up, please.

from Blog – Nerd Fitness https://ift.tt/2ZLl6cl
via IFTTT

The push-up is one of the best exercises on the planet.

It’s a foundational movement in strength training, and an exercise EVERYBODY should be doing regularly.

However, it’s also an exercise that about 95% of people get wrong and do incorrectly.

Fortunately, after reading today’s ultimate guide, you’ll know exactly how to do a proper push-up with correct form:

• How to set up for a proper push-up (initial staging).
• How to do a push-up (correct push-up form with video).
• How do you train to do push-ups? (Where to start if you can’t do a push-up.)
• What are some different types of push-ups? (advanced push-up variations)
• How to get better at push-ups.

Before we jump in, if you’re looking for a way to train anywhere (like with push-ups), you may be interested in the new app we built!

Nerd Fitness Journey will guide you through a workout routine that can be done anywhere, all while creating your very own superhero!

You can give it a free test drive right here:

How to Set up for a Proper Push-up (Staging)

When it comes to push-ups, your form is crucial. Each push-up needs to be done with proper form so that your total reps measured from workout to workout are on equal footing.

If you did 20 push-ups two days ago, and then today you did 25 push-ups by only going down halfway, sticking your ass up in the air, etc., it’s absolutely impossible to tell if you got any stronger.

Here’s how to get into proper push-up position:

1) On the ground, set your hands at a distance that is slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. 

Draw a straight line from your chest/nipple down to the floor – it should be directly over your thumbnail.

Depending on your strength and experience, your hands should be angled in a way that feels comfortable to you. For me, my hands are set up so that my middle finger points straight up and away from me.

2) To alleviate wrist pain (if you have poor wrist flexibility) do your push-ups holding onto push-up handles (so your wrists aren’t as compromised), or a bar:

If you’re hardcore, you can do them on your knuckles (as long as you’re on a semi-soft surface like grass or carpet or broken glass. Wait, scratch that last one).

3) Your feet should be set up in a way that feels right and comfortable and in balance. For some, that might be shoulder-width apart.

For others, it might be with your feet touching. Generally speaking, the wider apart your feet, the more stable you’ll be for your push-ups.

4) Think of your body as one giant straight line – from the top of your head down through your heels. Your butt shouldn’t be sticking way up in the air or sagging. You’re essentially holding a plank throughout the entire movement.

5) If you have a problem getting the proper form with your body, try this: clench your butt, and then tighten your abs as if you’re bracing to get punched.

Your core will be engaged, and your body should be in that straight line. If you’ve been doing push-ups incorrectly, this might be a big change for you.

Record a video of yourself to make sure you’re doing it correctly.

6) Your head should be looking slightly ahead of you, not straight down.

I read somewhere that said “if you’re doing them right, your chin should be the first part of your head to touch the floor, not your nose.”

Looking up helps you keep your body in line, but feel free to look down if that helps you concentrate more.

7) At the top of your push-up, your arms should be straight and supporting your weight. You’re now ready to do a push-up.

8) I want to draw special attention to that first step with hand position: nearly EVERYBODY does push-ups with their arms out far too wide and their shoulders flared. This is bad news bears. 

If I was looking down at you from above, your arms and body should form an ARROW, not a T.

WARNING: If you have been doing push-ups with your arms flared, doing them with proper form will be significantly more difficult!

How to Do a Proper Push-Up (Correct Push-Up Form with Video).

In the 5-minute “Perfect Push-Up” video above, featuring yours truly and two of our coaches, we take you through EACH of the steps of a push-up, including some variations!

Here’s how to complete one perfect repetition of a proper push up:

• With your arms straight, butt clenched, and abs braced, steadily lower yourself until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle or less. Depending on your level of experience, age, and flexibility, 90 degrees might be the lowest you’re able to go. Personally, I like to go down until my chest (not my face), hits the floor. That way, I know I’m going the same distance each and every time.
• Try not to let your elbows go flying way out with each repetition. Keep them relatively close to your body, and keep note of when they start to fly out when you get tired.
• Once your chest (or nose/chin) touches the floor (or your arms go down to a 90-degree angle), pause slightly and then explode back up until you’re back in the same position.

Do as many as you can until you start to feel your form slip (even slightly); you are done for that set.

Here’s why you should focus on form over quantity:

• 10 good push-ups and 5 crappy ones are tough to quantify against eleven good push-ups.
• If you can only do 10 of something, write down your results and aim for 11 next time.
• Perfect form allows you to keep track of your improvements week over week.

Want to know where push-ups should fall into your workout routine? I have three options!

1) Try Nerd Fitness Journey!

Nerd Fitness Journey will guide you through a bodyweight workout routine that can be done anywhere (yep, even there). You can try it for free right here:

2) Do them as part of our Beginner Bodyweight Workout Routine! This workout has been done by hundreds of thousands of people as their first strength training workout.

3) Make your own workout with push-ups by following our “Build Your Own Workout” guide! It’ll walk you through everything you need to build an exercise program for your goals in 10 steps.

How Do You Train to Do Push-Ups? (Where to Start If You Can’t Do a Push-Up.)

Don’t worry if you can’t do a push-up yet. We have a plan that will help you get there.

You need to start with an easier push movement, and work up to progressively more difficult types of moves that will eventually result in you doing true push-ups.

This is a similar type of progression we use for the workouts in Nerd Fitness Journey. 

We’ll progress from Level 1 Push-ups to Level 4 Push-ups:

• Wall Push-Ups: Level 1
• Elevated Push-Ups: Level 2
• Knee Push-ups: Level 3
• Regular Push-ups: Level 4

LEVEL 1: HOW TO DO WALL PUSH-UPS

Stand in front of a wall. Clench your butt, brace your abs, and set your hands on the wall at slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

Walk backwards with your feet until your arms are fully extended and supporting your weight (generally one decent sized step back with both feet will suffice). Keeping the rest of your body in a straight line, steadily lower yourself towards the wall until your nose almost touches the wall, and then explode back up to the starting position.

HOW TO TRAIN WALL PUSH-UPS:

Do 4 sets of wall push-ups with a 2-minute rest between sets, every other day. Keep track of how many repetitions you can do WITH PROPER FORM for each set in a notebook for easy comparison to previous workouts. Once you can do 4 sets of 20 repetitions of wall push-ups, you can progress to knee push-ups.

LEVEL TWO: HOW TO DO ELEVATED PUSH-UPS

As we demonstrate in this video above from Nerd Fitness Prime, elevated push-ups are just what they sound like – your hands are on an elevated surface, whether it’s something as tall as a kitchen table or as low as a few blocks that are inches off the ground. This will depend on your level of strength and experience.

If you’ve just progressed from wall push-ups, pick something that is at a level that’s right for you – I generally find the back of a park bench or the side of a picnic table to be a perfect height for doing incline push-ups. Like so:

HOW TO TRAIN ELEVATED PUSH-UPS:

Do 4 sets of elevated push-ups with a 2-minute rest between sets, every other day. Again, keep track of all of your stats for how many proper form repetitions you can do in each set. Once you can do 4 sets of 20 repetitions, it’s time to either move to regular push-ups, knee push-ups, or a lower height for your hands to be supported.

Once you can do 4 sets of 20 repetitions, it’s time to either move to regular push-ups, knee push-ups, or a lower height for your hands to be supported.

To work on progression, try to doing your elevated push-ups on the stairs in your house. As you get stronger, you can move your hands to lower and lower steps until your hands are on the ground.

LEVEL THREE: HOW TO DO KNEE PUSH-UPS

Once you’re comfortable doing wall or elevated push-ups, proceed to knee push-ups. Your shoulder and hand placement will look just like a regular push-up (an “arrow”, not a “T”), but you’ll stabilize yourself on your knees instead of your feet. As demonstrated here:

HOW TO TRAIN KNEE PUSH-UPS

Once you can do 4 sets of 20 repetitions on your knees, you can start thinking about doing regular push-ups.

To recap, if you can’t do a regular push-up, move from:

• Wall Push-Ups: Level 1
• Elevated Push-Ups: Level 2
• Knee Push-Ups: Level 3
• Regular Push-ups: Level 4

How do I know the above progression will work? Well, it’s the exact plan we use with Nerd Fitness Journey!

You can see how we scale our bodyweight workouts right here:

What Are Other Types of Push-Ups? (Push-Up Variations)

Basic push-ups can get boring…

Fortunately, there are dozens upon dozens of variations to make things more difficult for you.

Once you’re cranking out perfect form push-ups like it’s your job,^[1] try some of these advanced variations on for size.

Click on each for a video demonstration (these are some of the push-up variations pulled from NF Prime):

#1) One-legged Push-ups: introducing some variety and balance by removing one of your legs for less stabilization:

 

#2) Side-to-Side Push-Ups – Get into the classic push-up position and move your hands farther apart. Now, lower yourself down towards one arm only – you should feel like you’re supporting a lot of your weight. 

To complete the rep, slide horizontally over to the other arm, and push-up. The farther apart your hands, the higher percentage of your bodyweight will be supported by that side of your chest/shoulder and arm (thus getting harder)!

 

#3) Decline Push-Ups – these work your shoulders and triceps more so than normal push-ups.

 

#4) Diamond Push-Ups – keep your arms tight at your side, rotate your hands outward, and keep your elbows tight as you lower your body. Works your triceps like crazy.

 

#5) Dive-Bomber Push-Ups – funky, difficult, but oh so fun. I’d explain it, but just watch the video

 

#6) Plyometric Push-Ups – these are brutal and will wear you out just after a few repetitions. Just don’t hurt yourself and smash your face during a failed attempt (not that I’ve ever done that. Shut up my face always looks like this)!

 

#7) Handstand Push-Ups – This goes without saying, but you should be able to do a proper handstand before attempting these!

Kick up against a wall, and without flailing your elbows way out to the side (which can wreak havoc on your shoulders and elbow joints), slowly lower yourself down until your head touches the ground softly.

Then raise yourself back up.

Rotate some of these advanced push-ups into your workout routine and you’ll be well on your way to a great strength training practice.

If you want more strength building tips, we also have a comprehensive guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know, when you sign up for the Rebellion (that’s our community) below:

How to get better at push-ups

So you’ve learned how to do a push-up, you can do a few of them, but you want to get better! 

Here are some tips to help you along the way:

1. Get healthy! As you lose weight (which is 80% nutrition!), you will have to move less weight around than before, which will make your push-ups easier to manage. Have you had trouble losing weight in the past? Check out our article “Why Can’t I Lose Weight?” to find out why.
2. Don’t cheat on the last few push-ups – when you’re tired, it’s easy to skip out on good form for your last few reps. As soon as you do one bad form push-up, you’re done. Finish up your four sets, write down your numbers, and try to beat those numbers next time.
3. When starting out don’t do push-ups two days in a row. You need to give your muscles time to rebuild and recover – take off at least 48 hours in between your push-up adventure. However, when push-ups became a warm-up exercise for you – you can do them every day if you want. If you’re advanced, you can consider a PLP program.
4. Get enough protein into your system after finishing up your workout – protein helps rebuild the muscles you just broke down doing push-ups, and it helps them rebuild those same muscles stronger than before. You can read our ultimate guide on protein for some tips on how to up your protein intake.
5. If you can do 4 sets of 20-25 perfect form push-ups no sweat, then it’s time to start looking into push-up variations to keep things interesting.
6. Build up your core with planks – this will help keep your core strong so that it’s not the weakest link in your proper form push-ups.

These 6 tips will be a great addition to your strength training plan. Keep at it and before you know it you’ll be doing one-arm push-ups like Batman.

What’s that? You don’t have a strength-building plan!!! Well then…

What’s Your Strength Building Plan?

It makes me sad when we get emails from people who struggle and try and work hard to get healthier, and to be better at push-ups, and just can’t seem to make any progress.

If that’s you, you’re not alone!

1) Consider working with an online coach (or in-person trainer).

Helping people learn push-ups and other bodyweight exercises is why we built our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: We build programs for busy people to cut through the noise and just get results

Have a coach in your pocket. Not literally, of course. That would be weird. Learn how we change lives with our Coaching Program here:

2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Check out Nerd Fitness Journey!

Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

3) Join our community! We have hundreds of thousands of people, and I send out two free emails every week to help them level up their lives. Join our free community today, and I’ll send you a dozen free ebooks, including TONS of workout plans you can do anytime, anywhere. 

Join the community by signing up in the box below:

YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT: go home, set up a camera, and check your form on your push-ups.

I hope you’ll find that your form is as good as you expected, but it’s okay if it’s not, it’ll give you something to work on.

Go do some push-ups, and work on getting better with them every day.

You’ll be moving from Level 1 to Level 4 push-ups and beyond!

-Steve

PS: Not to brag, but I typed this entire article while doing 1-handed push-ups. 

PPS: Okay no I didn’t. But it would have been cool if I did, right?

PPPS: No? Fine. Sigh.

###

Photo source:^[2]

from Blog – Nerd Fitness https://ift.tt/2gXPG8b
via IFTTT

Do you find your grip a limiting factor in the gym (I see you chin-ups and deadlifts)?

Or in everyday life (looking at you, pickle jars)?

If so, don’t worry! We’ve got a handle on this (pun 100% intended).

As the lead trainer of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, I’m going to outline a number of helpful, handy (sigh) stretches and exercises to help eliminate pain and build you some powerful, useful hands and a strong grip.

• The importance of grip strength (and basic “grips”).
• Grip strength exercises to do in the gym (VIDEO).
• How to improve grip strength at the office.
• How to improve grip strength at home.

Now, it goes without saying that the hands and forearms are anatomically complicated areas.

I am also not your mother, or your doctor. If anything in the article below causes pain, or your pain is not alleviated by these stretches – call in the pros!

See a physical therapist or sports massage practitioner.

Lastly, if you’re here because you’re trying to grow overall strength, you might be interested in our newest app, Nerd Fitness Journey!

Our fun habit-building app helps you train anywhere (and improve your grip strength), all while building your very own superhero!

You can try it for free right here:

Why Grip Strength And WRist Mobility Is So Important: Basic Holds.

We use our hands for EVERYTHING. 

Whether it’s everyday tasks like carrying groceries, opening jars, and lifting suitcases, or gym-related activities like chin-ups, rows, and deadlifts.

Of course, you probably also type at your computer for hours – with resulting aches and pains at the end of the workday.

Guess what?

Stretching out the hands and building up a strong grip can help in all of those areas.

A strong grip has even been correlated to lower mortality rates – and you can also imagine the usefulness of a stronger grip for aging individuals if they happen to slip.

Our point is that it’s always better to have a stronger grip!

This is a favorite area of expertise for me. I’ve worked my grip for years and years, and recently won a local grip competition:

In fact, I’m currently typing this one-handed while squeezing coal into diamonds with my other hand.

Not really, but I promise my grip strength is above average.

SO WHERE TO START?

The hands are complex, and training them can seem just as complicated.

We’ll simplify matters a bit and you can categorize the grip exercises into the following general types:

#1) CRUSH

This is what you probably think of when you think of a “strong grip”. This is the whole hand closing in around something. A strong handshake. None of that dead-fish handshake stuff!

#2) PINCH

Think of making an alligator mouth with your hands, and chomping down. In this grip, there tends to be a lot more work/stress on the thumb. This is important to work, as the thumb is a vital part of a strong grip!

#3) SUPPORT

This is similar to crush, but rather than the ability to close, this type of grip tests the ability to hold.

#4) EXTENSION

Every action has an opposite reaction, right? This type of grip work is all about strengthening the opposing muscles. We were built to grab and hold onto things, so these muscles will not be as strong.

#5) WRIST WORK

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Oleksiy TOROKHTIY (UKR🇺🇦) (@torokhtiy) on Mar 16, 2017 at 4:11am PDT

Wrist movement and wrist stability is the focus here. In order to be able to transfer energy from the body through the hands (for opening those pickle jars) we need to make sure every link in the chain is strong.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

When putting together a grip routine of your own, it’s a good idea to cycle through these different types of grips over the course of the week, in order to work different muscles and different angles.

If you have to pick just a few, I’d put my money on stretches, crushing, and extension to get your hands strong and keep them healthy!

Before we go further, I want to mention that if you’re improving your grip as part of a strength training practice, you’ve come to the right place! We have a free guide Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know, that will walk you through every aspect of building muscle and growing stronger. Want in?

Grab it for free when you join the Rebellion (that’s us!) below:

How to Improve Your Grip Strength and Mobility Quickly.

Here are the best exercises you can do to strengthen your grip quickly:

1. Dumbbell head grab: Put a dumbbell on its end and pick it up by the head. Could anything replicate a pickle jar more? Be careful with this exercise if the dumbbell is too big, as the thumb can easily be strained if it’s stretched too far. Hold for time (~30 seconds) or go for heavier weight.
2. Farmer’s walks: Grab a pair of heavy dumbbells (heavy for you) and walk around! Don’t have space to walk? Just stand there! 30 seconds minimum!
3. Plate curls: A wrist strengthener that works the biceps too! Anything past 25 lbs becomes insanely hard. ~10 repetitions. Watch the face!!
4. Plate pinches: If you’ve got a pair of smooth metal plates, you can sandwich them together with the smooth side out. You can also use thick bumper plates. Pick them up with one or two hands and hold for time (~30 seconds) or go for heavier weight. World class grip athletes can pick up a pair of 45 lb plates with one hand!
5. Barbell finger rolls: How to work the crushing grip without grippers. You can use an empty bar or load up some weight. Get the bar to your fingertips, then squeeze and crush! ~10 repetitions.
6. Towel chin-ups: Regular chin-ups too easy? Throw a pair of gym towels over the bar and challenge that grip. A great exercise to prepare for rope climbing!

STRETCHES AT THE GYM

The only addition I have to your stretching routine that can be done at the gym is banded wrist stretches. The addition of the band can help open up your wrist joint a bit more. The band should be pulling in the opposite direction of the stretch (fingers face one way, band pulls the other way).

10-15 repetitions.

EXERCISES AT THE GYM

While we recommend picking up some grippers as specialized grip equipment, there are TONS of options to work the grip at the gym with existing equipment! This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but should give you plenty of ideas.

The one warning I give for any of these exercises is WATCH YOUR TOES. The grip can give out fast and unexpectedly, so we don’t want to crush any little piggies!

This list is certainly not exhaustive, but it’ll get you started!

Other easy grip exercises to integrate:

• Bar hang: Simply hanging from the bar or gymnastic rings will build up your grip strength! If you can’t hang freely, put your feet on the ground for an assist. Couldn’t be simpler! Work up to one minute or more!
• Wrist curls/Reverse wrist curls: What many may think of when they think of “grip strength” exercises. Not bad for some wrist strength. ~10 repetitions. Pictured – Left: Wrist curls, Right: Reverse wrist curls.

• Barbell levering: We’re getting into crazy town with this one. An unbelievable wrist exercise that is not for the beginner. Grab the bar with one hand, off-center, and lift it to parallel. You can lift to the front and the back. I would also recommend using a 15 lb/5 kg bar, or one of those lighter “bodypump” bars for this. The leverage is crazy! This can also be done at a faster pace with PVC pipe.

Things can get really crazy when you start combining exercises…Plate pinch farmer’s walks with bumper plates, anyone?

…and speaking of NF Coaching, if you’re worried that your grip strength is holding back your training, we can help!

Our certified coaches can do an assessment, design a program to increase your grip and overall strength, and provide support and accountability. It’s kind of like having Jim in your pocket (not literally – via an app).

Plus, our coaching app lets you record and send a video of your movement directly to your coach, so you can take comfort knowing you’re training correctly:

How To Improve Grip Strength and Mobility At The Office.

Alright, you’re ready to jump into grip strength training!

I’ve outlined a number of stretches and exercises for you to do, no matter where you are and what equipment you have. Skim over and see what you can add into your daily mix or gym training!

STRETCHES AT YOUR DESK

You might be reading this while sitting at your computer right now.

We put a LOT of stress on our hands and wrists over the course of a day, so take the time to take care of these hard workers!

Below is a quick and dirty stretch routine, just three moves. This is good for a warm-up or just for overall hand health. We spend a lot of the day at our computer with our elbows bent and our hands in a pronated position (palms turned down), therefore stretches with our elbows extended and hands supinated (palms turned up) is a good idea.

A post shared by Nerd Fitness (@nerd_fitness) on Mar 17, 2017 at 11:30am PDT

The stretches from the video:

• Fingers back, palms on desk: You can stretch straight backwards, or rock gently left to right. 10-15 repetitions.
• Finger back, palms lifted off desk: You can lift the palms and get a bit more stretch through the fingers and first knuckle. Again, stretch straight backwards, or rock gently left to right. 10-15 repetitions.
• Fists together, back of hands on desk: Make two fists, with the thumbs on the outside of your fingers. Bend your elbows and put the knuckles together like two cogs in a machine. Bend your elbows and put the back of your hands fully on the desk. Keep your fists together (this will be tough) and fists tightly closed (this will also be tough) as you bend and flex your elbows. 10-15 repetitions.

Give it a shot, I bet your hands feel noticeably different (and better) afterward.

If you have additional time, the first two stretches can also be done with your fingers forward!

You can also stretch the thumbs out on the desk. Moving into and out of the stretch shown below. You may be surprised how good this feels if you’ve never done it before. Again, 10-15 repetitions.

A final stretch, if you have the time between updating Excel and checking Facebook for the 100th time (I kid, I kid), is stretching your wrists in the direction of your thumb.

If you think about how your hands are often oriented on your keyboard, you’ll see that they are often bend toward your pinky.

So let’s stretch them in the opposite way! Make like you’re about to karate chop someone with one hand. With the other hand, grab the chopping hand and pull it sideways in the direction of your thumb.

Going gently into and out of this stretch for 10-15 repetitions. It may not feel as intense as the previous stretches, but it will still help.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list of hand and wrist stretches, but it should give you plenty to work with!

EXERCISES AT YOUR DESK

Do you know there’s already an excellent piece of grip strengthening equipment present in many offices? What is that?

The rubber band!

Snag one off that rubber band ball in your desk and do these simple rubber band extensions:

If one band gets too easy, put two or more on! This is a super easy exercise to do while you’re on a phone call or that conference call (that you’re not paying attention to anyway) that gets the blood moving through the hands and helps balance out your vice-grip like hands.

Another grip exercise that can easily be done at your desk is closing grippers. Now, this does require an investment (~$20/gripper), but you’ll find that these grippers last FOREVER (I still use some grippers that are over a decade and half old!)

I would personally recommend Ironmind’s “Captains of Crush” grippers.

They are built to last and strong.

Consider the following when making your gripper purchase:

• If you are just starting out with your grip, I would look at the Guide and/or the Sport (60lb and 80lb respectively).
• If you have a bit of strength, the Sport and/or the Trainer is the way to go (80lb and 100lb).

If you can close the Guide, you’ve got a pretty solid grip. If you can close the Sport, you have way above average grip strength, in my experience.

A fun bonus with these grippers at your desk is that EVERYONE who sees them will try and pick them up and close them. Great way to start a conversation with your coworkers!

You may be thinking, “eh, I’ve already got a gripper I bought from the store”. I’ll tell you that the strength in that gripper is probably minuscule compared to Ironmind’s. Time to upgrade!

You may also be thinking, “eh, I’ve got a tennis ball/stress ball that I can keep by my desk and crush”. Both of those might be better than nothing, but not by much. The grippers will allow a smoother movement and quantifiable progress. Did I mention they’re just $20 a pop?

“Jim, I can’t wait. I want to work my grip NOW.” Ok, ok, grab the biggest, heaviest book in the office you have. Grab it in that pinch grip position (fingers on one side, thumb on the other). This may be easy, if so, then “walk the book” in your hand by moving your fingers up and down the spine while you hold it in mid-air. Do this for several trips. Tough!

How to Improve your Grip Strength and Wrist Mobility At Home.

If you work out at home, there are still a few things you can do.

• Bar hang: A home chin-up bar is one of the most useful pieces of equipment to have. Just like the gym version, you can put your feet on the ground to assist. Work up to one minute!

• Grocery bag farmer’s walks: What’s better than taking only one trip to bring your groceries inside? Absolutely nothing. You can use those tough, reusable bags and load them up with anything. Stand in place or walk around the neighborhood.

• Sledgehammer/Barbell/heavy bar levering: As with the barbell levering at the gym, this is a tough exercise and should be approached slowly. Grab closer to the sledgehammer head to make it easy, farther to make it tough.

Get Started With Rings And Handstands, Level Up Your Grip!

No (wo)man is an island, and no exercise exists in complete isolation. These grip exercises are a blast, but we hope you can also use them to help strengthen a deadlift, or work toward your first chin-up.

There are also various bodyweight exercises that will help strengthen your upper body AND build your grip strength at the same time.

THE FALSE GRIP HANG

For example, here is a video from our rings course in Nerd Fitness Prime on doing a false-grip hang – and then doing scapular retractions. This is a killer grip strength exercise:

The false grip is an incredibly challenging grip variation that one must learn to build up to a muscle-up (a pull-up that transitions into a dip). Just like before, you can put your feet on the ground to assist this exercise.

CROW POSE

Here’s a video of an exercise that builds up grip and wrist strength, pulled from Nerd Fitness Prime (which contains a course on doing handstands):

A staple of yoga classes everywhere, though we’ll be focusing on it for a different reason than a yogi might. We’re using this exercise as a foundational exercise to build up into the handstand. You won’t believe how much grip strength is involved in the crow pose until you are digging your fingers into the ground!

A Strong Grip Is Always Helpful!

It’s been said “There’s never been a strong man (or woman) with weak hands.”

We’d have to agree wholeheartedly. There is never going to be a point in life where you say “Boy, my grip was too strong!”.

You might have some questions about how to mix these exercises in with your normal routine, or how you can use these things to improve your lifts safely and without injury. Or maybe all of the above just overwhelmed the heck out of you and you’re trying to make sense of it all.

If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place.

I’m the lead trainer of the 1-on-1 NF Coaching Program, where we help busy, normal people like yourself build muscle, lose weight, and level up their lives!.

You can learn more about our coaching program by clicking on the image below and scheduling a call with us to see if we’re a good fit!

You have a pair of incredibly useful tools at arm’s length, might as well make the most of them!

We hope you now have a handle on things (have to bring it back full circle). Go out and get a grip!

Leave any questions you have on grip strength or wrist mobility below in the comments.

-Jim

PS: What should you do after you improve your grip and wrist strength? Get started on doing muscle-ups and downward dogs, which you can learn all from our new app!

Try it for free right here:

###

Photo Source: Reece & Emma Meins Chalky bar grip

from Blog – Nerd Fitness https://ift.tt/2mQ5TQG
via IFTTT

Today, you’re gonna learn all about the importance of warming up, and how to warm up with specific video routines! 

We think this is so critical for training safely that whenever we design a workout for our coaching clients, it always starts with a proper warm-up. So I’m excited to share these warm-up tips and tricks with you too.

Get in shape safely and actually reach your goals! Learn more about our Online Coaching Program

In this guide we’ll cover the following (click to go to that section):

• Stretch before working out? No. Warm up instead.
• Beginner Dynamic Warm-up Exercises and Video
• 3 Advanced Dynamic Warm-up Exercises and Videos
• 15 Quick Dynamic Warm-Up Exercises to Prevent Injury

This stuff is so important because getting injured sucks.

And every single day I watch people wander into the gym, immediately lie down on a bench, and start cranking out their workout with a heavy weight within seconds.

This makes me weep for humanity.

These people are just WAITING to get injured. They’re essentially playing with dynamite (also not recommended).

So you’re reading the right article.

Also, if you’re interested in a program that tells you exactly how to warm-up and workout, you may like our new app!

Nerd Fitness Journey will set you on an adventure that will tell you exactly when to workout, when to warm-up, and when you should rest. No guesswork needed. 

You can sign-up for a free trial right here:

Should I stretch Before A Workout? No. Warm Up Instead

Above all else, the most important thing you can do when working out is warming up properly.

Now, you might be saying to yourself, “Come on. Surely it’s not the MOST important thing…”

To which I’d reply: “First, don’t call me Shirley. Secondly, if you don’t have enough time to warm up, then you don’t have enough time to work out.”

Boom!

So WHY is it so important? 

Think of your muscles like rubber bands.

If you spend all day sitting at a desk, hunched over a keyboard, those rubber bands have gone almost completely unused.

Then, if you go to a gym and immediately start lifting heavy weights or sprinting really fast, those cold, unstretched rubber bands get pulled apart very quickly and can get snapped or pulled out of shape.

#Fail.

So, what about just regular, static stretching before working out? 

Nope.

As we point out in “Should you stretch before or after your workout?“:

“A consolidation of studies showed there aren’t many benefits to static stretching before workouts. 

For starters, static stretching will not result in the reduction of the chance of injury.

Also, static stretching can actually decrease your potential for strength gains and performance.”

However, dynamic warm-ups – what you’ll learn in this article and what we focus on with our 1-on-1 coaching clients – are AWESOME for prepping you to get ready to strength train:

Think of it like a pregaming for your muscles – except replace “alcohol” with “awesome.” By jumping around and getting your muscles loose, active, warm, and ready for action, you are putting your muscles through their full range of motion and getting them ready to start handling heavier loads (strength training).

As pointed out in this study, “warming up” can also help reduce soreness after a workout.

On top of that, doing a dynamic warm-up can help activate your central nervous system, priming your muscles for a great workout that produces your best effort.

Add “improved blood circulation” to the list of benefits of warming up, which will help you perform well in each exercise.

Need another reason? When your body is properly warmed up, your muscles and joints are ready for maximum flexibility, which means you can perform each exercise with PROPER form (like deep barbell squats, for example) that maximize results and minimize the risk of injury.

So, whether you are running or strength training…a proper warm-up is probably the most important 5-10 minutes of your day. 

Still with me? 

Great. If you have been injured in the past, and you’re learning to warm up so you can stop stalling out on your progress, let us help!

We create custom workout solutions with nutritional guidance for busy people like you.

In other words, we help you get strong and eat better, every step of the way. 

Learn more about our amazing Coaching App and how it’ll change your life:

Beginner Dynamic Warm-Up Video And Exercises

The above video comes from Senior Coach Staci Ardison, whose success story is here (and she’s now a lead trainer in our NF Coaching Program)

Don’t overthink this: Your goal is to elevate your heart rate, put your muscles and joints through their range of motion to warm them up and make sure everything is functioning properly, and preparing your body to strength train!

This will get you prepped for a day of getting stronger.

If you read the above paragraph and thought: “Yes I am doing strength training, please tell me more Steve! More!”

Firstly, thanks for saying please – your mom taught you well.

Next: let us help get you strong, safely! We help busy people go from strength-training-newbie to strength training badasses.

Whether you’re doing bodyweight or new to weight training, we create a workout program and provide food guidance that’s specific to YOUR life.

Our coaching program will change your life (I promise). Learn more here:

3 Advanced Dynamic Warm-Ups And Videos

#1) Here is an Advanced Warm-up Circuit you can do anywhere:

• Jump rope: 2-3 minutes (optional)
  
• Jumping jacks: 50 reps(pull your shoulder blades back, extend arms and really focus on the movement)
• Bodyweight Squats: 20 reps
• Lunges: 5 reps each leg
• Hip extensions: 10 reps
• Hip rotations: 10 reps each leg (like you’re stepping over a fence)
• Forward leg swings: 10 reps each leg.
• Side leg swings: 10 reps each leg
• Push-ups: 10-20 reps
• Spider-man steps: 5 each leg

This particular warm-up might be more difficult than your actual workout, especially if you’re following something like The Beginner Bodyweight Workout.

Yes, there is a lot of work put on your hips, butt, legs, and core. As nerds/desk jockeys, these tend to be the muscles that are the tighest and least active, and thus most susceptible to an injury.

If your arms and chest are particularly tight or sore, you can throw two more movements as well: 

• Arm swings (holding your arms straight out to the side, and then swing them and cross them in front of your chest)
• Shoulder rotations (holding your arms straight out to the side, and move your arms in a circular motion, making bigger circles each time)

Are you a runner? 

#2) Check out our warm-up routine specifically designed for runners:

You can also check out our Beginner’s Guide to Running for more tips on how to run safely.

#3) Here’s another advanced dynamic warm-up video from my coach, Anthony, which also covers a lot of Mobility:

When it comes time for your workout, if you are doing heavy strength training (with barbells or dumbbells), make sure you do some warm-up sets before jumping into the weight you’ll be training with for EACH EXERCISE.

Always start with a set using just the bar to work on your form and get your body used to the movement.

Then, do a few sets of just a few reps with increasing weight (but won’t tire you out) and THEN start your workout.

It’s something we bring up before every workout in Nerd Fitness Journey. If you want, you can test drive it right now for free!

15 Best Dynamic Warm-Up Exercises To Prevent Injury

These are our favorite quick warm-up exercises that can help you prevent an injury during your workout! 

1. Marching in place while swinging your arms.
2. Jumping jacks
3. Walking jacks
4. Arm circles and shoulder shrugs.
5. Mountain Climbers
6. Swinging toe touches.
7. Leg swings (forward and side to side).
8. Hip rotations (like stepping over a fence)
9. Hip circles (like you’re hula hooping)
10. Bodyweight squats.
11. Push-ups.
12. Lunges.
13. Hip extensions.

Get into the habit of doing these exercises before doing any workout. They’ll help keep you mobile and limber and injury free. If you’re not sure how to do any of these movements, watch the videos for them below.

1. MARCHING IN PLACE WHILE SWINGING ARMS

2. WALKING JACKS (If You Can’t Do Jumping Jacks)

3. JUMPING JACKS

4. ARM CIRCLES AND SHOULDER SHRUGS

5. MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

6. SWINGING TOE TOUCHES

7. LEG SWINGS (FORWARD AND SIDE)

8. HIP ROTATIONS

9. HIP CIRCLES

10. BODYWEIGHT SQUATS

11: KNEE PUSH-UPS

12: REGULAR PUSH-UPS

13. SUPPORTED LUNGES

14. REGULAR LUNGES

15. HIP RAISES

These exercises are the PERFECT movements you should be doing before any strength training program.

Oh, what’s that? You’re new to strength training and not sure what you’re doing? No problem!

We help people exactly like you.

Well, not exactly. You’re a unique snowflake, your mom loves you, etc.

What I mean is we help people like you to start strength training.

We do form checks, create custom workouts based on your equipment and time commitment, and more.

Our 1-on-1 Coaching App can change your life! Learn how to get strong safely:

To answer your first few questions…

“Steve, I can’t do jumping jacks/I live on the second floor.” 

That’s okay – the reason I love jumping jacks is that they work out all four of your limbs at once and get you bouncing around.

Instead, channel your inner Chuck Norris and do punches and kicks with each leg. I don’t care if you can’t kick higher than your shins and your punch wouldn’t kill a fly…just get those limbs flailing and warmed up!

You could also just do “Walking Jacks.”

“Um, your warm-up is tougher than my actual workout!” 

The dynamic warm-up above is designed for people who are doing serious training.

If you are doing heavy deadlifts and squats and overhead presses, a proper warm-up could keep you out of a career-ending injury.

However, if you are just getting started with exercise and you’re only doing bodyweight exercises, obviously 20 real push-ups during your workout isn’t possible…

THAT’S OKAY. Think of the above as the warm-up you aspire to complete. In the meantime, do the best you can. Let’s say:

• Jump rope for 30 seconds
• Leg swings and arm circles: 20 reps
• Squats: 10 reps
• Lunges: 5 each leg
• Eelevated push-ups wall push-ups: 5 reps

Follow the rest of the routine as planned if possible.

In this routine, your warm-up will act as part of your workout, as you’ll be doing the same functional movements.

Do the BEST you can, keep track of your results for your warm up too, and improve with each workout.

With enough consistency and persistency (not a word, but rhymed better and sounded way better than persistence), you’ll be busting out the full warm-up routine before kicking ass at your actual workout!

Don’t have a program to follow? Or tired of following a random plan online that’s not getting you results?

Check out our Online Coaching Program – we’ll take care of all the heavy lifting (except the actual “heavy lifting,” that’s your job).

Our coaching program changes lives. Let me show you how we can change yours:

Warm Up Properly And Avoid Injury!

Hopefully, this is a post you bookmark, as it’s probably one of the more important ones I’ve ever written.

If you want to stay injury-free, put your body through a dynamic warm-up before you start your exercise.

If you are somebody that wants to follow a program that is tailor-made for their life and situation and goals, check out our popular 1-on-1 Coaching program.

You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself, answer any and all fitness questions you have, and program your workouts and nutrition for you.

Our Online Coaching Program is like having Yoda in your pocket (not literally, that would be awesome though). Learn more here:

What other questions can I answer for you about warming up properly?

I’m here to help!

-Steve

PS: Still here, but not sure what to do after your warm-up? Why not let our app tell you exactly what to do!

PPS: The companion post to this guide is “How to Stretch After a Workout.” Give it a read if you’re wondering about what post-workout routines you should try.

###

All photo sources can be found right here.^[1]

from Blog – Nerd Fitness https://ift.tt/2kAEsNt
via IFTTT

This High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) guide is probably the best interval training guide in the galaxy.

My justification for such a bold claim?

We’re really good at this stuff, AND we have dinosaurs and Muppets.

Plus, lots of great gifs:

We build custom interval training programs just like the ones in this guide for our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Clients, including workouts for at home, the gym, or even while traveling.

Want a HIIT workout program you’ll actually enjoy? Learn more:

In this Ultimate Guide to Interval Training, we’ll cover:

• What is interval training? What is HIIT?
• What are the benefits of HIIT? Why should you do interval training?
• What’s an example of interval training? How to do interval running.
• How do HIIT workouts work?
• What are the best HIIT exercises?
• Is HIIT good for losing weight?
• Getting started with interval training.
• Mistakes to avoid when doing HIIT.
• HIIT timer recommendations.
• Our interval training workout recommendation.

If you’re interested in starting a HIIT practice (which you are, ’cause you’re here), you may want to try our new app! It contains a fun adventure that will take you from sitting on your couch to a full HIIT workout – with plenty of benchmarks in between for you to find your groove. No guesswork needed, just jump into the app and follow it’s next steps.

You can sign-up for a free trial right here:

What is Interval Training? What is HIIT?

In 2018, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) was ranked the number one fitness trend by American College of Sports Medicine.^[1]

Essentially, HIIT is just following a specific regimen where you vary your speeds and intensity throughout a shorter run, swim, bike, or row.

Any exercise can be a form of HIIT, but here’s a common routine:

• Jogging lightly for three minutes.
• Pushing yourself harder for a minute (run or sprint).
• Repeating this cycle 4 more times.

Because everybody is busy and overwhelmed, fast results in the least amount of time leads to most people discovering HIIT. 

You may be asking, “Steve, just how short and intense are we talking about here? Also, your new haircut looks spiffy.”

Thank you, you’re very kind.

So let’s explore the pros and cons of intervals.

What are the Benefits of HIIT? Why Should You Do Interval Training?

The 1996 landmark Tabata study demonstrated the benefits of extreme HIIT.^[2]

Dr. Izumi Tabata, from Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports, was obsessed with interval training.

The doctor sought to see exactly what kind of gains were obtained from short, intense, periods of exercise. He conducted an experiment with Olympic athletes on stationary bikes and put them through intense bouts of exercise followed by short periods of rest.

The results were fascinating.

Compared to regular cardio, HIIT had a greater impact on improving BOTH:

• Aerobic increases (endurance).
• Anaerobic increases (power).

Even crazier? Tabata was able to demonstrate improvements in his athletes with just four minute bursts.

So what’s happening here?

Simple: your heart is a muscle.

If you keep your heart beating at a constant rate, never expanding it outside of its comfort zone, it will never grow stronger.

By introducing chaos and pushing your muscles outside of their comfort zone, they must adapt and grow more resilient in order to survive.

Intense interval training challenges your heart by constantly forcing it outside of its comfort zone.

In other words: progressive overload – the same concept behind building strength.

Since Tabata’s 1996 study, many other trials have shown the positive impact of interval training. 

Here are some of the benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training:

#1) HIIT for Weight loss. A study in the Journal of Obesity found participants were able to lose more body fat following a HIIT program compared to regular cardio.^[3]

This makes sense, because other studies suggest high-intensity interval training burns more calories than a “steady state” workout.^[4]

Revving up your effort requires more out of you, including calories. If you’re interested in HIIT for weight loss, you might be on the right track.

Plus, interval training can take less time than steady-state cardio.

The average interval training workout is 20 minutes or less.

However, I should note that a meta-study (a review of multiple studies) found no real difference in fat loss between HIIT and steady-state cardio.^[5] We’ll talk about this, and the impact of diet for weight loss later. 

#2) HIIT for lowering blood sugar. Managing blood sugar is really important for health, not just for diabetics.

Those trying to lose fat should be aware of their blood sugar and corresponding insulin levels.

The good news for our current discussion? HIIT has been shown to help lower and manage blood sugar levels.^[6]

#3) HIIT for heart health. Touching on the “antifragile” topic again, HIIT has been shown to help with overall cardiovascular health.

It does so in the same way traditional endurance training does, but at a fraction of the time (almost half).^[7]

Now, before you accuse me of being a shill for Big HIIT, I will mention that many of the comments that “HIIT is the secret to fat loss” are overblown.^[8]We’ll touch on more of that later.

For now, let’s chat about how to actually do some interval training.

What’s an example of Interval Training? How to do interval running

The key to HIIT is being able to go from “easy” to “difficult.” All sorts of different exercises can get you there:

• Aerobic (cardio).
• Bodyweight (strength training).
• Resistance (weight training).

HIIT is generally associated with running (aerobic), so we’ll devote this section to just that.

The easiest way to experiment with HIIT would be to run.

Here’s how to start with a basic HIIT running workout. Go to a park in your neighborhood. Warm-up with some light jogging, high knees, and mobility – leg swings, arm swings, etc,

And then begin your workout!

• Run/jog at a brisk pace for 30 seconds.
• Jog/walk at a slower pace for 2 minutes.
• After your rest, shoot for another 30-second run/jog.
• Continue until you get tired or after about ten “push/rest” intervals.

And BAM! You just did HIIT.

Don’t get disheartened if you find yourself stopping a lot during your first week of HIIT training. 

You’ll be surprised how quickly you get better at this!

Also, “running” or “jogging” is subjective. Whatever walking fast means to you is great. Do that for your periods of intensity.

It should be noted, that the entire “Couch to 5K” concept rests on interval training through running.

It’s all broken down into “walking,” “jogging” and “running.”

If you’re curious, check out our in-depth Couch to 5k review. If you want to start interval training, “Couch to 5K” could be a good way to do it.

More of an indoor person?

Consider a treadmill, where it actually sets intervals for you based on your desired difficulty.

Just be careful on it…

We’ll be talking about machines a lot more in the next section, but a treadmill is all you need to do a HIIT workout.

Experiment with the speed and incline to find a setting that you would consider “intense.” Many machines can be programmed to flip between this and an “easy” setting.

And you know what that means… boom! It’s built for HIIT.

When we designed NF Journey, we used this “intense” and “easy” interval switch for much of the workouts within the app.

If you want, you can sign-up for a free trial right here to see what I mean:

How do HIIT Workouts Work? (More HIIT cardio to choose from)

There are a lot of different aerobic exercises for HIIT cardio.

For example, you could jump on a bike, which is like HIIT running but with wheels (duh):

Every spin class is based on HIIT cycling (SoulCycle, Flywheel, or even your local gym now has spin classes).

They’re popular for a reason, and you can make a friend or two!

Here are some more examples of interval training:

1. Elliptical. If it has a dial for resistance, it can be used for interval training. For a couple of minutes, go on low resistance (0-2 level). Then crank up the resistance for one minute (up to 8-10). Repeat this process 12 times, which will give you a 20-minute workout.
2. Stair Climber. Much like the elliptical, alternate between periods of low intensity for two minutes, then one minute for high intensity. The difference with the climber is the dial will control the speed of the stairs. Be careful.
3. Rowing machine. Start with a two minute warm-up. On minute three however, row like you’re being chased by the Kraken for a full 60 seconds. Then catch your breath. The rowing machine might be hard to do for a full 20 minutes, since it’s a lot of upper body. Shoot for ten minutes at first.
4. Jumping rope. Jumping rope is a full-body exercise. Also, it’s fun. There’s no dial here, your own body controls the pace of the jump. Follow the same two minute easy, one minute intense as above. Jump rope can also be done with friends!

So far we’ve just been talking about aerobic exercises.

Let’s cover our other categories, of bodyweight and resistance.

What Are the Best HIIT Exercises? (Two Other Forms of Interval Training)

“Steve, this all sounds great. But I hate running!”

Confession: So do I.

So I get my cardio in other forms!

Here are some bodyweight exercises to get going on HIIT:

• Burpees. Stand up, then squat down, kick your legs out, do a push-up, bring your legs back in, and explode up into a jump. Try to do 20 repetitions, then rest for two minutes. Repeat until you hate yourself:

• Push-ups. For 20 seconds, do as many push-ups as possible. Rest. Then do it again. If you’re worried about proper form, check out our push-up guide and watch this:

• Pull-ups. Same idea as above, do pull-ups for 20 seconds, then rest. If you can’t do a pull-up, we got you covered in our pull-up progression guide:

Let’s now chat some Weight Training Examples for HIIT:

1. Kettlebell swing. For ten minutes, do 20 kettlebell swings on every minute. This will be intense, and worthy of congratulations when you’re done. Check out our 20 Minute Beginner Kettlebell Workout for everything you’ve ever wanted to know about kettlebells.
2. Battle ropes. If your gym has battle ropes, they’ll be a great tool for HIIT. For intensity, the amount of slack in the rope determines the load. The more slack on the rope the tougher, and more intense, the workout. Also, don’t get stuck in just up and down movements. Some variation will help target different muscles.
3. Weight lifting. The critical piece will be moving from one exercise to another, for example the bench press to the lat bar: we call this circuit training!

You can also do circuit training as a form of HIIT.

Circuit training is going through a sequence of exercises, or stations, back to back.

Push-ups to pull-ups, back to push-ups, only resting briefly from one exercise to another.

Circuit training would be perfect to mix into a HIIT workout, since you can design your circuit to be very intense.

Check out our post for 15 Circuit Training Routines to choose from.

Plus, there’s a Batman workout hidden in there. You’re welcome.

We create custom HIIT programs for busy people like you that are ACTUALLY fun. If you’re looking for a supportive coach to guide you and tell you exactly what to do each day, we got you covered!

Exercise doesn’t have to suck. Learn more about our coaching program!

If you just want a beginner circuit to get started with, you can try out our Beginner Bodyweight Workout Routine. Plus you can download a free worksheet to track your progress with this circuit when you join the Rebellion below:

Oh, what’s that? You want to have even MORE fun while getting the benefits of HIIT? Let’s think outside the box:

Basketball, tennis, soccer, and Ultimate (frisbee) are AMAZING styles of exercise that use interval training (it’s all start and stop!).

Run here, catch this, and wait for the next round to start.

That’s what we’re looking for in a HIIT workout.

So pick a form of FUN exercise that gets your heart racing faster and slower throughout the activity (yes, I suppose even THAT activity would count).

Is HIIT Good for Losing Weight? Is Interval Training Good for Losing Weight?

My guess is that you’re reading this article because you’re trying to get the most efficient “bang for your buck” when it comes to getting in shape.

And HIIT is a great form of exercise and COULD help with weight loss.

I will, however, lower some of these outlandish claims that exist in the media.

For example, Time magazine calls HIIT “miraculous” in one article.^[9]

That’s a little much, even for me, who writes for a living on why you should work out and likes using hyperbole for effect.

Seriously, I’m better at it than ANYBODY ON THE PLANET.

Ahem.

Cardio, strength training, and HIIT all have many benefits.

HIIT deserves praise, but exercise in general deserves praise. As we discussed in our “Cardio vs HIIT vs Weights” post, all three forms of training have their place, and the best one for you is the one you actually do.

And strength training. Always strength training.

So to answer your question, is HIIT the secret and only weapon for weight loss?

Nah, it’s just great exercise.

And exercise is important.

But if you want to lose body fat, how you eat will be responsible for 80% of your success or failure.

This means that I don’t care how many intervals you do, it’s not gonna help you lose weight if you don’t also fix your nutrition.

You can read our Beginner’s Guide to Nutrition if you want more information.

And if you want to download our free 10-level Nutrition Guide to help you fix your diet starting today, you can do so by signing up in the box below:

Getting Started with Interval Training

When it’s time to advance your high-intensity interval training, think about the following:

1. Frequency. This would be the number of intervals in your workout.
2. Intensity. How hard are you going in each interval?
3. Time. How long are your intervals and rest periods?

Maybe you start out doing 3 intervals of intense running.

Once it becomes routine, bring it up to 4.

Maybe you crank the resistance on your stationary bike to “8” during your intense interval. When it becomes normal, bring it up to “10.”

Maybe you do pull-ups for 20 seconds. When you’ve got a good handle on that, aim for 30 seconds.

This mindset will keep you advancing in interval training.

Consistency is the name of the game. Even just doing a HIIT workout once a week will help you progress in all three categories.

Want a program that adapts to your progress each month? Learn more:

Mistakes to Avoid When Doing High-Intensity Interval Training

There’s a lot to consider when embarking on a HIIT practice.

No matter which routine you end up starting with, make sure you follow these words of wisdom:

1. Ease into it. As the saying goes, “you must walk before you can run.” The importance is building a HIIT practice. If you need to go “less intense” before progressing to “intense,” that’s fine. It’ll help build your aerobic capabilities (endurance), which will be important when working on intensity. Start with walking.
2. Keep proper form. Doing your movements correctly will help prevent injury. Here’s how to run properly. This is even more critical in your later intervals, where you may be exhausted and tired. If you find yourself breaking form, go ahead and slow down. Intense isn’t worth an injury.
3. Get rest. Our bodies actually build muscle while we are resting. So take some “off days” from your HIIT practice. Want to stay active on these days? Do some fun exercise!

Take it easy, focus on your form, and make sure to prioritize rest.

HIIT Timer Recommendations

HIIT centers on doing intervals.

One moment it’s intense, the next you’re onto a short rest break.

A good way to know when it’s time to go from one sequence to the next is a timer. A loud “beep” can tell you when it’s okay to catch your breath or when you have to kick it in gear.

Here are 5 HIIT timers you can try out:

1. Runtastic. Don’t let the name fool you, this free app is for more than just running. You can customize for many different interval workouts, depending on what exercise you go with. And the interface looks slick.
2. Seconds. It’s free and customizable to any form of HIIT. It can also integrate with your music, which is pretty sweet.
3. Seven. If you’re new to HIIT, Seven would be a good app for you. It’s free, plus it has illustrations for exercises. You also get to customize your own virtual personal trainer, which may be the future of fitness. The bots are coming…
4. Sworkit. First off, it’s a clever name (taken from “Simply Work It.”) Second, it’s free. Third, it can display your workout, goals, and calories burned. I like it.
5. J&J Official Seven Minute Workout. This free app from Johnson & Johnson is actually really awesome. It has premade workouts you can choose form based on your fitness level, or tweak them to make it your own.

Also, we need to talk about interval timers. Most of the apps referenced are completely customizable.

For example, you can change the intense interval from 120 seconds to 90 seconds.

This is critical because it’s up to you to decide how long you can do intense vs. rest.

Generally, folks recommend one minute of intensity and then two for rest when doing HIIT.

However, this all depends on the individual, and exercises performed.

For example, burpees are tougher to do than jumping over a rope:

So feel free to make changes like 30 seconds of intensity and three minutes of rest. Make it your own.

Whatever way you chose to do HIIT, is fine, as long as you actually do it. The benefits of HIIT kick in when going HARD for you.

In other words, you don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to get the benefits of HIIT.^[10]

A light jog totally works. Just don’t do it in a mascot costume.

As we discussed, if you’re consistent, you’ll improve.

So don’t stress about where you have to start.

For now, download an app and get going.

I hate multiple choice. Pick a HIIT workout for me!

Let’s power walk as our form of HIIT. 

This is an example of a beginner HIIT workout we might prescribe for our Coaching Clients who are starting to train for their first 5K.

Let’s do seven intervals, two minutes each:

1. Warm-up. For three minutes, walk at an easy pace.
2. Intervals. For the first 60 seconds, power walk, like you’re trying to beat someone to the front of the line at Starbucks.
3. For the next 60 seconds, just walk.
4. Repeat six more times.
5. Cool down. You can do some more light walking, or a little bit of stretching here would be great.

Total time: 20 minutes.

I want to stress, that you can do just about any exercise in exchange for this routine. Just minus “power walk” and add “push-ups and bodyweight squats”

It’ll still be a great HIIT workout.

“But Steve, that’s still multiple choice!”

Right, right… sorry. Stick to power walking! Done!

How to Start Interval Training now

Do our power walking routine above. It’s a great place to start.

Remember, our goal at this stage is “build the habit.”

We can work on “whoa, that was intense” later.

If you’re looking for EVEN MORE stuff to do, we have a few options for ya:

1) Check out our popular 1-on-1 coaching program. You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself and program your workouts and nutrition for you.

Our coaching program kicks ass. Let us help you reach your goals!

2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Check out Nerd Fitness Journey!

Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

3) Enlist in the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. 

Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. It’ll help you start incorporating interval training into your workouts.

There are a zillion ways to do HIIT, so don’t let the options paralyze you.

Pick one, any one, and get to it.

Interval training, in any form, is a solid fitness choice and a great practice to have in the workout arsenal.

Any questions?

Which HIIT workout style is your favorite?

Leave it in the comments below!

-Steve

PS: Make sure you check out the rest of our content on interval training:

1. The HIIT Workout for Home
2. How to Do Tabata Sprints
3. Should You Do Couch to 5K?

###

All photo credits can be found in this footnote.^[10]

 

from Blog – Nerd Fitness https://ift.tt/2U0I8Xa
via IFTTT

So you’ve decided it’s time to start running?

Perfect! You’ve arrived at the right place.

We’ve helped thousands of people run injury-free and train for their first 5k or marathon, and we’ve put together everything you need to know below too! 

Tired of getting injured while running? Work with a Nerd Fitness Coach and train smarter today!

Here’s what we’ll cover in our guide to running:

• How to Run Properly Stage 1: Initial Conditioning
• How to Run Properly Stage 2: Warm-Ups for Running
• How to Run Properly Stage 3: Correct Running Technique
• How to Run Properly Stage 4: Walk Before You Run
• Which shoes are best for running?
• Where can I go for a run? What’s the best surface to run on?
• Will running help me lose weight? (Make sure you WANT to run!) 
• How do I start running? (Next Steps)

If you’re interested in starting a proper running practice (which you are, ’cause you’re here), you may want to try our new app! It contains a fun adventure that will take you from sitting on your couch to running a full 5k – with plenty of benchmarks in between for you to find your groove. No guesswork needed, just tie your shows and follow along with the app. 

You can sign-up for a free trial right here:

How to Run Properly Stage 1: Initial Conditioning

Before you even THINK about strapping on a new pair of Nike shoes and going for a run around your neighborhood, we need to get a few things straight:

Your body needs to have a base level of fitness before running becomes a viable option.

Here’s why running too early can be harmful:

• Every time you run, every time you take a step, you put the pressure of your entire body weight on the muscles, tendons, and joints in your legs, knees, ankles, feet, and toes.
• If you are overweight and have improper running technique, that means your joints and tendons are taking an absolute POUNDING for however many steps you take during your run: around 6,200 steps in a 5k, 12,200 steps in a 10k, or 50,000+ steps in a marathon.

Your initial conditioning for running will center on three points:

#1) Focus on your nutrition. This will allow you to lose weight which will reduce the impact of running on your tendons and joints.

#2) Strength Train. We have coaching clients who repeatedly injured themselves running until they started a strength training practice. After lifting some weights their ligaments grew strong and allowed them to run injury-free. 

If you have no idea how to start a strength training practice, give our Beginner Bodyweight Workout a try:

Many a Rebel have used the workout to springboard their strength training journey. 

#3) Finally let’s add in some activity that’s low-impact:

• Walking – go for a nice long walk around your town, and keep your head up. Enjoy the scenery.
• Hiking – my personal favorite: get out and see the world!
• Biking – easy on your joints, gets you moving.
• Swimming – very low impact as the water holds you up.
• Elliptical – although I’m not a fan of spending all afternoon in a gym on a treadmill, this is the better option as it removes the opportunity for joint impact.

Check out 40 Ways to Exercise Without Realizing It for fun activities to keep your body moving!

To Recap: strength train, reduce your calorie consumption, and begin a low impact activity – build up your foundation to prep your body for running. The less weight your body has to carry around, the less work your legs and joints have to do, the less likely you’ll be to damage your joints and/or injure yourself.

Now that you have a solid foundation and you’re ready to start running, you can move on to the next step.

If you don’t know where to start on changing your diet, or have had trouble with it in the past, I got you.

We created the Nerd Fitness Diet cheat sheet to help you get going. It’s a level up system designed for you to adopt new healthy habits, that will stick, by slowly progressing you from a newbie to an expert.

If you’ve had trouble previously, perhaps it’s because you changed too much too quickly.

Want to check it out? You can grab it for free when you join the Rebellion in the box below!

How to Run Properly Stage 2: Warm-Ups for Running

Before you take your first stride as a runner, you need to be properly warmed up.

When most people think of warming up, they probably think of standing there and doing some static stretching for 10 minutes…you know, to make sure you don’t get injured!

Wrong! Fail! Stretching before running can actually increase your risk of injury.^[3]

Instead, try a dynamic warm-up – get your body properly warmed up and prepared for the rigors of running.

Here’s a running specific warm-up video from my friend Jason over at Strength Running, who you’ll see in more videos below:

Here’s Staci, our Senior Coach, providing you with a quick sequence to try out:

You can also check out our post “How to Warm Up Properly” for more moves and tips.

Just like with strength training, if you don’t have time to warm up, you don’t have time to run.

Cut the run short if you need to, but not the warm-up!

How to Run Properly Stage 3: Correct Running Technique

If you don’t learn how to run correctly, you’re doomed to develop an overuse injury and that’s going to negate the whole reason you started running in the first place!

This is why your running form is so damn crucial: when you run, you’re putting hundreds of pounds of pressure on your joints and ligaments with each bounding step down the road. This is then repeated thousands of times over the course of training and a race.

No wonder nearly every runner has tons of stories of injuries they’ve had to deal with. It can be a brutal activity that can wreak havoc even with good running mechanics.

With poor running mechanics, the results are compounded.

• Not the GOOD kind of “compounded” like compound interest, which you learned in 2nd grade with the story about starting with 1 penny a day and doubling it for 30 days.
• The BAD kind of “compounded” like plantar fasciitis and stress fractures and sore IT bands and torn ligaments and crazy soreness all the time.

We don’t want that.

Make sure you follow the below five steps:

1) LEAN FROM YOUR ANKLES:

Lean from your ankles, and keep a straight line from your ankle, through your butt, and up to your head. If you’re standing still with this slight forward lean, you should feel like you’re about to fall forward.

Just don’t actually fall forward.

When you start running, gravity will help keep you progressing forward. A proper lean from the ankles keeps your body in alignment and loads your muscles properly and efficiently.

2) INCREASE YOUR CADENCE: Cadence is your stride rate, or the number of steps you take per minute. It will probably seem weird at first, but you’re putting less stress on your legs with shorter foot strikes.

Your cadence should be at least 170-190 steps per minute when you’re running at an easy, conversational pace. It will probably increase once you start running faster—that’s normal.

“Steve, what the hell do I do with “170-190 steps per minute?”

Great question. Go to Spotify and look for 170-190BPM playlists, like these which I found here:

• 170-190 BPM: Hip Hop Playlist
• 170-190 Rock Playlist 

Not on Spotify? Cool. (But like, why?) To get a cadence, try running to Outkast’s “Hey Ya” and time your strides to match the beat. That’s the cadence you’re looking for:

Research has shown^[4] that increasing your cadence and taking more steps (around 180 per minute) provides many of the same benefits of barefoot running:

• Less impact shock that goes up your legs.
• Improved running economy (or your efficiency, which means you’ll run faster with less effort!).
• Reduced chance of injury.

You’ll feel like you’re taking way more steps than normal – that means you probably had poor form before and now you’re fixing it!

If your legs get to the point where they’re going this fast, let me know:

3) FOOT STRIKE AT THE RIGHT TIME: When your foot comes down and makes contact with the ground, it should be underneath your body, not in front of it.

Combined with a quick cadence and a slight forward lean from your ankles, you’ll be distributing impact shock evenly—and efficiently.

This aspect of running form is often skipped over by beginning runners.

Instead of focusing on where the foot is landing in relation to the rest of the body, they focus too much on running on their forefoot. If you don’t first land in the right place, a midfoot or forefoot strike will only do more damage.

As you’re running, a good mental cue is to think that you’re just “putting your foot down” in a straight line underneath your body.

There’s no reaching or stretching your leg out in front of you.

Practicing this mental cue will have your leg touching down almost exactly underneath your center of mass, distributing your weight evenly and safely.

4) LAND ON YOUR MIDFOOT: While not as important as landing underneath your center of mass, becoming a mid-foot striker has a host of benefits.

It can help you avoid a lot of injuries by absorbing impact shock and preventing a severe heel striking running stride.

Heel-striking can’t be entirely blamed for injuries and labeled “bad.”

Even elite athletes heel strike when they run races! It’s not entirely bad— especially if you’re putting weight down on your foot just after you heel strike, instead of directly on the heel.^[5]

What you should focus on is having a higher cadence, landing underneath your body, and not aggressively heel striking.

Try to land with your foot flat on the ground, instead of with your toes angled upwards.^[6]

5) SYMMETRICAL ARM SWINGS: Nobody wants to look at you running if you’re flailing your arms wildly all over the place like Elaine dancing from Seinfeld.

An ideal arm swing has your arm bent at about 90 degrees and a front to back swing (not side-to-side).

Imagine a pretend line that goes down your mid-line or center of your body. When you run, your hands should not cross over this imaginary line.

Cup your hands loosely together (no clenched fists!) and if you want to use your arms for momentum, pump your elbows, not your hands.

Once you incorporate these changes into your running form, you’ll feel a lot more comfortable and your injury risk is going to plummet.

For extra credit, learn to run softly and quietly.

Foot stomping isn’t allowed and gets increasingly more difficult as you approach 180 steps per minute.

A few other things you want to keep in mind:

• Keep a tall back, chest up. No slouching.
• Look 30-50 meters in front of you – not head down looking at your toes.

Both are easy cues to keep an athletic posture and good running form.

Go back through and read this section a few more times. We know it’s a LOT to think about while running, but it is incredibly important.

If you get a chance, have somebody film you running, and then watch your tape back to see how you’re doing.

I should note that we provide form checks to our coaching clients. Through our awesome app, you can record a video of your running form or exercise technique and send it right to your coach! That way you can know your running and training safely and correctly!

Have a Nerd Fitness Coach check your running form! Learn more by clicking here.

How to Run Properly Stage 4: Walk Before You Run

Starting a running practice can be daunting. 

That’s why I actually recommend walking first. I mentioned earlier that walking can help build the foundation of a great running practice.

Once you’re comfortable moving a little bit, an ideal way to actually start running is to alternate between a brisk walk and a jog. This can help you build up some strength so you can run at a more constant pace.

Try the following five steps to start your running practice:

1. Get comfortable walking for 20 minutes. That’s it. Stroll around your neighborhood a few times a week, until this is a cake-walk.^[7]
2. Bump it up to 30 minutes. After 20 minutes is no problem, take it to the next level for a 30-minute walk. Once you can handle this fine, we can start picking up the pace.
3. Start run/walking. Walk as you have been for 10 minutes. Then, pick up the pace for a light jog for a minute (or 30 seconds if this is too tough). Give yourself a couple more minutes of walking (or longer) before you start jogging again. Do this for about 10 minutes, then walk normally for the last 10 minutes. You’ll still come in at 30 minutes for your exercise.
4. Now, run for longer. Once you’re comfortable holding a one minute jog, let’s take it up a notch. We’ll still have you warm up for 10 minutes of walking, but when you jog, try going for a minute and a half. If this seems easy, go for 2 minutes! Alternate to a slower walk whenever you need to catch your breath.
5. Before you know it, you will be a runner. As you expand your jogging time, lower the amount of time you walk. At this point, you’re basically running with some short walking breaks. Which is fine! This is how people start to run and many continue to alternate between walking and jogging forever. Even if you get to the point of running races, there’s nothing wrong with taking some walking breaks. You do you.

Alright, we’ve talked about technique, plus some tips for getting up and running.^[8]

However, I know you’re gonna ask, so let’s talk about what kicks you should rock.

Which Shoes Are Best for Running?

There are four components to look for in any shoe.

If the shoe doesn’t meet these four criteria, then your foot is going to be compromised.

A good shoe has:

1. Minimal “heel drop:” a lower heel-toe height difference.
2. A wide toe box that allows your foot to spread as it lands on the ground with each step.
3. A pliable bottom that allows your toes to bend to a full ninety degrees of flexion as you step.
4. Something to attach it to your ankle area.

Let’s look at each in a bit more detail:

1. Minimal heel-toe height difference (aka “drop”). When your shoe raises your heel higher than your forefoot (aka “heel lift”), your ankle and lower leg are being positioned in a slightly shortened position for the duration that you’re wearing the shoes.

When your leg muscles are thrown into a slightly unnatural position, it means the mobility of your ankle will suffer… and this will limit all sorts of things including your running gait.^[9]

This doesn’t just mean high-heels either, although running in heels is ridiculous.

This includes most regular shoes that have a bulky heel and lower toe. In many shoes, you’ll see this difference between heel and forefoot referred to as a “drop,” so “zero-drop” shoes are shoes where heel and forefoot are at the same height.

Check to see what your current shoes weigh, and each time you buy a new pair of shoes, work your way towards more and more minimal shoes – down to 10 oz or so (which would qualify them as “minimalist shoe” in our book).

Our advice would be to not go too far below 7-8 ounces.

The big question: “Should I be doing barefoot running?” – Occasionally, and with proper form, SURE. But don’t just put on a pair of Vibram 5 Finger toe shoes and go run a 5k on concrete tomorrow. That’s a recipe for disaster.

2. A wide toe box that allows your foot to spread as it lands on the ground with each step. With each step you take, your foot actually spreads wider upon landing. This is impossible for your foot to do when it’s in a shoe that is too narrow.

If the toe box is not at least as wide as your foot when you’re standing on your foot, while it’s bearing your weight, that’s a problem for your foot. Know that as your foot becomes more ‘natural’ it’s possible it will it may widen further, as the muscles and bones reposition themselves.

Feet crammed into a shoe is like putting a leash on Sonic the Hedgehog: they want to be free!

3. A pliable bottom that allows your toes to bend fully as you step. Your great toe is meant to flex to ninety degrees as you move through the gait cycle. See below:

If your shoe does not allow this due to a hard sole, your feet won’t be able to move as well, and the soft tissues of your foot will get weaker from not being used fully.

PLUS, when you aren’t flexing your big toe regularly, your body will start to lose the ability to use that joint fully. This can lead to all sorts of problems. Doh!

4. It’s strapped to your foot. If the shoe isn’t strapped around your ankle, your toes are going to grab at the shoe to keep it on with every step you take. This makes some of your foot bones push down and some of your foot bones lift up.

That shift means you change the amount of forces on each bone. Over time, this can lead to stress fractures and tissue injuries.

Check out the video below from movement specialist Kelly Starrett:

For each point above, this isn’t an “all or nothing” scenario. Similar to your nutrition, do the best you can when you can, and work your way into running with a minimalist shoe.

If you want to learn more about proper footwear, make sure you check out “A Nerd’s Guide to Healthy Feet,” written by Kate Galliett of FitForRealLife.com.

Lastly, if you want to learn more about the benefits of ditching your shoes altogether, you can check out our article “Is Barefoot Running Really Better for You?”

Where can I go for a run? What’s the best surface to run on?

For the most part, it doesn’t really matter what surface you run on if your form is good and you’re resting enough to recover between your workouts. 

But each surface does affect your body in different ways, so you should know the pros and cons of each one.

#1) Asphalt (road): 

People have been running on the roads since they were first paved over 100 years ago. Most people run exclusively on the roads since they’re the most common surface that’s available for running.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with road running. It’s stable and has a relatively predictable surface so you probably won’t twist an ankle.^[10] 

 As long as you’re avoiding cars and running AGAINST the flow of traffic (so you can see approaching cars) you’ll be safe.

The danger of roads comes when you run on the same side of the road all the time. 

The problem lies with the road’s slope. 

For drainage reasons, every road has a slight slope toward the curb. If you’re always running against the flow of traffic your left leg is going to be slightly lower than your right. The solution is to switch sides of the road, but only if traffic conditions allow. 

#2) Concrete (most sidewalks): 

Most sidewalks are made of concrete, not asphalt, and are actually a lot harder than the road itself. This isn’t necessarily a drawback, but you will be experiencing more impact forces on concrete than the road. If you do a lot of running on the sidewalk, make sure your form is as good as it can be!^[11] 

#3) Grass (fields): 

Unless the grass is very hard-packed and smooth, I don’t recommend running on it for a long period of time. Grass is very soft so you won’t be sending jarring impact forces up through your legs like concrete, but the uneven surface is going to break up your stride and you could tweak your ankle or a muscle in your foot.

Some grass is great to run on, though. The harder and smoother it is, the better it is for running…like a golf course.^[12]

#4) Dirt or crushed gravel trails:

Smooth dirt or crushed gravel (very fine— not big chunks of gravel you find in some driveways!) are some of the best running surfaces. Like the hard grass surface of a golf course, dirt and crushed gravel trails offer the same impact-dissipating qualities while still retaining firm footing. It’s the best of both worlds.

You’ll find these types of trails at larger parks with walking paths or in national/state parks with well-maintained trails. 

#5) Single-track trails: 

Think sharp turns, rocks, roots, stream crossings, hills, and anything else Mother Nature can throw at you. In a word: FUN.

These trails are usually narrow and filled with obstacles. The hills, direction changes, and irregular surface will force you to use a lot of stabilizing muscles in your lower legs. This could be good for building strength. 

#6) Track:

Found at most local high schools and colleges, a 400-meter outdoor track provides a great training place for workouts.^[13] But that’s what they’re for: workouts. Not every day running!

The surface is forgiving like hard-packed dirt or a very firm golf course. But while the surface is great, the turns are what makes a track not ideal for everyday training. By doing all of your running on a track, you’re constantly turning left and setting yourself up for muscle imbalances.

You’re better off running somewhere where the turns are varied so you expose yourself to different stresses instead of the same thing over and over again. That’s how overuse injuries happen. Tracks are for faster workouts, not easy distance runs.

WHAT SURFACE SHOULD YOU RUN ON?

Your training would ideally be a combination of all of the surfaces that are available to you. Exposing your body to as much variety as possible will give you a better chance at preventing injury since you’re not doing the same thing over and over again.

The few types of running surfaces that lend themselves to more frequent training are: 

• Smooth dirt trails
• Crushed gravel paths
• Hard packed grass (like a golf fairway).

The footing is sure and the surface isn’t too soft or firm.

Limit your running on concrete and technical trails because of the injury risk. Most sidewalks are made from concrete and are incredibly hard. Throw a tennis ball on one to see for yourself—it’ll shoot right up into the air because of the returned energy. Those same forces are being returned into your legs when you run on them. 

Technical trails present a different challenge: roots, streams, rocks, and uneven terrain. 

Run sparingly!

A good strategy to use when deciding where to run is to figure out how your body feels. 

If you’re sore or have a tender muscle, run on a softer surface. A dirt trail or well-manicured field will help you recover better than the roads. 

But if you’re doing a workout, you want to avoid technical trails or a concrete sidewalk. Pick the track, a clear dirt trail, or a road without a severe camber.

Will Running Help Me Lose Weight? (Make Sure You Like Running!)

When people tell me they’re going to start a running routine, I always ask: “Great! Do you enjoy running?”

If the answer is “No, not really” then I’d say, “Interesting. Then….why running?”

Most people think running = weight loss. If you’re brand new to health and fitness, and you’re trying to lose weight, you’re most likely overwhelmed at what you should start with and how you should train.

So let’s answer the question “will running help me lose weight?”

Maybe!

Running will help you lose weight if you do two things:

1. You run consistently.
2. You fix your diet.

Running won’t help you lose weight if you do two things:

1. You run consistently.
2. You don’t fix your diet.

As sexy as it is to think that just going for a run will help you lose weight, the data doesn’t back it up. Time Magazine rightly pointed this out years ago, and got yelled at for telling the truth, that exercise alone won’t make you lose weight.^[2]

I believe that to be especially true when exercise is only steady-speed cardio.

In fact, many people gain weight after starting an exercise routine and get completely demoralized.

What gives?

As we say here at Nerd Fitness, you can’t outrun your fork, and nutrition is 90% of the battle.

If you go for a mile run and then stuff your face with extra calories “because you earned it,” you’re going to gain weight.

It’s not because you have a slow metabolism, I promise. It’s because you’re consuming too many calories.

This is a common mistake: not fixing your nutrition if you’re running for weight loss!

If this were a movie, nutrition would be Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible and exercise is that funny sidekick who helps Tom. Let’s be real here, Tom is doing all of the heavy lifting to make that movie what it is.

While exercise is important for health, it doesn’t have to be running. It can come from activities you DO enjoy:

• Hiking
• Strength training
• Martial arts
• Ultimate Frisbee

Whatever…

Now, if you answer the question “do you even like running?” with something like:

• “Yes! I love running.”
• “I like interval training and sprints.”
• “I don’t love it, but I need to complete it for a fitness test.”
• “I’m running a 5k for charity/work and want to do well.”
• “Not yet, but I think I could…”
• “I like how I feel AFTER a run.”

…then we can continue the conversation!

The perfect place to continue the conversation?

Our new app! We have an adventure that takes all the information in this guide and provides it with actionable steps (hehe) for you to get up and running. No more “am I doing it right?” just follow the app and know you’re training correctly. 

You can sign-up for a free trial right here:

How Do I Start Running? (Next Steps)

Once you get comfortable running around your neighborhood or park, you can start thinking about taking it to the next level.

Have you ever thought about running a race? They can be a lot of fun!

Here’s a clip from a race years ago where I dressed up like a Caveman with 20 of my friends and raised thousands of dollars for kids with cancer to go to summer camp!

If you want to learn how to get started, make sure you check out our article “Couch to 5K.” We cover the popular program and give our take on running your first race.

If you want even more guidance on long-distance running, I’ll point you again to my buddy Jason Fitzgerald’s wonderful site Strength Running. I reach out to Jason whenever I need advice on proper running (including the tips found in this post).

You can also check out this interview I did with Jason, where we discuss running, proper diet, and Star Wars.

There’s some overlap…

Alright, I think you’re ready to lace up and head out the door!

Want a little more help getting going? A slight nudge to get you out of the door?

Here are my top recommendations for next steps:

#1) We have a bunch of NF Coaching clients that love to get outside and run! If you want step-by-step guidance on how to lose weight, eat better, and learn to run properly, check out our killer 1-on-1 coaching program:

Have a Nerd Fitness Coach guide your running practice!

#2) If you need a trigger to “get up and run” check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

#3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.

Sign up in the box below to enlist and get the Nerd Fitness Starter Kit, including the 15 fitness mistakes you don’t want to make and our guide to the most effective diet and why it works

Now, your turn!

Are you an avid runner?

Do you have any tips for Rebels just lacing up?

Or are you like me, and only run when something is chasing you?

Let us know in the comments!

-Steve

PS: don’t forget to check out the rest of our running content!

• Should You Do Couch to 5K?
• NF Guide to Footwear
• Is Barefoot Running Really Better For You?
• Start Interval Training and Sprint Running
• How to Do Tabata Sprints

###

Photo Source: Man on Dirt Road, Asphalt, Sidewalk, Grass Field, Gravel Trail, Hiking Trail, Track, Flash, Delivery, Decathlon, Fireman, Sonic, My Slowest Friend, Kristina Alexanderson: Lego in Shoe, Runner

GIF Source: Liam “Why”, Homer running, Mission Impossible, Parks and Rec, Homer Hospital, Eric Hospital, Elaine, Dog Golf Course, Trail Running, Walking Man. 

from Blog – Nerd Fitness https://ift.tt/2nz4LSE
via IFTTT

So you’ve hit a workout or weight loss plateau the size of a…well, actual plateau, eh?

Have no fear, our step-by-step guide will get you back on track! (Plus, the most badass Bruce Lee quote you’ll ever read).

Whether you’ve stalled in your weight loss journey, strength training, or some other fitness benchmark, today we’ll tell you exactly how to keep progressing by sharing with you the exact tools we use with our coaching clients.

A Nerd Fitness Coach can design you a program to keep progressing! Learn more here.

Don’t lose morale. Together we got this!

We’ll cover:

• What is a plateau?
• How do I know If I’ve hit a plateau? 3 ways to tell…
• Why am I plateauing? 4 reasons why…
• Is a plateau normal? (The Dip)
• What should I do when I hit a plateau? (Setting Personal Records)
• 5 tips and tricks for overcoming a plateau

I know how demoralizing plateaus can be, especially when it comes to strength training and weight loss – they can be a total momentum killer!

It’s actually why we built our newest app, Nerd Fitness Journey! It’s designed so when you wake up in the morning, you know the exact next step to help you reach your goals.

You can try it for free right here, so this plateau can be a thing of the past:

What is a Plateau?

A plateau occurs when you stall out on progress despite continuing to do “all of the right things,” usually including eating right, exercising properly, getting adequate rest, etc.

Our bodies go from losing weight consistently to getting stuck at a certain number. Or we go from building muscle and getting stronger, to having a week or two where we can’t seem to lift anything heavier.

We call this point in our training “The Plateau,” and we don’t like being stuck on them.

As we learned in a previous article on happiness, humans (nerds especially) are happier when we make progress.

When we work hard for something and don’t see progress, we get unhappy.

How Do I Know If I’ve Hit a Plateau?

I get a lot of emails from people who tell me they’re stuck in a plateau.

They talk about how they’ve been eating right, exercising, and getting enough rest and they can’t seem to make progress!

They throw their hands in the air, freak out, get discouraged, and give up or quickly move onto the next plan that they hope will work.

When somebody comes to me saying they’ve plateaued, my first response is always:

“Have you REALLLLLLLLY plateaued? REALLY?”

In a strong majority of the cases, plateaus are really just issues with concentration, tracking, and discipline in disguise. Before you think you have plateaued, consider the following:

1) HOW IS YOUR NUTRITION…REALLY? Oftentimes we think we are being diligent, until we realize that after a few weeks of eating great we’ve started slacking. “Oh I’ve been good, just this one time…” and “Hmmm, sure why not” become more commonplace as we start to fall back into old habits. Track your calories for the next week and check your numbers.

And even if you are eating the right amounts of food, there’s this: as you lose weight, your metabolism slows down. This isn’t sabotaging black magic, it’s science.

There’s simply LESS of you that your body needs to maintain.

Here is the estimated daily resting calorie burn (“sit on your ass all day”) of a 35-year old male nerd at 3 very different weights:

• 300 lbs: 2,600 calories.
• 250 lbs: 2,300 calories.
• 200 lbs: 2,000 calories.

You might have hit a plateau simply because you’ve reached an equilibrium of calories consumed to calories burned! Which means what need to adjust your calorie intake to continue losing weight.

If you are trying to bulk up, are you eating ENOUGH calories to promote muscle growth? Rededicate yourself for two weeks, track your meals, and see if progress picks back up!

2) HOW ARE YOUR WORKOUTS…REALLY? If you are weeks or months into a workout plan, I bet the initial luster of “NEW! PROGRESS! WINNING!” has worn off.

Have you been skipping that last rep, cutting out an exercise here or there, getting bored and wanting to go home?

I know when I hit a plateau at the gym, it’s generally because I haven’t been pushing myself as hard as I had been previously. Track your workouts diligently for two weeks and see if these changes kick you back on track.

3) HOW iS YOUR SLEEP?…REALLY? This is one that most people skip out on. They are exercising, eating right, but for whatever reason they’ve been slacking on their sleep.

We all know sleep is important; lack of sleep leads to increased levels of stress, less time for our bodies to rebuild muscle, to recover from strenuous activity, and more.

I know that if I didn’t get a good night’s sleep, then my performance in the gym the next day will suffer.

Can you honestly say you’ve spent two weeks with quality sleep, nutrition, and exercise?

In many cases we think we’re stuck, in need of some sort of drastic change or adjustment to kickstart progress again. Now, there are definitely instances where we ARE stuck or stalled, and that’s when things need to change.

However, before we get to covered the dreaded plateau, let’s get a few things clear.

Why Am I Plateauing?

To start, linear progress cannot continue indefinitely: 

1. If you are learning to squat and you start with just the bar, adding 5 lbs a week (which is how you should learn to squat!), you will eventually reach a point where your body cannot build the strength/muscle fast enough to continually add 5 lbs a week. If it DID work that way, in three years everybody would be squatting 1,000 pounds.
2. You will run into the same issues with weight loss. For example, it’s easier for you to lose 3 pounds a week when you are at 300 lbs than it is to lose 3 pounds a week when you are 150 pounds….there’s more of you to “lose” when you’re bigger and thus progress will be easier. If you could lose 2-3 pounds a week every week forever, at some point you’d disappear, and we don’t want that. Weight loss might slow to 1 pound every other week.
3. Your margin for error gets smaller. When you are at a higher body fat percentage, or just getting starting with training, you can make a lot of progress quickly due to there being MORE of you to lose, or MORE gains to make quickly. As you start to make progress, you can’t keep making big progress without making more and more dedicated effort.
4. Adaptive thermogensis. Our bodies WANT to maintain the extra body fat we have (“I don’t know when I’ll need this, better save”), and are actively working in unison to preserve it – so even after a few pounds, it’s going to be a persistent challenge to keep progressing. It’s a subject a dive in deep in the article “Why can’t I lose weight?” If you’ve stalled on your weight loss journey, this might be the problem, as your body is adapting to the body fat being lost.

Your progress at a consistent pace will definitely slow down, which can FEEL like a plateau. 

If you’ve been training for more than a few months, you might need to slightly adjust your expectations. Maybe this week you can only add 2.5 lbs to the bar. Or 1lb. Maybe your muscle-building will crawl to 1 lb gained a month.

It happens to all of us.

Now, if your progress stalls out COMPLETELY or you actually regress, AND you are doing all of the right things, then congrats!

You MAY have plateaued.

Like in games like World of Warcraft, at some point you will stop gaining experience from killing rats – you could spend all day doing so but because you’ve hit a certain level they no longer provide you with value.

It’s time to move onto attacking spiders, then orcs, then dragons.

When you started out, just doing 5 push-ups might have felt like a full workout. Now you can do 50 push-ups for a warm-up and not break a sweat.

Our bodies are constantly adapting and learning to manage the stresses we put on it, seeking the path of least resistance.

Back to our gaming analogy:

If it’s something worth doing, there will most likely be grinding involved, and that’s why I need to talk to you about The Dip.

No not a strength training type of ‘dip’, though those are good to help bust through a plateau too!

You can learn more about how we help build plateau-less workouts at Nerd Fitness by downloading our free Strength Training 101 ebook when you sign up in the box below:

Is a Plateau Normal? (The Dip)

I want to introduce you to Seth Godin, author of The Dip.

We all hit plateaus in our lives and quests for health and happiness. In order to be successful at the task at hand, we need to grind our way through that low point (or flat point) until we can climb out and continue progress.

Here’s a visualization of the dip:

When you first start something new, you can make quick progress and everything rocks because you see big changes.

However, after a few months, the reward you get from your effort decreases and it seems like you’re rapidly slowing down:

1. In the first few weeks of weight loss, everything is GREAT! The scale is moving, your clothes are getting looser, progress is exciting because it’s coming so quickly. Then, you might have a few weeks where you’re really trying hard and yet the scale stalls or increases.
2. When building a new running habit, each new run is exhilarating – you rapidly progress from wheezing and coughing after two blocks to now being able to run a whole mile! A few months later, that progress slows, and you find yourself struggling with the same distances and speeds even though you’re doing all of the right things.
3. When lifting weights, the first few months can be life changing. Squats, deadlifts, pull ups, push ups. Every session in the gym is an opportunity to see massive progress compared to the time before, except for that week or two when you walk in and you have to lift less than before! What gives!?

When we hit that dip/plateau where our hard work seems like it goes unrewarded, it’s easy to give up and say, “I’m a failure.”

Not true.

We will all experience a dip when it comes to progress on things that are important to us.

If we want to TRULY be successful, we need to anticipate the dip’s arrival and plan for it so that it doesn’t completely derail us.

Much like grinding out experience points in an RPG, sometimes we need to grind out practice in life, workouts, nutrition, and more…until we can hit that sweet spot for progress again.

So, how do we stay dedicated, focused, and motivated through the dip?

How do we progress during the plateau when we feel like our hard work is a waste of time?

We focus on small wins, and find a way to get a teeny tiny bit better.

What Should I Do When I Hit a Plateau? (Setting Personal Records)

In order for us to crawl out of a dip or off a plateau, we need to find a way to make a small win every day.

Think of these small wins like “a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.”

The longer we’ve been training, the older we get, and/or the more advanced we get in our training, the more likely we’ll be to hit plateaus and the more necessary it will be to grind out small victories, prepare for dips, and power through them.

Here’s how you can grind out your own small wins and prove to yourself that you are still progressing when you are in the dip:

1) TRACK EVERY SET, REP, AND WORKOUT. Find a way to be better today in SOME WAY than you were yesterday, and prove to yourself that you are still making progress – even if it’s progress in a different way that you were progressing before.

If you are stuck at 3 sets of 5 reps of 150 pounds on the bench press and haven’t been able to go up to 155 lbs for a few weeks, try 3 sets of 6 reps of 150 pounds.

Or 4 sets of 5 reps of 150 pounds.

Then come back to 3 sets of 5 reps of 155 a few weeks from now, and see if you can do that.

If you wait 60 seconds between sets, try waiting 90 seconds instead and lift a different amount

As long as SOMETHING has progressed in some way – your total amount of weight lifted, decreased time between sets, one extra rep, or one more pound lifted – it proves to yourself that you made progress. Remember, progress makes us happy.

RECORD EVERYTHING.

2) COLLECT TINY WINS. Optimus Prime doesn’t transform with one single movement; it’s a combination of hundreds of thousands of tiny movements that happen rapidly.

We are transformers (Joe especially), and our small changes add up too.

It’s these tiny, small victories that can push us over the edge. Enough small victories and we can reach that tipping point, that end of the dip where progress continues again.

Find a way to set a tiny win in SOME WAY each day that shows you that you are getting better/faster/stronger.

Here’s an example: I have been working on handstand balancing for probably 18 months. For the past few months, my progress has stagnated and even gone in reverse on some days (helloooo Dip!).

I continued to work on building the habit of handstands for five minutes a day (Hard Hat challenge for the win!). Progress felt nonexistent, but I knew that my continued dedicated practice was adding up in ways that didn’t make themselves readily apparent.

I had “stalled,” so I focused on getting tiny wins: increasing flexibility in my wrists, staying against the wall as long as I could, practicing my kick ups, tightening my core, etc.

Despite not being able to balance for longer than 10 seconds at any point in the past, I kicked up into a handstand, without even touching the wall (something else that had never happened before), and I held my handstand for 24 seconds!

I still have a ways to go before I’m holding perfectly vertical handstands for 60+ seconds, but months spent grinding out practice in the dip have paid off.

I made it through the plateau, and my progress has continued rapidly after struggling for months. Those months of struggle were teeny tiny wins in different ways that added up until I hit that tipping point where progress exploded.

3) TRACK OTHER METRICS OTHER THAN THE SCALE. The scale can lie. The scale will DEFINITELY slow down even if you are making progress in healthier ways, simply due to the fact that you have less weight to lose than you did before! You might also be dealing with extra water weight, or bloat, or menstruation, or anything in between.

So, track other things! Here’s what you can track to help keep you motivated while pleateaued:

1. Take biweekly photos. Who cares if the scale isn’t moving. Are you looking better? Are you FEELING better? Do your clothes fit better? That is progress.
2. Take measurements. Spend 5 bucks on a cloth tape measure (or one of these), and measure the important parts of your body. Maybe the scale isn’t moving, but you took half an inch off of your waist. Or maybe you added a quarter of an inch to your arms.
3. Track your body fat percentage. A simple caliper is enough to show trends. Remember Saint? His weight went UP but his body fat percentage dropped. Had he only been tracking the scale, he might have panicked during his ‘dip.’ Fortunately, he was tracking more metrics and used that momentum to catapult himself to victory.

The goal is to consistently prove to ourselves that we are moving one step closer towards our goal. 

This is exactly the system we used when we built Nerd Fitness Journey.

When you’re working through the app, not only are you doing fun missions, but you’ll see how tasks build up to your larger goal. There’s no getting stuck or frustrated, just log in and work on the next adventure.

If you want, you can sign-up for a free trial right here:

5 Tips and Tricks for Overcoming a Plateau

The above is just the beginning. This will also help you make progress and get out of that dip:

1) Shock your workout. Our bodies crave efficiency, and love to be as lazy as possible, but we truly thrive on chaos. So introduce some chaos into your system!

Note: This is NOT the same as “muscle confusion” (which is a made up marketing term to sell DVDs). We’re still progressing, lifting more, and doing the same exercises – we’re just throwing in some variation occasionally to help stimulate progress. 

If you do the exact same thing over and over and over, your body becomes more efficient at that activity.

In fact, your body can learn and adapt after doing the same thing enough times so that it burns fewer calories to carry out the process. So mix it up!

1. If you are trying to run a faster 5K? Mix in a day of sprints rather than just basic runs.
2. Trying to increase your deadlift? Rather than just doing a 1-rep max, do a day of higher volume, or train the deadlift twice a week.
3. Want to squat better? Squat with higher frequency. NF Lead female coach Staci followed an advanced Smolov Squat program for 13 weeks (Warning: not for beginners). Your body can adapt and overcompensate by getting stronger.
4. Want to improve your upper body strength/size? I’m currently doing a PLP program along with my regular workouts. Starting with 10 total reps of Pull-ups, Lunges, and Push-ups, and every day add a rep, for 50 days.

2) Adjust your diet. Your body can also become quite efficient with calories (not to mention the oft-mentioned but controversial “starvation mode” theory), and can sometimes struggle to progress.

As we lay out in “Why can’t I lose weight?,” if you’ve lost a decent amount of weight, your body now burns significantly fewer calories each day (there’s less of you to manage! This means you need to adjust your calorie intake!

So, I would start by tracking your intake and determine how many calories you should be eating.

ONLY after that doesn’t work would I recommend the following:

Consider throwing in one day a week of OVER eating, along with days where you are intermittent fasting. Keep your body guessing and see if that shocks your system back into weight loss mode.

Consider adjusting your macronutrient breakdown. Keep your protein intake high, and adjust your carbs and fats. Some people feel better or worse with high fat or low fat, high carb or low carb.

And remember, thermodynamics still rule all: weight loss requires caloric deficits.

3) REST! I’ve heard it said “there’s no such thing as “overtraining, just under-recovering.” Are you getting enough sleep?

Maybe you’re a new parent and trying to maintain your old workout routine on 2 hours of sleep a night.

Or work has you stressed like crazy and it’s causing you to eat like crap.

Rest is such an important part of a healthy lifestyle that it needs to be prioritized too. In the book Essentialism, this is referred to as “Protecting the Asset.”

You are the asset.

If you are trying to do too much, or you’re caught in a plateau, consider a week off, refocusing on sleep and recovery, and come back refreshed.

4) Adjust your goals. Maybe your body needs a new dragon to slay.

Again, nature loves chaos. If you are focused solely on weight loss, you might feel like you have stalled out. So shift your focus. Work on handstands. Or running faster.

Or doing your first pull up. Pick a new skill!

Try something different. Give your body a chance to recover and then come back to it.

If you’re solely focused on the scale and it stalls out, it can be depressing. So put the scale away for a month, and instead focus on the process of getting stronger and eating better. Stop stressing and remember to enjoy the game you’re playing.

5) Accept that we have bad weeks. We are complex pieces of machinery.

Sometimes shit happens.

We just have bad weeks and can’t lift enough or we GAIN weight when we expected to lose weight. It doesn’t make you a bad person, it doesn’t make you a failure, it makes you human.

So on days when you feel great, PUSH yourself harder. On days when you feel like crap, scale back the heavy lifting and focus on more reps or better technique.

The greatest predictor of success in our lives is grit (which can be developed). Grit is what you need to slog through these slow weeks. These dips are where we find out who’s truly dedicated. I know you are, and you know you are.

Remember, look for any sign of progress in any way to reveal that “light” at the end of the tunnel.

If you are stuck on a plateau when it comes to strength training, consider working with one of our Yodas in the 1-on-1 Online Training Program at Nerd Fitness! No guilt, no shame. Just somebody to keep you accountable, expert guidance from somebody that knows you, and peace of mind knowing you’re doing the right thing!

How did you break through your plateau?

“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there. You must go beyond them.” -Bruce Lee 

Hopefully I’ve covered everything you need to know about plateaus. What’s that? You were expecting some lame joke about plateaus somewhere?

You know me too well. Okay, how bout this one:

Did you know that a plateau is the highest form of flattery?

Get it?

Thank you, I’ll be here all week.

I want to hear your story:

• Have you successfully busted through a plateau? Leave a comment with how you got out of it.
• Are you currently stuck? If so, what’s ONE SPECIFIC piece of advice you’re taking from today’s article to apply to what you’re going to do this afternoon?

Let’s hear it! I’m excited to hear how I can help.

-Steve

PS: We know starting with this stuff can be intimidating. If you’re looking  to take it to the next level:

• 1-on-1 Online Coaching: A coach from Team NF gets to know you better than you know yourself and builds a workout program and nutritional strategy that fits your busy life, your body type, and your goals.
• Nerd Fitness Journey: a fun app that will show you the path for overcoming any plateau. Sign up for a free trial below:

###

Photo Sources: JD Hancock: Heroes, gato-gato-gato: mountains, Chris J Bowley: box, seeveeaar: success, Stefan Baudy: question, Stefano Corso, Life’s Paradox, Sergio Bertoli: Bruce Lee

from Blog – Nerd Fitness https://ift.tt/2oHnPki
via IFTTT