You’re not allowed to set it down…
For time:
30 swings
10 front squats
5 arnold presses (each arm)
20 high pull swings
10 front squats
5 arnold presses (each arm)
10 super swings
10 single leg dead lifts (each leg)
10 sumo high pulls
5 single leg haloes
1 turkish get up (each side)
5 single leg haloes (other leg)
10 sumo high pulls
10 single leg dead lifts
10 super swings
5 snatches (each arm)
10 front squats
20 high pull swings
5 snatches
10 front squats
30 swings
DONE.
Posted by demogirl06 on June 11, 2010
http://mariamaestevens.com/2010/06/11/workout-kettlebell-complex/
I talk a lot about functional training, integrated and compound motions, and “hybrids.” But when everyone else at the gym seems to be doing the same three sets of ten for the legs and back, and then the chest and shoulders, etc., what’s the big deal?
Unless they are “sculpting” for sport (body building), or entertaining delusions that other people prefer bodies that are not proportionate, they are not making efficient use of their time at the gym.
Here’s the run-down:
Bodies are integrated, and they engage in a number of movement patterns that span over multiple planes and multiple joints. We seldom perform isolated motions in day-to-day life. I won’t call isolated motions “unnatural,” since the body can perform them safely. It is, however, not very practical to heavily train such motions. Isolated motions should be reserved for aesthetics or purposes of sport only.
Full-body exercises are functional exercises, that is, exercises that mimic movement patters of every-day life. This overlap inevitably yields a greater freedom of movement and is easier to maintain. Given the integrated nature of many functional exercises, it encourages a stronger kinetic chain in the body. Strength should be considered muscular balance and integration. For example, an arm-wrestling champion with a bad back should not be considered stronger than some wiry guy who does a great job helping you move into your apartment.
Functional training, in my opinion, does a far better job promoting proportionate bodies. When you train a compound motion (such as the dead lift), you have to rely on numerous parts of the body to “keep up” with the others. There’s no way to compensate for weakness; no machine against which to lever the body, no cams or cables to help you lower safely to the ground. It’s just you and the weight. Unlike the leg press, which allows you to hammer weight with your legs, but does a poor job recruiting the core, the dead lift is impossible without a strong core.
Those guys at the gym with the “jacked” upper bodies and the little tooth-pick legs… we’ve all seen them. First, ask one of them to touch his elbows together. Second, think about the amount of work it takes him to maintain that muscle, how many hours he spends looking at himself in the gym mirrors, and how many protein shakes he drinks in the middle of the night. Finally, wonder how helpful that muscle is to him on a daily practical basis. Seems silly to me.
Posted by demogirl06 on June 3, 2010
http://mariamaestevens.com/2010/06/03/why-are-full-body-exercises-important/
I’m not the biggest fan of conventional “Schwarzeneggerian” hypertrophy-driven resistance training. That is, I’m not into body building. Body building has its merits as a sport and takes human physiology to its limits, like any sport; but for the rest of us, who are normal people who want to look great and feel fit, I prefer to prescribe less regimented lifting.
Seldom do I “lift” more than one day per week (unless I’m going through a specific phase in training). When I do, I use different strategies. Today’s strategy is two lifts that compliment each other. One, heavier; the following, lighter and more explosive.
Dead Lift > Single-arm Overhead Snatch (each arm) (4-4, 4-4, 4-4, 4-4, etc.)
Warm up well. Warm up your entire body, legs, back, core, shoulders, grip strength…
A warm up set of dead lifts at medium weight can be performed (6-8 reps), followed by some light single arm snatches.
Then… Perform 4 heavy dead lifts. Follow these dead lifts immediately with 4 single arm snatches (each arm).
Take active rest by adding more weight to your dead lifting station.
Perform 4 dead lifts, followed by 4 single arm snatches (this time with a higher weight increment).
Rest.
Continue adding weight (gradually) to your lifts. You should progress through several rounds, slowly, safely, and effectively. This method, quite aerobic in nature due to the many transitions and active recovery) as well as anaerobic (the nature of resistance training) will ease your body into stressful activity; your body will be warm, and will gladly go round by round until you at long last reach your max for that day. This max should not be assumed to be your one-rep max, as you will be already tired from multiple repetitions.
If you max out on one exercise before the other, keep that exercise’s weight the same, and continue adding to the other while you progress through your rounds.
Just another method for lifting, keeping it interesting, for exploring your limits.
Posted by demogirl06 on May 31, 2010
http://mariamaestevens.com/2010/05/31/workout-deadlift-single-arm-overhead-dumbbell-snatch/
Let’s talk about functional training for a moment.
Functional training means exercising motions that are applicable to your every-day life. If you’re an athlete, the types of motions can get pretty fancy, depending on your sport. But if you’re just living your life, the motions are actually pretty basic.
And here, in my opinion, is the best functional exercise of all: the dead lift.
The dead lift is actually one of three power lifts (the other two are the bench press and the back squat). It’s the only power lift I care about–because it is a functional movement. You find yourself squatting down to pick up boxes, groceries, wheelbarrows, children, furniture… right? People need to lift things.
The bench press… not that important, unless a wall falls on top of you. And the back squat? Downright dangerous (and so many people do it so badly!). In my opinion, if you can’t lift the weight yourself and place it on your back, it has no business being there. I’m not saying the back squat is bad for you. But the Average Joe has better things he can do with his training time.
The dead lift is not about body building. Body building differs because its goal is hypertrophy–that is, making muscles bigger. Yes, the deadlift will increase the size of your muscles (as will all weight lifting), but it isn’t geared toward big muscles. It is geared toward power and interconnected strength.
The dead lift is a compound motion, spanning numerous extending joints: ankles, hips, back (to a small extent). It also works the quads, hip flexors, hamstrings, and glutes. Let’s not forget the traps and lats (because of the amount of weight suspended from your arms). Forearm and grip strength improve from training the dead lift (so you can open stubborn jars of peanut butter). Let’s not forget that all the major muscles in your core have to activate.
It’s one hell of a lift. An efficient lift.
The benefits of this compound exercise are awesome compared to isolation exercises (i.e., the leg press). Compound movements simply involve more muscle groups–so you’re getting more bang for your buck. The dead lift, as a matter of fact, involves all of the body’s biggest muscle groups, one after another after another. That makes for a good workout, and for the biggest gains in strength (not size).
And what is strength, anyway? It isn’t the size of any particular part. It is how that part works in concert with other parts and other objects. If there is a break or delay in a chain of movement, there is weakness. Strength implies one solid chain of movement–which is why that wiry-looking guy seems inhumanely strong. Strength. Muscular balance.
Don’t forget the dead lift.
Posted by demogirl06 on May 2, 2010
http://mariamaestevens.com/2010/05/02/explaining-the-dead-lift-a-most-efficient-exercise/
