Strengthenics E BOOK COMING SOON!

I have been working on an upcoming training book that will help you with your strength and conditioning goals. The Strengthenics e book will focuse on workouts that only use bodyweight movements. There will be different phases and levels for Strength gain, muscle building, conditioning and fat loss. Stay tuned! email me with questions m_potak@yahoo.com

Strengthenics Sample Workouts

Below is a sample upper body workout from my new Strengthenics E book.

GOAL: Strength and Size (Intermediate Level)

DAY 1 UPPER BODY:
-Inverted Row :5 sets of 5-8 (1-2 tempo)
-Pushups feet elevated :5 sets of 12-15 (1-2 tempo)
-Chin ups :5 sets of 5-8 (2 second hold at the top, 2 at the bottom)
( Following Chin ups Perform a Lat Stretch, hanging from the pull up bar for 45 seconds)

-Pushups ( feet elevated with close grip 5 sets of 10 (2 second pause at the top, 2 second hold at the bottom.
( Following Pushups perform Pec Stretch for 45 seconds)

-Shoulder Raise Claps :5 sets of 12-15 (1-2 tempo)
-4 way neck 1 set of 25 each side
-Leg Lifts 3 sets of 12-15

Day #2 Lower Body
Goals Strength and Size

- Squat Jumps : 5 sets of 5-8 reps
- BW SLDL : 4 sets of 6-8 ( 1-2 tempo)
- OneLeg Squat: 4 sets of 8 ( 2-2 tempo)
** Quad stretch 1 set of 45 seconds
- Supermans : 4 sets of 8 ( 2-2 tempo
** Low back stretch 45 seconds
- Glute ham raise: 4 sets of 8-10 ( 1-2 tempo)
** Hamstring stretch 45 seconds

Conditioning/Fat Loss Sample
Day # 1 (Intermediate)

- 10 Burpees
- 50 Squats ( 1-1 tempo)
- 10 Burpees
- 50 Pushups (1-1 tempo)
- 10 Burpees
- 5-10 pullups or 50 Windmills
- 5 burpees
- 25 Squats
- 5 Burpees
- 25 Pushups
- 5 Burpees
- 5-10 Pullups or 25 Windmills
2:00 Rest
- 5 burpees
- 15 pushups ( Diamonds)
- 15 Squats ( Wide stance)
- 25 Windmills
- 5 Burpees
- 15 pushups ( Wide)
- 15 squats ( Narrow Stance)
- 25 windmills
- 5 burpees
- 15 pushups ( Feet Elevated)
- 15 squats ( One Leg)
- 25 windmills

STRENGTHENICS ” Pyramid Routine”

What is Strengthenics?
A Strength and Conditioning Program using your own bodyweight!

PYRAMID ROUTINE

Push+Core Muscles

50- Pushups then 50 crunches
40- Wide Pushups then 40 crunches
30- Diamonds the 30 russian twists
20- Feet Elevated Pushups then 20 leg lifts
10- Knuckle Pushups then 10 bicycles

Rest for 1 minute then repeat for 3-4 total sets

Legs+Pull Muslces

50- Squats then perform 50 windmills
40- Squats (ATG) then perform 40 windmills
30- Alternate SLDL (BW) the do 30 (4) way neck
20- Lunges then perform 20 BW Rows
10- Squat Jumps then perform 10 pullup

Rest 1 minute then repeat 3-4 total sets

A Fast and Furious Routine

When you wake up or throughout the day, try this very quick and effective body weight routine.

25 Pushups

50 Crunches

25 Diamond Pushups

50 Crunches

25 Wide Pushups

50 Crunches

25 Feet elevated Pushups

50 Crunches

Advanced Upper Body Movements

Here are some advanced Upper Body bodyweight movements to try. The key is patience and practice. Once you master these movements you will get stronger and increase muscle size. Good Luck!

- Handstand Pushups

- One arm Pushups

- One arm Pullups

- Hindu Pushups

- L-Pullups

Avoid the Gym by Using Calisthenics

by Stew Smith

Calisthenics, or bodyweight exercises, originated thousands of years ago in ancient Greece and have been a major component of fitness in athletics, military, law enforcement, and daily fitness for home workouts without equipment. Here is a request from a Perfect Pushup customer seeking to do more exercises without having to go to a gym.

I need help in making a full body bodyweight routine. Any advice/sample that you can offer? I am seventeen and have been using the Perfect Pushup on and off for a year now. With it, I am able to pump multiple diamond push ups more than I ever have in the past years.

I have been creating calisthenics based workout plans for more than twenty years to build muscle stamina, strength, and flexibility. By adding a form of cardiovascular activity like running, swimming, or biking to complete the workout, you can burn more calories and improve heart and lung circulation. I also like to supplement calisthenics with some form of simple weight training like dumbbells in full body movements. If you use the Perfect Pushup or the Perfect Pullup with your sets of exercises, you can reduce your repetitions by 50% typically depending on your fitness level.

Here are some sample routines that focus on both upper body, lower body, and core exercises:

Upper Body Warm-Up – Repeat 5-10 times
Jumping Jacks – 10
Push Ups – 10

*add pullups when multiple sets is possible at 5-10 reps per set

Lower Body Warm-Up – Repeat 5-10 times
Jumping Jacks – 10
Squats – 10

Upper / Lower Body & Cardio Combo – repeat 3-4 times
A full body plan like the one below is a fast way to complete a workout with little or no rest by resting your upper body by working your lower body and abdominal exercises:

Pullups – max reps
Squats – 20-30
Pushups – 20-30 reps
Lunges – 10-15 / leg
Abs of choice – 50 reps
Optional Cardio of choice – 10 minutes

Learn about Supplemental Dumbbell Routine

Lower body / Cardio Workout – Repeat 4-5 times
Here is a quick and challenging workout to build both leg speed and endurance.

Run or bike 3 minutes
Squats – 20 reps
Lunges – 15/leg reps
Heel raises (calves) – 20-30 reps

Upper / Lower back Balance Cycle – Repeat 2-3 times
In order to balance out doing several sets of pushups or other pushing exercises, add in the below exercises for 2-3 sets at the end of the workout to avoid internal rotation of the shoulder girdle.

Reverse pushups – 25 reps
Birds – 25 reps
Plank pose – 1 minute

Check out Balancing Your Push Up Workouts.

Push / Pull Upper body Cycle – Repeat 4-5 times
To fully work the upper body, balance out the pushing muscles (chest, shoulders and triceps) with the pulling muscles (biceps, forearms, back)

Push Ups – max reps
Reverse Push Ups – 20
Pull Ups – max reps
Birds – 20
Abs of choice – 50

Add MJDB#1 for supplemental push / pull exercises

Abdominal Cycle
Do this 2-3 times during the workout and 4-5 times a week. It is fine to do abdominals and cardio exercises several days a week or on back to back days.

Crunches – 25
Reverse Crunches – 25
Double Crunches – 25
Left Crunches – 25
Right Crunches – 25
Bicycle Crunches -25
Plank pose – 1 minute

These workouts can be done throughout the week, but as with weights, it is not recommended to do the same major muscle groups on back to back days. So pick a calisthenics day and follow it with a cardio workout on the next day is the easiest way to create a fitness routine for yourself. If you are new to exercise, just google some of the exercises in the workouts above or visit StewSmith.com for articles, pictures, and books complete with workouts and exercise descriptions.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. If you are interested in starting a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle – check out the Military.com Fitness eBook store and the Stew Smith article archive at Military.com. To contact Stew with your comments and questions, e-mail him at stew@stewsmith.com.

30 Days Without Weights part 3…The Final Chapter

Football great Herschel Walker was well known for the use of body weight training in his routine

In the last segment of 30 days without weights part two http://www.elitefts.com/documents/30days-2.htm. I spoke about how your strength levels would stay the same or go up with the use of intermediate to advanced bodyweight movements. Since that time many bodybuilders and physique specialists have wanted to know more about how you can put on muscle mass with the use of basic bodyweight excercises. In the final segment of the 30 days without weights I will detail a plan that are for those individuals that are interested in building muscle.

Tempo

Slow and controlled or fast as hell? What is better for building mass…how about both. When you look at a Gymnasts on the rings for example. Most gymnasts go up fast and lower slow, not to mention they use a lot of pauses. So in your bodyweight routine you must use a combination of slow and fast movements to trick your muscles.

 

An Example:

Pushups: The first 10 reps are slow and controlled, 2 seconds going up and 2 seconds lowering. Following the 10 reps perform 5 reps as fast as possible. After the 5 ” speed reps” do another 5-10 slow and controlled reps.

Pullups: The first 5 reps are slow and controlled, the next 5 should be as fast as possible.

BW Squats: The first 10 reps are slow and controlled, 2 seconds going up and 2 seconds lowering. Following the 10 reps perform 5 reps as fast as possible. After the 5 ” speed reps” do another 5-10 slow and controlled reps

 

Pauses/Isometrics

Another tool for bodyweight muscle building is the use of isometrics or pauses to your routine. The more you can control

An Example:

Pushups: While performing your pushups do 10 controlled reps and then stop and hold your position at the bottom for 10 seconds. Following the ten seconds complete 5 more reps.

Pullups: While performing your pullups do 5 controlled reps and then pause and hold your position at the top for 10 seconds. Following the 10 seconds complete as many reps as possible to failure.

BW Squats: While performing your Squats do 10 controlled reps and then stop and hold your position at the bottom for 10 seconds. Following the ten seconds complete 5 more reps.

the muscle the more growth will occure. Always keep a good amount of tension and stretch on the muscles to keep the blood flow. Difficulty

Make sure you are progressing. Continue to try more difficult movements. Instead of doing just pushups, do Divebomber pushups, or handstand pushups. Instead of doing regular bodyweight squats do step ups or pistols. If you dont try to progress in these exercises you will never stimulate muscle growth.

Sample Program

Level One Upper Body Routine

 

With this program you should be able to get in a great workout, and continue to put muscle on your body in the process. The isometrics and pauses will also help you get stronger using your own bodyweight, just make sure you are always progressing.

-Pushups 3 sets of 15 ( First five reps slow and controlled the next five as fast as possible, and the last 5 slow and controlled)

-Pullups 3 sets of 10 ( First five reps slow and controlled the next five as fast as possible)

-Diamond Pushups or dips 3 sets of 10 ( First five reps as fast as possible pause for 5-10 seconds and then complete the next five as fast as possible)

-Chinups 3 sets of 5 ( First five controlled, then hold for 5-10 seconds)

-Shoulder Pushups 3 sets of 15 ( First five reps slow and controlled the next five as fast as possible, and the last 5 slow and controlled)

Level two is similar, but more sets are used with more difficult exercises, like Handstand pushups, L-Pullups, and feet elevated diamonds.

Level One Lower Body/Abs

-Squats 4 sets of 15 ( First five reps slow and controlled the next five as fast as possible, and the last 5 slow and controlled)

-Leg Lifts 4 sets of 15 ( First five reps slow and controlled the next five as fast as possible, and the last 5 slow and controlled)

-One Leg SLDL 3 sets of 15 ( First five controlled, then hold for 5-10 seconds, then complete the rest of the noted reps)

-Lunges 3 sets of 10 ( First five controlled, then hold for 5-10 seconds on each leg, then complete the rest of the noted reps)

- Supermans 4 sets of 15 ( First five reps slow and controlled the next five as fast as possible, and the last 5 slow and controlled)

Level two is similar, but more sets are used with more difficult exercises like Pistols, step ups, and more ab work.

 With this program you should be able to get in a great workout, and continue to put muscle on your body in the process. The isometrics and pauses will also help you get stronger using your own bodyweight, just make sure you are always progressing.

The Best Twenty-Minute Workouts

by Stew Smith

Do you want to jump start your New Year with some great fitness ideas that you can incorporate into your fitness routine? If you are like many Americans, getting the time to exercise is challenging. But, this article is proof that you can fit fitness into your schedule on just about any “busy” day in your life.

The other day, I was emailed the following question: I only have about 20-30 minutes a day to exercise. What can I do in that amount of time? Not wanting to limit the answer to – just a few pushups and situps – I set out to prove how much you could do in such a little amount of time. My goal is to prove that you do not need several hours to maintain a fitness program – just minutes a day. Though the transition time may add to the total time invested in your workout, here is a list of 20-30 minute workouts you can do in your home, office, lunch time, or local gym:

The superset is a great way to workout if you have limited time. Each cycle should take you two minutes. If you can do ten cycles of this you will total 300 pushups and 400 crunches. Not bad for 20 minutes! No resting in between sets! You basically rest by doing crunches. The two supersets you see below are great to alternate every other day.

Pushup/Crunch Superset:

Repeat 10 cycles of:
- 10 regular pushups
- 10 crunches
- 10 wide pushups
- 10 crunches
- 10 tricep pushups
- 10/10 Left/Right crunches

Leg / ab Superset:

Repeat 5 cycles of:
- 20 squats
- 20 crunches
- 10 lunges per leg
- 10 crunches
- 20 calf raises
- 20 crunches

Running or Walking!

How much running or walking can you do in 20-30 minutes? Some people can run 3-6 miles or walk 2-3 miles in that time period. Try this one if you want to run.

Running

4 Mile Track Work:
- Jog 1 mile in 7:00-8:00
- Three sets of 1/4-mile sprints in 90-100 seconds
- Jog or walk – 1/4 mile

Six sets of:

- Sprint-1/8 mile
- Jog – 1/8 mile

Or you can mix the two types of exercise together and do what I call a Spartan Run.

Spartan Run:

- Run 1 mile
- 100 pushups in as few sets as possible
- 100 crunches
- Run 1 mile
- 75 pushups in as few sets as possible
- 75 crunches
- Run 1 mile
- 50 pushups in as few sets as possible
- 50 crunches

Swimming?

How much swimming can you do in 20-30 minutes? Some people can swim a mile in that time. Here is a great workout though if you want to mix a little PT with swimming.

Swim PT

Repeat 5-10 times:
- Swim 100 yards
- Do 10-20 pushups
- Abs – 20-30

This is the ultimate workout I have ever done in under 20 minutes. The challenge is to do:

- 100 pullups as few sets as possible
- 200 pushups in as few 2:00 sets as possible
- 300 situps in as few 2:00 sets as possible

Do these as quickly as possible. You can alternate exercises after each set of maximum repetitions.

As you can see, you can do quite a bit in as little as 20-30 minutes. These workouts are a little advanced and you should consult your doctor before starting an exercise program, especially if you have not exercised in several years. Of course you can create your own program using these exercise ideas for your own fitness level. If you want to improve your PFT scores the motto is, “You will succeed by failing.” So push yourself every set until you can no longer perform the exercise. If you do this 2-3 times a week, you will have better PT scores within a month.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. If you are interested in starting a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle – check out the Military.com Fitness eBook store and the Stew Smith article archive at Military.com. To contact Stew with your comments and questions, e-mail him at stew@stewsmith.com.

http://www.getsomebootcamp.com

No Weights at Boot Camp

BUILD SOME MILITARY SIZE AND STRENGTH!!!

by Stew Smith

I received an email from a young man who says he is a former high school athlete who wanted me to critique his weight lifting routine as he prepares for Boot Camp. Being a former weightlifting football player myself, I stepped back into time some eighteen years and saw many of the same things I did to prepare for Plebe Summer at the Naval Academy. The only bad thing about the plan and the way I prepared for USNA is that it was the wrong way to train for the military style fitness.

I soon realized when I took my first physical fitness test (PFT) that one maximum set of push-ups was not the same as bench press and no matter what weight machines you use there is no substitute for pullups. Sure pull-downs, bicep curls, bent over rows all work the same muscles groups as the pullups, just as bench press is the same motion as the pushup – BUT nothing prepares you for pushup and pull-up tests quite like doing pushups and pullups to failure during your workouts. Check out my articles on push-ups and pull-ups for workout ideas.

Situps and Running:

The two other events of many physical fitness tests seemed easy enough. Anyone can do situps and run right? Sure most young people can do 50 – 60 situps in two minutes, but I realized to be competitive with other scores and to make a high grade in the situps test, you needed to be able to do 80-100 in 2:00. The only way to reach numbers like that is to practice situps several times a week with timed intervals and pacing yourself. Once I saw people hitting 100 situps in 2:00, I increased my pace (situps per second) and reached 30 situps in 30 seconds. I was moving fast – felt strong until about 40 seconds into the two minutes test where the lack of training caught up with me and I was only able to do another 30 situps in the remaining 1:30 for a total of only 60 situps. I barely passed the minimum standard.

When it was time to run, I was a bit worried when half the guys in my group all ran track and cross-country. I tried to hang with them on the first lap of a quarter mile track as they ran it in 80 seconds. After the first lap, I could not hang at a 5:20 mile pace and was spent for the remaining five laps struggling to breathe and run at my comfortable 7:00 mile pace. I just passed the run with only seconds remaining. How could this be? I was a very fit guy who lifted weights for three hours a day prior to coming to the Naval Academy’s version of Boot Camp. Read the “Interval Training” article for more info on workouts to run faster.

Now, even at the age 36, I can nearly double my PT scores at my age of 18 and run sub-6:00 miles for a few miles. The moral of this story is “There are no weights at Bootcamp – start doing the events you will be tested in immediately!” If you want to be in the following branches of the service, here is what you need to be able to do to be competitive and remove the added stresses of physical discomfort and failure:

Service Run (Men – Women) Pushups Pullups Situps
Marine Corps 3 Miles (18-22:00) Not tested – 50 reps non-stop 15-20 80-100+
Navy 1.5 Miles (9-11:00) Men 80-100
Women 40-60 Not tested 80-100+
Army 2 Miles (12-14:00) Same as above Not tested 80-100+
Air Force 1.5 Miles (9-11:00) Same as above Not tested 80-100+
Coast Guard 1.5 Miles (9-11:00) Same as above Not tested 80-100+

*Note: These are not minimum standards but above average competitive standards recommended by Stew Smith

The hardest thing about failing a physical fitness test or not performing as well as your fellow soldiers is you have to play catch up. The good news is that at the age of 18-20, it is easy to get into shape and become competitive with your comrades, however, it is tough to do while in the middle of Bootcamp or other military training. My recommendation is to get in the competitive range PRIOR to attending these military programs. I promise you it will save you from becoming discouraged, reduce the pain of muscle soreness, and enable you to focus on your job at hand — becoming a Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airman, and Hero of Tomorrow.

Body Weight Shoulders

Question of the Week

Matt,

How do I get my shoulders bigger with just body weight movements? My chest,back, and arms have gotten bigger. However, I lack size and width on my Shoulders?

Answer: I get this type of question a lot. If you are lacking in shoulder size, the best method would be…. HANDSTAND PUSHUPS. Practice doing them, and your shoulders will GROW.