Friday, January 14, 2011

Happy New Year Everyone! by Andy Stolarik

I know it’s well into the new year but this is our first new year post. Everyone has made their new year’s resolutions and keeping to them for at least a month or two. That’s when they realize that it takes work and dedication to achieve their overall objective.

I say take your time with your new commitment. What’s the rush? Everybody wants everything at one time. The “fast food effect.” That’s why people burn out so quickly because they want their objective now. I’m here to tell you that you won’t achieve your goal as quickly as you would like. It takes time, dedication and many smaller goals to achieve you bigger objective. Today, I’m going to give you a list exercises that you can do to help you achieve your smaller goals.
The market is flooded with ways to lose weight, increase your muscle mass, increase your strength, how to achieve that beach body without lifting a finger and best of all what to eat and when to eat your favorite foods. Almost everything that I have read, researched, and experimented with all say the same thing but one thing that I have learned is to keep everything simple. The least amount of planning gives you maximum amount of time doing what you need to get done. Mike Mahler wrote in his book- The Aggressive Strength Solution for Size And Strength- about the 80/20 club. The 80/20 club is a list of seven exercises that are needed to increase muscle tone and strength. Do these seven exercises 80% of the time and supplementary exercise 20% and you will increase muscle tone and strength. However, do these same exercises 100% of the time and your increase muscle tone and strength 100% of the time. I like this list and follow the list and have had amazing results.
So I got to thinking let’s develop a list of bodyweight exercises that will increase muscle tone and strength. The exercises need to be compound exercise (work the whole body not just isolate one body part) and keep it basic. So here is my 80/20 club of bodyweight exercises: “The Big Seven”. Remember I’m using the K.I.S.S. method: Pull-ups, Dips, Push-ups, Squats, Bodyweight Rows (inverted push-ups), Handstand Push-ups and back hyperextensions.
These seven exercises will work your major muscles throughout your body. You can mix up the exercises and way you need to keep it effective and non-stop. Of course there are variations to the list above but again I used the K.I.S.S. method.
Complete the workout in the least amount of time:
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps of: push-ups, pull-up, squats and hyperextensions.
Do 21- push-up, pull-ups, squats and hypertensions and then do 18 of all and then 15 and so on. The one who completes the routine in the least amount of time wins. Post your results.