Squats with Resistance Bands

Welcome to My DoFollow Blog! As a Big Thank You, I'd Like to Give You FREE Access to my "19 Tips to Build Muscle & Gain Weight" Report That Gives You The Key Ingredients For Success in YOUR all your workouts! ~ Marc David; CPT

If you’re stuck trying to get past a plateau and looking for alternative and unique methods to dig yourself out of a workout rut, you might want to keep reading.

With the explosion of the modern internet and growing number of experts giving you rehashed but slightly twisted fitness information, we’re all way past fitness overload.

Getting past a plateau can be a huge hurdle if you are trying to continually make some type of progress in your workouts.

This means that you should use every option at your disposal and be as efficient as possible in the gym in the time allotted.  Even more important, sticking to the basics with slight overload variations can get your past your sticking points without resorting to insane high intensity workouts or crazy exercises that are better suited for a circus performance.

One small note before we get started …

with a little help showing off squats with resistance bands as help from above.

Remember what 4 time Mr. Universe Bill Pearl said … “Does the muscle really care what mode is used to stress it past capacity? The important thing is to successfully stress the muscle past capacity – the mode is of secondary importance.”

Since squats seem to be always touted as one of the few exercises you should do, you might as well learn some variations on them to get past sticking points or at the very least, to make them more interesting.

Here’s just a few exercises I’ve used heavy duty resistance bands on:

lying leg curltricep pushdownlat pulldownsingle leg smith lungesseated leg press

A few experts have been touting the importance of using resistance bands for some time.  Here’s just a few reasons why you might want to consider investing in a set of high quality bands for some of your free weight exercises:

Take an old school, mass building, quad hobbling movement like the traditional barbell squat and using resistance bands, you can change it into a concept called Variable Resistance.

Resistance training can take one of two possible paths.  Constant and Variable.

Constant:

In a constant situation you take a free weight and at times the weight being resisted against will change.  For example, the number of fibers used at the top of a squat is significant different from the bottom.  That’s why most people have a sticking point at the bottom because you are pushing 100% of the weight.  As you rise, you push less and less as your skeleton takes the brunt of the weight.

Variable:

In the same example if you were to do squats with resistance bands as Scott demonstrates in the video above, at the top, the bands are pulling down with force.  As he gets to the bottom, the bands are adding nearly nothing and it’s all free weight.  As he rises, where it normally would be easier as you rise up, the bands now add resistance.

Depending on the bands, the length at which they are stretched, the force applied can change.

I like to make my workouts as brief as possible.  And I don’t just mean in terms of time.  Getting more work done with each set, making it harder and progressive is the key to growth.

“It’s not how short you make it; it’s how you make it short.”

Sometimes creativity pays off in the gym.

It’s a simple fact of life that in order to progress, one must change.  In terms of building muscle, this means progression.

You could add more and more weight to the bar.  But once you hit sticking points, this is where creativity comes into play and using resistance bands might help you get past a stuck point by making the exercise progressive in some shape or form.  Even if it’s just a bit harder at the top to stand straight as more weight pulls down, that can be progressive overload, enough to force adaptation.

I’m all in favor of taking breaks, or taking a break from training.  But in order to progress and take it to the next level, you must work harder over time on a semi-consistent basis.

There are no real long-term lasting shortcuts to building muscle except hardwork, dedication and time.

The next time you are in the gym, you might want to learn more about using resistance band specifically applied to free weight exercises.  I’m not talking about rubber tubes here folks.  I mean the REAL heavy duty bands!  Here’s the two brands I’ve used with great success in the past.

One major benefit to using resistance bands is an adjusted mechanical load.  When you lift a free weight object thru a range of motion, the load does not change during the movement.  It’s a constant mass and provides different stimulation at various points within the movement.

To use “muscle heads” who want to build the most muscle, it means that half of the movement of any given exercise isn’t providing optimal stimulation and maximum overload.  I take this to mean 50% or so is not optimized.

Think of the squat.  You are stronger in a quarter squat than a half.  And stronger in a half than a full.  The sticking point of most squats is at the bottom.  As you get higher, the load transfers off the muscle and onto joints.  But what if there was a way to make the load variable?

By using a combination of resistance bands and free weights at the same time, you can overload the whole range of motion!  The free weight will provide the greatest overload the initial point while the bands provide resistance at the finishing portion.

There’s been chatter about the eccentric (stretching portion; fighting against gravity) as being the real growth simulator in a given movement.  Without giving into that conclusion, the bands offer more resistance in the eccentric portion than free weights alone.

In the example of the squat, as you come down, the bands add to the acceleration.  They are pulling down with great force.  Gravity + the bands.  As you fight against that to stay in control, you are overloading the eccentric portion of the lift vs. free weights alone.  This puts tremendous stress in the eccentric portion of the lift that gravity alone does not provide.

We can all use help getting more results from our workouts.

I’m a fan of resistance bands used for specific portions of the workout.  I know that they work because it simply adds variable resistance to a exercise to make it harder.  Making it harder is the formula for improvements.

Do you have more suggestions for getting results? Drop them in the comments.

Scan Me!

Marc David – CPT
“The NoBull Muscle Guy”
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding

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The 10 BONEHEAD Mistakes Bodybuilders Make

Welcome to My DoFollow Blog! As a Big Thank You, I'd Like to Give You FREE Access to my "19 Tips to Build Muscle & Gain Weight" Report That Gives You The Key Ingredients For Success in YOUR all your workouts! ~ Marc David; CPT

By Tom Venuto
Creator of the Holy Grail Body Transformation Program

“Common workout mistakes” has always been a very popular topic in fitness publications. But no matter how many times this subject is re-hashed, you almost always hear about the same half a dozen or so mistakes, including poor form, overtraining, going too heavy, not stretching, not warming up, yadda, yadda yadda. Ironically, you seldom hear about the biggest mistakes of all. I call these humongous bloopers “bonehead mistakes” because once you start to analyze and think about them, it’s really just common sense and it all seems so obvious… except of course to the person doing it… who is often quite oblivious until someone else points it out to them… then the light goes on and it’s like… “Doh!”

Before I begin the countdown, (in no particular order), there’s one more gripe I have about the treatment this subject has been given in the past: Most of the attention has been put on the mistakes, but very little on the solutions. It’s all too easy to point fingers and say, “Don’t do that” and “Shame on you, dummy” but only 1% of your time should be spent on problems. 99% should be spent on solutions. So in that spirit, after I bring each mistake to your attention, I’ll give you a solution-oriented training tip to help you avoid boneheadedness and join the elite group who “kick butt” in the gym at every workout…

Bonehead workout mistake #1: “Winging it”

“Winging it” means having no written goals or plans, no training journal and no way of “keeping score.” It’s when you just show up at the gym day after day and do whatever strikes your fancy, whatever machine happens to be available, or whatever you’ve become habitually accustomed to doing. Winging it is when you don’t know where you are, where you’re going or how you’re going to get there – but you start your journey anyway – no compass, no roadmap. It’s been said that “Action without planning is the biggest cause of failure,” and I believe that statement is 100% accurate.

Kick butt workout tip #1: Develop a strategic plan

Successful people never “wing it,” they always have a plan. Strategic planning is a never ending process and includes: Assessment (where am I now?), goal setting (where do I want to go?), creating a plan or strategy (How will I get where I want to go?), executing the plan (what action steps must I take daily to reach my goal?), and measuring results (how will I know if I’m moving towards my goal and how will I know when I’ve reached it?). Boneheads “wing it.” Butt–kickers have a master plan and goals for every workout.

Bonehead workout mistake #2: Repeating the same workouts… without progressive overload

In one respect, repeating the same workouts is important – it’s called “continuity.” Continuity means that to experience an adaptive response (more muscle, more strength, less fat and all that other good stuff), you must repeat a certain modality or exercise consistently over a long enough period of time to allow the adaptive response to occur and to reap the full benefits (rather than changing exercises at every workout). That type of repetition is good. The bonehead mistake is when you do the same exercises, same reps, same weight, same everything, week after week, without ever challenging yourself to do more than you’ve done before. If your muscles could talk they would say, “Yawn…. Did that, done that, been there… we’re just going to stay exactly the way we are… no need to get bigger or stronger today.”

Kick butt workout tip #2: Strive to beat your previous workouts

Muscle growth and strength increases occur when you place demands on your body above and beyond what it has experienced in the past. Your body responds to this progressive overload by getting stronger in order to handle this type of demand in the future. Your objective at almost every workout is to set goals to beat what you did during the previous one. If you can’t add more weight, it could be as simple as one more rep with the same weight or the same sets/reps/weight in less time. It could also mean one more minute of cardio, one level higher on a stairclimber, or half a percent steeper incline on the treadmill. Continuous and never-ending improvement is the name of the game.

Bonehead workout mistake #3: Starving yourself

A calorie deficit is the only way to lose body fat. However, the caloric deficit must be kept small. When calories are cut too much, or held too low for too long, your body thinks you are starving and sets into motion a series of metabolic and hormonal events, which ultimately result in muscle loss, slow metabolism and plateaus. Your body is like a power plant or furnace and when you don’t feed the fire, your metabolic flame dwindles to a flicker, producing less heat and less energy. That’s why not eating enough is one of the biggest mistakes of all. As Charlie Remington likes to say, “Food is not your problem, food is your solution”

Kick butt workout tip #3: Eat more, burn more

Did it ever occur to you that if you exercise more you can eat more? And that this is a more effective fat loss strategy than eating less and exercising less? To lose body fat, you must create a calorie deficit. A deficit can be created by exercising more, eating less, or ideally, with a combination of both. The best combination of all is a small decrease in calories accompanied by a large increase in activity. Think about it: Decreasing calories slows your metabolism. Increasing calories increases your metabolism. Exercise increases your metabolism. Therefore, eat more, exercise more = double increase in metabolism. Eat less, don’t exercise = double decrease in metabolism. Yes, starving is for boneheads.

Bonehead workout mistake #4: Skipping scheduled workouts

A great body doesn’t happen overnight. Successful body transformation is the cumulative result of dozens or even hundreds of successful workouts. Each workout brings you one small step closer to your goal. Each workout missed takes you one small step backwards. Most people underestimate the cumulative effect of each small step. They figure that “It just doesn’t matter… it’s only one workout.” If you don’t think that one little workout matters, then think about the humble termite; they’re such itty bitty little creatures and they take such itty bitty little bites, yet when enough little bites are taken, an entire building can come crumbling down.

Kick butt workout tip #4: Be disciplined and consistent

Not only do you slip backwards physically when you skip even one scheduled workout, perhaps more devastating is the effect on your mind and character. Every time you successfully complete a scheduled workout, you build your discipline and self esteem. When your self esteem increases, it makes you feel good and that stimulates a positive self-reinforcing cycle of even more discipline, confidence and action. Everything you do helps or hurts. Every workout counts. Treat your word as law. When you say you’re going to work out… WORK OUT!

Bonehead workout mistake #5: Focusing on strengths, favorite exercises and favorite body parts, neglecting weaknesses

Most people have a favorite body part or exercise. But playing favorites in your training can lead to big problems. An unbalanced, asymmetrical physique is one of them, but having a great upper body with toothpick legs is the least of your worries. Strengthening and stretching some muscle groups but not others is a great way to cause poor posture, muscular imbalance, dysfunction, strains, pulls, tears or ruptures.

Kick butt workout tip #5: Train for functional balance and aesthetic balance

Non-boneheads train every muscle group for symmetrical, visually pleasing development. However, “balance” is more than cosmetic. Everyone – athletes, bodybuilders, and recreational exercisers – must also train for functional balance to prevent injury and maintain optimal function and range of movement in every joint and muscle group. Every plane of movement and angle of movement must be trained. Flexors must be balanced with extensors. Front to back movements must be balanced with rotational and side to side movements. Prime movers, antagonists and stabilizers must all be strengthened. Always stretch, strengthen and build to the point of total body balance.

Bonehead workout mistake #6: Using mostly machines and single joint/isolation exercises

So you joined the gym and you hit “the circuit”… you know, that section in the gym with all those fancy, chrome-plated, “technologically advanced” weight stack-pulley, hydraulic or computerized machines all lined up in neat rows… far, far away from the barbells and squat racks (which you never touch), and which is designed to give you an “easy, safe, injury-free, effective full-body workout.” The machines may be easy, but most machines aren’t as safe or effective as they’re cracked up to be.

Kick butt workout tip #6: Use mostly free weights and compound, multi joint exercises

For lower body, squat and lunge variations are tops. For upper body, barbell and dumbbell presses, chin ups and rows are king. These and similar “BIG” exercises stimulate more muscle fiber, stir up more fat burning and muscle building hormones, and have more carry-over to real world and sporting activities than machines. Although weight stack machines are safe with respect to the fact that you cant drop a barbell on your head, they’re ultimately NOT as safe as free weights because they don’t develop the stabilizing muscles and functional strength that protect you from injury. A few machines and isolation exercises mixed in your program is fine, but focusing on compound and free weight exercises gives you far more bang for your buck than any machine ever created.

Bonehead workout mistake #7: No mental preparation

This mistake goes hand in hand with mistake number one (winging it). You see, preparation is more than setting goals, writing out plans, and scheduling workouts. Preparation is also mental, yet most people haven’t the slightest idea just how powerful the mind is or how to harness its power.

Psychologists and “brain scientists” have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between an experience that is real and one that is imagined. Failure to take advantage of this discovery is a mistake of enormous magnitude.

Kick butt workout tip #7: Use visualization and mental rehearsal daily

Arnold Schwarzenneger, Jack Nicklaus, Andre Agassi and countless other sports legends have written and spoken extensively about their regular use of mental imagery. Those who succeeded, but claimed not to use such techniques as “visualization” were surely using it unconsciously or in a non-formalized manner. I would suggest you consciously and deliberately use this technique in the following manner: Twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, get relaxed, close your eyes and form mental images of yourself having the body you’ve always wanted, completing perfect workouts with motivation and enthusiasm and reaching all your goals. These images will penetrate your subconscious mind and literally program your brain to activate your body for total success.

Bonehead workout mistake #8: Not eating immediately after training

Not eating anything after your workout (or waiting 2-3 hours to eat), because (a) you don’t feel like eating, (b) you don’t have anything to eat with you, (c) you heard that you get leaner if you don’t eat after your workout… is one of the most boneheaded things you can ever do!

Kick butt workout tip #8: Eat protein AND carbs (not just carbs) immediately after your workout

Much research has been done on the topic of post workout nutrition in recent years and the scientific literature is almost unanimous in its findings: At one time carbohydrates were emphasized after a workout. Other people insisted that protein is more important. The truth is, the optimal post workout meal includes quickly digesting protein and carbohydrates and is consumed immediately after training during the period known as the “post-workout window of opportunity.” Although the ideal amount and type of protein and carbs is still debated, the studies have shown that proper post workout nutrition increases protein synthesis, suppresses cortisol, replenishes glycogen, and enhances recovery.

Bonehead workout mistake #9: Comparing yourself to others

Always trying to one-up the next guy is bonehead behavior. Comparing yourself to others is a great way to lower your self esteem and stay perpetually frustrated, unhappy and dissatisfied!

Kick butt workout tip #9: Compare yourself to nobody but yourself

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden always advised his players, “Never try to be better than someone else; but never cease trying to be the best you can be. That is under your control. The other isn’t.” So why not focus on competing with yourself? Compare yourself to yourself.

Improve yourself. Work on progress and forward movement. Become better than you used to be. Ultimately, competitive sports are most valuable to the degree you use them to better yourself, not to beat others.

Bonehead workout mistake #10: Making excuses

Many people, when they don’t get the result they want, or when things don’t go the way they expect, insist it’s not their fault. When they don’t lose any body fat, it’s their genetics or “The diet just doesn’t work!” When they fall off the wagon, it’s their friends and family’s fault – “They just don’t support me… they even tempt me with junk food and eat in front of me.” When they miss workouts, it’s their boss’s fault – “I just don’t have time with so much work being piled on me at the office.” No matter what the situation, the boneheads never even consider that the problem is staring right back at them in the mirror – someone or something outside of them is always responsible.

Kick butt workout tip #10: Accept total, 100% responsibility for all your results – good or bad

When you win, you don’t attribute it to luck or give someone else the credit for it. You proudly say, “I created it… I did it… that was me!” However, if you want to take the credit for your wins, you must also take credit for your losses and say, “Yep, I created it… I did it… that was me!” Boneheads want to take credit for their successes but not accept responsibility for their failures. Ultimately, that turns them into nothing but big losers. Winners and successful people became successful because they learned three magic words: I AM RESPONSIBLE. Once you claim responsibility for every result in your life – the good and the bad – the feeling of empowerment and liberation that comes over you is beyond description. For the first time in your life, you realize that YOU are in control. From that moment on – and not a second sooner – you become the creator of circumstance rather than a victim of it.

Well, that’s all ten of em’. Let me wrap up with what is perhaps the biggest mistake of all, and that is: Not learning from your mistakes. Mistakes are okay. The only people who don’t make any are the timid, wimpy people who don’t even attempt anything. If you realize you’ve been making a lot of these mistakes, don’t beat yourself up. As long as you learn from them and stop making them, you’re off the hook! But if you keep repeating these mistakes over and over again, then it’s official: You’re a bonehead!

Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural (which means steroid-free!) bodybuilder with bachelor of science degree in Adult Health/Fitness (Exercise Science) from BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY of PENNSYLVANIA.

He’s the creator of The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program <<=== Check it out

Unlike the current crop of programs hitting the scene for insane amounts of money, this is an 8 week, simple to use, no nonsense body transformation program.  You’ll get all the meal plans and workouts you’ll want to obtain maximum results.

The product is solid and Tom is probably the least hyped up, down to Earth individual I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Holy Grail Body Transformation Program <—CLICK

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Countdown bis 2013 Mr. Olympia

Der im Jahr 2013 wird in genau zwei Wochen die Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas gekrönt werden. Die 49. Überstellung von den SuperBowl Bodybuilding verfügt über eines der tiefsten Aufstellungen in der Geschichte des Wettbewerbs. Drei ehemalige Olympia-Meister gehören die Creme von der Ernte-Bodybuildern immer bereit, auf der Bühne kämpfen. Die früheren Mr. O Gewinner sind zweifacher und der amtierende Weltmeister Phil Heath, viermaliger Gewinner und die zurückkehrenden Jay Cutler und einmalige Gewinner Dexter Jackson, der einzige Bodybuilder, der jemals die Mr. Olympia und Masters Olympia Titel gewann. Eine Liste von allen Bodybuildern, die qualifiziert haben, für das diesjährige Mr. O finden Sie hier.
Die Wochen vor der Olympia sind die spannendsten für Bodybuilding Fans auf der ganzen Welt. Spekulationen darüber, wer auf dem richtigen Weg zu sein all-time beste für den Wettbewerb ist am höchsten und das gleiche gilt für die Bodybuilder, die zurückgefallen zu sein scheinen. Dies ist die Zeit, Fans und Medien gleichermaßen löschte ihre Prognosen auf, wo sie die besten Bodybuilder denken stattfinden und wer wird der letzte Mann stehen. Diese Vorhersagen werden basierend auf der Bodybuilder den letzten Wettbewerbsergebnisse, zusammen mit ihren Auftritt im Vorfeld der Mr. O. durchgeführt.
Um bis 2013 Mr. Olympia Countdown, finden Sie auf etwa einen Three-Part Reihe hier mit Vorhersagen für die Top-Ten-Plätze. Diese Vorhersagen wurden sorgfältig und viel Gedanken machte in jeder platzieren. Und eine Erklärung, warum jeder Bodybuilder in ihrer jeweiligen Position landet wird bereitgestellt.
Jedes Teil der Serie erfahren Sie von folgenden Links:
Haben Vorhersagen von euch gehört? Buchen Sie Ihre Top-Ten-Finisher im Abschnitt Kommentare und vergessen Sie nicht, einige Gründe für jede Platzierung.

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