5
Big Reasons Why Everyone
Should Train Like Athletes
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Got
a great guest article from Elliott Hulse,
co-creator of the "Lean Hybrid
Muscle" program. You can check
out the program here:
http://www.fitstep.com/goto/lean-hybrid.htm
I
think it's an excellent program...I
love training in the style that he talks
about not only in the article here but
in the book.
|
 |
If
you'd like to check out one of the techniques
from the book, I shot video of me doing the
"Down and Up the Rack Dumbell Farmers
Walk." This is KILLER resistance/cardio...so
much more fun that slogging it out on the
treadmill.
Click
here to check that out! (link will open in
a new window).
I've
also got a link to an interview I did with
Elliott regarding the program...an hour of
detailed explanation of the theory behind
it and a lot good Q&A to help you decide
if it's a good program for you.
Right-click
here and choose "save target as"
to download that now!
Anyway,
here's the article!
Nick
Nilsson
Creator of Fitstep.com
5
Big Reasons Why Everyone Should Train Like
Athletes
By
Elliott Hulse Co-Creator of Lean Hybrid Muscle
If
you're like me, you probably want nothing
more than to feel like a 'super-stud' every
time you take your shirt off in public. You
want to have the confidence to say, 'Boy,
this sweaty shirt is chaffin' me', then reach
over your shoulder and tear your shirt off
like Brad Pitt in Fight Club. When you know
that your pecs look like two soup bowls inserted
beneath your skin, and your abs are as hard
the asphalt you stand on, it's tough to keep
your shirt on!
Today
you are gonna learn the top 5 training principles
that you MUST implement in order to make your
physique and performance goals… a reality.
But, before I open the info-floodgates, there
is something you've got to understand. Men…
all men, should recognize that we are athletes
and our training programs must reflect this.
Even
if you're a 'pencil pusher' or a 'white collar
crook', the essence of your being is athletic.
In order to see any type of fitness results
it is essential to recognize that Squats,
Power Cleans, 40 Yard Dashes and Vertical
Jumps are not only for NFL Combine participants…
they are for you!
1. You're An Athlete By Design
The
foundation principle of everything that I
teach all begins with one extremely powerful
phrase: “We are primal beings living
in a modern world”
Our
physical bodies have been unchanged for thousands
of years. In fact, today, our bodies are an
exact expression of what our ancestors were
over 100,000 years ago. It is believed that
it takes about 100,000 years for 0.001percent
of a genome to change… so yourself and
Primal Man are for all intents and purposes…
the same.
What
has changed is how WE have chosen to live,
if you can even call it that. As we have 'advanced'
in technology we have regressed in physical
strength and stature.
We
function at a much lower capacity than were
inherently capable of. This is analogous to
those people who buy off-road vehicles that
will never see anything but concrete! You've
been given the ultimate athletic tool…
use it.
2. Short, Hard and Intense Workouts Yield
Lean, Hard and Muscular Bodies
When
you spend over an hour in the gym sitting
on useless 'fitness machines' while you're
waiting to do your 'next set'…your nervous
system's primal response is to release Cortisol
and Glucocorticoids - which are stress hormones,
(these make you sick, sad, fat and, stupid)
in response to your body thinking… “Holy
Cow, we've been training for over an hour…
perhaps we're being chased by a tiger and
need to preserve body fat”, then it begins
sacrificing muscle tissue for energy! This
is called The Catabolic Effect. Also, workouts
exceeding 1 hour have been shown to be associated
with a rapid decrease in androgen levels.
This
is why marathon runners look so emaciated…
id much rather look like one of those Lock,
Stock & Ready Sprinters with muscles rippling
across their backs and abs.
3. Aerobics and Cardio Training Is Boring
& Ineffective
Strength
coach Charles Poliquin has coined the phrase
“Chunky Aerobic Instructor Syndrome”
(CAIS). You've seen them, they do cardio all
day long… don't you think that they would
be a bit leaner? Well, there is a scientific
reason as to why they are cubby even though
they bounce up and down on those colorful
blocks all day long. In fact research has
shown that aerobic instructors who taught
an average of 3 hours a day maintained a body
fat of 22-24% - mind you, that Olympic athletes
hover around 9%.
Especially
with repetitive exercises like aerobics the
body adapts quickly to the stimulus and ceases
to respond to the stimulus. Also, you begin
to become very fuel-efficient… Listen,
think of a metabolism that has adapted to
long treks of cardio as being a Honda…
it burns very little fuel (i.e. fat) but can
go miles and miles. Think of a metabolism
that is roaring with increased mitochondria
activity (as is present in someone who weight
trains with circuits) as a Hummer, large fuel
combusting metabolism!
Here's
Why this is so important! You want a stronger
heart, without the fat saving response of
long boring cardio treks. That is why I teach
my clients how to do work capacity sets. We
take 4-6 exercises and complete them back
to back with no rest and aim to complete them
all with in about 2 minutes… if your
heart is not ready to pound out of your chest
after that, then maybe you should visit your
veterinarian!
Here's
a simple circuit that you can do at home -
first 20 squats, then 20 lunges, then 'step
ups' on a bench 10 each leg, finally do 10
squat jumps and get it all done in less than
90 seconds! Kick-ass workout!
We
begin every session with Plyometrics and then
get right into 3-5 “work capacity”
sets for upper and lower body.
4. Get High on Oxygen & Sunshine
Besides
the fact that training on treadmills and 'sit
down' exercise equipment is less effective
than getting your feet on the ground and learning
how to use your own bodyweight, training indoors
can be detrimental to your performance and
fitness results.
As
'primal beings' we are in need of several
vital elements and forms of energy. The suns
rays are nourishing to your mind as well as
body. It is well documented that those who
live in the cooler northern climates that
enjoy less sunshine through out the year are
several times more likely to suffer from depression.
Also,
if you're like most Americans you work and
live indoors (maybe). In fact, the average
person spends 90% of their time indoors. Several
health experts have propounded that our homes
and workplace are the most toxic environments
in our lives. Many studies have stated that
toxic particles and fumes found in your home
and workplace include: air fresheners, spray
starch, paints, mothballs and even 'new car'
smell kills more people every year than automobile
accidents!
So,
what do you do? Train in the great outdoors!
When I train my Strength Camp clients at Vinoy
Park in St. Petersburg Florida, not only do
we benefit from the sweet bay breeze but also
the scenery is beautiful enough to give a
nun spring fever!
5. It's Gotta Be Fun!
Drop
out rates for exercise programs are almost
as high as the drop out rate in my old middle
school! The bottom line is, if you don't enjoy
it - you wont do it. The most effective way
to ensure that you stick with your training
program is to change it often. This doesn't
mean hop from one modality to the next before
you get any results. It means stick with your
weight-training program for a minimum of 90
day but change the exercises you use for each
body part at least every 3 weeks.
This
not only keeps you interested but also, your
nervous system will be challenged with the
new exercises and be forced to adapt. This
yields fast and long-lasting results!
CLICK
HERE to learn more about Lean Hybrid Training
and grab your copy today!
