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NOTE: All articles in BetterU News are written by Nick Nilsson -
http://www.fitstep.com/ unless otherwise credited.

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My Father - Why is a 70-Year-Old Swede Roller Skiing Across The Entire Country of Canada? Ever thought you were too old to exercise or that it was too late for you to start getting in shape? Think again! Read all about how my 70-year-old father is in the best shape of his life and how his secrets can help YOU get there too!

Here it is, right up front: your age is just a number. It's not who you are...it's not your limitation. It's just a number.

How do I know this? I need to look only as far as my father, Alex Nilsson, who turned 70 years of age last December. At this very moment, as you read this, he is roller skiing across Canada, covering more than 50 to 60 miles per day (80 to 100 km)...every day...until he makes it all the way across the entire country!

That's how I know that age is just a number. You see, at 70, he's not only in the best shape of his life, he's in FAR better shape than anyone I know, regardless of age!

When I set to writing this article, it was tough for me to choose the best path to take with it. Do I talk about the training techniques that allow him to perform astonishing feats of endurance (and Swedish stubbornness) like this...do I talk about how incredibly motivating it is to see someone pushing their body to the limit in this fashion (at any age, much less 70)...do I talk about the great cause he's promoting as he crosses the country (Type II Diabetes awareness - Type II Diabetes, through good nutrition and regular exercise, is COMPLETELY PREVENTABLE)...or do I talk about the trek across Canada itself?

It was a tough choice, so I thought, why not do it all!

1. The Trek Across Canada

Roller skiing, if you're not familiar with it, is basically cross-country skiing on wheels instead of snow! The stride is the same, the action is the same, the demanding, total-body nature of the exercise is the same.

Starting on June 25th, 2006, from Victoria, B.C., Canada, Alex began his roller skiing trek across the country. After going up and down all the many steep mountain passes of British Columbia, in three weeks, Alex is already into Saskatchewan, having covered more than 1000 miles (1600 km) in that time. His goal: to reach the Atlantic Ocean at St. John's, Newfoundland, by Labor Day.

I've been documenting the journey in detail (like roller skiing up a huge mountain pass in the pitch black and pouring rain with no guardrails) on the website I've created for him:

http://www.skiacrosscanada.com

There, you will learn more about how he's doing it, how far he's gone, and much more! You can also sign up to be notified whenever I've made updates to the site and trip log as well. Be sure to click on this link and have a look!

2. Raising Awareness for Type II Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease that affects millions of people around the world. There are two types of diabetes:

Type I Diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas whereby it doesn't produce enough effective insulin to control blood sugar. Type I Diabetes is not, unfortunately, preventable, though very treatable with insulin.

Type II Diabetes is the focus of my father's journey. Type II Diabetes occurs when the pancreas either can't produce insulin or releases insulin, but the body isn't able to utilize it properly. The onset of Type II Diabetes can be prevented or delayed. Through good nutrition and exercise, one can manage blood sugar levels. Type II Diabetes is on the rise with the increased consumption of sugary foods and inactivity by much of the population (especially in North America).

Diabetes is a serious disease and, as he rolls across Canada, Alex is hoping to increase awareness of Type II Diabetes and how preventable it is! More information on Type II Diabetes is available through the links below:

http://www.diabetes.ca
http://www.diabetes.com

At SkiCrossCanada.com and Diabetes.ca, you'll also find information on "Team Diabetes," which Alex is participating in to help bring in donations for diabetes research. It's an excellent program and I really encourage you to read more about it, especially if you know someone who is diabetic or you're diabetic yourself!

3. Motivation For Any Age

The most powerful way to lead and motivate is through example. When I think of my father, I don't think of him as a senior citizen. I swear, he's going to live to be 140. By age 70, the typical person is barely active and fighting weakness and disease.

The human body was not meant to wither away in old age! Your health and strength can be maintained well into the 60's, 70's, 80's and beyond!

In the town of Creston, B.C., where Alex lives, and the surrounding area, he has inspired a tremendous following of people who see how he lives and trains every day. They are inspired to try and do better with their lives and make the effort to be active and eat healthier.

Alex shares his knowledge generously and freely with anyone and everyone who asks - he's touched a lot of lives that way! He is truly an example of how excellent health can not only be preserved but constantly improved. Age IS just a number.

Let me put it this way...when I was growing up, I thought it was perfectly normal to have in the basement a home-made gym created entirely of steel pipes, duct tape, plywood, bungee cords, and whatever else could be functionally incorporated to work the body (I think that's where I get my own exercise creativity!). But, most importantly, I grew up thinking it was perfectly normal to have physically active, healthy parents.

The most inspiring thing is, as Alex gets older, his personal challenges are actually INCREASING in difficulty (present challenge included). I'm waiting for the day when I find out he's going to unicycle north-south along the entire length of the Rocky Mountains while wearing a 50-lb backpack (don't think it hasn't been mentioned!).

When Alex completes this trek across Canada, he is going to share his experiences with others as a motivational speaker for seniors' health.

4. Training Secrets

Here are some of Alex's easy-to-follow training secrets that can help anyone improve their health and fitness at any age:

I would also like to ask a little favor of you...one of Alex's major goals with this trek is to raise awareness for Type II Diabetes and how preventable it is.

If you have connections to media outlets (such as TV stations or newspapers), if you have a website you could publish this article on, if you could forward this article to everyone you know, or even if you could just tell people about the website, I would greatly appreciate it. The more people we can get this out to, the more lives we can change for the better!

On the website, there is also a contact form where you can send Alex your best wishes and wish him luck on his journey. I know he would love to hear how fitness has changed your life.

Once again, the site is:

http://www.skiacrosscanada.com

If you have any questions about Alex or his journey, please don't hesitate to contact me at betteru@fitstep.com!

Nick Nilsson
Vice-President
BetterU, Inc.
http://www.fitstep.com
http://www.fitness-ebooks.com

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Secret Training Tip #508 - Set Your Muscles On Fire With Unbalanced Barbell Loading This astonishing but simple training trick takes a regular barbell exercise and practically DOUBLES the tension placed on the muscles. Imagine the results you will get from a barbell curl where the full weight of the barbell goes onto only one bicep at a time!

You will be amazed at the difference 5 or 10 pounds will make. What am I talking about? I'm talking about unbalanced barbell loading.

Normally, you would think loading a barbell with uneven weight would be a mistake and would horribly imbalance the bar, making the exercise dangerous. And, to be honest, if you're not expecting the bar to be unbalanced, you'd be right! Anyone who has mistakenly misloaded a bench press bar can vouch for that.

So how can an unbalanced bar possibly be a good thing? I'll tell you.

Unbalanced loading not only helps improve stabilizing muscle function, it can help correct lopsided muscle development (right side bigger or stronger than the left, etc.), AND hit areas of your muscles that are almost IMPOSSIBLE to hit with free weights any other way. The difference is, quite frankly, extremely eye-opening.

NOTE: when you do these exercises, you can work the exercise as a superset, doing one side then immediately moving the unbalanced load to the other side and doing a set for the other side, or you can rest in between working each side, doing each side as totally separate sets. Both methods work quite well.

1. The Uneven Barbell Bench Press

I will start with the bench press as my first example. First, load up a bar with a weight you could normally do for 15 reps (we want to start light to get a feel for it). Now, add an extra 10 pound plate onto the right side of the bar. Set yourself up on the bench and prepare for a very unique set!

When you unrack the bar, push hard against the ground with your right foot (this is to help balance the extra load on the right). Lower the bar to your chest as you normally would, striving hard to keep the bar itself horizontal - don't let the bar tilt or tip to the right!

Now, when you push it up, keep it horizontal as well. Because of the unbalanced load, almost ALL of the tension of the entire load on the bar will feel like it's going straight to the right pec.

Not only are you going to get that extra tension on the one side, you'll also feel a surprising bonus - the hard-to-reach, extreme inner pectoral area will be on fire! The way the pec has to activate in order to cope with the unbalanced load places a HUGE amount of tension on the inner pec area (on par with or even greater than the pec deck or cable cross-overs, I've found). The best part is, you don't need those big pieces of equipment to achieve this effect - just a barbell. This is ideal for home exercisers with limited equipment.

On your next set, be sure to switch the extra 10 pound weight to the other side of the bar to hit the left pec equally.

The uneven loads force each pec muscle to take up the majority share of the movement. If one side tends to take over in a regular bench press, this technique will let you know which side is weak and give you a way to fix it.

2. The Uneven Bent-Over Barbell Row

Looking for a way to hit the back in a way it's never been hit before? Loading the bent-over barbell row (close-grip underhand or wide-grip overhand) unevenly allows you to hit the extreme inner aspects of the back, especially the middle trapeizius area by the spine. Again, a 10 pound weight plate on one side will do it.

These inner/middle back muscles are extremely difficult to work with regular barbell rows - you have to really focus on getting the shoulder blades back. With uneven barbell loading, however, your body has NO CHOICE but to activate those hard-to-reach muscles to move the weight.

Like the bench press, you want to focus on keeping the barbell horizontal while you're doing the movement. When you lift the bar off the ground or the rack, remember that you will be unbalanced and be prepared to push with your feet a little harder on the side that is heavier.

Use a lighter weight the first time you do this exercise because remember, the majority of the tension will feel like it's going to only one side of the body.

3. The Uneven Barbell Curl

Imagine the entire weight of a barbell curl going to ONE bicep. That growth stimulation can be achieved by adding as little as 5 pounds onto one side of the bar when doing barbell curls.

Again, start with a fairly light weight as it will feel as though the majority of the weight is being lifted by only one side of the body. When you lift the bar, keep it horizontal. It will feel as though the lighter side bicep is doing almost nothing while the heavier side bicep is doing all the work.

But the assistance being given by the bicep on the lighter side will actually help keep the bar moving, allowing you to push the bicep on the heavier side much harder! The contraction you will get from this technique must be felt to be believed.

4. The Uneven Shoulder Press

Having trouble with your shoulder development? Standard barbell or dumbell presses just not doing the trick for your shoulders? Try the unbalanced loading technique with the military shoulder press (to the front ONLY).

When you add a little extra weight to one side (5 or 10 pounds), the tension goes right into the meat of the shoulder muscle. Even if you normally have a hard time feeling the shoulder muscles working when doing the press, this uneven loading will put the burn in the right place. You will feel a pump in your shoulders like you've never felt before.

As in all the exercises, keep the bar horizontal as you press it up and prepare to be unbalanced when you do the exercise. For this reason, I would recommend standing up when doing this exercise - you'll have an easier time with the balancing.

5. Other Uneven Barbell Exercises To Try

Now that you have the idea of how uneven loading works and how it's done, here are a number of other exercises you can try it with. The only exercises I WOULDN'T recommend it with are squats, deadlifts, stiff-legged deadlifts, good mornings and upright rows (I don't actually recommend doing upright rows at all!). Squats and deadlifts (and similar exercises) require evenly-distributed spinal support and throwing the load to one side could lead to torque on the spine.

Here are the other exercises you can try:

Give this technique a try the next time you're in the gym. I guarantee you'll be shocked at just how much difference a 5 or 10 pound weight difference on one side of the barbell can make!

If you're interested in learning other unique and powerful exercises and techniques like this, be sure to check out past issues of BetterU News here:

http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/archive-home.htm

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"Begin At The Gym" is your complete, introductory-level, fat-to-fit guide to transforming your body in the gym. Inside this ebook you will find 3 powerful routines designed to keep your progress pushing forward as you work towards the body you desire. Whether your goal is fat loss, muscle growth or strength building, you need to know how to eat, train and what supplements to take. This informational and entertaining book leaves no questions unanswered as you start on the biggest challenge of your life. Click this link now to start changing your body for the better! http://www.fitstep.com/goto/begin-gym.htm

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Working The Outer Triceps Guest Article By Ray Burton Want to know how to build bulging triceps that will shred your t-shirt sleeves? Ray Burton tells you what exercises to use and gives you a killer workout to build them fast!

The outer tricep is an awesome muscle. It sticks out like a slab of meat on your outer arm and makes your arm look thick from the front. Nothing screams power like when you can stand sideways and see the outer tricep with its great half-moon shape popping out.

The tricep muscle has three main parts: the medial (inner) head, the long head (which runs along the bottom of the arm) and the outer (lateral) head, which runs along the outside of the upper arm.

So how do you work the outer triceps?

Well, the best known and most common outer tricep exercise is the Standing Tricep Pushdown on the high pulley. But everyone does those, and honestly there are not a lot of great outer triceps to be seen. So, what else works those little buggers?

First off, any barbell or dumbbell movement with the palms of the hands facing up, works the outer tricep more than the long or medial heads. The biggest point to be made here is to "LOCK OUT THE ARMS!"

So basically, keep the palms up (reverse grip) and lock out and hold the contraction. Those are the most important points to cover when targeting the outer triceps.

However, if you have weak wrists and cannot target your outer triceps with the palms up, they can also be worked with the palms down. This can only be done specifically in moves where the upper arms never leave the side of the body (like the high pulley pushdown) and the elbows are fully locked out. If the arm rotates or the elbow moves forward then the long head of the tricep is called into contraction and extension and no outer triceps for you!

Another beauty for the outer triceps is the "Lying Dumbbell Extension." Lay on a flat bench holding two dumbbells at arms-length. Bending only at the elbows, lower your the dumbbells down beside your head then extend them back up to the top position.

This exercise works the outer head of the triceps and give the shape and thickness needed for total development of the triceps. However, when you do the exercise, you must lock the elbows out and give a little twist at the top so that your palms face your head. This twist strongly activates the outer triceps.

The last exercise that I use to work the outer tricep is the "Tricep Bench Dip." Sit on the side edge of a flat bench with your hands placed on the edge beside your butt. Your feet are flat on the ground in front of you. Lower your body down in front of the bench and push yourself back up using your triceps.

This is a good exercise that, while it works all of the triceps, emphasizes the outer head a little more. The great thing about this exercise is that you can push it all the way to failure, get a great pump, and you're totally safe and don't need a spotter. Be careful not to let your butt drift away from the bench or you will use too much of your deltoids and take the outer triceps right out of the picture.

Here is an outer tricep workout:

Reverse grip pushdown 4 sets of 8-10 reps

Superset (go from one exercise directly to the other):

Lying dumbell extensions with a twist
Bench dips (4 sets of 10-12 reps or failure on the dips)

Here's to some wicked outer triceps!

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Ray Burton is a personal trainer based in Calgary, Alberta,
Canada, working out of the ... Gym. He is the author of
"Begin At The Gym," a powerful guide to starting out in weight
training and bodybuilding, and "Your First Bodybuilding
Competition," a guide to bodybuilding contest preparation.

http://www.buildingbodies.ca/fitness-site.shtml

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Training Equipment Review - The "KettleStack" - A Kettlebell Construction Set! Have you wanted to try out Kettlebell training but been stopped by the high prices of buying a set? This unique piece of equipment will help you make your own Kettlebells for a fraction of the price!

The Kettlebell is one the oldest and newest pieces of strength training equipment that you'll come across in weight training these days.

What do I mean by that?

The Kettlebell has been around for a LONG time (the first mention of the Kettlebell in history is in a Russian dictionary in 1704!).

But the Kettlebell is also one of the "newest" pieces of training equipment as it's been rediscovered by trainers looking not only for a competitive edge, but for unique ways to build strength and fitness.

What is a Kettlebell?

For those not familiar with Kettlebells, it is basically a cast-iron weight shaped very much like a kettle. The weight is on the bottom with the handle on top. This makes the application of resistance FAR different than that of the standard dumbell.

Kettlebell training can provide an excellent total-body workout using movements that cannot be duplicated with standard dumbells or barbells, though you can perform many of the common dumbell and barbell exercises with the Kettlebell. At the end of this review, I will include links to some excellent Kettlebell-related sites if you're interested in more information on Kettlebell training.

What is the "KettleStack?"

In a nutshell, the "KettleStack" is a "do-it-yourself" Kettlebell. Like "do-it-yourself" dumbells of the same idea, you can add and remove your own weights to build your own Kettlebells. The "KettleStack" is, at its simplest, a thick plastic handle with bolts to slide your weight plates on. It's an elegant design and simple to use!

What Are The Advantages Over Regular Kettlebells?

The main advantage to this piece of equipment over a regular Kettlebell (which is a single, solid piece of cast-iron) is price. For the price of a small, single, standard Kettlebell, you can get two "KettleStacks" and make a far wider range of Kettlebell weights.

The next advantage is storage. In the same space you could store two regular Kettlebells (or dumbells), you can store the "KettleStack." This makes it ideal for space-limited settings. In fact, the "KettleStack" offers a further advantage in that its much lighter weight means you can store it almost anywhere!

The third major advantage lies in your ability to change weights with it. For example, you can use it with as little weight as you want (even 5 to 10 pounds) or as much weight as you can fit on it (four Standard plates fit easily on the model I tested - with 25 pound plates, this would give you a 100 lb Kettlebell). This makes it far more versatile than the standard, one-weight Kettlebell.

What Are The Disadvantages Compared To Regular Kettlebells?

The "KettleStack," while being extremely cost-effective and adaptable, does have its disadvantages.

As with adjustable dumbells, it takes time to change the weights to make your Kettlebells. This process is fairly simple and reasonably quick but, generally speaking, you'll probably want to stick with the same weight for most of the sets of the particular exercise you're using them with.

The second thing you'll need to be aware of is that you'll need to have your own Standard (small holes in the center) weight plates in order to use the "KettleStack." This shouldn't be a big problem as weight plates can be found relatively cheaply at most sporting goods stores or even garage sales.

Is the "KettleStack" an Effective Alternative To Regular Kettlebell Training?

In order to fully gauge the effectiveness of the "KettleStack" compared to regular Kettlebells, I made a "KettleStack" with 25 pounds and held it in one hand. In the other hand, I used a regular, solid 25 pound Kettlebell. This allowed me to make a direct "hand-to-hand" comparison while doing a number of Kettlebell exercises. The weight and balance were exactly the same, allowing for a very direct comparison.

When doing single-arm exercises, I did one set with the "KettleStack" then one set with the regular Kettlebell.

Here's what I found:

The "KettleStack" performed very well and very comparably on the majority of the Kettlebell exercises that I did. With few exceptions, I found I couldn't feel any significant difference in the quality or effectiveness of the exercises.

I did notice a difference when doing exercises where the Kettlebell comes in contact with your body during the exercise (for example, the overhead Kettlebell press for the shoulder). The difference in the construction did change the mechanics of the exercise somewhat but not enough to make it uncomfortable or ineffective - it still performed quite well. This difference in feel becomes more apparent as you use larger weight plates with the "KettleStack."

It's interesting to note that there were actually exercises where the "KettleStack" performed BETTER than the standard Kettlebell! The prime example of this was the Kettlebell curl. When curling a regular Kettlebell (performed essentially like a regular dumbell curl), the ball section hangs down until, at the top, it rests against your forearm.

When using the "KettleStack" (I used four 10-lb plates in this test), the greater size of the plates contacted my forearm earlier in the up phase of the movement, adding excellent leverage/resistance to the top half of the curl that can't be duplicated with the dumbell or regular Kettlebell.

This extra resistance resulted in tremendous, continuous tensiobn on the bicep through the full range of motion of the curl.

So is the "KettleStack" an effective alternative to regular Kettlebells?

The answer to that question is a qualified "yes." It's a very effective alternative though it does have a few characteristics that may change the way you work with the "KettleStack" compared to regular Kettlebells.

Conclusion:

If you're interested in giving Kettlebell training a try, the "KettleStack" is a very cost-effective, space-saving alternative to solid Kettlebells. You will be able to perform a wide variety of Kettlebell exercises without any problem.

All in all, the "KettleStack" is a very good piece of equipment for what it sets out to do and would be a valuable addition to a home gym or simply for someone looking for some basic, versatile equipment to work with at home.

Bottom line: it's good equipment and well worth the price!

For more information on "KettleStacks" or to purchase a pair for yourself, visit the manufacturer at:

http://www.fitstep.com/goto/kettlestacks.htm

If you're interested in more detailed information on Kettlebell training, I highly recommend the following sites:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=Kettlebells

http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode2/Kettlebells

http://www.mikemahler.com/articles.html

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