quick fit training.
contents:
Introduction.
How to start.
Level 2.
Kettle Bell.
Power clean.
Power jerk.
Power snatch.
Barbell overhead squats.
Squats.
Nutrition.
Introduction.
Since 1,5 year I was looking for a new way to do a physical workout that really covers your whole body without having to spend one or two hours in a gym.
My lower back, at that time, gave me a painful reminder that I neglected my body in the sense of doing exercises. This came a bit as a surprise to me considering I had quite a history in sports. But I started to google on it, did research, started to work out and experiment with different ways of training and in the end collected some very useful info to work your physicals.
The training is quite demanding and you have to work yourself up the ladder. But I learned that you really don’t need to spend a lot of time in a gym where you will spend probably half of your time waiting either for someone to finish his or her routine or collecting your wits because you think you need to prepare yourself for the next exercise.
First of all I would like to start by saying that most exercises you will learn in a gym are basically wrong!! Why? First of all because in a gym unconsciously it is taking as normal to be lazy. You will learn, or have learned, that you should do all kind of different exercises on all kind of different machines. And second, during the last 35 years it became an increasingly but disturbing fashion to create machine that will “help” you to do the exercises as comfortable as possible. Which leaded to that most machines give you a nice seat to sit on which basically will give you the idea that you don’t have to stand while doing the exercise. Once again; laziness.
Well, this is wrong!!! Not only is it increasingly giving your back the wrong tension and stress that, on the long run, will have you end up with a serious back pain. There is no way to go around it, for doing proper training you need to get up and get active and only sit when you’re done or when you can’t stand anymore because you give it your full 200%!
To really get a benefit from your exercise you need to push yourself. If you want to get an idea of really push yourself watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xpjbqBrKuI
As you will learn, during the exercises you will have to get used to the fact that you take only 10 seconds rest between every exercise. This is different from cross fit because during a cross fit you’re supposed to not take breaks at all!!
Why only 10 seconds? During my research I came across some very interesting and, for me, new approach on fitness. It was a Japanese scientist, Dr. Izumi Tabata, who developed this. Basically he developed a way to fire up the anaerobic and aerobic system. It’s very simple but very effective. What does it look like?
1) Do as many repetitions as possible within 20 seconds.
2) Resting between exercises only 10 seconds.
3) Repeat this cycle eight times.
(if you want more info about this kind of training: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-mahoney/health-and-fitness_b_5114012.html
The training I am describing here belowe is based on the tabata method but not the same:
- Do as many repetitions as possible.
- Resting between exercises only 20 seconds.
- Take a minimum of 3 different exercises.
- Do everything within the given time.
What are the benefits from this kind of training?
First of all you will feel that this kind of training will give you energy.
Because you take only 20 seconds rest your system is fully activated and will use old reserves (fat) and will continue to do this after your training.
You will strengthen your muscles without losing them.
You will stand stronger in life.
Next to the training it is also important to look at your nutrition. We will do this at the end.
Also we will look at your emotional garden. Emotional garden? Yes! Very important…
So…let’s look at the actual workout routines.
We will start with the 15 minutes workout. This will give you a change to get familiar with this kind of training.
Basically it comes down to doing a routine in a short given time. To achieve this you take just 20 seconds rest between every exercise. Forget about repetitions; just do every exercise as long as you can. Take 20 seconds rest and do it again or start another exercise.
What kind of exercises are total workouts for your body?
There are many, many different kind and sorts of exercises. But to give an good idea of some exercises that really take your whole body in to action you only need the following examples:
Main exercises:
- kettlebells
- Power clean and jerk
- Power snatch
- Dead lift
- Snatch jumps
- Pull ups
- Bench press or push ups
- Barbell overhead lunges
- Barbell overhead squats
- Normal squats
Every routine exercises:
- Range of abdominal exercises
- Leg raises.
Now an important part is not to do too much! Don’t try to do all exercises in one routine. This will fuck you up and leave you with an opposite result. No, begin with just 2 main exercises and always include abdominal and leg raises. Sometimes you do a bit less or more abdominal but just keep those always in the routine. Why? Because your abdominal muscles are very easy to get lazy and to leave out of any routine because it feels so tiresome to do them..
IMPORTANT!!! :
Now, this is very important; the following exercises are very difficult to learn because the technique that is needed to perform these exercises have to be close to perfect to not end up with an injured back or shoulders;
01. Power clean and jerk
02. Power snatch
later I will try to explain these exercises as complete as possible but my advice is to get the basic understanding from someone who is already familiar with these exercises. He or she can tell you what your weak points are so you can address these while continuing the training.
To see some pretty good tutorial for power snatch check these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6SjuAOjMEk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4DlbzKziJM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOEVmzKUhQ0
To see good tutorial for the power clean and jerk:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEyoH5FV03s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AaSNARQPfE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHuiw4GvB0g
Once again; don’t learn the power snatch or power clean from these video’s! They are quite difficult to learn because it comes down to details. Also I don’t expect you to do the whole power snatch or clean but to take parts of it is already one hell of a good exercise!
HOW TO START.
As I mentioned before, start small! Take just 15 minutes and start with the following exercises:
01. Dead lift
02. Snatch jumps
03. Abdominal exercises
Now, important is to really remind yourself to not go over the 15 minutes! Trust me, you will feel exhausted for sure! Also take only 20 seconds rest between two different exercises. Sometimes this is hard because you need to change the barbell or re-arrange something but you will get the hang of it J.
DEAD LIFT:
How to: stand behind the barbell and have your feet stand straight forward about shoulder wide apart. Bend through the knees but keep your back straight at all times! Grab the barbell and use your whole body to lift the barbell up. Make sure not to tense your shoulders up. Keep them focussed and kind of stiff but do not shrug them up.
then go down the same way you came up. Don’t drop the barbell to the floor! Lower it slowly while keeping your back straight.
HOW MANY TIMES: do this exercise as many times possible. If you’re making about 15 to 20 reps then add more weight to the barbell. Between each set TAKE ONLY 20 SECONDS REST. This is another very important must!
IMPORTANT: concentrate on doing this exercise in a controlled and continues motion. Technique is way more important than strength. Strength comes automatically when the technique is perfect. Don’t do it too fast. When focussing on technique this will automatically insure that your motion will be in the right speed.
SNATCH JUMPS.
This is an exercise that helps you to build up for the power snatch.
It demands you to be fast but powerful in your legs, back, shoulders and arms. It is very helpful to get familiar with the power snatch because your shoulders will be able to memorize the positions.
HOW TO: about where to grab the barbell: to distinguish where to grab the barbell hold the barbell in front of your hips. Now when you move down (keep your back up and straight) the barbell should NOT move from the spot in front of your hips. If it does (like going down in bit) you have to adjust your grip away from you.
Take the barbell and lift to your shoulders. Let it rest on your shoulders while bending slowly through your knees. Not to deep! All the time keeping your back straight.
Now make a quick small jump and immediately get yourself in a squat position while pushing the barbell up above your head. You need to really push your arms and shoulders up while getting yourself in that squat position!! Then stand up while keeping the barbell above your head. Then let the barbell drop down in a controlled manner. This exercise is for a great deal about finding your balance while having holding the barbell above your head.
HOW MANY TIMES: do this exercise as many times possible. If you can make 15 reps then add more weight to the barbell. Between each set TAKE ONLY 20 SECONDS REST.
IMPORTANT: again technique is more important than the amount of weight you are able to push up. If you concentrate on the weight you will waist the technique and you will end up with injuries. Take it slowly and you will benefit longer.
Now this exercise is faster than the dead lift but when doing it for the first few times don’t go to fast to insure that the technique keeps perfect.
ABDOMINAL EXERCISES:
Now these are a whole complete routine on its own. There are many different ways to work your abs so find the ones that work for you BUT don’t get lazy and choose only the ones that are easy for you. For example the cross crunches are not easy at first but are very important as well. Leg raises are always a must! Whether you do them hanging or lying on the floor.
Now these images give you a whole variety of exercises for the abs. the given reps or time are a good indication to start with. I would say, take at the beginning only the 8 exercises from the left image and later you can add the others to it. Also, after getting more comfortable with these exercises you should increase the reps or time but always keep the rest in between at 20 seconds!!
Leg raises:
leg raises with bended knees
leg raises with straight legs
These exercises are tougher than they appear. You really have to give it to your limit and more. Start with the leg raises with bended knees and then the straight leg raises.
Again do as much as you can (until you really fall down because you can’t hold on anymore) and then take only 20 seconds rest and do it again.
THE END:
So make sure that you keep doing the exercises for 15 minutes. Didn’t finish what you had in mind? No worries. Next time you will plan and do better. After a while you will get comfortable with these exercises and then you know it’s time to move to the next level.
I would say you start with this routine for 4 weeks and then continue with the next level.
After each workout do some profound stretching. Especially stretch the muscles that you feel are worked up.
LEVEL TWO:
So now that we have a basic understanding of how it works we can increase the exercises a bit. the ‘how many times’ and ‘rest’ sequence stay the same. Only the exercises are different and more and the time we do the exercises in is now set to 30 minutes.
Which exercises are we doing?
- Barbell overhead lunges
- Pull ups
- Jerk jumps
- Push ups / bench press
- Abdominal routine
So we have 30 minutes to do all this. It comes down to 5 minutes for each exercise and 5 minutes to divide. So check your timing. Don’t stay to long with one exercise otherwise you have not enough time to include the others. Remember; do not go over the 30 minutes! If you can’t get all exercise routines within the given time, you have to adjust your settings.
BARBELL OVERHEAD LUNGES.
HOW TO: take the barbell in such a way that when it’s hanging in your hands in front of your body the barbell is just under your hip line. (When you hold it at this height it should not move from that point when you bend your knees)
Now raise the barbell above your head and step out with one leg. Immediately step back and continue with the same leg for about 7 times and then step out with the other legs without lowering the barbell. If you have to squeeze out the last 2 steps then you’re doing it right.
REST: again take only 20 seconds rest before repeating the exercise.
IMPORTANT: this exercise should be done in a continues motion. Do not stop moving when you come back to the standing position. Keep going!
PULL UPS.
HOW TO: first of all you need to find yourself something where you can grab yourself on to that will be strong enough to hold your weight and comfortable enough for you to have your fingers on. (I started with the lower part of stairs and doorways but eventually bought a cheap metal bar that I constructed to the roof)
pull yourself up and lower yourself slowly. It is important to do this exercise complete!! It happens a lot that people forget to push their chest to the front and when pulling up, first to pull down their shoulders! This is very important! When hanging first flex your shoulders down before pulling yourself up. Repeat as much as possible. If you can’t pull up at the beginning, use a chair to help yourself up but lower yourself without the help of a chair.
REST: again take only 20 seconds rest between exercises.
IMPORTANT: as mentioned before, it is very important when you do the pull ups to start with bringing your shoulders down first.
a good explanation is made in this video (pull ups starts at 10:20): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOgXXwFPGhg
JERK JUMPS.
This exercise helps you to get familiar with the power clean and jerk. It is the last movement of the whole clean and jerk and similar to the snatch jump only that now the barbell is in front of you.
HOW TO: hold the barbell a bit wider than your shoulders and bring it up in such a way that the barbell is resting on top of your shoulders. Bend a little bit through your knees and then make a quick powerful jump. At the last moment of your jump push yourself under the barbell. Very important not to push the barbell up! Make sure that your position is stable before you get up again while keeping the barbell above your head. Then slowly bring the barbell back to starting position. Repeat this as much as possible.
REST: again take only 20 seconds rest between the exercises.
IMPORTANT: this exercise is tough. Make sure your back is kept straight at all times. Very important is to get a smooth motion of bringing yourself under the barbell. It should be a smooth combination of you going under the barbell and pushing the barbell above your head.
PUSH UPS OR BENCH PRESS.
Probably the most famous exercise ever. But, unfortunately, also most of the time done in a wrong way. Whereas this exercise is meant to strengthen the chest muscles (pectoralis major and minor) it often done by using to much the front shoulder muscles (front deltoid muscle group)
HOW TO: whether you do push ups or bench press, the basic is the same.
Put your hands on the ground in such a way that your lower arms remain straight all the time. Begin with stretched arms and lower yourself to the floor slowly. Now push yourself up but keep your body stiff! Important is to push from the chest and back. Not from the shoulders. To do this you need (just as we did with pull ups) to flex your shoulders down by tightening your back. Again the following video explains this very well (push ups start at 4:00): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOgXXwFPGhg
Do as much repetitions as possible.
REST: again take only 20 seconds rest between exercises.
IMPORTANT: what I described above. The shoulders should be pulled down. Make the motion in such a way that going down to the floor goes slowly and pushing back up goes faster but controlled.
ABDOMINAL EXERCISES.
Once again you can choose from the wide variety of exercises for the abdominal. Keep in mind that you should never neglect this one! A good option is to do the abdominal exercises in between every other set of exercises. For example:
1 set barbell overhead lunge
20 sec. rest
1 set of leg raises
20 sec. rest
1 set of barbell overhead lunge
20 sec. rest
1 set of leg raises
etc…..
THE END:
After the full 30 minutes of training you take some time to stretch again. Make sure to do this with the same attitude as doing your training. It’s a perfect way to come back to rest and overlooking your training and give feedback to your performance.
Keep doing level 2 for at least 1,5 to 2 month. At the beginning it might look like a long time to do the same exercises but it is important that your body gets really familiar with it before changing your routine to your liking.
—————————————————————————–
So, by now you should have been training these routines for at least 2,5 month and you’re dying to continue with level three.
Level three is actual not very different from level two except for the time and the fact that you can put together your own routine. The time you take for level three is 40 minutes. The way you do the exercises and the time for rest stay the same.
To be able to have a more variable amount of exercises we have to be familiar with a few more different and tougher exercises.
In the next few pages I will describe several exercises that are just that. Please remember to get really familiar with these exercises before you put them in your routine. I suggest you take once a week one training to really get to know one new exercise. Just keep doing this one exercise during the whole routine until you totally feel it as your own.
We will describe the following exercises:
- kettlebell
- Power clean
- Power jerk
- Power snatch
- Barbell overhead squats
- Regular squats
As I mentioned before the power clean and jerk and power snatch are very difficult exercises that are easily done in the wrong way. Just because you want to get as much weight up in the air as soon as possible. Well, first of all, you won’t be able to, second you will injure yourself for sure. Take your time to get it right and then, slowly, increase the weight. Technique is here 100 times more important and effective then the amount of kilogram you can move.
- KETTLE BELL.
The kettle bell, as some of you might know, is a weight exercise that came from Russia. It was developed for the army to create an overall and powerful exercise that would make the body strong and yet flexible.
Watch and study this video first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRpbM9nzDcM
As you can see in the video there are several ways to use the kettle bell to have a good workout. I would suggest you start with the most common one.
The kettle bell exercise is a wonderful exercise to prepare for the power clean and snatch. You will learn explosive movements while handling weight. Important here is to keep your back straight at all times.
HOW TO: stand with your feet at shoulder wide and hold the kettle bell with both hands. Just let it hang in your hands. Now go down through your knees and come up straight while swinging the kettle bell up. Keep your arms straight all the time. Keep the kettle bell in a movement. Do not stop when the kettle bell is up or down. Just keep going up and down.
Do this for as many reps as possible.
The kettle bell comes in many different weights. You don’t have to buy a real kettle bell immediately; you can do this exercise just as well with a dumbbell or a weight from a barbell.
As you could see in the video, there are lots of variations with this exercise. Once you’re comfortable with this one go and explore. You can find many good examples on youtube.
- POWER CLEAN.
Watch and study this video first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE2xGf1LjJw
As you may have noticed the whole exercise is done in one short powerful motion.
To understand this exercise we need to chop it into several pieces.
These are the four fundamental parts of the whole exercise.
picture 01. Getting the weight of the ground and into a up worth motion. The key here is to generate strength from all over your body. Not only the back or the legs but your whole body comes into action. Your back must stay solid straight! Your shoulders should be locked but ready to jump. Your legs should be rooted to the floor but ready to jump. Your abs and chest need to support the whole body and your arms are not allowed to let go or to start bending.
Quite a lot for just one single part of this exercise.
Picture 02. Jumping up while using the up worth motion of the weight. As you can see you DO NOT just lift the weight up by force. The fundamental trick here is to get the right jump mastered that will make you increase the up worth motion of the weight in the same direction. That is; straight up vertical. (if you study the 4 pictures you see that the barbell is only going up worth and not swinging to the front or back while going up)
To do this you need to energies your legs and hips. NOT YOUR SHOULDERS OR ARMS!!!
This jump is done as soon as your upper body is straight up but your knees are still a bit bended. Your upper body needs to make room for the barbell by going a bit back worth. Because your body needs to be under the barbell before the barbell stops going up.
Picture 03 and 04. Getting the weight cleaned. This is pretty much the moment that you succeeded to pass the hard part of step one. Here your body has managed to be quick enough to move itself under the barbell in a good technical way that it is now ready to push it up to standing position. Still your back needs to be solid straight and most of power should come from the legs and abs. Here the shoulders, chest and arms are only holding the barbell in position. There is no pushing, pulling or throwing here. Only using your legs to get up into standing position.
HOW TO…..
step 01- Have the barbell in front of you without any weights on it. (we’re just gonna practice the motion here)
– grab the barbell a bit wider then shoulder wide, go down through the knees and concentrate on jumping.
– come up slowly while keeping the back straight and keep the barbell as close to your legs as possible. It might be helpful to focus on your heels. They need to be pushed in the floor. (picture 01)
step 02 – the moment that you back is vertical you straighten your legs and push your hips to the front and up with a powerful snap while navigating your upper body back worth. In this jump the barbell will be raised continuously with the previous motion of getting up.
(picture 02)
step 03 – before the moment of the barbell comes to a point of still, you should move under the barbell and come to a solid squat position and the barbell rest on the shoulders and upper part of your chest. This is a moment of active rest!
(picture 03)
step 04 – now while keeping your back solid straight, push yourself up into standing position while keeping the barbell resting on your shoulders and chest.
(picture 04)
To get more out of this exercise you can start by separating step 01 and 02 before continuing with step 03 and 04. To get a good idea check these video again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEyoH5FV03s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AaSNARQPfE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHuiw4GvB0g
Do this exercise really thoroughly. No jerking or quickies allowed! It is a solid base for a powerful and strong body.
- POWER JERK.
Watch and study this video first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqnBBgQRa_c
Here, as you could see, it is a short explosion of power to get the barbell above your head. To understand the whole motion we’re going to chop everything into several pictures.
Picture 01. Getting ready for the explosion. The back is kept straight and the whole body is transformed into a rocket that wants to go up. The jump comes from the legs. They push the whole body up as high as possible. Remember, it is the body that pushes the barbell, not the arms!!! The arms are used to get under the barbell!
Picture 02. Lift off! The barbell is pushed to its highest point. Immediately the body is brought under the barbell and into a solid posture with one foot front.
Picture 03. The arms and shoulders are pushed up!! Not to push the barbell but to push the body underneath it and to keep the barbell in position.
Picture 04. Both legs are brought back to standing position while keeping the barbell above the head. Notice that the arms are kept straight and the shoulders are pushed up.
HOW TO: take the barbell up to your shoulders and let it rest on top of your shoulders. This is the end position of the power clean. Make sure that while you’re holding the barbell with your hands, your elbows must be pointed to the front. (picture 01)
Go down by bending your knees a bit as if you’re preparing for a jump. You are!
With an explosive jump you force the barbell up. While doing this use your hands to guide the barbell but don’t push the barbell up by only using the strength of your arms.
(picture 02)
Before the barbell comes to a non-movement point you should be under the barbell with your arms stretched out above you holding the barbell in position. One of your legs must be pushed to the back and the other to the front. (picture 03)
When you feel that you’re in balance, bring your feet back to standing position while keeping the barbell above your head. Make sure your arms are straight and the shoulders are pushed up. (picture 04)
Lower the barbell in a controlled manner by first bring it back to your shoulders and then to the floor.
- POWER SNATCH.
Watch and study this video first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5YvKrjGtPM
The power snatch is an amazing but difficult exercise. For me, it is beautiful to see this exercise being performed. Whether it is done with light weights or heavy weights, it is just a perfect mixture of balanced movement and explosive power.
Probably the hardest part of this exercise is the first part; getting the weight of the floor and up in the air. Look very closely at the pictures above. As you can see very clearly (picture 05) the barbell comes to a point where it is in mid-air, a point of stillness, this moment is crucial and decisive. Before the barbell starts its way back down you need to get under it and stabilize it above your head. To be able to do this you need to be fast, explosive and strong.
Let’s look at it closely:
picture 01. The moment of preparing for the explosion. It is a controlled explosion because the back, as you will see in the other pictures, is kept straight and the shoulders are kept in position. The strength comes mostly from using the legs and back.
Picture 02. Here the weight is lifted up. Still the back is straight. Important is to notice that the weight is not swung around or back and forth. It goes up in an almost perfect vertical line.
Picture 03. This is the moment when the body needs to transform. From going up using the legs it is now the back, the hips and the legs that are working together to make a jump. Because you are holding the barbell, you are unable to really make a jump but the barbell will there for be lifted and go up. To enhance that the barbell will continue to go up in a straight line, the shoulders are brought to the back.
Picture 04. This is the moment that the shoulders are pulled all the way back to give room for the barbell. It is also the moment that you need to get ready to dive under the barbell.
Picture 05. Here the barbell has reached to point of stillness. It has this mille-second that it is hanging still in mid-air. This is the moment you have to be under the barbell.
Picture 06. With a fast movement and using the barbell actually to push yourself under the barbell, you came into a full squat position and keep the barbell where it is. Above your head.
In this picture you can see how the movement is continued. From a full squat position you keep the barbell above your head. Notice that the shoulders are pushed up and are kept tight! The back stays straight and is used only to keep balance. The legs are doing the heavy work here.
It is wise to take this part of the power snatch as an individual exercise for some period of time.
HOW TO: It will help you a great deal with finding and get comfortable with the balance you need to keep while having a weight above your head. Also your shoulders might need to get more flexible since the weight is held in such an angle that it feels that your arms are pulled back.
01 – have your feet a bit wider then shoulder wide on the floor and grab the barbell.
(to determine where to grab the barbell see the topic about barbell overhead lunges).
02 – prepare yourself for the first explosive movement.
03 – start slowly by first straighten your back and focus on lifting the weight. Put all your strengths in getting the weight up, start coming up and increase the speed.
04 – the moment the barbell is at your hip level; make the jump and pull your shoulders to the back. Very important here is that you DO NOT start pulling the barbell with your arms or shoulders!!! The barbell goes up only because of the motion you started and the jump to accelerate the movement.
05 – immediately move under the barbell in a full squat position and lock your arms and shoulders so that the barbell is secure above your head.
06 – the moment you are balanced you come up in standing position still with the barbell above your head.
07 – to lower the barbell first let it slowly drop to your hips and catch it with your thighs and then lead it to the floor.
A good way to get familiar with this exercise is to split it into three parts.
First part: get the feeling of raising the barbell by doing step 01 until 03.
Second part: start with the barbell at hip height and only do step 04 and 05.
Third part: start with the barbell above your head and do several squats while keeping the barbell above your head.
If all three parts goes smooth, you can start doing all parts together.
- BARBELL OVERHEAD SQUATS.
First watch and study this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3VMBdEBB7c
This is a great video because it tells us all the important information where to pay attention to when doing the exercise. So…watch it again.
– Keep your feet at shoulder width.
– Again a wide grip and keep your shoulders active. This means they should not lock.
– Your arms and elbows should be locked.
– Keep looking straight ahead during the whole movement.
– While going down keep your back straight or curved.
- All the time maintain a upward pressure to the barbell.
Do this exercise controlled and slow. The slower you do it the more you need to control the bar with your shoulders, the more you will feel comfortable doing the power snatch!All the time maintain constant upward pressure to the barbell. - Make a full squat, make sure your hip goes lower than your knees.
- When going up have most of the weight on your heels.
- Keep the chest up and make full extensions of your hips and legs when standing.
- SQUATS AND FRONT SQUATS.
First watch and study this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy28eq2PjcM
The squats are the basic exercise for getting strong legs and lower back. When performed proper you will feel your legs get stronger very quickly.
Squats can be done in several ways. Here we will take the regular squats (loaded on the back and shoulders) and the front squats (loaded on the front shoulders).
regular squats. 
Front squats.
REGULAR SQUATS – HOW TO:
– Put your feet approximately at shoulder width.
– place the barbell on your upper back against your shoulders. This is important! Do not place the bar in your neck. Not only will this give the wrong pressure on your neck but also your back won’t make the necessary curve to do this exercise proper.
– fix your back. Make it straight with a little curve. Once you go down this curve will increase.
– go down and bring your hips all the way down. You should have a slight feeling that you are falling backward.
– keep looking straight ahead while coming back up. Just like mentioned in the overhead squats, when coming up extend your hips and legs fully.
Do this exercise about 10 to 15 reps every set.
FRONT SQUATS – HOW TO:
– Put your feet approximately at shoulder width.
– place the barbell on top of your shoulders while bringing your elbows in front of you. This is important! Do not lower your elbows. Not only will this give the wrong pressure on your posture but your shoulders will get to much weight to correct which will have a negative effect on the whole exercise.
– fix your back. Make it straight with a little curve. Try to keep the back fixed and straight up.
– go down and bring your hips all the way down. You should have a slight feeling that you are falling backward.
– keep looking straight ahead while coming back up. Just like mentioned in the overhead squats, when coming up extend your hips and legs fully.
Try to vary with both exercises.
So far for the exercises. I think when you became comfortable with most of these exercises you will automatically look for other alternatives to enrich your training. There are many different exercises and many different ways to train. Just enjoy your workout and keep your health intact.
Next to a proper training or workout you will need to have a proper nutrition. What is a good balanced nutrition? To cut short…there is no such thing!
I know, many people will disagree with this and will tell us that you need to follow certain diet, food plan or other nutritious program. I would say, no! That is, as long as you live from the heart. That would pretty much be my only criteria for having a proper digestion for whatever nutrition you take.
Of course there are several ingredients you will need to take if a certain goal is set. But for the main part you can eat whatever you want although I believe that if you live by the heart, have a balanced emotional life you probably won’t have a daily graving for junk food.
Because, a well-balanced life will ask for the food it needs. The trick is to let your heart be the lead to what you eat, not the food. Healthy food is always a wonderful and powerful ingredient but it can never be the leading ingredient for a healthy life.
Not long ago I came across an article from a guy who discovered all by himself that his overweight wasn’t because of the junk food he ate but his overall lifestyle that caused him to be the way he was. He discovered that due to a poor emotional ventilation (which pretty much means that you have a balanced way of expressing your feelings and emotions, that you know what you feel, not necessarily know what you want, but are being honest to yourself and to others in every perspective in life) his metabolic system wasn’t able to digest whatever food he was taking. He did as many diets he could find but nothing seem to work for him.
He also found that having stress at work, or working for something you don’t believe in, has a major effect on how your body takes the food that is given. Whatever food you eat has its own personal energy. On itself this is no problem unless the receiving vessel itself is energetic in dis-balance. Than the vessel, in this case our body won’t be able to digest the food properly. The energy from this food will be stored and not used. Energy that will be manifested as bodyweight that we have to carry with us because we do not know what else to do with it. This is because we don’t recognize the essence only because we do not see our own.
In a way you can say that you need to be the essence of your existence; a vessel that is always receiving and giving. It’s a never ending flow of energy. Once it becomes static it loses the ability to transform other energies that it receives.
So to maximize your metabolism it becomes rather important to look at your life. How is your personal and emotional garden? Are you happy? Do you feel you experience a stressful life? Are you easy with different circumstances? Do you accept yourself?
There is no right answer for these questions. Only your own personal way. Nobody is the same except that we all are vessels of flowing energy. But each one of us has different personality.
And when you come down to the point that you are answering to your heart and your personal and emotional gardens are flowing and growing with the seasons, you will see and know that you automatically adjust your food to it.
So, don’t worry too much about what you should or shouldn’t eat. Take care of your life and your body will tell you what it needs. Trust me, the fact that you will start to hear it already is a sign that you are listening to your heart.
So that is my gift to you.
I’m not a professional fitness man, not a professional nutrition man and I’m not selling any truth here.
This training routines and the advice I give are coming from experience, try outs and life itself. Don’t take it to serious and yet do take it seriously.
I hope you can enjoy it.
Enjoy life, live fully and listen to your heart.
Love – strength – honour.
Alexander
Inspire & Encouraged 