The Daily Grind

Welcome to Part 3 of the "Building Your Own Gym" Series. This series will focus on the top 5 items I believe are best for creating your own "gym" based on your individual situation. As the title indicates, this article is for the frequent traveler (travel frequently for work, out of the home/apartment on a frequent basis) who is constantly out of the house and needs an essentials kit for working out to stay as fit as possible on the road. They need a kit that fits in a gym bag, so a kit I shall recommend. All 5 of the items recommended below will all easily fit together into a small gym bag/travel bag. They are light-weight, portable, and will leave you with no excuse to not get a solid workout in, no matter where you find yourself in your travels.  1. Suspension Training Apparatus:      Taking up little space in your luggage but packing quite the punch in terms of versatility, suspension Training Apparatus' like the TRX Suspension Trainer and traditional gymnas...

Welcome to Part 2 of the "Building Your Own Gym" Series. This series will focus on the top 5 items I believe are best for creating your own "gym" based on your individual situation. As the title indicates, this article is speaking to the apartment leaser who may not have a dedicated space they can build a gym in. Neighbors below the floor and across the walls mean banging of weights may not be acceptable (unless you live in the coolest apartment on the block). Landlords don't usually look kindly on cracked floors or nail marks from mounting pullup bars. If you're trying to figure out how to make the most effective gym possible in your apartment, please read on. Furthermore, recognizing that you may not have the money to afford top-of-the-line fitness equipment like that from Rogue Fitness, I have also added my most recommended picks for those on a budget.  1.  Kettlebells: Incredibly versatile, kettlebells can be used like dumbbells while also mimicking the ...

Welcome to Part 1 of the "Building Your Own Gym" Series. This series will focus on the top 5 items I believe are best for creating your own "gym" based on your individual situation. As the title indicates, this article is speaking to the homeowner who has a dedicated space that they can furnish a home gym in. They don't have too many space constraints, no apartment neighbors across the walls, nor any questioning landlords they might have to deal with when deciding how to best build out their gym. Maybe some jealous neighbors once their setup is complete.      For the homeowner looking to build their home gym in the most efficient way possible, the following 5 items are your best purchases for building a solid, minimalist gym that will meet just about all of your fitness needs. Depending on what you want to spend, I have given my recommendations for the top-of-the-line equipment as well as more wallet-friendly equipment that will still definitely get the job done...

       GTG Training. Greasing the Groove. This training technique has been popularized in recent years by the Russian Kettlebell Master, Pavel Tsatsouline . The technique is simple, effective, and - surprisingly - relatively easy. When you train with the "Grease the Groove" technique, your primary focus is to increase your neural muscular efficiency in whatever exercise you are choosing to grease the groove for.      The primary focus of GTG Training is not hypertrophy (muscle growth). The primary focus is strength adaptations. GTG helps you become stronger in the movement you are practicing by improving your "muscle memory".       When you reflect on how you have improved your skills in other aspects of your life - think shooting a basketball, playing the guitar, driving a car - it becomes very apparent that you became better at those skills through increased repetition - increased practice. And what type of practice allowed you to...

       Pause Squats are an excellent variation of the squat. Put simply, pause squats are squats where you pause for a duration of time at a specific portion of the squat movement. Most often, when individuals are using pause squats in their training, they place the pause at the bottom position of the squat - "in the hole" - where many lifters find it most difficult to "squat" the weight back up to their original standing position. However, the pause in the pause squat can really be placed anywhere.  Where a lifter decides to pause in his or her squat should be dictated by two key factors.  1. Sticking Points -      For a pause squat, t he pause in the squat should occur at a position in the squat where the lifter finds it most difficult to move the weight - ie. his or her "sticking point" in the squat. You know the feeling. You descend into the squat, hit your bottom position, and initially begin to drive the weight back upwards quickly. How...

  TUT . Time Under Tension. An extremely simple principle that I don't believe enough people pay attention to. If you are looking for muscle growth, understanding the principle of TUT will greatly benefit you. In the most basic of terms, Time Under Tension in relation to muscle growth and fatigue can be broken down into 3 phases of time: Looking to build strength and power?   Make sure your set does not exceed 20 seconds 5 - 15 seconds is probably ideal Consequently, this time range usually allows for a 1-5 rep range A lower rep count allows for max force output and the movement of greater loads, as muscle endurance does not play much of a factor in the 1-5 rep range greater loads = greater potential force output = greater power/strength results Looking to build muscle mass? Make sure your set falls within the 20-60 second rep range  30 - 50 seconds is probably ideal Consequently, this time range usually allows for reps within the 6-12 rep range A moderate rep count allow...