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Monday Madness: Crazy Barbell Complexes

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Barbell Complexes

Barbell complexes are a great way to push up the intensity of your training. If you have not used them, read on. A complex is a string of exercises done continuously until the whole routine is finished. In a barbell complex, this means you shouldn’t let go of the weights as you transition from one movement to another.

Why Barbell Complexes Work

Here are a few reasons why barbell complexes rock:

  • It provides a way to burn fat without keeping you from gaining muscle mass
  • Instead of running on a treadmill for cardio, you can get your heart racing with the intensity of each exercise in your barbell complex
  • It’s more challenging compared to other workout routines
  • It gives you a chance to work on your form and technique as you perform different types of lifting exercises

Now that you know there’s a lot to gain from barbell complexes, let’s continue discussing the workout itself.

A Barbell Complex Workout

For those new to barbell complexes, you can follow this simple barbell complex I concocted:

Reps

Barbell upright row

6 reps

Barbell high pull snatch

6 reps

Snatch grip deadlift

6 reps

Barbell bent-over row

6 reps

Behind-the-neck push press

6 reps

Beginners should repeat the whole set up to 3 times; rest at most 3 minutes after each round. Intermediate lifters can do 4 rounds while advanced lifters can do 5, with the former taking only 2 minutes of break time and the latter only a minute to inhale some oxygen. This is the real beauty of barbell complexes.

Executing the Workout

You only need to do the barbell complex once a week. It will take only around 15-20 minutes of your time.

For beginners, I suggest you start with 50lbs of weight; intermediate lifters can do 70-80lbs; advanced ones can do over a hundred or more. Remember that the impact of the barbell complex is not grounded on how heavy the weights are but on the continuous motion and transition of your arm muscles as you switch from one complete set to another.

You don’t have to strictly follow the barbell complex setup I gave you. You can add your own exercise in the mix, do more than just 6 reps, or even complete it as fast as you can. The most important thing to remember is that you have to keep your hands on the barbell and never let go until you’re done with everything.

I prefer executing the barbell complex as a finisher for my usual workout routine. However, you can also do it as a separate conditioning exercise. It really depends on how your body can take this intense workout.

The Workout Explained

It’s hard to get ripped by losing fat and develop a big body by lifting at the same time. Oftentimes, these workouts contradict each other, preventing you from maximizing your gains in both areas. I’m having a hard time myself combining a running routine to burn fat and calories and lifting weights to build up my muscles; they just don’t go well with each other.

In a barbell complex, the weights don’t have to be heavy because the real burn lies in the number of repetitions and the fluid transition between each exercise. The amazing thing about this type of exercise is how it can keep your heart rate up even if you’re only lifting light weights. With a barbell complex, you can both lose fat and gain muscle mass.

More on Barbell Complexes

https://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-tips/5-ways-amp-barbell-complexes

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Gym Hero Pro Reviewed

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Gym Hero Pro is one of many training log apps that are available for your smart phone. I have used many of them and today I wanted to tell you my impressions of Gym Hero Pro.

Gym Hero

When you open the app you get the above screen. From here you can see your planned workouts, start a new workout, look at completed workouts, see progress photos, look at an exercise database, etc. It is a very useful opening screen that gets you to everything you need quickly and easily.

When you click “Begin Workout Now” you get the above screen. You can now begin a workout (if that's what you are doing) or you can plan a workout (something I always do in advance). When I click on schedule a workout I am presented with a date picker and I can select when I want to do this workout. The following screen allows me to either give my workout a name or if I've already put the same workout into Gym Hero Pro I can select it from this screen.

By selecting the name and hitting plan I am presented with the exercises for that workout. When entering exercises always be consistent with the naming because Gym Hero Pro also gives you a history on all your lifts. You want to keep that same name every workout so your history is accurate.

After clicking an exercise you are presented with the screen above. It enables you to track every set, rep and weight you move. It also shows you what you did the last time with this exercise (very helpful)

My Impression

It is not my intention to create a tutorial on Gym Hero Pro. I provided the above to get you familiar with the interface. Now I would like to give you my impressions of this app.

I love tracking my workouts and honestly feel it is essential for future progress. Gym Hero Pro makes it so easy to keep track of all my workouts. It helps me stay focused when I am at the gym. I am going to highlight just the features I find amazing here.

One very interesting aspect is Gym Hero Pro's ability to tell you the history of the last time you did a certain exercise. For my approach this makes it very easy to really challenge yourself each workout.

I personally use those previous numbers to progressively increase weight and reps. It works really well and it will focus you on what is most important.

Another cool feature is the rest timer. Swipe down from the top of the screen and a timer appears. You can use that to time your rest periods. It is awesome!

I highly recommend this app. Please note that I am not paid at all to do this review and I receive no money if yo choose to use the app.

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Does Coolsculpting Really Work?

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Even after going through an intense workout and diet regimen, small traces of fat can remain in your body. This can be a problem for competitors who are preparing to join bodybuilding competitions and modeling shows requiring a well-toned and sculpted body. There’s a way to remove this stubborn fat without the need to undergo any surgical procedure and it’s called CoolSculpting.

What is CoolSculpting?

CoolSculpting, also known as CryoSculpting, is an advanced medical procedure for fat loss approved by the FDA. In this procedure, a device blasts the fat cells in a targeted area with immense freezing temperatures that kill them, turning them into dead cells. Naturally occurring macrophages in the body find these dead cells, metabolize them, and clean them up, converting them to waste materials excreted during urination.

CoolSculpting is a non-invasive procedure, meaning patients don’t need to undergo any kind of surgery to remove fats from their body. The treatment focuses on eliminating stubborn fats that still cling to your body even after you’ve gone through great lengths of exercise and diet. Typically, the procedure is done on the abs, thighs, arms, and chin.

How is It Different from Liposuction?

Liposuction is the fat loss treatment you should undergo if you want to get dramatic results in your figure. On the other hand, CryoSculpting is not meant to remove large amounts of fat similar to what liposuction does. It can only remove around 20-30% of fat from an area in your body.

With CryoSculpting, there’s no need to slice your skin to perform the fat loss treatment. You don’t have to suffer from scarring and there’s no rest time to observe before you can get back to your regular activities.

CryoSculpting is the way to go for those who only need to remove stubborn fat residing in a small part of the body. It’s also the suggested option to those who are sensitive to invasive procedures like liposuction.

Not everyone can undergo the CryoSculpting procedure. Only those who weigh 20 lbs in excess of their ideal body weight can proceed with the operation. Patients suffering from obesity are advised to hit the gym rather than pay for fat loss procedures like this.

Does It Work?

Yes, and it can work wonders in your body in a flash. Results are even better if you avoid gaining weight during the procedure.

Most patients achieve their desired results after only one session. Visible results may show in a span of just a few weeks, but in some cases, patients have to wait for up to 3 months to see the results of this fat loss procedure.

Results are permanent but doctors cannot guarantee that you won’t recover the fat that has been eliminated. As with any procedure, the effectiveness of CryoSculpting depends on how your body responds to it and how you take care of your body after the procedure. By combining it with a balanced diet and regular exercise you can maintain a shapely body after the operation.
CryoSculpting procedure has no side-effects or any negative factors that may affect your health. The fat cells also won’t grow back years after the procedure. However, if you start to gain weight, the excess fats will be accommodated by the remaining fat cells in your body.

If you’re ready to pay around $2,000 for each CryoSculpting session, this may be the right fat loss treatment you’ve been looking for.

 

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Monday Madness: Heavy Lifting for Bigger Gains

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Everyone wants to know how heavy lifting brings bigger gains and today I am going to talk to you about that and show you a quick workout that can pack on the muscle. Weight lifting is essential to body recomposition. If all you do is cardio to burn fat you will also burn the hard earned muscle you worked for. Some people believe in lifting “for the pump” and I am here to tell you that isn't the best way to go if you want to pack on strength and size.

Why Lifting Heavy Is Better

Intensity is one of the factors that spurs muscle growth. When you push your CNS beyond its normal capacity you force it to add size to your frame. When we do sets in the range of 4 to 6 repetitions we are doing “heavy lifting” in my opinion. The following are the reasons I think lifting heavy is the way to go.

  1. Faster strength increases. An increase in strength will come with a revved up metabolism as one of the side benefits. Increased strength also gives you more confidence.
  2. You build muscle. Heavy weights means larger muscles. Larger muscles means a more efficient energy system in your body.
  3. Helps the body lose fat. Because muscle is a metabolic tissue you will burn fat easier if you have more muscle on your frame.
  4. Connective tissue is strengthened. This means you are protected more when lifting later.

A Heavy Workout

Exercise Reps/Sets
Leg Extensions 10 x 3
Leg Press 15 x 5
Squats 4-6 x 3

1-3 x 3
Lying Leg Curls 4-6 x 3

This workout begins by pre-exhausting the quads in preparation for some good squat work. When we get to the squats we begin with 3 sets in the 4 to 6 rep range and then we finish with 3 sets in the 1 to 3 rep range. This type of workout is going to exhaust you so make sure you get your food in before this training happens.

The focus in this workout is the quads and hamstrings, but you can apply this principle to any muscle group. Give it a try and share your workout in the comments.

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Competition Goals

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competition goals

Competition goals can vary from person to person. When I competed I always wanted to improve upon the last package I brought to the stage. For some people this means getting better conditioning while for others it means to build more muscle. This is the key to competing–coming up with the right competition goals.

When preparing for a competition you need to keep in mind what you hope to accomplish on stage. If you are looking to be bigger than everyone else in your division, your approach will be adjusted according to that goal. If you are looking to be leaner than anyone else in your division, that's an entirely different approach.

Goals when preparing for competitions are broken into two things–preparation goals and competition day goals.

Preparation Goals

Here is where you pay close attention to your progress. Track your body fat percentage to insure that you're heading in the right direction. This will help you know whether or not you need to increase or decrease cardio. I personally think that body weight is a useless measurement when competing unless your division has weight limitations, so I don't worry at all about that number.

Competition Day Goals

You will work on these goals throughout preparation and will see the results on stage. These goals can include a good posing routine that is smooth and understandable, increased mass, showing the best version of yourself, hiding flaws, etc. Make sure you keep track of these goals so that when you do your next competition you know what to change and what to keep the same.

Take the time to write down all your goals. I personally use Google Sheets for this purpose.

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