Explosive strength is a key factor in most sports. Aside from the performance benefits, explosive strength simply makes you look good and healthy. The lean muscles we know from sprinters are the result of years of explosive strength training. Today, I wanted to show you how you can build explosive upper body strength. All you need for this exercise is an exercise ball that you fill with water. You can find a tutorial of how to build this type of tool here.
In our exercise today, we will lift the ball up and hold it with bent arms in front of our chest. From this position, we will try to throw the ball up and flip it sideways from left to right and right to left. If you do this exercise throughout the day, you will notice an extreme increase of strength and muscle mass. The best thing about this exercise is the fact that all muscles you gain are usable muscles, ones filled with dynamite!
For more workouts using a water-filled exercise ball, check out: Post 1 and Post 2.
I accidently stumbled upon a video that moved me like nothing ever did before. In this video, you will see a man struggling. This man is nearly unable to move at all. Due to too many jumps with parachutes during the war, his body was literally exhausted and destroyed. Medical doctors, physical therapists and yoga-teachers told him that he would never walk again.
See what he accomplished with nothing other than his power of will.
This clip proved to me that YOU can, in fact, do whatever you want in life! Make your dreams a reality!
Please take a few minutes to watch this and tell me what you think!
As many of you know, we are not big believers in spending tons of extra money every month for a gym membership. We like utilizing the resources around us, just as our ancestors before us did (we have been hooked on watching the Spartacus series lately). But really, those guys were more fit and well trained than anyone pumping iron at a gym. So today, we headed to the playground to get a workout in. Shaina and I have been creative in how we use slides, swings, and bars to get our fitness on.
Check out the video for some ideas. Have any ideas of your own? Share them with us! We love hearing from you!
Make this week a “no excuses week.” Set a realistic goal that you can work on each day and track your progress. Have an awesome Monday!
Looking for an excuse to have sex often? Look no further!
British scientists discovered that sex is more important for our health than sports. People who have orgasms often have been shown to live longer and healthier than those who have fewer orgasms. Sex is also more effective than sports in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and strokes.
I would say that the best choice is a mixture of both, sex and sports, in order to have a long and healthy life. I want your opinon! What is more important for you? Sex or sports?
I wanted to share an interesting picture that I found with you. In the photo on the right, you can see a heart that contains a lot of excess fat. This likely happened through poor eating habits and a lack of exercise. Nearly every organ in the human body can store fat in this way. A heart attack or hepatits can be the result of excess fat in the organs. Take notice of what you eat and try to get a little workout in at least 3 times a week. Your body will thank you for this!
I found an interesting video from Karl Gotch, filmed in the 90s. In this video, he explains what strength training for combat sports should look like. The basic principle of his method states that each exercise should always be performed in every angle, so as to also involve the opposite muscles. In the video, the guy doing the exercises climbs a rope with this feet pointing up. The video looks promising and I will definitely give it a try!
Many people often get creative with excuses as to why they cannot work out. The following video is about Joshua Rucker, an athlete, who is confined to a wheelchair. This disability doesn’t prevent him from working out at all. I think we all can learn from people like him.
Mine and Shaina’s favorite TV show at the moment is definately the gladiator series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand.” I did some research today to see how the gladiator actors trained for the series. Each of them had to go through an intense four week training period consisting of four hours of training every day. It is impressive what you can achieve in such a short time if you just train hard enough. I would say this means there is probably a gladiator in all of us!
Our thoughts are with the main actor, Andy Whitfield, who died in September 2011 from a form of blood cancer.
Check out the “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” gladiator training!
After a workout it is important to fill up those empty carbohydrate tanks in your body. You also need to give your body high quality protein to gain muscle mass. Yogurt, white bread, some honey and a banana are great for getting the job done. Search the internet for foods that contain these essential things, find the ones that you like the most, and include these in your meals.
I started the figure training exercises today. In my post today, you will see you can train your body to make your hips seem wider. To reach this goal, we have to tone our waist. In the video, we do this by twisting our bodies and using the rubber band. We also have to work on our butt and leg muscles. Check out the video of Shaina doing the exercises.
