Carry The World On Your Shoulders28 lbs LOSTso farJanuary 17, 2008 by Dr. Kal | 15 comments
This is the first of a new series of weekly posts by Kalvin C. Chinyere, M.D. (Dr. Kal). Along with being a Doctor of Medicine, he is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Health and Fitness Instructor and personal trainer. To top it all off he was once a fat bastard, man boobs and all. Don’t believe me? Keep reading. Having been there and done that, he is now ready to unleash his years of knowledge upon us all.
And now back to our regularly scheduled post…
When it comes to upper body workouts, everyone is always focused on chest. Everyone wants big pecs. When I tell another guy that I lift weights the first question he asks is: How much do you bench? I always answer the question, but in my head I’m thinking: Who cares?
I spent most of my late teens and early twenties with “man boobs” big enough to fill a C cup. So, having a big chest is something I’m really not interested in. What I want are big shoulders.
If you lift weights to improve your physical appearance and you are a man, shoulders should be at the top of your list of muscles to build.
Broad Shoulders
When you put on your shirt, tie, and slacks, no one can see how big your chest, back, arms, or legs are. However, they can see how broad your shoulders are. So, unless you decide to start wearing really tight shirts, shoulders should be high on your priority list.
Broad shoulders tell a woman that you are strong. Consciously and subconsciously, she is attracted to that. She is attracted because she believes that if she were attacked by a saber-toothed tiger, you could save her. The truth is, if my woman were attacked by a saber-toothed tiger, I would probably trip her as I run away.
Broad shoulders also tell a man you are strong. Consciously and subconsciously, he fears and respects that. He fears and respects you because he believes if he were to fight you, he would lose. The truth is, if a man were to try and fight me, I would just pull out my Taser. Then all you would hear is: “Don’t tase me bro.”
Finally, broad shoulders are important because they make you appear thinner. How thin you look depends on your shoulder to waist ratio. The higher this ratio, the thinner and fitter you appear. So, if you can’t get your waist any smaller, focus on getting your shoulders broader.
How To Get Shoulders Like Boulders
My favorite shoulder exercises are:
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: Front and Lateral Deltoids
- Lateral Raise: Lateral Deltoids
- Bent Over Lateral Raise: Rear Deltoids
- Seated Barbell Shoulder Press: Front and Lateral Deltoids
A little note on the Barbell Shoulder Press/Military Press: Please do not “hit it from the back”. Meaning, do not attempt the variation where you allow the barbell to go behind your head. Doing this adds no benefit and can potentially damage your shoulders.
Now you are ready to carry the world on your shoulders, so go and do it.
Dr. Kal is weight-loss expert and ex-fat man. He is also the creator of the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan and the main contributor at Dr. Kal’s Blog.
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Elastic Resistance Training for Strength Gains28 lbs LOSTso farJanuary 13, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 6 comments
Fat Man UnleashedIf I told you that you that you can significantly improve your strength simply by using what essentially are elastic bands would you believe me?Sports scientists, personal trainers, physiotherapists and athletes will tell you that it’s true. The basic principle behind training with elastic resistance is simple, as a person stretches the band, the resistance increases.
What is elastic resistance training (ERT)?
As the name suggests ERT is resistance training performed against the natural resistive property of elastic. The elastic band is attached to a fixed object with the opposite end attached to the person. If you work out at a gym this could mean attaching one end to the upright of any machine, if at home you can improvise with door handles and table legs. The resistance depends on the type of band, there are at least 7 varieties, and how far the band is stretched. A band that is stretched to twice its resting state is considered to be at 100% elongation. The force difference between the two weakest bands at 2x their length is 20%. For the two bands with greatest resistance this force difference becomes 59%. The weakest band provides a force equivalent to 2.3 kg (5 lbs) and the strongest band 16 kg (35 lbs) at 2x their length. This scope ensures that a band is available for all people who wish to train this way.
Why use ERT?
This is simple. A single band can be used to train the whole body. All the major muscle groups can be trained with compound exercises and single muscles can be targeted with isolation exercises. Aside to this, the bands can be used to mimic sport specific movements that take place in many planes a clear advantage over machines and free weights or should I say a clear reason to add them to your machine and free weights workout.
The versatility of ERT training also shines through. Traditional forms of resistance training often rely on gravity to create the resistance due to this factor many of the movements are restricted to the vertical plane. Because of this it is difficult to replicate movements that are specific to life and sport that occur in 3 planes. ERT utilizes the tension in the band therefore negating the need to resist gravity and allow actions that are specific and take place in all 3 planes (frontal, sagittal, and transverse).
All ERT exercises are performed using multiple joint actions and a functional posture. A functional posture is deemed to be one that requires activation of the core muscles to stabilize the torso, in comparison, machines where many actions are performed in a neutral posture like sitting.
When training with free weights it is possible to “cheat” by allowing momentum to contribute to the forceful effort. For example, when people curling a dumb bell that is too heavy for the first half of the exercise the biceps are stimulated, but, the second half only represents the momentum of the weight. ERT exercises eliminate this temptation because momentum has no input.
The most notable advantage of ERT exercise is attributed to the smooth eccentric phase of the actions. The eccentric part, the return to start phase of an exercise, stimulates the muscles in a particular way that enables them to resist gravity. This in turn improves the ability of the body to stand with good posture and not succumb to the downward force of gravity.
Disadvantages of ERT
The elastic bands can become worn and less durable. This can mean that the resistance is diminished therefore compromising he workout. To overcome this predicament the bands can be bought at a cheaper price when purchased in bulk. This way you can cut off the length that you require and store the rest.
It can be difficult to quantify the exact force of resistance. There are charts that aim to provide the force for each of the bands at different lengths but these are estimates only. In my opinion this does not really matter, do I need to know exactly what force I have to overcome? So long as the bands are providing sufficient resistance to stimulate the intended muscles, and I have a general idea of the resistance, I’m happy.
GoFit Brand for Less than $30
The GoFit brand has a low cost set they call the Ultimate ProGYM. It comes with a set of elastic bands and a DVD, perfect for traveling. It comes highly recommended by a doctor/personal training certified online friend.
*Daniel is the author of Home Calisthenics, a blog that aims to help people to train their body using bodyweight and alternative strategies without the need for gym membership.
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Tom Platz: The Lumberjack of Quadriceps28 lbs LOSTso farJanuary 3, 2008 by Dennis | 7 comments
Tom Platz was a lumberjack because he chopped and carved his tree trunk thighs into freakdom. One cannot deny his genetic predisposition to develop large muscular thighs. But it was Tom Platz’s barn-burning intensity and sheer bravery to train past the limits of his potential that made his thighs legendary.
Platz’s training principle was simple: the harder the better. Platz enjoyed squatting with 225 pounds for ten minutes straight. That was his style and the reason he created such massive and striated quads. High volume training was a main stay for Platz. Leg curls and leg extensions were performed at 60 rep increments…yes sets of 60, talk about blood flow. Take a walk on the wild side with this taste of Platz and see if you can even walk in the morning:
Flat footed Olympic style Squats (pyramid sets)
- 6 sets of 15 reps
- 2 sets of 10 reps
- 1 set of 6 reps
- 1 set of 5 reps
- 1 set of 1 rep
Hack Squats
- 4 sets of 20 reps
- Leg Curls
- 4 sets of 60 reps
Leg Extensions
- 4 sets of 60 reps
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Lifting Weights After Surgery28 lbs LOSTso farJanuary 2, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 6 comments
I am so glad that I can workout again. I haven’t been able to lift any weights since my appendix surgery in December. I wanted to and felt I could, but my doctor told me to lay off until January. Well, it’s January dammit and I’m back with a vengeance! There is nothing like lifting weights. Pushing, pulling, and balancing heavy weight is such a rush for me. Not only that, but it also helps with my morale and weight loss goals. Now, I must admit that I haven’t taken any official fat loss measurements. I have not had a doctor or medical professional, or even a fitness professional measure my body fat or any sort of measurements. I have done all of that myself. I plan on having my doctor do that in the coming weeks and I also plan on checking for diabetes. That’s a bit scary. More on that some other time.
Anyway, back to lifting weights after surgery. I have been looking forward to this day for a few weeks. It sucked pretty bad to go down when I did because I was in a good rhythm with my current work out routine. That one is an intense, short, fat burning, multi-joint exercise routine. I happen to like it a lot. It gets me going pretty quickly. I plan on continuing that for the next 3 to 4 weeks with one change to it. I will be adding squats 3 times a week to it.
Why more squatting? For starters, Mehdi from Strong Lifts just randomly contacted me introducing himself and recommending that I make that light tweak to my workout. I had never been to his site, but it is a good one. He has tons of fat loss and muscle building info, plus his ebook is off the hizzy! It has a great workout that he has put together, which I plan on undertaking after my current workout. Another reason I want to squat more is because I how great I feel when I squat. Squatting makes me stronger. Period. I used to squat 3 times a week when I played high school football. That was all year round. I didn’t always like it, but when I was done I felt great.
One of the good things about having had my appendix removal surgery is that it heals relatively quickly. That allows for lifting weights after surgery a lot sooner than a typical surgery. That may not seem like a benefit, but I suppose I am looking at the glass half full on this one. I will post an update on the success, or failure, of my new workouts.
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Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Duty Triceps Routine28 lbs LOSTso farDecember 24, 2007 by Dennis | No comments
This is the first in a series of installments that will highlight the greats and the training routines that they employed.
Mike Mentzer’s owned a pair of seriously full blown triceps. They were “ham-like” from deltoid to elbow. His triceps we not missing an ounce of development. His triceps sweep was down right scary-good. So did Mr. Mentzer use a myriad of movements and exercises to attain his triceps size? The answer is no for Mr. Heavy Duty. Mentzer didn’t do more than two exercises during a triceps workout. Mentzer also kept his set totals to four or six. The Mentzer Heavy Duty technique was what created the brutality needed to develop serious muscle. He pushed every set to failure, absolute failure.
Forced reps performed with a training partner were a crucial part of Mentzer’s workload. Mentzer’s training partner would also assist Mentzer with lifting the weight into position to perform negative only reps. This created a three stage set. A “Trio of Pain” if you will: first a positive failure, followed by forced reps, and finally capped off by negative failure.
Let’s take a look at a Mentzer staple:
Superset
Nautilus triceps extensions or Lat machine pushdowns (lat machine’s more prevalent nowadays):
3 sets of 8 reps using the Trio of Pain
Weighted Dips:
3 sets of 8 reps using the Trio of Pain
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Brain Power Equals Muscle Size28 lbs LOSTso farDecember 20, 2007 by Dennis | One comment
Picking up where I left off yesterday on morphing how the greats trained, brain power can increase muscle size. With that being said, what is the next step in this progression? How infrequent will training become? Will we even touch weights anymore? HA! Blasphemy folks! No, not really. Picture this: mental training, working out in your thoughts. Starting this millennium several studies have pointed to the fact that simply thinking about exercise can equal to gains in size and strength. Researchers that feel this concept to be true have pointed to studies that suggest that training a muscle on one side of the body does result in muscular gains in the matching muscle on the opposite, untrained side of the body. Weird, huh? I believe it to be true myself. So if you break you arm train the unbroken arm to keep the one out of commission in better shape, it’s the least you can do for the poor cracked wanker! So the fact that nerves are signaling growth in untrained muscles even when uni-lateral training is utilized lends itself to the point this article is trying to make. Next step: stimulate muscle growth just by thinking and activating the growth receptors without actually moving a muscle at all.
The theory was tested. 30 subjects divided into three groups. The first group thought of training their pinky finger muscles. The second group thought of training their triceps and the third group served as the control and did no imaginary heavy lifting. The training sessions were 15 minutes a day, five days a week, for 12 weeks. During the mental training the subjects were hooked up to an electroencephalograph machine (say that three times fast). The machine measures brain waves and found high activity and focus in the prefrontal cortex area of the brain in group one and especially in group two. The activity was low prior to the imaginary workouts. Finger strength was measured before and after the training periods. Increases in strength topped out over 30% for the finger group. The triceps group had a little over a 10% gain. Now that’s using your brain power. The control had zilch…surprise, surprise.
What this all points to and what does it mean for us? Well simply put the mental training exemplifies the connection between strength gains and the all holy mind-body connection. This is a prime example that you can control your muscles using your brain power…no duh? Don’t stop training! Just implement what anyone great has done in any field whether it be piano performances, giving a speech, a first kiss, shooting the game winning jump shot, or doing a killer set of deadlifts: VISUALIZE. See yourself doing the action. Feel the set, smell it, and refine your mental senses. So no daydreaming, focus during training: feel the brain connection and enjoy the pump. Besides if you don’t maintain complete mental fortitude you miss out on possible muscle gains and even can fall in to the injury trap. My advice: Think of training before you go to bed and wake up stronger and become great. Use your brain power. Happy trails…muscle brethren.
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Morphing How the Original Greats Trained28 lbs LOSTso farDecember 19, 2007 by Dennis | 4 comments
Hence the timeless logo of FatManUnleashed.com, the brain is without a doubt the optimal muscle when it comes to growth. Public opinion on the frequency of working out has changed quite a bit over time. Steve Reeves employed the whole body workout method which didn’t allow for training more than three times a week. That was the 1940’s and legendary physiques such as John Grimek and Reeves swore by it. My high school football team’s antiquated workout routine was similar. It was a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday deal with Bench, Shoulder Presses(seated, military) and most importantly the Squat: KING OF ALL EXERCISES. A very effective training schedule for beginners and building that all important base. Israel was a starting Guard, Defensive End, and Captain on that team. It was the FAT MAN’S hey day so to speak folks.
In the 1950’s the very popular “split-routine” training became all the rage. The fuel behind the phenomenon was the belief that you can train muscles full blast if you divided the training days into “muscle groups.” So you were training on more days but concentrating on specific muscles. And who can forget how Arnold Schwarzenegger evolved the “split” into the “double-split” method. The “double-split” theory involves training a lot: two or even three daily workouts.
Arthur Jones took the 1970’s by storm with the introduction of the Nautilus exercise machines. He accompanied his latest invention with a endorsement of short intense workouts. Intensity was the key a semi-throwback to the 1950’s and Grimek and Reeves. Arthur Jones felt that all of us over-trained. Over-training thus leading to our naturally limited ability to recover to be depleted.He truly believed that all humans no matter what body type followed the same physiological laws no matter how different we were genetically. So in a sense, he tailored and touted his workouts as one size fits all remedies. Weird I know and complex, but maybe true? I don’t know. I have tried all methods and my body morphs in all different ways. So in my opinion, variety is the spice of a complete physique. Of course, we all have our favorite niche workouts and exercises.
The late, great Mike Mentzer was a Jones product and further developed his exercise theories. Mike Mentzer used Arthur Jones’ training philosophy to attain every major bodybuilding title worth having except the Mr. Olympia crown. Mentzer eventually cut back even further and became a proponent of training muscle groups once a week or less. At that point intensity has to be on animal-istic levels: I likey!
That’s it for now. Tomorrow I delve further into brain power…
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My Current Fat Man Workout Routine28 lbs LOSTso farOctober 19, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 39 comments
The following is my new weekly workout routine. I decided to switch things up a bit after reading John’s post about multi-joint exercises. I try to switch things up every six or so weeks so that my body doesn’t adapt. Now was the perfect time. Right now I am going to focus on working in multi-joint exercises with three full body strength workouts per week. Each should take less than an hour, more like 30 minutes to complete. I go moderate to heavy on each lift, with a 30 second rest between sets. I perform three to four sets per exercise with 10 to 12 reps each. I warm up with a set of push ups each day and will be incorporating pull ups/chin ups, as soon as I can lift my fat ass body weight again. On these days I also hop on my recumbent bike for one hour when I sit down to watch TV.
I had to print out a chart so that I could remember what to do on the days I was lifting. I find it will take away the hassle of having to memorize the routine. That helps me focus on the lifting. So I opened up Microsoft Word and did my thing. Now the chart is hanging in The Shack.
Free Workout Routine:
Day 1 (Tuesday)
1. Barbell Squats - 135 lbs, 185 lbs, 205 lbs, 225 lbs (I used to squat over 400 lbs in high school, it’s been a while)
2. Flat Bench - 135 lbs, 225lbs x 3, 205 lbs
3. Dumbbell Presses - 50 lbs x 3
4. Incline Bench (Barbell) - 135 lbs x 2, 155 lbs
Day 2 (Thursday)
1. Deadlift - 135 lbs, 155 lbs x 2, 185 lbs
2. Step Ups (dumbbells) - 35 lbs, 50 lbs x 2
3. Dumbbell Rows - 50 lbs x 3
4. Close Grip Pulldowns (Palms facing inward) - 80 lbs x 3
5. Wide Grip Pulldowns - 65 lbs x 3
Day 3 (Saturday)
1. Lunges (Dumbbells) - 50 lbs x 3
2. Military (Overhead) Press - 135 lbs x 3
3. Dumbbell Military Press - 50 lbs x 3
4. Upright Rows - 60 lbs x 3
What do I do with my other days? Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are my cardio exercise days.
Free Exercise Routine:
1. I make sure to get some form of cardio in, whether it is on the treadmill, the bike, or outside cross training. I especially like doing HIIT. There’s nothing like it.
2. I also work my midsection on these days. I perform two sets of 100 twists (works best when done with weights), two sets of 15 reps on the ab wheel, and two sets of 40 to 50 crunches.
3. When I am extra energized I hop on the recumbent bike for another hour as a second workout. Sundays I’m a lazy bum and recuperate.
I had my first workout yesterday (Thursday, Day 2) and I felt it. All of it. I was drenched in sweat, my heart rate was up, and I was pumped. Not sure if you could see the sweat in the main photo above, but my wife tried to capture the essence of what I felt at the moment. I am looking forward to Saturdays workout. I love taking hot steam showers and drinking my protein/creatine/amino acids/glutamine shake afterwards, it feels really good when I am done with a tough workout session.
That’s my workout and I’m sticking to it!
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