Thursday 1 January 2015
Saturday 22 November 2014
Muhammad Ali Workout
Muhammad Ali is considered by many to be the greatest pound for pound boxer of all time. Ali had it all. The 3-time Heavyweight Champ was quick, fast, agile, strong, powerful, and man could he take a hit (as was exemplified in the rope-a-dope against Foreman). Ali is famous for his pre-game hype and pulled off some of the greatest upsets in the history of boxing (downing Liston in the 1st and beating Foreman in Zaire). Ali fought in what many boxing enthusiasts call the toughest boxing era ever. Beating the likes of Frazier twice, Leon Spinks, Ken Norton twice, Floyd Patterson twice, Sonny Liston twice, the dominant George Foreman, Archie Moore, and ultimately compiling a record of 56 wins (37 by knockout) and only 5 losses makes him "The Greatest". Ali was named "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and was ranked the best heavyweight ever by Ring Magazine in 1998 and the 2nd best boxer ever by ESPN.com (only behind 173 win Sugar Ray Robinson).
This is what Ali did to create the most functional physique of all time- strength, power, speed, and stamina. Ali was one of the best fighters that has ever strapped on gloves only because he trained like one of the best. Ali was a hard-working guy and knew that nothing came easy. Yes, he talked a big game, but boy, did he back it up with his effort in the gym and in the ring. Maybe if you follow the routine you too can float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.
Ali started his day off with early morning runs at 5:30 AM. He would stretch beforehand and then would run 6 miles a day in army type-boots in under 40 minutes. Ali made sure he ate a wholesome breakfast- all natural foods, orange juice, and plenty of water. After he ran, he would perform some exercises, stretching, and then go back home to get washed up. Ali then went to the gym at 12:30 PM for 3 hours until 3:30 PM. After the gym, he would get a massage rub down, then get washed up. Then he would talk with the TV people, go out and enjoy himself, and then eat dinner. Ali said in his book, "I always ate good: chicken, steaks, green beans, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, juice and water". After dinner, he would go for a walk and relax by watching TV. Ali made sure he trained 6 days a week with one off day a week where he'd relax and ease his body and mind. As you can see, Ali really went super hard when it came to his training. Training places heavy demands on not only your muscles but also your heart and internal organs. Think about how hard Ali trains in a given day. He does this 6 days a week, only giving himself one day of rest. You should give yourself at least 2 days of rest a week from training to ensure that you aren't overtraining. Ali is a professional athlete and must consistently train to keep his body in top shape. He also needs to stay sharp when it comes to his boxing so 6 days a week worked for him. However, for most people, 4-5 days a week is plenty.
A look below is what Ali did during his training while in the gym for 3 hours. He didn't perform weighted workouts as he felt it would slow him down, yet he had a very ripped physique. This just goes to show you that you can build muscle by doing calisthenic exercises and hitting the heavy bag. As long as there is some sort of resistance being placed on the muscle, your body will grow.
Warm up:
-
side to sides
- torso swivels
- jumping around on toes to limber up
(15 minutes in total)
- torso swivels
- jumping around on toes to limber up
(15 minutes in total)
Shadow boxing:
5 X 3 minutes rounds, working on footwork and speed punching (30 second break in between rounds)
Heavy bag:
6 X 3 minute rounds, working on combinations and stamina (30 second break in between rounds)
The heavy bag works on Ali's explosive punch power.
Sparring: built up sparring as
camp progressed
Floor exercises:
- 15 minutes (300 in total)
- bicycle crunches
- sit ups with medicine ball
- leg raises
Speed Bag:
9 minutes (1 minute break)
9 minutes (1 minute break)
The speed bag helps him achieve those quick jabs.
Skipping:
20 minutes (Ali always moved around while skipping, never staying in the same spot)
20 minutes (Ali always moved around while skipping, never staying in the same spot)
Shadow boxing:
1 minute, walking around with light shadow boxing
Wednesday 12 November 2014
LL Cool J's Arm Workout
He can still
knock you out with those chiseled arms-even after a quarter-century as one of
the world's most successful entertainers.
1) ARMS WORKOUT
LL knows the
importance of adding variety into his routine, and for that reason, no two
weeks are typically the same. But here are some ideas or examples of his
bodypart work.
BICEPS
BARBELL CURL
Sets: 4 Reps:
6-8 Rest: 1 min
The barbell
curl is probably one of his most important exercises for biceps. He likes to
hit them first when he's the most fresh and it's usually the heaviest of all
his biceps moves. More importantly, he manipulates his grip-width on the bar.
Here's why:
Wide-grip version: Taking a wide-grip on the
barbell for curls hits the short, inner head of the biceps, by reducing the
amount of stress on the long, outer head.
Close-grip version: Contrary to the wide-grip
version, the close-grip curl places a greater emphasis on the long outer head.
(The long, outer head is the muscle most responsible for the 'peak' of LL's
great arms)
INCLINE
DUMBBELL CURL
Sets: 4 Reps:
8-10 Rest: 1 min
He moves to
incline curls because not only does changing your grip alter the involvement of
either head, so too does the angle of the arm to the body. The incline curl
places great emphasis on the long, outer head (peak)
PREACHER CURL
Sets: 3 Reps:
12-15 Rest: 1 min
The preacher
curl conversely lessens the tension on the long, outer head and places the most
focus upon the short, inner head (the muscle most visible during, say, a front
double biceps pose).
REVERSE CURL
Sets: 3 Reps:
15-20 Rest: 1 min
The reverse
curl is a great finisher on biceps day, hitting the brachialis and brachioradialis
muscles while also finishing off the biceps brachii.
TRICEPS
It's impossible
to completely isolate any one muscle of the triceps but you can involve one
over another depending on 1) angle of your arm to the body and 2) grip.
ROPE PRESSDOWN
Sets: 3 Reps:
12-15 Rest: 1 min
The pressdown
hits primarily the lateral head of the triceps and it also serves as a great
warm-up exercise for LL prior to the compound move to follow, which in this
case is the close-grip bench press.
CLOSE-GRIP
BENCH
Sets: 3 Reps:
8-10 Rest: 1 min
The close-grip
bench press is a great exercise that hits all three heads (with focus on the
lateral head) but because he's able to load up the weight on this move, it's an
excellent mass builder.
OVERHEAD
DUMBBELL EXTENSION
Sets: 3 Reps:
8-10 Rest: 1 min
Anytime you
raise your arms overhead, you automatically target the meaty, long head of the
triceps. This is one of LL's specialties, which is why his triceps are so
pronounced.
REVERSE-GRIP
PRESSDOWN
Sets: 3 Reps:
12-15 Rest: 1 min
Finally, to
fully exhaust each head of the triceps, LL flips his grip. By flipping your
grip to underhand (and that rule applies to all triceps moves) you can increase
the stress upon the medial head of the triceps.Monday 10 November 2014
How to get abs like Pete Andre in the 90’s!
Doing a hundred
crunches a day and it’s not working like it said it would in that workout
video?
Spot reducing does not force your body to lose fat in the abdominal area.
Instead, follow these top tips for success...
• Eat more often – smaller meals interspersed with snacks will boost your metabolism
• Eat fewer calories – don’t go on a crazy diet – just reduce your calorie intake by about 2-300 calories
• Eat loads of fruit and vegetables with lots of fibre
• Eat a little protein with every meal – it helps you burn fat more efficiently
• Eat a little dietary fat with every meal – it oxygenates your body and helps you burn more fat
• Drink more water – sometimes hunger pains are your body´s plea for water
• Cardiovascular exercise, with a variety of intensity, at least 3 days a week for 30-60 minutes.
• weight training– target different muscle groups 2-3 times a week - focus on the big muscles
• Work the whole core – not just the abdominals
• Be patient - we all store fat differently – you may take longer than others to lose it around your midriff
• Be patient - it will take you at least a quarter of that time to lose it again!
• Think about your whole lifestyle – healthy diet, exercise, and looking after the body and mind
Spot reducing does not force your body to lose fat in the abdominal area.
Instead, follow these top tips for success...
• Eat more often – smaller meals interspersed with snacks will boost your metabolism
• Eat fewer calories – don’t go on a crazy diet – just reduce your calorie intake by about 2-300 calories
• Eat loads of fruit and vegetables with lots of fibre
• Eat a little protein with every meal – it helps you burn fat more efficiently
• Eat a little dietary fat with every meal – it oxygenates your body and helps you burn more fat
• Drink more water – sometimes hunger pains are your body´s plea for water
• Cardiovascular exercise, with a variety of intensity, at least 3 days a week for 30-60 minutes.
• weight training– target different muscle groups 2-3 times a week - focus on the big muscles
• Work the whole core – not just the abdominals
• Be patient - we all store fat differently – you may take longer than others to lose it around your midriff
• Be patient - it will take you at least a quarter of that time to lose it again!
• Think about your whole lifestyle – healthy diet, exercise, and looking after the body and mind
Peter Andre shows
off his abs back in the 90s
Sunday 9 November 2014
Arnold Schwarzenegger Dip Routine
DIPS FOR PECS
To emphasize the lower chest, the dip is a great alternative to decline presses. Place your hands wide apart (outside of shoulder width if possible) and lean your torso forward to place most of the stress on your pectorals. The angle is most important here: If you don’t feel the chest working during the movement, you aren’t leaning far enough forward.
DIPS FOR TRICEPS
When your hands are close together and you position your body as vertically as possible, you de-emphasize the pecs and transfer most of the stress to the triceps. To isolate the tri’s even further, I often did bench dips. Position yourself perpendicular to and between two benches, with your feet on the bench in front of you and your hands supporting your bodyweight on the bench directly behind you. Lower yourself until you feel a stretch in your triceps, then press back up by extending your elbows. If your bodyweight isn’t enough resistance, place one or more weight plates on your lap.
DIPS FOR STRENGTH
I often performed dips to develop strength in my chest and arms. My bodyweight alone wasn’t enough to make me fail with lower reps (6–8), so I did weighted dips, which typically involved suspending a heavy dumbbell from a weight belt. Nowadays, some dip machines provide a belt attached to a weight stack for the same purpose.
DIPS FOR BURNOUTS
Since I could perform many reps with my own bodyweight, dips were a good exercise for doing burnout sets. However, sometimes even my bodyweight was too heavy to permit me as many reps as I wanted to do, especially near the end of a workout. To remedy this, I’d have a partner support my feet (with my knees bent). Of course, assisted dip machines now exist, allowing you to choose how much weight you want aiding you. These machines are especially helpful for drop sets.
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