Exercises for Olympian Legs
Exercising the legs is paramount in creating a balanced look and improving fitness. Not only will it help you build more overall muscle, you’ll look great too. Here are some of the best exercises to help you develop impressive legs.
- Squats
One of the best overall muscle builders for the legs. Stand straight with either a barbell behind your neck or dumbbells at your sides. Slowly lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor, pause and slowly press yourself back to the starting position. Remember to keep your back straight and look up during the entire exercise.
- Leg Presses
Lie back on the leg press machine, place your feet on the platform firmly about shoulder width apart. Maintain a slight bend in the knees. Draw your knees back, lowering the platform and weights. Extend your legs and push the platform back to the start position.
- Leg Extensions
An exercise that really targets the legs. Sit back in the leg extension machine with your ankles behind the supports. Extend your legs so they are out in front of you, pause and return to the starting position slowly.
- Lunges
Grab a pair of dumbbells and hold them at your sides, feet together. Keeping your back as straight as you can, take a step forward so that your right knee is at right angles with your ankle and the floor. Pause, then return to the starting position. Repeat with the left leg.
- Calf Raises
This exercise blitzes the calfs, prepare to feel the burn. Grab a pair of dumbbells and hold them at your sides with your feet together, stand straight and tall. Move up on to the balls of your feet, pause for 10 seconds and then return to the starting position with your feet flat on the floor.
Exercises for Boulder Shoulders
Strong shoulders can help you perform to the best of your ability in many sports, predominantly those where turning and swinging is involved. Your buddy steps up and hits a good drive, you set up and hit a better drive. Easy. Here are some exercises to build shoulders even Arnie would be proud of.
- Shoulder Press
Grab a barbell with an overhand grip. Raise it up to your chest. Powerfully press the barbell straight up, rest for 2 seconds and then lower it back onto your chest slowly. Remember, keep your back straight and head up throughout the whole exercise.
- Lateral Raises
Grab a pair of dumbbells and hold them at your sides with your palms facing forward. Powerfully raise the dumbbells up so your arms are parallel with the floor. Hold this position for 5 seconds, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Front Raises
Grab a pair of dumbbells and hold them at your sides with your knuckles facing forward. Powerfully raise the dumbbells upwards in front of you until your arms are parallel with the floor. Hold this position for 5 seconds, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Dumbbell Punches
Grab a pair of dumbbells and hold them comfortably, you are about to experience hell. Stand so one leg is slightly in front of the other with your knees slightly bent. Punch one dumbbell out in front of you and forcefully bring it back, then repeat with the other. During punching, twist your wrist so the dumbbell goes from being vertical to horizontal. Continue punching at a fast rate for 30 seconds.
- Sylvester Stallone Rocky Runners
Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with your knees slightly bent, one foot in front of the other. Bend forward slightly, your feet should be kept flat on the floor. Bend your elbows and in slow motion, swing one arm forward and the other arm back, mimicking the style of a runner. This exercise will sort the men from the boys.
Exercises for a Rock Solid Core
Training your core means 2 things: a six pack toned to the max, and better posture. Here are some exercises that zero in on achieving both.
- Situps
A classic move to build a solid core. Lie on the floor with your knees bent and facing upwards. Place your hands behind your head and slowly sit up so your chest is touching your knees. Pause and slowly return to the starting position.
- Crunches
Lie on the floor with your knees bent, facing upwards. Place your hands behind your head. Slowly roll upwards so you are almost half way from doing a complete situp. At the same time, bring your legs upwards to your knees are over the centre of your abs. Hold this position for 5 seconds, feeling an intense burn, then return to the starting position.
- Hanging Leg Raises
Grab a pullup bar with a wide underhand grip. Lean back slightly and draw your knees up towards your chest in a controlled manor, keeping them locked together during the entire move. Hold this position for 5 seconds and then return to the starting position.
- Sly Stallone Broomstick Twists
Here is a exercise created by Sly himself, which he used to get a perfect set of abs and a rock solid core in the Rambo and Rocky movies. Set an incline bench with ankle supports to 45 degrees. Sit upright on the bench, making sure your feet are secure under the supports. Grab a broomstick and hold it behind your head or across your shoulders, supported by your outstretched arms. Twist left and right on the axis of the stick. You should feel an intense burn in your core.
- Plank
Assume the classic pressup position, then move down so you are resting on your elbows with your arms bend and forearms in line with your legs. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Once you find that easy, progress to 1 minute or more.
- Pressup Plank
Get into the classic pressup position, with your elbows locked. Tense your abs and get ready for some pain. Hold this position for 30 seconds without lifting your bottom up to make it easier. Once you can hold it for 30 seconds, progress to a minute or more.
Exercises for a Monster Back
Building a strong back is essential. Not only will it improve posture, it will help you dominate in most sports, thereby improving fitness levels. A wide, powerful back is like having a sign on your head saying “don’t mess with me”, so your overall confidence and how you feel about yourself will improve too. Here are some exercises designed to develop that very thing.
- Overhand Grip Pullups
An essential exercise in building a huge back. Grab a pullup bar with an overhand grip. Pull yourself up until your chest is almost touching the bar, pause and then lower yourself back down slowly. Keep your legs crossed behind you during the exercise for stability.
- Dumbbell Shrugs
Grab a pair of dumbbells and hold them by your sides. Stand with your feel shoulder width apart and keep your back straight. Raise your shoulders to your ears without bending your arms. Pause for 5 seconds, then lower the dumbbells to the starting position slowly.
- One Arm Dumbbell Rows
Bend over slightly so you are standing with a dumbbell in one hand. Hold a bench with the other hand for support. Lower the dumbbell until your arm is straight down, then draw the dumbbell up towards your chest by bending your elbow in a forceful move. Pause for 2 seconds with the dumbbell close to your body, then slowly lower it to the starting position.
- Upright Rows
Grab a pair of dumbbells or a barbell in a wide grip, and stand with you feet slightly apart and your back straight. Pull the barbell or dumbbells straight up until they are directly under your chin, your elbows should be out to the sides. Pause for 5 seconds, then lower the barbell or dumbbells to the starting position.
- Wide Grip Pulldowns
This is a great move for developing a wide back, indeed Sly Stallone used it to the max when making the Rambo movies, so much so he nicknamed it the “Rambo Pulldown”. Using an overhand grip, grab a wide bar on a cable pulldown machine. Pull the bar down until it almost touches your upper chest, keep your elbows directly below the bar. Pause and then raise the bar to the starting position as slowly as you can.
- Seated Rows
This is another effective back building exercise. Sit facing the rowing machine, with a straight back and slightly bent knees. Grab the pulley handle and pull the handle towards your body until it touches your abs. Return the pulley handle to the starting position slowly.
Exercises for a Bullet Proof Chest
A big chest, like a wide back is a symbol of absolute power. A strong chest will allow you to increase performance in a variety of sports, look great at the beach and give you a sense of confidence. Here we will focus on a variety of exercises that will help you build a shapely chest to be proud of.
- Bench Press
The classic chest building exercise. Lie on a flat bench, and grab the barbell with a shoulder width grip. Lift the barbell off the supports and lower it until it almost touches your chest. Pause for 2 seconds and then power it back up to the starting position. It is useful to use a spotter whilst performing this exercise for safety reasons.
- Incline Bench Press
This exercise targets the upper chest, that is great for overall symmetry. If you want to build a strong chest without looking like a huge bodybuilder, this is an exercise you should spend time on. Set an incline bench to 45 degrees and grab a barbell with a shoulder width grip. Bring the bar down across the top of your chest, pause and then raise it back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
- Incline Bench Dumbbell Flys
Set an incline bench to 45 degrees and lie back on it with your back straight. Grab a pair of dumbbells and bring the weights directly overhead, palms facing each other. Slowly lower them out to your sides, keeping a slight flex in your arms. You should feel a slight stretch across your chest. Pause and then power the weights back to the starting position. Allow your arms to follow a natural arc back to the top.
- Pressups
An almost forgotten move that is a classic chest builder. Get into the classic pressup position. Keeping your body straight and your abs tight, lower your chest until it almost touches the floor, pause for 2 seconds and then push yourself up again. Alternate between wide arm, close arm and regular arm pressups for the best results.
Essential Strategies For Six Pack Abs
Strategies You MUST Know if You Ever Want to Stand a Chance of Getting a Flat Stomach with 6-Pack Abs
Below is an interview between Mike Geary certified Nutirion Specialist and Personal Trainer, and world-famous trainer and Men’s Health Magazine Training Advisor, Craig Ballantyne on the top secrets for fat loss and six pack abs. Check it out…
CB: Mike, give us a brief background about yourself
MG: Sure Craig. Well, I’m currently a Certified Nutrition Specialist and a Certified Personal Trainer. I’ve been dedicated to improving my knowledge of fitness, both training techniques and nutrition aspects, for over 15 years now, and I never stop trying to learn more each and every day. I’ve also been a contributing writer for Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine, and I’m the author of the popular internationally-selling book, “The Truth about Six Pack Abs” which has had tens of thousands of readers in over 150 countries currently.
I just love helping people with this area of their lives, as not only does it improve their outward appearance and confidence, but more importantly, improves how they feel and their internal health, helping them to live longer and healthier lives. It’s something I’m very passionate about.
CB: Okay, so where does the average man or woman go wrong when it comes to training abs?
MG: Ok, most people are probably going to be surprised with this answer. In their quest for ‘six pack abs’, the biggest mistake I see people making is wasting WAY too much of their time training their abs directly… pumping away with all kinds of different abs-specific exercises.
I’m sure you know what I’m referring to. The person is trying so hard to get those abs to show, that they’re spending almost all of their time in the gym with hundreds of reps of various crunches, leg raises, twisting exercises, etc. Meanwhile, all of that wasted time directly training the abs could have been better spent on a properly designed full body workout program that would elicit a much better metabolic response and increase the fat-burning hormone levels in their body as well.
After all, losing the stomach fat that is covering the abs is the MOST important aspect for most people to finally be able to make their abs visible. Unfortunately, pumping away with hundreds of crunches and leg raises does NOT cause much of a metabolic or fat burning hormonal response. This is the main focus of my Truth about Six Pack Abs book… full body training programs and proper nutrition to strip off that stubborn belly fat and reveal the six pack that’s hiding underneath!
Of course it wouldn’t be an abs book if I didn’t focus on ab development too, but I make sure firstly that the most important concepts for lasting body fat reduction are understood.
CB: Do you see any gender differences in mistakes they make? And more importantly, do you see any gender differences in the response to various types of ab training?
MG: To be honest, I don’t really see any need for men or women to train differently. Bottom line… the best exercises are the best exercises regardless of gender.
However, in regards to mistakes I see between genders… Yes, I tend to see women more often are deathly afraid to use weight training with anything but really light weights. That is a shame, because THE most effective way to gain control over your body fat for life, is to maximize your lean muscle that your body carries, as well as working that muscle hard through intense resistance exercise regularly.
It’s important for women to realize that regular strength training using heavier resistance will NOT “bulk them up” (as long as caloric intake is controlled), but rather is one of the key secrets for losing body fat and staying lean year-round. As a matter of fact, some of the leanest females that I’ve trained over the years are the ones that aren’t afraid to work hard with the weights.
I also notice that most women (and a lot of guys too) spend way too much time with slow cardio exercise. This is simply not necessary, and the way I combine high intensity resistance training into full body routines provides enough of a “cardio” workout in itself usually. We’ll get back to this in a minute though.
CB: What about ol’ school sit-ups? Do you use these? Are they good, bad, or does it “depend”?
MG: Sit-ups are a controversial topic. I don’t think they’re good or bad per se, but rather “in between”. I didn’t include them in my program. I simply don’t feel they are necessary, and I think there are much more effective abs exercises to focus on. Personally, I almost never do sit-ups except occasionally for a little variety every now and then.
CB: Give us a weekly sample ab training program. How many days per week? What are a couple of the best exercises you’d pick? How many sets? Reps? Rest?
MG: Well, first I’d like to point out that the full body movements that make up the majority of my programs indirectly work the abs and the entire “core” area to a fairly decent extent. However, I do include abs-specific exercises into the routines generally about twice per week. The “abs-specific” portion of the workouts generally only take about 5 minutes at most with very little rest between exercises.
Once people are past the beginning phase of gaining some initial ab strength, I try to get them away from the exercises that are too easy, where someone can do 50 or 100 reps, as is frequently common with standard crunches. Instead, I like to focus on higher resistance exercises that actually stimulate the muscle fibers to a much greater degree. One example of a higher resistance abs exercise is hanging leg raises with a proper “pelvic curl up”.
It’s funny but usually someone that has been wasting so much time with hundreds of reps of crunches can usually only do a few solid reps when they first attempt some of these higher resistance exercises. We also make sure not to neglect some rotational movements, as well as some work for the deeper muscles like the transversus abdominis.
CB: What do you use for burning fat, intervals or slow cardio? Or both? Any gender differences here? Or differences between fitness levels (beginner vs. advanced)?
MG: In most cases, my answer is definitely intervals… or as I like to call it “variable intensity training”. In general, I think slow steady pace cardio is a waste of time, especially if the goal is lasting fat loss.
I think people need to get away from this thinking about “fat burning zones” and calories burned during the actual workout, and look at the bigger picture of what you’re doing in your workout to stimulate the greatest metabolic response in your body… and the best metabolic and hormonal response is achieved through variable intensity training and strength training, not slow steady-pace cardio.
Now I will say that if someone is really deconditioned and can’t handle higher intensity exercise routines just yet, this still doesn’t mean that they can’t simply use lower intensity routines, but still use it in a “variable intensity” fashion, by alternating between higher and lower exertion levels throughout the workout.
CB: And finally Mike, 1 or 2 of your top secret nutrition tips for carving out those abs. Open your vault of info!
MG: Well Craig, I think you’d agree that there has never been a more confusing time regarding proper nutrition for consumers. Every so called “expert” out there seems to disagree and contradict each other on what’s the best way to eat for fat loss and overall good health.
One of the most important messages I try to teach my readers in this world of heavy confusion is that your diet doesn’t need to conform to any of the fad diets… you don’t need to go “low carb” or “low fat”, or high or low anything for that matter to be successful in losing enough body fat to get lean enough to be able to see your abs. I like to try to simplify things for my readers. I think that balance is the key to success along with eating a diet that is made up of nutrient dense foods in their natural state (as unprocessed as possible).
In general, it is the heavy processing of foods that makes it wreak havoc inside our bodies. Most foods in their natural unprocessed state are inherently good for us. Of course there are always exceptions… a salad of poison ivy leaves is “natural and unprocessed” but certainly would not be good for us!
I’ll leave your readers with a couple of the most important aspects of nutrition that help to get you lean for life…
1. Get enough quality protein in the daily diet – not only does it have a higher thermic effect than carbs and fat (so you burn more calories digesting it), but it also creates satiety so your hunger is satisfied longer. Plus it’s a building block for maintaining and building lean muscle… And remember that the amount of lean muscle you carry is one of the main factors for controlling your metabolism.
2. Think fiber! When it comes to carbs, make sure that almost all of your carbohydrate intake is from higher fiber sources like vegetables, fruits, and high fiber unrefined grains. Try to avoid refined sugars and refined grains as that is one of the main reasons so many people struggle with body fat. I personally don’t eat many grains as I prefer to get most of my carbs from veggies and fruits, but I do use sprouted grain breads fairly regularly too.
I generally recommend looking for carbohydrate sources that have at least 2-3 grams of fiber per each 10 grams of total carbs. Remember that fiber helps fill you up and also slows down the glycemic response of the foods you eat, all beneficial for getting lean.
3. Don’t be afraid to eat fat! Many people try to go way too low on their fat intake and this can negatively affect hormone levels in your body as well as causing more cravings. Try to eat enough healthy fats daily.
Good sources are all nuts and seeds, nut butters, avocados, olive oil, organic meats and eggs, coconuts and virgin coconut oil. On that note, saturated fats from tropical oils are VERY misunderstood, even by many nutritionists and other health professionals. Yes they are composed highly of saturated fats, but are actually beneficial (but that’s way beyond the scope of this article).
4. Avoid the two worst things in our food supply at ALL COSTS:
* artificial trans fats from margarines, shortening, and hydrogenated oils that are in most processed foods and deep fried foods
* high fructose corn syrup, which is in almost all sweetened products on the market
Again, if you avoid processed foods, it becomes easy to avoid these two worst offenders in our food supply.
I always contend that once you get a handle on these 4 main points of your diet detailed above, the rest starts to take care of itself as you gain control over your appetite, blood sugar levels, hormone levels, etc. It all falls into place, and you eventually gain total control over how lean you want to get.
David Goggins
One of the best ultra runners in the world, David Goggins is a machine. This Navy SEAL gets up and runs 10-15 miles in the morning before breakfast and then bike 50 miles round trip to work.
What’s his motivation? To raise money for Special Operation Warrior Foundation which provides full college scholorships for kids of Spec Ops soldiers KIA.
And this guy doesn’t even like running! Truly inspirational.
Cycling And Testicular Cancer?
Check out this recent news article about the possible relationship between many miles of cycling and testicular cancer. The thing to take from this is not to stop cycling, but don’t go over the top and vary your workout routines!
Professional cyclists should consider freezing their sperm before embarking on their careers, say researchers.
They found sperm quality drops dramatically with rigorous training.
The Spanish study of top triathletes found those who cover more than 186 miles (300km) a week on their bikes have less than 4% normal looking sperm.
At such levels, men would have “significant fertility problems”, the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard.
However, a UK expert said the average man cycling to work would be unlikely to suffer fertility problems because of their time in the saddle.
Study leader Professor Diana Vaamonde, from University of Cordoba Medical School in Spain said other studies had shown very high levels of exercise affected fertility in both men and women.
In the latest study, 15 triathletes with an average age of 33, were asked not to have sex for three days before giving a sperm sample.
When the results were compared with their training routines, only cycling – not swimming or running – was linked with sperm quality.
All of the men – who had been training for an average of nine times a week for eight years – had less than 10% of normal looking sperm, compared with the 15-20% seen in the most fertile men.
In those who managed more than 186 miles a week on their bikes, the proportion of sperm that was the correct size and shape had fallen to 4%, the point at which men may struggle to conceive without fertility treatment.
Abnormalities
Heat from wearing tight clothing, friction of the testes against the saddle and stresses on the body from the sheer amounts of energy needed to do such rigorous exercise, could all contribute to poor sperm quality, said Professor Vaamonde.
The team are doing further research work in how cycling may effect metabolic processes in the body which lead to the development of abnormal sperm.
She added it was unclear whether sperm quality would improve if men retired from the sport but that after years of wear and tear this was unlikely.
“Something which could be done would be to have their sperm frozen but when they start training they do not realise what damage can be done to their sperm.”
Ways of protecting cyclists against fertility problems should also be researched she said.
“Depending on the mechanism leading to creation of abnormal sperm, these could include giving antioxidants and modifying training regimes to all for recovery.”
Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield, said there had been a lot of interest in cycling and male fertility but results had been mixed.
“It is important to stress that even if the association between cycling and poor sperm morphology is correct, men training for triathlons are spending much more time in the saddle than the average social cycler or someone who might cycle to and from work.”
He added that 40 years ago cycling was much more common but there is no evidence men then were less fertile.
Cycle To A Better Body
Cycling is one of the best forms of exercise for improving cardiovascular fitness. Not only will it get you fit, you’ll also lose some serious weight and build killer legs that’ll certainly turn some heads. With the Tour de France coming up this summer, it’s time to put on your yellow jersey and saddle up. You won’t be competing with the pros just yet, but this guide will certainly get you breaking away from the peloton of pretenders in no time!
You’ll obviously need a bike if you want to get out and go, but you can also use a stationary bike too. Most recommended though is a home trainer/spinning trainer, to which you hook up your regular bike. This is the optimum way to train as you will be able to hold exercise levels for specific periods of time…and you’re using a bike you are familar with. There are many types of turbo trainers, so shop around for the one that fits your personal needs.
Once you’re set up with a bike and turbo trainer, or stationary bike, there are a number of good ways to train and push through some boundaries. Some examples we will talk about here are:
-interval training
-training with heart rate levels
-training with bike computers
Interval training
This is basically going hard for a period of time, then resting. It can be a killer at first, but once you get the hang of it, your fitness levels will go through the roof! You should aim to push as hard as you can (or are able) untill you feel some discomfort and no further. You can either do this by going up to a hard gear, or getting your cadence (rpm) high, or mix it up and do both!
An ideal programme to do is the Russian Step. This is as follows.
-5 min warm up
-Sprint 15 seconds
-Rest 45 seconds
-Sprint 30 seconds
-Rest 30 seconds
-Sprint 45 seconds
-Rest 15 seconds
-Sprint 1 minute
-Rest 1 minute
Then go back down…
-Sprint 1 minute
-Rest 1 minute
-Sprint 45 seconds
-Rest 15 seconds
-Sprint 30 seconds
-Rest 30 seconds
-Sprint 15 seconds
-Rest 45 seconds
That is 1 up/down. Take a 5 minute rest between each up/down set to clear out lactic acid and recover. Aim to do 2 sets to start, building to 3+. You’re going really well if you can do 5!
Training with heart rate levels
This is a simple form of training, and you’ll need a heart rate monitor to do it.
Basically it involves keeping your heart rate at certain levels/ in certain zones for periods of time. Check out our heart rate zone article to see what zones you can train in. Using a turbo trainer is ideal for this type of training, as you are able to keep a constant speed/ rythm for longer periods of time. There aren’t any hills after all!
Training with bike computers
This can be done on the home trainer or when you’re out for a good long ride. Ideally you’ll need a bike computer with the following functions:
-average speed
-cadence
-distance covered
-time spent
You can use all of these to build a quality workout. For instance you can aim to keep an average speed e.g 25mph for the duration of your ride, or you can aim to keep a certain cadence while going up hills and on flats (best to work this out before you go). Furthermore you could aim to cover a certain amount of distance in a given time, for example 30 miles in x hours/minutes.
The best thing to do is mix it up and keep your body guessing. That way you’ll be able to perform at an optimum level and really blast through your fitness goals.
Go ahead, get on the bike and get pedalling today!
