The Big Bad Bench? - part 2

Yesterday's post and this series is not supposed to scare you off from doing bench presses or ditch them from your exercise routine, but to prevent you from injuring yourself and looking like a clown while you're doing it!

When done with proper technique, the bench press (like many other chest exercises) is an effective way to strengthen and build the chest, shoulders, and triceps. 

So without further adieu, let's see what else you should NOT do while benching...

The Big Bad Bench Error #2

Bouncing The Bar Off Your Chest

Thanks to the miracle of science and Dr. 90210 many chests out there can be used as floatation devices, but no chest can double as a trampoline - so don't bounce the bar off it! 

When you bounce the bar off your chest, you are gaining momentum to help get the weight back up to the starting position. 

Just like if your legs are spreading out, you are using TOO MUCH WEIGHT!

Not to mention you could also do damage to your sternum, ribs, and shoulders with repeated pounding and bouncing of the bar.

Touch It Or Not To Touch?

You CAN touch the bar to your chest IF you do not feel any pain or display any compensations (shoulders shrugging, shoulders rounding forward, poor upper body posture) when you use this range of motion.

Have a trainer at your gym watch you and tell you if you are compensating.

Most of us should NOT touch the bar to our chest because it may place too much stress on the shoulder to go that low.

A good rule of thumb (or fist), is to leave about enough space to fit your fist between the bar and your chest. Be even more conservative, by lowering the bar only until you reach a 90 degree angle at your elbow.

You will find that stopping before you touch/bounce the bar off your chest makes the exercise much harder, this will only increase your results!

The Big Bad Bench? - part 1

Look at the bench press in your gym. 

That piece of equipment could never be that BAD for you, could it?

That's what Little Red Riding Hood thought when she met the Wolf in the woods.

What ever did happen in that The Brother's Grimm Fairy Tale?

Oh that's right, the Wolf went on to Little Red's Grandmother's house and swallowed Granny whole!

Then depending on the version you were read, the Wolf swallowed Little Red too!

The Hunter was the hero in the Fairy Tale because he saved Little Red Riding Hood in the end.

Just like the The Big Bad Wolf, the bench press may swallow your healthy shoulders and lower back whole if your form is BAD!

The Hunter is a make-believe character, but LANCE! will save you by showing you how to correct common bench press errors.

 

The Big Bad Bench Error #1

Wide Legs & Turned Out Toes

Your legs should NOT be spread like cream cheese on your bagel!

Pull your knees together and keep your toes parallel with your feet firmly planted on the floor.

You are opening your legs wide because YOU'RE LIFTING TOO MUCH.

When your legs are wide and feet turned out:

• you weaken the glutes

• you compromise your lower back positioning

• AND you jeopardize your core engagement all at once
  

Drop the weight and your ego, keep your feet only hip width apart and together in front of the bench.

Come back for The Big Bad Bench Error #2

Exercises In Front Of The TV

I decided that I needed to upgrade my series on 'Exercises In Front Of The TV'.

It was missing something.

It had the content, it had the angle, but it was still missing something.

What it was missing was... a STAR!

An 'A-List' Star with international recognizability - both in name and face.

Someone that could catapult a single blog post into a cyber classic.

That someone...

didn't answer my calls.

That someone's agent...

didn't call me back.

That someone's dog-sitter's, cousin's, next door neighbor's, 4th grade teacher even hung up on me.

Soooo, I broke down and just went with pictures of me in front of my TV.

And as you will see there's a wee bit more of ME than my TV.

Enjoy! 

Exercises In Front Of The TV #4

Single Leg Squat

Believe it or not, a chair or sofa is the perfect piece of furniture to strengthen your lower body...you just got to get your butt up out of it first! The single leg squat does just that, it tests your ability to get out of your seated position by only using one leg. This exercise helps to strengthen the quads and glutes while improves the stability of your ankle, knee, and hip. An awesome challenge to work on at home, outside, or at the gym.

The Set-Up & Execution:

• Sit at the edge of your chair or sofa

• Sit up tall with your toes parallel, feet hip width apart, and knees at a 90 degree angle

• Raise your LEFT foot off the floor, hovering about 3 inches above the ground

• Shift your weight into the RIGHT heel and extend both arms out straight

• Push through your RIGHT heel and slowly stand up without touching your LEFT foot down.

• Keep your abs drawn-in and don't let your knee dive inward throughout the motion

• At the very top, take a second to contract the RIGHT glute
  

• Slowly lower your hips back down towards the chair or sofa 

• Do not crash down as you land softly and repeat

The Goal:

Aim for 5 to 10 repetitions on one leg in a row before switching.

The higher and more firm the chair or sofa, the easier the exercise becomes.

Read: Exercises In Front Of The TV #3

Get 6 Pack Abs Fast In Half The Effort

This truly is the only way to get 6 Pack Abs - Fast.

And when I say fast, I mean approximately 7-10 business days if you ordered this shirt and did not have it overnighted to you!

But here is an article from Examiner.com that was posted today, in which I was quoted along with some other health and fitness professionals on tips to,

'Get 6 Pack Abs Fast In Half The Effort'

Give it a peak!

Attract Men: Waist To Hip Ratio - part 3

For the final installment of 'Attract Men: Waist To Hip Ratio' we are going to explore how to improve this ratio through a comprehensive and integrated workout program.

But, before we begin let's review what we have learned from the two previous posts:

1. Men tend to prefer a low waist to hip ratio, specifically around 0.7

2. Men would also prefer to have more hair on their head than their back, but just like getting a woman with a 0.7 waist to hip ratio...it ain't gonna happen!

3. This ratio is not a realistic goal for the majority of women and the goal ratio should be .85 or less for the positive impact on health - not the male gender. 

Okay, now back to workout tips to improve and lower our waist to hip ratio.

I hate to reference a hip-hop artist twice in three posts, but too many individuals are following the workout philosophies of Sir Mix-A-Lot!

In his song, 'Baby Got Back', Sir Mix-a-Lot raps...

'You can do side bends and sit ups, but please don't lose that butt!'

Sir Mix-A-Lot thinks that you can lower your waist to hip ratio by only working your trouble areas (spot training) and skipping everything else if you want to tone or slim down. 

Sorry my man, I wish this and your career were legitimate - but neither are.

To lose inches and lean out you need a comprehensive, holistic program:

Nutrition - It all starts with diet. You can never out exercise poor nutrition, especially when what you eat and drink influences 60-70% of your success. 

Cardio Training - The more the merrier. This is your biggest calorie burner, so pair long slow cardio days with short fast cardio days. Change machines to also keep your body guessing and burning the highest amount of calories possible. Don't get stuck in 'maintenance mode' keep turning it up by going longer, faster, using more resistance, or adding incline.

Total Body Strength Training - At a minimum 2x/week, with at least 2 sets per each a major muscle group for 15-20 repetitions. Also, don't rest more than 30 seconds between each exercise! 

Core & Abdominal Training - Yes, you can and should do core and abdominal exercises to create muscle in the desired area - but it should not be what you are spending all of your workout time doing! Planks can be done every day, but crunches, twists, and leg raises are an every other day thing. No more than 25 reps at a time...

Yoga, Spinning, Pilates, Kickboxing - Throw in some variety and intensity with an instructor-lead group exercise class 

Measure & Track - Not every day, things need time to work. Measure every 4 to 6 weeks to see the most significant changes. Results which lead to positive reinforcement and renewed motivation.

There you have it!

Best of luck and use waist to hip ratio as an indication of your fitness level and health risk.

Attract Men: Waist To Hip Ratio - part 2

My post yesterday discussed a recent New York Times article that reported that men prefer females (by attractiveness) that have a 0.7 waist to hip ratio.

Have you even heard of a waist to hip ratio?!

It's something that I measure and track on almost all of my clients, but more for it's influence on health risk than aesthetics. 

A 0.7 waist to hip ratio for a female is pretty darn unrealistic for the majority to achieve.

Why?

Because the best example of a female with that low of a waist to hip ratio is...

Barbie!

If Barbie were a real woman she'd be 6 foot, 100 pounds, wear a size 4 and have the following measurements:

chest - 39

waist - 20

hips -  30

Her waist to hip ratio would be .66

And one academic calculated a woman's chances of having Barbie's figure would be 1 in 100,000. 

My point?

This 0.7 or lower waist to hip ratio is about as real as the Barbie Ferrari, her Malibu Dream House and the dreamy Ken combined.

Everyone get over it!

Stop obsessing about getting the woman with that ratio or being that woman.

No one should aim to achieve something so ridiculous.

Healthy is sexy.

So let's all bring sexy back, sorry J.T.

The waist to hip ratios you should really care about are the following:

Females          

 

0.80 or below (Low Health Risk)

0.81 to 0.85  (Moderate Health Risk)

0.85+ (High Health Risk)

Males                  

0.95 or below (Low Health Risk)

0.96 to 1.0  (Moderate Health Risk)

1.0+  (High Health Risk)

Higher waist to hip ratios can lead to higher risk for heart disease and other chronic diseases.

It's a good idea to track this as you would your heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.

Come back tomorrow to learn about how to improve your waist to hip ratio! 

Attract Men: Waist To Hip Ratio - part 1

Beauty.

Brains.

Dare, I say the last 'B' word?

Boobs.

What are guys attracted to?

And what does a raunchy rap duo and a leading evolutionary psychologist have in common?

Let's find out.

First, here are some lyrics of the song 'Badd' by the rap duo The Yin Yang Twins.

The song romantically goes,

'Cute face slim waist with a big behind...

I need a dime that's a top of the line.'

Now the leading evolutionary psychologist, Geoffrey Miller, published a book called, 'The Mating Mind', in which he argued that the process of sexual selection among early human groups hardwired many of the behaviors we see in humans today.

Some of those traits are physical, and he states that men generally prefer women with a 0.7 waist to hip ratio!

That comes out to be about a 24-inch waist and 36 inch hips.

Here's how you can calculate your waist to hip ratio...

So there you have it.

Men are attracted to... SURPRISE! (slightly sarcastic)

A low female waist to hip ratio.

And let's give credit to The Yin-Yang Twins, they were right about what attracts men.

But they are still not good rappers, they couldn't even rhyme 'waist to hip ratio' with anything. 

Come back to read more on this 3 part series this week to learn:

1. What are the health implications of our waist to hip ratio?
2. How to change our waist to hip ratio most effectively?