People are always searching for those magical exercises that will give them the greatest results in the shortest amount of time, and many times it’s the simplest movements that elicit the greatest results.  If you want to develop a strong and muscular upper body, you MUST do pull-ups.  Just as squats can be thought of as the king of all lower body exercises (not the leg press machine, but actual squats), I’d place pull-ups as the king of all upper body exercises.

Deadlifts are an outstanding exercise for back as well, but deadlifts also incorporate the lower body muscles.  Take a look at any Olympic level gymnast, and you’ll notice they all have amazing upper body development.  I guarantee you that they’re not spending hours at the gym doing lat pulldowns and seated cable row machines.  Gymnasts are spending endless hours on pull-up bars and gymnastic rings to develop those amazing results.

You’re probably asking yourself; “If pull-ups are such a beneficial exercise, how come gyms don’t look like the monkey exhibit at zoos, with people swinging and doing pull-ups from every bar they see overhead?” Because they’re ridiculously hard for most people!  If people spent more time doing the hard shit that really challenged them (squats, pull-ups, deadlifts, intervals, stair-climber, etc.), and less time of the not-so-challenging exercises (cable pulldowns, inner & outer thigh machine, leg press, calf raises, etc.), they would actually notice significant change.

Everybody has their definition of what a correct pull-up is supposed to look like, and there are many different variations of pull-ups.  Here are my three requirements to pass on performing a pull up.

1. Must start from a dead-hang position.  This means elbows start from a fully extended position.  If you jump half way up on the first repetition, it doesn’t count.
2. Your chin must be above or even with your hands. Attempt to touch your chest to the bar.
3. Your legs MUST remain still.  You shouldn’t look like you’ve been shot with a stun gun as you flail up over the bar.  Kicking the legs is called a “Kip Up”, not a pull-up.

If you can’t perform a pull-up while maintaining these three requirements, I’d suggest doing some form of assisted pull-up.  Pull-ups are too beneficial of an exercise to leave out entirely.  You can perform assisted pull-ups using bands, a partner, or the pull-up/dip machines that counter your body weight (very common in most gyms).  Although you wont challenge your stabilizer muscles to the same degree using any of these assisted methods, you’ll still get more benefit than doing seated cable pulldowns.

Now before you all run off to the nearest pull-up bar and attempt to set a new personal record for pull-ups, there is one precaution you must take before doing the exercise.  If you can raise both arms straight overhead so your wrist and elbow lines up directly over your shoulder (as shown in figure A), then you’re good to go.  If you don’t have this full range of motion at your shoulder joint (as shown in figure B), then I suggest you perform cable pulldowns instead until you develop the full range of motion at your shoulder joint.  If you force yourself into that fully stretched out position, as you would be when hanging from a bar, you will begin to place excessive wear and tear on the shoulder joint, opening yourself up for injury or faulty movement patterns.  Flexibility training and muscle activation can help in getting back your full range of motion to begin performing pull-ups effectively.

FIGURE “A”                                                       FIGURE “B”

Don’t get too caught up in all the different variations of pull-ups, just start performing pull-ups regularly in whatever way is challenging to you.  I’ve added a video below of some variations to your ordinary pull-up exercises.  No excuses girls, do your pull-ups!

If anybody can do a one-arm pull-up from a dead hang position, please video it for me and send it over.  And you can’t hold your wrist with the other hand.  One hand on the bar, and the other hand free.  I’ve never seen it and don’t even know if it’s possible.  But as the magnet on my refrigerator states; “Anything is possible”!

Disclaimer: StupidGymShit.com is not responsible for any injuries that occur while attempting the one-arm pull-up. Good luck!

The next time you’re exercising at the gym, do me a favor and count the number of people you see that are actually following a written program in their hand.  I’ve always noticed that there’s a direct correlation between those who follow a written plan, and the physical changes you notice over time and those who don’t.   Many people are on this plan, which may sound very familiar to you, “I’ll just do whatever I feel like doing today.” 99% of the time this plan will NOT produce any significant results.  Just because you have a subscription to Men’s Health doesn’t qualify you as a fitness and nutrition expert.  The first step to success is to have a plan of attack for each workout you engage in.

Without a plan, you tremendously limit the potential to create change within your body.   The following are NOT considered effective exercise plans:

• A weekly routine consisting of only aerobic or group classes.
• Only training your problem areas (hips, thighs, abs, arms, etc.).
• Only training your “mirror” muscles (biceps, chest, abs, and quadriceps).  Guys are extremely guilty of this one and often times even leave out training their legs.  But at least they can bench press a lot!
• Spending 80% of your time doing cardio because you’ve been misinformed that’s what it takes to burn fat.
• Doing the same routine for more than 4-6 weeks.
• Following a routine out of a magazine with the hopes of achieving any resemblance to the model in the photos.

If you have any desire to change your body composition (lose fat or gain muscle), you must create an effective plan of attack in these three key areas.

1. Resistance Training

2. Cardiovascular Training

3. Nutrition

Here are the guidelines of each of the three areas that will move you in the right direction to create measurable and lasting change in your body.

Resistance Training:

• You MUST lift weights at least 3 times per week.  If you have any desire of increasing muscle, the frequency of your resistance training days should increase to at least 4-5 times per week.
• Aerobic classes involving weights do NOT count as a resistance-training day (that’s cardio).
• Never neglect any of the 4 major muscle groups of the body.  Your weekly routine should always include: Legs, Back, Chest, and Shoulders.  Leaving any of these four muscle groups out will open you up for developing muscle imbalances over the course of your training.  This also includes all you ladies that have had breast enhancement.  If you were advised to NEVER do another chest movement again because your implant would shift or pop out, I question your intelligence for even having it done in the first place. We’re talking serious Stupid Gym Shit here as it would be a tragedy if you ever had to push yourself away from a table in a seated position, or push yourself up off the ground from lying on your stomach, or heaven forbid the dog rolls a toy underneath the couch and you have to push a piece of furniture 3 feet over to retrieve the dog’s ball.  But you’ll probably never have to do anything resembling that again, so just go ahead and neglect every pressing movement that would engage those chest muscles (sarcasm).
• Your arms (biceps & triceps) are going to get plenty of work while you exercise the 4 major muscles groups (legs, chest, back, shoulders), so if time is a concern for you, focus on the 4 major muscles and I guarantee your arms will look even better.  This is going to be hard for some of you ladies to believe, you’ll just have to trust me!
• Your resistance training time should be around 35-45 minutes, leaving another 15-25 minutes for intervals/cardio.  Total time should be right around 60 minutes

Cardiovascular Training:

o   Perform 3 days a week of interval-based cardio.  Effective interval programs are usually between 15-30 minutes.  Intervals have been PROVEN to burn 9 times more fat than steady-state cardio, so stop wasting your time doing anything longer.

o   Intensity is the key component when performing intervals, and if you don’t know how to properly perform a cardiovascular interval, click here.

o   Perform 1 day a week of steady-state cardio.  Yes, I’m endorsing steady-state cardio.  Steady-state cardio still has its place for cardiovascular and psychological health.  Don’t take this out of context though because too much steady-state cardio can make you fatter.

Nutrition:

o   Protein sources should consist of lean-meat sources: eggs, chicken, fish, ground turkey, ground buffalo.

o   Carbohydrates should come from complex sources: any vegetable, brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, butternut squash, millet, beans, and low glycemic fruits.

o   Fats should be healthy-fat sources only: nuts, seeds, and healthy oils.  Also be sure to take a high-quality omega-3 supplement.  Take between 3-5 grams of omega-3’s daily, spaced out with meals.

o   Water: Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water every day.  This is a minimal requirement.  If you exercise, live in a hot or humid environment, or are stressed, you NEED more water.  So drink up!

Before you create your plan of attack, you must get clear about what exactly your goals are.  If your plan doesn’t coincide with your goals, throw that shit out!  This may mean that 60-minute spin class you love doing 3 times per week, or that glass of wine you have every night after dinner, or that fat-ass nagging husband that sabotages every attempt you make to get healthier because he’s scared shitless that he can’t do it himself may have to be cut out.   I’m not telling you to leave your spouse or significant other, but true love is NEVER selfish, and the support of your loved ones is critical to success.

My client Damien was so far from an active and healthy lifestyle, that he didn’t even have a clue as to what a measurable fitness goal was.  We created one together as a team, and four months later we both ran our first ½ marathon together in San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge. We developed a fail-proof plan of attack for 16 straight weeks that Damien followed to a T.  It consisted of everything previously mentioned, along with some mental conditioning to break some bad habits (which we all have).  This past December, Damien ran all 26.2 miles of the California International Marathon.

Without a plan of attack, you’re planning to fail every time.  Sit down today and create a realistic goal that is meaningful to you.  If you don’t know where to begin your plan of attack, use the resources around you and just take the first step in the right direction.  Commit to a written plan.  Set a goal. Circle the date on the calendar when you will achieve that goal.  Plan, prepare and take action.  Most of all just attack it!

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
-Dale Carnegie-

Many people have seen them, a few have had the experience of training on one, but the real question is: Do they work?  I’m referring to the extremely popular TRX-System. Training facilities are catching onto the growing popularity of the TRX-System and are now offering group classes to cash in on what’s becoming the next fitness craze.

The company has been around for 7 years.  I had the opportunity to pilot one of the first TRX-System classes in San Francisco, California.  The product has definitely taken off since then and having used the TRX for quite some time now, I can definitely tell you that it’s not good, it’s GREAT! The TRX is a body weight suspension training system, which teaches and allows you to use your own body weight as a form of resistance.  But just as with every other training tool out there, there is a right and wrong way of using it.

Below is a list of benefits for the TRX-System:

• Extremely easy to use and to adjust the degrees of difficulty
• Portable
• Can train all muscles of the body
• Teaches body awareness and control
• Can be used for strength, cardiovascular, and flexibility training

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