Just as “cardio queens” are taking over all the cardio equipment, “ego lifters” are growing in population all over the weight-training room floor.   We’ve all seen them, and I’m sure many of us can admit to even being included in this group at some point.   Ego Lifters are those individuals on the workout floor that have one goal in mind with every workout, to lift as much weight as physically possible to boost their almighty egos.  These individuals are never hard to spot.  They typically travel in packs (2-3), talk more than they workout,  wear spaghetti string tank-tops, and make excessively loud grunting noises when they are lifting as if they were giving birth.

Although Ego Lifters usually adopt at least one of the traits mentioned above, you can always be assured that form and lifting technique is never a consideration.  I’m going to give you the definite give away that an Ego Lifter is lurking nearby.  During your timed rest period in-between sets (because you always time your rest periods), try to observe the Ego Lifter in action (if they ever look away from the mirror to actually get some work done).  They’ll probably be doing some sort of bicep curl because I often hear them chanting; “Curls for the girls.” If the motion they are performing looks more like they’ve taken a shot from a stun gun, rather than a controlled, standing bicep curl, be assured you’ve just witnessed an Ego Lifter in action.

Maybe I’m being a little overdramatic with my explanation, but you know EXACTLY whom I’m referring to.  There’s no exception to compensate form/technique for lifting heavier weights.  World Class Olympic weightlifters are probably the strongest individuals around, and they perform some of the most complex movements known.  If they didn’t have phenomenal technique and flexibility, they would suffer traumatic injury due to the incredibly high loads.

FORM IS ESSENTIAL!

These are the most common movements you’ll see Ego Lifters perform:

• Squats: Instead of squatting down below 90°, they often only bend their knees to about  45° or less (most will be on the leg press anyway because they can put more weight on it, leading to an even more boosted ego).
• Bench Press: They’ll excessively arch their backs to the point that a small dog can jump through the opening created. They’ll often times only lower the bar a quarter of the way down instead of going through a full range of motion (ROM).
• Bicep Curls: You’ll see the back bend backwards to positions you never thought possible, and you’ll see the shoulders swing back and forth placing more work on the shoulders than the biceps (not effective)
• Seated Cable Rows: When performing seated rows properly, the torso should remain straight and NEVER move forward or back throughout the movement.  Ego Lifters will flail themselves forward and back as the weight travels up and down, appearing as if they are dodging bullets like in the movie The Matrix.

I learned a long time ago to never give advice unless its asked.  I’ve tried to assist Ego Lifters many times in the past, and 99% of the time they would NEVER take my recommendation.  Why not?  Because the amount of weight they were now able to do was almost cut in half!  Very few of these individuals can set their egos aside long enough to observe the tremendous benefits they could achieve if they lifted properly.  Absolutely NO ONE cares how much weight you can lift!  Last time I checked, there weren’t any bench presses set out on the sand at the beach, and clubs/bars are never promoting bicep curl contests.  Oh that’s right, your girlfriend is with you because of how much weight you can lift.  She’s a keeper!

If you are one of these individuals, I challenge you to perform every movement with proper form and through a full range of motion.  You will not only elicit a greater hormonal response, which will make you stronger and bigger, but you’ll save those precious tendons and ligaments that you’ve been stressing by using shitty form for so long!

The last training facility I worked at was notorious for Ego Lifters. I once saw an Ego Lifter complete the most horrific set of bicep curls I’ve ever seen, and then immediately stare himself down in the mirror as if he was caught in a trance.  Next time I looked back at him, he was dry humping himself on the mirror.  Stupid Gym Shit Police to the rescue!

For this “Ask The Expert” blog post, I decided to jump into the head of Billy Beck III and get his take on what Stupid Gym Shit means to him.  As President and CEO of BB3 Personal Training and Performance Center located in Sunrise, Florida, Billy delivers unprecedented results to his clients. These individuals include high-level executives, successful entrepreneurs, professional athletes and Hollywood celebrities. He has appeared on numerous television and radio shows and has been featured in many magazines including Men’s Health, Muscle and Fitness and Men’s Journal.  He has been awarded many honors including the MET-Rx World’s Best Personal Trainer contest (2 times) and was named the PEAK and Personal Fitness Professional Magazine Personal Trainer of the Year.  You have to watch this short 60 second video before reading the rest of this blog or you might end up on Stupid Gym Shit!

Disclaimer: Since I am contributing to Bryan Francis’s Stupid Gym Shit Blog I am going to speak StupidGymShit-ese. If you are overly sensitive and need a hug after you read this then go to a Weight Watchers meeting.  I am going to give it to you straight.  Prepare yourself.

So it’s Tuesday evening around 7pm and I am at Whole Foods Market stocking up on high quality fuel.  I am in the freezer section searching for frozen organic blueberries when suddenly I smell the familiar scent of perfume and sweat.  For a moment I thought I was back at the gym. Realizing it was strange for that odor to exist here I looked back and saw it.

What was it?

A woman ever so snuggly packed into a tight gray Lululemon workout outfit.  Other than the scent of sweat and way too much perfume, the first thing I noticed was the sweat soaked gray outfit! It looked like she did 1000 burpees in the sauna.

Now this was not the first time I have spotted this creature.  I have seen her here and many like her both male and female in this very aisle of Whole Foods.

What was she looking for in the freezer section you ask?

Low Fat Ice Cream.

Newsflash!!! Low-Fat Ice Cream is still ice cream.

If your fat burning plan of attack is making “better choices” like eating low-fat, light, fat-free, reduced fat, 50% less sugar, less sodium processed garbage like ice cream, potato chips, cookies, cereal, diet soda or pizza with low fat cheese you are going to be greatly disappointed.  In fact, you will fail.  Here’s why:

Processed foods that are packed with artificial chemicals and preservatives are stripped of vital nutrients which tell the brain when you have eaten enough.  In other words, processed foods have no shut off valve.  They create a hormonal environment within the body that triggers overeating.

Here’s the deal. If you want to burn fat, speed metabolism and create relentless energy, then choose foods closest to their natural source.  Be sure to challenge your body with weights and cardio and drink plenty of clean water.  Above all, take 100% responsibility for your health and appearance and don’t let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do.  No one.  Research has shown that anyone regardless of age can build muscle and burn fat. Abandon all excuses. They only exist in your mind.  Instead realize you are greater than any obstacle that comes before you.

Step up, get focused and as Bryan Francis says, don’t fall for the “Stupid Gym Shit.”

And if you’re going eat ice cream, get the real stuff.  It’s so much better.

Who needs a Wii Fit?  Hint: The fat kid in the picture.

Live Greatly,

Billy Beck III

www.billybeck.com

This Stupid Gym Shit blog post is geared specifically to women.  Not all women will fall into this Stupid Gym Shit category, but I’m sure many will. My goal is to give you a self-evaluation checklist so you don’t remain in this group of underachieving females.  By your next workout you should be on your way to achieving your true potential.

I’m referring to all those women out there that are scared of weight training.  Meaning that you have the misconception that by lifting weights you might get too bulky or lose some of your feminine characteristics.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve heard a woman tell me; “I put on muscle very easily and I don’t want to get too muscular.” Or, “My husband or boyfriend doesn’t want me to put on too much muscle.”  My favorite one is, “My last trainer had me on a program that made me way too bulky.”  Every female is looking for that tight, firm, and toned body, right?  Arnold Schwarzenegger said it best; “If it jiggles, then it’s fat!”

Sylvia Ferrero

You will never achieve that firm and toned appearance without developing muscle.  The most important concept that you must realize is that it’s physiologically impossible for you to have to worry about getting “too big.”  Put your mind at rest because the majority of you ladies don’t have enough testosterone pumping through your body to elicit those types of responses to weight training.  If putting on muscle was that easy, every single male that you see working out on a regular basis would look like the Incredible Hulk.  And trust me, I’ve seen plenty of guys (who have lots of testosterone) lift weights very heavily for years and can’t put on even close to the amount of muscle that I hear some females claim they can achieve.

Julie Durda

Without testosterone, significant increases in muscle mass just aren’t possible.  So where is all that extra “weight” coming from that all these women claim to be putting on?  A few pounds (1-3 lbs.) may be muscle in the first few months of training, but most of the additional weight they are gaining is either fat or water weight.  You can obviously put on more than 3 pounds of muscle over time, but your training is going to have to be very intense and I promise that you will have plenty of notice if you feel like you’re getting too muscular (it doesn’t happen overnight).  Just because you are working out more than you did last week, doesn’t mean that you can eat those extra cookies or have an extra glass of wine.  As long as you are eating a balanced diet that is high in protein, fibrous vegetables, fruits, and low in processed carbohydrates, it’s almost impossible for you to gain fat unless you’re over eating.

So please, stop lifting those 5-8 pound dumbbells and challenge yourself so that you can actually stimulate what little muscle mass you can hormonally achieve.  Some women genetically have much higher levels of testosterone than your average female, and these women would obviously be more susceptible to generating muscle.  So here is a self-checklist you can do to see if  you are one of those women.

• Do you have a mustache or a beard (do you have to shave your face)?
• If I call your house, is there a chance I may mistake you for your brother (do you have a deepened voice)?
• When you go get your legs waxed, do they recommend they wax your chest during that same visit (do you get hair on your chest or other unusual body parts)?
• Do you find yourself dialing the number to the “Proactive” infomercial (are you getting increased acne on your face or body)?
• Have you secretly joined the “Hair Club for Men” (male pattern baldness)?

Between 4% and 7% of women produce too much testosterone in their ovaries and may experience one or more of the symptoms above.  If you’re ever in doubt, I definitely recommend going to get a hormonal profile done and you’ll know for certain if this is a concern for you.

Michelle Diaz

If you ever want to get out of that skinny-fat category and put an end to those “turkey arms” (the fat on the back of your arm that flaps when you wave goodbye to your kids at school) once and for all, you MUST lift weights that are challenging.  Billy Beck states it best; “Challenge creates change!” Chose a weight that is challenging for 10-12 repetitions.  If you can do 15-20 repetitions, then it’s too light.  Extra lightweight is better than nothing, but it’s not enough of an overload to create noticeable change.

As proof, I’ve added pictures of 3 women who train harder than most men.  As you can see, no bulky appearance or muscle bulging biceps on these ladies.  These women curl 70 pound barbells, climb 40 foot ropes, push trucks, pull in cars, and flip 350 pound tires.  I’m not saying that you have to train this way, but if they can train to that intensity and still maintain their feminine characteristics, you can lift more than a 10 pound dumbbell and not have to worry about putting on too much muscle.  Challenge yourself next time you lift weights and you’ll be amazed at how you respond both physically and mentally.

Over the past few weeks I’ve received numerous emails about my opinion of P90X.  P90X has revolutionized “in-home” training videos and if you haven’t jumped on this bandwagon yet, just watch the infomercial long enough, and you’ll most likely be pulling out your credit card before it’s over.

For $120 you can completely transform your body and mind in 90 days! Who wouldn’t want that? It’s 12 complete training programs, a nutrition plan, and you even get free online support to fitness experts and the P90X community.  Not only will you get to join the P90X community, but I’ll personally throw in a free membership for your enrollment into the Stupid Gym Shit community (only if you purchase P90X and don’t follow through with the entire 90 days)!

P90X is a very complete program and is by the far the best in-home training program available to the public.  But I have yet to meet a single individual who has been able to adhere to the program for the full 90 days.  1 hour a day 6 days a week is the recommendation by P90X, and if you put anybody on a fitness program where they’re training 1 hour a day 6 days a week, they’re going to get some pretty phenomenal results.  Most people are buying into the hype of this technical-sounding “muscle confusion” concept and thinking this is the magic answer to the fat hanging over their waistline.  Imagine all the people right now sitting in front of their televisions eating a bowl of ice cream, seeing Tony Horton (creator of P90X) come on the screen talking about muscle confusion, and a light bulb goes off;  “That’s it. My ass must be fat because my body has adapted to the training program I’m currently on. Better buy this P90X and start confusing my muscles right away.”

Of course you need to vary your exercise program, just as you do your nutrition, and anything else you do consistently.  Our bodies are the most intelligent machines on this planet and will adapt to anything we do over an extended period of time (exercise plan, nutrition plan, etc.).  What does all this mean? Eventually you’re going to hit a plateau and your results are going to stop.  This time-frame is different for everyone and the more conditioned you are, the more frequently you need to change up your routine.  Muscle confusion is just a BS term that P90X is throwing out there to make consumers think it’s the next best answer to getting the body of their dreams.  Programs do need to be varied, buy I’ve personally had clients on the same program for almost 3 months while consistently achieving measureable results each and every week.

Here are my views of the flaws that exist in the P90X program:

• One program for everybody.
• No feedback on form or technique of complex movements being performed (there is more to a pull-up than just pulling yourself up and over a bar).
• Progressions from different phases of training are too fast for people to adapt to (adaptation is a good thing and allows our bodies to progress to the next phase of training without risking injury).
• Plyometrics are an extremely intense mode of training, which most people participating in this program cannot handle (very high level risk of injury doing plyometrics incorrectly and Tony Horton isn’t in your living room correcting that ACL knee-tearing squat jump).
• Additional equipment is needed besides the $120 spent on the program (check out the website and you’ll see all the “cool” additional stuff they suggest for the program).
• Exercising 6 days a week for 1 hour is unrealistic for most people.  Programs can be much more efficient and effective than having to workout 6 days a week.
• P90X is an intense program and only for fit people that are ready to put in the effort (this comes straight from the P90X book), and the majority of people investing in this program do not fit this criteria.

So who is P90X for?  P90X is for experienced exercisers that have no other choice than to exercise in the living room of their own home.  It’s for self-sufficient individuals who know with 100% certainty that they will adhere to the program for the full 90days.  It’s not for the weak-minded or the weak hearted because this program gets intense.  The truth is that P90X doesn’t fall into the category of Stupid Gym Shit. If all components of the program (training, nutrition, etc.) are followed exactly how they are mapped out, you will most likely achieve measurable results.

If you have absolutely no time or money to invest in a training facility, and have no idea how to structure together an exercise program, then I would recommend P90X for you (considering you’re pretty fit to begin with).  Remember, this is not for your beginning exerciser.  My advice is that if you do purchase the program and venture out to be the next P90X success story, start from the beginning and work your way through the entire program.  Never skip phases and think you’re more advanced than where you’re currently at, because I’ve known numerous individuals who have injured themselves because they tried to immediately jump into the advanced movements of the training program.  Now that is Stupid Gym Shit!

P90X has marketed and advertised this program in such a genius way, I was almost tempted to buy it myself.  But then I saw the infomercial for the Shake Weight and purchased that instead (completely joking)!  Don’t fall victim to outstanding marketing and advertising.  Be realistic before purchasing this program and if you can’t commit 100% for 90 days, save your $120. If you decide to make the commitment, I encourage you to follow every component of the program or you will receive a free membership into the Stupid Gym Shit community.  Hey, if P90X doesn’t work out the way you intended, you can always go purchase a Shake Weight!  Best of luck and don’t ever hesitate to call these companies out on their “100% satisfaction money back guarantee.”

Check out the short P90X infomercial, but don’t watch too long or you might have just purchased the program subconsciously (those tricky bastards)!

The Shake Weight doesn’t even need an introduction into Stupid Gym Shit because any person with the slightest amount of common sense could tell that this is some stupid shit.  That was my assumption until this past weekend while shopping at Target, I passed not one, but two different people with Shake Weights in their shopping carts.  ARE YOU SERIOUS PEOPLE? They must be gag gifts for coworkers or Christmas presents for their in-laws.

As sad as it is, there have been a lot more than just those two weekend shoppers that I passed by who have invested their money in a Shake Weight.  As of August 2010, more than 2 million units have been sold.  At $19.95 for the female version and $29.95 for the male version, an incredible amount of money has been made for such a ridiculous product.

For women, the product claims that in just 6 minutes a day you can achieve  “strong, sexy, and sculpted arms that you’ll be proud to show off.”  For men, they guarantee to “Get strong, toned, and ripped arms and chest.”  Wow, I want that!  So let me understand this correctly.  All I have to do is shake this 5-pound dumbbell (2.5 pounds for females) for 6 minutes a day and I’ll look like this guy?

Awesome!  Where do I send my $19.95?  Those are some pretty ridiculous statements and what makes things even worse, is that over 2 million of them have been sold.  Too many people are falling victim to great marketing and advertising.  If something sounds too good to be true (only 6 minutes a day and you’ll achieve toned and sexy arms), most likely it is.  Please don’t spend $20-$30 on a gag-gift for a friend, and if you really believe enough in this product to purchase one expecting results, you’ll ensure that I never stop running out of Stupid Gym Shit topics to talk about.

Most of us already know that “spot-reducing” body fat is impossible, and that simply shaking around a 2.5-pound dumbbell for 6 minutes a day, will not drop the fat in those arms one bit.  Healthy eating, a tailored and targeted strength training program, will tone up your arms twice as fast than this silly little gimmick.  Squats and lunges also burn a ton of calories and elicit many fat burning and muscle building hormones.  As a result your entire body will get leaner and firmer.  So donate your $20-$30 to a much needed charitable cause, rather than contributing to the Stupid Gym Shit community.

Below is a must see clip of the Shake Weight in action.  It’s completely outrageous and sums the Shake Weight up perfectly…..hilarious and non-productive!  Enjoy and don’t be afraid to laugh your ass off!