Ready…set…sweat!

As the month comes to a close I wanted to pick up the pace, so to speak, and really crank up some intense workouts.  This one fits the bill!  Hold on to your shoes.

As I have mentioned I am no speed demon but I am going to let you in on what I did for weight, reps and time to give you a bench mark, good or bad.  For me this workout was 20 minutes and 11 seconds of pure intensity!

1. Run 1/4 mile (.25 on a treadmill, one lap on a track)
2. Pull ups to failure
3. Incline bench with dumbbells at a slight incline (maybe 10-15%) to fail.

Here’s my humble stats:

1. 1:48 to 2:10 splits on the 1/4 miles
2. 16, 14, 13, 10 reps on pull ups
3. 12, 11, 10, 8 reps on the dumbbell bench press with 60 pounds and a neutral grip (palms facing each other)

In total this workout took just over 20 minutes and was I glad to be done! 

Do I have to mention it burned tons of calories?

Just did!

Win.  Just win.

Dave
www.homeofficeworkouts.com

Dumbbell Bench Press done right

IF dumbbell bench press is a staple in you routine or even if you just throw it in there to mix things up every now and then – this information will help.

When doing a dumbbell bench press I, like most of us, was instructed to bring the dumbbells together on the top of the movement while squeezing your chest muscles.

Old school and ineffective.

You may feel a contraction in your pecs by doing this but I will argue you can get the same result by flexing your pecs as in a most muscular or crab body building pose.  You could get the same result holding your hands out in front of you, palms together and arms slightly bent, and pressing your hands together.

When bringing the the dummbells that close to the mid line of your body gravity is not working against the muscles of the chest as much, similar to getting that big squeeze on the top of a biceps curl.

Without the big squeeze you would lose most of the contraction in your chest until you begin to lower the weight again.

What to do:

Keep the dumbbells moving straight up and down or perpendicular to the floor.  Keep the width of the dumbbells on the bottom of the movement the same as you usually do.  On the way up push straight up.  The dumbbells should not move towards the midline of your body and end up the same distance apart as they were on the bottom of the movement.

Studies have shown that this will allow you to maintain a MAXIMAL CONTRACTION for a longer period of time compared to moving the dumbbells together.

Another way to put it…while doing dumbbell bench press act as if you have a straight bar in your hands.

Do it right.  Get strong. Win.

Dave
www.homeofficeworkouts.com 

Answer to a great question…

I recieved a question from one of my “fitsters” on FitConnect.com yesterday and I asked him if I could post my answer because I think it would be very useful information for a lot of people.  He agreed and actually had the same idea so here it goes.

The question had to do with whether or not I had any advice for him because he feels less strength on one side of his body (particularly his chest and arm). 

1.)  First know we are all made with imbalance.  Its a right brain, left brain deal and that is partially what makes you left or right handed.  If you are right handed you will most likely hold a child or groceries in your left hand as you open the door with your right.  Fine motor skills with your right or dominant hand and gross motor (big movement) with your left.  This is speaking in general terms but I think you get the idea.  Perfect balance left to right, in my opinion, is unattainable but you want to bridge that gap as much as possible.

With that said don’t worry too much unless the imbalance seems to be significant – which leads to what I think was the original question.

2.) What to do…

Here’s a short list.

a. When doing ANY exercise one side at a time – always do the weaker side first.  Set the bar with that side and then match your strong side to that.  Doing it strong side first will allow both sides to get stronger but the weaker side will never catch the strong side.

b. Stay away from straight bar benching and curling.

c.  So…use dumbbells when ever possible.

d. Try a single arm dumbbell bench (flat)…great movement.

e. Try push ups with a medicine ball under your weaker hand and make sure you extend all the way up so that when you finish your strong hand is off the floor.  This also hits that side of the chest a bit deeper so be careful.
f.  Stability ball (hands on the ball) push ups.  In an unstable environment imbalance can work itself out.

This is just a short list and by no means exhaustive.  Start here and you can add more.

I encourage anyone on FC to send me a message with questions.

I hope this helps.

Dave
www.homeofficeworkouts.com