This past week was absolute insanity with tons of great new info coming out across the fitness industry.
In this installment of The Week In Review there’s phenomenal pieces on everything ranging from fitness business tips, to the best powerlifting assistance exercises, to one of my favorite (and fun) ab exercises and much, much more.
Before we get to the meat and potatoes of this installment, though, I want to give a shout-out to the fantastic team over at bodynutrition.com.
To be blunt, I haven’t bought protein powder in about 2 years.
Not because I don’t think it’s useful or convenient…but mostly just because I’d rather eat my calories than drink them.
That being said, the team over at bodynutrition.com recently sent me a variety pack of their Trutein protein powders and I absolutely love them.
Keep in mind, I’m not getting a penny from commission or sales.
Plain and simple, I tried a number of their Trutein flavors including cinnabun, chocolate-peanut butter cup, lemon meringue pie, chocolate truffle, and a bunch more and they were absolutely incredible.
Ridiculously good tasting, low-calorie, and high-quality protein to boot, I can’t recommend these products highly enough.
Having said all of that…let’s get to this installment of The Week In Review!
Articles By Jordan
A New Perspective on the Sumo Deadlift
Exercise Video of the Week: The Kettlebell Halo
Daily Strength Lesson’s
Monday’s Strength Lesson: Motivation isn’t always gonna be there…sometimes you’re gonna need to go out and actively find it!
Lately my training’s been pretty lackadaisical.
Since leaving school and my Powerlifting team, I’ve had to train by myself without much external motivation or encouragement.
While I’ve continued to make progress, training just hasn’t been as fun or efficient as it used to be.
For a while I was fine with it as I figured training alone was just going to take some getting used to…but I recently realized I needed to find some other forms of motivations or training is going to become exceedingly difficult.
To remedy the issue, my buddy Sean and I decided to run the exact same training program and challenge each other along the way.
In doing so, despite living in two separate cities, we’ll be able to correspond on a weekly basis, challenge each other, motivate one another, and shit-talk each other like no body’s business.
It’s gonna be sweet.
So what’s my point?
We all go through ups and downs with training, nutrition, fitness, and all that life has to offer. Sometimes you’ll be motivated and other times you’ll want nothing more than to throw in the towel and quit.
What separates the top 1% from everyone else, though, is the willingness to push through and *find that motivation* when it doesn’t come intrinsically.
Tuesday’s Strength Lesson: I don’t incorporate an overwhelming amount of ab-specific exercises within my training programs…so when I do I make sure they’re wicked fun!
Want a fun and challenging ab exercise to do with your friends?
Check out my Reaction-Based Plank
An extremely difficult plank variation, this drill forces you to stabilize in all planes of motion or else you’ll…well…you’ll see in the video.
Wednesday’s Strength Lesson: Time to pony up and get your short-shorts & headbands on because today is Sample Workout Wednesday!
Today’s session focuses on improving upper body strength and function. Specifically, an emphasis on big, compound movements for overall strength coupled with smaller, more targeted, drills for improved shoulder health and performance are used.
1a) Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 x 5/arm
1b) Thoracic Extension/Rotation: 3 x 8/side
2a) [Weighted] Chin-Up: 3 x 6
2b) [Chain Resisted] Push-Up with Plus: 3 x 8
3a) Dumbbell Row: 3 x 8/arm
3b) Walkouts: 3 x 6
3c) Cable Face Pull: 3 x 8
Thursday’s Strength Lesson: What’s the BEST exercise to improve your Bench Press?
Hint:
– It isn’t tricep extensions
– It isn’t rowing variations
– It isn’t shoulder raises
…so what the hell is it?
…
…
The Bench Press.
Crazy, right?
Who’da thunk the single best exercise to improve your bench press would be the bench press?
Too often trainee’s emphasize the small, drastically less important, movements like tricep extensions, shoulder raises, etc, in the hopes of magically boosting their bench press.
While each of these drills have a time and a place and are certainly worthwhile…if you’re spending significantly more time on these isolation exercises than you are on the bench, odds are you aren’t getting the most bank-for-your-buck.
Want to improve your bench?
Bench more.
Friday’s Strength Lesson: “Nobody ever wrote down a plan to be broke, fat, lazy, or stupid. Those things are what happen when you don’t have a plan.”
Recommended Reading
- How Deep Should I Squat? via Tony Gentilcore
- 15 Static Stretching Mistakes via Eric Cressey
- 7 Exercises You SHOULD Be Doing via Mike Robertson
- 5 Smart Assistance Exercise Strategies for Powerlifting via Charles Staley
- Protein, Crossfit, and P90X is Killing You Dead via Bryan Krahn
- A New Perspective on the Sumo Deadliftvia Syatt Fitness
- All About Kombucha via Examine.com
- 5-Steps to Defining Your Own Success via James Johnson
- Exercise Video of the Week: The Kettlebell Halo via Syatt Fitness
- Food vs. Exercise via Stacey Veronica Schaedler
- Exercising to Lose Weight Might Lead You to Gain Instead via Yoni Freedhoff
- 4 Business Lessons I’ve Learned from Clients via Eric Cressey
- 5 Fitness Business Tips & Tricks via Mike Robertson
- Death by Cardio & the Fortress of Solitude via Bryan Krahn
- We’re All Missing the Boat via Dean Somerset