30 Minute Workout, Part 1

Posted on in Workouts & Training Plans

Knowing how unbearably busy and frustrating the gym can be this time of year, I will be posting a series of short, 30-ish minute workouts that utilize minimal equipment. This first one is the most complex of the lot, and really is two workouts depending on how you approach it. All you need is a pair of dumbbells and a space to lift them and get on and off the floor.

Broken into four groups (A-D) of three exercises each, this workout can be performed for strength and conditioning as a series of Supersets or as a lighter weight cardio and conditioning circuit.

Supersets should be 2 sets of each exercise within each group, aiming for 12 repetitions of moderate weight (you should be able to do 1-2 more repetitions before struggling). After completing one set of three exercises within a group, rest for a minute or two before doing them again. After completing 2 sets of 12 repetitions, move on to the next group.

Circuits are performed as One-Minute AMRAP (As Many Repetitions as Possible), except where noted. Get a fairly light set of weights. Set a timer for three, one minute alerts. Within each group, perform as many repetitions as you can do — carefully and maintaining good form — for each exercise for one minute, before moving on to the next exercise. When you’ve completed one minute for each exercise in a group, rest for a minute, then move on to the exercises of the next group. You will go through this process twice.

Whichever method you choose, transitioning between exercises within a set should be preformed with no rest. If you want an added challenge, add weight or progress an exercise to what is noted in parentheses.

A1 Bodyweight Squats (progress to Squat Jumps)
A2 Dumbbell Double Arm Bent-over Row
A3 Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

B1 High Knee with Opposing Tap (progress to Double High Knee on Each Side)
B2 Hammer Curl to Overhead Press
B3 Goblet Squats

C1 Lateral Shuffle Taps (progress to Lunge Jumps)
C2 Tricep Overhead Press (Single or Double)
C3 Dumbbell Hip Hinge Swing

D1 Plank (30 Seconds) (progress to add 10 Plank Jacks after the 30s hold)
D2 Floor Press
D3 Glute Bridge

Bodyweight Circuit

Posted on in Workouts & Training Plans

So I’m going on vacation for a little over a week, and I’m not likely to have access to a gym or any freeweights.  But I’m not about to sit on my backside for a week, either.  While I know I’ll be getting a ton of steady-state cardio just by walking around for hours on end (which I tend to do when I’m on vacation), I wanted something more… 

Bodyweight Circuit:

(Perform 3-5 Circuits with 60 second rests in between them.  Take no rests in between individual exercises)

  • 10x High Knees
  • 10x Bodyweight Squats
  • 10x Arm Circles, Palms Down
  • 10x Pushups
  • 10x Kneel to Stand (alternating lead leg)
  • 10x Arm Circles, Palms Up
  • 10x Side Lunges (alternating 5x each side)
  • 10x High Plank with Tap
  • 10x Bird Dog (Alternating 5x each opposed side)
  • 30s Low Plank

Alternatively, each of these individual exercises can be performed as a timed, 1 minute AMRAP set with the final Low Plank being held for 60 seconds.  Between each AMRAP set a short 30-60 second rest can be taken.  

Landmine!

Posted on in Workouts & Training Plans

I love my Landmine, and I’m never quiet about singing it’s praises.  One of the first pieces of equipment I purchased for my home, basement gym, the Landmine is fundamental to several bits of my accessory work.  However,it can be a pain to set up sometimes.  As mine is a peg-type, I have to slot it into a few heavy olympic plates to secure it.  A full sized bar and low ceilings make set up and breakdown occasionally time consuming.  So, how about a full workout using only the Landmine? Sure.  Why the hell not!

The set and rep ranges will vary based upon my moods, as will lifting tempo.  However, to keep things quick and simple, I usually start with 3 sets of 8 reps, with multi-sided (single-arm or single-leg) exercises performed at 3 sets of 8 per side.  Often I will append two or three heavier sets of 5 reps when necessary. 

Landmine Workout

Landmine Squat to Press
Landmine 180s
T-Bar/Straight Bar Row
Landmine Sumo Deadlift
(Superset) Landmine SA BO Row
(Superset) Landmine Single Leg Deadlift
Landmine SA Jammers
Landmine SA Floor Press
Landmine Shrugs (3-0-1-3 Tempo)

                

A Matter of Nutrition

Posted on (Updated on ) in Diet and Nutrition

You can’t out-train a bad diet. If there is one thing that rings true over and over, it’s that what you put in has a huge impact on your overall fitness and well-being. It’s early summer, and with that comes all the summer snacks. I’m guilty of over-indulging on chips from time to time, and even when I factor in the calories, it has a big impact. High carbohydrate, high (bad) fat, high sodium — they are just a bad idea. Calorie counting can’t account for water retention, inflammatory responses, or just not digesting this stuff well. And this notion got me thinking.

In his classic book “5/3/1” Jim Wendler made a comment about when he was trying to lose weight, he’d just reach for a protein shake whenever an odd off-meal craving came over him. I liked this notion — I’ve used it to decent effect the past few weeks. But still, it reminds me that my nutrition is out of whack and that more than anything else, I need to address it. So, good. More protein is always welcome. But I’m also not 25 years old. Being in my 40’s, just tracking macros isn’t enough. I need to get a little bit more granular.

Reduce the sodium and I reduce the water retention. Drinking a gallon or more of water helps even more. Add more carbs that are high in fiber, and help scour everything out. It’s a far better recipe, one that forces me to look not only at my macro counts, but the quality of those macros as well. I mean really, how much fiber was I eating? It turned out, not so much. Those garbage snacks were a big part the only fiber I ate. So things have changed. It’s summer! Blueberries are 3.5g of fiber per cup and a medium sized pear is nearly 6g. Veggies are always a good idea, and now I’m trying to make sure I add more and more of them. My goal is 30g a day.  One more thing to track, but the idea is easy enough.  

Less Junk. More Water. More Fiber. Yeah, sounds like a plan.

Where Did It Go?

Posted on in Fitness Science

When someone says they lose weight or that they’ve lost fat, where does it go?  All too often, folks from the average gym-bro all the way to medical doctors, respond incompletely that its just converted to heat and/or energy.  A study performed a few years ago explains that while yes, as the chemical bonds in fats are broken down they do release energy to fuel the muscles, this answer alone is erroneous as it would violate the Law of Conservation of Mass.  In short, within a closed system, the mass of the result of a chemical reaction is equal to the mass of its reactants (its constituent parts undergoing the change).  Mass cannot be created or destroyed by physical transformations or chemical reactions.

So, where does that mass go? Well, research showed that as fat is broken down, it’s converted primarily into Carbon Dioxide (80-85%) and Water (15-20%).  The former is breathed out and the latter is excreted as you would any other fluid — via sweat, urine, feces, breathing, crying, etc.

Source:
https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g7257

In Defense of the Smith Machine

Posted on in Commentary & Exposition

We’ve all seen them, those big racks up against the walls, bar clipped into it and weights racked up on pegs along the side.  Unfortunately, we’ve also seen those guys using it, performing formless “squats” while leaning back on the bar and lowering themselves only a few inches.  We’ve seen those hordes of young women using it for hip thrusts with no weights even on the rack.  It’s a sight nearly as annoying as that jackass who always curls in the squat rack.  But I’m not here to malign the Smith Machine.  Quite the contrary, I rely upon it heavily for many of my workouts.

Yes, so many serious lifters shit on the Smith Machine, and in many cases, I understand why.  However, there are some things it does very well.  More importantly, some lifters have injuries or other body movement issues that can be alleviated by lifting on the Smith Machine.  I’m certainly one of the latter.  I have pretty bad bursitis in my right shoulder, bad enough that I once had the joint freeze up for the better part of two months.  And while aggressive physical therapy helped restore my shoulder function, I still suffer from a painful acromion impingement.  Performing a regular Bench-Press, for example, can become a very painful experience, even adjusting my body position and rotating my shoulders back only helps so much once I’m under load.  I struggled to lift even fairly light weights due to the pain it would cause.  After switching to the Smith Machine, my numbers increased dramatically, and I saw the results one expects to see from regular Bench-Press routines.  My chest developed, my strength improved, and my shoulder pain was minimized during sets.  I had a similar issue with Seated Overhead Presses, which I also resolved by making the change. Now I’m never going to tell you that a Smith Machine lift is just as good as a traditional one, because in general, it’s not. But if you have an injury that hinders you on the bench, try the Smith Machine.  I’d rather have something that’s 80% as effective all of the time, over something that’s 100% effective only half the time.  I saw definite gains making the change.

Another thing to consider is that there are a few exercises that are pretty damn well suited for the Smith Machine.  I swear by Calf-Raises on it – I just get under the bar as if I was doing a Back Squat with a narrow stance.  Shrugs are good on it too, but I’ve seen heavier weights wreck the Machine if the lifter is pulling against the rails.  I’m also a huge fan of Single Arm Side Shrugs, with a hold at the top.  Ballistic Bench-Presses and Bridged Floor Presses also are staple Smith Machine exercises in my routines.

So stop the Smith hating, and give it a try.

Beginners Booty Building (B3) Workout

Posted on in Workouts & Training Plans

What follows is a routine combining resistance training and stretching for hips, quads, and butt.  I have a client with extremely tight quads, a desire to “build a booty”, and a slight, but notable, misalignment in her pelvis.  She also had identified a bit of anxiety about feeling so “on display” at the gym, so any workout she does needs to minimize the time required at the gym itself, just in case her anxiety gets the better of her.

We needed to focus on having a regular routine of stretches for her quads, floor work for her hips and quads, and only a couple of strength exercises that she needed the gym in order to perform. Many of these are exercises also are ones that should help her build confidence around feeling so exposed and increase her willingness to commit to more active exercises — for example, once she’s comfortable with Bird Dogs, it’s not so unreasonable to add Burpees. Additionally, I know that she does a pre-set full body circuit routine at her gym’s 30 Minute Fitness Room twice a week; it’s a routine with which she is comfortable any addition to her workouts needed to dovetail with it fairly seamlessly.  Lastly, I wanted her exercising at the gym at least three days a week, even if she only does the exercises in this workout, it helps in getting her more acclimated to being present and working out.

And so, the Beginners Booty Building (B3) workout was born. It’s intended to be followed for 3 to 4 weeks, with most weights kept low.  After that point, weights should be increased, and where possible, another set added to most resistance training exercises. It’s worth noting that every session begins and ends with stretches and floor work.

Gym Day 1:

Gym Day 2:

  • Warrior I
    One set of 30 seconds (1x30s)
  • Bodyweight Squats
    Just a stretching exercise – descend and hold as low as you can for a breath or two, then ascend. Do this six times (1×6 w/ pause)
  • Kneeling Stretch
    Two sets of 30 seconds (2x30s) for each leg
  • Weighted Lunges
    Holding a light dumbbell in each hand, do two sets of 12 forward lunges for each leg, followed by two sets of 12 rear lunges for each leg
  • Glute Bridge
    Two sets of 12 (2×12)
  • Medicine Ball Squat to Slam
    Using comfortably weighted Medicine Ball, do a wide legged (sumo) squat holding the ball to your chest. Then raise the ball overhead and slam it to the floor. Pick it up, and perform anther complete squat, then raise the ball overhead, and slam it down, repeating for a total of twelve repetitions. (1×12)
  • Seated Leg Press
    Using a comfortable weight, do two sets of 12 (2×12)
  • Ground Stretch
    Two sets of 30 Seconds for each leg
  • Child’s Pose
    One set of 30 seconds (1x30s)

Gym Day 3:

  • Warrior I
    One set of 30 seconds (1x30s)
  • Bodyweight Squats
    Just a stretching exercise – descend and hold as low as you can for a breath or two, then ascend. Do this six times (1×6 w/ pause)
  • Kneeling Stretch
    Two sets of 30 seconds (2x30s) for each leg
  • Bird Dogs
    Two sets of 12, alternating between repetitions (6 each side)
  • Side Laying Hip Abduction/Adduction
    A set of 12 Hip Abductions for each side (1×12 each side)
    A set of 12 Hip Adductions for each side (1×12 each side)
  • Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift
    Using a moderately heavy Kettlebell, do 2 sets of 12 (2×12); There is no need to pull past lockout of the hips. This is not a raise/row.
  • Stair Climber
    10 Minutes on the Stair Climber
  • Ground Stretch
    Two sets of 30 Seconds for each leg
  • Child’s Pose
    One set of 30 seconds (1x30s)

Who Am I?

Posted on in Uncategorized

Hey there.

My name is Slaine Fullerton, the Gym Sithlord.  This blog is kind of a work in progress, much like myself, and at least for the moment, will serve as a record of sorts.  The focus of this blog is fitness, training, weight-loss, and health.  I’ve had an Instagram account, but it seemed time to expand beyond that format.

My weight-loss and fitness journey has been a long, tough road.  In 2014 I weighed nearly 600lbs and needed to make a choice; do I live, or do I die?  I chose to live, and started taking the steps to regain control of my life.  After losing about 140 lbs from my high weight, I had gastric-bypass surgery.  But that was only the start.  Massive calorie restriction lead to rapid weight loss in the form of another 120 lbs or so, and gave me the chance I needed to be mobile and reduce my health risks.  But it also destroyed my strength and left me at a long plateau where my weight-loss had pretty much halted.

That’s when I started going to the gym.  Every day, sometimes more than once.  I started with cardio, then simple weight lifting routines recommended by a trainer.  In doing this, I found not only a passion for the gym, but in helping others who might feel lost and so heavy and broken they can’t move forward.  I decided I needed to help other people in the ways I wished I’d had people to help me.  I still bang weights and elliptical machines and all that fun stuff pretty much every day, and I’m still transforming my body and trying to mitigate some of the damage I gave myself through being so large for so long.

Early in 2017 I became a Certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise (ACE).  Through ACE, I’ve also earned earned an endorsement as a Weight Management Specialist and a Senior Fitness Specialist.  Additionally, I’ve taken the TRX Suspension Training Program, and hope to learn a lot more.  While I still work a day job in an office, I have taken on a few private clients in my off hours, and would like to see more.