Latest posts by James Paul (see all)
- What Do Guys, Dresses, And Resistance Training Have In Common? - September 17, 2012
- Can Exercise Improve Relationships? - August 24, 2012
Doing so means you get exposure to thousands and thousands of other CommentLuv users and your posts get sent out to the massive subscriber list.
Google loves this site and indexes it multiple times per day and posts always get lots of comments so you can be sure of some excellent exposure.
See the Write For Us page for more details
btw.. you can get this author box here
I borrowed this gratefully from fullfitness.net
When someone mentions resistance training, does a barbel or dumbbell enter your mind and block everything else out? If you’re wondering why I asked if the thought blocks everything else out, there’s a reason for that. To make your exercise routines more enjoyable, read along and bear with my analogies, and I have nicely given one for the guys reading this as well as one for the ladies. At the end you will see how the items in my title share a complete correlation as well as why that block is unfair and detrimental to your exercise routines.
Time For Some Entertaining Analogies You Can Relate To
This analogy is for (mostly) the ladies, what do you find yourself saying about the dating scene when it comes to finding your “soul mate”? I asked my best friend what she thought before she met me, we’re engaged so you know, and she said that all guys were the same. They were difficult, selfish, cheaters, and so on. How does that tie into resistance training? Keep reading!
Now an analogy for the guys and this one is about fashion. When you see a woman’s wardrobe, do you find yourself asking what the difference is (hopefully you are smart enough to keep that question to yourself)? You’re absolutely right for wondering that, the clothes consist of shirts, pants, or dresses while the shoes have heels, no heels, or they’re boots, agreed? In fact, a woman broke down her wardrobe for me over the course of literally an hour and a half (I was dumb enough to ask her aloud). She started by saying every woman has a “little black dress”, shoes for the beach and then shoes for church. They have sun dresses to wear at home and skirts to wear when they go out. That of course is summarized, but how about we tie this into resistance training?
Resistance training is not just about weight plates, although that is a popular thought. In fact, resistance training is (according to Wikipedia) “A broader meaning that refers to any training that uses a resistance to the force of muscular contraction”¦” I could have missed something, however I didn’t see any mention of an Olympic barbel or specific dumbbells in that explanation.
The fact is, I have met numerous clients who laugh at me when I walk over to them with a pair of resistance bands. I got harder laughs, and a few insulted responses, from the ladies to be completely honest with you. Men for the most part look at me similar to a confused dog, in fact I occasionally wait for them to cock their head slightly and perk one ear up. I can’t blame them either; for they most part they are rubber tubes with some handles on them. In fact, I remember one client who asked me if I knew what resistance training was.
When I start acting like the motivational drill sergeant I have been coined at the gym I own however, the tone quickly changes. Until about 15 years ago, these tubes were mainly considered a rehab specialty item, however they can pack a powerful punch. The reason they are so effective is actually very simple. Similar to a higher pulley exercise, if you are doing a wood chopper exercise (a picture is on the top) you are twice fighting gravity for each repetition. On the way down, the resistance band wants to go back upwards while, and on the return for your repetition the bands want to fly back into form while you try to maintain proper form.
The Kettle Is For More Than Tea
I have had very large men on numerous occasions tell me they are not ready to finish a resistance band exercise. Equally as entertaining to show off an “I told you so” attitude is the kettle bell. If you think kettle bells are a joke or help you make an odd tea, take a look at Russian power lifters, they swear by them! They are awkward and the motions are not easy as you may think, I am referring to kettle bells that is and not Russian power lifters.
Kettle bells, I find, are an extremely versatile complement to any resistance training routine. You can place them shoulder width, or slightly farther, apart and perform a neat and challenging variation of push-ups. You can also do very explosive squat based exercises, the possibilities are really endless. One form of exercise you do not want to try without a spotter is a bench press with kettle bells. As a personal trainer I will tell you it’s not fun holding towels on someone’s head while you await emergency workers, however that’s another story for another day.
W.W.M.D. = What Would MacGyver Do?
My personal favorite, which was difficult to pick between the item I will be naming and resistance bands, is a duffel bag and 20 pounds of sand. It goes in line with minimalist training (which is how I tied MacGyver in) very nicely, scratch that it is minimalist training. Minimalist training is where you literally take what you have lying around and put it to use. Do you think there’s little benefit? Look at someone who worked out in jail for 4 years. Inmates are a prime example of how minimalist training can benefit you.
Now we’ll digress back to my personal favorite form of exercise. Sand, as you hopefully know, moves around quite a bit in fact it is near impossible to hold a handful of sand without losing most of it. The duffel bag maintains various and at times awkward positions. When the bag moves, so does the sand and if you are maintaining proper form this proves to be a very difficult exercise tool. You can certainly use bags, however in my opinion they are not as fun.
A Mock Ending
So how can we tie guys, dresses, and resistance training together? One, I am no longer your typical male and my fiancé trained me well. We also now know that a wardrobe in a woman’s closet has various, specific, and what I feel to be strategic purposes. As for weight training, we can throw kettle bells, duffel bags, and resistance bands next to the ever popular weight plate.
A Final Surprise
To give you an added benefit, I will alter the traditional article format and give you one final surprise tip. If you are varying the tools you use in your resistance training, you will not allow the muscle to become comfortable or remember (muscle memory is not a fairy tale) your movements. What this does is cause muscular confusion and aside from leaving you exhausted there is a strong possibility you will be burning calories for hours after your workout!
