I have not looked at, changed or added any new entries to this blog for many years. I’m just finalizing my commercial photography site at www.siechenphoto.com so I will have a professional blog there to update and not sure what I may use this one for. Perhaps for just personal stuff as before.
One thing I have always loved about the gym is how everyone has to leave their social and class status at the door. Everyone in the gym is created equal in that regard. You can’t tell who are the rich ones or who are the snobs or blue collar workers. When you walk into the gym, it’s gut check time. Theres no expensive cars, sparkling jewelry or flashy clothing. You can’t buy a healthy fit body no matter how rich you are. EVERYONE has to put in the work to get the kind of results that we all admire in those amazing bodybuilder and figure competitors. I love that. All the status in a gym is based solely on how fit you are and this is based purely on hard work and discipline. You either have it, or you don’t. And you can’t buy it. You either have the staying power to make this a lifetime commitment or you fall off the wagon and go back to your comfy chair and sugary snack packs.
Changed up my routine so I have more rest between body parts. I’m now doing a 4 day cycle on a week long window. So every other day I workout a major muscle group; Day 1: Legs, Day 3: Chest and Triceps, Day 5: Back and Biceps, Day 7: Shoulders. Days 2,4, and 6 are cardio days. I think I can increase my gains with this over the old routine of 4 straight days and then 1 or no days off. Time will tell.
What is your health worth to you? How much money would it take to buy your health? If someone were to offer you a significant amount of money to sit on your couch, do no strenuous exercise or physical activity and eat the typical American junk food diet, would you do it? How much money would it take? Think about that for a minute. Because if you aren’t already actively involved in routine exercise, eating a healthy diet and genuinely conscious of your health and taking care of it, then something is already buying off your health. If you can figure out what that is, then you will have already gone a long way towards changing your life for the better. So ask yourself the question every day, “What is my health worth?”.
Take Heed, the Iron Guru speaks:
“Do no more sets and reps than you would on any other muscle group, etc. Add weight by holding a plate behind your head. Let’s take first things first, get rid of all the fat you can before you start your abdominal program. Otherwise, you will be disappointed because abdominal exercises do not reduce fat. Only fast training where heart and lungs are involved will have any effect on your metabolic rate. Another aspect, of which no one is aware, is that abdominal work should never be done by a beginner in weight training. Any abdominal exercises involve the Solar Plexus. This area sometimes known as the “second brain”. Here can be found a great network of nerves and blood vessels that join and congregate. Abdominal work is such a shock to the nervous system that I could take any undeveloped beginner in my gym and add abdominal work and it would stop all muscular gains. Even stars like Larry Scott and Don Howorth rarely work their abdominals because of the shock to the arms which they are so proud of.
It should be understood that full sit-ups and leg raises are not abdominal exercises. These movements work the Psoas Major and Psoas Minor group. The Quadratius Lumborum are also utilized. The Psoas Muscles connect the upper femur bones of the leg to the lower lumbar region of the spine. This large muscle pulls the upper body to a sitting position, or pulls the legs up, as in the leg raise. You are also employing the Sartorius in the leg raise. The stomach muscles of Rectus Abdominus attach to the pelvic basin and the junction of these points. To illustrate, lie flat on your back, roll your shoulders and head foreword. At the same time raise your pelvis upwards and back towards your chest. This movement is basically the only function of the abdominals. To isolate the Psoas Muscles so that you don’t inadvertently pull with them, spread your knees and pull your heels towards your buttocks. Now, in this frog position place your hands behind your neck and perform 1/4 sit-ups. Cramp the rectus at the top of the movement by performing one burn.”
– Vince Gironda