Many of you have probably heard of “Skinny Vinny” or Vince Del Monte. Back in the day he was a scrawny marathon runner that went through a growth spurt hitting 190 lbs. Then he hit another plateau. This interview is to find out how he’s been training to break past that genetic barrier and keep on growing. Now he’s up around 210 lbs.
Metabolic and neural training are causing a major shift in fitness thinking – which is no surprise based on the amazingly fast whole body results they deliver. Want to know more? Listen to this audio interview I conducted Dr. Kareem Samhouri otherwise known as Dr. K.
In this interview with Dr. K the creator of the Ab Strength Guide we discuss the following topics:
-3D Ab Training
-The Old Way of Training Abs & The New Way
-Metabolic & Neural Training Protocols
-How Important is Nutrition Revealing Your Abs?
-The “After Burn” Effect
-How Often To Train Abs
-Is Equipment Needed To Get Abs?
-Ab Gadgets & Fat Loss Pills
-The Biggest Ab Training Misconception!
Read more about Dr. K and how is Ab Strength Guide can help you get six pack abs in just 10-minutes a day by visiting this unusual page: http://www.criticalabs.com
We know that testosterone is the male hormone and estrogen is the female hormone. But have you ever heard of xenoestrogens? Probably not, so that’s what we’re going to discuss. We’ll talk about what they are, why you should avoid them, and most importantly–how you can avoid them.
“Xeno” is a prefix based on the Greek word “Xenos”, meaning stranger. Estrogen of course refers to the female hormone. So put the two together and you literally have “stranger estrogen,” which in reality, isn’t far from the truth. Xenoestrogens are in fact, novel, industrially made compounds that in the body, have effects similar to those of estrogen. In men, testosterone is of course the dominant hormone but we actually have estrogen in our bodies as well. In women, it’s just the opposite–they are dominant in estrogen but have testosterone as well.
In men, high levels of estrogen can cause reduced levels of testosterone, fatigue, loss of muscle tone, increased body fat, loss of libido and sexual function and an enlarged prostate. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to grasp that high levels of estrogen in a man are not a good thing. And if you think about the literal meaning of the word “xeno” (stranger), combined with the fact that they’re “industrially made,” then a guy could logically make the assumption that xenoestrogens are not going to be something you want in your body.
This training routine is entitled Hardcore Tactical Fitness Secrets of the Special Ops. The Special Ops are the guys you call when something has to get done and there doesn’t seem to be anyone qualified to do the job. Here’s a program that promises to unlock their tactical fitness secrets.
The program was developed by two guys—Scott Sonnon and Ryann Murdock. Scott is a multiple-time USA National Team Coach, International Martial Arts Champion, Hall of Fame Inductee and Distinguished Master of Sport. Ryan has been a trainer for 27 years and regularly puts his training to the test in some of the world’s most unforgiving places as a widely published travel writer. Let’s take a look at TACFIT and see what it’s all about.
Just looking at their bios, you know these guys mean business so I wasn’t surprised to see the third line of the book that reads, “There will be fear. There will be discomfort. You will be pushed to the outer limits of what you currently believe possible….”
Looking through TACFIT I found it very interesting that the authors’ approach to fitness includes a number of elements that you see in lean hybrid training. For instance, TACFIT focuses on building “functional strength,” just like hybrid training does. Also, TACFIT Commando’s secret weapon is its “unique training wave of periodization,” which is similar to the periodization that you see in lean hybrid muscle training.
The book begins with a discussion of the four different elements the TACFIT Commando program incorporates each week. These elements include:
High Intensity Fat-Burning Circuits;
Complex Skills that promote “neurological sophistication;”
Real Tactical Applications;
and Injury-Proofing and Active Recovery.
Again, this multi-faceted approach is similar to what we see in lean hybrid training—a combination of the best elements from a number of different disciplines. And that’s a really important indicator of a valuable program. Any routine or program that just has a single focus isn’t likely to do you much good—at least not for long. Our bodies crave variety.
And at the heart of TACFIT Commando’s variety is what the authors refer to as they 7 x 4 training protocol. This is essentially a strategy to sidestep the body’s ability to quickly adapt to stress. That’s how we hit plateaus. We do the same thing over and over again, and our bodies quickly they use to the routine goal so we stop making gains. By cycling the programs according to the TACFIT Commando schedule, you can reduce—or eliminate entirely—those pesky plateaus. For anyone who is familiar with lean hybrid training, you know that this fundamental concept is shared by both training philosophies.
The next “key element” of the TACFIT Commando approach is understanding intensity. The authors begin by explaining that perceptions of intensity are going to vary widely from one person to the next. What is intense for one person can be nothing to another.
In regards to perception, TACFIT uses three different variables;
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE);
Rate of Perceived Discomfort (RPD);
and Rate of Perceived Technique (RPT).
These are ranked as “No,” “Low,” “Moderate” or “High.”
So here’s how it all ties together in the 7 x 4 training protocol. Your workout schedule will vary from day-to-day, starting with a no intensity day, followed by a low intensity day, followed by a moderate intensity day, which is then followed by a high intensity day every seven days. This pattern is follow for four weeks, which gives you the 7 x 4.
The next part of the book is Part 2: Mission Briefing. Here the authors start to get more into the specific techniques that make TACFIT Commando so awesome. Topics covered here include “burst-recover-burst,” which is an adaptation of the Tabata-type intervals. In the following session we start to learn more about the routines themselves. And let me tell you right here—intensity is the name of the game here. For example, the First Commando Mission involves 20 seconds of very high intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest.
This cycle gets repeated eight times for a total of four minutes. Each day of the “mission,” the training follows this pattern with six different exercises.
This theme is carried on throughout the program. The following sections describe everything you need to know to perform the exercises in the TACFIT Commando style as well as the rest of the program.
Overall, I have nothing but good things to say about this book. I like its style and the fact that it is built on training philosophies that really work—just like lean hybrid training.
If you think you’ve got the guts to stick with this routine for 28 days, then I’m sure you’ll find it to be a worthwhile investment. Special link for readers of this blog: http://www.SpecialDefenseTraining.com
You have to admit there is definitely a “cool factor” when it comes to the one-arm push up. This exercise is just plain tough. It combines strength, coordination and balance.
That’s why we’re going to include it in our new Lean Hybrid Muscle – Body Weight edition program. Anyhow a few weeks ago at a wedding in Niagra Falls my friend Adam Steer (circular strength coach) gave me these three tips to share with you.
Who knows, with these tips and a bit of practice you may just give “Rocky” a run for his money!
Here is just a quick follow up video about how I use the bench press as the “Power” exercise in what I call “Hybrid Power Building”. Like I mention in the video, Power Building is a cross between strength building and muscle building that allows you to get super strong and build thick dense muscle in the upper body also. Check it out!
Hey, I know that I’m not the inventor of power building, it’s just a pretty cool name for what most strong bodybuilders or massive power lifters are already doing.
Question: What is your favorite Power Building routine and what do you use to add size and strength to your upper body?
By Mike Westerdal of CriticalBench.com
As Published in REPS Magazine, January 2006
“Don’t Let These 8 Mistakes Sabotage Your Bench”
Did you know the average weight training enthusiast can barely bench press their own bodyweight? That statistic doesn’t even account for the people that don’t work out. Give yourself a pat on the back if you’ve conquered the feat of benching your own bodyweight. Don’t worry if you’re not there yet, you’re about to learn eight sure-fire methods that will help you earn bragging rights in and out of the gym.
So what’s the big deal about the bench press anyway? You’re not playing sports or trying to compete, why is this legendary exercise so vital to an attention grabbing physique? In fact for those of you who think the bench press is simply for the ego, you’re wrong. It’s true no other exercise is more frequently talked about. However it’s not so strange when you think about it. The bench press is a core fundamental exercise for developing upper body strength. You’re not only working your pectorals (chest), you are also working your anterior deltoids (front shoulders), triceps brachii, and latissimus dorsi (back). If you could pick just one exercise to acquire a full round chest with some functional power to go with it, you would be wise to go with the bench. You just can’t develop the same upper body with any other exercise.
As a personal trainer I have seen hundreds of people strive for a 300-pound bench. The truth is most people make the same mistakes, but they can easily be changed to help you start an explosive growth spurt of your own.
Mistake #1: Less is more.
By far the biggest mistake people make is “wanting it” so bad that they overtrain. It’s human nature, if we don’t see the gains we’re looking for the common sense solution is to work harder and harder. I can tell you from personal experience that last time I hit a plateau in my training I took a week off from the gym and came back stronger than the last time worked out. Be on the look out for warning signs of overtraining such as lack of motivation, trouble sleeping, poor nutrition, and of course lack of progress.
Mistake #2: Full body workouts.
Let’s get you set up on a new split where you can give each muscle involved in the bench press the attention it needs. Remember, there’s more to the bench press than just your chest. For maximum recovery you should only train each body part once per week with an optimal workout split. If you still think you need to bench two or three times a week, see mistake #1. You have time to workout 45-minutes a day, 4-days a week don’t you?
Mistake #3: Self-doubt.
Hopefully you don’t need a pep talk, but here it goes anyway. Excuse me as I impersonate motivational speaker Anthony Robbins for a moment. Your subconscious mind believes whatever you tell it, so do yourself a favor and program it with positive thoughts. I cringe every time someone asks me for a spot and they bash themselves before they even start the lift. Comments like, “I don’t think I’ll get very many reps,” or “I can’t do this much, but I’ll try.” If you’re not confident, fake it, and tell yourself you’re going to succeed. Trying is a part of failing. If you’re afraid to fail, you’re afraid to try.
A few days ago some of the kids I train at Strength Camp told me that their coach cautioned them against performing the bench press. Apparently he is of the understanding that the bench press is bad for your shoulders and baseball players (or any other flexion dominated sport participants) should completely omit them from their program. I think the term “bench pressing is the devil” was thrown in there also.
Look, I have been training myself and hundreds of athletes for close to 15 years now. I’ve spent more time and money studying this shit than I have on my undergraduate degree! No athlete has EVER suffered a shoulder injury due to bench pressing or chronic pattern overload under my watchful eye. And STILL I run up against numb skull coaches and “personal trainers” who want to advise about what exercise are “bad to do”.
Myths, tradition and plan old bullshit has dominated all areas of science and understanding since the dawn of time.
Consider the morons that thought Columbus was crazy because of his claim that the world is round. Galileo was put to death for his claims about the earth revolving around the sun. And Christ crucified for his message of love and unity.
So, if any smart-ass physio therapists or text book scientist out there want to challenge me about the inclusion of the bench press in my athletes training programs, feel free to comment below.
In the mean time watch this video about how to perform the exercise the CORRECT way!
This is kind of a weird video for LHM, but I thought you might get a kick out of watching us goof off a bit
After listening to a seminar by Jeff Anderson, the author of the Home Defense Tactics course, we decided to go out and buy some guns! (not that we’re scared or anything like that!)
Now, mind you that neither of us have EVER shot guns before (yea, real southern boys eh?) and we show up at this real red neck shootin’ range in Florida looking like a bunch of dorks trying to figure out what we are doing.
This is pretty funny stuff… especially the part when Mike loses his ear muffs and the weirdo with the long beard crack up!
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“Xeno” is a prefix based on the Greek word “Xenos”, meaning stranger. Estrogen of course refers to the female hormone. So put the two together and you literally have “stranger estrogen,” which in reality, isn’t far from the truth. Xenoestrogens are in fact, novel, industrially made compounds that in the body, have effects similar to those of estrogen. In men, testosterone is of course the dominant hormone but we actually have estrogen in our bodies as well. In women, it’s just the opposite–they are dominant in estrogen but have testosterone as well.
This training routine is entitled Hardcore Tactical Fitness Secrets of the Special Ops. The Special Ops are the guys you call when something has to get done and there doesn’t seem to be anyone qualified to do the job. Here’s a program that promises to unlock their tactical fitness secrets. 
And at the heart of 
This theme is carried on throughout the program. The following sections describe everything you need to know to perform the exercises in the 
