You’ve seen some techniques such as Rest/Pause and Ladders and also Density Training and RPT in previous articles, but we’re going to cover even more awesome strength training tweaks you can use to bust through plateaus and shake the cobwebs out of your current workout program.

Whether you’re goal is to bust through a strength or hypertrophy plateau, boost fat loss, or you just want some techniques to use for variety, add these techniques into your current ... Click to continue reading]]> Do you ever get bored doing the same ole thing with your workouts? Sure you can do heavy 5×5 or the stand by 3×10, but sometimes changing the set and rep range just isn’t enough to break the monotony that can occur with strength training.

You’ve seen some techniques such as Rest/Pause and Ladders and also Density Training and RPT in previous articles, but we’re going to cover even more awesome strength training tweaks you can use to bust through plateaus and shake the cobwebs out of your current workout program.

Whether you’re goal is to bust through a strength or hypertrophy plateau, boost fat loss, or you just want some techniques to use for variety, add these techniques into your current training program.

Single, Total Rep Set

A single, total rep set are a slight variation to traditional rest/pause training, and it’s something I’ve used much more frequently with my own training. This is a terrific method to use with accessory and isolation exercises, especially if your goal is sculpting muscle or just accomplishing as much as possible in a short amount of time.

How to Do It

I usually set a target rep range of 30-50 total reps and start with a 12-15 rep maximum.

• Begin by performing a normal set and leave one or two reps in that tank. For example, if you’re using a 15 rep maximum, start by performing 12-13 reps for the first set.
• Take a short rest, about 15-30 seconds.
• Perform another set for as many reps as possible.
• Take another short rest, about 15-30 seconds.
• Perform another set for as many reps as possible.

You repeat this until you complete the prescribed number of reps.

Here’s a sample total rep set I did yesterday with close grip push-ups.

• 13 reps
• Rest ~15 seconds
• 8 reps
• Rest ~15 seconds
• 6 reps
• Rest ~20 seconds
• 5 reps
• Rest ~20 seconds
• 4 reps
• Rest ~20 seconds
• 4 reps

That was a single total rep set of 40 reps.

The main goal is to achieve fatigue quickly so you keep the rest breaks to a minimum between the mini-sets.

Best Exercises for the Total Rep Set Method

I like incorporating the single total rep set method for accessory and isolation exercises. Here’s a list of some of my favorite exercises for this method:

• Push-ups
• Inverted rows
• Face pulls
• Pull-ups
• Single leg glute bridges and hip thrusts
• Rear foot elevate split squat
• Dumbbell curls
• Dumbbell lateral raises
• Ab wheel rollouts and reverse crunches
• Back extensions and single leg back extensions
• Triceps extensions

As you can see, you can use the single total rep set for a large variety of exercises.

I suggest you don’t use the single total rep set methods with exercises that can be dangerous when performed in a state of fatigue such as barbell squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and bent over barbell rows.

How to Progress with the Single Total Rep Set

If you want results, you’ve gotta improve your performance.

A great way to improve your performance with the single total rep set method is to use a rep range, like 30-50 reps. Start at the lower end and progress to the high end with each training session.

Once you can perform the high end of the rep range (50, in this example), add weight or use a more challenging variation (close grip push-ups instead of regular push-ups, for example) and start back at the low end of the rep range.

Cheat Reps

The use of cheat reps is a great way to extend the set of an exercise, but it must be used with caution.

When incorporated correctly cheat reps are useful for breaking through strength and muscle building plateaus.

How to Do It

Cheat reps are easy to perform. You simply perform a regular set of an exercise and then once you’re close to failure you “cheat” to squeeze out a few more reps. This usually means using a little body english to help hoist the weight.

Please keep in mind, a little cheat goes a long way, as you’ll see in the videos. Don’t go crazy and start using a lot of body english or momentum to squeeze out additional reps.

Cheat Rep Demonstration

Watch these videos to see cheat reps in action.

Cheat Reps with the Standing Press

To use cheat reps with the standing press, begin by performing a normal set of presses. Once you’re close to failure (1-2 reps left in the tank) extend the set by performed a few cheat reps by using leg drive to press the weight over head.

Cheat Reps with Dumbbell Curls

To use cheat reps with dumbbell curls, perform a normal set. Once you’re close to failure perform a few cheat reps by using a little body english to help curl the weight.

Best Exercises for Cheat Reps

Be cautious with your choice of exercises for cheat reps. Here are some of my favorites:

• Dumbbell curls
• Standing barbell and dumbbell presses
• Dumbbell rows
• Cable rows
• Cable pulldowns
• Dumbbell lateral and rear delt raises

Exercises to Avoid

Do not using the cheat method with the following exercises:

• Deadlifts
• Squats
• All horizontal pressing exercises (bench press, push-ups, dips, etc)

Additional Notes for Cheat Reps

I only suggest using cheat reps for the final set of an exercise. For example, if you’re currently doing 3×10-12 reps for dumbbell curls, only perform cheat reps on the final set.

Once again, use caution and only use a little cheat. And even though you’re “cheating” it should still be controlled. If you look like you’re having a seizure or you’re really struggling on the final reps, then you’re doing it wrong and need to scale back the intensity.

Clusters

Clusters are terrific for improving work capacity, increasing strength, and boosting muscle building, depending on how you perform them.

My friend, Tony Gentilcore, has discussed how and why he uses clusters several times with his own training and his athletes. As Tony states, “Clusters can also be thought of as more of a rest-pause variation where you perform a heavy single – or heavy double – with shortened rest periods in between each rep. In a way, it’s a form of interval training, except done with weights. And it’s infinitely more badass.”

How to Do It

Depending on your goal — increase strength or boost hypertrophy — you’ll perform clusters a little differently. Let’s look at both examples a little closer.

Clusters for Strength

If your goal is maximum strength you’ll use lower rep sets and perform few total reps.

An easy way to break in to clusters is to use your 3-4 rep maximum, but then perform singles.

Let’s say, for example, you can deadlift 185 pounds for 4 reps.

Weight used — 185 pounds

• Perform 1 rep
• Rest 15-20 seconds
• Perform 1 rep
• Rest 15-20 seconds
• Perform 1 rep
• Rest 15-20 seconds
• Perform 1 rep
• Rest 15-20 seconds
• Perform 1 rep

Rest for several minutes and then perform one more cluster set. If you’re feeling particularly crazy, you can perform a third cluster set.

As you can see, with each cluster you’ll perform 5 total reps with a weight you normally use for 4 reps. This is a great way to boost strength.

Clusters for Hypertrophy

If your goal is boosting muscle growth you can experiment with clusters. While heavy, low rep clusters are great for increasing strength, you’ll use slightly higher reps when using clusters for hypertrophy.

My preferred way to use clusters for muscle growth is to perform clusters with half the reps of a given rep maximum. For example, I like to perform sets of 5 reps so I’d use a 10 rep maximum.

Here’s an example using a seated dumbbell shoulder press:

Weigh used – 30 pounds (10 RM weight)

• Perform 5 reps
• Rest 20 seconds
• Perform 5 reps
• Rest 20 seconds
• Perform 5 reps
• Rest 20 seconds
• Perform 5 reps
• Rest 20 seconds
• Perform 5 reps

At the end of the cluster you’ll have completed a total of 25 reps with a 10 RM weight. Rest several minutes and then perform one more additional cluster set.

Oh, and a word of caution when using cluster for hypertrophy. The first couple of sets with feel incredibly easy, but you’ll really start to feel the fatigue on the last few sets.

Best Exercises for Clusters

Clusters can be used with most exercises, depending on your primary goal.

For strength you can use practically any exercise — standing press, bench press, squat, deadlift, and other big compound exercises.

For hypertrophy you can use most exercises as well.

As with any workout technique, please use caution and always use a power rack for saftey, especiallly for bench presses, overhead presses, and squats.

Partials

Partial reps is another excellent way to extend a normal set of an exercise and is great for breaking through training plateaus.

How to Do It

Begin by performing a normal set and once you’re close to failure, extend the set by performing some additional partial reps.

Partial Rep Demonstration

Please watch the following videos to see how to incorporate partial reps.

Partial Reps with Push-ups

To use partial reps with push-ups, begin by performing a regular set. Once you’re close to failure extend the set by performing additional partial reps with the decreased range of motion.

Partial Reps with Pull-ups

To use partial reps with pull-ups, begin by performing a regular set. Once you’re close to failure extend the set by performing additional partials reps with the decreased range of motion.

Partial Reps with Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats

Perform a regular set and once you’re close to failure perform partial reps. You can perform the partial reps in the upper or lower range of motion, but I prefer the lower as demonstrated in the video.

Best Exercises for Partial Reps

Partial reps can be used with most exercises, but I suggest erring on the side of caution and avoid using this method with exercises that fatigue the lower back like squats, deadlifts, and bench over rows.

Here are some great exercises for incorporating partial reps:

• Push-ups
• Pull-ups and cable pulldowns
• Rear foot elevated split squat
• Single leg hip thrust and glute bridge
• Dumbbell bench presses
• Lateral raises
• Shoulder press

Additional Notes for Partials

Partials should only be used for the final set of an exercise. For example, if you’re performing 4×6 with chin-ups, only perform partials on the final set.

Dead Stop Reps

Performing exercises from a dead stop is a great way to add variety to the basic exercises. It’s also very useful for breaking through strength plateaus.

How to Do It

To perform dead stops you’ll need the assistance of a power rack.

Just like the name suggests, you’ll perform each rep from a dead stop.

Dead Stop Rep Demonstration

To see dead stop reps in action, watch the following videos.

Dead Stop Reps with Squats

Performing squats from a dead stop is great for boosting strength from the bottom position. When you do a squat from a dead stop you don’t get to take advantage of the stretch reflex you normally get after descending.

As a word of caution, leave your ego at the door when you do these. Since you’re doing the reps from a dead stop you’ll need to use less weight. Also, make sure your shoulders and hips rise at the same time.

Also, I prefer to keep the reps fairly low, usually between 3-6 reps for dead stop squats.

Dead Stop Reps with Standing Presses

Use a power rack and set the pins so the bar is a little below your chin. Start each rep from a dead stop.

Best Exercises for Dead Stop Reps

Here are some of my favorite exercises to perform as dead stop reps:

• RDLs (single leg version, too)
• Bench press
• Dumbbell row
• Squats
• Standing press

 How to Use These Techniques

How exactly should you use these new techniques in your training?

You can easily incorporate these techniques into your current workout program, and they work incredibly well with all of the programs in Beautiful Badass. You can also use them with your bodyweight training as well.

If you’re currently in a strength or hypertrophy plateau then plug in the appropriate methods above and start getting results once again.

You can also use the following templates as a guide to design your own program.

Sample Strength Template

Here’s an example of a workout with a strength emphasis using the techniques above.

• 1) Squat – 2 cluster sets of 5 singles

• 2a) Chin-ups – 4×6 (+ partials on the last set)
• 2b) Weighted push-ups – 4×6 (+ partials on the last set)

• 3) Back extensions – single, total rep set of 40 reps

Sample Muscle Building Template

Here’s an example of a workout with a muscle building emphasis using the techniques above.

• 1a) Squat – cluster set of 5 reps for 5 mini-sets (perform 2 total cluster sets)
• 1b) Chin-ups – cluster set of 5 reps for 5 mini-sets (perform 2 total cluster sets)

• 2a) Push-ups – 4×8 (+ partials on final set)
• 2b) Single leg hip thrust – 4×8-12 (+ partials on final set)

• 3) Dumbbell lateral raises – single, total rep set of 40 reps

• 4) Dumbbell curl – 3 sets of 12 (+ cheat reps on final set)

Once again, you can also incorporate all of the techniques described in this article in the Beautiful Badass Workouts if you prefer to have done-for-you workout programs.

———————————————————————————————————————-

We’re often given the impression by the diet industry and mainstream media that dieting and metabolic health go together like peas and carrots. But in reality, most diet plans that claim to boost your metabolism are really just low-calorie deprivation diets in disguise. Just a quick internet search reveals a disturbing trend: these diet plans that promise to raise your metabolism often recommend eating as little as 1000-1400 calories a day.

Sorry internet diet gurus, but that’s not ... Click to continue reading]]> This article is a guest post courtesy of Elizabeth Walling. She discusses the physical and mental stress of dieting, warning signs of chronically high stress hormones, and how to get on the fast track to recovery from getting over dieting and potential metabolic damage.

———————————————————————————————————————-

We’re often given the impression by the diet industry and mainstream media that dieting and metabolic health go together like peas and carrots. But in reality, most diet plans that claim to boost your metabolism are really just low-calorie deprivation diets in disguise. Just a quick internet search reveals a disturbing trend: these diet plans that promise to raise your metabolism often recommend eating as little as 1000-1400 calories a day.

Sorry internet diet gurus, but that’s not going to cut it! This type of low-calorie diet gives the body a huge energy deficit to deal with. And while this might result in a quick loss on the scale (at least at first), the scale doesn’t come close to telling the whole story.

Dieting is Stress

Most people think of “stress” as emotional stress like anger or anxiety, but really stress has a much broader definition. Anything that raises stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol can be thought of as stress. When you consider stress from that perspective, suddenly it becomes clear how dieting can be a major source of stress in our lives. (Nia — Elizabeth wrote a great article Warning: 7 “Healthy” Habits that Stress Your Metabolism that discusses this).

That huge energy deficit we were talking about is a great example of stress. Why? Because the body views dieting as a famine (it doesn’t know what a bikini is or why you’d want to starve yourself to wear one). The body detects a lack of energy coming from food, so it turns to alternative energy sources to cope with the shortage. And how does the body access alternative energy sources? By releasing stress hormones.

This isn’t really breaking news. The whole point of dieting is to access fat stores so you can lose weight, right? That may be true, but this perspective ignores what else is happening in your body as these stress hormones are released to compensate for the sudden energy deficit.

For instance, cortisol is one of the hormones the body releases in response to stress. Cortisol triggers the process of gluconeogenesis, which turns proteins into glucose. This protein can come from your diet–you could really say it’s “stolen” from more important tasks like building lean mass and manufacturing neurotransmitters from amino acids. But cortisol also steals protein from existing lean structures in your body like muscles and bones. Essentially, high cortisol levels are eating you alive.

Dieting also triggers another type of stress response in the body: turning down your metabolism. When you deny your body energy to fuel your daily activities, its base response is to conserve energy. In fact, stress hormones aid this to some degree by restricting blood circulation to certain parts of your body that are deemed less important in a crisis (such as the digestive system, which isn’t all that important if you’re being chased by a lion). This is great during an actual emergency, but unfortunately, ongoing self-inflicted stress (like dieting) brings on the not so pretty side effects of having chronically high stress hormones.

The Mental Stress of Dieting

Energy deprivation isn’t the only way dieting stresses you out. Dieting can also trigger feelings of anxiety, fear and guilt, as well as obsessive behaviors toward food and your body. All of these are definite stressors, the classic form of emotional strain that most of us equate with stress.

If every meal is a tortured conflict between “good” food and “bad” food, if you experience guilt and shame every time you eat something not in your plan, or if you feel like you don’t “deserve” to eat unless you fulfill some sort of exercise quota, these are all signs that deprivation dieting is taking over your thoughts and causing you a whole lot of stress.

Let’s be honest: life is stressful enough without us worrying over every bite we eat or defining our self worth by a diet or exercise plan. These are self-inflicted stressors that need to be eliminated to avoid health problems caused by stress.

Warning Signs of Chronically High Stress Hormones

To be clear, stress hormones aren’t all that bad. They certainly serve a purpose, especially in a true fight-or-flight situation when survival is the chief concern.

But in day-to-day life, if we’re hit by stress from every direction, stress hormones can become a serious problem. Things like gluconeogenesis or restricted blood flow to the digestive system aren’t a big deal if you’re under an acute stress that gets resolved quickly. But these side effects of high stress hormones take on an uglier face when you’re under chronic stress–like the ongoing stress of deprivation dieting.

Warning signs of chronically high stress hormones aren’t always obvious. In fact, they often don’t seem to be connected at all. But these symptoms are all connected on a metabolic level. Stress hormones and other metabolic factors do not just impact one part of your body and leave the rest alone. Your body is an incredible cascade of biochemical reactions, and every change is like a ripple in a pond–and the impact of stress hormones reaches every level of your metabolic health.

Here are a few common warning signs that your stress hormone levels are chronically high:

1. Blood sugar crashes. High cortisol leads to insulin resistance and the inability to process blood sugar properly. This results in blood sugar highs and lows that leave you weak and shaky even just an hour after a meal.

2. Poor sleep. Stress hormones also keep you from sleeping well, and are the prime suspect if you have trouble falling asleep, or if you wake up in the wee hours of the morning and can’t fall back asleep.

3. Irritability and low moods. When the body is in conservation mode (like when you’re depriving it of energy), mood stability is not a real priority. Stress hormones are meant to keep you alive, not necessarily bright and optimistic.

4. Low sex drive. Again, a healthy libido isn’t the body’s top priority in times of stress. However, if your everyday life is a constant “time of stress,” you may notice a drop in sexual interest even if that’s not your intent, because high cortisol can lead to low sex hormones like testosterone and progesterone.

5. Poor digestive health. Stress hormones restrict blood flow to your digestive system, which means your food isn’t digesting properly when you’re stressed. Undigested food particles can actually feed pathogenic organisms in your gut and lead to gut flora imbalances. This ultimately promotes inflammation and irritation in your gut, eventually leading to problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), yeast infections, poor nutrient uptake, food intolerances and leaky gut syndrome.

6. Increased frequency of illness. Ever notice how you always seem to catch a cold after a stressful week? It’s not a coincidence! Cortisol is meant to boost immunity and lower inflammation in the short term, but its long-term effects are quite the opposite. Chronically high cortisol is associated with poor immunity, which means you’re more likely to catch that next cold when it goes around.

How quickly will symptoms like these occur if you start a strict low-calorie diet? It depends on your current metabolic state and how extreme the diet is. A person with strong metabolic health may be able to tolerate a moderate calorie deficit that would make someone with a stressed metabolism feel horrible. But that same person with strong metabolic health may feel like a train wreck after a few weeks of an extreme fad diet.

The important thing is to take a balanced approach and watch out for signs of high stress hormones so you can determine if your eating habits are working for you or against you.

The Path to Recovery

The solution to the roller coaster of diets and stress hormones is to get off the diet train and start looking at health and weight from a lifestyle perspective. We’re always looking to extremes, quick fixes and magic pills, but all of these are just part of the modern stress cycle. If you want to change your health, you have to choose to stop buying into this system of deprivation dieting and chronic stress, and find a different approach that supports your long term health and wellness.

The healthiest approach isn’t really all that exciting, but it is grounded in common sense. This approach says that you should never sacrifice your health for a number on a scale. It seems so simple, but many of us ignore this basic idea for years before we finally realize the toll dieting has taken on our mental and physical well being.

There are two important steps you can take to start this process:

1. Learn to love your body. I know this sounds totally cliche (not to mention impossible if you struggle with serious body image issues). But love is not just something you feel, it’s something you do. How can you truly take care of something if you don’t love it first?

Loving your body means respecting it and taking care of it. It means eating enough food to fuel your life’s activities, and it means unlearning the habit of always making negative comments about your imperfections. If it’s really difficult to wrap your head around actually loving your body, start with the doing part of the love first, and then let the feeling part develop over time.

2. Learn to listen to your body. Diet books and health gurus are always telling you that you can’t trust your body, that their way is the only way, and you have to stick to their plan. Years of following diet plans that tell you when to eat, what to eat, and how to eat can seriously distort your ability to listen to your body’s natural biofeedback. Trust me, this becomes a lot easier once you come to a place where you respect your body and start viewing it as your teammate instead of the enemy.

Now, there’s really no problem with general guidelines that offer suggestions for how to support your health with how you eat and how you live. The trouble is when these suggestions turn into dogma that you must follow or you get shamed for not sticking to some arbitrary plan. (Nia — ya know, like The Skinny Rules).

Your body can really clue you in on what it needs if you really listen. Maybe you’ve been led to believe that your body only wants junk food or that it hates exercise, but that’s really just your body rebelling against rigid rules and extreme diets that cause you stress. When you let go of the restrictive mindset and end the cycle of stress, you might be surprised at how much your body starts to cooperate.

All the signs of chronically high stress hormones we talked about are really your body’s way of telling you something isn’t working for you. This may sound discouraging if you’re trying to do everything the “right” way, but the magic of finding what doesn’t work for your body is that it eventually helps you find what does work. It may mean tweaking your diet, your exercise routine, or even something as simple as your perspective. But once you start listening to your body and working with it instead of against it, the possibilities for positive growth suddenly become exponential.

—————————————————————————————————-

About Elizabeth-

Elizabeth Walling is a health and wellness blogger at www.livingthenourishedlife.com. She enjoys thinking outside of the box and challenging common myths about nutrition and metabolism. She embraces an approach to getting healthy that includes listening to your body and throwing dietary dogma in the garbage where it belongs. You can also find Elizabeth on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/thenourishedlife

That’s a phase I’ve been saying more and more. Instead of focusing on fat loss, fixing your “flaws”, following skinny rules, or some other goal heavily driven by negative motivation, I’m encouraging women to train to be awesome. Not only will this allow you to build the body you really want, but you’ll actually have some fun in the process. Those two – having fun and getting results – go hand in hand. After all, if you’re not having fun, then what’s the point?

This is the final installment in the Train to be Awesome Series. You’ve already seen the best dang exercises to build a better body and be more awesome ... Click to continue reading]]> Train to be awesome.

That’s a phase I’ve been saying more and more. Instead of focusing on fat loss, fixing your “flaws”, following skinny rules, or some other goal heavily driven by negative motivation, I’m encouraging women to train to be awesome. Not only will this allow you to build the body you really want, but you’ll actually have some fun in the process. Those two – having fun and getting results – go hand in hand. After all, if you’re not having fun, then what’s the point?

This is the final installment in the Train to be Awesome Series. You’ve already seen the best dang exercises to build a better body and be more awesome for the upper body and abs and the lower body. You’ve also seen the Best Dang Workout Program Design Templates to create your own workout programs.

Today we’ll discuss what it means to Train to be Awesome, why you should do it, and how you can start training to be awesome today.

What “Train to be Awesome” Means

Whether you like to lift heavy singles, prefer to swing a kettlebell, want to sculpt as much extra muscle as possible, or you just want to have a slender and “toned’” physique doesn’t matter. Even though everyone doesn’t want to work out the same way or possess an identical body image, I don’t know a single person who doesn’t want to be more awesome.

Few things are one-size-fits-all, and training to be awesome is one of them; it’s possible for everyone. Why? Because it’s not a particular workout style and it’s definitely not a specific body shape.

Training to be awesome is an attitude and a state of mind.

Training to be awesome is a positive motivator that pushes you to become the best version of yourself.

Training to be awesome is about working out and eating well because you love your body, not because you think it’s flawed and in need of repairs.

Training to be awesome means turning something that used to be a chore or something you were obligated to do (“I have to go workout because I ate too much”) into something you actually want to do (“I get to deadlift today and set a new personal record!”).

Training to be awesome means, for example, doing squats to challenge your body, mind, and strength instead of squatting because you “hate your legs”.

Training to be awesome forges a strong mind and greater self-confidence.

Training to be awesome means choosing to focus on the weight on the barbell and NOT the scale.

Training to be awesome is about focusing on your performance and not working out with the sole purpose of achieving as much fatigue as possible.

Why You Should Train to be Awesome

Forgive me for sounding like a 3am infomercial, but do you want to enjoy your workouts and actually look forward to going to the gym? Do you want to perform workouts that don’t leave you exhausted and on the verge of vomiting but actually feeling better and more energized? Want to stop worrying about how many calories you’ve burned with every workout? Want to achieve maximum results in minimum time?

It’ll only cost you four easy payments of $99.97. Plus shipping and handling.

Just kidding.

Training to be awesome is a great way to build some momentum on your journey to building a better body. It’s especially helpful when you’re trying to ditch dieting and break free from OCD eating habits. Why? Most people diet because they want to lose weight and look better. Basically most people (meaning not all, of course) use dieting as a tool to “fix” themselves or as a form of punishment (e.g. “I can’t eat that because it will make me fat.” or “I have to go work out because I ate too much”). Generally this negative mindset regarding food is transferred to their workouts as well.

When I work with clients who desperately need to stop focusing on fat loss, setting positive goals and focusing solely on being more awesome is a great way to change their perspective.

When they focus on what their body can DO, getting stronger, and setting positive goals, they start to have a completely different outlook on food, working out, and their physical appearance. Training to be awesome also helps women realize that their self-worth is not based on their physique.

So, why should YOU train to be awesome?

You’ll have fun because you’ll set positive, performance oriented goals that get you excited to go to the gym, week after week.

You’ll discover the strength your body is capable of producing.

You’ll get the results you’ve craved all along — building a better body (whatever that means to you) — without even trying to achieve those goals. You’ll also reap some other rewards you didn’t plan on — greater self-confidence, for example.

How You Can Train to Be Awesome. Today.

The goods news is there’s more than one way to be Awesome.

Here are some of my personal favorites.

Be present. When you’re at the gym, be present. Don’t just go through the motions. From your first warm-up set to your last work set — be present. Pay attention to the weight in your hands. Focus on every single rep.

Also, be present on your journey to building a stronger body. Don’t get too obsessed over the end goal, whatever it may be. Focus on today and enjoy the journey.

Be positive. You must maintain a positive mindset. If you constantly feed yourself negative self-talk, stop right now. You must make positive changes to your mind first. Only then will you be able to appreciate the changes made to your physique.

Set some performance oriented goals. Want to build a better body or lose some fat? Set some challenging goals like performing single leg squats, chin-ups, squatting your bodyweight, or some other measurable goal. Getting stronger is a great way to build the body you want.

And the next time you perform a workout, make it a priority to focus on nothing but what your body can DO. The next time do just a little better. Perform an extra rep. Add a little more weight to the bar. Try a more challenging exercise. Make it about your performance and nothing else.

Be proud. Too often we get caught up in focusing on how far we still have to go to reach our goal, and we forget to appreciate and be proud of what we’ve already achieved. Take some time today to look back on what you’ve already accomplished. The mindset changes you’ve made. The strength you’ve built. The workouts you’ve completed. Be proud of how far you’ve already come.

Be relentless. Don’t stop. The journey should never end. Yet again, many people have an end goal in mind and they think they’ll be happy once they reach it. Maybe it’s a certain physique. Maybe it’s achieving a strength goal. We should always have goals we want to reach, but the journey should never stop there.

I’m not suggesting you always strive to “improve” something. No, far from it. But you should always keep strength training, in some form or another. After all, there are more reasons to strength train than just building  a great looking body.

It’s your turn to go be awesome.

Whatever workout program you’re currently using, apply the tips above.

Let your journey to being awesome now begin, and may it be more epic than you could imagine.

Let’s start this off with a disclaimer. First, I have no problem with women wanting to look “skinny” or “slender”. I encourage women to build the body THEY want, whatever that means to them. My problem with The Skinny Rules below isn’t about the “skinny” part. It’s the fact that those rules reinforce a negative mindset, contribute to OCD eating patterns, and are unrealistic to apply long-term.

Second, this article isn’t my typical style, but after reading “the skinny rules”, I couldn’t help but sigh in utter disappointment. After all, the wave of women choosing strength over dieting has been growing, faster ... Click to continue reading]]> *We interrupt your regularly scheduled “Train to Be Awesome” series to bring you some information about The Skinny Rules from Bob Harper*

Let’s start this off with a disclaimer. First, I have no problem with women wanting to look “skinny” or “slender”. I encourage women to build the body THEY want, whatever that means to them. My problem with The Skinny Rules below isn’t about the “skinny” part. It’s the fact that those rules reinforce a negative mindset, contribute to OCD eating patterns, and are unrealistic to apply long-term.

Second, this article isn’t my typical style, but after reading “the skinny rules”, I couldn’t help but sigh in utter disappointment. After all, the wave of women choosing strength over dieting has been growing, faster than ever in my opinion. But books like The Skinny Rules are making the battle more challenging. But, that’s okay, I’m up for the fight.

I’ve had the privilege of watching more and more women say “No!” to dieting and yes to strength training, building  a stronger body and mind, and becoming better versions of themselves without the use of starvation diets, crash diets, brutal workout routines, and other methods I think should be avoided.

And because this is my website and I’m entitled to my opinion, I’m going to share my thoughts about these so called “rules”.

Here’s an image I saw floating around the internet with “The Skinny Rules”. I believe this has surfaced and become viral because of the release of Bob Harper’s newest book, “Jumpstart to Skinny” (I will note that the following “rules” are in the The Skinny Rules and not his new Jumpstart to Skinny).

There you have it. The “simple, nonnegotiable principles for getting to thin.”

Nonnegotiable? Really? I’ll address that in a moment.

Admittedly, all of those rules aren’t bad. Eating your veggies and getting enough sleep are great “rules”. But some of the others, not so much.

Rule 2: Don’t Drink Your Calories. Yeah, I can understand that one. Easy peasy. But if you, like me, enjoy some cream or coconut oil in your coffee, then I say don’t stress over something so small and insignificant. Pick your battles for goodness sake! I’d rather you put some half ‘n half in your coffee and enjoy it instead of dreading having to gag down black coffee. This is when nit-picking is pointless.

After all, what will have a larger impact on your fat loss progress? Forgoing some cream in your morning coffee or choosing to eat a real food meal versus something you get in a drive through? Choose your battles and don’t obsess over the tiny details. If that means a splash of cream in your coffee, then do it.

Rule 7: No Carbs after Lunch. This isn’t a new recommendation. Or, excuse me, a “nonnegotiable principle”. I just don’t like it. I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary and “nonnegotiable” to enjoy some carbs with your dinner. This is just another rigid rule that contributes to OCD eating patterns for many (meaning, not all) individuals.

Rule 13: Get Rid of Fast Foods and Fried Foods. I took this one personally. I can’t recall the last time I ate fast food and I very, very rarely eat fried food, so I follow this rule 99.9% of the time. But I’m a southern gal, and on the rare occasion that my Mama makes homemade fried chicken, I’m going to eat it. Is it smart to follow that rule the majority of the time? Of course. But to suggest people can’t enjoy something as amazing as homemade, pan fried chicken on occasion because it’s a “nonnegotiable” rule is just silly.

Rule 18: Go to Bed Hungry. Allow me to express my thoughts with a facial expression first.   O_o

Really? How is telling people to go to bed hungry, which is yet again another “nonnegotiable” principle, mandatory and helpful for fat loss? Sure, you may burn a few extra fat calories by applying this rule, but it wouldn’t be a large enough amount to have any noticeable impact even over the long-term.

Not to mention, that rule is in total conflict with the following rule:

Rule 19: Sleep Right. I agree that enough high quality sleep is very valuable for losing fat, building a better body, and improving your health. But, telling people to go to bed hungry is a great way to negatively affect sleep quality. If your stomach is growling and you’re so hungry that your pillow starts to look like a tasty marshmallow, I doubt you’ll fall asleep with ease.

In that case, any potential extra calories you could burn (which again, would be few) from going to bed hungry would be mitigated from stress and lower sleep quality.

Rule 20: Plan on One Splurge Meal a Week. Admittedly, some people love this approach and do well with it. I strongly dislike it. In fact, I dislike terms like cheat, forbidden, off limits, splurge, and other terms people apply to certain foods. This not only makes you want those foods more, but it tests your willpower unnecessarily. This is something I discuss in detail in Sane and Simple Nutrition.

Plus, having a “splurge meal” reinforces the idea that food is a “reward”. We’re not dogs. We don’t get rewarded with treats.

If I’m craving some ice cream, then I’m going to eat the ice cream and enjoy every cold, creamy, spoonful of that yummy goodness. I’m not going to eat it because “I’ve earned it” with a tough workout, following “all the rules” or some other nonsense. Such a thought process adds fuel to the “food is the enemy” fire. I know, because I’ve been there many years ago.

I could easily poke at some of the other rules, but that should be sufficient.

What’s Wrong with The Skinny Rules?

Some people can look at those “skinny rules” above and think they’re perfectly fine, even great. But that’s not what I see when I read those rules. I see rules that contribute to OCD eating habits. I see rules that continue to tell women they’ll never be good enough and that they must fix every perceived flaw they possess. I see rules that try to press every woman into some ideal mold — a certain pant size, body image, weight, or figure.

I see women stressing out. Depriving themselves of nourishment. Going to bed with a rumbling stomach unable to fall asleep. Causing themselves ridiculous amounts of stress over tiny, insignificant details that won’t have a big impact on their results. I see women trying to eat less and less. I see womens’ actions being fueled by negative thoughts (I’m too fat, I’m not good enough, I eat too much, etc). I see women thinking food is evil and that they must avoid it as much as possible.

I see women doing everything they can to follow the rules exactly as written because they’re determined to get results. But, inevitably, they’ll slip a little at some point because those rules just aren’t realistic. Sure, they may lose some weight and “get to skinny”, but more than likely they’ll quickly regain that weight back, plus interest, once they stop following the rules.

Then they’ll be back where they started before following The Skinny Rules. They have unwanted fat, again, and they’ll be upset that they didn’t get or maintain the results they wanted, and eventually they’ll seek the next diet that promises to make their dreams come true.

This is what I call Nutrition Insanity. It’s just more of the same “eat less (or way less) and exercise more” propaganda that’s run a muck in the fitness world. Sure, some people who are lethargic, overweight, and eat nothing but heavily processed, low quality food all day long could benefit from that advice.

But more and more women are literally eating less . . . and less . . . and less. They often combine such a low caloric intake with high intensity workouts. Sure, they may lose some weight, but they end up exhausted, burned out, their metabolism in shambles if they do this for an extended period of time, and desperately craving some dang food. But they won’t eat the food because they fear it will add fat to their body.

Those women do not need to be told to “eat less and move more”. No, they most likely can benefit from Eating MORE and Working Out LESS.

Gee. I wonder how many “nonnegotiable rules” that would break if women would pick up the fork and get off the treadmill for a bit.

These rules reinforce the thought process of “perfection” and do nothing but stress women out and make them feel shameful about their body. All these rules do is communicate to women that it’s too complicated to lose fat, build a better body, and figure out on your own. It reinforces the idea that women can’t trust their own bodies and listen to their own hunger cues; and it works. So many women are simply terrified to “eat when they’re hungry” because rules  like this make them think food is bad. Food is evil. Food makes you fat. Hunger is good.

The rules make it seem that if you’re not suffering, struggling, or depriving yourself, then you won’t get results.

But it’s just not true.

Starving, being miserable, and strict rules are not mandatory, and most certainly not “nonnegotiable” to lose fat.

Screw The “Skinny” Rules – Be Awesome

Look. I completely understand that not every woman wants to sculpt muscle and have an athletic looking body. I always encourage people to go after they look they want and to build the physique that makes them happy. If you prefer a more slender appearance, that’s fine. Go for it.

But, and here’s the important thing — I believe you should develop a simple, practical, sustainable, motivating lifestyle approach to achieve those goals. And once you achieve those goals, you should be able to maintain them.

You may wonder why I’m so passionate about this whole “screw dieting and trying to be skinny” stuff. It’s quite simple, really. It’s because I connect with women every day who have tried diet after diet in hopes of building the body they want. Heck, I’ve been there myself.

I learn of their struggles, desires, and I see how desperately they just want to regain their sanity and discover how to, once and for all, get the results they want and maintain them. They don’t want to focus on fat loss for the long-term.

I want women to be extremely confident. I want them to love their bodies and eat better and workout because they love their body and they want to become a better version of themselves. Eating and working out should not be punishment, and many of these “rules” that encourage women to be skinny does just that.

Instead of telling women to “not eat this” and “avoid that” I want to show them how to listen to their own bodies. To discover what works for them. To develop a simple, sustainable lifestyle approach instead of turning to a diet to solve their problems. To show them that if they follow a few simple, flexible guidelines that they can lose fat, build the body they want all while not starving, depriving themselves, fearing food, or being miserable.

And, ladies, I truly don’t care if you look awesome in a swimsuit, because if that awesome body comes with a mindset that’s constantly filled with negative self-talk, and you’re revolving your life around dieting and going to the gym, then something needs to change. Looking good is awesome. But having a strong, confident mind and not being tossed back and forth between the latest diets is priceless. The mind is truly where your transformation begins.

An overall stronger mind and improved self confidence is just one reason women should strength train. Instead of focusing on eating less and losing fat, strength training allows you to focus and be proud of what your body is capable of DOING. Not only that but strength training is fun, motivating, and incredibly empowering.

Say no to any and all “skinny” rules. Choose instead to be awesome. I discuss more about what it means to “be awesome” in Stop Basing Your Self Worth on Your Physique.

Bottom line. Whether you want to be lean and athletic, slender, or just strong and healthy, you can do so. But have positive motivation. Don’t look for more diets that encourage deprivation. Stop trying to be “less” and choose to be strong. Choose to be confident. Choose to be awesome. Choose to be the best version of yourself. Choose to be proud of your body and what it can do. Choose to focus on the weight on the barbell and not the scale.

Recommended Reading

If you’re ready to ditch the strict rules and opt for Being Awesome instead of chasing the goal of being “skinny”, I highly encourage you to get the free Beautiful Badass Mini Course. Just put your email in the box below this article, hit Sign Me Up, and you’ll get it immediately. That will give you a taste of what it means to have positive, motivating goals.

After you do that, here are some articles to help you on your journey to Being Awesome.

Simple Fat Loss 101 – if you want to lose fat, then this is the sane and simple approach to do so. No “nonnegotiable” rules included.

30 Rules to Lift Like a Girl — want a real set of rules that don’t say a thing about dieting, starving, or working out to total exhaustion? Here ya go.

Today you’ll be presented with my favorite workout templates you can use to Build a Better Body and Be More Awesome. Be sure to use the exercises from the articles mentioned above in the following program designs for the best results.

A split simply means how the workouts are organized. My two favorite splits are total body workouts (which aren’t really “splits” at all) and upper/lower splits.

I prefer those splits because they allow for enough training frequency for each muscle group and are great for achieving ... Click to continue reading]]> In previous Train to Be Awesome articles you saw my favorite Best Dang Exercises to Build a Better Body and Be More Awesome for the upper body and abs and the lower body.

Today you’ll be presented with my favorite workout templates you can use to Build a Better Body and Be More Awesome. Be sure to use the exercises from the articles mentioned above in the following program designs for the best results.

Best Dang Workout Splits

A split simply means how the workouts are organized. My two favorite splits are total body workouts (which aren’t really “splits” at all) and upper/lower splits.

I prefer those splits because they allow for enough training frequency for each muscle group and are great for achieving maximum results in minimum time. Most of my clients strength train 2-4 days per week, and these splits work very well.

These workout splits also prevent you from wasting time in the gym. You get in there, work hard, and then get out. You only spend time and energy on the exercises that will make your body, and mind, even more awesome.

Total Body

If you just want to look and be awesome without spending more time than necessary in the gym, total body workouts are tough to beat.

Some of my favorite workout programs revolve around 3 workouts per week with 3 main exercises performed for 3 sets each.

Here’s a video that shows an excellent example of that layout with trap bar deadlifts, parallel bar dips, and dumbbell rows.

That workout, from my first warm-up set to my last work set, took about 35 minutes to complete. Depending on time and energy I may include a few sets of accessory exercises like lateral raises, reverse crunches, and curls.

As you can see, total body workouts revolve around big, compound exercises first.

Here’s a more thorough example of how I design a total body workout template.

Workout 1

• 1) Squat variation (e.g. back squat, goblet squat)

• 2a) Horizontal pull (e.g. inverted row, dumbbell row)
• 2b) Horizontal push (e.g. bench press, push-up)

Workout 2

• 1) Deadlift variation (e.g. trap bar deadlift, rack pull)

• 2a) Vertical pull
• 2b) Vertical push

Often times I’ll use those 2 workouts and rotate them back and forth, especially for beginner trainees.

For intermediate+ trainees I usually include a third workout.

Workout 3

• 1a) Single leg exercise (e.g. rear foot elevated split squat, reverse lunge)
• 1b) Horizontal push (e.g. push-up variation, parallel bar dip, dumbbell bench press)
• 1c) Horizontal pull (e.g. chest supported row, dumbbell row)

Accessory Exercises

You can also include a few accessory exercises or conditioning work after each workout. This is the time to work on weak muscle groups or the body parts you’d like to receive more attention such as the upper back, glutes, biceps, triceps, calves, and abs. You can also perform conditioning exercises like kettlebell swings or, my personal favorite, jump rope intervals.

If you choose to include accessory work I like the rule of 3 here, too; 3 exercises for 3 sets each performed in a circuit.

Here’s an example of some popular accessory exercises I’ll include after one of the workouts shown above.

• A) Dumbbell lateral raise
• B) Reverse crunch
• C) Back extension

You can perform 3 sets each for about 10-15 reps per exercise. Easy peasy.

Upper/Lower Split

An upper/lower training split is useful for intermediate and advanced trainees. If you’ve used total body workouts for an extended period of time, an upper/lower split can provide a welcomed change of pace.

Just like with total body workouts, you should still use primarily compound exercises. I also suggest not training more than 2 days in a row.

Here’s a more thorough example of how I design an upper/lower workout split template.

Workout 1 — Upper Body A

• 1a) Horizontal pull — strength focus 5-8 reps (e.g. dumbbell row)
• 1b) Horizontal push — strength focus 5-8 reps (e.g. weighted push-up, bench press)

• 2a) Vertical pull — moderate reps, 10-12 (e.g. chin-up, pulldown)
• 2b) Vertical push — moderate reps, 10-12 (e.g. one arm shoulder press, seated press)

• 3) Optional Accessory Work (e.g. lateral raises, curls, extensions)

Workout 2 — Lower Body A

• 1) Squat variation — strength focus 3-8 reps (e.g. back squat, goblet squat)

• 2) Posterior chain — moderate reps, 8-12 (e.g. back extension, RDL)

• 3a) Single leg exercise — moderate reps, 8-12 (e.g. lunge, step-up)
• 3b) Ab work — 8-15 reps (e.g. ab wheel rollout, hanging knee raise)

• 4) Optional Accessory Work (e.g. bodyweight hip thrust, calf raises)

Workout 3 — Upper Body B

• 1a) Vertical pull — strength focus 5-8 reps (e.g. chin-up)
• 1b) Vertical push — strength focus 5-8 reps (e.g. one arm dumbbell push press, standing barbell press)

• 2a) Horizontal pull — moderate reps, 10-12 (e.g. inverted row)
• 2b) Horizontal push — moderate reps, 10-12 (e.g. dumbbell bench press, push-up)

• 3) Optional Accessory Work (e.g. lateral raises, curls, extensions)

Workout 4 — Lower Body B

• 1) Deadlift variation — strength focus 3-6 reps (e.g. trap bar deadlift, convention, rack pull)

• 2) Posterior chain — moderate reps, 8-12 (e.g. good morning, single leg RDL)

• 3a) Single leg exercise — moderate reps, 8-12 (e.g. rear foot elevated split squat, walking lunges)
• 3b) Ab work — moderate reps, 8-15 (e.g. reverse crunch, fallout)

• 4) Optional Accessory Work (e.g. glute bridge, seated calf raise)

Upper/lower splits allow you to use more exercises for each muscle group per workout compared to total body workouts. You also hit each muscle at a slightly lower frequency, which can be a very good thing for intermediate+ trainees who need more recovery between workouts.

I also like to flip-flop the movements and make sure each movement (deadlift and squat variations and each push and pull) is performed with a strength emphasis and with higher reps. You can see how the upper body pushes and pulls flip-flop each workout as well as the squat and deadlift variations. This is a great way to build strength, sculpt muscle, and be even more awesome.

Combine Both Templates

Some of my favorite workout programs alternate phases of total body workouts and an upper/lower split. The manipulation in training frequency and layout is great for sculpting some muscle, burning fat, boosting strength, and also keeping boredom away due to the change of pace. That’s why I rotate both in the (S)hero Workout Program and the Muscle Sculpting Program.

Alternate Phases

A typical training cycle lasts 4-6 weeks, so you can rotate total body workouts and upper/lower training splits each phase.

• Weeks 1-4: Total Body
• Weeks 5-8: Upper/Lower Split
• Weeks 9-12: Total Body
• Weeks 13-16: Upper/Lower Split

I’ve used that format very successfully over the years.

Alternate Weekly

You can also combine total body workouts and an upper/lower split in the same training phase. For example, if you prefer to strength train 3x per week but only want to train each muscle group twice, you can combine them this way:

• Workout 1 — Lower body workout
• Workout 2 — Upper body workout
• Workout 3 — Total body workout

This allows you to hit each muscle group twice each week.

Strength Training Days Per Week — How Many?

Do you only have 2-3 days per week to dedicate to hitting the gym? No problem.

Do you prefer to do a workout on an every-other-day-basis? You’re all set.

Do you really enjoy lifting 4 days per week? You’re good to go.

It doesn’t matter how many days per week you can dedicate to working out — there’s a solution for you.

And this is something important I stress to trainees – be realistic in the number of days you can, or want to, work out each week. Don’t force yourself to work out 4 times per week if you know that’s unrealistic, or you just don’t want to go to the gym that frequently.

Heck, I used to love lifting at least 4 days per week, but then I got burned out and wanted to take a small break. I decided to scale my strength training back to 2-3 days per week. And ya know what? I still made excellent progress. Perhaps even better, I wasn’t burned out from training so frequently anymore.

It’s very important that you enjoy your workout program, so set it up accordingly.

Total Body Workout Training Days Per Week

Total body workouts allow for maximum flexibility. Plus, if you miss a scheduled workout you don’t risk falling behind as would be the case with a typical bodybuilding split. Here are the criteria for using total body workouts:

• If you only have time, or only want to, workout 2-3x per week
• Or, if you prefer to perform a workout on an every-other-day basis

The layout you choose depends on your schedule and preferences. Just remember – Quality trumps quantity any day. Many people, especially those who’ve been working out most days of the week for an extended period of time, could benefit from working out less. Don’t be afraid to experiment with training only 3 days per week. You could possibly get the best results ever.

Upper/Lower Split Training Days Per Week 

Typically I use an upper/lower workout split for trainees who want to workout 4 days per week. It’s also a great change of pace if you’ve been using total body workouts for an extended period of time.

Here are the criteria for using an upper/lower split:

• Intermediate+ trainee
• If you want to work out 3-4x per week
• Or, if you prefer to perform a workout on an every-other-day basis

The “workout on an every-other-day basis” you see in both the total body and upper/lower split above simply means you like to perform a workout every other day. Both work very well and I’ve used both successfully.

Best Dang Rep Ranges to Build a Better Body

The main rep range I use, depending on exercises and training level, is between 3-12 reps; this is one of the first rules to Lift Like a Girl and Look Absolutely Awesome. I generally use reps of 12+ with more advanced trainees, isolation exercises, pre/rehab work, or for crazy challenges like high rep squats (but that’s for intermediate+ trainees and not beginners).

Lower reps — especially heavy singles, doubles, and triples — are excellent for building maximum strength. And let’s face it; being strong is most definitely awesome.

And it doesn’t matter if you’re using a combination of barbells and dumbbells or just your bodyweight; you can still get crazy strong.

As you saw in the Upper/Lower Workout Template above, you can use a variety of rep ranges within the same workout. You can also rotate rep ranges on different training days. Using 3 total body workouts per week as an example, you could use sets of 5 reps one day, sets of 8 reps on another, and then sets of 10-12 on the third workout to hit a variety of rep ranges.

And just remember, don’t make the mistake of not working hard enough. No, it’s not necessary and I don’t recommend pushing each set so hard you end up screaming and squirming to complete the last rep. But, you’ve gotta work hard and make progress.

Start Building a Better Body & Be Awesome

You’ve seen the best dang exercises for the upper and lower body, and now you have the best dang workout templates to build a better body and be even more awesome. All that’s left for you to do is choose your training split, plug in the recommended exercises, and start being even more awesome.

If you’d rather have a done-for-you workout program, click here to see which workout program is best for you.

In the first edition I revealed the Best Dang Exercises for the Chest, Shoulders, Back, and Abs in addition to the criteria for determining which exercises would make the cut.

Today you’ll get the best exercises for the quads, hamstrings, and glutes plus my favorite deadlift variations. Deadlifts are one of the ultimate strength training exercises that will make you more awesome, so they get their own video.

Before you proceed, let’s recap the criteria for exercises that made the cut and can be qualified as the Best Dang Exercises:

In this edition you’ll get the best exercises for the upper body (chest, back, shoulders) and abs. The other installment covers the Best Dang Exercises to Build a Better Body and Be More Awesome – Deadlift Variations, Quads, Hamstrings, and Glutes.

Be sure to use these exercises to create the Best Dang Workout Programs to Build a Better Body and Be More Awesome, too.

First, the lists for best dang exercises is not all-inclusive. I want to state that now before someone gets all huffy because their favorite ... Click to continue reading]]> Yep, you read that right. This is the first article in the Train to Be Awesome series will show you the best dang exercises to build a better body and become even more awesome.

In this edition you’ll get the best exercises for the upper body (chest, back, shoulders) and abs. The other installment covers the Best Dang Exercises to Build a Better Body and Be More Awesome – Deadlift Variations, Quads, Hamstrings, and Glutes.

Be sure to use these exercises to create the Best Dang Workout Programs to Build a Better Body and Be More Awesome, too.

Best Dang Exercise Criteria

First, the lists for best dang exercises is not all-inclusive. I want to state that now before someone gets all huffy because their favorite exercise(s) isn’t on the list.

Here is the criteria I used for deciding which exercises to include on the Best Dang Exercise lists.

• Allows for progressive loading. If you want to build a better body and get more results in less time, you must be able to improve your performance, so that means the exercise must allow you add more weight over time or perform a more challenging variation. For example, a push-up works well because you can add weight or perform a more challenging variation. However, a triceps kick-back will only allow you to increase the weight to a certain point before you risk injuring your joints or just can’t increase the weight since it’s such a small muscle.
• Big, compound exercises that provide most bang for the training buck. This article is about the best dang exercises for building a better body and allowing you to be awesome. Hoisting a heavy dumbbell overhead via a push press will provide more bang for your buck than a skullcrusher. Not saying the skullcrusher exercise is bad, it just won’t produce the results a push press will.Remember, if you’re going to do isolation exercises, you’ve gotta earn them.
• Most people can learn proper form quickly. I included exercises that can be learned quickly. For example, it’s easier to learn how to properly perform a pull-up compared to a barbell hang clean.
• Most people can perform the exercise safely without a spotter. Notice I said “most people”. Some people just do stupid things. But most people could safely perform a dumbbell bench press if they were training solo compared to a bench press if they didn’t have a power rack to protect them. We’ve all seen the YouTube videos of a guy getting stapled to the bench when training alone.
• Does the exercise allow you to Train to be Awesome? Bodyweight chin-ups are awesome. Squatting your bodyweight for the first time is awesome. Calf raises, while effective for building nice lower legs, are not awesome. (Note — I did include some abdominal exercises that hardly make you “awesome”, but I wanted to include my favorites since people would ask for them anyway).
• I must be able to do the exercise(s) in my home gym. I have a power rack, barbell set, adjustable dumbbells, weight bench, back extension, a few kettlebells, resistance bands, suspension trainer, and some other odd and end toys. The only exercises included are ones I can do with this equipment.

So you get a grasp on the criteria above, let’s compare two wildly popular “chest” exercises — Barbell Bench Press versus Push-up.

The push-up meets all of the above criteria, but a bench press does not. Many trainees wouldn’t feel comfortable bench pressing alone, especially if they don’t have a power rack for protection. Also, a trainee can learn how to perform a proper push-up quicker than a bench press, and it’s much more shoulder friendly.

Best Dang Exercises

For simplicity the exercises will be organized according to the prime movers — chest, back, shoulders, abs, etc.

Chest

This video demonstrates some of my favorite chest (or, as I prefer to say, horizontal pushing) exercises.

The only exercise in the video that won’t be suitable for some trainees are parallel bar dips. If your shoulders don’t tolerate them, don’t do them. I couldn’t help include them for the simple fact that they’re awesome.

Shoulders

Here are two of my favorite Best Dang Exercises for shoulders. Most trainees can do these without any issues (unless they have jacked up shoulders and/or mobility issues).

Handstand push-ups and easier variations are also great shoulder exercises, and undoubtedly awesome. Here’s a video that shows you how to work up to handstand push-ups for the first time.

And finally, the list of Best Dang Shoulder exercises wouldn’t be complete without the standing press.

I use this with trainees who have zero shoulder issues and love hoisting heavy weight over head. As you see in the video, I like to use Fat Gripz since pressing with a bigger grip puts less strain on the elbows and shoulders.

Back

The only pull-up variation I demonstrated used a neutral grip. That’s because this is the “safest” variation for most trainees. Using rings or a suspension trainer is also excellent for elbow and shoulder health. Use other hand positions too if they don’t cause you any issues, but I use those variations (neutral and suspended) most frequently.

Cable pulldowns (not demonstrated because I don’t have a cable stack) are also a good back exercise. But since I don’t have the equipment for a pulldown, I demonstrated another vertical pulling exercise I use with trainees who can’t perform bodyweight pull-ups and/or don’t have a cable stack — a one arm half kneeling pulldown with a resistance band.

Abs

I’m not gonna lie — I loathe direct abdominal training. It bores me to tears.

But, some people love it and/or need it, so here are some of my favorite direct ab exercises.

Build a Better Body & Be More Awesome

There’s a reason most of the exercises above are staples in my workout programs and manuals. They’ll allow you to build a better body and become more awesome.

If you’re not getting the results you want, make sure you’re using most of the exercises above in your workout program.

For a sample workout plus insider only information, be sure to sign up to receive the Beautiful Badass Mini Course below.

Dear, OCD Eating Habits-

Despite our extensive and intimate history, it’s time I ask you to leave.

Actually, that’s too subtle. I’m kicking you out for good. Your stay with me was unwelcome and you’re never allowed to return.

For too long did I succumb to battling disordered eating habits on a daily basis. For years you never left my side — from the moment I woke up until I went to sleep. You were there.

You caused me much stress, grief, and frustration. I would constantly be overwhelmed with guilt and embarrassment.

I was always so confused.

I tried to do the “right” things and follow all of the rules to build a strong, lean, healthy, and athletic body. Little did ... Click to continue reading]]> My letter to OCD eating habits.

Dear, OCD Eating Habits-

Despite our extensive and intimate history, it’s time I ask you to leave.

Actually, that’s too subtle. I’m kicking you out for good. Your stay with me was unwelcome and you’re never allowed to return.

For too long did I succumb to battling disordered eating habits on a daily basis. For years you never left my side — from the moment I woke up until I went to sleep. You were there.

You caused me much stress, grief, and frustration. I would constantly be overwhelmed with guilt and embarrassment.

I was always so confused.

I tried to do the “right” things and follow all of the rules to build a strong, lean, healthy, and athletic body. Little did I know that despite my efforts to make my outside look great by following “all the nutrition rules”, I was a mess on the inside.

There was no shortage of information for me to consume, but that only increased your ever growing presence and authority.

• What was right?
• What was wrong?
• What foods should I eat and what foods should I not eat?
• When should I eat and when should I not eat?

It was a snowball effect of epic proportions that never ceased to grow or gain momentum.

I just wanted this — eating to build a better body — to be simple and stress-free.

I just wanted to be able to eat delicious food, guilt free, and maintain the physique I wanted with ease.

I didn’t want to waste time and energy thinking about food — when I should eat, how much I should eat, and at what times I should eat.

I just wanted some simple, common sense rules.

And perhaps most importantly, I desperately wanted to regain my sanity from all of the nutrition chaos.

Breaking Free from OCD Eating Habits

That is why I’m kicking you out.

I don’t need you. In fact, you’ve done nothing but cause me grief and stress.

There’s the door. I suggest you go through it voluntarily before I put on some boots and give you a swift kick. I know you’re not going to leave without a fight, but I’m more prepared and determined than ever to banish you from my life. Oh, and I should mention you’re never welcome to return again, even though I know you’ll attempt to sneak your way back into my life.

Now that you’re leaving I’ll return to sane, simple, and stress-free nutrition guidelines that fit my personality, lifestyle, and preferences.

A Return to Sane, Simple Guidelines

Though I knew it would take some time and patience, I committed to rediscovering the common sense way to eat to build a better body that works for me.

I began by learning to listen to my body’s natural cues. I had to relearn the ability to detect true physical hunger (which is something I lost during your long, unwelcome visit, OCD eating habits). I would eat only if I was physically hungry and not eat out of emotion. In addition, I’d stop eating when I was satisfied, but not stuffed.

This was a little challenging at first, but I stuck with it.

I knew the minimal amount of effort that would be required to reset these natural instincts would be well rewarded.

It was a gratifying and freeing feeling to know that if I was hungry —  no matter what time it was — I could eat.

I would eat until I was satisfied, but not stuffed.

No longer would I feel I had to eat until I was overly full because I knew I’d be able to eat whenever I became hungry again.

This alone gave me peace because I wasn’t bound by set times for when I “could” and “could not” eat.

Furthermore, I stopped testing my willpower, identified and properly handled any domino foods, enjoyed my favorite foods guilt free, stop stressing over the little things that didn’t have an impact on my goals, and ditched anything that wasn’t sane and simple.

I’m thankful to say, OCD eating habits, that you’ve been gone for a few years now.

I’m doing better than ever, and I’m happy to report I don’t miss you a tiny bit.

Now that I follow sane and simple guidelines, I don’t stress about food, I’m able to enjoy my favorite foods guilt free, and I’ve built and maintained a physique I love. I don’t waste any time stressing about food or looking for the next “big thing” in the nutrition world because there isn’t anything else I need; for that I’m incredibly grateful.

In retrospect I’m thankful I knew you for a period of time, because I learned so much about myself. I’m now stronger, more confident, and overall a better version of myself.

I’m glad you’re gone. And just remember — you’re never welcome here again.

Better & stronger than ever,

Nia

 How You Can Break Free from OCD Eating Habits. For Good.

If you too want to ditch diets and break free from OCD eating habits and opt instead for sane, simple, flexible nutrition guidelines that are tailored to your preferences and lifestyle to build a better body, Click Here for Sane and Simple Nutrition. It’s the ultimate common sense approach to build a better body, the sane and simple way.

Or in simpler terms — you are not your physique.

Your self-worth is not directly related to your body fat percentage, no matter how little or how much you have. Nor is your self-worth determined by how well you follow  ”the skinny rules“.

You don’t need a chiseled stomach or a perfectly round, perky and proportionate booty to indicate your success or validate your self-worth.

In fact, I can’t post a picture and say, “Now this is what a Beautiful Badass looks like.” There is no single physique that defines a Beautiful Badass, but we’ll get to that momentarily.

First we need to discuss the physique journey.

Looking great and the journey to build ... Click to continue reading]]> Being a Beautiful Badass means more than having a great looking body.

Or in simpler terms — you are not your physique.

Your self-worth is not directly related to your body fat percentage, no matter how little or how much you have. Nor is your self-worth determined by how well you follow  ”the skinny rules“.

You don’t need a chiseled stomach or a perfectly round, perky and proportionate booty to indicate your success or validate your self-worth.

In fact, I can’t post a picture and say, “Now this is what a Beautiful Badass looks like.” There is no single physique that defines a Beautiful Badass, but we’ll get to that momentarily.

First we need to discuss the physique journey.

The Physique Journey

Looking great and the journey to build a better body is meaningless if you’re constantly battling your mind (“I don’t like this” and “I wish I had that“) and revolving your life around eating and training.

Working out, eating well, and ultimately building and maintaining the physique you want should enhance your life; not dominate it.

THAT — the journey — is what I’m concerned with.

Are you enjoying the journey of building a better (stronger, leaner, healthier) body?

Are your efforts enhancing your overall life, or dominating it?

I truly hope the resounding answer was, “Heck yes!”. If not, we’re going to make sure you say Yes! very soon.

You are Not Your Physique

Looking awesome doesn’t mean much if you’re battling disordered eating patterns, punishing yourself with intermittent fasting or extra workouts for eating a few cookies, and neglecting the more important and fulfilling areas of your life.

Building a better body is simple, and it should be. And it should be a fun, rewarding process. Not punishment.

Maybe you love your physique the way it is now and aren’t seeking any additional changes.

Maybe you’re in the middle of a fat loss journey and you still have a ways to go.

Whether you’ve reached your physique destination and simply want to maintain it, or you’re moving closer to a physique you prefer each day, don’t miss this critical point — your self-worth isn’t determined by your body image.

Watch this quick video where I address the question, “How does one get over the overwhelming feeling that her worth is directly related to how she looks?” for some great tips.

What “It” is Really About

Allow me to be blunt: I don’t give a dang how you look. I don’t care how you look in a bikini. I’m not overly concerned with how much body fat or muscle definition you have (within reason, obviously, for overall health). I’m more concerned with what’s going on inside your mind. Are you happy? Confident? Are you building the body you want? Is this health and fitness journey ENHANCING your life, or dominating it?

First and foremost my job is to give my clients what they WANT. That usually means helping them lose fat, sculpt some sexy muscle, get stronger, and overall just look awesome. If they don’t get what they want, then they won’t continue to work with me.

But, I must also give my clients what they NEED, even if they don’t yet realize they even need it.

What is it?

It is confidence.

It is no longer listening to what other people say is the “perfect body” and doing instead what makes you happy.

It is choosing to focus on the weight on the barbell, and not the scale.

It is focusing on what your body can DO and not just how it looks.

It is no longer nit-picking over the tiny “imperfections” on your body.

It is about saying, “Screw perfection” and instead training to be awesome.

It is no longer comparing yourself to anyone else.

It is about ditching all of the useless, conflicting, confusing information that causes fitness and nutrition insanity.

It is being proud of what you’ve already accomplished, no matter how much or little you perceive it to be. It’s about taking the time to appreciate what you’ve done and not constantly expecting more of yourself.

It is setting positive, motivating goals that make you the best version of yourself.

That, my friend, is what it means to be a Beautiful Badass. THAT is what really matters.

For more information on how to be a Beautiful Badass, get the free Beautiful Badass Mini Course. You’ll also get insider only information. Just enter your email below.

It’s from that perspective I write these words. As the daughter of a woman who led by example (and still is!) and showed me what it meant to strive to be strong, to be the best version of myself and not to succumb to constant dieting, deprivation, and negative mindset.

Here’s an example of my Mom showing what it means to be a proud, strong, ... Click to continue reading]]> I was reluctant to write this article because I don’t have children. But, I had the privilege of growing up with a Mom who was physically active. In fact, she was the first woman personal trainer in our town. I know what it’s like to have a strong, positive, encouraging role model, and she’s the main reason why I’m a trainer as well.

It’s from that perspective I write these words. As the daughter of a woman who led by example (and still is!) and showed me what it meant to strive to be strong, to be the best version of myself and not to succumb to constant dieting, deprivation, and negative mindset.

Here’s an example of my Mom showing what it means to be a proud, strong, and confident woman.

Yeah. My Mom is awesome.

The Current Battle

The picture at the beginning of this article is a diet list a mother found in her seven year old daughter’s room. The mother explains that her daughter learned about diets from a school friend, so I’m not picking on this mother. I’m merely using  this example to prove a larger point.

Young girls are impressionable, and, unfortunately, your words aren’t the only ones they hear. Young girls are hearing the words diet and exercise at a much younger age at school and on TV. Instead of playing, having fun, and enjoying their adolescence, more young girls are paying attention to how they look and, consequently, how they think they should look.

As a result, young girls are beginning to think that dieting is just  a part of life — something they’re expected to do.

They think they have to look a certain way and fit some “ideal mold” body image.

The mainstream media still runs rampant with the noise of deprivation diets, tons of cardio for building a slender body, the constant battle for “perfection”, and too much time pointing out the things that are “wrong” or “imperfect” with our bodies and quickly pointing out what’s “right” and “perfect”. (Even though many do this simply to sell us the solution). There’s always a new book and “skinny rules” to be followed.

This makes the battle that much more challenging. And it’s a reason you (actually, we) need to be the louder, more motivating voice.

Lead from The Front 

As I mentioned, I was fortunate enough to have a positive role model when I was younger. I watched my Mom lift weights, get stronger, and build fierce confidence and determination. I loved knowing my Mom, pound for pound, was stronger than a lot of men.

My Mom didn’t just TELL me to be strong and confident. She SHOWED me and led by example. Actions, as we know, are much more effective than words.

We must help the generation of young women behind us to be strong, confident and say no to dieting and OCD eating patterns and YES to truly seeing what they’re capable of achieving. To realize their potential and physical abilities.

• -It is not about being skinny.
• -It is not about reaching and maintaining a certain bodyweight.
• -It is not about saying “I’m not like this” and “I can’t can’t do that“.

Be Strong. Be Confident. Be Awesome.

• -It is about being strong and not only saying, but showing, that we CAN be.
• -It is about being the best YOU possible and loving your body. Not just for how it looks, but because of what it can DO.
• -It is about being awesome and loving our bodies.

When we set the positive example for younger women, we can rest assured that we’re doing our part. As a result, we can be hopeful that they won’t be tempted by the latest dieting advice or body image discussion they hear at school. Hopefully they won’t be concerned with “getting skinny” because they’ll be too busy being awesome.

That is what we must do. We must not only TELL the young women in our lives, but let’s SHOW them what really matters. Let’s help the younger generations to become Beautiful Badasses in training.

Let’s SHOW them what it means to be strong, proud, confident and what our bodies our capable of DOING and not becoming overly obsessed with how they look.

The whole be-super-slim and eat-like-a-bird mentality didn’t appear overnight, and I’m convinced that we can help extinguish it all together. Instead of chronic cardio we can show young women how empowering it is to pick up a heavy barbell, to build strength, and to relish what your body is capable of doing.

We can show them that we should eat more and exercise less to build healthy, functional, and beautiful bodies.

And, hopefully, that confidence and attitude with reach their friends as well.

Hopefully we can be the driving force behind a new moment – The Beautiful Badass Revolution – that’s even more popular and powerful than the prevalent dieting mentality. We can SHOW the young girls in our lives what it means to be strong, confident, and love our bodies for how they look and what they can do. Then perhaps we’ll see a snowball effect and their friends will join in.

On and on it could go until the younger women say YES to lifting a heavy barbell and HECK NO to being a slave to the weight scale.

Let the revolution begin.

How to Lead from the Front

My personal approach to strength training revolves around positive motivation. It’s all about getting stronger, improving performance, and testing your physical abilities. In short, it’s all about become the best YOU possible. And it’s not simply about building a better body (stronger, leaner, healthier) but it’s also about forging an indomitable attitude and mind.

That is what being a Beautiful Badass is all about — having a strong body AND mind.

Want to know more about what it means to be a Beautiful Badass? Check out these articles, and then join the Revolution.

Beautiful Badass Pillars Part 1

Beautiful Badass Pillars Part 2