Will lifting weights make you bulky?

Prada, Gucci, Christian Dior, St. Lauren and Chuck Taylor are just some of the names I hear when I ask my female friends (or listen to Uptown Funk) what it means to look good. But if I followed this standard myself, I would probably end up the impeccably well dressed trainer living in a van down by the river.

If you are like me, and you lack the fundage to invest in a million dollar closet (or you just want to look better in your clothes), what we can do is invest in a body which rivals the same standard. This is done through a specific set of tools (or strength exercises) which get the absolute most out of your body in the least amount of time.

Today's post goes out to all of my female clients who have ever feared they will get "too bulky" if we add weight to exercises or lift heavy objects in the gym. Does this perception actually have merit and which strength training exercises actually do build the body of your dreams (versus looking like AHnold)?

I must admit that I have been a bit guilty of feeding in to these perceptions when I ask them if they would like AMAZING results like these:

But the truth is that this is only done to break up the monotony of doing 50 burpees and it would be hard, if not impossible, for a female to gain this sort of muscle by natural means.

On the other hand, there is certainly truth to the statement that females can pack on significant bulk with strength training done wrong. What I see most often are women training exactly like men by bench pressing, squatting heavy, and doing walking lunges across the gym with the form on a drunken elephant (if this applies to you, understand YOU do not look like an elephant but your lunge may!)

As stated above, exercises are merely tools to do a job and after training hundreds of figure and pageant competitors, strength training for the female physique is all about building muscle in the right places to accentuate a tiny waist line, sexy shoulders, toned arms and a butt that just doesn't quit. And yes, I probably think about this waaayyy to much.

With this in mind, I am going to give you the three most effective exercises I know. So throw out the biceps curls and spending hours in the gym and perform this routine 3 days per week for 30 minutes to build that million dollar body.

Directions:

• Perform each exercise back to back for 8-10 reps. Repeat circuit three times.
• If you can do more than the allotted rep range, add 5lbs and start over or add additional reps.
• Rest 60 seconds between each exercise.
• With each workout, you should be able to make your exercise a bit harder by either adding weight or reps. When you begin to plateau for 3 sessions or more, simply change to one of the variations listed below.

1. Overhead press:

Area worked: Shoulders

Exercise tweaks: If shoulder pain exists with going overhead, choose the corner barbell press or shoulder raises below the level of the chest.

Variations:

• Barbell overhead press
• Corner barbell press
• Dumbbell alternating overhead press
• One arm dumbbell overhead press

2. Deadlift

Area worked: Butt

Exercise Tweaks: Watch this video on proper deadlift form and begin with the sumo deadlift until maxing out the dumbbells at your gym. From there, I will usually progress my clients to the barbell RDL and end up with the barbell sumo deadlift. The barbell floor deadlift is the most physically stressful of our bunch, but you can also elevate it on plates or steps to lessen the range of motion if back exists in the back or form breaks down.

Variations:

• Dumbbell sumo deadlift
• Barbell RDLs
• Barbell Sumo Deadlift 
• Barbell floor deadlift

3. Chin up

Area Worked: Back

Exercise Tweaks: A strict chin up is a thing of beauty but takes a bit to get there. Watch this video on chin up progression and begin with band assisted chins and eccentric slowly reduce the size of the band until you are able to do a full chin up unassisted.

Variations:

• Band assisted chin up
• Eccentric chin up
• Chin up hang
• Reverse grip lat pulldown

Ab workouts that actually work......Edition 2

A huge debate in the fitness world is which exercises-- whether planks versus crunches and/or russian twists versus any other exercise your trainer can dream up-- are the best for building a strong mid-section. The truth is that all of these exercises (and virtually every other) work to the mid-section in some way or another.

But this also leads to a much more important question that I think most of us are more interested in: which of these exercises actually builds a flatter stomach?

To answer this question, take a gander at the muscles of our stomach and pay attention to one key player: the transverse abdominus. As opposed to our "six pack" muscle (rectus abdominus) which runs straight up and down, the muscle fibers of the TVA circle around the torso like a weight belt. Rather than making the torso flex via sit ups and crunches, the TVA's main role is abdominal compression.

Allow me to say this again: the TVA can be seen as the most important component in a "flat" stomach because that is exactly the job it performs. So how do we make this miraculous muscle work?

First, I want you to stop worrying so much about the core exercises you are performing (I will take care of that part) and start understanding that the way you have been performing these exercises (probably quickly without taking much time to breath or consider the feelings of your poor TVA) is likely wrong.

Instead of moving quickly and trying to use as much weight or force as possible, move slowly, take a deep breath in and blow out as hard as you can with each contraction. As we blow out, the TVA contracts to tighten around our stomach and the harder we blow, the more we make the muscle go (yo). Here is a video on "power breathing" for a stronger core.

While we can use this idea of "breathing and blowing" to tie in the TVA to any core exercise, I want you to consider that exercises such as sit ups, russian twists and side bends make the waist bigger by encouraging movement of the torso. Instead, our circuit focuses exclusively on exercises which on build a flat stomach without bulk. Just remember to breath and blow as much as you can (with the exception of around the dinner table....as this can get a bit messy)

Circuit directions:

• Perform each exercise back to back for 30-60 seconds each. Repeat circuit three times
• If the exercise can be performed easily for the entire duration of the interval is too easy, make it harder in some way
• With each exercise take a deep breath in and blow out thru pursed lips as hard as you can while tightening the butt and abs

Hollow hold:

• The goal of this exercise is to keep the back pressed in to the ground while breathing/blowing and extending the arms and legs
• Begin with the knees and arms bent with head on the ground.
• Extend the legs and the arms as far out as possible while keeping the back on the floor
• The exercise can be made easier by bringing arms/legs to the chest and harder by extending legs/arms out and closer to the floor

Plank lateral reach

• Assume a plank position in the elbow and attempt to keep back flat (versus arched) and square (versus rotated) at all times
• From plank position, reach arm way out to the side and press your hand in to the ground. Holding in this position, take a deep breath in and blow out hard
• Slowly switch sides and perform this drill on the other side. Remember this drill is not about the number of reps but rather feeling the abs contract
• This exercise can be made easier by elevating the elbows on a bench or table and harder by coming closer to the floor

Deadbug leg lift

• This exercise is performed by pressing the back in to the ground and lowering one leg at a time to the floor
• You will notice I am pressing down on a band which is suspended from the ceiling. This helps me to tighten my abs and keep my back pressed in to the floor. To set this up, a band can be looped around the leg of a secure table or bed (just make sure it is secure!)
• Press the band down during each leg lower and raise overhead to give your arms a rest between each rep
• This exercise can be easier by only limiting the depth at which you are lowering and made harder by holding each leg at the bottom for 2-3 more seconds

From my heart....a letter to all my clients

When I was a little boy, my Mom gave me everything I could imagine to compensate for my parents' divorce.

It was just the two of us and she literally pulled out every stop, gave me every toy, and attended every sporting event/science fair/e-team practice I ever engaged in. I couldn't have asked for a better Mom and not one time in my 33 years of life has I ever questioned how much she cares about me.

Sometimes though, even the best of intentions can cause us to lose focus on the world around us. I remember moving to New York when I was 22, when my Mom would call me every day and burst in to tears every time her taxi for the airport left Grand Central Station at the end of our visits.

I worried so much about her that first year because living close to me and being the best Mom I can imagine was all she knew for so long that it caused other areas of her life-- dating, friendships, etc-- to fall away. Over time though, I watched with every visit as my Mom had a little more fun, talked a bit more about her friends and exciting things going on in her life. After a couple years, I even found my old room converted in to a study!

Who was this person? I asked myself as I watched her live her life. But the truth is that when deprived of my constant presence (even though I am pretty badass) she re-discovered pieces of herself that her single minded focus took away.

I cannot express how proud I am to watch my Mom continue to grow and in a strange way, this is the same hope I have for all the clients I work with. Many of whom come to train because they feel bad about themselves and are so fixated on making this feeling go away that they cannot see beyond their goal of  losing bodyfat/toning up/getting chizzzeled (deliberate).

I know this feeling all too well (it was called my 20s) but the truth is that this is a fear based reaction. And although fear can keep us from getting eaten by lions and even encourage quick changes to our bodies, do we really want to live our lives in fear of eating/enjoying starchy carbs? Because this is no life at all.

What I want for all of you is to enjoy life, to have fun and to stop worrying so much about your abs or what is on your plate. I have learned the hard way that fixation upon any one thing can cause it to (1) suck and (2) eventually break down because it is not sustainable.

I think the key to long term success with fitness, or really any area of life, is to make it part of your identity without making it who you are. Here are a few ideas along those lines:

1. Instead of ONLY eating protein and veggies, I will allow myself to enjoy starchy carbs on workout days

2. Instead of working out for 60 minutes or more four days per week, I will try to do SOMETHING every day to get my heart rate up and challenge my body

3. Instead of worrying about what other people think, I will be damn proud of the fact that I am owning and improving my health on a daily basis

These are just a few examples of what I want for all of you because it comes from a place of enjoyment that isn't dictated by absolutes. If you up one day, tomorrow is another day and that is a powerful statement in the quest for long term success.

This isn't about anyone but you, and the way you view yourself, and if you take small, consistent steps which can actually be sustained in the right direction for you.....then that is beautiful, just like you. Not five years from now or even next month, but right now and for as long as you make the decision.

So stop beating yourself up and enjoy the process. We are in this thing together.

Your Friend,

Chris

Working out today...Yes you do have time Volume 1

I have to take the kids to school, I am just not motivated, the garage door wouldn't open in time to get to the gym, um my donkey is giving birth.

No, this is not some new age haiku I've put together to embody the excuses I have heard over the years (though I have heard them all and maybe it should be) but rather a random assortment of items I hear all the time when asking my clients whether they worked out at home. Donkeys included.

The truth is I totally get it and sort of agree. IF exercise took 60 minutes as it does during a training session I could rarely justify time to get anything done. But my proposal to you is very different.

Do you have ten minutes to spare in your day? If not, put down your phone for a bit longer and check again. If so, I am going to teach you how to get a better workout in ten minutes then you ever could in sixty minutes...in a gym....dressed in a leotard (at least then you would move more quickly).

Click here to check out this short video on what our ten minute program is all about and sign up here to get daily workouts sent to your inbox.

The only thing I ask in return is that you join our MFIT Challenge group and check in when you get done with your circuit. Bonus points for posting workout selfies! Here is an example:

"I did three rounds of the circuit workout today. woo hoo!"

Remember, the more you state your goal to other people, the more likely you are to stick to it. I look forward to seeing your results in the group.

Ab workouts that actually work......Edition 1

Our mantra for 2015 is as follows: new year, new you, new mid-section….almost.

Lets assume you have the diet down (abs are made in the kitchen blah blah blah) and you are ready to hit the gym running (or crunching as it were). The problem many of us inevitably run in to is that the stuff that we are doing is well….not actually working the abs.

 

I shared an article earlier this week on some of the least effective ab moves in the gym (cough side bends with weight) and it is pretty safe to say that any of these moves are more likely to send your back in to spasm then convert that keg in to a six pack.

But regardless of what exercise combination you choose, this is often the real problem:

In trainer speak, we call this picture on the right "anterior pelvic tilt" where the back is arched and the butt looks like it is stuck in booty dance mode.The problem here is that abs are no longer in a position to produce force or work as we perform traditional core exercises like sit ups and crunches.

While I could cite all of the reasons why this is caused (sitting, wearing positive soled shoes, etc) and tell you to quit your job and move to fantasy island to ensure you eliminate these issues, instead I am going to give you three moves that will do the job for us.

Directions:

• Perform each exercise back to back as a circuit for 8-15 reps each
• Perform 3 times per week and add 2 reps per week until reaching 15 (do I mean 16?....Add 3 in the last week smartass!)
• Rest 10-15 seconds between each exercise and ensure you are feeling it in your core versus your back/arms etc
• Breath this way while doing each exercise to fully use your core

Exercise #1: Reverse Crunch

Why it works: This move helps to posterior tilt the pelvis back to a neutral position as pictured in the left image above. Oh and it is a hell of a workout for the LOWER abs (you know, the part where you lack definition)

Form cues:

• Deep breath in at the initiation of the movement and blow out hard while tightening the butt an abs as you move up and down
• Think about bringing the elbows to the knees and lowering back to the starting position very slowly (the way back portion is the most important part)

Exercise #2: Plank toe rock

Why it works: Once we have worked on tilting the pelvis back in to position, our next exercise works on training the back to resist the urge arch as we hold in plank.  The abs will already be fatigued in this position which will make the exercise both hard and more effective.  

Form cues:

• While this appears to be a regular plank, we are actually holding while rocking forward and back o the toes. This will challenge the core far more than the traditional plank
• Move at a slow and controlled pace with the toe rock. Think 3 seconds rocking forward and 3 seconds rocking back
• Deep breath in at the initiation of the movement and blow out hard while tightening the butt an abs as you move up and down
• Press the feet and thighs together while tightening the butt and abs as you rock back and forth

Exercise #3: Chris K Pullover

Why it works: The exercise is named after me, need I say more? 

In all seriousness, by spreading the legs wider on our last exercise, we engage the external/internal oblique muscles to a greater degree which ensures use of the entire abdominal wall to “glue us in to place”. In laymen’s terms, this will equal liquid hotness.  

Form cues:

• Deep breath in at the initiation of the movement and blow out hard while pressing the back in to the ground and tightening the abs while moving the arms.
• Spread the legs fairly wide while lying on the back. Pull the ball overhead, ensuring the back stays flat against the ground.
• Move at a slow and controlled pace with the pullover. Think 3 seconds rocking forward and 3 seconds rocking back