Let’s face it, everyone wants great arms; men want them jacked and women want them lean and defined… or “toned” as they call it. While having sexy arms is a common goal, the way most go about achieving this goal is completely retarded. Great biceps aren’t just built off of thousands of concentration curls, they are built from a foundation of heavy deadlifts, rows and chins. I always say the following: “Find me a man that can deadlift over 500lbs and I’ll show you a man with huge arms.”

This is why I don’t really do much direct arm work; because I lift heavy enough in my other exercises to stimulate bicep/tricep growth. In fact, most say that for my weight I have the biggest arms they’ve ever seen. However, I can’t deny the sheer fun factor of working the arms – It’s just so damn satisfying. So today I’ll show you one of my favourite arm routines, it’s called The Arm Blaster.

How It Works

There are four main elements to this routine: A,B,C & D and each element targets a specific rep range and load. You can either throw each element at the end of your normal workouts (which is what I do) or stack them all together to create a complete arm routine for the day. Personally, spending an entire day on arms is a waste of time unless you’re a pro bodybuilder; there’s no need for it. What I’d do is throw in each element at the end of your normal 3-4day/week workout routine.

So for example, let’s say that you’ve chosen to do my SuperSet Fat Loss Workout (SSFLW) and you want to do it 3 days per week: Monday, Wed, & Friday. If you threw in the Arm Blaster routine, below is what your week would look like:

The Arm Blaster

BB = Barbells | DB = Dumbbells

Element A | Rest: 60 Seconds

Element B | Rest: 90 Seconds

Element C | Rest: 120 Seconds

Element D | Rest: 140 Seconds

Notes:

The exercise selection isn’t written in stone, you can change it up to suit your needs. You can also change up the order if for some reason you don’t like working your biceps first, it really doesn’t matter as long as you pay close attention to the rep ranges and loads. One thing you’ll probably realize is that for Element A you’ll probably pick a weight that’s too light and for Element D you’ll probably end up picking a weight that maxes you out at 15 so be aware of that.

Have fun, kick ass and as always, bring your A game bitches! Oh and be sure to comment and let me know how sore your arms are, I love hearing stories of soreness and quality pain. It’s the kind of shit that wakes me up in the mornings.

Cheers

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© 2011 – 2012, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

I’ve always known that using super-sets in a workout is the most efficient way to get extremely lean in the shortest amount of time possible – It’s why I give away the 3 week workout plan in the HeadStart fitness report (Hint: I don’t do shit without a reason.) If there was ever a “magic pill” solution in the fitness industry, this would be it. It’s also why super-sets are the default protocol I use with clients when their main goal is to lose fat, unless they specify otherwise or are extreme beginners and don’t feel comfortable with super-sets yet. So, why super-sets? allow the abstract from a recent study to provide you with a nerdy explanation:

An acute bout of traditional resistance training (TRAD) increases energy expenditure (EE) both during exercise and in the postexercise period. Reciprocal supersets (SUPERs) are a method of resistance training that alternates multiple sets of high-intensity agonist-antagonist muscle groups with limited recovery. The purpose of this study was to compare the energy cost of SUPERs and TRAD both during and in the postexercise period. We hypothesized that SUPERs would produce greater exercise EE relative to the duration of exercise time and greater excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) than TRAD of matched work. Ten recreationally active, young men each participated in 2 exercise protocols: SUPER, followed 1 week later by TRAD matched within using a 10-repetition maximum load for 6 exercises, 4 sets, and repetitions. Participants were measured for oxygen consumption and blood lactate concentration during exercise and 60 minutes postexercise after each exercise bout. No significant differences were observed in aerobic exercise EE between trials (SUPER 1,009.99 +/- 71.42 kJ; TRAD 954.49 +/- 83.31 kJ); however, when expressed relative to time, the exercise EE was significantly greater during SUPER (34.70 +/- 2.97 kJ.min) than TRAD (26.28 +/- 2.43 kJ.min). Excess postexercise oxygen consumption was significantly greater after SUPER (79.36 +/- 7.49 kJ) over TRAD (59.67 +/- 8.37 kJ). Average blood lactate measures were significantly greater during SUPER (5.1 +/- 0.9 mmol.L) than during TRAD (3.8 +/- 0.6 mmol.L). Reciprocal supersets produced greater exercise kJ.min, blood lactate, and EPOC than did TRAD. Incorporating this method of resistance exercise may benefit exercisers attempting to increase EE and have a fixed exercise volume with limited exercise time available.

What It All Means

Notice the sentences that are bolded. While normal resistance training itself is effective at burning fat, when you bring in the time element, super-sets dominate. Basically, they give you the best bang for your buck in terms of calories burnt and metabolic boost. It’s just so damn efficient, I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to use super-sets.

So what I have below is a workout routine that is similar to the one used in the study, obviously with my own little twist on it. You can swap out any of the exercises you want but make sure that you don’t change up the protagonist/antagonist pattern. So if you do a push exercise, follow it up with a pull and vice-versa.

The Workout

BB = Barbells

DB = Dumbbells

Rest = 45 seconds between super sets

Things You Should Know

For the noobs that don’t know how super-sets work, here’s a quick and dirty explanation: Each letter represents a superset (A,B and C). So when you start this workout, you’ll do A1, quickly followed by A2, and then rest for 45 seconds. This equals one super-set and you must do four as listed. Also, while I divided the 6 exercises into 3 super sets, you can just as well divide it up into 2 by doing A1, A2, A3 then B1, B2, B3. Do whatever works for you, but based on the exercise selection, you’ll be coughing up a lung with a A1-A3 setup. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

When it comes to selecting your load, you need to know your REAL one rep maximum. Don’t bother using calculators, read my 1RM guide and spend a day figuring it out for the most common lifts.

That’s all there is to it – this workout will burn calories, make you stronger, torch off the fat and give you a significant boost in your metabolic rate like you wouldn’t believe… all in the span of under 45 minutes. The only thing left to do now is for me to quit talking, for wussies to stop whining and for you to summon up the willpower to get the workout done. Hop to it, and let me know how it goes.

And if you’ve got a super-set workout that has worked for you in the past, share it in the comment section below.

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© 2011, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

When it comes to training your core, there are usually two schools of thought; one group says direct ab work is un-necessary because big compound lifts demand enough from your core muscles while the other insists it’s totally necessary to boost performance. Both have valid points and arguments and can talk your ear off with facts, references etc.

But here’s another shocking fact – 80% of these chumps don’t rock a solid six-pack, and that makes listening to them slightly challenging. It’s like taking advice from a fatty trainer… how can you take them seriously?

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, my best physical asset are my abs and yet, it’s the one muscle group I hate working the most. But why do I rock such an impressive cheese grater where my stomach should be? Easy. One, because I’m awesome, two I have proper eating habits and three, I transition between direct ab work with functional ab work.

That last point is key. I’ve heard a few strength coaches knock on crunches claiming that there is no sport which requires such a small ROM (range of motion) so working your abs in that fashion is a useless waste of time. Functionally, they are right but weighted crunches really kick the shit out of my upper abs and since were going for aesthetics as well as performance, it’s not something I’ll be dumping from my training anytime soon.

If you’re an avid reader of mine (you should be!) then you may recall the  intense ab routine I had created. That was all direct ab work… which is not to say you won’t see an improvement in pretty much every fucking sport imaginable. Except maybe darts, or chess.

However, the routine I have for you today consists of ab exercises that are focused on increasing performance first, but they will also give you a nice six pack that can cause a bit of jealousy when you’re out at the beach.

Functional Ab Blast

Cable Wood Chop

Reps: 15-20, Sets: 2, Tempo: 21X1

I really can’t think of a single athlete in a single sport that won’t benefit from doing these. Baseball, basketball, football, hockey, tennis etc. It hits all the major core muscles: rectus abdominis, obliques and the spinal erectors.

As you can see, the execution is pretty simple. One thing I will say is that don’t try and be a hero and attempt a high ass load, it’s completely un-necessary. A clean rep with full ROM while focusing on squeezing your core will do more for you than doing some retarded pulling motion while trying to impress everyone with 150lbs worth of plates loaded up. No one will give a shit, and that hottie who’s squatting in the corner? Yeah, her pants won’t magically fall off either.

Reverse Wood Chop

Reps: 15-20, Sets: 2, Tempo: 21X1

What can I say? It’s just as important as the one above. The idiot warning still applies – don’t try and pull too heavy.

(Hanging) Leg Wipers

Reps: 8-10, Sets: 2, Tempo: Fast

This one is tough, and most of you will therefore have to do it while lying down on your back. But the motion remains the same, you keep your feet together and they go from left to right (like a windshield wiper, duh) and that counts as one rep.

One thing you want to be aware of is the sudden drop. If you’ve never done this exercise before or if your core is weak, you’ll notice that as you start to go towards one side, your legs suddenly DROP to the floor. Be aware of this and take it real slow till you develop proper control, then you can speed things up.

Also, don’t let your feet drop in front of you. This means a spectator should get a glorious view of your ass while you’re doing leg wipers (a concept expertly demonstrated by the chick in the pink booty shorts).

Medicine Ball Throws

Reps: 20-30, Sets: 2, Tempo: Fast

Obviously, pick a proper amount of resistance. Don’t start with a 20lbs ball when you can barely crunch with a 7 pounder. Start with a 5lbs ball and see how it goes. Another thing you might need is a partner to catch the ball and throw it back to you – but that’s only if you throw like a sissy girl, causing the ball to not bounce back to you.

Oh and anchor those legs somewhere, that’s important too. Or you’ll end up looking like you’re doing a retarded V-Snap.

Russian Twists

Reps: 15-20, Sets: 2, Tempo: Medium

While this dude is only turning to one side, the exercise in fact demands you turn to both sides then return to the starting position. This constitutes as one rep. So yes, 20 is really 40. Bring your A game.

Also, while a weight plate is being used in the picture, you can pretty much substitute it for anything that has some mass; medicine balls, small pets, children, midgets, starving runway models, weapons of mass destruction etc.

Another slight variation of this is the “Rotating Landmines” or as I like to call them, Barbell Core Twists. Either way, same shit and you can find an excellent video of them, demonstrated by Bret Contreras HERE

Wheel (Or Barbell) Roll Outs

Reps: 12-15, Sets: 2, Tempo: 31X1

As far as equipment goes, you can use a barbell with plates, the cheap ab rollers or some other permutation that will let you roll out. However, I highly suggest you pick yourself up a Powerwheel from Lifeline USA. It’s the best ab wheel I’ve ever used and it can go on your feet allowing you to do reverse inch worms and a boat load of other great ab exercises.

The exercise is simple enough, but one recommendation would be to have your feet anchored or have a partner hold em’ down because as you start to roll further, the ankles will start to magically levitate. Follow the tempo given above and you’ll be puking buckets in no time. Err, I mean you’ll be on your way to a well developed midsection.

Where Does Direct Training Fit In?

My golden rule is this: Functional training followed by direct ab work. Either on the same day or following days. If you want to do it on the same day, try the following exercise order:

Woodchop, Leg Wipers, Medicine Ball Throws, Weighted Crunches, Decline Leg Raises, Oblique Crunches. Three compound/functional exercises followed by three direct and more “focused” exercises.

Is this the ONLY way to build a solid six pack? No. But it’s the way I’ve done it, it’s the way I’ve been doing it and it’s the way I’ll keep doing it because it’s what gets eyeballs on my body when the shirt comes off. Don’t ignore direct ab work, but don’t forget functional ab work as well. Both should have their place in your routine… as long as a kick ass stomach is part of your gameplan.

…and it better well should be.

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© 2011 – 2012, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

While my main goal has always been to kick people’s ass into shape and sexify this lard infested world, I do have an optional goal which I’m pursuing. A side quest, if you will. Something that branches off on a tangent but is still very related to what I want to accomplish – and that is to change the way women workout forever.

Seriously, I want you ladies to quit the bullshit and get real. Screw spin classes, Zumba, Pilaties, Turbo Spam and all of that other nonsense. All you need is a barbell, some weight plates, a few dumbbells and a willingness to be consistent and I guarantee that you’ll not only be stronger but end up better looking than half the princesses that are meddling in bullshit. I probably offended half the gym-going female population… but apparently that’s what it takes. So be it.

One of the ways I’ve been slowly influencing this is by making up challenges for my friend Charlotte. It started with the booty routine and the abs challenge, so for the third instalment, I decided it was time to see how strong the female population is and more importantly, how I can get them stronger. Enter the Girlpower Challenge. Not only will this routine make you hella strong and allow you to out-power your husbands and boyfriends (or both), but you can use it like a game and a monthly benchmark to see if you’re getting stronger or not.

Everything you do will give you points, and in the end you can total it up and earn some serious bragging rights by beating your friends. I recommend all of you print out this routine. There are two ways you can use the scores to motivate yourself, A) Beat your own score on a weekly basis if outside competition isn’t your thing or B) get together with a few friends and challenge each other. On Charlotte’s blog, you can see option B in full effect and I suggest you try and beat her scores (or mine which are listed below).

The Challenge

Below is the exercise order and a table to help you calculate your scores. First things first… don’t bother doing the math in the gym, just write your numbers down and you can total it up when you get home. Here’s how the scoring works: (weight lifted)/(your weight) x (# of reps)

As an example, if you weigh 130lbs and did squats with 120lbs for 12 reps, your score would be 11.1 – notice how if you lifted your bodyweight, you would get 1 point per rep and more than that if you lifted heavier.

Rules:

• Do not substitute exercises for their machine counter parts. This is a purely free-weight lifting challenge.
• Do only one set of each exercise and rest exactly two minutes between each set.
• Always use a spotter. Your set is done when your form starts to become shaky.
• Do one set of warmup with 30-50% of your bodyweight for each exercise before you decide to go all out.

The Exercises

Now most of you know (or should know) the basics of each of these exercises but be sure to visit Charlotte’s page where I dove into the details of what counts as a clean rep and how you can maximize performance. The one exercise that might have you raise an eyebrow is the HipThrusts… and instead of using millions of words to explain it I’ve got a solid video for you, see below.

My Score

After one of my workouts, I took about 15 minutes to do this little challenge since Charlotte wanted to see how she’d stack up. Below are the final scores for each exercise.

Squat: 13.8

BenchPress: 19.1

Deadlift: 23.1

HipThrusts: 12

Pullups: 9.5

Total: 77.5

Not a bad score, but not that great either. I could probably hit the triple digits if I walked fresh into the gym and all I focused on was the challenge itself, but I have other shit I need to do. However, if you want a kick ass score, that’s probably not a bad idea. Since this challenge is new, there aren’t too many benchmark scores floating around so try it out and let’s see what you got ladies (and gentlemen are welcome too).

- FitJerk

Content originally written by FitJerk for www.fitjerk.com – © 2011 All Rights Reserved. Images copyright of their respective owners. The verbal content of this post is NOT to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face.

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© 2011 – 2012, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

Alright, so if you’re a wire frame nerd boy that is looking to put on some pounds, let me just say that almost anything will work. As long as you’re lifting something heavy that isn’t attached to some retarded machine and are eating a decent amount or protein, you’ll grow. This is why I never bother making beginner routines – because true beginners can water down an intermediate routine and they’ll see phenomenal progress. So if you’re a beginner, you know what to do. You can even check out my article on Taylor Lautner and how he put on some muscle for the silly Twilight movies.

However, if you’ve got some training under your belt but your progress has stalled, and you’re bitching and complaining about how you just can’t seem to put on some mass, then boy, do I have a routine for you. The way I look at it, intermediate trainees (which is like 90% of dudes…) can’t seem to get anywhere because they follow routines from magazines, which focus on high volume regarding both sets and reps. These are meant for advanced athletes who are usually genetic freaks that may be assisted by… ahem, pharmaceuticals.

Intermediate trainees should focus more on intensity and progressive overload and ample rest instead of so much volume. Once this stops working, then you can switch to high volume at around 75% of your 1RM (One Rep Maximum). I’ll cover this in greater detail when I put out one of my advanced mass routines which I’m still playing around with.

Intermediate Hypertrophy Routine A

Rest Period: 90 seconds in-between sets and exercises except the Bench Press, which is 120 seconds or more, as needed.

Intermediate Hypertrophy Routine B

Rest Period: 90 seconds in-between sets and exercises except the Parallel Squat, which is 120 seconds or more, as needed.

Legend:

* = Strength Element Exercise. In workout A, you should alternate between Bench Press and Deadlift. The strength elements ensure that you will be able to lift heavier weights for all the other exercises as you progress long.

** = Maximum reps per set

A Few Rules Of Thumb

First and foremost, you should know that the load percentages won’t work for everyone, they are a best guess scenario so play around with them. I know some guys who can do 8-10 reps with 85% of the 1RM and others who struggle with 6 reps at 70%. Don’t feel embarrassed, just hit the desired rep ranges at a load % that is challenging for you. If you are going above the desired reps… you’re lifting too light. Plain and simple.

Next, you don’t want to do more than 3 workouts a week. This means one week 1 you’ll do ABA then week 2 you will do BAB etc. Also, don’t forget to swap between the BenchPress and Deadlift every time you do workout A. This is important. And no workout post is complete without a retard warning, so here it is: Anyone who tries a true 1RM or tries to set a new personal best 1RM without a spot is a complete moron and fully deserves the pain that is about to come to him (or her).

Finally, you’ll notice that there is only one ab exercise (the Dbell leg raise). Why? Well because you really don’t need that much ab work, but if you feel like you want to do more then feel free to throw some in at the end of each workout. No harm done. I wouldn’t over-do abs though. You’ll need solid, sore-free core muscles if you are to pull this routine off successfully. Trust me, the tempos listed here are painful. A weighted chin-up with a 5 second eccentric motion is no fucking joke! You’ll have to seriously bring it. Do that, keep your diet in check by eating for mass and you should be good to go.

Good luck.

- FitJerk

Content originally written by FitJerk for www.fitjerk.com – © 2011 All Rights Reserved. This post is NOT to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face.

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© 2011 – 2012, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

The first one I’ll be covering is the Muscle Up, which I believe is one of the best upper body exercises you can do… if you can pull it off. Incorporated into a routine, muscle ups will chew you up and spit you out the other end. No fucking joke. You think you’re strong? Baha don’t make me laugh. You aint’ seen nuthin’ yet!

Exercise Name: Muscle Up
Prerequisites: Pullups (15), Dips (15), Jump pullup to cast on bar
Difficulty: Hard
Muscles Worked: Biceps, Tricpes, Lats, Shoulders, Chest

A muscle up is basically the evil combination of a pullup and a dip on a straight bar. Gymnasts do it all the time in their conditioning programs but even then, many of them have to break it down to complete a rep. What we want to get it is one continuous motion.

Assuming you have the prerequisites down, the best way to start it off is to do a normal pullup till you chin is touching the bar. Then lower yourself down at gravity’s pace and quickly “kip” your next pullup as fast as you can. This kipping motion will give you enough speed and height to get your chest is above the bar, then its just a matter of pushing yourself up. One complete, continuous rep. Nice.

The only problem is that it’s hard as fuck! Kipping on normal pullups is something I generally recommend against since we want a controlled rep which will recruit the maximum number of motor units… giving us awesome arms and a killer back. However, for a muscle up it’s practically required.

Now assuming that you didn’t run away after reading the prerequisites required for the muscle ups, I’m going to explain how you can work towards getting this down. Obviously, pullups and dips is something you’ll have to work on, but in the mean time, find a bar that is about a foot higher than you are. Then do a pullup while simultaneously jumping upwards and you will have enough force to get your chest over the bar, at which point you can come down. No need to complete the rep. This motion of getting your chest over the bar is the bottle neck in a muscle up… once you can get it up there, the push becomes easy as hell so make sure you master it.

And there you have it, one of the hardest exercises to pull off. Just to give you an idea of what a challenge this exercise is, the Guinness World Record for the most muscle ups done consecutively is only 26. For pullups? 62… held by Stanford Apseloff.

Cheers.

Note: I’ll be releasing a tutorial video on this as soon as I can since pictures won’t do this exercise much justice. In the mean time, I’ve thrown in the world record video below… try and spot out the phases of the exercise.

- FitJerk

Content Originally Written By FitJerk For www.fitjerk.com – © 2010 All Rights Reserved – This post is NOT to be republished without author consent. Doing so is a violation against copyright law.

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© 2010 – 2012, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

Well then you must work your ass off (pun intended). This is a workout I made for Charlotte over at TheGreatFitnessExperiment, and she will not only be doing the workout, she will be doing it with a couple of her friends and will be taking pictures in the process. How fucking cool is that?Working out with a friend has plenty of advantages, so I suggest you do the same. Also, for those that might be at a beginner stage, or intermediate stage, make sure you visit her blog soon because that’s where the detailed exercise descriptions will be hosted.

Here’s the basic workout:

Golden Rule: Rest 90 seconds between each exercise and 60 seconds between each set.

R = Reps
S = Sets
mx = Maximum Reps (Till failure)
/ = Divides the # of reps you need to do per set

Workout 1: Standing Kickbacks
S = 3 (per leg)
R = 20/20/mx

Workout 2: Deep Hack Squat
S = 3
R = 15/20/mx

Workout 3: Assisted Roundhouse Kick
S = 3 (per leg)
R = 15/20/mx

Workout 4: Hip Abductions
S = 3 (per leg)
R = mx/mx/mx

Workout 5: Barbell Butt Bridge (Or hump the ceiling)
S = 4
R = 20/30/mx/mx

Workout 6: Eat Smart!
S = unlimited
R = forever

One final thing I want you to realize is that just like abs, a great butt will be hiding behind a layer of fat… unless you get rid of it. Doing this workout will surely give you a powerful bum, and will give it the “tightness” it needs to stay firm… but if you really wanan “show it off” then you need to realize that your eating habits are just as crucial. Unleash your spectacular ass by eating right AND doing my workouts… and expect to be complimented and stalked – Every girls dream.

Cheers.

- FitJerk

P.S – Yes, those illustrations are hand-drawn using my mad skills. Though, as awesome as I am, I don’t think I see graphic design in my future.

Also, be sure to check out the brand new Social Fitness Site called Fitmarker!

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© 2010, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

But fear not, because today the wait is over. I’ll be giving you one solid ab workout that will kick your panties into a world of burnanation. This workout is not easy, but it is scalable according to your difficulty so don’t scurry off and dip your head in shame if you’re a beginner. Also, since this is a big stand-alone ab routine, I suggest you do it on a day other than your normal training day… or you’ll be dying by the end. Let’s begin!

The Jerkdominal Blast

The first thing you need to know is that I don’t do abs conventionally… which is why I have abs that are extraordinary. There is a time and place for doing fast, quick reps but in this routine we will be focusing heavily on a) resistance and b) tempo of the exercise… where appropriate. The rest periods are 15 seconds between exercises.

* – The rep range if you aren’t using any form of extra resistance

Leg Scissors

Lie down on the floor, keeping your hands placed by your side and lift both legs into the starting position. You will then “scissor” your legs without ever letting them touch the floor. Each “scissor” of the legs should take 2 seconds. Just to clarify the motion… say your right leg is down and left leg is up as shown in the pic. If you “scissor”, then your left leg will drop while your right leg goes up… you never hit the starting position again during the exercise.

To make this harder, attach ankle weights to your legs.

Reps: 20 or 30*
Tempo: 2 sec

© Health.com

Decline Crunches With Weight Plate

Lie down on a decline bench, and get yourself a 5, 10 or 25lbs plate. Grab the plate evenly on both sides and tuck it behind your head. A lot of people like putting the plate on their chest… this is complete bullshit. The further away you put the load from the hips (the fulcrum) the higher the resistance is going to be… and the head is as far out as you can go unless you feel like extending your arms out.

Now perform a crunch with a tempo of 211. This means you crunch up for a 1 second count, hold it for a second, then lower yourself for a 2 second count. This will BURN.

Alternatively, you can ditch the plate if you don’t think you can manage but make sure you do-not change the tempo of the exercise.

Reps: 15 or 20*
Tempo: 211

image: chickmagnetstuff.com

Pulse Ups With Ankle Weights

Begin in the same starting position as the Leg Scissors but this time, you are going to keep the legs together and thrust your hips into the air. Ideally, a good “pulse up” leaves you balancing on your shoulders for a split second, after which you come down in a controlled manner. The tempo is 211 which means you pulse up for a 1 second count, hold for 1 second (work that balance) and then lower yourself for a 2 second count.

The images below are actually a really wimpy demonstration of the pulse up. Notice how in the second picture you can barely see any elevation of the hips? Yeah you should be able to see a huge gap between the floor and his hips. This shows you what NOT to do.

Attach ankle weights for added resistance… or if you just think you’re tough enough.

Reps: 30
Tempo: 211

© Men’s Health

Power Wheel

Don’t worry if you don’t own the PowerWheel. You can grab a barbell, attach 2 round 10lbs plates at each end and still perform this exercise. The only downside is that a long-ass barbell is pretty stable, where as the PowerWheel requires  you to work extra hard to keep it stable since the surface area it covers is minimal – resulting in a more challenging workout.

There is not much to this one… just rest on your knees, keep your body alignment as straight as possible (no bending at the hips) and roll yourself out as far as possible. Ideally you should be able to roll out till your upper body, thighs and arms are completely parallel to the floor, but that is difficult to do. What I want you to worry about more than anything is the tempo: 312. You will roll out for a 2 second count, hold it for a second, then roll back for a 3 second count.

Reps: 20
Tempo: 312

V-Snaps (Or V-Ups)

One of my favorites. Lie down on floor keeping your body and arms completely straight. Arms should be extended so they cover your ears from the side. Then do a leg raise while simultaneously reaching up with your arms and try and touch your toes. If you cannot touch your toes, then try for the shins at the minimum. Use a tempo of 211. This means you snap up for a 1 second count, hold the Vsit position for 1 second, then lower yourself back to starting position for a 2 second count.

For added resistance you should either use ankle weights or hold a dumbbell using both hands BUT NOT BOTH. The reason is that if you add an equal amount of weight to both sides, it’s not as challenging than if you keep things a little un-balanced, un-predictable and downright naughty. Oh wait, were talking about working out… yeah skip the naughty. For now.

Reps: 15 or 25*
Tempo: 211

© Bestlifeonline.com

Oblique V Snaps

This is just like the above exercise, accept you are lying down on your side. Now if you keep your body completely straight, this gets difficult because you are resting on your hip bone. This is NOT what you want. Lie down sideways, but keep a slight bend at the hips. You should be balancing yourself on the side of your ass. It’s a little tricky to explain but the rule of thumb is that if it’s uncomfortable, then you are doing it wrong. The only uncomfortable thing about this exercise should be the insane burn you feel… that’s it.

The idea is simple, keep on hand by the ears and the other resting palm down on the floor. Raise your legs up while simultaneously crunching off the floor. Try and touch your elbows to your knees. Make sure you do the required reps for both sides… duh!

(To the generally intelligent reader, I apologize… but over the months I’ve realized that I need to keep my posts as stupid-proof as possible or I’ll get emails asking the most obvious of questions. I don’t mind emails.. but I do mind when it’s sent without applying an ounce of intelligence. Thank you)

The tempo is the same as normal V-Snaps – 211. For added resistance, I suggest a great pair of ankle weights.

Reps: 15 or 20*
Tempo: 211

© Womenshealthmag.com

Conclusion

And there you have it… a kick-ass ab routine that will keep your core strong and elicit some growth in the abdominal muscles – a pretty hard thing to do if you only train your abs in the normal, spastic way. Another thing I should add is that this routine shouldn’t be done everyday, specially if you are using extra resistance. Give your self a day in between. Ideally, if you do it right, 3x a week is plenty. Keep your eating habits decent and your abs will POP.

For those that consider themselves “advanced”… vary the resistance. If you feel that with the given tempo you are shooting wayy past the desired rep range, step your shit up. Add more weight to make it challenging. If that still doesn’t work, INCREASE the tempo.

Cheers… don’t puke now.

- FitJerk

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© 2010, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

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I’ve been a big fan of FitJerk for a while now – awesome information in a chill environment. My background in physical training isn’t relaxed because I spent 10 years in the military. As a Physical Training Instructor I have trained and worked with some of the fittest, bravest troops (men and women) in the world.

I have been responsible for training ‘elite’ units and insanely fit teams, most of this training was constructive part of a long term training plan. I say ‘most’ because every now and again I would spring ‘The Right of Passage’ upon them.

It comprises of certain aspects and would last on average about 3 hours, but it would be down to to me to say how long we should go for. This session isn’t designed to hurt someone, it’s designed to break them or make them. Mentally and physically exhausting, but that’s the point, the ones who give it everything and finish it, take that with them. Those who fail, fail!

The Right Of Passage Using A Plastic Destroyer

This kind of conjures up images of some planet destroying weapon, yet it’s smaller than a box of matches. The plastic destroyer is a whistle. The ‘Right of Passage’ would start with a brief from me to the troops, after they had done their rolling warm up on the way to the training field and would simple be this ‘If you finish, you can tell people, if you fail, you need to tell yourself’.

No mention of how long the session would be and I would describe what they were to do on each of the whistle blasts. 1st whistle they start running up the hill, next whistle blast they hit the deck and crawl up the hill, next up and running next crawling. I’ve been through this myself plenty of times and it hurts, big time! The hill is about 2-300 hundred metres long and of the gradient you need to learn forward while you’re walking.

So first whistle blast and they set off, fast as hell I let them go about 10 metres or so, then hit them with another blast, they start crawling forward as if under fire, belly on the floor. Now the details vary a bit, but the whistle doesn’t stop until everyone gets to the top, the one’s who do get to the top first, then crawl back down to get the stragglers at the back and motivate them to the top.

It’s relentless, no breaks for water, nothing. It get’s to the point where you can actually see people going backwards down the hill. Cold, wet, tired and in pain it’s one of those session you want to end. When your up and running, it takes that much effort to get up and shift your heavy combats up that hill you pray for another whistle. When that whistle comes and you hit the deck, you immediately start praying for another one because you literally can’t lift your arms or legs, plus you know that you can run faster than crawling so you will get to the top quicker.

What never ever went through my mind is stopping and giving up, in fact that’s not true – I constantly thought about it, but giving up and being beaten by a whistle is ridiculous. Think about it, having to go and speak to your mates who had finished the session and say ‘I failed because a whistle beat me’ Looking at exercise and life in a simple way makes it easier to complete.

For instance, I used to train and run the ultra marathon team, I used to talk about how to deal with the ‘wall’. I did a 54 mile Ultra Marathon, just to see if we could do it and I hit 3 ‘walls’ during that run. The way I got over that every time is to look at my watch and think of the run in terms of minutes and hours not miles. I wasn’t about to let a $25 dollar fake watch beat me, the bloody thing is never right and was on it’s tenth strap so I for one wasn’t about to be beaten by something so weak!

Next time you go for that extra dip, or rep on the bench, just think about the weight plate beating you and telling all the other plates you are weak. Next time you take on something in your life in which you think, it’s just too difficult, I can’t do it, remember my rubbish pathetic watch and that little plastic whistle! Life is actually really easy, it’s only you that makes it complicated.

- James Richmond | The Infopreneur

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Nice. I like the way he combined an actual routine that you can do with a buddy with something motivational. In fact, I share this similarity when I’m working out. Let’s say there is a new weight I need to lift (because it’s all about progress) and I feel a little hesitant. I mean I shouldn’t… I have a spotter, I know I’m fully recovered and I know I’ll be strong enough, but it’s the unknown that triggers fear – even if it’s a small fear.

All I do is look at those heavy ass dumbbells and whisper “I’m gona make you my 2 little bitches!” … and I go on to destroy that set. This mind over matter technique goes way beyond the gym – it can be a way you go through LIFE. Use it!

- FitJerk

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© 2010 – 2012, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.

MMA fighters and Martial Artists will get ALOT out of this, but that doesn’t mean others cannot use this report effectively. You can EASILY modify the techniques within so that it is beneficial to your sport or activity. Get creative… for some this is a challenge I know.

Why Is Speed Important?

An obvious question that has a slightly more complicated answer. It doesn’t matter whether you play football or are an MMA fighter… anyone with half a brain could tell you that the more power you can deliver in a punch or during a tackle, the more valuable of a player you are. But what do MOST people (guys) tend to focus on when they want to increase power? MASS! GRRR…

Bigger = More Momentum = Stronger Force.

Right on! But,  how long does it take to add say 10lbs of SOLID MUSCLE to your frame? On top of that, is this a feasible option for women? Highly doubt it. As someone who’s helped plenty of people reach their fitness goals, I have no trouble putting together a  mass gain program. Plenty of Flawless Fitness customers have been successful with packing on solid muscle mass… but if power is your ultimate goal, focus on SPEED instead. It’s simple physics! Let’s take a look – math haters… bite your tongue and listen up.

F = m x a

Where F = force, m=mass & a=acceleration. So there are 2 ways to increase your force – either gain weight, or become faster… both will produce tangible results but the good news is that increasing the acceleration of say, a punch is FAR easier to do than to increase the mass of the entire arm! But this is initial force, how about the beloved momentum?

P = m x v

Where P=momentum, m=mass & v=velocity. Again, what do we have here? 2 ways to increase your overall momentum in a tackle or a punch… either increase your size or just become FASTER. There is a reason that a 100gram bullet can throw a man 5 feet back… it’s got MASSIVE amounts of velocity giving it outlandish amounts of momentum.

So in short, it’s time to be a bullet!

Bronze members, sign in and download the FREE report below. If you’re not a Bronze member, you know what to do….

DOWNLOAD SPEED TRAINING REPORT
(Right Click > Save As…)

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© 2009 – 2012, By FitJerk. FitJerk.com is a division of Flawless Fitness Media – All Rights Reserved – No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.

Only LOSERS have nothing to say or discuss. Put your thoughts, comments or general rants in the comment section below. FJ does not use censorship but obvious racial slurs and over-the-top stupidity will be deleted.