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Men Fitness Dumbbell Workout By Steve Cotter  Review

I decided to do a video about on this routine because, as of late I have been putting a lot of long hours at work. (15-17 hours) The time I have is limited in order to get a good work out in. This routine gave me what I needed to maintain what I have worked so hard for. It can be found int the March 2010 issue of Men’s Fitness WWE Chris Jericho is on the cover, the issue also has  a really good chest routine. I gave it a four star rating because I felt it could have been a little bit more intense. However for a 30 minute workout it is solid.

The Dumbbell Workout -
Perform 3 times per week, rest a day between each session.
Time needed 30 minutes.
Exercises
Floor Press
Sets: 3 Reps: 10
Get Up Situp
Sets: 2 Reps: 5 (each side)
Renegade Row
Sets: 3 Reps: 10 (each side)
Goblet Squat
Sets: 3 Reps: 15
One Arm Push Press
Sets: 3 Reps: 15 (each side)
Single Leg Deadlift
Sets: 3 Reps: 8 (each side)
One Arm Swing
Sets: 3-5 Reps: 15 -20 (each side)

To increase the intensity for this workout shorten the rest between reps from 60 seconds, to 30 seconds or 15 seconds.

My advice for anyone starting out is lift light at first trying to do as many reps within a minute.  Men’s Health suggest that if you can not complete the exercise for the full minute do 15 to 20 reps instead. The amount of weight you should lift according to Men’s Health is weight that is challenging, which basically means you should be able to lift it for a minute.

I have done this workout with two other gym mates, one threw up wasn’t able to complete the exercises. The second almost fainted three exercise in.  As for myself I when I first started this routine I was able to complete some exercises for the full minute. Other exercises I would revert to reps instead.

Other tips to getting the most out of Spartacus Workout.
1. Rest – Men’s Health suggests that you do this routine three times a week taking a day off in between workouts.
2. Keep pushing yourself if you can do a minute at ten pounds move it up to fifteen.
3. Stretch before you do this workout
4. Maintain form over reps

By the second circuit I am pouring in sweat and pumping the music to get through.

To date I have done this routine 12 times.
Here is where I am at from the date I started till the present.
I am amazed at the results.

Goblet Squat –  
1/2/10
1st / 20 reps  Weight 40 whole minute
2nd/ 20 reps  Weight 40 whole minute
3rd/ 20 reps  Weight 40 whole minute
Present
1st / 40 reps  Weight 50 whole minute
2nd/ 35 reps  Weight 50 whole minute
3rd/ 35reps  Weight 50 whole minute

Mountain Climber
1/2/10
1st / 20 reps  
2nd/ 20 reps  
3rd/ 20 reps  
Present:
1st / 50 reps  whole minute
2nd/ 30 reps  
3rd/ 30 reps  

Single-arm dumbbell swing
1/2/10
1st / 15 reps  Weight 30 each arm
2nd/ 15 reps  Weight 30 each arm
3rd/ 15 reps  Weight 30 each arm
Present
1st / 20 reps  Weight 35 each arm
2nd/ 20 reps  Weight 35 each arm
3rd/ 20 reps  Weight 35 each arm

T-Pushup
1/2/10
1st / 16 reps  Weight 15  whole minute
2nd/ 12 reps  Weight 15 whole minute
3rd/  12 reps  Weight 15  whole minute
Present
1st / 16 reps  Weight 20 whole minute
2nd/ 14 reps  Weight 20 whole minute
3rd/ 14 reps  Weight 20 whole minute

Split Jump
1/2/10
1st / 20 reps  
2nd/ 20 reps  
3rd/ 20 reps  
Present
1st / 40 reps  almost the whole minute
2nd/ 30 reps  
3rd/ 25 reps  

Dumbbell Row
1/2/10
1st / 15 reps  Weight  30
2nd/ 15 reps  Weight 30
3rd/ 15 reps  Weight  30
Present
1st / 30 reps  Weight  35 almost the whole minute
2nd/ 30 reps  Weight 35 almost the whole minute
3rd/ 25 reps  Weight  35

Dumbbell side lunge and touch
1/2/10
1st / 10 reps  Weight  20
2nd/ 10 reps  Weight 20
3rd/ 10 reps  Weight  20
Present
1st / 18 reps  Weight  20 whole minute
2nd/ 16 reps  Weight 20 whole minute
3rd/ 14 reps  Weight  20

Pushup – position row
1/2/10
1st / 10 reps  Weight  15 each arm
2nd/ 10 reps  Weight 15 each arm
3rd/ 10 reps  Weight  15 each arm
Present
1st / 26 reps  Weight  20 each arm whole minute
2nd/ 25 reps  Weight 20 each arm whole minute
3rd/  20 reps  Weight  20 each arm

Dumbbell lunge and rotation
1/2/10
1st / 20 reps  Weight  20 whole minute
2nd/ 20 reps  Weight 20  whole minute
3rd/ 20 reps  Weight  20 whole minute
Present
1st / 20 reps  Weight  30 whole minute
2nd/ 20 reps  Weight 30  whole minute
3rd/ 20 reps  Weight  30 whole minute

Dumbbell push press
1/2/10
1st / 20 reps  Weight  30
2nd/ 15 reps  Weight 30
3rd/ 15 reps  Weight  30
Present
1st / 30 reps  Weight  35 almost the whole minute
2nd/ 30 reps  Weight 35 almost the whole minute
3rd/ 25 reps  Weight  35

Click here to view the embedded video.

The February 2010 issue of Men’s Fitness is packed with workouts, fitness tips and no – flab foods. What got my attention was their ” MMA WORKOUT GET ABS LIKE GSP.” Any UFC fan knows that GSP ( Georges St-Pierre ) has some of the best looking abs in the UFC. I was inclined to review this workout because I want them too. I wasn’t disappointed, well may be a little but not in a bad way . More like I wish I had more time way. I gave this workout four and a half stars. It is a solid ab routine, left me with that I have been worked out feeling.

The time and the commitment it takes to get the MMA abs is something I don’t have right now. I also think that a lot of readers of MF are thinking the same thing. Great workout but how do I fit it into my real life? This is my only issue with the workout, that it wouldn’t fit into my real life to get me the results that I see on the UFC fighters. There is hope, the article says up to six times a week. Maybe I can get by with twice a week. We will see.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Workout developed by: Adam Campbell and Rachel Cosgrove, C.S.C.S.

This routine was developed to keep the cast of the up coming new Starz  series Spartacus: Blood and Sand in shape.
The workout is a fat burning, core tuning and high intensity circuit training. Circuit training is when you do a group of exercises one after the other resting after you have completed the all exercises in the group.

I have to give credit to Adam Campbell and Rachel Cosgrove for designing such a tough whip your a$$ back into shape workout. I have been incorporating this routine into my workout for about a week. Each time I do this routine I am pushing myself to do a minute on each exercise. That’s the hook here, each of the exercises in the routine are supposed to be done for a minute. I can get through the first circuit doing a minute on each exercise, the second and third I go for reps instead. At the end of the workout I am drenched in sweat that’s why I gave this workout a five star rating. My advice for anyone starting out who hasn’t worked out in a while is to take slowly. A minute on each exercise is a lot. If you are just starting out go for reps instead of time on each exercise. Once you have become acclimated to the routine, then push for time. Remember you have nothing to prove to no one, except to yourself.

There are a total of ten exercises that make up the Men’s Health Spartacus Workout.  You can download the whole routine plus enter to win a walk on role as a gladiator on Spartacus series.

Click here to get the routine plus find out how to enter the contest.

So I have decide to enter the contest. I would be totally blown away if I won, I will start posting pictures of my progress right away.
Also to keep track of my progress with the routine I have programmed it into my FitnessBuilder iPhone App. You can keep up with what I am doing on my Facebook and Twitter accounts. Every time I do the workout FitnessBuilder will  up date Facebook andTwitter for me.

Let’s see what happens. Stay tuned for more magazine workout reviews and product reviews.

The Stomach Blast Ab Routine! Cheesey name I know These are some exercises I do three times a week to finish off a routine if I have time, to burn off a little extra fat. These exercise in Circuit Training format, one exercise after the other.

STOMACH BLAST:

Shot Gun 10 Reps
Power Tower Kick Out 10 Reps
Swiss Ball Crunches 10 Reps
Two Bench Side Bridge 10 Reps
This is one circuit.
Do 3 Circuits.
60-30 Seconds of rest or no rest between circuits. If you are just starting out I would recommend resting 30 seconds between exercises and
lowering the reps to 5 reps till you build up to 10 reps.

Let me know what you think.

• 135 miles nonstop across Death Valley in 120°F temperatures WTF!
• Marathon to the South Pole at -40°F.
• 50 marathons, in all 50 US states, in 50 consecutive days, finishing with the New York City Marathon, which he completed in three hours and thirty seconds.
• 350 miles (560 km) in 80 hours and 44 minutes without stopping

Dean Karnazes has written two books which I will read and review.
Stay tuned.

Ultamarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner

50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days — and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance!

I am writing this as an answer to a question some one asked me. How did I lose16lbs within 60 days working out with the FitnessBuilder. The answer is not as simple as I woke up everyday and worked out anywhere between an hour to an hour and a half for five days. No, it actually has six parts to it.

Part 1. Mental Focus Motivation.
It all started in my head.
Prior to losing 16 lb. with FB I had lost around 20lbs in 5 months on my own working out with some posters that I had on the wall.  I had basically plateau, my body stopped changing and I was getting bored with the same exercises.  My motivation was out the door I started feeling like I was wasting my time and was all around frustrated. I didn’t have time to go to the gym and hire a personal trainer. During this time of my frustration I had purchased an iPhone and you know just like the commercial says, ” They have a app for that “. So I looked on iPhone and found FitnessBuilder. I had experience a little sticker shock at first because they were asking for more than the other fitness apps. They had a free workout that I tried and I was hooked. FitnessBuilder was worth every cent. It became my personal trainer and keeper of my progress.

FitnessBuilder made knowing what to do easy, getting up every day and working out was the hard part.
If motivation came in a bottle it would sell like hot cakes. So I had to do something that would keep me on course. So I decided to blog about it, talk about my experience share with the world what I was doing. I reached out to pumpone.com makers of FB and got their full support. They were excited that I was putting their product to the test.

This gave me motivation and focus, so part one of my answer is find
” Focus and Motivation”.

Here are some other motivators and focusers  that I used.

1. Don’t laugh. Find the body you want and stick your head on it.
Matthew McConaughey is in great shape I wouldn’t mind being in shape like him.

2. Find people who inspire you.
Randy the Natural Couture UFC MMA fighter. The man is 46 and still kicking ass.
Dara Torres 40 year old Olympic Swimmer.
Declan Condro (no I am not just saying this) he is in great shape and truly works it in the FB demo videos.

Dara Torres

3. Talk about working out. You would be surprised at how much
support and knowledge you will pick up by talking about working out.

4. Take pictures of yourself. You won’t believe your eyes when you look back on how you looked. It’s a truly out of body experience when you start losing weight and looking different, you feel like you stepped out of your own skin.

Part 2. Goal setting.

When I first started this 60 days challenge I didn’t know what to expect. I was looking to lose about 8 lbs. and gain some muscles. I worked with Declan Condron cofounder of FitnessBuilder who pointed me to the FitnessBuilder workouts to get me started working with the equipment that I had at the present.
Full body work outs to get my metabolism going at the same time build muscle, circuit training to get my cardio up and then muscle group workouts to build muscle.
To my surprise I lost double of what I initially set out to do.  “Set realistic goals”, if you set your expectations too high you will fall really hard when you don’t achieve them. So shoot for something attainable then be surprised when you get more than what you expected.

Part  3. Sugar is the enemy!

Food I know what you are saying no I don’t want to hear it. I want my soda, burger and french fries. The truth is when I started watching what I was eating my body really started changing. It’s simple. What you put in is what you are going to get out. If you don’t eat right you will see changes but only slightly like where I was before I started FB. One of my biggest changes to my diet was watching how much sugar I take in. You wouldn’t believe how much sugar everything has.
4 grams of sugar is equivalent to one teaspoon and 15.2 calories.

So to put things in perspective the average soda has about 40 grams of sugar. Which is 10 teaspoons of sugar and a 140 calories, that is a lot of sugar.
Here is a great video that talks about it.

One of my most favorite food is dried fruit which is loaded with sugar. Go figure! You can’t image how disappointed I was when I thought I was eating healthy but I really wasn’t. What sugar does to your body is basically turn you from a fat burning machine to a fat earning machine. So all that working your ass off goes down the drain when your blood sugar spikes. Part three of my advice “Watch your sugar”. Look for alternatives to get your sweet tooth fix. Examples – Natural Peanut butter and apples, Jello Mousse pudding has 60 calories, no sugar and it tastes awesome. There are tons of good food out there. Also to keep your sanity treat yourself once a week or every two weeks to a cheat meal. Make your cheat meal into a reward, the next day you should do a extra set to burn off the extra calories. I didn’t start my cheat meals until half way through my experience. Food is something I will do a lot more blogging about in 2010.

Part 4. Vary your workout.

When I initially started working out it took my body some time to get acclimated to the exercises.

For example, circuit training was kicking my ass and wiping me out. Once I got used to it I was able to move up in intensity which FitnessBuilder does for you. FB starts you out with a foundation than moves you up to comprehensive. From reading I found out other bits of information that helped me.
” Varying your work out” will keep you growing and burning. Little changes to your routine will go a long way.

Here are some other tips  things I found out through this expeirence.

1. People who workout in the morning are more likely to stick with it. Makes sense, when you get out of work you don’t want to workout you just want to relax. So working out in the AM is easier to stay focused and motivated.

2. Lift so that you can complete your set with the feeling you can do one or two more. Lifting heavier doesn’t always mean your going to get the most out of your work out. So vary the amount your lift, one week heavier the next week lighter but not to light were you don’t feel it. Basically what this will do is keep your muscles guessing and this will keep you from plateauing.

3. Resting time. When I started I was resting 60 seconds between reps, I read if you want to burn more that you should lower it to 30 seconds.  I tried it and have been doing it ever since. Sometimes I do need 60 seconds of rest between reps when I am lifting heavier. Feel it out everyone is different.

Part 5. Incorporate low impact exercise with your workout.

One thing I do a lot that contributed to my weight loss is walking. I walk about four and a half miles a day. What this does is keep my body in burn mode. If you don’t walk, take the stairs at work or take a 15 minute walk at lunch. If all else fails, get at least 30 mins of jumping rope in.  Anything that gives your body a little be more motion.

Part 6. Push it.

What can I say this is one  hardest things to put into words because it’s emotional. There where times I was sick and didn’t want to workout. There were other times I just didn’t want to workout. It’s human to be lazy, it is so much easier to sit back and do nothing. Sitting back doesn’t get you anywhere pushing it does. On these days I would look in the mirror and psyche myself up. Think of something that would make me mad and take my aggression out on the weights. Another thing I would do is put my two feet on the floor and sit up immediately in the morning. I would pretend that their was a invisible me who was beating me at lifting for that day. Anything that would get me downstairs to workout. My last piece of advice is “Push it” when you feel like giving up don’t. Say to yourself that you can do it. Remember the biggest room in the world for improvement, is the room of self improvement. No one is going to give you the keys or tell you how to do it.

You can find people who are willing to help you out. You have to initiate the conversation, You have to start it and You have to keep the fire burning.
“A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step”. Lao-tzu

I hope this was inspirational. Stay tuned for 2010 it’s going to be fun. I am going to have some unexpected things going on.
I hope you will join me.
Thanks,
Nat

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The EVERLAST Reflex bag is fun and easy to set up. It will give you a great cardio workout, develop your speed, timing and focus. It’s great for places where you can not install a double ended bag. I filled it up with two 40 gallon water bottles it started to leak from the top, basically because I over filled it. Be sure if you are filling it with water not to fill it to the top.  It takes up to 60lbs of water or sand.  I had it for three weeks no problems, I punch and kick it use it for my martial arts training. It does need to be tighten every once and in a while, then again any equipment you use on a regular basis should be checked and tighten.
Another huge plus is my kids love it!

Specs:

Color: Cool Grey/Black
Weight: 60 lbs. Filled
Height: Adjustable 50″ to 64″

Links where you can purchase :
I had purchased mine from sports authority it does not show up on their site . Cost around 50 dollars on sale, 59.99 regular price.

Amazon – Cost $42
Walmart – Cost $42
Fighting Sports.com -Cost $99
Title Boxing.com – Cost $99
Everlast – Cost $90

Click here to view the embedded video.

It is a great bench, it has some minor draw backs but those can be over looked considering what your  get for the price. The XRS 20 is a beginner to intermediate bench set.

Specs:

Gold’s Gym XRS 20 Bench:

• Independent Utility Bench can be used separately or moved out of the way allowing you to perform squats and other exercises without obstruction
• 6-Roll leg developer builds and develop quads, hamstrings, glutes and hip-flexors
• Curl Yoke builds your upper body
• Preacher Pad comfortably isolates your biceps and forearms while ensuring proper exercise form
• Adjustable Uprights can be adjusted to a number of positions for various exercises and comfort levels.
• Safety Spotters assist you while working out, preventing unnecessary injury
• Incline, Flat and Decline Bench Positions offer countless exercise options and proper exercise form
• Multi-Width Bench is designed to accommodate Olympic bars only
• Standing Squat Station lets you perform squats that isolate the quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves
• Keep your weights neatly organized and out of the way with the built-in plate storage
• Weights not included
• The weight bench is designed to support a maximum user weight of 300 lbs and a maximum total weight of 610 lbs
• Do not use the weight bench with more than 310 lbs of weight. Do not place more than 150 lbs on the leg lever
• Assembly required

Link to where you can get the XRS 20 Walmart – Cost $ 187.00

Sears has a comparable Joe Weider set they look basically the same.
Weider Core™ 600 Weight Bench Cost $199.99

Weider Core 600 Weight Bench

Sport Authority sells a model that has a walk in squat station. The bench is not free standing.
The Impex Marcy Diamond Elite Deluxe Olympic Bench Cost $249

Impex Marcy Diamond Elite Deluxe Olympic Bench