Monday, November 9, 2009

Bootyful Buns and tight, lean thighs in 8 weeks!

Bootyful Buns and tight, lean thighs in 8 weeks!
-or your money back!

by Corey Springer

NarkSide: November 7
th 2009

Hello all.

Over the months I've received a lot of your questions regarding building the perfect pair of buns. You know the type I'm referring to: The stop-and-stare-and-forget-to-breathe-as-she-passes-by type of butt. Well... your wait is over! Your journey towards a perfect butt starts today!

Just about anybody can benefit from stronger, sexier buns. From the functional perspective, strong buns can prevent back pain... an affliction which 75% of society suffers from.

In this article, I'm going to lay out one of my MOST effective booty-shaping work-outs from start to finish. All you've got to do is follow it to the letter... 3 times per week, for 8 weeks. That's it.

A tip: Take a day of rest in between each work-out. You'll need it.



Exercise 1: The glute bridge


Beginning:



End:



You guys may remember this exercise, as I introduced it a previous article: "Narkissos resurrects the dead(-lift)". In this article however, we'll be using this exercise as our primary warm-up. By directly targeting the glutes, via this exercise, we ensure that they'll be firing correctly during our work-out.

Target: 2 sets of 15-20 repetitions.

Rest between sets:
30 seconds

Tips and tricks: Pause for two seconds at the point of peak contraction... and then release slowly, lowering yourself back to the start position. Upon reaching the starting position, don't pause... immediately return to the end position for a peak hold.

I've got to warn you... This. Will. BURN!

Your hamstrings should be slightly taxed as well if you've done this correctly.



Exercise 2: The plie squat


Beginning:


End:


Ah... the plie squat. We'll be using this exercise as our secondary warm-up.

This exercise? This exercise is an inner-thigh KILLER!

Say good-bye to THAT problem area!


Target:
2 sets of 20 repetitions.

Rest between sets:
30 seconds

Tips and tricks: Pause for two seconds at the point of max stretch... and then slowly return to start position. Upon reaching the starting position, don't pause... immediately return to the deep squat position for a peak hold.

Searing pain.

Loads of it!



Exercise 3: The dumbbell front squat


Beginning:


End:


With our warm-ups completed, now we get to the REAL meat of the session. This may be an unfamiliar move for many of you, but this brute here is one of my all-time favourites. Why do I prefer this movement to the standard barbell squat? Well because the weight is held in front of you, your center of gravity shifts... imbuing the exercise with a frontal-thigh-specific focus.

The short story? This exercise addresses the entire frontal thigh, including the area just above the knee... which is a problem area for a number of women. Flabby thighs be gone!!!


Target: 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Rest between sets:
30-60 seconds



Exercise 4: The leg-press - Feet positioned high on platform.


Beginning
:



End:



Everybody's seen the standard leg-press. This variation however, specifically targets the butt and hamstrings ( - the rear of the thigh - ). How does it do that? Well, it's like the exercise which precedes it... but in reverse: By placing the feet high on the platform, the center of gravity is shifted rearwards... thus the exercise becomes posterior-specific.

Target: 3 sets of 20 repetitions.

Rest between sets:
30-60 seconds

Tips and tricks: Due to the position of your feet, you'll need to push through your heels. To ensure that your heels remained grounded, a trick I use with clients is to have them curl their toes towards their instep. This ensures that the heel remains in contact with the platform through out.



Exercise 5: The Bulgarian Split-Squat


Beginning:


End:


Wicked... I know!

Because of that, I'm not going to tweak this movement at all. It's brutal enough as is!


Target: 2 sets of 10 repetitions (each leg) per set.

Rest between sets:
15 seconds (i.e. enough time to switch legs)



Exercise 6: Good-Mornings


Beginning:


End:


Target: 2 sets of 15 repetitions

Rest between sets:
30-60 seconds.

Execution: Begin this lift by resting a barbell across your shoulders. Pinch the shoulder blades together slightly to assist in keeping the bar in place. My preferred stance for this lift is about shoulder-width stance. Exhale... and slowly bend forward at the hips ( - all the while inhaling -) until your torso is just about parallel to the floor. At this point, your lungs should be full of air... thus supporting core stability. Slowly return to the fully upright position, all the while clenching your butt muscles.



Exercise 7: Dumbbell Stiff-leg Deadlifts


Beginning
:


Midpoint:


End:


Target: 2 sets of 15 repetitions

Rest between sets:
30-60 seconds.

Execution: Again, my preferred stance for this lift is approximately shoulder-width. Grab two dumbbells using a neutral grip (i.e. palms facing body). With a very slight end in the knees, slowly bend forward at the hips... lowering the dumbbells until you feel an intense stretch in your hamstrings and/or butt ( - whichever comes first -). Slowly return to the fully upright position, all the while clenching your butt muscles.



Exercise 8: Unilateral hip extension static hold


Peak Contraction:


Most of you are accustomed to seeing women in the gym executing this exercise for endless repetitions... never really achieving much of anything. I'm not going to let you waste your time here... so we're going to do something atypical. We're going to do just 2 repetitions of this exercise on each leg. That's right... just two! There's a catch though. I want you to hold the peak contraction until your legs shake uncontrollably. Deal? Let's get cracking then!

Target: 2 sets of 2 repetitions (on each leg)

Rest between sets:
30-60 seconds.

Tips and Tricks: Each repetition should be held for 20-30 seconds. Try to breathe normally through-out. Do NOT get tempted to hold your breath.



Exercise 9: Kneeling Lateral Hip Abduction


Beginning:



End
:



Target: 2 sets of 20 repetitions (each leg) per set.

Rest between sets:
15 seconds (i.e. enough time to switch legs)



Exercise 10: Standing Hip Abduction


Beginning:



End
:



Target: 2 sets of 20 repetitions (each leg) per set.

Rest between sets:
15 seconds (i.e. enough time to switch legs)


And that's a wrap!

Remember... three times per week ( - every other day -) for 8 weeks.

You can do it!

Regards,

-Corey "Narkissos" Springer
Owner of:
"The
NarkSide" Fitness Forums
Apollo Fitness Barbados
NarkSide Apparel

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Abs in 8 weeks? AB-solutely!! - Part 2

Abs in 8 weeks? AB-solutely!! - Part 2
by Corey Springer

NarkSide: November 8th 2009

And we're back for another core-melting installment!

Part 1 was a piece of cake wasn't it?

*Loud silence ensues*

Breathe!



C'mon... Breathe! I was just kidding. I know just how brutal it was.

Hm... Well... I... really don't mean to scare you guys but, that...that was just the warm-up.

From this point on, we step into a world where mere mortals never venture.

Are you guys game?!

(BTW: The correct answer is AB-SOLUTELY!)

Now we get down to the REAL meat of the matter. Let me introduce to you Abdominal Anarchy (c2) - "The Finisher".

c2: all advanced moves... all ridiculously hard.

Let me suggest this to you now: if you're not physically up to this challenge, do another two circuits of the c1 work-out... and skip this (harder) circuit altogether!


/end disclaimer.
_________________________________________________
c2 - Exercise 1: The side plank

Start:




Finish:


Yep... we're bringing out the big guns from the very beginning! We'll be doing one repetition of this exercise on each side... holding the peak contraction for 30 seconds (on each side).
_________________________________________________


NB:
Our advanced readers out there can do the elite version of this static hold instead of the above version:



_________________________________________________

c2 - Exercise 2: The plank

Start:


Finish:


The plank looks easy... but it really isn't. Heck, you'll find that out on your own soon enough. Our goal here is a 30-second hold at the 'Finish' position. Make it happen!


c2 - Exercise 3: The plank - push-up position

Start:


Finish:



Looks like a push-up right? Don't be fooled!

This exercise is like the push-up's abusive step-father!

It's BRUTAL! It's SO brutal that I'll take two 10-second holds here... each with a different arm extended. (i.e. you'll do one 10-second hold with the left arm extended... and then you'll repeat with your right arm extended).

By now your core should feel like it is no longer your own. We're not done yet though... We JUST GETTING STARTED!


c2 - Exercise 4: The spider-crawl.

In this exercise we basically move from a totally upright position, to a modified plank position... all the while bending our legs only minimally. Basically, you're 'walking' on your hands until you've reached full extension. Sounds hard?

'Hard' is an understatement!

Start:


Mid-Point:


End:



Upon reaching full extension, I want you to hold that position for 10 seconds. Don't worry, it's soon over.

...well, at least that's the story I'm sticking with!


c2 - Exercise 5: A full hand-stand, from the 'frog' hand-stand position!

Start:



Mid-point:


End:


"Nark... are you serious?"

Yes.

Hell Yes.

At this point, it doesn't matter how long you can hold this end-position. Whether you get there or not, we WILL move on to the next exercise in this circuit. However, it's important that you try. I mean, hell... you've come this far, why give anything other than 100% now?


c2 - Exercise 6: Pseudo-Spiderman



30 seconds of crawling around like a crazed costume avenger. You'll look absolutely ridiculous... Just about as ridiculous as the the burning this movement will generate in your core. Do NOT take this exercise lightly!


c2 - Exercise 7: The "crab-back" and modified "crab-back".

"What the hell Nark?"

You asked for it... and now we're delivering gatdammit!

The crab-back is a childhood favourite of mine which I rediscovered while working out with some gymnasts a decade or so back. I can't tell you just how important stretching the core is for people who spend most of the day sitting... particularly where injury prevention is concerned.

Nothing stretches the core quite like this exercise. Trust me!

Position 1:



Position 2:



Position 3:


We'll be using this 3-part move to stretch the abs, obliques, and hips. Each position will be held for 10-20 seconds, for a total of a 30-60-second crab-back.


c2 - Exercise 8: The modified "Flag".

Now you'll see why we call this circuit the "Finisher". Our last exercise is absolutely insane. If you can't get it done, I really won't hold it against you.

The standard 'flag' ends when the trainee's body is parallel to the ground (and perpendicular to the pole). However, we've added a twist to the movement. In our version, the 'end' is that point where the torso is parallel to the ground...and the lower-body is parallel to the pole.

SICK... I KNOW!

Start:



Mid-point:


End:


I'll take whatever you can give me here... be it a 1-second hold at peak contraction, or a 10-second hold.

Having completed the circuit, take a 3-minute rest and then repeat it once more... if you can.

Kudos to you if you've made it this far.

Regards,

-Corey "Narkissos" Springer
Owner of:
"The
NarkSide" Fitness Forums
Apollo Fitness Barbados
NarkSide Apparel

Abs in 8 weeks? AB-solutely!!

Abs in 8 weeks? AB-solutely!!
by Corey Springer

NarkSide:
October 12th 2009

I promise that this isn't another one of "those" articles. You know the type I'm referring to: Articles which promise unreasonable (and some would argue, IMPOSSIBLE) results in an unreasonably short space of time. I know, I know... they're attractive. Articles like that seem to speak to our innermost desires. The supplements they inevitably push have the "it factor". But do they honestly work? No... So let's move on to some things which do!

Here are the things I'm going to assume:

  • I'll assume that you want a lean and sexy mid-section.
  • I'll assume that you've been pushing hard at the gym, following the last four installments of our "Lean and Sexy 101" series.
  • I'll assume that you're stoked and ready to take your work-outs to the next level.

So why sit around waiting for the next 'sure thing'? There are only two more months left in the year 2009 after all.

Let.

Us.

OWN.

Them!

_________________________________________________
NB: If you're just joining us for the first time, I encourage you to check out the "Lean and Sexy 101" series:
  • Part 1: Killer shape-up tips - "Groove your way forward".
  • Part 2: Killer shape-up tips - "Get your Game Face on".
  • Part 3: Killer shape-up tips - "Run, baby Run!".
...They're chock-full of tips and tricks to bring you up to speed. :)
_________________________________________________

So how DOES one go about changing one's body in 8 weeks? I'll show you! Let me introduce you to Abdominal Anarchy (c1) - the core-blasting circuit work-out which WILL kick your ass!

c1: The general 'warm-up'... 5 exercise which you may know, executed in a way you may not recognize.


Exercise 1: The basic crunch.

Start:

Caption: Basic = Easy... right?

Finish:


Caption: Trust me when I say that he's only smiling because he doesn't know what's coming next.

Here, you're going to do as many repetitions as you can (with good form) for 30 seconds. Then we'll move on to the next exercise.


Exercise 2: Oblique static hold


Peak contraction:


Caption: See what I'm mean? That smile is quickly fading.

Again, we'll be executing this movement for time... However this time around we won't be doing multiple repetitions. What I want you to do is to hold the contraction for 30 seconds on either side.

That's right... ONE rep on either side.

Trust me when I say this won't be as easy as it looks!


Exercise 3: Leg raise w/ hip thrust

Start:



Mid-point:


End:



Here we'll be doing 10 reps (or as many repetitions as you can [with good form] over 30 seconds). Sounds easy huh? Well, wait until you see what I have planned for the REST of your session!


Exercise 4: Jack-Knife Static Hold

Peak Contraction:



Here we go again, frying that core at its very core. We'll be doing one repetition of this movement... which we'll be holding for 30 seconds. After you've experienced our version of a core meltdown, we'll move on to the next exercise in this circuit. Can you say BURN?!

_________________________________________________

NB: Our intermediate-level readers out there can do the mid-level versions of this static hold instead of the above version:


_________________________________________________

NB: Our advanced readers out there can do the elite version of this static hold instead of the above versions:


_________________________________________________

Exercise 5: Jack-Knife

Start:


End:


I figure by now that you're ready to send a hitman my way. While I wait for the doorbell to ring, I'll accept no less than 10 repetitions of this exercise from you. You've got 30 seconds to work with... so if you can exceed 10 repetitions, DO SO!

I know you're fatigued as hell, but you've got to keep it tight.

Keep that chin tucked in to your chest and remember to breathe, breathe, breathe!
_________________________________________________

NB: Our advanced-level, ab-ninja readers out there can do the elite version of this static hold instead of the above version:

Start:


End:

_________________________________________________

Winded? I expect you are... but we aren't finished as yet! I'll allow you 60 seconds of 'rest' at this point.

"How gracious of you Nark".

No... not really. Here's what I want you to do when you're 'resting':

Active Rest AKA 'The Vacuum':



Yep... this is exactly what it looks like: I want you to lay on your back, with your feet together... and I want you to extend your arms overhead, reaching as far as you can. While reaching, I want you to exhale and suck your stomach in. When you've fully emptied your lungs, your stomach should be sucked in as far as it can go. Upon reaching this point, I want you to hold it for 10 seconds... and then release slowly, inhaling at the same time. Repeat as many times as you can during your allotted 60-second break.

Then it's back to the grind. I want you to repeat this entire circuit three times. That should take you approximately 15 minutes. i.e. half of the total duration of this work-out. If you think that was brutal, wait until you see the other half of the work-out!

In our next article, we'll be introducing c2 - "The Finisher" - a core-killer like NONE OTHER!

Stay tuned!

Regards,

-Corey "Narkissos" Springer
Owner of:
"The
NarkSide" Fitness Forums
Apollo Fitness Barbados
NarkSide Apparel