7000 sit-up Challenge for June 2011!!!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165257250207729

^^The 7000 sit-up challenge.

I created the challenge to give people an incentive to workout harder (or start working out) in the month of July.

I also gave 'em free diet and training advice to support their goals...as part of my 'give-back' initiative.

350 people have confirmed participation... but truth-be-told, it's gone viral. Hundreds more in my country alone are doing it. People on blackberry messenger have told me that their contacts have spread it to their contacts. Some soldiers in the middle east told me they spread it to their mates... so it's been hectic but fun.

...and, more so, humbling.

'Cus, I mean, there are middle-aged mothers doing it as well (mainly because their daughters are doing it), and they're taking time out of their day to hit their quota. So days when I don't even feel like working out (as it happens from time to time) I remember that some little old lady across the ocean isn't punking out.

As of tonight, July 18th, I've hit 6000 sit-ups. 13 days to go... and only 1000 reps more to be done. I may end up around the 10k mark

Last month I started a push-up challenge that went similarly viral. Hopefully next month we'll be able to build on the same drive...and encourage a couple hundred people to get up and be more active.

How the Challenge has affected me personally:
Thus far I've found that the challenge hasn't negatively affected my body composition, or my recovery. I was training twice per day leading up to it, so I was already operating at a high work capacity. So, I'm getting a little harder as it goes on. 


What I've found tho is that my core is way stronger, and I feel 'better' overall. I've experienced no soreness at all over these past 18 days ( - strange... I know). The latter is a surprise for me, as I hadn't prioritized or seriously trained core since I needed to bust through the 500lb deadlift barrier in 2005 or so. Sure, I tossed in some abs here and there...and did box jumps/planks/plyos as part of my conditioning work or the bootcamp classes I teach... but no serious direct work.

As to my previous injuries: My back is feeling healthier... and so are my hips.

The plan is to hit up the chiropractor at the end of July to get re-aligned...and then, I think I'm going to see how this increased core stability carries over onto my deadlift.

Next month, I think I'll make the challenge a squat challenge...and I'll switch my training over to the Smolov squat routine to compliment this.

August is going to be an interesting month... for sure.
Anyway... just wanted to share it with you guys here.

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


PS! --> Commemorative T-shirts for this challenge have been released! Get yours today!!!! ---> http://www.cafepress.com/NarkSide/7892847

Challenge Tees
^^Completed the challenge? Get the shirt!

Fitness Success... Life Success: One Simple Formula.

Fitness Success... Life Success: One Simple Formula.
by Narkissos & dukkitdalaw

NarkSide: June 29th 2011

Good evening all.

I'd like you to repeat after me: "I am the best."


img src: fallforward.wordpress.com

...I AM the best!

So many times, while we're feeling on top of our game, something just reaches out and drags our butts back down to earth. Sometimes, that thing drags us even further. We find ourselves, no longer looking at the stars from the clouds...but rather, trying to dig ourselves from the belly of the earth so we're able to at least see the grass. Yep, many times, we fall from the mountaintop, hit rock bottom...and then, when we feel that we can't get any lower, the floor falls out from underneath us.

And, we wonder: Just how the FUCK did we get here?

A minute ago, weren't we sitting at 8% bodyfat, KILLING it in the gym? How did we find ourselves on the couch, painfully fat... attempting suicide with a cocktail of chips and cake?

How?

Who cares?

I don't.

What *I* care about is getting back up to the top of the mountain.

So... let's get back to the top:

Realization:

Corey:
While trying to float like a butterfly, it's easier to get stung by a bee. Reaching for the sky makes you an easier target. This isn't to say "stop trying." Rather, this is to say "keep trying"...but expect people to take aim at your back.


img src: fluxuryb.com

Some people will aim at your back, & content themselves with riding on your coat tails. Others, will drag you back into the dirt with them.

Alex:
Success only comes to those who know themselves. You can only get so far off of riding piggy back.

Acceptance:

img src: www.insightzonecoach.com

Corey:
Friends & loved ones may fall under the category of "Some people". In your darkest time, you may find solace in strangers. But, again, expect this...and persevere.

Alex:
Friends are nice to have. Family can "usually" be depended on. But the only person in this world who is 100% always there for you, through shit storms, hard times, sunny days, and long nights.... is yourself.


img src: mommysalad.com

When you learn to communicate with yourself... when you learn to trust in your choices, and accept your mistakes... you will have one hell of a friend.


Persevere:
Alex:
When you come across hard times, hard choices to make, or are just plain at a loss for what to do in life.... asking someone for advice is the norm. But its a simple fact, most people give bad advice. Most people cannot relate to someone on different levels. Most people are simply put; stupid and self absorbed. They have their own problems. So yes, ask for advice. Then go with your own instinct.


img src: gemmastone.org

Learn to trust your instincts. Your heart and mind working together are a powerful combination. Whether its work, fitness, what to cook for dinner or relationships; you need to trust in yourself. Accept- your choices. Grow- from your experiences and mistakes.

Persevere - through whatever life throws at you.

Grow:
Corey:

• Accept.
• Grow.
• Persevere.

This is the formula for success. This is the key to satisfaction. Whether 'success' be defined by self-love or by gobs of money in the bank, this mantra is the key to accessing it.


img src: beliefnet.com

Copy this template into your life. Apply it to your fitness.

Apply it to your job.

Apply it to your search for peace and self-actualization.

Persevere, and enjoy. God bless.


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

-Alex Gelsinger
Writer
PottyMouth
Inspiration

Deliberate leg training...for deliberate growth.

NarkSide: June 13th 2011

"How can I get a pair of legs like yours?"

"How can I get a butt like yours?"

I get questions like these just about every time I step into the gym... or toss on a pair of shorts. Hell, jeans are no protection from questions like this either.

(...not that I'm complaining mind you.)


img src: bfptees.ca

I used to be unsure of how to answer that question.

But, then I started to watch other people train. Wasn't hard to see then why so many people have stick legs

What I found missing from a lot of trainee's workouts was the deliberate execution of movements.

Sure, there are a lot of guys who move a ton of weight. But, out of that flock you're sure to find a pretty large percentage of guys who don't have the mass to show for the weight they move.

Why?

One reason is that their form sucks... so a lot of other muscles are brought into play.

Another reason is that they use momentum.

(Yet another reason is that they just plain hate the feel of a couple hundred pounds crushing their spine...but that's a discussion for another day lol!)

Momentum and form are the two facets that we'll be discussing today.


Here are a few vids I'd like you to check out. This may be a no-brainer, but I'll make the request anyway:

• Do ignore the fact that there are small chicks in 'em.
• And, hell, if you fixate on the fact that it's a chick giving you instructions, check out their thighs, compare 'em to your own...and then STFU and listen.

Dumbbell full squats, pause front squats, hip-dominant deadlifts etc:

You Tube

You Tube

'half'-squats:

You Tube

You Tube

Pause squats:

You Tube

You Tube

VS

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

It's a no brainer.

Try training legs in a deliberate manner, and I gaurantee soreness and growth.



Take-home points:

• Use Full ROM
• Use tight form
• Deliberately contract musculature
  GROW.

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