Cable Kneeling Crunch

The Cable Kneeling Crunch is a part of the cable ab exercises,it is a pulling isolation exercise for the abdominal muscles and a great workout for abs.The movement is used as an aid in the development of strength and muscle mass in the abdomen. Its performance is moderately difficult to control. Suitable for intermediate and advanced fitness enthusiasts.

Contradictions

People with shoulder, shoulder girdle and spine injuries should perform the exercise with caution. In case of pain while performing, ask a trainer or an experienced athlete about your form. If the problem is not the form, you should consider consulting a orthopedist.

Involved Muscles 

Target

• Rectus Abdominis

Synergists

• Obliques

Stabilizers

• Iliopsoas
• Tensor Fasciae Latae
• Rectus Femoris
• Sartorius
• Latissimus Dorsi
• Teres Major
• Deltoid, Posterior
• Triceps, Long Head
• Rhomboids
• Trapezius, Lower
• Pectoralis Major, Sternal
• Pectoralis Major, Clavicular
• Pectoralis Minor
• Serratus Anterior

Cable Kneeling Crunch How To:

Preparation

1. Kneel while facing the pulley.
2. Grasp the rope with both hands, palms should be at head level(palms facing head, wrists against head).
3. Tighten your stomach and kneel while keeping a considerable distance from the pulley so that you can bend.
4. In the starting position back should be straight (not hunched).

Execution

1. Slowly start to bend the top of the spine,as you bend your abs and keeping the waist still.
2. The end point is reached when your head almost touches the floor or elbows touch your thighs.
3. Hold at the bottom for a second.
4. Very slowly return to the starting position as you strive to keep the tension in the muscles and not to move your hips.

Comments and recommendations

• The movement takes place only in the upper sector of the spine.
• The lever (cable) should not swing.

Cable Kneeling Crunch Relevancy

• Include the cable kneeling crunch in the middle of your routine for abdominal muscles during the main period and in a shaping period you can use it as the first exercise in a workout for abs with longer sets.

(sources:exrx.net)(pictures:theteenstreet.com)

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Dips

Dips in bodybuilding and fitness are an exercise used primarily to increase muscle mass on your chest and triceps and are one of the best ways to gain muscle fast. This is an exercise that any athlete can include in his/hers training regimen , regardless of their training experience. Performed on parallel bars or other specialized "dips" devices. The distance between the two bars is the determining factor of the focus of the exercise. Upon closer parallel bars the burden shifts to the triceps, and in a wider - to the chest.In the dip exercise the most load goes to the chest muscles and the inner heads of the triceps. The deltoids (shoulders) participate the least in the dip exercise.

Variations

The width of the grip -

• Shoulder width : (narrower grip) emphasizes the triceps. 
• In a wider grip, the target switches to the chest.

According to the slope of the body -

• If you bend your body forward (bend your knees, cross them at the ankles and bend your body forward slightly) accentuate the chest, when the body is upright (straight, legs are not crossed), a greater load is subjected on the triceps .

According to the position of the elbow - 

• If you move your elbows close to your body, the more load on the triceps. If your elbows are out, the more it involves the chest.
• With added weight - If the exercise is getting too easy for you(you can do more than needed for hypertrophy), you can try adding additional weight attached to the waist belt or with a dumbbell between your ankles.

Method of execution

1.  Go down slowly by bending arms allowing the elbows to flare to the sides until you feel a painless stretch in your chest and triceps.
2. Return to starting position.

• Dips put a big load on your elbows, especially when weighted dips are performed with improper form. 
• Warm up your elbows prior to the exercise. This will reduce the risk of injury of the joins.
• Perform the movement in its full amplitude, rather than half. Lower your body until you feel a painless stretch in your triceps and chest (here the individual feeling is very important due to the small limit of optimum stretch and hyper extension).
• Try not to swing your body while performing the exercise. Movement should be done only at the elbow and shoulder joints.
• Beware of sore elbows - elbow injuries in the joints are not desirable.
• Try to keep your head up and look forward when performing dips.
• Do not extend your arms completely during the positive part of the exercise(do not lock out your elbows). This will unnecessarily increase the load on the elbows, and will take away from the stress on the triceps.

Relevancy

The main function of the dip exercise in bodybuilding and fitness is increasing the mass of the chest and triceps. It is therefore advisable to include them in your workout, regardless of you're a beginner or an advanced fitness enthusiast.It's a great way to gain muscle without weights. If you are a beginner, include dips as your second exercise on chest/triceps day. If you are more advanced, it is best to perform dips at the end of your chest/triceps workout.If your goal is mass gain try to stay into the 6-12 rep. range.If you are able to do more than 15 then i suggest adding additional weight so you stay in the hypertrophy rep. range.

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Skull Crushers/Barbell Lying Triceps Extension/French Press

 The Skull Crusher/The Barbell Lying Triceps Extension/French Press is a classic exercise used for decades by bodybuilders and strength athletes to gain new quality muscle in the triceps muscles. It is a basic, while isolating motion. The skull crusher can be performed with a number of variations which I'll be covering below.

Contraindications

The skull crusher exercise is contraindicated for people with injuries of the shoulder, shoulder girdle, elbows and wrists. Improper performance in people with increased / decreased cervical lordosis often ends with migraine.

Involved muscles

Target

• Triceps (Triceps brachii)
• Anconeus

Synergists

• No significant synergists load can be distributed in varying degrees between the heads of the triceps. The inclusion of back and shoulder muscles in the movement with a supporting character is seen as cheating.

Stabilizers

• Deltoid, Anterior
• Pectoralis Major, Clavicular
• Wrist Flexors

Variations:

According to the grip (in the palms) and elbows:

• Open Elbows Grip (palms facing legs / ceiling): Forces inner shoulder rotation, reducing the involvement of the long head, reducing the overall power of the extension as well.
• Elbows Slightly Open: Emphasis on middle heads. It's popular for work with an intensity that stimulates strength, endurance and an increase in muscle mass.
• Neutral Grip:elbows parallel: The most natural grip for the triceps extension. Here all the muscle heads work in synergy and the results are of the highest efficiency. This is the grip which with the appropriate weighting is most commonly used to increase strength, endurance and increase muscle mass.
• Palms Facing Face: Parallel elbows and wrists: The focus is on the long heads.The range of motion is limited.

According to the slope of the bench:

• Horizontal - classic optimal.
• Small incline slope - facilitates control of the shoulder girdle for people with stronger push movements, but decreased productivity in the lower parts of the triceps. Recommended 2/5 amplitude in the upper range of motion.
• Small decline slope - hinders shoulder girdle control in people with stronger push movements and vice-versa, but lowers productivity in the upper parts of the triceps. Full extension and training to failuire is not recommended.

Execution:

Preparation

• Lie on bench with narrow overhand grip on barbell. Position barbell over forehead with arms extended.

Execution

• Lower bar by bending elbows. As bar nears head move elbows slightly back just enough to allow bar to clear around curvature of head. Extend arms. As bar clears head, reposition elbows to their former position until arms are fully extended. Repeat.

Comments

• With arms fully extended, bar can be brought back over upper chest. Shoulders can be internally rotated between repetitions as needed to allow for relative release of tension in muscles. Barbell can be recieved from the floor or from rack either situated over abdomen or from behind head.

Relevancy

The Skull Crusher is essentially an exercise for the triceps day in a workout split. Place immediately after the heavier movements like the triceps dips, close grip bench press, triceps push ups(diamond push ups)

Not recommended for beginners in bodybuilding and fitness. Its proper implementation is best achieved with an advanced training partner to oversee the curve of movement and positioning of the existing joints - elbows, wrists and shoulders.

(sources:exrx.net, wikipedia)

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Preacher curl.

 The preacher curl is a pulling, isolated exercise that is supporting the development of the folders of the elbow joints.The movement is especially suitable for intermediate and advanced fitness and bodybuilding enthusiasts.

Contraindications

People that have shoulder injuries or an injured, shoulder girdle, elbow and wrist joints should perform the preacher curl with caution.

Involved muscles.

Target

• Brachialis

Synergists

• Biceps Brachii
• Brachioradialis

Stabilizers

• Wrist Flexors

Variations

According to the instrument used:

• With the EZ bar, Scott bench or stand - power variation
• With straight bar, Scott bench or stand - insulation variation
• With a dumbbell (one sided), Scott bench, stand or a folding bench seat - insulation variation enables one sided focus on muscle development imbalances (visual / functional) left and right.

Range of motion:

• Full range of motion - the movement begins almost fully extended elbow while the forearm is in a vertical stand.
• Partial range of motion without rest - the movement is only about peak flexion without rest in lower and upper point.
• Partial range of motion with peace - short movement in upper or lower curve of motion.

Grip variations:

• The width at which the elbows are placed does not change for different grips, it's always shoulder.

• The different grips hit the two different heads in your bicep.
• The narrow grip works the outside head (long head) and the wider grip works the inside head (short head).

Methods of execution

Preparation

• Adjust the height and angle of the Scott bench, so that it is appropriate for your height and the length of your arms.
• Select a bar that allows you to do a shoulder width grip.

Performance

• Slowly bend your arms without moving your elbows, keeping arms parallel.
• Go slowly at the bottom point.
• Prepare for the next repetition.

Comments and recommendations

• The preacher curl with a barbell is easily accomplished, but may be a bit of a burden for your elbows. A common mistake is the moving of the elbows during this exercise. So be careful with the weight, and form.
• No separation of the elbows, keep them close to each other and try to keep your arms parallel. Divergence of the elbow is a sign of too much weight.
• Do not straighten arms fully on the bottom position. You will put unnecessary strain on the elbow, and let the biceps rest. Expand hands almost, but not entirely.
• Keep your wrists tight.
• Before exercise warm up wrists, shoulders and elbows.

Bodybuilding and Fitness

The main use of the preacher curl is increasing the mass of the arm by stimulating the brachialis and biceps to growth. Variations with one hand are suitable for smoothing visual and functional imbalances.

Do not perform the preacher curl if you are a beginner, except under the supervision of a coach.

Intermediate fitness and bodybuilding enthusiasts may include exercise as a second or third exercise on biceps day.

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Bodybuilding Stunts Growth?

The reaction of almost everybody that is uninvolved in fitness and gets told that i do fitness is:Oh you won't grow anymore, you will stay short for the rest of your life etc.

Well I'm proof that bodybuilding does not stunt vertical growth at all.I grew more than an inch in the last couple of months and i am still growing(I'm 15 177cm+) While i am training really hard in the gym and constantly improving my performance.

Bodybuilding/doing fitness by itself will not stunt your growth, in fact it may even boost it.It has been proven that weight training increases your naturally occurring testosterone levels and if you are not destroying body in the gym like some idiots i see doing weights that exceed their capabilities and visit snap city every time they visit the gym you WON'T STUNT your growth.

There are things how ever that can stun your growth.Those are steroids, malnutrition  and some supplements.

I'll start with the steroids.

So your bones are connected by cartilage which holds them together and over time some of the cartilage turns into bone, but that doesn't continue forever.At one point in puberty when your body is pumping out hormones like crazy your cartilage sees the huge amount of hormones and it decides that it is time to stop growing cause in order to have so many hormones you are an adult.Well when you take steroids they turn into hormones, huge amounts of hormones and your body can't tell from where exactly they are coming from so it thinks you have become an adult and boom it stops your growth.And if you get off the steroids there is NO guarantee that you will continue growing.My opinion is that there is very little to no chance for the growth to come back.

Now lets talk about the nutrition.

It's been proven that bad nutrition will stunt your growth.You can't know by how much but it will, it may be an inch or even a millimeter but why take the chance?Try to lay off the french fries, chips etc. It won't only make you fat but it may also stunt your growth.A very important substance for bone growth is calcium everybody that is 9-18y old should try to get 1300mg of calcium every day

And about the supplements

If you are young, you should not be using any other supplements than a multivitamin and a good quality protein.Many of the supplements on the market contain substances that can stunt your growth so why take the chance?Good nutrition is all you need to build muscle, supplements may help you build muscle, but most of the time they are just bullshit spreaded by fitness magazines and companies to make you waste money on useless supplements.

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Quick high protein tasty yogurt desert recepy for bodybuilding and fitness.

First I'd like to apologize about not posting much recently i will start posting regularly again soon i'm having some issues these days.

For this high protein fitness desert you will need : 

* 200g. low fat greek yogurt
* 1 scoop of protein powder[pref. chocolate]

* a hand full of blueberries+strawberries[If you are using frozen berries like i am just microwave them for 15 seconds and they're ready to eat]
* Optional: tbsp. of oatmeal/muesli.
NOTE:Measurements don't have to be exact.
Stir all this up and it's ready to eat.

Nutritional facts:

 226 calories.
 11.5g fat.
 10g carbohydrates.
 34g protein.
 NOTE:For those nutritional facts I've used plain greek yogurt if you use low fat one you will have even less calories/fats.
Enjoy!

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Cheap protein choice!For bodybuilding and fitness.

Hello guys,
so yesterday i went out to buy a new tub of protein and i found this product in the sports nutrition store.It's 5lbs(2.27kg) SYNGEX Whey Isolate

85 servings 105 calories per 26g serving with 20g protein, 0g carbohydrates, 1.5g of fat just for 32 euros.

You can order it online for 28 bucks.For all of you in the US/Canada this may be normal stuff, but for all of us europeans this protein is hella cheap.It is 37 cents per serving i mean come on it doesn't get better than this.Here are the pros and cons in my opinion

PROS

Really cheap and it lasts long Mixes great Tastes just awesome Good value and recovery 37 cents per serving

CONS

n/a
So that's basically it i wanted to share this with you guys because i know how much a pain in the ass finding cheap whey protein in Europe can be.In Bulgaria protein prices are doubled and it is just really expensive for our low salaries.

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Ghetto/Prisoner workouts for begginers and building consistency

 First the easiest workout that you should start doing after you are able to do 10+ push ups and at least 1 pull up.

Requirements >10 push ups 1 pull up.

Day 1 Chest+triceps+abs:

Start off with wide grip push ups 3 sets of 12/10/8.
Followed by 3-4 sets of bench dips with feet on another bench 10-15 reps(really focus on form here) after which 1 set Negative dips shoulder width grip and end by shoulder width push ups(you will probably have to do them on your knees)1 high rep. set End the workout with crunches and leg raises sets and reps to your liking.

Day 2:Biceps and back:

10 sets of shoulder width pull ups with palms facing face or the way most people like to call them chin ups 10 sets of your max reps.If you are able to do just one you go like 10 sets of 1.As it gets harder start getting your hands closer it will make it easier.Switch to negatives when you can't do them anymore.Followed by biceps hammer curls 2 sets of 8-12 with a light dumbbell(If you do not own one i suggest buying they're really cheap or just do an easy pulling movement at shoulder width grip. Continue for the rest of the week have a rest day after 6 days of working out.

Requirements> 20 push ups 10 pull ups.

Day 1 chest/triceps/abs: 

Dips 3 sets of 8-12reps.(switch to negatives when you can't continue with good form) Slow push ups 2 sets of 8-12 reps. Wide grip push ups 3 sets of 8-12 reps. Hip push ups 3 sets until failure. Crunches+leg raises to your liking.

Day 2 biceps/back: 

 2 sets of wide grip pull ups 8-12reps. 1 set of chin ups 8-12reps. 1 set of close grip chin ups 8-12 reps.

Requirements> 15 dips 15 pull ups.

Day 1 chest/triceps/abs: 3 Super sets of:Dips 8-12 reps + 8-10 Wide grip push ups. 3sets of Body weight skull crushers of 6-10 reps. Slow push ups until failure. Crunches+leg raises to your liking. Day 2 3 sets of wide grip pull ups 8-12 reps 1 set of chin ups 8-12 reps 1 set of close grip chin ups 8-12 reps.


Those workouts are to build consistency, strenght and gain muscle without weights so you can join the gym and be able to perform all of the exercises and it gives the opportunity of learning the importance of rest/form/nutrition before actually joining the gym.Which reduces the risk of injury and so on.I suggest eating a fast digestive carbohydrate meal and drinking at least a liter of water 1-2 hours prior to working out. Here are the three workout programs summarised.

Beginner:

Day1:

3 sets Wide grip push ups 12/10/8. 4 sets Bench dips with feet on a bench 8-12. 1 set of negative dips. 1 set of knee shoulder width push ups until failure. Crunches and leg raises to your liking.

Day 2:

10 sets of chin ups. 2 sets of lightweight hammer curls 8-12 reps.

Requirements> 20 push ups 10 pull ups.

Day 1: 

Dips 3 sets of 8-12reps. Slow push ups 2 sets of 8-12 reps. Wide grip push ups 3 sets of 8-12 reps. Hip push ups 3 sets until failure. Crunches+leg raises to your liking.

Day 2: 

2 sets of wide grip pull ups 8-12reps. 1 set of chin ups 8-12reps. 1 set of close grip chin ups 8-12 reps.

Requirements> 15 dips 15 pull ups.

Day 1 chest/triceps/abs: 

3 Super sets Dips 8-12 reps + 8-10 Wide grip push ups. 3 sets Body weight skull crushers of 6-10 reps. Slow push ups until failure. Crunches+leg raises to your liking.

Day 2 

3 sets of wide grip pull ups 8-12 reps 1 set of chin ups 8-12 reps 1 set of close grip chin ups 8-12 reps.

All of those programs have been tested by myself and I suggest giving your self a rest day after 6 days of working out.

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Intermittent fasting to build muscle and lose fat.

Intermittent fasting or IF

Hello guys, let's talk about IF.If you follow any fitness channel/blog/magazine you probably already know what Intermittent fasting is.Basically it is fasting for 16-24 hours and then eating your macros in a smaller than usual period of time.

An example of IF can be:
1st and ussualy biggest meal of the day-1PM
2nd meal of the day-4PM
3rd meal of the day-8PM
4th and last meal of the day-9PM

Fast from 9PM to 1PM the next day which is 16 hours of fasting.

Which results in weight loss.

Does it really work?

Well let's think about this for a second.Will you lose fat if i don't eat for extended periods of time?

What do you think?Of course you will lose fat.

Will you lose all your muscle?Will your body cannibalise all your muscle?NO!Come on guys really?All of that is a bunch of bullshit that the supplement companies want you to believe.When you have your last meal of the day at lets say 9PM it will take it until the next morning to digest all the food you ate.And also your body doesn't go off eating your muscle as it's first source of energy when you fast.That is what fat is for.Plus the majority of weight loss that comes from IF is that people tend to consume less food while on it.I don't know about you but i used to have those little snacks every time i go to the kitchen.You know a little bit of that a little bit of this.I used to think that it's okay because having those little snacks will boost my metabolism etc...
Plus i'm sure not many of you can go eat 6 meals per day.You either have to carry food with you everywhere you go or you will just have to buy something which is rarely going to fit in your macros.

What about hunger?

Well you might feel hunger the first few days but it's nothing intense.Just get a calorie free buble gum or  drink a lot of water and you won't feel hunger at all.Pretty much after the first week hunger disappears.

Are there any health benefits?

It has been said that fasting has many health benefins as it lets your body clean it self.But personally i believe that there hasn't been enough research on fasting to prove that on 100%.I can speak from personal experience that IF actually helped me with my acne.I never had huge amounts of acne but the amount of piples that i have have drastically decreased.Keep in mind i am eating even more sugar than before when i was on my regular diet.

Intermittent fasting comes in wide variety of forms.

Some people fast for 20 hours and then have an 4 hour window to eat.Other people fast for 24 hours and so on.IF can be used for fat loss, lean gaining of muscle mass and maintaining current weight.

You can learn more about Intermittent fasting on the leangains website.

And remember keep things simple don't over complicate things :)Building muscle and losing weight isn't rocket science.

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What you should do when you are a complete beginner in fitness and bodybuilding.

How to gain muscle without weights:

In this post I'd like to talk about people that are complete beginners in the fitness industry or for people that just can't seem to find motivation to go to the gym, people have had little or no experience in the gym. You see many people telling you to start with a gym membership right off the bat, and I'm sure that some of you just can't find the motivation to go to the gym and see it like a "chore".Well guys in my opinion that's not the way to go.I did not start that way, and more than 10 people so far are trying to come to the gym right off the bat with me but it seems like their motivation lasts for a day.

Well what if I told you that all you need is a playground to get in shape and build muscle.

A place to do pull ups, dips and push ups.I'm 100% sure that every one of you has a playground near by or if not that just a pull up bar. Even if you can't do a single push up and/or pull up it doesn't matter.Do you know how I started?I was able to do 3 push ups barely and not a single pull up.And then i came by a video about "street fitness" and i decided eh i can do this let's try.And in a couple of months i was able to do 20 dips, 30+ push ups, 15 pull ups starting from 3 bad form push ups. Each and everyone of you can do it.It wasn't a chore for me it was fun and it still is.

By starting out with caliestetic exercises you will eliminate almost all of the excuses.

Almost every person that is starting out and asking me for advice starts slacking and making excuses.Well if you work out at home or in the playground 2 minutes from your house you won't have many excuses would you? An example plan for a complete beginner who isn't able to do any pull ups and a few push ups is:

Monday:

• Knee push ups 5 sets of 10-12 reps 2 sec. going up 2 sec going down.(If you are able to do normal push ups i suggest doing as many as you can and then switching to knee push ups)
• Followed by bench dips with legs on the ground 5 sets of 10-15 reps.

Crunches 3 sets of as many as you can followed by 3 sets of leg raises again as many as you can. Tuesday:

• Negative chin ups 3 sets of as many as you can.
• Negative pull ups wide grip 3 sets of as many as you can.
• Biceps hammer curls with a light dumbbell(If you do not have one i suggest buying maximum 5 kg they're very cheap).

Repeat for the rest of the week.
Sunday is rest day.

In comparison to the fitness programs you see on the Internet this may seem not enough but trust me it is.
I suggest walking/jogging after your workouts.

By the end of the first week you will start seeing results.

Note that this is a for complete beginners.Tomorrow I will post more advanced exercise programs that you can do without gym membership after which I will start posting gym workout programs.I suggest using YouTube for tutorials on any of the exercises listed in this post.

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The truth about cholesterol.

Should you eat the cholesterol rich arch villains?

You might think that cholesterol in liver and egg yolks is really bad for you, and yes these foods are filled with cholesterol but like most cholesterol rich-foods they are jammed with important nutrients, vitamins and essential fatty acids.Doctors and drug companies want you to believe that cholesterol is a major cause of strokes and heart attacks.One in three people above the age of 45 take choresterol  lowering drugs known as statins.And sales are set to skyrocket in the next 10 years.

Egg whites contain far fewer nutrients.Don't believe me?Check this table from fitsugar.com

The yolk contains 100% of the carotenoids, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, E, D, and K (6 items). The white does not contain 100% of any nutrient.And, in fact, the University of Connecticut has extensively studied the effects of eggs on cholesterol levels. These high-quality controlled studies have shown that when people consume three to four eggs per day, with the yolk, virtually everyone experiences either no change or beneficial changes in their cholesterol levels. Dr. Maria-Luz Fernandez has reviewed those studies here.
<credits of the table go to www.fitsugar.com

Still having doubts?

I myself ate 2500mlg of cholesterol in a day which is more than 8 times the recommended amount.So i've had cholesterol for a week in 1 day and i kept eating cholesterol heavy foods the whole week, i'm eating cholesterol heavy foods on a daily.Very few people get affected by dietary cholesterol.Most of us can consume dietary cholesterol and have little to no effect on our bodies.So moral of the story is that companies are spreading false information about cholesterol effects so cholesterol lowering medications can be selled worldwide.

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Fitness goals and epic mix.

1. Sup ,this is covering my current state and my future goals.

I'm pretty satistified with my bodyfat at the moment.

Going to go to a lean bulk while doing intermittent fasting at the end of the summer.Pretty much my goals are to gain 2 kilos of lean muscle over the course of 8 months while staying under 15% bodyfat.And maintain after that in my opinion a lot of muscle on a young frame doesn't look very good.Gonna take some pictures and blog them next time i go to the gym.

(credits of the picture go to theshoupguy from bodybuilding.com)
The only supps i'm using are whey protein and a multivitamin.Green tea and fennel tea(to counter bloating).

Thinking of making video blogs aswell in the near future just need to get the hang of this thing first :)).

And As Promised.

>The mix<

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