Here's a little video I made detailing what I feel ... nope I take that back ... what I KNOW is the #1 way to ensure amazing results from your fitness and health program. Check it out, and no it's not about some gimmick or pill so don't worry!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
How To Make A Free Standing Pull Up Bar!
I've been receiving a lot of requests to show how my pull up bar was made or to send out plans on how to make my pull up bar. The truth is, I didn't make it so I can't give out the exact plans. However, what I do know is that it's not very hard and it's a simple design. The whole pull up bar is made from steel pipes and have been threaded at the ends. All in all the free standing pull up bar stands about 9 feet tall is around 4 feet wide, and the base bars are around 2 feet long on either side. Check out the video if you're looking to get a cheap pull up bar that can handle ring training as well. It's not by any means technical because I am the furthest thing from a handy man ... but it should help none the less!
Monday, February 27, 2012
7 Things You Do & Your Personal Trainer HATES!
Here's a little post I created about 7 of the most annoying things that personal trainers experience on a daily basis with their clients. If you've hired a personal trainer in the past or right now then please watch this video, you might just be doing 1 or more of the things that annoy your personal trainer more than anything else! The funny thing is that these don't just annoy your personal trainer, they actually directly effect your fitness and health results! So it might not be your trainer that's messing up your results ... it might be you!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Recovery Training (Yoga, Swimming, Massage etc)
If you're looking for results its no secret, you have to train hard. This means lifting heavy, performing HIIT workouts, full body functional exercises based around movements etc. You need to put a demand on your body that it's not always quite comfortable with in order to progress and improve. However, all this demand can take its tole on the body. If you're going to train hard, you have to recover and you need days/workouts that are dedicated to that specifically. Recovery days are important to help repair damage done to the body during your workouts, stretch muscles and prevent imbalances, increase mobility aiding in injury prevention etc.
There are plenty of options available for recovery after hard training days. Depending on your financial situation, location, or availability of services you may choose one over the other. Massage should be first on everyones list of recovery options. When you're training hard, muscles become tight, injuries can occur, and poor posture may result and lead to further problems in the future. Regular massage will help prevent and treat all these issues. If you can't afford regular massage sessions than foam rolling or using a PVC pipe may be a better option as a form of self massage.
Yoga is also an excellent option for your lighter or recovery days. It's a chance to stretch out the entire body, work some muscles you may be neglecting in your regular training, and still feel like you've had a small workout. I would highly suggest taking a restorative or lighter yoga class if you're already training hard. This means no power yoga or ones specifically designed to be a workout. I would suggest trying Yin Yoga or a light Hatha class.
Another great form of recovery is swimming, or rather floating. Simply floating in water takes a lot of pressure off the joints of your body, and it's also very soothing. If you have access to a pool try using some "pool noodles" to just float for a while and relax. Bring a friend for conversation or just close your eyes and enjoy the time alone to reflect.
Regardless of what you choose try to incorporate some form of recovery (or a couple forms) during a few days of the week. Trust me, your body will thank you for it!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Jiu Jitsu/Grappling Workout!
Here's a nice workout for any of you looking to boost your conditioning and strength endurance for grappling such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu! Grappling matches can be long and gruelling, battling back and forth, resisting your opponents force, and attempting to impose yours! These matches are not only tough on your cardiovascular conditioning and strength endurance, but your mobility as well. This is why I have a number of body weight complexes that are specifically designed too meet the needs and demands of grappling athletes, but also work well for the average joe. Watch the video above, try this one out and let me know what you think!
Jungle Fit On The News!
Here's a little interview I did with the local Kingston Ontario News about free fitness! Check it out =) !
Friday, December 9, 2011
How To Increase Your Pull Up Numbers Today!!
If you're one of the many people frustrated because you've hit a sticking point with your pull ups/chin ups, if can't seem to increase the amount of reps you perform, then I've got some suggestions for you! There are a number of ways to go about improving your chin up / pull up reps but today we'll look at four different ways that just might help you in your quest!
Switch Up Your Grip: Try palms facing towards your body (chin ups) and palms facing away from your body (pull ups). Try narrow grips (hands close together) , regular grips (shoulder width for chin ups, just outside the shoulder for pull ups), and wide grips (neutral grip for chin ups, way outside shoulder width for pull ups. By mixing your grips you'll put a greater emphasis on different muscle groups that my be neglected during your regular pull up or chin up workouts. It will also help you break out of the "same old, same old" of your basic workout routine.
Try Drop Sets: Drop sets are a great way to perform a high number of repetitions that you wouldn't normally be able to perform in a straight set. And example of a drop set would be to do 10 chin ups on your first set, rest 30 seconds, then perform 9 chin ups on your second set, rest 30 seconds, then 8 on the third set. Continue in this fashion until you hit 1 or 2 reps. If you were to perform this drop set as described you would have pumped out 55 chin ups in total!
Embedded Pauses: Adding embedded pauses to your chin ups and pull ups is an excellent way to eliminate any weakness you may have in a certain area of the pulling or lowering phase of the exercise. If you're weak in any area of the pull up or chin up than it could result in a lower number of reps than you're truly capable of performing. Try performing your pull ups/chin ups with a 3-5 second pause at the top, eye level, 3/4 of the way down, and full hang of positions of the exercise. Think of your pull up as an elevator stopping at 4 floors on the way down.
Practice, Practice: Remember, that sometimes all you need is to treat your training as practice to increase your reps. Try performing the "greasing the groove" method. This would involve performing a few pull ups/chin ups multiple times throughout the day, not during your actual workout, and not any where near your maximum amount of reps. If you were to do 6 chins in the morning, at lunch, in the evening, and before bet that would add up to 24 chins during the day and some quality practice without maxing yourself out at all!
Just remember that with practice and dedication you can reach your goals regardless of what they might happen to be.
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