The idea for this new version of Daily Specialization Training came to me as I was re-reading the famous story of Milos of Crotona in ancient Greece, who lifted a calf (a baby cow…not the calf muscle!) every day until that calf grew into a bull. I’m sure you’ve heard this one! This is an elegant example of the power of long-term, progressive resistance.
Part 1 of 3 on the deleterious effects of too much sitting
Are you struggling to lose that extra flab and all those nasty calories that seem to be glued to your waistline? Do you ever wonder why, despite your hard training and dieting, you still have those annoying love handles? Then maybe you should try to implement the NEAT way to fat loss…
The hanging leg raise is a GREAT lower abdominal exercise. But it does have a few disadvantages – the most prominent is that it can put a fair bit of pressure on the lower back at the bottom of the rep.
This variation of the leg raise is one I came up with for increasing explosiveness in the abs and hip flexors but also serves to overcome the issue of tension in the lower back – you basically blow past that point in the range of motion!
The Big Picture Of Permanent Weight Loss: A Practical Report
This new report is free on Kobo and .99 on Amazon.*
On Kobo HERE
On Amazon for Kindle HERE
Losing the weight is NOT the hard part; keeping the weight off is the hard part. Both studies and dieters have learned that lesson the hard way far too many times. Most diet programs are not intended, nor designed, to keep the weight off you long term. They are designed to keep you on their diet, period.
How to break the Yo Yo diet cycle? This easy to read and understand practical report gives the reader a basic guide to making smart decisions for PERMANENT weight loss.
By using this report as a practical guide to making choices on weight loss programs, permanent weight loss is the result.
Learn the simple test that will help you choose the right program for you, or the psychological factors most programs ignore that dictate your success on a weight loss plan, or which form of exercise is essential to keep your metabolism up and running.
PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS is a fact for some. What factors lead to their success vs. most who fail?
This practical guide will give you that answer.
* = When free on Amazon, I’ll update this page.
Each show will cover a wide range of topics important to anyone interested in accurate, science based, and objective information on all things health, fitness, longevity, weight loss, and body building related!
“Whether you are involved in competitive weight training or are a weekend warrior or somewhere in between – you need to understand the science behind your goals. Will Brink, writer, athlete and expert distills the essence of the facts on nutrition, training, weight loss so that you can understand and use the data. You’ll benefit from his years in the fitness industry and the solid information from his experts to build your body and plan for optimum results.”
SHOW #1:
Brink Zone Radio – The fat burning zone for weight loss: myth or science?
This show we examine the “fat burning zone” with guest Dr. Jose Antonio. People are often told to exercise at lower intensity, within some target heart rate, to “burn” more fat, but is that accurate advice or outdated?
Listen to this show HERE!
SHOW #2:
Brink Zone Radio – High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), overrated or the optimal form of exercise?
HIIT training has become very popular recently, but what is HIIT training? Who will benefit from it? What’s the difference between HIIT and interval training? Is it superior to aerobics? In this show we answer those and many other questions about HIIT training with researcher Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan.
Listen to this show HERE
Show # 3
BrinkZone Radio, What You NEED To Know About Whey!
What makes whey protein so unique from ALL other proteins? How does whey positively impact your health?
What makes one whey protein better than another? Isolates vs. Concentrates?
There’s far more to whey protein than most people realize, and in this show people will learn what’s so unique about whey as well as learn what marketing terms to avoid to choose the whey that’s right for them.
Listen to the show HERE
When at the Arnold Classic, I’m always on the lookout for something new and interesting for training equipment, and this year didn’t disappoint. People can get a taste of what I got to see in my recent vid from from 2013 Arnold Classic. On the Expo floor, I saw The Kettle Clamp, which grabbed my attention and I investigated. Glad I did! The Kettle Clamp allows you to convert any dumbbell into a Kettlebell, but there’s FAR more that can be done with The Kettle Clamp.
To be honest, I’m not a big kettlebell person. Although I do use them semi regular, they are not a central part of my exercise programs. I could see however The Kettle Clamp would not only allow me to convert the dumbbells I have in my home gym into KBs, there was plenty of other benefits to having a pair of Kettle Clamps in my tool box. Here’s a recent workout I did using The Kettle Clamp:
In this workout, I do a GPP/conditioning workout in two blocks:
Pull ups and farmers walks
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KB swings, grappler press, dead lifts using FatGripz
I took no time between exercises and tried to take less than a minute between rotations.
More info on The Kettle Clamp go HERE
If you are following the anti-aging media news, you’ve heard about the alleged benefits of calorie restriction (also known as food restriction or diet restriction). Studies in numerous species have demonstrated that reduction of calories 30-50% below ad libitum levels of a nutritious diet slows the aging process, increases lifespan, reduces the incidence and delays the onset of age-related diseases, improves stress resistance, and decelerates functional decline.
In a previous article http://www.brinkzone.com/general-health/calorie-restriction-vs-the-bodybuilding-lifestyle/ Will pointed out that practicing calorie restriction counters the bodybuilding lifestyle. Here I will explain that it not only counters the bodybuilding lifestyle, but also is makes it impossible to implement and reap the benefits of other healthy lifestyle habits, and in addition brings along several pitfalls and negative health consequences in humans.
While animal studies can and do shed light on what’s going on at mechanistic level, we have to be very careful and resist the temptation to extrapolate results from animal experiments to humans. Here I will make the case for that we can age gracefully and successfully and increase our health span and “youngevity” without having to starve ourselves for life.
I’ve written several articles for The BrinkZone on weight training, fat loss, fitness modeling, bodybuilding programs, and various of motivational articles. The articles were meant to inspire and motivate both men and women to embrace the fitness lifestyle, and maintain the healthiest, leanest, strongest body possible no matter what age or excuse. And speaking of (good) excuses, stay-at-home, post-partum, and working moms are among one segment of the population that can benefit the most from simple, basic knowledge of weight training and fat loss advice that can help get them lean, strong, and healthy.
That’s why I’ve produced a book and DVD that addresses the many challenges that moms of all strides face when trying to achieve fat loss, and can help inspire you to lose that baby weight for good. It’s a great program that’s simple and effective. Perhaps you’re a new mom or maybe a mommy of two or more, and you’re ready to drop a few pounds, and get back in your pre-pregnancy clothes. Or maybe you just want to get in the best shape of your life. This program is for you.
The Swing is a classic movement that targets almost every major muscle group in your body, though most specifically on the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, lower back). It’s one of the single best exercises you can do in the gym!
This exercise is often done using kettlebells, though you can also use dumbells very effectively as well, if you don’t have access to kettlebells, which is the version I’m going to focus on here…especially since it’s not often you find enough kettlebells in one place to really do a drop style of set like this. Dumbells, absolutely.
FatGripz Extreme
If you have read my articles and seen my vids, you know I’m a fan of thick bar/FatGripz training for anyone interested in improving their grip, arm strength, and overall functional strength for sports such as strongman, MMA, power lifting, and daily life. It’s a “must have” tool in the training tool box in my view. If you need a refresher on the benefits of thick bar/FatGripz training, take a look at the write up and vid I did a while back HERE, then come back to this page. I can wait!
The makers of FatGripz have come out with the FatGripz Extreme. The Extreme model is thicker than the standard FatGripz, getting closer in size to what strong man competitors actually train and compete with. World class power lifter, top coach, and Founder of Elite Fitness had this to say about these new Extreme grips:
“…these are the best grips I have ever used. While they all serve slightly different purposes these Fat Gripz Extremes have more uses than all the others combined.
If you are looking to add variety to your training, work around minor shoulder/elbow aches, and increase neuro-muscular activation, give FAT GRIPZ EXTREME a try!”
I would agree with Dave. While I personally tend to stick with the standard sized FatGripz for most exercises when looking to increase grip width on an exercise – such as chin ups, farmers walks, trap bar dead lifts, etc, – the addition of the new Extreme grips adds yet another dimension.
These grips are not for everyone. If you’re new to thick bar/FatGripz training, I’d recommend the standard sized FatGripz. However, if you have been using standard FatGripz for a while or have had access to thick bars, then the Extreme is a tool in your training tool box you’ll want for sure.
Here’s Dave Tate doing a set transformation curls using three different grips. I have tried these myself and they are killer. I have also tried this technique with chin ups and deadlifts, and it’s brutal!
Standard sized FatGripz can be found HERE
Extreme FatGripz can be found HERE
