I’ve been having some amazing conversations with a few of my colleagues in the fitness biz about the mind-body connection that we regularly achieve during our workouts. This “Ultra-Focus” that we have been able to achieve during our workouts can be described as euphoric. We become so incredibly “In-Tune” with our body, feeling every movement and experiencing every breath, that we often forget that there are other people around us in the gym.

This kind of mind, body, and spiritual connection that we experience during our weight training session can be compared to the feelings that some people experience from fitness practices such as Yoga, Tai Chi, or Pilates.

It’s this realization that lead me to believe that it’s not necessarily the type of movement that is important to achieve an incredible mind-body connection… it’s your ability to focus your attention, block out life’s distractions, clear the clutter from your mind, and give your complete attention to the task at hand while experiencing the moment to the fullest.

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Here’s where it all began… In my parents cold basement, a simple bench, concrete filled dumbbells, and a York 2000 home gym. At the age of 14, in this very spot, staring at posters of Arnold Schwazenegger and Jean-Claude Van Damme, listening to Public Enemy and Rage Against Machine, I declared to my friends that I would own a health club and become a fitness expert.

Oh, if these walls could talk This is where I developed the intense fascination with the ability of the human body to transform and continually improve.

…and today, I have a fun video interview with my dad, who at the age of 58 continues to transform his physique. In the past year my dad has released 22 pounds. Despite what others say, my dad says that it could actually be easier to transform your body in your 50’s and beyond. Watch this video to hear his reasoning behind this…

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The phrase, “Variety is King!” has been uttered by nearly every fitness trainer around the world, with the premise being that your body adapts to the stresses of a specific training protocol after four to six weeks, where the magnitude of the results that you have been achieving, begins to diminish. This is why you see Angie and I performing a new workout program each month.

There are many ways that you can incorporate variety in your training each month. Here are just a few:

a) Keep the workout the same, but change the exercises.
b) Keep the workout and the exercises the same, but change the reps, rest period, or tempo.
c) Change the entire workout plan.

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In yesterday’s article Long Live Isolation Exercises we compared compound exercises vs isolation exercises along with the benefits that each one brings to the table. Today I am going to share an amazing workout that combines the power and calorie burning benefits of a compound exercise as well as the sculpting and shaping benefits of an isolation exercise…

The leg press is a fantastic exercise for working your legs. It doesn’t replace a squat or a deadlift, but it’s still one of the best exercises that you can do for your legs. Chances are pretty good that you are already incorporating the leg press into your workouts, but there’s also a pretty good chance that you are not receiving the maximum benefits from this great exercise.

If you are performing the leg press with your feet in the same position on the press every time, you’ll be placing more of the resistance on just a few of the muscles that make up your legs. However, by varying the position of your feet, you can isolate other muscle that make up your legs, while still experiencing the benefits of a compound movement.

For example, if you

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Our friend Richard Schuller, authority on fitness for men and women over 60, has been a guest in our home this week and we’ve been having a blast together. At 70 years of age, that “old dog” is teaching this “young pup” some new tricks when it comes to improving strength and performance.

Richie, as my kids like to call him pulled me aside while we were working out yesterday and gave me some great pointers on my bench press. Of course I couldn’t keep these great tips to myself, so today Richard and I pulled out the video camera to pass this great advice onto you.

In this video you will discover the most common mistakes that men and women make when performing the bench press, which opens the door for injuries. Note: The bench press is an exercise that is meant to target your pectoral muscles, yet the way many people perform the bench press they are actually recruiting very little muscle fiber from the pectoral muscles and placing most of the load on the triceps and shoulder muscle fibers instead. That’s why you hear of so many men and women screwing up their shoulders while performing the bench press.

Don’t worry though. After watching this video you will have the knowledge on how to perform a safe and effective bench press that will increase your power and significantly reduce the risk of injury.

How To Perform The Bench Press For Maximum Power and Safety

Mistakes To Avoid:

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