The Explosive Speed Workout You Can Do Anywhere

Go faster with 3 simple moves

BY ANDREW DAWSON

As we age, we tend to slow down in training and in our lives. Now, you can regain that quickness with this agility workout from Men’s Health Training Advisor David Jack. The best part: You can do this anywhere, anytime. All you need is your two feet and a little space.

What makes these movements stand out is they hit all three planes of movement, Jack says. You get a forward motion, a back motion, and a side-to-side motion. In the end, you’ll get a total-body workout that zeros in on your hips and core.

You can use this routine as a warmup or work it into a circuit, Jack says.

Directions: Perform the exercises listed below for 20 seconds each, resting for 40 seconds after each move.

1a. Sprinter pop and stick

1b. Sprinter pop and stick with opposite leg

1c. Crossover and stick

Once you master these moves, feel free to mix it up to make the drill even more fun. Once you do the workout 4 to 6 times, shoot for better times, change the set and rest lengths, you can travel with the movement instead of remaining in one spot, and even throw in catching a ball while doing the drill to add hand-eye training to the drill.

Courtesy: http://www.menshealth.com

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The Best Type of Exercise For Aging Muscles

Max out your gains—even in your golden years

BY BJ GADDOUR

Aging can do a number on your muscles. After you turn 30, you start to slowly lose your bigger fast-twitch muscle fibers that make you lean, defined, and athletic. And your muscles even age at a cellular level with a decline in the number and quality of your mitochondria, the powerhouse of your cells.

But a recent study from Cell Metabolism discovered that certain forms of exercise may increase muscle mass and mitochondrial density, particularly with people 64 and over.

Not surprisingly, resistance training increased muscle mass and strength for all subjects. And cardio HIIT (high intensity interval training) improved the age-related decline in mitochondria. This study validates what we've known along, that it takes a strategic combination of strength and cardio work to maximize your fitness and age like a fine wine.

In fact, we've covered this potent strength and aerobic combination before with The Russian Fat Loss Workout, one of our most popular Men's Health workouts of all-time.

The big takeaway here is that you need to adequately hit your fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers to both maximize muscle growth and fight the aging process.

Studies have shown that when it comes to muscle growth, the best results are achieved by using a mix of low, medium, and high reps. And the same things that build muscle also help slow the loss of it.

But don't get caught in the trap of thinking you can only hit your fast-twitch fibers with heavy strength training and your slow-twitch fibers with cardio. The degree to which you target certain muscle fibers depends on the speed and intensity of the exercise in addition to the rest time between work sets.

Traditionally we've been told that fast-twitch fibers get hit with heavy loads or moderately heavy loads moved explosively with longer rest periods between sets, and slow-twitch fibers get hit with lighter loads at slower speeds and with shorter rest periods between sets. In addition, you will recruit your lower threshold slow-twitch fibers first and the higher threshold fast-twitch fibers then kick in later as needed to keep you moving.

But another recent study shows that no matter the rep range, as long as the effort is there and you are pushing close to muscular failure, the full spectrum of muscle fibers, both fast and slow, will get worked. So you can accomplish your muscle-building goals with heavier loads and lower reps or with lighter loads and higher reps as long you are pushing to the limit.

Now, heavy lifting can be tough on the body as you get older. Your central nervous system takes more time to recover between sessions from heavier loading and your joints can only take so much wear and tear. Plus, heavy lifting doesn't adequately stimulate your mitochondria, which will decline with age and are critical for overall health and performance.

That's why I'm huge believer in what I call "metabolic bodybuilding." It can hit all of your muscle fibers while simultaneously increasing your mitochondria, all while using much lighter loads than normal. Metabolic bodybuilding involves using longer, higher-rep timed sets to stimulate muscle and mitochondrial growth via metabolic stress, or the accumulation of the acidic waste materials from exercise that causes your muscles to swell and burn. In this way, this revolutionary style of training spares your joints, is easier to recover from, and can be done with minimal equipment setups at home or in a hotel gym. In fact, I created a total body transformation system around this style of exercise with my METASHRED EXTREME program from Men's Health.

For example, doing 2-minute time-under-tension sets with resistance training exercises like squats, pushups, or biceps curls using a slow and controlled tempo and with rest periods of 60 seconds or less is one of my favorite ways to boost muscle and mitochondria. Plus, it will get and keep your heart rate up.

The bottom line is that the best exercise for aging muscles is either a combination of strength and interval training, or a fusion of the two with metabolic bodybuilding. Either way, you'll be drinking from the fountain of youth and still getting gains in your golden years.

Courtesy: http://www.menshealth.com 

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Fix Your Posture to Maximize Muscle

Use this head-to-toe guide to make sure your posture is picture-perfect

BY BILL HARTMAN, P.T., C.S.C.S., PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARGARET SKROVANEK

Without even looking at you, I'm pretty sure you have a posture problem. That's because almost everyone I see has a posture problem. After years of evaluating clients at my fitness center in Indianapolis, I've learned to spot an anatomical abnormality from the way a guy walks through the mall, sits on a park bench, or stands at a bar.

The trouble isn't just that slumped shoulders make you resemble a Neanderthal. Over time, your poor posture takes a tremendous toll on your spine, shoulders, hips, and knees. In fact, it can cause a cascade of structural flaws that result in acute problems, such as joint pain throughout your body, reduced flexibility, and compromised muscles, all of which can limit your ability to burn fat and build strength.

But don't worry—all these problems can be corrected. Are you ready to straighten yourself out? Use this head-to-toe guide to make sure your posture is picture-perfect.

Analyze Your Alignment 
Strip down to a pair of shorts and ask a friend to take two full-body photos, one from the front and one from the side. Keep your muscles relaxed but stand as tall as you can, with your feet hip-width apart. Now compare your photos with the illustrations below to diagnose your posture problems. Then see the following repair plans.

Forward Head
Where pain strikes: Your neck

The problem: Stiff muscles in the back of your neck
Fix it: Stretch with head nods daily: Moving only your head, drop your chin down and in toward your neck while stretching the back of your neck. Hold for a 5 count; do this 10 times.

The problem: Weak front neck muscles
Fix it: Do this neck "crunch" every day: Lying faceup on the floor, lift your head so it just clears the floor. Raise your head, and hold for 5 seconds; do 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.

Elevated Shoulder
Where pain strikes: Neck and shoulders

The problem: Your trapezius (the muscle that starts at the back of your neck and runs across your upper back) is shortened.
Fix it: Perform an upper-trap stretch. With your higher-side arm behind your back, tilt your head away from your elevated side until you feel the stretch in your upper trapezius. Apply slight pressure with your free hand on your stretched muscle. Hold for 30 seconds; repeat 3 times.

The problem: A weak serratus anterior, the muscle just under your pecs running from your upper ribs to your shoulder blades
Fix it: Try chair shrugs. Sit upright in a chair with your hands next to your hips, palms down on the seat, and keep your arms straight. Without moving your arms, push down on the chair until your hips lift off the seat and your torso rises. Hold for 5 seconds. That's 1 rep; do 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.

Rounded Shoulders
Where pain strikes: Neck, shoulder, or back

The problem: Tight pectoral muscles
Fix it: Try a simple doorway stretch: Place your arm against a doorjamb in the high-five position (that is, forming an L), your elbow bent 90 degrees. Step through the doorway until you feel the stretch in your chest and the front of your shoulders. Hold for 30 seconds. That's 1 set; do a total of 4 daily.

The problem: Weakness in the middle and lower parts of your trapezius
Fix it: Use the floor L raise: Lying facedown on the floor, place each arm at a 90-degree angle in the high-five position. Without changing your elbow angle, raise both arms by pulling your shoulders back and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold for 5 seconds; do 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.

Hunched Back
Where pain strikes: Neck, shoulder, back

The problem: Poor upper-back mobility
Fix it: Lie faceup on a foam roller placed about midback, perpendicular to your spine. Place your hands behind your head and arch your upper back over the roller 5 times. Adjust the roller and repeat for each segment of your upper back.

The problem: Weak muscles in your back
Fix it: Perform the prone cobra. Lie facedown with your arms at your sides, palms down. Lift your chest and hands slightly off the floor, and squeeze your shoulder blades together while keeping your chin down. Hold for 5 seconds; do 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.

Anterior Pelvic Tilt
Where pain strikes: Lower back (because of the more pronounced arch in your lumbar spine). The tilt also shifts your posture so that your stomach pushes outward, even if you don't have an ounce of belly fat.

The problem: Your hip flexors, which allow you to move your thighs up to your abdomen, are tight.
Fix it: Kneel on one knee and perform a front hip stretch. Tighten your gluteal (butt) muscles on your kneeling side until you feel the front of your hip stretching comfortably. Reach upward with the arm that's on your kneeling side, and stretch in the opposite direction. Hold this position for a count of 30 seconds, and repeat 3 times.

The problem: Weak glutes
Fix it: The glute bridge is your solution. Lie on your back with your knees bent about 90 degrees. Squeeze your glutes together and push your hips upward until your body is straight from knees to shoulders. Hold for 5 seconds; complete 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.

Pigeon Toes
Where pain strikes: Knee, hip, or lower back

The problem: Tightness in the outer portion of your thigh (your tensor fasciae latae)
Fix it: Stand up, cross your affected leg behind the other, and lean away from the affected side until you feel your hip stretching comfortably. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.

The problem: Weak gluteus maximus and medius muscles
Fix it: Use an exercise called the side-lying clamshell. Lie on one side with your knees bent 90 degrees and your heels together. Keeping your hips still, raise your top knee upward, separating your knees like a clamshell. Pause for 5 seconds; lower your knee to the starting position. Perform 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.

Duck Feet
Where pain strikes: Hip or lower back

The problem: You lack flexibility in all the muscles in your hips.
Fix it: Drop to your hands and knees and place one foot behind the opposite knee. Making sure you keep your spine naturally arched, shift your weight backward and allow your hips to bend until you feel the stretch. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, repeat 3 times, and then switch sides.

The problem: Weakness in your oblique muscles and hip flexors
Fix it: Try the Swiss-ball jackknife. Assume the top of a pushup position but rest your feet on a Swiss ball. Without rounding your lower back, tuck your knees under your torso by rolling the ball with your feet toward your body. Roll the ball back to the starting position. Do 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.
Courtesy: http://www.menshealth.com 

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