How TO: WARM UP

Like everyone I made a simple yet major mistake, I did not warm up properly. I have always been the type that had to learn things the hard way and this was no different. This mistake set my training back a great deal. Being at a commercial gym all day training clients after awhile the last thing you want to do is be at the facility. Ya its cool for a few months there's good-looking girls everywhere and your getting more and more clients but before you know it POW! Your fitness level is going down and you do not want to be at the gym when you're not working. I did not realize the importance of a proper warm up until I tore my meniscus, and the worst part is I was only performing about 60% of my 1RM. It was squat day and I wanted to get the hell out of the place. I thought doing a few body weight movements and warm up sets was sufficient but I was wrong. Here I am 9 months later, fat and out of shape and FINALLY able to squat again!If you are a serious athlete the warm up should be 15-30 minutes long period. I am also a firm believer that anyone serious about getting the most out of training should be training like an athlete. With that being said the warm up should not consist of 1 or 2 exercises but many different parts. Many people may make excuses like they don't have the time...make the time! Cutting the warm up down will not only increase risk of injury but will prevent you from achieving maximum. Some may think this is a bold statement but it is all explained below. The warm up I use with my athletes consist of multiple parts;
Part 1 is Prehab/Rehab work
This consists of soft tissue release, using a foam roller/PVC pipe, lacrosse ball, med ball or better yet all three! The generic answer to what does a foam roller do for you is: Myofascial release, well what exactly is that? Your muscles have a layer of fibrous tissue called fascia wrapped around them. This acts similar to something like a layer of saran wrap around your muscles. The more you work and break down your muscles the tighter this wrap will get, not allowing your muscles as much room to breath. I am assuming everyone on this website knows weight training tears muscle fibers apart and the science of it, if not do some reading! The less breathing room your muscles have the longer it will take the actin and myosin to slide back into place, thus allowing your muscles to heal 100%. The sooner the athlete returns to 100% the sooner they can train at the proper intensity level. The 10-15 minutes it takes to roll your major muscle groups will be well worth it. Make sure you hit Calfs, Quads, Hamstrings, IT Bands, Back, and chest. When you hit a sensitive spot allow for more attention to those certain spots. A great fitness mind Jim Smitty Smith said it best; Greater Tension= Greater Relaxation
Part 2 is CNS Activation
It is a proven fact that the CNS has an effect on increasing strength. Activation of the nervous system will allow your body to be more efficient at recruiting muscle fibers. It will also allow for a better job of collecting motor units within the muscles during the athletic event; this will assist in producing more forceful movements. This as well as the fact that the CNS will bring the risk of injury down greatly is all I needed to hear to realize the importance of CNS Activation. The CNS Activation is more or less my dynamic warm up for me. Around 10 min of skipping, jogging forward/backward, side shuffles, mountain climbers etc. will be done.
Part 3 Muscle Activation
The last stage of the warm up has 1 major goal; to recruit as many muscle fibers as possible for the upcoming war! To do this I will use many bodyweight movements as well as the occasional kettle bell movement. I will perform pull ups/recline rows, pushups, as well as many lunges and squat variations. 3-4 sets of 30-50% your max reps of the movement will be enough to get not only your body ready for the workout but your mind right. I have found the more mentally focused you are for your workout the better it generally goes. If I notice my athletes aren’t focused I may combined Part 2 and 3 for the day and have them doing bear crawls squat/lunge combo movements in between the dynamics.       Ask any power lifter and they will talk about the mental preparation for a big pull or big squat. Visualizing the big pull, or getting yourself in the zone. This mental readiness does not only go for power lifters or athletes but anyone trying to get the most out of the workout! You have one of two options. You can continue warming up on the elliptical or bike for five minutes thinking about the tough day at work or how you really don't want to be at the gym. Or you can follow the above steps while mentally focusing on kicking the workouts ass rather then getting your ass kicked by the workout, I hope you make the right decision and learn from my mistake.

Recovery Aid Serious

Recovery Aid Part I:Foam Rolling
I have been receiving a lot of questions of late asking about different aids that can be used to speed up recovery time. Before I get into different methods that can be used ALWAYS remember that your nutritional habits are going to be #1 when it comes to aiding recover. Would you fill a brand new 2010 Bugatti with regular unleaded fuel?



Then why would you treat your body any differently. If your not eating the necessary foods, your may be low on certain macro nutrients, slowing down the recovery process. Over the next week or so I will be doing a three part serious breaking down different recovery aids, there benefits, as well as how to use them.         A very common recovery aid used by many athletes today is a foam roller. These training tools are used for Myofascial release, helping to break down build up scar tissue. I use my foam roller many times a day and I suggest you do as well. Below is a video tutorial I put together explaining exactly how to utilize a foam roll to its fullest!



Recovery Aid Part II:Lacrosse Ball / Medicine Ball

Part 1 of this three part series I covered the benefits of using a foam roller and also included a tutorial on how to utilize these recovery aids. On top of using the foam roller for myofascial release I also like to utilize lacrosse balls and medicine balls to hit the muscles much deeper and more 3-dimensional. Below is the video tutorial on what I utilize these to balls for as far as recovery



Recovery Aid Part III:The Stick

In the first two parts of this serious I explained to you the benefits and how to use foam rollers, lacrosse balls, and med balls to help speed up recovery. This is the final part of the three part series covering THE STICK, Hope you enjoy! Also expect an article on Diet/Nutrition to aid recovery coming at you very soon.

Happy Turkey Day

Happy thanksgiven to all and make sure to get a good workout in before stuffing your faces with turkey, sides, and desserts. I have been working the past few days on restructuring the blog and will be launching it very soon. Below is the workout I just completed;

Part 1:
with a 100lb sandbag on my back I walked 1/2 mile, counting steps. Every 20 steps I would perform 10 squats.
Part 2:
Farmers Walk 70lb KB for another 1/2 mile

Hope everyone has been having a great week. As you know I spent the past weekend watching Cortland take down Ithaca in the infamous Cortaca Jug. This was the first victory Cortland has in the game since 2007 when my boy, Mintz, kicked the game winning 40 yd FG and became a living legend(in his mind at least). It was a fun weekend and I was able to catch up with some old friends I havent seen in many years. As I said in my last post I will be re-arranging my blog over the next few weeks. Most my posts will not be fitness related as much as motivational posts and a look at the inner me. Although I will still post the occasional fitness related article the majority of my information will be found over at spizmantraining.com . I look forward to sharing my beliefs, feelings, and rants as well as helping you light a fire under your ass and make things happen.

As an alma mater of SUNY Cortland, it is in my blood to be excited for the Cortland vs. Ithaca football game. As a student I was never a fan of this weekend. A small college town oversaturated with friends and family prevented THE MAN (me), from doing his thing. Although I am over the whole college thing, this year I will be attending the game. I will be training my last few clients this afternoon and head up to Cortland. Although many students and visitors enjoy this weekend for the non stop partying I will be up there discussing what may be the biggest business move of MY LIFE!
I apologize for the lack of posts lately but have been extremely busy with other projects. I have also been working on a new design for the blog that will be coming out shortly! Within the next week expect some monster things to be coming…

2 KB Complex's for Conditioning

Motivational Video

Check out this motivational video I came across. Also be expecting a FREE giveaway sometime this week.

Truth about Speed and Agility

A very common question I am asked by athletes or parents of athletes is how to improve there foot speed or overall quickness. There are many drills and training tools developed for improving these two aspects of training. A common training tool you will see athletes use to develop foot speed is an agility ladder. One can expect a noticeable difference very quickly on these ladders. The reason I do not like to use these very often is because I do not think they translate to game speed very well. Most drills done, on an agility ladder, will help improve those specific drills while lacking improvement in real world foot speed or agility. The athlete will see results quickly on these ladders because they will be improving the specific movement they are practicing, with little room for progressions. My personal preference is to use these ladders during warm-ups to help wake the CNS, as well as getting the mind and body ready for the workout.      The two common ways to improve athletes actually running speed is increased stride length or stride frequency. The key is to improve one while maintaining the other. If you improve frequency by cutting down the stride you will not notice a difference in your overall speed and vice versa. The common method used to improve frequency is over speed training. This can be done by sprinting 100% down a hill or by accelerating forward with the help of a bungee cord; all while maintaining your normal stride length.  This is done to teach your body to move faster then 100% allowing you to improve your overall stride frequency. To improve stride length a common drill done by athletes is called striders. These are done running between 70-80% focusing on opening the stride longer then your normal length. By performing striders your teaching your body to open up more in the hips, eventually allowing for a longer running stride without sacrifice overall frequency.  All these drills work and are used by many top level athletes to improve overall speed. The question I ask myself is how long can ones stride be lengthen or how much faster can an athlete actually turn there feet over to improve frequency? Using these drills alone will lead to athletic improvement quickly followed by a plateau. The key to increasing overall speed and agility is not only use of the drills mentioned above but also training to improve overall strength!      The number one mistake athletes will make while trying to improve speed and agility is not training to improve strength. The common reason for this is because the athlete doesn’t want to get big and bulky, but only wants to improve speed. If you are making a sharp cut to change directions or accelerating forward during a sprint the determining factor is always going to be the force output generating from the ground by the foot. How do you improve your force output? Simply improve your overall strength! By training for strength alone you will not develop explosiveness and may actually slow down ala power lifters. I believe this is the major reason athletes shy away from training for strength to develop overall speed and agility. By using max effort strength days to develop a strong set of legs while working on running mechanics drills and dynamic/explosive effort days you can be assured in developing some serious game speed! That added strength will allow for more force generating each stride allowing for a longer more explosive stride. Also by using the max effort/dynamic effort lifting model your frequency of the stride will improve greatly as well.

5 Reasons all combat athletes must train with kettlebells

Being a performance enhancement specialist, as well as an overall Strength and Conditioning junkie, I am always thinking of different things that will benefit my athletes. As I watched UFC 119 the other night I was thinking of the many benefits kettlebell training will have for all combat athletes. This got me thinking and this is what I came up with as my 5 top reasons combat athletes need kettlebells in training;
1: Hips and Core Work
Whether you're shooting a take down or throwing a knock out punch all the power is generated from the ground up, through the legs, hips and core. Coincidentally all major kettlebell movements are multi-joint exercises that utilize the hips and legs to generate the power. The hip snap generating momentum on swings, cleans, and snatches will improve power on finishing takedowns or throwing a punch. Also having to brace the core during both the concentric and eccentric portion of these lifts will improve core strength dramatically.
2: Grip Strength
There is a laundry list of benefits grip strength has for combat athletes. Kettlebells are unique in the fact that they have thick handles and are used often in high rep sets. This will increase your sustained grip strength. Sustained Strength is being able to maintain strength over time. Think locking a submission and holding for 20-30 sec period or fighting for hand position for a 2 min period on the feet.
3. Improve Shoulder Strength/Flexibility
All combat athletes run a high risk for shoulder injuries. Kettle bells are unique in the manner that they allow greater range of motion. The way the bell will sit against the forearm will take a lot of rotator stress out of play allowing for increased strength and flexibility in the shoulder girdle. Movements like the windmill have yoga benefits as far as flexibility but add a twist of strength. Long sets of clean and jerks or snatches will improve endurance in the shoulders, overall grip strength, and is a full body movement utilizing the legs, hips, and core, starting to make sense yet?
4. Improve integrity of joints, tendons and ligaments
No one can argue that combat sports are as taxing on the body as it comes, hence the name! The ballistic shock your body experiences during kettlebell lifts will greatly improve the integrity of your tendons/ligaments and joints bringing the risk of injury down greatly. This helps with the injury prevention aspect of training. This is a major point lost over the years in strength and conditioning and a very important one. Staying healthy allows for the athlete to show off there new found strength!
5: EXTRMELEY Effect Conditioning Tool
The days of running miles on end to improve conditioning are behind us. Combat athletes must perform an-aerobically for long durations of time with opponents hanging all over them. Kettlebells can be used as unbelievable conditioning tools to mimic movements occurring during the fight or match (improved GPP and SPP!) Kettlebell complexes can be done using timed sets so the athlete trains the exact time frame of there match. The ROM allowed with KB also allows movements very similar to sports specific movements.

OG Wrecking Crew Getting It In!!

With HS wrestling season starting in a little over a month the OG Wrecking Crew is starting to see some massive strength gains. We are gunna be hitting it extremely hard for 4 more weeks then deload into the season. Here are some highlights from tuesdays workout...

Zach Even Esh Killing It...

Check out these videos of my major mentor in Strength and Conditioning, Zach Even Esh killing a leg workout rocking my t-shirt!!

Monday Motivational Video

Hope everyone is kicking a$$ this monday and making things happen. I appologize for the delay of content of late but I am working on a big project that I will be launching on my blog for all of you by mid week! Check out the video below to get yourself going for the week.

5 Tips On How To Stay Motivated

It happens every year in upstate New York. Once the weather begins to turn and the days become shorter the excuses pile up and people become lazy! This may be your performance at work or in the weight room. Over the past 10+ years of working out I have fell into this hole as well. I have always been able to fight through it and come back better then I was before by following these few simple tips.

1)Take Action- I was having a conversation with a member at the gym the other day and he was talking about how he wanted to check out that “social network” movie about the development of facebook. He went on to say how the kid was a fraud and stole the idea from someone else. What’s the difference between the kid who just donated $10 million to Newark School District and the chump who is living off of the fact that someone stole his idea? He took action! Everyone has had a million dollar idea but never do anything about it. Take action every day of your life and I promise you your performance at work or under the weights will improve dramatically, regardless of what season it is outside.
2)Music- I am constantly changing my playlist on my ipod to keep the music fresh and motivating to me. You may be wondering “how can music keep me motivated during work?” Remember I am a meathead and this blog is geared more towards strength and conditioning so deal with it!
3)Competition- Everyone has a competitive nature that allows you to step your game up. By looking at your workout as a competition against yourself you will push that much harder allowing for some kick a$$ workouts.
4)External Motivation- This could be a lifting partner or even a personal trainer. Make sure it is someone that will keep you on task and kicking some serious a$$.
5)Surround yourself with motivated individuals- Right now at 25 I am more motivated then I have ever been before, why? I spent three days at a seminar with 32 other highly motivated individuals, all action takers. Believe it or not this will rub off. If you surround yourself with successful individuals you will become successful. Unfortunately this works both ways, if you’re surrounded with scum bags guess what? You are a scum bag!

There you have it, 5 tips on how to stay motivated and kicking a$$. Stay tuned within the next week or so I will be launching a serious project that will be given away for FREE to all of you.

A True American Hero...

Here is a great video posted by my man Matty W from the Strength Shop...

weekend recap from NJ

Sorry for the delay of posts but as many of you know I spent the weekend in Long Branch NJ at Zach Even Esh and Paul Reddick How To Kick Ass Seminar Kicking Ass!! Here is how my weekend looked. After finishing work Wednesday night I drove down to Cortland to cut an hour off the overall travel time. I spent the night there and woke up early to get a nice prowler workout in before hitting the road. I arrived in NJ around 5:30. A good friend of mine Isaac Wilkins, who I met previously at Zachs Underground Strength Certification was there and we went out to grab a bite and check the place out. Shortly after sitting down to eat Matt Wichlinski from the strength shop arrived and met up with us for a nice dinner. CLICK HERE for a previous phone interview I did with Matt, he is a BEAST. We were all tired from traveling all day and called it an early night. The next morning we woke up and got right to work! The seminar ran Friday from 7-6 with breakfast and lunch breaks mixed in and I learned some serious stuff!! That night the game plan was to go out and grab dinner with the crew and call it a night(boy was I wrong). After dinner we went to grab a few drinks and talk shop and next thing I know it is 2am and the bar is closing, OOPS. To sum up the following day Elliot Hulse, was not even in the mood to talk!! Saturday was filled with just as much content as Friday and ended with a fire on the beach(and some more drinks). As great of a night as Saturday was the drive home Sunday was equally as bad! I am extremely grateful to have met everyone at the seminar as well as take part in it. Below is a short list of some things I learned while in NJ.

1) Zach Even Esh is still the man!
2) Paul Reddick has the answer to everything, including life.
3) It is all about the 5-6-7 not 1-2-3-4
4) I am grateful to be able to do what I love for a living
5) GFGI!!!!



















This picture has a lot of meaning to me. It is me with Elliot Hulse. This is the very first Spizman Strength Shirt to be worn and ironically Elliot is the first person that I researched online who was running a "warehouse gym." He opened my eyes and made me realize I could make a living doing what I love!!

How To Blast Through A Plateau

We have all been through what we call a Plateau. This word may not seem that drastic but can be enough to make a grown man cry. I am constantly asked by parents or other members at the gym why none of my athletes ever seem to hit these plateaus, yet they have been stuck on a certain weight for months! Through my experience with weight training there is one of two major reasons for this; Overtraining or lack of variation in the program.  A major misconception in the world of strength and conditioning is that weight training itself makes you bigger and stronger, this is not the case. Weight Training by itself will actually break down you muscles and in turn you will become weaker! The Weight Training is what will spur the results but the REST period is what will lead to you becoming bigger and stronger then before. I have seen hundreds of examples where someone can’t seem to add any weight to there bench press so instead of benching 2 days a week they decide to up it to 3, this is a disaster waiting to happen.  Some common signs of overtraining will be irregular sleep patterns, feeling sluggish/ weak, or feeling like your exerting a great deal more energy then you should be during certain activities(warm ups, cardio, etc.). What is the easiest way to fix this? Take some time off from the weights or hit a deload week or two. This may mean nothing but bodyweight movements for a week or two until you feel your body is catching up to your training. Once your feeling better and all those major signs of overtraining have left you gradually work your way back up to the heavy weights and chances are you will see gains.The second major reason for plateaus is lack of variation in the program. If you continue to hit the same exercises and the same rep scheme over and over again your body will get used to it and you will not recruit as many muscle fibers to do the work.  This may mean instead of training for strength year round mix in a mini cycle where you train for hypertrophy, utilizing less weights/rest time and higher reps, this will shock the body and allow for greater recruitment of the muscle fibers. Another way to vary your program is to mix up the movements. Instead of performing bench press, squats, and deadlifts week after week mix in some dumbbell Presses or front squats. Try taking some weight off the bar for the deads and superset it with some kettlebell swings. Struggle to add weight to your overhead presses? Mix in some odd object training pressing heavy sandbags or stones overhead, believe me it will work. This will allow for you to not only strengthen many stabilizer muscles but your core as well. Some people do not like a change and want to stick with the three power lifting movements. If this is the case do yourself a favor and buy yourself a set of FAT GRIPZ, you won’t regret it! These things should be in any serious gym goers bag of tricks. They will not only improve your grip strength and size of arms but will pack on pounds to any lift you use them with!       I am a firm believer of the saying “If it aint broke don’t fix it,” since Westside Barbell is clearly the top power lifting gym in the world I follow similar techniques they do for improving my athletes strength. All my athletes follow a 4 week mini cycle. Week 1 is an introductory week followed by week 2 and 3 where we will break records in each strength movement being performed. Depending on how the athletes are feeling week 4 will be a deload week or skipped completely. If skipped the following mini cycle intro week will be used as the deload week.

OG Wrecking Crew Gettin After It

The OG Wrecking Crew working hard. The strength gains continue to go through the roof and we are only beginning!! Below are some highlights of the workout we performed the other day. The complete workout looked like this;

Dynamic Warm up
BW Warm Up: 5 rd
Pull aparts x 20
Push Up x 10
Squats x 10
Mixed Rowing x 10
Pummeling x 20 sec
Strength Work
1a) KB Snatch 5x5
1b) Sandbag Shouldering 5 x 5/5
Conditioning
Part 1: 5 rounds 20 sec rest
1a) Mixed Variation Ropes x 20 sec
1b) Burpee x 20 sec
Part 2: 12 min AMRAP
1a) KB Farmers walk x 100’
1b) Sled Drag and unload

The 10 Manliest Exercises

I came across a great article today by Bret Contreras published by www.t-nation.com Check it out below.



I've spent a lot of time in commercial gyms over the years. I can say with absolute certainty that 99% of what I've seen was unimpressive. Most people simply don't train hard and don't perform the best exercises.

However, there have been rare times where I waltzed into the gym to find some throwback from the caveman era performing a challenging exercise with a ton of weight and intensity. I've found myself on several occasions saying to my workout partner, "That dude is a serious badass!"

Just how does one go about getting labeled a badass in the strength training world? Obviously you have to get strong. No matter how cool the exercise looks, nobody gives a shit if you're snatching 65 lbs.

You also need to have good form. This usually comes from good core stability induced from heavy lifting with good form over the years. Even if you use a ton of weight, nobody cares if you perform a wobbly, energy-leaking squat that doesn't resemble anything athletic. Finally, you need to be performing badass exercises. Without further ado, here are the ten manliest exercises:


1. Chain Dips

Branch Warren popularized chain dips. He'd drape a couple pairs of heavy chains over his shoulders and start busting out sets of high rep dips. It looks and feels really cool to have chains draped around your body, sort of like Mr. T. This exercise works a ton of neck extensor musculature while also hammering the pecs, front delts, and triceps.


2. Zercher Squats

You don't hear much about the Zercher squat these days. Most people hate doing them because they hurt like hell. Holding a heavy barbell in the crux of your arms is one of the most painful things you'll ever do. However, the placement of the barbell increases the load on the core and glute musculature, in addition to hitting the quads, hams, and calves, which makes it an extremely effective exercise. So try to deal with the pain; eventually your body gets used to it.


3. Clean and Press

I don't care what anyone says, if you can bust out a 225 lb clean and press, then you are pretty badass. That's just all there is to it. This exercise works the hell out of the traps, delts, and triceps. Get to 315 lbs and you've now reached Lattimer status from the 1993 movie, The Program.


4. T-Bar Row Strip Sets

I once saw some beasts in the gym doing these and was enamored. They started off with six 45-lb plates and did five reps. A partner would strip a plate off and the lifter would get five more reps. This would continue until there was only one plate left on the bar, so the lifter would execute a total of 30 reps. This exercise works the lats, scapulae retractors, and biceps, as well as working the entire posterior chain isometrically. Two words: freaking brutal!


5. 20-Rep Breathing Squats

One set of squats can't be that bad, right? Wrong! If you don't know about 20-rep breathing squats, then read up on them as these bad-boys have been around forever. They might just be the hardest single exercise known to man. You take your 10RM and get 20 reps by "resting" in the top position and taking deep breaths. A set can last anywhere from three to ten minutes. If your quad growth has been stagnant for a while, focus on these for around six weeks and you won't be disappointed.


6. Parking Lot Lunges

Ronnie Coleman popularized these years ago when he'd walk outside Metroflex gym and start lunging up and down the parking lot with 185 lbs on his back in the blazing Texas heat. The parking lot lunge will hammer your quads and glutes. To Ronnie, this "ain't nuttin' but a peanut."


7. Kroc Rows

Matt Kroczaleski popularized these explosive high-rep one-arm rows with the heaviest dumbbells your gym carries. Essentially, they're heavy, high rep, one-arm rows with a little bit of English. In Kroc's words, they're Òwhatever dumbbell you think you can't do for one rep x 50.Ó

He credits these for packing on slabs of lat mass and increasing his deadlift strength. In addition to working the lats, scapulae retractors, and biceps, Kroc rows work a ton of core as well. If you do them right, one set is all you need!


8. Deadlifts

If you've seen video clips of Konstantin Konstantinovs busting out various types of deadlifts, then you understand how badass deadlifts can be once you get strong. Many would argue that the deadlift is the most functional exercise of all, as it annihilates the entire posterior chain in addition to working the quads too. Even the name "deadlift" reeks of manliness.


9. Heavy Yoke or Farmer's Walks

You don't see many people doing yoke walks and farmer's walks these days because most gyms don't carry the implements. Even if they did, there usually isn't any room to do them anyway. However, if you have a garage gym or belong to a rare gym that allows you to perform heavy walks, consider yourself lucky.

These exercises are unbelievable total body strengtheners. In fact, spinal researcher Stuart McGill found evidence that the super yoke walk might just be the most challenging exercise for the spine due to the extreme load of the implement and the core muscle contractions required to stabilize the spine and hips. You don't need a yoke to do a yoke walk; a barbell works just fine, and heavy dumbbells or a hex bar can be used for farmer's walks.


10. Bench Press

There's no reason to hate on the bench press. It's the most popular exercise in the world because every guy wants a nice set of pecs. But powerlifters realized long ago that if you bench press in a certain manner, it's a total-body exercise. They figured out how to use their lats and legs in addition to their triceps, shoulders, and pecs in order to maximize the weight they could press.

Learn how to bench like a powerlifter and keep a strong low back arch, pull the bar down lower on your chest, and get some good leg drive. Everybody is impressed with a strong ass bench press.


In all honesty, this list could go on and on and on, as there are plenty of manly exercises. Any variation of the lifts you find in Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, and strongman training is pretty damn manly. There are plenty of badass bodyweight exercises you can do as well...for instance the muscle up and pistol.

Honorable mentions go to the cambered bar good morning and weighted chin up. And it's always fun swinging sledgehammers and pushing trucks around. When you're super strong, everything looks manly...a Turkish get up, a one-arm snatch, a barbell curl, and even an explosive landmine.

The point of this article is to illustrate that the manliest exercises are performed with heavy free weights and are usually performed on your feet. If all your training is done on machines, while lying down, or with pink dumbbells, then you probably aren't getting the most out of your routine. In the words of King Ronnie: "Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, but nobody wanna lift no heavy ass weight!"

The 10 Manliest Exercises

Whats In My Gym Bag

Conditioning/Strongman Work

This was done Following a Full Body workout consisting of;
Dynamic Warm Up
Body Weight Warm Up: 5 rounds
1a) Squat x 15
1b) Push Up x 15
1c) Lunge x 14
1d) Band Pull Aparts x 25

1 min rest between sets
1a) Ring Pull Ups 5x5
1b) 1 Arm KB Press 5x5
2a) KB Swing 4x8
2b) Thick Rope KB Curls 4x10
GRIP and ABS
4 rounds of each using the rings, power wheel, and Captains of Crush