If you’re planning on flying anytime soon, and want to look and feel your best when your Fourth Amendment rights are being violated, you might want to think about getting yourself in shape. Think about it; you might look good in clothes but the TSA agent who gropes you or sees your full-body scan will know the truth.

There are a few simple exercises that you can do to help tighten up those problem areas and give the wandering hands of TSA agents a real experience. And besides, why not be unreasonably firm and taut during your unreasonable search experience?

Forget about the need for warrants and searches to be reasonable and based on probable cause, if you have unreasonably muscular abdominals, buttocks and thighs you will be better able to endure the violation of your rights at the hands of the glorified rent-a-cops who work at the airport.

TSA Airport Security Pat-down Workout

• Body weight squats
• Lunges
• Pull-ups
• Push-ups

The first two exercises everyone should do are body weight squats and lunges. These two exercises will give you the muscles you’ll need in your upper, inner-thighs, buttocks and hips when your groin-area is being groped during a pat-down. Remember, your local constable or state police officer is bound by the laws of the constitution, and while Terry v. Ohio permits a limited warrantless search on a level of suspicion less than probable cause under certain circumstances, it’s highly unlikely to happen to you in your hometown. At the airport, well that’s a different story.

Unlike the local cop who needs to witness “unusual conduct” in order to pat you down to look for a weapon, the TSA agent can stick his hands in your junk yard just because it is there. He doesn’t need a vague hunch to search you, the TSA agent just needs his hands and your hoo-ha.

And speaking of “unusual conduct,” pull-ups and push-ups will build muscle in an unusual manner in your upper-body and arms. If you can’t do a full pull-up, do a negative pull-up, where you boost yourself up so that your chin is over the bar and slowly lower yourself until your arms are fully extended. Ironically, you will be in a similar position when a TSA agent is violating your rights.

Even if the TSA agent doesn’t have probable cause that you are carrying a weapon or explosives, give him probable cause that you will feel as good as you look and start working out.

Whether you workout at home or at a commercial gym you should be spending the vast majority of your time weight training with dumbbells.

Flat out, dumbbells are the most versatile pieces of exercise equipment that you will find in any gym.  If you train with dumbbells you can adapt any exercise in at least three different ways, and all of these variations are superior for developing strength and improving fitness than are their barbell equivalents.

Let’s take an old favorite of mine, the military press.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with what a military press is, here’s a quick explanation.  Basically, “militaries” are performed by standing with your feet shoulder width apart while holding the weight at shoulder level before pressing the weight straight overhead so that the arms are locked, and then lowering the weights back to the shoulder.  During the pressing movement, the posture is upright and the legs do not contribute at all to the lift.

If you use a barbell to perform the military press – obviously- both arms work at the same time to produce the upward and downward phase of the press.  Thus we have only one barbell version of the military press.

Doing the military press with dumbbells gives us at least 5 different ways to do the military press; both arms pressing at the same time, alternating arms pressing, holding dumbbells in each hand but performing 10 repetitions with one side before switching to the other side, holding one dumbbell at a time and performing 10 reps with one side before switching to the other side, and “curl and presses” where you start with the dumbbells at your side and perform a biceps curl them to get them to shoulder level before pressing them overhead.  And there are more, but by now you should get the idea.

Dumbbells give you the chance to develop unilateral strength – one side at a time – because both of your hands aren’t fixed to a barbell.  In the above example, even if you are pressing two dumbbells at the same time you are developing unilateral strength because each side is working by itself to produce movement.  Weight lifting exclusively with barbells – bilaterally – can lead to muscular and strength imbalances that you might not notice until you try to use dumbbells.

I’ve had people tell me that one side was stronger than the other because it was their dominant side, when in reality this imbalance was due to always training with a barbell.

Actually, in my exercise tips section of the site I will regularly provide info on a variety of dumbbell variations that you can include in your workouts.  But I will tell you now that you can do every exercise with dumbbells that you can do with barbells; squats, dead lifts, bench press, rows and even explosive, Olympic style lifts as well.

If you are looking for equipment for your home you might think dumbbells pose a bit of a problem from a space standpoint because you will need to purchase 10 or 12 sets of dumbbells.  Well, you’d be wrong on that count, as there are now adjustable dumbbells that pack 15 pairs of dumbbells into one pair.

So rather than clutter your workout area with a rack and 30 dumbbells – or even a home gym system or barbell set – you can now purchase one set of adjustable dumbbells that range in weight from 5 pounds to 52.5 pounds, and cost less than traditional dumbbell/barbell set ups as well.

Dumbbell training is the most efficient and effective mode of training that you can do in any setting.  No matter what your fitness goals are, dumbbells will help you achieve these goals better than any other piece of equipment.

Russian Kettlebells seem like they are only for the hardcore, but they are fantastic training tools that can help to reshape your physique and rev up your metabolism. Even if you are just a beginner.

A kettlebell is a cast iron weights that looks like a cannon ball with a handle.  Known as a “girya,” kettlebells have been a traditional Russian tool for extreme all-around fitness since the beginning of the 1700’s.

In this century, Russian Master of Sport Pavel Tsatsouline has been the number one proponent of bringing this old school method of training back to the masses.  Another great read is Pavel’s “purposely primitive” approach to strength training as detailed in his book “Power to the People: Russian Strength Secrets for Every American.”

Back to the kettlebells.  The giryas come in all sizes big and small, starting with a 4kg (9 lb/.25 poods) cutie and going all the way up to a 40kg (88 lb/2.5 poods) behemoth.   The benefits of kettlebell training are many.  Used properly, kettlebell exercises will push you to higher levels of all-around fitness and make you more capable; ramp up your metabolism without the bother of the time-wasting pursuits of diet and aerobics; increase endurance; and develop a killer combination of strength-with-flexibility.

All this, plus train your body in a functional manner with the most portable and versatile equipment available.

The giryas offer a great change of pace and break up the monotony of a regular training regime featuring traditional equipment.   The backbone of training with kettlebells is the two handed swing, but you can also perform hang cleans and snatches.  You can squat with them, military press them, throw them and anything else that you can think of.  There’s no limit to what you can do with a girya.

However, you must have an open mind and a commitment to hard work to get the most out of this style of training. And if you are a golfer, I guarantee that if used properly, training with a kettlebell will add more distance to your drives than any other method of training.

Everyone should buy Pavel’s instructional DVD “The Russian Kettlebell Challenge and/or “From Russia With Tough Love: The Women’s Guide To Kettlebell Training.” Women who are beginners should start with a pair of 4kg/8 lbs kettlebells, women who are currently training with weights and men who are beginners a pair of 6kg/13 lbs kettlebells and men who are currently training with weights a pair of 12kg/26 lbs kettlebells.   You can add to your collection as you improve your technique, strength and conditioning. Kettlebells are one of the best fitness investments that you can make.

You won’t believe me when I tell you that Converse All Stars are the best shoes for your workouts, but I’m going to tell you anyway.

These days – actually for about the last 20 years – high tech sneakers have been all the rage.  The real message of the “Just Do It” era has been to “Do It” wearing expensive sneakers.  From Air Jordan to Mars Blackmon, and right on up to the present day, expensive, high tech sneaks are advertised as the main piece of equipment for anyone and everyone who exercises.

Well I’m here to throw some cold water on that notion.  I’ve always thought that spending $100 – or even $80 – for a pair of tennis shoes is silly, even though I’ve done it on occasion. But now that I know better, never again. I’ve got my Chuck Taylor Converse All Stars.  Currently they go for about 40 bucks a pop, and nothing beats them for workouts in the gym.

Here’s the short list of reasons to wear “Chucks.”

• They are supremely comfortable because they fit to your feet and don’t force your feet to fit into the pre-molded shoe.  The canvas construction responds to your feet and allows your feet and ankle’s natural support systems to work properly, while strengthening them.
• They last forever and can be washed without losing their stuff, unlike expensive kicks.
• “Cons” have a flat, rubber sole that gives you every bit the traction of the $100 sneaks, while allowing you to have better balance as well.
• Since the “Chuck’s” soles are just padded rubber, you can apply more force to the ground.  This one needs a little more explanation, so bear with me back out at the regular margin.

The expensive, high tech shoes all advertise their shock absorbing properties, which is great for distance runners but not for those of us who lift weights.  When you’re performing an exercise in a standing position – which is where you should be for 99% or all of your workouts – you want to be able to exert as much force as is possible on the ground in order to be able to “move” the weight that you are lifting.

The fancy, shock-absorbing shoe absorbs shock in both directions that can adversely affect your lifting performance.  The shoe absorbs some of you hard work- the force you’re producing – and as a result you shoes are actually working against you.

Now if you’re a trail or distance runner by all means spend as much money as you’d like on sneakers, but for weight lifting, cardio machines and even agility and footwork training Converse All Stars are all that you need.

Trust me, they are the only shoes that I use.

There is a lot of science – and exponentially more opinions out there – as to the best set/reps scheme to use in order to build strength. And as I’ve said, I’ve used them all both in my workouts and in the workouts of my clients and sports teams.

Recently I’ve done a lot of work using the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps scheme and have found it to be a challenging and effective strategy for building strength.  The first time using this program start with the weight that would be used for a typical set of 5 and increase 10-20 pounds with each set.  Until you get used to this routine be conservative with weight increases. After performing this program two or three times be aggressive with weight increases depending on how you feel.

Other set/rep schemes can be used to build strength, and should be used.  The worst thing is to routinely follow a routine.  Constantly working in the three or five repetition range with the same amount of sets reduces the effectiveness of the workout and can cause you to experience the dreaded plateau.  And the same holds true for the 5 through 1 rep scheme.

The key to success for any workout program is to constantly manipulate the variables; sets, repetitions, volume, intensity, rest periods, etc.  Using the descending repetition/increasing weight scheme in conjunction with the other traditional sets/reps schemes will add variety to workouts, help to increase strength and ultimately improve your fitness level.

Sledgehammer training is a great non-traditional method that can improve functional strength for lacrosse.

Regardless of the phase of training, sledgehammer training is a low-tech, inexpensive, highly effective sport-specific method of training for lacrosse.  The demands placed on the body – specifically true core strength – by shooting and passing motions make sledgehammer training an incredibly appropriate strength training exercise.

Swinging a sledgehammer can increase strength that will help to improve both phases of the lacrosse swing, the draw (pulling the stick overhead or “side arm” and behind the shoulder) and the release (the forward and downward “throw”).  There are a variety of ways to incorporate the sledgehammer into a lacrosse-specific strength-training program and build functional strength in the muscles of the shoulders and torso.

The basic sledgehammer swing is a great way to develop true core strength and improve endurance, as well.  Hitting a tire or log with a sledgehammer is the basic move and serves as a viable alternative to the using a cable machine.  Also, sledgehammer training can be performed outside in conjunction with sport-specific sprinting, agility and skill drills.

It’s important to keep in mind that the sledgehammer swings should be used as a complimentary training method, not as a manner to try to replicate the shooting/passing motion used in lacrosse.  The weight of the sledgehammer should not be so much to prevent proper swing technique and the speed that approximates the speed of the lacrosse shot.  Taking the sledgehammer all the way back into the draw position and following through properly through the release range should be the main priorities so as not to change the mechanics of the swing.

Another key point when using the sledgehammer is to “train against the shot,” and not just work from the shooting side.  So players should work from both the right and left sides when swinging the sledgehammer in an attempt to minimize any strength imbalances.  If it is apparent that a strength imbalance exists, the player can perform extra work on the weak side in an attempt at achieving symmetry.  Strength and flexibility imbalances can contribute to injuries, so addressing any potential asymmetries is very important.

Sledgehammer training is an efficient, effective, inexpensive and fun sport-specific method of training for lacrosse.

Bodybuilding has been responsible for creating an almost endless list of ridiculous fitness and nutritional myths, and an exercise called Zottman curls serves as a great example of this. Some may consider Zottman curls to be a “bodybuilding secret,” when in reality it’s just bodybuilding nonsense.

Thanks to guys who used prodigious amounts of anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, insulin and a variety of other pharmaceuticals, the bodybuilding philosophy became synonymous with health and fitness. The bodybuilding secret is that drugs are responsible for the impressive physiques that dominate bodybuilding.  For decades this ineffective and inefficient method of training has served as the basis for the diet and exercise programs for gym rats and competitive athletes alike.

The flawed premise was (and for some still “is”) that a 225-pound guy with 3-percent body fat knew what he was doing and everyone should follow his program simply because he looked good.  Bodybuilding, or “reductionist” training, breaks the body down into parts and is all about appearance over performance.

Zottman curls are a great example of how obsession with appearance combined with a faulty philosophy spawns an exercise that becomes known as a “bodybuilding secret.”

Zottman curls are performed with dumbbells.

• The dumbbells are curled to the shoulders
• At the top position dumbbells are rotated outward so palms are facing forward
• Dumbbells are lowered to starting position and returned to original position

Google “Zottman curls” and you’ll find the usual nonsense that this exercise will give your arms “new age gains,” will “build bigger biceps,” and the classic “works the biceps and the forearms.”  There’s even a demonstration of seated Zottman curls that are a lazy man’s bodybuilding secret.

The “benefit” that Zottman curls work forearms is laughable because any exercise done holding any kind of weight works forearms. Also, bodybuilders use wrist straps for pulling exercises, and these straps actually remove the forearms from the equation. But that’s the nonsense behind all of the bodybuilding secrets.

Arm strength, and the concomitant size of biceps and triceps, is developed by performing heavy pulling and pushing exercises and not by doing Zottman curls.  Muscular development occurs as a result of lifting (and holding) heavy weights without the aid of wrist wraps or straps.  The bodybuilding secrets that deal with exercises for biceps and triceps are a waste of time and effort.

A recent review of Whole Body Vibration (WBV) research by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) doesn’t provide any reasons to include this mode of training into your routine, whether you are a personal trainer or a fitness consumer. 

WBV has been studied for over 50 years and its proponents claim that using these platforms can improve general health and performance.  Recently the NSCA published a paper titled, “Vibration Performance and Athletic Performance,” authored by Jeffrey M. McBride, PhD, CSCS, PNSCA, that reviewed existing research on the effects of WBV.  Personal trainers, strength coaches and consumers alike can benefit from this report and its implications with regard to practicality of WBV training.

According to Dr. McBride’s conclusion, “WBV may be a viable alternative for increasing athletic performance when used as a warm-up procedure (and that) data indicates that WBV training may provide a viable alternative to standard types of strength training.  However, adding WBV to an existing strength training program does not appear to be more beneficial than standard types of strength training (my italics).”

There’s no doubt that some WBV marketers will seize upon these statements and spin Dr. McBride’s words so they sound like an endorsement of WBV training.  However, when you look at Dr. McBride’s paper in the context of all the research dealing with WBV, this review provides reasons not to bother with Whole Body Vibration.

Even if vibration training provided bona fide benefits as a warm-up/preparation protocol – according to the research WBV may provide these benefits – the incredibly impractical nature of this training modality renders WBV useless, especially in group or team settings.  WBV platforms are prohibitively expensive and can be used by only one person at a time, and given the fact that there are other demonstrably more convenient, effective and cost-free options to the noisy platforms there is no reason to engage in WBV training for warm-up.

Calisthenics and other dynamic flexibility exercises are more efficient, effective and practical than WBV and are have a long track record of providing benefits and improved performance without any expense or clumsy implementation.

Given the massive impracticalities associated with WBV training, Dr. McBride’s comment that WBV training may provide an alternative to standard strength training shouldn’t have anyone running out to purchase a multi-thousand dollar WBV platform.  “Whole body vibration training may provide a viable alternative,” doesn’t mean WBV is better than traditional strength training or even delivers the same benefits, just that it is another mode of exercise that may be of some use.

We know from decades of research that standard weight training delivers guaranteed benefits with minimal risk, expense and inconvenience. On this count, WBV doesn’t deliver for those of us who make practical considerations a priority in their decision making process.

Another nail in WBV’s coffin is Dr. McBride’s statement that WBV offers no benefits when added to an existing strength-training program.  The expensive, noisy and questionable benefits offered by WBV disappear for people already engaged in a traditional strength-training program.

With regard to the risks associated with WBV training, there have been no long-term studies on the risks associated with WBV. However, according to Dr. McBride a study titled, “Variation in Neuromuscular Responses During Acute Whole-Body Vibration Exercise,” published in “Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise,” in 2007 by Abercromby et al, found that exposure to WBV during a workout may exceed the recommended limits of exposure to vibration.

In cases where WBV exposure resulted in acute (short term) benefits, these same benefits have been attained by using less cumbersome and less expensive methods.  For instance, some studies have shown WBV exposure to improve short–term vertical jump performance and increase in joint range of motion, when the same short-term benefits can be experienced by performing plyometrics, flexibility work and strength training – all bona fide training methods with a proven track record of success – that also provide long-term benefits.

WBV training has been shown to increase adrenaline levels and the levels of other hormones, but ingesting caffeine in responsible doses and engaging in regular exercise is a superior method for increasing hormone levels.  WBV is alleged to increase rate of perceived exertion, energy expenditure or metabolic rate, but traditional forms of exercise, or doing something simple like wearing a weighted vest, can do the same things at a fraction of the cost with exponential efficiency.

The bottom line is that while WBV training may be able to elicit some training responses – and given the dearth of legitimate data, this is a stretch – these responses can be derived in a more efficient, effective and authentic manner by using traditional, less-expensive methods of exercise.

There’s some controversy surrounding giving kids over-the-counter cold remedies, Major League Baseball sluggers hit fewer home runs, Lance Armstrong is back and at the center of controversy and the NFL has a performance-enhancing drug problem even though nobody seems to care.

 

Cold Medicines for Kids. Pediatricians are pushing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to pull all over-the-counter cold medicines for kids stating that there is no evidence to support their use.  Doctors feel that children from the ages of 2-6 years do not derive any benefit at all from these remedies, and that as a result there’s no reason to market, sell or give them to kids.  It makes sense that since there are no proven benefits from taking these substances, only known side effects, these OTC cold products shouldn’t be given to kids.

An outside panel of advisors to the FDA agrees with the pediatricians, but the FDA has been resistant to issuing a recall of these products.  The FDA’s concern is that without these kid-sized doses, parents would just give their kids the adult versions of these remedies.  This makes no sense to me, and if these OTC products do not provide benefits the FDA should not permit their sale.  You don’t have to wait for the government to do the right thing, just stop giving this stuff to your kids.

 

Home Runs Production Was Down in 2008.  You don’t need to be a statistician in order to figure out major league baseball players hit fewer home runs this year.  As a matter of fact, this downward trend started during the 2006 seasons when former New York Met clubhouse boy and drug dealer Kirk Radomski was pinched by the feds, taken out of circulation and turned state’s evidence.

The top 10 home run hitters in the American and National Leagues accounted for about 15% fewer home runs this year than they did in 2006.  It isn’t drug testing or bigger stadiums, and you don’t have to go back 15 years to establish this trend.  Guys have hit fewer homers because their supply of human growth hormone and steroids has dried up since the Balco Labs and Radomski busts. Since MLB doesn’t employ and testing measures that can detect HGH use, you can’t point to the league’s testing vigilance as the reason for the power drop off.  You can point to the increased attention being paid to the drug trafficking trade and the drying up of sources for these drugs as the reason for the power outage.

 

Lance Armstrong’s Comeback.  Cycling’s “Great One” hasn’t even slipped on his spandex and yet his comeback is already at the center of a doping controversy.  This latest bru-ha-ha started on the day he announced his comeback, when former rival and Tour de France winner Greg LeMond showed up and peppered Lance with a whole host of doping related questions.  And really this isn’t so much about cycling as much as it is about Armstrong.  Everyone who follows the sport knows it’s dirty with performance-enhancing drugs; it always has and it always will.   But Lance is one of those athletes that’s bigger than the sport in which they compete, and has yet to be totally nailed as being a drug cheat, so this story will continue to get a lot of attention.

Well, a little attention.

 He’s getting back into the cycling game and saying he’s going to subject himself to rigorous drug testing, willing to freeze his present day samples so they can be subjected more advanced tests in the future.  However, he declined an offer by the French anti-doping authorities to retest his controversial 1999 Tour de France urine samples.  As long as Armstrong is around the debate will continue about whether or not he won clean, and every great athletic achievement will be suspect.

 

The NFL’s Continuing Drug Problem.  How is it that so many NFL players have been embroiled in performance-enhancing drug controversy, and yet baseball is considered to be the sport with the biggest PED problem?  Sure we know a lot of the sluggers – and probably just as many pitchers – were using PEDs over the past 15-20 years, but where’s the widespread condemnation/interrogation of the NFL?  The Mitchell Report named 100 names of baseball players involved with PEDs, but the NFL has had 185 players from every team and every position get busted for PED use.

People are kidding themselves if they think NFL guys get bigger, faster stronger from nutrition, legal supplementation and weight lifting.  And sure enough, this past week it was announced that Darryl Blackstock – a back-up linebacker – of the Bengals has been suspended 4 games for violating the NFL’s steroid policy.  As our pal Gary Gaffney over at Steroid Nation points out, Blackstock wasn’t suspended for using whey protein.

If the PED ever hits the fan in the NFL, the scandal will dwarf what has happened in major league baseball.

Kipping pull-ups are a great variation on a traditional exercise that incorporates an explosive element into the movement.

Kipping pull-ups are a great variation on a traditional exercise that incorporates an explosive element into the movement.

Kipping pull-ups provide a great alternative for those folks who can do multiple sets of 10 repetitions of traditional pull-ups.  Quite frankly I find pull-ups to be pretty boring.  The grind it out nature of the exercise combined with the fact that I can do sets of 12-15 repetitions make doing pull-ups drudgery.   The Kipping variety incorporates explosive hip extension and makes this a more athletic and challenging exercise.

The key to properly performing Kipping pull-ups is to relax the grip and shoulders as you dropping during the downward phase before tightening up and exploding the hips as you pull up to the bar.  I just started working on these; I’ll be the first to admit my form still needs a bit of work.  After all, I’m 45 going on 46-years old and my shoulders aren’t what they used to be!  I’ve found that being able to relax the shoulders during the drop phase – which means you have to have full range of motion in the shoulders – is the key to being able to do this exercise properly.

As a matter of fact, as I’ve worked on Kipping pull-ups my shoulder range of motion has improved, as has my pain-free range.

I’ve tried to explain this move before, but think that you’ll get much more out of watching me do a set.  When you get good at doing Kipping pull-ups you can add a weight vest to the mix to kick up the difficulty a notch.