When training for size, most casual and experienced lifters know that there’s an optimal rep range (approx. 6-12) that elicits a hypertrophic (muscle growth) response. Further, specific movements are often used to get just the right angle on the tricep, delt, or serratus…picture folks who camp out at the cable columns, here.
In my experience, some of the most underutilized movements that help you make size gains are unilateral lower body exercises. This is partially due to the fact that back squat, front squat, deadlift, and leg press have well-document effects on hypertrophy. This could also be true because split squats, lunges, and other single-sided exercises can be humbling, especially if you don’t do them often. Here are some tips for what will help you get the most out of them:
Move In Different Planes
Most bilateral exercises occur in the sagittal plane, or within the vertical plane that bisects your body into left and right halves. Unliteral exercises, like lateral or rotational lunges, allow you the freedom to move in the frontal and transverse planes. This allows for more selective muscle activation, just like the cable column allows you to pronate just the right way to isolate the lateral head of the tricep. This stimulus can help elicit a better hypertrophic response in muscles like your vastus medialis and adductor longus than with bilateral exercises alone.
1 Leg 1 Dumbbell
Another way to maximize your time when doing unilateral movements is to try loading on only one side of the body - holding one dumbbell, using asymmetrical loads on a trap bar, etc. In many lunge or unilateral RDL patterns, holding the load ipsilateral (on the same side) as the working leg requires intense contraction to counter rotational forces and other compensations in order to maintain proper form.
If you’re looking for that next step in gains and haven’t given unilateral work its proper dues, I encourage you to give it a try. Be patient, be okay with being humbled for a few weeks, and prepare to be sore in places that you may not have been before. Happy lunging!
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I don't want to train in front of others, so why not at home?
I just don't have the time, you can't find thirty minutes?
It's too expensive, walking is free!!
I'm too fat, really?
These are only a few of the most common excuses people give me when
we start to talk about training, and yes they are that just excuses. I
know how it feels trust me, I was an obese guy. I used all the classics
to try to avoid training, and even now sometimes it does get hard to
get out of bed for those early gym sessions. But not training and not
getting out of bed are the biggest mistakes I have ever made.
The truth of it is yes sometimes it's hard, yes you may have to get
up early, yes it could be raining or cold, but all of these things are
far outweighed by the benefits you WILL receive from exercise. Now when I
talk about training I'm not talking about heavy weights, or triathlons.
What I'm talking about is physical activity, you could do something as
simple as walk to the shops instead of drive, take the stairs not the
escalator, all the little things can and will make a difference to the
state of our bodies wellbeing.
>
I'll bet you didn't know that on average people that have sedentary
lifestyles will lose around 30% of their overall strength between the
ages of 50 and 70. Now you may say "No problems I got plenty of time",
my response regardless of age "Why put off till later what you can do
NOW". We all know that with age and obesity comes higher risks of health
issues, this is no secret. But if we take action right now, today, we
can significantly reduce our vulnerability to being struck with these
health issues. Diabetes (type 2), osteoporosis, arthritis, heart
disease, high blood pressure, muscle atrophy, we can help to reduce the
risk of developing these health problems by doing something very simple
EXERCISE
I have a client story I would like to share. Now this particular lady
was overweight, has a sedentary lifestyle, blood pressure problems, and
was in her words "Unfit as Hell". For this client we changed eating
habits, now this client actually ended up eating more BUT it was all
healthier choices. From there we introduced exercise three times per
week for half hour to forty five minutes of walking, that's all just
walking. Now this client has had a steady decrease in weight every
single week since she started exercising, but more importantly from the
simple and easy changes we made for her, she no longer requires blood
pressure medication.
My message from all this and the one piece of advice I can and do offer everyone,
Use your excuses whatever they maybe BUT use them as fuel!!!
Take out some paper and write down every excuse you can think of why
you shouldn't start exercising right away. Now take up that paper rip it
up into the smallest pieces you can manage and throw it away. The next
step is the easiest, try some exercise. It doesn't have to be fancy, or
at a gym, or with a personal trainer, just simple little activities that
work around your everyday life can make all the difference.
For the next two weeks I want you to try two things,
Number 1 - Walk three times per week for at least half an hour, at a pace where you will work up a sweat.
Number 2 - Drink water, 2 to 3 litres per day at a minimum. Stay away from the bubbles (Soft Drink).
Try these few tips, what have you got to lose. By the end of your
second week I'll bet you will be saying "Gee I have more energy", "I
just feel better", or you could look down at the scales and say "What
the, I'm sure I was heavier than that.
I'll leave you with a quote that I have only recently heard but have adopted it into my own training
Today I Will Do what others WON'T, so tomorrow I can do what others CAN'T.
This article has been submitted by Wolfgang Hofbauer on behalf of Chris, Senior trainer at Ripped Personal Training [http://RippedPersonalTraining.com].
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My knees are bloody, my neck is sore, I have bruises all over the place, I’m flat out exhausted.
And that’s just because of the beating Mickey Schuch gave me.
That guy Mickey Schuch. More about him later.
How My Showdown With Mickey Schuch Began —
Mickey’s that guy from Carry Trainer and GunFighter Gun Oil. He was also an instructor at the conference. How he built his students' confidence while also challenging them continuously, both mentally and physically, was pretty impressive. I’ll tell you more about that beating later. I wasn’t sure if I wanted it at the time, but I went for it, and it turns out I needed it.
The 2022 Guardian Conference was September 16th-18th at the Oklahoma City Gun Club. The Club is right in the backyard of CCW Safe, the host and title sponsor of the event.
Time Spent With Awesome People —
People from 25 states got in their vehicles or boarded planes, some having to travel a few thousand miles to come and train with an incredible line-up of instructors. I could sit here and type forever, just going through the experience levels and accolades of each of these instructors. That list is long, and it is impressive. On top of that, these men and women were incredible human beings.
left to right (J. Johnston, B. McLaughlin, J.Meyer, R. High, M. Lauer, R. Bowman, A. Little, M. Little, A.J. Zito, S. Middlebrook, M. Burgess, M. Schuch, C. Haggard, W. Dobbs, B. Eastridge)
The conversations I had were overwhelmingly positive, having to dig deep for criticism. Best I could get were suggestions on different muffin flavors at breakfast and if I could install a controllable thermostat on Mother Nature. I also would have liked to see a Chocolate Chip muffin in the mix. But that whole government climate control conspiracy rabbit hole isn’t something I want to go down, not again anyway. Not trying to get on any more lists than the ones I’m undoubtedly on already.
Sam Middlebrook encouraging students like only he can do.
It Takes a Team —
I didn’t actually take any courses; I was there just to do my best to make sure the Conference went well. Whether it was running to pick up lunches or fighting our instructors, I was the man for the job. The Conference was fantastic. We crushed it. Our team invests their time and abilities unlike any other I’ve seen. There were constant smiles on attendees' faces and the positive energy was impossible to ignore.
left to right (C. Lucero, M. Goerdt, J.P. Svec, R. Beckman, M. Maruster, B. McLaughlin, J. Paulsen, S. Paulsen, D. Adams, S. Delmonico, J. Meyer)
You would think with the conference landing smack dab in the middle of Mercury being in Retrograde (shout out to my fellow hippies) we would have experienced more hiccups or issues, but we made it through. A few scratches and bruises, but every person who attended left a better person at the end of the weekend.
David, one of the hardest working guys I know.
I have zero doubt that every single attendee, 19% of which were women, went home with new invaluable knowledge. Attendees had their minds blown.
Wayne Dobbs is a wonderful human, who is also one heck of an instructor.
What's The Point of It All —
Yes, weapon handling skills saw significant improvements. But the experience changed the mindset of everyone involved. Pre-conceived notions on gun-culture got tossed out the window, and there were tears of joy and realization every day (probably mostly from me).
This conference is different. It’s about people. It’s about becoming a better human being. The experience challenged everyone to push themselves and they left more confident in their abilities. Better equipped to be leaders in their communities and Guardians of those that they love.
Please Consider Coming Next Year —
We are putting the 2023 Guardian Conference on the same weekend next year September 15-17th at Oklahoma City Gun Club. 25% of this year’s attendees also went last year and I expect an increase in that number next year as just about everyone was saying they were coming back for sure in 2023! This is some of the most diverse, highest quality, and most affordable training you can ever get, we make sure of that.
Be sure to sign up early to save more and secure your spot for next year!
Okay… back to the sparring match with Mickey.
Word Travels Quickly —
Let me tell you, I’m a talker and I always have been. I can talk crap with most, but Mickey Schuch is a grandmaster. His verbal skills and quick wit are impressive. I like a challenge, so I felt like going back and forth with him and we wrestled a bit. He went easy on me. I used some of my non-existent ground fighting skills on him, and then after I told everyone that I would have had him if only he hadn’t given up. You can bet he was gonna' hear about it.
Clearly, I am letting Micky feel like he was winning.
Fast forward to the next day, the conference has wrapped up, attendees are all gone and Mickey calls me out. He’d heard I’d been talking smack. Challenge accepted. I continue to run my mouth. Mickey continues to make me tap out via various chokes and armbars half a dozen times over what seemed like a much longer time than a few minutes. He still took it easy on me, but he made sure I felt it this time. A few of my coworkers were even slightly concerned. But it looked worse than it felt; I kept smiling and talking smack.
Truth be told, I was just proud of myself for accepting the challenge.
Another shot of me dominating Mickey.
Truth is Mickey Beat my Butt, and He was Gracious About it —
Afterwards Mickey shook my hand and thanked me a few times and was sure to tell me I would probably be good at Jiu Jitsu if I went to some classes. Maybe he respected me a bit more afterwards for not backing down… but either way, I respected myself more.
The experience humbled me, reminded of my weaknesses, and inspired to be better. Then, just like he did with the students in his classes, he built up my confidence. Maybe next year Mickey and I will go for round 2. I hope you will be there.
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