Thursday, January 1, 2009

Sculpt A Lean, Hard, Athletic Physique With Only Barbell

By Caleb Lee

I had a subscriber ask this question:

"Is it possible to build strength, put on muscle and burn off fat if I don't have a power rack and I only have access to a barbell? Not even an Olympic barbell, but one of those old crappy cement filled barbell sets"

I know precisely the weights this guy is saying. I believe nearly everyone of us grew up with them right? They were basically cement weights covered in plastic, and over time the plastic busted up and the cement started to get busted below remember?

I guess I'm showing my age :)

To cut a long story short...

Of course! Why not?! You can absolutely build strength and power with an outdated equipment!

You just need somebody to teach you exactly how. Fortunately you met me. And thank heavens I just read a large amount of Dan John's awe-inspiring "From the Ground Up".

In this outstanding little ebook Dan John explains the "Rapid Ascent Program", which contains three workouts:

1. Pull Move

2. Push Press

3. Front Squat/Press

And here's how you did the program (from his book):

"The program was very simple. First, groups of four boys were given a bar. The bars were weighted from very lightmaybe 25 poundsup to perhaps close to 100 pounds. Each cohort of boys would lift one at a time, put the bar down, then the next boy would lift. The four would constantly move from lifter to watcherthe bar never stopped. The three sets (explained in just a moment) would not take very longin fact, sometimes it was hard to catch your breath in time for your next set.

The repetitions were very easy

* Set Number 1 -- 8 repetitions

* Second set: 6 repetitions

* Set Number 3 -- 4 repetitions

The goal was simple: when you got all 18 reps (8+6+4), you added weight. If you started with a bar that was too light, the next workout, you would be bumped up to the next weight and a stronger group. (Of course, actual variations could include making a whole new group with more weight, tooor whatever necessary to make the group work together)."

Seems easy doesn't it?

That's the upside of this program!

You don't need a great deal of equipment to achieve maximum strength and power and build mega-muscles... all at the same time as increasing your cardiovascular fitness and stripping off stubborn pounds of fat.

What you DO need is a little "do or die" point of view. You should make a decision you certainly WANT to attain your fitness goals, then you'll find a way to make use of whatever equipment you have available to make it happen.

I enjoy program since it corresponds the DoubleYourGains' philosophy of training movement patterns in place of a bunch of workouts. The Rapid Ascent program has a press move (military press), a pull move (power clean), a squat move (front squat) and an explosive/hamstring move (power clean).

How to perform the "Rapid Ascent" program for cardio and fat loss:

Coach Dan highlights that you could also acquire a great cardio workout and nuke some fat:

"To "hurry up" the trainingas if it was required, there were times when Mr. Freeman advised bringing together the Power Clean and Military Pressesone clean and one press, repeated for a total of eight reps. This was completed with a lighter weight. One could also execute the Front Squats after the clean and presses, too. I have only done this onceand it was an incredible cardiovascular exercise."

Thus if you think you don't have a sufficient equipment to get into top shape and attain your fitness goals you are erroneous. You are erroneous. You are erroneous.

Heck, you don't even need a barbell. You can start with the DoubleYourGains' bodyweight program. You can do pullups on your door frame (for extra strong fingers) or just grab the top of a door and go to town (or a tree limb, anything you can hang from, etc) Trust me, if THAT workout gets easy for you - you will be a certified STUD.

And, the minute you gain access to a good Olympic barbell set you can start the DoubleYourGains' 3-5 Program. - 15683

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