RichRuff Training, Inc.

Exercise of the Week: Trap Bar Deadlift

2010-06-28T21:25:00.007-04:00

One piece of equipment that was a must have for me when opening Accelerated Fitness was a trap bar. If you've been reading some of my stuff, you'll know I'm a big fan deadlifting. When people talk about functional exercise, there may be no more functional exercise than the deadlift. The weight is held in your hands. Your lower body is working. Your upper body is working. Your core is working. Just an overall great exercise.

The problem I have with traditional deadlifting for some people is that they lack the hip mobility and core stability to do the lift properly. A deadlift gone wrong is not a pretty thing. Doesnt't look good. Doesn't feel good.

This is where the trab bar comes in handy. Some will call it a half squat/half deadlift. Fine. The exercise still rocks. With the traditional deadlift the problem is the ability to maintain that neutral spine throughout the exercise because of where the weight is placed, out in front of your shins. By placing the weight to the side of the body by way of the trap bar it is much easier to maintain that neutral spine.

The other thing I like about the trap bar is the two sets of handles that allow you to pull from a lower or higher starting point. This gives you some variations without changing the lift entirely.

Exercise of the Week: Single Leg Speed Skater Squat

2010-06-21T13:06:00.011-04:00

The Single Leg Speed Squat is basically a Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat with a change in the range of motion pattern. Basically, perform one full range of motion rep followed by a half range of motion rep. That's one total rep.

This single leg exercise will really blast the quadriceps, particularly the VMO. Or it's another way to increase the intensity of the basic Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat without adding any load.

Metabolic Circuit Conditioning Class, June 19

2010-06-19T20:12:00.002-04:00

Had our first Metabolic Circuit Conditioning class at Accelerated Fitness today and wanted to give you an idea of what the class consisted of.

First we took it outside for some dynamic flexibility work:
Knee Hug, 1x8
Heel Pull Backs, 1x8
Overhead Walking Lunge, 1x8
Side lunge, 1x8 each way

Then we brought it inside for some hip and core stability work:
Split Squat, 30 seconds each leg
Supine Hip Extension, 30 seconds
Plank, 30 seconds

Then it was time to get the real work in, the circuits. Ten stations were set up:
1)X Band Walk
2)Band Press
3)Jumping Jacks
4)Band Row
5)Schwinn AirDyne
6)Push Ups
7)Squats
8)Plank Rotations
9)Slalom Hops
10)Reverse Lunge

30 seconds of work at each station followed by 30 seconds of rest. After each person had completed each station, a two minute rest was taken and then right back to the starting line. Three times through.

Sound like something you may want to try? Give me a call at 781-538-664 or send an email to rich@richruffing.com to find out when the next class will be.

Exercise of the Week: Extended Ab Wheel Rollout

2010-06-16T12:30:00.004-04:00

Here's an advanced version of your traditional ab wheel roll out. By moving from a knees on the floor position to a knees off the floor position the core stability demands increase and the exercise becomes harder.

"Free"" Metabolic Circuit Class!!

2010-06-15T15:34:00.003-04:00

To all those interested, I'll be hosting what hopes to be the first of many Metabolic Circuit Conditioning Class at my new training facility, Accelerated Fitness. The best part about this week's class, it's Free!! It will also give you an idea of what the class may be like going forward. You'll be doing lunge variations, plank variations, squat variations, waving some ropes, throwing some medicine balls, lifting some weights. A little bit of everything. All designed to get that metabolism going during class, after class and still a few hours after that.

When: Saturday, June 19 @8:30-9:15am
Where: Accelerated Fitness, 153 North Street, Lexington, MA 02420

If you interested, please call (781)538-6664 or send an email to rich@richruffing.com. Any one is welcome, but class size will be limited to 8-10 people.

Accelerated Fitness - Unoffically Open!!

2010-06-10T12:15:00.016-04:00

Some of you may know. Others may not. Over the last 6-8 weeks I've been working on opening my first training facility. Well, things are finally starting to come together. I have a name, Accelerated Fitness. I have a space for Accelerated Fitness, 153 North Street in Lexington, MA. I have about 75% of the equipment in. Still waiting on a couple Schwinn Airdyne bikes, a Cybex Arc Trainer and a Free Motion Dual Stack Cable Cross. I have a new website, acceleratedfts.com, which is under construction right now and should be up and running in mid July. And I have print materials and signage that is going to spread the word being worked on right now.

In the meantime, check out some pics of the early stages:

Interested in a new training experience? Well, Accelerated fitness is unofficially open , so schedule a free trial session by calling (781)538-6664 or send an email to rich@richruffing.com. And be on the look out for more updates.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Alternating Off Set Med. Ball Push Up

2010-06-07T13:06:00.004-04:00

I know it's been awhile between blog posts and videos. A couple playoff runs by the Bruins and Celtics put a squeeze on my productivity and sleep. A bachelor party in Vegas set me back a week or two mentally. And with a chaotic work schedule, I just didn't find the time to work on my blog. But that's going to change...I hope. Time to get back on track.

This week's video is an exercise I took from Joe Defranco's Built Like a Badass program, which I currently started up again. I'm not a badass and definitely not built like one. But I like the variety of exercises and the set/rep schemes that Defranco uses throughout the program. It keeps things fresh and has you looking forward to each successive workout. Here's an exercise taken from a max effort upper body day.

Good Ideas Gone Bad

2010-05-19T21:17:00.003-04:00

I'll be the first to applaud people for making it to the gym. But that's where my applause usually stops. I can not applaud people for doing something that I totally disagree with. I can not applaud people for doing something that I know is 100% wrong. I can not applaud people for increasing their injury risk while doing something that just makes me shake my head. Yes, I know their intentions are good. But it's only the intention that is usually good, because the result is usually bad or in some cases non-existent.

Good idea to squat. I love squats as an exercise and always will. But it's a bad idea to squat with bad form and an even worse idea to squat with bad form and load on the bar. Get the chiropractor on line one. Please, take the time to learn how to squat properly.

Good idea to use the foam rollers. Foam rolling may not be quite as effective as massage, but it's pretty damn close and can be done on a more routine basis. But it's a bad idea to use the foam roller as an unstable surface training device, unless you're practicing for a lumberjack competition. Please, use the appropriate training toll for the appropriate function.

Good idea to do some static stretching. The one aspect of general fitness that is probably neglected the most is flexibility. If you want to keep the injury bug away, your muscles need to have some length. But it's a bad idea to stretch with lazy or careless form. Just like with any other forms of exercise, posture and technique need to be taken into account. If not, you're not doing yourself any good. Just because it feels good where you think it's supposed to, doesn't mean it's actually good for you. Getting drunk on a Friday night feels pretty good, but the hangover on Saturday morning doesn't.

Good idea to do some single leg work. Doing some some single work will identify and hopefully balance any asymmetries from left to right sides. But it's a bad idea to only do quad dominant single leg work. Yes, there are hamstring or posterior chain dominant single leg exercises such single leg Romanian deadlifts and Valslide reverse lunges.

Good idea to incorporate some core work into your training routine. Your core can be the weak link that is preventing you from having success with exercises such as push ups or deadlifts. A weak core doesn't allow proper energy transfer from the upper body to the lower body or vice versa. But it's a bad idea to think that doing crunches, reverse crunches and back extensions are good exercises to strengthen your core. Think of the primary role of your core in the first place which is stability. None of these exercises train stability. Employ some plank, wood chop, odd object lifting, uneven loading instead.

Remember good ideas donnot always wind up with good results.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Extended Set TRX Push Up

2010-05-17T20:52:00.006-04:00

A high rep training method that I'll use from time to time is referred to as as extended sets or mechanical advantage sets. Basically you're starting from your hardest angle of work and moving to angles where you'll gain more of an advantage because the force being applied is less. For instance, you could start with a dumbbell incline press, go to near failure and then move to a flat dumbbell press. Or with push ups you could move from a foot elevated position to a position where your feet are on the floor to a position where your hands are elevated.

In the following video, I take use this same principle of mechanical advantage with push ups on the TRX®. I start from the hardest angle which is near parallel to the floor. As I get to near failure, I walk my feet up a bit so that I'm slightly angled to the floor and go to near failure there. And then I finish off the set by walking my feet a couple more inches forward and squeezing out a couple more reps.

Exercise of the Week: Metabolic Conditioning Circuit

2010-05-10T21:23:00.004-04:00

I ran out of videos. Or should I say haven't shot any videos lately. My bad. So going back to pre-YouTube days I'm actually going to describe or write out an exercise of the week.

Finishers and conditioning circuits seem to be the thing lately because of the exercise density, the increased workout intensity and the positive effects they have on fat loss. The following metabolic conditioning circuit was borrowed from the Warp Speed fat Loss program, which I'm currently experimenting with.

1)Lateral Step Out Squat, 30 seconds
2)Jump Rope, 90 seconds
3)Alternate Step Up, 30 seconds
4)Jump Rope, 90 seconds
5)Plank Walk Up, 30 seconds
6)Jump Rope, 90 seconds
7)Burpee, 30 seconds
8)Jump Rope, 90 seconds
9)Lateral Step Out squat, 30 seconds
10)Jump Rope, 90 seconds
11)Alternate Step Up, 30 seconds

Move from one exercise to the next without any rest and perform each exercise for the prescribed time.

Don't have a jump rope? Go to Perform Better and pick one up for $10-20. Or just substitute some jumping jacks instead.

Warp Speed Fat Loss Training

2010-05-05T10:24:00.006-04:00

Here's one day from Alwyn Cosgrove's and Mike Roussell's Warp Speed Fat Loss training program. I started this up a couple of weeks ago with the hopes of dropping a few points off my bodyfat percentage going into the spring. I hate rest periods under 90 seconds and I hate any rep ranges over 10. Not because it doesn't work, but because I get gassed and can usually be found in the corner gasping for air. But sometimes if you want certain things, you have to get out of your comfort zone and do some things you normally wouldn't do.

A1)Squat, 2-3 sets of 4-6 reps
A2)Seated Cable Row, 2-3 sets of 4-6 reps
*90 seconds of rest between each exercise

B1)Squat, 3 sets of 8-12 reps
B2)Seated Cable Row, 3 sets of 8-12 reps
*60 seconds of rest between each exercise

C1)Step Up, 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps
C2)Lat Pulldown, 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps
C3)DB Squat, 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps
C4)Push press, 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps
*60 seconds of rest between each exercise.

And you're not done yet. Time for some metabolic conditioning work to really accelerate those fat loss efforts

Jumping Jacks, 30seconds
Jump Rope, 90 seconds
Single Leg Burpee, 30 seconds
Jump Rope, 90 seconds
Mountain Climbers, 30 seconds
Jump Rope, 90 seconds
Kettlebell Swings, 30 seconds
Jump Rope Recovery, 90 seconds
Jumping Jacks, 30 seconds
Jump Rope, 90 seconds
Single Leg Burpees, 30 seconds

Done yet? Yes. But the next 27 days are not any easier. I'll be the first to say that I'll be glad when this 28 day period is over. Now if I could only get that nutrition in check.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Band Resisted Ab Wheel Roll Out

2010-05-03T09:54:00.006-04:00

I saw this version of the ab wheel roll out performed by strength coach Eric Cressey awhile back. I finally decided to give it a shot. Roll outs are an excellent exercise as part of your core training since they train the rectus abdominus through it's primary movement which is anti-extension of the spine. And if you're searching for that abdominal soreness, you're going to get it through roll outs because of the eccentric nature of the exercise. But I must warn you. This is not a version of the roll out you should jump right into unless you're aiming for some low back soreness also. If you're not doing any roll outs presently, work on the stability ball version first then move onto the ab wheel and then may be this resisted version.

My Top Five....

2010-04-27T17:02:00.003-04:00

....ways to save your shoulders in the gym:

Use a neutral (palms facing each other) position when pressing with dumbbells. This places the humerus in a position of external rotation thereby opening up the subacromial space a bit more and thereby reducing the chances of impingement. Plus most barbell pressing positions place you in a a position of internal rotation, so why do the same with dumbbells?
Learn to tuck the elbows when doing push ups. Think about rotating your fingers out as you descend during the push up. This will tuck your elbows to your side and engage your upper back and place less stress on your shoulders. The closer your elbows are to your side, the less stress on the shoulders.
Rotate your pressing exercises. Just because it's chest day or upper body day, doesn't mean you have to bench press. I know guys who have never missed a day of bench pressing when it comes to upper body work. I also know a lot of guys who are always complaining about their shoulders. Rotate your main pressing exercise every 3-4 weeks. Incline presses, floor presses and numerous variations of dumbbell presses are just some examples.
Switch to the front squat. Some people just do not have the thoracic mobility or shoulder flexibility to back squat without placing undo stress on the anterior aspect of the shoulder joint. In addition you'll build up some great scapular stability with the front squat.
More pulling than pressing. Include more reps per set or one more set of pulling exercises than pressing exercises. For example if you're doing three sets of 8 reps when bench pressing, perform either three sets of 8-10 reps or four sets of 8 reps when doing your rows.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Low Cable X-Raise

2010-04-25T21:11:00.004-04:00

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Half Kneeling Contralateral DB Press

2010-04-19T20:26:00.003-04:00

A nice alternative to to any cable chopping or lifting pattern, especially if you do not have access to a cable apparatus, is the half kneeling contralateral dumbbell press. Just like the chopping and lifting patterns this exercise could be listed as a core stability exercise. Two things make this a core stability exercise. The first is the contralateral nature of the exercise, meaning the pressing arm is on the same side as the forward leg. The second reason this exercise requires core stability is the narrow base of support. The narrower the base, the greater the core stability demands. In the following video you'll see that I have the front foot, back knee and back foot all along the same line, making the base as narrow as it can get.

Bootcamp

2010-04-13T22:05:00.002-04:00

I have another bootcamp starting up this Saturday. Details are:

When: Saturdays @7:30am
Where: Summit Health & Fitness in Bedford, MA
Cost: $15 for non-members of Summit

Come wave some ropes, pull some sleds, throw some medicine balls and do every one's favorites...burpees!!

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Kettlebell Squat Press Out

2010-04-11T20:14:00.003-04:00

This is an exercise I first saw done by strength coach Mike Boyle a couple months back. Looking at it, you make this this would be considered an upper body exercise since that's where the movement is occurring. But actually this is an isometric anterior core exercise as you try to resist extension at the spine when pressing the weight out.

It's also a great exercise to work on your squat depth and get you used to what coaches refer to as "sitting in the hole".

The more you you can get out of any particular exercise,you should always consider that exercise to be part of your training arsenal.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Rope Battle Tabatas

2010-04-05T15:49:00.006-04:00

Some of the hardest Tabatas I've done are made up of rope battles. In the following rope battle I alternate between in/out waves and alternating waves.

Breaking Down the Turkish Get Up, Part Two

2010-04-01T15:52:00.007-04:00

A couple weeks ago I showed you the first half of the Turkish Get Up. Here's the final half.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Bulgarian Squat Jump

2010-03-28T20:27:00.003-04:00

Finishing It Off

2010-03-25T19:11:00.006-04:00

A great way to accelerate the fat burning process is to use a "finisher" at the end of your workout. A "finisher" is basically a high intensity training protocol done for time or for reps. "Finishers" will promote a greater level of blood lactate which is what you want if you're looking to burn fat. Your lungs will be searing. Your legs will be burning. Your arms will feel like they are about to fall off. If you don't want to burn fat, just hop on an elliptical and crusie for 30 minutes or so.

Everything about a finisher should be hard: the exercise selection, the set/rep scheme, the length of the work interval and the length of the rest interval. You'll probably be working for 8-10 minutes tops, but that 8-10 minutes has got to count. All different training tools can be used: dumbbells, kettlebells, body weight, training ropes, dragging sleds, a combination of these pieces or whatever other tool you want to use.

Let me give some examples of my favorite finishers that I've borrowed from different strength coaches and trainers. One word on the finishers I have listed here. There is no rest as you transition from one exercise to the next. When the entire set of exercises is done, drop to the floor, grab a few breaths and get ready for your next set.

20/20/20
20 seconds of squat jumps
20 seconds of squats
20 seconds of squat holds
*Rest for two minutes and repeat

24s
12 Alternating forward lunges on each leg
12 Alternating lunge jumps on each leg
24 squats
24 squat jumps
*Rest for 2 minutes and repeat

DB Complex
6-8 DB Snatches
6-8 DB Push Presses
6-8 DB Renegade Row/ Push Up Hybrid
6-8 DB Burpees
*Rest for 2 minutes and repeat

Body Weight Complex
10 Squat Jumps
10 Plyo Push Ups
10 Alternating Forward Lunges on each leg
10 Mountain Climbers w/each leg
10 Burpees

Countdowns
10 Plyo push ups
10 Squat Jumps
9 Plyo Push Ups
9 Squat Jumps
*Keep working down to 1 of each. Rest for 2 minutes and repeat.

I could devote an entire article to the progression of each finisher, but for the sake of this post I'm going to make it short. You can progress these finishers, which you should be doing, one of three ways:

Make the work period longer by adding a rep or by adding time
Decrease the rest period at the end of each set by 15-30 seconds
Add another set of each finisher

As I said early on, these are just a couple examples. Feel free to experiment on your own. But remember, there must be one critical component of your experiment if you want it be effective: it has to be hard. It has to "finish" you.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Hand Over Hand Sled Drags

2010-03-22T15:29:00.004-04:00

Here's what happens when you put the Sled Dawg and a training rope together.

Breaking Down the Turkish Get Up

2010-03-19T14:08:00.003-04:00

Another Nutrition Tip from Dr. John Berardi

2010-03-17T21:38:00.001-04:00

Tip #25
The Critical Meal
by Dr. John Berardi

Breakfast is a critical meal. After a catabolic overnight fast, a balanced breakfast helps to regulate blood sugar, helps to regulate energy balance, and helps to control late-day cravings that lead to overfeeding. Be sure to include a serving or two of lean protein like an egg white omelet (throw in a yolk or two), some cheese, some dairy like plain yogurt or cottage cheese, some lean turkey bacon or sausage, or even a protein shake on the side. Men should be shooting for 30-50 grams of protein and women should be shooting for 20-40 grams of protein in this meal.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - my pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want -- guaranteed.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Barbell Russian Twist

2010-03-14T20:36:00.004-04:00