Those impressive feats of strength stop you in your tracks as you gaze upon them in awe. However, don’t stare too long as those big guys might get the wrong idea.

Getting strong is a process and one that takes time, effort and commitment. Heck, I’ve been striving for a double bodyweight deadlift for years now. However, I will achieve it one day because I will not let that kid beat me.

Even if you don’t strive to rip big weights off the floor you can still benefit from getting stronger. Some of those benefits include

• increased muscle mass
• better joint mobility
• better flexibility
• stronger bones, joints, and connective tissue
• improved performance on and off the field

The muscles generally associated with strength are the chest, lats, shoulders, quads, arms and glutes. In my experience, men want a strong and great looking upper body while women concentrate on the glutes, hamstrings and arms.

However, both sexes tend to overlook the smaller muscles, in their quest to get bigger, stronger and sexier. Whether you’re new to the lifting game or you’re an experienced lifter, please don’t forget about the smaller muscles that make it happen.

1. UPPER BACK MUSCLES

We live in a look down culture. We look down at our smart phones, tablets and computers. We also sit too much and move too little, which is a recipe for disaster when it comes to our upper back muscles and posture.

For every inch the ears are forward from the shoulders (forward head posture) you increase the weight of the head on the spine by an additional 10 pounds. (Kapandji, Physiology of Joints, Vol. 3)

This is not the ideal situation because it leads to the muscles of the upper back such as the Trapezius and Rhomboids getting weakened and inhibited and increases the likelihood of back pain.

The upper back muscles also play a huge role in the big lifts such as squats, deadlifts (by keeping the spine in neutral position) and even the bench press, so this is a big deal for gym goers and everyday desk jockeys.

Hopefully, you’re already doing exercises such as seated rows, lat pulldowns and chin ups to build those muscles between the shoulder blades. However, consider adding the following exercises to further strengthen those important muscles.

Batwing row

Single arm TRX row

TRX I, Y, T

You can pair these exercises with any upper body exercise. For example

1A. Single arm dumbbell bench press

1B. Batwing row

or

1A. Single arm dumbbell row

1B. TRX I, Y, T

2. HANDS AND FINGERS

Did you know that 34 muscles move our fingers and thumb? That’s a lot of muscles to neglect.

Your fingers can be incredibly strong — strong enough for some people to climb mountains, while supporting their entire weight at times by a few fingertips. There’s a lot of power in those fingers, just ask Spock.

However, you can lose grip strength if it’s not trained and it can lead to some functional limitations and disabilities as you age. Yes, it’s that important. (1)

And it goes without saying that lifting barbells and dumbbells require high levels of grip strength and sometimes it can be the number one limiting factor. You can either grip it and rip it or you can’t.

It’s one of those skills that’s vital in and out of the gym. Here are some must do exercises to train your grip and finger strength, so you can open that pickle jar with ease.

Plate pinch

Farmers carries variations

Pairing these with an exercise that doesn’t require a ton of grip strength is ideal. For example:

1A. Bench press, squat, shoulder press or hip thrust.

1B. Dumbbell farmers walk- 40 yards.

Or you can include it in a core training superset. For example:

1A. Side plank or Front plank variations 30- 60 seconds

1B. Dumbbell farmers walk 40 yards.

Or when you’re looking for some extra biceps work, do this tri-set two to three times per week at the end of your training.

1A, Dumbbell biceps hammer curl 15- 20 reps

1B. Barbell wrist curls 15–20 reps

1C. Plate pinch (with 5–10-pound plates) to failure on both sides

3. FEET

You stuff them in socks and shoes and then you usually forget about them and that’s a mistake. The human foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons and they need some love and strengthening too. (2)

And when your shoes are off, your feet are free to receive more feedback from the ground because you’re re engaging your nerve endings and muscles that have previously been neglected. That makes your feet very happy.

Furthermore, the ability to create an arch in your feet while squatting and deadlifting helps keep your ankles, knees and hips in alignment. However, if you don’t, especially under load, your knees and hips will be very unhappy with you.

Photo credit- Jeremy Ethier

The following two exercises might seem simple, but they will go a long way to strengthening those overlooked muscles of your feet which will help you get stronger from the ground up.

A. Shoe lace touch

I stole this exercise from Taylor Lewis and you’ll be thanking me later.

Instructions

Stagger your stance, (right foot back, left foot forward) heel to toe, shift your hips back and touch your right hand to the shoe laces on your left foot. Take your right foot off the ground and balance until you stumble forward, or you lose your balance. Repeat on the other side. Do two-three reps on each leg.

B. Single leg KB swap

Here’s another exercise I borrowed from a super smart and creative fitness professional Joel Seedman.

The simple act of swapping the KB away from your working foot forces you to maintain your arch or else you’ll lose your balance and shake like a leaf on a windy night.

Both these exercises can be included into your warm up or supersetted with a leg exercise that requires a strong arch. For example:

1A. Barbell squat or Deadlift variation

1B. Single leg KB swap — 6 reps

Or

1A. Any lunge or single leg variation

1B. Shoe lace touch- 3 reps on each foot

WRAPPING UP

It’s not all about the big showy muscles in the gym, the small muscles need some love and attention too. And although those muscles don’t look great in the mirror, they help the muscles that do.

Thinking small will pay big dividends.

Website- https://balanceguytraining.com/

Email-shanemcleantraining@gmail.com

The beauty of using these tools is it saves your joints from taking an unwanted pounding on the treadmill, and with little or no eccentric stress involved with the exercises below, you’re not likely to get to sore afterwards which allows you to have your bacon and eat it, too.

Mmm, bacon.

The routines below are my go to cardio when training for strength or hypertrophy/fat loss. Insert these at the end of your training as a finisher or between strength training sessions in place of traditional cardio. Smile and wave at the cardio bunnies while you’re sweating because they’re probably wondering what the heck you’re doing.

1. Battle ropes/Side plank combo

Instructions– Do any battle rope variation for 30 seconds and then immediately get into side plank. Make sure to breathe down into your belly and engage your glutes. Hold this for 30 seconds. Go back to the battle ropes for other 30 second interval and do the side plank on the opposite side. Repeat this sequence for 10 minutes.

2. Kettlebell swings/medicine ball slam

Instructions– Do this as a countdown superset. Do 20 reps each of the swings and the slams and go down by two each time you perform a round until you reach two reps for each exercise (for example 20–18–16–14….2). If you don’t have access to medicine balls, substitute in battle rope slams.

3. 10 minute farmers carry

Instructions– Depending on your strength level, start with one 20, 25 or 30 pound kettlebell. Hold the bell overhead (bottoms up) and walk, keeping your biceps by or behind your ear. After you lose your grip, stop and reset. When you lose your grip for the second time, bring the bell into the rack position and keep walking.

Once you lose neutral wrist position or your upper back is screaming at you, hold the bell suitcase style by your side and keep walking. Do this for a total of five minutes on each side.

Wrapping up

Cardio shouldn’t always be a grind and neither should it stand between your bacon. These routines will keep your cardio short, sweet, intense and most of all fun.

Did I mention bacon?

Email- shanemcleantraining@gmail.com

Originally published at balanceguytraining.com on May 14, 2018.

Did I say you? I think I meant me. 😊 Sorry.

Growing up I was the skinniest kid on the block, but it wasn’t through lack of trying. I used to eat everything in sight and any food left within arm’s reach was in mortal danger. My mother used to ban me from the pantry regularly.

“Shane, it’s almost dinner time and you’ll ruin your appetite.” She said while she was chasing me out of the kitchen with a wooden spoon. And my mum was quick, so being quicker than her to avoid the sting of the spoon was imperative.

However, the running made me even hungrier.

I was the prototypical tall skinny kid throughout my schooling years, eating what I wanted, having bad skin (in part due to my poor diet) and getting pushed around easily because of my inability to gain weight.

Then during college, I discovered the joys of weight lifting while still eating want I wanted and the seemly the impossible happened. I finally gained some weight. Hallelujah.

I rode that wave for a while and then life happened. I

• Moved countries
• Got married
• Had a couple of kids
• Become a Personal Trainer
• Lost most of my hair

Then eating what I wanted when I wanted came with repercussions and it wasn’t the good kind. It was the expanding waistline kind. However, if I wanted to be the guy who completely lets himself go, this wouldn’t be a problem.

However, I think a man being bald and fat is unacceptable, and it screams giving up. After I’d already lost my hair (I blame my kids for that) it was decision time, either I

or

The choice speaks for itself because being an out of shape Personal trainer wouldn’t inspire confidence in my services.

However, not getting fat is difficult in our current environment. We have an overabundance of sweet, salty and fatty foods at our disposal. A lot of food is produced in laboratories, so we don’t stop at one bite and the advertisers know how to push all the right buttons, so those treats end up in our grocery cart.

To make matters worse, we live in a time crunched 24/7 non-stop society where we’re always on the go but never really going anywhere and we move less and sit more because most of the important things are at our finger tips.

“Alexa, can you please go to the gym for me, I’m too lazy.”

And because I’m a part of the health industry, you’d think I’d know right from wrong in terms of what I put into my mouth, how much I exercise and how I should look. However, I’m subject to the same pressures as you are.

You want proof? Take a look at the inside my pantry.

Being the father of two boys who can eat what they want and not put on a pound, combined with an over worked and stressed out wife and my work hours being all over the place, the temptations of quick and easy sits in our pantry.

Could my family make better food choices? Sure, but let me ask you this. When you’re tired, hungry and stressed, could you be bothered whipping up a five-course gourmet meal? I think not, unless you’re Gordon Ramsey.

Furthermore, with my growing boys eating us out of house and home, being on a tight budget and with food only getting more expensive, not all our food choices are healthy. Could it be better? Yes, of course it could but this is the reality I live in.

Sometimes, the pantry is an enemy to my waistline.

How about yours?

Email-shanemcleantraining@gmail.com

Originally published at balanceguytraining.com on May 7, 2018.

Losing fat is not easy as it requires discipline, effort, consistency and the ability to fail, put it behind you and then get back up again because fat loss is really hard work.

The truth is there are times in your life when you move less, stress more and all the ice cream and candy seem to disappear into your mouth and the clothes that used to fit easily are now tighter than usual.

You head to the scale and the number is way higher than use to be. Then tears start rolling down your face and the punishment phase begins. The dreaded twosome of diet and exercise.

You start starving yourself and then join a gym to slave for hours on the dreadmill.

However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Sure, it can be difficult, but it can be easier with this collection of tips and tricks that I’ve collected during my time as a fitness professional.

Please read, implement and mix and match these tips to find what works best for you. It will not happen overnight, but it will happen.

1. Eat more fiber. Try to get in 40 grams a day. By focusing on fiber, you will naturally eat less calorie-dense foods and more antioxidant-rich plant foods.

2. Try a version of intermittent fasting to help recognize when you’re actually hungry and not just plain bored.

3. Keep a food journal to keep track of your calories. This may help you think twice about that second bowl of ice cream.

4. Use the 80% rules to keep you on track. The goal is progress not perfection.

• Make 80% of your food choices better quality foods. This leaves room for a
  small “fun food.”
• Serve yourself just 80% of what you would normally put on your plate.
• Eat until you’re 80% full.

5. Hydrate well with water, fruits and vegetables. Hunger is often disguised as thirst. Drinking a glass of water before eating a meal helps you eat less too.

6. Keep more nutritious food in the house to prevent making poor choices when hunger hits. Foods like almonds, jerky and apples rather than chips, candy and ice cream.

7. Use smaller plates and bowls to serve yourself less so you will eat less.

8. Make sleep a priority.

9. Make tiny changes like adding a vegetable a day to your existing diet. Buy a vegetable with pop lid top or pre-cut/pre-washed vegetables. Make it easier to be good.

10. Eat 1 gram of protein per pound of your ideal bodyweight. If you want to be 130 pounds, eat 130 grams of protein per day.

11. Make small, increased active changes to your day. Get outside and enjoy the weather. Park your car further from work, zig zag the supermarket while pushing a heavy cart or take the family outside to play a sport.

12. Drink coffee one hour before exercise and drink a cup after you’re done. This allows you to do more in the gym, helps with recovery and it also assists with the breakdown of fat.

13. Stand more and sit less. It’s has been medically proven to not only improve your health but also your waistline.

14. Focus on strength. Pick a lift like a squat, press, row or deadlift and lift it for lower reps (3–6) and more sets (3–6). Strength training helps retains the muscle you already have while you’re trying to lose fat.

15. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) will help burn fat without losing valuable muscle. Use body weight exercises and simple calisthenics that can be done anywhere. Try 30 seconds, 30 seconds off for a 10-minute block. This works for cardio machines as well. Do this once or twice a week.

16. Try aerobic interval training also. After a 3 min warm up on your favorite cardio machine do 3 minutes of out of breath intervals with a 3-minute cool down afterwards. Repeat this 4- 6 times. Both HITT and AIT can help reduce belly fat.

17. The better you are at exercise the less effective the exercise becomes at burning fat. Try exercises that are inefficient instead. Here at a few examples

• Pushups
• Kettlebell swings
• Goblet squats
• Loaded carries
• Getting up and down from the ground

Wrapping up

Being overweight and trying to lose fat is tough but can be made easier with a few changes in habit, environment and the way you exercise. The trick is to stick with it and be consistent.

The only way to fail at fat loss is to quit and you’re not a quitter, right?

If you need any help building your fat loss training contact me here.

Originally published at balanceguytraining.com on April 23, 2018.

I can smell a gym newbie from a dumbbell rack away. The men (usually) make a beeline to the dumbbells to do biceps curls while the women head to the cardio machines to work up a sweat because they still believe lifting weights will make them bulky.

No matter what Gwyneth Paltrow and Jillian Michaels say, it’s just not true. There’s nothing to fear from those dumbbell and barbells in the free weight section. They will not turn you into the Hulk.

Some of the common mistakes people make when starting out or coming back from a long layoff are

• Doing too much too soon
• Taking advice from every Tom, Dick and Harry
• Chasing to many goals at once
• Starting with complex exercises instead of simple ones

This leads to muscle soreness in the short term and disappointment in the long term when you don’t end up looking like your favorite movie star. You may think ‘screw it’ and end up in the start-stop-start cycle of exercise which can culminate in regret and weight gain.

However, you’re better than that.

Instead, use the tips below to help establish a safe and healthy routine that will have you crushing every goal instead of crushing all the bags of chips in your pantry.

1. Start with the fundamentals

Walk into any gym and they will have machines and other wiz bang exercise tools lined from wall to wall. These will attempt to dazzle and confuse you, however, you can walk the past them all if they don’t do the following movements.

• Squat
• Pull
• Push
• Hinge
• Carrying something heavy

https://youtu.be/PV5cqXK_Lgo

These exercises and their variations can be set up in various ways. For example,

• Circuits
• Timed sets
• Supersets

just to name a few. And you can learn how to set up these exercises into your own routine by clicking here and here.

2. Pick a goal, any goal

Having an exercise related goal will prevent you from being pulled in ten different directions by well-intentioned advice from others and from the bright lights and razzle dazzle of the fancy exercise machines.

One of the biggest mistakes people make in the gym is chasing too many goals simultaneously. You’re more likely to have success if you stick to one goal. So, decide if your goal is

• Fat loss
• Muscle gain
• Getting back into shape
• Running a marathon
• Getting on The Bachelor

Once you have a goal in mind, think about the answers to the following questions.

How many days a week can you exercise?

How much time can you dedicate to each training session?

How are you going to remain dedicated and consistent?

All this will go a long way to keeping you in the gym and off the couch.

3. Focus on progress not perfection

It’s been a few weeks and the scale, and the barbell haven’t budged. At this stage you’re probably a little pissed off and ready to take a sledgehammer to the scale. But before you do that, please hear me out.

During the first 4–6 weeks of resistance training your body is getting stronger as the nervous system is building stronger links to your muscles. This happens before you see any changes in your muscle size because you’re getting better on the inside before you see results on the outside.

However, during that period, instead of focusing on the scale and the mirror, notice how you have more energy and better stamina. And take note on how you’re sleeping better, moving better and the exercises that were once difficult are now easier.

When you focus on your health and on the process of being consistent, your results will come.

4. Or if all else fails…..

You can hire yours truly and I can help navigate you through this confusing time.

Wrapping up

It’s natural to be overwhelmed when walking into a gym for the first time or after a layoff. However, if you focus on keeping it simple, being consistent and on small progressions, you’ll be a stronger and healthier human being.

And I promise, you will not turn green.

Email- shanemcleantraining@gmail.com

Originally published at balanceguytraining.com on April 9, 2018.

The city was repaving the country road outside my childhood home and this was too good an opportunity to pass up. So my brother and I raced off to play in the warm and gooey road tar.

We covered ourselves from head to toe and had a blast.

As you can imagine, my mother was angry when she saw us. After tanning our hides, she threw us into the bath and scrubbed us from head to toe.

However, that didn’t deter us because later on we went out and did it all over again. After all, Boys will be boys. I don’t need to draw the picture of what happened next. Let’s just say, for a while I walked with a limp.

You can substitute road tar with mud: kids of today are discouraged from getting dirty. Parents, including myself, are too worried about their kids’ cleanliness or the risk of getting hurt.

This came to a head during my son’s recent soccer season.

Every time it sprinkled or threatened to rain, either the practice sessions or games were cancelled. The powers that be were worried about the fields being trashed or kids hurting themselves.

This thinking is wrong. Back in my day (yes, I’m that old) a little rain or mud would never get in the way of us playing games. And you don’t need me to tell you there is a world of difference between being caked in mud and a slice of mud cake.

Back then kids got wet and muddy and the field may have been left a little worse for wear but we didn’t get hurt, it didn’t matter who won and for us adventures like these were the joy of growing up.

Playing the mud is more than just fun and games. It has also been shown to:

· Reduce allergies and the symptoms of asthma

· Increase gross motor skills, sensory awareness, balance and coordination

· Improve the immune system

· Reduce childhood anxiety and stress

· Help to build creativity

Isn’t that worth getting dirty for?

Parents and administrators next time it rains and the ground is wet, muddy and sticky, don’t discourage the kids from playing in it or worry about your precious fields. Don’t be a stick in the mud.

Let the kids play because they are only young once and it is an important part of their development.

When I first saw this, I laughed so hard I nearly fell out of my chair. I’ve been lifting for the better part of 25 years, and with skinny arms and legs I definitely don’t look like I lift. If he questioned me, I would have to come clean.

However, here’s a better question. Why do you lift?

Ponder that for a moment.

Around 25 years ago, I was hanging out with my longtime friend Simon, shooting the breeze and talking smack when out of the clear blue sky he had a strange request.

“Lift up your shirt,” he demanded

“Why?” I asked. The look he gave me suggested I do it or else, so I did.

“Mate, you really need to hit the gym,” he said.

He was right. I was 6’1 and weighed 145 pounds (66 kg) soaking wet. I had a concave chest, poor posture and almost no muscle tone. The very next day I joined a gym and started doing bicep curls.

Curls are the go-to exercise for gym goers who have no idea what they’re doing.

When I first started pumping iron, vanity was my main motivator. Being skinny and lacking a little self-confidence, I wasn’t a real hit with the ladies. I wanted some size, I wanted some action and the iron was going to help me get both.

And I’m sure if you asked most gym goers, vanity would be their number one reason for torturing themselves. However, since I’ve gotten older, balder and any looks I did possess have faded away, I decided that exercising just for vanity’s sake wasn’t cutting the mustard anymore.

Being a married middle-aged man with two young sons, I had to come up with some better reasons to get out of bed and lift. After some self-reflection, here’s what I came up with.

A. Being role model for my kids and clients

Being a father and personal trainer, I constantly strive set a good example for my kids and clients. Nobody wants to work with a trainer who looks out of shape.

B. Self-care

Exercise is not meant to fix you. You’re already wonderfully made, but you were only given one body and you need to take care of it, as I do. Lifting weights plays an integral role in this.

C. Maintain my movement

When you’re a kid, running, jumping, hopping, skipping and playing is easy. When you get older, not so much. Staying strong and resilient becomes more important as we age. Plus, I still want to play and keep up with my boys.

D. After losing my hair…

I’ve never wanted to fit the stereotype of the married man who let himself go. I try to stay lean because being both bald and fat is unacceptable in my humble opinion.

I might not look like I lift but I have few good reasons for why I lift. What are yours?

Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Texas. No, Shane doesn’t wear a cowboy hat or boots.

After being told that his posture blows by Eric Cressey, he has made it his mission to rid the world of desk jockeys, one person at a time, and have fun while doing so.

“Exercise is fun, a gift for the body and never a punishment”

However, the statistics tell a different story.

According to Marketdata Enterprises Americans spend upwards of 60 billion per year trying to lose weight while the National Institutes of Health puts America’s obesity rate at 68.8 %. The numbers just don’t add up. We should be a nation of healthy people.

Throwing money at the problem is not working, information overload is not working either, and I’m right on the front lines. I’m a Personal Trainer /Writer with over seven years’ experience in the trenches and 25 years under the barbell.

Before I knew better, my mentality consisted of better is more, no pain, no gain and move more and eat less. Remember what Dr. Phil said to his guests when they were in a spot of bother:

“How’s that working for you?”

Not good, Dr. Phil. That’s why I’ve been changing my ways. I’m walking a mile in my client’s shoes, keeping my finger on the pulse and doing my best to tune out all the BS. However, the evil forces are strong, and it’s a constant battle between good and evil.

Scroll through your social media feed, turn on the TV or pick up a magazine. You’ll find pictures of photo shopped models telling you how they got ripped in six weeks, or see the Biggest Loser tearing down contestants and turning weight loss into a twisted competition, or hear some expert hawking the latest and greatest weight loss solution. Dr. Oz, anybody?

Let’s not forget what’s good or bad for you changes on a daily basis, thanks to the mainstream media and research twisted to scare you. Let me throw the Food Babe under the bus, too. Scare tactics and shortcuts are coming at us thick and fast.

However, businesses like the PTDC and Precision Nutrition are fighting the good fight in ensuring that coaches who come in to fitness industry are properly trained and immune to BS. Then this will flow on to you, the consumer, so whenever you pick up a magazine or turn on the tube you’ll be receiving good, not evil messages.

When push really comes to shove, you don’t need Google, YouTube, Dr. Oz or the Food Babes of this world. You don’t even need to open your wallet. You need to change your perspective.

I used to the typical gym meathead, more worried about the size of my biceps and whether or not the gym bunnies were checking me out. After training clients with real physical problems and going through some of my own setbacks, my tune started to change. It’s a case of “you don’t know what you got until it’s gone.”

When movement was taken away, I wanted it back. I realized movement is a gift. Take a good look around next time you’re out and about or at the gym. Pay attention to the people who are handicapped. I bet they would love to be able to squat, lunge, walk and jump around like the rest of us. Never take movement for granted as it could be taken away at any moment.

Not only is movement a gift, it’s fun and never a punishment. Remember what it was like to be a kid as you ran outside, played with your friends or reenacted your sporting heroes in the backyard? Close your eyes and imagine that for a moment. Good times.

Your advancing years then brought heavier responsibility, more zeros on your pay check and added inches around the waist. Then maybe you joined a gym to punish yourself with mindless cardio and sit ups because you thought (or were told) that’s what it took to lose weight.

If that sounds like you, please stop it now. You’re going about it all wrong. Start moving in ways that please you, like when you were a child. Move in ways that make you happy, not miserable. Stop slogging away on the dreadmill or wrenching your neck doing endless crunches.

Instead, jump rope, join a rec league, play with your kids or take your dogs for a walk. You’re really only limited by your imagination.

Michelle Segar, Ph.D. and author of No Sweat gets into this concept of moving in ways that please you, avoiding the old way of viewing exercise as a punishment, and how this can brings you a lifetime of fitness. It has worked for her clients over and over again and it’s no fluke.

If you combine enjoyable movement with better dietary choices (less food out of a box and more meals with one ingredient food) the Biggest Loser, Dr. Oz, Food Babe, and any other self-proclaimed expert of the health and fitness world become obsolete.

Our health is a complex problem with multiple layers that far exceed the scope of this article. I’ll leave that to the scientists and experts to debate. However, some of the solutions are simple and right in front of you. All you need to do is open your eyes (not your wallet) and change your perspective.

Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Dallas, Texas. No, Shane doesn’t wear a cowboy hat or boots. After being told that his posture blows by Eric Cressey, he has made it his mission to rid the world of desk jockeys, one person at a time and having a blast while doing so.

After all training is fun and not a “work”out.