Using Outdoor Gyms for Muscle Gains 2

You will recall that I wrote about training in outdoor gyms sometime ago. I just found a video on Youtube which shows how you can use the outdoor gyms to maximise your fitness gains without spending a penny. In addition, training with the gym equipment generates kinetic energy which is converted to electricity and stored in batteries for use by the community.

 

Sample workout:
Pullups: 5 sets of 30, 25, 20, 15,10 reps  Superset with Muscle ups on the lower bar for the same no of reps.
Dips: 5 X 30,25,20,15,10 reps Superset with rows on the lower pullup bar
Jump over the section dividers for a core workout and use the floor area for a Capoeira workout

 

 



THE BODYBUILDER'S CREED

 

 

A BodyBuilder's Creed

 

I am a  Warrior; a man that will pump until he cannot move.

 

I train because there are no limits to the strength I can gain, because "I can't" is a figment of my imagination.

 

My life was changed in the shrine of iron and sweat;
because of this natural gift I have discovered what lies inside of me.

I am a Champion. Several times have I met my limits in my training and pushed past it.

There is no growth without confrontation. Pain can be tool to bring about a change; the harder you push, the greater the reward.

Many lessons have I learned

Quitters are unfaithful and unstable; they have no place on the battlefield as they are easily removed by the tide of the fight.

Consistency and discipline are primary. The road of 1000 steps begins with the first step. Learning that you have no idea what the Creator has placed in your physical body until you unlock the door.

 

As in prayer, you press out of the natural world into the realm of the Spirit Of God. In my training, I press past pressures that seek to dominate me. As I press I inch closer to my goal. and I discover that I can conquer them if I simply endure the pain.

I am a Bodybuilder. In spirit and in reality. In the gym I train relentlessly, in order to build my body and attain the best health that I may. Glorifying God by taking care of the Temple in which He dwells.

 

I take this seriously.

Bodybuilding is not a game.

Bodybuilding is not a hobby.

Bodybuilding is not only what to do.

It's who I am.

 

An Experience in the Gym

I went to the gym, expecting today to be like any other training day. I would normally run from my house to the outdoor gym, execute my normal workout, chat with regular trainees and walk back home.

 

Occasionally, I would meet interesting people during my workout; people who motivate me to push myself beyond my limits, people who are not limited by the fitness equipment, but instead devise creative ways of using the existing equipment. 

 

 

I have seen people execute muscle ups with pull up bars designed for wheelchair users, pull ups with dip bars, and plyometric jumps with section dividers. People would ask their training partners to stand on the seat of the weight machines in order to increase the degree of resistance; a girl would sit on her boyfriends shoulders to add weight to his dips, and a man would use the metal poles as a punching bag.

 

I have seen   phenomenal amounts of muscle, strength and endurance built through the creative use of bodyweight workouts. I have received training advice from ex-convicts who have developed an expertise with bodyweight work, and I have made friends with some wonderful people who daily convince me that my progress has been limited by my perceptions.

 

I once met one of the promoters of the outdoor gym project and he was so surprised with the creative workouts being performed on his machinery. He enthused that they had never conceived all the uses to which the machinery could be put.

 

The gym is home to many, and fitness can be a force for good in the community.

 

 

BUILD A FITNESS SCHEDULE

How many times have you heard that "time is money"?

Do you remember the time tables we used to have when we were younger? these tables provided certainty, you knew exactly what to do, when to do it, and the penalty for not doing it.

 

Time management has been the rage in the past decade. As people work harder and have less time to devote to what they love to do, the impulse is to drop any difficult activities, such as going to the gym. Unfortunately, our bodies will not keep themselves in shape, and we need to take responsibility for our physical fitness and wellness.

In these busy times, customising your fitness schedule around your time availability and your needs is essential; you can't afford to live your fitness to chance, the same way you wouldn't leave your clothes to chance.

With the advent of time management and productivity improvement tools, it has become easier to manage your fitness schedule with the required discipline. Tools like your phone calendar, Google Calendar, or you could design one on Microsoft Word. You could also download and print out a workout calendar from http://www.workout-calendar.com/

In designing your calendar, start with your goal (health,fat loss, muscle gain), the location of your exercises (home, office, gym), duration (30 mins, 1 hour...),  the equipment you will be working with (weights, bars,) and the commencement time of the workout.

NOTE: The only way to obtain sustainable results is by DISCIPLINED, CONSISTENT, HARD WORK.

 

PLAY AWAY THE POUNDS

Exams are over.... finally!!!!!!

After six months of unrelenting academic drudgery, I have packed my books, articles and notes far from my sight; from now onwards, I'm going to kick back, rest and think about the future ( Can I hear an amen!!!). I'm now working hard to shed all the extra weight I gained while studying for exams and regain my six pack in time for summer.  

A lot of students also want to lose some weight or build some muscle before summer, but they  want to stay out of the wonderful sun instead of working out in a dreary gym. This got me thinking about ways of working out in a fun, collaborative environment, while enjoying the sun.

On my way back from a class picnic last week, I discovered a free outdoor gym at Mile End Park with a fitness bike, a chest press machine, a cross trainer, an abdominal bench, a ski machine and a treadmill. The zone has a traversing wall, kickwall, basketball goal, tennis wall and freestyle area for aerobics and martial arts. I particularly liked the dip bars and the pull up bars.

I have found several outdoor gyms in many parks and playgrounds in London, so if you don't have the spare cash for a gym membership, or you wish to take a break from indoor training and have some fun in the sun ,then you can make use of these facilities.

HOW MUCH OF AN EDGE WILL SUPPLEMENTS GIVE YOU?

 

A lot of people have asked me about the benefits or otherwise of taking supplements. As a general rule, I do not push supplements as they can be easily abused, with dire consequence.

Supplements are becoming extremely popular in the fitness industry and much of the public are being misled by what certain supplements can do. Nutrition will always come first and give far greater results than any array of supplements ever could. Supplements are given their name because they do just that: supplement an already well put together nutrition plan.

However, it is not always possible to get all the nutrients you require only by eating and if you're the busy kind, you  may find it difficult to eat a meal every few hours. In such a situation, smartly selected supplements may be beneficial to keep your metabolism going, it'll help you build muscle, and help you fight fat. Supplements are also beneficial to  people who find it hard to build muscle; for such people, supplements can provide a source of valuable protein. 

So my advice is to look honestly at your goals and ask yourself whether you need to supplement your diet. If you believe you need a supplement, look for one that closely matches your fitness goals. But be careful not to take too much within a day, as the long term abuse of supplements may cause damage to your kidneys. Remember that supplements are just that, they are meant to supplement your diet and should not act as substitutes for a good diet. 

 

DEADLIFT YOUR WAY TO A FIT BODY!!!

 It has been a long time since I last posted on LegallyMuscled. I hope you are getting closer to you goal of maintaining a fit mind and a strong body - a body that is living and pulsating with the vigorous energy of aliveness through lifting weights.

Many people have a love-hate relationship with the deadlift. I rather dread the deadlift myself because of the soreness I normally feel when I use them in my training.

 

Deadlifts is one of the few exercises that truly stimulate both the lower and upper body. The same cannot be said of squats, which focus mainly on the lower body. Deadlifts work your backside, giving it a firm and rounded look.  upper thighs, hamstrings, lower back, upper middle back, traps, and gives a kind of "fullness" in the chest (take note guys). 

Do not round or flatten your back at any time! This is very important. If you round or flatten your back on the initial pull or to get that last rep you're risking a serious injury that might set you back months or totally end your weightlifting career. If you cannot do deadlifts with good form then do not do them, period. 

 Do not deadlift when you have a pinch in the lower back, it may be a warning sign of injury.