Everyday Fitness

Ah, the age old question. You can't spend a day at a gym without overhearing this. Hell, I used to wonder what the golden number of sets and reps was. Truth be told, I should have spent less time worrying, and just lifted them weights. Still, it was nice to find some analysis on the subject. When looking at increase in muscle size, here's the conclusions of several compiled studies:

• 2-3 sets give a significant increase in size over 1 set
  
• 4-6 sets give a significant increase in size over 1 set, and may give a larger size increase than 2-3 sets
  
• Working out for 1 hour three times a week typically gives better results than working out for 2 hours twice a week
  

I should note, these studies were done with 7-10 reps per set. According to this, it looks like the benefits of an exercise start to plateau after 6 sets. That's something to keep in mind before doing bench press, then decline bench press, then incline bench press.. or 300 sit-ups. The third and final point in that list is nice in that, I think it shows how fitting exercise into your day can be easy; squeezing in 1 hour chunks of time here and there could be more manageable than scheduling a 2 hour workout session for yourself.

Here's another segment of current research I came across on my train ride, and it has to do with deadlift mechanics. A group from the University of Illinois found a link between a person's knee and back strength, and how this changes the way a person would lift a heavy box/crate. Laying it out plain and simple; if a person's back is stronger than their knees, they lift more with their back. If the person's knees are stronger with their back, they lift more with their knees. 

Imagine there was a heavy box/crate in front of you; how would you approach lifting it? At some point you were probably instructed to bend at the knees and lift with your legs. Let me stop and say, I think it's garbage to assume our legs need to do all the lifting. Of course you need to engage your back to stabilize the lift as well! The old saying "lift with your legs" has good intentions though; you don't want to bend the back too much and muck up your spine. Anyways, there's one less obvious point I want to take away from this research:

We're too comfortable using the strong parts of our bodies and ignoring the parts that need improvement

Sure, in certain aspects of life it makes sense to stick to our talents. I'm good with the sciences, so I'll make a career out of research. I won't try making a living by painting, for example, because I'll end up living on the streets (So much for a gym membership then!) But when it comes to our bodies, it's a "you're only as strong as your weakest link" scenario. Varying the sorts of exercises you expose yourself to will lead to an optimal full body fitness, and prevent injury down the road.

While on an 8 hour train ride, I had some time to look at recent research in exercise. I found one article that vindicates a personal bias of mine, so I thought I'd share.

A group from California State University found there's no difference in muscle activation between using a standard bench and using a Swiss ball. Every time I see someone rolling around on one of these Swiss balls, I shake my head. Now I have real reason to be against them. To me Swiss balls are one of those fads people buy into, with the advertised notion that the ball is somehow "better" than a real bench. In my mind Swiss balls are on the same level Shake Weights. Speak of the devil, it seems fitting to leave you with this:

Maybe you've been captured by a crime syndicate and forced to fight for your life, and you need to toughen up in your prison cell during the days leading up to your epic battle... or you're traveling and don't have a place to work out. Whatever the reason, here's some exercises you can do anytime, anywhere, with nothing but your own determination:

• Step-ups or Single Leg Squats: The single leg squats might feel a little awkward at first, but once you get used to the balancing they work great. To start off, you can use a chair or some object to help steady yourself. For step-ups, all you need is a sturdy chair or some sort of platform to step on to. With either exercise, you can add resistance by holding heavy house-hold objects in your hands.
  
• Chin-ups or Supine Rows: The chin-ups require a sturdy door frame you can get a grip over, otherwise they may be difficult to do around the house. I would say, you can bring a chin-up bar with you to hook onto a door, but the idea here is to get a workout with absolutely no special equipment. In that case, you can do supine rows by laying under a sturdy table and gripping the edge, pulling your body up towards the table.
  
• Push-ups, or Handstand Push-ups: You can do push-ups in many variations. You can do them leaning against a wall, on the ground with your knees resting on the floor, or as shown in the link. The real ambitious souls can try handstand push-ups. To do these, stand with your back against a wall, crouch down placing your hands on the floor in front of you, and slowly "walk" your way upside down into the handstand position.
  
• Jack Knife Sit-ups and Supermans: You can jack up the intensity of these exercises by holding them at the top of the motion for a few seconds, or a few minutes if you can handle it.
  
• Curls and Bench Dips: You can curl just about anything to work your biceps; it doesn't have to be a dumbbell! Backpacks or suitcases work well here. Also, it shouldn't be hard to find a piece of furniture you can do dips with. Honourable mention goes out to other auxiliary exercises you can do just about anywhere given a heavy backpack or suitcase: Shrugs, Wrist Curls, and Calf Raises on some stairs.
  

With all that, you should hit your legs, back, chest, core, and arms very effectively using no gym equipment what-so-ever. I like to do the above exercises in 3-5 sets of about 12-24 reps. To mix up the intensity, try performing explosive and powerful movements, do multiple exercises one after the other, or hold the exercise at its hardest point; you can easily find out the peak position which requires the most effort by experimenting.

Okay, so this video is a little extreme/harsh. I really just like it for the "can squats cure cancer?" line. The average person doesn't have to be THIS adamant about them, but squats really are the best exercise ever! Everyone (injuries permitting) should add a little squat to their lives.

If you want to maximize your gym efforts, I've put together a little run-down on seven of the most compound full body exercises. That means you'll be working more of your body in the least amount of time.

1. Squats
   Primary target: Quads
   All around exercise for your legs with strong secondary effects on glutes and hams.
   
2. Bench press
   Primary target: Chest
   A personal favorite for stress release. Good secondary effects on the triceps and shoulders.
   
3. Dead lifts
   Primary target: Lower back
   The hardest working lift in my opinion. Dead lifts recruit a large variety of secondary muscles to help with the movement, such as your calves, abs, and obliques. Be careful to do these properly though, or else you could risk back injuries.
   
4. Military press
   Primary target: Shoulders
   There's something innately satisfying about thrusting weight straight up above your head; try not to love this one too much. Secondary effects in the triceps and chest.
   
5. Rows
   Primary target: Middle back
   All around exercise for the back, with additional secondary effects on lats, rear shoulders, biceps, and forearms.
   
6. Dips
   Primary target: Triceps
   Body weight exercises like dips can done just about anywhere you can support yourself! Nice secondary hitting of the chest and shoulders.
   
7. Pull-ups
   Primary target: Lats
   Although tough to do at first, pull-ups are excellent at hitting the back in general. Lots of secondary effects at the rear shoulders, middle back, biceps, and forearms.
   

I have a little visual I made to show what you can expect to feel at the end of the day. Muscles primarily hit are colored red, muscles with heavy secondary focus are orange, and those with not as heavy secondary focus are yellow:
That isn't to say your abs and calves don't get a good work out; these muscles just aren't specifically targeted because the Super Se7en is more focused on compound muscle groups. You will feel the Super Se7en throughout your entire body. Give some of these exercises a try and see how it goes!