#1. DO
Go Raw. Gloves are meant for ranch hands, welders, and lumberjacks. Not the gym. Calluses only develop on your hand when you give them the chance. Once they do, they will serve as a de facto lifting glove.
DON’T
Wear lifting gloves. A layer of cloth between your hands and the bar makes it more difficult for you to get feedback on your technique. It also leaves your hands feeble.
#2. DO
Eat your squats first. Squats are your veggies. If you don’t eat them, you can’t have dessert. They are essential to building a strong body.
DON’T
Base your diet off of curls and crunches. These are dessert, simply icing on the cake. There’s nothing wrong with hitting arms or abs (in moderation, of course!). Just make sure to eat your veggies first.
#3. DO
Use the treadmill to walk, run, or sprint. Here are my definitions of each:
Walk: 3-4mph
Run: 6-8mph
Sprint: >8mph
DON’T
Jog. Notice a speed that is missing from the list above? 4-6mph is essentially “No Man’s Land” on a treadmill. I like to think of it as speed limping. It is just barely faster than a walk, yet it significantly increases the pounding on your joints. Here are 2 options to substitute if you find yourself lost in the jogging zone:
Incline Treadmill Walk: Set the incline from 5.0-10.0 with the speed around 3-4mph.
Interval Runs: Try a speed of 6-7mph. See if you can go for ¼ of a mile. Walk for a couple of minutes and catch your breath. Repeat.
Thanks for reading. Yours in health and performance, Coach Joel
Joel trains pro athletes, physique competitors, and everyday people out of EXOS, a world renowned training lab in North Phoenix. He specializes in training methods for sustainable fat loss and muscle gain while reducing pain and injuries. Joel helps upgrade the way people look, feel, and live.
Follow Joel:
Twitter: @coach_jsanders
Website: EXOS
