How to Position Heavy Dumbbells when Doing Bench Press

I had one of my Online Personal Training Clients mention that they where starting to get up in weight in their dumbbell bench press and where concerned about getting the extra weight load into position since they have issues with their back and did not want to potentially potentially strain or injure their back.

As with everything everything there are easy ways and hard ways to go about doing things, if you use technique rather than muscle to maneuver yourself into position when doing a heavy dumbbell bench press, then the amount of weight you use should not be a problem or put any unnecessary strain on your back.

In this YouTube video I show you how I use my legs and upper body to work with each other as counterbalances and get pretty much as much weight as you can handle when doing dumbbell bench press.

Get Fit Over 40 January 2015 Update Video

A few quick updates for the new year...

I'm planning to attend another Men's Physique Fitness Contest this year around the end of May so it gives me about 4 months to prepare for it. I figure two months of working hard trying to add a bit of muscle and then a couple of months of trimming down a bit. Maybe I'll step on stage with a little more muscle this time.

My Online Personal Training has been going really well, I have a nice comfortable client base I have been working with and it has been very rewarding to be a part of their progress. I am still taking more new clients at this time so send me an email nd me an email if you are interested!

A while back I made a Chromebook review video and spent most of the video raving about the Chromebook concept, even though I have been an Apple fan boy since before using a Mac was cool. Watch my video to see why I think a Chromebook is a great option even if you are already an established Mac or PC user. Anyways, I got perhaps a bit too adventurous and thought I would try one of those hybrid Tablet/Laptop Windows 8.1 Convertibles and I really wanted it too workout but at the end of the day, it ended up slowing me down in my workflow rather than speeding up my workflow like I found the Chromebooks did for me.

So I am back to using a Chromebook again, this time I picked up an Acer C720P Chromebook with an 11 inch touchscreen display. If you are interested in another Chromebook review, let me know and perhaps I will do a quick review for it.

That's about it for now, I'll just keep doing what I do and keep making more videos for you all.

Deadlift PR at 190 Pounds Body Weight - 405 Pounds x 12 reps

I guess you could say I am trying to work back up to where I was prior to my Mens Physique Competition, which was followed by some well needed rest, and then a family vacation and of course the Holiday season where workouts get a back seat to other things. So what I'm tryign to say is the last 2 months have not been as productive for me as I would like them to have been, at least in terms of buidling muscle and getting stronger...

I have been working hard this past week or so in the gym but have felt really up and down, and recovery is slow since my body is not used to the workloads anymore! Today was Deadlift day and my legs where still a bit soar from Mondays killer Squat day. Today I had no idea how my body would react to the Deadlifts but on the positive side I was at my CrossFit Gym with my bro's and we all like to push each other so I knew I was not geting off easy.

We started off with a 12 rep set at 225 pounds to get the blood flowing. The weight felt really good and I snapped them out in a hurry, we added 50 pounds for the next set and again the 12 reps at 275 pounds felt pretty easy and I got through them fast. Now it was getting serious as we added another 50 pounds to the bar for a total of 325 pounds. But again I went through the 12 reps really quickly and yes it was hard but I knew there was more left in me.

As a 4 man group, we decided to up the anti and put an additional 80 pounds on the bar (405 pounds) for the last set, and just do as many reps as possible with the goal of 12 reps hanging out there, and to be honest, I was hoping to get 6-8 reps...

I'm not going to lie, at 405 pounds, things slowed down a lot but the bar kept coming off the floor and my back kept straightening out at the top, so I just toughed it out till I hit 10 reps. After I hit the magic 10th rep I thought, why not just make it 12 and put some pressure on the other boys? You know, I may of even had a 13th rep in me but my lungs where done at that point and I think I proved to myself that I was back in the game...

Vessyl Nutrition Sensing Drink Container - Just Take My Money

I came across a really cool product the other day called the Vessyl, in short, it's a cup, or mug, that can not only measure how much liquid you put in it, but it can also calculate exactly what that liquid is comprised of. In other words it knows what you put in to it, it can tell if you are drinking pop, coffee, juice, water, a smoothy, beer, wine and pretty much everything in-between! And on top of this it knows the calories, macros and even caffeine and alcohol content within the liquid you place in the Vessyl.

So if you are like me and you're concerned about not only the food you put into your body, but also the liquid, and you like knowing exactly how many calories, and how much protein, carbs and fat you are consuming in your beverages, then this Vessyl cup is magical!

When the Vessyl reaches the actual production stages, it will cost around $199, right now you can pre-order your Vessyl for the low coast of only $119, expected shipping time is said to be early 2015.

The real only downside I foresee with the Vessyl, is the fact that you kind of need to carry it around with you pretty much everywhere you go, but it's not super huge (holds 13 ounces / 385 ml). And if you decided you did not want to take it with you say to a fancy dinner, you can manually enter your beverages into the iOS or Android App that the Vessyl syncs to. So the option is always yours.

I think the Vessyl is a must have product for any person who is interested or concerned about the nutrition they are consuming in their beverages and as I have mentioned in many of my previous articles and videos, beverages can make up a large part of your nutrition through the day and can make either a positive or very negative effect on your diet. I kind of hope this company comes out with a similar device that you load your food into and it tells you what you the nutritional value! If they can pul, that one off, they will be taking my money yet again ;)

Easy to do Fitness Resolution Exercises

Let's kick this year off with a video focussing on some easy to do Fitness Resolution Exercises. Stuff you can do with little or no fitness equipment. After all, one excuse people use is... I can't get in shape because I don't have a gym membership or any Fitness equipment at home to use :(

In this video I do a variety of body weight exercises and also show how you can use some inexpensive fitness resistance bands to get a full body workout.

So if you can come up with a chin-up bar of some sort, a set of resistance bands and your own body then you're all set!