Monday, October 4, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
A Sneak Peek At The "Body Weight Solution" EBook!
Hey everyone! I'm very pleased to announce that the my first ebook "The Body Weight Solution" is all finished and will be up on the Jungle Fit website (www.Jungle-Fit.com) this week! That means you'll be able to purchase your own copy save it to your computer, iPod or iPad, ebook tablet, or even your own phone to take anywhere with you in the world. With "The Body Weight Solution" you'll learn how to progress from the most basic to some of the most advanced body weight exercises and you'll learn how to put them into a fitness program that suits your life style!
So for those of you who have been following me and looking forward to the release of the book, here's a sneak peak of the introduction ... it's not the whole thing, but just something to tide you over until your grab your own copy. Enjoy!
" Body weight training is and will always be the most functional, versatile, and natural form of exercise. The benefits of mastering one’s own body weight, and the movements we’re designed to perform, are limitless and have stood the test of time. This can be seen in some of the worlds greatest athletes, who train for the most part or exclusively using only their own body weight as resistance. I’m sure that few would argue that the strength/agility of a gymnast, the power/flexibility of a martial artist, or the gracefulness/mobility of a dancer is anything short of extraordinary. All of the aforementioned athletes train almost exclusively with the use of their own body weight. This alone goes to show the versatility of a body weight training program, and how it can be adapted to suit the needs and goals of anybody willing to take advantage of this amazing art of training.
Body weight training can be used to gain strength, lose body fat, increase lean muscle mass, boost metabolism, regain/maintain mobility and flexibility, improve balance and coordination, as well as boost athletic ability and conditioning. All it takes is a properly designed program using the correct exercises pertaining to your goal, basically use the right tool for the right job! Fortunately, body weight training costs little to nothing at all and requires very little to no equipment. So, regardless of your income or geographical location, body weight training can be done any where at any time without having to spend a dime. All you need to get a great workout is a space large enough to lie down and enough over head space to jump up.
The only thing preventing the majority of people from taking advantage of the benefits of body weight training is one simple thing, a lack of knowledge. Most people have no idea how to correctly perform body weight exercises safely let alone the progressions that are needed to steadily change and evolve their workouts. Which brings me to why you have most likely purchased this book...."
Hopefully you'll enjoy the book just as much as I have enjoyed writing it and putting it together for you all!
You really don't need a lot of money, fitness equipment, or even a gym membership to get into the best shape of your life. It is my wish that the "Body Weight Solution" will help show you how to get the life and body you deserve using only your own body. Be sure to visit the website at www.Jungle-Fit.com and pick up your copy as soon as it's released!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Paleo Proof!
Lately I've been doing more than my share of talking about why we should all be eating a paleo or primal diet. It promotes natural gene expression, low body fat percentage, boosted immune system, healthy hormone balance, boosted sex drive, better sleep, lower internal stress and reduced inflammation inside your organs/joints. It's literally the key to living a longer, healthier, happier life and looking AMAZING as well! All you have to do is drop processed foods, grains, refined sugars, and reduce your dairy intake and only eat fruits, veggies, meats, nuts/seeds. That's it, that's all, and that's what will change your life. Everyone is out here looking for a quick fix, we're looking for some magic pill or machine that will melt away our body fat and make us look like the models on T.V. but it doesn't exist. What does exist is REAL FOOD and functional training. Eating real food and learning how to use your body weight to provide you with an amazing workout is what will give you the body and life you want. The key to life long health, strength, and looking great is already here it just involves you and the grocery store! Buy a bunch of fresh veggies, fruits, fresh meats, nuts and seeds ... then eat only that in as many combinations as you possibly can! You do have the power to do this, it will change your life, it has changed mine and many of my clients as well as countless others around the world. It's simple, it's what we've been designed to eat over millions of years of human evolution. Just take a look at the man in the photo above, he got that body without a gym by eating real food and getting plenty of physical activity through his everyday life. For more proof just take a look at any of the following photos ...
... the proof is out there, yes they may not live like us and they might not have ipods or big flat screen T.V.'s ... but they're genetically the same as us in every way. Without a doubt their lives depend on their health and fitness, and if real food is good enough for them to survive, then just imagine what it will do for you!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The Muscle Up!
Muscle ups are one of my absolute favourite exercises, they combine both upper body pulling and pushing while training explosive strength! The muscle up consists of a full pull up bringing your body up high enough to slightly lean over the bar and transition into a dip. It's great for building functional strength, enhancing athletic ability, and really smokes the upper body in a very unique way. Yes, this movement is rather advanced but that's why there are so many great ways to work up towards being able to perform this technique!
First thing is first, you need to be able to push and pull your own body weight. Start off by mastering body weight rows, and dips with your feet on the floor. Once you have accomplished this, begin to work on your pull ups and dips without your feet resting on anything at all. Pull ups and regular dips can be challenging to master, but that's why we have progressions!
Try pull ups while standing on a chair, squat down and hold the bar at arms length, the majority of your weight should be put on your arms and upper body. Think hanging from the bar with very light pressure on your heels. Then pull up while giving just enough push from your legs to get your chin/chest up to the bar but still making it challenging. For dips try elevating yourself by resting your feet on a stability ball or bench. This will force you to push a greater amount of body weight than you would by simple keeping your feet on the floor.
Once both of these progressions become too easy, move on to working towards full pull ups and dips. Again, this may take time and other progressions may be needed to achieve a full pull up or dip (there will be plenty in the upcoming ebook "The Body Weight Solution"). Once you have both the pull up and dip down, practice them over and over again! Try all sorts of variations, add weight to both, try them explosively by trying clapping pull ups or plyo dips (a dip where you actually push so hard your hands come off the bars). You'll need all the practice you can get before moving onto the muscle up. A great product for dip and row training is the Lebert Equalizer if you don't have one yet I would highly recommend getting one!
Now that have the pull up and dip it's time to try some muscle ups. Chances are, you wont be banging out muscle ups right away, but that's ok again it takes time and practice! Try jumping up into your muscle up, find a low bar grab a hold of it and squat down until your arms are fully extended, this should look similar to your chair pull ups. Now, explosively jump upwards and at the same time pull yourself up as you would for a pull up. The jump should allow you to pull yourself high enough to lean over the bar and position yourself for the pressing/dip phase. Once this becomes too easy, find a bar that is high enough that you can only grab it with your arms full extended over head. Now, jump up and grab that bar and using the momentum from the jump pull yourself up and into the muscle up.
Sooner or later all of these will become far too easy, and that's then it will be time to just work on getting your first full muscle up. It's normal to kip/kick/swing into your first muscle up, over time your kick and swing will decrease as you become stronger. It's also normal for one elbow/arm to flip up into the dip position first, this is simple because your dominant side is doing a little more work. Again, over time you'll become stronger and both arms will transition into the dip phase at the same time. Just keep practicing, workout hard, and don't get discouraged. Big movements take time and practice, just working on them can be a workout in itself. Remember, fitness is a journey and not a destination.
For more great body weight progressions and workouts for any goal, be sure to grab your copy of the soon to be released "The Jungle Fit Body Weight Solution" ebook. It will be available at www.Jungle-Fit.com and will change the way you look at body weight training. The book shows in full colour detail how to progress from the most basic body weight exercises to some of the most advanced, including the muscle up, hand stand push up, pistol squat, and much more! For more information e-mail me at tim@jungle-fit.com or visit the website at www.Jungle-Fit.com.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Body Weight Solution!
As some of you know I've been working on my latest project called "The Body Weight Solution" for a little while now. If you have no idea what it is that I'm talking about I'll fill you in! "The Body Weight Solution" is an e-book that will take you through the most basic body weight exercises and show you how to progress towards performing intermediate and advanced body weight training exercises. The book will has a "No Fluff" approach, meaning it's packed with information, full colour pictures, easy to understand instructions, sample workout programs, an FAQ section created by my blog/twitter/facebook followers, and much much more! This book will teach you how to master your body through all planes of motion and allow you to build a solid base using only your own body weight to achieve any fitness goal.
The book should be ready to purchase from the Jungle Fit website (www.Jungle-Fit.com) very soon, but please be patient. I want to deliver the best quality product for all of you, and every time I think it's ready to be sold, I find 5 more things I want to add, change, or switch around! But, I promise it will be well worth the wait! To keep updated on how things are coming along with the book follow me on Twitter under "JungleFit", I'm sure you can access me by simply clicking the Twitter feed on the side of this page. Or subscribe to my updates and news letters by simple e-mailing me at tim@jungle-fit.com . Also, there are plenty of videos on the Jungle Fit youtube channel to tide you over until you are able to purchase your own copy of the book, just head to www.youtube.com/JungleFit .
Thanks to everyone of you for all of your support!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Jungle Fit Magazine Aug 2010 Issue!
It's that time again, that's right! Time for a new issue of the FREE online "Jungle Fit Magazine". As always the "Jungle Fit Magazine" strives to bring you the best in evolutionary fitness and health, and this months issue is no different! In the August 2010 Issue you will find loads of great stuff such as ...
- An article written by myself (Jungle Fit founder Timothy Bell) on mastering the one arm push up! It's elusive, it's tough, and its a sure test of upper body strength. Read up and learn how you too can master this technique
- A great piece written by Cornwall CrossFit's own Kyle Pichie about West Side Barbell power lifting techniques. Kyle's insights on both power lifting and Olympic lifting are deep and rewarding to read. You can feel his passion for hoisting some iron spill right out of your computer screen!
- My friend Al Kavadlo, and author of "A Zen Approach To Every Day Fitness", puts in his two cents with a very refreshing piece on bare foot running. Al's unique way of writing for the every day person is a welcome addition to the Jungle Fit Magazine!
- Taking your workouts to the next level using such great products as "Mike Mahler's Kettlebell DVD's", the fantastic "Lebert Equalizer System", or Jungle Fit's cutting edge "Online Personal Training" with Timothy Bell!
... It's going to be a great issue with tons of useful information to enrich your training and life! Remember to subscribe by simply e-mail me at tim@jungle-fit.com!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Exploring Your City
Lately I've been posting a lot on having fun with your workouts and getting creative to avoid getting bored or have stale workouts. That being said, this post will be no different! A lot of people still view working out as just another chore on their list of things to get done during the day, but it doesn't have to be this way. We can always make out workouts fun and interesting by changing up exercises, working out with a partner, changing workout locations, going outdoors, or even exploring your own city.
Let me explain.
Every city has a ton of great places to workout that have yet to be touched or used as your own personal gym. I've spoken before about the great workouts you get get done at a local jungle gym (view jungle gym workout here) but what about all the other great places in town? For example, what about your local track? You could run sprints or perform lunges/push ups on the bleachers. What about your local park? You could easily perform a great body weight workout using nothing but a picnic table, try over head pressing on end of the table, step ups on the bench, one legged squats by allowing your butt to touch the bench before standing. If you felt like getting really crazy, how about using bike racks for parallette and gymnastics training? Practice your L-sits, plaches, and much more. I've even worked on muscle ups and chin ups on construction scaffolding, maybe not the safest thing in the world and can get some construction workers a little upset with you , but I'm sure your seeing my point!
So how the heck can you put all this together into a workout? Easy!! You could, for example, walk to your local track, run 8 sets of 50-100meter sprints then rest for 5 mins and finish up with 3 sets of lunges and push ups to failure. Or how about heading to your local jungle gym and start by practicing your gymnastics work before pumping out a circuit of chin ups, push ups, step ups, squats, and rows. You could always go for a walk down town and every time you reach a bench perform 15 dips, 15 push ups, 8 one legged squats per side and continue your way down the street for a total for 20-30 mins. You might get some strange looks, but hey you're taking care of your body and looking after your health, and if that's weird then so be it! Just try to have fun with your training, it doesn't have to be a chore.
There is a world of fitness around you waiting to be explored, just open your eyes!
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