Tag Archives: featured

FEEL ABLE

April 19, 2018 Paul Newt

I grew up in the 80s.

What I mean by that is that the core years of my adolescence occurred in the 80s. In 1985, I was a freshman in high school. One of the things that I believe was particularly unique about this time in our American popular culture was the social pressure put on boys of my age to lift weights. Popular films of the time starred action heroes such as Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Back then, these men were viewed, somewhat, as pinnacles of masculinity. I believe a whole generation of young men were directly influenced in a very powerful way by characters like Rocky, Rambo, Conan The Barbarian, and The Terminator. I know I was. And so were my friends.

Almost every guy I knew lifted weights back then.

growing up in the 80s | personal training | strength training — “How much do you think he eats?” | “About 202 pounds.”

Many of the workouts performed by my friends and I were, initially, virtual imitations of the workouts we saw performed in the Rocky movies. We jumped rope. Every day. We hit the speed bag as a warm-up to virtually every workout. And, of course, we lifted weights, nearly every day, always trying to out do each other. An unfortunate aspect of this time, I believe now, was the irrational emphasis put on chest and arm development. Looking at the chest of Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator and the 20-something-inch “guns” of 80s personalities such as Hulk Hogan, I’m sure you can understand where the basis of this emphasis came from.

paul newt | personal trainers | dracut — Overhead Squat, 242 lbs.

Unfortunately, for a generation of young men who also put high value on their ability to perform in various sports, excessive chest and arm training was, at best, irrelevant, and was, at worse, compromising athletic performance. It has taken me significant time to “get over” the idea of weight training being about building “respectable” chest and arms. Some of the deprogramming was difficult to accept, but my training, of myself and others, has continued to evolve in a better, more productive, direction.
Looking at chest and arms, and let’s throw shoulders (deltoids) in there too, one can easily see that we are talking about only about one third of the body’s total muscle mass. The vast majority of the body’s muscle mass, about two thirds (about 67%), lies in the quads, hams, glutes, and back. Assuming you are looking for balanced development, your weight training programs should reflect those percentages. Ideally, one would be spending two thirds of his/her time in the gym training quads, hams, glutes, and back. My training, until about 15 years ago, was about two thirds chest, shoulders, and arms training. I suspect many of the men I grew up with would also be inclined to design their weight training program with this somewhat irrational emphasis on chest and arms.

Fifteen years ago (in 2003), I started putting more appropriate emphasis on each muscle group. Instead on doing some sort of upper body work every 3 days out of 4, I began having about 50% my workout time dominated by lower body, performing a squat type movement as often as every 3 days. Squatting every 3 days?!? Many men in my peer group would call this crazy. I call it extremely productive and effective. Personally, my physique, performance, and health all responded in a very positive way after making this physical, and philosophical, adjustment.

weightlifting | strength training | personal training — The Olympic Snatch

Almost 6 years ago (in late 2012, I modified my program design, designating the Olympic Snatch as a “centerpiece” lift. I discovered that building the exercises that improve the Olympic Snatch can dramatically increase your flexibility, mobility, and overall physical prowess in a very real, “feel-able” way. Because this type of training is more comprehensive in a real-world, functional sense, you immediately start noticing that you can perform better physically, in your day-to-day living, in ways that are truly remarkable. Lifts like front squats, dead-lifts, high pulls, squat cleans, snatch from the hip, snatch pulls, dip snatch, overhead squats, and slide and drag drills are much more translatable to your everyday living and general physical performance levels than the bench press and barbell curl. I have integrated these concepts into my personal training methods as well – the results have been spectacular.

It is this natural evolution of my program design that has led to the development of Trilateral Training.

Paul Newt has been privately instructing and strength coaching since 1994. He is the founding President of Edge 24 Hour Private Fitness and Master Trainer at New Energy and Weight-loss Training Systems.

IF YOU ENJOYED READING THIS ARTICLE, you may also enjoy reading An Interdisciplinary Approach to Weightlifting Part I by the same author.

General Exercise, Workouts

Basic Human Function

December 27, 2016 Paul Newt

(as previously published in the Merrimack Journal)

Squats. Maybe you have heard of them. Maybe you have heard some of the myths about them like, “squats are bad for your knees”, or “squats are bad for your back”. I especially enjoy encountering someone in the gym who rationalizes to me why they “don’t need to do squats”. It’s funny to hear that because we ALL squat. Every day. It’s part of basic human function.

Do you doubt that you squat every day? Go into the bathroom and perform another basic human function. When you’re finished, stand up. You just performed a “Box Squat”. Sit back down. Stand back up. Now you have done 2 repetitions in the Box Squat (you initially sat down to the toilet, stood up, sat down, stood up… that’s 2 repetitions). See how easy and convenient resistance training is? Another example? Go sit down at the table for breakfast. Stand up. Sit back down. Stand up. Sit back down. Stand up again. Congratulations. You just performed 3 repetitions in the Box Squat. That’s a 50% increase from your last set. You’re progressing nicely!

I think you get the point. Squatting is totally necessary for basic human function and your day to day living. So now let’s talk more specifically about the Box Squat as a part of your regular exercise program. Anytime you squat to a toilet, chair, hassock, milk crate, or anything else that will safely support your weight, you are squatting to a “box”. A “box” just represents a platform of specific height. In general, the lower the box, the more difficult the box squat. Squatting lower means you need to move a given weight (your own bodyweight, in these examples) over a larger distance. An important, little known fact about squatting – the lower you squat, the BETTER it is for your knees. A critical point of advice for box squatting is SIT GENTLY TO THE BOX. Sit down as if you were sitting on an egg (don’t break the egg!). Land gently. Then stand back up. Make sure that the feet are placed in a way so they look like mirror images of each other. Your feet should be planted firmly about shoulder width apart and your heels should NOT raise from the floor as you descend to the box. Descend slowly, sit gently, and stand up. Control your body.

Do you want to continue to be mobile, functional, and pain free as you grow older? Yes? Then don’t lose your ability to squat. Here is a small challenge for those readers out there interested enough to humor me. Find a chair or hassock in your house that will safely support your body weight. Take a medium sized blanket or towel and fold it a couple times so you end up with a neat square that will fit nicely on the “box” you have chosen. Making sure you have given yourself ample room to squat, sit down gently to the box, allow your body weight to momentarily transfer to the box, then stand back up. Repeat this process 9 more times in a row. You have just performed 1 set of 10 repetitions in the Box Squat. Rest 1 minute (watch a clock). Perform 5 more sets of 10 repetitions. Rest 1 minute between each set.

I would enjoy hearing about your experiences and results.

Warning: if you have never done this before, expect some Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).

General Exercise, Workouts

The ABC Routine

December 14, 2016 Paul Newt 3 Comments

I first wrote The ABC Routine in the mid-90’s. It is meant to be a quick and easy reference guide for anybody just returning to the gym for the first time in years, or interested in getting started with some light weight training for the first time ever. The ABC Routine is an excellent general weight training program that will help you “get your feet wet”. However, learning how to weight train properly from a book or article is not a good replacement for good personal training instruction from a qualified coach or expert personal trainer.

Most people reading this have likely seen the movie, “The Karate Kid”, either the newer one with Will Smith’s son, or the original with Pat Morita that I will talk about here. The formula is the same in both films. In the beginning of the movie, Daniel attempts to practice his Karate, taking lessons from a book, but it is not until Mr Myagi adopts him as a student that Daniel’s Karate really begins to develop. Also, in the beginning of his learning process, Daniel questions the seemingly simple and pointless menial tasks Mr. Myagi (Pat Morita) instructs Daniel to perform, but we find out later that these tasks were not so pointless – they were laying the foundation for future learning. You may not yet have access to your own weight training Mr Myagi, expert personal trainer, or qualified coach, so, until then, consider using this ABC routine as a beginner’s guide.

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Pick 2 of the four exercises under each underlined heading. (You will perform 4 exercises total each workout day)

2) Perform 4-5 sets per exercise. (More sets may be required for practice and/or warming up)

3) Do 8-12 reps per set. (Challenge yourself… safely)

4) Use a repetition tempo of 4-1-1

(Lower the weight in 4 seconds, pause at the bottom (or top) of the range for 1 second, lift/raise the weight in 1 second).

5) Rest 1 minute or less between each set. (Stretching between sets is a good idea)

SUGGESTED SCHEDULE

WORKOUTS (see below)

WORKOUT A : “PUSH and PULL”
Push exercises*

Flat bench Dumbbell press
Incline bench Dumbbell press
Decline bench Dumbbell press
Seated Military Dumbbell press

Pull exercises*

Bilateral (two handles) pull-downs
Bilateral (two handles) seated cable row
Standing Rope Rows from hi cable
Standing Rope Rows from lo cable

WORKOUT B : “SQUATS and ABS”

Squat exercises*

Bodyweight Squats
Front Squats
Back Squats
Box Squats

Abdominal exercises*

Decline Board Sit-ups
Roman Chair Knee ups
Bent knee crunches
Hanging leg raises

CARDIO

Perform 20-30 minutes continuous activity on bike, elliptical, treadmill, jumping rope, or any combination of these options totaling 20-30 minutes.

Pro Tip:
Using an inexpensive sports watch with a built-in timer is an extremely convenient and productive way to time not only your rest time between sets, but also the duration of your set, also known as the “time under tension”. Using the guidelines detailed in The ABC Routine (above), a set of 10 reps should take exactly 60 seconds. Using a watch with a simple timer function will help you immensely.

DISCLAIMER: This routine is followed at your own risk. This routine is not meant to replace the advice of a qualified coach or expert personal trainer. The information contained or implied here is not intended to diagnose or cure any specific illness or condition. Paul Newt, New Energy & Weight-loss Training Systems, EDGE 24 Hour Private Fitness, its employees, associates, and/or affiliated parties are in no way responsible or liable for any injuries, conditions, or maladies suffered as a result of the information given here. Always consult your physician before beginning any eating or exercise program.

General Exercise, Workouts

A Day Off…?

February 13, 2013 Paul Newt

What do you mean… “a day off from the gym”?

Paul Newt Squats | Personal Trainers | Gyms | Dracut — Paul Newt. March 2012. 415 lbs.

I lift weights. Every day. Actually, I lift weights twice a day, Monday through Friday. I take it easy on the weekends- I only lift once per day, Saturday and Sunday. I must be young, right? That’s the only way somebody would be able to do that. No… I’m not so young. How do I possibly find the time to exercise so often? I make time. Even though I spend an average of 60 hours each week working, I still make exercise a priority. Of course, it DOES HELP that I do not subscribe to cable television, so I do not waste ANY time watching garbage like reality TV. Never turning on the “idiot box” definitely frees up some time. Whatever the case, the fact remains that I lift weights about 7-12 times every week. And I am even thinking about increasing that. I “olympic” squat, which means that I squat real LOW. To the point where my hamstrings cover my calves, almost like I am trying to touch my butt to my heels. I squat like this every day. With weights. And my knees, hips, and lower back are ALL still in perfect health. Why does it matter what I do? Because. What one man can do, another can do.

Personal Training | Strength Training | Heavy Duty Training — Mike Mentzer

Back in the 90s, one the many self-proclaimed gurus I chose to learn from was Mike Mentzer. Mike was preaching a low-volume training system he dubbed Heavy Duty Training. The premise was pretty simple – do only as much in the gym as you need to, to come back STRONGER the next time. His workout prescriptions frequently featured doing only 1-2 sets per body part. Under Mike’s tutelage, your workouts might last as little as 20 minutes per session (including warm-ups). He based the philosophical foundation of this training system partly on the teachings of Ayn Rand and frequently referenced her works, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Basically, Mike was out of his tree. A can or two short of a six-pack. NUTS. But, he could logically argue all day long why YOU and everyone else should only spend about 2-4 hours PER WEEK in the gym, no matter who you were. Like I expect all great teachers to be, Mike was a fanatic. I am glad that I devoted a significant time period seriously exploring his methods and the value of low volume training. I learned a lot. The concept of low volume training has its place in the larger picture of successful weight training, but it is just a small, small, SMALL sliver of the picture. These types of low volume training gurus come and go. A more contemporary version of the Mike Mentzer type (Mike is dead now), is a guy like Jim Wendler, who is, you guessed it, promoting a low-volume training system. Ironically, Jim Wendler was, at one time, a student of Louie Simmons. Simmons, the most innovative GENIUS in the history of powerlifting, generally believes in four “core” workouts per week and 3-9 “mini-sessions” per week, equaling approximately 7-13 workouts per week. Personally, when I am asked about Mentzer-Wendler types that are preaching low volume routines, I have the same general answer. “These guys are preaching low volume training so you can RATIONALIZE being LAZY and have more time to lay around and read their lame articles and/or buy their crappy products”.

john broz | average broz's gym | weightlifting | Coach — John Broz of Average Broz’s Gym

At the other end of the spectrum of training advice from Mike Mentzer, we have an Olympic weightlifting coach like John Broz, who is an advocate of a high frequency, high volume training system. This is sometimes referred to as a “Bulgarian” style training system. I have a lot of respect for what guys like John Broz are trying to accomplish. And, although it may seem like I am now a student of John Broz and other promoters of high frequency training systems, I have been saying things like, “there is NO SUCH THING as overtraining, only under-eating, and under-sleeping”, for over 10 years BEFORE I ever heard of John. I also assert, as a product of my own now nearly 30 years of weight training experience, that there is an inherent harm and benefit in EVERY training system that must be considered. In the short term, you will notice the benefits of a given system rather quickly, but in the long term, the harm will become evident. A “perfect” training system DOES NOT EXIST. Training is much more dynamic than that. As soon as you take the time to write it down, there are going to be some subtle changes that need to be edited into it. It may seem that I am arguing against low volume training systems. It may seem that I am advocating high frequency training because that is similar to what I currently do. What I really want to say to you is – TRAIN AS MUCH AS YOU NEED TO TO SUCCEED.

Paul Newt has been privately instructing and strength coaching since 1994. He is the Founder of Edge 24 Hour Private Fitness, and Master Trainer at New Energy and Weight-loss Training Systems. He is available for consultations. Visit www.newtsystems.com for more information.

General Exercise

Women Burn Fat!

February 9, 2013 Paul Newt

Are you finding your clothes don’t fit you like they used to? Maybe they’re a little snug around the waist or tight in the rear. As adults age their metabolism slows down- mostly due to muscle mass loss, and weight gain commonly occurs. However, more women are discovering how to rev up their metabolism; weight training.

Weight training is a great way to give your metabolism a boost, burning more fat than any other exercise venue. When you combine weight training with a small amount of cardiovascular training (walking, cycling, or aerobics) and a goal-specific diet, you might change your body so fast that your friends and family no longer recognize you!

WHY WEIGHT TRAINING? Weight training helps you build muscle which burns more calories than fat. Your body continues to burn calories after lifting weights. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. The more muscle you have, the easier it is to burn fat. The more fat you carry, the easier it is to get fatter. Cardiovascular exercise may burn calories, but cardio DOES NOT build muscle. Sure, you may “tone up” the first few weeks you begin doing “cardio”, but it is a limited response. Women who do ONLY cardio may end up a size or so smaller, but usually FLABBIER too: they gain the weight back because the lack of stimulation to the muscle leads to a lowered metabolism. The idea is this: build some muscle by lifting weights. Then, when you do cardio, you will burn even more calories than before you had that extra muscle. One more thing to remember; TOO MUCH CARDIO BURNS MUSCLE. Most experienced physique athletes know that performing more than two 30-45 minute sessions of cardio per week can start eating away muscle after only 6-8 weeks. For more specific details, please read “Why Resistance Training“.

GENERAL WEIGHT TRAINING To drop bodyfat using free weights, it is generally recommended to lift 4-6 times per week, for 30-75 minutes per session, using weights that are 60-85% of your 1 rep max, with each set lasting 40-70 seconds (try the ABC Routine, or the XFL Program). If you are lifting properly, you should notice steady improvements in your body continually over time. The longer you commit to this form of exercise, the more you will benefit. And the changes you make will be longer lasting. Cardio can be added, but it IS NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY and can actually impede progress in many situations. If you MUST have cardio in your program (because you are psychologically addicted to it or you are routinely tested for cardiovascular fitness), try using cardio as a form of active recovery; a way to recover more quickly from your weight training sessions. Do 15-20 minutes of low intensity cardio on non-weight training days or in a separate training session, 2-3 times per week. Remember, when it comes to losing body fat, aerobic activity is a second rate activity. Weight training is number one. And, combining weight training and cardio in one 60 minute workout is a very common beginner mistake.

BEWARE THE SCALE! It is only ONE of many TOOLS… The biggest challenge for many will be not to be dismayed by what the scale tells you in the short term. The scale is only ONE tool for assessing progress. You must also assess your total body fat, your strength levels, your waist size, and your general appearance (look in the mirror). When you weigh yourself, you must remember muscle weighs more than fat. Fat takes up ALOT more room than muscle. Women training with weights have been known to weigh the same as when they started, even while dropping from a size 12 to a size 6. Going by just the scale can be very deceiving. A woman who loses 10 lbs of fat and gains 10 lbs of muscle in the same training period will look DRAMATICALLY different. No need to worry about “bulking up” either; it just doesn’t happen to females who don’t use steroids. So forget about the excuse, “I don’t want to get too big.” If your arms are still big, it is because you still have a lot of fat to lose, not because you are curling 25 lbs. Bottom line: Use the a tailor’s tape to measure waist circumference – combining that information with your scale weight will give you a clearer picture of whether you are losing fat or not.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF WEIGHT TRAINING In addition to boosting the metabolism, giving you more energy, and dropping your body fat, weight training delivers many other health benefits. It helps prevent osteoporosis, a bone disease that affects many females after menopause, that results in bones becoming porous and fragile. Women who weight train build denser bones. This helps prevent osteoporosis and even reverses the earlier stages of the disease. Also, weight training done properly (not on MACHINES!) will help promote flexibility, mobility, and coordination; these qualities are crucial keeping a person injury free, healthy, and happy. Weight training has the potential to increase both the quantity and quality of life.

YOU CAN GET STARTED RIGHT NOW! Even if you don’t belong to a gym, you can start weight training now. Start with simple exercises done with just the body; sit-ups, leg raises, pushups, chinups, bodyweight squats, split squats, calf raises. This is resistance training in its most basic form. If this is too difficult, improvise, or substitute with similar exercises using dumbbells. Become familiar with basic body movements and postures. Tai Chi and Power Yoga are innovative activities that can help you gain this kind of familiarity with your body. There are also many books and videos on weight training available to help you learn the various exercises. Get recommendations on which ones to buy. Next, you might start building your own small home gym (learn to avoid common home gym mistakes) by purchasing metal or chrome dumbbells readily available at most sporting goods stores or a great online retailer. Start with 5 lb dumbbells. Then purchase another pair of dumbbells as your strength progresses, adding a pair of 10’s, 15’s, 20’s, 25’s, 30’s, etc. Eventually you will have collected a full set of dumbbells and drastically improved your body in the process. Round out this collection with a simple adjustable bench, squat racks, and a pull-down attachment. But I must warn you: PLEASE! DO NOT BUY ANY of this gimmicky gym equipment advertised on television infomercials. These “technological breakthroughs” are nothing but a clever way to separate you from your money. Despite their claims, no one ever got in shape by using only the scam product(s) they are promoting.

THE MODERN FITNESS SHAM, AKA “$9.99 FITNESS” (read more about what I call “$9.99 FITNESS” HERE) Eventually you will “outgrow” your basic home gym, but try to avoid wasting your time, energy, and money on bad gym memberships and unqualified personal trainers. As a beginner, you are the perfect prey for the salesmen of the $10 a month fitness clubs. They will use your lack of experience against you to sell you a membership to a warehouse-sized “family fitness center” filled with the cheapest, lowest quality strength and cardio equipment money can buy. They will probably fail to mention that they have also sold memberships to absolutely EVERYONE they could get their hands on. Typically, gyms like these get SO CROWDED that you will often have to wait in line to use your favorite piece of cardio or strength station. Despite what they pitch you, you DO NOT need to use their “cutting edge” machines such as the hip adduction/abduction station or the butt blaster: most machines are a total waste of your time. In fact, using machines, as a beginner, is the most common and pervasive MISTAKE still perpetuated by the fitness and personal training industry.

All you really NEED to get in shape is your own body and, some free weights, the right space, and some proper instruction (for more details, go HERE). Of course, a PROPERLY EQUIPPED gym (whose owner(s) truly understand effective exercise) will have been built with proper introduction to the basics in mind and lots of extra goodies that can take your exercise program to a whole new level. CrossFit gyms are an example of this more sensible direction in fitness. Gymnast rings, kettle bells, and bumper plates are MUCH more useful and effective, for beginners, AND in the long term, than the Gravitron, Hammer Strength Stations, and Elliptical Cardio-Trainers.

“CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINERS” You definitely do NOT need one of those often “free”, gym-employed, “personal trainers” who think that coaching someone properly means having you perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps/set, with 3-4 exercises/bodypart on a circuit of shiny, toy-like, pin-selectorized machines. This is a VERY UNPRODUCTIVE use of your time. It is important for you to realize that starting off with improper instruction from a “certified personal trainer” could be the worst mistake of your exercise career. Choose a personal trainer or coach VERY carefully. A good coach, like anything else, costs money. Many “certified personal trainers” do NOT know what proper training is, despite looking in shape, and despite their multiple paper “certifications”. Look for other ways to assess their competency, such as the success rate of their current or past clients.

BE PROACTIVE Take an active role in your exercise and diet program. Beware – everybody is claiming to be a “fitness expert” these days, mostly so they can swindle you out of your hard-earned money. TEACH YOURSELF the basics using a simple, common sense approach; you’ll be happy you did. This is a life-long process. Remember, the only one standing between you and your goals is YOU! Everybody has a right to have a healthy, fit body. It doesn’t cost alot of money and it doesn’t happen over night. Take your time, learn, have confidence in what you’re doing; it will happen.

The most important thing I would like you to remember from this article is: if you want to efficiently and consistently burn fat, you must include some sort of resistance exercise (weight training) in your exercise program.

I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you for reading,

Paul NEWT

For more information about personal training, strength and conditioning services, please visit www.newtsystems.com.

To read my personal blog, full of awesome, practical insights and qualified expert advice, please find me at www.theperfect105.com

General Exercise

Posture and Movement

Image February 7, 2013 Paul Newt 1 Comment

(As previously published in the Merrimack Journal)

“Well, yes… I like to lift weights. Thank you for noticing. What do you like to do?”

Yoga. Tai Chi. Weight Training. At first, these activities may seem unrelated, but, in fact, they are very much alike. When we break these forms of exercise down to their basic elements of posture and movement, many similarities become clear.

YOGA
The postures that you do in yoga are actually a series of stretches, and by doing these regularly and trying to stretch just a little bit further each workout, you will soon find that you are much more flexible than ever before. And with the improved flexibility comes improved balance and posture. We are all born with flexibility, and lose it throughout the years. Yoga can keep that from happening and will help you to maintain healthy muscles and joints. Many senior citizens find that when they practice yoga, they feel less pain in their joints and are able to move around much better. Yes, yoga is being practiced by more and more seniors every day, so if they can do it, so can you. Yoga is an exercise for everyone, and one that is going to improve the overall health of all who practice it.

TAI CHI
If you’re looking for another way to reduce stress, consider tai chi (TIE-chee). Tai chi is sometimes described as “meditation in motion” because it promotes serenity through gentle movements — connecting the mind and body. Originally developed in ancient China for self-defense, tai chi evolved into a graceful form of exercise that’s now used for stress reduction and to help with a variety of other health conditions.
Tai chi, also called tai chi chuan, is a noncompetitive, self-paced system of gentle physical exercise and stretching. To do tai chi, you perform a series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner. Each posture flows into the next without pause, ensuring that your body is in constant motion.

WEIGHT TRAINING
Like Yoga and Tai Chi, there are many different types of Weight Training. Relying primarily on the use of dumbbell and barbells, Free Weight Training is the purest form of this type of exercise. A relatively new discipline popularized mainly in the United States, Free Weight Training employs a substantial variety of “exercises” grouped, organized, and programmed based on which muscle group(s) are being “worked out”. A “weight trainee” performs exercises for the specific muscle groups he/she would like to target for a pre-determined number of repetitions and sets corresponding with specific, preconceived goals. For example, a weight trainee interested in rehabilitation, and restoration of pain-free mobility, will concentrate a large portion of the work in his/her “training routine” on performing sets that include enough repetitions for the duration of the set to last a minimum of 40 seconds (with a maximum of 70 seconds).

In Yoga, Tai Chi, and Free Weight Training, proper posture and specific movement is critical to mastering the discipline and achieving significant results. Yoga and Tai-Chi are elegant in their similar approaches of utilizing only bodyweight and position to deliver a effective training effect. Free Weight Training employs the use of specialized implements (dumbbells, barbells, kettle bells, safety squat bars, etc) and adds the variable of selecting the magnitude of the resistance, making it even more sophisticated in its art and execution.

A proper introduction to Yoga, Tai-Chi, or Free Weight Training is critical to your success in any one of those endeavors.

Find a good teacher.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tai-chi/SA00087
http://www.healthmango.com/want-increased-flexibility-and-improved-muscle-tone-try-yoga.html

I grew up in the 80s.

Almost every guy I knew lifted weights back then.

The Right Information Can Change Your Life.