Tag Archives: new energy and weight-loss training systems

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.

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