Issue #49

1) Invincible Shoulders.
2) What is Strength?
3) How Strength is Built.
4) The Ultimate Park Workout.

Read time: 4 minutes

Hey Disciples of Steel!

If you want to build functional strength, move like in your early 20’s, and live pain-free, you’re in the right place.

If you want to build muscle, get toned, drop body fat, and sculpt an athletic body, you’re in the right place too because those always come as a by-product of strength training.

Let me tell you one thing (again): you’ll never look fitter than if you are actually fit, and strong.

Whenever you focus on the way an exercise will make you look, you complicate things.
That’s when you start doing only isolation exercises like biceps curls because, you know, the pump!
And when you see that pump you think you’re on the highway to Jacked City, but really you’re just taking a detour.

Strength training is the straight line that connects the 2 dots from your current shape to your dream body.

Like everything nowadays, you can look it up and find all the information you need online…
If you’re ready to sift through a mountain of blah blah bigger than a pile of Western trash illegally dumped in a third-world country.

So in today’s edition I’m explaining everything you need to know to start strength training in 284 words — or 68 seconds!
Simple, straight to the point, just like you like it.

Plus, I’m giving you a pretty cool park workout in case you’re traveling, are tired of the gym, or need some fresh air cardio.

So let’s start! 💪

If you need help or have a question about your training, please let me know by replying to this email and I’ll share my answer with everyone.

1. 3 x 30 seconds for Invincible Shoulders.

The pike hold is an excellent exercise to strengthen your shoulders.

Static holds in general — where you hold a position rather doing repetitions — are known for working your muscles at their core and giving tremendous results in strength.

I prefer to do this exercise in a fatigued state at the end of a push session, as it works best for improving strength endurance.

You want your shoulders to act as a strong foundation in everything you do, and this is exactly what 3 sets of 30 seconds of pike hold will help you achieve.

As for every bodyweight exercise, there is a simple way to adjust it to your level: walk your feet forward or backward to raise or lower the hips.

The higher the hips, the harder.
You can start with your hips low but just make sure the weight is put on your shoulders as this is the whole point of this exercise.
For that, you’ll need to keep pushing forward with your legs.

Click this link for the full YouTube video and instructions.

2. What is Strength?

Here is something you don’t hear often about strength.
But it is pretty well understood in the strength and professional athletes’ community.

Strength is a skill, and it should be trained as such.

If you want to build strength, you need to practice it through mindful repetition.
Always keep proper form, and avoid training to failure.
Your goal is to teach your brain, nervous system, and body to perform a movement correctly.
Then gradually add weight as you progress, and never try to skip steps.

It’s a bit like learning a piano piece slowly before you increase the tempo and eventually play it smoothly.

Training strength is about doing heavy but “pretty” reps, not about exhausting yourself.

3. How Strength is Built.

Strength is a skill, but how do you practice it concretely?

To increase your max strength, you need to perform as many heavy reps as you can with perfect form.

For that, you need to start with the right weight (around 90% of your 1-rep max).

For each set, you’ll do 3 to 5 reps.
If you can’t do 3, lighten the weight.
If you can do more than 5, load it up a bit.

Then you must rest just long enough so that you can do it again (usually 3 to 5 minutes).

And you’ll do 3 to 5 sets in total.
If you can’t do 3, you might want to lighten the weight a tiny bit.
If you can do more than 5, it’s time to progress to a heavier load.

Remember to keep great form.
Through repetitions, you teach your body.
And you want to teach it proper technique so that it can lift more and more.

Not so complicated after all, is it?

4. The Ultimate Park Workout.

Traveling and bored of your usual hotel room workout?

Try this full body park workout (one power band required).

Every city has a park where you can run and exercise.
And if you’re lucky, you’ll even find hills and a fitness area.

1: Start with a light jog to warm up.
2: Do some active stretching (my full routine here).

Now we’re getting serious with a full body circuit, all you need is to find a free bench or a low wall.

3: Start with a 30m sprint.
4: 10 bench dips.
5: 10 biceps curls with the band.
6: 15 low squats.
7: Rest 45 seconds.
8: Sprint 30m.
9: 10 inclined push-ups.
10: 10 standing rows with band.
11: 10 jump squats.
12: Rest 60 seconds and repeat twice.

This should add a little variety to your program and help you keep progressing while you’re away from home.

Fitness News

1. Fitness activity boosts kids' mental health: Regular physical activity significantly improves children's mental health, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Learn more.

2. Being more flexible may help people live longer: Enhanced flexibility can improve joint health and reduce injury risks, contributing to a longer and healthier life. Learn more.

3. Strolls with stops use more energy than continuous walking: Research shows that taking breaks during walks burns more calories than continuous walking due to the extra effort required to restart. Learn more.

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I hope you found some useful tips and motivation in today's edition.

Please share your feedback and help me improve my content for everyone!

A great way to do this is by replying to this email with a personal question you have about training.

Thanks for reading and see you next week!

- Nico

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