Victorious on two fronts

Phillies win, Phillies win, Phillies win, Darren wins, Darren wins, Darren wins. I was able to see a comeback from favorite baseball team last night. Down three runs in the bottom of ninth, the Phillies scored four runs on two homer runs and double that scored the runner from first base. The base runner actually went through the cries of "stop" by the third base coach and successfully avoided the catcher's tag. Check out the video: Phillies vs. Astros

I successfully stayed on my diet because I had planned ahead. I had a protein shake after my training and ordered chicken breasts and vegetables, at the McFadden's bar at Citizens bank park, while my girlfriend ate a burger and had a beer. The ballpark was filled with familiar smells of very tempting items but I wasn't hungry and I was determined not to fail. Once nice thing about not indulging on the junk food was the savings on my wallet. $6.50 for a 16 ounce beer bottle is outrageous and I saw people throwing them back at an alarming rate. Now, I know I sound like a martyr but I just want to point out that I had as much fun last night as I have at sporting events where I was intoxicated.

The third goal of my training:
I am going to do 10+ bodyweight pull-ups from a dead hang to my throat touching the bar. 10 or more pull-ups would be a great accomplishment for me because up until 4 years ago I had never completed one. I was strong but not strong enough to pull my 300 lbs over the bar. Instead of trying to improve my pull-ups I started doing heavy pulldowns on machines. The problem is that pulldowns and pull-ups appear to be the same movement but they are not.

While performing a pull-up you raise your body around a fixed point.The exercise requires a lot of body control and works a great portion of your upper body including the abdominals.

I couldn't take advantage of this great exercise until I learned how to use force produced by my back muscles instead of trying to use my arms. I started out lowering myself for a specified time and eventually I was able to get one rep. At 280 lbs. I was able to get 7 repetitions and I hope to be 30-40 lbs lighter than that by the end of the transformation, so I should be able to get 10+ reps. Most trainers will tell you the fastest way to increase your pull-ups is to lose weight!

When you perform a pulldown your body is fixed and you pull the bar down around it. The movement is lot easier to perform and doesn't work as many muscle groups as the pull-up.

The assisted pull-up machine is no better than the pulldown because of the way the body is fixed to the knee pad or foot pad depending on the model type.

What I found for myself and my clients is the addition of a Flexband assists people in performing pull-ups before they are strong enough to perform multiple repetitions.

For more information on stretch bands visit:
Elite Fitness