Every Man, Every Day Should Do These Exercises
January 8, 2008
Men are busier than ever today. Our society has created a non-stop culture that often leaves little time for exercise. Thankfully, Charles Atlas shared a simple 10 minute exercise routine in a 1936 Physical Culture Magazine. While 10 minutes is not enough to give to your health, it’s better than nothing and can help keep you from getting soft. What’s great about this routine is it doesn’t require any weights. Ready to get started? Let’s get ripped!
Spine stretching. This exercise helps maintain flexibility in your back. Stand up straight and clasp your hands behind your head. Bend down quickly and touch your elbows to your knees. Rise, repeat 12 times.
Deep knee bends. Deep knee bends are great for working your quads, butt, and hip flexors. Stand shoulder width apart hands on waist. Squat all the way down. Rise, repeat until failure.
Calf raises. This exercise works your calves. Stand with feet a little less than shoulder width apart. Rise up on your toes and lower yourself down. Repeat until failure. To add a challenge, perform the exercise with your toes on a phone book.
Push-ups. Place your hands on the ground about shoulder width apart. Lower yourself to the ground and rise. Repeat until failure. Mix up the muscles you work by widening and narrowing your hand position.
Dips. Sit on the ground. Elevate your feet by placing them on a chair or bed. Lift and lower yourself with your arms until failure.
Leg raises. This exercise works your abs. Sit on the floor with your hands behind you, propping you up and your legs straight out and close together. Quickly lift your legs up until your body forms a “v” shape. Lower, repeat until failure.
Bicycle crunch. This is a great ab exercise that hits all the muscles in your stomach. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. Put your hands beside your head. Bring knees up to about a 45-degree angle and slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion. Touch your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee.
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Great stuff!
Best,
Coop
Great exercise routine from the master. I would strongly recommend adding pull ups and chin ups to this routine. They totally blast the back, giving you that incredible v-shape, as well as strengthen and tone the arms.
http://www.goals-to-gold.com
This is a fine set of exercises. I can also recommend
http://www.shovelglove.com/
which takes 14 minutes and requires no equipment beyond a sledgehammer and a sweatshirt.
So for 25 minutes in all (less time than it takes to drive to the gym) you get a pretty complete workout without spending any money. Next, get outside and walk or bike quickly for 30 minutes to add the aerobic component!
Training to failure is training your body to fail.
And they recommend you do this everyday?
Silly.
I would not recommend the squats the way shown here. Sure if you have huge muscles and very strong ligaments you’ll be fine. Otherwise it’s a good way to damage knees….. I know :(….
Even Kurz who for years insisted on advertising them gave up and has sentences on his site admitting it’s not a good way to do squats.
For normal people squat on flat feet with not allowing knees pass the toes (shin as perpendicular as you can to the floor) is the best.
“Training to failure is training your body to fail.”?!?!
Here’s the thing - just because a phrase sounds catchy or rhymes, doesn’t mean its good advise, or even makes sense. I’m not even sure what “training your body to dail” could possibly mean. (and the author probably doesn’t either.)
Great series, I agree with Mike and KBK, tack on some pull ups and cardio and you have a good workout. Don’t make the cardio excessive either or you’ll find the pounds you’re shedding may be coming from some muscle loss.
@Marius: While that may be “easier” on the knees, that will DESTROY your lower back. Squat with flat feet is definitely right, but the knees can pass over the toes, it’s fine.
Training to failure is actually, in my experience, the best way to grow. It’s only on the last couple reps, when you’re absolutely giving it all to move the weight, that your muscles are ‘learning’ that they’re not strong enough, and giving the signals that they need to get bigger.
This guy, CA, was quite impressive. Apparently utilizing a great diet and body exercises, the man proved that determination and persistence would prevail the desired results. This is a man that towed a train car by himself! Obviously, his routine , the 10-14 minute one, is designed more along a “maintenance” ideal. Training myself, I found that although in some instances harder, using free weights and no machines is best,& coupled with body exercises done in proper form will gain results! Bravo CA! Yeh Old School Ways!