Editor’s note: This is a guest post by John Berardi, PhD.

When we were kids, Mom was always looking out for our health. Chew your food. Eat your vegetables. And always eat breakfast because it’s the most important meal of the day.

As busy grown-ups, a good breakfast often falls victim to the time crunch. Who has time to cook and eat a breakfast of champions? It’s so much faster and more convenient to just grab a coffee and a bran muffin.

Of course, deep down we know it’s not right. Not only would Mom disapprove, that pudgy physique in the mirror deserves better, too.

So what’s a guy to do?  Get up earlier and make it happen, right?  Perhaps not.

Lately, some really fit guys–men with muscles, visible veins, and abs so sharp you can grate carrots on them–are doing something a whole lot different. They’re not eating breakfast.  Healthy or otherwise. In fact, they’re not eating at all for extended stretches. And they’re getting leaner, more muscular, even healthier.

This practice is called Intermittent Fasting–IF for short–and it’s challenging everything nutritionists, dieticians, and your Mom ever told you about healthy eating.

Going Against the Grain

Typical dietician dogma involves eating small meals spread two to four hours apart, starting with a nutritious breakfast. This, we’re told, stimulates the metabolism, so we burn more calories throughout the day.  It’s also supposed to make us less likely to binge on cookies and ice cream at night.

It’s sound advice that’s been field-tested by thousands of fit, healthy, hard-bodied people.

Proponents of IF, on the other hand, eschew the idea of small, frequent meals. They claim to have achieved quicker fat loss and better health by deliberately skipping breakfast.  Some even go entire days without eating.

The experts are skeptical. They call IF extreme, impractical, even harebrained–and yet no one can dispute their results. Or that the number of IF converts is growing.

I was also a skeptic. I built my reputation on recommending small, healthy, frequent meals, starting with breakfast. And that strategy has definitely worked well for most of my clients.

But the track record of certain Intermittent Fasting protocols, both in scientific publications and in real-world practice, seems pretty impressive too.  That’s why I decided to put some of these protocols to the test.  I wanted to answer the following questions: “Is IF just another fad diet?  Or is it something health and body conscious people should consider?”

My Fasting Experiments

To this end, I spent the last 9 months testing the most popular Intermittent Fasting protocols on myself. In the end, I tried 8 different fasting protocols.

At times I was consuming nothing but calorie-free beverages for a full 24-36 hours.  (Mercifully that was only once per week.)  Other methods had me fasting for much shorter periods, yet more frequently.

While each method was basically a spin on not eating a thing, the varying effects were fascinating. Some methods made me feel energized, strong, and focused.  Others simply left me lethargic, weak, and very, very hungry.

Of the 8 different protocols I tried, there are three main variations:

The trial fast: This is where I recommend you start if you’re interested in this approach.  Just try going 24 hours without food. I did my first trial fast on a Sunday. I set it up by having a small meal on Saturday night at 10pm, and then didn’t eat again until another small meal on Sunday night at 10pm. (I did drink green tea and water throughout the day.)

The periodic fast: If you survived the trial fast without breaking down and cleaning out the refrigerator, then you can try this. Simply do the trial fast above once in a while.  It could be once per month.  It could be once per week.  (More frequently than once a week, however, is a mistake.  I tried to do it twice a week and it was a disaster. More isn’t better.)

The daily fast: This is a more advanced way of doing things. Here we cut the fast from 24 hours to 16-20 hours (say 8pm to noon to 4pm the following day) but we do it every day. Ideally, most days there’s a workout at the end of the fast, followed by some pretty large meals during the 4-8 hour feeding window.  (As complicated as this system sounds, I found myself actually gaining muscle and losing fat at an alarming rate.)

So what’s the conclusion?  What did I learn?

Well, for body transformation, Intermittent Fasting works. Over the course of my experiments, I dropped twenty pounds of weight, from 190 pounds to 170 pounds, and I was pretty lean to start with. I also reduced my body fat from 10% to 4% (measured via a well-validated ultrasound protocol) while maintaining most of my lean mass. And I kept it off.  In addition, I saw some interesting improvements in my health profile.

You can check out my before and after pics below for some visual evidence:

Beyond vanity, the reported health effects of an intelligently designed Intermittent Fasting program read like a laundry list of live longer, live better benefits including: reduced blood lipids, blood pressure, markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and cancer.  Increased cell turnover and repair, fat burning, growth hormone release, and metabolic rate. And improved appetite control, blood sugar control, cardiovascular function, and neuronal plasticity.

Wow is right!  At this point, if your wheels are turning, that’s a good thing.  But be careful.  This article isn’t designed to persuade you to try Intermittent Fasting right away.  Rather, it’s designed to simply get you thinking about your own eating plan.  And, if it needs improvement, how you can think about starting.

Fasting Best Practices

If you’re a busy guy, work 50 plus hours a week, and spend most of your free time shuttling kids around and working the honey-do list, working out daily and eating 6 meals a day may be challenging.  So skipping a few meals and looking like the Men’s Health cover model may sound pretty appealing.

But not so fast. You can’t just skip meals willy-nilly and get awesome results.

Remember, some of these fasts follow very specific protocols.  Just eating haphazardly and then not eating is what gets many people overweight in the first place. But if you’re keen on giving IF a try, here are 9 things that you must first consider.

1. Food choices matter. Just because you’re not eating often doesn’t mean the basic rules of good nutrition don’t apply. Fasting for 20 hours and then spending 4 hours eating pizza, Twinkies, and half your kid’s Halloween loot won’t get you lean. You need to focus on good sources of protein, healthy fats, high quality carbohydrates, and lots of fruits and veggies.  (Your mom was right about that one.)

2. Be patient. If you’re a big fan of breakfast, fasting is going to be a major test of willpower–especially for the first few weeks. In my case, the early stages left me suffering from massive stomach rumblings, hunger cravings, and big-time morning moodiness. I did my best to stave off the breakfast cravings with a few cups of green tea or coffee, but I still felt really bad. Luckily, I told my friends and family what was going on, and they’re a pretty understanding bunch. But here’s the good part. It gets better–much better–after 14 days or so. Stick it out. You’re not dying –you’re just hungry.

3. Exercise helps. The best fasting protocols had me hitting the gym as hard as ever, empty stomach be damned. There’s a reason for that –exercise drives the fat loss bus.

4. Timing is everything, but not the only thing. I experienced the best results when I fasted for around 16-hours per day, followed by an 8 hour eating window.  I usually ended my 16-hour fasts with a workout.  Then I ate my largest meal of the day.  However, other less stringent protocols also delivered results. Experimentation is the key.

5. Progress slowly. It’s important to start with the trial fast and allow yourself to get “good at it” before graduating to more frequent or complicated fasting protocols. Many find going just a few hours without eating unbearable. It takes practice and willpower, so be patient. Dominate the easy steps before moving further up the fasting ladder.

6. Don’t overdo it. In my case, after achieving great results with a weekly fast, I tried doubling the frequency to twice a week to see if I’d get twice the results. It didn’t happen. More isn’t necessarily better.

7. Eat meat. I ate upwards of three pounds of meat a day to get my calorie and protein requirements.  Now, I’ve always been an omnivore, but during extended fasts, where meals are so infrequent, eating meat is even more important. Of course, you can still do this if you’re following a vegetarian diet.  It’s just more difficult to meet your calorie needs for the day.

8. It’s still a lifestyle. There are no diets, only lifestyles. And any diet that you couldn’t theoretically follow for the rest of your life is doomed to failure. During my first few fasts I was convinced that there was no way I could eat like this for life. But after a few weeks, I was loving it, and it was a breeze.

9. Some shouldn’t do it. I think anyone and everyone should attempt the trial fast. Trust me, you learn a lot about yourself when you go without food for a full day. However, for the more regular or more extreme forms of fasting, I’ve found they’re more successful when:

• You have a history of monitoring calorie/food intake (i.e. you’ve “dieted” before).
• You’re an experienced exerciser.
• You’re single or you don’t have children.
• Your partner (if you have one) is extremely supportive.
• Your job allows you to have periods of low performance while you adapt to a new plan.

Granted, these are just observations. There are folks who have kids, busy careers, and tons of responsibility who love IF. And again, the real rough period usually ends after two weeks or so. However, if it’s not for you, it’s not for you.  Again, there are other ways to eat and exercise to develop a lean, strong, healthy body.

Remember the Basics

One more thing.  It’s important to remember that there’s no magic pill (or magic eating plan), and when all’s said and done, mastering the basics is still your best approach. What are the basics?

• Eating good quality food. Fresh, unprocessed, nutrient-dense food is a must, regardless of eating style.  So make food awareness a priority and make the best choices you can afford.
• Eating slowly. Rushing through meals impairs digestion and confuses satiety centers in the brain.  So slow down.  It helps control intake and improve your enjoyment of eating.
• Eating reasonable portions. When calories are controlled, progress is made.  Overeating is still possible with IF, just as it is with every other eating style.  So pay attention to food amount.
• Eating when you’re hungry, and not eating when you’re not. Learning to tune into your appetite and listen to your true hunger is important.  Using mindfulness during meals is a best practice for healthy eating.
• Regular exercise. Of course, exercise and healthy eating are two sides of the same coin.  They both help promote health and a lean body but in different ways.  So use both.

Interestingly, these things are enough for most people to get in the best shape of their lives. No Intermittent Fasting required.  I know that because I’ve been in this business for 20 years and have helped a lot of clients achieve success in fat loss and improving health.  Very few of them did any more than the trial fast, but all of them are taught those essentials.  So, if you’re a beginner, please start with these.

However, if you’re a little further down the fitness path, I will say this. For a very specific demographic–people with fitness and exercise experience who also consider breakfast 15 minutes they’ll never get back–IF could be a very effective approach. Maybe even the best approach.

Just don’t tell Mom, okay?

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If you’re intrigued by Intermittent Fasting and want to learn more, Dr. Berardi has published an absolutely free e-book on the subject called Experiments with Intermittent Fasting.  In the book, he gets into all the different fasting approaches he tried, including details of his exercise programs and his exact eating plans, as well as which ones could work best for you.  There’s also a great section on nutrition best practices and self-experimentation.

Related Photos

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Matt Frazier.

For the past few decades, running hasn’t seemed so cool.

For most guys, the thought of running–not for another sport or because you’re being chased, but for its own sake–conjures up images of high school gym class. Or maybe a skinny guy in short shorts.

But that’s all changing. Runners like ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes are giving distance running a new face, and redefining our image of what a distance runner’s body looks like. Races like the Tough Mudder and Warrior Dash are exploding in popularity, as alternatives to the same old road 5K or half marathon.

Even what we wear on our feet is changing: the barefoot running movement and minimalist barefoot-style shoes like Vibram Fivefingers (regardless of what you may think about how they look) are bringing to the sport hordes of new people who a few years ago would have sooner ripped their toenails out than go for a run.

If you’re one of those new to the sport, or even if you’ve run a bit in the past but never seriously trained for anything, here’s what you need to know to enjoy it and keep from getting injured.

Why So Many People Hate Running, And How to Fix It

I have a theory about why so many people tell themselves (and often others) that while running a marathon sounds nice in theory, they just don’t like running enough. Or, more frankly, they hate it.

Remember the mile run that we all had to do in gym class? One day, instead of playing dodgeball or floor hockey or something else cool, they’d make us run. And not just for fun, but as fast as we could. Our times were recorded, and if you were the 10-minute miler in the class or simply the slowest of your friends, you were laughed at.

In this way, we learned to run. Go as hard as you can for a mile. It’ll hurt, you’ll probably cough a lot and maybe even taste blood in the back of your throat. But in a few minutes it’ll be done, and we won’t have to do it again until next year.

If this is running, is it any wonder so many of us associate it with pain?

So here’s the secret about distance running that people who think they hate it don’t know: running a marathon isn’t 26.2-times harder than that mile in gym class was.

Why? Because nobody could possibly keep up their gym-class mile intensity for 25 more miles. To run a marathon, or even a half, everything must change–from your mindset to your form. Here’s how to run (and think) like a marathoner.

Run Slower

Who made the rule that every run has to be done as fast as possible?

Think about it: if the farthest you’ve ever run is a 5K, how much longer might you be able to go if you slowed your pace way down–say, from a 7:30 pace to a 9-minute mile?

Next time you go for a run, try it. If you normally run an eight-minute mile on the treadmill at the end of your strength training workout, change it up. Go outside, take 10 minutes to run that mile instead of eight, and actually try to enjoy it.

Running slow isn’t just an exercise to help you learn not to hate it; slow miles have their place even in serious training programs. If you’re training for your first marathon or half, for example, most of your long runs should be done at one to two minutes slower per mile than you’re capable of running the distance on that day. Any faster than that when you’re trying to run 10 or 15 miles for the first time is just begging for an injury.

So step one is to slow down. But what about form?

As it turns out, there’s a simple trick that helps everything fall into place.

Injury-Proof Your Stride with One Simple Trick

The key to drastically lowering the stress running puts on your body is to take more steps. Just like running slower, this one isn’t just a form of training wheels; it’s a habit practiced by the best marathoners and ultrarunners in the world.

If you were to look at the cadence of most elite runners–that is, the rate at which they take strides–you’d find that nearly all of them take at least 180 steps per minute. Compare that to your average weekend warrior’s stride rate, and you’ll find that the elites are taking about 30 more steps each minute than the amateur.

Why take more strides each minute? Because taking short, quick steps, as opposed to long, slow ones, means your feet spend less time in contact with the ground and create smaller impacts with each contact.

Better still, turning your feet over this quickly requires that you keep your feet under your body and land on your midfoot. Compare this with what you see most runners doing at the local 5K: crashing down on their heel with their leg way out in front of them on each step. This small change alone will go a long way toward preventing the injuries that so many people associate with distance running.

(Bonus: part of the rationale behind the barefoot running craze is that without a big cushioned sole to protect your foot, it’s actually very painful to take gigantic steps and to land on your heel. So running without shoes “automatically” improves your form, by forcing you to take smaller, lighter steps and land on your midfoot. But don’t fret if you don’t want to go barefoot–you can get many of those same benefits with shoes on, if you simply focus on increasing your stride rate.)

So how do you actually train yourself to take quicker steps? It’s easiest to think of 180 steps per minute as three per second, and then lock in with that rhythm as you stare at a ticking clock. Of course, this is far safer and easier on a treadmill. Don’t try this with your watch out on the roads.

Another way is to run to a metronome, or better yet, to find a song whose tempo is such that you can line your steps up with it to hit three each second.

It’ll feel like the most awkward thing in the world at first, I promise. You’ll feel like a cartoon character, spinning your wheels without actually covering much ground.

But give it time. You’re working different muscles than any running you’ve done before has used, so it’ll take some getting used to. But after several runs like this, it’ll start to feel normal, and you’ll be far less likely to get injured than before.

Alternate Hard Workouts with Easy Ones

You could do nothing but slow runs and become a marathoner. In fact, a lot of people do just that when they first train for a marathon or half. With every step you take, even at a slow pace, your body learns to run more efficiently and your endurance improves.

But if you’re in it not just for the satisfaction of running far, but to gain fitness or for the thrill of training to beat a certain time, then you’ve got to do some harder workouts so that your body can make adaptations and become stronger. (Besides, running at just one speed can get pretty boring.)

So when you’re ready to start mixing it up, you’ll want to consider two other types of training: speedwork and threshold training.

Speedwork

Speed workouts are what they sound like. The goal is to run at a much faster pace than you could maintain for any significant distance, but to break up these bouts of intensity with rest intervals. Speedwork is generally done on a track, so that the terrain is consistent and flat, and so that you can easily gauge your pace with a glance at your watch and the markings on the track that tell you how far you’ve gone.

Here’s a simple speed workout to try, once you’re comfortable with running a few miles: run half a mile (800 meters) at a pretty good pace, about the pace you could maintain for a mile or so. Time how long it takes you do it, then rest for that same amount of time by lightly jogging or even walking. Repeat four times, or for as long as you find that you’re completely recovering during the rest interval. These intervals are known as Yasso 800′s, after Bart Yasso, the coach who invented the workout.

Speedwork is tough, and it’s something you’ll probably want to do only once a week at first. The next type of workout is slightly less intense, but longer in duration.

Threshold training

Your anaerobic threshold is the intensity at which your body transitions between a comfortable aerobic state (where your easy runs should be) and the more demanding, oxygen-consuming state you’d call upon in a fight-or-flight situation. Threshold training teaches your body to increase the intensity at which your body transitions–in short, it trains you to stay in “comfortable” mode longer and at higher speeds.

Threshold training is often described as “comfortably difficult:” it should be an intensity that you can maintain for about 45 minutes, and no longer. If you’ve run a 5K recently, try a slightly slower per-mile pace than that one for your threshold training. You should be able to speak in short sentences, but getting a whole paragraph out should be tough. (As an example, if you can run a 5K in 25 minutes, try a threshold pace of around 8:30 per mile.)

Start with twenty minutes or so at that pace, and build from there to run faster and longer as your fitness improves. You can work in some hills, or even do this run on a trail to keep it interesting, but you’ll have to slow your goal pace to account for the rougher terrain.

The Long Run

The bread and butter of a distance runner’s regimen is the long run. It’s the longest workout of the week, and if you’re training for your first half or full marathon, this is where you’ll often run farther than you’ve ever run up to that point.

The long run isn’t complicated–essentially, you run at an “easy” pace, one that’s slow enough that you could easily carry on a conversation throughout the run. The long run is the one where you’ll need to make stops for water and nutrition (or bring it along with you), as described below.

The hardest thing about the long run, in my experience, is the monotony. If you find that you get bored, you can break it up by bringing along an iPod loaded with a playlist or even an audiobook. Or if you’re the outdoorsy type, you’ll find that trail running offers an escape from the busy world and a chance to meditate, think, or just relax while you run.

How to Fuel While You Run

A common mistake new runners make, and I was no exception when I trained for my first marathon, is sabotaging your workouts by failing to fuel properly. Where so many new runners mess up is in failing to realize that the food they eat before and during their runs has a major impact on how they feel and perform. Here’s how you can get it right.

Before your workout

Prior to all but your easiest, shortest runs, you’ll want to take in a fair amount of carbohydrates, and if possible, a little bit of protein. A 3:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein is a good one to shoot for, but don’t worry about being precise. Avoid fat and fiber, as they’ll increase the chances of stomach issues, which–trust me–are nobody’s friend when you’re five miles into a trail run.

And the longer you have until your workout, the more you should be eating in this pre-run meal. If you’ve got two hours or more before you run, you might try a bagel with peanut butter and a piece of fruit. If your workout is in an hour, go smaller: I like a small glass of orange juice with a little bit of protein powder mixed in. And if you’ve got to head out the door to run as soon as you eat, try a handful of dates. The glucose will get into your bloodstream quickly and you’ll be able to use it as soon as 15 minutes later.

During your workout

Obviously, you’ll need water. Three or four cups of water per hour is a safe range, but of course the actual amount you need will vary widely with intensity, heat, and humidity.

For runs of less than an hour, you probably won’t need to eat anything during the actual workout, as long as you’ve eaten something in advance. Most people store enough glycogen to run for about an hour and a half before their body shuts down to protect the brain, so eating on anything over an hour is a safe rule of thumb.

If you’ll be out more than an hour (or if you’re running really hard for a shorter period of time), aim for 30-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour of exercise to keep your glycogen stores up, depending on your size and the intensity of your run. And be sure to replace electrolytes, which you lose as you sweat, and which are needed to safely balance the water you’re taking in. A sports drink or energy gel is a good way to get both calories and electrolytes from a convenient source, but most substantial foods like fruits and energy bars tend to be more appealing once you’re sick of sports drinks and gels on very long runs.

After your workout

How you eat after your run, especially during the crucial few minutes immediately afterward known as the recovery window, is just as important as the quality of your workout for helping your body to adapt and increase strength and speed.

Within the first half hour or so after you’re finished with your run, eat a good-sized meal of carbohydrates and protein, in a roughly 4:1 or 5:1 ratio of carbs to protein. You may have heard the phrase “earning your carbs,” and it’s true here: the hour immediately after a workout is the one time of day when all those carbohydrates you’re not supposed to eat–white rice, white pasta, and even sugar–are highly beneficial. So enjoy this time, and think of it as your reward for working hard out there.

Putting It All Together

You wouldn’t go the gym and do the bench press every day, right? You know that muscles need to recover, so you give each muscle group a chance to rest after a hard workout.

It’s the same with running. You’ve got to give your body time to recover if you want it to improve. When you’re just starting out, treat your hard runs (speedwork, threshold, or long run) as your workouts, and make sure that between every workout you take it easy. Either take a day off, go for a really easy run at conversational pace, or do some light cross-training.

Week to week, this is all well and good. But if you’re training for a long race, you want a map that dictates how you should increase you mileage over time as you build up to the distance you’re training for, as well as a nutrition plan to make sure you’re getting the calories you need to keep your body going.

So find a plan to get you where you want to go. It’s not hard to find free training plans online, but you’re better off shopping around to find a book or plan that’s right for you. Training for a long race is a big commitment, and it’s worth doing it right.

To go farther with the information in this post and for some training plans I like, check out these resources for getting started (or getting serious) with distance running:

• Good Form Running – the best (and simplest) approach to running form I’ve seen.
• Daniels Running Formula – an excellent primer to scientific training, complete with training programs for several popular distance and ability levels.
• Run Less, Run Faster – a novel approach to improving your speed and minimizing the time you spend running, by replacing easy, “junk” mileage with cross-training.

Remember the wise words of Lao-tzu: The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Don’t be discouraged if you can only run for three or four minutes without stopping right now. In that case, make five minutes your goal. Once you reach it, work towards 10.

Learning to run farther than most people drive in a day isn’t the result of crazy-intense workouts or an unnatural gluttony for punishment (ok, maybe that one helps on race day). Instead, it’s the result of consistent, small steps. Get out there day after day, challenge yourself a little bit each time, and you can’t help but become stronger, faster, and more durable.

Happy running!

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Matt Frazier is a marathoner and ultramarathoner, and he’d probably be a triathlete if he weren’t such a terrible swimmer. Matt helps runners and other athletes train and eat better with his blog, No Meat Athlete, where he offers a free e-course on plant based nutrition for endurance.

Related Photos

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Joel Ohman.

Ah, the squat. Certainly one of the manliest exercises around, and for good reason. You can make a strong case that the squat is the best exercise you can possibly do. In the old school weightlifting classic, Super Squats: How to Gain 30 lbs of Muscle in 6 Weeks by Dr. Randall Strossen, many of the oldtime bodybuilding and powerlifting greats even went on record as saying that if they were forced to choose only one exercise that they could do to see maximal results, then they would choose…yep, you guessed it, the squat.

So why is the squat often referred to as the “King of Exercises?” Because it works all the muscles in your legs at the same time, while also strengthening your hips and lower back. And your upper body is called upon as well, so it’s really a total body exercise. And because of this, it really gets the heart pumping, the calories burning, and your testosterone going.

So if you want to start working out like a king, here is the ultimate guide to performing 35+ different squat exercises–some of them bodyweight exercises and many of them using weights. Don’t try them all out at once; with the squat you really need to concentrate on using proper form.

Learn how to do all of these and you may not be able to squat 1,000 lbs or have a cool James Bond villain meets Tony Little sounding nickname like “Dr. Squat,” but you will most certainly add some variety to your workouts while still punishing your leg muscles with the satisfying deep down pain only squats can dish out.

The Ultimate Squat Exercise List

Prisoner Squat

Also known as the bodyweight squat, the prisoner squat is a great exercise you can do without any equipment. An added bonus is that it’s a bodyweight exercise that you can instantly start doing almost anywhere with minimal risk of embarrassment (i.e. handstand push-ups are another great bodyweight exercise as well, but are much harder to explain if your boss walks into your office and catches you with your feet up against a wall).

Barbell Squat

The classic squat. If you can only choose one of these squat exercises to do, then this is the one. From the classic 5×5 Workout Plan to the Arnold Schwarzenegger Workout Plan–pretty much every legitimate classic weight training workout incorporates the barbell squat.

Box Squat

If you have ever watched one of the Westside Barbell training sessions where it’s routine for insanely large men to squat insanely heavy weights until their noses start bleeding (literally) then you know that box squats can be tough.

Barbell Jump Squat

This is a great exercise for improving your vertical jump and becoming more explosive. The key here is to use relatively light weight and not be so proud that you just have to use the “big plates.”

Freehand Jump Squat

This is a great plyometric body weight squat exercise that completely removes from the equation the force your arms generate when jumping.

Barbell Front Squat

This is likely the second most popular barbell squat exercise (after the standard barbell “back” squat) and targets the quads, core, and stabilizers a little more than the regular barbell squat. Tip: flare your elbows up as high as possible and create a “shelf” on the meaty front part of your shoulders to rest the barbell.

Barbell Hack Squat

This can be a little bit of an awkward movement to master at first, especially if your arms are on the shorter side. One advantage to doing barbell hack squats is that it removes any pain associated with the spinal compression inherent with placing very heavy weights on your shoulders. You can think of this as almost like a “reverse deadlift movement.”

Split Squat Jump

This is a bodyweight plyometric movement that is kind of like the offspring of a lunge and a squat jump.

Overhead Barbell Squat

If I am being honest, this is probably the hardest squat for me personally to perform on this entire list. I have lifted weights for 15+ years and used to consider myself a fairly flexible person (my physical therapist referred to me as “hyper mobile” and I could come close to doing a full side squat without a whole lot of practice when I first started doing martial arts as a teenager) and yet I am absolutely horrible at performing overhead barbell squats with good form. Try these with a broomstick or unloaded barbell (and preferably someone watching who knows what they are doing) before attempting to go heavy on this exercise.

Bulgarian Dumbbell Split Squat

One word. Ouch. These hurt. The higher of a bench you use, the lower you go, and the further out you place your lead leg, the more these will hurt. If you have never done these before, then prepare yourself for some intense groin, hip, and glute muscle soreness for days to come.

Goblet Bulgarian Split Squat

You might think that these are so close to the previous exercise that they are not worth mentioning as a separate exercise. Think again. If Bulgarian dumbbell split squats hurt, then this goblet version really, really hurts. Holding a dumbbell (or a kettlebell, medicine ball, small animal/child, etc.) in the goblet position and maintaining perfect form throughout this exercise is very taxing on the core and stabilizer muscles. And oh yeah, your groin, glutes, hips, thighs, and quads are still screaming out with pain just like with the regular dumbbell version. Enjoy. (No hate mail please – you will notice that I do these too).

Smith Machine Squat

The Smith machine removes a lot of the stress that a normal squat will place on your stabilizer muscles. This is less than optimal for a lot of reasons, but Smith machine squats can still be a nice addition to your workout for some added variety. One added bonus is that you should be able to really pile the weight on, as these are much easier than the standard barbell squat.

Dumbbell Squat

The downside to dumbbell squats is that you can’t go super heavy (even if you are one of those guys that can curl the 100lb+ dumbbells up to shoulder level). The advantage to doing these is that it targets your stabilizers and leg muscles a little differently than they are likely used to with a standard squat.

Goblet Squat

The goblet squat can be performed with a dumbbell, medicine ball, or kettlebell. I really love goblet squats because they are a great exercise to force you into proper squat position. Is it the “single best lifting movement of all time,” as some claim? I wouldn’t quite go that far, but they are not to be underestimated.

Barbell Speed Squat

The same principles for the barbell back squat apply here although you will want to choose a lighter weight and perform the movement with proper form as quickly as you possibly can.

Barbell Side Split Squat

These are tricky, so don’t think that you should load up the barbell with a lot of weight until you get the hang of it. Please, please, please don’t be one of those guys that puts a bazillion pounds on the bar and then does half movement reps instead of doing the full range of movement. You are only cheating yourself if you don’t ease up on the weight and perform these for the full range of motion.

Frog Squat

This is another great bodyweight movement. The frog squat targets the inner thigh/groin area a little more than most squat exercises because of the wider stance that is required.

Machine Hack Squat

This is a step up from the leg press machine and a step down from the regular barbell squat. The ability to brace your back against the pad makes for easy work on your stabilizer muscles and allows for you to load up the machine with enough plates to really impress the people in your gym that don’t really know a whole lot about weightlifting. (If your pride is still hurt from using a broom or just the bar for the overhead dumbbell squats, then by all means give these a try next to make yourself feel a little better about yourself if you need to.)

Machine Jump Squat

While it’s never smart to load on a lot of weight when doing barbell jump squats, this rule of thumb doesn’t apply when it comes to machine jump squats.

Braced Squat

No bench, barbell, or dumbbells required. Grab a single weight plate and hold it straight out in front of you while squatting down into a full squat. This will really hit your core and shoulders in addition to your leg muscles.

Plie Dumbbell Squat

This is a squat that you can do in your basement even if all you have lying around is a few dumbbells.

One-Arm Overhead Kettlebell Squat

This requires a little bit of practice to get the form down exactly right. You can also use a dumbbell in a pinch although a kettlebell is ideal.

Bench Pistol Squat

Once you can perform these with perfect form then (and only then) try performing pistol squats without the bench for support. If you can perform these perfectly without a bench on your first try then you are either a competitive gymnast or just someone that is freakishly athletic, someone for whom the Superman Workout is likely a mere warm-up.

Bosu Ball Squat

Don’t mock these just because they require one those “half balls” that are used in many aerobic classes. You will find out pretty quickly if your balance isn’t where it should be. No cheating. Go all the way down below parallel into a full squat.

Swiss Ball Squat

OK, so you thought the Bosu Ball squats were easy, right? Now, try your balance out by performing some full squats while standing on a Swiss ball. Have fun. (You might not want to try these for the first time right in the middle of a crowded gym.)

Double Kettlebell Front Squat

Kettlebells are all the rage these days. Some kettlebell exercises seem so contrived as to be borderline ridiculous–more circus act than exercise. The double kettlebell front squat is not one of these. Give them a try and be sure to keep your core tight and maintain strict form.

Zercher Squat

This is a slightly more advanced version of the barbell front squat. Zercher squats will do a number on your core, even more so than front squats.

Dip Belt Squat

These are great for vertical jump training as well as taking the stress off of your back that tends to come with most other loaded squat variations.

Lying Machine Squat

Another machine squat that allows you to go up pretty heavy in weight while taking the stress off of your stabilizer muscles.

Siff Squat

This is a squat that you perform while staying on your toes the entire time. This is not an exercise that you want to use a lot of weight (if any) on, so take this one nice and easy.

Jefferson Squat

The Jefferson Squat might earn you a few strange looks at the gym but just don’t get so distracted by the onlookers that you bring the bar up too high at the top of the movement.

Skater Squat

The Skater Squat, like almost all single leg movements, is a great exercise for improving your balance and your flexibility.

Sissy Squat

So, does an exercise named the “Sissy Squat” really belong on any type of list on AOM? Try them out and then judge for yourself…

Roman Chair Squat

This exercise should actually trade names with the Sissy Squat because while the “Roman Chair Squat” has a much manlier sounding name, it’s really a very easy movement.

Keg Squat

Nothing is more manly than slinging a keg up onto your shoulders and banging out a few squat reps, right?

Sandbag Squat

The only thing that is possibly more manly than slinging a keg around and doing squats is bear hugging/wrestling a sandbag into position and performing squats. Bonus points if you use a sandbag that weighs as much as a grown man.

Know any other squat variations? Share them in the comments!

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Joel Ohman is a serial entrepreneur, long time AOM reader (and past contributor), and co-founder of the social workout website WeightTraining.com. Join him in the AOM workout group to compete on the leaderboard, find a workout plan, track your workouts, and have fun competing while seeing real results. Regular membership on WeightTraining.com is 100% free.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Jedd Johnson. In this day and age, we all know (or should know) how important it is to maintain a healthy level of physical fitness in order to live a good quality life, maintain our cardiovascular system, and keep our bodies strong in order to thrive into our later years. For many of us, this means getting into the gym in order to do resistance training, one of the best forms of exercise that is available to us. For those looking to get back into the gym in order to maximize your health, strength, and vigor, one thing to take into consideration that is often forgotten or completely ignored is grip strength. “Grip strength??? – What does that have to do with anything?”you might ask. It may not make sense to you right off the bat to take time to train the hands and lower arms while at the gym. I know when I first learned about it, it seemed like a complete waste of time to spend valuable training time on less that 5% of your body, but the truth of the matter is having a strong grip pays many dividends both in your training and elsewhere.

What is Grip Strength?

Grip strength is often thought of as simply hand strength, and while hand strength is definitely included, there are actually many other things to consider when thinking of grip. First off, grip involves everything from the musculature near the elbow down to the fingertips. It has to be thought of this way because many of the forearm and hand flexor muscles actually originate above the elbow, and anytime a muscle crosses a joint, it will in some way influence it. As we move downward, the gripping muscles pass through the forearms, the wrists, and into the hands, fingers, and thumbs–and not only through the front of the forearms, but also the back of forearms–this is important to remember. When we look at grip in this manner, we start to see that there are MANY movement patterns that are realized by the lower arm musculature. As we train the lower arms, we must then remember to train all of these movement patterns in order to maintain a suitable balance between the antagonistic muscle groups, such as the flexors and extensors. In fact, many cases of inflammation-related forearm pain such as tendonitis, tendonosis and epicondylitis can arise due to improper training of the forearm muscles or simply neglecting certain muscle groups or movement patterns.

Benefits of Having a Strong Grip

There are many reasons men should seek to have a strong grip. They range from social reasons, to training reasons, and beyond. Let’s highlight a few Stronger Grip = Stronger Handshake Whether it is right or not, men are often judged by their level of strength and by how strong they seem. Nothing is a better example of this than the need for a strong, hearty handshake. When you shake hands with a man and he looks you in the eye and gives you a solid squeeze back, it makes him seem more confident, dependable, and trustworthy. However, if they hit you with the proverbial “dead fish” handshake, they lose credibility and may even seem slimy and weak.

“Among healthy 45- to 68-year-old men, hand grip strength was highly predictive of functional limitations and disability 25 years later. Good muscle strength in midlife may protect people from old age disability by providing a greater safety margin above the threshold of disability.”

Stronger Grip = Better Injury Resiliency Muscles and connective tissues that are strengthened are more injury-resistant, and if injury does end up taking place, stronger tissue can usually recover faster so that you are back on top of your game. This is particularly important for athletes who play contact sports, especially when the hands play such a major role in success. For instance, while players of football and basketball are highly dependent on the strength of their legs and core, their performance is hindered substantially just by jamming a finger or developing pain in the wrist or forearm. And breaking or spraining the wrist will land an athlete on the bench to watch the game from the sidelines. Now that we have established that there is a lot more involved in grip training than just using our hands, and now that we know just how beneficial it can be to have a strong grip, let’s take a look at some of the many defined movement patterns that exist with grip training.

Types of Grip Strength

There are many defined forms of gripping. Some involve primarily the hands while others involve action from the wrist and forearm as well. See below. Hand Specific Movements Crushing Crushing is the action of closing the fingers against a resistance. Similar in nature but often forgotten are clamping (wrapping the fingers around something and squeezing it toward the palm) and crimping (directing force with the fingers toward the callous line). Pinching Pinching involves grasping something with the thumbs in opposition to the fingers. This can be static (no movement, such as gripping a board) or dynamic (such as squeezing the handles of a clamp). Supporting Support grip entails lifting something with the fingers taking the brunt of a load–normally in an isometric fashion, like deadlifts, rows, and kettlebell work. It should be noted that true support grip entails the fingers wrapping well around the bar. If the handle is large enough that there is a space between the fingers and thumb, it is referred to as open hand support. Extension Hand extension is the opening of the fingers and thumb (antagonistic action to flexion of the fingers and thumb). Wrist & Forearm Postures Ulnar / Radial Deviation Angling the wrist toward the inside or outside edges of the forearm. Shown above is ulnar deviation. Movement toward the thumb side would be radial deviation. Flexion / Extension Flexion is the bending of the wrist so that the palm moves toward the front of the forearm–shown above. Extension, then, is the antagonistic movement pattern and involves moving the wrist so that the back of the hand moves toward the back of the forearm. Pronation / Supination These are the terms given to forearm rotation. Pronation is the turning of the forearm so that the palm faces down (similar to prone, as in lying face-down), while supination is turning the forearm so that the palm faces upward. Circumduction This is a combination of all of the above movement patterns, where the hand moves in a circular fashion about the wrist. It can also be done holding something, such as with the shot device shown above, as a leverage move. Elbow Movement Patterns Flexion (with Pronation) – Bending the elbow so that the forearm nears the bicep with the palm facing downward (like a reverse bicep curl motion). Shown above, this is a very important movement for preventing and getting rid of inflammation injuries like tennis elbow. Flexion (with Supination) – Bending the elbow so that the forearm nears the bicep with the palm facing upward (like a normal bicep curl motion, not shown). Extension– Straightening the elbow, such as in the bench press. Any weakness or liability in the surrounding musculature can decrease your numbers on the bench and other movements.

Common Grip Training Exercises

Grippers (Crush Grip) There are many types of grippers on the market. The objective is to squeeze them so that the handles touch together. Some companies have certifications for closing their grippers. Grippers are probably the most popular form of grip training. Everyone should have a set. If you can close the number 3 from IronMind, you are considered to have a great crushing grip, and you can get certified (women can now certify on the number 2). Plate Pinching (Pinch Grip) This is done by setting up two or more plates smooth-sides-out and then lifting them off the floor in a pinch grip. Common combinations include 4-tens, 2-25’s, and 7-fives. If you can pinch 5-tens, 2-35’s, or 8-fives, then you have an excellent grip. If you can pinch 6-tens, 2-45’s, or 3-25’s, then you are world class. Block Weights (Pinch Grip)

Ways to Increase Grip Strength

There are many ways to develop your grip strength, beyond just using the equipment shown in the section above. However, it should be noted that while the classic hand and forearm work done and taught in gyms usually includes wrist curls, these really do not have anywhere near as big of an impact as other exercises. Drop the Straps In order to start challenging your hand strength and to start building a grip that will enable you to crush other men’s hands (when so inclined) as well as to produce the lower arm strength that will be a huge asset in other forms of strength and fitness training, sports, and manual labor, the first thing you should do is to drastically reduce the use of lifting straps and other gripping aids in the gym. Sure, when you reach the upper levels of your pulling strength in movements such as deadlifts and rows, by all means strap in so that you can get your repetition goal, but on the lighter sets, there really is no need to use straps. Open Hand Training As far as grip-specific exercises go, the easiest thing you can do is to choose implements that force you to lift with your hand in a more open position. One simple way to do this is to use Fat Gripz or Grip4orce handles when performing your pulling and curling movements. These go right onto the handles of the implements and require more of your hands during the movement because your fingers cannot wrap completely around the bar or dumbbell. Two Hands Pinch

World Record in the Two Hands Pinch, December 2009, 256.04-lbs

Place two plates together smooth-sides-out, such as a pair of 35’s or 45’s. Then, run a pipe through the center hole and add more weight to the pipe. Grip the set-up in an overhand grip and try to lift it to lockout. You can go for maximum weight lifted or just perform repetitions or holds for time. The implement shown above is the adjustable device used in grip strength contests. The Two Hands Pinch is one of the staple events. Towel Training Towels can be used for instant thick and dynamic gripping surfaces (make sure it is a strong towel that won’t rip). For instance, you can loop a towel over a bar and perform pull-ups (similar to the rope pull-ups below), attach one to a cable machine for pull-downs and rows, or around a kettlebell (shown above) for an even more dynamic and metabolic method of training the grip. Plate Curls Hook your thumb over the edge of a 25-lb plate and support it with your palm and straight fingers. Next, try to perform a curl with the plate, trying to keep your wrist and fingers from buckling under the pressure. This is one of the most basic grip training methods, yet one of the most difficult. Inverted Dumbbell Lift

Grip Training Guidelines for Beginners

While everyone can benefit from including regular grip training in their workout routines, not everyone is at the same level of strength and some people may be more susceptible to injuries. Because of this, keep these tidbits in mind as you begin and progress. Start out light: Begin by modifying some of your regular lifting so that it is more grip-intense and then from there add more work. For instance, you can use a towel as the handle on rows for a couple of weeks to get the hands used to working harder, then you can begin adding other implements and techniques into the training as well. Move up slowly: For those just starting out with grip training, I like to suggest one or two grip-intensive lifts per session once per week for two weeks. After two weeks, move up to two workouts where you include grip-specific lifts. After a month, shoot for workouts where you train the grip with serious intentions up to 3 times a week. This is usually enough for just about everybody. Watch the volume: When performing grip lifts separate from the rest of your routine, keep an eye on the volume. Think of training volume as the number of sets and reps in a workout. Most people progress very well with grip strength if they stay in the 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 repetitions range when performing lifts like the Two Hands Pinch. That is a total of roughly 9 to 25 total attempts in a workout. It’s not that much. Train the Extensors: To keep progressing, make sure to include training for the muscles on the back of the hand, the extensors. You can do this easily and on the cheap by using the large rubber bands found on heads of broccoli or with #84 rubber bands from Staples. Wrap the rubber band around the fingers and thumb and then open them against the resistance of the band.  This is a surprisingly effective way to work the extensors.  If you can do more than 20 repetitions, then try adding another rubber band in order to increase the resistance or hold the opened position for 2 or 3 seconds before doing the next repetition. ________________________________________________ Jedd Johnson is a strength coach and competitive grip sport athlete. He holds the World Record in the Two Hands Pinch, a staple event in many grip strength contests and loves spreading the world about Grip Sport and the importance of strong hands for athletes. For hundreds of free articles on Grip Training, check out his website at DieselCrew.com, and for a free 8-weeks of Grip Training workouts, sign up here = > Grip Program.

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Steve Nave

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Joe Hashey, CSCS.

Are you sick of waiting for machines at your local commercial gym?  Perhaps you just want to spend more time at home and are looking for a workout solution.  Whatever your reason might be, making your own version of a Bulgarian Training Bag is an effective and practical solution.

What Is a Bulgarian Training Bag?

The original creation of the Bulgarian bag is credited to Ivan Ivanov, a former Greco-Roman wrestler from Bulgaria that was hired as a US Olympic wrestling coach.  The official bag is shaped like a half moon and typically filled with sand.

The bag was soon adopted by fitness professionals as a versatile tool for muscular endurance and general fitness.  It can be used to perform any exercise the lifter can do with a shoulder-loaded barbell.  Additionally it can be used for rotational swings and multi-planar training.

Depending on your exercise selection, the Bulgarian Training Bag can be used to target the legs, shoulders, core, upper back, triceps, biceps, and forearms.

Even though it was originally developed for wrestlers, the Bulgarian training bag is an excellent fitness tool for everyone. If you do home workouts for overall health, a full body program can easily be designed around this one piece of equipment.

Buying a premade Bulgarian Training Bag can run you anywhere from $150-$250. But you can easily make your own for around $15, less if you can get some of the materials for free.

How to Make a Bulgarian Training Bag

Materials Needed:

• Duct Tape (optional)
• Truck or Tractor Tire Inner Tube
• Wood Pellets or Rubber Mulch
• Zip Tie

I prefer wood pellets, as they don’t leak as much as sand and rubber mulch.  Also, in the video below I have truck and car inner tubes purchased from a tractor supply store. However, the best construction came from using tractor tire inner tubes that I got from a heavy equipment company.  I went in and asked them if they had any tubes with holes in them.  They gave me a stack for free, and the holes don’t matter since you can cut them out.

Basic Instructions

1. Cut the inner tube in half.
2. Zip tie one handle tight, leaving 4-5 inches for a handle.
3. Fill with wood pellets.
4. Trim the open side to comfort (or so it forms a better “U”).
5. Zip tie the other end tight, leave 4-5 inches for a handle.
6. (optional) Duct tape around the zip tie and handle piece for a more uniform grip.

You may have a desired weight in mind, so weigh the bag periodically while filling it.  Once you hit your goal weight, trim the excess bag off (but not the handle space!).

Video Instructions

The baseballs were for grips on the backside as shown in the second video.  However, after using Bulgarian Training Bags for about two years, I heavily favor the original and basic construction detailed above.

How to Use A Bulgarian Training Bag

Most common uses:

• Loading your shoulders (squats, lunges, jumps, etc)
• Front position loading (similar loading pattern to a front squat)
• Swings
• Controlled handle exercises (rows, curls, etc)

For your use, here is a Bulgarian Training Bag Exercise Index:

Some of these movements are small accessory training (flips, etc), so choose some larger exercises first and then finish with the smaller ones.

Bulgarian Bag Combos

One more awesome aspect of using Bulgarian Training Bags: it is easy to link exercises together.  Here is a core conditioning combo we have used at Synergy Athletics–simple and effective.

Conclusion

Minimalist training needs to be both simple and effective.   This Bulgarian Training Bag project fits both of those criteria, and whole general fitness training programs can be built around it.

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Joe Hashey, CSCS, is a personal trainer and owner of Synergy Athletics. Joe has been a featured author in Men’s Fitness Magazine and a speaker at National Strength and Conditioning Conferences (Vermont, Ohio, Las Vegas).  Joe has over 500 free fitness articles and  giveaways at www.Synergy-Athletics.com.

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