Q: Worst open chain exercise?

A: Leg extensions.

Q: Why is cardio pointless?

A: Because cardio is ineffective at burning fat, great at producing overuse injuries, and might even be making you fatter.

Q: Difference between War Machine and CrossCore180?

A: Nothing.

Q: Why is wall sit pointless?

A: Because the wall sit exercise doesn’t train the lower body as part of a functional unit.

Q: TRX d-rings?

A: They’re on the new TRX Tactical Suspension Trainer, and they’re goddmamn cool.

Q: Should i sign a long-term gym contract?

A: Fuck no.

Q: Calorie surplus means?

A: You’re consuming more calories in a day than your maintenance level.

Q: Are full depth squats ever contraindicated?

A: No, not for people with healthy knee function.

Q: How to adjust CrossCore War Machine?

A: Tie a prusik knot.

Q: Tony Horton shirtless?

A: Your wish is my command.

The answer is leg extensions.

I don’t feel like writing a long and detailed post explaining why leg extensions is such an awful exercise, so if you want more info, check out a these articles:

• Negative Effects Of A Leg Extension Weight Machine
• 5 Exercises You Should Never Do
• 7 Useless Gym Exercises
• 3 Single Joint Exercises That Are A Waste Of Time

I can’t image what possible benefit there is to performing dips on a pulley. Unilateral pushing and pulling movements on the pulley are fun and useful if you want to change things up from traditional (i.e. bilateral) suspension gym training, but using a pulley for dips just seems incredibly pointless and stupid.

And yes, the guy in the video looked like an ass with his feet on the basketball post while he was doing some kind of circus exercise with the pulley.

The second most miserable workout I’ve ever done was a kickboxing workout where the “instructor” (I use that word in the loosest possible way) had us do the exact same two boring drills for the entire hour. Boring drills suck, but repeating boring drills over and over again is torture. Punch the heavy bag for 10 minutes, kick the heavy bag for 10 minutes, repeat ad nauseum. So unbelievably boring.

The best resistance training workout I’ve ever participated in was a group circuit run by a trainer in Vancouver named Mike Veinot. He setup the entire gym into a big circuit of about 30 different exercises, with signs at each station to remind everyone where and what each exercise was (after he demonstrated the entire circuit), and we rotated around the circuit nearly two full times over the course of the hour workout. Fun, fun, fun! So ridiculously fun.

So if you find exercise boring, it’s probably because the workouts you’ve been doing are in fact boring. Start doing more interesting workouts and you’ll start having more fun and ultimately be more motivated to exercise regularly and get in shape.

So while a low intensity resistance training circuit would need to be 45 minutes to an hour in order to be very effective towards at burning much fat, a high intensity circuit that’s 20 to 30 minutes in length can be extremely effective (more effective than a low-intensity workout that lasts an hour).

Furthermore, if you really take the intensity off the charts and go maximum intensity for 10 to 15 minutes, you can have a killer workout that’s just as effective, if not more so, than a high intensity 20 to 30 minute workout.

So if you want to reduce the amount of time you spend exercising, workout at a higher intensity. Instead of pacing yourself for 45 minutes to an hour, up the intensity and workout harder for 25 minutes, or go balls to the wall for 15 minutes.

But that website got me thinking about how I could truly help you get the best possible results from your workouts, and it doesn’t involve teaching you about some magical training voodoo that will change your life and get you more results than you ever thought possible.

The truth is that the best way to workout effectively is to discover the type of workouts that you enjoy, using the equipment that you enjoy, in the environment that you enjoy.

For example, my resistance band workouts are highly effective at burning fat and getting fit, but what if you don’t like working out with resistance bands. Then you’d be much better off finding a different workout program.

What if you prefer to work out with dumbbells and doing challenging bodyweight exercises while receiving encouragement from one of the most motivating trainers in the business? Try P90X or P90X2.

What if you love working out with other hardcore fitness enthusiasts, and you receive a tremendous amount of motivation from keeping score of your workouts and competing with others for the best results? Try CrossFit.

What if you’ve got really bad knee problems and most exercise routines cause you knee pain? Try yoga, or a spinning class, or swimming.

What if you hate resistance training? Try boxing. What if you hate boxing? Try a dance class. What if you hate dancing? Go hiking with your dog.

The simple truth is that for the best possible workout results, you need to find a workout routine that you enjoy. Any workout program you don’t enjoy, or worse yet, any workout program you hate, will not work for you.

I’ve found that the best results are achieved from putting together a fitness program with maximum variety. Workout a couple days per week, play a sport once per week, do another fun activity once per week. Go for some walks, runs, or hikes here and there. Just try to stay active doing things you enjoy.

The worst possible way to get results from your workouts is to attempt to force yourself into a strict exercise routine that you do not enjoy. That will get you absolutely nowhere.

So if you’re struggling to get in shape, really focus on putting together a workout routine for yourself that you enjoy. Enjoyment from your fitness activities is the number one way to ensure that you will get long-lasting results.

Since I’ve been writing about gymnastics rings today, I figured I’d share the best video I’ve come across online for beginners who are interested in getting started with gymnastics ring training.

Jon’s talent as a fitness instructor is phenomenal. He covers all of the most important details, and his ability to explain things clearly and succinctly is is outstanding. If you’re interested in expanding your knowledge about fitness and proper exercise, definitely check out more of the Again Faster videos that are available their YouTube channel.

Modified front level hold:

Tuck front level row:

For example, the overhead press. Standing overhead presses are awesome, but what possible benefit is there to perform the overhead presses while sitting on your ass? Stand up when you press weight over your head.

Also, while on the topic of seated exercises, if you go to any big box health club (which I don’t recommend), you’ll see chairs attached to all of the exercise machines. Seated chest press, seated row, seated overhead press, seated leg extension, seated leg curl, etc. Avoid those machines like the plague.

Seriously, don’t use those machines if your goal is to get fitter. If you just love using pointless machines, fine, use them. But if you desire actual result from your time spent exercising, stand up while you workout.

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) is the very antithesis of cardio. They are opposites. Different ends of the spectrum. Hot and cold. Wet and dry. Etc.

With HIIT, you workout extremely hard for a short period of time (10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, whatever), then rest, recover, and repeat for a certain number of rounds.

With cardio, you workout at a fairly low intensity that allows you to perform the exercise for a long period of time (20 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, whatever) with no rest.

HIIT is one of the very best ways to burn maximum fat in the shortest possible time spent exercising.

Cardio is one of the best ways to piss away your time and get no results, unless your desired result is an overuse injury.

To summarize, cardio exercise is completely different than HIIT, one is effective (HIIT), the other isn’t (cardio), and there are a lot of dumbasses posting bad workout videos online.