Training

8 Badass Exercises You Can Do With Nothing But a Pull Up Bar

 

It’s no secret by now that pull up bars are one of my very favorite pieces of workout equipment, ever.

Currently, I have three in my house: a doorway one outside of my home office, a ceiling one in my garage gym, and I recently built the pull up bar of my dreams in my backyard (see photo below).

And no, you definitely don’t need access to three pull up bars in order to get strong and fit. But coming from a place where I never thought I’d be able to do a pull up in my life, I probably went a little crazy once I actually had the space to put them. But hey, whatever makes you happy, right?

Pull up barPull up bars are an incredibly efficient, old school piece of equipment that no matter how you use them, can’t help but make you feel a bit like a badass. Yet unsurprisingly—and mainly since they don’t even exist in most gyms—many people have no idea what to do with a pull up bar.

So to help inspire you, here are 8 of the most badass exercises you can do with nothing but a pull up bar:

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5 Tips for a More Powerful Kettlebell Swing

 

Kettlebell swings are a fantastic full body exercise to burn fat, boost endurance, and build muscle in a short amount of time.

It’s the reason why they’re called the king of exercises by many fitness junkies—and the reason why you should include them in your workouts on a regular basis.

But whether you’ve just picked up your first kettlebell, or if you’ve been swinging one around for a while now, there are always ways to make the exercise more effective, and of course, more powerful.

Note: These same tips apply to both the classic Russian swing or the more CrossFit-esque American swing , whichever version you prefer to do.

Here are 5 tips for a more powerful kettlebell swing:

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5 Pieces of Home Gym Equipment Everyone Should Own

 

So many people think that the only way to get in shape is to belong to a big fancy gym—but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

There are so many exercises you can do using nothing but your own bodyweight, or a few, basic pieces of equipment that will easily tuck into a closet when you’re not using them.

These affordable, easy-to-find pieces of equipment are what I would recommend to anyone just starting to build a home gym, and are the equipment I would get if I could only have a few pieces of workout equipment around.

Here are 5 pieces of home gym equipment that everyone should (eventually) own:

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Beginner Jump Rope Tutorial

 

Jump roping is one of my favorite ways to burn calories and get your heart rate up in no time.

But it does take a good deal of coordination (and a good amount of confidence), so if you haven’t picked one up since elementary school P.E., today’s beginner tutorial will help you get started.

Watch this quick 3-minute video tutorial or follow the instructions below, and you’ll be jump roping like a pro in no time!

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My Handstand Journey: Lessons Learned

 

I’ll never forget the first handstand I ever did.

I was in a CrossFit class, and the skill of the day was to practice handstand holds. I always like to pretend I’m tougher than I really feel, so when the coach told us to kick up into a handstand against the wall, I wasn’t going to back down, despite feeling like I’d swallowed a hundred butterflies.

I took a deep breath, threw my hands down on the ground about a foot from the wall, and kicked my legs up as hard as I could. My feet slammed loudly against the wall, followed soon by my butt, and I was wobbly and unsteady thanks to fairly weak shoulders and a non-engaged core.

But despite all that, I felt like a superhero.

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7 AMRAP Workouts You Can Do to Maximize Your Workout

 

AMRAP workouts are one of my favorite types of workouts ever to maximize time efficiency and overall effectiveness.

Not only do AMRAP workouts force you to work super hard during the entire workout, they also have a time limit on them – which, for me, makes them a little mentally easier to get through than time challenge workouts since you know the pain will only last so long.

Each and every one of these AMRAP workouts takes just 12 minutes and uses little or no equipment, so you really have no excuse not to give them a try. And don’t forget that you can always substitute bodyweight exercises if you don’t have access to any of the equipment called for in the workouts.

Here are 7 AMRAP workouts you can do to get your heart pumping in just 12 minutes flat:

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Are Carbs Really That Bad?

 

I have a confession to make.

Despite knowing better, over the past couple of years I fell deeper and deeper into the “carbs are bad” fitness trend.

Now, I knew when I first started hearing about the low carb fad that it was just that: a fad. I knew carbs were crucial to a healthy, well rounded, diet, yet I let myself demonize them anyway. And most of all, I knew carbs were absolutely crucial for athletic performance, yet I kept ignoring the evidence, despite knowing better.

And I wasn’t alone—other performance-focused fitness lovers and athletes began to fall into the low carb trap over the past few years as well. Writers like Adam Bornstein and Jason Ferruggia have recently talked about their own experiences with the low carb diet trend, and the success of Eat to Perform, a site pretty much dedicated to helping athletes add carbs back into their diet in order to improve their athletic performance as well as their overall health, is pretty telling as to just how many athletes are dealing with this issue.

Yet this isn’t to say that low carb diets have absolutely no place for anyone—in fact, if you’re overweight and sedentary, a diet low in carbohydrates can definitely help you lose weight. And if you only do light or moderate exercise, a low carb diet may be right for you as well.

But if you train like an athlete, you have to eat like one. And that means embracing carbs.

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8 Exercises You Can Do Without a Gym (Using Nothing But a Plyo Box)

 

One of the things I really try and stress on 12 Minute Athlete is that you really don’t need much equipment at all in order to get in good shape.

We do a lot of bodyweight-only based workouts here on the site and in the app, and when I do include equipment, I try and make it fairly simple and easily accessible – no fancy machines or overcomplicated pieces of equipment here.

One of my favorite pieces of equipment to use is as simple as it gets: a basic, wooden box.

A wooden box (or it’s rubber platform equivalent) is an all around awesome piece of equipment because it’s virtually indestructible, will last a lifetime, and there’s really an endless amount of ways to use it to improve strength and conditioning.

No access to a box? Don’t worry, just get creative—a high bench of some sort or even some stairs usually works great as a substitute. Just make sure whatever you’re using is really sturdy (so, probably avoid wobbly chairs) especially if you’re jumping on it so you don’t get hurt.

Here are 8 of my favorite exercises you can do using nothing but a sturdy plyo box:

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My Favorite Holiday Health & Fitness Gifts Under $100

 

If you’re one of those people who gets all of their Christmas shopping done the weekend after Thanksgiving, good for you. You can skip this post and get right on with your workout.

But if you’re more like me and get halfway through December before freaking out and realizing you have approximately one zillion gifts to buy, this list of my favorite health and fitness-related gifts may just give you the inspiration you need to get started.

Each item on this list is something I think every health and fitness lover should own at some point in their fitness journey. And not only do I personally own the items on this list, I use them all on a daily (or at least a weekly) basis and highly recommend each and every one of them.

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Get Ready For the Last 100 Burpee Challenge of 2014!

It’s official: this weekend will be the last 100 burpee challenge of 2014!

You guys have really blown me away this year at how hard you’ve worked at these monthly challenges. Because really, doing 100 burpees in a row is hard. So hard, in fact, that most people think it’s impossible (I often get laughed at when I tell people about the challenge).

But you guys do it month after month, just like the rockstar athletes you are.

We’ve got one more challenge to go this year, and I know you guys are going to ROCK at it.

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