The Plank 101-201

Hi all, I keep getting request for exercises and variations ANYONE can do, and well I've got tons of stuff but then I always ask, "What do you have to workout with? Do you have some dumbbells, a stability ball, a jump rope, some bands, a kettlebell, etc" Well that answer changes from person to person from nada to a $5,000 home gym. Well something we all have is a body and a little bit of space, so with that in mind I shot this video to help EVERYONE AND ANYONE get a incredible workout at home, on the road, at the gym, or if you office is quiet enough or you work nights like I used to even at work.

Enjoy!!!

No Gi Judo for Grappling and MMA with Shin Kim

Although I haven't been posting on my blog as much as I would have liked I have been staying busy. One of the things I've been doing is working on my Judo with Olympic alternate for the Korean National Team Shin Kim. He's been primarily helping me with traditional Judo but I got him to show some No Gi Variations I've already started adding to my game that have been helping A LOT!!! So sit back and enjoy!

TIME TO GET MOTIVATED AND MOVING

I just got my new laptop so expect a lot more blog post and videos' I've been slackin but I'm throwing out the excuses. BACK TO WORK

The Clock/360 Degree Lunge with Dumbbells or a Kettlebell

Another great set of exercises you can do ANYWHERE!!!

This is great for the beginner athlete to the advanced and easily scalable by adding or taking or away weight, along with by changing how many reps you do in a set or by doing it for a given time like 10 minutes straight with a low weights to get more cardio, or 5 minutes with heavy weights to build more strength and power.

ENJOY!

How to BOOST your Muay Thai Kicking Power

Hey, whats up? I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while but this whole relocating back to the east coast thing has had me BUSY!!! The good news is it's actually A LOT easier to record on the East coast vs on the West Coast aka Hollywood so you'll be seeing a lot more workout, technique, and training videos from me. So sit back and enjoy one of my latest videos on how to improve the speed, power, and height on your Muay Thai round kicks.

SUPER CARDIO BODYWEIGHT GRAPPLING CIRCUIT

I haven't posted in a while but I've been staying busy teaching, and training. However the question that keeps coming up is "What do I do to keep my cardio and strength up when I'm not in the gym?" So I came up with this little doozy :-D


ENJOY

FEEL THE FAT BURN IN NO TIME!!! (Circuit Madness)

Howdy, Hey, Hi

Just sitting around on the weekend going over some exercise ideas and decided it was WAAAAY past time for a new workout post. So here it is!
:-D

Here's 4 incredibly easy, INCREDIBLY powerful workout circuits for transforming your body and BOOSTING your endurance. The great thing about it is the saleability. You can go heavy on some exercises lighter on others, switch the pushups if you get tired, or use a higher or lower box for the other exercises. The Big thing is how it works your ENTIRE BODY QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY.

HAVE FUN!!!

Make sure you get loose/warmed up first. Here's one of my favorite warmups I take my athletes to stretch out and warm up the back, core, shoulders, and legs.

Stability Ball warmup
SB Hip circles x20 each direction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWxCpJNeNZg
SB toe touches x10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31BOLt0Xb-E
Sb bridges x15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXGRdHQbTmI
Sb Russian twist x10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs1WzB2ZjGU
Sb toe touches x10
Sb hip circles x20 each way

30 Seconds per exercise, 90 second – 2 minute break, 2-4 times through each circuit

CIRCUIT 1
KB Deck squat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCnKPZPib_0
Parallel pullup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM4t4eDIIfY
Judo pushup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mitioUG5iQY
2 handed Swings Kettlebell or Dumbbell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtINXsECbQ8

CIRCUIT 2
Box jumps (jump up onto a box and down again as fast as possible height is up to you but keep it safe but challenging go for at least 15 per set)
T-pushup with a kick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_fwP--f00k
Step ups and Press or High Step up
Dips

CIRCUIT 3
SB Hamstring curl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k8TGJfenEE
SB Pike
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjogkdQ3JVU
SB pushup
SB wall squat

CIRCUIT 4
Mountain climber
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlveKUFwEZk
Windshield wiper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnAk863BRP8
Judo pushups
Burpees
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMoE97A0pm8

Yours in Health,

Dave Carter
Coach/Personal Trainer
Dynamic Concepts
Real Solutions To Real Problems

http://www.DC-Athlete.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dave1.carter
Youtube: www.youtube.com/davefights
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Dave_trains

The 20 minute workout

S Ball back stretch: 30 seconds to a minute (just relax on the ball and stretch your back)
Hip circles x5L, x5R
Toe touches x5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31BOLt0Xb-E

Bridge x20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMLysvqP_Kg

Russian twist x20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs1WzB2ZjGU

Toe touches x5
Hip circles x5L x5R
Squat and reach x10
Forward lunge and twist x20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjEVus2ypwM

Judo pushups x10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka1GsprUNUY

Side lunge and chop x20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uC2UozZpLs

Spider Pushups x10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4M-cPsRtvo

Reverse lunge and Press x20
T-Pushup x10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsC1stZ8QfE

Woodchops x10L x 10R
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijmoQcMRe78

1-2 minute Break

Dumbbell swings heavy x10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtINXsECbQ8
Dumbbell swings light x 15

1-2 minute break

Dumbbell Swings heavy x10
Dumbbell swings light x20

5 toe touches
FINISHED

Find a Friend, Make a Friend, Convert a Friend

Do you know one of the best things that can REALLY make a difference in your health and your weight loss.

A friend.

A partner in crime. It's amazing how people are so social, they'll go to movies with friends, go to dinner with friends, go shopping with friends, go drinking with friends, and even go on vacation with friends but they'll go work out all on their lonesome. I'm not saying you can't workout on your own, I've done it for years, but in that beginning process when you're trying to change your habits, and get into that healthy routine you're going to hit some bumps, you're going to get bored, you're going to get frustrated, you're going to start looking for ways to go back to your old habits. You're going to try and watch 24, Lost, and American Idol instead of hitting the gym, I know it, I've seen it time and time again. You're working out consistently for a few weeks, you roll your ankle on a run, or tweek something in your shoulder or you just have ONE HELL OF A DAY at work, or even in your personal life and your ass hit's that couch, you hit that remote and BAM!!! You're brain is comfortably numb. No thinkin, just watchin explosions, riddles, crazy plot twist, one liners, and train wreck singing. Oh joyus day it feels so good. Yum! The problem is the next day, when you come on home, think about that injury from the day before or that tough day at work or home, and go "hmmmmm, I wonder whats on" Well buddy thats when a friend comes in handy.

When you get a workout partner you have someone can share a goal with, someone who's in the same boat, going towards the same objective, and the beauty is you is you become that much stronger. That's why serious mountain climbers always work in groups. They know their chances of succes are so much higher if they have someone they can lean on, someone who can support them and at times someone who can motivate them. Let me give you a in the gym example. Person A walks into the gym on their own with the intent of doing 20 minutes of cardio and 40 minutes of weights and resistance training. Now on their own they hop on the treadmill, elliptical, stairclimber, or recumbent bike, and search for something on tv while they set their mind on that 20 minute goal. Boom cardio done, they hop off and hit the weights, going through whatever routine they have setup for that day (usually the same thing over and over) and their out of the gym on the way home. Good for that guy or gal. If you can do that all on your lonesome day in and day out then you're in the top 5% of achievers. But lets take a look at what happens when you have a friend/workout buddy. You meet your workout buddy at the gym (that way if their late you have more time to stretch or maybe even start the whatever the first part of the workout a little early and get a few extra reps in/a few extra calories burnt). You guys decided to do 20 minutes of cardio to get the blood pumping, you hop on your treadmill, bike, elliptical, stair climber, and get to it. However now instead of looking for something on tv you've got someone right next to you in the same mode and in the same zone, and that's incredibly poweful. Without even realizing it you'll start pushing yourself harder and harder. Friendly competition will pop up. Even if you're friend is LIGHTYEARS ahead of you in running you'll push yourself a little harder to keep up, you'll be inspired by what their doing, you'll literally be sucked into their run (this happens to me every time I go running with someone). Instead of trying to find something to watch on tv as you grind through the 20 minutes you'll find find yourself getting energized and motivated by the "shared burden/task". We all have that "if he/she can do it, I can do it" somewhere inside of us, and this helps bring it to forefront where we can really utilize it for our success. Ok 20 minutes later, cardio is over, and GUARANTEED, you pushed harder, and ran further and faster with your training buddy than you would have on your own.

Now lets go hit the weights. Now with a training partner this REALLY helps. You've got someone to spot, and watch your form which means you can lift more weight safely, and get better, faster results. You also have a second mind and set of eyes looking for new additions to the workout so you don't fall into a rutt of doing the same thing every time your in the gym (a huge motivation killer along with taking you right into a improvement deadend as your body adapts to the workout and you start seeing weaker and weaker results for the same time and effort put in). Another great thing about working out with friends is the stress relief, in between sets you can talk about whats stressing you, whats making you happy, and what your goals are and why you're committed to getting them (something you can never do to often). Now those are all great reasons, but I'm sure you're thinking. I still have to get my sorry ass into the gym and that's where I screw up. Well with a workout buddy, why can't you workout out at their place or yours, or meet somewhere in the middle. Ok OK, maybe that's not what you were talking about. Maybe you're talking about that motivation to go workout before or after another long hard day in the proverbial "coal mines". Well when you set a time with your workout buddy to meet that adds something special to your workout out motivation. It adds another level of accountability. People often do things for others they won't do for themselves. We always find it much easier to lie to ourselves especially when it's a comfort lie, something that lowers our personal standards and gives us a "break/day off". Well with that workout buddy, you might come home from work tired, and dead set on catching up on Lost, but in the back of your mind you know you made that commitment, and you know you don't want let a friend down, especially one who's been helping you reach your goals. On top of that, you don't want to look them in the eye the next day or even the next week and try to give them that sorry excuse "I was just really tired that day, and I thought if I yadda yadda yadda it wouldn't make any difference" Well it does, because like everything exercise is a habit, and like everything the more consistent you are, the faster and more considerable your results/rewards. However lets look at the opposite side. Lets say you're tired, you drag yourself to the gym/park/whatever and your workout buddy doesn't show. Well what happens then. Well you're already there, so you start you warmup waiting, for him, maybe you get a text and gripe a little, hit your cardio, probably muttering something under your breath about your workout buddy. Go hit the weights with a few more mutters and maybe because of your disappointment you only get in a 80% workout over your usual partner charged workout. Well you know what, THAT'S BETTER THAN NOTHING, and with obesity such a huge problem in this country that's INCREDIBLE!!! Why? Because with the accountability/guilt of having a workout buddy you made it to the gym on a day you wouldn't usually, you worked out and improved yourself as only you can. You did something to change your life for the better. However working on your own, you would have come home from work, given yourself a excuse as to why you don't need to workout today, hit the couch/lazy boy, and let yourself backtrack into your old habits, and believe me. All it takes is a few of those days to TOTALLY DESTROY ALL YOUR HARD WORK!!! A few "I'm to tired" days in one one month and next month you'll be two exhausted to even THINK about working out, but on the other hand you will be caught up with lost, American idol, and 24.

So in short

Get a workout buddy/training partner. Add some accountability, encouragement and motivation to what you want and you'll get it a lot faster.

Where can you find a workout buddy, well... EVERYWHERE, your current friends, and if their to lazy, look around work, maybe approach that guy or girl you ALWAYS see at the gym the same time you're there and see if they're looking to jazz up their workout and get some help and motivation. If that doesn't work use the internet. If you can find clothes, cd's, and a new place to live online why not a workout partner. Put a post on Facebook, Myspace, or craiglist. You can even checkout www.exercisefriends.com it's like Myspace for workout buddies. You just list what you like to do, from aerobics, boxing, cycling, dancing, bodybuilding, Olympic lifting, to step classes, and then just enter in your zip code and you're off.

So get out there and make some friends and realize the number one thing standing in your way is YOU!!! and times like that is when you need someone else.


Train Smart
Train Hard
Train Regularly
and
Make No Excuses


Yours in health,

Dave Carter

Don't Quit

Don't Quit


"When things go wrong as they sometimes will
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill.
When funds are low and the debts are high.
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit.
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out:

Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far:
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you must not QUIT.


Author unknown

How Do I Set Up My Home Gym???

Hey, Whats going on? I just got another e-mail asking me the same question. I get this question so many times it seems ridiculous, and after years of answering it I've come to realize "ding dong dufos, maybe this is something you should write down" as such here's my recommendation for the Ultimate Home Gym Equipment. First I'll give you THE BASICS, THE MUST, the tools that will give you the most variety, and results aka the most bang for the buck

MUST HAVES:
* A Stability ball/ Yoga Ball/ Balance ball
* A Jump rope
* 2 dumbbells you can curl 25-30 times
* 2 dumbbells you can curl 8 to 15 times.
* A box or a step (you don't have to get the over priced gym one, all you need is something sturdy that can support your weight plus 50-100lbs safely. I've seen people use house hold step ladders, and just big cheap boxes from home depot)

BONUS STUFF:
* A Medicine ball
* A Kettlebell maybe even 2 or 3 ;) (they have some medicine balls with a removable kettlebell handle if you're looking for a smaller kb under 15lbs)
* A punching Bag. I know some of you are thinking I'm not a boxer and I've got nowhere to hang it so why would I want one. Simple, it's big, it's awkward, and it's tough. You can do various squats and lunges with them, shoulder presses, you can practice jumping over it, you can carry it up a flight of stairs, or just walk around with it. Believe me YOU WILL SWEAT, YOU WILL GET STRONGER,AND YOUR HEART RATE WILL GO UP all of which will help you burn fat and get in shape.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST FOR THE BONUS LIST: The Tote Gym, or Train Station (I love both dearly and have given them as gifts :-D)

* A Lifeline Tote Gym. It's AMAZING, you can do tons of exercises with the resistance band alone, but using the door anchor you can do many cable pulley type exercises that usually require a expensive machine or with weights a very knowledgeable spottter. Also when you put the door hook with the treadmill belt you get one of the best treadmills on the market all for under 50 bucks ;)



http://www.lifelineusa.com/products/tote-gym










or The Train Station (also AMAZING)
is made by the same company and is great if you workout at home in the same spot all the time because it allows you to change the angle of the exercises in seconds which REALLY helps for circuit training and keeping your heart rate up.


http://www.lifelineusa.com/products/train-station-door-mount


So it basically comes down to do you workout at home more, or do you take your workout on the road more ie a park, basketball court, playground, or traveling


BONUS STUFF I LOVE but takes up serious space:

* A Bar Bell (I suggest a Olympic bar for men 45lbs and a for women a lighter barbel starting @ 15lbs)
* 50 to 300lbs of weights (you gotta have something to put on those weights, plus if you get adjustable dumbbells you'll be able to keep tweaking your resistance and exercises as you improve)
* A Squat Rack because quite simply they are AWESOME and SAFE especially when you don't have a spotter to help you and their also great for doing all kinds of crazy and modivied pullups
Last but not least
*A bench, adjustable or flat up to you but personally I try to sit as little as possible during a workout unless I'm sitting on a stability ball so I can work my core and my balance at the same time ;), but for certain exercises and especially if you want to lift more weight a bench is essential (I'm however focused on training as many muscles as possible at one given time so I usually only use the bench as a step/box for doing squats, dips, and step ups.



THERE YOU HAVE IT!!!

A INCREDIBLE HOME GYM!!!

No more membership dues, no more fighting and weighting in line for equipment, no more drives across town, no more trying to find a locker and a towel, no more making it to the gym before it closes, no more praying they change that boring musak, or for you early risers waiting for the gym to open, and quite possibly best of all you can do this with your friends and family anytime you want.

I hope this helps, I hope people keep asking me questions, and I REALLY hope I remember to write things down more instead of constantly saying the same thing over and over again. I wanna say new stuff!

Have a good one

Dave

PS

Exercises and workouts for all of your swanky new stuff can be found here
http://www.dc-athlete.com/workouts.htm

and here
http://www.dc-athlete.com/videos.htm

and here
http://www.youtube.com/davefights

PPS
For those of you into bodyweight exercises don't worry I'm still going to be posting bodyweight routines because well, THEY WORK. So keep your eyes peeled for my next bodyweight workout

One of my FAVORITE Grappling and MMA Setups and Finishes

I LOVE THIS MOVE!!!

It's just that simple, I mean the move is simple, the follow ups are simple, and in a MMA fight you can just go "wham, wham, wham, and punch them in the face". Ahhh, what can I say, I like to keep things simple, effective, and with my options open. So enjoy

You are what you think you are!!!!! WATCH WHAT YOU THINK!!!

Another great quote I had to share!!
-----------------------------------------------

Think

If you think you are beaten, you are;

If you think you dare not, you don't;

If you'd like to win but you think you can't,

You can almost be certain you won't.

If you think that you'll lose, you are lost,

For out in the world you will find

Success begins with a person's will;

It's all in the state of the mind.

If you think you're outclassed you are;

You've got to think high to rise.

You've just got to be sure of yourself

Before you can win the prize.

Life's battles don't always go

To a stronger or faster man;

But sooner or later the person who wins

Is the person that THINKS they can.

- Anonymous

Just a little reminder I'm so happy I found

"The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can." Robert Cushing

The Ole Quick and Simple Bodyweight Workout You Can Do Anywhere

The Ole Quick and Simple

This is a great little workout that will work your entire body, build strength, endurance, flexibility, speed, and boost your cardio!

The key is to keep moving, if you feel like you have to stop during the workout then cut the number of reps in half.

20 jumping jacks
20 scissor jacks
20 alternating forward lunges
10 judo pushups
15 lateral lunges each leg
10 spider pushups
10 4 count mountain climbers
20 tuck jumps
20 alternating reverse lunges
15 one legged bridges each leg
10 judo pushups
10 spider pushups
10 T-pushups with a kick
20 alternating forward lunges
10 V-ups
20 windshield wipers
30 cherry pickers
10 prison push ups
20 scissor jacks
10 4 count mountain climbers

BREAK

3 sets of 20 burpees for time

If you want more intensity hit it again for time. This is a great "Road Warrior Workout" for those of you out there going from place to place with "no where to train".


Stretch it out with some down dog and cobra aka lazy judo push ups, do some hip circles and whatever else feels necessary and you're done

All of the above listed exercises can be found here

http://www.dc-athlete.com/videos_bodyweight_exercise.htm

and here

http://www.youtube.com/davefights

A great 20 minute workout for maximim Strength and Fat loss!

S Ball back stretch: 30 seconds to a minute (just relax on the ball and stretch your back)

Hip circles x5L, x5R

Toe touches x5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31BOLt0Xb-E

Bridge x20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMLysvqP_Kg

Russian twist x20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs1WzB2ZjGU

Toe touches x5

Hip circles x5L x5R

Squat and reach x10

Forward lunge and twist x20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjEVus2ypwM

Judo pushups x10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka1GsprUNUY

Side lunge and chop x20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uC2UozZpLs

Spider Pushups x10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4M-cPsRtvo

Reverse lunge and raise x20

T-Pushup x10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsC1stZ8QfE

Woodchops x10L x 10R

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijmoQcMRe78

1-2 minute Break

Dumbbell swings heavy x10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtINXsECbQ8

Dumbbell swings light x 15

1-2 minute break

Dumbbell Swings heavy x10

Dumbbell swings light x20

5 toe touches

FINISHED

New Year, New You, it's time to be proud of yourself!

More Bodyweight bodybuilding.

It's a New Year, and I know a lot of people have made promises to themselves, and their friends and familes regarding the changes their going to make in 2010. I also know most people fall back into old habits, and old excuses a lot sooner than they think. I'm no exception I've done the same thing myself, but what does REALLY help, is making sure you're goals are CLEARLY DEFINED, and I mean on the plus and minus side. Let me give you an example, lets take losing 10lbs. Ok on the good side what will happen if the average person loses 10lbs.

GOOD SIDE (aka Why to change)
More energy
Look younger
Feel younger
Healthier joints
More confidence
Longer Life span
Be able to fit into those old clothes again
Inspire others to do the same

BAD SIDE (aka if you don't change)
Lowered self esteem
A feeling of failure
Less energy
Less Confidence
Shorter life span
Look older
Bad habits will probably add to more weight gain (If you've been gaining you'll probably keep going until something stops you)
Buy bigger clothes with continued gain
Inspire others to do the same


Now I think when you look at a decision like that, wether it be losing weight, smoking, or even simple stretching, you get a much clearer picture. Looking at what you're going to get out of it, and the horrible fate you're going to save yourself from. I think that gives you that extra bit of gas to get the job done. I know it does for me, I hate falling on my face, it's embaressing. Thats one of the reasons I always tell as many people about one of my competitions as soon as I find out. Knowing that thier rooting for me, and in some rare cases rooting against me gives me a constant boost of energy, it's what I think pride should truly be used for. To push yourself to improve more, and to stop accepting the way you are as the way you should be.

I've got some goals for 2010 I'm trying my damdest to keep and one of them is sharing more of what I know. I want to give you whatever tools I can t0 make those changes towards a new stronger, happier, more energized you. So expect a lot more of me in 2010 than you saw in 2009.


Go push yourselves and be proud of it!



Warm-up (30 seconds per exercise) – 10 minutes
• Jumping Jacks
• Prisoner Squat (hands behind head)
• Plank-to-Pushup
• Cross Crawl (Standing: Left elbow to right knee, Right elbow to left knee)
• Halo (Hip circle with arms extended above the the crown of the head)
• Shuffle (go into a squat, step out into a sumo squat bring the opposite leg back to a regular squat and repeat)
• Rest 1 minute before repeating 1 more time.

Strength Circuit (30 seconds per exercise) – 5 minutes
• Pushups
• Split Squat (30 seconds per side)
• Rest 1 minute before repeating 1 more time.

Big 5 Conditioning Circuit (30 seconds per exercise) – 10 minutes
• Overhead WoodChops
• T Pushup
• Prisoner Squats
• One legged dead lift (30 seconds per side)
• Side Plank (30 seconds per side)
• Rest 2 minutes before repeating 1 more time.

Water Break – 1 minute
Depletion Circuit (30 seconds per exercise) – 10 minutes
• Side-to-Side Jumps
• Pushup
• Y-Squat (arms extend overhead into a Y)
• Cross-Body Mountain Climber
• Diagonal Lunge
• Jumping Jacks
• Rest 2 minutes before repeating 1 more time.

Water Break – 1 minute
Total Body Abs Circuit (30 seconds per exercise) – 5 minutes
• Grasshopper Pushup (kick the leg across the body as you go down)
• Plank on 1-Foot (30 seconds per side)
• Pikes (From the pushup position hop both knees in to the chest and back out to pushup position)
• Rest 1 minute before repeating 1 more time.


Cool-down, Stretching & Water Break