THE ULTIMATE DUMBELL CHEST EXERCISE

Funk's Multi-Angle Chest Workout

Hey, do you want strong upper chest, great mid-chest and a lower pec line that looks as if a razor carved it out? This multi angle set can train all three areas of the chest in one exercise... DO IT HEAVY, DO IT HARD and DO IT RIGHT.

Multi Angle- Chest Press with Dumbbells

1. Decline Press
Start with the bench on a decline.
This angle will work the lower pec.
Use heavy dumbbells and blast out 7 reps then...

2. Flat Bench Press
Adjust the bench so that it’s flat.
This angle will work the overall chest, but mainly the mid.
Blast out 7 more reps and then...

3. Low Incline Press
Move the bench to a low angle incline about 20-40 degrees.
This will work mid to upper chest, again blast out 7 reps then...

4. High Incline Press
Finally move the bench to a higher incline about 45-70 degrees which will work the upper chest (and some front delts)
7 more and you’re done

Tips
- Each set consists of 4 different bench angles, 7 reps each set and 28 reps overall. A Giant Set
- Train as heavy as your great strict form will let you
- Go from angle to angle with minimum rest in between
- It doesn’t matter what angle you start with as long as you hit every angle, every set, for a total chest development
- Do 3-5 sets of 28 reps for a killer workout. You will not need to do anything else
- Let me know what your chest looks like in a month after doing this big guy

Funk Roberts

Don't Rush the Beat

5 Ways to Get Fit Outdoors

Dave Reid Climbing in Cali

You've been indoors most of the winter, with just the treadmill for company. And then you hear it...THE CALL OF THE OUTDOORS – WOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
You best bet is to attend to that call. Great temperatures and your surroundings can not only motivate you to exercise, but help you enjoy it more, experts say.

"And if you love doing an activity, you're more apt to do it regularly," says Robyn Stuhr, exercise physiologist and director of the Women's Sports Medicine Center at New York's Hospital for Special Surgery.

But what should you do once you get outdoors? Fitness experts who spoke to WebMD gave their picks for some of the best (and most enjoyable) fitness activities out there: climbing hiking, biking, swimming, and jogging

These are the 5 great ways to get fit outdoors

1. Rock Climbing
When you consider the benefits of rock climbing, you usually think first of the physical benefits. Although rock climbing is practiced by both genders and almost all ages, it is a sport that requires a great deal of physical strength. An important benefit of rock climbing is what it does for your personal self confidence. Dave Reid, pictured above, mentions that the sense of accomplishment and the exhilaration that comes at the end of a successful climb is tremendous

2. Hiking
Hiking uses a lot of up-and-down movement, so you get a tremendous leg work out along with the cardiovascular benefits. Hiking provides a relaxing atmosphere for a workout that doesn't seem like a workout at all. . Listening to the birds and a babbling brook, and enjoying the cool breeze of the forest, provides a break

3. Biking
Not only is bicycling an excellent cardiovascular exercise, but you can really explore your community by cycling to different neighborhoods or in parks, bike paths, or trails. Many people cycle to commute to work. Biking is fun, can be used as transportation, and works different muscles than walking or running.

4. Swimming
Swimming is a wonderful cardiovascular conditioner that also helps tones arms and legs, and it's very easy on the joints, says Stuhr. Swimming will increase your stamina, can help ward off diabetes and high blood pressure, and relieves stress, Stuhr tells WebMD.

5. Jogging/Running
Jogging is terrific for your heart and lungs, and it improves your stamina. If you're trying to lose weight, it can burn calories more quickly than walking. Running is also an excellent cardiovascular exercise. A 150-pound woman can burn 306 calories running for 30 minutes at 5 mph (a 12-minute mile).

Make note to add one, two or all of these outdoor activities to your exercise regimin and you will notice results in no time.

Have a great time outside.

Funk Roberts
Don’t Rush the Beat
Excerpts from WebMD

Funk Roberts Fitness
Funk TV
Funk Workout Drinks
Join Funk Roberts in Cancun, Mexico

THE PUSHUP PYRAMID

Fitness Trainer Michael Olsen demonstrates the Basic Pushup Pyramid.




The pushup pyramid is a series of pushups that can be done at home or at the gym. The exercise consists of five parts. The first is a standard pushup. The second brings one arm into the body to create an asymmetric pushup. The third is a narrow pushup. In this pushup, it is important to keep the arms tight to the body. The fourth is an asymmetric pushup again finishing with the final standard pushup.

These 5 pushups create one series. Beginners should start with 2-3 series for 3 sets. Intermediate and advanced individuals should attempt 5-8 series for 3-5 sets. It is important to maintain form throughout the movement and ensure the body is in a rigid plank position to maximize core recruitment and stabilization. This series of movements targets the chest, triceps and core.


Michael Olsen is a personal trainer at System Fitness in the Beech. I have seen him transform many people so be sure to contact Mike if you have any questions or would like him as a trainer. Look for more of Michael's posts.

Funk Roberts
Keep Training for our Push Up day

STUCK IN A TRAINING RUTT – TRY 100’S

I am always intrigued to try different workout and exercise programs to continually shock my body into growth or fat burn. High-reps have been something that I have wanted to master as your muscles increase its endurance. Anytime I feel a body part is getting stagnant, I'll do a set of 100 and that’ll be my whole workout for the body part that day.

I’ll start with a weight that I can get 25-30 reps and then strip the weight as the set progresses.

The pump is amazing and painful in a good way of course.

Regular use of the hundreds can increase muscle development, separation and definition. It will also help you to grow bigger and stronger, when you return to a standard heavier weight-lower rep program.

If you decide you want to give this difficult yet rewarding program, here is how it is done. You want to complete 100 reps per set, but you should reach muscular failure before the mark is reached.

The goal is to perform at least 70 reps before stopping for a breather. If you can complete 100 reps without stopping, then the weight is too light and you’ll need to increase it next workout. When you are at failure, try resting for the number of seconds that corresponds to the number of reps you have left.

Once you can perform more than 70 reps without hitting failure, then slightly increase the weight (2 ½ pounds for smaller groups and 5 pounds for larger.

Albert Einstein defined as insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.

So with that in mind, give this crazy workout a try.

The Funk 900
This is a routine for the entire body, but you can break it up by doing 2-3 exercises per body part performing 100 reps each

Quads/Glutes – Leg Press – 1 set of 100 reps
Hamstrings – Lying Leg Curl – 1 set of 100 reps
Back – Seated Cable Row – 1 set of 100 reps
Chest – Flat Bench Dumbbell Press – 1 set of 100 reps
Shoulders – Seated Dumbbell Press – 1 set of 100 reps
Biceps – Barbell Curl – 1 set of 100 reps
Triceps – Pressdowns – 1 set of 100 reps
Calves – seated calf raise machine – 1 set of 100 reps
Abs – Ab crunch machine – 1 set of 100 reps

Funk Roberts

Don't Rush the Beat

If you need help getting through your workouts and training programs or thinking about running a marathon or triathlon. Then design your own drink formula to

help you reach your goal.

START DESIGNING YOUR SPORTS FORMULA TODAY!

Parallel Dips

The parallel dip could be my all time favourite exercise. ALL TIME!

I remember going to a Fitness Expo in Toronto, where they had a Dip Contest. The person who could muster up the most dips would win prizes from a supplement company. I knew 3 weeks ahead of time about this, so I trained. Up to that point, I could only perform about 25 dips max. Every day for 3 weeks I dipped after my workouts.

Finally it was Expo day. When I entered, I dashed to the booth that housed the Dip Contest.
Now up to this point, the record was 29, keep in mind it was Friday evening. The attendant had me jump onto the bars and away I went.

He counted. One, two, three, four, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty. “You have the record now” he said. Forty, fifty, sixty, sixty eight…sixty nine…SEVENTY! I performed 70 dips in a row. That’s right 70. The look on everyone’s face was of amazement… “Are you serious, you didn’t just do seventy dips?” He said.

That was 3 weeks of dips after every workout, just to win a t-shirt, gym bag and water bottle
But for me it was more than that. It was the satisfaction of setting a goal and overachieving. Also without really noticing, my arms were bigger and I had more strength.

When you train and have a goal, it is amazing what other nuggets come out of it. Things you don’t even think of start to surface. You may be training to lose weight, and with doing a program you also gain muscle definition and better heart cardio.

The parallel dip works the bottom edge of the pecs and gives size on the triceps. With this exercise you want to prop up on the dipping bars and then slowly lower yourself to a point where your arms are at 90 angles. You then explode back up, all the time keeping your breathing on pace with the movement. Inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up. Try to blast out 5-10 without the assist. You will soon see that after practice, because that is what it is, you will be able to blast out 15-20.

The key is no matter what you do, when dips are preformed before or after every workout, you will see an improvement in all of your workouts.

Funk Roberts
Don’t Rush the Beat

Exercise of the Week - Superset Bi's and Tri's

Superset: Standing Dumbbell Curl and Triceps Pressdowns

Are you looking to change up you arm workout and gain some valuable definition? Well Supersetting is the workout for you. What are Supersets you ask?

Supersetting is doing two different exercises back to back without stopping for rest. There are a number of benefits to supersetting.
1. Shocks your body by doing a different type of workout
2. Can get you out of the boring training rut, by doing something different
3. If your short in time, this is great way to maximize your workout
4. Add some muscle mass to your body
5. It gives you more of an aerobic exercise, which can help burn more fat

When supersetting, I always do so with antagonizing muscle groups, or push-pull groups. For example, perform Biceps/Triceps, Back/Chest and Quads/Hamstrings.

This week’s exercise is part of my Biceps and Triceps superset workout.
I usually perform this second in my set of exercises. Start with 10 reps of Standing Dumbbell Curls, ensuring that your shoulders are back, chest out and squeeze at the top of the movement. After you finish you last rep, move to the Pressdown machine and blast through 10 reps of Tricep Pressdowns once again keeping the shoulders back, chest out and squeeze at the bottom of the movement. Do 3 sets of this and rest assures you will see the definition take over your arm.

Funk Roberts
Don’t Rush the Beat!

Exercise of the Week - Seated Cable Rows

Seated Cable Rows

This exercise is a staple in my back workout routine. I usually do this exercise second after a Dumbbell Bent-Over Row or Dead Lifts. The major muscle worked is the Middle Back, but the Biceps, Lower Back and Lats are also hit.

When performing this exercise you’ll need a low sit down at a low-pulley rowing machine with your feet flat against the footrests and your knees slightly bent. Lean forward and grasp the pulley handle in front of you. Your palms should be facing each other. Keep your back FLAT and looking forward, slowly draw the handles back to your stomach while simultaneously leaning back at the waist until your torso is perpendicular to the floor. The handles should reach your stomach just as your upper body reaches the upright position. Stick you chest out and squeeze your back. Return to the starting position by leaning forward from the waist while extending your arms in front of you.

Leaning forward a bit stretches the back, but if you want a little variety, to isolate the Lats only, then do not lean forward at all. Add this exercise to your Back routine and you’ll be surprised at the results

Funk Roberts
Don't Rush the Beat!