Strickland Fitness

Here's a fun and quick series of moves that you can do after a run or anything cardiovascular. Sometimes these types of sets help folks wake up from a monotonous workout! Please share and comment. – Best, Chad

CrossFit's become quite popular these days as more and more people are changing their fitness routine to include this strength/conditioning program. If you've ever wondered what those CrossFit folks are doing at the gym, check this video out for a short demonstration. Please share and comment. – Best, Chad

One bad form during your workout, especially during strength training, can do a lot of damage to your body. Whether it's not using your legs fully for a squat motion or not having proper posture when working on your back, these movements and how they're done definitely make a difference. Why not take those few extra seconds to make sure you're getting the best and correct workout by reviewing your form? Your time is important, so why waste it by doing an exercise incorrectly? This video shows how to do a correct bicep curl; a workout that many are doing wrong. Please share and comment. – Best, Chad

Body weight bicep curl

When we do exercises, there is a constant focus on the concentric motion (contraction or shortening on the muscle). However, the eccentric motion (relaxing or lengthening of the muscle) is just as important. For this example, we will look at the biceps. If you do bicep curls to add size or tone up your arms, this great addition will help with both.

To do a basic standing bicep curl (dumbbells or barbell):

Stand with you feet shoulder width apart, slight bend in the knees, spine and shoulders in a neutral position, and your elbows pinned to your sides.

Without changing the position of your shoulders, spine, or elbows, raise the weight to the front of your shoulders. You should be using a weight that doesn’t compromise your form and it should take about 2 seconds to raise the weight. This is the concentric movement. While lowering the weight, concentrate on trying to contract your triceps (back of the arms). This makes the lowering (eccentric movement) to be slow and controlled and it forces the biceps to work in both directions getting the maximum of each repetition. Lowering the weight should take about 4 seconds to complete. Focusing on both movements of any exercise will optimize your results. Your muscles will work harder and more efficiently and you will feel the difference.

In the picture shown, I am doing a version of a bicep curl using my own body weight. The movement of lowering my body using my biceps is done in the same way. I focus on contracting my triceps and controlling my eccentric motion. Feel the burn!