Antonio Cesaro is a beast. Regardless of how you believe the WWE superstar acquired his physique, there’s no doubting that the guy possesses some serious strength.
Here’s a clip of a workout he did recently for the far too many people that were allowed in the gym to film it:
Because this is just a short clip, we can’t accurately determine his set and rep counts, but we can identify the exercises he performs. But you should be determining reps/sets according to your fitness goals anyway, so Cesaro’s counts don’t really matter.
Let’s break down his routine:
1) He appears to start out with some free-standing body weight squats to warm up.
Everything is pretty run of the mill, until he does this next one.
7) Single Arm Barbell Snatch. Both Arms. 15 kg per side.
primary targets:quads, hams, glutes, back, abdominals, and then isolating the arm and shoulder muscles of the specific side arm.
***note: this is an extremely dangerous exercise, with great potential to cause injury. Do not attempt this exercise without supervision.***
8) Deep Squats. Assuming red plate is 15 kg, black 25 kg, and 2x grey @ 20 kg, then that’s 60 kg per side, and a 20 kg bar, that’s 140 kg total/about 310 lbs.
primary targets:quads, glutes, hams…. with this much weight, low back and abdominals will need to be strong to maintain proper form.
There you have it! You can now go workout like a WWE superstar. With the exception of the last two exercises, this seems like a rather light routine, but it’s all in how you perform it, and how many times. You can crank up the intensity on all of these and make it a killer workout.
Stick with it long enough and maybe you’ll be able to do this someday:
A video recently surfaced of Claude Giroux, the Philadelphia Flyers’ 24 year old assistant captain, and his off-season workout routine, monitored by Tony Greco.
Giroux finished last regular season 2nd in NHL assists (65) and 3rd in NHL points (93), despite missing 5 games.
Upon inspection of the workout, and without knowing the particular parameters (sets, reps, time, phase, etc) Mr. Greco has prescribed for Giroux’s workouts, here’s what I see the routine breaking down to, in order of exercise appearance:
Three 1-foot hops, into to one lateral side bound, adding a palms-in 2-arm dumbbell shoulder press. Repeat in the opposite direction.
Low side-to-side skater’s bounds, with 2 hanging dumbbells.
2-foot side hops, with a 2-arm hammer curl every hop.
Single dumbbell squats (dumbbell held vertically, below chin).
2-foot hop up onto a riser, to 1-arm explosive front shoulder raises (raise on hop).
Squat to 2-arm dumbbell hammer curl, to palms-in shoulder press.
1-foot 3 Bosu hops: Bosus placed on floor in a line, approximately two feet apart. With right foot starting to the left of the bosu, hop on to the ball, and then off to the right of it, then back to starting point, and then hop up to the next ball. Switch feet, and repeat the pattern.
While holding pushup position on two dumbbells, Slider socks 3 quick knee drives (will need special socks or a slider board for this one), then one pushup.
While on a step-box holding a medicine ball, quick strides back and then alternating feet, while continuing to hold the medicine ball in front and above.
2-foot, weight plate distance squat leaps.
Sled pull.
You’ll also notice that Claude is wearing two different color shirts through this video, indicating to me that this is a combination of multiple workouts — either on completely different days, or perhaps he’s on two-a-days. If you sort them together, the exercise groupings land as follows:
Routine 1: 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 12
Routine 2: 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11
These routines seem to be primarily comprised of a heavy focus on combination exercises involving linked movements between the legs (glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves), shoulders (deltoids) arms (biceps in particular) and core, in hopes of mimicking the motions of hockey, which are far from isolated. I support this approach, though I do recommend taking the time to isolate single muscle training, so that said muscles are strong enough to perform the afore mentioned combination movements when required.
The equipment used seems to be minimal: dumbbells, medicine ball, barbell, and a step-up.
And of course, Giroux WORKS OUT WITH A TRAINER. This guy is at the top of his game, and one of the best players in the NHL. He’s not naive enough to think that he can do this stuff on his own. Sure, training with a trainer can be pricy, especially to a young hockey player not making “show dough” yet, but it’s clearly worth the investment, and such a better way to make your workouts efficient and pointed, and to eliminate the guesswork you’d be doing on your own. Think about it.
So there you have a 90 point scorer’s NHL level summer hockey training routine. What do you think? Can you keep up? If it’s good enough for an All-Star NHLer/NHL ’13 cover athlete, it’s probably good enough for you too.
Hi folks! My friend Albert Martens has brought quite a unique event to my attention…. Albert is a running veteran of more than 50 marathons — including some Ultra-Marathons across the Sahara Desert — and now at age 64, his next challenge will be: The Canadian Arctic. And you can join him!
Athletes in Action Canada invites Marathon runners to join us for a Polar Bear full marathon (42.195 km or 50 km) gentlemen’s run in the World’s Polar Bear Capital – Churchill, Manitoba, Canada on November 20th, 2012. It’s the first ever braving the elements and bears marathon of its kind — experience a unique marathon and culture!
Limit of 20 runners accepted. Route to be determined.
Purpose:
The Polar Bear Marathon is a winter-adventure-charity marathon in support of the Athletes in Action (AIA) work done in the Sayisi Dene First Nations community of Tadoule Lake – 250 km west of Churchill. AIA has done baseball camps in 2 different First Nations communities for the past 8 years. This work is based on volunteers and donations.
Safety and Protection:
Due to the harsh environment, e.g. the weather conditions at this time of the year, we will run in either one or two tight groups of runners – a “gentlemen’s run”. It will be a fun run. We will need to stay together because of the possible presence of Polar Bears, foxes, wolves, etc. Vehicles will accompany us in front of and behind the group of runners for safety reasons & serve as a mobile Aid Station.
About Churchill:
Keep In Mind: When a polar bear catches you and drags you into the water, it doesn’t get cold while you turn into a popsicle.
Called the polar bear capital of the world, Churchill is also known as Manitoba’s beluga whale watching hotspot and is a birder’s paradise. The approach of winter also makes Churchill one of the best places to experience the northern lights. October and November are the best months to see polar bears as they get prepared to move out on the newly formed ice in search of seals. Scientists from around the world have come to Churchill to study the northern lights in the active night sky – Churchill is one of the top three places on the planet to see the northern lights. Located on the edge of the Arctic, Churchill offers the feel of a frontier town with the amenities of an international tourist destination. http://everythingchurchill.com/
Dates:
November 19th – fly out from Winnipeg to Churchill, MB.
November 20th – run the Polar Bear Marathon. (50 or full)
November 20th – run the Polar Bear Marathon. (50 or full)
November 20th – Evening Awards Dinner (inside without bears)
November 21st – Sight-see Churchill & Study Center
November 22nd – fly back to Winnipeg, Manitoba
Costs:
$2200.00 which includes:
◗ Return flight Winnipeg to Churchill
◗ Lodging for 3 nights in Churchill
◗ Awards dinner, T-shirt and medal
Registration Deadlines & Fees:
$300.00 due before Oct 1, 2012 (non- refundable)
$1900.00 due before Oct.31, 2012
$200.00 suggested donation (Cdn. Tax Deductible)
To register, please contact me using the info below. I hope you’ll bundle up and join me!
Albert Martens
408-2nd Street
Steinbach, Manitoba
R5G 0V5
Canada
Email: aemart@mts.net
Phone 204-346-1345
Cell 204-371-9780
*****************
Athletes in Action (AIA) Canada is a ministry division of Power to Change that focuses on the domain of sport. Sport is the one language that knows no boundaries and sees no distinctions. It unites cultures, transcends values and defies convention. AIA is committed to using the language of sport to communicate the most powerful message of all: God’s passionate love for his children as communicated through his Son, Jesus Christ. It’s a story that’s changed our lives, given us purpose and hope. In Canada our work is a variety of ministries such as the Pro Ministry – Chaplains to the CFL (Canadian Professional Football League), sports camps and tours abroad with soccer, basketball, volleyball, and hockey teams. It is mentoring, training and educating Athletes, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Our home base is in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
For more information see: www.Athletesinaction.comwww.albertmartens.com
Jumping on to the Swiss Ball is far from easy, and quite frankly, it’s rather dangerous. It’s do-able though, and with enough practice, you can figure it out too.
When I was playing college hockey, one of my teammates could do it – thinking of doing it was scary, yet it was a challenging exercise I wanted to be able to perform. I’m happy that I saw it through, and I now know I can do something that not a lot of others can. It’s fun to pass on my knowledge too.
Preliminary Tips: Jumping ball to ball is an advanced technique. Learn how to balance on the ball with your knees first, then progress to standing on it, then jumping. Always use a spotter when available.
When you are starting out learning this move, do it on a well padded floor, if available. Also, select your Swiss Ball wisely – they come in all different sizes, thicknesses, and levels of inflation. Best ball to start out on is a small, thick, ¾ inflated one. As you gain confidence, feel free to attempt the jump on different ball variables.
Concerns:Falling, ankle sprains, injury.
Why Should You Do It?:Because of the number of muscles involved in performing this maneuver, it’s imperative that those muscles are strong before you can pull it off. Thus, if you can do this, you know you’re doing good in the strength and stability department. If not, you now know what you can be working on. It’s a maneuver that shows you what you’re capable of – and if you can do this, you’ve showed yourself that you’re capable of attempting and performing other more advanced exercises too. Core strength and stability is crucial for competitive athletes – especially contact sports where other players are constantly trying to knock you down. If you can do this move, you’ll undoubtedly be able to stay on your feet in other precarious situations as well.
The Breakdown:
1) As you prepare to leap, bend your knees to 90°, entering into hip/knee flexion, and dorsi flexion at the ankles.
2) As you jump, your objective will to be to jump straight up in the air, and then descend down, on top of the ball – rather than jumping up and forward, and landing on the ball with forward momentum (which would undoubtedly conclude with the back of your head hitting the gym floor). At this stage, you’ll be in nearly full hip/knee extension, and now plantar flexion at the ankle. Aim to land on the ball with your feet shoulder width apart, with your ankles abducting slightly.
3) In addition to jumping straight up in the air, you need to jump as high as you can straight up in the air – this will allow you to land down square on the top of the ball as previously mentioned in step 2. You will enter into hip/knee flexion with your knee bend up at 90° or higher, looking nearly identical to your take-off form.
4) As you now land on the top of the ball, you will basically “stick” the landing, rather than performing a deep knee bend and absorbing the landing. Another way to think of it is as your head reaches its highest point in the jump, extend your legs and put your feet down on top of the ball, rather than letting your body drop onto it. This part of the maneuver will require full engagement of isometric contraction in the core and leg muscles to keep your balance. You’ll be in hip/knee extension here, opening up about halfway to straight or so.
5) As you prepare to proceed to the next ball, again bend your knees down to a 90° starting position, entering into hip/knee flexion, and dorsi flexion at the ankles. Mentally prepare to perform the same up-and-on jumping motion; minimizing your forward momentum.
6) As you leap, you be ready-jumping — that is, ready to land, and jumping nearly in your landing position with a lesser degree of hip/knee extension than in your first jump. You actually don’t have to jump as high or as with much upward force this time, as you no longer have to clear the height of the ball like you did in the original jump. Again, aim to land on the ball with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your ankles abducting slightly. DO NOT RUSH this jump – position your feet, and jump only when you’re ready!
7) Again, land on the top of the ball, and stick the landing while contracting your core and leg muscles in an isometric fashion. You should land with a little extra stabilizing knee bend this time, as this jump is far more precarious than the first.
8) & 9) Dismount by abducting your hips straight out to the each side of the ball, dropping to the floor, and landing on the floor with a shock-absorbing knee bend. Congrats, you did it!
Hi folks! I had a few fitness tips passed on to me, and I decided to share them with you too.
Summer’s coming, and that means stepping up your exercise program to get in shape for next hockey season, or staying in shape for the current golf, baseball, football, or whatever sport you train for season, or else just to get the beach body that you want.
Here are some tips for avoiding sports injuries as you increase your exercise this spring from Laurie Towers, top New York City celebrity trainer and CEO of Physical Advantage PC, the sports and performing arts massage center in NYC, along with a few notes I supplemented in [see: Dave’s notes].
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Diet and exercise work hand in hand and one will support the other tremendously. You can’t out train a bad diet. To see the results you will do well to honor both of these principles:
Some diet tips to keep in mind:
-Try to make conscious, reasonable choices that will become a lifestyle change instead of just a seasonal one.
-Focus on cutting the sugars, fried foods and alcohol[Dave’s note: There’s 7 calories in every gram of alcohol you consume] out of your diet as much as possible.
-Be mindful of the hidden calories that lurk beneath the labels of healthy foods as it comes as a surprise to many that a smoothie can have as many calories as two Snickers bars [Dave’s note: that’s more than 300 calories].
-Be sure to eat breakfast within an hour of awakening and to eat smaller portions throughout the day to keep a better balance of energy and keep your metabolism in active mode. This will ensure a higher rate of sustained burning.
-Barbecuing is probably the healthiest way to loose some of those extra calories we add to the cooking process – as long as you keep the seasoning simple and low in fat. Use mustards and vinaigrettes as a base for your meats and as a healthy diversion to a fried batter coating.
-When choosing summer drinks, nothing is better for you than Mother Nature’s original soft drink — water. Water is best for rehydrating, offers zero calories, and has a more lasting effect for thirst quenching. Its okay to enjoy a chilled Margarita now and then, but be aware of the sugars, sodium and calories and enjoy in moderation.
-Consider replacing sugary alcoholic drinks with wines that are lower in calories such as White Zinfandel (the lowest at 80 calories per glass), Chablis and Chardonnay.
Heres some workout tips to get that beach body you desire:
All caloric burning begins and ends with cardio, but this doesn’t necessarily mean it all has to be boring. Cardio can be a great source of enjoyment during the warmer months.
Once it gets warm outside, you can skip the gym and stay in shape while enjoying the great outdoors.
Some great choices for cardio activity that can help you achieve your fitness goals include volleyball, bike riding, rollerblading and walking/hiking. [Dave’s note: cross-training is a great addition to an athlete’s training regimen — choose sports that operate on similar fundamentals — that is, hockey, soccer, and basketball all are sports that action is continuous in, and are score-as-many-times-in-their-net-and-don’t-let-them-score-on-you games that all employ similar strategies]
For those who want to lose weight NOW to get the perfect beach body, here are Lauries three favorite forms of cardio that also encourage some strength training interaction. She recommends:
–Rowing: rowing is the best form of cardio in her opinion because it not only burns at a high rate, but it gives a nice little nudge to targeting areas like the back and arms and makes your abs get recruited into some stabilization activity. She points out that nothing is better than a strong core.
–Stationary bike: this is another great form of cardio for heart rate elevation and at a heavier resistance. The stationary bike helps to work the quads, hamstrings and glutes out of their winter hibernation.
–Treadmill: the treadmill is a great form of exercise that is joint-friendly. The rubber track pad absorbs most of the shock and allows you to change the angle to incline hitting various areas of the legs and glutes.
Most importantly, dont forget to take care of your hard-worked body. Dont let pains and strains from your workout derail your chance to get the perfect beach body. When pains strike I recommend that my clients use Topricin Pain Relief and Healing Cream.
Simply rub this fast-absorbing topical pain reliever on after a tough workout and your muscles will thank you. You can also apply Topricin before activity to eliminate or reduce the risk of injury.
Health is not a luxury – its a necessity. Stay focused and motivated to achieve the healthiest and best-looking version of you. Thoughts of health should not be limited to, or dictated by a calendar, or special occasion to prepare for. It is a lifetime investment plan that you will live off happily the more you put in.
Look for Topricin in pharmacies, natural food stores and other fine retailers nationwide, including Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe, Vitamin World, Fred Meyer, Wegmans and other retail stores throughout the U.S., as well as direct from the Topical BioMedics online store.
Ever wonder what it’d be like to have The Ultimate Warrior for your personal trainer? Regardless of how you answered, the band “Asking Alexandria” now knows exactly what it’s like.
Warrior’s routine is ultimately (pun intended) fairly basic— it doesn’t get more elementary than squats, pushups, and running— but given the subjects being trained, it’d be a stretch to think they’d be able to perform much more.
What’s lacking in complexity is more than made up for in intensity and psychology on Warrior’s part — the guy’s real name is Warrior, and probably hasn’t ever been accused of being a normal human (watch WWE’s “The Self-Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior” for more on that). But if you can cut past the crazy, Warrior is a guy who can get you in the zone like few other people can, even after all these years.
As I’ve discussed before, motivation — no matter what yours is — can often be the difference between accomplishment or failure.
When you train, can you push yourself, or do you need someone like Warrior to beat it out of you?
Here’s an interesting video that recently surfaced — features Paul Goodman, strength and conditioning coach for the Chicago Blackhawks, and follows him around during a ‘Hawks road trip to see what a day in his life is like.
One of my favourite things about not being a competitive athlete anymore is that I no longer have to compete (no more smashing my body up and taking 10 hour bus rides are some of the highlights). It’s also been one of the hardest things to mentally adjust to as well–especially when it comes to training now.
Let me explain a little further. When I was trying to climb the ladder in the hockey world, everything was a competition, both on the ice and off the ice. On the ice, there’s obviously the team vs team conflict; but there’s also the individual battles to be better than other individual players on opposing teams, and also on your own. You want to beat other teams, but you also want to get a lot of points, so you can get a lot more ice time, so important people notice you and give you the chance to move up. You train as hard as you can in the summers and through the year to give yourself an edge over other players. So season in and season out, it’s a necessity to be your best. Mentally, I’m glad to be done with that stuff as well.
These days when I workout, all that pressure if off and I don’t have to worry about people getting ahead of me. I workout to stay in shape, and because I enjoy it. But as gruelling as the competition used to be, it did do me one favour: it kept me focused on my goal and on track towards achieving it. While my workouts now are far more relaxed than they used to be, without some of that focus and motivation I picked up along the way, they run the risk of becoming completely unproductive very quickly if I can’t stay tuned in.
If you take one thing away from reading this article, let it be the value of goal setting and motivation in your workouts. What are you trying to achieve? Weight loss? Weight and mass gain? Are you training for a sport? Are your goals long or short term? And perhaps most importantly, are they realistic? If I stroll down to the gym once every month and a half in flip-flops, do a set of bench press and bicep curls and then leave, I don’t really have the right to wonder why I have chicken legs and don’t have six-pack abs. However, if I establish a goal (lose abdominal fat and gain muscle mass, lose x amount of weight, run a marathon, etc) set a realistic timeline of when I want to achieve these things by (at least six weeks), and stick to the parameters of an appropriate training regimen and nutritional plan, those goals will begin to shift from unobtainable to obtained. And of course, a fitness professional can scientifically lay out the amount of sets, reps, frequency, intensity, time, and type of exercise that is best suited to your specific goals and are appropriate for your body type, and can show you how to execute them all safely.
Another invaluable point about motivation is recognizing what your personal motivational style is. I always had a difficult time working out on my own, and found I got far better results with a regular workout partner. Some people love to plug in their iPod earbuds, tune out the world, and dive in on their own. Some people benefit from a large group setting, such as a fitness class. Maybe you work best at the crack of dawn, or maybe the evening is your optimal workout window. The important thing is to be honest with yourself about who you are, and what environment is going to be most conducive of getting you to where you want to be. Pick your style, and run with it. If you are unsure, try them all and find out!
That brings me to my last point, which is that working out should be, and needs to be, fun. If you are not enjoying your training time, eventually you will grow to hate it and not see the need for it at all. If your workouts have grown stale, change them up! If you hate the fitness class you’ve been going to for a year, try a new one! If you’re grown bored of working out on your own, invite some friends along. Maybe you would benefit from the competitive element of sports, and should take up a new one. Whatever it takes to keep you off the couch, take a risk and do it. Don’t be too proud or too scared to try new things, nor to not be any good at them. Don’t compare yourself to others, compare yourself now to who you want to become. Changing lifestyles and habits takes work, but it’s got to start somewhere. Discovering your motivational style, maintaining it, setting goals, and enjoying yourself, are all key factors that will go a long way in spurring you on to achieving whatever fitness goal you’ve set for yourself.
If you need a goal setting or motivational reboot in your workouts, I’d be happy to help. Come by World Gym Kelowna or West Kelowna today and see me, follow me on twitter, email me, or leave a comment — I’d be more than happy to help you set goals and make sure you reach them!
Any of you just have your $300 composite hockey stick snap shortly after your warranty also expired? Well, this blog post may be for you. Check out what Integral Hockey can do for you and your stick budget.
Aerospace Technology Takes Composite Stick Repair To New Level
New Development In Composite Repair Process Saving Teams, Players, & Parents $$$
Canadian business owner, and founder of Integral Hockey Inc., Randy Langille, of Port Alberni, BC, has developed a process in composite hockey stick repair that is quickly becoming the leading-edge repair system in the industry. Since the arrival of composite repair services, stick owners have had to make do when sending their broken sticks in for repair, namely, dealing with substantial loss of flexibility in their sticks – typically affecting several inches on either side of the break, along with a considerable increase in weight. The Integral Hockey repair process involves taking these broken sticks and repairing them applying true composite aerospace technology with the end result – no noticeable change in respect to weight, flex, kick-point and balance. Junior A, Junior B, Triple A Midget and Bantam teams, along with minor, as well as, rec-league players, are reporting no compromise in the dynamics of their repaired sticks, in addition to experiencing the cost-savings benefits. Further details along with testimonials and video clips on the performance of an Integral Hockey stick repair, may be found at the following lnk: http://www.integralhockey.com/media
Integral Hockey’s goal (pun intended), is to provide everyone involved within the dynamic hockey community, whether it be teams, players, parents, etc., from a local to eventual, international level, not only a trusted source in affordable composite stick repair, but in addition, offer superior quality and workmanship utilizing composite aerospace technology. In Langille’s own words, “We have taken a very real problem, solved it with the most high-tech solution on the market, and we’re delivering it at a price that will work for everyone. Something we are very proud of.”
In addition, Integral Hockey is doing their part in promoting a ‘Green’ agenda. They’ve implemented a system taking broken sticks that are beyond repair, and sending them to be ground into carbon fiber powder which can then be reused to manufacture other products, thereby reducing the carbon footprint from these composite sticks that typically end up in a land-fill. Integral Hockey considers themselves to be ‘the ultimate Canadian recycling business’.
Integral Hockey is the brainchild of former aircraft component manufacturer, Randy Langille. Having tested and refined repair techniques for several years during the early days of his manufacturing career, his desire was to use his skills to develop a process that would revolutionize the hockey stick repair industry. Hence, Integral Hockey was born. And, due to the tremendous response the company has already received in the short time since its inception, repair service locations along with franchise opportunities, are now available, Canada-wide.
For general information, or to contact Integral Hockey regarding repair locations in your area, please visit http://www.integralhockey.com. For inquiries on franchise opportunities, contact Gord Piercey at, gord@integralhockey.com, or call 250-710-5895.
Cunning Athletic Services 