Catching up last week & homemade equipment

Heyo

I had time and totally flaked out on my log last week; I always keep a paper log but I didn't sit on the computer long enough to get it up here and didn't want to post it without some kind of content!

So without further nonsense, lets kick it today with the idea of homemade equipment. A lot of people, and I mean a lot, are covered under the "I can't afford a gym membership/have no time/can't afford home equipment" - how legit those claims are can vary a ton. But no matter, today is the saving grace for those people.

I bring you the first step- the homemade dumbbell.
Now this has been done maaannnyyy times and there are tons of guides by tons of people all over the internet, some advanced and some simple. I'm not sure where I got the information from, but I am acknowledging that it is not in fact my own idea....no matter because it kicks ass.

Yes there are 2 clamps in the pic but you will need 4

Materials needed:

• Galvanized steel bars - from 10" - 22"
• Appropriate sized hose clamps - 1/2" - 2"
• Some kind of epoxy / strong adhesive for metal surfaces
• Duct tape / any coarse tape / tennis or baseball bat grip tape

I left a range because you can customize to suite your own needs - for example a female who has never lifted weights may opt for a shorter length bar and smaller 1 inch diameter since she doesn't need to fit a hundred pounds nor does she need a fatter grip. I went with a 1 inch (technically it's less than 1 inch in thickness because it fits standard size 1 inch plates, but lets not worry too much about the tech specs) diameter bar that was 18 inch long (I bought enough of everything for 2 dumbbells, that means 4 hose clamps per db)

Step 1 & 2

• Wash the bar with soap and water then dry completely

• Grip the bar wherever and find out how much space you need to fit your hand comfortably, then measure out your inner clamps. To be simple, let's say my hand takes up 5in of space and I have a 15in bar - 15in - 5in = 10in of space left on the db. Then divide that by two and it gives us approx 5in of space per side from the end to where the clamp will sit (so to clarify, if you measure from the end 5in inward, that's where the clamps will sit)

• I marked the spot with a sharpie

• THEN, be careful here, put the clamps on the marked area but not tightened down yet

• Put a sufficient amount of epoxy/whatever adhesive on the marked area and slide the clamp over it and begin to tighten it down

• Try to keep the clamp in its spot so we don't get epoxy everywhere, if you do wipe it off quickly

• Set aside to dry for 15min/1 hour/1 day based on your products instructions

Step 3

My grips have lasted a long time, don't look so good anymore

• Wrap the rubber grip or duct tape around the inside of the clamps and maybe some extra on top of the clamps (some people disagree saying you should wrap before putting on the first set of clamps, I disagree with that because in my experience wrapping the rubber on top of the clamp will make it hurt less when you put some weight on the bar and have the clamp digging in your thumb or pinky)

Step 4

• Simply slide your plates on and follow them with the second hose clamp and tighten it down

**DISCLAIMER AND TIPS**
We do not want weights falling on our faces, so tighten those outer clamps hard, I recommend a ratcheting screwdriver to really speed up the process. You could also epoxy with outer clamps on to make some fixed weight db's but this is a budget oriented guide so just make sure they are on tight. If you forget to tighten them it is not my fault when weight slides right off the side and on to YOU, I have done it before and my foot will never be the same (jk my foot is fine but it hurt)

**FUN PART**

1. It cost me less than $10 to build 2 dumbbells and buy extra clamps just to have
2. Obviously you need weight; buy one inch diameter AKA "standard" not "olympic" plates if you don't make 2in thick bars
3. Weight can be found at any sporting goods store or on craigslist but TAKE THE BARS WITH YOU to buy weight and make sure they fit. I found several stores and deals but the weights didn't fit. I ended up buying from Dick's Sporting Goods for less than a dollar a pound (never pay more than a dollar a pound, a lot of craigslist deals can be had for 50 cents or so a pound even less sometimes)

Just to prove they are safe and effective, I have put over 100lbs on this dumbbell and goblet squatted it - that means held it by the weights vertically so all the force is on the clamps, without issue (not that you should ever try this, and if you do you probably don't need a guide anyway and have faith in your creation) Do not clamp on the threads of the bar! You should buy a big enough bar and leave enough room to fit the desired amount of weight and your hand without hitting the threads. THE WEIGHTS WILL FALL OFF IF YOU TRY AND CLAMP THE THREADS!

just enough room to clamp(DO NOT clamp on the threads)

120lbs, I have tipped it, carried it, and tried to rattle it but it stayed together no prob and no bending

*If you can use over 100lbs (per hand) on more than one exercise requiring two dumbbells, and you don't already own dumbbells that high, email me at jpduprefit@gmail.com. I have some good resources for quality heavy duty handles at an awesome price*

Now on to last weeks training and today's!
My last update was 4/8's training so here is the 10th, 13th, and today the 15th

4/10 Wednesday
Bench - 202.5lbs x 5 , 5 , 12
DB Curl - 32.5lb db's x 10 , 25lb db's x 13
Deadlift - 310 x 10
Neck harness - 4 x 25 @ 22.5lb
Chin ups - 3 ladders to 2

Good workout - bench reps are staying high though I'd like them to come down to the 6-8 range on that last set. Going to up the chin ladders soon in effort of attaining the golden 5 ladders to 5 in one sitting which is 75 total reps.

4/13 Saturday
Supposed to be Friday's workout but I got busy and couldn't fit it in (Life happens to everyone, it's ok just hit it the next day you can from where you left off)

Press - 115lb x 5 , 5 ,10
Chin ups - BW+25lbs x 8 , BW+20lbs x 8
Squat - 215lb x 5 , 5 , 15
Neck - 4 x 25 @ 25lbs
Chin ups - 3 ladders to 2
Conditioning - 50 sandbag clean & presses /w 50lb sandbag in 4:45

 Woah woah woah, finally some conditioning. Boy do I lack it right now, 15lbs of weight gain will do it to ya that's for sure. Expect to see more of this coming soon as I'm going to start for a new goal of leaning out and being all around more athletic - this will start Monday 4/29

Today 4/15 Monday
Bench press - 205lb x 5 , 5 , 13
Drag curl - 65lb x 12 , 60lb x 10
Squat - 220lb x 5 , 5 , 13
Neck - 4 x 25 @ 27.5lbs
Chin ups - 4 ladders to 2

Awesome workout, blew bench out of the water again and finally upped a ladder on chins. Squats staying strong as well. Not much to report besides that.

Bonus pic - My fiance and first client

Squatting 80lbs for 5 , 5 , 10

Always break that parallel

47.5lb overhead for reps, very nice!

Til next time....(look forward to going over some exercises and mini routines for that cheap and easy dumbbell we just made)

Training 4/5 and Today...and random dietary goodness

Training on 4/5

I had bench, curls, and squats on Friday. Hit some good numbers on my final set of everything, other than that it was uneventful and a little rushed due to being "Friday night".

BW - Didn't check since I worked out later after I had eaten several meals

Bench press - 200lbs x 5 , 5 , 12
EZ bar curls - 60lbs x 12 , 50lbs x 12
Squat - 205lb x 5 , 5 , 11
Neck harness - 3 x 25 @ 20lbs

Also I don't have a camera anymore since the one on my phone is busted somehow, new phone coming this next week

Today - 4/8

A necessary evil for me, blegh

Today its 10:30 as of this sentence and I am so full and tired of eating already. Gaining and losing weight truly is a function of diet and mentality. Training is great and will make the most of the weight you gain or accelerate the weight you lose and make you look better when you're done losing, but diet and most importantly the mental outlook are the king and queen here. Take myself for example, a tall lanky guy looking to put on some weight. I've had access to ground beef, chicken breasts, rice, and broccoli by the pounds...daily...for at least a year. But have only started gaining in the last 12 weeks, since I made the mental shift into pouring my effort towards diet. People always say I don't have time to do this or that, but it's just not true. I know or have known people that truly were stretched for time for weeks at a time even down to limited sleep that were able to make good healthy choices or make an effort to exercise in the gym or otherwise. I have the time to eat right and to gain weight and I still didn't, I had the foods available and didn't, though I "wanted" to and thought I was...I wasn't committed. This applies to a lot of things in life but there are books out there on that so I'll skip it.

On the diet front though, my a-ha moment came when I decided to limit myself to working out once every 2-3 days, and instead focus my effort on diet. I told myself whatever happens now is all on the diet and I'm the only one accountable.....I can see why most young males say they want to get big and strong but don't.  IT SUCKS. I stuff my face....with the key being that its with single ingredient foods (chicken breast has chicken breast in it contrary to a big hamburger from some joint). Anyone that eats single ingredient foods on a regular basis knows that it is hard to get calories from them because they're so "healthy" hence when someone who eats out all the time switches to "eating healthy" or "eating clean" they roughly halve their calories while keeping or even improving their macro nutrient counts for the day (protein, carbs, fat) and they lose weight or improve body composition.

Anyway back to my diet, I've already had a 50g protein/75g carb shake with 20g fat - then worked out and had another 50g protein shake following - then had 6oz ground beef with 2 cups of rice....and now I'm debating whats for 1st lunch and it's not yet 11, this will continue all day and it is not fun. Though the scale is still moving up and I'm staying within my weight gain guideline of "visible abs" and I don't mean focusing on keeping a 6 pack just the outline that there may in fact be muscle in that area, once and if that disappears I will dial it back as I will be accumulating to much fat. To gain weight you "get smooth" for awhile but use the scale, diet log, and the mirror to keep on track.

Some tips for the day before I list the workout and log off
Want to lose weight?
-Try keeping to single ingredient foods

-Eat lean meats - chicken / fish / some cuts of beef with every meal

-Portion your food with the old fist and palm method (lots of people endorsing this method, it works)
Meaning have a fist sized portion of carbs with most meals and a palm sized protein portion with every meal, striving for 6 meals a day with cutting back on the carbs is a good option, but sometimes you won't be eating that often so add a fist or two of carbs to other meals. There are plenty of diets out there and mostly they preach the same things with different frequencies or days of the week - pick one and stick to it they all work (this applies to most people in the population, if you have a specific goal like getting bigger and stronger or compete in a sport drop me an email at jpduprefit@gmail.com)

-If you find yourself hungry fill up on veggies, they are good for you and have hardly any calories(truly low carb)

-WALK! anybody that comes to me for training gets assigned walking 6 days a week if possible for homework. It is the most under utilized activity for diet and exercise, start walking a brisk pace for 20-40 minutes a day and watch the fine lines come out in the mirror or the scale start to go down (combine this with a solid diet and training with me and it's pretty ridiculous how good you'll start to look and feel)

Ok, here is today's training

Bodyweight - 192

Press - 110lb x 5 , 5 , 16
Chin ups - BW+20lbs x 8 , BW+15lbs x 8
Squat - 210lb x 5 , 5 , 13
Neck harness - 4 x 25 @ 20lb
BW chin ups - 3 ladders to 2

(a ladder being a pyramid scheme without the descent so a ladder to three would look like -
do 1 rep, rest as long as it would take someone else to do the same in between each batch of reps; think invisible partner, do 2 reps , do 3 reps - done. Start back at 1 rep then 2 reps then 3 reps done as opposed to doing 1 , 2 , 3 , 2 , 1. It's worked much better for me to follow up the "hard" set with the lowest rep count) thank StrengthVillain for that one

til next time.

4/3 Being Hydrated & Wednesday's Training

This is the fourth week back on a simple linear progression, feels good to add to the bar every time.
At the start of this run I was sitting at -
182lb bodyweight
Press - two singles at 145lb
Bench - two singles at 245lb
Squat - 3 singles at 270lb
Deadlift - 2 singles at 370lb
Chin ups - 20

Hoping to take those singles for reps here in the not too distant future, the goal being to progress in either reps or weight for the main lifts and slowly add some conditioning to the mix. Then in the next few months I'll turn up the heat on conditioning in prep for doing the zombie run in San Bernardino on Sep 28th! The diet has been pretty good as evident below I'm up about 8ish pounds mainly from doubling my protein intake and adding a ton of water daily since I was super dehydrated and starting to feel sluggish lately. It's amazing how dehydrated we can get and not even notice...speaking of which- 

Most people are dehydrated, I could name a handful of people I see all the time that are dehydrated. If you find yourself at any point in the day craving or just deciding to have a glass of water - you're not drinking enough H2O. A quick rundown to becoming more hydrated (which might surprise you how much better you feel both physically and mentally when you're properly watered up)

• Have a cup on your nightstand, fill it and drink it in one sitting when you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed. (yes you will probably awaken and have to run to the bathroom in the middle of the night when you first start, but this will stop)

• When you're sitting on your computer facebooking/doing homework/working/whatever, take a big jug of gatorade and a pitcher/jug of water and pour them half and half into a cup, drink the cup til its gone and then fill it back up approximately half and half again. Do this until both the gatorade and water jug are gone. Try this once or twice a day for a week in addition to drinking water like normal and I guarantee you'll feel better all around - especially if you're working out hard. It works and I do it all the time (got this tip from the JP over at Strength Villain check out his work he's one of my favorite sources on fitness and life)

• I love diet soda, coffee, and iced tea with a burning passion. In fact I think I taste all three of them at some point on a daily basis, bad news without a good water intake. Caffeine is also an appetite killer for those less accustomed to it so be wary mass gainers out there. For every one of these drinks you have, have an equal amount of water soon after.

Anyways as of Wednesday I was -

Bodyweight - 190.2 lbs 

Hit the press, weighted chin ups, deadlift, and neck harness. Killer workout, still getting double digit reps on my final set with the press so I'll bump it 5lbs again in attempt to bring them down to the money range of 6-8. Chins are progressing nicely, adding 2.5lbs to each set as long as I make the 6-8 range for both sets. Deadlift is also feeling good, I'm capping the set at 10 reps for my first run through for forms sake, but that'll change when I have to reset. Neck harness is getting really hard, we'll see if I can keep on keeping on here.

Press - 105lb x 5 , 5 , 16 ( bumped it 5lbs to bring the reps down but almost tied last weeks 17, started pretty low tho)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKm31dVfhiw

Chins - 17.5lb x 8 , 12.5lb x 8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSfCl9vFFS0

Deadlift - 305 x 10 ( I always cap at 10 on my first run through a weight, just to be good with my form )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joyaqrHu-XU

Neck - 4 x 25 @ 17.5lb (these are getting tough)

Chin ladder - 2 Ladders to 2

KB swing x 50 ( just messing around, need to add some conditioning soon though)

Til next time..

Turbo Shakers, Yes Please!

For the first post on here, I want to mention a few things that pertain mainly to those who drink protein and/or meal replacement shakes. Brand and type is irrelevant - some people like big bags from Costco or tubs from Target, others have the latest from bodybuilding.com or maybe your an Herbalife fan (personally I'm a huge fan of products from Atlarge Nutrition but that will be another post!) Anyway the product is the Turbo Shaker, the link is to buy it from Atlarge,  just because I am personally a fan of them, but you can find it at many places online including bodybuilding.com and the price doesn't differ much.

This plastic cup has made a huge impact on even the way my shakes taste, sounds weird but it's true. Since it is a decently large cup (holds 3 cups of liquid) you can fit plenty of water or whatever in it to mix your powders and keep a consistency like water as opposed to fresh cement. I've used blender-bottles for a long time, and they are a great product too, but this blows them away. I can't count how many times I dropped that metal ball in the bottom of the dishwasher or almost down the garbage disposal. Moving on - the turbo shaker is two pieces so no missing parts or rubber seals to get nasty, also a plus it's big enough to fit my hand in to clean the bottom. I haven't had a single clump of powder with anything of mixed or any lingering smells in the plastic.

After 10+ times in the dishwasher and countless hand washes...clean and unaffected

I actually threw away my 3 blender bottle's since I got this new toy! I'll put actual pictures of my use of it later tonight but I have successfully made everything from regular one or two scoop protein in water shakes, to 2 scoops of protein and 6 scoops of waxy maize starch for a 50g pro/75g carb meal replacement shake in less than 2 cups of water with the consistency of a cup of water by itself! To tip the scales I also tried 2 tbsp of peanut butter with 3 scoops of protein and a cup of ground oats in milk for an almost 800 calorie shake....and I drank it without gagging = victory (that type of shake I wouldn't recommend unless your diet is in check and your goal is not fat loss)

In conclusion - it has handled everything I've thrown at it / it's easy to clean, keep track of, and doesn't smell / and it's cheap - sub 10 bucks. A must have for anyone who mixes shakes!


(by the way I do not get commission from any products nor am I affiliated with any company other than myself, and if I was I would tell you because reputation is all that matters in this business)

So it Begins...

Hello and welcome!

This is my blog page where I will write about the many things related to health and fitness. I'll even add reviews of new and old products in the fitness world as well! Although I probably won't write about a product unless it's something that I've personally put to good use. Believe me though, there are plenty of things out there to try and almost all of them work! More important than the tools is your drive to succeed, and a plan to move towards whatever success you crave - even looking good in your very own superhero tights. ( And if you've got a ton of motivation but just don't know where to start drop me an email at jpduprefit@gmail.com and we'll sort it out)
I'll probably be keeping a log of my own training as well, which is not in any way representative of the type of training any of my potential clients will be doing.... unless your goal is to look like a stronger and heavier version of me (if you answered yes send me an email, we can sort that out as well)