RIDICULUS*

DJ Hyphen sent me this video:

LL Cool J working out with DJ Envy



His trainer has some nice tricks up his sleeve (figuratively speaking as he rocks the bodybuilder tank): KB sumo deadlift high pulls (NO SWINGS?!), "ring" pushups, sledgehammer situps, bungie sprints..

Methinks Mr. Ross Enamait would have a fun time with Mr. Todd Smith and give his current trainer a run for his money.

It's good to see more people leaning towards the HIIT philosophies of exercise. The bodybuilder physique is one society came to idolize because how big and defined someone's muscle could grow. You could watch that person squat huge amounts of weight and bicep curl dumbbells weighing as much as a junior high student. Is that functional? How hard did one have to train and look that way? What does one have to eat? How would I stay looking that way? How long?

Mmm.. fake tans and veins!

If that's your goal, go for it! But if you're a regular joe you might want to think twice about trying THAT route. Long workouts. Strict dieting. Too many supplements. What are your goals? You want to be built bigger? Harder? Better? Faster? Stronger? (c) Daft Punk

If we were robots, we'd never have to workout. But then where's the fun in that?!

If you want to look more athletic (see 10 General Physical Skills) then become more athletic. How? By improving EACH and EVERY one of those skills: strength, endurance, flexibility, stamina, power, speed, agility, coordination, balance and accuracy. That's a lot, I know, but we can tie it together. We improve work capacity over broad and modal domains by using highly varied, if not random, functional movements performed at high intensity. The end result is you being harder, better, faster and stronger. And once you clean up your nutritional habits, you'll look good too. Form follows function, so to look more athletic become more athletic.

* brownie points for those who get it