East Eats West

TRX military level fitness for your home

What do you do if you just got a baby and are more or less locked in at home but still want to get back in shape? Joining a gym is out of the question and jogging as well (let’s assume your baby doesn’t like prams too much). I came across the perfect home fitness tool that doesn’t cost much, takes up very little space and is highly effective. TRX was, if you want to believe the marketing hype, developed by a former US Navy Seals guy. He was looking for an easy and effective way to stay fit. The result is TRX, basically a length-adjustable strap that can be attached to a door, window or a tree. It allows for a full body work-out just using your own body weight. I love it and so does my wife! Today TRX is used by Marines, Seals and Infantrymen in Iraq and Afghanistan. And the best is: it will not be sitting in your basement and gather dust! PS: It even comes in a camouflage color scheme for military guys.

http://www.trxtraining.com/

My new free personal trainer: Zuzana from Poland!

Picture: A homework out that truly rocks and inspires (including eye-candy)! Picture courtesy of www.bodyrock.tv. 

I have been lifting weights in gyms most of my life. During my recent travel though I only managed to visit gyms every now and then (including a brand-new gym in Vientiane, Laos). However traveling and eating constantly resulted in some extra flab and I started to look for some travel-friendly routines (meaning no equipment needed). Luckily I came across amazing Zuzana's website www.BodyRock.tv. She (and her steely abs) is kind of a Youtube phenomena as she gets many hits every month. On her website she demonstrates simple high-intensity body-weight exercises that can be devilishly difficult to complete. Every week she posts new exercises and demonstrates them on short videos (shot from 'interesting' angles by her husband). Check her and her abs out and start sweating! With her I managed to shed over six kilos, not bad!

A workout program for true men

Picture: Pumping Iron in a gym in Srinagar, Kashmir (India).

Most of us have been to a gym at a point of their lives. Some spend ours “pumping iron” in front of a mirror, others give up as they do not like the boring routine. When I was younger I also spent hours in the gym, hoping I would look someday like Schwarzenegger. I never did.

Therefore I went looking for an efficient, tailor-made program that keeps me fit and toned without the use of any chemical enhancers. I asked my friend Jürg who works for the Swiss border patrol^. He practices self-defense and he used to powerlift. He also practices Swiss wrestling, self-defense and trains wrestlers. I thought he must be someone who knows about a good workout. And he did.

The gist of the workout program is simple: intensity not mind numbing sets and repetitions. It is all about acceleration and building speed so all the repetitions are done fast one way and the program’s focus on core exercises, no gimmicks added. It is short, intense and effective. Here it is for the first five weeks:

• 5 minutes of rowing for warming up
• 20 times shoulder rotations with a stick for warming up the shoulders
• Standing-up from a seat while pushing barbells up
• Deadlifts
• Benchpress on a 30° bench with barbells
• Latpulldowns
• Leg biceps
• Squats
• Again 20 times shoulder rotations
• 5 minutes of rowing

Each exercise should be done 20 times with a focus on acceleration and correct posture. Two to three times a week are enough and it should take between 30-45 minutes. Off you go, stop playing around in front of mirrors and start to build “some hurting bombs” (as Rocky Balboa’s trainer said).