The Ultimate Exercise for Me

The Ultimate Exercise for Me
By: Jonathan Daniel

Throughout all of my exercise efforts over time, I have come to the conclusion that the front squat is the ultimate exercise for me. No other exercise has given me the satisfaction that this full body exercise has given me. One of my favorite exercises is sprinting. This full body exercise burns fat and very effectively and makes jogging look like sitting on the couch watching Nickelodeon, but when it comes to strength training, the front squat is king.

When I first started this exercise however, there was a problem that I encountered. I noticed that the bar caused a great deal of pain to my right wrist. I tried to get past this by continuing to front squat while trying to ignore it, but the pain became more evident and eventually caused me to not be able to finish a set.

One of the solutions I tried was squatting with dumbbells. I did this exercise a little bit different from pictures I downloaded from the Internet which showed me the form required while using dumbbells. I still wanted to hold them like I would have held the bar, but I didn't have the correct form and it just didn't feel as effective.

One day, I found my solution. I went and grabbed a big towel out of the cabinet, wrapped it around the weight bar a couple of times and tried the cross arm position. This made all of the difference in the world. Sure I may be too much of a wuss to handle the wrist pain, but I finally found a way to comfortably front squat my way to success.

I recommend anyone who wants to try a very effective full body exercise to consider the front squat. You would be amazed at how many muscles in the body this exercise puts to work. It may take you a while to find the right form for you, but just read up on it and make sure you're doing it safely and correctly. I found my way and love the exercise so much that it is number one for me.

Sprint Away Pounds

Sprint Away Pounds

By Jonathan Daniel

When I turned 28, I became very aware of the fact that my metabolism was slowing down. I immediately laid aside extra long cheese coneys from Sonic and the jumbo cheeseburgers I was getting from my local gas station and started focusing on weight loss. My family and I live in a very small town, and the selection of places to eat are few.

Groceries are expensive and eating right every day is a challenge, but being a family man, I also face the challenge of not having the time to work out. My quest for success using weight loss pills was a very short journey. After mediocre progress with weight loss drugs, I finally turned to natural weight loss. I have recently started running in the mornings around 6:00am because it conflicts the least with my schedule and it is easier to burn fat at this point of the day. This activity lasts about 20 minutes a day. I chose sprinting, because endurance and distance running is not as effective in my opinion.

I weight train with a friend, but run alone since he believes that boring cardio is more effective. Many fitness experts boast the effectiveness of low to moderate intensity cardio to people as the answer to their weight loss efforts. My exercising efforts have led me to believe that steady paced cardio is not as effective as many think it is. Sprinting allows me to experience bursts of exertion followed by recovery. this stop-and-go movement has proven to be more effective for me than steady rate movement.

I'm currently doing 100 yard sprints from fieldgoal to fieldgoal at my local schools practice football field with 30 to 60 seconds of rest between runs, and have adopted this exercise to be a permanent part of my fitness efforts. I don't think any piece of fitness equipment can replace this, I am also considering resistance running. I am now 29 years old and am very pleased with the rapid weight loss I have achieved. I credit sprinting as a huge part of my success. I also do some dumbell and free weight exercises such as front squats, and drink protein shakes to maintain my muscular build.

I have been at it for about 3 1/2 months, and at this point, I am very satisfied with my body. My 10 year class reunion is this weekend, and I am prepared to tell all of my out of shape classmates that sprinting helped me achieve healthy weight loss. Sprinting should definitely be a big part of any weight loss program.

The King of Full Body Exercises

The King fo Full Body Exercises

By: Jonathan Daniel

When it comes to leg exercises, the front squat is the best I have ever tried.  I started noticing results very soon after I started them.  When I first became interested in squatting, I was committed to the bar behind the neck method.  Later, I learned about the front squat--in which the bar rests on the front of the shoulders.  After getting used to it, front squatting has become my favorite exercise "EVER".

As you may have already discovered, the squat is at the top of the heap (along with dead-lifts).  This is one of the most effective exercises and stimulates muscle gain and even fat loss.  The front squat is a full body exercise that engages a large number of muscles in the body, and is also classified as the ultimate butt exercise because it stimulates more muscle activation and hormonial response (i.e. weight loss, fat loss, muscle definition and firming of the butt muscle)

If one is opposed to letting the bar rest on the front or the shoulder, squats can be done with any free weighted objects such as dumbbells, kettlebells, sandbags, or even just body weight.  I don't encourage using the Smith Machine or any other squatting machine for that matter.  Free weights are best when squatting.  The need to balance the bar or dumbbells helps greatly, and a machine wont allow your body to follow natural, biomechanically-correct movement paths.  The front squat is the king of full body muscle workout.

If I miss any exercises during the week, I still run and do front squats every single day (No Matter What)