Chinups: the upper body exercise of the gods

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Looking for beefier biceps? Do more curls, right?  That’s the usual prescription.  It is also not the fastest way to build big arms.  Don’t get me wrong, curls are fine, but if you’re not chinning, you’re not maximizing the strength and size gains of your biceps.  Chinups are done with the palms close together and facing towards you.

They are different from pullups, which are done with a wide grip and the palms face away from you.

If pull-ups are part of your program already for back development, you can still do chin-ups.  They’re are different enough that you will benefit from both.  Here’s a sample back/biceps workout I frequently do:

3-4 sets of sternum pull-ups (pullups done with torso rotation so that the sternum touches the bar)

3-4 sets wide grip rows
3 sets of chin-ups (usually with extra weight)
2 sets of reverse curls or wrist curls or fingertip hangs (hanging with your fingertips from a bar, and doing    wrist curls with your body-weight)
2-3 sets of rotator cuff complex (external rotations, internal rotations, scapular stabilization)
This is a killer workout.  Keep the rests to about 90 seconds and the tempo slow and controlled.  If you can’t do many chin-ups, do 5 or 6 sets of 1-5 reps, instead of doing pull-downs or some other weak-sauce alternate exercise.  Only doing chin-ups will get you strong enough to do more chin-ups!

Rest is critical for progress

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I was scheduled for a workout today (a hard one, in fact), but several days of not sleeping much courtesy of our young baby has left me completely fried.  So, workout cancelled, nap scheduled.  In certain situations it’s just better to rest rather than make yourself even more exhausted.  Make up your workout the next day, or even skip it entirely. Sometimes you can’t fight what you’re body is telling you.  If you don’t rest enough, the damage workouts create will accumulate until a serious problem, such as a muscle strain or chronic over-training set in.  That’s a situation that will set you back a lot longer than missing one workout. 

A simple, healthy meal for those with limited time

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This pork tenderloin and salad meal was one of the most delicious things I have eaten in the last few weeks, and it took almost no time at all.  Pre-marinate the pork, and make the salad while the meat is cooking.

Ingredients:
1-2 pork tenderloins, preferably organic
Marinade: 4 tbsp soy sauce (gluten free),  1 tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp garlic, salt, pepper
Salad: Fresh spinach leaves (organic if possible), 1/2 crushed walnut pieces, 1 ripe pear, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp liquid honey

Preparation

Place all the ingredients in a plastic Ziploc bag with the tenderloin and shake to make sure the meat is coated.  Marinate over-night or at least for 2 hours.
Bake the tenderloin in the oven at 450 degrees for approx. 25-30 minutes.  It may require more or less time, depending on your oven, so check it periodically.  You can also grill it on the BBQ.
While the meat is cooking, wash the spinach, cut the pear into pieces and mix everything in a salad bowl.  If the honey is solid, warm it up in hot water or the microwave oven.  Serve with a dry white wine if you’re feeling boozy!