The amount of people with diabetes is a massive problem in this country. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that is wreaking havoc on the American population- to date, more than 16 million American residents have diabetes (knowingly or not!). There are 1,700 news cases of this disease being discovered and diagnosed every single day! This disease is very serious, and if you have it, you have probably heard the lecture from your doctor…and people around you. Diabetes is well linked to the development of way more serious illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and even neurological disorders.

There are two types of diabetes- Type I and Type II. Typically, Type I diabetes occurs in younger individuals (juvenile diabetes) and comprises approximately 10% of all diabetic cases. Thereby, 90% of the cases are Type II, which is most common in older individuals and is usually a result of a lifelong of bad choices (lack of exercise and poor diet).

We are not trying to lecture you into madness here, we just want to make sure you realize how severe the disease can be- so what do you do to prevent it? Hit the weights- new research shows that strength training may help prevent type 2 diabetes (along with the many other benefits).
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Most guys would (secretly) love to look like any of the leading men in Hollywood- whether they are willing to admit it or not. There are some stars that truly make an impression on the big screen because of their perfect physic. It’s hard to imagine that these guys are actors instead of professional body builders, and their commitment to the part of a ripped character really shows in some movies. Check out this list of the top ten Hollywood bulk-ups with tips on how to get the results they did- without the million dollar roles (sorry guys).

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Top 10 Hollywood Bulk-Ups
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We are positive that there have been many times in the gym where you have seen people just using machines for isolation exercises but not really doing the squats, deadlifts and bench pressing exercises, those compound lifts. You will likely also see other people just focusing on those heavy squats and compound lifts yet not doing the isolation exercises like the leg extensions or the pec deck butterfly. So, which is better? We are going to have to vote for compound exercises!

What are compound exercises exactly, you ask? Easy…

Compound exercises in weight training are those that involve more than one joint and muscle group. Examples are squats, deadlifts and chin-ups. For example, the squat involves the joints of the knee, hip and ankle, and the muscles of the upper and lower legs and buttocks.

There truly is an overload of info about the best ways to build exercises and all these ‘new’ exercises to get you ripped. While new routines keep you interested, make sure you are still sticking to what has proven time and time again to produce the best results- compound exercises. Need more proof? Keep reading.

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Compound vs. Isolation

Compound exercises, such as the Bench Press and Squat, involve movements that engage multiple muscle groups and joints. On the other hand, isolation exercises—like Curls and Leg Extensions—involve the movement of a single joint and focus on one muscle group.

When you go into the weight room, most people are probably performing isolation exercises in hopes of building a specific muscle group. The problem with this strategy lies in the definition of isolation exercises: they only improve one muscle group at a time. If you want to build muscle throughout your entire body without spending an inordinate amount of time in the weight room, compound exercises are the way to go. Plus, working multiple large muscle groups releases elevated amounts of human growth hormone, which is essential for muscle growth.’

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To summarize this first part, compound exercises are meant to use multiple muscle groups and joints, while isolation moves just use one muscle group and one joint- it’s a basic concept…If you want to really use your time at the gym wisely, go for compound movements. When you use compound exercises, you are conditioning more than one group at a time AND increasing the levels of human growth hormone in your body- meaning more muscle growth!

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Lower-Body Exercises

If you’re serious about building muscle, lower-body compound exercises should be the feature of your program. Specifically, you should focus on the Squat, Deadlift and their variations. These two exercises engage nearly the entire lower body, including the quads, hamstrings and glutes. They even increase core and back strength.

Single-leg exercises are the next best type of compound movements for building muscle. By strengthening one leg at a time, you build muscle equally on both sides of the body, which is essential for athletes. The two best single-leg exercises are the Bulgarian Squat (Rear-Foot-Elevated Split-Squat) and the Lunge.

Upper-Body Exercises

Upper-body exercises are grouped into two categories: pushing and pulling. Pushing exercises—like Push-Ups, Bench Press and Shoulder Press—focus on the front side of the body, delts and triceps. Pulling exercises, like Pull-Ups and Rows, focus on the traps, lats, biceps and other back muscles.

Since no single exercise targets both sides of the body, you must make a concerted effort to include both pushing and pulling exercises in your workout. The strength you gain from each of them directly impacts the other. For example, if you have a weak back, you will not be able to challenge yourself on the Bench Press without risking injury.

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Follow the workouts above, and your routine is going very well-rounded- you will also get the most out of your time in the gym. Another point here is that no one exercise is going to target both sides of your both, so include pushing and pulling exercises for a complete workout.

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Compound exercises should be the core of your program- do you focus on compound exercises when you are at the gym?

Here’s a (sort of) taboo topic- children lifting weights. In other sports, kids are started out super young and train their whole lives if they are to make it to the professional level by the time they reach the age to do so. Let’s use the Olympics for example, those athletes you see there have probably been training every day since they were in elementary school- some even younger! Most people don’t bat an eye at young soccer players, ice skaters, gymnastics, or even golfers- so why is the idea of a little kid strength training so odd to many people?

A few years ago, a video emerged showing Tiger Woods driving a golf ball like the pro that he is. The only catch: He was just 2 years old at the time. (Two years old!)

The message to parents: If you want your kids to excel in sports, you need to start them young. Of course, beyond developing specific skills—such as throwing, kicking, and swinging—improving strength, power, and speed are key components of sports performance training.

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Like we were saying, other sports are filled with once child athletes that dominate their field. Case and point, Tiger Woods, think what you want about his personal life but there’s no denying that he rules golf. We don’t think Woods would be so in touch with his club and ball if he hadn’t started off when most children are just learning to run without falling.

Watch this video of suggested moves for adolescent weight training…

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Some experts warn that weight training at a young age can damage a child’s growth plates. And that concern has merit. “The dangers to growth plates—found at the end of long bones—are real,” says Michael Meija, C.S.C.S., Men’s Health fitness adviser and owner of B.A.S.E. Sports Conditioning, an organization that specializes in youth athletic training.

However, Mejia is quick to point out that these injuries are almost always the result of using too much weight with improper technique. Plus, he adds that smart strength training is absolutely acceptable—as long as the right exercises are chosen and that the youth has an appropriate level of base strength and mobility. (Looking for a plan for you? Discover the cutting-edge fitness system that will melt fat, torch calories, and sculpt every single muscle in your body!)

“Exposure to a variety of sports and fitness-based games—such as tag and tug of war—is the best approach for younger kids,” says Mejia. “But as they reach that middle and high school age, you can start implementing more of a structured approach to strength training.”

But proceed with caution: “Even when kids are ready for weights, the loading is often times imbalanced and that leads to problems down the road.” One common problem: “People put too much focus on popular exercises like the bench press, and start piling on weight even before a kid can do 10 good pushups,” says Mejia. “That’s a recipe for injury.” 

Mejia’s advice: Before a kid ever touches a weight, make sure she can perform basic body-weight exercises with perfect form.

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So, weight training when a kid is too young can be dangerous. If their bones aren’t developed enough, it could damage their growth plates- according to some experts. On the other hand, these injuries are related to overdoing it and improper training. The same experts that caution against it do admit that proper training is totally okay.

What we think is that maybe parents aren’t the best weight training coaches unless they have experience and training otherwise. This is true for all sports though, if you want to keep your children safe during training, use a professional and check their credentials!

Another word of caution is to keep the exercises diverse. Too many reps of one thing can stress the young frame.
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5 Strength Rules for Kids

1. Master the basics first. Work on the two movements above—the pushup and overhead squat—until they can be completed correctly, says Mejia. If your kid doesn’t pass the body-weight tests with a score of 3, he or she is not ready for actual weights. That’s perfectly fine, by the way. These movements require total-body strength that will help in just about every sport. So by improving at them, you’ll develop a more sound athletic foundation. (Want a great new move to chisel your abs? Discover The Pushup That Blasts Your Core.)

2. Once your kid aces the tests, focus on compound, multi-joint movements. Choose exercises that emphasize the upper back, core, and hips, says Mejia. Think: Less benching, more rowing. Smart exercises to include: stability-ball leg curls, inverted rows, and reverse flys with light dumbbells.

3. Stay away from most machines. Many gym machines—such as the leg extension, leg press, and chest fly (a.k.a pec deck)—force kids to work through unnatural movement patterns that have little carryover to sports and activities of daily living. (Cable machines are the exception.)

4. Watch the weights. Poor form and excessive loading are the reasons kids wind up injured. Once they’ve mastered their own body weight, start with a resistance that allows for 12 to 15 repetitions with perfect technique, advises Mejia. “Just one or two sets per exercise is fine initially, working up to a maximum of three once strength and endurance improve.” And be sure not to take any sets to the point of muscular failure.

5. Use a variety of strengthening equipment. Medicine balls, bands, and cable-based machines allow for three-dimensional movement. These are ideal because they offer kids variety, while training balance and stability just like free weights, says Mejia.

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Here’s our breakdown on the rules so they’re easier to remember:

• Make sure the child knows the basic moves first before moving on to more challenging arenas
• After mastering the basics, move on the compound and multi-flex moves
• Avoid the machines; those are not designed for children, stick with free weights
• Slowly build up the amount of weight lifted
• Use a variety of equipment such as medicine balls, cables, etc.

Do you know any youth weight lifters?