Jump Rope. Photo by Odalaigh.

Step One: Identify your ONE goal.

Yes, it is possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. I've been doing it for the past 8 months. In september, I was 158 lbs at 16.5% bodyfat. This month I am 13% bodyfat at 155lbs. Put that into excel, and you get 6 lbs lost and 3lbs gained, or 9 lbs total displacement. Achieved these results simply by eating healthy and training for less than 10 minutes 6 days a week. Now who's too busy to workout? (By the way, before I get any "oh, you're not big enough" talk, I should inform you guys that I'm 5'5" and not a bodybuilder. Just an average kid who's struggled with his weight since childhood.)

But I only did this because I had one more semester left of school and knew I was going to busy. Now my goal is to burn off all my fat and finally get that nice, sinewy, 300-Mf'r look. I want to get in some hours before I start working a boring 9-5 dread job for the next 10 years. Hence my goal for the next few weeks will be to burn as much fat as humanely possible. I will be using two approaches: High Intensity Circuits, and Low-Carb diet.

Step Two: Identify a few other goals that you would LIKE to achieve, but it's ok if you don't.

Honestly, it gets boring and annoying running sprints and doing circuits all the time. I suggest setting some goals that are opposite to your primary goal, just to mix things up. My secondary goal will be two gain or maintain overall strength. Hence, I'll perform one heavy barbell workout approximately once a week.

Mother of four and 2007 OCB Yorton Cup Nationals champion Cheryl Szarmach. Photo by Matt Shepley.

Here's a guide to fitness-related goodies for your Mother, Mommy, Ma or Mum. Even if she hasn't had time to step into rubber-soled shoes in years, there are items here that will make her smile at the thought of flexing again. And if she's as hardcore as the Straight to the Bar team, you've just hit the jackpot.

Happy Mother's Day, Grrrls!

Training, lessons, sessions and classes

What's the second-most precious thing to most mothers? Time to herself. Serve her notice that she's been signed up for one-on-one time with a great personal trainer - general fitness or specialized sport coach (boxing never fails!). Sign her up for ten yoga sessions at the groovy upscale studio you always see advertised. Or if she doesn't have a gym membership, get her a punchcard for ten guest visits, so she can use the gym whenever she wants, without the sales pitch of the trial membership. It's guilt-free time for her to focus on herself, her body and her personal quality of life.

Jogging strollers

Does she have stroller-ready children but no jogging stroller? Sure as taxes, she has jogging stroller envy whenever some perky mother and baby pair in matching designer warm-ups glide by with one. For the top picks, check out Collapsible jogging strollers that go from trunk to trail with ease. This review piece by Sarah Bowen Shea is online at Runners World. (Pictured is Shea's favored Schwinn Joyrider Jogger)

Foodies

Chocolate. You better believe grrrls want chocolate. Chocolate that won't sit in our stomachs during a work out, give us a sugar crash, make us feel fat, guilty, or like we have to brush our teeth. We're talking whole food chocolate. This mind-blowing stuff is made with just cocoa, nuts, dates, maybe a little fruit - stuff like that, and it tastes amazing. I love Labarar's delectable Jocalat bars and the similar Clif Nectar bars.

A blender. As Krista Scott says, generally one has to tread carefully when getting household items for women for romantic occasions, but pair it with a big jug of protein powder and you should be cool. The Kitchen Aid commercial blender is the Cadillac.

And/or a blender bottle - not the kind with a motor, but this innovative and effective low-tech one with a wire whisk-like ball inside.

Boxing Gear

Whether you are a grrrl, or have a sister or daughter, you know that grrls like to hit things. Give her something to beat on besides you. Any grrl will be delighted with the right bag to punch or kick. Check Title Boxing or Everlast for a variety of heavy bags, speed bags, and martial arts bags. If she's into cardio kickboxing, she's probably used to a freestanding bag with a water-filled base.

Everlast Evergel Glove Wraps rock. She can wear them under bag gloves as a convenient and more protective alternative to handwraps, or alone for light bag work, mitts, speed bag, grappling and more.

Then get her a real pair of G&S bag gloves, instead of those cheap ones from the sports store. Twelve ounces should be fine, and they're very helpful in figuring out fit if you call.

Watching this commercial got me thinking about training partners. Training partners are an essential part of most sports. They provide encouragement, friendly competition, the odd rebuke and of course--help you train the aspects of your sport you can't train by yourself. Or that's what they're supposed to do. Unfortunately, sometimes training partners can prevent progress rather than foster it. So it's important for athletes to be discerning. Over the years I've learned two important lessons about training partners . . .

1. You will become like the person you train with.

   I can't over-emphasize this point. If your training partner is a lazy, ignorant, excuse-filled, thumb-sucking, moron--you'd do better to train by yourself (unless Homer Simpson is your athletic ideal). Only a high-quality training partner can provide high-quality training. Sounds obvious, but I've seen more than a few athletes blow their careers (and health!) by selecting the wrong training partner. This point leads on to the next . . .



2. To get an awesome training partner, you have to be an awesome training partner.

   For the vast majority of my 'training life' I've had great training partners. I'm convinced one of the reasons I've been so 'lucky' is that I've made it my business to work on my partner's development just as much as I work on my own. I've always viewed training with others as a means of mutual improvement.

So what should you be looking for in a training partner? I think there are three must-haves . . .

This is a guest post from the inimitable Fight Geek - Training Partners. Enjoy.

Watching this commercial got me thinking about training partners. Training partners are an essential part of most sports. They provide encouragement, friendly competition, the odd rebuke and of course--help you train the aspects of your sport you can't train by yourself. Or that's what they're supposed to do. Unfortunately, sometimes training partners can prevent progress rather than foster it. So it's important for athletes to be discerning. Over the years I've learned two important lessons about training partners . . .

1. You will become like the person you train with. I can't over-emphasize this point. If your training partner is a lazy, ignorant, excuse-filled, thumb-sucking, moron--you'd do better to train by yourself (unless Homer Simpson is your athletic ideal.) Only a high-quality training partner can provide high-quality training. Sounds obvious, but I've seen more than a few athletes blow their careers (and health!) by selecting the wrong training partner. This point leads on to the next . . .
2. To get an awesome training partner, you have to be an awesome training partner. For the vast majority of my 'training life' I've had great training partners. I'm convinced one of the reasons I've been so 'lucky' is that I 've made it my business to work on my partners development just as much as I work on my own. I've always viewed training with others as a means of mutual improvement.

So what should you be looking for in a training partner? I think there are three must-haves . . .

What can natural athletes learn from bodybuilders? Back training for a start. Jimmy Smith investigates.

What can natural athletes learn from bodybuilders? Back training for a start. Jimmy Smith investigates.

I'm travelling for a couple of weeks (back around March 15). In the meantime, here are a few hidden gems from the archives.

Enjoy.

The Zercher Squat

This is the first in a series of Timeless Exercises; a collaboration with Run to Win's Blaine Moore. The Zercher Squat.

What is the Zercher Squat?

To the uninitiated, the Zercher Squat is a strange beast. Instead of the bar being held across the shoulders (slightly higher or lower for Olympic Weightlifters, Bodybuilders and Powerlifters); it's held in the crook of your arms. The inside of your elbows, if you like.

This is somewhat painful (although you do get used to it a little), however it's an extremely effective exercise. As Louie Simmons notes in Dead Lift Secrets :

It teaches you exactly how to squat. It teaches you to push your knees apart. Push your chest up. Push your buttocks out. The whole nine yards.

Origins

The Zercher Squat was one of the many cruel and unusual exercises created by St Louis strongman Ed Zercher (1902 - 1995). Zercher's own home gym resembled a junkyard more than a basement, and was filled with such toys as anvils, wrecking balls and assorted pieces of machinery. Sounds perfect.

Technique

This is one of the rare exercises where using a thick bar actually makes it more comfortable. A strongman yoke with an adjustable crossbar is great; a thick (2.5" - 3") barbell is also a good choice.

The lift comprises two stages, although it is common to see only the second one being performed in gyms.

The weighted bar begins on the floor, and is deadlifted (using a conventional, or shoulder-width stance) to a point a little above the knee. Aim for the lower quad muscles, rather than your kneecaps.

Slowly squat down; balancing the bar at this point on your lower thighs. Slide your arms under the bar until it reaches your elbows. Now stand up.

Simply reverse the process to complete the exercise. That's one rep.

NB : You may notice that this movement resembles the action of lifting a heavy stone, and it can be a great way to help train for such an event.

How to hold the bar

Regardless of how you hold the bar, there'll be some pain involved. Whilst you can probably ignore it when there's 50kg on the bar, it's a different story when the bar weighs 200kg.

There are three things to consider here. Experiment with them and find the combination that feels right to you. They are :

How your hands are -

• as fists
• clasped together

How your forearms are -

• crossed over
• bringing your hands together
• straight ahead (or at a slight angle)

What the bar is resting against -

• your skin
• a board
• something soft, such as a towel

The videos below show a variety of these combinations.

Videos

The following videos will give you an idea of the various techniques that people are using for this wonderful exercise :

Power Circuit Training
Josh Henkin and Keats Sniderman
(partial Zercher Squat shown)

Zippy Videos
(130kg partial Zercher Squat shown)

Exercises You've Never Tried #18
T-Nation staff

425lb x 2 partial Zercher Squat [streaming, 1.3mb .flv download]

Old training clips compilation from Chub

Other 'Zercher' exercises

There are several other exercises which use the same method of holding the bar. Try a few of these :

• Zercher Lunges
• Zercher Good Mornings
• Zercher Situps
• Zercher Deadlifts (simply start with the loaded bar on the ground, squat down and hook your arms under it, then stand up)

Of course, the original Zercher Squat is still a personal favourite. Definitely a keeper.

Resources

The Zercher Lift

A truly uplifting experience

USAWA

Wally's Place

Finnish Power
(thanks Kris)