When done properly, the squat is very beneficial and will actually strengthen your knees, back, etc.  But most people that squat, don’t get low enough.  They only perform “partial squats” instead of full squats. This happens for 3 main reasons.

1) Laziness: They just don’t want to work that hard. It’s much easier & more comfortable to do partial squats.
2) Pride: They have to use less weight or do less reps to perform full squats so they don’t appear as strong (happens very often with guys).
3) False Info: They have heard and believe squats are bad or “Getting too low is bad for your knees” but the pic below speaks for itself.

So if you’re already squatting, then continue to work on your form and perform full squats (make sure you are getting low enough).  Then after you master that, add weight, increase the amount of repetitions you can do in a certain amount of time, etc.  And if you’re not squatting, you’re missing out and need to start…today!

1) It is a functional movement. The squat movement is a daily part of life.  Every time you sit in a chair or stand back up, you are doing a variation of a squat.  When you get in or out of bed, down on or up off the floor, on or off the toilet, guess what you have to do…squat.  If you’re not able to squat, your mobility in life is very limited.

2) It burns a lot of calories. Caloric burn is the name of the game when it comes to weight loss and getting lean so why not do the exercises that are going to burn the most calories.  The squat is one of those.  You get a lot of ROI with this one (Return on Investment).  We call that “getting a lot of bang for your buck.”

3) It boosts your metabolism. Not only do you burn a lot of calories while doing them, squats have the ability to help you build a lot of muscle.  And the speed of your metabolism is a direct product of the amount of muscle you have.  This means you will burn more calories while you AREN’T working out.  Sounds like a pretty good deal huh?

Most people don’t like doing squats, though, because they aren’t a comfortable exercise to do.  I mean I even have a Love/Hate relationship with them. Love them for all the benefits but I’m not going to lie. They are tough and can cause some serious nausea when done with some intensity as well as a lot of soreness…Check back soon for more on the squat in Part 2.

How about 2,000?  Not really.  There’s really no way to answer this question correctly and not knowing your current bodyfat level, measurements, eating habits, medical history and exercise program, I can’t even begin to make a fair assessment but I’ll share a few quick thoughts.

There are many factors that can contribute to getting 6 pack abs. “Doing situps/crunches” is not an important one (I’ll explain).  Honestly you don’t necessarily have to do any situps or crunches to get 6 pack abs.  Here are 6 things you do have to do:

• First your nutrition has to be on point.  You need a well balanced diet (high protein, healthy fats, and natural carbs) that stokes your metabolism and provides your essential vitamins and nutrients. That means no starving yourself here.

• You have to create a caloric deficit (burn more calories than you consume) to help get rid of your bodyfat through an exercise program.
• You need to have an intense weight training and cardio program several days per week that includes interval training.
• You have to do compound movements that offer a lot of “Bang For Your Buck.”  You actually can’t spot reduce in your body – this means you can’t make your body burn fat from a particular area by exercising that area (yes advertisements can be very deceiving here).  That’s why hundreds/thousands of situps won’t necessarily burn fat from your “belly.”
• You need adequate rest through sleep and time off from training.  Your body can’t recover properly without rest (I promise  I know this first hand).
• You have to be committed long-term and ready to change your lifestyle.  This is a process.  Not a quick fix. You didn’t get a “belly” overnight so you can’t get a “six-pack” overnight.  Anyone who promises differently is NOT telling the truth.

Still feel lost?  You can hire a personal trainer or an even better solution is bootcamp where we’ll help you with all of these (for less than the price of 2 sessions with a trainer).  There’s still room.  Register Now!

It’s a good idea to change your exercise routine at least every MONTH or so. This is about the time your body will adapt to what you have been doing and need a new challenge. Also, you will have something new to look forward to, and it will prevent you from both mentally and physically getting into a rut.

Benefits of changing your workout:

• Prevents plateaus-which will in turn help you keep moving toward your goals!
• Helps prevent injuries by constantly challenging muscles to adapt and not creating muscle imbalances or overtraining injuries
• Recruits more muscle fibers- which will help develop more tone & strength and increase your body’s ability to burn more fat

There are several ways you can mix it up, but here are a few:

• Exercises (there are MANY ways to work one muscle group-don’t get married to just one! Each time you increase the difficulty of an exercise, your body has to scramble to adapt and perform)
• Volume (how many reps & sets you lift)
• Intensity (how hard or how much weight you lift)

Don’t get in a rut-you will get discouraged and want to give up because you aren’t seeing results.  Change it up! You won’t be disappointed.

Interested in changing it up but don’t know how?  Or just not able to get the intensity you need b/c it’s hard to push yourself when you’re alone. If so, the BodyByBuck Bootcamp is a great solution for you!  Your body desires change…

“If I hear one more person tell me that cardio is the best form of exercise for fat loss, I swear I’m going to…  Seriously, I think this one is dying but it isn’t going away quietly.  Metabolism is the machine that burns fuel in your body, and your lean muscle is the main determinant of how fast your metabolism is.  The only way to increase your lean muscle is, WEIGHT TRAINING.”

No sugar coating in that.  What are your workouts looking like?  Are you a slave to group fitness or are you challenging your body in new ways that are going to build muscle, burn fat, and boost your metabolism around the clock?   If not, you need to add some intense weight training to your workouts today!

• Jumping Jacks
• Squats
• Lunges
• Pushups
• Situps

Just think, you could easily knock out another 15-30 mins of exercise while watching your favorite show(s) on TV.  And it actually works pretty well because the commercials hold you accountable to exercise and you get plenty of rest during TV time.  Also it helps you to not snack on junk food.  And if you watch TV already, it doesn’t take any more time out of your schedule to exercise.  So there ya go.  Try it and turn TV time into a calorie/fat burning yet relaxing healthy activity.  Let me know how it goes.

Incorrect Form

Correct Form

Tips: Keep good posture/your back flat/chest out as you bend with your hips/waist. Keep a slight bend in your knees all the way through the motion.  You can go to where your back is parallel to floor at lowest position if range of motion allows.  Reverse the process maintaining good posture with your back.  Pull shoulders back slightly if rounded.  Repeat.

So here’s what yesterday’s workout consisted of:

• Warmup: Medium paced jog with some bodyweight exercises
• Hang Clean 4 sets of 4-6 reps
• DB Chest Press(Flat Bench): 4 x 10-12
• Barbell Squats (Deep):  4 x 8
• Pullups (Weighted): 4 x 10
• Lateral Plyo Pushups(bench): 3 x failure
• Decline Situp/Russian Twist: 2 x 15
• Shower and post workout shake

Nothing fancy.  Just getting the job done.

When you workout in all facets of conditioning, your body is running at peak levels.  Your metabolism is stoked and running hot because you are requiring it to function in many planes of movement, working various muscles all over the body and essentially requiring it to work harder than it would if you only trained 2 of your favorite body parts over and over.  Get that body working at a maximal level – train the whole body.  Yes guys – that even includes legs!!

Hi Buck-
I have a quick question for you. My goal is to loose weight and tone up. I work out at Curves (all resistance machines) 5 times per week. Do you think this is enough resistance training or should I include more weight training into my routine?
Thank you for your help. I love your site!
Meghan

Click here for my response. Keep the questions coming.  More on being successful through goal setting coming soon.