Being shredded isn’t expensive. It takes time, effort, and grit. Variety is a luxury, but you don’t actually need many tools to achieve an ideal body. You can get shredded with a few basic tools and a tuned-in diet. An app like My Fitness Pal that tracks your caloric intake is a requirement for the beginning of your training. At least a few months. Most people have no clear reference range for their caloric intake.
Below are the three tools you need to shred.
The jump rope
The jump rope is used by combat sport athletes around the world. From boxers like Muhammad Ali to Muay Thai master Buakaw Banchamek.
The first two weeks of skipping rope are a grind. It will be awkward, difficult, and embarrassing. Jumping rope requires a unique sense of rhythm. this rhythm will only be developed over hours of practice. It’s easier on the ego if you start in the garage instead of the gym.
The jump rope you should get is called a speed rope:
- Standard grade
- Premium
If you have a background in dance or martial arts, this will come easier to you. Snowboarding, skateboarding, other balance skills will also improve your rope skipping.
It takes on average a month of diligent practice to become adept at rope skipping. Longer, if you aren’t committed.
Once you become adept, rope skipping is one of the best forms of cardio you can do. Comparing calories lost against time investment. Others include sprinting, sparring, and Crossfit. Regardless of your opinion of Crossfit, it works. Albeit not as safe as the alternatives mentioned.
Quick Skip Jump Rope Tips:
- Stay on the balls of your feet.
- Bounce from one ball to the other. You’re not jumping, you’re hopping from one foot to the other.
- Keep your eyes forward. don’t look down at your feet or stare into a mirror. This will make it much more difficult. You want a point of reference not in motion. Stare at a wall, anything that is stationary.
- Don’t care about failing or what others think of you. In two weeks you’ll have more confidence with another skill in your possession. Others will still be doing bicep curls in the squat rack.
The kettlebell
Soldiers in Russia train with the kettlebell. They use the kettlebell for conditioning and functional strength. No other tool does it like the kettlebell.
Russian athletic trainer Pavel Tsatsouline brought the kettlebell to America, pictured above.
He advocates for functional strength and believes the kettlebell to be the perfect tool. Pavel looks at training as a method to improve your life outside of the gym.
Regarded as the godfather of kettlebell training, Tsatsouline is the ultimate kettlebell warrior.
Many have regarded the Kettlebell swing as the perfect exercise. Read more about the kettlebell swing here.
If hitting hard, and fast is important to you: learn the kettlebell swing. The power of a punch is generated from the hips. As does a kick, and many weightlifting movements such as the squat or deadlift.
The kettlebell swing will train you to recruit more power in your hips. Increasing the power of your punches, and the strength in other lifts.
Quick Tips:
- Learn to brace your core. Squeeze the muscles in your core while doing this movement. Not only will this help with your definition, it will also keep your lower back strong and stabilized.
- Start with a low weight while you’re learning. 25-35 pounds is a good place to begin. Leave your ego out of it, this is a movement for power, not how much you can lift.
- Don’t let go unless you want a cannonball to launch through your wall like invading pirates. A clear space is a requirement as a beginner.
- Keep all your weight on the heels. If you’re leaning forward too far, or feel your heels lifting up you’re swinging wrong,
Pull up Bar.
The pull-up is one of the simplest and most difficult body-weight movements. Grab something above you, and pull yourself up. It can’t get more simple.
Most men are unable to do a single pull-up. You do not want to be one of these men.
The art of manliness has an excellent post on this about men needing to save their own lives.
Pull ups are excellent at building a strong back while increasing the size of your biceps.
Quick Tips:
- Don’t swing. You must control the speed of your pull-up. Never sacrifice form for speed.
- Do not cross your legs. As you’ll see in the video below, it breaks the movement.
- Close grip pull ups are ineffective. Spread your arms out, and pull. You’ll feel the wings in your lats engaging the most. Watch your shoulders, as the incorrect form can agitate them.
- Pause for half of a second in the hole(lowest position). You should feel your back stretch as a sign you’ve gone deep enough. Don’t wait long enough to rest, don’t move fast enough to not pull yourself up from a complete stop.
Everything you see here costs under 100$ and can get you close to the body you want. Eventually, you’ll have to do more for sake of variety and adaptability, but this is a great starting point. Remember to have fun, training is not a chore, it’s a lifestyle. See how other great men train and replicate their methods. While you’re grinding out the reps, focus on your breathing, and empty your thoughts. Training is blissful.
5 comments
Jump ropes are great remember doing these for boxing. It’s funny you won’t hear a lot of people talk about jump ropes for conditioning or coordination. They may not be fancy but damn do they the job done lol.
This reminds me of the post you just wrote “I believe”. Excellent work. Jump Rope is difficult, so people give up early. That irrational self confidence is key. I’ll be linking to it soon!
Awesome man thanks, glad you found value in it. Yes it is key to so much haha.
Is this really your first blog post? Holy shit man…
“Don’t let go unless you want a cannonball to launch through your wall like invading pirates. A clear space is a requirement as a beginner.” I spilled my coffee over my damn keyboard.
I am buff, however, I used the kettlebells only once in my life because I was visiting a friend inside the gym where he is working as a personal trainer, he invited me to kick my ass, it was the first time I used kettlebells.
He let me do an exercise where you have to swing the kettlebell between your legs and lift it up to your shoulder, that trained my legs, arms, and core at the same time.
It was most effective for my abs as I was flexing them to prevent that kettlebell from ruining my family plans (if you know what I mean haha).
I have never sweated more in my life. Best workout I ever had.
It may have had some editing.