Welcome To “Fun Sh*t Fridays!”

(Note: Thanks to Twitter, I can’t use this as a hashtag so there it’s #FunStuffFridays…but you all know you wanna say shit!)

Congratulations on making it through three weeks of “The Nerdy Gym Rat!”  For those of you who are new to the site/blog, welcome and get ready for a crazy ride…

Today is meant as a break from the non-stop fitness and health posts I put up five/six days a week (with multiple posts every freakin’ day).  It gives you, the reader/follower/fan a chance to see the inner geek, as you can see from the meme above.

If you’ve been on the Facebook fan page, you’ll notice I put up some links about technology and sports, with the most recent being Usain Bolt’s branded headphones (which I believe I compared to crappy “Beats by Dre,”  which I can say with confidence as an audio engineer by day).  I’ll share a few here as well and give my take on each.

Also, if time permits, I do have an interview ready to go with a professional in the health & fitness industry.  This is something I’d like to do on a weekly basis, as long as people are interested in doing it.  This week,  we have Dylan Farr, founder of the California-based “Fysiologik” studio.  Look for my chat with him to be up this evening (before you get to happy hour, of course).

Aside from that…you’ve all been very awesome in following me, whether it’s here, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.  I’m hoping with the all-mighty Zuck’s (Mark Zuckerberg) recent acquisition of Instagram, there will be an easier way of getting you guys over there to check out some pictures I take, both in the gym and in the recording studio.

Hope everyone enjoys “Fun Shit Friday!”  If you’d like to see something on these days, I’m totally open to suggestions.  Again: BETA TESTING IS AN AMAZING THING.  With your help, this site can do great things.  We’re all in this together!

– Jonathan 

 

 

 

Welcome to “Friday Eve Fit Tips!”

Ah yes, another “Letter from the Editor” moment…

Since I like to consider Thursdays as “Friday Eve,” this seems like an appropriate day to share tips on health and fitness!  It also gives me a chance of throwing a ton of good material on to Twitter and Facebook.

Now, this doesn’t mean you get zero content HERE at NerdyGymRat.com.  What “Friday Eve Fit Tips” does is allow me to make today a “wild card” of sorts with what I can write about.  Today’s going to be a “Gym Pet Peeve” kind of day, since I ran into a really good one this morning on my shoulder/traps/calves day of Jim Stoppani’s “Shortcut to Size.”  Here’s a hint: it’s “that guy” who does something I normally love, but in such an awful way…

While I leave you to ponder what pet peeve I’m talking about, I’ll just remind readers that they can find some “exclusive” content on Instagram (TheNerdyGymRat) and on Pinterest  The more places you follow, the more information you can get to help you on YOUR journey to a healthy lifestyle.

Have a great day and remember:  it’s about how you FINISH the week that matters most!

Welcome to “Workout Wednesdays!”

I’ll tell you: the revelations you come up with at 5:00 in the morning on a cardio day are very underappreciated…

Well, as you can tell by the post, I’m now declaring Wednesdays as “Workout Wednesdays.”  What does this mean for my GymGeeks? 

This means that all posts on this day (and over on Twitter and Facebook) will be about different ways to spruce up your workout routines, whether it be changes to your cardio days (today we’ll be looking into Tabata training) or on lifting days.  Today’s switch will be on how to work your abs using crunches…but with a slight modification that (hopefully) some of you already know about and are using.

Speaking from current experiences, I’ve actually had to modify an exercise in Jim Stoppani’s “Shortcut to Size” program.  Since my current gym only has dumbbells that go to 75 lbs., I’ve had to resort to barbell rows, as opposed to the prescribed dumbbell rows on Back/Biceps/Abs days.  I’ll admit it’s not as good at getting rid of possible imbalances in the muscles of my back, but it does allow me to control the movement a bit better, without losing the full range of motion that I’m a big fan of.

So what types of variations would you like to see up on NerdyGymRat?  I’d love some fan/follower/reader participation.  Hell, it’s how I knew that “Gym Pet Peeves” is a keeper on a weekly basis!

Let’s get through this hump day and keep the eyes on the prize!

Jonathan

Motivational Mondays!

Good Morning, GymGeeks!!!

I have decided (after an awesome start to Phase 2 on the “Shortcut to Size”) to sort out what gets rolled out at NerdyGymRat.com on what day.  As you can tell from the title of this post, Mondays will now be forever known as “Motivational Monday.”

Now, what exactly does this mean for you guys?  It means that you’ll be getting all sort of motivating stuff from me, including playlists, movie quotes/clips (depending on if YouTube hasn’t shut it down yet) and even some good articles to kick your ass into the gym, even though you’re dreading walking into the office after an awesome weekend.

I always feel re-energized after my rest day and want to hit the weights (and hit them hard), so that’s all the motivation I need…but what about YOU, GymGeeks?

I’ll leave a link to the playlist on Twitter and Facebook from now on so that you guys can subscribe (as some of you already have…you guys rock, by the way), but I’ll also embed it in this “Letter from The Editor”-esque Monday morning post I’ll start with every Monday.

So I’ll ask one more time…what motivates YOU?

Jonathan

Saturday Morning Revelation!

Great Scott! I’ve got it!!!

Almost as good an idea as the Flux Capacitor…

While it didn’t take me hitting my head on the porcelain of my toilet (a-la Doctor Emmett Brown),  I did come up with a great idea .  Like some sort of “Inception,”  (ok ok two movie references are enough!) the seeds were planted while sifting through my e-mail last night after a long drive to Fort Lauderdale.  An old trainer of mine, Ken Bowman (here on Facebook) sent me an e-mail asking if he could use me as an example of a client he’s helped.  Of course I was happy to help out!

But it wasn’t until this morning that it hit me…as nerdy as I am and no matter how much research I do, I’m not REALLY a trained professional.  I figure…until I get my PT license, anyway…why not interview ACTUAL personal trainers for their tips and how they got to where they are now?  I think it’ll save you from my diatribes at least once a week and is a great way for everyone involved to get social media exposure.

Now, off to do a little cardio!  I’ve got a “Beach Day” with my mom tomorrow for my rest day, so I’m going to make this count!

If you guys have any trainers you think I should pitch this idea to, send me an e-mail over at thenerdygymrat@yahoo.com or leave comments!

Playlist of The Day (5/5/12)

Happy Friday, GymGeeks!

Today is a big day for yours truly: Week 4 of Phase 1 in Jim Stoppani’s “Shortcut To Size” program is in the books!  There is nothing quite like squatting 300 lbs. four times, stopping for a 15 second count, THEN going for another three reps to burn out.  Only proves I’m ready for more in four weeks!

I’m really digging the concept, too!  By next week, you go BACK to 12-15 reps per set, but you’ll have physically (and mentally) prepared yourself for more weight.  As long as you’re following the diet plan (remember, 80% of fitness is the diet), you’ll definitely see gains.  I sure as hell have!  I’d show the results after four weeks, but I don’t want to be one of “those guys” who puts up camera phone pictures.  Looks cheesy to me.

Now, because of the intensity of the workout today, I stuck with the same leg playlist as last week.  A ton of nu-metal (hey, I was in middle school when this stuff was popular!) and a classic warm-up with AC/DC:

So what’s going into YOUR ears, this morning, GymGeeks?  Tweet, comment on Facebook or even leave a comment!  I’m always open to new music!

Jonathan

My Definition of “Nerdy”

Let me step out of my comfort zone for just a second…

While I was in a pseudo-skype chat (and by that, my microphone was fried so there were a lot of stares and typing sounds) with Eric Wang at “Health Demystified,” talking about some ideas for helping our sites out, he posed a very VERY good question to me that left me in a bit of a deer-in-the-headlights state:

“I hate to ask this…but what makes your site different from <name of site here, as to not give them free press>?”

Not even knowing the site existed, I took a quick peek and all I could say in my head was W…T…F!  This guy’s story is almost EXACTLY the same as mine!  The only differences were that he was a skinny stringbean who made the change and started writing about it three years before I did.  To be perfectly honest, I had a split second feeling of defeat, followed by a few moments of “I’m gonna blow his site out of the water!” swagger, followed by the feeling of knowing I’d have to actually think about this one…

Then it sort of came to me in the middle of the night.  A revelation, if you will.  When I went back to his site, his content, while very extensive and of high quality, was geared at the stereotypical nerd.  This meant a ton of references to gaming and not much else to make parallels to.  It made me think about what it means to really be a nerd.  I looked it up in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary at work and this is what popped out:

“One slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits.”

That is such a broad definition that, if not for the fact that YouTube has tightened the copyright infringements on film content, I’d have a great speech from the end of “Revenge of The Nerds” linked RIGHT HERE:

Sorry; Couldn’t find any Omega Mus….

Essentially, what it would have conveyed is that all of us are nerds in one way or another.  For some of us, quoting Monty Python skits makes us a nerd.  For others, it’s figuring out Randy Johnson’s WHIP from the years he pitched for the Seattle Mariners.  Maybe you wear Iron Maiden t-shirts and pretend all other genres of music created after 1986 don’t exist (or as I like to call it, Jonathan, circa-2004).

If you have a devotion to learning or discovering something, you are for all intents and purposes, a nerd!

It’s that devotion and desire to learning how to live a healthy life that brings us all together as a community, which is what it’s all about!  We can be a nerd in so many different ways, but as long as you have the desire to learn how to get fit, YOU are my demographic.  YOU are who I’m hoping to help with this site, the Facebook updates,the tweets and any other places I share content (this is where you click and go to Pinterest or follow me on Instagram – TheNerdyGymRat)!

I’m not going to pander to just gamers or kids who played “Magic: The Gathering” growing up.  They’re great groups of people (I’ve been known to get my butt kicked in Madden on XBox Live), but why pigeonhole them?

So this is my promise to each of my newly minted “GymGeeks” (you’ll see that hashtag quite a bit from here on in):  I will continue to share and research fantastic content for you as long as you want to share and learn from it!

Viva Las GymGeeks!

(And with that, I have completed my quota for awful Spanglish today.  Have a good night, everyone!)

Jonathan

Playlist of The Day (5/8/12)

Good Morning, Folks!

Today was my back/biceps/abs day.  Since I’m going heavy weights/low reps this week, you’ll notice the rap portion of the list is strategically placed in the warm-up/stretching portion of my workout.  I’ll say this:  White Zombie can help anyone get through a set of high cable curls, which is something new I learned from Jim Stoppani’s “Shortcut to Size” routine (muscle confusion is a beautiful thing, right?)

Anyways, hope you enjoy!  And as always, feel free to comment here or on Twitter (@TheNerdyGymRat) and Facebok (Facebook.com/TheNerdyGymRat)

Jonathan

Playlist of The Day (5/7/12)

And so begins Week 2 of The Nerdy Gym Rat!

As it just so happens, it also was the beginning of Week 4 (Phase 1) of Jim Stoppani’s “Shortcut to Size” for me, as well.  My chest/triceps/calves day was pretty intense, as it called for 3 to 5 reps per set (6 to 9 for the calves portion).  I will say this, though; it…is…working!  Without the need for a spotter, I was able to pump out four reps of 225 lbs. on my bench press for the first time!  I now have the NFL Combine numbers of a punter or kicker! =P  It made my post-workout shake of organic soy milk & ON’s 100% Gold Whey taste that much sweeter!

Pretty much the scene at 5:00 AM at any gym…just the way I like it!

Since I’m a member at Planet Fitness, what makes this achievement even MORE impressive is that I was able to lift with such intensity and high weight and NOT set of their “Lunk Alarm.”  I think it can sense that I’m not a musclehead with no neck and I’m there to get fit and stay ripped.  It’s a little 1984 for my taste, but cest la vie!

Because of the intensity of the workout, the playlist had to match it up.  It most definitely did the trick, even though I put a lot more rap in there than I’m used to (good staples are Jay-Z, Kanye West & Beastie Boys – RIP Adam Yauch, by the way).  Here’s what was keeping me going this morning (aside from a tremendous breakfast and some MusclePharm Assault):

And as always, I’ll throw the playlist link up there a couple times today on Twitter. Welcome to all my new followers! Sorry you have to go through the validation process, but I want to make sure that I’m getting REAL people who want REAL advice, as opposed to bots or porn links. I hope you enjoy the tweets and share them with others.  It’s about information sharing with this site, so however it gets out there (either links on Twitter or Facebook) is OK by me!

Start your morning out the right way. If you start the day focused, getting through the rest will be a walk in the park!

Jonathan, The Nerdy Gym Rat

First Week Recap

Goooood Morning, Folks!

I hope everyone had a great Cinco de Mayo (and hopefully followed my rules to survival a little bit).  If you didn’t follow them word-for-word, don’t beat yourself up over it.  We are all entitled to have fun and indulge every once in a while.  It just means you’re going to work that much harder to make up for it during the week 🙂  I know my chest/triceps/calves day tomorrow will be a killer thanks to Phase 1, Week 4 of Jim Stoppani’s “12 Week Shortcut to Size.”  We’re going to 4-6 reps, so that means MUCH heavier weights for me.

Had to have a sombrero! Photo credit has to go to my friend, Kerry (having her next to me ups the good looking factor of the picture, no?)

I just wanted to say how floored I’ve been by the reception of this blog in it’s first week.  It’s already received 800 views, which isn’t bad considering I didn’t come up with the idea until I had one of those “lightbulb over the head” moments on a Saturday morning in Fort Lauderdale.  A couple pieces of content later and here we are!  I can’t wait for the things to come (which I’m keeping secret, of course) and I love the comments and messages you guys are leaving me.  I especially appreciate the little notes from friends of mine via text or e-mail.  I’m glad to know I’m making a tiny dent and it’s a great feeling.

Something I’m going to try and do is leave these recaps every week (some weeks will be easier than others, depending on travel plans) of the things we’ve learned.  This week:

1. We learned who I am (and why the heck I even STARTED this blog)
2. Got some good reviews on some great products for your workout routine
3. Learned that overexercising is most DEFINITELY possible
4. My take on the word “diet” (dirty secret? I don’t like it!)
5. How to assemble a shopping list
6. The basics of a workout, from stretching to having a plan
7. How 21st century adaptations to the Paleo Diet are a great way to think about your diet
8. Our first recipe: the Spicy Salmon (something I actually made for my dinners this week)

Not bad for a first week, huh?  I know it’s a ton to process, but it pales in comparison to the tips and photos I’m leaving on my Facebook and Twitter pages, so I suggest following both!  Healthy choices and exercise are things anyone can get behind, whether you’re looking to drop a few pounds or even build up some muscle!  I suggest sharing this with the ones you love who happen to be into social media.  I also started a Pinterest, Instagram (obviously TheNerdyGymRat if you’re searching on your phone) and Foursquare account, so feel free to follow me there as well.  The more bonus content, the more fun this’ll be for everyone!

If you’ve enjoyed what I’ve put out there, I’m sure they’d love the help too (sidebar:  while I was out last night, I had friends ask me how I got down to the 5.2% body fat I’m currently at.  My response? “Read my blog, follow me on Twitter, like the fan page on Facebook.”)

Enjoy the rest of your day.  There will be one more update today, which will be my special treat I promised in yesterday’s post.  I’ll be taking in my rest day with a deep tissue massage (masculine or not, you need to get a massage from time to time to prevent injury and knots) and some Miami Heat domination!  I was born & raised in South Florida, so that’s my team first and foremost.  I still remember the Glen Rice/Jamal Mashburn/Alonzo Mourning years, so I’m not one of those fans who showed up when LeBron & Chris(tina) Bosh joined the team (my dad and sister happened to think he plays like a girl).  I can’t wait to see them win the whole thing this year 🙂

Jonathan