Workout of the Day: Traveling Man

Hopping on 5 flights across several states in as many days is kind of cool but also a little bit exhausting.  Throw in not being able to exactly eat overly clean and you're looking at dump city.  I managed to hold off jet lag and feeling too lazy by working out across America.

At a hotel gym in Des Moines with only cardio equipment available I took a page from Dolph Lundgren's Maximum Potential and new fitness book to accomplish a body weight leg routine with some cardio and abs.  Body Squat/Lunges/Sissy Squat/Standing Calf Raises all done in straight sets x 4.  Between each exercise I'd hop on the bike/treadmill/elliptical or jump rope for several minutes then use a towel for trunk twists super setted with an ab exercise like reverse crunches, hanging crunches holding myself up on the treadmill bars and toe touches.

In the 2nd leg of my trip a friend had some basic weights so I got in a quick upper body session doing Push Ups, EZ Bar Rows, Triceps Extensions and Curls before moving into Dumbbell work with Flys, Hammer Curls and Kickbacks followed up by some shadow boxing and jump roping.

Said friend is a coach at a local high school so we used the empty weight room for Legs for Front Squats, 1-Legged Leg Curl, 1-Legged Leg Press, Back Extensions, Standing Calf Raises and NECK MACHINE! Oh man I got super giddy when I saw that bad boy. In my lifetime, my high school gym and local dungeon facility had a neck machine as well as the former Koloseum in Fullerton, CA but I haven't seen one in the last 10 years at a 24 Hour or LA Fitness, Gold's or Spectrum.  2 sets of each direction and my neck was sore the next morning but will help give me that nice and strong neck/chin seen in Chew Magazine and Jawline Monthly.

My last day on the road I hit up a local health care facility for a full on Arms and Shoulders day with Chins/Cable Pushdowns/Preacher Curl/Bench Dips/Low Incline Curl and Lying DB Extensions before hammering out some Arnold Presses and raises for the 3 heads.  Followed by come interval cardio on the bike and elliptical, abs and twists.

Even though I was on vacation, that was no reason to ease back the training, especially since I was eating nothing but Taco Bell, biscuits and gravy, BBQ and the like so you gotta keep the balance.

Workout of the Day: Jawline Monthly

It's always funny to see lists or videos of Gym Fails or photos of someone using a machine the "wrong" way.  One example I've seen a lot recently is this one of people lying the wrong way in a Leg Curl Machine.

You're doing it wrong!  Or are you?

Of course, your ankles are meant to be against that pad and you curl up to your butt to strengthen your hamstrings.  So what is that guy doing?  In my estimation, he's working his neck.  His neck?  Yup.  But why would anyone want to train that?  Oh I dunno, because it's on display 99.99% of the time?  For whatever reason, training your public parts like the neck, forearms and calves just isn't as sexy as training your beach parts, i.e. arms and abs which are covered about 99.99% of the time.  Some people might equate a big neck to a no neck and immediately think of football playing meathead but let's be honest, most people aren't going to get a big neck by doing a few light exercises.  Just like you won't get muscles like Arnold's because you lift 3 days a week.  Do you even lift, bro?

At your local gym?  Yeah right!

Instead, having that strong neck and jawline promotes a leaner profile while also fighting the hands of time or sitting at a desk.  Ever get a pain in the neck from sitting too long?  Bet you wouldn't suffer as much if you just trained those muscles holding your head up.  We've all seen photos of ourselves with bad angles and lighting and gasp at that double chin or jowl-ly thickness.  So how do you work these muscles if everyone will look at you strange in the gym for using a Leg Curl machine?  The first three gyms I trained in all had neck machines because they were geared towards football players and bodybuilders.  But go to any chain for the masses like 24 Hour Fitness and you're out of luck.


Things you can do at home or in a gym:

Lay on a bench or your bed with your head hanging off the edge.  Simply curl your chin to your chest and repeat for 15-20 reps.  Turn to your side and try to touch your ear to your shoulder.  Then to your stomach and raise your head up and back.  Easy!

Sit and place the palm of your hands against your chin, reach back and push down while using your hands as resistance.  Then put a hand to your temple and try to turn your head to the front.  Place both hands behind your head and push.  Super simple, right?

Dollar twenty-five, please.

Wrestlers utilize bridges to strengthen their necks for all those slams and hits they take.  Fold up a towel, put it on the floor then place your forehead on it.  Push against the towel, lifting your head and body off the ground, use your hands to push as you won't be that strong yet.  Roll to your back, head against the towel and push your neck and hips up, again, use your hands to give you a lift.  A little harder but you'll work your neck and trap muscles in no time.  Can you believe how effortless this is?

With weights, you see these newfangled leather contraptions to put over your head like a helmet that has a chain attached so you can add weights, what the BLEEP?!  No, grab a towel, fold it up then just grab a plate, 5,10, 25, whatever and lie on a bench or top of a staircase.  Hold the towel and plate against your forehead and just curl up.  Flip to your stomach and hold the towel/plate against the back of your head and repeat.  Wow, this is so not complicated it's almost stupid not to do!

Throw in some shrugs and dumbbell upright rows to work your traps, the muscles at the base of your neck and shoulders.  Chewing gum always helps too, you always saw guys like Arnold, Dolph Lundgren and Van Damme working their jowls in the gym and on set with some of the chewy stuff.

Jawline Monthly founders Dolph and Arnold