Are you looking for a workout to build your chest strength but do not have access to a bench press? What if you can do 40-50 push-ups without breaking a sweat? You need a challenge! Try the 30 Second Slow Burn Push-Up. We saw this first on DDP Yoga. I decided to take this workout and run with it in so many different ways, including making it a part of an intense slow burn bodyweight workout. You count to 10 as you go downward in the eccentric phase. You hold…

Horizontal Pulls are one of our favorite exercises to prescribe to clients. They blast the upper and middle back muscles. They do a great job for your biceps too, especially if you use an underhand grip like you would for Chin-Ups. Horizontal Pulls are easier than Pull-Ups, and can be done in many different areas. Some of those areas include bars on a playground (like shown below with our client, Christine), the handles on a dip machine, arms of two treadmills side by side (don't do this during peak hours…

Today we are going to show you one of my favorite exercises. If you want something to blast your latissimus dorsi, look no further than weighted pull-ups. Weighted pull-ups are ideal when doing 15-20 regular pull-ups becomes easier and easier. This exercise is fun, yet very challenging. Not a whole lot of people can do a regular pull-up with proper form, let alone a weighted pull-up. Not only are you working your upper back, but your biceps get a great workout (especially if you do the Chin-Up grip), as well…

CASS Fitness is proud to announce we are sponsoring an up and coming bodybuilder who will be competing in the 2015 Mr. Pittsburgh contest. Doug Connor is no ordinary bodybuilder. He has a story behind him. Standing at 5'6, Doug once weighed 230lbs., Doug was not in top shape even though he was a consummate athlete. Doug competitively participated in football, basketball, and was even a track star. He had noticed that he had fallen off of his exercise and healthy eating routine the past few years. That fact combined…

I want to introduce you to a lesser known push-up. It primarily isolates your triceps, and it is a little bit tougher than the Close Grip Triceps Push-Up. This exercise also trains your muscles to get ready for the tougher one arm push-up.   You get into push-up position, but you support your body with one hand on the ground and one hand on either a basketball or a medicine ball. Bring your chest down to at least the level of where your hand is on the ball, keep your…

Everyday activities can place a lot of stress and compression on your back. Sitting in office chairs, standing up all day, even laying down on a flat bed puts a little bit of compression on your spine. Your spine needs decompression to keep it from becoming too tight. Excess compression can lead to injury. The most well-known way to decompress your spine is to hang upside down on an Inversion Table. Not everybody has an inversion table. However, there is an alternative that feels just as good and is just…

Here is one of our favorite exercises and one of the most effective compound exercises in helping to develop your triceps muscles. Dips will not only help you get defined triceps, but they help you gain upper body strength, benefiting your chest and shoulders as well. Here is a demonstration of how to do a proper dip below. I am using a standard dip machine. If you are not at a gym, you can use parallel bars at a playground, or any two sturdy surfaces that are parallel, as long…

Are you looking for a great triceps bodyweight exercise that requires absolutely no equipment? Well, if you have not tried Triceps Push-Ups, then it is time you treat your triceps to one of the best overall exercises you could possibly do. Triceps Push-ups are tougher than regular Push-Ups since your triceps are pushing the brunt of your bodyweight as opposed to your chest, which are larger muscles that can push a heavier amount of weight. You bring your chest all the way down to the ground and push up just…

Spring break is closing in upon us slowly. We had a taste of 50 degree weather in Washington, DC last weekend after our brutal cold spell. People are starting to think about how they will look in a short sleeve shirt. You want to work your biceps. You need a great exercise that compliments the standing barbell or dumbbell curls you are already doing. The preacher curls are that exercise. This is the same exercise where CT Fletcher commands his muscles to grow in the colorful language he is known…

Here is a great plyometrics exercise that not only will give you a great cardiovascular workout, it also will help increase your core strength. It probably isn't the best weather day outside if you are living in the Mid-Atlantic or the Northeastern part of the U.S. so running and bicycling outside are probably out of the question. Have no fear, we are giving you an intense cardiovascular exercise you can do right in your own house. It is a simple exercise. Almost everybody did jumping jacks as a kid. Many…