Do you add a 10-pounder to each side of the bar after every set (since you were like 16) and then holler “Hey bud, spot me”?

Then it’s time to consider some new ways to step up your workout.

The Path To Gainsville

The vast majority of people use a single variable to progress in their weight training – load lifted. there’s nothing wrong with that, but eventually, you reach a ceiling when you simply can’t add more

Weight to an exercise endlessly.

in a training program, we have exercise order, exercise

selection, sets, reps, tempo, rest period and load. here’s a small

sample workout below. let’s go over three progression methods and see how each changes the workout.

Sample Workout

1A) SQUAT – 3 SETS OF 6 REPS (3X6) WITH 90 SECONDS REST, USING

200 POUNDS

1B) DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS – 3X6 WITH 90 SECONDS REST, USING 50

POUNDS

WORKOUT VOLUME (SETS X REPS X WEIGHT): SQUAT 3600 POUNDS.

DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS 1800 POUNDS. TOTAL 5400 POUNDS.

ASSUMING EACH SET TAKES A MINUTE, THE WORKOUT IS DONE IN 15

MINUTES.

NOW MOST LIFTERS WOULD JUST INCREASE THE LOAD EACH WEEK. BUT INSTEAD, WE COULD ADD AN ADDITIONAL REP NEXT WORKOUT. OR ADD AN ADDITIONALSET. OR MAYBE WE CUT THE REST PERIOD DOWN, AND WITH THE EXTRA TIME WE CAN ADD MORE EXERCISES OR EVEN BACK-OFF SETS.

OPTION #1: ADD REPS

ADD ONE REP TO EACH SET OF EACH EXERCISE.

1A) SQUAT – 3X7 WITH 90 SECONDS REST, USING 200

POUNDS

1B) DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS – 3X7 WITH 90 SECONDS REST, USING 50

POUNDS

WORKOUT VOLUME: SQUAT 4200 POUNDS. DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS 2100

POUNDS. TOTAL 6300 POUNDS.

OPTION #2: ADD SETS

ADD ONE SET TO EACH EXERCISE.

1A) SQUAT – 4X6 WITH 90 SECONDS REST, USING 200

POUNDS

1B) DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS – 4X6 WITH 90 SECONDS REST, USING 50

POUNDS

WORKOUT VOLUME: SQUAT 4800 POUNDS. DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS 2400

POUNDS. TOTAL 7200 POUNDS.

OPTION #3: REDUCE REST PERIODS

 THE REST BETWEEN EACH SET.

1A) SQUAT – 3X6 WITH 75 SECONDS REST, USING 200

POUNDS

1B) DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS – 3X6 WITH 75 SECONDS REST, USING 50

POUNDS

WORKOUT VOLUME: SQUAT 3600 POUNDS. DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS 1800

POUNDS. TOTAL 5400 POUNDS.

ASSUMING EACH SET TAKES A MINUTE, THE WORKOUT IS NOW DONE IN

13.5 MINUTES.

LET’S PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

WEEK ONE: WORKOUT AS DESCRIBED. 3X6 WITH 90 SECONDS

REST.

WEEK TWO: INCREASE THE REPS ON EACH SET BY ONE. 3X7 WITH 90

SECONDS REST.

WEEK THREE: MAINTAIN THE REPS, ADD ONE SET PER EXERCISE. 4X7

WITH 90 SECONDS REST.

WEEK FOUR: REDUCE EACH REST PERIOD BY 15 SECONDS PER SET. 4X7

WITH 75 SECONDS REST.

THIS WILL TAKE US FROM WEEK ONE’S TOTAL VOLUME OF 5400 POUNDS IN

15 MINUTES TO A TOTAL VOLUME OF 8400 POUNDS IN 18 MINUTES, WITH AN

INCREASE IN WORKOUT DENSITY FROM DOING THOSE TWO EXTRA SETS. THAT’S

55% MORE WORK IN ONLY THREE MORE MINUTES, OR OVER 100 POUNDS OF

Additional work per minute training. Yes, this is a ginormous progression.

This is a huge increase in the total work done without having to add a single pound to the bar. So even if you’re in a situation where your home gym doesn’t have any extra weight, you can still make great progress. I haven’t even changed exercise order, exercise selection, rep tempo, or load, yet I still managed to create a much more challenging workout.

Effective Ways Other Than Weightlifting to Grow Indefinitely 

Weightlifting is the most effective tool to grow muscles and reach bodybuilding goals fast. However, relying solely on it might not lead to desired or indefinite growth. The reason is that each individual has a specific limit and the growth process slows down after reaching the genetic potential. 

Therefore, considering some other aspects that can greatly impact the muscles’ growth is also essential to achieve the desired output. 

Let’s take a look at factors apart from weightlifting to grow quickly and smoothly.

Nutrition 

Nutrition plays a key role in the body’s transformation process because it impacts the metabolic reaction rate of individuals. Therefore, make sure to consume essential proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and nutrients that can promote muscle growth and recovery. 

You can ask to use essential amino acids in the form of supplements to enhance your strength and performance. Don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated. 

Flexibility and mobility 

Considering stretching, Yuga, or mobility exercises can also help you reach your growth goals without experiencing severe injuries and joint pain. These exercises help muscles to function smoothly and optimally which results in improved performance and better bone health. 

Versatility 

Weightlifting alone is not enough to reach desired goals. Therefore, incorporating various exercises, workouts, and training styles is also an effective way to grow smoothly and swiftly. They challenge your muscles differently and promote growth. 

Rest and Recovery  

Adequate rest or sleep and adopting recovery techniques such as stretching, foam rolling, massages, and hydration is a smart strategy for building strong and large muscles. Sleeping 7-9 hours each night also greatly aids in muscle recovery. 

The Actual Take-Home Message

You should now clearly see the benefits of implementing different methods of progression rather than just increasing load all the time (not to mention that going this route forever is a mere pipe dream). The key to progress is -overload- and there are different ways of getting there. just make sure you’re moving forward every step of the way.

Once upon a time, salt was almost priceless. The most valued of all commodities, and having a good supply of salt was as close to life insurance as you could get. Sayings like “worth its weight in salt” remind us how important salt has always been. So all the modern-day phobias surrounding salt and sodium seems to present us with a paradox: how could something so vital to survival in one era be considered so dreadful in another?

Something doesn’t add up, gents.

Pretty much like it happened with the low fat hysteria, the anti-sodium campaign actually began as a commercial move to sell different foods and snacks, under the guise of being healthier. As always, manufacturers care more about selling products than they do about scientific accuracy. Who would have guessed it?!

As soon as the low-sodium content advertisements were shown to create dividends, other food and supplement companies followed suit, to the point where consumers started to believe that low-sodium was good, and salt, in general, was the evil.

People failed to see that they had been internalizing advertising. 

“We’re consumers. We are by-products of a lifestyle obsession.”

-Chuck Palahniuk 

For decades, manufacturers have marketed their products by bombarding the public with what ingredients their brand either does or does not have to make their product sell better than the competition’s. Like sheep, consumers followed along, buying the “low fat this” or “no sodium that” product, without asking themselves why. In regard to sodium intake, studies are coming in regularly refuting its bad reputation and negative impact on human health, performance, and physiology. Unfortunately peoples awareness does NOT grow at the same pace of scientific findings.

After thousands of years, human biochemistry and physiology haven’t changed that much to be frank, so hasn’t our bodies’ need for electrolytes.

Actually, the metabolic needs of high-performance athletes probably most closely resembles the needs of our ancient forefathers, especially in regard to electrolyte ingestion.

A fair number of studies have concluded that unless one has a -specific and serious- condition that would preclude him from taking in salt, then salt intake will produce no negative health problems, and could actually be health promoting. As a matter of fact, only 10% of hypertension cases have a known cause, and in almost all of these cases, the cause is either genetic or stress related.

For all you short attention span types out there, here is the bottom line: high-performance athletes should not avoid sodium. They should, in fact, ensure that they get ADEQUATE amounts of sodium every day to prevent negative metabolic consequences, and to promote maximum performance. 

Everyone else, keep reading.

Athletes eat a certain way mostly for the following reasons:  

1) as a preventive measure to help stay free from illness 

2) for fitness, to ensure optimum energy stores, recuperation, and restoration 

3) for bodybuilders especially, to produce a cosmetic effect, i.e. a leaner, harder physique.

If you’re an athlete concerned about maximizing your performance (you have no business being an athlete otherwise), you should know that a high-sodium diet fulfills all three of the above. In fact, many problems with athletic performance or sub-maximal athletic performance, even failure to improve, begin when athletes reduce or eliminate sodium from their diets. These ill effects can last for a long time.

While sodium is the primary focus of this article, no nutrient acts on the metabolism by itself. Any discussion on sodium is incomplete without mentioning potassium, and the hormone aldosterone.

As an electrolyte, sodium is the positively charged ion on the outside of the living cell. Electrolytes exist in an exact balance outside and inside cells, so that a shift in their balance will cause a change in order to maintain cell integrity. Simply put, sodium is responsible for regulating blood volume and blood pressure, although it serves other functions as well.

During a set of high-intensity muscle contraction, blood pressure rises. This is a primary response of high-intensity training. During high-performance exercise, the metabolism of the body is better served by a higher blood volume since this translates into better oxygen and nutrient delivery to working cells. Just as importantly, a higher blood volume results in a more efficient removal of metabolic waste toxins.

A low sodium intake translates into a lower blood volume, and over time this is disastrous to an athlete. Even in healthy people, low blood volume leads to a myriad of problems. A sustained low-sodium diet (and the resulting lower blood volume) is more health-threatening than the hypertension that the low-sodium diet is intended to fix!

In athletes, the effects are even more obvious and profound. In a low-sodium situation, the resulting low blood volume delivers less oxygen and nutrients to working muscles, and also allows for greater accumulation of metabolic waste toxins that might not otherwise occur with a normal or higher blood volume. This results in reduced recuperation and overall weakness. It’s the last thing a hard-training athlete wants, but it’s what happens when you eliminate crucial electrolytes from your diet.

A low-sodium diet makes the situation even worse in regard to optimum electrolyte metabolism, because potassium is dependent on sodium to be effective for a number of reasons. Potassium’s primary responsibilities are the regulation and control of skeletal and cardiac muscles. The vagus nerve, which controls heartbeat, is totally dependent on potassium.

Potassium is the positively charged ion inside of the cell. While its independent functions in the control of muscles have been pointed out, potassium itself is dependent on sodium to maintain cell integrity: the exact balance inside and outside cell walls.

How does potassium get into the muscle cell in the first place? Sodium delivers it! The cell wall is partially permeable to sodium. It takes three molecules of sodium to get one molecule of potassium inside the cell, through a process called “active transport.” Potassium simply can’t get into the cell without sodium. Therefore, for optimum cell integrity and optimum potassium delivery, there must be ample sodium present.

Also, since the active transport of potassium inside the cell by sodium is metabolically expensive, the activity of sodium-potassium pumps can be adjusted  in order to regulate resting caloric expenditure and basal metabolic rate (BMR).

It follows, then, that in a prolonged low-sodium situation, the body may lower BMR in order to control this metabolically expensive function. This spells disaster for the dieting bodybuilder or competing athlete who wants his BMR as high as possible, not lowered by a body compensating for costs it cannot afford to incur.

Even more importantly in this metabolic circumstance is that cell integrity is jeopardized and less potassium can be delivered less often to the cell. This is disastrous for any serious athlete. Obviously, it’s the most negative electrolyte situation for a bodybuilder to be in.

This is how a body could get into such a state of disarray. The primary avenue for the loss of sodium is through sweat glands. No one sweats as much as high-performance athletes and bodybuilders.

The combination of high-intensity training, interval cardio activity and persistent tanning produces an exorbitant loss of sodium through the skin. Combine this with a nearly fanatical effort by bodybuilders and other athletes to exclude sodium from their diets, and you can see how a bad situation can become chronic.

In a context of emergency situation, the body can only maintain some kind of cell integrity by sending potassium outside the cell to replace the sodium that should be there. The metabolic consequence is weakened cell integrity. Potassium leaving the cell leads to muscle weakness, cramps, listlessness, and lethargy.

Note that it’s not the low-calorie diets that produce these physical and psychological symptoms – it’s due to a prolonged lack of sodium intake. The problem can be understood better by discussing the hormone aldosterone. We can also understand why sodium undeservedly gets a bad rap, and how to remedy the situation.

Aldosterone enters the race

In a normal metabolic environment, electrolyte balance is delicately maintained by urinary output. The kidneys regulate the concentration of plasma electrolytes of sodium, potassium, and calcium by matching almost exactly the amounts ingested to the amounts excreted. The final amounts of sodium and potassium excreted in the urine are regulated by the needs of the body. Simple, isn’t it?

Athletes get into trouble when they eliminate sodium from their diet, because their bodies are regularly losing so much of it through sweat and cellular activity. This produces the negative stress response: the release of the hormone aldosterone. Normally, people have low levels of circulating aldosterone. It’s a hormone released in response to metabolic or physiological stress.

The release of aldosterone serves several functions. The main effect of its secretion is a reabsorption of sodium through the kidneys. Thus sodium that normally would have left the body is retained because of the intervention of this hormone.

Normal individuals can excrete 30 grams (that’s right, 30,000 milligrams) of sodium a day when aldosterone isn’t present. This is an average person, not a hard-training athlete. When aldosterone is present, alive and kicking there’s no sodium in the urine at all.

Most importantly, water always follows sodium. Therefore, the more sodium excreted, the more water leaves the body. But since, in the presence of aldosterone, sodium is reabsorbed and kept in the body, and water follows sodium, water too isn’t excreted. The neat result is… water retention.

There’s even another side to the aldosterone hormonal response, which can also spell disaster for an athlete. Not only does aldosterone cause reabsorption of sodium, but because of this, aldosterone secretion also causes a pronounced excretion of plasma potassium. EN PLEIN!

Again, in the absence of aldosterone virtually no potassium is excreted in the urine. When aldosterone secretion is maximal, however, there’s up to 50 times more potassium excreted than what is initially filtered by the kidneys. 

So:

First, sodium is reabsorbed. Second, because water follows sodium, there’s water retention, which in turn creates an osmotic imbalance. Third, because aldosterone also produces pronounced potassium excretion, the result is further muscular weakness, cramping, performance infringement, and a very flat, tired-looking physique.

This total misunderstanding of electrolyte function has led to ridiculous myths and misapplications of proper nutrition in the athletic and bodybuilding communities. One of the most bizarre and dangerous is the practice of taking a boatload of supplemental potassium just before a show. Add a potassium-sparing diuretic and enjoy your trip to the E.R.

If you’re lucky.

There are two problems with potassium supplementation. First, it’s impossible to load potassium inside a cell: cell equilibrium is always maintained in exact ratios. If a certain amount of potassium enters a cell, the identical amount must leave. Period.

The second problem is that an excess of potassium IN THE BLOOD (again within the cell this just ain’t going to happen) triggers aldosterone secretion, which leads us back to all of the negative metabolic conditions associated with aldosterone, mentioned above. It’s a vicious cycle, which can easily be broken.

Estimating your sodium needs is relatively easy. The rule of thumb is two grams of sodium for each liter of water replacement. Since most athletes are under-hydrated, water needs should also be assessed as well.

200-pound athletes should be drinking a minimum of three to four liters, and athletes over 225 pounds should drink a minimum of four to six liters.

At two grams per liter of fluid replacement, it’s obvious that most athletes do not take in nearly enough sodium. For example, a 225-pound athlete would need to ingest between eight and twelve grams of sodium daily. That’s right, 8,000 to 12,000 mg a day, gentlemen.

An easy and tasty way to ensure ample sodium intake is through the use of salty condiments. Sea salt, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, etc. are smart choices to ensure ample amounts of sodium. Your dishes will also be a lil’ less sad.

However, beware of monosodium glutamate (MSG). Although it’s high in sodium, MSG had been shown to be a negative partitioning agent, which means that it may channel nutrients toward fat storage, whether the nutrients contain fat or not. Ingesting MSG can also trigger a catabolic response. It’s literally poison, avoid like the plague!

Another easy and pleasant way to ensure adequate sodium intake is by eating pickles on a daily basis. Pickles are extremely low in calories and particularly rich in sodium, so chopping them up into your food makes good sense, as does eating them as a snack.

Ordinary salted water-pack tuna is a lot cheaper and easier to find than the stupid reduced-sodium tuna. It also tastes better, and is another good source of sodium. While we’re on the subject, let me say that bodybuilders have got to get over this “suffering” dogma when it comes to diet. You are allowed to eat food that tastes good, and eating good-tasting food will make it much easier to stay on a prolonged diet.

Remember that we’re talking about sodium, and not table salt. Table salt is sodium chloride (NaCl; about 40% sodium, and 60% chloride), and many brands of table salt also contain added iodine. This can cause problems for some people’s metabolisms, and of course sodium ends up taking the blame. Avoid the issue and use sea salt instead.

Eating foods preserved with sodium phosphate is also useful, if you can find them. Or remember to read the label. Sodium phosphate is one of the best intracellular buffers around, far better than the overhyped Beta-Alanine, fighting the exercise-induced metabolic acidosis that training can cause. Taking in 3-4 grams of sodium phosphate can increase both aerobic and anaerobic performance.

Athletes who have been trying to avoid sodium for prolonged periods of time and who switch to this high-sodium approach will experience a temporary osmotic imbalance resulting in water retention. This initial effect is only the body’s attempt to hold on to the sodium so rarely given to it. No worries, it’s temporary, and will completely and rapidly dissipate as long as sodium and water intake remain high. The athlete will then notice a higher volume of urinary output, more sweating, the appearance of a leaner, harder physique, and MUCH more pumped and full muscles in the gym.

If you have followed the scientific information in this article, then you understand the importance of sodium in your diet. You should never have to worry about “too much”, because any excess will be promptly excreted. Increasing your sodium and water intake is an easy and effective way to significantly improve performance, and contribute to the cosmetic appearance of the physique at the same time.

I regularly see great physiques of figure competitors and bodybuilders disappear in the last few weeks of contest prep. Why? The simple but faulty combination of low carbs and low sodium. True, restricting carbohydrate will induce diuresis, but that water will also come from inside the muscles, where it should be staying. This displacement causes potassium to also leave muscle.

Combine this with the effects of low to no sodium in the diet, and instead of a polished and properly peaked physique, you have a disaster. No amount of carb and/or fat loading can bring a physique back once this happens. That’s why so many people report looking better several days after competing. Sounds familiar?

P.s.: Very brief note about Sodium Loading

If you’ve followed this article, then you know that changing one thing can set off a whole series of unintended consequences. Don’t ruin months of enormous efforts playing this silly game.

Always get ample amounts of sodium in the diet, with proper hydration as well. Never cut sodium, never load it, just get lots of it. 

I sal(T)ute you.

TheRoid

Do your part!

The infamous trifecta. Rest, ice, and NSAIDs. If you’ve got any sports
injury, you’re likely going to leave the doc’s office
with always the same old, blanket and trite prescription. Rest, ice, and NSAIDs.

You’re definitely unlikely to hear about the healing
benefits of curry powder, garlic, pineapple, cocoa, tea, and
blueberries. Nor will you be ever advised to increase your vitamin A,
vitamin C, copper, or zinc intake. You certainly won’t walk away with a prescription for fish oil. And you surely won’t hear a single word about increasing the protein content of your diet. Shame.

Maybe it’s because your doc thinks this is too much to
remember. Or, most likely, your doc isn’t up on the latest nutritional research. Regardless of the reason, it’s a shame as nutrition plays a VERY important role in injury repair. From boosting immune function, to improved collagen deposition, to
a more rapid return to function, the right nutritional intake can
make all the difference in this world.

ALL CAPITALIZED:
DOES IT COUNTERACT YOUR ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER? ?

NUTRITION AND INJURY REPAIR
WE MAY PERCEIVE INJURY AS  A CHAOTIC EVENT — WITH THE
PAIN, SWELLING, AND DYSFUNCTION — BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT THINGS BIOLOGICALLY WE SEE THAT INJURY DOES LEAD
TO A WELL ORGANIZED, CONSISTENT PATTERN OF REPAIR. RESEARCHERS TYPICALLY BREAK THIS PATTERN DOWN INTO 3 DEFINED PHASES.

PHASE 1 — INFLAMMATION
THIS STAGE LASTS UP TO 4-5 DAYS POST SOFT TISSUE INJURY (2-3
WEEKS IN BONE INJURY) AND IS IN PLACE TO CLEAR OUT INJURED TISSUE
DEBRIS.

PHASE 2 — PROLIFERATION
THIS STAGE COMES AFTER INFLAMMATION AND LASTS ABOUT 2-3 WEEKS
(10-12 WEEKS IN BONE INJURY) AND IS IN PLACE TO FORM TEMPORARY
REPLACEMENT TISSUES. THESE TISSUES ARE USUALLY WEAKER THAN
THE ORIGINALLY INJURED TISSUES YET STILL PROVIDE SOME STRUCTURE AND
FUNCTION TO THE SITE OF INJURY. A FUNCTIONAL TEMPORARY CRUTCH.

PHASE 3 – REMODELING
THIS STAGE COMES AFTER PROLIFERATION AND CAN LAST UP TO 1-2
YEARS (EVEN LONGER IN BONE INJURY) AND IS IN PLACE TO FORM NEW
TISSUES AS STRONG AS POSSIBLE AS THE ORIGINAL TISSUES.

WE CAN LOOK AT EACH STEP IN THE REPAIR PROCESS, TARGETING
DIFFERENT NUTRITIONAL ANGLES IN THE SUPPORT OF INJURY
RECOVERY. THESE TARGETS TYPICALLY FALL INTO THE FOLLOWING
THREE CATEGORIES:

A) NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES THAT PROMOTE, YET MANAGE, ACUTE
INFLAMMATION(CONTRADICTORY? NOT REALLY, KEEP ON READING)

B) NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES FOR SUPPORTING IMMUNE
FUNCTION (GENERALLY UNDERRATED ROLE IN INJURIES HEALING)

C) NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES THAT SUPPORT PERMANENT TISSUE HEALING
AND REGENERATION.

INFLAMMATION IS THE MOST ACUTE AND PROBLEMATIC PHASE, SO A
MAJOR GOAL OF ANY INJURY HEALING PROTOCOL SHOULD BE TO SUPPORT (BUT MANAGE) THE INFLAMMATORY PROCESS. MOST PEOPLE THINK
INFLAMMATION IS INTRINSICALLY A BAD THING, YET IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT THE INFLAMMATORY PROCESS IS CRITICAL AND THAT ANY STRATEGY DESIGNED TO SUPPRESS INFLAMMATION OR BLOOD FLOW TO THE INJURED AREA SHOULD BE AVOIDED. HOWEVER, PRO-INFLAMMATORY AGENTS SHOULD ALSO BE AVOIDED AS EXCESSIVE INFLAMMATION COULD INCREASE TOTAL TISSUE DAMAGE, SLOWING DOWN THE REPAIR PROCESS. A MATTER OF BALANCE, AS BASICALLY EVERYTIME.

ALSO, ANOTHER GOAL OF MANAGING INFLAMMATION SHOULD BE TO REDUCE
PAIN, AS PAIN CAN CAUSE BIOMECHANICAL DISFUNCTIONAL COMPENSATIONS THAT CAN LEAD TO SECONDARY INJURY AS WELL AS RESTRICT MOVEMENT NECESSARY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG, FUNCTIONALLY ADAPTED REPLACEMENT TISSUES. HOWEVER, ONCE AGAIN, STRATEGIES THAT SUPPRESS PAIN OFTEN TARGET INFLAMMATION (THE AWFULLY ABUSED NSAIDS) AND IN THIS CASE, THE ELIMINATION OF INFLAMMATION (AND PAIN) MAY ALSO IMPAIR HEALING.
ONCE WE’VE ESTABILISHED ALL THIS, IT’S TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW
SPECIFIC MACRONUTRIENT AND MICRONUTRIENT INTERVENTIONS CAN HELP
MANAGE INFLAMMATION, BOOST IMMUNE FUNCTION, AND HELP LAY DOWN
STRONGER REPLACEMENT TISSUES MORE QUICKLY.

DIETARY FATS AND INFLAMMATION
DIETS HIGH IN TRANS-FATS, OMEGA 6 RICH VEGETABLE OILS, AND
SATURATED FAT ARE PRO-INFLAMMATORY WHILE A DIET HIGH IN
MONOUNSATURATED FATS AND OMEGA 3 FATS IS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY. MOST OF US SHOULD ALREADY KNOW THAT IT’S THE RATIO OF OMEGA 6 TO OMEGA 3 IN THE DIET THAT HELPS US MAINTAIN A BALANCED INFLAMMATORY PROFILE, BUT THIS REFRESHER LESSON IS OFTEN NEEDED DURING PERIODS OF INJURY REPAIR.
ONE MORE REQUIRED REFRESHER IS THAT BEYOND 3S AND 6S,
THE OVERALL FAT BALANCE IS IMPORTANT HERE. WITH A GOOD BALANCE OF
SATURATED, MONOUNSATURATED, AND POLYUNSATURATED FATS (ABOUT 1/3 OF
TOTAL CALORIC INTAKE EACH), THE BODY’S INFLAMMATORY PROFILE WILL
LIKELY FALL RIGHT INTO LINE — ESPECIALLY DURING PERIODS OF INJURY REPAIR. THE FOLLOWING QUITE SIMPLE STRATEGIES SHOULD GO A LONG
WAY DURING INJURY REPAIR AND EVEN FOR INJURY PREVENTION:

BALANCE YOUR DIETARY FATS:
UP YOUR INTAKE OF EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, MIXED NUTS, AVOCADOS, FLAX OIL, GROUND FLAX, AND OTHER SEEDS, MAKING SURE TO GET SOME OF EACH FAT SOURCE EVERY DAY. BY EATING THESE FOODS, YOU’LL LIKELY BALANCE OUT THE SATURATED FATS NATURALLY PRESENT IN YOUR PROTEIN SxOURCES LIKE RED MEAT, LEADING TO A HEALTHY PROFILE WITHOUT BREAKING OUT THE
CALCULATOR.

BALANCE YOUR 6:3 RATIO:
USE 5-10 GRAMS OF FISH OIL EACH DAY WHILE REDUCING OMEGA 6 FATS LIKE
VEGETABLE OILS SUCH AS CORN OIL, SUNFLOWER OIL, SAFFLOWER OIL,
COTTONSEED OIL, AND SOYBEAN OIL. THIS WILL TAKECARE OF YOUR OMEGA 6:3 RATIO.

START USING SPICES AND PHYTONUTRIENTS TO MANAGE INFLAMMATION
BESIDES HEALTHY FAT BALANCE, CERTAIN FOODS AND HERBS CAN BE VERY
BENEFICIAL IN THE MANAGEMENT OF INFLAMMATION. THESE INCLUDE:

TURMERIC
ITS ACTIVE INGREDIENT, CURCUMIN, IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY BENEFITS OF TURMERIC.
AS TURMERIC IS PRESENT IN CURRY POWDER, YOU COULD START BY ADDING
CURRY TO YOUR DISHES FOR FLAVOR, ALTHOUGH A BETTER STRATEGY WOULD BE TO ADD 400-600MG OF STRAIGHT TURMERIC EXTRACT 3X PER DAY TO MANAGE INFLAMMATION, WITH 5-10 MG OF PIPERINE (MOST SUPPLEMENTS ARE ALREADY PRE-MIXED)

GOOD OLD STINKY GARLIC

GARLIC HAS BEEN SHOWN TO INHIBIT CERTAIN INFLAMMATORY ENZYMES AND IMPACT MACROPHAGE FUNCTION. AGAIN, ALTHOUGH EATING MORE GARLIC IS A GOOD START IF YOU ENJOY ITS TASTE (OR ARE GREEK) SUPPLEMENTING WITH 600-1200MG OF AGED EXTRACT LIKELY WORKS BEST.

PINEAPPLE(BROMELAIN)

THIS IS ANOTHER ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PLANT EXTRACT THAT COMES FROM
PINEAPPLE. WHILE BEST KNOWN FOR ITS DIGESTIVE PROPERTIES,
IT’S BOTH AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANALGESIC. DOSES OF
500-1000MG/DAY SHOULD DO THE TRICK. FOR THIS PURPOSE, BEST IF TAKEN ON EMPTY STOMACH.

BOSWELLIA SERRATA

THIS PLANT EXTRACT ALSO HAS ANALGESIC PROPERTIES AND IS
USUALLY TAKEN IN 300MG DOSES 3X PER DAY TO AMELIORATE PAIN WITHOUT IMPAIRING THE NECESSARY INFLAMMATORY PROCESS.

BLACK AND GREEN TEA, COCOA, RED WINE, AND CERTAIN FRUITS AND VEGGIES ARE RICH IN THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FLAVANOIDS AND WOULD LIKELY BE OF BENEFIT DURING TIMES OF ACUTE INJURY (WELL, YEAR ROUND ACTUALLY).
THE IDEA HERE IS TO CONTROL INFLAMMATION FROM GETTING OUT OF CONTROL, NOT STOP IT FROM HAPPENING.

A WORD (OR TWO) ON CALORIES REQUIREMENT DURING INJURY
IT’D NO SURPRISE THAT OVERALL ENERGY NEEDS DURING SPORT ARE
INCREASED AND THIS IS DUE TO THE ENERGY COST OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. AS A RESULT, SOME ATHLETES, ESPECIALLY FEMALES, INTENTIONALLY (TO LOSE
BODY WEIGHT) OR UNINTENTIONALLY (DUE TO IMPROPER NUTRITION
EDUCATION) UNDER EAT.
THIS LEADS TO AN INCREASED INCIDENCE OF STRESS FRACTURES,
LIGAMENTOUS INJURY, ETC. SO, TOO FEW CALORIES WHEN
HEALTHY CAN LEAD TO INJURY. LET ALONE DURING RECOVERY FROM INJURY; THIS CAN EASILY PREVENT AN ATHLETE FROM FULLY RECOVERING. IT BECOMES A PERMANENT ISSUE.

WITH AN ACUTE INJURY, ENERGY NEEDS ARE INCREASED. IN FACT, BMR (BASAL METABOLIC RATE) MAY INCREASE UP BY 15 – 50% BASED ON THE SEVERITY OF THE TRAUMA. FOR EXAMPLE, SPORTS INJURY AND MINOR SURGERY MAY INCREASE BMR BY 15-20%, WHILE MAJOR SURGERY AND BURN INJURY MAY LEAD TO A MASSIVE 50% INCREASE IN BMR. WHEN TRYING TO DETERMINE ENERGY NEEDS DURING RECOVERY FROM INJURY, IT’S IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THIS INCREASE IN ENERGY REQUIREMENT.

MACRONUTRIENTS NEEDS WHEN INJURIED
WHEN IT COMES TO THE MACRONUTRIENTS, INCREASED DIETARY PROTEIN
IS (AND RIGHTFULLY SO) RECOMMENDED BY SCIENTISTS FOR INJURY REPAIR. THESE INCREASES ARE BASED ON INCREASING THE CLINICAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE USUAL MISERABLE 0.8G/KG TO 1.5-2.0G/KG.
MOST ATHLETES WILL ALREADY BE HITTING THIS 1.5-2.0G/KG
MARK, THESE NEEDS SHOULD BE COVERED. SO, IF A PROMPT RETURN TO
NORMAL FUNCTION IS DESIRED, THIS IS ONE AREA THAT SHOULD NOT BE
NEGLECTED. INJURED ATHLETES MUST ABSOLUTELY STRIVE FOR -NO LESS- THAN 1G OF PROTEIN PER POUND OF BODY WEIGHT AT THE VERY LEAST.

FATS RATIO HAS ALREADY BEEN DISCUSSED AND TO RECAP, THE IDEA IS TO
BALANCE OUT DIETARY FAT BY GETTING ABOUT 1/3 OF TOTAL FAT INTAKE
FROM EACH OF THE THREE TYPES OF FAT. FURTHER, THE OMEGA 6:3 RATIO
SHOULD COME DOWN TO ANYWHERE FROM 3:1 TO 1:1 TO PROMOTE RAPID HEALING OF DAMAGED TISSUES.

REGARDING CARBOHYDRATES, WHILE GLUCOSE IS NECESSARY FOR
ATHLETIC INJURY HEALING, NO SPECIAL CARBOHYDRATES RECOMMENDATION
HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR INJURY RECOVERY PERIODS. DIETARY
CARBOHYDRATES SHOULD JUST BE INCLUDED IN SUFFICIENT AMOUNTS TO
ENSURE ADEQUATE NUTRIENTS INTAKE AS WELL AS STABLE INSULIN
CONCENTRATIONS (WHICH, AS AN ANABOLIC HORMONE, POSITIVELY IMPACTS WOUND HEALING).

PUTTING ALL THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOVE INTO PRACTICAL USE:

-EAT EVERY 3-4 HOURS

-EVERY MEAL/SNACK SHOULD CONTAIN COMPLETE PROTEIN INCLUDING LEAN
MEATS, LOW FAT DAIRY, EGGS, OR QUALITY PROTEIN POWDER SUPPLEMENTS.

-EACH MEAL/SNACK SHOULD CONTAIN 1-2 SERVINGS VEGGIES AND/OR FRUIT. VARIETY IS IMPORTANT

-ADDITIONAL CARBOHYDRATES SHOULD COME FROM WHOLE GRAINS LIKE OATS, YAMS, BEANS, WHOLE GRAIN RICE, QUINOA, ETC. FEWER STARCHES WHEN NOT TRAINING (SUCH AS DURING INJURY RECOVERY), AND MORE WHEN TRAINING.

-YOU SHOULD INCLUDE EACH OF THE FOLLOWING GOOD FATS DOURCES EACH DAY: AVOCADOS, EVOO, MIXED NUTS, FLAX SEEDS, AND FLAX OIL. IN
ADDITION, 5-10 GRAMS OF FISH OIL SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE
DIET.

ABOUT MICRONUTRIENTS DURING INJURY RECOVERY
WHEN IT COMES TO INJURY, VITAMINS A, B GROUP, C, AND D AS WELL AS
CALCIUM, COPPER, IRON, MAGNESIUM AND ZINC CAN ALL PLAY
IMPORTANT ROLES. (ODDLY , VITAMIN E MAY SLOW HEALING SO IT’S
RECOMMENDED TO AVOID EXTRA VITAMIN E IN THE FORM OF SUPPLEMENTS DURING INJURY.) SOME OF THESE MICRONUTRIENTS EXERT A PERMISSIVE ROLE AND OTHERS CAN ACTUALLY SPEED UP HEALING.
IN THE END, IT APPEARS THAT THE FOLLOWING VITAMINS AND MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS WOULD BENEFIT THOSE WITH
ACUTE INJURIES:

VITAMIN C — 1000-2000MG/DAY

VITAMIN A — 10,000IU/DAY

COPPER — 2-4MG/DAY

ZINC — 30-50MG/DAY

EVEN IN WELL-NOURISHED INDIVIDUALS, IT’S LIKELY STILL BENEFICIAL DURING SPORTS INJURY TO SUPPLEMENT WITH AMINO ACIDS LIKE PROLINE AND HYDROXYPROLINE OR HYDROLYZED CHICKEN CARTILAGE IN ORDER TO STIMULATE COLLAGEN DEPOSITION AND INJURY HEALING.

TO RECAP, SPORTS INJURY RECOVERY IS CHARACTERIZED BY AN
ORGANIZED RESPONSE TO THE ACUTE TRAUMA. FIRST, INFLAMMATION IS
PROVOKED TO REMOVE DAMAGED TISSUES. NEXT, CELLS PROLIFERATE TO TEMPORARILY REPLACE THE DAMAGED TISSUE. EVENTUALLY NEW CELLS REPLACE THE INTERMEDIARY CELLS TO STRENGTHEN THE REPAIR PROCESS AND LEAD TO COMPLETE INJURY RESOLUTION.

DURING EACH STEP OF THE REPAIR PROCESS, SPECIFIC NUTRITIONAL
STRATEGIES CAN BE EMPLOYED TO BOTH SUPPORT AND ENHANCE THIS REPAIR
PROCESS.

IT SHOULD GO WITHOUT SAYING, WHEN FACED WITH AN INJURY, NUTRITION ISN’T THE ONLY THING YOU SHOULD CONSIDER. PROGRESSIVE REHAB
CENTERS ARE USING ADDITIONAL ADJUNCT THERAPIES INCLUDING
PROLOTHERAPY, INTRA-ARTICULAR AND/OR SITE SPECIFIC INJECTIONS OF
HYALURONANS, AUTOLOGOUS PLATELET CONCENTRATES, AND OTHER COMPOUNDS TO SPEED UP REPAIR AND TO AMELIORATE
CHRONIC INJURY/PAIN. AND, OF COURSE, CONVENTIONAL REHAB AND PHYSICAL THERAPY HELPS TOO.

ULTIMATELY, WHEN YOU’RE FACED WITH AN INJURY, IT’S FUNDAMENTAL NOT TO JUST SIT IT OUT WITH REST, ICE, NSAIDS AND CROSS YOUR FINGERS HOPING FOR THE BEST. BE PROACTIVE WITH YOUR NUTRITION INSTEAD,
YOUR THERAPY, AND WITH YOUR EVENTUAL ADJUNCT TREATMENTS SO THAT
YOUR HEALING IS RAPID AND FULL AS SOON, AND AS GOOD, AS POSSIBILE.

I HOPE NOT TO SEE YOU DANCING IN A REMAKE OF MICHAEL JACKSON’S THRILLER VIDEOCLIP.

TheRoid

It all started when on an unexpectedly busy day I broke the mandatory rule of muscle-building, turtle shell abs nutrition: went waaay too long between meals.

I actually only had breakfast and it was almost 2PM. What the…

Trying not to drool too visibly, I pulled into the first Chinese buffet I came across. So I piled up a plate and began stuffing my face. Then I piled up another plate. And then a third one…

Nothing really out of the ordinary, you may rightfully say.

BUT.

Just before I dove into the third plate, my phone rang. The conversation went on for quite a bit. So, I hung up and looked down at my plate. I was full. Not just full, but fully padded. I couldn’t eat another bite, yet a few minutes earlier, before the phone call, I felt still hungry and planning to gobble down that third plate with no mercy.

What kind of sorcery took place all of a sudden?

Here the explanation can be simple or complex (what did you say? Ok, let’s stick to simple…) 

We don’t have immediate feedback from our bodies telling us we’ve eaten enough. It takes about 20 minutes for food to be digested enough that nutrients gets into the bloodstream and the hormones start working.

Said hormones — insulin, leptin, cortisol, and ghrelin — act as chemical messengers that run signals related to hunger and satiety between the stomach and the brain. Problem is, if you bomb the stomach too quickly, your body basically doesn’t have time to “receive the messages”. This is why if you eat very fast until you’re full, you often feel nauseatingly stuffed 20 minutes after the meal. You were actually full halfway into your meal; you just didn’t know it.

Alrite, so we have some slow body signals to deal with. Not that big of a deal, right? But there’s another factor here: We still have the base physiologies of prehistoric man. Our slowly evolving bodies aren’t made for a world of abundant, calorically-dense foods… or Chinese buffets. Our bodies (and for the most part our brains too) are still swinging between tree branches and dragging women into the cave by their hair (for Paleo dieters: don’t take this as an excuse. It’s NOT).

This means that when we see hot, abundant food, we think “YAY! fresh kill!” and have the innate desire to gorge on it, just like our pre-agriculture, pre-refrigerator ancestors did. They’d graze on vegetation and have small “snacks” until they killed a big animal, then they’d gorge. Thing is, today’s “grazing” involves vending machine candy bars, and modern “kill gorging” usually takes place at McDonald’s drive-thru. Now combine these two elements and what do you get? A huge swim ring of fat around your waist. And no, it ain’t even good to help you floating, quite the opposite.

The aforementioned perfect storm makes us into fatties and can wreck our attempts at dieting. When we’re ready to get ripped, most of us have to do battle with slow hormones, primitive desires, and a world full of cheap, fattening, tasty food calling our name.

Tip #1: Manipulate the 20-Minute Phenomenon

You need to stop eating before you get full, or at the very least at the first sign of fullness. Twenty minutes later, you’ll actually feel full. This takes practice and discipline. It’s just not easy for a big weight-training male to walk away from available food when he’s not yet stuffed. In many ways, it goes against our instincts.

So when you’re dieting and trying to reduce calories:

• Keep a food log. This sounds obvious yet many people “diet” without ever tracking their calories and macronutrients. Sorry, but just buying packaged foods marked “low-fat” does not count as a “diet”.

As tedious as it is, you need to count calories and macronutrients at least once in your life in order to see the big picture. For example, I’ve known dozens of gym “vets” who went for years with suboptimal gains. When they finally tracked their protein intake, they realized they were getting just about enough to support the lean mass of a 13 Y/O anorexic girl scout.

So, let’s say your diet calls for 2500 calories per day. Divide that by five meals and you get 500 calories per feeding. You do the deed: You read labels, you weigh and measure food, you consult online calorie guides, you write it all down.

A blind monkey can do that, you can too, most likely.

Awful stuff, I know. But now you have a reason to stop eating: You’ve consumed your 500 calories. (More importantly, you now know what 500 calories looks like!) Walk away. You will likely not feel “full,” but you will in about 20 minutes.

• Learn to eat slower. Put down your fork between bites, just like mama taught you. Because she did, right? ?

• Try using a small salad fork instead of that shovel you’re using now. Use smaller plates too when dieting. Basically, if it’s on your plate, you’ll finish it, even after you’re full.

A few years ago, some researchers  conducted a study where participants ate from soup bowls equipped with hidden refilling devices. Subjects who ate from these never-ending bowls consumed 73% more than those who ate from regular bowls. But here’s the kicker: They didn’t rate their feelings of satiety any higher than those who consumed less. You’ve heard the saying “You eat with your eyes first.” It’s pretty much true.

• Make your plate and sit at the table. No eating from containers in the kitchen.

• No eating in front of the TV. Studies actually show you eat more when your mind is distracted by television. Same goes with the friggin’ social media on any device of course.

• Chew your food more, goddamnit!!!

• Anddddd the obvious: Never get starved to begin with. Eating every three hours or so should prevent this. Go too long between meals and you’ll eat too fast, bypass the 20 minute effect, consume too much, get fat, and never have a decent looking girlfriend. On a positive note, you’ll get really good at Minecraft. Congrats on that, killer. ?

Tip #2: High Volume & Low Energy

By “energy” I mean calories. Some foods are calorically dense; others are not. The idea here is to have low-density foods with every meal so you’ll feel full without adding tons of calories. Basically, you’re taking up space in your stomach so you don’t eat so damn much and kill time to reach our 20′ target.

This type of dieting is known as Volumetrics. While I’m not a fan of the particulars of this low-fat diet, we can learn a few things from the approach:

-Have non-starchy vegetables with every meal. Along with all the health benefits, veggies fill stomach space. Starting every meal with a spinach salad is a great idea. Just watch those dressings, which can screw up everything.

-A big side of mixed veggies with every meal will only add 30 to 60 calories: lots of volume, takes up lots of room in the stomach, yet adds minimal calories and maximal nutrition. (I like those vegs stir-fry blends you can buy flash frozen. Get some of those microwave steaming bags, in four minutes my lazy ass is happy.)

On another satiety note, protein will make you feel fuller than fats or carbs. Dietary fat scores lowest on the Satiety Index. In fact, high-fat content foods create almost instant cravings for more of the same. On the other hand, foods high in protein and fiber slow digestion and prolong the “I’m full” feeling. And while water-dense whole fruits are generally recommended, avoid fruit juices, which aren’t filling at all! 

Last but not least, be aware of something called “sensory-specific satiety.” 

In simple terms, you can become “full” eating one kind of food, but when another food is introduced you suddenly feel the urge to “make room” and eat it. This is why you can eat until satiety yet still desire dessert. This of course leads to overeating, nausea, bloating, and, once again, a chronic lack of a semi-good looking girlfriend. (Evolutionary side note: the tongue seems to want a variety of stimuli {I’m not talking about the girlfriend anymore, perverts} in every meal — something savory, something sweet, etc. Maybe this is our body’s way of making us desire different nutrients and different types of foods. Otherwise our ancestors would’ve been satisfied eating just meat all day and would’ve never looked for fruits [sweetness]. This would lead to deficiencies that could eventually kill and halt the continuation of the species. Again, there’s a reason why hunger/cravings are so powerful: This drive, much like the sex drive, helps to propagate the species apparently.)

The “Proximity Problem”?

Now, we must consider the issue of proximity or how physically close we are to food. We sometimes eat not out of hunger, but out of just proximity and visibility.

The most interesting study about this looked at the snacking behaviors of 40 secretaries. Proximity was manipulated by placing chocolates on the desk of the secretary or two meters away from the desk. Visibility was manipulated by placing the chocolates in covered bowls that were either clear or opaque.

Guess what? Exactly what you’d expect: The secretaries ate more chocolates when they were easily within reach, and they ate more when they were visible instead of covered. And the kicker here is that they usually DIDN’T EVEN REALIZE they were consuming more calories from closely-placed foods.

Quite fascinating: If a human being sees food within reach, he’ll eat it, even if he’s not hungry. If that same food is a few feet away and/or hidden from view, he’s less likely to eat it. Makes you think twice about buying one of those fancy and most fashionable see-through refrigerators, right?

This is how you should apply this info in real life. First, don’t keep crap foods in your house. You may get a craving for something unhealthy, but if you have to get in your truck to go get it, you’ll most likely eat something in closer proximity, which is healthy food.

If someone living with you does have some treat foods in the house, simply put these in a separate cabinet. Out of sight, out of mind. That’s a good trick to use with your fat roommate’s junk food too.

The proximity and visibility problem is also directly related to the 20-minute delayed satiation effect. You’re not going to allow the feeling of fullness to kick-in if you don’t remove yourself from the food. You may find yourself standing in the kitchen and looking in the fridge when it isn’t time to eat. Many have this habit. You’ll notice you’re “hungry” in the kitchen, but satisfied when you’re in your office. If you find yourself about to blow your diet, simply get out of the kitchen or the presence of food. Two minutes later you’ll be back in control and shocked that you were about to wreck your nutrition plan!

You can also take advantage of the proximity/visibility phenomenon. Working on increasing your water intake? You’ll drink more if you keep water close by and out in the open. If you’re serious about your fluid intake, consider a home water cooler.

Were these very simple tips? Sure. But judging from the rising body fat percentages of even trained individuals, these simple steps can have dramatic physique transformation effects! 

Until later, 

Captain (not so) Obvious 

A.K.A. TheRoid

Round and full. Capped. These are some of the popular words used to describe a muscular and defined set of shoulders you’d find in the pages of a bodybuilding magazine. Sadly, you can almost always be assured that the set of shoulders that make you so envious belong to a professional bodybuilder. Should your hopes for constructing a set of eye-popping delts vanish in a cloud of smoke just because you assume the guy on the cover uses more drugs than you, or can you piece together your own blueprint for physique-defining shoulders by picking out nuggets of information from the pros?

As much as drugs DO help, they aren’t the super-soldier formula that turned Steve Rogers from a 110-pound girlie man into a ripped and jacked Captain America. And they certainly aren’t the only reason that whoever is on the cover of this month’s magazine has the shoulders that you envy. They must be doing something right afterall.

Yes, I’m a shoulder guy. I love training them, and I love the accompanying feeling that I get after my workout is done. I also love knowing how to add certain tweaks to my hand positions in order to better work the muscle, or uncommon variations on popular movements should I see the cute girl in the gym shoulder pressing and decide that her form needs tweaking. Shoulder training has typically been very boring and straightforward. I remember seeing an old training tape of Lee Haney where he mentioned something along the lines of how you should shoulder press and then shoulder press some more or your delts won’t grow. Luckily, we’re not in the business of blindly following others because we have all the information needed to question and get better results. Sure, the shoulder press is the first movement that a newbie performs when they start training since it allows them to push the heaviest weight. Heck, the most advanced, ripped, and jacked lifter in the world can still benefit from overhead pressing for that same reason. You get into trouble when you accept that you can only develop round and full shoulders by overhead pressing because you heard some guy who swallows the pink candy ranting on it, or some 80-year-old guy told you the Russians did it back in the early 1900s.

Truth be told, no one likes looking in the mirror and being honest with what they see. Most of my clients hire me just to have an impartial eye since everyone wants to have a favorable opinion of themselves. Be brutally honest when you look at the pictures that you just took on your phone. Don’t lie to yourself and think you have bowling ball delts just because you want to believe it. Every pro that has openly talked about shoulder training, possibly more so than other body parts, has talked about finding what works best for them. So, how do you travel a similar path? The easiest way is to look at your arm length. On average, the longer your arms are, the worse overhead pressing will be for you. Longer arms equal longer bones, longer muscles, and longer tendons. Thus, the force required to lift the weight will be greater (you’ll have to use less weight over the range of motion), and the tension on the desired muscle will be less during a full range of motion.

So, is overhead pressing the obvious choice for everyone? No! I don’t buy these armchair coaches that either insist that you always have to use a full range of motion or that bodybuilders have terrible form. 

That’s my beef with overhead pressing. It’s not that I don’t think it’s effective; I just hate that it’s the golden rule of shoulder training. To get the most out of your shoulder workout and to keep the most tension on your delts, perform overhead movements with a partial range of motion. You’ll thank me later.

You shouldn’t be afraid of going heavy on Lateral Raises gents.

Why is it just accepted as bodybuilding fact that you can only perform lateral raises in your workout after you’ve finished all your pressing? It makes zero sense, especially if you have long arms. I don’t know why I never see people going all-out on lateral raises, either with dumbbells or a machine. You’re missing out on some brutally painful yet effective training.

Try this: Slide your hands all the way to the end of the handle on a set of dumbbells so that your pinky finger is touching the weight. Start the lateral movement as normal, and get ready to feel your side delts like you never have before.

Posture these days on most individuals isn’t good, and odds are you’re no different. If you just grab the handle on a dumbbell in a random position like you’ve been doing, you cause a slight, unnoticeable rotation of your forearm, which places more stress on your front delt, which is what we don’t want to do. Fight to keep your hands out wide and maintain the stress on the side delts.

The shoulder muscle is very complex in its own way. While not an overly massive muscle, it does have a very unique blend of both slow- and fast-twitch muscle properties. Thus, you have to come fully loaded to battle and work in multiple rep ranges or you’re leaving something in the gym.

A few popular coaches have often talked about having their clients perform lower reps for pressing movements and higher reps for side laterals. Those are the rep ranges that they felt those muscles responded to best.

We’re going to step it up, though. During this focused phase of hitting our shoulders hard, we’re going to use rest-pause training on our first exercise.

This is what I want you to do. Using machine lateral raises as our movement, I want you to try your hardest, from workout to workout, to keep your rep ranges between 20 and 30 reps. You’re going to be adding a small amount of weight to the movement each week, say two and a half pounds.

I want you to do 20 to 30 reps as a straight set. Your elbows must get to parallel with your shoulders to be a complete rep. Every friggin’ rep. This is brutal.

After those 20 to 30 reps, I want you to rest for 20-30 seconds to allow your creatine phosphate system to replenish (kinda). Now, I want you to do 10 partial reps with the same weight that you just used.

After a few weeks of this type of training, you’ll hit about 15 reps max. When that happens, just add another two and a half pounds. Once you’re around 10 to 12 reps, your delts should look noticeably different. Granted, assuming you’re doing everything right outta the gym too.

Did you happen to see someone actually using static training for any body part in recent years? I’m not sure if it has to do with the lack of hardcore bodybuilding gyms these days or if people are afraid of being accused of actually flexing, but finishing off your movements with static holds has a myriad of benefits actually.

There are reasons why pros spend so much time posing; they need to learn how to flex and control their body for minutes at a time. For those of us who aren’t competing, we’re trying to push as much blood into the trained muscle as possible since blood carries nutrients and hormones that increase recovery and growth. We also want to recruit as many muscle fibers as possible, and since we rarely perform any isometric training anymore, we’re missing out on a whole lot of growth potential. So, after the shoulder movement of your choice, we’ll use the above example of machine lateral raises just for giggles.

Sit straight up in the lateral raise machine and lift the weight – yes, the same weight that you just used for 20 or so reps – and lift it five inches from the bottom and hold for 30 seconds. Sit up straight, flex your lats, and raise your shoulders. No excuses; 30 seconds or bust. This is building you big shoulders goddamn!

No reason to ignore the most dedicated and intense field of physique transformation just because performance-enhancing drugs may be abundant. Everyone’s trying to reach a higher personal level, and to get there you need to use every tool available. Take these nuggets from the pros and get started on building your own wide frame right now!

TheRoid

So much talk these days about functional training… it seems arm training has taken a dive in popularity. While this may be the case in some circles, for those of us who got into lifting weights in hopes of attaining muscular arms that resemble those of a superhero, doing direct bicep and tricep work will never go out of style. Having big, muscular arms that stretch your shirtsleeves will never go out of style either, so let’s take a look at a few strategies that you can use to jumpstart your arm growth.

Train In All Rep Ranges

People often ask “Should I do low, medium, or high reps?” when they should really be asking ” When should I do low, medium, and high reps?”

You see, a bodybuilder who wants bigger arms needs to stimulate those bi’s and tri’s with a variety of stimuli in order to maximize growth from various components of the muscle tissue itself.

An athlete like a weight-class bound fighter should focus primarily on doing low rep stuff with a high repetition speed to maximize power. A bodybuilder should do that and do sets that maximize time under tension to maximize cross sectional area of the muscle.

As a general rule of thumb, for maximizing arm size, spend about one-third of your training time doing low reps, one-third doing moderate reps, and one-third doing higher rep sets. This will ensure that you provide your arms with various types of stimulation, thus causing muscle growth via a variety of mechanisms.

Train Arms Less

For those who tend to really like training, the most common mistake made when it comes to training arms is to do too much overall arm work.

Keep in mind that every time you do a back exercise which involves elbow flexion, you’re also using your biceps. Even though your back training isn’t “overloading” your biceps, the overall stress is still somewhat cumulative, adding up over time.

Even more important is to consider the amount of work done by your triceps during chest and shoulder pushing exercises. Whether it’s a standard bench press, an incline dumbbell press, a standing barbell press, or a basic push-up, pressing movements do place a good deal of stress on the triceps.

In an effort to get bigger arms, many people understandably add sets of bicep and tricep work to their training program, but the problem may not be lack of stimulation. The problem could be that the overall stress placed on the biceps and triceps throughout the week is more than they can adequately recover from. And if you don’t recover, you don’t grow.

So if you find that your arms aren’t growing, take a look at the overall volume of chest, shoulder, and back work that you’re doing from week to week. If your volume of training from the push/pull body parts is pretty high, then your lack of arm growth may very well stem from overtraining.

Train Arms More!

No. I’m not drunk in spite of the seeming contradiction.

Although many gung-ho trainees don’t make progress in arm size due to the fact that they’re overtraining, many people fall on the other end of the spectrum and could use more direct arm work… especially more frequent arm work.

To make this strategy work, however, you have to make sure that you’re starting from a fully recuperated state. If you need to take a full week off from training, or a month off of direct arm training, go ahead and do so before ramping up your arm training volume and frequency.

In general, I find that biceps and triceps each grow well with, and can recuperate from, approximately 9-12 working sets per week. But instead of doing all these sets in one workout, you can really jumpstart your arm growth by dividing your training volume over the course of three weekly arm workouts.

After about four weeks of doing this, add a little more volume (a work set or two per week) if you’re still recuperating and progressing well. Do the same in two more weeks if applicable, after which it will be time for some much-needed recuperation.

Use Targeted Form

If you happen to have a pair of testicles, you derive a certain sense of power from the focus and effort it takes to lift “heavy-ass weights.” But if your goal is to get bigger arms, then you’re going to have to keep an eye on your ego and make sure you’re optimally stimulating your biceps and triceps when you train them.

No, that doesn’t mean you have to opt for sissy weights and always train like the form police are watching. But you should always train safely enough so that the brunt of the stress is being placed on your muscles, not on your joints.

To keep your form in check, control the eccentric (or lowering) portion of the rep enough so that you can make it last at least two or three seconds. Don’t necessarily do this every rep, but make sure you can.

Likewise, focus on the muscle you’re working as if it’s all that exists. When you’re doing barbell curls, picture your biceps brachii shortening on the way up, then lengthening on the way down.

The main thing to keep in mind regarding arm-training form is to make sure that you really feel your biceps and triceps working when you’re training them. If you don’t get a good mind-muscle connection when training your arms, lighten the weight, slow down, and/or tweak your form a bit until you do.

Remember, athletes train movements and bodybuilders train muscles. If you want arms like a bodybuilder, then focus on your biceps and triceps, not on elbow flexion and extension.

Train Bi’s and Tri’s Together

Initially, I’d suspect that pairing triceps with chest and/or shoulders while training biceps after back would probably be best since it allows for more rest and recovery days for the biceps and triceps. While this certainly works, it’s not the best approach. Nor is training biceps after chest and triceps after shoulders.

Time and time again, the best arm-building results come from training biceps and triceps on the same day, and on a day of their own.

Obviously training arms (or any body part) when you’re fresh and chockfull of ATP and glycogen has advantages over training them when you’re exhausted from training another body part, but the benefits seem to go beyond simply lack of fatigue.

The superiority of arm growth from having an arm day is so obvious that I couldn’t help but put on my thinking cap to come up with an explanation. I suspect that training biceps and triceps (and subsequently the large brachialis) in the same session places significantly more outward, and thus expansive, force on the surrounding fascia than training each separately.

Done repeatedly over time, this would promote growth and expansion of the dense fascia encompassing your upper arm, especially if you thoroughly stretch your arms while they’re still pumped.

Whether due to fascial expansion, better energy, or a combination thereof, training triceps, biceps, and their friend the brachialis all in the same session is a great strategy to get your arm hypertrophy moving in the right direction.

Realize there’s no magic number of repetitions, sets, or exercises that will make your arms grow best. Variety is critical.

Even more critical is that you stay injury free. Otherwise you’ll end up watching your arms become pencils instead of hypertrophic.

Do your arms a favor by giving them their own day, using targeted and controlled form.

Put these tips to work now and get ready to stretch some shirtsleeves in a few months ?

TheRoid

In over three decades, I’ve worked with athletes who want to perform better, MILFs re-investing in their assets, and more fat-loss clients than I can even remember.

However, I’ve recently found myself designing more and more programs for guys who want to bring up lagging body parts.

It may be because I take an approach to training that’s based primarily on improving aesthetics and symmetry, or maybe it’s because I’ve always been outspoken in my opinion that goals are intensely personal. Whatever the case, I’ve always been an ardent proponent of specialization programs, and have encouraged people to use them in their training.

Since full-body muscle growth slows dramatically for advanced trainees, I firmly believe that specialization programs are superior to programs aimed at increasing overall size many times.

In intermediate and advanced trainees, significant growth happens in bursts. Whatever theory of training you subscribe to and whatever program is your “go-to” for mass gain, if you’ve been training for a few years chances are you’ve gotten to where you don’t add a pound of muscle at a time. Instead you grow in spurts.

This is true for the vast majority of my clients and it has certainly been true for me as well.

At higher levels of development, full-body growth becomes increasingly difficult to achieve.

The bigger you are, the harder it is to gain further. Although in a broad sense this is because you’re getting closer to your genetic ceiling, one of the more specific reasons is that your body simply cannot continue to grow under the same conditions.

Avanced trainees are (supposedly) stronger. Lifting heavier weight for a comparable number of reps is more taxing on the nervous system and the general metabolic processes involved in recovery.

In almost all cases, as you progress your ability to train for full-body growth will be far greater than your ability to recover from such training. Very unfair.

On an already well developed body, training your ass off for ten weeks to gain two pounds of muscle–which probably makes a minimal visible difference–is lame.

When you put on some muscle in a given time period it’s generally distributed over your entire frame. Now gaining a few pounds of lean body mass is always nice, and I would never say it isn’t a goal worthy of effort or achievement. It just sucks when you achieve it and you can’t see it. And when you’re already pretty well developed, that’s often what happens, sadly.

Everybody notices when you put an inch on your arms, or add significant chest size.

Training with the goal of increasing the size of a single muscle or muscle group has a lot of benefits, but the main one is visibility. People notice. More than that, YOU NOTICE. Nothing is as satisfying as actually seeing the results in the mirror or in your clothes, instead of having to account for infinitesimal changes on a measuring tape. Then if you can only have the occasional growth spurt, why not dedicate a spurt to something that will be visibly noticeable, intensely satisfying, and realistically achievable over a relatively short time?

I believe in short, single-minded bursts of training for four to six weeks, and no more. I prefer to spend those weeks getting as much out of a training program as possible, putting on some noticeable size and keeping fat gain to a minimum,if any at all.

To develop a specialization program, the first things to consider are volume and frequency. It should go without saying that when prioritizing a muscle, you need to train it more. Not only with more sets and reps, but a much greater frequency, too. For a specialization program to be optimally effective, it must meet the following criteria:

–HIGH FREQUENCY

In a perfect scenario, I’d have people training once every 36 hours. When that isn’t possible, every other day is the next best option. At the minimum, you should be able to figure out how to squeeze in three workouts per week. That’d still be ok.

–HIGH TOTAL WEEKLY VOLUME, MODERATE WORKOUT VOLUME

Your weekly volume is going to be pretty high. Between three and four training sessions per week, you’re getting a lot of total work for the selected muscle group. I recommend that you generally aim for 30 to 35 sets per week, broken into as many sessions as possible. This recommendation alone doesn’t account for reps or load, so here are some more specifics.

35 SETS PER WEEK:

10 Sets of High Reps: 12-15

10 Sets of Moderate Reps: 8-12

10 Sets of Low Reps: 4-6 

5 Sets of Very High Reps: 20-25 Reps

One of the best things about specializing a body part is you get to shy away from the basics and really get into some fun exercises. While it’d be impossible to list all the combinations of all the exercises, I’d say that each workout would need to consist of the following:

-COMPOUND EXERCISES

I hope I don’t need to define this for you. Just know that big movements are always at the core of any program. Each workout should have at least two compound exercises.

-EXPLOSIVE MOVEMENTS

Exercises requiring explosiveness are great because they increase strength, power, coordination, and recruit muscle fibers that other exercises leave behind. 

I recommend including one explosive movement per workout.

-ISOLATION EXERCISES

You don’t fool anyone, so stop pretending you don’t like biceps curls. Sure, you can probably get big arms without them, but how sweet is that pump? Other examples include lateral raises, leg extensions, leg curls, cable flys, triceps extensions and calf raises.

For the aim of specialization, I recommend adding two isolation movements per workout.

Some Due Notes on Maintenance

One of the things I notice about most specialization programs is that almost no one mentions how to train the rest of the body. You’d think increasing the size of a single muscle was as simple as adding in a few extra sets and whatever they decide the Chest Exercise of the Month is.

At best, you’ll see something along the lines of “put all other body parts on maintenance.” Well It’s not that simple.

Proper  manipulation of volume is tricky, and honestly, I like to err on the side of caution. I’d much rather have people do a bit too much for the prioritized body part and a bit too little for everything else. To that end, I really tone down the volume for other body parts.

When people make broad recommendations like “put everything else on maintenance, it leaves trainees with a lot of room to screw things up by doing too much and inhibiting results.

After all, what does “maintenance” really mean? You need to define it. For me, it means you need to accept that your focus is your focus, and everything else takes a back seat. Accept it.

So when I tell someone to put something on maintenance, I mean they should train it as little as necessary. That means not losing strength or mass. In most cases, this is a lot less than you believe.

The majority of people can hold onto muscle mass by doing a full body circuit once per week, which is a pretty decent starting point.

I do understand the concern and fear of losing mass, and I’m not discounting the validity of it. I just take a more pragmatic approach to things. If all you care about is having big legs, who cares if it feels “wrong” to only train chest once every 10 days, or even less?

If at the end of the program, you have bigger legs, you accomplished your goal, and you and your big legs can go back to training chest again. In the mean time, no sweats, it’s not going to shrink.

I’m definitely willing to agree that you can gain muscle–even as an advanced trainee–on programs focused on whole body growth, but the result is usually not that impressive. I know there are a lot of great programs from a lot of great coaches that can lead to significant growth over a considerable length of time.

But for my taste, that’s not good enough.

I believe in acceleratory, single-minded bursts of focused training, intentioned to produce dramatic results in a relatively short timeframe. Something you can clearly SEE.

With that mindset, specialization programs are great for most. They’re quick, fun, and the visibility of the results are intensely satisfying.

Bigger delts in four weeks? Sign me up now!

TheRoid

For a few gifted individuals, building a round, wide full chest is as simple as doing a couple sets of barbell flat bench press. For those who have the genetics of an average mortal, it takes a bit more of a scientific, methodical approach to build a chest that resembles slabs of thick striated beef from top to bottom. It’s safe to assume that you’re probably not one of the aforementioned genetic freaks (better known as dirty lucky bastards), so this article is for you (cheer up, it could be worse…). Today you’re going to learn some principles, tips and tricks that, along with your hard work (but that’s a given anyway, right?), will serve as your genetic equalizer, so no more excuses for your pitiful undereveloped flabby pecs!

So let’s get this party started..

At the end of the day, I enjoy science but I’m a meathead just like you. So from one meathead to another let’s go over the chest muscles themselves and what they do. Then you’ll be able to make intelligent choices when it comes to exercise selection and execution. I’ll keep the nerd talk to a minimum but please, read carefully. This may actually make all the difference in the world for your chest development and putting all these info in an easy to comprehend format took me a freaking ass long time (for our International readers: an amount of time so great that it is no longer measurable by units of time and is instead measured by units of assness).

What we refer to as “chest” is actually comprised of three separate muscles: the pectoralis minor (which is of little concern to us for now), the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, and the sternal head of the pectoralis major. Read, repeat, read again.

Because of its position up near the clavicle (collarbone), the clavicular head of the pec. major is routinely simply referred to by most as the “upper chest.”

Many anatomists refer to the sternal portion of the pectoralis major as the “lower chest” but for advanced physique-enhancement purposes we need to further divide this into two regions: the middle and lower chest.

When the pectoralis major as a whole works together, it produces a movement called horizontal adduction. In other words, it brings your arm across the front of your body, as occurs when doing a flyer movement e.g.

A lesser-discussed function of the pecs is to internally (or medially) rotate the humerus. Hold your arms out straight with your palms up, then rotate your arms such that your palms are facing down. That’s one example of internal rotation of the humerus (you know, the long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. Yeah you got a pair too somewhere, look better).

So let’s look at the peculiar actions of the upper, middle, and lower pectorals when they work in (relative) isolation as this is where things can get tricky.

Besides horizontal adduction and internal rotation, the clavicular pectoralis flexes the shoulder joint. In different terms, it (in tandem with the anterior deltoid) raises your arm to the front. If you consider the origin and insertion of the clavicular pectoralis, this makes perfect sense indeed.

The lower part of the sternal pectoralis is situated such that it help extending the shoulder joint – the opposite action of shoulder flexion.

Now that we’ve covered the upper and lower chest, let’s take a look at the portion that we’ll call the “middle chest”. As the muscle fibers of the middle chest run horizontally, they don’t contribute significantly to shoulder flexion or extension. Instead, they simply horizontally adduct the humerus.

Summary:

Upper Chest, actions:  horizontal adduction, flexion, internal rotation

Middle Chest, actions: horizontal adduction, internal rotation

Lower Chest, actions:  horizontal adduction, extension, internal rotation

You most likely have already heard of the “all or none” principle of muscle contraction. Basically, this is what it states: when stimulated, a muscle fiber will either contract, or it will not.

People have blindly adapted the all-or-nothing principle to mean that an entire muscle will either contract or it won’t. These stubborn individuals will go on telling you that exercise variations are pointless when training the chest since the entire pectoralis major will simply either contract in full or it just won’t.

Unfortunately this is a seriously misguided and deceptive logic to put it gently.

First, although still considered a portion of the pectoralis major, the clavicular pectoralis is actually a separate muscle with a SEPARATE innervation and the angle of the muscle fibers varies enormously from top to bottom. For that reason, the line of pull is different throughout different areas of the muscle.

Luckily, your body (or brain rather) recruits or call upon the portion of the muscle that’s best suited to perform the movement in question. So if you were to do a movement in which the lower fibers of the pectoralis major are in the best mechanical advantage to execute the movement, then those will be the primary fibers recruited to do the work. The body is smarter than those people, thank goodness, or we’d be in serious troubles! So yes, you can emphasize different sections of the chest from top to bottom. But please duly notice I said EMPHASIZE, not “isolate”.

Now, before you can start building a bad-ass chest, you have to know the visual strengths and weaknesses of your pecs. In all honesty.

For the sake of simplicity let’s say there are four basic variations of chest shape/development:

A)Even chest development

B)Poor upper and lower chest + good middle chest

C)Poor upper and middle chest + good lower chest

D)Poor upper chest + good middle and lower chest

Generally speaking, variation “D” appears to be definitely the most common. 

I should also mention that many people mistake fat in the low chest region as being good lower pec development. So, if you really want to assess your development accurately, get decently lean first, then assess properly!

When you’ve identified your type of chest shape/development, then you can intelligently plan your chest training accordingly and with reason.

I often recommend performing three exercises for chest as part of a body part split where you train chest every 5-7 days. When training more frequently and/or utilizing wicked high-intensity techniques, doing less exercises may be warranted tho. Likewise, in certain other instances going for 4 chest exercises can be a good call instead.

When you pick your exercises, make sure to fully take into account the desired outcome of your choises. Basically if your upper chest is weak (odds are it IS), then why in the hell would you do two exercises that emphasize the middle chest and one that emphasizes the lower chest? This would only perpetuate and even magnify the muscular imbalance that you already have and should be trying to fix! So don’t let your ego take control of the situation: we all love to do what we’re best at, but this can really feed the issue further here. If you’re a beast on the flat bench press but that’s making the disproportion even worse, tell “her” goodbye for the moment. Instead, consider doing two exercises that emphasize the upper chest and one that targets the middle and/or lower chest. This will help to even out your chest development sooner rather than later.

Another smart rule of thumb is to hit the weakest part of your chest with your first exercise, when you’re at your strongest.

Alright, we can now look at four specialized chest training routines that address all the aforementioned four different types of chest shape/development.

A) ROUTINE FOR PEOPLE WITH EVEN CHEST DEVELOPMENT

-Decline Dumbbell Press

-Shallow Incline Dumbbell Press

-Flat Dumbbell Flyes

This program starts off with decline dumbbell presses which targets the lower chest but also stimulate the middle chest pretty damn well.

Then, the shallow incline dumbbell press is a great way to target the upper pecs while making it easier to keep the anterior deltoid as much as anatomically possible out of the movement. In order to accomplish this purpose, set the angle of incline bench between 15 and 20°.

Last, with flat dumbbell flyes you hit the chest right square in the middle. Contrary to popular belief, flyes can definitely be a mass-building movement. Simply make sure to let your elbows bend naturally (about 30 to 35°) at the bottom of the movement. Doing so enables you to substantially decrease the stress on the anterior shoulder and at the same time use dumbbells of respectable size.

B) ROUTINE FOR PEOPLE WITH LACKING UPPER AND LOWER DEVELOPMENT

-Decline Dumbbell Press

-Incline Barbell Press

-Dips (weighted, possibly)

The decline dumbbell presses are a good addition to pretty much any chest training program. They’ve been proven to activate more motor units (muscle fibers) in the pectoralis major than any other chest exercise you can think of!

The incline barbell press is a great exercise for the upper chest… IF you do it properly. Make sure to keep your chest lifted “up” throughout the movement. This helps to keep the stress on the upper chest as opposed to the anterior deltoids and prevents shoulder injuries very effectively.

You may also shorten the range of motion by about two inches on each end: stop the movement two inches short of lockout and two inches before touching your chest. Avoiding these portions of the ROM (range of motion) keeps constant tension on the upper chest and prevents the anterior delts from taking on the brunt of the load.

Dips (best if weighted if you’re strong enough) hit hard the chest, anterior deltoids, and triceps, there’s no way around that. However, by using a grip that’s slightly wider than shoulders width and leaning forward as much as you can, you can shift quite a bit of the stress from your triceps to your chest.

C) ROUTINE FOR PEOPLE WITH POOR UPPER AND MIDDLE DEVELOPMENT

-Floor Press

-Flat Dumbbell Press

-Shallow Incline Dumbbell Flyes

Many years ago I had a conversation with an old IFBB pro-bodybuilder, that enlightened me regarding how well floor presses can stimulate the upper chest. It made sense. 

At least one study I’m aware of has shown that using a slightly narrower grip improves upper chest activation even more so than an incline bench angle (surprisingly, huh?). This is because using a slightly narrower grip forces the elbows to come slightly in toward the sides (adduction of the humerus, see above) as opposed to them being flared. Subsequently, this puts the clavicular pectoralis in a better mechanical advantage to do its primary functions: flexion and horizontal adduction.

Perform the floor press with a grip width that’s just outside of shoulder width and that places your upper arms about 30° away from your sides in the starting position. Then push the barbell up and back in a slight arc such that it ends up over your upper chest.

When it’s time for the shallow incline dumbbell flyes, set the angle of the bench to between 15 and 20°. One way to accomplish this is to put two or three Olympic plates under the “head” end of the bench, if you can’t set it at said angle by using its own holes.

D) ROUTINE FOR PEOPLE WITH POOR UPPER DEVELOPMENT

-Incline Barbell Press

-Shallow Incline Dumbbell Press

-Low to High Cable Flyes

Since the most important functions of the upper chest are flexion and horizontal adduction, use the same grip width mentioned in the floor presses above, just slightly wider than shoulder width.

Low to high cable flyes perfectly mimic the line of pull (and action) of the clavicular pectoralis. It’s one of the best exercises around for “filling in” the upper chest up near the collarbone.

To perform the movement, start with two pulleys set in the bottom position and have your palms facing forward. Your upper arms (remember the humerus?) should be at about a 30° angle away from your sides.

Using your upper chest to pull your arms up and in, raise the handles up and together so that they come together at shoulder level or just slightly higher of you wish. The path of the cables should draw an upside down V in the air.

Be smart fellas.

When it comes to training (and life in general for that matter), many people erroneously think that all you have to do to succeed is work hard(er). Unfortunately, this isn’t true. You have to work intelligently, most of all!

As Bill Gates said, “Choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” 

The body is dynamic, ever-changing entity that adapts to the stimulation and stress you place upon it. That’s why it’s important to purposefully select the right exercises that will force your body in such a way as to visually go where you want.

No longer will you think of chest training as a haphazard collection of random press and flye movements. 

See ya’ll at the wet T-shirt contest.

Hopefully as viewers rather than contenders ?

TheRoid

Narrowminded, old-school approach to build bigger legs:

Heavy squats. Steak. Sleep.

The end.

Alright, that’s how they used to do it and it worked. Up to a certain point. 

It worked for hardgainers in the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s and I’m sure it would work for hardgainers today. Again…to some extent. 

But just because it’s one intense and effective way to pack on slabs of thigh muscle doesn’t mean it’s the only way to do it.

As a matter of fact, an intriguing study already published almost two decades ago suggests that a combination of low- and high-rep training is better than one or the other method for making size and strength gains.

Let’s now see why higher reps can work for hypertrophy, and then a new program to help you make major gains and turn you into the baddest m0th&rfÜkk&r in the gym.

Silly Blind Beliefs

Everybody knows the lame arguments against doing high-rep training for size, no matter what muscle groups we’re talking about. Without a significant load (generally defined as at least 60 or 65% of your 1RM) you’re training your muscles for “endurance” rather than size or strength. 

If you take a look at athletes who do a lot of reps of anything, you rarely see a lot of size in the muscles that do the high-rep work, unless it’s size that was built in the weight room with relatively heavy loads. (Please don’t mention cyclists as an exception; well-trained pro cyclists lift shitloads of iron, and even then their thighs are often big only when compared to their relatively underdeveloped upper bodies!) Even the old-school breathing squats employed a 10RM weight, which is usually about 75% of 1RM, enough to build size, if not necessarily strength in advanced lifters.

The most popular size-building plans since the 1950s have advocated lower reps for size, including Bill Starr’s famous 5 x 5 training based on the “big three” lifts (bench press, squat, deadlift).

The rationale behind using heavy weights with low reps is simple enough: If you target the high-threshold motor units, you don’t just hit the type II muscle fibers, which have the most potential to grow. You also hit the type I fibers, which offer limited size potential but have to come along for the ride, thanks to a well-known physiological phenomenon called the “size principle”.

Said size principle says that motor units always fire in a predetermined order, from the smallest to the biggest. So by the time the biggest motor units come into play, the smallest ones are already deployed. Thus, you don’t need to do anything that targets the smallest motor units since they already have skin in the game. On paper makes perfectly sense indeed.

YET, a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research makes a compelling argument for a mix-and-match kind of approach.

The researchers had a group of 16 male lifters do conventional hypertrophy training for six weeks, then divided them into two groups. Some did straight strength work (five sets of each exercise, using 90% of their 1RM. That would translate to about three per set.) The other group did the same thing, plus a final set of 25 to 35 reps using 40 to 50% of their 1RM.

The second group made slightly better gains in size over the following four weeks (which, frankly, were unimpressive across the board and that’s not surprising considering there was no nutritional intervention in the study), but the big surprise is that they made larger increases in strength.

Even though this blog average reader would shiver at the thought of training 10 weeks with only negligible muscle gains to show for it, the study suggests one compelling take-away message: Those light-weight, high-rep sets following heavy-weight, low-rep sets do SOMETHING. Whether they do it because they flush the muscles with nutrient-rich blood, or switch on some kind of still unknown metabolic pathway, or simply add volume for its own sake is pretty much a mystery, wild speculations aside.

But as long as there’s some actual benefit, who really cares about the cause?

You can go heavy and target the fast-twitch fibers one day and go lighter to hit the slow-twitch fibers another day, or combine them both into one workout. Plenty of big guys have used both approaches with equal success.

Squats Alone Hardly Suffices For Hams

Squat, for good reason, are the classic choice for using high reps to build huge muscles. That’s why you never heard the old-school guys talk about “breathing leg extensions”

Even if you stick with squats, there’s no rule that says you have to use back squats. Front squats would make it more challenging, and maybe offer more of a core-strengthening benefit. (I’d suggest holding the bar with the crossed-arm bodybuilder grip, rather than using the Olympic clean grip. That’s a lot of time to spend with your wrists in the rack position, not the best idea ever)

I would avoid overhead squats (too much shoulder and arm fatigue, and too much stress on the lower back) or Zercher squats (unless you have the pain tolerance of John Rambo on crack and Cheque Drops).

Deadlifts are another animal entirely. They can work, with some precautions.

Similar to high-rep heavy squats, high-rep heavy deadlift training is beneficial, but I think a trap bar is the way to go.

There’s definitely an increased risk for injury, so a high-rep program isn’t for beginners. You need to have solid deadlift form and not compromise technique to get a rep. Rather than just banging out 20 reps nonstop, park the weight after each rep, stand up and take a few deep breaths, then reset for the next rep.

I also caution against using an over-under grip, because that places the biceps under a lot of stress for a lot of time. I suggest using the overhand grip with both hands, and possibly using straps too. STAY 110% FOCUSED.

Some Due Warnings

If you think you’re ready to sack up and use high-rep training to put some new beef on your drumsticks, keep these points in mind:

It’s Definitely Harder Than You Imagine.

No matter how hard you think it’s going to be, you really have no idea until you try it. My personal experience suggests that 10 out of 10 people who try high-rep leg training want to quit before the end of the first workout.

Your muscles just aren’t used to this. They don’t have the pain tolerance yet, and you aren’t used to working this far past failure.

It’s really a mind game, you against your instinct for self-preservation. Don’t let sensible thoughts intrude. Be purposefully masochistic and push through the burn, as long as it’s muscular pain, and not your spinal discs coming apart…

Breathing Properly Is Essential

The classic 20-rep squat programs placed a huge emphasis on deep breathing.

I want to optimistically subscribe to the theory that you’ve been breathing for quite some time all by yourself and you’re probably pretty good at it now. I hope you can be trusted to handle the whole air-in-the-lungs thing without some muscle nanny detailing the finer points. Right?

That said, when you’re pushing into post-failure exertion, you really do want to take at least two or three big breaths. It’s the only “rest” you get in the middle of the set afterall, so you need to make the most of it.

Full Recovery Is Not Optional

Try to keep in mind that the goal is to make your thighs big and meaty. It’s not for cutting. It’s not something you do in the middle of baseball season. There’s no functional benefit here. Size is the one and only goal.

In order to achieve that size, you need a lot more calories than usual. Whole milk was fine before the advent of potent supplements like Hydro Whey and Cluster Dextrin, the same way a horse and buggy was fine before we invented Lamborghinis. You’d be nuts not to take advantage of these new formulations. 

High-Rep Sum-up

The goal of this program is obvious enough: Gain a lot of size, and gain it ASAP.

The precautions aren’t quite as obvious, but I think most of our readers know what they’re getting into when they try something extreme. It’s hard. It hurts. It’s incompatible with performance-related training. It’s not for the newbie, and it’s not for the guy who’s cutting calories to get that summertime six-pack to sport on the beach.

You need a brass-filled nutsack to do this, and a lot of food and supplements to get the most out of it – none of which are deal breakers for most of you, I guess.

So the real caution concerns your health, particularly your lower-back health. Your back extensors are going to get fried, and your core muscles are going to sue you for violation of muscle-labor laws! If those muscles quit on you, your back is vulnerable to injury. But that’s why this program is for experienced lifters only. You have to know what your back feels like when your lumbar spine is in a safe, neutral position, and no matter how tired you get, you have to be cognizant of any changes to that position. If you don’t think you can do another rep safely, you have to back off. Period.

Quite a few giants of the iron game have used high-rep leg training safely and effectively for many years, and if you have the uevos for it, I highly recommend giving it a shot. If nothing else, you’ll realize what a serious workout is supposed to feel like, so you grow a pair.

Of good legs, of course.

Arnold once said: “Leg workouts simply have to be brutal to be effective. Normal workouts are hard enough, but if thighs happen to be a weak point in your physique, you have to be prepared to push yourself even more. If you’re doing it right, expect to get quite nauseated.

From famous bodybuilders to famous strength coaches, there’s one permeating truth when it comes to leg training: it’s gonna suck. And perhaps that’s why big muscular legs in your gym are as rare as small breasts in Los Angeles since the 80’s. BUT if you’ve got the “uevos”, we’ve got the methods to change that. Here are some of the most effective quad-building exercises and routines ever discovered.

The King of -quads- squats

Well, powerlifters sure know a whole lot about squatting. And their knowledge has carried over into sports performance training and bodybuilding. Yet that’s a double-edged sword, because powerlifters are all about maximal efforts, wide stances, a shortened range of motion, and low bar positions. Great for moving a mountain of plates, but definitely not that great for targeting quadriceps development. The “quad squat” is a whole different beast compared to the powerlifting squat. Ready? Brace yourself… it’s a front squat. Yeah, the bar is uncomfortable. Boo hoo. Get over it! The front squat position allows you to keep the torso as upright as possible, and that’s crucial for zeroing in on the quads. It also allows most lifters to more easily squat deeply. Use a narrow stance. This shifts tension to the quadriceps and off the glutes and hamstrings. There’s no complete lock-out. Squat up until you’re 2-3 inches away from fully extending the legs. Again, this is all about targeted tension. And it burns like Hell.

Because of all of the above, yes, you’re going to have to use a lighter weight. So set the ego aside and remember this is about hypertrophy, not breaking a 1RM to impress the Bros. Many experts believe that the quads require more time under tension (TUT) and higher reps to grow anyway. Elevate the heels on a couple of weight plates or, even better,a wedged board. This allows greater range of motion and a deeper squat if that’s an issue for you, plus it encourages you to push through your toes which gives you MUCH more quad activation. Try it, you’ll find out what I’m talking about. In other words: Front squat, narrow stance, no lock-out, lighter weight, heels elevated ( comfortably). A due note: There’s a psychological component here as well. This quad squat is perhaps the most ego-crushing lift in existence. Everything about it amounts to the lifter having to lighten the load considerably compared to a powerlifting squat. Some people just can’t handle that… and their big asses paired with underdeveloped quads reflect it. On chicks this looks sweet. Don’t be that guy. Thank you.

Leg Press like this? Seriously?

Sports performance coaches often sh*t on the leg press because it doesn’t transfer well to sport, plus squats are more effective anyway at building overall strength, something that’s obviously important to coaches who work mainly with performance athletes. But what about the leg press for bodybuilding? That’s a whole different story kids. The leg press is a great exercise for hypertrophy, especially for the quadriceps. Period. So what’s the best way to use the leg press for quad size? I’ll tell ya: medium to narrow foot position, placed low on the foot plate, and performed with high reps. High reps you said? What about “Go heavy or go home”? There’s a time and a place for that, but if your quads are only a little bigger than your calves, then it may be time to strip off some plates and go for some nauseating Time Under Tension. Sorry lazyasses.

Many lifters have a high percentage of slow-twitch fibers in their quadriceps. 

• With quads, you can go as high as 30 reps per set. There’ve been many pro-bodybuilders who’ve grown on this range reps per set.
• While not everyone’s fiber-make-up is the same – and while varied rep ranges are usually best – I’d say that if you lack quad size, then high reps may be the cure you’ve been looking for. Here’s a routine that puts all this info to work.
• Using a much lighter weight than normal, a full range of motion, and the narrow and low foot positions, do leg presses for two straight minutes, no rest. Remember, full-range means you go down until your quadriceps cover your chest.
• For each rep, extend your legs to 90% of lockout at most. Again, the key is to keep the tension on the muscle at all times.
• By the time you finish this exercise, you may want to cough up a lung or two. Or three. These are my words of encouragement for you.

Quad Rises. Wut?

This is the equivalent of the glute-ham raise for the quadriceps. While it seems deceptively easy at first glance, it can really burn those quads of yours when performed properly, leaving you limping for quite some time…

I bet you’re just dying to try it, right? Here’s how to do it:

• Start on your knees, with the trunk upright and in line with the upper legs. During the whole movement the trunk and upper thighs must be kept on the same line; this is the key to the effectiveness of this movement.
• Lower yourself backward under control – bringing your back toward your feet – while remembering to keep your trunk tight and in line with the upper legs during the whole movement. Lower yourself as low as you can, then come back up to the starting position by tensing your quads hard.
• At first you won’t need to add any weight to make this exercise hard. As you progress, you can hold a weight plate on your chest to increase the difficulty.
• Sounds easy? It’s brutal.

Add a “finisher”

A finisher is any movement you add to the end of your regular training session to “finish off” the muscles and further stimulate hypertrophy. It’s totally old-school and masochistic… and totally effective for quad growth. You just perform your regular heavy compound movements first, then finish off with this torture method:

The ski squat. You’ll think it’s easy at first, but you’ll think again by the end of it, guaranteed. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, about two feet out from the wall, and lean your back against the wall. Bend your knees to a partial-squat position. This is position one. After 10 seconds, lower down to position two, about two inches lower. After 10 more seconds, lower another two inches down to position three. You should be about thigh parallel by now. Use another two lower positions, with position five being about as far as you can bend at the knees. Most people have legs like Jell-O by this point. If you’re not: Extend each static position to 20 seconds, or come back up after you work your way down the wall.

Can you smell it? That’s PAIN seeping from your pores son. Leg training involves a mental effort almost as much as a physical one. This means forcing yourself to break down any inhibition or barrier.Knowing the exercises and routines is one thing. Putting them to work, with intense mental focus and eyeball-popping effort, is quite another. Are you ready?

You better be!