Plan of Attack

Know the functionality and main movement patterns of the Biceps:

1. Angle of Greatest Stretch - this is the most important one and is often missed during a workout. Big mistake. Arnold knew about it and look what it did for him! The position is where you have your arm behind your body. This is achieved during an Incline DB Curl when you are seated at 45º or lower and perform strict bicep curls keeping the upper arm perpendicular to the floor. In this position the muscle fibers are pulled the maximum distance apart and the biceps is stimulated all the way along from origin to insertion causing maximum muscle fiber damage and therefore growth.

2. Angle of Greatest Contraction - this one is also important but is too often the focus of bicep workouts. The position is when you have your arm in front of your body during an exercise such as a Preacher Curl. At this angle the muscle fibers aren’t fully stretched at the bottom of the movement…

3. Neutral Grip to Pronated Grip (i.e. palm facing in twisting slowly to palm facing up) - the bicep doesn’t just cause elbow flexion (a normal curling action) but also rotates the thumb outwards where a full contraction is achieved. If you add this small, twisting motion during a bicep curl then you are utilizing the full action of the biceps creating maximum stimulation.

4. Neutral Grip (Hammer Grip) - performing curls with the palm facing in emphasizes the brachialus (outside of upper arm), the brachioradialus (the long, thick part of the forearm running from the inner elbow to the base of the thumb) and the long head of the biceps. This will give your arms more thickness and make them more complete.

5. Reverse Grip Back Exercises - bicep mass isn’t created performing concentration curls. It is a direct result of regularly and intensely pounding away at heavy, compound back exercises. Perform Reverse Grip Chin-ups, Reverse Grip Lat Pulldowns, Reverse Grip Barbell Rows and your arms will grow at a far greater rate than if you were to rely on specific bicep work alone. It allows your biceps with help from your back muscles to lift a mountain of weight safely.

6. Shoulder Flexion - one of the first things that you are taught when training biceps is to keep your elbows locked against the side of your body. This is to minimize the involvement of the anterior and lateral deltoid (front and side of the shoulder) so that the biceps is fully isolated and fatigued. Most of the time this is a good idea but when you are performing a heavy mass building exercise such as Standing Barbell Curl or Standing Alternate Dumbbell Curl a little elbow movement backwards and forwards can be beneficial. A little known fact is that the bicep assists in shoulder flexion so raising the elbow during a curl not only allows you to deliver more power it also facilitates a more complete contraction.

The Rules

Creating a great Bicep workout plan:

• Train arms only once per week - they are involved in all of your upper body and some of your lower body exercises and need time to rest and grow.

• Perform repetitions of 6 to 15 - biceps (and triceps) respond well to a broad range of reps with high intensity and good technique.

• Perform 2 super intense work sets per exercise - this will allow you to focus your intensity and achieve greater exercise variety hitting the biceps from all angles.

• Choose 4 to 6 exercises - it sounds like a lot but remember that (after warming up) you are only performing 2 sets per exercise.

• Superset biceps and triceps together set for set - this is the best way to train arms. While one is working and fatiguing the other is recovering. You can lift heavy for the entire workout and get extreme muscle pumps.

• Use a mix of Dumbbells, Barbells and Cables.

• Always employ safe, strict, controlled, intense technique. The Workout

45º Incline DB Curl 1 x 20, 1 x 15, 2 x 10
+
45º Incline BB Extension 1 x 20, 1 x 15, 2 x 10

Standing EZ BB Curl 2 x 8
+
Close Grip Bench Press 2 x 8

Standing Alternate DB Curl 2 x 8 each side
+
Seated Overhead DB Extension 2 x 10

Cable Preacher Curl 2 x 15
+
Rope Pushdowns 2 x 15

Kneeling DB Hammer Curl 2 x 10
+
Weighted Bench Dips 2 x 15

You will not find a more effective or more complete Bicep workout than this. All bases are covered. To learn the proper technique for all these great exercises please visit the Video section of my online Weight Training and Bodybuilding website www.GlobalWeightTraining.com. Thank you for your time and attention. Train hard and watch your arms grow.

Joey Sheather is the head trainer at Global Weight Training, which provides step-by-step instructions on how to get into shape in the shortest possible time. For more information, visit Personal Trainer.

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Big arms are like a stamp of manliness. Apparently girls love abs and so all the guys worry about getting a six pack; peruse any fitness or training forum and you’re bound to find hundreds of skinny wimplings asking how to get ‘ripped abs’ to impress the babes. The experienced know however that it is the arms that are the mark of a true Iron Warrior. A skinny kid can rip his stomach to shreds all he likes, but if he ever crosses a burly 22” behemoth he’s going to be in trouble regardless of how many sit ups he does every night. To get big arms a bodybuilder needs to the triceps the same or more attention than the biceps. A common mistake is to do hundreds of curls and pull ups and neglect the triceps. In reality the tricep should make up two thirds of the size of the arm and so it’s deadly important that you spend at least as long training them. Another bonus of the tricep is that it’s visible when your arm is straight or extended meaning you don’t have to point to the beach in order to show off your hard work.

It’s also crucial that you work muscles around the bicep and tricep; those being the deltoids, the forearms and the lats. Training these will enable you to pile on more weights than you would otherwise.

As you’re going for size you’ll want to train each muscle group hard once a week, leave yourself a lot of time to recover in between and eat a hell of a lot of protein. Add one of the workouts provided to your current weekly routine and increase the amount of protein in your diet and you can expect to add an inch to your arm over the space of a month or two. I have gone to the trouble of providing separate programmes for the beginner and the experienced. Note that neither of these is intended to replace your current routine but should be integrated instead - you still need to target your pecs, your back, legs etc on other days. Try to keep a fairly big gap between day 1 and day 2.

Remember aswell that if you’re training for strength and size you need to have high weights and low reps. About 5-8 reps performed to failure is recommended.

Note: If you don’t know some of the terms or exercise names then check them out in the index (retard).

Beginner’s Arm Programme (< 14”)

Day 1
Pull Ups - 10 x 3
Kneeling Curls - To failure x 3
Isolation Curls - To failure x 3
Bent Over Rows - To failure x 3
Lat Pull Downs - To failure x 3

Day 2
Tricep Kick Backs - To failure x 3
Cable Tricep Extensions - To failure sets x 3
Tricep Dips - To failure x 3
Upward Rows - To failure x 3

Advanced Arm Programme (15” >)

Day 1
Cable Curls - Drop sets x 3
Reverse Grip Dumbbell Curls - To failure + forced reps x 5
Pull Ups - To failure x 3
Preacher Curls - To failure with negatives x 3
Lat Pull Downs - To failure x 3
Bent Over Rows - To failure x 3

Day 2
Cable Tricep Extensions - Drop sets x 3
Tricep Kick Backs - To failure x 3
Weighted Tricep Dips - To failure x 3
Pullovers - To failure x 3
Upward Rows - To failure x 3
Shoulder Presses - To failure x 3

The-Biomatrix.NET - tonnes of training articles for bodybuilders, martial artists, powerlifters, traceurs and anyone who wants to be fitter and healthier.

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There’s no doubt that a guy reading this who uses AAS, and one who does not, are going to get different results from any mass-building program. Everyone should start off by saying this, but maybe some assume it goes without saying. However, on the other hand, the good news is, we really believe that someone natural can still add 10-15 pounds to his bench using this exact program, provided that he eats appropriate calories, gets appropriate rest, and uses supplements to his advantage, such as creatine, glutamine, and others that enhance one’s recovery and/or strength. Really, it’s technique, discipline and pushing oneself beyond a certain point. So, to sum up, if the AAS user is a lazy bugger, and the natural dude is motivated to succeed - no matter what - we think even the natural dude can surpass the lazy bugger. ‘Nuff said.

A Little About the Rationale Behind the Program

Anything that promises strength gains does so because it fits a particular profile. Remember this profile and you won’t have to read all of these articles all the time, because there are only so many effective combinations in this life. And this one is simply this:

Low Rep - Low Volume - High-Intensity

Okay, so the first two are probably fairly obvious, but how can one encapsulate the concept of “high intensity”? Not quite as simple or obvious, since it’s one of those concepts that a lot of people don’t understand. It isn’t just a mean look on one’s face prior to or during a set, it’s a set of factors that create a practical concept. Many things can constitute high intensity during training, depending upon what it is you’re doing - cardio or weight training. Generally, high intensity is maximum weight, manipulation or use of rest times as intensity, set type or pagination, number of sets or types of exercises combined, and most often forgotten… lack of cheating!

In this case, exercises ought to be basic and compound. Because we’re talking about bench press, we’re going to be using it mostly, but we’ll also add some ancillary exercises to ensure that the bench becomes stronger.

Form should be simple: No bouncing the bar off your chest or cheating the weights up, controlling the bar to just hover at its lowest point just an inch above the nipple area, a full grip rather than a false grip, a slightly wider than shoulder width and a sharp, heavy exhale as you drive the weight upward.

But first things first….

You need to determine your overall rep max with a particular weight. That’s crucial because you’ll be maxing weight out for intensity and strength and this is a meaningful measurement. So to arrive at it, you’ll need to do a few tests first:

2 x 12 with a weight you suspect is your heaviest you can do for :

2 sets of 12 w/ a 2 minute rest in between sets

1 x 8 with a weight you think you can do for:

10 reps w/ a 3 minute rest in between

1 x 4 with a weight you think you can do for:

6 reps w/ a 3 minute rest

Now, try your rep max for 1 with the single heaviest weight and take a 3 minute rest

Repeat by trying again 1 x 1 adjusting until you find it.

Rest 3 days after you do this exercise, then begin the following routine for 4 weeks:

4 WEEK ROUTINE

Bench Press

1 x 8 (weight _90% max_ );

1 x 6 (weight _85% max_ );

1 x 4 (weight _70% max_ );

1 x 8 (weight _50% max_)

Bench instructions: Pause at your chest for a few seconds, controlling the weight at the bottom end for added strength. Have a partner do a few negative reps with you on some of these. You can also use band tension to increase “explosivity” if you have them.

Incline Dumbbell Press (smith or regular bar station)

2 x 8 (weight _85% max_);

2 x 4 (weight _75% max_);

1 x ** (weight _85% max);

1 x 8 (weight _60% max_)

Dumbbell Flyes (Flat)

2 x 5 (weight _85% max_);

2 x 3 (weight _85% max_);

1 x 1 (weight _90% max_);

3 x 8 (weight _75% max_)

French Press - Skull Crushers

1 x ** (weight _75% max_);

2 x 8 (weight _65% max_);

2 x 5 (weight _80% max_)

(Do your regular triceps routine on its designated day if you can, with some drop-set dips added in)

** means to failure in that set

Take 3-4 days in between this workout - Don’t let us stop you from doing more of your max toward the end sets of your various movements. Push yourself, though not into injury. Rest times vary depending upon fatigue, but try to keep rest times to 2-3 minutes, tops!

Stretching: Do a series of stretches after this routine. It’s going to hurt and you’ll want to just stop the madness and pain from the extreme pump you have. You can start off by doing some light sets of flat bench flyes or incline dumbbell flyes. We’re talking 20 pounds or so in each hand. Hang from a chin bar too. All of this will help the lactic acid clear out, and soreness will be less. Taking glutamine will also help.

Supplementation: Creatine and Glutamine!! You decide the amounts, but really try to coordinate the first 3 weeks with a creatine load. Always finish off with a carb/ protein shake with 3-4 grams of glutamine.

A final word…

Remember, you can modify this, based on how you feel from day to day. Stick with the basics of the program, but if you are feeling more fatigued and you decide to go ahead with your workout instead of taking another day off, increase rest times slightly, tweak set or rep numbers, but keep it intense and have your partner add in more negatives or do some drop sets instead and end a little early. If you have to cut out something, make it French Press/ Skull crushers. The first 3 are truly important. But if you have to choose, definitely do the first three first.

Learn from your progress and mistakes and attack that bench like you’re a cannibalistic beast!

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Bodybuilding Supplements and alternatives to Steroids For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com

Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Bodybuilding Supplements and alternatives to Steroids. Please visit GetAnabolics.com for more info.

Biceps… everyone loves big biceps!

Whether they are looking at them, or own them, or feel them, they love them. Biceps are associated with strength and prowess as are wide muscular shoulders. Very primordial indeed as the cornerstone of masculinity, it is usually the first thing noticed in a short sleeve shirt.

So, how does one develop a big set of biceps? Or, more importantly, once they begin to grow, how do you keep them growing? Do you just add more sets of eight or do you raise the reps to twelve or maybe twenty to shock them into growth? It is shocking to see that many do just that!

AN INTENSE MUSCULAR CONTRACTION

Muscle growth is a reaction to a stress, like going out into the hot August sun. When you go out into the hot August sun, your body experiences it as a stress. Due to the intense sunlight, your skin begins to compensate, and then overcompensate, to lay down a means of protection for the next time you are exposed. The pigment in your skin becomes darker, you get a tan!

If you went out on a cloudy day in October for five hours, you would not get a tan as you would, being exposed to direct sunlight in August. The reason is because there is no stimulus… even if you put a whole bottle of suntan lotion on! By the way, I equate just that to bodybuilders who are in the gym doing four sets of eight or a predetermined number of reps, stopping short of the last almost impossible rep that turns on the growth mechanism.

How long and often do you think you would have to go out into the hot August sun to get darker? If you stayed out for three hours rather than two, you would possibly burn. If you went out again the next day you would probably blister and if you continued you would end up in the hospital. The reason is that the body would not have the time to compensate and then overcompensate for the intense rays of the sun. The volume and frequency is just too much.

Muscle requires an intense contraction in order to grow. As one grows stronger, the contraction must be more intense.

The question…how many intense contractions does a muscle need to stimulate growth?

The answer…one good one! Why one? As with the affect of the hot August sun, the body has a limited tolerance to exercise volume and a limited resource to compensate for that stress. Volume is not the answer, intensity is!

CLIMBING THE LADDER OF INTENSITY

As your biceps grow larger, it is not sets that you must add or reps but a more intense contraction. You can train hard or long, but you can’t do both!

For example, if you have been doing a set of Nautilus Curls to failure or maybe Barbell Curls and you hit an impasse where your strength and/or size gains have ceased, what should you do? Well we all know that the most important rep of any set is the last rep because it is the one that turns on the growth mechanism. Every rep previous to that is nothing more than a warm-up. What is needed is a reason to grow bigger and stronger. What is needed is a leap in intensity.

CONTRACTIONS ONLY AND NEGATIVES

This works wonderfully and best if done on a Nautilus or Hammer Curl machine. If you have a training partner, you can have him assist and use both arms simultaneously or if you don’t do it in Omni fashion (one arm at a time) and use your other arm to assist.

Use a weight heavier than what you could normally curl, usually thirty percent or so. Have your training partner assist you into the contracted position where your biceps are fully contracted. Be careful that your elbows are aligned with the axis of the machine. Hold the weight for seven to ten seconds (as a guide), to a point where you no longer are able to hold the weight, at which point you will do an extremely slow negative all the way to the bottom of the movement. You will find as I did in my phone clients that after a couple of workouts when they go back to doing a set of reps to failure, they will be stronger. Only one set necessary!

PARTIAL REPS

This is one of my favorites and it was Mike Mentzer that turned me on to this. He and Ray used to do this one with over two hundred pounds!

This technique is best done with a ninety degree preacher curl bench and a barbell. Your rep range should be about six full reps to failure, but don’t stop at six if it is not failure. Once you reach the point where you can not do another rep, have your training partner assist you with the next. At that point, your training partner will be holding his hands under the bar, as a safety net, while you lower it slowly. There will be a point where you feel you will not be able to return and your partner at that point will give you just enough assistance until you begin to move and complete the rep on your own. You two must be in synch with this! Now this point is usually less than half way down. Your partner will just get you moving again as you contract as hard as you can until you are finishing the partial end of the movement your own. Your partner can hold his hands at that same point as you lower the bar into his hands and he assists you until you get it moving again, sort of catching it for you. Do as many partial reps as safely possible, usually about four are enough but you will know. Move the bar slowly and strictly. One set is enough!

PREEXHAUSTION

This is another that can be done also by those who do not have access to Nautilus or Hammer Strength machines or to raise the intensity temporarily of your biceps workout.

Superset one set of barbell curls to failure with a close grip, hands facing you (like a chin up) lat pull-down using only a contraction and negative. After finishing your barbell curls to failure, go immediately to a lat pull-down machine where you have your training partner pull down the bar to your upper chest and you hold it in the contracted position for seven to ten seconds until you can not hold it any longer, at which point you continue with a slow negative. Your lats will be fairly fresh but you biceps after your curl will be wasted allowing the lats to push your biceps driving the intensity of contraction higher.

(Authors Note: I suggest if you are doing a bicep movement after back, and are doing a pull-down for back, you drop the pull-down for back on that day and do just the hold for the biceps.)

BE CAREFUL WITH TECHNIQUES

Be careful to not overuse these techniques. Use them for a couple or three workouts and then go back to training to failure. The leap in intensity is great. Always manage your volume and frequency as you get bigger and stronger.

ABBREVIATED ROUTINES

If you are doing an abbreviated routine in which you are not doing direct bicep work, you can incorporate some of these techniques such as contractions and negatives… and partials. However, do not get stuck using any technique for a long period of time or every workout as they can lead to overtraining very quickly if not managed properly.

Bill Sahli is a 35 year veteran X Competitive Bodybuilder, HIT Trainer, Author and Life Coach.

Bill is author of the E-book “R U Serious ®?- High Intensity Bodybuilding and the Audio Teleseminar - High Intensity Mindset found at ” http://www.ruserious.info

He is available for personal instruction on a limited basis. He has trained bodybuilders, athletes, professions, the handicapped & both men and women. His amazing techniques save hours in the gym, with most clients training 15-30 minutes within a week, allowing them to reach their goals in record time. You can reach Bill at rruserious@gmail.com ]]> http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/serious-biceps-with-one-set/feed http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/8-sports-supplements-to-boost-your-testosterone http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/8-sports-supplements-to-boost-your-testosterone#comments Mon, 14 Jan 2008 07:00:46 +0000 admin http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/8-sports-supplements-to-boost-your-testosterone

Many men, myself included, are looking for a safe and effective way to boost their natural testosterone. Increased testosterone levels have many benefits, especially for men who are over 35. It will make you not only look better, but feel better as well.

So, what are the safe, legal and effective ways that we men have to boost our natural testosterone levels?

I want to take a look now at 8 popular testosterone enhancing sports supplements. You may or may not have heard about all 8, but do you know if they actually work? This article will answer that question for you.

Here are the 8 testosterone boosters we will be looking at:

1. ZMA
2. Tribulus Terrestris
3. Fenugreek
4. Activate by Designer Supplements
5. 6-OXO
6. Avena Sativa
7. Tongkat Ali
8. Yohimbe

ZMA – ZMA is a designed mineral formula comprised of zinc monomethionine aspartate, magnesium aspartate and vitamin B-6. They are combined in specific ratios to supposedly maximize the effectiveness of ZMA. A 1999 study showed increases of up to 30% in free and total testosterone during an 8 week study of NCAA football players. However, this study was conducted by one of the owners of the company that holds the patent on ZMA. Not completely unbiased.

ZMA may have helped testosterone levels because the mineral zinc and magnesium play important roles in the production of anabolic hormones, especially testosterone. The study participants were shown to have borderline deficient levels of both minerals at the beginning of the study, so raising their levels to normal could have accounted for the rise in testosterone.

I wouldn’t rule out ZMA completely, most people in the U.S. are deficient in both zinc and magnesium. If you are slghtly deficient in zinc and/or magnesium ZMA could increase your testosterone production by bringing your levels back to normal. 8 out of 10 stars!

Tribulus Terrestris – This is a weed that grows in temperature and tropical climates and has been used for centuries to increase libido in males. Does it also increase testosterone levels as many supplement companies would have you believe? That depends on who is taking it.

Tribulus terrestris HAS been shown to increase testosterone levels by as much as 30%, but only in individuals who have low testosterone levels to begin with. It will raise your levels to normal, but it will not raise them if you already have normal testosterone levels.

So, tribulus terrestris is partially useful as a testosterone booster. If you are overtrained, if you are on a low calorie ‘cutting’ diet or if you are recovering from steroid or prohormone use (as part of PCT) tribulus terrestris can be useful n raising your testosterone levels. Don’t expect that it will give you super high test levels or significantly increased libido. 6 out of 10 stars!

Fenugreek – Fenugreek is an herb found primarily in Indian food. It has historically been used by nursing mothers to increase milk production. Studies on fenugreek are scant, but it has been shown to decrease blood sugar levels of type II diabetics.

Fenugreek has become popular recently as a testosterone booster in bodybuilding supplements. There is no proof at all that this is true. Because of it’s effect on blood sugar levels it could be useful as a cutting supplement used to lower blood sugar and insulin spikes. 2 out of 10 stars!

Activate – Activate is a fairly new product from Designer Supplements that claims to increase free testosterone levels in the body. The active ingredient has been trademarked under the name Divanil and is an extract of the stinging nettle plant.

Your body has both free testosterone and bound testosterone. Only the free testosterone is of use to you in building muscle. So, you may have high testosterone levels, but if all of it is bound it is useless to you for muscle building.

Your body controls the amount of free testosterone through a protein called Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG). The SHBG binds to your free testosterone making it unavailable for muscle building. Activate works by inhibiting (decreasing) the SHBG in your body. This means more of your testosterone is free to help with your muscle building.

There are no studies confirming the rise in free testosterone levels, but there are studies showing that lignans from stinging nettle extract inhibit SHBG and user feedback is almost unanimously positive. I myself have used Activate several times and find that it increases focus in the gym, hardens my muscles and also increased libido. 10 out of 10 stars!

6-OXO – This is a product developed and trademarked by Ergopharm. The active ingredient is 4-etioallocholen-3,6, 17-trione. There have been several studies to date that validate 6-OXO as a testosterone booster. These studies while small have shown average free testosterone increases of 126%. Longer term studies are still underway, but initial reports are positive. 9 out of 10 stars!

Avena Sativa – Please don’t believe the hype behind avena sativa. Avena sativa is the scientific name for wild oats. While I enjoy oatmeal as a good source of carbohydrates it is not a testosterone booster? No way! There are no studies or historical evidence that avena sativa does anything to increase testosterone levels. 0 out of 10 stars!

Tongkat Ali – Tongkat ali is an extract from the root of the Eurycoma shrub found mainly in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also called Longjack and Eurycoma Longfolia.

It has been used for centuries in southeast Asia to boost libido and as an aphrodesiac. Studies confirm that it works very well, increasing both sexual function and endurance as well as libido.

Researchers are unsure how Tongkat ali works, but they believe that it both increases testosterone production and increases free testosterone. Like a 1-2 punch. Common effects from Tongkat ali are increased well being, better body composition, increased libido and increased focus and aggression.

Tongkat ali does take some time to start working so it may take up to 2 weeks before you start to see its effects. You also need to make sure you are getting an extract of the root powder and not just root powder. The extract is more expensive, but necessary. 8 out of 10 stars!

Yohimbe – Yohimbe has been used as a testosterone booster as well as a fat loss aid. While it does aid in fat loss through several mechanisms, there is no proof that it boosts testosterone levels.

It is likely that people believe it increases testosterone because it does increase libido, however the libido increase is not due to a testosterone increase. Yohimbe works partially as a vasodialator which means it opens up blood vessels, especially those in the lower extremeties such as the genetalia.

Yohimbe has also been shown to have several negative and possibly dangerous side effects and many physicians advise their patients not to take yohimbe because of these side effects. 3 out of 10 stars!

The author is an avid student of sports supplements and testosterone boosting anabolics http://www.anabolicandsteroid.com ]]> http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/8-sports-supplements-to-boost-your-testosterone/feed http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/15-muscle-building-rules-for-skinny-guys http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/15-muscle-building-rules-for-skinny-guys#comments Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:09:19 +0000 admin http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/15-muscle-building-rules-for-skinny-guys

WHY CAN’T YOU GAIN WEIGHT?

Though there may be many reasons why you may be thin, the most apparent reason is because of your genetics. If your parents are naturally thin or have a small body frame, then you will most likely have the same small body type.

To some degree, your size can also be controlled by your metabolism. If you have a difficult time gaining weight of any kind (fat or muscle) then you most likely have a fast metabolism. That simply means that your body burns calories at a faster than normal rate. You must take this into account whenever you are considering a particular diet or training program. Is it geared towards someone with your metabolism and goal?

Now as you know, there are many ways to train. Hundreds, thousands even. Some work and some do not, but for the specific goal of gaining weight, there are a few UNIVERSAL things that all skinny guys must do.

Though much of the information I cover here is not as “magical” as you may like, I consider these rules to be the basics with regard to weight gain. These are not all of the answers, but they are definite elements that MUST be addressed in any successful weight gain program.

You should be able to easily integrate these rules into your current program to make it more suitable for your particular body and goals.

GENERAL RULES

1.Get the proper information that pertains to your SPECIFIC condition and goals.

The first big problem I find in most people is the lack of correct information. Yes you are motivated and doing things, but your effort is wasted on incorrect dieting and training information. Basically, skinny guys are taking advice from people who have never had a weight gain problem. Want to know how to gain weight? Then find someone who has walked your shoes. Someone who has been where you are.

2.Set a specific goal and create a plan of attack.

If you were to drive cross country to another city, would you just start driving randomly, or would you plan a route that would get you quickly and efficiently?

Think of your plan as a road map and your goal as your destination. Without a plan and a specific goal you will be without focus and can easily get lost or side tracked. This happens more often than you know. I see many people in the gym just doing whatever, or just eating whatever — no plan or specific goal. They wonder why they don’t make progress. They have no focus.

Having a specific program to follow allows you to take action each day. This action is focused on specifically getting you to your destination quickly. There is no thinking, debating or guessing. You just do it. A specific plan provides necessary daily structure that not only keeps you on the road moving forward, it also helps to develop good eating and training habits that will benefit you long after you have reached your destination.

3.Have confidence in yourself and belief in what you are doing.

Let’s face it; we live in a cruel world. Hate and jealously is everywhere. For most people who begin a fitness program to improve themselves, getting started will be half the battle. The other half will be staying motivated throughout the constant onslaught of negativity from others. A few negative words can do serious damage if you allow it.

The most insulting things you hear may be from friends, co-workers and acquaintances at the gym. People hate change. It makes them insecure, because they suddenly discover there’s more to you than they were probably willing to admit. They fear that you may actually achieve your goal. It makes them look less “superior”.

Once you have begun your plan, you must have faith and believe in what you are doing. Stay focused and avoid overly critical or negative people. If you have to, keep your business to yourself. When I first began my program, I stopped talking about what I was doing because I got tired of hearing things like “you can’t do that”, “that’s impossible”, “you’re wasting your time and money”. Funny thing is, now those people are constantly bugging me for advice.

It’s your life. It’s your body. It’s your dream. Don’t allow your success or failure to rest in the hands of others.

WORKOUT RULES

4. Stop listening to every ridiculous piece of advice you hear in the gym or read on a message board.

Recently a client of mine informed me that someone in the gym stated that he was training all wrong and he needed to train 5-6 days a week, and aim for more reps during his workout. Somewhere in the range of 15-20 reps per set.

The person giving the advice was quite confident about his recommendations, and he had an impressive physique that typically elevates him to the elusive “listen to me if you want to look like me” level in the gym. He was bigger than my client, so even though my client’s “intellectual” mind knows that advice is absurd; his “unrealistic dreamer” mind took this information very seriously. So seriously that he changed his program and didn’t inform me until a week or so later. This particular person had been making great progress on his current program, yet he allowed this one person’s comment to overshadow that progress and convince him that his program was inadequate. This is a mistake and it showed in his lack of further progress.

In addition, don’t judge the validity of what a person says by how they look. Just because the guy is huge doesn’t mean he is spewing pertinent advice for you. Many people that have big physiques are big despite of their training, not because of it. I know some huge guys that know very little about training and dieting correctly. They can do whatever and still gain muscle; unfortunately we are not that way, so we much approach things in a more intelligent way.

5.Workout Infrequently

This is the most difficult concept for many to grasp simply because it involves less action, instead of more. When we get motivated and start a new program, it’s natural to want to do something. We want to train and train and train. Thinking all along that the more you train, the more muscle you will build. Unfortunately, this could not be farther from the truth.

More training does not equal more muscle growth. Understand that the purpose of weight training is to stimulate muscle growth. That takes very little time. Once that has been done, the muscle needs to be repaired and new muscle needs to be built. That only happens when you are resting. You do not build muscle in the gym, you build muscle when resting! If you never give your body any essential “non active” time, when will it have a chance to build muscle? Think about that.

Now, add in the fact that you have a difficult time gaining weight and the importance of rest increases. Individuals who are naturally thin and have difficulty building muscle tend to require less training and more rest.

6. Focus on Multi-Jointed Lifts

Multi-jointed exercises are those that stimulate the most amounts of muscle fibers. Unlike isolation exercises which only work individual muscles, multi-jointed lifts work many different muscle groups simultaneously. For those needing to gain weight, this is ideal because these lifts put your body under the most amount of stress. This is the stress that will shock your nervous system and cause the greatest release of muscle building hormones. This results in increased muscle gain all over the body.

You can still do some isolation work; however it should not be the focus of your workouts, and should only come after your multi-jointed lifting is complete.

7. Focus on Using Free Weights

Free weights are preferred over machines for many reasons, but most importantly because they allow the stimulation of certain supporting muscle groups when training. Stimulating these stabilizer and synergistic muscles will allow you go get stronger, and ultimately build more muscle faster. Yes, some can most likely still build large amounts of muscle using machines, but why make it more difficult if you already have a difficult time gaining weight?

8. Lift a weight that is challenging for you

Building mass involves lifting relatively heavy weight. This is necessary because the muscle fibers that cause the most amount of muscle size growth (called Type IIB) are best stimulated by the lifting of heavy weight. A heavy weight as one that only allows you to perform 4-8 reps before your muscles fail.

Using a lighter weight and doing more reps can stimulate some Type IIB fibers, but again if you have a difficult time gaining weight, why make it more difficult? You need to try and stimulate as many as you can with the use of heavy weights.

9. Focus more on the eccentric portion of the exercise.

When you lift a weight, it can be divided into three distinct periods. The positive, the negative and midpoint. The concentric or “positive” motion usually involves the initial push or effort when you begin the rep. The midpoint is signaled by a short pause before reversing and returning to the starting position. The eccentric, or “negative” portion of each lift is characterized by your resistance against then natural pull of the weight.

For example, when doing push-ups, the positive motion is the actual pushing up motion. Once you have pushed all the way up, you hit the mid point. The negative motion begins when you start to lower yourself back down. Most would simply lower themselves as fast as they pushed up, but I recommend extending and slowing down this portion. Slowing down the eccentric part of the lift will help to stimulate more muscle growth. It actually activates more of the Type IIB fibers mentioned about in Rule 7.

10. Keep your workout short but intense.

Your goal should be to get in, stimulate your muscles and then get out as quickly as possible. It is not necessary to do large amounts of exercisers per body part trying to target every muscle and hit every “angle”. This should only be a concern of someone with an already developed, mature physique who is trying to improve weak areas.

If you have no pec, don’t concern yourself with trying to target inner, outer, upper, lower or whatever. Just work your chest. You should do no more than 2-3 exercises per body part. That’s it. Doing more than that won’t build more muscle, faster. In fact it could possibly lead to muscle loss. Long training sessions cause catabolic hormone levels to rise dramatically. Catabolic hormones are responsible for breaking down muscle tissue resulting in MUSCLE LOSS. While at the same time, long training sessions suppress the hormones that actually build muscle.

If you don’t want to lose muscle during your workouts, I suggest limiting your sessions to no more than 60-75 minutes MAXIMUM. Less if you can.

11. Limit your aerobic activity and training

Honestly, I do not do any aerobic activity when I am trying to gain weight. This is mainly because it interferes with the important “non-active” time my body needs for muscle building and recovery. I do understand that people have lives and other activities that they don’t want to give up, so it must be kept to a minimum. It won’t hurt your progress as long as you don’t over do it. If you find that you are doing more aerobic activity weight training, that’s overdoing it.

I also don’t recommend it because people tend do it for the wrong reasons. Many start aerobic activity because they believe it will help them to lose fat. While that is true, it won’t do so on a high calorie mass diet. To lose fat, you need to be eating fewer calories.

12. Don’t program hop

Here’s how it usually happens. You’ve just read about a new exercise or workout that is supposed to pack on the mass. Now, even though you had already started another training program a few weeks ago, you are tired of it and really want to start this routine instead because it sounds better.

I call these people, “program hoppers”. They are very enthusiastic when starting a new program, but they never follow it long enough to actually see any results. They are easily distracted and love to drop whatever they may be doing to follow the latest “hot” workout or exercise.

My advice is don’t do it. This is a bad habit that never leads to a positive outcome. Understand that it takes time for any program to work. To be successful, you must follow your program consistently. Yes, there are many different training methods and interesting routines out there, but you can’t do them all at the same time and jumping around won’t allow enough time for any of them to actually be effective for you. Pick one that is focused on your current goal and stick with it. There will be plenty of time to try the others later, but NOT NOW.

EATING RULES

13. Eat more

This rule is pretty simple, but usually the one that is not done correctly. If weight gain is your goal, then you will need to eat more food. Period. In most cases, you will need to eat more than you are normally accustomed to.

One large problem that I had when starting out is I just had no appetite. I knew I needed to eat more, but I just did not want to. I had to force myself to eat at each meal. Thankfully, after about 2 weeks, my appetite grew. I was becoming hungry before each meal, and if I didn’t eat my meal at the normal time, my body knew it.

If you have this problem, you still must eat something, no matter how much. Start off making yourself eat something small like fruit every few hours. Then, as your appetite becomes more active, gradually move into more real food.

What this will do is gradually get your body accustomed eating at regular intervals. Eventually you will be hungry before each meal time.

When eating more, you will need to make sure that you are getting plenty of good quality protein. Protein is a nutrient that is essential for building muscle. Every meal that you eat should contain some form of protein. Meal Replacement Powders like Myoplex are excellent for this purpose. They enable you to eat large amounts of good quality protein in a very convenient manner.

14. Eat more often

In addition to eating more calories, you should also strive to eat more often throughout the day. Eating infrequently, or going long periods without eating, will cause your body to breakdown muscle tissue for the calories it needs. This is especially true for those with fast metabolisms.

Spreading your meals throughout the day will give you more manageable meal sizes, improve nutrient assimilation, and make sure that your body always has the calories it needs for muscle building and repair. I recommend eating a high protein meal every 3 hours. During normal waking hours, that usually equals about 6 meals.

Now, I know what you are saying, “I’m too busy to do this”, or “how can I do that with a full time job and school?” Don’t let the thought of this being too difficult keep you from doing it. It may seem very inconvenient at first, but once you get in the habit of doing it, it becomes second nature and you don’t have to give it much thought. Trust me, I’ve been doing it for years and do not feel that it’s limiting or time consuming.

15. Use Nutritional Supplements.

Before you buy any product, remember that supplements are not magic. Too many people think that just because you buy the latest product, it guarantees that you will automatically begin to pack on the pounds. The truth is that supplements are only there to enhance an already solid diet and workout program.

They can give you the extra edge by:

* Adding More Convenience: Using food supplements like Myoplex or Designer Protein help to eliminate the common problem of ‘not enough time’, by providing you with a quick, efficient way to get your required nutrients each day. They make eating large amounts of calories and protein easier for people with low appetites.

* Increasing Strength Levels: Products that contain Creatine, like Phosphagen HP or Cell-Tech enable you to swing the odds of gaining more weight in your favor by increasing your strength output. Creatine enables you to lift heavier weights, which will stimulate more muscle fibers and cause more muscle growth.

* Decreasing Recovery Time: Vitamin C is essential to prevent free radical damage, which is accelerated after the heavy trauma of weight training. It is also essential is helping to repair connective tissue. All of this helps decrease the amount of time you are sore.

* Enhancing Your Immune System: Weight training increases the body’s need for many minerals like magnesium and selenium. I always use a good multi-vitamin ensures that I am not deficient in any major essential vitamin or mineral. Deficiency symptoms include muscle weakness and suppression of the immune system, muscle cramping and fatigue.

I can honestly say that I could not have built the body I have today without the convenience and enhancements supplements provide. I simply don’t have the time or desire to do it any other way. This is a choice that you must decide for yourself. You will be spending your money on these products, so make sure that you know their place in your program.

IS THIS POSSIBLE?

Yes, but I have to be honest and say that from my experience, gaining weight is much more difficult than losing fat. Even if you are doing everything right, it will still be difficult because you are fighting against what your body naturally prefers. If you are naturally thin, building an impressive physique involves persistence and determination, but no matter what anyone says, it is well within your ability. Good luck and for more information on how to gain weight, be sure to check out my website at http://www.fastmusclegain.com

Former “skinny guy” Anthony Ellis is the author of Gaining Mass. The most widely used weight gain program in the world. This unique program designed to help people gain weight and build muscle, is currently being used in over 90 countries. For more information on how to gain weight and build muscle, check out his website at http://www.fastmusclegain.com ]]> http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/15-muscle-building-rules-for-skinny-guys/feed http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/the-10-best-shoulder-building-exercises-for-bodybuilding-beginners http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/the-10-best-shoulder-building-exercises-for-bodybuilding-beginners#comments Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:51:00 +0000 admin http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/the-10-best-shoulder-building-exercises-for-bodybuilding-beginners

For most guys, the biceps are the undisputed king of muscle! But what good is a king without a crown? If you want GUNS that get respect at the beach and on the street, you’ve got to crown them with cannon ball deltoid development! For big, muscular shoulders that’ll produce personal pride and physical power, keep reading because I’ve got the 10 best beginning exercises for you right here.

1. Seated Front Military Press

Your shoulders consist mainly of 2 muscle groups, the trapezius and the deltoids. The trapezius or “traps” are the two large triangular shaped muscles that run across each shoulder from the back of your neck. Your deltoids or “delts” are the thick, triangular shaped muscles that cover your shoulder joints at the top of each arm. The deltoids consist of 3 sections known as the anterior, medial and posterior heads. For balanced deltoid development, you must train each section equally.

The front military press is a great starter exercise for building the anterior or front section of your delts. You can perform this exercise from a standing or seated position. For beginners, I recommend the seated position, preferably in a chair that has low back support to prevent arching or hyperextension of your spine. With proper technique, this basic military press will add thickness and power to the front of your shoulders. As you advance in your training, you should eventually graduate from this exercise to the dumbbell shoulder press.

2. Barbell Front Raises

This exercise is great for building shape and endurance in your anterior delts. Since barbell front raises put tremendous resistance on the front of your shoulders, you should not attempt to do this exercise with heavy weight. Moderate poundage with strict technique (i.e., no bouncing or jerking the weight with your body) is sufficient to add strength and shape to your anterior delts. For variety, you can also do this exercise with a straight bar attachment to a low cable apparatus.

Whether you use a barbell or low cable machine, you must stand with your arms straight as you raise the bar forward from the front of your thighs to a position parallel to the floor at about shoulder height. To put secondary resistance on your rear delts and traps, raise the bar slightly above shoulder height. It won’t take long to feel the burn from this exercise, but the payoff in deltoid development is well worth it.

3. Seated Reverse Dumbbell Press

The reverse dumbbell press, aka the “Arnold Press” is another terrific shoulder builder for your anterior delts. When done properly, this exercise also puts concentrated resistance on the upper portion of your traps. You can do the reverse dumbbell press with both arms pressing the weights simultaneously or by alternating each arm. In either event, I suggest that you do this exercise in a seated position with good back support to avoid injury.

To do this exercise, hold 2 dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing you. Keep your back straight and don’t bounce or jerk your body as you slowly press the dumbbells overhead. As you press the weight upward, rotate your wrists so that your hands face forward at the top of each lift. Return the dumbbells to the starting position as you lower them after each rep. If you’ve never done this exercise before, start with weight that you can easily balance and control and progress to heavier poundage when you’ve mastered your training technique. Take my word, the results will be awesome!

4. Dumbbell Front Raises

Like barbell front raises, the dumbbell version of this exercise puts extreme resistance on the front of your shoulders. In addition to building the anterior deltoids, front dumbbell raises put secondary but significant stress on the medial deltoid head. The mechanics of this exercise are basically the same as with barbell front raises. You must stand with your arms straight as you raise the dumbbells forward from the front of your thighs to a position parallel to the floor at about shoulder height. Again, due to the extreme level of training resistance that front raises produce, you should not attempt to do this exercise with heavy weight. Moderate poundage with strict form will give you great results.

5. Behind-The-Neck-Military Press

The “behind-the-neck” or rear military press is a solid mass builder for the medial deltoid or middle shoulder area. Like the front military press, you can perform this exercise from a standing or seated position. Again, I recommend that you do your military presses in a chair with lower back support to avoid arching or hyperextension of your spine. The seated position also helps to stabilize your torso so you won’t jerk the weight upward and cheat on technique. As with all overhead lifting, go slow, master your training technique and the rear military press will add mass, power and symmetry to the middle portion of your shoulders.

6. Dumbbell Lateral Raises

Nothing beats dumbbell lateral raises for targeting the medial head of your delts. And this is another shoulder exercise that provides great results without using excessively heavy weight. With your arms at your sides, grasp a dumbbell in each hand. Slowly raise your arms outward and upward until the dumbbells reach shoulder height in a position that parallels the floor. Return to the starting position. To work the medial delts from every possible angle, vary your workouts by doing some sets with your hands at your sides, some sets with your hands slightly in front of your thighs, and some sets with your hands behind your hips. This exercise is great for adding the shoulder girth necessary to beef up your V taper.

7. Single Arm Cable Lateral Raises

This exercise is a good substitute for dumbbell lateral raises for variety or when dumbbells may not be available to you. Except for the fact that you alternately train each shoulder, the mechanics of this exercise are basically the same as with the dumbbell version. With your arm at your side, simply grasp a low cable handle and slowly raise your arm outward and upward until the handle reaches shoulder height in a position that parallels the floor. Return to the starting position. For maximum effectiveness, you should vary your workouts by starting some sets with your hand at your side, some sets with your hand in front of your thighs, and some sets with your hand behind your hips.

8. Seated Two-Armed Dumbbell Rows

Unless you focus on training your rear delts, it’s easy to forget about them and end up with unbalanced shoulder development. This happened to me years ago when I was still more or less in my infancy when it came to serious bodybuilding. At the time I was living and training in Montreal at “Winston’s Gym,” a bodybuilding powerhouse then owned by Canadian bodybuilding great, Winston Roberts. So one day I asked Winston what I should do to build mass into my rear delts.

Without hesitation he told me to sit on the edge of a flat bench, grab a dumbbell in each hand, lean forward to about 45 degrees and pull the dumbbells toward my torso as though to touch my elbows behind my back. Wow, did this work! My rear delts responded almost immediately to this new workout, and the “Seated Two-Armed Dumbbell Row” was born! To make sure that you fully develop each section of your deltoids, you’ve got to include this rear delt builder in your shoulder workouts.

9. Bent-Over Lateral Raises

This exercise also isolates the posterior deltoid area for full, symmetrical shoulder development. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. Bend forward at the waist but keep your back straight and your head facing forward. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand with your elbows bent slightly and raise your arms outward and upward until the weight reaches shoulder height. Return to the starting position. For variety or if dumbbells aren’t available, you can also do this exercise with a low cable machine.

10. Upright Rows

Finally, one of my all time favorite shoulder shapers, the upright row builds the entire deltoid area and I love the secondary biceps pump I get whenever I do this exercise. Just grab a barbell with an overhand and slightly wider than shoulder width grip. If you’re using a cambered or EZ Curl Bar, use the wide grip hand position. Raise your arms and pull the bar upward until it nearly touches your chin. To put more resistance on your traps, try pulling your elbows up a little beyond shoulder height as you complete each rep. Return to the starting position. I’m continually amazed at how seldom I see anyone doing this exercise. But you’ve got to do upright rows if you’re serious about building big, muscular shoulders.

Well, that’s it - my Top 10 list of shoulder-building exercises for beginning bodybuilders. Try them, have fun with them, and make sure that you use safe amounts of weight and proper training technique with every exercise.

Mark G. Winston, “The Master Gunslinger,” is author of the ground-breaking training manual, “GO For Your GUNS - 7 Simple Secrets to AWESOME ARMS.” He has also created GOforyourGUNS.com, a bodybuilding and fitness website dedicated entirely to helping you build big, muscular arms. Mark’s forthcoming book will be jammed with workouts and training techniques to help you build the big, muscular arms that you deserve! To learn about the GO For Your GUNS bodybuilding system and get free arm training tips that really work, visit http://www.GOforyourGUNS.com ]]> http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/the-10-best-shoulder-building-exercises-for-bodybuilding-beginners/feed http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/how-i-built-20-inch-arms-naturally http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/how-i-built-20-inch-arms-naturally#comments Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:41:24 +0000 admin http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/how-i-built-20-inch-arms-naturally

I’ve learned that when seeking bodybuilding advice, I always gain the most from someone who’s actually accomplished whatever it is that I’m trying to do. Any armchair guru can read a book and “talk the talk,” but experience counts and I always get the best advice from a teacher who’s “walked the walk.” When it comes to building massive arms naturally, I’ve done it - and that means that I’m sharing knowledge with you based on years of personal experience that produced my 20-inch GUNS.

How I Did It

When I first started training my arms, I used 4-week periodization mesocycles in which I changed my arm training workouts about once per month. At the end of each cycle, I would take about 7-10 days off from specifically training my arms with weights so that they could rest during a period which is commonly referred to as “active recovery.”

During this active recovery phase, I’d do bodyweight training like triceps pushups, chin ups and other calisthenics that kept my arms active but didn’t require them to work as hard as they do during weight training. After the active recovery period, I’d return to the weights with a completely different arm workout for another 4-week mesocycle followed by an active recovery period. Here’s a short list of the foundational exercises I used in the early stages of my arm building efforts.

1. EZ Bar Preacher Curls

The preacher bench is a terrific training tool as it forces the biceps to work in relative isolation from the back and shoulders. Preacher curls require strict technique that forces your biceps to provide the leverage needed to lift the weight. The EZ Bar offers both narrow-grip and wide-grip hand positions. Using the narrow-grip position puts primary stress on the outer portion or long head of the biceps. Curling the EZ Bar with a wide grip emphasizes power needed from the inner portion or short head of the biceps. To build balanced muscularity in my biceps, I’ve been careful to use both the narrow and wide grip when doing this exercise.

2. Preacher Curls

Many competitive bodybuilders use this exercise exclusively as a “shaper” during pre-contest training. For me, the dumbbell preacher curl worked as a tremendous mass builder when used in a pyramid cycle. In fact, I used this exercise as a high intensity training movement to simultaneously add size and shape to my biceps. This exercise really helped me to make the mind-body connection so essential to arm-building success.

3. Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls

This exercise is one of the best biceps builders ever as long as you sit on a bench that has a back rest to prevent torso movement. Too many people do this exercise either standing or sitting on a bench without back support. In order to make sure that your biceps get the most work from this movement you must stabilize your torso so as to prevent any jerking motion. Also, remember to supinate your hands throughout each repetition to stimulate maximum growth for your biceps.

4. EZ Bar Triceps Extensions

This exercise, also known as “Skull crushers” is great for building thick, dense triceps. For maximum growth, I kept my upper arms in a position perpendicular (90 degrees) to the exercise bench throughout each repetition. This position can sometimes cause elbow strain or discomfort that I avoided by moving my arms slightly forward to lower the resistance angle and reduce stress on my elbows. Making this minor adjustment as needed didn’t impede the effectiveness of this exercise, and I still use it as a triceps builder.

5. Seated Triceps Dips

Seated triceps dips are another terrific triceps builder, yet I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen anyone doing them in the gym. Maybe people ignore them because, like triceps pushups, they look too simple to do any good. Well, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding, and seated triceps dips certainly added power and density to my triceps. When I was a beginner, this exercise was very effective with my bodyweight alone. But as my training and strength progressed, I added weight by doing these dips with 1 or 2 barbell plates on my lap. The result? T-shirt bustin’ GUNS, baby!

6. Single-Arm Triceps Extensions

Though it’s possible to build mass with this exercise, the over-head arm position prevented me from using sufficient weight to generate the type of power and mass-building potential available from Skull crushers and seated dips. So I used this exercise primarily as a shaping movement. You should experiment with it in a manner that gives you the best results. Again, I don’t recommend using heavy weight with this movement because of the risk of shoulder injury. Consistent use of light-to-moderate weight provided great results for me from this triceps shaper.

For workout variety, I initially changed my workouts by simply doing different exercises for my arms in each successive mesocycle. Simply changing my workouts every 4 weeks with these exercises worked well for the first few months. But I soon learned that my mind and body adapted very quickly to any arm training workout and I needed more variety in order to see gains in my arm development.

I then shortened my training periods to 1-2 week microcycles and made other periodic changes to my arm workouts that included creating my own exercise movements and training system [e.g., my signature Piston Curls, Winston Hammer Curls and Machine Gun Curls]. I also developed hundreds of workouts specifically designed to continuously shock and stimulate my arms for constant growth. With this approach, I ultimately built the CANNONS that now burst from my shirtsleeves!

But can you do this? Well, if you’ve read my other articles on building big, muscular arms, you already know my answer to this question - of course you can! And don’t use “bad genetics” as an easy excuse to give up before you even get started. Experiment with different workouts, find a system that works for your body type, and just keep pumping those GUNS. Make sure that you use proper training technique and stay mentally focused on success. You must also commit yourself to constantly learning and looking for new workouts that challenge your arms to grow. If I could do it - you can too!

Mark G. Winston, “The Master Gunslinger,” is author of the ground-breaking training manual, “GO For Your GUNS - 7 Simple Secrets to AWESOME ARMS.” He has also created GOforyourGUNS.com, a bodybuilding and fitness website dedicated entirely to helping you build big, muscular arms. Mark’s forthcoming book will be jammed with workouts and training techniques to help you build the big, muscular arms that you deserve! To learn about the GO For Your GUNS bodybuilding system and get free arm training tips that really work, visit http://www.GOforyourGUNS.com ]]> http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/how-i-built-20-inch-arms-naturally/feed http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/hardgainers-bodybuilding-training http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/hardgainers-bodybuilding-training#comments Sat, 05 Jan 2008 04:52:49 +0000 admin http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/hardgainers-bodybuilding-training Mass Building Training Principles For Hardgainers

There are many mass building training principles that hardgainers need to follow in order to get results from their bodybuilding training routines. Because of the hardgainer’s fast metabolic rate, not all bodybuilding routines are suitable for this type.

Hardgainers’ Training Principles

• Sessions should be short: 60 minutes maximum. The maximum amount of time a weight training session should last is 60 minutes. After 60 minutes the levels of muscle building hormones like growth hormone and testosterone begin to drop. In addition, the stored carbohydrates in your muscle cells and liver, glycogen, which is the fuel that your muscles use to contract, is depleted. If you weight train more than 60 minutes you will actually be wasting your time since you will no longer have the hormones or the fuel necessary to produce muscle growth. Continue to train past 60 minutes and you will get impaired recovery which leads to overtraining, a condition where your body does not recover from its weight training sessions. This leads to loss of strength and muscle mass.

• The rest between sets should be kept to a minimum; 90 seconds or less. Keeping your rest time in between sets and exercises to a minimum not only allows you to perform a prodigious amount of work within the 60-minute weight training window, but it also helps improve your cardiovascular system and most importantly maximizes the output of growth hormone; a powerful fat burning/muscle building hormone. Also, this rest interval promotes a muscle voluminizing effect in which water goes inside the muscle cells (not outside) and makes the muscles look more firm and toned. Do not confuse this with water retention outside of the muscle cells, which is what makes us look puffy and fat.
• Weight Training Exercise should not be performed for more than two days in a row. This is something that is very important for hardgainers. While most endomorphs can recover from a six-day per week training split, most hardgainers have a difficulty recovering from more than four sessions per week. The reason for this is because their nervous system gets very taxed after two days of high intensity weight training, so continuing to train past two days will lead to a depressed nervous system; something that in turn will prevent the body from being able to recruit the maximum amount of muscle fibers in order to perform a lift. In addition, with a constantly depressed nervous system, strength gains not only become impossible to come by, but also to keep; so as a result you could see your strength diminishing.
• Sets of each exercise should consist of a range of 6-15 repetitions. There are many reasons for this. First and foremost, it has been shown that it is within this range that growth hormone output is maximized. As we already know, this is a good thing since this hormone does exactly what we are looking for (it increases muscle and decreases body fat). In addition, since you are performing so many repetitions, you get a great pump (blood rushing into the muscle) that provides nutrients to nourish muscle cells and helps them recover and rebuild faster. Finally, performing 6-15 repetitions reduces the possibility of injury dramatically since you will need to use a weight that you can control in order to perform the prescribed amount of reps. (Note: This rule does not apply to the calves and abdominals as these muscles usually respond better to higher repetition ranges, in the order of 13-15 reps).
• Training must be progressive. Progression means one more repetition than the last time the exercise was performed or a little bit more weight if you are able to do more than 15 repetitions for a particular exercise. It is important to understand that you will not be able to increase weight or the number of repetitions every session. However, progression comes in many forms; like performing more work within the 60-minute period. The overall goal of a training routine is to ensure progression over a period of time to bring about continuous improvements in muscle tone and definition.
• Training must be varied. This principle is vital to ensure continuous gains in strength and muscle tone as well as to prevent boredom. Variation does not necessarily mean changing all of the exercises in your program. Variation can occur in the form of using different techniques to stimulate the muscle, changing repetition and set parameters, and even changing the rest in between sets and something as simple as changing the width of your grip placement on the bar to help isolate specific muscles. As you will soon see, in this program you will alternate between three-week periods of high volume work with three-week periods of higher intensity (heavier weights) work. In this manner, the body is stressed in a manner that allows for maximum growth stimulus. If you were to perform the same lifting routine day in and day out, the result would be staleness as a routine only works for as long as it takes the body to get used to (adapt) it.

• The form in which you perform an exercise should be impeccable. This is one of those things that most lifters, especially male lifters, have a problem with. By letting the ego take control, many lifters concentrate on ever increasing the weight without regards to exercise form. Not only can this practice seriously injure the muscle group being worked on, requiring surgery as a result in certain instances, but also it prevents the proper stimulation of the muscle group being worked. The reason for this is that when doing less than perfect form, other muscles come into play, taking away as a result some of the load from the muscle that you are supposed to be targeting. This practice will slow down growth and get you injured so please pay attention to exercise form.
• Aerobic exercise and outside activities should be minimized. I am not anti-aerobics by any means. I love to perform aerobics by walking, riding a bike and other suitable activities in order to keep the cardiovascular system in good shape. However, what I am saying is that in order for the hardgainer to maximize results in muscle mass, aerobic activity and other outside activities such as sports like basketball or soccer, which involve a high degree of activity, need to be minimized. The reason for this is again nervous system recovery and also the fact that the hardgainer has a super fast metabolism. By performing too much caloric burning activities you will make it harder on yourself to gain muscle as you will need more calories than what is recommended in this book in order to cover your energy needs and those require by muscle growth. In this book, we will limit cardiovascular activity to a couple of times per week from 15 minutes to no more than 25.
• Training must consist primarily of free weight basic exercises. Only free weight basic exercises provide the fast results you are looking for because they recruit the most muscle while you are performing them. Besides, the body is designed to be in a three dimensional universe. Whenever you use a machine you limit your body to a two-dimensional universe and consequently you limit the amount of muscle fibers that are going to do work. Not all machines are bad however. Some definitely have a place in our weight-training program because they allow us to isolate the muscle in a way that no free weights would allow us to do. However, our program should be mostly based on barbell, dumbbell and exercises where the body moves through space such as the dip, the pull-up and the squat. In the sections below, we will cover in more detail which exercises are the best for muscle gains and the reasons behind it.

Hardgainers’ Sample Mass Building Training Routine

Monday: Chest/Back/Biceps/Triceps/Upper Abs

Superset #1:
Incline Dumbbell Press (adjust bench to an angle of 25 degrees) 3 sets of 8-10 reps (No Rest)
Close Grip Pull-up to Front (palms facing forward) 3 sets of 8-10 reps (1 min rest)

Notes: If you cannot perform the pull-up, then try to have your partner help you up or use a weight assist machine. Otherwise, substitute with Pull-downs.

Superset #2:
Flat Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets of 10-12 reps (No Rest)
Neutral Grip Pull-ups 3 sets of 10-12 reps (1 min rest)

Notes: If you cannot perform the pull-up, then try to have your partner help you up or use a weight assist machine.

Otherwise, substitute with Pull-downs.

Superset #3:
Dumbbell Hammer Curls 3 sets of 8-10 reps (No Rest)
Overhead Triceps Extensions 3 sets of 8-10 reps (1 min rest)

Superset #4:
Dumbbell Preacher Curls 3 sets of 10-12 reps (No Rest)
Triceps Pushdowns 3 sets of 10-12 reps (1 min rest)

Crunches 3 sets of 15-20 reps (1 min rest)
Tuesday: Thighs/Hamstrings/Delts/Calves/Lower Abs

Superset #1:
Wide Stance Squats 3 sets of 8-10 reps (No Rest)
Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlifts 3 sets of 8-10 reps (1 min rest)

Notes: If you suffer from lower back problems substitute the wide stance squat for a wide stance leg press (press with toes since you are working the quads).

Superset #2:
Leg Extensions 3 sets of 10-12 reps (No Rest)
Lying Leg Curls 3 sets of 10-12 reps (1 min rest)

Superset #3:
Lateral Raises 3 sets of 8-10 reps (No Rest)
Standing Calf Raises 3 sets of 8-10 reps (1 min rest)

Superset #4:
Bent Over Lateral Raises Curls 3 sets of 10-12 reps (No Rest)
Seated Calf Raises 3 sets of 10-12 reps (1 min rest)

Hanging Leg Raises 3 sets of 15-20 reps (1 min rest)
Thursday: Chest/Back/Biceps/Triceps

Modified Compound Superset #1:
Incline Bench Press 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (90 second rest)
Close Grip Chins with reverse grip 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (90 second rest)

Notes: If you cannot perform the pull-up, then try to have your partner help you up or use a weight assist machine. Otherwise, substitute with Pull-downs.

Modified Compound Superset #2:
Chest Dips 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (90 second rest)
Wide Grip Pull-ups to front 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (90 second rest)

Notes: If you cannot perform the pull-up, then try to have your partner help you up or use a weight assist machine. Otherwise, substitute with Pull-downs.

Modified Compound Superset #3:
E-Z Curls 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (60 second rest)
Close Grip Bench Press 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (60 second rest)

Modified Compound Superset #4:
E-Z Preacher Curls 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (60 second rest)
Lying Triceps Extensions 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (No rest)
Crunches 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (60 second rest)

Notes: In order to be able to finish the routine within the allotted time, abs were included in this last modified compound superset. The way this superset is performed is by doing the curls first, resting 60 sec, moving to the extensions and without rest to the crunches. After the crunches, rest 60 seconds and start over.
Friday: Thighs/Hamstrings/Delts/Calves

Modified Compound Superset #1:
Medium Stance Squats 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (90 second rest)
Lying Leg Curls 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (90 second rest)

Notes: If you suffer from lower back problems you may substitute the squat for the leg press. Since you are performing the leg press as your second exercise, then just use a close stance on this one and a medium stance on the second one.

Modified Compound Superset #2:
Leg Press 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (90 second rest)
Barbell Stiff Legged Dead-lifts 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (90 second rest)

Modified Compound Superset #3:
Seated Military Press 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (60 second rest)
Calf Press 3 sets of 10, 8, 6 reps (60 second rest)

Modified Compound Superset #4:
Upright Rows 3 sets of 8, 6, 4 reps (60 second rest)
Standing Calf Raises 3 sets of 10, 8, 6 reps (No rest)
Lying Leg Raises 3 sets of 10, 8, 6 reps (60 second rest)

Notes:

• Use perfect form in the upright rows as sloppy form leads to rotator cuff injuries.
• In order to be able to finish the routine within the allotted time, abs were included in this last modified compound superset. The way this superset is performed is by doing the upright rows first, resting 60 sec, moving to the calf raises and without rest to the leg raises. After the leg raises, rest 60 seconds and start over.

]]> http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/hardgainers-bodybuilding-training/feed http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/how-to-build-muscle-if-youre-a-hardgainer http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/how-to-build-muscle-if-youre-a-hardgainer#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2008 08:22:15 +0000 admin http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/how-to-build-muscle-if-youre-a-hardgainer

Some people may not be aware that they are what you call a hardgainer. Hardgainers are individuals who can train equally as hard if not more than other people but yet still somehow fail to gain any increase in mass or strength. First of all these people need a lot more than just hard training to see gains. In order for these people to achieve there weight gain and muscle building ambition they need to incorporate many different principles. It can be very frustrating and believe me I know, I had to find out the hard through years of testing and altering both my dietary intake and training regimes. Many other bodybuilders also get to discover the hard way and this results in lost time, energy and waste of money.

The majority of people starting off trying to gain mass and build strength are of the belief that there is no such thing as training too hard, too long, or too much. They do not bother with setting themselves effective targets, planning regimes for themselves or even monitoring themselves. This is clearly down to lack of knowledge on their part and was the big killer in my past regimes and progress or should I say lack of it. This hefty misconception is the devil behind most youngsters and hard gainers progression in gaining mass and building strength, don’t! let it be yours.

Training like this for a length of time ultimately leads to lack of muscle growth, lack of motivation, and a total breakdown of dedication. To counter these problems many people think that if they trained harder and longer then this can help, they’re wrong! In fact you could actually end up losing strength and losing mass from training too much and too often without the proper knowledge needed to effectively start to grow.

In the dedicated sport of bodybuilding; effort and effect do not show any evidence of a close relationship. On the contrary, our bodies are fuel burning entities which are very complex and depend upon balances. Improper and excessive training breaks down these balances. In simple terms, if you begin to burn your energy reserves faster than you are refilling them then you’ll only begin to deplete the whole mechanism of strength, stamina, and the ability to recuperate.

In case you are a beginner bodybuilder or you are planning on trying to gain mass and strength, you must slowly build your body up to cope with the strenuous task which it very rarely is used t in the past. It is very wise for a beginner not to lift anything they cant lift for more than 8 reps, and its also worth taking into account the length of their workouts and the amount of them per week. Beginners should keep their workout sessions to a maximum of three a week and always try to workout every muscle group in each. Bare in mind however if you do exercise A one day for a muscle group then make sure you do exercise B the session after, each with a three set total. Remember to train to total failure of the muscles, if you feel you can’t lift anymore LIFT AGAIN!

Split training is something that advanced bodybuilders do a lot of. If your workout schedule consists of training four days a week, separate your workouts so you end up concentrating more on one half of the body one day and then concentrate on the other half of the body another and so on and so forth. Make sure you also split these muscle groups up as well from front to back. Eg. Say I do my biceps, chest,obliques one day, I’m then going to do my shoulders, triceps, back the next day.

As a bodybuilding addict you are going to need to increase your calorie intake and your protein intake. As soon as you substantially increase your protein consumption your muscle will begin to slowly increase in size. In actual fact, if your are a hard gainer then this may be your root problem. As a substantial study showed that people need at least 2 grams per pound of bodyweight. A 150 pound man for example would need at around 300 grams of protein a day, depending on the intensity of his workouts. Don’t get me wrong protein is’nt a magical cure, you need a hefty increase in everything you eat and it needs to be whole foods. By whole foods I mean no junk foods, or foods that don’t have a lot of nutritional value. If you look after your body and feed it what it needs to grow then it will.

Lastly, the importance of using freeweights while trying to build mass and strength is great. Free weights allow for muscle stimulation and in turn increase the muscles more effectively.

For more info on how to gain weight and build muscle visit www.weightgain4you.com ]]> http://www.justmass.com/2008-01/how-to-build-muscle-if-youre-a-hardgainer/feed