Sets For Muscle Building

Do you know how many sets you need to build muscle and get stronger in the gym.

Chances are you are doing too many sets and slowing your progress!

Many bodybuilding and muscle building programs have been passed down from one gym rat to the next  without any real thought, planning or science. It's more of a, that's what I did back in the day kind of thing.

 Check out the most recent article I posted the Best Muscle Building Sets, I think you'll be surprised at how much work you really do need in the gym.

 In the article you will find a few different options as to how to arrange your working sets. Play around with them and find which one works best for you.

 Keep in mind that the workout sets are just your working sets. You still need to do your warm-up sets.

 Click the link below and check out the article now...

http://fitnessdoctrine.com/bodybuilding-routines/best-muscle-building-sets/

Discover How to Avoid Muscle Building Plateaus for Continued Mass Building

Who Else Wants Non Stop Muscle Growth

Muscle Building

Discover How to Avoid Mass Building Plateaus

Discover how to cycle your training so you never hit weight training plateaus.

If your muscle workouts have ever stalled the information in this video could help you pack on more muscle than you had thought possible and increase your muscle size.

Free Report --->> Muscle Building Secrets

Who Else Wants to Discover How to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle At the Same Time

This brand new "Body Re-composition" report is amazing

Click to grab your free report -- Burn fat and Build Lean Muscle

It's by Tom Venuto and it shows you a scientifically proven system to achieve the "Holy Grail" of fitness goals:

Gaining Muscle and losing fat - AT THE SAME TIME!

Yes that sounds pretty hypey, but it's true, and as soon as you see this report, you'll 'get it'

The report is f-re-e and you can download it as a PDF and read it, or download it as an MP3 and listen to it.

Cool eh? - the MP3 alone is worth $47 - but it's getting taken down soon, so grab it now while you still can:

There's an opt-in (email subscribe) form on this page:

-->> Burn fat and Build Lean Muscle

After you opt in, you'll get Tom's PDF or MP3 report, "The Holy Grail Revealed" which teaches you how to gain muscle and lose body fat at the same time.

Then you'll get 3 MORE special reports which will be published in the next couple of weeks that teach you:

• How to gain muscle without gaining an ounce of fat (say goodbye to "bulking" and hello to "lean muscle gains")
• How to lose fat without losing any of your precious hard-earned muscle (the end of "ripped, but skinny")
• Why most people fail when they try to achieve these elusive goals (Body re-composition mistakes).

plus...

• real world success stories from real people who packed on muscle while losing fat at the same time...

the proof is in the pudding. See it with your own eyes.

---------------------------------------------
WARNING WARNING WARNING
-----------------------------------------------

This is info that Tom has only released to his customers and Inner Circle members before.

The report is EXCELLENT, but I have to warn you that this entire subject is pretty controversial.

However, Venuto is one of the most reputable experts online in the way he walks the walk (the guy is built!), and gives the science to back up his info...

It's pretty unusual that a successful natural bodybuilder gives away his secrets like this, but even more unusual to hear a smart bodybuilder teach his secrets, show you the scientific proof of how its done...

AND... Show you the real-world before and after case studies proving that even ordinary people can do it too.

Get your "Holy Grail" report before he takes it down: -- Burn fat and Build Lean Muscle

To your success,

Jason, CSCS

PS I hope I didn't scare you off with the "warning." This report is really good, it's just that the subject in this report has always been a little controversial... (it's no big deal, but should make for some interesting blog conversations!)

Get your report here: -- Burn fat and Build Lean Muscle

Are you using bands and chains to get stronger in the gym

If you are using or thinking of adding bands or chains to your workout I suggest you read this post by my buddy Jason Ferruggia.

Bands and Chains for mass Building

www.jasoncscs.info/blog/bands-and-chains-muscle-building

Free eBooks Muscle building Fat Burning

I have a few different ebooks that may be of interest to you.  Click the link below and select the one that best suits your needs.

Enjoy
Free Muscle Building and Fat Loss Downloads
http://www.jasoncscs.info/blog/

post workout trick that unleashes a flood of natural muscle-building hormones that will pack on mass fast!

Do I eat now and What?

Discover how to maximize your muscle building and fat burning efforts through nutrient timing.

click here -- nutrient timing for better results

This subject is constantly coming up when there is talk about diets or weight gain. Unfortunately, this seems to still be one of the most misunderstood and underestimated disciplines to date. People are never taught why this is important, or the logistics of easily consuming the proper amonut of meals daily. The kicker is that it is not that hard. Plus, it will make all the difference in the world what you get out of your training.

Here it is consume at least 6 meals a day. As a guide eat a small meal every 2 to 3 hours. Even when you sleep it is a good idea to get up mid way and have something to eat.


Why so often?
Your body can only handle so much at one single time. Eating six smaller meals throughout the day lets you give your body all it needs at each feeding, not more to waste or less than needed. This also lets us provide the body with the nutrients in a steady flow. This keeps fuel flowing consistently to the body as it needs. Otherwise, you give your body a lot at one time. It will use what it needs right then, store the rest away (turn to fat) and set around waiting for the next meal. Think of your muscles as they recuperate from the previous day's training. They are better off receiving a constant flow nutrients for rebuilding, not just two or three "shots" a day.

WHAT? Too many people automatically assume a meal is cooked food put on a plate in front of them. A meal is simply a serving of protein, carbohydrates and inevitably some fat. Therefore, a meal can consist of a protein drink along with a carbohydrate source. Currently two of my meals consist of a protein drink mixed with milk and a cereal bar or banana. I use this mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Protein drinks with a small carb are excellent meals to place between your three regular meals of the day. They are also great for time crunches when you can't fix a regular meal. You also need to be sure to have a protein drink with a carbohydrate directly after your workout. This is when your body is taking everything it can get its hands on to start rebuilding your damaged muscles.


You want to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours. This timing is key to making the whole plan work. Your body can use a small meal this often. Here is my daily plan for weekdays. Weekends can change because we usually sleep later and keep different hours, but the 2.5 to 3 hour interval is always there.

7:00 AM - Breakfast
9:30 AM - Protein drink with milk and carb source
12:00 PM - Lunch
3:30 PM - Protein drink with milk and carb source
6:30 PM - Post workout protein drink with water and carb source. (Milk would slow the digestion speed)
8:00 PM- Supper (eaten close to post workout drink to satisfy the body from weight training)
10:00 PM - Optional snack before sleep. Great for bulking phases.


Above is all you need to know. Just put it together in your daily routine and you will see the difference shortly. Admit it, it's not that hard. All you really have to do is add a protein drink/carb in between each regular meal to accomplish the goal. I just keep a hand blender in my office with a jug of whey protein. Keep some milk in the nearby fridge and mix up a drink when it's time.

If you want a better diet or you want to get the most out of your training, do this. After a month, you will feel the difference. I started this about four years ago and have not gone back to the normal three meals per day since. Your body will adapt to this routine very quickly and will start letting you know it's time to eat every few hours. It really feels natural and is the key to that next level of strength and growth.

Discover how to maximize your muscle building and fat burning efforts through nutrient timing.

click here -- nutrient timing for better results

Success by Design: Part 2

Optimizing Three Critical Components of Training

The Basics of Exercise Biomechanics

If you’re a competitive weightlifter or powerlifter, your objective is to find the easiest way to lift a weight— otherwise, you’ll lose. But if you’re lifting to increase muscle mass and strength, your goal is to find the hardest way to lift a weight.

This is a difficult concept for people to grasp, because it runs 180 degrees to what your instincts tell you to do. Watching novice lifters confirms this— everything is done with maximum “body English.”

My general rule of thumb is that if you can find a way to make an exercise harder, do it. For example, if pausing for a full second at the bottom position of a bench press is harder than “touch and go” style, use the pause. If maximally squeezing your biceps (more than would be necessary to lift the weight) at the top of a curl makes the exercise harder, do it. If crunches are harder on a Swiss ball, use one.

Of course, this approach requires that you check your ego at the door. In fact, it has been my observation that the ego is one of the most insidious obstacles to making progress in the weight room. During one of my last workouts, I noticed a trainer giving some advice to a couple who were holding down each other’s butts during leg curls— he suggested that they use their glutes to lift the front of the quads off of the padding, so that they could stabilize their own body during the exercise.

As soon as they realized that this would necessitate using less weight, they went back to their former habits. Too bad.

Of course, all good personal trainers and strength coaches have come up with their favorite “tricks” to make various exercises more effective. You don’t need a degree in Kinesiology to learn how to develop your own. All it takes is discipline and creativity.

Intensity

Let’s get one thing clear: you could hire the best strength specialists available to author your training program; you could hire the best nutritionists, use the best supplements, you could even resort to using anabolic steroids, however, if you don’t execute your workouts with all-out ferocity, it’s all for naught. The more experience you have, the more this applies.

N o w, when I say “intensity,” I don’t mean the sports science definition (i.e., how close you are to 1RM), but instead, the application of effort during worko u t s .There’s an old story about how the Egyptian pharaohs managed the slaveworkers who built the pyramids: 1000 workers were instructed to haul a massive stone block up an incline to the top of the pyramid. At the end of the day, it was brought to the pharaohs attention that they had failed. So the pharaoh had 500 of the workers killed and told the remaining workers to get the job done, or he would kill off half of the remaining workers and they would try again. They accomplished the task.

The moral of the story is that often, we think we’re applying maximal effort when in fact we are not. Although both volume and intensity are both components of successful training programs, no amount of volume will compensate for insufficient intensity. If you had to choose between the two, go with intensity. Period.

Intensity must be tempered with discipline as well. If you’re on the leg press and allowing your low back to round so that you can get that last rep, you’re not being disciplined. The application of disciplined effort means that you get every rep humanly possible within the confines of perfect technique.

Optimizing The Time Between Workouts: The Essentials of Recovery

Progress occurs not during workouts, but in the spaces between workouts. Fill these spaces properly, and progress will be swift. The three areas I’d like to specifically address are post-training nutrition, massage, and the concept of active rest.

Post- Workout Nutrition & Supplementation

Eating properly can be difficult even for very serious athletes, because compared to training, the results are often more subtle and take more time to see. Nevertheless, I’d like to urge you to make a commitment. Right now. Make the decision, based on the fact that you know it’s important, to clean up your diet. Not tomorrow, NOW. A good place to start is your post training nutrition. After a hard training session, your muscles are glycogen-depleted.

This means that they are “open for business” to use the words of my colleague Will Brink. What he means is that the muscles will quickly uptake any simple carbohydrates you consume immediately after the workout. The neat thing about this is that you can use a high-glycemic drink to “deliver” creatine, branched-chain amino acids, vitamins, etc., directly into your muscles by taking them with the carbohydrate drink. This is the concept behind EAS’s Phosphagen HP, incidentally.

About The Author

Charles Staley...world-class strength/performance coach...his colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.

Get Bigger and Stronger in the Gym - Advanced Muscle Building Workouts

I thought I would take the time today to share some advanced weight training programs with you. If you are looking to but on size and strength in the gym, I suggest you take a look at these articles and discover how to get bigger and stronger building lots of muscle mass.

There are plenty of different programs listed. Take a look around, try a few and se what works best for you. Have fun and I hope you get lots of great ideas and new muscle growth.

• Advanced Mass Building <-- Click to visit

• The Torso Solution by Christian Thibadeau
  

• Most Powerful Program Ever? The HSS-100 Program — Christian Thibaudeau Bodybuilding With an Edge <-- Click to visit

• Christian Thibaudeau , 12 weeks to war-ready guns! <-- Click to visit

• Christian Thibaudeau, Pendulum Bodybuilding <-- Click to visit

• Chad Waterbury, Bodybuilding's Next Frontier <-- Click to visit

• Vince Gironda, 10-8-6-15 routine <-- Click to visit

• Vince Gironda, Train 21 days rest 7 routine <-- Click to visit

• Mike Mahler, Uncharted Leg Routines to Pack on Size <-- Click to visit

• Christian Thibadeau, The Gironda System <-- Click to visit

• Mike Robertson, High Performance Core Training <-- Click to visit

• Charles Poliquin, New Arm Size, Right Now <-- Click to visit

• Chad Waterbury, Hypertrophy Booster Shots <-- Click to visit

• Charles Poliquin, Hamstrings times two <-- Click to visit

• Alwyn Cosgrove, The "No Curl" Biceps Program, Part 2 <-- Click to visit

• Mike Mahler, Heavy Duty GTG <-- Click to visit

• Pendulum Training <-- Click to visit

• Renegade Bodybuilding <-- Click to visit

• Hardcore Bodybuilding Routine <-- Click to visit
  

The Can't-Fail Mass-Gain Triad...

Eat Big!
Train Big!
Sleep Big!

Thought you guys may enjoy this article By Charles Staley

This is the first part in a 2 part series. Enjoy! Part 2 will follow soon.

As you can see from the title there are three main components to successfully gaining muscle mass as you get big and strong:

1. eat, eat lots of clean nutritious food
2. train, this is a no-brainer, you have to work hard in the gym to get big
3. sleep, this may be a surprise, but at least eight hours as needed you need your muscles opportunity to grow in size

If you've taken this advice to heart and acted in it, you've already experienced the synergistic power of reprogramming your metabolism.

If you haven't incorporated these principles into your mass building program, you better jump on it if you want positive results.

The rationale behind the "Big 3" philosophy is rooted in simple evolutionary biology.

1. In order to pass on your genes to the next generation, you need to survive long enough to reach sexual maturity. This means, among other things, having the ability to create a portable energy supply in the form of excess fat deposits.
2. to create an excess bodyfat, you've got to be able to taken in more calories than you need, on a regular basis.
3. part of the bodyfat equation is carrying limiting the amount of muscle having only minimum needed to survive. Muscle is metabolically expensive to create and maintain.

Side Note to # 3: that is why I insist that in order to have an effective fat loss program you need to weight train and build muscle.

As you digest these big 3 I am sure a body type comes to mind; skinny-fat. With that in mind, it should be of no surprise that that's a common physique. If you're in survival mode that will be great, otherwise it's less than ideal.

You're reading this because you want to get bigger and stronger and probably don't care much about the evolutionary stuff. Mother nature doesn't really want you to get all big and jacked, but I do.

Which leads to the solution.

You've gotta fool mother nature and your genetics. This will happen because you will:

1. convincing her that you actually need more muscle in order to survive, that is where the training comes in
2. that you're taking in plenty of food, eating well

the "Big 3" in greater detail

Training

Training refers to just a few tactics and principles. These concepts are not controversial, cutting-edge, hard to understand and are easy to implement. What I am saying is that they're not "sexy."

If you're among the 87% of readers who just closed this browser window- SEE YA!.

For the rest of you, let's explore the tried-and true components of successful mass-gaining programs:

1) Restrict your training to multi-joint movements performed with free weights.
What this includes is:

• any squats
• all deadlifts
• presses of your choice
• all pull-ups too

Now for the to be avoided exercises:

• any exercise machine, including - pec dec, leg curl or extension, even the leg press.
• no need for curls, ab exercises, or calf movements
• avoid all running, swimming, cycling, aerobics, group classes.
• pilates, functional training, spinning, tae-bo, yoga, body pump
• any device/method you see on a TV infomercial, including Total Gym, Bowflex, P90X, The Perfect Pushup, Iron Gym

there are plenty of things that have been missed, but if you're in doubt just remember the rule: restrict your training to multi-joint movements performed with free weights


2) Train 3-4 days per week.

Not 1, 2, 5, 6, or 7, or any number higher than that (no two-a-days, in other words). Can you train 3 days one week and 4 the next? Yes. This should be the most simple recommendation to understand and follow, so I'll move on to the next point…

3) On your "work sets," use weights that are heavy enough to prevent the performance of more than 10 reps in a single effort. Go heavy!

Yes, that means you have a lot of flexibility in the weights you select, and the set/rep brackets you use, all the way from singles with super heavy weights to 10 reps with more moderate weight. There is no single "ideal" set x rep equation- anything in the "10 reps and under" category will prove effective. Personally I prefer eight and under but 10 will suffice

What really matters is how many "quality" repetitions you perform in a session. By "quality" I mean reps where you expose large muscles to high tensions. Let's explore that in just a bit more detail…

Creating High Tensions: Load VS Speed

If you load up a bare to a weight that's just slightly less than you can lift, and perform one rep, you'll have exposed your muscles to a very high tension- that's probably obvious. What's less obvious to a lot of people is that you can get similarly high tensions by lifting lighter weights.

The way you do this is with acceleration. Using between say, 65 and 75 percent of a weight you could lift only once, performing sets of maybe 2-5 reps per set, using as much controlled speed as possible on the "positive" (concentric) phase of the lift, creates as much tension as a very heavy weight would.

And it's both safer and more fun to boot. So in your mass-training, use a variety of weights, but always move every rep as fast as possible.


4) Limit (And Time) Your Training Sessions.

Most experts would say that 60 minutes is a maximum ideal length for a weight-training session, but I'll go out on a limb and use 90 minutes instead.

The reason for my recommendation is that if you're using effective exercises (as described earlier), you'll need a relatively large number of warm-up sets before you can tackle your work sets for that exercise. So for example, you don't need to do much of a warm-up for tricep kickbacks or the adductor machine, but you do need a significant warm-up for a deadlift workout or a heavy bench press session. This is especially true once you get stronger- which you will.


5) Limit each training session to no more than 4 exercises.

The reason for this recommendation is dictated by the previous suggestion regarding workout length. If your total session is limited to 90 minutes, and assuming that you're using effective exercises as recommended earlier, you'll only have 22.5 minutes per exercise, and that includes warm-up sets. That's not a lot of time if you're working hard. So remember, the recommendation is no more than 4 exercises- in many cases, 3 is even better, and very often 2 exercises per session is absolutely ideal.

It's not about hitting the muscle from all angles, muscle confusion, or any other bullshit you've picked up on the internet somewhere- it's about picking 1-2, or maybe 3 big, hard movements, and working the piss out of them.


Stay tuned for Part 2!

About The Author

Charles Staley...world-class strength/performance coach. Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.

click here for your free testosterone report --> Naturally Boost Testosterone Levels
if you buy any supplements click here to save hundreds --> Free Supplement Review Guide

How To Continue With Progressive Overload

This is a quick excerpt from my Mens Exercise and Fitness Blog.

I think anyone who has been in weightlifting for a while knows about progressive overload. Basically the idea is to do more work each week. This this may make you wonder, how can you continually increase the workload every single week.

There are some individuals that burned out every set every week, not only is this difficult mentally, but physically it will take a toll on you. So by now you must be baffled as to what to do. If that's the case over to my site and check out my new article:

Click Here - > Sustainable Progression in Weightlifting

7-Step Detox Diet

Hello everyone,

It's about that time of year.

This is when folks slowly start dropping off from their workout program, or cheating on their diet.

And for a lot of folks, weekend eating - particularly SuperBowl weekend eating - is to blame.

When some folks binge eat, they go looking for a "detox diet", thinking that will reverse all their mistakes.

But I'm not here to recommend that...no way.

Instead, I have an amazing article - perhaps his best article ever - from fitness expert Craig Ballantyne about a simple

7-Step Detox
Diet that you can easily follow everyday...

...so that you never need to do an extreme 7-day or 2-week cleanse.

Here's Craig to tell it like it is:

I just got back from the SuperBowl and got a chance to sit in the
front row right in the endzone. It was really cool, and I also got
a chance to see "The Who" live in concert at half-time.

But, while I was there, I had a few extra "non-compliance" meals
than normal, so it got me thinking about detox diets.

I have a pretty strong opinion about detoxing, and I put together a simple 7-step detox diet plan that you can easily follow so that you never have to do a 16-day detox ever.

You see, my biggest "beef" with the entire theory of "detoxing" is this...

It is simply NOT possible to EVER detox your body.

Why?

Because it's such a vague statement.

What does "detox" mean?

How do you measure "detoxification"?

What do you even define as toxins?

And when do you officially become "detoxed"?

The answer is, "You don't."

It's impossible.

After all, every single second of every day your body produces carbon dioxide, which is a toxin.

And if you have deep belly fat, research shows that this "visceral fat" is constantly releasing inflammatory toxins into your blood.

Every second. The more fat you have, the more toxic you are.

Plus, every breath you take includes pollutants.

And even the water that you drink may contain "toxins".

So....what's the real deal on detoxing?

Listen, while every "expert" is out there arguing about tiny little details and "gurus" are trying to sell you on detoxing so they can sell supplements, the TRUTH is that you really just need to know afew steps to avoid getting toxic in the first place.

In my opinion, the #1 factor in living a "low toxin life" is simply to keep as much garbage out of your body in the first place, rather than depending on a 3-day, 7-day or even 16-day detox to be healthy.

So what do I do to prevent "toxin build-up" in the first place?

Well, I live the Turbulence Training Lifestyle of course, including my "7 Step Detox Nutrition Plan":

1) Start each day with a blender drink of berries, spinach or other greens, raw nuts (such as walnuts - rich in healthy fats), and other ingredients packed with antioxidants and healthy fats.

2) For lunch, have a large green salad with spinach, beans, broccoli, peppers, avocado, onions, etc.

3) Eat an organic apple a day. Certain fruits (i.e. apples, peaches, cherries, and strawberries) and vegetables have a higher exposure to pesticides, and you should choose organic when possible.

4) Eat RAW snacks only - of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Try using this one simple rule and limit all of your between meal snacks to raw fruit, raw vegetables, and/or raw nuts and I promise you'll drop the pounds because you'll be full on a smaller number of calories.

5) Drink Green Tea (2-3 cups) and filtered water (3 liters) instead of beverages that contain calories or chemicals.

6) Limit animal protein intake to only 2 servings per day. On most days, I'll one of the following: an "after workout" chocolate milk, organic eggs in the morning, or occasionally I'll have high quality meat at dinner.

You don't need to be a full vegetarian to live a longer life, but you should probably avoid eating meat 5 times per day, like people in Chicago.

(Hey Chicago, don't get mad at me for that...it was a born-and-raised Chicago native who told me 5 servings of meat per day was the average Chicago meat consumption.)

7) Minimize or completely eliminate alcohol intake.

While research does show that for men, up to 2 drinks per day may help cardiovascular health (and for women, up to one drink per day), I'm not about to recommend you start drinking.

After all, if you go above those limits, you start to destroy your health...and you risk addiction. Alcohol killed my father, and I don't want to see the same thing happen to you. Tread cautiously
with the booze.

So that's it. A simple 7-Step Detox Diet Plan.

By the way, it goes without saying that you should avoid:

- cigarettes
- trans-fats
- excessive amounts of sugar
- refined grains
- and 7-11 nacho cheese

Right?

Of course.

And you should be exercising to lose the belly fat...using proven methods, such as interval training - which is proven to beat long, slow cardio when it comes to burning dangerous belly fat.

Plus, you should be using Turbulence Training resistance supersets to burn more calories and sculpt your body.

If you've never used Turbulence Training, you can try it out today for less than the cost of a Superbowl hot dog.

Click here to get Turbulence Training for less than 5 bucks:

=> Turbulence Training Trial

Simply follow those 7 nutrition guidelines and use the short TT workouts to cut out as many toxins from your body - without detoxing.

Stay strong,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

PS - I also believe you should avoid toxic relationships...

...so you need to take a hard look at the people you surround yourself with in life.

Do you have the right work friends?
Are you in the right relationships?
Do you spend enough time with the right family members?

Or are they toxic too?

Remember - you need social support for success in life and in fat loss...so surround yourself with positive people, like the good folks on the TT Member's forum.

If you need to dump the toxic folks and get positive social support, we'd love to see you on the forum and help you out.

You will get a free 3-month TT membership access to the forum when you try out Turbulence Training for only $4.95 today:

Turbulence Training Trial

Please click that link to get started losing fat & getting rid of the toxic baggage in your life.

You can can also get a free Turbulence Training Workout through the Link Below
lick Here -- Turbulence Training Fitness Muscle Building Fat Loss Workout

Is This Benchpress Flaw Holding You Back

I recently put up a new video. check it out click the link below -- common benchpress flaw

The benchpress may be the most popular list in the gym, and with good reason. Nothing builds upper body strength and power like the bench does. With the popularity of the bench press, you will see many different styles. For some this will not matter, but you're looking to stay healthy and bench maximum weight I suggest you take a look at my recent video.

Benchpress video addresses the most common flaw seen among lifters. Mike over at critical bench lets you in on what this flaw is and how to fix it. This one tip could save your bench, have you benching heavy weight for a long time to come.

Click the link below
-- fix this bench press flaw

http://www.mensfitnessandmore.com

Expert Tips and Advice On the Strength Coach Podcast

Here with the Pros Have To Say on Strength Coach Podcast

Possibly one of the best free resources on the web for strength, conditioning, nutrition, businesses it is industry,and performance enhancement.

click here => Listen to the Strength Coach Podcast on Men's Fitness and More

Each episode is jammed packed with helpful tips and information from the industry's leading experts.

Some of what you can expect to hear on the biweekly strength coach podcast:

• Leading off the podcast is an interview with strength coach Boyle. Listen as he answers questions from this form and talks with the latest trends in the industry.

• Perform Better, talks about gym design, seminars and answers all your equipment questions.

• The top coaches in both college and professional sports are featured and give insight into their program to give an idea what's happening to real people in the real world.

• Great Cook is featured and answers questions related to rehabilitation, corrective movement, and movement mechanics.
  

• For those interested in the business aspect of fitness or strength and conditioning Alwyn Cosgrove is a fitness professional providing insights into the business aspect.
  

• Of course no strength and conditioning program would be complete without performance nutritional advice.

The Strength Coach Podcast,

The Official Podcast of Coach Michael Boyle

Be sure to check back often as he can stay abreast of the current trends in the fitness and sports performance world.

Make sure you get your copy of the free supplement Review Guide.

return to main bodybuilding weightlifting page

The Magic Number for Building Muscle

I know many people have problems with program design. If you don't have a background in exercise physiology it can be difficult to know what the best program design is. To help you out with this, I decided to include this article for you today.

If you want to grow muscle and get big, it is important to have a solid program. An excellent program is more than just various exercises, it includes rest, sets and reps. Today's article should give you some insight into what you need to build big muscles are working in the gym.

I am sure this article will help you to get bigger and stronger from your workouts.

By Jason Ferruggia

When looking at most popular muscle building workouts you need to understand that most forms of training have just been passed down for decades from one generation to the next, without the inclusion of rational thought. Sometime in the 60’s sensible muscle building programs started becoming less and less prevalent with the rapidly growing usage of anabolic steroids.

In days gone by, men like Steve Reeves and Paul Anderson trained with far more sensible, lower volume muscle building programs, but these started to disappear during the 60’s. By the time Arnold got to Gold’s Gym in Venice for the first time, high volume, bodypart splits were the widely accepted way for everyone who wanted to build muscle and gain strength to train.

This type of training is not based on rational thinking but just on the fact that “it’s what everyone else is doing.” The proponents of these training methods will always blindly tell you that “higher volume training is needed to build muscle.” Says who? I can tell you for a fact that the University of Chicago isn’t wasting time examining the effects of Jay Cutlers workouts. There are no studies saying that you need 8-12 sets per bodypart to build muscle. However, there are, in fact, studies that show the exact opposite; that one set is just as effective as three when it comes to building muscle.

The proponents of this type of training will also tell you that higher volume training is associated with higher levels of growth hormone secretion. What they don’t tell you is that almost anything you do elevates GH. Extreme temperatures elevate GH but my biceps don’t get bigger every time I take a shower. The increased GH secretion is not enough to make the slightest difference whatsoever in the muscle building process.

For the drug free lifter who does not possess muscle building genetics quite up to par with the Austrian Oak, training this way is a huge mistake. Not only does it drain your amino acid pool and glycogen stores but it dramatically increases your recovery time between workouts. If you do 8-12 sets for chest on Monday you can not recover from that workout and be able to train again for seven days. So you are only getting one growth stimulus per week or fifty two per year. Now if you reduce your volume to the point where you can recover faster and more efficiently without draining your amino acid pool and glycogen stores so greatly, you can train bodyparts twice per week instead of once. Now instead of 52 growth stimulating workouts per year for each bodypart, you can now do 104.

To train more often you absolutely have to lower your training volume. The total sets per workout should be kept low and the total sets per exercise should be even lower. Contrary to what a lot of the popular programs out there today prescribe, there is rarely a need to do more than two sets per exercise when you are trying to build muscle. If you can’t get the job done with two sets you probably aren’t training hard enough. In theory you should be able to get the job done with just one set but I like to use two just to be safe and make sure all bases are covered. The second set is basically an insurance set.

The are only a few times you should do more than two sets per exercise. If you are a raw beginner who needs more sets just to practice and perfect your form then you should probably do more than two sets. If you are doing speed exercises such as cleans or box jumps you should also do a few more sets. Finally, if you are varying the reps and weights, you can do more than two sets. For example if you are doing two sets of three with 315, a set of five with 295 and a set of eight with 275, you can get away with more than two sets. But other than that, you should never do more than two sets of any exercise with the same weight for the same reps.

There are a few different approaches you can take to doing your two sets. The first approach is to go balls out on your first set and then drop the weight a little bit on your second set and use it as a sort of backoff set. Theoretically this will allow you to give your most effort when you are freshest on your first set. The second approach is to hold a little something back on your first set and instead use it as a hard, working warm up set. Then you go balls to the wall on the second set. It has been suggested that a heavy, but not all out set, before your money set can serve as a neural primer and arouse your nervous system thus making the second set even more effective. The third option is to not take neither set to the limit but instead just do two very hard sets to clean failure. Each option works very well but you will have to experiment to see which is best for you. The most demanding method would be to do two all out death sets to failure. This can work but may be a bit hard for most people to recover from.

Whatever option you choose will be far better than the normal, mindless nonsense of doing 4-6 sets per exercise and you will get far better results. Better muscle gains with far less work? Sounds like an unbeatable plan to me.

Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He has trained thousands of clients during the course of his 14 years as a professional fitness coach, including over 500 athletes from 20 different sports. Jason has written hundreds of training articles for top ranked magazines and websites and has authored four books. He is the head training adviser for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more great muscle building information, please visit muscle gaining secrets

My Workout - Upper Body, 12/03/09

Still on the max out week. Today it was an upper body max load. The Front Press was the only maximal effort lift. This program is push dominate and I need to change that. I have made a few changes to balance it out but still need to make a few more adjustments. One such change I will make is with the pull ups and taking them to a 1RM as well.

1. standing front press: max but not a failure

2.a Pull Ups: 3x6

2.b DB bench: 3x6

3.a Hammer Incline Press: 3x6

3.b Hammer Row: 3x8

4.a DB nose breakers: 5x10

4.b Face Pulls: 5x10

5. Push Downs: 3x10

3 "secret" tips for bigger stronger arms

3 great secret tips to build more muscular arms.

Are you genetically CURSED with "skinny arms"?

Unfortunately, for those people who really struggle with adding more muscle to their biceps, triceps, and forearms, the "same old" exercise approach doen't do very much.

What does?

Well, below is a 3-STEP APPROACH from a buddy of mine, Jeff Anderson (aka - the "Muscle Nerd")

Muscle Specialization Secrets

If you want to see what all the buzz is about, go to:

http://www.musclenerdfitness.com <= Click Now

The article below is a GREAT example of why this training is so very DIFFERENT from anything else you've seen. You see, a LOT of people are self-conscious about the size of their arms. Jeff's "micro-targeting" approach helps you overcome your more "challenging" areas by zeroing in on those muscle with a unique training approach. For example... The secret to overcoming "Small Arms Syndrome" is to create an illusion of more SIZE and WIDTH by working on 3 specific areas of your arms that will all work toward this one goal. Here are 3 EXERCISE SECRETS that are guaranteed to bring you FAST RESULTS:

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Arm Training Secret #1: Lateral Triceps
============================
The outer heads of your triceps are the ones that are most visible both from the FRONT and the SIDE. By training them specifically, your arms will look DRAMATICALLY wider from the front and give you that "horseshoe" look from the side and back. The best exercise I've found for this is the REVERSE-GRIP CABLE PRESSDOWNS where your palms are facing UP. Only bring your arms up until your forearms are parallel to the floor and at the bottom of the movement, lock out your elbows and SQUEEZE your outer triceps hard for 1-2 seconds. High volume sets of 8-12 reps will help you get the "pump" you're looking for to increase mass.

============================
Arm Training Secret #2: Inner Biceps
============================
The key to using your biceps for this "trick" is to focus more on the INNER biceps head and go for "width". You do this by using a WIDER GRIP CURLING MOVEMENT that zeroes in on the inside area of your bi's. Here's the best way to do it... Go to a preacher bench and load up a bar with enough weight to do 8-12 reps. Now, go to the OPPOSITE side of the bench as most people go so that your UPPER BODY is resting on the pad instead of your ARMS. This means that your arms will be hanging vertically over the other side where your body would normally be. This gives you a much better "stretch" in the biceps at the bottom position. Next...take a WIDER than shoulder width grip on the bar! A wider grip is going to hit the INNER area of your biceps much better...and help with that wider LOOK to your arms we're going for.

============================
Arm Training Secret #3: Pumped Up Forearms
============================
This is a simple...and POWERFUL tactic to hit your forearms HARD! Grab a few small hand towels (most gyms have these handy for you to wipe the sweat off of the machines). Fold them lengthwise and wrap them around the bars you're using for exercises #1 & #2 above so that it add about another 2-3 inches to the width of your grip area. Essentially, you're making a "fat bar" to grip on to and this GREATLY activates your forearms in these movements! Using this for exercise #1 above will work more of the "top" or "outside" of your forearms while on execise #2, it will work more of the "underside" of your forearms. (Note: After 2-3 sets with the "towel method", remove them to do one more set of each exercise WITHOUT the towel so you can get in one last targeted set to focus on your tri's and bi's) Give these arm training secrets a try and watch your arms balloon up in no time!

Muscle Specialization Secrets
============================

Jason, CSCS

3 Stranges Exercises to build muscle on your chest

One of the most troublesome areas for guys looking to develop a lean, muscular body is their CHEST!

Some struggle with adding ANY mass to their pecs while OTHERS find certain AREAS of
their chest are "underdeveloped" more than others.

In some cases, this is a matter of GENETICS...

In OTHER cases, it could be that you're simply not training with the correct EXERCISES
to "micro-target" these lagging sections of your chest.

So here are 3 "strange but POWERFUL" exercises for the most common CHEST CHALLENGES:

============================

Target:  Upper Chest

============================

Forget boring old inclines!  Do this instead...

...Smith Machine Presses To The NECK!

Lie flat on a bench with the Smith Machine bar right at your NECK instead of your chest.

Grab the bar slightly wider than shoulder width and press as normal (2 seconds up; slow
4-count on the way down).

Keep your elbows flared OUT and really concentrate on feeling a good stretch in your
upper pecs at the bottom of the movement!

Go for a good "pump" at 8-12 reps!

============================

Target:  Inner Chest ("Cleavage")

============================

This one comes from the underground iron pit of max security PRISON YARDS.

(Don't ask how I got this.)

Lie flat on a bench and grab ONE SINGLE DUMBBELL that's slightly LESS than the combined
weight you would normally use for 2 dumbbells.
(So if you normally press 60lbs in each hand, grab a 90 or 100.)

Maneuver your hands so you can wrap both around the handle
(tricky, but you'll figure out how to overlap).

Now, holding the weight so it's facing up and down your body (lengthwise),
press the weight as normal.

At the TOP of the movement, press your pec muscles together HARD and squeeze (HARDER!)
for a 2 second count.

============================

Target:  Lower Chest

============================

Dips...Dips...Dips...* BUT *...

Rather than keeping your feet BEHIND you...

...stick them out in FRONT of you!

On the dip bar, keeping your legs straight, bring your feet out in front so your body
is in a "V" shape.

Keep your elbows flared OUT away from your body as you lower yourself down and focus on
LEANING FORWARD.

Come down far enought that you feel a good stretch in your pecs.

Bringing your feet to the FRONT actually places more emphasis on your lower chest
muscles instead of your triceps that tend to give our the earliest.

Also, don't "lock out" at the top of the dip movement!

Stop about 6 inches short of the top to keep the stress on your chest!

============================

Want MORE TIPS on how to "micro-target" your chest?

Why not get an ENTIRE "Specialization Program" for every single area of your body?!

Jeff Anderson has just released his "Muscle Specialization MEGA-PACKAGE" that includes:

==> Printed Manual

==> Workout DVD

==> 6 Audio CD's on "Muscle Specialization Secrets"

==> 12 Bonus "Best Exercises" Videos

==> Complete "Resources Disc" With 3-, 4-, and 5-Day Workout Routines

==> Tracking Software

...but there's a CATCH!

This package closes its doors for GOOD this Saturday (or when the boxes all sell out).

Jeff's only released this "big box" version to celebrate this being his LAST
bodybuilding program he's ever going to produce (he has 5!)

So check it out NOW while the program is still available at:

http://www.musclenerdfitness.com <= Click To Get Access  Jason, CSCS 

the "REAL" real truth about ABS

Ok, I know what you're thinking...

You're expecting me to say that the real "truth" to getting a lean, sexy 6-pack is to "burn off the fat", right?

You want to tell me that you "already HAVE a 6-pack" but it's just covered with a layer of blubber, eh?

Sure, that's what EVERYONE says, and it's TRUE...

...SORT OF!

You see, too many people have put in all the "hard work" to get to single digit body fat levels only to find that when the fat is
gone...

...their abs are still FLAT AS A PANCAKE!

================================

So here's the REAL "truth" about ABS...

================================

You actually have to HAVE "muscle" on your abs in order to achieve that lean, "ripped" look!

Plus, here's one more little "unknown" that will make getting a 6-pack EASIER...

You see, the amount of muscle you have on your abs will determine whether you start seeing your "pack" poke through at 10% body fat or 6% body fat.

And TRUST ME...there's a WORLD of difference in that 4% gap, as anyone who's ever tried to "diet down" to single digit body fat levels will tell you!

As far as I'm concerned, if I can look great at 10% body fat because my abs have more muscle and are more defined, then all the better...easier abs!

So you see, the key is to TRAIN your abs hard in the gym, just like ANY other muscle...with RESISTANCE!

Sure, there are a lot of machines you can find at your local gym that will target your midsection, but...

================================

Here's a "Quick Bodyweight Tip" For Training ABS...

================================

Most people are especially challenged with hitting their LOWER ABS.

This'll do the trick...

Find yourself a DECLINE BENCH and a bath-sized TOWEL.

Roll the towel up into about a cylinder, about 6 inches high.

Lay on the decline bench with your head toward the top and your legs straight with feet on the floor.

Place the towel from left to right under your lower back and grab the bench behind your head with both hands to gain leverage.

The towel increases the range of motion in your abs and ALSO gives you incredible lower ab activation.

Now, keeping your legs STRAIGHT, raise them in the air until you're in the shape of a "V" and breathe out forcefully at the peak contraction point.

Lower your legs SLOWLY but don't give them a break at the bottom.

Raise them back up in the air and continue back and forth until exhaustion.

When you're abs are toast, finish them off by bending your legs at the knees and doing "reverse crunches" in the same fashion, bringing your knees up toward your chest.

================================

Want even MORE "abs advice" + advanced training tips for EVERY MUSCLE?

Check this out:

==> http://www.musclenerdfitness.com

================================

Jason, CSCS

New weight training program - 10/09

Just a quick update. I will be starting a new weight training program on Monday. Looking at a 5 day split with an optional 6th day. I know it is kind of much but I enjoy the volume. As of now I it looks like a push day, followed by a pull day then on to legs. This is to be repeated. The first three days are to be heavy and the second set of 3 days is to have some volume. I think it will be a good mix. I will be sure to let you know how things go.


If you are looking to get big and strong and your weight training needs an update take a look at the tips over at The Muscle Nerds new site. Muscle Specialization. There are lots of great mass building tips that will challenge your muscles in new ways. You can even leave a tip of your own.

Muscle building Tips - Calves...Quads...And Oompa Loompas?

If you haven't seen this yet, you absolutely MUST go check out Jeff Anderson's "secret smackdown" blog!

www.musclenerdfitness.com <= Click Now For The Password

Jeff's been asking for all of YOUR best training tips for each muscle group... ...and he's giving away $100 every night on a "LIVE MUSCLE TV SHOW" for one lucky poster. Today's topic is "SHOULDER TRAINING" and all you have to do to share your own "secrets" is go and post a comment in the blog at:
http://www.musclenerdfitness.com <= Post A "Tip" On The Private Blog While you're there, read the OTHER tips that are available.

(So far, Jeff's covered "Chest", "Back", and last night was "Leg Training".) There are now over 400 TRAINING TIPS waiting for you. Here's a "3-Tip Sample" of some great posts pulled out of yesterday's LEG TRAINING SECRETS: (Jeff had a funny one about "Oompa Loompas"!)

=====================================
Calves Training Tip #7 from Vinaey
=====================================
"Calves training: The weight you use for training your calves is limited by your ankle strength. Break that threshold and watch your calves grow.

There are two ways to do this.

1) Strength training shoes (remember the Seinfeld episode?) – Sounds and looks stupid but it won’t be in 5-7 wks when your legs look like they’ve swallowed a small animal.

2) For standing/ seated calf raises use both calves to lift up but only one leg for the negative. Go heavy! This gives a killer burn!"

=====================================
Quads Training Tip #17 from Paul!
=====================================
"One legged dumbell squats from an elvated box (or those aerobic platforms work also). These will allow you to go all the way down to where your butt should be pressing againt the calf and the dumbbells will be hanging LOWER than your elevated foot. NOW you will get a full range of motion and a really good burn."

=====================================
Booty (+) Training Tip #1 from Jeff! (My "Oompa Loompa Booty Burner"!) =====================================

"I call this the “Oompa Loompa” technique because of the dance the little green guys did in “Charlie And The Chocolate Factory”. (Though I’m sure it has a more professional name ;-)

At the end of a massive set of either squats or deadlifts, grab a light dumbbell (and by “light”, I mean about 40 lbs!) and take a VERY wide stance (double the size of your shoulders if you want to work QUADS and about shoulder width if you want to work your HAMS).

Hold the dumbbell vertically with both hands and keeping an arch in your lower back “squat” down until your legs are parallel to the ground and squeeze your booty while driving through your heels to get back to the top position.

Keep your feet pointed out and go for the burn with at least 12 reps to really tear up your legs for a set finisher!

Naturally hits your boo-tay also!"

=====================================
You really should go and check all the other tips out at:
musclenerdfitness.com <= Click Now

PLUS...be sure to submit your OWN "Shoulder Secrets" tip for today's posts and check out the LIVE TV SHOW tonight to see if you won the $100, ok?

Good luck!

Jason, CSCS