If you are growing tired of doing the same old cardio exercises like stair stepper machines, treadmills, etc., then why not try something different but that is just as effective at fat burning?
Try Circuit Training Exercise Circuit training can be done with either weight training exercises and bodyweight exercises. The idea is to use three to five different exercises with no rest between sets. Choose compound exercises that work more than one body part and alternate between upper and lower body exercises.
Here is an example of an effective circuit training exercise routine:
Barbell Bench Press: 1 set of 15 reps
Barbell Squats: 1 set of 15 reps
Lat Machine Pull downs: 1 set of 15 reps
Lunges: 1 set of 15 reps
Press Over Head: 1 set of 15 reps
Go through all 5 exercises without resting between sets. After you complete all 5 exercises, rest long enough to catch your breath, then repeat the circuit. Do this 3 to 5 times. If you are not used to this type of training, you can start off with 3 exercises instead of 5.
Do this routine 3 days a week for 6 to 8 weeks. If you are really trying to burn fat, also use a fat burner supplement such as the Lipofit Fat Burner by Stacklabs.
Pre Exhaust Training is a method of pre exhausting a muscle with one exercise, and then working it to failure with another exercise. You can make tremendous gains this way.
The main exercise for working the chest muscles is the bench press. The bench press also uses the front deltoid muscles and the triceps muscles. Since the deltoids and triceps are smaller than the chest muscles, they get tired faster. If you pre exhaust your chest muscles with dumbbell flys, then you can work the chest muscles to total failure with bench presses.
Warm up with a light set of dumbbell flys followed by a medium set. Rest a few minutes then perform a heavy set of fly's for 10 reps. Squeeze the chest muscles at the top of the movement and make every rep count. As soon as you are done with your heavy set of dumbbell flys, set the dumbbells down and without resting, do a set of bench presses for 6 or 8 reps. This will totally exhaust the chest muscles. Make sure that you use a spotter. Since your chest muscles will be tired out from the flys, you will not be able to handle as much weight on the bench presses as you normally would. Do 3 of these pre exhaust sets.
You can also use the same method for the upper chest. Do incline dumbbell flys followed by incline bench presses.
Do 3 of these pre exhaust sets twice a week for 6 or 8 weeks and you will see a vast improvement in your chest development. You will also find that you will be able to handle more weight when you go back to regular bench presses.
Can people be helped? Can we ourselves be helped? In this day and age some people may start to feel that help isn't possible. This may be due to having been offered help and then betrayed or even their own failure to help others they really wanted to help.
Let's look at it, have you ever helped anyone, in any way? Have you given someone directions when they needed it? Or have you helped someone carry something they couldn't have carried by themselves? Do this exercise think of at least 5 things you've done that helped another or others?
Ok, has anyone ever helped you in any way? Has anyone ever given you a ride somewhere when you needed it? Has anyone ever given you some good information or tips on some subject? Think of at least 5 times someone has helped you in anyway.
Is Control Good or Bad? Most people think of control as a bad thing. Yes, control by force or trickery, is bad. But is control always horrible? If you don't control a car it will most likely crash. Sometimes when teaching someone something you use good control to show then how to do it. You may say lift the bar above your head, ok, lower it, ok. This is a form of good control used to help someone learn something. It wouldn't involve force or trickery, and would be in cooperation with the person you are working with. Think of at least 5 times you observed control being a good thing.
How Important is Communication? Is it better to talk about things or not. Sometimes saying something could get us into trouble, offend people, etc. But, even if that was to happen the only way to fix it is to talk more about it, until an understanding is reached. It has been said that anything can be resolved with enough good communication. Have you even had a good open honest talk with someone? How did you feel afterwards? Most likely very good. Think of at least 5 times you confided in another that ended with a good result. Think of at least 5 times someone confided in you that came to a good result.
As a last exercise, think of 10 ways you can use the above 3 points to improve your relationships, activities, etc.
After 30 years of being involved in bodybuilding and fitness, I feel the following are the basic laws of building muscle and are what make any muscle building program work or not work.
Muscle Building Rule 1: Muscles are composed of bundles of fibers with the ability to contract and relax.
Muscle Building Rule 2: By contracting and relaxing muscles can perform work, which is measured by force time distance (Foot Pounds).
Muscle Building Rule 3: A muscle's power is measured by work divided by time (Foot Pounds per Second).
Muscle Building Rule 4: The power of a muscle is in direct proportion to its size.
Muscle Building Rule 5: When muscles are subjected to stress they will attempt to adapt so they can better deal with similar stress in the future.
Muscle Building Rule 6: When the stress is the progressive generation of power the muscle attempt to adapt by increasing in strength and size.
Muscle Building Rule 7: Muscles stressed beyond their ability to adapt will not gain strength and size and may even lose strength and size.
Muscle Building Rule 8: Muscles too long without exercise stress will atrophy and lose strength and size.
So how to you progressively force your muscles to generate more power and thus grow?
Always use good form to make sure the targeted muscles are actually doing the work.
Use a full range of motion (maximum distance) while still keeping the muscles under tension (maximum force).
Progressively increase the weight used (more force).
Increase reps (more distance).
Progressively shorten rest between sets (less time).
That is the simplicity of it, gradually but progressively make your muscles do more work in less time and they will grow.
Some great techniques that make your muscles do more work in less time are pre-exhaust, super sets, tri sets, drop sets, giant sets, rest pause, negatives, escalating density training, etc.
Arnold won five Mr. Universe titles, seven times Mr. Olympia, along with Mr. Europe, Mr. International and Mr. World. At his peak he was 6 feet 2 inches tall and 240 pounds of hard and cut muscle.
Along with his biceps, Arnold was also famous wide and thick back. How can you build a back like Arnold's? You won't like the answer if you are lazy, because it takes years of consistent hard work. Few people train as hard as Arnold did and that's the reason why Arnold Schwarzenegger is still one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. Are you up the the challenge of this Arnold Schwarzenegger back routine?
Start with your traps, by doing 3 to 5 sets of upright rows. Hold the bar for a count of 2 at the chin while flexing your upper back before lowering back to the starting position.
Next do 3 to 5 sets of heavy shrugs with either a pair of dumbells or a barbell, pulling your shoulders back as well as up. That's it for your traps.
Start your lat work with 3 to 5 sets of wide grip chin behind neck. This secret chinning for lat width is to stretch at the bottom and allow the lats to pull your Scapula out.
Next do chins to the front of the neck. The first style of chinning hits primarily the upper lats, while front chins tend to work the lower lats more. As mentioned, chinning is primarily for lat width, and it will give you "wings" in your upper back.
Next you should work on you back thickness buy doing 3 to 5 sets of dumbell bentover rowing. Rest one hand on a bench for support and extend back the same leg as is on your working hand side. This leg back position creates a greater stretch in your lats.
Next do 3 to 5 sets of barbell bentover rowing with various grips from narrow to wide. Be sure your knees are slightly unlocked to prevent unnecessary lower back strain.
Your final lat exercise should be 3 to 5 sets of seated cable rows.
All that's left now is to train your erector spinae or lower back muscles. Do 3 to 5 sets of stiff leg deadlifts while standing on a bench so you can stretch down lower and work your lower back muscles to the fullest.
Finish with 3 to 5 sets of hyperextensions, be sure to arch up as much as you can.
This is an advanced back routine and is not for beginners or even intermediates. If you are not an advanced trainee doing the the full workout would only lead to overtraining and no progress, but a reduced schedule will build a great back!
Make 2010 your year to get in the best shape of your life. The truth is that what someone works at hard enough and long enough he will eventually get. The only way you can fail is if you quit. Below is one of my favorate inspirational poems.
Don't Quit Author unknown
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is strange with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have w on had he stuck it out; Don't give up though the pace seems slow, You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than, It seems to a faint and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up, When he might have captured the victor's cup, And he learned too late when the night slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out, The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far, So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit, It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
Here are some advanced techniques for seasoned bodybuilders. Use then when you feel as if you need a boost in the gym to promote muscle growth when your regular workouts just aren't getting results.
Increasing Intensity: The simplest way to increase intensity is to add more plates to the bar. This way "shocks" muscles to reacting and forces them to adapt to be able to handle heavier poundages.
Shorter Rest Period: To maximize growth try reducing your rest time between sets. This way you shock your muscles into reacting to the added pressure. So if you are resting 2 minutes between sets now reduce your rest period to 1 minute between sets.
Partial Reps: This is when your muscle is exhausted at the end of a set, you continue the movement through half or as much as you can of it. It's simply a way of adding more intensity to a set than you wouldn't be able to do with the normal range of motion.
Pyramid Training: This is where you increase the poundage and decrease the rep range in an exercise in each set of that exercise. Its called pyramid training and the idea is to add more "shock" to your muscles. Its a very commonly used technique and can be used more regularly than other advanced techniques.
For example when doing lat pulldowns on a lat machine, do 12 reps with an easy enough poundage for one set, for the next set do 10 reps with a heavier poundage, for the next set do 8 reps with an even heavier poundage yet and finally for the last set do 6 reps with as much as you can handle.
Stripping: This means at the end of a set when your muscles are giving out with fatigue, you stop and remove 20-40% off the bar or machine and continue the exercise movement until you are again fatigued, then you take another 20-40% of the bar or machine and continue until you can do no more. By all means continue to keep removing plates as you see fit, it's sure to seriously work your muscles.
Compound Sets: Do two exercises for the same bodypart one after the other, with no rest in between.
Tri-Sets: Like compound Sets except you will be doing three exercises for the same bodypart back to back, with no rest in between.
Rest-Pause: Rest-Pause is where during a set when your muscle is fatigued you stop for a few seconds to catch your breath and let the target muscle rest a little, then you do more reps, etc. The benefit is that while you would fatigue quicker with a normal set, with rest-pause you take a slight break and can end up doing more reps per set thus working your muscle even harder.
Nutrition is very important, if you don't eat right you won't reach your goals no matter how hard you exercise.
Nutrition is much more simple then many believe. A nutrition program should be well balanced, which means eating a variety of foods from all four food groups every day.
This would mean daily intake of:
1) Four servings of fruits and vegetables 2) Four servings of cereals and grains 3) Two servings of meat, fish and poultry 4) Two servings of milk and daily products
Your should have natural and healthy carbohydrates as 60 percent of your calorie intake, with 25 percent high quality protein and 15 percent healthy fats.
If you are looking to lose fat you need to take in less calories then your body burns in a day. There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat, so if you wanted to lose a pound of fat a week you would have to eat at least 500 calories a day less then your maintenance level of calories. If you are not getting leaner then you need to decrease your calorie intake.
If you are looking to gain muscle you need to take in more calories then your body burns in a day. There are 600 calories in a pound of muscle, so if you wanted to gain 10 pounds of muscle in the next 3 to 6 months you would have to eat at least an extra 6000 calories over and above your maintenance level over that period of time. If you are training and getting stronger but not getting bigger you need to increase your calorie intake.
In order to build muscle and get into shape, it is important to eat the correct foods in the correct amounts. Your body needs protein. You need to supply protein to your muscles on a daily basis for muscle maintenance and muscle growth. Your body also needs carbohydrates. Carbohydrates supply energy to your body. You also need fat. Most protein foods also contain fat. If you eat enough protein, you will be getting enough fat.
Protein Foods: Beef, Chicken, Fish, Eggs, Milk and Dairy Products. (Milk and dairy products also contain carbohydrates.) If you are trying to burn fat off of your body, you should limit your intake of milk and dairy products. Beef, Chicken and fish contain approx. 100 grams of protein per pound. Eggs contain approx. 6 to 7 grams of protein each. Milk contains approx. 8 grams of protein per cup. Protein foods also contain vitamins and minerals.
Carbohydrate Foods: There are three different types of carbohydrate foods: Complex Carbohydrates, Simple Carbohydrates and Refined Carbohydrates.
Complex Carbohydrates: Baked Potatoes, Whole Grains, Rice, Beans and Nuts. Complex carbohydrates release energy into your body slowly over a period of time. These foods also contain vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Simple Carbohydrates: Apples, Oranges and all other types of fruit. Simple carbohydrates release energy into your body a lot faster than complex carbohydrates and the energy does not last as long. Fruit also contains vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Refined Carbohydrates: Cake, Pie, Cookies, Candy and sweets. Refined carbohydrates release energy into the body all at once. You have a sharp spike and then a steep decline. Refined carbohydrates contain little or no real food value. For someone who is trying to get into shape and stay in shape, refined carbohydrates should be avoided or eliminated from your diet.
A person needs about one gram of protein per pound a day and about one gram of carbohydrates for every two pounds a day.
Example: A person that weighs 200 pounds needs about 200 grams of protein and 100 grams of carbohydrates every day. These are just basic guide lines. You may need more or less, depending on you metabolism and your activity level. A marathon runner burns up a lot more energy than the average person and needs a lot more carbohydrates. A person that is overweight and has a lot of extra fat on their body needs to limit their intake of carbohydrates in order to lose fat.
Vegetables: Most vegetables contain little or no protein and very small amounts of carbohydrates. However they are an important part of your diet. They contain vitamins, minerals and fiber.
This routine is designed to add a maximum amount of muscle mass to your body in the shortest amount of time. This workout includes the three major mass building weight training movements combined with the two best mass building resistance exercises.
This Program is split into two different parts.
Part 1: Bench Press: 5 sets of 8 to 15 reps. This is the best upper body mass building exercise. It will work your chest, shoulders and triceps. Start off with a light warm up set for 15 reps, followed by a medium warm up set for 12 reps. Next do 3 heavy sets of 8 to 10 reps each.
Dead Lift: 5 sets of 10 reps. This is the best over all mass building exercise, however it must be performed properly or there is a risk of serious injury. Do a light warm up set followed by a medium warm up set. Next do 3 heavy sets. It is more important to use proper form on this exercise that to use a maximum amount of weight.
Part 2: Parallel Bar Dip: 5 sets of as many reps as possible. This exercise will build your chest, shoulders and triceps. Use super sets to combine this exercise with the next exercise.
Pull Up: 5 sets of as many reps as possible. Do this exercise with a medium to narrow grip with your palms facing you. This will build the biceps and lats.
Squats: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps. This is the best lower body mass building exercise. Start off with a light warm up set for 15 reps followed by a medium warm up set for 12 reps. Next do 3 heavy sets.
Alternate Part 1 of this routine with Part 2 every other day with a day of rest in between each workout for 6 to 8 weeks.
Here is a good example of how to apply this routine:
Week 1 Monday: Bench Press and Dead Lift Wednesday: Parallel Bar Dip, Pull Up and Squat Friday: Bench Press and Dead Lift
Week 2 Monday: Parallel Bar Dip, Pull Up and Squat Wednesday: Bench Press and Dead Lift Friday: Parallel Bar Dip, Pull Up and Squat
Continue to do this routine in this fashion for 6 to 8 weeks.
Progressive Training Progressive training is the idea of trying to make progress with each and every workout. The first aspect of progressive training is to start off slow and increase the intensity of your workouts as you go along.
Example: If you are about to start a new training program that calls for you to do six different exercises for five sets each, start your first workout by doing one set of each exercise. Do two sets of each exercise in your second workout. Keep adding one set of each exercise each workout until you reach the full five sets.
The second aspect of progressive training is to progressively get stronger with each workout.
Example: If you were able to do 8 reps with 200 pounds on the bench press in your last workout, try to do 9 reps in your next workout. Once you can do 9 reps, try to do 10 reps, then increase the weight. If you did 3 sets of 11 pull ups in your last workout, try to do 3 sets of 12 reps in your next workout. This applies to all exercises. Always try to do more with each and every workout. Mentally prepare yourself and psych yourself up before you head to the gym. Tell yourself that you are going to do more in this workout than in the last workout. This is the way to make real progress.
Cyclical Training It is hard to indefinitely keep up the type of intensity that is required for real progress. To stay on the exact same routine forever and to keep increasing the intensity level is hard to do. Your mind and your body will rebel. You get tired and bored with your workout and you do not feel like going to the gym. That is why it is important to train in cycles.
Change your workout every six or eight weeks. Add some new exercises and delete some of the old ones. You can also change the order of your exercises. This will keep your workouts from getting tedious and boring. Your body will respond better to a varied routine.
Instinctive Training This is an advanced training concept. Instinctive training means going into the gym and training according to the way you feel. In order to apply instinctive training effectively, you need to have experience with all of the exercises and all of the training methods for all of the body parts. You also have to be experienced enough to have developed self motivation. If you are still a beginner and you have to force yourself to go to the gym everyday, then you are not experienced enough to apply instinctive training effectively. But remember, some exercise is better than no exercise. If you are tired and bored with your routine and you are thinking about skipping your workout, go to the gym anyway. Tell yourself that you are only going to do the exercises that you feel like doing, and you are going to leave whenever you want to leave. Sometimes you end up getting one of your best workouts ever. You are listening to your body and responding to what it is telling you.
In Cyclical Training, we talked about training in cycles and changing your workout every six to eight weeks. However, if you are doing a routine that you really like and you feel like staying with it for ten weeks or twelve weeks or even longer, then that’s what you should do. This is another way of applying instinctive training. You can get a lot of good training ideas from our website and other fitness websites and books and magazines. You can also get good ideas from other people in the gym that might have more experience than you. But in the long run, only you are going to know what is best for your own body. When you can learn to apply instinctive training, that’s when you will make the best possible gains.
Super Sets A super set is when you alternate two different exercises for two different body parts. Example: If your are working chest and back in the same workout, you can apply super sets by doing one set of bench presses and one set of pull ups. The idea is to work one body part while the other body part is resting. You will get through your workout faster and more efficiently.
Forced Reps A forced rep is when you do as many reps as possible on your own, and then you have your training partner help you do a few more reps. Example: If you are doing bench presses with a maximum weight for 8 reps, do your eight reps, then have your training partner help you by lifting up slightly on the bar.
Negative Resistance Reps A negative resistance rep is when you push the bar up and then your training partner applies pressure on the bar on the way down. Try to resist the pressure by pushing back up on the bar.
Pre-Exhaust Sets A pre exhaust set is when you use an isolation exercise to tire a muscle out, and then you use a compound exercise to continue to work the muscle. Example: Dumbbell Flys are an isolation exercise for the chest muscle. Do a light warm up set followed by a medium warm up set. Next, do a heavy set for as many reps as possible. Without resting, do a set of Bench Ppress. The chest muscles will be tired out from the dumbbell fly's, but the shoulder and triceps muscles that you use for the bench press will be fresh. Make sure that you use a spotter for the bench press. You will have to use a lighter weight on the bench press than you normally would.
Count Down Sets To perform count down sets, you will need access to an Olympic weight set, a power rack and 2 training partners. Example: How to apply count down sets to the shoulder press: Put the Olympic bar on a power rack at about shoulder level. Do a light warm up set and a medium warm up set of shoulder presses. For an example, let’s say you can do a maximum set of shoulder presses for 8 reps with 125 pounds. Put 4 ten pound plates on each side of the bar. That equals 80 pounds plus 45 pounds for the bar. This is a total of 125 lbs. Take the weight off of the rack and do as many reps as possible. Put the bar back on the rack. Have your two training partners pull 1 ten pound plate off each side of the bar. Do not rest. Pick up the bar and do as many reps as possible. Put the bar back on the rack. Have your two training partners pull 1 more ten pound plate off of each side of the bar. Without resting, pick the bar back up and continue to do reps. Keep going until the bar is empty. You can apply count down sets to any exercise that uses a barbell.
Do you row? Rowing is one of the best ways to significantly build up the back. One of the guys with an “all-time” best back is Ollie McClay and he built that very bad back primarily through rowing movements – tons of rowing movements. Rowing is one of the best possible tools you can use to form an awesome back. Targeting the back is vital because the back is the biggest muscle group of the human torso. The legs anchor the lower body and the back anchors the upper body. The better your back, the better your upper body. If you want to turn your back into a mass of hard rock, rowing is the answer.
In addition to the standard form of rowing (bent rowing, cable rowing, dumbbell rowing, etc.), you can add more muscle to your back with a more radical form of rowing. This radical rowing combines a couple of elements to make a superb workout. These elements include the Dorian Yates heavy duty rowing approach along with some explosive action. Together they add up to a radical rowing movement that will shock your back into new growth.
Dorian Yates had a unique approach to rowing – he used an undergrip and a partial bent position to rack up heavy duty stimulation on his back. The reverse grip rowing seems to allow for a more direct pulling action of the back. To perform this style of rowing, grab a barbell with an undergrip (palms facing your body) and bend forward to a position where your body is bent at the waist slightly above parallel. Also bend your knees slightly to help absorb the stationary side of the load.
As you start the rowing, explode! Don’t pull at the typical moderate pace. Instead, rock that bar up into your upper abdomen region as hard as you can. Explosive rowing will bring the fast-twitch muscles into play. As you row, focus on getting those elbows pulled up and back as far as you can for a super deep stretch of the back muscles. Lower the weight back down strongly (basically let it drop down if you have rubber mats), then explosively pull the weight back up again. Perform this explosive action for 5-7 quick, strong repetitions. Get in 4-5 sets and watch what the radical approach to rowing will do for your back.
1. Do not eat poor quality carbohydrates before bed. Poor quality carbohydrates are those that contain sugar or are highly processed. These would include most breakfast cereals, breads, snack foods, candies, and even fruits and juices. Eating these foods immediately prior to bedtime will likely result in increased fat deposit and will prevent your body from maintaining a successful fat-burning mode.
2. Increase your muscle mass! The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn even at rest. Muscle is extremely active metabolically. Do some resistance training, add some muscle, and crank up that metabolism.
3. Never let yourself get too hungry, or too stuffed. It really is all about moderation. Time your meals so that you eat before you are starving . . . doing this one simple thing will cause you to almost always eat less. When you do eat, stop when your satisfied not when you are so stuffed you cannot even get down another bite.
4. Double up on your cardio training. From time to time it may be beneficial to the fat-burning process for you to split your cardio training into two short sessions rather than one longer one. Studies suggest that people who do 30 minutes of morning cardio and then 30 minutes of evening cardio lose more fat than those doing just one 60 minute session.
5. Eat more high fiber foods. Most of us do not get enough fiber in our daily diets, and that’s just a shame. Fiber not only promotes overall general health, but also can significantly aid in your fat-burning efforts. Leafy greens and salads are ideal sources of fiber.
For the last three months, I have been following this workout, and it built my mass, strength and ripped my body fat to a very low level.
Mon. 10 sets of 10 of the following: Flat bench press Seated military press Lying tricep extensions Dips
Tues. 10 sets of 10 of the following: Squats Bent over rows Flat bar bicep curls Power cleans
Wed. 10 sets of 10 of the following: Deadlifts
Thurs. 10 sets of 6 of the following: Flat bench press Seated military press Lying Tricep Extensions Dips
Friday 10 sets of 6 of the following: Squats Bent over rows Flat bar bicep curls Power cleans
.....On the following monday, you do the same exercises as your regular Monday workout only you do 10 sets of 3, Tuesday, same exercises, 10 sets of 3, Wed. Deadlifts, 10 sets of 6, Thursday, start over with 10 sets of 10, and just keep this routine rolling, with 10's, 6's, and 3's. It is an awesome workout, and after about 4 weeks, you will notice that your gym time is really paying off.
Fact: If you're an athlete who trains with a w eight belt, you are not developing your own stabilizing core to function with all of the other muscles. This is a problem, because when you go onto the field, the strength developed in the w eight room cannot be transferred completely because you don't have a w eight belt with you. You actually limit your performance by using a w eight belt.
Myth: Leg lifts are great for the lower abs.
Fact: When most people lift their legs while on their back, they actually inhibit their lower abdominals and strengthen their hip flexors. In order to train your lower abdominals correctly, you should slowly lift your hips 1 to 2 inches off the floor, which will raise your legs and feet a few inches higher. Myth: Behind-the-neck Lat Pull-downs are a great exercise for your lats.
Fact: This exercise puts you in a position where your shoulder ligaments stretch out - destabilizing your shoulder. This, in turn, can lead to compressed nerves at the neck. Aside from that exercise, there is no time in your entire life where you will be required to pull anything behind your head like that. By doing a lat pull-down in front, you will still develop size and strength in your lats. Myth: The best way to burn f at is aerobic exercise and dieting.
Fact: The best way to burn f at is anaerobic exercise and eating regularly. Most strength training consists of anaerobic exercise. The anaerobic lactic acid energy system inside the muscle cells is where the muscle gets the energy to lift w eights. The anaerobic energy system is far less efficient than the aerobic system, so that much more fuel is burned by anaerobic activity than is burned by doing the same amount of work aerobically. Metabolic rates can stay elevated hours after an anaerobic workout, while the metabolic rate drops along with the heart rate after an aerobic workout. More f at is burned for a longer period of time by working out anaerobically. D.ieting does not work well because when you restrict the amount of c alories consumed a day, your body reacts by lowering your metabolic rate so that less c alories are needed, instead of burning more f at to make up for the lost c alories. The best way to change your d iet is to decrease the caloric intake in a wave-like pattern, so that your body does not adapt and more f at is burned. Another important thing to do is to eat six small meals a day instead of 3 larger ones. The reason behind this is that if you eat 3 meals a day, you get hungry and your body starts to lower your metabolic rate, which means that less f at is burned. If you eat 6 smaller meals, you don't get as hungry, and your body maintains a higher metabolic rate, meaning that you burn more f at. Myth: Weight lifting causes big muscles.
Fact: You can create a program which increases strength without any increase in muscle size. Muscle size is only one component in strength. Another important one is the nervous system. The nervous system can almost exclusively be trained so that it can activate muscles harder and longer, which increases the strength in those muscles, without allowing the muscles themselves much if any increase in size. This is great news for women who don't want to bulk up, but still want to get stronger.
One of the very best size-builders, this exercise engages two functions of the biceps muscles, curling and supinating (turning the hands upward). Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides, palms toward your body. Curl them simultaneously, turning your hands upward as you do so. Your palms should be up about half way through the movement.
Close Grip Vertical Curls
Since dumbbell curls are essentially a wide grip exercise effecting the outer biceps head, the second exercise is done with a close grip working the inner head. Use a curling bar taking the inside grip, or a straight bar with a 4" hand spacing. Lean over a vertical curling bench. On the angled bench, you lose tension at the top. Vertical curls provide resistance at the point of complete contraction, building that much-sought-after high biceps peak. Brace your upper arm firmly against the pad. Do full movements, holding the bar at the top for 1/2 second. Lower slowly.
Hammer Curls
This exercise works the brachialis, the muscle between the biceps and triceps. If you haven't done this for a while, you'll notice instant size gains within days of including hammer curls. Do these standing or seated. I prefer simultaneous curls, but you can alternate arms for variety. start the same as you did the supination curls, palms toward you. Curl the dumbbells keeping the thumbs-up position.
Best Forearm Exercises
Pulley Wrist Curl
Attach a revolving bar to a floor pulley cable. Squat in front of it, bracing your lower arms on your thighs. Lower the bar to your fingertips. Bring it to your palms by curling your fingers, then curl your knuckles toward you wrists. Hold and lower slowly. The pulley gives you continuous tension while the tension varies with a barbell. You'll feel a tremendous pump in the forearm flexors.
Reverse Grip Wrist Curl
Sit on the end of a bench holding a barbell. Lower your hand forward, then bring it up as high as possible. You'll feel this in the forearm extensors level with the backs of your hands.
These two exercises isolate and stimulate stubborn forearm development. (Incidentally, reverse curls are NOT a forearm exercise, except in a secondary way. It would be like doing military presses for the triceps, or bent over rows for the biceps!)
Take a medium-wide grip on the bar, just beyond shoulder width. Too wide a grip limits the degree of movement. You've always been taught to pull the bar all the way to your chest. It's time to unlearn this. By doing that, you limit your poundage to the amount you can bring down that far, working only the weaker aspect of that muscle. By pulling to your nose, you can pull much more weight, working the strong outer area of the lats, packing on tremendous size and width.
Cross Pulley Lat Pulldowns
With this exercise, we complete the movement we started in the first exercise. Stand between the cross-pulley holding the upper handles. Pull your elbows to the sides of your body. Hold for 1/2 second, return slowly. The combination of this and the pulldowns to the nose provides you with a much larger range of movement than a standard pulldown to the chest. The elbows come much closer to the sides, bringing out that stubborn lower lat width.
45° Row
If your gym doesn't have a seated pulley slightly above your head, you can do this on a seated lat machine leaning back. Use a close grip handle. The first two exercises worked the first function of the back muscles, bringing the arms down to your sides. This one works the second function, bringing the arms down in front of you. The pullover machine utilizes a similar movement. Keep your back straight. Pull the handles to your solar plexus. Not only does this exercise work the inner area of the upper back, but widens it as well by working the infraspinatus under the armpits.
Low Pulley Row
You can also do this on a lever row, raising the seat. While the 45° row worked this angle along with the upper front pull, you have more strength from this position and can add thickness to the inner lower lats by isolating the area.
Hyperextensions
This and the lower back machine where you sit back against a padded arm, are the best exercises for working the erector muscles without undue strain on the spinal structure. While deadlifts, stiff-legged deadlifts; and good-morningsare great strength builders, they should never be done by those with existing or previous lower back injuries. Hyperextensions also tighten and tone the glutes muscles. Be careful no to hyperextend too much.
Works the overall mass of the chest. With your back flat on the bench, grip the barbell with palms facing up and about 8-12 inches wider than shoulder-width. Lift the barbell off the rack to the starting position, which is straight above your face, your arms extended fully. Slowly lower the barbell until it touches the lower edge of your chest. Your elbows should be pointed out while the rest of your body remains in position. Slowly raise (push) the barbell to the starting position while flexing (squeezing together) your chest.
Incline Dumbbell Press
This builds muscle mass in the upper chest. Using dumbbells allows an extra 15° of movement at the top than you'd get with a barbell. The steeper the incline, the more the deltoids, rather than the pecs, are performing the lift. Too many bodybuilders use a 45° incline. This is too much. 30° to 35° is perfect for upper pec development.
Peck Deck
Works the central pec with an emphasis on the inner area, building depth between the pectorals (cleavage). I prefer to do this with arms straight in front rather than the forearms angled upward. This takes stress off the shoulder joints. These are better than flat bench dumbbell flyes. Since dumbbells rely on the pull of gravity, tension decreases at the top the movement. This is precisely where you want the most resistance to carve that inner pec detail. If your pec machine is under repair, substitute flyes between the low cross-pulleys on a low bench.
Decline Dumbbell Flyes
since you worked the inner pecs with the last exercise, the decline fly works the outer pec as well as outlining the lower pecs. Use a 35° decline bench and do the exercise with arms slightly unlocked. Start with palms up. Keep this hand position throughout the exercise.
Sit in front of the low pulley and attach a straight bar. Lie back. Take a grip 6 inch grip on the bar, palms down. Keeping your elbows slightly unlocked, raise the bar up to forehead level. This is the same as a barbell front raise, only you can't use body momentum nor put strain on the lower back. The very best movement for isolating those front deltoids.
Dumbell Lateral Raises
Start with the dumbells in front of you, all four sides touching. Keeping the elbows slightly unlocked, raise them out to the sides to ear level. This brings out the medial delt and widens the shoulders. Unlike the lateral raise machine, you can give yourself forced reps at the end of a set by bending the arms more.
Press Behind The Head
This completes the movement you did in the previous exercise. On a Smith or press machine, start with the bar behind your head, about level with the tops of your ears, forearms parallel with each other. Push the bar completely overhead. You will be able to handle more weight in this partial movement, working the strong area of the delts with some residual trap work.
Rear Deltoid Machine
Seated, facing the machine, do a set with your hands above shoulder level, two sets at shoulder level, and a final set slightly below shoulder level. Keep your elbows slightly bent. You can substitute bentover flyes for this one. Do these with your forehead braced against a high bench, a stool, or lying prone on a high bench. This prevents you from using body momentum and takes strain off the lower back. This is an important shoulder exercise since underdeveloped rear delts are so common among bodybuilders.
Shrugs On The Standing Calf Machine
Unlike barbell or dumbell shrugs, you are not limited by your gripping strength. Stand under the calf machine. Raise your shoulders straight up as high as possible. Hold for 1/2 second, lower slowly. You don't have to move your shoulders back, as your rowing and rear delt work gets thew muscles make that movement.
There are many ways to get and stay fit. Here's a few:
YMCA, adult or community education classes such as step aerobics, aquatics, low-impact aerobics, weight training, jazz and other forms of non-professional dance, tai chi, yoga (some teachers combine fun, jazzy dance routines with yoga), horseback riding, swimming and countless others.
For those of you who want to do partner activities, consider swing, ballroom and western dance classes. Roller and ice skating are fun couple activities. You can do a lot of dancing on roller and ice skates.
Water sports, like rowing, kayaking, surfing, windsurfing, water skiing, etc.
Basketball, touch football, soccer, tennis, badminton, table tennis, base ball, softball, volleyball, running, jogging, speed walking, bicycling, nautilus or other exercise machines, stationary bicycling, stretching (invent your own, I learned some great ones from my cat. Imagine your an animal and stretch like they would.) isometric exercise. Try playing some of the traditionally competitive games and sports without scoring.
Be creative and design your own fitness routine. If you need new ideas, as I mentioned earlier, watch a work-out video. For those who can - hire a personal trainer. Or, keep it simple. Take a hike or work in your garden.
For you off-beat athletes, consider karate, aikido and other martial arts, juggling, hackey-sack, outdoor roller skating and roller blading (some people use ski poles while blading), frisbee-tossing, archery, pole-vaulting, discus throwing, 50 yard dash, invent whacky relay races, white-water rafting, rock-climbing, hang-gliding - the sky's the limit.
To get the best results from your leg workout, train your legs on their own day of the week. When training your legs, you're basically working half your body in one session.
Training your leg muscles doesn't only work your lower half; it actually works your entire body, increases your heartbeat and gets your blood flowing to help burn fat and work your cardiovascular system. If you're working out hard enough, you won't have any energy left to train any other body parts anyway.
The squat is the mother of all leg exercises. If you were to do only one leg exercise, it should be the squat, since it works your entire body. The regular squat is a great exercise in order to build your legs and your overall fitness level.
Thigh Exercises Squats or Leg Press - 4 sets x 12,10,8,6 reps Leg Extension - 3 sets x 10,8,6 reps
Hamstring Exercises Lying Leg Curls - 3 sets x 12,10,8 reps Stiff Leg Deadlifts - 3 sets x 12,10,8 reps
Calf Exercises Standing Calf Raise - 3 sets x 12,12,12 reps Seated Calf Raise - 3 sets x 12,12,12 reps
Football star David Garrard recently lost 20 pounds in a short period of time. In an article for Sporting News, he said he basically cut out all carbs for three weeks to achieve the weight loss.
Are these types of extreme diets a good way to go? Yes and no.
Yes, you can achieve some weight loss in the short term. However, extreme diets typically don't work in the long run. Traci Mann, UCLA Associate Professor and lead author of a 2007 study on weight loss, notes "You can initially lose 5 to 10 percent of your weight on any number of diets, but then the weight comes back. We found that the majority of people regained all the weight, plus more. Extreme diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people."
The long term success rate of these questionable approaches is poor. In addition to a poor track record over the long term, there is another issue that bodybuilders must be aware of when considering the extreme low carb diet or other similar approaches to eating. The chief consideration is obtaining enough fuel to for the workout. Get too low on fuel and your workout is impaired. An impaired workout in turn translates into no muscle gain. Do this a few times in a row and you may actually lose ground on your muscles.
For working out, your prime fuel comes from carbs and if you are cutting your carbs to extremely low levels, don’t expect to have much of a workout. The same is true for the post workout recovery. If you are inhibiting carb intake, then your post workout recovery won’t be as beneficial as it could be with some carbs.
If you do choose to use a low-carb dietary approach, do so on a mixed basis. That is, go with a low carb diet part of the week, and boost the carb intake on the days that you work out hard. By insuring that you have enough carbs to fuel your training (both before and after the workout) you will insure that your muscles don’t feel the downside of your diet.
Notes:
The editor feels it is best to get your carbohydrates from natural fruits and vegetables rather than from wheat and grains.
It is very likely that if you are into any type of work out or you attend a gym, you have heard about Glutamine. Maybe you heard of glutamine before but do you really know what is it or how it works.
Glutamine is an amino acid that is found in many animal and plant tissue as well as proteins. Manufactures produce this commercially for both biochemical research and medicinal purposes. What people like the best of Glutamine is that is it an effective brain fuel. Some doctors have used it to treat alcoholism and depression. It is also used for nutrition therapy, as it is an amino acid.
Glutamine is well liked by people who are trying to drop a few pounds because it suppresses cravings for sweets. It also plays a very important part in building muscles and having positive effects on your metabolism.
To maintain their muscle mass, most bodybuilders like to take around 8 to 17 milligrams of Glutamine per day. This should be divided up in approximately 3 doses. This supplement has virtually no side effects, which is one of the best things about it. Some people have reported getting an upset stomach if they take too much but other than that, there really are no side effects. Bodybuilders are the top of the list of people who use Glutamine, because it helps to reduce the amount of muscle deterioration.
Bodybuilders put their muscles under a great deal of stress, and by taking glutamine, they can help to replace the amount of Glutamine that they use that is stored up in their muscles. This will help to keep their muscles from breaking down. It really helps a great deal to supplement the Glutamine so that they do not use too much of the Glutamine that is stored in their muscles.
Bodybuilders use supplements like Glutamine to enhance their training. Have in mind that you have to check with your doctor before starting use of any type of supplement. You want to be sure that you are doing what is right for your body. You must make absolutely certain that the supplement does not affect any other medications that you may currently take or any conditions that you currently have.
Glutamine is a necessary bodybuilding supplement to take, if you decide to use one. The benefits to your body are great while the side effects are little to none.
Early bodybuilders workout weren't much differant than the workouts of competitive weightlifters. They world lift heavy and rest a long time between sets. Recent studies show low rep, heavy lifting with five minutes restbetween sets produce strong and bulky muscle. And early bodybuilding champions like John Grimek were just that strong and bulk but also too smooth. Then came people like Vince Gironda and Jack LaLanne who used very short rest periods between sets. This kind of training, along with better nutrition of course, seemed to give much more muscular definition. Since then bodybuilder naves have been more and more defined and vascular. Many like Frank Zane, Mohamed Makkawy, Steve Davis, and others learned methods for adding muscle size and definition at the same time. Using descending sets, (reducing poundage for each set), or supersets and trisets (alternating exercises non-stop), they reduced their rest periods to as little as 10 seconds between sets. This had the same effect on their muscles as a heavy weight. At the same time that the reps for each maximum effort where in the 6-8 range working deep muscle fibers. The continuous movement provided the advantages of a high rep workout (endurance fiberbuilding and aerobic effect). Their workouts were condensed to half the time they'd normally take to perform. If your goal is to get super definition, I highly recommend much shorter rests between sets. Gradually reduce your rest times down to 10 seconds on most muscle groups and no more than 30 seconds on leg exercises such as squats, deadlifts, leg presses, etc. Resting less than 10 seconds is ineffective because your reps will be limited by lactic acid build-up. You'll make awesome gains for a long time on this short-rest method, but on every program, your muscles will eventually adapt. When this happens, It's good to return to a slower pace. Heavier weight training with a partner to help with an extra forced rep or two at the end of a set is great for off-season strength and size.
It used to be thought that: Less that 5 reps build strength, but not muscle size, 6-8 are reps for size, 10-12 reps are for shape, and 20 or more reps are for definition.
People beginning in bodybuilding, generally do best using an 8-12 rep range. As they get more experience most will try a lower rep range such as The 5-8 rep range. Many of the biggest bodybuilders in history have used this rep range including Bill Pearl, Reg Park, Mike Menzerand Dorian Yates.
Advanced bodybuilders who hit progress plateaus find there are times when it's best to use higher reps to increase both size and strength. Higher reps provide more of a pump, which increase the capillaries.15-20 reps, though often believed to be definition builders, have produced some great physiques such as Steve Reeves and Sergio Oliva.
A bodybuilder I know suffered an injury that forced him to train extremely light doing one set of 100 reps per exercise. He said itwas the most challenging routine he'd ever done. And to his surprise, his muscles grew from this program! Realizing the different advantages of each rep range, somebodybuilders derive the best of each of these by changing their reprange every three weeks. I've heard of bodybuilders changing weekly.
Mike Quinn once used a system devised by Dr. Fred Hatfield. Eachexercise was done in three rep ranges. The first set was 5-6 reps. 20% of the poundage was removed and a set of 10-12 followed. The poundage reduced again by 40-50% and done for a set of 20. You can also add a new dimension to it by adding a set of 9 between the 6 and the 12 rep sets. Sonny Schmidt used to do the reverse of this in their training. Starting with a light weight, he'd squeeze out a set of 20 reps. Then with each set, he'd increase the weight and lower the reps, working to maximum efforts.
An other great method, used by R ich Gaspari, Vince Taylor andSamir Bannout, is going heavy, low reps for half ofthe week, then medium to high reps the second half. Another rep-combining method is doing the basic exercisesheavy, and the isolation movements medium and high rep. Berry DeMay, Francis Benfatto and Joe DeAngelis used this method. Thierry Pastel often bounces around to different repranges with each exercise.
When you hit an impasse and those muscles won't grow, it's time for a change. Changing only the rep range can produce awesome results!
If you are a Cory Everson or an Arnold Schwarzenegger wannabe, or even if you are just looking to build great body shape, you certainly need to know a few basic bodybuilding tips.
The first step towards having a well sculpted body is to set achievable goals for yourself, ask yourself why you would want to have a fit body or why you would want to become a bodybuilder? Whatever your reason maybe, what matters at the end of the day is that, you must do it for yourself and you must enjoy yourself while doing it. Most bodybuilding programs end up being successful simply because the participants are consistant and worked earnestly to improve themselves.
Maintain a bodybuilding log book to record your progress, or to set and achieve goals, during the course of your bodybuilding program. For example, on a certain day, you could note down in your logbook that you want to do 10 reps that day (even though you only did 8 reps last time) and then at the end of the day, you could come back and record, whether you managed it and you could also write down comments about how it went. This act of keeping a record can serveas a huge motivating factor.
Here are a few more bodybuilding tips to get you making fast progress: 1. To ensure success be committed to your bodybuilding plans and ensure that you are changing your old habits.
2. You have to understand that the perfect body that you are seeking is not easy to get and that building muscle and burning can take a lot of time, so be patient and don’t become demoralized.
3. The bodybuilding process might be very strenuous, painfuland a lot of hard work, but stick to your program, go to the gym regularly, do your exercises daily, you might sore and tired, but realize that all this is actually helping you form that perfect body for yourself.
4. For best fitness results, you have to change your diet. Eat smaller meals but more frequently, with more protein intake in your diet, for it helps in muscle growth. Drinking more water will help in optimizing your muscle volume. Take limited sugar, salt, alcohol and obviously cut down on your fat consumption.
5. The best way to prevent your body from breaking down from a strenuous bodybuilding program, is to sleep well and as much as possible.
6. Don’t ever lose sight of the initial goal that had inspired you to take up bodybuilding, spur yourself on towards success.
I don't mean to brag but I am very proud of my leg development, I actually get complemented on it all the time and get asked aboutmy leg workout. I have been training for 15 years now and while I did a lot of barbell squats when I was younger I no longer do it regularly.
Here is my current leg workout: First I start with either walking lunges or leg extensions. I usually walk around the gym 3 or 4 times while lunging. I find the lunges thoroughly warm up the knees and give me a wicked burn to get me psyched up for the rest of the routine.
I immediately follow lunges with leg extension. I do my legextension very strictly; I lock my legs out at the top for at least a 2 second hold, and I also point my toes up to the ceiling. The negative part of the movement is just as important, and I execute that slowly. I don't totally relax the quadriceps muscle at the bottom of the movement.
My next exercise is either the hack squat or the smith machine squat. Again, my form is strict and slow. I don't bounce at the bottom of the movement, and I don't lock my knees out at the top. Instead of locking out my knees, I squeeze on my leg muscles. My rep range on these is usually 30 reps at 135 pounds (my first set). My other sets I increase in increments of 90 to 100 pounds and I perform between 10 and 15 reps.
My next exercise is are single leg presses on the vertical leg press machine. I do this for shape, not size. I utilize one leg at a time, I try not to go too heavy because I don'twant to injure my knee. Most of the time, I perform this movement with 155 pounds for 20 rep sets. I keep the movement slow and strict; again, I don't lock out my knees and I squeeze my leg muscles at the top of the movement.
My next to last exercise is sissy squat. Luckily, the gym where I train has a machine for this exercise. I do this exercise for definition and shape. I perform 20 to 30 reps. I concentrate on squeezing my legs and glutes at the top of the movement, and I don't lock out my knees. I also squatdown slow and deep.
My final exercise is the inner thigh machine. I perform this with 140 pounds for 30 rep sets. The key to this exerciseis to squeeze together with your knees! I finish off my leg training day with a 30 minute session on the stair master. And I do mean "finish". I think its important to note that I don't lift very heavy, which isquite the opposite of how I "look". I will not sacrifice form for the sake of lifting heavy to impress someone in the gym. Legs are difficult bodypart for most people to develop, but I think with patience, and strict training you will see results!
What are fractional plates? Generally, they are barbell and dumbbell plates that weigh less than one pound. If you add less than 1% to your previous successful lift, your body cannot detect a difference in the weight, andthe lift will go without fail. Additionally, the possibility of injury is virtually eliminated. The only conditional requirements are proper recuperation and nutrition between workouts. In practice, this means that with any weight over 100 pounds,we cannot tell the difference of one additional pound. The bar is unquestionably heavier. We simply cannot detect it.
How are fractional plates properly used? For the sake of example, say your current bench is stuck at 225 lbs, and that you work it twice a week. One percent is 2.25 lbs. Be conservative and add only one pound each workout. If you are patient and hold the course, you will be lifting 104lbs more over the next injury-free year. And you are now benching 329.
The second year you add a conservative, one pound a week. At the end of that year your new bench will be will be 381. It is highly unlikely you could match this gain unless you are a novice, a comeback veteran, or were previously working very far below your current ability.
The conservative one pound a week' approach and expectation is probably more realistic for several reasons. It allows for contingencies such as illness, personal and work pressures that interfere with your planned workout schedule. It fits a heavy/light schedule, if that is your preference. Additionally,one pound a week allows you to build inertia that will not be denied until you get very close to your potential. So, there are several good reasons to proceed in "baby steps". They ensure you will always move forward.
The key to using fractional plates is patience. This is a journey you can't speed up. As soon as you get greedy for 5 and 10lb jumps again, progress stops all together. Stick with the program. Where could you be in five years?
Abdominal contraptions seem to be the biggest seller of all the machines. You've seen them; space-age-looking springs that youpush with your gut, or a rolling device that is supposed to help make your sits easier. These machines are really not needed. The only thing that is going to reduce your waistline is honest hard work. Those machines simplify your workout and make your effort less effective. If you want to really hit your abs, trythis. Take about three days a week and alternate a group of abexercises such as crunches, side crunches, and seated crunches. No machine necessary.
Let's take a further look at an effective ab workout. To really hit the abs and slim your waistline you, will need to develop your abs aswell as burn fat. You can have the most developed abs in the world, but you won't see them if they are buried under a lot of fat. To workout the abs effectively, you will need to do a combination of ab andaerobic exercise, at least 3 to 4 days a week. I recommend you do one-hour workouts split in half: 30 minutes for abs and 30 minutes for aerobics. The following exercises should be done for three tofour sets of 20 reps each.
Crunches Works the overall ab area. Lay on the floor with your knees up. Cross your arms over your body and slowly crunchyour body up.
Side crunches Works your side oblique muscles. Start out as you would a crunch, but instead of going straight up, twist your right arm towards your left knee and vice versa.
Seated crunches Works your lower abs. Sit on a bench, close to the edge. Support yourself with your hands. Tilt back a bit and extend your legs out with a slight bend and slowly pull legs to chest.
Beyond failure training, was made popular by Trevor Smith. His beliefs were that the body is capable of a lot more stress than we give it credit for and that when the body fails, the set just begins. Beyond failure training is very simple in concept, but very hard to do and few people will ever do it because it hurts so much.
Training past failure demands that when you are doing a set, as you begin to go to failure, where you cannot complete a full range of motion on your own and you are at momentary failure, your training partner assists you in completing a few more repetitions with the same weight before you are allowed to stop. At this point you are pumped beyond belief, but it is not over yet! Your partner immediately drops the weight down around 40% and you continue with the set until you cannot get any more reps. Your partner again assists you to get and additional number of reps until you are fried. Then once again your partner drops the weight so you can continue your journey into no-mans land and once you begin to fail he again assists you in getting additional reps. Then and only then is your set complete. You do only 1 or 2 "sets" as above for each exercise.
Here is the Beyond Failure Training suggest workout routine:
Day 1: Chest and Calves Pec Deck Incline Barbell Press on Smith Machine Donkey Calf Machine Seated Calf Raises
Day 2: Shoulders and Triceps Single Arm Cable or Machine Laterals Front Presses on Smith Machine Tricep Pushdowns
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Back and Biceps Pullover Machine Machine Rows Lat Pulldown Machine Curls
Day 5: Legs Leg Extensions Leg Press Leg Curls
Day 6: Off
Day 7: Off
Here are some important rules to remember when following Beyond Failure Training:
You will tend to need an hour or so to recover from the workout so that you can perform daily functions.
You will find that after 6 (8 weeks max) that you will start to get burned out training this way, reduce the intensity for a few weeks until you feel ready again to give it your all.
You can only train once a day for a maximum of 4 times a week.
You can only spend a maximum of 45 minutes in the gym per session.
It is very painful and you will tend to have anxiety before your workouts.
You must keep all other physical activities to a bare minimum during your 6-week training cycle to insure maximum recovery and energy available for the workouts
It is imperative that you have adequate nutrients in the system at all times. You need to make sure you are getting 2-2.5 grams of protein / pound each day along with 2 - 3 grams of carbs depending on your metabolism (if you are carb sensitive cut it back to 1.5-2 grams and compensate the calories with extra protein.
Make sure you are getting at least 7 hours of straight sleep a night along with a good hour nap at some point in the day or evening. If this is not feasible, Try and get 8-9 hours of sleep per night.
Train harder then the next guy, and one day nobody will touch you!
The human body will eventually adapt to any sustained routine so any work out routine should be changed periodically for continued muscle development. Although many workouts can be used on the barbell squat, for strength and endurance, we recommend the pyramid style work out as follows:
Warm up by jogging or other non-strenuous exercises to get a good sweat.
1st SET - Empty bar 15 reps.
2nd SET - 1/3 of maximum w eight (defined as the most w eight an athlete can do 5 reps with) 12 reps.
3rd SET - 2/3 of maximum w eight 10 reps.
4th SET - Maximum w eight 5-6 reps.
Take a short break (1-2 minutes)
5th SET - Maximum w eight 5-6 reps.
6th SET - Tear-down (remove * w eight) doing as many reps as possible concentrate on acceleration of w eight upward.
As athlete gets stronger, add more w eight for 4th and 5th SET, which for the first several workouts may only be lifted 3-4 reps. Continue working at that level until 6 reps are achieved. Most important for muscle development - Avoid One Rep Max.
We also recommend that athletes keep their head up to help focus on the acceleration of the w eight and maintain a good curvature of the back.
