Picked up the latest issue of Muscular Development Magazine and went through the interview that Ron Harris did with Mark Alvisi and wanted to comment on it.

First congratulations to Mark as this is a major accomplishment because of course, while you want to do damage in the pro ranks—you have to get there first, and this win got Mark his pro card.

Second, despite the fact that most people were saying that Mark was sure thing to turn pro, I’ve been following this sport for a LONG time, and have seen guys that were sure-to-turn-pro, get second and then third, and then second, and well you know the story, they just never got over-the-hump.

Third, it seems like Mark has a good head on his shoulders and knows what he needs to do to improve—and obviously he did the job from last year because he got his pro card.

My opinion of his physique is that while he has wonderful shoulders, he needs bring up his chest a bit, and add some more to his legs, especially the inner thighs.

Also, and this is just from the pictures I’ve seen in the magazines, Mark needs to keep an eye on his waist so that it does not get bigger.

But as stated above, I think Mark has a good head on his shoulders and knows what needs to be done—and will do it.

Plus, I feel he his doing it the right way, take some time off to put on some size and then compete.

To me competing just for the sake of it is not really worth it.

SOME COMMENTS

You must congratulate Steve Blechman the publisher and editor-in-chief or Muscular Development Magazine as he has put together a fine collection of young bodybuilders that can be battling-it-out for top honors at shows for years-to-come.

With Mark Alvisi, Evan Centopani, Erik Fankhouser, and probable soon-to-be pro Branden Ray.

Not-to-mention Dennis Wolf.

All of the above young men are just that, young, and will be around this sport for years to come.

Also, to be honest, Muscular Development Magazine has tons of great info in it every month, for guys like me, and I’m sure thousands of other young and not so young men, who simply love training, and want to learn everything they can to improve them selves, but have no desire to compete.

CONCLUSION

Congrats, again to Mark Alvisi on his overall win at the 2009 USA Championships and to Steve Blechman for putting together one heck of a magazine.

Until Next Time

NEVER STOP DREAMING

Just like well developed shoulders, I feel that one reason a well developed set of upper pecs is so impressive is that, well you really do not see too many people that have upper pecs that are well developed.

To me this can be attributed to one thing, the flat bench press.

While it is true that some genetically gifted bodybuilders can develop very balanced (meaning all areas of the chest, from lower to inner to outer to upper to all areas in between) chest development from just doing flat benches, most of us, myself included, see more in the way of middle and lower pec development from doing flat benches.

Of course, some people see very little growth at all in their pecs from benching, with most of the growth coming in the form of well developed triceps and front delts—and while muscle growth is muscle growth, most people want chest growth for their benching efforts, not growth in the aforementioned body parts.

ENTER THE INCLINE PRESS

Do you know what exercise was the number one choice for most people looking to build up their upper bodies’ back-in-the-day? (the 50’s and 60’s)

If you guessed the flat bench press—you must step to the back of the line.

However, if you guessed the over head press with a barbell—go to the front of the class you are correct.

O.K.

You might be thinking, what does the over head press have to do with building a massive chest, after all I thought it was primarily a shoulder exercise.

You are correct, it is, however, just like the over head press fell out of favor, another exercise, that never quite reached a high level of use—ranks as a better over-all upper body—and chest builder than the flat bench.

The exercise I am referring to is the incline press done with a barbell or dumbbells.

Why?

Truthfully it comes down to a number of things: First, unlike the flat bench, the incline press requires stricter form which helps prevent injuries. Second, it works those all important upper pecs, which ranks up there with the most neglected of body parts. Third, the incline press carries over far greater on the athletic field than does the flat bench press.

SOME POINTS

The incline press done with either a barbell or dumbbells is a great way to build your upper chest—however please don’t be overly concerned with how much weight you can lift, especially if you haven’t tried this exercise before.

Always remember, your goal as a bodybuilder is to work your muscles (in this case the upper pecs) hard enough so that they must grow—NOT to see how much weight you can get from point A to point B.

Also, if you have any shoulder discomfort from using a barbell, try giving dumbbells a go.

THE ROUTINE

In the beginning stick with the tried-and-true 5 x 5 program (that’s five sets of five reps per set, for a total of twenty five reps) and really learn or re learn how to do the lift properly.

After you’ve got the form down—then you can worry about changing rep schemes and adding weight.

One point, the incline press requires stricter form that the flat bench, so you might have to swallow your ego a bit and go down in weight more than you’d like—but remember your muscles don’t know how much weight is on the bar.

A TIP

Lower the barbell or dumbbells slowly to your chest and then pause for a couple of seconds before pressing the bar or dumbbells back up.

You want your upper chest taking the brunt of the work, not other muscles.

NUTRITION BASICS

As good as the incline barbell or dumbbell press is for building the upper pecs not much will come from all your hard work if you are not eating correctly.

If you are looking to gain mass—combine the above exercise with other big lifts like squats, dead lifts, and bent over rows, etc.—make sure your are getting one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (so if you weigh one hundred and fifty pounds you would take in one hundred and fifty grams of protein) from sources like, lean beef, chicken, turkey, and eggs.

Up next are plenty of high quality carbs like oatmeal (preferably steel cut oats) brown rice, yams, and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

Along with this take in good fats from fatty fish like sardines, nuts, seeds and a good quality fish oil supplement.

A WORD ON POST WORKOUT NUTRITION

You see ads all over the magazines touting amazing sounding products.

However, lets cut the baloney, while some of those products are great, tons of quality muscle has been built over the years with nothing but good old fashioned hard work and good quality food.

No secret ingredients, no hype.

So please if you can’t afford those expensive post-workout (or any supplements for that matter) supplements don’t worry about it, just take in a good quality meal like white meat chicken and white rice after your workout (as you don’t want to much fat and fiber in your post workout meal as this will slow absorption) and you will be fine.

CONCLUSION

Honestly, I know if you give the incline barbell or dumbbell press an honest try, not only will you be well on your way to building another part of your X Frame Physique—

You might have to buy new shirts to make room for all of your new chest size!

Until Next Time

NEVER QUIT

There has been a lot of talk on the forums and in one of the major muscle magazines about which diet is better, the low or no carb diet, or dieting with carbs.

For me, personally I have always been a low carb guy.

Why?

Simple.

I gave the carb thing a try and it did not work for me.

And this is the main point of this post—regardless of if you are into low carbs no carbs or carbs—the best thing you can do is try everything and see how it works for you.

Reading about the benefits of low carbs is great, but if you never try it, how can you really know for sure if it works—for you.

Heck, you might feel wonderful on low carbs—but then again you might feel terrible—but you would have never known this fact if you didn’t try it.

Same goes for different methods of training, some people can gain doing singles and while this approach might look goofy or appear to be without merit—the only thing that counts is that this method works for that particular person.

So even though it might go against all you thought you knew about building muscle—lets say the next time you go stale on a routine—you think back to that guy you saw doing singles—and give them a shot.

Hey the worst thing that can happen is that they don’t work for you—no big deal—lesson learned and you move on.

SOME POINTS

One thing most people forget is that the body is always changing, so you know that super mass gaining routine that you did when you were eighteen—well now that you are thirty five it just might not work anymore.

Same goes for your nutrition—you know that all day pig-out fest you’ve been having for years on Tuesday—worked great up until six months ago—again your body could have changed.

A WORD ON LOW CARBS

As long as I brought up the low carb, no carb, and carb debate, I might as well chime in with my two cents.

Honestly, I feel that most people eat way too many carbs—for the reason being that most people’s lifestyles are VERY sedentary.

Even if you lift weights hard for an hour four days per week, the rest of the time you might be sitting at a desk somewhere eight or more hours per day.

There are exceptions of course, the guy who busts-his-but in the gym four days per week and has a physical job eight hours per day will obviously need more carbs (and calories) than the rest of us.

However, for the most part, I think people (after getting the O.K. from their doctor or health care provider) would do better on a lower carb diet.

To me though, there is a limit, the whole no carb or trace carb diet, where the only carbs that are found in the diet are the ones found in nuts and seeds and vegetables—for example—is pushing it WAY too far.

People will only stick to something that they can live with and I don’t think too many people can live with the no carb thing—for very long anyway.

O.K.

That ends my rant on the carb debate.

CONCLUSION

Trying new things can be hard, but if you don’t try you will never know.

So the next time you are at a loss for a new way to train—how about having the courage to try something out-of-the-ordinary.

Who knows, you might just discover a new favorite way to train.

Until Next Time

KEEP AN OPEN MIND

I’ve always trained my abs at first it was the very basic crunches and reverse crunches and it has evolved over the years, but I’ve always added in some ab work at the end of most workouts.

But as with anything, you keep reading and studying and you come to different conclusions than you had before.

I now realize that if you squat and dead lift your abs probably get enough work.

But does that mean I have given up training my abs—no way.

I know that it is probably just me, but I always feel better knowing that I did some ab work.

My favorite is steep incline sit ups done on a slant board.

However if you really haven’t done much ab work I would start with planks and then work up from there.

To do planks, position yourself like you were going to do a standard push-up except put all of your weight on your forearms.

Now you must keep your back flat as you don’t want your but sticking up in the air.

It sounds easy I know—but take this exercises seriously and work up to being able to hold a solid plank for a good two minutes before advancing onto harder exercise.

SOME POINTS

Of course, to be in total shape you need to incorporate some form of weight training and cardio into your routine.

A note on cardio—I don’t care what the expert’s say—the only cardio worth doing is one that you will do on a regular basis.

So if like walking—go for brisk walks—but if you’d much rather play a hard game of tennis go for it—you will only see results if you do it on a regular basis.

Also, I know what people say, but to me doing some form of ab work helps to lean out the waist faster than not doing any.

CONCLUSION

I know my abs are getting worked during my bodybuilding workout but I don’t care I still like the idea of doing some ab work at the end of my workout.

Give this approach a try as well—you may find like I do that it is the ideal way to end a good workout.

Until Next Time

EVERYTHING IN MODERATION

As much as I love walking—to be honest it is my preferred form of cardiovascular activity—I know that lifting weights is vital.

Not only does lifting burn calories—just like walking—but lifting helps build muscle and the more muscle you have the more calories you burn even at rest.

Now, don’t let anyone tell you that fat does not burn calories, because it does, it just does not burn as many calories as muscle.

Another benefit to lifting is that you can totally reshape your body—want a smaller looking waist—make your shoulders wider.

BOOM!

Increased V-taper.

So my little nudge for this week is for you to start a lifting program.

You don’t have to go hog wild, besides doing so could get you injured, just get started slowly, and work your way into it.

If you are totally new to lifting find a good gym in your area and then ask around until you find a competent trainer—just because they are certified means nothing.

If you’ve lifted before—still ease back into it, and please whatever you do, don’t think you can jump right back into your old routine.

The only thing that will get you is injured.

As always—please consult your doctor, physician, or health care provider before beginning or undertaking any exercise program—and this advice was not intended as medical advice and should not be taken as such..

Bodybuildingandmore.com does not assume any liability for injuries incurred while starting, doing or proceeding to do said exercise program.

Until Next Time

KEEP WORKING

I know that weight training is the best way to reshape your body. Imagine yourself having gained ten rock hard pounds on your shoulders, back, and chest, along with a serious drop in body fat and you will have completely reshaped your body—in a good way.

However, I still am a firm believer in the benefits of doing some form of aerobic work, not just for fat loss, but for overall health as well.

There are tons of things you can choose from; however, for me there is only one—good old fashion walking.

Why?

First off, you can almost do it anywhere, anytime, and you really do not need anything more than a good pair of walking shoes.

Second, it is low impact. I know a few people who have gone through knee replacements and trust me it was not pleasant for them, so I’ll leave the running to other people.

I know some of you will be saying, “What about sprinting, I thought high intensity cardio was a great way to burn off fat?”

Yes, it probably is, however, I’ve read about too many people messing up their Achilles tendons and tearing hamstrings to really consider this option.

Also, if you are really doing some intense leg workouts, the last thing you need is more work for your legs, and that is exactly what you will get if you do some high intensity cardio, be it, sprints or interval training on a stationary bike.

That leads me to my third point about walking—it burns calories—without being stressful on the legs—meaning it does not dip into your reserves too much.

And last but not least, you can scale it up, meaning, if you really are dragging and you do not feel like doing any cardio you can just go for a slow walk. However, if you are really in need of some calorie burn off, you can go for a brisk walk.

CONCLUSION

Walking may not be the hot thing-of-the-month, however, that does not mean it is not effective.

So the next time you are looking to burn off some additional calories try a nice brisk walk.

Trust me you will not be disappointed!