Today I would like to share with you an exercise that I wish I had done more of when I was younger.

And this is.

Chin-ups.

I know chin-ups are not fancy, but believe me, they work your biceps hard and since most trainers avoid things like chin-ups and pull-ups because they are difficult, you will have an advantage over them.

Also, while most people realize that wide grip pull-ups work the lats, most people do not realize that pull-ups also work the back as well.

So not only do you get a great biceps workout, but you get some back work in at the same time.

This is not a bad thing in my book considering the fact that you do not see too many people with great backs.

O.K.

So we have established that doing chin-ups is a good thing, now I want to give you a variation on the traditional chin that will pump-up your biceps to major proportions.

THE WORKOUT

Before you attempt the workout you will find below, please work up to being able to do a solid set of twelve chins.

Once you can do this, then you may progress to the following routine.

O.K.

So after you are good and warmed up do a normal chin, and hold at the top for a count and then start to slowly lower your self down, but don’t go all the way down, stop at the half-way point.

Hold at this point for a second, and then pull your self back up, hold at the top for a count and then slowly lower your self down.

That is one rep.

As you can see, this method of doing chins is brutal, but very effective.

A POINT

Work up to being able to hold yourself in the half-way position for ten seconds before you pull your self back up.

Also, when you work up to being able to do a solid set of twenty reps like this, then you can start to add weight.

Lastly, be careful when you do chins or pull-ups, please to not swing or kick your legs to help you get the reps, and do not jerk.

Keep all the reps smooth and in control.

I would rather have you do one smooth, perfect rep, than five reps that were done in terrible form.

Jerking and swinging will only lead to a shoulder injury.

And believe me, this is the last thing that you want.

CONCLUSION

I know doing chins this way is tough, but I know if you work up to being able to do some solid sets in this style, your biceps and back will explode with new growth.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

HAPPY TRAINING

Don’t worry I am not going to get all mushy on you.

The love I am referring to is your love for your chosen sport and how this can positively affect it.

I’ve been reading a book called Born To Run by Christopher McDougall.

As an aside; it is a fantastic book, so if you get chance to read it, I would recommend it.

Also, I will be reviewing it in an upcoming blog post.

But, my point is, that the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyons, never lost their love of running.

In the book Mr. McDougall also talks about the American runners of the seventies like, Frank Shorter.

These guys had the kind of camaraderie that the Tarahumara Indians still have to this day.

They didn’t know that they were overtraining or that they shouldn’t be doing what they were doing training wise.

What they KNEW however, was that they loved running and that was that.

The same can be said of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, both of these guys loved basketball so much that they probably would have played it for free.

Funny thing, when you love something you never seem to get tired, you can play all day and still want to keep going.

SOME POINTS

You might be asking,

So how does this relate to bodybuilding?

Well,

How many of us, when we got started in bodybuilding, couldn’t get enough of it.

We would train for hours, six days per week.

And still want more.

And it is this exact love that can lead to tremendous gains.

So if you feel yourself losing that fire, that deep down desire to train, do whatever-it-takes to get that spark back again.

Switch gyms.

Or better yet, go back to the place where it all started, your basement, and lift the way you did when you didn’t know how to lift.

A barbell, maybe some dumbbells and a whole mess of plates and some loud rock music (if that is your thing) and just go at it.

You don’t want to get too crazy of course, and to be honest, I am not talking about training with the reckless abandon we all did when we were teenagers.

What I am talking about is trying to re-capture some of the love of just lifting for-the-sake-of-lifting that we used to have.

CONCLUSION

Sometimes I think that with all of our advancements we have forgotten how to live.

How to just be and be happy.

So the next time you are just dreading going to the gym, break with tradition and go back to the beginning.

Who knows, you may reclaim some of your lost childlike enthusiasm for lifting, and some of your teenage like gains as well.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

KEEP WORKING

In the world of bodybuilding, there is one thing that everybody wants, and that is muscle, more and more muscle.

Sure, shape and proportion are nice, but at the end of the day, it always comes down to muscle.

In fact, I don’t think there is young man out there who went to the gym for the first time wanting a better shape.

Nope, they go to the gym for one reason, to get massive.

With that thought in mind, I give you three tips that will help you build muscle.

POST WORKOUT NUTRTION

First on our list is post workout nutrition, and it is first for a reason, because it is very important.

Can you add muscle without paying attention to your post workout nutrition, sure, but who wants to grow slowly, when you can help speed up the process?

Contrary to popular opinion you do not need to go out and by one of those fancy post workout mixes, a simple whey protein isolate shake will get the job done, especially if you are looking to gain mostly muscle.

If you don’t care if you can some fat along with the muscle, you can mix your whey protein isolate shake in some juice and if you have the funds you can toss in some creatine as well.

STRENGTH LEADS SIZE

In my opinion, most young bodybuilders miss the mark when it comes to getting stronger.

I know that bodybuilding is not power lifting, however, when you get stronger on the basic lifts, like squats, dead lifts, overhead presses with dumbbells, and the like this translates into being able to use more weight when you transition back into a more traditional bodybuilding style routine.

And it is for this reason, that I recommend bodybuilders go on a mini power cycle every year for six to eight weeks where the sole focus is to get stronger on the basic lifts.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO EAT

Most bodybuilders looking to gain muscle are young, usually in there late teens or early twenties, and this is the ideal time for people to gain muscle because hormone levels as well as metabolism is high, which is the ideal time to gain some muscle.

How so?

Simple.

By eating, yes eating, too many young bodybuilders are scared of getting fat, when at this point that is the last thing they should worry about.

With their metabolisms raging combined with heavy training, most if not all of the food they take in, will either be burned off, or used to build muscle.

So if you are a young man looking to pack on some serious size, eat.

By eating I am not referring to stuffing your face with junk food, no, I mean you should eat six to seven meals per day.

Meals loaded with protein, healthy carbs, and healthy fats.

Foods like lean beef, chicken, turkey, eggs, should make up the bulk of your protein choices and things like, sweet potatoes, brown rice, and plenty of fruits and vegetables of all kinds should make up the bulk of your carbohydrates.

For fats, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish like sardines, should make up your healthy fat sources.

And of course, a few stops at your favorite fast food place are O.K., but just don’t over-do-it.

CONCLUSION

Gaining muscle, even when you do everything right, is not easy, but I know if you follow the above three tips, you will gain muscle faster and easier than every before.

TAKE CARE

It doesn’t matter the reason, we all go through it, schedules get busy, time starts to get short, but one thing that doesn’t change is the desire we have to train.

Trouble is, you wanted to do a whole bunch of exercises today, but you don’t have the time.

You could skip the workout, but really this is not an option.

So instead of skipping the workout, try this.

Pick two exercises and work them hard and that is it.

However, you must pick two exercises that work the major muscle groups of the body.

Something like squats and bent over rows would be good.

Again, the key here is because you know you are only going to be doing two exercises, you can (and should) give them all you have.

Give yourself enough rest between sets so you can use maximum weight.

You might be thinking,

This does not sound like much.

Trust me; if you give two major exercises everything you have, it will be enough.

For me I always like to add-in some ab work, like steep incline sit ups, when I have finished the two exercises, or ANY workout for that matter, but you can end the workout right there, or add in your own special exercise.

Something like farmers walk’s (which is basically walking for a specific time or distance while carrying a heavy object in each hand, and dumbbells work well for this) would end the workout nicely.

And then the next time you are going to train pick two completely different exercises and give them all-you’ve got.

SOME COMMENTS

I know some people won’t like this idea, but to me it works and here is why.

Most of us spend way too much time doing exercise that give very little bang for the buck.

Like barbell curs, triceps kickbacks, and some funky routine we picked up in a muscle magazine.

When, really, all along what we should be doing is working hard on the basics.

Things like overhead presses with dumbbells, dead lifts, squats, bent over rows, chins, and pull ups.

The above exercises, plus more, as this is only a short list, are the ones that will help us add muscle to our fames.

Yes, they are demanding, but nothing good comes easy.

The second reason I like this method is because when you are only going to be doing exercises, you don’t have to save anything for later.

You can really give both exercises all you have, and need not worry about the tenth exercise of the day.

CONCLUSION

Yes, only doing two exercises per workout might be a change, but give the above idea an honest chance, and I know, if you do that and work the two exercise that you pick hard, very hard, you will see results.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

WORK HARD

You see these workouts in the magazines, where they have you work through your heavy sets, say sets of eight to twelve reps, and then they have you finish up with some kind of pump out sets of twenty reps to help end the workout with a pump.

On paper this sounds like a great concept.

After all you are hitting everything in one shot, but to my mind that is exactly the problem with this style of training.

Where is the variety?

You can’t say, go out and do sets of twenty, because you already did those.

You could do sets of five, but still.

I think you would be better served to mix things up.

For example, do a six week cycle of 10×3, that’s ten sets of three reps per set.

Followed by and six week cycle, of the popular 5 x 5 method, that’s five sets of five reps per set, followed by a more traditional bodybuilding style rep range or eight to twelve reps per set, for four sets.

Then you can do a cycle of twenty rep sets.

Everything you would do above would hit the muscles a bit differently and by my count you would have twenty-four weeks before you would go back to the 10 x 3 method.

Of course, you could also add super-sets to the mix.

A super set for those of you who are new to bodybuilding is basically doing two exercises back to back with little to no rest, think just as long as it takes you to start the second exercise.

A typical super set would be barbell curls super setted with triceps push downs.

You would do one super set and then rest for say one minute and repeat for your desired number of sets.

A COUPLE OF POINTS

I know some of you might take issue with the sets of twenty reps.

But to me one of the things that separates a muscle that grows well, from one that does not, is the ability to get a good pump in the muscle.

By doing sets of twenty you will help to really pump up the muscle you’re working, and to me this is never a bad thing.

The other thing about doing cycles like these is that you will never get bored, because just when you are looking to try something different your six week cycle will be up and you will be able to move on to another style of training.

I realize that you do not have to switch it up at strictly six weeks, you can use whatever timetable you want.

If you get bored easily, switch up every two weeks, if you don’t get bored that easy, you can stick with one style until your gains stall out, if that is two months or three or even longer that’s cool.

CONCLUSION

They say variety is the spice of life, and I see no reason why it cannot be the spice of your training as well.

So why do everything in one workout?

When you can switch back-and-forth between styles, to not only keep your body guessing, but your mind fresh as well.

Until Next Time

THINK VARIETY

In this installment of If I Could Begin Again I want to talk about something that I feel EVERY beginning bodybuilder should do.

And that is.

Getting stronger.

I wish when I first started out I read more of Bill Starr’s articles because he always writes about getting stronger.

Yes, I know he talks about getting stronger for sports, but getting stronger for bodybuilding is a very good thing as well.

Why?

Well, let’s just say you can bench one hundred pounds for a solid twelve reps.

Over the course of a couple of months you move your bench up to one hundred and fifty pounds for a hard set of three reps.

When you drop back to say one hundred and thirty pounds and can do solid sets of eight reps, you force you body to grow.

So indirectly, by getting stronger you helped yourself get bigger.

SOME COMMENTS

While I was as committed a bodybuilder as anyone, I was all over the map with no set plan of attack.

Had I focused on getting stronger on the basics like dead lifts, overhead presses, barbell bent over rows, and the like I would have been way ahead of the curve.

And this is another reason I like Bill Starr’s articles because he focuses on getting stronger on the basic lifts.

Which is really the only way for you to get bigger.

Yes, if you want to get bigger arms, getting a bigger bench and a bigger bent over row (along with gaining bodyweight) will do you more good than endless sets of curls and triceps work.

NUTRITION

Yes, while working on getting stronger on the basics is great and is what every beginning bodybuilder should be doing; there is something else they should be doing at the same time.

Eating.

And by eating I mean just good old fashioned food.

Not one of those exotic supplements you see in the magazines.

Yes, a good can of protein powder is nice, but it is not necessary.

The reason I say this is because, a lot of raw beginners are very skinny and in their quest to get bigger they may kill themselves in the gym, but eat very little.

The above is not a very good combo for gaining mass.

I know there are multiple reasons for beginners not eating enough but I think the main reason is fear of getting fat.

Yes, the fact is if you want to gain some weight you are going to have to accept the fact that you will put on some body fat.

I want to make one thing clear about the above statement, I am not advocating pigging out and bulking up by like thirty pounds.

No.

That approach may work for the pros but is simply not realistic for the average trainer.

What I am saying is that for the young man who is in his teens or early twenties and has a hard time gaining weight putting on a few pounds of body fat is not a bad thing.

Eat plenty of good food like, chicken breasts, lean beef, turkey, for protein, with the goal of getting in one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.

Add in good carbs like sweet potatoes, yams, whole grain breads (find ones that contain at least five-grams of fiber per slice) and plenty of vegetables of all kinds.

Round it out with plenty of healthy fats like natural peanut butter, nuts, seeds and fatty fish like sardines and you will be fine.

And sure the occasional trip to your favorite fast food place is O.K.

If you start to see too much fat coming on add-in a half-hour of aerobics three times per week.

If this does not stem the tide, cut back on your carb sources, or if you’ve been hitting the fast food too much cut that back.

But keep the protein and fat the same.

TRAINING

Combine the above eating habits with a solid training program that focuses on the basic lifts like, deadlifts, squats, overhead presses with dumbbells, bent over rows, chins, etc. and you will be fine.

A six month cycle of working on the basics will do any beginning bodybuilder a world of good.

Stick with the tried-and-true five-sets-of-five program (5×5).

That’s five sets for five reps per set for a total of twenty-five reps.

Then when you switch back to a more traditional bodybuilding style routine and higher reps, (like eight to twelve) you will find that you are a lot stronger than you were before.

And chances are this will result in you using more weight for the same number of reps as you were before, which chances are, will lead to increased muscle gains.

CONCLUSION

Getting stronger on the basics is one of the things that I wish I would have done when I was just starting out.

So please if you are a beginner or know someone who is, show them this post, so they don’t make the same mistake I did.

Until Next Time

TRAIN HARD

With another Friday comes another Random Thoughts Of The Week post, and this week on want to touch on two topics.

First up, I noticed that www.bodybuilding.com has a question up regarding fruit and if it is a good post-workout meal.

I think fruit makes a great post workout meal, but on two conditions.

First, you must combine some protein with your fruit of choice for it to truly be a good post workout choice.

And second, I think that for anyone who is in off-season mode and is bulking fruit does make a good choice post-workout.

Or if you happen to be one of those guys or gals that has an ultra-fast metabolism, fruit would be a good choice.

But if you are trying to lean out for summer, going with the fruit could hinder your fat loss.

So if you are looking to get extra lean, I would avoid fruit post workout and stick with a straight weight isolate shake or even a mixed blend type of protein.

As-far-as what kind of fruit to choose post workout, if you are into eating fruit post-workout.

I would have to go with bananas as they digest very easily and they are pretty portable although if I had my choice and could have any kind of fruit, I think I would go with strawberries.

Topic number two for the week is courtesy of www.getbig.com, they have a question regarding who has he best delts in bodybuilding history.

I think there are two ways you can look at this question, first are you looking at it as who has the widest shoulders or who has the best delts.

There have been guys on the pro stage over the years that have had some massive delts but I think I would have to go with Kevin Levrone.

Lastly, I would like to bring something up about Jay Cutler.

There are guys out there with more Mr. Olympia’s than Jay has, but where do you think Jay stands right now.

If he never wins it again, do you think him coming back and winning the Mr. Olympia, after losing it, as the defending champion, gives him the edge over all the other Mr. Olympia’s in history.

For my money, I have to give Jay credit, the guy could have retired and said heck with this, I have two Mr. Olympia’s to my name, and I proved that I was the best.

But no, he came back this year and gabbed yet another title.

That’s all for this week.

Until Next Friday

KEEP TRAINING

With Friday comes another Random Thoughts Of The Week post, where I cover things that went on this past week in bodybuilding.

Enjoy!

ROTATOR CUFF ISSUES

Injuring your rotator cuff is probably one of the worst things you can do, unfortunately this injury seems to happen a lot.

I know, I know, but I cannot help but blame the flat bench for this, as so many young men are into how much they bench.

And it is not just about the weight they use, it is also the fact that it is so easy to cheat on the flat bench that people do just about anything to get more weight up.

If people would take the time to actually learn how to bench press properly, I am sure the amount of rotator cuff issues would go down.

Another thing that bugs me about the bench is that every one looks at it as the best indicator of strength for sports, when it is really not.

And even if it were, there is more to sports than just strength, footwork is vital, as is knowing where to be, meaning as they say, so and so has a brain for there sport.

Meaning they always seem to be in the right spot at the right time, I know some of this is luck, but I think it has more to do with watching film.

Lastly, on the rotator cuff, I still feel if more people would focus on doing some form of overhead lifting there would be ton less rotator cuff issues.

STRENGTH OR MUSCLE

I have always been a big believer in getting stronger, but does this actually build muscle.

To be honest, if you would have asked me this six months ago I would have said yes it does, but new things I’ve read make me question this view.

However, one thing I still feel is true is this; strength does help you build muscle, but not directly.

Let me explain.

Let’s say you decide that you want to improve your squatting strength and over the course of six weeks you move your squat numbers up by a good margin, say for sets of five reps.

What do you think is going to happen when you go back and do a more tradition bodybuilding style routine?

Meaning high reps and multiple sets.

Chances are good you would be able to handle more weight than you could before for the same number of reps.

And this would, more-than-likely equal muscle growth.

Provided you are eating enough protein and calories to support muscle growth.

So I guess you could say getting stronger does help you build muscle, when you switch back to a traditional bodybuilding style routine.

That’s it for this week.

Until Next Week

NEVER STOP WORKING

O.K.

I will be honest

I don’t trust many, so-called experts, and I’d be the first to tell you to do your research before you trust anyone, including me.

So what exactly do I mean by The True Value Of Experts?

I’ll give you an example.

One of the guys I trust for training advice is Charles Poliquin.

When Charles talks I listen.

Why?

Because, I’ve read a ton of his stuff over the years and like his approach.

So what exactly does this mean?

Well, if Charles recommends something, like a book for instance, I know it is going to be good.

And this to me is The True Value Of Experts

Sometimes we think too much, always worrying if we made the right decision.

And as a consequence we bounce from program to program never really giving any one of them a chance.

But.

If someone you respect says, give this a try and make sure you stick with it for six weeks you will be more inclined to do just that—because they are the expert and they said so.

You will be less inclined to think about it for a month before trying it—chances are you will just try it—and stick with it, instead of bouncing to another program in a week.

And probably make gains.

Whereas if one of your buddies recommends something, you may try it, for a while, and then start to wonder if there is something that you are missing.

And off you will go on the hunt for the perfect program—again.

SOME POINTS

O.K.

Fine.

Let’s say that I’ve made my point, but you might be thinking, how in the world do I go about finding an expert to trust.

To be honest I really cannot tell you how to do that, only to say that the way I did it was to read and read and read.

And gradually as I grew older, I began to put things together and learn who to trust in bodybuilding along with what supplements were worth the money.

I urge you to do the same, read and always keep reading and learning.

Plus experiment and see if what you’ve read works in the real world.

This is a big point, book learning is great, but does the advice really translate into more muscle or strength?

If it does not, move on, and keep trying various things

Also, don’t be afraid to disagree with an expert—especially if you try something he/she recommended and it didn’t work for you.

Of course, this does not mean the advice was bad, just that maybe it just was not right for you—but this is something you will need to figure out for yourself, does this person really know anything at all or was the advice or idea just not for you.

CONCLUSION

The value an expert can give you goes beyond his/her training advice.

His/her value also shows itself in the confidence that you have in this particular person.

The confidence to accept the advice/guidance and trust in it enough to follow it—truly follow it and not worry if you are missing something—

Because you know, deep down, the advice works.

Until Next Time

ALWAYS WORK

Back in the golden age of bodybuilding, the forties, fifties and sixties bodybuilding was about strength and health.

Bodybuilders back then not only looked strong they were strong.

But they were athletic as well.

I know some people will say, yes, but those guys still used, special supplements, if you know what I mean.

And besides today’s bodybuilders are much bigger and more advanced.

To those objections, I say, yes, sure they used, special supplements, back then, but I don’t believe they were everything like that are today.

And about today’s bodybuilders being more massive, sure they are, but are they better.

I am not so sure about that.

You might be thinking, what this has to do with anything.

A lot, actually.

I consider myself as coming from a good age in bodybuilding, they pro’s weren’t that massive yet and supplements were still pretty basic.

And this leads me to my main point.

I realize that things need to change and I am not saying that all supplements are bad, because I love the new protein powders; they mix in a glass with a spoon and taste very good.

Plus the post workout mixtures, at least some of them, are good too—and can really be of help to the hardgainer.

But where I have a problem with things, and this is just my opinion, is with some of these funky products we have now.

Things like the N O boosters and these weird pre workout supplements.

I was talking to a friend of mine about supplements a while back and he brought up a very good point, he said, what are the long term ramifications of taking some of these supplements.

And I couldn’t agree more, of course, I realize that most of the people taking these products are young and feel invincible, but is a little extra muscle worth damaging your health.

It really is not worth it to me.

And that is why I named this post B Careful Out There.

In the on-going quest for bigger and bigger muscles, we keep pushing things farther and farther.

To be honest, I would not touch some of these products with a ten foot poll.

If the add looks too good, then it probably is.

Tons of muscle has been built with the basics, good food, and hard work.

Be Careful Out There.

CONCLUSION

Bodybuilding used to be about strength and health and looking good and feeling great, and yes some of the supplement advances have been fantastic, but some are getting too fare outside the lines.

The next time you are thinking about spending your hard-earned money for an over-the-top sounding supplement, stop and think, what will this do to me long term.

Until Next Time

ALWAYS WORK HARD