When it comes to bodybuilding things are no different we want results ASAP. The desire to build a better body unites all bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts, but for most of us, the muscle gains come too slow and they never come easy. So we look for shortcuts. Is the secret to fast muscle gains training harder, lifting heavier, eating more, popping this pill, or slugging back the latest hyped up magic muscle drink…

In this article we are going to dive into 5 of the most common workout “shortcuts” that people take and pick them apart to find a better plan of action. More often then not the best methods for building a stronger and more muscular physique involve a less extreme approach.

Shortcut # 1 – Training More Often

A lot of times aspiring bodybuilders think they are not training enough and fall into the more is better mentality. After all more workouts must mean more muscle, Right?

It is not uncommon to find less experienced (but over enthusiastic) bodybuilders to start spending more and more time in the gym. Daily workouts become the norm and the length of those workouts gradually gets longer and longer. They usually think they are doing themselves good, and sometimes even brag about how they workout “everyday”.

Is there a better way?

Your body can only recover and grow so fast. Training a muscle again before you have fully recovered from your previous workout will eventually lead to overtraining. Generally the most you can train a bodypart is twice per week and still recover and grow.

While there are some exceptions to this rule with some abbreviated specialization routines (i.e. the Blast Your Bench program). You should limit yourself to working each bodypart no more then twice per week and taking at least 2 days per week off from weight training entirely as this is a good general guideline to follow for optimal muscle gains.

Shortcut # 2 – Doing More Sets

Making the transition from a beginner, to intermediate, to an advanced lifter usually involves increasing your workout training volume to some extent. The better shape you are in physically, the higher your work capacity, and the more volume of training you can handle.

For example, a beginner workout may consist of 6 sets per bodypart (i.e. 3 sets of 2 exercises). An intermediate workout may consist of 9 sets per bodypart (i.e. 3 sets of 3 exercises). And an advanced workout may consist of 12 sets per bodypart (i.e. 3 sets of 4 exercises). While this is all good general training advice, it breeds the “more is better” mentality. After all no one wants to be a newbie for long so they jack up the training volume too much, too soon.

Another problem with this train of thought is that if 12 sets per bodypart are good for an advanced lifter, will more sets be even better? How about 15 sets, or 20 sets, and beyond… Will this make me an “extremely advanced lifter”…?

Is there a better way?

Generally it takes at least 3 years of training to progress from the beginner, to the intermediate, and on to the advanced levels of training. Once you reach the advanced levels adding more sets and training volume beyond this is often counterproductive.

While there is no hard set rules for exactly how much training volume you should do, there are some general guidelines that you can follow. 9 sets per workout should be adequate for smaller muscle groups like biceps, triceps, calfs, and abs. And around 12 sets per workout will be enough for larger muscle groups like chest, back, and thighs.

Once you are at the advanced training level the key to more muscle growth is using progressive overload (gradually increasing your weights over time) and by adding variety to your workouts, by changing your exercises. NOT from adding more training volume.

Shortcut # 3 – Training Less Often

The world of bodybuilding is full of extremes, for a lot of guys it is either all or none… there is no middle ground. So after learning about the negative impacts of training too often, as outlined above, many bodybuilders make a complete U-turn and go the opposite direction and drastically cut back on their workouts figuring that “less is more”.

Some experts have gone over the deep end with the fear of overtraining. Mike Mentzer and his Heavy Duty style workouts were one of the biggest influences of the “less is more” idea. Overall the basic principles of this workout were good because it implemented a solid plan of action, used progressive overload, monitored your progress, etc.

But one major flaw of the system was that if you weren’t making progress with your workouts it was automatically assumed that you were “overtraining”, so your workouts were cut back. Sometimes going to the point of working out once a week or less. In fact there is one popular fitness guru who actually preaches that you only need to workout once every 4 weeks…?!?

Is there a better way?

For some extremely hardgainers training less often (i.e. every second day) may be the best frequency for muscle gains. But most people will respond well to more frequent workouts (i.e. 2 days on, 1 day off).

There are no hard set in stone rules that work for everyone, but a general guideline of working out 4-5 times per week and training each bodypart twice per week is a good place to start. As you get more experienced you be able to find out exactly what your body responds the best to and customize your workouts to fit your specific needs.

Shortcut # 4 – Heavy Weights & Low Reps

One of the basic bodybuilding principles is a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle. So in order to get bigger, you need to get stronger. Progressive overload is the cornerstone of all successful workouts. You need to gradually increase the weights you are lifting over time in order to make progress.

During the early phases of a starting a workout program beginners can make fast gains because all training stimulus is new at this stage. And a lot of the initial strength gains come not only from increasing muscle strength, but also from improved lifting technique and better coordination.

But once you get past the initial beginners phase, your strength gains come more slowly. When this happens a lot of lifters will simply do fewer reps so they can continue to increase the weights.

For example, if I can lift 100 lbs. for 10 reps, maybe I could drop the reps to 8 and lift 120 lbs., or drop the reps to 6 and lift 140 lbs., etc… While this may work to some degree initially to get you growing again, there comes a point where it can back fire and bring your gains to a screeching halt.

Is there a better way?

Lifting heavier weights for lower reps increases your odds of getting an injury such as a muscle tear. When you are doing fewer then 5 reps per set you lose the mind muscle connection. The lift becomes an end in itself and no longer a means for building muscle. Lifting too heavy makes it harder to concentrate on the muscles you are working, your focus switches to simply moving the weight and not getting crushed under a heavy barbell.

While you can successfully incorporate low rep training cycles into your workouts from time to time. They shouldn’t be your primary focus. For bodybuilding purposes try to stay within the 6-12 rep range. This is the “sweet spot” for keeping your muscles under tension long enough to stimulate growth, while still allowing relatively heavy weights to be lifted.

Shortcut # 5 – High Intensity Techniques

A lot of hardgainers think the key to making faster gains in the gym is to simply work harder. So they increase the intensity of their workouts with various advanced training techniques such as forced reps, super sets, drop sets, and so on… Thinking that the harder they push themselves, the better gains they’ll make. While these guys certainly deserve an A for effort, is pushing past the point of muscular failure really necessary?

Is there a better way?

One of my favorite training motto’s is “Stimulate, Don’t Annihilate!”

For the average drug free lifter using advanced training techniques and pushing yourself to the limit will quickly lead to burnout, overtraining, and possibly injury.

A very common mistake that you can witness pretty much any day of the week in the gym is to see a couple of eager young lifters doing bench presses with WAAAYYY too much weight on the bar. One guy will be getting ready to bench while his trusty spotter is standing by ready to assist the lift. After getting psyched up the lifter plops down on the bench and takes the bar from the rack, he manages to struggle up 2-3 reps using piss poor form and every ounce of effort his body can muster. Then he gets his spotter to assist him with an addition 3-5 reps.

At the end of the set you wonder who worked the hardest, the guy benching or his buddy pulling the bar off his chest…?

This is a prime example of abusing high intensity techniques. Once you reach failure with an exercise you have stimulated the muscle. Doing more then this is often not only waste of time, but could potentially set you back in your training through risk of injury.

I rarely, if ever, use any type of set extending high intensity techniques like forced reps in my training anymore. I’ve found that they are just not necessary. Doing your sets to positive failure is intense enough to stimulate your muscles to grow.

Once you reach failure, make note of it in your training journal and then strive to beat what you did for your next workout by either adding an additional 5 lbs. to the bar or doing an extra rep with the same weight. Using progressive overload like this will ensure that you constantly push yourself to make steady strength and muscle gains.

The Real Shortcut To Fast Muscle Growth

Gains in muscle and strength don’t come overnight. They take consistency over the long term. By taking things at a manageable pace and making small frequent improvements week after week with your workouts your muscle size will increase faster then you ever thought possible… without having to go to the extremes to get there.

Inch by inch life’s a cinch… Yard by yard life is hard…

“The #1 Muscle Building Mistake” could cover A LOT of different factors;
from training – to nutrition – to mindset – to being consistent, etc…

But this particular blog is a guest post from IFBB Pro Bodybuilder Ben Pakulski and it covers a common TRAINING MISTAKE that you’ll see A LOT of people making in the gym that is literally preventing them from ever maximizing their gains…
(I hope you are NOT making this mistake!)

The #1 Training Mistake People Make In The Gym…

Guess what, more likely than not, you have all been guilty of doing this too at some point in your life (whether you care to admit it or not).

The first thing you need to do is identify your desired goal. If your goal is to build muscle, then you have come to the right place and you should listen up.

The one and ONLY most important factor that you need to consider when it comes to your quest to build muscle, is TENSION. (more on that in a minute…)

We have all heard people speak about The “Mind-Muscle Connection”, or that you’ve got to really “squeeze” a muscle to make it grow. I don’t know about you, but for most people this is a really hard concept to figure out. Those of us that “get” what it means, still really have a difficult time putting it to action.

The good news is, this is quite a simple concept and I will show you how to apply it to building your muscles literally TWICE as fast.

Here is what you need to know:

Muscles communicate in terms of tension. They have absolutely NO idea how much weight you are lifting. They only know how much tension or torque is going through them.

What if I told you there was a way to perform more or less ANY exercise so that you could FEEL it EXACTLY where you are supposed to feel it, AND increase muscular tension with LESS weight to get results TWICE as fast in half the time. Sounds pretty cool, right?

YOU can control exactly how much tension or torque that goes through a muscle you are working at ANY point in the workout.

You have complete control over HOW HARD you squeeze, HOW LONG you work, and most importantly EXACTLY WHERE you squeeze and contract.

You can selectively train EXACTLY the muscle you are supposed to be and not train anything that you don’t want to be.

Every guy out there knows what I’m talking about. We’ve all done bench presses at some point or another and probably got more of a pump in our shoulders and triceps, but NO pump in the chest (which is the muscle we are trying to work!) Well not anymore…

I would like to take this moment to introduce to you the revolutionary muscle building technique called INTENTION!

The way I describe intention to people I encounter that are unfamiliar with it is this:

“Intention is the CONSCIOUS INTENT to create TENSION in the muscle”

I know, I know, sounds a little hokey. BUT the fact of the matter is that this is BY FAR the best way to ensure you are maintain tension on the working muscle.

The number one most highly correlated factor with building muscle is “TIME UNDER TENSION”. The longer you can keep tension directly on a muscle, the more you control the rate at which that muscle grows.

You can do a bench press all day long, and if there is not tension in the pecs, you WILL NOT build pecs. Why is it that some people can build great chests while bench pressing while others cant? Because some peoples “genetics” all them to thoughtlessly keep a greater amount of tension in that muscle!

We now have the ability to do this consciously. The best part is, IT’S EASY!!

INTENTION in action.

The most simple example of intention exists on the bench press. Grab on the bar in front of you, just like you would on a bench press. You can use any stable surface for this example. I will use the edge of my desk. I grab the edge of my desk about equally as wide as I would on a bench press. Hold on firmly, and without letting your hands move from that position, “shove” them toward each other. What happened? Your chest contracted didn’t it?

Now imagine doing this exact thing through a range of motion, like in a bench press.

WOW! You just created continuous tension in the EXACT muscle you wanted to! Pretty cool right!?

Well in my brand new MI40 Muscle Building Training System I go into great detail and cover specific techniques and tricks that will help you maximize tension and growth for all your major muscle groups.

If you’d like to get more information about this program and learn how to stimulate the most muscle growth from your workouts, just click on the link below:

Check it out for yourself now at: www.MI40MASS.com

However, a lot of people will make some very critical mistakes when doing this move that actually limits it’s effectiveness.

Lee Hayward demonstrating the “Close Under Hand Grip Lat Pull Down” for building back width.

Watch the video and give these various lat pull down variations a try in your next back workout.
Then leave me a comment below letting me know how they work for you.

And if there are any other exercises that you would like to see more detailed video tutorials on,
please let me known by posting a comment here on my blog.

However, the problem with this is that there is so much conflicting crap out there these days that it can be mind boggling!

That’s why I put together this video clip to show you how you can simplify your nutrition and maximize your muscle gains.

Just click PLAY to watch the video below:

Skip La Cour: The Author Of Simple Bodybuilding Nutrition

Skip La Cour is a expert at getting people in the best shape of their lives through following simple, but proven methods for building muscle and burning fat.

He is one of the most successful Natural Bodybuilder’s of all time. He has won 15 bodybuilding competitions in his career. Including the National Drug Free Championships 6 times. At the peak of his competitive bodybuilding reign, he was the most recognized drug-free bodybuilder on the planet.

Skip has recently compiled his all time best bodybuilding nutrition tips & tricks into his brand new program: “Simple Bodybuilding Nutrition” which you can download right on his website www.SimpleBodybuildingNutrition.net

So if you are looking for a way to simplify your nutrition and maximize your results, just check out Skip’s Simple Bodybuilding Nutrition
System at: www.SimpleBodybuildingNutrition.net

This is a guest article by: Skip La Cour
Author of Simple Bodybuilding Nutrition

The organizing principles of good nutrition that will take this area of your bodybuilding and training efforts to the next level!

1. Place A High Priority On Eating:
You must place a very high priority on the way you eat if you want to take your physique to the next level. The way you eat is far more important than the way you train. You’re in the gym for about an hour a day. It’s what you do during those other 23 hours of the day that are going to make the biggest impact on your progress.

2. Burn More Calories:
You must burn more calories than you eat if you want to lose body fat. It doesn’t matter if almost all of the food you eat is good, healthy food, you must burn more than you eat or you’ll get fat.

3. Don’t Look For The “Perfect” Diet:
Stop looking for the “perfect” diet. Nothing worth having in life comes without some sacrifice. Eating the way you must to build the body you want will be no exception. In the long run, it’s the challenges that we face that makes what we have rewarding. How enjoyable would life be if everything was easy? When you start adhering to a particular eating regimen, anticipate the discipline, sacrifice, and discomfort that comes with the pursuit of any worthwhile goal.

4. Keep It Simple:
Keep your diet simple. That way, you’ll give yourself a better chance to follow through and ultimately achieve successful results. If you must make your diet more complex,
do so on the weekends only.

5. Eat Smaller, More Frequent Meals:
Eat smaller, more frequent and well-balanced meals spaced evenly throughout the day. Your body will use the nutrients in your food more efficiently. You’ll build more muscle and prevent body fat this way.

6. Eat Pre-Workout:
If you want to make sure you preserve as much muscle mass as possible, you should start eating a small protein-based meal with high-gylcemic carbohydrates before every one of your weight training and cardiovascular training sessions.

7. Set A Time Limit:
Set a time limit for your workout. Your weight training sessions should last no longer than one hour. More isn’t better—not when it comes to bodybuilding and training.

8. Eat The Right Carbs:
Carbohydrates serve as an essential part in the muscle-building process. Instead of trying to eliminate carbohydrates altogether, you should make sure you are eating the right types of carbohydrates at the right times of day. High-glycemic carbohydrates (potatoes, simple sugars are best before and after your workouts; low-glycemic carbohydrates like vegetables are great throughout the rest of the day.

9. Be Patient:
If you are not getting the results you want with your diet, you’ll need to raise your standards. You either need to do a “little more of this” or a “little less of that.” You may also need to make these changes for a longer period of time.

10: Accept All Responsibility:
Don’t blame your diet when you aren’t getting the results you want. Take 100 percent responsibility for your success and failure. Just about any eating program can be effective—if you follow through on a consistent basis. If you aren’t getting the results you want, assume that the problem is in your approach.

About The Author:
Skip La Cour is a expert at getting people in the best shape of their lives through following simple, but proven methods for building muscle and burning fat.

He is one of the most successful Natural Bodybuilder’s of all time. He has won 15 bodybuilding competitions in his career. Including the National Drug Free Championships 6 times. At the peak of his competitive bodybuilding reign, he was the most recognized drug-free bodybuilder on the planet.

Skip has recently compiled his all time best bodybuilding nutrition tips & tricks into his brand new program: “Simple Bodybuilding Nutrition” which you can download right on his website www.SimpleBodybuildingNutrition.net

So if you are looking for a way to simplify your nutrition and maximize your results, just check out Skip’s Simple Bodybuilding Nutrition
System at: www.SimpleBodybuildingNutrition.net

Now I’ve been asked about muscle soreness so many times via e-mail, blog, facebook, & YouTube comments that I decided to answer it in specific detail with this video presentation below.

So please check it out and then leave me a comment below letting me know what you think…

And if you’d like to follow a proven training system that builds REAL Muscle Mass using
“Progressive Overload”, just Click Here to download a copy of the “Blast Your Biceps” program!

This 3 Phase Mass Building System will help you NOT ONLY Build Bigger More Muscular Arms…
But also get Bigger AND Stronger ALL OVER in Record Time!

For example, it’s common to see folks with a big upper body and skinny legs (or vice versa).
Or it could be the individual muscle groups themselves that are lagging, someone could have big and well developed thighs that are stacked on top of scrawny little calves. Some folks may have big muscular arms, but flat chests. Some people have big biceps, but very weak triceps, and others may have thin “Spaghetti Noodle” arms and need to gain mass in a hurry.

Regardless of the situation, the good news is improvement is always possible!

And that’s why I’ve put together my “Muscle Specialization Training Guide”.
This is a comprehensive 104 page e-Book manual that covers unique muscle building specialization moves for each and every bodypart.

And the Best Part… You can download this e-book right now for FREE!

Yes that’s right, just enter your name and your best e-mail address in the form below and I’ll personally send you my “Muscle Specialization Training Guide” ASAP.

Note:
There’s no catch and there’s nothing to buy. All you have to do is enter your name and e-mail address in the form and you’ll get instant access to this FREE e-Book.

You owe it to yourself to check out this killer program because in addition to getting a FREE copy of the e-Book, I’ll also keep you up to date with all my latest muscle building tips and tricks that will help you build rock solid muscle mass faster than ever before!

You see it was about this time last year that I revealed my “Best Kept Secret”
for quickly packing on lean rock hard muscle mass without getting fat in the process.

I shared this “Special Program” with my good friend Vince Del Monte
and he went on to gain a whopping 7.4 pounds of pure muscle mass,
while actually losing 1 pound of bodyfat, in just 21-days!

And I want to share this exact same program with YOU Right Here!

Download Your FREE Muscle Building e-Books Below:

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In these 2 e-Books, you’ll discover why you don’t need to
buy into the nonsense bulk up diets that only pack on pounds
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Not only that, but you’ll also get the EXACT Meal Plan that
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Just download your FREE Muscle Building e-Books from the links above.

Don’t even think about starting any muscle-building
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It’ll change the way you build muscle… Forever!

Enjoy the free info!

Hardly a day goes by that I don’t get asked about ways to increase energy levels. People are always curious as to what foods they should eat and what supplements they should take to jack up their energy levels.

Everything from Nitric Oxide, Caffeine, Ephedrine, Ginseng, Amino Acids, Horny Goat Weed, Red-Bull, RockStar…

You name it people are looking for it and are willing to try it all. And yet the one thing that often gets ignored, but yet can improve your strength and energy levels better then any supplement or stimulant is sleep!

The benefits of getting adequate sleep are HUGE! Everything from speeding up your muscle recovery, increasing growth hormone levels, improving your athletic performance, improved heart function, cell repair, and the list goes on and on…

But one thing that may be of interest to you – is that sufficient sleep helps increase your motivation for exercise!

One of the biggest excuses people have for not following through with their workout routine consistently is being too tired to exercise. But one thing that you can do (and it costs nothing!) is simply taking a 20 minute power nap in the afternoon.

You will feel more alert and energetic afterwards, and once rested after your mid-afternoon nap, your mood, efficiency, and alertness level will improve greatly.

Scientists have proven that taking a 20-minute nap approximately eight hours after you have awaken will do more for your strength and stamina than sleeping in later in the morning.

Of course when you first come out of your afternoon nap, you will probably feel a bit groggy for about ten minutes, but once this dissipates, you will reap the rewards of being well rested, recharged, and ready to go for the rest of the day.

So if you are looking for a kick ass all natural energy booster with no jittery side effects, just take a 20 minute power nap when you get home from work or school.

It’s easy, it’s proven effective, and it’s FREE!

Workout 3 – Legs & Abs With the earlier workouts in this 3 part program we paired up the pushing muscles into one workout. The “pulling muscles” into the second workout. Now we’re going to complete the program by training the lower body. With the lower body a lot of the moves we’ll do are classified as pressing or pushing exercises (i.e. squats, leg press, etc.) But there are some other exercise variations we’ll be doing as well (i.e. leg curls, leg extensions, etc.) We’re also going to pair up legs with abdominals. Now while you can train your abs with any body part that you like, they do come into play as stabilizing and supporting muscle groups for a lot of the lower body moves we’ll be doing. So that’s why it makes sense to pair them up with your leg workouts.

Click Play to watch the 3rd Workout… Legs & Abs.

To watch the 1st workout, click this link:
Chest, Shoulders & Triceps Workout

To watch the 2nd workout, click this link:
Back & Biceps Workout

If you like these videos, make sure to Click Here & Subscribe to my Bodybuilding Video Channel
so that you can get early notification of whenever I add new videos.

More often then not the sample routines they send me tend to focus too much on the “show off” muscles such as the chest and arms and not enough on the real powerhouse muscles of the back and legs.

So over the next week I’m going to put together a complete basic bodybuilding workout routine that you can follow that focuses on building size and strength throughout all the major muscle groups of the body.

This 3 day per week bodybuilding split routine that I’m going to share with you can be used by all lifters, from beginners right up to advanced levels, with good results.

Workout 1 – Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps

These are the “pushing muscles”. You’ll notice that all the exercises you do for chest, shoulders, and triceps involve some type of pushing or pressing movement. For example, bench press, shoulder press, tricep push down, etc…

That’s why we’re going to group all these muscle groups together in the same workout. This will allow the complementary muscle groups to get trained at the same time and also get equal recovery time between workouts.

In the 2nd workout we’ll cover the “pulling muscles”, the Back & Biceps, and in the 3rd and final workout we’ll cover training for the legs and abdominals.

Click Play to watch the 1st Workout… Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps.

If you like this video, make sure to Click Here & Subscribe to my Bodybuilding Video Channel so that you can get early notification of whenever I add new videos.

You can see Part 2 of this workout at: Back & Biceps Workout Program

You can see Part 3 of this workout at: Legs & Abdominals Program

Everyday I get questions from my online followers asking my opinion on various supplements. Now while most of the supplement questions are related to the basics of protein, creatine, vitamins, amino acids, etc. I do get a lot of questions asking about “Testosterone Boosters”.

Surprisingly,
Most of the questions I get about “Testosterone Boosters” come from TEENAGERS!

Unfortunately, I think this has more to do with teenagers being impatient and looking for a shortcut to get “huge”, rather than actually solving a physical problem that they have. During adolescence the production of anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone are at their all time natural peak. That’s why EVERYONE grows bigger and stronger during their teenager years, regardless if they workout or not.

If a teenager is looking for the solution to getting bigger and stronger, it is NOT through getting their testosterone levels higher. I mean the average teenage boy’s test levels are already on bust to the point that he’ll pop a woody if a warm breeze of wind hits his crotch.

A teenage boy looking for ways to get his testosterone levels EVEN HIGHER isn’t going to do a darn thing. The key to building muscle for teens comes down to consistently following a proper muscle building diet and training program.

However, once you get past this natural growth spurt and start approaching the “ripe old age” of 30 things take a nose dive…
Just like somebody stole your MoJo!

Unfortunately, most middle age men just assume that this is a side effect of growing old and that the “good ole days” are long gone. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Believe it or not, there are actually 6 Natural Substances that are available to you Right Now!
That can safely restore your testosterone levels to what they used to be like in the picture above!

In fact, just ONE of these natural substances has been show to literally Double Testosterone Levels within 2 weeks!

And you can get the low down on all SIX of the most potent, most powerful substances available to raise your testosterone levels and get your mojo back!

Just Click Here for all the details…

If you enjoyed this video clip and would like to see more, then Click Here To Subscribe
to my Total Fitness Bodybuilding YouTube Video Channel.

This is a question that comes up a lot among people who are new to bodybuilding. Now if you really stop and think about it, I think the answer becomes quite obvious… BOTH are important.

However, one is MORE IMPORTANT than the other and the answer may surprise you.
Just watch the video clip below to find out the answer…

Time-Volume Training is one of my favorite “no brains required” methods for building muscle and strength like clockwork. When you do this style of training, you know EXACTLY what weight to use, how many reps to do, how long to do it for and when to increase the weight… ZERO brains required. It’s a strategy that allows you to do a LOT of work for a muscle in a short period of time, which will stimulate muscle growth AND burn a lot of calories and boost your metabolism, contributing to significant fat loss. It’s GREAT stuff and a technique I think is absolutely worth using whether you’re looking to build muscle or burn fat. The formula for regular Time-Volume Training is simple… and you’ll be able to see exactly why I say “zero brains required”…

Nick Nilsson

Select a weight you can do 10 reps with in a normal set:
Now do 3 reps.
Rest 10 seconds.
Do 3 more reps.
Rest 10 seconds…
and repeat until you can’t get 3 reps in a set.

(You’re going to be doing this for a 15 minute block of time).

Now switch your rest to 20 seconds and keep going with more 3 rep sets.
Repeat these with 20 seconds rest until you can’t get 3 reps again.
Then go to 30 seconds rest… and so on, to 40 seconds rest.
Repeat until your 15 minute block of time is done.

If you make it 1/3 of the way through (e.g. 5 minutes on a 15 minute block) still doing 10 seconds rest, then you increase the weight on that exercise in your next workout.

That’s it!

Time-Volume Training is a form of Density Training (density training has been used by Vince Gironda, Charles Staley and many others) that takes ALL the guesswork out. The exact sets and reps and rest are all laid out for you… All you have to do is the work.

Do Time-Volume Training with just one exercise per muscle group… e.g. bench press for 15 minutes straight to work chest, leg press for 15 minutes straight to work legs, etc.

This works VERY well. You’ll get a tremendous amount of time under tension for the target exercise and target muscles and you can see tremendous results both in muscle and fat loss.

Give this simple “Time Volume Training” technique a try in your next workout, and leave me a comment below letting me know how it works for you!

And if you’d like to learn some other killer training tricks like this for stimulating new muscle growth in your stubborn bodyparts, than I highly recommend you check out Nick Nilsson’s new program: “Mad Scientist Muscle” How To Build MONSTER Muscle Mass With Science Based Training. Nick is one of those guys who thinks outside the box. He is one of the most creative muscle building coaches that I know. I’ve picked up dozens of unique tips and tricks from following his programs and I regularly apply them to my own training. So if you are looking for a new twist to help you maximize your muscle growth. You owe it to yourself to check this program out. Click Here To Visit Nick’s Website.

“Lee, is it ok to add in extra exercise such as cardio, bodyweight workouts, ab work, etc.”

And the answer is YES!

When it comes to exercise there are no “set rules” that you have to follow.
If you want to do some extra exercise and you feel up to it, then Do It.

Just watch the quick video clip for more info on this topic…

Your Muscle Building Coach has gotten a new makeover…

Granted the proportions maybe a tad bit exaggerated, but that’s what I’m striving to achieve with my own workouts.

And speaking of workouts…
One question that I often get from my online followers is:

What’s the BEST workout?

Now I honestly don’t think there is a true “right” or “wrong” answer to this question as there are pros and cons to both types of training…

With weight training workouts you have endless variety in your training. Working out in a well equipped commercial gym allows you to work every single muscle group and train your body from all angles with the wide variety of equipment that’s available.

But let’s face it…
It’s not always convenient to get to the gym for a workout. And if you live in a small town there may not even be a decent commercial gym within a reasonable driving distance.

So having the option of doing a bodyweight only workout without having to go to the gym is important to your Total Fitness Bodybuilding routine. And even if you have the luxury of going to the gym everyday, there are still benefits to bodyweight training.

When you do bodyweight exercises and move your entire body through space, there is a higher level of neuromuscular activation, compared to doing exercises where you just move your limbs.

This higher level of neuromuscular activation places more stress and demands on your body and helps to stimulate a higher level of muscle growth. This is why squats are harder than leg presses and why pull ups are harder than pull downs. Whenever you move your total body through space it stimulates your central nervous system to a greater degree.

I’m sure you’ve probably experienced this already…

For example, if you do an all out set of squats you’ll feel a much deeper level of muscular fatigue than if you did an all out set of leg presses. Even though you’ll be able to lift a lot more weight with leg presses, they are not as physically demanding because of the lower level of neuromuscular activation.

Squats Are Harder Than Leg Presses Due To Higher Levels Of Neuromuscular Activation.

Now when it comes to bodyweight training a lot of folks are very limited in what they can do. They think in terms of doing push ups, pull ups, sit ups, and squats…
Then they start to run out of exercises…

Granted those are all great bodyweight exercises, but there is so much more that you can do with bodyweight training. And that’s why I wanted to let you know about a killer new bodyweight only training system that my friends Adam Steer and Ryan Murdock have developed called:

The Shapeshifter Body Redesign Program <<== click here

This is by far the best bodyweight training program that I’ve ever seen. It’s also one of the highest quality and most innovative programs I’ve seen in a long time, period.

Even if you are a hardcore gym rat like myself, you can still supplement your training with these killer bodyweight only workouts and take your personal fitness to a whole new level.

And you can get a sneak peak at this quality and innovative bodyweight training system by clicking the link below. Talk about a killer preview… This is seriously cool!

Video Preview of Shapeshifter Body Redesign: <<== click here

Have you ever felt like it was a chore to…
- Go to the gym
- Do your cardio
- Stick to a proper muscle building meal plan
- Take your supplements
- And all that stuff…

I think if we are honest with ourselves, every single one of us has felt this way at some point or another.

(I know I have felt this from time to time.)

Now there are all kinds of tips and tricks that you can use to help spark your training motivation. But the #1 tip that I can share with you is to simply get around folks who are more advanced than you are.

When you hang around guys who are bigger, stronger, and more ripped than you are it will help motivate and encourage you to up your game and take your own training to the next level.

And one very simple way that you can do this is by attending local bodybuilding and powerlifting competitions in your area. Competition brings out the best in people. So if you want to see who the movers and shakers are in your neck of the woods, just go watch and support your local athletes.

This simple tip is the #1 thing that helped propel me to early muscle building success. I started watching local competitions when I was 15 years old, and I started competing in local competitions when I was 17 years old.

When you hang around and associate with people who are successful, you can’t help but have some of that success rub off on you as well.

And today I’m going to practice what I preach and go check out our Provincial Powerlifting Championships. I want to go and support the local lifters and also get a shot of training motivation at the same time!

After watching a local bodybuilding or powerlifting competition you can’t help but get fired up to hit the gym and strive to set some new personal records of your own.

Another great way to keep yourself motivated is by regularly watching videos and DVD’s of guys who are on top of their game. This is one thing that I did right from the get go and I still do it.

I’ve literally got boxes of old VHS tapes and DVD’s from trainers, bodybuilders, and powerlifters and they are awesome sources of education and motivation.

In fact my good friend Vince Del Monte has recently released a brand new DVD series outlining EXACTLY how he went about getting ripped to the bone shredded for his most recent fitness model competition.

And not only that, but he even won his Pro Status as a Fitness Model at that very competition!

So if you are looking for some cutting edge real world advice and motivation from a pro athlete I suggest you check out Vince’s new DVD series“Stage Shredded Status”.

I’ve already ordered a copy for myself because I’m always looking for any extra edge that I can get to help with my own training, and I’d suggest you do the same.

Just click on the link below for more info…

Stage Shredded Status DVD Series

However, the real kicker that can make or break your chances of having ripped 6-pack abs is losing the excess bodyfat that’s covering your abs. You can have very well developed abdominal muscles, but if those abs are covered in a layer of bodyfat you’ll never see them. So losing bodyfat is half the battle when it comes to getting your 6-pack.

Now I can help you with the training portion towards getting ripped abs with my killer 100 Rep Ab Workout Routine that’s shown below…

But to really strip away that layer of stubborn bodyfat, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of my good friend Joel Marion’s Xtreme Fat Loss Diet. Joel is former Body For Life Grand Champion, he’s a best selling author, and fat loss expert. So needless to say he knows his stuff.

And right now you can get his entire 25 Day Rapid Fat Loss BLUEPRINT with his new Xtreme Fat Loss Diet 2.0. Program at:

http://www.XtremeFatLossProgram.com

This cutting edge program is based on Real SCIENCE of how your body and metabolism work to burn bodyfat. This isn’t just some “Eat Right & Exercise” fat loss 101 BS. It’s based on advanced fat burning strategies that you can stack together to achieve a synergistic fat loss effect.

In fact, some of Joel’s coaching students have lost over 20 pounds with just 1 round of the 25-Day Extreme Fat Loss Program. You can see their real world case studies at:

http://www.XtremeFatLossProgram.com

Right now Joel is having a special promotion where you can save $30 off the price of the entire 9 part Xtreme Fat Loss Program. So if you’re looking for a fast and reliable solution to getting ripped 6-pack abs, and you’d like to save some money in the process, you should pick up a copy of this program today!

Click Here To Download Your Copy!

==========

P.S.
If you order the Xtreme Fat Loss Program via this special promotion. I’ll send you an extra bonus of my own.

You’ll get a complete copy of the pre-contest diet-plan that both myself and my girlfriend Patricia follow to get ripped to the bone shredded for bodybuilding competitions!

This would be a great complement to the 25 Day Xtreme FatLoss Program. You could even start the pre-contest diet-plan on day 26 to help take your physique to the next level of rock hard conditioning.

All you have to do is place your Xtreme FatLoss order, forward me a copy of your clickbank receipt via e-mail to: lee@leehayward.com and I’ll send you my pre-contest diet-plan.

“Lee, How Do I Stick To My Workout & Nutrition Routine When I’m Traveling?”

And the simple answer is… YOU DON’T !

WTF???
“Lee, are you saying that I should quit working out and eat whatever want when I’m traveling?”

NO, I’m not saying you should quit, but I am saying that most likely you won’t be able to stick to your “Current Routine” of diet and exercise. You have to learn how to be flexible in your approach when you are outside your normal environment.

Working Out When Traveling…

When you are away from home you won’t be able to workout at your regular gym, so chances are your workouts are going to vary some what. For example, you may not have the same equipment to train with, so you probably won’t be able to follow your exact routine or program as you do when you are home.

And if you are working out at a hotel gym you are going to be very limited in what you can do as most hotel gyms suck, but they are better than not working out at all.

What I do in these cases is simply do circuit routines. One day I’ll do an upper body circuit routine using what ever equipment is available. For example, I may do a chest exercise, back exercise, shoulder exercise, bicep exercise, and tricep exercise… Then repeat the circuit 3-4 times.

The next day I may do a lower body circuit routine, usually some form of squats, lunges, along with what ever leg machines they have available at the gym I’m working out at. And again I’ll do 3-4 sets of each exercise in a circuit fashion.

When I’m on the road I don’t really care if I’m using free weights, machines, cables, or even bodyweight exercises. All that matters is that I’m working the muscles.

I tend to move fast between exercises and get a good pump and sweat worked up. At the very least it will be enough to maintain your current level of fitness, and you may in fact stimulate some new growth by doing this because it will be totally new training stimulus compared to what you are used to doing.

Eating When Traveling…

When it comes to eating while traveling, you are definitely going to be outside your home base. You’re going to be eating in restaurants for a lot of your meals. However, with a little common sense you can still stick to a sound nutrition plan.

Practically every single restaurant these days serves fresh garden salads. Simply by starting each meal with a large salad will go a long way towards helping you eat right. You could even order a grilled chicken breast and have it chopped up into your salad for some extra lean protein.

Then when it comes to the main course, opt for your food to be baked, broiled, or grilled instead of fried. Have a baked potato instead of the home fries. Skip the deserts, or if you are craving something sweet, opt for some fresh fruit.

Little things like this all add up and can keep you on the right track to building a lean ripped physique, even when you are away from home. So keep these tips in mind the next time you are away from home.

Also be sure to watch your e-mail inbox for tomorrow, because I’m going to be sharing some advanced strategies to help you get that lean ripped look that we all want… So stay tuned for that!

P.S.
If you are not already on my Bodybuilding Tips e-Mail Newsletter. Than just fill out the form that’s at the top of this page and I’ll keep you up to date with all my latest muscle building and fat loss tips!

Not All Gyms Are Created Equal…

Below is a pic of a good Hardcore Old School Gym. But most gyms today are not really gyms at all. They are more along the lines of “Powder Puff Fitness Centers”.

Classic Hardcore “Old School” Gym!

After a few warm up sets he reached in to his gym bag and took out his container of lifting chalk, chalked up his hands and did a set of deadlifts. As soon as he finished his set one of the employees came over and told him:

“You are not allowed to use chalk in here. If you don’t clean up your mess you’ll have to leave!”

With that my friend said:

“What kind of a gym is this? Everywhere else I train allows lifting chalk???”

The employee told him:

“We are not a ‘GYM’ we are a Fitness Center, and we don’t let people use chalk”

With that my friend packed up his things, walked out the door and never came back!

Lesson Learned…

If you are serious about building a ripped muscular physique, than you need to train in a place that will support your efforts, and not hold you back. Just watch the video presentation that I’ve put together for you below to find out if you are training in the right gym or not…

If you would like to have a complete Hardcore Muscle Building Workout Program to follow along with and take your muscular development to the next level. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of my “Hardcore Muscle Building Program” 2 disc DVD set.

This program will show you how to train beyond muscular failure to achieve maximum muscle gains in the gym. This is a serious muscle building workout program that incorporates high level advanced training techniques to maximize muscle stimulation.

Just click on the link below to get your very own copy…

Hardcore Muscle Building 2 Disc DVD Set

DVD # 1 Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps
DVD # 2 Back, Biceps, Legs, & Abs

Item is currently in stock.
You can order from anywhere in the world and and get FREE Rush Delivery Shipping!

Click Here For More Information…

When it comes to fat loss, most people “Over Estimate” how hard it will be, yet they “Under Estimate” how long it will take…

If one of your fitness goals is to lose that gut and get visible six-pack abs for the New Year…

You need to start taking action NOW!

But one of the biggest problems that people have when it comes to fat loss is they find it difficult to stay motivated and keep consistent with their program. For the most part it’s not “lack of knowledge” that holds people back from fat loss success.

After all, practically everyone knows what they “NEED To Do” in order to lose fat
(at least enough to get started)…

We all know we need to exercise, we know we need to drink plenty of water, we know we need to avoid processed junk food, and all that basic stuff…

But as basic and simple as this is, most people still don’t do it… Why?

The reason is lack of motivation and momentum…
The hardest step to anything is the first step. Once you get the ball rolling it’s actually quite easy to keep it rolling and build on the momentum.

So how do you start building some serious fat loss momentum and take steps towards getting that ripped “six-pack” ?

Simple, you need to prioritize your first meal of the day. If you get your day started off right by having a healthy nutritious meal, it’s easier to keep that momentum going for the rest of the day.

Start Your Day With A…

When you have a healthy breakfast and then follow it up with several healthy meals in a row, it will fuel your body and motivate you to get to the gym and train hard. And after a good day of healthy eating and exercise you’ll also want to get to bed at a decent hour so you can get up and do it again the next day.

But it all starts with the First Meal of the day. If you screw this up and skip breakfast or hit the drive through window for some processed “junk food”, you are going to feel like crap. If you feel like crap it’s easier to blow off the day as a write off and say to yourself:

–>> “I’ll get back on track tomorrow…”

If you mess up a couple days in a row, then you’ll probably end up blowing off the whole week and say to yourself:

–>> “I’ll start back on my diet on Monday…”

This is the trap that many people fall into. Momentum works both ways, if you get the ball rolling in the right direction towards healthy eating and regular exercise you can keep it going. But on the other side of the coin, if you get off track it’s very easy to justify bad decisions and build momentum doing all the wrong things.

So my #1 Fat Loss Tip to help get you on the right track towards getting ripped “Six-Pack” abs is to make sure to start everyday off with a healthy high protein breakfast. This will fire up your metabolism and get the ball rolling for a successful day of diet and exercise.

And if you are looking for a delicious meal idea for a healthy high protein breakfast, why not give the following recipe a try tomorrow morning…

Delicious & Healthy Breakfast Meal
High Protein Low Carb Banana Pancakes!

If you’d like to get more healthy and delicious muscle building and fat burning recipes be sure to pick up a copy of Dave Ruel’s Anabolic Cooking Cookbook. This is THE Bodybuilder’s Cookbook with over 200 killer recipes that are healthy, high in protein, delicious, and easy to make at the same time. Again, just click on the link below to get your very own copy… Over 200 ‘Anabolicious’ recipes designed to help you pack on lean muscle mass and burn off bodyfat. Click Here For More Info –>>

]]> http://leehayward.com/blog/fat-loss-tips-for-six-pack-abs/feed/ 15 http://leehayward.com/blog/mass-and-power-workout/ http://leehayward.com/blog/mass-and-power-workout/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 03:15:00 +0000 leehayward http://leehayward.com/blog/?p=3794 When Vince Lombardi took over the Green Bay Packers everyone asked him what he was going to do:

“Are you going to change the playbooks?”
“Are you going to change the players,”
“What are you going to do differently?”

To these questions he replied:

“I’m not going to change anything, we’re just going to get brilliant on the basics. Our opponents may be able to predict exactly what we’re going to do, but we’re going to be so good at the basics that they won’t be able to stop us.”

The Back To Basics Mass & Power Workout…

When it comes to building a muscular physique the one key element that you must focus on is getting stronger. A bigger muscle is a stronger muscle (and vice versa). When you are at the gym just look around at the regular members. I’m willing to bet that the guys who are the biggest and the most muscular are also the ones who are lifting the heaviest weights.

One of the problems that a lot of people run into when training for strength gains is doing way too many exercises. They are spreading themselves too thin and burning out on the sheer volume of training. Part of the problem is the environment that most of us train in. Most commercial gyms these days have so many fancy padded machine exercises all over the place that people are getting away from the basic bread and butter mass building moves.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of machine exercises and I feel they have their place in the gym. Machines are great for isolating specific muscles, good for working around injuries, and they can help add variety to your training. Plus there are some exercises that can only be done on machines that can’t be duplicated with free weights (i.e. pull downs, push downs, leg press, leg extensions, etc.).

However, over reliance on machine exercises will actually make you weaker, instead of stronger. The reason I know this is because I’ve personally fallen into this trap myself several times over the years. Opting for Leg Press over Squats. Doing the Hammer Strength Bench Press instead of the Barbell Bench Press. Machine Rows instead of Barbell Rows, etc…

Now you can still make “strength gains” in these machine exercises. However, those strength gains don’t always carry over into your free weight exercises. Machines balance and support the weights for you, all you have to do is push or pull along a guided track, so it’s not a true strength builder.

But when you make strength gains in basic free weight exercises, those gains almost always carry over into your machine exercises. Free weights put you in a real 3 dimensional environment where you not only have to push or pull the weights, but you have to balance and support them as well. Barbells and dumbbells can twist, turn, wobble, etc. and this all leads to a higher level of neuromuscular activation and thus more stimulation for strength and muscle development. So for our Back To Basics Mass & Power Workout we’re going to put the machine exercises on the back burner. Instead we are going to focus on only doing a select few powerlifts and working the crap out of those lifts!

The goal for each workout is simple…
To Lift More During This Workout Than You Did For Your Last Workout.

If you can consistently beat your previous best lifts over and over again, even if it’s just getting an extra rep or adding an extra 5 pounds to the bar, it will all add up overtime and equal some Big Lifts and some Big Muscles. Now what we consider “big” is all relative, I’m not saying that within in the matter of weeks you’ll be ready to pose down with Jay Cutler on the Olympia stage or anything like that. But by getting stronger on the basic lifts you’ll be able to blow past your own training plateaus and set some new personal records in size and strength.

So without wasting anymore time, let’s cut the small talk and get right into the “Meat & Potatoes” of the program…

Focus On The Basic Powerlifts…

The workout will consist of:
- Squats
- Bench Press
- Deadlift
- Overhead Press

That’s it, nothing more, nothing less!

These are the core powerlifts. The big 3 (squat, bench, and deadlift) are the competition lifts in powerlifting. Nothing else can sum over up overall brute strength and power like those 3 lifts. And the overhead press was one of the core competition lifts in Olympic Weightlifting up until 1972. But due to a lot of controversy with judging proper form in the lift, it was later removed from the official competition lifts. However, that doesn’t mean it’s any less effective for building strength and packing on solid muscle mass!

Workout 3 Days Per Week…

The workout itself is very simple. You’re going to hit the gym 3 days per week (or every second day). The main thing is that you take a full day of rest after each workout before training again.

Warm Up Before Every Workout…

Before each workout you’re going to do a proper warm up. I suggest doing 5-10 minutes of cardio such as a rowing machine or an elliptical with the moving arm handles. Ideally you would do something that moves your entire body, elevates your core temperature, and gets the blood flowing.

After your cardio you’ll do some rotator cuff rotations, arm circles, bodyweight squats, etc. to make sure all your major muscles are limber. I’ve got a good video on YouTube that shows how to do a proper warm up routine at: Pre-Workout Warm Up Exercise Routine.

Once you are all warmed up you’re going to head over to the power rack and get set up for your first set of squats!

Sample Workout Routine…

For each exercise in our basic mass and power workout you’re going to do a few progressively heavier warm up sets, pyramiding up to your top working weight, then you are going to do 2 sets of 5 reps with your top working weight.

Now for example purposes, let’s assume your top working weight in the squat is 225 pounds for 5 reps. Your weights, sets, and reps may go like this:

Sample Squat Workout:
1st set – 95 pounds x 10 reps (warm up)
2nd set – 135 pounds x 8 reps (warm up)
3rd set – 185 pounds x 5 reps (warm up)
4th set – 225 pounds x 5 reps (working set)
5th set – 225 pounds x 5 reps (working set)

After squats you’ll move on to the bench press. And for our example, let’s assume your top working weight in the bench press is 185 pounds for 5 reps. Your weights, sets, and reps may go like this:

Sample Bench Press Workout:
1st set – empty bar x 10 reps (warm up)
2nd set – 95 pounds x 8 reps (warm up)
3rd set – 135 pounds x 5 reps (warm up)
4th set – 185 pounds x 5 reps (working set)
5th set – 185 pounds x 5 reps (working set)

After bench presses you’ll move on to the deadlift. And for our example, let’s assume your top working weight in the deadlift is 275 pounds for 5 reps. Your weights, sets, and reps may go like this:

Sample Deadlift Workout:
1st set – 135 pounds x 10 reps (warm up)
2nd set – 185 pounds x 8 reps (warm up)
3rd set – 225 pounds x 5 reps (warm up)
4th set – 275 pounds x 5 reps (working set)
5th set – 275 pounds x 5 reps (working set)

After deadlifts you’ll move on to the overhead press. And for our example, let’s assume your top working weight in the overhead press is 100 pounds for 5 reps. Your weights, sets, and reps may go like this:

Sample Overhead Press Workout:
1st set – empty bar x 10 reps (warm up)
2nd set – 65 pounds x 8 reps (warm up)
3rd set – 85 pounds x 5 reps (warm up)
4th set – 100 pounds x 5 reps (working set)
5th set – 100 pounds x 5 reps (working set)

That’s it, those are the 4 basic lifts that you are going to do for each and every workout. And your training goal is simple, each workout strive to add 5 pounds to the bar and still perform all the sets and reps. If you are able to up the weight by 5 pounds and still get all the required sets and reps with good form, then up the weight again for your next workout and keep progressing in this fashion. However, if you get stuck and don’t hit 5 reps on one of your working sets, or you had to get help from a spotter, keep the same weight for your next workout.

When planning out a program like this it’s a good idea to be little conservative when selecting your starting weights. I’d much rather you go through the workouts feeling strong with the weights and knowing that you could do grind out an extra rep or two if you really had to. This will allow you to build momentum in your training and allow you to keep increasing the weights by those 5 pound jumps for several workouts in a row before hitting a pleateau.

The slow and steady approach to strength gains is much better than starting off too heavy and hitting failure right off the bat and having to drop down in weight. Getting “beaten by the weights” and having to lighten the load is no fun. But feeling strong and making those small frequent jumps in weight helps keep you motivated. A lot of people ignore this aspect of training, but being motivated, feeling strong, and actually looking forward to your workouts is half the battle. That’s what keeps you on track towards your muscle building goals.

Additional Training Tips…

If you are a more advanced lifter and can handle heavier weights than what I have listed in the examples, than you’ll most likely need to perform more warm up sets. The heavier you lift, the more warm up sets it will take in order to reach your top working weight.

You may also want to cycle the order that you perform the exercises, so overtime you can hit each exercise at the beginning of your workout when you are fresh and at your strongest. For example, you may start your first workout with squats, bench presses, deadlifts, and overhead presses. The next workout you could do bench presses, deadlifts, overhead presses, and squats. The following workout you could do do deadlifts, overhead presses, squats, and bench presses, etc. And just keep rotating through the exercises like that.

The use of a good powerlifting belt and lifting chalk will really help, especially as you build up the poundages for those top heavy working sets. You could even use lifting straps to help re-enforce your grip on the deadlifts if needed. But make sure to do all your warm up sets without lifting straps so that you’ll still be able to build up your natural grip strength.

What About Working The Rest Of The Body…

As I’m writing this I can already hear the comments coming from the peanut gallery:
- “What about all my other muscle groups?”
- “What am I going to do for biceps?”
- “What about calves?”
- “Shouldn’t I be working my abs everyday?”
- Etc…

The biggest problem that people run into when following a basic mass and power workout program is that it “Seems Too Basic”. Most people don’t see the forest for the trees. They over complicate things by always looking for new exotic exercises, magic formulas, unique training theories and new age programs. Meanwhile, the answer to their problem is very often staring them right in the face, but they overlook it because it seems too obvious.

Too many guys get bogged down in the minor details before they even have a solid foundation to work with. To give you a real world example of this, let’s look at the process of building a house. If you were building a house would you start off worrying about what color you are going to paint the walls before the foundation has been laid and the house has been framed? Probably not… Now I’m not saying that the color that you paint the walls isn’t important, but it’s a very specific detail that only really matters way down the line once the rest of the house has been built.

The same applies with building your body. It makes no sense to focus on the details of your physique and doing specialization training when you weigh a buck fifty soaking wet. Focus first on putting some meat on your bones and building up your base strength. A good goal to strive for is to get your strength up in the core powerlifts so that you can bench 1 and 1/2 times your bodyweight and squat and deadlift 2 times your bodyweight. Focus on hitting those numbers before worrying about how to bring out the detail of your serratus anterior or isolating your vastus medialis. It makes no sense to worry about sculpting your bicep peak or isolating the lateral head of your triceps if your arms barely stretch the tape measure to 13 inches. Pay your dues in the gym with some hardcore training on the basic powerlifts and you’ll pack more meat on your guns than biceps curls ever could.

And as for working your abs, regularly doing heavy squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses will build more functional strength throughout your entire core than doing crunches until you are blue in the face.

Conclusion…

You’ll be amazed at the improvements you can make in your overall muscular development if you just take a couple months and really focus on improving the 4 basic powerlifts. If you were to add 30-50 pounds to each of these lifts over the course of the next 2 months, just think of how that would impact your overall muscle density?

And to let you know, when you zero in and target all your training efforts on just a few basic lifts, making these kinds of strength gains within a couple months is very realistic. Especially if you have been doing “marathon workouts” and trying to work the muscles from every angle possible with every exercise imaginable.

So if you are looking to take your physique to the next level of muscular development, give this Mass & Power program a try. Simplify your approach, focus on making strength gains, and get brilliant on the basics!

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