Gym Training – knowing What To Do, Why And Then Doing It

Whilst training a client today in a relatively quiet period, there were two guys training together one of whom I know and both of whom I had observed on several other occasions. What was noteworthy was that unlike the vast majority of people in the gym, these guys actually knew what they were doing and were putting in a real honest effort. They had a plan and were working together to hammer the best out of each other. They knew what it takes to get the job done and were working hard and methodically but most of all, with understanding and purpose.

Their target muscle was biceps. They knew this and understood the muscle function and reinforced the importance of keeping the upper arms still and isolating the biceps muscle before each exercise to each other. They knew what exercises they were going to do and why plus the finer technical points of each exercise. They focused and went about their sets with concentration and intensity, pushing past pain and discomfort, keeping good form to hit the muscle with good overload to stimulate the adaptive response. They kept their talk to the workout and observed and fed back to each other information to help improve their execution – they paid attention. They used a small selection of exercises each with a specific purpose knowing that the biceps is only a small muscle and doesn’t need much when you do things properly with good intensity.

Then they will rest and come back and do it all again according to their schedule – because they know how important it is to be consistent.

This is what productive training really is, the above is what it looks like. The problem is that the reason I found all of the above noteworthy is because in my long days spent at the gym week in week out, year after year, it’s actually pretty rare to see truly productive training in full flight.

Sure you will see people heaving and grunting away but do they understand what they are doing and why? How about the biological mechanisms for muscle growth? Do they understand muscle function and actions? Do they actually understand proper technique and how to execute, correct and improve it? Do they mentally focus? Do they work with true intensity to stimulate an adaptive response? Are they consistent and have a steady plan that will allow them to progress and achieve the body they want? This is before we even get into the nutrition and lifestyle aspects of the puzzle.

Getting the body you want doesn’t come from just training.

It comes from first understanding your body and then by extension the various facets of productive training. Only then will you be able to make specific training decisions that are each backed with a specific purpose in mind – there will be a scientific physiological reason for every exercise choice, rep range and style of execution. Once have this solid, considered plan in place, all that remains is to execute it and reap the results.

It’s very simple really. If you cannot explain exactly what you are doing in your training and the specific reasons why, you will never reach your ultimate potential. When you don’t know much you can’t go far.

The Best Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) For Muscle Building On The Market?

If you are a newsletter subscriber you will know how highly I regard Protein Factory for being a true innovator in cutting-edge no bs result producing supplementation.

Well it seems they have done it again by releasing a whole new whey protein isolate that from the looks of it seems to be of the highest quality ever.

Their new Bio-Fresh WPI makes it from the cow to the bag in less than 48 hours! The nutritional profile of this protein is also fantastic as you would expect.

You can read all about it here.

Having said that, Protein Factory also carries some serious muscle building powders beyond even the top quality whey that they feature. Check out their Hydrolysed Caesin and Super Bovine Plasma as well. I have used both of these and rate them highly. A supplement industry insider I know believes that Hydrolysed Caesin will be the foundation of the next generation of supplementation as whey is today. Be warned these two proteins are serious stuff and don’t taste the best but they are at the absolute cutting edge without a doubt. Nothing tastes better than results though does it?

How Hard Is It To Lose Body Fat And Build Muscle?

“Isn’t that hard?” is a question that I get almost every day when I tell someone about an aspect of my lifestyle and my answer is always the same – “No it really isn’t hard.”

When I show someone my food for the day or explain to them the truth of what it takes to get results, most people invariably think that it is tough, challenging, hard and takes discipline, willpower and fanaticism to do what I do. How our society get so brainwashed into thinking this way about preparing and eating a few simple meals of brown rice vegetables and meat is beyond words.

Yes there are hard things in life. I would consider something like climbing Everest as hard or living in Darfur as terribly hard but being lucky enough to buy some and cook clean food and shock horror eat the same thing 4 times in a day somehow makes me some sort of heroic freak to the masses who have been lied to and can’t get the body they want.

The reality is that people have been lied to with regard to how hard getting a lean muscular body for life is and it becomes a self fulfiling prophecy. The companies then can sell you an ‘easy way’ out of the ‘hard’ situation facing you.

Look at it objectively. Is learning how your body works then eating clean and training smart so hard? How tough are people doing it around the world in warzones and dozens of other countries where life is an ordeal?

The fact of the matter is that losing fat and gaining muscle is not hard. They require knowledge and willingess to take action but nothing more. Once you make the choice to transform your body, all you need to do is learn how to create the changes you want and then just do it. There is no inherent difficulty just a simple series of cause and effect processes that you undertake to get what you want.

You either create the body you want or you don’t. Not because it is too hard but because deep down, despite what you may think, you don’t want to change enough to make the choice of a lean muscular body for life.

Losing fat and gaining muscle is not hard. Never was and never will be.

A Better Technique Unlocks Your Full Muscle Growth Potential

It never ceases to amaze me the technique or rather lack of that can be seen in any gym. A small minority will never change because they are fixed in their ways but the vast majority of people who spend time in the gym to create a lean and muscular physique seem to have no idea of what it really takes to get them there and thus perform exercises in a way that makes no sense.

Remember muscle growth and fat loss is simple – stimulus and adaptation. That’s it. When you are doing an exercise, the only objective is the correct stimulus of the target muscle – not how many reps or the weight. Remember, there is no seated row or heaving DB curl world championship with vast sums of prize money at stake. Yet go into any gym and it seems like that someone forgot to tell a lot of the guys in there who seem to be honing their skills for such an event.

In order for the target muscle to grow it must be correctly stimulated. Lifting a weight gives some stimulus but over time if technique is poor and the muscles are not stimulated correctly, all that happens is that you will adapt to “get better” at performing that exercise poorly. Your strength curve and motor patterns – how your muscles fire and move will be imprinted with the pattern of how to do a really bad lat pull down really well. You will get strong biceps, traps and whatever you use but this will further impede your ability to hit the target muscle (lats) as everything else is stronger. It becomes the weakest link and your body likes to do things the easy way. From there it’s a hard job to play catch-up.

This doesn’t mean that you must or should always use textbook picture perfect form and pink vinyl dbs. (Although I was recently shown a set of rotator cuff exercises using 2kg dbs that was enough to destroy a 100kg+ ex-special forces soldier – this goes to show that anything done properly with intensity will work the body hard) It’s also not an argument about loose vs. strict form. The key is knowing what you are doing, why and how to execute your plan.

If you are going for maximal overload then be specific – it’s not about heaving up a bunch of weight to look tough. You are specifically trying to bullseye the target muscle with a heavier weight than would otherwise be possible with strict form. Controlled momentum and/or using other muscles to get past the sticking points of the movement whilst hitting the target muscle is the name of the game. A slow eccentric phase or lowering under control is a must to get the most out of a heavier weight – you are stronger in this phase so keep it tight.

If your goal is maximal occlusion, make sure you pick a weight that you don’t have to heave – you know what you are doing and why so don’t worry what the weight ‘looks like’. Keep the tension on, feel every inch and fibre scream and forget about the reps – have a target range and get there at all costs and then some if you have anything left.

Technique is a non-negotiable and it’s not about going light. If you don’t have rock solid form you are never going to squat double body weight or dead lift serious weight. Yes power lifters are strong use suits and have different goals but they know that in order to get what they want technique matters.

The Truly Huge Interview Part 4

Q. Where do you stand on the use of steroids and supplements?

A. Soapbox time I guess. But then again you did ask where do I stand, so here it is.

I have no problem with people using any form of steroids and supplements they can lay their hands on. It’s their body, their choice and their life. What right do I or anyone have to say what they can and can’t do? Globally there is no consistent legality whatsoever so to me it is simply an abuse of power by certain governments in specific countries interfering in the sovereignty of a person’s body. All the more considering tobacco and alcohol and food chemicals are legalised in the interests of business that pay the government in some form.

From a health perspective, the hysteria is completely unfounded. Though I have never taken any myself, my research has been very extensive for my own knowledge and to answer questions for clients. Of course steroids have side effects. Can they kill you or contribute to your death? Yes they can. But just about any pharmaceutical will when abused. Are there risks? Yes of course, but nowhere near the levels the media would have you believe if taken in sane, medically prescribed and controlled dosages. And in the end, it should be a matter of personal choice. The whole argument of public safety through prohibition goes through the window due to the creation of a greedy, misinformed, minefield that is the black market. If people are going to use steroids they will. If they abuse them, then they take their lives in their hands. The thing is though a whole lot more people suffer health problems not from taking steroids but because they were forced into the black market of fake, impure, contaminated and dangerous supplies. Had they not been impeded by the government it would have been a different story.

But isn’t it cheating? In all but one specific example, no, not really (in varying degrees). In any case the context of this discussion is probably more for personal use so ‘cheating’ doesn’t really come in to it. The only time I strongly object to steroid use is in any declared ‘natural’ competition where every single competitor is drug tested at least once upon each instance of competition. The reality is that this only happens in certain body building federations. Why am I so specific about the testing?

Well the reality is that every sport at every level is already full of people that use banned substances. The testing is simply not up to scratch and never will be for the simple dichotomy that testers have a burden of proof that they must discharge and the chemists don’t. Testers could spend years to perfect a test for a certain drug but a biochemist in a lab can change one molecule easily and it’s back to square one.

Moreover the governing bodies really don’t have an interest in stamping out the use of substances, particularly at a professional level. There is just too much money at stake for too many scandals, even if the testing was able to detect the complex pharmacology of the modern elite athlete. If they did, then they would do as the strictest natural body building federations do and no less. These federations are also far less resourced than other more mainstream sports yet they still make the commitment to invest in expensive testing for every competitor.

In short the playing field is such a grey area particularly at the top that cheating loses any real meaning. There are contradictions as well as to where you draw the line. For example, pain killing injections such as cortisone are not banned and yet they will allow a hobbling player to run at full speed. It’s injected, it’s a drug and it’s obviously enhanced performance so why is that not banned?

In the past I was much more easy going – if people want to use it that’s none of my business. But in light of the false hysteria and misinformation (any type of misinformation seems to make me go Incredible Hulk) and hypocrisy by governments and sports bureaucrats, it’s something I now feel very strongly about.

Tomorrow…the wonderful world of supplements.

Squats: The Ultimate Leg And All Body Exercise

Like the deadlift, the squat is a hard and heavy simple movement yet has many subtle nuances that you will discover as you progress in your training journey.

As with any progressive overload, over time you will come against sticking points or even from the start you may find that you may not be able to hit proper depth with any appreciable amount of weight. The most common technique flaw is not going to at least parallel. Even if you are never going to enter a powerlifting competition, going to parallel is so crucial for long term squatting power, effective leg training and balanced development of the quads, glutes and hamstrings that you always have to be fastidious about your depth.

Whenever you increase the weights, make sure that you still keep your depth. If you lose some depth, get it back before you increase the weight again. Simple. On the subject of proper squat depth as well, once you get beyond the basics, it should be a never ending constant refinement to improve your feel or awareness of where your proper depth is so you can work on hitting it precisely EVERY time and not spend any more time ‘in the hole’ than necessary before powering the weight back up. There is a saying that I think relates beautifully to the squat: “amateurs practice until they get it right, professionals practice until they never get it wrong.”

The Number 1 Muscle Gain Myth Busted!

Seriously, there’s virtually no point in bulking up by consuming excess calories in an attempt to ‘pack on mass’ or ‘get huge’ If you are training naturally and want a lean, muscular physique. All you are doing is being indulgent and unfortunately getting fat!

The fact is, when it comes to muscle gain, muscle grows very slowly, so slowly on a daily basis that you don’t need a great excess of calories to help it along; a couple of hundred calories is plenty.

Furthermore, when trying to lean down from a fairly high fat level with any speed you will lose some muscle and probably all that you gained during the bulking phase. You may have a small net gain but if that’s the case then why bother putting on all the fat and having to lose it instead of just building steadily?

Then why does this bulking and cutting theory still have validity? The answer if you haven’t already caught on is that  the above statement is qualified with “if you are training naturally.” Bulking and cutting (to a certain point in any case) can be valid if you have the pharmaceuticals to dramatically reduce the catabolism (muscle breakdown) whilst getting ripped. The resulting net gain is thus much larger and can make the practice worthwhile.

There is no need to force feed or stuff yourself with a heap of extra calories as quality mass gains take time. The reality is that new muscle grows slowly, even when you are training and eating optimally. Remember, muscle tissue is 80% water, and very little muscle protein is actually synthesised each day ­-just a few grams, so there is no need for a whole lot of extra protein or other calories.

In fact most of your extra calories will probably be carbs since the calorie deficit you create when losing body fat comes from a degree of carb restriction. Adding some extra carbohydrates at this stage will ensure you have maximum energy to train and recover and you should  remember that whilst protein is muscle building, it is carbohydrates that are muscle sparing. Since you are now not actively trying to lose body fat, the extra carbs aren’t a problem. In fact you may even find that although you are taking in more calories after a period of restriction, this kicks your metabolism into a higher gear and combined with higher energy workouts, you may continue to get leaner still while adding quality muscle mass.

The Ultimate Body Success Blog Is Live!

Hi Everyone,

Just letting you know, the Ultimate Body Success Blog is now live!

Everyday, we’re going to bring you only the best possible information, through articles, audio and visual, interviews and a whole lot more that can help you build an awesome physique naturally and in record time. We’ll only be bringing you information that works with your body not against it so you can watch your body transform with razor sharp precision before your very eyes! - check out our Free Report Here to get the complete low down.

To get the lean muscular body you want in record time, it is imperative that you know exactly WHAT you are doing, WHY and HOW to make it work for YOU - and this exactly what we're going to bring to you. You must learn how to fuel your body correctly with clean food to transform yourself into a fat burning incinerator and muscle building machine primed for growth.

Using the principles of best practice fat loss modelled on leanest men on the planet - the elite bodybuilding ranks, you will be able to customise a precision eating plan that to match your exact metabolic specifications. Combining your customised nutrition system with serious fat loss cardio will strip the body fat off in record time to reveal the sculpted physique you have built through training hard and smart by hitting all the key mechanisms for maximum muscle growth. Finally, by clarifying what you want and winning the head games as well as having the savvy and know-how to pull it all together on a daily basis, it is impossible to fail..

Stay tuned for more.