Strength Training Vs Bodybuilding

A Strength Training Program is MuchDifferent Than A Bodybuilding Program.

In order to setup a proper strength training program, you need to understand how a muscle gets stronger. If you fail to understand the physiology behind getting stronger, you will put together a sub-optimal strength training program. My goal in this short article is to explain the differences between bodybuilding and gaining strength.

How a Bodybuilding Program Works.

Bodybuilding involves breaking down a muscle. This is done by performing reps in the 6-12 range and working the muscle to exhaustion.

Typically bodybuilders aim for a “burn” and a “pump” in the muscle.

They employ things like forced reps and negatives. If your goal is to build muscle then you are purposely trying to damage that muscle group. The idea is that when the muscle repairs itself, it will overcompensate and add a little more mass to that muscle group.

 Over time, these muscle groups will become noticeably larger.

 A proper strength training program aims for something much different.

How a Strength Training Program Works.

A good strength training plan should focus on making a muscle more efficient, not in breaking down a muscle.

Continue Reading At Lean Muscle Gains

Muscle Build Your Muscle Building Workouts

Image by SSCusp via Flickr

I have 2 muscle building videos for you today. One is from Vince De Monte at No Nonsense Muscle Building. Vince (formerly skinny Vinny) is the guy known for taking the skinniest of guy's and packing muscle on them.


The second is from Sean Nalewanyj of Muscle Gain Truth. Sean understands the process of muscle building completely. he knows that building muscles is not easy at all. A quote from his book reads like - "Building muscle is one of the simplest things to understand but one of the most difficult to implement".


Muscle Building Exercises & Tips For Skinny Guys
Grab The #1 Best Selling Muscle Building Program at www.VinceDelMonteWorkout.com This Is TheSite That Includes The Most Powerful & Effective Muscle Building Workouts For Skinny Hard Gainers. You Are Guaranteed To Build Up To 41 Pounds Of Lean Muscle ...





The #1 Muscle Building Workout Tool
 www.MuscleGainTruth.com Learn how to build muscle and gain weight with these free natural bodybuilding tips. Improve your health, increase your energy, skyrocket your confidence and feel better than e...




Fact: 95% of people who begin a muscle building program will NEVER see any significant results! Learn how to avoid these fatal bodybuilding pitfalls and finally achieve the ripped, rock-solid physique you deserve...

Be one of the 5% yeah it takes work alot of work but it is well worth it when you start seeing the results.

If you are Serious about Building Muscle then these two guys can help you big time.

6 Reasons You’ve STOPPED Building Muscle, Part II

6 Reasons You’ve STOPPED Building Muscle, Part II


By Joel Marion and Vince Del Monte

Training your butt off but not really getting anywhere? Put on “some” muscle, but can’t seem to add any more? Simply not progressing fast enough? If you can relate to any of those scenarios, then you’re going to love part 2 of this article as we’re getting ready to unleash three more BIG reasons why you’ve stopped building muscle.

Reason #4: No “down-time”

Did you know that strategically taking time OFF from your training (when done in a very specific way, and when strategically setting up the rest of your training to benefit from it) can actually lead to MORE muscle growth?

It’s very true.

Simply put, your body performs and responds best when it’s pushed and then is given time to recover. Let’s face it, you can’t go full-out, “balls to the wall” 100% all the time. That leads to burn out and overstimulation.

But you can learn how to cycle strategic periods of “down-time” into your training, either by scheduling time completely “OFF” every so often, or by using “lighter” training periods within your training cycle.

Utilizing this one tactic alone will have a profound effect on your results, and we’ll show you how to do it properly in tomorrow’s article.

Reason #5: Nervous System Inefficiency

Fact: You’re NOT going to gain muscle unless you can stimulate muscle tissue to grow with loads challenging enough to induce an adaptation response—and sadly, most people simply aren’t.

Why? Nervous system inefficiency.

Perhaps the most important thing you can possibly do when it comes to building muscle is strengthen your nervous system connection. You see, your nervous system controls:

•how fast your muscles contract

•how hard your muscles contract, and

•how many motor units you’re able to recruit

Amongst other things.

An efficient nervous system leads to faster, harder, stronger muscular contractions.

An inefficient nervous system leads to slower, weaker, haphazard muscular contractions.

Can you guess which one is going to lead to more muscle?

Fact is, most people’s nervous systems aren’t efficient enough to allow them to use loads heavy enough to adequately stimulate their muscles to grow. And when the stimulus is lacking, trust us, the results will be lacking as well.

Fortunately, we’ll be back to teach you an easy way to fix this tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Reason #6: Your Training is One-Dimensional

Did you know that there are three types of muscle fibers? (Type I, Type IIa, and Type IIb)

Did you know that there are two types of muscle growth? (Myofibril, the “protein” portion of muscle cells, and Sarcoplasmic, the “fluid” portion of muscle cells)

Did you know that you need to strategically train in a very specific way to stimulate each ONE of these 5 pathways, each of which requires a differing training stimulus?

Did you know that there are at least 7 OTHER pathways to stimulate the generation of calorie-burning lean muscle?

Most people don’t, which is why most people fail to unlock more than 80% of their muscle building potential.

To make an analogy, let’s imagine that you’re trying to grow your bank account, and your sole method of doing so is depositing your bi-weekly pay check into a checking account.

The number will continue to rise on a slow, steady basis.

But, what if that money was in an interest bearing account? What if you took some of that money and invested it in 3 or 4 or 10 different places? What if you set up a side business that was generating even more money to deposit in to that account?

Do you think that over a period of 6 months you’d have SUBSTANTIALLY more money than if you continued to solely rely on the “paycheck deposit” method of growing your bank account?

YES.

Similarly, there are MANY ways and avenues and pathways to stimulate and generate muscle growth, and if you’re hoping to experience optimal growth, you need to be utilizing all the different pathways.

And in tomorrow’s article, we’ll share several methods to ensure you’re hitting multiple pathways with your training.

Wrap Up

Alright, there you have it - 6 of the biggest misconceptions surrounding muscle growth and some BIG reasons why you may not be experiencing the lean muscle building results you’re after, but don’t worry, you can “fix” all of these problems, and we’ll be back tomorrow to share a bunch of solutions.

Stay tuned.

Maximize Your Muscle Building <= click the link to get your free 37 page muscle building report.

Maximize Your Muscle Building

Maximize Your Efficiency: Three "Tweaks" That Will Revolutionize Your Workout

By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems
http://www.staleytraining.com

Here I present three methods which, when used consistently, will help you spend less time in the gym while getting better results at the same time.

Only applied knowledge is power, so don’t just read, but apply!

Front Loading

Efficient people instinctively try to get the majority of their work done early in the day (this also applies to week or month). The rationale is simple: you have more energy early in the day than you do later on.

Therefore, when I create training programs for my clients, I rarely indicate a standard amount of rest between each set. Instead, I’ll indicate a time-frame for all sets to be completed in (for example, 8 sets of 3 repetitions to be performed in 15 minutes - you might recognize Escalating Density Training (http://www.staleytrainingprograms.com) parameters in this example!).

In this way, my client will instinctively attempt to get a “head start” by taking shorter rests between the initial sets, which will permit longer rest intervals for later sets.

Since fatigue accumulates over the duration of a workout, front loading is far more efficient than using standard rest intervals between sets, which is how 99% of all people organize their workouts. Interested in joining the one-percent club? Apply this concept to your workouts starting today— the rewards will be significant and immediate.


Use Antagonistic Pairings

Every muscle in your body has a “partner” (called the antagonist) which is capable of opposing it’s contractile forces. For example, when you perform a biceps curl, the biceps muscle would be termed the “agonist” and the tricep would be the “antagonist.” (the easy way to remember these terms is to think that the agonist is the one that is in agony because it’s performing the work).

As you curl the weight, the motor cortex of your brain signals the triceps to relax in order to allow the biceps to contract. This phenomenon is called Sherrington’s Law of Reciprocal Inhibition. Here’s how we can take advantage of this phenomenon in a very practical way:

You first perform a set of barbell curls, and then rest perhaps 1-2 minutes. For set two, you perform a set of lying dumbbell triceps extensions. As you do so, the biceps muscles are “inhibited.”

The triceps contraction actually forces the biceps to de-activate, which simply means they will recover faster as a result of having performed the set of triceps extensions. You then rest, go back to the curls, and back and forth until all sets for both exercises are completed.

There are three additional benefits to the use of antagonistic pairings:

If you perform (for example) 5 sets of biceps curls one after the other using two minutes of rest between each set, you obviously get two minutes of rest between each set. However, if you perform a set of curls, then rest two minutes, then perform a set of triceps extensions, rest two minutes, etc., you now achieve more than four minutes of rest between two sets of the same exercise, even though the total workout duration remains the same.


Training muscles in antagonistic pairs ensures equal (or at least similar) strength development around both sides of the joint. This is very important for overall size and strength gains, because if the strength ratio between agonist and antagonist is significantly disparate, the brain will reduce your strength levels in an effort to protect your joints.


In the preceding example, as you perform your biceps curls, you are keeping the involved joint warm for your next set of triceps extensions. Over time, this can be very meaningful in terms of joint integrity and health.
Here are a few examples of muscle pairings which correspond to the principles
I’ve just discussed:

Lats & Pecs

Biceps & Triceps

Quads & Hamstrings

Abdominals and Low Back Musculature

Lats & Triceps (biceps are usually heavily involved during most lat exercises)

Pecs & Biceps (triceps are usually heavily involved during most pec exercises)

Use Submaximal Accelerative Efforts

If your best bench press for one rep is 300 pounds, then obviously the most amount of tension you can place on the targeted muscles will be just slightly more than 300 pounds.

However, Soviet force-plate research has shown that a load corresponding to 65% of your maximum capability (195 pounds in this example) can also result in 300 pounds worth of tension, provided that the weight is maximally accelerated. You might argue that there is no advantage either way, since both methods produce approximately the same amount of force.

However, there are distinct advantages to using “submaximal accelerative efforts” as opposed to the maximal weights method:

Using the above example, if you use 300 pounds, you can only perform one rep, and then you’re done. If you use 195 pounds for sets of three using maximum acceleration, you can perform multiple sets— usually between 8 and 12 sets can be performed before there is a significant decline in lifting speed. This allows far more total volume within a session.


When using submaximal accelerative efforts as described above, you’ll always have several reps in reserve on any given set, which means you can dramatically reduce the need for a spotter (although using a competent spotter is still a good idea when using unfamiliar exercises).


Our bodies are essentially hard-wired to accelerate whenever performing difficult motor tasks such as running, lifting, or jumping. In fact, people have to be taught to move slowly, since it is far more efficient (and instinctive) to take advantage of momentum when performing motor tasks such as lifting heavy weights.
If these ideas seem unusual to you, let me stress that the most successful people in life are open-minded.

Have you ever adopted a new habit that ended up having a significant positive impact on your life? The three concepts I’ve presented here have had that effect on my own training, and on the results I’ve achieved for my clients. I’m confident they’ll produce similar results for you as well.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



About The Author

Charles Staley...world-class strength/performance coach...his colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.

Click here to visit Charles' site and grab your 5 FREE videos that will show you how to literally FORCE your body to build muscle, lose fat and gain strength with "Escalating Density Training," Charles' revolutionary, time-saving approach to lifting that focuses on performance NOT pain.

http://www.staleytrainingprograms.com

Building Muscle Innovative Chest Training

So yesterday, I told you about Nick Nilsson's new book "The Best Chest Exercises You've Never Heard Of". Well, the response has just been TREMENDOUS.

If you have never read any of Nicks idea's on training and building muscle you should check him out. Nick as I have mentioned has a great knack for taking an exercise putting a new twist to it and making it more effective.

And as Nick always says it's all about results!

----------

The Best Chest Building Exercises you have never heard of.


----------

And Nick told me the most frequent comment he's been getting about these exercises...

"How do you come up with these insane exercise?" (and yes, people DO use the word insane when they write him!)

Here's his response:

---

"Well, to me, it's all about results. I don't create exercises just for the sake of creating exercises. They've gotta have a purpose and they've gotta get RESULTS.

Sometimes I take equipment and look at it in completely different ways. Where one person sees a bench press machine, I see a shoulder press, a leg press, a calf raise machine, curl machine, row machine.

Sometimes, I'll challenge myself to work every single bodypart while limiting myself to just one piece of equipment.

And then there are times when I just say what the 'heck' and go all mad scientist and just see what happens.

The real key to remember is that these crazy exercises I come up with aren't crazy for no reason...they're extremely targeted to their purpose, whether it be increasing the resistance on a bodyweight exercise like the push-up (i.e. my Rack Weighted Push-Up exercise), or focusing on the peak contraction position of the pec using a free-weight-only exercise (i.e. my Lying Side Dumbell Flye exercise).

Plus, I want you to have FUN when you're in the gym, while getting better results! You're going to put a lot more effort into things and have a WAY more motivation to train hard when you're trying new things and having a good time doing it.

I have to say, the #1 thing people tell me after using the exercises from my books is that their motivation to train simply went through the ROOF! Some people have literally had to STOP themselves from spending too much time at the gym because of how much they're enjoying the new exercises!

---

That pretty much says it all!

And the cool thing is, you can actually check out and try out three exercises that Nick mentioned above (the Rack Weighted Push-Ups and the Lying Side Dumbell Flyes) right on his site - no need to sign up for anything!

So if you want to build a GREAT chest and the regular exercises just aren't getting the job done, you really have GOT to check this book out:

Chest Training Take it to the next level


Sincerely,

Jag252

Innovative Chest Building Workouts

So yesterday, I told you about Nick Nilsson's new book "The Best Chest Exercises You've Never Heard Of". Well, the response has just been TREMENDOUS.

----------

Click here to check it out now:

Blow Up Your Chest Muscle----------

And Nick told me the most frequent comment he's been getting about these exercises...

"How do you come up with these insane exercise?" (and yes, people DO use the word insane when they write him!)

Here's his response:

---

"Well, to me, it's all about results. I don't create exercises just for the sake of creating exercises. They've gotta have a purpose and they've gotta get RESULTS.

Sometimes I take equipment and look at it in completely different ways. Where one person sees a bench press machine, I see a shoulder press, a leg press, a calf raise machine, curl machine, row machine.

Sometimes, I'll challenge myself to work every single bodypart while limiting myself to just one piece of equipment.

And then there are times when I just say what the 'heck' and go all mad scientist and just see what happens.

The real key to remember is that these crazy exercises I come up with aren't crazy for no reason...they're extremely targeted to their purpose, whether it be increasing the resistance on a bodyweight exercise like the push-up (i.e. my Rack Weighted Push-Up exercise), or focusing on the peak contraction position of the pec using a free-weight-only exercise (i.e. my Lying Side Dumbell Flye exercise).

Plus, I want you to have FUN when you're in the gym, while getting better results! You're going to put a lot more effort into things and have a WAY more motivation to train hard when you're trying new things and having a good time doing it.

I have to say, the #1 thing people tell me after using the exercises from my books is that their motivation to train simply went through the ROOF! Some people have literally had to STOP themselves from spending too much time at the gym because of how much they're enjoying the new exercises!

---

That pretty much says it all!

And the cool thing is, you can actually check out and try out three exercises that Nick mentioned above (the Rack Weighted Push-Ups and the Lying Side Dumbell Flyes) right on his site - no need to sign up for anything!

So if you want to build a GREAT chest and the regular exercises just aren't getting the job done, you really have GOT to check this book out:

Build Bigger Chest Muscles

Sincerely,

3 Secrets To Build Muscular Arms

3 "secret" tips for MORE MUSCULAR ARMS...



Hi !

Are you genetically CURSED with "skinny arms"?

Unfortunately, for those people who really struggle with
adding more muscle to their biceps, triceps, and forearms,
the "same old" exercise approach doen't do very much.

What does?

Well, below is a 3-STEP APPROACH from a buddy of mine,
Jeff Anderson (aka - the "Muscle Nerd")

These are the LAST 2 DAYS of Jeff's "big box release" of
his latest program...

..."Muscle Specialization Secrets"!

Jeff only produced 500 boxes (including manual, DVD, CD's
and more!) and they're almost ALL GONE!

If you want to see what all the buzz is about, go to:

How To Build Muscular Arms Now<= Click Now

The article below is a GREAT example of why this training
is so very DIFFERENT from anything else you've seen.

You see, a LOT of people are self-conscious about the size
of their arms.

Jeff's "micro-targeting" approach helps you overcome your
more "challenging" areas by zeroing in on those muscle with a
unique training approach.

For example...

The secret to overcoming "Small Arms Syndrome" is to create
an illusion of more SIZE and WIDTH by working on 3 specific
areas of your arms that will all work toward this one goal.

Here are 3 EXERCISE SECRETS that are guaranteed to bring you
FAST RESULTS:

============================

Arm Training Secret #1: Lateral Triceps

============================

The outer heads of your triceps are the ones that are most
visible both from the FRONT and the SIDE.

By training them specifically, your arms will look DRAMATICALLY
wider from the front and give you that "horseshoe" look from
the side and back.

The best exercise I've found for this is the REVERSE-GRIP CABLE
PRESSDOWNS where your palms are facing UP.

Only bring your arms up until your forearms are parallel to the
floor and at the bottom of the movement, lock out your elbows
and SQUEEZE your outer triceps hard for 1-2 seconds.

High volume sets of 8-12 reps will help you get the "pump"
you're looking for to increase mass.

============================

Arm Training Secret #2: Inner Biceps

============================

The key to using your biceps for this "trick" is to focus more
on the INNER biceps head and go for "width".

You do this by using a WIDER GRIP CURLING MOVEMENT that zeroes
in on the inside area of your bi's.

Here's the best way to do it...

Go to a preacher bench and load up a bar with enough weight to
do 8-12 reps.

Now, go to the OPPOSITE side of the bench as most people go so
that your UPPER BODY is resting on the pad instead of your ARMS.

This means that your arms will be hanging vertically over the
other side where your body would normally be.

This gives you a much better "stretch" in the biceps at the
bottom position.

Next...take a WIDER than shoulder width grip on the bar!

A wider grip is going to hit the INNER area of your biceps much
better...and help with that wider LOOK to your arms we're going for.

============================

Arm Training Secret #3: Pumped Up Forearms

============================

This is a simple...and POWERFUL tactic to hit your forearms HARD!

Grab a few small hand towels (most gyms have these handy for you
to wipe the sweat off of the machines).

Fold them lengthwise and wrap them around the bars you're using
for exercises #1 & #2 above so that it add about another 2-3 inches
to the width of your grip area.

Essentially, you're making a "fat bar" to grip on to and this
GREATLY activates your forearms in these movements!

Using this for exercise #1 above will work more of the "top" or
"outside" of your forearms while on execise #2, it will work more
of the "underside" of your forearms.

(Note: After 2-3 sets with the "towel method", remove them to do
one more set of each exercise WITHOUT the towel so you can get in
one last targeted set to focus on your tri's and bi's)

Give these arm training secrets a try and watch your arms balloon
up in no time!

============================

Want MORE TIPS on how to "micro-target" your arms for increased
MASS?

Why not get an ENTIRE "Specialization Program" for every single area
of your body?!

Jeff Anderson has just released his "Muscle Specialization
MEGA-PACKAGE" that includes:

==> Printed Manual

==> Workout DVD

==> 6 Audio CD's on "Muscle Specialization Secrets"

==> 12 Bonus "Best Exercises" Videos

==> Complete "Resources Disc" With 3-, 4-, and 5-Day Workout Routines

==> Tracking Software

...but there's a CATCH!

This package closes its doors for GOOD this Saturday (or when the
boxes all sell out).

Jeff's only released this "big box" version to celebrate this being
his LAST bodybuilding program he's ever going to produce (he has 5!)

So check it out NOW while the program is still available at:

Build Muscular Arms Now <= Click Now

Jag252

Muscle Building Not The Same Old Muscle Building BS

It's pretty damned embarrassing, isn't it?

No matter WHAT you do...

...no matter how HARD you train

...no matter what SUPPLEMENTS you take

...there always seems to be ONE SINGLE MUSCLE GROUP that absolutely
REFUSES to grow!

================================

Which one is it for YOU?

================================

Upper chest?

Lower abs?

Maybe your shoulders look more like "tennis balls" than "softballs"?

Biceps not keeping up with the REST of your gains in the gym?

Don't worry, you're certainly NOT alone!

Fact is, GENETICS are going to play a role in not only how EASY it
is for you to build muscle...

...but also the SIZE and SHAPE of every muscle on your body!

Now you'd think that this was a good excuse for you to just throw
your hands up in the air and give up, right?

WRONG!

================================

It's time to show even the
most STUBBORN Muscles Who's The BOSS!

==> Muscle Building To The Extreme

================================

Here's the deal...

My friend, Jeff Anderson (you may know him as the "Muscle Nerd"),
has just released his latest muscle-building program...

...and it may just be his crowning achievement!

Jeff is a fitness consultant and former U.S. Army Master Fitness
Trainer who is a die-hard researcher and "tester" (hence the
nickname "Nerd")

Well, he's spent the last 4 years fine-tuning a unique training
method that ZEROES IN on your "lagging" body parts" and literally
FORCES them to kickstart new growth.

And I'm NOT talking about the same old "muscle mag" or forum B.S.
that tells you to simply go into the gym and train a muscle like a
madman until appendages start falling on the floor.

Jeff's developed a complete, scientifically-engineered, muscle
specialization "system" he calls...

..."Micro-Burst Training"!

================================

It's CRAZY - And Here's Why It WORKS...

==> Gain More Muscle

================================

Most "specialization programs" that attempt to target specific
muscle groups DON'T take into account ALL of the body's "anabolic
factors".

They try to reduce "plateau busting" to simply "training HARDER".

Some even tell you to "train LESS" to avoid OVERTRAINING.

Problem is...all of these are pretty much just a shot in the dark.

I mean, how do you KNOW whether you're actually training too
hard...or not enough?

Well, being a former "grunt" in the military, Jeff's belief is that
the best DEFENSE...is a kick ass OFFENSE!

"Micro-Burst" training puts YOU in command of your muscles by
unleashing a programmed "attack" on dormant muscle fibers while
simultaneously igniting certain "hyper-growth" factors your body
uses for mass-building.

Only Jeff's method actually FOCUSES (with "sniper-like" precision)
your body's mass-building efforts...

...into ONE SINGLE MUSCLE GROUP!

==> Building Maximum Muscle

================================

But there's one more little "SURPRISE"
I need to tell you about...

================================

You see, Jeff's "Micro-Burst Training System" is actually...

...a "Mega-Box" that gets delivered to your DOOR!

I know you're used to me mostly sending you notices about
downloadable programs, but Jeff's pulling out all the stops on this
one!

Not only is he shipping out the entire "Training Manual", but
ALSO...

...full length INSTRUCTIONAL DVD!

...3-, 4-, and 5- Day Workout Guides (for EVERY muscle group)!

...complete Exercise Manual of proven "mass-builders"!

...a software program!

...AND 6 AUDIO CD's!

This is a freaking HUGE package...and a killer deal too!

But you have to go and check it out NOW because he's only had 500
boxes made up and this email is going out to over 200,000
newsletter subscribers across the internet!

So go NOW to...

==> Your Muscle Building Success

Trust me...you're not going to want to wait around on this one!

Jag252

How To Build Muscle Fast: 41 Tips Today 18-25

How To Build Muscle Fast: 41 Tips Today 9-17

How To Build Muscle Fast 41 Tips


Muscle building expert Vince DelMonte has helped over 20,000 skinny guys and consults with fitness experts all around the world on the most critical and supporting elements to build muscle mass and to experience consistent muscle growth.

In this article, Vince unmasks his own secrets that he used for building 41 pounds of steel-solid muscle in only six months – without any drugs or steroids, without bogus supplements, and while training less total hours than before.

In just weeks, you can make the same life-changing transformation. Find out his advanced muscle building strategies on how to build muscle, fast!

Whether you approach your physique as a hobby or a job, you should not leave any element to chance and hope it works. In order to defeat plateaus and forge a ripped and muscular body you need all the tips and tricks you can get. None of these techniques will work alone but by combining as many together as possible you’ll see a huge difference in your muscle growth – faster than before.


18. Consume a variety of whole eggs, chicken, lean beef, fish and whole-milk throughout
the day for high quality (bioavailable) muscle building protein.

19. Use a training partner for motivation and an extra push to experience faster muscular
growth.

20. Never train hungry if you want to build muscle fast.

21. Concentrate your carbohydrates when your body needs them most – breakfast, pre
workout and post workout.

22. Ensure you do the squat and the deadlift each week to increase the release of
growth hormone and testosterone.

23. Hire a personal trainer if you have never received professional coaching on
technique and form.

24. Stretch at least half the amount of time that you lift. If you lift 3 hours a week,
schedule at least 1.5 hours of yoga or static stretching.

25. Train a muscle group through it’s entire range of motion to stimulate muscle size.

Go To Sensible Muscle Building to learn more about Vince and how you can gain muscle

Weight Training Workouts:Undergroud Chest Training Secrets

An Insane Exercise That Builds A MASSIVE Chest!

By The Muscle Nerd, Jeff Anderson

In This Chest Training Article:

Why breaking all the rules when it comes to training your chest can lead to greater muscle growth
A "dangerous" exercise for defeating your underdeveloped UPPER CHEST...and how to do it SAFELY!


I hesitate to even write this article for 3 reasons…

One, because it's one of my SECRET weapons for building a massive chest;

Two, I've historically saved it for the EXCLUSIVE privilege of my clients in the Optimum Anabolics Program ( www.optimumanabolics.com); and

Three, because any knucklehead who doesn't follow my instructions to the letter could SERIOUSLY injure himself!

With that said, I'm going to throw caution to the wind and let you in on one of the most advanced chest building exercises you'll ever use.

But I MUST warn you…

It breaks one of the most important safety rules of working out (although I'll show you a safe way around this later on)!

Well, here goes…

My guess is that you're currently busting your ass on the flat and incline bench presses, pressing the bar up in the air from mid-chest level, in an attempt to really pack on some mass to your pecs.

But have you ever heard of pressing to the NECK ?

OUCH ! Just thinking of that bar crashing down on my Adam's apple makes me want to dial 9-1-1 .

But first let's discuss the benefits of this popular exercise from the master of muscle, Vince Gironda, and then I'll tell you how to avoid having to dust off your will.

Your pectoralis major actually is made up of four separate divisions which require different movements to effectively train them.

While the regular bench press can target the mid-chest area pretty well, it falls short of expectation in developing the upper and interior chest regions.

Failure to properly train these areas can mean a poorly developed chest due to uneven growth.

On the other hand, performing a flat bench pressing movement to the NECK area actually forces your UPPER and INTERIOR , as well as EXTERIOR regions of your chest to pull together like never before in a team effort to REALLY pack on the mass!

Here's how to do it SAFELY …

ALWAYS use either a Smith Machine with a SPOTTER . IMPORTANT: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER ATTEMPT TO USE A REGULAR STRAIGHT BAR, EVEN WITH A SPOTTER AND WHEN YOU USE THE SMITH MACHINE, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS USE A SPOTTER!!!

A spotter should be someone you KNOW understands how to “spot” someone, preferably someone you've worked out with before.

If you don't have a spotter, use a set of DUMBBELLS to be safe.

Keep the amount of weight much LOWER than usual until you learn how to perform the movement properly.

On a FLAT bench (the exercise is actually LESS effective using an incline bench), with a MEDIUM grip, and starting from the “up” position, SLOWLY lower the bar (or dumbbells) to neck level, keeping your elbows pointing out AWAY from the body.

Focusing on contracting your chest muscles, raise the bar/dumbbells as quickly as safely possible back to the start position.

Perform 3 sets of 8-15 reps.

By REALLY hitting these hard to reach areas and ALSO calling upon the larger areas of your chest to perform this movement, you can stimulate MANY more muscle fibers resulting in explosive growth for the entire chest region.

Give it a try, be safe, and oh yeah, one more warning…

This one's gonna make you hurt the next day!

Underground Chest Training Secrets

Build Lean Muscle And Burn Bodyfat

Training With Weights vs "Weight Training"



Just a word of warning:

I will be using the term "bodybuilder" or "bodybuilding" to refer to anyone who wants to build lean muscle and burn bodyfat in this article.

That means you.

Yep... you are a "bodybuilder." That does not mean you want to look like a monster on stage and pose in front of thousands of people wearing nothing but your undies.

That means you want more lean muscle and less bodyfat -- that's it.

With that in mind, here's something you have to know:

Bodybuilders do not "lift weights" -- we "train" with weights.

We use weights as a tool like a sculptor uses a hammer and chisel.

The object of the game is not to lift some heavy weight from Point A to Point B and back. That's weight lifting. "Bodybuilding" is about making the muscle you want to change do all the work.

Here's two ways to do it:

1. Lower the weight and focus: Most people are just concerned with the lift itself. "Get this weight off of me!" seems to be the unconscious mantra. This will not get the job done. In fact you may end up looking bulky rather than sleek... or just not change at all. Instead, lower the weight slightly, slow the pace down (especially on the descent of the movement) and picture the muscle in your mind doing ALL of the work. Literally put your mind in the muscle. You will be amazed at how different the same exercise feels with this degree of concentration,.

2. Contract, hold, release: At the top of any movement, contract the muscle hard. Hold that contraction for a second or two, then release it and lower the weight slowly. This will not only cause faster muscle growth (that is a good thing) but also demand that you use less weight to get the job done. This means your joints -- shoulders, knees, elbows -- will last a lifetime. At 45 my joints are in perfect health. Protect yours at all costs.

Just remember: You are not just lifting weights when you train for muscle shape and "tone" -- you are a sculptor. Treat your tools and your body with that degree of care.

I cover many more tips on how to build lean muscle and burn bodyfat faster in my book "7 Minute Muscle".

Read more here:

7 minute muscle <--- more muscle in far less time

Weight Training Workouts To Build Muscle - The Deadlift

Weight Training Workouts To Build Muscle - You Gotta Deadlift

Since what we want to do here is build muscle and if you are serious about building muscle there's no way around it you have to deadlift. Compound are not only the best but the quickest path to building muscle. The squat is commonlly known as the king of all muscle building exercises (and I don't disagree) but right there with the squat are deadlifts.

The deadlift is the most effective exercise for building the core strength that supports all other major muscle groups. The deadlift, if performed correctly, will build unparalleled mass while strengthening all the major muscles groups.

How To Do A Proper Deadlift:

Assume a shoulder width stance, and grip the barbell so that the inner forearms touch the outside of thighs, and shins lightly touch the bar. Either an overhand or an under/overhand (one hand over, one hand under) grip can be used. The under/overhand grip is preferable in most instances and allows you to lift the most weight.

Fix spine in a neutral position (neither up nor down, but looking straight ahead), and place the hips down. Pulling in the lower abs will ensure a neutral pelvic position. Shoulders should be held back, squeezed tightly, and positioned over the bar - they should never be rounded.
Chest should be forward, not down. Before lifting the weight, tighten the shoulders and squeeze the glutes together to help generate power during the initial part of the movement.

Get a tight grip on the bar, and push thru your heels. The legs must power the weight up. Hips and shoulders should ascend at the same time, while the hands are holding the weight in place. Toward the top of the movement, lock out by employing more upper body strength until the weight is at about the midway position of the upper thigh.

Deadlift by pushing from the heels & bringing your hips forward. Not by pulling back with your lower back. If you Deadlift correctly, you’ll feel most stress in your upper-back, glutes & hams.

Weight Training Workouts building bigger muscles

Building Muscle 3 Quick But Important Tips

Building Muscle 3 Quick But Important Tips

1. Lift weights for no more than three to four days per week. Doing so is not only unnecessary but can quickly lead to over-training, which severly limits your muscle building especially if you are doing other physical activities such as cardio or playing recreational sports on a regular basis.

2. Limit your workouts to 30-45 minutes and 15-20 total sets. If you can't build muscle and gain strength in that time frame then I’d say you are half assing it. You have to remember that results are greatest when energy levels and mental focus are at their highest. That is during the first 30-45 minutes of your workout. Going beyond that point causes both of these to plummet.

3. Use big, compound exercises and lift heavy. Deadlifts, military presses, squats, bench presses, rows and chin ups should always be the main focus of your muscle building workout programs. These have been the best muscle building exercises since the beginning of time and that will never change.

Rep Ranges And Building Muscle Workouts

Rep Ranges And Muscle Building Workouts

In the following Q&A response, Tom Venuto gets deep into exactly what happens in the body in response to the various rep ranges. This is a FASCINATING read.

Powerlifters often don't look as strong as they are and bodybuilders often look stronger than they really are. The difference can be attributed to the rep ranges that comprise the majority of their training programs -the difference between the neural and metabolic adaptations these rep ranges influence.

What happens within the muscles in response to different rep ranges? By Tom Venuto

Dear Tom,
What actually happens within the muscle (metabolically and physically) in response to the various training protocols? i.e. Power: 3-5 sets of 1-2 reps at 80-90% of 1 RM, Strength: 2-6 sets, <6>85%RM, Hypertrophy: 3-6 sets, 6-12 reps at 67-85%RM. What causes muscles to get bigger and not necessarily stronger? I find the science of all this to be fascinating, yet confusing. Thank you.
Mike Caldarello

The primary difference between the effects of rep ranges on the adaptive response depends on whether the load affects neural factors (low reps) or metabolic factors (higher reps). When you train with low reps (1 - 5), the adaptations that make you stronger are mostly neurological: You develop an increased ability to recruit more muscle fibers, you stimulate the higher threshold fibers that are not activated with high rep, low weight sets, you decrease neuromuscular inhibition, and there is increased coordination between the muscle groups. However, with low reps, the hypertrophy (size increase) of the muscle fibers is minimal.

In other words, reps under 6 make you stronger, but they don’t necessarily make you bigger because the strength gains come from adaptations in the nervous system - the muscle fibers and other muscle cell structures do not hypertrophy (enlarge). This explains why certain athletes, powerlifters and Olympic lifters can be wicked strong but they don’t look as strong as they are.

When you train with medium reps (6-12) the adaptations are more metabolic and cellular and only moderately neurological. This is why 6-12 reps is the range most often recommended for bodybuilding and hypertrophy. You get bigger and stronger in this rep range, but your strength gains are not maximal. This explains why some bodybuilders look stronger than they are (and why they are often the brunt of jokes made by powerlifters and weight lifters; i.e. “big, weak, slow, useless muscles”, ha ha).

When you train with higher reps (13-20+), the adaptations are mostly metabolic and cellular. This rep range produces local muscular endurance, a small degree of hypertrophy in certain cellular components such as the mitochondria and the capillaries, and very little strength.
There is not a distinct line where neural adaptations end and structural/metabolic adaptations begin; rather it is a continuum, like temperature or colors of a rainbow.

For example, when you train in the 6-8 rep range, the adaptations are still somewhat neural, but also metabolic/structural: In this rep range, you get excellent strength gains and also excellent hypertrophy. In the 8-12 rep range, there is still some neural adaptation, but less than the 6-8 range and much less than the 1-5 range. The advantage of the 8-12 rep range is that you get maximal hypertrophy (this is the best rep range for pure size increases when strength is not the number one concern). You will also get stronger, of course, but not nearly to the degree as you would training with lower reps.

Now, what exactly happens inside the muscle to make it get bigger and not necessarily stronger? Quite simply, ALL the structures inside the muscle cell grow when exposed to the appropriate training stimulus.

Remember back in high school when you had to memorize those diagrams of cellular anatomy (or you would get an F in the class)? There were all kinds of organelles and cell structures such as the endoplasmic reticulum, the mitochondria, the golgi complex, ribosomes, centrioles, Lysosomes, and cytoplasm. Remember all that stuff?

If you’re anything like me, you defied your biology teacher to explain the reason why you had to memorize all that crap and what good it would do you in the "real world." Well, now that you're in the "real world" and you want strength and muscles, here you go:

A muscle cell has all the same cell structures as other body cells, and they all take up space. When speaking of the muscle cell, you mostly hear about the mitochondria (the cellular powerhouse where energy production takes place), the myofibrils (the actual muscle fibers themselves) and the fluid inside the cell (called cytoplasm in other body cells, or in the case of the muscle cell, its called sarcoplasm).

Myofibrillar hypertrophy is caused most effectively in the 6-8 rep range. This contributes to the most visible increases in muscle mass and cross sectional width. However, that doesn’t mean you should only train in the 6-8 rep range. If you want to make the other "stuff" in the muscle cell grow as well, you should train in all rep ranges. The mitochondria and sarcoplasm also take up a substantial amount of space in the muscle cell and they are best stimulated with high reps. High rep training can also stimulate increased capillarization in the muscle (just ask former Mr. Universe and Mr. Legs himself, Tom Platz, about the effectiveness of high rep leg training done in addition to the low and medium rep training).

In addition, there is more than one type of muscle fiber: you have slow twitch (type I) and fast twitch (type IIa and IIb). Slow twitch muscle fibers also hypertrophy from higher reps (although they have the least potential for size increases, which is why you should spend more time below 13 reps if it's muscle mass you're after).

So here’s the take home lesson: If you’re an athlete and your primary goal is strength and power for improved sports performance, then a good majority of your training is going to be in the 1-5 rep range. This will help make you stronger, faster and more powerful without adding muscle bulk. If you’re a bodybuilder and your primary goal is muscle mass, then the majority of your training should be done in the 6-12 rep range, but you should also do a little bit of training in the 3-5 rep range for power and strength, which will later facilitate hypertrophy (and prevent the powerlifters from making fun of you), and you should do a little bit of training in the 13-20+ rep range to facilitate the development of slow twitch muscle fiber, build mitochondrial density and increase capillarization.

Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer, certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, "Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle."

Weight Training Workouts Building Muscles, Lose Unwanted Bodyfat Be Healthy