Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Don’t forget to leave a comment on how you feel about Arnold. Don’t hold anything back!!!

Are you ready to apply this to YOUR life? To YOUR goals? To YOUR dreams?

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

 
EXCUSES ARE FOR LOSERS!

 
GET OFF YOU’RE A$$ AND STOP MAKING EXCUSES… START GETTING RESULTS!

Are You Tired of Making Excuses? Check out my Osage Beach Personal Trainer program. CLICK HERE.

 Are you tired of your own excuses? CLICK HERE to change it!

Please share (in the comment section below) some of the most outrageous fitness excuses that you have ever heard. ]]> http://5minfatloss.com/blog/stop-making-excuses/feed/ 2 http://5minfatloss.com/blog/whats-your-motivation/ http://5minfatloss.com/blog/whats-your-motivation/#comments Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:09:15 +0000 Dr. Diet http://fitphysiqueonline.com/blog/?p=1259 Sunday was Soccer Day—a day in which I do nothing but watch English Premier League soccer, and I occasionally switch over to see how the Chiefs are doing.

You see, I love soccer

But Sunday, perhaps out of boredom (maybe even frustration with the soccer game AND the Chiefs), I spent 91 minutes watching a movie that I watched maybe twice when it first made it to the silver screen: Rocky IV.

I didn’t give it much thought back when it first came out, but WOW what a motivational story.

Some Rocky fanatics claim Rocky IV is the absolute best out of all the Rockies (and there will be time to debate that later if you don’t

Personally, I’m a “Rocky II” man myself. The scene where his beloved wife Adrian awakes from her coma and tells Rocky, I want you to do one thing for me…win…WIN!!!” gets me every damn time.

But, regardless of which Rocky movie you believe is number one, you’ve GOT to agree that Rocky IV is one of the best motivational movies of all time.

I mean, what a great story, right?

Rocky, avenging his best friend Apollo’s death by defeating the highly-favored, monstrous Russian on his own turf in Russia - it’s pretty intense stuff.

But apart from that, even if you somehow didn’t care for the movie (and I can’t imagine how), Rocky IV can still teach you something extremely valuable and applicable to you and your own goals.

And that is, the raw power of motivation.

Let’s be honest, if Rocky had gone in to fight the Drago prior to fighting Apollo or at any other time, under any other circumstances, he would have got his head stuffed straight up his butt. The dude was a monster, a freak of nature, and had Rocky outmatched in every possible way.

But because Rocky had something extremely powerful to motivate him (the fact that this guy killed his best friend), he was able to seemingly defeat some crazy odds and emerge victorious.

Let me ask you a question:

What’s YOUR motivation?

What is it that gets you up in the morning and over to the gym before work when everyone else is sleeping in?

What is it that allows you to regularly pass up the quick and easy (and frankly, delicious) foods that so many others regularly indulge in?

Motivation is the reflection in the mirror.

It is the answer to the question, “Am I satisfied?”.

It is the goal…

The prize…

Fitting into those skinny jeans…

Achieving 8% bodyfat…

It is the reason behind the drive…. kinda like Rocky.

Do you have a REAL source of motivation?

If you don’t, it’s highly likely you’re going to get “knocked out” by all the temptation and “easy ways out” that surround us on a daily basis.

Let’s face it, it’s a heck of a lot easier to eat whatever, whenever, and skip the whole workout thing then it is to live a fit, healthy lifestyle.

You absolutely have to have a very powerful source of motivation, because without one, you’re toast.

So do you have a source of motivation that keeps you going strong toward your goals each and every day?

What is it?

Reaffirm it by posting it in the comments section below to start today off with renewed focus (and if you don’t value your “reason” enough to post it below, it’s probably safe to say that you don’t really have one).

Don’t have a strong enough source of motivation?

Here’s a little tip for you…

Treat yourself to that pair of jeans (or outfit) you absolutely LOVE. Better yet, ask for them as a Christmas gift, BUT ask for them a size or two too small.

You’re going to want to wear them so badly, believe me, you’ll drop the sizes just so you can!

Trust me… it works!

Now, let me know what YOUR motivation is below.

Talk to you in the comments section!

Rick

Lake Ozark Personal Trainer

And, because the back comprises the second largest group of muscles in the body, it contributes to metabolism.  Remember, that the amount of muscle you carry is directly proportional to your metabolic rate.  People that carry more muscle typically have higher metabolic rates meaning they can burn more calories; which, in turn, means they can stay in shape more easily than others who don’t carry as much muscle.

Have you ever heard the term, “back-breaking work”?  Putting this powerful set of muscles (back) to work taxes your body and can create a great deal of muscular stimulation, hence the term.  But remember that putting this hard work into your back training will pay in rich dividends in terms of strength, energy and a leaner, healthier you.

If you’re like me, you’re on a tight schedule and you don’t have a lot of time to train. So, I’m going to show you how you can invest just 20 minutes into your back training to get a fantastic payoff.

If you have access to a high lat pulley machine, then let’s begin with pull-downs. Perform a light set of pull-downs to warm up the back muscles.  Take a grip where the palms of your hands are facing you and your hands are approximately 12-18″ apart. There’s a reason that we’re going to use this narrower grip.  Placing your hands in this manner will align your arms and your back in such a way that you can maximally stretch and contract the muscles of the latissimus dorsi (the large muscles that create the V taper in the back) and other muscles at the upper back.  If you don’t have access to a lat machine, try pull-ups from a chinning bar.

At the beginning of the lat pull-down movement, allow your shoulder blades to rotate outwards, so that you can feel a stretch in your lats.  Then, contract your lats, pulling your elbows down and back towards your waist.  Keep your back arched and keep your chest high to get the best contraction possible.  It is important to keep your back arched.  Otherwise, the stress is thrown mainly onto the arms.  Be sure to pull the bar down and let it back up in a smooth, controlled manner, keeping the back muscles under tension throughout the entire range of motion.  It should take you approximately one second to bring the bar down to your chest and at least  two seconds to let the bar back up slowly under tension.

Remember that it is during the eccentric portion of the exercise (the portion of the exercise during which the muscle is lengthening under tension, which in this case means the portion of the exercise during which your are returning the bar to the starting position) that the muscle derives the greatest benefit.

Perform three sets of 8-10 repetitions per set.  If you can do more than 10 repetitions with the weight, then add more weight in order to bring the number of repetitions back down.

Once you have finished your pull-downs, immediately go to the bent-over rows.  Bent-over rows tax the muscles in the upper back and are excellent for developing thickness.

To begin, load a barbell with a moderate amount of weight (moderate, of course, will depend on your strength).  Approaching the bar, bend your knees slightly and then bend down at the waist, taking a shoulder-width grip on the barbell.

With your body at approximately a 45 degree angle, pull the barbell to the base of your chest by contracting your back muscles and bringing your elbows up and back towards the ceiling.  Keep your head up, and back arched throughout the movement, to get a maximum contraction in the upper back muscles.

Avoid “heaving” the bar up.  Lower the weight under full control to avoid injuring your lower back.  Perform three sets of at 8-10 repetitions, going to positive failure.

Next, we’ll proceed to dead-lifts.  This is an exercise that will strengthen not only the muscles of the lower back, but just about all of the muscles in the back.  It is one of the very best back exercises around for this very reason.

Starting with the barbell on the floor, place your feet about 18″ apart, bend down and take an overhand grip, just wider than your thighs.  At the bottom of the movement, drop your rear-end down by bending your knees, keeping your back straight.

Pull the bar up from the floor to bring your torso erect.  As you come up, keep your torso straight and thrust your hips forward to lock out into the final position.  This is great for building the erector muscles in the back.  Perform three sets of 10 repetitions using a moderate weight.

Keep in mind, that as you perform these back exercises, it is important to take each set to positive failure.  Unlike other kinds of failures in life, positive failure during exercise is actually a good thing.  It means you have pushed the exercise to the point where you cannot perform another unassisted repetition.  Creating this amount of fatigue in the target muscle as you exercise is important in sending your body the signal that is necessary to grow and adapt.

Rest just long enough between sets to catch your breath.  This should take approximately one to two minutes, but maybe more, depending on your physical condition.  Go for it on the last set of each exercise!  Do as many repetitions as you possibly can and do not stop before you reach positive failure.

And, there you have it! 

My 20 Minute Back Workout. 

This is a workout that you can easily perform before you go to work in the morning, at lunch, or in the evening after work.  There’s no excuse for skipping your back workout.  So, do it today!

One final thought.  As you may already know, I place a lot of emphasis on the importance of proper nutrition.  You can workout all you want, but if your nutrition doesn’t adequately support the exercise you do, and if you do not provide enough protein, calories, carbohydrates (that’s right, carbs), and other nutrients to your body, you cannot make progress.

Osage Beach Personal Trainer – Rick Streb

I am often asked about steroids via e-mail, and the questions are usually related to specific drugs and dosages. “How many mg. of Sustanon should I do per week in an 8-week cycle,” or “is it better to mix Winstrol and Primo for a 12 week cycle, or should I start with Anadrol to get some size first?”

It alarms me that teenagers, non-competitive athletes, and those who are new to weight training get caught up in the language of drugs, believing they’re about to make positive changes when they’re teetering on the brink of randomly altering the hormonal system that regulates body composition, sex drive, and a sense of well being.

Because of the number of steroid questions I started receiving, and because each question answered seemed to lead to a follow-up question, I decided as of 2004 that I would no longer answer steroid questions. Despite my decision, they keep coming in. Today I received one that prompted me to write this article.

“I’m only 22 and I want to get my pro card next year. I don’t really know who to ask, but I’m having a hard time. I was hoping you could help. My training is great; my diet is clean all year. I am 100% dedicated to bodybuilding and know I’d make a great pro! I started out cycling Cypionate, 400 mg per week, and Decca 400 mg per week for 8 weeks and then switching to oral Winstrol and Primobolan depot for cutting. It worked great. For contest prep I use some thyroid hormones and it’s pretty easy for me to get stripped. Here’s my problem. I know you’re supposed to stay clean for a few months before doing another cycle, but I know guys who are “on” all year and they keep making gains. I decided I’d go back to the Cypionate right after my last show, staggering 400 mg with 600 mg. on alternate weeks.

“During my first cycle my sex drive went through the roof, but since my last contest it dropped to nothing. I keep telling my girlfriend it’s the diet, but she’s smarter than that and it’s affecting our relationship. While I’m still making gains, my testicles are tiny, which seemed to happen suddenly, which even more makes me avoid sex. I don’t know if I should stop now, go through a few months of recovery, and let things get back to normal, or if I’ll lose too much muscle. Or is it better to use some Clomid or HCG on top of the Cypionate? I get very confused by everyone’s advice. I know everyone says there are long-term risks of staying on the stuff, but right now I really don’t care what happens to me after 30. I just have to be at the top of my game right now, and I want to keep my relationship with my girlfriend. I’ll admit I haven’t been the easiest guy to live with, but she’s been solid and I don’t want to lose her. Every time I inject my test, I get this feeling I’m making a mistake, but I’m afraid it’s a bigger mistake if I stop. Any advice you can share would be appreciated.”

This is the type of email that throws me.

My first instinct is to ignore it, but I can’t. It’s someone reaching out for help.

My second instinct is to try to get this kid to get himself clean and start to readjust his priorities.

The catch there is, there’s so much psychology involved, and he’s so caught up in the importance of winning at all costs, if I urge him to abandon the anabolics, he’s likely to disregard everything I have to say.

I decided I’d write an article that I can now direct people to that will share some of my take on anabolic steroids. If readers of this article do opt to use steroids, they can at the very least be educated to make responsible decisions.

I remember the first time I eyeballed steroids. A new gym opened in Florissant, Missouri, just a few miles from the weight training dungeon at the YMCA where I was first bitten by the bodybuilding bug. Some local muscle heads were sticking flyers on cars in and around the “Y.”

Now Open! Champions Gym!

My buddy Larry and I went to check it out. It was in the basement of an apartment building. There were a couple of squat racks, some benches, and a rack of dumbbells going up to 120 pounds. There was a lat machine, a few scattered Olympic bars, and a few thousand pounds of weights. There were pictures of Sergio Oliva, Frank Zane, Arnold, Franco Columbu, and the AAU Mr. America Ron Teufel. I remember paying particular attention to Ron. He was around 180 pounds, looked incredibly muscular, and was only three years older than I was at the time. If three years of intense training could bring me to that level of physique, I’d be a happy camper.

Larry and I decided we’d pay the $15 a month and work out there for 30 days. We met a few of the locals and a few days after we’d enrolled, the guy who had the best abs in the gym asked us if we wanted some “stuff.” We knew what he meant, but we hadn’t ever used, touched, or seen steroids. A bit scared, but more curious, we asked, “whaddya got?” “D-Bol.” He took out what looked like a prescription vial and showed us our first glimpse of Dianabol. “All the guys here are on it.”

It wasn’t the glance at the vial of pills that struck me, it was the comment. I started to see things differently. Larry had the best dead-lift in the gym, and although he’d mix up some pretty bizarre things in his blender, he had never used anything that was even near the fringe of legality. I was squatting a respectable 365 for 8 reps and I could hold my own on any beach. When we heard “all the guys are on it,” rather than finding temptation, we found satisfaction in being “natural.” At the time I was naive enough to believe that if we kept training and kept eating right (which we barely understood at the time), we could develop physiques that rivaled Arnold, Franco, and the other greats of the period. We turned down the D-Bol offer.

Later that month we went to watch a friend compete in the teenage Mr. Metropolitan contest and decided right then and there we could do better . . . drug free. We started learning about competition and I was amazed how back then, in the late 1970’s, even among teenagers and twenty year olds, there was this language of “cycles,” and “needle gauges” and “milligrams” and “cc’s.” I’ll admit the curiosity resurfaced and the lure to cross that line of temptation returned with it, but within the next few months a few experiences caused me to shut out the possibility of crossing that line.

Turner’s Gym opened, and this was a real gym, owned and operated by bodybuilding legend George Turner. It had the heart and essence of the bodybuilding persona. It made Champions Gym all but obsolete. There was an entire room of leg equipment! There were two dozen benches, eight squat racks, power racks, and every type of machine I’d seen in the Muscle magazines.

My first day at Turner’s I ran into a guy I had known from the neighborhood for years. He was a skinny kid who suddenly grew traps, pecs, and quads. He told me had just gone in for surgery to have breast tissue removed.

“Breast tissue?”

“Yeah. I didn’t wanna take the stuff that’s floating around here so I went to a doctor who gives prescriptions for testosterone. I’d been going for shots and I started growing tits!”

That was the first time I’d heard of gynocomastia.

To me, at the time, it was the most bizarre thing I’d ever heard.

My buddy grew traps, quads, and tits?

There were some serious power-lifters who trained at Turner’s. Massive, solid, strong. My 365 squats were laughable compared to what these guys were doing in the power cage. The strongest of the power-lifting squad was the nicest guy in the world, but watching him dead-lift and squat was the equivalent of watching pure rage in motion. Veins popping out of his neck and forehead, his skin turning purple, teeth clenched, chalk flying from his body. It was a sight. He was in his 20’s when he died. The rumor was liver failure.

A few days after the power-lifter stopped coming to the gym, Larry and I went to another contest as spectators to cheer on a couple of the locals. One “regular” from Turner’s, whose name escapes me (it was 25 years ago), was being “counseled” by a local steroid guru for his contest prep. He showed up at the prejudging looking drawn and lifeless. His face was gaunt; his skin had a yellow pallor. The whites of his eyes were yellow. He quivered as he tried to hold the mandatory poses. We spoke to him backstage as he sucked on an ice cube and it was as if we were speaking to the walking dead. He never made it to the evening show nor did we ever see him again.

I never gave steroids another thought until I visited Southern California for the first time years later. The “health food stores” were selling “anything you wanted.” Clenbuterol was the “hot drug” that “everyone was on,” and within minutes you could find someone ready to sell you something in any local gym in Venice. That helped me recognize how prevalent steroid use was, not only among the pros, but among even the casual lifters in search of muscle.

Over the years that followed, I came to know quite a few professional athletes, and I came to realize that the drug “program” was often more of a priority and concern than the training. They sounded like scientists, yet they were toying with science they didn’t fully comprehend, thus they were human guinea pigs. I set out to learn as much as I could about the endocrine system, the drugs being used, the potential benefits, and the potential risks, thus my steroid education began. Thankfully I’ve been sensible enough to stay away from the idea of becoming my own guinea pig. I just interviewed people. Over a thousand people. I asked questions. I learned from biochemists, physicians, bodybuilders, and the underground “gurus.” I would not by any means categorize myself as a steroid expert, but I know enough to help people make educated decisions.

The common line of thought among amateur bodybuilders breaks it down to an oversimplification.

Want size? Anadrol and/or Sustanon
Want minimal side effects? Primobolan
Want hardness? Winstrol and Clenbuterol
Want to avoid side effects? Clomid or Nolvadex

There are two primary parts of the endocrine equation that are being ignored in this oversimplified line of thought.

We are all biologically unique and the drugs and dosages that act to “compensate” for low testosterone levels in one individual might “super compensate” in another and the side effects cannot be predicted with any level of accuracy. Worse yet, many of the side effects, such as gradual stress placed upon the liver, may not make themselves known for years. Decreases in HDL production, increases in blood pressure, and alterations to the myocardium cannot be detected in the mirror.

When you mess around with a link in the hormonal chain, you are altering the activity of the glandular system as a whole, and short term increases in testosterone can lead to long-term decreases in endogenous hormonal production.

If you’ve been sent a link to this article it might be because you’ve asked me a steroid question, my first question to you is, “have you carefully examined the specifics of your training?” Most people I meet who are looking for their first cycle are simply missing some part of the formula for ongoing growth. They’re failing to cycle their training regimens, they’re sticking with the same old workout they’ve been doing for months, they’re failing to provide a greater challenge to muscle, or they’re overtraining and failing to adequately recuperate.

Even if their training regimens are well strategized, if they aren’t taking in enough protein-sparing nutrients, they’re limiting their muscular growth potential, and if they’re failing to take in sufficient calories and amino acids for growth, all the training in the world will leave them frustrated. Whenever someone comes to me for a consultation before using steroids, we’ve been able to facilitate new gains . . . naturally.

I will NEVER recommend that anyone use steroids. Will I understand if someone opts to use them? In some cases, yes. Are they as “bad” as the media reports would lead us to believe? I’d have to say many of the “shocking reports” are overblown in their severity, but that doesn’t mean “steroids are safe.” An interview conducted with former Mr. Olympia competitor Mike Christian several years ago shared some of the realities behind uncontrolled drug abuse . . . that abuse including ergogenic and anabolic training aids. When we’re dealing with professional athletes, or aspiring pros, which are thrown into arenas where superhuman drug-enhanced strength is the norm, anabolic steroids become almost an absolute, but even the pros need clear direction and education.

I’ve used the headline “People Are Dying To Get Fit” in descriptive articles and releases related to weight loss surgeries and weight loss drugs, but we’re at a point in time that the same headline might be used to describe bodybuilding.

In 1999 Sonny Schmidt, at 46 years old, placed 3rd in the Masters Olympia. On January 25, 2004, Sonny Schmidt died.

In 2003, 285-pound 30-year-old bodybuilder Scott Klein died of heart failure.

Remember that picture of Ron Teufel I told you about at Champions Gym? He died in 2002 at the age of 45.

These are just a few of the premature deaths related to users of anabolic steroids at relatively high dosages. There are also the stories of pros at the highest levels suddenly dropping out of competition . . . permanently . . . due to liver failure.

I’ll never forget retired pro bodybuilder, Steve Brisbois, telling first hand about the death of Mohammed Benaziza seven hours after winning the Dutch Grand Prix. Bill Pearl, who has been retired from competition for decades but is without question a bodybuilding legend made the following comment that probably best describes the competitive sport of bodybuilding, “The guy left standing on the stage today at the end of a bodybuilding show is probably the guy in the arena who is closest to death.”

The bodybuilding realities, or at least the dark side, have been well protected, but it’s important that those who are lured by “easy muscles, lots of chicks” understand the whole picture.

Going back to the email I wrote this article to answer, the line, “I really don’t care what happens to me after 30,” makes, at least in his eyes, most of the premature deaths I’ve mentioned meaningless, but I’d guess that any competent psychologist would identify the “win at all costs death wish” as a twisted perspective on achievement.

Because I know that many regular “juicers” who come to read this article will turn their noses at the deaths I’ve mentioned, if you’re asking me a steroid related question, I’m not going to give you the “steroids kill you” speech, nor am I going to deny that they can help to pack on lots and lots of muscle. Testosterone and hormonal products do have their place.

In aging individuals where endogenous production of testosterone has declined, hormone “replacement” can certainly add to the quality of life. I’d even suggest that those who are paid to perform at superhuman levels can find a benefit that outweighs any downside if their “prescription” is supervised and their body chemistry is monitored by the watchful eye of someone with a recognized credential and proven expertise in the workings of the endocrine system. Still, I am going to suggest that in an individual with a functional glandular network, more rewarding gains can be achieved naturally.

If you cannot find comfort with avoiding drugs just because Rick told you to, at the very least learn as much as you possibly can, be extremely careful in obtaining what are, in essence, uncontrolled controlled substances, and err on the side of caution rather than random experimentation.

If I’ve dissuaded you from the idea of using steroids, great! If you’re still hovering around the line of temptation, at the very least consider investing in credible information related to the endocrine system. Set up a consultation with a qualified medical professional who can request and assess a hormonal screening before you spend money on substances you don’t fully understand. Once the first “cycle” begins, it’s difficult to turn back.

Training and eating . . . that’s the magic . . . and if you’re willing to take the high road, the magic can lead to immense long term reward.

Rick Streb is the #1 Osage Beach Personal Trainer and Lake Ozark Personal Trainer

To decide what to eat after cardio, you have to approach the meal with the understanding that the types and quantities of food you eat affect your hormone levels. These hormones play a direct role in the burning (or not burning) of body fat. Keeping fat-burning hormones elevated – the very hormones that increase during cardio – is the single most important factor in determining what is best to eat after a cardio session. OK, let’s start with the simple stuff.

Fat

We know it makes no sense to eat a lot of fat after cardio. If your knowledge of physiology is limited, you can rely on common sense. It’s simply not a rational idea to chow down on a lot of dietary fat after having just jumped off the treadmill. Truth be told, dietary fat is easily stored as body fat, more so than protein and carbohydrates.

Protein

Protein is anti-catabolic. Dietary amino acids derived from protein foods can be used directly as fuel after cardio. Often, protein stores are broken down with cardio. That is, in addition to burning body fat, longer cardio sessions or cardio sessions performed in a total calorie deficit can cause a loss or burning of your hard-earned muscle. Since protein protects against muscle loss, taking in easy-to-absorb protein following the cardio session is a must. It can put an end to protein breakdown and keep the metabolism from taking a dive. That’s because burning protein is a strictly catabolic event, and catabolism is always associated with a slower metabolic rate.

Carbs

Carbs are the double-edged sword of nutrition. You need them for recovery and growth, yet they can initiate fat storage. Carbohydrates promote a rise of insulin, and insulin can be classified as a fat-storing hormone. In general, the more carbs you eat, the more insulin is released. Insulin is the quarterback of the entire fat-storing team and regulates the signals that allow fat cells to “open up” and store more body fat. Simultaneously, insulin directs dietary fat into fat cells and drives carbohydrates down fat-storing pathways.

Does it make sense to eat a lot of carbohydrates after cardio? Not really. When you eat a lot of carbohydrates, insulin levels will increase, shutting down fat-burning hormones and enzymes released during cardio.

The two benefits to cardio are:
1. it burns calories, and
2. it changes the hormonal status in the body, favoring the burning of body fat. Your carb quantity and choice after cardio affects the hormonal balance. Where cardio increases the circulation of cathecholamines (tiny messengers that target fat cells to break them down) insulin decreases the release of cathecholamines.

Whereas cardio increases the output of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL), a hormone that “opens” fat cells and allows fatty acids to be stripped as fuel, insulin opposes its release and can even spike levels of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), which does the exact opposite of HSL. LPL seals off fat cells and helps push fuel into fat stores. Therefore, it seems best to avoid carbohydrates after cardio to keep the fat-burning hormones elevated.

However, small amounts of insulin actually support the metabolism. How so? Insulin is also anabolic. It stimulates growth and repair of muscles. And, during a recovery or growth state, the body literally steals from its fat stores to obtain energy in order to sustain the recovery or growth process. Growth and recovery require fuel (energy), and most of that energy will come from fat stores. Insulin also supports the uptake of thyroid hormones, calorie-burning hormones, by tissues.

So, with regard to carbs after cardio:
1) A large amount will shut down fat burning and reverse the hormonal advantage associated with cardio.
2) Skipping carbs altogether leaves you with “just protein.” While protein helps prevent a loss in muscle, your body always needs a small amount of carbs for support.
3) A small amount of carbs helps support recovery and growth without shutting off the fat-burning process.
4) Small amounts of carbs coupled with protein can prevent thyroid hormones from declining.

I believe the best bet is to consume 25 to 40 grams of fast-acting protein, such as whey protein, egg whites or fish, along with 30 to 50 grams of carbohydrates within 30 minutes of cardio.

Ideally, the carbohydrates ought to be fiber-based, such as oatmeal, oat bran, peas or corn. Fiber slows the breakdown of carbohydrates, allowing them to be delivered in an almost “time-released” fashion. The benefit: slower-digesting carbohydrates result in moderate insulin rises, and moderate insulin is our goal. Moderate insulin offers anabolic or building support, without reversing the fat-burning state induced with cardio. Simple carbs, such as white bread, juices or high glycemic carbs, should be avoided because they tend to spike insulin levels, and the resulting spike can compromise fat burning by suppressing fat-burning hormones and enzymes.

Rick Streb – Lake Ozark Personal Trainer

Nutrition is almost always THE neglected factor when someone isn’t making any progress with their fitness training.  And why shouldn’t it be?  It can be quite confusing.

But understand that without a grasp of proper muscle building and/or fat burning nutrition, you won’t be able to make the progress that you desire, and you won’t reach your potential.

With a well implemented nutrition plan, you’ll be on your way toward achieving your fitness goals.

Why does nutrition seem so confusing?  For starters, there are too many choices. This makes it very difficult to decide the appropriate course of action.

We have the Hollywood diet, the cabbage diet, the grapefruit diet, the juice diet, the zone diet, high carb, low carb, no carb, high protein, low protein, no protein (okay, maybe not but it wouldn’t surprise me), high protein foods, high fat, low fat, slim fast, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutri-System, etc, etc.

Obviously, nutrition is big business.

It can become very frustrating trying to sort through all this information.

I’ve read hundreds of articles, books, and medical journals on nutrition, and I’ve come to decide on some fundamental principles that all nutrition programs do include.

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Remember, we are all different, but all essentially the same.  What this means is that the principles of proper nutrition apply to all of us, but we will need to make certain adjustments for the individual.

The important thing is to understand the general principles of a nutrition program so that you can tailor it to your specific needs, whether it be to build muscle, burn fat, get stronger, or nutrition for your specific sport.

Let’s take a look at some general principles of a proper nutrition program.

We’ll start with a brief introductory look at the three macronutrients – carbohydrates, protein, and fat.  All play an important role in your sports nutrition program.  And YES… there are only three macronutrients!!!  Vegetables ARE carbohydrates!

Carbohydrates - Carbs are your muscles preferred energy source for short, intense muscular contractions, i.e. weight training.  They supply the energy for these sessions as well as play a crucial role in recuperation and muscle growth.

Ingesting carbs signals your body to release insulin, which transports the amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and the carbs into your muscle cells.  This absorption by your muscles is a very important part of the muscle growth and repair factor.

Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in your body’s muscles, and it’s this glycogen storage that gives the muscles their fullness.

This is the basis of the idea of carb depleting and then loading before a bodybuilding contest, the idea that when you deplete your body of glycogen and then “carb up,” your body will store even more glycogen then before in the muscles, making you look larger, tighter, and more ripped than ever.

In addition, the consumption of carbs creates a “protein sparing” effect, in that more of your protein will be used for the muscle building process instead of being burned as energy.  As you’ll see below, this “protein sparing” is a key element in your nutrition program.

Some important rules to keep in mind with regard to carbohydrate consumption are…

Avoid all processed foods -  Processed foods are ‘empty’ calories that do nothing for your health or your fitness.  By dropping them from your sports nutrition program, you’ll go far in improving your results – building muscle, losing fat, improving sports performance, increasing energy – not to mention vastly improving your health.

Processed foods include things like cookies, chips, donuts, pastries, soda, candy – your basic junk food.  But beware, processed foods can be dressed up in “healthy” packaging.  Read labels.  Stay away from these foods, especially one’s that contain high fructose corn syrup

That low fat muffin you’re about to eat… put it back.  It’s loaded with unhealthy sugar.  The regular muffin would actually be a better choice.

Processed foods should never be a part of your nutrition program, no matter what your fitness goals are.

Instead of processed foods and high fructose corn syrup, get the carbohydrates in your nutrition program from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Protein - Protein, as most of you know, is the building block of muscles.  Without adequate protein consumption, you will be spinning your wheels with regard to your resistance training program.  No nutrition program is complete without proper adequate protein intake.

You should consume a MINIMUM of 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass every day.

And you may find better results taking in up to 2 grams per day per pound of body weight.  At 225 pounds, I’ve found that roughly 400-450 grams of protein per day works very well for me, which is about 2 grams per pound of body weight.

Fats - Yes, fats.  A macronutrient that is more misunderstood than carbohydrates, if that’s possible.

Here’s a neat little factoid for you.  The United States went on a low fat, high carb craze in the 80′s and began to get fatter and fatter as a nation.

Fat is not your enemy.  Good or “healthy” fats such as omega 3′s and omega 6′s are essential to good health and a properly functioning body.

Hey, maybe that’s why they are known as Essential Fatty Acids.

Here’s the problem with most people’s nutrition.  They are taking in enough fat but they are taking in the wrong fats by consuming too many trans fatty acids and saturated fats, and not enough good fats.

Try and eliminate the bad fats (in things such as margarine, shortening, snack foods, and most fast foods).

Consume more of the good fats, such as cold-water fish (salmon), walnuts, ground flax seeds of flax seed oil, hempseed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, fish oils, and olive oil.

In addition, taking in enough EFA’s (essential fatty acids) is imperative when trying to put on muscle.  Low fat diets suppress the body’s ability to produce testosterone, a cardinal sin when trying to build muscle.

Fats also supply chemical substrates that are necessary for proper hormonal production, as well as protect our vital organs and carry the fat-soluble vitamins to where they are needed.

Fats are an important part of your sports nutrition program to develop muscle, burn fat (yes, burn fat) and get fit and healthy.

Water - Drink it… Drink lots of it… And drink it often.

Seriously, you should be consuming at least 8 – 10 eight ounce glasses of water every day.  Our bodies are made up of 75 percent water.  It’s not uncommon for people to dehydrate by 2 percent to 6 percent of their body weight during exercise.  The result isn’t good.  Cell function is disrupted, muscle growth stops, you become mentally and physically sluggish, have a general sense of fatigue and can no way be on the top of your game.

There you have it.  Sound  nutrition includes ALL of the macronutrients.  It does not eliminate any of them like most of the “fad” diets do.  Keep that in mind the next time you want to start eliminating carbohydrates or fats from your nutrition program.

Do you see the point here?  There is nothing magical to it.  Just a little common sense will yield results like the pros.

Rick Streb – Osage Beach Personal Trainer

REMEMBER: I call anyone who walks through the door of a gym a bodybuilder… that includes you, ladies.

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the muscles involved in shoulder pressing are so similar to those used in chest pressing that they play second fiddle. I’ve seen many bodybuilders and serious weight trainees devote an excessive amount of time and energy on their pecs, but only rush through a few quick sets for delts.

Nothing looks sillier than a guy with a big chest, decent arms and little width and thickness to his shoulders.

It’s a narrow, girlish look.

That’s right – GIRLISH!

Without wide, round shoulders it’s IMPOSSIBLE to have an exceptional physique.

The ideal basic shape of any individual is the V-taper. And the top of that V must be a set of wide, rugged shoulders along with wide lats.

So, unless you’re going to wear shoulder pads for the rest of your life, Sport, you need to pack some meat on top of those clavicles if you want to be considered a real muscle man.

It’s not tough to do. Just follow these rules.

Become Strong at Free-Weight Overhead Presses.

For big legs you must squat. A big chest comes from pressing and a huge back comes from pulling a ton of weight. And the shoulders have ONE simple movement that is the key to overall mass – the overhead press.

Trying to add size to your shoulders without doing presses is like trying to drive cross-country with you’re emergency brake on.

It will take you forever, and you’ll end up kicking yourself in the ass for being so stupid.

There are many useful machines for pressing, but I recommend that you use them only occasionally for variation. Free weights are the hardest tool to use, which translates into greater effectiveness and faster results. Machines also give you a false sense of strength. Pushing up a weight stack of 300 pounds may make you feel powerful, but it pales in comparison to the true power of pressing a 300-pound Olympic bar or a pair of 150-pound dumbbells. The former puts you in the category of pretty strong for the average gym rat; the latter sets you in a group of truly elite strong men.

My preferences are dumbbells or Smith Machine military press, but especially dumbbells… and for several reasons.

One, they are the absolute toughest to handle, requiring every last ounce of balance and coordination.

Two, I believe they do the best job of distributing the weight evenly amongst all three heads of the shoulder complex. Pressing the bar to the front tends to recruit more front delts activation. So does pressing behind the neck, but it carries a greater risk of rotator cuff damage over time. You can’t go wrong with heavy dumbbell presses in good form.

Don’t Turn Overhead Presses Into Incline Presses.

One very common error in form that you see all the time with overhead presses is an excessive backward lean. A SLIGHT lean is permissible, but if you take it too far, you effectively turn your shoulder press into an incline bench press for the upper chest. Supposedly, you’re already doing that when you are training your chest. You want the weight to be traveling in a straight vertical line up from your shoulder joint so that the delts are doing the work. Leaning back puts the resistance over your upper chest instead. The reason for this blatant flaw in form in nearly every case is that the lifter is using way more weight than he or she can actually handle. The shoulders aren’t strong enough to move the weight with their own power, so lifters unconsciously recruit the strength of the chest to assist. Make a mental note to be aware of where your butt is. It should be touching, or almost touching, the seat back behind you. Hopefully you’re lucky enough to have a good training partner that will stay on top of you about your form. If not…reduce the amount of weight, concentrate on what you’re doing, and feel the difference.

Learn How to Perform Lateral Raises Properly

The lateral, or side, raise is an incredible movement for developing round caps on your medial deltoids, but only if you do it right. Most people don’t. Usually you see guys heaving and throwing the weights up like they’re trying to flap their wings and fly. Most times it’s because they are using dumbbells that are far too heavy for them. I have watched thousands of people train over the past 10 years, and I can count on one hand the number I’ve seen who could use perfect form with 50 pounds of weight. Yet I see men all the time trying to use that much weight with horrible form, and they’re crazy enough to think that they’re actually working their side delts hard.

The quick-fix solution is to reduce the weight. I know that bruises a lot of egos, but you should be able to raise the weight under control and pause for a second to contract the side delt before lowering slowly – slower than the speed with which you raised the dumbbells. If you’re doing a little jump or thrusting your hips to help raise the weight, your form SUCKS, and you need to correct it.

This is actually one exercise in which I prefer using a cable apparatus over free weights. When using cables instead of free weights, you can lower the weight under control instead of letting the dumbbell drop down as so many trainees do. Cables seem to provide more continuous tension on the side deltoid as opposed to dumbbells. An important trick is to stop at the bottom of the movement right before the cable gets to your leg in order to keep continuous tension on the muscle. Do not allow the cable apparatus to cross over in front of your body, thus relieving the stress placed on the side deltoid.

Perform Upright Rows

Everyone wants wide shoulders.

If you try to say differently you’re a damn liar.

The only way to get there is to effectively work the side delts. Everyone knows about side laterals, but most people do not realize the value of upright rows for adding width to your shoulder complex. Upright rows performed with dumbbells are extremely effective. So are upright rows done with a barbell and slightly wider-than-shoulders-width grip. Do them in addition to lateral raises – or in place of them – every third or fourth workout. If you haven’t been doing upright rows, you don’t know how much round, full, side-delt mass you’ve been missing out on.

Develop Your Rear Delts

The posterior, or rear, delts are without a doubt the red-headed stepchild of the shoulder complex. Many people don’t train them at all, or if they do, it’s usually a few half-hearted sets before heading out the door at the end of their workout. It’s no surprise that very few men have good development in their rear delts. The solution is simply to train them, and train them hard. Either include three or four good sets of rear, or bent-over, laterals performed with dumbbells, cables or a machine on shoulder day or at the end of back day. They will grow if you just train them regularly and properly. Another suggestion is to train your side delts first on your shoulder day and work your way around to the front delts lastly.

Allow Your Shoulders to Recover

The shoulders are involved in practically every exercise you do for your upper body, and they are VERY easy to over-train.

Think about it: the rear delts get hammered indirectly on back day, the front delts take a beating on chest day, and even biceps and triceps work needs the support of the deltoids. That’s why it’s important that you try to take 48 hours between your shoulder and chest workouts in particular and also between shoulder and back workouts (the traps are involved in most back exercises and shoulder movements too).

Training shoulders the day before or after chest is especially counterproductive to making gains. Also, be conscious of overall volume; keep your overall workout sets to no more than 12 to 16. If you can’t get the job done with that, you need to train heavier and harder.

Find out how you can have great shoulders at my Osage Beach Personal Trainer site. CLICK HERE.

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1.) Pull with Your Back, Not Your Arms

When performing pulling exercises such as those for upper/middle back like rows and lat pull-downs, initiate the movement with your scapula instead of your biceps.

It’s a natural tendency to initiate these pulling movements with your arms (i.e. biceps), but this is improper form if your intention is to train your back. Start the movement by grasping the bar with your arms straight, torso vertical and upright, and your shoulder girdle (shoulder blades and shoulders) slightly rolled forward for rows or upward for lat pull-down/ pull-ups.

I prefer a thumb-over grip, which treats your hands like the hooks they are meant to be in these exercises and therefore places less effort on the forearms. In other words, your forearms won’t tire before your back does.

Now for rows, initiate the movement by retracting your scapula (shoulder blades) backward toward your spinal column as if pinching your shoulder blades together. I teach my clients to try touching their elbows together behind their back. Of course this will never happen, but if you try to do so you will ensure that you are contracting the muscles to the fullest potential.

For lat pull-downs or pull-ups it’s the same concept except the angle of pull is different so your scapula will be pulled down and backward. Once your shoulder blades have exclusively initiated the movement, begin following through with your arms until the finish where you will squeeze your back for a moment or two. Your chest should remain high throughout the movement as well as maintaining the natural arch in your lower back.

Once you master this movement it will be less awkward and will become one fluid, natural movement. You may have to drop the weight a bit at first but you will rewarded with a fantastic fatigue and pump in your back that will let you know you were not previously training effectively and the soreness in your back the following day should be unparalleled.

Using this proper lifting technique should also reduce the amount of biceps fatigue you are normally accustomed to.

2.) Use Mass Building Exercises For Mass

If you’re goal is simply to put on muscle mass then you shouldn’t be messing around with isolation exercises or exercises that are better suited for adding definition.

You’re program should revolve around exercises that work multiple muscle groups and allow for heavy weights and maximum overload.

Example: Instead of performing isolation or concentration exercises for the triceps like one-arm cable push-downs or cable rope push-downs, which are best suited for definition of a particular head of the triceps (depending upon how it’s performed), you should be performing known mass-builders for the triceps like the close-grip bench press, dips, standard push-downs, skull-crushers, etc.

Mass-building exercises stress multiple muscles, which allows for heavy weights and successfully overloads the involved muscles. Stick with the tried-and-true mass-building exercises that are proven to add mass to the particular muscle group you are training.

Spend your time and energy on the basics if mass-building is your goal.

3.) Get a Grip for a Big Chest & A Big Bench

If you’re performing the barbell bench press for a big, strong chest make sure to use the optimal grip width.

Most people grasp the bar too narrowly and force their elbows inward by their sides, or too wide and force their elbows outward. Too narrow of a grip puts too much emphasis on the triceps. Too wide of a grip shifts most of the emphasis on the shoulders, which usually results in injury. Either way you are not providing sufficient stress to your chest… and that is the muscle you are trying to work!

To correct your form, simply lie on the bench and set an empty barbell on your chest at about your nipples or a little lower (or have someone help you). With the bar on your chest, grab the bar so that your elbows are in-line with your shoulders and your forearms are perpendicular to the floor.

Make a mental note of where your hands and fingers are positioned on the bar, which is usually in relation to the rings on the barbell.

When you’re ready to perform your set, place your hands in the appropriate place and go for it! If you’ve been using the same narrow grip for years, chances are you will not be able to lift as much weight at first. If you’ve been using a wider grip, you will probably notice an increase in your poundages right away. It is not uncommon to feel the difference in your chest that this position change has after just one set.

Keep in mind that flaring your elbows out so that they are in line with your shoulders may cause discomfort in some people with shoulder problems especially if you are bringing the bar down above your nipple line. Comfort and preventing injury to your joints should be priority number one, so simply move your elbows inward into a comfortable range in order to avoid the stress on your shoulder complex.

4.) Don’t Fatigue before You Get Started

It’s a given that you should be properly warmed up before you begin working out, but some people make the mistake of warming up with too heavy of weights, or with too many sets before they even get to their “working sets”.

When done this way, warm-up sets essentially become working sets as well. The point of warm-up sets is to prepare the muscles, body, and mind for the work-load you are about to place on it and to prevent injury. The problem of doing too much before you get to your working sets is that by the time you do get to them you are beyond warmed up and your muscles have actually become fatigued, even if slightly so.

Hence, if your muscles are fatigued, you will not be able to lift as much resistance as you could if they were completely fresh and you will not be producing optimal progressive overload on the muscles. Your results will therefore not be as good as they potentially could be.

Instead, I recommend warming-up with very light weights, high reps (12-15), and using a slow and controlled pace in a comfortable, full range of motion for no more than 2 sets. Never go to failure or even close to failure on your warm-up sets – you just want to pump some blood into the involved muscles and get those ligaments and tendons ready.

However, if you’re using lower reps and real heavy weight (typical of power-lifting or mass-building) on your working sets, you may need one more warm-up set called an “acclimation set”. The acclimation set involves using relatively heavy weight and higher reps than you would for your working sets (8-10), which will force you to use some effort but will not bring you to fatigue.

The purpose the acclimation set serves is bridge to gap between the very light resistance of your warm-up sets and the very heavy and strenuous resistance used in your working sets. This will prevent total shock or injury to your body when you do perform your first heavy working set.

If you didn’t use an acclimation set before an exercise such as a heavy barbell bench press, chances are that you might drop the weight on your chest as soon as you or your spotter un-rack it. Or worse, you could injure yourself.

There is also no need to perform warm-up sets for anything other than your first exercise for a specific muscle or muscle group. The muscles are already thoroughly warmed up from the preceding exercise and any wasteful sets would only serve to fatigue your muscles rather than produce the progressive overload needed for strength and muscle gain.

You should instead go straight into your working sets. Think of this new way of warming up as energy conservation so that you can lift bigger weights and produce better results.

5.) Perform Less Crunches for Better Results

Quality training is more important than quantity training for an impressive midsection.

I frankly don’t care how many hundreds or thousands of crunches a day somebody says they do. If done correctly one wouldn’t need to, and more importantly, couldn’t be doing so many, so often – unless wasting time and energy or “trying” to impress someone is the goal.

As with anything worth doing, you should be using the quality over quantity philosophy. Because the abdominals generally have more endurance-type fibers, they tend to respond better to higher repetitions.

If you can do more than 15 to 20 repetitions of whatever movement you are performing, then in my opinion, you are either performing the movement incorrectly or the resistance used is not sufficient. Additionally, the abdominals are best trained and fatigued by keeping constant tension on them. This means that even when you return to the beginning position, your abdominals are still tensed and contracting isometrically (contraction without movement).

The third major key to abdominal training is contracting your abdominals at the top of the movement as hard as you can for a moment or two (also an isometric contraction or what some people call a peak contraction).

This is how to effectively and efficiently train the abdominal muscles.

Once you have trained them correctly, now you need to let them rest and recuperate just as you do for other muscle groups. When the abdominals are trained and fatigued correctly, you should not need to train them more than 2-3 times a week. You should experience muscular soreness the following day just as you would for any other productive weight training session. And with this next-day soreness you wouldn’t be able to train your abdominals even if you wanted to.

Furthermore, it would be defeating the purpose because you would not be able to create progressive overload.

6.) Don’t Pace Yourself

Once you are warmed up and ready to perform your “working sets” treat each set like it’s your last.

This is something that I need to constantly remind my clients of. Don’t think about how many more sets you need to perform or how many other exercises you need to do. Pacing yourself through your workout will not produce optimal results. Intensity is the most important factor in producing results.

Example: If a program calls for 3 sets of 8 repetitions (after one or two warm-up sets, of course), individuals tend to stop themselves at 8 on the first or second set even if they can perform more than 8 because they are thinking that if they do 9 or 10 on this set they might only get 6 or 7 on the next set. Do not stop at some pre-determined number. Let your body tell you when to stop… not your mind!

Your first “working sets” are when you are fresh and strong and that is especially when you need to push yourself and leave it all on the line in order to lift the most weight you can and produce the greatest overload possible. As far as I’m concerned, everything after that is just icing on the cake.

If you need to incorporate techniques such as drop sets, rest/pause or simply drop the weight on the following set(s) in order to reach your target repetition range, then so be it.

7.) Want Bigger, Stronger Muscles? – Then Let Them Grow

It’s great to have goals and priorities in the gym, but being overzealous will get you no results.

Don’t expect to destroy your muscles in the gym and return the next day or two and train the same muscles and be able to lift more – especially if you are a drug-free lifter or your diet and sleep patterns are not up to par.

The general point of resistance training is to cause microscopic tearing of your muscle fibers, which causes your body to repair the tissue by making it stronger than before so that it can handle the increased demands being placed on the muscles. But if you are not allowing sufficient rest and repair time then you are interrupting this process and will NEVER grow or become stronger.

It is crucial to listen to your body, know how it responds to different training, and schedule your workouts accordingly in order to make continued progress on a regular basis.

Recovery time is going to differ for everyone, but generally you should wait at least 48-72 hours before training the same muscles again – you may even need as much as a week if you are using very high intensity or volume.

The more experienced you become at weight training and the more you become aware of your body, the easier it will be to know the perfect timing to train those muscles hard again in order to achieve the best results. A general personal philosophy that I have is to avoid training any muscle, or muscle group, if it is still sore from a previous workout. Once in a while won’t kill you though.

8.) Chest & Biceps Are Not Your Only Muscle Groups

Don’t be one of those guys who stick out like a sore thumb in the gym because they follow what I like call “the classic freshman workout program” where chest and biceps are trained almost exclusively.

This workout is typically composed of bench presses and flyes from every imaginable angle, as well as a multitude of biceps curls including hammer curls and is usually performed every time they come to the gym. Don’t forget that the legs and back are the largest muscle groups in the body and that they need to be trained as well.

A stronger back may even help with movements like the bench press because the back muscles work as antagonists during the movement. A wide back will help give you that coveted v-taper, making your midsection appear smaller and your appearance more aesthetically pleasing.

Training the trapezius (middle and lower fibers) and rhomboids of the back as well as the posterior deltoid will aid in improving any appearance of a forward slouch of the shoulders, thus bringing your chest up and giving you a more confident stronger appearance.

Not only will strong legs improve your power in sports (or God forbid, physical altercations) but a big, strong lower body will give you an overall strong, muscular looking physical appearance even while fully clothed.

There is nothing worse than seeing someone whose biceps are bigger than their thighs, or someone who can bench press more than they can squat. Incorporating days with other muscle groups into your weight training program will also serve to give you recovery time in between chest and biceps workouts.

So make sure you are spending as much, if not more, effort on these neglected muscle groups especially if you’ve been following the freshman workout for a while. If these muscles have been neglected, chances are that you may experience an immediate increase in strength, size, and bodyweight (muscle mass weight) once you begin training them.

9.) Use a Smaller Range Of Motion for Leg Raises

If you’re performing leg raises with your body in a vertical position and your intention is to concentrate on the lower portion of your abdominals, then your range of motion needs to be smaller than what is typically seen in a gym.

Moving your thighs from a vertical position to a horizontal one (90 degrees to your body) mainly solicits your hip flexors (iliopsoas, rectus femoris, tensor fascia lata). It is not until your thighs are at least horizontal that your rectus abdominis becomes intensely solicited and the primary mover.

So, in order to concentrate on your rectus abdominis (mainly the portion below the navel) you should start the movement with your thighs horizontal and perform small oscillations with your legs, keeping a rounded back and never lowering the knees below horizontal. The movement can be made even more difficult and effective through an isometric contraction (contraction with no movement) by keeping the knees tucked toward the chest for a moment or two.

This movement can be performed with the legs extended rather than with the knees bent in order to increase the resistance and its difficulty.

You can further increase the resistance by adding ankle weights or by having someone resist against your thighs on the concentric contraction (the way up).

Performing this movement with the legs extended requires good hamstrings flexibility so you may need to stretch your hamstrings first.

The movement can be made even more difficult and effective through an isometric contraction (contraction with no movement) by keeping the knees tucked toward the chest for a moment or two. Beginners, heavy individuals, or those that are not feeling the lower part of the abdominals working during this movement may want to try this exercise on an incline sit-up board or even a flat bench.

This will lessen the resistance of your bodyweight lifted, thereby making it easier. The lower the incline is set to, the easier it will be to perform. Make sure you are rounding your lower back in order to achieve the spinal flexion needed to target the lower abdominals.

10.) Mix It Up For Continued Progress

Sticking with the same exercises, in the same order, with the same sets and repetitions on the same days is a surefire way to achieve no results.

By the time you start to feel that your program is stale, chances are it’s been stale for longer than you think. There are many different methods for keeping your workouts fresh that involve such things as changing repetition ranges, exercise order, exercises, frequency, the pairing of various muscle groups, etc.

What I like to do sometimes when beginning with a new client who has been doing the same type of program for a while, is ask him or her what they are presently doing or what they have done recently. And then I’ll design a program that is the exact opposite, which completely shocks the body and spurs rapid results.

Complete overhaul of your exercise program sometimes means getting out of your comfort zone, but the results are worth it and you can always go back to your old routine at some point. And who knows, maybe you’ll find new exercises that you enjoy even more than the old ones.

Keep in mind that not everyone’s program needs a total makeover.

Personally, I find that changing the pairing of muscle groups for a given exercise session, changing from barbells to dumbbells and vice versa, as well as changing the repetition ranges used can have a large impact on avoiding or jumping over plateaus.

Everyone is different as far as how long it takes to hit a wall.

Generally you’ll want to change your program maybe every 4 weeks or so. But I always tell people if you are still genuinely moving up in repetitions and/or resistance for every exercise at every exercise session, don’t change a darn thing! If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

Continue until you are unable to increase the resistance or repetitions for two consecutive exercise sessions. Just make sure you are not pacing yourself which will be a false indicator of if you are truly able to move up in weight or not.

There is also the school of thought that trains like myself by training instinctively instead of sticking with a set-in-stone program for a certain period of time. Instinctive weight lifters listen to their body and their intuition and may not even know what exercises or in what order they are going to do them in until they walk in the gym. They will have a general guideline in their head though.

If their body’s telling them it’s not ready to train that muscle again, they may take an extra day off, or if they feel extra good they may move their session up a day. If I don’t feel the muscles working the way I want them to on the first couple of reps, I’ll stop immediately or finish the set and then move on to something else.

If my energy level happens to be low on a particular day, I’ll use a higher rep range and really concentrate on slow and controlled form and feeling the muscle under continuous tension instead of using real heavy weight.

Spontaneity, keeping your body guessing, and going with what feels right in the moment is the name of the game. Weight training, in my opinion, shouldn’t make you feel like an accountant crunching numbers in between sets. Above all else, you should enjoy what you are doing which will keep you interested and motivated and moving towards progress.

As always, you need to decide what works best for you – scheduled set-in-stone workouts, instinctive training or a little of both. No one method is necessarily better than the other is.

The key is to keep the intensity high and keep plugging away.

Rick Streb – Osage Beach Personal Trainer

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