Now first of all I’d like to thank Lawrence for sending us his muscle growth tips, and you should really have a go at his bodybuilding workout routines revealed below…

You think you know better? Well I’ll be the judge of that, but I’d love to hear what you consider to be effective muscle growth tips, so if you want your bodybuilding workout routines published on this blog, then send them to mick@mickhart.com

I have been training seriously for the past two and a half years, with reasonable progress until I hit a plateau in the past 6 months. After serious gains, going from 170 lbs. to 210 lbs., in 6 months, and then leaning up to 190 lbs. Once I hit there, I tried to increase my weight and the weights I was using, but I had hit a brick-wall (although with the supplements I was using previously – provided by Mick, I would have gone through the wall and come out the other side, but that’s a different story).

I had limited motivation and could find none in the magazines that I was reading (No Bull excepted). I thought that I would have to start using the puffy machines to gain some motivation, but then thought … NO WAY, I’M NOT A GIRL, ONLY WOMEN WHO DON’T WANT TO PUT ON MUSCLE USE MACHINES!

I started on a method of increasing my strength and my muscle mass at the same time. If you are hoping to read about some incredible routine that will give muscle mass and lean you up at the same time, this is not it. This routine will give you increased muscle mass, but not necessarily the lean part.

What you need to do is find your three-rep maximum, and also your six rep maximum. From there you can start the workout. Each time you do a set you will feel more powerful, and also quite tired, but you must continue. This bodybuilding routine should be used for a maximum of six weeks, and only every six months.

Routine 1 (Chest and Back)

Bench-press 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6)
Lat pulldowns 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6)

Incline bench 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6)
Cable rows 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6)

Flyes 1×6, 1×6, 1×6
1 arm rows 1×6, 1×6, 1×6

Routine 2 (Shoulders and biceps)

B/bell press 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6)
B/bell curls 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6)

D/bell press 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6)
D/bell curls 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6)

Lat raises 1×6 (1×12), 1×6 (1×12), 1×6 (1×12)
Conc curls 1×6, 1×6, 1×6

Routine 3 (Triceps and lower back)

Cl grip bench 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6)
Deadlifts 1×4 (1×7), 1×4 (1×7), 1×4 (1×7)

Pushdowns 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6)
Back extensions 1×15, 1×15, 1×15

1 arm ext 1×4 (1×7), 1×4 (1×7), 1×4 (1×7)

Routine 4 (Legs)

Squats 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6), 1×3 (1×6)
H/string curls 1×7, 1×7, 1×7

Leg Press 1×3 (1×7), 1×3 (1×7), 1×3 (1×7)
Lunges 1×8, 1×8, 1×8

Calf raised 1×8, 1×8, 1×8, 1×8

All of these bodybuilding routines call for supersets, for example, day 1′s first exercise should look like this:

Do B/press for 3 reps (max weight), then straight to pull-downs 3 reps (max weight), then back to a lighter weight for 6 reps on bench, then back to a lighter weight for 6 reps on pull-downs. Then you get a rest (2 mins should be long enough get all your strength back for the next quadruple giant set.

Each time you go back to do these routines, try to use a little heavier weight, and by the end of the six weeks, you should have increased the weights you are lifting by quite an amount.

When I started this routine, I was benching 130kgs for 4 reps; now, only 4 weeks later, I can do 150kgs for 5 reps. Not bad for someone who weighs 92 kgs.

I have enjoyed writing my first article for Mick, and can quite honestly say that Mick has been a great mate and also someone to turn to, to bounce ideas off, not just for bodybuilding training, but also supplement and nutrition ideas.

Well cheers Lawrence, you really know your stuff!!!

Remember if you want your bodybuilding workout routines published on this blog, just send them to mick@mickhart.com

Train Hard, Learn & Be Strong,
Mick Hart.

“For anyone considering steroid use” This is a MUST READ… Layman’s Guides to Steroids I and II

WARNING: Don’t read this unless you are ready to GAIN Serious Lean Muscle> “Layman’s Guides to Steroids 3.0“

In the previous articles we have taken a look at the different muscle groups and just how we can spice up those boring bodybuilding workout routines, and really impress the other guys at the gym…

Now, you can bet we have missed some muscle groups out, low back and biceps for instance, all exercised by moves mentioned. You don’t really want me to list the alternate biceps exercises do you? The whole idea is not a lesson in anatomy, but simply a suggestion to try alternative exercises now and then, swap barbell curls with seated incline dumbbell curls, for biceps, swap around your leg exercises, change reps, sets and even workout times.

(You may even make better progress if you swap gyms or workout partners. and no I am NOT suggesting wife swapping).

Does your workout partner encourage you enough or even hold you back? Too slow? Taking too long to recover in between sets? Even a repaint of your home gym, some new pictures to inspire and most of all a re-think of your motives for workout…

…(it can’t be to become rich and famous, few if any bodybuilders ever make money, and most are more likely to get infamous than gain stardom. We all know ‘life sucks’ or is it back to the hoover again?)

But you can improve YOURSELF and set your own goals and targets and sod those who run down bodybuilding. It takes a lot of guts and self control to train on a regular basis. Just make sure you are getting the most out of your bodybuilding workout routine efforts, and that you’re not sweating away for nothing.

Train Hard, Learn & Be Strong,
Mick Hart.

“For anyone considering steroid use” This is a MUST READ… Layman’s Guides to Steroids I and II

WARNING: Don’t read this unless you are ready to GAIN Serious Lean Muscle> “Layman’s Guides to Steroids 3.0“

Anyway, logically in the final of our bodybuilding training routines; but paying most attention to variety, we move down to the legs. So, onto the quads or QUADRICEPS FEMORIS, vastus internalis, lateralis and vastus medius. The latter set now often referred to as ‘tear drops’. These are the extensors of the thighs, balanced by the biceps of the thighs, which is the large muscle at the back of the thigh, brought into use when the leg is bent bring the foot to the buttocks (and very easy to cramp ..ouch)

The best bodybuilding exercises for these is the leg curl machine, usually found in both home and modern gyms. Athletes develop such thigh biceps by sprinting and other track events. As for the earlier extensor muscles of the thigh, all squatting moves, front squats, hack squats, straddle lifts, leg presses, smith machine exercises, bench squats, partial squats, unlocked squats, sissy squats and again all sporting activities like running and especially jumping.

Its easy to change your bodybuilding training routine often, yet still use the best exercises with just a little imagination and thought. Better still is to change frequency of workouts and sets and reps, shock your muscles out of that apathy. If you usually train 4 sessions a week, drop it to three and notice any change. If you improve, so much the better, if not, simply drop back to your original plan. But do give it all some thought, nothing is written in stone – see what works for you by trial and error.

At rock bottom now we come to the CALVES or gastrocnemius (Greek name from frogs bellies would you believe) with the main muscle group on the front of the shin being the tibialis. The calves are exercised almost continually, whenever we are standing (I do heel raises on the kerb when waiting for a bus, to much amusement of other passengers) or moving upright.

All sports of the running variety, especially sprinting (try running in soft sand) develop the calves, but of course bodybuilders isolate the group further and use heel raises, best on a block to stretch fully the muscles. Try a variety of foot positions for both calves and toe raising for tibialis. Calf machine raises, calf raises seated with the barbell placed across the knees, and perhaps best of all, single leg calf raises, holding a dumbbell for added resistance and with toes on a block to stretch the muscles to the max.

Next week we won’t be looking at any particular muscle group in particular, but we will be focusing on other ways to bring some variety to your regular bodybuilding training routines, so until then…

Train Hard, Learn & Be Strong,
Mick Hart.

“For anyone considering steroid use” This is a MUST READ… Layman’s Guides to Steroids I and II

WARNING: Don’t read this unless you are ready to GAIN Serious Lean Muscle> “Layman’s Guides to Steroids 3.0“

So, the next muscle group on our extreme bodybuilding workout hit list is the tank tops friend, the LATISSMUS DORSI, or as us muscle heads know it, the lats. Like the pectorals, this set of muscles respond favourably to training soon developing bigger and better than the non-weight trainer. You can always pick out a bodybuilder by his better than average lats, which adds greatly to the beach type V shape physique.

Choices of muscle growth exercises include all variations of pull downs on the lat machine or whatever piece of fixed apparatus you may have in your gym. Or simply practise chins or pull ups on a bar. All types of chins or pull downs from pull downs in front or back of neck, wide or narrow spaced grip, single or double arm pull downs (or chins) all work the lats and biceps, with a little help from the forearms as well. You can do lat machine pull downs with nice chrome bars, or use a thick tought rope over the handles ….it all helps!

If you still have a set, use chest expander overhead pull downs – the ultimate in full contraction from cables. Gymnasts display great lats and triceps and fully high biceps with all the rope climbing and bar work they practice. Again such things like climbing also really develop a strong grip.

Already we are half way down in our anatomy travels, and next is the waist or abdominal region, in the main being the ‘six pack’ or rectus abdominus. This area is developed by the many kinds of leg raises both with straight or more recommended bent legs, especially if you suffer with low back aches from hip muscle imbalance (shortened muscles of the ilopsoas) Use also sit ups again with legs bent, more commonly termed as crunches.

Begin from floor and work up to crunches on incline ab bench or hanging knee raises from chin bar. The abs really do move over a short range of inches or perhaps more cms. After that low back group, mentioned above, known also as PSOAS, comes into play. Although relatively unknown, it is extremely important and can result in major muscle imbalance causing many problems, the main one being ‘bad back’, limping and bad posture. So avoid any sort of old fashioned toe touching exercises unless you are anatomically suited to such movements, and few are.

Now when it comes to extreme bodybuilding workouts, for the side muscles of the waist or obliques, the most used exercise is the side bend, using a heavy dumbbell. All overhead lifting effects the obliques, so if you use free weights, chances are your obliques already get plenty of work., but diet will of course show them up to full advantage, rather then being overweight and having ‘love handles’.

By passing the sexual organs and penis enlargement methods, from vacuum pumps (how do you explain to the wife how you caught your willy in the hoover??) to Karma Sutra insect stings to swell the old sleeping serpent, we move quite rightly to the upper thighs and buttocks.

Whilst most people do not wish to enlarge the buttocks, they are mighty important muscles, and gorgeous glutes or the gluteus maximus, can and do look better with exercise, even if its just to lose unwanted obesity in that area – usually a female desire.

The glutes are exercised in all dead lifts, straddle lifts, leg presses on various machines, all types of deep knee bends and most weight lifting. High rep half squats along with sensible dieting MAY spot reduce this area somewhat, although any exercise has a toning up effect and will reduce fat so long as the calories are limited.

So that’s enough for today’s bodybuilding training routines and muscle growth tips, until next week when we will come to the end of this series of extreme bodybuilding workouts.

Train Hard, Learn & Be Strong,
Mick Hart.

“For anyone considering steroid use” This is a MUST READ… Layman’s Guides to Steroids I and II

WARNING: Don’t read this unless you are ready to GAIN Serious Lean Muscle> “Layman’s Guides to Steroids 3.0“

So let’s continue at looking just how we can add some spice to those routine bodybuilding workouts and exercises…

Also recommended for building arms are fixed machine PEC DEC and similar compressions machines found in all top gyms for those without weights or again for a change, or even warm up, try the many forms of press ups or floor dips. These too have multiple varieties of exercising, from hand spacing changes, to high fast press ups, with hand clapping in between pushes or even single arm push ups, or on finger tips. The latter used often by martial experts really impress non-bodybuilders.

For upper chest workouts, try INCLINE bench pressing, again using free weights, (make sure you have spotters around and still awake!) or machines with barbells and dumbbells or the reverse stance of floor dips with your feet raised higher than your head. For lower pecs, use the old standard vertical dips on parallel bars, adding extra resistance when you can exceed 20 reps with a weight attached to your lifting belt. Make sure you do complete full range movements and not just slight unlocking of the elbows – great also for triceps and lats.

Just think three popular muscle groups exercised in one go -must be a bargain! To gain chest EXPANSION and the lung fitness and accompanying health benefits, the best and proven exercise is the combination of SQUATS along with breathing pullovers. The prime requisite is that you perform enough high reps squats to make you literally gasp for breath, so you would need to squat for at least 20 reps, using around bodyweight in poundage, followed immediately by the pullovers, using a medium to light dumbbell, swing bell (centrally loaded dumbbell rod) end over or cross over a bench.

You can also use pulley arrangements. The main thing is to use light weights with the emphasis on stretching your rib box to the full. Aptly named because they look like the teeth of a saw, i.e. SERRATUS MAGNUS, these muscles are now noticeably pronounced in most muscular line ups, making a beautiful tie in with the abdominals.

To fully develop this group, include in your workout, prone flying exercises, and pullovers on bench. Do both straight arm and bent arm pullovers, the latter allows a lot more weight and is great also for lats. Early lone trainers often had to pull over the barbell first before using it for bench presses, and some impressive poundages have been recorded in this lift.

That’s it for today’s look at boosting your Bodybuilding workouts And exercises, so have a go to put these muscle building tips into action, and please feel free to share comments with other bodybuilders in the comments form below, or just join us on facebook and write on my wall!!!

Train Hard, Learn & Be Strong,
Mick Hart.

“For anyone considering steroid use” This is a MUST READ… Layman’s Guides to Steroids I and II

WARNING: Don’t read this unless you are ready to GAIN Serious Lean Muscle> “Layman’s Guides to Steroids 3.0“

Try Cables For More Variety In Your Bodybuilding Workouts

For SHOULDER workouts, the area consists of mainly the trapezius as detailed above, plus of course the Greek named DELTOIDS. These side or lateral, frontal or anterior, and back or posterior muscles are much admired and required if you seek that ‘coconut delt’ look of the muscle beach Adonis.

All forms of pressing of dumbbells, barbells or via gym fixed apparatus work this group. Alternative dumbbell presses, press behind neck, seated being favourite or standing varieties. For the side or lateral delts, lateral raises with dumbbells, upright rowing, with barbell, lateral raises with cables or pulleys, in fact all exercises which move the arm in a sideways and upward movement against progressive resistance.

The frontal part of the shoulders are given plenty of exercise with close grip barbell bench presses (which also work the triceps hard and inner pecs) and forward raises with dumbbells or barbells, and all moves which raise the arms outward and above the head. The rear part of the deltoids get pumped to the max with the many versions of rowing, especially the single arm dumbbell row, which lends itself to full range flexion and total extension, essential for full development of muscle.

Old fashioned named chest expanders, or modern cables or pulleys are all excellent movements to use for this area. A real toughie with even ‘dinky’ dumbells, is the bent forward lateral raise, and its also an effective chest expander if you wish to add size to your thorax.

Following on down in logical sequence, we come to the CHEST ,being our next muscle group to attack and second only to the arms in popularity with bodybuilders to train, probably because the pectorals soon show rapid growth, being comparatively easy to develop. In fact you may have to use some caution, as it is possible to overdevelop the pecs and create imbalance in your upper body and postural problems.

Use all forms of pressing, with also a variety of hand spacing. Wider grip bench presses get the outer part of the pectorals, the narrow grip/hand space variety pumps the inner pecs, and throws more work onto the triceps. Dumbells require you take more control, and thus use extra energy and overall body work, having yet again a different effect on the chest muscles, in the main the inner pecs.

Lone trainers often have problems using dumbbells in this move, most manage to load the dumbbells then sit astride the bench, lift the dumbbells onto the upper thighs then swing them into place as you lower yourself back onto the bench. Its tough, but also safer as its easier to drop the dumbbells after use, (put some extra carpet where you are going to drop the weights,) than it is to get rid of a over heavy barbell when you hit the last few reps.

Best of all for most bodybuilders for exercising the pecs is dumbbell flyes, being a more concentrated movement for the entire chest, both expansion and muscular. For safety to avoid strains in the elbow region, use slightly unlocked arms and finish off your last set of flyes with immediately going into one set of dumbbell presses on bench for real pump.

Don’t over do it, and save some energy for next week when I will reveal one of the best arm exercises, so until then give your muscles some variety by trying out the above bodybuilding workouts and exercises.

Train Hard, Learn & Be Strong,
Mick Hart.

“For anyone considering steroid use” This is a MUST READ… Layman’s Guides to Steroids I and II

WARNING: Don’t read this unless you are ready to GAIN Serious Lean Muscle> “Layman’s Guides to Steroids 3.0“

The chances are that unless you are a power-lifter or on some sort of specialist program, i.e. slimming, bulking up or record breaking lifting, then you will be like most, working out on a so called ‘normal routine’ of eight to twelve exercises for all round body-parts, or splitting them up on ‘split routines’ if more advanced.

An example of a standard routine would, after warm up, consist of usually dumbbell presses, mostly alternately pressed, for deltoids and triceps; basic squats for legs, general metabolism and chest expansion; basic bench presses for pectorals, triceps and shoulders (frontal deltoids).

This would be followed fairly soon by dumbbell flyes, barbell rows for the arms and of course lats and upper back; triceps extensions for guess what, that’s right, triceps; barbell curls for biceps, perhaps some reverse curls for a bit of forearm work. Lateral raises for deltoids; calf raises for lower legs (if we said gastrocnemius, who would know?) etc.

Split routines would probably follow the usual pattern of ‘push /pull’ alternative sessions, or more often lower body workouts one session and upper body the next workout. Nothing wrong with any of that, and it works for most, most of the time. BUT! Being human, the majority of us get bored doing the same thing, the same bodybuilding exercises, the same workouts, at the same time…. bored, bored, bored…. and when you are not putting your heart and soul into exercise, once it becomes just automatic, then you begin to lose interest and progress slows and eventually halts.

Fixed Press – A Great Triceps Exercise Too!
The answer is VARIETY! Sure use the basics that work, and the exercises you like, and of course avoid the exercises you hate by substituting some of the following. Nothing new, no magic formulae, just alternative exercises to try out from time to time to add spice and jest to your bodybuilding workouts.

So here, perhaps for future reference, or to use straight away, are suggestions for when you need a change of schedule to boost progress. Alternative exercises for top to toe workouts! Taking it from the top, here we go…….

Even in the scalp there are muscles, holding them too tense, too long, can soon bring about a headache, and even hair loss and it does help to try wrinkling up your forehead and face as often recommended in books on Yoga, followed by complete relaxation to keep you looking young, or so the beauty experts promise (it’s too late for me to start!).

Following on down to the NECK and looking at the neck from the rear, the main contributor to a thick muscular neck is the TRAPEZIUS for which you can exercise via all types of overhead lifting, deadlifts and all forms of barbell and dumbbell rowing, with emphasis on upright rowing to really pump the ‘Traps’ – a la Lou Ferringo. Try narrow hand spacing, knuckles to the front, lifting elbows high and keep going until you obtain a real saturation of blood to the area.

Also fine for Traps is the exercise of shoulder shrugging, whilst holding weights, either with barbell, often lifted in power racks, or dumbbells, the power mans tester of the ‘Farmers walk’ certainly calls upon the bodybuilder to have stronger than usual Traps. You know when you have had enough when your face begins to ‘twitch’.

For the frontal neck muscles, head resistance work using a towel or head straps with weights attached, or even ‘buddy resistance’ as wrestlers often do in training (all wrestlers are ‘buddies’,and can act with it…) i.e. get a partner to resist your neck movements, try also ‘wrestlers bridges’.

Now, I don’t want to wear you out this week, so I’ll save some more alternative bodybuilding exercises and workouts for next week, so till then…

Train Hard, Learn & Be Strong,
Mick Hart.

“For anyone considering steroid use” This is a MUST READ… Layman’s Guides to Steroids I and II

WARNING: Don’t read this unless you are ready to GAIN Serious Lean Muscle> “Layman’s Guides to Steroids 3.0“

So let’s get cracking with today’s bodybuilding and steroids training routine that will surely optimize your delts muscle growth.

3+3+3 Delt Blitz
First, decide whether you will prioritize the shoulders by working them first or after chest or back training, then stick to that format so a consistent poundage progression can be adhered to. If you are not on an anabolic steroid cycle then I do not recommend that you do this workout more than once every 5-7 days after the initial two orientation workouts to determine correct starting poundage’s and exercise form.

As usual the routine is set up so that a minimum of warm up sets is required after the initial pre-workout warm-up, i.e., 1-2 light to moderate sets of some dumbbell or barbell presses and a very light set of side lateral raises should suffice.

1. Military press with barbell, with 5 second overhead hold. Select a weight that is approximately 10% lighter than what you would use for a set of 10-12 very strict overhead presses. Military style with feet close together will prevent excessive back bend.

At the completion of each rep the barbell should be held in the lockout position for 5 seconds with some attempt to consciously contract the delt’s (not too hard). The weight should also be lowered to a 2 second count. even though the front delts and triceps bear most of the work in raising the weight overhead, the entire deltoids, including the side and rear delts work hard to hold the weight in the contracted position and you will find that holding the weight for the five count will make the press a more concentrated delt movement.

It is important that you select a weight that will allow at least 10 good reps to failure since you will be adding at least 5 pounds to the bar each workout and want to build some momentum from the first workout. You will be adding weight each session until you cannot get 6 good reps for the set so don’t want to reach this point to early on. For those of you who do not have shoulder or lower back problems I also recommend doing an additional “power set” at least every other workout.

After a rest of 2-3 minutes increase the weight by 10-20% and do a conventional set of presses for 4-6 reps. you will want to increase the weight of this set by 5-10 pounds per workout as well but aim for a minimum of 3 reps here to be cautious. By now the delts will already be pumped and primed for the “hammer”. A short (2- 3 minutes) rest and what I call a compound pre-exhaust set.

DORMANT DELTS
2. Determine what you would use for a set of 10-12 strict front delt raises then opt for a set of dumbbells 5 lbs. lighter than those. You will be performing these in a manner that is both more difficult and more effective. Starting with the left arm, raise the dumbbell to shoulder height and hold it there until you raise the right dumbbell to shoulder height as well, then lower and raise the left dumbbell back to shoulder height while all the while holding the right dumbbell in the contracted position.

Then repeat the process holding the left dumbbell in the fully contracted position while doing a complete rep with the right arm. Remember, one dumbbell will always be in the contracted position during the set. You should select a weight that will allow at least 8-10 strict reps to a point where you cannot complete a rep in proper form. At this point, holding the same dumbbells perform as many strict reps in the conventional side lateral raise, arms slightly bent, no body English, palms facing the floor.

Ideally you should get about 8-10 reps or so before failing to complete a rep. A couple of partial reps are recommended before immediately grabbing a fairly light barbell with a medium wide grip and performing a modified version of the behind the neck press. The middle portion of this exercise is utilized, 3/4 of the way up, 3/4 of the way down.

This will focus the deltoids and avoid unnecessary strain to the rotator cuff. A weight that will allow about 8-12 reps is best here. Once again I must emphasize that no more than 3 seconds should elapse from the last rep of laterals to the first rep of presses.

3. Lying cross body side lateral raise. You may be familiar with this one. It is also known as the “Arnold” raise (you know who!). Lie on your side in a flat bench with a light dumbbell in hand and start with the arm hanging straight down across your chest, dumbbell nearly touching the floor. From here raise the dumbbell with elbow slightly unlocked in a wide arc until your arm is pointing toward the ceiling, dumbbell fully extended.

This exercise will totally isolate the rear and side delts with no help from the traps or front delts. Due to the extreme range of motion (about 4 feet) and constant tension it is not necessary to complete more than one or two work sets here. If you cannot get more than half the reps the second time around then one set is probably enough, but if it makes you happy drop down in weight and do a second set, at most.

After a short break I like to finish of this blitz with one very strict set of low pulley rows 12-15 reps back arched and focused on upper back and rear delts. There are some variations to this routine for those of you who cannot safely press with a barbell and there are a couple twists to this routine to increase the intensity as you get into the latter stages.

Of course I remind you that while progress is the key here, increase poundage’s on the pre-exhaust portion of his routine cautiously as the idea is quality isolation for the DELTS only. I could go on much further here and explain the why’s and wherefores of the exercises listed here and there sequential order, define their superiority etc.

Suffice to say, if quick and symmetrical size increase in the delt area is desired give this sledgehammer assault a try and let me know what you think, by leaving a comment below.

Train Hard, Learn & Be Strong,
Mick Hart.

“For anyone considering steroid use” This is a MUST READ… Layman’s Guides to Steroids I and II

WARNING: Don’t read this unless you are ready to GAIN Serious Lean Muscle> “Layman’s Guides to Steroids 3.0“

Today, we are going to take a look into bodybuilding training for calves, as it is true that many bodybuilders have problems when it comes to calf development, and this situation is very often caused by a lack of muscle cells in the actual calf area. To explain, it is thought that everyone inherits the genes from their parents that determine how many muscle cells (and of which types) are allocated to every skeletal muscle in the body.

As you can see, if a muscle has more allocated cells than another, then it has more potential for growth and development than the muscle has that has fewer muscle cells allocated.

However, there is also another view that has not yet been fully proven in that with very hard, heavy and intense training, the bodybuilder can cause new muscle cells to be formed, and these are produced by division of muscle cells already present, or the transformation into new muscle cells by ‘satellite cells’ that normally reside within muscle but do not contribute to contraction.

The exercises used in order to develop the calves are the standing calf raise which primarily works the largest muscle in the calf complex, and that is the gastrocnemius muscle. The seated calf raise works the soleus muscle which lies partially under the gastrocnemius and contributes considerably to calf width.

The tibialis muscles on the front of the lower leg can be worked well just by using bodyweight: place your heels on the edge of a step with your toes touching the floor, and then raise your toes up as far off the ground as possible without our heels moving (except to rotate) and return to the starting position. The development of the tibialis greatly contributes to the appearance of calf width, which is very important in competition.

The amount of weight and number of sets and repetitions per set to stimulate the calves to grow can be very variable from one person to another. Some people find that low repetitions and heavy weight relative to strength level at the time produces the best results, whilst others find that their calves grow best with lighter weight and more sets and repetitions per set.

If your calves happen to have more white, fast-twitch muscle cells, then they will probably grow best with heavy weight and with as many repetitions as possible. A person with more red, slow-twitch fibres than white fibres would probably have better results with lower weight and more repetitions and sets.

You will find out the best way to train your calves by trying different combinations of weight, number of repetitions and number of sets; for example, if you discover that your calves grow faster with heavy weight and fewer sets and repetitions, then they are probably mostly composed of white muscle fibre.

However, some people have to take drastic measures to build championship-sized calves, involving very heavy weights and HIGH repetitions per set, and HIGH numbers of sets. As with your other muscle groups you must experiment with different weight, repetition and set schemes in order to find out just what works best for you as an individual.

This also includes the number of times that you have a calf workout each week; as a general rule it’s probably not a good idea to train them two days in a row. Why? It’s because the muscles must have time to recover and grow before you train them again since if a muscle is trained again before it has recovered and grown from the previous workout it will only go backwards in terms of development being forced into a catabolic ‘overtrained’ state, and will lose size and strength so making your more frequent workouts a totally wasted effort.

One ‘Rule of Thumb’ about recovery time is that the day after the day that the muscle was no longer sore is time for another workout. However, a muscle may still be sore and you don’t know it !!!

You must squeeze a muscle with your hand and you may find that it’s still a bit sore, and may or may not be ready for another workout; in other words, just experiment to find out what works best and it may be a good idea to keep a bodybuilding training diary so that you don’t forget what works best !!!

Train Hard, Learn & Be Strong,
Mick Hart.

“For anyone considering steroid use” This is a MUST READ… Layman’s Guides to Steroids I and II

WARNING: Don’t read this unless you are ready to GAIN Serious Lean Muscle> “Layman’s Guides to Steroids 3.0“

Best Bodybuilding Training Diet

This has to be fairly high protein with low to medium carbs. It has to be – we are trying to burn off excess fat by using more than we are consuming. Result – Low fat high definition = RIPPED! On the other side of the coin, getting BIG. The opposite has to happen.

Training has to be that much slower but it still can be 5 days per week, but I would suggest four which would be about right, although for many and this will vary and has to be figured out first. Are you a fast metabolism – or slow? If fast, 3 days would be more than adequate so long as the training done is hard and extreme when in the gym. This is so important as the muscle has to be trained , broken down and then given the time to recover – hence the 4 days rest in that one week training.

So many people underestimate the 3 days system dismissing it as a system far under par to the 5 and 6 day split systems many use today. But the ‘many’ don’t get anywhere anyway so how’s that for a bag of apples as well – unbelievers? Or should I say ‘small unbelievers’!

Committing yourself to the three day system and holding to it will – without doubt give results beyond your wildest dreams. One guy who will back that up is my old mate David Gentle – he is a total believer in the three day system. Send him a few quid and he will set you up with a beauty – I can guarantee that. That guy knows his stuff without doubt – me too but David is the BEST guy for teaching the basics and getting results (er, me a close second).

DONT for get the nolvadex for Gods sake! You could lose your head!?

Bodybuilding Diet Tips – YOUR PLAN
Understanding what you want to do from the start and staying with that plan until the desired result is achieved is the first step to success. After that, the rest is easy – well almost.

There is no other way around it. It is a matter of doing what is advised or basically fucking it in the head – it is that simple. You want results? You want to succeed? Then you have to prepare yourself for what is going to be hard work – no other way mate! No one said that bodybuilding was going to be easy. Those that did are either fat, far out or totally 100% LIARS!

There can only be one – YOU!

Train Hard, Learn & Be Strong,
Mick Hart.

“For anyone considering steroid use” This is a MUST READ… Layman’s Guides to Steroids I and II

WARNING: Don’t read this unless you are ready to GAIN Serious Lean Muscle> “Layman’s Guides to Steroids 3.0“