Former Mr. America, Mr. Universe and Mr. World, David Draper, who is to be honoured in London, March 2001, at the OHF Awards, was the quintessential bodybuilding idol of the 1960′s.

Those magic muscle years were dominated by such bodybuilding stars as Frank Zane, Sergio Oliva, Boyer Coe, Franco Columbu, Chris Dickerson, (first black man to win the Mr. America) and the still competing legends Reg Park, and Bill Pearl, and the newly matured Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Dave Draper’s rugged handsome good looks, wide shoulders, narrow waist and back spread, that even Arnold S. believed, in his words to be “The best in the business”. His eye catching, in vogue, long fair hair, resulted in World Wide fame and a ‘nick name’ he hated, but stuck with him – ‘The Blond Bomber’. Today, Dave still writes for the main man who made him famous i.e. Joe Weider and can be checked out online here – www.davedraper.com. Here’s a part of his story………

Dave, the youngest of three brothers, commenced school at an early age, and according to Dave, never felt the desire for ball games. Unlike his father who liked sports. Dave instead concentrated upon gymnastics from the ages of 12 to 16, and grew up fast. Grew he certainly did, unlike most budding bodybuilders who start off lean and aim to add weight and muscle size, Dave Draper started off his physical odyssey, frankly “a fat kid” known at first more for his “chubby cheeky grin and big bulky body” (his words) rather than a man of muscle. He also grew up fast taking on the responsibility of getting married when just 16 years old to Penny, eighteen months later having a daughter Jamie.

At times introvert, almost shy, the young Dave Draper set out to lose fat and gain some shape, as we said at first with gymnastics by 17 weighing 170lbs at 6ft. According to Dave, he became inspired by a muscle magazine cover and contents, and thus took up training, working mistakenly, as many beginners do, mainly on upper body, neglecting his long legs, resulting in a bulky 240lbs bodyweight and large chest of around 50ins, but thighs of just 22ins. So Dave, once aware of his mistakes, worked harder on legs,and ultimately resulted in reaching 21 inch arms, 54 inch chest, 33 inch waist and 28 inch thighs – with the power to match the muscle size.

Part 2 Continues Next Week… acknowledgements to Bob Kennedy, Joe Weider and Dave Draper

Train hard and 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 as we come to the final chapter about one of the world’s greatest Bodybuilding Legends Roy Duval, he talks about chest training, and all of the exercises he used to get those amazing pecs he had…

A sample chest routine consisted of at first emphasis on expanding the thorax or rib box with chest expansion, only achieved by a combination of heavy breathing promoted by tough leg work (i.e. squats) followed by LIGHT stretching pullovers on bench in the classic squat and pullover combo.

The pectorals which are easy to develop and respond well, (and can almost be over developed, so caution is required), are worked by decline bench presses with dumbbells for lower pecs, decline barbell bench presses, low incline barbell bench presses and parallel bar dips – again averaging 9 sets at 10 to12 reps, all the time using respectable poundages, which require forcing out the last few reps to complete a set.

Bodybuilding Training Basics - Yet it brings about remarkable results. Like all champions Roy never stopped experimenting to discover those exercises, sets, reps and systems, which brought him personally, the best results. And over time YOU will discover your own combinations, and just what you can do to save time and effort and pain, learning by others’ mistakes if you are wise, the commonest of which is to OVER-TRAIN often due to over enthusiasm, which unfortunately can lead to despair. Make haste slowly and do not attempt to follow the routines of champions until you have put in the time and effort it takes to reach the top.

A firm believer in bodybuilding supplements, Roy says, “We bodybuilders purposely tear down muscle tissue in the hope that the protein we consume will build new tissues and improve our physiques. It is obvious then that a good high quality protein supplement is necessary”. Roy Duval always gave credit to those who advised, helped or influenced him in his bodybuilding career, from Wag Bennett’s early encouragement, to Len Sells inspiration and personal coaching, to Boyer Coe and Dennis Tinerino, two great USA muscle champions.

Bill Pearl, his perennial favourite whose shape he admired so much and also to the late Vince Gironda who for a period trained Roy and got him according to his own opinion in his best shape ever. Modesty forbids Roy mentioning the many bodybuilders who were fired up to train in an attempt to reach his superb physical standards. Throughout the competitive world of bodybuilding, Roy Duval represented Britain with great success and always, always with supreme dignity. A true ambassador for bodybuilding.

Train hard and 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“

Training philosophies and practice
Roy was a great believer in plenty of leg training,saying, “Leg training is considered hard work by most, but actually by working your legs, you not only increase leg size but you condition yourself faster.

This is because leg work incites heavy breathing, helps to condition you, and aid you in gaining bodyweight. Squats do more to increase metabolism and thus helps many to put on weight, while at the same time, leg work helps one to grow stronger. So leg work should be included in your training if you hope to be better developed and stronger”.

Practising what he preached, Roy never neglected leg work in training. Like most top bodybuilders, did a lot of squats, which quickly made his legs respond, later enabling him to concentrate on other exercises to maintain the balance. Leg exercises as well as basic squats, included ‘hack’ squats, leg extensions, leg curls and all varieties of calf raises, always aiming for full stretch of calf muscles.

Reps were usually high at 20 on average, using 5 sets of each exercise. Every exercise began with a light warm up set, followed by ever increasing poundages, the following sets, although still aiming not to drop reps. Roy at times trained his calves 4 to 5 times a week. All exercises were completed in good form with complete extension and contraction.

Most notable in Roy’s physique were his terrific full bodied biceps and arms in general. Huge muscular arms are of course the hall mark of a champion bodybuilder, some muscle men being able to sway physique judges solely on the size of their arm’s, and overlooking other body parts, such is the magnetism of mighty arms. Roy at just 5ft 7ins, had huge arms, with a perfect harmony between triceps and biceps.

Like all other groups, with the exception of calves, he only trained arms twice a week on a split routine and set system, using 3 exercises for the biceps for 5 to 6 sets of 10 reps – e.g. for BICEPS he did:

Single arm seated concentrated curls, preacher curls & incline dumbbell curls. For TRICEPS, exercised immediately after biceps, he used triceps push-downs on pulley 5 x 10, super setted with triceps kick backs. Then triceps extensions, single arm again with cables, alternated with parallel bar dips. 5 x 10 reps. Roy also trained shoulders on the same day as arms.

Anyway, we are saving the best till last, and next week we shall be learning from the master who runs over a few bodybuilding exercises for chest training.

Train hard and 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“

Roy Duval really is a bodybuilding legend, and I hope you enjoy this second part of his life story that picks up on his bodybuilding career in the 1970s.

Owzabout that then?
In 1974, when the now Sir Jimmy Saville OBE was NABBA’s figurehead, and Paul Getty, the worlds richest man, sat in the front row, (next to Bob Kennedy – I was ten rows back!). Roy won the Amateur Mr. Universe, being the first British bodybuilding for 10 years to take the trophy since John Hewlett. He also received a silver trophy presented by the French Federation of Bodybuilders, for the best presentation (posing). This was the year Chris Dickerson, a former subject in our Natural Development Mag series of profiles, won the Pro title.

After winning the 1974 Universe, Roy lived for a while in South Africa, liking the place, after having made previous visits as a guest star at the Republic of South Africa shows. He was then working as a medical retailer for a pharmaceutical company called Pro Med/Med Nim, he also spent 6 months with Merc Laboratories and with partner John Borland, had the Roy Duval Health Studios.

In fact throughout his bodybuilding career, Roy always managed to hold down a full time job, including working for a pet food company during the 1960′s and early ‘70′s. All the time Roy had a great interest in nutrition, studying the subject whenever time allowed. Roy also owned and manages his own gyms at home in UK and abroad, currently supplying his own brand of sports supplements, which he has marketed in the West Country since 1978.

True bodybuilding transcends politics and self centred organisations and Roy did equally well in the IFBB. In 1979 Roy trained for and won the IFBB Mr. Britain and IFBB World championships and the following year, 1980, competed in the Olympia, not in the winners frame but still good enough to out point such well known bodybuilding stars as Ken Waller, the first Mr. world, Samir Bannout and Casey Viator.

Always an ambassador for bodybuilding, Roy guest starred at NABBA’s 1988 West Britain show in super shaper and said he “No longer wished to compete to allow younger men coming through”. However he did continue to train hard,and compete again climaxing his career by winning the NABBA Masters Universe in 1992 – a fitting ending to his competitive years.

He still trains and keeps in top shape, enjoying life to the full, running his supplement business and gym, helped all the while by wife Anna, a former winner of the WABBA Miss Europe Figure contest in 1989. More about bodybuilding legend Roy Duval coming soon, with an insider look at his training philosophy for bodybuilders.

Train hard and 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“

With or Without Steroids? – Well, as I have previously written in previous posts on steroid basics, a maximum amount should be gained from natural bodybuilding training before steroids are used, and this can mean as many as 8 or 10 years of natural training (For example without anabolic drugs).

When steroids are taken and the body is already very fit from years of training in the gym, then these steroids have a much more powerful and more beneficial effect than they would have on a previously untrained body, and this is due to the difference in initial fitness between the two: the fitter and stronger the body is to begin with, then the better it can use the steroids and other anabolic drugs that may be used.

Bodybuilding Training Tips – It is so important to train the biggest muscle areas in order to create a highly anabolic environment within the body is important for the biggest muscles of the body (especially those that are used in the squat, deadlift, and even leg-pressing on the whole, For example the muscles of the thigh, hip and lower back region) are trained and stimulated to grow. Why you may ask? Since these muscles represent such a large amount of the total muscle mass on the human body, any training stress of sufficient intensity that make these muscles grow will also increase stress levels on the body overall.

These muscle groups are a vital part of the physiology and mechanisms of the human body, as in they don’t work on their own, and the complete body is put under stress and the requirement for growth and recuperation is started; Let’s just say for example, you need the digestion in your stomach to fuel your muscles with nutrients, and there will be a higher demand for nutrients from the largest growing muscles, and so the stomach should adapt well and get more efficient in digesting food, meaning that the entire body adapts and that includes the muscles.

The effects of training ARE that far-reaching. The stress which is placed on the body is obviously greatest from expending enough time and intensity training the biggest muscles of your body. This creates a highly anabolic environment in the entire body, due to the need created in the body for extensive growth and repair of muscle tissue, which will translate into greater gains from the training of your smaller muscle areas, since the body works as a whole, and not in separate, isolated parts.

The Importance of Protein and Water – For your body to adapt to training stress, it is vital that you are ingesting enough protein and carbohydrate, and as I mentioned in the previous article, most people find that a high protein diet, with lower relative carbohydrate levels, is better for them: this is something that you have to experiment with for yourself.

Also as I previously mentioned, water is a vital component in the diet, and you can’t really get enough of it when in heavy training and consuming plenty of protein. Not only does it serve the most important purpose of being the most abundant constituent of muscle (muscle cells are 70% water, with the rest being mostly protein), but large amounts of water also helps to flush waste products from your system, and helps avoid stress on the kidneys in this way.

Also, h2o can be used to help flush nutrients (e.g. amino acids, vitamins etc.) through your body, which enables these nutrients to bathe all your tissues optimally and ensure their optimum health, which is vital for good gains: this could not be achieved in a low h2o intake environment. It’s also important to note that the amino acid L-glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in muscle tissue, and so it’s well worthwhile to supplement your nutrient intake with extra L-glutamine.

The importance of a regular multi-vitamin and mineral supplement should not be overlooked either, as the growth processes cannot proceed unless all factors necessary for growth are present, and these include vitamins and minerals, in addition to the necessary amino acids supplied from dietary protein, and other dietary constituents.

COMING SOON: Steroid Basics and the importance of safe cycles, as well as at look at the latest bodybuilding training tips that will help you achieve your target gains.

Train hard and 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“

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Train hard and 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“

Remember that we really do want to hear what you have to say about bodybuilding, but anyway this week we’re going to hear what another Bodybuilding great has to say, and his name is Richy T. So anyway, it’s all yours Richy mate – fire away…

“Hi, my name’s Richie, and I usually train in a very hard core bodybuilding gym, called Al’s Gym in Lymington. We get very few women and very few fitness types, but if they do enter our domain, they are made to feel very welcome and usually stay for good.

As I am a fanatic about the world of bodybuilding, I like to try other gyms and equipment out, as they say a change is as good as a rest. I have been to many gyms, some welcome and help you with open arms, some make you feel as welcome as Ronnie Coleman at a Klu klux Klan meeting – and they call it a business? Anyway regarding the latter, here is a little story.

I went into Bournemouth to use an apparently well equipped gym, at the entrance, was a sign saying: ‘ALL WELCOME’ FIRST WORKOUT FREE!

I walked up to the counter and over walked this man, who reminded me of John Inman (I’m Free). He asked for £4.00! I said it is my first time here AND as your sign says, it’s free.

“But I can tell you have trained before”, he went on to say, (yep, I have 20 or so trophies), “…. so that will be £4.00.!”

“I know I have trained before as you put it but it’s my first time here!”, I said…. “That’s irrelevant young man”.

So I gave him his £4.00, went into the changing rooms and got changed. As I am looking around the changing room walls at all the glossy photo’s, I noticed there was not even one Olympian, or Pro body-builder, they were all from “Mens Workout” and “Gym” and other faggot mags. After a few tuts thinking “strange gym”, I proceeded into the gym itself and thought “legs”, so off I went squatting.

I always train alone, so I usually have to ask for a spot. I put the bar on my traps and step back, this guy might as well have been shagging me, he was that tight into my arse, but as a true pro I carried on. I got to my last couple of reps and I really needed his help as I was coming out of the squat position. I swear on my mothers grave he had a “stiffy”!

I totally lost my concentration and dropped like a stone, only the safety bars saved me from being a cripple, as I looked around he was grinning like a Cheshire cat! I told him in no uncertain terms to go fuck himself before I paint the gym with him. He could not see that there had been a problem, as you can imagine this caused a scene, in which every gym member was staring at us.

As I’m looking around all fired up and leery, it dawned on me that I was the only “un-lycra clad” person in the gym, of about 30 to 35 men the whole gym was Faggotsfield!!

The owner then asked me to leave. “Why?”, I said…. He said, “Your sort are not required here – I’m afraid you’re too macho and rough and I don’t want my clientèle upset!”

I grabbed my stuff and went to the counter and asked for a refund, the nonce said NO! After I had thrown a right hand to his lovely capped teeth (breaking two fingers), I decided to leave hastily. After a day the police turned up at my house. I gave a statement for once in my life I actually told it as it was, “the facts” and “faggots”! To my utter shock, the fag who spotted me was a copper, (who would have believed it a bent copper eh?). Eventually I was basically told off and cautioned, so now you are all thinking where is this story going to – yeah?

I don’t know neither do I care, but gym owners “Wake Up” – business is business whatever. I would also like to add that the bent copper and I are extremely happy together (JOKE).”

Anyway, let’s leave it there for this week while you at least have a smile on your face, so next week we will get some really great bodybuilding tips as well as proven supplement suggestions, 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“

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“

Well let’s continue to see what Alan has to say about bodybuilding over 60, and I must say I was well impressed with his diet tips…

“My weakest body part by far is my chest; I have made very little progress, weight-wise, with pecs exercises – hence the alternative exercises for extra stimulus. The osteopath believes this “weakness” is related to the condition of my cervical (upper) spine, where vertebrae have boney edges, causing engagement with the radial and other major nerves in the upper arm.

However, he has given me clearance to do squats, which I am now introducing to my training after an interval of over 20 years! My strongest body parts, by virtue of weight used, are my quads; I can handle 300 kg + for 10 reps on the leg press.

Training is the “fun” part of the action. The hardest part of the total bodybuilding over 60 package is, without doubt, nutrition for me. I know that I have eaten “cleanly” for an entire year, with little or no cheating or resort to processed (unhealthy!) food. I have to cater for myself, so can be really hard on myself -

But … am I getting enough? I have no idea!! Before I started training, I had weighed 158lbs for as long as I could remember. My top weight, – about now, in fact – has been 177lbs (80.2kg), so I guess I’m doing SOMETHING right! Try as I might, I don’t seem to be able to go much beyond 80kg, at a height of 69’’.

Measuring percentages of carbs/protein/fats intake isn’t exactly rocket science, I know, but I have NO IDEA how to do this for myself. This is where a personal trainer SHOULD be able to advise AND produce the figures to determine my optimum food intake. I have never had a bodyfat measurement taken either.

These are serious omissions, I believe, where I MUST get good advice and guidance for me to make a very REAL impression next time around. Dieting down for that competition was sheer guesswork and absolutely horrific, as I didn’t know what I was heading for. I tried proprietary fat reducers … but couldn’t sleep!! I did lose 4 – 5 lbs though but I was by no means “cut”! As it is, my daily diet is roughly as follows:

Breakfast: Always the same, every day! Half grapefruit, bowl of sugar-free muesli with skimmed milk, 2 whole boiled eggs, wholemeal bread with olive margarine. And … my life saver, to set me up for the day – a pot of tea (skimmed milk, no sugar) and a glass of water.

Mid morning / pre-workout:
250 ml skimmed milk, 60g whey protein powder (75%), banana, dessert-spoon flaxseed oil – all in blender.
Glass of water.

Lunch:
Various options on cold meats (3 slices ham, corned beef, or similar) OR small tin tuna, with hard-boiled egg, mixed salad, French dressing. Two glasses water.

Mid afternoon (OR IMMEDIATELY post workout)
250 ml skimmed milk, 75g whey powder, teaspoon creatine, 2 teaspoons raw brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cocoa – all in blender.

Dinner:
Various combinations of chicken fillets or joints – oven-cooked or in casserole. Potatoes, green vegetable OR fish fillets, beef casserole, spag bol … other pasta. Water.

Late evening:
Fat-reduced yoghurt with 30g whey protein. Water.

Supplements taken daily: 1 multivit tablet (for the over 50′s!) 2 tablets glucosamine with chondroitin. 1 capsule vit E. 1g vit C. 4 dessicated liver tablets. Creatine as above (4 week cycle, then one week off). Then 4 capsules ZMA before bed.

So … now you know ! And, if I can do it, then anyone can. Just my example has prompted three young and up-and-coming guys at the gym to say that they want to try their luck and will be competing next year – and I hope I’m around to see that they do!

At least, I’d have someone to oil up my back, wouldn’t I ?”

Cheers Alan for this excellent contribution as an introduction to my Layman’s Steroid Guides 1V, that will include a special chapter for bodybuilding over 60.

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“