www.secretosparaganarmusculo.com

Mentzer podía con el sobreentrenamiento porque era un gran defensor de ese método. Arnold podía con la sobrecarga progresiva. Yates Row podía estar exhausto y estar en medio del pecado #5 Me gusta la foto de Doug Young en la banca, pero sólo si se puede editar el texto de la foto y sólo si no es una molestia La foto de Franco Running puede ir debajo del Pecado Rollizo #6 Que diga “Correr sprints 1-2 veces por semana es una excelente manera de evitar ser rollizo” en el pie de la foto. Aunque también tengo que editar el texto fuera de la imagen. Jalón Pesado puede ir en el # 10 Rigert Set Up puede ir en el # 8

"No me propongo cansarte con expresiones extrañas y lenguaje científico."

—George Hackenshmidt, The Way to Live (La Forma de Vivir), 1908

Desperdicié los primeros diez años de mi carrera de entrenamiento. Una década completa de duros entrenamientos, y tenía muy poco que mostrar. Todo por el simple hecho de que traté de hacer las cosas más complicadas de lo que debían ser. Realmente, llegar a ser grande y fuerte es bastante sencillo. No tiene que ser una combinación compleja y confusa de cirugía de cerebro y ciencia nuclear como muchos autores lo describen. Pero no confundas sencillo con fácil. No hay atajos ni sustitutos del trabajo duro. Tampoco va a ocurrir de la noche a la mañana. Si estabas buscando el método mágico y esperando ser el único ser humano en la historia del planeta que pueda ganar kilos de músculo en el próximo par de meses, siento decirte no tienes suerte. Vas a tener que entrenarte intensamente, todo el tiempo. Vas a tener que pagar el precio con sangre y sudor. Como lo harías para lograr cualquier cosa en la vida que valga la pena para ti.

La mayoría quiere construir más músculo. Es propio de la naturaleza humana querer atraer al sexo opuesto, aumentar tu confianza y tener el respeto de tus colegas.

Pero querer y hacer son dos cosas totalmente diferentes.

¿Cuánta gente conoces que realmente actúan y hacen lo que dicen que van a hacer? ¿Cuántos siguen y terminan lo que empezaron? Muy pocos, te puedo decir.

Tipos como Arthur Saxon, Dorian Yates, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Pearl, Kirk Karwoski, George Hackenshmidt y Ed Coan tenían esa actitud decidida que es un requisito absoluto para tener fuerza y lograr un tamaño masivo. ¿La tienes?

Miles de tipos flacos en todo el mundo han transformado sus físicos y cambiaron sus vidas siguiendo los consejos presentados en este libro electrónico. Yo logré transformar naturalmente mi cuerpo de 66 kilos cuando me gradué de la escuela secundaria a un físico de más de 90 kilos. Pero no necesitas desperdiciar todos esos años como yo. Si aprendes las lecciones que se enseñan aquí y evitas los diez errores mortales que cometen casi todos los flacuchos, también lograrás tu propia transformación increíble en mucho menos tiempo. No va a ser fácil, te lo puedo asegurar. Pero sigue leyendo y verás que es bastante simple... mientras estés dispuesto a trabajar para eso.

Pecado #1 de la Musculación: Sobreentrenamiento El primer error que veo cometer a los flacos es que se sobreentrenan. Es decir, que

hacen demasiados entrenamientos por semana, demasiadas series por entrenamiento y entrenan demasiado y muy intensamente. Yo fui igual y solía entrenarme como loco en el gimnasio con la esperanza de que me ayudaría a aumentar músculo más rápido. Lamentablemente, lo único que logré fue reducir mi capacidad de recuperación y acumular lesiones persistentes. Para evitar el sobreentrenamiento y empezar a hacer avances notables en forma regular necesitas hacer las siguientes cuatro cosas:

No Entrenes Más de Cuatro Días Por Semana. No Entrenes más de cuatro días por semana. No aumentas de tamaño cuando estás entrenando sino cuando te estás recuperando. El entrenamiento es simplemente el estímulo. Una vez que has aplicado el estímulo debes permitir que la adaptación tenga lugar. Esto no puede suceder si siempre te estás destrozando. El descanso es esencial. Mucha gente se sigue obsesionando con la actitud de “más es mejor”; sin embargo, esos son los que nunca parecen llegar a ninguna parte. Semana tras semana, mes tras mes, año tras año están exactamente igual y no son más fuertes. Limitarte a cuatro sesiones intensas de entrenamiento de fuerza asegura que tendrás tiempo suficiente para una adecuada recuperación y también para salir y correr algunas carreras rápidas o jugar un deporte recreativo.

No Te Entrenes Más de Una Hora Al empezar tu entrenamiento, tu cuerpo empieza a aumentar la liberación de testosterona. Eso llega a su pico en unos 27 minutos más o menos. A los 45 minutos tus niveles de testosterona vuelven a los valores basales. Si te entrenas más tiempo, empiezan a caer y los niveles de cortisol (la hormona del estrés que come el músculo y aumenta el almacenamiento de grasa corporal) empiezan a aumentar. Por eso nunca les permito a mis clientes que se entrenen más de 60 minutos y te sugiero que tú tampoco lo hagas. Te sorprenderá ver cuanto más rápido te recuperas y aumentas de tamaño.

No Hagas Más de 12-18 Series de Trabajo Intenso por Entrenamiento. Si tuviera que adivinar, diría que la mayoría de la gente hace entre 25 y 30 series cada vez que van al gimnasio. Y tal vez más. A pesar de lo que hayas leído y lo que te diga el mono lleno de esteroides en el gimnasio, no hay absolutamente ninguna necesidad de hacer tantas series.

Cuando haces una gran cantidad de series es imposible poner la cantidad necesaria de energía o concentración en cada una de ellas. Con menos series, tu entrenamiento tiene un mayor sentido de propósito y de urgencia. Saber que tienes 25 series más por delante después de la primera del día es un poco intimidante. Limitar la cantidad de series que haces por entrenamiento te obligará a hacer lo más posible para asegurarte de que cada una cuente realmente. Y ese es exactamente el tipo de esfuerzo requerido para volverte grande y fuerte. Si después de calentar bien, no puedes lograrlo con 12-18 series, te sugeriría que te pongas las pilas y empieces a entrenar más duro.

No Entrenes hasta el Punto de Falla. Si entrenas hasta el punto de falla, lo que significa que en una serie llegas hasta el punto en que no puedes hacer otra repetición a voluntad, y el peso se te cae encima, te sobreentrenarás enseguida. Hacerlo fríe tu sistema nervioso, al que recuperarse le toma mucho más tiempo que a los músculos. Para mantenerte bien y asegurar progresos constantes, asegúrate de terminar cada serie en lo que se conoce como «falla técnica». Este es el punto en el que no puedes completar otra repetición con la forma perfecta y una velocidad decente. Si demoras cinco segundos para hacer tu última serie y tu forma no es buena, has ido demasiado lejos. Termina la serie en una buena repetición, sabiendo que si alguien te pusiera una pistola en la cabeza podrías hacer una o dos más. Entrena intensamente, pero no te mates.

Pecado #2 de la Musculación: Ignorar la Ley de la Sobrecarga Progresiva La ley más importante en el entrenamiento es la de la sobrecarga progresiva. Eso significa que para ponerte más grande y más fuerte necesitas añadir peso a la barra o hacer más repeticiones con el mismo peso. Y necesitas esforzarte constantemente para superar tu desempeño previo. De ninguna manera puedes perder tiempo utilizando pesas ligeras si quieres tener músculos más grandes. Eso nunca va a funcionar. TIENES que sobrecargar progresivamente el músculo forzándolo a trabajar más con el tiempo. Los tipos que ves en el gimnasio que utilizan los mismos pesos del año pasado, o incluso del mes pasado, son los tipos cuyos físicos nunca cambian. Siempre tienen la misma apariencia porque usan siempre los mismos pesos.

Si haces sentadillas con 60 kilos en cinco repeticiones hoy, será mejor que lo sigas haciendo al menos durante ocho repeticiones dentro de un mes, o que levantes 63-65 kilos en cinco repeticiones. Uno de los dos, o ambos, tienen que subir o tu cuerpo nunca se adaptará y no crecerá. ¿Por qué tendría que hacerlo si no le das una buena razón? ¿Honestamente crees que hacer la misma cosa una y otra vez servirá para la musculación? Por supuesto que no. Einstein te habría llamado loco por pensar eso. Así que antes de preocuparte por súper series, drop sets, y lograr el efecto bomba y tonterías triviales y sin sentido, asegúrate de que te estás poniendo más fuerte. Si usas 50 kilos en tu mejor serie de ocho repeticiones de sentadillas (8RM) tus piernas serán significativamente más grandes que como son ahora. Es así de simple. Los pesos grandes construyen músculos grandes. Punto.

La Importancia de Llevar un Diario de Entrenamiento Puesto que tu meta principal del entrenamiento es fortalecerte, es de suma importancia que lleves un diario de entrenamiento y anotes todos tus pesos, series y repeticiones. Así, cuando entres al gimnasio, sabrás que estás tratando de superar cada entrenamiento. Si no lo anotas, solo serán conjeturas y así nunca harás ningún progreso real. Supera al diario y crecerás.

Pecado #3 de la Musculación: No Entrenar Cada Grupo Muscular con la Frecuencia Suficiente Después de la sobrecarga progresiva el siguiente factor más importante en la construcción de músculo es la frecuencia de entrenamiento. Cuanto más frecuentemente entrenes un músculo (siempre que no te sobreentrenes), mejores serán los resultados. La mayoría de los programas de culturismo te dicen que entrenes cada parte del cuerpo una vez por semana. Pero esto no tiene sentido y será completamente inútil para el tipo delgado promedio tratando de aumentar doce o quince kilos. ¿Cuándo en la vida intentarías mejorar algo haciéndolo sólo una vez por semana? Si quisieras convertirte en un mejor bateador, corredor o tirador, practicarías más a menudo que eso. Así que ¿por qué intentarías mejorar tu pecho o bíceps entrenándolos con tan poca frecuencia? Es absurdo. Los principiantes «verdes» obtendrán resultados mucho mejores al entrenar cada

grupo muscular tres veces por semana y todos los demás harán grandes progresos entrenando una parte del cuerpo dos veces cada 7-10 días. Piénsalo lógicamente un momento. ¿Crees que tus dorsales crecerán más rápido si los entrenas 52 veces al año o 104 veces? ¿O 156 veces? La respuesta debe ser obvia. Olvida las rutinas de una vez por semana, aumenta su frecuencia e inmediatamente pondrás en marcha tu progreso.

Pecado #4 de la Musculación: Hacer los Ejercicios Incorrectos Si estás perdiendo tiempo haciendo kickbacks de tríceps, flexiones concentradas, extensiones de pierna y cruces de cables, puedes olvidarte de llegar a ser más grande y fuerte. El entrenamiento en máquinas debe ser una muy pequeña porción de tu volumen de entrenamiento general (si acaso) y los ejercicios de aislamiento deben ser casi inexistentes en tu programa. La manera de ganar la mayor cantidad de músculo en el menor tiempo es mediante grandes ejercicios compuestos que te permiten usar un montón de peso mientras trabajas el músculo en una gama completa de movimiento. Los mejores ejercicios para cada grupo muscular se enumeran abajo/en la barra lateral. Haz nada más que esos ejercicios el próximo año y concéntrate en ponerte brutalmente fuerte haciéndolos. Cuando lo hagas, tendrás músculos más grandes.

5 Mejores Ejercicios por Grupo Muscular Trapecios Arrancada Colgante Cargada de Potencia Dominada alta Peso muerto Rack Pull Hombros Prensa Militar Con Barra Prensa Militar Con Barra Agarre Neutral Prensa Militar con Mancuernas Prensa Militar con Mancuernas Agarre Neutral Lagartija Parada de Manos

Densidad de Espalda Peso muerto Rack Pull Remo barra T Remo 1 Brazo Remo con Apoyo de Pecho Anchura de la Espalda Dominada con Agarre Neutral Dominada con Agarre Angular Barra con Agarre Angular Dominada Con Anillos Pulldown con Agarre Neutral Pecho Prensa en Barra inclinada 15-30° Prensa Inclinada en Barra 15-30° Agarre Neutral Prensas Inclinadas 15-30° con Mancuernas Prensa Plana con Mancuernas Lagartija Suspendida con Peso Tríceps Barra Paralela o Dip con Anillo Prensa en Tabla Agarre Neutral Prensa de Banca en Declive Agarre Cerrado Prensa de Banca Agarre Invertido Lagartija con Peso Agarre Cerrado Bíceps Flexión Barra EZ Flexión con Mancuerna Flexión Amartillada Flexión con Rueda de Picos Flexión Inclinada 60-75° Cuádriceps Sentadilla Trasera Sentadilla Frontal Sentadilla con Barra de Seguridad Sentadilla con Cinturón Prensas de Pierna Cadena Posterior Elevación de Glúteos Extensión de Espalda a 45° o Paralela Peso Muerto con Pierna Semi Rígida

Hiperextensión Inversa Empuje de Cadera con Barra

Pecado #5 de la Musculación: Usar Muchas Repeticiones y Concentrarse Sólo en el Efecto Bomba Nadie que se haya entrenado con pesas durante algún tiempo podría olvidar esa línea clásica en Pumping Iron cuando Arnold comparó conseguir una buena bomba con tener sexo. Dijo que era la mejor sensación del mundo y muchos culturistas estarían de acuerdo. Personalmente, me encanta conseguir una buena bomba. Pero me he estado entrenando durante más de dos décadas y he acumulado una buena cantidad de masa. Si eres un flaco a quien le cuesta ganar músculo con apenas un gramo de músculo no puedes buscar la bomba. ¿Qué podrías aumentar de todos modos? Para pasar de flaco a musculoso tienes que levantar grandes pesos. Muchos flacos no entienden este concepto básico y eligen en cambio utilizar innumerables series de muchas repeticiones. Persiguen la bomba, pensando que de alguna manera producirá el crecimiento muscular. Pero no sirve. Cuando haces muchas repeticiones tus músculos se hinchan debido al ingreso de sangre en ellos. Esto te da la sensación de tensión que nos encanta, y por un corto tiempo te ves mucho más grande de lo que eres normalmente. Que sólo dura una hora, sin embargo y cuando llegas a casa desde el gimnasio la bomba se ha ido... y lo mismo tus posibles ganancias. Para construir un tamaño real, duradero, te tienes que entrenar con pesas; principalmente en el rango de 5-8 repeticiones. Este es el mejor rango de repeticiones para que los flacos concentren sus esfuerzos para fortalecerse. Cuando entrenas en este rango de repeticiones se provoca un reclutamiento temprano de las fibras musculares IIB, que son las que tienen el mayor potencial de crecimiento. Al mantener bajas las repeticiones te asegurarás de que el peso sea bastante pesado (en el rango de 80-85% de tu máxima rep.) para reclutar todas las unidades motoras posibles desde la primera repetición. Esto lleva a las mayores ganancias de tamaño. Ahora, eso no quiere para decir que no puedas hacer algunas series en el rango de 9-12. Ciertos músculos inferiores del cuerpo realmente responden mejor a repeticiones ligeramente superiores y algunos ejercicios, tales como los del cuello y rotadores externos serían demasiado peligrosos para entrenar con bajas repeticiones y peso pesado.

El problema de concentrarse únicamente en hacer muchas repeticiones, sin embargo, además de ser ineficaces para el crecimiento muscular, es que hacerlo provoca mayores niveles de dolor y fatiga sistémica general. Esto hará imposible que te mantengas bien y siempre capaz de entrenar en o cerca de tu capacidad máxima. Si siempre estás dolorido y fatigado nunca te pondrás enorme.

Pecado #6 de la Musculación: Transformarte en un Gordo en Vez de Poderoso Para aumentar de tamaño, debes comer mucho. No hay manera de evitar este simple hecho. Los estudios han demostrado que los luchadores de sumo en realidad tienen más músculo por pulgada cuadrada que los culturistas competitivos. ¡Y la mayoría de los luchadores de sumo no levantan pesas! Eso te demuestra la potencia anabólica (de construir músculo) de comer. Pero, por supuesto, no quieres terminar pareciendo un luchador de sumo. Por eso tienes que ser inteligente en tu nutrición. Lo primero que necesitas saber sobre la nutrición adecuada para la musculación es que el desayuno no es la comida más importante del día. Está perfectamente bien y de hecho recomendado, que no desayunes... o al menos que lo postergues unas horas. Al esperar por lo menos doce horas entre el momento que terminas tu última comida de la noche anterior y comer tu primera comida de la mañana, le das a tu cuerpo una oportunidad para quemar más grasa corporal, limpiar las células y desintoxicarse un poco. Comer constantemente, todo el día, es muy estresante para el sistema digestivo y solo lleva a problemas de salud y aumento de grasa. El viejo mito acerca de tener que comer 6-8 comidas diarias es una tontería. La investigación reciente ha demostrado que una comida provoca una elevación de la síntesis de proteínas durante cuatro horas, mientras se consuma suficiente proteína (aproximadamente 35-50 gramos). Para hacerlo simple, toma tu peso corporal y come esa cantidad de proteína por día, dividida en 3-4 comidas, espaciadas por unas 3.5-5 horas de diferencia. Así que si pesas 100 kilos, comerías cuatro comidas, cada una conteniendo unos veinticinco gramos de proteína. Asegúrate de obtener tu proteína de fuentes orgánicas y concéntrate en la carne de pastoreo, pollos de granja, huevos y pescado salvaje. Las aves y el pescado de factoría junto con la carne de res alimentada con granos tienen un perfil muy pobre de ácidos grasos y también están llenos de compuestos estrogénicos que pueden causar un aumento en la grasa corporal.

Otra manera de evitar engordar es restringir los carbohidratos hasta el momento cercano a tus entrenamientos y por las noches. Solo poco antes, durante y después de entrenar debes consumir algunos carbohidratos de acción rápida y proteína para darles combustible a tus entrenamientos, aumentar la síntesis de proteínas y reponer el glucógeno cuando termines. Los carbohidratos después del entrenamiento también pueden atenuar la respuesta de cortisol y evitar cualquier respuesta disminuida del sistema inmune. En los días libres, los carbohidratos deben consumirse por la noche. Esto ayudará a la liberación de serotonina, la relajación y la recuperación. También te facilita la vida social, sabiendo que puedes comer los alimentos que disfrutas por la noche mientras los restringes durante el día. Para más detalle sobre este estilo de comer, checa la Dieta del Renegado. Los 8 Mejores Suplementos: Proteína de pastoreo Bebida Peri Workout Omega-3 Mixed Greens BCAA Vitamina D Probióticos. Enzimas Digestivas

Pecado #7 de la Musculación: Ignorar La Importancia de la Recuperación No construyes músculo mientras estás en el gimnasio. Lo construyes después del entrenamiento, cuando te estás recuperando. El entrenamiento es simplemente el estímulo. Después de eso tienes que proporcionarle a tu cuerpo una nutrición adecuada y suficiente descanso, de lo contrario nunca experimentarás un crecimiento significativo. La mejor manera de mejorar tu recuperación es dormir bien más tiempo. Sin suficiente sueño, tus ganancias siempre serán mediocres, en el mejor de los casos. Durante el sueño profundo tu cuerpo sana y repara el daño que les has hecho durante tu entrenamiento. Entonces es cuando hay crecimiento muscular. Para tener las ganancias más rápidas tienes que dormir al menos ocho horas por día. La falta de sueño baja tus niveles de testosterona y aumenta tus niveles de cortisol. Para aquellos que lo hayan olvidado, la testosterona es la hormona que construye el

músculo y el cortisol es la hormona que come el tejido muscular y aumenta la grasa corporal. NO quieres alterar eso si quieres tener un físico impresionante. La privación de sueño también disminuye tu sensibilidad a la insulina, lo que significa que se verá afectada la capacidad de tu cuerpo para tolerar y procesar los carbohidratos sin engordar. La conclusión es que dormir más equivale a más músculos y menos grasa. A continuación hay diez consejos para ayudarte a dormir mejor:

Ve a dormir a las 10:30 u 11, a más tardar. Toma un baño frío o ducha helado 30-60 minutos antes de la hora en que

quieras quedarte dormido. Entrena antes de las 4 de la tarde. Entrenarse más tarde puede hacer que

muchos tengan dificultades para dormirse porque están demasiado acelerados por el entrenamiento.

Retira o desconecta todos los electrónicos de tu dormitorio. Sí, esto incluye la TV.

Sal de la computadora a las 8 de la noche. La brillante luz de fondo sobreestimula la glándula pineal, y eso te dificultará dormirte.

Lee un libro. Solo asegúrate de que no sea muy estimulante. Atenúa las luces dos horas antes de que quieras irte a la cama. Las luces

brillantes engañan a tu cuerpo para pensar es de día y esto te mantendrá despierto.

Come carbohidratos a la noche, como indica La Dieta del Renegado. El consumo de carbohidratos provoca la liberación de serotonina, que te ayuda a relajarte.

Termina de comer por lo menos una hora o dos antes de ir a la cama. Ten relaciones sexuales. Esto rara vez falla.

Además de tener más sueño de calidad, deberías practicar diariamente meditación, recibir un masaje al menos una vez al mes, utilizar el rodillo de espuma, pelota de lacrosse, tubería de PVC, y Tiger Wheel para la liberación miofascial y hacer trabajo de movilidad y flexibilidad tan a menudo como sea posible. Al incorporar cada uno de estos métodos en tu rutina semanal aumentarás dramáticamente tus resultados.

Pecado #8 de la Musculación: No Tener un Plan Como dice el viejo cliché, no planear es planear para fallar. A pesar de lo que puedas haber oído en un infomercial nocturno o leído en tu revista favorita de culturismo, "el principio de confusión muscular" es una broma. No necesitas cambiar aleatoriamente tus entrenamientos para mantener a tus músculos

adivinando. Para ponerte más grande y más fuerte necesitas consistencia; un plan a seguir religiosamente, semana tras semana. Si vas al gimnasio a improvisar o a cambiar las cosas al azar para "evitar el estancamiento" nunca obtendrás el tamaño ni la fuerza. Eso sería como tratar de ser un mejor atleta practicando fútbol un día, baloncesto el día siguiente y béisbol el siguiente. Sin consistencia no hay resultados.

Saltar de Programa a Programa - La Enfermedad de la Era de la Información Con millones de blogs, sitios web, revistas y libros sobre entrenamiento es muy fácil sufrir de sobrecarga de información y terminar totalmente abrumados. Pero solo si lo permites. Cuando se trata de entrenamiento lo mejor que puedes hacer es seguir una dieta baja en información. Concéntrate en los principios que han resistido la prueba del tiempo y sigue un programa al pie de la letra durante al menos 3-4 meses. Si empiezas a dudar o a conjeturar, nunca llegarás a ninguna parte. Tienes que creer en ti mismo y el programa que estás haciendo para tener éxito. En estos días, al parecer todo el mundo salta de programa en programa. Empiezan el programa búlgaro una semana, luego cambias al ruso de musculación a la siguiente. Al mes siguiente están haciendo otro para musculación extrema durante dos semanas hasta que leen sobre otra cosa que parece más emocionante. Si haces eso puedo prometerte que tendrás el tamaño exacto y la fuerza que tienes hoy dentro de un año. ¿No es triste y deprimente?

Lo Que Realmente Cuenta Como ya hemos discutido, lo único que realmente importa cuando se trata de construir músculo es ser más fuerte. Evita el sobreentrenamiento y agrega peso a la barra. Eso es todo. En el Pecado #4 de la Musculación encontrarás los 5 ejercicios principales para cada grupo muscular. Esos son los únicos en los que deberías concentrarte. Olvídate de los ejercicios de aislamiento y no te preocupes por nada más que por ponerte brutalmente fuerte en cada uno de esos movimientos en los próximos 6-12 meses. Si pones 15-45 kilos en cada levantamiento durante ese tiempo, te garantizo que serás significativamente más grande que ahora. No es ciencia nuclear. Sólo necesitas concentrarte en lo que es importante y hacer caso omiso de todo lo demás.

Pecado #9 de la Musculación: No Rotar Adecuadamente Tu Entrenamiento En un mundo perfecto podrías entrenar 52 semanas al año. Cada entrenamiento sería emocionante. Eso es divertido y es lo que nos encanta hacer. Por desgracia, sólo somos humanos y eventualmente nos agotamos. Cuando entrenas con demasiada intensidad durante demasiado tiempo, dejas de progresar. Después tal vez hasta puedes retroceder. Y finalmente empiezas a lesionarte. Este es el peor escenario. Para evitar las mesetas frustrantes y las lesiones tienes que cambiar la intensidad del entrenamiento. Cuando empiezas un nuevo programa debes tomarlo con calma. La primera semana es la semana de introducción y no necesitas hacer nada demasiado intenso. La segunda semana debería ser un poco más difícil y entonces realmente puedes empezar a esforzarte en la tercera semana. Después de 6-12 semanas de entrenamiento intenso, tu cuerpo necesitará un descanso. Si eres joven y estás empezando, puedes hacer las 12 semanas completas. Si eres mayor de 35 y han estado entrenando durante unos años estarías mejor con 6-8 semanas de duro entrenamiento, seguido por una semana con menos peso o una semana completa libre. Cuando hagas una semana con menos peso, deberías reducir el volumen del entrenamiento un 40% y reducir los pesos que usas un 20%. Sólo ve al gimnasio y trabaja. Durante una semana libre o de menos peso, también tienes que reducir un 25% tus calorías para darle un descanso a tu sistema digestivo. Muchos tienen miedo de tomarse una semana libre porque creen que se encogerán; sin embargo, nada podría estar más lejos de la verdad. Si necesita una prueba de por qué no es cierto, no necesitas ver más allá de los atletas competitivos que sólo se entrenan seriamente unos meses al año. Los futbolistas entran en campo de juego en agosto y a veces juegan hasta mediados de enero. Después de la temporada están tan agotados que necesitan de uno a tres meses sin realizar ninguna actividad física. Así que digamos que no levantan nada de peso hasta marzo o abril. Eso les deja con sólo cuatro o cinco meses de entrenamiento en serio. Después de eso básicamente siguen un programa de mantenimiento durante toda la temporada. ¿Y ves que esos tipos pierden músculo?

Para nada. De hecho, la mayoría sigue construyendo más músculo y haciéndose más fuertes cada año. El cuerpo no está hecho simplemente para ir a toda velocidad y levantar pesas 52 semanas seguidas.

Pecado #10 de la Musculación: Lesionarte El mejor plan de entrenamiento y nutrición en el mundo es inútil si te estás lesionando constantemente. Confía en mí; eso hice cuando era joven y estúpido. Algunas lesiones son inevitables; es sólo una parte del entrenamiento o de la competición. Los atletas conocen y aceptan estos riesgos. Pero ser estúpido y lesionarte es otra historia. Eso es algo que no puedes hacer si quieres tener éxito en tus esfuerzos de entrenamiento de fuerza. El entrenamiento duro es genial, pero también tienes que entrenar con inteligencia. Eso empieza con asegurarte de calentar minuciosamente antes de cada entrenamiento para preparar el cuerpo para el esfuerzo de levantar pesos pesados. Empieza tus entrenamientos saltando a la cuerda o haciendo algunos ejercicios de calistenia como saltos y escaladores de montaña para elevar tu temperatura. Después pasa a una serie de ejercicios de preparación de las articulaciones y movilidad junto con algunos ejercicios clave de activación muscular. Eso no te debe tomar más de diez minutos. Cuando empieces con tus ejercicios principales asegúrate de no entrar de lleno en tu serie más pesada, y en cambio ve progresando a lo largo de varias series progresivamente más pesadas. También tienes que escuchar a tu cuerpo.

En un mundo perfecto podrías tener un entrenamiento perfecto cada vez que vas al gimnasio. Tu motivación y energía serían altísimas y te sentirías como 1 millón de dólares, libre de cualquier dolor o molestia. Agregarías un par de kilos o un par de repeticiones a cada levantamiento. Lamentablemente vivimos en el mundo real, lo que significa que de cada diez entrenamientos podrías tener cinco entrenamientos geniales, tres buenos y dos realmente malos. Así son las cosas. Y cuanto más tiempo te has estado entrenando, menos a menudo habrá días geniales. Por eso es imprescindible que escuches a tu cuerpo. Físicamente no puedes agregar peso indefinidamente. Si fuera posible, todos estaríamos levantando 500 kilos en pocos años. Simplemente no funciona así.

Una de las mejores maneras de evitar las lesiones es no entrenar en los días en que no te sientes preparado. Tal vez rompiste con tu novia o tuviste un día agotador en el trabajo. Cualquier cosa que te deje sintiéndote menos que sobrehumano tienes que tenerla en cuenta. Tratar de presionarte teniendo fatiga mental y física en un día que no te sientes bien es una buena manera de lesionarte. En esos días debes abandonar, sabiendo que no logarás ningún récord, o simplemente debe irte del gimnasio y regresar al día siguiente cuando te sientas mejor. Para aumentar de tamaño y fuerza, debes mantenerte sano.

¿Qué Sigue? Ahora sabes qué errores tienes que evitar a toda costa. La próxima cosa que necesitas es un programa totalmente detallado para seguir. Mi programa Secretos para Ganar Músculo fue diseñado específicamente para el flaco que quiera ganar cantidades masivas de tamaño. Ha funcionado para miles de personas en todo el mundo (como las de las fotos de abajo) y funcionará para ti. La mejor parte es que viene con un mes gratis en mi exclusivo programa de entrenamiento en línea, lo que significa que contestaré todas sus preguntas personalmente y podré guiarte a través de todo el proceso, asegurando tu éxito. Estoy deseando hablar contigo adentro, ¡Buena suerte!

Jason Ferruggia Propietario de Renegade Strength & Conditioning, LLC. Consultor en Jefe sobre Entrenamiento de la revista Men”s Fitness Miembro del Consejo de Consultores de Live Strong

http://tinyurl.com/ESSecretosParaGanarMusculo

MMuussccllee GGaaiinniinngg SSeeccrreettss

TThhee HHaarrddggaaiinneerrss GGuuiiddee ttoo GGeettttiinngg BBiigg && RRiippppeedd

By Jason Ferruggia

2

DDiissccllaaiimmeerr

You must get your physician�s approval before beginning this exercise

program. These recommendations are not medical guidelines but are for

educational purposes only. You must consult your physician prior to starting this

program or if you have any medical condition or injury that contraindicates physical

activity. This program is designed for healthy individuals 18 years and older only.

The information in this report is not meant to supplement, nor replace, proper

exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and

publishers advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their

limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is

well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude,

training and fitness. The exercises and dietary programs in this book are not

intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or treatment or dietary regimen

that may have been prescribed by your physician.

Don�t lift heavy weights if you are alone, inexperienced, injured, or fatigued. Always

ask for instruction and assistance when lifting. Don�t perform any exercise without

proper instruction.

See your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. If you are

taking any medications, you must talk to your physician before starting any exercise

program, including Muscle Gaining Secrets. If you experience any lightheadedness,

dizziness, or shortness of breath while exercising, stop the movement and consult a

physician.

You must have a complete physical examination if you are sedentary, if you have

high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, if you are overweight, or if you

are over 30 years old. Please discuss all nutritional changes with your physician or a

registered dietician.

3

This publication is intended for informational use only. Jason Ferruggia and

www.MuscleGainingSecrets.com will not assume any liability or be held responsible

for any form of injury, personal loss or illness caused by the utilization of this

information.

4

TTaabbllee ooff CCoonntteennttss

Chapter 1- Introduction 7

Chapter 2- The Everlasting Bond 10

Chapter 3- The Importance of Physical Strength 12

Chapter 4- The Training Effect 15

Chapter 5- The Seven Critical Factors 18

• Exercise Selection 18

• Training Volume 20

• Number of Reps Used 24

• Rep Speed 29

• Rest Intervals 30

• Training Session Length 30

• Training Session Frequency 34

Chapter 6- Intensity 36

Chapter 7- Neck & Shoulder Training 39

Chapter 8- Back Training 43

Chapter 9- Chest Training 54

5

Chapter 10- Arm Training 57

Chapter 11- Leg Training 63

Chapter 12- Extreme Stretching 71

Chapter 13- Putting it All Together: The MGS Workouts 75

• The Beginner Workout Plan 76

• The Intermediate Workout Plan 78

• The Advanced Workout Plan 85

Chapter 14- Fat Burning Cardio 96

Chapter 15- Recovery Methods 110

Chapter 16- Mass Building Nutrition 116

Chapter 17- The Truth About Supplements 150

Chapter 18- Training Partners 174

Chapter 19- Training Music 178

Chapter 20- Questions & Answers 182

Chapter 21- Conclusion 192

About the Author 196

6

CChhaapptteerr 11:: IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn

�A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you

believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the

dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice

the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are

worthwhile, it can be done.�

Vince Lombardi

When it comes to muscle building genetics I am probably at the bottom of the barrel.

Neither of my parents are over 5�7� or 140 pounds soaking wet. In fact, almost no

one on either side of our family is even close to what you would describe as �big.�

There is one exception, however, and that is my Uncle Rory from Scotland. Uncle

Rory stood six feet, three inches tall, and was one of the biggest guys I�ve ever seen.

He had traps that touched his ears and forearms so massive that Popeye would have

been jealous.

Uncle Rory loved to lift heavy weights and was a regular competitor in the Highland

Games which is Scotland�s traditional strongman contest. I remember going to

watch him as a kid. Sometimes while he was warming up I would try to move one of

the anvils or lift the caber, which is basically a telephone pole, slightly off the

ground. Uncle Rory would look at me and say �Whit ye doin, ya wee bugger? Ya

cannae bloody well lift that.� Then he would pick up the object like it was a feather

while roaring with laughter. �One day,� he told me. It was then and there that I

decided I wanted to be big and strong when I grew up, just like my Uncle Rory.

I started lifting weights when I was 13 years old and a few months away from my

freshman year of high school. I was officially the world�s biggest weakling at the time

and weighed less than 100 pounds. I hadn�t seen Uncle Rory in a few years, but my

cousin had started dating a professional wrestler and he became my new inspiration.

He wrote me a training program and I began my quest.

7

Four years later, I graduated high school at six feet tall and a whopping 147 pounds.

If I turned sideways, you�d have a hard time seeing me. I was still relying on advice

I got from the muscle magazines and from a 285-pound, steroid-using professional

wrestler.

Twenty years later, and after thousands of hours spent training, studying,

researching, and experimenting, I�m confident that I finally know what truly makes

for effective strength training. It took a long time, but I wouldn�t have changed a

thing. It was how I learned everything that I am about to share with you in this

training manual. This information is battle tested and has been proven thousands of

times over, and that is why you should trust every word you read here.

Many years ago I decided that I wanted to make a living training others, so I opened

up my own underground, hardcore gym in New Jersey. For years and years I have

had clients come to me with one goal in mind��I wanna get huge,� they tell me.

Often times these are high school or college kids who only have 12 weeks in the

summer to train with me before they head back to school. Time and time again I

have granted their wishes and helped them pack 20 to 30 pounds of muscle on to

their physiques in three months or less. Now before you say, �Well, it�s easier for

kids to grow than it is for adults,� I must inform you that I have had equal success

using these types of programs with clients of all ages. A close friend of mine came to

me shortly after his 40th birthday and said the same thing, �Help me get big.� Sure

enough, after doing everything I told him, he had packed on over 20 pounds in just

three short months.

I decided to write Muscle Gaining Secrets when I finally got fed up with all the false

promises that are being promoted out there by scam artists who are only out for

your hard earned money. Every time I surf the web lately I see someone else selling

a new muscle building system. The credentials of many of these authors are very

questionable, and the fact that they have never trained a single solitary soul is even

more disheartening.

The information you are about to discover is the culmination of 20 years of extensive

research and in-the-trenches experience. For over two decades I have studied the

8

work of the Iron Game pioneers and wouldn�t be where I am today if it weren�t for

them. For this reason I must dedicate Muscle Gaining Secrets to the legends of Iron;

men like: Paul Anderson, Arthur Saxon, George Hackenshmidt, Vince Gironda, Bill

Pearl, John Grimek, Arnold Shwarzenegger, David Rigert, Louie Simmons, and too

many others to name.

And respected researchers like: Robert Roman, Leonid Matveyev, Dr. Mel Siff, Dr.

Yuri Verkoshansky and Professor Vladimir Zatsiorsky.

Over the course of my training career I have taken everything that I learned from

these great pioneers and countless other world renowned strength training experts

(many of whom I now call personal friends) and combined it with thousands of hours

of real world experience to create what I believe to be the most effective muscle

building system on the planet.

I must warn you, however, that if you are looking for a bunch of scientific terms and

references you are going to be disappointed because I have included very few.

Although I have read just about every study ever conducted in regards to strength

training and nutrition, I realize that most of you would care not to. For that reason I

have taken all of the science and all my years of experimentation on thousands of

human guinea pigs, and condensed it down into one easy to read manual containing

only that which you absolutely need to know in order to get massively big, strong

and ripped.

The information contained in Muscle Gaining Secrets is time tested and proven to

work, without fail. I have used these methods with hundreds of high school, college

and professional athletes, armed forces members, Hollywood stars and thousands of

every day regular people. The results have been astounding and the program works

every time.

Follow the plan to the letter and you will get mind blowing results.

Now let�s get to it.

9

CChhaapptteerr 22:: TThhee EEvveerrllaassttiinngg BBoonndd

"The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen

to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total bastard.

The Iron will always kick you in the real deal. The Iron is the

great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver,

always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the

iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me,

never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred

pounds is always two hundred pounds.�

Henry Rollins

I �train�, I don�t �work out�. I have never �worked out� in my entire life. There is a

huge difference between the two. I can�t work out. I don�t know how. Even if I did I

would never do it. It�s what �they� do, and I will never be one of �them.� I only know

one way and that is to go to the gym and train hard. If I can�t do that, I won�t bother

going. Mindlessly going through the motions to get a �good workout� is not

something I have ever been interested in.

I train and I constantly strive to make progress.

Training is so much more than working out. It helps you get to know yourself better.

It shows you what you�re really made of and how hard you�re willing to work and

persevere to overcome an obstacle. Training is a release. It's a time to leave all the

problems of the world behind and go to battle with yourself or your training partners.

The iron can be your best friend and your worst enemy all at once. But it will always

be there for you when you need it. When you establish this kind of relationship with

the iron you will have something so much more meaningful than those who simply

go to the gym to get a pump, pick up girls, and socialize.

Working out is what the general public does to get in a little better shape. They go to

the gym because they have to. They don�t love it, and they don�t live for it. But to

10

those of us who feel most at home pushing heavy weight in some hole-in-the-wall

hardcore gym, training is our passion.

I've gone to battle with the iron and come out on the losing end many times. I've

strained, pulled, and torn muscles and ligaments. I've screwed up my back and

injured my knees. I've sweat, bled, and puked�all in the same workout. But I do it

because I love it.

The quest for strength is one of man�s basic instincts. It is something that has been

pursued fervently since the beginning of time, because, as the old cliché goes, only

the strong survive.

Lifting weights can have an endless array of health benefits, but let�s be honest�

that's not why we do it. The people at the local fitness center do it for those

reasons, but not us. We do it for that feeling of going to battle, the rush of hitting a

new max, and to meet the challenge of pain and suffering that come along with it.

We do it because we love to set goals and bust our asses in pursuit of them. We do

it because it allows us to release all our pent-up anger and aggression. We do it

because we know most others don't have the balls to train like we do. We do it for

that feeling of camaraderie and competition amongst training partners. We do it for

the feeling that you can only get when you have a mind-numbingly heavy weight in

your hands, straining for all that you're worth, while your training partners are

screaming in your ear, Slayer is blasting on the radio, and you�re slowly grinding

toward that goal you've been chasing. That is why we do what we do.

11

CChhaapptteerr 33:: TThhee IImmppoorrttaannccee ooff PPhhyyssiiccaall SSttrreennggtthh

There are few things more important in life than physical strength. This may sound

outlandish to some of you given that the technology in today�s world has replaced

the need to do so much manual labor, but it�s true. This has been true since the

beginning of time when we had to fight for our survival and it will remain true no

matter how many machines they build. There is no more basic alpha-male instinct

than the quest for strength. The old saying �only the strongest shall survive� has

never lost its meaning or relevance because it is an eternal and universal truth.

Though we no longer need to capture and kill our food and we now have the comfort

of modern amenities, physical strength is no less important. Every physical task that

you engage in will be significantly easier and done with much greater proficiency if

you are strong. High levels of strength boost confidence levels and help you survive

in today�s society. Given the statistics on crime and other unforeseen problems such

as storms, natural disasters and car accidents that the average man can encounter

on a regular basis, it is almost irresponsible not to maximize your strength levels

which in turn maximize your chances of survival.

Without strength, how can you even consider yourself a real man? How can you look

in the mirror and live with yourself if you see a pathetically weak image staring back

at you? How can you protect your wife or girlfriend, command the respect of your

peers, or be a role model to your kids?

Strength is what separates the men from the boys in today�s society, and despite

what certain individuals may try to tell you, the quest for it is nothing to be ashamed

of. Those who put you down for going to a gym to lift heavy weights are ashamed of

who they are. They call us �meatheads� and make jokes when we are not around

(they rarely have the balls to say them to our faces), but it�s their own lack of

strength, and their lack of the discipline it takes to make gains that makes them feel

inferior. They have either tried to improve their bodies and failed, or they never had

the guts to try at all. They�ll try to tell you you�re wasting your time��be normal and

12

come out drinking with us instead of going to the gym,� they�ll say. Forget about

them. If you were satisfied with being normal, you wouldn�t be reading this. Train,

eat, sleep, read this manual, and stay the course�you�ll make fools of those people

in no time.

Now I know that some of you may be thinking to yourselves right now, �I just want

to get big, I don�t care about getting strong.� Not only is that the wrong attitude to

take but it will cause you to fail in your attempt to build massive amounts of size.

For those that don't already know, there are a few different ways to make progress

in your workouts; you can increase the load (lift heavier weights), you can increase

the density (do more work in the same time frame), and you can even do the same

amount of work in less time.

But I can guarantee you that if you are still using the same weights today

that you were using two years ago, or even two weeks ago, you are not

making progress. You simply cannot get significantly bigger without lifting

heavier weights. You can set the stopwatch and do all your little supersets and

drop sets until you are blue in the face, but a 185-pound squat is still a 185 pound-

squat, no matter how you do it.

The fastest and easiest way to ensure continued progress in the weight room is to

constantly strive to lift more weight and get stronger. People want to make every

excuse under the sun and will try every system they can find to get around this

simple fact. One of my favorite excuses is that what I am suggesting is impossible

because no one can continue to get strong forever and continually add weight to the

bar. If that were possible, then the world would be filled with 1,000-pound bench

pressers, they say. As opposed to all of the 405-pound benchers out there, right?

Right. I mean how many times do you ever see a single human being in a public gym

bench press 405 pounds?! One guy out of 1,000 maybe? Give me a freaking break!

Yes, it�s true; no one can keep adding weight to the bar indefinitely. But who (name

me one guy you know personally) has ever maxed out their strength levels?! Not one

person! Not a single, solitary soul! Why don't you see tons of extremely strong guys

13

in the gym everyday? Because most people have no idea how to train properly and

make progress.

To further emphasize my point about the importance of getting brutally strong, I ask

you to look at powerlifters�guys whose only purpose in training is to lift really heavy

weights� and the incredible size and thickness they possess (this holds true even

with lighter powerlifters). Tons of people lift weights on a regular basis; many of

them would even consider themselves bodybuilders. But why aren�t more of them

significantly bigger? Why do so many people who use light weights and pumping

workouts not possess anywhere near the muscularity of the average powerlifter? I�ll

tell you why; it�s because the only way to build that kind of real, lasting size is with

heavy weights.

THE BOTTOM LINE

If you only take a few ideas from this manual, this is one of the most important

ones. You must continually strive to get stronger and constantly be adding weight to

the bar if you ever want to see significant, head turning muscle growth. If this wasn�t

the case then why is it that everyone who is incredibly strong is also usually

incredibly big? Have you ever seen someone who can bench press four hundred

pounds or squat five hundred that is small? Probably not, because not too many of

those people exist.

Remember�Only the strong survive.

14

CChhaapptteerr 44:: TThhee TTrraaiinniinngg EEffffeecctt

Most people spend the majority of their time in a state of homeostasis. This means

that they are not building muscle and they are not losing muscle. The only way to

disrupt this state of homeostasis is to impose great stress on the body.

Stress can come in many different forms, such as mental, emotional, and physical.

For the purpose of building muscle, we want to focus on physical stress.

Here�s a basic example of the effects of a physical stress. When a person lies out in

the sun for the first time at the beginning of summer, he is applying a form of stress

to the body. The body adapts to the stress by darkening the skin�either burning or

tanning. If you lie out for just the right amount of time, you will get tan. If you lie

out for too long, you will get burned. The body will adapt one way or the other.

Let�s assume that you didn�t overdo it and were able to get tan in the 15 minutes

you spent lying out. What would happen if you laid out again the next day for

another 15 minutes? Would you get tanner? No, you wouldn�t, because you have

already adapted to that stress and are prepared for that demand the next time you

impose it upon the body. That is your new level of homeostasis. To achieve a deeper

tan, you will need to lie out for a longer amount of time or use less sunblock. But

doing the same thing again will not elicit an adaptation response.

You need to remember this important point when you are training: doing the exact

same thing for a second time, be it lying out in the sun for the same amount

of time or lifting the same weight for the same number of sets and reps, will

not force the body to adapt in any way.

Another example of this is a person who just starts a manual labor job. The new

demands placed upon the body will leave the worker extremely fatigued at the end

of each day. The body, however, will begin to accept this level of activity as the new

homeostasis and, in time, will adapt. Eventually the worker will not be overly

15

fatigued from his daily regimen because the body will have successfully adapted to

it.

You need to impose stress on the body in a way that it is not used to in order to

force adaptation. For the purposes of building size and strength that can be done by

lifting more weight, doing more reps with the same weight or increasing your

training volume. Once you impose the new demands, your body will adapt and reach

a new level of homeostasis.

After imposing a new demand on the body, the initial response is always fatigue. The

body will fight to return to its previous level of homeostasis, but will not stop there.

It wants to be prepared for that demand the next time it�s faced with it, so the body

will actually super or overcompensate and build itself up bigger and stronger. That is

the training effect.

How do you know if you have recovered and thus achieved the training effect? It�s

very simple; you will be able to exceed your previous performance in the gym (lift

heavier weights or do more reps with the same weight). If you can�t exceed your

previous performance you either did too many sets, trained for too long, didn�t take

enough time between workouts, didn�t eat or sleep properly, or didn�t use proper

recovery methods (as discussed in Chapter 16)

THE BOTTOM LINE

Remember, effective training in its simplest form is applying a new stress to the

body that it is not used to or prepared for which forces adaptation and then

recovery. This can also be called the law of progressive overload. The end result is a

bigger and stronger muscle. This is why you must always strive to beat your

previous week�s performance and constantly be adding weight to the bar or doing

more reps with the same weight. You simply can not do the same thing even once or

are you are wasting your time and will never get anywhere. Your body adapts to the

same weights and reps in just one workout. When you repeat that workout for a

second time you have absolutely no choice but to go up in weight or reps. This point

can not be overstated and must not be forgotten. Every workout is essentially a

battle between you and your training journal, and you must do all that you can to

16

ensure that you emerge victorious each and every time. If you don�t adhere to this

crucially important rule you will never develop the muscular physique you�re after.

17

CChhaapptteerr 55:: TThhee SSeevveenn CCrriittiiccaall FFaaccttoorrss

When it comes to constructing the ultimate training plan, there are seven critical

factors that need to be addressed and they are:

• Exercise selection

• Training volume

• Number of reps used

• Rep speed

• Rest intervals between sets

• Training session length

• Training session and body part frequency

FACTOR # 1: EXERCISE SELECTION

The best exercises are always multi-joint, compound, movements such as

squats, deadlifts, rows, dips, chin ups and military presses that use free

weights or bodyweight as resistance. There are no machine exercises that could

ever compare; end of story. My advice is to avoid them all like the plague.

Here�s another good rule of thumb: Any exercise that makes you look like a fruitcake

in any manner is instantly disqualified as a useful exercise.

Remember that important tip.

Another characteristic of the best exercises is that they are usually those that allow

you to use the most weight. The more weight you can handle for a particular body

part, the greater the growth stimulus. For example, a close-grip bench press is way

more effective than a triceps extension because you can use triple the amount of

weight. A Romanian deadlift is a far better hamstring exercise than a leg curl for the

same reason. Along those lines, bench presses will always blow flyes and cable

crossovers off the map because someone who can bench 315 usually can only use

40�s on a flye. That�s more than a 200-pound difference between the two exercises.

18

Yet another marker of a great mass building exercise is that it allows you to move

your body through space instead of simply moving your limbs. Let me explain�

Every four years, when the Summer Olympics roll around, I am, without fail, asked

the same question on an almost daily basis. �What do I have to do to look like those

Olympic gymnasts?� With gymnastics being one of the most widely covered Olympic

sports, everyone talks about the awe-inspiring physiques displayed by these amazing

athletes. What�s really interesting about gymnasts is the fact that they do not train

for size, yet they display unbelievable levels of muscularity. This is because of the

kinds of exercises they do.

Every exercise a gymnast does involves moving his body through space. He never

moves a fixed object around his body (like you do with most weight training

machines). By moving your own body weight or your own body weight plus added

resistance (such as when you do a traditional barbell squat) through space, you

increase neuromuscular activation. A higher level of neuromuscular activation means

that the nerves are sending a stronger signal to the muscles to recruit more fibers.

This is very important because the nerves control muscle maintenance and

development. If you cut a nerve to a muscle you will find that atrophy begins almost

immediately. The loss of a nerve signal will actually induce muscle loss faster than

lack of use. On the other hand, when you force the nerves to organize the action of a

lot of muscle fibers at once, you allow for a lot of growth and strength to develop.

Besides just moving your body through space, most gymnastic exercises require

balance and coordination, which further increase the nervous system activity.

Stabilizer muscles are also called upon heavily to steady the load, so you get more

complete muscular development. Finally, any exercise that has a fear factor

involved, such as a heavy squat or, in this case, the fear of falling off the rings and

severely injuring yourself, can greatly increase the activity of the nervous system,

and therefore muscle recruitment.

So any movement where you are moving your body through space is far more

effective than one where you are merely moving your limbs, even if it means you

have to use slightly less weight. An example of this would be the superiority of

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squats over leg presses. You can normally use nearly double the weight on a leg

press that you can on a squat, however this does not make a leg press more

effective. In fact, leg presses, while being an extremely effective mass building

exercise, aren�t even in the same ballpark as squats; no leg exercise is. This is not

only because you are moving your entire body through space when you squat but

because you are also using every muscle in your body to stabilize the weight. A

1,000-pound leg press is still a machine exercise where you move your limbs instead

of your body.

How many different exercises should I use?

A huge mistake that a lot of people make in their training is that they use too many

exercises. Constantly switching exercises and rarely repeating the same one more

than a few times per year is a good way to guarantee yourself a complete lack of

progress. By regularly rotating through countless exercises you never have anything

to gauge your progress against and don�t know if you are actually getting stronger

because the weight you�re able to use varies so much between different exercises.

On the opposite side of the coin are those people that rarely ever switch the

exercises that they use. I have seen some people do the same few exercises for an

eternity. You have to remember that your body is constantly adapting and will

eventually grow accustomed to the exercise and you will reach a point where you

can no longer go up in weight. This will usually happen within 4-8 weeks of using the

same exercise and will signify that it is time to move onto a new one.

The best thing you can do if you want to continually get bigger and stronger is have

a list of the 4-8 most effective exercises per body part. Stick with those and rotate

through them throughout the year. More exercises than that are really not needed

and will do very little to help you make faster progress.

FACTOR # 2: TRAINING VOLUME

Training volume can basically be defined in its simplest form as the total number of

sets you do at any given workout. A more complete definition would be the total

amount of weight lifted during the workout. This can be determined by multiplying

the weight lifted by the total number of sets and reps. Therefore if you squatted 150

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pounds for three sets of ten the formula would look like this: 150lbs x 3 sets x 10

reps= 4500.

How many sets should I do per exercise?

I hope you are sitting down because what I am going to tell you will probably shock

you. I know most of you are used to doing at least three sets per exercise. After all,

three sets of ten is the most popular set and rep scheme on the planet. Some of you

may even be doing more sets than that. I was right there with you several years

back. I was told by certain so called experts that I had to do at least four to six sets

per exercise if I ever wanted to get big. Unfortunately that approach led to me

remaining small and getting injured quite frequently.

The real deal, bottom line truth is this-- there is very rarely any need for you to

ever do more than two work sets at the same rep range, with the same

weight, per exercise. If you can�t accomplish your goals with those two sets you

are probably not working hard enough or smart enough.

But don�t just take my word for it; listen to what one of the most successful and

massive bodybuilders of all time, seven time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates had to say on

the subject:

�I'll do one or two sets per exercise. If you haven't done the job by then, it's not

going to happen." (Blood & Guts, 1993)

The only exception I make to this rule is with absolute newbie beginners. That is

because as a beginner you need more exposures to the same stimulus because you

have not maximized the firing efficiency or your central nervous system just yet.

Also, beginners are doing exercises for the first time so they need to do them more

often just to master perfect technique.

How many sets should I do per workout?

Some fitness experts claim that high volume training is needed to gain muscle mass.

They are even willing to fight to the death to defend their views. However, in my

experience working with thousands of trainees I have found that in most

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cases, 10-12 total sets per workout are all that�s needed to achieve mind

blowing muscle gains. That, my friends, is a far cry from what you see in 99% of

the muscle building programs out there today. I would never recommend a

traditional high volume bodybuilding workout to skinny guys looking to gain size

rapidly. Less is almost always more when it comes to weight training. Most people

are over trained because they do too many sets and reps while neglecting to ever lift

heavy weights. A lot of people also have poor recovery ability because they don�t eat

properly, don�t sleep enough and are stressed out of their mind in today�s busy

society. For this reason, a lower training volume is better for most people, most of

the time than a higher training volume� especially for skinny guys and hardgainers.

If I had to take a guess I would say that most people do between 20 and 30 sets per

workout. If that describes you, then let me ask you a few questions.

What are you accomplishing by doing so many sets? Are the extra sets making you

stronger? Are they making you bigger? What exactly is all that training volume

doing?

"Well,� some people argue, �Arnold did it and so do all pro bodybuilders."

Ok, but that doesn't convince me of anything. Some people succeed in life in spite of

what they do, not because of it. And when making this argument you need to

understand that all pro bodybuilders have superior genetics for building muscle, and

most are on enormous amounts of steroids. Some spend upwards of $60,000 per

year on these drugs. But even so, not as many of them as you think are using the

30�50 sets that you read about in the bodybuilding magazines. The shady truth

behind that is that many magazines have paid these bodybuilders to write about

their training programs and grossly exaggerate what they do in the gym. This is all in

an effort to do two things: create larger than life superhero types and, most

importantly, sell supplements. If they can sucker you in to doing this 50�set

workout, you definitely won�t make progress, and you will mistakenly start looking

for some magical supplement to help you get bigger and stronger. It�s a dirty

business.

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Having said that, the fact still remains that there are large numbers of pro

bodybuilders who do use a training volume that is way too high for the average guy.

If I were to ask any of these bodybuilders why they do 20 sets per body part, I

would be anxious to get an answer that would actually make sense and persuade me

that there is something I'm missing. And please don't tell me you're hitting the

muscles from a variety of angles, blah, blah, blah. That subject has been debated to

death and I don�t believe it to be remotely true. A muscle either contracts or it

doesn�t. And when it contracts it does so from origin to insertion. You can not isolate

a certain part of a muscle. There is no such thing as training the inner or outer pecs

or the upper or lower biceps.

So, I ask of all the high volume junkies, can you honestly give me an explanation

that you believe in as to why you are doing that many sets? And if you still want to

use the "what about bodybuilders" argument, let me again refer you back to the

great Dorian Yates, who said, "I don't believe in doing the traditional 15-20 sets per

bodypart. That's too much work.�(Blood & Guts, 1993)

Traditional bodybuilding dogma tells us that we need to do a certain amount of

damage to the muscle and break it down, then let it rest and build itself up stronger

before training it again. Well, if I do 16 sets for chest today, and then five to seven

days later come back to the gym and my bench has gone from, let�s say, 300 pounds

for six reps to 300 pounds for eight reps, why would that be any different than if I

only did two to four sets for chest and still made the exact same progress? What

exactly would be the difference?

For one thing, if I did the higher-volume workout, I would have depleted my amino

acid pool and glycogen stores, which would take away from my recovery ability. The

high volume would probably cause extreme levels of soreness (Delayed Onset Muscle

Soreness, or DOMS) which has been shown to decrease insulin sensitivity� so if I

eat as many carbs as normal, they�re more likely to make me fatter than help me

recover. Furthermore, my cortisol (a fat-storing stress hormone which eats away

muscle tissue) levels will go up and my testosterone will go down. None of these are

good scenarios.

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For all of these reasons I highly recommend that you steer clear of the traditional

15-20 set per bodypart, high volume training that most bodybuilders and trainers

recommend if you ever want to build enormous amounts of size and strength.

FACTOR # 3: NUMBER OF REPS USED

From the beginning of time, it seems, the typical muscle building rep range has been

8-12. Every bodybuilding magazine and program under the sun always recommends

that you do 8-12 reps in your efforts to build bigger muscles. However, I am here to

tell you that they are way off.

The best rep range for building massive muscle is 5-8 reps.

There is rarely a need to go below five because sets consisting of 1-4 reps increase

strength by improving the nervous systems firing efficiency but do little to build

muscle. On the other hand, eight is actually the highest number of reps you should

do on a regular basis. Read that again and let it sink in before you ever consider

doing another pump up set of 15-20 reps.

Usually, when you do more than eight reps you build up too much lactic acid and

residual fatigue, thus the quality of your sets starts to suffer. Secondly, if you now

understand that the key to getting bigger is to get stronger, you will find it

increasingly difficult to add weight week after week the higher up you go on the rep

scale. It�s easy to continually add weight to your five rep sets but not quite as easy

to add weight to your twelve reps sets. This is a phenomenon I have observed not

only with myself but with hundreds of trainees over the years.

I don�t know who ever came up with the 8-12 rep range but I can tell you for a fact

that it is NOT the best rep range to be using in your quest to get bigger and

stronger. If you go to the gym simply to get a pump then by all means do 8-12 reps

per set. Hell, why not do 20-40? That will give you an even better pump. But I do

hope you realize that getting a pump doesn�t mean you are building muscle. A pump

is the incredibly tight feeling you get after doing a large number of reps. However, a

pump is nothing more than blood engorging the muscle. You increase the blood flow

to the muscle through the high rep activity and the extra blood gets trapped in there.

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This leads to that skin stretching, tight feeling that we all love so much and that

Arnold famously said in Pumping Iron, was better than sex.

You can get a great pump from treading water but everyone knows for a fact that

you will not grow an ounce of muscle from such an activity. Remember, the body

does not want to build muscle and be bigger than it has to be. You have to force it

do it what it does not want to do by lifting extremely heavy weights and leaving it

with absolutely no choice but to grow.

This can not be done with high reps. Most of the times when you exceed eight reps

in a set the weights are simply too light to force any kind of adaptation effect

whatsoever. Sticking with the target range of 5-8 allows you to use brutally heavy

weights and targets the muscle fibers that have the greatest potential for growth.

Not only that, but lower rep training is actually easier to recover from and less

stressful on the body. The old timers like the great Eugene Sandow, Paul Anderson

and George Hackenshmidt rarely trained above five reps. They said that this type of

low rep training produced a �tonic� effect on the body and actually made you more

energized as opposed to being completely wiped out like you are when you train with

high reps. The Russians and Bulgarians also frowned upon the use of high reps and

kept all of their training on the low end of the scale.

Now that I have gotten your attention and hopefully made you realize how effective

the rep range of 5-8 is I am now going to tell you that there are some cases when

you can actually do more reps than that. I know, I know, I just got done imploring

you to never go above eight reps but bare with me here as I explain the instances

when you will want to train with slightly higher reps. It will all make sense when I�m

finished. I promise.

Certain muscle groups or exercises should not be trained incredibly heavy for safety

reasons. Also, some muscle groups just seem to respond better to a slightly higher

rep scheme. Below I have listed the instances in which you can and should go above

the 5-8 rep range.

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Injured Areas or Prehab Exercises: 8-15 reps

If you have suffered an injury it is best not to overload that muscle or joint with

heavy weights. Instead you want to work in a higher rep range with lighter weights

until you have completely healed and rehabbed the injury. Doing this will still allow

you to regain some size and strength while you�re hurt, and will prepare you for the

heavy lifting you will be doing again when you get healthy. Also, if you know that

you are prone to shoulder injuries and include prehab (injury prevention) exercises

in your program for that area such as face pulls, band pull aparts and external

rotations, you should do these exercises in the 8-15 rep range as well. That is

because some of them put your shoulders in a precarious position and just due to

the fact that the musculature you are training with these movements respond better

to higher reps.

Neck Extension and Flexion Exercises: 12-25 reps

Neck exercises should not be done for less than 10-12 reps. The reason for that is

simply a safety issue. When you start loading the neck you have to be extremely

cautious in order to prevent possible injuries. For this reason you want to keep the

reps higher and the weights lighter. I personally prefer to stick with 12-25 reps on

neck exercises. Don�t fret, however, as you will still build muscle. The muscles of the

neck are postural muscles that are slow twitch by nature because they are designed

to hold your head up all day. For this reason they respond exceptionally well to

higher reps.

Parallel Bar Dips: 8-12 reps

This exercise places a lot of stress on the shoulder capsule in the bottom range. It is

for this reason that I recommend lowering yourself only to the point where your

triceps are parallel with the floor and absolutely no lower. Even doing that is not

enough, though. To ensure safety on this exercise you want to keep the reps higher

once you progress past the beginner level and are able to hang significant amounts

of weight from your waist while performing it. As long as you don�t go below eight

reps on this exercise you should be able to hit it hard and heavy without having any

problems.

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Wrist Curls: 10-20 reps

Any time you do a regular or reverse wrist curl you put stress on the wrist joint and

not just the forearm muscles. This is completely fine and not dangerous at all, as

long as you keep the reps on the higher side. I personally prefer 10-20 reps on most

forms of wrist curls. The only exceptions to that rule are behind the back wrist curls

and suitcase wrist curls which place very little stress on the wrists at all and can be

done for as low as five reps. Also, the forearms have been shown time and time

again to respond more favorably to a higher rep scheme and thus will grow more

efficiently when trained in this manner.

Any Kind of Squats or Lower Body Exercises: 5-20 reps

Since the beginning of time lifters have reported great size gains in their legs from

high rep squats. It was the basis of several training books and a favorite method of

many old school bodybuilding authors such as John McCallum. The legendary

professional bodybuilder Tom Platz was known for having the biggest legs of all time

and credited much of his development to high rep squatting. One of my favorite leg

training workouts for intermediate to advanced lifters is one or two incredibly heavy

sets of 5-8 reps followed a few minutes later by one grueling death set of 20 reps. If

you can�t get bigger and stronger from doing that you need to find a new hobby.

One of the reasons high reps work so well on exercises like squats is that you can

still use a very significant load. Whereas a high rep dumbbell curl would force you to

use too light of a weight to stimulate muscle growth, high rep leg training is still

done with respectable poundages. When you load a muscle with a brutally heavy

weight for a long period of time, it has no choice but to grow. High rep squats do just

that.

Calves: 6-20 reps

The calves also seem to respond quite well to higher reps. Standing calf raises can

be trained heavy but should also be hit with higher rep sets on a regular basis as

well. This has to do with the fact that we spend so much time on our feet and that

the calves have adapted to that imposed demand. They require a high load and long

time under tension in order to elicit a growth response. Seated calf raises should

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always be done for at least 10 reps in order to ensure optimal growth. That is

because the seated version of calf raises train the soleus muscle, which is slow twitch

by nature.

What about the supposed �inverse relationship between reps and

training age?�

Nearly everyone who has ever written about training has emphatically stated that

beginners should use high reps on every exercise. They then go on to explain that

the longer you have trained the lower your reps should get. So beginners should use

twenty reps across the board, intermediates should supposedly use ten reps and

advanced lifters should never go above five reps.

This is complete and total nonsense!

In fact, this rule is actually one hundred percent ass backwards. Beginners need to

learn proper exercise form. This can only be done with low rep sets. They simply

don�t have the muscular strength, control or coordination to hold certain positions

safely at their level. For example, a beginner should never squat for more than five

reps because his lower back and abs will fatigue long before his legs do which could

result in a serious injury.

Also, you have to realize that as a beginner you will not be able to handle extremely

heavy weights anyway. So why would you want to lighten the load even more by

doing sets of twenty? It�s ridiculous. You want to lift as heavy as you can with proper

form and this can only be accomplished by sticking with five reps per set.

So the real deal, bottom line truth here is that beginners should always use low reps

and avoid high reps at all costs!

As far as advanced lifters using nothing but low reps goes, this is another

recommendation that doesn�t quite make sense and the truth is actually closer to the

180 degree opposite. When you have been training for more than ten years and have

built up a great deal of strength you will be able to use mind bending weights on

many exercises. If done too often, this can take a toll on your joints and leave your

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body feeling beat up. For this reason, I often recommend to older, more advanced

lifters that they increase their rep range slightly.

FACTOR # 4: REP SPEED

Muscles are made for speed. Don�t ignore this fact and try to force them to do

something they are not meant to do. Any time you see a program written with a slow

concentric (the lifting portion of the exercise) speed, get up and walk away; it's

garbage. You should never lift a weight slowly if you are trying to get big and strong.

It makes no sense. When would you ever consciously lift something slowly in real

life? If you bend down to pick up a box, do you count a full four seconds on your way

up? Of course not. It�s a ridiculous and incredibly flawed concept. The fact is your

fast-twitch muscle fibers have the greatest potential for growth, and are only called

upon maximally when a load is either heavy or the attempt to move it is made with

great speed. A slow rep speed ensures that the load cannot be incredibly heavy, nor

will it be moved with great speed�so it basically limits the involvement of the fast-

twitch fibers and thus the potential for growth. Brilliant idea, huh?

What about lowering the weight slowly? You should always control the eccentric (or

lowering) portion of every exercise you do�never drop the weight, but do not

intentionally go extremely slow! I simply want you to lower the weight under control

and I want the lowering portion of the exercise to be slower than the lifting portion.

That�s it, though! Just be sure that if you had to you could stop the exercise at any

point in the range of motion; it should not be just flying down out of control. But I

don�t want you getting overly concerned about it or thinking that the negative has to

last a certain amount of time. The last thing I want you doing is counting while you

are under a heavy barbell. A controlled two second lowering phase and maybe three

seconds for taller lifters on certain exercises is the range you want to be in. As long

as you are in control of the weight and don�t just drop it, you will be fine.

The problem with using slow, heavy eccentrics on a regular basis is that doing so

takes a lot out of you and leads to much greater levels of soreness. The result is that

you are not fresh and ready to train as frequently as you should be. If you want to

get stronger faster, then you need to be able to train a muscle or lift more

frequently. The more frequently you can train the same muscle group or lift, in a

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fresh and recovered state, the faster your results will come.

What about pausing? Pausing is ok, especially in exercises where an extreme stretch

can help you grow. Any kind of calf raise is a perfect example of this. You should

always pause and get a skin-ripping stretch at the bottom of a calf raise. Sometimes

when a muscle is tight, the connective tissue around it will not allow the muscle to

grow.

FACTOR # 5: REST INTERVALS BETWEEN SETS

Rest intervals are dependant on a few different variables such as the exercise being

used, the size and experience of the lifter and the desired training effect. In simple

terms, long rest periods (2-4 minutes) allow for greater recovery of the

nervous system and are linked with an increase in testosterone production.

Shorter rest intervals (45-90 seconds) target the metabolic system and are

linked with an increase in growth hormone production.

For the best of both worlds, and to get the most out of your muscle building efforts

you should incorporate both long and short rest periods in your training program.

Beginners can get away with shorter rest periods than more experienced lifters. They

do not have the capability of recruiting a large number of motor units and thus do

not tire out as easily. Beginners are also weak, in most cases, so they are not using

very heavy loads that would demand longer recovery periods.

A bigger, heavier lifter will require more rest between sets than a lighter lifter. Even

at the same body weight, a stronger lifter will require more rest as well. This is

because the stronger lifter is more neurologically efficient and is able to recruit more

muscle fibers, which is more draining and takes longer to recover from.

What this means is that as a beginner you can recruit, let�s say, 70% of your

available muscle fibers. As you get more advanced you can recruit a greater

percentage of muscle fibers, maybe upwards of 90 or even closer to 100%. This is

far more demanding and requires a longer rest period.

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If someone is in great anaerobic condition, he requires less rest than his not-so-well

conditioned counterparts�all other factors being equal.

Another thing that needs to be addressed when you are picking the optimal rest

periods is that they can vary widely from one exercise to the next. You do not need

anywhere near as much rest after a set of seated calf raises as you do after a set of

deadlifts. So it is actually the exercise, how many muscles it works, how much

weight you are able to use on it, and how draining it is on the body that needs to be

considered when determining optimal rest periods.

Even though you might be able to use more weight on a standing calf raise than you

can on a dumbbell military press, the dumbbell military press will still demand a

greater rest period because more muscles are being used and it causes greater

overall fatigue throughout the entire body.

The rest periods you select are also influenced by the way in which you perform your

sets. If you use straight sets, you will need to use longer rest periods than if you use

antagonistic supersets. The two options are explained below.

STRAIGHT SETS

This is the typical approach to training that nearly everyone uses. Straight sets

means doing one set of a particular exercise, followed by a rest period, and then

another set of the same exercise and so on. You do not mix in another exercise

between sets; you simply continue to do the same exercise you are doing until you

have completed all of the prescribed sets. This method is usually used with speed

work such as Olympic lifts and jumps and with full�body exercises like squats and

deadlifts. However, straight sets are not very time-efficient, and in a lot of cases,

using them is not the optimal way to train.

ANTAGONISTIC OR NON-COMPETING SUPERSETS

These are very time efficient and highly effective techniques that should be used as

often as possible. Antagonistic supersets are when you pair up exercises that work

opposing muscle groups, such as the pecs (chest) and lats (back). These muscles

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move the arms and shoulders in opposite directions, so by training them together,

you can work a lot of muscle in a short time and see that both areas get equal

attention (helping guarantee muscle balance). You do a set for one muscle group,

rest, then a set for the other muscle group, rest again, and repeat for all the

prescribed sets.

For example, after a brutally heavy set of eight reps on the bench press, it may take

you four or five minutes to be able to repeat that effort. Rather than just sit on the

bench waiting for all that time, you could alternate your bench presses with an

antagonistic exercise like an incline dumbbell row and divide the rest period in half.

So now you would rest two minutes after your bench presses and then move on to

the rows. After the rows, you would rest another two minutes and then go back to

the bench press, and so on until you completed all of the prescribed sets.

Below is a list of antagonistic muscle groups which this technique works extremely

well with:

Chest / Back

Biceps / Triceps

Chest / Biceps

Back / Triceps

Shoulders / Lats

Calves / Tibialis Anterior

Neck Flexors / Neck Extensors

Forearm Flexors / Forearm Extensors

When you are using full body workouts there will be times when you won�t be able to

pair up antagonists effectively. This is where non-competing supersets come in. Non-

competing supersets usually pair muscles that have no apparent relation to each

other, such as the legs and back. For example, you could alternate glute-ham raises

with chin ups or, for chest and legs, incline dumbbell presses with leg presses. You

can even do this with smaller muscle groups at the end of a workout. Some

examples of this would be alternating calves with neck or forearm/grip work.

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When should I rest even longer than normal between sets?

There will be a few times in your training when you will want to increase your rest

periods beyond what you normally do. These times will be when you are sick, highly

stressed out, or during extreme dieting.

If you are sick, chances are that you will be breathing harder than normal and will

have a harder time recovering with the same rest periods you always use. In a

situation like this it only makes sense to extend your rest period.

When you are extremely stressed out, your body�s recovery ability is drastically

reduced. To account for this, you need to rest a little bit longer than normal between

sets.

Finally, during times of extreme dieting, you are going to have to increase your rest

periods beyond what is normal. The reason for this is that you don�t have the

calories or the glycogen storage to train like you normally do. Utilizing short or

incomplete rest periods in a calorically-depleted state will lead to the use of very

light weights, which in turn will cause great losses in size and strength. While most

peoples� first inclination is to decrease their rest periods when they are dieting for fat

loss, you should, in fact, do the opposite if you want to hold onto as much size and

strength as possible.

FACTOR # 6: TRAINING SESSION LENGTH

When you begin a training session, your body starts to release growth hormone and

testosterone. The release of these anabolic hormones peaks at about the 27-minute

mark and falls back to baseline at around 45 minutes. Training for any longer

than 45 minutes starts to increase the release of cortisol, which is a

catabolic hormone that eats away muscle tissue and increases the storage

of body-fat. Going beyond 45 minutes also severely decreases the production of

testosterone. This is what is known as the testosterone/cortisol ratio. When trying to

remain in an anabolic state (a condition wherein your body can build muscle), you

want to keep your testosterone levels higher and your cortisol levels lower. For this

reason I recommend that you always limit your workouts to 30-45 minutes,

max.

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This is a secret that the Eastern Bloc countries have known forever and it�s why they

have all of their Olympic athletes keep their workouts very short, and one of the

reasons why they achieve such spectacular results.

After the 45-minute mark, you will also find your performance starting to suffer. Your

mental focus will begin to fade. It is difficult for most people to give all they have,

set after set for much longer than 30-45 minutes. Limiting your workouts to this

amount of time ensures that your mental focus will be high right from the get go and

remain so throughout the duration of your workout If you enter the gym knowing

that you have two hours ahead of you, it can often be difficult to get fired up enough

to really attack the task as hand. If you know you will be in and out of the gym in

30-45 minutes, it�s a lot easier to get amped up for the hard work ahead.

Shorter training sessions also allow you to train body-parts more frequently. That is

because you recover much quicker and more efficiently from short workouts. None of

my clients are ever allowed to train for longer than 45 minutes. Even if they haven�t

completed their workouts I make them stop at the 45 minute mark (excluding warm

up time). Every workout I write always lasts 30-45 minutes. I have found this to be

the optimal time frame for producing the best results. Going longer than this only

leads to overtraining and losses in size and strength or potential injuries.

For all the reasons listed above, I highly recommend that you set a stopwatch, watch

the clock, and do whatever you have to do to keep your workouts in the 30�45

minute range and never go longer than that. This is one of the best ways to

guarantee consistent progress and to avoid overtraining.

FACTOR # 7: TRAINING FREQUENCY

I have personally worked with hundreds of clients during all my years in this industry

and several hundred more over the Internet and via phone consultations. I have

observed that in 99% of the cases, most people get their best size gains by training

no more than three to four days per week, with three usually being optimal.

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Intense training places a huge demand on the body and you need to allow ample

time to recover from that if you ever want to get big and strong.

As we discussed earlier, stress comes in many different forms, and all of them are

constantly cutting into your recovery ability. Just because you don�t work a job that

includes a ton of manual labor doesn�t mean that your job doesn�t negatively affect

your recovery ability. If you have a very high stress job, this has to be accounted

for. Maybe you have a ton of stress in your personal life or are just a highly stressed-

out person in general. All of this needs to be considered because stress of any kind

will make recovering from training that much harder.

Forget what you have read about your favorite bodybuilder training six days per

week. This only works for genetic freaks that are on tons of steroids. This will never

work for you! Training more too frequently doesn�t allow your body enough time to

grow and instead you will end up getting smaller and accumulating a host of nagging

injuries.

For all of the reasons mentioned above I highly recommend that you don�t train

more than three days per week.

THE BOTTOM LINE

In order to devise the optimum training plan all seven of the critical factors must be

addressed. To recap, the ultimate muscle building system will consist of:

1. One big, compound exercise per bodypart, per workout.

2. One to two sets per exercise.

3. Five to eight reps per set.

4. Always lowering the weight under control and lifting it as fast as possible.

5. Resting 60-120 seconds between sets. (or sometimes more on squats or

deadlifts)

6. Workouts that last 45 minutes or less.

7. Three to four workouts per week.

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2

Total Body Exercises

Dead Lift- The dead lift is probably the single greatest size and strength buildingexercise there is. Dead lifts work your traps, upper back, lats, lower back, biceps,forearms, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. If you could only choose one exercise, thiswould be the one to do.

A proper dead lift begins with the right bar placement and proper grip and stancewidth. Set the bar about an inch away from your shins, taking a shoulder width gripand a slightly narrower stance. Unless you are a competitive powerlifter I recommendthat you use a double overhand grip and lifting straps when needed. If you are acompetitive powerlifter then you really have no choice but to pull with a mixed grip.

With your head straight and back arched, your body should be at approximately a 45degree angle in the starting position. Start the lift by pulling up and back towards you,being sure to get a strong leg drive. Return to the starting position by sitting back andthen lowering the bar, trying not to squat down until the bar clears your knees. Let theplates touch the ground and repeat.

A major mistake many people make is to allow their hips to rise up before theirshoulders and upper body. Doing this turns the exercise into more of a stiff leggeddead lift and is very stressful on the back and puts you in a weaker position. Be sureto allow the shoulders and hips to come up at the same time and pace.

Although the dead lift is the best exercise there is, it also has its drawbacks. Deadlifting is extremely stressful on the body and the CNS. As a beginner you might beable to dead lift three times per week but as you get more advanced you need todecrease the frequency at which you perform dead lifts. Intermediates can get awaywith pulling once per week and more advanced lifters would be better served to onlydead lift once every ten to twenty one days.

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Trap Bar Dead Lift- This is performed like a standard dead lift except for the factthat your weight and center of gravity is distributed differently. This bar allows lifterswho can not get into a proper dead lift position because of flexibility or other issues todead lift with relative ease. It is easier to maintain an upright posture with the trap barand thus it is less stressful to the lower back. Execution is exactly the same as theregular dead lift. If I had to pick only one lower body exercise to use with clients forthe rest of my life, this would be it.

Rack Dead Lift- This is a standard dead lift performed off pins in a power rack. Thepins can be set anywhere from an inch off the ground all the way up to lower thighheight. The higher you set the pins, the more weight you will be able to lift. Thesewill do wonders for your upper, middle and lower back development and greatly aidin helping your full range dead lift. For those who crave incredible trap development,this is one of the greatest exercises you can do. The highest starting position youshould use for a rack dead lift is about three to four inches above the knee. Using ahigher starting position than this is a major mistake because it allows you to use toomuch weight and puts your back at risk of injury.

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Snatch Grip Dead Lift- This is a dead lift performed with an extremely wide grip.Your index fingers should be in the outside rings when doing this exercise. This willincrease the range of motion and add slabs of muscle to your hamstrings. You will notbe able to use as much weight on this exercise so that should be taken intoconsideration when performing it for the first time.

Dead Lift off mats, plates or boxes- Stand on a stack of rubber mats, forty fivepound plates or a three inch box to perform this exercise. This will obviously increasethe range of motion and put more stress on the lower back and hamstrings. Be sure tostart light on this exercise and keep your back arched tightly.

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Sumo Dead Lift- This is a style preferred by many powerlifters because it shortensthe range of motion and, depending on your strengths and weaknesses, may allow youto use more weight. To perform the sumo dead lift you need to take a very widestance and grab the bar with your hands inside of your legs. Before you drop downinto position to start the lift, be sure to fill your belly with air and push it out againstyour belt on the way up. Pull the bar up and back towards you while attempting toalmost fall backwards to use your bodyweight to elicit a see-saw like effect and helpyou pull more weight.

Dumbbell Dead Lift- This is done exactly like a standard dead lift except instead ofholding a barbell you hold dumbbells in each hand. Begin the same way by standingup tall with your shoulder blades back and your chest out. Begin the descent bybreaking at the hips and sitting back and down.

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Hang Clean- Begin with a shoulder width grip on the bar, your arms straight, yourback arched and the bar just above your knees. Your shoulder blades should be back,chest out and head up. Initiate by popping your hips forward and explosivelyshrugging your shoulders. As the bar passes your abdomen, pull up as high as youcan, explode onto your toes as you flip the bar and catch it by throwing your elbowsforward and underneath the bar.

DB Hang Clean- This is done exactly like the barbell hang clean except withdumbbells. This version is best reserved for higher rep hypertrophy and conditioningmethods as it is very difficult to use and control heavy dumbbells. At the top, the rackposition will be very different as you won’t be able to throw your elbows forward butwill, instead, catch them in the bottom position of a dumbbell military press.These should be done for ten to twenty reps at the end of a workout.

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Hang High Pull- This exercise is exactly like the hang clean except that you don’tflip the bar and catch it at the top, you simply pull it straight up like an explosiveupright row. The bar should come up to around nipple height or until your triceps areparallel with the ground.

Hang Snatch- Grab the bar with a very wide grip (your index finger should be in theouter power ring). Start like a hang clean, with the bar just above your knees, backarched and knees slightly bent. From there you explode upwards by shrugging yourshoulders and extending your hips. You also want to get up on your toes and thinkabout jumping as high as you can. Pull the bar up as high as your elbows will allowyou to go. When you reach that position, you will finish the movement by flipping thebar straight up overhead to lockout. The whole movement should be done as onefluid, explosively fast movement. Lower the bar back to your chest like the eccentricportion of a military press and then from there bring it back down to the startingposition, under full control.

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Hang Clean & Push Press- This is definitely one of the best mass building exerciseson the planet. To perform this exercise you begin with a shoulder width grip, yourback arched, chest up, arms straight and the bar just above your knees. Initiate themovement by popping your hips forward and shrugging your shoulders explosively.As the bar passes your sternum, pull up with your arms and then flip the bar over andcatch it at chest height by throwing your elbows forward. To catch the bar you will bein a quarter squat position; from there you will get a strong leg drive to assist you inpressing the bar straight over head. Lower and repeat.

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DB Swing – Hold a dumbbell with one hand and bend down by pushing your hipsback as far as you can. At the starting position you should be in a half squat with thedumbbell between your legs. Begin the movement by popping your hips forward andstanding up straight. The dumbbell should swing forward and go all the way up to eyelevel. At the top, your hips should be completely straightened and you should be onyour toes. Be sure to control the weight on the way down and keep your shoulderfirmly locked in the socket. Allow the weight to swing all the way through your legsbefore repeating the next rep. The trick here is to think about the momentum andpower generated from your explosive hip drive to move the weight and not just turnthe movement into a Romanian dead lift plus a front raise.

DB Snatch- The starting position for this is exactly the same as the dumbbell swing.The difference is that in the swing your arm stays straight the entire time. In thesnatch you are going to bend your arm and pull the weight straight up overhead in oneexplosive movement. Be sure not to turn it into a clean and press. You want to pullthe weight straight up and keep it in close to your body the entire time. As it passesyour head, you simply flip it over and lock it out. Another difference between thesnatch and the swing is that you are actually going to jump when you perform thesnatch. As you pop your hips forward to start the movement, you are actually going toattempt to jump straight up in the air. Your feet should land at the exact same time asyou lock out the weight over head.

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Posterior Chain (Lower Back/Glutes/ Hamstrings)

Romanian Dead Lift- With an extremely tight arch in your lower back, begin bysticking your glutes straight back and out as far as you can. Be sure to keep your chestout and your shoulder blades squeezed together. Descend until your upper body isparallel with the floor and then return to the starting position by explosively pushingyour hips forward and squeezing your glutes.

Dumbbell Romanian Dead Lift- This is executed in the exact manner of a barbellRomanian Dead Lift with the only difference being that you hold dumbbells at yourside instead of holding a barbell in front of you.

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