March 1, 2007 11:32 - This Week's Bodybuilding Adventures
The biggest weekend in fitness and bodybuilding is this weekend. The Arnold Classic and Expo will be held in Columbus, Ohio. I have my tickets and had my plans but a scheduling conflict has me missing this great event this year. If you go, I'd love to hear about your experience.
Speaking of weight training experiences, here's an email I recently received from one of my newsletter subscribers:
"Hey Gregg, Ive been following your advice on weight training since Jan. 26th, and in just over a month I've added about an inch to my arms and significant muscle gain in my legs and torso!! ...I'm VERY pleased with the results so far!! Thanks for all the great tips!"
I love getting emails like that. I know how frustrating it can be to work very hard trying to build muscle or lose fat without seeing resutls.
I've recently completed a couple of interviews for the site as well, with a couple of big names in the fitness world, 9th place Figure Olympia finisher Jennifer Searles and the Fem Bomb herself, fitness model Ashley Lawrence. Whether you want to learn more about these sexy fitness women, pick up some great training tips on getting fit, or just check out their amazing picturec, you have to check out their interviews.
March 6, 2007 14:43 - Muscle Mass and Leg Training
If you want to pile on muscle mass (or burn lots of fat) you need to train your back and you legs hard.
And the two best exercises for doing just that are the two you rarely see anyone doing in the gym - deadlifts and squats.
I've developed a routine that has allowed me to pack on 2 1/2 inches of muscle size to each thigh by performing
the deadlift and the squat once per week, on seperate training days.
Here's what my weight training split routine looks like with an emphasis on the deadlift and the squat.
Monday - Chest, Calves and Abs
Tuesday - Back and Forearms
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - Thighs
Friday - Shoulders, Biceps and Triceps
For my back and thigh training, I only perform deadlifts and squats right now and I alternate two very different workouts. On one week, I perform 5 sets of 5 reps with 3 minutes rest between sets. I use the same weight for each set so that all the sets are hard. When I can't get five reps on the final set, I keep the weight the same until I can perform 5 reps on all 5 sets.
During the next week, I perform 3 sets with 20 reps in each set. I take 5 minutes of rest between sets. I use the same poundage progression as the low rep workout - upping the weight the next workout if I can complete 20 reps on all three sets. If I can't, I keep the weight the same until I can.
Every once in awhile I add an intensity technique to the high rep day. For example, on high rep squat day I may add a high rep set of hack squats. On this set, I'll only perform about an 8 inch portion of the rep from just below parallel to just above parallel, keeping constant tension on the muscle. And I'll do the set for about 100 reps. The last time I did this, I managed 117 reps. Ouch!
Try this type of leg and back workout for four or five weeks and see if your strength and muscle mass doesn't improve.
Check out my free fitness newsletters, Fat Loss Secrets and Mass Building Tips
March 9, 2007 16:28 - Who Doesn't Love a Muscle Pump?
Today was arm day. I hit the biceps and triceps today and I hit them hard. Ouch! In fact, I couldn't get my shirt off after my workout because I couldn't move my arms. I only did six sets for the biceps and six sets for the triceps but I did include a couple of intensity techniques on about hafl the sets.
I did three exercises for the biceps and three exercises for the triceps; two sets per exercise.
I also alternated body parts.
In other words, I did a bicep exercise for two sets, then a tricep exercise for two sets, until I completed two sets of three exercises for each.
I took each set to failure and on the second sex of each exercise, I performed end of set partials.
On some exercises I could't even complete one partial rep and I did a static hold instead. After my workout, my arms measured a full three quarters of an inch bigger than my pre-workout measurement. Yep, I managed to get a pretty good pump. Like I said, I couldn't move my arms after my workout.
For more detailed information, check out my free fitness newsletters, Fat Loss Secrets and Mass Building Tips
March 20, 2007 14:53 - Can Your Computer Help You Build Muscle And Lose Fat?
I know, it's been awhile. Sorry, time got away from me. It's been a busy week and a half. I hope you're still going strong with you rmuscle building and fat loss workouts. I know I am. I weighed in at 193.5 pounds today, which is an all time high for me. I think I'm going to extend my muscle building program a bit longer and see if I can hit 200 pounds before working off some of the fat that's accumulated while I've been focusing on building muscle over the winter.
On a personal note, I'll be appearing twice in the next issue of Body Talk. I'll have a weight training article as well as an interview with Marzia Prince. You've probably seen Marzia in ads for Gaspari Nutrition's testosterone building supplement Novadex XT.
This is one of the few testoterone boosting supplements that works. You can get a great deal at
www.mybodybuildingsupplements.com
Can your computer help you lose weight or build muscle?
Believe it or not, the answer is yes. Is this just another outrageous marketing claim? Fortunately, it isn't.
How can your computer possibly help you lose weight and build muscle? I'm sorry to say that you can't stare at
your computer and get in shape.
But you can use the advice and routines via online personal training consultations to help you reach your fitness goals of losing fat, building muscle and transforming your physique.
Let's face it, any program you use is going to take effort, despite all the "magical" marketing campaigns out there.
So why not make sure the effort you do put in is the right effort so you aren't wasting time or money on the wrong
information?
With online personal training you can make sure your effort is going to pay off in the best possible results.
Almost everyone can benefit from having a personal trainer.
However, there are two big obstacles involved. First, the cost. You can easily spend $50 - $250 an hour or more for a personal trainer.
On top of that, it can be difficult to find a time in your busy schedule that also works for your trainer. Time and money. Two pretty big obstacles.
However, having your own personal trainer can really help you, not only making sure you do the right things, but making sure you stick with your program.
The majority of people that start working out and dieting, quit within six months.
If you have your own personal trainer, you're much more likely to stick with your program, which greatly improves the odds of reaching your goals.
With an online personal trainer you get:
- Personal coaching no matter where you or the trainer are located around the globe can help you develop the will and motivation to exercise
- Save money on expensive personal trainers
- Exercise where and when you want, since there is no need for face to face workouts with your trainer
- Extra motivation and support via your trainer. People are more likely to make a workout when someone else is counting on them
- Get coaching advice from your computer 24/7. Your trainer can answer your questions and problems via email
- Get specific workouts you can use while traveling
- Allows privacy for those who are intimidated by "public" personal training, such as people who don't feel comfortable with their bodies. Have your trainer provide workouts for you to use at home based on your specific equipment
Look, personal trainers can't get results for you. But they can make sure you maximize the effort you put into your training and nutrition program by making sure you do the right things. This will get you results much faster than you might otherwise have gotten.
Learn a lot more about how an online personal trainer can help you reach your fitness goals by going to
http://www.buildleanmuscle.com/online-personal-trainer.html
No BS, No Excuses,
Gregg Gillies
For more detailed information, check out my free fitness newsletters, Fat Loss Secrets and Mass Building Tips
March 27, 2007 08:16 - Muscle Mass and Training Frequency
Last week was almost a great weight training week.
I say almost because Friday's weight workout didn't go so well.
It may be time to rethink my training split if I want to continue to build muscle and get to my goal of weighing 200 pounds.
I was 193.5 pounds this morning.
So why was Friday's weight workout a bad one? Sometimes, you just have bad workouts and low energy days. However, another reason may be that I've gotten away from my own rule of not having too many workouts in a row.
This past week, I trained five days a week, Monday through Friday. Chest and Abs on Monday, Back and forearms on Tuesday, Shoulders on Wednesday, Legs on Thursday and Biceps and Triceps on Friday. These workouts were quite short but they were still very intense and still had me training with weights five days in a row. Remember, every day is kidney day. In other words, while you may be working a different body part each day, your still placing stressors on your entire system.
So, by the time I got to Friday's workout I was just plain worn out. I will go back to four days this week and soon
move back to a three days a week plan, once I determine how I want to structure my workouts and body part split.
For more detailed information, check out my free fitness newsletters, Fat Loss Secrets and Mass Building Tips
