There’s a lot to be said about this thing we call weight lifting. The practice of building muscle when there’s no particular reason for it in the average daily life of a person in the 21st century. As our knowledge of how our muscles work continues to grow, we come up with ever more inventive “shortcuts” to achieve the look our ancestors got naturally by hunting and farming.
With this knowledge of the science of muscles, comes a lot of medical jargin and numbers, which is the very nature of science. It has it’s own language. Now what I, and most of the fitness people in this industry do, is take the leap of learning that science and breaking it down to you in laymen terms.
But still it’s easy to get lost in the numbers and the methodical way of doing weight training. The reason I believe there’s so much conflicting information on the market is because we forget a critical part of the muscle building equation…which is the Art of Weight Lifting.
In this technological world, it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers. Such as the calorie counting, the reps, the sets, the supersets, the routines, etc. etc. etc. But what people fail to see is that each of these are just tools which create a work of art, your body.
Now I won’t go into some poetic lyric about how fascinating the body is and how beautiful it is. You can be your own judge on that. But what I’m saying is all these numbers are just tools that allow you to create your own masterpiece.
You have to find the right workout routine, the right sets, the right calories, to fit your body, your discipline, and your goals to get the results YOU want. I’m telling you this to make you aware of the fact and to open your eyes so you won’t be “duped” by some of the scams out here that claim to give you the perfect body in 6 weeks.
What worked for them may not work for you and vice versa. Sure you may see you know this, but it’s amazing how seldom we act on our “common sense” and buy into the hype.
Your body is a canvas or a block of granite just waiting to be shaped. I will provide you with the tools and the mechanics of how to work them, but it’s up to you to put paint brush to canvas or chisel to granite and carve out your own work of art. Just like any artist, you have to develop your own style. Sure you can copy someone elses style for a while, every great artist does, but eventually you have to branch out on your own.
Those that don’t find their own style face limitless frustration by going on these “circle routines” that I spoke about earlier. I’ve found my style and I shared my workout philosophy with you in my C.I.S.S. Nutrition method. If you agree with what I wrote (and I hope you do, or why are you reading this) you can borrow that as a beginner for a while until you find your own style and until you develop your own stroke.
So next time you’re in the gym, try not to look at your workout as purely about the numbers. The mechanical approach will only take you so far. It’s a means to an end. An end which you have to be passionate about as any great artist is. So go create your masterpiece and Happy Lifting!
Mitchell
Filed under Body Building Tips, Muscle Building Exercises by on Feb 3rd, 2009. 1 Comment. 
And the award for best supporting muscle goes to….
Every major film or TV show has a supporing cast, and so does your body. However, when in the gym, it’s easy to focus on the big 3. That being chest, biceps, and abs. Everyone seems to want to have a bulging chest, big arms, and washboard abs. I see guys in the gym on “chest day” or “arm day” doing 6 or 7 workouts for an hour and it makes me cringe.
The proper approach to balanced weight training, is well, balanced weight training. By only focusing on a few muscles, you venture the risk of creating a dangerous inbalance in your body which adds stress to your joints and tendons. That’s the last thing you need or want.
A few “advanced” lifters will go so far as doing a total body workout in which they focus on major muscle groups for aesthetic reasons. But the serious builders take into account what I call the “Forgotten 5″ or the supporting cast. Those being:
- Both Forearm muscles
- Shin
- Calves
- Shoulders
- Erector Spinae (small muscle in your back along your spine)
These are your supporting muscles and you use them in almost every major exercise you do, whether it be lower body or upper body.
The Forearms are important because they allow you to grip the barbell or dumbbell or handle for the movement you are performing. I’ve experienced plenty of times where my grip gave out before my larger muscles did (Shrug or Deadlift for instance), leading me to understand I needed to strengthen my forearms. Properly developed forearms also complete the look of a bigger arm. Remember, part of having a bigger arm is the “illusion”. So work out the entire arm. Not just the bicep or tricep.
There are a few forearm exercises, but one I like to do in particular the standing forearm curl (I just gave it that name, pardon me). Stand with a barbell in each hand with your palms facing your thighs. Curl the barbell up toward your arm pit, squeeze, and let it back down again. Pick a weight that lets you complete 8 to 12 sets with 40 secs rest, or depeding on your individual workout goal. You can do the reverse of this movement while standing to work the other forearm muscle, but with less weight. Perform this exercise at the end of a workout because you use your forearms in every other exercise.
Next on the list is the Shin. The shin is one muscle hardly anyone knows about except runners, but is one of those crucial stabilizing muscles in the lower leg. It runs along the front of your leg, next to the bone and is responsible for flexing your foot toward you. It’s a smaller muscle but it comes into play when stabilizing yourself during a squat or a deadlift. More importantly, weak shins can cause some major problems when running. Many runners suffer from “shin splints” due in part to the muscle imbalance in their lower leg by the shins and the calves. As a cardio component needs to be a part of any serious weight training regimen, these muscles get more than their fair share of the action.
You can strengthen your shins by placing a plate weight on your foot and flexing your foot up toward you. Because of the small range of motion, it’s hard to go for any serious hypertrophy (muscle growth), so focus on the endurace and strength aspect of the workout which entails you doing 12-20 reps with 30 secs of rest between each set.
The Calves get a little more attention than the shins because they are larger mucles and play a larger part in walking and running. Consisting of three mucles, these muscles help catapult you forward and keep you from falling while standing. But like the shins, they are often over looked by weight trainers, and if done, are done incorrectly. They play a major part in stabilization in leg exercises also. Without a strong foundation, the house will crumble. So you want to make sure you do these right.
I prefer standing calve raises on the Smith Machine over the seated apparatus because it’s easier for me to work different angles of calves. One exercise I do is to turn my feet inward at a slight “pigeon toe” angle of 30° or so and lift 2 sets of 10 controlled reps like any other muscle. Not dozens at lightning speed like you see so many people doing. It’s better to stand on a raised platform so you can dip below horizontal to get the full flexion of the muscle. Pointing the toes inward targets the outter calve muscle. Pointing the toes outward to 30º to 45º targets the inner calve muscles. Pointing the toes straight incorporates all three muscles. These are three seperate exercises, similar to doing the flat, incline, and decline bench.
Shoulders consist of three main muscles and their purpose is to move the arm away from the body in any direction. One muscle wraps around the front to pull the arms forward, similar to the “zombie effect”. Another wraps around to pull the arms out to the sides, and another pull the arms backward, opposite to the “zombie effect.”
It’s important to know which muscles make up your “muscles” and what they do so you can properly train them. The shoulders get a “side-kick” workout on many exercises like the benchpress and almost all back workouts. They even stablize your arm when doing bicep curls and may be recruited when the biceps tire. Weak shoulders will severly limit how much you can lift in any particular exercise. That being said, it’s up to you and your goals as to how you train them. Well defined shoulders add to the the taper effect and I believe is part of the reason why football shoulder pads are so prominent 
Men want to have broad shoulders.
Currently, I like to train my shoulders seperately than chest days because I want to isolate the muscle in a workout where it won’t be recruited for much else. Even then though, I do a combo exercise such as seated barbell or dumbbell presses over my head. Again, refer to my blog on your Workout Goals to determine your individual sets, reps, and rest. I follow this combo exercise with isolation exercises such as lateral and front raises.
Last, is the Erector Spinae. This muscle extends from the bottom of the skull, along each side of the spine, to the top of the pelvis. This small muscle is a crucial stabilizing element during almost every exercise in the gym and in life in general. It keeps you erect and helps stablize your upper body. Having good posture can also hide a gut 
, which I know we all want to do. This muscle straightens your spine and bends you backward. This muscle is significant but small. So when doing any exercise that requires a stable torso, you must keep the body erect and you face forward. Turning your head to the sides puts tension on this small muscle and you run the risk of pulling a muscle. A weak erector spinae can result in injury while doing other exercises like bench press or squats especially.
A great way to start training this muscle is on a machine designed to flex your back. Train this muscle for strength or growth rather than endurance if you’re serious about weight training. I lean toward training on a machine because the motion is guided and builds strength without the need for a lot of prior strength. Once you have a strong muscle, move on to Good Mornings or similar exercises with the barbell or dumbells.
Well there you have it. A pretty comprehensive approach to the important supporting cast of muscles that can make or break your exercises. I will be adding videos on how to do these exercises with proper form shortly, so stay posted. Until next time, Happy Lifting!
Mitchell
Filed under Muscle Building Exercises by on Feb 5th, 2009. Comment.
I’m deciding to get a little bit more personal with my readers and share a few of my workouts with you guys. The following is the chest workout I do, that works for me, currently. I will likely be adding or changing altogether this workout in a few weeks to keep myself fresh and stimulate my muscles, but for now, this is what I do.
I rotate Workout 1 and Workout 2 on a two week rotation.
Workout 1
Bench Press – 3/4 sets – 8-12 reps; 40-60 secs rest
Incline Bench – 3/4 sets – 8-12 reps: 40-60 secs rest
Cable Fly – 3/4 sets – 8-12 reps: 40-60 secs rest
Workout 2
Flat Bench Dumbbell Press – 3/4 sets – 8-12 reps: 40-60 secs rest
Incline Bench Dumbbell Press – 3/4 sets – 8-12 reps: 40-60 secs rest
Flat Bench Dumbbell Fly – 3/4 sets – 8-12 reps: 40-60 secs rest
I will likely start doing pyramids in two weeks after I finish my two week rotation of Workout 1, since I’m just finishing a rotation of Workout 2. If you remember my blog on workout goal setting, you will know why I’ve chosen the sets, reps, and rest that I have because I’m building toward a certain body. I stick with one weight for a week and move up 5-10 lbs the next week. I also rotate the exercises from day to day just to add a little variety.
I only do 3 exercises so I don’t overtrain myself. This workout takes less than 20 min to complete. It gives you a good pump and completely tires the muscle out if you do it correctly. I carry a stopwatch to the gym with me to keep my rest between 40-60 secs and I don’t let people “jump-in”. You can do this with a partner if you two are serious about getting on the bench and not doing a lot of chatter. I generally workout alone though.
Doing this workout and being disciplined about my rest, my 4 sec tempo (either 3:1 or 2:2 – that is 3 secs down and 1 sec press or 2 sec down and 2 sec press) has seen significant growth in my chest girth. I will report back next week to see if my bench press has increased as my goal 1MR is 250 by Apr. 4.
Mitchell
P.S. I did the new workout today and I found something interesting about the bench press especially when it pertains to me. This is where you have to learn the Art of Lifting as it relates to you. My max may be 230ish, but I can’t do 3 sets of 8-12 with 40s rest working with 80% of my max (180′s). That rest period just doesn’t allow it. So I’ll have to break it down to 70% (160′s) and work with that. Again, the emphasis is on the form and successful completion of exercise so you get the maximum benefit. Even experiencing growth, the gym still finds a way of humbling us, lol. Check your ego at the door!
Filed under Body Building Tips, Muscle Building Exercises by on Feb 11th, 2009. 1 Comment.
In this fast paced and tech world, the number 1 excuse for people not going to the gym is TIME. That’s why any workout program out there will use “Get Fit in Less Time” as selling point. Heck, I could’ve even themed this entire blog around the concept and called it “Bigger Muscles in Less Time” and had people flocking to it.
It’s because today, we want the quick-fix, and the microwave approach. That’s why most beginners think the secret is in some pill, powder, or potion and are quick to run the GMC to buy the latest Muscle & Fitness recommended supplement.
Well I’m here to give you the hard truth and the facts that may turn some of you away because you’re not ready to face them. But if your excuse is or was “I don’t have time” the truth is, you DIDN’T really want to go in the first place. There was some other obstacle holding you back and you used Time as a cover up. Trust me, there’ve been “slack off” periods when I used lack of time as a excuse. When managed to get back in the gym, it was with the same amount of things I had before, only I was able to “find” time for the gym.
In my fraternity, we say that “Excuses are tools of incompetence that build monuments of nothingness and those who specialize in them, seldom do well at anything else.” A very true statement that I live by.
Now for those of you that have actually shed the Time excuse and decided to go to the gym, I have some tips that’ll help save you time and not keep you in there for 1.5 hrs 5 days a week.
First up, get serious about your fitness goals and pick a time in your schedule to go. I’m not a morning person or a late night person, so I like to go after work. I find that doing successive “must-do” activities run really well with each other and it helps me get into a routine. Getting a routine is crucial if you want to meet your goals in the time frame you’ve set for yourself. Make sure you don’t schedule anything else in this time block you’ve set aside. This has to be a hard and steady part of your day, not an “if-I-get-to-it” activity. Place a mental priority on it similar to going to your job or school. The trick to doing this is finding the REAL reason you are going to the gym. It has to be an emotional reason, not a logical reason. More on that in another blog.
Once you’re in there, you have to stay focused. It’s been said that by being focused, a standard 40 hr work week can be condensed to 25 hrs or less. One thing that helps me stay focused is a stop watch that makes me stay consistent and honest about the rest I’m taking between exercises. Refer to my blog on workout reps and rest to determine how long your rest should be.
Another in-the-gym technique that’s popular is music or headphones. Many people use this to get them pumped and keep their heads in the game. Distractions lead to detours, which lead you away from your goals.
Super-sets are a great way to get more sets done in less time. They can be another way to step up the intensity of your workout also. A super set as I do them is doing opposite muscles back to back. For instance, I would do a dumbbell bicep curl immediately followed by an overhead tricep extension. Rest, and then do them again. Or another variation would be to do the same muscle, just with 2 or 3 consecutive exercises back to back. For instance, a dumbbell bicep curl immediately followed by barbell curl, then by hammer curls. Rest, and then do them again. I would advise to shy away from the second variation as a beginner because this can be very intense and you need to work up to it. Either super set will save you massive amounts of time. Especially if you keep a stop watch with you.
If you’re brand new to the gym and have never really lifted. I suggest going once or twice a week to start. I know I advocated 3 times a week, but that’s a bench mark to work up to. For the fresh starter, going once or twice a week will benefit you massively and not overload you. You have to work your mind and your body up to going several times a week. There are neural and muscular adjustments that have to be made, not to mention you’ll probably be sore as heck and going back to the gym sore isn’t a smart idea. Do whole body routines focusing on combination exercises like squats and bench presses (more for a later blog) and keep it to one set per exercise for a few weeks.
The trick is to take baby steps to get started and work your way up. No Olympic athelete started running that fast their first day of training. Nor can you jump in the gym 4 or 5 times a week and lift massive weights your first day or week. Check your ego at the door.
After the gym, you could schedule appointments or meetings that you have to be at at a certain time. Block out an hour to workout and shower and place the appointment or meeting right after. This would entail that you stay focused in the gym so you can hit all the required muscles and get out. This would also entail that you shower at the gym (or later depending on the type of meeting) and that you carry some type of shake or meal replacement bar (if your following meeting isn’t a dinner) so you can get the right nutrition in at the right time…because we know that if you don’t do this, you’ve just wasted your time in the gym!
The final trick I’ll leave you with is a little next level but it’s what I believe in and has worked everytime for me. You have to BELIEVE you have the time or more time. If you constantly tell yourself “I don’t have time” or “There’s not enough time in the day”, what you speak and what you believe will manifest themselves. Using this ancient principle, start to say that “I have time” or “There’s plenty of time in the day” and your mind will open up to possibilities and opportunities you never saw before. Try it for a week with the FAITH that it’ll work, and see things begin to change. There’s an Abundance of time, just like anything else, if you manage it right.
If you haven’t by now, be sure to check out my Free Resources page for great free downloadable ebooks that’ll take you to the next level. Until next time, Happy Lifting!
Mitchell
Filed under Body Building Tips by on Feb 17th, 2009. 2 Comments.
What’s the number 1 reason we go to the gym? Answer: To get BIGGER! (the reason behind the reason is bit deeper and different for evereyone) And wha’ts the number 1 frustration from going to the gym? Answer: NOT getting Bigger!
This blog is after all designed to show you how to get bigger more efficiently, as do all workout programs and weight lifting sites. But, if your’e not experiencing the gains you want, I’m about to list the reasons that account for 90% of your frustrations.
In the number 1 spot we have improper nutrition. This accounts for most cases of not seeing growth. You could be doing the best workout on the planet, but if you aren’t providing your muscles with the nutrients it needs to grow, it’s like having a Ferrari with no gas. It’s useless! And so many times I see beginners come into the gym, workout hard, then leave and eat a burger or go to sleep, or just sit around. They ask me “Mitch, how do I get bigger?” and the first thing I ask them is “What’re you eating?” They look at me funny and can barely rattle off what they ate that day. And if they do, it’s something like pizza, burgers, a salad, etc. You get the idea.
I’m not writing this blog entry to tell you what you should be eating. I’ve done that before and you can check out my blog on proper workout nutrition
The next on the list is that you’ve probably hit a plateau. The dreaded plateau isn’t so dreaded once you know how to get past it. It’s a simple matter of the Increasing Load Principle and Variety Principle. There are endless combinations of the two. Increasing Load simply means you increase the load your muscle has to move and it will grow. But endlessly piling on weight can lead to injury. The Variety Principle means you increase or change the intensity or the workout altogether. There are several ways to increase the intensity without increasing the weight such as changing the tempo, number of sets, and rest between workouts. There are tons of workouts for each muscle so there’s no need to stay with one or two workouts week in and week out. If you take a look at my chest workout, you will see how I utilize the Variety Principle in my workout to make sure my chest continues to grow larger.
These are brief explanations which I will delve into deeper in a later blog.
The next reason may be that for brand new beginners, it generally takes 4-6 weeks to see growth in muscle at all. However, your strength will increase very rapidly. This is due to how the muscles are designed. The proteins in your muscles will get denser, allowing them to move more weight, and finally, when they can’t get anymore dense, they recruit more protiens to grow in size. You have to understand, the last thing your body wants to do is put on muscle. Muscle is heavy, eats up a lot of calories, and is just plain harder to carry around. The body doesn’t want to do anymore than it needs to survive. That’s why it’s easier to lose muscle weight than fat weight. It’s the first thing the body gets rid of because of the hassle it is to carry around. However, you can burn fat without sacrificing muscle. After these 4-6 weeks, you should see growth if everything else is in place. It’ll come a bit slower than your initial strength gains because now to increase strength, your muscles must get larger.
The next very likely candidate to you not seeing the growth you want is inadequate sleep. When you are sleep, your body releases Growth Hormones which burns fat and transports proteins to the muscles, which again is vital for them to grow. An incomplete sleep cycle (less than 8 hrs), among other things, trumps the release of GH. Trump GH and you trump you muscle growth. Why do you think so many of those steroids contain GH?? Well now you know that your body does it automatically. It’s been said that the magic happens AFTER the workout, not during. This is very true. So if you’re serious about seeing growth, you won’t be up to see the Late Show, sorry.
Since we are on the subject of hormones. Another reason you may not be seeing growth is that you don’t have enough testosterone. But you may say my voice is deep! (or it may not be…) What I mean by this is that testosterone is one of the major players in muslce growth along with GH. Testosterone is released when large muscles come into play. The more muscles active, the more testosterone is released to rebuild them. The problem I see most beginners face is that they go in the gym and do a bunch of bicep exercises, ab exercises, chest exercises, maybe some triceps or back, and call it a day. Then on top of that, they’ll only do isolation exercises for the muscles. The trick to releasing testosterone is to get more muscles involved. The best way to do this is combinaiton exercises like pull-ups, squats, bench press, rows, deadlifts, power cleans, etc. not curls and extensions.
So there you have it. Some of the top reasons why you’re not seeing growth in your muscles. Since you know what they are, avoid them! And watch your workouts be more rewarding starting almost immediately. Knowing these things to avoid have allowed me to see ever increasing growth and to pinpoint the problem when I’m not growing or slowed down. Please realize that there’s a genetic limit to how large you can get naturally, though very few of us ever make it that far. And let me debunk the myth right now and tell you that you CAN NOT grow new muscle fibers. Only add protien to the existing ones to make them larger.
For more information on muscle growth, see my Free eBooks or the newly added Articles page. Until next time, Happy Lifting!
Mitchell
Filed under Muscle Building Exercises, Muscle Building Programs by on Feb 19th, 2009. Comment.
