6 Weeks to a More Vascular, Muscular, and Lean Body

As I have mentioned in previous posts, it is a good idea to change up your routine every now and then to keep your body guessing and forcing it to make adjustments which will lead to more muscle growth. I have also talked repeatedly about how important intensity is in any routine if you want real results. Well, I have once again proven these concepts to be true in my own life over the past 6 weeks and I wanted to share with you what has worked so well for me.

Simply stated I have been using a routine that involves very low rest times between sets ( I mean very low), low weight, and strict form, and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.

This method of training is quite different from my usual training routine which consists of heavier weight where I can push out 6-10 reps and increasing the weight each set with rest times between sets of 1-2 minutes. Using this type of training I had put on some muscle weight, but it wasn't the high quality,- lean - hard muscle I was looking for. I was bigger, but losing definition and "shape" in the muscles. So I knew I needed to change things up.

I HIGHLY suggest you try low rest - low weight - strict form training for 6 weeks. You will be amazed at the difference it makes in your physique. You will be leaner, more vascular, and look more muscular. You will be leaner because you will be burning a lot more calories in the gym then normal (providing you keep the same diet) while at the same time pushing excess water out of the body (providing you stay hydrated).

Here is a run down of a typical training day for me using this philosophy. The objective is to pump as much blood into the muscle as possible so that you can feel the muscle working. It will hurt a little and you will sweat A LOT.

Chest - Biceps

Chest

Exercise 1

Dumbbell Bench Press

- I like to start with dumbbell bench press because it is a great weigh to pump blood into your pecs at the beginning of your routine. While I normally start of with 80 pound dumbbells and work my way up to 100, I only use 60 to 70 lbs dumbbells for this routine and keep the same weight throughout the entire exercise. It will take you a few workouts to figure out the correct weight to use. Put the ego aside and don't be afraid to move down the rack to lighter weights. You will be surprised at how heavy the become by your 3 or 4th set.

Sets = 4-5 - 12 Reps

Strict Form - Go slow, controlled, and deep on the decent and power up on the press but don't lock out your arms. Keep the tension on the pecs. You want to try buildup some lactic acid in the muscle to create that pump. After 12 reps don't drop the weight, rather rest them on your thighs in a seated position for a period of 10-20 seconds no more. Just count in your head then right back down for 12 more reps. Do this again for 2 or 3 more sets. If you find that by the 2nd or 3rd set you can't get 12 reps then you are using too much weight. Take a mental note for next time and increase your rest period a few more second so that you can complete them this time.

Exercise 2

Incline Bench Press Smith Machine

- Again, I use low weight. Smith machine is great because you don't have to worry about a spotter.

Sets 4-5 10 Reps.

Again, form. Slow, controlled, and deep on the decent -contract and power through the press.

10-20 seconds rest in between sets. Remember to take deep controlled breathes both during and after movements.

Exercise 3

Decline Bench Press - Smith Machine

Same thing- 4-5 sets 10 reps

Exercise 4

Dumbbell Fly

- You should have an incredible pump and the dumbbell fly will really help you carve out that muscle at the end of the chest routine. Can't stress it enough...STRICT FORM. Use your chest and only your chest to bring the dumbbells together. Stop when they are about a foot apart which will keep constant tension on the pecs.

When I am completed with the Chest portion of my routine I am covered in sweat and take a few minutes to rest and prepare for hitting biceps. When I feel I am ready I go about it like this...

Biceps

Exercise 1

Barbell Curls

- Strict Form. Elbows back and against your side. Squeeze the biceps at the top of each rep.

Sets 4-5 Reps 10

Same rest times. 10-20 seconds will give you just enough times to drop the weight, take a few deep breathes and the start again.

Remember - If you find you are tiring out to quickly. DROP THE WEIGHT. It is more important in this routine to reach the set number of reps, pushing maximum blood flow as opposed to the amount of weight you use.

Exercise 2

Alternating Dumbbell Preacher curls

Sets 4-5 Reps 10

Exercise 3

Dumbbell hammer curls

- I don't alternate during this exercise except maybe for a few reps on the last set.

THAT'S IT. I assure you if you stick to this type of training for 6 weeks you will notice dramatic improvements in your physique.

Here are some additional tips to get the most out of the 6 weeks.

1. DIET - Make sure you are getting ample amounts of protein. YOU WILL NEED IT. Aim for 1-2 grams per pound of body weight daily. In addition to protein, use creatine to supplement the muscles.

2. GET A GOOD FAT BURNER - I use ENERFIT of course and have no doubt that you will love the fat burning benefits it can produce during a workout like this.

3. GET LOTS OF REST - At least 7-8 hours a day.

4. DRINK LOTS OF WATER - You will need to keep hydrated especially before a high intensity training session like these. Aim for a gallon of water per a day.

5. FLEX - During and after your workout. This will help keep blood flow in the muscles and will give you greater control over the muscles during your workouts.

I would love to hear response from some of you that try this to see what type of results you achieve. Good luck!

Most Common Workout Mistakes

Today was one of those days that I couldn't help but people watch while I was in the gym. What I usually notice the most when I do this (besides the gym hottie in her tube top and skin tight pants) is the poor and sometimes silly looking workout routines and techniques guys (and some girls) use in the gym. I thought I would make a list of some common mistakes I see being made in the gym so that you can make sure you aren't making them. Each of these will certainly put a hamper on building a hard body.

1. USING TOO MUCH WEIGHT - Guys want to feel macho in the gym so they load up the bar with more weight then then can handle correctly. These guys easy to spot in the gym. They can be seen lifting their but in the air and bouncing the bar off of their chest during a bench press (very dangerous) or performing a squat by lowering the weight to where their quads are only at 45% as opposed to 90%. They swing violently during bicep curls and a seated dumbbell shoulder press looks more like an incline bench press. Bodybuilding is about stimulating the muscle not building brute strength. Make sure that you use a weight that you can perform with strict form for 8-12 reps each set so that you can really work the target muscle fibers. It doesn't take much weight to do this if you are really focusing on working the muscle not lifting the weight.

2. USING THE SAME ROUTINE OVER AND OVER - You need to continuously change your routine and the types of exercises you do if you want to build a body that looks toned and muscular. Using different exercises will stimulate different muscle fibers for a more rounded physique.

3. NOT GOING TO FAILURE - If you aren't exercising the muscle to failure you aren't going to get the results you are looking for. You have to push your muscles beyond what they are normally capable of. Make sure that on the last set of each exercise, you really push yourself. If you are going for 8 reps and finish 8, try and get a 9th or 10th rep. Ask someone around the gym to spot you for safety on heavy compound lifts. You can also use drop sets, rest pause, and other techniques to achieve failure. See previous posts for examples.

4. TOO FEW OR TOO MANY REPS - Remember, you are trying to build muscle and get tone not become a power lifter. Shoot for a rep range of 8-12 reps per set for compound movements and 10-15 per set for single joint exercises. If you can't get 8 reps let go of the ego and drop the weight.

5. NOT ENOUGH REST - This is probably one of the worst mistakes you can make. I see guys in the gym all the time workout their chest one day only to come in the next day and hit the bench press again. In bodybuilding less is sometimes more. You need to give your body adequate resting time before you work a fatigued muscle again. Shoot for a minimum of 48 hours before working the same body part again.

Mixing Low and Hi Reps in the Same Workout

Most gym goers working toward building muscle have heard the verbiage, "more weight, low reps for mass" and "less weight, hi reps for definition". This is basically true, however you can certainly add mass using low weights and high reps just as you can obtain definition using low reps and heavy weight. Most of your results will depend on workout intensity and form along with the right diet.

For the average weight trainer looking to build lean muscle, combining both philosophies in the same session can be a great way to change up your routine for better results. Studies show that the body will burn more calories after a workout using heavy weights for low reps and the body burns more calories during exercise using light weight for higher reps.

Get the best of both worlds by training heavy early in your sets and light at the end. For example, let's say you are going to do 4 sets of bench press. The first two sets focus on using heavier weight for a rep range of 6-8 reps. The final two sets drop the weight so that you can do 12-15 reps.

Burning Fat - You can't see a HardBody unless you are lean

The past few weeks I have talked about several ways to increase intensity during your workout in order to build hard, dense muscle. Now that you are in the gym pounding the iron and pushing yourself to maximize muscle gains you need to be burning body fat at the same time. Several posts back I gave you a link to ENERFIT's Burn Rate calculator so that you could put a fat burning plan in place. Now that you know how many calories you need to burn, check out this link from http://www.bodybuilding.com/ which discusses some of the best aerobic exercises for burning fat.

Workout Intensity Part III: Pre-Exhaust

Last Friday I mentioned how working opposite body parts together can help generate lots of workout intensity. Today I thought I would talk about one of my new favorite training techniques; pre-exhaust. Pre-Exhaust refers to fatiguing a muscle with an isolation or single joint exercise prior moving on to a compound or multi-joint exercise. For example, on a day when you are training the chest, as I did yesterday, you might complete a set of light, concentrated dumbbell flyes until failure or close to failure, pumping as much blood into the pecs as possible before moving on to a compound movement like barbell bench press. This way, you will fatigue the chest before your assisting muscles such as the delts and triceps during the barbell bench press. Once the chest is fatigued, your delts and tri's can act as a "spotter" to help you with a few forced reps allowing muscle hypertrophy in the chest so it can grow harder, bigger, and stronger. Pre-exaust is a great way for someone who trains alone to reach the proper level of muscle fatigue to enduce body changes. Good luck with Pre-Exhaust!

Intensity Part II: Working Opposite Body Parts Together

Today I popped an ENERFIT and hit arms and boy did I hit them good! I worked my biceps and my triceps together which are opposite body parts. Biceps are used along with your back for many pulling type exercises and triceps commonly assist your chest with pushing movements. Not only are they "opposite" in their functionality, but they are also located on "opposite" sides of the arm.

Working opposite body parts together are a great way to really raise the intensity level in your training because you are forcing a lot of blood into one general area (in my case the upper arms were targeted today).

What I mean by working them "together" is that you are interchanging body parts with each exercise or even each set instead of finishing all your planned exercises for one body part before moving on to the other. For example, today I started will bicep barbell curls. I did 4 sets of 10-12 exercises with little rest in between, squeezing the focus muscle hard at the top of each rep. Rather than move onto my next set of bicep exercises, I moved on to tricep pull-downs with the rope. Same thing: 4 sets of 10-12 reps with little rest in between. Even after doing one exercise for my bi's and one for my tri's I was already sweating and my arms were as tight as can be (I may have even been caught admiring them once or twice....or maybe three times but whose counting).

I followed this pattern for 3 more exercises a piece; working one body part for a few sets and then onto the other. When I was finished I was covered in sweat and I felt great knowing that I had achieved an intensity level that was going to change the shape, firmness, and look of my arms (providing I eat right and get enough sleep of course).

Try working opposite body parts during your next workout routine such as biceps with triceps or chest with back (Arnold was known to frequently train chest with back). Remember the idea is to push blood into the focus muscle and don't forget to do what you need to do to reach the proper intensity level as discussed in the last post. Good luck and remember that with every rep you are closer to a Hard Body.

Exercise Intensity is Key to Building and Toning Lean Muscle.

When you are in the gym as much as I am, you see it time and time again; people moving through a workout routine as if they were folding laundry or cooking a roast on a lazy Sunday. These people can be identified by blank stares, long pauses between exercises, chatting over in the corner with others like themselves, and as dry as can be not a drop of sweat on them. I can't help but feel a little sorry for them because while they worked up the motivation to get to the gym and throw a few weights around, they very likely will notice little, if any change in their body in the weeks and months ahead and will become very discouraged.

Now I am by no means saying that light exercise doesn't have health benefits, but if you really want to work towards a leaner, toner, more muscular body you must train with intensity. What I mean by intensity is that you must push your body a little further than it is used to going during physical activity. For example, if you just did 10 repetitions of a particular exercise, try adding 10 pounds and see if you still can get 10, or keep the weight the same and go for 12! When lifting the weight becomes difficult or near impossible you have reached a good point to stop and move on to the next exercise (this will create beads of sweat - a good sign that you are training with the proper intensity). Another great way to increase intensity is by decreasing the amount of rest between exercises (this will create lots of sweat beads. I use this one a lot since I despise cardio).

The human body is an amazing organism and when pushed a little beyond normal capacity it adapts and changes. What that means to you, without getting into scientific descriptions of how muscle is actually "built", is that you will notice changes in your body when you look in the mirror and WE ALL LOOK IN THE MIRROR FROM TIME TO TIME! Not only will you gain physically, you will feel better emotionally knowing that your hard work is actually getting results and it will make it easier for you to work up exercise motivation. In the weeks to come I will talk about more advance intensity training methods such as rest-pause, drop sets, pre-exhaust, and more. Good luck training and remember that with every rep you get closer to a hard body.