Building Muscles

Building Muscles| How to train and build| Abs A Killer 6 pack)

I received a message on my YouTube site bazblog. It reminded me of all the hard work I put in over 120 days. The truth about abs is that they cannot be built in a few minutes a day. That is absolute rubbish. It is this kind of material that is put out on the internet purely for the money makers. I see claims like use this wheel and you will get abs in 2 weeks. I can assure you it will not happen. Getting a killer six pack means you will have to first eat right. That, in fact, is the key to all your body building training. Lose the body fat sensibly over a reasonable length of time. Eat 6 small balanced meals a day. People do not know but you have to eat yourself thin. You will also need to do some aerobic training to help burn fat. Finally you will have to do a series of leg raises with crunches. On my website http://www.buildingmuscles.co/ arefull videos and explanations on how I managed to lose 6.5 inches of fat around my stomach in 120 days. If I can do it anyone can. I am really thankful for the wonderful compliment with the following message sent to me.

39.5 to 33 waist - respect!

Dear Basil,

While searching on Google I stumbled on your website just before. I was looking at the progress chart you have on there and it has really inspired me and I was wondering if you could help me. You clearly lost a substantial amount of body going from 39.5" to 33" waist, but at the same time you clearly managed to build muscle also going from a 16" to 16.75" arm.

I'm currently just over a 34" waist and want to get down to just under 32" (31.7" is the target which isn’t totally random as it may seem....I won't go into why though) which will be about 10% body fat for me. My question is what did you do in terms of diet and cardio to lose that much fat but to be able to building muscle at the same time? This is what I'm struggling with due to so much conflicting info all over the internet. I thought because you're someone who has actually done it, you'd be the best person to ask/believe rather than something random from a Google search!

Thank you very much. Any answer is much appreciated. Keep up the good videos; they are so helpful and inspiring.

Richard

Building muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles| Where do I start?

Where do I start?

I am often sent messages like "I would like to build big biceps, chest and have a 6 pack so where do I start?"

There is so much confusing material on the internet -people saying you have to start with very simple light training and then in a few months you can build up to heavier weights and so on. That is not the way I did it. I started with a good dose of common sense. I decided to workout in such away that would cause my body to respond the best and fastest. I knew enough that light weights with high reps are great for getting the muscles working, but will only build them to a limited degree. I also knew that heavy weights would mean that the muscles would have to work really hard to overcome the resistance and therefore that would force them to grow. I decided to use a combination of both with each training.
(For full information on how I did this click here)

The results are proof enough that you can achieve a great result in a very short space of time.

 
What I found even more encouraging is the following message that was sent to me through my YouTube channel bazblog. The fact that it was recommended by a doctor in the Netherlands was mind blowing and just proved to me that with a healthy dose of common sense you can achieve some wonderful results.

Best Basil
I'm xxxx xxxxx, (Name withheld) I'm 22 years old and live in the Netherlands.
I have a problem, I am 2.05 meters (6.72 feet) tall, and I've always actually had problems with my back, shoulders and neck.
I went to my doctor, who told me that I could fix it with training my muscles.
He gave me your website (http://www.buildingmuscles.org.uk) and said that the exercises you do were very good for me.
 I cannot wait until I can start your exercises.
I just do not have the equipment and that is my question.
I've looked around on the internet and see different dumbbells with different weights.
I was thinking of adjustable weights ranging from 1 kg (2.20 lb) to 10 kg (22.0 lb). There are also dumbbells that are adjustable up to 15kg (33.07 lb).
What would you recommend?
I don’t know how heavy they must be, 10kg or 15 kg?

I also had a question about a training schedule.
How do you train, every day and for how long? Do you train different muscles every day? Would you like to help me with this?

With very best regards

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Shoulders| Middle Deltoids| Dumbbell Side Raises Pt 2

This exercise is similar to the other side-raise exercise. Feet in a similar position (apart amost shoulder width) Make sure you are in a very comfortable position. The weights are raised up in an arch movement and end up slightly higher than the shoulders but in front of them. Keep the elbows high in the movement and you will find that it will help to train the traps.

Start Position

Mid position

You will see the elbows are bent and the full stress must be on the front and middle deltoids.

Top Position

The weights are in front with the elbows in a high position.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Shoulders| Middle Deltoids| Dumbbell Lateral Raises Pt 1

There are a number of ways that you can do this exercise. I am going to show you the way a lot of people like to do it. I personally do it slightly different. I will also show that way with the next post.   It is a really good exercise and gives your shoulders that round look. It is important to stand feet slightly apart in a comfortable position.  You will have your arms by your side. Keep the arms almost straight and then raise the weight straight out to just above the shoulder height. Hold the weight for a slight pause at the top and then lower the weight fairly slowly.

Start Photo

 
Midway Photo

Here you can see the arms are almost straight and should be in line with the body.

Top Photo

You can see the arms are straight and slightly higher than the shoulder level. Go to a level that you feel comfortable with. I would not go too high as you then take the tension off the deltoid. Pause for a second and then lower slowly.

I normally do around 5/6 sets of these with my normal combination way of training. Increasing weight and reducing reps.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Shoulders| Front Deltoids| Dumbbell Front Raises

This is a wonderful way for you to build up your front deltoids. It focuses only on the front deltoid. I have found that I stand with my feet slightly apart. You need to be in a very comfortable position as you are going to put yourself out of balance when you lift the weight in front of your body. A good stance is really important. Have the dumbbells by your side, and raising one arm at a time, lift the weight to around the shoulder level. Keep the arm straight. I have also found that, if I do not lock the wrist but allow the weight to hang down a bit, I get a better workout. When you get to the top, hold it for a second and then lower the weight fairly slowly. Then repeat with the other arm. This is an awesome workout and you will see fairly quick results.

Start Photo

You can see the position you need the have the weights when you start. Hands in front of you and not side on. Lift the weight up with one arm all the way to the top position

Midway Photo

From this photo you can see that the wrist is not locked but allows the weight to hang down. This puts a bit more pressure on the front deltoid.

Top Photo

You can see the height you need to go to. It is around the shoulder level. Keep your arm straight throughout the movement. Pause with the weight at the top so the deltoid has to really work.

Keep your back and your arms straight throughout the movement.

I normally do around 5/6 sets of these with my normal combination way of training -increasing weight and reducing reps.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles.

How Should I Train Shoulders| Rear Deltoids| Dumbbell bent over Lateral Raises

One of the biggest mistakes people make when training shoulders is to neglect the rear deltoids. We are all guilty of this from time to time. It is quite easy to do the front and middle deltoids but not so with the rear deltoids. If you do not build these, you will end up with shoulders that will look out of balance. You will look rather round-shouldered. The goal is to have that square shoulder look. The last thing you want (when you are viewed from the side) is a flat area on the rear of the shoulder instead of a nice round full look.

You will need to sit on a stool - which is the best way to do this exercise. Lean forward and keep your body level with the floor. You then do the raises as you would in the other lateral side-raises exercise. You want to keep your arms quite straight. When you get to the top make sure you hold the top position for a count of 2 and then lower the weight. Be in control of the weight at all times. There is a strong tendency to swing the weights up. Do not do this. Rather go lighter and make sure each rep is controlled and deliberate. You will see this from the pictures.

Start position

You will see I hold the weight behind my legs and raise them from there.

Mid position

Note the arms that are only slightly bent.

Top position

Hold the weight for the count of 2 at the top. This puts a lot of stress on the muscle and will cause it to respond to this kind of resistance. Do not try to raise the weight too high as you do not want to distress the shoulder joint. Make sure you are comfortable with the movements of this exercise. Remember do not try to go too heavy or you will swing the weight and cheat. That does not mean you should not try to increase the amount you use as often as you can provided you keep strict form.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Back| Lats| Wide Grip Lat Pull Downs

I have found that this is one of the most effective exercises I have come across. It is a really easy exercise to do. You will need the right equipment however. A lat machine is in almost any reasonable gym.

The exercise is a very simple basic movement. You need to sit upright and hold the bar as wide as you can. I find that I arch my back very slightly - slightly off straight. Never forward. I also lean very slighly back. I then pull the weights down to chin level or just touching the top of the chest. As I pull down the weight I focus on the lats doing the work. I also try to get the shoulder blades to touch each other as I pull down. This seems to get the lats to do all the work. On the return make sure you are in total control of the weights. A fairly slow return is the best for this exercise.

Start Position

 You will see a very slight arch in the back and a slight lean backwards.

Mid Position

 You can see I am trying to get my shoulder blades to touch each other.

End Position

I pull the bar down to just below chin level. Hold for the count of 1 and then slowly let the bar go back up to the top.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Shoulders| Deltoids| Dumbbell seated Shoulder Presses

I use seated shoulder presses because they give the best overall work out for the shoulders. There are a lot of exercises that you can do to isolate each of the 3 main muscles in the shoulder, and we will cover them in time. Seated dumbbell shoulder presses are a great way to get 2 of the deltoid muscles (front and side deltoids) to work really well. I must point out they only slightly work the rear deltoid - you really need to put in proper training for them.

Sit comfortably on your bench with both feet on the floor. Raise the weights to your ears. Keep your elbows facing outward as you will see in the photo.  Then push/press the weight up to the top. Your elbows should be almost straight. There should be no strain on the shoulder joint - that is really important. Make sure it is comfortable. That does not mean it must be easy. If you want to gain muscle you will have to load on the weight. Do the reps in a controlled and deliberate way. Pause both at the top and the bottom. Focus only on the shoulders to do the lift. The more you bring your mind into your lifting, the more you will build. Make sure you have total control of the weights at all time when they are above your head.

At the start, you can see the weights are around the ear level and directly above the shoulders.

As you push the weight up make sure you keep your back straight. Try not to arch your back. You want the deltoids to do all the lifting.

Here you can see the position of the arms - the weights must be directly over the shoulders. Lower them fairly slowly. Do not let the weight come down without proper full control.

 Bad Position Above
In this photo the back is arched and the weights are not directly over the shoulder. This puts a lot of extra strain on the shoulder joints and can lead to problems.

I normally do around 5/6 sets of these with my normal combination way of training. Increasing weight and reducing reps.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Arms| Triceps| Overhead extensions

I have found that this is a fantastic exercise to get your arms really pumped up and feeling  huge. It must be done with care. Withany exercise you do above your head, you should make sure you are in total control of the weight. The last thing you want is the weight to fall down on your head.lol.

You will see from the first photo that the start position is the weight is above your head with your arms extended straight up.

As you lower the weight you will need to make sure you keep your elbows as close together as you can. I have found that people who try to go too heavy will have their elbows go very wide in order to lower the weight, and then of course to get the weight up.  This does not put enough stress on the triceps muscle and although you are training really hard, you will not get the kind of results you could have by just going a bit lighter.

You can see the mid position the elbows are as close together as you can considering the exercise you are doing.

Lower the weight as low as is comfortable. Never try to force the weight to go lower than what is comfortable, as you will be putting extra stress on the shoulders. That is not the purpose of this exercise.  I always push myself when I train but I never force the exercise to an uncomfortable position for me. It is best to do the exercise without weight to get the movement right and comfortable, and then do the same with the weight.

 
You will see in this photo how the elbows are far too wide and really need to be a lot closer.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Arms| Triceps| Tricep Kick Backs

I have found that this is a really good exercise to get a fantastic burn. I do not really ever do this as one of my basic tricep exercises, but as a super set I find it unbeatable. I would normally do either a tricep pushdown or an overhead extension for around 5 sets, then finish off my training with a superset of kickbacks. I do know a lot of people swear by this exercise and will do 5 or 6 sets of them. I think that is really up to you. As I have always said, you have to work out what you believe will work best for you.

You will see from the photo that you really need to have your torso in the right position to start with. Then make sure you have your elbows right. They must be tucked in as close to your sides as you can.

Above you will see the starting position.

You will see that you “kick back” the weight parallel to the ground. It is as this point that you can really add a bit extra to the exercise. When your arm is extended try to flex the muscle as hard as you can. This forces more blood into the muscle and you will get an incredible burn. On the return to the start position make sure you are in total control of the weight and do not let gravity take over and let the weight just fall to the start position. Remember that if you make each rep count they will be done deliberately and you will get some outstanding results.

In the photo below, you will see the back is in the wrong position and also the elbows are not tucked into the sides of the body. You will not get a good result doing it this way.