Building Muscles

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles.

How Should I Train Chest Part 3 - Pullovers

The exercises in this video expand the ribcage and to add density to the pecs. You will see in the video exactly how to do the exercise and the importance of the head and hips position. This exercise will certainly help to expand your ribcage and give you a much bigger looking chest. It is well worth doing from time to time.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Arms| Triceps

Triceps Push Downs

I have found that this exercise is one of the best basic exercises for building up a great looking tricep. A lot of people do not realise that the triceps muscle makes up 2/3rds of the upper arm size. I am not sure if it is because they are at the back of the arm that they are often neglected. It is easy to train the biceps as they are in the front, and so you see them every time you look in the mirror. Training the triceps is extremely important if you want to build a good looking arm.

They are called triceps because there are 3 muscles that make up the triceps.

The three heads have the following names and origins:
• The "Long head": infraglenoid tubercle of the scapula
• The "Lateral head": posterior shaft of the humerus, lateral and superior to the radial (spiral) groove.
• The "Medial head": posterior shaft of the humerus, medial and inferior to the radial (spiral) groove.

I am often asked what different exercises you should do to work each individual muscle in the triceps. The answer is there is no exercise that I know of that will work the individual muscles in the triceps. What ever exercise you do will work all three.  That includes things like lying triceps extensions and arm extensions behind the back, push ups, bench press, close grip bench press (flat, incline or decline), military press and dips.
You will therefore get a great workout whichever one you choose. You must however make sure you do them properly. Cable push downs like I do need to be done slow and with total control. You will see in the pictures that the position that you need to stand is almost upright.

In the picture above you will see the start position. The elbows are tucked in by your side and you start with the arms close to the chest. 

In the photo above, taken at the bottom of the movement, you will see that the body is still almost upright and only bent slightly forward and the arms are extended to the full open position. The return to the top position is really important and you must do this deliberately and not just allow gravity to bring the weight down and the arms up.

The photo above shows the WRONG way to perform this exercise. You will see from the bad posture thatn that you will end up using a the body weight to move the weights. It is a way I see a lot of people training - maybe they want to prove how much they can train with. It does not give you the same results as going lighter and making the triceps only do the work. Always focus on the exact muscle you want to train and make sure it is only that muscle that is doing the work for the best possible results.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Chest| Dumbbell Flys

I have found that doing flys is a really good way to put a lot of extra stress on the chest. (Pectorals) Here you need to make sure that you have the right movement. If you do this exercise wrong you will  cause shoulder injuries, and you will not get much of a result. I do not do this exercise as my main exercise as I really believe it is very hard to beat a normal flat bench press with a barbell. I find that flys give me a great workout when I do a superset after a few sets of normal bench presses. The burn you get is amazing - one that makes quite a difference. You will find that you will be very pumped if you use the two.

In the photo above, you can see that the starting position is with a slightly bent arm and it starts above the pecs. As you lower the weight you need to keep the arms slightly bent in a big arc movement.

The ideal place to end the movement is about shoulder level. Pause for a fraction of a second in this position and then return the weight to the top of the movement keeping the arc movement.

Below is a photo of how NOT to do it.

When you go too low at the bottom of the movement, you put a tremendous amount of stress on the shoulder joint and it is easy to cause damage. Once you have caused the damage it normally will require an operation to fix it. It seldom comes right with rest unless you are very lucky. Train with care.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Chest Part 1/ Barbell Bench press

In order to train your chest you will need to have a bench or a good gym ball that can double as a bench. You will need to be able to lay flat on your back on the bench.  It also is a lot safer to have a bench that has a stand to hold the weights so you can lift them off safely and do the exercises. Once you come to the end of your set, you will have a safe place to put the bar with the weights on.  You see from the photo below I have raised my hips off the bench and placed all the stress on my shoulder blades.  I know there are people on the internet teaching this to way to be a good practice. I am totally against this way of training.

You will see with thes next photo the full back is resting on the bench. This allows for the weight to be distributed evenly over the whole back. There is no stress on any individual part. When you lower the weight you will have to use the chest to do the lifting. My feet are placed firmly on the floor. This, too, allows you to have total stability with the lift.

I have also shown how you can raise up your legs when you do bench press. I see it is quite a popular way of training and I can see nothing wrong with doing it this way. I personally like having the stability of the feet on the ground.

When you lower the weights make sure they are just touching or just above the nipple area. Never, never bounce the weight off the chest. It is very dangerous and a poor training technique. For normal bench press lower the weights deliberately so it is not a race but quite slow. Stop on or just above the chest for a fraction of a second and then push the weight up.

For the normal bench press do not lock the arms out at the top of the movement but keep them slightly bent so there is constant pressure on the (pecs) pectorals. Here you need to pause for a second or so when you are at the top of the movement. What this does is it makes each rep count. You are not racing but taking your time with the training and getting the most from your time in the gym. 

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Part 6

I want to let you know which exercises are going to be the best for you.  A lot of people who are new to training get carried away with the many exercises there are for each muscle. They believe that if they do several different exercises for each muscle, they are going to build quicker. This is not going to happen. In fact, I have found that, in a lot of cases, they actually hinder their progress.  The best results you can get from training are to do just the very basic exercises that have been proven to produce results. There are many money-making variations of the basics that are used to convince beginners (and even more experienced bodybuilder) to spend their cash. They are not going to get you results any quicker than the simple exercises.

Here is a list I still use and they work perfectly well.

Chest - flat chest bench press as the main exercise, and for super setting - fly’s. You can do flat or incline fly’s if you choose as they are very good.

Shoulders - dumbbell shoulder press as the basic exercise and side raises for the super set. It is advisable to do some bent-over side-raises to work the rear deltoids. If you do not develop the full shoulder you could look like you have round shoulders - if the front and side deltoids out grow the rear deltoids.

Back - lat wide grip lat pull downs as the basic exercise and seated rowing for the superset. I have found that bent-over dumbbell rowing is a very good alternative to the above 2 exercises.

Triceps - push downs as the basic exercise and kick backs as the super set. You can use overhead extensions to replace either one of the above 2 exercises.

Biceps - standing EZ bar curls as the basic exercise and hammer curls as the super set. I would also do some reverse curls every now and again to get the forearms working and building well.

Abs – crunches, leg raises with weights and normal sit ups. You can mix and match as you want for the as they are all fantastic abs exercises. (Remember you will not build a killer 6 pack till you have your food under control)

Legs – Quads - normal squats and Bulgarian split squats as you basic exercises. (A Bulgarian split squat is where you do a one leg squat with the other foot on a bench) 

Hamstrings - Good mornings as the basic exercise and some lying leg curls.

Calves - standing or seated calf raises.

With these exercises you will build a fantastic foundation that will help you with any way you want to take you bodybuilding training. They will help with bulking up, slimming down or just normal fitness training. The number of reps and the weight that you use will determine what you will get from this training.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Part 5

One of the things I stress with training is that you really need to rest the muscles that you train. It is the rest that causes the growth. That might seem strange, but it is the way it works. Think about a building that suffers from an earthquake. There will be cracks in the walls; some of the building might have collapsed and is in need of repairs. You send in the repairers, and if they are given enough time, they can do a really good job and reinforce the building. In fact, in a lot of cases, it will be a lot stronger than the original. Now - if you have another earthquake before they are finished, the already weakened structure will end up not being able to cope with the quake, and you will end up with a pile of rubble. That is the same with our muscles. They need time to rest and repair so they can come back a lot stronger than before. I have found through experience and doing a fair amount of research that a good rest period should be between 48 - 72 hours. Before 48 hours the muscles have not had enough time. After 72 hours the effects of the training gradually start to wear off. Your muscles then start to very slowly return to their original state before you trained. Obviously that will take a few weeks to happen but we are looking at getting the best results with the least amount of time and effort.

The following is the kind of training I like to do which gives me the rest and enough of a workout for each muscle every week.  You will see that I manage to train each muscle 2x a week. There are a lot of people who swear by training each muscle only once a week. That is up to you. I have found, through trial and error, twice a week is better for me. Whether you decide to train them 2x a week or once a week both would be quite acceptable.

I try to work muscles that are near to each other so the blood is not sent from the top of the body to the bottom in a training session.

Mon & Thurs - Chest, Triceps and Biceps
Tue & Fri - Back,  Shoulders and Abs
Wed & Sat - Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, Calves)

I hope that gives you a good idea of what and when to train.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Part 4

Here is the training plan that I stick to most of the time. It produces some really great results and is not really time consuming. What I really like about it is there is never an end until you decide you have got what you want.

I train almost every muscle the same.

12 - 16 reps very light warm - up. 1 min rest
12 reps heavier. 1 min rest
10 reps heavier. 1 min rest
8 reps heavier. 1 min rest
6 reps heavier. 1 min rest (You must be really struggling to lift the weight from 3 rep)
12 reps reduce weight to around the weight of the 8 reps. (you must really battle from 7-8 reps) Go straight on to a superset of 12 reps (no rest) with another exercise for the same muscle. e.g. Chest - main exercise; bench press – superset; incline fly's. Biceps – main exercise; standing curls – superset; hammer curls.  The same for all the muscles you train.

I then have a 2 minute rest and go on to another muscle and do the same again.

You will see this is not a lot different to the way I do aerobics. Because I vary the repetitions and weight, I can never reach a maximum. The other day a chap asked me when he will reach his maximum. If he strives to increase every time he trains, then there has to be a maximum.  The answer is - when you get to the size you want or the size your body will allow you to go to, then you can maintain what you have. I personally do not want to make much of a change to how I currently look. I want to lose a little here and build a little there but am no longer on a quest to get any bigger overall.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Part 3
Looking at the different ways to train, you will find that it can be quite confusing. A lot of people think that you can only do one thing at a time with the body. For example, if they are fat and would like to lose the body fat and build some muscle, they think they will first have to lose the fat then start the training to build muscle. This is not the case at all - you can gain weight and build muscle. You can also lose fat and build muscle at the same time.

It all starts off with the food you eat, and then what kind of body you want. That way you can work out what type of training you need.  The fault most people make is that they do a load of cardio or aerobic training to get fit and to lose fat. They also want to build a toned body. It will not happen this way. If you only do cardio training you will get fit and you will lose fat - but if you are a big pear shape you will end up a little pear shape.

Only with resistance training can you change the shape of your body. It is here that you decide if you want to build massive muscles or you want to build a great looking lean body. I have found that, with any weight training, the best thing to do is to get a foundation first. Once you have that then you can decide what route you want to take. It is in this area I am going to focus most of the training ideas and tips. I will be showing you the method I have used to get some really meaningful results in a relatively short space of time.

Bodybuilding Muscles|How to Train & Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train Part 2
In order to have a toned lean muscular body of a good size and proportion, bodybuilders spend a great deal of time on how to remove excess fat. This is done in various ways. Some will spend hours and hours running on the road or doing various exercises on stationary equipment. Others will join spinning classes or dance routines all in the hope of losing excess fat. These all work, and I would never suggest that they do not work. But each of us has to find what the best method is for us. I have always had the idea that you need to do the least amount for the most reward. That is a pleasing result.

Let's look at people who want to earn money. They could work in a warehouse, packing goods, for around the minimum wage.  That means that they could earn a limited amount  per week. I know I have done that at one time in my life and you have to work very hard for limited income.  They could also sell a product or service. Let’s say insurance. A policy for could be worth a lot in commission to the salesman. (I know - I sold insurance many years ago). Today I believe you can earn even more for a few hours work.  Not every one is suited to selling insurance, but then you do not know until you try.

It is the same with training. If you believe only one way will work for you then that will be the one that you will use to get results. If you have an open mind and you are prepared to try different things without doing the ridiculous, then you could quite easily get a great result with limited effort.

So what is the best way to burn fat? What is the right kind of exercise to do? A study at Laval University, Canada found that a group following a program of high-intensity intermittent-training lost nine times more fat than those following a normal endurance training program.   The kind of training is like the following.
AEROBICS
1 minute slow then
1 minute faster
1 minute faster
1 minute faster
1 minutes as fast as you can go

Increase with each minute - so you can imagine the first minute is like walking speed with little stress. By the 3rd minute you are running at a reasonable speed. By the 5th minute you are sprinting as fast as you can possibly go. You are giving it everything and then some. If you use a stationary bike, or other stationary equipment, you can increase the resistance or the speed to get the same effect. I use a stationary cycle. I cycle at about 100/110 RPM and play with the resistance. Instead of going faster I increase the resistance. On the last minute of the set I really give it my all as I have it on a high resistance and it is a real strain to finish the minute.

This is very similar to what we used to do when I played rugby many, many years ago. lol We called them “wind jammers". If you repeat the above 3 more times you will have done a very intense 20 minutes of aerobics. You will only need to do this a few times a week and you will be amazed at how much body fat you will burn off.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to Train and Build Massive Muscles

How Should I Train

With the information you have about nutrition and how the muscles work, and why they build, now we can get into the idea of what will be the best type of training to get the quickest results. This is one of the important decisions you need to make before you start to train.

It really does not help to go to a gym and announce that you want to train. You need to decide what you want from the training and how it is going to help you.  You then put together a plan of what you are going to do. Most places will offer a beginners plan and it will be quite different to someone who is a lot more experienced. I am not really in favour of this. I think you can do exactly the same type of training that an experienced bodybuilder does even though you are new to it. You see, the difference will be in the amount of weight you will use. That is the only difference in your training.  The muscles of an experienced bodybuilder work the same as beginners. It is a bit like saying I will teach you to walk but because you are new to it you will have to walk differently to some one who has been walking for years. You need to get it fixed in your mind that you are there to train as well as the biggest person in the gym. Just because they have been doing it a lot longer then you certainly will not mean that you should feel inferior to them. Remember they too had to start somewhere.

What is going to be the best for you? Well after many years of messing around with different ways to train I have realised that the first thing you need to do is to build a foundation. Before you can have a huge body, or a 6 pack, or anything else, you will need that foundation to work from. I will be spending a lot of time explaining to you (in future posts) how to get that amazing foundation so you can have the body of your dreams.