Building Muscles

Body Building Muscles – Legs - How to Train & Build Massive Quads (Thighs), Hamstrings and Calves - Exercise Chart - Day 111

Day 111	Goal			Actual
Legs Quads	Reps	Kg's		Reps	Kg's
Single Leg Ext	20	25		20	25
	12	30		12	30
	10	35		10	35
	12	30		12	30
Single Leg Squat	15	10		15	10
Hamstrings	Reps	Kg's		Reps	Kg's
Lying Leg Curl	20	12.5		20	12.5
	12	15		12	15
	10	20		10	20
	12	17.5		12	17.5
D/B Lunges	15	12.5		15	12.5
Calves	Reps	Kg's		Reps	Kg's
Single Leg Calf Raise	30	30		30	30
	20	45		20	45
	15	50		15	50
	15	50		15	50

Bodybuilding Muscles – General and Nutrition. Day 110

It is important to know what is happening with your body when you are training and building muscles. The idea is to get plenty of blood flowing into the muscle you are building. This explains why it feels so swollen after you have just trained a particular muscle. You are also breaking and tearing the fibres in that muscle. This is the important part. A good rest period is required for the repair process to take place. The fibres will grow back together, but just a little further apart so you will have growth. This is why it is important to feed them with protein.

Training is about the following.

1) MENTAL - being totally focused on what you want to achieve.
2) NUTRITION - eating the right amount of protein, carbohydrates and the right type of fats.
3) SUPPLEMENTS - Taking the right supplements for the type of training you are doing.
4) REST - having the required break before training the same muscle again (rest - not only physically but mentally)
5) LIFTING WEIGHTS - Resistance training.

I would put them in this order of importance too. So many people think that the weight lifting is the most important, and the rest must be secondary. I don't believe this - and this is from my own personal experience. I try to monitor what is happening to my body when I train under different conditions. I also say this because there are a number of people who certainly know a lot more than I do, (and have the bodies to prove it) teach this.

Use common sense with training. Think of your body as a Ferrari sports car. You can soup it up to achieve incredible results, but if it is just for speed you might not have reliability and it will not last.  That is a same with some bodybuilders. They have taken all sorts of drugs, training and goodness know what to get this huge body, and when the novelty wears off and age comes upon them, what shape will they then be in ? It is then that the harm will show. Train for a good purpose - never to abuse your body or force it to be something you will regret later on in life.

I ate really well and stuck to my plan 3 x protein drinks (being lazy), 2 x chicken and rice with vegetables,  1 x tuna salad. Water 2lts.

Bodybuilding Muscles - ABS – How to Build and Train A Killer Six Pack. Day 110

Lose body fat. No amount of sit-ups or any other training will show off your SIX PACK if you have too much body fat.

Here you are talking to the master of this area. I train the abdominal muscles very hard. I know the importance of having a very strong midsection, but I also know that only when the excess fat is used up, will they be on display.

This does not put me off. I do not care what others think. I know what is happening with my body and that is what counts. I also know that sit-ups or other abs training is burning calories - the fat is being used up. Never neglect training them, and use absolute intensity when you do train them. One morning you will wake up and it will be like they have just arrived. I have experienced that once in my life and am on a quest to make it happen again. Watch this space.

Bodybuilding Muscles - Back – How to Build and Train Huge Lats. Day 110

I have been lucky with lats. When I was young I was a butterfly and freestyle swimmer, and that certainly does give you good lats and fairly broad shoulders. Building on them, however, takes time and effort. There is nothing for nothing in this world.

I have found the quickest response I get is when I bring my mind into the training. I not only lift the weights with the muscle, but see it in my mind. I actually visualise the muscle growing because of the training. I always try to work only the muscle I want to train. If you just train with no thought, you will find you often do not focus on the actual muscle you want to build and train - and so you use a lot of other muscles. This type of training is not so intense. I have limited time in my gym so I must make it count to the best of my ability.

When you train with mental intensity, you will automatically do it physically. It almost does not matter what exercise you use to build the lat muscle...it will bring about good results. I prefer lat pull-downs because they are the easiest for me. Use what you believe will give you the best result.

Bodybuilding Muscles - Shoulders – How to Build and Train Massive Deltoids. Day 110

I have seen people do incredible numbers of sets and reps to build and train muscles. I don't think this is the answer. I think sometimes, less is more.

A quality workout to where you cannot do any more after a few sets, is all you need. Over training and beating a muscle into the ground to try to make it grow is not the answer. Having a strong positive mental attitude is a very big part of training.

Deltoids must be in proportion to the rest of your chest, back and arms to enhance the overall look of your shape. I think four sets done properly are all you need to get a magic workout - especially when you are just starting to do resistance training. Once you have a good foundation, then get specialised training to go where you want with your body. Alternate training the front deltoid and rear deltoid in your training sessions. I like to train the front deltoid as the main exercise and then finish with a set of rear deltoids  - then next time do it the other way round.

The way I am training is to try and get the quickest results within the least amount of time. This type of training will never get you to win a bodybuilding competition, but it will get you a fantastic foundation to get you to where you want to be IN JUST 90 TO 120 DAYS.

Body Building Muscles – How to train and build Big Shoulders, Back ( lats) and Killer Abs (Six Pack) - Schedule Day 110

Day	Goal			Actual
Shoulders	Reps	Kg's		Reps	Kg's
D/B Side Raises	20	7.5
	12	10
	10	12.5
	12	10
Bent-over Raises	15	10
Back	Reps	Kg's		Reps	Kg's
Wide Lat Pull Down	20	40
	12	50
	10	60
	12	50
Close Lat Pull Down	15	50
Abs	Reps	Kg's		Reps	Kg's
Lying Leg Raises	20	12.5
	12
	10
	12
Wheel	15

Bodybuilding Muscles – General and Nutrition - Day 109

I did some great networking as I need to find a few extra contacts. Whatever you want to achieve in life - if you have the right attitude, it seems to come your way. I did make the contacts, and in fact so much so that I picked up a new client. I then came home and helped Lorraine in our little postage stamp garden. I did a bit of pot plant lifting for her and a bit of planting.

Food was not a disaster - but for today I decided not to be strict. I did have some popcorn and a very small piece of cake that was on offer. Otherwise I am proud to say the habit is kicking in and I was still pretty good. That is what habit is all about. Doing something without thinking about it. It is called unconscious competence.

Bodybuilding Muscles – Chest – How to Build and Train Massive Pectorals - Day 109

Training and building the Pec Muscles requires a lot of dedication and patience. You do not suddenly get a big chest. It takes work - and often very hard work. I know I speak from experience. I still have a way to go. Fortunately for me, I am not interested in competing. I just want a good looking balanced frame. I think that would be the case for most people around my age, 57 this month.

A tip when training chest - stop with the weights just above your chest. Never bounce them off your chest to help push them up. You can injure yourself. I find I get a better workout when I pause for a second on the bottom of the movement. When I push the weight up I try to do it with just the chest pec muscle. You will bring into play deltoids and triceps doing bench presses. I trained with normal straight bar bench press and then a set of flys.

Bodybuilding Muscles - Arms – How to Build and Train Huge Triceps - Day 109

One of the exercises which I believe is highly rated for building great triceps is the close-grip bench press. You hold the straight bar about shoulder wide or slightly less. Lower the weight slowly to your chest. Like with the bench press just above the chest - push the weight up, concentrating on the tricep muscle to do the work. I personally have never been a big fan of this exercise, and I cannot honestly tell you why. I know may people rate it highly. I think it is a personal choice and you must go for what you think works for you. I will have a go at it and see how it works. Maybe it's time for a change. 

My favourites are tricep extensions and push-downs - basic and simple. I have used Dips in the past and found them useful if I have been without weights to use.

Bodybuilding Muscles – Arms – How to Build and Train Huge Biceps - Day 109

Warming up your biceps is really important before attacking any reasonable size weights. I have been very lucky and have never torn a bicep muscle, but I have heard from others who have. They say it is extremely painful and leaves you out of training for quite a while. I have on the odd occasion been foolish and overdone training. This has happened when I had not trained for a long time. I then jumped in - and because I felt good and strong, went overboard with curls etc. I really looked like a fool because my arms were stuck in a bent curl position for days. I was so stiff I could not move them without extreme pain. A lot of people made a lot of fun of me.

Use common sense and start slowly. Warm-up with stretching or very light weights for around 20 to 25 reps so the blood is flowing before any increase of weight to your maximum. 

I love Z Bar curls and hammer curls as I get less strain on my elbows.