Building Muscles

Body building Muscles| How to train and build a massive body| Time off

Day 77-86 Taking time off and having a holiday in Scotland

I've had one of the best breaks for a long time. I have now returned from my holiday in Scotland. Some people eat and drink to excess because they are away on holiday. Is this the right thing to do? I am not so sure. I've always believed that what you eat today is who you are tomorrow. Being on holiday is no different to any other time in your life. That doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy yourself, but you should take care that you don't overdo anything. This includes the food you eat and what you drink.

I've always done some form of exercise when I'm away on holiday. Taking long walks or going for a swim every day just gives you some extra energy to do so much more.

I set off with my lovely wife, mother-in- law and my 2 granddaughters.

The first night we stayed just over half way in a hotel. I can handle the journey in one day but with 2 young kids it is necessary to stop often to give them a break. They need to stretch their legs and get their minds off being cooped up in a car. We had a really good meal in the local restaurant in the little town. Here is one of the kids deserts.  Tempting isn’t it?

We arrived.

We went to a carnival (called a Gala) that the little town of Rhynie was holding that same day. I watched a pipe band. I love the sound, especially from the genuine Scotsman.

I fortunately arranged with my son to record the rugby match between South Africa and Argentina that was played while we were travelling. What a disappointment. I cannot understand how a team can be so good one week and so poor the next. It defies all logic.

I went up Tap O’ Noth which is the mountain near my son's house. I took my grandkids up on the first day, as I had promised them I would show them what it looks like from the top. We had to go really slowly as they are little and I wanted them to enjoy the experience. You can see from the various pictures that there are some really steep places.

I went up this mountain every day that we were there.

I went up twice a day on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The weather was awesome the whole time we were there. Thursday and Friday I only went up once because I had managed to twist my ankle and strain my left knee. I think this happened on the Wednesday as I was running down the slope. I have since learned from the Dr that as you get older running down hills causes a lot of stress on your knee joints and it is not the best thing to do. The knee will then create fluid around the joint to protect it which makes it hard to bend. My knee felt very swollen and stiff. The Dr has told me that to run up the hill is perfect but rather walk down in future.

On the Friday we went to Portsoy and also spent a few hours on the beach at Cullen. I was rather surprised to find that the sea was actually not that cold. I really expected the sea to be freezing. If I had taken a swimming costume I could easily have swum.

All in all I have had a wonderful break and an amazing time with my youngest son in Scotland. We decided to come home in one day on the Saturday. Leaving family is always a sad thing to do. We left a 4:30 in the morning and finally got home at 3:15 in the afternoon. My granddaughters were fantastic and sang “One Direction” songs most of the way home. I am now no longer a One Direction fan. LOL

Body Building| how to develop big muscles at home

Day 73 How to train and build your upper body at home with limited equipment

I will be staying away from all weights from Thursday because I am off to visit my son in Scotland. I will be training, but my training will be me going up the mountain near my son’s house.

I will only train 4 times this week so I am doing something different. I trained the whole of the upper body today. I did this muscle order - chest, shoulders, back, triceps and finally biceps.

I did 5 sets for each muscle. I choose basic exercises.

• chest - flat bench press
• shoulders – shoulder press
• back – lat pull downs
• triceps – triceps push downs
• and biceps – standing bicep curls.

The first set for each muscle I did 14 reps with light weight. I then did 4 sets for each muscle using medium heavy weight and 10 reps per set. I could not ask for more. It was a brilliant training session especially as I did 20 minutes on my stationary bike an hour and a half before this training.

How to build a huge body at home| food condiments

Day 72 How to train and build a great body with the correct type of food condiments

The topic I wanted to talk about today is salt. Every expert has an opinion and they all differ.  Over the last 10 years or so we have had The Food Standards Agency recommend 2400 mg per day which is about a teaspoon full. CASH (Consensus Action on Salt and Health) wanted 1600 mg to be the standard people use. Then the American Heart Association dropped their recommendation to 1500 mg per day.

This is where the confusion comes in. Sodium along with potassium allows nerve impulses and muscle contractions to occur. Sodium also is critical in maintaining blood volume as well as helping the kidneys to determine how much water to release through urine. Because of the importance of salt in peoples diet scientists are against the reduction of salt.

It is claimed that too much sodium can cause high blood pressure which in time will cause organ damage, heart disease, stroke, memory loss and erectile dysfunction. This how ever tends to only happen with people who have kidney problems. Normal people who have too much salt just excrete it.

With all this information I have always believed if you listen to the body it will tell you if you need salt. I have had ordinary salted crisps and at times they have been too salty. Other times the same crisps have tasted wonderful. This is what David McCarron and colleagues in the department of nutrition at the University of California say, “Sodium regulation is all in your head – literally”. They believe the brain networks regulate our sodium appetite so we eat the optimum amount of salt per day. The amount varies from 2700 mg to 3700mg. I don't know how much I have per day but this I do know. I do not have high blood pressure or organ problems and I eat salt as I feel I need it. It is up to each individual what they choose to believe and they must only use what they feel comfortable using.

How to train and build big calves at home| big legs

Day 71 how to train and develop big calves with standing calf raises

Building up your calves takes time and effort. There are no shortcuts whether you are blessed with big calves or not, you have to really put in a lot of effort to have them look muscular. That is what I have done. I have good genes but that does not make them look muscular. The hard work I have put in has done that. Keep it simple as I do and it will work for you too.

I did 5 sets of 15 reps medium heavy weights fairly slow but making sure I raise up as high as I can with each rep. It was a great session.

Building muscle| how to build strong hamstrings at home| big legs

Day 71 how to develop huge leg biceps

I did good mornings for my hamstrings. One of the most difficult things to learn how to do is to flex your hamstrings. I did a set of 10 reps with medium weight and then flexed my hamstrings 6 times for the count of 3 with each flex. I had a full minutes rest before doing the next set. All I could manage was 5 sets. I also found that normally between each set I would stand around but today I had to sit. My legs were shaking because the training was so intense. This was a unbelievable session.

How to train and build big legs at home| quads

Day 71 training quads with normal squats

I have learned to love squats. It doesn't matter whether I do split squats or ordinary normal squats because they help me to get more strength and muscle. I ride my stationary bike almost every day and since I have been putting a bit more into my leg training I can ride much harder. I did medium heavy weights and did 5 sets of 8 reps per set. I normally have a full minute rest between each set but this time I finished the set and then I flexed my quads for the count of 3. I did this 6 times and then took the minute rest. My legs felt like they were on fire by the 4th set.

This training was incredible.

Training massive traps at home

Day 70 how to develop your traps with shrugs

I have learned how to play with basic exercises but to change the speed, reps, and sets. This is like having 4 or 5 different kinds of exercises for the same muscle even though it is a basic exercise. Today I did 6 sets of 12 reps each. The odd numbers I did quickly with only a 30 second rest. The even sets I held the weight at the top while I flexed for the count of 3 for each rep. I also only did 8 reps per even set.  I took a 90 second rest then did the odd number set.

My traps have not felt this trained for years.

Body building muscle at home| lat pull downs

Day 70 how to train your back and get the most from your exercise

I believe wide grip pull downs are so great for your back. I did not do the 5x5 training because I would have to go much heavier and I cannot anchor myself to the bench. I did 5 sets of 12 reps but with a difference. I pulled the weight down to my chest and then held it there while I flexed as hard as I could for the count of 3 with each rep. I then flexed as hard as I could 6 times during the 1 minute rest I have between each set.

I can assure you your lats will feel like they are going to explode if you do this right.

How to train and build big shoulders at home| deltoids

Day 70 how to develop your shoulders with military presses

I love doing shoulder presses. I sometimes do them in front of the head and sometimes I do them behind the head depending on how I feel. I am still on my 5x5 training so I trained heavy.

One of the things I have learned is always make sure you can do the 1st set without too much trouble. If you try to go too heavy you will fail with the 4th and 5th sets. I like to go to failure on the last set only because then I know I have got the start weight right. That is what happened today. On the 5th set I only managed 4 reps and could do the 5th one. That is the very best way to do it I think.

Building huge guns at home| biceps curls

Day 69 training your guns with an EZ bar

I really loaded the weights on today. This is one exercise that tempts people to swing the weight up when they go heavy. It takes a great deal of discipline to stay strict and allow only the biceps to do the lifting. I was heavy but strict and so I am proud of my training. When you do it right you will get a brilliant feeling and that is what training is all about. Never train to impress others but to do your own best.

I did 5x5 standing bicep curls. They were awesome.