Bodybuilding is one of the most effective ways of boosting your self confidence and general self image. If you look at the life styles of bodybuilders you will find something in common, almost every bodybuilder lives a fulfilled life. This however only applies to bodybuilders who have become successful without the use of steroids or any other enhancement hormones. In order to mold your character through bodybuilding you need to train the natural way. This is difficult sometimes and that is the more reason why you will feel fulfilled when you know you succeeded through your hard work. Even if you are experiencing a bodybuilders plateau, do not be dismayed because a lot of bodybuilders also passed through the same experience before they were able to become successful. The first thing you need to do is to find out your objective ...

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Q: I’m a guy in his mid-thirties who loves to train heavy. Problem is I did some major damage to my lower back as a result of a skiing accident last Fall. How can I modify my mass building workouts to put less stress on this weak link? A: There are four areas that you need to give attention to in order to prevent your already fragile back situation from worsening. Let’s take them one at a time: (1) Choose exercises that reduce the risk of lower back injury. That means taking out heavy squats and replacing them with heavy leg presses, swapping bent-over and t-bar rows for seated machine rows (use the machines that have a chest pad), and cutting out heavy shrugs and dead-lifts. Do as many of your exercises as you can seated to improve back stability. Ideally, you ...

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Q: My buddy and I were having a debate the other day about what “intensity” means in terms of an actual workout on paper. Do you think this workout is intense, too intense or not intense? Straight Leg Deadlifts - 4 x 4 (12,10,8,6 + drop set for 8) Hamstring curls - 3 x 8-12 Good Mornings - 3 x 10,10,10 Calves - 6 sets Biceps - EZ Bar Curls 5 x 12,11, 10, 9, 8 Preacher Curls - 5 x 12,11,10,9,8 Hammer curl - 2 x 8-10 What do you think? A: Well, a few observations. Number one, it’s a big workout day- though I will say that I like it. I think it’s a lot of volume, but then, I also think that most bodybuilders don’t work hard enough. I ...

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Q: Ab boards... I see some guys using them and some guys not using them, and the ones who use them seem to have better abs. Are ab boards the best thing for building abs? A: Not necessarily. Truth is, ab workouts should focus on isolation. However you are able to achieve that isolation is what you ought to go with. Some people can really bear down on their abs on an abdominal board that has a slight foot elevation. But remember, you can lose isolative focus on anything - the floor, a board, or in some other crunch position. It's all dependent upon motion that is unnecessarily into the mix. So ab boards, being narrow, often keep the mind visualizing staying balanced on the board while crunching, so crunching is often executed more carefully than it would be on ...

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Q: Dude, my front delts are sorely lacking. I never do isolative exercises for them I always feel they get enough on chest days, but I guess I'm wrong. What's a quick way to add more meat to my FD without sacrificing strength on bench day? A: Well, first off, the most obvious answer is to add front delt work into your routines. The problem is, it could affect your bench. However, if you were comfortable dropping some pounds in the bench until your delts improve, and your chest is good, then we'd do that. If you're patient, your bench actually will make your front delts bigger, unless you're doing something wrong or making your chest concave and bracing with your upper back. Add FD work a month or two before cutting to make them appear thicker and denser. ...

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Are you seeking a few new ways to vary your training so that you can keep challenging your muscle groups, and keep the grow coming? You have come to the right place. Check out these techniques that you should be using every single workout to keep raising the challenge in the gym that you are facing, and raising the response from your body (namely, muscle growth!) Use more weight with each successive set This should feel like common sense to some lifters, but others seem to miss out on the point entirely. You should never complete 3 or 4 sets of a movement using the same amount of weight. Each set should require you to add another 5, 10, or 25 pounds to the bar. This means you will be completing fewer repetitions with each successive set, but ...

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Big, sweeping, complete pectoral muscles resembling those of the great Arnold Schwarzenegger are the goals of any bodybuilder worth his salt. However, very few bodybuilders actually achieve this condition. The reasons may vary. Perhaps they use too much flat bench work, and their upper pectorals are neglected. Or, maybe they never fall in love with dips or decline movements, and their lower pecs are weak as a result. One problem which plagues many bodybuilders, but never really seems to garner much attention, is the case of underdeveloped inner pecs. That is, the area where the pectorals meet, in the center, upper, and lower chest. Trainers in the gym often spend a great deal of time trying to make their bench press numbers grow. This is all well and good – except for one ...

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Q: When you’re dieting, are you supposed drink a post-workout shake? Or nothing until you eat a protein meal with a slow-acting carbohydrate? And how long after should you drink a shake? I always see so much on how to drink shakes after workouts when you’re not dieting, but I never read anything about pre-diet/ pre-contest. Help here? A: Personally, in the off season, I recommend getting that protein shake with 15-20 grams of carbs almost immediately – as rapidly as possible. I definitely recommend getting protein (30-40 grams) in as soon as possible after working out prior to a competition, but I think it should come in the form of an actual food meal. But I also think that if you can’t get to a full meal that fast – and who can? – then ...

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Are you a bodybuilder looking to add a bit of tightness to your frame as the upcoming contest looms closer and closer? Are you looking for ways to tighter up your legs, abs, and other muscle groups? If so, you may want to consider adding sprints to your routine in the last 4 to 6 weeks before a show. Let’s look at some of the reasons why these may be beneficial. Muscle group development Sprints build up a great of muscle groups in the body. The legs have to pump very quickly, which brings out detail in the hamstrings, calves, and quadriceps. The back and chest will be contracted as the flexed arms pump your upper body. Additionally, the abdominals (upper, lower, and serratus) receive a workout in a manner which just cannot be provided by ...

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You just nailed down the workout of your life! You brutalized the muscle group with heavy sets. Then you dropped the weight and bumped up your rep range, torching those slow-twitch muscle fibers that are typically only activated after rep 12 or 15. You targeted the muscle group from every conceivable angle and at the end of the day, you know you have done your job. But the mission is only halfway complete. It’s now time to nail down those recovery factors needed to ensure your efforts in the gym don’t go to waste. Here are some post-workout steps that should be second nature after a brutal workout! Shower Immediately following your workout, you need to wash your body to remove the sweat and oil you have just accumulated during your hour long journey through the ...

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