The lunge is a great single leg compound exercise which will help achieve awesome results in muscle mass. A lot of people like to use this instead of good old squats but I like to use both in my leg workouts as they work your legs differently. The lunge is different to the squat because as you move forward through the air in the execution your muscle has to decelerate before landing and contracting again.

We are really targeting our quadriceps with this exercise but our gluteus maximus will be working synergistically and our hamstrings come into play as a stabiliser too. So, a very good all round exercise.
The lunge is also a fantastic dynamic stretch action so not only are you breaking down your muscle tissue, you are incorporating flexibility and improving your function also. A more functional athlete will be able to lift more. The beauty about lunging is you don’t need a squat rack so you can perform this exercise anywhere. It is also a very diverse exercise as you can adapt the technique to hit different areas of your legs.
The Technique
Stand with your feet together with your torso in an upright position. Look ahead with your toes pointing forwards. Core stabilisation is very important here so switching on the TVA (Transverse Abdominals) muscles is a good idea. Breath in and relax while keeping your abdominals contracted (you may need to practice this). You can do this exercise with your own bodyweight, technique is very important so only start adding resistance once you feel comfortable doing lunges (with good form). Imagine you need to step over an invisible box in front of you, this is a good mindset to ensuring you give yourself a good step forward. Land on the heel of your foot then load onto the forefoot. Your knee should be in line with your foot and slightly over your toes. Return back to the starting position by driving through the leading quadricep. Alternate with other leg and repeat.
Like I said this exercise can be very versatile. You can change the angle your front foot lands, this will recruit your muscles differently and keep them guessing (which is the key to continual gains). You can also change the tempo, so if you were to slow down the pushback you are increasing the intensity of the exercise by keeping your muscle fibres under tension for longer. The one most bodybuilders will go for is adding resistance, this can be achieved by holding dumbbells in your hands or placing a barbell across your traps. I do not recommend using too much weight with this exercise, it is normally under-estimated, people new to this exercise will get great gains to start with using their own bodyweight.

The most important thing you need to do in order to get great abdominals is not exercises to build up your abs, it is exercise to get rid of all the fat that is currently covering up your core muscles. If you have been doing a lot of exercises that target your core you probably already have great abs, they are just hidden by the layers of fat on top of the muscle.

It will take time to be able to do this, with the exact amount of time depending on the plan that you use and the amount of time and effort you put into it. It is possible that you might be able to see a real difference within three months. To do this you will need to have a plan that includes cardio, proper nutrition, strength training, setting goals, choosing a healthy lifestyle, getting the proper support from your social circle, getting enough rest and making sure you have plenty of time to recover between workouts. Your goal should be to lose two to three pounds per week with between three and five hours of exercise per week.

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you are doing the right type of cardio. Longer cardio sessions at a lower intensity may use up more energy from fat cells, but they end up using less energy overall. This is because you only burn energy during the workout with this type of cardio. If you do high intensity interval training instead, working one to two minute energy bursts into the workout, you will not only burn more calories faster, you will also keep burning more for a three to six hours after you stop working out. This means that the overall number of calories that you burn is greater, which translates into greater weight loss and greater fat loss. This type of workout is also better for improving your heart and lung function.

Another reason that high intensity interval training is better for you than low intensity workouts is that your body adapts based on the type of training that you do. If you do high intensity work that uses glucose from the muscles, it is likely to start storing more energy in that format. However, the low intensity workouts that burn fat cells first will be likely to start your body storing more energy in the fat cells, which is the exact opposite of what you would like it to do.

High intensity exercise also forces your heart and lungs to work harder, which in turn will make these muscles stronger and more efficient. A stronger and more efficient heart and lungs means that you are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular problems as you get older.

The type of cardio workout you do is not important, as long as it raises your heart rate sufficiently. The treadmill is very versatile, and you can use it to jog or to do power walking. The important thing is to do three 45 minute interval workouts per week first thing in the morning before you eat. After warming up for a few minutes you want to do six to nine high intensity intervals, resting just long enough to catch your breath in between each interval.

Besides interval training, there are a number of other things that are helpful in getting six pack abs. These tips will help to get you great abdominals quickly.

Nutrition is very important. You want to eat smaller meals more often, and be sure that each meal includes some protein, carbs, and healthy fat. You will want to minimise starchy carbs, saving these mainly for days when you are going to be doing cardio.

Rather than just doing sit ups, you want to do more functional exercises to strengthen your core. These include things like boxing, plyometrics, sprinting, and strong man type exercises.

You are more likely to follow your plan if you tell everyone around you what you are trying to do. They will give you the social support you need. You should also try to spend time with people who want to achieve similar goals.

A cocktail that contains a little bit of caffeine, L-tyrosine, and vinpocetine about half an hour before you do any type of workout.

You also want to start wearing tighter, more form fitting clothes. This will help to motivate you as well as showing off your new figure as it emerges.

Goal setting is also very important, with lots of deadlines for you to try to meet, as they are very motivating.

Visualisation has also been shown to be very effective in reaching goals. Imagine what you will look like with a six pack and it will be more likely that you will actually reach your goal.

You should also make sure that you vary the exercises that you do for your abdominals. Your muscles shouldn’t have time to get used to the exercise. If they do, then the exercise becomes less effective.

While you are exercising and off and on throughout the day you should suck in your stomach to work your Transverse Abdominal

(TVA) muscles. This will strengthen your innermost core muscles and also help to make it less likely that you will injure your back. This will also help to counteract any slumping you might have been doing during the day.

Anyone can get cut abs with the right method, and at any age too. You will end up both looking and feeling better, so give it a try now.

It will likely surprise you that 95% of guys that work out have no idea how to properly build a bigger chest. They spend hours chest training and don’t understand why they are not building any mass. Most men would be surprised to find out they only need to change one aspect of their bench press or push up to see major mass building results. Learning the secret to building a bigger chest will save you months of agonizing at the gym with little or no results.

What is the number one reason why so many men fail with their chest training, mass building exercises? The simple answer is focus. We are not talking about staying focused and going to the gym on a regular basis. We are talking about muscle focus. Most guys perform exercises like the Bench Press in whatever way feels most natural. This is the reason 95% of men fail at building any chest mass. The natural feel focuses on too much “front shoulder” and leaves the chest muscles begging for more. Learning to “focus” ones chest muscles will help promote fiber stimulation and lead to maximum growth of the chest.

How should chest training exercises be performed? The best answer has been termed the “Shoulder-Rib Lock.” A person starts by lying on the bench and dropping their shoulders toward the floor. Then, ease the tension and push the shoulders toward the feet instead of the ears. Third, push the ribcage up without lifting the back off the bench. This position should be held through the entire exercise. From the very first press, a person will feel the difference in their chest. They will feel their pectoral muscles targeted and the growth will be phenomenal. The best part is that these same techniques can be used for body weight exercises such as the push up. Just remember to keep the same form.

Let The Mass Building Begin!

If you train each muscle group twice per week, new studies show that bodybuilders who train each muscle group three times each week gain more strength than those who train each bodypart less often. This new research may have you reconsidering how often you train each body part.

A group of 9 non-training men and women followed a full-body weight-training program for six weeks. Each workout consisted of bench presses, squats, incline dumbbell presses, lat pulldowns, seated rows, dumbbell shoulder presses, leg extension/curl combos, overhead triceps extensions and barbell curls.

Group A performed three sets of each exercise and completed the workout twice per week. Group B did two sets per exercise and completed the workout three times each week.

Both groups increased their squat strength to the same degree; however, group B subjects increased their bench press by 8% more than group B subjects. Group B actually increased their total lean muscle mass by about 2 KG but the increase for group A was only one fourth of that (0.5 KG).

This does not mean that if you train each muscle group twice per week right now, you need to switch to three times. Because these were non-trained subjects. However, the fact that training more often led to more muscle mass even though the total sets per week remained the same suggests you may want to reconsider how often you train. Fact: In the 1970s, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was in his prime, it was common for bodybuilders to hit each muscle group up to three times each week.

It’s recommended that you alter the frequency of your training occasionally, increasing it to two and even three times each week for a period of at least a month at a time. According to this study, you may be able to keep your total number of sets per muscle group the same whether you’re training once a week or three times a week. So basically, if you currently train each muscle group once per week with 20 total sets, you can decrease that to ten sets each training session.

If you train with weights, then you are familiar with reps, and exercises that are designed to help you achieve the muscle mass that you desire. However, it is all too easy for a person, who is interested in achieving these goals, to become somewhat complacent in his or her approach to exercises.

For example, doing the same amount of reps and the same exact exercises without ever changing up the routine can cause you to fall short of your desire to create a well muscled physique that is enviable by others. The truth is that you will hit a brick wall (or “plateau”) where the exercises and techniques that you used in the past are no longer helping you make muscular gains. That is why it is important to know how to make the most of your workout.

You most likely have heard the people state that if you have no pain as a bodybuilder, then you have no gain. Well, in the course of bodybuilding that can be quite accurate. In order to get the extreme results that you desire, you have to be willing to push yourself. For instance, you may want to try doing something like one thousand reps that you isolate to specific areas of your body. The fact is that a higher number of repetitions equals an increased delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. This translates into great results in terms of muscle mass.

Here’s an example training session you could try: X kg for 50 reps to warm up, X kg for 40 reps, 80 by 30, 100 by 20 and 140 by 10. That’s 150 reps total, including the warm-ups.

Once you reach your heaviest set, get all the weight together and do one monster drop: 140 for 10, 100 for 20, 80 for 30 and 60 for 40. Total reps: 250.

Do that for three or four more exercises. If you lose count, just do a few extra. One thousand reps is the goal, but for some workouts, you may only get 700-800. When your body is telling you that’s enough, end it there.

This method may not work well for everyone but several pro bodybuilder’s report considerable gains of hard, mature looking, quality muscle mass using this method of training.

Many people want to get into shape. The sad fact is that you can over train. It can cause your muscles to not grow as much as they can. This is usually caused from people getting bad advice or no advice at all about the precautions you should take when training. It is also caused by anxiety and the impatience to see results very quickly. All of this put together can cause a total body over load or over training.

Many men think of building muscle, or just getting “beefy” as their main goal. The main goal should be to be healthy. You try to squish a whole bunch of training into a small period of time which does not allow the body to rest properly. The saying “you like someone so much that you make a fool of yourself” can apply to your body as well. If you are looking to get that perfect body right away you may do stupid things to achieve that, the same way you would if you, for example, really liked someone of the opposite sex. Only because you thought it would be the best way.

People can become so anxious when you have your mind set on looking a certain way that you feel if you miss one day it will severely diminish your work. You feel that you can not afford to miss a single day in order to keep your good status. But be warned, overtraining can cause various health issues and can actually cause you to lose muscle.

A lot of these so called over trainers do not even feel their body screaming for rest in the way of sore and stiff muscles. You should know that giving yourself a break will better help you in the long run. A proper regime is better at getting you to grow faster and get bigger. Sounds like that statement is backwards, but the truth is that the body needs rest no matter what. It takes working out plus rest PLUS a proper diet to grow your muscles properly. They do need the time to recuperate. Do not “just” rest your muscles, but give them equal amounts of work and then rest.

The facts state that a man, currently training and not on steroids, takes about five to seven days to rest enough after a big training session. During these following days, the muscle feeds, grows and recuperates. That does not mean to only exercise once a week. You should exercise at least three times a week, but only one of them should be a heavy training session.

These sessions consist of doing one body section per week. Usually starting with the chest and triceps the first day. Rest the second and then move on to back and biceps after that. You get the idea. Training one body part per week will allow that body part to rest for an entire week before you come back to train it again.

Here are some examples of effective body building/muscle building “Training Splits”.

1. One muscle group once each week
Monday: Chest and Triceps (pushing)
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Back and biceps (pulling).
Thursday: Rest
Friday or Saturday: Legs
Sunday: Rest

The above is a good way to train. You’re effectively training your whole body and at the same time giving each muscle group a full 7 day rest. Give it a go. To put a slight twist on things, you could shorten it a little (if you really can’t stand rest days!).

2. One muscle group twice each week
Monday; Chest and Triceps
Tuesday: Back and Biceps
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Same as Monday – and so on

You have to see which one works best for you. Routine 1 or routine 2. Really it depends on your job, your diet, how long you have been training and even the dietary supplements you use. Bodybuilding/sports supplements like whey protein & creatine allow you to train harder and recover faster so you could probably stick with routine 2.

The following may come as a shock to those with followed trends and exercise, health and fitness: There was a professional bodybuilding coach who actually professed the sentiment that the barbell bench press wasn’t unimportant exercise. Who know where this sentiment originated? Perhaps, the individual took the exercise for granted and assumed that he could find an alternate method that would replace it. Good luck! Needless to say, this sentiment did not gain any traction because without the bench press there is no way a professional bodybuilder or a hobbyist could ever develop their upper body without the use of the barbell bench press exercise. To put it mildly, the bench presses that chain of upper body development. Without it, the ability to build a chest, arm, and shoulder muscles would be next to impossible.

The three forms of bench presses are the supine, incline, and decline bench press. Supine is the traditional flat barbell bench press. The incline is an angle it moves up words and decline is it an angle that moves downwards. Pushing the weight at different angles develops different sections of the chest as well as places secondary stress on different body parts. While most people only perform the flat bench press, it is a much better idea to utilize all three angles. This will create a more symmetric shape to your upper body. Also, it is important to use dumbbells as well as barbells. This is because dumbbells can be lowered below the chest level since there is no bat bouncing on the chest. As such, this extended range of motion allows the lower muscles of the chest area are hit through dumbbell use.

It is also important to use a spotter when performing a barbell bench press. This is for safety reasons because if you are unable to hold up the weight the bar could come crashing down on your chest. This could create a serious injury to the sternum. So, unless you are lifting a weight that is easy to manage it would be best to stick with a spotting partner. The alternative would be to use a piece of equipment known as a Smith machine. The Smith machine is designed with a built in safety latch that will keep the weight from falling if you are unable to maintain the lift.
Contrary to popular belief you do not have to lift weights excessively in order to achieve results. Instead, if you lift one or two days a week consistently with and emphasis on resting your muscles as opposed our training them you will discover a number of amazing gains in your barbell bench press routine. This will be the best course of action to take if you’re looking to develop a strong and well defined chest area.

So you want to know how to lift heavier weights? Well here’s a little known “trick” I learned that will enable you to instantly increase the weight on all of your lifts in your very next trip to the gym. It’s simple and doesn’t increase risk of injury. It works best on the bigger muscle groups but it does work on any.

On average, guys have INSTANTLY being able to lift 10-20% more weight by using this technique.

Here’s what to do:
Before you get ready for your lift, stretch your targeted muscle group’s ANTAGONIST muscles. (“Antagonist” means that muscles’ “opposite” muscle group: chest vs. back; biceps vs. triceps). For example, before you get ready to knock out a set of Bench Presses, FIRST stretch your BACK muscles (your “lats”) right before you lay down on the bench.
That’s it. It’s that simple. You’ll find yourself IMMEDIATELY stronger in your lifts!

Here is an example 5 day weight training split. Most bodybuilders use a similar program to train each bodypart once per week. This type of split is particularly effective for building muscle mass as it incorporates all of the good compound exercises. Keep your diet and nutrition up to scratch, and to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night as this is when your natural growth hormones are released.

Make small progressive weekly gains and you will see good results with this program.

I would recommend 3 sets of each exercise. This will be 1 warm up set and 2 working sets – you will be looking to hit positive failure with these 2 sets. Hit a rep range of 6-12. If you are hitting 10+ reps in your last set you can increase the weight for your working sets.

Monday – Back
Pull Ups
Bent Over Rows
Deadlifts
Shrugs

Tuesday – Chest
Incline Bench Press
Flat Bench Press
Decline Press
Dumbell Flyes

Wednesday – Legs
Squats
Leg Press
Hamstring Curls
Stiff Leg Deadlifts
Calf Raises

Thursday – Shoulders
Military Press
Side Lateral Raises
Rear Lateral Raises
Dumbell Shoulder Press

Friday – Arms
Close Grip Bench Press
Cable Pushdowns
Preacher Curls
Dumbell Hammer Curls

Saturday & Sunday – Rest

How do I build bigger calves?

I get asked this all the time by guys sick and tired of the lack of development in their calve muscles. A lot of bodybuilders struggle to get much of a response from their calve training, calve muscles can be very stubborn.

The trouble with this part of the body is that it is used to taking a lot of stress everyday, e.g. when we walk we are in theory training so they are able to take a lot of punishment.

We need to work outside the box a little, try new things, keep the muscles guessing to stimulate new growth. I have come up with a great little routine here that will get your calve muscles firing on all cylinders for sure.

You will basically be doing an exercise that will requires 45-50 reps per set.

Use any kind of calve machine, take your heaviest weight and halve it.

The exercise
Perform 10 ‘controlled’ reps
Then with your own bodyweight perform 10 fast reps
Back onto your machine for another 10 ‘controlled’ reps
10 fast reps again

Then perform as many ‘controlled reps’ as possible, if you have the correct weight you should be screaming and failure at 5-8
You will be recruiting both slow and fast twitch muscle fibres with this technique

Give it a go!