Building muscles faster

Building muscle is actually quite easy. You just have to remember 2 easy rules.

These 2 rules work all the time and they are easy to remember. If you neglect these rules, chances are you won’t see any significant improvement or result.

These rules serve to help you gain muscle faster, become significantly stronger and spend less time in the gym- a win-win-win situation!

Rule #1: No Isolation Training

Most gym-goers perform high reps with puny weights trying to sculpture their muscles. This is perfectly fine when you’re trying to sculpt the last 5%. However, you should never attempt this until you’ve already built the mass! What is there to sculpture when you don’t even have the muscle mass??!!

At the very core of every successful bodybuilder is the use of massive and heavy compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, barbell rows, barbell bench presses, pull-ups and barbell military presses. These compound movements are the foundation that build muscle mass!

Rule #2: Focus on Building Strength

This is a simple rule: strength = muscles!

You need to pack on the weights you are using to build muscle. Puny weights equal puny muscles! This is why a gym-goer can workout continuously for many years without seeing any real results. This person is most probably doing the same workout with the same weights every time he hits the gym! C’mon, that’s insane!

Building muscle is about creating a stimulus to your body that demands adaptation. The best way to create that stimulus is by shifting your focus away from high reps with puny weights to packing on the weights when you perform compound movements to build strength.

Pick any rep range you fancy- 5 sets of 5, 3 sets of 8, 4 sets of 10, anything really. You need to stay focused and achieve your sets and reps. Thereafter, add more weight and continue increasing each time you hit the gym. Simple! ;-)

Mixing it up!

Here’s 1 of my BIGGEST training secrets…always mix your training every time you hit the gym. This applies to all your muscle groups. It can be mixing the angles or reps or sets or the combination etc. Whatever it is, just mix it up!

Say you are training your biceps. You can do the following:-

Heavy weight: 5 reps x 20 sets

Normal weight: 15 reps X 10 sets

Light weight: 20 reps x 10 sets

You can use a straight Olympic bar or EZ bar, you can stand or sit down in an incline position, you can even use dumbbells or the preacher curl rest, you can do the weights as a pyramid or a half pyramid, different lifting an resting tempos etc. The idea here is to constantly mix it up.

What happens here is that you are constantly shocking your muscles and this is an extremely important element in weight training. When you keep your muscles off balance, they work harder as they can never build up a resistance and that gives you a better result that equates to muscle growth!

You shouldn’t be doing the same routine etc at every workout as you’ll never maximize your result. Your muscles tend to become complacent and resist growth if you are constantly doing the same workout.

3 variants of bend over barbell row

I'm quite a "lazy" bugger so I like doing compound movements to cut short my workout. Compound movements save time as it involves a few muscle groups working together simultaneously when you execute them. Since each compound movement involves multiple muscle groups, it definitely takes more effort to execute it. Examples of compound movements are deadlifts, barbell chest press, squats, bend over barbell rows etc.

Bend over barbell rows are great as you not only workout your back but also your forearms, biceps, traps, triceps, abs, thighs and hamstrings! It's also one of the best ways to add real power, real strength and mass to your back.

There are a few variants and all are great movements depending on which specific muscles groups you plan to target...

Variant #1 – Pronated Grip (Palms Down)

This is the most traditional row. Lift the barbell up safely and bend over so that your body is at about 45 degree angle. Thoroughly tighten your legs, gluts, lower back and keep your head in a neutral position. Pull the barbell towards your belly button and hold for a second before lowering it.

Barbell bend over row with the pronated grip is more demanding on your body, your grip strength, your forearms and your back because your biceps do not assist you much when you execute the barbell rows. 

 Variant #2 – Supinated Grip (Palms Up)

With this grip, you actually draw your elbows closer to your body. It gives you an advantage as you are able to bring your biceps more into play with this grip variant. With your biceps more involved and your elbows closer to your body, you will have more power and more strength to execute your bend over rows. Once again, pull the barbell towards your belly button and hold for a second before lowering it.

This could arguably be the best grip to begin with if you have never done a barbell bend over row before!

Variant #3 - Pronated Grip Pulling Higher Towards the Chest

A slightly different variant is to hold the barbell using the pronated grip and pull the barbell higher up towards your upper abs and just below your chest. This is significantly harder and you are likely to pull lighter weights.

This movement forces your elbow out wider so now you are hitting more of your upper back, your deltoids and your rhomboids. You tend not to workout your lower back much with this movement.

Triple drop set circuits

Want to lose weight? Want a quick but effective workout? Want to triple the burn (and pain!)?

If yes, you should try doing triple drop set circuits.

Triple drop what? *guffaw*

Please don't let the grand-sounding name scare you. It's pretty simple actually.

Here's the concept:

You select an ideal weight that will adequately challenge you for a triple drop set of 12 reps, 10 reps and 8 reps with 10 seconds of rest between each set. Once you complete the drop set of 12-10-8 reps, that's considered 1 set. You do 3 sets for each movement or each muscle group.

In a triple drop set circuit, you'll apply the above concept for 1 chest movement, 1 back movement, 1 leg movement, 1 shoulder movement, 1 triceps movement and 1 biceps movement. 6 movements or muscles groups in total. You move from 1 movement to the other with just 10 seconds of rest between each movement. Once you finish all 6 movements, repeat the entire workout once more and you are done!

I bet my last dollar you'll ache all over the next day! No pain no gain, right? *guffaw*

Complete arm workout

If you want to have nice arms, you'll need to focus on both bicep and tricep exercises. Most people just focus on their bicep as they want to show off their guns. But seriously, you need to train your tricep too for a fuller looking arm. 

One of the most effective workouts for building muscle in the arms is using a training technique called "Positions of Flexion". This basically means training your biceps and triceps through their full range of motion; starting with a compound mid-range exercise, then moving on to an exercise that works the muscles in the completely stretched position, and then finishing with an exercise that works the muscles in the fully contracted position.

This concept is certainly not new and Arnold Schwarzenegger previously used this style of training for his workouts. His arm development was stunning to say the least.

Give the below workout a try! I'm very pleased with the results!


A. BICEP WORKOUT

1. Standing Barbell Curl

2. Incline Dumbbell Curl 

3. Seated Concentration Curl

B. TRICEP WORKOUT

1. Close Grip Barbell Bench Press

2. Overhead Barbell/Dumbbell Tricep Extension

3. Dumbbell Kick Back

 

Working out in KK

 
I recently started my new job in KK. It's more or less what I've been and enjoy doing- corporate work. This company plans to seek listing on AIM in London, something that I've not only previously done and achieved (successful AIM listing of a Malaysian company) but I've also ran the corporate side of the company during its tenure as an AIM-listed company.

I fly in to KK weekly for a few days and I stay at Waikiki Condominium in Tanjung Aru. Since this is a condominium, I expected some very basic equipment at the gym.

Boy, was I terribly wrong! "Basic" cannot adequately describe the gym...

Property of Mr Flabby Less

Property of Mr Flabby Less

The multi-trainer machine and bench have missing seats. They are so kind to offer a plastic chair as makeshift bench! The multi-trainer machine is not oiled so there will be kinks when you use it. As for dumbbells, there are only 3 dumbbells- a pair of 25lbs and 1 (yes 1 single dumbbell) 5lbs. The barbell is not an Olympic standard sized barbell that weights 20kg. It's not only puny but it's also rusty. There are 4 plates- 2 10kg and 2 5kg plates.

I was looking forward to really hit the gym big time when I'm in KK as I don't have much to do besides working at the office. Furthermore, I don't have to worry about picking up the kids or rushing them to sleep so that I can head over to Celebrity Fitness for an hour or so before they close at midnight.

So what do I do? How do I make full use of my free time in KK? Go drinking? *LOL* Well, that's a good option but I would rather workout when I'm alone. Furthermore, it's no fun drinking all by yourself at the pub.

I visit this gym twice and below is what I do to maximise my workout given the limited equipment:-

Day #1
1. M100s to warm up
2. Pectoral flye- 15 reps x 6 sets
3. Flat machine chest press- 1 full pyramid of 16 reps, 14 reps, 12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps, 10 reps, 12 reps, 14 reps and 16 reps. I start with a relatively light weight for my 1st set for 16 reps and I increase the weight at each subsequent set all the way to 8 reps. Then, I decrease the weight as my reps increase from 10 reps back to 16 reps. That's 1 full pyramid.
4. Seated machine shoulder press- 1 full pyramid of 16 reps, 14 reps, 12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps, 10 reps, 12 reps, 14 reps and 16 reps.
5. Standing barbell front raise- 15 reps x 4 sets
6. Standing skull crusher or standing machine tricep extension- 15 reps x 5 sets

Day #2
1. M100s to warm up
2. Bendover barbell row- 15 reps x 5 sets
3. Bendover reverse grip barbell row- 15 reps x 5 sets
4. Lunges or jumping squats- 20 reps each side x 4 sets
5. Barbell curl 21s- 5 sets
6. Reverse grip barbell curl- 12 reps x 4 sets
7. Standing barbell lateral raise- 15 reps x 4 sets

New weight training programme

It's time once again to change my workout programme. I still maintain a 3 day weight training programme and try to squeeze in 30-40 mins low impact cardio to burn fat.

Here's my new training programme:-  

Day #1- Arms, Chest & Front/Side Delts

1. Standing barbell curl superset with close grip barbell bench press

    12 reps each x 3 sets

2. Incline dumbbell curl superset with overhead barbell tricep extension

    12 reps each x 3 sets

3. Seated concentration curl superset with dumbbell kick back

    12 reps each x 3 sets

4. Machine pectoral flye

    25 reps x 1 set 
    20 reps x 1 set 
    15 reps x 1 set

5. Flat/Incline dumbbell bench press & flat/incline dumbbell flye

    10 reps each x 3 sets

6. Pullovers & pushups

    12 reps & 10 reps x 3 sets

7. Superset seated military press, barbell upright row and lateral raise

    12 reps each x 3 sets

Day #2- Chest & Front/Side Delts

1. Machine pectoral flye, full & pulse

    15 reps each x 3 sets

2. Incline dumbbell bench press & incline dumbbell flye

    12 reps each x 4 sets

3. Flat dumbbell bench press & flat dumbbell flye

    12 reps each x 4 sets

4. Pullovers & pushups

    12 reps each x 3 sets

5. Superset military shoulder press and upright row

    12 reps each x 3 sets 

6. Superset drivers and reverse grip military shoulder press

    12 reps each x 3 sets

7. Superset standing lateral raise and front raise

    10 reps each x 3 sets

Day #3- Back & Side/Rear Delts

1. Assisted pullups- wide grip and reverse grip

    12 reps x 2 sets each

2. Seated wide grip and reverse grip pulldown

    15 reps x 2 sets each

3. Seated cable row superset with single arm dumbbell row

    10 reps each x 4 sets

4. Racked deadlift and barbell row

    10 reps each x 4 sets

5. Superset barbell upright row and lateral raise

    12 reps each x 3 sets

6. Superset machine rear delt flye and bendover lateral raise

    10 reps & 15 reps x 4 sets

7. Single arm rear delt extension

    15 reps x 4 sets

This programme will not only work your target muscles but also raise your heart rate for cardio training as well. Look at it as a 2-in-1 programme (my fav as I'm always pressed for time). 

I've omitted the weight as it differs for everyone. Basically just make sure you are comfortable with the weight that you lift and you are able to achieve the prescribed number of reps and sets. Increase the weight gradually over time when the initial weight gets easier.

Have fun!

  

Do you want to deadlift heavier?

As deadlift is a compound movement, it’s definitely 1 of those must do movements whenever you train with free weight.

The formula is very simply…the heavier you can deadlift, the stronger you get and the more muscles you build!

Below are tips of what you can do to increase the weight you deadlift:-

1. Train your core to improve overall lifting strength

The most common error when deadlifting is allowing your lower back to round as you pull heavy weights. In order to keep your lower back in its strongest and safest position, i.e. a neutral position, your core has to be strong. This means you need to train your core comprising of abs, lats and glutes.

Do planks, side bends and leg raises for stronger abs. Do pull ups and rows for stronger lats. Do Kettlebell swings for stronger glutes.

2. Deadlift with straight arms

Deadlifting with bent arms is wrong as it’s weak and could potentially lead to bicep tear. Never do this! Keep your arms straight and focus on tensing your triceps as hard as possible throughout your deadlifts.

3. Grip the bar with all your might

The law of irradiation states that when you tense 1 muscle group hard, all muscles around it will work hard too. Don’t just grip the bar hard enough to make the deadlift. Give the bar a choke hold because it builds grip strength and your body is ready to contract all muscles hard to lift heavier.

4. Don't max out too often

Maxing out frequently is not a good idea because deadlifts are hard to recover from. If you need to max out, try maxing out once every 12 weeks. Staying fresh is a big part when deadlifting.

5. Incorporate speed in your workout program

After your heavier deadlifts, try deadlifting lighter weights quickly and without compromising your proper deadlifting technique. You may deadlift 60-75% of your heavy weight for additional 2 or 3 sets. The secret here is to keep your rest periods short (45-60 seconds) when you deadlift lighter weights to help condition your body.

Cardio interval training

Since sustaining an elbow injury, I've not done any weight training at the gym. I would rather let my elbow fully recover before hitting the weight section again. Better safe than sorry. Personally, fitness is a life-long commitment and I should always take it one step at a time.

So how do I keep fit? Cardio internal training is the solution!

Cardio interval training burns more calories over a shorter period of time than a longer "steady-state" routine. This is because interval training forces you to increase you maximum aerobic capacity more than a similar "steady state" activity at an even pace. As your aerobic capacity increases, so does your strength, muscularity and fat burning capability.

When you are able to executed cardio interval training properly, you will decrease the amount of time spent exercising. You may be exercising for as little as 20 minutes but your body will continue to burn calories long after the workout session. The rewards of cardio internal training are straightforward- expend more energy, burn more calories (and fat) and spend less time working out!

Cardio interval training has 3 simple principles. First, you should limit the interval lengths to <2 mins. If you are able to sustain a longer interval, chances are you are cheating and aren't exerting hard enough. Next, intervals should not be <30 seconds to ensure you have sufficient time to expend enough energy to enable deep breathing that promotes calorie burning. Finally, a sufficient rest period is essential to exerting max or near-max effort during each cardio interval. An interval to rest ratio of 1:1 is recommended. In a nutshell, as your body adjusts and shows improvement, you should tinker with the length of the intervals, the duration of the rest periods and the number of cycles.

A sample cardio interval training routine is as follows:-

Warm-up                         4 mins
Cycling (interval 1)         45 secs
Light cycling (rest)         60 secs
Cycling (interval 2)         60 secs
Light cycling (rest)         60 secs
Cycling (interval 3)         90 secs
Light cycling (rest)         60 secs
Cycling (interval 4)         90 secs
Light cycling (rest)         60 secs
Cycling (interval 5)         60 secs
Light cycling (rest)         60 secs
Cycling (interval 6)         45 secs
Light cycling (rest)         60 secs
Cool down                      4 mins
TOTAL                           20.5 mins

Note: 
1. Intervals should be at 85-90% of maximum exertion so that the same pace can be maintained during all intervals
2. The above routine can be tailored for running, swimming, stepper machine etc


 

My thoughts post-PT

Completion of PT #24 marks the completion of my personal training sessions with my "Wuss" Personal Trainer. Why "Wuss"? Well, that's what I call him :-) As a matter of fact, we call each other ridiculous names (thank God not lovey dovey pet names!!!) with the intention of psyching each other up during training so that we can workout that much harder. Personally (and looking at it as half full), I think it's a good thing :-)

Key takeaways from my PT sessions are as follows:-

1. Instead of lifting heavy weights right from the start, fatigue the muscles with a lighter weight and high reps  or even dropsets before moving to heavier straight sets to really workout the target muscles;
2. Good to have different combination of movements for each workout session to confuse our muscles and aide muscle growth;
3. Pulses/Partial movements immediately after full range movements helps to quickly wear out our muscles;
4. A spotter helps both physically and mentally (more of the latter IMO) when you are lifting weights; and
5. Good to have someone motivating you (or trash talking!) when you workout to get extra drive for additional effort.

So, will I sign-up for another round of PT? Highly unlikely. Why? A few reasons actually...

1. I don't have the flexibility of working out at my convenience and need to be at the gym at a particular time for my PT sessions;
2. As a seasoned gym-goer, I'm able to incorporate the key takeaways above into my future workout sessions;
3. Anyone working out at the weight section of the gym can be your spotter, just ask courteously;
4. I'm a seasoned gym-goer so no point, unless I'm training for a competition or an event or something; and
5. PT sessions don't come cheap.