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deathdroprob
Banned
bump, wouldnt want this to go away
AAP's Muscle Building Thread
- Thread starter AAP
- Start date
deathdroprob
Banned
chazk said:
yeah I always thought that Over Head presses did jack shit for the side and rear heads. BB do mostly front but DB do a bit more for the side head.
Back? Funny you should ask. I just gave two friends a back routine about 3 months ago and the difference in their backs are like night and day. If you really want improvements, and don't mind a bit of inconvenience, this will definately work for you.
The workout involves two different back workouts. Done on the same day. Prior to this, my friends couldn't make progress because they couldn't stimulate the back enough in a work out (without tapping into the CNS system which is a no-no as you will burned out very very quick). They simply could not generate the intensity and maintain it for enough sets. Volume training is key. Never more so with a complicated part like the back which is actually several different muscles thrown together.
The workout format is like :
Friday - no training
Saturday - 2 back workouts
Sunday - no training
You have a pre and post rest day in order to ensure maximum recovery levels.
The back workout is actually broken up into 2 different kinds. Thickness (AM) and width (PM)
The thickness (AM) workout is first. Wake up and make sure you get a good amount of solid protein and carbs in you. I would highly suggest that you take one of the AAP MuscleMix cocktails immediately upon waking. Then shower, dress, etc.. and sit down about an hour later and have solid food. Wait a couple of hours and off to the gym.
All exercises here are done in the 10 rep range. Use good form. Why cheat yourself? Lighter weight with a full contraction will always produce more results than a heavy weight with body swing and lurch.
Here you are going to focus on thickness exercises. T-Bar rows - I advocate these over barbell for the simply reason that no one does BB rows correctly. Ever see Arnold or Haney do them? That is how you are suppose to do them. Body at 90 degree angle, upper torso parallel with the floor. Almost resembling the bottom of a stiff leg deadlift. But no.. people don't do that. Instead they do it the Dorian style which is a hybrid row/shrug movement. Seated Cable rows (my favorite), one arm dumbell rows, under hand pulldowns, machine rows, rear pec deck scalpula squeezes (stand facing pec dec that has the pads on the front, not the handles. Place your elbows on the pads and with a light weight PUSH the pads back like you are trying to touch your elbows behind your back. Almost like doing a rear most muscular. If that makes sense.) Do about 5 exercises, 3 sets each. Finish up with 4 sets of shrugs. choose one from HS shrugs, seated DB shrugs, behind back shrugs (excellent), front shrugs or shrugs on the calf machine.
Have protein/carb shake. Go home. Eat solid food. Nap for 1-2 hours. Wake up. Another solid meal. Another musclebuilding cocktail. later in the evening back to the gym for the second (width) workout.
Now the second one is going to sound simply. 8 sets of front pulldowns. That is not hard is it. You are going to use light weight, 10 reps. You simply MUST sit excellent form. No swing or body sway. You sit straight up, ramrod straight, and you don't pull the weight down.. you grip the bar and push your elbows to your sides. You won't really be able to touch your sides with your elbows but that is the attempt. Instead of thinking of your lats as a pulling muscle, think of them as a pushing muscle - which technically all muscles are pushing muscles as they "push" themselves into contraction. Even the biceps. You might bend the arm, but the muscle itself pushes itselfs into a contraction.
So you are going to push your elbows down. Using a semi wide grip. At the bottom, which will be about chin level as you won't touch your chest with the weight unless you are using very light weight or very cheating form. When you reach the bottom of each rep this is when the fun starts. You are going to take about 8 seconds on the negative part. So basically about 2 seconds down and 8 seconds up. 10 reps. After each set you are going to the chinning bar and hang for 30 seconds. You won't make it. Maybe you will the first couple of sets (if you are lucky) but it takes a long time to build up the point of hanging this way for multiple sets. You are going to use this stretch out the lats. Nothing else. Strap yourself to the bar - don't be macho with this grip strength shit - then simply hang down. Your arms should be relaxed and almost limp all the stress is being diverted down to the lats and everytime you breath out you feel the pulllllllllll of them when they stretch.
Rest about 3-4 minutes in between sets to get your maximum wind and focus back.
After 8 sets, do another 3-4 sets of another trap exercise. A different one than what you did in the morning. I suggest a lot of trap work because that muscle goes 2/3 the way down your back and makes up a huge portion of thickness that is in the area.
If you try this, it is only one workout per week. In 10 workouts you will definately see an improvement. I know this for a fact because I have seen the results in other people that I suggested this to with my own eyes.
The workout involves two different back workouts. Done on the same day. Prior to this, my friends couldn't make progress because they couldn't stimulate the back enough in a work out (without tapping into the CNS system which is a no-no as you will burned out very very quick). They simply could not generate the intensity and maintain it for enough sets. Volume training is key. Never more so with a complicated part like the back which is actually several different muscles thrown together.
The workout format is like :
Friday - no training
Saturday - 2 back workouts
Sunday - no training
You have a pre and post rest day in order to ensure maximum recovery levels.
The back workout is actually broken up into 2 different kinds. Thickness (AM) and width (PM)
The thickness (AM) workout is first. Wake up and make sure you get a good amount of solid protein and carbs in you. I would highly suggest that you take one of the AAP MuscleMix cocktails immediately upon waking. Then shower, dress, etc.. and sit down about an hour later and have solid food. Wait a couple of hours and off to the gym.
All exercises here are done in the 10 rep range. Use good form. Why cheat yourself? Lighter weight with a full contraction will always produce more results than a heavy weight with body swing and lurch.
Here you are going to focus on thickness exercises. T-Bar rows - I advocate these over barbell for the simply reason that no one does BB rows correctly. Ever see Arnold or Haney do them? That is how you are suppose to do them. Body at 90 degree angle, upper torso parallel with the floor. Almost resembling the bottom of a stiff leg deadlift. But no.. people don't do that. Instead they do it the Dorian style which is a hybrid row/shrug movement. Seated Cable rows (my favorite), one arm dumbell rows, under hand pulldowns, machine rows, rear pec deck scalpula squeezes (stand facing pec dec that has the pads on the front, not the handles. Place your elbows on the pads and with a light weight PUSH the pads back like you are trying to touch your elbows behind your back. Almost like doing a rear most muscular. If that makes sense.) Do about 5 exercises, 3 sets each. Finish up with 4 sets of shrugs. choose one from HS shrugs, seated DB shrugs, behind back shrugs (excellent), front shrugs or shrugs on the calf machine.
Have protein/carb shake. Go home. Eat solid food. Nap for 1-2 hours. Wake up. Another solid meal. Another musclebuilding cocktail. later in the evening back to the gym for the second (width) workout.
Now the second one is going to sound simply. 8 sets of front pulldowns. That is not hard is it. You are going to use light weight, 10 reps. You simply MUST sit excellent form. No swing or body sway. You sit straight up, ramrod straight, and you don't pull the weight down.. you grip the bar and push your elbows to your sides. You won't really be able to touch your sides with your elbows but that is the attempt. Instead of thinking of your lats as a pulling muscle, think of them as a pushing muscle - which technically all muscles are pushing muscles as they "push" themselves into contraction. Even the biceps. You might bend the arm, but the muscle itself pushes itselfs into a contraction.
So you are going to push your elbows down. Using a semi wide grip. At the bottom, which will be about chin level as you won't touch your chest with the weight unless you are using very light weight or very cheating form. When you reach the bottom of each rep this is when the fun starts. You are going to take about 8 seconds on the negative part. So basically about 2 seconds down and 8 seconds up. 10 reps. After each set you are going to the chinning bar and hang for 30 seconds. You won't make it. Maybe you will the first couple of sets (if you are lucky) but it takes a long time to build up the point of hanging this way for multiple sets. You are going to use this stretch out the lats. Nothing else. Strap yourself to the bar - don't be macho with this grip strength shit - then simply hang down. Your arms should be relaxed and almost limp all the stress is being diverted down to the lats and everytime you breath out you feel the pulllllllllll of them when they stretch.
Rest about 3-4 minutes in between sets to get your maximum wind and focus back.
After 8 sets, do another 3-4 sets of another trap exercise. A different one than what you did in the morning. I suggest a lot of trap work because that muscle goes 2/3 the way down your back and makes up a huge portion of thickness that is in the area.
If you try this, it is only one workout per week. In 10 workouts you will definately see an improvement. I know this for a fact because I have seen the results in other people that I suggested this to with my own eyes.
nodiggitydave
New member
AAP said:
r these exercises limited to those who use gear?
some seem contraditory to other things i've been told on this site.
i.e, no need for high reps. isolation exercises.
BobbyJenious
New member
buuuuuuuummmmpppppp!!
nodiggitydave said:
Your body will respond to the same stimilus whether you use gear or not. If you can't get results from flat bench presses but can from incline, it is not going to change just because you hit the juice.
As Lee Haney said "stimulate, don't annihilate" You could stimulate muscle fiber with superheavy low reps in the Dorain/Mentzer style... but look at the way they ruined their tendons and bodies in that.
nodiggitydave
New member
AAP said:
Agreed.
I tried your shoulder workout and it's awesome. I'd say my shoulders are probably the most developed part of my body so I think this workouts great.
I think I'm going to carry on building my strength up with compounds for the other lifts though, I might try your 'to neck bench press'
BobbyJenious
New member
>>>>>>
The_Chemist
New member
Any calf workout tips?
