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Weight Training Information

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Tatyana

Elite Mentor
I thought I would start this thread with why you should weight train.

Most women want to 'tone' up.

That is one of the sources of the most mis-guided dieting and training advice that there is.

Here is it, 5 pounds of ugly fat, pictures get a point across moreso than words.

The number of times I have heard women say they don't want to lift weights as 'they don't want to bulk up'.

Muscle is not bulky.

fat-v-muscle.jpg



BodyFat_vs_LeanMuscle.jpg



Muscle also will burn calories, whereas fat will just basically make more fat, whenever it can.

If you get the % bodyfat ratio in a lean zone for women, probably around 16-20%, when you eat, the insulin response, which basically stores fat in the form of triglyceride, protein in the form of amino acids, and carbohydrates in the form of glycogen, will direct more of these nutrients to muscle, not fat.

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If you are in the situation where you find you want to lose some weight, consider what sort of weight you want to lose.

Just dieting will more than likely end up with a smaller, but still as fat you.

bodyfatb.jpg


A 150 lb woman with 20 % body fat is not going to look the same as a 150 lb woman with 30 % bodyfat. So stop focusing on the number on the scale.

Women have less muscle than men to begin with, and that is because we are constructed differently, and we have a different sex hormone profile.

Unless a woman takes male hormones, steroids, she will never look 'like a man' when she trains with weights.

Most of the pictures that women see of female bodybuilders are when they are in competition condition, which means their bodyfat is at the minimal amount they can achieve (usually under 10%), and they are dehydrated.


All the prep that they do for a competition usually only lasts for about three days.

You will also lose muscle with age, unless of course you train with weights.

It is basically use it or lose it.

Below is a CT scan of two thighs, one is a younger woman that trains, the other is an older woman that doesn't train.

The center white circle is the femur/thigh bone.

The red is muscle.

The yellow is fat.

Check out the difference.

There is also no such thing as just 'toning' the muscle. You either build it up and have it, or you don't. There isn't anything else there besides some connective tissue, ligaments, fat, muscle and skin.

You choose which one you would rather have.

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I want to tone but I don't want to get too big

“I Want to Tone, But I Don’t Want to Get Too Big”

(or “Why Weight Training is Important for Women”)

by Sasha Meshkov, MS, CSCS

If you are reading this, you are probably already reaping the benefits of resistance training. If you have not yet begun to incorporate weight training into your exercise program, you may find some of your concerns addressed below.

Common Reservations Many Women Have Regarding Lifting Weights:

Fear: “I don’t want to get too big and look like a guy - or those women in the muscle magazines!”

Reality:

Apart from highly dedicated training and dieting, it takes a substantial amount of pharmaceutical enhancement and cosmetic surgery to achieve that look. Several sessions per week of resistance training alone (even with immaculate nutritional habits) won’t generate extreme muscularity gains for most women.

Fear: “Once I stop exercising, won’t all that muscle turn to fat?”

Reality:

Muscle and fat are chemically different substances. A table won’t turn into a chair without some major structural reorganization. Muscle cannot alter its composition and turn into fat. Muscle can, however, atrophy from lack of use. Excess calories can be stored as fat.

The body can’t “store” fitness; it is designed to move! We don’t say, “Okay, I have breathed enough for a while. I am bored with breathing” and expect our bodies to continue to function for a significant period of time after our last breath! Its no different with resistance training. Exercise, including resistance training (which does not have to consist solely of gym workouts), is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle.
Why would you stop exercising? Ideally, it is fun! If not, find a way to make it enjoyable! Worst case: learn to love it!

Fear: “I don’t want to build; I just want to tone.”

Reality:

A toned muscle is a muscle with significant endurance and strength.
Women have estrogen in much greater abundance than testosterone. Estrogen has an atrophying effect on muscle, whereas testosterone has a hypertrophying effect. For a woman to gain substantial size in most cases, they will have to spend money on more than just a gym membership and a personal trainer...

There is, excluding liposuction, no such thing as “spot reducing.” Just because you have emotional distress over a particular area of your body does not mean that your body will magically recruit fat from that region to fuel whatever exercise you have selected. For example, if you have large fat deposits on your thighs, doing hundreds of side-lying leg lifts won’t necessarily “trim n’tone” your thighs.


Why is Weight Training Essential for Women?

Physiological Benefits of Weight Training:

Increased lean mass
Increased bone density (and resulting decreased risk of osteoporosis)
Increased connective tissue strength
Increased muscular strength
Increased muscular endurance
Increased metabolism
Increased muscle capillarization
Increased physical capacity
Improved muscle balance
Improved posture
Decreased body fat
Decreased risk of injury

Psychological Benefits of Weight Training:

Enhanced kinesthetic awareness
Improved body image
Improved physical appearance
Improved quality of life
Increased confidence
Decreased isolation (much-needed in these “Dilbert “ days of cubicles and computers)
Decreased symptoms of clinical depression
Its fun!

Ideas to Consider:

Since women lose bone mass at a greater rate than men, weight training is especially crucial. Typically, after age 35, women lose 1.2% per year, whereas men lose 0.2% per year. For optimal bone remodeling to occur, significant resistance must be used. Ideally, this means progressing beyond the light weights used in group fitness classes.

Additionally, the increase in lean mass associated with weight training strongly correlates with a faster metabolism. This means that women will burn more calories twenty-four hours a day, not just during or immediately following the exercise sessions. If you consider that a pound of fat contains roughly 3,500 kcals, exercise alone is not the most efficient mechanism to reduce that fat. However, generating significant metabolically active tissue (muscle) will cause an increase in the basal metabolic rate, thus burning off those excess calories more efficiently!

The bigger question is why DON’T more women weight train? Most women are stronger than they might suspect. After all, many women carry babies, kids, groceries, luggage, briefcases, bikes, push lawnmowers, vacuum cleaners, dig up gardens, etc. They are engaging in some resistance training already! All that’s left is learning optimal biomechanics, how to use the equipment and how to train to obtain the results they are after! Plus weight training improves grip strength, so we can open that very important jar of peanut butter by ourselves!



Sasha Meshkov, MS, CSCS is Triple Gold Certified through the American Council on Exercise, and is an NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer. She has a Master’s Degree in Geophysics. Sasha is a Continuing Education Provider for ACE and the NSCA.


She is a longstanding member of the ACE Faculty, and is the Program Director of one of the original programs accredited by ACE to prepare students for the ACE Certification Exams almost a dozen years ago.

Sasha was a member of the ACE Aerobics Instructor Certification Exam Committee, and was a Reviewer for the ACE Aerobics Instructor Manual. She also served as a Reviewer for the National Health Club Association’s Strength, Weight & Cardiovascular Training Certification Manuals.

Sasha owned two fitness studios for nearly a decade, and served as the USA Team Coach for the World Aerobics Championships and as US Head Judge for the National Aerobics Championships. She is an NPC Bodybuilding & Fitness Judge & Emcee.

Sasha started powerlifting in 1995. She competed in the 1997 IPF Worldmaster Powerlifting Championships (9th), the 1997 USPF Senior Nationals (Bronze Medalist in the 60kg) and was the 1996 ADFPA Colorado State Overall Women’s Champion. After an extended post-World’s dessert festival, she recently competed in a whole new weight class at the 1998 USAPL Women’s Nationals (2nd). Back down to her normal weight, she discovered that the monoab is not for her.
__________________
 
Strength Training for Women

Strength Training for Women


A comprehensive look at why and how women should train for strength

By Patty S. Freedson , PhD



Only a decade ago exercise prescription typically consisted of cardiovascular conditioning and flexibility training. Little or no emphasis was placed on strength training, particularly for women. Today the emphasis has changed, and strength training is popular among both males and females. In almost every fitness facility, men and women of all ages are using weight machines and free weights with the help of their personal trainers. Even group exercise classes incorporate some form of resistance exercise into workout routines.

What is behind this shift? How has our approach to teaching and promoting fitness changed? First, we have recognized the importance of muscular strength as a piece of the fitness puzzle. It is no longer sufficient to simply exercise the heart and stretch our muscles. We must promote strength in those muscles as well. The effects of strength training include a highly toned body, enhanced strength and power, and improved sports performance. Second, there are significant health benefits associated with strength training. Stronger bones, reduced risk of osteoporosis, improved functional fitness and less susceptibility to injury are just a few.

Personal trainers can benefit from understanding the conditioning needs of their female clients of all ages. So let's begin the journey in examining strength training for women:

The first stop will examine gender differences in strength.
Second will be an analysis of research regarding the physiological effects of strength training, from both performance and health perspectives.
The third destination will present basic principles of weight training.
Fourth will be suggested program guidelines for strength training.
Finally, some of the common myths and misconceptions about women's strength training will be reviewed.

Gender Differences
Absolute strength, or the maximum amount of weight that can be lifted, is considerably higher for men than for women. In the upper body, the average woman is about 50 to 60 percent as strong as her male counterpart. In contrast, the gender difference in absolute strength in the lower body is smaller, with women exhibiting only about a 25 to 30 percent decrease in strength compared to men (Freedson 1994).

These regional differences between men and women in absolute strength raise an interesting question: Are there differences between women and men in muscle physiology between the upper and lower body? The answer is unequivocally no. The likely explanation is that women typically have participated in fewer upper-body resistance activities than men. The daily overload to a woman's upper body is much less. The lower body, specifically the legs, is naturally overloaded on a regular basis for locomotion purposes (otherwise known as walking). As women continue to add upper- and lower-body strength training to their regular fitness routines, this gender gap will likely be reduced.

When gender differences are examined relative to total muscle mass (pound for pound), women are similar to men in leg press strength (lower body) but about 20 to 40 percent weaker in arm curl strength and bench press strength (upper body). Thus, it appears that when training levels are similar for men and women, gender differences in absolute amount of muscle mass account for strength differences.

It is well known that strength and muscle mass decline with age. In one of the most comprehensive studies on age, gender effects and muscle strength, Lindle et al. (1997) studied 654 women and men (ages 20 to 93 years) as part of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The authors reported that strength begins to decline at age 40, and it decreases 8 to 10 percent per decade thereafter for both women and men.

The consequences of aging have been associated with negative health effects, including increased risks for falls, hip fractures and glucose intolerance as well as declines in bone mineral density (BMD). These negative outcomes have major economic and quality of life implications-all of which might be significantly reduced through strength training. The positive changes associated with systematic resistance exercise in older individuals are discussed later in this article.

Increasing muscle strength occurs by increasing muscle size and through improvements in how the nervous system communicates information to the muscles. It has been well established that muscles gain more mass as a result of changes in the size of the muscle fibers (hypertrophy), rather than through an increase in the number of muscle fibers (hyperplasia).

For the average female, increases in muscle size are relatively small. Consequently, the primary mechanism for strength improvements appears related to increased muscle fiber recruitment and improved coordination patterns of fiber recruitment. Research has shown that strength training causes relatively similar improvements in strength for women and men.

In a classic strength training study, Wilmore (1974) tested 73 college students (47 women and 26 men), who exercised two days a week for 10 weeks. Strength gains of 10.6 to 29.5 percent were reported for the women; for the men, 5 to 26 percent. Total muscle mass (amount of muscle hypertrophy) in the women increased 2.4 percent (measured by underwater weighing), which led the author to suggest that large gains in muscle size were not responsible for these young women's strength gains.

Many other health benefits have been documented for women who strength train:

In a study conducted at the University of Arizona (Lohman et al. 1995), researchers reported a 2 to 3 percent increase in lumbar spine (back) and femoral neck (hip) BMD after an 18-month strength training program among 22 women, ages 28 to 39 years.
The benefits of strength training extend to older women. In a study by Morganti et al., 20 women, all 60 years old, exercised twice a week for one year at 84 percent of one repetition maximum (RM). Performing an intense training regime, the women increased their strength in upper-body, lat pull-down by 77 percent, knee extension by 73.7 percent and double leg press by 35.1 percent. Although 40 to 50 percent of the strength gains were observed during the study's first three months, improvements in strength were observed over the program's entire 52 weeks.
Like their younger counterparts, older women also reaped the positive effects of strength training on BMD. In a study by Tufts University's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (Nelson et al. 1994), 20 women, ages 50 to 70 years, trained at high intensity two days a week for one year. The authors reported a one percent increase in femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD in the women, compared to the control group participants (no strength training), whose BMD decreased by 2 percent.
Resting blood pressure (RBP) levels also are impacted by strength training. Researchers at the University of Maryland (Martel et al. 1999) recently published a report on the effects of a six-month, three-day per week workout program on the RBP of 21 women and men (average age = 68 years). Strength increases alone were remarkable, averaging 20 percent for the upper body and 28 percent for the lower body. However, significant decreases in RBP also were reported. In fact, many participants shifted from a high-normal RBP category to a normal RBP level.
In another study by from the University of Maryland (Tracy et al. 1999), a 12 percent increase in leg muscle volume (measured using magnetic resonance imaging) was reported in 11 women, ages 65 to 73 years. Leg muscle quality, defined as the ratio of muscle strength to muscle volume, also increased by 16 percent. In other words, not only did the women's legs get stronger but the strength per unit volume of muscle (quality of muscle) improved dramatically as well.
Intra-abdominal obesity has been associated with a number of negative health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease and increased insulin resistance (greater risk of type II dia-betes). In a study of 14 women, all 67 years old, Treuth et al. (1995) reported strength increases of 51 percent for the upper body and 65 percent for the lower body following 16 weeks of strength training. Moreover, a 10 percent reduction in intra-abdominal fat (measured using computerized axial tomography) was observed.
Functional fitness, or the ability to carry out daily living activities, also improves in older women who strength train. In a study by Hunter et al. (1995), 14 women, ages 60 to 77 years, participated in a 16-week strength conditioning program and improved their strength by 52 percent. In addition, the women's self-selected walking speeds increased 18 percent; their arm muscle activity needed to carry a box of groceries decreased 36 percent; and their leg muscle activity while standing decreased 40 percent. Thus, following the resistence training program, the women were able to carry out daily living activities with less stress on their stronger muscles.
Even very old women benefit from strength training. In a study by Fiatarone et al. (1990), 10 women, ages 86 to 96 years and all residents of a nursing home, participated in an eight-week strength training program. These women increased their strength by 175 percent!
In summary, strength training in women has numerous performance and health-related benefits. One indirect advantage, particularly for older women, is the growing ease in which everyday activities can be performed. Some women simply avoid activities that involve carrying heavy objects and walking up stairs. Disengaging these activities, however, means inactive muscles became weaker and weaker, causing a further decline in functional fitness. Strength training can effectively break this cycle.

When women say they cannot do as much as they could in their youth, it's not necessarily because of age; rather, it's a function of doing fewer activities to overload their muscles.

Strength training used to be an activity mostly performed by men. Even after the fitness boom began in the 1980s, resistance training facilities mostly were frequented by men. One of the primary reasons for lack of participation among women was the proliferation of various myths and misconceptions about the effects of strength training on women. Following is a list of these beliefs and physiological rationales on why they're incorrect.

Strength Training Will Make My Muscles Large and Bulky. Strength training will result in a small increase in total muscle mass. However, large increases in muscle size will not result because female testosterone levels are low; this hormone appears necessary to elicit increases in protein synthesis (large muscle increases). Due to genetics and individual differences, some women will increase muscle mass more than others-but nowhere near muscle size increases observed in men.

I Cannot Increase Muscle Strength Through Weight Training as Much as a Man. Study after study have confirmed that strength training will result in strength gains at least as large as those observed in men. In some cases, relative strength gains in women were greater than those in men, because women's initial strength levels were lower, making the potential for improvements greater. (Some of the studies cited in the main article address this issue.)

My Strength Training Program Should Be Less Intense Than What's Recommended for a Man. There is absolutely no reason that the basic principles governing men's strength training programs cannot be used in designing women's programs. To wit: low repetitions and high resistance for increasing absolute strength and power; high repetitions and low resistance for muscle toning and muscle endurance.

Women Should Only Use Weight Machines and Perform Exercises at a Low Velocity. There's an incorrect notion that if women use free weights or perform exercises that involve explosive moves, their risk for injury is greater. There is absolutely no evidence of gender differences in injuries consequent to strength training. If women (and men) are taught proper mechanics for lifting, the risk of injury risk is reduced.

Older Women Should Not Participate in Strength Training Exercises. Older women must participate in activities designed to specifically strengthen all muscle groups if they want to maintain maximum health and lifestyle performance. Health benefits received from this type of exercise are numerous: reduced risk for osteoporosis, decreased risk of falls, sustained independence later in life and decreased risk of insulin resistance.

I Have to Join a Gym to Perform Strength Training Exercises. Inexpensive strength training devices are readily available and will likely cost less than a treadmill or bicycle ergometer. These include dumbbells, ankle weights, elastic bands, barbells and weight benches.

Basic Principles
Why do women strength train? There are several possible reasons for including this type of conditioning in one's overall fitness program. The most prevalent reasons are:

to improve appearance
to increase muscle strength and muscle power
to improve health
Various principles in women's strength training complement these reasons. Let's examine how women strength train based on the following four principles:

Overload Principle
Specificity Principle
We Are All Different Principle
Use It or Lose It Principle
To achieve maximum success with strength training, it is important to follow the overload principle, which refers to the volume of training. Overloading the muscles with more stress than usual will elicit the optimal adaptation response. Variations in overload are accomplished by manipulating the load being lifted, number of repetitions, sets of repetitions, rest intervals between sets and frequency of workouts per week.

For novices, two to three sets of 10 to12 repetitions are recommended. Following an initial habituation period (about two weeks), exercisers can advance to three sets of 10 to 12 reps and increase weight by two to five pounds. Most weight training workouts are performed two to three times per week on alternate days (for example, Monday and Wednesday, or Monday, Wednesday and Friday).
For advanced lifters, anywhere from 3 to 15 repetitions are recommended, depending on the aims of the weight training program. In addition, more frequent weight training workouts can be conducted, with alternate muscle groups being exercised on different days (for instance, strength training for the lower body on Monday and Wednesday; upper-body exercises on Tuesday and Thursday).
To increase strength, fewer repetitions (3 to 6) at higher resistances are recommended. Rest intervals between sets should be long enough so that maximal loads can be lifted; rest intervals between sets for the high repetition, low resistance workout can be shorter. To optimize gains in muscle endurance (capacity to sustain muscular movement) and for muscle toning, lower weights with more reps are recommended. The most important element of a good strength training program is sustaining it. Strength routines can become a regular part of almost any client's long-term exercise program.

Specificity Principle
The nature of the adaptation response consequent to strength training is determined by the specific type of exercise performed. For example, if one wants to improve cardiovascular fitness to enhance running performance, then endurance running workouts are the best way to achieve this goal. The same specificity principle holds for strength training.

If the primary goal is getting in shape for activities that primarily use the lower body, then the strength training program focus should involve mainly lower-body exercises. If, on the other hand, the general goal is for total body fitness and improved appearance, then the program should be structured with exercises for the upper and lower body.

We Are All Different Principle
If your aim is to attain Olympic-level performance standards, then being able to choose your own biological parents would have helped this quest. In other words, your genes are an important determinant of the training response.

Everyone can improve strength fitness by following a program conducted on a regular basis. However, the magnitude and nature of the response can be quite different among individuals- thus, the we are all different principle. Some women, for example, may increase their muscle mass more than others or improve strength more or attain it faster than others. Still, do not let clients become discouraged by this reality. Every woman has the potential to improve muscular strength with proper training and conditioning.

Use It or Lose It Principle
The overload principle dictates that for a training adaptation to occur, it is necessary to stress the system more than it is accustomed. If less stress is presented, the muscle will "detrain" and become weaker. The use it or lose it principle mandates that maintenance of strength fitness can only occur if one continues to train on a regular basis.

Still, some questions remain unanswered in the current research literature: How much strength training is necessary to sustain strength gains? Can an individual reduce strength training volume and still maintain strength? Until we have answers to these important questions, emphasis must be placed on maintaining a regular strength training program forever.

Program Guidelines
What exercise programs work best for women who strength train? Among the factors for trainers to consider are:

type of exercise equipment, and
program design.
Most clients will have questions related to these two areas.

" Should I use weight machines or free weights?" There is no right or wrong answer to this question, which is fairly common among exercisers training for strength. A savvy trainer might answer that question with a better one: "What type of equipment will help you to maintain your exercise program for a lifetime?"

If one is willing to learn how to use free weights in a safe manner, then free weights may be right. If it is easier to let machines dictate what muscle groups will be involved in an exercise, then a client must be willing to visit a gym regularly or invest $1,000 to $3,500 for a home-based system. Of course, a combination of the two is a possible alternative. (See "Weight Machines Versus Free Weights.")

Program Design
As most trainers know, every exercise routine should begin with a warm-up period that is both general and specific. General warm-up will include activities involving whole body exercises, such as calisthenics, stretching, stationary cycling and jogging in place. Specific warm-up will include exercises to be performed in the main program design, only using minimal amounts of weight. At the conclusion of every workout, participants should cool-down with some light stretching that focuses on all the muscle groups' range of motion.

For novice exercisers, select weights that can easily be lifted 10 times. Note: To avoid injury, it is better to start with weights that are too light rather than too heavy. One set of each exercise should be performed for the first few workouts.

Select exercises that work every major muscle group. A novice strength training program should include: bench press, lat pull-down, lateral raise, triceps extension, biceps curl, leg press, calf raise and abdominal curl. Additional upper-body exercises might include: upright row, bent row, reverse curl and bent arm pullover. Other lower-body exercises might include: leg flexion, leg extension and half or full squat. Additions or substitutions of lower-and upper-body exercises can be implemented after a few weeks of regular training. Following a familiarization period (3 to 6 workouts; 1 set of 10 reps for each exercise), build up to three sets of 10 reps for each exercise.

One program option is the DeLorme Method (1945), which provides a systematic strength training protocol. The method involves three sets of any given exercise:

Set 1 is performed at 50 percent of 10 RM.
Set 2 is done at 75 percent of 10 RM.
Set 3 is conducted at 100 percent of 10 RM.
The DeLorme Method requires clients, with the help of trainers, to determine the maximum amount of weight that can be lifted 10 times (cannot do an eleventh rep). While this system may seem cumbersome, it is good practice after the familiarization period. It allows clients to see their starting point and enables a month-to-month assessment of improvement (and, if necessary, to set new weights for the exercises). More advanced techniques can be implemented as clients progress.

Another option is to use TheRecommended Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory and Muscular Fitness,and Flexibility in Healthy Adults ( ACSM, 1998). Some of the strength training recommendations are as follows:

for improving muscular strength and muscular endurance, eight to 12 reps per set
to maximize gains in strength and power, six to eight reps per set
for major muscle groups, eight to 10 reps per set
for program sessions, two to three days per week
for younger individuals, minimum of one set of eight to 12 reps (to fatigue)
for older individuals (50 years-plus), 10 to 15 reps per set
for athletes focusing on strength and power, one to three sets of six to 12 reps (to fatigue)
As many trainers know, the effects of strength training can be felt by clients after just a few workouts. Initially, these effects are built-in motivators. Over time, however, strength training can become boring, so it's important to offer clients variety. Change the routine order. Vary the sets, reps and loads. Have clients keep records so they can assess their improvements objectively. Adding strength training exercises to your female clients' fitness regimes will impact how they feel about themselves. Moreover, it enhances their health and well-being while improving the overall quality of their lives.

Strength Training Benefits for women

Improved strength and power
Increased strength of bones
Increased lean body mass
Increased functional fitness in older women
Improved glucose tolerance (lower risk for diabetes type II)
Improved balance and gait in very old women


Strength Training for Women, continued Weight Machines versus Free Weights Strengths Weaknesses Weight Machines safe
easy to use
work all major muscle groups
minimal skill required high cost
limited number of exercises
restricted movements Free Weights variety of exercises
mimic true movements
lower cost
develop skilled movement not as safe
require more skill
require spotters

References and Suggested Reading
American College of Sports Medicine. 1998. The recommended quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, and flexibility in healthy adults. Position stand. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 30, 975-91.

DeLorme, T. L. 1945. Restoration of muscle power by heavy resistance exercise. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 27, 645-67.

Fahey, T. D., & Hutchinson, G. 1992. Weight Training for Women. Mountain, CA: Mayfield Publishing.

Fiatarone, M. A., et al. 1990. High intensity strength training in nonagenarians: Effects on skeletal muscle. Journal of the American Medical Association, 263,3029-34.

Freedson, P. S. 1994. Muscular strength and endurance. In D. M. Costa & S. R. Guthrie (Eds.), Women and Sport (pp. 177-83). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Hunter, G. R., et al. 1995. The effects of strength conditioning on older women's ability to perform daily tasks. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 43, 7 5 6 - 6 0 .

Lindle, R. S. et al. 1997. Age and gender comparisons of muscle strength in 654 women and men aged 20- 93 years. Journal of Applied Physiology, 83, 1581-87.

Lohman, T., et al. 1995. Effects of resistance training on regional and total bone mineral density in premenopausal women: A randomized prospective study. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 10, 1015-24.

Martel, G. F., et al. 1999. Strength training normalizes resting blood pressure in 65- to 73-year old men and women with high normal blood pressure. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 47, 1215-21.

Morganti, C. M., et al. 1995. Strength improvements with 1 yr of progressive resistance training in older adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 27, 906-12.

Nelson, M. E., et al. 1994. Effects of high intensity strength training on multiple risk factors for osteo-porotic fractures: A randomized control trial. Journalof the American Medical Association, 272 1909-14.

Tracy, B. L., et al. 1999. Muscle quality. Effects of strength training in 65- to 75-yr old men and women. Journal of Applied Physiology, 86, 195-201.

Treuth, M. S., et al. 1995. Reduction in intra-abdominal adipose tissue after strength training in older women. Journal of Applied Physiology, 78, 1425-31.

Wilmore, J. H. 1974. Alterations in strength, body composition and anthropometric measurements consequent to a 10 week weight training program. Medicine and Science in Sports, 6, 133-8.

Patty S. Freedson, PhD, is graduate program director in the Exercise ScienceDepartment at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. A member of the Life Fitness Academy Scientific andMedical Advisory Board, she can be contacted at [email protected]
 
More myth busting

Strength Training for Women: Debunking Myths That Block Opportunity
William P. Ebben, MS, MSSW, CSCS; Randall L. Jensen, PhD
THE PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE - VOL 26 - NO. 5 - MAY 98



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In Brief: Traditional gender roles and differences in absolute strength have resulted in misconceived approaches to strength training for women. Male physiology, more than hormones, explains men's superior absolute strength. When other measures of strength are used, such as strength relative to cross-sectional area of muscle, the strength of men and women is nearly equal. Women who practice the same well-designed strength training programs as men benefit from bone and soft-tissue modeling, increased lean body mass, decreased fat, and enhanced self-confidence.

Although American women first began strength training for sports in the 1950s to improve their performance in track and field, they have traditionally participated in strength training less than men. Such exercise has not been considered feminine, and a lack of research and information regarding the effects of such training on women has made it a predominantly male activity. Women's participation was particularly limited until 1972, when Title IX mandated equal access to educational programs--including athletics--for men and women in schools that receive federal funding. Since then, women's sports participation has burgeoned, traditional gender roles have loosened, and strength training has grown in popularity among active women.

Nevertheless, the social stigma and lack of accurate information persist and feed misconceptions that keep women away from strength training or prevent them from training in optimal ways (see "Dispelling Misconceptions," below). Though gender differences regarding absolute strength exist, women are as able as men to develop strength relative to total muscle mass. Consequently, women should strength train in the same ways as men, using the same program design, exercises, intensities, and volumes, relative to their body size and level of strength, so they can achieve the maximum physiologic and psychological benefits.


Gender Stereotypes
Our culture has traditionally viewed strength as a masculine trait and promoted a small, frail body as feminine. Consequently, girls have been discouraged from participating in gross-motor-skill activities and strength development. Such sex role stereotypes, formed early in childhood, can dictate behavior and limit women's and men's ability to express their full humanity. This means that some women may have never achieved their potential for physical well-being, fitness, and athletic participation.

The advent of the women's movement in the 1970s allowed many women to overcome such traditional socialization and participate more freely in sports and strength training. However, change occurs slowly, and physical strength and strength training are still not as common or accepted for women as they are for men.


A Gender Gap in Strength?
Research (1,2) on male and female strength potential reveals that women possess about two thirds of the strength of men. However, the measurement of strength in absolute terms fosters misconceptions about the strength of women, how women see themselves, and the way they exercise.

What causes this strength difference? Are there ways to conceptualize strength that affirm women's potential and encourage their development?

The role of hormones. Hormones play a role in the development of absolute strength in men and women, but the exact influence is not clear. The androgens that come from the adrenal glands and ovaries are the hormones most likely to influence strength. The most important androgens for strength development are testosterone and androstenedione. The absolute androstenedione response to weight lifting is similar in females and males (3).

The role of testosterone in strength development is complex and significantly more variable than that of androstenedione. Though women on average have about one tenth the testosterone of men (4), the level of testosterone varies greatly among women and influences women's strength development more than is typical in men (3). Women who have higher testosterone levels may have a greater potential for strength and power development than other women. An individual woman's testosterone level fluctuates, so a woman who is near the upper limit of her testosterone threshold may have an advantage in developing strength compared with other women. Though hormones may influence strength development potential among women, they most likely do not account for significant male-female differences in absolute strength.

Physiologic factors. Physiologic differences such as size and body structure are more likely explanations for the average absolute strength differences between men and women. For example, the average American male is about 13 cm taller than the average female and about 18 kg heavier. Men average about 18 to 22 kg more lean body mass and 3 to 6 kg less fat than women. Men typically have a taller, wider frame that supports more muscle, as well as broader shoulders that provide a greater leverage advantage.


The Strength of Women
Strength, however, should not be viewed in absolute terms. The gender differences in absolute strength, for example, are not consistent for all muscle groups. Women possess about 40% to 60% of the upper-body strength and 70% to 75% of the lower-body strength of men (3). Men may have an advantage in neuromuscular response time that results in greater force production speed than women (5). However, the distribution of muscle fiber types--fast and slow twitch--is similar in the two sexes, and women are able to use a greater portion of stored elastic energy than men during activities in which muscle is prestretched, such as in the countermovement prior to jumping.

More significantly, if the amount of lean body mass is factored into the strength equation, the relative strength difference between men and women is less appreciable. Based on a strength-to-lean-body-mass ratio, women are about equal in strength to men, and when strength is calculated per cross-sectional area of muscle, no significant gender difference exists. For example, a 15 cm2 cross-sectional area of an arm flexor has about 19 kg of force for both women and men (6).

Measuring strength in this way suggests that muscle at the cellular level has a force development capability independent of sex and that women benefit from strength training at least as much as men. Hence men and women should follow strength training procedures that include periodization--variations in the resistance training program that are implemented over a specific time--and exercise performed at intensities and volumes suited to physical ability and level of strength conditioning. Ultimately, each athlete should be assessed as an individual, and training programs should meet individual needs and goals, rather than those based on preconceived ideas about gender.


The Benefits for Women
Women benefit from strength training in several ways (table 1).



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Table 1. Strength Training Benefits for Women*


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Enhanced bone modeling to increase bone strength and reduce the risk of osteoporosis
Stronger connective tissues to increase joint stability and help prevent injury
Increased functional strength for sports and daily activity
Increased lean body mass and decreased nonfunctional body fat
Higher metabolic rate because of an increase in muscle and a decrease in fat
Improved self-esteem and confidence


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* A number of factors may reduce or eliminate these benefits, including the exclusive use of weight training machines, training with loads that are too light, and not progressing in resistance or intensity.



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Bone and soft tissue. Women, more than men, need to meet the minimal essential strain required for bone modeling to occur and ultimately for reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Prevention of osteoporosis requires above-normal axial skeletal loading (7,8). The strain tolerance for skeletal bone is believed to be more than 10 times the typical load that humans bear in daily activities (9). Since bone modeling is proportional to the degree of overload (the amount of stress applied beyond the normal load), the greater the overload--within limits--the greater the amount of bone modeling. Bone modeling helps prevent fractures and insure against osteoporosis.

Cartilage, tendons, and ligaments also have minimal essential strain requirements. Optimal strength development requires loads and intensities that progressively increase the training stimulus or stress. Strong cartilage, tendons, and ligaments are essential for joint integrity, stability, and injury prevention.

Lean body mass and fat. Strength training also increases lean body mass and decreases fat; this results in less nonfunctional fat to carry and a greater proportion of lean body mass, which can provide functional strength. Compared to fat, muscle is metabolically active and increases metabolic rate, fat oxidation, and calorie consumption. Increased muscle mass and muscle cross-sectional area also correlate with increased strength. Participation in "functional" strength training exercises will develop functional strength and most likely improve performance, whether it is an increased ability to spike a volleyball or pick up a child.

Psychological well-being. Finally, studies (3) suggest that women who engage in strength training benefit from improved self-esteem. Female athletes appear to be able to balance strength and femininity; according to one survey, 94% of the participants reported that athletic participation did not lead them to feel less feminine. Strength training also appears to give women a sense of personal power, especially for women who have been raped or abused.

Such psychological benefits arise from the physiologic changes that occur as a result of strength training and from the process of encountering and mastering physical challenges. Thus, both the process and the outcome of strength training benefit women (3).


Strength Training Guidelines
Since well-designed strength training programs include exercises with free weights and dumbbells and exercises that use body weight resistance, both women and men should include these in their training, and women should train at the same intensities as men.

The use of strength training machines and abdominal exercises need not be discontinued, but emphasis should be placed on the use of free-weight exercises including foot-based lower-body exercises such as the lunge, diagonal lunge, walking lunge, step up, lateral step up, and squat. Women should also include upper-body exercises that employ multiple muscle groups such as the bench press, incline press, latissimus dorsi pull-downs, pull-ups, and back extensions. Finally, women who have developed a strength base should consider total-body exercises such as the push press, hang clean, power clean, clean and jerk, and snatch.

A training program should also stress multiplanar, multijoint, functional exercises because they develop intermuscular coordination, proprioception, and balance and result in strength that transfers to sports and daily activities. For example, the step-up exercise is superior to using the leg-extension machine because it offers functional strength for walking up a flight of stairs while carrying bags of groceries. For athletes who play foot-based sports such as basketball, the squat is superior to using the leg-press machine, since the squat is functionally more similar to the sport and requires greater balance and weight and body control in all three planes of motion.


Fostering Strength
Though sex role stereotypes still powerfully shape our culture and behavior, physical strength is no longer the sole domain of men. More and more women are claiming strength as their own through participation in sports and especially in strength training programs. Such participation helps to counter the stereotypes and fosters an appreciation of strength as desirable for women.

References
Hettinger J: Physiology of Strength, Springfield, IL, Charles Thomas, 1961
Holloway JB: Individual differences and their implications for resistance training, in Baechle TR (ed): Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics, 1994, pp 151-162
National Strength and Conditioning Association: Position Paper: Strength Training for Female Athletes. National Strength and Conditioning Association, Colorado Springs, 1990
Hakkinen K, Pakarinen A, Kyrolainen H, et al: Neuromuscular adaptations and serum hormones in females during prolonged power training. Int J Sports Med 1990;11(2):91-98
Karlsson J, Jacobs I: Is the significance of muscle fiber types to muscle metabolism different in females than in males? in Borms J, Hebbelink M, Venerando A (eds): Women and Sport, an Historical, Biological, Physiological and Sports Medical Approach. Basel, Switzerland, S Karger, 1981
Ikai M, Fukunago T: Calculation of muscle strength per unit cross sectional area of human muscle by means of ultrasonic measurement. Int Z Angew Physiol 1968;26:26-32
Petranick K, Berg K: The effects of weight training on bone density of premenopausal, postmenopausal and elderly women: a review. J Strength Conditioning Res 1997;11(3):200-208
Talbott S: The female athlete triad--not just for athletes. Strength Conditioning 1996;18(2):12-16
Nigg BM, Herzog W (eds): Biomechanics of the Musculo-Skeletal System. Chichester, NY, J Wiley, 1994


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Dispelling Misconceptions
Recent studies counter several widely held beliefs that may limit the physiologic and psychological benefits of weight training for women.

Myth 1: Strength training causes women to become larger and heavier. The truth is, strength training helps reduce body fat and increase lean weight (1). These changes may result in a slight increase in overall weight, since lean body mass weighs more than fat. However, strength training results in significant increases in strength, no change or a decrease in lower-body girths, and a very small increase in upper-extremity girth. Only women with a genetic predisposition for hypertrophy who participate in high-volume, high-intensity training will see substantial increases in limb circumference.

Myth 2: Women should use different training methods than men. Women are often encouraged to use weight machines and slow, controlled movements out of a fear that using free weights, manual resistance, explosiveness (high velocity, low force), or exercises that use body weight as resistance will cause injury.

In fact, no evidence suggests that women are more likely to be injured during strength training than men. Proper exercise instruction and technique are necessary to reduce the risk of injuries for both men and women. All strength training participants should follow a program that gradually increases the intensity and load.

Furthermore, sport-specific exercise should closely mimic the biomechanics and velocity of the sport for which an athlete is training (2). The best way to achieve this is to use closed-kinetic-chain exercise that involves multiple joints and muscle groups and the ranges of motion specific to the sport. For example, the push press--rather than triceps kickbacks--offers a superior arm extension training stimulus for improving the ability to throw the shot put in track and field.

Myth 3: Women should avoid high-intensity or high-load training. Women are typically encouraged to use limited resistance, such as light dumbbells, in their strength exercises. Often such light training loads are substantially below those necessary for physiologic adaptations and certainly less than those commonly used by men.

Most women are able to train at higher volumes and intensities than previously believed. In fact, women need to train at intensities high enough to cause adaptation in bone, muscle, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. When exercise intensity provides insufficient stimulus, physiologic benefits may be minimal (3). To gain maximum benefit from strength training, women should occasionally perform their exercises at or near the repetition maximum for each exercise.

References

Fox E, Bowers R, Foss M: The Physiological Basis for Exercise and Sport, Madison, WI, Brown and Benchmark, 1993
Stone MH, Borden RA: Modes and methods of resistance training. Strength Conditioning 1997;19(4):18-24
National Strength and Conditioning Association: Position Paper: Strength Training for Female Athletes. National Strength and Conditioning Association, Colorado Springs, 1990


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Mr Ebben is a strength coach at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Dr Jensen is an assistant professor in the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. Address correspondence to William P. Ebben, MS, MSSW, CSCS, University of Wisconsin-Sports Conditioning, 1440 Monroe St, Madison, WI 53711.
 
Why weight train?

Strength Training for Women


© Wayne L. Westcott Ph.D.

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To the best of my knowledge, I have never addressed the topic of women's strength training in the Keeping Fit column. The main reason for this is that there is essentially no difference between men and women with respect to exercise technique, training procedures or strength development. Basically, what is good for the goose is equally good for the gander.
However, you may not be aware of our research studies that led us to this conclusion. In fact, you may have heard that women should not do strength exercise for one of the following reasons.

(1) Strength training makes women too muscular and bulky.

(2) Strength training is a waste of time for women because they are not capable of developing strong muscles.

(3) Strength training is dangerous for women because their bodies are not designed to exercise with resistance.

Of course, none of these reasons is valid and such misinformation is incorrect. Actually, very few women have the genetic potential or enough natural testosterone to develop large muscles. Firm, fit, functional muscles, yes-large muscles, no. On the other hand, women most certainly can achieve high levels of muscle strength. In fact, our studies show that females develop muscle strength at the same rate as males, and on a pound-for-pound basis are equally strong. Finally, it is ridiculous to think that women's bodies are too frail to perform resistance exercise. After all, what physical activity is more demanding than childbirth?

To clarify some of the above statements let me share some of our research findings. In one of our largest studies, with over 900 male and female participants, we tested the leg strength of both genders. In terms of actual weight lifted, the men were 50 percent stronger than the women. However, the men also were, on average, 50 pounds heavier than the women. We therefore decided to compare leg strength relative to the individual's lean body weight. On a muscle-for-muscle basis we found essentially no difference in male and female leg strength. Both genders performed 10 computer-monitored leg extensions with 75 percent of their lean body weight. Other researchers have attained similar results, and no scientist can distinguish between male and female muscle tissue under the microscope, because there is no physiological difference.

Over the past 15 years, we have performed dozens of research studies and taught hundreds of classes with women strength trainers of all ages (children, teens, young adults, middle agers, and seniors). To date, not one participant has complained about becoming big or building too much muscle.

Remember, women who do not strength train lose about 5 pounds of muscle every decade of adult life. That leads to a lower metabolism and a gradual increase in fat weight (about 15 pounds per decade), as well as a less fit, firm and attractive appearance. So, in most cases, the added muscle simply replaces the muscle previously lost through lack of use. And women who start strength training typically lose twice as much fat as they gain muscle. In one of our studies, more than 700 women performed about 25 minutes of strength training (13 Nautilus exercises) and 20 minutes of aerobic activity (treadmill or cycle) 2 or 3 times a week for two months. On average, they added almost 2 pounds of muscle and lost about 4 pounds of fat. They also increased their muscle strength by over 40 percent, which greatly enhanced their physical abilities and performance levels.

In my experience, most women who start strength training make excellent progress, attain their exercise objectives, and maintain their muscular fitness through regular workouts. However, not all are satisfied with a better body composition and higher functional capacity. Some women want to achieve their best physical appearance and highest level of strength fitness.

High-Intensity Strength Training

Over the past few years, many women who enjoyed the benefits of our standard strength training program elected to participate in our high-intensity workouts. Our 6-week high-intensity strength training program involves 30 minutes of nearly continuous strength exercise, working all of the major muscle groups to fatigue. Each of the two weekly workouts is performed under the expert direction of a personal trainer who ensures safe and productive exercise sessions.

So how does such hard training affect the women's physical appearance? As you can see from the photo of our most recent high intensity trainers (and their coach), these women in their 20s, 30s and 40s look lean, strong, and extremely fit. While they are certainly muscular, they are by no means big or bulky. What's more, they feel great and function like teenage athletes.

Although these women were already well-conditioned when they started high-intensity strength training, they definitely enhanced their physical appearance over the 12 exercise sessions. On average, they added 3.3 pounds of muscle and lost 2.7 pounds of fat, for a 6-pound improvement in body composition.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Strength training is a safe and effective exercise for women. It does not produce bulky bodies, but it does develop strong and shapely muscles that are fit and functional. Both standard and high-intensity strength training programs are time efficient, requiring only two half-hour exercise sessions a week for excellent results. Over the past five years, Shape Magazine has regularly featured our women's strength training programs (basic and advanced), and the response has been excellent.

Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D., is fitness research director at the South Shore YMCA, and author of several books on fitness, including Building Strength and Stamina, and Strength Training Past 50.
 
Avoid Middle Age Spread

http://www.americanheart.org/presen...ntifier=3038032

Avoid middle-aged spread


Meeting Report
03/03/2006

Women may prevent, delay 'middle-aged spread' by lifting weights

Abstract 7 (EPI)



PHOENIX, Ariz., March 3 – Women who lift weights twice a week can prevent or at least slow the ”middle-aged spread,” researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s 46th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

Video News Release

A study of 164 overweight and obese (BMI 25-35) Minnesota women 24 to 44 years old found that strength training with weights dramatically reduced the increase in abdominal fat in premenopausal participants compared to similar women who merely received advice about exercise.

Women in a two-year weight-training program decreased body fat percentage by 3.7 percent, while body fat percentage remained stable in the controls. The strength training reduced intra-abdominal fat, which is more closely associated with heart disease and metabolic disturbances. More specifically, the women who did strength training experienced a 7 percent increase in intra-abdominal fat compared to a 21 percent increase in intra-abdominal fat among controls, a difference of 15 percentage points.

“On average, women in the middle years of their lives gain one to two pounds a year and most of this is assumed to be fat,” said study lead author Kathryn H. Schmitz, Ph.D., assistant professor, Center forClinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. “This study shows that strength training can prevent increases in body fat percentage and attenuate increases in the fat depot most closely associated with heart disease. While an annual weight gain of one to two pounds doesn’t sound like much, over 10 to 20 years the gain is significant.”

Strength training is a fairly time-efficient method to prevent the small increases in weight that come with aging and may increase an adults’ risk for heart disease and diabetes, she said.

The Strong Healthy and Empowered (SHE) study examined whether twice-weekly strength training would prevent increases in intra-abdominal and total body fat in women who were overweight or obese. The women initially were stratified by baseline percentage body fat and age. The strength training group participated in supervised strengthening classes for 16 weeks, and had booster sessions four times yearly with certified fitness professionals over two years. The control group received a brochure recommending 30 minutes to an hour of exercise most days of the week. All of the women were asked not to change their diets in ways that might lead to weight changes while they were participating in the study.

The weight-training sessions took about an hour, and the women were encouraged to steadily increase the amount of weight lifted. The weight lifting included exercises for all major muscle groups, including the chest, upper back, lower back, shoulders, arms, buttocks and thighs. The maximal amount of weight women could lift once (called a one-repetition maximum test) increased by an average of 7 percent in bench press and 13 percent in leg press exercises.

Researchers measured the participants’ body composition with a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan and measurements of abdominal and total body fat by single slice CT scan at baseline, and again at one and two years.

Average age of the women was 36 years. Approximately 40 percent of the sample was non-Caucasian, about two-thirds were college educated and about half had children under five years old at home. All had similar calorie intakes. On average, the women completed 70 percent of all prescribed exercise sessions over two years.

Researchers noted marginal treatment effects on total fat mass and subcutaneous abdominal fat. Because there was no dietary intervention, it was not surprising that total body weight and body mass indexes (BMI) were not altered, Schmitz said.

Strength training to increase muscle mass has been demonstrated to allow older persons to delay functional declines associated with aging, she said. “It also is a moderate program that is behaviorally feasible and has a measurable impact on body composition. Younger Americans may also benefit from increased lean muscle mass as well.”

Strength training can also increase muscle strength to allow aerobic activity in overweight people, she said. “Making women stronger and more confident behaviorally may serve as a gateway to getting overweight women to be more active.”

For her research, Schmitz will be awarded a Trudy Bush Fellowship for Cardiovascular Research in Women’s Health from the American Heart Association’s Council on Epidemiology and Prevention, in March 2006 in Arizona.

Co-authors are Peter J. Hannan, MStat, and Michael D. Jensen, M.D.
 
How women should train

How Women Should Train...
PART 1 by Joel Marion


1. If you want to be lean, sexy, and hard, you should train with weights.

A desirable female physique is one that can only be achieved by moving some serious iron in the weight room! But what about all the talk about weight training making women big and bulky? First, it is physiologically impossible for you as a woman to put on large amounts of muscle mass; you're body's hormonal makeup is not one that will allow you to do so.

God never intended for women to look like men (go figure), so he made the chemistry of each gender's respective bodies different. Regardless of how you train, how often you train, how much protein you eat, etc, you're not going to even come close to the big, bulky physique of a female bodybuilder.

It will not happen. That look is only obtainable by one means: steroids. Because their natural hormonal profiles would never allow them to get that "big," they resort to changing their body's chemistry through the use of illegal drugs. Secondly, if the right training method is chosen, the hypertrophic (growth) response to resistance training can be even further reduced. This brings us to our next point.

2. If you want to be lean, sexy, and hard, you should train HEAVY.

Yeah, I know what they told you, lighten the load and go for the burn... hogwash. To comprehend why this is indeed nonsense, we have to understand a few things about muscle tone in general. There are two types of muscle tone; myogenic and neurogenic. Don’t get thrown off by the sciency words; the first simply refers to your muscle tone at rest. It is affected by the density of your muscles; the greater the density of your muscles, the harder and firmer you will appear. Heavy training increases your myogenic tone through the hypertrophy (growth) of the contractile proteins myosin and actin (myosin and actin are by far the most dense components of skeletal muscle).

Training in higher rep ranges promotes more sarcoplasmic (fluid) hypertrophy, which in turn yields a "softer" pumped look. If you want to be hard, firm, tight, etc, the latter is certainly not the way to go. The second aspect of a muscles' tone is neurogenic tone, or the tone that is expressed when movements or contractions occur. Again, lower rep training comes out on top as training with heavy loads will increase the sensitivity of alpha and gamma motor neurons, thus increasing neurogenic tone when conducting even the simplest of movements (i.e. walking, extending your arm to point, etc).

Finally, as alluded to in point number one, training with heavy loads and low volume (sets x reps) is the best way to get hard and strong, but not big. Muscular hypertrophy is generally a response to a high volume work output; therefore, by keeping the sets and reps low with heavy training, you wont have to fear getting overly big (this really isn't even an issue due to the physiological reasons mentioned earlier).

Why then is it commonly recommended that women train with lighter loads? Well, there are a couple reasons. First, there is the typical stereotype that women are weak, fragile creatures who can't handle anything more than pushups on their knees and bicep curls with pink dumbbells. Try telling that to 123 lb Mary Jeffrey who bench presses a world record 275 lbs and you'll likely get smacked upside the head with a 45 lb plate. Give me a break. Secondly, the belief that high-rep training increases muscle tone is 100% myth.

Strength training guru and Muscle Media contributor Pavel Tsatsouline explains this quite nicely, "Your muscle fibers are like mouse traps... they go off by themselves, but need energy to be reset to contract again. A dead body is out of ATP, the energy compound that relaxes the muscles... A high rep workout exhausts ATP in your muscle and leads to temporary hardness... The only way to make such 'tone' last is by killing yourself." Hmmm, sounds like fun to me. Pavel goes on to note, "You better get on a first name basis with heavy dead[lift]s if you are after a hard butt!" This brings us to our third and final point.

3. If you want to be lean, sexy, and hard, you should train with compound, multi-joint movements.

Forget the butt blaster, forget leg extensions and leg curls, and forget "muscle sculpting" with Susie the hyperactive personal trainer. As stated in point number two, if you want to sport a hard body, you better start training heavy. Big, compound movements such as the deadlift and the squat are superior to machine, isolation-type movements for hardening up your thighs and butt as they allow you to use maximal weight while training a number of muscle groups simultaneously.

Another benefit obtained by performing multi-joint compound movements is increased confidence. With strength comes confidence. Also, there is nothing like claiming your ground in the gym by loading up the squat bar and proceeding to execute a few heavy, crisp repetitions. After all, 90% percent of the guys in your gym probably don't squat, and those of them that do most likely resort to using the smith machine and/or doing partial repetitions.

Know why? Because free squatting with a full range of motion is hard. It takes will power to get under that bar week after week and squat all the way down. Simply put, most people fear the squat and the deadlift (along with anything else challenging in life). So, after that macho guy gets done barbell curling in the squat rack, throw the bar up on the J-hooks where it belongs and show 'em what kind of woman you are!

"So, ya want me to lift how much?"

Don’t get the impression that I'm telling you that you need to be able to lift "x" number of lbs to obtain a hard physique. Heavy is a relative term; 600 lbs is considered "light" to some of the guys on the Westside Barbell powerlifting team; however, the average gym goer would deem that same load monsterously heavy. In fact, if I loaded 600 lbs on the squat bar and proceeded to attempt a repetition, I would be rewarded with a few broken legs, but I digress.

It's not important that you move big weights; what is important is that you are selecting and lifting loads that are heavy for you. Over time, you will get stronger and the poundage you can handle will increase. So, for you as a female trainee, a "heavy" load can be defined as a weight that you can lift in good form for 3-6 repetitions. This is in agreement with the recommendations of Canadian strength coach Christian Thibaudeau as he notes, "Women do not have the capacity to recruit as many motor units as men do.

As such, they'll need 1-2 more reps to fully stimulate their muscles. So when training for strength, a man should use between 1 and 5 reps while a woman will benefit more from doing 3-6 reps. Also, most women will need to perform 1-2 more sets of an exercise to achieve the same degree of stimulation as a man, once again because of their lower motor unit activation." The weight training routine that we will outline next month is modeled around these recommendations.

PART 2
by Joel Marion

I Cannot Overemphasize The Importance Of:


Performing these lifts (particularly the squat and the deadlift) regularly as part of your training routine
Learning how to conduct them properly.
I'll be the first to admit that the following aren't the easiest lifts to execute; you may have to spend a couple weeks practicing them with a small amount of weight to really get the form down. But, no matter how awkward they may seem at first, stick with them!

DO NOT, for any reason, give up! Any small sacrifice you make learning how to conduct these lifts will pay it's price in full when you look in the mirror just a short while from now. Remember, if obtaining a hard body were easy, everybody would have one! It takes hard work, dedication, and discipline to be lean, sexy, and hard. The following are the exercises that we will be using with the weight-training program provided at the end of the article.

Squat - View Exercise

Position yourself within the confines of a power rack and unrack the loaded barbell from the J-hooks; the bar should rest comfortably on your traps (not too high, not too low). Slowly walk the weight out by taking a few steps backward; your stance should about shoulder width or slightly wider. Once stabilized, tightly arch your lower back; this arch must be maintained during the entire lift.



Next, press your neck back into the bar and look straight ahead; maintain this head position throughout the entire exercise as doing so will help to keep your torso from drifting forward. Start the squat by first pushing your butt back (remember to maintain the tight arch in your lower back) and then continue to flex at both the hip and knee joints.

Breathe short and shallow on the way down and continue to descend until a point just below parallel (partial squats are unacceptable and a waste of time). Pause very briefly in the bottom position and then explosively drive the weight upward through your heels; do not allow the weight to shift to the balls of your feet. Hold your breath during the concentric. Lock out and repeat for the desired number of reps.


NOTE: Do not resort to performing this movement on the smith machine. Put the time in to learn how to free squat properly; once you do, you'll never have to worry about it again and you'll be able to enjoy the many benefits of free squatting for the remainder of your training career.
Deadlift - View Exercise

Grab hold of a loaded barbell with a staggered grip (i.e. one hand supinated and one hand pronated); your hands should be positioned about shoulder width apart and your knees should lie within your elbows. Your shoulders should be slightly rounded and directly above or behind the bar. If your shoulders start in front of the bar, you will have to pull up and out before you can pull back. Your lower back should be tightly arched, your knees and hips flexed, and you should be looking straight ahead. Before starting the lift, maximally inhale into your stomach.

If you want to know if you are breathing correctly, Powerlifting great Dave Tate of Westside Barbell recommends performing the following drill: Stand in front of a mirror and take a deep breath. Did your shoulders rise? If so, you are breathing into your chest, not your stomach. When done correctly, the shoulders should remain immobile and the gut should inflate like a balloon. Next, tightly grip the bar with your triceps contracted (this is to avoid pulling with your arms), violently contract your glutes, and drive your heals into the ground as you begin to pull the bar up and back by extending your hips forward.

Hold your breathe during the concentric. Your lower back should remain tightly arched throughout the lift. Rounding this region can make this stellar exercise a very dangerous one. Once you lock out at the top of the movement, exhale and pause for a second. Quickly lower the bar to the ground, take a few seconds to get back into the starting position, and repeat for the desired number of reps.

Supine-grip (palms facing you) Pull-ups - View Exercise

Grab hold to a chin-up bar with an underhand grip (palms facing you); your hands should be about shoulder width or slightly closer. Lift your feet off the ground and interlock your ankles behind you so that your lower legs are parallel with the floor. Maximally inhale into your stomach. Lean backward and arch your back as you begin to pull yourself up; maintain this arch throughout the entire exercise- this will really overload your lats.

Hold your breath during the concentric. Continue to pull yourself up until your forearms come in full contact with your biceps. Once they do, hold that position for a count of one as you exhale, and then slowly reverse the motion until your arms are fully extended (breathe short and shallow on the way down); you should really feel the stretch in your lats and biceps while in this position. Inhale maximally and repeat for the desired number of reps.

Dips - View Exercise

Position yourself between two parallel bars and boost yourself up so that your elbow joint is fully locked out; you should be looking straight ahead. Lift your feet off the ground and interlock your ankles behind you so that your lower legs are parallel with the floor.

Begin to lower yourself under control by flexing at the elbow joint. As you drop, breathe short and shallow; also, rotate your lower body backward (this will be pretty natural) in order to produce a forward lean; this will load the sternal head of the pecs. Do not allow your elbows to significantly flare out; however, a slight flare is okay.

Continue to lower yourself until your shoulders are below your elbows and your biceps come into full contact with your forearms; you should feel a good stretch in your triceps, anterior deltoids, and lower pecs in this position. Explosively press off the bars with the meaty part of your palm (this will send a neural signal to your triceps to contract stronger) by extending at the elbow joint and rotating your lower body forward (again, this will be natural). Lock out and repeat for the desired number or reps.

Standing Dumbbell Military Press - View Exercise

Start with your forearms parallel to the floor; they should remain this way throughout the entire lift; they will naturally want to drift inward, but don't allow this to happen; doing so will load the triceps while taking the emphasis off the shoulders. Inhale into your stomach, squeeze your glutes together hard as if trying to pinch an imaginary coin between them, and explosively press the weight overhead. Hold your breath during the concentric.

Do not allow the 'bells to touch at the top of the movement, but rather keep them roughly 6" apart; this will keep the tension on your delts. After a short pause, begin to slowly lower the weight; be sure to keep your forearms perpendicular to the floor. Breathe short and shallow during the eccentric. Continue to lower the weight until your elbows fall significantly below the plane of your shoulders. Pause briefly and repeat for the desire number of reps.

Janda Sit-ups - View Exercise

Lie back on the floor with your knees flexed to 90 degrees and your feet flat on the floor; do not anchor your feet. Your arm positioning can either be straight out in front of you or crossed on your shoulders. Contract your glutes and slowly begin to curl upward- jerking movements are unacceptable and take the emphasis off the abs by recruiting the hip flexors. Once you reach the top of the curl, maximally exhale; you should feel an intense cramp in your abdominal region.



Continue to hold your breath and slowly lower yourself to the floor; move especially slow during the last six inches of the movement. It is okay to let out short bursts of air during the eccentric portion, but do not lose the tightness in your abs. Your feet are not to come off the ground at any point during the exercise. If the concentric portion of the lift is too difficult at first, do negatives only. Repeat for the desired number or reps.

30-degree Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - View Exercise

This movement is very similar to the standing dumbbell military press, only you will be performing the movement while lying on your back. Grab a pair of dumbbells and position yourself on an incline bench set to about 30 degrees; your feet should be flat on the floor. Pull your shoulder blades together, push your chest out, and tightly arch your lower back to place the pecs in a prestretched position.

Inhale into your stomach, squeeze your glutes together hard as if trying to pinch an imaginary coin between them, and explosively press the 'bells upward. Be sure to keep your forearms perpendicular to the ground at all times during the lift as we did with the military press.

Hold your breath during the concentric. Do not allow the 'bells to touch at the top of the movement, but rather keep them roughly 6" apart; this will keep the tension on your pecs. After a short pause, begin to slowly lower the weight; again, do not allow your forearms to drift inward. Breathe short and shallow during the eccentric. Continue to lower the weight until your elbows fall significantly below the plane of your shoulders. Pause briefly and repeat for the desire number of reps.

Calf Press in a Leg Press Machine - View Exercise

This one is pretty easy. Position yourself within the confines of a leg press machine, push the weight upward, and then position your feet so that only the balls of your feet are on the edge of the sled. Explosively push the weight forward by moving at the ankle joint only. Pause for a second and then reverse the movement. Be sure to use a full range of motion; you should feel a great stretch in your calves when in the bottom position.

Hook A Sista Up, Already!


Sample Program


Finally, the moment you have all been waiting for, the Lean, Sexy, and Tone weight training program:

A1) + A2) are explained below along with sets & reps.


Day 1 (Chest and Abs)

A1) 30-degree incline DB Bench Press
A2) Janda Sit-ups

Day 2 (Quad Dominant Legs and Calves)


A1) Squats
A2) Calf Press in a Leg Press Machine
Day 3 (Back and Triceps)


A1) Supine-grip Pull-ups
A2) Dips

Day 4 (Hip Dominant Legs and Shoulders)


A1) Deadlift
A2) Standing DB Military Press

Day 5 Off

Casually alternate between exercises A1 and A2 until you complete the desired number of sets and reps for each exercise. For example, perform A1, rest one minute, perform A2, rest one minute, perform A1, etc. Also, for all exercises (with the exception of the deadlift and the Janda Sit-up), lower the load under control for a period of 3-4 seconds and then explode the weight upward on the concentric by lifting it as fast as you can.

Repeat the 5-day rotation back to back for the duration of program. A fundamental element of this program is that is comprised of short, frequent training sessions; this is to prevent you from overtraining. When performing overly long workouts, especially workouts that are comprised of big, compound exercises, the central nervous system can easily become overtrained.

If your motivation drops off and you start to loathe the thought of having to train, you're progress will be close to zero. It is essential that the sessions remain short and sweet; this way, you leave the gym feeling fresh and motivated, not tired and run down.

Phase 1

Phase 1 of this program will be conducted for four weeks; the set/rep scheme will be 6 sets of 5. Select a load that you can handle for 5 repetitions in good form. If you successfully perform 5 repetitions on all 6 sets, bump the weight up 5-10 lbs the next time you perform that particular exercise.

Do not perform more than 5 repetitions on any set. If you do not successfully perform 5 repetitions on all 6 sets, stick with the same load until you can do so.

Phase 2

Phase 2 of this program will also be conducted for a period of four weeks; this time, the set/rep scheme will be 10 sets of 3. Again, select a load that you can handle for 5 repetitions in good form. If you successfully perform 3 repetitions on all 10 sets, bump the weight up 5-10 lbs the next time you perform that particular exercise.

Do not perform more than 3 repetitions on any set; your first few sets will seem easy- this is exactly the way it is supposed to be. If you do not successfully perform 3 repetitions on all 10 sets, stick with the same load for the next workout. (Right: Follow this program and get a smoking body like Christina Lindley!)


And That's Essentially It


Obtaining a hard body may not be an easy task, but at least now you don't have to worry about wasting your time and effort in the gym training in an unproductive fashion. If you dedicate yourself to this program, along with a good cardiovascular routine 3-4 times weekly and smart nutrition you will obtain the physique you desire. You too can be lean, sexy, and hard!
 
The WeighTrainer
The Rules of Productive Weight Training
for The Drug-Free Trainee
by Casey Butt, Ph.D.


"The information below is probably the most "honest" you'll ever read in any bodybuilding article, and it's probably
the most important article I've ever written, or will ever write, regarding bodybuilding and the bodybuilding industry."



This article was originally titled "Beginners Part I: The Rules of Productive Weight Training for The Drug-Free Trainee". But over the years I've noticed a curious thing ...a lot of very advanced trainees have read this article and followed the advice herein. So I thought about it a little and realized that the information contained here isn't really exclusive to beginners at all. In fact, sometimes advanced trainees are in need of the "rules" even more than beginners. Especially when those trainees have wasted years of their training lives not following the "rules". The fact is, the "rules" apply to everyone who wants to get the most out of weight training and is doing so without the assistance of anabolic drugs. So the "Beginners Part I" was dropped from the title to get: "The Rules of Productive Weight Training for The Drug-Free Trainee". Sounds a little profound, but appropriate nonetheless.

Before we get into the "meat" of the article let me relate to you an experience I had in the gym one time (actually probably a thousand times but I've learned to ignore it) that'll help set the tone for where we're going to go. I'll tell you this because you'll probably be able to relate to the situation.

I had just finished my last exercise for the day, was changing my shoes and drinking my shake, when this skinny little guy comes up to me and says, "Do you know how to do Deadlifts?" "Yes", I replied. "Can you show me?", he says. So I agreed and off we went - over to where he was Deadlifting. When I got there he had already loaded up the bar (with a 10 pound plate on each side) and started to go through the motions for me. His form was pretty shakey - he was having trouble keeping a safe arch in his back (he had obvious inflexibility problems in his hips and hamstrings). Now, having performed and witnessed a few deadlifts in my lifetime, I knew his situation intimately ...I'd seen it many times before and I knew the "cure". But just as I was about to speak, some guy, who was even skinnier than him, cut me off and started explaining to him the finer points of Deadlift technique and training. (I guess he felt offended because this kid looked to somebody else for advice besides "his honour".) To be fair though, most of what he was saying was just about dead-on, but it was very obvious from his physique that he hadn't spent too much time actually Deadlifting, if you know what I mean. Still, his instructions on form were sound so I didn't feel like I had to add anything. Over the next half-hour, or so, the two went over all the finer points of Deadlifting technique and the various assistance exercises that the new trainee should be doing - with me watching patiently and putting in my 2 cents worth every now and then.

As time went on, more and more important practicalities of training were being left out of the "sage's" advice. One thing became more and more apparent: This "instructor" hadn't lifted a weight in his life. He was well-read on all the latest texts that his obvious Phys Ed schooling had prescribed, and he had done his homework well, but he didn't have a clue about real-world lifting. He made suggestions that were, clearly, straight from an arm-chair expert who had read one too many texts and lifted way too few weights. He had no idea of how to correct the problems that the new guy had, and he didn't have the foggiest about constructing a practical training routine for the real world. What he did have, however, was the arrogance and swagger of somebody who'd read a few muscle magazine or kinesiology textbooks and now considers himself an authority amongst an otherwise "uneducated" group of gym grunts. In short, all his "knowledge" was useless. He lacked the practical experience to put it into context. Too much reading, too little doing. I later found out that he was the new resident "physical trainer" for the gym - but that would be typical.

Don't get the impression that I'm against scientific research and how it applies to bodybuilding (or powerlifting, or weightlifting, etc.). In fact, many people think of my writing as having a clear scientific leaning. In truth, I have 5 degrees in the "hard" sciences (including a Ph.D.). I've written peer-reviewed articles for scientific journals and attended conferences around the world. I've taught at the university level and I now work in research and development for one of the most technically advanced companies on Earth. I don't say all that to boast, but to tell you that I know how science works ...so I'm not "anti-science" by any stretch. However, the "science" of weight training will never take the place of in-the-gym experience. And that's what too few "experts" seem to actually have - experience. Hey, you can read about boxing all you want, but that doesn't qualify you to get in the ring with Klitschko.

I don't need a crystal ball to tell me that you've got conflicting advice coming at you from all directions - and you probably can't figure out who, or what, to believe. Well, I'm going lay the truth out for you in clear, no-bullshit fashion. I've been at this for at least 18 years ...I know what you need to know, and what you don't need to know and I'm going to tell you straight. Not what I read from just a book or in a research paper (though, trust me, I've read a few ...all the way from texts published in 1896 to the latest research journals) but what I've had hammered into me through over 18 years of unbreakable devotion to weight training; what I've seen other people go through and what I've learned from people who have gone before me. I'm not making any money from this, and the only reason I'm telling you this is because I remember myself, quite vividly, what it's like to be stumbling around in the dark. So, let's get into the Rules of Productive Weight Training for the Drug-free Trainee.

I'm going to start with the rule that upsets a lot of publishers, supplement salesmen and even gym owners (ohh I forgot, they're called "fitness clubs" now). It probably puts me on the magazines' blacklists too, so I don't expect you'll see anything I write show up in the newsstand bodybuilding magazines...

Rule #1: Don't Be Mislead by 99% of What You Read on the Internet or in Magazines and Books
The vast majority of what's in popular "print" is, for the most part, useless to you. Worse than that, it'll do your training life immense harm if you take much of it too seriously. The fitness industry is a multi-billion dollar a year industry. Do you really think that the guy's who make a fortune from this are concerned with your gains? No, they are not. Most of them are probably fat businessmen who go to board meetings and discuss what they can do to get this quarter's profits up. As George Turner would say, "you couldn't scrape a teaspoon full of muscle off of 'em." To them, you are simply a potential customer. Think about it, how do they get your attention? They hire some drug-using professional bodybuilder to say that he got great gains from their product (training program or supplements) and they photograph him with some half-naked girl with an 8 pound saline-filled rack. In reality, he probably never even used their product and even if he did, he takes so many steroids and anabolic drugs that almost any program would work for him and supplements are irrelevant. But all the advertisers are concerned with is getting you to give them your money for their latest book or magazine, supplement or "breakthrough discovery", or whatever they happen to be selling ...and it's always something, either directly or indirectly.

Every few months new gimmics come out and are pushed heavily in the magazines and on the internet because gimmics sell. People simply don't want to see and read the same old things month after month, year after year. The newest "wrinkle" is what sells, and sales are what the "industry" is all about. Even the genuine articles, which could be helpful to drug-free trainees, quickly get lost and overwhelmed amongst the sensationalism and material aimed at drug-users and the naive. Beginners and experienced trainees alike simply cannot tell what's appropriate for them and what isn't ...and if an author doesn't specifically say that his advice is for drug-free trainees, then it's not. Training for beginners is an even more special case, and 99% of what's printed in magazines and on the internet is not appropriate for beginners.

Another thing: You are not Jay Cutler or Ronnie Coleman or Arnold Schwarzenegger. The things that those men do to their bodies in training would destroy yours. Why is that so? Because they are taking enough drugs in a month that they'd be 250 pounds and ripped if they never even touched a weight. You have about as much in common with them as you do with a lowland Gorilla. Seem a bit far-fetched? Well, I've heard of competitors spending upwards of $90,000 a year in drugs. Think that your body, with it's natural hormone levels, can compare to that? If you do you're dreaming. WAKE UP NOW, before it's too late and you've spent years wasting your time following Jay Cutler's biceps routine. It happened to me. I wasted 9 years on their drug-dependent routines. If you don't be careful you may too.

Training approaches are very specific and different for drug-free people than they are for drug-users. People of different builds also require different training approaches (especially people that could be classified as "hard gainers"). If you want to learn how to train drug-free you have to look to the people that actually train and trained drug-free - the current drug-free champions such as Dave Goodin, Tony Montalbano and Jon Harris, and the legends of the Iron Game such as Reg Park, John Grimek, Tommy Kono, Steve Reeves, John Davis, etc. Think those people aren't (or weren't) that big. Well, compared to Jay Cutler they aren't. But let me tell you right now, if you want to be like Jay Cutler without turning your ass into a pin-cushion and choking down pills all day then you need a big reality check. Take a look at these men. They are your measuring stick. Ain't so bad, hey?

If you want to read some sensible bodybuilding books I can offer the following list:

Brawn by Stuart McRobert. This is, without a doubt, one of the best and most valuable books for drug-free trainees ever published. I whole-heartedly endorse it.

Powerlifting Basics, Texas-Style: The Adventures of Lope Delk by Paul Kelso.

Although this book is aimed primarily at Powerlifters it contains a wealth of training wisdom for anyone who wants to learn what training is really about.

Weight-Training Technique: The Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Training Technique by Stuart McRobert. Beginners need to learn how to do the most effective exercises safely and properly. This is the best guide.

Building the Classic Physique the Natural Way by Steve Reeves. Reeves had one of the greatest drug-free physiques of all time. This book outlines his approach to training. Be careful though, only the most genetically gifted will prosper fully from his routine in its unaltered state.

The Complete Keys to Progress by John McCallum. McCallum was probably the greatest muscle scribe to even put pen to paper. This book is a compilation of his classic series of articles in the old Health and Strength magazine. Of all the training books I've read this was the most engaging.

Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development by Brooks Kubik. A modern classic and a great read. Brooks knows his stuff and his solid advice is a worthy addition to the Iron Game.

The Strongest Shall Survive by Bill Starr. Truly worth it's weight in gold. Don't let the sub-title (Strength Training for Football) put you off. This is one of the finest books ever written on how to build functional strength and muscle mass.

Super Squats: How to Gain 30 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. A modern training classic. You won't gain 30 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks, but you probably will gain as much, as quickly, as possible.

10-Week Size Surge by Iron Man Magazine. A solid program along the old-time, drug-free training lines ...A very effective approach to training, and a very complete guide.

The vast majority of training books on the shelves today aren't worth the paper they're written on. I've read every one of the above books several times and can assure you that every one of them is worth the cost. If you have some free money and want to educate yourself about weight training don't spend your money on crap ...give your hard-earned money to the people who are actually honest enough to deserve it - go with something from the above list. They're the wheat hidden amongst the chaff. If you don't know where to get them you can try Amazon or Ironman Books. Also, Bill Hinbern's Super Strength Books contains some real gems and classic reprints from the pre-drug era.

Another thing: Be very leery of people on internet discussion boards who post under fake names and use pro-bodybuilders or cartoons as their avatar photos. I've been surfing the "web" since before you could even call it that - before html, before Internet Explorer, before even Mosaic (if anyone can remember that), way back in the "Gopher" days of the early 1990s - and there's one thing I can tell you for sure: If someone on an internet discussion board who calls himself "buff-, flex-, doctor-, professor-, extreme-, huge-, etc" and uses a fake photo in his profile gives you advice or makes claims, then remember one thing... he's probably weaker and fatter than you. I haven't met a legitimate bodybuilder yet (or anybody else with a good physique) who was afraid to tell you his name or show you his photo (though you've got a better chance of getting written into their wills than getting their real measurements). And having made 1000 posts doesn't automatically qualify you as an expert either. You'd probably be very surprised if you seen some of these "internet experts". Why do you think they won't show their photos or tell their real names? Because nobody would take them seriously if they did.

I know very well that by taking this stance I've "outlawed" myself from ever making money by writing for the mainstream publications and I've also offended a lot of the so-called "experts" on the internet discussion boards. But, guess what? I don't care. I'm sick of bullshit, and I won't play the game and be brainwashed by people who don't know a fraction of what I do about training and nutrition. If you sense that as arrogance and don't like my attitude then I don't care either. But remember this: I've been there, got the T-shirt, learned the hard way and now I'm here to help. Hey, I could be paid for writing bullshit ...but I don't.

Rule #2: Avoid Exercise Machines
Animal life on Earth began over 345 million years ago (some estimates are as long as 400 million years ago). Since that time all living creatures have been doing one thing: lifting free weights against the force of gravity. That is what our bodies are designed for and have evolved to do. I don't care how knowledgeable some machine designers are, they'll never design a better machine for our bodies than what 345 million years of evolution has dictated. That means no Shoulder Press machines, Cable Curls, Pec Decks, Biceps machines, etc. If you want to build the most muscle possible, as fast as possible then you will have to lift free weights.


Machine manufacturers try to convince you with all kinds of so-called "scientific" arguments why the machines are better. They typically use misapplied logic and inadequate knowledge of muscle physiology to argue that machines better stress the muscles over a fuller range of motion - the contention being that the non-variable linear loading of free-weight exercises is inferior to the purposely tailored resistance curves of some exercise machines. What they fail to acknowledge, however, is that at the ends of the range of motion (the stretched and contracted positions) muscle fibers are capable of exerting only a fraction of the force that they can generate over the mid-range anyway (although demonstratable strength will vary because of mechanical leverage) - there simply isn't much, if any, of an additional growth effect to be produced by stressing the muscles at those positions. In fact, one could argue that, theoretically, providing "tailored" resistance over the entire range of motion would likely serve to decrease the overall growth stimulus because it unnecessarily fatigues the fibers in more "ineffective" states of elongation so that they cannot produce maximum force over the mid-range, where the maximum growth stimulus can actually be delivered (the old-timers would refer to this as the basic, free-weight exercises training the "belly" of the muscle). Not to mention the increased anabolic hormone release in response to intense training on the free-weight, compound exercises.

But I'm trying to keep this plain and simple, and I have one reason for you right now as to why most of your training should be done with free-weights (and it has nothing to do with lab coats and test tubes): If you spend your time on exercise machines you will limit your progress as compared to if you lifted free-weights. I spent YEARS wasting my time - and so have countless others. Don't become one of those people who hits yourself on the head a little (or long) ways down the road and says, "Why didn't I do the free-weights in the first place? Look at the time I've wasted!"

What makes the machines so appealing, along with the "scientific" sounding bullshit, is that they are easy to learn to use, and comfortable when you do use them. But ease and comfort are NOT what builds muscle. And what good is something being easy to learn if it's not worth learning in the first place? The free weight movements will take longer for you to learn but you will be more than rewarded when you do. If you don't believe me then feel free to waste your time.

Earlier I mentioned that fitness is a multi-billion dollar industry. Do you know how much those machines cost? You'd be amazed. We're talking usually over a thousand dollars for each unit. Arthur Jones became a multi-millionaire because he invented the Nautilus line of exercise machines back in the 1970s. He used "scientific" principles to hype the bejesus out of those things and they were bought all around the world. Nautilus gyms were everywhere. Their memberships were huge. The philosphy was "get people in, get people out." And the gym owners were satisfied because they were difficult to steal (free-weight theft is often a problem in city gyms). The industry thrives on machine use because the average person doesn't have the money or space to equip a home gym with them, making gym memberships a necessity if they can convince you that free weights are "old-fashioned" or dangerous or inferior. The bodybuilding magazines push this as well because they are either "sponsored" by exercise machine manufacturers or they have a vested interest themselves (the supplement industry operates much the same way). Trust me. It's bullshit. Don't be a sucker.

To my knowledge, there hasn't been a peer-reviewed scientific study published in the past 50 years that confirms exercise machines' effectiveness over free-weights. In fact, any studies you do turn up (if you can find any unbiased results that weren't produced by the machine manufacturers themselves) will imply the opposite. (Even bodyweight Pull-Ups have been shown in MRI analyses to intensely recruit more muscle mass than Pull-downs with a cable.) Perhaps that helps explain why there hasn't been a drug-free bodybuilding champion in history who trained predominantly with machines.

After having said all that, I'm going to seemingly contradict myself a little and add that machines actually can have their place in productive training routines. Not all machines are created equal and some, such as the old Nautilus 4-way neck machine, can be quite useful. (Something similar can be said about some cable exercises.) Beginners, however, having little experience and without expert guidance, have no way of assessing a particular machine's worth (and most are practically useless); so the safer route is to just avoid them until you're advanced enough to make your own judgements or find someone who really knows his stuff to advise you (which is unlikely in today's gyms). Intermediate and advanced trainees (as well as beginners) will learn through experience that for the greatest and fastest general muscle mass gains free-weights are superior anyway. So, unless you're very advanced, rehabilitating an injury, or are using anabolic drugs, put exercise machines way down on your priority list.

Trust me, 345 million years of evolution is not wrong. Use your brain on this one. Perhaps if human beings evolved on planet Cybex things would be different - but we didn't.

Rule #3: Genetics DO Matter - But WHO CARES!
Some people will progress much faster than others. Some people will grow into solid chunks of muscle within a few months, while others will have to work for years to get half the gains. I've seen it a thousand times. And it's not just training routine design, effort, desire or diet. If these things were all equal it would still happen. But there's nothing you can do about your genetic inheritance - so GET OVER IT. You can only work with what you've got, so do that. I've seen some very genetically gifted people come into the gym and pass my overall strength and muscle level within 6 months of steady training (though they rarely have the same proportion of balanced development and "quality") - and I've been doing this for over 18 years - but I lived. And I'll be in the gym again tomorrow. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare.

The supplement and magazine sellers hate to acknowledge any of this, and they do their best to keep you in the dark about it because they don't want people to stop clinging to the unrealistic dreams that drive them to buy yet more supplements and magazines. They'd love to have you believe that anyone can have 20" arms if they just have access to the right supplements and latest training knowledge. "Buy our new product and you'll pack on the mass!" What bullshit. The human body can grow only so fast and there's nothing legally on the market that can significantly change that, and none of the latest training protocols produce faster gains than what enlightened bodybuilders have known for the past 60 years. I've sunk money into their scam products since the 1980s and I can count the "good" ones on one hand.

I know it can be discouraging. I've already told you that you'll never be built like Jay Cutler and now I'm telling you that the guy next to you might progress ten times faster than you. Well, take heart. Everyone can build an impressive physique. I've seen some pretty puny fellows put a great deal of muscle on their bones. I've also seen some pretty fat fellows lose the fat and build impressive physiques. I started off with both of those problems - 150 lbs overweight, weak as a rat, and with the upper body musculature of a 12-year old girl. Now, some eighteen years later, I still may not be a prime Steve Reeves, but I'm no fat weakling either. If you stick with it you WILL progress. And if you don't let the industry garbage lead you down the primrose path who knows how far you can go? One thing is for sure, you won't know until you try and you won't get anywhere complaining about your "bad" genetics.

Rule #4: Don't Train More Often Than Three Days Per Week
"But Jay Cutler trains 6 times", I can hear you saying. If that's so, go back and read Rule #1 again. Unless you are very genetically gifted, you do not have the hormone levels or joint structures to train that often and progress maximally. It's true that some advanced drug-free athletes can train 5-6 times per week but those routines are only for very specific purposes (such as contest preparation) and are generally NOT appropriate for drug-free trainees. Personally, as I look back on my bodybuilding "career", I realize that the only times I made what I'd consider "good" gains were when I was working out no more than 3 times per week. Generally, drug-free strength athletes make their best gains when they spend more days out of the gym than in. Don't believe me? Hey, it's your life, do what you want - but if you don't listen to this you'll regret it. I've been there.

"But Mr. So-And-So said that he trained 5 times a week when he started out. He couldn't have been on steroids then." That's right, now go back and read Rule #3. The fact that he's Mr. So-And-So tells you that the guy's probably got well above average genetics. He could get away with it. If you can too then you're a lucky individual. There's still no need to train more than 3 days per week if you're after maximum muscle mass and strength. Genetically gifted people will just progress faster on that 3-day program. So, if you are genetically gifted for building muscle, a 3 day per week training program won't hold you back ...but if you are not it might make the difference between some gains and no gains.

What about the idea that training three times a week is only for beginners and more advanced trainees should train more often? Again, bullshit. Reg Park built up to 230 pounds of solid muscle, with a 500 pound Bench Press and over 600 pound Squat to boot, by training "only" three times per week. How many drug-free men do you know who can Bench Press 500 pounds, with no bench shirt or assistance gear, while still being lean enough to see their abs? Let me guess. None.

Rule #5: Do Mostly Compound, Multi-Joint Exercises
The core of your routine should be made up of exercises that involve the use of large masses of muscle and the movement of several joints. Those exercises stimulate a lot of muscle and cause your body to release anabolic hormones. That means stuff like Squats, Deadlifts, Bent-Over Rows, Bench Presses, Overhead Presses, Dips, Stiff-Legged Deadlifts and Pull-Ups. These are the ones that will make you grow. If you go filling your routine with single joint exercises such as Lateral Raises and Triceps Kickbacks (because you want to "isolate" this muscle or that) you will only be wasting your valuable time. Put hard work into the compound exercises, on the other hand, and you will be rewarded with the fastest muscle growth possible. And it's not just my experience that proves this, but the experience of thousands of weight trainers throughout the years.

Does this mean that there is no place for isolation movements in productive training routines? No. Exercises for the abs, lower back, rotator cuff muscles, etc, all can be very useful. As well, more advanced trainees can benefit from judicious use of such things as Flyes, Lateral Raises, etc. However, as Rule #2 warns, isolation exercises with free-weights are almost always superior to exercise machines.

In any case, the vast majority of your efforts should go into the compound, multi-joint, free-weight exercises. Don't try to prove me wrong if you want to succeed at drug-free weight training.

Rule #6: Keep Your Workouts To An Hour Or Less

There are plenty of "technical" reasons for that but this is not the place to get too deeply into it. If you like the "scientific" side of things then, for now anyway, just know that testosterone levels start to decline after that time and catabolic (muscle destroying) hormones start to increase. So let's just say that more than an hour training is not necessary. Weight training is not an endurance event. If you want endurance go for a jog. When I get into routine design in Part II of this series you'll understand better.

When you're trying to get contest-lean or are very advanced you might end up adopting a little longer routines (though not necessarily), but, generally, anything over an hour means you're loafing around too much or you're doing more work than your body is likely able to tolerate.


Rule #7: Strive For Perfect Exercise Form
Cheating your reps builds nothing but ego - not muscle. If you have to cheat that means the weight's too heavy for you to lift properly. Cheating does not make a muscle contract harder because you can use heavier weights. A muscle can contract only so hard and that's that. All cheating does is bring other muscles into the movement so you can use more weight - that's not how to effectively train a muscle. And you can't argue for cheating by saying, "Well, I am using more muscles if I cheat." You are using muscles that the exercise isn't supposed to train and robbing the muscles you do want to target in the process. Besides, cheating can be DANGEROUS. Proper form is safe. When you start deviating from proper form you open the door for a potentially serious injury. Even minor injuries can cause you to miss workouts - and that's certainly not an effective way to gain muscle. When you are advanced you might want to experiment with some minor, "controlled" cheating, but until then avoid it at all costs.

Rule #8: Ignore The Guy Next To You
This rule ties in closely with Rule #7 but isn't quite the same. Here it is: Don't be insecure. If you're lifting this puny little weight and he's lifting 5 times that amount (or even 100 times) WHO CARES! He's not you, you're not him. Don't start cheating so you can use more weight. If he's using bad form and cheating a lot then that's his mistake. It reminds me of a story I heard from bodybuilding author Mike Brown: "...I saw [a fellow] years ago doing an exercise and bragging that he was 'using the same weight as Reg Park'. Reg Park at that time was almost as well known as Steve Reeves, having won the Mr. Universe a short time before. Mac MacFarland, the 1963 'Mr. Hawaii' winner, looked at this guy contemptuously and asked him, 'If a pudgy nobody like you is handling the same weight in the same exercise that Reg Park is, don't you think that maybe you're doing the exercise wrong?'"

Remember the tortoise and the hare. If you work hard enough, long enough, and never, never, ever quit, you'll get there too - well-built, safely and with proper form.

You have to swallow your ego. I had been training for almost 10 years when I decided to learn the Olympic-style Lifts (the Snatch and Clean and Jerk). I had to go from Squatting 445 pounds to Snatching 65. Do you know how foolish that made me feel (and look). Remember, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Do what's right for your body, not your ego. And through it all remember the golden rule of drug-free weight training: HAVE PATIENCE!

Rule #9: Spend Your Money On Plenty Of Good Food - NOT The Latest Supplement

This is one of the sadest things in the Iron Game today. Those supplements did not make Lee Priest huge. Go back and read Rules #1 and #3. The industry is big money. The athletes are paid to advertise those supplements. I remember cart loads of products from the 1980s (when the supplement industry really took off) up through to the present. I think I've taken most of them myself. So have my friends and people I've trained and trained with. I thought for awhile that the "secret" would finally get out about the bullshit supplement industry, but it's only gotten incredibly worse. I know that the latest magazine says product so-and-so has been scientifically proven to increase muscle mass. Don't listen to it! I could turn up studies showing that anabolic steroids don't build muscle if I had to (actually, studies reaching that conclusion were fairly regularly published at one time) . A lot of those studies are funded by the same companies that sell the products. That's right, they're paying the researchers' paychecks! That should tell you something. Even the most honest studies can be misquoted and re-interpreted to sound like they've found the breakthrough "key" to massive muscles. Believe me, I myself could describe chicken breasts so that people would be clamouring to buy them for their potent muscle building effects.

Remember, I know how scientific research works. I've seen papers published that were the result of complete fabrication. I've seen grad students (who write the majority of the papers you'll see publised), under extreme pressure to graduate, completely "invent" their results. I've seen professors with 30 years experience blatantly plagiarize the works of others so they could continue to get grant money. Just recently a major drug company got busted for "funding" research and deliberately keeping their involvement a secret from the publishers of the scientific journals the articles were being presented in. Trust me, everything that's in print - no matter what the source - is not necessarily trustworthy.

But as I said, I am a scientist. Not all science is "bad". In fact, some research is simply invaluable to our body of weight training knowledge. Knowing how to separate the wheat from the chaff is a job best left for the true "experts", not the guys in bodybuilding magazines or on websites who stand to make millions by selling some supplement. If you have the scientific background, I encourage you to review the published research yourself, or subscribe to Alan Aragon's Research Review or get his book "Girth Control: The Science of Fat Loss & Muscle Gain". You may be surprised that the only scientific "proof" you find regarding most popular bodybuilding supplements is proof that they have no effect on building muscle. But even a minimum amount of "research" (and a small dose of common sense) will tell you that all of the major bodybuilding magazines and internet websites have supplement lines or make money directly selling other supplement brands - do you think for a minute you can believe anything they say about supplements? If you do, you're incredibly naive and it's time you grew up.

The sadest thing is when I hear a naive beginner talking about a top bodybuilder and the supplements he takes as if the supplements actually had anything to do with his muscle development ...something like, "Do you think this guy could get so big without steroids or supplements?" Let me tell you something. There isn't a supplement on Earth that's 1/1000th as strong as even the weakest of anabolic steroids. And I'll go even further... there isn't a supplement on Earth that's stronger than even a glass of milk. Sorry for bursting your bubble, but that's the truth. All those fancy packaged "anabolic, extreme, bio-, -test, -abol" whatevers are nothing but the height of pure, unadulterated bullshit designed, first and foremost, not to build muscle but to get your money. Any gains you do seem to get from them are placebo effect. Again, I'm making myself a few enemies in the industry here because I'm telling the truth about their sham. Good.

But don't get me wrong, I'm actually not saying that all supplements are completely useless - for example, high-potency multi-vitamin/mineral tablets are what I'd classify as a "good" supplement. Your body needs vitamins and minerals to grow. If you're short on just one the whole muscle growth process can be halted. I recommend you take two a day - one with breakfast and one with supper. There's nothing wrong with a little extra vitamin C and E either. And if you're in really hard training some extra B-Vitamins can help. I've found that old-fashioned desiccated liver is one of the most effective supplements there is ...if enough is taken (it rarely fails to get moderate strength gains going for awhile in myself or my "clients"). However, keep in mind that these things can't perform miracles. They are merely support for your in-the-gym efforts. Don't ruin all your hard work and dedication because you didn't swallow a little tablet a few times a day. Incidently, this is how you should view ALL supplements ...as nutritional back-up for an already sound diet. Think of them as a nutritional insurance policy - nothing more.

Learn from what I've learned the hard way in the past. Bottom line: SAVE YOUR MONEY! If you have some extra money spend it on some steak (or other good, high protein foods like milk, eggs, liver, yogurt, etc), not on the latest fad - no matter how enticing the advertising is. Protein powder and desiccated liver are worthwhile and convenient, but they don't perform miracles. Which leads me to the next rule...

Rule #10: Eat More Good, Nutritious Foods And High-Quality Protein
Weight trainers need more protein than the normal individual. Each weight training session causes your muscles to be broken down and rebuilt a little stronger than they were before. If you want to progress at the fastest possible rate then you'll need a healthy dose of daily dietary protein to fuel the process. The FDA and most physicians would argue this ...but they know absolutely nothing about bodybuilding. Roughly 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day has been reliably shown many times to be a near optimal amount. Be sure you get that much, day in, day out.

How do you do that? Eat lots of stuff like eggs, milk, beef, tuna, chicken, cheese, liver, etc. Essentially, if it comes from an animal it's good. Get yourself one of those protein counter booklets at the bookstore or supermarket and pick out some high protein, animal-based foods. Then use these to meet your protein quota. If you're healthy don't worry about the saturated fat and cholesterol in these foods. You need both to grow properly (especially since you're drug-free). Every bit of testosterone in your body is made from cholesterol. If you don't believe me, look it up yourself (try "steroidogenesis" on Google). Trust me, I've read a lot of research dealing with dietary fats, cholesterol and health - they aren't the villians that the industry would have you believe. Am I a "conspiracy theorist"? No. But you won't bullshit me either. Natural foods are wholesome, healthy, conditionally anabolic, and quite safe. If they weren't humans would have died out thousands of years ago.


It might be a good idea for you to buy a protein powder and some desiccated liver. Those are okay "supplements", but remember this: There's nothing that protein powder and desiccated liver can do for you that food couldn't. But the powder may allow you to mix up convenient shakes and it may turn out to be cheaper. Liver is an all-round worthwhile supplement because it has many nutrients important for building muscle and fueling heavy workouts (including enzymes that process steroid hormones). Don't spend your money on the most expensive supplements you can get, either. Any protein powder made from whey, milk and/or eggs will do fine. I know there's much more to the protein story than that, but right now those details simply aren't worth your attention. Most of the brands of desiccated liver I've seen on the market is made from Argentine beef liver, which is, by law, free of artificial hormones. Go for the cheapest ones and build up to taking about 20-30 per day if you want the best results.

You also need plenty of healthful fats, such as those found in fish and olive oil, to support and promote growth. And, like I said, as a drug-free trainee it's a mistake to avoid all saturated fats and cholesterol - that would decrease your testosterone levels. You should eat plenty of natural, unrefined carbs such as vegetables and rice, but avoid products laden with sugar and while flour. "Good" carbs give you energy to train and also provide your body with the energy (in the forms of muscle and liver glycogen), vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that it needs to build and maintain muscle. Too many "junk" carbs only make you fat and sick.

Another thing, as soon as you get up eat a good breakfast. And that doesn't mean Pop-Tarts and Fruit Loops. Get some of the good carbs, proteins and fats that I spoke of above. After sleeping all night (and, therefore, not eating) your body needs nutrients to grow with. If you deny it that you will hamper your growth. Have some milk, eat some eggs, eat a steak if you want, but get some protein. Add a little oatmeal (it digests slowly and will hold you over until your next meal) and you have a good breakfast shaping up.


And eat some protein before you go to bed. Overnight your body will need protein, so give it some just before you go to sleep. It could be some meat, some cheese, a few hard-boiled eggs or something else solid. Solid proteins, generally, take longer to digest than liquids, giving a steady supply of amino acids to your body - so use them.

What about eating 5 or 6 meals per day, like most mainstream sources recommend? Well, research doesn't appear to clearly support or refute that. My advice? Eat three good meals per day and add a couple of nutritious snacks in between. If you want to lose weight eat smaller portions and if you want to gain weight eat larger ones. It's as simple as that, and for now it's all you really need to know. Save the "tricks" for when you're more advanced and really need them. Trust me, I'm not holding out on you - I'm giving it to you straight. And in case you don't believe me, you should know that I lost 170 pounds of fat before I began seriously training, then I built back up 25 pounds of drug-free muscle to settle at about 10% body fat. I've read almost everything there is to read about nutrition that's been published since the 1800's (no joke) up to the latest research. I know a thing or two about diet.

Before I leave this rule, heed this warning: If you skimp on your nutrition you will cancel ALL of the growth that you stimulated in the gym. Yes, nutrition is THAT IMPORTANT.

Rule #11: Get Plenty Of Good, Sound Sleep
Most beginner's don't realize this but let me assure you, sleep is just as important as training and nutrition when it comes to muscle growth. DON'T just skip over this rule and think it isn't that important. Critical repairs and maintenance are done by the body (muscles, organs and nervous system) when you sleep. If you skimp on your sleep then you won't recover from your workouts properly and your nervous system won't fire your muscles optimally. Sleep deprivation results in reduced glucose sensitivity of the muscle cells and higher resting cortisol levels (and that's bad). There are reasons why training, nutrition and sleep are considered to be the "big three" keys to weight training success. PLEASE, treat good, sound sleep as a full ingredient of your weight training program.

Rule #12: After Your Workouts Consume This Simple Shake
After your workout your body needs carbohydrates, protein and electrolytes - and it needs them fast. So I'm going to give you a simple, quick-digesting, shake recipe to take care of that. Of course, it isn't at all a "magic bullet". In fact, of all the Rules covered in this article this one is probably the least critical. But good post-workout nutrition is still an important factor if maximum progress is your concern (and of course, it is!). This shake won't do anything for you that a good meal wouldn't, but it often isn't easy or convenient to have a good cooked meal immediately after training ...use this instead.

Here's what to do: Get some dextrose (you can buy this at any brew supply shop - it's usually called "corn sugar" - and it only costs around $1 per pound. Supermarkets often have it too). Get some potassium-based salt substitute. You can get this at the supermarket - stuff like "Nu-Salt", etc. If you're not sure about it just look at the ingredients for "potassium chloride". If that's the main one then you've got it. Get a bottle of some magnesium tablets. These are only a couple of dollars and you can get them at any health-food place (again, probably the supermarket). Anything with 250 mg of magnesium per tablet is good. Get a box of regular table salt (i.e. sodium chloride). And you should get some protein powder, like I recommended in Rule #10. So here's your grocery list:

Bag of dextrose (also called "corn sugar")
Potassium-based salt substitute
Bottle of magnesium tablets
Box of table salt
Protein powder
To make the shake, first figure out how much dextrose you need. Divide your bodweight in pounds by 2.2. This is the number of grams of dextrose you need after a tough workout like I'm going to prescribe in Part II of this article. Each heaping tablespoon of dextrose contains 20 grams. So if you weigh 154 pounds this would be 154/2.2 = 70 grams of dextrose. That would be equal to 3 and a half heaping tablespoons. Then put in 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt substitute and 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt. Throw in one magnesium tablet. Use one-third the amount of protein that you did dextrose (by the gram). So if you used 70 grams of dextrose then you'll want 70/3 = 23 grams of protein. You can figure out how much this is by looking on the label of your protein powder and seeing how much protein is in one scoop. Now, add at least 1 quart/liter of water (more if you can) and blend it all up until the magnesium tablet is dissolved. Put it in a container and take it with you to the gym. Drink it immediately after you finish your workout (you may sip on it during the workout if there's enough to make it worthwhile, but leave three-quarters of it for after).

NOTE for people who have a tendency to get fat: You'd be better off if you don't use as much dextrose as suggested above. Go through the calculations as usual but after you've calculated the amount of protein you'll be using double this and that will be the amount of dextrose you should actually use. So, in the above example we first calculated 70 grams of dextrose and 23 grams of protein for a 154 pound person, well if that person has a tendency to gain fat easily we'd use 23 grams of protein and only 46 grams of dextrose (23 x 2).

As a note regarding protein powder after training, the idea is to get protein into the system fairly quickly, so the best kind of protein would be a pre-digested whey type. I really don't trust many of the supplement companies, though. After all, several of them have been busted, several times, for lying on their product labels - and there is no regular testing of their products by any government establishment. So, really, why would I trust a company who has some drug-built monster in their ads, trying to mislead me into thinking that their product is responsible for such muscle? I usually just go with the cheapest protein powder, or the ones with no drugged-up bodybuilders endorsing them, because there's probably not a greal deal of difference in them. On the other hand, possibly the most reputable and established brands do contain what they say - but it probably doesn't amount to a hill of beans anyway.

Getting back on track... Believe it or not, that shake doesn't taste too bad. I've been using only Strawberry flavour protein powder for the past several months, so I don't remember what the other flavours tasted like, though.

If you just don't want to make the above shake, you can always go with Yogurt. Yogurt contains high-quality protein and carbs and it digests very quickly ...and if you make your own it can be pretty cheap. All you need is a packet of active yogurt culture (you can get that for a couple of dollars at a health-food store), a few tablespoons of store-bought yogurt and some milk (use skim milk powder and mix some milk up - it's cheaper). The instructions to make the yogurt will be on the culture packet. If it's too tart when you make it just add some dextrose (which would be ideal for after a workout) or sweetener like "Twin" or something (especially if you're trying to lose weight). 2 cups of yogurt will have around 18 grams of protein and 26 grams of carbs (without the dextrose added).

That's sort of the sophisticated approach. If you can't afford any of that, or haven't got the patience to bother with it, then buy a bag of skim milk powder and mix up 1 - 1.5 liters (or quarts) of milk and drink it immediately after the workout instead - 1 liter if you're under 170 lbs and did a fairly "easy" workout, and 1.5 liters if you're over 170 lbs or had a "tough" workout. Milk has been supporting muscle building for a long time. In fact, some research in 2007 actually showed milk to produce a greater anabolic response after weight training than a store-bought sports supplement. Don't underestimate "simple" nutrition.

Rule #13: Before Your Workouts Consume Some Protein
Recent research has shown that eating protein before your workouts is even more anabolic (as compared to training while fasted) than taking it afterwards. So why didn't I put this rule before #12 instead of after? Well, for one, these rules are not in any particular order of importance, and two, if you're eating properly (3 meals a day with nutritious snacks in between) then you should always have some protein floating around in your bloodstream anyway. But in case you train in the afternoon (before supper) or early morning (before breakfast) it's a good idea to get some protein before you go to the gym (or your basement, or wherever you lift weights). It isn't clear what type of protein is best at this time, so don't worry about it too much ...just get some.

You might want to avoid carbs before training, particularly if you're trying to lose fat. Eating carbs will blunt the growth hormone response of your body to training. That may or may not be important (we simply don't know), but I thought you might want to know because you might come across it elsewhere. There are arguments against eating carbs before training and arguments for. Generally, if it's most important to you that you lose weight then don't eat carbs before training and if it's most important to you to gain muscle then eat some carbs with your pre-workout protein. In either case, it really just isn't that important - if it was, the best option would be more obvious from people's experiences. Guess what? It isn't. You should worry more about your lifting and less about silly details anyway - and that's one of the the most important things you can take away from this article.

Rule #14: Progression is KING
This may be the most important rule of all so I'm going to be as clear as I can. Building bigger muscles and increased strength is not determined by training to failure, taking any supplement, using secret exercises or anything else equally, or even more, appealing. Getting bigger and stronger is a product of progressive resistance. You simply MUST improve your training performance - either by using more weight or doing more reps (particularly in the 5-20 rep range on most exercises) - in order to get bigger and stronger. Training reality is as simple as that, and nothing in history or in the future has ever, or will ever, change it.

Even more simply put, if this time next year you are still using the same weights for the same reps, then you will not be any bigger. I've just written the most important sentence in the history of bodybuilding.

Don't, however, use this rule to allow yourself to start cheating to lift more weight. If you have to change your technique and start cheating then you aren't get stronger at all. Stay "honest" or the only one you'll be fooling is yourself.

Rule #15: Get Real

I know you want to have the body of your dreams ...and you want it now. I know you want to have all the pretty girls smiling at you and all the guys in awe of your strength and you want to take the fastest possible route to get there. And since there's so much conflicting advice and information in the bodybuilding world, you don't know who to trust or who to listen to. What about so-and-so who says if I buy his instantly downloadable "get huge muscles fast" program for just $34.95 I can gain 30 to 50 pounds of muscle in a few months?

Let me tell you, once again, that's all bullshit. I've trained in gyms all over the world and have corresponded with some of the most knowledgable and successful people in the world with regards to drug-free training. In those years of heavy involvement with the Iron Game I've never seen or heard of anyone who built that much muscle without being emaciated, or very young (and therefore not fully grown), to start. Look at the guys who write those courses ...if you can find a real photo of them. They either have unimpressive phyisques or they're obvious steroid users. So if their programs are so great, if they know so many "secrets of explosive muscle mass gains", why do they look like any other dude who's worked out for a few months. Off the top of my head I can think of four authors of such internet courses whom I've seen photos of. (I'm not mentioning names because I don't want pointless flame wars with them.) Three of them look like average intermediate trainees and one of them is an obvious steroid user. If I had to sum up their physiques, the phrase "big deal" comes to mind.

Steve Reeves is said to have built 30 pounds of muscle in 4 months, without drugs. But keep in mind that he was still a growing boy at the time and was one of the most gentically gifted individuals to ever touch a barbell. He also gained weight quickly after he lost it due to malaria, which he contracted while in the army. And he gained weight quickly in the 7 weeks leading up to the 1950 Mr. Universe contest, after a many month layoff (though I've seen him exaggerate that time period down to less than 4 weeks). In all of these cases he was either a growing young man (in which case he was experiencing a typical puberty-driven growth spurt and probably would have gained weight anyway), recovering normal body weight after losing it to a serious illness, or gaining back muscle that he had previously developed (the well-known phenomenon of "muscle memory").

Reg Park (actually, his name was Roy, but people called him "Reg" after his father) gained 25 pounds in roughly 10 months when he first began serious training at the age of 20 (he had trained previously for three months when he was 17). Park was a genetic super-freak - one of the most massively muscled, and strongest drug-free bodybuilders of all time - he also trained on one of the soundest drug-free programs possible ...yet it took him 10 months to develop what most naive beginners think they can gain in a few months.

Both of these men were over 6 feet tall and extremely genetically gifted for bodybuilding, yet they carried "only" roughly 35 and 38 pounds, respectively, more muscle than an average man of their heights and bone structures at their physical peaks. And it took them both several years to reach their maximum development.

Dave Goodin, the most winning drug-tested man of the modern natural bodybuilding era, carried about 30 pounds more muscle than an average man of his height and bone structure (at 5'7" he was much shorter than Reeves and Park). That's fairly typical for world-class drug-tested champions of his structure. In his own words, it took him 20 years of training to peak out at his max of 30 gained pounds of muscle (though he almost certainly gained the majority of that muscle in his first few years of training). In my experience, it takes most genetically typical drug-free trainees 8-10 years of training to reach their peak weights ...I know that sucks, but if you follow the "rules" presented here you just might cut that time in half (or even better). If you don't follow the "rules", then I hope you've got lots of patience (which you'll need in any case).

Still believe the con man who wants to sell you his secret to gaining 50 pounds of muscle by summer? Get Real. The sad thing is, some of these "internet experts" are so brainwashed that they actually seem to believe their claims themselves. They don't even know enough about real bodybuilding to realize what they're saying is complete, 100% bullshit.

The fastest rate of muscle gain I've seen in a clinical research setting is 6.76 g/kg of lean body mass per week. Most trainees don't achieve half that amount. But if you want an ambitious goal to shoot for - something that's actually based on reality and not some childish delusion - multiply your lean body mass by 0.006754 and that'll tell you how many pounds of muscle you can possibly expect to gain per week in the first twelve weeks or so of serious training. If you don't know your lean body mass here's a general guideline: A genetically gifted male of 180 pounds at 15% body fat (an average body fat level for an active, healthy young man) can gain a maximum of about 1 pound of muscle per week for the first 12 weeks of serious bodybuilding training. Almost no man is naturally big enough to gain 1.5 pounds of muscle per week. Most men will be lucky to gain 0.5 pounds. After twelve weeks or so your rate of gain will start to slow down to half the initial amount. In another twelve weeks it'll be half that again. In his first year of bodybuilding training, under ideal conditions, our genetically gifted individual of average height and bone structure would gain about 20 pounds of muscle. If you're not genetically gifted (and you're probably not), go back and read Rule #3 again and remember that it takes most drug-free trainees 10 years to increase their lean body mass by 17% to 25% (and those numbers come from a compiled study of hundreds to thousands of trainees).

But enough depressing talk of reality and limitations. The truth is 20 pounds of muscle would transform your body. The magazines make it seem like 20 pounds of muscle is nothing ...like your grandmother could gain that much. The reality is, if you gain 20 pounds of muscle this year everyone will notice and they'll probably whisper behind your back that you're on steroids - my friends did. Even 10 pounds would put another inch on your arms. The body of your dreams is attainable and it's waiting for you to come get it, but it probably weighs less than you think right now. Like I said, there's a lot of bullshit in bodybuilding.

What do you do now?
That's it. You now know the real "secrets" of drug-free bodybuilding. Of course, there is actually more to it than one article could cover, but the ground work has been laid. The rest is just icing on the cake and fine-tuning.

What you must do now is absorb the "rules" right down to the subconscious level. Hammer them into your brain. Never forget them and make them a part of your psyche. Forget the sensational commercially-driven bullshit you've been fed by the supplement, magazine and internet bodybuilding industries. I know much of what I've said here is very blunt and certainly not "pretty", but it's as true as anything you'll ever hear. Remember, I've devoted most of my adult life to the Iron Game, and I intend to devote much of the rest of it as well. But one thing I won't tolerate is bullshit, and I won't play the game merely for the sake of being popular or making money.

You now have enough knowledge about real drug-free bodybuilding to set out on the most productive, rewarding training path you could possibly take. From here on in it's up to you to provide the most important ingredients necessary to build a strong, healthy, impressive looking body: Dedication, Persistence, Hard Work and Patience. People just like you, and some who were much worse off, have built incredible, strong physiques, and you can too ...if you follow the "rules".
 
Beginners: Practical Starting Routines for The Drug-Free Trainee
by Casey Butt, Ph.D.
Though the following program is written from a "beginners" perspective, it can also be used by any trainee, intermediate or advanced. It is particularly useful for trainees who've trained on elaborate, split routines for long periods of time and have plateaued. If you are an experienced trainee and have never trained on full-body routines before the following warning is in order: DO NOT attempt to train your body with free-weight exercises, at full intensity, three times per week. Full-body training is a different experience than split training and requires a different mindset in order to be productive. Forget about loads of isolation exercises. Forget about training to failure on every set. Read this article, follow it as it is written, even if you are advanced, and give your body time to adapt and respond to this type of training. As the weeks go by your body will adjust to the new training method and you'll start gaining. The light break-in period is necessary for everyone who've never trained this way before, or who haven't trained this way in a long time.


Now that we've laid the ground work in The Rules of Productive Weight Training for The Drug-Free Trainee, we're going to build on that and start fleshing out some sensible training routines that will help beginners progress as quickly as possible. So, let's get right into it and give you something to do in the gym.

Program #1 - Your First 2 Weeks Of Weight Training
This is what I want you to do. Each time you go to the gym do the following routine:

The Basic Routine
Squats 2 x 10
Bench Presses 2 x 10
Bent-Over Rows 2 x 10
Overhead Barbell Presses 2 x 10
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts 2 x 10
Barbell Curls 2 x 10
Donkey Calf Raises 2 x 10
Reverse Crunches 2 x 10
Explanation

Perform this routine 3 times per week on non-consecutive days. That could work out to be Monday/Wednesday/Friday, it could be Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday or it could be Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. It really doesn't matter which schedule you follow so pick the one that's the most convenient for you. If you normally stay up late Friday night, and therefore get little sleep, then it wouldn't be a good idea to work out on Saturday. Likewise, if you have lots to do during the week, then it may be more practical for you to train once on the weekend and twice during the week - the Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule may not be an ideal option for you. This may help free up some time.

"2 x 10" means two sets of ten reps each. Do all of these sets very lightly for the first two weeks, and use the same weight on both sets of each exercise. I know that it says in all the muscle magazines that you have to train to failure and "no pain, no gain" and all that, but, for now, that's completely unnecessary. When you first learn a new movement your body goes through a period when your nervous system "learns" to do everything the best it can - kind of like learning to ride a bike. During this period you don't need to push too hard; it won't get you anywhere any faster. Did peddling as hard as you could help you learn to ride a bike faster? No. Several studies have shown that in the early stages of weight training the vast majority of strength gains are due to this nervous system learning and not muscle growth, anyway - this is just the way the body adapts at first. In addition, training to failure isn't necessary for anyone to stimulate growth and, as a beginner, your body will grow in respond to this relatively easy work just as quickly as it would if you strained yourself pushing, pulling and squatting. That's a scientific fact. So it's not the time to go overboard trying to grow big muscles by pushing and straining. What we're after in the first two weeks is to help the nervous system along by doing two, relatively easy, sets of 10 reps for each movement, three times per week - with the best form possible.

If you're an experienced trainee, the initial two weeks of the program can be thought of as a period of delayed transformation (in Eastern Bloc Olympic Weightlifting lingo). Typically, such phases last 2 to 4 weeks, so we're within the guidelines. Over the course of this entire 12-week program we're going to increase the training load slowly (in accordance with Rule #14, i.e. progressive resistance) in a manner your body can tolerate and respond to. If you've been training hard for a long time your body will need this form of gradual progression. I discovered this, personally, when I was forced to train on this type of program due to time constraints during a vacation - what was meant to be a light few weeks of training just to keep me from getting fat during vacation turned into a surprising period of foundation for longer-term gains. In fact, in it's entirety this program is, essentially, a classic 12-week periodized program similar in spirit to Hypertrophy Specific Training, though more gently and less rigidly ramping up over a longer training cycle. If you're a beginner, ignore everything I just said.

There's no reason that you shouldn't be able to complete this workout in well under an hour. Any longer than that and you're just being lazy. As the weeks pass, and you go through the next series of programs, you'll find that the workouts start taking a bit longer, but even in the last program of this series (program #6) you should be able to get your work done in about an hour. It simply doesn't take that long to stimulate optimum muscle growth. Think of it this way, the longer your workout is the more energy you burn up - energy your body could be using to fuel the growth process. So we want to train long enough to stimulate growth in all the major muscles, but we don't want to train so long that we hamper our growth (more is NOT always better). The programs presented here have that balance taken into account.

I suggest that you get someone who knows what they're doing to teach you how to do these exercises correctly. You may also want to get a good book or video on exercise form - or search the internet for such things. If you learn improper form now you'll have one hell of a time correcting it later. Remember, I said that your nervous system is learning the exercises now, so DON'T start out on the wrong foot. If you do you'll have a MUCH HARDER time building muscle when your nervous system does get up to speed. Learn them right to begin with.

As a beginner, you'll probably be very sore after your first few workouts. This is because even when taking it easy on these exercises your untrained muscles will still be subjected to a lot of what's called "micro-trauma". If you push it too hard at first you'll be so sore you won't even be able to walk upright for several days. Then you'll miss your workouts and that's not good. So relax, "slow and steady wins the race." As for the soreness, it's always MUCH worse after your first few workouts. Within a week or two your workouts might not even make you sore at all. (Don't worry about that either - soreness is due largely to calcium permeability changes in the cell membrane and isn't necessary for muscle growth anyway).

Program #2 - The Next 2 Weeks Of Weight Training
So, now that we've got those initial two weeks taken care of let's move into the next two weeks' training. We're going to stick to the same routine but now you can start pushing the last set of the two a little bit harder - not all out, but just a little tougher. So for your second set add a little bit of weight to the bar. You should still stop all of your sets with several perfect-form reps left in you, though. Think of it as shifting into second gear. NOT a big shift, but just a nudge. During the first two weeks your muscles learned to cooperate with each other (like finding your balance), now the individual fibers within your muscles are starting to work together more efficiently. That means your individual muscles are actually learning to contract "better". So, at this stage the nervous system is still the major producer of the strength gains you make, but now it's happening inside each muscle moreso than between groups of them.

This period is still one of learning for your nervous system, so strive to do every rep of every exercise with the best possible form. If you learn to do them the right way now, you will be rewarded later. And don't forget, if your "form" is bad you'll eventually injure yourself anyway.

For experienced trainees I'd like to address the mental block you might be having regarding not training to failure. Within muscle fibers themselves, maximum tension and work occur not at the failure point but one to three reps before. While the merits and demerits of training to failure have been debated ad nauseum, one thing's for certain, from both physiology and experience: Training to failure is not necesary to stimulate muscle growth. Stick to the program, as written, and DON'T train to failure at this point.

The program looks like this:

3 days per week Set #1 Set #2
Squats easy add weight
Bench Presses easy add weight
Bent-Over Rows easy add weight
Overhead Barbell Presses easy add weight
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts easy add weight
Barbell Curls easy add weight
Donkey Calf Raises easy add weight
Reverse Crunches easy moderately hard

Add weight to the bar whenever you feel you can, but not if it means that your sets become too difficult or if your exercise "form" starts breaking down. Remember, at this point we're setting the stage for future gains so HAVE PATIENCE!

When you do your Reverse Crunches your first set should be a set of 10, like before, but on your second set try to do a few more reps. Don't work so hard that you see stars or anything, but try to get an extra rep on your second set when you feel comfortable with it. In other words, do a set of ten and then another set of however many reps it takes to get a little fatigued.

Explanation for Beginners

I realize that this nervous system and fiber cooperation stuff probably isn't what you had in mind for the first 4 weeks of your training. You probably figured you'd be built like Arnold Schwarzenegger by then. Well, what can I say? That's just the way the body works. It doesn't like to do things that require a lot of energy (like building and supporting new muscle tissue) when it can get strong in other ways that aren't as metabolically costly (like refining the way the nervous system operates). But here's the good news: In another couple of weeks all that nervous system stuff will largely have sorted itself out and your body will concentrate on building some real muscle. (Though neural adaptations to training never completely cease. That's how Olympic-style Weightlifters get so strong without getting really muscular - they train specifically for neural adaptations.) In the meantime, you're doing everything you can at this stage of your training life to promote the maximum rate of improvement. You will be seeing some growth by now, but the best is yet to come.

In case you're wondering about training "intensity" let me address the matter this way: You really wouldn't build any more muscle by training harder at this point. I know some authors continually preach that you must train to failure in order to progress optimally, but that's simply not true. Muscles grow in reaction to being exposed to sufficient loading (i.e. tension). At this beginning stage your muscles are very responsive to tension, and training induced adaptations occur with what could be considered minimal loading. At the same time, your nervous system just isn't coordinated enough to deliver additional growth stimulus to the muscles even if you were to push to failure (reseach has confirmed this time and time again with beginning trainees). So, it really isn't necessary to work "all-out" during this period. In fact, to do so wouldn't make any sense at all - it would just be an added, unnecessary burden on your nervous system.

Program #3 - The Next 2 Weeks Of Weight Training
Your first month of full-body training down! Whether you've realized it or not you've been following in the footsteps of some of the biggest and strongest drug-free men who've ever lived. In fact, the template for your routine was taken from the program bodybuilding legend (and first bodybuilder to bench press 500 pounds) Reg Park used to build up. In fact, he used a variation of this routine to train for that 500 pound bench press - along with a 600 pound Squat and 300 pound Behind-Neck Press - all before steroid use entered into bodybuilding (and don't even think about arguing that point with me, I've spent years researching steroid history). I guess it wouldn't hurt to mention that Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steve Reeves, Doug Hepburn, and countless others have used almost identical routines as well.

Now we want to get the muscles' and nervous systems' learning period out of the way and start moving into the growth zone. We're going to do that by adding one more set to all our exercises, bringing our total up to three sets per exercise. This will give your muscles a little more to deal with and also help your nervous system clue up its initial optimizing stage. This extra set should be placed in between your first and second sets - a little heavier than the first, but not as heavy as the second. So now, for each exercise, you do three progressively heavier sets.

3 days per week Set #1 Set #2 Set #3
Squats easy add weight add more weight
Bench Presses easy add weight add more weight
Bent-Over Rows easy add weight add more weight
Overhead Barbell Presses easy add weight add more weight
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts easy add weight add more weight
Barbell Curls easy add weight add more weight
Donkey Calf Raises easy add weight add more weight
Reverse Crunches easy hard no third set

Like the previous two weeks, add weight to the bar whenever you feel you can, but not if it means that your sets become too difficult or if your exercise "form" starts breaking down. On your third sets use a weight just heavy enough so that you feel like you're lifting a good weight, but not so much that it becomes an all-out effort. You should feel as though you could do an extra few reps if you tried. Remember what I said earlier about training to failure and also that it's long-term progression that determines ultimate muscle growth, not how hard you train on any given day. Keep the first two sets of each exercise light - think of them as warm-up sets.

For Stiff-Legged Deadlifts, take it easier on your second weekly training session. Only do two sets, with the weights being the same as you would use on the other days - only you don't do the heavier third set. This will allow your lower back to have a little extra recuperation time in the middle of the week.

For Reverse Crunches do a set of ten, take a 1-2 minute rest, then do a set of however many reps it takes to get a good "burn" in the abs.

Program #4 - The Next 2 Weeks Of Weight Training
By now you've got six weeks of good, solid weight training under your belt. Your nervous system should be getting pretty "optimized" and you're getting into the serious muscle growth zone. More experienced trainees will be finished with their delayed transformation period and their bodies should be acclimating to training three times per week with gradually increasing loads. To usher a future "growth phase" in we're going to make a few changes. First, I want you to drop your reps down to 8 on all of your upper body exercises (you'll have to add a bit of weight and start working a bit heavier for this) - keep your lower body exercises at 10 reps. Second, I want you to stay on the Basic Routine that I gave you but now, on the second training day of the week, I want you to add some more weight and start pushing pretty hard on your last set of each exercise. Use enough weight so that the set is genuinely difficult. You shouldn't use so much weight that you don't get all 8 or 10 reps (depending on whether it's an upper or lower body exercise), but it should be heavy enough that you definitely wouldn't say it was easy. Still, take it fairly easy on the other two days, though. You should be using about 80% of the weights that you use on your "heavy" day on these days. For experienced trainees this will be necessary to avoid overtraining while gradually ramping up the training load, and for beginners we're taking advantage of the fact that your nervous system is now getting up to speed ...but we don't want to overdo it. It's the balance that's important. You can train abs "hard" at each session.

Remember, only use a difficult weight on your third sets on the second training day of each week. Your routine now looks like this:

The Basic Routine
Squats 3 x 10
Bench Presses 3 x 8
Bent-Over Rows 3 x 8
Overhead Barbell Presses 3 x 8
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts 3 x 10
Barbell Curls 3 x 8
Donkey Calf Raises 3 x 10
Reverse Crunches 1 x 10, 1 x ~
And as an example of your "heavy" day, let's say you train on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday would be your "heavy" day. This is how it would look.

Wednesday Set #1 Set #2 Set #3
Squats easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Bench Presses easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Bent-Over Rows easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Overhead Barbell Presses easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Barbell Curls easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Donkey Calf Raises easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Reverse Crunches easy hard - incline no third set

The other two days would be the same except on the third set of each exercise you would not use enough weight to make the sets difficult (about 80% of your "heavy" day weights). On your "heavy" days add weight to the bar whenever possible, but make sure that you still get all of the reps that you're supposed to in excellent form.

For Stiff-Legged Deadlifts only use about 70% of your "heavy" day weights on the other two weekly training days - your lower back can't be pounded with heavy weights too often. This is an especially crucial fact for experienced trainees.

For Reverse Crunches do your first set like before, but on the second set lie on a slant board which is on a slight incline. That way the exercise will be harder. Aim at getting 20 reps on your second set. If you reach that goal increase the incline angle. Don't have "light" days for Reverse Crunches - all three weekly training days are "hard".

Program #5 - The Next 2 Weeks Of Weight Training
Now you've been at this for eight weeks. If you've lasted this long that probably means that you're going to stick with it. You've displayed patience, dedication and perseverance - the three most important qualities necessary for drug-free training success. Beginners will also be at the point where their nervous systems aren't the big factor anymore and are now in position to concentrate solely on muscle growth. I want you to now perform two "heavy" days per week. So, instead of performing one "heavy" and two "light" days per week, like you did for the previous two weeks, now you're going to do the opposite - perform two "heavy" days and one "light". The "light" day goes in between the two "heavy" days. So, if you work out on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule, Monday and Friday would be your "heavy" days.

Monday and Friday Set #1 Set #2 Set #3
Squats easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Bench Presses easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Bent-Over Rows easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Overhead Barbell Presses easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Barbell Curls easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Donkey Calf Raises easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult
Incline Reverse Crunches easy hard no third set

Once again, add weight whenever you can on your "heavy" days - but don't work so heavy that you can't get the reps that you planned to, and in excellent form. On your "light" day use about 80% of the weights that you use on your "heavy" days. For Stiff-Legged Deadlifts only perform a "heavy" day on the first training day of the week - on the other two days have a "light" day for Stiff-Legged Deadlifts (again, using about 70% of your "heavy" day weights).

For Incline Reverse Crunches follow the same procedure as before, but now you can start doing your first set (10 reps) on an incline also. Aim for 20 reps on the second set and increase the incline angle if and when you get there. Once again, there are no "light" days for abs. Eventually, you'll have increased the angle on these Incline Reverse Crunches so much that they really become Hanging Knee-Ups. That probably won't be for awhile yet though, I'm just giving you an insight into where this is going. Stay patient.

As incredible as it may seem for some experienced trainees who've been brainwashed by the mainstream, commercial bodybuilding bullshit, training with one "hard" set per body part twice per week can be quite effective for genetically typical trainees. I'm not saying that it's necessarily the "best" way to train long-term, but for now, and for what we're trying to accomplish, it's quite appropriate. In two weeks, we'll step it up another notch.

Program #6
The 10 week mark - some more changes are in order. We're going to take our three weekly training days and bump them into two. What I mean by this is that now we're going to do 4 sets per exercise on training days 1 and 3 and leave out the second training day altogether. So now, instead of doing two progressively heavier warm-up sets and then one "heavy" set on our "heavy" days, we're going to do two progressively heavier warm-up sets and then two "heavy" sets (both with the same weight). And if you're pushing those two "heavy" sets hard then the extra day's rest will do you good. Both training days of the week are "heavy" days - don't hold back, go for it on both days. So now your program looks like this:

Monday and Friday Set #1 Set #2 Set #3 Set #4
Squats easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult same weight
Bench Presses easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult same weight
Bent-Over Rows easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult same weight
Overhead Barbell Presses easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult same weight
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult same weight
Barbell Curls easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult same weight
Donkey Calf Raises easy add weight - still easy add weight - difficult same weight
Incline Reverse Crunches mod hard - incline hard - incline no third set no fourth set

Remember, add weight on your heavy sets whenever you can, but always get your reps and always maintain proper exercise form.

For Stiff-Legged Deadlifts stick to the heavy and light approach. That is, perform one "heavy" day and one "light" day each week. On your "light" day use about 75% of the weights that you used on the "heavy" day.

Incline Reverse Crunches are to be done as before, but now you can start pushing the first set harder. Aim at two sets of 20 reps. Increase the incline if you need to.

This routine is a classic variation of the "hard gainer" style of training promoted by Stuart McRobert and the various authors of Hardgainer magazine (of which I was one). Before that, original Iron Man magazine publisher, Perry Rader, frequently prescribed this sort of training, as does IronMind's helmsman, Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. It is classic for achieving muscle and strength gains in genetically typical drug-free trainees.

So What Next?
I suggest that you stay on Program #6 for as long as your strength continues to increase. At that point you'll have hit your first plateau and you can consider yourself an intermediate trainee. For beginners this period of progress may last for several months. Experienced trainees, however, will find that biological "accomodation" and stagnation will happen within weeks to months on this program - depending on many factors such as training history, nutrition, rest and how gradually they attempt weight increases. At that point they will often want to add an extra "working" set to each session, bringing the total up to three "hard"sets per exercise. Three "work" sets per exercise is a very sound number for several reasons, but the additional set will rarely get a staled program working again. Usually the additional workload will just drive the trainee into over-reaching/over-training. Higher volume training must be progressed into methodically, not added to an already dying training cycle.

One thing is almost certain: If you regularly train to failure on Program #6 you will plateau sooner than if you increase the resistance gradually. If possible, find some small 1-pound weights and try to creep the weights up by only a pound or two at each session or weekly. Try to ride out the period of strength gains for as long as possible. Train hard, but don't push to failure at every session. If you do fail to get all your reps sometimes (i.e. hit failure), which is bound to happen if you're training hard, then back off a little at the next session and let your body recover for your next training day.

When you eventually do hit a plateau, and your strength does stagnate, you'll have plenty of options - way too many to get into here. But before you go searching for a new routine, go back and look at The Rules of Productive Weight Training for The Drug-Free Trainee. Break any one of the "rules" and you'll lessen your chances of weight training success. Oftentimes getting your progress going again is as simple as making sure that you're following those rules.

If you truly are at a plateau then it would be a very good idea at this point to change some things around. Try switching some of the above exercises with some new exercises (but still stick to compound, free-weight ones). You may want to try Dips in place of Bench Presses, or Pull-Ups in place of Bent-Over Rows, etc. If that's your course of action (and it is a wise one) then break your new exercises in gradually, as you did during the "beginner's" program - in other words, start light and build up systematically over time.

An equally excellent idea would be changing your rep scheme. Perhaps try doing sets of 5 reps instead of sets of 8 or 10. A classic strength and size routine is to do 3 working sets of 5 reps with the same weight. In that case, start a new training cycle with light weights and build up gradually, as you did before (and include 1 to 2 warm-up sets for each exercise as well, making the total 4 x 5 or 5 x 5). DON'T, however, just jump into performing 3 "heavy" sets of 5 - you'll plateau in no time. Now would also be an excellent time to start a routine centered around the time-honoured 20-rep Squat. And you can do all of this in the basic framework provided by Program #6. In fact, many very advanced trainees train this way.

At this stage advanced trainees may want to lean out a little and/or add some isolation exercises back into their routines. That's fine. In fact, now would be a perfect time. Just remember that isolation exercises should never overshadow basic, free-weight work ("Rule #5"). Add some in if you want but put most of your effort into the basic, compound execises. Remember, that's how Reg Park became the biggest, strongest drug-free bodybuilder of the pre-drug era and probably of all-time.

I will give you one further piece of advice also: If you're a small-boned person (with your wrist circumference less than about 10.5% of your height), then it would probably be a wise idea for you to train each bodypart at least twice a week ...and three times is often better for people with this type of build (at least for periods of time). Because of your small structure, however, it's very unlikely that your joints can handle heavy training on the same exercises three times per week. (Such people are also usually somewhat "weak" on free-weight, compound movements such as Bench Presses, Overhead Presses and Squats, but "normal" or even "strong" on exercises such as Dumbbell Flyes and Lateral Raises.) I suggest that people like you still train their full bodies three times per week most of the time, but use different exercises on each day ...and try to select exercises that are significantly different from each other so that the joints aren't constantly stressed in the same manner. For instance, for chest you might do Bench Presses on Monday, Incline Dumbbell Flyes on Wednesday, and V-Bar Dips on Friday. I'll cover this approach in more detail in other articles.

If you are a big-boned, heavy-set person, you might enjoy training in this fashion as well, but you also might have the option of splitting your bodyparts and training them on different days. For instance, you might train Chest, Shoulders and Triceps on Mondays and Thursdays, and Legs, Back and Biceps on Tuesdays and Fridays. That way you can do two exercises for each bodypart at each session instead of just one. (I wouldn't recommend more than this, though ...and four days per week training is generally only optimal for genetically gifted or drug-using bodybuilders).

It might also be a good time in your weight training career to look into some of the more "advanced" aspects of the art and science of weight training. What about training to failure (until you can't budge the weight), isolation exercises, pre-exhaustion, negatives, etc, etc, etc? My best advice to you would be to read the articles here on the WeighTrainer and bring up your questions on The Strength And Size Forum. If you digest all that stuff you'll have plenty of ammo in your arsenal for building the body and/or strength that you want.

Final Comments
Before I finish this article I'd like to say a few words to those of you who've trained for a while but feel like giving up. Perhaps it's too much hard work. Perhaps you're discouraged because everyone else in the gym seems to progress faster than you. Perhaps it's because you're confused by all the conflicting advice that you may have heard. Or perhaps it's simply because you're not gaining as fast as you had hoped you would. Let me repeat, if you are genetically average, there are three things above all others that it takes to be successful at weight training: Patience, dedication and perseverance. And one or two without the others is useless. You have to be willing to hit the weights day in, day out - month in, month out - year in, year out - to get the results you want. You have to want it that bad. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will you be. So, unless you are a very genetically gifted individual, you're going to have to pay your dues. Of course, if you only want to firm up a bit then your task is going to be considerably easier, but if you've got your heart set on being big and strong then it's going to take some time. That's just the reality of healthy, drug-free training. Whatever you do, don't go off on a tangent searching for the perfect training routine - it simply doesn't exist. The routines I've given you are as close to an ideal building up program for drug-free individuals as you're going to get - that I promise you.

So make up your mind now. Anyone can build a strong, muscular body - you may never be Mr. Olympia, World Powerlifting champion or World Olympic-style Weightlifting champion, but you can look and be impressive. Maybe, in time, you will rise to the top of the drug-free Bodybuilding, Powerlifting or Weightlifting world. Who knows? Maybe you wouldn't want that. Perhaps you just want to have a strong, healthy, attractive body. Well, now you have the knowledge to get going on the right foot and the rest has to come from within you. The weight training world is full of success stories, and you can be another one. I don't care how skinny, fat or how old you are - I've seen them all fail and I've seen them all succeed. Patience, dedication and perseverance were at the root of all those successes and missing in all the failures. Follow the "rules" and you will succeed. Remember the tortoise and the hare.
 
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