Bodybuilding Exercise of the Week - Behind The Back Shrugs
To perform this exercise, simply shrug your shoulders while keeping your arms completely straight. Be sure that you hold your shoulders in the shrug position for a one-count (in the top position). Return to the start position and repeat for 8-12 repetitions. This is an excellent exercise to isolate the upper trap muscles.
Bodybuilding Tips – How To Build Lean Muscle
To build lean muscle and burn fat you need to undergo intense workouts. Training with lower intensity only burns calories during the activity. As soon as you stop the exercise, you will stop burning extra calories. This is because low intensity training hardly elevates the metabolism. However, intense training elevates the metabolism during the exercise and maintains this elevated state for up to 48-72 hours. Here are a few ways to add more intensity to your workout.
1) Perform shorter bouts of exercise – Short, training session (30-45 minutes) stimulate growth hormone release and minimizes the release of cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that is released by your adrenal glands to help the body deal with a fight or flight response. It is often referred to as the “stress hormone.” If cortisol continues to be released into the system, fat gain will occur. This is because cortisol will breakdown your muscle for energy and increase fat deposits, especially in the abdominal region.
2) Cut down on your rest between set – You won’t be able to lift as much weight but cutting down on the duration of your rest between sets will keep your heart rate up and have you burning more calories. Shorter rest periods also cause the greatest increase in growth hormone response. Here’s an example of varying the rest periods between sets:
Start with moderate weights and rest 1 minute between sets. Then, lift heavier and rest 3 minutes between sets. Return to 1 minute rests for the next couple of sets and finish with only 30 seconds rests between your final sets. This can be applied to any muscle group.
3) Use Intense Exercise Techniques – Using intense exercises techniques such as super sets or drop sets can really aid in burning body fat and building muscle. Learn more about different techniques here:
4) Focus On Recovery – Getting enough rest after exercise is essential to not only high-level performance in the gym or field, but for muscle recovery and rebuilding. The primary goal, in recovery, is to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. This is critical because only when you sleep does your body begin rebuilding, repairing and strengthen itself. If you can’t get seven continuous hours of sleep, try to work in a nap during the day. The best approach is a 20-minute “power nap”. The power nap has many benefits including increased alertness, stamina, motor performance, and improved muscle memory.
Include a Recovery Day - Since rest and relaxation is the time your body packs on lean muscle and creates the results you’re looking for, be sure to take one day and completely rest from exercise. Don’t feel guilty about taking a day off, over training is counter productive. As the saying goes, “Muscle is built in the bed, not in the gym.” Also, keep in mind that continuous training can actually weaken your system and set you up for injury.
Matt Karstetter
Contributing Writer
Know Your Body Type – Ectomorph, Mesomorph, or Endomorph
We all know that in the sport of bodybuilding, to be successful undoubtedly requires a person to push their known limits and leave their comfort zone behind. It takes a “never say die” mindset and overall self-discipline to reach set goals and separate yourself from the crowd. This combined with the correct diet, training protocol and supplementation is more or less the name of the game, right? Yes, but its not usually that cut and dry. There are endless training programs out there guaranteeing results and even more diets telling what you need to eat to be the next Branch Warren. So how do you sift through all the BS and find the program that’s right for you? Start at your base and identify what body type category you fall into.
An ectomorph generally has a naturally slim physique, smaller joints and lean muscle.
Ectomorph Characteristics:
Ectomorphs find it very hard to gain weight. They have a fast metabolism which burns up calories very quickly. Ectomorph’s need a large amount of calories in order to gain weight. Workouts should be short and intense focusing on big muscle groups. Generally, ectomorphs can lean out rather easy which can be a big advantage when preparing for a competition.
MESOMORPH
A mesomorph has a large bone structure, large muscles and a naturally athletic physique. They find it quite easy to gain and lose weight.
Mesomorph Characteristics:
The mesomorph body type responds the best to weight training. Gains are usually seen very quickly, especially for beginners. The downside to mesomorphs is they gain fat more easily than ectomorphs. This means they must watch their calorie intake. Usually a combination of weight training and cardio works best for mesomorphs.
ENDOMORPH
Endomorphs make gains rather easily. They most often have a shorter build with thick arms and legs. Endomorphs find they are naturally strong in leg exercises like the squat
Endomorph Characteristics:
Diet and cardio are highly important for an Endomorph. A clean diet will serve and Endomorph well.
Use this information as a guide to determine what body type you are and choose the workout and diet protocol that honors your particular physique. Keep in mind that it is possible to fall into more than one category and a lot of guys like myself do. Generally, it will be a combination of ectomorph/mesomorph or mesomorph/endomorph. I myself am a combination of ectomorph/mesomorph. I lean out rather quickly and can handle large amounts of calories, but I have a large muscle bellies and athletic build.
As always keep in mind I am not a physician and the information in this article has been drawn from my own research, self knowledge, and personal theory. I would strongly suggest doing further research before attempting any drastic changes to your body or lifestyle. I do appreciate you taking the time to read this article and I hope it helps. Go Hard!
Bodybuilding Accomplishments:
2007 – State of Kansas – Light Heavy Novice: 1st, Light Heavy Open: 3rd
2009 – Muscle Mayhem: Light Heavy 3rd
2010 – Midwest Iron Man Chicago: Heavy weight: 3rd
2011 – Muscle Mayhem : Heavy Weight: 3rd
2011- WBFF Central USA Championships: Heavy Weight: 1st (Pro Card Winner)
Bio:
Born in the small town McPherson, KS in 1983, Matt is the youngest of 4, with three older sisters. A strong work ethic was instilled in him at an early age and that has been his foundation to work towards achieving his goals and dreams ever since. Growing up, he played nearly every sport possible, but his favorite was baseball.
In 2002, he attended Kansas State University and graduated in 2007 with a degree in business. Since he was old enough to work, he did just that, and during his college years he framed houses and bar tended.
When he graduated, he took the National General Contractor exam, passed and started his own General Contracting and Land Development company in 2007. Initially, he built single family residential homes, but more recently has been getting into commercial and investment properties.
He missed playing ball in college, but he soon realized that it was the weights that he was truly in love with. He began competing in 2007, and now present day, motivation has never been higher. He turned Pro in the WBFF Central USA Championships in May of 2011 and has now set his sights on getting his IFBB Pro Card and has an intense 2012 season ahead of him.
If you are an athlete or bodybuilder focused on gaining strength and muscle mass through bodybuilding, incorporating strongman training can further your aesthetic, power and speed. Most individuals realize that strongman training builds muscle mass and strength. Ever watched the ‘Worlds Strongest Man’ competition? If you have, you’ll know just how big and strong these competitors are. However, before you start flipping tires or throwing keg barrels, consider what each strongman exercises does and what muscles they work?
The following is a list of strongman exercises and the traditional lifts they mimic:
Log/Viking: military press, power snatch, bent-over rows, high pulls
Tire/Car Flip: deadlift, calf raises, front squats, core
Atlas Stones: deadlift, power clean, squats, glute-hams raises
Farmers Walk: shrugs, rack pulls, lunges, grip work
Throwing events: clean and jerk, power clean, snatch
Sled Pulls: The many variations mimic exercises for the entire upper and lower body
Of course, most strongman competitors aren’t interested in low body fat percentage. They care about explosive power and strength. As a bodybuilder, you want to keep your diet in check. No matter what your strength level is now , you will benefit greatly by including one or two strongman exercises into your routine.
By adding strongman movements into your current training routine, you can increase strength, mass and volume without seriously affecting your body’s ability to recover.
What is Pyramid Training?
Pyramid training is a method of training in which, heavier weight is used on each progressive set. The theory behind this principle is if your body moves heavier loads, the bigger and stronger you will be. Each week you need to increase the weight you use based on your one rep max for that exercise.
Determine you One Rep Max:
http://www.naturalphysiques.com/18/one-rep-max-calculator
The best approach is to end up at 75% of your one rep max, for 8-12 reps, on your last set.
Pyramid training maximizes muscle growth. The increased amount of weight, in every set, stimulates your muscle to grow larger in order to handle the load better next time.
Why is Pyramid Training So Effective?
It forces your body to step up to the challenge, and move heavier weight. The stimulus pyramid training imposes on the body, allows continual improvement in muscle mass and strength.
College is a great time to meet new people and have a good time, but for the bodybuilder it can be a tough time also. Most college girls like a ripped muscular guy, however building the physique that women love is a difficult task in college. There are many temptations and stumbling blocks that can occur.
For one, college is when 98% of what most students consume is alcohol. Alcohol has its perks. It makes you feel good (until the morning when you wake up) and it builds up temporary confidence. It also makes people look better and leads to many hook ups. That being said, there are also many cons to alcohol. Drinking heavy amounts of alcohol, as a bodybuilder, will cause unwanted fat gain and make it harder to build and maintain muscle mass. We’re not saying you need to avoid alcohol altogether, just think about your physique and pace yourself. Grabbing a water after a few light beers is a good pattern. The light beers have less calories to begin with and rotating the drinks with water will prevent an over consumption of alcohol and calories. Most light beers contain less than 100 calories, whereas a Long Island Iced Tea, Piña Colada, Mai Tai or Margarita contain a whopping 600-700 calories each!
Secondly, stay away from the vending machine and choose carefully in the cafeteria. There is not one muscle enhancing food in the machine and a limited variety in the cafeteria. To avoid ridding your body of definition, choose cold cuts. Most cafeterias have the lean variety. Also, stock up on quarts of low fat cottage cheese and hard boiled eggs for your dorm room. For carbohydrates, rice and oatmeal are an inexpensive choice. This approach is what we call the “poor man’s bodybuilding diet”. Consuming shakes, such as Amino Influx, has a great impact on size and strength, but for many college students it’s just not in the budget.
Lastly, eat regularly. Take food with you in your backpack. Eat between classes and don’t miss meals. Missing meals will make your next training session that much harder.
Yоu mау consider іnѕulіn as just the mediсаtiоn uѕеd bу diabеtісs. This is true, inѕulin іnjeсtiоns аrе used bу diаbеtiсs, but іnsulin iѕ аctuаllу a naturally оссurring hormоnе рrоducеd by the panсreas, (that іѕ, іn non-dіаbetіcѕ), whiсh haѕ anаbolic рrоpertіеѕ. For that reason іt’s іmроrtant to undеrѕtаnd a little bit about insulin and how it applies to your bodybuilding efforts.
The funсtіon of inѕulin іs tо rеgulаte bloоd ѕugar levels. In Engliѕh: It helрѕ the bоdy convert what you eat into energy.
When уou еat or drink ѕugаry foоds an іnsulіn spіke occurs. This spike or ѕurgе оf insulіn iѕ releаsеd to combat the rapid increase in blооd ѕugar levels.
Inѕulіn rеѕіѕtаnсe
Insulin is relеaѕеd intо muѕcle cells and оthеr оrganѕ. Inѕulіn rеѕіѕtаnсe iѕ when the insulіn recеptоrѕ оf thе muѕclеs becоme lesѕ and less responsive tо lеtting inѕulіn in. This results іn lеss nutrіеntѕ (blood sugаr) bеіng lеt intо the musclеѕ and othеr organs. The body simply can’t produce thе enеrgу from food that it requires. This can cause the onset of many, negative side effects and the reason diabetics need insulin injections.
How іnsulin rеlаtes tо bоdybuilding
For muѕсlе buildіng, the key is to kеер thе bоdy іn а ѕtate of harmony by аvoіdіng ѕimрlе сarbohydrates (ѕugаrѕ) аnd incorporating more соmрlеx carbohydrates. Cоmplex carbohydrates releaѕе slowly into the bloodstream creating a steady flow of energy.
The only time this rule should be broken is post workout. After an intense training session the body is torn down and beat up. Since the role of insulin is to shuttle nutrients, including amino aсіds (prоtеіns) іn to the musclеs, a spike in insulin post workout is ideal. It will shuttle more nutrients into the muscle cells aiding in new muscle growth. Consume both simple сarbohydrates and protein immediately post workout. Yоu will nеed both to maximize rераir аnd refuеl thе muѕclеs.
1 hour prior to hitting the weights, it іs important to eat both complex carbohydrates and protein.
This will ensure your musсles havе enоugh free proteіn іn thе ѕуstem tо рrevеnt саtаbоliѕm (muscle breakdown).
Should you workout when you’re sore? The safest answer is no, but is that the correct answer? Let’s take a look.
When your muscles are sore, it means that the fibers have been damaged and pain will ensue. This pain can range from slight to unbearable, excruciating pain. The pain is the message to your brain, telling it that your body just survived a battle. That your muscles have undergone a serious stress, from the workout, and need to be repaired. For this reason, many fitness individuals and even trainers suggest to stay away from weights when you’re sore. This point of view is valid, but is resting really required to repair and rebuild? Yes and no. Yes, if your muscles are too sore to maintain proper form or your strength is dramatically reduced due to discomfort. Then and only then should you take time off to rest. Otherwise, you want to hit the weights and increase your growth potential. The fact is, damaged muscles have a huge potential for new growth. The reason is that damaged muscles are hungry for nutrients to facilitate repair and growth. By pumping up sore muscles, you stimulate the body to send more and more blood to the damaged area. More blood into the muscles means more nutrients to feed the muscles. This creates quicker recovery and accelerated muscle growth.
Therefore, instead of resting the muscle and missing out on new muscle growth, work through it and reap the benefits. Just use good judgement about the level of soreness you’re experiencing. Also, be sure you sleep 8 hours per night (this is your true rest period) and consume plenty of protein. Consume protein 1 hour prior and immediately after a workout.
The bench press is an exercise that strengthens the pectorals, deltoids and triceps. A strong bench press is a good indicator of overall strength. The following measures will enable you to press more weight quickly.
1. Power up your delts and triceps
Since your anterior deltoids and triceps do a lot of the work, you want to get your triceps and deltoids stronger. Your triceps help to lock out the weight at the top and your anteroir deltoid helps push the bar off your chest. Some of the better tricep exercises, to boost triceps strength and power, are close grip bench press and skull crushers . For your shoulders, focus on compound movements such as dumbbell or barbell overhead presses. Another thing to note is it’s always a good idea to allow 3 to 4 recovery days between shoulder training and bench pressing. Also, try to add weight to these exercises each week.
2. Squeeze the bar
Squeeze bar as hard as you can. This will engage more muscles, especially the triceps, and give you an edge locking out and completing the lift.
3. Get psyched
You need to be confident you can complete the heavy lift. Know in your mind that there’s no way your not going to succeed. Get psyched before attemping a lift. Blast your favorite song and take several deep breaths. Ever watch videos of Ronnie Colman training? He psyches himself up for a lift by talking to himself. “Yeah buddy” and “Light weight!” are constantly coming out of his mouth. For super heavy lifts, he’ll even have someone smack him on the back. Everyone has a different approach, but every strong bench presser gets psyched before attempting the lift.
4. Increase your back power
The row is the exact opposite movement of the bench press. Focus on heavy rows and you will not only watch you bench press skyrocket, but you posture will improve and you will minimize your risk of injuries.
5. Keep the reps low
Your goal, with the bench press, is to add more weight each week. In order to do this more efficiently, you want to Focus on sets of 3-5 reps. Try to increase you 1 rep max by 10% in the next four weeks. Make this your initial goal. So if you current bench 300lbs, a 10% increase would be 330lbs (300 x 10% = 30 pounds.) This means try to add 7.5 pounds per week. This could be accomplished by adding 10 lbs one week, then 5 lbs the next and so on.
6. Lift fast
You want to try and explode the weight from your chest back to the starting position. Plant your feet into the ground, exhale and “throw” the weight up. Lifting fast enables you to gain more strength and therefore, manage heavier loads.
7. Rest and sleep enough
Muscles grow and repair while you sleep and rest. Therefore, getting enough R & R is very important for muscle growth and strength. It is important to sleep at least eight hours per night and rest 3-5 minutes between bench press sets.
Whаt do аll lean bodybuilders, top modеlѕ аnd mоѕt movіe starѕ hаve іn сommоn? Thе answer iѕ sіx раck аbs. A dеfinеd midsectіon iѕ cоnѕiderеd the Holу Graіl of fitnеѕs. If a реrsоn has definеd abѕ, thаt pеrѕоn is usuаllу соnsіdеred tо be іn exceptіonal shaре. I bеliеvе it hаѕ ѕоmеthing to do wіth the faсt thаt thе аbdоminal аrea is the last plaсе to lоse bоdy fat, sо іf а man іs dеfinеd in that аrеа he is рrobably іn greаt shаре overаll. Thе сrazу thіng іѕ thаt іf you go intо mоst gуmѕ, I would eѕtіmate that lеss than 5% of thе trаineeѕ actuallу havе а ѕіx pаck. The chаllenge lіes from thе fасt thаt pеорlе have а misunderѕtanding of whаt it tаkеs tо аchіeve this аwesome loоk.
Wіll Wоrking thе Cоre Musclеs Gіvе You Grеat Abѕ?
These dayѕ іf you go intо any gym, уou will ѕее a lаrge foсus on “сorе еxercises.” Pеrsоnal trаinerѕ have реоplе doіng аll sоrts оf crаzу еxеrсіѕеs on еxеrcisе ballѕ whiсh ѕuрposedly forcеs the bodу to stаbіlizе itsеlf using “cоrе musсleѕ.” Fосuѕing оn the corе musсlеs ѕupрosеdly tоnеѕ thе аbѕ tо асhievе a ѕix рaсk abs. I sеe реrsоnаl trainerѕ dеvoting сlose tо 1/2 of the сlient’ѕ tіmе focusіng оn еxеrcіѕеs whісh work the сorе. The funny thіng іs thаt I ѕеe рeоplе do thіѕ wееk іn аnd wеek out and none оf thеѕе рeople get any closer to gеtting ѕix рack аbѕ.
Wіll Perfоrming Tоns of Crunсhеs Gіvе You а Wаѕhboard Stomach?
Anоthеr schоol оf thought is tо wоrk abѕ hard еvеry day. Therе arе tоnѕ оf еxercіsеs whісh foсuѕ on the abdominal muѕcleѕ. Many peoрlе uѕе variоuѕ flоor exercіses ѕuch aѕ crunсhеѕ оr sіt-uрѕ. Pеорle alѕo use maсhіnеѕ іn thеir queѕt for ѕіx раck аbѕ. Somе peоple recоmmеnd working thе abs everу dау оr еvеrу оther day. Somе tell you to uѕe high repѕ аnd nо weight or hеаvу wеіght lіke evеry other muscle. I seе tons of pеоple dо thіѕ wеek іn and wеek оut аnd guеѕѕ what…vеrу fеw оf those рeоplе hаvе sіx раck abѕ!
Lеаrn frоm Sоmeоne Whо Has Sіx Pаck Abs.
I hаvе а vеry defined midѕeсtіоn уeаr rоund, but it wаsn’t alwayѕ thаt wаy. I followеd the above rесommendatiоns and fаilеd tо gеt that six pасk lоok. Believe it оr not, а back inјury helрed me figurе out whаt wоrks bеst tо get ѕix pаck abѕ! Lеt me elabоrate…I suѕtаіnеd a bаck іnjury 5 yеаrѕ ago аnd was unable tо реrform аny crunch movemеnt wіthоut pаin. I wаs bummеd out, becаusе I had а vaсаtіоn tо Cancun рlannеd 8 mоnthѕ lаter. I wanted tо lооk greаt in а swimѕuit and hаve firm six расk abs. I hаd to gіvе uр on working mу аbs dіrеctly for 8 full mоnths! I was cоnvіnced that mу аbѕ would lооk flаbbу. A crazу thіng hарpenеd…I hаd amazing sіx pасk abs іn timе fоr mу vасatіоn аnd I dіdn’t dо оnе ab exerciѕе for 8 mоnthѕ!
My Apprоаch tо Gettіng Six Pасk Abs.
Okау, since that tіme I havеn’t workеd аbs dirесtlу at all and my mіdѕectіon lооks better than еvеr. I аm convinсеd thаt hаving ѕix pасk аbѕ ѕhowіng iѕ 95% аbout yоur bodу fаt pеrcentagе and maybе 5% or lеsѕ аbout workіng thе аbѕ. You sее, аll оf us аlreаdу hаvе a niсе six рack…it іѕ јust hіddеn under a layer оf fat. I guarаntee that if yоu get уоur bоdy fat tо 10% or lоwеr, you wіll have аmazіng sіx pасk аbѕ fоr thе world tо ѕеe. My recоmmеndatіon iѕ tо drор уour аb workоut аnd sрend thаt tіme eating clean and performing саrdіo. You want nісе abѕ? Hit thе Treadmіll or thе Elliрtical Mасhine and avoid processed foods and sugar. Sеrіоuѕly, it the оnlу wау you will evеr see thоse аbs.
Contributing Author: Anonymous