25 Tips For More Muscle And Superstrength!

Apply these concepts to outgrow your clothes and break your lifting records. 

 

1/

Lose The Shoes

Lift barefoot, if possible, or in minimalist footwear like Vibram FiveFingers shoes, wrestling shoes, or converse chucks. having your feet flat on the floor lessens the distance you have to pull the bar on a deadlift, increasing your leverage and helping you lift heavier weights. Training barefoot also strengthens your feet, which in turn adds stability and traction to all your lifts.

2/

Be A Tight-Ass

Squeeze your glutes at all times during a set, especially on lifts like the bench press and overhead press. It stabilizes your entire torso.

3/

Use The 25-Rep Method

If the total number of reps you perform for an exercise adds up to 25, you're more likely to maximize muscle and strength gains. Just keep the reps relatively low and the sets moderate. Configurations like 5x5, 6x4, and 8x3 work well.

4/

Go Heavy, Then Light

Train with heavy loads one month, using sets of four to six reps. The next month, go lighter and stay in the 10-12 rep range. The heavy training allows your body to make even faster gains during the lighter weeks.
 

5/

Throw A Medicine Ball

Hold an 8- to 10-pounder and throw it hard into a wall a few feet in front of you, as if you were passing a basketball down the court. You can also reach overhead with the ball and then slam it hard into the floor. Do three sets of five reps. Explosive exercises fire up the central nervous system, helping you recruit more muscle fibers on lifts.

6/

Train Delts Shrink
Your Waist

Want to look leaner without
dieting? Develop the taper from
your shoulders to your waist with
this shoulder shocker: Hold a
dumbbell in each hand. Now
perform a lateral raise with your left arm. Keep your arm held up while you do a lateral raise with the right arm. Lower the right arm a quarter of the way down, raise it back up, then lower it all the way. Perform 10 reps like this. Rest three minutes, then switch arms. Perform one set first thing during your workout twice a week for four weeks.

7/

Use A Neutral Grip

If your sticking point on the bench press is at the bottom of the lift when the bar is on your chest, work on dumbbell bench presses with your palms facing each other. This positioning also forces you to tuck your elbows close to your sides when you lower the weights, which will become a habit when you press with a barbell. Benching with elbows tucked makes for a safer, stronger lift.

8/

Make Your Warm-Up Set Heavier

Here's a great bait-and-switch trick for the nervous system. Work up in weight as normal on a lift to warm up, but make your last warmup set a few pounds heavier than the load you plan to use for your first work set. Just make sure you perform fewer reps in the warmup set than in the work set. So, if you want to squat 315 for five, you might work up to 320 or 325 in your last warmup set for two reps—it shouldn't be very difficult or tiring. Rest, then back off to 315 and go for five reps as planned. The set should feel easier than it would've otherwise, and you might try to go heavier next week.

9/

Use Grip Tools

Wrap a towel around the bar or dumbbell handle to make the grip thicker—products like Grip4orce (grip4orce.com) and Fat Gripz work even better. Increasing the challenge to your grip with any exercise recruits more muscles in your hands and forearms. As a result, you can bring up these areas fast without any extra isolation work.

10/

Do Pull-Ups Twice A Day

Do one set of as many as you can in the morning. Do another all-out set at night. Repeat this every other day. After 30 days, test your max number of reps. You can expect to see up to a 10-rep increase. This system works for dips as well.

11/

Take Digestive Enzymes

If you're bulking up, taking in loads of extra food can be stressful to your gut and lead to poor absorption of nutrients. Digestive enzymes help break down that food. Make sure the ones you take contain protease, amylase, and lipase, which break down protein, starch, and fat, respectively.

12/

Train On Empty

The European Journal of Applied Physiology found that working out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach doubled the magnitude of muscle growth signals.

13/

Don't Let Your Elbows Move When Curling

If you let them drift, you won't fully extend them, and you'll be cheating yourself out of a full range of motion.

14/

Go Heavy

To build muscle, most of your sets need to be performed with weights that are at least 70% of your max weight for that exercise. This generally necessitates keeping reps to 12 and under.

15/

Do "Iso Hold" Dropsets

Hold a weight in the contracted position (usually the top of the lift) and have a partner take off plates or reduce the load. It forces your muscles to keep working through the weight change. Unlike with regular dropsets in which the lifter will usually get a few seconds to recover, you get no rest doing this. This technique works well for machine exercises like Hammer Strength or Smith machine chest or shoulder presses. It's also great for barbell curls.

16/

Try Post-Exhaustion

You're familiar with "preexhaustion," in which you do an isolation exercise followed by a compound movement. This will tire out the bigger muscle groups you're training, forcing you to use less weight on the compound lift. However, the compound movement is the one that helps you make the quickest gains. Instead, try flipping it around, performing the compound move first, then repping out with the isolation. For example, do a set of bench presses and then pick up dumbbells for flyes.

17/

Drive Your Toes Into The Front Of Your Shoes

Coordinate this action with the upward phase of a bench press, right as you push the bar off your chest. The drive of your legs will actually allow you to handle more weight.

18/

Use Pull-Up Aids

If you can't do a pull-up, lessening your body weight with the assistance of elastic bands makes the movement easier. loop a thick exercise band around a pullup bar and place your feet in it. the band will act as a slingshot to propel you over the bar. the pullup revolution pro (available at lifelineusa.com) offers various levels of assistance depending on your strength.

.

19/

Use The Total-Rep Method

Forget three sets of 10. Choose a weight you can get about 10 reps with, and aim for 30 total for that exercise. Perform each rep explosively and take as many sets as you need to get up to 30. The quality of your reps will likely be better, and you'll let your body determine the optimal number of sets.

20/

Try Curls On Lower-Body Days

You'll be fresher than if you had just done back exercises and able to train the biceps more frequently. Now you'll be hitting them not just with legs, but indirectly on back day as well.

21/

Follow Linear Periodization

Work up to a final set of eight reps on all your main barbell lifts for three weeks. Then go for a heavy five the next three weeks. Then three reps. Do just one hard work set per lift, then back it off by 10% and do another set of the same reps. Each wave builds on the gains of the previous one, and you should be setting personal records by the end of nine weeks.

22/

Put Your Ball To The Wall

Before any big pressing workout, take a light medicine ball and press it into a wall with your arm extended. Roll the ball around and make the shape of all 26 letters. Keep pressure on the ball so it doesn't slip. This fires up the rotator cuff so you can stabilize heavy loads better.

23/

Stand Your Ground

Two-thirds of all your muscle fibers are responsible for balance and coordination. The remaining third are designed for movement. Therefore, you get more out of exercises that are done standing than you do ones where you're seated, lying down, or strapped into a machine.

24/

Use Hydrosylates In Your Post-Workout Shake

Proteins that have been "hydrolyzed" digest superfast, so your muscles soak them up quickly. The fast absorption also spikes levels of insulin. Try adding hydrolysates to your whey and carb post-workout shake to boost its efficacy.

25/

Roll The Bar Up To Your Shins To Deadlift

Stand behind the bar, bend down to grab it, and then roll it back toward you. Just as it touches your shins, drop your butt and begin the lift. Time it right and you'll generate momentum that aids in the lift.

Grocery Shopping Tips

Bodybuilding - What Are Some Grocery Shopping Tips For A Bodybuilder?

Here are a few general rules to make your grocery shopping as painless and conducive to the bodybuilding lifestyle as possible.

Rule #1: Accept That You Will Be Buying Groceries More Often Than Sedentary People.

A weekly grocery trip will be the absolute minimum. Why will you need to shop so often? First, most of the foods you should be eating (meat, fruits, veggies, etc.) are perishable. Second, it's unlikely that you'll want to get everything at the same place.

For example, in addition to the grocery store, you may want to hit up a local bakery for some whole grain products or the farmers' market for local meat and produce. If you want to get the most out of your nutrition, you can't necessarily expect shopping to be convenient.

Rule #2: Accept That You Will Be Spending More On Groceries Than Sedentary People.

You may indeed find ways to work around this one to some extent (see Rule #3), but with food, as with most things, you get what you pay for. In addition to the fact that quality food often costs more than unhealthy food, you can expect to be buying quite a bit of it. Simply put, athletes need more calories, more calories mean more food, and more food means more money.

On the plus side, however, you shouldn't be buying soda, chips, fruit snacks, or other processed (and expensive garbage), so take comfort in the fact that you can save a lot of money in that area.

Rule #3: Buy In Bulk Whenever Possible.

There are numerous reasons to buy in bulk. First and foremost, it saves you money. Second, since you'll be going through a lot of food, it allows you to buy in quantities that will actually sustain you for awhile effectively reducing the frequency of you grocery store visits.

Rule #4: Shop Based On Need, Not Mood.

Plan your shopping out as precisely as possible ahead of time. Shopping based on mood (hungry, full, happy, depressed, whatever) can only lead to one thing: Buying the wrong types of food in the wrong quantities for the wrong reasons. Make a list and stick to it. Everything you eat should have a purpose.

Abs stimulator

Abs Stimulators - Do They Work ?

Day one

I applied that belt over my abs. The instant you turn it on, there is this very annoying feeling. The only word I can come up with is that it feels like my abs were being electrocuted. As lame as that explanation may be, it's the only one I can come up with. So I turn it off, look at it closely, and come up with the conclusion that what I felt is normal with the product.

I put it on, for 15 minutes. During the 15 minutes, it feels very annoying. They stated that you can put it on and go on about your day. After my 15 minutes were up, I took of the belt and I was truly amazed at what I found. My abs felt like I just did nothing for 15 minutes. Every time I work my abs, I feel the work I have done. With this belt, I felt nothing. I decide that I will go on with the process, and that it may be just a part of how it works.

Day two
I felt no soreness this morning; I usually do when I do my abs. Again, I felt that it was part of the process. I placed the belt in the exact same place. To make sure it was in the same place I had marked the center of the area with a marker (as bad as it may sound, I still did it). I find that I cannot get used to the feeling of the belt. Some things you can get used to, I don't see how I can get used to this. I go about my business while having the belt on, keeping a close eye to my watch. I take it off, and again felt nothing.

Fast forward... Day 7
Been doing the same thing, seen no progress, but its only been a week.

Fast forward... Day 14
No progress, I miss my Ab workouts. But I must go on, for the sack of science. The AB belt is still annoying as ever. I have decided that this will be my last week.

Last day
Having had no success with the belt, I decided to place it away. The belt like most other things you see on TV, are never as good as they say.

I will have to say that electronic Ab products do not work as good as they say, in my opinion they don't work at all. I have been to the chiropractor before, and there they have muscle stimulators. These products are meant for relieving muscles. Ab belts follow the same exact method, release electricity into the muscle to make it contract. Except they twist words, and say that it will tone and build muscles.

3 days vs 6 days !!!

Bodybuilding - Why Does This Work

Yes, that's it! It may sound crazy to somebody who is used to doing 30 sets for biceps and working out 6 days per week. Even crazier is lifting 6 days per week and not growing! Stop thinking that more is better! If you are a natural bodybuilder, you will not have near the recovery of a steroid user. Somebody on steroids can lift 6 days per week without overtraining, but you can't.

Many bodybuilders who are used to high volume training would laugh at a bodybuilder who does one set per exercise and only works out three days per week. I ask them how many times a week they work their biceps.

Almost always, they say once per week on "Bicep Day". Once per week!? So they work their biceps, then they let them rest for 7 days in a row? After 1 or 2 days, their biceps are no longer sore... yet the wait another 5 or 6 days to work them again. Their biceps are slowly shrinking during this long rest period.

In our workout you isolate each bodypart THREE times per week with a full, heavy set. You hit it on Monday, let it rest one day, hit it on Wednesday, let it rest, hit is on Friday and then give the poor muscle a two day break... before starting the cycle again. So we work our biceps (and all muscles) three full times per week which is 12 times per month. They work their biceps 12 times in 3 months! And they call us lazy...

Why is this good for muscle building? Think about when you build a callous on your hand. If you were to rub your hand until is was cut and started bleeding, then wait a week, then do it again, you would simply have a scar. On the otherhand, if you were to rub it a little each day or every other day, it would slowly build up a resistance to the rubbing, thus forming a protective callous. This is the same idea with our workout.

Another interesting thing is that people who do 12 sets per bodypart usually do not go to full failure on each set. This would be almost impossible as it would nearly kill them!

They will usually do their first few sets with ease because in the back of their mind they are saving their energy for the last few sets. Most of their sets are worthless since they are not going to failure. How often do you see somebody in your gym perform a full, balls to the wall set where they are almost about to die from the pain and effort. Not often.

Usually these people are just going through the motion, getting a good "burn", while making a few grunts. Then they walk out feeling better than you because they did 12 sets for biceps and you only did one. Your muscles will only grow if they are forced too! Otherwise, we would all have huge legs just from walking around all day.

Log what you do....

Bodybuilding Progression - You Need a Log

You must lift heavier each workout. If you lift 100 pounds for 10 reps each workout for months, your body will have no reason to get bigger and stronger. You will not grow unless your weights are going up repeatedly. The only way to fully track this is to write down everything you do in a workout log.

If last time you did 225 lbs for 10 reps on the bench press, you must go to at least 230 lbs for 8 reps on your next workout. If you do get 8 reps, then on your next workout you should get at least 9 reps with the same weight. Once you can get 10 reps, you must raise the weight again. Don't wuss out! Look at your log from your last workout, and beat it on every exercise. Even if you only get ? a rep more than before, you will be gaining.

It is very important that you also track your bodyweight and measurements so you can see how much progress you have made. I recommend weighing yourself before each workout and measuring a few of your important bodyparts (like arms, thighs and waist) before you go to the gym.

Cool!

45 minutes workout then get out of the gym...

Bodybuilding - The Workout The workout should last no longer than 45 minutes! Plan your rest between sets accordingly so that you finish in this time period. Studies have shown that after 47 ? minutes of intense weight training, your cortisol levels shoot up. This means that the longer you workout AFTER 47 minutes, the LESS results you will get and the more likely you will overtrain. So get in the gym, lift hard, stay focused, and get out. The most important thing is that you lift to absolute FAILURE! This is not an option. It is almost 100% necessary to have a workout partner. If you need to get 8 - 10 reps, choose a weight that allows you to get 8 - 10 reps? but not even ONE more. I am serious! Once you reach your last rep, you should not be physically able to do another one, no matter what. If Britney Spears promises to date you if you get one more, it wouldn't matter. You should NOT be able to do it. Only you can judge if you are truly putting all possible effort into each set. Unlike programs where you are doing 4 or 5 sets per exercise, you only have one chance to blast your muscles. Don't waste it! Perform each set with good form. Cheating will only hurt your gains. Do each rep slowly and do not use momentum. Each rep should use a full range of motion and take approximately 2 seconds on the way down and 2 seconds on the way up. Do not "jerk" the weight up. Slowly move it up and down. Use lighter weight if you must. This is VERY important to your gains so don't ignore this! Do not stop moving during any part of your set. Some people will go all the way down on squats, then come back up and lock their knees, rest for a second or two, then go back down. Do NOT do this or you will be making Baby Jesus cry. You should stay in constant motion without locking out on any exercise. Do not stop at the bottom of your bicep curls or any other exercise. Again: Keep moving for the whole set and do not lock out your arms or legs.