45 WAYS TO MUSCLE UP >>M&F consulted top exercise scientists, personal trainers and elite bodybuilders to give you 45 all-new, never-before-published tips. Read ’em and grow. Compiled by Bill Geiger BUILD STRENGTH + MUSCLE #1 Incorporate stutter sets for bigger gains. Use a really heavy weight allowing for just 1–2 reps. Max out. Rack the weight, rest for 10 seconds and do another set with a weight that allows for 10 reps. The benefit: the “net” poundage you use for the (11–12) reps is far greater than you could use with straight sets, contributing to greater gains. #2 Trick your nervous system. Superset opposing muscle groups to manipulate your body’s wiring and allow your muscles to lift heavier weights. This technique reduces the neural inhibition that normally governs how much force your muscles can produce. Try using an alternating priority sets scheme in which you perform a set of chest presses followed immediately by rows, then take a 60–90-second break. When 90 seconds is up, do the rows first, then move to chest presses. Make sure to complete an even number of sets (two, four, six) to maintain muscle balance. This also works for bi’s/tri’s and quads/hams. #3 Add isometrics without lengthening your workout. Probably the most neglected kind of contraction is the isometric kind. Incorporate them into your routine between sets to add intensity. Once you complete a set of bench presses, for instance, immediately pick up a light dumbbell, place your palms flat against the outer plates and squeeze your hands together. Squeeze for 5–10 seconds, release and quickly repeat. You can also try this with a medicine ball. #4 Plyos increase your max. Want to push up a big bench or a heavy max squat? Do a plyometric movement 30 seconds before your lift and you can immediately bump up your max 10–20 pounds. Before a max squat attempt, stand on a bench and drop down to the floor — as soon as your feet hit, explode off the floor as high as you can. Repeat twice. Before the bench, do two power push-ups (your hands should come off the floor a few inches at the end of the positive) with just your bodyweight. #5 Use the ball for sissy-proof gains. Most serious bodybuilders eschew exercise-ball movements because you have to go so light due to the instability, while the targeted muscle doesn’t feel like it gets a good workout. Here’s how to get the benefit of ball training that enhances strengthening of stabiliser and core muscles (which, when developed, actually do increase overall strength on the exercise). Using the dumbbell bench press as an example, do a heavy set (6–8 reps) on a flat bench. Then immediately do a set of dumbbell bench presses on the ball with a weight with which you can get about 8–10 reps. Now that your chest is fatigued, the light weight used on the ball move will be sufficient to hit the pre-fatigued pecs and train your stabilisers. [ SHAWN RAY ] IFBB PRO BODYBUILDER #6 Develop a fierce attitude. For example, I view a training partner as an enemy, someone I have to defeat and demolish in the gym. It’s my job to be the best, and if that person can hang with me, I’m not doing my job. This attitude helps keep me on top of my game. #7 Play to your weaknesses. When you’re feeling strong, attack the muscle groups you tend to shy away from. After a day’s rest, work these weaker bodyparts when you have all the energy needed to bring them up. #8 Train like a powerlifter on a regular basis. Every few months, throw in two weeks of high-intensity, lower-volume training to bust through a plateau. Do 4–6 reps per set with heavy weights, taking three minutes of rest between each set. Focus on compound lifts (squats, presses, rows) for more sets (5–6) rather than isolation moves (extensions, curls, flyes). #9 Pose down after each workout. Not for your ego, but for improved muscle density and quality over time. Plus, you’ll enhance your mind-muscle link, which will make it easier to target muscles with laser-like precision when training. Right after you finish your training session, get in front of the mirror and squeeze each muscle in a peak contraction for 15–30 seconds. Repeat 3–4 times. #10 Try adding extreme sets. Increase your sets by 50% for three weeks twice a year. After the three weeks, take four days off and return to normal training. The added sets shock new growth, and the days off allow for full recovery. Example: If you typically perform 12 total sets for chest and 16 for back, go to 18 and 24 sets, respectively. #11 Rest between reps. Can’t do multiple sets of pull-ups for reps? Instead of shooting for three sets of 10, aim for 30 reps total. Do as many sets as it takes and take a brief rest between each rep if necessary to complete your rep goal for the workout. This isn’t cheating, it’s a twist on the rest-pause principle. (And it worked for Arnold!) [ RONNIE COLEMAN ] SIX-TIME MR. OLYMPIA #12 I’ve been able to add size to my quads by using drop sets.Once I complete my heavy sets, I’ll finish with a drop set on the last set. I’ll do as many as I can, then strip the weight off one plate at a time until all that’s left is the bar, a slight feeling of nausea and a pair of quaking quads. #13 Add variety by alternating two completely different workouts for a bodypart, rather than following just a single workout all the time. In my back training, for example, I alternate a workout that focuses on heavy deadlifts and rows with one that hits the lats harder with a variety of pull-up and pulldown movements. This gives you the benefit of hitting the back muscles from a variety of angles. #14 Target smaller muscles within larger bodyparts. To deny certain muscles dedicated training time is to deny your body its full growth potential. Your inner and outer thigh muscles (adductors and abductors), for example, aren’t highly visible, but without specific training, your thighs will never reach their full potential. To get big arms, you also need to train the underlying muscle on the front of the arm — the brachialis. Include specific exercises — such as four sets of reverse preacher curls — for this muscle. #15 Think Olympic. Try throwing in Olympic-type moves — the clean and jerk and/or the snatch — one workout a week, done with barbells or dumbbells. Concentrate the first few weeks on learning the technique, then use a weight with which you can get 6–8 reps but do only three sets of three reps and concentrate on moving explosively. Do this for 6–8 weeks to target the fast-twitch muscle fibres, which have the greatest potential for strength and mass gains. #16 Try scapjacks. Next arm workout, try this: do a one-arm triceps pressdown with your right arm while you simultaneously perform a one-arm dumbbell curl with your left arm. You’ll be stronger on both lifts than normal. Although the exact mechanism isn’t known, it may be due to a neurological phenomenon. Switch arms and repeat. This can also be done for back and chest at the adjustable cable crossover. Stand with your back to one weight stack and grasp the pulley handle (set at shoulder height) with your left arm while holding the pulley handle from the weight stack in front of you (set at hip height) with your right arm. Simultaneously do a chest press with your left arm and a cable row with your right arm. Switch arms and repeat. [ JAY CUTLER ] THREE-TIME ARNOLD CLASSIC CHAMP #17 Stop your front delts from overpowering your shoulders and traps.Try doing certain exercises behind you, a technique I use with cable lateral raises and barbell shrugs. #18 Bring out cross-striations in your inner chest and carve out your triceps horseshoe with bodyweight dips. I do dips on a parallel-bar apparatus with no added weight, going really deep at the bottom for a good stretch and locking out briefly at the top to really push my tri’s. #19 Sport-specific training isn’t just for athletes. Everyone can benefit from agility drills and plyometrics training. Life is about multiplanar movements, and your training should reflect this. Become faster, stronger and have better balance, and you’ll improve all aspects of your physical being. #20 Finish off on a machine. Free weights may form the backbone of your workout, but machines have a particularly good place either at the end of your routine or at the end of a compound set. Because of machines’ fixed range of motion and inherent stability, it’s much easier to rep to failure when using them. You can even take full advantage of the pre-exhaust technique by following an isolation move (like dumbbell laterals for the middle delt) with a compound machine move (like an overhead machine press) and rep out. By the end of that set, your delts will be screaming for mercy! #21 Be a speed demon. Think of doing your reps as fast as you safely can. That’s right. If you’re using a sufficient weight, then “as fast as possible” won’t be very fast, relatively speaking. Many people think they should try to control the upward or positive movement in similar fashion to the eccentric portion, but that’s not the case. (If, in fact, you’re able to throw the weight up quickly, you’re likely lifting too light.) #22 Do your arm workouts all by themselves. If you continue to train them after chest, back or shoulders, you’re probably not getting a really high-intensity arm workout. Separate them for a while and see what a difference it makes. [ MIKE MATARAZZO ] IFBB pro bodybuilder #23 Training and eating right when you’re on the road is extra tricky, so be prepared before you go. I’ll smoke 3 pounds of flank steak to carry with me so I’ll always have enough protein and won’t have to worry about finding a place to eat clean. I marinate the meat for a few hours in some smoke flavouring, a little beer and some light Italian dressing, then cook it in a “little smoker” grill on low heat for 4–5 hours. It comes out like jerky but more tender. #24 Here’s a killer ab routine I do precontest. I start by doing as many crunches as I can with a plate on my chest, then I drop the plate and rep out to failure. I’ll follow that with negatives until I practically can’t breathe, then I’ll stand up and pose my abs as hard as possible in the mirror until I’m exhausted. #25 Protect your low back with core movements. Before every workout, rep out a few sets of abs followed by two sets of back extensions. Stimulating your core will be a “wake-up call” to the intricate muscles surrounding your spinal cord, enabling you to more quickly produce the intra-abdominal pressure required for stabilisation in later exercises. #26 Take a day off before your next heavy leg workout. Make sure you’re not expending a lot of energy doing extraneous physical activities, eat well and get a good night’s sleep. You’ll have an awesome workout! #27 Once you’re bigger and stronger than your partner, get a new one. If you’ve passed your partner up, move on to someone who’s a bigger challenge. Most likely, the new one is further along and can push you harder, motivate you more and teach you a few new things. GET LEAN #28 Shred by squatting. When attempting to cut up, push your metabolism into overdrive at the end of 1–2 workouts each week with interval squats. Perform five sets of 25–50 reps with a very light weight, taking only 60 seconds rest between sets, then move on to your cardio. #29 Get hormone support for cardio. Prompting your body to burn fat without burning muscle is the secret to successful aerobic work. While lots of cardio can be beneficial, long sessions can promote a decline in testosterone levels. Try a 200 mg caffeine tablet 30 minutes before a long cardio session. Caffeine on an empty stomach triggers the release of fat-burning catecholamines. At the 30-minute mark, stop your cardio, down 10 grams of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and hit it hard for an additional 30–40 minutes. BCAAs not only prevent a drop in testosterone levels but inhibit the burning of lean body mass and can promote fat-burning. #30 Support your hormones for “cutting up”. Extreme definition sometimes requires extreme methods. Try 6 grams of arginine and 400 mg of mucuna pruriens on an empty stomach, then head for the gym. The benefit: arginine and Mucuna pruriens boost GH levels and compound the natural GH release associated with training on an empty stomach. Spiking GH levels burns fat as fuel while sparing muscle breakdown. The extra benefit: arginine promotes a nitric oxide surge to enhance the “pump”. Post-workout, immediately consume a carbohydrate/whey protein drink to ensure recovery and repair. #31 Top off your pec workout with a blast! Choose a ridiculously heavy weight on the pec-deck machine, but perform only partial reps over the top one-quarter of the range of motion. Bang out 12–15 partials for a full-blown burn. Be sure to use a spotter to get into the start position. #32 Drop the water and look great! To shed extra water weight, increase your salt intake for six days and nearly double your water intake. The effect: your body’s chief water-retaining hormone, called aldosterone, drops. This in turn kicks extra excess fluid from the body. On the seventh, eighth and ninth days, drop the salt altogether and you’ll lose every possible bit of extra water weight, temporarily enhancing muscle detail and definition. #33 Cycle your cardio to spur faster results. You’ve heard about cycling carbohydrates — going low and high to trick the body into fat loss. The same idea’s true with calorific expenditure when you’re trying to burn calories. Cycle your cardio: two days all-out for 30 minutes, two days of intervals for 45 minutes, and one day of 60 minutes at an easy pace. Then take two straight days off before repeating. This keeps your fat-burning machinery revved and off guard for plateau-free fat-loss and maximal calorie burn. EXERCISE EXECUTION #34 Do negative crunches. Instead of building muscular endurance, start going for maximal overload. From the crunch position, have your partner stand on your feet and push down on your shoulders (pushing you into the floor) while you continue to resist him/her. If he/she isn’t strong enough, grab a weight plate. Either way, your arms should be crossed. #35 Do the Arnold Press. Okay, this one’s not new, but when talking about great inventors, this exercise comes to mind — it’s still one of the best at targeting the front delt, which is both an abductor and internal rotator. Both movements are strongly initiated by the anterior deltoid. Time to bring this bad boy back into the gym! #36 Use the cable crossover for a wicked reverse lunge. Hook the bottom two cables together and place a squat bar pad in the middle where they attach. Position the pad across your upper back (not neck), then proceed to do reverse lunges, which work your muscles and balance simultaneously. #37 Spread the floor. When you squat, you should force your knees out hard during the entire motion and push out on the sides of your shoes. This keeps the tension on the hips and helps you push more weight up. #38 Try pulldown curls for biceps. Place a short bar with a rotating collar on the pulldown cable. Sit on the seat as if you were going to do pulldowns. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip and extend your arms directly overhead. Without moving at the shoulders, flex your arms only at the elbows, curling the bar behind your head. #39 Use the jettison technique for super gains. Try this version of the drop set, using the biceps curl as an example. Find whatever weight you can curl for about 15 reps. Next, locate a set of elastic exercise bands that you can also curl for about 15 reps. On set one, do the barbell curl while holding the barbell and the rubber bands. Do as many reps as possible — usually about 7–8. Release the elastic bands and do as many reps as possible with just the weights. Remove about one-third of the weight and do as many reps as possible. Rest 2–3 minutes and repeat for a total of 2–3 total sets. #40 Do your elbows flare out when doing lying French presses? If so, try this technique to help you better isolate your triceps: wrap your weight belt just above your elbows. Use a spotter to hand you the weight and fry those tri’s! #41 Here’s a good way to reduce biceps involvement during back exercises. Start by contracting your back and pushing your chest out 100% before bending your elbows to pull the weight up. #42 Work your chest with this amazing variation of an incline dumbbell press. Instead of pressing the weights up in a wide arc over your chest, press them up in a similar arc but with your hands closer to your chest. Then, when they meet, press them straight up another 6–10 inches and return along the same path. This one hits your inner pecs and your triceps, too. #43 Here’s a really tough exercise for your abdominals. Attach ankle cuffs to the lower cable pulley and a rope to the opposite lower cable. Place a mat underneath your glutes to lift you up a couple of inches; grasp the rope side and attach the ankle cuffs to your feet. Bend your knees, then in a reverse curl motion, bring your knees toward your chest while you crunch your shoulder blades off the mat. Try to touch your knees to your elbows, but get those glutes off the mat. #44 Roll with it. When doing incline exercises, try putting a rolled towel under your neck to help increase your strength. The mechanism isn’t understood but is believed to be due to proper alignment of your spine, which could result in better neurological performance. #45 Be a big dipper. You’re not counting reps on these dips; you’re just counting time. Take a full four seconds on the negative, counting out loud. To hit your chest, lean forward and let your elbows flare out; keep your body straight up and down and tuck your elbows in to your sides to focus more on your triceps. M&F Contributions from Mark Casselman, MS, CSCS; Timothy C. Fritz, CSCS; David Sandler, MS, CSCS; Chris Aceto; Jimmy Peña, MS, CSCS; Steve Zim, CPT; Lara McGlashan, MAFA, CPT; Mike Matarazzo; Shawn Ray; Jay Cutler; Ronnie Coleman; Bill Geiger, MA; Michael Berg, CPT; Jim Stoppani, PhD. This article is for information purposes only. Weider Publishing Ltd does not accept liability for the effect of reported supplements or products, legal or illegal. It is the responsibility of the individual to abide by the dosage allowances specific to their country of residence. Always consult a doctor before commencing supplementation or changing dosage.

Home