TRAINING

3 8 - P A G E S P E C I A L

ULTIMATE
TRAINING
GUIDE
Want workouts? We got ’em.
of them, covering

85
every bodypart
and providing the
answer to every
major training goal

BY M&F STAFF | PHOTOS BY IAN LOGAN

100 MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 101

WORKOUT CENTRAL
»We’ve all
been there.
In general your workouts have never
been better, but those pesky lower lats
are about as responsive as Lindsay
Lohan is to rehab. Or maybe your
outer quads or front delts are more
Gary Coleman than Ronnie Coleman
and just refuse to grow. Then again,
perhaps the problem is your entire pec
area, or you sport hams that are more
like Spam — mushy and far from the
real thing. Or it could be you’re just
pressed for time and want to know
how to perform a decent back workout
in just 15 minutes.
Cue “Workout Central,” your one-
stop shop for muscle size, strength
and definition. In this 38-page feature
we offer 85 workouts, one or more of
which we can virtually guarantee will
solve your individual training prob-
lems. You’d be hard-pressed to find
this many individual routines so easy
to navigate in one place.
In addition, we provide an efficient
40-minute, total-body workout plan
designed especially for those balancing
a great physique with a hectic schedule
plus targeted advice for gaining overall
muscle mass or getting superlean. So
what are you waiting for? Identify
your problem, look up the solution
and start turning a weakness into a
strength.
102 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007
ROUTINE KEY
THROUGHOUT THE FOLLOWING PAGES, YOU’LL FIND
NUMEROUS ROUTINES THAT ADDRESS DIFFERENT
TRAINING GOALS AND TROUBLE SPOTS. HERE’S A QUICK
GUIDE TO THOSE CATEGORIES AND WHAT THEY ENTAIL
>> MASS-BUILDING ROUTINE
Compound movements, high volume and moderate
rep ranges for maximizing muscle growth.
>> BEGINNER’S ROUTINE
Mostly machine-based exercises for those still
getting their feet wet before progressing to more
advanced moves.
>> AT-HOME ROUTINE
Requires nothing more than dumbbells and an
adjustable bench, a common home-gym setup.
>> 15-MINUTE WORKOUT ROUTINE
Short rest periods and multiple exercises using
minimal equipment for a faster pace. (For abs, we
offer a 10-minute routine instead of 15.)
>> “PRIORITY” WORKOUT ROUTINE
For targeting a specific area of a muscle that needs
to be brought up. A priority workout will train other
areas of the muscle as well (for example, the short
head of the biceps will also be worked in the long
head priority workout), just not to the extent of the
intended location.
>> GIANT-SET ROUTINE
All exercises are done consecutively without resting
between sets to achieve ultra-high intensity.
GYM: EVOLUTION FITNES S, (626) 793-5353;
>> STRENGTH ROUTINE
A L L B O D Y PA R T P H O T O S BY R O B E R T R E I F F
Lower reps, heavier weight and longer rest periods
for when pure strength and power are priorities.
>> GET RIPPED ROUTINE
High volume, high reps and short rest periods
to increase intensity and boost metabolism for
The following 20
greater fat-burning potential.
pages are chock-
full of routines, so
>> GET SUPERPUMPED ROUTINE unrack the weight
High reps and short rest periods for increased and start lifting
blood flow to muscles.
103
WORKOUT CENTRAL
»WHEN TARGETING A SPECIFIC AREA of a muscle, CLOSE-GRIP
exercise selection is key. In the lower lats priority LAT PULLDOWN
workout, the movements (most notably back exer-
>> Pulling your elbows
cises performed using a narrow reverse grip,
down close to your body
including the chin) are all effective at zeroing in on targets the lower lat fibers
the lower portion of the lats, which, when fully
developed, create a more dramatic V-taper. In the
upper lats priority workout, all exercises are done
with a wide overhand grip, which helps develop
back width just below the armpits. Ideally you’d
utilize both underhand and overhand grips in a
given back workout, but each of the aforemen-
tioned routines are great for bringing up their
respective areas when a weakness is present.
MASS-BUILDING
EXERCISE
Deadlift
Bent-Over Barbell Row
Seated Cable Row
Lat Pulldown
BEGINNER’S
EXERCISE
Lat Pulldown
Machine Row
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
Standing Low-Cable Row
AT-HOME
EXERCISE
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
Straight-Arm Kickback
Dumbbell Pullover
15-MINUTE WORKOUT
EXERCISE
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown
Seated Cable Row
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
104 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007
LOWER LATS PRIORITY
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Reverse-Grip Bent-Over 4 10, 10, 12, 12
Barbell Row
Close-Grip Lat Pulldown 4 8, 8, 10, 10
Straight-Arm Pulldown 3 10, 12, 15
Chin 3 to failure
UPPER LATS PRIORITY
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown 4 6, 10, 12, 15
Wide-Grip Bent-Over 3 10, 10, 10
Barbell Row
Wide-Grip Seated 3 8, 10, 12
Cable Row
Wide-Grip Pull-Up 3 to failure
GIANT-SET WORKOUT *
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Deadlift 4 10, 10, 10, 10
Bent-Over Barbell Row 4 10, 10, 10, 10
Rack Pull 4 10, 10, 10, 10
Pull-Up 4 to failure
* A giant set consists of four or more exercises performed
consecutively without rest as a means to increase intensity
and promote muscle growth. Do one set of each exercise back-
to-back — that’s one giant set. Rest three minutes between each
giant set.
SETS REPS
5 6, 6, 8, 10, 12 STRENGTH
5 8, 8, 10, 10, 12 EXERCISE SETS* REPS
4 8, 8, 10, 12 One-Arm Dumbbell Row 4 4, 4, 6, 8
3 8, 10, 12 Machine Low Row 4 4, 4, 6, 8
T-Bar Row 3 4, 6, 6
Seated Cable Row 3 4, 6, 6
SETS REPS (wide grip)
4 10, 10, 12, 12 * Rest 2–3 minutes between each set.
3 10, 10, 10
3 10, 10, 10 GET RIPPED
3 12, 12, 12 EXERCISE SETS* REPS
Dumbbell Deadlift 5 10, 12, 12, 15, 20
Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown 4 12, 12, 15, 15
SETS REPS Dumbbell Pullover 4 15, 15, 20, 20
4 8, 10, 12, 20 Lat Pulldown 4 10, 12, 15, 20
4 10, 12, 12, 20 * Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
4 8, 8, 12, 20
GET SUPERPUMPED
ONE-ARM
EXERCISE SETS* REPS
DUMBBELL
SETS* REPS Bent-Over Barbell Row 4 10, 10, 30, 30
ROW
3 6, 10, 15 Seated Cable Row 4 10, 10, 30, 30
>> Concentrate
3 6, 10, 15 Lat Pulldown 4 10, 10, 30, 30 on pulling with
3 6, 10, 15 * Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set. your back and
Note: The above workouts don’t include warm-up sets. not your biceps
Unless otherwise noted, rest 60–90 seconds between all sets.
MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 105
WORKOUT CENTRAL
»THE MASS-BUILDING WORKOUT at right incor- MASS-BUILDING
porates three variables that are crucial to adding EXERCISE
size: 1) compound exercises in the form of barbell Incline Bench Press
and dumbbell presses and dips; 2) high volume, as Dumbbell Bench Press
the workout consists of 17 total sets, including five Dumbbell Decline Flye
each for the first two exercises; 3) rep ranges of
Weighted Dip
8–12 (the exception being two sets of six on the
incline bench press), which is the optimal rep
BEGINNER’S
scheme for promoting hypertrophy. Weighted, not
EXERCISE
bodyweight, dips are included to maintain this rep
Machine Chest Press
range, since many individuals are able to exceed
Machine Incline Press
12 reps without added resistance. The routine
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Flye
attacks all areas of the chest — upper, middle and
lower pecs with incline presses, flat-bench dumb-
AT-HOME
bell presses and decline flyes, respectively — to
achieve overall development. EXERCISE
Dumbbell Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Flye
Decline Push-Up
15-MINUTE WORKOUT
EXERCISE
Smith Machine Incline Press
Smith Machine Bench Press
Smith Machine Decline Press
Pec-Deck Flye
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
106 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007
WEIGHTED
DIP
SETS REPS
A
>> Allow yourself
5 6, 6, 8, 10, 12 to lean forward
5 8, 8, 10, 10, 12 to better target
4 8, 8, 10, 12 the pecs
3 8, 10, 12
SETS REPS
4 10, 10, 12, 12
3 10, 10, 10
3 10, 10, 10
B
SETS REPS
4 8, 10, 12, 20
GIANT-SET WORKOUT *
4 10, 12, 12, 20
EXERCISE SETS REPS
4 to failure
Incline Dumbbell Flye 4 10, 10, 10, 10
Bench Press 4 10, 10, 10, 10
Decline Dumbbell Press 4 10, 10, 10, 10
SETS* REPS
Pec-Deck Flye 4 10, 10, 10, 10
3 6, 10, 15
* A giant set consists of four or more exercises performed
3 6, 10, 15 consecutively without rest as a means to increase intensity and
3 6, 10, 15 promote muscle growth. Do one set of each exercise back-to-
1 50 back — that’s one giant set. Rest three minutes between each
giant set.
DECLINE STRENGTH
EXERCISE SETS* REPS
BENCH PRESS
Bench Press 4 4, 4, 6, 8
>> Bring the bar to your
lower chest/upper abs Incline Dumbbell Press 4 4, 4, 6, 8
on each rep Decline Bench Press 3 4, 6, 6
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Flye 3 4, 6, 6
* Rest 2–3 minutes between each set.
GET RIPPED
EXERCISE SETS* REPS
LOWER CHEST PRIORITY Incline Dumbbell Press 5 10, 12, 12, 15, 20
EXERCISE SETS REPS Flat-Bench Dumbbell Flye 4 12, 12, 15, 15
Decline Bench Press 4 10, 10, 12, 12 Dumbbell Pullover 4 15, 15, 20, 20
Upright Cable 4 8, 8, 10, 10 Weighted Dip 4 10, 12, 15, 20
Crossover
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
Dumbbell Bench Press 3 10, 12, 15
Weighted Dip 3 to failure
GET SUPERPUMPED
EXERCISE SETS* REPS
UPPER CHEST PRIORITY Smith Machine 4 10, 10, 30, 30
EXERCISE SETS REPS Bench Press
Incline Smith 4 6, 10, 12, 15 Flat-Bench Cable Flye 4 10, 10, 30, 30
Machine Press
Incline Cable Flye 4 10, 10, 30, 30
Incline Dumbbell Press 3 10, 10, 10
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
Incline Dumbbell Flye 3 8, 10, 12 Note: The above workouts don’t include warm-up sets.
Decline Push-Up 3 to failure Unless otherwise noted, rest 60–90 seconds between all sets.
MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 107
WORKOUT CENTRAL

»STRONG LEGS ARE OFTEN what make a decent SMITH INNER QUAD PRIORITY STRENGTH
body a complete one, and our quad strength work- MACHINE EXERCISE SETS REPS EXERCISE SETS* REPS
out will help you add size and power. It includes all FRONT SQUAT Wide-Stance Smith 4 10, 10, 12, 12 Squat 4 4, 4, 6, 8
the aspects any good strength routine needs: >> Don’t stop at parallel; Machine Squat Single-Leg Leg Press 4 4, 4, 6, 8
compound exercises that allow you to move a lot bury the front squat High and Wide Leg Press 4 8, 8, 10, 10 Hack Squat 3 4, 6, 6
of weight; slightly lower volume (fewer total sets) deep in the hole Leg Extension (toes out) 4 10, 12, 15, 15 * Rest 2–3 minutes between each set.
than a typical mass-gaining workout so as not to
exhaust your muscles too much; heavy weight with OUTER QUAD PRIORITY GET RIPPED
low reps (mostly 4–6); and, of course, longer rest EXERCISE SETS REPS EXERCISE SETS* REPS
periods to ensure adequate recovery between Narrow-Stance Hack Squat 4 6, 10, 12, 15 Leg Extension 5 10, 12, 12, 15, 20
sets. The single-leg leg press is one exercise you Smith Machine Front Squat 3 10, 10, 10 Leg Press 4 12, 12, 15, 15
don’t often see in a hardcore strength routine, but
Sissy Squat 3 8, 10, 12 Smith Machine Front Squat 4 15, 15, 20, 20
it’s great for determining whether one leg is weaker
Leg Extension (toes in) 3 8, 10, 12 Sissy Squat 4 10, 12, 15, 20
than the other and for promoting balanced
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
strength in the lower body.
GIANT-SET WORKOUT *
EXERCISE SETS REPS GET SUPERPUMPED
Leg Extension 4 10, 10, 10, 10 EXERCISE SETS* REPS
Hack Squat 4 10, 10, 10, 10 Squat 4 10, 10, 30, 30
Leg Press 4 10, 10, 10, 10 Leg Press 4 10, 10, 30, 30
Smith Machine Front Squat 4 10, 10, 10, 10 Leg Extension 4 10, 10, 30, 30
* A giant set consists of four or more exercises performed * Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
consecutively without rest as a means to increase intensity and Note: The above workouts don’t include warm-up sets.
promote muscle growth. Do one set of each exercise back-to-back Unless otherwise noted, rest 60–90 seconds between all sets.
— that’s one giant set. Rest three minutes between each giant set.

MASS-BUILDING
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Squat 5 6, 6, 8, 10, 12
Leg Press 5 8, 8, 10, 10, 12
Hack Squat 4 8, 8, 10, 12
Leg Extension 3 8, 10, 12

BEGINNER’S
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Smith Machine Squat 4 10, 10, 12, 12
Horizontal Leg Press 3 10, 10, 10
Lunge 3 10, 10, 10
Leg Extension 3 10, 10, 10

AT-HOME
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Dumbbell Squat 4 8, 10, 12, 20
Sissy Squat 4 10, 12, 12, 20
Dumbbell Step-Up 4 12, 12, 15, 20

15-MINUTE WORKOUT HACK SQUAT

EXERCISE SETS* REPS >> Don’t let your heels
come up off the platform
Leg Extension 3 6, 10, 15
as you descend; keep
Machine Leg Press 3 6, 10, 15 your feet flat throughout
Bodyweight Jump Squat 3 to failure
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set. A B

108 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007 MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 109

WORKOUT CENTRAL
»THE HAMSTRINGS ARE ONE of the toughest MASS-BUILDING
muscle groups to train at home, since most of us EXERCISE
rely on leg curl machines at the gym to train the Squat
backs of our thighs. That said, our at-home hammie Romanian Deadlift
routine provides an intense training session to Good Morning
help you build bigger legs. An important caveat
Leg Curl
concerns exercises such as squats, leg presses
and lunges, which mainly work the quads but will
BEGINNER’S
also stress the hams and glutes if performed
EXERCISE
through a full range of motion. There’s a lot of
Leg Press
crossover in the routines featured at right; com-
Leg Curl
plete isolation of just the hamstrings often isn’t
Dumbbell Lunge
possible or even necessary. Your hammies will still
get a great workout, even if your quads and glutes
come into play a bit. AT-HOME
EXERCISE
Reverse Hamstring Curl
Exercise-Ball Roll-In
Dumbbell Romanian
Deadlift
15-MINUTE WORKOUT
EXERCISE
Smith Machine
Romanian Deadlift
Reverse Hamstring
Extension
Weighted Glute-Ham Raise
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
A Barbell Hack Squat
B
110 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007
SETS REPS
5 6, 6, 8, 10, 12
5 8, 8, 10, 10, 12
4 8, 8, 10, 12
3 8, 10, 12
SETS REPS
4 10, 10, 12, 12
3 10, 10, 10
3 10, 10, 10
SETS REPS
4 30-second hold
4 10, 12, 12, 20
4 12, 12, 15, 20
SETS REPS
3 6, 10, 15
3 6, 10, 15
3 6, 10, 15
REVERSE
HAMSTRING
EXTENSION
>> A tough move with-
out resistance; add a
light dumbbell to make
it even tougher
INNER HAMSTRING PRIORITY
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Sumo Squat 4 10, 10, 12, 12
Seated Leg Curl (toes in) 4 8, 8, 10, 10
Lateral Lunge 4 10, 12, 15, 15
OUTER HAMSTRING PRIORITY
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Squat 4 6, 10, 12, 15
Stiff-Legged Deadlift 3 10, 10, 10
Lying Leg Curl (toes out) 3 8, 10, 12
Barbell Step-Up 3 8, 10, 12
GIANT-SET WORKOUT *
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Smith Machine Squat 4 10, 10, 10, 10
Lying Leg Curl 4 10, 10, 10, 10
Weighted Glute-Ham 4 10, 10, 10, 10
Raise
Dumbbell Romanian 4 10, 10, 10, 10
Deadlift
* A giant set consists of four or more exercises performed
consecutively without rest as a means to increase intensity and
promote muscle growth. Do one set of each exercise back-to-
back — that’s one giant set. Rest three minutes between each
giant set.
STRENGTH
EXERCISE SETS* REPS GOOD
4 4, 4, 6, 8 MORNING
Romanian Deadlift 4 4, 4, 6, 8 >> Always think
Good Morning 4 4, 4, 6, 8 “chest up, back
flat” on the descent
*Rest 2–3 minutes between each set.
GET RIPPED A
EXERCISE SETS* REPS
B
Leg Press 5 10, 12, 12, 15, 20
Dumbbell Stiff-Legged 4 12, 12, 15, 15
Deadlift
Leg Curl 4 15, 15, 20, 20
Split Jump Squat 4 to failure
*Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
GET SUPERPUMPED
EXERCISE SETS* REPS
Squat 4 10, 10, 30, 30
Romanian Deadlift 4 10, 10, 30, 30
Weighted Glute-Ham Raise 4 10, 10, 30, 30
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
Note: The above workouts don’t include warm-up sets.
Unless otherwise noted, rest 60–90 seconds between all sets.
WORKOUT CENTRAL
»TRAINING A RELATIVELY SMALL BODYPART MASS-BUILDING
(abs, calves, forearms) in 15 minutes is no big deal, EXERCISE
but getting a sufficient shoulder workout in such Overhead Barbell Press
a short time is a much bigger challenge. The 15- Upright Row
minute workout at right, however, makes it possi- Dumbbell Lateral Raise
ble with only nine total sets and 30-second rest
Bent-Over Lateral Raise
periods in between. Most important, all three
exercises use the same equipment (dumbbells and
BEGINNER’S
a low-back seat), so no relocation is necessary.
EXERCISE
And just because you’re short on time doesn’t
Machine Overhead Press
mean you have to shortchange your shoulder
Cable Lateral Raise
development. All three heads get attention — front
Barbell Front Raise
and middle delts with overhead presses, middle
Reverse Pec-Deck Flye
delts with lateral raises and rear delts with bent-
over laterals.
AT-HOME
EXERCISE
Arnold Press
Seated Dumbbell
Lateral Raise
Dumbbell Upright Row
Seated Bent-Over
Lateral Raise
15-MINUTE WORKOUT
EXERCISE
Seated Overhead
Dumbbell Press
Seated Dumbbell
Lateral Raise
Seated Bent-Over
Lateral Raise
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
UPRIGHT ROW
>> Keep the bar very
close to your body on
each rep, elbows high
112 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007
SETS REPS
5 6, 6, 8, 10, 12
5 8, 8, 10, 10, 12
4 8, 8, 10, 12
3 8, 10, 12
SETS REPS
4 10, 10, 12, 12
3 10, 10, 10
3 10, 10, 10
3 10, 10, 10
SETS REPS
4 8, 10, 12, 20
4 10, 12, 12, 20
4 12, 12, 15, 20
3 12, 15, 15
FRONT DELT PRIORITY
EXERCISE
SETS* REPS
Neutral-Grip Dumbbell
3 6, 10, 15 Press
Arnold Press
3 6, 10, 15 Barbell Front Raise
Reverse Pec-Deck Flye
3 6, 10, 15
MIDDLE DELT PRIORITY & TRAPS
EXERCISE
Smith Machine
Behind-the-Neck Press
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Smith Machine Wide-Grip
Upright Row
Bent-Over Cable
Lateral Raise
Barbell Shrug
GIANT-SET WORKOUT *
EXERCISE
Overhead Dumbbell Press
Seated Dumbbell
Lateral Raise
Dumbbell Front Raise
Bent-Over Lateral Raise
* A giant set consists of four or more exercises performed
consecutively without rest as a means to increase intensity
and promote muscle growth. Do one set of each exercise
back-to-back — that’s one giant set. Rest three minutes
between each giant set.
A B
OVERHEAD
DUMBBELL
PRESS
SETS REPS >> Hits all three delt
heads, with empha-
4 10, 10, 12, 12
sis on the front and
middle delts
4 8, 8, 10, 10
3 10, 12, 15
STRENGTH
3 10, 12, 15
EXERCISE SETS* REPS
Overhead Barbell Press 4 4, 4, 6, 8
Upright Row 4 4, 4, 6, 8
SETS REPS
Cable Lateral Raise 3 4, 6, 6
4 6, 10, 12, 15
Reverse Pec-Deck Flye 3 4, 6, 6
* Rest 2–3 minutes between each set.
3 10, 10, 10
3 8, 10, 12
GET RIPPED
3 8, 10, 12 EXERCISE SETS* REPS
Smith Machine Upright Row 5 10, 12, 12, 15, 20
3 8, 10, 12 Cable Front Raise 4 12, 12, 15, 15
Cable Lateral Raise 4 15, 15, 20, 20
Dumbbell Shrug 4 10, 12, 15, 20
SETS REPS * Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
4 10, 10, 10, 10
4 10, 10, 10, 10 GET SUPERPUMPED
EXERCISE SETS* REPS
4 10, 10, 10, 10
Machine Overhead Press 4 10, 10, 30, 30
4 10, 10, 10, 10
Dumbbell Upright Row 4 10, 10, 30, 30
Reverse Pec-Deck Flye 4 10, 10, 30, 30
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
Note: The above workouts don’t include warm-up sets.
Unless otherwise noted, rest 60–90 seconds between all sets.
MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 113
WORKOUT CENTRAL

»THE BICEPS MUSCLES provide arguably the

A
GET RIPPED
most satisfying pump, making the sleeves of your EXERCISE SETS* REPS
T-shirt feel as if they’re two sizes too small at the Alternating Dumbbell Curl 5 10, 12, 12, 15, 20
end of an intense workout. The “Get Super- Barbell Preacher Curl 4 12, 12, 15, 15
pumped” workout at right was designed to stretch Dumbbell Curl (21s^) 4 21
your sleeves just a bit more to help spark long-
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
term muscle growth and assist you in breaking ^ For each set, do seven reps using just the bottom half of the
through even the most stubborn plateau. Exercise range of motion, followed by seven reps using just the top half
selection is fairly basic, with the only possible of the range of motion, followed by seven reps using a full range
of motion.
exception being the high-cable curl for the con-
stant tension cables provide. The hallmark of the
routine is the high-rep sets (30 reps), which GET SUPERPUMPED
increase blood flow to the working muscles, pre- EXERCISE SETS* REPS

ceded by sets of 10 reps to promote hypertrophy. Barbell Curl 4 10, 10, 30, 30
High-Cable Curl 4 10, 10, 30, 30
Hammer Curl 4 10, 10, 30, 30
MASS-BUILDING
*Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Note: The above workouts don’t include warm-up sets.
Barbell Curl 4 6, 8, 10, 12 Unless otherwise noted, rest 60–90 seconds between all sets.
Preacher Curl 4 6, 8, 10, 12
Incline Dumbbell Curl 4 8, 8, 10, 12
High-Cable Curl 3 8, 10, 12

BEGINNER’S
EXERCISE SETS REPS
EZ-Bar Curl 4 10, 10, 12, 12
Machine Preacher Curl 3 10, 10, 10
B
Cable Concentration Curl 3 10, 10, 10

BICEPS SHORT HEAD PRIORITY

AT-HOME EXERCISE SETS REPS
EXERCISE SETS REPS Dumbbell Preacher Curl 4 6, 10, 12, 15
Standing Dumbbell Curl 4 10, 12, 12, 20 Scott Curl 3 10, 10, 10
Dumbbell Curl (21s*) 4 21 Standing Dumbbell Curl 3 8, 10, 12
Concentration Curl 4 12, 12, 15, 20 Wide-Grip Barbell Curl 3 8, 10, 12
* For each set, do seven reps using just the bottom half of the
range of motion, followed by seven reps using just the top half
of the range of motion, followed by seven reps using a full
GIANT-SET WORKOUT *
range of motion. EXERCISE SETS REPS
Preacher Curl 4 10, 10, 10, 10

15-MINUTE WORKOUT Scott Curl 4 10, 10, 10, 10

EXERCISE SETS* REPS Incline Dumbbell Curl 4 10, 10, 10, 10

Cable Curl 3 6, 10, 15 Standing Dumbbell Curl 4 10, 10, 10, 10

High-Cable Curl 3 6, 10, 15 * A giant set consists of four or more exercises performed
consecutively without rest as a means to increase intensity and
Cable Concentration Curl 3 6, 10, 15
promote muscle growth. Do one set of each exercise back-to-
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set. back — that’s one giant set. Rest three minutes between each
giant set.

BICEPS OUTER HEAD CLOSE-GRIP DUMBBELL

(“PEAK”) PRIORITY STRENGTH PREACHER
BARBELL
EXERCISE SETS REPS EXERCISE SETS* REPS
CURL CURL
Close-Grip Barbell Curl 4 10, 10, 12, 12 Barbell Curl 4 4, 4, 6, 8 >> By using dumbbells
>> Want the “peak”?
Incline Dumbbell Curl 4 8, 8, 10, 10 Smith Machine Drag Curl 4 4, 4, 6, 8 simultaneously, you
Narrow your grip
can better detect
Hammer Curl 4 10, 12, 15, 15 Hammer Curl 4 4, 4, 6, 8 on the bar
muscular imbalances
Cable Curl 3 10, 10, 12 * Rest 2–3 minutes between each set.

114 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007 MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 115

WORKOUT CENTRAL
»THE BEAUTY OF THE GIANT-SET workout for MASS-BUILDING
triceps lies not just in its intensity but in its diver- EXERCISE
sity. The lying triceps dumbbell extension that Lying Triceps Barbell
starts off the routine is a good overall triceps Extension
developer that works well for adding mass. The Weighted Bench Dip
seated overhead dumbbell extension places more Close-Grip Bench Press
emphasis on the long head, followed by the two- Straight-Bar Pressdown
arm kickback, which is more of a shaping exercise
that requires the use of lighter weights. The close- BEGINNER’S
grip push-up hits the triceps’ lateral heads espe- EXERCISE
cially well while utilizing higher reps (since you use
V-Bar Pressdown
only your bodyweight) for three high-intensity
Dumbbell Kickback
burnout sets. When doing giant sets, choose a first
Seated Overhead Cable
exercise that allows you to go heavy, then progress Extension
to lighter and lighter moves.
AT-HOME
EXERCISE
Close-Grip Push-Up
Lying Triceps
Dumbbell Extension
Dumbbell Kickback
15-MINUTE WORKOUT
EXERCISE
Standing Overhead
Cable Extension
Reverse-Grip Pressdown
EZ-Bar Pressdown
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
SEATED
OVERHEAD
DUMBBELL
EXTENSION
>> An attentive spotter
can help with forced
reps and take the weight
at the end of the set
120 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007
SETS REPS
4 6, 8, 10, 12
4 6, 8, 10, 12
4 6, 8, 10, 12
3 8, 10, 12
SETS REPS
4 10, 10, 12, 12
3 10, 10, 10
3 10, 10, 10
SETS REPS
4 8, 10, 12, 20
4 10, 12, 12, 20
4 12, 12, 15, 20
SETS* REPS
3 6, 10, 15 TRICEPS LONG HEAD PRIORITY
EXERCISE
3 6, 10, 15
45-Degree Lying Triceps
3 6, 10, 15 EZ-Bar Extension
Seated Overhead
Dumbbell Extension
Weighted Bench Dip
Straight-Bar Pressdown
TRICEPS LATERAL HEAD PRIORITY
EXERCISE
Close-Grip Bench Press
Rope Pressdown
Seated Overhead
Dumbbell Extension
GIANT-SET WORKOUT
EXERCISE
Lying Triceps
Dumbbell Extension
Seated Overhead
Dumbbell Extension
Two-Arm Dumbbell Kickback
Close-Grip Push-Up
* A giant set consists of four or more exercises performed
consecutively without rest as a means to increase intensity and
promote muscle growth. Do one set of each exercise back-to-
back — that’s one giant set. Rest three minutes between each
giant set.
A B
SETS REPS
4 10, 10, 12, 12
4 8, 8, 10, 10
4 10, 12, 15, 15
3 10, 10, 12
SETS REPS
5 6, 8, 10, 10, 12
3 8, 10, 12
3 8, 10, 12
* Triceps Dip
SETS REPS
4 10, 10, 10, 10
4 10, 10, 10, 10
4 10, 10, 10, 10
4 to failure
WEIGHTED
BENCH DIP
>> A rare compound
move for tri’s that’s sure
to add strength and size
STRENGTH
EXERCISE SETS* REPS
Close-Grip Smith Machine 4 4, 4, 6, 8
Bench Press
Seated Overhead Cable 4 4, 4, 6, 8
Extension
Straight-Bar Pressdown 4 4, 4, 6, 8
* Rest 2–3 minutes between each set.
GET RIPPED
EXERCISE SETS* REPS
Reverse-Grip Pressdown 5 10, 12, 12, 15, 20
Weighted Bench Dip 4 12, 12, 15, 15
4 to failure
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
GET SUPERPUMPED
EXERCISE SETS* REPS
Lying Triceps EZ-Bar 4 10, 10, 30, 30
Extension
Seated Overhead Rope 4 10, 10, 30, 30
Extension
Rope Pressdown 4 10, 10, 30, 30
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
Note: The above workouts don’t include warm-up sets.
Unless otherwise noted, rest 60–90 seconds between all sets.
MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 121
WORKOUT CENTRAL

»WITH ONE OF THEIR MAIN DUTIES being to

assist in gripping, the forearms are some of the B
most functional muscles we have. If you lack grip
strength, you’ll never reach your full potential in
the weight room, especially on exercises such as
deadlifts and rows. Unfamiliar with the exercises
in the grip-strength workout? For the horizontal
cable hold, stand in the middle of a cable crossover
station with D-handles set to shoulder level, select
a heavy weight, grasp the handles and stand in an
iron cross position for the allotted time; on the
plate pinch, hold two 10-pound plates in each hand
down at your sides and pinch the plates together BEHIND-THE-
with your fingers (progress to heavier plates as BACK WRIST CURL
you grow stronger); and for the straight-arm >> Although the range of
hang, simply hang from a pull-up bar with your motion is small, the benefits
arms straight, hands shoulder-width apart, for as are huge. Hold the peak
long as you can. position as long as possible

MASS-BUILDING
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Reverse Barbell Curl 4 6, 8, 10, 12
Hammer Curl 4 8, 10, 10, 12
Barbell Wrist Curl 4 6, 8, 10, 12
Behind-the-Back Wrist Curl 3 8, 10, 12

BEGINNER’S
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Dumbbell Wrist Curl 3 10, 10, 10
Standing Cable Wrist Curl 3 10, 10, 10

AT-HOME
EXERCISE SETS REPS
REVERSE
Dumbbell Reverse Curl 4 8, 10, 12, 20
BARBELL CURL
Zottman Curl 3 10, 12, 20
>> For added intensity,
Hammer Curl 3 12, 12, 15 keep your thumbs on the
Dumbbell Wrist Curl 2 10, 10 same side of the bar as
your fingers

GRIP STRENGTH
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Horizontal Cable Hold 4 30 seconds A
Plate Pinch 3 30 seconds
Straight-Arm Hang 3 to failure

GET SUPERPUMPED
EXERCISE SETS* REPS
Reverse Scott Curl 4 10, 10, 30, 30
Reverse Barbell Curl 4 10, 10, 30, 30
Barbell Wrist Curl 4 10, 10, 30, 30
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
Note: The above workouts don’t include warm-up sets.
Unless otherwise noted, rest 60–90 seconds between all sets.

122 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007 MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 123

WORKOUT CENTRAL

»IN MOST BEGINNER’S WORKOUTS,the exercises

A B

aren’t too different from those in an advanced

lifter’s routine; instead, volume and intensity tend
to be somewhat lower for the beginner. Basic
mass- and strength-building moves are good for
trainees of all levels, and you’ll continue to use DONKEY
seated and standing calf raises indefinitely in your CALF RAISE
lower-leg training. For beginners, the key is to take
>> For comfort,
this time to master technique so you don’t form the pad should
bad habits, especially with a bodypart as stubborn rest across your
as the calves. When training calves, no matter the glutes and low
back
exercise, be sure to go all the way up onto your
toes at the top of each rep and go all the way down
at the bottom for a stretch. Using a full range of
MASS-BUILDING
EXERCISE SETS REPS
motion is a must for turning your calves into cows.
Standing Calf Raise 5 8, 10, 12, 15, 25
Seated Calf Raise 5 8, 10, 12, 15, 25
Leg Press Calf Raise 3 10, 15, 20

BEGINNER’S
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Standing Calf Raise 2 15, 15
Seated Calf Raise 2 15, 15

AT-HOME
EXERCISE SETS REPS
One-Leg Dumbbell 4 10, 10, 15, 15
Calf Raise
Seated Dumbbell 4 10, 10, 15, 15
Calf Raise

GIANT-SET WORKOUT *
EXERCISE SETS REPS
Standing Smith Machine 4 15, 15, 20, 20
Calf Raise
Seated Smith Machine 4 15, 15, 20, 20
Calf Raise
Donkey Calf Raise 4 15, 15, 20, 20
Leg Press Calf Raise 4 15, 15, 20, 20
* A giant set consists of four or more exercises performed
consecutively without rest as a means to increase intensity and
promote muscle growth. Do one set of each exercise back-to-
back — that’s one giant set. Rest three minutes between each
giant set.

GET SUPERPUMPED
EXERCISE SETS* REPS
Donkey Calf Raise 4 10, 10, 30, 30
Leg Press Calf Raise 4 10, 10, 30, 30 SEATED
Standing Power Rack 4 10, 10, 30, 30 CALF RAISE
Calf Raise
>> The bent-leg calf
* Rest no more than 30 seconds between each set.
raise stresses the
Note: The above workouts don’t include warm-up sets.
underlying soleus
Unless otherwise noted, rest one minute between all sets.
muscle

124 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007 125

WORKOUT CENTRAL

»FOR MOST PEOPLE, the lower abs are by far the

BEGINNER’S
most difficult region of the midsection to carve out,
since this area typically attracts more bodyfat as
EXERCISE SETS REPS B
Crunch 2 15, 15
opposed to just under your pecs. A clean diet is cru-
Reverse Crunch 2 15, 15
cial to great lower abs, but the muscles also need to
be fully developed to show through. All three exer-
cises in the lower abs priority workout entail
AT-HOME
EXERCISE SETS REPS
crunching the pelvis up and toward the ribcage, the
Double Crunch 2 20, 20
opposite motion of the standard crunch, in which
the pelvis remains stationary and the shoulders Crossover Crunch 2 15, 15

and chest move, targeting the upper abs. Our rep Scissor Kick 2 10, 10

ranges (10–20) aren’t astronomical; it doesn’t take

sets of 50–100 to get abs, as long as you perform 10-MINUTE WORKOUT
each exercise slowly and under control. EXERCISE SETS* REPS
Hanging Leg Raise 2 15, 15
Kneeling Cable Crunch 2 15, 15
Decline Medicine-Ball 2 10, 10
Twist
* Perform these three exercises back-to-back without resting
between sets (called a tri-set). Rest one minute between each
tri-set.

UPPER ABS/OBLIQUES PRIORITY

EXERCISE SETS REPS
Decline Medicine-Ball Twist 2 15, 15
Lying Cable Crossover 2 15, 15
Crunch
Machine Crunch 2 15, 15

LOWER ABS PRIORITY

EXERCISE SETS REPS
Hanging Knee Raise 2 15, 15
Hip Thrust 2 10, 10
Scissor Kick 2 20, 20
Note: The above workouts don’t include warm-up sets.
Unless otherwise noted, rest 30–60 seconds between all sets.

A DECLINE
A MEDICINE-
B BALL TWIST
>> No spotter?
Bounce and catch
the ball on each side

DOUBLE CRUNCH
>> Train both upper and lower abs with this targeted move

126 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007 MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 127

WORKOUT CENTRAL
The No. 1 benefit
of having a
training partner:
forced reps
THE WEIDER PRINCIPLES
BUILD THE PERFECT ROUTINE — OR MAKE ANY WORKOUT BETTER — WITH THESE 24 TRIED-AND-
TRUE TRAINING PRINCIPLES, COLLECTED BY THE MASTER BLASTER HIMSELF, JOE WEIDER
In the preceding 85 workouts we’ve provided a multitude
of ways to thoroughly improve every major bodypart.
Each one relies on the strength of the chosen exercises, set
selection and rep ranges to target every muscle group.
However, as with any training program, you can take
what we’ve given and tweak it, depending on your level of
experience and need for higher intensities to blast through
any training plateau. The Weider Principles, a list of
weightlifting truisms gathered and honed by the father of
bodybuilding Joe Weider, have stood the test of time.
These 24 principles, which we’ve divided into three cate-
gories, have guided us for decades in our program design.
We highly recommend that you use them, too, as you learn
and advance your muscle-building efforts.
130 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007
PROGRAM DESIGN
CYCLE TRAINING Devote portions of your training
1 year to specific goals for strength, mass or getting
cut. This can help decrease your risk of injury and add
variety to your routine. Cycle periods of high intensity and
low intensity to allow for recovery and spur new gains.
ECLECTIC TRAINING Incorporate a diverse selection
2 of variables, such as set, rep and exercise schemes,
into your workout. Bodypart routines should utilize both
mass-building multijoint moves and single-joint exercises.
INSTINCTIVE TRAINING Experiment to develop an
3 instinct as to what works best for you. Use your
training results along with past experiences to constantly
fine-tune your program. Go by feel in the gym: If your
biceps just don’t feel like they’ve recovered from the last
workout, do another bodypart that day instead.
MUSCLE CONFUSION Constantly change variables
4 in your workout — number of sets, number of reps,
exercise choice, order of exercises, length of your rest
BODY
periods — to avoid getting in a rut and slowing growth.
INTENSITY BOOSTERS
CONTINUOUS TENSION Don’t allow a given muscle
5 to rest at the top or bottom of a movement. Control
SLAM
GET FIT FAST WITH THIS 40-MINUTE
FULL-BODY WORKOUT
both the positive and negative portions of a rep and avoid
momentum to maintain constant tension throughout the Sure, you’d like to go to the gym 4–6 days a week for
entire range of motion. an hour or so a pop, but real life doesn’t always work
FLUSHING TRAINING Train one bodypart with out as we plan.
6 multiple exercises (3–4) before you train another. When you find yourself short on time, or if you’re in
an extremely busy stretch and can’t make it to the gym
The “flushing” is your body sending a maximum amount
more than twice a week, you may want to hit your
of blood and muscle-building nutrients to that area to best whole body in one fell swoop. This regimen gives you
stimulate growth. the tools to do just that.
HOLISTIC TRAINING Use numerous training tech- The key to this workout is that it contains one exer-
7 niques (low and high reps, faster and slower speeds,
cise for each bodypart that hits the greatest amount of
and alternate exercises) to stimulate maximum muscle muscle fibers, so you get the most bang for your buck.
fibers. Don’t always approach exercises with the same Notice how each movement is a basic, core exercise
6–10-repetition sets; try lightening the load and going for for the respective muscle group, as opposed to a strict
20 reps in some training sessions to build endurance- isolation move. To speed things along, you’ll rest only
30 seconds between each set and do only 1–2 sets per
related muscle fibers.
exercise. Even though you’ll get in and out of the gym in
ISOLATION TRAINING This is a technique designed
8 to work individual muscles without involving adja- about 40 minutes, it’s crucial that you make the most
of every set, taking each one to failure at close to the
cent muscles or muscle groups. A pressdown for triceps suggested number of reps to promote hypertrophy.
(rather than a close-grip bench press) is an example of an To avoid injury, do 1–2 light warm-up sets before your
isolation movement. working sets for each exercise.
ISO-TENSION Between sets (or even between Ideally, when training for muscle size or strength,
9 workouts), flex and hold various muscles for 6–10 you should perform bodypart routines on different
seconds, keeping them fully contracted before releasing. days and train with higher volume. That said, employ
Competitive bodybuilders use this technique to enhance this routine only when you have a time crunch, as it
their posing ability through increased muscle control. won’t maximize the gains you’d see when training
longer and more frequently. But when “one of those
MUSCLE PRIORITY Hit your weakest bodypart
10 first in a workout or bodypart split, when you can weeks” is upon you, this 40-minute full-body gauntlet
should keep your training goals on track.
train with more weight and intensity because your energy
level is higher.
PEAK CONTRACTION Squeeze your contracted THE BODY SLAM WORKOUT
11 muscle isometrically at the endpoint of a rep to BODYPART EXERCISE SETS REPS
intensify effort. Hold the weight in the fully contracted CHEST Incline Barbell 2 8, 12
position for up to two seconds at the top of an exercise. Press
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD To continue making BACK Bent-Over Row 2 8, 12
12 gains, your muscles need to work harder in a pro- LEGS Barbell Squat 2 8, 12
gressive manner from one workout to the next. During SHOULDERS Overhead 2 8, 12
most of your training cycle, try to increase your weights Dumbbell Press
each session, do more reps or sets, or decrease your rest TRAPS Barbell Shrug 1 12
periods between sets. BICEPS Close-Grip 1 12
PYRAMID TRAINING Incorporate a range of lighter Barbell Curl
13 to heavier weights for each exercise. Start light with
PHOTOGRAPHER’S NAME
TRICEPS Lying Triceps 1 12
Extension
higher reps (12–15) to warm up the muscle, then gradually
CALVES Donkey Calf Raise 1 25
increase the weight in each successive set while lowering
your reps (6–8). You could also reverse the procedure — ABS Double Crunch 1 to failure
moving from high weight and low reps to low weight and Note: The above workout doesn’t include warm-up sets.
high reps, aka a reverse pyramid. Rest 30 seconds between all sets.
WORKOUT CENTRAL
ADVANCED TRAINING TECHNIQUES
SUPERSETS Perform sets of two exercises for the
14 same or different muscle groups back-to-back with
no rest in between.
TRI-SETS Perform three consecutive exercises for
15 one muscle group in nonstop sequence.
GIANT SETS Four or more exercises for one muscle
16 group performed in back-to-back fashion without rest
in between.
BURNS Continue a set past the point at which you can
17 lift a weight through a full or even partial range of
motion with a series of rapid partial reps. Do this as long as
your muscles can move the weight, even if only a few inches.
CHEATING Use momentum (a slight swing of the
18 weight) to overcome a sticking point as you fatigue
near the end of a set. While doing heavy barbell curls, for
example, you might be able to perform only eight strict
reps to failure. A subtle swing of the weight or a slightly
faster rep speed may help you get 1–2 additional reps. For
advanced bodybuilders only.
DESCENDING OR DROP SETS After completing
19 your reps in a heavy set, quickly strip an equal
amount of weight from each side of the bar or select lighter
dumbbells. Continue to do reps until you fail, then strip
more weight off to complete even more reps.
Chatting on your
cell while spotting:
the ultimate gym
FORCED REPS Have a training partner assist you faux pas
20 with reps at the end of a set to help you train past
the point of momentary muscular failure. Your training
partner will lift the bar with just enough force to get you
past the sticking point.
NEGATIVES Resist the downward motion of a very
21 heavy weight. For example, on the bench press, use
a weight that’s 15%–25% heavier than you can typically
handle, and fight the negative as you slowly lower the bar
to your chest. Have your partner assist with the positive
portion of the rep.
PARTIAL REPS Do reps involving only a partial
22 range — at the top, in the middle or at the bottom —
of a movement.
PRE-EXHAUSTION Pre-exhaust a muscle with a
23 single-joint exercise before performing a multijoint
movement. In leg training, you can start with leg exten-
sions (which target the quads) before a set of squats (which
also work the glutes and hamstrings).
REST-PAUSE Take brief rest periods during a set of
24 a given exercise to squeeze more reps out of a set. Use
a weight you can lift for 2–3 reps, rest as long as 20 seconds,
then try for another 2–3 reps. Take another brief rest and go
again for as many reps as you can handle, and repeat one
more time.

SINS OF THE GYM

CHANCES ARE THAT IF YOU’RE NOT GROWING, YOU’RE MAKING ONE OF THESE SIX CRITICAL TRAINING MISTAKES
By Bill Geiger, MA

Take a look around the gym and you can easily spot the beginners: guys doing barbell curls in rhythm with a pelvic
Not Making the Not Putting Your Not Practicing Not Paying
thrust, and a lot of bouncing out of the hole in squats and bench presses. Too bad they’re not the only ones making
mistakes. In fact, intermediate- and advanced-level bodybuilders also commonly make critical errors in their
3) Most of Your 4) Mind to Work 5) the “Little Things” 6) Attention
Time at the Gym Once you’ve been training If there’s one thing If you’re lucky enough to
workouts, ultimately slowing their progress. And there are also some universal bad habits that we gym rats
If you’re a gym member, for a while, your muscles advanced lifters know, it’s have a training partner,
commit from time to time that could be a burden to those around us.
then you’re paying for the adapt and you no longer sore joints and aches and make sure you use that to
resources to build a bet- make strength and size pains. These problems your advantage, not as a
Unbridled do every exercise for This also applies to over- alternatives include using
1) Enthusiasm every bodypart, but that ambitious lifters who get cables for raises, both in
ter body. So why waste
time when you’re there?
gains the way you did as
a beginner. While switch-
don’t just go away when
you’re lifting heavy day
hindrance to your pro-
gress. Studies show that
You want to get big, but enthusiasm needs to be carried away with volume front and behind your Too often, you’ll see lifters ing up exercises can help, after day. The more those who lift in the pres-
Rome wasn’t built in a day, tempered because hor- and intensity. back, and doing the move- — regardless of their level it’s time to rethink your progress you make, the ence of others have a ten-
and you won’t be, either. mones that break down Not Learning ment with one arm as you
Doing hours of biceps muscle quickly start ris- 2) Every Variation lean to the side by grip-
of experience — spending
a great deal of their time
approach and try some
extraordinary methods
more important it is to
pay attention to all the
dency to push around
more weight than they
curls won’t make your ing. Expect to hit your of a Given Move ping a vertical post with resting in the gym. to jump-start serious things you skipped as a would lifting alone. And
arms grow any faster — body hard for 45–60 min- While you may know how your opposite hand. Whether it’s taking a muscle growth. beginner, Garett says. after your partner helps
and could be counterpro- utes total, about 30 min- to perform every exercise Virtually every exercise longer-than-necessary “Listen to your body and This includes making sure you push through your
ductive. “Enthusiasm is utes for a given muscle in your workout with text- can be tweaked. “Knowing breather between sets, focus on the pump and you do a thorough warm- heavy sets, be sure to
good if you’ve never group; you can’t maintain book technique, you’ll how to do a particular leaving their racked and feeling the muscle work, up, doing rotator-cuff return the favor. Margin-
worked out before and the intensity very long build thicker, denser mus- move a number of ways towel-shrouded equip- worrying less about sets stretches and exercises, alizing your duties as
you’re starting a new when your energy levels cles if you learn how to do can be helpful when ment for a bathroom and reps,” Garett says. stretching afterward a reciprocating spotter
program, but doing too are trailing off. Also, each of its variations. For there’s a line in front of break or rubbernecking “Consciously make the (especially your low back by going through the
much too fast won’t do remember that training instance, if you’re doing you for a given piece of to get a look at the hottie decision to challenge and hamstrings to help motions, chatting or look-
your body any good,” says stimulates the process of standing dumbbell lateral equipment, but each and on Cardio Row, extended yourself by doing exer- prevent low-back pain) ing away will keep your
Adam Garett, a certified muscle breakdown, but raises for your middle every variation also rest can be detrimental to cises you hate, or by using and knowing the differ- partner from reaching
personal trainer at Bally growth occurs after your delts, also try doing the works the muscle a little your progress. Go to the other high-intensity meth- ence between good and his goals and is an open
Total Fitness in Oakland workout during your move from a seated posi- differently, and this helps gym to work — use your ods such as rest-pause or bad pain. Over the long invitation for injuries.
Park, Florida. recovery period, which is tion or one arm at a time build the muscle more couch at home to lounge cycled training that you term, such little things will Besides, you’ll have time
“Beginners often try to aided by good nutrition.” while standing. Other fully,” Garett explains. and grow. haven’t tried before.” prove huge. to socialize postworkout.

132 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007 MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 133

WORKOUT CENTRAL
The “Do Not Do” List
GETTING LEAN
WE ALWAYS TELL YOU WHAT TO DO TO CHANGE THE WAY YOUR BODY LOOKS, BUT IF YOU’RE LOOKING
TO GET LEAN, YOU SHOULD ALSO KNOW WHAT HABITS TO AVOID By Eric Velazquez
Each month, we fill these pages with fitness and nutrition
“must dos” to educate you and keep you on the right track,
but sometimes the best way to develop good habits is by
learning what not to do.
If you’re looking to shed some bodyfat, there are some
very basic guidelines anyone can follow to start achieving
results. For some reason, however, there are still those who
make a few cardinal mistakes. Here we explain the 10
things you absolutely should not do if you want to get lean.
If you’re doing any of them, your physique is in big trouble.
Now go to your room and read.
Sticking to light weights and high reps
“Heavy weight just bulks you up,” says the shapeless gym
enthusiast. “Lighter weights with higher reps is what really
gets you ripped.” Tsk, tsk tsk. Mr. Nonsense and his amoebic
physique have good intentions, but this way of thinking is
as archaic as eight-track cassettes.
High-rep sets definitely have their place — increasing
muscular endurance and pump, for instance — but they
should never form the backbone of your program when
you’re trying to get lean. Sticking to lightweight sets (12–20
reps) for an extended period robs your muscles of what they
need most — a constant challenge. In the absence of new
stimuli, such as constantly increasing weight loads, your
muscles will simply grow content and either plateau or
backtrack in size and shape. Lifting heavier will help you
gain more lean tissue, which allows you to be slightly more
metabolic at rest. Plus, heavy training (6–8 reps) increases
the total caloric expenditure during and after your workout.
BEST TIP: Base your program on heavy, multijoint lifts
such as squats, deadlifts and various presses that recruit and
build more total muscle and burn more calories. Use mod-
erate- (10–12 reps) and lightweight (12–20 reps) sets to com-
plement your heavy training, not the other way around.
Performing cardio
before weight training
Some silly folks like to shamelessly exploit a fundamental
training mantra — that you should always train for priori-
ties. If losing bodyfat is your primary goal, for example,
then cardio should be your primary focus in the gym, right?
This is one case where your priorities are just backward,
pal. While cardio by itself is certainly productive, doing
cardio after your weight-training session is almost twice as
productive at burning fat.
Japanese researchers recently determined that doing a
weight workout before cardio resulted in significantly more
134 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007
fat-burning than doing cardio alone. In the study, a cardio-
only group burned just more than 20% of their total calories
from fat, while another group who did cardio after weights
burned nearly 50% of their total calories from fat. One rea-
son for this amazing disparity is that the body plows
through stored glycogen during your weight routine, mak-
ing fat the primary fuel source once it’s time for your cardio.
BEST TIP: Perform cardio when it’ll be most productive for
you — after you hit the weights. Try mixing in 3–4, 20–30-
minute, postlifting cardio sessions per week.
Eating fast-digesting carbs preworkout
Before you hit the gym, you definitely want to have some
protein, but some people still reach for white toast, Gatorade
and other fast-digesting carbs to round out their preworkout
meal. Somewhere on a cave wall it is written in ancient San-
skrit: A carb is a carb is a carb. Today, we know better.
You definitely don’t want to head to the gym on an
empty tank, which is why you should fuel up in the 60–90
minutes or so before your first rep. But before you guzzle a
sports drink or have a baked potato, know this: Fast-digest-
ing carbs will have a negative impact on your body’s ability
to burn fat for fuel in the gym because they boost insulin.
This anabolic hormone is great to boost after the workout
for encouraging muscle growth, but during the workout it
blunts fat-burning.
BEST TIP: While having some carbs in your system is ideal
preworkout, you’ll want to make smarter choices to keep
your fat-burning high. Take in 30–40 grams of slower-
digesting sources such as oatmeal, whole-grain bread, fruit
or sweet potatoes 15–30 minutes before training. Research
shows that athletes who eat these foods burn more fat.
Always doing steady-state cardio
at 70%–80% of max heart rate (MHR)
We love those skinny dudes who hit the treadmill with a
heart-rate monitor strapped around their chests — it helps
round out their already stylish headband-and-Adidas-
Gazelles look. But that leisurely prance is simply no match
for a hard-sweat, fat-nuking interval session.
Steady-state cardio done at 70%–80% of your max heart
rate will definitely eat away at bodyfat, but you may be sell-
ing yourself short. Your best bet is to train using intervals,
where you frequently alternate between bouts of high Progress makes
intensity (80%–90% MHR) and low intensity (50%–60% perfect. Always
MHR). This method of training leaves the body burning strive for greater
more fat long after you put in your last sprint — no heart- weight loads to get
big and lean
rate monitor required.
MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 135
WORKOUT CENTRAL

BEST TIP: Perform 20–30 minutes of interval training on a
treadmill, elliptical or bike 2–3 times per week. Try one
minute of high intensity (a fast run) followed by one
minute of low intensity (a slow walk) and keep repeating.
Avoiding caffeine,
green tea and carnitine
Men. We’re too proud to ask for directions, sure. That’s
because our navigational prowess makes it unnecessary for
us to do so. But we’re here to tell you that refusing to use
supplements to power your fat-fighting efforts could leave
you feeling as though you’re driving in circles.
When it comes to shedding bodyfat, there’s no substitute
for hard training and sound dieting. But that doesn’t mean
you shouldn’t use everything at your disposal to speed up
your results. Virtually every fat-burner on the market con-
tains some form of caffeine, green tea or carnitine. Why?
All three attack fat-burning from different sides, making
your training and nutritional efforts all the more produc-
ting the treadmill Maurice Greene–style, make sure you’ve
primed your body to hold on to as much muscle as possible.
Taking 10–20 grams of fast-digesting whey protein or 3–6
grams of amino acids before a hard cardio session — partic-
ularly those done in the morning on an empty stomach —
will help ensure that your body has available energy for the
work ahead rather than tapping into muscle protein.
BEST TIP: Take 3–6 grams of amino acids or consume a
light, 10–20-gram whey protein shake before cardio. This is
especially important for cardio before breakfast.
Eating three squares a day
We don’t blame you entirely for this one. The whole
“breakfast, lunch and dinner” approach to nutrition has
been an American mainstay seemingly since time began. It
has worked wonders, too, what with us Yanks now in the
midst of a national obesity epidemic.
This philosophy works for our armed forces, but unless
you’re doing 8-mile hikes with a 70-pound rucksack twice

It’s easy to eat like a maniac

after a hard workout, but some
guys miss the mark preworkout
tive. Caffeine binds to fat cells to enhance fat-burning dur-
ing exercise, green tea prevents the breakdown of the
metabolism-regulating neurotransmitter norepinephrine
and carnitine helps transport fat into the mitochondria of
cells, where they’re burned for energy. Avoiding these
supps is an easy way to downshift your progress.
BEST TIP: Take 200–400 mg of caffeine with breakfast and
200–400 mg 1–2 hours before your workout. Take 500 mg of
green tea extract three times a day, including one serving
just before your workout. Take 1–2 grams of carnitine three
times a day, including one serving just before and one serv-
ing immediately after your workout.
Avoiding protein or
amino acids before cardio
If you’re a regular m&f reader, you should know just how
important pre- and postworkout nutrition and supplemen-
tation is. It’s easy to eat like a maniac after a hard workout,
but some guys miss the mark when it comes to the pre-
workout prep, particularly in terms of halting muscle
catabolism on a cardio-only day. What a shame, because it’s
an easy fix.
Let’s not forget: Leaning out isn’t nearly as fun unless you
have some muscle underneath that blubber. So before hit-
a day, you’re better off consuming 5–6 small meals a day.
While some people rely on three squares to meet their daily
caloric needs, such larger infrequent meals can cause stom-
ach bloating, overeating, drops in blood sugar and greater
fat retention. Smaller, more frequent meals keep your
metabolism higher, allowing your body to use more of the
food for fuel instead of dropping it off on your waistline.
BEST TIP: Even if you’re chained to a desk for 10 hours a
day, make sure you consume small meals or snacks every
2–3 hours. Protein powders, canned tuna, nuts, jerky, fruit
and protein bars are all good things to keep on hand.
Sticking to straight sets in the gym
Three sets of 10 on every exercise, 1–2 minutes of rest
between sets, huh? Yawn. How long have you been doing
that, and how much has it helped you lean out? If you’re
reading this, the answers are probably “too long” and “not
much.” If you really want to blast away at stubborn fat
stores, you need to kick things up a notch.
Supersets are a perfect way to do that. Performing two or
more exercises back-to-back without rest can boost post-
workout growth hormone levels, thus increasing muscle
mass and stoking fat-burning without really increasing
your workout volume. Plus, moving from one exercise to
another with limited rest in between increases your calo-
ries burned during exercise.
BEST TIP: Try using an all-supersets workout for 2–4 weeks
to elevate your metabolism, burn more calories and boost
GH levels.
Eating carbs alone
Even the most dedicated, carb-deprived bodybuilders need
the occasional carb-heavy snack to keep their sanity intact.
So if your diet makes you feel as if you need to chow down
on a plain bagel from time to time, feel free to do so. Just
don’t have it alone! If you eat carbs by themselves, particu-
larly outside of training times, you might as well start
shopping for wider-waisted jeans.
It’s okay to have carbs when trying to get lean — just
make sure you have some protein, too. An extra glass of
milk, some egg whites or some cottage cheese are all suit-
able items to add to a carb-rich dish. The addition of pro-
tein will help slow the digestion of carbs, keeping your
body from storing them as fat.
BEST TIP: Never eat carbs alone. Always have them with
protein and small amounts of fat to slow digestion and keep
There’s no rest for
the ripped. Pushing
your body with
supersets burns
more bodyfat
your blood sugar levels in check. Eating fibrous veggies
such as broccoli, cauliflower and green beans helps ensure
slower digestion of all carbohydrates.
Being a night owl
We know how it is. After a hard day’s night at the gym, you
like to come home, refuel with food, plop down on the
couch and take inventory of your DVR list. After your
sixth episode of Rescue Me, however, you find that the night
has gotten away from you. Is it really 1:15? You finally com-
mit to exiting your recorded shows when you realize, Hey,
that’s Jessica Biel on Late Night with Conan O’Brien! There
goes another half-hour. Go to bed already!
Studies have shown that those of us who like to stay up
late — be it channel surfing, web browsing or just reading
— and get up early for work suffer the consequences by way
of the belly. That’s right — getting less sleep actually con-
tributes to higher levels of bodyfat over time.
BEST TIP: If you’re looking to drop bodyfat, then you need
to manage your time better, especially in the evening.
Wind down after your workout, get to bed at a decent hour
and aim to get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.

136 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007

WORKOUT CENTRAL
The “Do Not Do” List
GAINING MASS
FORGET ABOUT WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING. HERE ARE 10 THINGS YOU COULD BE DOING
WRONG IN YOUR QUEST FOR MORE MUSCLE By Eric Velazquez
Gaining muscle mass can be really easy if you do all the
right things. If you’re eating a high-protein diet, timing
your meals well, supplementing right and working out like
a madman, you’ll find gaining muscle a steady and fruitful
endeavor. But putting on a few pounds of lean mass can
also be an easy thing to completely screw up. We see it
every day — people making fundamental missteps that are
keeping them from their goals.
If you want thicker legs, a superwide back or shoulders
like Arnold’s, you’re going to need to train a little smarter.
Getting big isn’t just about eating more or lifting heavier —
it’s about knowing exactly what your body needs and
when. So check our list to see if you’re committing any of
these massive blunders.
Eating too much
Some people see bulking up as an excuse to eat everything
they see, figuring that the more they consume, the more
muscle they’ll be able to grow. Unfortunately, eating for
the sake of eating is nothing more than a first-class ticket
to fat camp.
Sure, if you’re looking to gain weight, you should eat
more food, but you need to be more selective than the next
guy, not less. If you’re trying to gain muscle — as we sus-
pect you are — without blowing up like a balloon, you must
carefully monitor your macronutrient intake. Eating indis-
criminately will just leave you bloated and doughy.
BEST TIP: All calories are not created equal. In general, a
bodybuilder looking to add muscle at a steady pace should
consume protein, carbs and fat at about a 40:40:20 ratio,
which can be altered slightly depending on progress. Pro-
tein is key to muscle gains — a 200-pound guy should get
200–400 grams of protein per day, spread out over several
small meals. And when it comes to the rest of your calories,
don’t reach for apple pie and Guinness. Instead, choose
plenty of vegetables, sweet potatoes, fruit, nuts and oatmeal.
Lifting too much
We know what you’re thinking: Big muscles are built with
big weights. That’s true, but the simplicity of that state-
ment has led many a lifter to sore joints, aching muscles
and stale results. Plowing through heavy workouts with
low reps (3–5) isn’t what builds muscles. It may build
strength, but not mass. And if — as so often happens —
sloppy form becomes the key to lifting these heavy
weights, then even the strength gains will plateau.
Doing your muscle-building reps in good style and doing
enough of them per set is the path to lean mass gains. For
138 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007
maximum growth and refinement, your muscles require
concentrated stimulation, not just a violent push to com-
plete a rep.
BEST TIP: Use weight loads that allow you to complete
6–10 controlled reps with good form. We guarantee that your
muscles will feel the effects tomorrow. Your mirror and the
scale will offer their testimony later.
Go big! (At least
as big as possible
while maintaining
strict form.)
Using too many single-joint exercises
What’s the deal — are you scared of the squat rack? Or do
you actually think that a two-hour biceps routine is going
to give you the physique you want? Sure, everyone wants
arms like The Oak’s and is willing to curl their way into
oblivion to get there. The problem is, 15 sets of heavy curls
twice a week won’t add muscle to your frame. Consider
that for every 10 pounds of lean mass you add, you gain
approximately 1 inch on your arms. Where do you think
you’re going to build those 10 pounds — at the pressdown
station? Hardly. If you’re expecting to get big, it’s time to
start going big.
BEST TIP: Build your program on big multijoint lifts for
total-body mass. The deadlift, squat, leg press, bench press,
barbell row and overhead press are just a few exercises that
force your body to recruit more muscle. Each workout,
regardless of the bodypart you’re training, should start off
with compound moves.
Where do you think you’re going
to build those 10 pounds — at
the pressdown station? Hardly
Doing too much cardio
You want to gain muscle but you don’t want to get fat in the
process. As a result, you keep the cardio high, doing 5–6
hard sessions per week, sometimes going up to an hour at a
time. So don’t be surprised when you don’t gain any mus-
cle — that type of alarmist training won’t help you get big-
ger. Remember when we said you’d need to train smarter?
Well, here’s your chance.
When you perform cardio in excess, your body needs to
find the energy somewhere. After it depletes your stored
glycogen, it likes to go looking for fat but will settle for
muscle if it needs to, which is the last thing you want when
trying to fill out that new XXXL T-shirt. Frequent bouts of
cardio also sap you of the precious vigor you need to push
around the big-boy weights.
BEST TIP: Limit your cardio to no more than three moder-
ately paced 20-minute sessions per week when trying to
gain mass.
Increasing your training volume
When you hit a rut in your mass-gaining phase, the first
thing that comes to mind is usually: I must not be doing
enough. Time to bump it up — a lot. Bump it up? We hate to
break it to you, but sometimes less is more.
We love lifting. We wish you could grow with every sin-
gle set and every single workout, but unfortunately that’s
not the way muscle works. Training too frequently or with
too many sets seems like the right thing to do if you want to
gain mass, but it’s actually counterproductive. Cranking up
the volume will eventually leave you overtrained, making
it even harder to gain muscle or lose bodyfat. (See “Too
Much of a Good Thing?” on page 148.)
BEST TIP: Limit your sets to 12–16 per bodypart and incor-
porate a few intensity techniques to take your muscles past
failure. Drop sets, supersets and forced reps — used spar-
ingly — are all good alternatives to maniacal amounts of
sets or workouts.
Banking on technology
Why do so many mass-seekers expect to get huge using
machines? The invention of the pec deck isn’t akin to the
cotton gin or the electric light bulb in terms of usefulness,
but it seems that a great deal of lifters are still in awe of it.
The fascination with the potential benefits of new technol-
ogy has every Tom, Dick and Harry waiting for their turn
at the incline iso-press and self-spotting machine press
instead of doing what successful bodybuilders have been
doing for a hundred years — taking heavy objects and mov-
ing them against the force of gravity.
Machines have certain advantages over free weights, but
overall there’s no replacing the muscle-building benefits of
barbells and dumbbells.
BEST TIP: Some machine work — Smith machines, cables,
etc. — in your program is beneficial for muscle gain and
refinement, but it should be limited to one or two exercises
per bodypart, per workout, if that. The bulk of your exer-
cise selections should be free-weight moves.
Not getting enough protein
See Eating Too Much. What you eat is more important than
how much you eat when trying to gain mass, and protein is
right at the top of the mass-gainer’s food pyramid. And for
good reason. This is the stuff your muscles are made of, so
why on earth would you deprive them of what they need to
grow? Stuffing your face with plenty of slow-digesting
carbs and healthy fats is important, but not nearly as cru-
cial as the type, timing and amount of protein you eat.
BEST TIP: Make sure you get 1–2 grams of protein per pound
of bodyweight per day. Also, always have 30–40 grams of
fast-digesting whey protein when you first wake up to stall
muscle catabolism, 20 grams of whey preworkout to prevent
muscle breakdown, and another 40–60 grams of a protein
blend (whey, casein and soy) postworkout to aid in muscle
repair and growth. Having a 40-gram casein shake just
before bed also helps your efforts by feeding your body a
steady stream of amino acids throughout the night.
Skipping creatine
Not on the creatine bandwagon yet? Think it’s a fading
fad? Don’t worry — it has been only about 15 years since
this popular and intensely researched supplement has been
building stronger, bigger physiques.
This tried-and-true product is still the biggest must-buy
for muscle-seekers (aside from protein powder, that is)
because of its ability to enhance strength gains and muscle
fullness. Creatine has evolved into more easily digested
versions, such as creatine-ethyl-ester, that make it even
more effective at helping you build muscle. Still, some peo-
ple avoid it for fear of bloating or stomach cramps, neither
of which are an issue with creatine’s newer versions.
WORKOUT CENTRAL
Creatine can
help you get
bigger and
stronger faster
BEST TIP: Creatine bolsters your body’s ability to exert
itself in short, powerful spurts, such as those experienced
during weight training. Take 3–5 grams of some form of cre-
atine 30 minutes before your workout and 3–5 grams imme-
diately afterward to keep strength and size gains coming.
Going dry
As we near the end of the list, you might be thinking, I’m
actually doing most of this stuff right. Good for you. But one
area where we see people falling well short of satisfactory
when it comes to building muscle is with water.
Wait, what? Despite water’s ability to support blood vol-
ume while helping deter the breakdown of muscle via free
radicals, some guys just don’t want to be hitting the head
every half-hour and therefore neglect their H2O con-
sumption. But because you’re working out as hard as you
are (or should be), you actually need more water than the
average person.
140 MUSCLE & FITNESS November 2007
Curling too
intensely for too
long can bring
biceps-building
to a halt
BEST TIP: If you plan on being adequately hydrated for
your workouts and for all the growth that happens after-
ward, strive to take in 1–1.5 gallons of water per day.
Limiting carbohydrate consumption
Man cannot live on protein alone. Gaining mass, cutting
weight, it doesn’t seem to matter. The bad rep that carbs
have gotten in the media has steered many lifters away
from this critical macronutrient, leaving people scratching
their heads over their lack of progress. Carbs aren’t your
enemy; in fact, they can be your biggest ally, especially if
you’re trying to gain muscle. Make most of your carbohy-
drate sources slow-digesting foods — with the exception of
your postworkout meal, in which 60–100 grams of fast-
digesting carbs are needed to drive glycogen to muscles.
BEST TIP: Take in 2 grams of carbs per pound of body-
weight per day, mostly from slow-digesting sources such as
whole-wheat bread and oatmeal.
TOO MUCH
OF A GOOD THING?
DON’T MISTAKE DILIGENCE FOR INSANITY. GOING OVERBOARD WITH YOUR WEIGHT TRAINING MAY KEEP
YOU FROM REACHING YOUR GOALS IN THE GYM By the M&F Staff
So modest are we here at m&f that we’re sometimes loath
to admit — we’re pretty good at what we do. Our annual
workouts issue is a bodybuilder’s dream come true. Its
value far exceeds its 30-day shelf life and will provide you
service well beyond your next workout. These pages
include 85 specialized routines that you can spend the next
several years experimenting with as you carve your body
into a rock-hard work of art. But before you can bear a like-
ness to Michelangelo’s David, you have to be aware of the
weaknesses of your flesh. It’s true what they say: You can
get too much of a good thing.
While getting to the gym day in and day out may be one
of your fondest pastimes, going balls to the wall for too
long — tons of weight, a lot of sets, intensity techniques
galore — could actually end up bringing an abrupt halt to
your progress. A decade ago they called it wussing out.
Today they call it overtraining.
“Overtraining is a very real condition experienced by
bodybuilders characterized by an increased resting heart
rate, unusually long recovery times after exercise, sleeping
troubles, increased sweating, irritability, digestion problems,
fatigue, depression and drops in strength and endurance,”
says m&f Senior Science Editor Jim Stoppani, PhD.
Despite the clarity of symptoms, overtraining can still
sometimes be difficult to diagnose. “What appears to be
a plateau in progress caused by lack of proper diet or inten-
sity can be mistaken for the syndrome of overtraining
itself,” says m&f Fitness Director Jimmy Peña, MS, CSCS.
“That can often fuel the pattern of overtraining in affected
individuals who aren’t conscious of the condition or refuse
to acknowledge the symptoms.”
So before you put this issue to its fullest use, you should
understand the ins and outs of overtraining.
An Inside Look
Some of the symptoms of overtraining are pretty tough to
peg. Maybe you’re in a bad mood simply because the guy
who used the leg press before you neglected to wipe down
the bench or remove his plates. And it could be that you’re
tired because you decided to watch a few repeats of Family
Guy on Cartoon Network the night before. But some
things are easier to catch and should thus raise a red flag.
A decrease in muscle mass, for example, can be easy to
see for a guy who has been monitoring his progress in the
mirror and on the scale. If you’re finding it tough to get the
last few reps on an exercise with a load you were handling
just weeks earlier, it could be a sign that you’re overtrained.
The first place to look, however, is your routine.
“Overtraining is usually the result of training at too high
of an intensity or with too much weight or too much vol-
ume for too long,” Stoppani says.
So if you’ve been doing four sets of six reps on most exer-
cises, doing 20 sets per bodypart and mixing in, say, forced
reps and drop sets for the last several months, you’re a
prime candidate for an overtraining-induced plateau. The
body, believe it or not, is only capable of so much in a given
period. After a while, it revolts — from the inside out.
“The most significant changes that occur in someone
who’s overtrained are hormonal,” Stoppani says. “Your
testosterone levels fall and your cortisol levels are elevated.
The increase in cortisol, which is a stress hormone, turns
your body catabolic and causes you to lose muscle and
strength. Growth hormone levels also fall, further limiting
gains in size and strength.”
As if that’s not enough, your body experiences depressed
levels of thyroid hormones, sapping you of energy, and your
adrenaline levels can go haywire, affecting your body’s abil-
ity to generate energy during workouts. Getting sick more
often? That’s another sign of overtraining — your immune
system takes a beating after prolonged bouts of high-inten-
sity exercise. Sore joints are also part of the misery.
Overtraining is
not caused in a
day, nor can it
be cured in a
day. That’s why
it’s important
to allow ample
recovery time
MUSCLE-FITNESS.COM 142
These nightmarish symptoms end up affecting a lifter’s
central nervous system, leading to altered mood states and
even depression.
“Diet is a very important factor in preventing overtrain-
ing,” Stoppani agrees. “Those who eat properly before and
after their workouts are at much less risk of overtraining
Bringing the Over Under (Control)
The first step toward getting your overtrained wreck of a
because these meals help the body recover faster and much
more thoroughly.”
So don’t forget your 20 grams of protein and 40 grams of
body growing again is recognizing the symptoms. After slow-burning carbs before workouts. And don’t even think
that, getting back on track is easier than you might think. about missing your 40–60 grams of whey protein and 40–60
“Overtraining is not caused in a day, nor can it be cured in grams of fast-digesting carbs after training. If you work out
a day,” Peña says. “That’s why it’s very important to allow like a maniac and miss these key windows for nutrition,
ample time for recovery. This could mean taking several you’re begging to hit a wall.
days, even weeks, off from the gym. This doesn’t mean Overtraining is — as the Marines in the movie Jarhead
zero activity, but staying away from heavy, intense lifting referred to the Iraqi desert — “The Big Suck” for lifters. For
is key. Outdoor activities, a change in scenery and lighter you, progress in the weight room is a passion, and you’re
activity can aid in the recovery process.” willing to put yourself through the ringer to pursue it. But
You are, as always, what you eat, and the quality and tim- going overboard too often or for too long is a sure way to
ing of your meals are important factors in preventing and interrupt your gains. The trick, then, is to temper your
coming back from overtraining. “This means eating enough enthusiasm and periodize your weight training, alternat-
of the right kinds of foods, even splurging more than some- ing 6–8-week bouts of intense, heavy lifting with 6–8
one is used to, allow the mind a mental break from the pres- weeks of more moderate sessions. Keep that in mind when
sure of trying to achieve perfection, not to mention the phys- you start up any of the programs in this or any other issue
ical results that will follow,” Peña says. of muscle & fitness. M&F
OVERTRAINING
101
HERE’S HOW TO IDENTIFY WHETHER YOUR BODY
IS OVERTRAINED AND HOW TO BUST OUT OF YOUR
RUT ONCE YOU’RE THERE
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Fatigue
Increased resting heart rate
Drop in blood pressure
Irritability
Digestion problems Depression
Decrease in strength
Decrease in muscle mass
Joint pain
Sleeping troubles
WHAT TO DO WHEN OVERTRAINED
1) Reduce training volume, intensity and/or frequency,
or take an extended break of 1–2 weeks
2) Loosen normal dietary restrictions
3) Engage in non-gym activities
4) Start supplementing with protein (20 grams of whey
immediately preworkout and 40 grams of whey or
a whey-casein mix immediately postworkout) and
glutamine (5 grams with breakfast, pre- and post-
workout, and before bed)
5) Return to the gym with a restructured routine that
incorporates fewer intensity techniques, more
moderate loads and more rest between sessions