Stop the rear delt madness!

One of things that I can not wrap my head around is the overemphasizing of small muscle groups. Every day, you see people in gyms all across America pounding away with countless sets of curls, when they can not perform one proper pull up.
Do you really believe your arms will magically grow from the 17th set of 20 lbs curls?
In fact, I am going out on a limb here by saying that there is no shortage of curls in gyms worldwide.
The other idiocy, often re-inforced by trainers , is to excessively train the rear delt muscles. Now, there are people that need to pay attention to their rear delt. Category A: people with a rotator cuff injury, category B: athletes with high demands on their shoulders, throwers, tennis players etc and C: competitive bodybuilders.
40 lbs+ overweight people do NOT need 6 sets of rear delt training, it is simply that their trainers are lazy and want to kill 15 minutes of the session.
Worry about your squat, dead lift, overhead press and rows, eat your 7 meals a day. If you have done this for 15 months, you can start worry about auxiliary training.
Train hard
Maik

Bowling Party the Second!

This past Tuesday, we had our second annual Adler Training Bowling party and I am pleased to report that it was a great success. To my great pleasure, many of my clients braved the NYC November weather and found their way to Bowlmor in the village.

Everyone seemed to have a great time, highly important individuals even delayed business trips so they could be there. As for the bowling itself, the age old question Andy vs Tim was settled ( Andy does have braggin rights now).

I hope to see you all again next year!

Maik

Muscles Do Not Make You Superman- A Tribute To Robert Enke

This will be a more somber post, so be warned.

The very tragic suicide of Robert Enke has shocked the country of Germany and the rest of the sports world. There you have a very accomplished athlete, predestined to be the goalie for Germany at the World Cup 2010, married, well respected within his community, who still felt that there was simply no way out for him. Why would someone, who is seemingly on top of the world choose such drastic action?

I am afraid there is no good answer, but I have met many guys with fantastic physiques who were deeply unhappy due to their inability to disconnect their sport and life as such.

Let's face it, many of us train to feel better, look better and improve their standing with the opposite (or same) sex. And that is certainly fine, as long as you don't develop an obsession and start abusing the sport and your body as a protection for some deeper issues.

(To be fair, in order to develop an outstanding physique you need to be somewhat obsessed with training and dieting.)

The problem arises, when athletes lose touch with reality and start to think that a better physique and athletic success is the solution to all of life's challenges. It is not.

Bodybuilding is extremely helpful in giving you structure, discipline and the feeling of accomplishment which then spills over in the rest of your life. This, however, requires that you have a life outside the gym. When I hear competitors talking about eating 11 meals and working out 4 hours a day, I can't help but wonder: " What else are these guys doing?"

Don't isolate yourself, participate in other people's ( non-bodybuilders) lives, develop some interests outside the gym. Bodybuilding is a part of life, but it is not all there is.

Train hard,

Maik

Do you really want it?

One of the greatest things about creating a great physique is that you have something everyone wants, but 95% of all people simply lack the will power to achieve.

Many people want to be "in shape" or "look good" but is that really true? Do they really want it?

Honestly, I don't think so. Here are the top 5 excuses I hear from people who fail.

1. I don't have the time/too busy.

Michelle Obama works out 4 times a week, has two kids and that little side job, being the First Lady of the United States. Are you really that busy?

What's the catch? She trains at 4:30 am.

2. I can't afford it because the economy is difficult/I lost my job.

Gyms cost around 30$ a month, so that should be doable. If the diet is an issue, get a card for Costco or Sam's Club where you get all your bodybuilding staples at wholesale prices.

Besides, you can easily drop $50 when going out, so don't tell me money is all that tight.

If you are recently unemployed, you should be even more interested in working out since it will be easier to land a job if your level of fitness is higher. Plus, the better you feel about yourself, the more confidence you have. Fitness should be on top of your priority list.

3. I don't have the genetics.
Google Frank Zane or see my August 10, 2008 post.

4. I need to take steroids to look like...

For the n-th time, steroids will not make you a champion if you do not already look great.

Three things matter in bodybuilding: training, eating and sleeping. Most people have an ok training program, a mediocre rest pattern and a horrible diet. Taking (illegal and dangerous) chemicals to screw with your body's hormonal mechanism is not going to help you, if you eat junk at 2 am or exaggerate your alcohol consumption.

Clean up your diet and life style, you will be surprised how far you can go.

5. It is simply too hard.

Take it step by step. Establish 5 healthy meals a day and 3 good workouts per week. Try to improve every week, do not over complicate things.

So, do you really want it?

Till next time

Maik

Do what the box says!

My wife and I went on Saturday night to see Bill Cosby perform live in NYC. While the first half hour was so-so, he did deliver some pearls of wisdom.

One that Iliked in particular was about some guy named Phil in Pennsylvania, who apparently makes the best Thanksgiving stuffing on the face of the Earth. Bill finally sits him down and asks for the recipe, so Phil says: "I take Stove Top stuffing." Bill: "And?" Phil: "Nothing. I do what the box says. People always add things to the stuffing that simply do not belong there. Just do what the box says."

Stick to the basics! The same applies to weight training and getting shape. Do not do any crazy diets, take 2-hour cardio classes, or use insane amounts of drugs.

Do what the box says, stick to the basics, keep it reasonable.

1. Have a plan. Why do you workout? Where do you want to be in 3 months?

2. Do your compound exercises such as the squat, dead lift, military press, pull up and rows. Strive to improve every week.

3. Eat your protein, 1.5 grams per lbs of body weight for men, women a little less (I know that the RDA by the FDA is lower but they also want you to eat starches 5 x a day).

4. Get your rest. Eight hours of sleep is a minimum.

5. Cut the junk food to once a week. You are a bodybuilder, not a competitive eater.

6. BE PROUD. Bodybuilding is one of the most rewarding things you can do, do not deny it to yourself. Enjoy the journey, be helpful to others in the gym and outside.

Forward, always forward
Maik

Progress

so it is getting colder, leaves are falling ... perfect time to put on some quality weight or "bulking". Bulking seems to be a mystery to most people, there are basically 2 camps in every gym: perma-bulkers and perma -dieters. The first group is simply fat with some muscle underneath, the later group is lean but never makes any real progress out of fear to put on an ounce of fat. Now, one of the unfortunate truths is that to gain muscle, you will have to gain some bodyfat with that. But it can be minimzed if the diet and training protocol are done correctly. How so?

Bulking does not mean: eat everything in sight, keep you foods clean. It is called body-building, not belly building!!

Add some low-carb days during the week, so your body keeps on guessing. Structure the workouts around heavy compound movements and strive to get stronger every week. Put an all-out effort into the sets that matter, and get the rest you need once you are away from the gym.

 One of my " disciples" is up 5 lbs in only a few short weeks, following a simple 4 days a week lifting program with a basic diet, with only marginal fat gain.

So, don't kid yourself, if you can't flex it, don't build it!

till next time

maik

Why bodybuild?

The sport of bodybuilding is one of the most difficult endeavors there is. Unlike any other athletic activity, it requires a 24/7 following. In most other sports, you have a certain amount of practice time and then some time off. Here there is no such thing; on the contrary, the time spent away from the gym is even more critical than the actual training time. It is during that time when you are supposed to recover and cook you meals. Muscle grows outside the gym, not inside.

But back to topic. Why should anyone in the right mind pick up this sport? OK, so there are the obvious health benefits, you lose weight, look better, attract more sex partners, live longer etc.

But that is not it. The true benefit of bodybuilding is what I call empowerment. Once you start training successfully, you will realize that out of a sudden you are in charge of your physique. You are the one modeling it to your liking, no one else. No one can be blamed for success or failure but you. You are in control.

This feeling of control can then be applied to other aspects of your life, be it work or a relationship. This is , what I believe, the greatest gift bodybuilding has to give.

Till next time

Maik

A new disciple

Over the last couple weeks, we had a new addition to the Adlertraining family, Davis. This young lifter has been chasing me for weeks at Midcity Gym, trying to get some help with his training and diet. Once I realized how serious he was , I agreed to coach him for the next couple weeks, making it very clear that this would not be an easy road.

With only 8 month of training on his own under his belt, he managed to built a decent upper body. Lower body, that's a different story....needless to say, he came to right place. So far he managed to make it through a couple leg workouts, including the dreaded 100s and barbell lunges.

His goal is to be a lean 190 lbs by Christmas (current weight 176 lbs),drug free of course, which I believe is very doable. So far, he has shown great enthusiasm and an excellent work ethic. During the next couple weeks, I will post updates and pictures as to his progress and development.

Stay tuned

Maik

Daily Rant-Read With Caution!

Today I worked out in a more commercial gym, due to the Labor Day Holiday. Most of my training grounds are more on the hardcore side; I am not exposed that much to what goes on in Gym America. This is probably for the better, since it would drive me insane otherwise.

Exhibit A: Clients "working out" with a trainer, doing the same workout every time. Why would your body change if it is not challenged?!!! This is just a case of the trainer being lazy and the client complacent.

Very often, these people do countless sets of abs to get lean. It won't work if your diet is out of whack. All the ab work won't get you lean, you'd be better off squatting, dead lifting etc..but that is hard work, so rather stay away from it.

As for cardio and fat loss, don't get me started....

B: Using a weight belt when doing rear delt flyes! You must be joking! The belt is there to protect your core during heavy sets of deads and squats. Most people will never have to worry about that since their intensity in the gym matches a turtle on Valium.

C: As I was rowing 275 for my fourth set, a trainer comes over and asks me if I was sure about that rep speed. Rep speed? I am trying to get the &$#@% weight up!

If you are on the US Olympic weightlifting team, rep speed is important. If you are not, just keep lifting. Most people over complicate everything within their workouts and forget about intensity. If you do not get stronger, you will not get better. It is that simple.

OK, now I feel better.

Thanks for reading,

Maik

Glengarry Glen Ross- or why I bodybuild!

Anyone who has ever seen the above movie will never forget Alec Baldwin's performance when he gives the motivational speech to the brokers. During that, he makes fun of Ed Harris : "Yes, you are going to end up in a bar, talking to a friend, yeah, I was a salesman once, it's a tough racket. So I quit"

That is pretty much what happens to 95% of all gym goers: "Yeah I work out but I just can't stick to it and I struggle with the diet. It's too hard!"

Don't be Ed Harries ! (no offense) If you spend the time in gym, go all the way. Stick to your diet, get your rest, keep track of your progress. Otherwise there won't be any. To go back to a young and slim Alec Baldwin - AIDA.

Attention: Do I have your attention now? Interest:Are you interested in a better body? Of course you are. Decision: Have you made your decision already? Action: then go out there and get the body you want.

Forward, always forward.

Maik

The value of a training partner

After a long period of hitting the iron by myself, I recently took on a a consistent training partner, and it made a world of difference. I was having a hard time to find someone who could train with me on a regular basis due to my difficult schedule but luckily, Brian works similar hours. So for the past 3 months we have been pushing ourselves rather hard and the results have been phenomenal. For the first time during a diet, my strength has not decreased and haven't lost any muscle which I attribute to the extra effort I put in at the gym.

A good training partner is much more than a spotter, a real training partner shares your enthusiasm for the sport of bodybuilding and will push you on your down days. He will help you keep a positive outlook , even during the most demanding workouts. The most famous example would be Arnold and Franco, who won a combined 9 (!) Mr. Olympia's. Franco had a stronger lower body, whereas Arnold could out power him in the 10-12 rep range. Together, they pushed each other to be their absolute best.

Forward, always forward!

Maik

The heat is on!

Finally summer in NYC, and it's not even September. Actually, these days are almost too much for a middle European like myself. I don't do that well with humidity but I still embrace the heat, after all it will be cold soon enough. ( it also helps with the diet, since my appetite is almost completely gone). It is also the time of the year, when you can present what you have worked for so hard.

So if you are in shape, show off the fruit of your hard work!  If not, you know what to do..the gym has AC , on a side note. A lot of people stop training in the summer, since it is easier to get side tracked. This never made a lot of sense to me, after all why would you skip a quarter of the year?

Not to mention going to the beach with a huge pump. So I ll still be downstairs in the basement at MidCity Gm, toiling away, set after set.

Hope to see you there and wishing everybody a great couple weeks before it is back to work!

till next time

Maik

Der Alte-Konrad Adenauer

A client of mine recently brought up Konrad Adenauer, the first Chancellor of West Germany after WW II. That got me thinking that this would be a good topic. For those of my esteemed readers, who don't know him, here is a brief list of his accomplishments: After being incarcerated during the Third Reich he became Mayor of Cologne and was elected Chancellor in 1949. His politics helped to rebuild Germany from the ashes of the war, integrated it into NATO, and he managed to get the last German POW's released from the USSR in 1955.

He was certainly a character, never one to mince words. Not exactly an easy fellow, but the right man for a difficult time. One of the things he said was: "Make yourself unpopular, then you will be taken seriously."

I could not agree more - sometimes political correctness does more harm than good. If you truly want to change things or help others, you will have take an unpopular stance once in a while.

"Adipose tissue " is still fat, a "core class" will not get you shredded and doing "a couple sets of leg extensions" will not build legs. Certain things are just stupid or ineffective and should be called for what they are.

Day in and day out, the fitness industry is overloading people with new hype programs, fads and gimmicks. Don't fall for it, be like Adenauer and stay the course, it pays off the the long run.

Till next time!

Maik

5 things that make me want to eat a 45 lbs plate!

Everybody who has ever set foot into a gym, knows that there are some things people do  that can make you want to imitate that chimp in CT not so long ago.

Here are my top 5 nuisances, in no particular order:

1 . Beginners who curl at the squat rack!! Go away, do you really think someone build this enormous cage so you can curl 45 lbs with your 12" arms?? Try a pull up instead, and eat something.

2. Doing cardio in a fasted state. It makes NO difference in regards to your fat loss, your intensity will drop since you don't have nutrients and you stand a bigger chance of losing muscle. Don't get me started on the fat burning zone. There are fat people finishing the NYC marathon, because cardio is not very effective at burning body fat. But that's another article....

3. People bothering with supplements or steroids after 3 months of training. If you can not even  eat 4 healthy meals in a row, sleep well for 2 consecutive  nights and do a single pull up; do you really believe these substances will make an iota of a difference in your physique?

Try again after 3-4 years of training.

4. Doing 1000s of crunches. In short, you have to be lean. Otherwise you are wasting your time

5. Following a routine from a magazine. Unless you are a pharmaceutical enhanced genetic freak, these routines will do nothing for you. Split routines became popular with the advent of dianabol...hmmmm I wonder. The VAST majority of trainees would look better if they split their workouts in upper/lower body or do whole body workouts altogether.

That's it I guess.

I you feel I have forgotten something, feel free to post or email me

Maik

Flexible dieting or how to eat donuts and still lose weight!

That statement should have gotten everyone's attention. But what does flexible dieting mean?

OK, the donut part was more of a hook to get you to read the following. As we all now, dieters are failing by the millions, due to a number of reasons , the biggest one being a lack of will power.

Some of them are so motivated that they don't stray from their diet for weeks, counting every calorie, eating at the perfect time and then....they implode. Due to stress or worries they fall off the wagon completely and stay off it.

This is where flexible dieting comes in; you need to allow yourself to live. If you are on a mild caloric deficit (400 calories per day or less), schedule a cheat meal once a week, so you can go to dinner without worrying. I would give myself a 4-hour window for this and eat a side of fries or a dessert to your liking.

Athletes who run a more severe deficit and have a competent coach need to have a 2-3 day re-feed every week, combined with a heavy weight training session.

This will allow them to stop the muscle loss and revive their metabolism in order to continue to lose body fat.

Most importantly, it gives you a psychological break and you don't feel that your diet is done for good, if you have a donut...hmmmm donuts.....

It will actually help you to get lean!

Till next time

Maik

Yes you can!

Today, a little experiment on one of my lab rats came to culmination. The premise of the experiment was the following: could a busy executive , who came back from 2 severe injuries over the last 3 years, actually increase his strength and build muscle despite a demanding work and travel schedule?

Lets back track 3 years; the candidate had just rehabilitated his torn rotator cuff when he suffered a lower back injury which made it temporarily impossible to stand up or walk. He also started a new job, which involved 2-3 hours commuting per day.

Not exactly the perfect start, but he was very determined not to be pulled down.

After 10 month of training, he was fully functional again and we started training for muscle gains, with drastically reduced weights (one arm rows with 40s, incline bench with 25s).

During the next two years ( yes, that is 24 months - muscle doesn't grow overnight), he managed to gain a good 5-7 lbs of muscle, mainly on back and shoulders, his formerly weak points.

By sticking to his nutritional plan with some carb cycling, he has gotten continuously leaner since April and is now 4 lbs heavier than last summer, while displaying a better muscularity (he also added one inch to his arms)

In addition, he has recently broken several personal bests such as one arm rows with 100 lbs 2x8, as well as incline bench press with 55s.

Seems like he will have a great August at the beach!

Till next time, train hard!

Maik

Passion

The economic downturn is certainly affecting people in many ways: financially, emotionally and spiritually. Those who are unemployed are uncertain about the future, whereas the ones who are still members of the workforces often clinch to a job they despise, since they can't see themselves anywhere else.

In my humble opinion, this is not a good way to live. Yes , there are economic needs and we must pay bills, but this is also your life. My biggest addictions are soccer as a fan and swimming/ bodybuilding, as an athlete. For both I have traveled extensively, spent thousands of hours and dollars and " je ne regrette rien". These were simply the best moments of my life, full of joy and great memories. If I hadn't been a semi-decent swimmer I would have never met my beloved wife.

By being passionate about something I enriched my life and started my own business which now enables me to reach out to others.

I guess I must consider myself lucky to do what I do, but I also made a choice and chose my passion over security and stability. Don't wait till your passion finds you, you must awake these dreams into reality!

Forward, always forward!

July 3rd

It is not a good day, those that know me will know why. 

But not all days can be great, we have to push through the tough ones as well . On to mid city gym, my trusted escape. setting up military press and chin ups, two tried and true staples. the iron, it feels and moves like an old friend. after a few sets, the world looks better, blood has moved into the muscles. on to dips and rows, nothing fancy but guess what... it works. my body looks now about 3 times better than 30 minutes ago and my outlook on the  world has cleared.I can handle even this day, it wont derail me. forward, always forward...

despite what twitter, tmz and youtube tell you, success comes through work and planning. nobody will give it to you in a cute package, you have to go out and awake your dreams. I am a bodybuilder, a coach, this is my destiny and my fulfilment...what is yours?

Bodybuilding: journey and therapy

Today was a great day! The gang hammered out a no-holds-barred leg workout with dumbbell lunges with 90s and a stacked leg press. All reps were done using full range of motion, of course. No half reps here. I had a bit of a harder time since I was completely carb depleted but my friends and training partners pushed me through.

Afterwards, we all felt great and very accomplished. But did we really achieve?

The quest for a better body never stops, there is always the next meal, the next workout. So why bother?

Because the journey is what makes it great. The people you meet, the workouts you have and the way your body changes, these are the moments to cherish. After your next great workout, soak in that feeling and try to remember it the next time you don't feel like lifting heavy.

To me, bodybuilding is my life, my therapy and my defense against the outside world. It helps me overcome my insecurities and deal with everything life might throw at me.

For my part, I am very grateful to be able to pursue such a great endeavor.

Responsibility

Scott Gerst . All rights reserved

Is it just me or is someone else also getting annoyed at the inherent lack of responsibility during this crisis? I am not calling to bring the guillotine back, but it is obvious that a large number of people (politicians, regulators, bankers, brokers) slept on their watch, and yet it seems that this meltdown just happened. It would be nice if some people actually delivered a mea culpa (and a strategy going forward).

What does this have to do with bodybuilding? Well, the way Citigroup should accept their flaws and toxic assets, you need to shoulder the burden when it comes to your body. When I look back on last years shows, it becomes clear that my not-so-good placings weren't the results of bad calls from the judges but it was my fault not to bring a better physique to the stage. The camera and an honest friend are your best tools, if you are serious about your physique.

The truth hurts but it is the only way to improve. As you can see from the attached picture I do not intend to make the same mistake twice. Spring 2010......

Happy Easter- eat the whole egg!!

What better day than Easter Sunday to talk about eggs. Eggs are one of the best bodybuilding foods, full of protein, minerals and vitamins. It has become a custom, however, to consume only the egg whites.  The logic behind it is that all the fat is hidden in the yolk and all the protein in the egg white.

This is simply not a good idea since the majority of vitamins are found in the yolk. Furthermore, half the protein is in the yolk as well thereby consuming only the egg white leaves you with an incomplete protein chain which the body can not really digest.

What about cholesterol? Another old-wives tale: A study done by the University of Connecticut shows that eggs do not raise your cholesterol levels ( unless they are consumed with  butter and bacon!!) if anything they help lowering it by increasing the good (HDL) cholesterol. 

The fat contained in the yolk is needed to build the steroidal (muscle building) hormones such as testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. If that doesn't convince you to consume whole eggs I don't know what will. 

It would be best to try to find Omega 3 eggs to optimize the lipid profile.

Froehliche Ostern

Maik

Grapefruit- the great fruit?

Everybody remembers the Grapefruit Diet, it went something like this: eat only grapefruit and lose 20 lbs in as many days.

Thankfully that diet is gone but the myth of grapefruits as a fat burner is still around.

Is there any truth to it?

While it is not a good idea to rely solely on one food alone, grapefruits certainly have their merits. They contain plenty of Vitamin C, antioxidants and control insulin levels. Studies have shown that they can control the growth of cancer cells ( in vitro), help with DNA repair and fight Hepatitis C.

So that is a very impressive resume but what about my six pack? Patience, young Jedi...

Grapefruits contain naringin, a powerful anti-oxidant, that inhibits the activity of the enzyme CPY34A in the human liver. This enzyme is responsible for metabolizing caffeine, which is one of the most potent fat burners.

By consuming grapefruit, you are essentially expanding the half-life of your fat loss product (since pretty much all of them contain caffeine and/or green tea and your multiplying the effectiveness). Adding 1/2 of a grapefruit to your breakfast (no sugar!!) could really make a difference in your quest for abs.

Does cortisol make you fat?

If you have watched infomercials late at night (and who hasn't??), you have seen the ads for cortisol suppressing supplements. The sales pitch is rather simple: you are stressed out, the body releases cortisol to counter the stress, cortisol stores water and fat (especially in the abdominal region). So, if you buy our Super Cort Blocker 2000, your belly will disappear.

Sounds great but doesn't work. First, what is cortisol? Cortisol is a glandular hormone, excreted in a fight or flight situation in order to ensure the nutrient flow into your blood stream. Cortisol is the primary glucocorticoid, meaning it increases the glucose levels in the blood stream.

It is not a bad thing per se, it is needed to ensure that the body functions properly (just like any other hormone in the system).

The levels of cortisol can be elevated due to strenuous dieting, training, travel, anger, alcohol consumption etc. And while cortisol facilitates the storage of adipose fat, it can only do that when provided with extra calories. People that are overworked and/or under slept tend to eat unconsciously and overdo it which then causes the weight gain.

It would go beyond the scope of this post to evaluate all cortisol suppressing supplements, lets just say that vitamin C and glutamine have shown some promise, but the effects are nothing to write home about.

If you are serious about loosing that belly fat , you'll need to de-stress your life, organize your sleep and clean up your diet.

No pill will do that for you!

Till next time

Maik

The iron guru

Today, I want to write about one of the forgotten pioneers of bodybuilding: Vince Gironda aka the Iron Guru. Vince, born  in the Bronx, later settled in California and was one of the first trainers to the stars. His clients were : Clint Eastwood, Cher, Larry Scott, Arnold Schwarzenegger and so on. But it wasn't so much his clientele that makes him remarkable , it was the way he pushed the sport in a new direction. He was one of the first to develop a low carb approach to dieting, looked into amino acids as supplements and dismissed the then common notion of bulking for the sake of getting bigger as nonsense since it only lead to fat gain. Vince was the first man to appear "ripped" at a contest and was placed lower for being too lean ...( those judges later founded Lehman Brothers)

He also created the 8x8 routine ( the "honest workout"), the drag curl and was a big proponent of squats as a hormonal optimizer.

Most interesting though was his attitude toward bodybuilding as such. He really cared about the sport, not his financial success. Without hesitation, he would dismiss paying clients if they did not follow his routine and rather work pro bono with a talented and dedicated lifter.

His teachings are all but forgotten, yet many current bodybuilding diets and routines are based on Vince's wisdom.

Thanks Vince!

I am off to an 8x8 shoulder workout

Maik

The Dominican experiment

Last week, I ventured to the beautiful beaches of the Dominican Republic for five days. Just water, sand and clean food. Hmmm clean food...that set off a light bulb. What if I ate above maintenance (without any supplements) and lifted 3 times while there? Could it be possible to pack on muscle in that short of a time frame?
So I started at 225lbs, kept my intake high in protein, carbs, and fats ca 5000 cal daily.
As for foods, I'd stick to the staples: chicken, steak, rice, beans, avocado, fruit.
During my stay, I could actually feel my body absorbing the nutrients and utilize them for growth, upon my return I weighed in at 229lbs with only slightly higher body fat.
So it seems to be possible to go on a "clean eating binge" and gain mostly muscle, however, it looks like that after 6-7 days that process is being reversed and one stores more fat.
Too bad....it was a lot of fun
Till next time
Maik
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I simply can't build my shoulders/arms/calves...!

Everyone has these stubborn body parts that don't seem to grow, no matter what you do. But are you really doomed to have sub par arms or calves?

Well, that depends on how much you want it. While there are certain things that you just can't change such as muscle insertions, shape of the muscle and fiber composition, there is also the element of desire and will power.

If you determined enough, you can bring up any muscle.

Let's look at a real life example, an athlete ( we ll call him Jim) whose shoulders were lagging behind the rest of his body in terms of size and strength. He had torn a rotator cuff which severely limited his workouts. In addition, he works in a stressful environment, travels a lot and is past his thirties (the prime muscle building time). All in all, a less than perfect body building scenario.

So what did he do?

He prioritized his shoulders, worked them twice a week with a particular focus on the rear delt. After 12 months of hard work, his shoulders are now rounder and fuller that ever.

Way to go, Jim!

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Shaping vs. bulking exercises, what's the difference?

One of the most misunderstood  topics in bodybuilding is the belief that there are some exercises that are shaping or " defining" the muscle whereas others simply " bulk " it up. The shape or form of a muscle is genetically predetermined and can not be  altered.  

Usually the bench is seen as a bulk exercise for the chest, cable flyes as a shaping motion. While performing either exercise, however,  the pecs simply contract and relax. So where does this notion come from?

Most likely, it occurs that heavy benching is done in the off-season , when people are stronger and bigger. During the diet, especially when low on carbs, many athletes don't find the strength to perform heavy bench anymore so they resort to cable flyes for a chest workout. Since they are leaner, they conclude that the cable flyes must have done the trick , not the dramatically reduced calories and increased cardio.

So are all exercises created equal? Not quite. In my opinion, when training a muscle it necessary to perform a mid range or power movement and following with a stretch exercise. as an example , for chest, one would do incline presses followed by dumbbell flyes with an emphasis on the stretch.

by doing so , the athlete creates tissue tears which will enable further growth.

Train hard!

Maik

A word on Mike Mentzer or is there a holy grail?

During one my recent sessions, one of my clients brought up the training philosophy of the late Mike Mentzer.  Since this is one of the most interesting and controversial aspects in bodybuilding I decided this would be a good blog topic.

Mike Mentzer, Mr. America, Mr Universe (with perfect score) was an extremely talented and intelligent bodybuilder. During his early career, he followed the school of  Schwarzenegger and Weider , which was a high volume approach. Unsatisfied with his gains,he became convinced that the majority of people is over trained and drastically shortened his workouts. In conjunction with Arthur Jones, he created High Intensity Training or HIT. Basically, the trainee trained infrequently, 3-4 times every 2 weeks and did only one set beyond failure. He also added drop sets, negatives, partials etc.

Mike Mentzer became the Anti-Arnold  and spent 20 years of his life educating people about his style of training. He wrote several books on it, made training videos etc. In fact, he died in the midst of a DVD shoot in 2001 due to heart failure.

While this philosophy looks great in theory, there are several problems with it. First of, it is impossible to always train with maximum intensity . Secondly, the average person does not have sufficient neuro-muscular efficiency to reach all muscle fibers in one set. Hence, 2 or more sets are needed. Thirdly, constantly training at maximum intensity is very injury prone.

Does this mean that Mentzer was wrong? Not at all. He was the the first to point out that the majority of athletes do not sufficiently recover, restricted training to 60 minutes and he gave us negative reps.

Thanks Mike!

What keeps you motivated?

There we are again, in the midst of the New York winter ( a very cold and economically challenging one, on top of that). So the question remains: who is one supposed to stay motivated during this particular stretch of time?

Well, one way of looking at it could be trying to look like Scott G. above.....

But optics are not all of it, there is a more wholesome component to it. As the above competitor said: " Bodybuilding  allows me to grow as person, bringing mind and body together."

Think of bodybuilding not so much as a sport , but more as something that influences you as a person. The ability to constantly better your body will transform into real life confidence. After all, if you can shape yourself the way you want there is no reason that you shouldn't have control over other aspect of your life ( which might even help in the current downturn). 

So stick with it!

Maik