Just clusters- no flakes!

Finally, the food industry showed mercy and created honey bunches "just bunches", no more flakes! Is there anybody who bought it because it contained flakes? I thought so.
Just enjoy the clusters of nuts and honey...
Bodybuilding is pretty much the same, exercises that you don't feel or that hurt you are flakes. Don't do them because someone says so ( unless its Arnold). Move on with the exercises that give you the best mind-muscle connection and leave the rest out. This doesn't mean skip squats for curls, but if the barbell curl hurts your forearms then, by all means, move to the dumbbell curl.
Same with back exercises, I personally never felt single-arm dumbbell rows, but got a great pump doing the same exercise at the cable.
So there you have it, clusters no flakes!
Maik

Moving on up- with a little help from friends!

This past Saturday, it was time to move to a bigger , brighter apartment with a spectacular view! The move itself wasn't as bad as expected due to our friends Davis and Alex, who were so determined to help that they braved the atrocious weather and came all the way to us.
Most of the work was done on Saturday (thankfully, Alex is very handy!) and we all went out to a nice steak dinner. hmmm.... steak
So, in a way, bodybuilding is like moving. You have to grind it out, pack things up, perform very repetitive tasks but in the end, the rewards are yours to keep.
A better physique, higher self esteem and confidence level. Along the ride, it is good to have friends when you need to get the bed frame up another floor or push you through another set of deadlifts.
Keep moving!
Maik

Charity and Recent Reads

One of clients passed me the book "Muscle" by Sam Fussell, an Oxford grad turned bodybuilder who moves to Southern California in his quest for the perfect physique. During his 3-year odyssey not only he learns to train hard but also peers into the abyss of steroids and diuretics. In the end, it is not the danger of the drugs but the perceived futility of his enterprise that makes him stop.
The book is a fascinating read and I highly recommend it. However, as usually, bodybuilding is being portrayed as a drugged-up sport (which is true but so is every other one - bodybuilding is just more open about it) and bodybuilders are described as a bunch of vain idiots who prostitute themselves for steroid money, unless they are dealing themselves.
There is no denying it, competitive bodybuilding has a dark side. But has anyone ever looked into the baseball minor leagues, soccer's regional teams, the actors that didn't make Broadway, failed writers?
Not everyone can achieve his/her goals, which is unfortunate but not unique to bodybuilding. On the plus side, the sport has helped millions of people create better physiques for themselves, heighten their self-esteem, and be happier.
If some already damaged individual (such as the author, who deals with a lot of paternal frustration) chooses bigger muscles to work out these issues, it is most likely not going to happen.
How about a more uplifting story? Let's say there is a guy from rural, post-war Austria, who picks up weights, becomes Mr. Olympia, a movie star, a brand and Governor Of California?
Sounds too outrageous, I know.
Till next time,
Maik
P.S. On a different note, my friend Brian asked me to contribute to his charity auction last Friday, which I gladly did. Together, we raised some good money, because people do want better physiques :-)

Cant see the forest for the trees!

I started working with a new client these past weeks and after an assessment in the weight room, I took a look at him in the locker room without a shirt to what his body looked like.
To my great astonishment, he told me that his previous coaches had never bothered doing so. Instead, they had him perform a mind-numbing amount of tests, none of them really relevant to bodybuilding.
Now, I am not saying the measuring your VO2 max is bad, it depends on your goal. If you are training for an endurance event, it matters. If you want to look good for a 4th of July party , it doesn't.
You simply need a visual impression to see if the client has long limbs, narrow collar bones, small waist or broad etc. In addition, his fat storage will tell you if he his carb sensitive or not ( if not he is one lucky bastard!), whether his cortisol is high or not etc.
Sometimes, trainers make things too complicated which can be a great sales tactic but doesnt accomplish a whole lot. The client gets ll kinds of graphs and charts and feels he is participating in a very scientific program. That's great but: results matter!
In NYC, 99% of all trainees simply want to look good on the beach. Keep that in mind
For that, you need to understand what the client needs. Is he a hardgainer, does he work seated, how is his stress level?
All too often, people are being presented with a generic "beginners program" which often yields little results and , in some cases , even causes injuries.
Pay attention to details as to how the client moves, see if any muscles are too weak or too tight and work from there on.
In this field, nobody holds the whole truth so stay open minded and find out what works for you.
Train Hard
Maik

80 days till summer.....

Yes, it is hard to believe, even though one of the biggest snowstorms has just passed NYC we are only a mere 80 days away from Memorial Day. One of my favorite scenes from "Pumping Iron" is when Arnold walks into Gold's Gym and behind the reception desk is a sign : Days till Mr. Olympia :102.
My point being that it is very easy to get sucked into monotony where you just add workout after workout without remembering what you are actually training for.usually , enthusiasm fades quickly and intensity drops. The athlete starts going through the motions without pushing too hard.
So, as I have written before, it is good idea to have an honest friend with a camera phone take a couple pictures of you every 4-6 week to document progress or lack of it. One of my clients was actually surprised how good he looked after I convinced him to take some snap shots.
So even when the weather is dreadful or other cirumstances make it harder to get to the gym, keep your mind focused on what you want to achive. Every rep, every set, every meal matters!
Train hard
Maik

On my birthday-a toast to my clients!

Birthdays are usually a good opportunity to look back and evaluate. So today I was thinking what an amazing turn my life took when I decided to become a trainer. Bodybuilding gave me a chance to meet so many great people and help others to achieve their goals. I am truly fortunate to have such a great clientele so I just want say thanks for sticking with me!
Maik
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Man-Day And Stupid Ads!

So my lovely wife had to leave for London on a family matter, which put me in the admirable situation to have a "dude's day" on Sunday.
Well, what can I say, I love my wife but it was great! In no particular order, I watched Rambo 3 , Terminator 2, the Simpsons, Family Guy, ate red meat 3 (!!) times and went to Gold's Gym to work out with my protege Davis. We did some shoulders, arms and calves - great workout.
After that, I began flipping through muscle magazines, which is only the natural thing to do on man-day and I couldn't help but notice the stupidity of some supplement ads.
So without further ado, my 10 favorites:
10. "Now with real fruit!" Ok, ...what was it before? Unreal fruit??
9. "Our new pre-workout supp will cause skin bursting pumps! "Wow, that would really hurt and definitely put you in the ER.
8. "Burn 400% more body fat. "Than who? Where is the comparison?
7. "Build 20 lbs of muscle!" That is a great one. Aside from the fact, that it would be a difficult feat to achieve even while on steroids, one has to wonder: what if I only weigh 120 lbs? Do I really gain 15 % of my body weight?
6. "Breakthrough technology." Does it get any more vague than this?
5. "Lean muscle mass. "There isn't really any fatty muscle mass, since that would be called adipose tissue or body fat
4. "Steroid-like results." No further comment
3. "Muscles exploding with new growth." That would probably kill you.
2. "Build x lbs of pure muscle." How in the world do you build impure muscle? If you have this much control over your body, you could definitely play in the NFL.
1. "Product x declares death to fat cells." Without getting into the whole leptin discussion, fat cell death (apoptosis) is extremely rare. If all your fat cells were to die, so would you. Fat is also needed to make testosterone so some of it would be helpful.
I understand they are trying to sell us things, but I can't help but wonder if the supplement industry takes all bodybuilders for illiterates who are unable to tie their own shoes.
Rant mode off...
Train hard !
Maik

What does being hardcore mean?

These days, whether you open a bodybuilding magazine or website, the second-most occurring word (after muscle) is hardcore. Hardcore workouts, fat burners, diets, cardio, the list goes on.
But does being a hardcore bodybuilder really mean? To me, it is definitely NOT being a 250lbs roidhead, running around in spandex and tight tops, talking about whether you should use more tren on your next cycle. In short, just generally being obnoxious in and outside the gym.
In order to be a hardcore bodybuilder, in my opinion, one must live this sport in a non-obtrusive and friendly manner. You should lead by example, eat your meals without being condescending toward others who might not have the will power. Train hard and heavy, while keeping good form.
Give polite and educated advice in the gym to those that ask. Be a teacher, but not a preacher.
Carry yourself well, inside and outside the gym. It doesn't hurt to have read a book or two either.
This, to me, is hardcore
Maik

2010- make it your year!

Whenever a new year starts, everyone makes up their New Year's resolution. Fat loss and/or muscle gain are often on top of the list. With that comes a slew of new diets, workouts to get your your body 2000, 2001....2010. I find that topic extremely boring and out of place.
Here is a new approach: don't get out of shape! Why would anyone only want to look good from May to September? (granted, in the freezing NY winter that can seem like a valid question at times). Instead of relying on random numbers on your calendar, check yourself every 6 weeks.
Take a good look into the mirror, and go over your basic lifts: squats, dead lifts, incline bench, pull ups and so.
An honest friend with a digital camera and a workout out log can work wonders here.
If you are not leaner/bigger/stronger, you must shift through what you are doing and make the necessary changes.
Staying on track all year long makes working out much more rewarding, plus it is easier to fend off two pounds of fat than 20.
So the resolution for 2010 is: no more resolutions, just look great year round!
till next time
Maik

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