GETTINGPUMPED!

Author: Klint Newton

How many times have you witnessed someone trying to do shrugs with an unreasonable amount of weight. I have seen guys trying to use 110lbs dumbbells in each hand. This doesn’t seem effective and is quite frankly rediculous. There are many exercises that can work your “traps” or Trapezius muscles, other than extreme weight shrugs.

If you don’t mind looking like a fitness model (which I agree isn’t that bad), then don’t worry about your traps. I happen to think they are what sets the body builder look apart from the body of a fitness model, among other things. No wonder people work so hard to get huge traps.

The “traps” or Trapezius muscles are above your collar bone on top of your shoulders and extend from your neck to the tip of your shoulders.

If your traps aren’t developed just be glad they they can be the biggest improvement in your overall look, and grow really quickly. With well developed traps, you will raise the bar from looking like a regular Joe to looking like a body builder.

Trapezius “Trap” Exercises

I know you probably think shrugs are the only way to build huge traps. How’s that working out for you? I’m guessing not too well, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this. Well, shrugs are an effective core exercise to build traps just like bicep curls are to build biceps, but there are other things you can do to get a good trap workout. Below is a routine I have developed to get you on your way.

1. Shrugs 3 sets X 10 – 12 reps

These had to be included, they are the key to a successful trap training. Now I know we have all done shrugs before, but I would like to included a few tips. Now I know that when I use the standard shrug form and fully contract my traps, they end up hitting my neck resulting in a limited contraction. If you push your head as far forwardas possible, it will remove your neck from the range of motion and allow your traps to fully contract. Once you have flexed your traps, hold the position for two seconds and slowly release. It is also good to sit on a bench to avoid cheating.

1. Lateral Raises, with Traps Flared 3 X 12 – 15

This can be a much harder move than the shrug. The first thing you want to do is flare your traps with the dumbbells in your hands. Next you will perform a lateral raise. This is just like a lateral raise done for shoulders, but with your traps flared, most of the pressure is put on your traps. You will want to start with 12 to 15 reps and not very much weight to maintain proper form and get used to the movement.

1. Bent over lateral raises, with Traps Flared 3 X 10 – 12

The bent over lateral raise is just like the last move but obviously bent over. This is good for hitting the back of your traps which helps you look more built, defined and strong from behind. You will want to bend at the waist at about a 45 degree angle.

These are two unpopular exercises that will really improve your trap building results.  You can just add the exercises into any workout, they would be perfect if you do a split and have a “shoulders day.”

Throw these exercises into the mix and watch your results go through the roof!

2002 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic Winner

When I turned pro in 1996, I weighed 248 pounds. In 1998, I was 260. In 2000, I was 265. In 2001, was 267; and when I won the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic this year, I was 270. I’ve said it a thousand times: The secret to my success is consistency, and the secret to my consistent improvement is a harnessed but aggressive pursuit of mass and a healthy acceptance of time.

It’s all right to be impatient, but you need to realize that quality mass does not come overnight. Quick mass might, but quick mass doesn’t win contests, because it hasn’t been forged into place and anchored deep in bones by the cold-steel hammer of decisive training. There is a lot of braggadocio these days from bodybuilders who are proud of their “insane intensity” when they train. The winners, however, are invariably seasoned pros who take charge of their bodies, encouraging them onward, rather than punishing them masochistically for not responding to demands.

Your body has its own rules for growth, and those rules are the parameters for getting the most out of your training. Try imposing your own rules, and your body will refuse to respond; cooperate with your body’s rules, and your body will respond in kind. Thankfully, I intuited this early in my career, and, ever since, my body and I have been able to negotiate a set of rules for keeping me balanced at the peak of my potential.

Rule 1

EAT BIG

To grow, you need to eat more calories than your body uses. My rule of thumb is one to one-and-a-half grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day and two-and-a-half to three grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight per day. Start with that, then fine-tune it to your individual requirements as you go. Keep saturated fats to a minimum, eat as much quality and variety as possible, and drink at least two gallons of water per day. This is to keep your metabolism elevated, an especially important consideration when you’re consuming this much food.

Rule 2

TRAIN HEAVY

Train at 70-80% of the maximum weight you’re capable of handling effectively for six reps almost to failure. This is bodybuilding, not powerlifting; do not train so heavy that you reach total failure at two reps. My goal with every set is to help the muscle empty itself of its existing glycogen, so that can push more glycogen into the muscle in its place, without taking the muscle to failure or damaging tissue. With every set, leave the muscle room to recuperate and grow.

Rule 3

STICK TO BASICS

Meat-and-potatoes exercises make you grow best, and that means bench presses for chest, squats for quads, deadlifts for back, shoulder presses for shoulders, barbell curls for biceps, close-grip bench presses for triceps and stiff-leg deadlifts for hamstrings; i.e., all of the compound exercises that people hate to do. By involving muscle groups ancillary to the target bodypart, synergistic growth of adjacent muscles is stimulated, as well. This, in turn, accelerates your strength gains, which, in turn, translates into even more muscle growth; round and round we go, in an ever-faster upward spiral of mass gains. [Read more →]

Learning how to build muscle naturally is obviously the preferred way to grow muscles yet many choose shortcuts which at times can be dangerous. While some of these shortcuts are okay under supervision you need to understand the long term effects which can result.

Did you know that building muscle is a natural process anyway. In any type of exercise or work out you are tearing microscopic fibers. The muscle building occurs when these fibers repair and this is a natural process. Can you understand why pumping unnatural stuff into your body can work short term but is suspect over the long run.

In this article, we’ll take a look at building natural muscle and some important tips on how diet can help you achieve the growth you’re looking for.

Natural Muscle Building

It is important that you follow a strict schedule of weight training so that you can build natural muscle. Many people believe that if you lift heavier weights you will gain muscle faster. This is not always the case as people may think.

If you work out the correct way each and every time you only need to do weight training once or twice a week. If you want to you can pay a professional so they can tell you exactly what you should be doing on a weekly basis. This way you are sure that you are not overworking your muscles.

It is very important that you give your muscles ample time to rest this way they have time to rebuild. The period of time that you are resting during workouts is important to give your muscles the ability to regenerate. It is extremely important that you work your muscles to the point of exhaustion each and every day when you visit the gym so you are sure you build new muscle.

Diet Tips

1. Watching your diet is one of the best ways to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. Getting the right amount of vitamins and minerals is important because it will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.
2. It is important that you do not starve yourself because you need to eat food in order to lose weight. The reason for this is that it takes calories to burn calories. A great thing that you can do is to cut sugary and fatty foods from your diet completely. Sticking to vegetables, meat, and chicken is a great way to start eating healthier.
3. In general most people need to eat around 2,000 calories or day, but this can vary based on your activity level. If you are working hard every day and you are already at the proper weight then you may need to eat extra calories every day. These extra calories are not bad for you because you are burning them up when you exercise.
4. Drinking water is also a very important part of building muscle naturally and in a healthy manner. Most doctors recommend that you drink anywhere from eight to ten glasses of water consistently on a daily basis. Although, if you are sweating a lot during a workout routine you can drink additional water.

Starting this year in 2010 we will be posting a new 5 day workout routine every month.
This will keep you motivate and with change in routines every couple of months, comes progression and most of all RESULTS!

Complete this entire routine in an hour or less. This is how you will get ripped. Rest no longer than 1 minute between sets. This is your cardio, trust me on this.

When I say do 4 sets of 10 reps, that 10th rep better be ALL YOU GOT! I would rather see you do between 8-10 than to go over ten. If you are going over, its not heavy enough!

Monday (Chest)

• Incline Barbell 4×10
• Incline Dumbbell Press 4×8
• Flat Bench Press 3×10
• Chest Flyes Dumbbells or Machine 3×12
• Dips 3×15 -Push Ups 2xfailure

Tuesday (Back)

• Lat Pulldown 3×20
• Reverse Lat Pulldonw 3×12
• Dumbell Rows 4×10
• Wide Grip Machine Pulls 3×12
• Chin Ups 2xfailure -Shrugs 5×10

Wednesday (Legs)

• Leg Extensions 3×20
• Squats 3×15
• Leg Press 3×15
• Lunges 3×20
• Leg Curls 3×10
• Calf Raises 4×10

Thursday (Shoulders)

• Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4×12
• Lateral Raises 4×12
• Front Raises 3×12
• Upright Rows 4×10
• Reverse Flyes (rear laterals) 3×10

Friday (Biceps Triceps Forearms)

• Barbell Curls 4×10
• Tricep Pressdown 4×10
• Hammer Curls 3×12
• Skull Crushers 3×12
• Preacher Curls 4×8 -Barbell Wrist Curls 4×15
• Close Grip Bench Press 4×8
• Wrist Curls 4×15

Stay Tuned for Part 2 coming next month.

With the holiday season comes gifts, friends and family and lot’s of food. Many would be dieter’s are waiting to start that new diet as part of their New Year’s resolution. Instead of waiting, why not be proactive during the holidays by actively performing some tips that we have in store for you.

1. Reduce your intake of alcoholic beverages – Although this is a merry time of year, and many of us like to celebrate with a glass of wine or a bottle of beer. Do yourself a favor a limit yourself to one glass or bottle of alcohol. Alcohol increases insulin which increases appetite. The average American over the age of 14 consumes 2.65 gallons of pure (absolute) alcohol per year, which would average out to be more than 20 pounds of weight for every person in the U.S. Since one-third of the population does not drink, this figure would be 28 pounds of weight per year on the average for a person who does drink. Alcohol prevents the body fat from being burned, and alcohol removes the self-control required to tolerate hunger.

2. Increase the consumption of water – A recent study found more people drink soda over a year’s time than water. The body itself can only survive without water up to 72 hours before the human body shuts down. Drinking water also fills you up, feeling your stomach with fluids, thereby giving a full effect. Drinking two glasses of water before eating a big meal may help you eat less and give your body the water it desperately needs. Drink at least 8 ounces of water daily, or 4 bottled waters. If you look at most bottled water labels, it contains about 16.9 ounces of water.

3. Reduce your intake of sugar – Sugar, soda & other artificially sweeten drinks and deserts goes straight to your waistline. Even juices contain high amounts of sugar and should either be limited or removed from one’s diet. If you’re craving orange juice, eat an orange instead. Although fruits contain natural sugar, it contains much less of the other fructose and high end sugars usually found it drinks, juices and sugar related beverages. It is the holidays, so everyone will eat sweets and deserts. Just make a conscious effort not to divulge too much.

4. Eat slowly – Not only does eating slowly give you a more fuller effect after eating, but it’s way better for digestive purposes. Everyone get’s excited with the amount of good food available and sometimes eats too quickly. Again, be conscious of that and chew your food at least 20 times before swallowing and you’ll big differences in your digestive effects and feeling more fuller after eating.

5. Tighten your stomach with exercise – Yes that is correct. Most people won’t do this because again, they plan to start “right after the holidays”. But the key to losing weight and wellness overall is to be proactive about your weight and health. Doing something later, just for the sake of a couple of days is really silly. Be proactive and do 50 leg lifts or 50 sit-ups 30-45 minutes before a meal and your stomach will tighten up a bit.

6. Limit Your Intake of Saturated Fat – This is the kind of fat, found mostly in animal products, that increases blood cholesterol levels and has other negative health effects. It should supply less than one-third of the calories derived from fat. Keep your cholesterol intake below 300 milligrams per day.

7. Vitamins and Minerals

Supplements cannot substitute for a healthy diet, which supplies nutrients and other compounds besides vitamins and minerals, but they can assist the body to function more efficiently when taken properly. Providing your body with the right types of vitamins and minerals may also lead to better weight management along with providing your body with added nutrients it needs to perform optimally.