Muscle Soreness and Growth

“No pain, no gain!”

“If you can walk after this, you’re doing it wrong!”

You might find shouting these slogans at your training partner fun, but is there any truth behind them? A bit of post exercise pain can feel satisfying, but are sore muscles a good sign that your workout was effective?

Getting to Know the Score on “Sore”

There are two kinds of muscle soreness. The first occurs while you’re lifting. You know when you’ve pushed through a hard set, and the muscles are burning and painful? Well, that usually peaks at “muscle failure,” and despite the frightening name, it’s only a temporary condition that subsides very quickly after finishing a set. It is most commonly believed that the cause is oxygen starvation and a buildup of substances and metabolic waste in the muscle cells which prevent further muscle contraction.

Other research suggests that as muscles become fatigued, the calcium which flows and ebbs in the cells and controls contractions begins to leak from tiny channels, resulting in muscle weakness. The calcium leakage also triggers the release of an enzyme which actually breaks down muscle fiber, resulting in “failure”.

Post Training Muscle Soreness

Longer-lasting muscle soreness that occurs after exercising is called “DOMS”, or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. As the name implies, its onset is delayed, usually by 24 to 72 hours and takes longer to subside than short-term muscle failure.

The pain from DOMS can last anywhere from a couple of days to a whole week.

DOMS is most common with beginners or people who have had a lot of time off form training. When beginners experience DOMS they take the pain as a sign of an effective workout and an indicator that they’ve done enough work to make their muscles grow. As weeks of their training pass their DOMS becomes less and less after each workout. When the DOMS completely subsides they think that their workout has become ineffective and look for new ways of training to produce muscle soreness.

But DOMS is not an indicator of muscle growth, it’s simply a reaction to a training stimulus that the body is not accustomed to. You can have a very intense, high volume workout without any pain the next day and this workout will trigger muscle growth.

Resistance weight training stimulates muscle protein synthesis which results in muscle hypertrophy, but there is no pain associated with muscle protein synthesis or hypertrophy.

This type of delayed soreness, depending on its severity and duration, has the unfortunate effect of hindering performance until it subsides to a tolerable level.

There does not appear to be total consensus about the mechanisms behind delayed onset muscle soreness, but theories include micro-tears in the muscles, metabolic waste, muscle inflammation, edema and creatine kinase, a substance which, when present in high levels, is associated with muscle damage and inflammation. As I’ve already mentioned, DOMS is triggered especially by training routines to which one is unaccustomed.

It’s easy to assume that soreness indicates a good workout. After all, if you’re training hard with high intensity, surely muscles will grow – right? And if micro-tears are a likely cause of delayed onset muscle soreness, then surely DOMS is a good thing, yes? Well, it’s not that simple.

Though some degree of fatigue and post training soreness may well be accompanied by gains over the long-term, one should never view pain as requisite for muscular development.

A much better gauge by which to determine if your workouts are effective is to take note of a slow but steady increase in your lean mass and your capacity to lift progressively heavier weights.

Remember, weight training promotes muscle protein synthesis, but the synthesizing of new muscle proteins is not a painful process.

NOTE: Any pain felt around in the inside or outside of elbow, shoulder or knee joints could be a sign of a tendon injury. Seek professional medical advice if you experience persistent pain around these areas.

Unstoppable Benefits of Weight Training

Weight training – also known as weight lifting, strength training and resistance training – is a form of exercise which uses physical resistance and movement to improve the condition of the musculoskeletal system. Aside from the fact that weight training greatly improves your strength, body shape and confidence, it provides numerous other benefits that I will cover in today’s post.

The popularity of weight training has exploded in the last several decades, and with good reason. The overwhelmingly sedentary lifestyles and work environments that are commonplace in Western society have caused expanding waistlines and diminishing health in unprecedented numbers.

Weight training – in conjunction with a healthy diet – can help alleviate many of the physical and emotional ills caused by inactivity. Its benefits are many, and include:

Greater self-confidence. Regularly partaking in physical activity, setting, meeting and exceeding goals and seeing one’s health improve all boost self-esteem. An improved body composition (lower body fat and greater lean muscle tone and size) confer more feelings of self-worth than being visibly unhealthy.

Improved strength, inside and out. Though the most apparent results of a successful weight training regime are seen on the outside of the body, progressively improving the musculoskeletal system also strengthens the ligaments, tendons and bones, a process without which the large and visible muscles would fail to perform at their maximum potential. Progressive training provides functional strength from the inside out, a process which translates into an increased capacity for other physical activities.

Less fatigue. As the body grows stronger, it becomes more efficient. Once-tiring tasks take less energy to accomplish because strong muscles can achieve the same outcome with less energy demand than unconditioned ones.

Less time in the bathroom. Poor digestion and elimination is no laughing matter. The human body was designed for movement, and a complete weight training program engages the whole body. According to the Mayo Clinic, physical activity causes the muscles along the intestines to contract more quickly, letting waste pass through the digestive tract faster. Conversely, a lack of activity results in stool sitting in the body longer, while water is leached away, drying the stool out and causing constipation.

Better mood. In addition to the aforementioned benefit of greater self-confidence, weight training’s ability to improve emotional well-being is so powerful that prominent journals and institutions tout it as an effective tool for battling clinical depression, finding it comparable to or better than antidepressants and counseling. It has also been demonstrated to improve insomnia, chronic fatigue, anxiety and poor cognition (all of which may be related to or experienced in conjunction with depression).

Weight loss. The more lean muscle mass an individual has, the higher their metabolic rate. Muscle tissue is metabolically active and consumes calories; fat, on the other hand, does not. A healthy reduction in body fat – particularly abdominal fat, which has been shown to release inflammatory compounds linked to a number of diseases – can reduce the risk of mortality and infirmity from numerous ailments. Despite what most people think, weight training can be just as effective as cardio at burning off those unwanted calories.

Decreased risk of osteoporosis and arthritis. When physical loads (progressively and within reason) are placed on bones during physical exercise, bone mineral density improves, decreasing the risk of breakage. Additionally, weight training can reduce the hallmark symptoms of arthritis – stiffness and joint pain – as effectively as or better than medication, according to research from Tufts University.

Better blood sugar. Tens of millions of individuals – more than fourteen million in America alone – suffer from Type II diabetes. This disease is a leading cause of blindness, neuropathy, amputation, renal disease and heart disease. Research shows – demonstrated in a 16 week-long study of men and women of Hispanic descent – that weight training dramatically improves glucose control in a manner comparable to diabetes medication. As well, study participants showed increased strength, improved body composition, more self-confidence and less depression.

A healthy heart. The risk of heart disease is lower in people with greater lean body mass. Studies on cardiac patients show that aerobic capacity (as well as strength and flexibility) improves when weight training is incorporated into rehabilitation programs. The benefit is so significant that the American Heart Association recommends this type of exercise as a preventive measure against heart disease and as part of cardiac patient rehabilitation programs.

The benefits of weight training are too great and too many to ignore. There is no shortage of resources, information and support. It is a healthy and enjoyable activity in which almost anyone can participate. Get lifting!

How Heavy to Build Muscle Mass?

Many lifters are inspired by the likes of the great Ronnie Coleman, famous for squatting 800 pounds, chest pressing ridiculously heavy dumbbells and his quote…

“Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift no heavy-ass weights.”

Of course heavy weights build muscle. It’s the tension our muscles are subjected to that regulates their size – more weight, more tension, more intensity, equals more muscle growth.

However, there is a point where the weight you are lifting can become too heavy.

The videos you see of Ronnie Coleman moving extremely heavy weight for 2 – 3 reps is not how he built his incredible Olympia winning physique. Those heavy lifts were for the camera and not how he normally trains.

In fact, most of Ronnie Coleman’s training is in the 10+ rep range and he recommends to others that they should work in this range if muscle growth is their goal.

Have you ever noticed that you feel the target muscle contract better on your warm up sets than your heavy working sets?

You should feel the target muscle contract on every rep, if you can’t, it’s a good sign you’re lifting too much weight.

When you lift too heavy is causes supporting muscles to get involved in moving and stabilizing the weight. This shifts some tension off the target muscle and distributes the tension across several other muscle groups as the body tries to move the weight from point A to point B.

This can ‘dilute’ the growth potential of the target muscle.

Building muscle is not about moving the heaviest weight possible from point A to B; it’s about maximally stimulating the target muscle through its full range of motion under sufficient tension.

Too much weight reduces your range of motion, shifts tension away from the target muscle, reduces your mind muscle connection, causes the CNS (central nervous system) to fail before the muscle fibres have been stimulated, and dramatically increases your chance of injury.

I see it all the time, guys in the gym trying to compete with and impress their friends by lifting as much weight as they can, weight that is way too much for them to handle properly.

You’ve probably seen it yourself… the tag-team bench press – deadlift duo. One guy is pressing a barbell with everything he’s got while his friend pulls on the bar shouting “it’s all you bro, it’s all you!”

Just last week in the gym there was a group of guys working on flat dumbbell press. One guy was lying on the bench and his friends placed a huge 100lb dumbbell in each of his hands. With the assistance of his friends he managed to move the dumbbells about 5 inches for 4 reps before they came crashing to the floor.

That charade was followed by high fives all round!

Sure, doing heavy bench presses, deadlifts and squats look real macho and cool, but you’re not in the gym to look cool, you’re there to build muscle effectively. A cable fly done correctly will develop your chest better than a sloppy bench press with too much weight.

Forget about who is watching you, an impressive muscular physique will turn more heads than the amount of weight you can lift.

Now, I’m not saying you should never lift very heavy. The odd heavy week in the low 5 rep range every now and then is fine, but be sensible, lift intelligently and remember your ultimate goal is to train for maximum muscle growth.

Do you want the physique of a weightlifter or bodybuilder? If it’s the later, then you need to optimize your training for muscle gains, not strength.

How to Select the Correct Weight for Growth

Training with very heavy loads (weight) in the low rep range (4 – 6) develops force production (strength) by improving the ability of the CNS (central nervous system) to increase motor unit recruitment.

In other words, using very heavy weight makes more neuromuscular adaptations and is ideal for increasing strength, but is less effective for size gains.

Your goal when training for muscle growth is to make more physiological improvements than neurological.

Studies have repeatedly shown that working with a weight that is 75 – 80% of your 1 repetition maximum (1RM is the maximum amount of weight you can lift for 1 repetition) to be optimal for stimulating hypertrophy (muscle growth).

75 – 80% of your 1RM is a weight that causes you to reach failure around 8 – 10 reps.

Simply select a weight where you reach failure (the point where you can’t physically lift the weight for another rep) around the 8 – 10 rep mark.

If you failed at 6 reps then the weight is too heavy, reduce the load.

If you failed at 13 reps then the weight is to light, increase the load.

You will not be missing out in strength development by training for hypertrophy (muscle growth). With consistency and effort you will get stronger working in the 8 – 10 rep range, and soon enough you will be working with heavier loads while maintaining 8 – 10 reps to failure

Focus on the Muscle, Not the Weight

Before going to the gym take some time and research online the function of the muscle you’re going to be working, what movements does it create; then simply apply tension to that movement – control the tension!

Keep your form strict on every rep to maximize your time under tension.

Don’t focus so much on moving the weight. Instead, think about the muscle contracting and working to move the weight

Training Your Back Muscles Properly

There’s a good reason that the muscles of the back often show signs of neglect – that is, poor development compared to other muscle groups – despite regularly training them.

The back seems to be one of those “problem” muscle groups for a lot of people… but there’s a couple of simple solutions to developing a strong muscular back.

It’s all too easy to perform free-weight or machine rows and pull-downs without truly engaging your back.

The trouble is that many people perform movements designed to build a thick back, but primarily use their arms. That’s great news for your arms, but not so much if you want a balanced physique.

The Biomechanics Behind The Problem

It sounds nonsensical – arm muscles taking over back muscles despite your best efforts, but there’s a biomechanical factor that will make this much easier to understand. See, the aforementioned back exercises all involve pulling a weight along vertical (such as lat pull-downs) or horizontal (such as rows) planes of movement.

The very nature of holding onto a weight with your hands and pulling on it with your arms means there is almost no chance of completely disengaging your arms from the process. The trouble comes from letting your arms completely override the back muscles you’re trying to build.

Why do the Arms Take Over?

There are three primary reasons:

1: You’re trying to lift too much weight.
2: You haven’t figured out how to pull with your back muscles.
3: Or it’s a combination of the above two reasons.

The Solutions

You’re Lifting Too Much Weight.

There’s nothing new about that. Since the age of dinosaurs and cavemen… okay, since our first athletic endeavors, the desire to be the best, win the day and get the girl has led people to lift too heavy.

Look in almost any gym and you’ll see guys with shaky arms struggling under the burden of too much iron. The thing is, that letting egotism take over will only hinder you from reaching your desired outcome.

Lifting too much weight is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make in the gym.

Trying to do a set of rows with 100 pound dumbbells when you can’t handle that weight is only keeping you from stimulating the very back muscles you want to grow.

Your form will suffer and your arms will take over. In addition, a too-heavy weight doesn’t allow for a full ROM (range of motion).

ALWAYS start your back exercises with minimal weight. Your first two or three warm up sets should be light “rehearsals” so that you can feel your back muscles contract. Perform the exercise with strict, fluid form, before upping the weight.

You’ll know you’re using the right weight when you can perform the reps with correct form and do a static hold at the end position for a second. Bring your shoulder blades back and squeeze your back muscles.

If you can’t pull your shoulder blades back on your first few reps then the weight is too heavy.

Not Pulling with Your Back

Maybe the weight you’ve selected is perfect. If it is, and you still don’t feel like your back muscles are being worked, it’s because you don’t yet know how to engage them.

If that’s the case, don’t worry – it’s quite normal. The back is a muscle group that we can’t see working, and it’s difficult to “feel” these muscles contract.

Think about training your chest for example. You can see the chest muscles contract. You can feel the contraction and the “pump” during a set. But it’s a whole different story when it comes to training your back.

Here’s how to lift to train your back muscles properly:

Let’s say you’re doing a set of seated cable rows. Grip the handle and pull with your back muscles first, then pull the weight the rest of the way using your arms, keeping your shoulder blades locked back.

Read that again…

Pull with you back first, followed by your arms.

Begin by gripping the handle and pulling your shoulders back, squeezing your shoulder blades, than pull the handle toward your torso. When the handle reaches this point squeeze your back muscles hard. Don’t focus on moving the weight. Your primary focus should always be on contracting the muscle you’re trying to grow.

Let me explain…

Start with your shoulders in a protracted position. Pull the weight by retracting your shoulders back – then pull the weight towards your torso with your arms, finally squeezing your back muscles.

Lower the weight back to the starting position in a slow and controlled motion, and under tension.

First, pull by retracting your shoulders. Second, pull with your arms, driving the elbows back and contracting your back muscles hard. I might sound like a broken record here, but I’m trying to get the message across in a way that everyone can understand and implement.

The goal with every exercise is to contract (shorten) and relax (lengthen) the muscle under tension in order to make it grow. If you’re lifting too heavy, or you’re not performing the exercise properly then you’re not optimally stimulating the target muscle.

• Don’t just attempt to bring the weight towards your body. Of course, we instinctively try to do just that when holding onto a bar and performing a back exercise. But you have to train your mind by focusing on the muscle contracting to move the weight.

• …So don’t use your hands to pull. Say what? That’s right. You’re grabbing a bar with your hands, but you should only hold on to it with your hands – and…

• … Use your back to pull! That right there is the biggest secret to performing back exercises correctly. Don’t just use your hands to pull the weight towards you; concentrate on bringing your shoulders back first, squeezing your shoulder blades together then driving your elbows behind your body – either imagine there’s someone you really dislike back there and you’d like to elbow them in the side – or that you’re trying to push something behind you away from your body. And if you’re doing lat pull-downs you’re doing the same thing but moving your elbows to the sides of your body instead.

• Finally, consider using a pronated or neutral gripping position. When use an underhand grip, your biceps are heavily involved in pulling the weight, something you want to avoid. A pronated position (with your palms facing down) or a neutral position (with your palms facing one another) means your biceps can’t work as hard and your back (as long as you’re pulling properly with the correct weight!) gets maximum growth stimulating tension.

That’s it! You’ve just learned the secrets to training your back muscles properly. More gain, less struggle and frustration.

Does Weight Training Burn Fat?

Most personal trainers and health gurus will probably tell you that aerobic exercises are the best way to burn fat. So does weight training make you burn fat too? Weight training (anaerobic exercise) is primarily focused on building muscle mass. Aerobic exercising is focused on raising your heart rate, increasing endurance and elevating your metabolism. So which is the best for burning fat?

Combining Strength Training with Cardio

The best way to actually burn fat is to combine strength training with cardiovascular activities. Cardio will force your metabolism to speed up during your exercise routine and for a short time after. Weight training does the same, but will actually increase the amount of muscle you have, which can increase your overall metabolism for longer periods following your training.

Your muscles require a certain amount of energy to function properly. Increasing your overall muscle mass will increase your metabolism by requiring more energy from your body. When your body requires more energy, more of the calories you consume will go towards maintaining your muscle mass and less will be stored as fat.

How Fat is Burned AFTER Your Workout

Even after your strength training workout is over, your metabolism is raised and your body is using additional energy resources to repair and recover your damaged muscles. Strength training creates tiny microscopic tears in your muscles fibers which in turn need to be repaired by the body. Your body is calling for additional protein to repair the damaged muscle tissue, carbohydrates to replenish depleted glycogen, and calories to fuel the growth and recovery process.

Performing a cardiovascular workout on your days off from weight training is a great way to burn fat and complement your training routine. When you combine cardio with strength training you will be increasing your metabolism while you’re exercising as well as while you’re resting after. This one-two punch combo is a great way to burn body fat and get in shape fast.

Gradual Weight Loss to Maximize Muscle Growth

Most people will tell you that losing weight while gaining muscle is impossible. This is mainly because as you build muscle, your body will require additional calories to grow muscle. When you increase your caloric intake to achieve gains in muscle mass it becomes difficult to burn body fat. This is why it’s so important to incorporate cardiovascular workouts into your strength training program if you plan to lose weight while you add lean mass.

It’s important to avoid cutting back on calories while you’re strength training, even if you want to lose weight. When you starve your body you can actually lose muscle mass rather than gaining it. Not only that, but you will be much more likely to regain any weight you lose if you choose to cut back on your daily calories significantly.

In this case, slow and steady wins the race. You should focus on minimal fat loss while you build your muscle mass.

How to Increase Your Bench Press

One of the most common desires for anyone who has been lifting for a while is to increase their bench press strength. The amount of weight you can bench press is a good indicator of upper body strength and is typically how others compare their strength with you. It’s easy to hit plateaus you are unable to overcome when attempting to increase the amount of weight you can bench press. This can be extremely frustrating. Read on to discover some of the best tips for increasing your bench press strength and busting through plateaus like a boss.

Increase Your Tricep Strength

In many cases tricep strength is going to hold you back when it comes to bench pressing more weight. Remember, bench pressing counts on a number of muscles. You need to strengthen all of them in order to take on more weight. A few exercises you can try to increase your bench strength include skullcrushers and close grip presses.

Push Yourself to the Limit

It’s way too easy to fall into a rut when working out. Your workout routine should be systematic, although you do need some variation to really grow. If you aren’t always pushing yourself to the limit you won’t see the big gains other guys are getting. You can try varying the intensity of your workout and changing up reps, breaks between sets and exercises. Always make sure you are doing at least one big compound exercise on your chest every workout. Make sure you are following the rule of progressive overload by gradually adding small amounts of weight to the bar, even if it’s just a couple of Kg at a time, the weight will start to add up as you will get progressively stronger.

Less is More

It can be really tempting to work out more than you should when you’re trying to get big. You have to realize that training too often is going to hold you back big time. Your muscles need time to grow and regenerate between workouts. You should be focusing on your technique and the quality of your workout, not the quantity. Working your chest hard once or twice a week is all anybody really needs to grow.

Try to Stay Negative

Of course I don’t mean your attitude. Negatives are when you’re lowering the weight to your chest. You can try doing negatives at 150% of your bench max then having a buddy help you lift the bar back up. Negative training is a secret not many lifters know about and can really help you blast through your 1 rep max.

Grub like a Champ

If you really want to see big gains you’re going to have to start eating more. If you don’t add additional calories to your diet you can forget about increasing your chest strength. Maintaining a daily calorie surplus as you grow is essential. Getting your protein in a number of different forms is great, but don’t forget about consuming those calorie dense complex carbohydrates. Both are essential to building muscle tissue and increasing strength.

Take a Vacation

Seriously, take some time off once in a while. All the pros take a week or two off every year to help their bodies recuperate. Your muscles and nervous system can become fatigued which will hold you back when trying to break through a plateau. I like to take at least a week off to fully recover at least a few times throughout the year. Everytime, without fail I get back into training after a week of rest and eating I come back feeling stronger and full of energy.

Supplements are your Friend

This is especially true if you have a hard time getting all of the protein and/or calories you need from your diet. We’re all busy and can’t always find the time to eat enough. While it may be possible to get everything you need from the food you eat, finding the right supplements guarantees your body will have the correct nutrients ratios necessary to get bigger and stronger.

Technique is Everything

Using the proper technique is absolutely essential when it comes to big strength gains. You would be shocked to know how many experienced lifters neglect to perfect their lifting form. Bad habits are easy to develop and extremely hard to shake. Consulting with an expert trainer to analyze your form could be just what you need to increase your bench press strength.

Chest and Back Routine for Mass

This is a simple, yet very effective “Push – Pull” superset routine for adding mass on your chest and back. You will perform one pull exercise followed by one push exercise, taking 1 – 2 minutes rest between each working set.

This is going to be an intense training session that will get progressively heavy and hard, so make sure you’re well fuel up with a good pre workout meal, and prepared to smash this!

Always start with some light stretching and complete a couple of warm up sets by alternating between the first two main chest and back exercises. For example, do the first set (warm up set) for one of the muscle groups (Back – Bent-Over Barbell Rows) then switch and do the first set (warm up set) for the other muscle group (chest – Flat Bench Dumbbell Press).

After you’ve completed a few warm up sets you can get started with your first working set.

Continue through this cycle until each of the four sets of the superset is completed for both exercises. You will do your first set on back, then switch and do your first set on chest, then second set on back, take 1 or 2 minutes rest and move to second set on chest… you get the idea.

The weight parentage shown are of your one rep max (the maximum amount of weight you can lift for one repetition). So, if the maximum amount of weight you can bench press for one rep is 240lbs, then for your warm up you will press around 25% of that weight, then your next set will be around 60% of your 1RM.

All clear..? Good, let’s get started

First Superset

Back – Bent-Over Barbell Rows
Chest – Flat Bench Dumbbell Press

First Set: Warm Up at 25% for 10-14 Reps
Second Set: 60% for 8-12 Reps
Third Set: 75 – 80% for 6 – 8 Reps
Fourth Set: 75 – 80% 6 – 8 Reps

Second Superset

Back– Wide-grip Lat Pulldowns
Chest– Incline Dumbbell Chest Presses

First Set: Warm Up at 25% for 8-10 Reps
Second Set: 60% for 8-12 Reps
Third Set: 75% for 8-10 Reps
Fourth Set: 75 – 80% for 6-8 Reps

How to Perform each of the Exercises Properly

Bent-over Barbell Rows

This exercise is done with a barbell with the appropriate amount of weight attached for each set. Hold the bar with an underhand (supination) grip with both hands. Start with your back straight and the bar somewhere around your waist or upper thigh. Bend over with your knees slightly bent. You should feel it in your hamstrings. When the bar reaches knee level begin to pull it towards your midsection. Make sure to feel that muscle contract at the top of the movement.

Flat Bench Dumbbell Presses

This exercise is done with two dumbbells of the appropriate weight for each set. Lay down back first on a flat bench holding the dumbbells with your palms facing your feet. Lift the dumbbells over the center of your chest then lower them down slowly. Your feet should be flat on the floor with a small arch in your back when performing this exercise.

Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown

For this exercise you will need a pulldown machine at the appropriate weight for each set. To achieve the wide grip simply place your hands about four inches wider than your shoulders on each side. Pull the bar down and pause momentarily before slowly raising the bar back up.

Incline Dumbbell Presses

This exercise is similar to the flat bench dumbbell presses. The only difference is that you will need a bench where you can set an incline. To start you will need two dumbbells of the appropriate weight for each set. For this exercise you will also want your feet flat on the floor with your back slightly arched. Raise the dumbbells above your chest with your palms facing your feet. Then slowly lower the dumbbells down until your arms are at a 90 degree angle.

Warm Up and Stretching

Before you perform this workout routine you should give yourself a little bit of a warm up and stretch. About 10 minutes of light cardio on a treadmill, elliptical or stair stepper should be all you need to warm up. To stretch your chest you can extend your arm straight out to the side and grip a wall or machine. Twist your body forward lightly to begin stretching out your chest.

Post Workout Cardio

If you are on a cutting phase and would like to maximize your fat loss you can follow up your chest and back workout routine with a short session of cardio. This can be a slow to moderate walk on a treadmill with an incline, an elliptical with a moderate resistance setting, or a stationary bike with resistance. Your body will already be in fat burning mode from your chest and back “Push – Pull” strength training routine. You can take advantage of this elevated fat burning state by throwing in some cardio at the end to enhance fat loss.

Training to Failure for Muscle Growth

Many people believe that in order for a muscle to grow it’s absolutely necessary to take every working set to momentary muscular failure. Failure is the point at which you’re unable to complete one more rep of the concentric (positive) part of the lift.

Today, I’m answering a question that’s fallen victim to much misunderstanding and broscience… is momentary muscular failure (MMF) really necessary to achieve hypertrophy?

Some people swear by training to failure and will argue that progress can’t be made without following this principal, stating that if you stop short of reaching failure then you’ve not given your muscles a clear reason to adapt and grow.

The logic sounds pretty solid… but there’s a problem with this theory.

Take a look at 5X Mr Universe Bill Pearl (pictured right) who NEVER trained to failure. Bill say’s:

“My approach to training has always been to push yourself in your workouts, but do not train to failure! The last rep should be difficult, but not impossible or unachievable. Speaking from experience, I urge you: Train hard, yes, but not to failure. Complete what you start — and that means every rep. I believe that this approach will not only ensure that you’ll stay with your training program year after year but you’ll also make the greatest progress.”

Then there are many bodybuilders, average Joes, powerlifters, and people with physically demanding jobs who are all able to develop impressive muscularity and strength without ever training to true failure.

So it’s evident all around us, very clearly, that training to failure is not a necessity for muscle growth.

Let me tell you now, exercising to the point of muscular failure is not, and never has been, a necessary requirement for muscle hypertrophy. The growth response is not induced by a single rep (i.e. the failure rep). To build muscle, the goal is to recruit as many muscle fibres as possible. You’re able to recruit all muscle fibres without ever going to failure. What’s important is muscle fibre recruitment, time under heavy tension, progressive overload and total volume with good form, not the final failure rep.

Training to complete failure on every set can actually hinder your gains. If you max yourself out on your first set, you’re going to be very fatigued going into your second set. If you continue training to failure on each set you will reduce your ability to recruit motor units effectively, resulting in less muscle fibre recruitment. You’ll find that you have to drop the weight or reduce reps as you progress through your workout. Speed slows and form breaks down as you reach failure, the final rep is really useless at contracting the muscle and stimulating growth.

You should stop one or two reps shy of failure. This allows you to train with a heavy weight and good form while leaving enough juice in the tank to see you through the rest of the exercises in your workout.

Just in case you’re a hardcore training to failure advocate and still on the fence about this. There was a recent study in 2012 by the National Strength and Conditioning Association that found the maximum muscle activation was achieved 3-5 reps short of failure. So, it’s not the last rep that counts for growth, because the growth response has reached its maximum and plateau a few repetitions before failure.

Best Muscle Building Exercises

Lest anyone ever suggest that muscle building involves little more than mindlessly lifting the heaviest weight manageable for a few sets of low repetitions using your limbs… continue reading.

Bodybuilding not only produces some of the best physiques, but recruits some of the most inquisitive minds. Today, anyone engaged in a strength training program can take advantage of thoroughly scientific investigative methods which explore exactly what the best muscle building exercises are.

Amateur and professional athletes alike may find themselves calling into doubt what they previously considered their “ideal” routine, as they discover that what is truly ideal is whatever is most appropriate for them at the present moment.

When muscle building exercises are selected, the choices made are dependent upon the physiological response induced by a particular movement. Though science has classified resistance training exercises in many ways, one of the most credible and complete classifications involves the use of EMG – Electromyography. EMG is a technique which records and evaluates the electrical activity produced within specific groups of skeletal muscles. Any movement causes electrical activity, and EMG allows researchers to determine which exercises produce the most activity. In knowing this, an objective measurement can be obtained. When scientific research is applied, any routine’s effectiveness and appeal will be increased.

In Serious Strength Training by Dr. Tudor Bompa, Professor Emeritus, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, results were obtained from the application of EMG to different muscle groups, and the findings published are summarized below. Exercises are listed from top to bottom, beginning with the highest levels of stimulation to the lowest, for each muscle group.

CHEST

SHOULDERS

BACK

BICEPS

TRICEPS

LEGS

The figures above show variance in the ability of different exercises to induce motor unit activation. Some exercises differ by only small amounts – others considerably more. Though some individuals may find these differences inconsequential on paper, other athletes may see that by applying these findings to their regime, their muscle building progresses more than they thought possible.

Tips to Build Bigger Traps

“Watch out! It’s a trap!” Just kidding. I am, of course, talking about the trapezius muscles, which extends along part of the neck and down the shoulder blades, whose function is to support the arms, move the shoulder blades… and make you look superhuman.

Powerful, bulging traps are eye-catchers that give a real powerful look to your physique.

There’s no denying that even on a physique lacking in other areas, a big trapezius muscle can make it stand out from the crowd. Few lifters are naturally blessed with large trap muscles, contending instead with ordinary, flat ones.

But how do you build bigger traps?

Shrugs? You can shrug until the cows come home (or like you’re chronically unsure about everything), but nothing much will come of it if you’re not doing it right.

Fortunately, I’ve got you covered – continue reading and discover some top tips to building intimidating traps that command respect!

Hold it right there… Try lighter weights when working your traps. Heavy is not always better. More importantly, concentrate on powerfully holding the weight for a couple of seconds when your muscles are fully contracted. If you cannot achieve a powerful contraction that can be briefly held, you are trying to lift too much weight, which damages the quality and gain potential of every repetition.

Using a lighter weight, focus on the trapezius muscle shortening and tightening as you contract and raise the shoulders. Hold the weight and squeeze the muscle before slowly lowering the shoulders to the starting position.

Get a grip. Strap it on. Maybe that last line could be changed. Regardless, if you find your grip failing you, don’t be afraid to acquire good quality lifting straps. Weight lifting straps attach to the wrists and assist in getting a good grip on the weights. There is nothing “wimpy” about using a well-made tool to get the job done. Straps help take your focus and worry away from maintaining a grip on the bar, to instead concentrating on contracting your traps.

Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler use lifting straps for a reason, and there’s nothing “wimpy” when you see those guys using straps.

Quality counts. I’ve discussed good form and how to perform reps correctly before. If you don’t focus and concentrate on what’s happening when you lift – how long each portion (concentric, pause and eccentric) of every repetition is; ensuring the target muscles are being worked; being aware of normal soreness versus problematic pain; applying steady intensity to each rep – you miss out on maximizing gains.

Make every rep a high quality one that counts. Use good form, with smooth, fluid movements.

Don’t lift too quickly, or jerkily. Not only will that result in poor target muscle contracting but could easily lead to tendon damage.

As a bonus, maintaining good form with trap exercises will further your ability to do it with other types of lifts, because the range of motion involved in exercising the traps is relatively small.

Twice is nice. Who ever said that the trapezius muscles should only be worked once every seven days? Someone must have, because it seems taken for granted that that’s just the way it’s done. Between shoulder and back days, work your traps, not once weekly, but twice. Not only will you target them in isolation, but work them indirectly when you train your shoulders and back.

More Tips for Tremendous Traps

• Not every set needs to be the same. Use lighter weights and more reps; then switch to heavier weights and lift fewer reps, as four or five, and as many as fourteen. Or, concentrate on the eccentric portion of the movement, resisting the weight as you bring it down. Incorporate some static holds for maximum muscle contraction.

• Locking out the joints when lifting is not normally advisable, but if done with caution, it can yield good results. By keeping the elbows locked, straight and immobile, you force your trapezius muscles to do more work; conversely, allowing the elbows to bend may cause you to inadvertently help lift the weight with the upper back.

• When performing a dumbbell shrug, lean a bit forward. Why? Because more of the trapezius is used when the body is so positioned. The benefit? Increased muscle fiber recruitment and the ability to lift heavier.

• If your grip strength is lacking, in addition to using lifting straps, you can try doing trap shrugs while standing in a position that puts your weight on your heels, preventing your body from shifting up and down. This encourages good form and greater grip strength.

• Incorporate different exercises such as shrugs with dumbbells, barbell, smith machine, cables, shoulder pad calf machine and upright rows.

The trapezius muscle may be small, but the effect of hitting it hard with good form is mighty. Don’t ignore this overlooked part of your physique; by incorporating regular, twice-weekly workouts and following the tips in this guide, you’ll have bigger traps in no time.

Big Shoulders Exercise Program

You could have amazing biceps and chest muscle development, but if your shoulders are underdeveloped you’re going to look small and weak. Large, well developed shoulders really standout and command instant respect.

The shoulders are important for that broad, strong, well balanced look and make up a big part of your overall physique. They are one of the only muscle groups that are highly visible from the front, side and rear of the body.

If your shoulders seem resistant to growth, or you’re looking for a program that will build more mass on your shoulders, fast… today’s your lucky day!

In this post I’m first going to discuss the anatomy and function of the shoulder muscle group. And provide you with the best mass building exercises and execution to develop 360 degrees of cannon-ball shoulder muscularity!

Shoulder Anatomy

The deltoid (shoulder) is built on a ball and socket joint and is a monoarticular muscle group that moves the arms in all direction.

The deltoid is a complex muscle that can be divided into three parts:

Anterior Head (front): The main function of this muscle is to lift the arm out in front of the body. It is used as a secondary muscle and gains some growth stimulation during bench pressing, other chest exercises and can be activated during some biceps movements. The front head is heavily used in all pressing exercises.

Medial Head (side): This muscle is responsible for abducting the arm out to the side and away from the midline of the torso. This muscle is involved in overhead press exercises but requires direct isolation such as side lateral raises with dumbbells or cables to maximize growth. Side lateral raises are essential if you want broad mass development of the shoulders, and in my opinion are the best isolation exercises for the shoulders and should be a priority in your workout.

Posterior Head (back): This part of the shoulder pulls the arm backward and away from the body. The posterior head is heavily utilized during some back (pulling) exercise such as pull ups or rows, but is often under developed because most people find it difficult to isolate this muscle correctly when training shoulders – A problem I will be addressing in the exercise program below.

Shoulder Building Training Program

Shoulders are arguably my strongest body part, which I owe to the exercise routine that I’ve been following for years and set out below. I only ever make slight changes to this every couple of months such as changing from dumbbell press to military barbell press, switching from dumbbells to cables (to change the strength curve and line of tension), changing up rep ranges or changing up the odd exercise. But I’ve pretty much stuck to this program and it’s served me well. Now it’s your turn!

Make sure to warm up properly before starting these exercises with some mild stretching followed by a few light sets, to get some blood into the muscle and the joint warmed up.

Exercise 1: Dumbbell Press (4 sets / 2 heavy sets at 6 – 8 reps, 2 sets at 8 – 10 reps)

If you’re serious about building massive strong shoulders then the dumbbell press should be a staple in your training. There are a lot of variations of this exercise… Arnold, Cuban, and incline presses for example. But we’re going with the tried and true classic seated dumbbell press here.

This exercise moves the arms through a very natural range of motion, placing stimulating tension on the anterior and medial heads and puts the anterior bundle in its best position for work. The contraction at the top of the movement is much better because it allows for the arms to freely move closer together as they straighten, compared to a barbell where your hands are locked in one position.

How to Perform:

• Sit on a bench with back support at its highest setting
• Pick the dumbbells up and let them rest in an upright position on the top of your thighs
• Raise the dumbbells to shoulder height (starting position) one at a time, using your thighs to help propel them up
• Make sure your palms are facing forward

Arching your back when pressing shifts emphasis to a different plane of movement and therefore taking some of the tension off the target muscle (shoulders) and directing it to the upper pectorals.

To keep the tension on the muscle and maintain good form your back should be firmly placed against the pad and maintain a slightly “retracted” position of your shoulders to eliminate your shoulders from sloughing forward.

Maintain an erect spine and stop any back arching. Contracting your abs can help maintain this firm position.

To insure optimum shoulder muscle recruitment make sure that your forearm is perpendicular (90 degrees) to the floor through EVERY rep of the exercise.

Your hands should be in direct line with your elbow. They should never move your hands inside or outside of that line.

Lifting Tempo: 2-1-3-0

Your lifting tempo should be 1-2 seconds on the way up (concentric) in an exploding motion, 1 second pause at the top, 3 seconds to lower the weight (Eccentric – very important to maintain a slow and controlled contraction on this part), 0 second pause at the bottom.

Exercise 2: Side Lateral raises x 3 (3 sets / 8 – 10  reps)

This is my favourite shoulder exercise and the best to give the shoulders that rounded look from the front. It’s the only exercise that offers great isolation of the medial head, while minimizing the recruitment of the anterior and posterior heads.

Side lateral raises can be done using either dumbbells, cable pulley or machine. All are very effective but the cable provides the greatest tension throughout the entire range of motion because of the direction of resistance. However, I recommend switching between dumbbells and cables weekly for some variety.

There’s no need to bring your hand above shoulder height when doing side lateral raises. Don’t try lifting the arms as high as possible, stop when the arm is parallel with the floor. The medial head is in a fully shortened position at shoulder level. Going any higher will recruit the trapezius muscles.

Maintain good form during this exercise, don’t swing the weight, jerk or twist your body. Keep your body in a static position concentrating on just contracting the medial head and lifting the arm out to the side.

Keep the weight fairly light so that you reach failure around the 12 rep mark and so that you are able to maintain good form. Remember, explode up and slow on the way down maintaining constant tensions on the muscle through every rep.

Exercise 3: Reverse Fly’s x 3 (3 sets / 8 – 10 reps)

Perform this exercise using a rear deltoid machine if your gym has one, or a chest fly machine with handles on a reverse setting.

Before you start, grip the handles and place your shoulders in a protracted position. Protract your shoulders by moving them forward slightly while keeping your torso completely still. You may find it difficult to maintain this position at first but it’s essential to properly isolate the posterior deltoid.

Set the seat so that your hands are in line with your chin. When bringing your arms back keep a slight bend in your elbows and keep them up. Squeeze the muscle for one seconds when you move your arms all the way back.

Exercise 4: Front raises x 2 (2 sets / 10 reps)

This exercise is optional, because the anterior head (front of the shoulder) is heavily involved in pressing movements most people find that this muscle is fairly well developed. However, if you find that the front of your shoulders need some work to equal the development of the other heads then do a couple of front raises to finish off your shoulder training.

This exercise can be done using different equipment such as straight bar, kettlebells, EZ bar, dumbbells, large plate, cables etc.

The best way to do this exercise is on a machine cable with handle using a pronated grip (palms facing down) or by using a rope attachment and a neutral grip (thumbs facing up).

These exercises are all you really need for well-rounded shoulder strength and muscle development.

Now go get those cannon balls!