Workout principles
Myths about muscle
Unfortunately, the internet brought about a lot of opinions and myths that can be misleading to people genuinely wanting to educate themselves. I’m here to set this right and debunk some of the myths that I see on a weekly basis.
What exercises are best for strength?
So, you want to get strong? I can’t blame you, it’s something that you can never actually get too good at. Just think, can you ever be too strong? What’s even better is that the stronger you get, the more muscle you are going to build and the better you will look, given that your diet is in check of course.
Not building mass? Read this...
Let me start off by saying that I have been in your position, I know how you feel. I used to be that skinny guy who couldn’t build any mass and, if you’re reading this, I guess you are too.
The good news is that I’m not still that skinny guy who can’t build mass. I did in fact find the perfect way to add mass to my frame, and it's not no secret formula. You need to understand that when I’m talking about adding mass to your frame, it's not all going to be slabs of muscle. Most of it will be, but you can’t add those slabs without adding some fat, it's just the way it goes. With that said, you can certainly limit the amount of fat that is added through smart training and diet.
Why aren’t my calves growing?
You’re only going to be reading this if you aren’t happy with your calves. In my experience of training, there are only two types of people in the gym. Those with big calves, and those with small ones. Okay so that’s not strictly true, but I never really see anybody who fits in between and think that their calves are ‘alright’.
Fat loss training rules
Bulking is over, you’ve hit your target scale weight and you like the way you look in the mirror but, it's time to lose some fat. Now before I lure you into believing that there is some kind of magical fat loss and muscle building program, let me just set you straight and tell you that there isn’t. You can in fact build muscle or lose fat on any workout program, as long as you apply basic principles such as progressive overload and eat according to your goals. Fat loss mainly all going to be down to you staying strict with your diet. Having said that, there are some rules that you can apply to your training that are going to aid you in losing fat more effectively, than if you didn’t use them. Let’s take a look.
Creating the 'X' Shape physique
We all have different fitness goals, but the ultimate physique for many is the ‘X’ shape physique. This refers to the shape consisting of wide shoulders, a narrow waist, and large legs, creating almost literally an ‘X’ shape out of the body.
This physique is so desired largely because it can be very difficult to obtain. We all know that it’s necessary to eat a calorie excess to gain muscle mass, so how do we do this without gaining a large midsection? Tricky…
Can you cut weight too fast?
Cutting weight, whether for a show, or just for your summer body, can be very tricky, especially when it comes to patience. Many of us want those hard-earned results NOW! Most people who need to lose weight can get health benefits from losing even a small amount of about 5% of their weight if they keep it off. Doesn’t seem like much, does it?
High Bar vs Low Bar Squats
Barbell Squats are one of the best exercises you can perform to increase your leg strength, but there are two different ways of going about it. To the untrained eye it can be difficult to identify the differences, but a closer look reveals that different Athletes perform their squats with the Barbell placed on different parts of the upper back.
Benching for Hypertrophy vs for Powerlifting
The Barbell bench is possibly the most popular weightlifting movement in the gym, but who knew there were such different ways of performing the lift, to achieve different goals? Benching for Hypertrophy basically just means performing the Bench Press to optimise pectoral engagement and growth, while Benching for Powerlifting means trying to lift as much weight as possible. The key difference between these will be the range of muscles used. For the Hypertrophy bench the aim is to use primarily the Pectoral (Chest) muscles, whereas the Powerlifting Bench will also incorporate more of the Anterior (Front) delts and Triceps.
Increase your deadlift like this
Deadlifting is the ultimate lift. There, I said it. That’s right, not the squat or the bench press, the deadlift.
It requires raw strength and is relatively simple to complete. You must pick it up, lock it out and place it back down again. It’s obvious if you don’t, you can’t cheat it like you can with a bench press or squat by doing a half rep. You have to pick it up and put it down. I’m not encouraging poor technique by the way, the deadlift is still a skilful lift and proper form is paramount if you want to reduce the chances of an injury, which is most likely going to be a lower back one resulting in a considerable amount of time spent out of the gym, not ideal.