Mike Westerdal Lean Hybrid Muscle Interview

Nick Nilsson Interviews Mike Westerdal About Lean Hybrid Muscle Building

NN: Hey Mike, thanks for taking the time to talk with me. I heard your boss over at Critical Bench sent you on an extended vacation for stirring up all this controversy lately.

MW: Ya my boss is a real jerk. No, I’m just kidding, I’m my own boss. Most people don’t even know that’s my site. I’m kind of coming out from behind the curtain so to speak to share some workouts I’ve been experimenting with lately.

NN: What exactly do you mean by Hybrid?

MW: It’s pretty cool because it has a double meaning in this case. The general definition of “hybrid” is combining two or more different things. In this case we want to take the best of several training philosophies in order to accomplish multiple goals at one time.

We also have what’s been called the “Hybrid Muscle” which is really what Lean Hybrid Muscle Building is all about.

NN: Okay Mike I’ll take the bait, what the heck is a “Hybrid Muscle”?

MW: When talking about “super hybrid muscle,” we’re referring to a muscle that has essentially been reconfigured, adding mitochondrial density, which results in a bigger stronger muscle with more endurance capacity. This is accomplished by combining cardio and strength training into a single activity.

I learned a lot about hybrid super muscle through the book The Purposeful Primitive, written by Marty Gallagher. It’s one of my all time favorite books.

By combining cardio and resistance activities it causes the composition of muscles to transform from predominately type II or type IIb into Type III. By doing this, we are able to push “beyond our genetic limits”.

Having more mitochondria in the muscle cells means that more nutrients can be processed, giving the muscles the ability to work considerably harder for longer periods. They’re also able to grow larger and are able to resist getting tired for longer periods.

NN: Type III muscle? Did you make that up or are you claiming to have invented a new muscle fiber?

MW: I wish I could take credit for that, but no. After reading Marty’s book I started my research and learned that a lot of guys have been preaching this stuff for a while. It’s nothing new. It’s just something a lot of people haven’t heard about.

Early adaptors of this theory included Dr. Len Schwartz who in 1995 coined the phrase “Long Strength”. Dr. Schwartz describes Long strength as “the ability to exert significant strength for an extended period of time.”

John Parrillo-the second proponent of long strength-began having his bodybuilders doing really high intensity cardio. He claimed that doing this actually altered the muscle composition. He called this form a resistance training the “100 rep extended set,” saying that it helped the body to construct more mitochondria-the muscles’ “cellular blast furnaces.” He also says that this increases muscular growth by developing the circulatory pathways that provide nourishment to the muscles.

Ori Hofmekler is the third early adopter of the long strength concept. Ori developed a weight training system that he called, “Controlled Fatigue Training.” According to Ori, this type of training was specifically designed to develop these super hybrid muscles-ones that were capable of generating and sustaining strength for extended periods.

NN: How would one go about building this super hybrid muscle fiber?

MW: For starters, you can look to the ancient warrior cultures-the Spartans, the Vikings and the Gladiators-and learn from them. Remember that all of the training they did was in preparation for the battles ahead. In other words, they were training for functionality rather than aesthetics, meaning that their training routines would have incorporated activities that simultaneously developed both strength and endurance.

Today, to build Hybrid Super Muscle we can start by engaging in aerobic activities that have a strong element of resistance.

NN: That reminds me, you wrote a report called, The Warrior Physique. What’s that about and where can the readers grab a copy?

MW: That was a fun one to write. Having a Swedish background I’ve always been interested in the Viking culture.

It’s no secret that our ancestors were physically, in much better shape than overall, we are today. For ordinary people, their day-to-day lives were much more physically demanding than ours. Back in the day if you wanted to eat you had to go hunting or catch some fish. Everything was functional. In today’s world most of us are subject to the triple seated threat as I like to call it-sitting at our computers, sitting in the car or sitting on the couch.

In this report we’ll explore how some of this planet’s all-time greatest elite warriors of the past developed some legendary physiques.

Right click here and choose “save target as” to download that report now.

NN: So, does this all mean you have a problem with cardio machines?

MW: Not really. If you want to add some resistance to your cardio machines just put the treadmill on an incline. There are numerous ways to make cardio machines “hybrid”.

There’s nothing wrong with regular cardio on exercise equipment. I just think training the hybrid way can be a big time saver. I mean who has time to do a 45-minute workout with the weights just to go pedal on the bike for an additional 45 minutes.

I live in Florida so I’m fortunate that I can go for a walk outdoors any time I want. Sunlight and fresh air can do some wonders for your hormone levels.

Cardio machines have their place. Hybrid cardio just provides a faster more entertaining alternative for some people.

NN: How did you wind up partnering up with Pro Strongman Elliott Hulse in creating this system?

Elliott’s an awesome guy. We’ve become really good friends. I like that we have similar values and he’s someone I can count on.

A while ago I tweaked my back doing some powerlifting and I knew Elliott owned a sports training gym in St. Pete, FL. I paid him a visit and he helped me rehab my back.

We just had a lot in common. We actually played football against each other in college without knowing it and we both compete in strength sports.

The thing we really had in common is that w had both put on some un-needed body fat during our quest for strength. (Okay a lot.)

We both wanted to lose fat extremely fast, but didn’t want to sacrifice one ounce of muscle or strength. We knew this was going to be a challenge and something that most people would say is impossible.

Elliott is a beast. I think it’s good that I’m there to tone him down sometimes. He’s the outspoken motivational coach and I’m more laid back and shy at times.

NN: I’ve seen videos from Elliott’s underground gym. If someone is going to do the Lean Hybrid Muscle program, do they need all that fancy strongman equipment?

MW: Nope. That’s a common misconception. We’re fortunate to have access to a lot of cool training tools but I don’t expect someone living in a NYC apartment to store a 600 pound tire…lol.

If the weekly workout includes any specialty equipment there are always exercises that you can substitute or swap out.

NN: What about a gym membership…is this a gym workout or a home workout?

MW: It can be either. There’s a big trend, where people are trying to save time and money by working out at home. Some people simply prefer training outdoors.

Personally I do some workouts at home and some at the gym. You can do this program at the gym, at home or a combination of the two.

NN: Mike, your results were pretty amazing. Do you guarantee this is going to work for everyone that tries it? In 8-weeks you dropped 12% body fat and stayed the same weight. The pics look like night and day. And dude, what’s up with the swimmers cap and speedo, we didn’t need to see that!

MW: Haha. First of all, that thing in the background is a Bod Pod and it took my bodyfat measurement. They made me wear the hat and the speedos….trust me I’m not a fan of that picture either and it definitely motivated me to make a change!

Do I guarantee results? No, I don’t. I have no control over whether or not you’ll do the workouts. Whether or not you’ll get the sleep you need and supply your body with the fuel it needs to transform.

Plus everyone is different. I’m not going to say this is the only way to train. I just know that it worked wonders for me. It worked for Elliott. And it worked for dozens of his clients at his gym. Will it work for you? Probably. If you get even half the results, would you be happy?

NN: How is Lean Hybrid Muscle Training different than Cross Fit, some of the videos look similar?

MW: Cross Fit is a great training style. I respect the discipline and think they have some great workouts. From what I’ve read about Cross Fit it focuses on stamina, flexibility, speed, agility, balance, cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, coordination, and accuracy.

The rest intervals are very short and the workouts are fast and often. What I like about Cross Fit is that it incorporates resistance cardio which I’m all for.

However I had a goal of not just dropping weight and fat, but also wanted to build muscle mass and build my strength.

Sure, Lean Hybrid Muscle Building and Cross Fit may use some of the same exercises but they are done with different rest periods, volume and intensity. Just like a bodybuilder and a powerlifter may both perform the bench press, but how they perform that lift is very different from each other.

Lean Hybrid Muscle Building is cross-disciplinary like Cross Fit but it has a much greater emphasis on gaining strength and muscle mass than Cross Fit does.

In summary Cross Fit is an excellent training program that can produce great results, but I think it’s better suited for goals of conditioning, toning or developing agility, speed and endurance. If that’s your goal, go with Cross Fit.

On the other hand, if you want to get lean while building strong powerful muscles than Lean Hybrid Muscle Building is a clear winner in my book.

NN: If you had access to any equipment, what would your 3 favorite hybrid exercises be?

MW:

1. Well I love kettlebell circuits.

Similar to EDT by Charles Staley I try to make it through this circuit five times. Next time I do the workout, I want to beat my previous time. This is great for conditioning. For this is resistance cardio at its finest. It’s a nice break from my heavier strength building days to avoid overtraining.

KB Snatches: 5 reps per arm
KB Clean & Press: 5 reps per arm
KB Lunges: 5 reps per leg
KB Squats: 10 reps
KB One Armed Rows: 10 reps per arm
KB Two Handed Swings: 20 reps

Remember you have to make it through this 5x’s so don’t start off with a really heavy kettlebell.

2. Tire Flips

If there ever was an exercise that trains the entire body, from your ass to your elbow, it’s tire flipping. Getting your hands on one is easier than you think. Tire companies have to pay to get rid of them so they’ll be glad to give them to you. Storing them is another issue though.

3. Sledge Hammer Slams

Nick I know you’re into using heavier weight when you train your abs. Well this is a killer. This exercise helps build explosive torso strength and power. To do this exercise you’ll need a sledgehammer and a large tire (not on the rim), bales of hay or something similar to hit. Don’t use something with enough bounce to cause the sledgehammer to come back up and hit you in the face. Work your abs and get a cardio session in at the same time.

NN: What about Hybrid exercises for the gym?

MW:

1. Do the same kettlebell circuit above but use dumbbells instead.

2. Dumbbell Farmers Walk. No rocket science here. Just pick up a heavy pair of dumbbells and go! Great for the traps, grip, stability and core.

3. Dumbbell Overhead Walks. Grab a pair of dumbbells, hold them over your head with your arms almost locked out and start walking. Think this isn’t challenging enough? Try doing lunges holding the dumbbells over your head.

The cool thing about these exercise is they can be used either as hybrid cardio at the end of a regular workout instead of the treadmill, or they can be the workout if you increase the weight and adjust the rep ranges and rest intervals. The possibilities are endless.

NN: Did your wife really call you fat?

MW: Not really, kind of. I started getting some looks when I would head to the fridge late at night. It didn’t take a genius to get the point. Especially since I had placed my Bod Pod pic on the door to the freezer.

NN: Okay I have to ask this. People have been emailing me saying it’s impossible to burn fat and build muscle at the same time. It all comes down to calories in versus calories out. You’re either gaining or losing but you can’t do both. Care to elaborate?

MW: Ummm I’d like to buy a lifeline. Call a friend? Seriously though that’s exactly what I did. I called my friend Eric Talmant who’s a diagnostic nutritionist, metabolic typing advisor and powerlifter.

I knew I had personally experienced adding muscle while dropping fat when I was playing football in college. I couldn’t really explain how, but I thought Eric might be able to answer the question for me.

I asked him, “Is it physically possible to build muscle and burn fat at the same time?” I was pumped when he explained in his interview that it was.

He said that you can keep your body in an anabolic state by creating the perfect internal and external environment through attitude, atmosphere, training, sleep, stress levels, and nutrition. Calories are just one piece of the puzzle and not the entire picture.

NN: How come you don’t just do a bulking season where you pack on muscle and than do a typical cutting cycle to burn off the fat and reveal the new muscle?

MW: Instant gratification maybe. I wanted everything at once. I wanted to recreate what I was able to do in college. I’ve tried bulking and cutting. I wound up getting strong and fat when bulking up only to get lean and weak when dieting.

NN: Okay Mike, this worked for you, but what if you’re just a freak. I mean who benches 315 for 15 reps and still tries to burn fat at the same time? Do you have any other “average Joe” success stories?

MW: I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m not a freak, I’m just extremely stubborn, persistent and determined. Things don’t come easy for me, but when I make up my mind that I want to accomplish something I can usually do it.

I’m also pretty open minded and don’t accept that something isn’t possible just because someone said so.

As for some other clients maybe the video below will motivate some people.

http://www.fitstep.com/goto/lean-hybrid.htm

Warrior Training & Lean Hybrid Muscle Building

Like many of you I played sports in high school. I walked on the football team in college and played four years of football. Keeping my body lean and strong during that period of my life wasn’t a problem. After all we had practice, mandatory weight lifting sessions, morning running and a very positive environment for keeping the body in an overall anabolic state.

As the post-college years kept passing by, I found myself being less and less active. Don’t get me wrong I found a new passion and started testing my merit in amateur powerlifting over the past few years and it has kept me really motivated and I do love the competition. But……something is missing. I’ve gotten a lot stronger but I also gained over 25 lbs! It’s kind of embarrassing actually. Here I am preaching on the Internet and trying to help others stay fit and I go right ahead and pack on some un-needed pounds.

What does all this have to do with the Warrior Physique Mike? I’m glad you asked, let me explain. I have lot of relatives that live in Sweden and I’ve always been interested in Viking History. As I was reading a book of mine called, “The Long Ships” I realized the Vikings didn’t have to workout in gyms, their lives and their battles were workouts enough. Fortunately I don’t have to engage in battle which is good considering I get winded from playing a pickup game of basketball! It was starting to get obvious that I’d probably make a lousy Viking and was nowhere close to the top shape I was in during college.

Several months ago I hooked up with my now good friend Elliottt Hulse who is the owner of a warehouse gym in my area called Strength Camp. Elliott is pro strongman and I started watching some of the workouts he was putting his clients through. This wasn’t like anything I had really seen before. They weren’t using your typical gym equipment. They were carrying odd objects, loading sandbags, dragging sleds and doing all kinds of exercises that looked like half resistance training and half cardio training.

I told Elliott I wanted to try some of the “Warrior Training” methods. He grinned and wanted to know what I meant by that and I told him, that the guys from his camp train like guys from my Viking book. It’s no surprise Elliott and I hit it off right away and started doing some workouts together.

We’d combine my strength building exercises with his max effort resistance cardio techniques to come up with some pretty sick training sessions. The fat has been melting off and I’m still getting stronger so I think it’s safe to say we’re on the brink of discovering something pretty special.

Check out my results so far in only the first 8-weeks!

Ya I know I look like an idiot in the pic to the left. They made me put that outfit on when I got my bodyfat tested in the Bod Pod. The results came in at a shocking 27%! Ouch. That pic coupled with that stat really put a fire under me to get crankin.

If you think this is as remotely cool as I do than go check out this free video series we put together called, “The Art Of Rapid Transformation“. We’ve already released video 1 and 2. Video 3 is coming out tomorrow. You can see them all together on the page. There are over 1000 comments. Mostly good, a few bad apples, so head over and join the battle!

You should check this out. I think you’ll really like it.

http://www.leanhybridmuscle.com/musclevideos.html

Tom Phillips Interview On The Tactical Strength Challenge

Luke Allison of CriticalBench.com Interviews Tom Phillips
On The Tactical Strength Challenge - Podcast

First things first. How does Pavel Tsatsouline define Tactical Strength?

“Tactical refers to small scale military or law enforcement operations.

Strength is defined as one’s ability to exert force under given conditions.

Tactical strength is the ability to perform the combat skills requiring great strength explosively and efficiently in the conditions defined by the mission.

Broadly speaking it is the strength to move rapidly in full kit (running, individual movement technique or IMT, negotiating obstacles), handle heavy weapons, carry the wounded, win in CQB, etc. The ‘mission specific conditions’ include but are not limited to the terrain, the climate, the method of insertion, etc.

One of variables is fatigue. In the law enforcement the fatigue is usually anaerobic. In the military the operator may experience many types of fatigue: anaerobic, aerobic, sleep deprivation, hunger, general fatigue from being in the field for an extended period of time, etc.”

About The Tactical Strength Challenge

The Tactical Strength Challenge (TSC) is a strength competition consisting of three events:

• A three-attempt powerlifting deadlift

• Pullups for max reps

• Kettlebell snatches for max reps in a 5:00 time period

Pictured above: Event 3: Kettlebell snatches

The winner is determined by combined placement in the three events. For example, if Lifter A finishes third in the deadlift, fifth in pullups, and second in snatches, his score is 10 (3+5+2). The lowest combined score wins. In the event of a deadlift tie, the lighter competitor places higher. In the event of a pullup tie, the heavier competitor places higher. In the event of a snatch tie, the tie stands. In the event of an overall tie (two or more lifters get same combined score), the tie stands.

Purpose of the TSC

The purpose of the TSC is to test absolute strength (deadlift), bodyweight-relative strength (pullups), and cardiovascular endurance (kettlebell snatches). The three events test a unique trade-off between these abilities. Heavier participants have an advantage in the deadlift, lighter participants have an advantage in pullups. The kettlebell snatch tests all participants more or less equally.

Thanks to Luke Allison for conducting the interview and ofcourse a huge thanks to Tom Phillips for allowing us to pick his brain. Hope you enjoy the audio mp3 interview!

 
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The Best Arm Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of

Review of Nick Nilsson’s new eBook,
“The Best Arm Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of“

So what’s the first thing you think of when you think of “arm training” - if you’re like a lot of trainers, you immediately think barbell curls and pushdowns. Or dumbell curls and dips, etc. The “standard” exercises, right?

Well, it’s time to think outside the box! Or as Nick Nilsson (the author of “The Best Arm Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of”) puts it…time to make a NEW box and think outside of THAT one!

The Best Arm Exercises” is a very interesting book…68 unique exercises for the bicep, triceps and forearms ONLY. This is thing has NO fluff - it’s just packed with training information.

So Why a book on JUST Arms?

That’s the first question I asked Nick when he first sent this book along to me for a review. After all, the trend right now is more towards functional and “total body” styles of training. Direct and/or isolated arm work seems to take a back seat to that type of approach these days.

Basically, is this just for fun or just fluff training?

So here’s his reasoning as to why direct arm training should be done…as he was telling me this stuff, it really made a lot of sense.

1. Direct Arm Training Can be Useful as Assistance Work for the “Big” Exercises

Let’s say your bench press has been stuck in a plateau because you have trouble fully locking the bar out at the top. That top range of motion is a primarily triceps. By directly working the triceps with effective “assistance” exercises, you can immediately see results that carry over to your big movements.

Obviously, any pressing movement is going to have a substantial tricep component. What about biceps? Bicep strength plays an important role in rowing and pulling exercises, like chin-ups, bent-over rows…even deadlifts.

Remember…your body is only as strong as it’s weakest link.

If you’re doing a bench press and your triceps are relatively weaker than your chest, it’s going to LIMIT the amount of weight you can push. By directly strengthening your weak links, you can improve your total strength in the big lifts.

Same for an exercise like chin-ups. Your back may be strong, but if your bicep (or even forearm!) strength limits your training, you’ll never maximize your performance in that exercise.

A targeted application of direct arm training can really make a big difference in your lifting.

And, of course, you need to use EFFECTIVE exercises for this purpose, otherwise you’re wasting your time.

“The Best Arm Exercises” has some EXTREMELY targeted stuff that certainly fits the bill as big exercise “assistance” exercises.

2. Training Variety

Obviously, a book full of 68 new exercises is going to give you a LOT of variety to choose from. Your body thrives on variety and change…you still DO need to maintain a level of consistency to achieve a training effect, but something as simple as a new exercise or a new way of doing something can really spark results.

Nick actually acknowledges this as well - in his own training, he tells me that it’s about 75% “normal” stuff…squats, deadlifts, bench press, that kind of thing. The other 25% is a rotation of the unique exercises you see presented in his books and on his sites.

You really do HAVE to keep some consistency in order to see results - perform random exercises without regard to adaptation just won’t get you anyway. When I asked Nick about this specific point as it relates to his book, he said…

“Here’s the approach you have to take with this type of resource - take your time with it and pick out a few exercises you want to try. Use them the next time you train arms and see how they work for you. Generally speaking, if an exercise is going to work for you, you’ll feel it pretty quickly. Stick with the ones you get the biggest effect from then gradually work in OTHER exercises on a rotational basis like a continuous audition process at a soap opera.

As good as these exercises are, I’m quite sure there will be ones that don’t work equally as well for everybody. You have to experiment and find out what works best for YOU. Then work it HARD!”

3. Deloading

Let’s say you’ve been training the “Big 3″ lifts (squat, bench, and deadlift) a LOT and for a LONG time. There comes a time when you need to back off and “deload”, reducing your training volume for recovery purposes. If you keep hammering away at heavy exercises, your body breaks down…muscle, connective tissue and nervous system. That’s when injuries happen.

And this is the perfect time to work in some unique exercises like the ones Nick has in his book - you can use this time to build strength in your weaker muscle groups and really target your weak points.

4. Compound Exercises For The Arms

One of the nice things Nick has done with this book is include plenty of compound exercises for the arms…not hard to find for the triceps in the scope of normal exercises (think of dips, close grip bench press, etc.) but generally a bit tougher to find for biceps…it’s usually all curls.

Several of the exercises are variations of pull-ups or rows that make adjustments in setup and/or execution in order to change the focus from back to biceps. They’re VERY simple to execute and WOW do they really have potential.

The real standout exercise in that department is the Nilsson Curl, which can be best described as a chin-up with your forearms braced against a bar set about a foot lower than the one you’re gripping on.

nick-nilsson-arm3
As Nick explains it, this bracing keeps you from being able to pull your body straight up, which normally engages the lats. By blocking your forearms like this, it forces you to pull yourself up and around in an arc with the elbow as the pivot. This is almost ALL biceps (80 to 90%) with assistance being provided by the lats instead of the other way around.

You can actually SEE this exercise in action as one of the sample exercises on Nick’s site for the book. It’s a very cool exercise and it’s a great twist on a classic exercise to really shift the focus to the biceps and work them with a compound exercise.

5. FUN

Yes, arm training IS fun and SHOULD be fun! The real “meat and potatoes” work is done under the squat bar and at the deadlift, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying training those “mirror” muscles from time to time, too.

A few Things That Could Be Improved About the Book…

When you get this book, you’re obviously getting a book about exercises. But One thing that would be a nice addition would be some targeted sample workouts for working those exercises into a program.

These exercises are so unique, that it might be hard some trainers to figure exactly how to best use these in a program.

I asked Nick about this and he said he’s actually got several unannounced bonus gifts for people when they pick up the book that will address this exact thing. He wanted to keep it as a surprise, as a way of saying “thanks” but if it’s the lack of programs really shouldn’t be something that should hold you back from getting this book.

The other thing that I can see is that there aren’t that many forearm exercises in the book (5 for the forearms as compared to 33 for the biceps and 30 for the triceps). Nick told me he’s going to be addressing this in updates to the book as he definitely knows the forearm stuff needs to be built on.

Here’s the thing…

When you get the book, you’ll also get free updates for life, so those forearm exercises are going to be something you’ll be getting soon enough…as if the other 63 exercises aren’t plenty to keep going for a long time anyway!

The last thing I should mention is that if you’re limited on equipment, there will be a few exercises that you won’t be able to perform…there are a few that require cable machines (though creative use of training bands/elastics would be a good substitute) and a few that require a power rack.

But even with fairly BASIC equipment like a bench and some free weights, you’ll be able to perform the VAST majority of these exercises just fine. Several of them require no equipment at all or things that can very easily be improvised.

CONCLUSION:

Now, if you’ve seen the exercises that Nick has created before, you’ll know exactly what this book is all about…very cool, very effective exercises that will have everybody in your gym coming up and asking you what the heck you’re doing.

These exercises are very well thought out and have a lot of potential both for improving your arms AND for helping improve your “big” exercises through assistance training.

Plus, the exercises are just plain fun!

To learn more about this book and to grab your copy right now CLICK HERE

Redskins DE Phillip Daniels Opens Monster Garage Gym

Friday night is a big night for me, there’s a lot on the line. Actually I’m not leaving the house but I made a bet with my wife. She’s a huge Patriots fan and I’m a hardcore Redskins fan. It’s just preseason but our teams face each other this Friday.

The veterans don’t have a lot at stake, but as for me, well if the Pats win I’ll never hear the end of it.

One my favorite players is the NFL is Phillip Daniels who is a DE with the Washington Redskins going into his 14th season.

This guy is an Ox! Other than the fact that he slams QBs to the ground and is one of the best run-stuffers in the League, Phil is also an offseason Powerlifter.

I got him on the line to talk with us about a hardcore gym that he just opened up.

It’s called Monster Gargage Gym located in IL and he opened it with co-owner and 2 time WPC powerlifting champ Eric Maroscher.

As a skins fan, fellow powerlifter and the fact that I train at a barbell club and warehouse gym myself I definitely want to help get the word out about this new facility.

Visit MonsterGarageGym.com

Some of today’s fitness centers just make me sick, so I’m happy every time I hear about one of these underground barbell clubs opening up.

Enjoy the interview….Phil is a real down to Earth guy and you’re gonna love his energy.

Go Skins!

Mike Westerdal
(Fan since the 5th grade)

P.S. Why am I Skins fan when I live in Tampa Bay? Because I was born in raised in northern VA and because I like watching them destroy the Bucs! That’s right, I said it!

Training footage from Monster Garage Gym, featuring members of the Maroscher Powerlifting Team and NFL Washington Redskins Defensive End, Phillip Daniels

 
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How Many Days Per Week To Train A Muscle?

I”m glad to be back home even if it’s so hot it feels like I”m walking through pudding when I go outside.

I just returned from a trip to CT to visit the parents while attending a wedding in MA for my wife’s cousin Cassie.

Anytime I meet new people and I tell them I run an Internet Business related to building muscle the questions always start pouring in.

One guy at my table said he only trains each body part once per week. Another guy says he makes better gains training each body part twice a week. They asked who was right and I’m going to have to agree with my buddy Jason Ferruggia.

If you don’t know Jason he’s the Chief Training Advisor for Men’s Fitness and he runs a hardcore gym in Jersey. He’s one of the top strength & conditioning guys in the country so when he takes the time to explain something, I listen.

I told the guys at the table I’d write a blog post about their question and I couldn’t think of a better person to have do a guest post than Jason. Here’s what he said when I asked him who was right…….

“I believe the two keys to effective training are overload and frequency. He who makes the greatest strength gains (in a hypertrophy rep range) over a given time period, while training the muscle as frequently as possible, will get the greatest size gains. The key is to do just enough to stimulate a hypertrophy response then get out and recover and get back to the gym as soon as possible. As long as you keep the volume low, the frequency can remain high and you can make consistent strength gains. As long as the weights are going up you know you are not over trained.

Like Lee Haney said, “stimulate, don’t annihilate.” No matter how many sets you do, the majority of people will not require a full seven days of recovery between body parts. But when you do a ton of sets you create the need for that amount of time between workouts because each workout would take three hours if you hit more than one or two muscle groups on a typical high volume bodybuilding program. That may be fine if you are inhumanly strong and 260 pounds of rock hard muscle. But for the average guy, he is going to detrain and actually start to lose size. It’s two steps forward, two steps back. With lower volume and higher frequency you can actually take one smaller step forward, but remain there with no steps back. This is the optimal plan for the average, drug free trainee.”

Another question people ask me a lot is what sites I like to visit and who I like to read up on. Well Jay’s site is right up my alley. I like his no BS attitude and he doesn’t sugar coat anything.

He’s the author of a best selling program called Muscle Gaining Secrets. It’s a great mass building program and totally explains why 95% of all hardgainers are dead wrong in how they train for muscle growth.

Jason is actually running a promo right now. He’s giving away three extra bonus items for anyone that buys his MGS program in the next 3-days.

Limited-Time Bonus #1: Renegade Cardio: Intervals, steady state, fasted, fed, high intensity, low intensity… with all the conflicting information and confusion it’s no wonder most people will never see their abs no matter how hard they try. They’re doing it all wrong! But I finally set the record straight and allow you to steal my closely guarded secret cardio workouts, usually only reserved for my highest paying clients. Get ready to get shredded!

Limited-Time Bonus #2: MGS Advanced Mass Building Guide: After you’ve completed the main program and packed on your first 20-30 pounds of ripped muscle you’ll be ready to move on to the advanced level. But be warned, this workout is so powerful that you absolutely must complete the basic program first in order to prepare your body for the extreme metamorphosis it’s about to experience!

Limited-Time Bonus #3: Armed & Dangerous: Let’s face it, everybody wants and envies a pair of big, muscular, sleeve stretching arms. A pair of pipe cleaners dangling in a loose t-shirt is a terrible look and one that will get you no respect from the guys or the girls. With this arm specialization workout you will add 2 inches of awe inspiring, rock solid muscle to your arms in just 8 short weeks!

You should go over to Jay’s site and find out more about his Muscle Gaining Secrets program while he’s offering these cool Bonus items.

Click Here Now To Take Advantage <<<<<

Up Your Bench

I used to be a private personal trainer. It was great working one on one with clients and watching them get stronger and increase their bench.

Than I started selling my workouts online and realized that I could help a lot more people via the Internet than I ever could on an individual basis.

I still seek out the strongest and smartest people I can to train with and than often times I share that information here on the blog and the Web site.

I have to admit though, sometimes I do miss training people. Okay I don’t miss getting up at 5 am one bit, that’s true. But it felt real good to see young guys grow into men as they built their bodies and their confidence. It’s awesome to see the look on someone’s face after they hit a PR in the bench.

It sure beats getting an email about how someone hit a new record in the bench. But keep sending those emails too, I still love getting them.

What I do feel about is the people that want to the one-on-one attention. I simply don’t have the time to devote to it right now.

That’s where my buddy AJ Roberts of Westside Barbell comes in. He’s a pro powerlifter and has benched over 700 in competition. He has put together a video coaching program called the Up Your Bench system.

Am I crazy for telling you about a competitor of mine? Someone else who wants to help you with your bench and I’m sending you away to go to buy their product?

Ya that’s right. I don’t think of it as competition. We all just want to increase our bench press and if there’s something new out there that can help us do that than I’m going to tell you about it.

Like I said, right now I’m too busy and couldn’t handle video coaching so I’m happy to share AJ as a resource and hope he can help you out.

Here’s What You Get With AJ’s Up Your Bench System

Instructional Technique video
Quick Start guide
Complete Up Your Bench Program videos
Instructional Warm up video
Instructional Press video
Instructional Accessories videos
Instructional Cool down video
Up Your Bench Workout Manual
60 – Day Money Back Guarantee

Click Here To learn more about AJ’s Up Your Bench System - It’s 50% off through Friday.

Truth About Quickness - FAQ Interview

Before you do anything go Get All 5 Episodes of Truth About Quickness TV FREE right now. Episode 1 is called the “4 Keys To Quickness”. You can sign up for the videos free right here:

http://www.GetQuickness.com

I sent out an email about this a few days ago and my inbox was bombarded about the Alex Maroko and Kelly Baggett’s new Truth About Quickness Insider’s system.

I made a promise in the interview so I’m sticking to it. You’ll hear it and it’s really good news for you.

Instead of making an attempt at answering all the emails I set up an audio FAQ interview here with Alex Maroko. How did I get him on the line?

He used to play basketball at Eckerd College here in St. Pete, FL and he we both trained at Elliott Hulses’s Strength Camp so I had an in. And ya he’s pretty quick. Just watch the highlight video at http://www.getquickness.com

If you play a sport and you want to get to the next level than speed and quickness is probably the most important thing you need to work on.

The football players that play D-III and play D-IA are usually the same strength levels, it’s the speed, quickness and ability that seperates them.

Listen the interview below and than head over to http://www.GetQuickness.com to get your vids and get signed up for the early bird notification list for the when the system goes live.

 
Right Click To Download

Hey Hardgainers! You Are NOT Doomed To SUCKY GENETICS!

This podcast was with Mr. Jeff “The Muscle Nerd” Anderson who was kind of enough to spend some time with us to talk about his new program called Project X Hardgainer.

In this podcast, Jeff and Al Mokbel of CriticalBench.com discussed a lot about why Ectomorphs have so much difficulty increase their lean muscle mass.

To quickly summarize the 30-minute interview, we discussed:

The common reason and mentality behind gaining muscle.

Why the old standard of “eat more and workout harder” doesn’t work.

What are the different body types and how much different they are from each other.

How Ecotmorphs have a genetic disadvantage in terms of gaining lean muscle.

The 7 different reasons why Ectomorphs can’t gain lean muscle.

How come Ectomorphs should eat more carbs in order to gain weight instead of a protein-based diet.

How and why isolation exercises will benefit Ecotmorphs in bulking up.

Why the current mainstream of compound muscle training is not ideal for Ectomorphs.

This interview is jam-packed with information and is bound to make you progress to new heights in your goal in gain lean muscle.

To learn more about Jeff’s Project X Hardgainer program, please visit: http://www.projectxhardgainer.com

 

Right Click To Download

HIT vs. Volume Training

I’m huge advocate of High Intensity Training. I’m the kind of guy that thinks you should squeeze out every last rep and push yourself to the limit every workout. I think a lot of us on this blog feel the same way.

There’s nothing wrong with forced reps, heavy weights and low reps right? If you’re not pushing yourself to absolute muscular failure every workout you’re just not going to make gains right?

Well I believed that for a long time and I still do. But there’s something I believe in even more and that’s PERIODIZATION, which is an organized approach to cycling different training regimens during a specific period of time.

I like to set up my powerlifting cycles to last about 12-weeks. During this time I’m not adhering to a strict diet (okay I pretty much eat what I want). But when the 12-week training cycle is done, it’s time to start eating better, and change up my training a bit.

I’ll take a few weeks or even more sometimes and throw in some volume workouts. With the volume workouts you take short breaks between sets (great for fat burning), and you do a ton of sets. If you’re just concerned about building muscle these workouts are actually pretty good at that too.

Another advantage of switching to this sort of workout is giving the central nervous system, bones, joints and tendons a break.

In fact I recommend most of my clients lift like this before and after starting the 11-Week Critical Bench Program.

This style of training is nothing new and no it’s not something I invented. It’s based on German volume training techniques and a lot of the bodybuilders from the Golden Era swore by it.

I’ve been reading a lot about it lately in my friend Doberman Dan’s Hyper Growth program. He sent me a review copy of his “Hyper Growth Muscle Mass Training” program last week and so far from what I’ve read and tried out in my own workouts, it’s KILLER!

http://www.hypermusclegrowth.com/presale.htm <<<<—— CLICK HERE

If You’re Wondering What The Golden Era Is…

The bodybuilders of the Golden Era from the 50s, 60s, and 70s produced bodies that resembled Greek Gods! The symmetry and proportion untainted by the humongous drug bloated waists of today’s pro bodybuilders explains why even young men of today’s generation are inspired by the men of this past generation.

Guys like Vince Gironda, Frank Zane and Larry Scott Had Attained The Secrets To Achieving Steroid-Like Results Without Abusing Dr*ugs Like Many Of The Pros Of Today Have Done.

I’ll be writing more articles about this and posting about it in my training log. If you’re thirsty RIGHT NOW, than check out my friend Doberman Dan’s new program called, Hyper Growth Muscle Mass Training. You can’t even buy this unless someone gives you the page.

http://www.hypermusclegrowth.com/presale.htm

Keep training hard.

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