Fadi
...
Beginners, intermediates, and advance bodybuilders would do themselves a great service if they start analising the exercises they are utilising to get the body they desire. Yes, here on this forum we are always directing the new trainees towards the basics, the compounds, the meat and potatoes of all exercises. We do it because we know what effect this hardcore exercises can have on the body as a whole and not just on one of its parts.
Now I’d like to raise this level of smart training even further if you don’t mind. Yes we have our machines; and yes we have our free weights, and our isolation exercises and our compound exercises, but to take this to the next level, just employing a compound exercise is not enough here.
Let us take the lat pulldown as an example of a compound exercise. Does the lat pulldown have your body moving through space whilst performing it? The answer is simply no. I do not want to stay still whilst the weight moves; I want to move with it through space. To do that, the mighty wide grip chin up can not be beaten here. You’re not only working your latissimus dorsi, rhomboid major and minor, teres major, brachioradialis, brachialis, biceps brachii, and brachioradialis; but your core muscles are also working over time amongst other stabiliser muscles. Also, training in this fashion where your body is moving through space, helps you build functional muscles and strength; that means your daily task of lifting/moving a fridge, a couch, or even lifting your spouse will be very easy and possible. Unlike the bodybuilder who solely relies on moving the weights whilst his body remains still, the strength gained from such lifting is not only not functional, but it’s not transferable to real world strength moves. Take a look at the bodybuilder pulling down 400lbs in the lat pulldown machine for 15 reps or so, only to fail miserably when asked to pull himself up for the same amount of reps (even when he only weighs 200lbs)! It makes you wonder how quickly his “strength” has deserted him, doesn’t it?
Please do not misunderstand me here and think that I’m rubbishing any exercise that doesn’t have your body moving through space, like the bench press say. Not at all. What I’m saying here and what I’m asking you to do is to incorporate some of these higher level/functional level exercises which will go a very long way to making you a much better bodybuilder than you could ever dreamed of being.
Muscles do not move until commanded to move by your nervous system. The more muscles the exercise activates; the more neuromuscular stimulation will be involved. The more NMS potential the exercise has; the more muscles you’ll get for your time and effort in the gym. Squats anyone!?
So what are some of these exercises that belong to that flying through space club?
Use weights to increase the intensity. Had the male gymnasts added weights to their parallel, roman-rings, and floor exercises, you would have seen gymnasts who looked like bodybuilders. But they only use their own bodyweight and look absolutely phenomenal.
This program will not only increase your strength and build functional muscles, but will insure that muscles built here are of the dense and permanent type. By that I’m talking about muscles getting built through the myofibrillar and not through the Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy pathway. Please check page #50 for more information if you wish.
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=QWSn4iKgNo8C&dq=Kraemer,+William+J.%3B+Zatsiorsky,+Vladimir+M.+(2006).+Science+and+practice+of+strength+training+book&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=0N_VSr6GI86GkQXt0MmADg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Here’s a Romanian pull; some call it stiff legged deadlift.
[youtube]noA5iBH-WIw[/youtube]
1.Squats--------------------------------------------------------4 x4-7
2a.Chin ups to the front (wide grip)-----------------------------2x 4-7
2b.Chin ups (close grip palms facing you)-----------------------2x 4-7
3.Push ups/weighed--------------------------------------------3 x4-7
4.Romanian pulls-----------------------------------------------4 x4-7
5.Standing military press (exception to the rule)----------------3 x4-7
6.Dips (elbows close by side)------------------------------------2 x4-7
PS: everything I’ve mentioned above re building the ultimate muscle machine is also applicable to trimming down and toning up the ultimate shapely you! The determining factor that plays a huge role here is none other than your thoroughly thought through eating plan.
Here's a way to get strong in the pull ups:
Week #1-------------10 sets x1 rep Mon-Fri
Week #2-------------5 x2 Mon, Wed, Fri
Week #3-------------4 x3
Week #4-------------3 x4
Week #5-------------2 x5
Do not progress to the next week until each weeks' sets and reps have been succesfully completed.
Option #2
Week #1--------------10 sets x2 negative reps. Either stand on a chair or get a friend to help you up. Take 5 seconds to come back down all the way.
After doing one whole week of the above, you should be able to do the first week of 10 x1 by yourself. Give it a go and let me know how you go. You never know when you might need to jump and pull yourself over a barrier one day.
Alternative Exercises:
1.Squats--------------------------------------------------------4 x4-7
2.Wide grip front lat pulldowns----------------------------------3x4-7
3.Barbell bench press-------------------------------------------3 x4-7
4.Romanian pulls-----------------------------------------------3 x4-7
5.Standing military press---------------------------------------3 x4-7
6.Barbell curls--------------------------------------------------2 x4-7
7.French curls--------------------------------------------------2 x4-7
All power to you and thank you for reading.
Fadi.
Now I’d like to raise this level of smart training even further if you don’t mind. Yes we have our machines; and yes we have our free weights, and our isolation exercises and our compound exercises, but to take this to the next level, just employing a compound exercise is not enough here.
Let us take the lat pulldown as an example of a compound exercise. Does the lat pulldown have your body moving through space whilst performing it? The answer is simply no. I do not want to stay still whilst the weight moves; I want to move with it through space. To do that, the mighty wide grip chin up can not be beaten here. You’re not only working your latissimus dorsi, rhomboid major and minor, teres major, brachioradialis, brachialis, biceps brachii, and brachioradialis; but your core muscles are also working over time amongst other stabiliser muscles. Also, training in this fashion where your body is moving through space, helps you build functional muscles and strength; that means your daily task of lifting/moving a fridge, a couch, or even lifting your spouse will be very easy and possible. Unlike the bodybuilder who solely relies on moving the weights whilst his body remains still, the strength gained from such lifting is not only not functional, but it’s not transferable to real world strength moves. Take a look at the bodybuilder pulling down 400lbs in the lat pulldown machine for 15 reps or so, only to fail miserably when asked to pull himself up for the same amount of reps (even when he only weighs 200lbs)! It makes you wonder how quickly his “strength” has deserted him, doesn’t it?
Please do not misunderstand me here and think that I’m rubbishing any exercise that doesn’t have your body moving through space, like the bench press say. Not at all. What I’m saying here and what I’m asking you to do is to incorporate some of these higher level/functional level exercises which will go a very long way to making you a much better bodybuilder than you could ever dreamed of being.
Muscles do not move until commanded to move by your nervous system. The more muscles the exercise activates; the more neuromuscular stimulation will be involved. The more NMS potential the exercise has; the more muscles you’ll get for your time and effort in the gym. Squats anyone!?
So what are some of these exercises that belong to that flying through space club?
- Squats
- Chin ups
- Reverse chin ups (close grip)
- Push ups (weighted)
- Romanian pulls
- Dead lifts
- Dips
- Lunges/walking lunges
Use weights to increase the intensity. Had the male gymnasts added weights to their parallel, roman-rings, and floor exercises, you would have seen gymnasts who looked like bodybuilders. But they only use their own bodyweight and look absolutely phenomenal.
This program will not only increase your strength and build functional muscles, but will insure that muscles built here are of the dense and permanent type. By that I’m talking about muscles getting built through the myofibrillar and not through the Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy pathway. Please check page #50 for more information if you wish.
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=QWSn4iKgNo8C&dq=Kraemer,+William+J.%3B+Zatsiorsky,+Vladimir+M.+(2006).+Science+and+practice+of+strength+training+book&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=0N_VSr6GI86GkQXt0MmADg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Here’s a Romanian pull; some call it stiff legged deadlift.
[youtube]noA5iBH-WIw[/youtube]
1.Squats--------------------------------------------------------4 x4-7
2a.Chin ups to the front (wide grip)-----------------------------2x 4-7
2b.Chin ups (close grip palms facing you)-----------------------2x 4-7
3.Push ups/weighed--------------------------------------------3 x4-7
4.Romanian pulls-----------------------------------------------4 x4-7
5.Standing military press (exception to the rule)----------------3 x4-7
6.Dips (elbows close by side)------------------------------------2 x4-7
PS: everything I’ve mentioned above re building the ultimate muscle machine is also applicable to trimming down and toning up the ultimate shapely you! The determining factor that plays a huge role here is none other than your thoroughly thought through eating plan.
Here's a way to get strong in the pull ups:
Week #1-------------10 sets x1 rep Mon-Fri
Week #2-------------5 x2 Mon, Wed, Fri
Week #3-------------4 x3
Week #4-------------3 x4
Week #5-------------2 x5
Do not progress to the next week until each weeks' sets and reps have been succesfully completed.
Option #2
Week #1--------------10 sets x2 negative reps. Either stand on a chair or get a friend to help you up. Take 5 seconds to come back down all the way.
After doing one whole week of the above, you should be able to do the first week of 10 x1 by yourself. Give it a go and let me know how you go. You never know when you might need to jump and pull yourself over a barrier one day.
Alternative Exercises:
1.Squats--------------------------------------------------------4 x4-7
2.Wide grip front lat pulldowns----------------------------------3x4-7
3.Barbell bench press-------------------------------------------3 x4-7
4.Romanian pulls-----------------------------------------------3 x4-7
5.Standing military press---------------------------------------3 x4-7
6.Barbell curls--------------------------------------------------2 x4-7
7.French curls--------------------------------------------------2 x4-7
All power to you and thank you for reading.
Fadi.
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