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Veteran Thread Training Tips

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Mobster

Mobster

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Feel free to add training tips here.
I've a TON from years of training, reading books and magazine, watching movies and even talking to the writers themselves.

Here's an easy one to start with:

The speed of the rep
If you're a bodybuilder or looking to grow muscle (which means you are) then try slowing down the reps speed. It doesn't need to conform to the so-called Super Slow protocol but slowing each individual rep a little means the time muscles are under tension is longer. Which for muscle growth, all things being equal, is better.

Give it a try
 
I'm glad you posted this. I tried to PM you yesterday but don't have enough post to do so. I need help with strengthening my grip for deadlifts. Can you give me an exercise or two that may help. The only thing I do now is use a thicker bar (which I was told would help once a go to a deadlift bar). My competition is in 2-3 months and my deadlift is lagging behind my squat and bench.
 
Dustin74 said:
I'm glad you posted this. I tried to PM you yesterday but don't have enough post to do so. I need help with strengthening my grip for deadlifts. Can you give me an exercise or two that may help. The only thing I do now is use a thicker bar (which I was told would help once a go to a deadlift bar). My competition is in 2-3 months and my deadlift is lagging behind my squat and bench.
Click to expand...

So, then my

Training Tip No2
Hangs for time
Hanging from a chinning bar for time will improve your grip. Aim for a minute. Two is right up there. Start with 3 x 20-seconds,. Then 3 x 25 and so on
 
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i would tell new lifters lift RAW and stay the fuck away from doing curls and iso movements.

but steve i saw a video of jay cutler doing curls! yes that is true, but 1. you aren't jay cutler and will never be Jay Cutler. 2. he is doing a video where he wants people to mire his veins popping out his biceps. and 3. he didn't get those arms from curls, he got them from rows and pullups

no newb should even step foot in that section of the gym until he can do pullups for reps with weight attached.
 
Very true. Press 200lbs overhead, bench 300lbs or dips with weight added and you don't need tricep isolation exercises.

So courtesy of Stevesmi

Training Tip No3
Compounds first
If, as above, you can master the form then learn to move heavy weight in what we call the compound movements then you'll not only be strong but, genetics allowing, be a big (or bigger) mofo.

Compounds, simply put, use the biggest amount of muscle tissue. Examples like chins working the grip and forearms just holding the bar, biceps, back and rear delts in the actual pull up and so on. Squats (over the leg press) cos not only are you working the hams and quads but also (just for balance) calves and your core.

In my older books they suggested an average Joe ought to try to work to the following: 300-400-500 (that's bench, squat and deadlift). Start repping those and you'll start looking like a monster. Throw in 200lbs overhead, 100lbs on dips and chins and you'll be in the 5%. Look around any gym and see if it's not true.
 
I put together my wife's workout for her about a month ago because I didn't like what I saw her trainer having her do. We dropped her trainer last week and I worked with her last night. She asked me why I only had her doing (2) sets of barbell curls for her biceps and only (3) sets of triceps pushdowns for her triceps. I explained that all the compound movements I had her doing took care of those muscle and that she didn't need to isolate them. I only included those two exercises because I knew she enjoyed doing them and I want her to have parts of her workout that she really looks forward to doing. They are not needed. I incorporated back squats, rows and deadlifts into her program (how does a trainer not include those) and she likes the rows but loves the back squats and deadlifts. She said they make her feel powerful. She failed on her last set of squats the other day and spent two hours bitching and pissed off about it. You have to love determination. I also told her weightlifting is full of failure and that is how you gage your progress.
 
Mobster said:
Very true. Press 200lbs overhead, bench 300lbs or dips with weight added and you don't need tricep isolation exercises.

So courtesy of Stevesmi

Training Tip No3
Compounds first
If, as above, you can master the form then learn to move heavy weight in what we call the compound movements then you'll not only be strong but, genetics allowing, be a big (or bigger) mofo.

Compounds, simply put, use the biggest amount of muscle tissue. Examples like chins working the grip and forearms just holding the bar, biceps, back and rear delts in the actual pull up and so on. Squats (over the leg press) cos not only are you working the hams and quads but also (just for balance) calves and your core.

In my older books they suggested an average Joe ought to try to work to the following: 300-400-500 (that's bench, squat and deadlift). Start repping those and you'll start looking like a monster. Throw in 200lbs overhead, 100lbs on dips and chins and you'll be in the 5%. Look around any gym and see if it's not true.
Click to expand...
I wonder. Who the hell likes to do elbow flexion or extension? They are so fucking boring. I just hat them.

There's nothing like ohp, cleans, bench... They are all the fun.

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk
 
Great posts Dustin and Flo.

On Flo's comment. I see guys using our multi-angle pulley machine. It has the set up where you can adjust the height of the pulley via a pull-pin arrangement. It's also a double ratio pulley. That means of the 'huge' 37.5-kilo (I think) stacks they are doing, at best 20-kilos if they use the whole thing.

Meanwhile I'm trying to use the WHOLE Lat Machine stack. It's 120-kilos and (due to the set up) I'd be using 80-kilos. You can guess which will mean bigger arms on pressdowns. All things being equal strong is big.
 
Training Tip No4
Research, research and yeah... research
And by that I don't mean 10 minutes on google. There's a TON of podcasts, videos and article right here on Evo. Use the search function too. Dylan's posting videos almost every day. Read, listen and watch.

Stevesmi posted yesterday that he reads something every day. I do the same. We're what are called Vets. We've been doing this a LONG time. Muskate - training to get a medical degree. The other mods too. If we're still learning then everyone needs to learn. So research, research and yeah... research
 
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Training Tip No 5
21's aren't just for biceps
So called 21's where you do 7 reps at the bottom half of a movement, seven at the top half and then seven full range reps over the whole range of movement are a common enough training trick for biceps. But you can do them for a LOT of other movements. And if you haven't done them for biceps give them a try too!

Examples where youcan feel it well are leg extensions, some back exercises, calves and so on
 
Mobster said:
Training Tip No4
Research, research and yeah... research
And by that I don't mean 10 minutes on google. There's a TON of podcasts, videos and article right here on Evo. Use the search function too. Dylan's posting videos almost every day. Read, listen and watch.

Stevesmi posted yesterday that he reads something every day. I do the same. We're what are called Vets. We've been doing this a LONG time. Muskate - training to get a medical degree. The other mods too. If we're still learning then everyone needs to learn. So research, research and yeah... research
Click to expand...
that should be tip number one, two and three....

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk
 
Mobster said:
Feel free to add training tips here.
I've a TON from years of training, reading books and magazine, watching movies and even talking to the writers themselves.

Here's an easy one to start with:

The speed of the rep
If you're a bodybuilder or looking to grow muscle (which means you are) then try slowing down the reps speed. It doesn't need to conform to the so-called Super Slow protocol but slowing each individual rep a little means the time muscles are under tension is longer. Which for muscle growth, all things being equal, is better.

Give it a try
Click to expand...
really great point brother, something i have believed in and practiced for a very long time... i had a really good time under tension video up previously that i have will have to do again... great advice bro
 
Dustin74 said:
I'm glad you posted this. I tried to PM you yesterday but don't have enough post to do so. I need help with strengthening my grip for deadlifts. Can you give me an exercise or two that may help. The only thing I do now is use a thicker bar (which I was told would help once a go to a deadlift bar). My competition is in 2-3 months and my deadlift is lagging behind my squat and bench.
Click to expand...
1. Farmers walks
2. Rack deads.
3. Iron Mind wrist roller
4. York Barbell Forearm blaster
5. Iron Mind Captain of Crush
Start out using the trainer. These are difficult to master

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
gcrewhcp said:
1. Farmers walks
2. Rack deads.
3. Iron Mind wrist roller
4. York Barbell Forearm blaster
5. Iron Mind Captain of Crush
Start out using the trainer. These are difficult to master

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

For No1 you can use dumbbells

For No 3. Forget it. Randall @ Ironmind make awesome products but there's a bunch of YouTube videos where you can learn how to make a wrist roller from either a broomstick (so a 1-inch diameter or so) or a rolling pin (about 2-inch - which I'd recommend). Like $5 tops

For No5 there's a TON of companies. GHP, HeavyGrips (good for most users) and more. There's companies in Korea, the Ukraine and Russia now as well as others. My preference is for David Horne's Vulcan cos it replaces 20+ grippers.
 
Training Tip No6
Getting more from the Bench Press
So when Arthur Jones did his bulletins he came up with a minor tweak. I'll add another two (one of which I might re-use it as another tip).

Tweak one is to elevate one end of the bench about 4 to 6-inches. Like say 10-degrees. It shifts emphasis to the mid pec portion and so is a better all round developer. On his old multi angle machine (chest and pec flye) that's there they were set (10 degrees). It works well for both barbell and dumbbell.

Tweak two (works on a barbell bench - any position). Take your usual grip (narrow, medium or wide), squeeze and then, as you do each rep, gently try to pull your hands together. Do it from the stretched to contracted or full extension position and back. It's a killer.

Tweak three (the one I might re-use): Flex as you press and lower the bar or dumbbells (this works for them too). Squeeze the pecs into the gap. You can get a gym buddy / coach / trainer / someone you trust to gently touch the pecs with a fingertip and you squeeze the muscle against them (so you can't relax at any point).

- - - Updated - - -

dylangemelli said:
really great point brother, something i have believed in and practiced for a very long time... i had a really good time under tension video up previously that i have will have to do again... great advice bro
Click to expand...

Thanks Dylan.
 
Training Tip No7
The Clothing Trick
This is an old-school trick I know a few of the golden age lifters used. When training a weak body-part they'd cover everything else but leave the weak part exposed. So Arnold cutting the bottom of his tracksuit to expose his calves and so on. Even if they aren't weak having the part you're working visible focuses the mind.
 
Training Tip No8
Get the pyramid right
Here in the UK we have a phrase from wayyyyy back in the day which goes 'don't put the cart before the horse'. I'm reminded of that when I see guys think they can't train (even beginners) without drugs. Yet the reality is, even if you're an out and out fkin freak, the LEAST amount of time you should train before steroids is 2 years. And those two years should be like you're in prison or a monk. Meals on time, lights out on time, training 100% every time. Even then Evo's advice is ALWAYS gonna be don't use gear until you hit the right age (not 18 then).

When you see (and you do see them) average looking guys discussing peptide use the 'cart's' way out in front. The TOP of the pyramid is insulin, peptides, GH and so on. Not the bottom. What's the point of using pro and competition drugs to 'look good on the beach' If your diet is crap, if training is half-assed then FORGET the tip top stuff.

Get the basics right first
 
Mobster said:
Training Tip No8
Get the pyramid right
Here in the UK we have a phrase from wayyyyy back in the day which goes 'don't put the cart before the horse'. I'm reminded of that when I see guys think they can't train (even beginners) without drugs. Yet the reality is, even if you're an out and out fkin freak, the LEAST amount of time you should train before steroids is 2 years. And those two years should be like you're in prison or a monk. Meals on time, lights out on time, training 100% every time. Even then Evo's advice is ALWAYS gonna be don't use gear until you hit the right age (not 18 then).

When you see (and you do see them) average looking guys discussing peptide use the 'cart's' way out in front. The TOP of the pyramid is insulin, peptides, GH and so on. Not the bottom. What's the point of using pro and competition drugs to 'look good on the beach' If your diet is crap, if training is half-assed then FORGET the tip top stuff.

Get the basics right first
Click to expand...
Man... this also should be on the the first five tips... I say it all the time... Results should come without drugs... in strength and aesthetics.

I repeat and repeat, specially for women who approach me to help with drugs. I always tell them that for us ladies... we need to be extra careful because we can have all virilizing effects without aesthetics results. Most of the time only with diet and training, specially TIME, women have great results and most of them give up the idea of ​​using drugs.

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk
 
florencenoir said:
Man... this also should be on the the first five tips... I say it all the time... Results should come without drugs... in strength and aesthetics.

I repeat and repeat, specially for women who approach me to help with drugs. I always tell them that for us ladies... we need to be extra careful because we can have all virilizing effects without aesthetics results. Most of the time only with diet and training, specially TIME, women have great results and most of them give up the idea of ​​using drugs.

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Great Flo. Using DNP without a diet... stupid. People do. Then they, in spite of many warnings, will double the dose 'cos double the dose means double the loss right' (the answer is no). And that's just one example of ass backwards thinking.
 
Training Tip No9
Keep A Log
Although there are apps I prefer using a pen and a notepad or book. The simple act of writing it reinforces it over using an app. Don't get me wrong the better apps can and do track progress using algorithms. But so does flipping back and looking. Keeping one online can also help with having others look at it offering tips and support. It doesn't matter if it's a dietary log, bodybuilding log or strength log.

Here's the thing. If you've been training for any length of time you'll see members at the gym who wanna lose weight, but don't. Who want big arms, but don't have them. Who wanna be stronger but aren't. And yet they've been using the gym for FKIN AGES. Sometimes FKIN YEARS! WTF??!! Now either they fool themselves better than the line of BS they gave you or they're convinced by being in the gym equates to progress.

Now I don't give a f**k what it is you're trying to achieve. Lean and mean is as fine as HUGE and nasty. But if you've made zero progress... why? So write down the aim. Work out how you're gonna get there. Hit the numbers. And log it. Yes you'll have sessions where you can't do it every time. That's ok. But over weeks, months and years you should be making small but steady steps towards the target. One more rep than last week = progress. And in the heat of the moment did you do 10... or was it 11? And then trying to remember that a week later... forget it. So write it down. Use a LOG
 
Mobster said:
Great Flo. Using DNP without a diet... stupid. People do. Then they, in spite of many warnings, will double the dose 'cos double the dose means double the loss right' (the answer is no). And that's just one example of ass backwards thinking.
Click to expand...
For women then... diet pills are like jujubes... most of the women who go to my practice have practically tried every "magic pill" ... the only thing they have not tried is to change their eating habits.

Losing weight is easy, drugs and extreme diet will shred 10kg of weight (not necessarily fat) in 1 month but... how people intend to maintain the loss? Sustainable maintenance is difficult. So... changing habits while losing weight, for me, is the best strategy... when you reach maintenance is much easier and diet itself can be much less stressful.

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk
 
Mobster said:
Training Tip No9
Keep A Log
Although there are apps I prefer using a pen and a notepad or book. The simple act of writing it reinforces it over using an app. Don't get me wrong the better apps can and do track progress using algorithms. But so does flipping back and looking. Keeping one online can also help with having others look at it offering tips and support. It doesn't matter if it's a dietary log, bodybuilding log or strength log.

Here's the thing. If you've been training for any length of time you'll see members at the gym who wanna lose weight, but don't. Who want big arms, but don't have them. Who wanna be stronger but aren't. And yet they've been using the gym for FKIN AGES. Sometimes FKIN YEARS! WTF??!! Now either they fool themselves better than the line of BS they gave you or they're convinced by being in the gym equates to progress.

Now I don't give a f**k what it is you're trying to achieve. Lean and mean is as fine as HUGE and nasty. But if you've made zero progress... why? So write down the aim. Work out how you're gonna get there. Hit the numbers. And log it. Yes you'll have sessions where you can't do it every time. That's ok. But over weeks, months and years you should be making small but steady steps towards the target. One more rep than last week = progress. And in the heat of the moment did you do 10... or was it 11? And then trying to remember that a week later... forget it. So write it down. Use a LOG
Click to expand...
Exactly how can you manipulate the variables of you training or diet if you don't know what you are doing.

Like the phrase... If you don't know, you don't grow.
And progression is not always linear.

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk
 
Mobster said:
Very true. Press 200lbs overhead, bench 300lbs or dips with weight added and you don't need tricep isolation exercises.

So courtesy of Stevesmi

Training Tip No3
Compounds first
If, as above, you can master the form then learn to move heavy weight in what we call the compound movements then you'll not only be strong but, genetics allowing, be a big (or bigger) mofo.

Compounds, simply put, use the biggest amount of muscle tissue. Examples like chins working the grip and forearms just holding the bar, biceps, back and rear delts in the actual pull up and so on. Squats (over the leg press) cos not only are you working the hams and quads but also (just for balance) calves and your core.

In my older books they suggested an average Joe ought to try to work to the following: 300-400-500 (that's bench, squat and deadlift). Start repping those and you'll start looking like a monster. Throw in 200lbs overhead, 100lbs on dips and chins and you'll be in the 5%. Look around any gym and see if it's not true.
Click to expand...

Dont forget that not every movement should be locked out.

Barbell shoulder press (seated).

i see lots of people locking the elbows at the top of the movement which removes the tension on the shoulders and puts most of the stress on the elbow joints.

Preacher curls
Preacher curls shouldn't come up all the way because the weight will just rest on the elbows/forearms that are resting on the bench. and etc.

usually this is because of a misconception about full range of motion.
 
florencenoir said:
For women then... diet pills are like jujubes... most of the women who go to my practice have practically tried every "magic pill" ... the only thing they have not tried is to change their eating habits.

Losing weight is easy, drugs and extreme diet will shred 10kg of weight (not necessarily fat) in 1 month but... how people intend to maintain the loss? Sustainable maintenance is difficult. So... changing habits while losing weight, for me, is the best strategy... when you reach maintenance is much easier and diet itself can be much less stressful.

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I'll add a tip on that now:

Training Tip No10 and 11
Keeping gains and maintaining losses.
Whether you want to add and keep muscle or lose fat and keep it off the same tip applies. You need to adjust to the new weight. I'll use a simple, if inaccurate, example or two;

Let's say you was 200lbs on 2800kcals. You went on cycle and added 5lbs. Now you're 205lbs. To gain the 5lbs you ate 3200kcals. If you wanna keep the 5lbs you'll need to eat more than the 2800kcals that you did when you weighed 200lbs

The same analogy applies to fat loss. It's no good taking a bunch of drugs and working out like crazy (inc cardio) as well as cutting 400 or more calories from your diet. Then, having hit your loss target (lets say 200lbs down to 195lbs) reverting to the exact same diet you was eating before.

And this happens all the fkin time. Then the person will blame their genes, the drugs, their coach/nutritionist/diet guru, the diet, the size of ducks in the local parks pond (lol). Anything except for the fact that they didn't make the adjustment they needed to. And it's pretty much that simple.
 
Training Tip No12
Being analytical
It's all too easy to enjoy your training, diets and even steroid/sarm cycles without looking to see if improvements could be made. Let me give an example of a mistake I made some years back.

I was allowing my form on overhead seated presses to get stupidly bad. My right arm would be locked out and my left only half up. At some point I realized how silly this was. Backed off by taking 20-kilos / 44lbs off the bar. I then restarted with a very much better form. Six or so weeks later I was back to 120-kilos for reps but with a LOT better form. In my case not only was the form an issue but so was my ego.

Look at what you're doing and what you've done and see if improvements can be made. Do this constantly.
 
Training Tip No13
Learn From The Best
This is less 'please grant me their genetics' (best of luck applies ha ha) and more 'what good habits do they have'. There will always be freaks who seemingly only have to merely look in the direction of a weight plate and... boom! Instant muscle. Others, even last years Worlds Strongest Man (and somewhat of a freak himself) learned how to get big, train and so on by looking at the techniques of others. Eddie Hall has mentioned how he watched fellow WSM Brian Shaw's technique, followed guidance from Andy Bolton and so on in order to get the famous 500-kilo deadlift.

Now if a (at one point) 433lb behemoth needs to learn so do the rest of us. Who can forget watching Arnie and Franco, fan like, observing another pro (Ed Cornea??) killing the posing in the film Pumping Iron. What Ed did, better than the others, was 'pose between poses'. Arnold and Franco learned the judges watched you ALL the time not just when you hit a double biceps. Ed was NOT Mr O material but as a poser... he was killing it.

I've bios here and I read fellow strength athletes interviews from time to time and regardless of the sport there are habits and nuances we can learn. I recall reading famous alcoholic but also amazing in his prime George Best's Bio and he, as a kid, spent sometimes 7 hours a day kicking a ball into set spots he'd chosen on his mum's house wall (which explains somewhat her own drinking habits... oof). That many hours a day soon equates to the old 10000 hours to master something analogy. Ditto reading of another soccer player David Beckham playing Sunday league footy and being supported even through pro-level by his adoring parents. In his case having a good support team or network is the lesson learned and I don't play football
 
Training Tip No14
Look After Your Joints
Trust me on this. You might not thank me today but you'll sure as f**k thank me in the future. Top of the list are your shoulders, followed by elbows, knees and wrists. And what's really crazy is it's oh so easy to sort out.

Warm ups are key. Followed by rehab and then joint formula products. If you MUST use supports use them sparingly. While they do help worn and injured joints wearing them all the time is as bad. I've attended strongman comps where the rules didn't allow for some aids and athletes who had got a little too used to them were at a disadvantage.

Do rotator cuff work. Don't say I didn't tell you.
 
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Training Tip No15
Don't Over-rely On Stims
So I see a LOT of pre-workout products on the market. Way more than even just a few years ago. What I also see, especially on UK forums, is questions like 'I don't get anything from Product X... should I try product Y?'. What the users forget is that OCCASIONAL use is ok. But using something EVERY SINGLE WORKOUT is a silly idea. If you need, as we say here, to be 'off your tits and buzzing' just to go some weights then you've got a problem (probably involving white powder which is sniffed up your nose on a Saturday night). I can have a great workout on a single cup of coffee. So can you
 
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Training Tip No16
More Isn't Better
Better is better.

Diet wise, by way of example, 200g of protein is a fair old amount for most Joes. 500g doesn't mean 2.5x the gains. Guys can grow on 3 days training so think hitting the gym 7x a week is better. Same with PED's.

What's kinda crazy is even pros can fall to these mistakes. We have a world class female long distance runner here who ended up both injuring herself and making herself really quite ill by over doing it.

The key is optimal over maximal. The sweet spot over 'too fkin much'.
 
Mobster said:
Training Tip No12
Being analytical
It's all too easy to enjoy your training, diets and even steroid/sarm cycles without looking to see if improvements could be made.... Look at what you're doing and what you've done and see if improvements can be made. Do this constantly.
Click to expand...

That's a tip for life, not only training.

How can you improve in something if you don't know what you are doing and you don't know where to go?



Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk
 
Training Tip No17
Less is more
Following on from Tip 16 and something I personally do (see my log on the forum) is I'll rotate back exercises. So I'll do one direct back movement per back day. Then the next session I'll do another and so on. I could probably stand to do this with other body-parts. It's a part of, as I understand it, DC training (DC = dog crap). The idea being it takes a LONG time to feel tired or over trained on a movement.

Using my back workouts as an example I can do pulldowns (various hand and grip positions), T-Bar Rows (I don't do this but we have one), Low Cable Rows, Dumbbell Rows and three kinds of Iso-Lateral Rows (high, mid and low) and we even have a Pullover Machine. Throw in barbell rows and deadlifts (a staple for me). So that's 9-10 weeks worth right there. My only problem (we should all be so blessed haha) is I can max most of the kit out - even the 90kilo / 198lbs dumbbells for rows :D

Even those of you who regularly do three exercises per bodypart have 3 weeks worth to play with. Mix up the volume for a change too
 
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Training Tip No18
Meal Prep
This is a very simple easy to do thing that some guys, as we say here, 'make a meal of' (it's a saying meaning to over complicate). Ironic eh?

Anyway. I just started a job involving 12 hour shifts. Trust me I'm not coming home after getting up at 4am, leaving at 6am, starting at 7am. Then doing all that in reverse only to come back and start cooking from scratch. So, like a bodybuilder, I cook ahead of time. I COULD use a ready meal (and occasionally do) but we're all about proper food here right?

A simple fix we've suggested on Evo is taking 12 chicken breasts. Place them on foil. Season 4 one way, 4 another and the last 4 different again. And cook. That's at LEAST 6 meals if not more when added to (for example) rice.
 
Mobster said:
So, then my

Training Tip No2
Hangs for time
Hanging from a chinning bar for time will improve your grip. Aim for a minute. Two is right up there. Start with 3 x 20-seconds,. Then 3 x 25 and so on
Click to expand...
gunna try this, didnt know it helps with grip. Deadlift has suddenly plateued not due to my strength but due to the fact i let the bar go too easily.
 
m1z1996 said:
gunna try this, didnt know it helps with grip. Deadlift has suddenly plateued not due to my strength but due to the fact i let the bar go too easily.
Click to expand...

Back when he was struggling to break the 1000lb barrier on deads Andy Bolton had one hand opening as he got to the top. It happens to the best

- - - Updated - - -

Training Tip No19
Time Is Everything
I've seen people asking about the best time to do this, that or the other. Diet, when to take pills, train etc etc

And you're waiting because... GET IT DONE TODAY!!
 
Training Tip No20
What Times Best To Train
There's SOME science to support the following but, as I've said in similar threads, the body can and does adapt

For cardio I'm gonna say first thing. If you can before work. Like lifting weights it'll affect your metabolic rate for some time after.

For the average non-lifting Joe we have two peaks of energy. Both are affected by nature (sun rise and sun set). As such they move through the year but essentially it's mid-morning and later afternoon. And cos of the so-called 9-5 that means between 10-11am and 5-6pm.

One could also argue about when our natural test levels peak but one is on waking (hence 'morning glory' (aka a hard on)). But even when I train early as f**k it's still 2 hours after waking lol
 
Training Tip No21
Forearm Curls Tip
This is another tip that Arthur Jones of Nautilus fame came up with. Take a flat bench and stick a 10-kilo or so plate under one end. You're looking for a 10-degree or so incline. Using either a barbell or, as I do, a dumbbell (I do one forearm at a time) and curl it in the usual way. The slight incline will mean a greater muscle contraction at the top. It works for either forward or reverse forearm curls
 
Might sound crazy, but I focus a ton on breathing. When you breathe properly your workouts (and life in general) is better and easier. Most people do not know how to properly breathe. I have seen very experienced gym rats that clearly know how to lift, don’t know how to breathe. When those two things click, you get astronomical benefits. My breathing experience came from over ten years of yoga and three years (and counting) of Systema. Two disciplines that truly know breathing.
 
Mobster said:
Training Tip No14
Look After Your Joints
Trust me on this. You might not thank me today but you'll sure as f**k thank me in the future. Top of the list are your shoulders, followed by elbows, knees and wrists. And what's really crazy is it's oh so easy to sort out.

Warm ups are key. Followed by rehab and then joint formula products. If you MUST use supports use them sparingly. While they do help worn and injured joints wearing them all the time is as bad. I've attended strongman comps where the rules didn't allow for some aids and athletes who had got a little too used to them were at a disadvantage.

Do rotator cuff work. Don't say I didn't tell you.
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On point Mobster. Protecting your joints and ligaments is key!
 
E32038 said:
Might sound crazy, but I focus a ton on breathing. When you breathe properly your workouts (and life in general) is better and easier. Most people do not know how to properly breathe. I have seen very experienced gym rats that clearly know how to lift, don’t know how to breathe. When those two things click, you get astronomical benefits. My breathing experience came from over ten years of yoga and three years (and counting) of Systema. Two disciplines that truly know breathing.
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Good advice. I'll add a tip based on this as I agree. In fact I did an article on Power Breathing back in the day.
 
I would love to read that if you have it available. I am well versed on breathing for fighting and running but not so much for power lifting. Is it more diaphragmatic or chest? I could see maybe power lifting be through the stomach but for short bursts and interval training maybe incorporate chest breathing. I incorporate what feels natural because I am somewhat trained in breathing but everything has its application and I cannot say I was taught the proper way for different lifting techniques. I do what I feel makes sense and it is about 90% correct most of the time.
 
Training Tip No22
Power Breathing
Inspired by E32038's post
Occasionally you'll see a question of which way to breath when doing this or that exercise. Breathing is, of course, natural. So the simple answer is to just suck it in and blow it out and repeat. Or you'll be dead right ;) But, as many a top athlete can tell you timing your breath so as to have a certain tension in the chest etc before a BIG record breaking throw, lift, shot or kick can easily add 10%.

As an example take what is called Breathing Squats: A single deep breath, then squat. At the top between reps, take three breaths. That's said to be anabolic. More so if you can do 20 reps. Another is keeping air in the lungs on bench presses and overhead work on all but the last part. Obviously, we don't want you to hold your breath too long. We don't want anyone passing out!!

If you wanna see 'experts' in breathing check out the free diving videos and documentaries on YouTube. They've not only developed larger lungs but, in essence, re breathe and control their reactions.
 
Training Tip No23
Taking Ownership Of Being Out Of Shape
Let's start with - you're fat. Not bloated, not holding water and almost certainly it's not a medical issue. Taking ownership of being honest with yourself means you can take action. You ate too much. You didn't do enough activity and so on. Now, having admitted that, you can do something about it.
 
Mobster said:
Training Tip No23
Taking Ownership Of Being Out Of Shape
Let's start with - you're fat. Not bloated, not holding water and almost certainly it's not a medical issue. Taking ownership of being honest with yourself means you can take action. You ate too much. You didn't do enough activity and so on. Now, having admitted that, you can do something about it.
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And...

The problem is not sugar, pizza, chocolate, cookie, cheesecake... the problem is that you eat a bunch of these stuff every single day and you probably don't eat all your veggies and fruits. There's no density in your nutrition.

Food is not the problem. The problem is you can't control yourself over food. Eating is part of life but you don't live to eat.

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk
 
florencenoir said:
And...

The problem is not sugar, pizza, chocolate, cookie, cheesecake... the problem is that you eat a bunch of these stuff every single day and you probably don't eat all your veggies and fruits. There's no density in your nutrition.

Food is not the problem. The problem is you can't control yourself over food. Eating is part of life but you don't live to eat.

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk
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Asking if X or Y has a lot of sodium in it, for example, vs NOT eating too much of X or Y to begin with.
 
Training Tip No24
Cook Your Own Food
And by cook I mean from scratch. I'm old enough to have, here in the UK, had lessons in what was called 'Home Economics'. It included (usually just for girls then - an indication of times being different) stuff like how to lay the table. It also included making and cooking simple meals for what was less than what we paid for a school lunch. So we'd bring home (with luck not done in) simple cakes and so on for our family to try.

Now I get how hard some of us work. Heck, even though I work part time, my shifts are 12 hours at a time. So I don't wanna be standing in the kitchen after a 14+ hour day (inc traveling) cooking a meal from scratch for a whole family. But equally, as is common in the US and becoming so here, I don't want to either eat a ton of ready cooked meals or too much 'take out' (or even restaurant food). These are ALL fine in moderation. However, they are becoming staple parts of diets. here, when I did voluntary youth work, there was data to support kids having teeth issues from the glucose syrup added to ready meals prepped by parents who worked all day.

Not only do you have Glucose Syrup but sodium/salt and a TON of additives present. Cooking scratch meals controls that. It can also be something to connect families too if you get them to help. Dad does the meat, kids helping with mixing and mum getting it all together. Healthier too!

The same is true with the dedicated athletes among you and doing what we term 'meal prep' (do a search on Evo for tips and ideas).
 
Training Tip No25
Think Long Term
There are, in my opinion, some small things we can do daily which will over a VERY long time make a difference. All too often we get asked about what time to take X, how soon before Y works and so on. With the reality (statistically speaking) that most people who work out not sticking around long enough to see the benefits the right answer for them is 'it wont make any difference'. However, if like me you've been hitting the iron for 38 years and (hopefully) done enough of the right stuff - the small right stuff - for 20 plus of those 38 years then that might be why I'm 280lbs most days, stronger than most most days and so on.

So don't obsess over what's the best time for a post workout shake etc etc unless you plan on doing this for a LONGGGGG time ok? :D
 
Training Tip No26
Plan Ahead
I'm thinking of your PED cycles when I say this. We get guys changing drugs mid-cycle. It's not like changing buses or vacation hotels. Plus you've the rest of your life to do another cycle. Stick to ONE plan.

Then same is also true of members who are a few weeks in - mid-cycle then - and start asking then about PCT. That's ass backwards for a number of reasons but the No 1 is trust me... not being prepped and ready at the beginning is when the usual source will dry up. Murphy's Law comes into play here. Even I've had items arrive only 72 hours before a cycle starts.

The last one is guys who seem to suddenly remember they've a holiday right in the middle. Now yes some of you won't have known about it but equally some do. Hence the 'how do I smuggle my drugs on a plane' questions.

Like I said - plan ahead.
 
Training Tip No27
Think Long(er) Term v2
I've seen the odd post from guys who either stay on (which I think is silly) or rush from one cycle to the next (which I'll address here).

Now IF you are an actual highly paid professional athlete who is a little more than blessed with either an amazing skill set or genetics the rest of us cry over then doing different cycles through the year makes a LOT of sense. Not only will your response be better, you can afford to do it and take and pay for ALL the precautions. But lets be fkin honest in the other 99% of cases it's just not true is it. So remind me, if you will, of the great advantage of rushing one mass/bulk cycle followed by a cutting cycle and so on sometimes as much as 4 times a year in the odd case to be all of 180lbs tops.

The tip, as it were and one we've posted on a few times, is to take as long as you can off between cycles. The numbers we suggest are the MINIMUM. It's cycle length (lets use 12 weeks) plus PCT (so again we will say 4 weeks as an example). That's a MINIMUM OF 16 weeks off AFTER both the cycle and PCT. Even trying to be clever and doing short cycles (say 6 weeks) and a short PCT (not always ideal but we will use 3 weeks again as an example) still means NINE weeks off.

Even if you follow the very sensible advice of getting blood tests done to see where your levels are you can only push so much. And, I gotta ask, what's the damn rush?? After all you're almost certainly a genetically average guy who wants to build muscle. Not a pro ball player on $30m a year. Adding, as is possible, 5lbs of muscle every year for 10+ years (see - LONG TERM) is fkin HUGE! While I'm no Mr O (never my aim) I still hit those numbers for many, many years (175lbs or so age 18 vs the 280 I sit at now). And I've been lifting a LONG time.
 
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Training Tip No28
Feet positioning
On Leg Extensions (and other leg movements) changing the angle of your feet can shift emphasis from one head to another. All the heads will still get some affect but turning the foot out, in or keeping them straight will vary the percentage from one head (or quad in this example) to another.

You can try this on calves (in, out or straight). Hack squats and others too. Give them a try

Edit: worth a read (I don't have one but I know what it's about) is the book 'Muscle Meets Magnet'.
 
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Dustin74 said:
I put together my wife's workout for her about a month ago because I didn't like what I saw her trainer having her do. We dropped her trainer last week and I worked with her last night. She asked me why I only had her doing (2) sets of barbell curls for her biceps and only (3) sets of triceps pushdowns for her triceps. I explained that all the compound movements I had her doing took care of those muscle and that she didn't need to isolate them. I only included those two exercises because I knew she enjoyed doing them and I want her to have parts of her workout that she really looks forward to doing. They are not needed. I incorporated back squats, rows and deadlifts into her program (how does a trainer not include those) and she likes the rows but loves the back squats and deadlifts. She said they make her feel powerful. She failed on her last set of squats the other day and spent two hours bitching and pissed off about it. You have to love determination. I also told her weightlifting is full of failure and that is how you gage your progress.
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Dustin - is your wife heading in that direction of being a body builder? Or were you speaking in generalities as far as weightlifting? ( Yes, I know not all weightlifters are actually body builders....just curious)
 
Training Tip No29
Don't Be A Pussy In The Gym
I've started to see, as per an article yesterday, guys faffing about with bands 'activating their lats' and so on. One local chap wears both the spandex style leggings and shorts and does 3 plates (60kg) on the leg press with one leg. He also uses the arm on the same side to support said leg etc. Now as much as I like loading it up with every plate in the gym and grinding out 8 reps I'm also aware that doing so isn't as effective as using a little less and doing 20 reps.

Equally, doing what the fella above does is a waste of fkin time. To quote Luke Sandoe in the latest MD 'it's a load of bollocks'. He then says 'Yates inspired me'. The in the trenches style (or more accurately his basement gym) of Dorian built grainy hard mass. Not 'activating my lats' with a fkin rubber band.

There's a TON of equipment out there which MIGHT have a place as addendum's to the core compound lifts but you need to grimace, get sweaty and under a load of weight to get somewhere. I've a bunch of books from the 50's by guys like Earle Leiderman et al as well as the more up to date Stuart McRobert all of which say quite clearly to aim for a 300 bench, 400 squat and a 500 deadlift and you'll be in the 5%
 
Mobster said:
Training Tip No29
Don't Be A Pussy In The Gym
I've started to see, as per an article yesterday, guys faffing about with bands 'activating their lats' and so on. One local chap wears both the spandex style leggings and shorts and does 3 plates (60kg) on the leg press with one leg. He also uses the arm on the same side to support said leg etc. Now as much as I like loading it up with every plate in the gym and grinding out 8 reps I'm also aware that doing so isn't as effective as using a little less and doing 20 reps.

Equally, doing what the fella above does is a waste of fkin time. To quote Luke Sandoe in the latest MD 'it's a load of bollocks'. He then says 'Yates inspired me'. The in the trenches style (or more accurately his basement gym) of Dorian built grainy hard mass. Not 'activating my lats' with a fkin rubber band.

There's a TON of equipment out there which MIGHT have a place as addendum's to the core compound lifts but you need to grimace, get sweaty and under a load of weight to get somewhere. I've a bunch of books from the 50's by guys like Earle Leiderman et al as well as the more up to date Stuart McRobert all of which say quite clearly to aim for a 300 bench, 400 squat and a 500 deadlift and you'll be in the 5%
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bro you hardcore...nice
 
Training Tip No30
The Three Minute Workouts
So back in the day the late Paul Borreson would, at various seminars and on video, show bodybuilders how to work calves in three minutes. In a couple he was assisted by Pro Ian Harrsion. He's set up kit and, with the crowd watching, take a willing victim through the pain.

From memory it'd be standing calf raise. Three pins in the stack. 20 reps, pull a pin (so less weight), 12 reps, pull a pin, rep to failure. Step back and rep on the block with body weight. All reps to this point are full range. Finally bounce reps (for time). At this point, three minutes in, said victim looks like they might cry.

It's a killer workout. Those of you who are interested can find Tom Platz teaching guys online in which he takes them through a similar style of training on other lifts.

The method is brutal and isn't for the 99.9%
 
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Training Tip No31
Check Supplement Side Effects Too.
So today a high end amateur (Jon Griffiths - having competed on the Arnold Stage back in the day) was with me at the gym counter showing us the shaking hands he gets on Clomid. I was reminded of the one and only time I forgot to do my research when I first sampled Beta Alanine. Somewhat foolishly I took 3-5g's and was at my PC when the tingles kicked in. I'm rubbing my face... then my neck.. now my hands. Wow... what's this? Google yer moron!1 Ahh... it's parethesia. It lasts 20 minutes and can be negated with a dose of carbs. So it's normal then ha ha.

In other words we teach you by virtue of our mistakes
 
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Training Tip No32
Train Like You're Teaching Others How To Train
So, cos I train for strength, I tend to move the weights quicker than a bodybuilder needs to. One of our newer gym members was doing leg extensions. I showed him how doing the a tiny bit slower with a momentary pause made all the difference. My last tip, as per the title, was to lift as though you were teaching someone else how to do the reps
 
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Training Tip No33
Use a Pullover machine
I had, for my sins, at one point an actual Nautilus Pullover machine. Yes the very same model you saw Dorian Yates using in his Blood & Guts video. We've a pullover machine (selectorized stack type) in lour local gym which I ought to use more. The issues for me are
1) My getting knackered left shoulder
2) I can rep the stack
3) I'm taller than the machine is set for (owner and his brother who both picked out the kit are shorter than me by some inches)

That said if you have access and can fit in one use it. Preferably as part of a 2-3 movement back workout. Push as much as you can with the elbows to get the full benefits.
 
Training Tip No34
Knowing What Motivates You
So back in the day (all of 6 years back ha ha) I was doing a lot of coaching of strongman athletes. I'd tell them about how knowing what, in effect, lights your fire is key to getting the best from yourself. I'd, oh so slightly, jest that it could be a epic gay Greek poem or a scene from a movie. It might be imagining their house on fire. It didn't matter to me as such as to what it was vs my using it to kick their butts in the gym.

If you know what it is that gets your juices moving then use it. Don't do it for every gym session but by all means tap into it when you need to so as to make a lift. The best day would be the day of a competition.
 
Training Tip No35
Knowing When to Cheat
Now I'll freely admit to a loose style but I'm far more of a lifter than a builder. For those of you that see themselves as builders knowing when to use proper form and when to use loose form (aka 'cheat'). The obvious example is on arms. There, or so it seems, is not a bodybuilder or lifter alive who hasn't done cheat curls. The problem is we often allow ego to get in the way of the actually having tension on the muscle.

Whether it's a form of bicep curl or some sort of tricep pressdown one key point is to keep the elbow locked into position. Ideally the upper arm will press onto the rib cage. Not allowing the body to lean back helps too. Finally not speeding up the bar, dumbbells , etc so as to keep tension where it's needed. Now we want the point where we cheat to be just as form starts to breakdown and or you to hit failure. That first rep might be a little faster, the next the elbow move forward or back and so on. Even then you can 'cheat' up but lower down the negative portion more strictly.
 
Training Tip No36
Little Tweaks
Stuff like supinating the hand (turning it) in the flexed position of dumbbell curls. It'll the outer head of the biceps more. Another is turning the hands inwards (so the little finger is higher) when doing dumbbell lateral raises in the top position - like you're pouring water out of a jug.
 
Training Tip No37
Warming Up
As per a thread on out sister site Stevesmi and I 100% agreed (makes a nice change ha ha) on using the lightest weight to warm up. As in just the bar. On Iso Leverage Press I'll so 15-20 reps with just the lifting arm. On Leg Press I'll do 10 reps with each leg, the 10 reps with both on just the foot plate and so on. Now if, as with legs, I've done another leg movement first I won't use the lightest weight but it'll still be a fraction of the top weight sets. Same with arms. But EVERY body part starts with a high rep (12 at least and usually 20) LIGHT (handle, smallest dumbbell or whatever) warm up set.

There are two reasons. One is I've been injured. 16 weeks out with a back injury and an 'iffy' left shoulder says WARM THE FUCK UP. The other is getting the body part ready. Not just being, or feeling warm, but there's an argument for what amounts to a physical rehearsal. Those of you who have been training a LONG time will, I hope, have developed a sense of being able to know how to flex and or work the muscle almost without any weight. Warm ups also tend to be less dynamic or loose than heavier weights. By way of an example on Dumbbell Hammer Curls I can make the brachial muscle feel tight using 20 reps on a 15-16lb (7.5kg) dumbbell.

And (for the younger guys) take the advice of an older lifter - it's GOOD ADVICE.
 
Training Tip No38
Leg Press Foot Position
I am, for the most part, a power guy. The most weight moved for a few reps is what I want. 'Muscle' guys are not. So in my case I go high and wide on the leg press as it's a 90% glute muscle movement. The glutes are, of course, the biggest and most powerful muscle. The medium to low foot position increases the range that the leg covers. Feet closer together is outer quads and so on.
 
Training Tip No39
Constant Tension
So in our local gym we have an IFBB Pro Bodybuilder. If you watch him train you'll see that he stops oh so short of lock out. He also does every rep a tiny bit slower than most Joe's. Arguably he gets more from each rep than 90% of other bodybuilders. Now some are instinctively capable but others have to learn this. We know that genetics (insertion points, response to PEDs, etc) is a HUGE part of what makes Pro Bodybuilders the way they are. Some, as per this post, get more from their training. Get the most you can from every rep
 
Training Tip No40
Don't Turn Your Fkin Head
Take it from someone who's tweaked his neck a couple of times. It hurts like a mofo for 3 days.

Any exercise where you lift and or pull under load with your arms above your head and then, somewhat foolishly, turn your head...will fuck you up. So pullups, pulldowns, presses and lateral raises.
 
Training Tip No41
What Order...?
Do we isolate and then compound... or compound and then isolate...? Yep it's confusing. I'm gonna say the 1st. Which, strictly speaking, is good old pre exhaustion. A Bob Kennedy of Muscle Mag International favourite. I'll use triceps by way of example. We can, if we choose the right movement and do it properly, really isolate the outer head. The show muscle. A little twist of the upper arm to force the flex and a couple of tricep burning high rep sets and THEN something like dips as a compound. Now the not quite so tired middle and inner head get to support the already worked outer head and really finish it off.
 
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Training Tip No42
Use a Fkin AI FFS!
I don't get the idea that some have (feel free to reply as to the logic of the why) of 'having it on hand'. We all know (or I hope we do) that gyno is the price we can pay for using roids. Let's not pretend otherwise. Some are, of course, more prone to it than others. Being brutal it's more likely in those of you who were fat or are fat. Of course the odd random handful will have off test numbers which make them more prone but don't argue the toss if you're obese.

Back to the 'on hand' idea: so the thinking is 'I'll wait until I see signs of gyno then I'll HOPE that taking the AI then will help'. That's it right?? Or do you wanna go online sourcing and shopping for yet more drugs to use in an 'anti-gyno' protocol? The other side of the 'I'll wait' etc idea was, certainly back in the day, that using an AI somehow inhibited gains. Let's say, for a second, that's true (I don't think it is and I deffo don't think it matters). Would losing 10% of any potential gains in muscle or strength be so bad vs growing a pair of lactating tits?? And what's wrong with gaining the missing 1 or so pounds (at the very most) on the next cycle. The next cycle being one you also use an AI on? Or are you in some race to gain we know nothing about where you might win a million bucks or similar? No?

Then be a patient and careful motherf**ker and use a fkin AI ok!!
 
Training Tip No43
Learn To Read Labels
So what seems to cause some people problems is not knowing how bad some ingredients are. If you're capable of cooking your own foods then I'd hope you'd choose straight forward, simple and mostly healthy ingredients. All too often the self same meal you cooked will include a bunch of stuff you wouldn't dream of adding to the home made version.

Top of the list (there's a bunch of others) is Glucose Syrup. Check it out. It adds a little sweetness to meals and covers up for cheap cuts and less than perfect ingredients. Let's not be too shocked that a company makes a product to a price point.

This and a hundred others are why Americans and now Brits are staying fat or, worse, getting fatter when all other things are equal.
 
Training Tip No44
Changing Your Goals As You Get Older
So I'll soon be 54. Monday at the gym I was 278lbs. That's a fraction off my usual 280lbs (heat probably). But as to whether I'll be 60, 70 or even 80 and 280... unlikely. There have been NO 100 year old lifters who were heavyweights. It just doesn't happen. We can guess as to why but that's an article all on it's own. Simply put being BIG is hard work for the body.

So, in a similar vein, while being beach ready or 'hench for the girlz' may well be your aim when when you're 18-25 years old what you want changes as you mature. That doesn't mean you can slack off and aspire to a dad bod or a paunch. For me I can see me very slowly dropping a few pounds per year after I'm 60. I can also see me doing a little more conditioning work as each year passes.

Consider changing what you want as a part of your lifting and training journey.
 
Training Tip No45
Over Thinking
So some years back the so-called Super Slow protocol was doing the rounds as THE workout method to do. In essence you lift at a slow tempo and you lower at even slower tempo. A simple version would be 2 seconds up and 3 seconds down. Simple right?

Seemingly not. There was a really rather active section of the Iron community who seemed to spend far, far too much time arguing over the smallest and most minute aspect of the program. Now it is entirely up to them as to how they might spend their day but I got the feeling that the energy being used was being directed away from the actual purpose itself.

The message here is that they ought to, in the modern vernacular, have been down the gym 'killing it'. Instead of which they fretted over the speed of the rep. And that by being so concerned they added a small layer of stress to their lives. Now consider some of the biggest, strongest and most muscular lifters you know. They tend to want as stress free a life as possible. They make haste slowly. They relax between workouts and so on. I'm reminded of former Mr Olympia Dorian Yates. His habit of not training in the public eye of Golds Gym, in a sense isolating himself, removed him from being 'picked apart'. He'd go to the gym, monster the weights, then go home. That was, at least 99.9% of the time, it.

So do what's needed to be done. Don't obsess. Enjoy the gains
 
Training Tip No46
Changing Cycles Mid-Cycle - why?
My tip is to not do it. If you're half way sensible you'll have planned out a cycle. Let's say 8 weeks. You'll have an aim (adding muscle?) and selected both the right roids and got a diet sorted. We know some steroids have different versions which can require more or less injections. All in all I'd hope you worked it out in such a way that (as is common) you only need to inject 1-2 times a week. Maybe an 8 week cycle might mean some remaining esters half life is still present at 9 and even 10 weeks (so 2 weeks after you stopped).

Then we get the post which makes all effort seem somewhat wasted. It'll be 'I planned on an 8 week cycle but I'm thinking of doing 12'. Why? What is the problem with doing the 8 weeks. Then PCT and time off and then doing another cycle later on? Are you that impatient or do you think that because you've added a few pounds (lets suggest 5-8) you'll add that much more in the additional 4 weeks (you won't - it'll be 1-2 more pounds). Not only that but you've still got to get used to being 5-8 pounds heavier, maintaining and keeping it. It's easier for all 3 aspects to keep the 5-8 than it it is 10, 11 or 12lbs.

Plus there's always that next cycle. I'm a MUCH bigger fan of 2 x 8-10 weeks cycles a year than I am of 1 x 16 week. Plan long term (see tips on that). Remember, just using myself as an example yet again I've been doing this a LONG time and am probably maxed out. But when I started keeping records 3 years in I weighed 175lbs and now I'm pretty much 280lbs every day. Off cycle gains were about 4lbs a year and on was 6lbs. Not huge per annum but they still added up to 95lbs total.
 
Training Tip No47
Don't Abuse Stimulants
There are those, like fellow mod Stevesmi, who are not fans of even something as common as a cup of coffee. Whereas I am a fan. My pre-workout coffee is just a cheap supermarket version. I do have a bean grinder etc etc but those coffees are more for pleasure, taste and so on.

Now what I've seen in the last few years is a combination of what I see as an over reliance on stimulants and preworkout products laden with them. You also get to see forum members on various sites stating 'Product X doesn't do it for me anymore and I need a new mega stim' or similar.

So it's kinda obvious you need to be motivated by what you go to the gym for (say building muscle) as opposed to, or so some say, 'I can't train unless I'm buzzing off my tits'. It's not helped by every other seller stating that their product is 'the strongest'. That's just not possible with so many making the same claim.

So here's the actual tip. It doesn't matter if it is just a simple coffee or the 'worlds strongest' product. Using any of them day in and day out will, eventually, mean they no longer give you that kick you wanted. So take time off. Changing products doesn't do the trick. Most have the same ingredients (by all means check) so changing to Y from X won't work. Time off does. But mostly just not relying on them will do the most. Use them only when you have to - not when you want to
 
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Mobster said:
Training Tip No47
Don't Abuse Stimulants
There are those, like fellow mod Stevesmi, who are not fans of even something as common as a cup of coffee. Whereas I am a fan. My pre-workout coffee is just a cheap supermarket version. I do have a bean grinder etc etc but those coffees are more for pleasure, taste and so on.

Now what I've seen in the last few years is a combination of what I see as an over reliance on stimulants and preworkout products laden with them. You also get to see forum members on various sites stating 'Product X doesn't do it for me anymore and I need a new mega stim' or similar.

So it's kinda obvious you need to be motivated by what you go to the gym for (say building muscle) as opposed to, or so some say, 'I can't train unless I'm buzzing off my tits'. It's not helped by every other seller stating that their product is 'the strongest'. That's just not possible with so many making the same claim.

So here's the actual tip. It doesn't matter if it is just a simple coffee or the 'worlds strongest' product. Using any of them day in and day out will, eventually, mean they no longer give you that kick you wanted. So take time off. Changing products doesn't do the trick. Most have the same ingredients (by all means check) so changing to Y from X won't work. Time off dose. But mostly just not relying on them will do the most. Use them only when you have to - not when you want to
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I couldn’t agree more with this.


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gashred777 said:
I couldn’t agree more with this.


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Thanks

Training Tip No48
Learning To Focus
There are now probably more things to distract us than there have ever been. Heck, I've a movie playing on my phone as I type this post out on my PC. When you go to the gym you'll have other members, the music and all the regular distractions of life - did you pay that bill, did you revise for that test, is the wife nagging you... too many to mention.

I can banter with the best of them when I am in the gym. So how do I focus. One trick is to remind myself of lost opportunities. If I miss this rep, this set or screw up the workout I missed a chance to grow and get strong. This is especially true if I have an event or competition coming up.

Another is to make the moment special. For some hitting the gym is akin to going to church. It's a sanctuary away from other things and so you're in the Iron Temple. We don't kneel and pray but we do rep that bitch.

One trick I've touched on before, is to have something in mind which really gets the juices going. I don't want you raging or crying but I do want that idea you use to get you to grind another rep or two out when you think of it.
 
Training Tip No49
Elbow Tendonitis - An Easy Fix
One very simple fix is to buy what looks like a thin sweat band (the kind you see tennis players wear on their wrists). You then sew a small button on. Turn the band inside out and position the button over the sore area (in other words the nerve being irritated). There are bands you can buy but at a price.
 
Mobster said:
Training Tip No49
Elbow Tendonitis - An Easy Fix
One very simple fix is to buy what looks like a thin sweat band (the kind you see tennis players wear on their wrists). You then sew a small button on. Turn the band inside out and position the button over the sore area (in other words the nerve being irritated). There are bands you can buy but at a price.
Click to expand...

thanks a lot for these tips. Very useful and actionable.
I have elbow tendonitis...so having a button push on the irritated nerve limits pain? what does it do exactly? intrigued...

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Mobster said:
Training Tip No6
Getting more from the Bench Press
So when Arthur Jones did his bulletins he came up with a minor tweak. I'll add another two (one of which I might re-use it as another tip).

Tweak one is to elevate one end of the bench about 4 to 6-inches. Like say 10-degrees. It shifts emphasis to the mid pec portion and so is a better all round developer. On his old multi angle machine (chest and pec flye) that's there they were set (10 degrees). It works well for both barbell and dumbbell.

Tweak two (works on a barbell bench - any position). Take your usual grip (narrow, medium or wide), squeeze and then, as you do each rep, gently try to pull your hands together. Do it from the stretched to contracted or full extension position and back. It's a killer.
Click to expand...

Tweak 1: can you use one or two plates under head of bench to achieve desired 10° angle?
Tweak 2: what do you mean with "try to pull your hands together?" - sorry I can't get a clear picture as to what you're recommending here exactly?
 
kimmy6 said:
thanks a lot for these tips. Very useful and actionable.
I have elbow tendonitis...so having a button push on the irritated nerve limits pain? what does it do exactly? intrigued...

- - - Updated - - -



Tweak 1: can you use one or two plates under head of bench to achieve desired 10° angle?
Tweak 2: what do you mean with "try to pull your hands together?" - sorry I can't get a clear picture as to what you're recommending here exactly?
Click to expand...

All elbow straps work on the basis of compression (google it). The button presses more directly on the area. It doesn't have to be crazy tight.

On the bench: yes plates or a block of wood. On the barbell 'pull'. Most people, myself included, just look to press the weight. Trying to pull the hands apart gently would be a rear delt activator and pulling them gently together a pec activator. It's a question of degrees. The tips add something extra to the movement. I've said elsewhere that one advantage some genetic freaks have is getting more from exercises than average Joe
 
Training Tip No50
World Records
So, for my sins, I have a few records (national, European and world) as well as a few world class feats of strength I can lay claim to. I my chosen niche I'm on a few top 10 and top 5 lists. Some of my records have, as youi'd expect, been beaten and others I still have years later.

So to the tip. In order to be the kind of person who will maybe get under a bar and bench, squat or deadlift (or whatever lift or feat you choose to be the 'daddy' of) you need to think differently from the others before you. There was a great example used years ago. For some time the clean and jerk absolute record had hovered at under 500lbs. There was a number of fellas with 490-499 but no one went passed 500. Then one day it was broken. Low and behold because the record was gone 2 or three more guys smashed it too within 6-12 months. The same was true of the 4 minute mile.

In one or two of my lifts I have records on I have risked getting hurt - sometimes quite badly (indeed one put me out of action for a while and annoyingly has been beaten since ha ha). Not only did I use a few of the tips I've included in this thread but, in essence, I had to be prepared to risk injury more than the next guy so as to kick their ass, take the podium top spot AND get the fkin world record. In the moment I started to pull I had to be 'fuck the risk lets see what fkin happens'.

A great example in recent years was Eddie Hall's 500-kilo deadlift. He bled from his nose, mouth and eyeballs. He also, as per his biography, had bet a LOT of money (I think at least £25,000 at odds of 10-1) on him being successful. I had said in the run up he'd do it. 1) he's been wearing a lifting suit like other guys but only to his waist. He'd pulled 465kg with the suit that way. You can add 25-kilos with the suit on properly. Videos of his training were epic. Over and above anyone else. He'd asked top level deadlifters for tips. He was 420lbs at my height (6'3) and finally (there was more) as well as winning the WSM he'd put it all on the line - lift the 500 and win the WSM and then that's it - no more crazy injury (or worse) risking sh*t.
 
Training Tip No51
Stretch For Growth
So-called fascial stretching is, it's been said, a great way to allow muscles freedom to grow. So there's a fascia or membrane around your muscles (you'll see it on joints of meat in a butchers). There's a suggestion that not stretching this restricts or limits the growth. As to whether there's actually some truth to this from a scientific point of view I'm not too sure about.

However, whether it's fascial stretching or connective tissue and muscle stretching it does seem to make sense that not stretching will restrict the potential for over all size and strength. And, if true, why would we want to limit our potential. That and being flexible has to be good right?
 
Training Tip No52
Stop Calling Cruising TRT
There seems, to my old ass, to be a LOT of relatively young guys talking about how 'I'm on TRT' when, in fact, they are not. Genuine TRT is, for a start, something a doctor puts you on. The real deal isn't something you do for a few months. Finally (and this is the clincher) a LOT of guys aren't on because of blood test results but simply (if they're being honest) because they don't like being off cycle. Yep. They get such a great feeling 'on' that they dislike being 'off'. Some imagine they're gonna 'lose all my gainz' so stay on a low dose. And rather than call it cruising (also a bad idea in my opinion) they call staying on a low dose 'TRT'. It just isn't.

Genuine TRT is cos you aren't producing anything close to what is appropriate for your age. Properly administered it should (or usually is) include regular blood tests and reviews by the doc. In the majority of cases it rarely exceeds 100-200mg (usually closer to the lower number) and only in 5% or less is it more. Yet in those claiming to be on TRT when they aren't 200 or more is common.

The tip - you're only fooling yourself when you call using a drug to feel better something it isn't. Don't.
 
Training Tip No53
Freeweights vs Anything Else
As I've been training almost 4 decades (39 years as of my birthday a week or so ago) and as I've an interest in the history of what we call the Iron Game I can say I've not only personally witnessed some trends but am aware of others historically speaking. So all that means I'm well aware of differing designs in dumbbells, how some equipment came to be and even how some kit came around more than once (the ab wheel has been redesigned and reintroduced several times since the late 1800's). However, if you go right back you can find evidence of wooden and stone dumbbells being used by the ancient Greeks. Go forward a few thousand years and here we are still using free weights as a barbell or a dumbbell.

The question becomes why? So... cos it works. In he case of a LOT of equipment often they were designed to mimic free weights. Occasionally they were (it was suggested this was the case with the original Nautilus kit) created to remove some of the faults of freeweights. However, all in all the sheer instability and variation, is what make freeweights so useful. Let's use a simple comparison.

So my out and out best 1 rep max on a barbell for bench press is 190-kilos or 418lbs. On different kinds of leverage machines I've done as much as 7 x 20-kilo or 140-kilo (308lbs) a side for reps (around the same time as that 190kg bench mentioned above). That's a 90kg or 198lbs difference!! FOR REPS! So why?

The 140 a side effort was done in what amounted to a slight decline bench position (10-15 degrees I think). That's optimal for max efforts. The other BIG difference is the instability. I didn't have to pull the bar back or forward. The machine also allowed me to start wide but finish narrow (so more tricep and that suits me) a LOT.

All that said I would bet a few bucks of mine vs yours that pretty much any pro you care to mention build nigh on all their muscle prior to them winning their pro cards. That, somewhat sensibly, they then switch to not risking injury etc by being seeing to use machines (see Phil Heath by way of example) does make sense. All that muscle was built by having to work harder using freeweights (all things being equal).

For the newbies: in the long run all those crazy ass bits of kit you can install in your home gym will be poor compared a power rack, adjustable bench and bar + weights. Forget the bowflex.
 
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Training Tip No54
Address Why You Do A Crazy Cycle
This one is aimed at what is seemingly a more common issue. We have seen members talk about 10 month cycles (one such cycle today). We've the so-called 'Mr 3CC' and others make their name with their claims of vast and unnecessary amounts of drugs. If they are to be believed this is easily 3-5grams (3000-5000mg of combined amounts) of steroids per week. I personally asked, as part of a discussion on well-known current guru (UK based) what was the best for results vs the most he'd used. In terms of results he'd done his best (he is and was always a big lad before starting) 2g (2000mg) a week. Yet he'd gone to 5g a week and made himself unwell.

So the obvious question anyone needs to ask is why? Why stay on for a 10 months 'blast' or use 5g a week when 2g had proved optimal?

The obvious answer is NOT for the results. Yet that's why we all take gear (or it should be) in the first place. If I am, in my mind, underweight and desire to add, let's say, 10lbs of muscle, it is entirely possible I can do this with 1 or maybe two mild cycles when combined with a good diet. But what we're now seeing is what amounts to a delusion. Not one that they push on or which directly affect others but one which seems to be in some way hitting the 'feel good' receptors in their brains.

I've read on forums and in Facebook groups of members admitting to not liking how they feel when they come off. Now it is genuinely not a great time for those who are suffering from real low test levels. Just google the side effects of low testosterone in men. It doesn't make for pleasant reading if you imagine that they feel like this every day. Hence the creation of medically prescribed TRT.

But that's not what happens here. All too often it's guys who are average at worse taking a drug to boost their levels. And rather than make it through a PCT and come out feeling normal but (one hopes) bigger, leaner or be stronger instead they start to fret as to how they will shrink. Even with a good PCT some will still feel a little off esp so when compared to how awesome they felt when 'on'. So they'd rather not feel somehow 'less' than they did on and persuade themselves that staying on is ok.

It becomes a vicious circle. The ultimate price is, of course, full blown HPTA shut down. In other words those parts of the body involved in the production of testosterone just stop working. Now, in spite of their previously skewed logic, they have in fact made this happen. There's even a sense of (in some) their being a safety net. Either they persuade themselves they can recover later on or that the medical profession will rescue them. It is, as I have said in other threads, a real roll of the dice. They MIGHT get lucky - maybe.

But look at how it all happened. It all comes down to how they thought. Not logically that's for sure. It seems to be no different from someone who drinks every night regardless saying 'but I can stop anytime I want'. To us who thought what we did was somehow a means of self improvement using a PED is ok vs using (or abusing) alcohol or whatever.

The tip, such as it is, is being honest with yourself. This is a useful tool not just in using PED's but in a ton of situations.
 
Training Tip No55
Five Minutes On Google Is NOT Research
So, all too often, we see members saying 'Ive done some research'. When what they mean is 'I put the word 'steroids' into Google and clicked search. Worse, because of the easy access to info, they've taken none of the information in and absorbed it in a meaningful way.

The same applies to asking the same fkin question on 4 forums and only picking answer you like. That's not research - that's a damn survey ha ha

Training Tip No56
Beware Of Bias
If I want to sell you something and I don't give a f**k then I will tell you it's the best thing ever and all other similar things suck. Equally, as is seen a LOT, if I am PAID to do research then it's in my best interest (you know... to pay my bills n sh*t) to do my best to find that product X, which I happen to be studying, does in fact work. So, if you 'research' (see tip above) and find something which boasts of having been studied and 'proved' effective make sure you look at the why and how. Even better is to have a study peer reviewed.

Simply put: peer reviewed means the info, data and the why and how of a study has been published so that others in the same field can give it the once over. I, by way of example, only one sample was shown to have worked and all the rest didn't and yet the study cherry picked the one that worked as proof then the peers will cry 'horse sh*t'. If they, mimicking as closely as possible the same conditions as the first study can't get a positive result they will cry horse sh*t etc etc.

Training Tip No57
Effective Doses
So, tying the above two points together, comes another useful tip. Say you do some 'research' and see that product X is amazing (x being whatever the f**k you was looking at). Proper research throws up some great peer reviewed and verified results of product X working. BUT only when 5g was used. Because it's new to the market and maybe even licensed or protected in some way by it's creators it's expensive. What often happens is a supplement company will include a small amount of product X in their product and make sure you know about it by being highly visible in saying it's in their product. But, lost somewhere in the small print, is the fact that they've used no where near what would be an effective dose. Heck, I'd even prefer a company to at least say they didn't vs one that doesn't tell you even close to what they put in it. I could always up the dose of the former knowing that in doing so I was getting enough vs the latter and have no idea.
 
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Mobster said:
So, then my

Training Tip No2
Hangs for time
Hanging from a chinning bar for time will improve your grip. Aim for a minute. Two is right up there. Start with 3 x 20-seconds,. Then 3 x 25 and so on
Click to expand...

Used to do these- burn up your forearms too!

Old Pug
 
Training Tip No58
Some Things Really Are That Simple
So every so often a guru looking to make a name for themselves will create 'a new way to exercise/lose weight/gain muscle'. I've books that are turn of the LAST century (so over 100 years old) and VERY LITTLE is new. Train hard and progressively, eat well and sleep and yes you'll gain muscle. Simple. Yet some incredibly simple and really rather obvious things can seem difficult and complicated.

An example is posts on forums about finding it difficult to sleep. It's simply A+B=C. A is a pre workout containing some kind of stim. B is taking said product late in the day cos they train after their working day. C is still having the stim keeping them awake when it's time for bed. They're exhausted from training so they think 'I ought to be able to sleep right' forgetting they're still wired on DMAA etc etc.

Another is missing meals and then saying you can't gain. Breakfast is the usual one. Go to bed earlier, get up earlier so you've got time = fixed. Lunch is from working through a job. Try taking a packed lunch with you or at least snacking as you work (healthy ones obvs) I did a job 250+ miles away from where I usually work in my new position last weekend. It meant we didn't stop on the drive down and then 7 hours without a break before the 250+ miles back. So I was the ONLY one eating on the way back and then finishing a second lunch at midnight. I got my cals in no matter what.

Finally no progression. Now if you've been training almost 40 years like me I don't expect you to still be gaining etc. You can change things up to keep them interesting but that's kind of it. But for guys and gals a few years in it's all too often down to them going to the gym and doing everything the same as before. The same sets, reps, exercises and weights as per every other session. All you're doing then is maintaining not stimulating anything new. Please don't come online going 'nothing works, I go to the gym X times a week' etc etc. I could f** you up in about 10 seconds flat. Take a guy yesterday on the Power Squat Machine. He'd seen me using it so asks for help. Once I showed him the how (mostly depth and foot positioning info) we had him do some reps. He thought 8 or so... no. Before he knew he it he'd blasted out 15. You know he'll feel it today right? :D
 
Mobster said:
So, then my

Training Tip No2
Hangs for time
Hanging from a chinning bar for time will improve your grip. Aim for a minute. Two is right up there. Start with 3 x 20-seconds,. Then 3 x 25 and so on
Click to expand...
This is the deal definitely i will do it

Sent from my SM-J810G using Tapatalk
 
Old Pug said:
Absolutely- if i did it before the main workout, i wouldn't be able to chin with added weight (let alone do compound movements).

Old Pug
Click to expand...

So true. Or much of anything ha ha

E32038 said:
Love Mobsters Training tip #55. 5 min of google is not research. So true
Click to expand...

Yet that's what they call it.

sisir012 said:
This is the deal definitely i will do it

Sent from my SM-J810G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Good. Let us know how you get on
 
Mediumraw009 said:
I started keeping a log a year ago and it is great to see my progress. This is something anyone and everyone should do.
Click to expand...

100%. There are very few that can truly benefit from so-called instinctive training. And, in the heat of the moment, it's all too easy to miscount reps, weights, sets etc. So having a specific number to hit from having referred to a diary is, for the majority of lifters and builders, a godsend.
 
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