Bodybuilding Tips and Tricks

Partial Reps are a great way for advanced bodybuilders to shock their muscles into new growth. If you’ve never given them a try before, try adding them into your workout when you want to particularly fry a certain muscle group. These are intense enough to only be used sparingly (perhaps every second or third workout for one of the sets within that workout); if used too frequently, you’ll end up overtraining.

To utilize the partial reps technique, you should perform reps for an exercise as you normally would. However, when you are fatigued enough that you can no longer perform a full rep, you should continue with partial reps. For example, if you’re doing bicep curls, you’d rep out with the full motion of the curl. Then, when you can perform no more with the full movement, you would do half reps, quarter reps, and so on until you can’t even move the weight an inch. Needless to say, your muscles (in this case, your bi’s) will be screaming for mercy by the end of this set. Give these a try and enjoy the burn!

They say variety is the spice of life. And, varying your workouts is one of the best ways to ensure that you continue to achieve gains from your training program. Building muscle is all about adaptation: forcing your muscles to adapt to increasing and varying stresses and challenges by increasing in size and strength. One problem that many people I’ve encountered have is that they’ve never changed the original workout plan they initially received, whether they obtained it from a book, a video, online, or from a personal trainer. As a result, they end up doing the same workout over and over (sometimes for months and years at a time) and their gains stagnate. Once they’re no longer making gains, they lose their motivation and often end up quitting their fitness routine entirely.

There are nearly an infinite number of ways to keep your workout program fresh and mix things up. One of the easiest (and simplest for beginners to understand) methods I’ve found is to take the typical training split that most people start out with and turn it on it’s head a bit. (Incidentally, a training split refers to when you work which bodyparts and which are grouped together throughout a particular training cycle–usually a week). The typical pairing of muscle groups in a workout plan is back with biceps and chest with triceps. There’s good logic behind this because each of the pairings are grouping like with like: biceps and back exercises typically involve pulling motions while chest and triceps exercises usually involve pushing motions. In addition, most back exercises utilize your biceps as an accessory muscle and most chest exercises utitlize the triceps in the same fashion.

While this is certainly a logical training split, a good way to change things up is to reverse things and work back with triceps and chest and biceps. In addition to providing a welcome variation to your muscles, it also will allow you to lift heavier and work harder when it comes time to train those accessory muscles (biceps and triceps). This is because the larger muscles (back and chest) which, incidentally, are normally trained first, have not weakened those accessory muscles yet. So, once you’re through with your chest workout and are ready to blast those bi’s, they should be nearly totally fresh and ready to be blitzed. You should notice how much stronger you are in these accessory muscles almost immediately.

One item of note: you should be sure to allow 24 hours of rest between training days when using this split to avoid overtraining your biceps and triceps. Performing a back/triceps, chest/biceps workout on consecutive days should be avoided as the biceps and triceps will be hit to some extent on both days. There are a ton of other ways to vary your workout and keep those gains coming. I’ll address some in future articles…for now, try mixing things up with the split I mentioned and keep training hard!

I thought I’d share with you guys a great stack of fat burning supplements I’ve been using with great success recently. Stacking multiple supplements together can greatly enhance their performance and thus increase your results. Here’s that fat burning stack I promised:

L-Carnitine: I’ve already discussed Carnitine in this post if you want to check that out for more details. Basically, Carnitine aids in the transport of fat into the cellular mitochondria where it can be burned for fuel. Take 1000-3000mg 3-4 times per day.

Forskolin: Forskolin comes from the herb coleus forskohli and causes an increase in cAMP (cyclic adenosine monophstphate) which in turn activates the enzyme lipase. This enzyme breaks down fat from fat cells and releases it into the bloodstream so it can be burned by the mitochondria. Take 20-50mg 2-3 times per day before meals.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA): CLA is an interesting supplement. It’s a healthy fat and studies have shown that it not only enhances fat loss, it also increases size and strength gains. Can’t get much better than that, huh? One of the main ways CLA works is by increasing the activity of Carnitine (included in this stack) and increasing the amount of fat being transported to the mitochondria. Take 1000-3000mg 3 times a day

Green Tea Extract: Green Tea Extract has so many useful benefits (controls diabetes, lowers cholesterol and risk of heart disease, prevents cancer, and many more), I’d recommend taking this one regardless of its fat burning properties. But, there’s no question that Green Teat Extract is a very effective natural fat burner due to its active component EGCG which inhibits the breakdown of norepinephrine, boosts metabolism, and increases fat release from fat cells. Take 500-1000mg 2-3 times per day before meals to increase burning of fat for body heat by as much as 200-400 calories a day.

Try that stack on for size and see if you don’t get ripped.

I’ll admit it: I’m an average sized guy, well at least as far as height is concerned. I’ve bulked myself up considerably through weight training using many of the tips I’ve shared with you in this blog but I’ve always wished I was a bit taller. Unfortunately, there isn’t any magic pill that can help us add a few inches to our height. Luckily though, at least as far as sports and athletics is concerned, there *is* something we can do to overcome much of the burden of being an average sized or short guy: improve our vertical jump. Actually, even if you’re already a tall dude, improving your vertical leaping ability is something that will increase your performance in sports such as basketball, football, volleyball, and a whole host of others.

For years, I’d tried to improve my vertical jump but, despite diligent adherence to what I thought was a great training regimen, I was making very little overall progress. Then I noticed this guy at the gym. This dude was stacking aerobic STEP blocks at higher and higher levels and vaulting onto them seemingly effortlessly. He’d do some reps, then add another block, and do some more, and so on and so on. Finally I approached him and asked how he’d managed to achieve such a high vertical jump. He’s the guy I have to thank for introducing me to The Jump Manual, the system he had used to achieve the incredibly vertical leaping ability I had seen him demonstrating in the gym.

Normally, I’m very skeptical of things like this and this time was no exception: my first reaction was “Yeah, right”. But I took a shot, upon my new gym buddy’s recommendation, and damn am I glad I did. It turns out The Jump Manual is put out by a guy named Jacob Hiller who has trained athletes in improving their vertical jump at everything from the high school level all the way up to the NBA pros and Olympic athletes. Jacob’s system covers everything you need to know to improve your vertical jump including complete workout charts to keep track of your training, videos of exercises and stretches, a nutrition plan, and much more. He even offers up techniques you can use if you don’t have access to a gym. In addition, Jacob offers up his own personal consulting services which could include emails, online chats, and even phone calls. Once I started the system, it didn’t take me long at all to start seeing an improvement…now my buddy and I train our vertical jumps together at the gym and I’m keeping pace with him. Plus, when I’m playing some b-ball, I can actually do some dunking for a change. It’s awesome. Take a look at Jacob’s site, watch the intro video, and check out all the info he has to give you. If you want to improve your vertical jumping power (with no bullshit), grab yourself a copy of The Jump Manual today.

Named after The Oak himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnold Presses are a great delt exercise. They’re very similar to typical overhead dumbbell presses but with a slight twist (literally).

First, grab two dumbbells and sit down on a low chair or flat bench. Start out with the weights at shoulder level and your palms facing in toward your body. The position is very similar to the top position when doing dumbbell curls. From there, using a smooth motion, press the weights upward in an arc over your head, rotating your wrists outward as you do so. By the time you are halfway through the movement your elbows should be pointing away from your body. The top position should find your arms overhead, weights close together or slightly touching, and your palms facing out away from your body. Next, reverse the motion, lowering the weigths back down to shoulder level and rotating your wrists in so you are once again at the starting position for the exercise. I’d recommend that you start out using slightly lighter weights than normal overhead dumbbell presses to give yourself a chance to get used the motion of the exercise. You can also perform these from a standing position if you like. This is a fantastic exercise for isolating the delts and with Arnold as your guide you can’t go wrong =)

I was very partial to this exercise when I first started training. I felt that my chest was slow to develop and this exercise allowed me to give my chest a little extra boost on Arm day. Make no mistake though, these are a great way to pump up your triceps as well. Close-grip bench presses can be performed with either a barbell or on the Smith machine. You may want to try them both ways and see which is more comfortable for you or perhaps alternate between the barbell and the Smith for different workouts. Be sure to use less weight than you normally would for standard barbell bench presses…at least until you have a feel for the exercise.

Start by lying faceup on a flat bench with a barbell rack (or under the Smith Machine). Grasp the barbell with your hands 6-12 inches apart. Unrack the bar and lower it slowly, keeping your elbows as close to your sides as possible throughout the movement. At the bottom of the movement, your elbows should be slightly lower than your shoulders. Next, press the bar smoothly upward, keeping it directly over your chest as you would for a normal barbell press. Repeat for reps. This exercise only takes a short while to get the hang of (I think it requires a bit more balance than the traditional barbell press), but it’s a great way to pump up your tri’s. I have used it both at the front of my workout with heavy weight and lower reps and as a finisher (usually on the Smith machine) with lighter weight and high reps to really burn out the muscle. Enjoy the pump!

When it comes to building muscle mass, Testosterone is, and always will be, king. High testosterone levels will help you pack on tons of muscle and burn fat, always a good combination. In addition to some natural ways to boost your T levels, we can use supplements to help us out as well. Actually, even our testosterone boosting supps can be natural…

Tribulus Terrestris is an herb that has been used in the traditional medicine of China and India for centuries. In the mid-1990s, Tribulus Terrestris became known in North America after Eastern European Olympic athletes said that taking tribulus helped their performance. Tribulus is a great way to boost your testosterone levels naturally without steroids or some of the other nasty stuff you may be tempted to try. When I’m supplementing to raise testosterone, I use Biotest Tribex Gold. I think it’s one of the best Tribulus Terrestris supplements out there. Be sure to follow the cycling instructions (given on the bottle) and get ready for some massive gains!

Even a rookie to bodybuilding or any type of fitness training knows that protein is one of the most important nutritional supplements one can consume in order to ensure maximum success. The problem is, there are so many types and brands out there it can be difficult to determine which is best for you. To this end, I’m sharing this aticle with you from bodybuilding.com. It discusses protein supplements in depth and dissects them based on protein type, taste, brand name, price, and content. Take a look =)

Check out the article here!

Performance: Sit on a low-backed chair or bench and lift a dumbbell over your head, holding it with both hands, palms cupped against the upper inside plates. Keep your upper arms in place next to your head and, in a slow continuous motion, lower the dumbbell behind your head. Feel the stretch in your triceps and then, using an equally slow and controlled motion, press the weight back up to full extension. Repeat for reps.

It’s possible to injure your neck when performing this move so be sure to stretch out a bit before hand with some neck rolls or similar neck/trap loosening moves and be sure (as always) to maintain proper form when performing the exercise. This exercise targets the long head of the triceps and can also be performed with a cambered bar (although I find the dumbbell to be easier). You should always try to include some sort of overhead move in your tricep training as overhead movements are the only way to effectively train the long head.

A multi-vitamin is one of the most important (and perhaps most underestimated) supplements a bodybuilder (or any athlete) can consume. In order to train and perform to our maximum potential, we must have a complete complement of the necessary vitamins and minerals. Taking a high potency multivitamin/mutimineral supplement will ensure that you have everything you need for hardcore training, growth, and health.

The brand I’m currently using isOptimum Opti-Men. It couples vitamins and minerals with herbs specifically designed for males. Great supplement!