Hybrid Workout Week 6

Ok- so for Hybrid Week 6- I was actually SUPPOSED to be on a beach, but my trip got canceled, and thanks to a variety of aggravating circumstances it never materialized. 2 days, 2 different airports, a malfunctioning airplane and the like…all with a tired, impatient, wiggly toddler…meant I had my first staycation. I *don’t* recommend this for anyone! *sigh* Anyway.

The one positive thing is that I get to head to the gym this week for Week 6 of Hybrid. My weight is amazingly and gradually inching up (yeay!) and I’m still making strength gains. I’m at 116 now and it’s inching upwards.

For my upper body hypertrophy day, I’m trying to challenge myself with shorter than 1 minute for rest periods. For some reason, and maybe it’s because I’ve been starting with incline DB presses I’m not seeing much improvement in weight here. I’m stuck at the 35 and 40 lb DBs but I see 10 lb improvements in lat pulldowns (which come after the chest part on upper body hypertrophy days). I’ve also introduced cross bench DB pullovers and although I’m using the 40s, I’m getting in more reps with the same amount of weight than the last time I tried this. I gradually need to increase the rest from 45 seconds to 1 minute by the time I hit shoulders. I happily note a 5 lb increase for side lateral raises for shoulders (last time it was a special 16 lb DB for 12 and 10 reps for sets 1 and 2, and this time it’s 20 lbs for 8 reps for both sets- yeah!) , break even with seated DB presses for shoulders, but come out better with standing barbell curls.

My happy moment this week was seeing a big improvement in my front squat! This is one of the exercises for the legs that was challenging at first because of the bar placement, but now everything seems to be fitting just right! I break the 100 lb mark which is a personal record for 8 reps, discover how much fun walking barbell lunges are (everyone just kind of clears the way for you! and hello, feel them right away in the glutes!). It’s my first time doing these for lower body hypertrophy day, so I’m using 75 lbs on the extra long olympic barbell for 12 reps, and I am confident I can tackle more weight next time. I come out even with the leg extension but see an improvement in the seated leg curl.

The third day and final Hybrid day this week is a Total Body HIIT day. Seriously- I think I’m fitter than the average bear, but GEEZ this day NEVER gets easier! I complete 20 minutes of HIIT (a total of 10 sprints) on the elliptical then wobble off to the chin, squat, bench circuit. I do rope chinups today and get through 8, 6, and 5 reps.

This is actually not an improvement from before (wah!) but I remember a fellow BBR member saying these get harder as you get heavier. I’m hoping he’s not right! In any event, I’m actually seeing an improvement in the bench and squat weight for the circuit, squatting 95 for 15 reps and 70 lbs for the bench for 15 reps.

This represents a 10 lb increase for the squats. I finish with one of the most butt-kicking cardio machine known to Sumi- the step mill. For those of you that haven’t seen this cardio machine, it’s like an escalator that never ends. 20 minutes on this thing at level 6 and I’m the definition of toast. The awesome thing about this machine is that you can really squeeze the glutes with each step. I haven’t seen this machine at many gyms and probably with good reason. It’s hard as heck!

Please feel free to leave some comments or suggestions below. Lots of people at the gym are asking me what “I’m doing” and it’s fun to be able to represent such an awesome program like the Hybrid! OK time to go eat!

Sumi is an experienced group fitness instructor, personal trainer, full-time public policy manager, and mom to two-year old Shaila.  She has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Tufts University and a Masters in Environmental Management from Duke University. Her passion for fitness gives her the stress relieving release that keeps her going!

A life-long weight-training addict, some of her most proud fitness accomplishments include: losing all the baby weight just eight weeks after a C-section; bench pressing her own body weight; and placing in her age class in several 5 Ks.

Her personal fitness journey continues to get better and more exciting with time. While she loves to lead by example and inspire people to "go for it," her ultimate goal is to be a great mom.  Her daughter’s name, Shaila, means the Goddess of Strength and Confidence. Sumi owes it to her to be strong and confident so that she, too, can realize her full potential!

Sunny is currently following Will Brink's Hybrid Workout program which comes free with the deluxe edition of Will Brink's Bodybuilding Revealed.

Related articles

• 5x5 Training For Size and Strength (strengthtraining.suite101.com)
• Lose Fat and Build Muscle with Density Training (fitness.suite101.com)

A Hybrid Workout Part 3

Sumi’s Hybrid Journey Week 2

22 May || by Sumi Singh

Posted in Sumi's Hybrid Program Journal, Training Programs, Women's Health

I’m following the every other day training protocol for Hybrid, and this week begins with a total body Hybrid HIIT protocol. I decide to look up Will’s suggestion for trying his “killer conditioning” day (sounds fun!). In his video, Will uses a piece of cardio equipment that looks like an elliptical/stairstepping machine. Honestly, there are so many choices at the gym, and all the fancy gadgets and screens confuse me a bit, but I pick one that looks similar to the one in his video.

After a brief 5-minute warm up, I do 1 minute low intensity followed by 30 seconds all out 100% tongue-hanging-out panting-like-my-dog effort, and repeat. I did that for 15 minutes, which is literally all I could stand. I get off and my legs are wobbly but I can still walk. Success!

I can’t do math and work out at the same time, but I count the intervals when I’m done and I’ve nine, which sounds like too many. I’m thinking next week I’m going to try this on a machine I’m more familiar with!

Next up is the squat/chins/bench press weight circuit. I’m sweaty and determined. Last week I substituted lat pulls for the chins because I could only complete 12 on round 1 (not 15 like advised), but this week I’m determined to stick to my chinups even if I don’t hit the 15. For set 1 I got to 12, but for round 2 and 3, I barely hit 8 good ones, am mad, so finish 5 reps by jumping up, and working the negatives. I keep telling myself that this will get easier!

I finish with 20 minutes on another new machine (to me), the stair master. At first, I step on the pedals and sink down to the floor like a water buffalo. I look nothing like the cardio bunnies around me who hop on this thing like gazelles.

Why don’t I see these gals on the weight room floor? I ask this question later of the guy at the front desk, and he tells me it’s because they all think weights will make them “bulky.” I’m thinking “really??? Have they seen me? All 112 lbs of bulkiness??” Anyway, I select a function called “glute blaster,” because I figure my glutes need all the help they can get. After this, I head back to the pullup bar and finish 12 chinups…for fun! My heart is pumping and I’m sweating…err glowing!

The next day is a 6X6 upper body core workout. I am really looking forward to this-I get 3 minute rest periods (yum!) and get to push 80% of my max. Today calls for bench presses (love `em), deadlifts (my fave next to barbell squats and pullups!), incline DB presses, and weighted chins (never done them).

I’m pleasantly surprised that I’m able to lift more already on my bench press over from last week on my 5X5 day! I easily get to 6 reps at 85, bump it a little to 90 to get 6 again, and finish a little less peppy with 5 reps at the same weight. Still after supersetting with deadlifts at 135 lbs (I take no break between the bench and the deads, only once the superset is complete do I rest for 3 minutes) I feel good about my effort. I then superset with incline DB presses (I pick up the 40 lbs but only get out 4,6,and 5 reps). It was a challenge from start to finish but I know the 35s would be way too light. Ugh- I need a 37.5!!

The icing on the cake was discovering I could do weighted chins!! When doing regular chins on my Hybrid HIIT day, I’m already a little spent from the circuit, so I assumed the weighted chins would kick my butt. I’m able to do 12 with 5 lbs, so figure I should pick up the 10s on the next two rounds. I’m happy to be able to do more than 6 reps. 8 to be exact! Next time, more weight on that chain!

The next day is a 6X6 lower body day. So far, I haven’t met a day on the Hybrid that I don’t like. I love them all equally! I choose barbell back squats supersetted with leg curls and leg presses paired with straight leg deadlifts. The power rack is my best friend. I warm up for a 135- lb squat with the warm up protocol described by one the brilliant BBR mods. It’s not like what I used to think about warm ups (i.e., 20 reps with a light weight, but a 5,3,2,1 rep scheme with progressively heavier weights).

I get warm and tell myself I’ve come a long way with the weight, but as I approach the last rep and attempt break below parallel on my squat I feel my form give and the power rack pins come to the rescue. Very frustrating! Getting to ¾ of the way is never an issue but below that it’s a whole new challenge. Something to work on for sure and comments welcome!

Still, despite my frustration I know I’ve improved on the leg curl (70 lbs for 6 reps straight after a 135 is good for me- considering I fought with 70 lbs on a 5X5 the previous week!). Though you can’t see the plates too well, I’m currently leg pressing 380 lbs for 6 reps (I think you can tell by the look on my face though- yikes!). Those gals in the fitness mags who smile through this are either pressing nothing for the sake of the shoot or are superhuman. This ain’t pretty!

The final day of this week is another HIIT training day. But before I begin today’s protocol, I head off in the morning to watch a local figure and bodybuilding show. These athletes have trained hard and dieted harder, so I’ve got plenty of admiration for their hard work and sacrifice.

I’m posting some pics of me with some of the Master’s Bodybuilders and the show’s organizer. (Can you see how happy I look next to those guys…ahem. Maybe too happy.) There’s also a shot of the figure girls and women bodybuilders on stage. From a distance they all look amazing. The show’s organizer tells me that she thinks women’s bodybuilding is a dying sport. Only 4 of them compete today, and there are at least 3 times as many figure girls. I also have a chance to chat with the families and friends of the competitors. It’s a very friendly, supportive environment, even though one husband jokes that his wife has been really cranky during the last few weeks of dieting (she wasn’t around to hear that!)



After the show I head home for my final day of Hybrid this week. I’m doing this workout at home, but luckily I have all the tools to get today’s workout complete. I put my toddler down for her nap, and while she’s off in dreamland, I begin my workout.

I set the incline at 1.5, warm up for 5 minutes on the treadmill, and begin with a sprint at a pace of 6:22 for 30 seconds, walk for 1 minute and repeat the madness for 10 cycles. I can only hope my neighbors below forgive me because I assume I’m pounding our floorboards! I have no idea if this pace is a true sprint, but it’s 9.4 out of 10 as far as level of intensity.

The model I’m using only goes up to to 10! I know I worked hard because the squat, chin, and bench circuit kick my butt. Still not able to complete the full 15 for the chins, and my ability to complete them gets harder and harder by circuit 3. But as aggravating as it is, part of my really enjoys the battle. It’s a fight to the end! I finish with a 20 minute walk at a 14:45 pace at a 2.5 incline.

OK, time to go eat!

About Sumi

Sumi is an experienced group fitness instructor, personal trainer, full-time public policy manager, and mom to two-year old Shaila. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Tufts University and a Masters in Environmental Management from Duke University. Her passion for fitness gives her the stress relieving release that keeps her going!

A life-long weight-training addict, some of her most proud fitness accomplishments include: losing all the baby weight just eight weeks after a C-section; bench pressing her own body weight; and placing in her age class in several 5 Ks.

Her personal fitness journey continues to get better and more exciting with time. While she loves to lead by example and inspire people to "go for it," her ultimate goal is to be a great mom. Her daughter’s name, Shaila, means the Goddess of Strength and Confidence. Sumi owes it to her to be strong and confident so that she, too, can realize her full potential!

Sunny is currently following Will Brink's Hybrid Workout program which comes free with the deluxe edition of Will Brink's Bodybuilding Revealed.

Build A Muscular Chest Innovative And Results Producing Workouts

So yesterday, I told you about Nick Nilsson's new book "The Best Chest Exercises You've Never Heard Of". Well, the response has just been TREMENDOUS.

If you are having trouble building your chest muscles you may need to change your approach. Nick Nilsson has come up with a solution to your chest building problems. As Nick always say's it's all about results.

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Innovative Chest Building Exercises

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And Nick told me the most frequent comment he's been getting about these exercises...

"How do you come up with these insane exercise?" (and yes, people DO use the word insane when they write him!)

Here's his response:

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"Well, to me, it's all about results. I don't create exercises just for the sake of creating exercises. They've gotta have a purpose and they've gotta get RESULTS.

Sometimes I take equipment and look at it in completely different ways. Where one person sees a bench press machine, I see a shoulder press, a leg press, a calf raise machine, curl machine, row machine.

Sometimes, I'll challenge myself to work every single bodypart while limiting myself to just one piece of equipment.

And then there are times when I just say what the 'heck' and go all mad scientist and just see what happens.

The real key to remember is that these crazy exercises I come up with aren't crazy for no reason...they're extremely targeted to their purpose, whether it be increasing the resistance on a bodyweight exercise like the push-up (i.e. my Rack Weighted Push-Up exercise), or focusing on the peak contraction position of the pec using a free-weight-only exercise (i.e. my Lying Side Dumbell Flye exercise).

Plus, I want you to have FUN when you're in the gym, while getting better results! You're going to put a lot more effort into things and have a WAY more motivation to train hard when you're trying new things and having a good time doing it.

I have to say, the #1 thing people tell me after using the exercises from my books is that their motivation to train simply went through the ROOF! Some people have literally had to STOP themselves from spending too much time at the gym because of how much they're enjoying the new exercises!

---

That pretty much says it all!

And the cool thing is, you can actually check out and try out three exercises that Nick mentioned above (the Rack Weighted Push-Ups and the Lying Side Dumbell Flyes) right on his site - no need to sign up for anything!

So if you want to build a GREAT chest and the regular exercises just aren't getting the job done, you really have GOT to check this book out:

Get Results

Sincerely,

Jag252

Your Fat Burning Workout How To Burn Fat Faster

Fat Burning Workout How To Burn Fat Faster

By the end of this article you will have the information you will need to set up your own fat burning workout.

Let's look at How To Burn fat and Your Fat Burning Workout.

Fat Burning Fact

In order to burn one pound of fat, you have to create a total caloric deficit of 3,500 calories. Aim for 500 calories a day so that you total the 3,500 calories over the course of one week.

Many people underestimate just how long it can take to burn fat and calories contained in many of their favorite foods. For three minutes of eating pleasure, you may have to spend an extra hour working out. For fat burning, look to make small changes in your diet.

In order to burn fat, however, you must be in a caloric deficit, which you can do by reducing the number of calories you eat each day or increasing your energy expenditure through exercise. For fat burning fast do a combination of both.

Your Fat Burning Workout - Burn Fat Not Muscle

Fat Burning Fact: the more lean muscle you have the higher your metabolism. The higher your metabolism equals more fat burning.

When it comes to your fat burning workout what's your first thought? cardio training. Good for fat burning but there is more to it. Cardio training with circuit training and interval training is great I highly recommend them for a fat burning workout. To get the permanent results in fat loss we want don't under estimate weight training.

Weight training for fat burning boosts your metabolism during and long after your fat burning workout is over. Weight training will help you not only maintain but gain lean muscle, creating an increase in metabolism and fat burning.

Cardio training will only cause a short rise in metaboliism for an hour or two after your fat burning workout, burning less calories compared with weight training.

Overdoing cardio will decrease your lean muscle, your metabolism can slow down decreasing your fat burning efforts.

Weight training will help change the way you look, replacing fat with muscle, changing your body composition.

A weight training fat burning workout is a great alternative to cardio and will give you better, more visible results...

Your Ultimate Fat Burning Workout:

* Do 3 weight training workouts a week.
* Concentrate on compound exercises squats,deadlifts, presses, rows etc.
* Do 3-5 exercises 3-5 reps and 3-5 sets per
* Do 2-3 Interval training/Circuit training workouts a week
keep your fat burning workout to about 20 minutes.

while cardio may make you lose weight, weight lifting will help you lose body fat, altering your body composition.

Weight training will help change the way you look completely, giving the impression that you’ve replaced fat with muscle and are actually working at improving your body and changing your body composition.

Total Body Workouts: Shorter Workouts For Extreme Fitness

I just finished my sixth hour on the treadmill this week with four more hours to do. Is this really the best way to workout? No! Try doing total body workouts. You are spending way to much time! Those marathon workouts are proven to be inefficient.

Total Body Workouts for Extreme Fitness

Many people think about building muscle as having nolife outside the gym and devoting hours in the gym like a monk in a monastery. Perhaps the only way to lose unwanted body fat, chisel your body into a hot muscular physique is by spending hour after hour over the rusty iron day in, day out and year in, year out.

Total Body Workouts:

This is the most effective way to workout whether your looking to lose fat or gain muscle. Although hard work is required, extreme fitness demands one to do intense maximum effort workouts. Total body workouts can make you progress faster and it easily fits in your schedule. This is very convenient if you are looking forward to achieving extreme fitness but find it hard to hold on to a single workout routine.

Genuine total body workouts are done by athletes with the goal of developing maximum muscle contraction using heavy weights, makes room for full recovery so one can actually grow and continue to train hard plus it also prevents burnout which is inevitable due to excess training.

So if you are is ready for extreme fitness, here is all there is to know about total body workouts:

total body workouts are a time saver. The biggest plus about having the whole body trained all at once is probably having to go to the gym less frequently; perhaps around two to three times for every seven days would be enough.

Another advantage of total body workouts is that you don't need to spend two or more hours of strenuous exercise in the gym for every session; you should only spend forty-five minutes to one hour in the gym for every session. So that's just three to four hours per week in the gym right? With total body workouts, it is all about the quality of exercise you do per session and not the quantity, nor even the amount of time you allot per session.

Total body workouts boost the cardiovascular system for extreme fitness. One must allot two to four sets for every body part into the one hour session. Jam packed with exercising, each one hour session then gets the heart and the rest of the cardiovasular system pumping and up to speed in a flash.

Now feeling pumped up, next find out what rules does one have to follow when engaging in total body workouts.

Total body workouts should be done three times per week. This is so easy isn't it? What is great about this is that there is time spared during rest days so that you could also do some cardio exercise sessions instead of depending on cardio execises one normally does at the end of each work out session which after all, are not at all very effective.

Heavy lifting is strongly advised. Contrary to popular belief, especially among athletes. It is not true that it is good to get trapped on training lightly than one actually could so as to conserve energy for the other body parts that will come later in the routine. What is true is that one cannot achieve optimal progress if one is not training heavy, no matter which program that person is doing.

One exercise only per muscle group. This is very easy to follow and is also important. Doing basic exercises which are also intense means you do not have to do another different exercise for that body part.

Keep work out short. Resistance training affects the natural homones of the body connected to muscle building. Intense exercising boosts the testosterone levels and long work outs increase those of catabolic cortisol. Sixty minutes of work out allows you to get the best of both worlds.

Now with this convenient and powerful total body workout regimen, you can now experience extreme fitness.

Let me see shorter workouts that are proven more effective for muscle gains or fat loss seem's pretty much a nobrainer. Marathon hour plus workouts or total body workouts of 45 minutes or less that get you quicker and better results. I know what I chose how about you?

Tabata Training Never Say Only 4 Minutes Again

Few things in life live up to their hype . But the Tabata Training method deserves its reputation. It's a simple cardiovascular-training routine that's been proven to improve performance and fitness in a very short time 4 minutes to be exact. Sound too good to be true? It's not, and if you give it a try, you'll quickly find out why.

ONLY 4 MINUTES YOUR THINKING THIS IS BULL!

The best way for me to answer that is anyone who has done Tabata Training and done it properly never again says ONLY 4 Minutes. It's that good and that Intense.

The Tabata Protocol--named after Izumi Tabata, Ph.D., a former researcher at Japan's National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya--is an high intensity interval training workout developed by the head coach of the Japanese speed-skating team. (It's called a protocol because Tabata and his team took the speed-skating coach's workout and studied it to quantify just how effective it really was.) The workout consists of six to seven 20-second full-speed sprints interspersed with rest periods of 10 seconds.

In Tabata's study, the researchers found that guys who used the routine five days a week for six weeks improved their maximum aerobic capacity (a measure of your body's ability to consume oxygen--the more oxygen you can take in, the longer and harder you'll be able to run) by 14%. What's more, it also improved anaerobic capacity (which measures your speed endurance, or the duration you're able to sprint at full effort) by 28%. So the Tabata Protocol is the rare workout that benefits both endurance athletes and sprinters--hard to accomplish. Consider: A study of traditional aerobic training--running at 70% of aerobic capacity for 60 minutes--for the same number of weeks showed an improvement in aerobic capacity of 9.5% and no effect on anaerobic capacity.

The key to the Tabata Protocol's effectiveness appears to be the short rest intervals between sprints. Conventional interval-training guidelines suggest keeping a 1:3 work-rest ratio. That is, your rest periods should last three times as long as the duration of your sprints. But the Tabata Protocol's work-rest ratio is 2:1, which means your rest periods are only half as long as the time you're working. And according to another Tabata study, that formula isn't just more effective than traditional aerobic training, it's also more effective than typical interval training. In that other study, Tabata and his colleagues compared their original protocol to a second configuration of intervals that consisted of 30-second sprints interspersed with two-minute rest periods. Despite the fact that this required subjects to sprint for more time at a higher intensity, the original Tabata Protocol still proved more effective at boosting both aerobic and anaerobic capacity.

QUICK RESULTS

On paper, Tabata Training offers a quick way to get fit in just four minutes of high-intensity work per session. But don't be misled: This regimen is grueling. It was originally developed for Olympic-caliber athletes, and Dr. Tabata reported that they were wiped out by the routine. It's worth mentioning that when testing the protocol--described as 6-7 sets--most of the subjects were exhausted after the sixth set of sprints and couldn't complete the seventh. So this style of training isn't for a beginner and should only be considered by someone who has a solid fitness base. That includes most Men's Fitness readers, but if you're just starting to work out or you're out of shape, start easy, rest three to four times as long as your sprint duration, and see "Assess Your Risk" on page 143.

TAKE THE TABATA TEST

If you think you've got what it takes, here's the drill. First, do a five-minute warm-up by running, cycling, or jumping rope for five minutes at about 40% of your full effort. For the intervals, work on a track, treadmill,Kettlebell Swings ,Barbell Front S1quats,Dumbell Thrusts , or a heavy gym bag, and alternate 20 seconds of activity at full effort with 10-second rest periods. Each sprint-rest combo counts as one interval. After the intense section, do a five-minute cool-down in the same way you warmed up. Try to do four intervals at first, then gradually work your way up to six. Repeat the workout three to four days a week.

Assess Your Risk

Get a physical exam before trying this workout if you re over 40 or have two or more of the following risk factors: a family history of heart disease, you re a smoker, you re sedentary, you re overweight, or you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

See Also

Tabata Training for an in depth look at Tabata Training and additional workouts

How To Build Muscle Fast

How To Build Muscle Fast

Are you fed up with being called “skinny?” Are you tired of getting blank stares when you tell someone that you work out with weights? Are you frustrated that the scale has not budged upwards since you first started lifting?

I know from first hand experience what it feels like to train for hours in the gym, slug back protein shake after protein shake, spend your hard earned money on over-priced and over-hyped supplements, with little or nothing to show for it! If this is you than you're not alone and are probably missing a few key ingredients that you're executing effectively.

If you're a naturally skinny person than you must play by a different set of rules. If you were not gifted with muscle friendly genes than does it make sense to follow a program by someone who builds muscle even when they sneeze? If you're training drug free than does it make sense to take advice from a guy who’s spending a few thousand dollars a month on steroids?

Or maybe you're taking advice from someone with great genetics? That’s like taking money advice from someone who inherited a fortune! You must accept the fact if you have muscle 'unfriendly' genes you must be prepared to play by a different set of rules if you want to build muscle and turn heads!

Here are a few simple tips to show you - the skinny guy - how to build muscle and gain weight quickly:

Train like a barbarian!

Do people stop and watch you work out? Do you reach the point in a workout where you question your ability to finish? If you treat working out more like a hobby than a job than it’s no surprise that you do not stand out in a crowd and are still spinning your wheels.

The majority of people that work out in a gym barely sweat and spend more time starring in the mirror and trying to impress the new front desk girl than getting into the ‘zone’ and crashing through previous training limits.


Here are some tips on how to 'train like a barbarian':

1. Treat every single set like it is your last set.

2. Treat every single rep like your life depends on it.

3. Wear a stop watch and ensure that you keep the rest period honest.

4. Wear a sweater so you can’t stare at yourself in the mirror.

5. Wear a head set on that tells others ‘do not disturb.’

6. No girl friends allowed or wimpy guy friends who are going to compromise the intensity of your workout.

7. Train with an intensity that scares the gym shorts off of every person in your path.

Are you starting to get the picture? There is a philosophy that simply states, “You get what you focus on.” Focus on training like a barbarian and you will soon start looking like a barbarian!

Give your muscles a reason to grow!

Guess what happens when you train at the same intensity as you did in a previous workout? Your muscles laugh back at you and say, “Nice try, we did this workout before and can handle this stress! Is that your attempt on getting us to grow?”

Don’t get caught up in the latest hype of bodybuilding and fitness magazines. Most of it is rehashed and just packaged sleeker to sell magazines. There are two forms of training that must be cycled in a successful weight training program:

1. HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY! Put everything into lifting heavier weights and getting as strong as possible. Use only one compound exercise per major muscle group and focus on a 5% increase in strength from week to week. This will ensure neuromuscular development and targeting the fast twitch muscle fibers which have the greatest opportunity for growth.

2. VOLUME VOLUME VOLUME! Expose your body to as much work possible in the shortest period of time. Placing your muscles under more tension will result in more tapped and untrained muscle fiber being recruited therefore more muscle growth! The key here is to find the correct balance in time and work. Volume training does not mean 2 hour gym workouts lifting light weights. Instead lift heavy weights close to your max threshold but with shorter rest periods, slower tempos and more exercise selection per muscle group.

No more program hopping!

Sure, it’s easier to test drive a program for a few weeks and than say it does not work and move on to the next latest ‘breakthrough’ program. This is called the blame game and neglecting responsibility! Do you think you will become rich if you test out a new job for a few weeks and than call it quits when your first paycheck does not meet your expectations? No way! But if you stay with the company and exploit the companies benefits and opportunities to the fullest than you will succeed.

The reality is that virtually every program will work for a certain period of time if it is done at the right intensity and as the author has written.

Find a program and study the details of it’s full entirety. Ensure that the program goals of the author are in alignment with yours and study all the fine details. Do not ask a million questions and try and find holes or flaws or attempt to make it ‘perfect.’ The perfect program does not exist. Trust the program, follow it honestly and monitor the progress. The experience and results you gain from following one program for a consistent period of time will be priceless.

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain

How To Build Muscle And Gain Weight Quickly

How To Build Muscle And Gain Weight Quickly Part I



By Vince DelMonte


Do you truly know how to build muscle and gain weight quickly?

If you knew how to build muscle then the skinny jokes would have ended long ago. If you knew how to gain weight quickly then the blank stares would stop when you tell someone you work out with weights. And if you knew how to build muscle and gain weight quickly you would no longer frustrated that the scale has not budged upwards since you first started lifting.

I know from first hand experience what it feels like to train for hours in the gym, slug back protein shake after protein shake, spend your hard earned money on over-priced and over-hyped supplements, with little or nothing to show for it! If this is you than you're not alone and are probably missing a few key ingredients that you're executing effectively.

If you're a naturally skinny person than you must play by a different set of rules. If you were not gifted with muscle friendly genes than does it make sense to follow a program by someone who builds muscle even when they sneeze? If you're training drug free than does it make sense to take advice from a guy who’s spending a few thousand dollars a month on steroids?

Or maybe you're taking advice from someone with great genetics? That’s like taking money advice from someone who inherited a fortune! You must accept the fact if you have muscle 'unfriendly' genes you must be prepared to play by a different set of rules if you want to build muscle and turn heads!

Here are a few simple tips to show you - the skinny guy - how to build muscle and gain weight quickly :


Train like a barbarian!

Do people stop and watch you work out? Do you reach the point in a workout where you question your ability to finish? If you treat working out more like a hobby than a job than it’s no surprise that you do not stand out in a crowd and are still spinning your wheels.

The majority of people that work out in a gym barely sweat and spend more time starring in the mirror and trying to impress the new front desk girl than getting into the ‘zone’ and crashing through previous training limits.

Here are some tips on how to 'train like a barbarian':

1. Treat every single set like it is your last set.

2. Treat every single rep like your life depends on it.

3. Wear a stop watch and ensure that you keep the rest period honest.

4. Wear a sweater so you can’t stare at yourself in the mirror.

5. Wear a head set on that tells others ‘do not disturb.’

6. No girl friends allowed or wimpy guy friends who are going to compromise the intensity of your workout.

7. Train with an intensity that scares the gym shorts off of every person in your path.

Are you starting to get the picture? There is a philosophy that simply states, “You get what you focus on.” Focus on training like a barbarian and you will soon start looking like a barbarian!

Give your muscles a reason to grow!

Guess what happens when you train at the same intensity as you did in a previous workout? Your muscles laugh back at you and say, “Nice try, we did this workout before and can handle this stress! Is that your attempt on getting us to grow?”

Don’t get caught up in the latest hype of bodybuilding and fitness magazines. Most of it is rehashed and just packaged sleeker to sell magazines. There are two forms of training that must be cycled in a successful weight training program:

1. HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY! Put everything into lifting heavier weights and getting as strong as possible. Use only one compound exercise per major muscle group and focus on a 5% increase in strength from week to week. This will ensure neuromuscular development and targeting the fast twitch muscle fibers which have the greatest opportunity for growth.

2. VOLUME VOLUME VOLUME! Expose your body to as much work possible in the shortest period of time. Placing your muscles under more tension will result in more tapped and untrained muscle fiber being recruited therefore more muscle growth! The key here is to find the correct balance in time and work. Volume training does not mean 2 hour gym workouts lifting light weights. Instead lift heavy weights close to your max threshold but with shorter rest periods, slower tempos and more exercise selection per muscle group.

No more program hopping!

Sure, it’s easier to test drive a program for a few weeks and than say it does not work and move on to the next latest ‘breakthrough’ program. This is called the blame game and neglecting responsibility! Do you think you will become rich if you test out a new job for a few weeks and than call it quits when your first paycheck does not meet your expectations? No way! But if you stay with the company and exploit the companies benefits and opportunities to the fullest than you will succeed.

The reality is that virtually every program will work for a certain period of time if it is done at the right intensity and as the author has written.

Find a program and study the details of it’s full entirety. Ensure that the program goals of the author are in alignment with yours and study all the fine details. Do not ask a million questions and try and find holes or flaws or attempt to make it ‘perfect.’ The perfect program does not exist. Trust the program, follow it honestly and monitor the progress. The experience and results you gain from following one program for a consistent period of time will be priceless.



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About the Author:


Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.