Muscle College Radio is in Session

April 24, 2013 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT Leave a Comment

Muscle College Radio

Muscle College Radio is a podcast featuring Dr. Layne Norton and Dr. Jake Wilson. I have followed Dr. Layne Norton for quite some time and really believe in his approach to all things bodybuilding. He has a no-bs approach to things. He will not simply buy into the common approach to things like training and nutrition.

Before we discuss the podcast and whether or not you should be listening in regularly, let's find out who these guys are.

Dr. Layne Norton

Dr. Norton holds a BS in Biochemistry from Eckerd College with honors. He also holds a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from University of Illinois with honors. He works as a bodybuilding/physique/figure coach, helping others get into incredible contest ready shape.He is also a natural professional bodybuilder.

Dr. Jake Wilson

Dr. Wilson is the President and co-founder of abcbodybuilding.com. He is also a skeletal muscle physiologist and researcher in the Department of Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.

What makes Dr. Wilson's research so unique is that he has successfully bridged the gap between science and the sport of bodybuilding. Indeed, when Dr. Wilson founded abcbodybuilding.com, he saw a chasm between bodybuilders – who relied heavily on experience and anecdotal evidence – and scientists, who relied purely on laboratory research. Therefore, he engaged on a personal mission to apply everything he learned in the lab, directly to his training in the gym; and likewise, everything he has learned in the gym, he applies directly to his research in the lab. It is this combination of science and application that makes the recommendations given on abcbodybuilding.com so unique and effective.

Muscle College Radio

Muscle College Radio is one of those rare podcasts that grab my attention in so many different ways. So far they have discussed everything from cardio training to protein synthesis. They even did a Q&A session for their 4th episode. Both hosts are knowledgeable about the sport of bodybuilding and the science that is behind it. They try to teach their listeners how to figure things out for themselves. In one episode Dr. Norton discusses how he has read studies and from the summary (the part most people read) he agrees with the conclusion, but upon reading the entire study and all the included data, he has to admit that the conclusion is most likely wrong.

I particularly like that these men are experts in their field, but admit that they can and do make mistakes. They are human. It is refreshing to hear experts who admit they are fallible. I also enjoy the scientific discussions as they relate to bodybuilding.

If you are interested in the science behind bodybuilding this is the podcast for you. You will find so much information and will be better informed at the end of the day. If you have not already, I strongly suggest that you subscribe to Muscle College Radio now.

The Pump and Blast Arm Training Method for Bigger Arms

April 23, 2013 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT 1 Comment

When I came to my trainer, Ken Turchek, and complained that my arms just were not responding to the body part split he had me on, he got creative as usual. He started to ask questions about the current workout plan. At first he changed it alone. He had me train once time a week but switched me to heavy training instead of medium weight training. It just didn't work. My arms were not responding. This finally lead us to the Pump and Blast Arm Training Method.

Introducing the New Method for Bigger Arms

The arms are one thing people notice. My back responds, my chest responds, my legs respond, but my arms just don't respond. In order to be competitive on the bodybuilding stage my arms must respond! In order to get them to respond, drastic changes to my training was required. this is where the Pump and Blast Arm Training Method was born. It was created to force my arms to grow. It has worked so far.

What Is Pump and Blast Arm Training?

Most people train their arms one or two times a week and they work in the 8 to 15 repetition range. This seems to work well for most people. They combine their arm training with other body parts (commonly biceps with back and triceps with chest). This process did not work for me so we changed it up a bit.

Pump and Blast Arm Training involves 3 arm sessions a week–2 pump sessions and 1 blast session. I break it out like this:

Session	Sets	Repetitions
Sunday – Back and Biceps day – Pump	2-3	15-25
Monday – Chest and Triceps day – Pump	2-3	15-25
Tuesday – Back and Biceps day – Pump	2-3	20-30
Thursday – Biceps and Triceps day – Blast	4	4-6
Saturday – Chest and Triceps day – Pump	2-3	20-30

The idea is to fill the muscles with blood on pump day. Get them so they are absolutely like balloons full of blood. It actually hurts when I am done. We then introduce an actual “arm day” where we blast the heck out of the muscles. The weight is very heavy and the form is not as strict, but still not sloppy. This is to force some growth. The arms effectively get trained 3 times a week using the Pump and Blast Arm Training Method.

This method will only work well if you recover well. My arms are ready 48 hours after a session to go again. I push hard and they respond.

Why Use the Pump and Blast Arm Training Method?

If your arms are stubborn the increased and varied training volume will do wonders for their growth. There is something about breaking down those muscles constantly that makes a huge difference. As the muscles recover they are immediately pushed hard again. This keeps the growth cycle going. I also use an instinctive method to my training, so if the arms are simply not ready for any reason, they get skipped. The only day I will try to avoid skipping is the blast day because, to be honest, it feels awesome.

Take it For a Drive

Take the Pump and Blast Arm Training Method for a test drive and see what you think. It is going to change how you see arm training in the future. That's what I truly believe.

Operation Get Swole Training Log: April 23, 2013

April 23, 2013 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT Leave a Comment

Back and biceps training today. This time I hit the gym with my new training partner, Ken Waters. We embarked on a grueling back and biceps destruction workout that hit our back aiming to make it wider. I have been working hard to increase chest size and this type of training is going to be necessary in order to make that goal a reality.

Back and Biceps Training

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4
Assisted Pull Up	10 (110)	8 (110)	7 (110)	7 (110)
Lat Pull Downs	10 x 120	10 x 120	10 x 120	12 x 120
1 Arm Hammer Pull Downs	10 x 45	10 x 50	10 x 50	10 x 50
Rack Pulls	10 x 135	10 x 225	10 x 315	10 x 320 Set 5: 8 x 320
Preacher Curls	15 x 45	50 x 45	12 x 45
Reverse BB Curls	15 x 45	15 x 45	15 x 45
DB Curls	10 x 15	10 x 15	10 x 15
Hammer Curls	15 x 15	15 x 15	15 x 15
Cable Curls	15	15
Crunches	15	15
Leg Lifts	15	15
Bicycle Crunch	15	15

Operation Get Swole Training Log: April 22, 2013

Operation Get Swole Training Log: April 22, 2013

April 22, 2013 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT 1 Comment

Chest and triceps training are always a fun time. This time I hit the gym with my new training partner, Ken Waters. We embarked on a grueling chest and triceps destruction workout that hit our chest from every possible angle. I have been working hard to increase chest size and this type of training is going to be necessary in order to make that goal a reality.

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4
Decline Bench Press	10 x 95	10 x 135	10 x 185	9 x 135
DB Flyes	10 x 30	10 x 30	10 x 30	10 x 30
Flat Bench Press	10 x 135	7 x 135	7 x 135	5 x 135
Hammer Strength Iso Lateral	10 x 45	10 x 50	8 x 50	3 x 50
Cable Crossover	10 x 40	10 x 40	10 x 40	10 x 50
French Press	10 x 45	10 x 45	10 x 45	10 x 45
DB Kickback	10 x 15	10 x 15	10 x 15	10 x 15
Rope Push Down	30 x 70	10 x 80	10 x 90	10 x 100
Bench Leg Lifts	15	15
BenchReverse Crunch	15	15
Cable Crunch	115 x 15	165 s 15
Bicycle Crunch	15	15

Operation Get Swole Training Log: April 23, 2013

FIBO 2013 Competition Results

April 22, 2013 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT 1 Comment

The 2013 FIBO Power Bodybuilding competition was held on the weekend of April 13 and 14. The field was impressive. Competitors were part of both Men's Bodybuilding and Women's Fitness groups. I will review the Top 3 from the Men's Bodybuilding and present pictures for your enjoyment.

The show is held in conjunction with one of the world's largest fitness expos. It takes place in Germany and is an annual event.

Men's Bodybuilding – Top 3

Cedric McMillan

Cedric looks amazing. He has size and definition. His conditioning was excellent. He has a very nice symmetry that aids in this victory for him. He obviously trained quite hard for this show. His delts are amazing, having nice peaks and a rounded look to them. His biceps are tremendous. His quads have nice separation and look massive.

From Cedric's Bodybuilding.Com profile:

I been a fan of the sport since I can remember. I used to draw comic books when I was younger and I actually used to use Flex and Muscle & Fitness to help me with drawing the muscles for my super-heroes in my comic book. I have a picture that my Godmother gave me a few years ago of me when I was 5 years old doing a lunging double bi pose, and I didn't even remember taking that picture but her and my momma said “all I used to do is talk about muscles”

He has obviously loved the sport for avery long time and now he is making a huge impact on the sport he so loves.

Johnnie Jackson

Johnnie Jackson took second place behind Cedric McMillan. Johnnie is one of the strongest bodybuilders alive, having competed in many powerlifting meets. Johnnie's body is very asthetically pleasing to me. He looks big but balanced. He has awesome quads. He exudes that look of power.

From Johnnie Jackson's Bodybuilding.Com profile:

Johnnie is known as the worlds strongest pro, due to his participation and domination in the sport of power lifting. He has the world record for the 760 lbs he pulled during his deadlifts. He can also bench 600 lbs.

His favorite sport is football and he enjoys listening to DMX!

Johnnie has an incredible chest and it shows in this picture. As mentioned, he is the strongest pro bodybuilder alive. Johnnie can out lift most anyone.

Edward Nunn

Ed Nunn came in sharp. He always has decent size, but this time he was extremely defined. Third is a great showing for him. It will give him momentum going into other shows this year. Ed is one of those up and coming bodybuilders who we will hear a lot about in the coming years. Mark my words on that.

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