What makes the biggest difference in your training? What are the changes and adjustments you make that have the biggest effect? To me there are two very simple things I pay attention to and adjust if necessary that increase my odds of hitting my goals. As you read through my two difference makers I want you to be thinking about your own training and what your difference makers are because there is going to be an exercise I want you to participate in when the article ends.

Consistency is Number One

When I look at the most successful bodybuilders I see that consistency is one thing they all possess. When I review my own progress, I have made the biggest gains in the shortest period of time when I was the most consistent. When I am talking about consistency I am speaking about several things:

• Consistency in training 
• Consistency in nutrition
• Consistency in attitude

Consistency in Training

In order to get results, your training has to get dialed in. You have to be continually pushing yourself further and further beyond your own comfort zone. You have to continually set new personal records. This only happens when you are hitting the gym consistently. Without consistent time in the gym you won't ever set new personal records. You won't ever push yourself beyond your comfort zone on a regular basis. The gains just won't come. You will be stuck in the same spot. 

If this is your issue then you need to make some adjustments immediately. You have to set small goals and work on achieving those. When I have fallen off the consistency wagon I simply set goals for making it to 3 scheduled training sessions in a row. I slowly increase the number of training sessions it requires to achieve the goal. Eventually consistency is just something that happens.

Consistency in Nutrition

Nutrition is where the biggest gains come from clean eating on a consistent basis. This means different things at different times. Depending upon your goals, your nutritional program will change. Trying to add muscle? You are going to eat one way. Cutting down to get on stage? You are going to eat a completely different way. Cheat meals are not only OK, but to me they are essential for staying on track. Too many cheat meals will derail you quickly. Pay close attention to consistent nutrition. Make sure you are eating in a manner that is conducive to your goals. Take the time to adjust when the numbers are not working for you. If your body fat is going up and you are not bulking, adjust things accordingly. This is not something to take lightly and is not something to mess around with. 

Consistency in Attitude

Your attitude is going to play a huge part in your ultimate success. I saved this one for last because it is also going to be the most difficult thing to keep under control. Having the right attitude will get you to your goals. Everything else follows the attitude. Setting your alarm in the morning to get up for a fasted cardio session is wonderful, but if you turn off the alarm because you don't feel like doing the work, that is going to destroy all progress. I handle my consistency in attitude by journaling. I write things down and analyze my own thinking on a daily basis. I focus on keeping my attitude consistent.

Intensity is No Slouch

To me, when actually training (be it weights or cardio), intensity is the key concern. All other variables are important, but intensity is what takes you where you want to go. If I am lifting heavy, having the intensity to get the final reps out of the muscles is going to bring the growth I am looking for. If the weights are lighter, taking the set to absolute failure is going to bring about success. I am not talking about the kind of failure where the brain says you are done before the muscle does. I am talking about real failure where you push yourself to the point where you really cannot move the weights another inch. 

If you do not have this type of intensity then you need to find it. You need to get busy and figure out how to be intense enough to get to your goals. Take a look at your training program and make a decision. If your intensity is lacking make a plan and fix it. Push yourself. Leave everything on the gym floor and walk out of that workout with nothing left inside of you. That's the key.

The Excercise

Have a look at this 2 minute video I recorded. Listen to what I have to say and then do what I ask at the end. You won't be sorry.

[pro-player width='560′ height='315′ type='video']http://youtu.be/02XLTx49Ykk[/pro-player]

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My Arm Experiment

Most people don't “waste” a day on arm training, but I have different goals and objectives, so I have one day each week dedicated to my arms. The reasoning is really quite simple: no matter how hard I hit my arms they don't grow easily. I figured out in my last preparation cycle that my arms need encouragement to grow. As a result, I have come up with a program along with my trainer, Ken Turchek, that has helped add some size and definition to both my biceps and my triceps.

The plan is quite simple. I train my biceps on my back day and use lighter weights and higher repetitions for my biceps on that day. This is aimed at getting a pump. This pump workout for biceps actually happens 2 times a week because I do a back trainig aimed at thickness and another aimed at width. My triceps are trained with my chest and that also occurs twice a week. I use the pump workout for the triceps as well. Finally, I include a dedicated arm day where I train my biceps and triceps together. I use the heaviest weight I can move with proper form and keep the repetitions low.

The results of this type of training program have been amazing. While it originally was contrary to what I believed about training (the volume was way too high for my liking) I have to admit that my stubborn arms are now growing. I actually get compliments on my arms, something I never got before.

How You Can Grow Your Arms

If your arms are responsive like most people, you can probably get decent growth by just splitting your biceps and triceps up into different workouts combined with other body parts. You can then slam them as you wish.

However, if your arms are stubborn like mine you will need to understand the principles behind what I am doing so that you can apply them properly.

Pump Day

The pump days are for a very specific reason — get the blood flowing into the arms and force them to “puff up” and tear muscle fibers. Make sure that on pump days you get a great squeeze. Pay special attention to the biceps squeeze because most people do it completely wrong. It is about rotating your pinky towards your face so that your thumb pushes out and away from your body as you reach the top of the motion when using dumbbells. When using  a barbell simply imagine tearing the bar apart at the top of the motion. Both things will give your biceps a great pump. For the triceps, when using dumbbells rotate the thumbs in towards your body at the end of the motion. As with biceps, when using a barbell or other bar attachment, imagine tearing the bar apart. That's going to give your triceps a great squeeze.

Heavy Day

Heavy day is included to force the muscles to grow. Your biceps and triceps will be expecting the pump style workout, but you will trick them into growing with the heavier weights. You will feel the results of this training in two ways: (1) soreness deep in the muscles; and (2) increased size that lasts for at least 24 hours because of the massive amount of blood that flows into the muscles.

Conclusion

I always tell you that bodybuilding is an Experiment of One and this is no different. You have to determine what makes your muscles respond. If you want impressive arms you are going to have to do whatever it takes to get there. I have prepared the following video that just explains how I felt after my heavy biceps and triceps training session. Enjoy!

Heavy Arm Day Aftermath – The Video

[pro-player width='560′ height='315′ type='video']http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eZuf8ngsY8[/pro-player]

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Operation Get Swole started as a short term project, but now it will be morphing into something much bigger as 2013 progresses. I will continue to make my attempt at Getting Swole by April 21, 2013, but after that I am going to pack on serious muscle for the final 8 months of 2013. I am looking for big results. I will not be driven by any particular contest goal until I feel I am ready to compete at a high level. I have wanted this for ages and with all the changes in my life this past year, I am going for it.

I trained biceps and triceps. That may seem odd, but I have a method to my madness. I need to bring up my arms. My coach, Ken Turchek, and I discussed the need to possibly train my arms more frequently and with varying intensity. Thus, we are training them 3 times a week with two days being pump days and one day being heavy weights. The heavy day is a combined biceps and triceps training session.

I was feeling the effects of my shoulder decimation and it took a bit of warming up for my arms to feel ready for this session. I love going heavy and would probably do it all the time if it wasn't for my age (48). It is amazing to push around heavy weight and it makes me feel like a beast.

In this workout I focused on moving the heavy weight and getting a great squeeze on the muscle. I rotate my wrists to the outside at the end of dumbbell curls to get that pump and squeeze in the bicep. I tear the bar apart on all triceps movements. It is an intense way to train arms, but I have seen some major changes in my triceps because of it. Again, Ken Turchek has given me the tools I need to grow and grow I will. My training is not going to get interrupted by life any longer. Life is about getting what you want and this is what I have wanted for such a long time. I am thankful to have someone in my life who supports me in this endeavor and I will not let anyone, especially myself, down.

I will be reorganizing some of the posts on this site to simplify the navigation. Stay tuned for that change coming soon!

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Today was a shoulder training day. I used to hate these days, but after programming a pretty good shoulder training with expercises in a very specific order, I am very pleased with these workouts now. I have been able to increase the intensity and work the shoulders very hard with a lot of intense squeezing.

I used strict form on everything except the upright rows where I allowed a small amount of cheating. On the upright rows I used a wide grip and a slight (very slight) swing of the upper body. I made sure to get a strong squeeze on every repetition. My shoulders were pumped.

Pre-workout I used Horse Power X pre-workout formula and took 5 grams of BCAAs. I then drank BCAAs and creatine during my training. I finished off with a protein shake with maledextrin and vanilla whey protein when the training session was completed. I also downed 5 grams of BCAAs with my protein shake. I will do cardio in the morning to burn fat. Tomorrow will also be a biceps training day, so watch for the training log on that workout as well.

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