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How to Inspire Others

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How to Inspire Others

I just finished reading an article, The “F” Word, by “Mad Man” Tony Ment. Part of me relates to this article and part of me does not relate. In fact, as I read the article I found myself conflicted about the content. It got me thinking about how we inspire other people and what that means.

When people compliment your physique, they don't do so lightly. Generally speaking they have taken the time to look around and have decided that your physique is the one they want to emulate. Tony seems to take offense at the thought that someone could possibly look as good as he does. I see it just slightly different than Tony. While it can come off as though people are of the belief that they can easily do what you've done just by asking some questions, it is more likely that they are completely impressed by what they see. More likely than not, they understand how hard it is to get where you are. It is our job to let them know how hard it is, but that they can do it if they have the desire.

People take time to get up the guts to come and talk to a perfect strange that they admire. As someone who loves the sport of bodybuilding, I feel it is our job to encourage others to love this sport as well. Yes, they are probably naive, possibly even stupid, but they look up to you and that should mean something to you. Let them know how hard you work. Let them know that the road isn't easy and that many people fail when attempting to travel that road. If that is what scares them, so be it. Just make sure YOU are not what scares them.

We inspire others by being humble and accepting their compliments. We inspire others by being an example they can strive to be like. Make sure that if you are confronted with a similar situation that you remember these points. Don't scare them off, but inspire them to greatness instead.

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How to Help Yourself Get in Shape

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How to Help Yourself

Help yourself get in shape. Sounds like a great idea, right? But how do you do it? That's probably the very next question that comes to mind when you think about helping yourself to get in shape. With the use of the internet, books and distance training, you can help yourself get in shape in no time at all.

Internet Resources to Help Yourself Get in Shape

  • Bodybuilding.com Forums. These forums cover a variety of topics from nutrition and training advice to bodybuilding competition prep. Whatever your needs, it is probably covered here.
  • Shapefit Forums. More for everyday fitness and fat loss, these forums are a great source of assistance.
  • John Stone Fitness Forums. These forums cover a huge variety of topics. Many great teachers hang out here and answer your questions, including Mark Rippetoe. You can get advice on exercise form and nutrition. If you need help, this is a great place to go.

Books to Help You Help Yourself Get in Shape

Distance Training to Help Yourself Get in Shape

Personal trainers can be quite expensive. With the internet, it is possible to utilize a trainer at a distance. The fact that the trainer does not have to leave home in order to help you and can train you from anywhere makes the service cheaper (at least it should). I am available to help anyone who is interested in getting into great shape. As you can see from my muscle building progress, I can help you achieve your goals. My fee is extremely low and the process is extremely simple. If you are interested in getting into incredible shape, get in touch with me today.

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How an Old Guy Builds Muscle

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How an Old Guy Builds Muscle

Building muscle is difficult for old guys. While I personally do not consider myself an “old guy”, based upon my current age (47) I am definitely an “old guy” by most people's standards. As such, I have many struggles that younger guys just don't experience. The picture above shows the dramatic progress I've had in just a 3 week period starting immediately after my show on April 14, 2012 and culminating this past Saturday, May 5, 2012. This article outlines how I've gotten there.

Testosterone Booster

Everyone knows that the older a man gets the lower his testosterone production is. This lowered testosterone production will result in more difficulty building muscle. Since building muscle is the goal, we must do something to counteract the problem. It can be counteracted in many ways, including diet and training along with supplementation. I spent months dropping fat from my body. This has enabled better blood flow to my muscles, which means they are getting fed better. My muscle building efforts are more successful as a result of the fat loss I have experienced. However, the testosterone is still something I have to contend with daily. As such, I have been using a natural testosterone booster called Viridex XT.

It took a few days, but I definitely began to notice a difference with the Virdex XT. My energey was better and my sex drive had increased. I have to believe that my efforts to build muscle have been helped by this product. I would strongly recommend this product for any man over the age of 40. It is made by Gaspari Nutrition and they are a very respected company in the supplement industry.

Diet

To build muscle there has to be a diet plan in place. There were three changes to my diet that happened after the show on April 14. The first thing is that I have added more carbs to my meals. The second is that I am rotating my protein sources between chicken, turkey, fish and lean beef. The third is that my overall calories are higher. To counteract some of these changes (the carbs and the calories) I am doing more cardio, but the diet seems to be working. It is essentially a slightly modified approach to the Getting to Shredded program by Chris Albert.

Training

The main modification to my muscle building training is that I am holding every lift at the top of every movement. At times the muscles will even cramp from the intense pressure. I have found that what I can lift has decreased, but the DOMs is intense the next day. I squeeze so hard that every muscle fiber comes into play. Yes, I've always squeezed on every lift, but there is just something about the squeeze and hold approach that is beating on my muscles and causing them to grow.

Cardio

An important consideration here is not gaining too much fat while trying to put on muscle. This is being controlled via a cardio regimen that has me hitting cardio twice per day. It is the timing of the cardio that is making it work. I essentially do cardio in the morning when I first awaken. I then weight train in the middle of the day. This is followed up with another final cardio session at night.

Results

As you can see from the picture above, the results have been astounding. What you see is just my shoulder area (an area that needed major improvement). It has gotten much fuller and more round. The muscles pop off my frame now. I can definitely use even more size, but this is just 3 weeks in.

Thus, you can definitely build muscle with the protocol I am using. Leave me your comments about the progress in the comment section below.

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How to Use One Arm and Increase Intensity

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How to Use One Arm for Intensity

As you know if you read this blog on a regular basis, I am always looking for ways to increase the intensity of my training. I am now a strong believer that the more intense your training the better your results will be. Recently I have discovered how important it is to use just one arm on certain exercises in order to increase the intensity of your training.

One area I have been focused on in my training is my chest. To work on that area, I have focused on getting some incredible squeeze when working that body part. In addition, I have added some exercises that allow me to use one arm. One major tool I've been utilizing of late (thanks to Ken Turchek and Phil Heath) is the Hammer machine.

Hammer Chest Machine

What I do is keep my elbow in close to my body and use one arm at a time. I squeeze hard at the top of the movement and hold for 2 seconds. When I am done with one arm I switch to the other arm and repeat the process. It has really worked to build up my chest quite a bit.

You can also do dumbbell presses for your chest one arm at a time as well. Just be sure to squeeze hard at the top of the movement. Focus on the form and the rest will come.

For the back I enjoy using the Hammer machine row. I handle it the same was as the chest–one arm at a time with a strong squeeze at the top of the movement.

One thing to help you with intensity is to remember that even one arm movements can be changed up. You can do all one side and then the other side or you can alternate sides. Your body will respond differently to the different approaches. Again, it is all about the form. Make sure you are squeezing hard. That will increase the intensity of your training.

If you have any tips for increasing the intensity of your training, please leave a comment below.

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How to Have Endurance Like a Hockey Player

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I just finished watching the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers finish up a triple overtime hockey game. It struck me how strong these players are. They have superhuman endurance. They literally played 114 minutes of hockey before the game ended. Hockey players work hard during their shifts. They are able to last and last. Watching the third overtime, you would never have known they had played for so long already.

Endurance is an important tool in your arsenal. Yes, I call it a tool because it is something you can use to help push your training to new heights. Any time you can use something to improve I will refer to it as a tool–plain and simple. But just how can you have endurance like a hockey player?

Endurance training has a very specific goal in mind. Quite simply, the goal of endurance training is to develop the energy production system to meet the demands of the event. Now, most of us ignore endurance when we train. Instead, we train to improve our 1 rep max. This is awesome if you are going to need to quickly lift up something heavy, but what if you need to lift the heavy item and hold it in place for a long period of time? That's where endurance comes into play. This is especially important to people who participate in sports.

Baseball athletes need the endurance to swing a bat. They are not given long rest periods in between each swing. Football players explode with maximum intensity for a very short period of time. This requires endurance to last throughout that time period. MMA requires that you last through the entire round, giving your maximum effort for the entire round.

There is a principle called SAID (specific adaptations to imposed demands) that states the body will adjust to the stresses placed specifically on it. For bodybuilders this means that if they train with heavy weights and long rest periods, they will become stronger, but not increase their endurance. So should we train with high reps and lighter weight? Absolutely not! If you want to increase your endurance you must focus on three things in your program: (1) heavy weight; (2) short rest periods; and (3) volume.

By lifting heavy weight you are going to increase your strength. It is a no-brainer. Thus, try to lift as heavy as possible. Shortening your rest periods forces your body to adapt to working at maximal effort while not fully recovered aerobically.This, in turn, generally trains your body to recover more quickly. By pushing up the volume of work and coupling it with the heavy weights and shorter rest periods, your body will improve its endurance as a reaction to the stress you put it under.

If you want to be superhuman like the hockey players I mentioned you must increase both strength and endurance. With those two components in place there is no way you can miss your goals.

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