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Saturday Sharing: How to Have the Time to Train

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Time…it is the one excuse I don't like hearing from people. We make time for what is important to us, so if training is important you will make the time. So how do I have time to train? I put training first. What do I mean? Allow me to explain!

Get It Done!

To me there are so many things that can get in the way of training. Even though it may not be the most optimal time to train, I train early in the morning so that I can't make excuses later in the day. This literally makes it so nothing gets in the way! This is why I am able to get it done!

Be Consistent

Treat training like an appointment with someone very important. This will develop a consistency that others will respect. People will know that you train at a certain time each day and will not expect anything from you at that time. It is very important to eliminate distractions and being consistent with when you train will help with that.

Be Persistent

Don't quit no matter how tempted you might be. Keep at it because the longer you do something the more of a habit it becomes. Stick to it and it will stick to you!

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Monday Madness: Mix Up Your Training

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Do you mix up your training? How often do you mix it up? What does it mean to you to mix up your training? I am going to touch on all these issues in today's article and hopefully you will walk away knowing exactly how to maximize your results.

Bored Body

Like anything else, when you continue to do the same thing over and over your body eventually adapts and gets bored with the training you are giving it. At that point it stops responding the way you want. This is why I suggest mixing up your training. Take the time to think it through and give your body something to keep it excited.

The Schedule for “Mixing It Up”

Honestly, most people really destroy this aspect of mixing up their training even if they understand the need for it. They change exercises far too frequently, before they have had a chance to get optimal results. I suggest following a different approach by using periodization. An example of this would be as follows, using a deadlift progression.

Week 1 – Deadlifts are done using enough weight to handle 3 sets of 5 repetitions.

Week 2 – Deadlifts are done using enough weight to handle 3 sets of 2 to 3 repetitions

Week 3 – Deadlifts are done using enough weight to handle 3 sets of 1 to 2 repetitions

Week 4 – Deadlifts are done using enough weight to handle 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

At this point you could change to a different exercise or change the progression. The point is that you did the exercise for 4 weeks. You didn't switch it out every single week. Instead, you changed the repetitions which in turn changed how heavy you were lifting.

What Happens?

When you do this your body is always guessing at what comes next and so it becomes stronger. Muscles grow larger the stronger you become. This is the desired result most of us have, so this approach will get you where you want to be.

Conclusion

Mix up your training to get maximum results. It just makes sense. It will keep your body continually guessing.

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Is Rest Overrated?

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Resting during a training cycle is something that is debated by many people. Do we need days off or not? If so, how often? I believe that the answer is yes and no. What the hell do I mean you might ask? Read on to find out!

It is my belief that you should always be listening to your body. I do not believe you need artificially imposed rest periods while working through a training cycle. Yes, there are times your body is going to need a day off, but it will tell you that. When your body lets you know that it needs rest go ahead and take a day off.

When I prepared for my first bodybuilding show I trained every single day for 8 straight months. I made some major gains and was in the best shape of my life. It just depends on your intensity and the needs of your body. I was able to keep pushing forward. I paid attention to what my body needed, but I was able to complete the 8 months of training without any rest.

Does that mean rest is overrated? Perhaps! At the same time, I am currently doing the MAX Muscle Plan by Brad Schoenfeld and it has me lifting only 3 days a week right now. It is a periodized program that changes up how often you lift on a regular basis. I feel I must note that rest is just one of many training variables that can be manipulated in order to give yourself the best results possible. If you are someone who needs rest, insert it into your plan. If you are like me and your body can take the punishment, rest as needed.

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Getting It Done When You’re Ready to Quit

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Have you ever had one of those workouts where you had the entire thing planned and then, while doing the workout, you wanted to go home and just end the entire workout? I'm sure you have if you've been training for any length of time. The key to those situations is in how you deal with them as they come up.

Baby Steps

I tell my clients to handle these issues using baby steps. Instead of trying to “get through the workout” just get through the next set. Other than each repetition, a set is the smallest unit of measurement when training. Use that as a baby step towards completing your workout. You will quickly see the value in handling things that way. As you complete one set you will be ready to complete another and then another and so on until the entire workout is completed.  Use baby steps to your advantage.

Music

If you are having one of those days change up the music you are listening to. That will change your mental state and help you get through the workout. Combined with baby steps, I guarantee you will be able to finish any workout you start. Music is huge because it calibrates your mental attitude during the workout. Maybe you just aren't feeling the music today and that is translating into you not wanting to train? Fix it!

Daily vs. Weekly Goals

Many people who set goals set them for too long of a time period. Like anything else, we need to be able to see some tangible results or we will be ready to give up. This is why it is essential to set manageable goals. If you set your goals for too long of a period you are going to give up for sure. I like to have daily, weekly and monthly goals. By setting daily goals you will be able to use those goals to get yourself through the workout that you are ready to quit on. Just recall the goal and push through to the end.

Sense of Accomplishment

By pushing through and using the techniques above, you will have an incredible sense of accomplishment. You will gain momentum as you push ahead through the workout, a momentum that will carry you through to another set of workouts.

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Monday Madness: Tricep Tear Apart

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The triceps muscle is a very important muscle if you want big arms. It not only gives your arms great shape, but it pushes your biceps up so they also appear larger. The triceps are generally not trained correctly. Today I want to give you some suggestions for maximizing the training of your triceps.  I will give an example workout along with the technique for getting the best growth from your triceps.

Tricep Training Technique

Mr. Olympia 2007Whenever you train muscles you need to understand how to flex the body part you are training. This is so that you can achieve maximum contraction during the exercise movements. The triceps have a unique way of being flexed. As you can see from the picture of Dennis Wolf (right), the triceps get flexed by straightening the arm and then bending the wrist and rotating the hand back. This is important to pay attention to as we will need it when training the triceps.

As you do any triceps exercise you want to remember 2 things: flex that muscle and tear apart the hands. The first item is simply doing the flex of the muscle as in the pose. It is very important to get a great squeeze on the muscle. The second item will depend upon what piece of equipment you are using. If it is a bar attachment, pretend to tear the bar in two pieces at the bottom of the movement. If it is a rope attachment, pull the two sides apart at the bottom of the movement. If you are holding a single dumbbell with two hands, pretend to tear apart the weight plate at the end of the movement. Both the flex and the tear apart are essential for maximum growth of the triceps. Take all triceps exercises slowly and get a maximum amount of squeeze and tear apart on every repetition.

Triceps Workout

Exercise Sets Repetitions
Straight Bar Triceps Pushdown 4 15-20
Overhead rope extension 4 15-20
Lying EZ Bar Extension 4 12-15
Overhead DB Extension 3 15-20

Begin the session with 4 sets of Straight Bar Triceps Pushdowns. Begin the movement with your forearms parallell to the ground. Push down slowly and squeeze the muscle. Attempt to tear the bar in two at the bottom. Hold and then come back up. Repeat the process for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Next you move to the Overhead Rope Extension. Put a rope on a pulley and put the pulley at the highest point. Now grab the rope and have each side on either side of your head. Take a step out in front until there is some tension on the cable. Keeping your elbows in close to your ears move just the forearms and squeeze the muscle. Pull the rope apart at the end of the movement. Pause and then repeat the movement.

You will now grab an EZ Bar and do Lying EZ Bar Extensions (also known as French Presses). With your hands in the curved part of the EZ Bar, elbows tucked, slowly lift the bar and squeeze the muscle. At the top you should attempt to tear the bar in two. Pause and then repeat the entire movement.

You will end the workout with Overhead DB Extensions. Grab a dumbbell and sit on a chair with a low back. Lift the dumbbell over your head with two hands. Keeping the elbows tucked slowly raise the dumbbell by extending your arms. As you extend the arms, squeeze the muscle tightly. As you reach the top, pretend to tear the weight plate into two pieces.

The Burn

Triceps are a lot like calves. You are going to feel a burn and your brain will tell you to quit. That's not what you should do. Keep working through the burn. Get all the repetitions in. Do not let that burn fool you into quitting too soon.

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