Fitness Exposé

Bodybuilding Secrets Exposed

You are here: Home / Archives for Training

Y3T Training System: Looking Back

By 2 Comments

Why Y3T?

At the start of my Excalibur contest preparation cycle I utilized the Y3T system of training. I now would like to give you my impressions of that system and what, if anything, I learned from it.

First, Y3T is a system invented by Neil Hill. Flex Lewis is one of the bodybuilders who uses it on a regular basis. It involves changing up the type of training you perform every single week. It is a 3 week cycle that gets repeated 3 times for a total of 9 weeks. 

Strength Gains

I found that I made strength gains while on Y3T. I believe it is because the system cycles you through various repetition ranges and that forces all muscle fibers to be engaged during a 3 week cycle. 

Recovery

Recovery started to become an issue as the program went on. At first I was fully recovered and ready to train by the time a body part was scheduled again for training. This because frustrating because I'd have to adjust the schedule to accommodate the fact that I was not yet recovered. I believe that the system is so intense that recovery becomes more difficult. In the long run, there are ways around this as long as you are willing to be flexible with your training schedule.

Muscle Growth

I gained size while on Y3T. My back improved as did my shoulders. There is something to be said for the approach used in this program. It has heavy days, light days and extremely high repetition days. These each stimulate growth in their own unique way. What I thought about while utilizing this training is that certain body parts on me respond to different types of training. Y3T automatically handles this by including 3 types of training over the 3 week cycle. It obviously worked well for me.

Overall Impression

This program is very well thought out, but it involves a body part split. If you've been reading my contest preparation journals you will know that I am currently not sticking to a body part split type of training. I use my instincts and train what needs to be trained.  If I were to incorporate Y3T into my training schedule again, I would skip the body part schedule and just use the workouts as outlined. I would cycle the type of training as programmed into Y3T. I think that the concepts are very helpful for the budding bodybuilder. 

Related Posts:

3 Fundamentals for Building Bigger Arms

By 1 Comment

 

Building bigger arms is most every bodybuilder's goal. With most other body parts the bodybuilder would blast away at the muscle with extra heavy weights and get results. I've personally improved my back this way. However, the arms are very different. They require a strategy in order to see growth. Today I want to discuss 3 fundamentals for building bigger arms that you can employ in the gym to see fantastic results.

Use the Correct Angle

Your biceps and triceps are made up of multiple muscles. Hitting these muscles from various angles is the only way to insure that they will grow. Most people make the mistake of doing the exact same exercises over and over. They wonder why the are not getting any results. Do your research and find out what exercises target which part of your arms.If you make sure to hit your arms from every angle possible you will see impressive growth numbers. How do you manage to hit the arms from different angles? Simple–use different benches.

Let's say you are doing French Presses for your triceps. You can do this lying or standing. If you do them lying on a flat bench, switch things up and do them on an incline bench. You could also use an incline bench as well. This will change up the angle and keep your triceps guessing. TIP: Change the angle each workout and your muscles will continually have to guess at what is going on.

Get a Good Pump

Getting a pump feels good, but it also enhances the stretch on the muscles. This causes the arms to grow by bringing all the nutrients and oxygen necessary for growth straight to the front lines. One suggestion is to do a blast workout and a pump workout. I train my arms 3 times a week. Twice I use light weights and go for a pump and the third time I use heavy weights and blast my arms hard with a lot of sets. 

Use a Wide Range of Rep Ranges

Just as it is important to hit your arms from different angles, it is important to push your arms to their limit from time to time. One way to accomplish this is to vary your repetition range. By hitting them with lower reps and heavier weights you stimulate the fast twitch fibers. By hitting them with higher reps and lower weights you stimulate the slow twitch fibers. This gives you a complete assault on your arms that will spur them on to more growth. 

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

The Role of Sleep in Your Growth

By 1 Comment

If you want to gain size then you have to get enough rest. Sleep allows for maximal recovery and growth. While sleeping your body shuts down and that allows other metabolic processes to take over and work more effectively. When you are continually smashing your body with weight workouts, sleep becomes essential.

If you are having trouble sleeping, it is possible that the intensity of your training is interfering with the production of Melatonin in yor body. You can always supplement with Melatonin from a bottle. Using Melatonin is especially helpful if you experience jet lag from travelling a lot. It is quite an effective supplement.

Aim for 8 hours of sleep every night. That seems to be optimal for most people. You should feel energized and refreshed upon waking. Get out of bed when you wake up. Don't attempt to squeeze in 5 or 10 more minutes as that will likely just make you even more tired.

Sleep is something I personally need to work at. I generally get 6 hours a night and I feel refreshed enough, but there are days where I need a nap. I don't resist that and try to fit the nap in. I always set an alarm when I take a nap so as not to sleep too much. I pay careful attention to the energy levels in my body because they tell me if I am getting enough sleep or not.

Sleep is a misunderstood tool for growing bigger muscles. Don't neglect the usefulness of getting enough sleep. You will notice that you are stronger and your muscles start to grow when you get more sleep each night. We all have issues at times with sleeping, but take the necessary measures to get enough sleep the majority of the time and you will reap the rewards in the long run.

Related Posts:

How Lifting Heavy Should Change Your Routine

By 1 Comment

Heavy Lifting

Lifting heavy brings with it a whole different set of issues that you don't normally get from bodybuilding routines. I have learned a lot about how my body responds to heavy lifting over the years. It has taught me how lifting heavy should change my routine.

Heavy Lifting Program

One of the best programs that I know of for lifting very heavy is Max-OT. It is a program promoted by National Champion Skip LaCour and focuses the user on lifting as heavy as they can. The objective in Max-OT on each set is to lift a weight you can get at least 4 reps out of and no more than 6 reps. Each set is taken to positive failure. By pushing your muscles in this way they grow from the stress they are put under. As printed, the Max-OT program has you on a split that includes 5 straight training days followed by 2 straight rest days. This, to me, is the only weakness of the program.

Rest Days

I have learned that lifting heavy takes a major toll on your joints and ligaments. If you push too hard for too long, you run the risk of severe injury. This is why rest days become extremely important. As I stated above, the only weakness I see in the Max-OT program is the fact that it wants you to lift 5 days straight and then get 2 days of rest. To me, especially at my age (47) that is just too much heavy lifting in a row. As a result, I've changed the program slightly. I lift 2 days, then I take a rest day. I then lift 3 days and take another rest day. I wind up lifting the same number of days and resting the same number of days, but I find that on Day 4 (after my first rest day) I am much stronger and ready to attack those weights.

Self Massage

I believe in foam rolling and when lifting heavy, it becomes even more important. Your joints and muscles get very tight and sore from the heavy lifting. By foam rolling you are releasing the adhesions that develop and avoid injury. It becomes a major part of the recovery process. You benefit in many different ways including:

  • Faster recovery
  • Better flexibility
  • Less injuries

I always foam roll once a day, but when I'm on a heavy lifting cycle I foam roll in the morning and the evening before bed. This is something that you definitely want to change in your routine if you are not already doing it.

Rest Periods

Lifting this heavy means extending your rest periods between sets just a bit more. While the recommendation is 2 to 3 minutes, I honestly believe it is better if you aim for 90 seconds. The only exception I make is for arms. I give those a bit more recovery time because, for some reason, my recovery on arms takes longer. Figure out what works for your body and then go with it. Your body will tell you what you need.

Increase the Intensity

Lifting heavy is going to require a lot of intensity. This is more of a mental thing than a physical thing in my opinion. Most of us are capable of way more than we give during a workout. The ability to be intense is going to come from your mental outlook. For instance, yesterday I had an arm training day. I was watching sweat drip down my legs. That's right! Sweat was dripping down my legs. That is because I was pushing my arms so hard that I heated up tremendously. The intensity was great and I was able to have an incredible arm training.

Eat!

You are going to need to eat enough when you are training heavy. Watch your energy and how you feel after a workout. Your body needs fuel to get through the intense training. Give it what it wants! Up your protein intake. Eat enough carbs pre and post training. Don't miss meals when training heavy. If you do this, you will see growth.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

Saturday Sharing – Episode 10

By 1 Comment

Saturday Sharing

Today I’d like to share with you my 6 favorite fruits. Your job is to leave your own list of 6 items in the comments or on your own blog that relate to the topic this week. If you decide to put the list on your own blog, be sure to leave a comment with a link to your blog. Please note that permission is NOT granted top copy the question to a forum or message board for the purpose of having the readers participate in the answering of the topic.

Topic for Saturday, July 7, 2012: Favorite biceps exercises.

  1. Face down incline bench curls
  2. Preacher curls with EZ bar
  3. Bent over BB curls
  4. High Cable Curls
  5. Low Cable Curls
  6. Hammer Curls

If you have a Saturday Sharing you'd like to see, send me an email. I would love to feature it in the future.

Related Posts:

New eBook!