Form, Form, and Form

Well, I hurt my back again. This time it was with deadlifts. I had previously hurt it doing power cleans about two and half months ago and had been doing deadlifts since. Fortunately the back gave out during a warm up set and not during a heavy set or it could have been worse. The only thing that it could have been was improper form. Typically I really try and concentrate on form with everything I do and ESPECIALLY with deadlifts but apparently I didn't this time. My guess is since it was a lighter set I mentally relaxed on my concentration. I will probably cease to do deadlifts for quite a while if not for good since I have an injury that will need a lot of time to heal or it may never heal to the point of 100% recovery. Oh well, that is why we have choices.

Have a great weekend!

Winter Diet by Bodybuilding.com

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/winter-muscle-building-diet-tips.htm

Mixing It Up

I change my routine every 2 weeks. Most trainers will say to at least change every 6 weeks or so but I find that my body really gains with a much quicker rotation. That is why I like to go from the Tabata method to a heavy routine which I started today. The heavy routine consists of 4 sets of 3-3-3-6. This allows my body just enough break from the wear and tear of Tabata and allows me to move some serious weight. The workouts are also shorter because of the decrease in the reps and it shortens the time in the gym which is another break you need often. Tonight I did 3 sets @ 600 lbs. on the leg press which is a new personal record for me. Yeah! Now, sometimes I will throw a 3rd circuit with different exercises in the mix depending on the motivation to also change it up even further. All in all, you need to keep the body guessing so that you will not become stagnant in your gains and also keep your mental edge.

Body Types from Bodybuilding.com

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm

Chest Day - Great Day - No More Tabata

Finished the Tabata cycle today with a chest workout and will be returning to a heavy cycle for 2 weeks starting tomorrow. Looking forward to it because the Tabata method is very tasking on the body. I am going to up the calorie intake before the end of the month as I had planned. I need to move the scale sooner than later and get the weight increasing. I will also be doing rope jumping regularly this week as well to keep the cardio going. Overall I am pleased with the results that I am getting moving into the winter I just get a little impatient as most of us do. I will keep you posted on the results and update you on the weight gain as it happens.

Have a great night!

Again I Speak of Rest

I know, shut up about it right? Well, yet again, rest has proven my mind wrong. I just went through a bout with the flu and had to take a extra couple of days off and guess what? I came back stronger than the last workout of the same exercises. Actually, a lot more. Now, putting rest into practice on a regular basis is still a struggle for me and for most but taking the time off is huge for the muscles and for us ECTOMORPHS. We need it to grow more than the other body types. Especially as your weight and intensity get to levels where you are truly tasking the body and I mean 'tasking the body'! Not some pansy approach to your workouts. The problem I have with a few days of rest in between is the feeling of your muscles being 'flat' because they are not staying stimulated as often but what do you want? Big growth or sub-par growth when it comes right down to it? We should all answer that question the same. When it's spring or summer you want the pump all the time so you can show off your accomplishments often but when it's winter we want growth!

Good luck to all and have a great night.

Exercise of the Week: Barbell Squats

Exercise of the Week: Barbell Squats

Weight Gains

With a goal of 180 lbs. by spring time I have now reached a steady 174 lbs. for now. It has taken eating 3,700 calories per day consistently for the last 4-5 weeks but it worked. I am planning on maintaining the calorie intake through the end of the month before I decide to make another adjustment. With that I still have been able to keep the body fat percentage to under 15 which I am pleased with. If I can control that it should make it easy to lean in the spring which should be everyone's goal. I will update on the progress of this goal by the end of the month.

Keys to My Sucess

Intensity and working the muscles to failure. I have figured out for us ectomorphs that you really need to task the muscle for gains. The Tabata method has truly given me gains that are very noticeable. Experts say that an ectomorphs muscles are built for endurance, hence they can withstand longer periods of abuse than other body types. Even though I do not practice the Tabata method of up to 20 seconds of rest between sets I rest enough between so that I can complete 8 sets of 8 reps with the desired weight. Now that the weight of my exercises are heavy it may take me 15 - 20 minutes to complete an exercise but it really has fatigued the muscles and the gains are showing. I also stick with basic compound movements as well as suggested.

Even though I rotate a heavy cycle every couple of weeks consisting of 3 sets of 3 reps I believe that the Tabata method is making the difference in my physique. I wont do without it now, I am convinced. If you haven't tried Tabata I suggest that you do so. You have not tasked the body in a way that this routine does both mentally and physically.

Rope Jumping

I have incorporated rope jumping back into my routine starting today. This technique is one of my favorite exercises for cardiovascular training. It is one that is very challenging and you quickly get a respect for the kids in the neighborhood that do it so easily. If you have never tried it I highly recommend it. The other benefit is you can do it anywhere and it is relatively cheap to buy the equipment needed. I have attached a link for some useful tips... happy jumping.

http://www.ropesport.com/proper_jump_rope_technique.php

Nutritional Goals

Over the last few years I have adopted the practice of setting short term goals in my fitness life in regards to nutrition. Yes, I am like many others want to see my physical shape change at the speed of light but it takes TIME, plenty of it. My nutritional diet today, to maintain 10 % - 12% body fat year round, has taken over 5 years to develop. I just didn't wake up one day and say I was changing everything I eat today but I took it one step at a time. I tried no fad diets because I do not believe in them. I set monthly goals early on, i.e. this month I will no longer order french fries when eating out, and gradually I added a couple items per month so that I could adjust easily to a new eating lifestyle. Yes, I could have change at a more rapid pace than on that took 5 years to accomplish but looking back it was right for me and in the end I did it.

Bottom line, this is just a small piece of taking control of your diet but you have to know what you need to eat in calories per day? What is the macronutrient ratios of what you are eating? Once you have a baseline knowing what to adjust will be more clear.

Have a great day.

Muscle Recovery

Muscle Recovery

Results

I managed to get an average of 233 grams of protein per day over the last 2 weeks towards my goal of 255. I also averaged 8 hours of sleep per night. So far I haven't seen any noticeable improvements but it may be too early to tell. I will stay on pace and check in a couple of weeks. I plan on taking body measurements tomorrow so that may give me a true perspective on my gains.

Have a great week.

Hardgainer Part 2 from Bodybuilding.com

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/hardgainer-muscle-building-2-supplementation.htm