Natural bodybuilding expert and best selling fitness author Hugo River discusses how should bodybuilders over 40 train.

For the over 40 bodybuilder, and even over 30, I would recommend training smart. No longer are we teenage kids who load up the bar with 225-lbs and bench press it without a warm-up, living to tell about it. Our joints can no longer handle that. So here are some training recommendations that I want to share with the over 40 crowd:

• Use The Right Training Routine: a well periodized training routine that alternates between periods of higher volume/higher repetition (10-15 reps) work with periods of lower repetition/heavier weights (5-8 reps) will work best. Active recovery phases where training volume is dramatically reduced should also be incorporated. The training routine should not be more than 60 minutes long and frequency of body part training will depend upon individual recovery. Generally, teens and those in their twenties can train a bodypart every 48-72 hours (so twice a week). Thirty year olds and those in their fourties benefit more from once every five days. Fifty year old and older, once every seven days.

• Use Proper Warm-Ups: warming up is extremely important, and it becomes more important as we age. While in my opinion, we only need to thoroughly warm up for the first exercise of a body part, not doing so puts you at the risk for injury. To properly warm up, if you know you will be doing 225-lbs on the incline bench for 10 repetitions, the first set I would just do 135-lbs for ten controlled slow repetitions. Then I would increase the weight to 185 for ten reps and only after that second set I would go up to 225-lbs and that would be my first work set. However, if working out on a cold climate, besides wearing warm clothing, I may ride a stationary bike first for 6-10 minutes, not in search of aerobic conditioning but with the goal of increasing my core body temperature. Alternatively I’ve also used abdominal training as a way to increase my core body temperature as well.

• Perform The Right Exercise Techniques With The Proper Weight: Proper execution of exercise and proper lifting speed is crucial. The exercise form should never be sacrificed in the name of adding weight. Nothing good has ever come out of that combination. In addition, jerking the weight up and down not only affects how much the muscle is actually stimulated (so your muscle building results will be less), but also puts much of the stress on the joints, leading to unnecessary micro-trauma. So always choose a weight that allows for full control of the weight and a lifting speed that is steady and controlled on the way up and slower on the way down. Contracting the muscles at the top position also helps to provide maximum stimulation without unnecessarily having to use super heavy weights.

• Ensure Rotator Cuff Health: One of the most common injuries in weight training is that of the rotator cuff. The reason for this is that as the shoulder muscle gets stronger, the rotator cuff gets weaker unless you train it directly with 3 sets of 15-20 repetitions of rotator cuff exercises. Some external rotations at the end of your chest or back workout will do the trick.

Related Natural Bodybuilding Article: Joint Care for Preventing Injuries

If you find the information of this website useful, please feel free to check out any of my best selling natural bodybuilding and fitness publications here.   Also, feel free to share this with your friends on Facebook and Twitter by clicking on the buttons above.

Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube page at:

www.youtube.com/hugoriverafitness

and to CLICK LIKE on my:

Hugo Rivera Best Selling Fitness Author Fan Page.

• Natural Bodybuilding Video: Hugo Rivera and Ben Pakulski Talk Bodybuilding Training with MI-40
• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ – Can You Follow The Pro Routines and Other Advice?
• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ – Should You Train When You Are Feeling Tired?
• Check Out My Latest Natural Bodybuilding Article on February 2012 Edition of Natural Muscle
• 10 Anabolic Recipes For Your Natural Bodybuilding Diet

In this natural bodybuilding video, IFBB Pro Ben Pakulski and Hugo Rivera talk about bodybuilding training and how MI-40 helps you to gain muscle mass!

Get Ben Pakulski’s MI-40 Program Here:
http://www.mi-40.com

For my thoughts on Ben Pakulski’s MI-40 program go here:
http://www.hugorivera.net/ben-pakulski-mi40-natural-bodybuilding-system-review.html

Bonus: Natural Bodybuilding FAQ With Ben: How Do I Know How Much Work is Enough?

Bodybuilding Question: Ben, could you please tell me how much work at the gym you think is necessary to stimulate muscle growth?  How do I know when I have done enough?

Answer from Ben: For years, I had been searching for the best way to overload my muscles each and every time I go in the gym. I know you can relate to those days when you worked “hard” but still felt like you could have done more.
How do I know when I’ve done enough to stimulate growth? Are my muscles completely exhausted, or should I be doing more? Ever ask yourself that? I know I have. I remember days when I would get in my car after the gym and say to myself “Damn, I wish I had done more” and legitimately contemplate going back in to do more. I’m sure we’ve all been there. “I wish there was a way to know that I had completely exhausted every single muscle fiber that I could!”
I CRAVED something that would ensure that my muscles are taken to their limit, and CREATE NEW GROWTH!

Let’s first understand something about the human body. Our bodies want to maintain EXACTLY as they are.
It’s called homeostasis. For all our attempts to change it, our bodies fight back as much as possible to maintain the status quo. We need to coerce them! We need to show our bodies that there is a reason to grow bigger and stronger. We are going to be placing some increased demands on these muscles, so you better make them bigger!

In order for this to happen, the stimulus you are subjecting your body to MUST be greater than it is used to. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, the problem is that your body is smarter than you are. It’s going to tell your brain to shut your muscles off. It doesn’t want to do all this work you’re subjecting it to, so it starts to create lactic acid.

Lactic acid builds up and your muscles STOP! This is a fact we cannot control.

Being a research junky, I had always read about overloading the muscle and overloading the nervous system to stimulate
new muscle and strength gains, respectively. Time under tension was proven to be the number one factor that correlated with muscle growth and overload!

Something clicked in my brain!Time under MAXIMAL TENSION!! This had to be better than just time under tension!
And so, my GROWTH BABY To Doubling Your Muscle Gains was born!

NEUROLOGICAL OVERLOAD SET-NOS!!
So, you’re in the gym, feeling all cool and pumped up for today’s big workout. You feel strong and you feel like you’re going to build some serious NEW MUSCLE today!

You pick up a BIG weight that you know you can rock for a perfect 8 reps!

You knock out the first 4 reps, piece of cake.

Rep 6 comes around and here comes the burn!

Rep 7, ooooh it’s getting heavy. Muscles burn like fire.

8th rep is darn near impossible, but you get it.

You set the weight down and stand up. You feel a bit of a pump in your muscle, but nothing great. You feel like you could have done more but you know you gave it your all; your body just shut off. Was it because your muscle was actually completely exhausted? Or if someone put a gun to your head, could you have done more? Is there ANY way you could have asked your muscles to continue to work? Maybe you could’ve extended that time under tension just a little bit?
OF COURSE!

Your brain clicks on and you hear “Eye of the Tiger” playing somewhere in the background (Rocky soundtrack always randomly turns on at times like this, people…you know that! )

You grab a slightly lighter weight and keep rockin’!

You blast out 6 more reps! Your Time Under Tension IS WAY greater now.

You even knock out a couple of partial reps with perfect form!

Somewhere in the back of your mind you see Rocky running up those stairs and feel the urge to march on!

You grab the next weight and smash out another 6 perfect reps!!

So fired up, nothing can stop you now! You continue one more time with a slightly lighter weight. WOW!! Now you’re cooked. Your muscle couldn’t budge another rep, not another partial. You could barely lift the weight of your arms.
THIS is what we call VICTORY!

You have just elicited the MOST AMAZING environment for muscular growth imaginable. Congratulations! Rocky would be proud!

By taking this set to complete muscular failure, not only have you overloaded your muscles, and your overloaded nervous system, you have also just started the process of creating the optimal hormonal environment for growth. When you take you muscles to exhaustion, your body now sees a need to make them bigger to adapt to this type of stimulus so it starts releasing Growth Hormone and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor).

These two hormones are HIGHLY correlated with muscle growth and reduction in body fat!
That brings us to…. the next GAMECHANGER! This one is the glue that binds it all together.

Get Ben Pakulski’s MI-40 Program Here: http://www.mi-40.com

And by getting it through one of these links you also get:

1) A complimentary copy of my own program “Body Re-Engineering” (valued at $39.99). Combining Body Re-Engineering with MI-40 will give you the most incredible gains in muscle mass and you will have half a year worth of muscle building and fat blasting workouts!

2) A NEVER BEFORE SEEN 120-Minute video that I am putting together on how you can combine the power of Body Re-Engineering and the power of MI-40 in order to get the most explosive gains imaginable! This video is valued at $300 but it is my gift from me to you as my way to say thank you for your support! (Value: $300.00)

3) A reserved space on my first Online Bodybuilding Seminar. (Value: $950.00)

4) Ben’s Exclusive 2 Inches in 21 Days Arm Blasting Workout (Value: $25.00).

Remember that between Body Re-Engineering and MI-40 you have almost half a year worth of unique muscle producing and fat blasting workouts!

Again, please make sure that when you pick up MI-40 you forward your receipt to hugo@hugorivera.net with the title ”SPECIAL BRE OFFER” and I’ll get it sent over to you asap (within 24 hours)! I will then send you also the video as soon as I have it ready (in around 2 weeks from today). I want to make sure that you are taken care off.  And if you are a current BRE customer, please bring it to my attention by putting in the title line Special Customer.  That way I can do something really special for you.

TAKE ACTION NOW ==>
I Am Ready To Get Big and Use The Power of MI-40 and BRE to Get HUGE!

By the way, order today (December 1, 2011) and you also get a FREE REPORT detailing the routine that Ben used to put on 2 inches on his arm prior to the Arnold Classic!  I will be implementing this one next week to see if I can at least get an extra half inch!  This offer will only be available until midnight tonight and Ben says that after he is not even making that book available anymore so the time to get MI-40 is NOW!

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OFFER NOW ==>
Sign Me Up for a Copy of MI-40 (Valued at Over $1300) + Body Re-Engineering ($39.99) + 2-Hour Exclusive Video ($300) + Online Bodybuilding Seminar ($950) for Only $47

• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ – Can You Follow The Pro Routines and Other Advice?
• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ – Training Over 40
• Natural Bodybuilding Video: Hugo Rivera and Ben Pakulski Talk Bodybuilding Training
• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ – Should You Train When You Are Feeling Tired?
• Halloween Natural Bodybuilding Survival Tips

In this natural bodybuilding video, IFBB Pro Ben Pakulski and Hugo Rivera talk about bodybuilding training and ways to stimulate more muscle growth with some simple changes on the routine.  Other topics covered are workout length and how much is too much.  This is part 1 of 3.  In Part 2 we cover nutrition and in Part 3 we cover supplementation.

Get Ben Pakulski’s MI-40 Program Here:
http://www.mi-40.com

For my thoughts on Ben Pakulski’s MI-40 program go here:
http://www.hugorivera.net/ben-pakulski-mi40-natural-bodybuilding-system-review.html

Bonus: Natural Bodybuilding FAQ With Ben: What Is The #1 Mistake That Kills Muscle Gains?

Bodybuilding Question: Ben, please identify the number one training mistake that would be preventing individuals from achieving maximal muscle gains.

Answer from Ben: Well, we all know “the guy” in the gym that throws a ton of weight on the bar and moves it with terrible form and looks like hes going to hurt himself. He is the root of many of our jokes, and definitely gets a lot of sideways looks from the patrons of the gym.

We’ve all asked ourselves “WHAT is he trying to do?” Chances are, he has no clue. He comes in the gym everyday and does the exact same thing week in and week out because he really has NO IDEA what he is trying to do. Therein lies the problem!

Guess what, more likely than not, you have all been guilty of doing this too at some point in your life (whether you care to admit it or not).

The first thing you need to do is identify your desired goal. If your goal is to build muscle, then you have come to the right place and you should take a minute listen up.

The one and ONLY most important factor that you need to consider when it comes to your quest to build muscle, is TENSION. (more on that in a minute..)

We have all heard people speak about mind-muscle connection, or that you’ve got to really “squeeze” a muscle to make it grow. I don’t know about you, but for most people this is a really hard concept to figure out. Those of us that “get” what it means, still really have a difficult time putting it to action.

The good news is, this is quite a simple concept and I will show you how to apply it to building your muscles literally TWICE as fast.

The Importance of Muscle Tension

Here is what you need to know:

Muscles communicate in terms of tension. They have absolutely NO idea how much weight youre lifting. They only know how much tension or torque is going through them.

What if I told you there was a way to perform more or less ANY exercise so that you could FEEL it EXACTLY where youre supposed to feel it, AND increase muscular tension with LESS weight to get results TWICE as fast in half the time. Sounds pretty cool, right? I’ll explain.

YOU can control exactly how much tension or torque that goes through a muscle you are working at ANY point in the workout.

You have complete control over HOW HARD you squeeze, HOW LONG you work, and most importantly EXACTLY WHERE you squeeze and contract.

You can selectively train EXACTLY the muscle youre supposed to be and not train anything that you don’t want to be.

Every guy out there knows what im talking about. We’ve all don’t bench presses and got NO pump in our chests but our delts and tris were cooked! No more, gents!

Introducing Intention!

I would like to take this moment to introduce to you the revolutionary muscle building technique called INTENTION!

The way I describe intention to people I encounter that are unfamiliar with it is this:

“Intention is the CONSCIOUS INTENT to create TENSION in the muscle”

I know, I know, sounds a little hokey. BUT the fact of the matter is that this is BY FAR the best way to ensure you are maintain tension on the working muscle.

The number one most highly correlated factor with building muscle is “TIME UNDER TENSION”. The longer you can keep tension directly on a muscle, the more you control the rate at which that muscle grows.

You can do a bench press all day long, and if there is not tension in the pecs, you WILL NOT build pecs. Why is it that some people can build great chests while bench pressing while others cant? Because some peoples “genetics” all them to
thoughtlessly keep a greater amount of tension in that muscle!

We now have the ability to do this consciously. The best part is, IT’S EASY!!

INTENTION in Action.

The most simple example of intention exists on the bench press. Grab on the bar in front of you, just like you would on a bench press. You can use any stable surface for this example. I will use the edge of my desk. I grab the edge of my desk about equally as wide as I would on a bench press. Hold on firmly, and without letting your hands move from that
position, “shove” them toward each other. What happened? Your chest contracted didn’t it?

Now imagine doing this exact thing through a range of motion, like in a bench press.

WOW! You just created continuous tension in the EXACT muscle you wanted to! Pretty cool right!?

Get Ben Pakulski’s MI-40 Program Here: http://www.mi-40.com

And by getting it through one of these links you also get:

1) A complimentary copy of my own program “Body Re-Engineering” (valued at $39.99). Combining Body Re-Engineering with MI-40 will give you the most incredible gains in muscle mass and you will have half a year worth of muscle building and fat blasting workouts!

2) A NEVER BEFORE SEEN 120-Minute video that I am putting together on how you can combine the power of Body Re-Engineering and the power of MI-40 in order to get the most explosive gains imaginable! This video is valued at $300 but it is my gift from me to you as my way to say thank you for your support!

Remember that between Body Re-Engineering and MI-40 you have almost half a year worth of unique muscle producing and fat blasting workouts!

Again, please make sure that when you pick up MI-40 you forward your receipt to hugo@hugorivera.net with the title ”SPECIAL BRE OFFER” and I’ll get it sent over to you asap (within 24 hours)! I will then send you also the video as soon as I have it ready (in around 2 weeks from today). I want to make sure that you are taken care off.  And if you are a current BRE customer, please bring it to my attention by putting in the title line Special Customer.  That way I can do something really special for you.

TAKE ACTION NOW ==>
I Am Ready To Get Big and Use The Power of MI-40 and BRE to Get HUGE!

By the way, order today (December 1, 2011) and you also get a FREE REPORT detailing the routine that Ben used to put on 2 inches on his arm prior to the Arnold Classic!  I will be implementing this one next week to see if I can at least get an extra half inch!  This offer will only be available until midnight tonight and Ben says that after he is not even making that book available anymore so the time to get MI-40 is NOW!

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OFFER NOW ==>
Sign Me Up for a Copy of MI-40 (Valued at Over $1300) + Body Re-Engineering ($39.99) + 2-Hour Exclusive Video ($300) for Only $47

(After Friday at Midnight Pacific Time, MI-40 goes up to $77 and there will be no extra bonuses)

• Natural Bodybuilding Video: Hugo Rivera and Ben Pakulski Talk Bodybuilding Training with MI-40
• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ – Can You Follow The Pro Routines and Other Advice?
• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ – Training Over 40
• Check Out My Latest Natural Bodybuilding Article on February 2012 Edition of Natural Muscle
• 10 Anabolic Recipes For Your Natural Bodybuilding Diet

Here is another 30 minute natural bodybuilding workout by popular demand.  This week I want to share with you a 30 minute shoulder workout that is guaranteed to fry the shoulder muscles.  Once again, remember that there is not one magic bodybuilding workout that will give you all of the muscle growth that you desire. You need to change your workout routines every 3-4 weeks in order to keep results coming, and the more advanced you become, the more variation your training needs.

Another thing that needs to be understood is that no workout routine will burn off the fat for you. Burning off the fat only happens when the diet is correct. If the nutrition is inadequate, your fat will stay right where it is at. And if your nutrition is horrible, the fat stores may actually increase. Thus, make sure that you are following a good nutrition program such as the fat burning diet I present on this website if losing fat is what your goal is.

(Check out my fat burning diet right here: Fat Burning Diet)

Now, if you are looking to stimulate some new muscle growth in your shoulder muscles this 30-minute shoulder workout routine is guaranteed to add inches of width to your back as well as thickness!

This workout is fast paced and it involves the use of trisets and supersets. A triset is three exercises performed one after the other with no rest in between. You only rest the prescribed amount of time after the third exercise. A superset is the same as a triset but with only two exercises in the circuit.

It is important to understand that this routine is for the more advanced bodybuilders that visit this website who have at least a solid year and a half of training under their belt. If you are a beginner, you are better served by the routines presented on my Getting Started in Bodybuilding article.

Without further ado, here is my specialization workout for back for those brave souls out there who are looking to cause some new growth.

30 Minute Natural Bodybuilding Specialization Workout Routine for Shoulders

(Triset)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 sets of 8-10 reps (no rest)
Lateral Raises 4 sets of 8-10 reps (no rest)
Bent Over Lateral Raises 4 sets of as many reps as possible (1 minute rest)

Note: Use the same dumbbells you used for the lateral raises for your bet over laterals. You may need to decrease the weight in order to stay within the recommended repetition ranges for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th trisets.

(Superset)
Barbell Upright Rows (Use a shoulder width grip) 3 sets of 8-10 reps (no rest)
One Arm Dumbbell Lateral Raises  3 sets of 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

(Superset)
Front Dumbbell Laterals 3 sets of 12-15 reps (no rest)
Rear Delt Rows Using Either T-Bar Row Machine or A Barbell  3 sets of 15-18 reps (1 minute rest)

Note: For the rear delt rows you can use a barbell and perform them as you would a bent over row but with the elbows out to the side (as if doing a reverse bench press)

Follow this workout with a either a protein shake that contains carbs as well -OR-  6 ounces of chicken breast (3 ounces if you are a female), vegetables, and a carb like baked potato or rice in order to maximize recovery and get the muscle growth process started.

Workout Split To Use

For workouts like this, I like to use a one body part per day training split. A one body part training split is designed in such a way that only one muscle group is targeted in each bodybuilding workout. This is a great way to train for very advanced bodybuilders who are significantly strong and can generate such a high level of intensity in each workout that training less frequently will allow for better results and recovery.

There are two advantages to this workout split:

1. It allows the advanced bodybuilder to just concentrate on the body part at hand and work it from all possible angles. At at advanced level, the goal is to not only build new muscle mass but also to correct any imbalances and achieve perfect symmetry (or harmony between body parts).

2. It allows the muscle to better recover from the high volume and intensity required from this advanced level of training.

Below you will find a good examples of how I would set up my one muscle group per day training split in order to prioritize my chest.

Monday: Chest/Calves
Tuesday: Hamstrings/Abs
Wednesday: Arms
Thursday: Shoulders/Calves
Friday: Quadriceps/Abs
Saturday: Back/Abs
Sunday: Rest

Conclusion

Try this workout out for four weeks before changing to another one and feel free to alter the order of the exercises every week in order to keep things different for your body.

By the way, after doing this workout I recommend that you do a lower volume workout such as the 5 sets of 5 reps workout for 4 weeks.

If you find the information of this website useful, please feel free to check out any of my best selling natural bodybuilding and fitness publications here.

Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube page at:

www.youtube.com/hugoriverafitness

and to CLICK LIKE on my:

Hugo Rivera Best Selling Fitness Author Fan Page.

• Check Out My Latest Natural Bodybuilding Article on February 2012 Edition of Natural Muscle
• 10 Anabolic Recipes For Your Natural Bodybuilding Diet
• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ on The “Anabolic Amplifier” Program
• Natural Bodybuilding Tips for Making Bulking Up Work Without Gaining Fat
• Hugo Rivera's Natural Bodybuilding Tips for Gaining Muscle, Getting Lean and Losing Fat while Still Enjoying the Holidays

Since I posted my chest workout I started to get requests for other 30 minute workouts.  So this week I want to share with you a 30 minute back workout that I like.  Once again, remember that there is not one magic routine that will give you all of the muscle growth that you desire. You need to change your workout routines every 3-4 weeks in order to keep results coming, and the more advanced you become, the more variation your training needs.

Another thing that needs to be understood is that no workout routine will burn off the fat for you. Burning off the fat only happens when the diet is correct. If the nutrition is inadequate, your fat will stay right where it is at. And if your nutrition is horrible, the fat stores may actually increase. Thus, make sure that you are following a good nutrition program such as the fat burning diet I present on this website if losing fat is what your goal is.

(Check out my fat burning diet right here: Fat Burning Diet)

Now, if you are looking to stimulate some new muscle growth in your back muscles this 30-minute back workout routine is guaranteed to add inches of width to your back as well as thickness!

This workout is fast paced and it involves the use of trisets and supersets. A triset is three exercises performed one after the other with no rest in between. You only rest the prescribed amount of time after the third exercise. A superset is the same as a triset but with only two exercises in the circuit.

It is important to understand that this routine is for the more advanced bodybuilders that visit this website who have at least a solid year and a half of training under their belt. If you are a beginner, you are better served by the routines presented on my Getting Started in Bodybuilding article.

Without further ado, here is my specialization workout for back for those brave souls out there who are looking to cause some new growth.

30 Minute Natural Bodybuilding Specialization Workout Routine for Back

(Triset)
Wide Grip Pull-Ups to Front 4 sets of 8-10 reps (no rest)
One Arm Rows 4 sets of 8-10 reps (no rest)
Close Grip Chins (Reverse Grip) 4 sets of as many reps as possible (1 minute rest)

Note: Use the same dumbbells you used for the Flyes. You may need to decrease the weight in order to stay within the recommended repetition ranges for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th trisets.

(Superset)
Barbell Rows 3 sets of 8-10 reps (no rest)
Reverse Grip Barbell Rows 3 sets of as many as you can do with the same weight as the barbell rows (1 minute rest)

(Superset)
Close Grip Pull-ups to Front 3 sets of 12-15 reps (no rest)
Two Arm Dumbbell Rows 3 sets of 15-18 reps (1 minute rest)

Note: If you cannot do Pull-ups yet due to lack of strength, try the Gravitron Machine. If there is no Gravitron Machine available at your gym then try having someone help you.  If none of these options are available, then use a pull-down machine, even though for maximum benefits, the pull-up is recommended.

Follow this workout with a either a protein shake that contains carbs as well or 6 ounces of chicken breast (3 ounces if you are a female), vegetables, and a carb like baked potato or rice in order to maximize recovery and get the muscle growth process started.

Workout Split To Use

For workouts like this, I like to use a one body part per day training split. A one body part training split is designed in such a way that only one muscle group is targeted in each bodybuilding workout. This is a great way to train for very advanced bodybuilders who are significantly strong and can generate such a high level of intensity in each workout that training less frequently will allow for better results and recovery.

There are two advantages to this workout split:

1.It allows the advanced bodybuilder to just concentrate on the body part at hand and work it from all possible angles. At at advanced level, the goal is to not only build new muscle mass but also to correct any imbalances and achieve perfect symmetry (or harmony between body parts).

2.It allows the muscle to better recover from the high volume and intensity required from this advanced level of training.

Below you will find a good examples of how I would set up my one muscle group per day training split in order to prioritize my chest.

Monday: Chest/Calves
Tuesday: Hamstrings/Abs
Wednesday: Arms
Thursday: Shoulders/Calves
Friday: Quadriceps/Abs
Saturday: Back/Abs
Sunday: Rest

Conclusion

Try this workout out for four weeks before changing to another one and feel free to alter the order of the exercises every week in order to keep things different for your body.

By the way, after doing this workout I recommend that you do a lower volume workout such as the 5 sets of 5 reps workout for 4 weeks.

If you find the information of this website useful, please feel free to check out any of my best selling natural bodybuilding and fitness publications here.

Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube page at:

www.youtube.com/hugoriverafitness

and to CLICK LIKE on my:

Hugo Rivera Best Selling Fitness Author Fan Page.

• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ – Training Over 40
• Check Out My Latest Natural Bodybuilding Article on February 2012 Edition of Natural Muscle
• 10 Anabolic Recipes For Your Natural Bodybuilding Diet
• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ on The “Anabolic Amplifier” Program
• Natural Bodybuilding Tips for Making Bulking Up Work Without Gaining Fat

I always seem to get a lot of questions regarding how to get the chest muscles to grow and also asking how to lose body fat in the chest area.  One thing that needs to be understood is that there is not one magic routine that will give you all of the muscle growth that you desire.  You need to change your workout routines every 3-4 weeks in order to keep results coming, and the more advanced you become, the more variation your training needs. 

Another thing that needs to be understood is that no workout routine will burn off the fat for you.  Burning off the fat only happens when the diet is correct.  If the nutrition is inadequate, your fat will stay right where it is at.  And if your nutrition is horrible, the fat stores may actually increase.  Thus, make sure that you are following a good nutrition program such as the fat burning diet I present on this website if losing fat is what your goal is.

(Check out my fat burning diet right here: Fat Burning Diet)

Now, if you are looking to stimulate some new muscle growth in your chest muscles I have a 30-minute chest workout routine that is guaranteed to set the chest on fire!

I have used this workout routine with great results and I can guarantee you that I am in some serious pain after performing this 30 minute workout for Chest.

This workout is fast paced and it involves the use of trisets and supersets. A triset is three exercises performed one after the other with no rest in between. You only rest the prescribed amount of time after the third exercise. A superset is the same as a triset but with only two exercises in the circuit.

It is important to understand that this routine is for the more advanced bodybuilders that visit this website who have at least a solid year and a half of training under their belt. If you are a beginner, you are better served by the routines presented on my Getting Started in Bodybuilding article.

Without further ado, here is my specialization workout for chest for those brave souls out there who are looking to cause some new growth.

30 Minute Bodybuilding Specialization Workout Routine for Chest

(Triset)
Incline Dumbbell Press 4 sets of 4-8 reps (no rest)
Incline Dumbbell Flyes 4 sets of 8-10 reps (no rest)
Incline Dumbbell Press 4 sets of as many reps as possible (1 minute rest)

Note: Use the same dumbbells you used for the Flyes. You may need to decrease the weight in order to stay within the recommended repetition ranges for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th trisets.

(Superset)
Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets of 4-8 reps (no rest)
Weighted Chest Dips 3 sets of 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

(Superset)
Dumbbell Flyes 3 sets of 12-15 reps (no rest)
Push-Ups 3 sets of 15-18 reps (1 minute rest)

Note: If you cannot do Dips yet due to lack of strength, try the Gravitron Machine. If there is no Gravitron Machine available at your gym and no dip machine either, then substitute Dips with Pushups.

Follow this workout with a either a protein shake that contains carbs as well or 6 ounces of chicken breast (3 ounces if you are a female), vegetables, and a carb like baked potato or rice in order to maximize recovery and get the muscle growth process started.

Workout Split To Use

For workouts like this, I like to use a one body part per day training split. A one body part training split is designed in such a way that only one muscle group is targeted in each bodybuilding workout. This is a great way to train for very advanced bodybuilders who are significantly strong and can generate such a high level of intensity in each workout that training less frequently will allow for better results and recovery.

There are two advantages to this workout split:

1.It allows the advanced bodybuilder to just concentrate on the body part at hand and work it from all possible angles. At at advanced level, the goal is to not only build new muscle mass but also to correct any imbalances and achieve perfect symmetry (or harmony between body parts).

2.It allows the muscle to better recover from the high volume and intensity required from this advanced level of training.

Below you will find a good examples of how I would set up my one muscle group per day training split in order to prioritize my chest.

Monday: Chest/Calves
Tuesday: Hamstrings/Abs
Wednesday: Arms
Thursday: Shoulders/Calves
Friday: Quadriceps/Abs
Saturday: Back/Abs
Sunday: Rest

Conclusion

Try this workout out for four weeks before changing to another one and feel free to alter the order of the exercises every week in order to keep things different for your body.

By the way, after doing this workout I recommend that you do a lower volume workout such as the 5 sets of 5 reps workout for 4 weeks.

If you find the information of this website useful, please feel free to check out any of my best selling natural bodybuilding and fitness publications here.

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• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ – Training Over 40
• Check Out My Latest Natural Bodybuilding Article on February 2012 Edition of Natural Muscle
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I would say that the best way to stimulate gains for most people is by training 1 hour, once a day, with 45 minutes being better for most. Depending on the unique recovery capabilities of the person, 4-6 days a week of weight training will do the job. Remember that muscle growth occurs as you rest and not while you are training.

Also, after 60 minutes of training the levels of the catabolic hormone cortisol increases and testosterone decreases, a hormonal situation that will prevent you from making any gains.

Like former 8-Time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney used to say: “Stimulate, don’t annihilate”.

• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ – Training Over 40
• Check Out My Latest Natural Bodybuilding Article on February 2012 Edition of Natural Muscle
• 10 Anabolic Recipes For Your Natural Bodybuilding Diet
• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ on The “Anabolic Amplifier” Program
• Natural Bodybuilding Tips for Making Bulking Up Work Without Gaining Fat

This is a very common question for beginners who are just getting started in natural bodybuilding.

The answer, however, is a very simple one but before I discuss it, we need to first talk about muscular failure.

What is Muscular Failure?

Muscular failure is the point in which performing another repetition on your own with good form becomes impossible. I always suggest that you stop an exercise once you know that you won’t be able to complete another repetition by yourself with good form. So for example, if you are doing incline dumbbell presses with 60-lb dumbbells and you have done 12 repetitions but know that you cannot do another one, then you have reached muscular failure in the 12th rep.

How to Select the Weight for an Exercise?

Your weight selection for an exercise will be based on the amount of repetitions that the routine calls for. So for example, if your routine calls for 10-12 repetitions of an incline bench press, then you need to select a weight that will allow you to reach muscular failure within 10-12 repetitions. Since you are just starting out, your weight selection will be a trial and error process. Here are the steps that you will need to follow.

1.Start out by knowing how many repetitions the routine calls for. For the purposes of this explanation, we will use the above example of the incline bench press where the routine calls for 10-12 repetitions.

2.Select a weight that you think may allow you to perform 10-12 repetitions to failure with good form.

3.If you fail within the 10-12 repetition range, then keep that weight and use it for the following set.

4.If you fail before achieving the 10th rep (say that you failed at 8), then reduce the weight for the following set.

5.If you fail after the 12th rep, then increase the weight slightly for the following set.

As a beginner, it is imperative that you keep a journal where you write down the weights used for each exercise at a given repetition range. In this manner, you will start getting familiarized with what weights to use every time you go to the gym. This is also a great way to keep track of your progress.

When to Increase the Weights?

Even though you did not ask this question, since this topic is related to the weight selection process, I would like to address it.

The weight for an exercise should only be increased when the current weight used will consistently result in reaching muscular failure above the repetition range that is recommended for an exercise.

For example, let’s say that your workout routine calls for 3 sets of dumbbell curls for 10-12 reps, and your training journal indicates that you use 35-lb dumbbells for this exercise and that you fail at 12 reps. You start the exercise with the 35-lbs but this time you see that you fail at 13 reps. This tells you that it is time now to go up in weight.

Note: Again, this example shows the value of having a training journal.

What is a Good Bodybuilding Workout Routine for Beginners?

As far as what routine to use, please take a look at my guide for Getting Started in Bodybuilding. This guide will not only show you what bodybuilding workout to use, but it will also talk about other important items that one needs to take into account when getting started.

If you find the information of this website useful, please feel free to check out any of my best selling natural bodybuilding and fitness publications here.

Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube page at:

www.youtube.com/hugoriverafitness

and to CLICK LIKE on my:

Hugo Rivera Best Selling Fitness Author Fan Page.

• Natural Bodybuilding FAQ: How to Choose a Good Personal Trainer?
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Question: Hi Hugo.  I’m a big fan of your articles and columns.  Thanks for all of the great work you do.  I have a question.  I realize that I am a natural bodybuilder but I would like to do some high volume routines, like Arnold used to do.  Is there any way that as a natural bodybuilder I can get away with doing a high volume workout program?  Also, I want to emphasize my leg development.  Can you help me with this? 

Answer: A good advanced natural bodybuilding workout routine that you can use with your requirements in mind is the following:

Workout Notes: Keep rest in between sets to 60 seconds unless instructed otherwise. For supersets, you only rest 60 seconds after the second exercise on the superset. There is no rest after the first exercise in a superset.

Monday: Legs
Lunges (press with ball of foot) 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Leg Press 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Leg Extensions 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Hack Squats (press with heels to emphasize glutes) 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Lying Leg Curls 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Standing Leg Curls 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Squats 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Tuesday: Shoulders/Calves
Standing Military Press 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Lateral Raises 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Barbell Upright Rows 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Bent Over Laterals 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Front Raises 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Rear Delt Machine 3 sets of 12-15 reps

Calf Press 10 sets of 6-20 reps (15 sec rest in between sets)
Note: Choose a weight that you can do for 20 repetitions on the first set. Keep that same weight through all 10 sets.

Seated Calf Raises 2 sets of 50 reps

Wednesday: Biceps/Triceps
Superset: Barbell Curl and Overhead Triceps Extensions 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Superset: Incline Curl and Triceps Pushdowns 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Superset: Cable Curls and Lying Triceps Extensions (with E-Z Bar) 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Superset: Preacher Curl and Rope Pushdowns 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Superset: Hammer Curls and Triceps Dips 3 sets of 12-15 reps

Thursday: Legs
Lunges (press with ball of foot) 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Leg Press 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Leg Extensions 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Hack Squats (press with heels to emphasize glutes) 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Lying Leg Curls 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Standing Leg Curls 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Squats 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Friday: Chest
75 Degree Incline Bench Press 3 sets of 8-10 reps
45 Degree Incline Bench Press 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Flat Dumbbell Press 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Chest Dips 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Incline Dumbbell Flyes 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Cable Crossovers 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Flat Cable Flyes 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Chest Dips 3 sets of 12-15 reps

Saturday: Back
Wide Grip Pull-ups to Front 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Close Grip Chin-Ups (Reverse Grip; Palms facing you) 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Neutral Grip Pull-ups 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Low Pulley Rows 3 sets of 12-15 reps
T-Bar Rows 3 sets of 10-12 reps
One Arm Rows 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Stiff Arm Rope Pulldowns 3 sets of 12-15 reps

Abdominals Training Routine

I would do the following Abdominals Training Routine every morning after waking up. I would start with the first exercise and then perform the other exercises with no rest in between them. Rest only 60 seconds after the V-Ups before starting over with the Leg Raises.

Giant Set:
Leg Raises 3 sets of 15-25
Bicycle Crunches 3 sets of 15-25
Crunches 3 sets of 15-25
Knee-Ins 3 sets of 15-25
V-Ups 3 sets of 15-25

Make sure that you change the exercise order and even some of the exercises every week.  Feel free also to superset at will.  And as always, after 6 weeks I recommend that you change to a program like the one in the link below as the body gets used to everything.

Sample Natural Bodybuilding Routine Using Periodization

Try these natural bodybuilding routines and let me know how it goes.

If you find the information of this website useful, please feel free to check out any of my best selling natural bodybuilding and fitness publications here

• Natural Bodybuilding Q&A: Squats Don't Work Your Legs?
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In this natural bodybuilding workout routine article, I describe how to perform a quick 25 minute routine that can incinerate the arm muscles in the comfort of your home. All you need is some adjustable dumbbells and you are good to go!

Quick 25 Minute Natural Bodybuilding Workout Routine for Arms

In order to move quickly we will be doing supersets, performing one exercise after the other.  We will only rest 1 minute in between supersets in order to keep moving quickly.

Superset #1
Alternate Dumbbell Curls 3 sets of 8-10 (no rest)
Close Grip Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets of 8-10 (60 second rest)

Superset #2
Concentration Curls 3 sets of 10-12 (no rest)
One Arm Triceps Kickbacks 3 sets of 10-12 (60 second rest)

Superset #3
Hammer Curls 3 sets of 12-15 (no rest)
One Arm Overhead Dumbell Triceps Extensions 3 sets of 12-15 (60 second rest)

Arm Workout Notes:

1) Training Frequency: Train the arms twice a week.

2) Training Splits: You can do them in conjunction with your chest, your shoulders or your back. For more information on different training splits please take a look below:

Training Split #1:

Day 1: Chest, Biceps, Triceps

Day 2: Legs

Day 3: Back, Shoulders, Abs

Day 4: Rest

Day 5: Start Over

Training Split #2:

Day 1: Chest, Back, Abs

Day 2: Legs

Day 3: Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps

Day 4: Rest

Day 5: Start Over

Training Split #3:

Day 1: Chest, Shoulders, Abs

Day 2: Legs

Day 3: Back, Biceps, Triceps

Day 4: Rest

Day 5: Start Over

3) Practice Perfect Form: In order to get the best results, remember to practice perfect form by performing the movement in a deliberate way with no swinging, squeezing the muscles at the contracted position and then going all the way back to the beginning of the movement slowly.

If you find the information of this website useful, please feel free to check out any of my best selling natural bodybuilding and fitness publications here.

• Natural Bodybuilding 35 Minute Arms Workout
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