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

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• 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

Since a lot of you have been really interested by the email that I recently sent talking about bulking up without fat gain, and have asked me about the “Anabolic Amplifier”  program mentioned on the e-reports I shared with you, I decided to answer in this article all of the questions I have gotten regarding the Anabolic Amplifier Program.  Thus, here I will summarize all of the questions I got as best as I can.

What Do You Think of the Program? 

I think that this is a great program that shows you how 2 natural bodybuilding competitors and authors successfully implemented the principles of mini bulk/trim down cycles in order to gain tons of lean body mass in a short period of time.

The program is sound and comes with the exact training and diet plans that the authors used.  One thing that I really like is the fact that they individualize the training programs based on the goals that you have.

There are three specific workout programs that you can follow based on the type of body you’d like to build:

a- The Fitness Model Physique Workout

b- The Muscle Model Physique Workout

c- The Hardcore Bodybuilder Physique Workout

The workouts are short and intense and will give your body new stimulus for growth.

They also individualize the diets based on the amount of body fat that you are carrying and your body type as well, something that I am a huge believer on!

Thus, you have different recommendations for:

a-Ectomorphs (The naturally skinny body type that needs to gain muscular bodyweight).

b-Endomorph (The naturally overweight body type that needs to lose bodyfat, while increasing muscle mass…the guy like me J).

c-Mesomorph (The more genetically blessed guy that gains muscle and loses body fat quickly!  The lucky ones!).

The nutrition recommendations are exact and you will not exactly how many carbs, proteins and fats to consume based on your specific body weight.  Like myself on the Body Re-Engineering program, recommendations are made for bodyweights ranging from 100lbs – 300lbs.  Great useful stuff!

I Read About How This Program Can Make You Gain Up to 12lbs of Muscle In 21 Days…Sorry Man But Isn’t That  Just Plain B.S.?

Muscle growth happens in two ways:

1-Muscle Volumization caused by increased water levels and glycogen levels inside the muscle fiber cell. This type of muscle growth happens quickly!

2-Muscle Fiber increase via increased protein content.  This type of muscle growth happens much slower than the first one.

I read the text of the claims that Lee and Vince make and what they are really talking about is lean body mass.  Keep in mind that lean body mass does not only consist of muscle fiber weight, but of the glycogen and water weight inside of that fiber as well.  Because glycogen and water are important components of the muscle fiber, by increasing these two substances inside it dramatically your muscle cell will go up in size and so will your weight.  Thus, when they talk about “up to 12-lbs” consider that to be the combined weight of the muscle fiber, the glycogen and the water inside the muscle as well.    (Note: By the way, intra-cellular water retention is one of the ways in which creatine imparts its effects.)

At any rate, using mini cycles of bulk up/fat loss periods will maximize the muscle cell ability to super hydrate itself and that is why you will see the big fluctuations in fat free weight.  Over time, your muscle fiber protein content will also increase, making for a permanently bigger muscle fiber (and one that can hold more glycogen and water inside it).  This is especially true when you do a bodybuilding contest.  After a contest, your body is in such an anabolic state once you start to eat that you can easily gain 10-15 lbs of fat free mass in a day!  I remember that right after the USA’s I was up from 165-lbs to 180lbs in less than 48 hrs….and this was fat free weight brought upon by clean eating and a significant calorie raise!

Have You Used This Program Before?

As I stated in my Bulking Up article I have used my own version of the program.  I can tell you however that this is a really good implementation as well and I will be using the routines laid out sometime in the near future when I decide to do mini bulk/trim down cycles.

Does The Body Get Used to This Program?

The body gets used to any program and that is the reason that we need to keep introducing variation in both the training and diet programs in order to keep progressing.  And the more advanced one is, the more we need to vary the program.  I recommend that you follow this type of program for 6 weeks and then change to another program such as Body Re-Engineering or MI-40.

Hugo, I’m a big fan.  I have your Body Re-Engineering program, your Body Sculpting program and last month I also got MI-40.  Got great results from all of these programs so thank you!  How would you go about using all of these workouts throughout the year?  How do you do it?

Great question and thanks for the feedback!

The key to continuous progress is periodization, which as you know is the orderly change of the training via strategic changes in the workout variables of sets, repetitions, rest in between sets, and exercises used that will produce the best gains in muscle mass and strength.

Through the use of periodization, not only you keep your body guessing (and thus changing), but you also maximize your training efforts by priming your body for muscle growth, then taxing the body to the point that it is on the brink of overtraining, and finally cutting back on the training volume in order to allow the body to recover and grow.

There are many ways of applying periodization.  Body Re-Engineering (BRE), The 14-Day Body Sculpting Program (14-BSP), MI-40, and “The Anabolic Amplifier Program” are all forms of periodized programs that can be combined with great success!

Every year I change the way that I combine things but here is a good way to combine things:

I will start with the Anabolic Amplifier Program as that is what you are contemplating on using.

6 weeks – Anabolic Amplifier Program

1 week- Active Recovery Phase from BRE

3 weeks Loading Phase from BRE

3 weeks Growth Phase from BRE

1 week- Active Recovery Phase from BRE

6 weeks 14-BSP

1 week- Active Recovery Phase from BRE

40 days of MI-40

1 week- Active Recovery Phase from BRE

Repeat

When you repeat the strategy you can use a different set of BRE workouts and 14-BSP workouts in order to introduce more variety into the program.

Following the strategy above gives you almost a year worth of workouts!

Will This Program Work for Women?

Absolutely.  This program works as well on women as it does for men.

I hope that this answers most of your questions.  If you are interested in this program you can check it out here

=> Anabolic Amplifier Program: 21 Day Fast Mass Muscle Building

• Natural Bodybuilding Tips for Making Bulking Up Work Without Gaining Fat
• Check Out My Latest Natural Bodybuilding Article on February 2012 Edition of Natural Muscle
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• Hugo Rivera's Natural Bodybuilding Tips for Gaining Muscle, Getting Lean and Losing Fat while Still Enjoying the Holidays
• Natural Bodybuilding 30-Minute Shoulder Workout

Ben Pakulski and Hugo Rivera talk about how they feel about high carb diets, when carbs should be consumed, and how many fats you need in order to gain muscle naturally.

Don’t miss out Part 3 where Ben and Hugo talk about Bodybuilding 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: Can I Get Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time?

Bodybuilding Question: Ben, is it possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?  If so, how can I do it?

Answer from Ben: I’m not going to sit here and assume you all don’t already know how important nutrition is to optimizing growth. I KNOW you do.

People come to me all the time and ask “What is the BEST approach to take if I want to gain muscle and lose fat?”  Is that even possible?

Well, the truth of the matter is that, yes, it is absolutely possible. Is it easy? Of course not.

BUT it is SIMPLE.

Let me do my best to explain.

Your first consideration when it comes to nutrition is RECOVERY.  You need to always ensure that your body has what it needs to recover when it needs it.  It is very important to nourish your muscles around the workout.  Your muscles need protein, in the form of amino acids, present in the bloodstream ALL the time or the body will start to leach those aminos from other parts of your body (Read: break down your muscles). This is BAD NEWS for those of us trying to build muscle.

REMEMBER: Weight training is a catabolic process — it breaks down muscle! It’s when we leave the gym and feed the body that the growth and re-growth processes occur.

Whenever possible we want to minimize the amount of muscle breakdown during the workout. In order to do this, certain essential nutrients MUST be present:

— branch chain aminos
— glutamine
— arginine
— antioxidants
— glucose
— zinc

This is your first consideration when it comes to building muscle.  The other main considerations of an intelligent nutrition plan are timing of nutrients, and ratio of nutrients (percentage of fats/carbs/proteins).

How do I know WHEN to EAT WHAT?
I think by this point in my life I have probably read EVERY nutrition book ever written (or at least started to read them all. Some are terrible so I toss them out halfway through).  I have probably tried every single logical approach to nutrition at some point in my life.

I was once a vegetarian; I have tried really high carb, low protein; I have tried high protein, low carb; zero carb; zero fat; gluten free; Ketogenic diet; Metabolic diet; Hollywood diet; Fasting diet….you get the idea!  The only one I think I haven’t tried yet is raw food diet because I just don’t think I could support my bodyweight with the limited food sources.

I could tell you pros and cons of each one for someone trying to build muscle and optimize their body composition (a.k.a.,Lose Fat).

My approach to nutrition is very much a hybrid of them all. I believe I have taken the best points from each one and manipulated them to create a formula for people trying to build lean muscle without the excess fat.

3-Phase Nutrition to Doubling Your Muscle Gains

Phase 1 of “3-P” is the “recovery” phase.

This phase is centered around taking the time to ensure that your body is getting everything it needs to recover from the overload of weight training and daily stress that you subject it to.  The idea here is to take time to establish the EXACT minimum requirements to meet your bodies needs on a day- to- day basis. As the recovery process begins DURING the workout, so does the P-1 phase.
The calculations are quite simple and applicable to everyone.
Workout carb requirement:

Lean Bodyweight x 0.3= Liquid carb requirement for growth(G)

Lean Bodyweight x 0.3/2= Liquid Carb requirement for fat loss (FL)

We now use this number [(G) OR (FL)] as our baseline number.

Post workout Window- Protein Requirement:

Multiple your baseline number x 2 for your post- workout protein requirement.

Divide your baseline number by 2 to get your BCAA and Glutamine amount in grams. Split BCAA And Glutamine into 2 equal servings, pre- and post- workout.

So here it is in action…

EXAMPLE

Massive Muscle Builder #1 weighs 170lbs and is 10% bodyfat (therefore 153lbs lean). He is looking to gain muscle. His calculation looks like this:

153 x 0.3= 51 grams of carbs to be consumed *around workout.

1) He should try to consume 102g of protein in the 3-hr “POST WORKOUT Window”

2) He should consume 25g of BCAA and 25g of Glutamine each, divided into two servings. One pre- workout, and one post- workout. (12.5g each time)

Pretty simple, right?

Take the time to calculate YOUR ‘P1’ values NOW!

Do not waste another minute in the gym if you’re not supporting the recovery process.

Phase 2 of “3-P” is “Setting your metabolism”

The second phase of 3-PN is all about establishing your metabolism where YOU want it to be!

Yes, this is absolutely possible.  Someone wanting to lose body fat should look at getting their metabolism going as fast as possible before they start the fat burning process.  For some people, this may take up to 3 weeks; others may achieve it in a week. The standard amount of time for this “metabolic recondition-ing” is 10 days in MI40.

The timing of your food is extremely important. The ratio of protein/carbs/fats is also obviously extremely important.
This phase is also very important for teaching your body how to use nutrients the way you want it to. It’s no secret that 80% of North Americans do not use carbohydrates well. It will be during P-2 that we diligently time your nutrients and use the proper supplementation to allow your cells to re-learn how to properly use carbohydrates.

More effective use of carbohydrates = more muscle growth and less fat!

Phase 3 of “3-P”

Phase 3 of “3-P” is is the phase that is most important to directing and guiding your body exactly where YOU want it to go.

This is the phase where we add or remove calories/nutrients to achieve the specific goal we have set out to achieve.

Most of the participants of MI40 are going to be following what is called a “P-3+” phase.  This is specifically designed to ensure that your body is getting all the nutrients it needs AT THE RIGHT TIMES!  Nutrient timing is THE ONLY WAY to manipulate gains: WHEN your body gets WHAT is the number one most important growth variable outside the gym.

MI40 is going to be pushing your limits of physical performance and growth. Your body is going to require a greater amount of nutrients than it is used to. This is necessary to support all the growth processes.

“But, wont I get fat?”

NO. If you push your physical limits in the gym, your body is going to have a huge increase in demand for nutrients and will burn right through them.

To ensure there is NO FAT STORAGE, MI40 will also prescribe a certain degree of NUTRIENT CYCLING.  We give your body all that it needs to grow. Filly those muscles right up so they are strong and ready to grow and recover. Just when they are just about filled to the max, we manipulate the nutrient ratios and prevent spillage.  ALWAYS maintain your P-1+ status. This means you keep your recovery protocol exactly as prescribed above(+).

This is essential to maintain recovery and prevent muscle wasting.

Note:  For Those of You Who Missed the MI-40 Special Last Week and Are Still Interested in MI-40

==> MI-40 Super Saver Special (Get the MI-40 PDF Files + BRE for $29.95)

If You order, please forward me the receipt via email at hugo@hugorivera.net with the following in the subject line: Super Saver Special.

• No Related Posts

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?
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• 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

Over the weekend I got the following question:

I read a lot of bodybuilding magazines and I read the routines and diets of the pros. However, some of my buddies at the gym say that all of that is garbage. Since you have been involved in bodybuilding for a while, I hope that you can help me.

Natural Bodybuilding FAQ – Can You Follow The Pro Routines and Other Pro Advice?

Pro bodybuilding has gotten a bad reputation due to all of the steroid use associated with the sport, especially at the professional division. However, while most pros have incredible genetics and may be have some drug assistance, it is not wise to conclude that all of the advice from a pro bodybuilder will not work for you. It is just like with anything, it depends on the source of the information.

Since I have been lucky to meet many of the top pros, here are 5 things that anyone can learn from a top pro bodybuilder:

5 Things That You Can Lean From Pro Bodybuilders

1) They view failure as an opportunity to learn, make adjustments, and try again to succeed as opposed to viewing it as a permanent condition. No matter what you do in life, you will encounter some setbacks. Instead of letting these setbacks put you out of commission permanently, use them to learn from them and become a stronger person. Every setback is an opportunity for personal growth and for learning what not to do in the future. The only time that you fail is the minute that you decide to never stand up again.

2) They have the mindset of a successful bodybuilder. In other words, when problems come up, instead of letting these interfere with their fitness program, they look for solutions to get through them. Bodybuilding is both a physical and extremely psychological endeavor. Of course, we all get frustrated when our schedules are affected by work, or any other life circumstance that may be thrown our way. Life is full of monkey wrenches in case you haven’t noticed and it does not make it easy for us to get our workouts and meals in. Therefore, we have to fight aggressively and plan ahead if we want to get our workouts and meals in.

As bodybuilders we must keep our eyes on the ultimate goal, which is less body fat and more muscle tone. In order to accomplish that one must be consistent with the training and diet. If for whatever reason the program that you have mapped out is too much of a time commitment at a certain period in life, then the solution is to modify the program to one that does fit the time schedule…be flexible. For instance, back in my engineering days there were periods when I had to work 60-70 hours a week, I modified my training to where I would hit the gym 5 days a week for 40-45 minutes of weight training. Since I had no time to do cardiovascular exercise, I would superset antagonistic muscles in order to get some sort of cardiovascular effect refer to my 25-30 minute workouts.

That is all I could afford to do at the time. I always tried to get my training in before work, but if for some reason I would miss it in the morning, then I always had lunchtime to make it up or later in the evening after work. Worst case, there was always the weekend for makeup sessions. Regarding meals, I always brought in all of my meals with me pre-prepared and also enough protein shakes for those times that I was really on the run.

Some of you for whatever reason may not even be able to do more than three sessions a week. If this is the case, then no issue; make the most out of the time that you do have available to train. The key to making lasting bodybuilding and fitness gains at the end of the day is that you have a realistic plan that can be executed consistently, not trying to follow one that looks really good in paper but cannot be executed. You will get to where you want to go, it may just take a little bit longer depending on how much time you can dedicate to reaching your goals.

3) They have a positive attitude and believe in their ability to achieve their goals. This point is of extreme importance as if you do not believe that you can accomplish something, more than likely, you won’t. Thoughts are very powerful things and the way that you see things is the way that your reality becomes. It is my experience that most of the obstacles and limitations in life are placed by one’s mind. Thus, make sure that you are not limiting yourself! Unleash your potential by bringing down all imaginary obstacles!

4) They have an incredible work ethic and schedule their workout times and meal times with the same importance as they would schedule any item at work. Most people give their meal times and workout times a secondary importance. “I have too much too do, so I can’t work out”. Thus, the workouts never get done. How often I hear this! Most of us have a lot to do! We are all busy so if we want to get in shape, we need to make a commitment to it! Committing means having a very structured day where you have a time for your work and a time for your workouts. Again, I am not talking of living in the gym. 25-30 minute workouts can get the job done! However, you do need to allocate that time to your workouts. As far as the diet, how often I hear, there is no way I can eat 5-6 times a day. Well, if you have a breakfast, a lunch, and a dinner, with protein shakes in between, there is no reason why you could not go ahead and have all of the required meals. And if the excuse is that there is no time to get all of your meals ready, then I suggest that you prepare your food for the next day the night before. Pre-package everything the night before and that way, when you wake up the next day there is no time wasted in the morning with food preparation. You just carry all of the food with you in a cooler and you are good to go.

5) They have an unbreakable determination. After all, determination is the key to success and when you have a person that is truly determined to achieve something, there is nothing that can get in the way!

What Should You Consider When Reading an Article from a Pro

Here are some things to consider when reading the article from a top pro bodybuilder:

1-If it is a training routine, is it their personal training routine or a program that they created for people with your goals?: This is very important. For the most part, when you read an article from a top pro in a magazine, you are looking at the routines that they use today. However, these routines are tailored to their own goals (which sometimes can be to specialize in certain body parts while de-emphasizing others), recovery capability (which for most is incredibly good), and their schedule (which 9 times out of 10 is much more flexible than for the rest of us, and as a result, they can train multiple times a day). My advice is to keep these things in mind as you look at the routines and apply anything that you see useful in them to your own program. I always find that when I talk to one of the pros about training I get a few new tricks up my sleeve. However, implementing their full training program as is may not do me much good.

2-Everything said in point number 1 is true of the diet as well. If it is a diet article, are they presenting the diet that they used to compete at the Mr. Olympia or the diet that they used at the beginning of their career to get big? That makes a huge difference.  The latter may help you out tremendously while the current diet program may be of no use to you when used as is.  Again, just like with the training, see if you can get any ideas or tips that you can implement in your diet program but keep in mind that using the exact same diet presented more than likely will not work for you.

Conclusion

Like anything in life, you just simply need to consider the source dispensing the information and then you need to have a critical mind.  If you have been implementing a lot of my articles then by now you know how your body works and are able to take a look at the routines and diets of others and take what can help you from them.

Speaking of good sources, if you are wondering who I think are good sources of information in the Pro ranks, for me Lee Labrada has always been an INCREDIBLE source of training and nutrition information over the years.  An engineer like myself, Lee has always been a thinking bodybuilder.  I have always found his advice to be science based and practical.  And though he stopped competing in the early 90′s today he could still step on any top IFBB bodybuilding stage and cause quite a few headaches….and that is just with his “off season” shape which is probably no more than 4% body fat!  He talks the talk and walks the walk, which is one of my requirements for judging whether someone is a good source of information or not.  On top of that, he is a class act.

If you are wondering about current IFBB pro competitors, lately I have also been learning a lot from a top pro bodybuilder that is currently making his way up through the ranks and who I met back at the FIBO in Germany at the QNT Sports booth.  His name is Ben Pakulski.  Ben is an incredibly smart bodybuilder also who is constantly looking at science based research and implementing it at the gym. In addition he is just a really cool guy. A soon to be family man, who is getting ready for the Arnold Classic, Ben makes me look like I’m just getting started out in bodybuilding.  He’s a big guy.

Turns out that he trains at the gym I have been going to so I’ve had the chance to pick his brain over the past few months. Here are a few things that we have been discussing lately:

Form is key. Nothing new here but it is good to be reminded of it from time to time. Doing less weight and taking the muscle through its full range of motion will take you much farther than using heavy weights and just moving the weight from A to B. Things like keeping the butt in place as opposed to lifting it from the bench as you are doing leg curls will have a dramatic impact in your hamstrings training.

BCAA/Glutamine Supplementation Before, During and After the workout. Taking BCAAs with glutamine and creatine before, during and after the workout both during fat loss and muscle gain phases has a dramatic impact in the way that you will look and recover. I used this technique on Cecile for her contest and if I tell you the kind of gains I registered in a 12 week period, you may not believe me. I will just say that she gained over 10-lbs of lean muscle, which is something that I did not expect at all during a competition phase (especially in a drug free female athlete).  Needless to say, I don’t train anymore without Pre, During and Post workout BCAA supplementation (in addition to the creatine and glutamine that I already took).

Anyways, back when I met him I told him that I felt he needed to put all of his knowledge together in an e-book as that would benefit a lot of people out there. After all, he really knows his stuff! Apparently, I was not the only one who told him that as he has taken that advice to heart and he just told me that by the end of the month he will come out with his book. I will be sure to get a review copy and check it out.

On top of that he also has a free reports that many will find useful and I am one of the first to have it.  I just spent yesterday going through it and love it, so now it is time that I pass it down to you as well:

==> 5 tricks to DOUBLE your gains IMMEDIATELY

Enjoy, and let me know what you think of the report.

Take care and train hard!

• Natural Bodybuilding Video: Hugo Rivera and Ben Pakulski Talk Bodybuilding Training with MI-40
• 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?
• Check Out My Latest Natural Bodybuilding Article on February 2012 Edition of Natural Muscle

Personal training is becoming a hot profession these days. As a matter of fact, personal training is the fastest growing profession in the health and fitness industry! So it is a fair assumption that if you go to a gym, there will be at least one personal trainer offering his or her services to new bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts.

Now, if you are completely new to weight training and would feel more comfortable with hiring a trainer to guide you through the break in period of your bodybuilding journey, then you will be faced with the task of choosing the right trainer. It is crucial to make the right choice in this situation as the wrong person will end up giving you the wrong advice; advice that at best yields no results, which in turn gets you discouraged, and at worst gets you injured.

If The Trainer Is Certified, Does That Means He/She Is Good?

The fact that a trainer holds a certification is not a good indicator on whether the trainer is a good trainer or not. The reason for that is because most certifications are very easy to get and besides that, most use outdated information. If you don’t believe me then look around and you will find that many certifications can be achieved during a weekend seminar.

What If The Trainer Has A College Degree And Looks Great?

If the trainer has some sort of college degree that is somehow associated with the fitness realm, that only means that such trainer has some brains to him/her. Such a degree alone does not qualify the trainer as a good one either. Also, the fact that the trainer has the body that resembles the one that you have as a goal does not necessarily mean that the trainer knows what he/she is doing. Some people just have good genetics and whether they know what they are doing or not they end up looking good.

So How Do You Determine Who Is A Good Trainer?

In my opinion, below are the qualifications of those people that are good trainers:

1. The trainer really cares on whether the client achieves good results or not and thus gets to know the client’s personality, goals and limitations. From there, he/she should be able to create a program that would fit best the client’s needs. In order to do this, the trainer needs to create a guided discovery period of about six weeks where he/she finds out what exercises/foods the client enjoys the most, as well as slowly finding out what the goals of the client are. As we already know, when a person begins weight training, he/she may not necessarily know at that stage what their goals are. From the information gathered during this discovery period, the trainer then creates a personalized program that the client can stick with. As you can see, programs should not be generic “one size fits all” formulas. The trainer should also teach the client how to vary the program in order to avoid staleness. By the end of a 12 week period, a good trainer would have taught his client all that he/she needs to know in order to do bodybuilding on their own.
2. The good trainer will always ask for your doctor’s clearance to start an exercise programand the trainer will not provide any services until such clearance is given. This is a great practice as it not only legally protects the trainer, but also it also protects the health of the client as this is the only way that the trainer can get good information as to the client’s health and possible limitations. For example, if a client is an insulin-dependent diabetic but neglects to inform the trainer about it, this could have serious implications later on. That is why it is better to get the information from the client’s doctor.
3. Throughout the workout, the good trainer will pay more attention to the form of the client and proper breathing during the exercise instead of just being a glorified certified counter. I mean, anybody can count from 1 to 10, right?! Needless to say, the trainer’s only focus should be on the client and their form.
4. The trainer always needs to be on time. It is completely unacceptable and disrespectful to the client if the trainer always shows up late.
5. The trainer should have the type of personality that motivates the client and makes the client feel comfortable. Some trainers have an intimidating and bossy personality that makes it more like torture to train with them.
6. The trainer constantly keeps up to date with the latest information. In addition, the trainer should be able to answer nutrition questions and supplementation questions.
7. Last but not least, the trainer practices what he/she preaches and leads by example. So a good trainer is definately someone who is in shape.

Conclusion

So remember, as usual, be analytical and don’t reach conclusions based on looks or the letters at the end of a person’s name alone. Such factors alone do not qualify the trainer as a good or bad one. Look beyond that and based on the additional data determine if the trainer that you are about to choose is the right one for you. Remember, it is your health and your wallet the ones that will suffer if you make the wrong type of decision.

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:

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As I was reading some bodybuilding news online, I came across an interesting article from Ka Leo O Hawai’i, the campus newspaper of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, that reminded me of my days back in engineering school when I learned to be really creative in regards to keeping my bodybuilding diet requirements.

According to staff writer Andy Taylor in his article “Surviving Sodexho; Student Bodybuilders Struggle To Get Proper Nutrition”, it turns out that in the University of Hawai’i, if you live in the college facilities you need to buy a meal plan. Problem is that if you are a bodybuilder, the menu does not really follow your nutritional requirements.

This is not an unusual situation to be in. Hopefully one day all places will have both bad food choices and bodybuilding friendly ones so that everyone is taken care of. In the meantime, you have to get creative and in keeping with the mindset of a successful bodybuilder, you need to look for solutions rather than excuses. A few pieces of advice that I can offer are the following:

What To Do If You Had To Purchase The School Meal Plan

If you are in a situation like the one described on the article mentioned above where you had to purchase the meal plan and do not want to lose your money, try to see if the cafeteria has some sort of lean proteins such as chicken or turkey breasts. These are the protein choices that you need to look for. Since it is all you can eat, see about maybe packing some extra food to take with you for later meals (though some schools do not allow for this).

After you select your protein source, look for the cleanest complex carbohydrates that they may have, such as baked potatoes, and see if you can get some sort of green vegetables as well, if available.

Obviously, college campus’ meal plans will not feed you 6 times a day, as they feed you 2 times at the most, so you will need to get yourself some protein powder, and some old fashioned oats (which are easy to cook in the microwave) for breakfast. For in between meals, you can either use Meal Replacement Powders (MRP), a super convenient Ready-To-Drink (RTD) Shake, or a high quality protein bar to cover your nutritional requirements. If the MRPs, RTD’s or protein bars do not fit your budget, then powdered skim milk (1/2 cup to 1 cup as I used to do in college) mixed with with 1 scoop of protein and 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter will have to do for in between meals.

How To Carry Your Meals With You

The best investment you can make while on school is on a cooler so that you can carry your food, protein drinks and water with you for the rest of the day. That way you do not have to worry about being stuck without food for more than 3 hours. To this day I still use the cooler that I purchased for use during College.

How To Ensure That You Can Be Prepared Everyday

Wake up early! When in college, preparation is key. Make sure that you prepare your meals (the non cafeteria ones) well in advance or the night before so that when the day starts you can just pack things with you and go.

I also suggest you go to the gym at this time as well and get done with your bodybuilding workout so that the reminder of the day all you have to worry about is studying and eating. If you are really pressed for time, take a look at my Short 25-30 Minute Workouts for Busy Bodybuilders, which have you in and out of the gym in about 30 minutes.

Conclusion

As the author of the article mentioned above said: “For bodybuilders, eating choices can be a troublesome hindrance at times, but as long as the athletes are dedicated to their sport, there is always a way to work around it”.  I could not agree more with that statement.

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:

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and to CLICK LIKE on my:

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Today I got a question from a good friend of mine who stumbled upon a video of a coach talking about how the king of leg exercises in bodybuilding, the squat, is an exercise that only works the back and that it should not be performed as a result.

Squats: Lower Back or Lower Body Bodybuilding Exercise?

So I decided to put my engineering hat on and see if I could make any sense out of the video. When I look at controversial things like this, I always like to keep an open mind. After all, there was a time that everyone thought that the Earth was flat, and the fact that the majority agreed does not mean that the statement was correct.

After paying close attention to the video, the coach says: “The weak transducer, the place where we lose squatting is in the back. Squatting is not a lower body exercise, it is a lower back exercise and at some point the low back does not allow you to transfer more force to your legs and you stop. In no way does it allow you to get maximum work capability out of your lower body.” His conclusion was that we should stop performing traditional barbell squats with the bar over our shoulders.

Again, as I look at the video very objectively, with my engineering hat on as opposed to my bodybuilder one, I think about his thesis and it all comes together for me.

He states that we cannot get maximum work capability from the legs because the back is the one transferring the force. While I completely agree that the conventional squat involves the lower back a great deal, the squat is not an exercise that only targets the back as the legs have to work in conjunction with the back to lift the weight. It is a basic multi-joint leg exercise and that is the nature of the lift. Thus, while the maximum work capability of the legs is not at 100%, to conclude that the squat only works the lower back is erroneous. To me, this is no different than saying that the bench press is a bad exercise for the chest because we cannot get maximum work capability from the pecs due to the fact that the shoulders and triceps have to transfer a significant amount of the force. Again, with all due respect to the coach, all basic multi-jointed exercises have a force transfer factor.

In order to minimize the lower back work of the squat I always advise to choose a weight for the prescribed repetition range that feels comfortable to the lower back. In this manner, you focus on pushing the weight with the legs while minimizing the work of the lower back.

Conclusion:

While the lower back plays a large role (and a very limiting factor in the amount of weight that you can do on the squat) this does not mean that the squat is strictly a lower back exercise and that it should be discontinued from your leg workouts. That is where I have a serious disagreement. The legs still play a very significant role in the lifting of the weight.

Now, if a person has serious lower back problems I would not hesitate to modify the leg workouts and substitute the squats for various lunges or a belt squat where you put the weight on a weight belt and do the exercise with your legs on two different raised platforms. Just because I feel that the traditional squat is an excellent leg developer, one thing I do agree with the coach is that there are many other good basic exercises such as the lunges. However, to eliminate traditional squatting on a healthy athlete on the belief that the squat is just a lower back exercise is, in my opinion, a huge mistake. If the traditional squat is just a lower back exercise, then why is it that when you look at the physiques of powerlifters, they have an incredible amount of muscle on their legs? Also, from personal experience in training myself and training others, a traditional squat that is executed properly and with the right amount of weight will never cease to deliver results in the form of added inches to your legs.

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:

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Learn which one of these two aerobic exercises is better for fat loss.

Which Aerobic Exercise Is Better for Fat Loss: Walking On The Treadmill or On The Pavement?

Answer: While on the surface it would seem that both activities have the same exact effect on the body, this is not the case. Walking on the pavement is better than walking on the treadmill because you need to pull your weight forward through the use of your glutes and hamstrings. With the treadmill, a lot of work is taken out from the walking endeavor as the machine moves the floor for you and all you need to do is keep up with the machine. Therefore, many muscles that are used to execute the walking activity on the pavement are not activated when on a treadmill. As a result, not as many muscles are used and less calories are burned, thus making the activity less productive.

Though at first I had problems comprehending this fact since both activities look so similar, I decided to give it a try by walking on the pavement in lieu of using my treadmill one day. The first time I did it, not only was I pretty winded through most of my walk, but also I was very sore on my glute and hamstring region the following day. That’s when I found out that it certainly takes more muscles to walk on the street than it does to keep up with the treadmill. At the end of the day, this benefits you by providing more cardiovascular system improvement, and also more calorie burning during the activity.

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:

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• Aerobic Exercise Basics – Aerobics for Fat Loss
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• Natural Bodybuilding Video: Cardio for Fat Loss, Part II
• Natural Bodybuilding Video: Cardio for Fat Loss, Part I
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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”.

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