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Steps to Blast your way towards Muscle Gain
By: Christian Bonanno

Step # 1: Limited Amount of Energy

It is highly recommended that you train using high intensity for a period of approximately 20 - 30 minutes. This is so because scientists have discovered that the energy the blood contains as sugars starts to deplete after about 20 minutes. One has to be tricky enough to cheat the body by using this fact. Do as much intensive training as possible during a 30 minute period. The exercises should be repeated until failure to maximise muscle growth.

Step # 2: Training Frequency

Everybody needs to rest, especially when one needs to bulk up. Whilst you’re sleeping, the body gets energy and heals itself from the training. Lack of rest may result in one losing muscle tissue instead of gaining it. Sleep at least 8 hours a day.

Step # 3: Food Intake

If you are skinny and would like to bulk up, one of the most important things one must not forget to do is eating. When one starts to train, the body will need more carbohydrates, protein and fat. The foods chosen must be high quality food which bulk you up (meat, beans, egg whites, rice…) not food which only get you fat (sweets, food high in sugar).

I am going to give you a simple example, excerpted from one of Vince DelMonte’s newsletters. If you only have a budget of $100,000 you cannot build a house worth $150,000. The same applies to the amount of food one has to eat. One can’t gain muscle weight by eating low quality food.

Step # 4: Amount of cardio

People, sometimes argue about the fact that cardio is only needed when one needs to get slim. This, however, is a very common mistake. Cardio is important even when you are bulking up. The amount of cardio needs to be looked after.

The advantages of cardio are various:
i) Cardio makes your heart stronger. Your heart is vital to be strong if you are going to have a           big, muscular body.
ii) Cardio increases your lung capacity, thus your training sessions will start to get easier for you.
iii) Cardio decreases your amount of stress.
iv) Cardio improves blood circulation throughout one’s body.
v) Cardio increases bone density.
vi) Cardio increases you metabolism.

If you are trying to bulk up, I recommend you to do 20 minutes of cardio three times a week. This won’t burn too much calories and you will still benefit from the above advantages.

Step # 5: Heavy Weights - High Repetitions

When one trains using light weights, the body itself thinks that it doesn’t need to build any extra muscle because the weight used to train is already light for the muscle. Thus when using light weights, the body will start to burn body fat instead of build muscle.

In order to build muscle, one has to use heavy weights and the repetitions should be set high (about 6 – 12 repetitions each set).

You must keep in mind that throughout every session, your body must get approximately 5% better than the previous session. This might obviously involve in you doing any of the following:
i) Lifting heavier weights
ii) Doing more repetitions
iii) Doing more sets
iv) Doing your workout in less time than the previous session

Step # 6: Water is the driver of Nature – Leonardo da Vinci

As Leonardo da Vinci said, water is the driver of nature. Water also needs to drive your body, which is itself part of nature. After every workout, sweat comes out, which means that water is leaving your own body. This water must then be replaced by other water. I recommend you to try and drink 3 – 4 litres of water daily, especially whilst you are training and on hot days.

Step # 7: Intensity Cycling

Step # 8: Setting Goals and being Patient

Do you want to look like a bodybuilder from the Golden Era of Bodybuilding? Do you want to start looking like Greek gods? Set your goal to one specific bodybuilder (for example Charles Atlas). When you have set your goals, be patient and train consistently. If you feel exhausted or don’t feel in the mood of training, ask yourself the following question: “If my goal bodybuilder were me, would he have missed the training session?”. You will obviously answer “no”, and get on with the training. You must also be patient all the time. There was never a bodybuilder who woke up as a skinny or as a fat guy, and by the time he was going to bed he was looking just like a bodybuilder would.

The above tips are there to guide you on your way to become a professional bodybuilder. The myths below include the ideas which many people have about bodybuilding and which were the downfalls for those people who in the past tried to become athletes but because they were influenced by other people, turned out to grow up into too thin or too fat people.

Bodybuilding Myths

Myth # 1: Feel the burning effect in your muscles if you want to build muscle

This is absolutely NOT TRUE. When you feel a burning sensation in the muscles, it doesn’t mean that you are building more muscle. The burning sensation is simply felt when lactic acid is released in the muscle tissue whilst exercising.

Myth # 2: Pumping up to increase more muscle

It is true that when you feel good when you make a good post-workout pump. However, it is not true that the more pumped a workout is, the more effective the workout is.

Myth # 3: The more you work out, the more you will grow

Some people think that the more they train, the more muscle they will gain fast. This myth, is the downfall of most people who tried to become professionals in a very few time. Training more than normal, leads for the body to get over trained. When a body part is worked out properly, the muscle is said to take 5 – 10 days to heal completely.

Myth # 4: Considerable amount of sit-ups will result in you getting a fat-free tummy.

When you need to decrease belly fat, you will not remove the fat by doing sit-ups and crunches. By doing these exercises, you will be strengthening your belly muscles (which is still important, in other aspects) not burning fat.

Fat, first starts to get burned from the latest food intake. Example, your body will first burn your last few meals. Secondly, your body starts to burn the fat which has been in your body for the least time, and finally the body will start to burn your fat which has been in your body most. Normally, your belly is the first which starts to get fat, therefore you have to get rid of the other body fat before. To do this, you have to do cardio training sessions like cycling, fast walking, running, and rope skipping.

Myth # 5: Having large muscles, will make your muscles tighter and decrease your flexibility.

This lie has been going on since the 1930s. The “muscle-bound lie” was invented by companies  which were selling isometric exercise programs. These companies’ goal was to convince people not to do any exercises which concern barbells. This lie was invented simply because it wasn’t practical to send barbells by mail.

Myth # 6: If the pros do it, so should I

You can’t compare your body with that of a professional bodybuilder. If you are training drug-free, your body can’t heal itself as fast as the bodybuilders’. Another concept is that their body is supported with more muscle to lift the heavy weights than the amount of muscle that you have.

Myth # 7: The best way to build muscles is to keep them guessing

This bodybuilding philosophy comes from people who don’t know the muscle growth process. Muscles do not respond with growth just by performing another type of exercise. Muscles only understand the concept of pushing, pulling, extending, and contracting. They will not start to grow larger if instead of lifting iron weights you start to lift bags of sand, if they obviously weigh the same.

Myth # 8: You have to train more than three times a week using weights if you want to gain muscle

It is true that most steroid-assisted bodybuilders train daily using weights; however we people who don’t take any steroids aren’t doing anything wrong if we train three times a week using weights. You will still gain loads of muscle if you work until failure on each set and each repetition in your routine. Remember that you should think quality not quantity. The only problem one might find is keeping fat-free on this training routine. Therefore, one had to keep himself stricter as to what food he should eat.

Myth # 9: Weightlifting equipment should be used in order to stimulate the most muscle gain

Scientific research has shown that most of today’s exercise machines lack the proper eccentric component of an exercise that’s necessary to stimulate muscle tissue to grow. For reference, you may read the article “Research Confirms that Bodybuilders Should Pay Heavy Attention to Negative Rips” written by Bill Phillips on page 18 of the February/March issue of MM2K. To date, the most effective means of resistance exercises ever invented are those using free weights like dumbbells and barbells. These exercises include the dead lift, the shoulder press, the bench press, and the squat.

By: Robert Saladino

The basis of the warm up is to elevate the core body temperature so muscles become more pliable. Muscles are like elastic rubber bands, the hotter they are the more supple they become. It also holds true the colder a muscle is the more difficult it will be for the muscle to contract and lengthen. It makes sense that if your body is warmer you are less likely to injure yourself while exercising.  Studies show as body temperature rises ultimate strength and greater strain can be found in muscles (ability to deform and stretch before tearing begins in muscle). The greater the body temperature the greater increase in cellular metabolism which ultimately means more blood flow and oxygen are available to the working muscles.

Warming up also prepares the nerve impulses to be enhanced with more sensitivity of nerve receptors. This sensitivity means the muscles/nerve connection will be enhanced and have a greater ability to fire faster impulses during the workout. Warmer muscles are more apt to produce an increase in range of motion that whole rubber band thing again.

There is a physiological benefit as well that many fail to recognize. The body has a delicate system of defensive sense organs called proprioceptors, mainly the muscle spindle and golgi tendon organ.  The muscle spindles are located in the muscle tissue itself and are responsible for letting you know when your stretching the working muscles to far. The golgi tendon organ as you might have guessed is a tendon organ that senses when an excessive amount of tension develops. When tension is too high the golgi organ shuts off muscle contraction to protect the working muscle. These sense organs are elevated through proper warm ups.

Last but not least there is a mind-muscle connection that needs to be addressed. Going straight into heavy exercising can have detrimental effects on performance by not preparing the mind properly. Warming up is the vehicle of relaxation and concentration just before intense exercise.                

So the next question is what is a warm up? Any light cardio movement such as a stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical, and walking in place for 3-5 minutes will be enough to raise your temperature.

Dynamic warm ups can also be a valuable tool against injury. These movements mimic whatever exercise your about to perform except on a much lower intensity. For example:  a dynamic warm up of the bench press would be 1-2 light sets of 10-20 reps with a weight that feels fairly light even upon reaching the last rep. If you want fewer injuries always remember to warm up properly.

Robert Saladino. MS, CSCS, CPT., has helped hundreds of his clients reach and keep their fitness goals. He is one of the top Personal Trainers in PA; visit  www.mountainfitnessbyrobert.com  for a ton of free information regarding exercise, health and diet. If you are someone who is trying to lose weight, gain muscle or just want to get more healthy and fit.

Bodybuilding.com has some special guests in town for a few days to do some informational training videos, articles and such.

Please welcome Obi Obadike and Kendall Wood to Justin TV for a live chat.

Obi and Kendall will be on Justin TV tomorrow, Friday, June 26, 2009.
Come join the chat and ask any questions you have from 12:30-2:00 p.m. MST.

For more information click here.

To join the chat click here.

WBFF Director’s Rant - “Juiced up or Natural - A Moral Dilemma?”
By: Daryl Gazey

WBFF Director of Operations’

First and foremost, I owe a great deal of gratitude to all those who took the time away from their oatmeal and egg whites to read my last, somewhat lengthy rant about the political side of competition. My goal is to shoot from the hip here, knowing all to well that the people in front of me may catch a bullet or two but those who stand behind me (the WBFF) may revel in my/our viewpoints. Where do I gather my material from you ask? In the past couple of decades or so, concerns from ‘would-be’ competitors, seasoned competitors, spectators, promotors and die hard fans of our industry have always arose and left me scratching my head. Once the splinters were delicately extracted, I would do my due diligence to find the answers sought and then ‘delicately’ provide what I felt was an honest answer. Now I know that when I use the word ‘honesty’, a few feathers will ruffle and more than a few eyebrows will perch. What the heck does this have to do with honesty? Hang fire…I’m getting to it.

With the competitive fitness season finally upon us (dam you people who have year ’round sunshine!), questions and concerns are abounding. Valid questions that would apply to not only the WBFF but every organization’s policies and procedures. I’ve responded ad nauseum to the "How come it’s so expensive?" and the ever so popular "Is it drug tested?" inquiries. Hmmm…a couple of valid zingers huh? I’m sure more than a few contest promoters have wiped the sweat from their keyboards when responding to these requests.
So….why are we gouging you and how come the lady standing next to you weighs 230 and has shredded glutes and a 3 o’clock shadow? Let’s draw our proverbial gun and fire off the first shot.

If they can’t nail down the use/abuse/complement of performance enhancing substances in the Olympics (yes I’m referring to the ’s’ word), using stringent testing protocols and a hefty budget to do so, how the heck do you think "Bob’s High School Auditorium Natural Bodybuilding, Figure and Rib Fest" is going to fare? Oh yes, but they do offer a 10 minute polygraph, a urinalysis, a signed consent form and they take a chunk of money from my entry form to do so. Hello? Any 9th grader who has access to the internet can fly past ANY and ALL of these doping control methods using the right strategy and informed choices. Is a ‘natural’ show natural? One could only hope that the appeal of a natural show is ONLY a reflection of the moral ethics of it’s participants. That is the ONLY thing that will keep a natural show truly drug-free. But, in the spirit of competition, the smell of victory is all too strong for those athletes that want to ‘win at all costs. What’s next for those who ‘gear up’ to compete naturally? Perhaps claiming a disability to garnish a gold in the Special Olympics?

It’s inarguable that those who choose to compete with pharmaceutical assistance vs those who do not, poses a huge dilemma to any organization that presses for ‘fairness and honesty’ amongst its athletes. Does the WBFF drug test it’s participants? In short..no we do not. Absurd right? Do we condone or advocate the involvement of anabolic agents or fat loss products. Well again, that doesn’t matter if we do or we don’t. I know (and you probably do as well) that people will ingest, inject, inhale, implant and for the most part, do what they feel is necessary to ‘win at all costs’. With a team of lab coated, pharmacy gurus standing at stage right, Sylvia Brown the psychic in the audience and the FBI’s team of polygraphy examiners in their midsts, does any show even have a shred of chance in advocating their natural status.

Are we hippocrits? Some may think so but I like to see us as realists. It serves little purpose to run a drug tested show when all of us who are ‘in the know’ realize this to be an ineffective and moot tactic. So whether you opt for good ole’ fashioned creatine or some esoteric doctrine of sports medicine, chance are we’re not necessarily going to know. I’ll humble myself in stating that it’s safe to assume that most high caliber athletes are using ’something’ to better themselves and really it boils down to a matter of personal choice and that has nothing to do with whether a show is ‘drug free’ or not… Competition, as the name implies, is just that. Who is better than whom. Personally, I’d rather stand on stage knowing that the odds are fairly high that the guys standing next to me are anabolically-equipped rather than enter a so-called natural show where the chips are going to fall where they may.

In summation, it took 0.15 seconds for google to return 138,000 responses on ‘how to pass a steroid test’

I’ll let you be the judge the next time you’re paying for a drug testing fee.

Hey New Guy: Bodybuilding Advice for the Beginner in all of Us

Squats. Suck.

You know it, I know it, and—unfortunately—the dude with Will Harris wheels repping them out in the corner knows it.

He’s doing them, and he doesn’t need to.

You, on the other hand…

Manning up to leg day isn’t easy for the biggest at the gym; for the rest of us, its murder.  Unfortunately, bodybuilding is one of those ‘get what you put in’ clichés.

And every training article you’ve ever read wasn’t lying when it told you that, hands down, nothing gives you a total body gut-check like spending time parallel to the floor.

So suck it up, call your mother to tell her you love her, and get under that rack.  

There’s things to consider, sure, when you line up your shoulders under the bar—whether or not you’ve upped your life insurance premium, how long it’ll take for your girl to move on—really, though, the only secret to getting the dreaded squat right is actually doing it.

It doesn’t matter if you’re racking a plate a side or ten; as long as you’re breathing right, tightening that Transverse abdominus, and dropping low, you’ll have the respect of everybody around you for giving it a go.

And therein lies the magic—sooner or later, even if you’ve just got a naked bar draped across your delts—you’ll find that ‘sweet spot,’ the point in the descent when you can feel your entire body say “THIS. IS. WORKING.”

Going heavy isn’t the trick; remember, a standard Olympia bar is forty-five pounds, and you’re pushing all your upper body weight into your wheels when you work your way down.  

Whether it’s six reps or twelve, going full-bore and getting your ass parallel to the floor is all it takes to turn little-girl stems into the kind of proportionate-to-my-upper-body quads, hamstrings and glutes you (probably) so desperately need.

So the next time you see that rack free, pick up your cell phone, make the call, and give it a shot.

By: Daniel Gastelu

One of the hottest topics capturing the attention of athletes, coaches and trainers centers on using the drug rhEPO (recombinant erythropoietin). EPO (erythropoietin) is a hormone that is naturally produced in the body and primarily functions to stimulate the production of new red blood cells.

Increasing the amount of red blood cells increases the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood to deliver more oxygen to exercising muscles. The extra oxygen significantly increases the muscles’ energy production and can therefore help to improve athletic performance output ability; higher intensity and longer duration. These benefits have led to the widespread use of synthetic rhEPO drug doping.

Get the full article here.

DEVELOPING A COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING SYSTEM FOR THE STRENGTH ATHLETE
By: John Wojciechowski

In this article I will discuss the key physical components that a strength athlete must include in his/her training program, and how these components work together to form a complete, balanced and comprehensive training system.  By “strength athlete” I’m referring to those whose sport requires an emphasis on strength and power as opposed to muscular endurance or general fitness.

The weight training component outlined in this article is based on the methods and principles initially developed in the former Soviet Union and detailed in the book “Science and Practice of Strength Training” by Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky.  Louie Simmons and his army of world-class powerlifters at Westside Barbell have since popularized these methods and numerous articles about their training can be found on the web.  For the remainder of this article I will simply refer to this collection of weight training methods as “The Westside System”.  This philosophy of training is not new, yet somehow it still remains in the shadows of the more popular and less effective weight training programs traditionally used in the United States.

I will only briefly discuss Olympic lifting, plyometrics, grip training, flexibility, diet and event training and how these components work together with the weight-training component to form a well-rounded program.  Near the end of the article I have provided a sample template that you can modify for your own use.

Power is not strength and strength is not power.  People use the terms strength and power interchangeably when actually they are not exactly the same thing.  

Strength has been defined as the maximal force that a muscle or muscle group can generate at a specified velocity.  

Physics defines power as work divided by time (where work equals force times distance).

Strength and power are expressed differently, but they must be trained together in a comprehensive program along with hypertrophy training (increased muscle size) to ensure maximal progress.

Let’s quickly review some common methods of training to understand why some methods work and some don’t.

We’ve all benefited to a certain degree by the traditional 5 sets of 5 or 3 sets of 10 type training model, adding a little weight to the bar each workout and trying to outperform your previous workout’s best.  You will gain decent muscle size and some basic strength with this method, but by training all your lifts this way week after week, you will not develop maximum strength or maximum power.

This is the old progressive overload system and it is still useful with your assistance exercises for hypertrophy and basic strength, but it fails when used as your primary method of training.  Most often the weights that you are using are too light to develop maximum strength or too heavy to develop maximum power.

I’m sure everyone is familiar with the concept of having an off-season, pre-season, in-season, post-season, etc.  You’re supposed to systematically move through these seasons in order to “peak” for the most important competitions of the year.  

This periodization model fails us because it concentrates on developing hypertrophy, strength and power in separate lengthy microcycles.  This is ineffective and detrimental to optimum performance because you will experience detraining (a reduction in training adaptation) in those areas you are not currently working on.  In fact, detraining can occur in as little as two weeks.  

Overview

The Westside way of training is a “conjugated periodization” program relying on a combination of different methods to simultaneously develop maximum strength, power and hypertrophy in one comprehensive system.  The program outlined in this article is only one variation of this method of training.

This is an extremely intense program and should not be attempted by beginners or those who lack the experience and solid understanding of weight training methods.  Remember that using maximum weights increases your risk of injury and requires the use of one or more spotters to ensure your safety.

Keep in mind that Westside Barbell uses these methods to develop competitive powerlifters, focused on developing maximum performance in the bench, squat and deadlift.  For them, these lifts are their events.  Although this program is focused on these three lifts, it can be adapted for almost any lift and for any sport.

Many of the exercises the elite lifters at Westside perform involve the use of chains, weight releasers and bands attached to the bar for various training effects.  Most of you will not have the equipment available to use these more extreme methods, so I will not be discussing their use in this article.  I do however encourage you to learn about these methods, as you will eventually want to incorporate them into your training to exploit the benefits of this program.

It’s important again to remember to understand why these methods work, not just how to follow the program.  Understanding why will give you the knowledge and the freedom to adapt these methods to your own goals and abilities.  Don’t ever blindly follow an exercise program simply because it seems popular or because someone encourages you to do so.

Guiding Principles

- The Westside program consists of four main workouts per week with 2 days devoted to upper body and 2 days devoted to lower body.  For both upper body and lower body, one day you will focus on maximum strength and on the other day you will focus on speed work.  One day is your Max Effort Day and one day is your Dynamic Effort Day.

- Choose one primary upper body exercise and one primary lower body exercise that have the most carryover to your sport.  These two exercises will only be performed on Dynamic Effort Day.

- You will NEVER perform your primary exercises on Max Effort day.  The key to Max Effort day is to use maximum weights on exercises that are similar to and use the same muscle groups as your primary exercises.  By rotating these max effort exercises at least every three weeks, but never actually using maximum weights on the primary exercises you perform on Dynamic Effort Day, your CNS (central nervous system) is never over trained.  Rest periods between ME exercise sets should be kept under two minutes.  Rest periods for all assistance exercises should also be kept under two minutes.

- An alternative on Max Effort Day is to occasionally perform a multi-rep max set to failure with less than 90% of 1RM to further guard against the possibility of over-training and CNS exhaustion.  These days should be used prudently and be kept to a minimum, perhaps once every 8 to 12 weeks.

- You will ALWAYS perform your primary exercises on Dynamic Effort Day.  Rest periods between DE exercise sets should be kept between 45-60 seconds.  Rest periods for all assistance exercises should be kept under two minutes.

- With this system, squatting is ALWAYS done with a box.  It is imperative that you learn the proper way to box squat by working with a knowledgeable strength coach.  Performing box squats using between 50% and 60% of your box squat 1RM on your Dynamic Effort Day is the most effective method for increasing your explosiveness in the squat.

The eccentric phase of the box squat utilizes the property of kinetic energy contributing to the stretch-reflex.  By pausing on the box, thus breaking the eccentric-concentric chain, you can momentarily relax your hip flexors while keeping the rest of your body tight.  By re-engaging your hip flexors and exploding off the box with a dynamic concentric effort, you are developing a tremendous rate of force development (RFD).  This is not possible by training normally with the regular squat.

The box squat also happens to be a very safe exercise when performed properly because it allows you to sit back further than normal, ensuring that your shins are at least vertical which takes the pressure off your knees and your patellar tendons.

- Remember that all programs must battle the principle of accommodation.   It is a fact that your body will eventually adapt to a particular exercise and your progress will slow down or stop in as little as two or three weeks.  Therefore, max effort exercises and assistance exercises should be rotated between one to three weeks.  Advanced lifters will need to rotate their exercises weekly due to higher levels of motor unit activation as a result of greater neuromuscular coordination and motor learning.

- A max total of only five exercises are recommended per workout.  The idea is to work quickly and complete your workout in about 45 minutes to an hour before your energy level begins to drop off dramatically.

- Research has shown that there is an optimum amount of repetitions or volume to be performed at any given intensity range (% of 1RM) before a decrease in training effect occurs.  A.S. Prilepin of the former Soviet Union developed an intensity chart based upon the performance data he collected from many Olympic weightlifters.  This chart serves as a guide for the sets and reps in this program.

- Assistance exercises should be trained with a “modified repetition method” for 3 to 5 sets of 6 to 12 repetitions.   Perform these exercises only until your technique breaks down, stopping one or two reps before failure.  Continuously training to failure on your assistance exercises only inhibits your recovery ability, and training past the point of maintaining good form will only lead to injury.  Again, Rest periods for all assistance exercises should be kept under two minutes.

- 72 hours are required in between extreme workouts for each body part.  If your Max lower body day were on Monday, your Dynamic lower body day should be on Friday.

Therefore, your Max upper body day could be Tuesday with Dynamic upper body day on Saturday, or Wednesday and Sunday respectively.

- Additional workouts can be done in between Max Effort and Dynamic Effort Days to facilitate recovery.  Loads less than 30% of 1RM can be used for general conditioning and to help recovery.  I will not be getting into these methods in this article, but I encourage you to learn more about them. 

- Sled dragging is another preferred method of recovery and is often used to increase one’s level of general physical preparedness (GPP), which is basically one’s capacity for performing work.  Therefore, I also recommend you read up on doing sled work.

Max Effort Day - Lower Body

Weights at 90% of 1RM or above are absolutely necessary on Max Effort Day to develop maximum strength and muscle recruitment.  You should only train a particular exercise at 90% or above for no more than three weeks before your CNS is adversely affected.  Therefore, it is possible to train with this intensity throughout the year as long as your ME exercises are rotated every one to three weeks.  

Keep in mind that on a yearly basis, 60% of the lower body ME exercises used should be different types of good mornings, 25% squatting movements and only 15% dead lifting movements.  Good mornings are extremely effective at developing the posterior chain muscles of the calves, hamstrings, hips, glutes, lower back and upper back, which is why this program places such an emphasis on them.

Choose one ME exercise per workout keeping in mind again that you never perform your primary exercise on Max Effort Day.  Use any variation of a box squat, front squat, good morning or dead lift other than your primary exercise. You will find endless variations of these exercises by using different foot widths, different box heights, different bars (safety squat bar vs. Olympic bar), partial movements, etc.  Warm yourself up and work up in sets of 3 to a max effort triple, double or single.  It’s not important that you actually achieve a new personal best in this lift each week, but it is important that you whole-heartedly attempt to.  Again, rest periods on ME exercises should be kept under two minutes.

The remaining four assistance exercises you perform should include one exercise that focuses on your posterior chain muscles (good mornings, pull-throughs, hyper-extensions, etc.), one for developing your Vastis Lateralis or teardrop muscle of your thigh (step-ups, lunges, etc.) as this muscle contributes greatly to your jumping ability, one exercise for your calf muscles (seated or standing) and one exercise for your abdominals (leg raises, twists, side bends, etc.).  You should work these four areas in this exact order, as this is the order in which they contribute greatest to your squat strength.  All of these will be trained with the more traditional 3 to 5 sets of anywhere from 6 to 12 reps depending on the athlete.  These assistance exercises are done for basic strength and hypertrophy.  Rest periods for these assistance exercises should be kept under one minute.

Dynamic Day – Lower Body

Weights between 50% and 60% of 1RM (one rep max) are used on lower body Dynamic Effort Day for developing maximum velocity and training your CNS to maximally recruit the motor neurons involved.  You must explode off the box as quickly as you can to train your CNS and increase your RFD.  The eccentric phase of the box squat should be swift but controlled.  Rest periods should be kept under one minute.

Your dynamic lower body exercise will always be your primary exercise, meaning it is the one lower body exercise that you have determined to have the most carryover to your sport.  You can attempt a new back or front box squat record about every 9 weeks on your ME Day and adjust your Dynamic Effort Day training weights accordingly.

You will be using a cycle called the Pendulum Wave to vary the sets, reps and percentages on your Dynamic day.  After week three, start right back at week one.

Week 1: 50% of 1RM for 12 sets of 2 reps (45-60 sec. rest)

Week 2: 55% of 1RM for 12 sets of 2 reps (45-60 sec. rest)

Week 3: 60% of 1RM for 10 sets of 2 reps (45-60 sec. rest)

Some athletes might want to use a four, five or six week wave.  The point is to remain within that 50%-60% of 1RM range for maximum velocity and find what works best for you.

As with your ME day, the remaining four assistance exercises you perform should include one exercise that focuses on your posterior chain muscles (good mornings, pull-throughs, hyper-extensions, etc.), one for developing your Vastis Lateralis or teardrop muscle of your thigh (step-ups, lunges, etc.), one exercise for your calf muscles (seated or standing) and one exercise for your abdominals (leg raises, twists, side bends, etc.).  All of these will be trained with 3 to 5 sets of 6 to 12 reps with rest periods kept under one minute.

Max Effort Day - Upper Body

As with your ME lower body day, weights at 90% of 1RM or above are necessary on ME upper body day to develop maximum strength and muscle recruitment.  Remember to rotate ME exercises every one to three weeks to avoid any possible adverse affects on your CNS.  

Choose one ME exercise per workout keeping in mind you never perform your primary exercise on Max Effort day.  Use any variation of the flat, incline or decline bench other than your primary exercise. Shoulder presses can also be used if it applies to your sport.  You will find endless benching variations by using different grip widths (narrow grips are most recommended), different incline settings, floor presses, board presses, different bars, partial movements, etc.  Warm yourself up and work up in sets of 3 to a max effort triple, double or single.  Again, it’s not important that you actually achieve a new personal best in this lift each week, but it is important that you whole-heartedly attempt to.  Rest periods should be kept under two minutes.

The remaining four assistance exercises you perform should include one type of triceps extension, one type of lat row (preferably chest supported) and one shoulder exercise (primarily various types of shoulder raises or sometimes an overhead press).  You should work these three areas in this exact order, as this is the order in which they contribute greatest to your bench strength.  Lastly, you can perform one biceps exercise or a variety of grip exercises.  All of these will be trained with the more traditional 3 to 5 sets of anywhere from 6 to 12 reps depending on the athlete (grip training may vary).  These assistance exercises are done for basic strength and hypertrophy.  Rest periods should be kept under one minute.

Dynamic Day – Upper Body

Weights between 40% and 50% of 1RM (one rep max) are used on Dynamic upper body day for developing maximum velocity and training your CNS (central nervous system) to maximally recruit the motor neurons involved.  Perform your presses as quickly as you can to train your CNS and increase your RFD.  The eccentric phase of your presses should be swift but controlled.  Rest periods should be kept under one minute.

Your dynamic upper body exercise will always be your primary exercise, meaning it is the one upper body exercise that you have determined to have the most carryover to your sport.  An athlete may want to alternate between flat and incline bench, rotating them after you’ve established a new personal best in the lift to further prevent adaptation.  You can attempt a new flat or incline bench record about every 9 weeks on your ME Day and adjust your training weights accordingly.

On your Dynamic upper body day, a flat wave of 50% of 1RM for 8 sets of 3 reps each week has proven to be most effective although athletes can use any variation within the 40%-50% range:

Week 1: 50% of 1RM for 8 sets of 3 reps (45-60 sec. rest)

Week 2: 50% of 1RM for 8 sets of 3 reps (45-60 sec. rest)

Week 3: 50% of 1RM for 8 sets of 3 reps (45-60 sec. rest)

As with your ME day, the remaining four assistance exercises you perform should include one type of triceps extension, one type of lat row (preferably chest supported) and one shoulder exercise (primarily various types of shoulder raises or sometimes an overhead press).  Again, you should work these three areas in this exact order, as this is the order in which they contribute greatest to your bench strength.  Lastly, you can perform one biceps exercise or a variety of grip exercises.  All of these will be trained with 3 to 5 sets of  6 to 12 reps (grip training may vary).  These assistance exercises are done for basic strength and hypertrophy.  Rest periods should be kept under one minute.

Traditionally, athletes have relied on the Olympic lifts in the weight room to build explosive power.  The pulling phases of the Olympic lifts lack an eccentric movement and thus lack the essential stretch-reflex component.  In this respect they are similar to deadlifts.   Cleans and snatches develop power because they are performed ballistically to generate enough bar speed for the bar to travel high enough to catch at the shoulders or overhead.  The deadlift is simply performed to completion with no particular bar speed needed.

Powerlifters who uses the Westside system tend to train their deadlift sparingly as all of the posterior chain work they do contribute greatly to success in the deadlift without having to actually perform the movement regularly.  When they do train their deadlift however, they usually perform them immediately after the box squat on Dynamic Effort Day for 4 to 6 sets of singles with 50-60% of their 1RM with 45-60 second rest periods.

There are two choices for those who would like to incorporate the Olympic lifts into a basic Westside template program.  First, you can choose one Olympic lift like the hang-clean and train it the same way a powerlifter would train their deadlift, 4 to 6 sets of singles with 50-60% of your 1RM with 45-60 second rest periods on Dynamic Effort Day after box squats utilizing a pendulum wave to vary your percentages.  Second, you can simply perform one or two Olympic lifts in place of box squats utilizing your own routine of sets, reps and percentages.  Just remember that Dynamic Effort Day is all about speed and not for going heavy.

The idea of plyometrics is to train your body to become more explosive by taking advantage of the stretch-reflex component of muscle contraction.  The goal is to decrease the amortization phase of your muscle contraction, which is the time it takes for your body to switch gears from an eccentric movement and respond with an explosive concentric effort.  A great book for learning about plyometrics is “Power Training for Sport” by Tudor O. Bompa.

Intense plyometrics are known to cause the delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS), which occurs approx. 48 hours after intense exercise.  To take advantage of this window of opportunity, it is recommended that intense lower body plyometrics be performed the day before ME lower body day and intense upper body plyometrics be performed the day before ME upper body day.

Grip training is perhaps the most neglected aspect of an athlete’s program, although nobody would dismiss the value of having strong hands, wrists and forearms.  Training your grip will help reduce hand and wrist injuries and actually contribute to your strength in other exercises.  When trained properly, your hands can become freakishly strong and a valuable asset to you in the weight room and in your sport.

There are three basic measurements of hand strength: crushing grip, pinching grip and supporting grip.

Crushing Grip:  The ability to close a hand gripper, crush a soda can, etc.

- All types of hand grippers
- Plate loaded grip machines

Pinching Grip:  Measures the strength of your thumb as in lifting a weight plate in the air with your thumb on one side and your four fingers on the other.

- Use various width pinch blocks to lift hanging weights for single efforts or holds
- Plate wrist curls (pinch grip a weight plate and perform a wrist curl)

Supporting Grip:  This combines the strength of your crushing grip with the component of muscular endurance like carrying a heavy dumbbell for distance.

- Farmer’s walk (carry heavy dumbbells/barbells for distance)
- Hold’s (lift and hold heavy objects for time)

You can be strong at one of these grips but not in another, so an athlete should incorporate a variety of hand and forearm exercises into their program to develop an all-around powerful grip.

I strongly encourage you read the article by John Brookfield about hand strength available at IronMind.com.
  

Flexibility is also another often-ignored component of a strength athlete’s program.  Light stretching helps recovery and increases ROM (range of motion), which improves performance and helps prevent injuries.

Stretching should be done lightly and frequently.  It’s a good habit to stretch lightly after every workout.  Keep in mind that stretching should not be painful and it should never be the cause of muscle soreness.

Proper nutrition is an absolute necessity for recovery, growth and optimum performance.  Without proper diet and nutrition, an athlete can easily fall prey to over-training and injury.  Learn all you can about nutrition and the metabolic demands of your sport.

Workouts specific to your own sport must be woven into your training program along with all of the other components outlined in this article to allow for enough rest and recovery between workouts.  How you choose to modify and arrange your training sessions are entirely dependant on your own goals and the demands of your specific sport.  

Seeking the advice of well-respected event coaches and finding out how the most successful athletes are structuring their training programs are great sources of information.  If something in particular makes sense to you then try it, just remember not to blindly follow someone else’s program just because it works for them.  The goal is always about finding out what works best for you.  

With so many components needing to be integrated into one comprehensive program, you need to prioritize your training.  Most of us do not have the luxury of being a full-time athlete, able to perform two to three short workouts per day, so be honest with yourself and the time you are able to commit to your sport.

Remember, the key to success with any training program is finding out what works best for you!  Do not blindly follow the principles and methods outlined in this article or anywhere else unless you’ve done your own research and fully understand the “why” behind the “how”.

Monday
AM: Maximum Effort Day – Lower Body
             ME Exercise
                         Narrow Stance, Concentric-only Good Mornings
             Assistance Exercises
         Pull-throughs
         Step-ups
         Standing Calf Raises
         Vertical Knee Raises

Tuesday
AM: Event Training, Upper Body Plyometrics

Wednesday
AM: Maximum Effort Day – Upper Body
            ME Exercise
       Incline Narrow-grip Bench
            Assistance Exercises
       Triceps Supines
       T-bar rows
       Rear Delt Raises
       Hammer Curls
PM: Grip Training

Thursday
AM: Event Training

Friday
AM: Dynamic Effort Day – Lower Body
             Box Squats
         50% of 1RM for 12 sets of 2
             Assistance Exercises
         Hyperextensions
         Lunges
         Seated Calf Raises
         Side Bends
PM: Grip Training

Saturday
AM: Event Training

Sunday
AM: Dynamic Effort Day – Upper Body
               Flat Bench
                50% of 1RM for 8 sets of 3
               Assistance Exercises
                Overhead Triceps Extensions
                Low Pulley Rows
                Shoulder Side Raises
                Barbell Curls
PM: Lower Body Plyometrics & Grip Training

Many people can’t wait for the first day on the mountain, then after only tow or three runs are so tired and exhausted they are already ready to go home. Many people may even hit the gym all summer and work their legs out regularly and are still sore after only a hour on the mountain.

As everyone knows snowboarding requires flexibility, balance, strength and muscular endurance. But for some reason the normal gym routine with squats, calf raises, leg press, lunges etc… just doesn’t prepare you for the mountain.

Here are some exercises that might help get you ready to rock all day your first day up and show all your friends what wimps they are for crying after two hours and only three runs. Even for those of you who don’t get to exercise your legs regularly year round doing some exercise for a month or two will help get you ready for a great season.

1. Balance Board - Helps in core conditioning and balance, both of which are essential for snowboarding.

2. Wall Sits - These help increase lower body endurance and are a great way to train your muscles for shredding down the mountain. It also helps to try doing wall sits with your feet position the same as your snowboard stance.

3. Stretching - Make sure to stretch regularly and keep your legs loose. Always make sure to warm up your legs and stretch right before hitting your first run.

These are just a few additions to add into your workout that can help you get ready for tearing up the mountain, but you should still do a regular leg routine workout including squats, lunges, leg extensions and leg curls. Don’t neglect working your back and core as well.

Whether a beginner or a competitor, anyone can benefit from these exercises. The main body parts that need to be properly trained are the legs, back and core.