Warped Fireside Chats

What is the answer?

Born into the world with curiosty

Discover and learn everything, they say

Please yourself, at the cost of a few

Look out for you, is their mantra

A world of fools, take while you can

Perfection we have achieved, stagnant are we

What do they know? What can they know?

Their ways were primative, we are advanced

Superior are we, they cannot understand

Great and mighty are we

No harm, no worry, protect yourself

Divided we rapidly become

The world is a challenge, who then will conquer?

Is conquer the goal?

Difference: Is history in the end

Live for others, make a difference: regardless…..

Hurt no one, please all: if possible, disagree with dignity and honor

Losing, failure, heartache: all necessary for growth

Find value, whatever it may be, in all

The long road will prove fruitful

The journey, the anticipation… cannot be calculated, but in the end, is the prize

Search inside, the answers are there

Search for improvement, live for improvement: Constant it must be

Along the way, many a life affected

Words of appreciation never heard, never sought after

Others mock, imply foolishness, then return with resentment

Flowering plants are, many times, cut short: not intended for understanding

Speak of toil, whisper heresy, direct insults: feel insecure

The world so fragile, so physical, so indefinite

What then?

Difference…..in the end: the answer!

Recently, I decided to begin entertaining the question of whether or not I should, at the age of 38, think of competing for the first time. "Why, at the age of 38, would someone decide to do this?" you ask. HHhhmm, to be honest, I can’t know that there is one single answer to this question you have posed. But I can give the cumulative reasons that, along with some positive and quit spinning your wheels feedback I have recieved from members of this forum, have pushed me into getting ready for a natural show in June:

1. It’s a goal that gives me something to work towards. After twenty one years of BBing, assisting others in this area and legitamately feeling as though I was going to be the teacher (you know the old saying, those who can….do, those who can’t….teach), I am in need of quantifiably justifying my efforts in the gym. While I am motivated to workout by a myriad of sources, it feels fantastic to actually have a goal that is specifically designed to direct and challenge me….no one else…..me!

2. I have over the past few months actually developed a fitness system, that in concjuntion with the quality principles I live by in the business world and my twenty one years of BBing, will help anyone with any type of physical, mental, or spiritual goals, actually be able to verifiably attain those goals. What better way to showcase this system: work it myself, show the progress, than prove the results.

3. Over those past twenty one years of BBing, I have bulked and cut, leaned and ballooned; gone from 175 pounds to, as of two weeks ago, 225 pounds. With that, I have never really and truly shredded down to bare muscle (peeled). How does the old saying go, "There has never been a time like the present?" I am ready to see what those muscles, that I can feel, but cannot necessarily see, actually look like.

4. At the age of 38, it’s potentially a perfect time in life to actually give up the "chasing after the mass" game and understand that it’s more about being healthy. I have been on a clean diet for a little over a week now, and can already feel the difference, all accross the board. Ironically, and strangely, my lifts have all actually gone up since starting the clean life. Now, I cannot attribute this anomaly solely to diet however, because along with this new ideology towards overall fitness and shreddedness (I know this isn’t a word but it just seemed to fit), has also come a new excitement about hitting the iron with higher intensity. It really is all about muscle confusion in the end: So whatever it takes, yes?

5. And last……………maybe the mid-life crisis theories are true? Holy Schnikes, that means the alien abduction and autopsy nightmare I occasionally have is probably also true…………JK.

In conclusion, there really is no merit in determining the why of some peoples actions, rather the system of how, is where efforts should really apply. In my particular scenario, the actions taken towards the how, will be very well documented, at some point (success or not), open for all the world to see.

To be continued………..and yes that is a threat!

Another man and his woman attempt to access the hotel gym: Like the others before them, once they bare witness to the wild-eyed, scary-on-some-levels, muscled-being moving the entire stack of weight on the joke of an exercise machine, they fearfully turn and skitter away. Without even a hint of care towards anything other than punishing its chest at all cost, the sweaty, smelly, loud and powerful looking mass monster, drops the minor league stack with a tremendous boom. The being, of obvious alien decent, surveys the highly aesthetically pleasing and modern landscape that make up this Romper-room of an iron-moving facility. Longing for the bleak and dismal, muscle-punishing, mind-correcting, torture-chamber it normally consumes, the creature removes its shirt, and recreates two of the greatest bodybuilding poses of all time: The right-side chest, and the full-on most-muscular. Partially intending to surmise the effects of a diet which it had recently implemented: Partially to further annoy and scare off any other hotel guests, who might courageously contemplate nearing the unleashed animal.

Alright, maybe that’s not exactly how my chest workout went tonight here in the Vegas hotel……or is it? HHHhhmmm, who can know? Surprisingly, I did actually have a good workout tonight. Much impart, I’m sure, due to the fact that I love working me some chest. That’s right, I said love. Now don’t get all mushy on me, because it’s not a romantic, sweetheart type of love….nope, it’s more of the TOUGH love variety, that is usually seen between two UFC fighters.

Working chest has always been and probably will always be one of my favorite things in life to do. I love the burn, I love the pump, I love the effort exerted, and I love the pain, if I’m lucky enough to be sore over the next couple of days. Many a family member, friend, co-worker, and acquaintance have mentioned to me that I am obviously demented in some capacity because of this inherently sick desire for torturous workouts. For me, I cannot understand how a person cannot enjoy the feeling of a great workout, even if it is accompanied by a given degree of pain. I look forward to the self-induced body-wrenching that takes place in my Hardcore house five days a week: However, day two, which is devoted strictly to chest, is the day I most lust after!

So, being in a hotel, how did I accomplish blasting the part of my body that, when full of blood, consumes my entire being with a sense of euphoria? A eupohric feeling similar to that of sex……yep, I said sex (don’t ask, I can’t explain). Here it is:

5 sets of 10 - low grip machine presses (220 pound stack*)

5 sets of 10 - high grip machine presses (*)

6 sets of 10 - pec deck (140 pound stack)

200 push-ups…accomplished sets until 200 completed.

Now back to the story…..

The booming seemed to be coming from the workout facility on campus, Johnny the concierge thought to himself as he ran to see exactly what the noises could be. Hurriedly he ran passed many a frightened guest, hopping with great agility their dropped and left behind bags. When he finally was able to bear witness to the sight which was in no way something he had ever seen in person, he froze in his tracks: Paralyzed by an overwhelming fear of the monstrosity making its way towards him. The potential brobdingnagian, pulled open the door of the facility with such ease that it banged heavily against the wall; producing a tremendous thump. The beast acknowledged Johnny with a nod: an acknowledgement that was not reciprocated, due to Johnny’s incapacitated state. The behemoth, having experienced this type of reception before, pushed passed Johhny and quicly dissappeared from sight….never to be seen again. 

Loud, obnoxious, intense, iron-pushing in a polished, pompous hotel envrionment?

Shear enjoyment, my friends!!!!!!

Another night in a foreign town: The night was bleak at best, the traveler thought to himself as he completed 50 quick reps of low-pulley back rows on the Hotel’s Universal machine. He slowly faded off into deep forelonging. Forelonging that centered around his normal workout accomodations: His hardcore house of Pain. You know the one! The one that resembles some ancient torture room, straight out of Greek mythology. Strange, he continued thinking, how one could derive so much enjoyment from the induction of extreme pain and agony. He became increasingly motivated as he thought of the room: The one that promoted heavy breathing and the occassional, gutteral, strain-induced scream. The room that was definitively responsible for creating strange lumps over his entire body. Lumps, that to the dismay of some, he could contort, pump-up, make dance, move, and harden; all at any given time, and at will.

The Room which houses the Powertec Smith Machine built to withstand 700 tons of weight resistance (not really, but it’s pretty strong) and the two different Powertec pulley stations; the ones built to withstand at least 400 tons of resistance (also, not really, but it does add dramatic effect, yes?). Two knurl bars: One Olympic weight rated, the other standard plate rated (for the lighter days, ya know). One Full length jet black (very rare in these parts) Olympic straight bar: Yes my friends, the one that has moved surely, hundreds of thousands of pounds over the last two years since it’s purchase! Rubberized flooring throughout: The variety of flooring that replicates the smell of any gym atmosphere in the world. Four weight trees, over a thousand pounds of weights, Dumbell’s racked up to 110 pounds, a myriad of back attachments (for a myriad of back torture movements), mirrors all over (to some, a full-of-self addition, to the owner, a device for proper mechanics) and finally…..a Powertec four-way, multi-purpose bench: All combine to create an environment that causes the neighbor kids to cross the street screaming in fear when they pass in front of it. The same environment that has the other adults in the neighborhood (yes, the ones that could easily pass as doubles for Stay Puff marshmellow people), whispering in disapproval when the owner of this prehistoric muscle melding room walks by (God forbid, shirtless) with his German Sheppard (who is….yes, that’s right, naked). 

Snapping too, the traveler felt a sense of euphoria upon remembering the extreme irratation his muscular being somtimes ellicited from the more common folks. This knowledge, on some levels but not all inclusively, provided the motivation he was in need of to begin his final set of close grip pull downs on the Hotel’s Universal Machine.

Different town, different atmosphere, different workout, different equipment…..same motivation, same mechanics, same intensity, same goal……..Another successful workout!! Can I get an Amen?  

Day four of my cutting phase came and went as typical day fours of a cutting phase do. In the system I follow, a seven day medium to low to high carb schedule, day four is the pit of my carb depleting schedule, and therefore is generally the most challenging. As per usual on this day, anyone and everyone that I happened across was either eating a carb laced food item, storing one on their desk for later consumption, talking about one, or advertising one on their shirt, hat, thong-back or any other article of clothing that might be visible to my carb depleted eyes. Obviously, the world is conspiring against me to get me off my diet…….But I’ll remain strong and probably won’t glare at too many people eating Beautiful Carbs in front of me and probably won’t be too awful grumpy: I’ll wait to be grumpy in weeks four through eight!

 It always amazes me to really notice, on day four, how much I love my carbohydrates (BIG TIME LOVE, my friends, and yes, I already know its sad). Whether it be pasta (Omega 3 laced of course), steamed rice (with Kung-Pow chicken!), baked potatoes (uh-huh!), Pies, Chocolate (All types of course, dark especially though). Oh yeah, can you feel it now? Are you with me?…..then there’s Rolls, Cold cereals, Bread……….WOW….Okay, whoops, sorry, I got a little carried away there for a minute. It’s sad really on day four how much I legitimately lust for just some type of carb. At any rate, I digress, so here’s a snapshot of how my day four diet went and the scenarios I encountered from my loving and supportive family, friends and co-workers.

THE DIET 

Day four - total carbs 50 g

0430 Sugar free Yogurt with Whey Protein, Small glass of OJ, Two pieces of low-carb no butter toast………..30 g carbs

0730 Protein bar……4 impact carbs

1100 two chicken breasts  0 carbs

1430 cup of sugar free yogurt with whey protein 8 impact carbs

1830 12 oz. of Pork Tenderloin (All fat trimmed) serving of green beans  8 g carbs

2230 Whey Protein and water (Nasty, but I do it) 0 Carbs

Training:

Arms (Biceps, Triceps, Forearms)

All Supersets, all performed deliberately and until lactic acid is acutely evident. High intensity (arm workout took thirty minutes total)

4 X 15-20 Skull crushers followed by Standing Dumbell curls (Supinating) followed by standing reverse Barbell Forearm rolls

4 X 15 Rope Tricep extensions followed by Straight Barbell Curls followed by Seated Barbell Forearm Rolls (Forearms on Thigh)

3 X 15 Knurl bar Tricep push-downs followed by knurl bar preacher curls followed by Seated Dumbell reverse wrist rolls

1 X Drop set (As many reps as it takes for failure at each weight interval) Close Grip bench press, Hammer Curls.

Let me tell you something here, this workout is killer and generally takes me a good solid hour afterwards to regain normal function in my arms, partially due to the pain and partially due to the restricted motion of my excessively blood-bloated arms…..I don’t care who you are, You have just got to love the pump…..And yes, I agree with Arnold (no last name neccesary), when he stated in the movie, "Getting a pump is kind of like having sex." I know, it sounds weird, but I’ve already accepted that part about me. 

And now, a little about the evil people and scenarios that sought to destroy my diet yesterday:

-My kids: With their Huge glasses of Orange Juice, Massively gargantuan bowls of Lucky Charms and the beautiful Whole Wheat Roast beef and Swiss cheese sandwhiches for their lunches.

Brenda (co-worker): With her supposedly by-chance, Glazed with chocolate sprinkle Krispy Kreme (She’s evil I tell you) She even ate it with a smile……. 

Ron (Co-worker): With his excessively large bowl of left-over Spiral Pasta with marinara sauce and four (yes four!) pieces of superfluously buttered, garlic bread. (Also evil I tell you)

Random woman I noticed while sitting in Traffic on I-10 on my way home from work: With her I’m sure innocent bag of Ruffle potato chips………Why is it that this stuff is like a magnet for the eyes come diet time?????

And last, but certainly not least, every other commercial on the radio, and television: Advertising some sort of carbohydrate based product. It’s just not right I tell you….

I know these things don’t happen during my bulking phases………Or maybe I just don’t notice. Again….things that make you go hhhhmmmmm!

The following is not really related to bodybuilding / fitness in anyway (maybe in a round about way) but, it’s a good story, will be potentially informative, potentially inspirational and has a moral at the end. Enjoy!

So, there I was, minding my own business while on my way to work, when from out of the blue, I noticed a really nice looking girl in an Acura speed up behind me. She was riding pretty darn close to the bumper of my truck, and being that it is of larger size, I was surprised that, once again, anyone would be willing to run into the back of me, were I to suddenly hit the breaks. Being that I live almost fifty miles from my office, the commute is typically one that involves a one to two hour drive-time. This being the case: I rarely see the same people during this commute, given the inherently large parameters of it. With that, I decided to just ignore the (again, pretty good looking) girl, aka, "bumper rider," behind me, knowing full well she’d turn off eventually.

Well, this was not to be the case this morning. She contnued to follow closely and actually, appeared to be smiling at me. Hhhmm, what’s the deal there, I wondered. Finally we broke out into the two lane section of highway we were traveling on, and she pulled out from behind me, sped up and got up to where we were cruising at a leisurely 65 mph, in perfect side-by-side formation. I don’t typically pay too much attention to other drivers while I’m driving (well, unless they’re good looking), and since that was the case here, and it was already one of those odd situations, I couldn’t help but take a little peak at what this girl, now beside me, looked like. So, I hazarded a look. And wouldn’t you know it, she was wearing a short skirt; one that very nicely revealed an awesome set of toned, tanned and muscular legs. Now, let’s just face it, that right there is hard to not look at, right? No harm or malice intended, just a quick look at the accomplishments this girl had made. Appreciation for her hard work, ya know?

Of course and as does frequently happen in situations like this, when I finally was able to pull my line of sight up to my driving companions eye level, she was staring firmly back at me. However, she was not, as is usually the case when you get busted looking, upset. Rather, she was smiling, as if to say, "yep, I know you were looking, and you know what, I might be looking too!" Allright, good deal! The facts are this, and you know I’m right: When someone of the opposite sex notices you in that sort of way (you know the one), it just gives you a little feeling inside that says, "Cool, she thinks I’m hot too!" That’s it, I think to myself! And take that little feeling inside and chalk the day up to being a good one, regardless of what happens to the rest of it.

Are you still with me? Don’t stop reading yet, that’s not where this thing ends….

We keep driving together, back and fourth through traffic: She’s catching up and passing me and I’m catching up and passing her. This little game continues for the better part of half an hour, each time we catch up and pass each other, we give each other the, "Yep, I’m looking and I like what I am seeing look," (as two people looking at each other sometimes do). Again, even though it was only 5:30 in the AM, my day was already a success, and certainly, I already knew my workout for that night was going to be killer: I love this type of inspiriation and reward!

Here’s where I probably need to go ahead and interject that, yes I’m married, and yes I do love my wife, and no, I would not dream of sleeping around on her, but yes, I still do notice women that are aesthetically pleasing: C’mon now, it would just be wrong not too, right? So, I do enjoy a little game of, "you know I’m looking, and I love the fact that you are looking too," every so often. Enough said, back to the story.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, my new driving partner and I have been chasing and passing each other for a good amount of time now before we get to the portion of the inerstate, in the middle of the metroplex, where it breaks into six lanes, and it becomes more difficult to keep track of my morning’s playmate. A good ten minutes goes by, and I think she’s already turned off the intestate and was now headed off to her destination; never for me to see again. That’s okay, becuase I’m sporting a perma-grin and feeling just plain great about life!! I’m flying so high, I almost break into a rap version of "God Bless America!" As I’m planning my workout activities for that evening, I again catch sight of the source of my elevated self esteem out of the corner of my eye.

After checking the traffic in front of me one more time before taking a peak to my right for the HOT BABE verification, I look over and what I saw, will be a memory I will never forget………

For sure, it was the same girl I had seen before, but this time, she was not noticing me, because she had her right index finger buried deep inside her right nostril; presumably hunting for that little tickler-booger that we have all had. I’m stunned! You mean to tell me, that women have this problem too? My jaw is slack, and I am mesmerized by this site for some reason (train-wreck phenomena?). My mouth wide open and me in obvious shock, she casually pulls her finger out of her nose and wipes it on something in the passenger seat, whilst at the same time, slowly turning her head in my direction. All at once, (oviously this happened in slow motion) she notices me (noticing her and her gold-mining activities) and my look of utter shock,  which causes her jaw to drop, as a look of utter embarrasment rolls accross her gorgeous face. She immediately looked away, and bolted off the interstate and onto the first available exit (her intended exit or not, I’ll never know).

Wow, I thought, as I gathered myself. Never in a million years could I have foretold of that occurence.

Moral of the story: Sometimes, tinted windows would be nice to have……

Happy Humpday!!

Here you are a fitness competitor and there’s no doubting that the "Money-Muscles" on your body are looking quite excellent: IE your abdominal complex (waist, abs, obliques, serratus), shoulders, back, thighs and biceps. Now what, right? Well, let’s take a page from the historical requirements for men’s bodybuilding. Look at the overall X-frame and is it not only proportionate, but aesthetically pleasing? Is it in effect, balanced? Balance is a word that, in my opinion, has been lost when talking about today’s judging criteria, whether it be for men’s or women’s bodybuilding, fitness and / or figure. So, where the heck am I going with this right? I pretty much named off all of the heavy hitters when it comes to the physique…..

In the words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast my friend." What about balance??? And what the heck is that anyway? Balance is defined as the, "Equal distribution of weight or amount…an equal state of body" (American Century Dictionary). Many of today’s competitors have forgotten about the miscellaneous muscle groups that are less noticeable, but are very much an integral part of balance. Such as: Triceps, calves, glutes, hammy’s, forearms and yes, the trapezius. I could go on and mention many other tie-in points as well as break each muscle group down into their many different sections, but for the purposes here, let’s start with just the Tri’s, calves and glute-hammy tie-in.

Triceps

To build and shape effective and superior triceps, one must first understand that they are an extremely strong muscle group. With three heads working efficiently together, they can not only move a tremendous load of weight, they’re durable too. So, to get those back sides up to beefy, or at a minimum, detailed status, they must be worked hard, heavy and intensely. The following is an example of such a work out schedule:

4 X 15 rope pushdowns

2 X 15 overhead dumbell extensions

2 X 15 lying skull-crushers*

2 X 15 close-grip bench press*

*Close-grip bench presses and skull-crushers should be accomplished in "super-set" fashion.

Calves 

Now, much like triceps, calves are strong! The only thing that needs to be said to demonstrate this, is to remember that calves are involved any time we want to move our bodies from point A to point B. That’s quite a load for some of us, yes? Now, calves are also a complex muscle group, meaning they consist of both slow and fast twitch muscle fibers. So, in response they need to have a veritable plethora of exercise fluctuation induced upon them for any recognizable growth. The following is an excellent example of such an exercise schedule:

4 X 40 standing calf raises (alternate: donkey calf raises(legs must be locked out))

5 X 20 seated calf raises (alternate: calf pushes on the leg press(legs must be bent at knee))

2 X 100 steps for each foot with dumbells (start on ball of foot on up to tip of toe for each step)

Glute-hammy tie-in 

Now for an extremely important tie-in point that has probably single handedly been responsible for more competitors losing competitions than any other body part, but is remarkably and many a times…….simply forgotten about. Enter…. the glute-hamstring tie-in!! You might have the most fantastic lat spread or just an absolutely unbelievable abdominal complex, but unfortunately, these beautiful accomplishments are completely forgotten about if you have a saggy butt!! IE, there is not a sharp edgy contrast between your glutes and hammy’s. Not sure how to get this? Well, alternately and in lieu of an actual workout, here are some movements, and / or techniques that will assist you with this oft forgotten about area of the body:

*DO NOT!! use heavy weight when focusing on this area…..it is much more about the feel than anything else! Rep ranges should be in the order of 15 - 20.

Deep Well Squats (all the way down……nope deeper than that….all the way, you slacker)

Stiff legged dead-lifts (works the lower back as well for added efficiency and benefit( KEEP YOUR LOWER BACK VERTICAL AND COMPLETELY STRAIGHT TO AVOID INJURY))

Lunges (Walking lunges are the best, and the longer the step, the more glute-hammy stress)

*One last note on any load bearing work you accomplish in hopes of building larger muscles - you must (MUST) feel the muscle being worked. You are spinning your wheels if you can’t feel the muscle working…..I can’t stress this enough. The burn tells you when it’s working!!

In conclusion, there you go! If you’ve been coming up just short in competitions, or maybe you’re just more interested in a nicer butt, beefier arms and / or a nicer set of calves, maybe applying a little more emphasis to one or all three of these areas will be the golden ticket to the Motherland!!

Atkins? If you like feeling flat, bloated and irritable.
 

So, you’re looking into the Atkins diet? Keep on walking my friends, literally! Cutting carbohydrates is a proven way to shed anywhere from a little fat, to a boatload of fat. However, the Atkins diet, which works on the principle of working with little to no carbs, is too restrictive and in the long run, will push your body to actually store fat, leave your muscles feeling flat, and don’t dare cheat or you’ll be singing the Oompah Loompah song!

If you must: When you first start the Atkins, the weight loss should be rapid (notice, I said rapid….I lost ten pounds in my first week), as your body readily shifts gears into a machine that burns fat for fuel. If you proceed from here, ensure that you are taking in plenty of water as well as protein. This part of the process will work well for up to two weeks, at which point, your body will tire of burning fat for energy and will literally start to store whatever fat it can. This occurs because the body begins to think that a famine is occurring, and naturally, fat must be stored for the long haul.

A common request I hear from women that I have helped in the past is, "I really want to shape up my abs, glutes and legs!" With that, I think the first thing worthy of addressing, is what do most women really want when they are talking about these areas of their body. In my experience, (certainly my preference, too) when it comes to abs and glutes, less is more (IE, less size and less fat). When it comes to legs, I think that the desire is most probably more muscle and less fat. So, with that how does one accomplish this?

 For abs, since our goal is to reduce the overall size as well as fat, we need to begin with working them daily. Now this can be accomplished in a variety of different ways: Working them in the AM, mid-day, or PM, with as little as 10 minutes of straight exercise. I know this may sound brutal, but trust me, not only is very doable, it is very worth it. The trick is to find the right combination of ab exercises that will not only create the look desired, but the combo that will keep you coming back day after day. The only requirement for the mid-section is that you find one exercise that works the abdominals, and then combine it with one that works the obliques (sides). There are a myriad of exercises that accomplish these, and they are listed on bodybuilding. com, so no need to go into detail here. For my own personal preference, I do 50 "feel" crunches and 100 "feel" twists (*) right before I go to bed every night. And I know this is sad, but the best part about this time of day, is that when I do slide into bed, I love the feeling of having a tight mid-section……(Just something about tight mids, ya know?) The last part of the equation for abs, is ultimately…..diet! No matter the amount of work you put into your abs, if you do not, at a minimum, eat semi-clean foods, you will never (yep, never) see what kind of mid-section you really have. NOTE: Diets do not have to be extremely restrictive either, just smart. Three quick tid-bits to get you started: 1. Eat less carbs after 300 PM 2. Eat more protein, period. 3. Cut down on unhealthy fats (trans, saturated). *FOOTNOTE - Feel exercises are generally done slowly and with great emphasis paid to the working muscle. Most ab exercises should be done slowly and deliberately as to avoid lower back injury as well.

For the Glutes, this is kind of a tricky area, as let’s just face it, no one wants a big butt, right? However, if you do not work them with a progressive weight program, you are losing out on a potentially great shaped butt. Aerobics and the like are a sure fire way to lose some fat and potentially tone the area, but if you don’t have some shape in the region to begin with, you will just be sporting the thin….no-butt look. So, the quickest way to shapely bunns, is to add these two exercises to any routine: 1. Stiff legged dead lifts (3 X 20 or higher) and 2. Dumbell - walking lunges (2 X 30 steps). Remember: These exercises should be performed in a manner that produces a great amount of lactic acid buildup (you know, a severe burning sensation). This will ensure that not only are you working the target area, but that you are breaking down the muscle (a necessity for shaping and building any muscle).

 Last, the thighs!!! Women typically want to build their legs, but are also afraid of building too much muscle there, so when the nary a mention of squats comes along, their first words are always, "I won’t do squats, because I do not want thunder thighs!" This right here, is an example of actually two misonceptions: 1. That women not taking steroids can build too much muscle by working with weights 2. Squats are for building large bulky thunder-thighs. I think Arnold (no last name necessary) said it best when it came to squats, "If I was ever placed in a situation where I could only do one exercise for the rest of my life, it would be squats! They are the best overall exercise ever created!" I happen to agree with Big Arnold, who by the way, probably knew a thing or two about not only building muscle, but building aesthetically pleasing muscle as well. So, that said, Squats are a must for any would be muscle builder / fitness enthusiast looking to build a great set of legs. The only catch? You must do high repetitions, (somewhere in the 15 - 20 range), they must be full squats (all the way down / all the way up), they must produce a burn during each set, and they are definitely not easy. For sure, if you have not included squats in your workouts before, they will point out to you, exactly what kind of shape you are in. In addition, they will make you sore for the first couple of times you perform them. I recommend starting out with 3 sets of again, 15 - 20 reps. I guarantee that not only will you feel the burn, see how exhausting they are and how sore they can make you, but you will also see a difference with your legs and glutes after only a few workouts.

So you want to grow some muscle? The very first thing you must realize, is that every rep should count. You must (MUST) feel each rep in your target muscle in order for that specific muscle to experience hypertrophy. Enter, the mind muscle connection: The concept of using your mind to really feel and focus on the muscle working.

Too many would be bodybuilders go into the gym with the mindset that they must rapidly increase their working weight for each exercise. The truth is, form must be of the utmost priority: Please check ego at the door and stay at a specific working weight until you can feel a positive burn for twelve reps. For many years I felt it more important to reach the "holy grail" of bench pressing (300 lbs.) than really feeling my chest getting some work. So, I employed many different devices (leverage, other muscle groups, etc.) to get my bench to that level. I made some gains along the way, yes! However, I strongly feel that the gains I made were of the minimal variety, because I was not fully exhausting my target muscle. 

Now, over the past three years (I have now been moving the iron for twenty-one years), I have been working each muscle to its fullest extent, by backing off of the heavy weight, low rep routine, and focusing more on the actual target muscle working (less weight to start). Feel the burn people: If you feel your calves burning when working calves, you are definitely doing something right. And oh yeah by the way, once you feel that burn, you’ve just started…..Keep going! As to really tear down that muscle, you’ve got to work it. Remember, muscle most probably will not get bigger if it is not getting challenged and consequently torn down.

The burn of lactic acid buildup in your target muscle is the indicator you’re looking for. Now, having touted this whole mind muscle connection thing, remember that this is just the starting block for muscle growth. Don’t neglect diet (protein for sure) and rest. Here’s the equation that should make it easy for you

 Focused muscle work +  burn  + diet +  rest = Muscle growth!