Strength and Physique

"I’ve enjoyed your Pyramid Program for Ectomorphs, and thank you for answering all the questions regarding it from many people on your blog. May I ask: what is the purpose of the final set of 15? Why not just do 10-8-6 and stop there?”

Cheers,
Steve Murphy

My Answer: The last set where you perform a high number of reps is good for growth. In my upcoming book Strength and Physique V2, I go into greater detail about why flushing sets or feeder sets are an important component of hypertrophy training. But for now, just understand that flushing sets of 15 reps will increase blood flow to the muscle, which transports nutrients into the muscle being worked. This aids in recovery and growth through increased amino acid and glycogen uptake. 

“My name is Alessandro, and I’m 17 soon to be 18. I’ve been working out for about a year but properly maybe 6-8 months. I weigh anywhere between 160-165. I’m somewhere between 6′0 and 6′1. In the past few months I’ve put on a decent amount of muscle. My arms probably measure in around 14.5-15 inches, and my chest about 42-43. I was wondering if i should be using the Workout for the Ectomorph you wrote an article about. Everybody seems to tell me I look big, but in my own eyes I still can’t see the physique I want, I don’t know if this email will reach you, but a response would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.”

My Answer: Don’t listen to your friends, because the measurements you’re giving me indicate you still have lots of growth to go. I don’t know what sort of program you’re doing now, but chances are you will benefit from the 10-8-6-15 progam. Most beginners train like the pro bodybuilders (split routines, high volume), when they should be doing the exact opposite in nearly every training parameter. You’re not big yet and you’re not on steroids, so why train like a pro bodybuilder? The Hypertrophy Training for the Ectomorph article outlines everything that you should be doing as a beginner, but you need to unlearn this BS that muscle mags have been feeding you about how to train.

“I read your articles on Bodybuilding.com and was very impressed. It’s great to have someone that understands how difficult it can be for officers to find time to work out. I work at Alamance County Sheriff’s Dept. in North Carolina as a Correctional Officer. I liked the workout that you provided on Bodybuilding.com, but noticed you recommended powerlifting for correctional officers, but I could not find a recommended workout for us.

“I have been doing everything I can to try to cut down on my body fat, to no avail. I adapted a strict low carb/high protein diet, and began doing everything I can to eat healthy foods. In the first 2 weeks I lost 10 pounds, that was 2 months ago, and I haven’t lost anything else. I don’t seem to be losing any inches or gaining any muscle. I am seriously starting to give up hope of trimming down.

“I can not stop working out though. I am also in the National Guard, and will be deploying back to Iraq for my second tour in a few months. So being in shape is a great concern for me right now. I also have attached a recent snapshot of myself, so you can see just why I want to transform out of this flabby body that I have. My typical workout is as follows:

Day 1 Chest/Biceps
-Flat bench press 4×4-10
-Incline Dumbell Flies 4×6-10
-Cable Crossovers 3×15
-Standing E-Z Bar curl 4×4-10
-Hammer Curls 4×10
-Preacher curls 4×10
-Standing Cable curls 3×15
-30 minutes of cardio, either stepmill or elliptical (treadmills kill my joints)

Day 2 Back/Triceps
-Pullups 4×5 (trying to build more reps)
-Bent over rows 4×10
-T-bar rows 4×6-10
-Pulldowns 4×10
-Close grip press 4×3-10
-Nose breakers 4×10
-Overhead Dumbell press 4×10
-Cable kickbacks 3×12-15
-Superset triceps with Dips and pushups after every tricep workout

Day 3 Shoulder/Abs/Cardio
-Upright Rows 4×6-10
-Dumbell Shrugs 4×10-12
-Lateral raises 4×10
-Front Raises 4×10
-Haven’t found a steady ab routine, usually do swiss ball crunches and leg raises.
-30 minutes cardio

Day 4 Legs
-Have to admit, I have to force myself into legs. They get neglected alot.
-4×10 Hack squats
-3×10 Lunges
-4×30 standing calf raises

“If you have a free minute, could you glance at this and tell me where I’m going wrong? I notice that no matter how hard I work myself, I’m not even feeling sore after I workout. I even tried switching recently to a Chest/Tricep and Back Bicep routine, and still did not feel sore the next day. I’m so confused about the whole Push/Push or Push/Pull theory on muscle groups, everyone has a different opinion on that. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.”

-Adam Rose

My Answer: I don’t give much credence to the push/pull split routines, so don’t worry about those. You can switch back and forth between push/pull routines and non-push/pull routines, and it wouldn’t make a difference in your gains.

Anyway, I didn’t give a powerlifting routine in the Return to Copland article, because 1) that would have been a very distracting sidenote to the article and 2) there are plenty of powerlifting routines out there to choose from. But if you’re focus is losing fat, then a powerlifting routine isn’t good for you anyway.

It sounds like you want to lose fat and stay fit for deployment. If that’s the case, then a good training program to follow is the one outlined in the Building a Bigger Engine article. You better start working out your legs more, because those bad boys will burn more calories than your upper body. If you want soreness, then working out the legs with low rest will bring it. Be careful what you wish for.

Strength and Physique V1 available on Amazon.com

I just finished reading your article on Bodybuilding.com about back training. I know my fair share of the gym, and I’ve been going for just over a year. Well in fact, I’m not sure when I started as I have always been interested in strength training. I have been training my back for quite some time, and I make sure that I train my back at least 4 times a month, or once a week and maybe twice if there’s a time when I feel completely recovered. I mostly concentrate on the lower back, as I believe it’s one of the more vital muscle groups which supports the spine. I realized this, because both my parents have a problem with their backs.

“One of the more challenging problems for me though is I can never get a good workout. For some reason I can never stress the upper part of my back. For example, my bent over barbell rows seem to be a waste of time, even if i decide to do 4 sets of 8 reps. I can’t get that desirable ache that I get from training my arms or lower back. I have no idea if it’s the speed at which I do these sets or the amount of time I rest between rests or my just technique. Can you give any small hints on how to improve my upper back training?

“Another problem I seem to have when I do rows is that the back of my shoulders seem to grow the most, and I’m aiming on just training my back. The front part of the shoulders and the back are extremely asymmetrical, and it looks pretty strange. Im 16, born in 1992. I can easily lift 120-130 kilos with deadlifts, so I’m sure my lower`back is not a problem. All my other body parts are fine. It’s just my upper back (Lats and central upper back). Another problem I have is with flexibility and endurance. I’d love to improve that.”

Thomas Ronnberg, Finland

My Answer: Jeez, Thomas, you sure are a yakker aren’t you? At age 16, you really are not well-experienced or knowledgeable in strength training. From what you’re telling me, you’re still a beginner. It’s OK, we all have to start somewhere.

Let’s get right to the point: your lats and midback are not growing, because you’re only doing deadlifts and barbell rows. Deadlifts are great for the lower back, I’m sure you know. But they suck as far as building your lats. Barbell rows, as a back exercise, suck big time as well. When you do barbell rows, your neural drive is split between isometrically contracting your lower back and hamstrings and rowing the weight. You end up working everything else BUT the upper back. Barbell rows don’t stretch your lats, and it’s hard to get a peak contraction of your back muscles at the top of the movement. Most people heave the weight up, which makes the tension very brief and ineffective. If you slowed it down, then you end up with less weight, which makes it ineffective as well.

The Wingspan Workouts article recommended pull-ups and chin-ups as the primary lat developers. If you cannot do pull-ups, then ditch the barbell rows and incorporate pulldowns and cable rows instead. You can still keep the deadlifts, but start doing some snatch grip deadlifts instead.

Strength and Physique V1 available on Amazon.com

"I have recently re-started working out again after five years of eating pizza and drinking beer. I have the typical body of a patrol sergeant. I am also the executive officer for our SWAT team (i.e. plan missions, shoot big guns, train and sit on ass while the guys do the rest!)

"I am 31 years old 5′10 inches tall, size 40 pants and weigh 250 pounds (fat ass!). I have got to lose this damn beer gut and get back in shape. I have cut way back on the carbs & calorie intake and have upped my protein intake to around 130 grams per day (lot’s of fish and protein shakes). Since I have been outta the bodybuilding loop for the past five years, I was wondering if you could give me some pointers. I’ve been jogging, walking, sprinting about 1 mile a day and lift weights about 2 times a week (bi’s tri’s, & shoulders). I work a four on four off 12 hours a day schedule. What in the world can I do to get back into shape? Thanks!"

Sgt. Phil Davis
Training Director
Special Operations Response Team XO
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department
Tennessee

My Answer: You know Phil, I almost marked your email as spam, because your subject line read "My Fat Ass." Anyway, working 4/12’s is kind of tough, because you have no time to exercise when you get off work. But since you’re the training director, if you’re not doing it already, then workout at the facility twice a day. You seem to be on the right track with diet, but did you cut out beer too. At least limit alcohol consumption, because alcohol limits your testosterone and ups your estrogen. Makes it real hard to lose fat and gain muscle.

The other thing is you may want to revamp your strength training program, because it looks like you’re only working your arms and shoulders. You should really start training everything else also: legs, back and chest. These are bigger muscles than the arms and shoulders, so they burn more calories. Your strength program has to be designed in a way to build muscle and strip fat. For now 2 things:

1) Read my article on Building a Bigger Engine
2) Buy my book Strength and Physique. I go over 7 different strength training strategies for fat loss.

“I just read your article Return to Copland and had a few questions. I am going into a December 19th sheriff academy, and I am roughly 14 weeks away. I was planning on doing your routine. I wanted to ask you if you had any other tips, training or routine to do maybe after doing this routine for 5 weeks, or repeat it? I will definitely do the running, pull ups, pushups, and deadlifts. My current fitness levels are quite high. Maybe you can recommend some intensity tips or routine that will make the academy (at a physical level) easier? I can do around 15-18 wide grip pull ups, 63 push ups (complete, with good form) in a minute, 300m run in 46 seconds. Do you have any other tips or anything you can help me,or give me advice for me to be more than ready?”

Thank you,
Christian Artiga

My Answer: I give you everything in the article, and you want MORE? Christian, as far as physical performance in the academy, you’re going to be fine. Find out what your academy puts you through physically, and practice the pursuit exercises they will put you through. The SFPD Academy had a few 6 foot walls that we regularly jumped over, so if your academy has walls to jump, then start learning the techniques to jump them if you find them difficult. Ideally you want to jump the wall quickly but not provide much of a target for the suspect to shoot at. Good luck!

"I just finished reading your article on how to properly cut up. It was an extremely good read. I’ve been bulking up (went from 185 to 200) since July 1st. Previously, I had cut weight from 220-ish to around 185 from February to July. After gaining some good muscle mass, I’d like to get rid of some excess before I start to bulk again. This is the first year I’ve been really serious about bodybuilding of any sort. I’m 27.

“I had a few questions about the routine. Mainly, the cardio and dieting part. How much high intensity interval training should I be doing? Twice a week? Leaving 2 days for rest? And what should my diet consist of? I’m 6’2” around 200 right now. What should be my target calorie intake?”

Thank you!
Matt

My Answer: You can do HIIT twice a week, that’s fine. With regards to calorie counting, I don’t practice calorie counting and I don’t have my clients practice calorie counting either. The calories take care of themselves through proper food choices. Rather than worrying about minutia, it’s easier to make decisions through a general dietary strategy. In my book, I recommend a Paleo Diet as a solid strategy in dieting.

But if you like counting calories, then Bodybuilding.com has plenty of calorie and nutrient calculators, so check them out.

“I recently read your article Building a Better Engine: Strength Training for Fat Loss, and I have the following questions:

-Am I suppose to do HIIT with the regimen or on other days?
-Do I need to increase my protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake?
-Do I need to increase my caloric intake?

“What supplements should I be taking? I am already on a multivitamin, fish oil, flax oil, borage oil, B-complex, Forslean (a T-booster from *********), etc. I have planned on doing your regimen on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I was going to do core exercises and HIIT on Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Would you suggest a different plan? I appreciate any advice you are willing to offer.”

Sincerely,
Victor A. Martin

My Answer: You can do HIIT and ab work during your off days, that’s fine. As far as diet, it’s hard to say, because I have no idea what you’re eating. I will say though, that if you’re choosing this program to become lean, then you should follow a low carb, moderate protein, higher fat intake. With regards to your supplements, you look like you have too much redundancy: a multi-vitamin should have B vitamins in there already. If you have fish oil, then you don’t really need the flax. Fish is better anyway.

“I want to know if I follow the Hypertrophy Training for Ectomorphs program and I go twice a week to my Krav Maga lessons (which involve a lot of cardio), then am I facing overtraining and less hypertrophy? Just for info, I’m preparing for the RCMP cadet program. Am I on the right track with this?”

“Thanks a lot. Your work is inspiring.” -François Chartrand
Montreal, Quebec

"I just read your article Hypertrophy Training for the Ectomorph. Thanks for taking your time and putting your resources out to the public. I was just confused about overtraining. According to your article, I need to concentrate on ONE exercise per body part for that day in order to avoid overtraining. I’m an ectomorph as you can probably tell, and my routine is usually 4 exercises for a body part with 4 sets per exercise for a total of 16 sets. Basically I’ve been overtraining ever since I joined the gym about 2 years ago based on your article.

“It’s true, my muscles haven’t been growing the way I wanted them to and I’m quite frustrated with that. But could it be THAT simple? One exercise a body part, three times a week? I’m thinking that my muscles will never feel sore following your sample routine of 10-8-6-15. And I was told soreness equals muscle rupture hence, muscle growth.”

Thank you,
Fernando Park

My Answer: Wow, this is funny, because in yesterday’s blog entry, one reader said the 10-8-6-15 program was overtraining. And now you’re saying it’s undertraining, Fernando. This is how confused people get over exercise and diet. Know this: totalitarian states, amoral corporations and oppressive societies seek control through the ignorance of it’s population.

Anyway, back to your workout advice: Soreness is not always an indicator of progress. You can still grow and not be sore at all. If you kept doing the bench press day in and day out, then you won’t be sore any more. And yet you would still make progress in size and strength in the chest.

Soreness in weight training usually occurs when the stimulus is new: a new exercise, a new training technique, etc. You also get sore after a layoff and come back to weight training. So in this sense, soreness is something you want to seek every so often, because it means you’re changing things up.

Now can you grow by switching from 16 sets to 4 sets per body part? Hell yeah you will! Your body will overcompensate in size due to the lowered volume. In essence you’ve taken advantage of the backcycling method outlined in my book.

“For the 10-8-6-15 program, are you adding weight on each set? How many warm up sets do you start with?”

-Ellena Gjesdal

My Answer: Yes, you are adding weight on each set to hit the target rep for that set. A few sets of pushups, followed by a few sets of light pulldowns and few sets of bodyweight squats prior to the workout would be fine for a warm up. Warm ups should be light and get the blood flowing into your joints, but it should not exhaust you prior to actual workout.

“Hi James! Hope you’re fine. I have a question: I am about to start your 6 Factors of Hypertrophy program and was wondering if you had any tempo recommendations. I was thinking of lifting explosively on compound movements and more slowly to keep constant tension on the muscle during isolation exercises. What are your thoughts about it?”

Thanks a lot!
Mathieu

My Answer: Good to hear from you, Mathieu. With regards to tempo, in general you should lift explosively, but control the eccentric portion somewhat. It would not matter if it was a compound or isolation movement. What does make a difference is the muscle being worked. Some muscles are fast-twitch dominant and some are closer to slow-twitch. This fiber composition determines what tempo works best.

Muscles that are primarily fast-twitch (the brachialis, the triceps and the hamstrings)respond best to an explosive lift with a slow eccentric portion. Muscles that are predominantly slow-twitch (calves and the lateral deltoid) respond to quick tempos with little tension on either the positive or eccentric portion of the lift. All other muscle groups (chest, back, biceps, quadriceps) tend to have an equal amount of fast and slow-twitch muscle fiber. Hence these muscle groups respond to varying tempos.

“I am in the process of reading your book Strength and Physique, and I am enjoying it immensely. I do have a question which I would very much like to ask.“I often hear bodybuilders say that diet amounts to up to 80% or more of the muscle mass that they put on. This statement implies that weight training plays only a minimal role in muscle gain and could be avoided. I do not believe this personally, of course, it is just the semantic conclusion of the above statement.“In other words if diet is 80% of the equation, then a bodybuilder who only eats properly but does not lift a single weight or exercises in any other manner would look 80% of what he/she would have looked had he also exercised. Thus, is it possible to build muscle and increase strength without any weight training, but solely through diet?”Thank you for your time,

-B. D.

My Answer: No. Dear God, no! Training is just as important in obtaining a muscular physique as diet, so I don’t know how this 80% diet, 20% training idea came about. If you ate well but didn’t train, then you’d just be fat. If you trained, but didn’t eat much, then you would still be tone, but you wouldn’t have much lean muscle gain at all. Ectomorphs would lose muscle weight. Now can you build muscle without weights, but with diet and some sort of sport or athletic activity? I think you can, but it depends on the sport. Ping pong on a high calorie/high protein diet? Ehh… not so good.

"Hi James,

"Thanks a million for your article Hypertrophy Training for the Ectomorph! And for your book, which I enjoyed. I’m a typical ectomorph (skinny, especially on the chest), and may I ask you some things about your latest article?

1. You suggest long rest periods of 3-5 minutes between sets, but I only have limited time in the mornings to train. Is 2 minutes enough, or could I use supersets with the pyramid program, e.g. superset squats with dumbell curls and superset bench press with v-bar pulldown? Or does that defeat the purpose (i.e. are we resting “the muscle” or “the body”)? Or perhaps I can just split the pyramid program e.g. upper day / lower day or push day / pull day?

2. There’s no overhead shoulder movements (e.g. military press, overhead dumbell press) in your pyramid program. I’m told these are critical to great shoulders. Was this intentional (a case of “walk before you can run”), or can I feel free to substitute them in for lateral raises? Likewise the “third” staple compound (deadlift) is not in the program, and nothing specific for abs (or calves / hams).

3. I don’t think I’m doing enough cardio, because my bodyfat % is going slightly up instead of down, despite a clean diet. I’m going to try the pyramid program (3 times a week), would you recommend to follow each workout with 20 minute cardio (which I haven’t been doing so far). If so, what do you think: HIIT or something less intense?

“Thanks as always for your wisdom and guidance, James!”

Sincerely,
Steve
Norway

My Answer: Glad you like the book, Steve. With regards to rest periods, you certainly follow any of those options you mentioned: 2 minute rest periods or supersetting or split routine. HOWEVER, my preference would be the supersetting, since that adheres to the Ectomorph Training parameters.

As far as the military press for the shoulders, you get enough anterior head stimulation from the bench press. You also get some stimulation of the posterior head from the V-bar pulldowns. So that just leaves the lateral head of the deltoid, which requires lateral raises. Military presses and overhead presses are great exercises, but they stress the anterior head and triceps. They don’t stimulate the lateral or posterior head at all. But if you feel like putting the military press in, then just substitute it for laterals every other workout.

Same thing goes for deadlifts. If you really feel like putting in everything and the kitchen sink, then do it smart. Once out of the week, substitute deadlifts for squats. As for cardio do it after you workout, but alternate HIIT and steady state cardio from workout to workout.

“Hope all is well. I am wondering how do you feel about one lift a day for five days. I was planning to do incline bench, squat, pullups, deadlifts and clean and snatches on the last day. I am wondering if I could do high reps for my clean and snaches on the last day, and how many sets of 15-20 reps would be condusive for that day. What do you think?”

Thanks,
Norman

My Answer: One lift a day is only good for very advanced trainees who have a lot of muscle mass already. Give it a try, and see how you progress on it.