You Got to Have Faith
Q: "Hello my name is J. L., and I read an article with your name and your skills. I have a question: I was a police officer in PA, and I was released from the department, because I failed my 1.5 mile run. I am a stocky guy and running was never my favorite thing to do. Now I am going for another department, and of course I have to run.
“Do you have any advice on what I can do to improve my run? I’m currently running a 9 minute and 30 second mile. And I have to run a 12 minute 1.5 mile. I run every other day and do strength training, and I am getting no where to achieve my running goal.”
JL
My Answer: I’m not the running expert. My fortes lie in strength training and in bodybuilding. If you’re stocky, however, then you should really focus on losing some weight and dieting. Go on a vegetarian diet. If you have the discipline, then go on a vegan diet. Lose the weight training and just focus on running.
I know this runs counter to my usual training and diet advice, but most people ask me about how to gain muscle. Your focus should be fat loss to better your running time and vegetarianism to improve your cardiovascular health.
By the way, I think we should pay our respects to 4 recently fallen officers. I’m sure you’ve all heard about the Oakland Police Officers killed in the line of duty. This is a somber reminder that we should take of our health and maintain our skills as peace officers.
Q: “I am a 30 year old ectomorph trying to gain weight (muscle). Your new book (good read) contains the article on lifting for ectomorphs. I have tried every workout under the sun and have gained some muscle but not a ton. I have been lifting for about 10 years and would say I am definitely an intermediate if not advanced weight lifter. If doing the ‘lifting for ectomorphs’ routine first, when is the right time to go to the main workout in your book”>book (T-Boost, etc)? When is the right time to say the ectomorph routine is not working? Thanks for your time.”
-JS
My Answer: The right time to transition from the 10-8-6-15 program to the SPV2 program is when you are no longer making any gains in size and strength. Be warned: switching from the 10-8-6-15 program to the SPV2 program is like switching from a tricycle to a Ninja motorcycle: you better hang on, because you’re in for one hell of a ride. Most people don’t push themselves in training. The SPV2 program will push you to your limits.
Q: “I will try and make this as quick as possible. First I have a BS Degree in Nutrition and Food Science. I am now on disability due to a CNS disease, but to keep it simple is ataxia (many different symptoms and levels of progression) no cure.
“I have loved weight lifting for 20 or more years (41 now). In 2005 and 2006 I had 2separate back surgeries: L4 L-5 area herniated discs. It blew out again July 2007, then 2 more times on December 24, 2007 and then July 2008 (July seems to be a bad month).
“I do have a 3rd surgery scheduled tentatively (a fusion this time) in May. I still lift: chest 1 day, biceps 1 day and triceps 1 day. I am going back for a final visit the 15th of April with the neurosurgeon. Maybe to delay and see if I could go about 3 months longer and see a physical therapist to see what leg and abdominal exercises I could train before surgery that may help with a quicker recovery.
“I cannot lift super heavy maybe ever again, but at 6 feet I stay at 180 to 185 at most. If you were giving advice on this what might you suggest? The ataxia does limit certain lifting that requires balance, because ataxia messes with the motor skills section of the brain. Sorry for the length of the email.”
-Ryan Milton
My Answer: That’s a real tough situation to be in, Ryan. If you’re seeing a physical therapist, then go with what your PT tells you as far as exercise. When you’re training, you’re training to maintain your proprioceptive abilities and to prevent muscular atrophy. So I would avoid free weight exercises that would put you in a precarious position (squats being an obvious example). A combination of bodyweight exercises (for proprioception) and machines (for hypertrophy) would be the way I would go. Plus you may want to include some upper back work to balance out your chest and avoid postural problems, which would aggravate the effects of ataxia.
Q: “I’m Waqas. I’m 30 years old. I’ve been exercising for the last year. I need to improve my chest, so please send me details on how to improve my chest. I will be very thankful to you.”
Regards
Ammed Waqas
My Answer: Buy my first book Strength and Physique Volume One and Amazon will send you details on how to improve your chest. Once you do that, then I will be very thankful to you.
Q: “I found your workout plan for ectomorphs on Bodybuilding.com a few months ago (Hypertrophy Training for the Ectomorph- The 10-8-6-15 Program), and it has really worked wonders for me. I am not sure that I am a complete Ecto, but I am 6′4″ and have always been somewhat of a hard gainer.
“After a few months following the plan in the article, I have seen tremendous results. My question for you is whether or not I should switch up the workout every 12 or so weeks, or should I just stick with the plan as it is? I am sure you are quite busy, but I was hoping that you might have the time for some feedback.
“I also just wanted to thank you for the helpful program. When I first found the article, I was a bit skeptical, and it took something of a leap of faith to switch from my 5-6 day a week super intense workout regimen, to the program you suggested. I am glad that I did. Also, the 3 day a week workout cycle is a lot more practical for my life schedule. Well, thanks a lot.”
Sincerely,
Mike Brown
My Answer: I’m glad you took a leap of faith, Mike. When I wrote the Hypertrophy Training for Ectomorph article, I knew I was addressing a major need among bodybuilding enthusiasts, but even I was surprised at the reader response to the article. Of all my articles, this one is the most popular. It just goes to show you that all things being equal, the best program is often the simplest.
To answer your question, stick with the program for as long as you are making progress. Twelve weeks, however, is a very long time, so do switch to a different program at the end of that time period.
