Here is the 2001 workout. I decided to update my workout section. I have learned many things since the first workout I posted. Not to say that I was wrong about anything I wrote, just sometimes the combination of ideas changes the outcome. So, I will still have the old workout section in place along with the new one. Try either one and see which one works better for you. I am also making this section Woman friendly.

       I don't want to exclude anyone. This has taken me about 10+ hours to write. And for all you fuckers out there that sell this shit "fuck you". I am keeping this shit real, you punk asses. Helping people is more valuable than money. This is 29 pages total.

      This is going to be more of a book than a section. I could easily sit here and be a total jerk off like most web sites and charge money for this, but I am not like that. The purpose of the Internet to me is to "help people" and disseminate information for free.

  1. Basic Overview of Bodybuilding and Weight Lifting

  2. Training Ideas and Definitions

  3. Workout

Basic Overview of Bodybuilding and Weight Lifting

      Expectations of a bodybuilder (natural) should be to try to gain muscle mass. I know that sounds simple enough. But some people do not get it. Most people come into the gym, throw some weight on the bar and go with it. They come back week after week, like it is some sort of ego-crazed job and just go through the motions.

      To gain mass, you must take the body to utter failure. If you don't reach that level of performance, then you are not training (you are just moving weights around). There is a clear line between working out and lifting.

Lifting = Going into the gym and trying to see what you can lift as your max.

Working out = Going to the gym to build muscle mass (not really building it, but damaging the muscle to grow more)

      Here is a story. Little Jimmy goes to the gym and does the following:

      Jimmy can bench a max weight of 200 pounds. Jimmy is a moron. Jimmy comes into the gym and piles on 135 and then does 6 reps. Then, Jimmy piles on more weight to 185 pounds and does 4 reps, then the idiot piles on 200 pounds and does one half-ass rep. Then he goes down in weight to 135 and does 6 half-ass reps with 135.

      Then he struts to the mirror and flexes. Then he goes to the water fountain and bullshits with his friends and brags about how much he benches. Then he walks around the gym looking to see who he is out benching. Then he goes home showers, puts on a tank top and walks around the mall like he owns the shit, later to come back the week after the same size and same strength.

      Here is another story. John benches 200 pound. John has been around the gym and has been trained by someone who knew what the hell he or she was doing. John benches 135 for 10 reps, then 155 for 8, then 175 for 8, then 185, for 6 and then 185 for 4. Johns is sore as hell after that workout and goes home and eats. John worked his fucking ass off today. John goes and fucks Jimmy's bitch. John owns Jimmy's ass.

      I know a little graphic in the end, but I am sure you get my point. Jimmy was going to the gym to satisfy his ego. John went to the gym to gain weight. That is the difference. If you are the type who can only go to the gym to see what you are lifting week after week, then leave my web site now and go to some other web page. This site is just not for you.

      You cannot get stronger, bigger or leaner without trying to gain muscle mass. That is what it is all about (hokey pokey my ass). The gym is a tool and it is a very important tool. It is where you go to stimulate muscle mass. It is not a place to go and test your strength. It is to build strength.

      It is not a place to go to see what you damn 4 rep max is after a set or two. You have to work for the results.Many beginners cannot understand that if you are training hard, you will only gain at a maximum of 10-20 pounds of muscle a year. No amount of creatine, whey or other legal supplements is going to change that.

      Adding 50 pounds on your bench press in 6 weeks is a load of crap. 20 pounds in that time frame is doable. But, it is some freaking hard work.Most new trainees quickly find out that is you don't do the negative (lowering the weight under control) and use a lot of momentum (pushing the weight up quickly) will help their endurance and help them lift heavier. But, they fail to realize that it hurts their workout.

      Another trap that beginners get into is the weight game. Power lifting is a whole different game. Some trainees lift more each week by letting their form go. Sure they add more weight to the exercise week after week, but to a point. Either an injury or just plain all out failure defines this point. They go to the gym like they are maxing out for a power-lifting meet.

       Little more back swing here and a little more speed in the movement and there they go.Just keep the movement nice and smooth. It does not have to be super slow. Super slow training is a quack based way of exercising that makes a lifting lift the weight so slow you can count to 10 just for the positive movement. This type of training is really stressful on the joints and needs to be avoided at all costs.

       The typical movement that I recommend is a smooth 1 second up and 1 second down or at the slowest a 2 up, 2 down. The movement should be smooth like a hydraulic pump. One should feel the muscle. If you cannot feel soreness, then probably you are lifting too much weight or are lifting too fast. The whole point of lifting is to burn the muscles out, it is not to just move the weight.

      Trust me no one cares how much you lift., no one. And trust me when I say that you can lose that strength much quicker from an injury than you can from trying to gain it in the first place. Girls at the gym do not care how much you lift. So get your mind together to train and not max out.You can max out every now and then, that is not a bad thing.

      Select an exercise and max out with it if you feel like it. But, try to keep it under control and keep the reps in the 4 rep range and just speculate what the 1 rep would have been. 1 rep maxes are infamous for creating injuries. At least in the 4-rep range you have some leeway. I will still state, you are in the gym to max out and not to test your damn strength.

      Keeping a training log is a good thing to do to track your strength. By strength gains I mean your "workout strength". There is a line between what I max and what I workout with. Once you know what I mean by that the better for you. For instance, I can bench 130-pound dumbbells for 8 reps, but I only workout with up to 80-pound dumbbells. That is a 50-pound difference.

      Don't ever get this in your mind "you got to lift heavy to lift heavy". That line is total bullshit. What I want you to know is "you got to get the muscles bigger to lift more". That is the only true statement. Another thing I hear people say and I just want to slap them silly is the infamous "burnout set" line. There is no fucking such thing as burnout sets. There are descending sets and there are sets to failure. There are no burnout sets.

       It is like if you are in the gym and lifting lightweight, you tell everyone that you are doing burnout sets, because your ego gets in the way. You are actually lifting light, because you are targeting the muscle. That is what you are doing.Now just because someone you train with is bigger than you does not mean they know what the fuck they are doing. And just because a guy is smaller than you does not mean he does not.

      Explore your gym and look around and see who knows what the fuck they are doing.If a guy has large traps, go ask him "Yo!!! Bitch how you be getting' dem big ass traps mutha fucka?" Go and ask them. If you see a new exercise then ask them what it does and ask them to show you how to perform it. You got to investigate anything that may help you. I have noticed that the biggest guys in the gym (not on roids) lift with a 2/2.

      They use little weight and go to complete failure. Look around and see if I am wrong. Also remember that some of these people are idiots and are doing bad exercises.Please tell me that you are not one of these pussy fucks that say the following "I just want to get toned". What the fuck? Can you lease define this for me? What the fuck does the word "tone" mean? Are you saying that you are "flaccid"? Tone can only be achieved by a proper diet. Shit you can do that with cans of Slimfast.

       Shit if you are not big, then don't puss out and say that damn tone thing.It is like one is saying "I could go for the Gold, but the Bronze is real pretty and I like shinny things like a Raven".Just admit it to yourself that you want to get muscular. That is all you can ask for. Like some of these peopole actually think that the mss is going to pack on so fast, that after one workout they wake up in the morning with 30" arms."Oh shit damn, I can't fit into my work clothes, oh shit I can't fit into the Geo anymore, shit I am screwed and oh shit I can't even wipe my ass now".

      Lifting weights will not make you muscle bound. That is a myth created by the magazine advertisers that were used in the 50's.They wanted to save on shipping costs and brought that ugly sore out in the open. I can pull my knee with the leg straight to my face. Okay, so I guess they are wrong huh? Weightlifters are more flexible than your average person (I mean Nintendo playing, Twinkie eating sacks of shit **Oh basic training, I miss it). You will never get freaky huge, unless you roid up.

      That is a fact. More than likely after a few years in the gym, you might strive for that (but keep it natural please).Do not read muscle magazines. The only thing they are good for is a good show of freaks. They are to display freaks for your enjoyment. The advertisements are all bullshit, the women are air brushed, and it is a waste of $5. The training programs you see are unreal as well. These guys are on massive amounts of steroids and they can do it, but you may not be able to.

      How did such and such get massive 22" arms? He stuck a needle in his ass and grew magically.Just like the Cosmopolitan magazine for women, men's muscle magazines give you pictures of bodies that you'll never have. That way they hook you in to buy things that you otherwise wouldn't. Twiggie, Dorain Yates, basically the same thing, but in different spectrums.You do not have to have 20" arms to be impressive.

       You don't have to weigh in at 250 to impress me. You just have to look good and that is not very hard to do. You might think it is, but you also have to adjust your goals to time. Don't expect to be at 4% BF in a few weeks.But, you can expect it in a year or two. Don't get into the "I wish I could look like this person" type of mind frame. You got the hand you were dealt. You got to play it.

      Your mission is to build with what you have. Make yourself better than the old you. That is the thing to do.Don't buy into supplement ads. I get a lot of e-mails with people asking me "Hey Fig on ww.fatloss.com they got a new product called ----". Look I will be quite frank. 99% of all supplements are basically the same fucking thing, so save your fucking money. They can be broken down to the following bullshit:

Weightloss products = Ephedrine. That is it. You can buy any weight loss product and that is the main ingredient. Some may cal it hydroephderine or some other bullshit, but it is still the same shit damn it. As far as ephedrine as a fat burner, it works. But, it works very slow. I read one test way back that said something like pound a month. So, is it worth the sweating? Not for me.

Protein powders = Whey, egg or milk protein. They all work the fucking same. You can debate this shit to the end of time. Please show me one study and I mean one real study that says otherwise. It is better to just eat a good diet in the first place.

Super Mass Pills = Creatine. They have Yohimbie bark and some herbs I have never heard of, but have creatine. Just buy creatine. Creatine works very well.

Androstenedione = Waste of money in my honest opinion. The reason why they don't work is simple. They do not stay in the system long enough to do anything. Here is some news for you, you already get an increase in testosterone just by working out and it is a much larger increase than what Andro can do for you (and it lasts longer and it is free). There is not one medical journal that shows any improvement in mass or strength with andro.

HMB = It is supposed to keep you from losing muscle mass when you diet. It has been shown to help a little, but it leans out your wallet more.

DHEA = Ummm unless you are over 35 YOA, you don't need it.

Creatine = It works very well. Just buy the cheapest.

      To read more on supplements, either go to my main page and link to the supplements section or go to "thepowerstore.com" and search that site in the article section. This was just a short overview. I am not busting on the supplements, some work very well. It is just that there are so many expensive ones out there that work no better or worse than the generic ones. I buy my supplements at "thepowerstore.com".

       That is the cheapest place to buy them from (may I add even if you do find a better price, the service may not be the same than at Dave's Powerstore). I don't get paid anything to say that, I just like the service.Just face it that supplements are not going to turn you into a superhero in a month. The feel of the weight is another topic I would like to bring up. When you lift the weights you should actually feel the muscle working. So many people I see are in the gym and doing side lateral raises completely wrong.

       They come into the gym and just swing the damn 30 pounders up to their sides. They shpuld be using the 10-15 pounders and get the feel of the weight. Generally if you cannot lift a weight at a 2/2 or pause the weight and hold it for a few seconds at any part of the range, you are lifting too much weight. I will continue to pound this fact time and time again through this while page. You have to remember that if you are serious about lifting, that you want to take the roper steps to ensure you can lift as long as you can.

       You don't want to blow a joint out and then suffer from it forever. I see many people that have shoulder problems. A lot of them brag how much they bench and all that, but is it worth the joint pain?Why do I workout one bodypart a only once a week? I know that some that read this page cannot understand why I only suggest one working out the whole body once a week. I suggest that, because it is hard for the body to heal up after a workout. Some people want to work biceps twice a week.

      But, they fail to recognize that they are already getting two days of biceps training. You work biceps with back. So if you do two biceps days, that is 3 days of biceps training. Ouch! The muscles need at least 48 hours to recoup from the workout. Too much working out can lead to overtraining. Overtraining sucks. When you are in the overtraining mode you feel like you have not got enough sleep, you can't get a good pump in the gym, and you feel like skipping the gym.

      So, not only am I saying the feel of the weight, but the way the body feels. If you feel like you are in overtraining mode, then take a few days off, get some sleep and eat well. That usually takes things under wraps. Training the body once a week will ensure that you keep well away from overtraining.If you decide to make your own routine, then make sure you jot it down on a piece of paper and examine it.

      Try to make sure that you are not working out the same bodyparts or supporting muscle groups the day after. Just like doing back one day and then biceps the next. That just does not work. You got to think for yourself.Generally speaking, I organize my workouts as follows: Compound exercises first, and then concentration exercises last. I want to get my heavy lifts out of the way and then concentrate on just the muscle it's self.I am not a big fan of training biceps with back and triceps with chest.

       Those combinations usually defeat the purpose of one another. I feel I always overtrain the smaller muscle group. I always get more out of my workouts while leaving the arms to themselves. You can train chest and biceps and back and triceps. Because the two compound muscle groups will not interfere with your workout or recovery. By the time I would get done with back, my biceps would be totally well done and I would not even get a pump.Speaking of muscle pumps.

      I use the pump in my muscle to tell me when I am ready to leave the gym. A muscle pump is when the muscle fill up with blood and feel well larger, cuz it is. Sometimes after doing a bunch of sets and I am towards the end of my workout, I start to lift the weights and I feel like I am just going through the motions. Once you get to this point, your body is telling you "Yo! Shithead I am ready to leave the gym". That is when I say, "Yes you are correct Sir". And I leave the gym.

       If you get to the point to where you cannot maintain a pump and you are just lifting to lift, then it is a good idea to listen to your body and leave the gym. This also goes with if you really do not feel like going to the gym that day, then don't go. Always trust your instincts. Your body can be your own training calendar. Breathing. When you lift you just breathe like normal. If you want to complicate it, then breath in when you are in the negative phase of the lift and out when you are on the positive stroke of the lift.

      Time in between sets is up to you. I usually add more time in between sets as the weight increases. If you are lifting light, then 1-2 minutes of rest are fine. If you are lifting really heavy then 3-4 minutes if long enough. You do not want to lose your pump and you don't want to lift too early before the blood can get oxygen to the muscles. So, find your groove.Your workout should take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hours at the longest. You want to keep the workout as short as possible.

      Tests have shown a greater increase in human hormones with a shorter workout verses a longer one. Since I brought up hormones, I want to make one thing clear. If you do not workout your legs, then you are not going to reach your full potential. Working out your legs increases testosterone levels in the body. You need to squat, do the leg press, or something. Not to mention that the legs are the largest muscle group in the body and can burn extra calories to keep you lean. So, don't forget about your legs. I know some people that say, "I run for my leg workout".

       I say "well that is good, cuz Colonel Sanders needs some more chicken legs in the fryer biyatch!!!". Do not cope out. Do them, do something. Heck you don't have to go full bore or anything. Do a few sets of leg machines or something.I get questions like this one all the time. "Dear Fig, I run 3 days a week and I am worried about my legs. I can't gain mass on them". Sometimes you have to run. If you are on a track team or in the military you have no choice.

      If you can try not to run more than 30 minutes 3 times a week. That is about the max, before your legs will really start to suffer from the abuse. Just run at a slower pace if you can, other than that the running will take some gains away. Which reminds me that some people want to now when it is best to do cardio. For me, I say if you are going to go do cardio, to do it after your weight training. The reason why I say that is that the weightlifting will burn the carbs (sugar in the muscles) and then the cardio will burn the fat.

      Generally it takes at least 20 minutes before the carbs are burned out of the muscles with cardio. You can be ahead of the game by burning them in the weight room first. Not to mention that it would be really hard to lift your heaviest when you are weak from running. You can run after lifting, but not vice-versa (well not including squats that would be hard to do). Just go for the feel if you must on that one. what age should you start lifting at? I say about 15. Before that age you can do push ups, sit ups, and pull ups.

      Should you wear a weight belt? Studies have shown they do nothing for the lower back. Sorry but it is true. I feel that they do help. They may not strengthen the back, but they do help to keep it straight. I say buy one and use it when the lifts get really heavy. But, don't be a dope and use the weight belt for curls or some bullshit like that. Also knee warps are a good idea if you are squatting heavy.

      If you are going to wrap your knees make sure you wrap them counterclockwise for the right knee and clockwise for the left knee. This keeps the patella tracking medially. Wrist straps are good if you have a wrist-related injury (see injury section below for more info). They are also good for gripping bars and for pull-ups. Sometimes your grip limits you from going 100% in a lift. Wrist straps let you go beyond those normal limits.

       Wrist straps are a band of cloth that goes around your wrists and on the other end of it can be wrapped around a bar to secure your hand to it. It allows you to grip a heavy bar and use little force to hold it.Seriously, since you are down to this point of the page, have you ever seen a web page that has this much information before? Thanks and keep reading on. And if you have some good ideas, then post them in your own page and contribute to the World. We need to clean up the net.

      Reach up in the air and see how high you can reach, now reach further and now further. You see you just reached a little bit more each time. That is the same way you got to think when lifting. Don't go out like a punk bitch. Keep lifting until you cannot move the weight. I mean move it an inch. I am talking about partial reps.Size and strength is a big issue to most. I am going to put this topic to rest once and for all. You are the one who decides what is best for you.

       If you want 6 pack abs, then go for it. If you just care about strength, then go for the strength. Don't put yourself in the middle. The middle is a very hard thing to do and most do not have the knowledge or training to do so. Generally you need some good genetics or some good training advice to achieve a good deal of strength and to stay lean at the same time. It is not impossible, it is just very hard. I usually suggest that one eats enough to gain 1-5 pounds a month and when the body fat percentage rises to about 16-18% it is time to diet those pounds off.

       The consequences of doing so are a little bit of strength loss and if you go down in weight too quickly muscle loss (try to lose no more than 5-10 pounds a month). The reason why pro bodybuilders can get lean quickly and without muscle loss is from a great deal of drugs. Remember nothing is free. **Read my diet section for more info** If you are overweight to begin with then it is a good idea to lose the weight first and then go for building mass. Whenever a person starts to train for the first time, they can gain muscle mass while on a diet.

       Heck, they gain like crazy the first 3 months and then it tapers off. Which usually confuses most beginners, because the first gains never come as easily again. Which can make a beginner feel like they are doing something wrong. Seasoned lifters have trouble in that area, because their muscles are conditioned and are peaked out already. So any extra stress can play with their lifts.Some people say one should lift for reps when dieting.I say the hell with that and just lift like normal and try to give your self, extra time off to compensate.

       I am not an advocate for very high reps. I like to keep the reps in the 8-15-rep range. That is the zone as I like to call it. Higher reps will not give you anymore definition. Definition is from low levels of body fat and nothing else. I watch all of these infomercials that claim "do these crunches and you'll get a 6 pack in weeks". That is a bunch of bullshit. There is no such thing as "spot reduction". Spot reduction means that you can do curls and the fat around the biceps will disappear because of the work from the biceps.

      That will not happen. The body pulls fat from the whole body at one time. I get e-mails from people who say "Fig I lost 20 pounds and only a inch on my waist". Look, lots of the fat on your body is on your legs, back, and arms. You have to take that into account as well. Sometimes I get this one "I am the same weight, but my waist is smaller". That is probably because you gained muscle mass and lost fat as well.It is a good idea to get your body fat measured regularly.

      Your body fat can be measured in a percentage of your body's composition. You can get your body fat checked at a doctor's office or at your local gym. You can even buy body fat calipers to measure your BF%. Now some times the calipers are wrong. The calipers come with a chart. Sometimes the chart is designed for normal people who do not workout. So, if can give you a higher percentage of body fat. But, generally you can use it as a gauge.

       The most accurate way to measure body fat is a water displacement test. It is very expensive but it is only off by .1% or so. They do have some Electro gizmos that measure your BF% by electric current, but I put little faith in them. 14-16% is normal for males and 16-18% for females. I know those numbers are way of if you live in America. The real numbers for Americans are 18-20% for males and 20-22% for females (those are my estimates). Heck in America you are lean if you are at 14%. A lot of people think they are at 14% BF all the damn time.

Here is a quick guesstimate for you to judge what BF% you are:

20-22% BF = Waist in the 38-42" range and no abs what so ever.

20-18% BF = Waist in the 36-38" range and no abs what so ever.

18-16% BF = Waist in the 36-34" range and you can see some definition of the abs if you have the right light and shadows. Still have visible love handles.

16-14% BF = Waist in the 35-33" range and you can see the abs a little better, the top two might be more visible than the bottom. Still have love handles, but they are coming off.

14-12% BF = Waist in the 34-32" range (depending on your frame) you might start to develop some abs that can be seen all the way in shadows to just the top two, but no real definition just yet.

12-10% BF = Waist in the 33-32" range (no more love handles) this is the step right before you break into a full set of abs. The abs can be seen more readily with shadows and a lot of flexing. Some veins might appear in the arms at this point.

10-8% BF = Waist in the 33-30" range you should start to see the abs at this time, not ripped by no means, but some good abs. Veins should be seen in the arms with ease. You should not have to use shadows to see the abs. In a lighted room, you should see the abs like a wash board.

8-6% BF = Waist 32-29" range you should be cut and I mean cut. You should be able to see the triceps by flexing just the biceps. You should have washboard abs by now.

6-4% BF = Waist 31-28" range you are ready for a bodybuilding show and should look like a piece of raw meat.

4-2% BF = You are probably dead at this point.

      That was my guesstimate and from the last time I made this chart many bodybuilders have thanked me for posting it because it is almost dead on. It can be wrong, so don't take it as fact. That is just a pretty good indicator of where you might be at. A lot of people think they are at 14% all they time, just go around and ask.

      Remember when dieting that you might lose size as well as fat. Don't get too accustomed with your arm size. If you went from 250 to 220 you might lose about 1-2"s off of your arms. But, they will look bigger and better.And now on the other side of the spectrum is weight gain. (Read my weight gain section for more info on the main page). If you are out to gain weight, then do not gain more than 5 pounds a month.

      If you gain weight too quickly, then you might be putting on muscle at a 50/50 pace (50% fat / 50% muscle) and when you diet, you might take off more than what you put on.What what you read. There are a lot of bodybuilding sites that offer programs from 19-$120. They usually have a guy who is fat and then they show a lean picture of him all tan and oiled up. Then the guy will claim he used this new exciting program. Be aware of one thing. Not all training programs are bad.

       If you look closely you can see that the guy probably had mass to begin with and just took off the fat. So, if you did his program you might just get leaner and not bigger. It is really hard to pack on mass without gaining a little fat in the process. So, just use a little common sense when viewing these ads.Muscle soreness is caused by lactic acid build up in the muscles. You cannot feel damage from lifting in the muscles. Generally after a good workout the muscles will feel pumped and worked out.

       After a day, the muscles will be a little sore. The second day after is when they usually feel the worst. After you have trained for a year, the pain from workouts is not as bad as when you first start. So, give it some time if you are in pain and just started out. If you are in pain (from training and not an injury) for more than 3 days, then subtract some sets from your workout, so you don't over do it the next time.

      Machines vs. Free weights. I am not a big fan of machines, but they do have their purpose. The main purpose of them is that they give you different angles to the muscles. They also allow you to lift with great intensity after you are exhausted. Some of the machines can make one point of the range of motion lighter and the other part heavier. This can help break plateaus. The real down side of machines is the fact that the bar is stabilized and it keeps the supporting muscle dormant. That can be a good and bad thing.

      If you are hitting free weights it is good. If you are not however it is a major drawback. But, either way if you only have a machine then make the best out of it. Try to make sure that you do the negative part of the lift with great intensity. That will further your gains.Good days and bad days. Some times you have a good workout and sometimes a bad one. There are so many factors that come into play when working out. The main factor is dehydration.

      If you are pumped on creatine and ephedrine then you are at risk for this. I cannot ell you how many times I have gone into the gym and I lift a few sets and I just leave or when I get into the gym after a long lay off and feel very disappointed in myself. If you come into the gym and you are really lifting like shit, then leave and come back the next day. While you are off from the gym, drink extra amounts of water and then hit the gym with great intensity the next day.

      If you take a long lay off, then make sure you do extra warm up sets. Generally a few extra warm ups sets will cure you time off. Trust me on that. Medically speaking you will not lose shit until at least a 14 days from your last workout. So, most of it is mental. Work through it and push your punk ass self through the wall. Just remember that not every day is going to be great. Just at the least do your best.

Training Ideas and Definitions

      You just do not go into the gym and do a few sets and leave. Sometimes you can and sometimes you can't. Sometimes you need to try different things to stimulate the muscles. If you just hit the gym with the same workout month after month, you will find that your strength and gains will suffer from a lack of working different angles.

       Some people just do not understand what I mean by that. I usually hear "oh so you mean I got to stop flat benching?" That is not what I mean. I mean you keep the basic mass exercises like (squats, bench, pull ups), but you change the way you do them or change the concentration exercises. "Oh now I know what you mean Fig".

      If you go do squats and they just don't do anything for you anymore, you can try super setting them with leg extensions or leg curls. There are endless ways to change up your training. You got to keep it fresh. If you just keep doing the same thing all the time, the body will just go through the motions and you'll stay at the same level.

      You need to challenge the body. This is more than you will find in any half-ass rag.

Super Sets

      Working two or more muscles at a time. After you get done with one exercise, you go do another right after. It can be a supporting muscle or a totally different one.

Slow Negatives

      You can slowly lower the weight for a greater burn. Use a 2 second negative. Generally people who have a hard time getting their biceps to hurt never do negatives. This is the difference between machines and free weights. Free weights give you the negative full force.

Half Reps

      You can break part of the movement down into halfs. By breaking the movement down in halfs you can work the strongest and weakest range of the movement. Halfway up or half way down. Read the "how to get your bench press up section" for more help on this. In short you bench half way up for 7 reps and then half way down, and then 7 full reps. This helps to work the weakest ranges in your bench press.

       From the middle to top of the range in the bench press your shoulders and triceps are working to the fullest. From the bottom to middle of the bench press movement your chest and lats are working to their fullest. So, you just figure out where your weakest point is and you work on it. If the lock out is the weakest then work on that range of the movement.

Run the Racks (up or down)

       Use the dumbbells to their full capacity. You can do DB bench presses or curls it does not matter. You can do this with bars or anything. You just lift and then lower the weight or go up in weight without rest. One of my favorite biceps exercises is to just take a 45-pound bar and do 7 reps and then add 10 pounds and do 7 and then repeat. When I can't go higher, I then take off weight all the way down to the bar. This is also called "stripping". Which is good right after you get done with your heavy work.

      21's are sort of a half rep scheme that one does for biceps curls. You just do 7 reps half way up and then down and then 7 full reps until you hit 21 reps.

      Dumbbells = Try switching from bar exercises to dumbbells and feel the difference.

       Switch the order of the exercises. Change your concentration movements from last to first a few times and give that a whack.

      Try stretching the muscles to the max in between each set for extra stretches.

      Try bodyweight exercises over weights and give it a try.

       Try some different machines and give them a try. Or at the least try them right after your heavy sets after no rest.

       Speed up or slow down in between sets.

       Wear a Walkman in the gym and tune out the yuppie fucks and the soccer moms. Play gangsta rap and piss them all off. Most of all "keep it real and true to the game".

      Look at pictures of Adam Ramsay, which should motivate you to lose weight.

      Try a little cardio right before your workout to get a pump ready. About 5 minutes should be enough.

      I usually find that working out by myself helps me focus. You can also focus by closing your eyes and imagining that you are lifting a great amount of weight. Think about all the people looking at you in the gym screaming and do it. Fuck them and fuck what they think. Show them how to lift with intensity.

       Before you lift take a few deep breaths and say to your self "this ain't nothing but a thing" and lift the weight. It usually helps if you are trying to out lift a partner.

       Try forced reps. A forced rep is when your partner spots you and they hold on to the bar and assist you only when you need it. This tricks your mind out. You never know when they are helping. So after you are done you ask the spotter how much they helped you. Sometimes you find out they did nothing.

      Sometimes you get to the point that you have tried everything and noting helps to gain weight on your exercises. This is when you say "fuck this shit" and just pile on the weight. Grad your partner and just do a forced rep exercise and go for it. Just keep the reps in the possible 4 rep range and play it safe.

       Try squeezing the muscles up and down. I mean focus on the shit. You may not lift as much, but the results will help you in the long run lift more.

       Try going for the last and I mean last rep. Once you reach your last rep, just hold the bar and just wait until you can do another one. Then repeat.

       Try working the body one limb at a time. Do dumbbell curls one at a time. Try benching with one arm at a time on a bench machine. Give it your all and get creative.

       If you have as problem with on compound exercise, try looking at what the weak link it. Take one hand and feel what muscles are not doing their part in the lift and strengthen them.

       Try little stops in the range of motion. This will help you develop control and can help strengthen the muscles. Sometimes like with preacher curls I don't go all the way down. I stop about 6 inches from the bottom. That helps greatly. Sometime I stop in the of the way and just lift till I am in great pain.

       Try changing your grip on bar exercises and mix in up every now and then.

       20 Rep Squats. Just warm up and then go to a weight on the squat that you can normally do for 15 reps and go for 20 reps.

      Try a workout with every set as a different exercise. Instead of 5 sets of DB curls, do 1 set of preacher curl, 1 set of concentration curls, 1 set or machine curls, 1 set of reverse curls, and 1 set of cable curls. Try it, it works good.

Definitons

Compound Exercise

      Is an exercise that uses at least 2 muscle groups or two major joints of the body. Bench press and squats are compound exercises, while biceps curls are not.

Concentration Exercises

      Are exercises that use only one muscle at a time and you focus on just that individual muscle.

Split

      A split is how you break up your workout into different workout days for each body part.

Reps

      Reps are the times you move a weight in one session. You pick up a bar press it 5 times and that is 5 reps, it is the number of repetitions you do.

Sets

      Sets are how many times you stop an exercise and do it again. Just like I did 5 sets of 10 reps, that means I did 50 reps. So I stopped and did 10 reps, stopped and did 10 reps five times.

Rep Tempo

      This is the time in between each rep. The tempo is measured in the positive and negative. So (2/2) would be 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down. . So (2/1) would be 2 seconds up and 1 second down.

Positive Phase of the lift

      This is when the muscles contract and the weight is lifted.

Negative Phase of the lift

      This is when you lower the weight.

Resting Periods

      The time you rest or relax in between sets. Usually 1-3 minutes. The faster or less time you take helps to burn calories.

Super Sets

      You combine two or more exercises at a time. You get done and without rest, do another one.