This unbalanced approach to training can cause many negative outcomes:

• Muscular and postural imbalances leading to pain and dysfunction
• Training injuries
• Limits to strength and power
• Ugly, unbalanced physiques

The muscles of the back require a lot of attention and if anything should be trained with a far greater focus and dedication than the chest, shoulders or arms. I train my back twice a week focusing on a ‘Horizontal’ direction on day 1 and a ‘Vertical’ direction on day 3. The rest of my upper body, however, receives only one session per week.

Splitting back training into two workouts allows you to intensify your focus on the two main areas and movement patterns of the back muscles. No angle or muscle will be left untouched.

Workout 1: Horizontal Back Workout

This workout consists of Rowing and Rear Delt exercises that are implemented for adding thickness to the entire back complex with a focus on the upper, middle and lower back muscles. The exercises performed on this day gives the back muscles detail and completeness. This workout can be performed on it’s own or you can superset it with Chest exercises in a ‘Push-Pull’ or Agonist-Antagonist workout where a set of back is immediately followed by a set of chest.

My Last Horizontal Back Workout:

Note: the ‘+’ symbol denotes a Superset…..see www.GlobalWeightTraining.com for detailed exercise video descriptions

Workout 2: Vertical Back Workout

This workout centers around Lat (Latissimus Dorsi) exercises which are used to build width. The V taper that you can see on muscular athletes and bodybuilders is due to this muscle. It is the largest part of the back and is therefore important to develop correctly and can be very impressive. This workout can be performed on it’s own or you can superset it with Shoulder exercises in a ‘Push-Pull’ or Agonist-Antagonist workout where a set of back is immediately followed by a set of shoulders.

My Last Vertical Back Workout:

Note: BW = Bodyweight (95kg)….. see www.GlobalWeightTraining.com for detailed exercise video descriptions

Weekly Training Schedule

If you are going to keep your muscle groups separate then I would suggest the following setup for your weekly training schedule:

Day 1 – Horizontal Back Workout/Abs
Day 2 – Chest/Calves
Day 3 – Legs/Abs
Day 4 – Vertical Back Workout/Calves
Day 5 – Shoulders/Arms

If you would like to make your training week more efficient by performing Agonist/Antagonist supersets then I would use the following format:

Day 1 – Horizontal Back Workout + Chest
Day 2 – Quads + Hamstrings/Calves
Day 3 – Vertical Back Workout + Shoulders
Day 4 – Biceps + Triceps/Abs

Note: the symbol ‘/’ means ‘followed by’….. see www.GlobalWeightTraining.com for effective training programs

This back training program will amaze you with the fast and effective results. I have had a 100 percent success rate with it. The back muscles have no choice but to grow. All bases are covered. It is now up to you to implement it correctly with intensity and strict technique supported by good nutrition, supplementation and sleep.

Have fun, train hard and never look back…except to admire your stunning back development…

For more information check out my website www.GlobalWeightTraining.com

Plan of Attack

Know the functionality and main movement patterns of the Triceps:

1. Angle of Greatest Stretch – this is the most important one and is often missed during a workout. Not good. The commonality of the Tricep Pushdown and Rope Pushdown in all gyms is the cause of this. They are not the most effective muscle mass and strength builders. They are just simple and easy to perform. The angle of greatest stretch in the triceps occurs when you raise your arm straight up and bring your hand down behind your head or towards your face. This is achieved during a movement such as an Overhead Dumbbell Extension when you are seated with your upper back supported, your upper arms are vertical and you lower and raise a dumbbell behind your head or a ‘Skull Crusher’ aka Lying Tricep Extension. In this position the muscle fibers are pulled the maximum distance apart and the triceps is stimulated all the way along from origin to insertion causing maximum muscle fiber damage and therefore growth.
2. Angle of Greatest Contraction – this one is also important but is too often the focus of Triceps workouts. The position is when you have your arm in-line with or even behind your body during an exercise such as a Tricep Pushdown or Bench Dip. At this angle the muscle fibers aren’t fully stretched at the bottom of the movement but do achieve a very full contraction.
3. Pronated Grip (i.e. palms facing away from you, thumbs facing each other) – triceps movements using this grip (Tricep Pushdown) focus more on the lateral head of the triceps. This muscle forms the elegant ‘horseshoe’ shape of the upper arm.
4. Supinated and Hammer (Neutral) Grip (i.e. palms facing you, thumbs turned out) – tricep movements using these grips focus more on the long head of the triceps. The long head forms the bulk of the triceps. An exercise that involves a supinated grip is the Reverse Grip Pushdown. An exercise that uses a hammer grip is a Rope Pushdown.
5. Pressing Exercises for Triceps – the best tricep mass builders are compound movements that move through the elbow and shoulder joint. These include: Close Grip Bench Press or Smith Press, Close Grip Weighted Dips, Weighted Bench Dips and Close Grip Push-ups. Focus on these types of exercises to maximize muscle and strength gains. They allow you to safely use maximum weight and apply maximum stress to the tricep muscles far more than the elbow-stressing isolation tricep exercises that are the more common inclusion in most weight training programs.
6. Chest and Shoulder Pressing Movements – The most effective way to grow yourself a pair of Titanic Triceps is not focusing on tricep exercises but making sure each week that your chest and shoulder routines contain mass-building pressing exercises such as Dumbbell Presses, Barbell Presses, Dips, Arnold Presses, Machine Presses, Power Presses etc. These big movements will ensure that your triceps indirectly are fed a steady diet of extreme but safe weights.

The Rules

Creating a great Triceps workout plan:

• Train arms only once per week – they are involved in all of your upper body and some of your lower body exercises and need time to rest and grow.

• Perform repetitions of 6 to 15 – Triceps (and biceps) respond well to a broad range of reps with high intensity and good technique.

• Perform 2 super intense work sets per exercise – this will allow you to focus your intensity and achieve greater exercise variety hitting the triceps from all angles.

• Choose 4 to 6 exercises – it sounds like a lot but remember that (after warming up) you are only performing 2 sets per exercise.

• Superset triceps and biceps together set for set – this is the best way to train arms. While one is working and fatiguing the other is recovering. You can lift heavy for the entire workout and get extreme muscle pumps.

• Focus on compound movements like Close Grip Bench Press rather than isolation movements like Tricep Kickbacks to build mass and strength.

• Use a mix of Dumbbells, Barbells and Cables.

• Always employ safe, strict, controlled, intense technique.

The Workout

45º Incline BB Extension 1 x 20, 1 x 15, 2 x 10

+

45º Incline DB Curl 1 x 20, 1 x 15, 2 x 10

Close Grip Bench Press 2 x 8

+

Standing EZ BB Curl 2 x 8

Seated Overhead DB Extension 2 x 10

+

Standing Alternate DB Curl 2 x 8 each side

Rope Pushdowns 2 x 15

+

Cable Preacher Curl 2 x 15

Weighted Bench Dips 2 x 15

+

Kneeling DB Hammer Curl 2 x 10

You will not find a more effective or more complete Tricep workout than this. All bases are covered. To learn the proper technique for all these great exercises please visit the Workout Video section. Thank you for your time and attention. Train hard and watch your arms grow.

In order to get the most out of your Dumbbell Pressing movements it is essential that you introduce variety by adjusting the style and technique of the basic and most valuable exercises. This will keep your body in a state of surprise and readiness pushing it towards greater levels of development and will build a more complete physique because it has been attacked from all angles and options.

A STANDARD DUMBBELL PRESS

During a standard Dumbbell Pressing movement the correct technique requires you to hold the Dumbbells on the outside of your chest or shoulders with your palms facing forward (away from your body). Once you start pressing it is ideal for the Dumbbells to follow a path upwards and together in a smooth ‘Inverted U’ shape such as this; ∩. This technique ensures that you get a good stretch at the bottom and a strong contraction at the top with optimal power and control.

DUMBBELL PRESSING VARIATIONS

1. Alternate Presses from the top for Chest

Technique –
Lying down on a bench or fit-ball hold the Dumbbells with straight arms above the chest with the shoulders blades held together behind the body.
Slowly lower one Dumbbell down to the outside of your chest while the other Dumbbell remains still then press it back up completing a full repetition.
Repeat on the other side using the same technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result –
Performing one rep at time on each side allows you to: 1) Focus on the individual Pec muscle increasing the intensity at the maximal point of contraction. 2) Concentrate on your technique and core strength so that the increased torque doesn’t make your body contort. 3) Build more endurance with the increased set time. 4) Get the benefit from a static contraction and a dynamic contraction.

2. Alternate Presses from the top for Shoulders

Technique –
Sitting up on a bench or standing hold the Dumbbells with straight arms above the head and shoulders with the palms facing forward.
Slowly lower one Dumbbell down to the outside of one shoulder while the other Dumbbell remains still then press it back up completing a full repetition.
Repeat on the other side using the same technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result –
Performing one rep at time on each side allows you to: 1) Focus on the individual deltoid complex increasing the intensity at the maximal point of contraction. 2) Concentrate on your technique and core strength so that the increased torque doesn’t make your body contort. 3) Build more endurance with the increased set time. 4) Get the benefit from a static contraction and a dynamic contraction.

3. Alternate Presses from the bottom for Chest

Technique –
Lying down on a bench or fit-ball hold the Dumbbells with bent arms on the outside of the chest with the shoulders blades held together behind the body.
Push one Dumbbell all the way up and in to a full contraction while the other Dumbbell remains still then slowly lower it back down completing a full repetition.
Repeat on the other side using the same technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result –
Performing one rep at time on each side allows you to: 1) Focus on the individual Pec muscle increasing the intensity at the maximal point of stretch. 2) Concentrate on your technique and core strength so that the increased torque doesn’t make your body contort. 3) Build more endurance with the increased set time. 4) Get the benefit from a static contraction and a dynamic contraction.

4. Alternate Presses from the bottom for Shoulders

Technique –
Sitting up on a bench or standing hold the Dumbbells with bent arms on the outside of the shoulders with the palms facing forward.
Push one Dumbbell up and in to a full contraction while the other Dumbbell remains still then lower it back down completing a full repetition.
Repeat on the other side using the same technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result –
Performing one rep at time on each side allows you to: 1) Focus on the individual deltoid complex increasing the intensity at the maximal point of stretch. 2) Concentrate on your technique and core strength so that the increased torque doesn’t make your body contort. 3) Build more endurance with the increased set time. 4) Get the benefit from a static contraction and a dynamic contraction.

5. Supination Pressing for Chest

Technique –
Lying down on a bench or fit-ball hold the Dumbbells with bent arms on the outside of the chest with the shoulders blades held together behind the body and the palms facing forward.
As you push Dumbbells up and in to a full contraction slowly turn your thumbs out so that by the time the Dumbbells are together the palms are facing each other.
Lower the Dumbbells down in the reverse technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result –
Using this technique facilitates a more powerful contraction at the apex of the movement.

6. Pronation Pressing for Chest

Technique –
Lying down on a bench or fit-ball hold the Dumbbells with bent arms on the outside of the chest with the shoulders blades held together behind the body and the palms facing each other.
As you push Dumbbells up and in to a full contraction slowly turn your thumbs in so that by the time the Dumbbells are together the palms are facing forward.
Lower the Dumbbells down in the reverse technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result –
Using this technique allows a deeper stretch at the bottom of the movement.

7. Supination Pressing for Shoulders

Technique –
Sitting up on a bench or standing hold the Dumbbells with bent arms on the outside of the shoulders with the palms facing forward.
As you push Dumbbells up and in to a full contraction slowly turn your thumbs out so that by the time the Dumbbells are together the palms are facing each other.
Lower the Dumbbells down in the reverse technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result –
Using this technique facilitates a more powerful contraction at the apex of the movement.

8. Pronation Pressing for Shoulders (Arnold Press)

Technique –
Sitting up on a bench or standing hold the Dumbbells with bent arms at the front of the shoulders with the palms facing you.
As you push Dumbbells up and in to a full contraction slowly turn your thumbs in so that by the time the Dumbbells are together the palms are facing forward.
Lower the Dumbbells down in the reverse technique and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result –
Using this technique allows a deeper stretch at the bottom of the movement and increases anterior deltoid (front of shoulder) involvement.

9. Single-arm Pressing for Chest

Technique –
Lying down on a bench or fit-ball hold a single Dumbbell with the arm bent on the outside of the chest and the shoulders blades held together behind the body.
Engage the abdominals and lock the body into position to reduce any body roll.
Push the Dumbbell all the way up and in to a full contraction then slowly lower it back down completing a full repetition and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result –
Performing a set on one side of the body at a time allows you to: 1) Focus on the individual Pec muscle minimizing imbalances. 2) Concentrate on your technique and core strength so that the increased torque doesn’t make your body contort. 3) Build more endurance with the increased set time. 4) Make your core very strong, especially if you are on a fit-ball.

10. Single-arm Pressing for Shoulders

Technique –
Sitting up on a bench or standing hold a single Dumbbell with the arm bent on the outside of the shoulder with the palms facing forward.
Engage the abdominals and lock the body into position to reduce any body roll.
Push the Dumbbell all the way up and in to a full contraction then slowly lower it back down completing a full repetition and continue in this fashion until the set is complete.

Result –
Performing a set on one side of the body at a time allows you to: 1) Focus on the individual Shoulder complex minimizing imbalances. 2) Concentrate on your technique and core strength so that the increased torque doesn’t make your body contort. 3) Build more endurance with the increased set time. 4) Make your core very strong, especially if you are standing.

To break through training plateaus and to push your physique to new levels include these variations in your workout plan. It is an extreme advantage to have an arsenal of effective and interesting exercises that you can implement when your motivation is waning or your training seems a little stale.

I have been training for over 14 years and I would have quit a long time ago if I didn’t use variation and creativity to keep my workouts exciting and effective. Experiment and implement and your body will thank you for the kick in the arse.

Train hard.

Regards,

Joey Sheather

Plan of Attack

Know the functionality and main movement patterns of the Biceps:

1.    Angle of Greatest Stretch – this is the most important one and is often missed during a workout. Big mistake. Arnold knew about it and look what it did for him! The position is where you have your arm behind your body. This is achieved during an Incline DB Curl when you are seated at 45º or lower and perform strict bicep curls keeping the upper arm perpendicular to the floor. In this position the muscle fibers are pulled the maximum distance apart and the biceps is stimulated all the way along from origin to insertion causing maximum muscle fiber damage and therefore growth.

2.    Angle of Greatest Contraction – this one is also important but is too often the focus of bicep workouts. The position is when you have your arm in front of your body during an exercise such as a Preacher Curl. At this angle the muscle fibers aren’t fully stretched at the bottom of the movement…

3.    Neutral Grip to Pronated Grip (i.e. palm facing in twisting slowly to palm facing up) – the bicep doesn’t just cause elbow flexion (a normal curling action) but also rotates the thumb outwards where a full contraction is achieved. If you add this small, twisting motion during a bicep curl then you are utilizing the full action of the biceps creating maximum stimulation.

4.    Neutral Grip (Hammer Grip) – performing curls with the palm facing in emphasizes the brachialus (outside of upper arm), the brachioradialus (the long, thick part of the forearm running from the inner elbow to the base of the thumb) and the long head of the biceps. This will give your arms more thickness and make them more complete.

5.    Reverse Grip Back Exercises – bicep mass isn’t created performing concentration curls. It is a direct result of regularly and intensely pounding away at heavy, compound back exercises. Perform Reverse Grip Chin-ups, Reverse Grip Lat Pulldowns, Reverse Grip Barbell Rows and your arms will grow at a far greater rate than if you were to rely on specific bicep work alone. It allows your biceps with help from your back muscles to lift a mountain of weight safely.

6.    Shoulder Flexion – one of the first things that you are taught when training biceps is to keep your elbows locked against the side of your body. This is to minimize the involvement of the anterior and lateral deltoid (front and side of the shoulder) so that the biceps is fully isolated and fatigued. Most of the time this is a good idea but when you are performing a heavy mass building exercise such as Standing Barbell Curl or Standing Alternate Dumbbell Curl a little elbow movement backwards and forwards can be beneficial. A little known fact is that the bicep assists in shoulder flexion so raising the elbow during a curl not only allows you to deliver more power it also facilitates a more complete contraction.

The Rules

Creating a great Bicep workout plan:

•    Train arms only once per week – they are involved in all of your upper body and some of your lower body exercises and need time to rest and grow.

•    Perform repetitions of 6 to 15 – biceps (and triceps) respond well to a broad range of reps with high intensity and good technique.

•    Perform 2 super intense work sets per exercise – this will allow you to focus your intensity and achieve greater exercise variety hitting the biceps from all angles.

•    Choose 4 to 6 exercises – it sounds like a lot but remember that (after warming up) you are only performing 2 sets per exercise.

•    Superset biceps and triceps together set for set – this is the best way to train arms. While one is working and fatiguing the other is recovering. You can lift heavy for the entire workout and get extreme muscle pumps.

•    Use a mix of Dumbbells, Barbells and Cables.

•    Always employ safe, strict, controlled, intense technique.
The Workout

45º Incline DB Curl                1 x 20, 1 x 15, 2 x 10
+
45º Incline BB Extension            1 x 20, 1 x 15, 2 x 10

Standing EZ BB Curl                2 x 8
+
Close Grip Bench Press            2 x 8

Standing Alternate DB Curl            2 x 8 each side
+
Seated Overhead DB Extension        2 x 10

Cable Preacher Curl                2 x 15
+
Rope Pushdowns                2 x 15

Kneeling DB Hammer Curl            2 x 10
+
Weighted Bench Dips                2 x 15

You will not find a more effective or more complete Bicep workout than this. All bases are covered. To learn the proper technique for all these great exercises please visit the Video section of my online Weight Training and Bodybuilding website www.GlobalWeightTraining.com. Thank you for your time and attention. Train hard and watch your arms grow.

Regards,

Joey Sheather

Repetitions… Your entire training career is composed of millions of them. You group them in sets and they are the basis of each workout. Performing them correctly is the difference between success and failure. A perfect repetition, seemingly simple, has many components and is powerfully effective. I am going to explain how to perform the perfect rep and why it is so important.

At the impressionable age of 14 I was lucky enough to be introduced to the world of weight training by a competitive bench presser and ex-Olympic wrestler. He was a cartoonish 5 foot 3, 65 kilo powerhouse with a barrel chest and black pony-tail mullet down to his arse. At his gym in Bellingen he would ensure that I learned and retained precise lifting technique during my first 12 months of training. Thank-you Kevin. Under his supervision I went on to become the Australian School-boys Bench Press Champion at the ripe old of age of 15 with a lift of 87.5 kilograms (192.5 pounds) at a HUGE (laughs) body-weight of 66 kgs (145 lbs). That was after only 6 months of training. Technique and intensity is EVERYTHING!

Kevin sold the gym to a great man called Scott who became a very close friend of mine, a fantastic training partner and the catalyst for my career in Personal Training. He looked somewhat normal in comparison to Kevin sporting a natural, balanced, muscular bodybuilder’s physique. His basic training philosophy was to hit each muscle group from every angle with perfect form designating set and exercise volume in proportion to the size of the muscle group, i.e. back being the most complex and largest received the most exercises while biceps being one of the smallest received the least. I learned a lot from him. Exercise form was always at the fore-front of his teachings.

From Kevin I discovered that each exercise has an optimum movement path to generate maximum power safely. Scott showed me a broad range of exercises and how to apply good technique to each of them for consistent effectiveness and efficiency. I have taken these lessons with me throughout my career and applied them to my training and the hundreds of exercises that I have created myself.

Anyone who knows me will find that I am extremely particular about good exercise technique. I pay very close attention to the body position and movement pattern adjusting fine components so that the exercise is totally optimised. I must annoy the hell out of my clients sometimes. It works though.

WHY IS PERFECT EXERCISE TECHNIQUE SO IMPORTANT?

Reduced Risk Of Injury…

If you are to remain injury-free throughout your training career you must practise safe, tight, controlled lifting technique for every single repetition. If the movement is as close to biomechanical perfection as possible you will receive maximum stimulation with minimum risk. Injuries will halt your progress every time and can be very serious. Any chance to avoid them should be harnessed, implemented and retained.

Decreased ‘Cheating’ And Involvement Of Unrelated Muscle Groups…

If your form is sloppy there is a good chance that you are not hitting the target muscle as completely as you could be. As soon as your technique declines other muscle groups come into play assisting during the lift, often in an unsafe manner. A classic one is allowing your torso to swing during a bicep curl using your lower back, glutes and hamstrings to get the weight up. There is not only the danger of hurting yourself there is also the probability that you are not taking the target muscles to failure. Keep the form tight and you will stimulate the muscle safely and entirely.

Decreased Involvement And Fatigue From Ancillary Muscle Groups…

Related to the last point the execution of a perfect repetition every time will ensure the target muscle is isolated and fully fatigued before the ancillary muscles (assisting muscles) give out. To make this more clear I will describe two examples where this is a common occurrence. Example 1: when you perform a back exercise if you do not focus on engaging and isolating the targeted muscles of the back then the forearms and biceps will crash and burn before the back is fully worked. Example 2: when you perform a chest exercise if you do not focus on isolating the pectorals during the movement then the triceps and anterior deltoids will give out first impeding the progress of the chest. It is easy for ancillary muscles to come into play during an exercise if your form is sloppy because they are there to assist the movement. But because they are smaller and weaker if you do not make sure that the target muscle is completely fatigued first they will always give out holding back your progress.

Increased Motor Neuron Innervation And Muscle Fiber Activation…

If you isolate the target muscle group and contract it slowly and intensely through the entire movement you will activate the greatest amount of muscle fibers. A safe and full range of motion (ROM) will involve muscle fibers from the origin (initial attachment) right across to the insertion (final attachment) of the muscle. A slow, intense, precise movement during the entire concentric contraction (muscle shortening) and eccentric contraction (muscle lengthening) will innervate more motor neurons ‘firing’ more muscle fibers. This will facilitate a maximum activation of the muscle fibers and total muscle contraction maximizing strength and muscle gain.

Improved Mind-Muscle Connection…

The mind-muscle connection is your ability to feel the target muscle contract completely and under total control during the execution of an exercise. Usually a muscle group that you find difficult to feel and to develop is one that you have a poor mind-muscle connection with. Consistent, strict form on all of your repetitions will help you gain control of these stubborn body-parts. The mind-muscle connection improves when the path from your motor cortex (the control centre of your brain for movement) to the working muscle becomes more efficient.

Improved Focus, Discipline, Intensity And Quality Of Training…

This level of precision for every single repetition that you perform during your workout demands a massive amount discipline, will-power and intensity. You control the movement of every exercise and apparatus as though it were part of your body. Be patient and apply it to all exercises performed until it becomes second nature. By this stage it will feel awkward to train with sloppy technique and you won’t miss it because you will become stronger and more muscular and injury-free.

COMPONENTS OF A REPETITION

1. Starting Point – where the body is in the appropriate position to begin the Repetition.

2. Concentric Contraction – where the muscle shortens as the weight is lifted through the predetermined Range of Motion (ROM). Also called ‘The Positive Phase’.

3. Mid Point – the point of greatest contraction at the top of the Repetition where you pause briefly before releasing the weight.

4. Eccentric Contraction – where the muscle lengthens as the weight is released to the Finishing Point. Also called ‘The Negative Phase’.

5. Finishing Point – same as the Starting Point.

GUIDELINES TO PERFORMING THE PERFECT REP

Learn And Practice Proper Technique…

Take the time to study the extensive step-by-step video exercise descriptions on my website www.GlobalWeightTraining.com. They are demonstrations personally performed by me explaining all the muscles involved, the detailed technique and what the repetitions should look like during a set. There are over 300 hundred exercises; learn them before you perform them.

Apply And Maintain Proper Technique…

Once you have learnt the exercise guidelines make sure you apply them to your training in the gym precisely and consistently. If you forget how to do something go back to the site and look it up.

Repetition Speed…

The repetition speed should for muscle growth and strength in bodybuilding, shaping and toning and for general health should be medium (1-2 seconds) during the Concentric Contraction (where the weight is lifted) and slow (2-5 seconds) during the Eccentric Contraction (where the weight is released). The exact seconds required for each phase of the repetition depends on the size of the range of motion (ROM) of each individual exercise. Example; Calf exercises have a smaller ROM so the time required to perform the repetitions slowly would be reduced. Squats, on the other hand, have a large ROM so the time required to perform the repetitions slowly would be increased. Performing exercise with speed is not without merit and it is prevalent in functional training, power-training, and sport-specific training but there is an increased risk of tissue injury with the sudden force exerted when lifting. There is also greater focus on the tendons, ligaments, bones and joints rather than the muscles.

Ancillary Muscles And Stabilizers…

You cannot perform an exercise safely or effectively unless your body is positioned in accordance with the guidelines for that exercise. This means that once you are set your ancillary muscles (the direct assisting muscles for the movement) and the stabilizers (the muscles that hold the rest of the body in the correct place) must be engaged so that a perfect repetition is performed every time. This will make your body safe, strong and functional.

Abdominals And Core Muscles…

It doesn’t matter which exercise you are performing your mid-section must be switched on for total maximum gains. The abdominals and the core inner muscles of the spine are the superstructure of the body which holds everything together under the stresses of exercise. They lock you safely into the correct position and maintain it during the set. Engaging them properly will stabilise the body, increase your total strength, increase the strength of the abdominals and core muscles themselves, protect the spine and facilitate the implementation of perfect repetitions for all exercises. * To use your mid-section properly during exercise pull your lower abs in towards the spine, pull in the obliques, contract the entire abdominal complex and lift the chest *

Symmetry And Precision Of Movement…

To be certain that both sides of your body develop evenly you must ensure that each exercise is executed symmetrically. Human bodies are never built with faultless balance and the rigours of life make that deviation from perfect symmetry even more profound. To diminish the impact of this continuing you need to train in front of a mirror as much as possible or utilise the constant critical eye of a training partner. This will allow you to supervise and fine-tune your exercise technique at all times reducing imbalances of strength, muscularity and functionality.

Range Of Motion…

Most of the time you need to use a full range of motion (ROM) to stimulate the all of the muscle fibers from the origin, across the belly (the middle bulk), to the insertion of the muscle. If you cheat and continuously use partial repetitions you will lose flexibility and miss out on muscle and strength gains from the outer angles. There is a limit, however, to how large the ROM should be. It is individual to each exercise and should be large enough for maximum muscle fiber stimulation without causing any joint or tissue injury from over-extension. There are techniques and set sequences that are based on partial repetitions but they have their own strict technique and should be used sparingly for shock tactics and variety.

Breathing…

You need to breathe properly during each repetition to maintain a continuous delivery of oxygen around the body to the working muscles. It will also reduce the build-up of carbon-dioxide. This will give you the energy to power through the set and decrease the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA – that awful burn from lactic acid which is caused from glycogen being burnt for energy without the presence of oxygen). Breathing properly also takes the pressure off your cardio-vascular system facilitating normal function under conditions of high stress from intense exercise. It is important to keep the blood pressure down and unnecessary strain off the body as no-one is unbreakable. Another advantage of full, rhythmic breathing is that it will pace the tempo of your repetitions. You can’t take slow, full breaths if your reps are fast and messy.

BASIC BREATHING TECHNIQUE DURING A REPETITION

1. Take a slow, deep intake of breath as the weight is released (when the target muscle stretches and lengthens during the eccentric contraction).

2. Breath out more forcefully as the weight is lifted (when the target muscle engages and shortens during the concentric contraction)

3. There are alternate breathing techniques but this one is simple and safe so remember: breathe in when the weight is released and breathe out when the weight is lifted.

INTENSITY

Finally we come to my favourite word; Intensity. To cause the greatest amount of muscle fiber damage and to induce growth producing chemistry within the body you need to push each set to absolute failure or beyond. By that I mean that you make sure you grind out each repetition with perfect technique until it is not possible to perform another without losing your form. To go beyond failure you must utilise a training partner or spotter or perform intensity increasing techniques which are described on our website www.GlobalWeightTraining.com. You must however maintain precise technique for each repetition throughout the set no matter what your goal is or how far you push yourself.

There you have it my friends. I have given you the key. Place it in the lock and turn it. Don’t look back. There is so much out there to learn, understand and apply to your training. You may get a little lost among it all but if you know how to perform ‘The Perfect Rep’ every time the most basic element of successful training will be with you forever. Good luck and have fun…

This might sound like a cliché, but we do live in a fast-paced, high-stress world where time is a valued commodity on short supply. There is nothing worse than rushing off to the gym, skipping parts of your workout and leaving feeling like you haven’t trained properly and have wasted your time.

I believe that you should have a specific goal to be achieved from every single workout and in pursuit of that goal you give nothing less than 100 percent effort. If you fall short of that level of focus and intensity on a regular basis you are wasting your time and taking a longer path to where you want to be. Make the most of the time you have been given. This, of course, applies to the rest of your life but today we are only talking about training. (Which, of course, is the most important part of your life – ha ha).

Normally you need around an hour to complete most workouts and maybe a little more time to complete a proper warm-up and cool-down. Some days, because of time-constraints, you might only have half an hour or 20 minutes or even 10 minutes. You probably think that I sound crazy by even suggesting that that may be enough time for a growth-producing workout. It is…..

The Ultimate Set

A non-stop ascending-descending execution of full repetitions + partials.

There is a single method that stands out as the most time-efficient and one of the most effective in completely exhausting a muscle group in the shortest possible time. It is a nearly non-stop ascending-descending set where you choose an exercise that is a favourite for a muscle group, pyramid all the way up to your top weight, perform drop-sets all the way back down and perform partial repetitions at the end of each heavy set. Each set is taken to absolute failure and/or beyond except the first couple of warm-up sets.

Example 1: The entire sequence – 13 sets

Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raise.

Set 1. 5 kg x 20 reps
Set 2. 7.5 kg x 20 reps
Set 3. 10 kg x 20 reps
Set 4. 12.5 kg x 15 reps + 10 half reps/ rest 10 seconds
Set 5. 15 kg x 12 reps + 8 half reps/ rest 10 seconds
Set 6. 17.5 kg x 10 reps + 6 half reps/ rest 20 seconds
Set 7. 20 kg x 6 reps + 10 quarter reps/ rest 20 seconds
Set 8. 17.5 kg x 8 reps + 6 half reps/ rest 20 seconds
Set 9. 15 kg x 10 reps + 8 half reps/ rest 10 seconds
Set 10. 12.5 kg x 12 reps + 10 half reps/ rest 10 seconds
Set 11. 10 kg x 15 reps
Set 12. 7.5 kg x 20 reps
Set 13. 5 kg x 25 reps

Example 2: The descent – sets 7 to 13 only

45° Leg Press

Set 7. 8 plates x 15 reps + 10 half reps/ rest 20 seconds
Set 8. 7 plates x 12 reps + 8 half reps/ rest 20 seconds
Set 9. 6 plates x 10 reps + 8 half reps/ rest 10 seconds
Set 10. 5 plates x 10 reps + 10 half reps/ rest 10 seconds
Set 11. 4 plates x 15 reps
Set 12. 3 plates x 20 reps
Set 13. 2 plates x 30 reps

It takes less than 10 minutes and will exhaust you more than a two hour workout. With modifications this set sequence can be applied to almost any exercise and muscle group and will shock your muscles pushing you past training plateaus and complacency into new levels of muscular strength and growth.

How to set up an exercise to perform The Ultimate Set:

1. If you are training a large muscle group – Back, Quadriceps, Chest – you need to choose two exercises. On the first exercise perform the set sequence from Example 1 which is the entire 13 sets. On the second exercise perform the set sequence from Example 2 which is sets 7 to 13 only, i.e. the second half of Example 1.

2. If you are training a small muscle group – Shoulders, Hamstrings, Triceps, Calves, Biceps, Abdominals – you choose one exercise only and perform the entire set sequence from Example 1.

3. On each training day you can do either:
a. One large muscle group + one small muscle group
or
b. Two small muscle groups
or
c. One large muscle group by itself
or
d. One small muscle group by itself

4. The amount of sets and the length of rest time should be the same as described however, the weights, repetitions and partials reps may be adjusted to suit individual needs. There should always be a minimum of 6 full repetitions on each set and 6 partials repetitions where they are required. Try to stick to the formula as much as possible. Train to failure but maintain strict technique.

5. Choose an exercise that is effective for training the intended muscle group and suitable for this set sequence. Here are some that I recommend however, ‘The Ultimate Set’ can be applied to almost any exercise:

Quadriceps - 45° Leg Press - partials performed at top half
- Fit-ball Squat - partials performed at top half

Back - Neutral Grip Chin-ups - partials performed at bottom half
- Seated Cable Row - partials performed at bottom half

Chest - Fit-ball DB Press - partials performed at the top half
- Machine Chest Press - partials performed at the top half

Shoulders - Overhead DB Press - partials performed at the top half
- Standing DB Lateral Raise - partials performed at bottom half

Hamstrings - Seated Leg Curl - partials performed at the top half
- Lying Leg Curl - partials performed at the bottom half

Triceps - Close Grip Smith Machine Press - partials performed at the top half
- Rope Pushdown - partials performed at the top half

Biceps - Standing BB Curl - partials performed at the bottom half
- Rope Hammer Curl - partials performed at the bottom half

Calves - 45° Calf Press - partials performed at the bottom half
- Donkey Calf Raise - partials performed at the bottom half

Abdominals - Fit-ball DB Crunch - partials performed at the top half
- Abdominal Machine - partials performed at the top half

6. Warm-up sufficiently by performing a few light sets of different exercises for the target muscle group and begin the set sequence with a weight that you can easily perform 20 repetitions with.

7. Calculate the 7 even weight increments up to your top weight that you will use during your sets (see Example 1 for clarification).

8. If you are training a large muscle group and are performing a second exercise you need to calculate 7 even weight increments down from your top weight (see Example 2 for clarification).

9. Don’t go past 20 repetitions on the way up.

10. Perform 6 to 10 partial repetitions from the 4th to the 10th sets where you are using the heaviest weights and lower reps.

11. Rest for 10 seconds between sets from the 4th to the 10th set where you are using the heaviest weights and will need more recovery time to generate sufficient strength.

12. On the way down you may go over 20 repetitions if that is what is required to hit failure.

13. Make sure your breathing is deep and rhythmic throughout the entire painful process so that your burning muscles are not totally starved of oxygen.

14. Stretch the trained area intensely at the end of the whole sequence to reduce muscle soreness

15. You must be mentally prepared to push yourself way beyond the pain barrier whilst maintaining strict lifting technique. It is very, very difficult but supremely effective. The benefits will be great if you have the discipline to grind out rep after painful rep.

Why is this technique so effective?

1. It is very time efficient. You will have performed 13 hard sets in less than 10 minutes.

2. There is very little rest time which allows the workout to be short and more importantly super intense. The working muscles are pushed to maximum trying to cope with set after set with little or no rest and lots of lactic acid. This in turn will improve the muscles conditioning and ability to cope with hard training.

3. The entire spectrum of muscle fibers will be innervated. The white muscle fibers will be involved because of the high intensity, the heavy weights and low reps. The red muscle fibers will be called upon due to the continuous, enduring nature of the set, the lighter weights and higher reps.

4. The working muscle will be completed exhausted with maximum muscle fiber damage leading to increased muscle and strength gains.

5. It is very tough. After performing this sequence your normal routine will seem easier. This will motivate you to try even harder with your standard program making it even more effective.

6. It is very different and very intense. If you feel that you have hit a plateau and your training is a little stale this will help you blast through to new levels.

Last Word…

Implement this non-stop ascending-descending execution of full repetitions + partials once or twice a month for each muscle group for amazing results. Use it in conjunction with some of the great weight training programs from GlobalWeightTraining.com and nothing will stop you from reaching you goals. The Ultimate Set is a breakthrough exercise technique. Enjoy the rewards.

Increasing your muscle mass and tone will accelerate body-fat loss. When your muscles grow the demand on your body’s energy resources increase. Therefore your metabolism starts running at a higher rate burning more calories during rest and while you exercise.

Muscles require a lot of energy to:
- Fuel their normal function in rest
- To power the 3 main energy systems with ATP (Adenosine Tri-phosphate; the energy molecule), Glycogen (a string of Glucose molecules) and Adipose Tissue (Fat) during exercise
- To replenish energy stores after exercise when the muscles are drained and facilitate the sustained hyperactivity of the muscles chemistry

Bigger and stronger muscle also enhances your bodies’ ability to perform and sustain high intensity exercise. This in turn can increase the potential calorie burning effect of your workout.

2. Perform Low Intensity Sustained Exercise

Have you ever noticed someone who is overweight pounding away day after day on the treadmill sweating and panting but never really getting anywhere? I certainly have. This is because of a fantastically great misconception that I can’t believe still exists today: The harder you go on the cardio the more fat you burn! I’m afraid not. If you learn about the basics of the human body and how the energy systems work you find out that it is in fact the opposite.

Fat burning occurs and peaks during sustained low intensity exercise in the presence of oxygen. This means that when energy is required quickly for short or medium bursts of intense exercise ATP and Glycogen becomes the source of that energy. They can be used instantly and without oxygen resulting in a by-product that everyone has experienced, Lactic Acid. Anaerobic Exercise predominately uses these fuels during brief periods that cannot be sustained. Aerobic Exercise utilises fat as the dominant fuel because the low amount of intensity is sustainable allowing blood supply to the muscles that is rich in oxygen, fats’ catalyst.

So what does this mean for all you lovely people out there? If you want to concentrate on burning fat during cardio-vascular exercise drop the intensity to a level where your breathing rate increases but you can still have a fairly normal conversation with someone. A more scientific approach would be:

Get the number 220, take away your age to get your maximum heart rate (MHR), multiply that number by 0.65 (the fat burning range) and use the answer as your target heart rate (THR) during cardio-vascular exercise. Example;

220 – 26 = 194

194 x 0.65 = 126 beats per minute (BPM)

Maintain this heart rate for 30 minutes to 1 hour to hit your peak fat burning range. If you are fit however, I’d increase it by 10 BPM as your bodies’ chemistry and response to exercise are more developed.

3. Cut Out Excess Calories and Pleasure Foods

I’m not talking about dieting because to me that word sounds temporary and unsustainable. I’m talking about a sensible and attractive lifestyle change that is logical and positive. You don’t need all that crap. Eating certainly needs to be enjoyable but eating in excess of what your body really needs is unacceptable 90 percent of the time. Do yourself a favour and put food into perspective.

Food only exists to fuel, nourish, maintain and rebuild the body. Humans have made eating a way of life and we let it get out of control treating ourselves constantly to food that is very high in empty calories and low in nutrition. Junk food tastes good but is that short few minutes of pleasure really worth deteriorating the function and capability of your body?

Good food tastes good. I think that there is just as much pleasure and satisfaction or even more out of supplying your body with nutritious foods as there is with eating fast foods, desserts, sugar and chocolate. If you have a great training session a healthy protein drink or a steak and salad is what you feel like because that is what is going to support the desired outcomes of your exercise routine. Lollies or candy will do nothing positive and makes you feel gross afterwards.

If you think about the big picture and you want to get the most out of your life you MUST look after the ONLY body that you have. How on earth can people justify owning an expensive car or boat or whatever, spending time and money on maintenance, repairs, supplies, services and accessories giving it the best of everything while they only supply their own bodies with sub-standard fuel? Cars and other toys are replaceable and only needed a few hours of each day. You CAN’T replace your body. You need it all day every day until you leave this world. It’s your best friend and should the priority receiving everything it requires for peak performance.

I always suggest that one day a week everyone should consider letting their guard down and eating something nice and naughty but for the rest of the time you must eat healthy, fresh, nutritious varied food. It’s a crime not to and will only lead you down a negative path.

Enough preaching. Here are some suggestions to help shed unwanted body-fat through your eating habits:

i. The food and exercise equation

First there is an element of experimentation. You need to find out how to balance and manipulate the equation between the food that you eat and the exercise that you perform. This can be simplified further by calling it ENERGY IN and ENERGY OUT. Increase or decrease one or the other to make your bodyweight go up or down.

Example:

- if you eat more and exercise less your bodyweight will go up
- if you eat less and exercise more your bodyweight will go down
- if you are at a point where your food intake and exercise output balance each other your bodyweight will remain the same

Work out the extent of change you need to apply to change your bodyweight.

ii. Increase your meal frequency and decrease your meal size.

If you eat three large meals a day you receive an uneven spread of calories and energy. This can affect you in the following ways:
- Slowing down of the metabolism ( the bodies total demand for energy and ability to burn it)
- A lack of energy due to the large meal gaps
- Storing of excess calories as body-fat from the large meals
- Sleeping on a full stomach again promoting body-fat storage

If you eat 5 to 7 smaller meals throughout the day all these point can be turned around increasing your metabolism and facilitating exercise and normal function.

iii. Don’t eat complex carbohydrates or junk-food after lunch.

Eat foods that are dense in energy early in the day for a sustained release of energy throughout the rest of the day. As you get closer to sleeping you need nutritious foods, such as salads and stir-fried veges, lean meats and fish, that provide less energy because excess calories will be unused and stored as fat. Dinner should also be a smaller meal than it traditionally is to aid this. Breakfast and lunch should be the larger meals as they are the energy providers for your day and any exercise that you do.

iv. Drink lots of water.

Water is the catalyst for every function and chemical reaction in the body. If you keep yourself hydrated it will assist you in many roles such as body-fat loss. You can train harder and longer maintaining a healthy internal environment by keeping up the blood volume reducing pressure on the cardio-vascular system. The sodium and potassium concentrations of the muscles will remain balanced promoting healthy muscle contraction. Drinks lots of water to exercise properly and stay healthy. Adequate water supplies will speed up all the processes within the body including fat metabolism.

v. Avoid.

Pasta, bread, buns, oats, cereals, white rice, noodles, potatoes, mash, chips, pumpkin, couscous, polenta, pastry, alcohol, junk-food, snack-food, desserts, pizza, crumbed stuff, batter, oil, butter, sugar, salt, MSG, cheese, fast food and fried food especially after lunch.

vi. Eat.
Salads, vegetables, fruits and herbs of many colours. Fresh, raw, organic and cooked foods. Fish, beef, chicken, tofu, lean lamb, protein drinks and supplements.

Do what is best for your health and enjoy it.

4. Perform Your Cardio First Thing In The Morning

Perform your fat-burning cardio exercise first thing in the morning before you have breakfast. There will be no food in your system to use as energy and the glycogen stores in muscles and liver won’t be utilised if the exercise intensity is low (where it should be). Glycogen is limited and will deplete leaving fat as the primary fuel. Keep yourself well hydrated with water but don’t have breakfast until after you have finished your 30 minutes to 1 hour of cardio. Fat will be maintained as the dominant fuel source.

5. Cut Down Rest Time Between Sets

Weight training is traditionally performed with approximately a minutes rest between sets or even longer. I think that most people rest for too long losing potential workout intensity and other possible benefits. I recommend 30 seconds to 1 minute and often less or none!

Reasons for reducing rest time between sets include:
- Increased exercise intensity through continual muscular stimulation whilst fuel stores are depleted. Limiting rest time forces the muscles to work extra hard as their energy stores do not have time to replenish. The blood also cannot deliver oxygen rapidly enough to retard lactic acid accumulation.
- An increased cardio-vascular effect produced because the body moves continually from one exercise to another taxing the heart and lungs. So you not only facilitate muscle strength, growth and tone you also improve heart and lung fitness.
- Improved fat-burning effect with the sustained exercise during the workout and in recovery afterwards. More calories are burned training in this manner.
- Enhanced body chemistry through increases in oxygen delivery, lactic acid removal and energy repletion.

How to decrease rest time during your workout:
- Utilise agonist/antagonist supersets. This is where an exercise is performed for a muscle followed immediately by an exercise for the opposing muscle group
- Utilise pre-exhaustion supersets. This is where an isolation exercise (single-joint) is performed to specifically fatigue a muscle followed immediately by a compound exercise (multi-joint), which uses additional fresh muscles, to further fatigue the target muscle
- Perform circuit-type training where there is little to no rest for the entire workout
- Be focussed and motivated and hungry

6. Perform Sprint Workouts

Twice a week take yourself to a sports field or flat park and mark out a 100 metre length. Complete a 10 minute jog and 10 minutes of stretching focussing on the legs. Perform a run at 50%. Walk back. Perform a run at 75%. Walk back. Perform up to 10 runs at 100% walking back slowly each time to recover.
This type of intense anaerobic exercise will:
- Alter the chemistry of the bodies energy systems forcing them to work harder and faster
- Increase the basal metabolic rate (BMR) burning more energy at rest
- Change the muscle fiber composition of the muscles training them to be stronger, more powerful and able to work at higher intensities for longer
- Cause more fat to be burnt during recovery

7. Use Variety In Your Cardio And Fat Burning Program

I’ve talked about using variety to get the most out of your weight training and while it’s not as frequently required with cardio-vascular exercise it still needs to be implemented. Instead of using the treadmill for 40 minutes every try one of these mediums:
- Rowing Machines
- X-Trainers
- Stair Climbers and other machines
- Circuit Classes
- Barbell Classes
- High Energy Classes
- Boxing and Martial Arts Classes
- Spin Classes and other group fitness activities
- Team Sports
- Dancing
- Walking, Jogging, Running
- Cycling, Swimming
- Other dynamic pastimes, games, sports and activities

Changing your routine regularly will keep your body stimulated achieving constant improvement. It’s also fun and will keep you interested.

Once you have taken your physique to a respectable level you need to pay attention to these sort of details to fine tune the various areas of your body you consider to be sub-par. There will be sections of your body that lag compared to your dominant muscle groups. Therefore you must devise strategies to create symmetry and balance throughout. This will make you stand out from the crowd.

By adjusting something as basic as the hand grip on a dumbbell you can perfect the execution of an exercise. This will increase the specificity of the movement, which means the target muscle will be stimulated to its full potential. That is an unstoppable step forward.

I won’t go through the full exercise technique descriptions as they are fully explained at Global Weight Training. Only the hand grip adjustments will be discussed.

The Exercises…

1. ALL DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE MOVEMENTS

Change – Hold the back of the dumbbell so that the little finger is against the outside plate. Let the front of the dumbbell rotate forwards slightly as you lift it.

Result – The lateral deltoid (side of the shoulder) will move into a position where it will become the prime mover. This will reduce the involvement of the anterior deltoid (front of the shoulder) and broaden your shoulders.

2. ALL DUMBBELL CHEST PRESS MOVEMENTS

Change – Hold the inside of the dumbbell so that the thumb is against the inside plate.

Result – The dumbbell will tilt outwards slightly aligning the wrist and hand into a safe and comfortable position.

3. ALL DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS MOVEMENTS

Change – Hold the inside of the dumbbell so that the thumb is against the inside plate.

Result – The dumbbell will tilt outwards slightly aligning the wrist and hand into a safe and comfortable position.

4. ALL DUMBBELL BICEP CURL MOVEMENTS (DOES NOT INCLUDE HAMMER CURLS)

Change – With palms facing up hold the inside of the dumbbell so that the little finger is against the inside plate. Let the thumb and dumbbell rotate outwards.

Result – The biceps will move into their position of greatest contraction. This will cause the greatest amount of muscle fiber innervation building peak and volume.

Experiment with these techniques for the greatest results in your training. For any more information contact us at Global Weight Training where your questions are important to us and will be answered as soon as possible. Train hard and smart!