Your Next Contest will be Won or Lost in the Offseason!

That may seem like a bold statement, but it’s 1000% true.  Yes…1000%! Let me tell you how I discovered this undeniable and under-appreciated truth… By word of mouth, my coaching services have exploded off the charts.  I’m actually having to turn people down because I’m overloaded.  This isn’t a complaint – I love getting people …

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My First Strongman Contest!

Hey y’all! News travels slowly around here (or it could just be me- lol), so you might already know I competed in my first Strongman event in Oct. right here in Cary NC.  And if you didn’t know…well now you know  Summary Statement: It was a LOT of fun!  My buddy Nick from the gym …

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“I was Robbed!…..or was I?”

So I’ve been an NPC judge for a few years now.  I really enjoy it – it’s a lot of fun and allows you to participate in the sport without dieting…which is ALWAYS a plus!!!  (BTW if you want to become a judge, contact your NPC state chairman and they’ll point you in the right …

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Excuses vs. Priorities

So which is the reason why I haven’t posted on this blog for so (ridiculously, pathetically, and inexcusably) long? Honestly it’s probably a bit of both…as we’ll discuss below…   BTW- be forewarned ahead of time (hmmm…that was kind of redundant…) – this is a bit of an OT post, yet it still applies to …

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Judge Not…Lest Ye be Judged…

Not judging others is a great rule to follow for everyday life…but it would probably make bodybuilding shows (as well as figure, fitness, bikini, women’s physique, and of course…men’s physique) contests pretty boring, confusing, and…well…pointless! As a competitor, you WILL be judged – that’s the whole idea.   That’s what most of us are there for …

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Your Next Contest will be Won or Lost in the Offseason!My First Strongman Contest!“I was Robbed!…..or was I?”Excuses vs. PrioritiesJudge Not…Lest Ye be Judged…

May
14

Your Next Contest will be Won or Lost in the Offseason!

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That may seem like a bold statement, but it’s 1000% true.  Yes…1000%!

Let me tell you how I discovered this undeniable and under-appreciated truth…

By word of mouth, my coaching services have exploded off the charts.  I’m actually having to turn people down because I’m overloaded.  This isn’t a complaint – I love getting people dialed in and I’m very grateful that people trust me to get them in the best shape of their life, but what I’m realizing more and more is that had these people approached me earlier than 8-12 weeks out (heck I have some people come to me 2 weeks out expecting miracles!), I’d be able to do soooo much more for them.  I feel very limited and frustrated.

Let me explain…

The truth is, it’s fairly easy to get someone lean (if they listen).  That’s really not the issue IMO.  What I see as being the potential problem though is what’s left after all the fat is gone?!  I.e. do you look more like a distance runner than a physique competitor?  If so, something’s wrong!  (And I’m not talking about when a client or coach screws up and ends up dieting off a bunch of muscle – that’s a whole different problem)

You need to remember that once you begin the reduced calorie stage of your pre-contest prep, you’re not going to put on any muscle!  If you slacked prior to this point (and I’ve been guilty of this too), it’s going to show onstage. 

Think of it this way:

A sculptor can’t make a masterpiece if there’s not enough clay!

Sure you can win contests on conditioning alone, but that’s only going to get you so far.  Once you get past the smaller local shows, you need to have both size and conditioning.

There are two big places where people can drop the ball – training and correct food intake.  In my experience, it’s been the latter that is the problem with most people.  A lot of competitors can train hard year round, but eat like crap (either not enough or not the right foods) when not in a pre-contest phase.

Now listen…TRUST ME….I know how hard it is to eat to grow in the “offseason” without an impending contest date in sight (I’ve been blessed with the appetite of a small bird).  But the harsh reality is that we need to put in our time in during this phase if we want to excel in this sport.  

The solution?

Forget about the whole concept of the “offseason” completely.  There’s no such thing in our sport!

Approach the mass accumulation phase of your season in an organized and disciplined fashion.  Use this time to make the gains you need.  You’re sowing seeds of progress that you’ll later harvest onstage!

Taking this approach will not only allow you (1.) to gain muscle, (2.) a smooth, gradual transition into your contest diet, and (3.) an easier diet overall since you’ll have less bodyfat to lose due to eating pretty clean in advance.  It’s a win-win-win-win…

(the fourth “win” is that it makes my job a whole lot easier too!)  ;)

 

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Nov
17

My First Strongman Contest!

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Hey y’all!

News travels slowly around here (or it could just be me- lol), so you might already know I competed in my first Strongman event in Oct. right here in Cary NC.  And if you didn’t know…well now you know  :P

Summary Statement: It was a LOT of fun! 

My buddy Nick from the gym and I decided to give it a shot and try something different.  He’s a powerlifter and I’m a bodybuilder so we were both a bit out of our element, but it was still awesome.  We were two of the smallest competitors there but it didn’t matter – we got to do all kinds of “manly” stuff like pick up cars, press axles overhead, pick up rocks, grunt, drool, bleed, and all that other cool testosterone-induced stuff.   :)

When all was said and done, I ended up in 4th place in my division, which I was pretty happy with.

It was a little weird for me though and took a different way of thinking than what I’m accustomed.  In physique competitions, all the hard work is pretty much done by the time you get to the stage, and all you have to do is show up and present the results.  In contrast, in this strongman event I actually had to PERFORM!  I had to do something!  I had to lift and carry things!  I wasn’t used to this pressure and honestly got a little nervous! (Hmmm….is that what they mean by performance anxiety?  lol  ;P)

Looking back, it’s really easy for me to say “I should have gotten one more rep” or “I could have done that quicker”, blah blah blah, but at the time I thought I was gonna puke and die (not necessarily in that order) so I’m pretty sure I tried as hard as I could.  Everyone was friendly, the crowd was great, and I had a bunch of friends come out to support me.  What more can you ask for?

Am I going to do another one?  Probably, but I’m not sure when.  I’d like to focus on bodybuilding for a while now, and honestly strongman training is pretty tough on the body (the joints in particular) so we’ll see what happens…

Anyway – take a look at the video and leave a comment if you’d like.

Until next time -

Jason

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Sep
07

“I was Robbed!…..or was I?”

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So I’ve been an NPC judge for a few years now.  I really enjoy it – it’s a lot of fun and allows you to participate in the sport without dieting…which is ALWAYS a plus!!!  (BTW if you want to become a judge, contact your NPC state chairman and they’ll point you in the right direction – we can always use good people).

All that being said, judging is not the easiest thing in the world to do.  Sometimes only a fraction of a percent can separate two (or more!) competitors and it can be very challenging to discern between 10+ competitors in just a few short minutes.

Also – a CRUCIAL thing I’d like to emphasize is that although all judges try to be as objective as possible, it’s still JUDGING so there’s an inherent degree of subjectivity.  We don’t have a scoreboard or a checkered flag in this sport.  When it comes down to it, we’re basically relying on peoples’ (the judges) educated opinion on how they think people look and rank when compared with one another.

But it gets even more complicated than that because there are multiple criteria on which different judges may place a different emphasis!   For instance everyone knows that we’re basically looking for a balance of 3 things – symmetry, muscularity, and conditioning.  But the thing is, rarely does one person exhibit all these traits far better than their competition.  (If they do, they pretty much win within the first minute onstage and everyone knows it).  And we’re not even going to get into posing, presentation, skin tone, etc. all of which can influence your score (see http://www.jasonwojo.com/?p=445 for a discussion on those topics).

So let me ask you…if you were a judge, how would you place someone who is more muscular but is not super lean vs. someone who is less muscular but has a little better conditioning?  What about someone who has great symmetry but is smaller vs. someone much larger but isn’t quite as balanced? See the dilemmas?  It’s not always a clear-cut decision, no matter how hard we try.

All that being considered, one thing that’s difficult as a competitor is to feel like you were “robbed”.   I GET IT –you’ve worked really hard training and dieting, and feel you looked better than Joe Blow, yet your placing doesn’t reflect what you think you earned.  That feeling sucks…I know…I’ve been there (remember I’m a competitor too!).

 

But let me get real with you here and say a couple things…AND DON’T GET MAD!  LOL

 

The hard reality is that you probably just didn’t look as good as you might have thought.

 

I believe this is probably due to misinformation rather than ego (hopefully).  The fact is that it’s VERY difficult to assess your own physique objectively.  Plus you probably have family, friends, and the local gym rats telling you how great you look, and after a while it just might start sinking in (and would they really tell you if they thought you looked like crap anyway?).  Although they might have good intentions, you need to remember these people are likely biased and uneducated as to what you really should look like.

(Side note – Just another reason I think everyone is much better off with an experienced contest prep coach)

Do judges make mistakes?  Sure.  Can there be an occasional questionable placing?  Of course – remember it’s subjective.  BUT the structure and method of judging acts as a safeguard to minimize such possible errors and oversights.  How is this done?  (1.) By having a lot of judges (there’s usually 7+ judges at any contest) and (2.), employing statistics – eliminating outliers (top and bottom scores) and summating the remaining placings into a total score where the lowest score wins.

 

NOTE: These safeguards also pertain to the “It’s all political” BS that drives me crazy! 

 

So unless you’re telling me that the majority of judges at a show are in cahoots, it would be very difficult for a judge or two to significantly influence the final scores, even if they were judging unscrupulously.  Plus how do you think that judge might look if their scorings were vastly different from the other judges?  Don’t you think that might send up some red flags?

One last thought to ponder, reflect, and meditate deeply on: If someone was robbed, that means someone else (if they were honest) felt like they were given a gift and placed higher than they should have.  How often does this happen?

 

My brain hurts already…

 

Until Next Time –
Jason

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Aug
18

Excuses vs. Priorities

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So which is the reason why I haven’t posted on this blog for so (ridiculously, pathetically, and inexcusably) long?

Honestly it’s probably a bit of both…as we’ll discuss below…

 

BTW- be forewarned ahead of time (hmmm…that was kind of redundant…) - this is a bit of an OT post, yet it still applies to training.  More importantly though, I think learning to discern between excuses and priorities is critical to your probability for success in any endeavor.

 

So what’s the difference between an excuse and a priority?  To most people, an excuse is an illegitimate reason why you choose to do (or not do) something.  There may be some degree of truth to the reason, but ultimately when examined objectively, honestly, and in depth, it holds little water in justifying your actions or lack thereof.

 

In contrast, a priority is simply something you value more than the action you are replacing.  If your life vision and priorities are well-defined, your choice of activities and behaviors become clear.

 

Let’s look at a couple examples to see if we can tell the difference:

1. Sue doesn’t want to go to the gym because she has to get her nails done.

Q: Is this an excuse or a priority?

2. Mark ditches playing a round of golf with the guys to go workout.

Q: Is this an excuse or a priority?

 

The answer?

It depends! 

On what?

Your perspective!

 

If Sue genuinely values her shiny, acrylic nails more than being in shape, nails are her true priority.  However, her training partner who doesn’t share the same view will consider her actions a pathetic excuse for missing a workout.  Now what if Sue really wants to be in shape and pretty nails are secondary?  THEN getting her nails done becomes an excuse.

 

We need to realize that our perspective or opinion may very likely be different than that individual’s.

 

The same reasoning holds true for Mark.  Although his buddies may think Mark doesn’t have a good excuse for missing valuable guy time, if he enjoys working out more than golf, he made the right decision.

So what does it mean when someone says “I don’t have time to work out”?  Is that an excuse or a priority?

RIGHT! It depends…

…on what that person is doing with their time and what their goals are.  If they truly enjoy watching Days of Our Lives and feel it will enrich their lives more than working out, then that’s their legitimate priority whether we agree with it or not (don’t get me started, but that’s the reality of it).  However, if they really DO want to work out but choose not to because of X, Y, and Z, blah, blah, blah…then it’s simply an excuse.

So what are my excuses and priorities in regards to why I haven’t posted more frequently?

Priority: I don’t value this blog as much as my family, friends, and making a living

Excuse: I’ve been too busy

 

 

Why is “busy-ness” an excuse?  Because although it has some legitimacy, I know deep down I could have found the time.   I procrastinated, and this just led to more procrastination- I let it build up and build up.  You know the drill…

 

Next week we’ll get back to more “normal” types of posts, but before we finish up – what’s the lesson here?

 

Be honest with yourself as to why you are or aren’t doing something.  If you define your priorities and values in life clearly, you’re more likely to take actions that are aligned with them and avoid those that detract from your ultimate goals and vision.

 

Until next time (hopefully soon – lol)

Train, Eat, and Prioritize like you’re #1!

Jason

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Jun
17

Judge Not…Lest Ye be Judged…

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Not judging others is a great rule to follow for everyday life…but it would probably make bodybuilding shows (as well as figure, fitness, bikini, women’s physique, and of course…men’s physique) contests pretty boring, confusing, and…well…pointless!

As a competitor, you WILL be judged – that’s the whole idea.   That’s what most of us are there for anyway – to see how we fare against our peers.  Ideally, the best person on that day wins the trophy and goes home happy but with an awful bellyache after eating that celebratory gallon of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

I’ve been a NPC judge for a few years now, and sitting on the other side of the table has really given me a different perspective on some previously unappreciated (to me at least) aspects of physique presentation.

Now we all know that your physique is the primary determinant of your placing, but I’m here to tell you that many other smaller details can really have a dramatic impact on your placing as well.   Let’s jump right in to what I think are the top 3 crucial areas to maximizing your placing that are often overlooked by competitors:

1. Confidence: Someone who walks, stands, and poses with confidence (NOT ARROGANCE…this is a detriment) has more appeal to the judges.   In one word, to appear confident…SMILE!!!!!  Show those pearly whites!  Unless you have no teeth, in which case a nice grin will have to suffice, lol.

As a competitor, when you present yourself with confidence, you just look more prepared and polished – like you KNOW you’ve done all the work and feel great about the way you look.  Conversely, if you appear timid or lack confidence, it shows.  If confidence doesn’t come naturally to you, I think the best thing to is practice getting in front of people as often as you can to become comfortable and relaxed.  Show what yo mamma gave you!  :)

2. Posing: Here I’m referring to your fluidity of movement and aesthetics.  Do you hit poses and transitions awkwardly or smoothly?  Is everything positioned correctly and in a way that highlights your physique to its greatest potential?  When you move, do you resemble a beautiful swan or a bull in a china shop?  Some people are naturally more graceful than others, but this is an issue that is easily resolved by practice.  Get in front of a mirror as much as possible; videotape yourself; get advice and feedback from others.  Also, get ideas and learn as much as you can by looking at pictures or watching videos of other successful competitors.

3. Color, oil, and skin tone: I REALLY under-appreciated this aspect of physique presentation until I was a judge.  These factors are important for both men and women, but even more so for the latter.  If your color is too light, has a green tint, or is blotchy, it’s a big detraction from your physique.  Try and experiment with tanning products ahead of time to avoid nasty last minute surprises on contest day.  Skin health and tone plays a big role in how well a tanning product works.  Make sure you follow the recommendations of the product and exfoliate substantially prior to product application.  Also, if you’re prone to acne, get that taken care of before the show or figure out a way to cover it up (same thing with large, overwhelming tattoos).  Lastly is oil – unfortunately, I see mistakes in the application of oil all the time, and they can be easily avoided.  Remember – you want a SHEEN, not a SHINE.  You don’t want to reflect light onstage or look like you just got out of a frying pan, so err on the side of less oil rather than more.  Also, if you tend to sweat a lot (it’s hot under those lights and posing is tiring), go with even less, because the sweat will amplify the appearance of oil.  It goes without saying, but make sure oil is evenly applied (no oil on the face).  I commonly see people that have blotchy oil application – especially on the back of the legs.

Well that’s my top 3 suggestions for all you competitors out there.  I hope this has been beneficial, and now NONE of you have any excuses if I ever judge a show that any of you compete in!  :)

Until next time,

Train, eat, pose, and exfoliate like you’re #1 – lol

Jason

****EDIT****

I can’t believe I forgot this one…make it #4.  SHAVE EVERYTHING! YES everything.  I can’t tell you how many patches of hair I’ve seen on the back of competitors’ legs.  Get someone to take a good look at you to make sure all hair is gone.  This also goes for females – even if you have blonde “peach fuzz” on your back – it’s gotta go – it shows up under the bright lights onstage and detracts from your definition and look.

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May
19

A Case Study on Gaining Size and Strength

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And just who is the lucky subject of this scientifically–unsound and completely anecdotal study????

Me!
(hey…keep the disappointment to yourself!!! LOL)

Ok here’s the deal. Over the past month or so, I’ve gained about 12 pounds without really gaining much bodyfat. So how did I do it???

Miracle? Nope…
A boatload of steroids? Nah…
Muscle implants? Too expensive and I’m cheap…
Do I have a broken scale? I hope not…

Actually stop guessing…how about I just tell you?

Well as some of you may know, I recently applied to the Durham Fire Department, but didn’t get in. Bummer! Anyway, during my training for the department, I did a number of things in an attempt to increase my conditioning and reduce my body weight.

I know what you’re thinking – that’s great..but how is this relevant to me in any way, shape, or form? And I have the answer!!! Because although you might not be applying to a fire department, you may be doing some of the things that I was doing that will prevent you from gaining the size you want. Let’s get into a little more detail:

(For our discussion, ‘before’ means during my firefighter prep, ‘now’ is now…duh)

1. Cardio:
Before:
Jogging 20-30 min., 2-3x/wk.
Stadium steps 1-2x/wk. w/50-lb weighted vest
Walking 45-60 min., 2-3x/wk. w/50-lb weighted vest
Now: Walking 30-40 min., 3-4x/week.

Lesson: Too much cardio will kill your gains, especially in your legs. Keep the cardio to a minimum to keep your bodyfat reasonable and to stay healthy if you’re trying to gain size. Walking 3-4x a week at a brisk pace is usually sufficient for this purpose.


2. Diet:
Before: 3 (sometimes 4) meals a day. Lots of carbs, low to moderate protein
Now: 6-7 meals a day, high protein

Lesson: The quantity of food you consume is a huge factor in gaining mass and strength. By basically doubling my caloric intake I noticed a dramatic increase in my lifts and put a good amount of size back on. Don’t eat crap, as this will just make you fat, but you don’t have to eat chicken breasts all day either.


3. Supplements:
Before:
BCAA Boost before my cardio
Buzz Saw before my evening weight training
Whey protein as a meal substitute
Now:
MG Super Test Booster
MG Powdered Muscle + Leucine/BCAA mix
BCAA Boost
Buzz Saw
Whey protein
Flaxseed oil

Lesson: I really like MGs Test Booster and give this supplement a lot of credit in increasing my lifts. I’m not sure how much of my weight gain is due to the supplements because of the other things I’ve changed, but I feel a lot stronger and think this supplement may be a big part of that.

4. Training:
Before: pseudo-powerlifting/strongman training, 3-4x/wk.
Now: DC Training

Lesson: Stick with what works! I got away from DC when I was trying to slim down and now that I’m back into it, I’m reminded about how effective it really is at increasing size and strength. I’ve said it before, but the synergistic effect of the rest pause sets, progressive resistance, stretching, and everything else is really dramatic. If you haven’t tried this training methodology, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot – once you get the hang of it, I think you’ll be very impressed with the results.

There it is – all the changes that I’ve made over the course of the last month. I’m hoping to continue my gains and get back into the mid-230s by the end of June.

Now there are two disclaimers to all this if I’m being honest:

1. I’ve already been the size I’m at (and bigger), so it wasn’t as difficult for me to get back to this point as it might be for someone that is pushing a new plateau. Muscle memory is awesome! But don’t let that discourage you if you’re pushing into new territory. Be patient, implement some of the things I’ve talked about, and you’ll be growing out of your current clothes in no time.

2. It is extremely difficult to tease apart the contribution of each of the above factors in my strength and mass gains. If I would have implemented each component separately and sequentially, this might have been possible, but I didn’t – hey what can I say…I went for the “shotgun” approach of doing it all together. Sorry!

Until next time –

Jason

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May
12

So You Want to Get Big huh…

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Disclaimer: First off, let me start by saying be careful what you wish for!

Yes, being “big” has it’s benefits, namely in terms of being able to scare small children fairly easily and getting complimentary looks of disgust by lots of females, but truth be told, it’s not the most fun in the world on a daily basis.

In fact, it can be downright uncomfortable carrying around significantly more body weight than your frame was designed to hold. Being hot and sweaty, out of breath all the time, having your lower back cramp up while walking, and struggling as you bend over to tie your shoes are all common occurrences as you push the limits of your body mass. But hey – you gotta take the good with the bad I guess!

Now that I’ve painted such a positive picture for you LOL, let me say a couple things:
1. Once your body gets used to the new weight, a lot of those side-effects will subside
2. The threshold at which those conditions occur is different for everyone – for me it’s when I start getting into the high 230s. For my friend Jonathan, it’s around 270 lbs.

So how do we get big?
The quick, dirty, and incredibly profound answer that was shared with me by 12th generation Siberian monks, is………….by eating a crapload of good food and training your ass off.

Do you feel enlightened now? :)

***We’re not even going to talk about the training part of things because you guys already know I think DC Training is one of the best ways to put on muscle as fast as possible.***

So let’s talk about food. Truth be told, ideally the foods are pretty much the same as you’d eat when you’re dieting, except in larger amounts, at least in terms of carbs and proteins. Read this post if you haven’t yet on food selection.

One area I feel that is particularly important is adequate intake of “good” fats (yes, this is also important for fat loss, but it’s especially important for gaining muscle). For gaining size, my favorite sources of these are oils (specifically flaxseed and extra-virgin olive oil), and nuts (cashews and almonds). Why are fats so beneficial? Well in addition to their varied biological roles, how about just the amount of calories!? Remember from high school science classes that gram of fat has 9 kcal, while protein and carbs are about 4 kcal/g? That means fats are a great source of calories (which is especially important for “hard gainers”..i.e. people that don’t eat enough.)



How many calories should you be eating to gain muscle? It’s tough (and inaccurate) to generalize, but I’d say a good rule of thumb to start off your efforts is 18-20x your bodyweight. For a 200 lb individual, that equals 3600-4000 calories per day. Yeah I know…a 200-lb person might be 5% or 20% bodyfat and they’d likely have vastly different caloric requirements, but I really don’t want to get into that level of detail for this discussion.

Here’s a simple rule – try X number of calories and monitor your weight and bodyfat gain every couple weeks. Here’s a few potential scenarios:
1. If you’re moving at a pace you’re happy with and not gaining a significant amount of fat, stay there until things slow down, then increase your calories by 200-300/day. This plateau will happen eventually as you gain muscle because now your caloric requirements will be higher.
2. If you’re not gaining size, up the calories (see above)
3. If you find yourself gaining too much fat (assuming you’re eating the right foods) you’re eating too much and cut back by 200-300 per day.

It’s pretty simple actually. Use a combination of the scale, bodypart measurements, bodyfat percentage, and the mirror as feedback tools. You want to be right on the edge of gaining fat because that means you’re right at the limit of what your body can process for muscle growth. Once you start putting on a lot of adipose tissue, you’re eating too much and the excess is being stored as fat.

Oh and one last thing…when you actually DO get big, expect that you’ll be approached fairly frequently by guys that either (1.) used to be as big as you back in the day, or (2.) have a cousin or brother-in-law that is as big as you and doesn’t even work out. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!!!

Hope this was beneficial – as always, feel free to leave comments or questions below.

Until next time, Eat Like You’re #1!

Jason

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Apr
27

Why I Love Working Out

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Over the course of the 16+ years I’ve been lifting weights seriously, I’ve asked myself many, many times “Why do I do this?”

- Do I enjoy limping around for days after a tough leg workout?
- Is it fun to push myself to the point of just wanting to go home and curl up in the fetal position sucking my thumb?
- Does the thought of possibly losing my lunch somehow appeal to me?

- Or is there just something missing upstairs???

NOPE.
It’s none of those…
Although some of those do sound kinda fun in a sick way.
Just kidding…
or am I? :)

The reason I love working out is simply this….because it’s so dang analogous to life.

I’m far from the first person to recognize this, but it’s so undeniably, profoundly true.

Simply stated – like life – you get out of training what you put into it. If you put in the time and effort and make the sacrifices, you will be rewarded with directly measurable results, most observably, increased strength and improved body composition. If you discipline yourself to train hard consistently day-in and day-out, you will overcome your obstacles and achieve your goals. No question about it.

Whether you succeed or fail is entirely up to you.

It’s really that simple. There are no excuses. There can be no justification or denial of responsibility that is so pervasive in today’s society. Only you can earn your results. No one can lift that weight or do that hour of cardio for you.

Unlike many things in the “real world”, in the gym, there is no ambiguity or subjectivity in your results: you either lift the weight or you don’t; you either get leaner/bigger/smaller or you don’t. It’s unbiased. It’s objective. It’s brutally honest.

Perhaps the greatest benefits of training aren’t even the physical improvements at all- but rather the psychological changes that result from your efforts.

I believe weight training can teach discipline, responsibility, and goal setting. It can train you in results-orientated behavior. It can improve self-image and confidence. It can hone your ability to prioritize and objectively assess your weaknesses and strengths. It can help you develop your ability to achieve and maintain focus. It can teach you the value of patience and consistency. I could go on and on…

So now you know why I love training: because success in the gym will translate to success in life if you correctly apply the lessons you’ve learned along your journey.

As always, I love your input, so please feel free to share your own thoughts and experiences dealing with any benefits you may (or may not) have gained through training.

Until next time…train like you’re #1!

Jason

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Apr
13

Baby Got Back!

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Training your back effectively is one of the most difficult and complex tasks you will encounter in the gym. Sure other body parts can be tough to train, but back is a bit different for three big reasons:
1. In contrast to most other body parts, the back is comprised of a large number of individual muscle groups. This translates into having to train multiple muscles to develop a balanced back.
2. You can’t see your back (unless you starred in The Exorcist or Beetle Juice) so you need to establish that ‘mind muscle connection’ and feel the movement correctly.
3. Simply put, the sheer effort required to grow a good back is tremendous.

So the question is, given these three issues, how can we design an effective back training program? Let’s address the issues in sequential order:

Since the back is made up of a number of smaller muscles, it would stand to reason that a variety of different exercises would be required to adequately stimulate all muscle groups. While this is true to an extent, for practicality we can broadly split back exercises into “thickness” and “width” exercises. Using this generalization, thickness exercises would include things like deadlifts and horizontal rows that mainly hit the inner or medial groups of back muscles, whereas width exercises are primarily vertical pulling movements that target the outer or lateral muscles (e.g. your lats). During your workout you can alternate thickness and width exercises or do all of one type together, whatever you prefer. Also, depending on which you need more (thickness or width), you can tailor your program accordingly and emphasize those exercises that will address your weaknesses.

Next lets discuss the problem of feeling the back muscles work. This is probably the most common difficulty people have in regards to training back properly. Unfortunately, by habit, most people use their arms instead of their back to move the weight. Horrendous form (swinging weights, partial movements, etc.) is also prevalent in back training, which exacerbates the inability to feel the target muscles work. In contrast to most other muscle groups, it takes a deliberate effort to feel the back working during an exercise. To learn how to properly isolate your back, I’d suggest you decrease the amount of weight you typically do for an exercise by 50%. Yes, I said 50%. Don’t worry about your ego at this point – the goal is to teach you to contract your back muscles, not impress your friends. Close your eyes, and SQUEEZE the back during each concentric movement. Make the movement SLOW and DELIBERATE. NO cheating. THINK about the movement and FEEL the back working.

CONCENTRATE little grasshopper!

Seriously though, once you get that feeling, only then do you increase the weight. If you lose the feel, go back to the lighter weights until you get it again. It will take time so be patient, but the benefits in terms of growth will far outweigh the temporary decrease in weights. And who knows, you’ll probably get a better workout using the reduced weights anyway!

Now the third issue: Effort. Ahhhh…..such a simple word but such a hard thing to do consistently, day-after-day, and workout-after-workout….

We all know what it takes to train a bodypart like legs, and we need that same intensity for back training. You need to attack those weights like they’re your mortal enemy. Whatever you need to do to get fired up and move some heavy-ass iron, do it. Read some Animal ads, listen to some motivating music, get angry, whatever. It’s as simple (and sometimes as difficult) as that.

Here’s an example of an effective back workout:

Weighted chins 3 rest pause sets
V-grip cable pulldown 1 x 15-20
Deadlift 2 x 6-12
Bent-over bar row 1 x 15-20

Now go grow some wings or construct a mountain range or whatever corny analogy people use for an awesome back!

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Apr
05

Abdominal Training Debunked

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Abdominal training may be one of the most frequently misunderstood and neglected aspects of a complete training program. For some unknown reason, a number of misconceptions have developed surrounding ab training that make it extremely difficult for anyone to figure out how to properly train abdominals. Let’s address the three most common myths regarding ab training and discuss how to effectively train our abdominals:


Myth 1. You can change the shape or number of your abs
The shape of your abdominals, i.e. whether they are perfect squares or unsymmetrical, cannot be changed. Similarly, the number of “abs” you have (a 4-, 6-, or 8-pack) will not change with training. While you really only have one “ab” which is just a sheet of muscle, the shape and number of what we call our abs is determined by the location and nature of the connective tissue bands that cross your torso and hold your abdominals in place. These two factors are completely due to luck of the genetic draw.


Myth 2. Ab training will thicken the waist
Concerns of ab training contributing to a larger waistline are incredibly over-exaggerated. How many people do you see with really thick abs and big waists that got them from abdominal training? My guess would be pretty close to none. That being said, one exception to this myth is that I would not recommend an over-abundance of heavy lateral lower oblique work. The reason for this is that once your lower obliques grow, they mistakenly look like love handles. Unless you are involved in specific sports that require substantial lateral stability, minimize the lower oblique work. Upper obliques (those near the serratus) are fine, as they don’t seem to hypertrophy easily anyway.

Myth 3. You can spot reduce fat covering your abs
This has to be one of the most annoying misconceptions of ab training. It’s not uncommon to see people doing literally hundreds of crunches expecting to get a 6-pack when they clearly should be working on losing bodyfat. While you may be able to burn a miniscule amount of abdominal fat doing ab work, it’s clearly ineffective. Very simply, you need to have a low- to moderate amount of bodyfat to see your abs. An exception to this rule (as we’ll discuss below) is people that have very well developed abs. By this I mean they have those chunky thick abs that are still visible when the individual has a significant amount of bodyfat.

So how do we properly train abs?

The answer is deceivingly simple…train them like most other bodyparts! Here are some guidelines:

Reps:
Stick to the same rep ranges you would for most other muscle groups. Make 10-15 rep sets the staple of your ab workouts. It may seem obvious, but the whole point of abdominal training is to develop your abs. That means we want them to grow (at least our frontal abs). How much growth do you think you’re going to get from 100 rep sets? Not much. People that have poorly developed abs need to be extremely lean before they can see a visible 6-pack. But, if you can get them to grow just a bit, you’ll be able to see them at a higher percentage bodyfat. This will also give the illusion that you are leaner than you really are.

Tempo and Range of Motion:
Use a slow controlled tempo throughout the movement. Do not swing or bounce or pull on the back of your neck during the exercise. If you can, pause for a second or two at the contracted position. This little trick makes a big difference! Also, be sure to do as close to a full range of motion as you can for that specific exercise. This is one of the reasons I like to do abs on a Swiss ball, so that I can get a good stretch and contraction.

Frequency and Volume:
While abs can recover more quickly than a lot of other bodyparts, you don’t need to hit them every day. I’d recommend hitting them 2-3 times a week at most with 1-2 exercises, 2-3 sets each. Once you get your abs to where you want them, you can do substantially less ab work to maintain.

There you have it – a simple approach to abdominal training. Now go get rid of that “keg” and get yourself a 6-pack.

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