Beast Building, Part 1
3 Months to Personal Bests and New Found Thickness
by Christian Thibaudeau


Recently, I said that I hated writing articles giving out specific programs.
I feel that as a coach it's a much better approach to explain concepts
and techniques, rather than just giving out the application.
Well, I'm about to contradict myself. Because this article is the first
installment of a three-part series that'll turn you into a thick, dense,
and rugged beast in three short months. Get ready to need bigger...

Total-Body Training
The 3-day-per-week, full-body workout plan
by Chad Waterbury


Harbinger Hypertrophy
Let’s
cut the bullshit and get to the brass tacks. For decades, men built
slabs of muscle with simple, three day-per-week training programs. They
trained their whole bodies in one brief workout session and they grew
big and strong. Scoff all you want, but tens of thousands of trainees
can’t be wrong.

Well, it's high time we look into the past, learn from what we see, and build...

Anterior Core Training
by Michael Boyle

Who do we believe?
The strength guys say something like, "Forget doing abs, just do
heavy squats and deadlifts."
Don't even say the word "core" around these guys.
The functional guys say, "Lying down is not functional."
The functional guys seem to be against any core training not done standing.
If we proceeded logically we would see that both groups — the strength
guys and the functional guys — at least agree that all good core
training is done standing.
As...

Change Your Behavior, Change Your Body
An Interview with Dr. Kara Mohr
by Sandy Joyce

I attend a lot of seminars on nutrition and fat loss. If you do too,
then you've probably noticed a disturbing trend: nutrition
"experts" who are fat and out of shape.
That's why I enjoy hearing Dr. Kara Mohr give a presentation. She's
a nationally-known educator in the area of weight loss, behavior change,
and exercise, so she clearly knows her stuff. She's also a beautiful,
fit woman who's built like a figure competitor, so...

20 Things I'm Thinking About
by Mike Robertson
Last year, I wrote an article titled 28 Things I'm Learning. The key point being that I'm always learning and very few things in life are definite. My
original goal for this piece was to write up 29 things I've learned
since last year, since I'm a year older and (arguably) a year wiser.
However, as I got to 20 I realized adding nine more blurbs would be
much akin to a musical artist who releases a double-disc of average
content, versus one loaded with hits.

Up for a Quickie?
3 Quick and Dirty Ways to Accelerate Your Gains
by Christian Thibaudeau


Hey, are you in the mood for a quickie? No, zip up your pants, that's
not what I'm talking about at all. What follows are three quick methods
to break plateaus and maximize your gains in the shortest time possible.


1. The power biceps blast
This is a biceps triple set that I've used with several football players.
You may be asking yourself, "what does a football player need with big
biceps?"...

Cosgrove's Five Ah-Ha! Moments:
The Education of a Misguided Trainer
by Alwyn Cosgrove
In my career I've had several moments of clarity when I learned
something new, or when something I had believed was either verified,
brought into question, or flat out disproved. These
mini-epiphanies are what I call my "ah-ha!" moments. In every case,
these "ah-ha!" moments allowed my thought processes to take a
significant step forward, which in turn brought me to a new level in my
training education.

7 Coaches Give Their Number 1 Tip
Compiled by the Editors
We posed the following question to 7 Testosterone coaches: What one thing has made the biggest difference in your training when it comes to putting on muscle? The answers varied enormously, but one of them might provide the clue you've been waiting for.

Darren Ellis — Big Money Exercises I don't train my arms much. I never
work my calves. And I can go weeks without doing any core exercises.
Why? Hey, I like to do arms as much as the next guy, but I'm too busy....

Ladies, You Can Conquer the Pull-Up:
10 Reps After Only 6 Weeks!
by Leigh Peele

The pull-up is the ultimate Girl Power exercise. For
some women, it's a myth, a fable told by others. They have heard of
some women doing it, but have never actually seen it done, and

Exercise of the Week: Gironda Perfect Curl
by the Editors
Vince Gironda was a sonuvabitch. Cantankerous, rude, insensitive, you name it. You know those Playboy Playmate Data Sheets where the playmate of the month lists her turn-offs? Well, most of the ones listed in Playboy's 50-plus year history apply to Vince. Regardless, he knew his shit.

Split Stance Lifting for Athletes
Improved Training, One Leg at a Time
by Jeremy Frisch
In any competitive industry, there comes a time when ideas are scarce
and it seems like there's nothing left to "invent." One common way
around this phenomenon is to add variations to the things that already
work, but are becoming tiresome and overdone. Another way of
breaking through stagnant programming, or concepts in need of change,
is to bring old methods back from the dead and breathe new life into
them through modern application.

5 Ways to Boost Testosterone
by Chad Waterbury


Testosterone is the father of all muscle-building hormones, because it promotes protein synthesis. Whether you're training to get bigger, faster, leaner, or stronger, Testosterone is the steroid hormone that can make a world of difference. Too little of it and you'll get nowhere, too much of it (synthetically) and you'll end up with some nasty side effects.

The human body doesn't like supra-physiological levels of anything, much less Testosterone. But if you maximize it naturally you'll see newfound strength, size and...

Poliquin's Top 20 Tips
Compiled by the Editors

Charles
Poliquin is a legend in the bodybuilding and athletic world, and
rightly so. In his quarter-century as a strength coach, Charles has
trained enough Olympic medalists, world record holders, and
world-champion athletes to populate a small...

Big Jim's Plateau-Busting Surge Routine
by Ellington Darden, Ph.D.
Need a routine that's more than just different? Something that bloodies
your lip, demolishes your plateau, and jolts your muscles to grow? Then
pay attention to Big Jim Flanagan.
Welcome to Jim Flanagan's House of Pain. Get ready for...

Exercise Misconceptions
by Craig Rasmussen
It never fails to amaze me how much misinformation you can find
floating around a gym. Misconceptions of how or why to perform an
exercise are touted as truth by so-called trainers and coaches, and
bald-faced error is passed on from trainee to trainee as if it were
sacred ritual. Most of these misconceptions seem to be based on
pronouncements of that dangerously ill-informed and ubiquitous group
known as "they." You can always tell when someone doesn't know
what he's talking about, because...

Old School Training
by Zach Even-Esh

The Prisoner I
recently watched a documentary about the most-feared inmates in the
prison system. One of these inmates was truly a freak of nature. He
was locked up in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. The camera
peaked through the small hole in the...

What I Learned in 2007
by Eric Cressey

I kicked off my 2007 writing campaign with a recap of what I learned in
2006. Now I'm a year older, wiser, more cynical, and maybe even a
little more eloquent. Here goes...
1. Need an easy way to get someone lean who's too stubborn to eat more frequently? Give 'em six BCAA
tablets as mid-morning and mid-afternoon meals. Is it ideal for the
long-term? Probably not. Does it get them into the habit of consuming
something at a certain time of day, something that might eventually
evolve into a...

It never hurts to learn as much as possible from other fitness
experts. As a trainer, I buy at least 4 books a month, and after I
read Vince's program, I knew I had to share his workout with you...

Vince DelMonte, today's muscle building expert, is a guy who's
beaten bad genetics and after years of running himself thin he was
able to build muscle and burn fat with his workout and diet plan.

If Vince can do it, anyone can.

CB: Vince, tell us your muscle gaining story. From the sounds of
it, you made it really hard on yourself...

Question of Strength: January
by Charles Poliquin

Delusional Fat Guys, Calipers, and Laser Guns
Q: How low does your body fat percentage generally need to be in order to start seeing abs? A:
The magic number is 9.8%. Now, there are a lot of people who see
imaginary abs, but one row doesn't count. The upper row of the

The Bomber at 62
An Interview with Dave Draper
by John Koenig
We
don't throw around the term "living legend" much around here because
not many people deserve such accolades. But T-Nation recently sat down
with a man who just might fit the bill: Dave Draper.
Known
as the Blond Bomber, Dave Draper is an icon from what many consider the
Golden Age of bodybuilding. During his competitive career in the
1960's, Dave won just about every title there was to win. He acted in
movies, appeared on TV, wrote books and visited dozens of...

Turbulence Training for Fat Loss
Brought to you by Craig Ballantyne &
The Truth About Six Pack Abs

Sent to confirmed subscribers only


To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your email,
see instructions at the bottom of this message
============================================


Among the fitness myths and misinformation comes a lot of surprise
training recommendations from the real experts. Without the real
experts, we'd all be stuck doing 60-minutes of cardio...

Metabolic Blasters
Get Your Burn on In Just Ten Minutes


You haven't missed a workout in ages. You've nailed your diet over the
last several months. You're just cruisin' right along. But now the
holidays are here and you're off visiting the relatives. It's freezing
and rainy outside so you can't get out and jog. All of the gyms are
closed. The smell of fresh cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and God knows
what else is beckoning you from the kitchen, telling you to come in and
blow your diet for the next three days.

So You Think You Know Strong
by Michael Boyle
It's interesting, ask a strength coach what a good bench press is for a
200 pound male and chances are you'll get a reasonable answer. Maybe
everyone won't be in agreement, but surely they'll all have an opinion.
Now, try asking a reputable strength coach what constitutes
superior single-leg strength or first-class vertical pulling strength.
Good luck finding the same level of agreement, if you get an answer at
all. It might seem like you just asked a youngster about foreign trade.
"Say what?"...

The Mobility Complex
Great Warm-Up, Great Workout
by Jeremy Frisch
Who really enjoys doing warm-ups? It can be hard enough to prepare mentally
for a grueling workout without worrying about getting your body geared
up for the task, too. Warm-ups are rarely fun and often tedious, but we
know they're extremely important. So since you have to do it anyway, why not get the most out of your warm-up?

Exercise selection I've often said that you
can tell the difference between a decent coach and a great coach by the
exercises they select. The key is selecting the movements that will
provide the greatest gains in a specific individual. What is optimal
for me might not be the best exercise selection for you. Proper
exercise selection depends on your body structure (limb lengths,
shoulder and hips width) as well as your muscle dominance. For example,
the bench press or incline DB press are great movements to build the
chest in individuals who are either...

Progressions for Hypertrophy and Fat Loss


There are many essential elements that should be included in any
effective training program. Obviously, you've got to be smart when
choosing movements. I usually favor compound movements, but
single-joint movements have their place. Regardless of your movement
selection, though, it's imperative to have a progression plan in place. It's
very difficult to make any substantial progress unless you know how to
force your body to do what it's not used to doing. A training program
is only as good as the...

Max Load Training in the Real World
by Scott Abel
Alan Cosgrove once said that although methods are many, principles are
few. What an insightful statement. What I see, however, is that these
"methods' are so varied that they're violating key fundamental
principles. The result is that you the trainee aren't getting
results from your gym time by following questionable methods that fly
in the face of real world principles. This is the frustrating thing for me. I train people in the real world.
I'm not sure what's being taught at certification...

The Mobility-Stability Continuum
A New Look At Joint Health
by Mike Robertson
Mobility and stability go together like peanut butter and jelly...
spandex and cardio... Eric Cressey and Tony Gentilcore. Over
the past few years, gentlemen much smarter than myself have been
discussing the importance...

Exercise of the Week
Single DB Overhead Squats
by the Editors
Those poor, pathetic bastards who think they're blasting their cores by
doing planks and little bitty plastic dumbbell curls while perched on a
squishy Bosu Ball! They're fools, we tell you, fools! Do
you really want to develop a core that practically rivals the Earth's
in strength, only without all the hot, molten magna, absurdly strong
gravitational pull, and soulless mole people? Don't say yes unless you
mean it!

It Looked Good on Paper
by Eric Cressey
Recently, in the introduction to an article on EliteFTS.com, powerlifter Marc Bartley wrote: "Today, because of the internet (and pure laziness), many ideas on training are based on perception, NOT reality." Marc
went on to write an outstanding article, and it really got me thinking
about how perception — and taking what we read for granted as truth —
interferes with conveyance of the actual truth in the world of
performance and physique enhancement. To that end, I'm going to explore
a...

The Third-World Squat
by Craig Weller
The sun wouldn't be up for another twenty minutes or so. But already
the class was gathered under the feeble glow of a single streetlight,
on a concrete slab that at one time had been the foundation of a
building. It was now our gym. Piled in the red, volcanic soil
off to the side was a rusty stack of weights and three Olympic bars.
This was our equipment. We wouldn't need them today. Today was sandbag
day. Each student, at the beginning of training, had been given a
sandbag to fill with gravel. One smart-ass...

Crazy Shit That Works
Krista's Top 5 Experiments
by Krista Schaus
Tuck the kiddies into bed, close the door, buckle up, and get ready to
read some mind-blowing info about stuff so downright crazy, it's just
gotta work. These aren't trendy new techniques you can pick up from the
girl that leads your spin class. These are on a whole different level. Anyone
who's spent a serious amount of time and effort training has come up
with some crazy shit that works to take them to another level, both
mentally and physically. Everything we're about to...

Lessons From Southwood
by Dan John
It's odd when I think that I've been teaching since 1979. Many of my
colleagues are former students, and I'm amazed at the number of
students I have that I've also taught their parents. Yet, as many of
you know, I still train like I'm twenty. Or at least I think I do. I
still leap into the fires with things like the Velocity Diet and Slosh Pipes.

This Is Not a Drill About
a week ago, the loudspeaker came on towards the end of my all female
weightlifting class. "Teachers, go into lockdown immediately....

See Chad Train
by Chad Waterbury
A few months back I conducted a seminar in Los Angeles with Pavel
Tsatsouline and Alwyn Cosgrove. It was an uproarious and enlightening
event replete with exotic accents, curse words, and double entendres.
But I'm already getting off track and I've barely even started. Pavel
rode with me that day. On the trip home he asked me how I train. He
wasn't asking me how I train other people; he wanted to know how I
train myself. I knew he already had a pretty good idea since we
sometimes train together in Los Angeles,...

Two summers ago, I worked with a great gal from hollywood, Rachel
Nichols (you can see her in a small role in Tom Hanks upcoming
movie, Charlie Wilson's War). Rachel did some TT workouts while
filming a movie up here in Toronto.

That's about it for me in terms of training Hollywood actors or
actresses in person, but recently I was asked, "Imagine you're
working with a major film star who has eight weeks to lose 30
pounds of fat and build some muscle in preparation for the lead
role in the latest Hollywood blockbuster. What do you do with them?"

The Importance of Variety



By Ross Enamait - Published in 2004




Variety is defined as the quality or state of having different forms or types.
Variety is an important concept to apply to your strength and
conditioning program. An athlete who incorporates variety into his
routine, will have an advantage over the individual who limits himself
to one training style or apparatus.

Unfortunately, many trainers and athletes follow a narrow-minded
approach to fitness....

The Importance of Sparring



By Ross Enamait - Published in 2003






We often study advancements in sports-science in an attempt to enhance
our training routines. Through science, we can better understand how and why
our bodies react to various movements. For example, we now recognize
that a proper strength-training program can increase power and speed.
The myth that weight training reduces flexibility and range of motion
has been discredited...

Build and Burn
Muscle Building for the 21st Century
by Mike Roussell
Some things never change. Man's primal desire to become big and strong has been a part of our evolutionary history. It isn't changing anytime soon. While
the urge to become big and strong hasn't changed, the methods in which
we use to become such have. With these evolved methods comes a new
standard for muscle building in the 21st century. The new muscle man
applies not only dedication, intensity, and consistency to his muscle
building endeavors, but he also intermixes...

Deck of Cards



By Ross Enamait - Published in 2004




Are you interested in a conditioning protocol that is guaranteed to provide variety and intensity?


Look no further than a standard deck of cards. One sample could include
pushups and burpees. Perform one set of burpees for every red card
(Hearts and Diamonds) and one set of pushups for every black card
(Spades and Clubs).


To perform the workout, you will start with a fully shuffled
deck of cards (52...

No Excuses



By Ross Enamait - Published in 2006




One of the most common excuses for skipping workouts is a
self-perceived lack of time. Many individuals will simply skip a
workout if they do not have a large block of available time.

One of the goals of this website is to destroy many of the myths
pertaining to fitness development. You do not need an hour of training
time to achieve a quality workout. You also do not need a state of the
art training facility. As the video...

The Magic 50



By Ross Enamait - Published in 2005





The Magic 50 is one of many routines contained within the Infinite Intensity training manual. The workout is listed below.


Perform 5 circuits of the following:

• 5 Dumbbell Snatches Per Arm
  
• 5 Dumbbell Swings Per Arm
  
• 10 Burpees
  
• Rest 60 seconds and repeat
  

Continue until you have performed five complete...

The Interval Challenge



By Ross Enamait - Published in 2003




The benefits of interval training are obvious. Anaerobic endurance, fat
loss, work capacity, and muscular endurance are a few that come to
mind. Combat is largely an anaerobic activity, which makes interval
training an ideal choice for conditioning.


If interval training is new to you, you can learn more at the link below:


Continuous and Interval Training

25 Repetition Roulette



By Ross Enamait - Published in 2003




25 Repetition Roulette is a
challenging workout which is excellent for those days when time is
limited. There are no more excuses to skip out on strength and
conditioning. To view this workout, simply click the link below. The workout will open in a new window as an Adobe PDF file.


25 Repetition Roulette