Bodybuilding Training Tips

[PikeKing]

Over the years I have tried lots of methods to improve performance and increase muscle on myself and various people in and out of the gym. This post will detail those that I have found effective.


1st Tip of the week

Maximal Static Contractions or Peak Contractions

When performing isolation exercises (also works on compound back exercises) at the end of the concentric phase or the end of the lifting portion of the rep squeeze your muscles hard. So hard that they are almost cramping. Hold this for 2-3 seconds. This creates a much higher level of intramuscular tension than can be generated in a normal rep. This is because you can produce more tension with a static contraction than you can during even a max concentric.

When doing isolation exercises I would go as far as saying you should use this technique on every rep of every set.


This tip is courtesy of Christian Thibaudeau and his book 'The Black Book Of Training Secrets'.

[PikeKing]

Do you stretch as hard as you lift?

If the answer is no then your progress will be restricted and could even come to an abrupt hault!

How much time and effort do we put into coming up with the new super routine to give us as much muscle growth as you could ever want?

If you neglect flexibility work your muscles will not be presented well and you will not look as good as you could.

By assuming the typical gym rat posture of internally rotated shoulders, forward head posture etc you make the following changes to your physique.

1. Flattening of the chest
2. Reduction in width of shoulders + back
3. Increasing size of waist
4. Reduction in biceps size

There are also much worse outcomes, the occurence of injury. The biggest culprits being shoulder and back problems.

In the typical trainee the muscle most in need of stretching are the Lats, Pecs, Biceps, Hip Flexors, Gastrocnemius, Hamstrings and Lower Back.

If you spend 3 hours lifting each week, try spending atleast 2 hours spread throughout the week stretching.

[maler]

2 hours streching for 3 hours liffing what would be the best time split pre/post exerse and for rest day's?
Is it possable over trainne though stresching.
The resone be I sending 15min's pre exerses and 10 post streching I not sure if these is too much or too little.

[BengDogg]

I really should try and find more time to stretch as my posture is far from perfect, if i think about standing up straight i do it, but the rest of the time i slouch a bit too much for my tastes

[PikeKing]

2 hours streching for 3 hours liffing what would be the best time split pre/post exerse and for rest day's?
Is it possable over trainne though stresching.
The resone be I sending 15min's pre exerses and 10 post streching I not sure if these is too much or too little.

You cant over train stretchin unless you are doing a big session of advanced techniques such as PNF.

Stretching before hand is in most cases is not recommended but that does depend on the individual. If you know you are tight in certain muscles/joints then doing something to increase range of motion is most definately recommended.

For example when squatting if you have a problem with keeping your feet forward then stretching your calfs is recommended. Also pre squat stretching your hip flexors is good.

A much better way to 'stretch' preworkout in my opinion is to do what some people call movement prep. These are exercises/movement/stretches which build strength in the newly found range of motions, are dynamic in nature and are a great way to warm up. I find I build up quite a sweat doing them.

I will try and put something together on stretching and the various methods at some point. I have quite a few articles to write at the moment for work so don't hold your breath though.

[Robert]

Rack pulls from above the knee for hypertrophy of everything except your penis.

[Knighty]

Get used to stretching and learn to enjoy it as flexibility is vital

also don't neglect the most important muscle in your body... your heart!:049:
Without it the rest wouldn't function;)

[PikeKing]

PKs Top 5 Hypertrophy Training Tips


Progression: Your biggest goal every time you train in the gym should be to do more than you the last time you had a workout. If you do not increase the stress on your muscles as they increase in size and strength your progress will quickly come to a halt.


Use compound movements: A compound movement is an exercise which involves multiple joints. For example a Bench Press is classed as a compound movement. An exercise like a Dumbbell Fly would be called an isolation exercise. Although they work the same muscle groups the bench press is far superior as it allows more weight to be used there for you recruit more muscle fibres in your chest. Also as an added bonus your triceps will be trained hard.


Exercise Order: The order of the exercises in your workout will have a large influence on how effective your workout is. The more complex an exercise is, the earlier in the workout it should be performed. For example a Chin-up or a Clean & Press should ALWAYS be done before a Lateral Raise or a Triceps Pressdown.


Look behind you: If you want to increase the size of your upper body and just train what you can see in the mirror you are really missing out. Your back is the largest set of muscles above your waist. By training your back hard you will not only be able to cast scarey shadows but it will kick start muscle growth in your chest and shoulders.


Succeed by not failing: For some reason a lot of people seem to think training to failure is what’s needed for maximum results. This is not true, in fact it may actually be detrimental to your muscle and strength gains. At the most try not to reach failure more than once per month. Remember when you train, you are trying to stimulate not obliterate.

[PikeKing]

Nuke Your Delts: The Y Press

Give your shoulders a different stimulus for a few weeks with this cracking exercise.

This is a modified shoulder press, grab some DBs, lighter than what you would normally use. Set up as your would for a normal press but press them out diagonally above your head. You at the top your body forms a Y shape.

Give it a go :112: