Periodization Training: A Body Building Perspective

If you divide your yearly training into phases or cycles, you'll maintain a better mental outlook, more motivation and your body will also respond better physiologically.

The first phase of training is the one that builds muscle size and pre-orients your muscles to be geared up (condition-wise) to go for strength and power which will theoretically allow you to even add more muscle size. Plus, you will condition your tendons and joints to handle the stresses of heavier weights to come.

It is recommended that you do 6-15 reps per set for size with the great majority of reps falling somewhere from 8-12 reps. Try 3-4 heavier "work" sets after a systemic warm-up plus 2-3 warm-up weight sets per exercise. As you might note, so far this sounds pretty much like a standard common sense bodybuilding workout.

The strength and power phases are next. This will be another 8-week cycle. To develop strength and power, the greatest athletes in the world generally work with 2-6 reps. Since we are geared to bodybuilders we adjust this slightly and in this phase, we advocate 4 - 5 sets of 5 - 7 reps. Here is how this cycle works. We'll use our previous example for the Bench Press where you ended Phase 1 at 235 for 10 reps. Do an active system warm-up, then with weights 95 x 10 and 155 for 10. On your final warm up set do 205 for 6.

Then go to your "target weight" which is actually only 10-lbs. above the weight you ended up at sets of 10 in your first phase. So, start at 245-lbs. x 3 sets of 5-6 reps. You are leaving yourself some extra so you continue to gain positively all the way through the cycle.

In physics, work is a measure of force and distance. (w = f x d). Power means doing a specified amount of work per unit time. If you can move mass M over distance D in 10 seconds and then (after training) move the same mass M the same distance D, but do it in 5 seconds, you are twice as powerful!

Our experience has been to spend a maximum of four weeks in the power phase and to use 2 -3 reps in benches and deadlifts, 3 - 4 reps in the squats and bent-over rows, and 5 - 6 reps for all other exercises. Again, follow your 2-3 warm-ups, and 3 power work sets and then do a down set of 10 reps with about 70% of your target weight, just as you did in the strength phase.

Phase 4 is the rest cycle, a must for great results and essential for building strength and lean mass. Be sure to add about a week of rest into your online workout program, about 1 week every 12. You'll love the way you feel afterwards!

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Leg Muscle Madness

To anyone who has ever picked up a weight – or even thought about it – this four-letter word can take on a variety of different meanings.

For many, legs are the indomitable foundation for which a healthy physique is formed. To a large number of others, the leg day is the one square on the calendar that you painfully dread, the one that you know will require both vigorous effort and agonizing labor.

And yet to many others, legs mean absolutely nothing. Hence, they are woefully neglected.

But nothing looks sillier on a fitness fanatic than a beefy upper torso cemented atop a pair of chicken legs.

So, don’t be that chicken. Take on these painful, gainful exercises that are sure to turn your legs into logs in due time.

Hack Squats: After setting the desired weight, station yourself inside the machine, so your shoulders are flush underneath the pads and your feet are in the middle of the platform. You feet should be at a shoulder length width. Releasing the safety bar, slowly bend your knees, allowing the weight to push your buttocks toward the platform. When your quadriceps are parallel to the floor – or perhaps dip a little lower - immediately reverse the movement, exploding the through an upward motion. Stop just before your knees are locked as you squeeze your legs during the contraction. Try 3-4 sets of 10-12 repetitions.

Leg Presses: Lie down on the machine so that your feet are on the platform. Make sure that your feet are parallel to each other and not pointed inward or outward. Allow the weight to push your knees toward your torso. Stop when your knees form a 90-degree angle. Reverse the movement as you push with your legs, pushing your torso away from the platform. As your legs begin to straighten out, stop just short of your knees being locked. Slowly let the weight bring your buttocks down into the starting position. Try 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps.

Leg Extensions: Sitting on the bench, clasp your ankles underneath the pads, gripping the side handles for balance. Slowly raise the pads, squeezing your quads, and stop the motion when your knees are locked in front of you. Squeeze your quads for a two-count before releasing the tension, allowing your legs to drop to the starting position. Repeat the motion for 3 sets of 12-15 for an incredible burn.

Hamstring Curls: Set yourself face down on the hamstring machine, sliding your heels underneath the pads. Grip on to the handles for balance. Setting a manageable weight, slowly curl your legs upward, so your heels push toward your buttocks. Your feet should be flexed during the movement. Curling upward, the motion should stop when your legs and torso form an angle of roughly 45 degrees. Squeeze your hamstrings during the motion. Slowly release the weight and return to the starting position, as your legs should straighten out. Repeat this movement for 10-12 reps for 3–4 sets.

A leg workout requires optimum intensity, if your intentions are to increase size and strength. Nothing in weight training will wear you out the way a rigorous leg workout will so be sure to provide yourself with ample rest before leg days. Also, legs should be done only once a week to insure time for the torn muscle tissue to recuperate.

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Protein Prices Increasing Market Wide

Throughout the country, higher dairy prices are trickling down to the consumer, from gallons of milk to an ice cream sundae. Industry experts say the prices are driven in part by foreign demand for American milk products, and ethanol producers competing for the same corn farmers use to feed livestock.

Recent price hikes in the dairy industry - beginning with whey protein - have also sent the cost of processed protein, cheese, cottage cheese, butter, ice cream and other products soaring throughout the country, dairy industry experts say. One result is that supplement manufacturers such as Foundation Nutriceuticals have been forced to increase the prices for their whey proteins, whey protein isolates and milk protein. This in turn this trickles down to national supplement companies like World Class Nutrition. They are forced to increase their prices to the customer. Mr Alexander from World Class Nutrition states "We made some large buys of protein at the pre-increase price levels but our supply has almost been depleted." Mr Alexander told us that once the word got out on the internet that one could still buy cheap protein, their sales increase by 400%.

Whey protein has become the premier form of protein used in nutritional products, shakes, and bars. Whey protein has one of the best absorption rates which has lead to its high demand. If you look on the label for any major product, you will see that whey is protein used in most cases.

Whey protein will still be the major protein of choice for athletes, bodybuilders, and people achieving weight loss. The only problem being the prices will be going up to something other than inflation. Whey protein still stands as the best protein choice for supplements.

Even with the rise in prices for whey protein, you still want to stay clear of soy protein. Studies have shown that high amounts of soy protein can lower your testosterone and increase your estrogen. Fatigue, lack of strength, and decreased libido have all been reported from soy protein consumption. These effects seem to affect men and women equally.

Consumers will never see the deep discount prices they have enjoyed for the past 2 decades. With Egg protein being in already short supply from the bird flu problems, bodybuilders and athletes will have little choice but to pay the price. Soy is a poor alternative to whey protein and soy causes a rise in estrogen which no athlete wants. Unfortuneately much like the price of gas, the high price of protein is here to stay.

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Indoor Rock Climbing for Fitness: It's Not Extreme Anymore

Once an activity labeled as an “extreme sport”, rock climbing has in the last few years become a very popular workout activity as the use of indoor climbing walls in fitness facilities, community centers and health clubs has increased and made the sport much more user friendly. Not only can it be fun and exciting, rock climbing is one of the most effective strength training workouts a person can ever have, providing fitness and strength benefits that are difficult to match with any other single activity. If you want to work out every muscle in your body in the shortest amount of time possible and get quick results in strength, body shape, toning and muscular endurance, there is no better thing to do. It burns a tremendous amount of calories as well, assisting with weight or fat loss. And did I mention that it is fun? Participants sometimes have such a blast that they even forget to feel tired!

Around twenty years ago, the very first climbing gyms started appearing around the United States. One of the first was The Vertical Club in Seattle, Washington, and that is where I first took a lesson and learned to climb. My experience walking in there in 1993 was TOTALLY different than a new climber would have walking into the average climbing facility now. Back then, climbing gyms were primarily the domain of serious rock climbers who needed a way to stay in shape during the bad weather months or in between trips to outdoor climbing locations. Climbing as a general fitness activity hadn’t arrived yet.

When I entered the facility that day, I was first greeted by a man on crutches who told me he had just broken his ankle in an outdoor climbing fall. He seemed pretty intense. There were several men climbing near the front without shirts on, their bodies seemingly made of nothing but muscle and sinew. One of them was attempting a climbing move just a few feet off the ground right in front of his buddies, who stood no more than arms reach from him, shouting him encouragement and prepared to break his fall if he came off the wall. He was exerting himself fully while trying the move, and I was struck by his effort, while all he had to do was literally put his foot down and he would have been standing directly on the ground.

I felt somewhat intimidated by the atmosphere. The place was definitely filled with people who climbed seriously, and at that time I was definitely someone who did not. I was glad I was there to take an actual lesson because I would have absolutely no idea how to start for myself. My teacher was the owner of the club, and he was very friendly and helpful. It was almost like having my own personal trainer. By the end of the 2 hour lesson I knew my way around the gym and the equipment and knew how to belay another climber and tie myself into the rope for safety. And I had climbed from the bottom of the walls to the top several times successfully. I was officially a climber, albeit a very enthusiastic beginner.

In the present day, a first trip to a climbing facility for a beginner will be a completely different experience. There are many more climbing gyms around, and like I mentioned above, many fitness centers and health clubs have climbing walls now. These climbing gyms and fitness center walls are used much more now by the average fitness enthusiast who is looking for a fun way to workout or have some recreation, and beginner classes abound. The look and feel of the facilities is usually very family friendly. Birthday parties and social events for kids, corporate outing and team building for adults as well as family recreation outings make up a huge percentage of the business for climbing walls nowadays. A first time visitor will be greeted by an enthusiastic staff wearing matching t-shirts and typically watch a safety video that gives an overview of the procedures of the facility. Then in a small group or individually, they are led out to attempt a few climbs before they are cleared to use the place on their own. The extensive orientation I received at The Vertical Club is mostly a thing of the past. The equipment and safety set up is much easier for the average person to learn, which gets them climbing and having fun sooner. This has greatly increased the number of people who participate in climbing and has led to the serious climbers that I saw on my first trip to The Vertical Club frequently being the minority in the gym at any given time.

Getting your exercise while climbing indoors usually involves you making your way from the floor toward the ceiling of the facility using plastic holds for your hands and feet that have the same look and feel as real rock. These are attached to a wall that is textured to resemble a real cliff face. As you make your way to the top, a cable attached to an automatic belay device or a rope attached to your partner and tied to your safety harness that you wear keeps you safe from a fall. Most indoor facilities have walls for roped climbing that go up to about 30 feet in height, though some in the United States go from 60 to 90 feet. Most facilities also have a version of climbing called bouldering where the climber is not roped but never climbs more than 10-15 feet off the ground, protecting against a fall with large gymnastics pads moved around on the floor underneath. Snug fitting climbing shoes with specially made rubber soles are worn for incredible grip against the footholds.

Indoor rock climbing requires exactly the same fitness and muscle strength and enduranace demands as doing it outdoors. And the benefits are awesome! Unlike traditional weight training which involves lifting weight in a controlled movement in a gym or home setting, rock climbing is “strength training with a twist”: you as the climber are now the weight going up or down and rather than an arbitrary number of repetitions to be performed to complete a set, the goal of climbing is to get to the top of the wall. It doesn’t matter how it is accomplished, either. Climbing doesn’t have to look pretty to be effective. The result is a change of focus away from the effort of repetitions to the effort of working toward the immediately achievable goal of reaching the top. This can result in a very empowering feeling of accomplishment for the climber, because each trip up the wall holds a challenge that can be overcome and a goal that is achieved. This is what has been known to be addicting and can lead you to want to do more. And when you want to do more, you will keep doing it. And that is the biggest secret for long term success in fitness: keep doing it! It is amazing what consistency can accomplish.

Chuck Carter is a personal trainer and President of LiveLeanToday.com. To read more from Chuck and learn more about how activities like indoor rock climbing can be a successful part of your fitness program, visit http://www.liveleantoday.com.

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