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HARDGAINER

What makes HARDGAINER differentto other bodybuilding magazines?

1. HARDGAINER is the specialist source for everyone of average geneticpotential who wants to develop a terrific physique without usingdrugs, and without being a slave to a gym or having to sacrifice abalanced life. Though small in size, we’re big in our specialization.

2. HARDGAINER is almost totally free of paid advertising. So you don’thave to wade through countless pages of ads. While there are only 48pages per issue (this 2-page introduction is additional to the usualpage count), what we have is almost totally practical information youcan really use to maximize the results you get from your training. It’sno exaggeration to say that HARDGAINER has more truly practicaland useful information for drug-free typical trainees than most of themainstream magazines have in a year of issues. Please judge us on ourcontent, not our appearance or page count.

3. HARDGAINER has absolutely no time for bodybuilding drugs andthe physiques that owe much of their development to drug abuse. Youwon’t find photos of today’s “elite” bodybuilders in HARDGAINER.Some people may say the magazine is old fashioned, but we proudlypromote genuine Physical Culture—health, strength and physique.

4. While most mainstream printed sources of bodybuilding informationdon’t actually promote drug abuse, they promote training methods

and routines that usually only work if you’re a genetic phenomenon,or if you’re pumped to the gills with drugs. (Some mainstreammagazines do, however, give advertising space for how-to books ondrug abuse.) HARDGAINER promotes methods and routines thatdon’t need drugs or fantastic genetics to make them work.

5. Because we don’t have to pander to advertisers, don’t support drug-fedphysiques and their contests, and have no “parent” food supplementcompany to promote, HARDGAINER is truly an independent trainingmagazine. And because we don’t admire drug-fed “champions,” wedon’t have to turn a blind eye to the squalid mess of drug abuse amongthose “champions” and in much of bodybuilding in general.

6. HARDGAINER publishes few photographs. There’s no shortage ofphotographs in the training world, but there is a major shortage oftraining instruction that’s 100% relevant to the training masses. That’swhat we concentrate on. Photographs are, however, essential forteaching proper exercise form. To that end there are nearly 250photographs in our book on exercise technique.

7. Relative to what you read and hear in the mainstream, HARDGAINERpresents a rebellious perspective. You need a rebellious perspective;otherwise you’re going to fall prey to the training mainstream due toignorance. That many magazines and books give similarly irresponsibleand even harmful advice will never make that advice right.

Please see WHY CONVENTIONAL BODYBUILDING METHODS SUCKat http://www.hardgainer.com/sucks/ for the details on what’s wrongwith mainstream bodybuilding.

HARDGAINER has been published every other month since July 1989.Here’s a sample copy in electronic format—issue #61. The four photos inthe printed edition have been substituted by text boxes (or enlarged type),to reduce the downloading time of the electronic edition. HARDGAINERis not available at newsstands. If you’re interested in subscribing to theprinted magazine, please go to http://www.hardgainer.com/order.html

Publisher and EditorStuart McRobert

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Copyright © HARDGAINER 2000. All rights reserved.

July-August 1999Vol. 11 No. 1

4 Editorial5 Christy Mid-Year Checkup9 McDonald HARDGAINER Nutrition 109

13 McRobert Ten Years Wiser17 Wilkinson The Bottom Line18 Minogue Injury Recovery22 Whelan “Common Sense” Periodization25 Piche Information Overload!27 Finander Finding Your Optimal Program33 Rydin & Maurice Questions & Answers38 Leistner The Steel Tip42 Strasser From the Grassroots44 Steiner Shoulder Pain46 Forum

issue #61

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I’ve long been urging people topersonalize their training programs.What may seem to be just a minor

change, can, however, have a major impacton overall progress.

Last year my squatting progress wasgrinding to a halt, and pre-workouttrepidation was becoming extreme. At thetime, I was squatting (Tru-Squat) one dayeach week, and stiff-legged deadlifting atthe other training day.

I thought that seven days between squatworkouts was enough time for recovery. Soto help recovery I dropped the stiff-leggeddeadlift. Immediately, progress on the squatstarted moving easily. I could guaranteegetting my 20 reps with half a kilo more onthe weight carriage each week. Not onlythat, but the intensity of effort needed to getthe 20 reps actually dropped. I still had towork hard, but not as hard as before eventhough the volume of squatting wasidentical to before, and the resistanceactually more. Not training my lower back,hamstrings and glutes at the second workoutday each week enabled me to recuperatefully from the squat workout.

I continued to progress steadily forseveral months. The only glitch was a“down” period due to an overseas trip inDecember followed by a week of sickness. I needed several weeks after returning fromthe trip before I was back to where I wasjust before I left the island. Then progresscontinued as before. And still the intensityof work needed to get all 20 reps did notincrease noticeably, despite a tad of irongoing on the carriage nearly every week.

Recently I wondered whether theexplanation for the boost to my squatting

was the result of dropping the stiff-leggeddeadlift, or of not working my lower back,glutes and hamstrings at a second day eachweek. So, I reinstated the stiff-leggeddeadlift. The squat is still the focus exercise,so the squat is done first in the workout, andthe stiff-legged deadlift later on in thatworkout. While the latter will suffer a tadrelative to if it was done first, the differenceis marginal so long as enough rest is hadbetween the two exercises. So far, progresson the squat is unaffected. If I’m able towork into new ground on the stiff-leggeddeadlift while not hampering the squat, I’llknow that the former wasn’t the problemearlier on, but where I had it in my program.

Of course, my situation is not yours. ButI reckon that some people are strugglingbecause they are squatting one day eachweek, and performing some form ofdeadlifting on a second day. That means twoheavy poundings over the week for the lowerback. Putting both exercises in the sameworkout, and thus giving a full seven daysbetween heavy lower back work, may makeall the difference. While overall trainingvolume, frequency and set/rep format maybe bang on target, if the arrangement ofexercises is not right for you, the progress ofthe whole setup will suffer. An apparentlyminor adjustment of exercise arrangementcan make a big difference. Don’t necessarilygo making wholesale changes if yourtraining is not going well. Relatively minoradjustments may be all you need, assumingthat you’re following an already abbreviatedand sensible training program.

Personalize your training programBy Stuart McRobert

EDITORIAL

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By the time you receive thisissue of HARDGAINER we will beabout half way through the

year. So it’s a good idea to take stockas to how your training is going so far,so that you make the rest of the year asproductive as possible.

Question #1Are you stronger now than you were atthe beginning of the year?

This will always be my number onequestion. If you’ve been trainingconsistently for the past six months, youshould be stronger now than you were inJanuary. If you aren’t—why? If you’re abeginning or intermediate weight traineeyou should have increased your strengthon the big basic movements by at least10%. An advanced trainee should be upat least 5%. For instance, if you weretraining under my guidance and werecapable of completing six reps with 200pounds on the bench at the start of theyear, you would be handling at least 220pounds by now. By the end of the year itwould be at least 240 pounds for six. Ifyou’re not making this kind of progress(and your goals are to get bigger andstronger), your training isn’t working.There may be many reasons for this. Thefollowing questions should help yourealize the answers.

Question #2Are you breaking the rules ofsensible training?

If you’re using a single progressionformat, are you adding weight at a rate

that the body can adapt to, or are youletting greed run the show—makingweight increases that are forcing poorform and stagnation, and possiblyinjuries? If you’re using a doubleprogression approach, did you reallymake the “goal rep” in good form? Ordid you cheat a little so that you couldadd weight? If you want to get results,you need to follow the rules. If you’vebeen a regular reader of HARDGAINER

you know what I’m talking about. Ifyou’re new I suggest that you purchasesome back issues or, more importantly,buy BRAWN. This book will get you upto speed fast.

Question #3If your goal is to get bigger, how muchweight have you gained since January?

You should be at least 12 poundsheavier by now. That’s 2 pounds permonth. At my facility, if someone wantsto seriously gain some weight, wewould be pushing for 3–4 pounds permonth. How would you feel right nowif, for example, you weighed 180muscular pounds instead of the 160pounds you started the year at? I can tellyou from witnessing this that you wouldfeel great! So, why haven’t you gainedthe weight? I can probably tell you. Youhaven’t dedicated yourself to gettingyour six “feedings” in every day for sixmonths. Tell me—why not? And don’tmake excuses because making excuseswon’t help you to correct the problem.

One of the major reasons for notgetting your six feedings in every dayis the lack of preparation. Think ofhow many times you knew that youshould be eating and you only had a

MID-YEAR CHECKUPBy John Christy

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15-minute break at work, and you hadno food prepared. I’ve heard thisscenario before—you have to plan andyou have to prepare!

As I’ve stated before, use Sunday asyour food preparation day. Make a bunchof pasta or rice, put it in a container sothat it can be flavored quickly, heated upor even eaten cold. Make 10–15sandwiches and stick them in the fridgeso that you don’t have to make then inthe morning before work (when youshould be preparing and eatingbreakfast). Mix up enough protein drinkso that it will last you at least a couple ofdays. Prepare a dozen hard boiled eggs—talk about protein to go! Like anythingelse, if you want to succeed bad enough,you will do it. Do this so that you canmake the most out of the rest of the yearand be 10–20 pounds bigger.

Question #4How many different programs haveyou tried over the past six months?

Four or five? You tried a particularprogram for several weeks but it justwasn’t bringing home the results. Thenyou read a great article about 20-repsquats, and you were sure that theywould give you the results you desired.After about three weeks you tired ofthem, and you’ve a buddy who tells youthat high-intensity training is the way togo. Of course, after a couple of weeksyou’re off looking for something else.On and on and on. If this is you, youbetter make a decision to stick with atried and true program for at least sixmonths, and follow the “rules” of theprogram to the letter! If you don’t,you’re in for a long haul of frustrationand unproductive training.

Question #5Do you have a lingering ache or painthat’s coming from a particular

exercise that’s not severe enough (yet)to make you stop doing it?

If you’re getting pain, something iswrong. For instance, if dips are hurtingyour shoulder, you’re going to have tostop doing them for a while, till the painsubsides. “But,” you say, “I love dips andthe pain really isn’t that bad.” I’m notsaying you have to stop doing themforever, but you better let the paindisappear and then reapproach theexercise slowly, making sure your form isperfect. If you’re getting pain, you’redoing damage and some day the pain willget severe. So, address it now and cleanup your form so that you can enjoy doingthe exercise for a lifetime.

Question #6Have you been performing aerobicwork two times a week for at least 20minutes, and stretching before andafter workouts?

In my opinion, aerobic work should beperformed by everyone—period. Even atrainee who is extremely skinny should doaerobic work. The aerobic work is notgoing to prevent you from putting onmuscle as long as you implement itcorrectly and are getting a caloricoverload. As a matter of fact, it willactually help you in your weight-trainingefforts by increasing the rate of recoverybetween workouts, and help to limit thefat that you gain. Most of all, aerobicwork will keep your most importantmuscle in shape—your heart.

You need to stretch. Yes, I’ve readthe various “reports” that stretching isnot necessary. My opinion? There aremore studies supporting stretching thanagainst it. As a matter of fact I don’treally care what some report says. Iknow that stretching is important—fromworking with a thousand trainees overthe last 14 years! You don’t have to

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devote an hour to stretching and try tobecome some kind of human pretzel.Our basic stretching program takesapproximately seven minutes. Sevenminutes! We do this before and afterevery weight workout and aerobicsession. I promise you that a basicstretching program performedconsistently will help to preventinjuries, and may relieve some of thejoint aches and pains that you have.

Miscellaneous thoughtsBe careful whose advice you listen to,but be respectful of someone trying tohelp you. Many people are giving advicethat—in my opinion—is ridiculous. Idon’t just mean in mainstream “musclemagazines” either. The internet is full ofit. Even our own HARDGAINER RoundTable has its share. Now don’t get mewrong, I think TRT is great! I reallybelieve that these people mean well.Many of them are giving advice basedon many years of their own experiencein the gym. Some of this advice is good,but only if you’re put together(physically and lifestyle wise) the sameas they are. And that’s the key point.

In my opinion, an authority in theIron Game is someone who has loggedmany hours in the gym “under the bar”and has helped many, many othertrainees (with various physical andlifestyle differences) to achieve theirgoals. I know that what has given memy understanding of this “game” is notso much my 25 years “under the bar,”but logging (in training log books) over35,000 hours of training, hands on, on avery diverse cross section of thepopulation. And let me tell you that Istill don’t have all the answers! Thereare many fellow trainees out there thatyou can learn from—just be carefulwho you listen to.

My purpose in telling you this isthat I’ve been hearing from readers

who are not selective enough in theadvice they listen to. Not only are theynot getting anywhere, but they aregetting hurt. Some of the time, theadvice that was given wasn’t that bad,just not applicable to that particulartrainee’s physical and lifestyle“makeup.” I want you to be successfuland not waste years of your training lifedoing things wrong. Stay with thebasics of sound exercise programs andgood nutritional practices.

Curl challenge updateIf everything always went as planned, I’dhave 25-inch arms by now. About amonth ago my curls were “rolling along”at a pound a week, and then I came downsick with an upper-respiratory infection.When I was in my teens or twenties thiswould have thrown me for a loop, butbeing an experienced trainee I knew thatthis was just a temporary set back. I wasforced to miss a couple of curl workouts.

So, what did I do after missing twoweeks of curls? I put my old weightback on and being the “bad ass” that Iam, I hammered out the reps—only tocause an injury to my elbow! Justkidding. I took 90% of my last curlweight and started over by using that.The next week 95%; and the third week100%. So, four weeks after getting overthe infection I’m into “new territory”again. No big deal. Listen, this sort ofthing is going to happen from time totime—don’t let it throw you.

To update the scoreboard I’ll be up27 pounds for 6 reps (instead of the 32pounds if I hadn’t been sick). Not badprogress for 32 weeks of training. Iexpect that all of you are up 32 poundsif nothing has side-tracked you. For thenext issue I should be up another 8pounds (as well as another notch or twoon my arm size), along with many ofmy students; and so should you be ifyou’ve accepted this challenge.

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Recommended readingLeafing through some back issues ofHARDGAINER I ran across one of my favorite articles. It’s Stuart’sarticle entitled “All-Time #1 Article.”It’s in issue #28. If you have it, Isuggest you study it. If you don’t, youshould get your hands on it. It’s great.I would like to leave you with anexcerpt from this article:

“I’d be experiencing the mostimportant motivating input of all formy unrelenting efforts on the mightyfivesome [squat, deadlift, bench press,

pulldown or row, and press]—biggermuscles from month to month. Howmany of those who go through scoresof different exercises over each year can say the same? Results arewhat count, remember, not hours in the gym, not exercise variety and approach according to the currentcommercial angle, and not keeping up with supplement fashions. Results!And they come from focus and progression.”

John Christy owns Total Fitness, Inc., inIndianapolis, tel. (317) 466-9933.

HH

Exercise selection and formYour choice of exercises should be determined by what is safe and productive foryou. No matter how productive an exercise may be for someone else, if thatexercise does not suit you, it will do you no good but perhaps do you harm. Whenconsidering an author’s preferences, always keep in mind your own limitations andtechnical proficiency. When necessary, either modify an author’s suggestions, orchoose alternative exercises. Naturally you should choose from comparableexercises. A pec deck cannot substitute for the bench press, but the parallel bardip can. Laterals cannot substitute for presses behind the neck, but dumbbellpresses can. Upright rows are not a good alternative to high pulls, but deadliftsare. And if a machine variation of an exercise is safer for you than a free-weightsversion, use the machine. The bottom line is what allows you to train safely,intensively and progressively.

Because I have physical limitations due to having damaged myself as the resultof poor exercise selections during my years of training foolishness, which was atime when I gave training intensity greater priority than good technique, I amparticularly aware of the need to personalize exercise selection according to theindividual. A conservative approach to exercise selection, and strict adherence toperfect form, are the priorities for safe long-term training.

Using perfect and controlled exercise form means having the discipline to usegood technique even when training intensively. Breaking form in order to be ableto gut out additional reps in the name of intensity is the mark of undisciplinedtraining that will sooner or later injure you, and ruin your progress.

– Stuart McRobert

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IntroductionIn my previous two articles I addressedthe topic of setting up a baseline diet,and then adjusting it for varying goals(primarily bodyfat loss and musclegain). Additionally, strategies fortracking progress (e.g., bodycomposition) were discussed, as thisprovides a way for trainees toobjectively track their progress.

In this article I’ll discuss a few waysthat trainees commonly modify theirdiet for better progress. While I’m notgoing to talk about specific dietinterpretations, some of what will bediscussed will be applicable to thosediets. Possible strategies which can betried are specific supplements, changesin protein intake or type, changes incarbohydrate intake or type, andchanges in fat intake or type.

One important caveatBefore discussing possible tweaks tothe diet, there’s a very important pointI want to make: You must establish abaseline diet before trying any of theadjustments discussed in this article.Conceptually, this is no different thansetting up a baseline training program,and testing it out, prior toexperimenting with more advancedtechniques (partials, rack work,different set and rep schemes, etc).

Without knowing how your bodyresponds to a good baseline diet ortraining program, it will be impossible toknow whether a given adjustmentprovided better, worse, or the same

results. Although there are no hard andfast rules, I think it probably best toestablish a baseline diet and couple itwith a good, basic training program overat least one or two full cycles of training.This, along with good record keeping,should give you a rough idea of howyour body responds. Once this baselineis established, other nutritional ortraining strategies can be tested. You’reencouraged to change only one variableat a time, so that results can beobjectively determined. Of course, insome situations, changing one variable,for example carbohydrate intake,requires that another variable—fatintake—be changed at the same time.

SupplementsSince many of the questions I’vereceived for this column addresssupplements, let me cover those first.In the first article of this series I tried tomake this point regarding supplements:there’s no magic pill currentlyavailable that will make you gainmuscle if your training and diet aren’tin order. Assuming you’ve dialed inyour training and diet, even the bestsupplement can only add perhaps 5% toyour gains. Yet many trainees concernthemselves with the 5% before theyhave gotten the 95% taken care of.

All I’m going to say about themultitude of “magic pills” on themarket is that if you’re determined totry a supplement, first establish yourbaseline response as described above,and then try adding supplements oneat a time. Many trainees continue to

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HARDGAINER Nutrition 109:Making Minor Dietary AdjustmentsBy Lyle McDonald

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take supplements based on somevague notion of, “I think I recoverbetter,” or “I get a better pump,” butthis is no substitute for objectiverecord keeping. If your gains in termsof mass, strength or fat loss aresignificantly better with a givensupplement compared to the baseline,that supplement may be worthwhile. Ifnot, it’s not. Simple as that.

Quantity of proteinProtein is probably the nutrient thatmost lifters concern themselves withthe most. As well, the bulk ofmagazine advertisements typicallydeal with protein. As discussed inissue #55, most data points to a proteinintake of 0.8 gram/pound as beingsufficient for lifters as long as caloricintake is sufficient. However, thisdoesn’t mean that individuals may notbenefit from higher (or lower) proteinintakes. As discussed in other articlesin this series, a key aspect of proteinintake is caloric intake.

Frequently, the individualsreporting increased gains fromincreased protein intake areunderconsuming calories in the firstplace, and the excess protein is servingprimarily as an energy source. To trulydetermine if protein above 0.8gram/pound is going to be beneficial,trainees must have established theirmaintenance caloric intake—i.e., yourbodyweight should be stable orincreasing slightly—and be consumingit on a consistent basis. Once that hasbeen accomplished, trainees mayexperiment with higher protein intakesthan 0.8 gram/pound to see if gainstruly come faster or easier. As an easyexperiment, trainees might add anadditional protein feeding to theirdaily meals. Alternately, an additional5–10 grams of protein might be addedat each meal.

It would be a rare situation where atrainee needed to see if less than 0.8gram/pound of protein provided bettergains. However, some trainees havereported better (or at least no worse)reducing protein from very high levels(1+ gram/pound) to more reasonablelevels. As well, as an odd data point, astudy done near the beginning of thiscentury noted better gains in strengthwith lower versus higher proteinintakes. As a final comment,individuals should recall that anincrease in protein intake necessitatesan increase in water intake as well.

Type of proteinTo reiterate the point made in issue #55(protein intake), and a point which hasbeen made by other HARDGAINERauthors, there’s little evidence tosuggest that one high-quality proteinwill be better than any other high-quality protein. About the only timethat protein quality becomes of majorimportance is at below-maintenanceprotein intakes (e.g., as seen in manyThird World countries). At the types ofprotein intakes seen in mostbodybuilders (near 1 gram/pound),protein quality becomes fairly moot.

As long as trainees are deriving theirprotein intake primarily from high-quality sources—dairy, eggs, meat,chicken, some types of beans—it seemsunlikely that gains will be significantlydifferent with the use of other types ofprotein such as whey protein. Forbodybuilders to spend twice as much ona protein supplement to gain a claimedfew percent improvement in proteinquality is sheer folly.

Quantity of carbohydrateIn the past few years there has beenquite an outcry against carbohydrates.Carbohydrates, and specifically theinsulin response which occurs from

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their consumption, has been blamed forany number of ills including obesity andmany diseases. There’s little doubt thatthe overconsumption of carbohydrates(especially refined carbohydrates), andespecially when it’s coupled withinactivity, can be problematic.

There is, however, little doubt thatmany cultures successfully consumehigh levels of carbohydrates, althoughthis is typically offset by activity andcarbohydrate choice (e.g., vegetablesrather than refined starches). There’salso little doubt that carbohydrates arean absolute requirement for optimalhigh-intensity exercise performance.The question, which is as of yetunanswered, is just how manycarbohydrates weight-trainees trulyneed, especially those involved in low-volume, infrequent training.

Along these lines, certain individualsmay find that they gain adisproportionate amount of bodyfat withexcessive carbohydrate intake. It shouldbe noted that overconsumption ofcarbohydrate (relative to energy needs)also causes an overconsumption ofcalories. As a general guideline,anywhere from 45–55% of total caloriesmay come from carbohydrates for most trainees.

Trainees may wish to experimentwith higher intakes (usually duringmass-gaining phases) and lower intakes(usually during reducing diets). Whileon a reducing diet, lowering dietarycarbohydrates has a primary effect oflowering caloric intake. Additionally,some evidence shows greater fatutilization when muscle glycogen ismaintained at lower levels. Of course,this also tends to hamper recovery, soit’s a double-edged sword.

Source of carbohydrateIn all likelihood, many of the ills whichare ascribed generally to carbohydrates

(high insulin levels, etc.) are due to thereliance on highly-refined carbohydratesources in modern society. Asmentioned earlier, many cultures do justfine with high carbohydrate intakes, butthey are not eating the refined carbsfound in most modern diets. Generally,carbohydrate sources are divided intostarchy (e.g. potatoes, rice, pasta, fruit)and fibrous (vegetables). Carbohydratescan also be rated by glycemic index—refer to issue #57 for more details.

In general, but not always, sourcesof fibrous carbs have a lowerglycemic index than sources ofstarchy carbs. In all likelihood, anideal diet would contain some mix ofstarchy and fibrous carbs. Someindividuals have reported less fatgains, but good mass gains, with dietsmade of primarily fibrouscarbohydrate sources. Increasing theintake of fibrous carbohydratesources can also be good on reducingdiets, for a few reasons. First andforemost, sources of fibrouscarbohydrates generally have fewercalories for a given volume of food.This means that a greater amount ofveggies can be eaten (helping withfullness) with less total calories. Aswell, the insulin response to fibrouscarb sources is much lower, whichmay enhance fat burning.

Quantity of fat intakeAs discussed in issue #56 (dietaryfats), the average trainee should aimfor a fat intake of 15–25% on a dailybasis. With few exceptions, I generallythink it’s a bad idea for the averagetrainee to use extremely low-fat diets,as this may lower testosterone levels.Individuals at high risk forcardiovascular disease may stand tobenefit the most from relatively low-fat diets. There can be both pros andcons to higher fat intakes.

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For many individuals, higher fatintakes tend to promote feelings offullness. While this may be verybeneficial during reducing diets (notethe popularity of lowered carb/higherfat diets, which tend to control hungerbetter than very low-fat diets), it can bedisastrous during mass cycles bypreventing a trainee from eatingenough calories. If individuals arealready having trouble meeting theircaloric requirements, an increased fatintake may make it doubly difficult, byincreasing fullness, so that the traineedoesn’t want to eat as frequently. Onthe other side of the coin, assuming thatoverall appetite is not decreased, thecaloric density of fat may make iteasier for some individuals to obtainsufficient calories.

Type of fatNumerous studies have linked high-fatintakes with an increased incidence ofheart and other diseases. It should alsobe noted that other factors such as a highintake of refined carbohydrates, andlifestyle habits such as smoking andinactivity, also contribute.Unfortunately, most studies payattention only to fat quantity, not quality.

A trainee obtaining 25% of totalcalories as unsaturated fats (vegetableoils) is in a far different boat than thetrainee obtaining 25% of his totalcalories from saturated fats (animalfats). It has been suggested that the lowincidence of heart disease in manyMediterranean countries, despite ahigh fat intake, is due to the highintake of unsaturated fats (althoughfactors like activity, low sugarconsumption, and high vegetableconsumption surely play a role).

Trainees who consider using higherfat intakes—either to decrease appetiteon reducing diets, or to increase caloricintake on gaining diets—should

consider the long-term healthconsequences. Ideally, increased fatintake should come primarily fromunsaturated sources like vegetable oils,nuts and seeds. As well, trainees areencouraged to have their blood lipidlevels tested to ensure that damage is notbeing done by one’s diet choice.

SummaryAs a general summary, once a baselinediet has been established, there are anumber of minor modifications thatcan be tried with the diet. Here’s anoutline of each of these modifications,as a final summary.

1. Increased protein may increase thepotential for mass gains, but above acertain point, excess is simply usedas an expensive source of calories.Also increases water requirements.

2. Increased carbohydrate intake is agood way to increase calories whenon a mass gaining diet.

3. Decreased carbohydrate intake maybe useful during reducing diets asthis will reduce total caloric intake,and may enhance fat burning.

4. Increasing dietary fat intake isanother way to increase caloricintake as long as increased fullnessdoesn’t compromise intake at othermeals. As well, many diseases havebeen linked to excessive fat intake,especially saturated fats.

5. Decreasing dietary fat may increasehunger. At the same time, however,total caloric intake may fall.Reducing dietary fat is also one wayto lower caloric intake on fat-lossdiets, although excessively low fatintakes tend to have the oppositeeffect desired. HH

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Excerpts from issue #1This routine is a great start to a long andsustained period of appropriate and effectivetraining. A simple but sound initiation (orreturn, as the case may be) to rationaltraining methods for you. This routine itselfwill give you twelve weeks or more ofprogressive training. If correctly carried out,it will give your strength and muscular size avery satisfying increase. Twelve weeksaren’t enough to transform your body, but it’senough time to make obvious physicalimprovement; and to establish some of thechanges in training methods that are requiredto bring about a long-term metamorphosis.

This routine is simple and basic for onereason only—this is the only sort of approachthat offers the chance for a hard gainer to getimpressive. Let’s not have legions more ofhard gainers trying to prove to the contrary!We must rid ourselves of the mentality thatlots of exercises and very frequent workoutsare the way to progress. The more work that’sdone, the more that the effort put in is diluted.

The routine isn’t just the given numberof exercises. It’s the unified whole of thechoice of exercises, manner of exerciseperformance, rest, cycling of intensity,frequency of workouts, nutrition, keeping ofrecords, planning, progressive poundages,will, effort and persistence. A largecombination of important factors.

To start off this routine, take ten days ofcomplete rest from the gym. Rest, relax andget fully recovered from all signs ofovertraining. Return to the gym no moreoften than twice a week. Assuming that youdon’t have access to quality sophisticatedmachines, use the following routine of free-weights exercises. Only modify or changean exercise if you have a sound reason to.

1. Crunch style situp2. Squat3. Heel raise4. Deadlift (once a week only)5. Bench press6. Pulldown to the chest, or barbell row with

head braced [see revised views]7. Press behind neck [see revised views]8. Barbell curl9. Nothing else, absolutely nothing!

Rep targets are 20 for calves, 10 forcrunches and squats, 8 for everything else.If you’re new to training, we advise you toget [the assistance of] an experiencedinstructor or friend.

We’ll start out training very comfortably.For the first workout, following a warmupset or two for each exercise, select apoundage that you could comfortably use for5 more reps than the target number, but onlydo the target number, 2 sets per exercise.

ISSUE #61: JULY-AUGUST 1999

TEN YEARS WISER...This issue of HARDGAINER marks the start of our eleventh year. In it we’re starting a newseries in which an article from exactly ten years prior to the current issue will be reviewedand updated, to reflect what the respective author has learned over that ten-year period.Because I wrote most of the articles in the early issues of HARDGAINER, I’ll be writing theearly installments in this new series. But later on, other authors will be involved.

– Stuart McRobert

Training On The Right LinesBy Stuart McRobert, from HARDGAINER issue #1, July-August 1989

HARDGAINER14

Please avoid training hard for the first part ofthe program. We need to get a gainingmomentum going—perpetual progression.

Now comes the intensifying factor—every workout, add 5 pounds to exercises 2,3 (if using a machine) and 5; 10 pounds toonce-a-week deadlifts, and 2.5 pounds to allthe other exercises. In practice, this roughlymeans that the first two weeks are very easy,the third needs a bit of effort, the fourth andbeyond are quite hard through to super hard.Only do the target reps, remember.

As the weeks accumulate, it’ll becomeimpossible to maintain the target reps forboth top sets of each exercise. When thishappens, either drop the second set, or, ifyou have the energy, do the second set witha 10% poundage reduction.

As the poundages build up it willbecome impossible to maintain the targetreps for even the first top set. When thishappens, let the target reps drop, as slowlyas possible, to a minimum of 15 for thecalves and 6 for everything else. Take apause for a few seconds between the finalreps of sets. Use this modified rest pausetechnique to enable you to keep getting thereps out. Keep exercise form good. A bit ofrelaxation of form on the final rep or two ofa set is all right, but nothing more. [This isnot all right! See my revised views.]

When at the minimum target reps,reduce the poundage increments to onceevery other workout. Keep this going foranother few weeks. When the workoutsbecome brutally hard, you’re recommendedto reduce training frequency to no more thanthree times every two weeks. Deadliftsshould still be done at alternate workouts—only once every nine or ten days now. At thisstage, add one or two forced reps once aweek for each exercise. Get a trainingpartner or spotter to give just enough help tomake the rep happen. Push hard!

Concerning training frequency, avoidbeing locked into a fixed pattern. Take anextra day or two between workoutswhenever you feel the need for it. Some rare

people even have difficulty recoveringproperly from workouts done morefrequently than once every six days. Thismay particularly apply to you if you do a lotof manual labor. If you do work that’sphysically very demanding, take extra restbetween workouts, while simultaneouslydoing [fewer] sets when in the gym.

On the other hand, if you truly feel fullyrested after only three days betweenworkouts, then train again. Just beabsolutely honest with yourself—take theextra rest if in doubt. You’re the judge.

Keep a written record of each workout.Know exactly what you did at your previousworkout. Write down exactly what needs tobe done at the next session.

Aim to do this program for a minimumof twelve weeks, with every week beingprogressive. When you’re absolutely at yourmaximum, for the minimum target reps, youshould have well exceeded your previous6/15 rep bests in these exercises. Not onlywill you be stronger but you will be manypounds heavier in muscle.

All this will work if, and it’s a big if, youtruly push yourself when the workoutsbecome tough, holding absolutely nothingback! Maximum fighting to resist droppingthe reps. Adding the required poundagewhile not cheating and just heaving theweights up; keep things strict. Resist the urgeto add more exercises, sets, reps or workouts.Many people think they are training hardwhen in fact they are ending every set acouple or more reps before the true end of theset. Beyond the early easy workouts (andwarmup sets aside), you must give yourabsolute all to do every possible rep!

If you’re thin, be sure you eat enough,especially when the training gets tough. Forthe hard gainer it’ll likely be a waste of timetrying this routine if you don’t intendcombining it with some substantial eating ofquality food and substantial drinking ofmilk. When training heavily, at least for theextreme hard gainer, you must eat heavily.Prudent and thoughtful use of quality food

15

supplements is recommended if you canafford it. If you find gains extremely hard,then keep all non-bodybuilding athleticactivities to a minimum, or, better still,temporarily eliminate them. We need ourrecovery capacities to concentrate fully onrestoration from our gym activities.

Let’s take the squat as an example,Suppose that before reading HARDGAINER youcould just manage to squat 250 for 6 reps. Tostart this program, select 200 [80%] and do 2sets of 10 reps (2 x 10) even though you coulddo 15 without much struggle.

Week 1: Mon 200 2x10 Fri 205 2x10Week 2: Mon 210 2x10 Fri 215 2x10Week 3: Mon 220 2x10 Fri 225 2x10Week 4: Mon 230 2x10 Fri 235 1x10, 1x8Week 5: Mon 240 1x10 Fri 245 1x10Have dropped the second top set.Week 6: Mon 250 1x10 Fri 255 1x10Week 7: Mon 260 1x9 Fri 265 1x9Week 8: Mon 270 1x8 Fri 275 1x8Week 9: Mon 280 1x7 Fri 285 1x6Now training three times every two weeks.Week 10: Wed 290 1x6Week 11: Mon 290 1x7 Fri 295 1x6Week 12: Wed 295 1x6Week 13: Mon 300 1x5End of cycle, terrific progress!

While doing this routine, perform someprogressive warmup work prior to the topsets. Do 2 or 3 warmup sets for thepowerlifts, and 1 or 2 for the other exercises.

Now ten years wiserHere are five major areas in which I’vemodified my views relative to when Iwrotethe 1989 article. These changes evolved as aresult of additional personal experience, andfrom studying the experiences of others.

1. I’m more conservative with exercise selection.For example, I no longer recommend thepress behind neck, or barbell row. In fact, Inow discourage those exercises. (Though notrelevant to this routine, neither do I

recommend the T-bar row, any sort of squatwith heels elevated, or any explosivemovement, unlike ten years ago.)

2. I’m far more insistent on the use of goodform. (I cringed at the sentence I wrote tenyears ago: “A bit of relaxation of form onthe final rep or two of a set it all right...” Noit’s not all right!) Impeccable exercise formis the bedrock of bodybuilding, or any typeof resistance training. Without good form,injury is inevitable—and sooner rather thanlater. I suffered serious injuries sincewriting the 1989 article, and I’ve learnedthe hard way of the paramount need to trainwith perfect form, and to take no libertieswhatsoever. Back in 1989 I used to giveintensity more importance than form. Thisexplained why Iused to hurt myself sooften—I’d compromise a tad on my form,in order to get out an extra rep or two, justlike many others do. Now, Ihave no timefor this sort of undisciplined training, andneither should you.

3. Though the 1989 article doesn’t mentionrep speed, I didn’t object to explosive formin those days. I’m cringing again! Safeexercise form is not just about the pathwaya bar takes during a given exercise, ascritical as that is. It’s also about speed ofmovement. Explosive movements greatlyincrease the risk of injury. Inow urge atruly controlled rep cadence—about 3seconds for the ascent, and another 3seconds or so for the descent. “Longstroke” exercises take longer than “shortstroke” exercises. Idon’t, however, urgethe counting of seconds. The focus needs tobe on effort and poundage progressionwhile maintaining perfect form. Just keepthe bar moving in a controlled manner—noexplosive movements. The key word is“smooth.” Keep every rep smooth—nojerky or sudden movements.

4. As abbreviated and infrequent as the trainingroutine in issue #1 is relative to conventional

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training, I now recommend even morerecovery time, and in some cases even areduced volume of training per workout too.

5. Training cycles don’t have to bestructured quite as rigidly as described inthis 1989 article. Even better results canbe had from using cycles with nopredetermined end dates—ones lastingeven over a year at a time. Consistentgains are the greatest motivating factor.Properly designed and personalizedprograms can produce poundage gain oneach major exercise every week or two forvery long periods.

In most cases Iwould no longer urge areduction of 20% of weights to start a newtraining program. A 10–15% reductionwould be adequate.

I also wouldn’t urge twice a weektraining of all exercises (aside from theonce-a-week deadlifting). I’d generallyrecommend training each exercise just oncea week. So, the listed eight exercises(substituting the front press or dumbbellpress for the press behind neck), would bedivided into two even groups, one grouptrained on day one, and the other on day two.

I’d also add two exercises—the sidebend (so long as there are no back problemsthat preclude this exercise) and the L-fly,one at each workout. Here’s the revisedprogram of ten exercises:

Monday1. Squat2. Stiff-legged deadlift3. Press (barbell or dumbbells)4. L-fly5. Crunch style situp

Friday1. Bench press2. Pulldown or, preferably, the pullup/chin3. Curl (barbell or dumbbells)4. Heel raise5. Side bend

I’ve substituted the stiff-legged deadliftfor the deadlift, and put it in the same routineas the squat. Some may prefer the deadlift,or the partial deadlift. And some may preferto put their choice in the non-squat routine.But others may not respond well to thatarrangement—see my Editorial in this issue.

I’d written, “If you’re new to training, weadvise you to get [the assistance of] anexperienced instructor or friend.” The last tenyears have taught me that experience is noguarantee of expertise, and finding trulycompetent instruction on form is nigh onimpossible to find in most gyms. This is oneof the major reasons why Iwrote a book onexercise technique—to provide a reference tohelp people become their own form experts.

In the 1989 article I recommended thepulldown, or the bent-over row while keepingthe head braced. Today, I rate the chin/pullupas a superior exercise to the pulldown (so longas there’s sufficient strength to perform chinscorrectly). And today I’d never recommendthe barbell bent-over row. The one-armdumbbell row is a much safer exercise.

With training frequency for eachexercise reduced, there would be feweroccasions over the twelve weeks forpoundage increments. Though the weightswouldn’t be cut back so much, the cyclewould need to be extended in order to matchthe sort of gains given in the illustration inthe 1989 article. But this would tie in withmy preference today to have longer cycles,using smaller poundage increments onceyou’re in new poundage territory.

This slower and extended progressionschedule would help to minimize if noteliminate perceived increase in intensityfrom week to week, once you’re back atyour best working weights. This is vital forproducing long-term consistent gainsbecause it means you can keep adding a tadof iron every week without having to workharder to get your rep targets. This is TheGolden Fleece of training—increasing loadon the bar but without any perceivedincrease in training intensity. HH

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For quite some time now I’vefound I make better progress(progress being defined

as consistently adding weight to thebar), by terminating a set 1 or 2 repsshort of failure.

A typical routine for me consists ofthe squat, bench press, shoulder press,chin or pulldown, rear shrug and someab, calf, grip and neck work. I spreadthis out over two workouts. I alsoperform some “insurance exercises”such as back extensions and the L-fly,to help prevent injuries. For the first 8weeks of a cycle I build back to mybest one-set max poundage, so theweights don’t start to feel challenginguntil I’m into week 6 or 7. At this pointI risk overtraining, or morespecifically, killing the progressionand gaining momentum I’ve built upover previous weeks, so I increase restdays between workouts and switchfrom twice-weekly training, to 3 timesevery 2 weeks (Monday, Friday,Wednesday, Monday).

By the time week 8 rolls around I’mstill performing 2 sets, I’m stilltraining a couple of reps short offailure and I’m still able to add weightto the bar each workout. This is myfirst sign of real progress—I’mperforming 2 sets of an exercise, usinga poundage that I previously onlymanaged to use for 1 set and, moreencouraging for me, it feels easier! Iknow that if my weekly incrementswere too high, or if my build up wastoo short, because at this point the repswould be difficult to attain. I believethis is a matter of intensity and I define

intensity as the amount of effortrequired to perform the task at hand, inthis case, getting all my sets and reps.

I’ve experimented in the past withtraining to failure on most of myexercises, usually in the hope that itwill further my progress. I found it didnot. At the time I believed I wasgaining benefit from training tofailure, but looking back with wisereyes I can see that was not the case.To-failure training did not deliver thepoundage gains for me, which is thepriority, in my opinion.

I would like to point out for thosepeople who may think I’m loafing inthe gym, that training 1 to 2 reps shortof true failure, is still hard training andcertainly harder than what’s done bymost gym members. However, I do feelwe should not get hung up on how hardwe’re training, but rather, we should befocusing on how productive it is.

The famous saying “work smarternot harder” can be applied here. Iftraining to the point of momentarymuscular failure does deliver thepoundage gains faster for you, thenstick with it, as that’s obviously thesmarter approach for you. Think aboutwhat you’re doing, and ask yourselfwhy you’re doing it. Don’t think thatmore is necessarily better, be thatvolume or intensity. HH

ISSUE #61: JULY-AUGUST 1999

THE BOTTOM LINEBy Daryl Wilkinson

BACK ISSUESAll back issues of HARDGAINER areavailable, but the first 26 are inphotocopy format only. The backissues represent a treasury ofexperience and advice.

HARDGAINER18

The reality of physical injury isomnipresent to all human beings.Whether it comes in the form of

broken bones, muscle tears, strains orsprains of connective tissue, damage toour all-too-fragile form is a cost of doingbusiness on earth. While a proper strengthtraining program can do much to decreaseour risk of injury from outside forces, itcan’t make our bodies impervious. Notonly that, but improper exercise can domuch to inflict the injuries that we try toavoid. But even with the safest trainingpractitioners and environments,sometimes people still get hurt.

Once an injury occurs, the body mustbe allowed to heal. But the process is

rarely as simple as just bed rest. Thedamage which our muscles, bones andconnective tissues can incur whileexercising can be drastic, and oftendifficult to discern from the naked eye.To promote full recovery from an injury,the sufferer must ensure proper steps aretaken. Put generally, these are: (1)diagnosis, (2) rehabilitation and (3)recovery. Each of these steps needs to beexplored in the event of an injury, so thatfuture damage to the same areas can beavoided, and long-term pain and loss ofmobility do not result.

DiagnosisThe first step to be taken whenever anindividual suffers a training-relatedinjury, is proper diagnosis. It’s

In this issue there are two injury-related articles—one from Dr. Gregory Steiner,a chiropractor and professional injury specialist, and the following “grassroots”one from a reader. When I was in my youth I had no time for injury-prevention or

injury-awareness type articles. I only wanted articles on training, or inspirational typepieces that would help crank me up for my next bout with the weights. It was,however, my neglect of injury prevention, my taking of liberties with exercise form, anduse of high-risk exercises, that, eventually, was my downfall. There was nothing unusualabout my attitude. It was the typical macho “it won’t happen to me” type outlook, andthe “no pain, no gain” madness that have been the undoing of millions of trainees overthe years. I’m training injury-free today, but I’m unable to safely perform some of themost productive exercises—most notably, I can’t barbell squat, or do any type of bent-legged deadlifting—which is a major loss.

Part of the training strategy needed to minimize the chance of injury, isavoiding high-risk exercises. While a few people like to boast of their heroics withhandling heavy awkwardly-shaped objects, for example, for each reported successthere are many people who got hurt trying to do something similar, and rue theday they got caught up in such high-risk lifting. Play safe, be sensible, and don’ttake unnecessary risks.

A body free of limitations that you can push hard for the rest of your life is a lotmore satisfying than a body limited by injuries but accompanied by a few anecdotes ofwhat you used to be able to do in former “it won’t happen to me” days.

– Stuart McRobert

INJURY RECOVERYBy Brian Minogue

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imperative that we, as exerciseenthusiasts, don’t attempt selfdiagnosis. Unfortunately, this is one ofthe steps in injury recovery which ismost often forgotten. Strength traineescan often become a hodge podge ofvaried anatomical, kineseological andbiological information. This layperson’s level of knowledge can’treplace the expertise of a medicalprofessional. Don’t self diagnose.

As an example, allow me to relatethe recovery process of one of mytraining partners. This individualsuffered numerous shoulderdislocations, following the initialinjury that resulted from a nasty fall. Inresponse he and I, with only a limitedunderstanding of the function andanatomy of the rotator cuff, decidedthat the injury was the result of anexcessive mobility in the shoulderjoint, which had been caused byoverstretching of the rotator cuffmuscles in the initial fall.

To a degree, our attempt at selfdiagnosis was correct. The rotator cuffmuscles had been stretched. To correctthis problem, my training partner beganusing an array of dumbbell rotationmovements to strengthen, and therebystabilize his rotator cuff. Once he hadstrengthened the area considerably, hereturned to a normal strength trainingprogram. After a month or so, hisshoulder dislocated once again, whileperforming a overhead press, causingeven greater damage.

What our diagnosis could notdetermine was that, along with theoverstretching of the rotator cuffmuscles, my training partner hadsuffered damage to the bonyprominences on the head of thehumerus. These raised points had beenconsiderably reduced in size, and couldno longer function to prevent thehumeral head from moving too far out

of the shoulder joint. Only with themedical expertise of a professionalcould such a determination be made.

If an injury is harsh enough to causeyou to stop training, either by sharp painor prolonged discomfort, it’s severeenough to seek proper diagnosis. You’venothing to lose by seeking a medicalopinion. If the injury proves to be aminor strain, then a few days of rest willbe all that’s necessary to return to yourprevious best. But if you’ve causedexcessive damage to your body, you willneed to know that. Any attempt toignore or “work through” physical harmwill only cause greater pain and injury.

As a trainee seeking a medicalopinion, you must attempt to find aprofessional with some level of trainingexperience or understanding. Obviously,in cases of an injury causing great pain,emergency medical assistance isrequired, and the need for a training-knowledgeable provider will have towait for follow-up care. But, in any case,to provide you with a full understandingof your injury and its repercussions, themedical professional must possess amoderate appreciation of strength-training practices and methods. Ifyou’re in any doubt as to the ability ofyour care provider to understand yourneeds as a training practitioner, don’t beafraid to voice these concerns, or seekfurther medical advice.

It’s vital that you, as a patient, be anactive participant in your diagnosis andinjury recovery. This requires what Irefer to as “full disclosure” with yourdoctor or rehabilitation specialist. Youmust do your utmost to explain to himor her the level of activity youparticipate in, what movement youwere performing when the injuryoccurred, its relative difficulty for you,etc. If you were using poor form,cheating a dangerous rep, then yourdoctor needs to know. If, on the other

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hand, you were using strict form, usinga weight that was fully under yourcontrol, and something totallyunexpected happened, this also has adirect bearing on a full diagnosis.

Anything that you hold back, or failto explain fully, can affect the quality ofyour diagnosis. Remember, most peopledon’t participate in serious strengthtraining; so express your previoustraining experience to assist your careprovider in determining if any long-term injury abuse has occurred.

RehabilitationFollowing a full diagnosis of yourinjury, the second step is rehabilitation.This is the healing step on your roadback to strength training. Dependent onthe severity of your injury, this processcan be extensive or a minor concern.Whatever the result, you need toexercise patience more now than ever.As a strength trainee, it’s very probablethat you have an almost addictive needor desire to train. You must curtail yourinternal drive to rush back to peaktraining, as such an action would onlycause more damage.

Your doctor and/or recoveryspecialist will provide you with aprogram and time line to follow. Youneed to be an informed consumer of thecare being provided to you. Be equallyconcerned with how you perform yourrehabilitation program properly, andwhy this program is formatted as it is. Ifyou’re not satisfied with theinformation provided, be morepersistent. If the practices of yourdiagnosis and/or rehabilitation seemcounter to what you know of safe andproper training, or your symptoms, askquestions. While it’s very dangerous fora non-trained person to attempt selftreatment, it’s equally dangerous for aninjured person to be treated by a poorlytrained professional.

Not all medical care providers arecreated equal. Unfortunately, therealities of insurance programs oftendemand that we as patients take whatwe can get, regardless of the quality ofthe care provided. Do the best you canwith the care you can afford. Hopefully,if you’re dealing with a caring medicalrecovery facility, and broach yourconcerns in a considerate manner,together you can find an acceptablepath to recovery.

Once again, full disclosure is veryimportant at this stage. What a typicalperson considers full recovery may varyconsiderably from what you consider itto be. Remember, the average personhas no interest in pressing severalhundred pounds overhead in a fewmonths. Your desire to get back to a400-pound squat may be beyond thegoals of your rehab specialist. Explainyour long-term desires for yourrecovery. What do you want out of yourbody in the future? How possible areyour goals given your injury? These arequestions you need to work with yourcare provider to address.

Whatever restrictions are placed onyou during the rehab stage, if they areexplained in a reasonable fashion to you,stick to them. If you allow your passionfor strength training to get ahead of yourrational mind, you may quickly return tothe pain and suffering you experiencednot long ago. As frustrating as it is towatch hard earned strength and muscleatrophy, you must be patient.

In the meantime, apply the same zealand perfectionism which you give toyour normal training, to your rehab. Ifyou rest assiduously for your squat, doso for the strain in your lumbar. If younever miss a scheduled workout, don’tever miss a rehab session. In themeantime, you should discuss yourlong-term training realities with yourmedical professional. What can you do

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now? Which movements are out on atemporary basis? What movements areout for good?

RecoveryFollowing a full rehabilitation, the thirdstep in injury recovery is recoveryitself. This is the point at which youreturn to the gym, ready to reapplyyourself to your passion for muscle andstrength. Now you will have to come togrips with the long-term trainingrestrictions which your injury mayplace on you. You may need to findsuitable exercise replacements, whichaddress the same muscle areas, butwhich don’t re-injure you.

Returning to the example of mytraining partner, his rehab specialist toldhim that the overhead press was out, forgood. As good a movement as theoverhead press is, for him it was anunacceptable risk. Instead, he performeda high-incline bench press. His pushingmusculature was being worked withoutrisking re-injury.

In the recovery phase, you must stilltemper your training passion, at leasttemporarily. Returning to previousweights too soon is not good for yourtraining future. Start slowly, and withlighter weights. It will be hard to reducethe poundages and gradually work back,but you will work back without re-injuring yourself.

Any new movements which you’veadded in place of unacceptableexercises will need to be mastered forform and speed. And old lifts will alsohave to be re-learned in some cases. Adeadlift before major back surgery maynot feel the same as after. You may findnew limitations in your pre-injuryrange of motion. Adapt.

Don’t force your body to act as it didprior to your injury. In many ways, yourbody may no longer be the same. Ashoulder which has been surgically

tightened and altered, for example, is notthe same one it was before. Bone andmuscle structures have changed. Treatthese new joints as training neophytes,by working back slowly.

Now that you’ve returned to yourtraining, take the time to consider thepractices which may have led up to yourinjury previously. If you used shoddyform in the past, or accelerated throughyour reps, take a different tact now. Takethe time to reconsider your trainingmethods so as to do your best to injury-proof your routine and body. Slow downthe reps, use strict form on soundmovements, move through the range ofmotion which is appropriate for you.Remember, training is intended to be alife-time activity. What you do withyour “trick” elbow now may causetwenty to thirty years of pain andsuffering down the road.

Don’t be afraid to use yourrehabilitation specialist as a resourcein redesigning your training regimen.You may not completely see eye toeye regarding proper training, but aneducated opinion can only benefityou. Considering the value of anoutside opinion, even if you choosenot to take the advice, will expandyour training knowledge.

Whatever your history of injury,don’t forget, human bodies can livehealthy, pain-free lives for manyyears, or they can suffer with achesand limitations for the same period oftime. If you suffer pain, it’s a signalthat some kind of damage hasoccurred. This, by definition, is aninjury. Taking the proper actionnow—by way of (1) diagnosis, (2)rehabilitation and (3) recovery—can,in most cases, make great strides inreducing or completely removing thepain. Such action is definitely to yourbenefit. Remember it’s your body tosave or destroy. HH

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P eriodization means “to divideinto periods,” when defined bymost dictionaries. That’s also

the way that I view this term as itapplies to strength training. I’m a bigbeliever that some form of change in aroutine every three or four months or sois as good mentally as it is physically. Inaddition to this, as noted in someprevious articles, I like to have a day ortwo each month when I mix things up alittle bit. The change keeps enthusiasmhigh, helps you through sticking points,bolsters your motivation, and re-energizes your training.

I want to be very clear on one thing.When I use the word “periodization”—Iactually call it “common senseperiodization”—I’m not advocating theorthodox definition used by the NSCAand some other organizations. I find thatdefinition illogical. I don’t believe in a“hypertrophy phase” as being separatefrom a “strength-building” phase. Thereare also other aspects of the orthodoxdefinition that I don’t agree with, butrather than get into all of that I’d ratherjust focus on my definition.

If you love strength training, as I do,then “common sense” periodization isgreat. You can try many trainingmethods and find what works best foryou, or just what you enjoy best. Youmay find that several methods workwell for you, as I have. Personally, Ilook forward to the change after aboutevery four months. Even though manystrength-training methods absolutely dowork, at least for some people, whatdetermines what works for you is oftenin your head—it’s the “enjoyment

factor.” This factor should be stronglyconsidered when you choose a trainingmode or method. You should enjoytraining. You will not stick withsomething, or do well at it, if youdislike it. Find a method that you like.There are many schools of thought inthis field, and several of them are good.The problem is that many people,especially beginners, get confused andneed to label the type of training theydo. Forget the labels. There are alsomany dogmatic writers andorganizations who think you’re scumunless you train exactly like they do.Ignore these people.

Many people label me as a “high-intensity training” (HIT) advocate; infact, I’ve even used this description ofmyself, so I don’t mind the label. But Ialso do many things that are notstandard “party line” HIT. I spend agood part of the year doing lower reps.In some articles I’ve even coined mytraining as “lower-rep HIT.” But this isjust for part of the year. With my clientswe still do the higher reps too, such as20- and even 30-rep squats, fifties days,etc. I occasionally do singles (myself),but rarely with clients. The best way todescribe my type of training is “natural,hard and progressive.”

An illustrationI sometimes do multiple work sets, butnever more than 3. In fact, I’ve spentmost of my training life doing 3 worksets per exercise, but my friendshipwith Drew Israel influenced me to tryone-set-to-failure (for work sets). Forthe last few years I’ve used the one-set-to-failure approach a lot, andexperienced great results.

‘’COMMON SENSE’’ PERIODIZATIONBy Bob Whelan

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I’ll be 45 this summer, and I’m at all-time personal best strength levels inmost exercises. I recently got 360 for 9,followed by 390 for 5 and 410 for 3 onthe Hammer Incline Press. (I usually dojust one work set, but felt so strong thatworkout that I wanted to test myself.)About three years ago when I visitedDrew in New York (“Training andEating in The Big Apple,” in issue #45),I barely got a single rep with 400pounds, and that was a PR at the time.Additionally, I recently got 255 for 10 onthe Nautilus Power Plus Military Press,300 for 9 on the Hammer Iso Row and555 for 12 on the Hammer Iso Leg Press.All PR’s. I’m a lot stronger than I was afew years ago, and probably ever. Isn’tthis stuff great? In fact, one-set-to-failureis so great, it can make you feel almostguilty because it takes so little time. I’mconvinced that the one-set-to-failuretraining has helped me a lot.

If you use one-set-to-failuretraining you will burn fewer caloriesthan you would with multiple-setwork, so you must either make up forthis by consuming fewer calories, orby doing more cardiovascular exercise.Keep this in mind if you notice yourbodyfat creeping up when you switchto one-set training.

I still use 2 or 3 work sets for most of my clients on most exercises. One-set-to-failure works better for experiencedtrainees with a solid training foundation,who truly understand what it means to go to failure. Many newcomers don’t understand this, have no trainingbase, and end their sets 1 or 2 reps prematurely.

You can experiment with yournumber of sets in the common senseperiodization format. Do 2 or 3 work setsper exercise for four months, and thentry just a single work set to failure perexercise for four months. Take goodnotes and trust your own instincts.

Machines or free weights?I don’t consider machines to be superiorto free weights. I spent most of mytraining life using free weights almostexclusively, but now it’s the opposite. Imainly use the fine machines fromHammer Strength and the “Tru-Line”from Southern Xercise, as do my clients.(There are, however, many poor andeven dangerous machines on themarket.) But with any piece ofequipment, it’s how you use the devicethat counts. My heavy use of machinesnow is mainly a business decision. Itmakes my job a lot easier because Ichange plates and spot people all day.Machines also reduce my liability andthe chance of injury for my clients,some of whom have little experiencewhen they start.

If you’ve access to both the goodmachines and free weights, commonsense periodization is a way to enableyou to use both. For example, do theHammer Incline Press for four monthsthen do free-weights incline pressesfor four months.

Free weights are not “more manly,”and neither are machines “for wimps,” assome people have written. Anyone whohas used the Tru-Squat can attest to that.Machines and free weights are bothgood. Dr. Ken, Drew Israel, Dan Riley,Ken Mannie and others are hugemachine advocates. Use what you like,and ignore the critics.

Odd-object liftingOdd objects are also something toconsider using to add variety. I don’t dothis type of training on a regular basis(at every training session) but as achange of pace every few weeks. Myclients are usually hammered after the(regular equipment) workout, so thefinishers would be like swatting a flywith a sledgehammer, and lead toovertraining if done on a regular basis.

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We will, for example, do the sandbagcarry or farmer’s walk as a “finisher”after all the barbell and machine work isdone, but not to replace any of it.

I’m not an advocate of trainingexclusively with odd objects (to replacemachines or barbells) for an entireperiodization cycle, or even for just oneentire workout. Everything old is notalways good or better. A sandbag curl isnot nearly as good as a barbell curl. Youcan’t hold onto a sandbag well, and eventhough it may toughen your hands, it willnot work your biceps as well becauseyou can’t hold onto enough weight.Don’t make the mistake of sacrificingmajor muscle groups in the name of“grip work.” It’s usually better to do thegrip work separately.

There are many modern devices thatare a definite improvement over whatthey had 50 or 60 years ago. Do youthink that John Grimek would have donefree-style leg presses with weightsbalancing on his shoes, like in the oldMark Berry poster, if he could have useda Hammer Leg Press instead? C’monnow! John wasn’t a fool.

Though odd object may be trendy invery limited circles, odd objects areinferior to a barbell or HammerStrength/Southern Xercise typemachines for use on an ongoing basiswhere progression is monitored.Additionally, if you’re only trainingyourself, that’s one thing, but whenyou’re responsible for the well-being ofothers—who are entrusting you withtheir bodies—you must use a safer modethan anvils and barrels, etc. The sandbagcarry or farmer’s walk, however, as afinisher for the young or wellconditioned trainee (or athlete) is a fineaddition to a workout.

Rep speedEven speed of motion can beexperimented with. We use an 8-second

rep speed workout once in a while as achange of pace, and it’s brutal. DickConner does the same thing at The Pit.Dick notes, and I agree, “Slow training isdefinitely not for wimps. Anyone whosays it is, has never tried it as I use it.”

The problem I have with slowtraining is not the actual training, butthe dogmatic individuals whorepresent this philosophy. Many inthis camp also put no emphasis onprogression, and are virtually nothingbut glorified “toners.” Slow trainingcan be a great change of pace and evena permanent way to train if you like, aslong as you make progression a toppriority, as Drew Israel does.

SummaryDon’t get caught up in the trends or thephilosophical catfights. Many methodswork. Life is too short, so enjoy yourtraining and experiment (sensibly, ofcourse). Consider changing your repranges, exercises and various modesand methods every four months or so,while sticking to the basic coreHARDGAINER-type philosophy. The onlydefinition or label you need is “natural,hard and progressive.”

“Maximum” Bob Whelan runs WhelanStrength Training in Washington, DC.

HH

The methods promoted inHARDGAINER will pack on muscle andstrength for all who conscientiouslyand diligently put them into practice.But the practical application demandsgreat resolve, dedication, effort andpersistence. We provide the trainingadvice you need, but only you alonecan provide the resolve, dedication,effort and persistence. Rise to the challenge, and then you’llreap the wonderful rewards!

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You must go slow. You must go fast.Supplements are good. Supplementsare bad. Do 20-rep squats; no, do

heavy singles. You must bulk. You mustkeep your bodyfat as low as possible. Cycleyour training. Split your training intophases. Time your sets with a stopwatch.What program are you using: Heavy Duty,Hardgainer, SuperSlow™, Periodization...?Talk about information overload! It’s awonder most new trainees don’t just grab abeer, a bag of chips, and become a couchpotato watching TV!

What’s a trainee to do? Maybe there’smore in common among the various groupstouting different lifting methods than mostpeople realize? How about looking at thecommon denominators that exist in thegroups, rather than argue over differences?These common denominators would be partof the foundation of common sense. In thisarticle, we’ll find some of the commonaltiesamong the various groups and programs.

Add the iron!I don’t think I’ve read any of the advocatesof various training programs state: “Keepthe weight the same at all times—addingweight to the bar isn’t important.” To getstronger, and bigger, you must add iron tothe bar! It’s called progression. It doesn’tmatter if you do singles, 20’s, SuperSlow, apseudo-scientific plasmatic cycle, ormeasure the time under load. If you aren’tadding iron consistently over a significantperiod of time, don’t expect much. This is acommon denominator.

The big movementsI don’t think you’ll find exercises liketriceps kickbacks, concentration curls and

sissy squats as a common denominator.What you will find as a commondenominator is using the big compoundexercises that involve a lot of muscle inone movement. Deadlifts, presses, benchpresses, and yes, the O-lifts involve a greatdeal of muscle. How about squats? Thechoir sings in unison with this exercise.It’s a great one.

Hard training!To progress, you should go to the gym andnot break a sweat. Don’t pushyourself…ever. How many groups do youhear singing this tune? Everyone, and Imean everyone, seems to understand thatto get bigger and stronger you must put insome hard training. The differences lie inthe details of what constitutes “hardtraining.” However, the bottom line is thathard training is necessary to force the bodyto change and adapt by getting bigger andstronger. Yet another commondenominator is found.

TechniqueYou must use good technique. Most willagree that even if you’re lifting a rock,barbell, or using a machine, propertechnique needs to be used. A breakdownin technique is one of the majorcontributors to injury regardless of the repspeed, rep range or lift performed. Manycoaches and trainers don’t emphasize itenough in my opinion, but they certainlydon’t advocate out-of-control technique.

OvertrainingOne of the most ridiculous statements I’veever read was in an article by a probodybuilder, or should I say ghostwriter,who stated, “There’s no such thing asovertraining, only undereating.” A common

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INFORMATION OVERLOAD!By Bill Piche

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denominator among all the groups is that“overtraining” does in fact exist. What leadsto overtraining is often argued in terms ofvolume and frequency, not whether it exists.

Lifting beltsI believe the majority agrees that a liftingbelt isn’t necessary in the quest to becomebigger and stronger. Some lifters wouldrather die first than give up their belt. Somepowerlifters state that a belt makes it “safer”to lift. In my opinion, this is hardly the case.If you watch an Olympic-liftingcompetition, you’ll rarely find the lifterswearing any belt at all. A lifting belt reallyisn’t needed to become bigger and stronger.One more tick mark under the category ofcommon ground.

NutritionEat like a bird! Chips and soda to feed thebody! Candy, cookies, and creme puffs arethe ticket to building muscle. Nobodyadvocates such nonsense. The commonopinion is that good food is needed tobuild muscle. You must provide the fuel.The arguments are about quantities, types,and percentages. Another one in thecommon ground category; you mustprovide the fuel in the form of good foodto build muscle and might.

SupplementsHow many groups do you see arguingover what’s the best supplement? Can youpicture Fred Hahn and Dave Mauricebattling over what creatine to use? Notlikely! Could this be one of the commondenominators? The common denominatoris you don’t need supplements. Theyaren’t necessary, period. So, who are thepeople touting supplements and traininginformation? They sell the supplements!And, often the “training articles” in theirmagazines are nothing but supplement adsin disguise. Definitely, these articles areonly good for floor protection whentraining a puppy.

SleepEveryone agrees that sleep is an importantingredient to build strength and muscle. Youwon’t find anyone arguing that sleep doesn’tmatter in the muscle growth equation. Yetanother common denominator: you must getenough quality sleep.

Avoid injuryThere’s certainly no group that advocatesgetting injured! I’m sure avoiding injury isa common denominator. Yet, I’m sometimespuzzled why injury prevention isn’t given asmuch attention as it deserves in articles andbooks. Maybe some coaches and trainersare afraid their “methods” will bequestioned? Maybe their egos are too big toadmit they made a mistake? I don’t know.But, I’m certain they advocate injuryavoidance. I do know that if you get injured,you can be sure that the person at fault canbe found in your closest mirror.

The final wordThere certainly can be informationoverload when it comes to training. Toomany trainees get caught up in the intricatedetails and lose sight of the basics. Thereare basic common denominators shared byall the different “methods,” “programs”and “groups.” These are essentially thebasic elements for becoming bigger andstronger. To summarize:

1. You must strive to continually add ironto the bar, and do it consistently.

2. Use the big movements that involve a lotof muscle, e.g., squats, deadlifts, presses.

3. Train hard!4. Use excellent technique, whether you’re

using a barbell, rock or machine.5. Avoid overtraining.6. You don’t need a lifting belt.7. You must fuel your body with enough

good food to grow bigger and stronger. 8. Supplements aren’t needed.9. Get plenty of sleep.10. Avoid injury. HH

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Many people, even after years oftraining, are still searching for the“perfect workout”: one that will

give them the most gains (mass, strength,etc.), the fewest injuries, and the best “look”in the least amount of time. Most successfullifters have learned that the “perfect workout”does not exist. Being successful does notmean being the biggest or the strongest. Itmeans getting the most out of lifting in termsof enjoyment and health benefits.

For many reading this, the end result ofyour time and effort in the gym matters most,but for others, it’s the journey to that endresult that matters most. Yet another groupwill say it’s both the journey and the results.Whichever group you belong to, there’s notrue “perfect workout.” There’s no optimalroutine. Your needs change as your bodychanges, and are often different from one yearto the next, or even one season to the next.

My goal in this article is to take youthrough general workout design andobjectives in order to improve your liftingexperience and results. What’s here applies tobeginning, intermediate and even advancedtrainees. I’m hoping that as a result of lookinginto the suggestions here that you’ll be able toenjoy weight training as a life-long healthfulactivity. Below I’ll discuss the main variablesinvolved in developing a training routine.

Where to train?One of the first questions when starting out,or even after many years, is do I sign up orrenew my gym membership? For me, theanswer was no. I prefer to be able toconcentrate on my lifting with no lines, nosocialization, and no one getting in my way.I’m an antisocial fellow when I’m into myworkout. I’ll answer questions when asked,

but I hate having to find polite ways toextricate myself from training conversationsin the gym before I lose the warmth in mymuscles and joints and have to warm up allover again. On the other hand, my wife can’tstand training at home. She’d rather not trainat all or simply go for walks. She absolutelyloves the gym. Not that she really talks toanyone there. She likes to get in do her workand get out. For her, working out at home islike pulling teeth. We both find excuses tomiss our workouts if we don’t work out in theenvironment we like.

There will be people out there that tellyou that you must join a gym or you musthave a training partner. Both are false. Thereare very few “musts” when it comes totailoring a workout to your needs. In the end,you can set yourself up with a nice home gymthat’s safe and every bit as functional andeffective as a commercial gym, for the priceit would cost for a few years gym access.However, you can always join a gym as well,or even alternate depending on how you feelduring a given time in your life.

For beginners it’s probably a good idea topurchase a short access to a gym and try itout. You may even want to do that for morethan one facility after each short-termmembership expires. If you enjoy it, by allmeans, stick with it! Anything that addsenjoyment to lifting is something that willhelp you maintain consistency in yourtraining over the long haul. However, if youfind that you don’t like the gym, or absolutelycan’t stand it, then invest in a home gym. If itturns out you want to return to the gym later,you still can, and you can even resell theequipment if you wish.

Training frequencyYour next step will be to determine how toschedule your workouts. Twice a week is a

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FINDING YOUR OPTIMAL PROGRAMBy Ari Finander

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good rule of thumb. More than this andyou’re pushing it with regards to overtrainingthe small stabilizer muscles that are involvedin just about every movement, and which getan indirect training effect every workout.You can always cut back to once-a-weekduring periods where your recovery ishampered by life stresses. The real issue iswhich days to schedule your workouts on.

There are two basic schools on schedulingworkouts: days of the week or intervals.Working out on certain days each week isvery good in terms of establishing a routine oftraining. You know which days you’ll have totrain on, and can make sure to schedule thingsso that there won’t be conflicts with yourtraining on those days. Also, you canschedule these training days so that they don’tconflict with work or school commitments.The days are set, so there are no surprises, andfew excuses. The main drawback occurs withrecovery. Your body doesn’t know which dayof the week it is. If you need to take an extrarest day to be fully recovered, it will impacton the next break between workouts bynarrowing it. This can sometimes throw thewhole routine out of sync and cause you tomiss workouts, or worse yet cause you to takean unnecessary “break” from training to“reevaluate” your training regimen. If this iswhat’s been happening to you, the optimalworkout for you is not based on fixed-days-of-the-week training.

Alternatively, you can have a fixedrecovery interval between workouts—a fixednumber of days before you complete the nextworkout. For shift workers, it could even bea fixed number of hours (e.g., 72 and 96). Ifyou need to take an extra day of rest beforeyour next workout, it doesn’t mess things up,because you simply revert to the normalinterval after that workout and keep movingalong. The drawback with this sort of routineis that it lacks some of the structure of thefixed-days-of-the-week type of plan. If youeasily find an excuse for missing a workout,or delaying it for days, then this is not the sortof regimen for you. In all likelihood you’ll

end up missing workouts, or worse yet takean unnecessary “break” from lifting to“reevaluate” your training.

Program designThe next steps in creating your “perfect”workout require some experience. If you’rean absolute beginner, it’s vital that you stickwith a certain program for at least a month tosix weeks before you draw any conclusionsabout altering your training. Indeed, refiningyour training is something that’s a life-longprocess—our needs change over time.

The first order of business is decidingwhat exercises to use and how to organizethem. If you’re just starting out, you’ll need totry out different things. There’s no reason whyyou can’t make gains to the best of yourpotential in the trial periods. As with mostother things in life, the key is consistency.Trial periods can be as short as two weeks oras long as a year, and they can be modified asthey go along. However, from start to finishthe trial should remain relatively intact. Agood time frame to make some observationsfrom is about twelve weeks. This number isn’tpulled out of thin air, but based on my ownexperience and that of others that I speak with.

In selecting exercises, decide on whichcore movements you will use. Each coremovement will generally focus on one ofthree areas: back, legs and hips, and upper-body pressing musculature. Core movementsshould hit as many muscles as possible.Think of training your body as a whole, or assections of muscles with common functions.Don’t get stuck in the rut of trying to pick anexercise to train every muscle individually. Itsimply won’t produce good results, and willmake your workouts drag on forever withcountless sets of unproductive isolation-typemovements. Compound, multi-jointmovements should be where you select yourcore movements from. A great place to getideas and descriptions of these types ofexercises is in THE INSIDER’S TELL-ALL

HANDBOOK ON WEIGHT-TRAINING TECHNIQUE

by Stuart McRobert.

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Next you must decide how to integratethese core exercises into a workout schedule.For instance, if you’ve decided on a twice-a-week total-body routine, you’ll want to puteach of the core movements into both weeklyworkouts. Most people I’ve had contact withtend to find this too much stress, either ontheir recovery abilities or their joints. I justbarely fit into this “too much” category, soI’ve experimented and found a slightlymodified solution that works for my jointsand also provides variety in the workouts.

I take my three core exercises for the firstworkout day, and choose another set of coreexercises for the second workout day of theweek. For example, on Saturday I’ll performshoulder presses (upper-body pressing),pullups (back), and deadlifts (legs and hips)as my core movements, while on WednesdayI’ll perform dumbbell incline presses (upper-body pressing), prone rows (back), andsquats (legs and hips).

For many this still proves too much andanother modification is required where onetrains the total body three times every twoweeks. For example, Monday and Friday ofweek one followed by Wednesday of weektwo, then repeating from Monday again inthe third week. Some find that they are ableto train the same core movements at each ofthese sessions, while others prefer toalternate different core movements betweenthe workouts as in the method described inthe previous paragraph.

There’s yet another popular method oftraining, where an individual trains all theirupper-body movements on one day, then alltheir lower-body exercises on the nextworkout day. This can either spread the threecore moves out over the two weeklyworkouts, or place more exercises or sets ofeach core movement into the chosen splitdays. For example, on Monday one wouldperform pullups, one-arm dumbbell rows,shoulder presses and bench presses. OnFriday the movements would be squats anddeadlifts or stiff-legged deadlifts. Alternately,Monday could consist of just one-arm rows

and bench presses but with more sets of eachmovement, or even just one top set for each.

Any of these methods will work just aswell when used with a set interval scheduleof training (where there’s a fixed number ofrest days between workouts regardless of theday of the week). In the end, it’s a good ideato experiment with each of these methodsfor 6–12 weeks. For some, cutting backfrom two total-body workouts per week toan upper-body/lower-body split routine willfeel like they’re not training their body hardenough. This is why a twelve-week trialperiod is needed. By the end of it you’ll beable to see the results (or lack of results)after giving the method a fair go. Manypeople have been pleasantly surprised by thestrength and mass increases they’veobserved at the end of a trial where they’vecut back on their work, and so decide to staywith the different method. Alternatively,some have found that by going from a splitroutine to a twice-weekly total body routinehas boosted their gains significantly.

It’s important to try different things,within reason, and for long enough to seeresults that can be viewed objectively. (Thisis just one of the many reasons why youshould keep a training journal.)

Next, you’ll need to decide on whatrepetition range you’ll use. This usuallyrequires several trial periods to pin down theright numbers. There are several generalrepetition ranges, with none set in stone. Forthe most part, you have low (4–6 reps),medium (6–8 reps), moderate (8–15 reps) andhigh (15–20 reps). Finding what works foryou is a matter of experimenting withdiffering ranges. Also, you may find thatdifferent body areas respond better todifferent repetition ranges (for example,many people find that high reps work best forlower-body work, while the medium rangeworks best for the upper body).

After this you’ll need to decide on thenumber of work sets. In general, between oneand three work sets will do the job (one is mypersonal preference). Work sets are distinct

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from warmup sets, which should beprogressively heavier as you go from the firstwarmup set towards your work set(s).

Finally, you’ll need to decide how toperform your work sets. Will you go tofailure at every workout? Will you cycle thepoundages so that you go to failure onlyduring the final workouts of a twelve-weekseries? Will you continue to increase thepoundages being used for as long as possibleand use microloads to stretch a trainingperiod out even further? These are all thingsyou’ll need to decide on beforehand. If youstart an experiment, then change thevariables while in progress, your results areworthless. If you don’t take an experiment toits conclusion, you don’t get usable results.If you alter multiple variables betweentraining experiments, you can’t be certainwhich variable really caused any observedchanges; or, if you observed no changes, didthe two or more variables you changedcancel each other out?

Rational experimentationBefore you start a training experiment, youmust make a commitment to stick with it fora set length of time that you decide uponbefore starting. You must also be consistent.This is also true for training in general.Consistency is what enables you to changeyour body. Working out for two weeks thenscrapping everything and moving ontosomething else will never let you see theresults of anything you try. The body doesn’tproduce significant adaptations in the shortterm. You’ll also be risking injury byswitching things constantly and training in astop/start fashion.

However, there are three reasons to stop atraining experiment once it begins, or tomake changes during the course of it. First, ifyou get injured, stop the training cycle andrest. Let your body heal. A few weeks ormonths now are nothing over the course of alifetime of lifting. However, if you force theissue, try to train through or around an injury,or don’t give yourself sufficient healing time,

you’ll possibly end up with an injury that willmake a difference to your training life (not tomention costing you even more time).Second, if you start to feel pain during anexercise, either change to a differentmovement, or drop it entirely. Third, if youbecome significantly overtrained—I say“significantly” because people will often justfeel a bit worn out and want an excuse toswitch to a new routine.

As long as you stick with an experiment,be consistent, and progress in the amount ofweight handled, you’ll make significant gainseven on routines that aren’t the best for you.After you’ve finished an experiment andhave evaluated your results, take a week ortwo off, and rest. If you’ve been training fortwelve weeks and not missing workouts, it’sa good idea to let your body have a bit ofextra rest before beginning anotherexperiment, so that the two don’t conflict.

Let’s be realistic. What I’ve outlined hereis a good way to evaluate different trainingregimens. But how many of us have thepatience to change one variable at a time fora period of twelve weeks before making anychanges? We want the answers yesterday,because today is squat day! Also, as Imentioned in the section about deciding coreexercises, training should be thought of asapplying to the entire body, not to individualparts. So should a training program be lookedat in its entirety rather than as a patchwork ofindividual variables.

If you start out with something so badthat you make little or no gains from it, thenchanging one variable and pushing on foranother twelve weeks is not going to makethat much of a difference. Scrap it all andgo back to the drawing board. If aftertwelve weeks there’s still no joy, trysomething different again. Sometimes,being less than scientific is the best way toget to where you need to be. Once you finda productive routine, then start theindividual variable experimentation.

As you go through an experiment, makenotes. Write down how you feel about the

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workout and how you feel in general. In theend, if you dread going to the gym or loadingup the bar, your ability to be consistent willdeteriorate. Even if the workout you’ve comeup with lets your body adapt at the fastestpace possible for you, it isn’t the perfectworkout if you don’t enjoy it. Training issomething that must be enjoyed if you’re tostick with it. It’s as much psychological as itis physical. If you don’t enjoy any particulartraining method, then make a note of it, andmove onto a different method. Seeing resultswill help you to maintain consistency, but ifyou despise what you’re doing in order to seethose results, you’ll likely not be able tomaintain that consistency very long.

Write down any aches and pains duringthe experiment, even if you don’t attributethem to the workout. You may find that anon-training-related injury poisons the resultsof an experiment. You may also find thatwhen you look back over your notes of pastexperiments (when you used differentexercises) that you experienced pain onlywhen you included two exercises in the sameroutine, or only when you used a differentvariation of an exercise.

An illustrationHere are some examples of how I came to thecurrent methods of training I use now, and theexperiment I’m currently working on. As abeginner, I used the following routine:

Day One1. Squat: 1 work set x 8 reps2. Chinup: 1 x maximum reps3. Dumbbell shoulder press: 1 x 84. External rotation (lying L-fly):

1 x 20 (each arm)5. Crunch situp: 1 x 20

Day TwoRest

Day Three1. Front lunge: 1 x 16 (8 reps per leg)2. Pulldown: 1 x 8

3. Dumbbell bench press :1x 84. Barbell curl: 1x85. Triceps pressdown: 1 x 8

Day FourRest

Day Five1. Bent-legged deadlift: 1 x 82. Seated row: 1 x 83. Barbell bench press: 1 x 84. Lying L-fly: 1x 20 (each arm)5. Crunch situp: 1 x 20

Day SixRest

Day SevenRepeat Day One, and so forth.

As a beginner, this was fine for a while.I trained all out every session, and Iexperienced gains in both strength and size,and the variety in the workouts kept mefrom getting bored. However, there wereproblems. I began to dislike having to do somany total reps per workout. When you addin all the warmup sets, the total number ofreps per workout gets pretty big. I need toconcentrate very hard, as I tend to becomeinjured easily if I move the weights aroundwith little or no regard to form. EventuallyI learned that using lower reps enabled meto concentrate more, enjoy training more,and thus gain more.

Beyond this, as I grew stronger, Ibecame overtrained. What had worked sowell for me before, was overtraining menow that my needs had changed throughtime and training. I also began to get jointpains and aches from not focussing on a fewexercises enough to let my body really learnthe movements. It took me quite a while torefine my workouts. A lot of the refinementhad to do with coping with some prettynasty injuries. In fact, the refinement fromthese injuries is still going on. It’s taken meyears to get to where I am now:

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Day One1. Squat: 5 x 5 going from set one with 50%

of my workout weight to set 5, with 100%of my workout weight for that day. 20-rep squats were both difficult tomaintain concentration with and did notstimulate me psychologically enough towant to get into the gym to do them.

2. Bench press: 5 x 5For those of you who read my last article,it’s taken me over a year to even be ableto experiment with the bench press again.Since experimenting, I’ve discovered agreat multitude of little techniqueadjustments that make all the differenceto my being able to train this favoritemovement pain free.

3. One arm dumbbell row: 5 x 54. Alternate hammer curl: 3 x 8

Barbell curls produced elbow and wristpain. Hammer curls don’t produce either,and allow me to use more weight.

5. Barbell side bend: 3 x 8Using the barbell allowed me to keep theweight closer to my sides, and forced meto slow down my repetitions in order tokeep the bar balanced.

6. Lying L-fly: 3 x 8

All sets are listed, including warmups,with the final set being the work set.

The commentary in italics indicatesthings I’ve learned over time while tailoringmy workouts to fit my needs.

After Day One I rest 2–4 days, dependingon where I am in a cycle. I cycle poundagesover time now, rather than train all out all thetime; and I extend cycles for as long as I cankeep adding small weight increments.

Day Two1. Sumo deadlift 5 x 5

I was unable to deadlift without pain forquite some time. It took me nearly twoyears to become pain free with thismovement and resume deadlifting again. Ihad to take a long layoff from lower-body

work (due to an accident that was nottraining related) and modify my stance andthe height from which I was deadlifting.(My 1-inch hole plates lowered my barbellseveral inches, causing me to to sink toodeep to begin the lift.)

2. Pullup: 5 x 53. Standing shoulder press: 5 x 5

Shoulder pressing is my main upper-bodypressing movement, and has been since Iwas able to do heavy upper-body pressingmovements following my shoulder injurydiscussed in my last article.

4. Alternate hammer curl: 3 x 85. Crunch situp: 3 x 8

Higher-rep crunches produced little inthe way of results and were mentallyboring, making workouts a chore.

6. Standing L-fly: 3 x 8I added this exercise just a few weeks ago,on a trial basis, to evaluate its effects.

Following Day Two, I again rest 2–4 daysbefore training again.

Over the years I’ve incorporated anumber of changes in form for eachmovement, as I learned more about applyingweight-training technique and my body’sabilities and needs.

“Why should I bother doing anotherexperiment?” you ask. Because it takes a longtime to find out what your body and, just asimportantly, your mind, respond best to. Also,in order to determine the true effects of achange in your training program, you mustchange only one thing at a time and then trythat change out for long enough to see results.Changing one thing at a time, for twelve weeksbefore changing anything else, will take awhile, as there are multiple training variablesconcerned, and your responses change as youdevelop and age. Hence experimenting is notsomething that you do once as a beginner andend up with a routine to last you for life, butrather something that will go on for the lengthof your training life to find out the mostproductive and enjoyable training methods foryou as your body changes through time. HH

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What’s the best training and nutritionplan regarding hard-gainer mass-gainingstrategies? How do I get enough food togain muscle without getting fat?

Training1) Pick 3–6 major movements. Theseinclude squats, deadlifts, chins, dips,benches, rows, leg presses, overhead presses,shrugs, and variants on these movements. Becertain that in those 3–6 movements youinclude at least one and at most two each of:

a) squat, deadlift, or leg pressb) bench press, dip, or overhead pressc) chin or row

While it may not work a large percentageof your muscle mass, a movement for theabdominals is suggested.

2) Follow almost any protocol suggested inthis magazine. The key is progressivelyadding resistance. Read our column in issue#56 for some additional pointers on this.

Diet1) Drink enough water so that you havefive good sized and clear urinations perday. Make sure that your last twourinations before sleep meet this standard.

2) Eat two servings of fruit and threeservings of vegetables daily, plus one servingof either for every 20 pounds you weigh over100 pounds (one serving for every 9 kilosyou weigh over 45 kilos), every day.

3) Get 0.8 grams of protein for every poundof bodyweight, every day.

4) Get a minimum of 50 grams of fat,predominantly from sources such as oliveoil, fatty fish, and seeds, every day.

5) Keep a food diary for a week, and usethe average caloric intake as your currentmaintenance caloric requirement. To thisadd 100 calories, and make it a point toconsume that amount daily for a week.After a week, add another 100 calories toyour daily intake, and maintain this for aweek. Continue this process until you candetect an increase in bodyfat. This isprobably best done by purchasing aninexpensive caliper and taking skin foldmeasurements. Don’t bother with thecharts that are typically included; just beconsistent in where and how you measurethe skin folds. An increasing skin foldmeans increasing bodyfat.

6) When you find the intake at which youstart to gain fat, then maintain that caloricintake until you can detect a decrease inbodyfat by the same method. Remember,as you add muscle you increase yourcaloric requirements, so what was toomany calories will become too few caloriesif your program is working.

7) Repeat the process of bumping up yourcalories. Using this pattern you’re unlikelyto gain much bodyfat, reducing theproblems of bulking followed by dieting.

Please suggest a routine for an ultra hardgainer trying to lose 20 pounds of fat.

If you’re an ultra hard gainer, putting onmuscle should be your highest priority.Muscle is the one thing you can add to yourbody that will cause it to use more calories.Unfortunately we can’t add brain tissue (thebrain is the other great user of energy). Soyour routine should center around squats,deadlifts and other major movements, andyou should seek to become as strong as

ISSUE #61: JULY-AUGUST 1999

QUESTIONS & ANSWERSBy Rich Rydin & Dave Maurice

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possible on them. In other words, the bestroutine you could use to gain muscle is thebest routine for you now.

To reduce your bodyfat while on thislifting regimen, transform your diet. Getthe protein, essential fatty acids, water andproduce your body requires, and eliminatejunk foods, refined grains, sodas andalcohol. Read Lyle McDonald’s column formore detail. Since you’re an ultra hardgainer, you probably should not reduceyour caloric intake. Build the muscle,refine your diet, and most of all, be patient.

How do you maintain progress orminimize losses when incapacitated dueto injury or illness?

Get healthy again first. You have a lifetimeof lifting to enjoy, so don’t get stressedabout dropping a few pounds on yourpersonal max during an injury or illnesstime out. Try putting the energy spentworrying about the lost gym days intogetting healthy again. If you’ve attainedspecific strength levels before, why shouldit suddenly become impossible to repeatthe feat after you’re healthy again?

One thing you should be careful aboutis gaining an excessive amount of bodyfatduring the timeout. This baggagerepresents a double whammy upon yourreturn to the gym, and can causepsychological feelings of loss which maybe more difficult to deal with than simplydropping 30 pounds on the squat.

How long should one wait between setsfor different exercises?

One shouldn’t wait between sets orexercises in the gym. When one set iscompleted, then you should be doingwhatever is necessary for you to be readyto perform your next set or exercise. Thatmight include changing weights, putting

away the weights you’ve just used andsetting up for your next movement,spotting your partner, getting a drink ofwater, or even stretching.

When I squat or leg press it always worksmy hamstrings and glutes more than myquads. How can I hit my quads harder?

You may be rounding your back or leaningforward. Work on improving the flexibilityof your hamstrings and calves, followingthe guidelines given in our article in issue#30 and our column in issue #59. Makesure your leg muscles are warm via somelow to moderate exertion, and then stretchthese groups prior to squatting.

How do you achieve balanced developedaround joints?

Work all muscle groups about a particularjoint in a consistent manner. We discussedthis subject at some length in an article inissue #30, and Chuck Clark devoted anarticle to this topic in issue #48. We suggestthat you read those two articles andincorporate the suggestions found there.

My digestive system will not toleratesolid food every few hours, so I have torely on a lot of liquid food. But thisresults in several bathroom visits duringthe night. How can I get the nutrition Ineed without messing up my sleep?

We suggest that you seek the counsel of aphysician. When we read that yourdigestive system will not tolerate solidfood every few hours, we suspected thateither you have a physical problem whichmerits medical attention, or that you havedeveloped some psychosomatic response.In either case, this is outside the bounds ofhealthy human variation.

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Can training be organized to help controlhigh blood pressure? Is weight liftingcompatible with high blood pressure?

Weight training is not a recognized causeof high blood pressure, but during trainingblood pressure does increase, anddramatically so during high exertion.Individuals who have high blood pressureshould see their physician to determine thecause of that particular condition, andthereby establish what’s permissible andwhat’s not recommended prior tocommencing a physical exercise regimenof any kind.

One piece of advice that’s sometimesnot passed on to those with high pressure isthat proper breathing during eachrepetition is critical. Leave your mouthopen during each set, and your body willhandle the breathing without consciouseffort on your part.

How can the metabolism be“stimulated” or “raised,” and whoshould seek such a thing?

For most of us, metabolism, or the rate atwhich energy is used by the body, scalesvery well with the amount of lean bodymass we carry. There’s a very slowreduction with age—3% per decade—on aper pound basis, and any variationsbetween the sexes is inconsequential. For atleast 99% of us, our bodyfat levels can becorrelated very well with how much leanbody mass we have, how active we are, andhow much we eat.

Probably the only people who shouldseek to raise their metabolism (on a perpound of lean body mass basis) are thosewho have managed to disturb their body’snatural usage by some form of starvationdiet. The rest of us who read thismagazine are working to gain lean bodymass, and we should see our caloricrequirements rise accordingly.

Which one exercise is “best” for forearmdevelopment?

Our pick would be the wrist roller variantdescribed by Joe Begin in issue #44. It’smore effective than conventional wristrolling, and is safer and more effectivethan wrist curls.

How can you test chest and backstrength to ensure that there’s not amuscle imbalance?

There are two easy methods of testing thateverybody should be able to do. One is tosimply compare strength levels for chestand back movements. You should be able toperform dumbbell rows using a ’bell equalto 40% or better of your bench weight, forequal reps. The second is simply to take alook at your shoulders. If they are naturallypulled forward, you need to work onstrengthening the muscles between theshoulder blades with dumbbell rows andrearward shrugs, and stretching your pecs.

Is it possible to gain muscle while at thesame time diet to lose fat?

For those who have not yet gained muchmuscle this is not unusual, but the moreadvanced you get, or the leaner you get, themore difficult it becomes. The moreadvanced you get, the harder it is to addnew muscle, and it’s made more difficultwhile consuming just enough calories tomaintain your lean body mass. The leaneryou are, the more difficult it is to dropbodyfat, and if you keep your food intake ata low enough level to make fat losspossible, it’s very hard to add muscle.

If you have a fair amount of bodyfat andhave not yet made much progress with theweights, you should follow a basicproductive lifting regimen, focussing ongetting very strong in the big movements.

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Simply refine your diet, cutting out soda,refined grains, packaged foods, and drinklots of water. In most cases this will put youwell on the way to the body you seek.

If you’re fairly strong already and wantto trim bodyfat, the above plan will stillwork for you, but it will be a slow process.More than likely you will find it lessfrustrating to concentrate on one goal at atime. At all times you should focus ongaining strength in your big lifts, but followthe plan for adjusting caloric intake whichwe described earlier in this column.

Building muscle tissue is the best long-term solution to weight control, for a verysimple reason. Muscle tissue requiresenergy to maintain it, while adipose tissuestores energy. It’s usually much easier todetermine whether you need additionalfood intake to maintain muscle mass than itis to determine if you need less caloricintake to keep fat deposits under control.One reason for this is that the feedbackloops have quite different time constantsfor these two situations. It’s generallyeasier to monitor the effects of anycorrective actions on your diet by using asshort a feedback loop as possible. Peopletend to tire quickly of dietary “programs,”and any disruption such as a trip out oftown or a holiday binge can interfere withyour experiment. By taking the approach ofensuring that you provide sufficientcalories to maintain your muscle tissue, youshould find it’s easier to monitor and makecorrective actions than waiting to see ifyou’ve put on a few more pounds ofblubber over the winter.

I’ve developed varicose veins below myknees which are very painful. Can yougive me any tips which will enable me tocarry on training?

You should consult with your physician, asvaricose veins can be indicative of moreserious problems. There are dietary and even

activity modifications which can improveyour condition. Be sure to involve yourdoctor in a discussion about the specifics,and to ask a lot of questions. Don’t play therole of the passive patient that accepts adiagnosis and prescription without gaining afull understanding. Good luck.

Are 15-rep squats just as effective as20-rep squat? My back holds up betteron the former even though I use moreweight for comparable intensity?

They can be. The magic isn’t in the repcount, but in the quality of yourperformance and in the effort delivered. Butwe have to question what you mean aboutyour back not holding up, and we don’twant to give you an excuse to quit early.

Doing 20-rep squats properly can be avery uncomfortable experience. In fact,most people look for an excuse to quit early.The most common one is “my lower back isaching.” Now, of course, you don’t want toget injured. Nothing is worth that. But nomatter how good you get at this, no matterhow strong you get at this, your lower backis going to ache near the end of the set. Infact, it’s quite common for people who getgood at this to have their backs ache near theend of the set, and yet it’s their quads thatache for the next couple of days. The reasonthe back aches is the near-isometric themuscles there must maintain; it’s abiochemical effect, not the result of injury.Usually this starts at right around 13–15reps, so it isn’t surprising to have somebodyask if they can stop at 15 reps.

On the other hand, it would be ratherfoolish of you to ignore your lower back.You never want to push through pain unlessyou know that the pain is not from injury. Ifyou’re like most people who haven’tproductively done 20-rep squats, you can’ttell what ache is normal and what ache isindicative of injury. So here’s what you cando to learn for yourself what the normal

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ache of 20-rep squats feels like, and todevelop the ability to cope with that ache.

Go ahead and put the bar away early thefirst time you try 20-rep squats, when yourback starts to ache. When your back feelsnormal again, a few minutes later, you’llknow that you quit early. Next time, push acouple reps beyond where you stopped thefirst time. Repeat. Eventually you’ll be ableto complete the set, getting all 20 reps andmore. By first learning what’s normal, youwill be better able to tell later if somethingabnormal takes place. There are those whoignore all pain and end up with a lot of it, soif you don’t know how to tell what’sdamaging, and what’s simply normalsuffering, try this progressive approach.

Be progressive in learning to push toyour limit; you don’t need to do it on the firstday. It’s probably safer for you to slowlywork up to it, as you will be less prone tolosing form and control as you develop yourdiscipline (see our column in issue #56).

Any of the conditions which are badfor squats in general will be magnifiedduring 20-rep squats, because the set lastsso long. If your hamstrings are too tight,you’ll have difficulty maintaining properback position as you squat (see ourcolumn in issue #59 for details). Tightcalves, too heavy a weight, descending toofast, and an improper stance can all resultin rounding your back in an effort to reachfull depth. Tired quads from the first 15reps, and fear, can make people try tocomplete the rep without bending theirknees all the way, so they use their backsto finish lowering the weight. Tight pecswill start you with a rounded upper back,and if you fail to keep the chest high forevery rep, it will be hard on your back.

The list goes on, but the solution to anyof these is to correct the problem, not toavoid 20-rep squats simply because theproblem becomes noticeable as a result ofthe longer set duration.

While we’re on the topic, here’ssomething that people tend to do when they

try to get past the “back ache” problem.They will hesitate to lower themselvesproperly. In a way this is almost funny. Onevery other rep they lower themselves totheir bottom position, and nothing verytraumatic happens. So why hesitate? If theyaren’t able to come back up, so what? Theyshould have got the catch bars in place, andmaybe they’ve even got their partners thereto help them off the bottom—so go for it!

After failing at the bottom a couple oftimes, and realizing that it’s really no moretraumatic than failing at the bottom in anyother movement, some people will find yetanother way to end the discomfort—theywill lower the bar to the pins and proclaimthey have failed. You can recognize thismethod of quitting by noticing how the hipswill seem to lose tension on the way down,just a couple inches above the bottom. In alegitimate failure, the spotter will be able tohelp you get through the sticking point, andin fact you might get a couple of these“maybe” reps in the squat, before you reachthe point when you and your partnertogether can’t raise the weight.

Parts of this answer appeared in adifferent form at http://www.cyberpump.com/hitstuff/tothelimit2.html. We thank the webmaster atCyberpump for allowing us to use thismaterial here.

Please send questions for answering in thiscolumn to HARDGAINER Q&A, P.O. Box20390, CY-2151 Nicosia, Cyprus.

We’re receiving more questions than wecan answer in this column. As much aspossible we will combine similar questions,or simply answer questions we considerrepresentative. Many subjects have alreadybeen covered in previous issues of thiscolumn. Those of you with internet accesscan visit the HARDGAINER web site atwww.hardgainer.com where back issues ofthis column are being posted.

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Those ubiquitous lifting beltsA competitive powerlifter benefits from thewide, thick belt he or she wears while makinga maximum squat attempt because that beltcan help to increase the intra-abdominalpressure, thus providing added support to thevertebral column. The Olympic-styleweightlifter might benefit from a belt whileholding a heavy jerk overhead, with the beltserving to give some support and remindinghim to maintain proper back and hip position.But a bodybuilder wearing a belt?

A lifting belt is a part of almosteveryone’s gym attire. There’s alongstanding belief that the typical belt givessupport to the low back region during aworkout, and that you would have to befoolish to squat, deadlift, press or do anyother “heavy” movement without one. This,like most gym myths, is far from the truth.To truly give support to the lumbar spine, thebelts would have to be cinched quite tightly,certainly to the point of discomfort,something which is done by competitivepowerlifters. If you watch these individuals,however, it’s quickly apparent that theyloosen or unhitch the belt between setsbecause if it’s tight enough to actually lendsupport, then it’s certainly too tight tobreathe comfortably or move the torso in anormal manner. Also, the support that’sgained, as noted in the opening paragraph,comes from what might be seen by the layperson as the production of a column of airwhich helps to support the front of the spine,not the musculature of the low back.

In most cases, the use of a lifting beltserves no purpose other than to accentuateone’s V-shaped taper. Few bodybuilderswear them tightly enough to serve any real

supportive purpose, as indicated by theirability to wear them throughout the entireworkout without altering their tightness. Inmost instances, the belt inhibits properbreathing or body motion, limiting exerciseeffectiveness, especially in manymovements in which stress on the lowback/abdominal region is minimal.

The greatest disadvantage of wearing abelt is the inhibition of strength developmentin many of the torso-supporting muscles.The slight support given by a thin, gym-typebelt in squats for instance, isn’t enough toprevent injury if one loses proper liftingposition, but will inhibit the development ofmany of the fixators and synergisticmuscles, leading to a condition where theseall important muscles are not as strong asthey should be. This is a condition ofweakness that can lead to eventual injury tothe low back or oblique region, injuryserious enough to lose training time.

For most bodybuilders, the belt is anunnecessary part of the lifting uniform,one that serves to help a bit indemonstrating strength and that soughtafter “barn-door lat” look, but does littleto help you build strength.

Common sense and those‘’new’’ training programsDespite the recent influx of Sovietinfluenced approaches to powerliftingtraining, common sense will dictate theoptimal number of times that one shouldsquat, deadlift, bench press or train perweek. Most lifters are more than willing toabdicate the responsibility of their ownjudgement to a “higher authority,”believing that there is one, or perhaps a fewroutines that hold the answer to a statechampionship or an Elite ranking. As soon

THE STEEL TIPA Newsletter for Strength and FitnessBy Dr. Ken E. Leistner

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as POWERLIFTING USA, MUSCLE & FITNESS, orIRON MAN magazines reach the newsstands,they are scrutinized for a training programthat will tell the lifter what they should doand how they should do it. You would thinkthat the lifters who are reading thisinformation, and immediately changing theirroutines would, after some reasonable lengthof time, know better; but their lack ofconsistent, long-term progress on almost anytype of routine makes them easy targets foranyone presenting an article that eithersounds as if it has validity, or has beenendorsed by a “name” lifter.

Most lifters are average lifters bydefinition, despite each individual’sperception that they have something withinthem that will allow them to stand above thecrowd. Standing above any crowd isrelative, for a male or female with a 400-pound squat is beyond the imagination of theman or woman in the street, yet that liftermay see him/herself as a “pitiful” competitorwhen making comparisons to Ed Coan,Dave Jacoby, or any of our other champions.This perceived “weakness” or inability toachieve a goal—which may, in reality, be farbeyond any physical or psychologicalpossibility—can serve as a worthwhilemotivating factor, but more commonlyresults in the creation of unnecessaryfrustration which leads to a quest, perhapsmonthly for some, for the routine that willunleash supposed hidden powers.

After two or three years of training, mostlifters, if they were critically honest,perceptive, and truly aware of their owntraining, as opposed to their training mates’perception of their training, would have avery good idea of what was and was notworking for them. In most cases, a lack ofprogress in any particular lift or assistancemovement stems not from an “unscientificapproach to training,” but an inability totrain hard enough, or consistent overtraining,or a combination of both. As simple as itsounds, this will never be acceptable to thevast majority of serious trainees because of its

simplicity, and the obvious implication thatone is not governing their own trainingefficaciously. It’s more acceptable to seek outa pseudo-scientific answer for what usually isa lack of common sense.

For every lifter who makes greatprogress with one of the “new” Russian-typeprograms, six will get stale, become injured,or make as much or as little progress as theyhad on previous programs. For those who dowell, the underlying reason will be moreclosely related to the fact that the programcaused them to work harder, at a higher levelof intensity, and/or with more opportunityfor recovery that a previously used program.For those who don’t do well, it will be dueto a continuation of the usual factors that hadbrought previous failures.

A close look at the newly publishedprograms reveals that they call for basicmovements using easily availableequipment, and that one must train hard andconsistently. Of course, the authors havesaid a heck of a lot more, cloaking this“new” approach in a shroud of technicalexplanation, but the bottom line is that thosewho come to the program with the need forharder work than they were previously doingwill probably do well, at least until they areovertrained on the routine. The many morewho will do no better and no worse than theyhad previously done will do so for themyriad physical and psychological reasonsthat have always held them back.

Before jumping on the bandwagon of“Lifting Science,” look to yourself. Doesyour distaste for certain exercises preventyou from working as hard as you really needto in order to make progress which isconsistent with your genetic and physicalabilities? Are you one of those lifters whowants more than anything to win a nationaltitle, but just can’t seem to find the time orenergy to plan sensible meals ahead of timeand get adequate rest? Do the problems ofschool, employment or interpersonalrelationships constantly provide distractionsor emotional valleys that prevent you from

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focusing properly on each and every set youdo in the gym? Do you have an underlyingfear of actually lifting that weight which hasdominated your thoughts for so manymonths or years? Is your lack of confidencesuch, despite a state title and enoughtrophies to fill the average living room, thatyou’ll always defer to someone with areputation as a knowledgeable trainer, andalter your programs accordingly?

Most lifters have the potential to go farbeyond their current plateaus. Most have avery good understanding of their own liftingneeds and requirements for progress, butfind themselves swayed by training partners,local “experts,” and the authors who arepublished monthly. When one of my patientsrecently asked me about training “tips” toincrease his 500-pound bench press, donedrug-free at a bodyweight of approximately260 pounds, the best advice I could give himwas to “continue to do what you’re doing.”

Although some of his training ideascorresponded closely with mine, some didnot. However, considering that this man hadobviously progressed to the point that hewas able to complete a lift that must beclose to his maximum potential in the benchpress, and he was both successful andcomfortable with what he was doing, andbecause he had never been injured whiletraining this lift, Ifelt that there was noreason to have him alter his approach.

For years he has used the same bench pressscheme of sets and reps, and assistanceexercises—essentially since he began histraining. Every muscle that’s involved in thislift is as fully developed as I imagine he will beable to develop them, and his bodyfatpercentage is reasonable for a man of his size.Tips from me? In this case, common sensewould dictate that this fellow continue on hiscourse until he has reached his limits,something he may have already done. As longas he was not obviously overtraining the lift,the “answer” to his training query was areliance on his own knowledge of self, perhapsthe most forgotten aspect of modern training.

More advice for improving the gripI believe that hand and forearm training isa neglected aspect of most lifters’programs, and one that brings aboutlimitations when training every one of thelifts and assistance exercises. In addition tothe suggestions made in Volume 1,Number 2 of THE STEEL TIP , I have furtherrecommendations for improving one’sability to hold onto those limit deadlifts.

Every home should provide theopportunity to hang from an overhead baror pipe. Older homes usually have a fewpipes that are secure enough to hold theweight of a man or woman who weighs inexcess of 200 pounds, and the many“doorway chinning bars” can be securedwith additional braces. As easily as achild’s climbing apparatus is placed in abackyard, one can substitute a bar that’ssuitable to hang from.

If possible, put the bar inside the house,and make it a point to hang from it, for aminimum of 30 seconds to one minute everytime you walk by it. If placed in a part of thehouse that receives a lot of foot traffic, thismay cause a problem, but the bar should beapproached at least a half dozen times perday, grasped, and hung from whilecompletely straightening the arms (whichmay require that you flex the legs). At leastonce per day, hang for five consecutiveminutes. This is not as easy as it sounds,especially if you are in a heavier weightclass, or if your bar is more than one and onehalf inches in diameter, which it should be.In fact, if two bars can be erected, oneshould be at least two inches or more indiameter, and should be hung from threetimes per week, again for up to five minutes.

Most lifters will have to increase their“hang time” progressively, beginning with30 seconds and adding 5–10 seconds everyother day, until they can hang for fiveconsecutive minutes. Once a five minutehang becomes comfortable, strap weightonto the body via a belt that hangs from the

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shoulders or waist. When you can hang forfive minutes while attached to 100 pounds ofadditional resistance, your grip will haveimproved. The “incidental” moments ofhanging when passing the overhead barduring the course of the usual day or eveningshould not be forgotten, as the consistency intraining serves a valuable purpose.

The wrist roller exercise, with a pipe cutfrom 2–3 inches stock, with the elbowstucked in close to the body, and the upperarms perpendicular to the floor, should bedone two or three days per week, withheavy weight. I keep a three-inch diameterpipe by the side of my bed, and make surethat I roll it in a forward and posteriormanner at least once daily, in addition tomy regularly scheduled forearm and handworkouts. I justify this by noting that myprofession requires that my hands andforearms be very strong and resilient, but Ialso enjoy knowing that there are very fewjars that Icannot open! These two verysimple exercises can add appreciably toone’s ability to hold onto those heavydeadlifts, and add to the poundages used inevery other exercise.

Working the synergistsOne reader of THE STEEL TIP writes: “Afrequent criticism of Nautilus machines isthat they don’t work the synergistic musclesinvolved in balancing, etc., I’d like to seeyour views on this.”

This is a criticism leveled at all machines,with “free weights” advocates claiming thatthe muscles needed to balance a barbell andstabilize the joints during any particular liftdon’t receive stimulation when usingmachines. This claim is at once true and false.

Assuming that the trainee performs anyparticular exercise properly and at highlevels of intensity, any machine, barbell,dumbbell or other means of providingresistance will in fact stimulate thosemuscles needed to move the resistancethrough a range of motion. However, theguided resistance of a machine does not

require the same effort to control the weighton any particular movement, thus, there’ssome truth that the fixators and otherstabilizing muscles might, dependent uponthe movement and the machine design,receive some degree of decreased work.

The important question is, “Will the useof machines hinder your progress andincreases in strength levels in the threecompetitive lifts?” If one trains intensively onthe lifts, a necessity if one plans to do themcompetitively, and learns the skills of the liftswhile utilizing heavy weights, assistancework can be done with Nautilus or any othermachine without hampering progress. In fact,progress may be boosted due to the relativedegree of decreased work on the major jointsthat machine work will provide.

There’s no way that one can trainexclusively on machines and then attempt tobench press or deadlift a heavy barbell. Infact, this initially gave machines a “bad rap”in the competitive lifting community. Wellknown record holders jumped on theNautilus bandwagon, trained for a“reasonable” period of time on themachines, and then attempted to squat,bench press or deadlift without having donethe lifts or handled a heavy barbell inperhaps two months. Others used a barbell,doing one or two sets of 10–12 reps, andthen attempted a heavy triple or single,without success. This should have beentotally expected, as the physical andpsychological skills of making very heavyattempts need to be practiced. Just as a verybig, strong, and fast individual may not be acompetent football player due to a lack offootball skills, one can become extremelystrong and not be able to demonstrate thatstrength via the three lifts, especially if thethree lifts have not been performed whilehandling very heavy weights.To be continued in the next issue.

Reprinted with permission from the Vol. 2,No. 1, January 1986 and Vol 2, No. 2,February 1986 issues of THE STEEL TIP.

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When I first started to deadlift(about a year ago), I found it to bea great “ego” exercise—one

where I could lift reasonably large weights,without a lot of concern for “technique.”(After all, deadlifting is not brain surgery,it’s something we do all the time at work andat home.) I got a big surprise, though, whenI began an abbreviated training program,and dropped my five-sets three-times-a-week routine—the weights I could liftstarted going up fast, and the deadlift nolonger seemed so simple. I beganencountering a myriad of problems thathadn’t occurred with the lower weights. Oneby one, I had to overcome those obstacles, tocontinue making progress on the lift. So, forthose readers new to the deadlift, I offer mysuggestions for overcoming the common“beginners” obstacles.

Obstacle #1: Too much backTo begin with I could really feel it in my lowback for days after lifting. But because I wasa novice at the deadlift, and not yet usingenough load to be causing back soreness, Iknew I was doing something wrong. I didn’tsignificantly improve on the deadlift until Istopped thinking of it as a back exercise andstarted treating it as a leg exercise (onewhich happens to work the back as well).But even then, I had trouble putting thetheory into practice. I was very careful at myinitial setup, to keep the hips above theknees and the shoulders above the hips, butas the set progressed I would still put mostof the stress on my back.

Finally, I broke the code after seeing avideo of another lifter, whose form was

degrading toward the end of a 20-rep set,and then a video of myself (with formdegrading after the very first rep). Theproblem occurred, not when raising theweight, but when lowering it. There’s anatural tendency to lower the weight byleaning forward, instead of bending at boththe hips and the knees. This alone putsextra stress on the back; but it also sets upa pattern of rapidly-degrading form,because it doesn’t return the lifter to thecorrect starting position.

I overcame this tendency by treatingeach rep as a single. I now return to mysetup position on every rep—consciouslypausing at the bottom to re-set, beforelifting again. This puts the load in the rightplace, poised for a lift using the legs morethan the back. And it helps establish mygroove, to ensure that I lower the weightthe same way that I raised it.

Obstacle #2: Grip failureOnce I got my form in order, and could feelmy legs doing some work, I faced anotherobstacle: I couldn’t hold the bar long enoughto come anywhere close to muscle failure inthe legs. My hands would ache, my calluseswould tear, and my enthusiasm forcompleting a 15-rep set would peter out bythe tenth rep. So, rather than return to usinggloves, or learn how to use thosecomplicated-looking wrist straps, I set out toimprove my grip.

As many hard gainers already know, gripwork is extremely gratifying, since theimprovement from an untrained grip to evena modestly-trained grip is dramatic! Andincorporating specific grip work into myroutines (particularly the farmer’s walk withdumbbells, and hanging for time from a

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chinup bar) definitely helped my deadlift.Further improvements occurred, when Iswitched my grip technique from both-hands-pronated to an alternating grip—onehand pronated and the other supinated. Sincethis grip is asymmetrical, I alternate whichhand is pronated, from one workout to thenext. I’ve also found the hook grip—fingersclosed over the thumbs—to be useful,particularly for stiff-legged deadlifts.

Obstacle #3: ExhaustionA 15–20 rep set of any exercise will raisemy heart and breathing rates; and with aheavy exercise like the deadlift, I wouldget too exhausted and breathless tocontinue a set past 15. The solution to thisproblem turned out to be very simple:breathing only when necessary. This issupposed to be deadlifting, not some kindof cardio trauma test. It’s not necessary tohold that bar at the top of the lift, whilegasping for an extra breath.

I now take as many breaths as I wantbetween reps. I set the bar down whentaking an extra breath, and even stand upbetween reps if necessary. This not onlyforestalls the breathless exhaustion, butprovides some relief to extend my gripendurance, as well.

Obstacle #4: Mental mistakesOnce I’d conquered the physical hurdles toproductive deadlifting, I found a wholeseparate category of obstacles—the mentalmistakes that could ruin a set of deadlifts assurely as muscle failure could. If I becamedistracted or discouraged on the first orsecond rep, the entire set might be doomedto an early cut-off.

Distractions were easy to minimize, if Ijust took the time to turn up the radio, takethe phone off the hook, and lock the spousein the garage. I would also take a moment toverify the bar was properly loaded,determine which hand should be pronated,and pull up my socks far enough to protectmy shins. Then I could start the set with the

knowledge that nothing short of anearthquake was going to distract me.

But even without any distractions, therewas no guarantee that I wouldn’t getdiscouraged early into the set by questioningmy choice of rep schemes, doubting if I’dreally taken enough recovery time,wondering how I ever expected to completethis workout if I’d barely managed a lesserweight last week, and re-negotiating my 15-rep target down to something perhaps moremanageable. These kinds of obstacles couldonly be overcome by mental counter-tacticsduring the set—not just convincing myselfthat I was strong enough to lift the bar, butthat I was tough enough to finish the set.This was hard work, not heroics; and themental tactics had to be tailored accordingly.

At the opposite end of the spectrum fromdiscouragement was overconfidence.Whenever I completed a particularly goodset of deadlifts, I confidently raised theweight for the very next workout. This is notnecessarily a mistake for all lifters, but itwas a mistake for me, because it killed allmy momentum for weeks to come. Anincrease of a mere few pounds might dropme back to half my target reps—this isenough to demolish that new-foundconfidence, until I could work back up to mytarget reps. Psychologically, I found it wasmuch better to stay at a given weight forseveral workouts, to build up the confidentfeeling that attaining my target reps wasn’tjust a one-time fluke.

SummaryAll lifters will have their own individual“beginners” obstacles to discover, face, andconquer. Surmounting those obstacles willnot make them into champion-classpowerlifters overnight (at least, it didn’twork that way for me). But it will clear theway for the more meaningful challenge ofdeadlifting: increasing weight on the barand/or the number of reps, and allowing fortruly productive workouts with thisextremely beneficial exercise. HH

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Abad shoulder is a guarantee ofpainful training, assuming trainingis even possible—as anyone who

has suffered through it will testify. In myclinic I’ve perhaps treated more shoulderinjuries and related syndromes thananything else among the weight trainingcommunity, and more often than not, theserips, tears and tender spots have thecapacity of becoming permanent monkeyson the back, so to speak.

Rob, a big guy who owns a gym inIreland, came to my clinic for a typicalthing: “Something’s wrong with my bench.”

“What,” I asked.“I can’t bench press! It hurts too much.

In fact, so does behind-the-neck pressing,and curling; and I can’t even rack the bar tosquat without my shoulders hurting.”

What was his problem? I had to figure itout. “How long have you had it,” I asked.

His answer, “I don’t know,” is all tootypical among patients with the problemRob had. Rob had injured his rotator cuff,and he was suffering on account of severalmistakes he had made.

The first mistake was his choice ofexercises. Actually, Rob is veryconscientious about his exercise form, butit was the behind-the-neck presses thatcaused the first injury. Better to have usedthe military press because it does not strainthe structures of the shoulder like thebehind-neck version does.

He also did the overstretching versionof pullups for a time—where some peopleadvocate relaxing the shoulders while at thedead hang position. Error number two.

He kept benching and benching, evenwhen his strength dropped due to hisinability to stabilize the bar. At times the

“strange feeling” caused him to squirm onthe bench to try to recruit other muscles toenable him to complete the lift. Thismisjudgment made matters worse.

He finally came in for evaluation afterhis curling was affected, and racking thesquat bar caused him pain as well. By thenhis condition was chronic.

Shoulder problems all too commonly,and needlessly, afflict weight trainers—andusually deal with the rotator cuff,sometimes the acromioclavicular joint atthe far end of the collar bone and shoulder,or less often the sternoclavicular jointwhere the collar bone joins the chest.

We’ll look at the cuff, and if I can’tpersuade you not to ruin yours in the firstplace, I’ll try to tell you when to seek care,and what to do if a cuff problem is alreadyone of your weight-lifting war wounds.

How does it feel, this rotator cuff injury,and what is a rotator cuff? Answering inreverse order, the rotator cuff is a set ofmuscles that, in most anatomical positions,rotate the shoulder outward, as though youwere doing a backhand in tennis, or goingto backslap a fool who teaches you methodsof exercising that will damage you.Baseball pitchers put a huge stress on thesemuscles at the top of their wind up, whenthe arm is far cocked back.

There are four muscles here: the SITSmuscles, i.e., supraspinatus, infraspinatus,teres minor and subscapularis. All of theseare connected to the shoulder blade andattach to the back part of the upper arm.Think of them like rubber bands, or perhapstent ropes, each pulling at a different angle,countering the pecs and lats, all in adynamic and hopefully balancedequilibrium. It’s often the lack of balancedequilibrium that predisposes an individualto an injury in the first place.

SHOULDER PAINBy Gregory Steiner, DC

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What are the symptoms you shouldknow? The obvious is that bench pressingprobably hurts—somewhere “in there,”maybe deep, that’s hard to put a finger on.Doing behind-the-neck anything hurts aswell. Remember, any type of behind-neckwork is a risky proposition even for healthyshoulders—why not just use in-front-of-the-head presses and chins in the firstplace? What’s the benefit of “greaterisolation” if you end up not being able to dothe motion at all?

Another symptom is that you might findyourself squirming a lot when you try torack the bar in the squat, and your armmight feel “dead” after so doing. Curls canhurt in the shoulder as well. Somewhere inyour overhead pressing you might feel anextremely painful “catch” that’s somewhatalleviated by twisting the arm this way andthat. At times, just holding a dumbbell atyour side, and slightly relaxing the shoulderso the ’bell drops an inch, hurts too.

A big test is to lie on your back asthough you were “crucified,” bend yourelbow 90 degrees so that your fist points tothe ceiling, then using your elbow as thepivot point, lower your fist to the floor atyour side, then up by your head. Probablyone or both of these motions will at best bestiff, and at worst be nearly impossible.Another test is to try and cross your arm infront of your face with your elbow at yourmouth—elbow high, hand low. Finally, seehow it is to reach back for your wallet andtry and raise your hand up your back.

So, do you have a shoulder problem?Any of these symptoms might mean a

cuff tightness or tear, and there may be

other damaged tissue as well. The usualadmonition is this—anyone can havethese things for a few days from time totime, but if they persist or are severe,there’s a serious problem.

The fundamental and basic rules apply.And let’s use these words as they are reallymeant! “Fundamental and basic” shouldperhaps be translated “indispensable!” andnot “too ordinary to bother with,” just aswith other fundamentals such as eating,breathing and training correctly.

The basic prescription consists of rest—even if it means giving up a favoriteexercise for a time—ice, trigger point workand then rehabilitative and preventativeexercise such as the L-fly and supinecircumductions (big circles done with avery light dumbbell while lying on a benchon your back). And, get professionalintervention if the problem does not getbetter as defined by returning strength,greater natural (no “body English”) rangeof motion, and finally, less pain.

The small muscles of the rotator cuffcan cause endless low-grade pain, or justput a total halt to certain exercises. Both arenearly always preventable if you have thementality and actual courage to do whatyou must, and avoid what you know fullwell you shouldn’t do!

Gregory Steiner, D.C., was born andprofessionally trained in the USA, but isresident in the UK. His chiropracticpractice is at 69 Milngavie Road,Bearsden, Glasgow G61 2DW, Scotland,tel. + 0141-563-7800.

HH

If you like this sample issue of HARDGAINER, and wouldlike to subscribe to the printed edition of the magazine,please visit www.hardgainer.com for more information, orspecifically go to http://www.hardgainer.com/order.htmlto order online. For snail mail, please use the addresseson the contents page of this sample issue (page 3).

ISSUE #61: JULY-AUGUST 1999

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Another of ‘’the deceivers’’In the previous issue I referred to LarryScott, Bob Gadja and Sergio Oliva as justthree of the many men who were behindthe deception which caused untoldfrustration and disappointment for thetraining masses. But those three playedonly a small role in deceiving me, relativeto the havoc Arnold Schwarzeneggerreeked. Sure he inspired millions, but atthe same time he misled millions; and his“instruction” robbed millions of some ofthe best training years of their lives. Theensuing desperation even drove manypeople to turn to steroids in an effort tomake the pseudo training advice work.

Below is an unsolicited letter from areader that probably expresses thesentiments of many of the deceivedmillions. Though we know the score now,endless gullible newcomers to bodybuildingdon’t, and they are going to tread the samewell-worn path of deception and dishonestythat millions of people already have.

– Stuart McRobert

I recently had the opportunity to meetArnold Schwarzenegger and have a copyof his NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MODERN

BODYBUILDING signed. He appeared at thelarge bookstore where I work.

My initial reaction was one ofexcitement. Everyone who lifts weights hasbeen exposed to Arnold and influenced byhim in some way. In books, photographs,magazines and the documentary film“Pumping Iron,” his physique and hisaccomplishments have reached legendarystatus in the bodybuilding world.

Ten years ago I was a naive highschool student laboring under the falsebelief that the closer my training was to

the workouts used by the mainstream, thecloser I would come to looking likeArnold, Franco or Lou. I’m embarrassedto admit that in those days I actually readthe original ENCYCLOPEDIA cover to coverseveral times. At that time I probablywould have given my right arm to have acopy of the ENCYCLOPEDIA signed by theAustrian Oak. It’s not my intent todisparage the achievements of Arnold orhis book. It was a source of inspiration inmy early training days and contains someuseful information. Unfortunately, most ofthe information about training programsincludes completely unrealisticinformation about sets, number ofexercises and training frequency thatwould be harmful to typical trainees.

Several HARDGAINER authors havewritten about the potential pitfalls ofusing gifted bodybuilders and lifters assources of inspiration. The danger is thatin one’s desire to emulate theirachievements, one is tempted to copytheir training methods. I’m no exception;if it was good enough for Mr. Olympia, itwas certainly good enough for me.

Stuart McRobert wrote about this issuewith great clarity in the article “Idols andModels” that appeared in the September1990 issue of IRONMAN magazine.

It has taken years of studyingHARDGAINER magazine to fully grasp thesimplicity of productive, practical weighttraining. Here’s a key example of the shiftin thinking that’s required if one is tooptimize one’s progress: The mantra ofmainstream instruction is “more is better.’This philosophy is the exact opposite ofwhat constitutes proper training advice forthe typical trainee. The HARDGAINERmantra could be summarized as “less ismore.” In other words, one has to find outwhat the smallest amount of weight-

Edited by Stuart McRobert

FORUM

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training exercise is that will stimulategains, and stick to that.

Brief intensive workouts using a fewbig movements to cover the body’s mainstructures is the core of a proper program.One or two little exercises per workout willcover the smaller areas like obliques andcalves. Performing some form of aerobicwork several times a week, and stretchingconsistently, completes the package.Enough rest and nutrition will ensure thatyour efforts in the gym will not be wasted.

Attractive gimmicks and the “perfectroutine” have repeatedly seduced me, onlyto bitterly discover they were a waste ofvaluable training time and energy.

Everyone has to learn for himself theunavoidable truth that the effectivemethods of training are the ones you canuse over the long term, and which willallow you to stay free of injuries.

The proper methods appear to besimplistic to trainees conditioned bydouble split routines, triple drop sets, andpre-exhaustion training. Of course, theirony is that HARDGAINER methods areeffective precisely because they are simpleand straightforward.

In summary, one must apply maximumeffort to a minimum amount of resistanceexercise while satisfying all the out-of-gym factors. This is about all one needs tofollow, to make consistent andconsiderable progress in their training.

In case anyone was wondering if I got acopy of the NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MODERNBODYBUILDING signed, I will tell you what Idid: I skipped the book signing and ordereda copy of BEYOND BRAWN instead.

– Michael Phelps

A sorry state of affairsSince starting Newcastle University,England, I’ve recently begun trainingseriously. I enrolled in the university gymand trained the HARDGAINER way.

When it came to the Easter vacation Iwent home and decided to join the local

gym in order to continue my training.They offered me a free trial for a week,and I jumped at the opportunity.

At my first session I was guidedaround the “health and fitness suite” byone of the personal trainers. Afterspending half an hour on variousmachines I asked when I could start onthe real weights. The answer—when I’dbeen a member for at least a month! Untilthen I’d have to use the machines. Apersonal trainer had to follow me aboutthe whole time, which was supposed tobe helpful. He showed me how toperform exercises, such as the pulldown,where he encouraged me to really rockmy head forwards and bring the bar downon the back of my neck. Even I know thatthis is poor instruction.

I went to this gym once more before Idecided to stop wasting my time. I wasvery disappointed.

Many modern gyms seem obsessedwith personal training, and use it as anexcuse to charge sky-high fees. Iunderstand that these “personal trainers”don’t need any qualifications, at least inEngland. I know a man who has workedas a personal trainer at two of the largestgyms in the area. He laughs about whateasy money it was, especially privatecustomers who could pay £30 per hour forhis “expert” tuition. His qualifications inthis field did not extend beyond theleaflets given out by the management.

Now I’m back at Newcastle I cantrain the way that I want in the universitygym, but I’m at a loss over where totrain in the holidays.

Even the university gym isdisappointing, as there’s no power rack.There are, however, rows and rows ofexpensive, fancy-looking machines!

Over the last month it has beenillustrated to me why most gyms are littlemore than a joke, and a very lucrative onefor those involved.

– Jonathan Smith

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British Grip ChampionshipsThe ninth British Grip Championships willtake place on Saturday July 31, 1999 inStafford, England. There will be fourevents: two-hands pinch lift, one-handvertical bar lift, Weaver stick lift to rear andthe one-hand deadlift using an Olympic bar.There will be three categories ofcompetition: open, intermediate and novice.

For further information, contact DavidHorne, 16 West Close, Stafford ST16 3TG,England, tel. 01785 601903.

From The PitFinding out how much exercise you needand not how much your body can stand isstill the biggest problem most weighttrainees have failed to understand.

In the last week two HARDGAINER

readers have been in touch with me. Bothwere doing workouts that “would kill ahorse” if done in the way “you must” inorder to gain strength and size. On top ofthat they were doing way too much cardiowork. One of them said that his workouttakes him two hours to complete.

If you’re a hard gainer, then workingout for two hours will wear you out.

The strongest man in the history ofThe Pit is Kelvin Hayes. Kelvin has beendrug tested many times, both lie detectorand urine. Plus I’ve watched his gainsover the years and it’s evident to me thathe has never used drugs.

Though Kelvin is not a hard gainer, ifhe trained the way of the two HARDGAINERreaders who contacted me, then he wouldprobably think he was a hard gainer.Kelvin has a 804 squat, 500 bench pressand 695 deadlift.

At this stage, Kelvin never does cardiowork. He could do a little, but very little,as it would cost him strength. Twentyminutes twice a week would be a max.But he does none.

How does Kelvin train? Over the yearsthat I’ve seen him lift, he has had twobasic movements for his upper body, and

they are the bench press and a highincline. At times he has done other work,but his down-to-business movements arethe bench and high incline, done with 8reps and a couple of work sets. He alsodoes deadlifts, squats and leg presses.Other than that, nothing else is even worththe mention. And remember, this is theamount of exercise that does the job forKelvin. This is already less than most hardgainers use. If Kelvin can get the job donewith so little exercise (but done hard), thenhard gainers don’t need more exercise.

About fifteen years ago I trained ateenager called Dan Turpen. Dan was verygifted, with great muscle shape, goodlooks, and tougher than nails. Dan wouldwork as hard as anyone I’d ever seen. Imade it my business to see he workedhard, and I would have a good mantraining with him when I could, to get thebest out of Dan. One such man was JeffSellers, Strength Coach at The Universityof Evansville. Jeff told me, “Every time Iworked with Dan I got sick,” such was theintensity Dan worked with.

Anyway, Dan went on to win theTeenage Mr. USA and along the way heattracted some writers and people from thebodybuilding scene. One such writer askedme about Dan’s program at the time.When I gave him the program—anabbreviated one, of course—the writerlooked at it with horror, and proceeded totell me he would put in the magazine thatDan was working out three days on andone off, which was nothing but a lie.

– Dick Conner

THE ROUND TABLEHere are further excerpts from The RoundTable at www.hardgainer.com

Twenty-rep squatsMost of the people on TRT support 20-repsquats. What’s the advantage of these overa 5 x 5 rep scheme, other than thecardiovascular aspect?

49

Response #1Twenty-rep squats build power bystringing together 20 singles, if yourstabilizers don’t cry “uncle” first; 20-repsquats ensure the leg press machine’spopularity; 20-rep squats stretch the will;20-rep squats leave cool looking sweatand spit drops on your training log; 20-repsquats build muscle the old-fashioned way.

Response #2Twenty-rep squats are extremely good forstimulating muscle growth. The 5 x 5scheme is good for working on strength.Many people alternate them. You can keepa 20-rep cycle going for a long, long timeif you don’t go too fast on adding weight,but eventually you’ll burn out. If you’renot into cycling, that’s often a good timeto switch to a 5 x 5 scheme for a while.

Hard gainer vs no gainerWhen I started training, the term “hardgainer” really didn’t mean anything. Ididn’t have all of the great informationthat we have spreading around now. I onlyhad hogwash out of a number of glossymagazines. I struggled for the first threeyears to put on any noticeable amount ofmuscle. I never experienced that surge ofgains that beginners talk about. The firstthree years of my training produced 15–20pounds of muscle. Many beginners claimthat kind of growth the first six months toa year. So I was in the far depths ofdepression for a long time because Ithought that I would never be able to getmuch bigger than I currently was.

Then I started noticing the articles inIRONMAN by Stuart, and how he catered toguys that were struggling, such as myself.Following a similar routine that Stuart hadpublished, I watched my strength gainsand bodyweight soar. Training twice or soa week, and concentrating on deadliftingand dips and other movements of the like,I got big and strong real fast. From the170 pound range up to 215 before I knew

it. And I was only training three or fourexercises per session for one or two sets.It was like magic.

If you want to be bigger and strongermore than anything in the world, thennothing will stop you from accomplishingthat. How far you get does depend on yourgenes. But how long it takes you to getthere depends on your mindset.

The term “hard gainer” means thatyour training and eating habits are goingto be very different from a guy who cantrain almost every day and grow. It doesn’tmean you can’t be big and strong. Itmeans that you’ll have to take a differentpath and work harder than him to attainsize. Don’t look at it as a hindrance, but asa guideline to help you find your way.

INSPIRING QUOTESPerspective“Most of us miss out on life’s big prizes—the Pulitzer, Oscars, Tonys, Emmys. Butwe’re all eligible for life’s smallpleasures—a pat on the back, a kissbehind the ear, a four-pound bass, a fullmoon, an empty parking space, a cracklingfire, a great meal, a glorious sunset, hotsoup, cold beer. Don’t fret about coppinglife’s grand awards. Enjoy its tiny delights.There are plenty for all of us.”

– AnonymousAttitude“When we accept tough jobs as a challengeto our ability, and wade into them with joyand enthusiasm, miracles can happen.”

– Arland Gilbert

Obstacles“For a long time it seemed to me that reallife was about to begin, but there wasalways some obstacle in the way.Something had to be got through first,some unfinished business; time still to beserved, a debt to be paid. Then life wouldbegin. At last it dawned on me that theseobstacles were my life.”

– Bette Howland

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