Justin Woltering Official Blog

Spartacus Workout: The Real Spartacus Workout

Spartacus Workout You’ve seen a few episodes of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, and now you want to look just like the main character. You and every other twenty-something guy! Don’t worry, though, because unlike everyone else, you’ve actually got a fighting chance at achieving that chiseled, muscular physique. Ignore the BS articles you’ve been seeing [...]

Splits vs. Fully-Body: Which is Best for Size Gains?

How To Breathe When Lifting

Breathing – it’s the most natural thing for humans, and we hardly ever think about it. Except for when we’re lifting, that is! Most of us don’t have to exert ourselves in our day-to-day lives, and our workouts make it VERY apparent that serious work requires serious breathing. A five-rep-max set of squats might not [...]

MMA Workout Routines and Bodybuilding

MMA Workout Routines and Bodybuilding So, you’re into bodybuilding and MMA? You and every other twenty-something! Not that there’s anything wrong with that combo, but most guys simply fail at both. It’s hard enough to build muscle, and when you add in intense fighting and conditioning work, keeping your gains can seem all but impossible. [...]

Mass-Building Kettlebell Routine – Justin Woltering

Topic: Mass-Building Kettlebell Routine Kettlebells: They’re all the rage among Crossfitters and conditioning buffs, but are they really any good for building mass? You bet! You may not want to throw out barbells and dumbbells any time soon, but kettlebells can absolutely have a place in your muscle-building routine. Whether you’re pressed for time, training [...]

Spartacus Workout: The Real Spartacus Workout

Posted by admin on May 23rd, 2013

Spartacus Workout

You’ve seen a few episodes of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, and now you want to look just like the main character. You and every other twenty-something guy! Don’t worry, though, because unlike everyone else, you’ve actually got a fighting chance at achieving that chiseled, muscular physique. Ignore the BS articles you’ve been seeing in the news stands, and read on for the nitty gritty on how to really get ripped, strong, and fast like Spartacus.

Just say NO to Jogging

I’ve talked about this before, but it certainly bears repeating. Whether your goal is strength, speed, size, or fat loss, jogging does NOT do a body good. That may sound weird, since long, monotonous runs are the average man’s idea of a good workout – but you’re not trying to be average, are you?

The truth is, jogging will wear down your joints and torch your muscle mass like nothing else. It’s in that “intermediate” zone of cardiovascular activity, where you’re working too hard to rely on fat stores, but not hard enough to really stimulate fat burning. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at any marathon runner – they’re skinny as rails!

Get on the Track

Think you can ditch any and all road work? Not so fast! Jogging might suck, but you’re still going to have to put the pedal to the metal if you want to get as lean as possible. Head on over to your nearest stadium or track, lace up your running shoes, and do some intervals sprints. Alternate 10 to 15-second periods of all-out effort with 60 to 90 seconds of rest. Repeat for ten total rounds one or two times per week.

Why sprinting? Unlike walking or jogging, sprinting is actually an anaerobic activity, just like heavy lifting. Interval sprints may not burn much fat while you’re doing them, but they stimulate extra fat loss for days after you do them! Again, just think about the physiques we’re dealing with. Joggers are rail-thin, while sprinters tend to be lean and mean. Which looks more like Spartacus to you?

Stay Strong

If you’re reading this article, on THIS site, then you’re probably already interested in strength and size. Think you need to sacrifice those goals to achieve the perfect gladiator physique? Hardly! In fact, heavy lifting is only going to help. You may need to drop some fat, but if you stop lifting, you’ll only lose muscle. And if you’ve yet to start hitting the gym, there is no better time to start than now!

Your program really shouldn’t change much compared to your normal strength routine. Squats, presses, deadlifts, and pulls should still be your mainstays, and you should ALWAYS strive to add more weight and reps. If your body weight drops, and your strength stays the same, you’ll know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’re on the right track.

That said, you might want to add in some more work for your shoulders, traps, and upper back – also known as your “yoke.” You can hammer your pecs all day long, but these are the muscles that really make you look strong and powerful, even when you’re lean and light. Start religiously doing shrugs, dumbbell raises, military presses, and rows, and watch your shoulder girdle take off!

Dropping Fat

Here’s the hard truth: If you want to look anything like Spartacus – or any other historical superhero – you’ll need to get ripped. No matter how much muscle you’ve already gained, and no matter how strong you are in the weight room, you can’t really show it all off without shedding the fat. And I’m not just talking 12% body fat or so; you’ll need to get down into the single digits.

A cyclic ketogenic diet is by far the fastest, most surefire way to get to this level. It’s not always pleasant, and it’s certainly not easy, but it absolutely works. Just endure six and half days in a row with ZERO carbs (other than green vegetables). You can eat fattier meats, whole eggs, and even a bit of cheese here and there. Just stay away from any and all sugar or starch. On the evening of the seventh day, have a three- or four-hour pig-out on whatever carb-heavy foods you want, and then go right back to zero carbs the next day.

How long your diet takes will depend on two things: your starting point and your strictness. If you’re already sporting a four-pack when you start, you can probably get below 10% in a couple of months. If you’re sporting rolls, then sorry – it’s going to take a lot longer. Of course, the only way to move things along as quickly as possible is to stick to the plan. The keto diet is damn near fool-proof as long as you avoid those carbs during the week. Yes, just one cookie or a handful of chips really can throw you off. If you’re tempted to cheat, just remember you’ve got that end-of-week pig-out coming right up.

- JWOLT

www.justinwoltering.com

Splits vs. Fully-Body: Which is Best for Size Gains?

Posted by admin on May 4th, 2013

It’s an age-old debate in the bodybuilding community: should you do a full-body workout or a split routine? If all you did was read the latest magazines, you might think it was an open-and-shut case – split routines, of course! But if you look back to the “Golden Era” of bodybuilding – the 50s, 60s, and 70s – you’d see tons of huge, strong dudes doing nothing but full-body workouts. Then, of course, there are the powerlifters, most of whom still do some type of full-body or upper-lower program.

Which one should you pick? It can seem like a tough choice, especially when you’re just starting out. To help you decide, here are a few pros and cons of full-body and body part-split routines.

arnold schwarzenegger classic 214x300 Splits vs. Fully Body: Which is Best for Size Gains?

full body vs. splits

Full Body for Fat Loss

If your goal is pure and simple size gains, then you’ve got some more thinking to do. If you need to drop some fat, however, the choice is simple -full body all the way! As you’ve (hopefully) already heard, weight training is a far more effective tool for fat loss than running or other forms of cardio. But when it comes to shrinking your waistline, not every movement will have the same effect.

Take the squat, for example. It’s one of the toughest exercises you can do, and it has a tremendous ability to up-regulate your body’s fat-burning hormones. The same is true for deadlifts, bench presses, and other heavy, compound movements. However, curls, calf raises, and other isolation exercises won’t have nearly the same effect. Does that mean they’re worthless movements? Not at all! But they’re not going to torch body fat nearly as well as the heavy stuff.

So, your best bet for simultaneously getting stronger and leaner is to perform several different types of heavy movements in each workout. Simply pick a lower body exercise (squat or deadlift), a push (bench press, overhead press), and a pull (pull-ups, rows). You can add more on top of all that, but those three mainstays will make each workout as effective for fat loss as possible.

Splits for Lagging Muscles

If you’re a beginner, you do NOT have weak points. I don’t care how small this or that body part is, you just need to focus on gaining size and strength with basic movements. If you do have a couple years of training under your belt, however, you probably have one or two lagging areas. It’s legs for most guys, but others struggle to grow their arms, chests, shoulders, or backs.

Whatever your weak point is, a body part split is going to be the quickest way to bring it up to par with everything else. Small lats and tiny traps? Double up on your back days, and pay extra attention to deadlifts and rows. Puny legs? Train legs twice as often as every other part, and hammer your squat until it’s your best lift. Narrow shoulders? Add extra overhead presses and side raises to every chest, shoulder, and back day on your schedule. You may not gain as much overall size as you would on a full-body schedule, but you will see rapid improvements in the areas you hit the hardest.

Full Body Frequency

While splits can help you improve “problem” areas, full body workouts are probably your best bet for the fastest overall size gains. Since you’re focusing almost all of your attention on the heaviest lifts, your body is constantly facing pressure to adapt and grow. Take an average full-body workout – squats, bench presses, pull-ups, and maybe some curls to finish. Contrast that session with a back and biceps day on a split routine – deads, rows, pull-ups, and curls. The latter may be better for growing specific areas, but the former is going to produce a FAR greater overall growth response in your body.

Plus, you can always train a body part or movement pattern more often when you’re NOT hammering the crap out of it. That aforementioned back workout will require days of recover, whereas you could be squatting and benching again within a day or two. In fact, once you get your work capacity up to snuff, you can do heavy, full-body workouts almost every day! Try and ignore the “overtraining” brigade for a while, and learn what your body is really capable of.

Justin Ripped Mass 200x300 Splits vs. Fully Body: Which is Best for Size Gains?

www.justinwoltering.com

Advanced Development Through Splits

Lifters constantly bicker over whether or not you can “shape” your muscles. The concept does sound kind of silly, but I think it does have some validity, especially since each body “part” is actually composed of several groups of muscle fibers. If you want to develop all of these muscle fibers to their maximum potential, you’ll probably have to use a split routine at some point.

Take your quads, for instance. You might not be able to tell if your legs are small – or if you’re not very lean – but your quads are comprised of four different groups of muscle fibers. The most prominent are those on the very outside – the vastus lateralis – and those on the very inside – the vastus medialis. The lateris give your legs that “sweeping” look, while the medialis forms that coveted “teardrop” near your knee.

Now, if you have awesome bodybuilding genetics, then both of these groups will develop just fine through lots of heavy squatting. If you’re like most lifters, however, you’ll have to perform some dedicated work to get them both up to snuff. You might need close-stance leg presses or sissy-squats for your teardrops, and you might have to do some crazy high-rep hack squats to develop that killer sweep.

Overall, the point is that you’ll probably need some targeted, high intensity work on specific areas to get every little muscle to grow. This kind of training isn’t conducive to massive overall growth, but it will help you take a good physique to the next level. -JWOLT

Justin Woltering

www.justinwoltering.com

How To Breathe When Lifting

Posted by admin on April 21st, 2013

Unfortunately, most gym-goers have no idea how to breath for optimal performance. Taking in the right amount of air doesn’t just give your muscles the oxygen they need to perform – it can give your entire a body a mechanical advantage during a lift. Powerlifters know this, Olympic lifters know this, and you should, too. Here are a few of my top tips for breathing while lifting.

To hold or not to hold?

There’s really not that much controversy about holding your breath while lifting. Most of the people who decry the practice aren’t serious lifters, but doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals who are prone to EXTREME conservatism in their exercise advice.

The fact is, holding your air in can make any given rep FAR easier. That one breath may not “weigh” much, but the air does take up volume in your body. This gives you a wider base from which to push or pull, and a wider base is always more sturdy. Talk to any powerlifter, and he’ll tell you that holding your air is crucial to “staying tight” for a big squat or bench.

All that being said, there are certainly times when you should allow yourself to exhale. Any time you’re doing a super-heavy exercise for multiple reps – squats, deadlifts, or heavy presses – you’re going to need to take a few different breaths. Hold your air in on the negative, sure, and keep holding it for each individual rep. But allow yourself to take another breath – or three – in between reps if necessary. Passing out during a heavy set of squats won’t do you any good!

Exhale on the concentric.

When you do need to let your air out, always make sure you do it on the concentric, or “positive” portion of the lift. For example, never let go of your breath as you LOWER the bar during a bench press. Let it out slowly as you’re pushing, or better yet – in between reps at the top. If you let your air go while you’re lowering a weight, you’ll lose stability and potentially make it difficult or impossible to complete the lift.

This concept is also important for exercises that directly involve your stomach – like crunches. Have you ever tried to breath IN as you sat forward? It’s kind of hard to complete a crunch with a belly full of air! This is important for pretty much any exercise that requires you to stand, as well, since your abs are always working to stabilize the rest of your body.

Use your belly, not your chest.

Ask any man to inhale, and he’ll proudly inflate his chest, making his whole upper body seem just a bit bigger. That may be a great aesthetic trick, but it won’t do you a damn bit of good in the weight room! Remember, you want to hold in your air to give yourself a wider, sturdier base. Instead of making yourself more top-heavy, you want to get as much air into your belly as possible.

Yes, this might make you look “fat” while you’re lifting – but who the hell cares? If you’re lean, your stomach will go right back to the way it was when the lift is over. If you’re not lean, then no amount of sucking in your gut is going to get rid of your rolls, anyway. When you’re lifting, you should be doing whatever is necessary to get the most out of the lift.

Obviously, keeping air in your belly is more important for squatting than for any other movement. Other leg exercises don’t require the same level of stabilization, and even deadlifts aren’t as affected by girth and body weight. When you squat, you basically want to make yourself as “stout” as possible: back arched, shoulder blades pinched, and belly full of air. Not the prettiest sight, but it’s a foolproof way to improve your squat and get bigger legs.

Tighten that belt!

You shouldn’t rely on a belt ALL the time, but you should certainly get the most out of it when you do use it. Tighten it as much as you can stand, and actively try to push your stomach out OVER the belt line. This might not be possible if you’re already lean, but the point is to TRY. The belt gives you a great deal of feedback and lets you know that you are indeed holding your air in your stomach as much as you can.

-JWOLT

www.justinwoltering.com

Get Bigger, Better, Faster, NOW! http://justinwoltering.com/Bigger_Better_Faster_Now.php

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MMA Workout Routines and Bodybuilding

Posted by admin on April 13th, 2013

MMA Workout Routines and Bodybuilding

So, you’re into bodybuilding and MMA? You and every other twenty-something! Not that there’s anything wrong with that combo, but most guys simply fail at both. It’s hard enough to build muscle, and when you add in intense fighting and conditioning work, keeping your gains can seem all but impossible. Constant soreness and fatigue don’t make things any easier, either.

Don’t give up, though – it’s definitely possible to be a big, lean, and well-conditioned fighter. You’ve just got to learn how to organize your training for optimal recovery and results.

Setting Priorities

Before you dive into a new regimen, you need to be clear about your goals and priorities. What’s most important to you? Are you training for a specific fight, or do you just want to learn some combat skills? Are you trying to win a bodybuilding show, or do you just want to improve your physique? Most importantly, do you need to gain weight or lose it?

While you can certainly make multiple improvements at once, you’re probably not going to be GREAT at everything. The top MMA guys may be ripped, but they’re not gargantuan bodybuilders. Likewise, you won’t see Mr. Olympia stepping into the octagon anytime soon.

To make things simple, settle on one primary and one secondary goal. I’ll assume that most of you MMA hobbyists are mainly interested in fighting, but that you still want to get gradually bigger and leaner. Here’s how to do it.

Staying Strong

When you’re in the weight room or on the track, forget about “sport-specific” training. Crazy little exercises that “mimic” certain movement patterns aren’t magically going to make you a better fighter. Do your skills training in the ring, and use the gym to get strong and conditioned.

To that end, you should keep doing the same stuff you’ve been doing: squats, presses, and pulls. Use heavy weights, challenge yourself, and always strive to add more weight and reps on your. I guarantee you that a big deadlift will do more for your striking power than “boxing” with dumbbells in your hands.

That being said, you probably won’t be able to get away with as much weight room work as usual. If you’re drilling and sparring a few times per week, you’re going to get worn out – period. Be conservative and reduce your weight training to three or four times per week, max. If you try to do too much, you might actually regress in strength and lose muscle.

Brutal Circuits

Now that we’ve gotten the strength training squared away, we need to talk conditioning. If you’ve been training like a bodybuilder or powerlifter, chances are that your cardio’s not quite up to snuff. Don’t think you have to hop on a treadmill or go jogging, though – there are FAR more effective methods for getting into fighting shape.

My favorite? Circuit work. Load up a barbell or two with a light weight, and do several reps of several exercises with NO rest in between. You might do ten reps each of squats, overhead presses, rows, and deadlifts, with 95 pounds, for six or eight total rounds. That sounds easy on paper, but it will SUCK if you’re not used to it.

Circuit options are virtually limitless, so get creative and use whatever equipment you have at your disposal. Barbells, dumbbells, kettebells – it’s all good. Just make sure you’re using as many different muscle groups as possible, and that you’re pushing yourself as hard as you can. This kind of full-body “cardio” will help you prepare for the total fatigue of a real fight.

Road Work

If you’re like most lifters, you probably hate running. Hell, the monotony and difficulty of running is what turns lots of people onto weight training the first place! But, if you really want to up your conditioning (and improve your mental strength), you’ll have to do some foot work. Circuits alone just won’t cut it.

I don’t recommend long, boring jogs, though. You can get that kind of endurance workout when you’re actually sparring. For running, head on over to a hill or a track for sprints. Alternate 10-15 second periods of all-out effort with one or two minutes of rest. If you have access to big, steep hill, just sprint on the way up and walk on the way down. Record your workouts, and try to add rounds and decrease rest periods as you get into better shape.

As for frequency, you’ll want to do these sprints at least a couple of times per week, more often if you can stand it. It all depends on how often you’re weight training and sparring. As long as you don’t exceed your capacity to recover, more work is generally better – but don’t push it. Gradually increase your workload, and make damn sure you’re eating and sleeping enough to cover it.

Honing your Skills

On a final note, your spars and drills will be the most important aspects of your MMA training. Don’t put it on the back burner, thinking that you’ll somehow become a great fighter by simply getting into better shape. Like any other skill, you’ll only get better at fighting by doing it.

JWOLT
www.justinwoltering.com

Mass-Building Kettlebell Routine – Justin Woltering

Posted by admin on March 30th, 2013

Topic: Mass-Building Kettlebell Routine

Kettlebells: They’re all the rage among Crossfitters and conditioning buffs, but are they really any good for building mass? You bet! You may not want to throw out barbells and dumbbells any time soon, but kettlebells can absolutely have a place in your muscle-building routine. Whether you’re pressed for time, training at home, or just sick of the same old movements, they’re a great way to boost your progress.

What Weights?

Obviously, one of the biggest drawbacks to kettlebells is that they’re just not that heavy. They’re cumbersome, sure, but you’re just not going to be lifting the same kinds of loads as you would with a barbell. Fortunately, building muscle isn’t ONLY about moving huge weights. You’ve got to put your muscles under a certain amount of stress, and the odd shape of the kettlebell is perfect for getting more stimulus with less weight.

So, how a big a kettlebell do you need? If your gym already has a few, then don’t worry about buying different sizes – use what you’ve got! If you’re thinking about buying some, however, start with something around fifty pounds. If you’re new to kettlebells, you’ll be surprised at how tough such a “light” workout can be!

Big in a Hurry

One of the best things about kettlebells is that they allow you to get in a decent workout in a tiny amount of time. There’s no loading and unloading, no messing with machines, and no waiting for other people to finish. They’re not going to induce the same amount of growth as a heavy squat or deadlift, but a quick kettlebell workout is far better than nothing! In fact, when you’re trying to be big AND lean, pretty much any activity is better than riding the couch all day.

If you’re going to be doing a kettlebell-only workout, your best bet is to go full-body. It may not match up perfectly with your normal body-part split or strength routine, but trust me – you’ll adapt. We’re going for a full-body growth stimulus here, since we won’t have the variety of equipment necessary for a more targeted workout.

Tried and True Movements

The best exercises? Not surprisingly, my favorites are variations on the squat and deadlift. Squat with the kettlebell held in front, or better yet – overhead! Try quick, high-rep deadlifts or romanian deadlifts for a change of pace. Then, of course, there’s the almighty “swing.” A swing is basically the same movment as a pull-through, and you use your hips to drive the weight out in front of you. You can make all of these exercises harder and more effective by using two identical or similarly-size ‘bells, one held in each hand.

As for the upper body, kettlebells are obviously better for overhead pressing than bench pressing – especially if you don’t even have a bench handy! The easier way to press is to allow the kettlebell to hang, keeping the handle pointed up. If you want a real challenge, though, you’ll press with the handles towards the floor. The movement becomes part strength, part balancing act, and the required stabilization will SMOKE your shoulders.

Once you’ve done your leg and shoulder work, it’ll be time to hit your lats and traps. Try rows from all angles, from parallel to the floor (more lat involvement) to almost vertical (more traps). You’ll probably have to do quite a few reps to feel challenged, but that’s alright! Most lifters find high reps to be pretty damn effective for legs and back. Once you’re done with your rows, throw in some shrugs and shoulder raises for good measure.

That will just about wrap it up, but you can finish the workout with some arm work if you like. Nothing too complicated here – just plenty of curls and extensions with the kettlebells. You might also try some one-legged calf raises with a kettlebell held in hand – harder than you think!

-JWOLT

http://www.justinwoltering.com

Bigger Better Faster: http://justinwoltering.com/Bigger_Better_Faster_Now.php

TOP 5 BODYBUILDING MYTHS: DEBUNKED

Posted by admin on February 22nd, 2013

It’s sad but true: most of the time, most people have no idea what the hell they’re talking about. This seems to be true in the work place, it’s usually true in politics, and it’s almost always true in the weight room. Walk into any gym or supplement shop, and you’re bound to hear more bad advice than good.

However, there are a few BIG falsehoods that seem to give rise to all the small ones. If you want to make real, long-term progress, then watch out for these five bodybuilding myths. The people that perpetuate them typically haven’t got a clue about how to get big, lean, and strong.

1. Your muscles grow in the gym.

It makes sense at first. Big, strong guys spend lots of time in the weight room, so that must be where the growth occurs, right? Wrong! In fact, the opposite is true. Lifting weights actually breaks down your muscle tissue, just like any other strenuous activity. You don’t grow until you leave, eat, and sleep. This misconception is why so many guys are still small, even when they spend hours at the gym every day.

All that being said, don’t start avoiding the gym because of this “overtraining” nonsense everyone talks about. As long as you’re eating and sleeping enough, you’re growing. If you’re at least genetically average, and if you’re not working a brutally hard job, you can make it to the gym five or six times per week. If you’re not getting bigger or stronger, look first to your diet and sleep habits before you start cutting sessions.

2. You need to get fat to get strong.

Not surprisingly, quite a few fatties-at-heart take the whole “eat big to get big” thing a little too far. In fact, some take it WAY too far. Do you need to gain weight to gain muscle? Obviously. Will you have to accept a little bit of fat gain to get a LOT bigger and stronger? Sure. Do you need to grow belly rolls and man-boobs? Not a chance.

Unless you’re aspiring to bench 600 or squat a grand, you need to take your weight gain slowly. For most guys, two or three pounds a month is the sweet spot. That may not sound like much, but you’d gain around thirty pounds per year if you kept that up – which is what you should be doing. Bodybuilding is a marathon, not a sprint, and most attempts at fast muscle gain will yield mostly fat gain. Think about that before you try and rationalize another stack or pancakes or slice of cake.

3. Eating fat will make you fat.

This isn’t just bad bodybuilding advice, it’s bad LIFE advice. Look at what most fat people eat – carbs, carbs, and more carbs. The same is true for perpetually-bulky bodybuilders. There are a few exceptions, but for the most part, it’s excess CARB consumption that’ll put love handles on your sides.

If anything, you should strive to eat mostly protein and fat, especially on the days you don’t train. Your body is most likely to use carbs for muscle gain immediately before and after training. At all other times, carbohydrates just spike insulin and make it all-too-easy for your body to store nutrients in fat cells.

4. Lift heavy weights for “bulking,” light weights for “toning.”

This might be the single-most common bodybuilding myth. It’s so pervasive that even top-level bodybuilders still say it. The truth is, those guys have such elite genetics that they can train any which way and still see results. For the rest of us, heavy training is the most efficient path to becoming as big, strong, AND lean as possible.

Think about it this way: (almost) everyone understands that lifting big weights is what stimulates muscle growth in the first place. So why, oh why, would you start training light when trying to get leaner? You’re eating less, you’re doing cardio, and your body has every reason NOT to hold onto its muscle mass. The only way you can keep it is to keep up the heavy training.

5. Supplements will make you grow.

Aside from protein powder – which is basically powdered food – supplements will NOT make you grow. Before you ever drop money at a supplement shop, look first at your diet and sleep habits. Are you really eating enough meat? Could you fit in more meals if you really tried? Could you work a little bit less and “spend” your extra time on a few more hours of sleep? If you answered “yes” to any of those, then you know what you really need to do. If all you had to do to gain muscle was drop some money on a pill or powder, every guy would look like Arnold.

- JWOLT

http://www.justinwoltering.com

Bigger Better Faster: http://justinwoltering.com/Bigger_Better_Faster_Now.php

How to Increase your Grip Strength! Get Powerful Hands!

Posted by admin on February 16th, 2013

If you’re like most lifters, you probably haven’t given your grip much thought. After all, if you don’t have to pull a deadlift in competition, it doesn’t matter how much you can hold – right? Wrong!

While bodybuilders may not need superhuman grip strength, a downright WEAK grip will absolutely hold you back. Piss-poor grip strength also goes hand-in-hand with scrawny forearms, and those won’t do your physique any favors. If you want to learn how (and why) you should beef up your grip, read on…

Grip Strength for Bodybuilders

Rows and deadlifts are just as effective for back-building when you’re wearing straps, so why should you care about grip strength? First of all, an iron grip is useful any time you’re holding a weight in your hands. Curls, extensions, and even pressing movements are all more effective when you squeeze the bar as tightly as possible. Remember, the force you produce with your pecs, biceps, triceps, and shoulders has to go through your hands!

If you’re still skeptical, try deadlifting with straps and a “weaker” grip. Leave some slack in the straps, and don’t wrap your thumbs all the way around the bar. You’ll still be locked in, but the movement will be way harder! You just can’t put as much force as possible into the bar without a tight grip.

Forearm development is another great reason to work on your grip. You might have noticed that most guys who obsess over wrist curls still have tiny forearms, so forget all that piddly nonsense for now. Just like every other body part, your forearms will get the most development from heavy weights. If you can’t hold on to 225 for more than a few seconds, it’s no wonder they’re small!

Finally, you just don’t want to be that guy who’s all show and no go. Even if you’re training mainly for aesthetics, it’s still important to have the strength to back up your physique. You can’t use straps to pick up furniture, open bottles, or carry your massive grocery hauls, and you’d certainly look pathetic if you tried.

Ditch the Straps?

The go-to recommendation from most “experts” is to just avoid straps altogether. While that”ll certainly help you get a stronger grip, it won’t do your lats or traps any favors. After all, you’re probably reading this article because your grip isn’t up to snuff with the rest of your pulling muscles. What would happen if you suddenly reduced your working weights on rows, deadlifts, and stiff-leg deadlifts by half or more? You’d lose muscle, that’s what!

A much better approach is to avoid straps for your lighter sets, and to start setting and breaking some “strapless” PRs. You normally row 275 for 10 with straps? Keep it up, but hit a hard set at 185 or 225 without straps first. You usually work with 405 or 455 on deads? Great, but start doing a lot more reps at around 315 to work your grip.

As with any other exercise, make sure you track your progress on these strapless sets, and always strive for more weight or reps. Higher reps actually work pretty well for improving grip strength, so don’t feel like you need to slap more plates on every single time.

Deadlifts, Shrugs, and Back Work

Before you ever worry about grippers, crushers, and all of those other silly tools, focus on going strapless on the basics. You should already be doing plenty of deads, shrugs, and rows, so keep it up. Just start to add in those strapless sets, and get religious about beating your previous bests.

Also, if you normally use an alternate or hook grip on the deadlift, try doing some sets with a normal, double-overhand grip. It’ll be hard as hell at first, but you’ll rapidly improve. You may never be able to hold 500 or more with that grip, but most guys can get to the point where 315 is manageable.

Of course, just getting stronger on these exercises will also improve your grip. If you increase your deadlift by 100 pounds or more, your old working weights are going to feel lighter and more manageable, straps or no straps. Moral of the story – get stronger on everything!

Specialized Grip Training

I’m against it. It’s boring as hell, it’s not that useful, and it can actually be kind of difficult to recover from. Unless you’re training for arm wrestling or some kind of wacky grip competition, it’s just not worth it to spend the extra money on the necessary gadgets. If you already have access to grippers, forearm rollers, or other tools at your current gym, have at them – just don’t expect magical results.

All that being said, there CAN be a place for “regular” forearm work, assuming you’re already doing your strapless sets on the big movements. Make no mistake, wrist-curling forty or fifty pounds won’t give you a stronger grip, but it might nudge your forearms into a little extra growth. Hammer curls and reverse curls can also be useful, as long as your keep your form tight. I think they’re pretty boring, too, but who doesn’t want to look strong in a casual Friday polo? – JWOLT

http://www.justinwoltering.com

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How to get Round Biceps Fast!

Posted by admin on February 2nd, 2013

How to get Round Biceps

Are you getting into lifting JUST to get big biceps? Or have you been plugging away for awhile now, dissatisfied with your lack of arm growth? Either way, the fix is the same.

There’s a lot of dogma and nonsense surrounding arm training, but your biceps are basically like every other muscle. People’s arms don’t suck because they haven’t found some undefined, “secret” training method. Their arms suck because they’re just not training them hard enough! Read on to find out how you can be better…

The Underrated Chin-up

Before we start talking about every curl variation under the sun, we need to discuss the most underrated biceps-builder of all: the chin-up. To be clear, I’m talking about a pull-up performed with an underhand grip, the kind that taxes your biceps every bit as much as your lats. It shouldn’t be the only weapon in your biceps-building arsenal, but you’re going to be dead in the water without it.

The key to getting arm growth from chins is to use a FULL range of motion. Stopping at eye-level may work when you’re training your lats, but it’s not going to cut it for arms. That final few inches of motion is what stimulate your biceps the most, and it’s worth a reduction in weight to do the movement right.

Still, don’t hesitate to add weight once you can bang out ten or fifteen chins with fantastic form. Use a chain belt, and add ten or so pounds at a time, always striving to get more weight and reps with perfect form. You think your biceps will still suck when you’re chinning fifty or more pounds for reps? I doubt it.

Do Rows Build Your Biceps?

Some gurus claim that back training is all you need for biceps, and that direct work (curls) is a waste of time. Frankly, that’s a bunch of crap. Yes, you should be aiming to get stronger on all movements at all times, but your biceps aren’t going to miraculously grow without any direct work. Chin-ups are great, regular pull-ups will still tax your biceps a little bit, but rows will do almost nothing. When was the last time a set of barbell or dumbbell rows actually gave you a decent bicep pump?

Curls, Curls, and more Curls

Now that we’ve cleared up that “no direct arm work” nonsense, let’s talk about the meat of your biceps program – curls! Sure, they’re not going to be the cornerstone of your mass-building routine, but you know that, right? As long as you’re plugging away at your squats, deads, and presses, there’s no reason NOT to dedicate as much time as necessary to curling.

Now, what kind of curl is best? Everyone has their favorites, but I’ve found the EZ-bar curl to be highly effective for almost all of my clients. A normal barbell is hard on the wrists, while dumbbells allow for a bit too much cheating. Curling with both hands at once kind of “locks” you into a strict position, and the grooves in the EZ bar ensure that your wrists won’t scream in pain.

Another favorite is the incline dumbbell curl. Lie back on a high-incline bench, keep your palms forward at all times, and curl with as full a range of motion as possible. If you keep your back against the bench, you can’t help but feel the enormous stretches and contractions in your biceps. You’ll have to use less weight than if you were standing, but your biceps get far more stimulation.

EZ bar curls, incline curls…those two movements alone will get you pretty far, but they won’t produce complete arm development. If your biceps are lacking, then chances are your forearms aren’t too great, either. The remedy? Hammer curls and reverse curls.

With hammer curls, I actually like to break my usual rule about strict form. Don’t sling the weights around like a madman, but don’t limit yourself, either. Use a moderately heavy weight, and put just a little body English into the movement. Get as many reps as you can with this “iffy” form, then go off the rails with some cheat reps. Your forearms will benefit from holding onto the weights for so long.

For the reverse curls, you’ll want to revert back to strict form. Use an EZ bar, keep your upper arms at your sides, and contract as hard as possible. If you don’t normally do any reverse curls, it’s amazing how rapidly your forearms will improve from this exercise alone.

Rep Ranges for Arm Training

As I said before, the biceps are a muscle like any other. They respond to progressive overload, and you should absolutely aim to add more weight and reps every time you train them. That being said, super-heavy curls CAN be a bit tough on the elbows, especially if you’ve sustained elbow injuries in the past.

The solution? This one’s going to be your call. If your elbows feel alright, then try working in the 6-8 rep range as much as possible, with some 15-20 rep pump sets thrown in for good measure. If your elbows are aching, however, don’t feel too bad about upping your normal rep range to fifteen or more. As long as you’re making tangible improvements, your arms will get bigger.

The “Shaping” Myth

Like most guys, you probably don’t just want bigger biceps; you want them to be as full and round as possible, just like Arnold’s. Can you really influence HOW your muscle grow? The short answer, unfortunately, is no. It’s basically impossible to preferentially recruit parts of individual muscle fibers. Your muscles can gain a hell of a lot of size, but they’ll always be the same basic shapes.

Still, you can somewhat improve your “peaks” by targetting your outer biceps. As their name suggests, your bis are split up into two segments of muscle fibers, both of which run lengthwise along your arms. To provide as much stimulus to the outer heads, keep a close grip and strict form whenever you do EZ-bar curls or other two-handed moves. Keep at it long enough, and you might just see those outer heads grow large enough to change the way your arms look when flexed.

The Importance of Weight Gain

Here’s the thing that too few “experts” are willing to talk about: if you’re 150 pounds soaking wet, you’re not going to have huge arms. If your biceps are truly lagging behind the rest of your body, then you might be able to get some growth without gaining weight. But if you’re still small overall, the only way you’ll get bigger arms is to do what every big lifter has done – train heavy, eat, sleep, and repeat!

JWOLT

www.justinwoltering.com

CROSSFIT Pros and Cons

Posted by admin on January 26th, 2013

CROSSFIT Pros and Cons

Thinking about incorporating some Crossfit into your normal routine? Or are other fitness freaks pressuring you to take the plunge and join their “Box” for some full-time, puke-inducing craziness? Either way, you’re not alone. The Crossift craze has really swept the nation in the last few years, and it seems like everyone knows someone who’s jumped on the bandwagon. The question is: should you?

Pro: You’ll get into great shape.

There’s no doubt about it, the metabolic conditioning, or “metcon” workouts you’ll do at a Crossfit gym are seriously challenging. If you think running is hard, wait until you do back-to-back burpees and deadlifts, or a nonstop circuit of cleans, squats, and bench presses. This type of training pushes every single muscle in your body to the limit – including your heart – and you’ll be gasping for breath at the end.

I know some naysayers have claimed these workouts aren’t actually that great for your cardio conditioning, and that sprinting is all you really need. Frankly, these people must never have given a metcon an honest try. They’re brutal in a way that far surpasses any type of run, and the long-term results are incredible. Start doing metcons two or three times a week, and you’ll be amazed at how quick and agile you feel.

Con: You (probably) won’t get that big.

As effective as metcons are for conditioning, they’re not going to help you build mass. Quite a few Crossfitters have downed the Kool-Aid, and they’ll claim that Crossfit is actually MORE effective than traditional bodybuilding training for drug-free athletes. They couldn’t be more wrong.

Unless you have alien-like strength-endurance, the weights you use during the metcons are going to be tiny in comparison to what you’d normally handle. We’re talking fifty, forty, maybe even as low as thirty percent of your one-rep max. That’s just not heavy enough to stimulate hypertrophy, no matter how many reps you do. That’s the reason why most Crossfitters (the males especially) are lean, but not huge.

Pro: It’s fun!

Do you like to train in groups? Do you enjoy being pushed and pushing others to be their best? If so, then you’ll probably love the atmosphere at a Crossfit gym. Crossfit has become just as popular among weekend warriors as it has among serious athletes, and that’s mainly due to its great group dynamic.

Even if you’re doing Crossfit by yourself or in a commercial gym, it can still be a ton of fun. There are new workouts every week, new goals to set, and a huge online community of like-minded people. Then again, all of these things exist for bodybuilders and powerlifters, as well.

Con: It sucks!

And here’s the flip-side: most Crossfit workouts are downright painful! Even the toughest high-rep set of squats or deadlifts is over with in fairly short order, but some metcons take nearly an hour to complete. Do you think you can endure round after round of circuit training, gasping for breath the whole time? Do you even want to? You’ll feel awesome afterwards, but it’s a lot to take on. It’s a unique kind of person that thrives on this kind of training, that’s for sure.

Pro: You get tons of variety.

If you can’t stand to do the same workout two weeks in a row, then Crossfit may definitely appeal. The official website puts out a new workout almost every day, and many of the affiliated gyms come up with their own routines. Even if you never follow the main site or take outside direction, you’ve got almost limitless variations to try. After all, most Crossfit workouts are, at their core, just REALLY hard circuits. Even the most sparsely-equipped gym provides limitless options.

Con: You don’t get enough specific practice.

Of course, there’s a downside to all that variation: a lack of targeted practice. One of the big beefs with Crossfit is that it doesn’t help athletes work towards a defined goal. Crossfitters often say they want to be “as fit as possible” or something along those lines, but what does that really mean? A gigantic powerlifter is “fit” to hoist hundreds of pounds, and a skinny runner is “fit” to run marathons. Without a definite goal, you won’t make EXCEPTIONAL progress at anything. You’ll just be pretty good at lots of things. Does that appeal?

The Final Word

If you’re someone who hasn’t settled on a specific physical goal, then Crossfit is probably worth a try. You will get into better shape, and you’ll probably get leaner. Depending on where you’re at right now, you might even gain a little muscle.

If you’re trying to get huge, however, full-time Crossfit is almost certainly NOT for you. It’s fine to throw in a metcon once or even twice per week, but your main focus should be strength. You may think you can take on the world now, but see how strong you feel after a few weeks of intense circuit training. I can almost guarantee that your strength will tank. http://www.justinwoltering.com

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CRAZY Barbell Complex Workouts

Posted by admin on January 5th, 2013

Do you enjoy feeling like you’re about to puke? Do you love breathing so heavy you think you might just keel over? Yea, me neither. But if you ask me, avoiding those sensations altogether is a good way to get fat and mentally weak. Stupid-hard conditioning isn’t necessary all the time, but it can definitely serve a purpose in your training.

Unfortunately, the simplest and most effective conditioning methods also present some logistical problems. Hill sprints are awesome, but it’s tough to find a decent hill that’s actually within driving distance. Sled pulling is also great, but not a workable option if you live in a crowded city.

Fortunately, the weight room itself provides all the equipment and space you need in a pinch. In fact, you can do a balls-to-the-wall, puke-inducing conditioning workout with nothing but a barbell, a few plates, and some space. Skeptical? You won’t be after you give barbell complexes a try.

Simply put, a complex is just a series of exercises done without any rest in between. You can use almost any combination you want, but there are a few I’ve found to be particularly effective. Oh, and don’t let the light weights fool you. When you’re doing this many reps and using every muscle in your body, it’s just not going to matter.

Complex #1: Full-Body Blitz

Targeting specific areas is obviously great for building muscle, but that’s not what complexes are about. If you really want to get your heart rate up and push your anaerobic threshold, you need to go full-body. Try this series on for size:

-10 military presses

-10 hang cleans

-10 squats

-10 push presses

-10 rows

-10 stiff-leg deadlifts

You do all six exercises with the same bar and NO rest in between! Don’t even let go of the bar. And trust me, you’re going to have to go light. 95 pounds is more than enough for most people, and you may even want to drop down to 85 or 65. Remember, the point of this technique is to get you breathing like a tank. Save your strength work for another day.

How many total rounds you do will depend on your current level of conditioning. Five should be your bare minimum, and working up to ten rounds would be ideal. You also want to severely limit the reset in between them. Take a thirty-second breather if you need to, but try to keep going until you’re done.

Complex #2: Back Attack

Alright, I know I said targeting one area isn’t ideal, but the upper back is an exception. Why? Well, it’s a HUGE group of muscles that can handle some seriously high reps. This circuit will still make your chest pound, and it may even add some size to your lats and traps.

-10 hang cleans

-10 Yates rows

-10 barbell rows

-10 dead-step rows

-10 high-pulls

Some of these might need some explanation. A “Yates” row is the high-angle row popularized by former Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates. Just bend your torso at about 60 degrees, and make sure you feel your traps working when you row.

Once you do the Yates rows, just bend over further to do a more “normal” barbell row. Once you do all ten of those, bend even more so that the plates actually touch the ground. The dead-step rows are just like they sound – let the bar stop “dead” on the floor after each rep.

After you do the dead-stop rows, stand all the way upright again to do the high-pulls. This is basically just a jerky upright row where you pull BACK as you pull up. You can put plenty of sway into the movement, too – at this point in the circuit, you’ll need it!

You can use a little heavier weight on this complex, but don’t go thinking it’s going to be easy. Fifty total reps targeting the same group of muscles is absolutely brutal. Since you’re pounding one area into submission, give yourself a couple minutes’ rest between rounds. This is a great “finisher” to throw in at the end of a back workout, especially when you don’t have time for other conditioning work.

Complex #3: The Man-Maker

People use the name “man-maker” to refer to all sorts of stuff, but here’s what it means to me. As always, begin the complex with the bar on the ground. Do one power clean – now the bar’s on your shoulders. Next, do one front squat. Once you stand back up, push-press the bar BACK over your head so it lands in the back-squat position. Do one back squat, and then push-press the weight over your head to the front once more. That’s ONE “rep.”

You’re going to do that TEN total times. Make sure you touch the weight to the floor between each “rep” so that you can do a full power clean at the beginning – not a hang-clean. Once you get those ten reps, rest for a minute, and get ready to go again. Like the other full-body circuit, your conditioning level (and toughness) will determine how many rounds you do.

Justin Woltering

Muscle Building Expert/ Author