BALANCING ACT

If your opposing muscles are out of whack, so too will you be

By Jim Stoppani, PhD

You can’t get big and strong by sitting on your glutes while recovering from an injury, so injury prevention should be a high priority. Many sports medicine experts recommend balancing the strength of opposing muscle groups, such as quads and hamstrings, biceps and triceps and chest and back.

Many hamstring injuries are a result of the relative weakness (more…)

Training | 04.11.10 | No Comments

THE REAL MASS DEAL

Chris Cormier’s laws for building impressive mass

Since becoming a pro after winning the overall title at the 1993 NPC USA, Chris Cormier has been one of the most successful at consistently blending size and shape at a competition. Here, the future Hall of Famer offers some tips and tricks he’s learned through the years.

1. GO HEAVY The more weight you use, the bigger and faster your body will grow. Use weight resistance to motivate you to lift harder and keep your body “tight” throughout the set.
2. IF YOU’RE ABLE TO LIFT IT, THEN LIFT IT This is the first principle of improvement. Every time you enter the gym, be prepared to try for one more rep or one more pound. (more…)

Training | 04.11.10 | No Comments

COLEMAN’S CHEST TEST

So you think you know everything about Ronnie Coleman’s training, huh?

Pop quiz, hot shot. Sharpen your No. 2 pencil, put aside your old issues of FLEX and journey with us to MetroFlex Gym in Arlington, Texas, to watch the legend train chest. The Coleman comprehension exam begins now.

1. True or false: Coleman built his physique with heavy weights for low reps.
FALSE. Coleman has long used prodigious weights, including such legendary lifts as an 800-pound squat (for one rep) and an 805-pound deadlift (for two reps), but these feats don’t reflect the manner in which he has regularly trained during his 15-year pro career. (more…)

Training | 04.11.10 | No Comments

COMPLETE CARDIO

As part of our 50% Off Fat-burn Plan as seen in the October issue of FLEX – on newsstands now – here are five cardio workouts to help you drop that unwanted body fat. But first, here are nine important tips to make sure you maximize the amount of fat you burn during your sessions.

>> Do a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio three times per week.
>> If a single, continuous session of cardio seems too boring, break it up into smaller segments.
>> Do cardio either first thing in the morning or immediately after weightlifting. If that isn’t possible, do it when you can – that’s much better than not doing it at all. (more…)

Training | 04.11.10 | No Comments

LIFT LIKE ARNOLD

Of all the qualities that distinguish Arnold Schwarzenegger from the rest of us, some are as simple to pinpoint as a shoulder press or a calf raise. Nearly from the beginning of his bodybuilding career, people have followed his path, hoping to duplicate some of his success. The unique exercises in the Oak’s regimen in the mid-’70s became popular primarily because he was doing them. Now, three decades later, many of them have fallen into disuse–typically because they’re more difficult to master than less-effective alternatives. Here are some exercises that helped Schwarzenegger win seven Mr. Olympia titles, but even so, most modern trainers don’t do them. Incorporate them into your own workouts and experience what made the Oak grow. (more…)

Training | 04.11.10 | No Comments

QUAD THRUST

Build big quads without busting your back

This program is based on the use of three exercises (leg extensions, leg presses and hack squats) that directly target the quadriceps with little stress placed on the hamstrings and calves. If your quads are a weakness, you should prioritize them by training them all-out after a rest day, when they are freshest.

You can substitute front squats for leg presses, but that may fatigue your hamstrings, glutes and lower back before your quads get enough work. Since any type of squat requires balancing the weight under control and consideration of protecting the back, leg presses can be more effective in keeping full attention on the quads. (more…)

Training | 04.11.10 | No Comments

SHOCKING GIANT SETS

Four or more consecutive exercises will challenge you to greater growth

In an effort to maximize growth, experienced bodybuilders will utilize various shocking techniques to induce variety into their workouts and keep muscles progressing past plateaus. A favorite technique is using giant sets of four or more exercises for one bodypart, performed in rotation with little rest between sets. Normally, the giant set will be repeated three or four times, and that will consist of the entire workout for that particular bodypart. (more…)

Training | 04.11.10 | No Comments

ISO-TENSION TIPS

With the Weider Iso-Tension Training Principle, work your muscles without weights

Muscles are comprised of fibers composed of myofibrils that make contact with each other during muscle contractions. The strength of the contraction depends on the number of fibers and the tension within each fiber. Among the codification of training theories collectively known as the Weider Principles is the Iso-Tension Training Principle, which was formulated because prolonged periods of intense flexing, such as posing, is a strenuous form of exercise in and of itself. You can train a major muscle group by holding three or four different flexed positions for 10 seconds at a time. (more…)

Training | 04.11.10 | No Comments

CREATING BIG LOWER BICEPS

Sculpt your lower biceps with a three-step exercise routine.

Big upper biceps are nice and all, but to be perfectly honest, they’re nothing without a nice set of lower biceps to accompany them. Regardless of how high your biceps peaks might be, if your bicep bulk does not swell all the way down to your elbow, you’ll appear to have only half an upper arm.

To avoid this funny-looking result, we’ve provided a three-step exercise to fully work your bis all the way around, down to your elbows, and back. (more…)

Training | 04.11.10 | No Comments

AB ADVICE

The six pros featured in the Flex August 2008 feature, “Center of Attention,” give advice on sculpting a killer six-pack. For their full routines, check out the issue, on newsstands through August 11.

1) How can a bodybuilder draw attention to his abs onstage?
(more…)

Training | 04.11.10 | No Comments