Cardio and Heart Health

"Hi James,

"What is the minimal amount of cardio one can do w/o effecting muscles gains but while still getting the heart healthy benefits?"

Thanks
- Matthew


My Answer: Frankly, cardio in the traditional manner doesn't do much for cardiovascular health. It's your diet that has the greatest impact on cardiovascular health. Doing cardio on a crappy diet is like hosing a brick wall hoping the other side gets wet. If you're serious about cardiovascular health, then don't eat high carb with high fat. This is what gets people into trouble, not high fat alone.

So a steak and salad? Good idea.

A bagel with cream cheese? Heart attack city.

Plus take some fish oil, the number one supplement I would recommend for cardiovascular health. If you want to train for cardiovascular benefits, then do some high rep kettlebell swings instead.

Heavy Partials for the Tall Lifter

"I have just read your article on bodybuilding.com regarding the pyramid training. I've been lifting for about 6 months now. I still consider myself a newbie and am strongly considering using your workout plan. I have a few questions: If I am trying to put on size (bulk) would this be a good regimen to follow? If so, Should I stop doing deadlifts? I am 6'3, and deadlifts are VERY hard for me to do. I usually do 3/4 deadlifts. I really appreciate any input you have towards my quest in bulking this winter. It's been hard to figure what to do. It gets really frustrating not seeing the gains that I had hoped for. Thanks again."

-Jason


My Answer: The 10-8-6-15 program would be a good bulking program if you eat a lot protein and calories. But at 6'3", you have special issues as a newbie. Us shorter guys have shorter limbs, so when we pack on muscle, it looks impressive. For taller, longer-limbed lifters such as yourself, that same amount of muscle mass gets spread out over a larger skeletal frame. You have to gain much more weight than the shorter guy just to look buff.

Plus, as you alluded to, people with long-limbs have poor leverages and don't do so well on exercises such as deadlifts. For taller lifters, I usually recommend a program combination of full range and partial movements. The 10-8-6-15 program calls for squats instead of deadlifts, as squats are superior to deadlifts in regards to thigh hypertrophy. You will still have problems doing full squats, because of your height, but that's OK. Just do full range squatting at the 10 rep mark and the 15 rep mark. For the 8 rep mark and the 6 rep mark, squat down as far as you can go in good form. This way you get a combination of full range and partial movements.

Police PT Test and Cardio Options

"Hey, my name is Jessica. I just came across your website and saw your email on it. I hope I'm not bothering. I just had a few questions I hope you don't mind answering for me.


"Well, basically I'm 18, and I'm still in high school, almost done. My plan after high school is to go to college and become a police officer. I'm 5'5", and I weigh about 220. I know, that's very bad!


"I recently started a diet, because I know in order to become a police officer you must be fit in order to pass the fitness test. I live in NYC, and I was wondering if the fitness test is different in different places, and if it would be possible to find a personal trainer to help me train for that fitness test?"


My Answer: The PT tests will vary somewhat from state to state. I don't know what NYC's PT test involves, but if I were you, I'd find that out. You can find a personal trainer to help you prepare for the PT, but of course you should first concentrate on slimming down. After you make weight, then focus on your performance on the PT test. If you do hire a personal trainer, then make sure the trainer knows what the hell s/he is doing. I hate to tell you this, but most personal trainers don't know jack.


"Hi James,
"I know you are a fan of interval sprints for cardio. I use sprints in my training but for the sake of variety what's your take on rope skipping and sled pulling?"


Thanks
- MB


My Answer: I actually recommend jump roping for my clients for variety, so yes it would be perfectly fine as a cardio substitute. Sled pulling is better for active recovery, meaning you should use it to get the blood flowing and aid in recovery, not so much for fat loss. Interval training can be done on a variety of apparatuses, such as rowing machines, stationary bikes and elliptical machines. So substitute any of these for variety. Kickboxing is a cardio workout that resembles interval training, because your expending energy in short pulses with the combinations of punches and kicks.

So as you can see, you have a lot cardio options to choose from.

Barbell Curls the King of Biceps Exercises?

"Why aren't the traditional barbell curls listed in your sample biceps routine? At least I don't recall that I saw them there. Barbell curls are considered to be the king of biceps exercises."

-CS


My Answer: King of biceps exercises? On what basis? I like the barbell curl, but Strength and Physique Volume One explains why the biceps like dumbbells better. When it comes to upper body exercises and hypertrophy, the dumbbell version always beats the barbell version, hands down. This is for all upper body dumbbell exercises, not just curls. Your nervous has to exercise far more control on a pair of heavy dumbbells than it does on a barbell.

The dumbbells are easier on the joints, because they don't lock you in like the barbell. Your hands can twist and turn the dumbbells as you move the weight. Plus the range of motion is greater with dumbbells. Do a barbell curl, and the range of motion starts and stops at mid-thigh, because the bar is impeding the full range of curling. Dumbbell curls allow you to go through a full range of motion, which is better for biceps development.

HIIT During Decompression Phase

"Hi James,

"I hope I caught your attention with the subject heading, and you did not proceed to jab at the delete button. First off, I just want to thank you for your Strength and Physique Volumes One and Two. I believe your books work, because you are catering to the crowd who unabashedly train for mainly aesthetic reasons.

"Unlike the ridiculous Men's Health workouts, your methods/principles simply work. I am a medical student and the fact of the matter is that patients unconsciously trust fit doctors. Also, as a young man, I'm still very much interested in impressing the ladies. That being said, what are your opinions on performing high intensity interval cardio during the decompression weeks? I understand that the weeks are purposely less intense and so will the cardio take away from the results? I just can't stomach the idea of non-intense exercise.

"Also, what are your opinions on forearm training? Since I wear scrubs in anatomy lab, I wouldn't mind huge, bulging forearms. Can you recommend some exercises plus the recommended amount of sets and reps? I am 5'11'' and weigh 185 lbs with about 20% body fat. I'm having lots of trouble leaning down. I've never seen my abs before, and I'd love to reveal them. I'd greatly appreciate any advice. Thank you."

Best,
Larry
Alpert Medical School of Brown University


My Answer: Thanks for the kind words, Larry. Glad you've enjoyed the books. If you're at 20% body fat, then yes, by all means follow HIIT during the decompression weeks. As far as freaky forearms to impress your fine looking lab partners, thick bar training always works. The thick handle is part of the reason why kettebells work so well in developing massive forearms.

If you don't have access to thick bars, then Zottman curls work well in developing the forearms:


As well as reverse grip barbell curls:


Plate pinches work your grip strength:


As well as hub pinches:

Simple is Sometimes Better

I remember talking to an FBI investigator at a cafe, and she related how every morning she'd arrive at the federal building and take the elevator up. There'd be other federal employees, of course, some FBI agents and investigators and some from "other agencies."

For the longest while she couldn't figure out who these people from this other agency were. They would always exit the floor after the FBI floors, and these higher floors were restricted and unmarked. One thing she noticed about these federal employees was that they were bigger and more built than the usual FBI special agents. She figured out later that these people she rode the elevator with were DEA agents.

Of all the law enforcement agencies, the DEA deals with some of the most dangerous assignments. You're dealing with drug dealers with weapons. Needless to say: very bad and very dangerous people.

So it makes sense that a lot of these guys take working out very seriously. You have to be strong and you have to look physically imposing and formidable (to put it lightly).

The funny thing is that most of these guys that work high risk units and agencies (DEA, local SWAT, etc.) don't do anything special in the gym. They don't have the time to follow specially designed strength programs. And yet they develop some rather impressive physiques.

What do a lot of these guys do? Simple: lift heavy weights, stick to a handful of exercises, get stronger on these core exercises, workout when you can. They almost always follow a split routine, not because it's more effective, but because they're just following conventional bodybuilding "wisdom." They never watch their diet, other than to eat to satiate their hunger and to drink a lot of water to avoid being thirsty. They keep their training and diet simple, because they got better things to worry about.

The Guillotine Press

"Hi James,

"I’ve found your blog from an article you wrote about the bench press on Mind and Muscle. I have a question about the Guillotine press which you recommend as a better alternative to the normal-style bench press for building mass.

"In one of the diagrams in your article, it shows a drawing of someone doing the guillotine press with his feet up on the end of the bench. Is this correct?

"Most weight training magazines, and personal trainers, have drummed it into me that your feet should be flat on the floor for bench presses, so I’m a bit confused as to which is the best/safest way. Also, with the guillotine, do you recommend keeping the shoulder blades squeezed together, and also keeping your lower back with a slight curve (i.e. slightly off the bench), or should you try to flatten it out on the bench?

"Thanks for any comments."

Regards,
Ben


My Answer: Lifting your legs up is optional. Ideally you want to flatten out your lower back on to the bench, and to do this, you would need to raise your legs off the floor.

For stability, planting your feet firmly into the floor is best, but it depends on how high your bench is and how tall you are. The lower your bench, the more stable you are, because you can plant your feet flat onto the floor. The higher the bench, the more difficult it is to do this for the vertically challenged, such as myself. For those of us with short legs on unusually high benches, we either end on our tippy-toes with a flat back, or with flat feet and an arched back. Neither situation is good.

But if you're able to plant your feet on to the floor without arching your back, then go ahead and do so. I personally like to plant my feet flat on the bench. You still get the stability, but without the overarching of the back. Keep the shoulder blades squeezed back to maintain a stable base.

Follow-up Question to Airman Muscle, Decline Flyes

"My workout and Air Force PT test include pushups, situps, and running for 30 minutes 3 times per week. Do I run before or after the 10-8-6-15 workout? What are examples of carbs? Thanks!"

-Jimmy


My Answer: You don't know what carbs are?! You need to do some homework. Take the time to educate yourself on diet and training. If you're just doing pushups, situps and running, then no wonder you're not gaining any muscle. I shouldn't have to tell you that you need to hit the weights. Focus on the weights and do the running afterwards.


"Sorry to bother you again, but I'm just wondering if you have any recommendations for a lower chest exercise? Besides the dips you recommended in Strength and Physique Volume One, because those are impossible to do especially when you suggest doing them after other chest exercises.

"I constantly hear decline presses are useless, and considering your exercise guides have been extremely beneficial, I would like to know your opinion on the matter."

Thanks,
Craig


My Answer: I wouldn't say that decline presses are useless. They will definitely get you the thickness in the lower pectoral area. But do you want man-boobs? If you're looking to develop symmetry, then you want your pecs to look like a "\_|_/" not "(_|_)." You want to give your chest an angular look.

If you can't do Gironda dips, then try decline cable flyes. It's not as effective in giving you that lower pec thickness that creates that "W" shadow, but it is the next best thing.

Airman Muscle

"I am a 30 year old Asian-American ectomorph in the Air Force. Unfortunately, running is mandatory 3 times per week, since there is a monthly PT test. I want to build some muscle. Can you recommend a workout program? Should I use the one in your article for Bodybuilding.com? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!"

-J. Yu


My Answer: I don't know which one of my articles you're talking about, since I have quite a few at that site. Since you mentioned that you're an ectomorph, I'm assuming you mean the 10-8-6-15 article. I have no idea what you're doing as far as training, so that program or any of my programs would help you build some muscle. You need to be more specific about your background.

I will say this though: if you're an ectomorph who has to run 3 times per week, then you should eat a lot of carbs and not worry so much about your fat intake. Endurance athletes perform better on a diet that is high carb and moderate fat, because their high volume of training requires a lot of fuel (carbs and fat), but not as much protein.

If you ate low carb and low fat, then your body will have to use protein as fuel and it will catabolize your muscle just to fuel those lengthy cardio sessions. So eat a lot of carbs.

Beginning Bodybuilding

"I am a college student beginning to gain interest in bodybuilding as a sport. I am legally blind, so it is a good sport for me to feel competitive but also stay safe. I read your article, Wingspan Workouts on Bodybuilding.com. It was a very good, no nonsense workout that gave me a good burn. Do you have any other tips for someone just starting out? My biggest problem is losing body fat and gaining muscle. It seems really hard to do both at the same time. Thank you for any advice you can offer."

Tony Taliani
Pennsylvania


My Answer: Well, if you're serious about becoming a competitive bodybuilder, then you'll need someone to visually assess not just exercise form, but also how your physique looks overall. You'll need someone who knows the bodybuilding aesthetic and can help you bring up lagging body parts. If you're serious about competitive bodybuilding, then you'll need the guidance of a good trainer specializing in bodybuilding, which is very hard to find.

If you're just a recreational bodybuilder and you're working out to look good naked (not because you have a burning need to oil yourself up and pose on stage in front of a hundred people with nothing on but a speedo!), then get yourself a good workout partner if you haven't done so already. A good workout partner can spot you on exercises, motivate you to push hard and can also visually assess what your weaknesses are in your physique.

If you're just starting out in bodybuilding, then read up on training techniques and exercises. Strength and Physique, Volume One is a good start. SPV1 will provide you with a wide variety of training strategies to get the physique you want. There's a chapter on each major muscle group and how to train them for size and symmetry.

Strength and Physique, Volume Two is also a great bodybuilding book, but it's meant for an advanced bodybuilder and is far more focused.

Vince Gironda High Pull

"I got Volume 2 from Amazon.com the other day, and it looks great. I have questions about two of the exercises you list. In the Insulin/Testosterone pump and pre-stretch exercise list, you include 'barbell high pulls' for the deltoids. I understand high pulls to be a power clean without catching the barbell at the top: an exercise where you use a clean grip and start either on the floor or from a hang and explosively pull the bar to chest level or so. Is that the exercise you mean? I never thought of that as a pump and pre-stretch movement. Also, is the Gironda swing lateral the movement where one arm goes out to the side and the other crosses the body at the same time? If so, that's a great exercise."

Thank you for any response,
Adam


My Answer- Yes, you can use barbell high pulls as a pump movement for the deltoids, as long as you perform high reps in good form. In the Insulin/Testosterone workout, you can perform either a pumping exercise or a stretch exercise for a muscle group. There are no good stretching movements for the deltoids, however, so you simply perform high reps on shoulder exercises, such laterals and high pulls.

The high pull that I'm referring to, however, is not the Olympic version, but the bodybuilding version. The Vince Gironda high pull is a variation of the upright barbell row done from the hang position. Here's a description of the VG high pull from the Iron Guru website.

- Overhand grip on the bar about shoulder-width apart.

- At the "low position" the bar rests on the front of the thighs and the elbows are slightly bent.

- With the elbows pulled high the bar is raised to about the top of your head.

- At the raised position, the bar should be about 12 inches (30 cm) in front of the head.

The Role of Diet in Size and Strength

"Hi James,

"Hope all is well. I started reading the Volume 2 book, and I'm learning a lot of important aspects on how to come up with the ultimate bodybuilding program. The book is great!

"Recently, I've been eating a little less than normal given that I was gaining too much body fat. I have an ectomorph body type, and I've been losing the weight like crazy. My arm size decreased by ¼ of an inch in about a week. The funny thing is, is that I'm constantly lifting more weight every workout (I keep track of how many sets and reps I do for each workout). I workout 4 times a week: Sun, Mon, Wed and Friday. I did what you suggested your readers to do in Vol. 1. I chose 3 different exercises for a muscle group and spread the exercises throughout the whole week. So, every workout, I attack the muscle using a given exercise I chose from the 3 I picked for my program. The reps and sets for each exercises change every workout to recruit different muscle fibres. This works fantastically!

"Seeing that I'm getting stronger from workout to workout, shouldn't my body be getting bigger instead of smaller? Eating a surplus of the right calories is key to getting big, I know. But doesn't getting stronger correlate with getting bigger?

"Your help is much appreciated."

Take care,
Jason


My Answer: Hey Jason, great to hear you're making excellent progress. To answer your question, does increased strength directly equate to increased size? No, not necessarily. You can be stronger and not gain size at all. This is why there are weight classes in powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting.

Gaining muscle is contigent upon 2 things: the right stimulus (weight training) and the right building blocks (diet). The Strength and Physique programs are increasing your strength, but without the extra calories and extra protein, you will not get bigger. You'll certainly get more toned and lean, so your physique will still be impressive.

But if you want to have impressive muscular size, then you'll need to up the calories and protein. I understand that you want to avoid getting too fat, but you'll need to focus on one goal at a time. What I suggest is to follow the ZigZag Zone diet mentioned in SPV2: Neo-Classical Bodybuilding for 2 weeks, then follow a lower calorie diet for 2 weeks. Alternating in this way will help you focus on one dietary goal at a time and will help you make better gains in the long run.

Off-Topic: Sight Alignment

So last week my department underwent nighttime range qualification. Officers have to qualify with their firearms on a regular basis, and one of the qualifications is to shoot at night with limited visibility.

Funny thing is that I often shoot better at nighttime than at daytime. I wondered for a long while as to why, but now I realize: I'm much more focused at night.

At a night shoot, you use a flashlight to illuminate your target, and that's all you see. No distractions. At daytime, everything is illuminated and there are plenty of things to distract you and invade your field of vision.

Not only that, but the sights on your gun glow in the dark, and since they're more pronounced visually, you can focus on sight alignment better. You can focus better on your technique. In the daytime, the sun can often shine in your face and on the haze of dust and dirt in the air, so it's hard to focus on your sights and your target.

The take-home lesson in all this is that if you have a goal, then to achieve that goal, you need a clearly defined target and few distractions. Once you've set your sights on a goal, focus on perfecting the technique that will hit your target.

Pull-ups, Chest Exercises and Hammer Curls

"I just read your article at Bodybuilding.com about back exercises. Now I've noticed that almost every routine out there requires or suggests pull-ups. While I understand the importance and what you can gain from performing pull-ups, I myself do not have the strength to incorporate them into my own routine.

"What do you suggest I do to gain the strength to do so? I feel that maybe it is a matter of me losing more weight? But what else is there to do beside that? Thank you in advance for any advice, and I do appreciate your time."

Regards,
Dante Romandia


My Answer- If you're overweight, then yes, losing the excess bodyfat will make it easier for you to do pull-ups. Concentrate on losing weight first, then come back to pull-up training. Once you're down to a respectable and trim weight, then I suggest the following:

1) Do some partner assisted pull-ups. This will teach your body how to do pull-ups, but you have to have a partner that gives you just the right amount of assistance. If he's essentially heaving you up every time, and you're doing jack shit, then there's really no point. So make sure your partner gives you the minimal amount of assistance to help you with the pull-ups.

2) If you can, then start out with pull-ups with a narrow and neutral grip. In other words, palms facing each other. This is the easiest form of pull-ups.



3) Do some hanging inverted rows. Most people substitute this exercise for pull-ups if they can't do pull-ups or can't do enough repetitions of them. This exercise doesn't have the greatest carryover to pull-ups, but it will teach you how to move your body from a hanging position.




"I was reading your ectomorph article about proper training. I weigh-in at around 143-145 lbs. I've gained approximately 25 lbs. in the past year, give or take. In the beginning, I used to only train chest with one to two exercises (bench press, or flyes, or even incline).

"In your article, it states that I should typically concentrate on only one exercise per bodypart. I've been training chest with at least four to five (flat bench, flat/incline flyes, cable crossovers, decline press, and incline press), and I'm assuming, according to your post, that I'm definitely overtraining my chest.

"Should I really only concentrate on only one core exercise for my chest? Wouldn't that decrease the progress I've made with my lower chest if I was only to train with flat bench? I'm not a beginner, I guess, since I've been doing this for a little over a year. So I'm not sure if this pertains to me or not. I would really appreciate your help and guidance on this topic. Hope all goes well, thank you."

Sincerely,
Sean Cho


My Answer- You make the most progess on the muscles and exercises trained first in a session. After that first exercise, you're receiving diminishing returns from succeeding exercises. Do yourself a favor and choose one exercise for the chest and simply change the exercise from workout to workout. Don't worry, you won't lose size on your lower pecs:

Workout #1- flat bench barbell press
Workout #2- incline bench barbell press
Workout #3- decline bench barbell press


"When I was younger (15 years ago), I believe I damaged some nerves on the fleshy part of my palm at the base of my right thumb. I was curling a lot of weight and then this stinging/tinge feeling came from the fleshy part of my palm below the thumb. It has never completely healed.

"In order for me to avoid the pain when I curl heavy weights with my right arm, I have just been doing Hammer Curls. With lighter weights, I can do the traditional curl, but I don’t get a good bicep workout like that. Will the hammer curl suffice?"

- Guy C.


My Answer- If you haven't done so, then you should get that checked out by a doctor. In the meantime, hammer curls with heavy weight and traditional curls with light weight is fine. If anything, you will develop a greater biceps "peak" by using a hammer grip, since you're working the brachialis muscle. Just stay with the heavier weights and mix up the angles. Incline hammer curls are always good: