Mr. Dips

Silly question, I know: Are you the guy we used to (flatteringly) call "Mr. Dips?"
If so, you look very different now.  Please describe your training methodology!


What kind of lifts do your workouts consist of?


-Robert


My Answer: I don't recall anybody calling me "Mr. Dips" to my face, but I did do a lot of dips when I used to workout at the gym in my early years.  And I have lost a lot of muscle mass since I've stopped eating like a bodybuilder, because I just don't have the appetite anymore.  I prefer to maintain a trim and tone physique built on wiry strength.  What gym did you train with this "Mr. Dips" anyway?

I was always a skinny dude, so I started weight training to get some size.  I ended up getting a thick chest, back, thighs and shoulders, but my arms were lagging behind.  So I added dips to gain some triceps size.  I worked on dips at least once a week.

Eventually I got to a point where I could strap a 100 dumbbell to my waist and do 5-7 reps, full range.  I don't train with the added weight anymore.  With just my bodyweight, I can rep out 35 full range dips fairly easily.

As far as my training methodology, it's all in my books.  I much more busy now with a 10 month old daughter, so I follow the training principles in Volume 4: Training for the Busy Bodybuilder.  The lifts that I practice are an eclectic mix of conventional and esoteric bodybuilding and strength exercises.  The videos that I have on my YouTube channel show a tiny cross section of these esoteric moves. 

I was planning on shooting an exercise DVD showcasing all of these lesser known but highly effective bodybuilding exercises.  But like I said, I'm quite busy with family.  Perhaps in the future when I have more time and resources.

Reader Mail

Hi James,


I know that you don't need me to write anything here, but I figured that I would give you some positive feedback while requesting your free workout. I have volumes two and three of yours, and have found that you really know what you are talking about. I have told my friends and students (I am a high school physics teacher) about the results that I have gotten from your workouts.

-M. Testa


My Answer:  Thanks for the kind words, and I'm glad that the workouts have helped you out.  Being a parent now myself, I've been showing more concern about the educational system.  My wife works at a high school as well. 

Anyway I want to thank you for educating our youth as a high school teacher.  A tough and under-appreciated job, but one that is crucial to our society's future.

Shortening the Hypertrophy Workout for Ectomorphs

Hi James,

Firstly, thank you for all of this information. It has proved to be invaluable reading!

I've started doing the Hypertrophy for Ectomorph program, but I'm finding that with the 3 minute breaks between sets, it's taking too long for me to perform in the time I have available. Would you recommend doing the sets as circuits (IE: all the 10 reps, all the 8 reps etc) or is it okay to reduce the recovery time between each set?

For your information, I'm 6'2", 176lb, I'm relatively fit (used to doing LOTS of cardio - mainly distance running and cycling) but new to weight training and have around 8% body fat - not sure how much of that is relevant!

Hope to hear from you soon!

Thanks again!
Neil


My Answer: I know it's very tempting to turn your strength training workout into a cardio workout, since you come from an endurance background. However, it's important to keep the rest periods long enough for your nervous system to recover and for you to build strength.

You're already going back and forth between exercises when you do bench presses with pulldowns and incline curls with close grip bench presses.  So there is no point in doing the entire series of exercises in a circuit.  But if you must shorten the workout, then go ahead and shorten the rest periods.  Keep in mind that if you do this, then your strength and hypertrophy gains will be compromised.

I would suggest shortening the rest periods for the squats and lateral raises, but keep the rest of the workout the same:

A) Squats- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 1 minute rest.

*The next 2 exercises are an “antagonistic superset.” Perform a bench press, then rest 90 seconds. Perform pulldowns, then rest 90 seconds before going back to bench presses. Repeat until you get 4 sets for each exercise.

B1) Bench press- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
B2) Pulldowns- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.

C) Laterals- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 30 seconds rest.

Arms Antagonistic Superset:
D1) Incline dumbbell curls- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.
D2) Close grip bench press- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest.

Avoiding Neural and Metabolic Fatigue

Hi James! I found your Hypertrophy Program for Ectomorphs article in Bodybulding.com. What abdominal and cardio workout would you recommend for this program.

Thanks!
Edgar


My Answer: Both ab exercises and cardio are very taxing for the ectomorph, and they are taxing for very different reasons. Ab exercises work your nervous system pretty hard, since there are a huge bundle of nerves in the abdominal area. So you're likely to overtrain if you include too much ab work. The ectomorph has to avoid overtraining, so that he doesn't compromise his growth. Besides, if you're an ectomorph, then you should have a thin waist anyway that's going to be worked indirectly by squats.

But if you must do an ab exercise, then do some hanging leg raises:



As far as cardio, it will overtrain you metabolically. If you're an ectomorph and already skinny, then why waste your recuperative abilities doing cardio? Your goal isn't fat loss, it's muscle building. But if you have to do cardio, then do some intermittent form of cardio, like kickboxing or wrestling.

Be warned: you will not gain as much muscle as you'd like if you add ab work and cardio.

Minimal Exercises, Maximum Muscle

Coach James,

I just read your article on the Shotgun Method of training and had a few questions. I've been using EDT for the last 6 weeks and am going to move onto shotgun training next.

First question: instead of 3 shotgun movements, can I do 4 and superset in two diff sets (shoulder press and pullups, then legs and chest)? Second, since this method addresses both size and symmetry, would it be safe to say you could use this method basically year-round as long as you're changing up your exercises and reps every now and then? Thanks in advance for the help. Your blog and articles are always helpful.

-Jeff


My Answer: No you should not do 4 shotgun movements. The whole point of doing shotgun movements is to hit the most muscle with the fewest exercises. This means minimal redundancy. Doing the shoulder press would be redundant, because you're doing a shotgun movement for the chest, which would invariably be a bench press variation. You'd be working the shoulders and triceps twice.

If you really want to include both exercises, then there are 2 options:

1) Do the chest press and shoulder press on separate Shotgun workouts.

2) Perform the shoulder press as a trouble shooting movement instead.


As far as being on this program indefinitely, I'd advise against it. Even if you changed the exercises frequently, the Shotgun workouts are quite taxing on the nervous system. It is a good program to come back to when you want to make some solid gains in size and strength. But most people get pretty sick of a program (no matter how much it varies from workout to workout) in 6 weeks.