Online Training?
Q: "Do you believe that overhead squats are useful for hypertrophy? I started the Shotgun Method and was wondering if you feel that this exercise is effective for that."
Thanks,
Norm
My Answer: No, I don't find it effective for hypertrophy or for a shotgun movement. Due to strength imbalances and/or flexibility issues, most people cannot do the overhead squat with enough weight to incur hypertrophy or even an anabolic response from their bodies. When it comes to methods to accomplish a goal, most of the time simplicity is best. This is especially true of exercises. I find that if a client cannot pick up a new exercise within 5 minutes of instruction, then it's best to abandon it and move on to something else that is user friendly. The overhead squat is not a corrective exercise, it is an indicative exercise. What this means is that practicing the overhead squat will not add that much to your strength and flexibility, but demonstrating it does show how lacking you are in certain areas.
Q: "Thanks for the cross-wiring program. I bought the book this second time to give to a friend, but the free program was definitely a deciding factor. Anyway, I have a million questions for you that could fill up your blog for at least a month. Since we're both busy guys I'll keep it short. I'm making good gains from following your programs, and I follow them very strictly, but what is the best way, or program, to put on mass for someone who is extremely ectomorphic? Also, what is carb cycling? Did I pass that up in the book, and would it be effective in gaining mass for me? Finally, you say that no one should ask a trainer for a program without paying for it, but do you have a Paypal account or something where I could transfer funds to? I would definitely buy programs from you. E-training could be a successful business venture.
"I check the blog daily, I follow the rest periods in your programs precisely with my iPod stopwatch, and I think your book is so good that I'm giving it to a friend. I'm like your biggest fan! Once again, keep up the good work."
Thanks,
Mike
My Answer: Glad you like my stuff, Mike. Somehow I pictured Kathy Bates when you said, "I'm like your biggest fan!" Just kidding dude. I really do appreciate the feedback that I get from you and everyone else. To answer your question, yes I have thought about online training, but I'm not venturing into it just yet. The thing that drove me to write a book was that I wanted to share bodybuilding knowledge with everybody who had serious discipline. Because I'm busy and my time is limited, I can only train so many people. A book and blog can reach anyone in the world, even when I'm at work, asleep or enjoying time with family and friends.
The problem with a book and blog is that the advice I give is limited by the medium. Learning from a book or from words or images on the internet is not the same as getting personally trained. I can visually assess your posture and form on exercises and have you make adjustments in a second. I can demonstrate new and unusual exercises in person, but when written down, there's no guarantee the reader will pick up the exercise, because I'm not there to assess and correct the lifter's form.
In other words, I don't want to venture into online training just yet, because I don't want to compromise service to you, the client. It may be something I do later on, when I have the time to devote to making it the best online training possible. I have thought about creating a DVD, because there are bodybuilding exercises that are relatively unknown. But we'll see. I'll have to devote time and effort to learning how to shoot and edit or to have someone else do it for me.
Now as far as your question for mass building for ectomorphs, I may just write up an article on that topic. I'll keep you guys posted.
Thanks,
Norm
My Answer: No, I don't find it effective for hypertrophy or for a shotgun movement. Due to strength imbalances and/or flexibility issues, most people cannot do the overhead squat with enough weight to incur hypertrophy or even an anabolic response from their bodies. When it comes to methods to accomplish a goal, most of the time simplicity is best. This is especially true of exercises. I find that if a client cannot pick up a new exercise within 5 minutes of instruction, then it's best to abandon it and move on to something else that is user friendly. The overhead squat is not a corrective exercise, it is an indicative exercise. What this means is that practicing the overhead squat will not add that much to your strength and flexibility, but demonstrating it does show how lacking you are in certain areas.
Q: "Thanks for the cross-wiring program. I bought the book this second time to give to a friend, but the free program was definitely a deciding factor. Anyway, I have a million questions for you that could fill up your blog for at least a month. Since we're both busy guys I'll keep it short. I'm making good gains from following your programs, and I follow them very strictly, but what is the best way, or program, to put on mass for someone who is extremely ectomorphic? Also, what is carb cycling? Did I pass that up in the book, and would it be effective in gaining mass for me? Finally, you say that no one should ask a trainer for a program without paying for it, but do you have a Paypal account or something where I could transfer funds to? I would definitely buy programs from you. E-training could be a successful business venture.
"I check the blog daily, I follow the rest periods in your programs precisely with my iPod stopwatch, and I think your book is so good that I'm giving it to a friend. I'm like your biggest fan! Once again, keep up the good work."
Thanks,
Mike
My Answer: Glad you like my stuff, Mike. Somehow I pictured Kathy Bates when you said, "I'm like your biggest fan!" Just kidding dude. I really do appreciate the feedback that I get from you and everyone else. To answer your question, yes I have thought about online training, but I'm not venturing into it just yet. The thing that drove me to write a book was that I wanted to share bodybuilding knowledge with everybody who had serious discipline. Because I'm busy and my time is limited, I can only train so many people. A book and blog can reach anyone in the world, even when I'm at work, asleep or enjoying time with family and friends.
The problem with a book and blog is that the advice I give is limited by the medium. Learning from a book or from words or images on the internet is not the same as getting personally trained. I can visually assess your posture and form on exercises and have you make adjustments in a second. I can demonstrate new and unusual exercises in person, but when written down, there's no guarantee the reader will pick up the exercise, because I'm not there to assess and correct the lifter's form.
In other words, I don't want to venture into online training just yet, because I don't want to compromise service to you, the client. It may be something I do later on, when I have the time to devote to making it the best online training possible. I have thought about creating a DVD, because there are bodybuilding exercises that are relatively unknown. But we'll see. I'll have to devote time and effort to learning how to shoot and edit or to have someone else do it for me.
Now as far as your question for mass building for ectomorphs, I may just write up an article on that topic. I'll keep you guys posted.
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