Strength and Physique

Just a heads up: head out to your Barnes and Noble bookstore and pick up the latest issue of Planet Muscle . In it I have an article called "Heavy-Light Training." "Hello, can you give me a routine for the 10-8-6-15 program using just a barbell? All I have is a cage, a bench, an Olympic barbell and 300 lbs, no dumbbells. I can no longer go to a gym." Thanks for your time and help. - W.L. My Answer- You can still build a very impressive physique based solely on barbells and body weight exercises. Here's what I suggest: A) Squats- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 2 minutes rest. B) Bench press- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest. C) Pull-ups or Barbell rows- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest. D) Wide grip barbell upright rows- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 1 minute rest. E) Barbell curls- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest. F) Close grip bench press- 4 sets of 10, 8, 6, 15 reps; 90 seconds rest. Q:  I have...

Q:  "I recently ran into your blog and profile. I am preparing to enter the academy for the LASD. I changed my training from a traditional body building approach to a much more high intensity cardio style routine to build my stamina.  "Now my problem is that I am losing muscle mass. I am 5'10 163. When I started training for this last July I was 174. My strength has gone down also because I cut back the weight training and heavy lifts for more reps. I am being told that I will not see the academy until June. I want to be able to hang with the cardio but also build my strength. Any advice would be most helpful.  "Thank you for your time sir." My Answer:  Sir? Save the formalities for the academy staff, son. As far as strength and muscle mass, you  will  lose it during the academy. This is inevitable unless you're an endomorph, a.k.a. fat boy. I lost quite a bit of weight during my 7 month academy and during my 3 month field training after that. So why accele...

Check out my latest video on the elbows out dumbbell row, which will work the teres major muscle and give you the wide shoulder look: Q: "If you have time could you please clear up a few things for me? First let me say thanks so much for doing the article . It’s going to be very helpful for me, since I’m a slim framed guy. I’m about 5’10 150 and can rep 160ish once or twice. I guess that 160 at my weight isn’t bad, but I want to add size.  "I’m a 6 year Krav Maga practitioner, so my build is more lean and built for speed, what I consider the martial artist build. I may have missed this, but how much weight should I be trying to do for each set? Should I try to add a little weight each time the number of reps goes down? How much should I try to lift on my 15 rep set?" Thanks, Mike My Answer: Look over the Q&A section of the article . I answer this question in there. For the first set, use a weight based on your 10 rep max. Add weight with ea...