Strength and Physique

Q:  I've currently being doing a strength program to get my numbers higher up and build more of a foundation. I want to start doing the Shotgun Method again, but I have a quick question about exercise selection.  Is it necessary to change up the exercises each time I work out? Or should I keep using what works until it just stops yielding results? I've been following programs for the past 3 months that required you to use the same exercises each workout, and I made significant gains.  Just wondering if it's necessary to change specific exercises regularly or not.  Thanks!  -Craig   My Answer: You don't have to change exercises every time you work out. It really depends on your goal. If you are looking to fully maximize muscular hypertrophy, then it's best to rotate through different exercises throughout the week.  If your goal is strength, however, then sticking to the same exercises from workout to workout is better. The Shotgun Meth...

Q:  I love your book Neo-Classical Bodybuilding , although I'm still early on in the routine. I have a question concerning the Insulin/T Workout on page 32. The Arms Superset specifies "lying dumbbell curls to seated dumbbell curls (12-15 total reps)." Do you mean to say lying curls OR seated curls, or is this a compound technique in which you sit up and then curl? Let me know! For now I'm just going to do a seated curl and then the diamond push ups. Thank you! Nico My Answer: Yes it is a compound set where you perform 7 reps of lying dumbbell curls and then immediately sit up and do another 7 reps of seated dumbbell curls with the same weight. Seven is the target number, but if you can perform more reps on either exercise, then keep going. With compound sets you want to minimize any rest in-between exercises. To do this, you can use the same weight but move your body position to alter the force curve. So a pair of dumbbells might feel somewhat heavy ...

Hey James, I am trying to cut down on my body fat. I have tried Atkins and Keto diets. I even did some fasting, and they make me feel a little crazy. Is this normal? What diet would you recommend and why? I don't even care if I lose a little muscle mass, I just don't want to lose any strength. - M. Volkman My Answer: Well I have written about how ketogenic diets can make you a little crazy and a little on edge. It depends on the person. Fasting can make you loopy too, which is one reason why religions use it to make its members psychologically malleable. If you find that you just can't take ketogenic diets or fasting, then you're going to have to rely on lowering your calories instead of restricting certain macronutrients or foods. Go to Fitday.com and open up a free account. Start logging in your food intake and note the calories. Strive to lower the calories from day to day. Start cutting down portions. No servings of anything larger than a fistful, wit...

Q:  I try to do the approach that you suggested with the  3-days-a-week  pyramid routine. The problem is that on my off days I feel like I'm losing muscle. Or I have a strong urge to just go and lift, because I don't feel pumped up. Is it normal to feel this way? -Ahsan A. My Answer:  Yes that is normal for some people, particularly ectomorphs. But there is a big difference between "feeling" like you're losing muscle and actually losing muscle. The pump that you get from working out is transient. It is temporary, and it is not a true indicator of your muscle size. Nevertheless, some people get addicted to the pump and want to have it all the time, so they go to the gym all the time. If you feel like going to the gym every day, then go right ahead. Split the workout in half according to upper body and lower body. Alternate between upper and lower workouts throughout the week. And because you've split the workouts in half, don't be tempted to add more exerci...

Q:  "Hi, I am an ectomorph and I have a question about your bodybuilding.com article on hypertrophy for ectomorphs. How would you modify the weight for each set? Do you start with something you can comfortably do 10 times and progressively raise the weight as the sets get smaller, then lower the weight for the set of 15 reps? Or do you not even modify the weight at all?"  Thanks, Trevor   My Answer: Yes, start off with a 10 rep max weight and add more weight from set to set. For the 15 rep set, lower the weight.

Q:  How do you do? Thank you for answering my questions on skinny-fat. I need your advice again. I have been following the 10-8-6-15 routine you suggest for ectomorphs for 1 month. I workout 2 to 3 times a week, only do one exercise per body part and gradually increase the weight for each set except for the last set. I notice improvements on my strength but not so much on my physique. How is this so? Is there anything I can do to improve on it, or does this simply mean it's time for me to switch to other routines? Thank you. Have a nice day. - J. Yang My Answer: If you're getting stronger, but there isn't any change in your physique, then it's usually diet that is holding you back. You have to eat more, and you have got to eat more meat and whole eggs. If you start to get the skinny-fat look again, then eat more veggies and eliminate those starchy carbs. If you drink a lot of alcohol, that is also making fat in all the wrong places, so cut the booze. Regardles...

Heads up readers: Strength and Physique: Training for the Busy Bodybuilder is now available! The training outlined in this book is VERY different from anything that I have ever written. In fact, the training is almost the exact opposite of what I normally tell readers to do, which is to train briefly, intensely and frequently. In my previous books, such as Neo-Classical Bodybuilding , I talked about the most you can do to achieve mass and muscularity in an ideal situation. If you are able to go to the gym 3-4 times, then previous volumes of Strength and Physique will provide you with countless training programs to build maximum muscle through maximum effort. In Strength and Physique, Volume 4 , however, I’m going to show you the least you can do to achieve mass and muscularity while still living a life outside the gym. It's meant for the modern day Renaissance Man who wants a phenomenal physique, but also wants to live life and pursue other interests. This book is about maximum...

"I saw your article on Bodybuilding.com. I'll be going into the academy next year when I get all my credits. I'm just curious about the decompression [phase]: how does it work for the body?" - R. Lynn My Answer: The way decompression works is that if you train at a high volume and/or a high frequency for a few weeks, and then you drop that volume or frequency significantly, your body will overcompensate in size by sucking up amino acids and carbohydrates left and right. People call it detraining, backcycling or muscle confusion, but decompression is very specific. You are purposely dropping the volume by half and decreasing the density of a workout by increasing rest periods. Your body will take some time to adjust to this drop, so it will try to load up on all of its nutrients before you decide to get crazy in the gym again. During this adjustment, that is when you grow. "Hi I just got your book Neo-Classical Bodybuilding , and I wanted to use your modern ...

Q:  Don't know if you can offer any advice, but I've been trying to develop a better exercise routine for myself. I've been going to the gym for quite a few years, and though I see little results, I find that I'm still quite weak. I'm 33 years old, 5'6" 147 lbs. I guess my body type would be ectomorph, though skinny I do have a little fat around the mid section. I've been working with mostly split routines. Example: Monday- Chest and Biceps Wednesday- Shoulders and Legs Friday- Back and Triceps I do 3 different exercises with 3 sets for each body part (also do some cardio once or twice a week). I'm probably overtraining. Not looking for a bodybuilder body, but I do want muscle, tone and strength. I've read your article on the bodybuilding forum Hypertrophy Training for the Ectomorph . I know it's geared towards more of a beginner routine, [but I] just didn't know if I should switch to that routine or do something completely diffe...