Strength and Physique

Hi James,   I have been trying out the 8x8 routine, and it is a incredible.  I haven’t experienced muscle fatigue like this before.  I am into my second week of it, and I have made up 4 workout routines.  I am doing it only 4 times a week with 2 days on then 1 day off.  I have a couple questions.    1)       How many weeks would you recommend doing the 8x8 routine? 2)       Is it OK that I on the 7 th and 8 th set that I fall short of the 8 reps? 3)       What routine would you recommend after I have finished up this routine, or could I just switch the exercises?   Thank you for your advice.  You books are great I refer to them often.  I only wished I knew about the Ebooks before I bought the paper ones.   Sincerely, Derek My Answer: Follow the 8x8 program no longer than 3 weeks, then afterwards do the 3-5 M...

Q:  Hey James, what type of certification would you recommend to be a personal trainer? My Answer: If you get a certification, then get one that will teach you how to grow and run a business.  People in the industry always point to the NSCA certification (which I have) or the ACSM certification as the best certifications to get.  But quite frankly, your clients don't give a shit as to what certification you have.  They can't tell the difference.  Plus these certifications don't do anything to help you with getting your personal training business off the ground.  They just take your money and call you certified.  If you do get certified, then I would suggest something like ISSA, which provides business support. Q:  I am going to try out your 10-8-6-15 pyramid program . Just want to know how much weight to use? For example, my 1 rep max is just 13 pounds. how many percent of weight should I use? Let say I used 10 pounds for 10 reps ...

Q:  I'm currently studying criminology and plan on working for my local police. At the same time I have had a burning passion for fitness/health/working out and want to be a personal trainer. For the last 6 months ever since I've entered the university, I have been in a constant tug of war between choosing to be a personal trainer and a police officer. I came by your articles and found out that you are a police officer, personal trainer and Asian-American (like myself). It's really inspiring to see someone like that. My question is: Would majoring in criminology, minoring in kinesiology and a certificate in personal training be a good idea to pursue a job similar to yours? Thanks, Aaron L. My Answer: I was an independent trainer before becoming a peace officer. I stopped training once I started law enforcement, but resumed training clients off-duty a few years into my career.  Then I stopped training once I had a daughter. There are pros and cons to b...

I have a fully equipped home gym, so I don’t workout at the gym anymore. But I do miss the social aspect of a commercial gym. You really are more motivated to workout, when you’re in an environment with other people exercising. So once a week I do some outdoor workouts . I used to workout at a mom and pop neighborhood gym , which you don’t find much anymore. The big chains like 24Hr, Bally’s, Crunch, Equinox, Gold’s Gym and Planet Fitness have crushed a lot of the small time neighborhood gyms. Things have gotten more commercialized and impersonal. They sell you memberships contracts and personal training contracts, betting that you won’t be going to the gym more than a few times within the first month and that you’ll stop completely thereafter. There’s been a backlash against the big commercial gyms. People value the social aspect of exercise, so you see a lot of exercise cults, like Crossfit, kettlebell instructors, running groups and outdoor “bootcamps.” Part of what’s d...

Hi James, I was wondering, do you offer email training? I basically wanted some broad guidance on training strategies and to ask specific questions now and again. Cheers Steve P.S. Your arm blast routine from Bodybuilding.com that you pointed me to is phenomenal. Maybe it's just the pump, but I'm measuring 16 inches compared to 15 inches before - after just 2 trainings! My Answer: Glad you like the program, Steve. With regards to online training, I've answered this question before . My main issue with online training is that my time is rather limited at the moment. If I were to do online training, then I'd want to make sure you get very detailed programs and training advice. This blog takes some time and effort already, so if I were to train you and others online, then I'd be giving you more pertinent information, more knowledge. Online clients would subscribe to a private YouTube Channel to view exercise demos (private subscription channels have a max of 20 subscr...

Q:  I am writing in regards to your book Neo-Classical Bodybuilding . I am interested in purchasing it to look at some techniques but wanted to ask if there was any collaboration between any exercise physiologists, physical therapists, or any other advanced educational degrees.  Please don't take this the wrong way in thinking that I am belittling your accomplishments and results. The main reason I ask is that I, personally, am involved in physical therapy and would like to incorporate some techniques into my career, yet I would prefer evidence based research. Thank you sir for your time, Jonathan My Answer: No offense taken, Jonathan. Frankly I encourage my readers and clients to actively research things for themselves and that means validating information sources and confirming who's an authority. Let me be clear about this, because a lot of clients and readers have this misunderstanding: A personal trainer is not a doctor, and a doctor is not a persona...

Everybody wants to outsource these days. You get your accountant to do your taxes, your maid to clean your house, your babysitter to watch the kids and your personal trainer to get you in shape. What ever happened to learning to do stuff on your own? I find it funny that people nowadays, including men, are so quick to hire a personal trainer. That's great for trainers, but I think a lot of people have been misled to believe that getting into shape is too daunting of a task to do on their own. I used to go to a small neighborhood gym where they didn't push a personal trainer on you. You learned by trying stuff out in the gym, observing how other guys worked out and asking for advice. There was a sense of camaraderie. More experienced lifters helped younger lifters, and respect was given to those who put in hard time and hard work to achieve a hard physique. Nowadays, commercial gyms seem to be meat markets with men strutting around like peacocks. God forbid you give your f...

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 l...

Q: I wrote you an email about two weeks ago, asking about your shoulder exercises that make your lateral deltoids wider. I have gone through all three of your different work outs and I have to say, wow. This workout really works. Even after doing the first workout, I could instantly tell. My striations were popping, my nose was running (always a good thing on shoulder day), and I can start to see the cuts between my biceps and shoulders. I look a little bit wider, making my waist seem even smaller.  Thank you for posting your workout. I just read your article on arms. Can’t wait to try that one either. I'm working on achieving my NASM certification as we speak. Thought you would like to get some feedback from an almost another fitness guru.  Thanks again!  Keep posting, I'll keep lifting. Jonathan Hatchell Athletics Administrator www.footballfoundation.com My Response: Thanks for the feedback, Jonathan. I'm glad the program is working out for you. ...

I just got back from training a client at Lake Merced in San Francisco, and lo and behold, we ran into a crap load of other trainers with their clientele. Never ran into other trainers there before, but for some reason today, it's like every trainer in the city decided to do outdoor training at Lake Merced AND occupy the pull-up bars. It's good though, because people should learn how to do real pull-ups and not those exercise machines of denial and self-delusion that assist you in doing pull-ups. If you can whip out 15 full range pull-ups (not chin-ups, which are underhanded) without jerking your body up, then you should consider harder pull-up variations. There are 12 variations you can use to make things more interesting. If you train in these variations, then you're heading into more elite athleticism, one that is closer to gymnastics. And we know how strong, explosive and built gymnasts are. One variation that is extremely difficult is the pull-up with scapula ret...