Strength and Physique

   I'm currently in the middle of writing an article on kettlebells for bodybuilding, which is not a new concept. If you look at pictures of John Grimek, you'll find him doing kettlebell curls, which were a favorite of his.

Q: I must say I enjoy reading what you write and find you somewhat an inspiration. I have wanted to be a police officer my entire life, but considering a juvenile criminal record (JUST expunged) I can't join the Marines as an MP. I can't join period either, because I got my GED and so I'm volunteering at the YMCA, and answering phones at the fire department until I start college for a degree in Education. I do have one area of concern. I used to box. I'm 17, but started boxing when I was 16. I weighed 115 and was benching 180. Around New Year’s I cut myself on the wrist and severed several tendons, which put me to all running and biking for a good many months. Just this past month I've gotten back to work out, but I've found myself hesitating from the bench press due to a concern that it might affect my push up reps. My goal I've set is 100 push ups by New Year's, as well as squatting 200 pounds 20 times, running 5k, and 20+ chin ups. It...

Normally I'm a very low profile guy. I don't like talking all the time, but when I talk, I'm make sure my words are meaningful. I don't have a lot of manic energy like some people. But something happens when I'm pushed past a physical limit. It's like a back up drive of adrenaline that kicks in. It' always been like this for me.  One day as a recruit in the police academy, we all had to line up in the hall and do group push ups in cadence. In other words, we all had to go up and down at the same time on command of the TAC officer. Of course the TAC officer barking the push up commands would make the class stay in the bottom push up position for prolonged periods of time to make them exceptionally painful. My classmates would collapse on the floor, because their arms felt like spaghetti and their chests were burning with lactic acid.  I remember being in that bottom push up position with my nose an inch from the floor, when out of the corner of my eye...

Q: "Hi James, I was reading up on some info you had about the three different body types, and how they should workout and eat. Well, I am an ectomorph, and I was wondering if you could give me a specific workout routine? "I'm 16. My bicep muscle size is about 13.2 inches, and I want my muscles to get bigger quicker. Now what I normally do is workout the upper body one day and legs the next. "I have some weights I use at home that are only 40 pounds all together, so the muscles I workout the most are my biceps, triceps and shoulders. What I do in my workout routine is pretty intense. It's like this: using a 25 pound weight I do one set of 12 reps. Then without rest I do my triceps with the whole 40 pounds and do 1 set of 12 reps. Then without rest I use a 30 pound weight and do 7 bicep curls. Then without rest I do the same triceps exercise. Then without rest I use a 35 pound weight and do 4-5 curls and then the same triceps exercise. "I try to...

Q: I have a few questions concerning forearm size and grip strength. I remember that you mentioned thick bar exercises in one of your blog posts. I haven't been able to find information on those exercises. What are some thick bar exercises? Another article suggested that doing compound lifts such as deadlifts and snatches will strengthen your grip and increase forearm size without the need for isolation exercises. Is that something that you would suggest? My Answer: Do yourself a favor and get a pair of thick bar heavy handles . Thick bar exercises just mean you do regular exercises with thick bars and dumbbells, so no matter what exercise you do, you're working the forearms. Heavy handles allow you to work most of the conventional bodybuilding exercises with a thick grip.

Q:  Last time I wrote you recommended that I use a 5x5 program to increase my results. With this program I have seen great results, but again I think it is time for a new routine. So I have two questions for you: 1) If I wanted to keep gaining size what would be the best follow up program? 2) If I was satisfied with the results, how would I go about 'toning' my body or 'cutting' up? I'm not sure of the proper word, but what would be the ideal program for that approach?   Thanks again as always James. -Jay My Answer: You're going to have a hard time training for 2 separate goals at the same time. A servant cannot serve 2 masters. You either focus on size or you focus on tone or you focus on cutting up. For those of you who don't know, muscle tone means your muscles are thick and dense, so much so that your muscles visually appear thick and dense. Cutting up is different. Getting cut means that your body fat is so low that you can se...

I don't get Facebook or Twitter. I'm really not interested in what you had for breakfast this morning, you narcissist. I can see the potential for these social networking tools to mobilize movements, to keep in touch with friends and family and to gather people together for some fun activities. But jeez, most people just aren't using these tools for anything meaningful.  Nevertheless, the Web does provide a lot of valuable tools to support your activities in the Real World. Social networking tools are just tools. Phil Hartman said it best, "You put one guy in front of the computer, and he comes up with the space shuttle. You put another guy in front of the computer, and he plays Doom all day." I have a client who's the marketing director for Buzz Logic, an Internet marketing company. Every week she pesters me to join Twitter and start tweeting to promote my books, even though my book sales are doing great. Well after a year or two year of her nagging me, I...