Strength and Physique

Q:  Your articles are really informative. I am 30 years old, 150lbs, 6ft. My problem is I have jelly like muscles around my chest and abdomen. Or too much fat. I am doing split workouts with three days of cardio. In order to reduce fat, how many reps range do I need to perform? Hope to hear from you soon. Regards, Kashif My Answer- Well you have 2 issues: lack of muscle tone and excess fat. To get muscle tone, you have to use heavy weight, low reps. To lose fat, on the other hand, you have to use higher reps with low rest periods. So you have to use a wide variety of reps in order to get a better physique. The other issue you have is that you're doing cardio 3 times per week. At 6 feet, 150 lbs., you're in need of muscle. You don't need to do cardio, since the cardio is depleting your testosterone. If you want to lose fat, then use high rep strength training to lose fat. Higher reps (8-15+) coupled with low rest (30-90 seconds) will help you gain mu...

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...

James, I was trying to make sure that I am doing different exercises on each workout. I am doing close grip pulldowns on workouts #4, and for workout #3 I am trying to incorporate Back/Biceps/Delt in one exercise. So pull-ups is the answer? I was trying to follow the routine. I guess I thought of using some weights, because the reps are 6-8. Should I just do as many as possible? Never thought of shoulders being taxed enough, but you know best! Oh, and I am going to find a gym while I am skiing. I am so close to achieving the body I want that I have to continue even out there. I am at a point where I feel everything I do counts more. Before I wasn’t in shape, and if I missed working out or eating then it didn’t affect me as much. That is my biggest problem now is eating. I don’t like to eat as much as I need to or as often as I should. And I am married with kids too. That makes dinners hard, because either they don’t eat and food (money) is sitting there going to be ...

Q:  I am trying to put together a volume decompression workout. So far I think I got it worked out, but I am looking for an exercise other than reverse grip pulldowns for back/biceps/delts. Do you have a suggestion? Thanks, -D My Answer: Chin-ups. If you can't do chin-ups, then shame on you! I'm kidding. But you really got ask yourself why you can't or won't do chin-ups. If you don't want to do chin-ups because you can't do many and you don't want to appear weak at the gym, then slap yourself. Set your ego aside at the door and do the chin-ups. If you don't want to do chin-ups because they're hard to do, then you should slap yourself and quit being so lazy. Exercise is supposed to be hard work. Exercise should not be impossible to do nor should it be injurious to the body , but it should be somewhat difficult to do. If you can't do a single chin-up at all, then do some partner-assisted negative chin-ups one workout a ...

Q:    I am a police officer and I want to try the workout that is posted on Bodybuilding.com . I just have a couple questions: First, I see that you have workouts for weeks 1 and 2 and weeks 4 and 5. Is week 3 a rest week? If week 3 is a rest week, do you recommend doing some cardio or something or strictly rest? Second, in weeks 1 and 2 in workout #3 exercise D: I can't find a video or description for swings. I was wondering if you could explain swings for me or provide a video. Thanks for the workout and thank you for your time. -J. F. My Answer: That's a typo. Week 3 is actually Week 4. So do Weeks 1 and 2 and then on Week 3 go directly to the Decompression program and follow that for 2 weeks. Swings refer to kettlebell swings. You can either do them 2-handed or one-handed:

Q:  I enjoy all of your books, and I feel I grasp somewhat the concept of the density training. But I get lost when trying to make my own routines up. More specifically the exercises and how you decide to put them together. For example the trisets in the density training. I can’t believe the gains I have gotten through your routines, and I want to understand more so I can keep the gains coming. Are you going to come out with any more books? Thanks, -D My Answer: I do plan to write one more book, and in this 5th book, I will go into more detail about exercise selection and the principles governing the construction of your own routines. When I create trisets and compound sets, I look at 2 things when selecting exercises: Stressing each portion of the strength curve Stressing all portions of a muscle So let's just use the biceps area as an example. When you curl, you will feel the weight more or less at certain portions of the movement.  If you do p...