Strength and Physique

After the movie 300 came out, every red-blooded male wanted the "warrior physique."  They wanted to look like the guys in the movie, so they started looking up on YouTube what their training involved.  Trainers started creating their own warrior workouts, Spartan workouts, gladiator workouts, superhero workouts, etc. to cash in on the 300 hype. When an actor gets ready for a role where he plays an action hero, superhero or a warrior, the studio hires a trainer to assess his physique. Regardless of the starting physique, it is the end result, the physique demanded by the role that counts. For such roles, the actor must have a tall muscular look with wide shoulders, ripped abs.  The actor must not only act like a warrior, the actor's body must also emulate the warrior physique.  Bodybuilding is essentially cosmetic training, meant to mimic the warrior physique.  This is analogous to a non-poisonous species of snake having evolved to bear the sam...

There are two laws in exercise physiology.  One is the Law of Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands ( SAID ): "When the body is placed under some form of stress, it starts to make adaptations that will allow the body to better withstand that form of stress in the future." In other words, in order to get stronger on an exercise, you have to practice that exercise and practice it frequently. However, there is also another law called the Law of Accommodation: "The response of an organism to a physical stimulus decreases over time." In other words, the longer you repeat an exercise, the less of an effect (i.e. strength increase, hypertrophy) you will get.  So we have a catch-22 here.  In order to build strength and muscle, you have to work on specific exercises, but if you do those exercises for too long, then your size and strength gains come to a screeching halt.  How do we get around this? One thing that I have always stressed in my training programs is v...

  I'm currently working as a Surveillance Officer. In Arizona, Surveillance Officers are a blend of Probation Officers and Police Officers; we have peace officer authority but we do not respond to emergency calls. I spend the majority of my shifts working in the field checking on probationers.  Previous to this, I was a Jail Officer for two years. I'm not sure if you abide by the frequent meals theory, but I seem to be struggling eating meals at work, in the field. I do get the chance to take a break at least once at work.  I guess what I'm trying to ask is, as a Police Officer, how do you get all your meals in? Do you have any tips? Do you have any favorite meals for the shift? Is there anything that might be okay in taste to eat cold? Any tips for snacks?  Thanks in advance,  RP My Answer:  I used to eat frequently, but I found that it was far too expensive and time consuming to eat all the time.  It helps to gain and maintain muscle ...

Q: How do I master the hang clean? How do I do the hip drive and the triple extension of the hips, knees, and the feet but not feel the arm soreness because of the heavy weight? I watched lots of videos teaching the hang clean from coach Mike Burgener, etc. Would you give me some advice? Thank you so much for your time and kindness! Take care, Mike My Answer: People tend to use the arms too much with hang cleans as opposed to power cleans.  Depending on your goals this may or may not be a good thing. If you're looking for overall mass development, then sloppy technique on the hang clean would be a good thing since it builds up the biceps, back and traps. If you're looking to lift more weight on the hang clean, then you need to pay more attention to technique.  If you're feeling it more in the biceps, then you're doing more of a cheat curl as opposed to a hang clean. With cleans, you got to move your body around the ba...

Hi James, I was just reading the Email page on your site where you mention you will accept questions and answer them on your blog. This is really cool of you, and I have a question that's been bugging me for some time. I work for a supplements retailer in the UK called Bodyfuel . I see a lot of athletes come and go and a lot of different opinions. One particular query has been coming up recently and no-one seems to know the answer. It relates to BCAAs. They seem to be the latest thing and very popular, but my question is this: Is it enough to take just BCAAs, or are other supplements also required? As I understand it, BCAAs help my body use fat as energy and convert this to muscle, so with a good diet, I shouldn't need anything else to get lean and muscular. Would you agree with this, or do you have a different opinion? Best regards, Thomas My Answer: Why do I get the feeling you're just trying to promote your supplement website , Thomas? ;)  I personall...

Q: For ectomorphs who want to gain lean muscle while staying cut and avoiding the bloated look, what do you recommend when it comes to weights?  A lot of guys who have the gift of being naturally defined and lean tend to think that if they do high reps, with semi heavy weight, it will produce results.  Is there a better method to superior gains? Answer: High reps will get you cut, but only if you do high reps with low rest periods.   Ectomorphs tend to be naturally lean, however, so ectomorphs shouldn’t overemphasize high reps.    To get the ripped and muscular look, ectomorphs should concentrate on increasing muscle tone or the hardness of their muscles.   Muscle tone comes muscle tension.   The higher the tension, the greater the tone.   The heavier the weight, the greater the muscular tension, and thus the greater the muscle tone.   So if you’re an ectomorph then you should emphasize heavy weight with lower reps.   This is wil...

Q:  I am retired NYPD. Little older now, ha ha. Your Hypertrophy for the Ectomorph program fits well into my abilities at this time. Happy to learn that reduced volume is best. I have a few old shoulder and elbow injuries that get aggravated by excessive volume. Nothing too serious, just annoying. Again, thank you for the program.  Which of your books do you recommend for a +65 guy? -RK My Answer: For the older bodybuilder I would suggest Neo-Classical Bodybuilding .  This book has a chapter on low volume training, which is more appropriate for senior bodybuilders.  This chapter reveals how that even though you train with low volume, you can still manipulate other program variables to sustain muscular growth. Q:  Just picked up a copy of Neo-Classical Bodybuilding , but it is definitely not geared to beginners. Any advice or routines for a beginner? Sudan My Answer: Make no mistake: most of my programs and books are meant for ...