Strength and Physique

I was doing pushups tonight, and did 15 on my first set. Rested about 90 seconds, did another set and got 14 on my second, rested about another 90 seconds, then only got 10 on my last.  Why is it such a drastic drop? I notice this on a lot of my pressing exercises.  My Answer: This is actually normal.  What happens is that with higher repetitions, you accumulate a lot of lactic acid in your muscles.  This is the burning sensation that you feel.  The lactic acid interferes with your nerves, and as a result, you can't complete as many repetitions.  That's why there's a drastic drop in reps.  Once you hit that drastic drop in reps, it's time to stop performing that exercise.  More sets of that exercise just hamper muscle growth. In Training for the Busy Bodybuilder I go over the concept of the "critical drop-off point," which you can use to determine the optimal number of sets for an exercise.  The critical drop-off point is when a...

I am 6'3" about 220 and not in the best shape or even close. I want to do pull-ups and chin-ups, but I can't! What would be a good progression routine to do pull-ups and chins at home? So far I've been putting my feet up on a phone book and using leg strength to help me. Any suggestions? Would be greatly appreciated!  -J. O'Connor My Answer: First thing is you need to lose fat.  The less weight you pull, the easier it is for you to do a pull-up.  If you can't do pull-ups and chin-ups, then you may want to start off with inverted rows. Alternate inverted rows with negative pull-ups.  This is where you prop yourself into the top position of a pull-up and lower yourself slowly, resisting the pull of gravity.

Hi James, The book Strength and Physique: High Tension Exercises for Muscular Growth is excellent. I am already quite lean, about 10 percent body fat, 5 foot 10, but only 150 pounds. My near term goal is to reach 165 pounds without adding significant fat, so I am eating about 300 calories a day over maintenance and working out 3-4 times a week. Would you recommend alternating the 6 Factors program with a 3-day a week bulking for ectomorphs program?  Cheers. S. Wright My Answer:  Yes that would be perfectly fine to do.  The 6 Factors program is a physically demanding routine, so switching to a lower volume, lower frequency ectomorph program allows your body to supercompensate and gain more muscle.

Although my gym has kettlebells, nobody uses them for anything other than side bends. Most people are completely clueless as to what to do with this piece of equipment. I workout at a mainstream gym, so people at this gym use the kettlebell as they would any other weight.  They do conventional dumbbell exercises with the kettlebell, such as lunges and upright rows. The only real kettlebell exercise that I've seen performed is the two-handed kettlebell swing. The two hand kettlebell swing is an excellent ballistic exercise that serves as the foundation move for all other ballistic kettlebell exercises.  Eventually, however, you'll need to progress to more difficult kettlebell exercises if you want to gain size and strength.   Tactics and Strategies has a chapter on how to use kettlebells for bodybuilding. The following are kettlebell exercises you can incorporate into your program to build muscle mass and strengthen the shoulders.  Keep in mind that for yo...

Q: Do you have any workout plans for a female that never worked out before to lose weight quick? This is for a friend of mine that is kind of overweight and wants to get in shape fast. Thanks, Craig My Answer: In Tactics and Strategies I have a chapter on strength training for women, so you should check that out.  It goes over the 3 different body types women have and how to strength train for each body type. When it comes to exercise, women naturally gravitate towards certain activities, such as running or yoga or group classes.  Women tend to gravitate more towards cardio and flexibility.  But when it comes to strength training, many women just don't have a clue.  Women are often intimidated by weightlifting, and don't lift anything heavier than 15-20 pounds. While cardio burns calories and fat when you’re performing it, high rep strength training has what is known as high EPOC or “Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption.” This is a fancy term for say...

I enjoyed your article very much on Strength Training for Law Enforcement .  I'm going through the police academy next month. I've been training for a few years, started for football then bodybuilding.  Now I am really pushing myself to become an athletic freak before the academy, just to let you know.  I liked your article, and it really pumped me up to train even harder. Thanks for the motivation, Joe H." Q:  I'm a huge fan of your blog. Great stuff. Your articles make a lot of sense. You are a blessing to a lot of people.  I'm 33 years old, skinny, but with 17% body fat. I'm planning to do body weight exercises with kettlebells and dumbbells. I don't have time to hit the gym due to my busy schedule.  I hope your ectomorph workout will add more muscle to my frame and change the way I look. I aim to have a more commanding presence, since I'm a school administrator.   Kind regards, E.O. My Answer:  Thanks for the kind words...