I threw in a lot of information under the broad sub-heading of "training". Information on How to perform exercises and choosing a choosing a training schedule is available elsewhere on this site. On this page you'll find what I have to say on areas of training that fall outside of those two fields. I will also say that a lot of this information bears reviewing even if you consider yourself an intermediate bodybuilder.

Warming Up

Common sense should dictate that you can't jump straight into your heavy sets when you walk into the gym. Not only are you putting yourself at risk of injury, but you're decreasing the quality of your workout. It's not only important, it's absolutely vital, that you properly warm-up before begining your working sets.

A good warm-up involves three to five minutes of moderate cardio work on an exercise bike or some similar activity to get the blood flowing. In addition to warming up the muscles for work, this also makes pre-workout stretching far more effective.

Once you're ready to hit the weights, be sure to precede your first working set with two (preferably three) good warm-up sets. Start with a real light weight and pyramid up towards your working weight. A warm-up set does not mean a high-rep set as soon might think. Between eight and ten reps is fine. Since you're not working particularly hard on these sets, there isn't need for very much rest in between--a minute or so should be more than enough.

Stretching

Stretching has two very important benefits, the second of which is often overlooked. First, by doing ten minutes or so of good stretching before your workout you drastically reduce the risk of injury. Second, a well-stretched muscle is better able to perform under stress than one that is not.

I also advocate stretching a bit in between sets. Particularly in between warm-up sets when the muscles are still prepping themselves. It's my personal opinion that this prevents the muscles from tightening up later in the workout, however I don't have anything other than anecdotal evidence to support this.

Proper Form

Wether or not you realize it, how much your muscles grow, depends not only on which exercises you do and with what weight, but also on how you do those exercises. Your goal should not be to lift a heavy weight. Instead you should concentrate on contracting and working the targetted muscle group. If you focus on flexing those muscles you will lift the weight.

The speed at which you raise and lower the weight is also important. To get the most out of each rep, it is absolutely crucial that you lower the weight in a slow and controlled manner. By emphasizing the negative portion of the rep you will put more stress the targeted muscles and you'll know it the next day. As a rule, I try to take twice as much time lowering the weight as I do bringing it up. Note that there are some exceptions to this rule like the deadlift, but it is almost universally applicable.

Proper form for specific exercises is talked about in more detail in the exercises section .

Training for Size vrs Tone

There is a myth circulating in the fitness world that people should train differently if they want muscle tone, muscle size or deep cuts. The fact is that you're muscles only know two states: flexed and unflexed. You either work them or you don't.

Good muscle tone is acheived not through high reps or more frequent workouts. It is won by maintaining low levels of body fat. The same goes for people who are just trying to firm up.

Shawn Ray once said that you get deeper cuts by having bigger muscles. That's really all there is to it. If you work for big muscles and then trim down to below average levels of bodyfat, the cuts come through; and the bigger the muscles the deeper the cuts.

Losing Fat

Another commonly held misconception is that it is possible to lose fat by lifting weights.

Weightlifting is an anaerobic activity which means that the muscles work without the constant supply of oxygen that you get when you jog or bike. Anaerobic activity does not burn fat.

Aerobic exercise is a key part of every serious bodybuilders routine. Not only is it a necessary step towards fat burning, but it also enhances the quality of weight training sessions. A strong heart and a good set of lungs will allow you to work harder in the gym. There's no excuse for not doing cardio work.

The best time to burn fat is in the morning before breakfast. A 20 to 40 minute session of moderate aerobic exercise will do wonders for your waistline if performed on a regular basis. I get between four and six 20 to 30 minute sessions in each week.

Note that brutally intense cardio work is no more beneficial in fat burning endeavours than is a more moderate pace. If you send your body into oxygen debt, it is no longer burning fat as efficiently as it could.

Aerobic Exercise

The importance of aerobic exercise can not be understated. In addition to being the key weapon against fat, it also helps with your weight training sessions.

As I explain in the section on [fat loss] a good bodybuilding routine does not ignore the importance of aerobic exercise. A healthy and strong cardio- vasucular system helps you push your body through the weight workouts in the gym.

You should try and schedule your aerobic workouts as far away from your weight workouts as possible so that they are not competing for your body's energy reserves. I lift around noon and do cardio work either first thing in the morning or at night a couple hours before bed.

By performing moderately intense cardio work three to five times per week for 20 to 40 minutes, you can speed up your metabolism, burn excess fat and perform to your maximum potential during your weight workouts. It's a commitment that definitely pays off.

Choosing Your Exercises

The meat and potatoes of your routines should be big compound that involve using a lot of muscles to move a lot of weight. Dead lifts , squats and bench press are the most important exercises--in that order--for packing on size. Isolation movements like [concentration curls] for biceps and [leg extensions] for quads are movements for refining the shape of muscle that's already sizeable, but they should not be the center piece of your routine. Think of them as side dishes.

Exercises with barbells and dumbbells tend to be more effective than machines for the simple reason that your muscles were designed to operate through certain planes of movement while working against the force of gravity. There are, however, some exercises that you simply need a machine for and that are essential in every bodybuilders routine at one point or another.

Machines That Work

Simple cable movements like tricep pushdowns and lat pulldowns have been around for a long time for one reason: they work. Same goes for low pulley rows , ham string curls and leg extensions. I am also a big fan of the leg press machine.

In addition to these tried and true exercises there are some new machines that are worth giving a try. They are Hammer Strength machines.

Hammer Strength machines are far and away the best. If your gym has any, give them a try. I'm not suggesting that you throw away free weight exercises that have stood the test of time, but perhaps these machines are worth rotating into your workouts at semi-regular intervals.

Dorian Yates has built his termendous lat spread on bent over rows and Hammer Strength rows. I think that pretty much says enough.

Musclar Failure

Musclar failure is the defined as the point in a set where you are no longer able to lift the weight unassisted.

I take every working set to failure. If I begin a set with the intent of putting the weight down before I reach failure then it is because that set is a warm-up set.

If you consistently try to work your muscles harder than you've ever worked them before then you won't grow. Note that there is a difference between harder and longer.

Negative Reps

Advanced bodybuilders who want to add a new level of intensity to their workouts often employ a tecnique called negative reps at the end of a set. Once they have taken the set to failure, the spotter steps in and lifts the weight for the lifter. The lifter then lowers the weight as slowly as he or she can.

Strip Sets

Another weapon in the advanced bodybuilders arsenal is the strip set. Once failure is reached, the spotter helps rack the weight and quickly removes some weight off the bar. Then the lifter tries to get a couple more reps. This can be repeated although I wouldn't recommend it...

Strip sets have a way of making you extremely sore. If you're looking to shake up a tired routine, this is one way to do it.

	week 1 and week 2: 12 reps
	week 3 and week 4: 10 reps
	week 4 and week 6: 8 reps
	week 7 and week 8: 6 reps