Bad Ass Muscle Building Exercises #2 - Walking with Weight

Many exercises that are performed in the gymnasium are not what you would call functional by any means.

But to build some serious functional muscle you need to be hitting your body with big compound movements, one such type of exercise is 'Walking with Weight', a favourite of Strongman past and you should make it a favourite of your own to get building some badass muscle.

Walking with weight, can be anything from farmers walk, atlas stone carry, overhead barbell walking, deadlift and carry to squat walking.

Brooks Kubik mentions walking with weight in his awesome Dinosaur Training Book and states that it was a favourite of Milon of Crotona and a staple of Oldtime Strongmen.

My own personal favourites are walking with weight overhead and deadlift walking. A simple way to implement deadlift walking is to deadlift the barbell and if you have space to take several steps backwards and then several steps forward but ideally would be done where you have plenty of space to take a barbell for a walk.

Steve Justa bases most of his unconventional training routines around walking with weight. You can fin lost of information in Steve Justa's very unusual training book Rock Iron Steel

Be warned, that walking with weight should be taken seriously as you'll more than likely be hitting ligaments and parts of you're body you would normally be so ease this type of training carefully into your routine. Build up te weight and distance gradually and enjoy the benefits of walking with weight which will be improved grip strength (farmers walk), stronger legs, bigger fitness capacity and badass shoulders,legs and traps!

Bad Ass Muscle Building Exercises #1 - Clean and Press

OK I haven't posted in a while and got round to thinking that I needed to run a series on the Best Exercises for building muscle, even in my own training it's sometimes easy to forget what works and did work for you in the past.

Many of the best exercises do come from the past (some more than a century ago), so you can guess right now there'll be no single legged deadlifting with a neoprene coated pink dumbbell or any bosu squats whilst sipping on a carrot juice!

Only big functional badd ass compound exercises!

So first up is the Clean and Press

The clean and press can be done using a barbell, a dumbbell or dumbbells or even a kettlebell. The main thing is that it is done with a heavy weight and aggression. The classic way is using 2 dumbbells and a great measure of manliness, it was stated by Sig Klein that a 75lb dumbbell in each hand clean and pressed 10 times would seperate the men from the boys.

So there's a great goal straight away, 10 clean and presses with 75lb dummbells.

Ultimately the clean and press is so fucking great because you have all the trimmings of olympic lifting mixed in with a pushing movement which can be made into an endurance strength movement or a big baddass 1 Rep max lift. Either way the clean and press is going to destroy you in the gym if you put in extreme maximum effort.

If you're clean really sucks you could try a continental clean to get the wight up to your chest before the press.

Some variations of the clean and press would be as follows:
Power Clean and Press
Hang Power Clean and Press
Reverse Grip Clean and Press (Like a power curl)
Single Dumbbell clean and press
Kettlebell Clean and press (1 or 2 kettlebells)
Continental clean and press

and of course any of the above using a push press or a jerk

Hits the legs, back, trunk, shoulders and almost everything else.

How to Put on Weight

How to Put on Weight

When someone wants to ‘Put on Weight ’ it can only be assumed that they wish to gain lean body mass and not chug a load of crap down their own throat and become 'Jabba the Hut' over the course of a weekend. I could give you many well devised to put weight on this way.

However, the question is ‘how to put on weight’ not ‘how to get fat’!

Firstly, I would recommend taking up a suitable exercise regime that will build muscle by using the biggest muscles in your body, the legs back and chest. The exercises to target for this purpose are called ‘Compound exercises’ (these are exercises which use multiple joint movements simultaneously), these could be any of the following:

Squat

Deadlift

Bench Press

Clean and Press

Snatch and so many more

You get the jist…. You won’t build much muscle just doing bicep curls and calf raises!

Check out the York Bodybuilding programs or The EDT System for some great muscle building programs, to help you gain weight.

The other significant factor (which is also the main one) with regards to putting weight on is what you put into your mouth (nutrition).

Many folks just eat a load of crap to put on weight, but you should treat your body kindly and eat as ‘clean as you possibly can’ to achieve this. The better the quality going in the quicker the gains will be

How many calories should I eat to put on weight?

You must first calculate how many calories your body will need to cover the activities you would pursue in a normal day (this would include any training you intend to do).

To make easy work of this, use this weight gain calculator

To gain weight you need to over eat by about 500 calories per day, your body will not respond to muscle building exercises if you eat less than what you need.

How Much Protein?

Another important factor for weight/muscle gain is your protein intake.

You should be eating between 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight for healthy muscle growth.

What Foods to Bulk up on for Putting Weight on?

Some good choices are nuts, eggs, lean meats, chicken, protein powders etc

It shouldn’t be difficult to add at least 500 calories per day with some quality foods.

To close out, to Put weight on you must train compound exercises to build muscle, eat extra calories (around 500 per day) and best of all make sure you get plenty of rest (you won’t be gaining anything without plenty of shuteye). Gains won’t happen overnight but with this method you will actually see good quality gains and stay healthy at the same time.

Go off do some more research into healthy eating for weight gain and I’ll see you back here when you’re 20lbs heavier and squatting another 2 plates each side

BIG Bench Press Tips

Great Post on UnderGround Strength from Zach Even-Esh about Bench Press Tips by Mark Bell



Excerpt from UGS

9) In general, always smash your posterior muscles as these are the muscles that will bring up your squat, bench and deadlift: hamstrings, glutes, back, triceps…

10) If you’ve hit a plateau in your bench press, it’s time to step back and assess your training. Focus on optimal training so you can progress regularly. If something isn’t working don’t be afraid to change.

Check out the full post On Under Ground Strength

Chaos Bench Press Training

Chaos Bench Press Training

Simple training exercise for the BENCH PRESS which can be used as an alternative to standard barbell bench press. Very similar to the Bamboo Bench Press



Equipment required:

2 Handles
2 Stretch bands (of equal tension)
2 Kettlebells or 2 weights (dumbbells or weight discs are just as good as kettlebells)

Terry Hollands 155kg Block Press

Terry Hollands155kg Block Press

With block pressing being a key part of World's Strongest Man 2010 and no doubt a part of the future here's the UK's Terry Hollands getting the better of a 155kg block.

Nice work



Odd Object Lifting is always a winner for Strongman Training and weekend warriors a like.

CoC 3 Sam Solomi 120kgx4 dumbell rows

Awesome display of back strength and grip power from Sam Solomi, with 120kg Dumbbell Rows

Get Strong Fast

Get Strong Fast!

Sounds good, probably too good to be true?

There are certain movements that will help you get stronger faster than others and also stronger in different ways than what you may have done before.

Some movements can be added to your training sessions to make major changes and some can be added as a finisher to ensure you cover all the bases.

The following exercises have been in part been inspired by Dave Tate's 40 Movements series at T-Nation (Dave Tate's Toolbox)

My Top 5 from this series are:

Band through the belt - Basically amount to torturing yourself through a squat/deadlift session by attaching a band through your weight training belt and attaching it to your feet. Be sure not to cause any long lasting back ache with this baby. Also, you can use this through a bench or plyometrics session

Band Tricep Pushdowns - this is another Westside favourite. Simply attach 2 bands of equal tension to a pull up bar and grasp in each hand. Perform a tricep pushdown, aim for 100 reps at end of each session in as many sets as it takes. This one made a real difference to my pressing power after a month of practice. Make sure you don't go too hard on this exercise as it's meant to flush your arms out and give you a pump. NOT destroy your arms so you go backwards.

Zercher Squats - The Zercher squat is a very underrated exercise. One of the best I've used for gaining real strength. It's the only exercise I've ever done that hit the upper quads (may be not possible but certainly feels like it). If you don't know what a zercher squat is then simply deadlift the barbell onto your knees, hook your arms under the bar (using the crooks of your elbows)and stand up. I've also found the zercher a fantastic tool for assisting in atlas stone lifting.

The Zercher Squat



Pull Through - Next is the pull through. Best done using a low pulley row machine or something similar. Stand away from the machine and using double overhand pull the cable between your legs in a rapid movement. As I don't have one, I have used several jump stretch bands attached together and tied to something solid. Alternatively, a kettlebell swing is a similar movement with a little less range of movement.

Chain Suspended Push ups - and finally my favourite of all. Attach some chains with handles to a pull up bar and perform suspended push ups. This really trains over all trunk stability. Also, can be used to perform straight arm movements to hit the trunk even more.

Check out all these and more Dave Tate articles at T-Nation

How to Deadlift Properly

Great instructional video from Smitty of the Diesel Crew about How to Deadlift Properly without wrecking your back.



Check out how to break through your deadlift sticking point

Grip and Rip DVD Offer

Grip and Rip half price

If you're into grip training you'll know Adam T Glass is one of the leaders of this up and coming sport

You will also be pleased to know Adam has put up his highly acclaimed Grip N Rip DVD set on offer at half price for the next 24 hrs

The DVD set covers all aspects of training and perpetual improvement

Don't waste anytime to claim your copy

Check it out at Grip and Rip

The Bear Complex for Strength and Fitness

The Bear Complex is a real test of mental and physical fitness and can also be used to build strength.

What is The Bear?

Simply clean a barbell to your chest, front squat it, push press the bar overhead, lower to shoulders behind the neck, back squat it, push press again and lower to chest, lower the bar back to the floor and that's 1 rep. Repeat until you're spent.

Tougher than tabata training?

Possibly!

Can anyone do a 100kg for ten Bear reps?

That would be pretty beast like.

Check out this video for a demo of The Bear complex

Connective Tissue Training and Development

Never over look connective tissue development. It is a real weak spot for steroid users and most other athletes/people who traine etc who develop there muscular system faster than their connective tissue, resulting in bicep tears etc.

It's the simple short answer to 'how come a skinny, wiry guy can beat a meat head at lifting'


'I am of the opinion that joints need to be trained in a like manner to how
we train our muscular system, but with recovery and adaptive periods that
reflect their specific recovery periods.'

Bones, and connective tissue have low to no blood supply and their growth,
and recovery are slower than the muscle tissues.

So the task is to find the correct loading to the cycles of compression and
decompression (and other stress types) that will produce a conditioning
effect to those tissues without "overtraining". It is as simple as training
the musculature, but also complex, due to the fact that you are dealing with
two critical variables:

1)Present Condition and the level of load that will be required to produce
positive adaptation

2)Age and the amount of recovery required between loading bouts.

Obviously this is significantly different than training the muscles even
though we use essentially the SAME exercise actions.

As well we generally have 3 main tissues to be aware of:

1)Bones which need general heavy load stresses to gain or retain
mineralization

2)Ligaments which require regular stresses to reduce age related stiffness

3) Cartilages which require appropriate cyclic compression and decompression
to facilitate synovium saturations and hydrations

Certain sports that take a toll on joints and connective tissues, so it might be wise to keep these elements in
mind.

Ensure you take training connective tissue as seriously as muscular training to ensure less injury.

Good examples of strengthening connective tissue through bodybuilding and weight training is the use of isometric and static movements, such as isometric bench press, partial squats (to name a few) using heavy loads and low reps. Also to be considered are plyometrics. As with all forms of training these things need to be developed slowly and sensibly. Don't just go out to try and develop your tendons work new movements in gradually and increase the load over time.

Check out this article on tendon development from PPONLINE

Program for Gaining Muscle Mass

Gain Muscle Mass?

Ok, stupid question! If you're here then it's a good chance that you want to gain muscle mass. Whether it's for sport or just to look good at the beach this summer this muscle mass program should work wonders for you! If you don't wanna work hard then you can piss off and work hard at cycling or doing some painting or such like non muscle building activities.

Firstly, this program is not for muscle sculpting, shaping or anything like that. Forget concentration curls, tricep kickbacks, pecdecs and crunches. This program revolves around the powerlifting exercises, squat, deadlift and bench press, with some extra work to keep your arms coming along nicely.

Basically, compound movements for muscle gain!

Weeks 1-3

Training 2 days per week

1st workout

Squat - work upto a top set of 8 reps (3 back off sets of 10 reps @ 90% of top set)
Bench Press - as above
Deadlift - as above except back off sets - replace deads for stiff leg deadlift
High Pull - 3 sets 8 reps (as fast and heavy as possible)
Bicep Curls/Triceps Press 10 min of Escalating Density Training protocol

2nd workout - As above 3-4 days later

Weeks 4-6

Same as above with top set of 6 reps (back off sets of 8 reps)

Week 7-9

Same as weeks 1-3 with 4 reps (back of sets of 6 reps)

If you get to week 9 and want to go for another cycle then you can go for 2 reps as your top set with back off sets of 4 reps and build some real strength

\don't be fooled by it's simplicity and the fact that this program is only 2 days per week. You'll need the space between workouts to recover.

Enjoy

Charles Poliquin Training Resource

Charles Poliquin Resource

I've keenly followed Charles Poliquin ever since I read about German Volume training via Muscle Media Magazine in the 90's

If you've never heard of them you've probably had your head up your arse for a very long time.

Check out the links below.

One of my personal favourites is Charles Poliquin's Neural Drive Article, a superb article about building explosive power for sport.

Another great back to basics is the lost art of overhead pressing article which also includes a 12 week Pressing Program

1.) Rest Pause

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=929563



2.) The Lost Art of Overhead Pressing

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=922014



3.) Get Strong Get Big

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=888795




4.) Explosive Neural Drive

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=849528



5.) Quads and Hams

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=799069



6.) Reduce Carbs, Go Green

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=782569



7.) 15 Pounds per Inch


http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=774995



8.) Hamstrings Times Two

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=773872



9.) Lactic Acid Training For Fat Loss

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=724381



10.) Advanced German Volume Training

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=658759




11.) Manipulating Reps for Gains in Size and Strength

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=620430



12.) Arm Yourself

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=595161



13.) The Five Elements

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=584534



14.) Question of Strength


http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459736



15.) Poetry in Motion

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459740



16.) Back to Basics

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459572



17.) The Truth about Bodybuilding Arm Measurements

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459760




18.) The Top Seven Upperback Exercises

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459477



19.) Preparing for the Ultimate Workout

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=460039



20.) The Top 10 Triceps Exercises

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459550



21.) The 1-6 Principle


http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459575



22.) Achieving Structural Balance

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459454



23.) Can't Add Size to your Biceps ?

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459521



24.) The One Day Arm Cure

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459954




25.) Variations on a Theme

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459940



26.) The Nausea Workout

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459210



27.) The Swiss Ball Arm Workout

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459255



28.) The Five Percent Solution


http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459936



29.) Training With Maximal Weights

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459298

Side of a House Diet

Ronnie Coleman Talks Dieting

How to diet yourself down to look like the side of a house



Chicken, steak, chicken, steak, chicken, steak, wear your belt more chicken more steak, train, sit, cheat meal, repeat...

Bodybuilding Routines

Deadlift Sticking Point

Deadlift Sticking Point - Have you got one?

Chances are you have, this post is about breaking through that sticking point and getting on track with strong pulling!

A deadlift sticking point is where the bar stops on a MAX DEADLIFT. No matter what, you do you can't get past it unless someone is holding a gun to your head (which is highly unlikely to happen - isn't it?)

Your deadlift sticking point is without a doubt because the bar has slowed down. You need to overcome this by training speed. Now if you thought Westside Barbell was a load of shit and you need to train slowly then think again. 10-12 sets of 2 reps 1min rest with 50-60% of your max deadlift lifted as fast as possible is needed to get your speed on the up. Do this once a week.

Secondly, direct attention needs to be paid towards your actual sticking point by use of rack work.

Place your bar on the rack where you start to lose speed not where the bar stops

Step in very close to the bar and pull as you would with a normal lift - what you will find is that you will probably need to use much lower weights to get the bar moving (dont stand away from the bar and hitch the bar up your thighs (you can literally do hundreds more pounds with this method). Rack pulls are pretty harsh on the lower back so be warned.

Thirdly, box pulls are a super deadlift exercise. Also, a very tough movement - the box pull should be used with great caution as you will be moving into new territories with your Range Of Movement (ROM)

This one is pretty simple - following all the rules of safe deadlfting - stand on a box about 5 inches off the ground to increase the ROM of the deadlift. Reps and sets are upto you, I would recommend starting light wth about 8 reps and finding your place with this one before going overboard with big weights.

In addition to the above exercises for getting past your deadlift sticking point I would also advise use of the following exercises to assist your training.

Kettlebell swings or weight swings for added hip strength and lower back conditioning.
Heavy shrugs for 15-20 reps
Box jumps to assist your speed work

Check out this great resource for foam roller work to assist hip mobility

Finally don't forget that your hips are a very complex muscular structure and require much stretching and rest as they get seriously tight from deadlifting.

And finally don't give up smashing through your plateau's it requires serious hard work and perseverance

Bodybuilding Routines

Tuna Shakes for Bodybuilding

Tuna Shakes for Bodybuilding

Do you need protein shakes made from protein powder?

Good question, one that I cannot answer. However one thing is for sure you need plenty of protein in your diet to ensure a positive nitrogen balance to allow new tissue to be synthesized. Without lots of protein in your diet your chances of building muscle are fucked!

A great way to get extra protein without eating shed loads of meat and spending a fortune on protein powders is the good old Tuna Shake

Sadistic and hardcore? Not really, with plenty of veg juice and a hint of chilli you're onto a winner! Give this one a try as a starter to ease your way into the world of tuna shakes and then head over to deepsquatter.com to try out some more wonderful tuna shakes recipes.

1 can tuna in water,drained
1 13oz can of V-8 juice
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
2 tbsp lemon juice
a dash of chili pepper sauce

Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough

tuna shakes are for real men

Paul Anderson Strongman|Weightlifter Routine

Paul Anderson Strongman|Weightlifter

Some say Paul Anderson is the Strongest man who ever lived and in some senses 'rightly so' with reports of 1200lb squats 6000lb back lifts 425lb overhead for reps you possibly can't argue with that!!

Paul Anderson was an Olympic Gold medallist in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics but was banned from Amateur Sport due to taking a few dollars in Wrestling and would have likely won 60,64 and the 68 Olympics if he had been given the chance (which would have equalled Al Oerter the discus thrower)

What stood out most about Paul Anderson was that he was light years away from all other strength athletes of his time! Not only in the weights he could raise but also the wya n which he trained.

Paul Anderson combined very short but intense training sessions throughout the day, routines such as 10 reps squat with 600lb then rest for 30 mins or an hour and contiue through out the day. Years later this type of routine was done in Eastern Bloc countries (or at least where people had the time)

Another trait of Paul was his milk consumption, he would drink about a gallon of milk throughout the whole day (sounds familiar? See Milk and Squatting)




Paul Anderson Weight Lifting Example Session
Day One

Full squat – 600 – 2×10
825 – 2 reps
845 – 2 reps
900 – 2 reps
Half squats – 1200 – 2 reps
Quarter squats – 1800 – 2 reps
Deadlift – 650 – 4×6-8 reps

Day Two

Press off racks,
300 – 6 reps
400 – 2 reps
390 – 2 reps
370 – 2 reps
Press outs, 500 pounds, several sets of 4 reps from about the sticking point in the press to overhead.
Press from shoulders to top of head – 500, 4 reps.
Push press off rack – 450, 3 reps.
Bench press – 400 to 450, sets of 6-8 reps.”

In addition to being incredibly strong, Paul Anderson was also very athletic. He could do handstand press ups and had a 36 inch vertical jump and could standing long jump over 10 feet whilst weighing in at around 360lbs (this is a common trait of many olympic lifters - explosive strength)

One can only dream about being this strong but we can take many things away with us from such a STRENGTH LEGEND.

Squatting and pressing is what makes us grow add to this plenty of fuel and rest and you have the raw ingridients for Super Strength. Consistent training and pushing into new boundaries and you'll be as strong as you can ever be

Bodybuilding Routines

Deadlift Program Deadlift Workout Deadlift Routine

Deadlift Program

There are many deadlift programs out there for the taking, many of which call upon you to give you absolute bloody best (and rightly so!). You don't get anything for nothing when it comes to increasing your deadlift.

For starters what is your best deadlift?

Was your best deadlift a 100% effort?

Chances are unless you're a competitive powerlifter or a strongman competitor then you've left plenty in the tank.

I'm saying you should go and rip your arsehole right out now, but The Deadlift takes some serious concentration, controlled aggression and guts to pull a personal record.

Which ever Deadlift Program you decide to do (or even create yourself), you must be ready for it and give 100% commitment.

Just following a program with some direction may help you!

Here are 2 programs that are worth looking at to help you on your way to a new Deadlift PR

1. Mark Phillipi's deadlift program is here
Well worth a read and also a downloadable EXCEL spreadsheet to help you along

2.Smolov Deadlift Cycle very similar to the Smolov Squat Cycle found here via kettlebell website.

Check out what these Deadlift routines are all about and workout how you're gonna make that leap to newly found pulling power

Secrets of Strength and Development

Bob Hoffman Secrets of Strength and Development

Who was Bob Hoffman?


Bob Hoffman was foremost an athlete/weightlifter and secondly a nutritionist/coach and philantropist and business man.

Bob Hoffman was born in Georgia on the November 9th 1898. He was born on a farm in Tifton and never suffered from illness as a child as many other Oltime Strongmen have claimed. He was born strong with a strong father to follow on the farm where much of his strength was nurtured.

Bob started his physical culture very young at the age of 5 when he excelled in many sports- especially canoeing.

Bob's business career started in the 1920s after World War I (see below), at first he sold oil burners, before later developing his business into the hugely successful York Barbell Company

Check out York Barbell Courses

Bob Hoffman, never the greatest coach or athlete, was a man who had a massive influence on weightlifting and bodybuilding for well over half a century.

Not only was Bob Hoffman a pioneering the the world of Strength Development and Physical Culture her also was an outstanding soldier in World War I - he gained 3 Croix de Guerres with two palms and a Silver Star from France. From Belgium he was awarded The Belgian Order of Leopold and from Italy the Italian War Cross and the Purple Heart.


Bob Hoffman Books on Sandow Plus





Also, fancy making a Bob Hoffman Protein Shake?

Here's the ingredient list from Bob's Hi Proteen Drink (via OldtimeStrongman.com

10 in 1 Hi-Proteen

1. Mira Soy - Natural Soya Powder
2. Caseinate of Milk
3. Cotton Seed Protein
4. Egg Albumen
5. Gelatin
6. Peanut Meal
7. Brewer's Yeast
8. Wheat germ
9. A 96% Soya Protein
10. Lecithin

Think you could hold that down?

Bob Hoffman Books available for Download at sandowplus

Bob Hoffman Books on Sandow Plus


Weight Lifting by Bob Hoffman


Big Arms by Bob Hoffman


Secrets of Strength & Development


The Big Chest Book


Bob Hoffman's Simplified System of Swing Bar Training


Bob Hoffman's Simplified System of Barbell Training


Bob Hoffman's Simplified System of Dumbell Training


The York Handbalancing Course


Bob Hoffman's Daily Dozen


Advanced Methods of Weight Training


Functional Isometric Contraction System


Functional Isometric Contraction - Advanced Course


Functional Isometric Contraction
Exercise without Movement