Category: Exercise

I have just finished a 10 week powerlifting program which I think will suit a lot of hard gainers out there.  I also think it could benefit older lifters too.  But before I share that I would just like to thank the Central Districts Powerlifting Association and NZ Powerlifting for giving me and many other natural athletes the chance to compete in well organised events that provide education and motivation to do our best!  This past Saturday at the Hawkes Bay Powerlifting competition was a blast; strong competitors, professional judges and a great team of loaders and experienced powerlifters offering encouragement and their knowledge- I personally took a lot away from it.

Anyway, my 10 week powerlifting stint culminated in my highest total of 472.5 kg at a bodyweight of 68.1kg; with a 155kg squat, 112.5 kg bench and 205 kg deadlift.  A big improvement from my last outing where I totalled 440kg at 65.6 kg.  It was also more gratifying in the fact that I turned 40 at the end of last year and that with the right diet and training program I can still make muscle and strength gains!

So here is the routine I used:  It was 3 workouts a week.  Alternating between weeks 1 and 2.

Week 1

Wednesday

1. Bench- 4 x 5 reps (1-2 work sets)
2. Inclines- 2 x 5
3. Dips-2 x 5
4. Side row (heavy lateral side raise) 2 x 10, 5
5. Machine shoulder press 2 x 10, 5

Friday

1. Squat- 5 x 3 reps. (1-2 working sets)
2. Front squat- 2 x 5 reps.
3. Leg curls- 3 x 5
4. Calf raises-2 x 5

Sunday

1. DB Row- 3 x 5-8
2. Chins- 3 x 5-15
3. One arm DB Pendlay row- 2 x 10, 5
4. DB Curl- 2 x 10, 5

Week 2

Wednesday

1. DB Bench- 2 x 5
2. DB Inclines- 2 x 5
3. Side row (heavy lateral side raise) 2 x 10, 5
4. Machine shoulder press 2 x 10, 5
5. Pushdowns-2 x 10, 5

Friday

1. Sumo deadlift- 5 x 3 reps. (1-2 working sets)
2. Conventional deadlift- 3 x 3 reps. (1 work set)
3. Leg curls- 3 x 5
4. Calf raises-2 x 5

Sunday

1. Chins- 3 x 5-8
2. One arm DB Pendlay row- 2 x 10, 5
3. Machine row 2 x 5
4. DB Curl- 2 x 10, 5

As you can see I only squatted, deadlifted and barbell benched once every 14 days.  Mentally this was tough to do (just because I wanted to do them more often) but I am glad I stuck to it. This allowed me to be totally fresh and make progress every time I trained these exercises.  Last year I tried to train them once a week with hardly any progress and niggly injuries to boot.  So if you are a hard gainer who has made no progress for a while or an older lifter looking to make some PBs again give this routine a try for 10 weeks.  I think you will be surprised and extremely happy with the results!

 

The New Year is here! So now is the time to get in shape!  Below is a simple step by step way to make sure you are ready to unveil a lean mean body in 12 weeks.  Now when I say simple I don’t necessarily mean easy– for some people this will be a real physical and mental challenge.

7 days before you begin- Keep a food and exercise diary for 7 days to see what foods you eat and any exercise you complete so you have a clear picture of what needs to be changed after you have considered the information below.  If your health has not been good schedule a medical check up to see what condition your body is in before you embark on any new eating plan or exercise regime.

Day 1, week 1:

Measure yourself so you know where you are at.

There are different ways to measure yourself- you can get photos taken, skin caliper test or a BMI device to determine muscle and body fat levels, take body measurements or weigh yourself.  Other measures that can be just as important and motivating are health related ones like cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and an improved ability to do everyday tasks or even general perceptions of well-being like how you feel.

From here determine specific goals based on the measurement method you intend to use- if you use waist, hip and chest measurements as your measuring stick then set how many centimetres you want to lose.  If it is using the scales set a realistic goal –Depending on the individual’s goals and starting points I have helped clients lose 6-15 kilos in this time with simple changes to their lifestyles.

Make a commitment for the next 12 weeks to make these dietary changes:

Cut out all junk and fast food.

Reduce or eliminate processed carbs like bread, pasta and breakfast cereal products.

Replace higher carb dairy products like normal milk and yoghurt for whey protein & cottage cheese

Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day.

Increase fruit and vegetables to make up for the reduction in grain based products. (For fibre /vitamins/minerals & calories).

Get some good fats in your diet from nuts, fish or fish/krill oil supplements.

If you are low in iron make sure you either: include some red meat in your diet a few times a week, take a supplement or make sure you have some foods that contain both iron and vitamin C as vitamin C improves the absorption of iron.

Ensure you get around 1.5-2 g of protein per kilo of bodyweight.  Of all the research I have looked at and from personal experience this seems to be the amount that ensures you keep your appetite in check and meets your body’s needs for growth, recovery and repair from the exercise you will undertake.

Make a commitment for the next 12 weeks to do some form of resistance training:

Exercise, like diet can be a real challenge for some people, however, exercise is an integral part to the 12 week challenge.

There are many forms of exercise that can burn energy/calories – traditional aerobic conditioning like jogging, cycling and swimming (to name a few) can be a valuable way to improve your health.  However, I personally think that weight training/resistance training is the best form of exercise to; lose fat, gain muscle, improve your posture, optimise flexibility, and improve overall health and conditioning.

So make sure you complete some form of resistance training at least 3 times per week.

If you are a newbie you could easily do 3 full body workouts like this;

Monday:  Squat, Calf raise, Chin, Dip

Wednesday: Leg press, leg curl, Bench press, Db Row

Friday:  Deadlift, Db press, Db Curl, Plank

Or an upper/lower split like this (my current routine- good for beginners through to advanced trainers): 3 sets of each exercise (Set 1 is 50% of work set 5-10 reps, Set 2 is 70% work set 5-10 reps and set 3 can be anywhere from 5-15 reps)

Upper A: Incline Bench, DB Row, and Omni DB shoulder row.

Day off

Lower A:  Squat, Leg press, Leg press calf raise

2 days off

Upper B:  Db shoulder press, Chins, Dips.

Day off

Lower B:  Deadlift, leg curl, Plank

2 days off- then repeat

For more ideas on resistance training you can look at previous archived articles.  If you want to do more training on top of the weights you can include interval training, flexibility workouts like yoga and pilates or low intensity cardio on 2 other days for 20-40 minutes to further augment the dietary changes mentioned above (As long as it doesn’t interfere with your ability to add weight or reps on a consistent basis in the resistance training regime).

So there you have it, your 12 week challenge begins now! Decide you want it – measure where you are at – set goals – change your eating habits- use resistance training and stay committed for 12 weeks and I promise you, not only will you look awesome, you will feel great and be the envy of your friends in 2016!

 

 

 

If you are thinking about competing in fitness and bodybuilding competitions- you will need to:

• Get someone who is experienced in competing/judging or prepping to give you an honest assessment on whether you are ready/ or would be ready with a pre contest regime.
• Check out the websites of the different bodybuilding federations in New Zealand.
• Go to a few shows, and look at photos and video clips online to determine what class you would fall into to get an idea of the transformation needed.
• Honestly ask yourself- are you willing to spend the time sticking to a training, diet and posing schedule conducive for preparing you for the stage.
• Pay expenses for food, supplements, gym membership, fees for joining a bodybuilding federation and entering a show, personal training, posing trunks, tan, travel and accommodation.
• Consider what bodybuilding federation you will compete in and what class will suit you.

Presently in Hawkes Bay we have two federations that run shows: NABBA NZ and NABBA WFF. So if you lived in the area and didn’t want to travel out of the region- those would be your choices.  In terms of class, having an experienced person’s honest opinion in the sport is useful.  You can also send photos of yourself to the federations for their expert advice.  When I first competed back in 1998 I was lucky enough to be encouraged to compete in the athletic class by Jim Pitt, president of NABBA NZ so I knew it was solid advice.  Also, with my ectomorphic frame and the amount of muscle mass I had accumulated over 10 years, the Athletic class was ideally suited for me- I fit well within the weight limits for both NABBA NZ and NABBA WFF.  However, you may have a large, thick frame with more muscle and may never be able to make the weight limits- the physique class will then be your calling.  Women have even more choice in terms of classes and the one that suits will again depend on goals and genetics.

If you don’t mind travelling and have a preference for a bodybuilding federation, we have four federations in New Zealand that promote and run bodybuilding, figure and fitness competitions; INBA (natural/drug free), NABBA WFF, NABBA and NZIFBB (all have their respective websites and information).

http://www.inbanewzealand.org/

http://www.nabba-wff.com/

http://www.nabba.co.nz/

http://www.nzifbb.co.nz/

I have been privileged to have competed in all four federations and found them all to be positive and valuable learning experiences for me as an athlete. All cater for men, women, different age groups, physique types and novice and open competitors.  They all have their own nuances for the different classes and have the opportunity of competing regionally, nationally and internationally.  (See their respective websites above for competition calendars and specific class information).

So if you want to compete, consider the above information, set some goals, devise a plan and go for it!

Are you struggling to make progress with your current eating and training regime? Do you want to be able to get in shape without having to spend hours and hours in the gym or starving yourself to get there?  Do you want a smarter nutrition and training system that works? I have found this system I have developed effective for myself and others who have been willing to try it.  Don’t get me wrong, it still requires commitment and hard work but it is definitely far more manageable and sustainable than most other training and diet concepts out there and will suit even the busiest of people.

Here is the general outline of the program:

Training

• Train 3 x a week.
• Train Back & Chest (Monday), Legs (Wednesday), Shoulders & Arms (Friday)
• Complete 1 warm up set for all exercises. Then complete 3 working sets.
• For your first set choose a weight you can do 15 reps with and shoot for 20. When you have completed this set take 10 deep breaths then complete your second set aiming for 10 reps.  10 deep breaths then aim for 5+ reps on your final set.
• Once you reach the 20-10-5 goal increase the weight and work up to these numbers again.
• How many exercises can you do in this manner? Not many.  Here is my chest and back workout I am doing today:

 

1. Dumbbell Bench 3 sets 20-10-5 rest pause style.
2. Machine Row 3 sets 20-10-5 rest pause style.
3. Incline Dumbbell Bench 3 sets 20-10-5 rest pause style.
4. Chin ups 3 sets 20-10-5 rest pause style.

Here are typical leg and shoulder/arm workouts.

For legs

1. Squat or Lunge or leg press variation
2. Back Extension or Glute ham raise or deadlift variation
3. Leg curl variation
4. Leg press calf raises

For Shoulders & Arms

1. Wide Row variations where my upper arms are at right angles to my torso
2. Dumbbell shrugs
3. Seated side raise/row
4. 2 sets of Spider curls and 1 set of reverse cable curls.
5. Triceps extension variations

These workouts are intense but quick, usually lasting around 15-20 minutes with stretches adding a few minutes too.  So in total I weight train for about an hour per week!  The cool thing is I am in good shape and just as strong but with less than half the training.

Nutrition

• Eat 2-4 times a day (Not everyone benefits from 6+ meals a day)
• Have protein, fat and vege’s for first meal.
• Meal 2-3 can be a combo of protein, fats and small amount of carbs.
• For the last meal have serving of protein, fat and most of your carbs( for the day.
• Have 1 -2 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight.
• Drink 2-3 litres of water per day.
• Have butter/ ghee or olive oil with meals.
• No grains, cereals (no bread!) or pseudo grains (amaranth, quinoa, millet…….)
• No sugar or diet fizzy drinks.
• No potatoes but kumara should be ok in moderation.
• No dairy if it causes you issues- low lactose foods like ghee, butter, whey concentrate/isolate protein and cottage cheese should be ok for a lot of people.

Also you want to change foods regularly so you get a wide range of nutrients.  Good supplements to augment health and training are; a good multi-vitamin/mineral, fish oil if oily fish are not on the menu, and vitamin D.

(Meal sizes will be dependent on the size of the individual).

An example of 3 meals could be; remember this is not an exhaustive list of foods.

1. 12 pm: 300 g canned salmon with a tsp of olive oil, sea salt and broth for taste.
2. 4 pm:  2 servings of whey or handful of nuts or fruit or boiled eggs and salad. (Or a combination).
3. 8pm: 150-300g protein-meat or eggs or fish & unlimited vegetables- favourites of mine are carrots, broccoli, green beans, parsnips, pumpkin, swedes, zucchini, onions……………..

Again I have decreased my meals by more than half compared to my competitive days with just as effective results. (See more about intermittent fasting in archived articles).

So if you have been training a lot and starving yourself with no results try my system and you will be surprised that working smarter is both easier and more rewarding!

 

 

As a natural bodybuilder I am very aware of the different training advice and information advocated online, in the media and in gyms around the country.  What I have discovered is that there is so much information (good and bad) out there that you have to be a critical thinker and separate the Science from the Bro science.

Now before I continue I want to explain the difference between Bro Science and Science.  Bro Science is the term given to ideas or principles within bodybuilding circles that are not necessarily based on scientific research yet they are perpetuated by the media, drug users or genetic freaks who grow from anything, or if they have some scientific merit the facts have been warped to suit whoever is looking to gain from it.  For example common Bro science ideas I hear in regards to bodybuilding are: “You need to train 5-6 times per week”, “You need to get 3-4 grams of protein per kilogram a day to grow”, “Don’t have carbs after 4pm” or “You need to do cardio to get lean for bodybuilding competitions” to name a few.

Compare that to Science which is the search and use of knowledge and understanding of the body and how it grows by following a systematic process based on evidence.  Simply put you experiment with different variables over time to determine what gives you the best outcome and in the case of bodybuilding the most muscle with the least amount of fat.

So how do we know that the workouts we are doing are the best for us?  Who do we listen to and why?  Consider this for a moment.  Who knows your body better than anyone else? YOU DO!  So the best way for you to make progress is to start with some basic training and nutrition information from credible sources and experiment in a systematic manner to determine what works the best for you.

The variables you need to consider when devising a routine are:

• Exercise selection & technique
• Frequency of training
• Duration of sessions
• Sets and repetition ranges
• Rest
• Recovery ability- affected by how much you sleep, nutrition, stress, work……….
• Age
• Past injuries
• Strengths and weaknesses in terms of muscle balance and proportion.
• Structure and leverages
• Motivation levels

Next time I will discuss how I have experimented with training to find what worked for me so that you can hopefully find you own best way to make gains.  If you haven’t made progress for a while don’t spend years of your life training a certain way based on hearsay or Bro science, become your own experiment now and be happy in the knowledge that you are training in a manner that helps determine what works best for you and is actually based on real Science!