Category: Exercise

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Boost your testosterone levels naturally 2013

Southern hemispheres 2013,                           60.8 kg

I don’t know if it’s just me but I feel we are in the age of “instant gratification” where society has made it so easy to acquire anything you want at the right price.  Although that maybe fine when you want the latest computer, playstation or mobile phone I think that this paradigm permeates into other aspects of the psyche and creates a situation where we have guys today wanting to take illegal drugs like steroids to get big and strong without doing the time and the hard yards that it takes to do it naturally.  I encourage anyone who wants to gain muscle and strength to do your research about training, dieting, supplements and lifestyle choices so you can reach your goals without the use of illegal drugs –it may take you longer but I feel it is well worth the wait and effort!  If you are keen to take the natural path then try these tips below to boost your testosterone levels and potential for muscle growth and strength.

I am a huge fan of Charles Poliquin who is a top trainer of elite athletes in the states.  He has a number of dietary and lifestyle strategies you could implement immediately (that cost you near to nothing) to enhance your natural testosterone levels.

  • Make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D, zinc and magnesium in your diet to optimize internal body function and hormone production.
  • Maintain a consistent sleeping routine and aim for around 8 hours a night. Not enough sleep each night can drastically reduce your testosterone levels.
  • Include Omega 3 fats in your diet as they are conducive for optimum testosterone output, they reduce cortisol (a catabolic hormone) and help you utilise protein after training.
  • Avoid foods that digest rapidly like processed carbohydrates (junk food, sugar, bread and some cereals for example). It has been shown that eating these foods on a regular basis promotes lower testosterone levels.
  • Reduce stress to keep cortisol low as cortisol can block the positive effects of testosterone.

Some of the dietary strategies mentioned above can be obtained from a balanced diet, however as mentioned in a previous article- athletes can become deficient in essential nutrients under strenuous training conditions and stressful lifestyle situations so supplementation may be necessary.  Other supplements that have shown promise during anecdotal and clinical research are:

  • Calcium supplementation while performing a resistance training program has been shown to help to boost natural testosterone levels.
  • Tribulus is a herb that has been used for decades by natural athletes, bodybuilders and weight lifters to boost testosterone and improve strength, gain muscle and performance.
  • Fenugreek has been used as a testosterone booster /libido enhancer and has the added benefit of lowering the rate in which sugars are digested within the body.
  • Cissus Quadrangularis has been shown to speed up the healing process, decrease cortisol and increase testosterone.
  • In one human clinical study D-Aspartic acid was shown to raise natural testosterone levels up to 42% in 12 days.
  • Rhodiola rosea is an adaptogen which can help to optimise the internal functioning of the body and because of this it can enhance testosterone levels. I have found this to be a useful supplement leading up to a competition to avoid fatigue and remain in a positive state of mind.
  • Other adaptogens like ginseng, shizandra and withania may have similar effects on testosterone too.
  • Epimedium extract or horny goat weed has been used for centuries as a libido enhancer and testosterone booster. It is also a useful vasodilator too.

This is by no means an extensive list and I encourage you to do some research yourself so you can make some informed choices when selecting supplements to augment your natural testosterone levels.  Most of these supplements can be purchased individually or in testosterone booster formulations.

Resistance training is an excellent way of boosting natural testosterone levels.  But what is the most effective way to train for optimum testosterone levels?  Suffice to say that this question is an article all on its own and will not be answered fully here, however, a number of research studies suggest that compound exercises like deadlifts and squats are excellent for boosting testosterone levels as long as they are done with enough intensity.  It is no coincidence that a lot of top natural bodybuilders use these exercises as the foundation of their training routines.  They also always incorporate cycles of strength training within their bodybuilding routines to elicit maximum muscle gains.

Leucine, isoleucine and valine (BCAAs) have been shown to increase testosterone levels when combined with a resistance training program.  BCAAs can be taken in supplemental form or found in foods containing protein (Meat, eggs, fish etc……).  Whey protein has a high content of BCAAs (around 25%) so it is a great nutritional strategy to boost testosterone levels and improve strength, muscle size and performance.

As you can see there are many natural ways to boost testosterone levels and your potential for muscle size and strength without resorting to illegal and “quick fix” drugs.  Although the results may not be as spectacular and it takes a bit longer you can be proud in the fact that you have built your body naturally.

 

 

 

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Measuring your progress in the gym 2013

                Aspyre gym 2013

As we begin the New Year thousands of people flock to gyms after the festive season.  Although we all have our different reasons for going to the gym it is important that we have ways of measuring how successful our training is so that we reach our goals.  Not only do these measuring tools need to be accurate so you can see the progress but they must also motivate you to go to the next level.  Below are a range of measuring tools and my opinion on their effectiveness in helping you attain your goals.

Before I begin on some of the more effective measuring tools I just would like to mention BMI (body mass index), which is apparently a “useful” measuring tool to determine if you are a healthy weight or not.  The formula is your weight divided by your height squared.  Here are the set criteria below.

  • Underweight = <18.5
  • Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
  • Overweight = 25–29.9
  • Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

So:   70 ÷ (1.65 x 1.65) = 25.71

When I follow this at my current weight of 70 kilos at 1.65m tall I am overweight even though I am only around 10-12% body fat.  It really doesn’t help me move forward with my current goal of putting on more muscle (more weight).  In fact it has been identified by a number of experts that the BMI is not a useful tool for teenagers, pregnant women, the elderly, most athletes and a number of different ethnic groups.

Although there are some highly accurate tests that can measure body composition such as the BOD POD (using air displacement) and hydrostatic under water weighing; both methods can be difficult to access and requires strict adherence to the protocols involved.

Skin fold testing is a highly effective method of testing body composition and gauging progress as it is quick, inexpensive and accurate when administered by a trained person (Your gym should have fitness instructors and personal trainers who can do this for you.  It also pays to have the same person complete the skin caliper tests over time so that there is consistency with measurements).  Skin fold testing allows you to see your fat loss and muscle gain progress and is a great motivating tool that has worked for many people.

If you are uncomfortable with someone taking skin fold measurements you could utilise a Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) machine which looks like a set of scales and determines your body fat level by seeing how much opposition there is to the flow of an electric current through body tissues which can then be used to estimate body fat levels.  Just make sure you purchase a good model and follow their protocols for use to the letter.

What works for one person may not work for another and I have found from previous experience that the next four measuring tools are the most effective and motivating for me.

  • I measure my waist using a tape measure every second week when I am in pre-contest mode. I know I am lean and ready to compete when my waist measurement is less than 27 inches.  You may have goals of achieving “16 inch” arms so regularly measuring them to gauge whether your training, diet and lifestyle are conducive to achieving this goal can be assessed and adjusted if necessary.
  • I weigh myself on weight scales once a week.  For example I aim for around .25 kilos of body fat loss a week in pre contest mode.  Slow steady fat loss means I stay strong and maintain muscle.
  • I visually assess progress on a regular basis by using the mirror, photos and feed- back from my wife who is super honest! Often you can be your own worst critic so getting an experienced pair of eyes who won’t just tell you want you want to hear can be more productive.
  • I swear by my training diary as a way of motivating me to improve the amount of weight and reps I perform in the gym. I document the date, time, duration, exercises, weights, sets, rep goals, actual reps, comments about the workout, my body weight that day and weights to be used next time based on my performance that workout.  I often set repetition goals over 2-3 sets for an exercise and even if I complete one more rep over those sets I know I have progressed.  I also know if I am still beating numbers right up to a bodybuilding show while getting leaner I know my macronutrient ratios are on point and I will just maintain that.  If I start to get weaker then I will adjust my protein and carbohydrate ratios, rest days and training volume until progress starts up again.  The great thing with a training diary is I know before I start the workout what I need to do to beat my previous workout.  If you do that over a period of time you can’t help but improve.  Your diary could extend to your diet (food, macronutrient ratios, supplements), body measurements (weight, body fat percentage) and how you feel and look.

Whatever measuring tools you use make sure they give you the information to make the necessary adjustments to your training, diet and lifestyle so you continue to move forward with your goals.  Also choose tools that fire you up to be better than you have ever been before.  Whatever you do make sure you remember to regularly measure your progress, make adjustments when you need to and enjoy the journey on the way to achieving your goals whatever they may be!

 

 

 

 

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Abbreviated training for better gaining 2012

                                Daniel and I, 2012

Are you short on time?  Are you struggling to make progress on your current training regime?  Are you a natural athlete with hard gainer tendencies?  Well here is a workout schedule that could work for you.  Recently I wrote about my 9 to 5 honest workout where I performed 9 sets for large body parts and 5 for smaller ones with positive results.  After a couple of months I found my progress waning so I thought to myself what would happen if I reduced the sets further so that I was doing only 4-6 work sets for larger muscle groups and 3 work sets for smaller muscle groups.  Guess what- progress once again!  Here is the training routine I have been following; I have a two day split and train every second day.

Chest, Back & Shoulders (rep goal 15 reps over the 2 sets)

  1. Chin ups                          2 sets
  2. Declines                          2 sets
  3. DB prone rows             2 sets
  4. DB fly                                2 sets
  5. DB side row                   2 sets
  6. DB bent row                  2 sets
  7. Shoulder press            2 sets

I will usually do a warm up set (only 5-8 reps with a light weight) for the first exercise for chest and back before using a weight that I can normally do 10 reps on the first set then around 5 reps for the second set.  When I reach 15 reps over the 2 sets I add weight the next workout.  Rest between sets is ten deep breaths (I use this rest period between all my sets for every workout).  Workout usually lasts about 20-25 minutes.

Legs & Arms (Quad focus-rep goals are changed every workout)

  1.  Leg extension                  2 sets
  2. Front Squats                      2 sets
  3. Squats                                  2 sets
  4. Calf raises                           3 sets
  5. Spider curls                        1 set
  6. Concentration curls       1 set
  7. Reverse curls                    1 set
  8. Triceps push down         1 set
  9. Triceps push outs            1 set
  10. DB pullover extension   1 set
  11. Cable forearm curl          3 sets

I usually use a rep range between 5-15 reps for both front squats and squats over the 2 sets.   Arm sets are usually around 10 reps.  Workout takes around 25-30 minutes.  The crazy thing is my arms are the biggest they have ever been from 3 sets for biceps and 3 sets for triceps! J.

Chest, Back & Shoulders (rep goal 30 reps over the 2 sets)

  1. Chin ups                          2 sets
  2. Bench press                  2 sets
  3. Machine rows               2 sets
  4. Incline DB press          2 sets
  5. DB side raise                 2 sets
  6. DB bent raises             2 sets
  7. Shoulder press            2 sets

Weights are lighter so the rep range of 30 reps over the two sets can be reached.  I try to get 20 reps first set and 10 reps the second set.  When I reach 30 reps over the 2 sets I add weight the next workout.

Legs & Arms (Hamstring focus- rep goals are changed every workout)

  1. Deadlifts                                   2 sets
  2. Standing leg curl                  2 sets
  3. Leg press (High foot placement)      2 sets
  4. Leg press calf-raise            2 sets
  5. Seated calf-raise                  1 set
  6. DB curl                                       1 set
  7. Concentration curl              1 set
  8. Incline DB curls                     1 set
  9. Triceps pushdowns            2 sets
  10. Triceps push outs                1 set

Chest, Back & Shoulders (rep goal 20 reps over the 2 sets)

  1. DB row                                      2 sets
  2. Incline DB press                   2 sets
  3. Lat pull downs                       2 sets
  4. DB fly                                         2 sets
  5. DB bent row                           2 sets
  6. DB leaning side raise         2 sets
  7. DB face pulls                          2 sets

On 20 rep days the goal is to get around 13-14 reps first set and 6-7 on the second set.  I add weight the next workout when I get 20 reps over the two sets.

These workouts always leave me pumped.  I get stronger every workout and I have no central nervous system fatigue.  It really makes you sit back and wonder how much training you actually do need to improve.   Give this abbreviated training a try and be pleasantly surprised at the results you will gain!

 

 

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My honest nine to five workout 2012

In recent articles I have talked about training less each workout so I could train more often to increase my gains in the gym.  A month before the NABBA-WFF Nationals I decided to take this concept further and came up with the nine to five workout.  “Nine to Five” means I only do nine sets in total for large body parts like upper legs, chest, back and shoulders and only 5 sets for smaller body parts like biceps, triceps, forearms and calves.

Why did I set these limits? I have always found that before a show I want to add in new exercises to make sure I cover all the bases- this can often mean my workouts are longer and I end up being in an over trained state.  The other considerations were that smaller body parts like arms are always worked indirectly during all other upper body sessions and I wanted to focus on quality rather than quantity.  I went back to using predominately rest pause training (Google DC training online for more information) where I set a rep goal for each exercise, choose a weight; and attempt to beat the rep goal over the designated number of sets with only 30 seconds rest between each set.  I also went to a two day on one day off split.

Day 1 Quads & Calves

Day 2 Chest & Back

Day 3 Day off

Day 4 Hams & Calves

Day 5 Shoulders & arms

Day 6  Day off

Day 7 Repeat cycle

This split allows me to train legs twice over a six day period and my upper body muscles twice too, albeit through a direct and indirect hit (My Shoulders & Arms get hit indirectly on chest & back day and my Back and Chest are indirectly hit during my Shoulders and Arms workout.)

Here is a sample of my workouts leading up to the show this year.

Legs(Quad emphasis) & Calves & Forearms.

  1. Leg ext             120pd              17,8,6=31        rep goal=15

I then super-set front squats with squats.

  1. Front squats 100kg              8          5          5
  2. DXO Squats* 100kg              5          3          3
  3. Calf raises 310pd              13,10,7=30 + burns or x-rep sets for 2 sets.
  4. Cable f-arm curls 150pd              15,12,10,7,5    rep goal=50

Chest & Back

  1. Chin ups                   20 kg                8,4,2=14          rep goal =15
  2. Incline DB Bench 5 kg             10,5,3=18        rep goal =15    Use 41.5 kg next w/out.
  3. Machine rows       210 pds            10,7,4=21        rep goal =15    Use 225 pds next w/out.
  4. Decline Bench     90 kg                9,5,3=17          rep goal =15    Use 92.5kg next w/out.
  5. Prone DB row      28kg                10,7,5=22        rep goal =15    Use 30kg next w/out.
  6. DB flat fly               28kg                10,6,3=19        rep goal =15    Use 30kg next w/out.

Legs(Hamstring emphasis) & Calves & Forearms

  1. Deadlifts 150 kg=8          Rep goal=10
  2. Standing leg curl           80pd                12,9,8=31        rep goal=29
  3. Leg press (Feet high on platform) 120 15, 160kg 15, 200kg 15, 240kg 15, 280kg 12
  4. Leg press calf press   210kg 12,10,7 + speed set =35
  5. Seated Calf raise(1-leg) 105pd=14 Rep goal=15
  6. Cable f-arm curls         150pd              20,15,10,7,5

Shoulders & Arms

  1. SS raise                        28kg    15,11,7             Rep goal=30
  2. Shoulder press stack              8,4,2              Rep goal=15
  3. Leaning face pull     5kg       15,12,8            Rep goal=15    Use 18kg next w/out
  4. Concentration curl 22kg     10,7                  Rep goal=15      Use 24kg next w/out
  5. Db curl                          20kg       8                      Rep goal=10
  6. Reverse curl 90pds              8,6                     Rep goal=15
  7. Close grip bench 70kg        13,8                   Rep goal=15    Use 75kg next w/out
  8. Tricep pushdown 75pd       12,6                   Rep goal=15    Use 90pds next w/out
  9. DB pullover ext 35kg                 8                    Rep goal=10

My goal is to have a total workout time of no more than 30 minutes.  To be honest the workouts have been challenging, growth and strength producing without fatiguing my central nervous system or hurting my joints and were perfect before the show.  In fact I have found the workouts so effective I have continued with them after the show and will do so until the gains stop.

So if you have got a bit stale with your old training routine give my Nine to Five workout a try and you should honestly see some new strength and muscle gains ASAP!