Archive for the 'Strongman Training' Category

3 Reasons Your Not Gaining Muscle

Published on October 6, 2009 in Bodybuilding, Bodyweight Exercise, Muscle Building, Strongman Training and muscle gaining. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

As A strength and conditioning coach I witness a lot of people literally sabotaging their way to gaining muscle. Most people make the same mistakes over and over again and wonder why they aren’t packing on the muscle they deserve.

So I decided…I am going to help you guys out.  Here are the top 3 reasons you are not gaining the muscle you deserve in the gym.

Reason #1- You are not lifting heavy enough!

There I said it now you can go and hate me for it, but I suggest you get over yourself and put some weight on the bar.

What I mean by you are not lifting heavy enough is if you are not including big multi-joint full-body exercises like the Deadlift, Squat, and Benchpress you are wasting your valuable time.

These 3 exercises should be the cornerstone of your weekly program and yes you should go heavy and work to achieve max poundage in all these lifts. An attainable goal for all men should be a double bodyweight deadlift and squat, as well as a bodyweight Benchpress

If you currently cant do this get to work. When you achieve these goals you will be rewarded with a lot more muscle than you currently have.

Reason #2-You do not eat enough food!

In your quest to pack on muscle, eating is just as important as a good exercise program. Just like you spend time to plan out your workouts you need to plan out your meals as well.

Now you don’t have to get crazy and try all kinds of fancy diets I recommend you shoot to eat breakfast lunch and dinner with 2 protein shakes in between.

Try to avoid processed food and junk, shop the perimeter (avoid the aisle’s aim for natural food) of your local grocery store. Keep things simple include fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish. Also aim to drink a gallon of water a day.

Your body is a machine and food is your fuel, plan out your meals accordingly and you will see the gains you are looking for.

Reason #3- Plan your Workouts.

This is a relatively simple concept yet it is vitally important to your success in the gym. Like the old saying goes “Without a plan you are planning to fail” not sure who said it but they were very correct.

So before you embark on your quest to gain more muscle take the time to write out your workouts for at least the next 4 weeks. Do not change your exercises each time, track and record all your sets, and aim to improve each week.

This although seems simple will do wonders for your physique. By tracking your sets you know if your improving and getting stronger. The equation is actually very simple, if you are getting stronger you are gaining muscle don’t overcomplicate this.

Follow these 3 simple rules and watch your gains in the gym sore I cant stress it enough keep things simple and good luck in your journey.

Using Strongman Training For Muscle Gaining

Published on October 6, 2009 in Bodybuilding, Muscle Building, Strongman Training and muscle gaining. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Strongman training is an awesome way to train for gaining muscle in the fastest time possible. It combines Strength, endurance, and explosiveness all in one complete package.

One of the obvious benefits on strongman training is the equipment is very easily attainable, and can be had for FREE or at bare minimal cost.

I discovered this style of training after attending a seminar with NAS Strongman champ Tom Mitchell. He put me  through a workout and after I was just spent, my body was sore in places I had never felt before and at that point I knew this training has a place in my quest for gaining muscle.

So Here’s a list of Benefits:
-Equipment is FREE to obtain or bare minimum cost
-Unlimited variations of exercises
-Gives you a big mental edge
-they train your body to function in a unstable environment
-Gives you a huge mental edge over your other competitors
-Develop usable strength not just pretty muscle

Here are some of my favorite exercises to get you started:

1)Tire flips- Tires can be had for free by calling up your local tire yard and asking for them. They are a great fullbody exercise that works the posterior chain to the fullest as well as developing extreme mental confidence.

2) Farmers Walk- Is another great fullbody exercise that will pack on massive amounts of size to your legs arms and upper back like no other exercise I’ve ever seen. Farmers walks can be obtained by using 2 heavy dumbbells and carrying them for long distances.

3) Sandbag Loading- This exercise is awesome for developing explosive power and is great for athletes all you do is fill a bag with sand and lift it to a high platform.

As you can see these pieces of equipment can be had for very little cost and have a a huge carryover in packing on muscle size and levels of stength you just cant achieve by staying in your local gym.