Training Q&A - Does Cardio Destroy Mass

Hey, guys, I’m really confused about whether or not I should be doing cardio to strip off fat. Some guys at the gym say cardio is for skinny guys only and will eat into my mass gains. Other say you gotta do cardio to get lean. What gives?

The belief that cardio will rob a bodybuilder of some of his hard won muscle mass is hugely exaggerated. Only extreme amounts of high endurance type cardio exercise will deplete muscle mass (we’re talking Iron-man endurance type events). Muscle loss is more likely to occur as a result of not eating enough clean protein foods than doing too much cardio. Having said that, all aerobic exercise does have an effect on muscle. That’s because muscle proteins are broken down and used for energy during aerobic activity. But this process, called protein turn-over, is happening all the time in the body regardless of our activity.

To keep on the anabolic side of the equation, make sure you are maintaining your proper caloric intake and protein levels and continue to go hard with the weights. You can, and should, safely perform as much as 30-45 minutes of cardio per day in order to get ripped. Make no mistake: cardiovascular exercise is the key to getting rid of body-fat. As well as burning up calories, it boosts your metabolism. Moderate to high intensity cardio is best for fat loss because it burns more calories and raises your post work-out metabolism to a far greater degree than does low intensity cardio. Performing your cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach will make it even more effective.

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Weightlifting supplements and alternatives to Anabolic Steroids. For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com

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Training Q&A - Disproportionate Wrists And Forearms

I’ve got decent looking biceps (17 inches) but my forearms and wrists are out of proportion – in fact they’re down right wimpy. What can I do to bring them up?

Some guys can develop awesome forearms as a side effect of working the upper arms and back – and some can’t. You’re clearly in the second camp, but don’t despair – the forearms and wrists generally respond well to specific training. Being smaller muscles that get well utilized in everyday activities, they generally respond best to high reps (in the 15-20 range). The best exercise to strengthen and develop the wrists is the wrist curl. Rather than performing this exercise over the edge of a bench, however, it is far more productive to perform the behind the back version as this allows you to roll the bar more easily down your fingers. This allows you to get a much fuller contraction and a better forearm burn. Perform two sets of wrist curls once per week. Those wrist crushers which have been on the market for eons are also worthwhile aides to more manly wrists.

To hit the forearms, incorporate reverse curls and hammer curls into your work-out. Not only will these movements give you great looking forearms, they’ll also develop the brachialis, upon which the biceps sit, making your upper arms look far more impressive. Reverse curls are done exactly like regular barbell curls, except the palms are facing down. Remember to keep your elbows locked in to your sides. Do two sets of 8-12 reps. Perform hammer curls by grabbing a pair of dumbbells and standing with them at your sides, palms facing forward. Tense your biceps, then rotate your palms so the weights turn in towards your body. Now curl them up as high as you can, one arm at a time. The movement should simulate the action a hammer makes when you strike it up and down. Keep your upper arms in the same plane as your torso throughout the movement. Go heavier on this one – two sets of 6-8 reps.

The forearms are similar to the calves in that they are a hardy, resilient muscle group. That means that they’ll respond well to a lot of work. With this in mind, there’s a simple piece of equipment that you can construct to enable you to have an awesome forearm workout at home whenever you get the urge. Simply cut a piece of inch thick doweling to a length of 18 inches. Attach a piece of rope to the center of the doweling with a screw. The rope should reach to the floor from waist height. Now secure a 5 pound weight to the end of the rope. With the doweling at waist height, hands about four inches apart, start rolling up the rope, focusing on wrist action. At the top simply reverse the procedure. Rolling and then unrolling the rope counts as one rep. Do five of them and your forearms will be on fire.

A couple of final points on bringing up lagging forearms; train them either by themselves or on leg day, when you’re able to give total focus to them. And try to get a full extension on every rep of every exercise, especially the reverse wrist curl. It’s a good idea to throw away your wrist straps, too. That will force your wrists and forearms to really work during you upper back workouts.

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Weightlifting supplements and alternatives to Anabolic Steroids. For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com

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Training Q&A - Disproportionate Muscle Growth

Q:What can I do about disproportionate muscle growth between the different sides of my body? For instance, my right pecs, biceps and shoulders are bigger than the left – it’s all out of balance.

A:Disproportionate muscle growth is actually quite a common problem. More often than not it’s a result of incorrect form. It’s usually the right side of the body that is the more developed ( probably because most people are right handed). Beginning bodybuilders can easily slip into the bad habit of allowing their stronger side to take a disproportionate amount of the weight when doing barbell and even machine exercises. The result, of course, is that the side doing the most amount of work gets the most development and , just like that, your body is out of proportion with itself. So, the first thing to do is to get someone else to analyze your form and tell you if you are allowing one side to do more than it’s fair share of the work. If so, then you need to work at correcting this discrepancy. Consciously make your weaker side do it’s load of the lift and suppress the urge to have the stronger side overcompensate. Try substituting dumbbell exercises which will force your weak side to take the full load. These things will hopefully prevent the problem from perpetuating itself in the future. But what can you do to correct the already existing problem?

To bring up your lagging sides, you need to incorporate unilateral movements into your routine. As a bodybuilder, of course, it’s out of the question that we’d consider bringing our over developed side down to be proportionate with the under developed side, so we don’t want to ignore that side. So we need to do a compound movement that will provide stimulation to both sides and then follow it up with a unilateral movement that targets the weak side. Do these exercises together as super sets. Here’s how a chest routine might look:

Bench press – 4 sets of 8-12 reps
super setted with
Unilateral dumbbell press - 4 sets of 8-12 reps

For shoulders do the following:

Press behind neck – 4 sets of 8-12 reps
super setted with
Unilateral dumbbell press – 4 sets of 8-12

And try this for biceps:

Barbell curls – 4 sets of 8-12 reps
super setted with
Unilateral seated concentration curls

The key with this program is going to have to be patience and concentration. It will take a little time to get used to the unilateral movements, especially the dumbbell press, so start with slightly lighter than usual weights until you are comfortable with the form.

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Weightlifting supplements and alternatives to Anabolic Steroids. For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com

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Training Q&A - Dips For Triceps

I’ve been told that dips really help you add girth and help shape the tris. I’m currently doing push downs, skull crushers and kickbacks, but don’t know what else to do. If I want to change the shape of my triceps, what exercises can I do?

Plenty! It sounds like you got off to a good start, but I do have some suggestions. First, if all you’re doing is these three exercises, you’ll want to expand your workouts a bit. It’s not that you have to do 6 exercises per workout—in fact quite the contrary. You really only want to select about 3 exercises per workout for either bis or tris. However, you want to mix things up and have some kind of plan as to what you do and when.

I always say to people that “why” you’re doing something is probably most important because it means you have a plan in place and a ‘method to your madness’. First off, if you train your tris twice a week like most people, you’ll want to have a heavy day and a day that is devoted to more shaping exercises. I personally like to start off the week with the power workout and finish off with the shaping workout. You’re strongest after a few days off in succession. Choose three exercises for power…such as Close grip bench press, Skull crushers and Push downs. This is a great workout for heavier weights. Just make sure to have a spotter on hand, since the tris exhaust faster than almost any muscle group. And when they fail, they fail big time!

For the second one, try doing Overhead Triceps Rope Extensions to start, then do Kick backs and finish off with sets to failure of Dips. Dips are a great shaper, by the way. The second thing I’d tell you to do is to experiment with angles. Change grips often and see what happens. Use false grip at times and true grip when doing Close grip bench. Use different attachments for the Overhead Triceps extensions and widen and narrow your grip during Dips. You’d be surprised how much variation there is within one exercise. Pay attention to which triceps head gets more pumped, how long you stay pumped after an exercise, and how many reps you can do with that movement before failing.

The main thing to know is, you were born with a certain triceps configuration. It shouldn’t differ too much from others, but sometimes it does and heads can be longer on some people and shorter on others, etc. This is something no amount of training can help. However, you can really increase the density of any muscle and correct training practices are the only way to do that. Good luck!

About the Author: Dane Fletcher is the world's foremost training authority. He writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading online provider of Bodybuilding Supplements. For more information, please visit http://www.GetAnabolics.com

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Weightlifting supplements and alternatives to Anabolic Steroids. For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com

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Training Q&A - Different Types Of Muscle Fiber

I’ve been hearing about working different types of muscle fiber to produce a complete physique, but I’m not sure how you work the different types. Is there any validity to this muscle fiber stuff?

While it’s true that there are different types of muscle fiber, it’s a matter of debate as to whether bodybuilders need concern themselves too much with working each of the different fiber types to reach their physical potential. There are, in fact, two types of human muscle fiber. Type 1 (or slow twitch) fibers have a slow contraction time and are highly resistant to fatigue. These fibers are predominant in cardiovascular exercise. Most of our everyday activities also involve slow twitch fibers. Type 2 (or fast twitch) fibers are just the opposite – they have a fast contraction time and a low resistance to fatigue. These fibers are further divided into Type 2-A and Type 2-B fibers. Type 2-A fibers have a moderate resistance to fatigue, representing a mid point between the Type 1 and Type 2 extremes. They come into play when an athlete performs prolonged anaerobic activity with a high force output, such as a track race. Type 2-B fibers are extremely fatigue sensitive and are used for short bursts of strength and energy as are needed for the shot put or the high jump.

O.k. so how does all of this affect the bodybuilder? Well, if you’ve got more of a certain fiber type in a particular muscle group, so the story goes, you would need to train that muscle group in accordance with that fiber type. Lets assume, for instance that your deltoids are 70% slow twitch and only 30% fast twitch. If you were training to fiber type, you’d have a higher rep range, shorter rest periods and higher volume of exercise. So 6-8 reps on the military press would become 10-12 reps. However, you’d still be training heavy and the last rep would be to failure. It should be noted, however, that some experts feel that to affect slow twitch fibers the rep range needs to be much higher – like in the hundreds. So, there is no consensus on the true value of this approach. The key is to experiment with your body and see what works for you. Be fair, though, and give the system enough time to work – say, six weeks.

By the way, if you’re wondering how to figure out if a muscle group is predominantly Type 1 or Type 2 fiber here’s and easy way to find out. Perform your one rep max on an isolation exercise for the body-part. Now, cut the weight in half and see how many reps you can perform strictly. If you can get 10 reps, then you’ve got approxixmately a 50/50 mix of Type-1 and Type-2 fibers. If you get 8 or fewer reps then your Type-2 fibers are predominant. And, if you get more than 10, then that muscle is Type-1 dominant.

About the Author: Dane Fletcher is the world's foremost training authority. He writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading online provider of Bodybuilding Supplements. For more information, please visit http://www.GetAnabolics.com

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Weightlifting supplements and alternatives to Anabolic Steroids. For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com

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Training Q&A - Different Regimens For Men And Women

I’ve got a female workout partner and I’m wondering if there’s anything wrong with the two of us doing the exact same program. We both want to put on muscle while stripping fat, so there shouldn’t be a problem right?

Your right on track with a female workout partner – it’s a great psychological motivator. As far as doing the same routine goes, there are really no gender specific programs or weight training exercises that are better for one or other of the sexes. Our muscles are made the same and will, therefore, respond, similarly to the same exercise stimulus. Of course, there are a lot of hormonal differences that will affect the outcomes of training but muscularly we are alike.

The different changes that take place at puberty between the sexes will have an impact on how we train. Girls will experience widening of hips, breast development and fat layering around the hips and thighs whereas boys will develop more muscle mass and bone density during puberty, they will get taller, their chests will widen and their fat will tend to store on the abdominals and back.

The adult male is normally about 40% muscle mass as opposed to 24% for the average female. This is a result primarily of higher production of testosterone in males. It’s interesting to note, however, that females are, in relative terms, as strong as men in the lower body. Upper body strength, though, favors men. Women are more prone to orthopedic and postural injury due to the fact that their pelvis is wider than that of a man. This has implications for exercises, like the squat, that involve flexion at the knee. A woman may find the relatively narrow stance that a man uses quite uncomfortable and difficult. She should typically use a wider squat stance and make sure that the knee is tracking over the second largest toe during the upward push. A woman will also want to avoid heavy squats or other basic movements during her menstrual cycle. This is because the hormone relaxin has a tendency to cause joint laxity.

Another thing to be aware of is that women who regularly wear high healed shoes may have developed an exaggerated inward curve of the spine. This may predispose her to injury if following the same back routine as a man and certain corrective movements ( i.e. hyperextensions) may need to be added.

Take the above considerations into account and, where appropriate make adjustment and allowance for them in your program and the two of you can happily sweat together.

About the Author: Dane Fletcher is the world's foremost training authority. He writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading online provider of Bodybuilding Supplements. For more information, please visit http://www.GetAnabolics.com

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Weightlifting supplements and alternatives to Anabolic Steroids. For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com

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Training Q&A -

I’m confused about ab training. I’ve heard some guys say they never train them and that dieting and cardio will bring them out. Others seem to tag them on as an after-thought at the end of their workout. When’s the best time to train them, how often should they be trained and, also, is it beneficial to train different portions of the abs separately?

I know how you feel. In fact, I remember attending a seminar once where Mr Olympia legend Lee Haney claimed that he never trained his abs. Dieting and cardio were all he needed. We should all be so lucky (read genetically gifted). Unfortunately, few of us are and that means that we definitely need to work our abs to bring out our six-packs, not to mention the obliques and intercostal striations. So when and how should we do it?

While the abs do require concentration, they’re not really going to exhaust you for any upcoming weight work-out. So, it would appear to make sense to train them first in your workout, when you’re fresh and motivated. This seems logical but recent publicity has surrounded the idea that training abs first places your body at risk because it will pre-fatigue the abdominal wall and place it in an unstable position during compound movements like squats and dead-lifts. There are, however, no credible studies that verify such an idea. And real gym experience seems to contradict it. Most trainers actually report that they are able to lift more weight and feel stronger on compound movements performed after training the abs. In effect, the ab session acts as a warm-up, both mentally and physically, for the compound movements to follow. It makes sense then, to train the abs first in a workout.

As far as frequency of abdominal training goes, again there is a lot of conflicting advice out there. Many people assert that the abs are very resilient and respond well to frequent training, advocating daily ab training sessions. It’s true that the abs do bounce back quickly – if you fail to train them with sufficient intensity. Keep in mind that when we’re talking about the abdominals we’re referring to four muscles at the core of your body (the rectus abdominis, external obliques, internal obliques and transverse abdominis). While proper training of these muscles will not impair future compound movements, overtraining them may well have a detrimental affect on movements like squats and dead-lifts. So, if you’re working your abdominals with the same level of intensity that you’re giving to other body parts (which should be your goal), you wouldn’t want to train them more than two times per week, with at least a two day gap between training sessions.

Specifically targeting different areas of the abdominal wall is another hotly debated topic. On the face of it, the rectus abdominis, being one muscle, would get worked in its entirety by an exercise that stimulated it. After all, that’s the way it works with other muscles. Scientific studies seem to prove this (although there are some that show just the opposite – so much for science). Again, the real litmus test lies in real life experience on the gym floor. The majority of trainers would swear that specific exercises target specific areas of the rectus abdominis because they can feel and see that very thing in action. So, it’s pretty safe to conclude that yes, the rectus abdominis can be specifically targeted and it is proper to speak of exercises that target either the upper or lower areas of this muscle. So, for lower abs concentrate on bench leg raises, hanging leg raises and reverse crunches. For upper abs perform weighted crunches and weighted pull-downs (seated).

So, in summary, train your abs first in your workout. Limit your abdominal workouts to two sessions per week. Train abs just as you would any other muscle group. Do 3 sets of 8 reps per exercise and remain totally focused on the working muscle group throughout the movement.

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Weightlifting supplements and alternatives to Anabolic Steroids. For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com

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Training Q&A - Concentration At The Top

Q: I recently changed the way I work my calves in calf workouts, and I have gotten some really good results. I shouldn’t question it, and should just enjoy it, but I’d like to know why I’m getting good results. I’ve been focusing on the contraction on the top of the movement, rather than breaking parallel or dipping below and doing partial reps instead of full range reps. For years, I never got results and now am experiencing explosive growth. Can you tell me why and if it would work for other body parts?

A: There is value in knowing why something works, for a variety of reasons. Maybe you are curious and want to be able to pass this stuff on to others and have answers as to why it is viable, or maybe you want to apply it to other stubborn body parts, but want to know ahead of time if it would even have a chance of working. Still, there is value to saying, “Hey, it works-who cares?” What you’re describing is something that has long been considered valid in workout circles. However, in my opinion, because there is so much emphasis placed on doing “full range” in every movement, we don’t often hear someone advocating doing partial reps unless it’s during preacher curls.

Partial reps are an excellent tool for all workouts, if they’re used correctly. You’ve obviously found that it has worked for your calves-at least for the gastrocnemius. I find it difficult to believe that the soleus, unless it was already well developed, could find value and growth from a “top of the range” focus on partial reps. Strongest range reps, as they’re called, can be effective if your weakness lies in that area, and can force most of the strength you have for a set into that area and not waste it on the full range. So yes, I do believe that this can work, but it’s only as effective as your weaknesses are glaring in that area. Stretch partials, as opposed to top range partials would be excellent for someone with a lack of soleus.

The calves are not unique in how they work as muscles, but they are unique in that they are never allowed to really de-condition themselves because we are using them to walk everyday. That actually makes them tough and resistant to growth. In general, I wouldn’t apply this to other body parts because the stretch range and toe extension is what makes partial rep ranges most effective on calf exercises. It extends the range, so you’re doing more of a full rep on calves than you think, despite its obvious partial range. But let’s face it, what you’re doing is working, so don’t fix it if it ain’t broke or causing any apparent structural integrity problems.

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Weightlifting supplements and alternatives to Anabolic Steroids. For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com

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Training Q&A -

Can you give me some guidelines for choosing a good gym for bodybuilding training?

Gladly – and from your question it appears that you appreciate that not all good gyms are good bodybuilding gyms. Gyms, of course, are commercial enterprises. They are there to make money. Obviously they cater predominantly to the greatest needs of the society in which they operate. That usually means that many of them have little interest in providing for the needs of hardcore bodybuilders. Which is not to say that there aren’t some damn fine bodybuilding gyms out there – there are. You’ve just got to search – and know what you’re looking for – to find them.

What follows are some things to look out for in selecting your training base. Very few gyms will have all of these factors – the key is to find one with appreciably more plusses than minuses:

(1) When you visit the gym, can you spot members who are of like frame of mind to you? Can you see people working out with the same level of intensity and focus that you will bring to the gym floor? If not, you’ll find it tough to find the external motivation that we all need from time to time. In a similar vein, can you spot guys who are at a plane above yourself in terms of their training – guys who are stronger, better developed. Don’t see this an ego threat – look at it as a source of motivation.

(2) What is the general atmosphere of the gym like? Is it predominantly social, with lots of conversing and not too much exerting? Or is it more of a focused, get on with it atmosphere? Be aware that in most gyms the atmosphere changes throughout the day, so if you plan to work out early in the morning, that’s when you need to check out the atmosphere.

(3) Look carefully at the equipment. Does the gym have enough free weights that when the place is packed, you’ll still have access to dumbbells and barbells. Are there enough benches and are they adjustable to set at the angle you choose? Does the gym have at least one Smith Machine, several high and low pulley setups, chinning and dipping bars (with weight belts), power racks, sturdy collars for the Olympic bars, at least one leg press machine, at least one preacher curl bench, a hack squat machine, a seated leg curl machine, both seated and standing calf raise machines, a pec deck machine and EZ-curl bars? Are the dumbbells provided in sufficiently small incremental jumps that you can progressively increase your weights? Are there plenty of handles for the pulley machines? Are there at least two lat pull-down machines with bar supports to secure the body? And what about the cardio equipment? Is there enough of it? Do the treadmills, elliptical trainers and rowers feel smooth and natural when you use them or are they uncomfortable to use? Does the equipment appear to be well maintained?

(4) How conveniently located is the gym to your home and place of work? Ideally the gym will actually be on your route between home and work. This makes it less likely that you’ll cite inconvenience or lack of time as an excuse on those sagging motivation days. The gym hours are another important consideration. Are they flexible enough to accommodate those weeks when you just can’t meet your regular workout commitments?

(5) What is the gym staff like? Are they bodybuilders themselves? Are they able to relate to the demands of hardcore training? Do they know how to spot properly? Do they have real life gym knowledge and experience or they are full of theoretical clap trap? Are they easy-going and likeable?

(6) Check out the locker rooms. Are they clean and free of mold and mildew? Do the showers have both hot and cold water? Can you see signs that lockers have been tampered with? Back in the gym, are there plenty of drinking fountains available?

(7) What are the gym rules? Do they have policies on dropping weights that could get you in trouble on your descending sets of dumbbell presses? Are cell phones and pagers banned? Do they have time limits on cardio equipment? Do they require all members to carry a towel and wipe benches after use? (in case you’re wondering, these last two are good things).

That’s a lot to consider? But wait – there’s more. There are certain intangibles about a gym that are impossible to describe. You simply feel comfortable there, you know you can get a super charged work-out – maybe, even, in spite of the lack of ticks on our check-list. In short, the place fits you like a glove. In that case, still give heed to our considerations. In the end, though, we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t go with our gut feelings.

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Weightlifting supplements and alternatives to Anabolic Steroids. For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com

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Training Q&A - Cable Exercises For Legs

What do you think of cable exercises for the legs when preparing for contests? Do you think they are beneficial or take too much energy away from size-preserving exercises like squats?

Everyone is different. I’ve seen guys get ready for shows still doing squats, leg press and hack squats, with absolutely no finishing type exercises and look separated, sharp and cross-striated. I’ve also seen guys do lunges, leg extensions and other specialization exercises and look fantastic too. I think it’s really knowing how your legs respond to stimulus.

Do you, for instance, respond well to either high rep or low rep training and still have fantastic legs? If that’s the case, you can’t make that many mistakes and anything you do will benefit your legs. However, if you’re the kind of guy who doesn’t really do well with low rep training and needs more intensity and duration built in to leg workouts, I’d say that finishing work is really going to benefit you, as well as doing giant and supersets. In general, I’m a big fan of cable movements for the legs, as I feel they require a great deal of control.

When you’re talking about controlling movement and becoming precise, you’re using far more ligaments, tendons and insertion attachments than you would doing compound exercises like squats. Isolation is the key to most finish work and using cables forces you to be precise. Many gyms, unfortunately, don’t have ankle cuffs any longer. Nor do many of them have that small sissy squat apparatus with the floor plate, two padded rollers and a back plate to stabilize the calves and isolate the quads. That was always my favorite ancillary piece in the gym when I was coming up through the ranks.

It really burned my quads like nothing else, and the separation I got from it was unbelievable. If you were to combine something like that with cable leg extensions and lunges, you could really do some great work on bringing out tendons and ligaments that look impressive on stage and create the illusion of additional separation. So yes, the more stuff you can do to bring those things out, I think you should be all about it!

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Weightlifting supplements and alternatives to Anabolic Steroids. For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com

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Training Q&A - Body Weight Exercise Only Training

Have you got any suggestions on how I can put together an upper body program built around bodyweight exercises like push-ups?

Push-ups can give you a very good upper body work out anywhere, anytime – so long as you know how to make proper use of them. Variations of this exercise can target all of the muscles of your upper body. Obviously the prime movers are the chest, front delts and triceps. Yet, the forearms, lower lats, traps and even the quadriceps come into play as stabilizers. The unique structure of the pectoral muscles (they fan out in three directions from the clavicle to the sternum) means that they need to be attacked from multiple angles for complete development. The push-up is ideal for this purpose – simply elevate your hands or feet to target either the upper or lower pecs.

So, let’s get down to basics. To perform the standard military push-up, lie face down with your hands flat on the floor and parallel to your chest. Your hands should be just beyond and slightly in front of your shoulders. Now raise your body by straightening your arms so that only your toes and hands are touching the floor. Keep your butt down, your legs and abs tight and concentrate on squeezing your chest. Slowly lower until your nose kisses the carpet then return to the start position. This exercise will primarily stress the mid pecs.

To shift the focus to the triceps, move your hands together in the start position until your thumbs and index fingers are touching when your fingers are fanned out. Your arms will now be positioned directly below your mid chest. Keep your elbows close to your sides as you straighten your arms to lock out and squeeze your triceps for a slow count of three. Now lower until your face is about six inches from the floor and repeat.

Drop-and-catch push-ups ramp up the intensity level a little. These are great for developing explosive strength. You need a couple of supports that will elevate your hands about six inches off the floor. Start in the basic push-up position, but with your hands on the supports. Now drop off of the supports and bring your hands in so that you fall into a basic push-up position on the floor between the supports. The moment your hands come in contact with the floor, however, explode back up to the start position, with your hands resting on the supports. You’ve now completed one rep.

Here’s how you can put these exercises together to create an awesome anytime upper body workout:

1. Military Push-up 3 x 30

2. Drop-and-Catch Push-up 2 X 10

3. Close-Grip Push-up 2 X 12

4. Military Push-up 1 x failure

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Weightlifting supplements and alternatives to Anabolic Steroids. For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com

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Training Q&A - Best Way To Do Cardio

Q: Okay, I'm confused about cardio workouts and how to use them to achieve fat loss, but to not do them to excess so that I lose a ton of muscle. So should I do cardio before or after workouts? And should I do them only a certain amount of time or a certain number of sessions per week? What's right?

A: Easy there on the questions.... One at a time. A lot of how you do cardio, what you do and how often, has to do with your body type. Since you didn't mention what your body type is, I'll just give you a brief rundown. First, if you're a mesomorph (ideal athletic body type), you can get away with doing cardio about 3 times weekly at about 20 minutes per session. If you are a endomorph (tendency to hold fat and put on muscle easily), you should do cardio more often and maximize fat burning times, such as first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach and split it up throughout the day.

Try to do 30 minute sessions twice daily, 3x per week, and a day or two of two 45 minute sessions thrown in on days you do not work out. For the ectomorph, who is on the skinny side to begin with, cardio should be done to maintain cardiovascular health, not done for long durations for fat loss. Muscle loss is the biggest risk for an ectomorph, and is not a real threat to those who are a true endomorphic body types. Mesomorphs run the risk of losing muscle and should be careful as well. Unless your morning session is done to maximize fat loss, first thing, on an empty stomach, you should mostly do cardio sessions just following workouts.

Take in a little bit of carbohydrate and some protein and then get on with your cardio workout. Vary the type of apparatus you use too - this is important to not burning muscle as well or becoming too accustomed to the workout and rendering it ineffective. If you constantly use the treadmill, and don't use elevation, an increase or decrease in speed, and you don't vary the time you are on the treadmill or the resistance level you use, it's detrimental to your fat burning program. If you tax yourself too much in duration, resistance, or the number of times you do cardio past the point of benefit to fat burning or heart health, you'll cut into muscle.

It's super important to get some sustenance in your system following a resistance training workout, as I said, and it should contain a little simple carb (not too much) and protein, to feed your muscles just following training. However, you should do cardio for at least 45 minutes following your workout to burn off the simple carbs and get some fat burning in. I also recommend doing some sprinting, though technically not "fat burning"... it actually does work to complement a cardio program and also help preserve muscle in the legs, where men most often lose muscle during cardio workouts. Women, on the other hand, tend to preserve limb muscle during cardio, but end up looking too soft if they've overdone it. Hope this helps!

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. Dane writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading provider of Weightlifting supplements and alternatives to Anabolic Steroids. For more information, please visit http://www.getanabolics.com

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