“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” – Muhammad Ali

Video Editor: ShaQx from Muscle-Munch

Photo Credit: Brian Moss

Get out your workout logbook and tighten up your wrist straps as we count down the 10 most likely derailments of your training progress and explain how to avoid them. Class is in session.

Featured Model: Luke Guldan

Mistake #10 Cheating Your Gains

Used correctly, cheating can up the intensity of sets, but it’s frequently employed too soon and therefore lessens intensity. Many bodybuilders cheat (i.e., use bad form) throughout a set, and therefore transfer stress away from the targeted muscles. Biceps curls, for example, are often cheated from start to finish by the use of momentum, which shifts the focus off of the bi’s and onto the front delts.

Solutions

• Learn how to do each exercise with the proper form, and then practice until you have this form mastered. Warm-ups and the lighter sets of a pyramid are also like practice rounds to get you into the groove, so you can do your heaviest sets correctly.
• If necessary, take steps to curtail cheating, such as standing against a wall and/or pressing your elbows against your sides during barbell curls or performing side laterals while seated.
• Do not loosen your form until you’ve reached full-rep failure. Cheating should be used to make a set harder (pushing it beyond failure), not easier (preventing you from reaching failure via strict reps).

Photo Credit: Brian Moss

Mistake #9 Going Too Low

The best range for muscle growth is 8-12 reps per set. Consistently doing 7 or fewer reps with heavier weights may feed your pride in the gym, but it won’t build as much muscle as moderate reps with moderate weights. A recent study found that when subjects used a weight that allowed them to complete 25-30 reps per set, they increased muscle protein synthesis (the process that leads to muscle growth) by 60% more than when they did sets with a weight that limited them to 4 reps. What’s more, going too heavy often leads to truncated reps. This is especially true of leg presses. It’s likely you can use more metal with this exercise than any other.

This stokes your ego, and because the guy before you used 900 for six half-reps instead of 600 for 12 full reps, you want to crank out 900-pound partials, too. Resist this urge. More reps and better form with a lighter weight will build more mass.

Research

A recent study from Italy found that when subjects did dumbbell shoulder presses with half-reps or three-quarter reps, they did not use nearly as much deltoid muscle fibers as they did when they did full reps. Using more muscle fibers during an exercise will make that muscle bigger. Even when training for power, the fewer reps you do, the harder it is to eke out another one and thus make consistent gains.

Solutions

• Do movements from full stretches to full contractions. Carefully control the negative half of reps.
• Keep the reps of most sets in the 8-12 range.
• Focus on your muscles contracting, not the weight moving.

Mistake #8 Failing to Fail

Failure is the point in a set when you cannot complete another full rep with good form. Not every working set needs to enter the failure zone, but many bodybuilders fall far short of failing on every set. Often this is because they set a target well within their reach, hit it and quit.

Solutions

• On a failure set, don’t bail out of a strict rep until it has stalled for at least three seconds. Then you can stop, or you can cheat just enough or get just enough assistance to complete the rep.
• Keep a workout log, noting your personal bests in lifts. “Beating the logbook” will give you something to shoot for each workout.
• Don’t set a rep target unless it’s beyond your full-rep comfort zone and, ideally, a personal best.
• Shoot for at least one or two sets taken to failure on every exercise you do.

Featured Model: Brad Gouthro

Mistake #7 Machine Love

Most modern gyms have a plethora of machines, but resist the urge to fill the bulk of your routine with mechanical movements. Barbells and dumbbells remain the best bodybuilding tools ever invented, and free-weight or bodyweight exercises should be the cornerstones of your routines for chest, back, arms, shoulders and quads. The best chests of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s era still compare favorably with the 12 pecs in this year’s Mr. Olympia posedown despite all of our modern advantages.

Why? Pecs then were worked almost exclusively via barbell presses, dumbbell flyes and dips.

Solutions

• Do mostly free-weight and bodyweight basics.
• Emphasize compound exercises (those that use more than one bodypart). For example, do dips and close-grip bench presses for triceps, as opposed to all mechanical isolation exercises like pushdowns and machine extensions.
• If you do mechanical lifts, try to choose a unilateral Hammer Strength, FreeMotion or similar machine that approximates the freedom of free weights.

Mistake #6 Insufficient Intensity

There are those who never push sets beyond full-rep failure and thus never truly challenge themselves in the gym, and there are those who have journeyed deep into the pain zone but, over time, their intensity progressively wanes. For the former, there are several techniques for going beyond failure, including forced reps, cheating, partial reps, rest-pause, negative reps, static contractions and descending sets. (Research shows that techniques such as forced reps boost growth hormone levels far higher than workouts in which sets are taken just to muscle failure and not beyond.) For the latter, almost everyone experiences periods of waning intensity.

The mistake is trying to work your way out by doing more of the same. Instead, you need to recharge your physical and mental reserves. To reach your goal in the fastest time, you sometimes need to slow down, or stop and refuel.

Solutions

• Learn the various techniques for pushing your sets beyond failure and apply these to a few sets each workout. Not every technique fits every exercise. For example, you don’t want to cheat squats or do negative-only deadlifts, but a spotter can help you with a couple forced reps on squats and you can rest-pause deadlifts.
• Waning intensity is a warning sign for overtraining. Heed this warning, and cut down on your workout frequency and/or take a week or two away from the gym.
• Cycle higher intensity periods of 8-12 weeks with lower intensity periods of 2-4 weeks. In the latter, break up your normal training style with something fresh, like circuit training, powerlifting or high reps (20-50 per set).

When you’re back on the fast track and trying to push sets to failure and beyond, choose challenging but (barely) attainable short-and long-term strength goals.

Photo Credit: Alex Ardenti

Lessons Learned

• Only cheat to extend sets beyond full-rep failure.
• Keep most of your sets in the 8-12 rep range.
• Push some working sets to the point where you fail to complete a full rep on your own with proper form.
• Choose mostly free-weight and bodyweight exercises.

Push some working sets beyond full-rep failure and cycle your training to maintain intensity.

Mistake #5 Too Little Rest

When it comes to overtraining, we prefer to focus on the resting component and not the working component because, for most bodybuilders, the problem is not too much workout volume or intensity. Instead, the culprit negating their gains is almost always insufficient rest between workouts. You need to properly space your gym sessions to make certain you fully recover and grow before hitting the heavy iron again.

Solutions

• Allow at least 72 hours between workouts for most bodyparts (calves and abs, excepted). So if you train triceps on Monday, you can hit them again on Thursday.
• Avoid doing heavy squats and dead-lifts on successive days. Try to schedule 72 hours between such workouts.
• Be aware of how secondary muscles are worked in compound exercises and schedule your workouts accordingly. For example, front delts get stressed during chest-pressing movements, so avoid training shoulders and chest on contiguous days. Instead, allow at least 48 hours between such workouts or hit both in the same session, so they can recuperate simultaneously.
• Cardio can rob your recuperative reserves. Avoid leg-intensive cardio the day prior to leg day.

Mistake #4 Avoidance

Except for those lucky few who already have too much of a good thing, bodybuilders don’t neglect biceps or pecs. On the other hand, from raw neophytes to those doing their thousandth workout, too many bodybuilders neglect cardio, stretching and abs none of which provide the pleasing pump of dumbbell curls or bench presses and they may not allow any room in their routines for smaller bodyparts, such as forearms. You’re likely unaware that you’re shortchanging some crucial bodybuilding components and therefore shortchanging your overall progress.

Solutions

• Sweat the “small stuff.” Make time and space in your routine for abdominals, calves, forearms, lower back and traps. In fact, abs and calves can be trained more frequently than other bodyparts. Likewise, always schedule time for cardio, instead of relegating it to “if I have time” status.
• Give every bodypart its own routine. Instead of a “leg routine,” have a “quad routine” and a “ham routine” and a “calf routine,” even if one follows the other in the same workout. Similarly, give your traps their own routine instead of merely lumping them in with shoulders or back.

Find a way to work in muscles you might otherwise avoid, such as abs. You can do this by performing sets of abs between those for another bodypart, such as shoulders.

Mistake #3 Missing the Target

Abs, back, quads, triceps and traps those are five bodyparts where, over the course of our classes, we discussed missing the targeted areas with exercise selection and performance. What do they have in common? They’re all complex bodyparts with a variety of areas to hit and thus a variety of areas to miss. Too many bodybuilders think they’re hitting, say, their lower lats or outer quads while in fact they’re whiffing over and over again.

Solutions

• Know your anatomy. For example, the deltoids and triceps both have three heads. You need to know where those heads are before you can then target each one.
• Learn how to hit the target. Sometimes the best exercise may surprise you, but trust us to give you the proven formulas as well as the latest scientific research, so you’ll know precisely how to nail every target.

Do your target practice. It’s up to you focus the most stress on the muscles and areas of muscles you want to grow to attain a complete physique.

Photo Credit: Jason Ellis Photography

Mistake #2 Short and Quick

It’s easiest to stay in the midrange of reps and avoid stretches and contractions, and that’s why bodybuilders work the middle on set after set. Consequently, they also minimize their gains. This can and does occur with any bodypart, but it’s especially prevalent on leg day. Too many bodybuilders go too short and quick on reps of squats, leg presses and standing calf raises. This allows you to move more metal, but not motivate more muscle. The key to growth is stressing your muscles through full ranges of motion.

Solutions

• Learn the proper range of motion, and use a weight that allows you to get at least eight full-range reps.
• During reps, forget the weight and instead focus on feeling your muscles contracting.
• You may wish to extend some sets via burns (quick partial reps), but do this only after reaching failure with full-range reps.

Mistake #1 Same Old Workout Syndrome

The most common training mistake is sticking to the same routine long after it’s outlived its usefulness. For some, it’s a lack of imagination that keeps them doing the same basics in the same order. For others, a kind of inertia takes over, so they robotically do the same exercises for the same reps with the same weights, giving their muscles no new stress to adapt to. If you’re making continuous strength gains on a routine, you can stick with it. If you’re not, change it now.

Solutions

• As with our number three mistake, sometimes the problem is a lack of knowledge. Learn all the exercises you can do for each bodypart. You may be surprised by all the variations to even limited movements like shrugs and wrist curls.
• Try the various machines in your gym. Sometimes just subtle differences in things like the placement of pulleys and hinges can make a big difference in how two similar machines work your muscles.

It’s not just exercise selection you can alter. Other variables include the number of sets per exercise, the number of reps per set, exercise order and the workout order of your training split.

Lessons Learned

• Schedule at least 72 hours of rest between working bodyparts.
• Make time for your smaller bodyparts, and schedule each into its own routine instead of lumping it in with others.
• Learn your muscle anatomy and how to focus exercises on specific areas.
• Learn the proper range of motion, and use a weight that allows you to get at least eight full-range reps.
• Embrace variety and regularly alter the variables of your routines.

Author: Greg Merritt
References:
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/
http://www.flexonline.com/
COPYRIGHT Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT Gale Group

It stemmed from Athletics. As a kid you always have to see who is the fastest from the group and I was one who didn’t like to lose a race. I then got in to competing on sports days. I used to train at a gym to gain further strength in my legs but trained the upper half for symmetrical balance. I soon gave up the sprinting but as I was able to gain free membership at a gym my sister worked at I decided to take advantage and train as often as I could. For several years I’ve had people ask me to get involved in bodybuilding and I had always refused, telling them I’m not posing in a thong on stage so other people can get thrills.

I was never a camera person and even hated people looking at me with my top off but the thought of looking at magazines and seeing bodies that I would consider as under average made me have hope that maybe one day I could be on the cover or in one. This encouraged me to watch a competition then compete in one in 2010.

Where does your motivation come from?

I guess as time has gone by I’ve been motivated by different things. At secondary school it was athletes like Linford Christie then as I got older it was different Bodybuilders like Arnie (as always) Lou Ferrigno, El Sonbaty, Dorian Yates, Shawn Ray, Flex Wheeler and many more. Now I just look at the past and ask myself, “How can I improve on that? What can I do better? and Who else has made it possible?”

Having a goal gives you a direction to head to, without one you wouldn’t know how fast to move to get it.

What workout routine has worked best for you?

Supersets and circuits. I love a variation of mixed up exercises that make me look forward to a workout rather than mundane single body parts. I get bored if not mentally stimulated so I always spice up my workout.

Full Routine:

Monday: Abs

• TRX Crunches on Bosu 4×20
• Cable Woodchops 4×20
• Turkish Getups 4×15
• Hanging Leg Raises 4×20

Tuesday : Chest

• Incline Barbell Bench 4×8
• Pec Deck Fly 4×8
• Flat Bench Press 4×8
• Dumbbell Fly (machine) 4×8
• Decline Bench Press 4×8
• Bent Arm Dumbbell Pullover 4×8
• Cable Crossover 4×8
• Incline Dumbbell Press 4×8

Wednesday: Leg

• Squats 4×8
• Quad Leg Extension 4×8
• Lunges 4×8
• Standing Calf Raise 4×8
• Seated Calf Raises 4×8
• Deadlift 4×8
• Leg Press 4×8
• Hamstring Leg Extension 4×8

Thursday: Biceps and Back

• Preacher Curls 4×8
• Pull Up (25kg belt) 4×8
• Seated Row 4×8
• Concentration Curls 4×8
• Deadlift (heavy) 4×8
• Hammer Curls 4×8
• Dumbbell Rows 4×8
• Close Grip EZ Bar Curl 4×8

Friday: Triceps and Shoulders

• Narrow Grip Bench Press 4×8
• Kettle Bell Front Raise 4×8
• Kick Backs 4×8
• Barbell Shrugs 4×8
• Dips (25kg belt) 4×8
• Lateral Raise 4×8
• Push Downs 4×8
• Shoulder Press 4×8
• Overhead Triceps Extension 4×8
• Decline Bench 4×8

Saturday – Rest

Sunday – Rest

Roger Snipes & Ulisses JR

If you have to pick only 3 exercises, what would they be and why?

1. Hack Squats – Develops the quads better than the normal squats and is a great mass building compound exercise that hits the glutes and hamstrings hard.
2. Pull Ups With Belt – Lifting your body weight is a good sign of strength. Lifting more with this range of motion exercise works the biceps, lats, rhomboids, abs, deltoids, traps and abs.
3. Pull Overs – Compound movement covering a great range of body parts also.

What is your diet like?

Pretty good, generally clean. Saturdays can be a bit wild so that’s my cheat day.

Full Diet:

• Meal 1: Oats 200g, 2 scoops of Protein, Flaxseeds, Pumpkin Seeds, 1 Multivitamin, HMB x 2
• Meal 2: Turkey Breast, Broccoli, 400ml Water
• Meal 3: Mackerel, Spinach and Potatoes, Smoothie, Protein Shake
• Meal 4: Chicken and Pasta Salad with light dressing and a Protein shake
• Meal 5: Boiled Chicken Breast, Steamed Vegetable and Rice
• Meal 6: Casein Protein Shake

When trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?

HIIT is definitely the one, it’s like gym crack because you’re buzzing afterwards as well as exhausted. Because it’s so explosive you don’t need to spend a long duration in the gym doing it. As I like variation I would opt for this or I would settle for classes too.

That’s right I join the ladies in the aerobics and spinning classes. They are fun.

What is your supplementation like?

This is my supplement stack (Brand: PhD)

• Cod Liver Oil
• Multivitamins
• BCAA
• HMB
• Whey Protein
• Casein Protein
• L Glutamine
• Preworkout
• Protein Bars

Favorite Quote?

The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen ~ Frank Loyd Wright

Jim Cordova is currently one of the top fitness models in the nation in addition to being a world-ranked drug-free bodybuilder. As a result of his success, his image can be seen regularly in the majority of mainstream fitness magazines nationwide. He has accumulated over a decade of training experience working with the general public in addition to assisting fitness competitors, models, and top drug-free bodybuilders.

“Winning is a habit. Watch your thoughts, they become your beliefs. Watch your beliefs, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. If you don’t think you’re a winner, you don’t belong here.” – Vince Lombardi

Featured Bodybuilder: Rory Leidelmeyer

Why is it that cardio is always the hot topic of fitness discussion and seems to be the fix all solution to burning fat?

As we have all learned and I have written about in the past that cardio is not the fix all solution when it comes to body compositional changes anymore. New times have rolled in and we have tons of research studies proving that weight lifting is far more superior for fat loss and body compositional changes. But, even though we have these new findings, people still don’t get it and people still want to sit on the bikes reading magazines about Kim Kardashian’s divorce for hours and hours. Do as you please, but I know I’m one of those types of people that want to get the most bang for their buck when it comes to training. This leads me to write about what is the right type of cardio for you?

I will be doing a comparison on HIIT cardio vs LISS cardio, since these two forms of cardio are used the most. By the end of this article you will have a really good idea of what kind of cardio is right for you and how to effectively use it.

David Bickley Photography

What in the world do these crazy acronyms HIIT and LISS mean?

HIIT stands for High intensity interval training, which consists of short sprint intervals coupled with low-moderate intensity work. An example of this would be a 30 second sprint followed by a 4 minute steady pace walk to cool down and bring your heart rate back to normal and then repeating it. LISS stands for Low intensity steady state cardio, which consists of purely low-moderate intensity work. An example of this would be walking on the treadmill or riding the bike and being able to hold a conversation (we tend to see a lot of this at gyms).

Now that you have a basic understanding of the two forms, let’s dive into some more detailed stuff.

LT & AD

Why testing the lactate threshold (LT) and anaerobic threshold (AT) is a good idea? The AT and LT are extremely powerful predictors of performance in aerobic exercise (cardio). There are 2 ways that muscle can burn glucose (blood sugars) and that is through aerobic work (with air) and anaerobic work (without air). For example, long bouts of LISS cardio is considered aerobic work and weight training or HIIT cardio can be classified as anaerobic work. The AT and LT are a great test for HIIT and LIIS cardio because it gives a great predictor of which type of work produces ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate). ATP is a quick burst of energy that we get in our muscles when we contract them (Ex: every time you do a bicep curl, you are getting a quick burst of ATP). HIIT produces better changes in exercise capacity as opposed to LISS cardio. High intensity training will hit the AT and LT, that’s what causes the body to make metabolic changes. When you are doing LISS, you are considered below the AT and LT.

A simple test is being able to hold a conversation while doing cardio. When doing HIIT you are above the AT and LT and when you are above the AT and LT you push for greater improvement in metabolism which thus leads to better fat loss over time.

How can you change your metabolism?

(1) If you want to change your metabolism, you have to increase muscle mass and increase your muscle’s oxidative capacity. Your muscles have these energy producing units called ‘mitochondria’ and this is where ATP are made and fats are burned.

The more mitochondria you have and the more active they are the greater oxidative capacity you will have for fat loss. HIIT increases mitochondrial capacity and you actually increase the amount of mitochondria you produce. Studies show that you get greater fat loss through high intensity training because of the increase in oxidative capacity. Whereas with LISS you’re only burning calories at that precise moment, there’s no 24 hour energy expenditure (boost in metabolism) and it hurts you down the line because your body adjusts to it and you end up needing more to lose fat. With HIIT your burning calories at the moment but you actually change the muscles metabolism and it boosts your metabolism because you increase the mitochondria density of your muscle, so you increase the muscles oxidative capacity and you really do burn more calories. What most people don’t realize is you have to put your body in an uncomfortable mode and use the max energy expenditure.

It’s supposed to hurt when you’re doing HIIT and if it’s hurting, you’re in an uncomfortable mode and that means you’re doing it right.

The body is very adaptive

(2)We tend to see a lot of people doing hours and hours a week of LISS and according to calculations they should be losing pounds, but they can’t lose anything because your metabolism adjusts to low intensity exercise. It just doesn’t cut it because it’s just a calorie burn at that time, not 24 hour energy expenditure. If you do LISS all the time, you’re basically trading calories in and calories out and you can cut these same calories through diet and still get the same effects.

Ex: You burn 200 calories over 30 min of LISS, you can cut out 200 calories through carbs or fat and get the same effect as opposed to getting a 24 hour energy expenditure through HIIT cardio.

Alex Ardenti Photography

Research

(3) A study conducted by Wilson et al. From the University of Tampa, FL, shows when you add in LISS you get a temporary boost in weight loss. Subjects lost a couple of pounds the first week and after that they lost nothing. This happened because their metabolism completely adjusted to that and that became their new set point to what they had to do just to maintain. LISS with a low calorie diet is terrible for fat loss and could cause muscle loss. During a low calorie diet, LISS cardio is more catabolic (muscle wasting) towards muscle as opposed to HIIT cardio being much more muscle sparing.

The reason being that your metabolism gets so adjusted to LISS and you constantly have to do more and more and people don’t understand when you are on a low calorie diet, it usually ends up being low carb, so once you are glycogen depleted (stored carbs in muscle), your body is going to look for energy to rely on and guess what it goes after? Protein! Once it goes after protein, then you start to see catabolism (muscle wasting).

Further Studies

(4) In the same study by Wilson et al. It showed that LISS caused more muscle loss than HIIT. HIIT caused more muscle retention because when you’re doing LISS (say fast paced walking) you’re not activating muscles the same way as if you were lifting weights. So when you sprint you have hip flexion, knee extension, and these are all weightlifting movements. HIIT is another way to overload the muscle. Just compare a sprinters body composition to marathon runners, more muscle mass! So, it’s really hard to argue with this study because the point about HIIT activating hip and knee movements. Hip flexion and knee extension are the same movements when doing leg workouts. Also, by doing high intensity work you are activating muscle fibers and anytime you activate muscle fibers you are primed for growth. LISS unfortunately can’t stimulate muscle fibers the same way.

(5) In another study done by Naito et al. From Juntendo University in Japan, found that in rats, the enhancement of satellite cell pool caused by endurance training is influenced not by the duration but by the intensity of the exercise.

So, I know most of you are saying well that was done in rats, but rats are very good models for protein synthesis (making of new proteins in muscle tissue) & metabolism because they have similar responses to amino acids and their metabolism. Also, for those that don’t know about satellite cells, increasing the number of satellite cells is necessary in humans because it leads to makings of new muscle fibers and the more muscle fibers you have, the more muscle growth occurs. So, what’s interesting about this finding in this study is that when the rats performed HIIT, they got muscle stimulation and that’s because HIIT overloads the muscle. When the rats performed LISS, there was no activation in satellite cell pool.

So, it shows that when it comes to cardio, the intensity matters more over the duration.

LISS

Now I know a lot of you have gotten the hint as to why HIIT cardio is more advantageous to LISS cardio for muscle retention and fat loss and it seems as if I totally bashed LISS cardio to the ground.

But, keep in mind that this doesn’t mean that LISS is useless. I’m a big believer in doing both HIIT and LISS combined. Here are the following reasons why:

• You can’t do HIIT 5-6 days a week because eventually it will have a negative impact on your weight training and interfere with growth
• Many people have legitimate orthopedic, cardiac, and even psychological reasons to avoid HIIT, so LISS is their only option
• HIIT could be dangerous if not used right and could lead to injury
• HIIT and LISS on either a combined, cyclical, or rotational basis seems to be the best formula in my opinion

So to sit there and say that HIIT is hands down more superior than LISS for improvement in body composition is as bad as saying that 6 reps per set is better than 20. I’m a firm believer that both HIIT and LISS cardio have unique benefits unto themselves. I feel they both should be incorporated into your routines since each have specifically different effects.

The Bottom Line

Do the type of cardio that you have a personal preference for. Whichever one fires you up the most because you’ll most likely work harder at it. HIIT is quicker, proves to be more effective for fat loss, creates metabolic changes, and helps with muscle retention but not everybody can do HIIT. LISS is safer, but takes twice as long to accomplish similar things and it still has its place for fat loss in moderate amounts, from a pure calorie burning standpoint (meaning only to burn calories & not make changes to your metabolism). My intentions weren’t to favor one form of cardio and bash the other, even though it sounded like that. My intent was to educate and notify you that times have changed and science is proving some good stuff with HIIT cardio. But at the end of the day it’s up to you on what kind of cardio suits you best.

Hopefully, after reading this article you should have a really good idea of what kind of cardio is right for you and how to effectively use it.

Author: Chris Martinez

References:

• (1, 2) Layne E. Norton
• (3, 4) Wilson, et al. Concurrent Training: A Meta Analysis Examining Interference of Aerobic and Resistance Exercise. University of Tampa, FL. J Strength Conditioning.
• (5) Naito, et al. Satellite cell pool enhancement in rat plantaris muscle by endurance training depends on intensity rather than duration. Juntendo University, Japan. Acta Physiologica. 2011 Oct.

 He is one of the most influential and important figures in the world of bodybuilding.

Sources:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, A portrait, Simon & Schuster, 1990
Pumping Iron, The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding, Simon & Schuster, 1974

I grew up active in sports and have been on stage since I was 3 in dance and pageants. It’s like second nature to me! I’ve always been interested in competing in “fitness” and it just took me a little bit of time to find my way into it!

I met my trainer, Greg McCoy, at a local bikini competition and from there I started to train and diet for my first contest.

Where does your motivation come from?

My motivation comes from my passion for this sport. If I didn’t just love the outcome from all of the hard dieting and training, things would definitely be a lot different!

I have a drive for making myself better and I absolutely love being on stage plain and simple.

What workout routine has worked best for you?

I’ve had the most success with a four day training split. I split up my body into two groups, upper body and lower body. I train each group twice per week.

Full Routine:

I have a confidentiality contract with my trainer, but here is an idea of what we do!

Monday: Legs

• Glute Kickbacks
• Stiff Leg Deadlifts
• Partial Dumbell Squats
• Walking Lunges
• Low Partial Leg Press
• Cardio

Tuesday: Upper Body

• Dumbell Shoulder Press
• Side Laterals
• Rear Delt Partials
• Under Hand Rows
• Hyper-extensions
• Cable Curls
• Tricep Rope Pushdowns
• Abs
• Cardio

Wednesday: Cardio

• Cardio Session

Thursday: Legs

• Glute Kickbacks
• Lying Leg Curls
• Split Squats
• Abductor/Adductor
• Donkey Calf Raise
• Cardio

Friday: Upper Body

• Barbell Military Press
• Side Laterals
• Rear Delt Partials
• Seated Rows
• Dumbbell Curls
• Tricep Pushdowns
• Abs
• Cardio

Saturday: Off

• Recovery Day

Sunday: Off

• Recovery Day

If you have to pick only 3 exercises, what would they be and why?

1. Glute Kickbacks: Not a favorite but I am always down to work on my booty!
2. Shoulder Press: They always seem to get me a good pump going and who doesn’t love a good pump
3. Abs: It takes a lot for me to get tired on abs so I like to challenge myself and see how far I can go each time!

Tawna Eubanks Promo Video

What is your diet like?

I have a fast metabolism so I get to eat quite a bit of good food!

Sample Diet:

• Meal 1: Egg Whites and Oatmeal
• Meal 2: Muscle Nutrition ISO Muscle and Fruit
• Meal 3: Chicken, Sweet Potato and Green Veggies
• Meal 4: Muscle Nutrition ISO Muscle and Fruit
• Meal 5: Lean Steak, Sweet Potato, and Green Veggies
• Meal 6: Egg Whites and Veggies

When trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?

I’m naturally thin, and it’s hard for me to maintain muscle so I prefer to use normal cardio over HIIT.

What is your supplementation like?

• Muscle Nutrition ISO Muscle
• Muscle Nutrition Glutamuscle
• Muscle Nutrition Detonate

Favorite Quote?

“Success is to be doing what you love, and if you are doing what you love then you have already beat failure!” – Me

Contest Photos: http://contest.bodybuilding.com/bio/247942/
Website: www.tawnaeubanks.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TawnaEubanks
Sponsors: www.musclenutrition.us
Photography by: Marvin Reyes & Fowler Photography

I’ve always been into physically orientated activities ever since I was a child and have played everything from Tennis to American Football, which in Britain is not easily done! I first found an interest in weights after growing up watching Arnold and Sly and thinking “that’s what a man should look like!” So when given the chance to join a gym at the local athletics track I used to run at I did and started straight away. For years I just did all body training alongside continually playing basketball, football and rugby but it was at University that I began to really hit the weights with the intention of gaining muscle. Initially it was just so I could hit harder in the tackles and be more explosive but when I started to see gains I became addicted to the Iron Bashing! I was studying for my Biology Degree at the time and had a good knowledge of the human anatomy and the physiological system.

This led me to begin researching diet, muscular hypertrophy, training techniques and development through weight orientated training. I utilised the array of material available to me through my course and within literature I found and developed a good basic understanding of split training regimes, dietary requirements and techniques.

Literally overnight I made huge lifestyle changes to incorporate everything I had learnt and been told by those I looked up to, from that point on I have consistently maintained a healthy diet, solid training regime and goal set. I’m always challenging myself so when I left university I took up Muay Thai and crossed over into Mixed Martial Arts where I adapted my training to a more cross fit style regime as I began to compete at a professional level. Three years were spent training and fighting in which time I slimmed down to around 72 kilos and lost a lot of the bulk I had gained but in its placed developed a very lean and functional physique, not to mention a very high level of cardiovascular fitness.

After making the decision to stop fighting and an offer of fitness modelling I returned to weight lifting and once again found myself truly enjoying getting back to some old school Iron Kicking!

What was really interesting was the way my body reacted. Due to the level of fitness and muscular development I had achieved from the years of fight training my body adapted very quickly to the new training and I achieved good lean gains in a short period of time which was fantastic! Don’t get me wrong I was busting my ass to get them and the strength of mind I had gained from the beat downs you get in fight camps put me on another level with training (so much so I went through training partners quicker than tubs of protein! Haha) but it was great to see continual gains over a 6 month period.

I love training and the results and goals I achieved was a great motivation but I’m the kind of person that’s always needs to be challenged, to have some point to what I’m doing, otherwise I find you can go a little stale and can lose interest. It’s this need that led me to compete in the Musclemania Fitness Britain in which I achieved an Overall victory in the Regionals and third place in the Nationals! Not bad for a first run at the stage and definitely a big step for me now as I always have to better myself, so look out 2012!

Where does your motivation come from?

My motivation comes from the sheer love of training, in any form, and competition with myself to always achieve more from month to month and overcome any obstacles that may cross my path.

As we all know nothing is smooth sailing but it’s the way in which you overcome barriers or obstacles that ultimately defines who you are and what you will achieve. It’s the determination and commitment to overcome that separates the greats from the average.

What workout routine has worked best for you?

I find split body part training to be the best form of developing a well-muscled physique alongside some functional cardio such as Bag work and HIIT training. When muscle mass wasn’t something I needed the Cross Fit style training was great for developing the lean, cut look but requires you to really push yourself at a fast pace to see the best results.

Full Routine:

I don’t have fixed days for each muscle group or training due to work commitments but I ensure that I get 4 days a week in each week, as evenly spaced as possible. I’ve been training for about 2 years now in purely bodybuilding terms but have trained athletically for well over 10 years so I have a good broad knowledge of what works and what doesn’t work for me. As such I will adjust workouts on the day dependant on how I feel or if I have any strains etc. but as a rule they will follow the same structure in essence which is a High to Low reps with increased weight each set if possible or drop sets if not.

Variable angles and grips are always utilised and intensity is ALWAYS high!

Chest

• Dumbbell Press x4 High to Low Reps
• Incline Dumbbells x4 High to Low Reps
• Dumbbell Flies x x4 High to Medium Reps
• Seated Machine Chest Press (Plate Loaded) x4 High to Low Reps
• Decline Press (Plate loaded) x4 High to Low
• Cable Flies x4 High to Medium Reps

Shoulders

• Dumbbell Front Raises x4 High to Medium Reps
• Seated Dumbbell Press x4 High to Low Reps
• Lateral Raises x4 High to Medium Reps
• Rear Delts, Cables x5 High to Medium Reps

Back

• Lat Pull Down or Pull-ups x4 High to Low Reps
• T Bar Rows x4 High to Low Reps
• Seated Row x4 High to Low Reps
• Bent Over Dumbbell Rows x4 High to Low Reps
• Close Grips Lat Pull Down x4 High to Medium Reps

Quads

• 100 Rep Leg Extensions (Starting with the heaviest weight that allows for 20 reps and lowering the weight each time 10 reps is failed to be met. Minimal rest points taken!)
• Squats x5 High to Low Reps
• Leg Press x5 High Reps, Deep Negative!
• Horizontal Press x5 Toes up driving completely through the heels, High to Medium Reps

Hamstrings

• Lying Curls x5 High to Low Reps
• Seated Curls x5 High to Low Reps
• Straight Leg Dead Lifts x5 High to Low Reps

Triceps

• Straight Bar Extensions x4 High to Low Reps
• Reverse Grip Extensions x4 High to Low Reps
• Hammer Grip Rope Extensions x4 High to Low Reps
• Skull Crushers x4 High to Low Reps

Biceps

• Seated Dumbbell Curls, Single arm at a time x4 High to Low Reps
• Hammer Grip Curls (Dumbbell or Cable Rope) x4 High to Low Reps
• Ez Curl Bar x4 High to Low Reps
• Cross Body Hammer Grip Curls x4 High to Medium Reps

If you have to pick only 3 exercises, what would they be and why?

• Squats
• Chest Press
• Pull ups

All core compound movements that require great form and provide a well-balanced overall package by targeting the major muscle groups of the body! Work the big and the little will grow!

What is your diet like?

Due to my scientific background my diet is based around calculated macros for my protein, carbohydrate and fat requirements. This allows me to be in a controlled surplus (for gaining weight) or deficit (to lean out for competition or personal choice) whilst maximising my food intake to generate desired results without gaining excess fat (surplus diet) or burning muscle (deficit diet). Health wise I am concerned about the sources of my food to ensure I gain a good micronutrient balance but I also like to enjoy my food so to reach a happy balance I weigh and log all my food to ensure my target levels are hit but that also allows me to enjoy some unconventional sources such as humus, sausages and roast potatoes!

Sample Diet:

• Meal 1: Wholemeal Toast with Honey and Peanut Butter
• Meal 2: Protein Shake and Rice Cakes
• Meal 3: Roast Chicken, Apple Sauce and Wholemeal Bread
• Meal 4: Diced Chicken Breast and Sweet Potato
• Meal 5: Protein Shake, Rice Cakes and Fruit
• Meal 6: Diced Chicken or Beef and Healthy Choice Mash Potato

When trying to cut down do you prefer to use HIIT or just normal cardio?

HIIT. Simply because it is more interesting and can be worked into more fun routines such as bag work, sprints or cross trainer sprints.

That’s not to say normal cardio isn’t useful but I find long distance work adds to joint stress and does begin to grind mentally much more quickly.

What is your supplementation like?

In the off season its mainly All-in-One Protein shakes, Vitamins and a Pre-workout. During dieting I tend to include more whey blend protein supplements, intra workout BCAA’s and a stand-alone Creatine supplement.

Favourite Quote?

“Yeeeeah Buddy!” and of course my patented “BOOM BABY!”

Youtube: LexFitness
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If you’re like most people, from time to time you’re going to find your motivational levels starting to wane, which can seriously derail your goals. Now let’s talk about what it’s going to take to increase your will to succeed. We hope this feature will help light that fire under your butt to go to the gym and push yourself to levels you never thought you could!

20 Of The Best Motivational Photos Part 7

Bonus Motivational Clip