6-Pack Abs Now!

I’ve been away from this for a while. Hope you noticed :-)  Here’s why:

As I’ve been researching, reading and learning more and more about weight loss and fitness, I started to realized that all the old knowledge is, well…old!

The whole mindset of X set of Y reps over Z different movements per body part just isn’t right. Or necessary.

There’s a lot I want to cover and I’ll be doing that in the coming weeks but just know that these new ideas will make a huge difference and if you, like me, hate the same ‘ol, same ‘ol gym routines (like I never want to go again) you’re gonna love the new stuff.

Talk to you soon,

-Davey-

Your chalked hands are poised to grip the glistening, cold bar as your back presses firmly against the bench.

Un-racking the weight with the assistance of your training partner, you work that bar up and down with maximum intensity and squeeze your chest and triceps through each grueling rep.

Re-racking the bar after working through 6 reps, you plant your feet firmly on the ground and stand up.

Engorged with blood, your chest feels tight.

As you look in the mirror, you get a rush out of how full and vascular your pecs look now.

This “pump” has given you the motivation to tear through the rest of your workout.

The fact is a pump is the best feeling in bodybuilding.

What is a pump? It’s the feeling that you get when blood gets trapped inside muscle tissue when you workout with weights.

Yes, you’re muscles become bigger, tighter, and more vascular, but is it any good in stimulating muscle growth?

When you work in intense weight training, you will typically get a natural pump, and it’s certainly not anything bad.

However, keep in mind that the myth that a pump indicates a successful workout and helps in stimulating muscle growth is absolutely baseless.

Using a pump to measure your workout’s success will just lead to disappointment.

There are so many times I’ve heard bodybuilders talking about huge pumps and swap stories on how to get them.

“If you want a huge pump, you’ve got to try this!”. ”

If you’ve been around for awhile, you must have overheard this in the gym.

Even though a pump feels awesome, it does not do anything in terms of stimulating muscle gain.

When you get a pump, it just means that you’ve trapped extra blood in your muscle tissue.

Consider this: I would get an incredible pump if I grabbed a pair of 10 pound dumbbells and did 300 reps of a bench press movement.

See, if muscle pumps did equate to muscle growth, the key for stimulating muscle growth would be super light weight and totally high rep programs.

It doesn’t take a lot of intellect or bodybuilding knowledge to know that this simply isn’t true.

So how will you know if your workout is actually stimulating muscle growth?

It’s not that hard….

Compare the reps and weights from last week’s workout to this week’s workout.

Notice any improvements?

You’re checking for increased reps or added resistance.

If your answer is positive, rest assured that your workouts are successful and effective at stimulating muscle growth, regardless of whether or not you felt a pump.

If you want to build muscle mass and strength, you need to give 100% to every rep on every set and constantly progress from week to week.

If you can push yourself to achieve this week after week, you will be stimulating muscle growth regardless of whether or not you feel the pump.

I hope that this article helped you to better grasp the concept of the pump and its nonexistent effect on stimulating muscle growth.

These days, finding a reliable online source for muscle-building information has become quite a challenge.

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You open a muscle building magazine and this ad shouts out at you, “Gain 10 pounds of muscle in 3 days!”.

A model with massive muscles, grinning at you, and a couple of before and after pictures have you hooked.

Strategically placed phrases like “scientifically proven” and “the secret professionals use” will make you reach for your telephone and credit card.

Stop!

Gaining 10 pounds of muscle in 3 days is impossible.

There, I’ve put the truth out there for you.

The only way to do it may be to artificially graft on additional muscles using some space-age surgical procedure.

Whatever the ads promise you, if they defy common sense,  you shouldn’t believe them.

The supplement industry regularly commits a multi-billion dollar scam in the form of these ads, magazines, and websites.

This multi-billion dollar industry routinely puts out advertisements like this, accompanied by fake testimonials and flimsy research “proving” why their supplement is the best and telling you how it can help you gain 10 pounds of muscle over a short period of time.

In reality, it’s all a big scam. Did you know that most of the so-called “Muscle Mags” are actually owned by companies who make a good portion of their money from selling supplements? Do you think they are giving you the best information knowing that they make money by recommending what they sell? Maybe not.

While there are definitely some effective supplements out there, even those can’t make you gain 10 pounds of muscle overnight.

The truth is that nothing can replace hard work in the gym, not even the best supplements.

Whatever the claim is, if a supplement promises to help you gain 10 pounds of muscle or burn fat at thrice the normal rate, you should decide on how good the supplement is based on sound research and not phony testimonials.

Everyone would know about such a supplement and every trainer worth his salt would recommend this supplement, if it really did exist.

You CAN gain 10 pounds of muscle, but it won’t happen in 3 days.

Here’s how you can gain much more than 10 pounds of muscle: Go to the gym regularly, train all the parts of your body in a scientific manner, progressively overload your workouts, eat right, and get enough rest.

Supplements can also help you grow, but not in the way they promise in the ads.

Truthfully, only a handful of supplements out there can make you get better results.

When looking at these advertisements and testimonials, use common sense and take them with a pinch of salt, because most of the testimonials are inaccurate or scripted.

“Research” stating that you can gain 10 pounds of muscle in a short period of time cleverly leads you to believe that the tests were performed on humans, but it is mostly faked or altered.

In reality, though, the tests were probably performed on lab animals like rats and mice, and you can’t relate the data from this trumped-up research to humans.

Look for a reference from the research material, and cross check it on PubMed.

You’ll probably find that the research is horribly skewed or just doesn’t exist.

If you want to naturally gain 10 pounds of muscle in the fastest possible way of uncover your 6-pack abs, I can tell you the honest truth about how…

…but I promise you’ll need more than a few days.

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Basic Bodybuilding: Choosing the Right Gym

Now that you’ve decided to start off on a bodybuilding program, you need to select a gym based on your requirements.

Choosing the right gym is crucial when it comes to basic bodybuilding, because your choice will have a direct effect on your results.

1) Location.

You should pick a basic bodybuilding gym that is close to your house or somewhere en route between your house and your work.

This helps ensure that it’s convenient to get there and that you have one less excuse not to go.

Avoid picking a gym that involves a long drive, because you will be less inclined to commute regularly and will end up missing workouts.

2) Cost.

You shouldn’t have to pay through your nose for a basic body building gym membership.

Pay close attentions to contracts and avoid signing up for long-term membership plans.

You can even get great deals on basic bodybuilding membership plans, especially during late summer or right after New Year’s Day.

You may even be able to get some freebies in the form of nutrition counseling, trainers, daycare options, physiotherapy, fitness testing, and massage therapy.

If you are only able to work out early in the morning or late in the night, it’s important to find out if the basic bodybuilding gym is open during these hours.

3) Demographics.

Make a note of the demographics at the basic bodybuilding center.

You don’t want to join a gym that focuses mainly on cardio and yoga because the majority of its clients are women.

Others may cater to hardcore bodybuilders, so although you’ll have access to the proper equipment, starting off a basic bodybuilding program in a gym that’s packed with pro bodybuilders can be pretty intimidating.

The best gym is one that has both cardio and weight training equipment and an atmosphere that motivates you to workout.

4) Trainers.

Part of choosing the right gym is knowing there are qualified trainers who can help you along, especially during the early days of your bodybuilding  journey.

You cannot build an impressive body without following the right techniques.

Qualified trainers can also help you modify a stale routine, or point out something you may have overlooked in your own routines.

You should ensure that the trainers are certified in basic bodybuilding.

5) Equipment.

You should also ascertain the availability and quality of the equipment at the gym.

Is the gym stocked with sufficient dumbbells and barbells?

Are there sufficient weight machines for everyone’s use?

Are your cardio requirements met by the number of stationary bicycles, treadmills, elliptical trainers, and stair climbers?

In a nutshell, your gym should have all the equipment that you will use during a basic bodybuilding routine.

6) Hygiene.

Cleanliness and hygiene are critical too.

With so many people dripping sweat everyday, it is crucial that all the equipment is cleaned on a regular basis.

Find out if the equipment is regularly rubbed down with disinfectant (preferably every night) and check to see that the showers and lockers are clean.

Take my word for it, there’s nothing worse than being face-down on a smelly bench when you’re doing your basic bodybuilding exercises.

Choosing the right gym can make a world of difference to your attitude, your motivation and, most importantly, your results.

Is your body refusing to grow, despite months of serious gym-time?

Perhaps this technique will help you break through the plateau.

Progressive overload is a foundational principle of bodybuilding and is essential to accelerate muscle growth.

The one most important factor for accelerating muscle growth is progressively increasing the load on your muscles or the repetitions you do every week.

Let me stress, the only way to accelerate muscle growth is to systematically and continuously up the intensity of your bodybuilding exercise routine.

That’s because when your body adapts to stress and changes in environment, your muscles grow.

If the environment remains the same, you body won’t need to adapt; it’s a simple fact.

For example, performing seven reps of squats with 200 pound weight over a three month period won’t do much for your muscle gains.

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You need to build strength to accelerate muscle growth.

Only when you target strength gain, during every exercise, will you see an appreciable increase in muscle size.

You might say this is the universal law of muscle growth, and you can apply it to whatever approach you use.

Weight lifters, who don’t understand this basic law, keep on lifting the same weight, not meeting their aims and getting frustrated.

All they’re doing is wasting time, and not seeing results.

Since they don’t work on strength building, all their efforts to accelerate muscle growth are in vain.

Conversely, those who increase the load on their muscles progressively, quite successfully accelerate muscle growth.

The core of your training routine should be small but continuous increases in the weight you lift and the repetitions you do.

This will increase the size and strength of your muscles.

If you don’t give your body a challenge, you won’t give it any incentive to make your muscles grow.

Therefore, there is no progression without growth.

Only when you progressively overload your body will you be able to accelerate muscle growth.

The most effective way to implement a progressive strategy into your workout is to keep a training diary.

Keep a record of all exercises you do, how much you lift, and the repetitions.

Knowing how you performed during your last workout will help you knuckle down, and make improvements during the current workout.

Using your training diary to write down your goals is also a good idea.

Writing down your goals means that you take responsibility for meeting them yourself.

These records also motivate you, as they help you track your progress.

It may not seem like much that you lifted five more pounds this week, but when you can look at many months of progress, you’ll be stunned with how much more you’re lifting and the number of repetitions; moreover, you’ll see how the regular increases have let you accelerate muscle growth.