Wide Stance and Grip Exercises


Posted by muyenp

You should always try to change your exercises up a bit just to give your muscles a different experience. This could mean changing the number of reps, adding more weights or even moving on to a different exercise entirely. You can also do a variation of the same exercise. One way to do this is by changing the position of your arms or feet.

Most exercises have a wide stance or grip version. This is a great way to work your muscles from a different angle without dramatically changing the routine. When doing squats, for example, the feet are normally positioned shoulder width apart. With the wide stance squat, you shift the emphasis from your quads to your hamstrings.

You can also do pushups or bench presses with a wide grip. The wide grip in this instance works the chest and shoulders to a greater extent, while emphasizing less on the triceps, which would be the case with a closer grip.

A wide grip can also be used for pull ups. Spreading your arms to the outer part of the bar will work your lats while placing less emphasis on the biceps.

Normally, I always do my exercises with a normal stance or grip but like to utilize the wide variation every now and then just to change things up and keep my workout from feeling repetitive. If you are starting to get bored with your exercises, then a small change like altering the placement of your hands and feet to a wide position can really give you a whole different workout.


Beware of Supplement Advertising


Posted by muyenp

I have talked about supplements in past posts. I think the general consensus about supplements is that they have their uses and can be quite convenient, but are otherwise over hyped and just a way for supplement manufacturers to prey on your wallets.

If you ever opened a bodybuilding magazine, then you are probably familiar with Muscle-Tech. This is one of the most well-known and established supplement brands on the market. I have seen quite a few of their ads as well as those from other supplement brands, and I noticed a similar trend in all of them.

When a new product is released, there are supposedly all sorts of “scientific” studies to back it up. It features a report that uses all sorts of scientific jargon and photos of the human anatomy to explain why this product could be the next breakthrough supplement.

When it mentions the word “breakthrough,” I can’t help but roll my eyes since the previous product released by the company was also labeled as a breakthrough. Once people try it and realize it doesn’t live up to the hype, then that supplement drops in sales, and the company needs to create more sales by releasing another new product with the same hype behind it.

Supplement ads are also full of pictures of bodybuilders in the beach surrounded by supermodels. They’re trying to send some kind of subliminal message that you could be that guy surrounded by beautiful women if you use their product.

I’m not trying to begin a crusade against supplements as I have used them many times myself. Just remember that supplement companies are out there to make money, and they are trying to make money by playing to your emotions and make you believe that their supplements are the key to your muscle building and weight loss dreams.


Whey Cencentrate vs. Isolate


Posted by muyenp

It’s no secret that protein is essential for muscle building. If gaining muscle is your goal, then you are supposed to consume 1-2 grams of protein for every pound you weigh. Personally, I think consuming 2 grams per pound of body weight is a bit of an overkill.

Whey protein supplements are useful because consuming 25-50 grams of protein every three hours is not easy, especially if you try to get it all from whole foods. When it comes to whey, however, there are generally two kinds: whey concentrate and isolate.

According to most supplement companies and bodybuilding magazines, isolate is supposed to be superior because it is more “pure” than whey concentrate. Whey isolate has a greater percentage of the fat and sugar removed during processing.

If you ever thumb through a bodybuilding mag, you may have seen a supplement ad with a bodybuilder and his testimonial that he gained x amount of muscle by switching to whey isolate or some other new breakthrough supplement.

I honestly do not believe for a second that switching from whey concentrate to isolate can help you pack on more muscle; it is just a ruse by supplement companies to get you to buy their latest supplement. I have used whey isolate in the past and have not noticed a difference. Isolate is also a lot more expensive, and I definitely do not feel that it is worth the extra cost. Today, I continue to use whey concentrate, which I buy in bulk quantities to get the best deals possible.

Most professional bodybuilders are under the payroll of supplement companies. If I was being paid, I would also tell you that whey isolate is superior. If someone is being paid to make a testimonial, then that testimonial is probably not reliable.

I believe whey concentrate is sufficient. If you want to save money on supplements, then my suggestion is not to jump on the whey isolate bandwagon.


The Benefits of Pull Ups


Posted by muyenp

Pull ups is an awesome exercise that strengthens your muscles in the arms and back. The cool thing about pull ups is that it doesn’t require any free weights or machines; as long as you have a pull up bar in your home, then that is all you need.

You can pick up a pull up bar at any sporting goods store; they typically run around 20-30 dollars. Most of them are compatible with a typical door frame. Some require brackets to be screwed on to the door frame while others use the frame itself for support. Whatever kind of bar you get, it is a worthy investment.

photo by Joe Shlabotnick

Pull ups can be done in many ways, and you can target different areas of your muscles by placing your grip at different points on the bar. Using a wide grip position places more of the emphasis on your lats while a close grip position works mostly the lower lats and biceps.

You can focus purely on bodyweight pull ups and focus on increasing the number of reps. You can also add more resistance by using some weights. Just strap on a backpack with some weight plates in it. If you don’t have any plates, then you can improvise by using textbooks or filled water bottles.

If you want to make the exercise harder without adding weights, then try placing the emphasis on one arm. The way to do this is by looping a towel over one side and gripping the towel with one hand. Because the hand holding the towel will be lower than the hand holding the bar, the hand gripping the bar will have to work harder to pull your weight up. As you get better at this exercise, you can make it more difficult by lowering the position of the hand holding the towel.

Pull ups can benefit anyone no matter their current level of fitness. It is one of my favorite exercises just because it is so convenient to do from my own home. I highly recommend adding it to your workouts if you already haven’t done so.


Performing Warm Up Sets


Posted by muyenp

Most experts agree that you should perform a warm up set before doing your real set. The idea behind it is that a muscle that is warmed up is more prepared to handle the burden of heavy lifting than a muscle that is “cold.” While there are different views on how a warm up set should be done, most believe that performing 10 reps with weights that are about half of what you normally lift is sufficient. This means that if you can bench press 250 lb for 10 reps, then your warm up set for the bench press should be 125 lb for 10 reps.

It is believed that warming up the right way can help prevent injuries and can also enable you to handle more weight during the real set. Personally, I don’t do warm up sets. I tried them in the past and found that they actually took away some of my strength when doing my real set. For me, I find that my muscles are able to perform better when it’s completely “fresh.” Of course, this is just what works for me. My philosophy is always to do what works best for you, even if it is contradictory to what everyone else preaches.

You know your body better than anyone else. If warming up works for you, then by all means do it. Treat your workout the way you see fit and not just because an “expert” recommends it.


Taking a Layoff from Exercise


Posted by muyenp

Some of you may be familiar with taking a layoff from exercising. This is basically a break from your weekly workout routine. I don’t know about the rest of you, but after exercising consistently for several weeks, I begin to notice a decrease in my performance. I notice that I begin to reach muscle fatigue quicker than usual. When this happens, usually for two workout sessions straight, I take it as a sign that my body needs a layoff.

Some people recommend a one to two week layoff every two to three months. I don’t go by any specific time frame; I just listen to my body and take a one week layoff whenever my muscles feel like it needs some time off. When I return to my workouts after the break, I notice my strength and performance usually returns back to normal. In fact, my first workout following the layoff always feels like it went exceptionally well.

Sometimes, a layoff may be involuntary due to injury. However, I still believe it is good to take a break from exercising just to allow your muscles some “vacation time.” It is definitely something I would recommend, especially if you train to failure every time at the gym.


What Music Do You Work Out To?


Posted by muyenp

How many people do you see in the gym carrying around a mp3 player? Music can be a good source of motivation and to pump yourself up before and during a workout. So what kind of music do you listen to, if any? Everyone has different tastes, so we all have different songs that get us motivated. Heavy alternative rock and rap are typical music that people listen to while they are lifting iron. The fast beat can really get someone hyped up.

I’m a big fan of MMA, so I have some songs that the fighters used as their walkout music. I also enjoy professional wrestling, so I have songs that wrestlers use as their entrance themes as well.

I also have some battle themes from war movies. This includes The Gladiator and Last of The Mohicans. The image of soldiers marching into battle really psych me up.

I even listen to songs that would not be considered “workout music.” I actually have some Taylor Swift songs in my mp3. Yes, I have done heavy squats and bench pressed to Taylor Swift. I have also heard that there are those who work out to classical and orchestra music.

The point of listening to music is to get you pumped up for the gym. So who cares if it’s not some fast paced heavy metal type music. If listening to Justin Bieber pumps you up, then by all means use that as your workout music.


Adding a Mass Gainer to Your Diet


Posted by muyenp

A weight gainer is a good supplement to use if you are having trouble meeting your daily intake from regular foods. Unlike a protein supplement, weight gainers get its calories from a combination of protein, carbs and fat. If you choose to use a weight gainer, I would advise staying away from the ones that gets most of its calories from sugar. This is done to keep the cost down and is obviously inferior in quality.

A weight gainer I recommend is Serious Mass by Optimum Nutrition. I’m not promoting the product or anything like that, but it is a product I used during my bulk up phase for two reasons: it is low in sugar and is a lot cheaper compared to other weight gainers.

A single cup has about 1000 calories. Most of the time, I’ll just use about half a cup or less and consume it in combination with other foods. The downside is that it doesn’t contain as much protein as I would like, but this is not that big of a deal. I can just add a scoop of whey to compensate for it.

You can look under my previous post, “Sites to Buy Your Supplements” for the links to the sites that carry this supplement.


The Best Foods for Bulking Up


Posted by muyenp

As a hardgainer, you need to eat far more than the average joe. Of course, meeting your daily intake is not only difficult, it can also be expensive. Consuming extra calories means you will need to spend more money on food. During my hardgaining phase, I picked up some strategies that made it easier to consume the extra calories as well as to cut down on the cost of what I was spending on food.

As a hardgainer, you should try to consume calorie-dense foods. This means foods that are high in calories, yet small in portion size. A half cup of oatmeal for example, has 150 calories. You can get roughly the same amount of calories from about ¼ cup of raisins. This means raisins are more calorie dense than oatmeal. Here is a sample of what I would normally eat when I was trying to put on muscle weight.

½ cup of oatmeal – 150 calories
¼ cup of raisins – 130 calories
1 tablespoon peanut butter – 100 calories
1 cup milk – 150 calories
1 scoop whey protein – 100 calories
TOTAL – 630 calories

That’s a lot of calories from a relatively small amount of food. Plus, it is also high in protein and has a decent amount of fiber. These foods are also relatively cheap to buy. If you want to save money on food, then be selective about where you shop. There are actually only three places I shop: Costco, Walmart and the 99 cent store. At Walmart for example, I can get a two pound jug of oatmeal for just $2.00. This is of course, if I buy the generic brand. The price of milk fluctuates, but I can usually get a gallon of skim milk at Walmart for just around $2.50. At Costco, I can get a two pound block of cheddar cheese for under $5.00.

By shopping smart, you can purchase your groceries in large quantities for a very low price. This is a huge money saver for hardgainers who need to consume more food than the average person.


A Good Bulking Up Strategy


Posted by muyenp

This is the second part from my last post about bulking up. As I’ve mentioned previously, it is not uncommon for hardgainers to be consuming outrageous amounts of calories. At my own peak, I was eating 6000 calories on workout days and 4000 on days that I rest. I heard some bodybuilders consume as much as 12000 calories a day!

If you decide to go with this route, then you will definitely need to break down your meals as much as you can. Of course, this can be difficult as there are only so many hours in a day. Here is a useful trick that I found helpful.

Before I go to bed, I would place some whey protein and weight gain powder into my shaker cup and place it next to my nightstand along with a glass of water. I would then set my alarm to go off in the middle of the night. When the alarm goes off, I get up and mix the water into the shaker cup, chug it down, and go back to sleep. It’s that simple and takes less than two minutes. I always wake up in the middle of the night to use the restroom anyways, so most of the time I don’t even set my alarm.

This strategy helps to get in additional calories and protein, especially if you are having trouble meeting your daily requirement during your waking hours. However, I should point out that it is not a strategy that everyone would recommend. Some people warn that eating right before sleeping can lead to poor digestion and cause weight gain. If this worries you, then you probably shouldn’t try it. However, I found it to be really useful during my hardgaining phase.