How to Grow a Pair

The title says it all. Here’s how you grow a pair of biceps, hamstrings, shoulders, and quads, as well as a good hefty pair of mental muscles, too.

Grow a Pair of Biceps

Simple guidelines:

• Elbow flexion exercises (barbell, dumbbell, machine curl) done with extreme effort
• The best - seated incline dumbbell curl with the forearm supinated (palms turned up)
• The best - standing pronated grip bicep curl (palms turned down)
• Work each set to volitional muscle fatigue
• Perform a reasonable number of sets (one to three)
• Repetitions can vary from 6 to 20

Grow a Pair of Hamstrings

There are three hamstring muscles - the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. They flex the knee (heel to butt) and extend the hip (pushing the thigh back).

Simple guidelines:

• Perform lying, seated, and standing leg curls along with hip-extending stiff-leg deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, and glute/ham raises
• Work each set to volitional muscle fatigue
• Perform a reasonable number of sets (one to three)
• Repetitions can vary from 10 to 25

Grow a Pair of Shoulders

First, I am uncomfortable when the shoulder joint is discussed. Many believe the shoulder is only the visible top of that body part. This would be the medial deltoid. However, in reality we know the shoulder joint as a whole is comprised of a number of muscles that move the upper arm and scapula (shoulder blade) in various directions. Therefore, multiple-angle pushing and pulling exercises work the shoulder joint, strengthen it, and enhance its stability.

Here is a list of shoulder fortifying exercises:

• Wide or close grip pulldown
• Wide or close grip pull up
• Pullover machine
• High row
• Face pull
• Seated/Bent-over row
• Plate-load row
• Low row
• Upright row
• Rear delt machine/bent-over fly
• Rotator cuff internal and external rotation
• Overhead press
• Incline press
• Chest press
• Decline press
• Dip
• Lateral raise
• Chest fly

Simple guidelines:

• Incline and overhead press, upright row, face pull, lateral raise, rear delt/bent over fly
• Work each set to volitional muscle fatigue
• Perform a reasonable number of sets (one to three)
• Repetitions can vary from 8 to 20

Grow a Pair of Quadriceps

The four quadriceps - the vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, and rectus femoris - make up the “quads.” The quads primarily extend the knee. To grow large quadriceps, it takes more than simple knee extensions on a knee extensions device. The quads, collectively, possess a lot of muscle mass. They need to be overloaded via heavier exercises that involve knee extension (squats, leg presses, and deadlifts).

Simple guidelines:

• When squatting, leg pressing, and deadlifting, work each set to volitional muscle fatigue. Yes, it's going to hurt, but that is how you stimulate your quads to grow.
• Perform a reasonable number of sets (one to three)
• Repetitions can vary from 10 to 30

Working the legs (and quads) can be discomforting. That is a good thing. Any exercise that is physically and mentally challenging is a productive exercise. Learn to love those exercises that manifest themselves in a lot of huffing and puffing.

And while we’re at it, let’s grow that pair.

Grow a Pair - Mentally

Ultra-high intensity 12-exercise circuit:

• Minimal (<:20) rest between exercises
• All exercises to volitional muscular fatigue at 10 to 14 repetitions
• Use four different upper body push, upper body pull, and multi-joint lower body exercises each
• Perform upper body push 1, upper body pull 1, multi-joint lower 1, upper push 2, upper pull 2, lower 2, upper push 3, and so forth until all 12 exercises are completed
• Remember, all-out effort on each set and minimal rest between exercises

Five rounds for time

• 10 dumbbell burpees with a plank row (right and left) and overhead press
• 20 dumbbell squats
• 10 chin ups (bodyweight or assisted)
• 30 mountain climbers
• Record the time of your initial workout. Attempt to better it in future workouts.

Fitness Gauntlet:

• Intervals (running or exercise machine) of :30 all out effort/:15 easy pace x 20 bouts
• 2:00 rest
• No more than one minute rest between these events:
• 50 bodyweight burpees
• 200 bicycle crunches
• 150 bodyweight squats
• 20 dumbbell bent-over rows + 20 dumbbell overhead presses x three rounds
• Push ups x maximum reps

Attempt to complete the following exercises in under 20 minutes:

• 300 bodyweight squats
• 150 push ups (males) 100 (females)
• 50 dumbbell burpees + one-arm plank row (R & L) + squat + overhead press

Why 10 x 3 Is Best for Strength and Size

One of the things that has always stuck in my head as far as training goes is to do the opposite of what most do. Breaking Muscle athlete and super-coach Charles Staley is the guy who said this. It’s a fairly simple concept. If you see people using machines, then do free weights. If you see people doing chest and biceps, then do legs.

But the biggest disconnect usually comes when we talk about volume. Everyone knows typical gym training begins with three sets of ten. There is actually some science behind that. Back in the 1960s, Dr. Thomas DeLorme found that people responded better to multiple sets than they did to a single exposure, both in terms of building muscle size and strength (which explains why high-intensity training doesn’t work long term).

While sets of ten will work to begin with, they do have some limitations, especially for the natural trainee. Sooner or later the decreasing intensity in these sets of ten will have you need to work fewer reps per set. To begin with, a set of ten may leave you out of breath and flushed, but it won’t stay that way. The best way to think about it is like going for a jog. At first it’s difficult to even get around the block, but if you keep running those relaxed runs, you will be covering more and more distance pretty quickly. And at that point the only way to get fitter is to run faster

 

It may seem like a strange analogy, but there are far more similarities than differences between strength and fitness training. Beginners usually find themselves training at around seventy percent of what they are ultimately capable of. In fact, there is even a table to work out how hard you are working based off how many reps per set you are doing called Prilepin’s Table. A single set that is the heaviest thing you can lift once and once only represents 100% of your maximum. Looking at Prilepin’s Table, you’ll see that it goes down and eventually ends up at sets of ten and a corresponding seventy percent effort.

 

One of the things people often lose sight of is how many total reps are in a session. There’s a real reason why top strength coaches record not just weight, but sets and reps in their students’ work, as it helps to calculate the total intensity for the session, and even the training cycle. When you look at successful training plans the majority have one big thing in common - they share a total number of reps between the mid twenties and low thirties.

 

Think about it:

 

• 3 x 10
• 3-4 x 8
• 5 x 5
• 4 x 6
• 6 x 4

 

But there’s one incredibly valuable scheme that is overlooked in these plans, and that is the flip side of the old three sets of ten. What happens when you do ten sets of three? Let’s look at some of the benefits of 10 x 3:

 

• In a lift like the deadlift, where the set up can often be half the battle, this gives a trainee more opportunities to learn how to set up properly.
• Fatigue per set is kept to a minimum, reducing the possibility of injury. It’s rare to hear of people hurting themselves on the first rep of a set, but far more common for people to push hard while fatigued and hurt themselves on the eight, ninth, or tenth rep.
• Instead of thirty reps done at seventy percent intensity, this is thirty reps done at around 85% intensity.

 

This style of training allows for much greater stimulus to be applied to the muscles, which will result in greater strength and hypertrophy along the way. This is a great tool to use with opposing muscle groups and big lifts. Good choices are:

 

• Front squats and Romanian deadlifts
• Front squats and power cleans
• Bench press and chins

 

It can also be used to good effect on its own, and Westside Barbell made the 10x3 workout famous when they started using it for speed work on their Dynamic Effort days. For people who have never tried it, the end result is similar to what Dan John had in mind when detailing the One Lift a Day program. Just know that ten genuinely hard sets of three in a big exercise will take some time to get through, and the rest needed to do all this properly will make what seems like a small workout push out to the hour mark.

 

I’d suggest scheduling no more than two workouts per week for the ten by three sessions and using lower intensity work on the other days. A good sample split would be:

 

• Monday: 10 x 3 front squat and power cleans
• Tuesday: 5 x 5 bench press and chins, 3-4 x 6-8 of another upper-body pair
• Wednesday: Rest or easy cardio
• Thursday: Same as Monday
• Friday: Rest or easy cardio
• Saturday: Same as Tuesday
• Sunday: Rest or easy cardio

 

Give it a try for six weeks and see how fast you grow in size and strength.

Biological Versus Chronological Age in Youth Sports

We’re all familiar with that stage of childhood when movement gets a little awkward due to rapid growth. But sometimes we forget that this physical transformation happens at different rates in different children. Any coach who works with kids knows the tremendous and sometimes unbelievable difference between two youth athletes of the same age, especially in the ‘tween and early teen stages. A recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research asked which methods are best for determining these differences for better athletic placement.


Chronological age (the one we normally go by) is not the same as biological age, since some athletes mature physically at a different rate than others. Much like in academics, chronological age isn’t always the best way to determine where a child’s placement in sports. However, most professionals are better prepared to test children for academic placement than athletic placement.

The researchers acknowledged that although measuring bone growth is the most accepted method for determining physical maturation, it is also the least accessible. To measure bone growth accurately requires expensive medical testing. Generally X-rays are involved, and although the researchers in this study stated that the radiation levels are safer than we usually think, it’s something many parents would seek to avoid.

Assessing sexual maturation is another method, but it too can only be undergone in a clinical setting by doctors. This option requires great care and concern for the child’s wellbeing  and is less accurate of a method, anyway. Thus it is perhaps the least useful of all methods.

A final method that seems to be both practical and fairly useful, is called peak height velocity (PHV). PHV is the time in a child’s life in which they attain the most rapid height growth. PHV tends to coincide with sexual maturation and rapid changes in bone structure. In girls, this typically happens at around twelve years of age, and in boys at age fourteen, although it can occur more than a year before or after these estimates.

PHV can only be accurately ascertained with long-term height measurements, but is nevertheless a useful method for determining whether or not a child has achieved the level of maturity needed for certain exercise routines. The researchers in this study suggested that hypertrophy-based routines are only useful in youth athletes who are beyond PHV, since the hormones required are not present in sufficient quantities until after that point. The researchers also noted that resistance training is appropriate – within an otherwise safe environment – for any youth athlete. However, the recommended program for children who have not yet reached their PHV should focus more on strength and coordination, as neural plasticity is highest at that time.

So the focus of training should be based on physical maturation, which can occur at various times depending on each child’s individual variations. The simplest and yet highly effective method for determining this seems to be PHV, but it needs to be tested regularly. The most important feature of any youth training program, regardless of maturation, is fun, so keep training positive at all times.

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Top 10 Foods to Gain Muscle Mass

What if I told you that you could gain more muscle mass with less training? Or retain more muscle mass with less training? And even gain/retain more strength with less training? The secret is nutrition.

As a personal trainer, most of my clients exhibit this behavior: they train hard, but they don’t give a heck about nutrition. So the time and effort they spend on training is wasted. Why? Because they think nutrition is complicated and they avoid the topic. I understand perfectly, because I used to be like that as well.

But we need to train smart. This means knowing how nutrition works and how to utilize it for your own fitness and strength gains. This works for anyone and everyone, be it for general fitness maintenance or muscle mass gain.

To get you started, here is my list of the top ten foods to help you gain more muscle mass and strength:

1. Lean Beef

This should be a STAPLE of your diet if you want to gain muscle mass. Why? Because it is loaded with all sorts of things conducive to muscle growth. On average, a three-ounce serving of lean beef is only 154 calories, yet it provides ten essential nutrients, including iron, zinc and B-vitamins. More importantly, it provides your body with high quality protein (not all proteins are equal), and a high level of amino acid that works with insulin to promote muscle growth. For those who are trying to lose weight, this should come as great news – a 3 ounce serving of lean beef provides roughly the same amount of protein as 1.5 cups of beans, but at half the calories.

2. Skinless Chicken

Like beef, it is an excellent source of high quality protein, which is important for muscle maintenance and repair, bone health, and weight maintenance. And of course, there are so many ways you can cook and prepare chicken. Go down to the store and you can easily find chicken meat cut into single serving sizes that can be seasoned and quickly cooked.

3. Cottage Cheese

Not many people know this, but cottage cheese constitutes relatively pure casein protein. For those who don’t know, casein protein is a slow-digesting protein, which means it is perfect for muscle maintenance. This is useful especially for guys who have no choice but to go long periods without eating. Not forgetting, cottage cheese is also an excellent source of vitamin B12, calcium, and other important nutrients. My advice: buy the nonfat/low-fat versions.

4. Eggs

Eggs contain high quality protein, nine essential amino acids, choline, the right kind of fat, and vitamin D. To sum it up, they are the most value for money. And please note, eggs are not harmful for your health, as numerous studies have already shown.

5. Whey Protein

There is a reason why whey protein supplements are the most popular supplement in the bodybuilding world: because they provide a fast and convenient source of protein at an affordable price. Bodybuilders normally use them when they wake up, right after their workout, and mixed with some of their meals. However, for those of us non-bodybuilders, simply using it right after our workouts can be very effective for muscle mass gains. Do not rely on it completely though. It’s more important to get high quality protein from whole foods, and use whey protein as a boost. There’s so much more about whey protein, if you want to find out more, click hereto read a comprehensive article I have written on how to best benefit from it.

6. Tuna and Other Fish

High in protein, low in fat, and rich in omega-3 fatty acids. The key here is omega-3 fatty acids. They are essential, not only for health reasons, but also because they improve fat loss and ensure the proper function of your body processes, such as your metabolism.

7. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is an ideal source of carbs due to both its low glycemic index (GI) value and the fact it is minimally processed. The benefits of a low GI diet are as follows:

• Better micronutrient profile and more fiber
• Increased satiety
• Decreased hunger
• Lower subsequent energy intake (second meal effect)
• Fat loss

In short, enhanced fat loss for those looking to lose weight, and a constant source of carbs for muscle preservation.

8. Whole Grains

Whole grains digest more efficiently and provide more nutrients than refined grains, and as such promote sustained energy levels and overall health. For instance, brown rice can help boost your growth hormone levels, which are critical for encouraging lean muscle growth, fat loss, and strength gains.

9. Fruits and Vegetables

Firstly, fruits and vegetables are a rich source of antioxidants, which are essential for the healthy functioning of your immune system. Secondly, they provide tons of other nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. Finally, your body requires the fiber these fruits and vegetables provide, which helps to flush out the substances your body does not need.

10. Healthy Fats

I know some of you shudder at the thought of consuming fats, but good fats are essential for muscle growth. In fact, they play an essential role in hormone production (testosterone and growth hormones) that is responsible for muscle growth and strength gains. Your metabolic rate is elevated as well, which helps you shed more fats. In addition, fats are needed for many important maintenance functions. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are the good fats. You can find them in salmon, other fishes, nuts, leafy veggies, oils such as flaxseed, avocados, and seeds. They are also all rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.