Try this Heavy Duty Mike Mentzer – inspired chest routine and abdominal workout for champion level pectoral development!

Chest

Incline Dumbbell Press___
Three warmup sets going heavier each time, until you get to the peak working weights, each set twelve reps.

Two sets heavy, each set seven reps. This should be done so that you barely can get the last rep.

Dips
Two warmup sets, bodyweight times twelve reps.

One to Two sets with weight added five to seven reps, again, so heavy that you can barely finish the last rep.

Incline Flyes
These are done wide, wide, wide, arms bent, but they should in no way be able
to be confused with presses.

One warmup set, twelve reps, you should be able to get five more reps.

One working set, heavy….seven reps again you should be barely able to complete the last rep.

Pushups
These should be done in proper form not with hyperextended back and your butt way too low.

Level body, do your bodyweight for one set, rep out, as many reps as you can get.  You increase the difficulty by elevating your feet.

Abdominal Workout

Hanging leg raises on a Chinup bar, pull your knees up to your chest, over time you will get better and better at stabilizing your body and not swinging too much, keep tension on your spinal erector muscles, the muscles of your lower back, this will greatly reduce swinging. Use straps to mitigate grip becoming a limiting factor.

– Two sets, twenty reps.

Incline situps
Keep your chin on your chest the entire length of the movement every rep, only go two thirds of the way down, the bottom third of an incline situp is all lower back, and this movement can injure the lower back, if not limited to two thirds of the way down.

Two sets, thirty reps.

This workout will lead to a massive, sculpted chest, given you use excellent form, and really work with one hundred percent intensity each time. The ab workout is extremely effective.

As a trainer who has been sculpting bodies for many years, I’ve created quite a few great sets of best butt and legs in the gym and on the local beaches.  Is what I am saying an exaggeration??? No it is not, I do not make a habit out of boasting.

I know the exercises to quickly bring the best out of anybody’s booty. I will not share in this article all my secrets.  I have some trade secrets that you can only learn by directly working under my training program.  I will share with you a foundation which will help you get better results than you have ever got before for your butt and legs.

Butt, will I tell you all my secrets……. Nah!!!!

Stretching: I begin leg workouts with an extensive stretching program, developed and based on the comprehensive stretching program I used when I was involved in team sports. For brevity’s sake I will not spell all this out. I want to get the twice weekly workout directed toward butt and legs in before the article becomes too long to be maximally effectively read.  Note this leg workout is done in a split of workouts training the entire body in four workouts, done over the course of a week.

Perfect Legs and Butt Workout

Basic Workout Split
Day One: ex. Legs and Butt with stretching.
Day Two: ex. Tuesday, Back and Shoulders with abs.
Day Three: Ex. Thursday, Legs and Butt with stretching.
Day Four: Ex. Friday, Chest and Arms with abs.

Here are some of the key legs and butt exercises and to-do tips:

Leg Extension: Two to three warm up sets, are done before two sets at a level that is challenging, all sets fifteen to twenty reps, last two sets you should barely be able to finish the last rep.

Lying Leg Curls: Two light warm up sets, then two sets where you can barely finish the last rep, all sets twenty reps.

Angled Leg Press: Two warm up sets, then two working sets where it is difficult to get the last couple reps. All sets twenty reps. On leg presses and squats, push from the heels, not the toes, this will prevent injury, and really focuses pressure on the butt muscle complex.

Angled Hyperextensions: Mental focus on the muscle, the butt is essential. This exercise is essential, and it must be done properly. Do not go too high at the top. Two to three sets, fifteen to twenty reps, your butt should be burning at the last set. Welcome to the jungle!!!

Walking Lunges: Two to three sets, twenty to twenty five steps. Do not make your reps too long, you can blow out a hamstring with too long of strides. At this point the legs and butt are really burning but we are not stopping yet.

Bodyweight Squats: Two to three sets, twenty five to thirty reps. Hamstring should be parallel to the ground at the bottom of the movement, form must be perfect. No moronic ass to the grass form. This is a sure way to injure your back and knees.

Ready to get your own perfect legs and butt?  Contact me to sign up!

Does this sound familiar? You’re four months into your new training program and suddenly–BAM! You have hit a wall. You don’t know why it happened but now your weights are barely going up and your muscles don’t seem to be getting any bigger.

So what can you do to change this? The key to your success is a proper balance of compound vs isolation exercises. But before I tell you the benefits of both, let’s get into some quick definitions.

According to AllMaximumNutrition.com, compound exercises, “engages two or more different joints to fully stimulate entire muscle groups and, indeed, multiple muscles.” For example, squats are a compound exercise that works the glutes, the lower back, the quadriceps, and hamstrings.

While isolation exercises target single muscle groups working the muscle independently, like isolated bicep curls.

Both exercises have great benefits, and they both have some drawbacks. Most gym-goers these days prefer compound exercises to isolated exercises because compound exercises work several muscle groups at the same time. The thought is this can shorten the time spent working out. The chances of overtraining your muscles when you perform only compound exercises are greater. Your body has a finite capacity of recovery. Compound exercises only don’t provide all of the shaping you desire. So if you are interested in a bottom that pops, then you need to add some isolated glute exercises too. Same goes for your chest, biceps, deltoids and more.

Isolated exercises, on the other hand, have a lower risk of over training. It can also help prevent strength imbalances, which greatly increases the risk of injury. However, if you are looking to improve overall muscle strength, then doing isolation alone is not enough. Isolated exercises prevent us from lifting too heavy while compound exercises allow us to lift heavier weights for better muscular strength and size.

Now the big question, which training method is better and what type of exercises should you do?

To truly know which type of training is better for you, you need to know what your ultimate goals are. For Bodybuilders, Mr. Olympia, 1977-1979, Frank Zane suggests isolation. ”I think one of the things that bodybuilders don’t realize so much is that bodybuilding is about isolation when you train. You do not want to train big groups of muscles at the same time. You do not want to do full body movements, like weight lifting movements. You do not want to do clean and jerks. They are not isolating. If you really want to focus on the muscle you need to isolate it and blast it.”

However, if bodybuilding isn’t your main goal and you just want to tone up and feel amazing in the long run, then a little of both never hurt anyone. The key is to not do too much in one day.

As for what types of exercises are better for both Compound and Isolation strength training, there are five example exercises and the muscles they engage listed below.

Compound Exercises:

Front Squat— Quads, hamstrings, core, back and shoulders
Barbell Thrusters— Quads, hamstrings, core, back and shoulders
Sumo Deadlift— Quads, Hamstrings, Core, Back and Shoulders
Kettlebell Swings— Quads, Hamstrings, Core, Back and Shoulders
Pullups (of all kinds)- back, shoulders, and arms.

Isolated Exercises:

Behind-The-Back shrugs – Traps
Dumbbell Lateral Raises— Deltoids
Leg Extensions— Quadriceps
Cable Crunches— Abdominals
Bicep Curls — Biceps

Building muscle size and shape takes time and smart training is the key to gaining muscle and losing fat. But please remember form is very important when performing any exercise. If you do not have the right form, you will not be hitting the target muscle and possibly risk injury. That is why personal training (with me) is a great investment in yourself.

To learn more about bodybuilding, strength training, anti aging and fat loss, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me. Like many of my satisfied clients, I can help you lose weight and gain muscle. My private or semi-private personal training sessions, along with custom designed diet regimes will help maximize your results. You can finally create the body that you deserve!

As men get older, they tend to put on extra fat, especially in their mid-section which results in a pear or apple-shaped body. The truth is, it’s harder to get rid of that excess fat as the years go by. The reason for this is actually simple, as you age, you lose muscle mass. Decreased physical activity contributes to the loss of muscle mass which, in turn, decreases calorie usage and the weight starts piling on. It’s also possible that fat cells in the arms and legs are no longer able to store fat and the excess goes to the abdomen.

That round belly doesn’t just mean having to buy larger pants, or putting another hole in the belt, it’s harmful to our health. The problem comes from the visceral fat that collects around the internal organs, causing them to work harder. According to the Mayo Clinic, a large amount of belly fat increases your risk of many health issues including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer and sleep apnea.

Cut the Belly Fat

Knowing that extra abdominal fat is bad for you is one thing, figuring out what to do about it is another. Cutting back on extra calories is an obvious place to start, but that’s not the entire story. To really make a difference, you also have to increase your physical activity. The advice that doctors, nutritionists, and fitness gurus give men is to increase the amount of aerobic exercise they get. But, there were also those that say that weight training is the cure for belly bulge. With the conflicting information, it begs the question; is aerobic exercise or weight training a better way to get rid of that excess fat?

Thankfully, there’s finally an answer to that question in a new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). Researchers compared the physical activity, waist size and weight of 10,500 men 40 and over. They discovered that men you spent 20 minutes a day on weight training gained 0.67 cm less in their waistlines than men who increased the amount of aerobic activity they did by the same amount. Not surprisingly, they also noted that men who spent more time in sedentary activities gained inches in their waistline.

Armed with that information, it might seem like a great idea to grab some weights and start working out. Slow down though, you could do more damage than good if you aren’t careful. It’s not a good idea to jump into any fitness program without first speaking to your doctor to make sure you’re able to. Once you’ve got the go-ahead, it’s a wise idea to consult a personal trainer to get some expert advice.

You don’t have to give in to age, in fact, you can fight it every step of the way. Starting a weight training program is one of the best ways that you can assure yourself of a healthy, happy and long life. Contact us to learn more about our personal weight training programs, or to schedule a fitness consultation.

Tips for mass building – Building muscle is a great way to get a healthy body that you can be proud to show off at our Fort Lauderdale beaches. In order create the muscular physique you desire, you will need to start by working on your upper body.  To get the best out of any exercise program you will also need a healthy diet to go along with it.  Below are a few good exercises that focus on building muscle mass in your chest, back, arms, chest, and shoulders.

Top Mass Building Exercises

Exercise #1: Bench Press
This exercise is the number one choice for building muscle in the triceps, biceps, shoulders, and chest. You start this exercise by lying down on a workout bench and using either a barbell or two dumbbells. All you need to do is bring the barbell or dumbbells to your chest level, extend the arms out as far as you can, and slowly return to starting position. Make sure you are using a weight you can handle or else have someone nearby in case a mishap occurs.

Exercise #2: Shoulder Press
A shoulder press is very similar to a bench press is what it targets and how it is done. To do this exercise stand up straight with the barbell or dumbbells at shoulder level, raise the weights above your head, the slowly lower it back down to chest level. This will work all of your shoulder muscles as well as your triceps.

Exercise #3: Deadlift
This is an exercise that works most of the upper body, specifically including the traps, biceps, triceps, shoulders, hips, glutes, thighs, forearms, and back muscles. The reason this exercise is called the deadlift is because the goal is to lift a heavy barbell, or two dumbbells, off of the ground by bending over and lifting it up. Most of your energy will be used when you lift the momentum-less weight off of the ground.

Exercise #4: Push Ups
A standard push up can be a powerful exercise for mass building  in your upper body. Stretch out your body with your toes on the floor and your arms about shoulder-width apart. While keeping you back straight, slowly lower yourself towards the floor and then push off of it back to starting position. The entire upper body is used in this exercise so be sure to include this in your strength training regime.

Strengthening the upper body can easily be done with the exercises above. Of course, there are many more different exercises that target upper body muscles, so what may be the best set of exercises for someone else may not be the best for you. That’s why it is important to find and speak with a bodybuilding trainer in Fort Lauderdale. A trainer will create a customized plan based on your body type so that you can gain a strong, well-built, and evenly-sculpted body that you will be proud to show off.