CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

Superhero Strong, Superhero Bod: A PowerBuilding Program

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of NJ based personal trainer and strength coach, Chris Marzarella. When it comes to best practices for getting both strong and ripped you have those who feel powerlifting is the best way, and those who feel more of a bodybuilding approach is the key.

Why not use elements of both at the same time?

I.e., PowerBuilding.

Check out Chris’s program below and maybe give it a go!

Copyright: Aleksandr Elesin

Superhero Strong, Superhero Bod

Train like a superhero to get that superhero physique.

This is a high-volume training routine.

It keeps elements of powerlifting and bodybuilding, two of my favorite things aside from NJ pizza, Guinness beer, and a Cohiba Black.

Note From TG: I had a Guinness once. Key word: once…😂

I am offering you a way to keep both in a program.

You will continue to make gains using both methods.

You do not want to do this program on a cut or during a dieting phase. It is demanding. I do not suggest staying on this program for more than 16 weeks.

It…is…demanding.

You need to have calories. I would prefer you to have 35% protein, 35% carbohydrates, and 30% fats. For a quick and dirty calculation, multiply your body weight x 12. This will give you enough calories. If you fare lower with less carbs, adjust the ratio, but don’t expect to make (as much) progress with a low(er) carb approach.

And please, for the love god, do not attempt this program following a keto approach.

Higher volume requires more calories for optimal recovery. If you try to do this cutting a dieting phase, you are shortchanging your results. Why put yourself through hell and not have enough brick and mortar to build that house of your dreams?

Conjugate Method

The conjugate method is born out of both Soviet Union and Bulgarian training systems. It was popularized by legendary powerlifter and coach, Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell.

The foundation of this program is centered around selecting a compound move and trying to progress each each week by even a small amount of weight.

The format of the conjugate week looks like this:

  •  Maximum effort upper (Bench Press variation)
  •  Maximum effort lower (Squat / Deadlift variation)
  •  Dynamic effort upper
  •  Dynamic effort lower

In this program you will stay on a lift for a period of one to three weeks.

Even if it’s a 2.5 lb. gain, it’s STILL progress.

Another thing to consider, and something that’s often glossed over, is FEEL of a set. Technically, you can stay with the same load for multiple weeks and just focus on making that load feel less effortful.

That’s progress too.

However, the main concept to anchor in your mind is that even a seemingly small increase is still an increase.

To that point, you may want to consider purchasing a cheap set of fractional plates.

After one to three weeks, you’ll change a small component of the lift.

From there you will want to consider varying your lifts slightly every few weeks.

If you did a competition bench press, change the grip to a narrow grip or something that makes it different. If you did a competition squat with a belt, train without a belt. Change the first bench press into an incline bench press. A back squat can now become a front squat.

The choices are endless.

The Format

We will keep the two max effort days the same. We are going to use higher volume with a push-pull-legs format for the latter half of the week so that it looks like this:

  •  Day 1: Max Effort Upper
  •  Day 2: Max Effort Lower
  •  Day 3: Rest and Recovery
  •  Day 4: Push
  •  Day 5: Pull
  •  Day 6 : Legs
  •  Day 7: Rest and Recovery

The Program

Recovery Day Options

Warm-Up: 3 Minutes on bike, elliptical, or walk outside.

Agile 8: HERE

15 Minutes HIIT: Choose one of the following modalities:

  • Tire flip: Set timer for 15 minutes, and flip the tire. Rest only as needed.
  • Sprints on Elliptical: Warm-up two-minutes, high burst intensity for 20 seconds/low intensity 40 seconds, repeat ten times, cool down for three minutes
  • Ball Slam – 15 seconds slam the ball/45s rest – repeat 15 times.
  • Sled Push – Set a timer for 15 minutes. Walk with bodyweight amount on sled. Rest as needed.
  • Battle Ropes – 20 seconds high intensity/40 seconds rest – repeat 15 times.

Workloads in the beginning of the week will focus on the compound lifts and getting you stronger. So, think: squat variation, deadlift variation, and bench press variation.

Your accessory work (subsequent exercises) should focus more on your weak points and/or technique flaws with the main lift(s).

For example, if your glutes are weak, select an exercise (after the main lift) that targets that weakness. If your shoulders are the weak point on your bench press, select an overhead press variation.

The program above should serve more as a template than something that’s set in stone.

Variations

Don’t go so far away from your primary lift movement pattern that you use three or more modes of overload.

Don’t use a Swiss ball, plus bands, plus a barbell, while using a Slingshot to vary the basic bench press. What do you think this is…

…Instagram?

Instead, change your grip, use a different range of movement like an incline bench. Change the rep tempo, pause inside of the rep.

Anything can work to continue training the basic movement.

One small tweak is all you need to count as a variation.

If you squat with a belt, spend three weeks squatting without a barbell. Maybe consider performing a Pin (or, Anderson) Squat.

Paused squats, slight changes.

As far as deadlifts are concerned, you can choose to deadlift off blocks. Deadlift with a squat shoe, use a Trap Bar, deadlift with a band around your waist and planted into a power rack.

How about Slow Start Deadlifts?

 

Changes need to match the lift.

Getting Stale On Accessory Movements

Change a little something about the lift.

For example, if you are doing a good morning, but not progressing, change the movement to a stiff leg deadlift. You still have that hip hinge, but you are changing it enough to create a new stimulus.

Give the exercise time to work.

Do not change it every three weeks. Stick to it for 4-6 weeks.

Final Details

  • Where you see AMRAP sets, stop one or two reps shy of failure. Don’t go bananas. You are risking injury.
  • Where you see total rep numbers, I like to get as many reps as possible on the first set. Then whittle it down to a total of reps needed.
  • Unsure of when to move up the weight? Use auto regulation. Do the required amount of reps for the sets. On the final set, take it to failure. If you get 2-3 additional reps, add 5 lbs next time. If you get more than that, add 10 or more. Choose wisely or you risk injury.
  • Plan a recovery workout. It should include a HIIT training session, a series of stretches, mobility work and a cool down period.

Give this program all you have for twelve weeks.

Remember: Treat it as a template. I encourage you to change things to fit your injury history and ability level. The important thing here is the structure.

Seriously, twelve weeks.

Go hard, but be smart (and consistent). Boring often works the best anyway.

You’ll be strong AF and looking like Batman (the Affleck Batman, not the puny Keaton one) in no-time.

About the Author

Chris Marzarella is a trainer and strength coach and owns a studio located in Brick, NJ. He is available online and in person in Ocean and Monmouth County NJ.

He runs a dry land strength and conditioning camp in Tinton Falls at Rock Sports Club. The program is for young swimmers with the NJ Racing Team. He has trained clients and athletes for over 25 years. He is also a competitive NPC classic physique athlete.

He can be reached at www.marzarellafitness.com

Categoriesmuscle growth Program Design

6 Week MASS Building Routine: Your Quest for a Bigger, Stronger Physique Begins Here

I’m traveling back to Boston from London today. I’ve been away for two weeks presenting at three different workshops. I’ve had a lovely stay, but am looking forward to heading home and my wife handing Julian over to me as soon as I walk through the door.

Thanks to Boston based personal trainer, George Kalantzis, for contributing today’s guest post.

Copyright: shevtsovy / 123RF Stock Photo

6 Week MASS Building Routine: Start Here

Labor day has come and gone, the days are shorter, and the nights are colder.

That means it’s bulking season.

But you don’t come to Tony’s website for some cookie-cutter bullshit program. Over the next six weeks, you will craft a new physique using intense workouts, discipline, and commitment to add mass.

via GIPHY

Setting the Expectations For A Clean Bulk

Nothing gets me more fired up than people who are not willing to put in the work to get desired results.

When I competed in natural bodybuilding last year, I heard questions like “how do you gain muscle and shred down,” how can I look bigger without gaining fat?” What supplements did you take?

The list goes on.

I hate to burst your bubble, but the universe does not bend at the whims of your desire. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot have your cake and eat it too.

So how do you bulk without gaining excessive weight?

To achieve a clean bulk, you must learn how to gain 2-5 pounds per month with half of that weight being muscle, and half of that weight being fat. This will keep your composition in an ideal state for optimal performance.

So just eat more food, right?

Not quite, too much junk food during a bulk is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Nutrition does matter, and most people will either eat a surplus of shitty food or not eat enough. That is one of the toughest things about adding solid mass.


You can expect to gain some body fat during a bulk, but not an excessive amount.

We are aiming to build a stronger engine so that you can increase size, which means you’ll need to gain healthy amounts of body fat.

Don’t get discouraged if you see others gain size quickly or achieve different results, gaining mass is about putting in the work, and for some, adding quality size can take time.

Your Blueprint For Success

Life is motion.

The world continues to rotate on the axis, and every day is an opportunity to grow. Your body is the secret to many things. Yet more often, many of us cheat our way through training, going through motions and we never achieve the results we look for.

Today is the day we put an end to all of that.

Very specifically, this template is designed to form the basis of your training to put on size using bodybuilding methods. Because this is a hypertrophy program, it will help with putting on size, but if you are a powerlifter or strong man, this might not be the best program for you.

An additional benefit of this program is that it will help raise your work capacity and thus prepare you even better for the strength phase training you’ll do after.

What’s more, this program will help spare muscle loss when you decide to cut back down.

This will be your blueprint for a six-week mass building phase.

You’ll notice it is broken down into two three-week phases, each phase using a combination of compound exercises and machines to maximize your results. It is these movements where we will construct a blueprint for adding some serious size.

Phase I

Our first phase consists of flooding the muscles by using compound exercises performed in the optimal range to transform your energy into muscle mass.

During the first three weeks, you’ll be training five days a week in a split that is three days of training, with two days off.

You’ll repeat 3/2 for three weeks in the following format: legs, push, pull.

The great thing about a 3/2 cycle is you can alternate it according to your life.

As long as you train three out of every five days, you’ll provide enough stimulus for growth.

At first, you’ll notice that the program does not look lie much, but to prevent overtraining and generate the highest anabolic response, you’ll stick to three working sets, not including your warmup sets.

Phase II

Now that your muscles are primed for growth, this phase makes insane changes to your physique.

You’ll go from training five days to six days, and you’ll do different exercises and reps ranges. As with the first phase, adjust the days according to your lifestyle, but keep the days in order and make sure to train all six days.

Conclusion

It is human nature to fear the unknown, but it would be inhuman to not yearn for something greater. If you want to experience changes in your physique, you must pushup yourself past your comfort zone. This six-week bulk will give you the tools you need to pack on some serious size.

About the Author

George Kalantzis began his career as decorated Marine with over ten years of faithful service and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s worked with everyone from professional athletes, celebrities, busy executives, and alongside some of the top strength coaches in the world.

Today he spends most of his time coaching at Equinox in Boston, and outside of work with his gorgeous little daughter. Please feel free to say hi over on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, as he loves meeting and connecting with new people.

Categoriesmuscle growth Program Design Strength Training

The Pecification of Pecs

In case you aren’t picking up what I’m putting down from the title of this post, what you’re about to read is not about climate change, political reform, or ranking the best painters and architects from the Rococo Era.1

No, no…what you’re about to embark on is a little journey and discussion on pecs. You know, these guys:

27301664 - strong athletic man fitness model torso showing six pack abs. holding towel

Copyright: pjphotography / 123RF Stock Photo

Every since man first noted how lifting heavy things – rocks, tree trunks, people – over and over again often resulted in a more muscular physique, he’s been obsessed with building his pectoral muscles, or pecs for short.2

“Obsessed” is a bit of a downplay here. You know how young teenage girls are obsessed with Justin Bieber and how their lives were ruined the other day when he decided to delete his Instagram account?

Well, that pales in comparison to how much guys are obsessed with training their chest. Take that away from them, and you’re bound to see an uptick in the sales of pitchforks.

So, um, yeah…guys like to train their pecs.3 The question, then, is why do so few have sub-par pec development?

Walk into just about any gym on the planet on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday and you’re bound to see any number of guys finishing up the 47th set of bench press.

What gives?

NEWSFLASH: The Bench Press Isn’t a Super, Duper Pec Developer to Begin With

[Cue Dramatic Chipmunk here]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Y73sPHKxw

 

Sorry fellas: it isn’t.

I get it. Me saying the bench press isn’t the most “pecy” exercise is akin to me saying Kate Upton isn’t attractive, or that pizza isn’t delicious, or that The Empire Strikes Back isn’t the best Star Wars movie.4

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a very effective exercise to build both mass and strength (there’s a reason why the bench press is 1/3 of the holy trinity or “Big 3” of any successful strength & conditioning program). Hoisting a barbell off your chest thousands of times is going to result in something happening.

However, if you want to get geeky about it, and if your goal is to actually build your pecs (and not necessarily gain some powerlifting street cred), then you could make an argument that the bench press isn’t the ideal way to go about things.

Your pec (namely, Pectoralis Major) muscles have two origin points:

  • Clavicular Head – on the anterior border of the (medial half) of the clavicle.
  • Sternal Head – on the anterior surface of the sternum.

As far as actions are concerned, the Clavicular Head aids in flexing the humerus; the Sternal Head aids in extension and adduction of the humerus…neither of which are optimally “stimulated” with the bench press.

Do the pecs get targeted during a set of bench press? Yes, absolutely. Does the bench press, typically, allow for a person to use the most weight in overloading their chest musculature? Yep. And does Dr. Brad Schoenfeld, in his recently released book, Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy state, repeatedly, that one of the major drivers of hypertrophy (muscle growth) is mechanical tension?

YES…GOSH. GET OFF MY BACK!

The bench press can (and should) be part of an overall approach to building pecs that would make Superman swoon. However, as Schoenfeld notes:

“Research indicates that mechanoreceptors are sensitive to both the magnitude and temporal aspects of loading.”

In non-Elvish speak this basically refers to the differentiation of peak concentric, eccentric, and isometric actions of muscles and how research demonstrates that time under tension is often the de-facto consideration with regards to hypertrophy.5

Cool, we’re all on board with that.

However, in addition, Schoenfeld notes:

“Mechanoreceptors also appear to be sensitive to the type of load imposed on muscle tissue. Stretch-induced mechanical loading elicits the deposition of sarcomeres longitudinally.”

During the barbell bench press, the pecs are rarely (if ever) taken through their full ROM, and this can be a significant strike against why it’s not the best choice when it comes to developing pecy pecs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A

 

What to do, what to do?

1) Relax, You Don’t Need To Ditch the Bench Press

Not that I was worried this was going to happen, mind you.

The bench press is still relevant to the discussion…it’s just sometimes, you know, a bit overplayed. To that end, it bodes in your favor to experiment. Flat, decline, incline, close-grip, wide-grip, rest/pause, clusters, high-rep, low rep, whatever the case me be…..use them all.

However, if your goal is to really engage the pecs you may be better off doing all of the above with DUMBBELLS.

Dumbbells allow for a bit more wiggle-room with ROM (humeral extension), in addition to involving more of an adduction component.

Also, if you wanted to up the ante even more, try some squeeze presses:

 

2) Perform More DB Flyes

Yeah, I said it. DB flyes, yo.

Now, of course, I wouldn’t say this should be your main movement of the day (since you’re less likely to use a ton of weight on these compared to bench variations), however flyes are an excellent secondary or accessory movement to compliment things.

Namely because they really work the pecs in adduction…..something that doesn’t happen with a barbell.

These can be tricky with regards to shoulder health, so if you’re someone with a history of shoulder issues, one way to make these are more “user friendly” is to perform Pause DB Floor Flyes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1lVf6–0aQ

 

Doing so will help you stay out of end ranges of motion that may compromise the shoulder, yet you’re still working the pecs in an action they’re designed to do (at least concentrically): humeral adduction.

3) Push-Up Adduction Holds

I stole this concept from fellow strength & performance coach, Eric Bach. Assume the starting position of a push-up, but then instead of going up and down…try to “bunch up” the floor with your hands and hold for a 10-20s count.

 

You want to talk about feeling a major burn/pump in your pecs, this it. And, to bring flyes back into the conversation try this killer superset I also stole from Eric Bach:

A1. Push-Up Adduction Hold x 10-20s
A2. Pause DB Floor Flyes x 8-10
A3. Bounce a quarter off your chest x infinity.

4) Add Accentuated Eccentrics

The idea of accentuated eccentrics was first introduced to me by Christian Thibaudeau back in the early 2000’s.

It’s no secret to any meathead that the eccentric portion of a lift (yielding, lowering) is where we’re strongest and where the most muscle damage occurs.

This can elicit profound gains in muscle and strength.

One method to take advantage of that fact is accentuated eccentrics, the more popular of which are super slow eccentrics and negative training.

Taken from Thibaudeau’s Accentuated Eccentric Training article from T-Nation:

“Super Slow Eccentrics

This technique is fairly simple: using a moderate to heavy load (60-85% of your max) you execute a super slow yielding phase while lifting (overcoming) the bar explosively. The following table gives you the parameters to use depending on the load you select:

Load Yielding Portion Reps/Set Load Yielding portion Reps/Set
60% 14 sec. 3 75% 8 sec. 2
65% 12 sec. 3 80% 6 sec. 1
70% 10 sec. 2 85% 4 sec. 1

This type of accentuated eccentric training is fairly easy to do and can yield impressive muscle size and tendon strength improvements.

Negative Training

“Negatives” basically refer to performing only the yielding portion of an exercise and having spotters lift the bar for you. You should use a load that’s between 110 and 130% of your maximum when performing negatives. The time of the action (lowering) depends on the load:

10 seconds if the load is 110-115%

8 seconds if the load is 115-120%

6 seconds if the load is 120-125%

4 seconds if the load is 125-130%”

Another, albeit less sexy approach, is to add an accentuated eccentric during a set of push-ups. I know Dr. John Rusin is a fan of these. Often I’ll have my athletes/clients perform a set of 5-10 reps and then hold their last rep in the bottom position for a count of 10-20s:

 

Again it’s a nice way to emphasize the eccentric portion of a lift AND increase time under tension (under stretch).

And that’s it on my end.

Have any tricks of the trade to add yourself? Share them below in the comments section or mozy on over to Facebook and leave a comment there.

CategoriesExercise Technique

Exercises You Should Be Doing: DB Fly Away

Pareto’s Principle states that 80% of the effects will result from 20% of the causes.

This “rule” can be applied to everything from farming to business (and everything in between).

  • 80% of the profit comes from 20% of the yield.
  • 80% of your sales comes from 20% of your clients.
  • 80% of why I never got laid in college came from 20% of watching Lord of the Rings on a Friday night rather than go out drinking.

See! It works for everything.

I’m a “strength” guy through and through.

For most trainees, most of the time, placing a priority and premium on the “big rocks” (I.e., 20%) – multi-joint, compound movements like squats, deadlifts, bench press, chin-up/pull-ups, rows, and carries1 – will lead to 80% of the results.

More strength, more fat-loss, glutes that would make Bret Contreras shit an EMG study,”peckier” pecs, I don’t know, a lot of cool things happen when people focus on the basics.

The less fluff the better, if you ask me.

That said, as I’ve gotten older and the more experience I’ve accumulated as a coach (14+ years), the less militant I’ve gotten in my ways.

Don’t get me wrong: I still have my core values and beliefs as a fitness professional (deadlifts solve everything, people who don’t eat meat make me sad), and am set in my ways to some degree. However, I can’t neglect the fact that as a fitness professional I am in the service industry, and at the end of the day, again, to some degree, I am at the mercy of what the client wants.

Moreover, speaking from personal experience, I’ve found that as I’ve inched closer and closer to 40, my body is responding quite well – dare I say, eloquently – to more healthy-doses of isolation/bodybuilder-centric type movements.

I’m still focusing on the “big rocks.”  However, if anything, it’s been fun to toss in some isolation work for my shoulders, arms, legs, hair follicles, whateverthefuck.

N=1 doesn’t mean much, but I’ve seen a nice increase in my strength since I’ve indulged myself more brotastic training modalities.

NOTE: Check out Bryan Krahn’s fantastic post, Over 40 Training is a Scam for a nice synopsis of my thoughts on the topic. He said things way better than I ever could.

Cutting to the chase I wanted to share a new (to me) exercise that fits the bill on this discussion.

DB Fly Away

 

Who Did I Steal It From: the bro-master himself, John Romaniello.

What Does It Do:  It increases the likelihood that your pecs will cut diamonds. Truthfully, as much as I think the bench press should be a staple in any well-designed strength training program, for hypertrophy (muscle-growth) purposes it’s kind of a dud.

Yes, you can build a monster chest with the bench press. Relax.

I much prefer dumbbell variations, however, which allow for more humeral adduction (which happens to be one of the prime actions of the pectoral muscles).

Key Coaching Cues: Um, yeah, sorry for the crotch shot in the video above.

This is a hybrid, 2 for 1, exercise…combining both a press and fly.

All you’re going to do here is press the DBs as you would for a normal pressing exercise, but on the way down you’ll perform a “fly” motion moving the DBs away from the midline of the body.

Bring them back together and repeat.

You’re so sexy.

CategoriesStrength Training

Old School Strength

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I watched movies like Commando, Terminator, Predator, or Conan the Barbarian growing up.

You had explosions, guns, sword fights, time travel, and a litany of other factors – cheesy dialogue, aliens, epic handshakes, and did I mention explosions? –  which could easily hold the attention of any 13 year old kid for two hours.

The common denominator in all those film, of course, was the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Ask any guy my age what “inspired” him to start working out in the first place and you’re bound to hear something along the lines of “Arnold’s biceps.” You could argue that no one person in the history of the world inspired a generation of pimply faced, rail thin, “girly men” to pick up a barbell more so than Arnold.

But lets not forget the other golden era bodybuilders like Franco Columbo, Dave Draper, Lou Ferrigno, Frank Zane, and Sergio Olivia (to name a few), who were equally as responsible.

These guys are referenced endlessly in the realm of bodybuilding for their unparalleled aesthetics, especially with regards to the balance they were able to establish between muscularity AND symmetry.

Books have been written, DVDs have been made, and countless websites have been created to highlight their training and how they were able to build those Adonis-like physiques.

One aspect or detail that’s often glossed over is the notion that these guys – for all intents and purposes – were strong as oxen (<— look at me using proper grammar!!).

For as much as we dissect their training – What was their ideal training split?, How often did they do drop sets?, Did they like to train to failure consistently? Which was better: training biceps with back or on shoulder day? Favorite color?  – we forget that almost all of them went out of their way to build a foundation of STRENGTH before they ever thought about competing in bodybuilding, let along step foot on stage.

As I note in my latest article on BodyBuilding.com, many of these guys had a history of competing in powerlifting, Olympic lifting (or both!), before they ever became well-known in their respective body-building careers.

Furthermore, where I feel many newbie and intermediate lifters miss the mark is not recognizing how important strength is when it comes to building an impressive physique. What’s the point in having an “arms day” if you can’t even perform a chin-up?

For more insight on the topic and more of my thoughts, you can go HERE.

Click on the link.  Do it. DO IT!!! I’ll be your BFF.

NOTE:  Of interest is the comments section in the article.  Not surprisingly the “steroid police” took over completely missing the point of the entire article.  Sigh……..

NOTE #2:  I realize that one of my comments in the article regarding chin-ups should be clarified.  Obviously this is an exercise that favors the lighter guys, and it’s going to be challenging for anyone who weighs over 200+ lbs to crank out ten straight reps.

That said, the main point is this:  if you’re a newbie, and performing 17 different variations of bicep curls in one training session to work on your “peak,” you need to stop. Now.