In this month's issue...
 Editor's Note - by Robert DiMaggio
E-Book - Beginning Fitness & Bodybuilding
New Articles - Training, Diet & Nutrition
Featured - Ag-Guys.com
Monthly Article - Targeting Those Trouble Spots
Expert Q & A - by Tom Venuto, Anthony Ellis & Lee Hayward
Merchandise - IronMagLabs Lean Fuel Extreme™
Exercise of the Month - Upper Back Training
Marc's Fitness Zone - 2 Exercises to Avoid
Site Sponsors- Please visit!
..................................................................................................................................................................
Top
Editor's Note
Hello Fellow Bodybuilders & Fitness Enthusiasts,
Happy New Year! I cannot believe it is already 2006, wow does time fly by. It's time to make your
new year resolutions if you have not already done so.
Losing weight is the number one new years resolution. If this is your goal don't just go on a "diet",
instead make a lifestyle change. Start by cleaning up your diet, which should include eliminating fast food,
junk food, and foods that are high in saturated fats and sugars. Be realistic though, don't start
working out 2 hours per day, 7 days per week and starving yourself or you will be setting yourself
up for failure from the start. Instead start out slowly with a well planned exercise regimen that includes
both weight training and cardio. I would suggest a 3 day work-out routine per week for the first month.
If you would like a detailed book to help you with your diet and training I highly recommend Tom Venuto's book called Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.
It is our number one best seller and we receive nothing but positive feedback and success stories.
We are in the process of getting a new (and very fast!) dedicated server set-up and we will be moving our
sites over in the next two weeks. We have outgrown our current server, so we are starting the new year off right!
We have another jam packed newsletter with great content, so read on...
Yours in Fitness,
Robert DiMaggio - Owner/President
..................................................................................................................................................................
Top
Featured E-Book
Beginning Fitness & Bodybuilding - by Marc David
Dieting and working out but making absolutely zero progress really sucks – I should know, because I started training when I was 16, but never got any decent results until I was in my 30’s! If you’re a frustrated beginner like I was, or if your body has looked the same for months or even years, even though you’ve been dieting and working out hard, then this may be the most important letter you will ever read.
After years of stagnation, I suddenly made more progress in just 90 days than I had in the entire time since I started training… just by correcting a few “newbie mistakes” and by making a few simple changes to my diet and exercise program.
It took me 16 years of trial and error, making dumb beginner mistakes, before I finally stumbled onto these amazing fat loss and muscle growth secrets. Then it took another 1100 man-hours for researching, writing and compiling these strategies and techniques into the most effective system for beginners ever to burst onto the bodybuilding and fitness scene.
This new program is designed so you can learn it quickly, even if you're a complete "newbie", (in fact, it’s ideal for beginners), plus it's amazingly fast and effective. Best part: You won’t believe how easy it is! All you have to do is be willing to make a few simple changes to your diet and workout program that I will teach you. Then, within just weeks, you will be leaner, stronger and more muscular than you’ve ever been before, 100% guaranteed, or the entire system is yours FREE just for trying it!
click here for your free ebook!
..................................................................................................................................................................
Top
January Articles
..................................................................................................................................................................
Top
Featured
AG-Guys carries all of your research chemical needs. Unlike other fly by night sites or ones that started up last week, AG-Guys have been in business for three years.
"J" at AG- guys took it over about 1 1/2 years ago, and basically runs a top notch operation.
They hope to earn your business by continuing to provide top quality products at fantastic prices, as well as the best customer service in the industry.
They use high-quality European products rather than low-grade Chinese compounds.
Give www.ag-guys.com a try and you will be impressed and you will help support IronMagazine at the same time.
Click here to view the January specials at Ag-Guys.com
|
..................................................................................................................................................................
Top
Monthly Article
Targeting Those Trouble Spots
By Jesse Cannone
Wouldn’t it be great if you could get rid of that excess fat on your stomach or tighten up those hips and thighs? How many times have you tried diet and exercise to target your trouble spots only to see slow or no progress? How many people do you know that have been down that same path, probably multiple times?
Having worked with hundreds of individuals, mainly women, the two things that I found with almost every client was that they ALL had specific areas of their body that they really wanted to change.
For some it was the back of their arms and for others it was their rear end. And the second thing is nearly all of those people also felt it was impossible to achieve their goals. Oh, I forgot to mention, there was a third similarity among all those individuals…SHOCK! Shock when I told them not only could they flatten their stomachs, lose their love handles, thin out their thighs, and get rid of the flab on the back of their arms, but they would do it with just 15 minutes of exercise just three times a week!
You are probably finding that you are just like the people I’m talking about. People are constantly looking for the quick fix to get rid of their problem/trouble spots and often never find out there is a “secret” method that does work, and not only does this secret method work, but it’s EXTREMELY effective!
So by now you’re probably wondering what this secret is, right? The “secret” method for eliminating those trouble spots is a technique I like to call “BLASTING”. Before I tell you what it is and how it works, it’s important that you understand a few basic principles of how the human body responds to exercise.
The reason most diet and fitness programs fail to deliver the desired result is simple; they aren’t progressive! Part of the blame can be put on the so-called “experts”. Have you ever heard or read anywhere that exercise needs to be progressive? If so, you are one of the few. And even still, the rare few out there often fail to emphasize the importance of it and often don’t explain it in a way that is simple and easy to understand.
So let me give you my explanation and show you why it’s the most important factor when it comes to exercise, especially when you’re really trying to make big changes in those trouble spots.
Progressive exercise means forcing your body to work a little bit harder each time. That doesn’t mean you have to build up to doing 60 minutes of aerobics like many people do, nor does it mean you should try to keep piling on the weight on the strength training exercises.
You just need to challenge the body with a stress that is strong enough to force the body to make improvements. You can do this in so many ways but here are just a few:
For strength training
-Increase resistance
-Perform more reps
-Move the weight slower
-Add an additional set
-Use static holds
-Change the exercises
For cardiovascular exercise:
-Go faster
-Increase workout time
-Incorporate intervals
-Use an incline (if possible)
-Cross-train (change activity)
If you are unfamiliar with some of the techniques I mentioned above please visit the FREE Resources page of my website http://www.achieve-fitness.com . Again those are just a few of the hundreds of ways to keep your workouts progressive.
Let’s say that you are really trying to tighten and tone your hips and thighs. Rather than waste your time on the inner/outer thigh machine week after week, you should incorporate some of the techniques I described above and use with caution my BLASTING technique which I’ll cover now.
Just as it sounds you are trying to really shock the muscles into making large improvements in a short period of time. Normally you would strength train a muscle group once or twice a week at a moderate to hard intensity level. When you are trying to BLAST an area you train it more often, perform more sets and reps, and with higher intensity.
Here’s a sample strength training program that uses multiple techniques combined over a 5 week period for a BLASTING effect on the hips and thighs:
Workout A
-Leg curl
-Leg extension
-Glute machine / raise
Workout B
-Leg press (wide stance)
-Hamstring bridge
-Wall sit
Workout C
-Stationary lunge
-Leg curl (no rest to next exercise)
-Squat
If you apply just some of the techniques I talked about you will be sure to see some noticeable if not dramatic changes. Just remember, work hard and smart!
If you would like to learn more about BLASTING or progressive exercise please give me a call at 240-731-3724 or email me at jesse@achieve-fitness.com
..................................................................................................................................................................
Top
Expert Q & A
..................................................................................................................................................................
Top
Merchandise
LEAN FUEL EXTREME™
-Increases Energy
-Increases Metabolism
-Promotes Fat Loss
-Lowers Cortisol Levels
-Stimulates the Thyroid
-Decreases Water Weight
-Stabilizes Blood Sugar
-Decreases Appetite
Lean Fuel Extreme™ is by far the most complete and advanced thermogenic formula on the market!
This product contains 13 powerful ingredients that will take you to the next level. Whether
you are just trying to shed a few pounds, or get ripped for a bodybuilding competition,
Lean Fuel Extreme™ can help you attain your goals faster. Burn the fat and preserve the muscle!
go to store...
..................................................................................................................................................................
Top
Exercise of the Month
by Tom Venuto
Upper Back Training For Muscular Detail - Like A Road Map Back There!
The pulldowns with the parallel grip bar are perfect. That grip really nails you between the shoulder blades, especially when you lean back slightly at the contacted position (but without cheating).
There are a variety of different bars you can use for lat pulldowns. This one has parallel grip (palms facing each other), and it also had a bend in the bar to allow a couple inches of extra range of motion.
The leverage row machine is the piece where you lay on your stomach and then row upwards towards your chest. This machine also has different grips and I use the wide grip with the elbows flared out and high to again work the upper back between the shoulder blades.
I also did seated cable rows and bent over barbell rows. The barbell rows were done with free weights and a reverse grip for a change. The seated rows are done with two (separate) single pulley handles instead of the regular triangle bar. This gives you just a little bit more range of motion in the contracted position and a slightly different muscle recruitment pattern. It also allows you to drop weight and superset directly into one arm seated cable rows quickly, by just grabbing one of the cable handles after the two arm rows.
THE WORK-OUT (substitute the poundages with the weight you can do)
LATS
A1 Wide parallel grip pulldown
2 warm up sets
Set 1: 190 lbs X 15 reps
Set 2: 200 lbs X 13 reps
Set 3: 210 lbs X 11 reps
B1 Seated Cable row with two single pulley handles
3 sets X 200 lbs X 12, 11, 11 reps
B2 Seated Cable Row, One Arm, pronated grip, elbows high
3 sets X 90 lbs X 10, 9, 8 reps
no rest between supersetted exercises B1 & B2, 60 seconds rest between supersets
C1 Bent Over Barbell Rows, Reverse grip
3 sets X 205 lbs X 12, last set drop to 155 lbs X 10 more reps
D1 Leverage Row Machine (wide pronated grip, elbows out)
3 sets X 70 lbs X 13, 12, 10 reps
TRAPS
A1 Barbell Shrugs
Set 1: 325 lbs X 12 reps
Set 2: 345 lbs X 12 reps
Set 3: 365 lbs X 10 reps
Set 4: 385 lbs X 9 reps
A2 Dumbbell Shrugs
4 sets X 70 lbs X 12 reps X 1013 (hold 3 seconds top of every rep)
10 seconds rest between supersetted exercises
60 seconds rest between supersets
..................................................................................................................................................................
Top
Marc David's Fitness Zone
2 Exercises to Avoid
If you want a good night, then avoid two of these old school moves.
Good Mornings:
Although I can't say I've seen these moves done in quite some time, I know that growing up I saw plenty of pictures of how the move should be done. If I had more then 3 wishes left in this lamp, I wish that somebody would go find every book and every website with this exercise and cross it out with a Sharpie pen.
I have a very good friend, who will remain nameless, that gave me another tidbit of advice. He's been instrumental in helping me train legs. I've never pushed myself so hard. So when he gives advice, I know it's coming from a reliable source that's much better then any scientific study.
He began with some good mornings. At first it was the bar. Then it was 20 lbs. on each side. Pretty soon he was doing 225 lbs. That's a lot of weight. But having the strength to do it and the youth, he pushed on. Until one day, POP! Forward he went, with 225 lbs. How he didn't break his neck is somewhat of a miracle.
As with any exercise, and the motivation of a bodybuilder, we will continue to push ourselves to new limits. But some exercises just don't produce any results worth the inherent risks associated. Good mornings are one of those exercises. There are many other options for compound movements that do the same thing but with much less of a risk. So skip the good mornings and try some dead-lifts or stiff-legged dead-lifts. You won't be missing out on anything by skipping the good mornings except maybe weeks of recovery or a broken neck.
Lat Pull-downs Behind the Neck:
No story to go with this one, but think about it. Eventually you'll be doing some heavy weight. In a very unnatural position. That is a recipe for injury. It's much more natural and safe to do the same movement to the front. Either way your lats are getting worked. But behind the neck puts pressure on the shoulders which isn't the muscle group you are trying work.
This same philosophy goes for pull-ups. They should be done to the front as well. If you do pull-downs, try doing it to the front. Don't even think about behind the neck as they won't do any more for you except possibly give your an excuse not to do any more pull-downs.
Click here to get your FREE ebook!
..................................................................................................................................................................
Top
Site Sponsors
..................................................................................................................................................................
Top
IronMagazine.com - Bodybuilding & Fitness Magazine
IronMagazineForums.com - Bodybuilding & Fitness Community
IronMagLabs.com - Bodybuilding Supplements
|
