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IronMagazine.com™ LLC Newsletter

Date Published 11-02-2005

November Newsletter 2005

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 - Stretching for Health  Expert Q & A - by Tom Venuto, Anthony Ellis & Lee Hayward  Merchandise - IronMagLabs Maximum Pump™  Exercise of the Month - Roman Chair Squats  Marc's Fitness Zone - Simple Program Anybody Can Follow To Gain MASS  Site Sponsors- Please visit! ..................................................................................................................................................................  Top Editor's Note Hello Fellow Bodybuilders & Fitness Enthusiasts, First I wanted to announce that we have a $2.00 off coupon available at Bodybuilding.com for all IronMagLabs products, click here to redeem! It is valid all through November! We are also happy to announce that DPS Nutrition will soon be carrying IronMagLab products. Ag-Guys.com has a great November special - view details here 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 November Articles How I Stayed on My Diet & Training Program While Traveling by Tom Venuto Muscle Building Q & A by Sean Nalewanyj Is Low-Carb Really The Way To Go? by Jesse Cannone IronMagLabs Maximum Pump™ - Next Generation of NO2 and Creatine by Marc David ..................................................................................................................................................................  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. ..................................................................................................................................................................  Top Monthly Article Stretching for Health By Gary Matthews Lack of flexibility is now seen to be a major cause of general health problems and sports injury and is being linked to everything from stress, back pain, and even osteoarthritis. It also means that nagging injuries, especially around your joints take longer to heal. Latest studies show that up to 60 percent of the general population with bad backs and knees have tight hamstrings and hips and the main cause is a lack of flexibility. Active-Isolated Stretching (AI) Olympians have been employing Active-Isolated Stretching (AI) now for about 10 years, but it has only recently been brought to the public’s attention. I have used this technique on my clients for quite a while now with great success, while adding renewed life and spring to tired out muscles. AI stretching prevents injury, as conventional stretching can cause real harm such as muscle pulls and tears. AI stretching does what stretching is supposed to do; it transports oxygen to sore muscles and quickly removes toxins so recovery is faster. It also works as a deep massage technique because it activates muscle fibres during the actual stretch. How to Stretch Before stretching, dress in loose clothing and try and acquire a five-foot length of rope and tie a loop in the end. The purpose of this is to loop the end of rope around the exercising appendage to squeeze the last couple of inches of stretch from the exercise. Find a comfortable place to stretch either on your bed, a carpeted floor or on a mat. Isolate the muscle or group you want to stretch then contract the muscle opposite. This causes the isolated muscle or group to relax straight away and when it does it is ready to stretch. Gently and quickly stretch the isolated muscle until it can’t be stretched any further; now give yourself a gentle pull with your hands or rope. Go as far as you can and then hold the stretch for no more than 2 seconds then release, do this for a total of 5 repetitions on the isolated muscle or group. The reason for just a 2-second stretch is because when a muscle realizes that it is being forced into a stretch it contracts to protect itself from being overstretched. If you can beat this contraction you’ll be well on the way to a greater Range of Motion. Remember to hold for no more than 2 seconds, release, return to the normal position and repeat for the five repetitions. Try not to have any hesitations between stretches and make it as fluid as possible. Try to stretch every day if possible, remember to: -Work one target muscle at a time -Contract the muscle that is opposite the targeted muscle, which will relax in preparation of its stretch -Stretch it gently and quickly. -Release it before it realizes that it has been stretched and goes into its protective contraction Below are two exercises that can be done straight away even while you are at work to stretch that tension and stress from of your body. 1. Lie down on the floor with your buttocks against a wall and your legs straight up the wall. Slowly flex your toes towards your knees, hold for two seconds and repeat five times. This will loosen up your lower back and stretch your hamstrings and hips giving instant relief for tired backs. This exercise can be done while at the office anytime you start to feel that stress and tension building up. 2. Sitting in a chair and putting one leg out straight, flex your toes towards your knee, now lean towards that foot, stretching your hands towards it and letting your head and shoulders follow, hold for two seconds and repeat five times. This will create a stretch right across your lower back and neck. A flexible body is: -More efficient -More easily trained for strength and endurance -Enjoys more range of motion -Stays balanced more easily and is less prone to injury -Recovers from workouts more quickly, and feels better See Gary Matthew's Top Selling eBooks Online Here: Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks www.maximumweightgain.com - the complete eBook for Total Muscle Growth. Maximum Weight Loss in Ten Weeks www.maximumweightloss.com - the complete eBook and time-saving solution for burning away unwanted fat. ..................................................................................................................................................................  Top Expert Q & A by Tom Venuto      I can't get a pump and I look Flat during the day. Get the answer here! by Anthony Ellis      How Much Muscle Can I Gain? Get the answer here! by Lee Hayward      What do I need to do to lose weight? Get the answer here! ..................................................................................................................................................................  Top Merchandise Maximum Pump™ has the highest quality pharmaceutical grade ingredients. Don't be fooled by other inferior products on the market, Maximum Pump™ is the real deal, it's much more than just an "NO2" product. Please try it and you will experience all of its effects your very first work-out! Why TriCreatine Malate? TriCreatine Malate is a revolutionary innovation in creatine supplementation, because it combines creatine with Malic Acid, which stimulates the production of ATP in the body. ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is the major fuel or energy source for the body. TriCreatine is the most bioavailable and soluble forms of creatine, far more effective than all previous versions of creatine, including creatine citrate. Featured Customer Testimonial "I've been through 2 bottles of this and have another 6 bottles on the way, that's how much I like it. I don't get intense pumps like some say, but then I've never experienced that. I feel extremely tight during my workout and more concious of the muscle group I'm working. Also my strength and endurance is at an all time high while taking Maximum Pump. I've been in a rut for a few months and changing my routine and all didn't help much. After about a week of Maximum Pump my focus and intensity came back and I've climbed outta my rut. This is now a must have in my supplement budget."   - David Hawkins        go to store... ..................................................................................................................................................................  Top Exercise of the Month - Roman Chair Squats by Tom Venuto Leg Day with Richie Smyth (The “Evil Trainer”) Being so close to a competition, I was not planning on doing anything too crazy for legs today, and Richie already warned me weeks ago about my tendency for overtraining close to a show, but that didn’t stop him from pulling out an oldie but goodie from his leg training bag of tricks…I used to do this one all the time, but I haven’t done this sucker in years (the gym I train at most of the time doesn’t have the machine for it)… This is one of the most evil leg exercises and almost no one does it anymore… Even I almost forgot about it! Quads A1 45 degree continuous tension leg presses 2 light warm up sets 1 set X 3 plates (270 lbs) X 15 reps 1 set X 4 plates (360 lbs) X 14 reps 1 set X 5 plates (450 lbs) X 12 reps, drop to 360 lbs X 8 more reps, drop to 270 X 8 more reps, drop to 180 lbs X 10 more reps B1 Leg Extension Set 1: 160 lbs X 15 reps Set 2: 160 lbs, 180 lbs, 200 lbs X 8, 6, 6 reps (ascending set) Set 3: 180 lbs X 10 reps, drop to 140 lbs X 10 more reps (drop set) C1 Roman Chair Squats Set 1: body weight X 15 reps Set 2: 25 lbs X 12 reps Set 3: 25 lbs X 11 reps, then drop weight, bodyweight X 8 more reps Hamstrings A1 Seated Leg Curl Set 1: 140 lbs X 15 reps Set 2: 160 lbs X 6 reps, 170 lbs X 6 reps, 180 lbs X 4 reps (ascending set0) Set 3: 180 lbs X 6 reps, 140 lbs X 6 reps, 120 lbs X 6 reps (drop set) B1 Lying Leg Curl 2 Sets X 140 lbs X 10-12 reps Calves (pm) A1 Calf press on cybex horizontal calf press machine 3 sets X 340, 360, 380 lbs X 15-20 reps A2 standing calf 3 sets X 350 lbs X 15-20 reps A3 seated calf 3 sets X 115 lbs X 20 reps no rest between tri-setted exercises A1, A2, A3, 60 seconds rest between tri sets Workout commentary This session started on the leg press. I used much lighter weights than normal, but Richie had me do these with strict constant tension reps, so even 4 plates was not easy: These were continuous tension, non locking reps, driving through with the weight on the heel (NOT off the ball of the foot). Sets of 12-15 reps done with slow tempo and no lockout (constant tension) are difficult even with as little as 50-70% of your normal poundage for the same rep range. The burn kicks in around rep 9 or 10, and getting reps 11 through 15 is simply a matter of grinning and bearing the pain. The slower the tempo and the more reps you do without locking out or stopping, the harder these are to do (and the less weight you need). Leg extensions were next. Three sets, each set done with a different technique (straight set, ascending set, drop set). Not very heavy, but very intense contractions focusing on that squeeze at the top. The grand finale for quads was Roman Chair squats! Now this is an oldie but a goodie… so old, I had “almost” forgotten about it. But of course, Richie is never content to give me the same workout twice so he’s always scheming up some evil new exercise variation or in this case, pulling out some old “torture device.” (I didn’t nickname him “The insane trainer”, “the master of pain,” and “the evil trainer” for nuthin! When I saw him walking over to the corner of the gym and dragging out this evil contraption – The Roman Char Squat - I just I smiled and laughed…. I knew what was coming. The key on the roman chair squat is the constant tension. By keeping a slight bend in the knees, your quads stay contracted through the entire set and they cannot rest. If you stand all the way up at the top, your quads relax. Another technique secret is the hip thrust. As you rise out of the bottom of the exercise, you focus on thrusting the hips forward at the same time you stand up, while your upper body is leaning slightly backwards. As you come out of the very bottom from the full squat (below parallel) position, you are recruiting the teardrop shaped inner quadriceps muscle (the vastus medialis). As you drive up and thrust the hips forward, you hit the rest of the quadriceps group including the rectus femoris and you can literally feel this high up on the quad. That’s what makes this such a killer FULL frontal thigh exercise. My legs were PUMPED after this – there were veins criss crossing my legs from top to bottom after a few sets (wish I would have gotten pictures) Although we didn’t take pictures of this leg workout, Doug Schneider at seriousaboutfitness.com has a good article about the Roman Chair squat, complete with pictures and I suggest you check it out (Doug was a devout student of Vince Gironda incidentally) For Tom Venuto's Complete Muscle Building, Fat Burning System CLICK HERE! ..................................................................................................................................................................  Top Marc David's Fitness Zone Simple Program Anybody Can Follow To Gain MASS Until I started following a routine to eat, my gains were minimal. Once I set my eating times to a specific time during the day along with a protein boost, I could see the gains immediately. This sample program is a quick way to get your protein WAY up and generally increase your food intake. But it doesn't require the traditional sit down 6+ a day to eat 30 chicken breasts and spend all day cooking. I've got a full-time job at a corporate office. Cooking isn't an option. Nor is eating 6+ times a day involving meals with Tupperware and the likes. I need food and I need it fast. Try this program on for size and notice the size you just might see. Meal 1 - 7:00am 1 packet of a meal replacement with 16 ounces of skim milk 1 serving of whole grain cereal 1 cup of non/low-fat yogurt 1 piece of fruit Meal 2 - 9:00am 1 serving of whey protein mixed in 10 ounces of water 1 large apple Meal 3 -12:00pm 2 grilled chicken breasts 1 serving of brown rice 1 cup of low-fat yogurt 1 serving of whey protein Meal 4 - 3:00pm 1 packet of a meal replacement with 16 ounces of water and 5-10 grams of L-Glutamine 1 large banana Pre-Workout 1 workout bar of your choice (preferably some carbs and 20+ grams of protein) Meal 5 - 6:00pm (Post-workout) 1 serving of whey protein combined with a 5gram serving of Creatine mixed in kool-aid. (This is an important meal and is designed for an insulin spike at just the right time to increase creatine and amino acid uptake by the muscle cells). Meal 6 -7:00pm 8 to 10 ounces of a lean round or flank steak 1 serving of rice 1 medium baked potato 1 large green salad Meal 7 - 10:00pm 1 packet of a meal replacement with 16 ounces of skim milk 1 large banana 3 to 5 grams of L-Glutamine And that's about it. Simple? You will be significantly increasing the protein uptake. Which means you should be increasing that water consumption as well. I'm not a fan of waking up at 1:00am to get more protein and therefore, I did not include anything beyond 10:00pm. I've noticed some significant gains from this program. My workouts were hardcore but my nutrition was lacking. By putting my eating times to a set schedule, I felt better during the day and was even more ready to tackle that workout later in the day. 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