tachycardia

This is something I often forget to explain online, or when talking with people, but when I'm coaching in person, is definitely an important point that I don't miss. It applies to most exercises: for instance, in the squat, pull yourself down with your hip flexors and then you will get a sling shot effect out of the hole. For push ups, you pull yourself down to the floor before pressing up. Row the bar down to you for bench presses. For back exercises, think constant tension, and shoulder blade (not arm movement). Watch bodybuilders train (good ones) on youtube, they use a what appears to be a limited ROM on back exercises, but they are just focusing the work where it needs to be. Watch how Dexter Jackson keeps tension on his lats - for growth, time under tension is king. You still need strength to be able to use a decent load though, so beginner's should focus on strength. Once you have a based level of strength, a powerbuilding approach works best imo - heavy lift per body part followed by moderate/higher rep work focusing on TUT.

Re-read the abstract: 8 sets was significantly different from 1 set, but not 4 sets, nor was 4 sets significantly different from one set. 8 set group improved on average 19.5%, whilst 1 set group was 10.8%. 4 set group was 14.4%. They did a standardised 3 week program, then were randomised into 1, 4 or 8 set groups. Each set of squats was taken to failure. Split was Chest/Shoulders/Triceps on one day, back and legs on the other (squats were the only leg and lower back exercise done). Each muscle group was trained twice per week. There was no sig diff in avg repetitions per set. So you are better off doing four sets than 8 from a time and effort point of view - law of diminishing returns kicks in. However, you would be better off (imo) doing lower rep, heavy lifting one day and then to failure on the other day (or dynamic (speed) work instead) if the goal is to increase max strength (measured by 1RM).

I don't spend much time in this part of the forums, but I have been to all but one of our home games in the last two seasons, actively sing throughout and give great advice to young 'uns trying to beef up, so I value my own opinion. My opinion is this: Everyone is a keyboard warrior, but just as posting on a girl's facebook wall doesn't mean you're a smooth operator in real life, forum action doesn't equal real life action. So just ignore it, and contribute more positive stuff. Let the shit threads die, don't respond to dumb comments (why waste your time and energy) and make smart comments, that are well thought out and articulated. The world would be a better place. PS. Fuck off Suarez.

Not a fan either.

Look at getting a blended whey/casein protein perhaps? In reality, protein requirements aren't as high as most think, if you have protein from food at breakfast, lunch and dinner, you will probably be sorted for the day. Yeah, squat (side on), deadlift (side on), bench press (45 degrees), barbell row (side on), overhead press (side on), chin ups (max reps, from behind).

Try cutting all your supps, except multi and fish oil. After a month, if you notice a change, add them back in, one at a time, so you can see which actually do anything. Most are over-rated. Also, if you can, email me some videos of your heaviest sets in the main lifts.

Yeah I tried once. You need a powerful blender to do it well. I learnt the hard way. Probably good to soak the almonds for 12+hrs as well. There is no such thing as toning. You are gaining weight (muscle and fat), losing weight (muscle and fat) or maintaining weight. You can cycle calories to give the illusion of simultaneous fat loss/muscle gain, but you are just alternating small periods of loss and gain. Track your calories and macros (protein/carb/fat) and then after 1-2 weeks, when you have a consistent idea of what your maintenance levels are, adjust up or down depending on your goal. If you do intervals, do them on your lifting days, they are quite taxing, especially if you are in a deficit (to lose weight), you won't recover as well.

I read a great quote a while back about Sir Alex Ferguson's recruiting philosophy: (paraphrased) "We try and get the best, hard-working players." At the top level, everyone has talent, but not everyone is prepared to outwork. If Eli started to really work hard on the field, he would be devastating. However, he is young, often it takes a bit of time and maturity to realise that it takes more than just natural talent.

Piriformis stretch: Hip flexor stretch:

Yeah, squat shoes = weightlifting shoes. In fact squat shoes was me typing with squats on the brain. Check these (what I have, but in red) http://www.kettlebells.com.au/store/weightlifting-shoe.html (If you want them, let me know, I can get them "wholesale - company's word not mine" for you for $120) It can be due to hamstring "tightness", it can also be due to a complex notion called "stiffness", that is your hamstrings are stiffer than your core, particularly low back extensors. Anyway, all you need to know is that it's good to stretch the biceps femoris (if you remember the 3-way hamstring stretch, it is the one where you pull your leg across your body - sorry that is the best explanation I can give). Also, train your core with roll outs (can use a bar, or an ab wheel http://www.kettlebells.com.au/store/the-abdominal-wheel.html) and reverse crunches, progressing hanging knee raises (and then progressing to hanging leg raises eventually). As far as the knees out problem goes, simply squatting to a manageable depth initially will fix that, as everything strengthens, you get a carryover roughly 15 degrees above and below what you were training (this is the rule for isometrics, but I've found it has some carryover to dynamic movements too). You can also use a band wrapped around your knees, making sure to push your knees out as you squat. "spread the floor apart with your feet" helps too.

PS: Start session with psoas stretch, piriformis stretch and calf stretch. Repeat hip flexor stretch b/w sets - it will help with the technique practice. Also, squat shoes are worth the $. HUGE difference.

@Tesla Just squat - but stay within yourself, like a 7 on rated perceived exertion. Use it as technique practice with a moderately high weight, but no "grinding" reps.

Having more foreigners doesn't stifle domestic talent, it forces them to become better. #shortsightedness #bandaidsolution

Out of curiosity Buddy, why do you always refer to it as MRS, not AAMI Park?

This is what I mean by hard training: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IRLUVVa3IXI

Yes, but that is true for every physical endeavour. BUT, and it's a big but, that doesn't mean you can't gain - I wouldn't say I have great genetics for upper body mass gains, but I've made fairly good gains with hard training and a sound nutritional plan. I now maintain that most of that upper body mass despite training for a primarily power endurance based sport due to sheer hard work and total volume lifted. I am positive that if I focused on a mass building phase, I would be even bigger than before, because I now have an even greater tolerance for discomfort and hard training, thanks to 10 minute sets of kettlebell lifting. Most people that complain about genetics aren't training hard enough. I have trained in a lot of gyms, seen some big guys, and none of them look comfortable when they train - they train so hard it hurts. Some used questionable methods, but due to sheer effort they made gains. I really think that most people don't know how hard hard training is - yesterday I was trialling a new PT for the gym, had him take me through a training session. Afterwards I couldn't talk for 5 minutes, and my legs were shaking for a good hour. Part of that was unfamiliarity - I don't normally train like that, part of that was the fact that I pushed hard. Sound program + hard work + time = definite gains.

25 lbs (~11 kg) of pure muscle is a shit ton! Scale weight is often higher, but I'd be surprised if someone (aside from outliers) truly gained much more than that. Of course, these are averages, if you do a regression analysis you will see that some will achieve over that, some under that. Hormone levels will affect things like how quickly one gains, whether they are closer to the upper limit of muscle gain or the lower limit, strength levels and the level of leanness that is easily/naturally maintained. Also, muscle attachments will affect how big someone looks and how much muscle that person can gain. Muscle increases in volume, so an extra cm of muscle belly length greatly increases the potential size of the muscle. Also, if you have short attachments, you will have to gain more weight to appear as large as someone with more favourable bone structure and muscle attachments.

What do you use to track your intake? Do you weight all your meals?

If JVS has to leave, all I want is a manger that is as stylish as him. Not some tracksuit wearing mug. At least he knows how to spend money on good clothes.

Agreed. I think players low on form/confidence often play a bit better when some of the bigger names (i.e. Fred/Dugandzic) are out. Perhaps they aren't as intimidated, perhaps it is as simple as he had more to do, so he stepped up and got it done. Form is temporary, class is permanent. Did he have class at NQF or was it just form? That's another debate.

Great article on building muscle for beginners. Everyone here should read it before posting, no matter how "advanced" they are: http://www.greatist.com/fitness/the-beginners-guide-to-building-muscle/#

*NEED. TO. GET. DIET. IN. ORDER. TO. CREATE. CALORIC. DEFICIT. AND. ENSURE. HEAVY. RESISTANCE. TRAINING. TO. MAINTAIN. LEAN. BODY. MASS. AND. RE-ASSES. UNREALISTIC. TIMEFRAME. FOR. AFOREMENTIONED. GOAL.

Finishing up "False Economy" by Alan Beattie - is an interesting account of recent world history combined with current world status based on economics. Slowly trawling through "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein - an analysis of the use of disaster (both natural and man made) to implement free market economies. Re-emerging myself into "Joint Structure and Function" by Cynthia Norkin and Pamela Levangie - biomechanics textbook, nothing exciting for the layman. Also hit up chapters of "What the Dog Saw" by Malcolm Gladwell - a collections of his articles. Really good short reads.

The number one reason I see people not make progress is that they just don't know how to train hard. The number two is the same as number one.