This video shows you which is better, Pull ups or Pull downs. It also shows you some of the ways you can perform the exercise.
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A few months after I first started training I decided to get some help with my training so I did what most other people did and hired a personal trainer from the gym I used.
Of course they’re paid professionals and they know exactly what they are talking about. Don’t they? Well that’s what I thought when I started. A few months went by and I worked hard doing exactly what he told me.
But I made no progress. This is when I started to wonder if there was something not quite right. Naturally I blamed myself and concluded that it was me who was doing it all wrong and wasn’t following the routine properly.
But then one day something happened. I was told to do bench press and I asked him why. And he said that I needed to do some BICEP exercises. WHAT!?
At this time I was still a complete novice but one thing I did know was that bench press is certainly not a bicep exercise. Yes it may be useful as a negative bicep exercise but is definitely not an actual bicep workout.
I questioned him on this but he kept on insisting that he was right. I then lost all confidence in him and this was later confirmed when I saw him trying bench press himself when he was on his own.
He attempted to lift just 60kg (132lb) and after a massive struggle (this was just his first rep) he just about managed it. 60kg is not bad for an absolute beginner but is pathetic for somebody who is supposed to be an expert on the subject.
This is when I realized that I had to go it alone and not rely on gym instructors to tell me how its done.
Just before I go any further though I do have to point out that I’m not saying that all personal trainers are a waste of time and money in fact there are many out there who are excellent.
But what I can say is that the majority (yes it is a majority) of them no nothing about building muscle even though they may be super fit (the two are not synonymous despite what people think).
If you really want to hire a personal trainer make sure he (or she) knows what they are talking about and actually know how to push weight. If they’re skinny then you need to approach with caution.
I still haven’t got my money for all those wasteful sessions with him. Do you think I ever will?
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I spent a whole year using stupid little weights in the gym and they did virtually nothing to improve my strength and size. This video shows you why you should stick to heavier weights.
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Many of you have emailed me asking me how to train specifically for strength. Well there are many different ways to go about this but what I thought I’d introduce you to in this post is a rarely used (but not actually new) training regime known as 5×5 training but its not actually going to be me who’s going to explain it. Instead I have a guest who is a professional writer and powerlifter and his name is Guy Marlow. Guy will introduce you to this system and show you some of the techniques involved….Over to you Guy
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There is a training regime that many do not know that much about; this training regime is called 5×5 training.
As you are about the find out the 5×5 training plan is not a new discovery in weight training and was actually started some 30 years ago by the eastern Europeans. It is only in recent times however that the west has found out about this ground breaking strength training regime.
History of the 5×5 training
Back in the 1970’s and 1980’s the eastern European countries dominated the weightlifting sports, yet as they sat behind the iron curtain of the Soviet Union no one knew about their training style. It blood and guts to become the strong men these eastern Europeans were, but it also took a special training style called 5×5 training to achieve it.
The forefather of the 5×5 training plan is the Bulgarian weightlifting mastermind Ivan Abadjiev. Ivan Abadjiev made the Bulgarians a dominant force in Olympic weightlifting throughout the late 1970’s and 1980’s.
So what is the 5×5 training plan?
This style of training requires combining compound exercises with supporting exercises in a specially structured training plan to maximise muscle building and strength. The 5×5 part of the training comes from the fact that with the compound exercises you will carry out five sets of five reps at the heaviest weight possible.
An example of the 5×5 plan is as follows
For chest you will carry out the barbell bench press lifting 5 sets of 5 reps on the heaviest weight you can achieve. The idea will be that you will manage 5 reps on the first four sets and maybe only 3 on the last set. Once you have mastered and can achieve the full 5 reps on all 5 sets you will add 1.25 kg on either side on your next chest workout.
After completing the barbell bench press you will then carry out other chest exercises such as the dumbbell incline press and dumbbell flies, but these will be with the standard 3 sets and 8 to 10 reps.
How does the 5×5 workout work?
By lifting heavier weights for lower reps you will force the muscles to increase in strength because of the added load; this in turn means increased muscle mass to achieve the strength.
The supporting exercises also improve the overall size of the muscles as the blood flow into the muscles aids recovery along with a good diet of proteins and nutrients.
What strength increases can be seen?
Once there was an individual who started the 5×5 training regime having never lifted a weight before and in 12 weeks he doubled the amount he could bench press. This did include changing his diet as mentioned and never missing a training schedule, even if he did have some delayed onset muscle soreness.
Do you have to go to the gym for this workout?
If you don’t have the opportunity to visit a local gym then the 5×5 training plan is also a brilliant way of training at home. The reason for this is that you only need a small amount of space and home gym fitness equipment to carry out the training and see big muscle mass and strength increases.
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Thank you very much Guy and I hope that it has been a great insight for you all into what this great training regime could do for you.
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Virtually everyone who ever goes to the gym will have encountered a weight lifting plateau at some point. This video gives you tips on how to get past them.
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If you want to build muscle successfully then you must persist. This video also gives a brief introduction into establishing whether or not you’re on the right track to success.
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Over the years I have learned a huge amount about building muscles. This video will show you 10 of the most important things I’ve learned since I started.
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Many people spend along time in the gym training their upper body but forget their lower body. This video shows you why building leg muscles is so important.
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We all know that the main purpose of weight training is to improve your strength and size. Well this video shows you the other health benefits of weight training.
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Many of you have asked about how you should incorporate cardiovascular into your day when training to build muscle. This video shows you the best times do CV work.
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