Beginning Bodybuilding : Scientific Foundations for Creating a Lean and Muscular Physique 9781234567890, 1477123456, 2018675309

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BEGINNING BODYBUILDING Scientific Foundations for Creating a Lean and Muscular Physique

Jake Wojciechowski, CPT, BS, Professional Natural Bodybuilder

Copyright © 2020 Jake Wojciechowski All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 9781234567890 ISBN-10: 1477123456 Cover design by: Art Painter Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309 Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS Title Page Copyright My Backstory What This Book is About Doing Your Own Research Who is This Book For? Starting Out Why Everyone Should Resistance Train and Bodybuild Benefits of Bodybuilding: Natural Bodybuilding Making the Change Getting in the Gym for the First Time Dieting for the First Time Patience, Dedication, Consistency, and Discipline Nutrition My Approach to Nutrition: I. I. F. Y. M. Protein Carbohydrates Fats Alcohol Different Subcategories of Fats and Carbs

Other Nutritional Considerations How To Track Macros Meal Examples How Losing Fat Works Physiologically How Building Muscle Works Physiologically Does It Matter When I Eat? Phases of Dieting Cutting and Bulking: Why Not Both At the Same Time? Bulking: What to Expect and Tips Cutting: What to Expect and Tips What to Do After a Cut? Cheat Days and Refeeds How To Track When Going Out to Eat What to Do When You Go Off Track Common Issues with Nutrition Supplements Training The Basics Form Bodybuilding Anatomy and Physiology 101 Progressive Overload How Hard and Long Should I Train? Warming Up Designing A Program Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Program Considerations Beginner Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4

Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Intermediate Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Advanced How Many Days a Week Should I Train? How Often Should I Change My Program? Do Specific Populations Need to Train Differently? Quality Exercise Selection Based on Muscle Groups Chest: Back: Shoulders/Traps: Abs: Biceps: Triceps: Quadriceps: Hamstrings: Glutes: Calves: Hip abductors: Hip adductors: Are There Exercises That You Absolutely Must Do?

How Many Reps and Sets Should I Be Performing? Does Order of Exercises Matter? Special Techniques How Often Should You Max Out? Deloads Cardio Tracking Physique Progress Sleep and Recovery Gym Gear Conclusion

MY BACKSTORY My name is Jake Wojciechowski and I enjoy fitness, nutrition, dogs, music, playing guitar, craft beer, and spending time with friends and family. I am a NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) Certified Personal Trainer and an OCB (Organization of Competitive Bodies, a drug-tested organization) professional natural bodybuilder. I have competed in seven shows over the span of six years. I am also an online fitness and bodybuilding coach. In 2020, I started my own training business, Woj Training Systems. I have been training (resistance exercising with purpose) consistently for close to nine years but have lifted weights my entire life.

WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT I wrote this book to provide a reference to you during your own fitness journey and creating your dream body. We all have our own reasons why we want to begin a more active and healthy lifestyle. My reasons were, first, to try to be able to beat a bully up and, second, to get attention from girls. These are poor reasons, but motivation is motivation. Whatever your reason, it’s important you keep your initial motivation in mind along your fitness journey, especially when starting out. Your goals and sources of motivation will change as your journey progresses, but it’s important to understand and remember why you wanted to make the change because the first few years of adopting this lifestyle will be the most difficult. I want to be clear that this is a very general outline of bodybuilding and fitness. There is so much information about specific topics like training, nutrition, rest, and recovery it would be impossible to completely cover them all in one brief text, and that is not my intention. I aim to provide you with the information you need to be successful in building your physique without fluff. This book provides scientific information about what works and what doesn’t work in regard to obtaining a better, healthier, sexier you. I wrote this book because the fitness, health, and nutrition industries are so saturated with

garbage and untrue information that it’s very hard to determine what actually produces results and what does not. I want to give you the honest and effective tools you need to achieve your goals with no false promises and no nonsense. This book is based on my own experiences of trial and error and what the current scientific evidence presents. When devising your fitness plan, you must consider what is effective according to not only scientific research and “experts” (be careful with who you consider an expert), but also your personal preferences, which will allow you to enjoy the journey and be consistent with the steps required to achieve your goals.

DOING YOUR OWN RESEARCH It is important to mention that data and conclusions from scientific studies can be skewed any which way to provide any kind of desired outcome. When doing your own research, be careful of this. It’s important to look at the author of the study, who funded the study, and the type of study that was conducted. Determining the author and the funder of the study may help you determine if data has been manipulated to show a certain outcome from the study. As for what kind of study was performed, there are levels of evidence that describe how the study was conducted. These levels can help determine how trustworthy the type of study that was conducted was. The levels describe the method of the study and how the data was obtained. The levels are as follows, with “1” being generally considered the most trustworthy and “6” being considered being the least trustworthy (Burns, Rohrich, & Chung, 2011). 1. Meta-analysis and Systematic Reviews 2. Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) 3. Cohort Studies

4. Case-Control Studies 5. Case Series, Case Reports 6. Editorials and Expert Opinion I will do my best to make sure that you do not have to do much research outside of this book to reach your goals. However, if you’re hungry to learn things outside the scope of this book, doing your own research is great. It is important to know and remember that what might work for you may not work for someone else, and vice versa. A lot of success in regard to fitness and nutrition is about doing something that you enjoy and that is sustainable while being effective for you. Just because your favorite Instagram influencer eats a certain way or does a training technique does not mean it will work for you or even be enjoyable for you. I may discuss something that works for me and is enjoyable for me, but you may find it doesn’t work for you or isn’t enjoyable for you. I will give my honest perspective that I have gained through years of experience about what works, what is sustainable, what is most effective, and what is most enjoyable for most people (not everyone).

WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR? This book is written for anyone that is interested in creating their best version of themselves and their physique. This book is not just for people looking to get a six-pack or look great on stage someday. This book is for anyone—man, woman, old, or young—looking to gain confidence and independence, to develop their mental and physical strength, to create a positive self-image, and to enjoy the way they look. Bodybuilding is a very empowering practice, and anyone can do it. Each of our journeys are different but taking the initial step into beginning your bodybuilding journey will change your life forever for the better. This book is not intended to treat, cure, or diagnose any medical condition. Consult your healthcare provider before beginning any exercise or diet program.

STARTING OUT Now that the background information is out of the way, let’s get into why you are here: to achieve muscular hypertrophy (muscle growth), to lose fat and get ripped, to get stronger, or to just feel better about yourself. This book will not help you become the next Mr. Olympia or dominate the next local powerlifting meetThis book is about bodybuilding. Wait, you don’t want to wear a thong and put oil on yourself and go on stage and flex in front of people? Don’t worry. Bodybuilding is, according to Dictionary.com, “the act or practice of exercising, lifting weights, etc., so as to develop the muscles of the body.” My personal definition of bodybuilding, and the definition that will be used throughout this text,is “developing and revealing your skeletal muscles to look better”. If your goal is to lose weight or to “tone” to “look good”, you are bodybuilding, or you should be bodybuilding as far as I’m concerned. If you want to look good on the beach or naked, you should be bodybuilding. If you want to get rid of that stubborn fat around your waistline, you want to bodybuild. The thong and oil are reserved for competitive bodybuilding, which this book will not discuss. This book will be dedicated to lifestyle bodybuilding, which is getting stronger, getting leaner, and looking “better” while living life. So, I urge you,

please do not be afraid of the term “bodybuilding”. It does not always mean you will be a tanned piece of jerky flexing your muscles for people to admire, and it does not always mean you will be some dumb meathead wearing work boots and a torn, ripped stringer tank-top to the gym. In fact, to truly become successful at bodybuilding, you need to be intelligent and well-educated.

WHY EVERYONE SHOULD RESISTANCE TRAIN AND BODYBUILD If I was leader of the free world, I would make everyone resistance train and bodybuild for the greater interest of mankind. Men and women should both lift weights. No gals, lifting weights won’t make you bulky (I’ll address that more later). Lifting weights has been shown to increase muscle mass, increase power output and strength, improve independence, increase energy expenditure, improve body composition (less fat, more muscle), and promote an active lifestyle (Hunter, McCarthy, & Bamman, 2004). Who wouldn’t want more muscle, more independence, more strength and endurance, and less body fat?

BENEFITS OF BODYBUILDING: ●

Improved body composition

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Improved muscle mass

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Improved independence

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Higher self-confidence

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Anti-aging effects

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Increased bone density

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Promotes active lifestyle

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Larger skeletal muscles will burn more calories

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Enhanced appearance

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Improved strength

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Improved endurance

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Stress relief (Westcott, 2012)

Commonly Targeted Populations and Resistance Training Myths Older Adults

Older adults shouldn’t lift weights because they will get injured, right? WRONG. Older adults should consider lifting weights perhaps more than people of other ages. Sarcopenia (muscle decrease through age) and osteoporosis (bone softening), are commonly seen conditions in older adults which often lead to lower quality of life and loss of independence. Resistance training has been shown to reduce sarcopenia, increase muscle mass, and increase bone density (Layne & Nelson, 1999). Lifting weights can lead to productive aging, independence maintenance, and greater self-efficacy in older adults. It is never too late to start your bodybuilding journey.

For Women Okay, so older adults should resistance train, but what about women? I feel women do not need their own section addressed, as training and nutrition principles for men and women are largely the same, but for some reason there’s extra concern regarding women and resistance training and bodybuilding. Will women grow into muscle freaks if they touch a dumbbell? Absolutely not. Most women who have sought my services in the past are looking to get “toned” and “shape up”. So, they need to do endless hours of cardio, right? Again, WRONG. To begin, you cannot “tone” muscles. Do not use that term, please. You cannot “tone” a muscle. What you actually want to do is increase the size of the muscle to the point where it can be revealed, and then you become lean enough (lose body fat) that the muscle you’ve built is visible. Does this process sound familiar? Yep, you want to bodybuild. So, to get

more “toned”, you need to grow your muscles (through resistance training and proper nutrition) and then you need to decrease body fat levels (through a caloric deficit usually). Women who are not taking steroids will not achieve that “disgusting” muscle factor that they are deathly afraid of. Women, you will not get “too bulky” from lifting weights without taking anabolic steroids or other performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). Resistance training is safe and improves bone density and function in women (Watson, Weeks, Weis, Horan, & Beck, 2015).

NATURAL BODYBUILDING Another term I will frequently use is natural bodybuilding. Why do I put the word “natural” in front of bodybuilding? Steroids and other performance enhancing drug use is rampant in the bodybuilding and the physique industries. This use of PEDs is commonly referred to as being “enhanced”. Almost every single IFBB (the big leagues) professional competitor, besides bikini competitors (although not always), use steroids or other PEDs such as diuretics, insulin, stimulants, etc. Yep, that’s right. Even your guys on your Men’s Fitness cover or celebrities such as Dwayne Johnson are on some form of PED or steroid. Steroid and PED usage is not limited to just men; many women use them too to enhance their physique too. I am not telling you this to discourage you by any means, but I am telling you this to give you a realistic perspective of what is achievable naturally, without using drugs. It is 100% possible to get huge, ripped, or build an impressive physique naturally, but it will take a lot longer and will require stricter adherence to diet along with a boatload of dedication and consistency. I am also not condemning those who choose to be enhanced, as it is by no means a shortcut to building an awesome physique, but it does create results faster, allows more leniency in your diet, and allows you to get bigger and leaner than someone who is not using PEDs. However, that is not always the

case. I’ve seen natural bodybuilders make people on PEDs look small and natural bodybuilders who possess a much more impressive physique than those who are “enhanced”. For motivation, look up photos of Brian Whitacre or Doug Miller, two of the best natural bodybuilders in the world. The choice to become enhanced or stay natural is a personal one, and each individual has their own reasons. Personally, I have never used steroids and will always remain a natural (natty) for my own reasons. This book is dedicated to natural bodybuilding. If you are enhanced, this book can be beneficial for nutritional and training foundations, which are necessary to building a physique, natural or otherwise. However, this book will not help you learn what drugs to take to gain a desired effect, dosages of drugs, how to administer drugs, etc.

MAKING THE CHANGE Making a serious change to your normal life is a very difficult thing to do. I remember the first time hiring a coach to begin my first bodybuilding prep. I woke up that morning from texts from this coach with the protocols to begin and thought to myself, “Am I really going to do this?” Well, I did do it, and I am glad I did. However, getting in a routine that is uncomfortable and different from the way you’ve lived your entire life is not an easy process. A well-known psychosocial model describes the stages involved when an individual decides to undergo a serious change that includes changing your nutritional habits, your exercise habits, and, in general, your lifestyle and behavioral habits—is a pretty big deal. The following model is the Transtheoretical Model of Change (Molaison, 2002), which explains the stages that an individual experiences when undergoing making a serious health or lifestyle change. In this case, changing their lifestyle to one of fitness and bodybuilding.

● Precontemplation: the person has no intention to make a change within the next 6 months ● Contemplation:the person is intending to start a healthy behavioral change within the next 6 months

● Preparation: the person is ready to take action within the next 30 days ● Action: the person has changed their behavior within the last 6 months and intend to continue the behavior ● Maintenance: the person has sustained their healthy change for more than 6 months ● Termination: the person has no desire to return to their unhealthy behaviors and are sure they will not “relapse”. As the model outlines, you can see that making a lasting, permanent lifestyle change is not one that occurs quickly. It will require some serious time and dedication. I know I did not wake up one day and decide to be a bodybuilder, let alone a professional one. It took months of consideration to even begin to intensely train, and that choice eventually snowballed into competing and making bodybuilding a big part of my life. I ask you to be patient with yourself and do not expect to make a serious lifestyle change overnight. The first step is the most difficult. It is a new, scary, anxietyprovoking step. I promise you that if you dedicate yourself to the change and just take the initial plunge, you will get into a groove and build lasting routines that support your goals. It may be beneficial to refer to the Stages of Change Model outlined to assess where you are in your own process of change, as it can be a long and difficult process.

GETTING IN THE GYM FOR THE FIRST TIME Going to the gym for the first time can be a very intimidating task. There is fear of the unknown. Will people judge you? Will you look stupid? Are there a ton of attractive fit people that will look down upon you? The answer to any of these questions is: NO. Typically gyms have more “out-of-shape” people than people that are “in-shape”. Most everyone in the gym will not care or pay attention to what you are doing. I understand this may be harder for women than men because they may be approached, given unwarranted advice, and stared at more so than men. This is a rightfully very scary thing to experience, so it may be beneficial to begin your first time in a gym with a friend or training partner to ease some of the anxiety, no matter if you are a man or woman. But women (and men), please do not fear the gym! If you are reading this as a man, you need to do your part in creating a safe and inviting environment in a gym for women. Do not stare, do not give them unsolicited advice, and do not confront them. We, as men, need to do a better job of making women feel safer in the gym. This also goes for any person new to a gym, not just female newcomers: be courteous and nonjudgmental toward them. If they ask for help or advice, provide it in a constructive and positive way that is not degrading to them. If you’re

someone that makes a gym environment feel hostile towards others, knock it off. The gym should be a place of sanctuary to everyone, no matter their gender, sex, age, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, etc. I urge experienced gym-goers to leave new gym members alone unless they are at risk of serious injury (like a barbell collapsing on their chest) or unless THEY approach you FIRST. If they ask for help, help them for Christ’s sake and take pride in the fact that they considered you to be knowledgeable enough to ask you for help in the first place.

DIETING FOR THE FIRST TIME Dieting for the first time can seem like a very daunting task. Food has a strong emotional connection to it. We eat with family, we eat socially, we eat when we are sad, we eat when we are happy, etc. Restricting food or eating foods completely different than the ones you are accustomed to can be a large psychological hurdle. Just like anything else, becoming an expert dieter requires practice, patience, and time. Your first diet will likely not be 100% successful. Hell, your fifteenth diet won’t be 100% perfect either. Later, I will describe how to diet to get the most effective results. This does not include some secret or hack; it includes being anal and precise. You will have to track your macros/calories, you will have to weigh your food out, and you will have to plan ahead what you are going to eat daily especially when first starting out. Try to detach emotionally from food. This is a very hard thing to do and may be considered “unhealthy” by “regular” folks. Something I always tell my clients is if you don’t want to look like an average person, you cannot expect to eat like an average person. The average adult in the United States is overweight (Wang, & Beydoun, 2007). An important thing to mention is, when you start dieting, you should

expect to look worse before you look better. You may become “flat” (when muscles are deprived of glycogen from carbohydrate intake,they will not “pop” and appear large) and may look smaller and less muscular. Be patient as this is only temporary. Once you break through this phase, the leanness will come through.

PATIENCE, DEDICATION, CONSISTENCY, AND DISCIPLINE At the risk of sounding like a broken record, remember that this journey of bodybuilding requires an immense amount of patience, dedication, and consistency. Every day will be Groundhog Day. Developing daily routines and habits that support your bodybuilding goals is crucial. You should build these routines around your life and continue to engage in them. Do not check your progress daily because you won’t see change day-to-day. Progress in bodybuilding should be measured in months, and as you become more advanced, in years. You should build healthy routines that support your nutrition, allow you to train hard and progressively, and allow for proper sleep and recovery, while accounting for your other roles and duties in your daily schedule. This is no small task, but with practice and proper planning, it is definitely doable. Soon, it will become automatic and your new “normal”. In my experience, developing this balance of bodybuilding and regular life took years for me to acquire. We thrive on structure and routine, so it’s important that we create supportive and positive habits and routines that help us achieve

our goals. If you are just beginning your journey, I would not expect to notice anything major happening to your body for at least three months. These changes will be minor and gradual, and they will only occur if you make the proper changes to your lifestyle, including the nutritional components, the training components, and the sleeping/recovery components. Do not become discouraged; this is something that takes years to master. Instead, I would prioritize getting stronger, developing proper nutrition intake, developing a daily schedule that’s supportive of your goals, and engaging in proper sleep. Begin to establish routines that will set you up for bodybuilding-related success, as well as success in other dimensions such as work, interpersonal relationships, social engagement, and more. Bodybuilding has helped me tremendously in applying the principles of patience, dedication, consistency, and discipline to other aspects of life.

NUTRITION I estimate that 80% of bodybuilding results are nutrition-related. Nutrition is the foundation of how we recover, perform, and grow, and it influences our body composition (i.e., how much fat vs. muscle we hold). Nutrition is the aspect of bodybuilding that most gym goers neglect as it is the most challenging. Bodybuilding is unlike any other sport or activity as it requires round-the-clock dedication to proper sleep, training, diet, and recovery—things that must be considered and monitored daily. Once you get into a routine, the gym is the easy part, while the diet is the difficult part.

MY APPROACH TO NUTRITION: I. I. F. Y. M. while there are many different approaches to nutrition and dieting, the one I have experienced the most success with myself and my clients is the approach called If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM). What are macros (short for macronutrient)? There are four macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, fats, and alcohol. With the IIFYM approach, we are primarily focused on the consumption of protein, carbs, and fats. Alcohol is not consumed (or at least shouldn’t be) on a daily basis if your focus is on health, wellness, and building your body. What does the IIFYM approach entail? You have target goal numbers to “hit” or consume by the end of each day for each macronutrient: protein, carbs, and fats. These targets are the number of grams of each macronutrient you are assigned to eat per day. Your goal is to hit these targets as closely as possible by the end of each day. After each sleep, the targets reset. The task of hitting the targets begins when you wake up for the day. For protein and carbohydrates, you should aim to be within 10 grams of the given target per day and for fats you should aim to be within 5 grams of the target. You can eat whatever you’d like as long as it does not surpass or fall short of the number of macros that is your target. You will find that

appropriate ratios and targets of macronutrient intake will require you to eat mostly “healthy” whole foods but will allow for some flexibility to include sweets and other “junk” things. It doesn’t matter what the food is; what matters are the properties of the food on a macronutrient-level and how the food fits in with the rest of your daily intake for body composition improvement purposes. This approach is often criticized due to the lack of emphasis it has on obtaining micronutrients and other nutritional components from whole foods. A serving of broccoli will be composed of more micronutrients than a Twinkie, for example, but when matched for calories, they will have the same effect on body composition. Also note that you would be eating a lot more broccoli (more volume) than Twinkies to match the total caloric intake from both. Macros compose calories. What exactly is a calorie? A calorie is a unit of measurement that measures heat or energy. A calorie is the amount of heat it takes to raise water 1-degree C. When our body metabolizes food, there is a thermogenic effect, which means that heat is produced when we metabolize food and use it for energy or structure repair. For every gram of protein, there are 4 calories. For every gram of carbohydrate, there are 4 calories. For every gram of fat, there are 9 calories. For every gram of alcohol, there are 7 calories. This is why alcohol, such as vodka, contains calories but does not contain carbs, proteins, or fats. I will discuss this more in depth later. So why not just count calories instead of macros? Counting calories can help a person lose or gain weight but will likely not help them lose fat or

build muscle, which is our goal in bodybuilding. We are not concerned with the weight on the scale, but rather we are concerned with what our body composition is. Monitoring macronutrient intake will help us be more specific in our muscle building and fat loss goals as each macronutrient has different properties that we will optimize and use to our advantage. I will describe the function of each of the three major macronutrients; we already know the function of alcohol. By having specific macronutrient ratio intakes with an emphasis on high protein, you will obtain a more favorable body composition than if your diet were to be composed of mainly fats and carbs, which composes the average American diet (Pesta, & Samuel, 2014).

PROTEIN Each macronutrient is vitally important, but protein is the most important for bodybuilding. Protein aids in repairing any damage our body experiences, whether it’s from injuries or from intentional microtrauma that is experienced following resistance training. Think of protein as bricks to a house. If you want to build a bigger house, you need bricks to materialize the addition. If you want to build a bigger body, you need protein as the material to do so. Proteins are typically found in abundance in meat and dairy products, such as eggs. In bodybuilding and fat loss, protein intake should be high (compared to the regular American diet). Protein is composed of amino acids. Amino acids are a popular supplement in the bodybuilding world, and I took them for some time myself. But if amino acids compose protein, and you’re already eating a high protein diet, why do you need amino acids? You don’t. Amino acid supplements are essentially expensive urine. I personally never experienced any muscle growth or recovery benefits from amino acid supplementation. There are studies shown that amino acid supplementation can aid with individuals who lack protein in their diet (Kephart, et al., 2016), or for vegans or vegetarians who may consume protein, but not animal-based protein sources. Animal-based protein sources contain all 8 essential amino acids,

whereas plant-based protein sources do not. Ideally, we will not be lacking any protein in our diets, so amino acid supplementation is not a worthwhile inclusion to our diets. In addition, protein supplements are typically cheaper than amino acid supplements per serving, so why bother? Protein is also the most thermogenic macronutrient, meaning our body uses the most calories when metabolizing this macronutrient, so high protein diets can aid in fat loss as well as muscle building and maintenance. Protein is vitally important in both massing and cutting stages. In massing stages, protein is what will help our body actually build larger muscles, and in cutting stages protein will help us feel more satiated and maintain muscle as our fat and carbohydrate intake decrease (Res, et al., 2012).

CARBOHYDRATES Carbohydrates are the main source of energy supply in our body. Our body loves to use carbohydrates to perform physical tasks and, really, to just survive. Carbohydrates help our bodies perform any physiological function. Do you absolutely need carbohydrates to survive? No, the popular keto diet is something that thousands of people adhere to and have achieved fat-loss benefits from. However, carbohydrates are necessary for optimal physiological functioning and the average person should consume carbohydrates daily to some degree. The keto (ketogenic) diet is when someone tries to limit carbohydrate intake as much as possible and obtain their nutrients from fats and protein only. The reason why some people may be more successful with this is because fat and protein typically are more satiating than carbohydrates. By eliminating carbohydrates that do not make you feel full but contribute to caloric intake, you are more likely to be in a caloric deficit. The keto diet is not magic. People often experience a rapid weight loss phase within the first week or so of adopting this diet. This, again, isn’t magic. What happens during the initial phases of this diet is glycogen (complex carbohydrates stored in muscle cells) stores, become depleted. Glycogen holds onto water within our body.

If you have less glycogen stores in your body, you will have less water to hold onto. So essentially, this rapid initial weight loss experienced during the initial stages of the keto diet isn’t fat loss nor will it continue because you will eventually run out of glycogen stores to continually subtract from. If keto works for you and helps you meet your goals, then it's fine, but I do not recommend keto as a diet to adopt, as your physiological output is usually compromised in some fashion. Physiological output is what will facilitate and contribute to the muscular hypertrophy and fat loss we desire. Carbohydrates are to be consumed in larger quantities during a massing phase and are to be decreased in a cutting phase. Carbohydrates are a very important component of bodybuilding and need to be considered and optimized when developing a diet to support your goals. Carbohydrate sources include wheat/grain, potatoes, oats, and many others.

FATS Fats, or lipids, are often categorized with carbohydrates as being “bad”. This is wrong. Fat is not bad for you, nor does it lead to adipose tissue (body fat) gain directly. The reason fat gets a bad reputation is it is calorically dense (low amount of food but contains large number of calories) and is not always satiating. This allows you to eat a lot of calories by eating a small amount of food, which is unlikely to fill you up, so it is likely you will eat more of this food to feel full. Fat, like protein and carbs, need to be consumed mindfully. Fat is typically consumed in smaller amounts than protein and carbohydrates in a standard bodybuilding diet. Fat is necessary to include in daily dietary intake as it contributes to proper hormone function, joint health, maintenance of proper cellular structures, and cognitive functioning. It is a source of energy (but not as optimal as carbs) that is utilized by your body during long durations of lowintensity aerobic exercise. Some examples of sources of fat include nuts, eggs, peanut butter, some red meats, and avocados. Fat is necessary to include your diet daily, so do not fear consuming fat!

ALCOHOL The fourth macronutrient is alcohol. Alcohol contains seven overall calories per gram. Despite what MyFitnessPal or other nutrition trackers may display, there are calories that need to be accounted for when consuming alcohol. Nutrition trackers will usually display a number of calories associated with alcohol, but then, upon further examination, the tracker will display that there are zero carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in the shot of alcohol. That’s because the calories come from alcohol, the fourth macronutrient—not proteins, carbs, or fats. Can you still consume alcohol and remain on track in regards to your diet? Yes! But you must account for it in your daily caloric intake. Here is how you do so:

1. Find the total amount of calories in the desired amount of alcohol. Typically, liquor will contain about 100-110 calories per shot. Beer and wine will vary as they likely contain more calories as they contain associated carbs or fats in addition to the alcohol. 2. Take the total amount of calories of the alcohol and divide it by either 4 or 9. You will deduct the calories from alcohol from your carbohydrate or fat intake, respectively. We will not deduct from protein intake in efforts to retain or build as much muscle mass as possible. ○

You will divide the total amount of calories by 4 if you are

deducting from carbohydrates, and by 9 if you are deducting from fats. ○ For example, there are 105 calories in a shot of vodka. You take 105 divided by 4, which equals roughly 26. So, you would eat 26 fewer grams of carbohydrates that day to account for the alcohol. If you choose to deduct from fats, divide 105 by 9, which is roughly 12. So, you should eat 12 fewer grams of fat that day to account for the alcohol you consumed. If you choose to consume alcohol, I recommend drinking liquor as it usually has fewer calories than beer or wine. Remember, if you mix the liquor with another beverage, there may be more carbohydrates or even fats depending on the liquids or ingredients in the mixed beverage, in addition to the alcohol. I recommend drinking your liquor straight or with a zero-calorie beverage, such as soda water or diet soda. My personal go-to is a Maker’s Mark and Diet Coke. It should be noted that alcohol consumption should be limited as much as possible because it can greatly interfere with your training goals. Alcohol consumption can interrupt muscle protein synthesis (when your body uses protein to build larger muscles), lower testosterone levels (male sex hormone necessary for muscle building), and of course, it’s harder to train with a hangover (Duplanty, et al., 2017).

DIFFERENT SUBCATEGORIES OF FATS AND CARBS Complex Carbs Vs. Simple Carbs? Traditionally, complex carbs are thought as “good”, and “simple” carbs are thought of as bad. Is this always the case? No! There is no such thing as “good” or “bad” foods, macronutrients, or subcategories of macronutrients. Food is food. There are different properties of each of these food-related variables that lead to bad reputations. Complex carbohydrates, found in oats and whole grain wheat products, for example, are not inherently better for you than simple carbohydrates. They typically require more energy expenditure for your body to break down because their molecular structure is more “complex”. By having more time required to metabolize these food sources and more energy output required to metabolize the food, complex carbs will keep you satiated longer and your body will expend more energy when metabolizing them. Simple carbs such as sweets, white bread, candy, or foods with high sugar content are typically thought of as “bad” because they do not provide the same satiety as complex carbohydrates. However, simple carbs are not “bad”, and they can be used to your advantage when training. Simple carbs allow the

trainee to have access to a quick energy source that the body does not have to work very hard to metabolize. Some ideal time periods for ingesting simple carbs include 1-2 hours before a workout, during a workout, and 1-2 hours after a workout (Beelen, Cermak, & Van Loon, 2015).

Saturated Vs. Unsaturated Fats? People may gasp at the thought of consuming saturated fat on their fitness journey as they think it may directly contribute to accumulation of adipose (fat) tissue. This is not correct. Just like the discussion of complex or simple carbs, saturated or unsaturated fats do not contribute to fat loss or fat gain based on their subcategorization. Typically, saturated fat is found in more calorically dense food with less satiating properties, whereas unsaturated fats are found in still calorically dense food, but with a higher satiety index. The takeaway for this discussion of complex carbs versus simple carbs and saturated fats versus unsaturated fats: unless you have diabetes, issues with cholesterol or other health conditions, the consumption and distinction between the two categorizations of both macronutrient does not matter; only the TOTAL amount of carbohydrates or fats consumed do when considering body composition.

OTHER NUTRITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS There are many nutrients, vitamins, and minerals other than protein, carbs, and fats. For our purposes of building muscle, losing fat, getting stronger, and looking better, we need not worry too much about these other nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. They do require some consideration as they can optimize health and the bodybuilding process, though. Micronutrients are found in abundance in fruits and vegetables and support physiological health and other bodily functions. While a person can go nuts with supplementation of these micronutrients, as long as you are aiming to consume at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day, your proper micronutrient intake should be covered. Micronutrients are important for overall health but do not influence your body composition very much. Sodium is another nutritional component that is often feared and looked down upon. Unless you have hypertension or some other underlying medical condition, the amount of sodium need not be agonized over. Sodium is necessary for physiological functions to occur within the body—and a good amount at that. Sodium causes vasoconstriction of your blood vessels. This means the vessels get smaller and tighter, and blood pressure subsequently

increases temporarily following ingestion of sodium. This can be problematic if you already have high blood pressure, but if you are a healthy individual, it is not pathological and is normal. In fact, I recommend sodium be consumed before a workout to increase the “pump” and bring out veins, as well as improve performance to some extent. In fact, before bodybuilding competitions, competitors often consume an abundance of sodium in the form of a spoon of pure salt to increase vascularity visibility and induce vasoconstriction. Fiber is a plant-based carbohydrate that helps our digestive tract produce and package fecal matter and also regulates the absorption of glucose (a simple carbohydrate). Going poop is very important and should be something you do daily. Going poop and pee are the body’s natural ways of “detoxing”. Please don’t ever buy any product claiming to detox your body. What are you detoxing your body of exactly? I have no idea and you probably don’t either. Fiber helps us process our foods and dispose of the leftover materials we haven’t used. This may seem like a preschool science lesson, but it is often overlooked and should be prioritized. I typically recommend a range of 30-50 grams of fiber per day based on the individual. I have never used fiber supplements myself, but some people report them to be beneficial with producing regular stools. If you have difficulty obtaining an adequate amount of fiber from your regular food intake, consider supplementing it and see if it works for you. Water is something that is obviously very important and needs to be considered when bodybuilding. Water helps with temperature regulation,

circulation of blood and other fluids throughout the body, cognition, and performance. Water can also contribute to gaining a “pump” in the gym and obviously quenching thirst. Personally, I drink a daily average of a gallon of water per day. Your urine should be slightly yellow to clear in color if you are properly hydrated. I do not think meticulously tracking water is necessary unless you really struggle with drinking an appropriate amount. The best regulation of water drinking is simply by your own thirst. However, drinking more water than not is advantageous, in my personal experience, and will leave you with clearer skin, more energy, and you will just generally feel better. If you are looking to increase your water consumption to a gallon or half a gallon a day, you may find this very hard as you will be constantly urinating initially. This constant peeing will not last forever; your body and thirst processes will adjust and you will urinate less frequently after the initial week or two of consuming this rather large amount of water (Cotter, Thorton, Lee, & Laursen, 2014).

HOW TO TRACK MACROS So now you know what IIFYM means and what it is, but how do you do it? You will begin by establishing macronutrient goals. This is determined by considering your current physique goals and the phase of dieting you are adopting in order to achieve them (cutting vs. massing). For a cutting phase, protein will be high, carbohydrates will gradually be decreased as the diet progresses, and fat will also be decreased. For a massing phase, protein consumption should also be high but not as high as it should be for cutting. Carbohydrate intake is high. Fat is consumed in a moderate-to-high amount. These numbers can be developed from specific formulas or online calculators, or they can be given by an experienced coach. When implementing IIFYM, everything that contains calories should be tracked. This includes sauces, condiments, and even gum (digestion begins during the process of chewing, despite not actually swallowing gum). Proper macrotracking requires being precise and consistent. Results are produced from consistent and accurate daily tracking over an extended period of time. The best way to determine someone’s appropriate macronutrient intake goals, in my experience, is through trial and error. We are all so different from one another with so many physiological variances that it’s difficult to produce perfect macronutrient targets without trial and error. Formulas,

calculators, or experienced coaches can give you a good starting point for your macronutrient targets. A general rule of thumb that is particularly important for protein intake is that individuals looking to build or maintain muscle should consume 1-1.5 gram of protein per body pound, with new studies favoring 1.6 grams per lb. of bodyweight (Antonio, et al., 2015). For example, someone that is 160 pounds should be at least eating 160 grams of protein daily, with new evidence stating at least 256 grams of protein daily for this example person. For carbs and fats, there are several simple formulas recommended for calculating these, but none are as concrete and universally accepted as the basis formula for daily protein consumption. According to Aragon, et al., (2017), carbohydrates should be consumed at a rate of 8-12 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. This depends on the individual’s phase of dieting and goals. Tracking macros involves weighing all of your food out before eating. You must weigh everything you eat in order to determine the portion sizes of the foods you are consuming. You cannot “eyeball” portions of food as you will likely be incorrect. Even after years of tracking and weighing food, I cannot 100% accurately eyeball-measure foods in the appropriate serving sizes. Individuals who “guestimate” their portion sizes yet still track their food intake will find themselves to be largely unsuccessful in reaching their goals, especially when just starting out on their bodybuilding journey due to imprecise food measurements. Individuals will likely overestimate their protein intake and underestimate their carbohydrate and fat intake.

I recommend using a digital food scale for weighing your food as it will be a lot easier than using a manual scale and more versatile. I also do not recommend using measuring cups for solid food as the amount of food being measured may vary or not be perfectly accurate every time measuring. In addition, you are adding a lot of dirty dishes using this method rather than simply placing the plate or dish you plan on eating off of onto the scale, using the tare button to zero out the weight of the plate or dish, and then adding the food onto the plate to be weighed. This way the food is measured in an objective, quantitative manner, no unnecessary dishes are used, and it's quicker than using volume-based instruments to measure foods. An exemption to this recommendation of using a digital food scale is measure liquids. Liquids can still be measured on a food scale but can be also measured using a measuring cup or something like a Blender bottle. Liquids are easier to “dead-on” on in volume-based measurements compared to solid food. Once you have the food measured, you will now enter the information on a nutrition tracker app such as MyFitnessPal or MyMacros, or you can use the old-school method of pencil and paper (though I don’t recommend this). You should search for the item that you have consumed or are about to consume in the search bar. These apps also allow for you to scan the barcode of the food using your phone so the exact food will appear, then you can add it to your daily total. These apps allow you to view your total nutrition intake that includes calories, macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals. There

usually will be several options to select for a given food within the application to use for tracking. Not all of these options are accurate, so be aware of this when tracking. Try to use items that have a verified green check mark next to them to certify the accuracy of information of the nutritional item. For the average individual, if something comes prepackaged and includes the nutritional information for the entire item (like a candy bar, which has one serving per “container”), you don’t need to weigh it out. You can just use the nutritional information on the label as you will consume the entire package, which has been weighed or portioned by the manufacturer. Using the IIFYM approach, you can eat whatever you like as long as it fits the macronutrient targets. This may be surprising to some at first. Yes, you can eat chocolate, donuts, and other similar things and still get shredded. You do not have to eat exclusively nutrient dense or “healthy” food items. In fact, I do not recommend eating only nutrient dense or “healthy” things. Adding variety and “junk food” will increase the likelihood that you’ll adhere to your diet, and it will allow you to enjoy a more flexible lifestyle while staying on track in regard to your diet goals. However, some individuals cannot allow this flexibility as eating even a moderate amount of “junk food” will lead to a binge, or an uncontrollable episode of unrestricted eating. Discover your own tendencies or triggers for going off of your diet and see what level of flexibility works best for your diet adherence. I think the diet strategy of IIFYM is superior to others because it

allows you to implement their own food preferences while staying on track to reach your diet goals. When using IIFYM, you do not have to eat the same things every day or even the same number of meals per day. You can eat one large meal per day or 12 separate meals. The catch is the calories/macronutrient goal still should be met despite the frequency or number of meals consumed. So that one meal would be extremely large or each of those 12 meals would be miniscule. Personally, I have discovered that breaking my total dietary intake into 45 meals per day works for me, but this will depend on individual preferences, lifestyles, and goals. For example, for someone consuming a massing-based diet, which requires eating a large number of calories, you may need to eat more frequently throughout the day in order to reach their end-of-day calorie goal. You will notice that appropriate macro targets will require that you eat mostly nutrient-dense, high protein foods. Some examples of lean protein sources you can use to hit your target includes whey protein powder, chicken breast, egg whites (buy the liquid egg whites in the carton; this will save you a ton of hassle as opposed to extracting them from whole eggs), lean steak (such as top round, bottom round, top sirloin), lean beef (90/10 or leaner), turkey (90/10 or leaner), certain lunch meats (chicken, turkey, roast beef, ham), beef jerky, venison, buffalo (typically any lean meat), low-fat or skim milk, and tofu. Tofu isn’t necessarily that high in protein compared to the other mentioned options, but for vegan or vegetarian individuals, it can be a viable choice. There are trace amounts of protein in other foods such as

peanut butter, broccoli, and oats, but they are not primarily composed of protein, so I do not consider them to be an appropriate source of protein themselves. Some examples of carbohydrate sources include sweet, russet, and redskin potatoes (my favorite; they have the highest satiety index for carbohydrate dense foods) (Geliebeter, I-Ching Lee, Abdillahi, & Jones, 2013), oats, vegetables, fruits, cereal (good for massing diets), bread, rice, rice cakes, tortillas, pasta, and juice. Carbohydrates are found in most foods, but the sources mentioned are composed almost solely of carbohydrates with trace amounts of protein with little to no fat. This makes them ideal for bodybuilding purposes. Examples of fat-containing food include nuts, nut butters, butters, oils, avocados, eggs, cheese, and some red meat (ribeye steak, for example). Fat-based food options will likely also include some carbohydrates and some protein, unless they are butter or oils, which are almost exclusively fat. Adding oil or butter may be beneficial when trying to hit fat targets while tracking macros as well as enhancing flavors to foods. As you continue your journey as a macro-tracker, you will learn there are thousands of foods out there that can be grouped into certain macronutrient categories, but it would be impossible to list them all here. As you become more experienced, you will also be able to guess the content of a food’s macronutrient content by just understanding the properties of given food. This comes with years of practice and experience. Soon you will be able to recite exact macronutrient information per serving size for foods that you

consume often. I will provide you with a sample diet in what a typical day of dietary consumption looks like for me during a cutting phase in which my goal is to lose body fat but maintain muscle mass. This may not be applicable to your goals and is nothing more than an example. I personally do not recommend copying this example because your caloric needs and food preferences are likely different.

MEAL EXAMPLES Meal 1 ● Egg whites (raw): 350 grams ● Fat-free shredded cheddar cheese: 50 grams ● Whole eggs: 3 whole eggs ● Deli Honey Ham: 200 grams Meal 2 ● Cooked chicken breast: 300 grams ● Broccoli: 250 grams ● Baked russet potato: 275 grams ● Vegetable spread butter substitute: 10 grams Meal 3 ● Iceberg lettuce: 350 grams ● Fat-free Italian dressing: 60 mL ● Fat-free shredded cheddar cheese: 50 grams ● Cooked chicken breast: 250 grams ● Bell pepper: 110 grams ● Mushrooms: 120 grams Meal 4 ● Nuts: 28 grams ● White cheddar rice cakes: 2 cakes ● Deli-style turkey breast: 200 grams Meal 5 ● Egg whites: 300 grams ● Whole eggs: 2 whole eggs ● Baked russet potato: 150 grams

HOW LOSING FAT WORKS PHYSIOLOGICALLY To lose fat usually, you must be in a caloric deficit (this isn’t always the case). A caloric deficit is a number of calories below your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which refers to the number of calories that your body requires to function and maintain your current bodyweight. This rate varies between individuals greatly. However, there is no 100% accurate way to calculate your BMR outside of a scientific laboratory with thousands of dollars in equipment. Special formulas and calculators could give you a start or an idea of what your BMR is based on your sex, activity level, and other personal demographics, but the best way to determine your BMR is through trial and error. If you are gaining or not losing weight after several weeks while eating the same number of calories daily, you are not in a caloric deficit. If you are losing weight while eating the same number of calories per day, you are in a caloric deficit. This is a very basic explanation for a rather complex phenomenon (Aragon, et al., 2017). Fun fact: Contrary to popular belief, you do not sweat out fat. Fat is lost through the process of respiration and is released in the form of carbon monoxide. Fat cells do not disappear; rather, they shrink in size and become less apparent (Meerman, & Brown, 2014).

Remember that fat loss is not a linear process. It will be full of ups, downs, and plateaus. Fat loss can be very frustrating. It helps to be mentally prepared that fat loss will take several months or even years depending on your goals and starting point. To make the process of fat loss as efficient as possible, you should maintain consistency in a caloric deficit and strive to hit the same number of calories per day. Unfortunately, we cannot pinpoint fat loss of a desired area on the body. For example, doing sit-ups will not make you burn belly fat. Tricep dips will not make you lose fat on the back of your arms. Fat comes off of the body as the body allows. Typically, in males, the stomach, chest, lower back, hamstrings, and glutes are the last place for fat to come off. For females, these stubborn locations are the quads, hamstrings, glutes, stomach, and arms. In order to lose fat in these stubborn areas, you must continue to stay in a deficit and lose fat all over your body. The leaner you get, the harder fat loss will be to come by and the further into the deficit you must go. However, not every case of fat loss happens in a deficit. This is a process called body recomposition, which is not typical but can happen in special circumstances. I will discuss this later.

HOW BUILDING MUSCLE WORKS PHYSIOLOGICALLY Muscle is built through our body repairing itself from intentional trauma we cause through resistance training. When we lift weights or perform resistance training, our muscles are damaged on a small scale, aka “microtrauma”. Our bodies are evolutionary mechanisms, they try to adapt to the trauma and prevent from that trauma occurring again by repairing the skeletal muscles to be large enough to handle the physical stimulus that caused the trauma. In bodybuilding, we use this process to our advantage. However, if we want to continue to grow and become stronger, we must keep challenging our body through progressive overloading. Progressive overloading is a crucial concept in building muscle. Progressive overloading can take many forms, such as performing an exercise with more weight per set than last time, performing more reps per set than last time, or performing an exercise with better form (increase range of motion /stricter form) than last time. In order to get bigger and stronger, we must aim to progressively overload each session and get better than we did the training session before. In order to properly monitor proper progressive overloading, you should track your exercises and performance. Track your weight/resistance, the number of

repetitions performed, and the number of sets each time to ensure you have a goal to beat next time. For the first five years of my training, I neglected to train in this way and my progress suffered. Once I began to accurately track my performance in the gym, my progress and muscle building improved greatly. I recommend using an app to track gym progression; JEFit is my favorite. Many old school bodybuilders prefer using pencil and paper. The method of tracking doesn’t matter, just be sure to track to optimize your progression. So now we know how to stimulate muscles to grow, but next is the other important component of muscle growth: recovery. Our muscles recover when we don’t use them and provide them with protein (McGlory, Devries, & Phillips, 2017). Our bodies are incredible adaptive physiological mechanisms and we must nourish and rest them properly to help them thrive. When you’re building a bigger house, what do you need? More bricks, of course; the structure of the addition to the house will not come out of thin air. Think of protein like bricks to a house: if you want to increase the size of the house, you need to have enough bricks to build the addition. Proper protein consumption is crucial to building muscle, and, if you do not consume enough protein, you will not grow or become stronger. You cannot build a house out of thin air, so don’t expect your body to build bigger, stronger muscles without the proper materials (aka protein). Traditionally, it was thought that building muscles required a caloric surplus, which entails eating more calories than your BMR. Emerging research has shown this is not necessarily the case: muscle building can occur

in a maintenance phase (i.e., eating the same number of calories as your BMR) or even in a caloric deficit as long as protein intake is sufficient (Garthe, Raastad, Refsnes, Koivisto, & Sundgot-Borgen, 2011).

DOES IT MATTER WHEN I EAT? You may have heard about the “anabolic window”, which suggests that you must eat protein directly after a training session (usually in a 30-minute timeframe), or you will lose the benefits of the session. This is false. While ingestion protein after a training session (up to three hours after) can be beneficial and increase muscle protein synthesis (i.e., muscles absorbing protein to grow larger) (Kersick, et al., 2008), it is not a necessity. Ingesting sources of carbs and proteins before and after a workout is shown to increase levels of muscle protein synthesis and allow for greater performance and recovery (Kersick, et al., 2017). Do you absolutely have to consume protein in this time frame? Probably not. In my experience, I have found this to be true and I make sure that I eat carbs and protein before and after a workout. When I do this, my mood is better, and my performance is better, too. As for the amount of these nutrients to consume, it varies per individual. I like to eat enough carbs where I will not be weak or hungry during a session, but not enough to be full or bloated. Being too full when performing physically demanding compounding lifts such as a deadlift, can make you sick and throw up. Protein consumption should be spread equally throughout the day to maximize muscle protein synthesis

(Kersick, et al., 2008), but if you don’t, the difference won’t be noticeable. The most important thing is to hit your protein target by day’s end.

PHASES OF DIETING Dieting has two phases commonly referred to as (1) cutting and (2) bulking/massing. Cutting is the process of losing fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible. During a cut, some muscle loss is to be expected but is ideally very limited. Bulking/massing is the process of trying to gain muscle. There are different approaches to massing, such as clean bulking or dirty bulking. Clean bulking is the process of trying to gain muscle with the least fat gain as possible, although some fat gain is inevitable. A clean bulk requires stricter adherence and monitoring of diet. A dirty bulk involves trying to gain as much muscle as possible without closely monitoring your diet, and fat gain is much higher. I have done both forms of bulking in the past and would not recommend the dirty bulk method to anyone. Dirty bulking can have negative health implications such as induced hypertension, increased insulin-resistance, excess fat gain, and extra stress on your respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Plus, you will feel worse, you will look worse, and when the time comes to cut, the cutting phase will take longer because you have accrued more fat to lose. Traditionally, cutting diets have been directed to last about 90 days. This has recently fallen out of favor in comparison to longer, less aggressive cuts, which preserve muscle better. A slower, longer cut will preserve more muscle

than a short aggressive one. In this case, the term “aggressive” refers to a drastic reduction of calories. In terms of dieting and bodybuilding, slow and gradual processes will always be more maintainable and effective when compared to rather than short and aggressive timelines (Garthe, Raastad, Sundgot-Borgen, 2011). It is important to understand the difference between losing fat and losing weight. In bodybuilding, we are not concerned with the number on the scale, which correlates to weight. Your weight and the scale are mere tools to gauge progress. Our goal is to not lose weight, but to lose fat. When losing fat you will likely lose weight as in addition, so often the terms are often used interchangeably, but incorrectly. Massing/bulking phases of dieting should last considerably longer than cutting phases. Naturally building muscle takes a long time. Top natural bodybuilders have suggested spending years in a bulking phase while being a caloric surplus. No one can make significant progress if they are constantly switching between the two phases. For individuals that are not overweight, I would recommend beginning bodybuilders to spend at least their first year in a bulking phase while being in a caloric surplus to maximize “newbie gains”. Newbie gains are referred to the considerable amount of muscle growth that is experienced typically within the first year of training. After the first year or two of training, the amount of muscle gain slows considerably.

CUTTING AND BULKING: WHY NOT BOTH AT THE SAME TIME? It’s been traditionally thought that you can’t gain muscle and lose fat at the same time in most individuals. However, the fitness and scientific communities now better understand a process called body recomposition. During body recomposition, you lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Previously, this process of body recomposition was only thought to occur in obese individuals or people just beginning to resistance train. However, a new study by Barakat, Pearson, Escalante, Campbell, & Souza (2020), has suggested that even trained individuals can experience body recomposition by optimizing their sleep and protein intake or even following an extended hiatus from training. Although body recomposition is possible, I would recommend you focus on either cutting or massing, depending on your current goals. Optimizing (i.e., getting enough) sleep, protein intake, and training variables can lead to body recomposition. Again: While body recomposition can happen, I would not prioritize body recomposition as a specific goal for anyone, rather as a beneficial side effect.

BULKING: WHAT TO EXPECT AND TIPS Unless you’re overweight, you should spend at least a year in a bulking phase or a caloric surplus. Again, you don’t need to be in a caloric surplus to build muscle, but in order to optimize muscle growth, you do need to be in a caloric surplus (Iraki, Fitschen, Espinar, & Helms, 2019). You should expect to gain some fat, and that is OK. It’s not necessarily a desirable component of the process, but the muscle that you will build will be worth it. This is a great opportunity to learn to enjoy delayed gratification. During this bulking phase, you should focus on your performance in the gym and on getting stronger. If you are getting stronger, you are very likely getting bigger. During this time, it is important to not focus on reaching a certain weight. During a bulking phase, many people, for whatever reason, get caught up on an ideal weight that they pull out of their head that they’d like to achieve. Chasing a weight on the scale is a terrible idea. You will get caught up in getting that special number rather than making quality, lasting muscle gains. You should focus on getting stronger and attaining a slight weight gain (0.25-0.5 lb) per week, rather than simply trying to gain weight. I’ve done this before, and guess what? I got fat. I’ve had much more success with a

clean bulk, where my body composition is still favorable, I don’t hate the way I look, I feel good, and I am getting stronger each session in the gym. During your bulk, you might find that you can’t eat enough calories to fit your given goals or that you have diminished appetite. This is likely because a hormone called leptin, which is responsible for satiety (feeling full), is in abundance due to higher levels of body fat. This hormone is stored in body fat; so, the more body fat you have, the more leptin you have and the less hungry you’ll feel. Some ways to overcome this lack of appetite is to keep your body fat lower so you have less leptin stored, drink your calories (Gatorade, juice, milk), and to eat foods with low satiety indexes, such as sugary candies or bakery goods. A massing phase is a time to not be as focused on food and to enjoy a wider variety of food. I use this time to be more flexible with my diet, enjoy some occasional beer, and enjoy other aspects of life while still achieving gains. I won’t have an eight-pack, but I will be able to achieve muscular growth and get stronger. When bulking, your macronutrients should contain high protein intake, high carbohydrate intake, and moderate-to-high fat intake. Your goal is to consume enough calories to fuel muscle growth. Since this phase of dieting is performance-based, carbohydrates are the highest during this phase so you can produce the greatest stimulus for muscle growth in your training. Macro ratios for bulking will vary on individual factors but typically will contain the ratio mentioned of high protein, high carb, and moderate-to-high fat. This phase of dieting is when the “building” part of bodybuilding occurs, and it’s

the most important because you cannot cut down to reveal your muscles if you have no muscular foundation to reveal. Take your time in this phase: get stronger, be flexible, and embrace the bulk-life. Some people recommend not doing any cardio during a bulk to maximize caloric intake, but I am not one of those people. I recommend that you perform minimal-to-moderate cardio to maintain your cardiovascular and respiratory health and performance at least three times a week during a massing or bulking phase. Not only will this improve your overall health, but it will also help build your endurance and performance during resistance training. This is particularly important on compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and bent-over rows, which are particularly aerobically demanding due to recruitment of large muscle groups. Don’t allow yourself to achieve limited muscular gains by a lack of aerobic conditioning that will limit your ability to perform compound lifts. Here are some tips for a successful bulking phase:

● Don’t get sloppy- keep things in check to retain motivation ● Keep doing cardio ● Allow for flexibility ● Embrace your bulking body ●

Appreciate strength gains

● Drink your calories if you have difficulty eating them, in forms such as fruit juice, Gatorade, and protein shakes ● Eat things that are more calorically dense with less satiety to get

calories in, such as bakery goods, candy, or cereal

CUTTING: WHAT TO EXPECT AND TIPS The goal of cutting is to maintain as much of the muscle that you have acquired in the offseason as possible. During this phase, you will undergo a carbohydrate and fat decrease of your daily consumption. Protein will largely be kept the same as it was in the offseason or elevated to retain muscle. Protein is very important in this phase for its properties of skeletal muscle maintenance and high satiety it provides (Helms, Zinn, Rowlands, & Brown, 2014). During this phase, it is normal to look worse before you look better. You go through a period of appearing “skinny fat” during which you are not your most muscular-looking but are nowhere appearing to be lean. This phase is temporary. Keep on pushing through this phase and as your body fat levels decrease, you will look better and things will begin to take shape (literally). Once you begin to be legitimately lean (sub 10% bodyfat), your total food intake will dwindle. You will have less body fat and things may feel a bit “off”. You may feel fatigued, have brain fog, be irritable, have trouble sleeping, experience low libido, and women may experience loss of menstrual cycle. You may feel freezing cold in warm environments, it may be harder to catch a “pump”, your strength will likely decrease, simple tasks

may seem much more difficult to complete, and you will be constantly hungry; but at least you’ll be shredded. During this time, it is important to try to maintain strength and train as normally as possible to retain muscle mass. It is also important to keep your stress levels low as your cortisol (the hormone released in response to stress) levels will be elevated, which will make it harder to relax and continue to lose fat (Samra, Clark, Humphreys, MacDonald, Bannister, & Frayn, 1998). During a cutting phase, your body is fighting for “survival”; instinctually, your body is trying to maintain body fat, which is essential for survival. Luckily for us, we no longer are huntergatherers who are unaware of when our next meal will be or where it will come from. Our primitive instincts are unaware that there is an abundance of food most places you turn in the world today. Most people struggle with this component of dieting because hunger and fatigue are very difficult to deal with. Hunger and fatigue will create weakness in even the strongest of individuals. Hunger is an urgent feeling; it is almost painful and very uncomfortable. But as many experienced bodybuilders say when undergoing a cutting diet, “embrace the suck”. It is important to understand during this time period of cutting, you are choosing to do this and no one is forcing you to do this. If you are entering a cutting phase, remember you are fortunate enough to intentionally reduce food intake, as many people throughout the world have to unintentionally reduce their food intake. “Dieting down” or losing body fat, is very difficult and requires a lot of mental and physical willpower. If

you are able to diet down to single digit levels of body fat percentage, you will be able to do anything. It is that difficult. Getting very lean (less than 10% body fat) is not healthy nor is it maintainable. I have experienced adverse effects while getting very lean, such as shivering while wearing a hooded sweatshirt when it was 99 degrees outside, becoming anemic, extreme fatigue, not being able to defecate properly for weeks, little to no libidio, and experiencing extreme irritability in trivial situations. That guy on the cover of Men’s Health with the eight-pack abs looks like that one day out of the year, and he probably feels awful. He has perfect lighting and tanning, is flexing as hard as possible while trying to make it look like he isn’t, and has a little bit of Photoshop to help him out. Keep this in mind when dieting; you will not always look “good”. You will be bloated at times and appear more detailed or leaner sometimes and may appear less “sharp” at other times. When battle cutting pains, here are some tips to make it suck less:

● Emphasize caffeine intake during this time as it can blunt hunger and increase overall thermogenesis (heat created by digestion of food) throughout the body by speeding up physiological processes. and actually cause the breakdown of body fat (Astrup, Toubro, Hein, & Madsen, 1990) ● Perform low intensity steady state cardio to reduce levels of hunger (Dorling, et al., 2018) ● Drink carbonated beverages to fill your stomach

● Eat more vegetables and fruits ● Eat potatoes; they have one of the highest satiety indexes out of any carb source (Geliebeter, I-Ching Lee, Abdillahi, & Jones, 2013) ● Phase out protein supplements and opt for whole food sources of protein ● Eat foods with more physical volume but lower calorie profiles, such as egg whites, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, cucumbers, celery, and popcorn ● Use this time to find new hobbies to distract your mind from hunger. Personally, playing guitar or video games is beneficial to me ● Accept discomfort and hunger

WHAT TO DO AFTER A CUT? After a bulking or massing phase, it is obvious that it would be time to introduce a cutting phase to reveal your muscle that you have built. But what about after a cutting phase? After a cut you will be lean and your muscles will be revealed, but most individuals want to improve and get bigger following a cutting diet. What do you do now? Traditionally, a reverse diet has been proclaimed as the method to utilize when following a cut. This diet strategy involves adding a small of calories (usually 50-100 calories per day, usually from carbohydrates) per week and gradually increasing your calories until you’re in a caloric surplus, or a massing phase. Reverse dieting is said to create a metabolic adaptation, adjust insulin sensitive, and allow you to be leaner and eat more calories per day. The science does not back this claim (Halliday, Loennkeke, & Davy, 2016). What a reverse diet actually does is prolong your caloric deficit. Since the incremental increases are so miniscule, you are simply still in a deficit and prolonging it so you will remain lean or even become leaner. An increase in NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) due to increased caloric intake is said to contribute to this factor of eating more and getting leaner. In the past, I’ve had some success with this method as it motivates me to remain more dedicated to my diet and it allows me to slowly transition to a

surplus or maintenance. The alternative to reverse dieting is going back to maintenance caloric intake right away, or what is called the recovery diet. Reverse dieting following a cut may be ideal after your first cut because you are not “shooting in the dark” in regard to what your maintenance calories are. True maintenance caloric intakes are very difficult to determine and often fluctuates due to variances in activity, lifestyle, etc. Reverse dieting can allow you to have a more favorable massing body composition as you can accurately gauge when you begin to put on body fat better and taper calories to limit body fat accumulation rather than just a large initial increase. The science does not back reverse dieting, but I personally think utilizing this strategy following a cutting diet can be of some use in certain circumstances. For example, if you have just implemented a cutting diet to get leaner but aren’t “diced to the socks”, then a reverse may be for you as you aren’t experiencing the negative side effects that accompany being lean. If you are very lean, perhaps from competing, and you are experiencing a lot of negative side effects due to very low levels of body fat, a recovery diet may be a more favorable option.

CHEAT DAYS AND REFEEDS Everyone’s favorite day: cheat day. Cheat days typically are designated on a specific day of the week and this includes the person eating whatever they please without any restriction. In the past this was said to “boost” your metabolism and burn more fat. This is incorrect and cheat days can hinder diet progress greatly as too many calories, even in one day, can prevent fat loss or even cause fat gain. Cheat days may be a good psychological break from a diet, but one day actually can derail progress if enough calories are consumed. Instead, a controlled day of higher caloric intake is favored. This is called a “refeed” day. It is similar to a cheat day in that it is a day of the week designated for high caloric intake, but it is controlled and planned. A recent study performed by Campbell, et al., (2020), analyzed the effect of refeeds on calorically-restricted individuals. The study found that introducing a two-day refeed period in resistance trained males and females (you), that involved increasing daily carbohydrate intake during a dieting or cutting phase, helped these individuals retain fat-free mass (muscle) and maintain their resting metabolic rate. So not only is it a good psychological break from restrictive dieting, but also physiologically. The same study also found that resistance training, high protein intakes, a slow rate of weight loss, and planned

refeed days may prevent negative side-effects due to an extended phase of caloric restriction. A con to using refeeds is that they may slow fat-loss down, but as mentioned previously, fat loss is more effective and lasting when performed at a slow and steady rate rather than fast and aggressive.

HOW TO TRACK WHEN GOING OUT TO EAT Your life should not revolve around bodybuilding! We go out to eat and enjoy other aspects of life as well. I do not recommend bringing your food scale to the restaurant and demand the chef weigh every ingredient out for you to track. Instead, you will have to estimate the calories/macros of the meal. When in doubt, always overestimate the number of calories/macros that compose a meal because, as a waiter of seven years, restaurants load their food with oils, butter, and salt in order to make things taste as good as possible. You probably will never be dead on with your estimation of macros when going out to eat, but do your best to allot for the calories that you will consume when dining out. Try to plan other meals for the day in order to fit the meal you select when dining out. For example, eat less meals or skip a meal if you plan on eating a large meal when dining out. Some perspectives say to not even track and just enjoy the meal. This is fine too, just get back on track the next day. In the past, I have used meals that I consumed while dining out as my refeed. If you choose to remain on track when dining out, choose options with high protein and choose vegetables as a side option. Choose salads and lean sources of protein (sirloin, chicken, fish) for your main course. The only time

I would recommend avoiding dining out all together is if you were preparing to compete in a bodybuilding show in the near future which requires your nutrition to be precise and near perfect. A lot of chain restaurants provide nutritional information on their menus or are included in nutrition tracking apps. Still, these are not 100% accurate but I would still use these as a basis for your estimation. I suggest that likely there are even more calories than what is provided on the menu or the app as the cooks do not precisely measure each ingredient that they use in meal preparation (for example, oil and butter).

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GO OFF TRACK Let’s face it, you’re going to make mistakes. I have messed my diet up countless times. Even as a professional bodybuilder now, I still mess my diet up. This happens for several reasons such as certain social situations, emotions, impulsivity, and many others. If you are to go off track of your diet, simply move on and do not worry about it. One meal did not make you lose fat and one meal/mistake will not ruin your physique. Fat loss requires consistency and dedication, not just eating one accurate meal a day. Do not try to make up for the mistake by introducing excessive cardio or restricting your caloric intake the next day. Just move on from the mistake and get back on track. Real “damage” is caused when you begin to consistently go off track as these mistakes will accumulate. It takes consistently going off track to derail progress, just like it requires consistently remaining on track to achieve progress.

COMMON ISSUES WITH NUTRITION “I eat healthy and I’m not losing fat.” As a coach and fitness enthusiast, this is a common phrase I encounter. The individual is eating nothing but “clean” and “healthy” foods but can’t seem to lose fat. I then ask the person if they are tracking their macros or calories? Their response most of the time: “No”. This is because “healthy” or nutrient-dense foods can be calorically-dense and a good percentage of them are! For example, a person may eat avocados and almonds daily because of their nutrient-dense properties that are beneficial to overall health, but they are unaware that these options are loaded with calories and it is easy to eat a lot of these foods, because they taste good. Excessive consumption of even these “healthy” foods can cause them not to be in a caloric deficit. In order to gauge progression and guarantee you witness progression in a fat loss or muscle gaining phase, regarding diet properties, you must track your calories or otherwise you are “shooting in the dark” and will have no idea how many calories you are actually consuming daily. This makes it difficult to make any kind of change to your diet as progression stalls. “I can’t gain weight or muscle.” Another common phrase I’ve encountered by typically younger males. I then ask them if they are tracking

their caloric intake in unison with their progressive resistance exercise program. Their response generally, again, “No”. Then usually will elaborate with something along the lines of “But I eat a ton”. This doesn’t matter, if you are not tracking your caloric/macronutrient intake and not gaining weight, you are not eating enough to be in a caloric surplus. These “hard gainers” usually are overestimating their caloric intake and not actually tracking their food, leading to the belief that they are a “hard gainer” or that they simply cannot gain muscle. To combat this, simply track your food. If you find yourself to still not gain muscle or weight, then increase daily caloric intake. If you find yourself not being able to eat the number of calories necessary to put on muscle, I recommend adding more calorically dense food such as “junk” like Pop-Tarts, pies, cake, pizza, pasta, or other sweets. In addition, consume calories in the form of liquid as it can be easier to consume more calories while being less filling. “I have a slow metabolism and can’t lose weight no matter what I do.” To this I respond with, yet again, “Do you track your caloric intake?”. Usually, their reply is that they don’t. People with “slow metabolisms” usually have low levels of NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) which contributes to their difficulty of losing weight or fat. Individuals with high levels of NEAT typically have “fast metabolisms”, or they are more active in movement that is performed for purposes other than exercise throughout the day. Typically, more relaxed, more sedentary individuals have “slow metabolisms”, have lower levels of NEAT and individuals that have “fast metabolisms” are usually more active and energetic, contributing to

their NEAT which causes caloric expenditure.

SUPPLEMENTS I will begin this section stating that supplements are not necessary to make gains and should not be a replacement or crutch for improper diet. The majority of your nutrients should come from whole foods. Supplements can assist training or recovery, but to a minimal extent. There are literally thousands of supplements on the market but I will discuss the only ones that I have found to have any kind of benefit in my training and recovery. I have tried a lot of supplements over the years and I can confirm most of them are useless and just a waste of money (like BCAA’s mentioned previously). The supplement that is most effective for training is caffeine. Caffeine is one of the most widely researched supplements in sports medicine. It has an energizing effect and can improve mental alertness, physical output, improve mood, and blunt hunger. Consuming caffeine prior to a training session enhances strength performance and reduces fatigue and pain (Duncan, Stanley, Parkhouse, Cook, & Smith, 2011). The FDA recommends that caffeine in amounts of 400 mg or less is safe for cardiovascular health considerations. To put this in perspective a cup of coffee or Red Bull energy drink has 80 mg. I would recommend not taking caffeine in the evening as it can impair sleep. I recommend anywhere from 100 mg- 350 mg of caffeine to be consumed prior to a workout (Grgic,

Mikulic, Schoenfeld, Bishop, & Pedisic, 2019). The optimal dosage will depend on caffeine tolerance, body weight, etc.The main ingredient in preworkout powders is caffeine. Pre-workout powder is not necessary and can be substituted with caffeine pills, energy drinks, coffee, or other sources of caffeine. Pre-workout powders also usually contain beta-alanine which may improve performance (Trexler, et al., 2015) and create a “tingling” sensation that is felt on the skin. Another common ingredient in pre-workout is Lcitrulline, which can enhance the “pump” or feeling of tightness in a muscle that is experienced following resistance training. This increases blood flow to the metabolically active tissue and temporarily slightly increases size of the muscle. L-citrulline improves physical performance as well as contributing to the “pump” (Suzuki, Morita, Kobayashi, & Kamiura, 2016). This feeling is very satisfying and often sought after by bodybuilders. The next most effective and most widely researched supplement is creatine. Creatine is most commonly sold in the form of creatine monohydrate. Creatine is a naturally occurring substance found in food that our body uses as fuel during short bursts of intense exercise, such as lifting weights. Creatine is found in very small amounts in food. The current recommendation of supplementation of creatine is 5mg per day for the average person, with larger individuals requiring 5-10 mg per day. Creatine is shown to enhance performance in weight training (Lanhers, Pereira, Naughton, Trousselard, Lesage, & Dutheil, 2017), which in turn will lead to greater hypertrophy. Creatine does not directly cause muscle gain, nor does it cause water

retention, kidney damage, or any adverse effects (Poortmans, & Francaux, 2000). New research shows that creatine can improve cognition and is shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in aging individuals (Adhihetty, & Beal, 2008). Creatine is safe, cheap, and effective. I do not find creatine to create a large difference or be life changing, but it is so cheap and easy to take that its minimal benefit is worth investing in. Creatine can take many forms, but the most widely researched, the simplest, and what I recommend is creatine monohydrate. It usually is tasteless and can be added to any beverage. Creatine “loading” is often recommended when first taking creatine. This involves taking a higher than daily average to provide the muscles with an initial basis of creatine levels, however, this is not necessary to do (Hall, & Trojian, 2013). The next supplement I recommend considering is ashwagandha root or KSM-66. Ashwagandha root or its derivative, KSM-66, is clinically proven to reduce stress levels in individuals experiencing chronic stress (Chandrasekhar, Kapoor, & Anishetty, 2012). Personally, I have experienced ashwagandha root to have an immediate impact and created a feeling of calmness and relaxation after taking it. I utilize it more so during an intense dieting phase for a contest, as cortisol (stress hormone), is high and can impede fat loss. Ashwagandha can aid in fat loss by lowering cortisol levels. Other supplements I take include fenugreek, fish oil, and vitamin D. Fenugreek is a scientifically-proven natural testosterone boosting herb (Mansoori, Josseini, Zilaee, Hormoznejad, & Fathi, 2020). I used this during my most recent contest preparation to try to preserve testosterone levels as

they become depleted during a dieting phase and when getting really lean. My experience with fenugreek was having a mild positive effect on training performance as I was able to maintain more strength during contest preparation compared to contest preps in years past. It is rather cheap and I will probably take it again the next time I compete. Fish oil is said to have benefits of improving joint health, cognition, support hormone function, reduce inflammation, improve immune function, and aid in weight management (Swanson, Block, & Mousa, 2012). I take fish oil specifically during a contest prep to preserve hormone function. Does it actually work? I’m not sure. I definitely find it to not have a significant impact on any of the mentioned variables, but it is cheap enough to take for a little added benefit. Vitamin D is important for bone health and immune health and function. We directly receive vitamin D through the sun and ultraviolet light. I take this during my contest preparation as my immune function is likely compromised due to low levels of body fat. There is quite a bit of evidence supporting the use of vitamin D for immune support and other benefits. Vitamin D is shown to improve physical performance as well (Manoy, et al., 2017) but the evidence is conflicting. Vitamin D is cheap enough to consider adding to your supplement repertoire.

TRAINING At this point, you have gained a basic understanding of nutrition, phases of dieting, and how to track your food in order to meet your goals. Now for the easier and more fun part, training! I use the term “training” rather than “working out” or “lifting” because training implies a more dynamic and purposeful activity. The training principles in this book will be directed toward a hypertrophy approach rather than strength or performance-based approach. Basically, I will discuss how to train to look good or how to build muscle rather than focusing on strength or athletic performance (although hypertrophy training can be beneficial in strength or athletic performance). If your goals are to be the top powerlifter or strongman in the world, I would not strictly follow the principles contained in this book. Training is the most important part of your bodybuilding journey because it is what drives muscle growth and what creates muscle retention. Without training, you would either just gain fat in a caloric surplus or just lose fat to reveal a skinny, non-muscular body in a caloric deficit.

THE BASICS What is a set? A set is a group of repetitions performed during a workout. A repetition is an individual movement of the exercise from start to finish. A repetition that is counted from start to finish composes the majority of exercises tailored toward hypertrophy training/bodybuilding. This kind of repetition involves three kinds of muscular contraction: concentric, eccentric, and isometric. A concentric contraction is where the muscle fiber shortens. Usually, this is the second, driven and focused portion of the movement. An eccentric contraction is where the muscle lengthens and typically is the first portion of a repetition in which the weight or mechanical stimulus is lowered so it can be brought back to the starting position through a concentric contraction and returned to the starting position. Isometric contractions typically occur in between concentric and eccentric contractions in which the muscle fiber doesn’t move, but is still contracted and works to stabilize the load. Isometric contractions are the main form of contraction during exercises in which the repetitions are counted in duration, such as a plank or wall-sit. These involve the individual holding a position statically (not moving but in a fixed position) but not actually performing a movement.

FORM When performing any exercise, proper form is very important to consider and implement. Every exercise should be performed by going through the entire range of motion or ROM. Using full range of motion during exercises will reap the most benefits of resistance training such as improved flexibility, improved mind-muscle connection, improved strength, improved hypertrophy, and reduced risk of injury. Using full ROM during resistance training produces bigger and thicker muscles. Using full ROM leads to less bone joint stress and is crucial for novice trainees to learn and master (Pinto, et al., 2012). Each exercise should be performed in a controlled manner without jerking or using momentum to move the weight. “Cheat reps” are reps that use momentum in order to continue to overload the muscle, but beginners should avoid this technique as it is not necessary. Using partial ROM may be beneficial to intermediate and advanced trainees as the load is able to be greater than repetitions performed with full ROM (Pinto, et al., 2012). During each exercise, during the concentric phase of the lift, the trainee should exhale and brace their core. During the eccentric phase, the trainee should inhale and prepare to exhale for the next concentric portion of the

exercise. Proper breathing and bracing is especially important during the performance of compound lifts. For demonstration of proper form, I recommend viewing videos on Bodybuilding.com as they provide great examples and provide verbal cueing that will help you with performance of exercise. Be careful with resources online as many sources contain misinformation or improper demonstrations. Bodybuilding.com does a great job of effectively and truthfully demonstrating and explaining proper form of training exercises.

BODYBUILDING ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY 101 Bodybuilding training requires a basic understanding of human anatomy and physiology. Despite the human body having over 600 muscles, there are specific muscle groups that are targeted in a bodybuilding training program. These involve the chest (pectoralis major and minor), shoulders (deltoids), traps (trapezius), abs (rectus abdominis), triceps (tricep brachii), biceps (biceps brachii), back (latissimus dorsi, erector spinae group, lower and middle trapezius, rhomboids), quadriceps (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius), hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus), calves (gastrocnemius and soleus), glutes (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus), hip abductors (gluteus medius and minimus, and tensor fasciae latae), and hip adductors (adductor brevis, adductor longus, adductor magnus, pectineus, gracilis, and obturator externus). Each muscle has a specific physiological movement that it performs and this is how the muscles will be trained- by performing the physiological movement the muscle is responsible for with resistance provided through weights, cables, or machines. The main function of the chest is horizontal shoulder adduction, or bringing your arms together, like if you were to give yourself a hug. During a

chest press of any variation, during the concentric phase, the arms should be pushed toward the middle of the body, or horizontally adducting. During a press, the chest muscles act like a slingshot to push the weight away from the body. Pressing movements also work the shoulders, triceps, glutes and legs (if done properly), and the lats. Chest flys are a great exercise for the chest as it more obviously involves horizontal shoulder adduction, the main anatomical movement the chest muscles are responsible for. Flys and pressing motions should both be included in a programming for chest. The shoulders, or deltoids (delts) have three anatomical “heads”. The anterior (front) head, lateral (side) head, and posterior head (rear delts). Each “head” has a different anatomical function. The anterior deltoid is responsible for a motion called shoulder flexion, or raising your arm upward, in front of you such as a referee does in American football to signify that a field goal is good. Typically, the anterior deltoid is very involved in overhead pressing and chest pressing, so a resisted shoulder flexion exercise typically isn’t needed. The lateral deltoid is responsible for shoulder abduction, or raising your arm out to the side, away from the body, such as what the arms do during a jumping jack. The lateral head of the deltoid is the only head that needs to be exclusively isolated with a specific exercise as they aren’t heavily recruited in compound lifts. The anterior or posterior deltoid heads are utilized heavily during other compound lifts. The lateral deltoids are very important for developing large, “capped” shoulders that complete any physique. In order to properly train the lateral deltoids, side resisted raises or flys should be

performed. These can be performed with dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, cables, or on a specific machine. The posterior deltoid (rear delt) is responsible for shoulder horizontal abduction or bringing the arms across and away from the trunk. An example of this motion is a baseball umpire making the “safe” motion. The rear deltoids are heavily recruited during most back specific training exercises but also should be isolated as well for optimal development. Some exercises include rope face pulls, bent over rear delt flys or raises, or facing the opposite way of a chest fly machine and doing the opposite motion (most chest fly machines have the option to modify the machine so the trainee can perform a rear delt machine fly). The traps (upper, middle, lower trapezius) are a large, posterior, triangleshaped muscle in the middle of the back. When training the traps in the bodybuilding world, the upper traps are targeted and referred to. The middle and lower trapezius are worked intensely during back movements and are not isolated for bodybuilding purposes. The upper traps, or just traps, perform the motion of scapular elevation, or shrugging your shoulders up toward your ears. The upper traps are intensely worked on deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, shrugs, or upright rows. When performing shrugging movements, simply raise the shoulders upward, do not roll the shoulders backward in a circular motion, a common mistake made by novice trainees. The abs (rectus abdominis) are responsible for the motion of trunk flexion, or bending the trunk over toward your feet. This muscle is the “sixpack” muscle. This muscle is heavily recruited during compound movements

that require stabilization such as a deadlift or squat. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to do 1,000 sit-ups to reveal this muscle or build this muscle. This muscle has properties like any other muscle in the body and should be trained the same as other muscles; with heavy weight and progressively. Training this muscle and making it stronger will help it be revealed more easily and will make it “pop” more when lean enough to expose the ab muscles compared to an underdeveloped rectus abdominis. The triceps (triceps brachii) is the large muscle on the posterior and superior (top) region of the upper arm. The triceps composes ¾ of the upper arm. The motion the triceps brachii causes is elbow extension or straightening your arm out. This muscle is heavily utilized on any pressing or pushing movement but can be isolated as well. The tricep has three “heads” similarly to the deltoid. These heads include the long, medial, and lateral head. The long and medial head are worked more intensively with overhead movements such as dumbbell extensions, and the lateral head is worked more exclusively on exercises such as a tricep press-down or a skullcrusher. It is not as important to isolate these heads with different movements as it is to isolate the different heads of the deltoids. In fact, no direct tricep work is necessary as a proper program that includes plenty of pressing will be enough stimulus to induce tricep hypertrophy. The biceps (bicep brachii) is the muscle on the anterior superior portion of the upper arm. The biceps muscle has two “heads'' and two major functions, elbow flexion and supination. The short head of the biceps is more

responsible for elbow flexion, or bending the arm upwards toward the anterior deltoids, as you would do if instructed to touch your shoulder with your hand. Supination is primarily caused by the long head of the biceps and is the motion of twisting the wrist so that the palm is up, as if you were to hold a bowl of soup. The biceps are heavily recruited on pulling motions in which elbow flexion is a major part of the movement, such as during the upright row or lat pulldown. A bicep curl of any variation is a great choice for isolating this muscle, but like the triceps, the biceps are heavily recruited on pulling compound exercises so isolation exercises for bicep development aren’t necessary. If you do choose to isolate the biceps, a supinated curl with a dumbbell, in which the weight is curled and twisted so that the palm faces the body and returned to the side of the trunk near the waist in a fluid motion, is a great exercise to train the biceps as it utilizes both of the biceps’ physiological functions. The back-muscle group includes many muscles. It is a very large and important group of tissue. It is responsible for shoulder extension, or reaching your arm behind you while facing forward, horizontal shoulder abduction (making a “safe” sign), and extending the trunk, as you would when you stand back up from bending over to tie your shoes. All of these motions should be utilized in training. The muscles of the back require compound exercises to be properly trained such as bent-over barbell rows, lat pulldowns, low cable rows, machine rows, pullups, and deadlifts. Much of the back group function is to provide stabilization during compound lifts, similarly to

the rectus abdominis. The quadriceps (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius) compose the majority of the mass of the anterior superior portion of your upper leg. These four muscles work together to perform knee extension or straightening your leg out of a bent position. The quadriceps are heavily used during a leg press, squatting, leg extensions, lunges, split squatting, and many other exercises. The hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus) function to cause knee flexion, or bending the knee toward your butt. Hamstrings are heavily utilized on Romanian deadlifts and leg curls (both seated or lying). It is more difficult to isolate the hamstrings than other muscle groups. Contrary to popular belief, the hamstrings are not heavily recruited while performing the leg press or squats, to a much lesser extent than the quadriceps. The calves (gastrocnemius and soleus) perform the motion of plantar flexion or going up on your tip-toes. These can be a stubborn muscle to grow and often require years of progressively overloading them in order to achieve any noticeable size gain. The gastrocnemius composes the medial (middle) posterior portion of the calf where you typically see the “ball” of a welldeveloped set of calves. The gastrocnemius is primarily worked through standing calf raises. The soleus is the lateral portion of the calves and are isolated through seated calf raises more so than standing calf raises. Calf raises should be performed on an elevated surface that allows for the ankle to fully dorsiflex (ankle flexion) and then plantar flex to allow for full ROM of

the muscle. The glutes (gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus) are a large group of muscles responsible for many different physiological movements. The gluteus maximus’s primary function is to cause hip extension, pushing the pelvis forward, as seen in a hip thrust or when performing a proper squat. The gluteus medius and minimus perform the motion of hip abduction or opening your legs wide, away from the middle of your body. The glutes play a crucial role in deadlifting, sumo-deadlifting, squats, hip thrusting, lunges, split squats, leg pressing, Romanian deadlifts, and most other compound leg movements. The hip abductors (gluteus medius and minimus, and tensor fasciae latae) function to, you guessed, cause hip abduction, or opening your legs away from the middle of your body. These are utilized heavily on squats, sumo-deadlifts, and resisted hip abductions. Isolation training of the hip abductors should not be emphasized as a beginner trainee but can be a priority for intermediate or advanced trainees to develop the overall mass of the leg. The hip adductors (adductor brevis, adductor longus, adductor magnus, pectineus, gracilis, and obturator externus) function cause hip adduction or closing your legs and bringing them closer to the middle of your body. These muscles are used as stabilizers on compound exercises such as the squat and deadlift. Like the hip abductors, isolation training should not be emphasized as a beginner but can be a priority for intermediate or advanced trainees. Development of the hip adductors can aid in glute-hamstring development

and create a more pronounced tie-in of the two muscles. Other muscles such as the muscles in the forearms, the obliques, the tibialis anterior, and serratus anterior can be directed isolated and trained, but usually these muscles are stimulated efficiently through compound exercises. Hammer curls or reverse curls are a great exercise for forearm development as well as wrist curls and wrist extensions can be included to induce further isolation and possibly greater hypertrophy than compound lifts alone of the forearm muscles. The obliques are often trained when training the rectus abdominis and during bracing during compound lifts and do not need to be isolated, but still can be isolated through resisted trunk rotation or twisting your trunk left to right, and right to left. The tibialis anterior is the muscle on the anterior portion of your shin and causes the motion of dorsiflexion, or raising your foot toward the sky. Training this muscle can aid in ankle mobility but usually is not targeted through isolation exercises or bodybuilding purposes. The serratus anterior is a very important anterior muscle found laterally to the pectoralis major and minor that is very important for providing scapular/shoulder stability. It is also an important muscle for aesthetic reasons. However, since it is so greatly recruited during most chest movements, most back movements, most shoulder movements, and some ab movements, direct isolation is not necessary.

PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD Training for muscle growth requires applying the concept of progressive overload (Schoenfeld, 2010). This means that you have to continually overload the muscle to continue to achieve progress from training session to training session. This can happen by doing a greater amount of weight for the same number of repetitions that you did previously, performing more repetitions per set with the same amount of weight, or using stricter or more correct form than the previous session. Progressive overload involves getting stronger and increasing muscular endurance. In order to grow larger muscles, this is especially important as a natural, you must get stronger through this principle of progressive overload (Clarkson, Nosaka, & Braun, 1992). To accurately apply progressive overload, the trainee must record the amount of weight used during repetitions and sets during their training session. Without accurately recording your performance, it is difficult to gauge progress and you will not know what weight you have to “beat” during the next training session. Just like nutrition, training performance should be recorded to avoid “shooting in the dark”. This can be done on training apps or simply by pen and paper. How much should you progress per session? For dumbbell progression,

when increasing weight, use increments of 5 lbs. For example, if you successfully completed a dumbbell incline bench press with 60 lb. dumbbells for 4 sets of 8 reps, the next training session you perform this exercise you should aim to complete 4 sets of 8 reps with 65 lb. dumbbells. For barbell progression, when increasing weight, use increments of 10 lbs. For example, if you deadlift 345 lbs. for 3 sets of 6 reps, the next time you train deadlifts, you should aim to perform 3 sets of 6 reps with 355 lbs. If this 10 lb. increase is too heavy, aim for 5 lb. increase using 2.5 lb. plates on each side of the barbell. For machine progression, when increasing weight, use the next available weight setting. This usually involves taking the pin out of the weight stack of the machine and placing it in the spot below. Most machines also have some sort of increment device at the top of the weight stack that allow for smaller increase in weight.

HOW HARD AND LONG SHOULD I TRAIN? In the past, I would take each set I was performing to “failure” which means I would perform the exercise until my muscles gave out and could not perform any more repetitions even if my life depended on it. This isn’t terrible but nor is it ideal. A common mistake that many new trainees make is not training hard enough. Training until failure is better than not training hard enough, but what is the best amount of effort for inducing maximal hypertrophy? The current research shows that performing each set with 1-2 RIR (reps in reserve) is optimal for hypertrophy (Carrol, et al., 2019). This means that you should stop each set when you could still perform 1-2 reps, then fail. In this approach, you are training very closely till failure, but stopping the exercise just before. This allows enough stimulus and microtrauma to induce hypertrophy, but not so much that the muscle is “destroyed” and cannot recover. Training duration will vary based on the amount of volume (amount of training) that is called for in each program. Beginners require the least volume, intermediate requires more, and advanced trainees require the most. If you want to create maximal hypertrophy, you want to train with heavy loads (80% of your one rep max) and with moderate volume (Mangine,

et, al., 2015). This study by Mangine et al., (2015) found that optimal volume is around 60 to 180 reps per major muscle group per week when weights are in the 60-80% of one-rep max. This study also showed that heavier weights (60-80% of one max) are superior to lighter loads for inducing hypertrophy. Duration should last anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours to allot for 2-3 minutes of rest in between sets. Keep in mind that many smaller muscles are also included in compound lives so you can add this to your total weekly volume per muscle group (ex. biceps utilized on lat pulldown). Training for longer than 2 hours is fine but most likely isn’t productive. Training for less than 45 minutes isn’t optimal as you should allow for at least 2-3 minutes of rest between sets (Martorello, et al., 2015) so your physiological processes can reset and so you can perform each set to the best of your physiological ability. However, some training will always be better than no training. Life happens, and it does not revolve around bodybuilding training for the majority of us.

WARMING UP How exactly do you warm up to lift weights? Should you stretch? Should you use bands and foam rollers? Should you do cardio to warm up? I recommend performing the first exercise you intend to do (should be the main movement, usually a compound and very physically demanding) with 50% of the weight you intend to perform during your working sets. I recommend about 10-12 reps with this range and not training until failure. Not only does this warm your muscles, but it will also warm your mind and prepare it for the stimulus that will be applied. I prefer to wear a sweatshirt initially to actually get warm and remove the sweatshirt when I feel I have been properly warmed up. Being “warmed up” is a subjective feeling. It is up to the individual to know when they are warmed up and ready to begin to train. Light cardio is a good way to warm up, but I would recommend not performing intense cardio before weight training as it can impede performance. Light aerobic activity is a good way to warm up the entire body for a training session. Micromovements with dumbbells or cables, such as resisted internal and external shoulder rotations are pretty much useless although many individuals “warm up” this way. It is in no way superior to simply performing the exercise you’re intending to begin with 50% of the weight and lightly

working with it, not taking it close to failure. Each muscle group per training session should be warmed up prior to the first working set. For example, if training chest first, then biceps, when finished with chest training, the biceps should be warmed up with 50% of the working weight for about 10-12 reps. Preferences for warming up vary per individual, as do most training variables. As you become more experienced, you will be able to properly gauge when you are properly warmed up. The takeaway point in regard to warming up is don’t overdo the warmup so much that it affects working set performance but make sure that it is effective and does the job.

DESIGNING A PROGRAM In a proper bodybuilding regime, each body part should be trained in order to create a complete, and balanced physique. Yes, this involves training legs. The current evidence states that each muscle group should be trained 2-3x a week for optimal hypertrophy (Schoenfeld, Ratamess, Peterson, Contreras, & Tiraki-Sonmez, 2015). However, frequency of training isn’t as important as intensity or weekly volume (Peterson, Rhea, & Alvar, 2005). There are different training program approaches or “splits” (training schedule). In the past, I utilized a “Bro Split” which involves training each muscle group once a day on a designated day. For example, Monday would be deemed “Chest Day” and that entire training session would be focused on different exercises that targeted the pectoralis major and minor, or the chest muscles. I was able to build a good foundation and have progressed using this method in the past. There is another approach, called PPL. This stands for “Push Pull Leg”. The “Push” is designated to muscles that “push” the weight or mechanical stimulus. This involves working the chest, triceps, and shoulders. The “Pull” day is designated to train the back, biceps, and lateral shoulders. The “Legs” is designated to train, you guessed it, legs. I have adopted this approach in the

past but did not enjoy it much and found I was unable to recover properly from it. This approach is praised by others and is effective. Usually, the three days of training are performed right after one another with one day of rest in between the cycle of the three days, then the cycle repeats. The most important thing when designing a program, is creating something that is enjoyable, effective, and sustainable. Bodybuilding’s duration should be counted in years, not weeks, not months, not days. With this being said, your approach to training should be something that you can see yourself doing over a long period of time. In order to create something that is lasting and sustainable, it has to be enjoyable. If you do not enjoy your training, it is worthless because this is supposed to be a fun and healthy hobby. Even as a professional bodybuilder, I would never be able to make a living on contest winnings, so I ensure my training is fun. Each muscle group should be worked during your weekly split or training program. Adequate rest should be provided to muscles in between training sessions so that they are not sore when training them again. As a beginner, you will find that you will be incredibly sore the first few weeks of weight training. Do not fear, it will not always be like this. The soreness from working out is referred to as DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness. However, the soreness never completely goes away and its effects will vary per individual. Muscle soreness is not a good indicator of growth or the effectiveness of a workout. Personally, the muscle groups that still get sore even after years of training are my chest, my legs (specifically glutes), and sometimes

my lats. My shoulders, arms, and calves are almost never sore. When introducing new exercises that involve new movements, the likeliness of DOMS to occur is greater.

BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE, AND ADVANCED PROGRAM CONSIDERATIONS

BEGINNER When beginning resistance training for the first time, the frequency of training should be the lowest and you will see the greatest amount of muscle growth within the first years of training. This is affectionately referred to as the “newbie gains”. When starting training, I recommend performing three training sessions per week with an emphasis on compound lifts. I recommend training only three days a week to account for the great amount of DOMS that is likely to be experienced by the trainee. Compound lifts are exercises that use multiple muscle groups in order to execute the movement. These compound lifts will give you the “most bang for your buck”. These movements require stabilization, good mind-muscle coordination, and are more physiologically difficult than isolation exercises (exercises that only focus on one muscle group specifically). These include, but are not limited to, bench press, deadlifts, squats, leg press, lunges, bent-over barbell rows, lat pulldowns, low cable rows, pull-ups, and Romanian deadlifts. These are all great exercises that utilize multiple muscle groups to perform the movement. Next, I will include a sample workout program for a beginner that includes compound movements.

DAY 1 ●

Barbell bench press: 3 sets of 6 reps

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Incline dumbbell bench press: 3 sets of 8 reps

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Shoulder military press: 3 sets of 6 reps

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Bent over barbell rows: 3 sets of 8 reps

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Leg press: 3 sets of 6 reps

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Leg extensions: 3 sets of 8 reps

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Calf raises: 3 sets of 8 reps

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Barbell bicep curl: 3 sets of 8 reps

DAY 2 ●

Rest

DAY 3 ●

Barbell deadlift: 3 sets of 6 reps

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Low cable row: 3 sets of 8 reps

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Cable chest fly: 3 sets of 10 reps

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Lateral dumbbell shoulder raises: 3 sets of 8 reps

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Rope face pulls: 3 sets of 10 reps

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Barbell lunges: 3 sets of 6 reps

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Seated leg curl: 3 sets of 8 reps

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Tricep pushdown: 3 sets of 10 reps

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Ab rope crunch: 3 sets of 8 reps

DAY 4 ●

Rest

DAY 5 ●

Barbell squat: 3 sets of 6 reps

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Romanian deadlift: 3 sets of 6 reps

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Decline barbell bench press: 3 sets of 8 reps

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Wide grip upright barbell row: 3 sets of 8 reps

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Lat pulldowns (shoulder width): 3 sets of 8 reps

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Calf raises: 3 sets of 8 reps

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Hammer curls: 3 sets of 8 reps

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Skullcrushers with cambered bar: 3 sets of 8 reps

DAY 6 ●

Rest

DAY 7 ●

Rest

This program includes full body workouts performed three times a week with an emphasis of compound exercises using free weights and cables. Free weights are what beginner trainees should start with so they establish the proper coordination and movement patterns required to perform most exercises. Beginners should expect to feel unstable and wobbly when first performing these exercises as they have to develop their muscular stability and coordination. Just like other athletic things, training with weights is a skill and must be practiced in order to obtain proper form. Later in training “careers”, individuals should perform machine exercises as they will be easier than if machine exercises were performed before free weight exercises. One method is not inherently better, but they should be used in unison as the trainee becomes more experienced and develops strength. There are pros and cons to each method of provided resistance. However, for older adults or very unsteady novice trainees, machines may be the best way to begin a resistance training program.

INTERMEDIATE I consider someone to be an intermediate bodybuilder when they have at least trained for one year consistently and have achieved noticeable improvements in muscular size and strength. After establishing a baseline of muscle (newbie gains), progression will slow. This is where many individuals give up as they see their progression slow greatly. This is a frustrating stage as you still haven’t acquired the muscular gains of those in the advanced stage yet and progression has slowed greatly. This is commonly the phase where the trainee seeks to use PEDs or other agents in an effort to increase their performance and physique. My advice for the intermediate trainee is to keep at their training and be patient even though it is very difficult to do. It will get better, but just requires great consistency and dedication to proper training. During this period, training volume should increase, more variety can be introduced, and volume (the amount of training per session) should and can increase. An intermediate trainer can adopt the “bro split” or a “PPL” split to introduce increased volume that is necessary for progression to continue. An example program for an intermediate trainer is shown below:

DAY 1 ●

Incline dumbbell bench press: 4 sets of 8 reps

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Machine flat bench press: 4 sets of 10 reps

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Decline barbell bench press: 4 sets of 8 reps

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Machine chest fly: 4 sets of 12 reps

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Machine press of choice: 2 sets of 15 reps

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Barbell curl: 4 sets of 10 reps

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Hammer curls: 4 sets of 8 reps

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Barbell reverse curl: 4 sets of 10 reps

DAY 2 ●

Hack squats: 4 sets of 6 reps

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Split squats: 4 sets of 8 reps

● Leg press (feet placed low for quad emphasis): 5 sets of 10 reps ●

Leg extensions: 4 sets of 8 reps

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Standing calf raise: 5 sets of 10 reps

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Seated calf raise: 4 sets of 10 reps

DAY 3 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Dumbbell row: 4 sets of 8 reps Lat pulldown (narrow grip): 4 sets of 10 reps Low cable row: 4 sets of 8 reps Plate loaded high row: 4 sets of 10 reps Assisted pullup: 2 sets of 15 reps Tricep dumbbell overhead extension: 4 sets of 10 reps Tricep decline skull crusher: 4 sets of 8 reps Tricep pressdown: 4 sets of 12 reps

DAY 4 ●

Standing overhead press: 4 sets of 8 reps

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Lateral cable raises: 4 sets of 10 reps

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Rear delt fly on machine: 4 sets of 12 reps

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Barbell shrug: 4 sets of 10 reps

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Ab crunch machine: 4 sets of 8 reps

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Ab wheel roll-outs: 4 sets of 12 reps

DAY 5 ●

Rest

DAY 6 ●

Romanian deadlift: 4 sets of 8 reps

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Barbell hip thrust: 4 sets of 8 reps

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Lying leg curl: 4 sets of 10 reps

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Hip adduction: 4 sets of 12 reps

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Hip abduction: 4 sets of 12 reps

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Decline dumbbell hamstring curl: 4 sets of 8

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Standing calf raise: 4 sets of 12 reps

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Seated calf raise: 4 sets of 10 reps

DAY 7 ●

Rest

ADVANCED The transition from intermediate trainee to advanced trainee is the most controversial with no accepted transition period or training experience that is universally agreed upon. I think of someone as an advanced trainee when they have been training consistently for 8 years or longer. During this time, visible progression is at the lowest and any performance progression is very slowly achieved. However, an advanced trainee has likely developed large, dense, and grainy muscles from years of prior training. The best bodybuilders in the world are in their 30’s, 40’s, and even their 50’s! Again, bodybuilding takes a long time and a lot doing the same thing day in and day out to support muscle building-goals. I will not provide a sample of an advanced training program as it is largely the same as intermediate but with more volume introduced. At this point of your training, you will know what works for your training and what is effective to fit your lifestyle. You will be able to easily design your own programs and implement them to fulfil your physique needs upon reaching the advanced stage.

HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK SHOULD I TRAIN? I recommend that someone trains anywhere from three to six days a week. Six days a week will be better than three, but this is not something that everyone can fit into their daily life. As long as the appropriate volume is included per muscle group week, 60-180 repetitions per muscle group (Peterson, Rhea, & Alvar, 2005), you will see progression and strength increases. The amount of days you train should allow you to properly rest so your muscles can recover. Rest days are a necessity in any program to allow your muscles to recover and repair themselves (Peterson, Rhea, & Alvar, 2005). By including more days of training into your program, your volume can be more evenly distributed and this will allow for the upper range of the appropriate weekly repetition range to be reached. Personally, I train five days a week as this fits best with my lifestyle and my bodybuilding goals.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CHANGE MY PROGRAM? Frequently, individuals change their program far too often. This is often done to induce “muscle confusion” which is thought to believe to lead to an increase in muscular gains. Muscles cannot be confused; they have no neurological properties. In order to properly gauge overload, you must perform the same exercises and rep/set schemes week to week in order to accurately progress upon. Splits or training schedules can be utilized for many months and should be changed once progression stalls or the individual truly becomes bored with their programming. I recommend that someone sticks with a program for several months before considering changing it to any degree.

DO SPECIFIC POPULATIONS NEED TO TRAIN DIFFERENTLY? It does not matter your sex or age; everyone should train similarly with the same basic principles applied: progressive overloading. Sure, there will be different variations such as personal goals (powerlifter vs. bodybuilder) or some particular exercises may not be possible for certain individuals to perform due to injuries, variations in personal anatomy, or personal preference. Just because someone is elderly does not imply that they should greatly alter their program than that of someone that is younger. These individuals may not be using the same weight as someone that is younger, but that does not mean the basic principles are different. The same applies to women. It is a common myth that women should lift lighter weights in higher rep ranges with different exercise selections, but this is untrue. Women and older individuals should train with high intensity and moderate volume.

QUALITY EXERCISE SELECTION BASED ON MUSCLE GROUPS There are thousands of exercises you can implement in your programming using all kinds of different machines and equipment. It would be impossible to list every single variation of every exercise that exists. I have listed my favorite exercises for each muscle group and exercises that I found to be the most effective for training the selected muscle groups.

CHEST: ●

Barbell bench press

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Incline barbell bench press

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Decline barbell bench press

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Flat dumbbell bench press

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Incline dumbbell bench press

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Decline dumbbell press

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Cable flys- low, medium, high starting positions

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Pullovers with dumbbells or with a pullover machine

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Decline push-ups

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Dumbbell flys

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Incline dumbbell flys

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Decline dumbbell flys

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Machine press of any variation

BACK: ●

Conventional deadlift

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Sumo-deadlift

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Bent over barbell row (any grip variation)

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Lat pulldown-cable (any grip variation)

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Dumbbell row

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Machine/dumbbell pullover

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Low cable row (any grip variation)

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Machine row (any grip variation)

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Pull-ups (any grip variation)

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Back extension machine

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Lat pulldown machine

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Seal rows

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Romanian deadlifts

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Barbell good-mornings

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Stiff-legged deadlifts

SHOULDERS/TRAPS: ●

Seated dumbbell press

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Standing dumbbell press

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Seated military barbell press (go in front of your neck, going behind isn’t bad but the risk for injury outweighs the reward)

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Standing overhead military press

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Lateral raises/flys with dumbbells

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Lateral raises/flys with cables

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Lateral raises/flys with kettlebells

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Lateral raises/flys with resistance bands

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Lateral raises/flys with machine

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Rear delt fly on machine

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Face pulls with tricep rope attachment

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Wide grip upright rows

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Bent over rear delt raises/flys

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Bent over rear delt rows

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Single arm cable-resisted horizontal abduction

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Seated Arnold press

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Standing Arnold press

● Barbell shrug (do not roll shoulders, just bring shoulders straight up

and down) ● Dumbbell shrug (do not roll shoulders, just bring shoulders straight up and down)

ABS: ● All compound movements utilize the abs through the Valsalva maneuver (core bracing) ●

Ab wheel rollouts

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Ab barbell rollouts

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Resisted crunch with tricep rope

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Machine crunch

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Hanging leg raises with bent knees

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Hanging leg raises with straight legs

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Captain’s chair leg raises with bent knees

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Captain’s chair leg raises with straight legs

BICEPS: ●

EZ (cambered bar curl)

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Dumbbell curl

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Barbell curl

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Reverse curl (barbell or dumbbell)

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Cable curl

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Hammer curl

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Supinated curl

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Zottman curl

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Incline curls

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Cable reverse curl

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Pull-ups with supinated grip

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Seated supinated curl

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Spider curl

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Preacher curl

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Machine curl

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Machine preacher curl

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Tricep rope hammer curl

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Lying down cable curl on cable low row

TRICEPS: ●

Close grip bench press

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Reverse grip bench press

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Tricep dip

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Tricep dip machine

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Skullcrushers (can be performed with dumbbell, EZ curl bar, or straight bar)

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Decline skull crusher

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Incline skull crusher

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Dumbbell skull crusher

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French press

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Standing overhead dumbbell extensions (one arm or two arm)

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French press- seated or standing

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Seated overhead dumbbell extensions (one arm or two arm)

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Dumbbell kick-back

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Cable kick-back

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Tricep press down with any attachment (rope, v-bar, cambered bar, straight bar, etc.)

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Reverse grip tricep extension

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Tricep extension machine

QUADRICEPS: ●

Barbell squats

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Barbell front squats

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Hack squats

● Any variation of the squat (Ex. Sissy squat, front kettlebell squat, safety bar squat) ●

Leg extension machine

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Lunges (barbell, dumbbell, body weight)

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Split squats

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Leg press (feet placed lower puts more emphasis on quads)

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Conventional deadlift

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Hip thrust (barbell, dumbbell, machine)

HAMSTRINGS: ●

Romanian deadlift (weight doesn’t touch floor during set)

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Stiff-leg deadlift (similar to Romanian deadlift but weight is pulled from the floor after each rep)

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Lying leg curl

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Seated leg curl

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Dumbbell leg curl

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Nordic leg curl

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Hip thrust (barbell, dumbbell, machine)

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Barbell good-mornings

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Standing leg curl machine

GLUTES: ●

Any variation of squatting

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Leg press

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Sumo deadlift

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Conventional deadlift

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Romanian deadlift

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Stiff-leg deadlift

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Hip thrust (barbell, dumbbell, machine)

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Lunges (barbell, dumbbell)

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Split squats

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Barbell good-mornings

CALVES: ●

Standing calf raise machine

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Standing calf raise with barbell

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Standing calf raise with dumbbells

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Standing calf raise on Smith machine

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Seated calf raise on machine

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Seated calf raise with barbell or dumbbell

HIP ABDUCTORS: ●

Hip abductor machine

HIP ADDUCTORS: ●

Hip adductor machine

ARE THERE EXERCISES THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST DO? When I was a beginner bodybuilder, I was infiltrated with the ideas that I must perform squats, bench presses, and deadlifts to get as big as possible. Throughout my first few years of training, I was dead set on perfecting my squat, bench, and deadlift, which is what every beginner should also do. These are great compound exercises to include in your programming and have a magnitude of benefits. But are they really necessary? No! Our goal is to create an aesthetic physique, not to compete in powerlifting competitions. If you are a powerlifter, then yes, you must squat, bench, and deadlift, but if your goal is hypertrophy and to look good, then you do not have to perform these exercises. I recommend that beginner trainees perform these exercises and master them as they are great exercises to build a muscular foundation, but they are not necessary later on in your bodybuilding “career”. You can still build an impressive physique without doing any of these traditional “big three” lifts. However, some variation of these lifts should be included in your programming. For example, I absolutely hate barbell squatting. I was never

able to master the form (I blame it on poor ankle mobility, despite using elevated heels/surfaces) and I found that they were not incredibly beneficial to my leg development. Did they help my leg development? Sure, but I hated doing them. I now opt for the hack squat and split squat variation which are more enjoyable for me to perform and I feel they are more effective for me personally. An exercise that is enjoyable and that motivates you to put 100% effort into will be more effective than something you absolutely dread performing. Some good substitutions for squatting include hack squats, split squats, leg presses, lunges, front squatting, sumo squatting, and other variations. Good substitutions for the deadlift include Romanian deadlifts, stiff-legged deadlifts, and bent over barbell rows. If you wish to swap out the barbell bench press good options include dumbbell pressing or machine pressing of any variation. The important thing is to choose something that is enjoyable, effective, and something that you are able to progress in.

HOW MANY REPS AND SETS SHOULD I BE PERFORMING? There is a traditional myth that lower rep amounts with heavier weights produces greater strength gains and makes your muscles whereas light weight with more reps per set makes you leaner or more “toned”. This is untrue. The number of reps you perform will not ever contribute to your body composition. Body composition is based mostly on dietary considerations, not the type of reps you perform. No matter your goal, maintaining strength should always be a priority. During a massing phase it is important to get stronger so your muscles will get bigger. During a cutting phase, it is important to try to get stronger or maintain strength as it will help with retention of lean muscle mass. I recommend, for any muscle group, anywhere from 6-15 reps for hypertrophy. Like previously mentioned, each set should be performed until there are only 1-2 RIR. Mangine et al., (2015) states that 60-180 reps per muscle group should be performed per week with 60-80% of the weight of the one rep-max for given exercise. Different rep schemes can be introduced if plateaus are reached or bored is achieved. Performing 6-15, compared to 30, will save you time and will be likely more enjoyable to perform and are more effective. But if you enjoy

doing 30 reps per set and you still are taking each set until you have 1-2 RIR, you will also see some progress (considering nutritional variables on task of course) but it will not be as effective as performing heavier loads (Mangine et al., 2015). This is an individual preference that will develop over time. Personally, I have enjoyed the 6-8 rep range the most but occasionally perform sets in the 10-15 range if I reach a plateau or become bored. Just like programming should stay the same for at least a month or two, the rep schemes that are included in the programming should as well so you can properly gauge your progressive overload. As for sets, usually 3-4 is the gold standard and allows you to achieve that 60-180 reps per muscle group standard.. Sometimes, main exercises that I prioritize in my training, for example if I wanted to emphasize improving my squat and the benefits of a squat, I would perform 5-6 reps rather than 34. Sometimes exercises that are less important for overall physique develop, for example bicep curls, you can use only 1-2 sets and likely no difference would occur.

DOES ORDER OF EXERCISES MATTER? The order in which you perform exercises matters. More important exercises that will provide the most benefit to your physique development (compound exercises, exercises of body parts you’d like to improve the most) should be placed at the beginning of your training session and isolation and accessory exercises should be placed toward the end of your training program. Using this order, energy levels will be highest when performing compound lifts, which require the most energy. Isolation or accessory exercises should be placed at the end of your program, as fatigue sets during the training sessions, because they require significantly less physical exertion than compound lifts. The same order of exercises should be used each session because progression will be more accurately gauged if exercises are performed in the same chronological order. If plateaus are reached, changing the order of exercises is a variable to consider changing to keep progression moving.

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES There are special kinds of sets and techniques that bodybuilders have introduced in an effort to mix their training regime in and continually challenge themselves. These include, but are not limited to, supersets, dropsets, negatives, and burn-outs. I am not a huge fan of using special techniques for reasons other than having fun. I rarely implement these techniques in my current training. In years prior, as an angsty teen trainee, I used these techniques frequently but I did not see any significant improvement or difference from a traditional training scheme. Try them out for yourself to see if they cause a difference or are more enjoyable for you. Supersets involve performing one exercise and then without resting and performing another exercise from a different muscle group or an associated muscle group to the first exercise performed. For example, someone may perform a set of bench presses, then directly perform a set of lat pulldowns. This is a good technique if you are short of time and still would like to achieve an increased amount of training volume. I personally do not like this technique as performance of the second exercise of the superset is compromised. Drop sets are sets that are initially performed with a working weight which will be the heaviest of the set. Once the trainee fails or comes close to

failure, they will reduce the weight from the working weight and perform another set of a lighter weight, using the same exercise. This cycle continues on until the trainee is too fatigued to continue on or until they can perform this with every available weight. Negatives are sets in which the majority of the duration of the exercise occurs during the eccentric portion of the exercise. Typically, a lighter weight is used, one that the trainee can easily move concentrically into the starting position, then will hold the weight statically and very slowly lower or return the weight to the starting position. Once they have moved the weight back to the starting position, in an explosive concentric motion, they return the weight back to the end ROM and they repeat. Burn-outs are sets that are performed usually at the end of a workout with light weight. These involve performing the exercise, without counting reps, performing as many reps as possible with a light weight followed by performing the exercise until failure. These will provide a great “pump” and leave the trainee feeling fatigued and satisfied. Are these really beneficial? No, but they are fun to do and leave you feeling satisfied as you leave the gym with a nice pump.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU MAX OUT? Maxing out involves performing one repetition with as much weight as you can possibly perform. Are there any benefits to this for hypertrophy? No. Maxing out is essentially useless other than to set benchmarks for your onerep max so you know what is an appropriate load for working sets, gauge strength progress over time, or to stroke your own ego. Maxing out should be rarely, if ever, be performed if your goal is hypertrophy. Personally, I may max out once per year, if that, and that number does not mean much to me. What is meaningful to me is seeing the personal progression from week to week contained in my working sets. I do not care about what others bench or the numbers they are putting up, I simply care about beating my performance from last week and building larger muscles. There are too many other variables to worry about than competing with other people in the gym or with your buddies to see who can move the most weight. The risk for injury outweighs the minimal benefit this kind of training produces. A cliché but true concept, your only competition is yourself. You should only worry about beating yourself, not anyone else.

DELOADS Weeks or months of intense training day in and day out can cause an individual to feel fatigued both mentally and physically. You may feel sore or that you aren’t recovering like you normally do. This is when you should implement a deload week. This involves performing the same movements you normally would but with 50% or less of the normal working load. This allows the body to actively recover from the relentless physical and mental stress that a demanding bodybuilding program can impose on someone. These are useful and should be taken every 8-12 weeks but will largely depend on how the individual feels. You will know when it is time to implement this as you feel consistently “beat up”, fatigued (mentally and physically) or when you just need a break from training. Some trainees just completely take a week off from training all together, which is fine too but the preferred method of recovery that is gaining favor in the bodybuilding community is the deload week. When the deload week is finished, the trainee continues on where you left off before the deload week. You may be stronger, you may be weaker, or you may have stayed the same; this will be dependent on the individual.

CARDIO Cardio should be implemented at every stage of dieting. It will help improve overall cardiovascular health and improve aerobic capacity. Cardio is very beneficial in weight training too. For example, when performing squats above 5 reps, it can be very demanding on the heart and lungs and you will find it difficult to squat more reps if not properly aerobically conditioned. Cardio can also be a tool for fat loss, but it is not a solution for a poor diet. It simply adds to overall caloric expenditure and makes fat loss easier as you are more likely to be in a deficit if you are performing cardio. The type of cardio you perform does not matter, whether it be HIIT (high intensity interval training), MISS (moderate intensity steady state), or LISS (low intensity steady state) if calories burned are matched. The method of cardio exercise does not matter either whether you prefer to run, cycle, stair climber, walking, or using an elliptical. I personally prefer the elliptical as I find it more enjoyable than other forms of cardio. Cardio should be performed after a training session so you are not fatigued from it when weight training or at a completely different time of the day. I perform cardio three times a week, with longer durations when in a fat loss stage, and shorter durations when massing and just trying to maintain my aerobic conditioning.

TRACKING PHYSIQUE PROGRESS The obvious way to track progress is to see the numbers of weights and reps you are moving increase. But what about tracking progress in regard to our physique? What is the best way? A common way to track progress with changes to the body is through body weight. The weight on a scale should be used as a tool to monitor progress but should not be the ultimate authoritative measure of progression. The best way to track physique progress is through photos and measurements. As you gain muscle, the weight on the scale may increase even if you are also simultaneously burning fat. This may be alarming to some, but do not fear, the scale is only a tool to measure progress. If you appear more muscular and leaner in photos, then you are making progress! You should notice that your waist is getting smaller or pants feel looser in this area. Another sign of progression is your chest, legs, and arms are getting larger or feeling tighter in clothing. These are all good signs of progress and that what you are doing is working in regard to bodybuilding training. Taking photos is the best way to document and measure progress over time as visual observations are the best way to determine changes in body composition and muscle mass.

SLEEP AND RECOVERY The two most single important factors of recovering well and preventing injuries are sleep and proper nutrition (Copenhaver, & Diamond, 2017). We have already discussed proper nutrition so I will discuss sleep now. Sleep is so often overlooked but is so vitally important for fat loss, muscle growth, mental and emotional health, recovery, and injury prevention (Charest, & Grander, 2020). Sleep is the time where our body repairs itself the most. If you find yourself to be injured or sore often, analyze your sleeping patterns. You should at least get 7-10 hours of sleep or more for proper recovery. Before spending thousands of dollars on massage guns, foam rollers, and chiropractic visits, analyze your sleep patterns and ensure that you are getting enough quality sleep each night. Make time for yourself to sleep and take time each night to relax before bed so you can properly prepare for sleep. Blue-light blocking orange tinted glasses, creating a dark and cool environment, limiting caffeine intake prior to bed, and taking enough time to unwind from your day will all enhance your ability to achieve a good night’s rest so you can feel rested and happy in the morning.

GYM GEAR There are a few specific items I recommend that every trainee has with them in their gym bag. First, a large duffle bag or gym bag to hold all of your equipment. The second piece of equipment is a gallon jug. I use a Gallon Gear refillable and reusable gallon jug. If you drink from a gallon, you’re more likely to drink more water throughout your session, you won’t have to continually refill a bottle, and you won’t have to continually use a drinking fountain. The next piece of equipment that you should have in your gym bag are wrist straps or something like a Versa Grip. These will allow you to use more weight on movements such as a deadlift or dumbbell row that wouldn’t be possible due to limitations in grip strength. Large muscle groups are much stronger than the small muscles of the forearm. Do not let limitations in grip strength hold back your strength gains of large muscle groups. Wrist straps can also be used on upright rows, shrugs, cable rows, lat pull downs, and Romanian deadlifts. The next piece of gym equipment is a proper weightlifting belt. The belt should be composed of quality leather, rather stiff, and 10-13 mm in thickness. Weightlifting belts add to core stability , stability, and add strength on compound lifts where the core is heavily compressed and used to stabilize

the body (Zink, Whiting, Vincent, & McLaine, 2001). It is not an injury prevention tool, but rather it gives your core something to push off against when performing the Valsalva maneuver- making you stronger. I highly recommend investing in a quality belt as it can add greatly to your lifts and stability. It will not make your core weak contrary to popular belief. The next piece of equipment I recommend are wrist wraps, which are different from wrist straps. Wrist wraps are typically used for pressing movements such as bench pressing or overhead pressing. These provide stability to the wrist joint and help keep the wrist straight while pressing. The straps should completely cover the wrist joint and be very tight; so tight that prolonged wearing of them will cut off blood circulation to the hand. These should not be tightened on the wrist for very long, only right before the lift. Another piece of equipment that I utilize are knee sleeves. Knee sleeves are form-fitting compression garments worn on your knees when performing leg training exercises. These are different from knee wraps which are wraps that are tied as tightly as possible around the knee joint. I do not think knee wraps are better than knee sleeves. Knee sleeves allow for more natural movements and are less restrictive. Knee sleeves can improve proprioception (mind-muscle connection), keep the knee joint warm, provide a feeling of stability, and if worn tight enough, can provide a sling-shot-like effect on movements such as the squat (Mohd Sharif, Goh, Usman, & Wan Safwani, 2017). I have found knee sleeves to allow me to move more weight than without wearing them. I wear knee sleeves when performing squats or a squat variation, leg pressing, and leg extensions. They can also be pulled down to

cover the shins to protect the skin from barbell rubbing that may be experienced when properly deadlifting. Trainees should wear a flat based shoe to train in such as Vans or Converse; as the flat sole will provide better grip on the floor surface while lifting and more stability than that of a traditional running shoe. Running shoes are designed to absorb impact, so this cushioning creates a disadvantage when trying to pull or squat or bench as we want to be as close to the floor as possible without any cushioning absorbing the force we are exerting and pressing through our feet. Olympic weightlifting shoes are another option to use when squatting as they provide an elevated heel which can allow for an increase in ankle ROM when squatting and provide greater stability as they have flat, very hard soles. Weightlifting shoes are usually very pricey and not necessary. I have two pairs of Olympic weightlifting shoes and I never wear them, instead I opt for wearing Vans during my training sessions.

CONCLUSION Bodybuilding should be a lifelong dedication and passion that should enhance your life in all aspects. It teaches discipline, establishes work ethic, helps with establishing supportive habits and routines toward long term goals, teaches acceptance of delayed gratification, and shows that hard work and dedication truly pay off. When you begin your journey, please keep in mind, patience is key. Success in changing your physique and building your body will not happen overnight. Give yourself time and be kind to yourself. Understand that true progression and establishment of habits and routines that support your physique goals will take years. You will learn things about yourself that you never knew and will understand your true potential; it is greater than you ever thought was possible. One workout will not make you jacked and missing one will not make you atrophy. Building a muscular physique requires dedication and persistence over a long period of time Proper nutrition, an active lifestyle that includes resistance training and cardiovascular training, establishing habits that support proper sleep and rest, and balancing personal, work, and social should be elements that everyone should incorporate into their lives to take care of their mind, body, and spirit.

Bodybuilding has taught me so much about myself and my own life and is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. I am happy I was able to share the basics of what I know about bodybuilding. I hope you can apply this information to your own life to achieve your own successes along your fitness journey.

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