OK, so hopefully you’ve read my previous post on muscle confusion (if not you may want to check it out before you read this post). Today I’m going to get a little deeper into muscle confusion by talking about workout cycles.  Generally speaking, muscle groups interact in three ways:

• Working with each other (complementing)
• Working opposite of each other (competing)
• Little or no involvement with each other (independent)

Let’s take a closer look at each one.

COMPLEMENTING – Muscles push or pull together. Use this when you want to focus less on mass and more on muscle endurance and development. Take very little rest between sets.

• Chest, Tricep, and Shoulders
• Back and Bicep
• Glutes and Hamstrings

COMPETING – As one group contracts, the other releases or stretches. Use for a good balance of size, endurance, and development.

• Chest and Back
• Bicep and Tricep
• Abs and Lower back
• Quads and Hamstrings

Shoulders can be worked along with legs

INDEPENDENT – Good for building mass with less focus on development and endurance. Take long rest between sets.

• Chest and Bicep
• Tricep and Back
• Legs and Shoulders

In addition to the ideas I discussed in my previous post, you should also vary your workout cycle (unless you need to stay on a cycle for functional purposes). Each cycle should be maintained for 2-4 weeks, depending on your goals. There is definitely more to be discussed about this so if you have questions post them as comments and I’ll respond asap. Until next time….. 

The short and simple answer is…………YES! YES! YES!

Muscle confusion is a technique used to stimulate maximum muscle growth and/or development. The actual idea is to constantly vary your training exercises and techniques to keep your body from adapting to your regimen to the point that your gains come slowly or stop. I have heard many fitness professionals say they believe in changing your routine every four weeks. My approach is a bit more radical than that. I believe that your routine should vary each time you work a muscle, with the exception of what I call foundation exercises.

Foundation exercises are those that work a muscle so efficiently that they should be performed every time you train it. Here are my foundation exercises:

1) Chest – bench press or d.bell chest press or pushups

2) Back – pullups and seated cable rows

3) Biceps – barbell curl

4) Triceps – dips

5) Shoulders – d.bell shoulder press

6) Legs – squats 

7) Abs – rollouts

I include these exercises every time I work the corresponding muscle group. By tracking my routines in a journal (read the “best techniques to build muscle” blog for more on this), I can make sure I’m increasing intensity every time.

The rest of your routine should vary each week in some way. This doesn’t mean every exercise has to be completely different. Even a small change such as a different grip or sequence can be enough to give the muscles a new challenge. Make no mistake though, varying the exercises in your routine is one of the best ways to push your muscle fibers to the limit. Check out my online fitness videos, if you need some new exercises. You will probably pick up at least one new thing. Until next time…… 

Gaining lean muscle is something that many men want to achieve. However, with so much conflicting and confusing information, knowing the best techniques to build lean muscle mass can seem daunting. So here are key principles I have used to obtain success with clients.

1.      You have to keep a journal containing details of each workout. Here’s why; your body has an incredible ability to adapt to the demands of strength training. If you don’t increase the intensity every time you work a muscle, gains in strength and muscle growth will slow and eventually plateau. Intensity is increased by adding resistance, sets, reps, or tempo.  By tracking all of these things you will be able to take the guess work out of whether or not you are working harder than you did last time. If you are not already doing this you are shorting yourself in a major way. Start using a journal every time you train and reach levels!

2.      Vary your training application and exercises. This piggybacks off of the previous point. Stay one step ahead of your body’s adaptive capabilities by mixing it up. I’ve stated this before and I’ll state it again: I use free weights, body weight, plyometrics, rings, and stability balls.  I also constantly change the exercises I perform with these different methods. So there’s no confusion, you can get awesome results by using one type of training application. However, you have to train harder and longer to do it. I believe in hard work but I also believe in smart work.

3.      Allow for recovery time. This is a critical element missed by many. Muscle groups must be allowed to recover in order to grow and develop. Not allowing them to do so results in lesser gains or even loss of muscle mass. 3-4 days recovery is generally enough recovery time for a muscle to recover. Also, not training a muscle for more than 4 days results in a loss of previous gains.

If you start making these a part of your workout program you will definintely see increased muscle growth and development. Below you can find some supplements that can help with muscle growth, development and recovery. These principles have been proven over time to be some of the best techniques to build lean muscle mass. Until next time………..