The Razor Sharp Abdominal Workout By Vince DelMonte      If you could sculpt one body part to perfection for next summer, what would it be?  Let me guess – six pack abs!  I don't know anybody who does not want to shrink their waistline, lose body fat, eliminate lower back pain and develop a jaw-dropping set of rock-hard six-pack abs.   Building eye-popping abdominals is not the hardest thing to achieve in the world but it's definitely not the easiest either.      Before you can start learning how to get six-pack abs and discover the truth about what it really takes to build a beach-worthy abdominal section, you must first expose the lies, myths and rumors.  Before we talk about how to get six-pack abs, the right way, we must re-program your hard drive and empty the trash can of garbage you have been fed. Because of all this hyped-up and misguided information – even among so-called 'fitness experts' – you should be skeptical of all abdominal training equimpment and programs.  Let's first eliminate the top four ways not to get a six-pack:     1.   Learning how to get a six-pack does not require expensive workout equipment promoted through obnoxious infomercials. You can't flick on the TV anymore without seeing two new abdominal exercise machines being promoted at once.  There are so many of them that if you get suckered into these 'ab workout' gimmicks, you will be broke quicker than Ben Johnson sprints the 100 meter dash!   And get this: Of the $520 million dollars a year spent on exercise equipment, abdominal machines get a $208 million dollar piece of the pie!      2.   Learning how to get a six-pack does not require thousands or even hundreds of crunches a day.  So much for the Brittany Spears ab workout!  Crunches are decent but totally overused and associated with more being better.  Crunches are a very general exercise, and general exercises get general results.  Excessive floor crunches shorten the abdominal wall, pull your head forward and emphasize poor posture.  They also involve a very low level of stimulation which neglects adequate muscle-fiber recruitment.      3.  Learning how to get a six-pack does not involve starvation diets.  Starvation diets starve the muscle when you should be feeding the muscle instead.  Guess what happens when you starve your body?  Your metabolism shuts down out of survival and causes your body to store fat.   Your body must get energy from somewhere, so guess what gets sacrificed?  That's right, your precious muscle which is, in fact, responsible for maintaining a high metabolism.  Starve your muscle - great logic!      4.  Learning how to get a six-pack does not require fat-burning pills.  What did the last weight loss pill you bought do for you?  The same thing the next one is going to do – nothing! Except give you a thinner wallet but not a thinner waist line.  The entire concept of taking pills to 'burn fat' is built on a sandy foundation and misleading because diet pills only treat the symptoms and not the root cause.  Without focusing on the root problems of a flabby mid-section, like poor nutrition, a crazy lifestyle and improper training, you will just end up where you started – farther away from having a six-pack for summer instead of closer. Just Because You’re Skinny Does Not Mean You Will Have A Six-Pack       The volume of interest I receive from skinny guys who wish to build their mid-sections is more than enough evidence to disprove the false reality of “I should be able to ‘see’ my abs if I have low body fat.” I'm sure you know of a friend who is completely scrawny, yet, without a shirt on he, has zero abdominal definition! To me that would be salt on an open wound. Abdominals Are A Muscle, Too!       You want your arms to be bigger, your shoulders to be broader and your chest to be fuller, correct? And what is the solution to making these muscle groups increase in size? High intensity weight training, overload, consistency and a healthy surplus of calories. Starting to sound familiar?      The same goes for your abdominals. Your abdominals are a muscle group that requires the same formula and attention and are not any different from other muscle groups. For some reason many consider abdominals to be a 'special' body part that requires a different set of rules and a completely different formula for training. Abdominals were not given a 'secret code' to crack. To get thick, dense abs – the ones that 'pop' out - you must train them with intensity and overload. Here are some practical tips you can apply to your program so that you can be the 'man' or 'gal' at your gym with a ripped and muscular six-pack. Then I will provide a sample program! Prioritize By Sequence If your abs are your worse body part, then why do you keep training them last, at the end of your workout? Which muscles group will receive the highest priority when you train? The ones done at the start of your workout or the ones done at the end of the workout? Of course, the exercises done at the start of the workout while you have the most energy and focus. If abdominals are the muscle group you wish to prioritize, then don't be afraid to disagree with the 'experts' who say “Never train your abdominals first because you'll weaken your core muscles for the rest of your workout…”. I completely disagree with this and often reply, “Show me the evidence.” The typical response is “Nobody does abdominals first…”. That is pure BS. This just supports the notion that many people who work out don't ever question what they hear or do. They want to be spoon-fed answers and follow the trends of others without thinking for themselves. I ALWAYS train abdominals first in a workout if they need the highest attention. Prioritize By Frequency       What's going to receive better results? A muscle group that is trained one time a week or two times a week (assuming you recovered prior to the second workout commencing)? Of course, the muscle that is trained 2x a week. The more stimulus on a muscle, the more growth. That is why professional athletes are professional athletes. They have conditioned their bodies to such a high amount of stress that they are able to train more frequently. How often you train your abdominals is based on the inverse relationship of intensity and volume. The harder you train your abs, the more rest they need. The less intense you train your abs, the more frequently you can train them! If your goal is rehab or injury prevention, then you will be able to train them often with more frequent and lower loads. If your goal is to make your abs more muscular and dense, then a higher load and less frequency would be ideal. If your goal is maintenance, then a medium load and frequency would be ideal. Refer to this table : Purpose Frequency Intensity Volume Reps Endurance/Conditioning 5-7x a week Moderate 1-4 sets 50-100 Hypertrophy 4x a week High 6-12 sets 8-12      If building a sexy six-pack is on your 'to do' list for 2009, then start training abdominals 2-4x a week. I will teach you in a moment how to split your abdominals up into two different days based on movement. Your Genetics and Abdominals       Right now some of you can see a perfectly set of staggered abs that are wide and thick and separated by a line down the middle.  Some of you have the classic four-pack which is four big abs with a smooth lower section.  Some of you have tiny cubicle boxes sitting high on your abdominal wall.  Some of you have the picture perfect eight-pack that makes people's jaws drop.       Like every muscle group, all you can do is train them as heavy and hard as possible and hope your genetics take care of the rest. You can't change the shape or alignment or separation of your abs.  You can't move them around and place them where you want them.  Your genetics will affect to which degree they “pop” out and to which degree they stay smoother or flatter. The good news is that abdominals are abdominals and when your body fat levels are around 5-7% you are guaranteed to impress people, including yourself, with a set of hot-looking abs.  Even though genetics play a huge role in how they look, it's important to know how to train them to make them look their best. Divide Your Abdominals into Two Separate Workouts for Best Results      To train your abdominals safely and effectively you must know the basic movement patterns of your abs and train them within all sub-categories: • Trunk Flexion (upper abs) • Hip Flexion (lower abs) • Rotation (obliques) • Lateral Flexion (obliques)      The majority of books and articles you have read revolve the bulk of the ab exercises around the trunk flexion that is better known as 'upper ab' exercises. A full sit up is a perfect example of this. Bill Starr in his 1976 classic ‘The Strongest Shall Survive’ wrote that the abdominals “…can be strengthened in a wide variety of ways. Sit-ups of all types, leg raises, truck rotation movements all involve the abdominal muscles to a different degree…”      I wouldn't be surprised if the abdominal program you are following right now is based on one movement - trunk flexion. I am guessing that your primary goal is actually to have a well-defined and sculpted six-pack, so I have provided a sample abdominal program to break it up into a four day program: A B C D Trunk Flexion Rotation Trunk Flexion Rotation Hip Flexion Lateral Flexion Hip Flexion Lateral Flexion Even though you are training each movement twice per week, you will perform different exercises for each workout. Use a Variety Of Functional Exercises The Top 3 Hip Flexion Exercises: 1.   Lying Hip Raise 2.   Incline Hip Raise 3.   Hanging Hip Raise The Top 3 Trunk Flexion Exercises: 1.   Swiss Ball Crunch 2. Weighted Swiss Ball Crunches 3. Weighted Cable Crunches The Top 3 Rotation Exercises: 1.   Russian Twist 2.   Weighted Russian Twist 3.   Weighted Cable Crossover The Top 3 Lateral Flexion Exercises: 1.   Lateral Flexion on back extension machine 2.   Lateral Flexion with medicine ball over head Razor Sharp Abdominal Workout 2: Trunk Rotation and Lateral Flexion      Perform this workout at least two times a week separated by at least 48 hours rest.  You should experience a deep muscle soreness after each one of these workouts.  Focus on using a load that causes failure within 8-12 reps and then move to the next exercise.  This is a non-stop circuit.  Rest 1-2 minutes and repeat until you reach 4 sets total. Exercise    Sets   Reps  Tempo    Rest Side Bends Dumbells Overhead 1-4 8-12 311 - Oblique Crunch  1-4 8-12 311 - Side Bends Dumbells Overhead 1-4 8-12 311 - Lateral Raises on Back Extension Machine 1-4 8-12 311 1-2 minutes   Conclusion      As said earlier, buiding razor sharp abs is not the easiest task in the world  nor is it the hardest.  The above abdominal exercises will help you build a deeply separated and evenly placed set of abs in little time.  The truth is that if you can't see your abs, then the best exercise for your abs will be  better diet.

---------------------------------- About the Author: Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com He also specializes in teaching skinny guys how to get a six-pack and build muscle, without drugs, supplements and training less than before with his program found at YourSixPackQuest.com

Get Big Muscles In 3 Simple Steps By Vince DelMonte      Do you know what it really takes to build big muscles? Do you think it's as simple as buying a gym membership, training each body once per week, slamming back some protein shakes and trying to eat as much chicken and tuna possible? Viola, you are big enough to enter a bodybuilding contest. Can you imagine it was that easy to build big muscles? Unfortunately, your monthly gym membership, regular weight training workouts and casual eating habits, isn't going to cut it. Here are five simple steps to getting big muscles fast : Squat and Deadlift       Squatting and Deadlifting are known as two of the Big Three exercises that are responsible for power and mass muscle building. Consider these two animal exercises the kings of the jungle! Without them, you do not have a chance of survival. These two exercises alone, work out about 75% of your entire musculature, including your traps, shoulders, arms, back. Gluts, hams, calves and core muscles. Not to mention the degree of intensity, squats and dead lifts force your body to release greater volumes of growth hormone, which results in bigger muscles all over your body. This spillover effect results in strength gains in all you other lifts which translates into a more muscular you! Squatting and dead lifting are especially critical for hard gainers because of the hormonal spikes affecting the entire body. Stick to Compound Exercises       What is going to isolate more muscle fibers? A bench press or cable cross over? A military press or lateral raise? A chin up or bicep curl? A dip or tricep kickback? If you ever hope to get big muscles than compound lifts are not optional, they are mandatory. Stick to squats, leg presses, deadlifts, bench preses, barbell rows, pull ups, chin ups, over head presses, and dips. If all you do is concentrate on building your puny muscles like arms and calves, then you will end up with exactly what you focus on – puny muscles! Keep Your Rest Periods Honest       When was the last time you were in the gym and you watched the average guy time his recovery with a stop watch? Stop watches are not just for endurance athletes but should be used by every person who is serious about building big muscles.      Generally, the closer you lift to your one rep max, the longer the rest period.  And the higher the number of reps, the shorter the rest period. This is a crucial variable, which is often overlooked, yet will determine whether you create the correct training response.      For example, if you are training for maximal strength which requires at least 3-5 minutes rest between sets and you are only taking 2 minutes, you are not giving your nervous system an honest workout. If you are training for muscle size which requires shorter 30-90 second style recoveries but are gazing at the cute girl on the elliptical letting your rest periods carry over these ranges, you are not giving your metabolic system an honest workout.      Lastly, how do you know if you are truly stronger if you do not monitor your rest period? For example, let's say last week you bench pressed 135 pounds for four sets of ten. This week you bench pressed 145 pounds for four sets of ten. Assuming the rest period was identical for both workouts, this is a tremendous improvement and a measurable sign of improvement! However, what if you took an extra minute or two between each set on the recent workout? This means that you did not actually become stronger. You just had a longer rest period! Conclusion       You now know that building big muscles is not easy as showing up at the gym and throwing back a few protein shakes. Apply these three simple steps in your next program and I promise that you will start building brand new muscle all over your body!

---------------------------------- About the Author: Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.

Six “Little-Known” Muscle Building Tips Part 2 By Vince DelMonte      So you think you have heard everything there is to know about muscle building? If you have read everything, tried everything and heard everything about muscle building but still resemble the silouette of a Calvin Klien model instead of a buff fitness model than I promise these next three 'little-known' muscle building tips will accelerate your muscle gains immediately! 1. Never Train More Than 2 Days Consecqutively       But the bodybuilding magazines say to split up my program into 5 seperate days... Yes, I am more than familiar. I call these 5 day splits 'drug programs.' They treat your body simply as a 'muscular system' and neglect the other systems such as your central nervous system, hormonal system and immune system. Each of these systems have a unique part in muscle growth. Not to mention that these 'drug programs' only work if coupled with a few thousand dollars a month on drugs.      Just because you trained your chest on Monday does not mean your immune system, or hormonal system or central nervous system has FULLY recovered. What happens when you return to the gyn NOT FULLY recovered? Will you be able to lift more weight? If you are not able to lift more weight than guess what happens to your level of fitness? It certainly will not go up because you will be depleting your energy reserves further into a deep, dark hole called 'over-training.' If you can not lift more weight or 'out-do' yourself from your previous workout than how do you expect to create any NEW muscle? It is literally impossible. Taking a full rest day every two days will minimize the chance of overtraining and ensure your energy reserves are replenished.   2. Go Home If You Are Not Stronger Than Last Workout      Multiple choice question:      Q. You train your chest on Monday and you averaged 4 sets of 8 with 225 pounds on bench press. This workout would be considered a personal best. Your following chest workout, let's say five days later, you come to the gym with great anticipation to out-do your last workout. To your disappointment you discover that you can barely do 4 sets of 8 with 185 pounds this week. What happened?      A. Your body had not fully compensated from the previous workout and required a longer recovery period.      B. Who cares! You toughed it out and made the most of the workout.      C . Complain to the gym owner that his weight plates are messed up and you want a refund on your gym membership.      If you picked A than say hurray and pat yourself on the back. The rational decision would be to admit the recovery error, assess the factors that could of resulted from not fully recovering (did you take all your supplements, did you sleep enought, did you follow your nutrition plan etc) and plan for success next time. This is the 'trial and error' process. The emotional and irrational trainee would take option B and slug it out. Consider what is actually happening when you take this approach to your workouts: 1. You will be using weights within your threshold so your muscles will simply laugh back at you because there is no new unaccumstomed stress on your muscles. Remember, your muscles only grow if you give them a reason to. 2. You will be training in the hole and prolong the period of time that it takes to come out of the hole and supercompensate. 3. You will have no new muscle to work with because you have not fully recovered or grown bigger so it will be literally impossible to lift more weight or more reps. 4. You will be using your precious energy reserves, that could be going towards building muscle, instead to fueling an useless workout. 5. You will lose motivation and grow frustrated and confused because of your lack of progress.      This is a very tough and mature training decision one must face. After commencing a workout, if you discover after a few sets that you are on track for a crappy workout than I would suggest to drop the workout and go home. Plan to come back the next day. If your goals are to simply train to train, than you will probably not follow this rule. However, if your goal is to get huge muscles and pack inches of new muscle onto your frame than this is a critical training decision.      To ensure your trip to the gym does not go in complete vain – have a flexibility session to make use of the time and than try and pick up the cute receptionist phone number on your way out! 6. Find a mentor       What does this have to do with muscle building? Everything – finding a mentor can make all the difference in how much muscle you build! If you plan on becoming successful in the gym than surround yourself with someone who has already walked the path. Would you agree that the quickest way to achieve success is to find someone who has gone before you and done what you want to do – and model them.      So why do millions of fitness enthusiasts wander aimlessly following generic advice in text books, magazines or websites? Although these methods of learning can provide a theoretical perspective, they are absent in accountability, a formal system, time and financial commitment and assessment of performance.           A wise mentor will guide you step-by-step of the way with a formal system that includes a higher level of commitment and accountability on your part. You will be required to fulfill tasks, change habits, meet deadlines and perform at a higher level than you would without a mentor.      The premise of having a mentor is that he has been there and done that. He has walked in your shoes and will give you the appropriate advice in a timely fashion. If you do not perform and follow the advice than you are wasting the mentor's time and he will 'fire' you! If you do perform and follow his advice than you will be successful and build the muscle you deserve in less time! Serioulsly consider hiring a fitness coach, a personal trainer or anybody who has done what you wish to do and be prepared to elate the same results!

---------------------------------- About the Author: Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.

Exercise--Choose To Act Now

“The man who has clear vision and combines it with ACTION is the one who truly achieves greatness”

  Mark Victor Hansen

Hi, my name is Rog and I’m going to take a guess as to why you landed here.

       Perhaps you’re that “thin” person who looks like a flat wooden board when you stand sideways in front of people.  You’re fed up with the “plank” look and want to start building some muscle—naturally—that is “drug free”.

    Or maybe people see your sideways appearance as a ski slope starting at your chest and ending with a sudden bulging cliff somewhere around your navel.  So here you are, hoping for some kind of exercise regimen that will eventually turn that cliff area into a rippling set of moguls we call a six pack of ab muscles—and do it safely.

    Could it be that you are a beginner in the gym, or not, and you just don’t have a solid plan of attack to build those muscles other than random magazine articles that look good but leave you wanting more.  So, like a pinball machine, (remember those?) you bounce from one area in the gym to another hoping to see results some day.

    Well, no matter which group that you identify with, you all have something in common—you just want to see a new, improved YOU with a muscular physical appearance, and you want to do it in a healthy, natural, drug free way.

    I applaud you!  And happily, I can set you on an interesting path that will get you those muscles you’re willing to work hard to achieve.  It will not, however, be a path for anyone who is a quitter.  This journey to a better you requires physical exertion, sweat, mental determination, patience—lots of it—and a definite commitment to your goal of gaining new muscle.

    If you are ready to begin a new, well planned adventure in muscle building just click HERE.

    So who am I that I should be suggesting a program such as this?

    A year and 8 months ago I took stock of my appearance in a mirror.  Though my wife referred to me as a “skinny” man, I still had a waistline that was causing my 34” pants to be too snug.  I was starting to adjust my belt from the third hole to the second.  It was worse when I sat down.  My pants constricted like a python causing my voice to rise.  Men shouldn’t sound like that.

    I had a bit of a dilemma—buy a bigger pant size with more room for my belongings, or start exercising again.  Now I’m not new to exercise.  For 28 years I was a student of  ShoheiRyu Karate Do.  It was only due to certain medical issues that I had to stop my training.

    So I floundered for three years, exercising off and on with my own barbells, dumbbells, bench set, and my fitness magazines.  I felt like a ship without a rudder, and my pants were still getting tighter.

    Finally, I began my quest on the internet for a logical, common sense approach to exercise with a goal of putting on muscle.  I did my homework.  Though I visited several muscle building sites that interested me, I kept returning to one.  Why?  Because I could identify with the author who was once called “Skinny Vinny”.  Vince Del Monte, his real name, admits to having been a hardgainer—one who has difficulty gaining weight, especially in the muscle department.  He also has pictures to prove it. 

    With the help from people who knew their way around a gym, and with hard work, Vince catapulted his weight and muscle structure in just six months.  And he did it naturally.  Someone suggested he write about his methods and create a program that could work for hardgainers, or anyone else willing to follow it.

    I decided to give it a try.  It’s been a year and 8 months now and here’s a few of the changes in my appearance.  My 34” waist slimmed down to 33”.  My sport polo shirts are tighter around my arms because they’ve gone from 13” to 13 ½”.  All my dress shirts are tighter around my chest because of an increase in size there as well.  My abs are actually visible where a slight gut used to be.  It’s been a pleasant surprise and I like it. 

    Now I’m nowhere near as muscular as I could be because I’m having difficulty eating as often as recommended.  But it’s something that I’ll have to change gradually.  With patience and a solid program like Vince’s, my continuing progress is a certainty.

    I truly hope I’ve steered you in the right direction for what you’re looking for.  It’s a work in progress for me.  I’m positive it can be for you too.

                    Good luck in your quest.

                                                    Rog.