Implementation

Well, now that you (hopefully) educated yourself on how your body works, lets move on to how to work your body. In this section I'll discuss what different strategies you can use in your training to achieve a desired effect, or target specific muscles, or target specific muscle fibers.

I'll supply you with a comprehensive list of exercises with details on execution and muscles worked. Each muscle group will have a sample routine for that group. I'll cover common questions such as "How much?", "How many?", "How often?" and more. Should you use more intensity? Or more volume? What's the use of stretching? How much aerobic work should I do? How often?

Of course, the most perfect training program does you little good if you don't get the nutrients you need to repair damaged muscle tissue. Sure, eating lots will let you recuperate and build muscle, but you risk putting on a lot of fat which only hides your effort.

Learn when to eat, what to eat, and when to eat what. Is carb-loading a thing of the past? And if you want to cut up, which diets actually work? Which don't and why? Ever heard of the 'anabolic diet'? Is is something you might want to try? Should you cut back on your fat intake? Or carb intake?

So you're making progress. You're pushing heavier weights and you put on some muscle. But the last month just hasn't felt right, you haven't been increasing the weight, and you stopped growing. Well, assuming you haven't overtrained (learn the signs!!), you may have just hit a plateau.

Variety is the key. Vary your reps, intensity, volume, duration, frequency, or tempo. Or try out some of the programs/strategies like German Volume Training, or High Intensity Training, or maybe the Anabolic Burst Cycling Diet and Exercise can blast you through your plateau.

And if you want to just have a quick list of tips you can reference on the fly, I have a few of those on hand as well. I'll list as many do's and don't's as I can find, explaining why on the individual pages relating to that subject. If you have any you'd like to add, or wish to dispute any of mine, let me know!

I hope to answer any and all questions you may have, and if I missed something, let me know!! Send me an email at klaus.rubba@muscl101.com, and I will do my best to find an answer and add it to my web page as well as send it back to you.

In the Gym

A discussion about various equipment in the gym, and at home! Don't want to commit to a local gym quite yet? Find a complete workout that you can do at home with stuff you can find lying around.

Exercises

These are the tools of the trade, choose from a list of exercises those that suit you best. Learn which exercises are most effective for which purpose, along with some sample routines for each bodypart.

Sets/Reps/Tempo/Duration

These determine the level of intensity or volume, and are often one of the major questions people have. I find that, sometimes, people spend too much time worrying about exact numbers. Here I will discuss what benefits varying ranges of reps and sets have, what role speed of movement plays, and how long you should be in the gym.

Rest/Recuperation

How long should you rest between sets? Between workouts? What are the benefits/ drawbacks? How much rest is required in special circumstances such as being overtrained?

Volume vs. Intensity

Is one better than the other? What are the benefits/drawbacks of both? Definitions and tips.

Injury Prevention

Injury can set your training program weeks or even months. Here are some tips on how to avoid becoming a victim.

Stretching

Can a lack of stretching inhibit growth? Here's some tips on how to maximize your stretching efforts, and minimize your time doing them! Some exercise specific stretches are also mentioned, i.e. for squats.

Aerobic training

How to maximize your fat loss with fine tuning your aerobic training program. If you hate cardio as much as I do, you'll want to read this! Unfortunately, it's the quickest way of burning unwanted fat.

Training Principle

Progressive overload, drop sets, forced reps, super-sets, giant-sets, pre-exhaustion, negative reps/eccentric training, partial reps, rest-pause sets, pyramiding, static reps, did I miss something? Let me know!

Sample Workouts and Body Splits

Trying to find a routine to fit your schedule? Which are some of the more common split routines? What are the benefits/drawbacks of various splits? Several different sample workouts to fit all sorts of schedules and goals!

In the Kitchen

What should you be looking for in the foods you eat? What types of foods should you eat for a desired effect like fat loss or greater energy? When should you eat? Starve your muscles and they won't grow. Get the most out of your supplement dollar (and/or chicken breast dollar) by tweaking the timing of your meals/snacks.

Meals

This section is broken down into 4 parts: 3 typical times of day to consume meals, and food intake around a workout. Learn what to take into consideration when developing a meal plan to reach your goal.

Breakfast

Commonly referred to as the most important meal of the day, and for good reason! If you skip this meal, you are basically robbing your muscle of a great deal of growth potential. Find out why, and what you can eat to build as much muscle as possible!

Mid-day

What should your regular meals look like? How many should you be eating? What should they consist of if you want to build muscle? Or lose fat?

Pre- and Postworkout meals

Should you load up on sugars before a workout for energy? Should you go on an empty stomach? Discover how different foods can affect your performance in the gym. How about during your workout, should you suck back some Gatorade? What about after your workout? Some argue it is the most important meal of the day, even ahead of breakfast!

Evening

What are your bodies requirements at night? How late should you eat? What should you eat? Can what you eat affect how you sleep?

Carb loading

You have probably heard of this term in reference to old school bodybuilders who would eat massive amounts of carbs and build loads of mass, and then spend a few months burning off all the excess fat they put on. Here I'll discuss a different, more effective method of carb loading. Don't just shrug it off, it could help you make some impressive gains!

Diets

So you want to burn off that unwanted fat, learn why most diets fail, and what works! Learn which supplements can help you on your quest, and what you have to be careful of. Ever heard of the 'Anabolic Diet'? Or how about a low-carb diet? Please tell me you've heard of the glycemic index!? Read on to learn how these diets work, and how you can change your nutritional regimen to meat your goals.