Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Duty Triceps Routine41.2 lbs LOSTso farDecember 24, 2007 by Dennis | No comments
This is the first in a series of installments that will highlight the greats and the training routines that they employed.
Mike Mentzer’s owned a pair of seriously full blown triceps. They were “ham-like” from deltoid to elbow. His triceps we not missing an ounce of development. His triceps sweep was down right scary-good. So did Mr. Mentzer use a myriad of movements and exercises to attain his triceps size? The answer is no for Mr. Heavy Duty. Mentzer didn’t do more than two exercises during a triceps workout. Mentzer also kept his set totals to four or six. The Mentzer Heavy Duty technique was what created the brutality needed to develop serious muscle. He pushed every set to failure, absolute failure.
Forced reps performed with a training partner were a crucial part of Mentzer’s workload. Mentzer’s training partner would also assist Mentzer with lifting the weight into position to perform negative only reps. This created a three stage set. A “Trio of Pain” if you will: first a positive failure, followed by forced reps, and finally capped off by negative failure.
Let’s take a look at a Mentzer staple:
Superset
Nautilus triceps extensions or Lat machine pushdowns (lat machine’s more prevalent nowadays):
3 sets of 8 reps using the Trio of Pain
Weighted Dips:
3 sets of 8 reps using the Trio of Pain
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Brain Power Equals Muscle Size41.2 lbs LOSTso farDecember 20, 2007 by Dennis | One comment
Picking up where I left off yesterday on morphing how the greats trained, brain power can increase muscle size. With that being said, what is the next step in this progression? How infrequent will training become? Will we even touch weights anymore? HA! Blasphemy folks! No, not really. Picture this: mental training, working out in your thoughts. Starting this millennium several studies have pointed to the fact that simply thinking about exercise can equal to gains in size and strength. Researchers that feel this concept to be true have pointed to studies that suggest that training a muscle on one side of the body does result in muscular gains in the matching muscle on the opposite, untrained side of the body. Weird, huh? I believe it to be true myself. So if you break you arm train the unbroken arm to keep the one out of commission in better shape, it’s the least you can do for the poor cracked wanker! So the fact that nerves are signaling growth in untrained muscles even when uni-lateral training is utilized lends itself to the point this article is trying to make. Next step: stimulate muscle growth just by thinking and activating the growth receptors without actually moving a muscle at all.
The theory was tested. 30 subjects divided into three groups. The first group thought of training their pinky finger muscles. The second group thought of training their triceps and the third group served as the control and did no imaginary heavy lifting. The training sessions were 15 minutes a day, five days a week, for 12 weeks. During the mental training the subjects were hooked up to an electroencephalograph machine (say that three times fast). The machine measures brain waves and found high activity and focus in the prefrontal cortex area of the brain in group one and especially in group two. The activity was low prior to the imaginary workouts. Finger strength was measured before and after the training periods. Increases in strength topped out over 30% for the finger group. The triceps group had a little over a 10% gain. Now that’s using your brain power. The control had zilch…surprise, surprise.
What this all points to and what does it mean for us? Well simply put the mental training exemplifies the connection between strength gains and the all holy mind-body connection. This is a prime example that you can control your muscles using your brain power…no duh? Don’t stop training! Just implement what anyone great has done in any field whether it be piano performances, giving a speech, a first kiss, shooting the game winning jump shot, or doing a killer set of deadlifts: VISUALIZE. See yourself doing the action. Feel the set, smell it, and refine your mental senses. So no daydreaming, focus during training: feel the brain connection and enjoy the pump. Besides if you don’t maintain complete mental fortitude you miss out on possible muscle gains and even can fall in to the injury trap. My advice: Think of training before you go to bed and wake up stronger and become great. Use your brain power. Happy trails…muscle brethren.
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Morphing How the Original Greats Trained41.2 lbs LOSTso farDecember 19, 2007 by Dennis | 4 comments
Hence the timeless logo of FatManUnleashed.com, the brain is without a doubt the optimal muscle when it comes to growth. Public opinion on the frequency of working out has changed quite a bit over time. Steve Reeves employed the whole body workout method which didn’t allow for training more than three times a week. That was the 1940’s and legendary physiques such as John Grimek and Reeves swore by it. My high school football team’s antiquated workout routine was similar. It was a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday deal with Bench, Shoulder Presses(seated, military) and most importantly the Squat: KING OF ALL EXERCISES. A very effective training schedule for beginners and building that all important base. Israel was a starting Guard, Defensive End, and Captain on that team. It was the FAT MAN’S hey day so to speak folks.
In the 1950’s the very popular “split-routine” training became all the rage. The fuel behind the phenomenon was the belief that you can train muscles full blast if you divided the training days into “muscle groups.” So you were training on more days but concentrating on specific muscles. And who can forget how Arnold Schwarzenegger evolved the “split” into the “double-split” method. The “double-split” theory involves training a lot: two or even three daily workouts.
Arthur Jones took the 1970’s by storm with the introduction of the Nautilus exercise machines. He accompanied his latest invention with a endorsement of short intense workouts. Intensity was the key a semi-throwback to the 1950’s and Grimek and Reeves. Arthur Jones felt that all of us over-trained. Over-training thus leading to our naturally limited ability to recover to be depleted.He truly believed that all humans no matter what body type followed the same physiological laws no matter how different we were genetically. So in a sense, he tailored and touted his workouts as one size fits all remedies. Weird I know and complex, but maybe true? I don’t know. I have tried all methods and my body morphs in all different ways. So in my opinion, variety is the spice of a complete physique. Of course, we all have our favorite niche workouts and exercises.
The late, great Mike Mentzer was a Jones product and further developed his exercise theories. Mike Mentzer used Arthur Jones’ training philosophy to attain every major bodybuilding title worth having except the Mr. Olympia crown. Mentzer eventually cut back even further and became a proponent of training muscle groups once a week or less. At that point intensity has to be on animal-istic levels: I likey!
That’s it for now. Tomorrow I delve further into brain power…
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Cardio Training 10141.2 lbs LOSTso farDecember 15, 2007 by IronGuru | 4 comments
Most everyone who is in the gym does cardio at one time or another, it’s the best way to burn calories - period! Intense work, get the heart pumping and keep it pumping. Well what most don’t know, and don’t realize about cardio is what it takes to make it effective, and most important - burn fat.
Let’s first talk about “conventional” thought on burning extra calories. Many people like to walk, some jog, some don’t do anything at all - but to the walkers, they’re trying but just not hard enough. It’s a great lifestyle change, and a great headstart, but to get to the next level one needs to build strength, and confidence, is to concentrate on the %MHR, or percentage of maximum heart rate.
Wikipedia has an excellent resource on Heart rate and ways to measure it.
An acceptable range for fat burning is 50-80%MHR, obviously try to jump into a training method with caution and try to find a comfortable, but challenging, range for heart rate. Understanding heart rate helps you understand how your body burns fat, and knowing how to burn fat with heart rate means you can wrap your training around these principles.
The 3-L’s
- Low Impact
- Long Duration
- Low Intensity
The best method I’ve ever came across for myself was concentrating on my %MHR, and tailoring the 3-L’s around such a workout. I kept a brisk walking pace, slow enough that I was comfortable walking on the 15% grade I use for higher intensity. I also made sure to workout for long durations, after around 20 minutes of low-intensity cardio liver glucose has been used up, and the body starts to pull it’s energy from fat. That’s something many people don’t realize when they hop on the treadmill, or take a walk for a short time. 30-60 minutes was the most effective range I found, and it depended more on my will to keep going for the full 60 minutes or cut it short.
It’s obvious that I was walking with all this, and I chose it for a reason. I do not want to start off early in my life by wearing down my knees, my gym has a low-impact treadmill or elliptical trainer that will take a lot of extra stress off the knees. I noticed I felt much better with my regular leg workouts, and got cleaner movements without compensating for sore knees.
So what did we learn today? Work hard enough to challenge yourself, and maintain that for 30-60 minutes, and use an exercise you can tolerate.
I know nobody likes cardio, but some are easier to live with than others.
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Morning Cardio Can Boost Your Day41.2 lbs LOSTso farDecember 10, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 8 comments
Today was a good day. I was actually able to get up early in the morning and perform some cardio exercise. I got up as soon as I heard the alarm clock go off. Didn’t hesitate one bit. I would normally just let the alarm keep going or would get up to turn it off on my way to the bathroom. But not today. What cardio exercise did I do today? I got on my recumbent bike for an hour.
That hour flew by. One minute I was stretching, the next minute I am getting ready to shower. I felt the muscles in my legs as I peddled for those 60 minutes. I felt super energized for the rest of the day, as though I had a pep in my step. That’s a good feeling. It’s cool because I didn’t get enough sleep, but was still able to have a high level of energy. The day flew by as well.
I am going to try and keep doing this whole morning cardio thing. I think it’s going to be a crucial part in my getting under the 300 lbs mark, and staying there. The discipline that is needed to get up extra early each morning is something that can benefit anyone. My next goal is to incorporate early morning workouts into my routine. Another good thing about working out in the morning is that by the end of the day you have recuperated your energy and are able to workout again. Two-a-days!
Today was a good day.
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Stretching Exercises are Underrated41.2 lbs LOSTso farDecember 9, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 8 comments
Fat Man UnleashedStretching is an integral part of my exercise program, and it should be the same with you. Unfortunately, stretching is often times neglected by many individuals. I work out at home now, but when I used to go to the gym I would see many people go straight into their workout without the slightest thought of stretching.
Not me. Stretching is a must. It helps prepare my ligaments and muscles for the strenuous exercises I perform. Most stretching exercises help improve your flexibility and may increase your range of motion. Stretching is also useful for injury prevention and rehabilitation. I stretch when I go for a walk, when I wash the car, and I even stretch when I wake up in the morning. I obviously stretch before and after every workout too. Stretching has been ingrained into my mind since day one. BodyBuilding.com has a very detailed list of stretching exercises that I perform.
It’s also good to stretch when you are in a sedentary position for a long period of time. If you are normally sitting down at work, it’s a good idea to get up every so often and stretch your legs. The same goes for when you are driving long distances. I recall a news story from a few years ago in which a man died from sitting for a long time. The man had been sitting for a few hours while he drove home from work and developed some form of blood clot in his legs. That blood clot had cut off circulation and he died. Keep in mind that it’s a bit more scientific than that, but that’s what basically happened.
Whether you workout or not, please remember to stretch. Add some stretching exercises to your repertoire, you never know what could happen.
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Lazy College Kid with No Workout Routine41.2 lbs LOSTso farDecember 8, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 4 comments
I know this college kid that is extremely lazy when it comes to working out. He doesn’t do any kind of exercise and wishes that he was muscular and diesel. The guy can’t even do one push up! Don’t get me wrong, when I first started out I couldn’t do any push ups either. I couldn’t even hold my self in the up position of a push up. That’s how out of shape my body was. That was in 1995. Today I can do about 40 push ups in one set. The most push ups I have ever done in one set is about 72.
This kid, who we will call Platty Boy, once asked me to help him get in shape because he had no workout routine. I told him to adjust little things in his life so that the change can be gradual. I advised he do three sets of push ups, alternating days and to go for walks. I also told him to eat a bit healthier: fruits, more water, less bread, etc. The first week he did it he was excited, but then the excitement died out.
He wasn’t able to do any push ups and was very discouraged with that fact. I told him to start off my holding himself in the up position of a push up until failure, and to do that three to four times per day. That was to be his workout routine. The reasoning behind it was that he would eventually build up enough strength and muscle to start doing push ups. I think he only did it for a couple of days and then gave up.
Platty Boy isn’t extremely overweight, but he was noticeably out of shape. He was more like a skinny fat guy, something that I find really weird. A skinny dude with man boobs. LOL. If you’re fat, be fat. Not half fat. The funny thing about him is that he is really dedicated to his musical band and all that they do, but he can’t dedicate a few minutes a day for his own health.
Go figure. Platty Boy, if you’re reading this, I’m here for ya man!
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Given the Okay to Perform Cardio Exercise41.2 lbs LOSTso farDecember 5, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 11 comments
Today was the day that I had to meet with my doctor for a follow up. I am happy to say that he gave me the okay to perform cardio exercises. He said it was fine for me to perform any kind of cardio: HIIT, long distance running, jogging, or biking. That’s great news because I can get back on track with my weight loss and not feel like crap anymore from not exercising.
The visit was pretty quick: I walked in, he checked my incisions, we spoke for five minutes, and I left. He told me to not lift any weights, which was sort of a downer. His reason was that he didn’t want me to develop a hernia in my abdomen. So, there’s no weight lifting for the next three weeks. I do get to focus on my cardio and eating healthy, something I need to re-conquer. Weight lifting isn’t ever the hard part for me, performing cardio is.
For the remainder of the month I plan on undergoing a strenuous cardio program. For starters, I will be waking up early in the morning for some HIIT running on my treadmill. That will be three to four times a week, but never in consecutive days. Then, each afternoon/evening I will be riding my recumbent bike for one hour sessions. On the days that I don’t have a HIIT session I plan on having two recumbent bike sessions. I also plan on going for a daily walk.
All of that combined with healthy eating should help me to achieve a decent weight loss of 10 pounds in December, a reasonable goal. That should put me under the 300 pound mark and 50 total pounds lost to date. Come January I want to be able to get back into weight lifting while continuing a rigorous cardio program.
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Not Working Out is Getting to Me41.2 lbs LOSTso farDecember 2, 2007 by Israel Lagares | 8 comments
Not being able to work out due to my surgery is starting to get to me. I feel a lot better than I did a few days ago and feel like I could indeed start some moderate exercise. I just want to get on my recumbent bike and give it a go, regardless of what I was told to do. I wasn’t even given the green light on walking for exercise. Can you believe that?
As if walking is a bad thing. My follow-up appointment is this coming Wednesday and I sure do hope that Doctor AJ has some good news for me. I at least hope that he says I could go for walks, that would make me feel better. A lot better actually. I am starting to feel like a slob and it doesn’t feel good. I know that this hiatus is a necessary evil, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
I was supposed to enter into a challenge with a couple of my readers, but that has had to be put on hold as well. When will the pain stop?! WHEN?!
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A Fun Activity Will Keep You Slim41.2 lbs LOSTso farDecember 1, 2007 by Tomer | 18 comments
As any trainer would tell you - the best fat burner is cardio. Jogging is great - but for some reason, I never had the motivation to jog on a daily basis, it’s just too boring. Swimming was another option I tried - but after a while I couldn’t help myself, as the jacuzzi was a few feet away. I would swim a few laps and jump in the tub - stay there for a bit and go home. If you have the personal motivation to do these things regularly, good job, but I don’t. I needed something that I could keep on doing - why would I want to keep doing it? It needed to be fun. The solution that worked for me - Tennis. I barely think about it as an exercise, but rather as an activity I await doing.
Last summer I used to play Tennis all the time with my older brother. Started playing again a few days ago and suddenly remembered why I loved the game so much - the thrill and power you feel when smacking an ace, nothing like it. I was never someone who sweat heavily, but yesterdays game really got me dripping. Especially when we were in a tense doubles match with a few friends, I wanted to get the most out of the match, so I kinda jog in place while waiting for a hit and try to run around a lot.
The morning after - the tense muscles. I know this part is supposed to be unpleasant, but truth is - kinda fun to have those muscle aches. Not sure why, one of those weird things, like peeling glue off your fingers, it just feels good. So even though my ass hurts when sitting, it was well worth it. 
Here’s a small plug for my website - if anyone needs some perfumes & colognes, take a look at Aromazing.com
That’s it from me - Tomer out.
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Jillian Michaels: Ultimate Cyborg Babe41.2 lbs LOSTso farNovember 26, 2007 by Dennis | 8 comments
Jillian Michaels, the raven haired tough gal who can kick my butt any day has a great site! The site is the perfect complimentary tool to aid you in your weight loss journey. If you need motivation, Jillian delivers. She is big on the mental strength aspect of physical change.
Jillian has put together a three prong attack and a slew of handy tools. The tools to your progress include an interactive weight tracker, a fitness diary, calorie calculator, meal plans/ menus, 120 printable exercises that can break up the monotony, you can even meet buddies in the battle or even ask Jillian herself a question.
If that is not enough to give you the fire to kick into gear Jillian has a new book that creates an ultimatum for change. It is based on a thirty day “no-nonsense program.” The book is titled Making the Cut and Jillian Michaels looks bodacious on the cover. Her conditioning is outstanding! She not only looks “in shape” but down right strong.
Jillian Michael’s site is a solid site with enough tools and inspiration to lead you to the proverbial water. So check out JillianMichaels.com. Get tough people!
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