Formula Fitness

I flicked onto F1 the other day and the guys were commenting on the track and how the drivers on this particular circuit were travelling anti-clockwise instead of the usual clock wise direction.

And ?

Well it turns out the drivers had to train their necks in preparation for this course as they had one side stronger than the other due to so much clockwise racing !

It shows what kind of G force those guys are sitting through !

Well you learn something new everyday :-)

This Thursday . . .

. . . we find out who has won the Men's Health Cover Model Competition!

I'd obviously love to win but either way it would be nice to get everything done and dusted. As the regular readers will know, I started dieting in Feb and the winner isn't featured until the October edition (available Sept 10th)

That's a pretty long process to be involved in.

The magazine will post the winner on their site pretty soon after the event and I too will try to keep you guys updated although I my have a serious hangover for a few days !

Thanks again for all of your support.

Neil :-)

Don't do this !

I saw this posted recently on the Men's Health forums. A kid using too much weight and filming it for Youtube - I wish I knew why !



After watching this video it reminded me of a few older blog posts you guys might want to check - especially if thats you in the video either 'spotting' or actually 'trying' to lift the weight !

A Good Spotter

Leave Your Ego At Home

Synthol Injections !

Check out this tosser on the left. Rather than work hard and actually gain functional muscle he has just injected his arms with 'Synthol' to make them bigger. What a tit.

Aim for a muscular , balanced, aesthetically pleasing physique - Do not copy this guy and end up with bruised 'thighs' for arms.

Related Link

Full Body Workout 'vs' Split Routines

Read any bodybuilding / fitness website forum and soon you will stumble across the FB vs SR debate. This blog entry should clear up most of your questions - if I miss anything out, please feel free to ask in the comments section and Ill update this post accordingly. Enjoy :-)




OK - so what is a full body routine ?

Basically you go to the gym and work every muscle group in one go. Due to the amount of muscle and the limited time frame, the full body guy will tend to stick with compound exercises.

What is a split routine ?

Working the body over a number of workouts. The term 'split routine' covers everything that isn't 'full body' - IE

Push / Pull split - one day push, second day pull
Upper / Lower split - one day upper, next day lower
Body part split - Mon -Chest and shoulders Tue - Legs etc
Movement split - Mon - Squats and Dead lifts Tue - Clean press and dips etc

Which do I use ?

I must admit I am a fan of the split routine. This does not make full body an inferior method, I just prefer to split my workout up.

Why ?

1 / I like to spend time trying to lift maximal / nearly maximal weights and warming up to these sort of efforts can leave little time to hit everything else before my hour in the gym is up.

2 / If you train only one or two body parts in one workout you get to experience the feeling of the localised pump - the muscle swells and feels great !

3 / I love training. I work in a gym 6 days per week and always like to do a bit when I'm there. A full body routine would leave me over trained. Although I split my workout up I still use compound exercises and hit each body part every few days.

4 / I have trained for just over 10 years and have tried plenty of workout variations in that time. I use the routine that I not only get the most enjoyment from but which also suits my working life and social life. If I worked a 9 to 5 and had just two days 2 train then my workout would look totally different to how it does now.

Which methods do I use with my clients ?

Both ! When working with clients I am always dealing with different variables which ultimately results in a different routine. If you can only come to the gym twice a week then you need to hit the full body on each day. If you have 5 / 6 days free and really want to train as much as possible then a split routine is more suitable. One of the most important factors for me is that the client enjoys the routine.

I sometimes add in an isolation exercise such as arm curls for the skinny guy who wants big arms. The mass diet and big lifts are what really give him 'guns' but the localised pump and delayed soreness make the guy feel like yeah, the guns are really working on this routine ! I also don't want to make a client feel too rough when I start training them so I may start with a split routine variation then as their fitness improves go for the full body routine - from there I would then cycle between full body variations and split routine variations to ensure continuous improvement.

Which is best for fat loss / muscle gain ?

Both ! Sorry to be such a fence sitter on this blog entry but again you should use the routine which you enjoy and which you find yields greater results ! Fat loss and muscle gain are ultimately decided by your efforts in the kitchen. Just aim to keep the workouts progressive and frequent.

Problem examples -

A 17 year old kid hitting chest once a week from every angle. Inclines, declines, flys and cables etc. Here the full body method will be better put to use. The increased frequency and reduced volume will help grow muscle whereas the routine he is on is better suited to the more advanced lifter with good genetics.

Full body guys always putting 'disco muscles' first and leaving the real exercises until the end when they are too puffed out. No one wants to squat at the end ! Cycle your exercise order and rep range.

Split routines get a bad name because of guys like the 17 year old spending all day with wrist curls and pec deck type moves. Try the Push Pull or Upper Lower split and as always choose big compound lifts.

To Summarise -

Try every routine long enough and regardless of whether its a full body or a split routine, use YOUR own experiences to make YOUR own opinion. Decide what works for YOU. For example - Arnie's routine is not recommended for the 9 stone ectomorph with 3 jobs and a crack addiction.

Aim to hit a muscle group more often if you are a beginner. Squatting three times per week will improve your nervous system quicker than just squatting once a week. Your body has safety mechanisms which stop you recruiting lots of muscle from the word go so you wont need the same level of recovery as an advanced lifter.

Designing your own workout !

I get quite a lot of emails from guys who have designed their own workouts and want me to have a quick nosey and provide some input. You may have been in the gym a few times but it doesn't mean you have the knowledge or experience to design a workout. I have been on lots of planes but it doesn't mean I can fly the fecking things !

Please seek professional help before you get hurt.

Common mistakes -

Poor Mentors - The biggest guy in the gym may be a drugged up genetic freak with 20 years experience and every injury under the sun - Will his advice / program work for you - Probably not. You may make some gains at the start but it will only be a matter of time before you are left burnt out and injured.

Poor exercise selection - You need compound lifts. Full Stop. Also check this old post that covers exercises I don't like.

Ignoring the basic principles -

Overload - Each time you are in the gym you try to overload the body IE more weight.

Frequency - Beginners can train full body three times per week whereas advanced trainers tend to go for more volume and less frequency with a split routine. Find what suits you best - experiment.

Progression - If you lift the same you will look the same.

Intensity - Train for less than an hour. Try timed rest periods and various rep ranges with differing percentages of your max.

Adherence - The perfect routine is no good unless you go to the gym regularly and apply the principles above.

The Duplicator - I hate the duplicator. He is the guy that watches everyone train and pieces together bits of every ones workout to make his own super duper wonder work out. Not only that, but when he tries to copy you he may miss out some vital details. His technique ends up slightly different to yours and ultimately the risk of injury has increased. Then another duplicator sees the first duplicator trying out this exercise and he too duplicates it to add to his own workout. Soon the gym is over run with all these guys and their bad variations of a perfectly good exercise !

The Web Wizard - This guy finds routine on the Internet such as Charles Poliquins German Volume Training and mixes it with say, Kortes 3 x 3 Power lifting cycle in the hope of achieving the combined synergistic results of the two (or more) plans he has cut and pasted together ! The Web Wizard can also have Duplicator tendencies.

I've wrote enough blog entries on the importance of training the non 'disco muscles' such as the back and legs to help prevent muscle imbalances, postural problems, injuries etc - I shall say no more.

To Summarise -

I payed for lessons to learn how to drive a car, play the guitar, ride motorbikes, scuba dive etc. I pay a dentist to fix my teeth, a mechanic to fix my car etc etc

If you don't know how to train then find someone qualified and experienced enough to show you how. You may have an idea of the right exercises but you may be doing them in the wrong way and wrong order, on the wrong day, after the wrong meal with the wrong rep range before the wrong post workout meal !

HA HA ! Pecs City Gym

Competition Time

Which female bodybuilder, pictured below,
went too far with the steroids ?
















Caption Competition !

Please leave your answer in the comments section.
















The winner will receive a signed (by me) picture of this David hasslehoff look-a-like !

Weaknesses !

Last year I really felt my legs and back were my worst body parts. I could squat and dead lift pretty good weights but the size just wasn't going on there as I would like. Check these tips on improving everything and how to give your physique the balanced look. Enjoy.

Vary rep ranges, frequency and volume. Muscles are both fast and slow twitch in make up. Having power days and days of higher reps can help stimulate growth - this increased frequency can also help.

Unilateral work. My legs have really responded to single leg movements such as the split squat variations. Try having your feet up on a bench and work with barbells and dumbbells.

Small arms ? Work the triceps. They make up a greater percentage of the arm. You also need to bring up your shoulder girdle if you want guns and not pea shooters. Heavy compound moves such as the Clean press and the Bent over row will help. Strongmen have big arms - they eat and lift heavy - no amount of single arm tricep kickbacks can beat a big diet and heavy lifting.

Narrow shoulders ? Don't train 'traps' directly. They grow too easily due to location(in direct line to blood flow from the brain) and get worked duing many lifts. Instead, work the outer head of the shoulders with some added side raise work after your compound moves. Even try side raises beforehand for the pre- exhaust effect.

Big belly ? Its all in the diet ! Greater mass on your upper body will help give the illusion of a smaller waist but really its the food you need to look at.

Girls, have you got a big bum ? Stop doing cardio. Spin class / step aerobics etc can cause your body to store fat around the legs and bum to provide you with energy for future classes. Charles Poliquin describes this as chunky aerobics instructor syndrome. Women who do this steady state, non explosive duration work end up with big bums - especially when done frequently as in the case of instructors. Improve the upper body. If you are a pear shape then you need to bring up your chest, back and shoulders to gave more of an hour glass shape.

Small chest ? Drop your body fat - A lean chest always looks bigger. Try training chest and back together as well in a super set fashion to ensure equal stimulus to all areas of the shoulder. A thick back also helps adds depth to the chest and improves posture which can add help make the chest look better.

Poll Results !

Your Favourite Exercise -

1st - Bench Press - 25% of total votes
2nd - Squat - 23%
3rd - Dead lift - 22%

4th - Body weight Exercises - such as chins and dips
5th - Shoulder Press (my favourite- I love any shoulder variations)
6th - Other - anything not already mentioned above


Its great to see that the majority of my blog readers are truly hardcore. I had expected bench press to come first as it is the daddy of all 'disco muscle' exercises but I'm very impressed that the testosterone boosting body transformers like the squats and deads where hot on the heels of the number one favourite.

Bench Press Standards - taken from EXRX and measured in pounds
(2.2 pounds = 1kg / 1 stone = 14 pounds)

Bench Press - Adult Men
Body Weight	Un-trained	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
114	84	107	130	179	222
123	91	116	142	194	242
132	98	125	153	208	260
148	109	140	172	234	291
165	119	152	187	255	319
181	128	164	201	275	343
198	135	173	213	289	362
220	142	183	225	306	381
242	149	190	232	316	395
275	153	196	239	325	407
319	156	199	244	333	416
320+	159	204	248	340	425

Bench Press - Adult Women
Body Weight	Un-trained	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
97	49	63	73	94	116
105	53	68	79	102	124
114	57	73	85	109	133
123	60	77	90	116	142
132	64	82	95	122	150
148	70	90	105	135	165
165	76	97	113	146	183
181	81	104	122	158	192
198	88	112	130	167	205
199+	92	118	137	177	217

Rachael Deadlifting after Squat Workout

After posting the squat videos people were saying they would like to see a good deadlift video, and in that video show more than just one angle. As Rachael is better looking than me I asked her to demonstrate this awesome exercise.

You can leg press all the weights and be king of the tricep machine but if you can't squat and deadlift some decent weights you shouldnt even be reading this blog - you pussy.

Can anyone translate ?

Bofe Men´s Health	13/7/2007

Versão inglesa da publicação faz concurso para eleger belo da capa. Concorrentes são absurdos!

Por Redação

Foto: Reprodução Um dos belos...

A versão britânica da Men´s Health - revista de beleza e saúde para homens existente em diversas partes do mundo, inclusive no Brasil - lançou um concurso para eleger seu próximo modelo de capa.

No total, são 15 deliciosos exemplares masculinos que serão avaliados pelo público inglês que pode votar na página e ainda concorrer a um prêmio de mil libras, quase quatro mil reais.

Entre os belos concorrentes, estão o personal trainer de 27 anos, Neil McTeggart, e tem um dos peitorais mais bonitos da competição. Outros lindos são Olly Mcguffog, um carpinteiro de 28 anos tatuado e barbado, e Dominic Venton, estudante de 23 anos, e o engenheiro James Nyman, engenheiro, de 27 anos, todos muito sexy.

A seguir, confira no álbum todos os concorrentes. Para saber mais e votar em seu preferido, acesse a página da Men's Health inglesa aqui.

I just found this on a site while arsing about on google !