Sensible Bodybuilding

If you would like to improve your physique by developing lean muscle mass and losing excess body fat our trainers have the expertise to help you.

Bodybuilding often gets a bad press - usually due to the preconception that illegal steroids are involved.

At FISH we prefer the natural approach. In partnership with our clients we work out optimal training, nutrition, and supplement plans to ensure that you achieve your goals. We make sure that you don't overtrain and offer education in the importance of appropriate rest and nutrition. We also make use of a whole array of training protocols and advanced techniques to ensure you continue to make progress.

For those who don't want to grow bigger, just leaner, we offer body sculpting training and specialise in protocols for maximising fat loss using resistance exercise.

Initial consultation, including measurements, is FREE.

Personal Training for 1 hour costs just £25 (£15 for half an hour).

We also design gym programmes, bodybuilding programmes and nutritional plans for your own use.

Contact us now for your FREE consultation at fishtraining@yahoo.co.uk

or telephone Derek on 07871760054

Studio Update

F.I.S.H. Ltd Personal Training Studio's client list is growing at an alrming rate - and all without any major advertising campaign!

Derek and Melody are both almost up to capacity, so it's good news that Mark Jobbins has come on board as a new trainer. Chutz starts with us in July once he's finished his YMCA qualification.

If you are looking to lose weight or build muscle - or both - we can help you with optimal programmes for weight training and nutrition, boxercise and outdoor training. We also offer technique master classess for those new to resistance training, or those who wish to advance their own training knowledge and effectiveness.

We also now stock all the nutritional supplements that we personally find the most effective.

If you are a Personal Trainer looking for a facility in which to train your clients, or if you wish to build muscle, tone up, lose fat - and keep it off - then please give us a call on 07871760054 or email fishtraining@yahoo.co.uk.

Continuous Progression in Resistance Training

One of the difficulties facing trainers is how to ensure continuous progression. Unfortunately, it is not enough to simply follow the same training protocol for an individual. If you design a programme of resistance training and expect the client to make continual progress simply by adding more weight or more reps you, and the client, will most likely be disappointed. They may continue to make some gains but for these gains to be optimised it is important to consider a number of factors:

Time under tension: this is why it is so important to control the weight on both the concentric and eccentric paths. The amount of time a muscle is held under tension is crucial to recruiting sufficient motor units for adaptation to take place.

Load: the cumulative load for a particular muscle group should be increased either through increasing the average weight lifted or manipulating loading parameters, with drop sets for example. This will have an impact on time under tension: for example, if you are able to bicep curl 20kg for ten reps on the first set, following a rest of 3 minutes you may only be able to perform 9 reps, and then 7 or 8 on the third set. By dropping the resistance on subsequent sets the time under tension should increase.

Fibre type: depending on the client’s goals and the muscle being trained fibre type is an important factor. With the hamstrings, for example, there is a predominance of fast-twitch, type 2b fibres, which respond better to low reps (heavier weight) and a relatively fast concentric action (think of the explosive power of sprinters – who generally have superior hamstring development to body builders). The soleus, on the other hand, is predominantly composed of slow-twitch fibres and therefore responds better to higher reps.
Reduction of the myotatic response – by pausing for a second or two in the stretch position (i.e. full extension of the elbow in a biceps curl) the plyometric effect is reduced thus increasing the tension on the muscles and leading to greater hypertrophy gains.

Working from different angles – Arnold was quite right to insist upon targeting muscles from a variety of angles but it is perhaps not necessary to perform so many sets at each angle. If you are looking for complete chest development, for example, you may have decided upon 4 sets of bench press but could perform one set on progressively inclined positions rather than 4-5 sets at each position.

Manipulate rest – generally, if you are looking at maintaining strength for each set and being able to challenge the tensile strength of fast twitch (type 2a and 2b) fibres, rest intervals should be at least three minutes. However, there are gains to be made from reduced rest periods (down to 45-60 seconds), in which case there is a second hypertrophic reaction, this time through build up of metabolic by-products and occlusion of the veins. There is a corresponding growth in energy reservoirs (glycogen and phosphate creatine), and in the venous supply.

In addition, close attention needs to be paid to recovery: rest between workouts, sleep, and nutrition. These include consideration of recovery drinks with 60-80g of simple carbohydrates, 25-30g of protein, vitamin C (which not only supports the immune system but also has an anti-catabolic role), magnesium, and perhaps creatine.

These are only some of the factors affecting progress. The bottom line is that the trainer, to be effective, needs to plan for each session, or each period of training, by reviewing workout notes and paying attention to time under tension, loading, rest, and exercise selection. They should also continuously assess the client’s physical development and target lagging areas (structural assessment would be helpful at intervals).

If the client has reached a plateau in terms of strength development there should be an assessment of the primary and supporting (synergistic) musculature: a lift is only as strong as its weakest link.

Generally, a training programme should be thoroughly reviewed at the minimum six weekly. It is no good simply plugging away at the same tired old routine hoping to eke out minuscule gains. The results are likely to be despondence, over training, and too great an identification with Sisyphus of classical mythology.

Progression in Resistance Training

You must have noticed the guys in the gym who always train hard, always train heavy, and always train the same. You may also have noticed that, no matter how long you have witnessed their training, they also always look the same.

There may be a number of reasons for lack of progress: inadequate nutrition or rest; poor timing of nutrition and supplementation; inappropriate exercises. Often lack of progress can be ascribed to poor knowledge, poor technique, and a lack of variety.

The body is a lazy organism. It is concerned with the conservation of energy and assiduously tries to cling to homeostasis, maintaining its biological state within pre-set parameters. Unless muscle fibres are stressed to the point of overload there will be no incentive for them to grow. If they are taken to the point of momentary muscular failure (or beyond, as with forced repetitions) the signal to grow is even greater (in the latter case up to 30% greater). To ensure muscular overload is progressive, leading to bigger gains, there are a number of variables that can be manipulated. For many recreational bodybuilders, however, it is always about increasing the weight at all costs.

In addition to poor exercise knowledge, poor form, and an ignorance of specificity, the other contributing factor to training plateaus is lack of variety.

If you perform the same routine week in, week out, there will come a point when you cannot increase the weight without sacrificing form. Your body will also quickly adapt to a particular way of training. If it is no longer taxed it will cease to develop.

In order to increase the intensity of a workout there are a number of variables that can be manipulated: resistance (weight), repetitions, rate (speed), rest (in between sets) and range of motion. Experiment with each of the “5 Rs”. Cut down your rest in between sets. The muscles won’t be fully recovered and will fail earlier in the next set. Move through a full range of motion (fully extend the arms at the start point of a biceps curl for example); sometimes pause along various points in the range of movement and allow the muscles to statically contract; exploit peak contraction positions; slow the movements down, control the negative. Sometimes use faster movements; sometimes work with heavy weights, but only if you can maintain good form. Experiment with high intensity techniques (rest-pause, supersets, pre and post-exhaust, negatives, static contraction etc). If you increase the intensity you may need to reduce the volume. Mike Mentzer advocated short bursts of extremely high intensity training using very heavy loads (with perfect form) and then leaving the gym to start the recovery and growth process. Dorian Yates, six times Mr Olympia, successfully exploited this type of training philosophy but there is, for the recreational bodybuilder, a caveat: Yates suffered his share of major injuries, including a detached tricep, and when Frenchman Francis Benfatto experimented with heavy training he seriously damaged his pectoral. If you use high intensity, don’t use it exclusively. Vary your training.

Don’t allow your workouts to become totally random, however. Follow a basic programme that gradually progresses resistance (consider using step loading cycles for 4-6 weeks). Intersperse your regular training with sessions of high intensity work. Don’t be afraid to modify your routine every 4-6 weeks. Listen to your body. Keep notes of how you respond to different approaches and mix your approaches. Francis Benfatto, who recently staged an incredible comeback at the Australian Grand Prix, makes the comparison between training and music:

“You don’t play with just one note of music, and we bodybuilders can’t play just with weights. We must play with technique, reps, speed, machines, dumbbells, barbells, inclines, declines, supersets, giant sets – everything. We must push our bodies with new things all the time so we can always progress.” (Flex, September 2006, p118)

With a combination of good nutrition, adequate rest, clear goals, exercise knowledge, good form and variety you will continue to make gains. Don’t be one of those people who always seem to be in the gym, always train hard, and seldom change their physiques. Think about what you want to achieve, study the most effective exercises and learn correct form (consider having a session on technique with a personal trainer who has knowledge of bodybuilding), manipulate the “5 Rs” and experiment with high intensity at intervals. Don’t worry about what everyone else is lifting. Focus on form – it’s all in the execution not the ego.

Heavier Isn't Always Better

Generally the recreational bodybuilders who seem to have reached a plateau in their development adhere to a decidedly myopic training philosophy: increase the resistance, but keep everything else the same. Good form is often sacrificed at the expense of more weight. The result has been the evolution of some rather bizarre lifting techniques: how many times have you witnessed the ectomorphic novice trying to swell his biceps by holding a barbell with elbows flexed, swaying back and forth from the waist before throwing the weights down with a mighty crash and then striding off to admire the supposed growth in the mirror. Lateral raises are the funniest exercise performed poorly. Determined to keep pace with the big boys, the over-zealous bodybuilder extends the prescribed slight elbow bend to a full ninety degrees (thus reducing the lever length and the comparative resistance), and then proceeds to flick the dumb bells up to shoulder height with a complex multi-joint movement focused chiefly on the lower back and wrists.

In such cases the target muscle gets off rather lightly whilst there is an unintentional, and largely ineffective, working of the lower back and forearms. The risk of injury is high and the likelihood of muscular development low.

Let’s look at the bicep curl. This exercise, presumably, is meant to stimulate growth of the biceps/brachialis muscles. To effectively target a muscle it is necessary to focus on the relevant joint action. In the case of the biceps, the role of the muscle is to flex the elbow joint (not the lower back!). It is essential, therefore, to isolate this joint by fixing the elbows at the sides and keeping the wrists in line with the elbows and forearms throughout the motion (many body builders make the mistake of curling the wrists over at the top of the movement). The torso should remain upright with a neutral spine position and the shoulders down and relaxed. The abdominals should be pulled in about 25% and the knees should be soft (slightly bent).

Generally the speed should be moderate with control of the eccentric (downward) movement during which the muscle is lengthening under tension. Poliquin (1990) demonstrates that the greatest hypertrophy gains are made using a repetition range of 8-12 and a moderate resistance: it is not necessary to lift very heavy weights to develop muscle. A weight should be selected that allows the trainer to perform within the prescribed rep range so that overload is achieved at the end of the set. Weight increases should be made in small increments allowing for the retention of perfect exercise form.

The challenge for the recreational body builder is to compete not with the other people in the gym, or with Arnold Schwarzenegger or whoever one’s idol is, but to compete with oneself. The weight must fit the person and that person’s specific goal. The exercise chosen, the form, the speed, the number of sets, the rest periods must follow the law of specificity. What do you wish to achieve? What is the best exercise to achieve this? What joint actions are involved and how do you best perform the exercise? Training is not random and it is not about brute force. You must know what your goals are and how best to approach those goals by using safe and effective exercises. If you must flick your wrists and sway your back during lateral raises then you should be able to explain exactly why you are doing this.

Reverse Anorexia in Body Building

We are all too familiar with the pathology of Anorexia Nervosa and the driving feature of over-evaluation of body image. Often this over-evaluation is reinforced by the activity of scrutiny - often looking in the mirror and focusing on what are thought to be the worst body features.

Is self-scrutiny in the mirror reliable? Differences between the subjective beliefs of anorexia sufferers and the consensus view of others (objective reality) leads us to conclude that it is not. Why is this?

The image we see in a mirror is actually half the size that we are (try getting someone to stick tape on the mirror image at the top and bottom and then measure it). The brain compensates for this by "doubling up the image". There are degrees of distortion in the processing, more so when pathology is present. "Bad" features become magnified. In addition, there will often be variation in mirror images depending on lighting, the mirror surface, reference points in the reflection, mood of the observer etc.

In body building we sometimes see the reverse of anorexia (in which the sufferer sees their mirror image as being fatter than it really is). In body building the goal is usually to grow larger, in terms of musculature. A body builder desperate to gain weight may look into the mirror and despair at the perceived muscular atrophy. Nothing seems to be growing - indeed everything seems to be shrinking. Whereas the anorexic is likely to restrict calorie intake even further, the body builder is likely to train even harder and longer. The net result of this will be over-training thus inhibiting the processes of recovery and growth.

In such cases, more reliable methods of gauging progress might include:

1. Photographs
2. Measurements
3. The appraisal of others

Continual progress can be ensured if the body builder:

1. Accurately assesses caloric needs for weight maintenance and then increases by roughly 20%
2. Consumes protein equivalent to 2g per kilogram of lean body weight
3. Ensures adequate supply of other macronutrients (carbohydrates and "good" fats)
4. Progresses training at each workout (increase resistance or reps within the target rep range; at times decrease rest; range of motion and repetition rate can also be manipulated).
5. Strictly adheres to correct exercise technique, generally adopting full range of motion and a controlled, smoothe, rep speed.
6. Rests sufficiently between workouts. generally keep resistance works to less than an hour and take at least one day off between workouts.

So what is to be done with mirrors?

If body-checking becomes problematic use mirrors solely for checking clothing coordination, hair and face. Remove any extraneous mirrors. Focus on the training and on maintaining adequate nutrition. Rely on the feedback of others and occasionally (monthly?) get someone to take your measurements.

Unless you are a driven, competitive level, body builder, don't set your sights on future gains. Enjoy the training, enjoy the journey, and most important, maintain a balanced life that doesn't solely revovle around your physique. Train with prescribed regularity and eat to match. If that's in place, quit worrying and let things take their course.