Natural Bodybuilding at F.I.S.H.

At F.I.S.H. we have a special interest in natural bodybuilding (bodybuilding without steroids). We have in depth knowledge - both theoretical and practical- of the major schools of training (including the High Volume Training associated with Arnold, High Intensity Training as advocated by Mike Mentzer & Dorian Yates, Denie's "Psycho-Blasting", X-Reps etc).

Del makes prolific use of Olympic Strength Coach Charles Poliquin's training protocols having studies his major writings and implemented his approaches with great success. Del is currently studying for the Poliquin International Certification Program.

If you would like to improve your body shape & composition, learn the basics, improve technique, or if you have aspirations to compete in figure fitness or bodybuilding competitions book a FREE consultation to see how we can help you with all aspects of training and nutrition.

Contact fishfitness@tiscali.co.uk for more information or to request your free consultation.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken on something akin to mythical status in the world of bodybuilding. Despite the decades since his departure from the competitive stage Arnold is often the first name to spring to mind when bodybuilding is mentioned. He has his critics, of course (Lee Haney described himself as having "a more complete" physique than Arnold in the '80s, and current Mr Olympia, Jay Cutler, reputedly told Arnold he knew next to nothing about modern bodybuilding).

However, Arnold still bears comparison with the current crop of bodybuilding "freaks" whose proportions have become ludicrously inflated so that they resemble bloated Cardassians more than human beings. Arnold won the "Best Built Man" title early in his career: the modern heavy weights would no doubt be excluded from such a competition on the grounds of species.

There have been internet polls comparing Arnold to Ronnie Coleman, the previous Mr Olympia. Coleman may well have been awesomely huge, but Arnold came out on top in the polls due to his superior aesthetic. At his best, Arnold retained something of the classical physique, and in some ways his "weaknesses" (his legs were nowhere near as huge as the those of modern bodybuilders) may well have been his strengths.

Another recent poll, this time in a bodybuilding magazine, compared the chests of top bodybuilders from the past to the present. Arnold came first with Lou Ferrigno close behind.

Training philosophy has certainly changed since Arnold's day. He used to advocate gruelling two hour workouts often twice per day but research has shown that working out beyond the 45-60 minute mark produces high levels of the catabolic hormone cortisol. Obviously Arnold was able to achieve great results with his prolonged training sessions (due to genetics and anabolic steroids) but he may have achieved even more had he trained a little less. That said, Arnold's "Basic Training Program" in his "Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" is excellent. The more advanced programmes are probably a bit over-the-top in terms of volume (as Mike Mentzer's prescriptions are woefully inadequate in terms of complete motor unit recruitment).

Arnold has a shoulder exercise named after him, the "Arnold Press", which is a sort of combined lateral raise and shoulder press. He also has "The Arnold Classic", one of the most prestigious bodybuilding competitions (which also hosts an array of other sports).

Whatever one may think of Arnold, he remains an inspiration for many and probably the greatest icon of bodybuilding - so much so that we felt obliged to put a poster of Arnold up in the F.I.S.H. studio behind the power rack (perhaps one last rep of squats could be squeezed out by appealing to this demi-god of training).

F.I.S.H. Studio Opens

At last the F.I.S.H. Personal Training Studio in Eastbourne has opened for business. Our first two clients through the door were Carole Penney and Jonathan Martin who continue to train with Derek Prior twice per week. Both have made exceptional progress with resistance training technique and both already show impressive gains.

We are still awaiting the delivery of a cable crossover and heavy duty free weights mat on Wednesday.

The new brochures are back from the printers and will be distributed this week.

Melody is almost fully recovered from a bout of tonsillitis and has commenced a two week anatomical adaptation phase using the big compound exercises and target-specific loading and tempo parameters. She will then move on to a three day split (each muscle to be trained once every five days). Derek is supervising Melody's weight training in return for some boxing sessions.

Derek has also recommenced serious training after almost a three month lay off. He is following a three day split (chest, back, external rotators; thighs, calves, and abdominals; shoulders and arms). For arms he is following Charles Poliquin's "Ultimate Arm Program", a six month program with changes every six workouts. The phase one "double tri-sets" are gruelling.

Chutney has ordered us a large Arnold poster to go behind the power rack and Theo has donated an action figure of the Mighty Thor for the desk. Art work for the walls is being provided by Gordon Prout.

Calf Training

There are a number of conflicting views about calf training: some advocate low reps and others high; some feel there is no point training calves because they are genetically determined and no amount of training will enhance them (although Arnold surely must have disproved this one!). Often calf training is neglected as, like the hamstrings, the calves are not “mirror muscles”.

Whilst it is true that outstanding calves are genetically determined there is a great deal that can be done with correct training to enhance calves.

The first point to consider is that the two parts of the calf – the soleus and the gastrocnemius – have different fast-slow twitch fibre ratios. The soleus (the lower calf) is comprised of about 88% slow-twitch fibres and is therefore most responsive to high reps. The gastrocnemius, however, is about 60% fast-twitch and therefore responds better to low reps.

To train the gastrocnemius, the knees should be locked, legs straight (standing calf raise machine; dumb bell calf raise on a step; one legged calf raise; donkey calf raise). To target the soleus the knees should be bent, as on the seated calf raise machine.

The tempo should be relatively slow – try 5 seconds eccentric and 5 seconds concentric and pause at the bottom position for between 1 and 4 seconds (i.e. 1 second during very high reps; 4 seconds on low reps). This inversely related pause increases time under tension, which leads to greater hypertrophy.

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.

Training Infrequently

When I first started training with weights I was influenced by the high volume approach advocated by, amongst others, Arnold Schwarzenegger. I found myself in the gym for two to three hours six (sometimes even seven) times a week.

Initially I made some progress. Mostly this was due to moving from a sedentary to a very active lifestyle and the caloric deficit created by hours of training. After a few months, however, the progress stopped/ By now I was psychologically addicted to training and found myself going to the gym even when I knew further training would be counter-productive.

During this period I discovered the writings of Mike Mentzer whose "Heavy Duty" training system (High Intensity Training) recommended brief but extremely intense bouts of exercise followed by long rest periods. I tried this for a while but found training for only twenty to thirty minutes once every four to seven days unfulfilling. Whilst Mentzer might have commented that this was due to a psychological need, I was never fully convinced of his infrequency principle.

Over time I completed my Personal Training course with YMCA F.I.T. and continued to read as much as I could on weight training: Denie's"Psycho-blast", Stuart McRobert, Charles Poliquin, John Hansen etc.

The approaches and theories are somewhat conflicting and bewildering. Up to a point you can achieve results with any of them. Some are safer than others, and this leads to the possibility of long-term progression. Others are more suitable to experienced trainers or elite body builders. Stuart McRobert's approach is extremely sensible and he provides excellent advice on technique and steady progression, but, for me, his approach is mechanical and uninspiring. I also found the rate of progression a little too slow - although I agree with using very small weight increments for progression at times.

In my own training I have evolved a somewhat eclectic approach that focuses primarily on compound exercises (squats, dead lifts, bench press, bent over rows, chin ups, dips, and bar bell biceps curls). I now train each body part for 4-8 sets once per week (formerly I could do anything up to thirty sets for chest twice a week). I currently use a three day split, although recently whilst setting up the F.I.S.H. studio I've been limited to two workouts at home and have been surprised at the growth achieved with relatively lights weights and lots of rest.

So Mentzer had a point about infrequency but perhaps too much of a point. I find that resting at least 48 hours between workouts is keeping me growing and that three (sometimes four) workouts per week allows me the time to hit each body part effectively and does fulfill my (pathological?) need to train fairly frequently. Taking seven (or even up to fourteen) days of rest between workouts seems excessive and may actually interfere with the habituation which is essential to continuing with an exercise programme.

I still throw in the odd super-set, pre-exhaust, post-exhaust, drop set or rest-pause, but whereas before I would use these techniques at every workout I now use them only occasionally (often not for weeks). They have become plateau busters and novelties that keep me interested. Sometimes they are time savers and enable me to do an effective and intense workout in under half an hour.

In conclusion, for drug-free body-building (from my experience) it is effective to train three to four times a week with at least one whole day off in between workouts. If you are forced, through circumstances, to take an extra rest day don't be disheartened or frustrated. See this as an opportunity to recover and grow. This cognitive re-structuring has been a key to my recent progress - being able to see rest days in a productive light.