Hey,

Check this video out. It’s a follow up to the last video I put up “What The Heck is a Type III Muscle Fiber, Anyways?” You’ll wanna see that first.

If you’ve already checked that out, look at the results its’ gotten for Elliott Hulse, co-creator of LHM, and his athletes/clientele.

Does Lean Hybrid Muscle Training Really Work?

More Before & After Pics Here

Talk soon! Let me know what you thought of these before/afters after you see that video!

Talk soon…

John Cortese

**This is Part II in a series of posts titled “A Road Less Traveled: My Journey to Now”. Please read all of this as I lay it all out there and take you on the journey; my own personal story to say, that has made me the coach and person I am today..

Be sure to check out Part I first to get a handle of where we’re at now up to this point..

I probably felt just as bad as this poor guy did after getting rejected..

After pretty much struggling in most sporting endeavors I tried, I had zero clue to where I would fit in. Let’s give you a quick run-down of some sporting adventures I took up and ultimately failed in…

1.) Youth Soccer- I think I scored a total of 4 goals in all my years of playing (I think 3), with 3 of those goals coming in the last game I ever played in.. Not very coordinated with kicking a ball around a field, not my thing. No biggie.

2.) Little League Baseball- Had the worst batting average both years I played. Couldn’t hit a ball to save my life. I think I got lucky a couple times and connected but never got more than a double probably. Struck out nearly every time I went up to bat; pretty much afraid of getting hit by a pitch after a wild pitch my first year hit me square in the face. Ouch…

3.) BMX/Roller-Blading/Skateboard (aka the “Extreme” Sports) – All of my friends were into it, so naturally I took a liking to it- or so I thought. Deep down I despised skateboarding (I was bad at it), riding a bike wasn’t in my favor (fell off my bike multiple times, including once where I split my forehead open pretty bad, enough to where I had to visit the ER. As far as “blading” went, I grew out of it.. I did have fun playing roller-hockey (outdoor hockey on roller-blades) but it was just a rec-league activity and I pretty much grew out of that after a season or two.

4.) Bowling- I nearly forgot about this, but YES, I was a competitive bowler for 2 years . Me and two of my really good friends at the time were all pretty good at it, so we joined the local youth league. I actually was OK at it, too. Pretty fun, and still have never beat my best score (185). I like to just bowl for speed and throw the ball as hard as possible now, haha!

Despite all of these happenings, I still LOVED to be outside, move around, climb trees, jump over things, run, etc. P.E. was actually fun for me, while most of the kids in my class hated the thought of it. I was always a very competitive type of kid and would race others, play pick-up football, basketball, kickball, etc. I was NEVER the dominant kid on the playground, but could hold my own.

Then came that defining moment I told you about in Part I. It was the annual county-wide track and field competition between many of the town’s elementary schools. I don’t remember how many were there, but they split us up into age group and ran probably 20-30 heats of races to accommodate all of the kids. This was my 5th grade year (10-11 year olds).

I remember lining up for the 40-yard dash against some of my friends (I think my twin brother, Jeremy, was in that race too). This was the first time ever being in an official race with a starter, finish line, lanes (painted on the grass), and awards to the winners. I was very, very nervous. The gun went off and I took off as fast as I could.. As I started running, I could feel my friends pass me by. The last thing I remember was coming in dead last. What an awful feeling. I was a pretty shy kid, so facing my friends and family after something like that was the last thing I wanted to do. So I did what I knew best; hid from my problems. I cried for who knows how long. Looking back at this, it’s pretty sad to see how a young kid could take something like that so serious and to heart, but I can’t stand losing.

It was THAT moment that really changed me; I remember feeling that loss and how bad it felt to get beat by the other kids. I never, ever, ever wanted to feel that way again.

Once I got a little taste of failure, the work ethic took off.. It was the beginning of 7th grade (middle school) where I really came out of my shell, out of what seemed like NOWHERE. It was like someone had turned a switch!

Stay tuned for Part III where I go into details and when I finally found my own place in the world of athletics. I can tell you for certain that this was “my time”!!

See ya,

John

Hey,

I found this really cool video from Elliott Hulse, co-creator of Lean Hybrid Muscle Building. In it, he talks about a “Type 3″ muscle fiber, also known as a “super-muscle” fiber. Pretty interesting stuff if you ask me…

Check the video out below, lemme know what you think!

-John Cortese

Click Here To Discover How Developing the Type III Muscle Fiber Can Help You
Burn Fat Faster With Shorter Workouts!

**This is Part I in a series of posts titled “A Road Less Traveled: My Journey to Now. Please read all of this as I lay it all out there and take you on the journey; my own personal story to say, that has made me the coach and person I am today..

I wasn’t always interested in running fast, jumping high, lifting heavy stuff, etc… In fact, I once thought that I wasn’t much of an athlete. Let me take you way back as far as I can remember to my earliest memories of athletics, the choices I made, and some of the obstacles I’ve had to overcome to understand my own purpose as an athlete, coach, mentor, friend, and overall the contribution that I owe to this world. Keep in mind, I’m a little embarrased to be sharing this information with you, but I hope you read and enjoy/appreciate these stories that have molded the “John Cortese” you know today.

Back in elementary school and growing up, I was involved in many sports. It felt like I was trying to “find my place” in the exciting world of athletics. I loved watching sports at a very young age and can remember being OBSESSED with professional wrestling. I vividly remember taping nearly every WWF (now WWE) event at night because my parents made us get to bed early. Some of my favorites included the Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Shawn Michaels, and many more. These were the “glory days” of pro wrestling, not the soap-opera, entertainment, money hungry-based industry we all have come to grow and love (or hate) now.

Yes, this is me as a young infant. Note the large head and large eyes. I wasn't called "ET" for nothing!"

Since this (pro-wrestling) really was not an option for me at a young age (and the fact that my parents really did not like us watching such violence on TV; after all, it was “FAKE” and nothing going on was REALLY real- I now know that pro wrestling is scripted and pre-planned, but that did not occur to me at the time. I did not want to believe that something I LOVED so much could possibly be fake!) I had to find a sport that I could excel in; or so I thought..With this being said, any sport that had a *hint* of violence in it (football, wrestling, boxing, etc) were simply out of the question for me and my brothers/sister because of the fear of us getting hurt.. (I didn’t suit up in football gear for the first time until I was 13 years old, more on that later..)

I was always a naturally “artistic” type of person; I can remember sitting down and drawing “Free-hand” some of my favorite cartoon characters like Garfield and Calvin & Hobbes. I also picked up piano at the age of 8 years old because it really appealed to me and was actually pretty easy to me. I never learned how to read music but learned how to play all of the songs I learned (I still remember a few of them today) by breaking them up into mini-songs or chunks, practicing, and listening to how it’s supposed to sound. In the world of music, this is called “playing by Ear”. This way of learning I associate with practical/applied knowledge, while reading music I can associate more with “textbook/learning”. I still learn the best this way and associate most of what I have learned today with applying knowledge; it would be a complete waste of time and energy if I learned all these cool tricks and methods of getting stronger and faster for your sports if I had no desire or want to APPLY this knowledge to the world.

Back to athletics- some of the sports I grew up playing (age 6-11) included: T-ball, baseball, soccer, golf, roller-hockey, roller-blading, skateboarding, and basketball. These were fun, but looking back these sports or activities didn’t give me the sense of fulfillment I was looking for. Many of my friends at the time were excelling at SOMETHING; I was looking for that too. I could draw (very well) and play the piano (got pretty good at that too) but quit both of these pretty quickly as I approached adolescence because it wasn’t “COOL” or what my friends were doing.

I soon found out one day, one day that I can still remember like it was YESTERDAY, that I was supposed to be doing something to HELP people. It hit me like a ton of bricks and even made me hide, cry, and sit in sorrow because of such embarrassment that I couldn’t even face my friends or family (yes, this being at the age of 11).  But I knew that this revelation meant something, especially looking back at this today. I can almost call this day as one of THE defining moments that changed me for the better, as an athlete and a person.

Stay tuned for Part II, where I explain the day the changed me, my journey into athletics and where I started to REALLY excel, and some more obstacles I had to overcome…

Speaking of obstacles, leave me your thoughts below. I’d love to hear what obstacles, fears, challenges, etc that you’ve had to overcome!

See ya soon,

John Cortese BS, YFS

Guest Post from Mike Geary, author of the best-selling Truth About Six Pack Abs program

Let’s face it… building muscle is not the easiest thing to accomplish even despite regular hard workout schedules and trying every type of workout and supplement.

I struggled for years to gain any significant muscle mass, but over the years in my personal training business and with my own experimentation have found some important things that have helped make significant muscle gains possible even for hardgainers.

So, I’m going to give 3 important tips here so you can start building lean muscle mass faster and easier.

1. Make sure that 95% of the exercises you perform regularly in the gym are big multi-joint compound exercises. It doesn’t matter if your goal is fat loss or building muscle… big multi-joint exercises should comprise 95% of the exercises you do in your workouts if you want to get lean, ripped, and powerful.

It’s easiest to think of it in terms of the major movement patterns such as these (focus 95% of your workouts on these):

* upper body horizontal press (bench press, pushups, dips),

* upper body horizontal rows (1-arm dumbbell rows, seated cable rows, bent over barbell rows),

* upper body vertical pull (lat pulldowns, pullups, chinups),

* upper body vertical press (overhead dumbbell and barbell presses, barbell or kettlebell clean & presses)

* lower body squatting movements (front squats, back squats, overhead squats, bodyweight squats, etc)

* lower body deadlifting movements (regular deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts)

* lower body single leg movements (lunges, step-ups, jump lunges, etc)

* abdominal and core exercises (these are important, but still are 2nd priority after all of the major upper body and lower body multi-joint movements… your abs and core will be worked from most major multi-joint exercises anyway)

The other 5% of your exercises can focus on single joint exercises (isolation exercises) such as bicep curls, tricep presses, calf presses, shoulder shrugs, shoulder lateral raises, pec flyes, etc, etc. However, these exercises are only accessory exercises to do after the main focus has been the multi-joint drills.

2. Train hard and intensely 3-4 days/week for 45-60 minutes per weight training workout. Keep your workouts to no longer than 60 minutes as training too much beyond this point can trigger excess catabolism. You want to stay anabolic, but you still need to train your body hard and intensely enough to trigger muscle growth.

Try a super-set style of workout program to maximize the intensity that you can train. My favorite combinations are opposing upper and lower body movement patterns that don’t interfere with each other, such as squats coupled with pullups as a superset, or bench press coupled with deadlifts as a superset.

Don’t underestimate the effectiveness of these types of upper/lower body supersets done with heavy weights and a high intensity. The first time in my life that I experienced significant muscle mass gains were when I started doing these types of workout combos regularly (although still mixing up my training variables).

These are mainstays of almost any effective workout program — caloric intake can simply be adjusted whether your goal is fat burning or gaining muscle mass.

3. Eat clean with quality whole foods… REAL foods instead of highly processed over-hyped supplement powders and bars.

The quality of protein (and additional nutrition from vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) are best assimilated by the body from real whole food such as eggs, meats, dairy (preferably raw), fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc. instead of from processed protein powders, chemical-laden bars, and meal replacements.

Forget about the hyped up workouts in the muscle mags that only work for pro bodybuilders or people on steroids. Forget about the over-hyped supplement “stacks” that pay the bills for almost every muscle mag… Instead, make these tips in this article part of your lifestyle, and you’ll see muscle gains and a leaner, ripped body like you’ve never seen before!

If you want to get a lean chiseled body, check out these tips to Get Ripped Abs the right way.

Enjoy, and good luck!

Mike Geary

Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist

Author – The Truth about Six Pack Abs

**Guest Post from Jason Ferruggia author of Muscle Gaining Secrets and owner of Renegade Strength and Conditioning; Enjoy.**

Change Your Mindset and You Will Build Muscle Fast

By Jason Ferruggia

Let’s be honest. Everybody wants to improve the way they look. I don’t know of too many people that don’t want to build muscle fast or lose more fat in a hurry. It’s just human nature. You want to appeal to the opposite sex and command respect from you peers. Personally, I am obsessed with performance gains and train for strength and function first and foremost, but even I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to look better. We all do.

But wanting and doing are two entirely different things. Everyone wants to dramatically transform their physiques and make mind blowing gains, but how many people actually do? How many people do you know that build muscle fast and get absolutely jacked in the course of even a one year period? Very few. And do you know why? Because they don’t have the right mindset. Change your mindset and you will change your body. With the right mindset you can make gains in as little as 12 weeks that other guys don’t even make in 12 years!

People who have made unbelievable physical transformations first accepted the fact that it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park and they were willing to work for it and do whatever it took. That’s not to say that it takes an incredible amount of time. You don’t have to spend every waking hour in the gym. You can progress incredibly well in just a few short hours per week. But if you don’t possess the proper mindset and the determination to do whatever it takes during those three or four weekly hours of training you will never get anywhere.

We all have commitments and time restraints that prevent us from working out as much as we would like to. But lack of time never was and never will be an acceptable excuse. If you search hard enough and cut out the wasted hours of TV time and other useless nonsense, you will find that we all have two or three hours per week to dedicate to our health and to transforming our bodies. After all, what is more important in life than your health and your body? Very little if you ask me.

Guys like Arthur Saxon, Dorian Yates, Arnold, Bill Pearl, George Hackenshmidt and Ed Coan all had the never-say-die, take-no-prisoners attitude that is an absolute prerequisite of massive physical transformation. Bill Pearl found that he was so busy that he had to rise at 4am every day just to get his workouts in. But that’s what it took, so he did it happily.

It doesn’t require fancy machinery and a high tech gym, it doesn’t take a lot of time each week, it doesn’t take any over hyped, over priced supplements; but it does take hard work, dedication and a burning desire to be the best. If you think you are going to loaf through your workouts and make head turning changes to your physique you are simply lying to yourself.

Will be this be the day when you finally make the mindset change necessary to achieve greatness or will you just keep putting it off ‘til tomorrow?

For a simple to follow, step by step plan that will motivate you beyond your wildest dreams and finally help you build muscle fast and get in the best shape of your life, while spending less than three hours per week in the gym, check out http://www.MuscleGainingSecrets.com/ now.

Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He is the head training adviser for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more How to Build Muscle Fast tips, check out http://www.musclegainingsecrets.com/

Me wrestling with the sandbag

I mad e up a couple sandbags yesterday (FINALLY) after purchasing a couple army/navy duffle bags off of ebay. This was my first time ever using a sandbag for training, and I was completely blown away by how tough this simple tool really is. The cool thing about these is that you can do endless movements, anywhere, anytime. This will seriously challenge your grip strength, core strength, legs, upper back, arms, and most importantly these type of workouts will challenge your ATTITUDE.

I have two bags; one 75-lb bag and one 125-lb bag. If you’ve never picked up deadweight before, be prepared for a rude awakening! It was very simple to make these. I bought 200 lbs of gravel from Home Depot, filled smaller individual bags (made for floods) with 25 lbs of gravel each, sealed them shut with lots of duct tape, threw them in the bag, then filled each bag with old shirts and sweatshirts to give it shape and form. Tie the end with twine and seal over with more duct tape, good to go! These duffle bags are extremely durable too, so the likelihood of having a leak is very small.

The workout itself was pretty random, as it was more of a “feeler” day. We just set the clock for 30 minutes and got to work. We actually ended up going longer (about 45 minutes) because it was so fun and challenging. Basically the format was something very simple: I would start with a movement of my choice for a given number of repetitions, then the next guy would do the same, then the next would do the same; then we would keep doing different things, making it a challenge and competition. This is the great thing about this style of training; you have to keep it fun and competitive!

Another added benefit is the constant change of resistance you will feel. Sometimes the gravel will be on one end of the bag, sometimes it moves around as you pick the bag up; sometimes it will take you 2-3 tries to pick the damn thing up before you succeed!

Check out the videos below of myself and training partners getting after it!

“Sandbag Loading”

“Sandbag Get-Ups”

“Sandbag shouldering, walk and carry”

Leave me your comments and questions about sandbag training below! I’m still learning with this style of training, so it will benefit the both of us!

See ya,

John Cortese

Hybrid Muscle Training for Sports

By: Mike Westerdal

Regardless of your body type or the type of training that your body responds to best, hybrid muscle training is all around, the most effective way to build muscle and get lean. Often times, guys ask me how hybrid training carries over into sports. Well, regardless of the sport, hybrid muscle training can help you be at the top of your game.

But did you know that there are also sports that by their very nature help you develop hybrid muscle? Actually, any sport that simultaneously incorporates resistance and cardio can be considered a hybrid activity. There are a number of sports that do this-let’s talk about some of them now.

Football: This is a phenomenal sport that incorporates hybrid muscle training. The heavy pads provide resistance and with the all the cardio that is involved in the sport, it helps build type III or hybrid muscle. Other aspects of football that involve hybrid training include blocking and training with sleds during practice. All of these are activities that require endurance (the cardio part) and the muscles to deliver sustained strength (the resistance part).

If you have any doubt that football is an awesome hybrid training technique that can build a powerful, muscular physique just look at guys like Adrian Peterson, Terrell Owens or retired stars like Herschel Walker. All three have amazing physiques-and it all is the result of hybrid muscle training.

Strongman: This is really is all about hybrid muscle training. Unlike say powerlifting where the goal is to achieve your one-rep max, strongman training simultaneously requires both strength and endurance. And as you know, the best way to develop these qualities is through hybrid training. Examples of hybrid training activities that you see in strongman competitions include the tire flip, log carrying, truck pulling and the keg toss, among others.

And if you have any doubt that strongman training won’t build a powerful, muscular physique, just take one look at Mariusz Pudzianowski and believe me, you’ll eat your words.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA): This one also incorporates hybrid muscle training-in fact, it’s essential. Look at the guys fighting in the UFC. Do you think jogging ten miles a day carries over into the octagon and is going to help a guy get in shape for fight? No-two minutes into the match and he’ll be winded. Why? Because the successful fighters have developed hybrid type III muscle that has strength, power and endurance. They need to develop long, sustainable strength. You don’t get that from ordinary training. When these guys train they have to mimic the moves they’ll be doing in the octagon-grappling, pulling and other things that go on in a real fight. Guys like Ken Shamrock, Matt Hughes and Randy Couture all have developed hybrid, type III muscle.

Highland games: Seriously, this is about as hybrid as it gets. Have you ever seen these events? Some of the hybrid training activities you’ll encounter in Highland games include the 56-pound shot put, the hammer throw with a 22-pound round metal ball attached to a handle, or the caber toss. This would have to be the signature event for the Highland games. The caber is a tapered log or pole that varies in height (roughly 19′-22′) and weight (100-130 pounds). They lift it, run with it and then heave it.

Lumberjack games: You’ve probably seen these on TV before. These games require participants to carry out feats of strength and endurance using extremely large and heavy logs. This one is 100% hybrid.

Arm wrestling: Your probably wouldn’t have thought of this one but yes, arm wrestling is most definitely a sport that incorporates hybrid activities. After all, it does require long-or sustained strength-and the only way to get that is through hybrid training.

Track & field: Besides the running, you’ve also got activities like the shot put and the javelin throw. Both of these are activities that require both strength and endurance.

Kettlebell competitions: Kettlebells have been around a long time. Their shape and handles make them ideal for hybrid training. Some of the activities you’ll see here that require long strength include the clean and snatch or the one- or two-armed kettlebell swing, among others.

CrossFit Competitions: These are the kinds of routines that are often touted as the “military” workouts so you’ll often see military and law enforcement guys participating in these events. Nearly all of the activities require strength and endurance.

So there you have my response to the question about how hybrid muscle training carries over into sports. As you can see, not only does hybrid training and the development of type III muscle fibers enhance your athletic performance in many sports some sports are even hybrid in their nature.

About The Author

Get my free report entitled, The Warrior Physique – Building The Super Hybrid Muscle. Click here to learn how you can rapidly build muscle and burn fat at the same time. Mike Westerdal is the founder of Critical Bench, Inc. A free online weight training magazine.

Muscle Building Cardio Workout

By Jason Ferruggia

My favorite muscle building cardio workout is to get up and go for a half hour walk before breakfast. I usually do this about four or five days per week and I do it for a few reasons. First of all, I do it for cardiovascular health. Too many people simply lift weights and ignore all the other components of fitness. I do it first thing in the morning because I know that if I start my day by checking email or doing some other sort of work the likelihood of me walking later in the day is very low. I get up and get it done immediately so it’s out of the way. Also, it increases my appetite and seems to stoke my metabolism for the day. This allows me to eat more with less likelihood of adding bodyfat. It also helps wake me up, clears my head, gives me time to think and packs my lungs full of fresh air, which is incredibly important during the winter when everyone around you is sick as a dog 24/7. I believe this is one of the many things I do that keeps me healthy.

There are a lot of hills in my neighborhood so it’s pretty easy to get the heart pumping. If you don’t live in a hilly area and are in decent shape you will probably need to wear a weighted vest or drag a sled. If you opt to wear a weight vest, which I do some mornings, depending on the route I take, be sure that you don’t get overzealous and add too much weight too soon. You have to remember that if you are walking for thirty minutes you are going to be taking a lot of steps. Each of those steps will add up to stress on your ankles, knees, hips and spine. So start with no more than ten pounds on the vest and try to keep the majority of the weight in the back instead of split evenly. Slowly, over time you can add a few pounds per week. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend ever adding more than 30 or 40 pounds to the vest if you are going to be walking for a half hour.

It should be noted that the more muscle mass you have the more calories you will burn when you walk. In fact, legendary bodybuilder and multiple time Mr. Olympia winner, Dorian Yates used walking as his only muscle building cardio workout to get him down to single digit bodyfat percentages before contests. That was because he carried nearly 300 pounds of muscle on his six foot frame. If you aren’t quite as jacked up as the Diesel, walking alone will probably never get you shredded. You are going to have to build more muscle or you are going to need some sprints and more intense methods to get the job done.

If you do decide to start walking on a regular basis for your muscle building cardio, please remember that one of the major benefits is getting outside and breathing heavy in the fresh air. Whatever you do, DO NOT walk on a treadmill. This is by far the most ridiculous invention in the history of the planet. There are roads, hills, sidewalks, woods, mountains and fields everywhere across the world. And there is no way that you can honestly tell me that you can’t find somewhere else to walk but on a treadmill.

Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He has trained thousands of clients during his 14 years as a professional fitness coach, including more than 500 athletes from over 20 different sports. Jason has written hundreds of articles for numerous top rated training magazines and websites and has authored four fitness books. He is also the head training adviser for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more great muscle building information, please visit http://www.musclegainingsecrets.com

*Guest Article from world-famous strength and conditioning expert Jason Ferruggia, author of Muscle Gaining Secrets.

Guns, jacks, pipes, hooks, pythons… Whatever you call them, the fact remains that most guys want bigger arms. While they are nowhere near as impressive as a big set of traps, you still don’t want to have and extra six inches of space in your shirt sleeves; that’s for sure. So the question is how to build bigger arms? The answer is not as simple as you might assume. If it were easy, you would see tons of guys walking around with 18 inch arms. But that simply isn’t the case.

It’s been said over and over again that in order to add an inch to your upper arms you need to gain ten pounds of bodyweight. This advice has become gospel and it seems that nearly everyone agrees with this these days. Real world evidence shows that this is not the case, however. Walk into any public gym on a Monday night at five o’clock and you will see quite a few skinny guys, weighing no more than 170 pounds, who are sporting decent sized arms.

Many of them probably have not gained more than 10 or 15 pounds total since they started training but they all have put more than an inch or two on their arms. This is because localized hypertrophy/ muscle growth will take place if enough volume is present, without a large increase in bodyweight. Look at the calves on soccer players or the forearms on mechanics. But this only happens up to a certain point.

So these young guys read in some magazine about how to build bigger arms and start by doing ten sets of arms two or three days a week. The volume is enough to elicit a growth response and they may even get a good eight weeks out of this and a quick two inches of arm growth in the absence of any significant weight gain. Seems to defy the ten pounds per inch rule, right?

But what happens after that? Where do they go from there? The gains will halt and there will be absolutely no more arm growth whatsoever unless they make some drastic changes. And that is the pitfall of high volume training- where can you go when you plateau? Add more volume? At what cost? How much volume can you add? If ten sets isn’t enough should you try twenty? And then thirty? And eventually a hundred?

There’s nowhere to go with this approach. Like I said, it’s great for some quick gains on your arms but isn’t a long term approach. Once you hit a plateau you have no choice but to start lifting heavier weights and eating more. More weight on the bar and more food on your plate is the fastest way to increase the size of any body part. All the fancy supersets, drop sets, tri sets, pre exhaustion, post exhaustion techniques in the world won’t help in the least if you are not doing those two very important things.

Beginners can train the arms three times per week and intermediate and advanced lifters seem to do better training them twice per week. Stick with big exercises like close grip chin ups, barbell curls, hammer curls, towel curls, dumbbell curls, parallel bar dips, close grip benches, and lockouts. You shouldn’t need more than 2-4 sets of biceps and triceps twice per week to achieve optimal growth, providing that you are always increasing your loads and steadily adding more calories to your diet. After a couple of heavy sets finish your arm workout by getting the biggest pump possible with one or two higher rep sets.

For more information on how to build bigger arms and increase the size of every other body part, check out http://www.MuscleGainingSecrets.com/ now.

Train hard,

Jason Ferruggia

About the Author:

Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He is the head training adviser for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more How to Build Muscle Fast tips, check out http://www.musclegainingsecrets.com/