Author: Kevin Ramsey

The time has come. You’ve spent your entire life being just another average Joe. You’re in your late thirties, or maybe even your forties. Your kids are entering high school, and you’re starting to think about other things in life. No longer are you satisfied with the same goal of “working hard enough to put food on the table, then watching TV until bedtime”. No, you’re starting to think long-term now. You have started to take your financial planning seriously, and you are on your way to paying for your kids’ education soon. You’ve taken care of others your entire…

Carbohydrates provide various benefits for a bodybuilder seeking to increase body mass. They contain plenty of calories which act as the sourced of fuel for the body. When the body burns calories it is able to generate energy necessary to carry out the body functions. However you need to be aware that there are several tips you need to follow if you want carbohydrates to work for you. They include the following; 1. Increase your consumption of complex carbohydrates For you to be able to undertake intense workout in the gym, your body requires to be nourished with plenty of…

Workout 1: Upper Body (Monday and Friday) PR Zone 1: Chest/Lats (20 minutes) A-1: Bottom Position Bench Press A-2: Bent over Barbell Row Wait five minutes and then do: PR Zone 2: Triceps/ Biceps A-1: Standing Military Press from the nose A-2: Weighted Chin-up Workout 2: Lower Body (Wednesday and Saturday) PR Zone 1: Hamstrings/Quads (20 minutes) A-1: Bottom Position Barbell Squat A-2: Stiff Legged Dead lift Wait five minutes and then do PR Zone 2: Calves/abs (10 minutes) A-1: Seated Calf Raises A-2: Weighted Sit-ups Lets go over some key points on the exercise selection here. One, why do…

If you have a well-developed back, then you already know the importance of barbell rowing. It’s essential for developing thickness in the upper back, and for lats that can best be described as ‘flaring’. Barbell rows are popular, but there are times when they are rendered ineffective because the bodybuilder uses too much weight, or allows their body “English”, or swing, to move the weight. Emphasis is taken off of the upper back muscles, and growth doesn’t occur as it should. Years ago a bodybuilding and health & fitness legend named Vince Gironda devised a new exercise which is still…

The forearms, or the hand grip more specifically, are often the most likely single point of failure on back exercises. Many bodybuilders find themselves reaching the point of failure on exercises like barbell rows, chin-ups, and deadlifts not because the back muscles are exhausted, but because their hands are no longer able to hold onto the bar or barbell. After all, the back is a large and complex network of muscles, while the hands and forearms are much smaller. Some bodybuilders will use wrist straps to affix the bar to their bodies. This allows the hands to act more as…

Bodybuilding progress is often very one-sided. When you first enter the gym, you’ll see incredible gains in terms of muscle mass, and you’ll shed a great deal of body fat, during your first year of solid training and clean eating. The following year, things will continue to be good, but the gains will be slower. You won’t gain muscle at the same rate, and it’ll become much harder to burn that body fat. By year 5, 10, or 15, you will likely discover you are just treading water, hoping to maintain your gains made in earlier years. Here are some…

Q: If you had to do just one exercise for your lats, which would you think is better: Chins or pull downs? A: I hate those “If you were stranded on a desert island and could take only one pair of shorts….” questions because they aren’t realistic. But, since you asked, I’d personally say ‘chins’ are better. And it isn’t always qualified with whether you are lighter or heavier either. Some guys do chins at a lower weight because they can handle that body weight on the chin bar, but quickly abandon them once they grow and pack on mass. Chins build great…

Q:  My buddy in California said that a lot of guys in Gold’s are using HST training and that it is the fastest mass-building routine you can do. Can you give me an idea of the basics of the principles and provide a workout I can do just getting into it? A: Sure. Hypertrophy specific training is an idea and set of principles. It’s not really a set routine, but yes, I can provide you with a routine that you can do as an example. First, here are the elements of HST and what is is based upon: Mechanical load…

Bodybuilders love to bench press. It’s a movement which allows one to demonstrate his strength, and pump up most of the upper body at the same time. Chest, triceps, and shoulders all receive stimulation from this very useful movement, and body mass grows as a result of its use. In some individuals, however, the movement does lead to problems in chest development. Whether it be due to short arms, chest shape, muscle insertion locations, or just plain lifting technique and feel, many bodybuilders develop great shoulders and triceps, but poor triceps, as a result of using the bench press. When…

From whichever angle you view it, competition with the self in bodybuilding is always more productive and less pressurizing than competing against other individuals. Even more, the competition is totally in line with the objectives set out for a personal bodybuilding program. In diet quality, we focus on the nutrients injected into the body. All necessary nutrients must be included and balanced in such ratios as are adequate to meet the needs of an intensely developing body. The proteins must be high enough to cater for fast massive growth of new muscle cells. Thirdly, it is a dietary requirement that…