Hatfield's FAQBrought to you by Team Ground Zero

A big thanks goes out to Dr. Fred Hatfieldhis articles provided the core of this FAQ

List of questions -

Sounds like overtraining to me.How do you do a C set, I don't get it?

Sounds like German Volume Training to me?Where can I buy this book?

Is there a website for the author?Cliffs?

What is the Zig-Zag diet plan?What is the BEST way to do ALL exercises?

How do I estimate my calorie needs?Illustrations of Exercises

What about drop sets for the 3x40 or the 10x10?So if Drop Sets can be used, What about Negatives?

How best to "personalize" the routine?Bad Workout? No Problem. Here's some tips

Q: Sounds like overtraining to me.

A: First thing first what is overtraining?

Overtraining is an accumulation of training and/or non-training stress resulting in along-term decrement in performance capacity with or without related physiologicaland psychological signs and symptoms of overtraining in which, restoration ofperformance capacity may take from several weeks to several months.So you look at the ABC workout and think yeah that sounds good, but look at thoseC sets and the B’s look crazy too. So much volume how can this not beovertraining?Simply really because of the main principle that this program is builton Periodization aka GAS.

Periodization is an organized approach to training that involves progressive cyclingof various aspects of a training program during a specific period of time. The rootsof periodization come from Hans Selye’s model, known as the General adaptationsyndrome (GAS), describing biological responses to stress.By using this cycling method Dr Hatfield is able to avoid overtraining by designinghis work outs to allow enough rest for your body to recover from all the physicalexercises that you do.

The A set’s are used to reduce the volume or intensity of your workout , along withworking on specific muscle groups on different days, avoids constant and heavytraining stress that leads to the signs and symptoms of overtraining.

Q: How do you do a C set, I don't get it?

A: First off it doesn’t really matter what exercise you choose to do for your C set,nothing is set in stone when it comes to this program, so just relax it’s notcomplex. Some are better than others but not all of us can do all the lifts, we arelimited by injuries we have picked up over the years.A Giant set ("C" workouts) is a set of 5 reps, a set of 12 reps and a set of 40 repsdone without rest between sets. This means you will be doing ALL reps in a rowwith no rest.Of course, you can take time to change weights and move to a different exercisefor your 2nd or 3rd sets, but that is a matter of 5-10 seconds. Yes, it can be done!You may need to lower the weight used a bit, but not much.The 40 reps in a giant C set are slow reps (2/2 cadence, but that is not a strictrule) and continuous. Don't stop between reps! A slight pause between the othersets is ok.The 5 reps are performed at 85% of your 1RM, the 12 reps are at 65% and the 40reps will vary from person to person, just shoot for a weight that you can hit all 40on without stopping or 20% of your max.

Another helpful tip for completing a successful C set is to have a variety of weightsavailable for you to grab quickly and easily during the 130+ repetition set. What Imean is, if using dumbbells, say Lateral Raises, it is highly likely that you will startoff with a certain weight, maybe 50lb, and by that last set for Lateral Raises duringthe C set, it's a probability you will be down to 35lb or maybe even 30lb. Havingthe lower weight readily available makes the C set flow a lot smoother!

FORMAT:5 explosive reps.12 normal reps.5 explosive.12 normal.5 explosive.40 continuous.5 explosive.12 normal.40 continuous.5 explosive.

Q: Sounds like German Volume Training to me?

A: GVT is a high-volume light-weight training system that focuses mainly on"strength-endurance" or fatigue. GVT, though specific to increasing short-termendurance, can produce some hypertrophy in as much as it adheres to any of theknown principles of hypertrophy.The clearly stated goal of GVT is to complete 10 sets of 10 reps without reducingthe weight.

So right from the beginning we see that the goal of anyone using GVT is nothypertrophy, but endurance of strength in the 10 rep range.

GVT is built on 3 main principles1. The Principle of Progressive Load2. The Principle of Training Frequency3. The Principle of Adaptation

Hatfield on the other hand has designed his ABC system of bodybuilding training onthe seven rules of training. These rules are not new, nor can anyone claim to havediscovered them. Over the years, these rules have gained acceptance as "laws;"they are set in stone. These principles are:

1. The Principle of Individual Differences: acknowledgement that we allhave different genetic blueprints.

2. The Overcompensation Principle: Callus builds up on your hands as anadaptive response to friction, muscle fibers grow in size and strength inresponse to training, and lacerated tissue develops "scar" tissue. All involveMother Nature's law of overcompensation as a stress response. Putting itanother way, it's nothing more than a survival mechanism built into thegenetic code of (at least) this species.

3. The Overload Principle: Related to the overcompensation principle, is theprinciple that In order to gain in strength, muscle size or endurance fromany training, you must exercise against a resistance greater than that"normally" encountered. If you use the same amount of resistance for thesame number of repetitions (sound like GVT?) For every workout, there willbe no continued improvement beyond the point to which your body hasalready adapted.

4. The SAID Principle: Your muscles and their respective sub cellularcomponents will adapt in highly specific ways to the demands (adaptivestress) you impose upon them in your training. This applies as well tovarious bodily systems and tissues other than your muscles. This is the"SAID" Principle, an acronym for "Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands.

5. The Use/Disuse Principle: The principle of use/disuse applies to bothtraining and detraining (cessation of training). Putting it another way, "use itor lose it." If you stress your body and its systems enough, it will adapt tomeet the stress.

6. The Specificity Principle: This principle relates to factors involved in bothneuromuscular adaptation as well as a system or technique's "functionality."Neuromuscular adaptation will occur over time as an adaptation torepetitively "grooving" on a specific movement pattern. For example, you'llget stronger in squats by doing squats as opposed to leg presses, and you'llget greater endurance for the marathon by running long distances than youwill by (say) cycling long distances.

7. The GAS Principle: GAS is the acronym for General Adaptation Syndrome.The GAS is comprised of three stages according to its originator, Dr. HansSeyle: 1) the "alarm stage" caused by the application of intense trainingstress (The Overload Principle), 2) the "resistance stage" when our musclesadapt in order to resist the stressful weights more efficiently (theOvercompensation, SAID and Use/Disuse Principles), and 3) the "exhaustionstage" where, if we persist in applying stress we'll exhaust our "reserves"and then be forced to stop training from the sheer collapse of the bodilysystems involved.

Q: Where can I buy this book?

A: Any good book store should have copies of Hardcore Bodybuilding: A scientificapproach by Frederick C. Hatfield, Ph.D.If you are after a cheap second hand copy, there were and could still be a numberof copies for sale on half.comOther than that the internet is your play ground use the search button! Rememberthere are two editions to this book,get the book published in 1993.

Q: Is there a website for the author?

A: Yes there is and it’s full of interesting information it can be found here:http://drsquat.com/home ** This site is a great resource however it must be remembered that the set up forboth A and for C sets has changed on hiswebsite from how it is written (and being followed) in his 1993 published bookHardcore Bodybuilding: A Scientific Approach.

Q: Cliffs?

A: There are far too many pages to provide in depth cliffs, if you have a questionpost it the forums, we’ll do our best to answer them.Some highlights fromMy routine has been f*cking sick in terms of results! Awesome!Are:Post # 670 a sample spreadsheetAndPost # 3815 for two spreadsheets a 28 day ABC plan and a 3 day a week split.

Others from the first few pages:Post 51: Example of an advance workout by JustinSulham including a C set.Post 96: Example of an A and B set workoutPost 187: JustinSulham starts a twitter page detailing workouts, progress and dietPost 329: Training wisdom!

Post 361: Good list of staple foods for a quality dietPost 641: Basic Shopping List, compliments of Dr. Squat posted by mblouir

Q: What is the Zig-Zag diet plan?

A: Okay. Let me hit you right between the eyes up front. The answer is so simple,yet hardly ever, heard ANYONE utter it.Here it is:

• You can’t lose fat unless you’re on a negative calorie balance diet• You can’t gain muscle tissue unless you’re on a positive calorie balanced

diet• You can’t lose fat and gain muscle unless you alternate periods of negative

calorie balance with periods of positive calorie balance.

It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to lose total body weight, stay at the same totalbody weight or gain total body weight. The zigzag rule applies to everyone. All thetime.There are five rules to the process

Rule One: Always eat at least 5 meals a day (preferably 6 or 7). Two or threemeals simply isn't often enough. Your blood sugar levels will be controlled (andthus your cravings), you'll get protein in small amounts throughout the day tosupport growth and recovery, and (most important) the enzymes that store fat willbe produced in far smaller amounts, making your body far less capable of storingfat! Simply, by providing your body with a consistent and frequent supply ofcalories -- life-giving energy -- its need to store fat is significantly reduced.Conversely, when you eat infrequently, your body recognizes a “famine” situation,and the enzymes are produced in large quantities to “swoop down” on every calorieyou consume in order to store it as fat in preparation for the “famine” to come.

Rule Two: Remember the 1-2-3 rule. In each of your 5 meals, approximately 1part of the calories should come from fats, 2 parts from protein and 3 parts fromcarbohydrates. This is a guideline, not a hard-and-fast law. Just keep the fat intakedown to a low level (do not eliminate fat, as some fat is essential for maintaininggood health), consume enough protein to support growth and recovery, andcarbohydrates commensurable to your energy output (carbos are your body’spreferred energy fuel source). Remember that protein and carbohydrates bothhave 4 calories per gram, while fat has 9 calories per gram.

Rule Three: When you sit down to eat, ask yourself, "What am I going to be doingfor the next three hours of my life?" Then, if you're taking a nap, eat less than theaverage amount of carbos; if you're planning on being active, eat more than theaverage amount of carbos. For average between-meal activities, eat an averagesized meal. Always keep your protein intake up to an appropriate level. This simplesystem ensures that you'll never put fat on from eating excess calories, orcannibalize your muscles from eating too little.

Rule Four: Another thing to remember whether you're trying to lose fat or addinglean muscle is to "zigzag" your caloric intake. For example, if you want to lose fat,

reduce your calories during the week, but "pig out" on Friday night and Saturday.This will 1) readjust your BMR upwards, 2) support lean tissue building, and 3) giveyou a psychological "lift." Remember, in Rule One you learned that your fat storingenzymes were no longer a threat, so you CAN pig out once in awhile! In fact, if youwant to put on lean muscle, you MUST! There is no way you can maximize leanmuscle mass while on a calorie-restricted diet.

Rule Five: Your reduced intake of calories makes it almost impossible to get all ofthe nutrients your body needs to remain healthy and active. So, it's important tosupplement your diet with vitamins, minerals and other carefully selectedsubstances to ensure maximum progress toward your fitness, health and fat lossgoals. Also, no matter how hard you try, no matter how good a cook you are, orwhere you buy your food:NEVER attempt to gain or lose "weight!"Instead, you should always strive to gain muscle and lose fat!

To Gain Muscular Weight:Add 2 calories per pound of body weight to your daily caloric intake.The added calories should be mostly protein and some complex carbohydrates (noadded fat calories).Spread these added calories equally among 5 meals per day.For example, a 150 pound person should add 300 calories per day to their diet;over 5 meals, that equals about a 60 calorie increase per meal.The additional 300 calories will, with intense weight training, result in a gain ofapproximately 1 - 2 pounds of added muscle per month.Reduce your caloric intake two days per week by 2 calories per pound of bodyweight, to ensure that excess fat is being removed (called "zigzag dieting").

To Lose Fat Weight:Subtract 2 calories per pound of body weight from your daily caloric intake.The reduced calories should come mostly from fat calories, and NOT protein.This caloric reduction should be applied to all of your 5 meals; NEVER skip meals!For example, assuming that you weight 150 pounds, and you're eating 5 meals perday (highly recommended), you should reduce each meal by 60 calories (total of300 calories reduction over a full day).By reducing your daily caloric intake by 300 calories, you can expect to lose about2 1/2 pounds of fat per month, assuming you're weight training for muscle masspreservation or increase.Increase your caloric intake two days per week by 2 calories per pound of bodyweight, to ensure that you're getting enough calories to put on lean muscle, andthat upward BMR adjustments are being made (called "zigzag dieting").

To Stay The Same Weight But Become More Muscular:Follow the rules listed above, with the exception that your intake of calories remainequal to your daily energy expenditure (see calorie table in preceding pages).Alter your ratio of nutrients so that protein is maximized and fat is minimized.Carefully control your calories on a meal-per-meal basis, ensuring that youconsume only enough calories to get you to your next meal (no more and no less).You NEVER eat for what you just did, ONLY for what you're about to do.Over the course of 6 months or so, this sort of fastidiousness will pay off with bigdividends in more muscle tissue and less fat -- you'll begin to look and feel great!

Q: What is the BEST way to do ALL exercises?

A: Every muscle in your body has an origin and insertion. The practice of twistingand turning which way and that while doing an exercise is generally not effective inaffecting the shape a muscle will eventually assume. Your genetic predispositionwill determine each muscle's shape.But you CAN get each muscle bigger! Then, having done so, hope that the goodLord was being nice to you when the genes (your lineage -- your family) weredoled out.Your muscles' origin is usually the connection closest to the midline of your body.That means it’s the non-moving end of the muscle. Your job is to force theinsertion point of the muscle toward the origin point -- through the "belly" of themuscle -- while placing it under adaptive (overload) stress. Most often, that meansthat you should just pile on a lot of pig iron and lift the bar!

SOME EFFECTIVE PERMUTATIONS OF COMMON EXERCISES

SHRUGSYour trapezius muscles (called "traps") elevate and support your shoulder girdle(i.e., pull your shoulders toward your ears). Simply hold a bar in front of you and"shrug" your shoulders straight upwards. You don't have to rotate your shoulders -- just shrug.An alternative method is to shrug with heavy dumbbells while either seated orstanding. The straight bar must be held out in front of you, while seated dumbbellshrugs allow the arms to hang naturally at your sides. This makes dumbbell shrugsa bit more comfortable and definitely easier on your low back. Holding a heavy barin front of you requires strong contraction of your erector spinae muscles.Normal shrugging technique (as explained above) activates the two upper portionsof your trapezius (i.e., trapezius I and II). By leaning forward (about 20-30degrees), and then shrugging straight up -- not toward your ears, but verticallytoward the ceiling -- you will activate trapezius III and IV. You may wish to supportyour upper body against a padded surface (like a preacher curl bench) in order toalleviate unnecessary stress on your lower back while leaning forward.

SEATED PRESS BEHIND THE NECKDespite its popularity among bodybuilders, I'm "mildly" opposed to this exercise forat least two reasons. First, assuming that you wish to do "complete" presses tolockout, seated dumbbell presses accomplish the same thing without the same"interference" from having to "crunch" your upper back muscles in order to get thebar down to your neck. Having to contract your rhomboids, trapezius III and IV,and your posterior deltoids only serves to limit the amount of adaptive stress beingdelivered to your middle deltoids.Secondly, after the bar has passed the top of your head, your deltoids are nolonger the prime movers in the movement. The deltoids are statically contractingat that point, and the serratus anterior and triceps muscles take over to finish thepress to lockout.Actually, you can press much more weight to a head height position than you canpress completely overhead. The reason for this is that your middle deltoids aremuch stronger than the combined strength of your triceps and serratus. Does it nottherefore make more sense to use a heavier weight and do "partial presses?" Ithink it does, and the simple reason is that it will deliver a greater adaptive stress

to your middle delts.

FRONT RAISESThe traditional method of exercising your frontal deltoids is to raise eitherdumbbells or a bar upwards and to the front of your body with slightly bent elbows.If dumbbells are used, they can be raised alternately or simultaneously.I think there's a "better" way.Using dumbbells, alternately raise them upwards and to the front as describedabove, but with one significant difference. Before raising the dumbbell in your righthand, lean 20-30 degrees to the right. And, before raising the left one, lean to theleft in a similar fashion. The dumbbells are raised to about head height to arm'slength in front of your face.The rationale for this departure from traditional technique is that your frontaldeltoids originate and insert at about that angle from the vertical plane of yourbody. Bending sideward while performing the dumbbell raises places the targetedfrontal delt perpendicular to the floor, thereby making its contraction (force output)more efficient. Do that, and the adaptive stress is improved.

BENCH PRESSYour pectoral muscles ("called "pecs") are developed with bench presses. It'spotentially dangerous, so have a spotter close by at all times. NEVER bench pressalone! Have your spotter help you lift the bar out of the uprights and to a positiondirectly over your chest. Lower the weight to your chest and press it back up toarms' length again. Then, after performing the required number of reps, have thespotter assist you in placing the bar back on the uprights. You can emphasize your"pecs" more if your elbows are away from your sides (perpendicular to your torso)during the movement, and your front deltoids more if your elbows are kept close toyour sides during the movement.Much of the danger inherent in this exercise can be eliminated by using a "Monolift"machine. This new device allows you to position the bar directly over your chestBEFORE you unrack the bar. While bench pressing, special spotting platformsensure that, should the bar be dropped accidentally or should you miss the lift, theweight will not come down on you. Then, rather than your training partner helpingyou rack the bar, he rotates the cradle hooks under the bar while it's still held overyour chest.There are two particularly troublesome techniques I see all too often among benchpressers. One is the dangerous practice of using a thumbless grip. The notion thata thumbless grip will somehow alter the angle or quality of stress you're deliveringto your pecs is outrageously dumb. Keep your thumbs around the bar!The second practice is just as outrageous. I've heard benchers say that by keepingyour feet off the floor -- suspended over the bench or resting on the bench --somehow improves the isolation of the pecs and therefore the adaptive overloadbeing delivered to your pecs. The truth is that while your feet are off the floor,you're always slightly off balance on the narrow bench you're lying on, and variousstabilizer muscles are attempting to keep you from falling off the bench. Thissuperfluous muscular activity is detracting from the stress you can deliver to thepecs. It is certainly NOT improving it! Besides, being off balance while a heavyweight is hovering over your face and throat is downright asking for trouble!But these two troublesome techniques pale in their potential for disaster incomparison to the design of the bench itself! Consider: Lying on your back with300-400 or more pounds in your hands pressing your scapulae into the flat benchbeneath. You lower the bar to your chest. But the scapulae are pinned to the bench

and cannot slide inwards as you lower the bar. And neither can they slide outwardas you raise the bar off your chest. This is not good! It causes undue stress on thetendons of the long heads of your biceps. The results?

◦ Nagging long-lasting pain from biceps tendonitis◦ You can’t lift as much◦ Far less strength is developed◦ Poor sports performance.

On top of that, all benches are made to be around 16 or so inches off the ground.Just because the rules of powerlifting dictate it. This is downright dangerous forshorter athletes who have to go into spinal hyperextension in order to keep theirfeet flat on the ground for better stability. The results?

◦ low back trauma◦ less stability during training and therefore greater exposure to injury and

less weight being lifted◦ poor sports performance, or (worse)◦ ruined sports career from unnecessary injury

Now picture this: Same weight, same bench. But with a little patented gizmo builtinto the bench that allows your scapulae to slide in as you lower the bar, and backout as you press it back upward. This is how Mother Nature intended for yourshoulder girdle to operate. The results?

◦ Far less chance of biceps tendonitis or rotator cuff trauma◦ Up to 10 percent more weight lifted◦ greater strength is developed◦ no unnecessary trauma to the lumbar spine◦ better sports performance, not only because you’re stronger but because

you’re healthier!

You just won’t believe it until you’ve experienced it! You and your clients are gonnaLOVE it!

DUMBBELL BENCH PRESSI favor dumbbell bench presses over benching with a bar because you can achievegreater adaptive stress with dumbbells. Dumbbells will tend to force you to keepyour upper arms perpendicular to your torso while lowering them. Many bencherswill allow their elbows to drift inward toward their sides while using a straight bar.This happens because there's a natural tendency to use the anterior (frontal)deltoids to assist in moving the bar, thereby robbing the pecs of some stress.Also, dumbbells allow you to employ a technique that will improve the adaptivestress being delivered to your pecs even more. By carefully (under total control)allowing the dumbbells to drift slightly off balance toward the outside, you will haveto "fight" harder to raise them. This controlled outward drift allows you to usesuperior weight while getting the same benefits afforded by regular flyes. Regularflyes are done with very light weights, whereas modified dumbbell benches employfar heavier weight. Again, here's a little technique that tends to improve the qualityof adaptive stress.

PULLDOWNSWith a wide grip on the overhead pulley bar, pull the bar straight down as thoughyou were pulling the bar straight through the middle of your head. Of course, youcan't do this, so simply flop your head back out of the way. Don't lean backwards

while doing lat pulldowns, as this will tend to involve other (non-targeted) musclesof your upper back. This exercise is done exactly like chin-ups, except the barcomes down instead of your body going up. It's great for developing your lats, andNOT so great for developing your other back or shoulder muscles.Some bodybuilders like to do pulldowns behind their neck. I'm not convinced thatthis is a wise technique. Doing so requires that you contract all of the non-targetedmuscles of your upper back (i.e., all four aspects of your trapezius, your rhomboidsand your posterior deltoids) in order to get the bar down behind your head. Why dothis? It tends to rob you of maximum overload for your lats (your "targeted"muscles).Also, pulling the bar so far down that your forearms are not perpendicular to thefloor, but instead almost parallel to the floor, involves the inward rotators of yourupper arm (rotator cuff muscles). Again, this tends to rob your lats of maximumoverload.One variation to lat pulldowns that I introduced a few years ago while training afew strength athletes is catching on in a big way in bodybuilding circles. It's called"lat shrug-downs." Using more weight than you can pull down to your chin, attachyour hands to the bar with lifting straps and have your partner pull you down soyou can hook your legs under the thigh pads. Then "shrug" downward with theweight by activating the lats. Do NOT pull with your arms; leave your arms totallyuninvolved. I believe this variation to be more effective than the traditional "fullrange" pulldowns at developing mass and strength.And, here’s another one! Has it ever occurred to you that the technocrats -- the"Denizens of the Drawing Board" who have until now ruled the sports trainingequipment industry -- have been pulling the wool over your eyes? You have twohands right? Two arms, two lats. Two sides of your body. So, ummm, how comeyou only have one handle to pull down on? And only one weight stack?Good question, right? It’s like this: Some sports movements require that one limbor single-limb movement be stressed at a time. Also, greater overload can bedelivered to one side as opposed to two sides simultaneously exercising (aneuronal input difference is involved). I believe that this one-at-a-time techniqueshould be more the rule than the exception. When you do pulldowns for your latsusing a conventional bar (tapered at each end), your hands are what? Three feetapart? What does that do to 1) your range of motion, 2) your flexibility, 3) yourlats (the biceps are the weak link in the pulldown), and 4) your sports specificity?ZILCH! Or nearly so. The same holds true for doing low rows ( sometimes calledseated long cable pulls). Needed: Some double-sided twin weight stack machines!

BACK EXTENSIONSPicture this: The great Olympic weightlifter Vasily Alexeev’s ponderous body drapedover a gymnastics long horse with his feet wedged between the stall bars of anunbelievably archaic training gym in Moscow’s Lenin Institute of Sport. With fourhundred pounds precariously perched behind his head, he explodes for five reps ofback raises. There is virtually NO hip extensor involvement, only pure erectorspinae contraction. That means 1) tremendous low back limit strength and speed-strength is developed far beyond what any other low back exercise could possiblyaccomplish, and 2) virtually NO trauma to the tenuous intervertebral discs of thelumbar spine, which is something no other low back exercise ever conceived canclaim.By far the biggest muscles of your lower back are the "erector" muscles. They'realso the most visible. Your erector spinae muscles are designed to extend (andhyperextend) your spine. They do NOT act on your hip joint, so there's no reason

to engage in exercises which require hip joint movement (i.e., traditional"hypers").The best way to target your erectors is with "back extensions." This exerciserequires the use of a specialized bench quite unlike the ones you're probably usedto seeing around the gyms (the "hyper" benches you are used to seeing are, in myopinion, relatively worthless). The bench of choice is called (by its inventor, Dr.Mike Yessis) a "glute-ham-gastroc machine." He called it that because thosemuscles are the ones the Soviets target with a similar exercise which Dr. Yessisimproved upon. Glute-ham-gastroc raises are discussed in the section (below)dealing with leg and hip exercises.To use this device to target your erectors, your feet are secured by the two footpads which are backed by a metal plate that prevents your feet from slippingthrough. Your "belly button" is placed in the middle of the padded support. Yourknees are bent. Then, your feet push against the metal plate in order to "lock" yourupper legs against the padded bench. All of this ensures that only your erectormuscles are targeted, and NOT your hip extensors (gluteals). Simply assume thedescribed position and flex your spine (round your back downward). Hold as muchweight behind your head as you can, and extend your spine (straighten it back outagain). You should not raise way up by arching (hyperextending) your back, asdoing so places too much strain on the intervertebral discs of your lumbar spine.Repeat for the desired number of reps.This exercise is quite probably the ONLY low back exercise you will ever have todo. It is that effective.Noted exceptions are deadlifts, squats, glute-ham raises and explosive high pulls,all of which involve the lower back muscles as either stabilizers or synergists.However, none is done for the express purpose of developing your lower back, andare probably unsuitable for most trainees outside clinical and sports-specificapplications.

PRESTRETCH CRUNCHERSSometimes the old way is the best way. But sometimes it’s not. Sport scientistsagreed way back in the 50’s that "sit-ups" were bad for your back, and that"crunches" performed with bent knees were better. Many different abdominalexercise devices have been marketed over the past fifteen years, all of whichsimulated the "crunch" technique.But that was then. "Better" replaced "good." In conventional crunches, you areable apply resistance to your abdominal muscles for only 50 percent of yourpotential range of motion. And crunches performed in the ab machines currently onthe market usually require naught but static contraction from your abs while yourhip flexors move the resistance.Compare that to the 100 percent greater range of motion afforded by pre-stretching your badominal wall. For each crunch you perform, you do twice thework. That means twice the effect. Putting it another way, twice the work meansthe same effect in HALF THE TIME! Partial movements have their place in sportstraining. Yet, incredibly, full range ab work has been virtually overlooked bytraining experts over the years.This variation of crunchers is by far the most effective abdominal exercise there is.I developed this variation during the seventies, and patented the first abdominalmachine ever. The patent was successfully protected when a large equipmentcompany tried to infringe upon it. That's why you don't see this particular designelement incorporated into any of the dozens of different designs of abdominalmachines.

But you can do it with no specialized equipment. Simply follow the directions givenfor regular crunchers, but do so with about 6-8 inches of padding under your lowerback. When lying back, your shoulders have to go all the way back until they touchthe floor or bench, thereby "prestretching" you abdominal muscles prior tocontracting them during the crunch movement.This prestretch offers the advantage of having to contract through roughly doublethe normal range of motion afforded by regular crunchers or other ab machines.That equates to roughly double the adaptive stress and double the benefits.A few more points to remember:

◦ It's a myth that you can "isolate" the upper from the lower abs --electromyographic studies show that the minute you apply resistance, bothyour upper and lower abdominals kick into action together

◦ Other ab machines on the market are difficult to get into and out of, areprincipally hip flexors (the abs are forced to statically contract while theiliopsoas concentrically contracts to bring your torso forward or your kneestoward your chest), and -- if at all -- involve only a half range movementcapability

◦ It's a myth that you should do hundreds of reps of crunches -- your abs, likeall other muscles in your body, respond best to PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCEtraining

◦ Full range crunches are twice as productive than half range crunches

RUSSIAN TWISTSThe Russians are famous for their great athletes. One of the exercises that allRussian athletes do for the abdominal muscles, the internal oblique muscles andthe external oblique muscles has become known as "Russian Twists." Every timeyou twist, swing a bat, or throw, you use these important muscles. As for itsusefulness to bodybuilders, this exercise tightens the entire midsection in a "girdle"effect.Study the accompanying photo of this exercise. Notice that your lower backremains in contact with the ground (or, better yet, in contact with an "SI pad" foryour sacroiliac, or lower back), and your feet are positioned close to your buttocks(knees bent). Holding a small weight directly over your face at arms' length, twistall the way to the right and then to the left several times. Do not allow your torsoor shoulders to come in contact with the ground while twisting back and forth. Thisis a difficult exercise -- it's great!

SAFETY SQUATSNow here is a GREAT way to do squats right! The specially designed bar makes iteasier to get deep enough into the squat position, easier to keep your backstraight, and with far less danger of injuring your lower back or knees.Safety squats are also more comfortable because of the padded yolk that's restingon your shoulders. This special bar is called a "safety squat bar," although it hasbecome widely referred to as the "Hatfield Bar" because of my longstandingendorsement of its benefits. It allows you to use your hands to both hold yourselfin a perfect, upright squatting position as well as "spot" yourself if the weightbecomes too heavy. In my opinion, every bodybuilder should do squats this way.

STIFF LEGGED DEADLIFTSA lot of bodybuilders use stiff legged deadlifts to exercise their lower back. Becauseyour lower back is more efficiently and effectively developed with back extensions,there is no need to do any other exercise for your lower back, and ESPECIALLY not

stiff legged deadlifts!Stiff legged deadlifts are particularly effective for developing your hamstrings (theback of your upper legs).The traditional way of performing this exercise is to lower the weighted bar all theway down to your bootstraps while standing on a platform or bench with stiff legs(or knees slightly bent). In this way, it's believed, you'll get maximum effect onyour hams. This may be true to a degree, but you're also going to unnecessarilyexpose your lumbar spine to injury. Those intervertebral discs down there comeloose all too easily!I believe that I've developed a better way. With barbell in hand, poke both yourbutt and belly outward. In this position, you look kinda like one of the "KeystoneCops" you see in the 1920s movies. This variation of stiff legged deadlifts has thusbecome known as "Keystone Deadlifts."This seemingly strange position will prestretch your hamstrings because of theforward tilt of your pelvis the position entails. Then, while maintaining this position,slowly lower the barbell to around your knees, keeping the bar close to your legsduring the descent and ascent.You must NOT go more than an inch or two below your knees. By the time youreach your (slightly unlocked) knees, your hip joints have fully flexed, and furtherlowering of the bar is accomplished ONLY through hyperflexion of your spine -- aNO-NO!You will feel a decided "burn" in your hams and glutes when keystones are donecorrectly. You should feel virtually no discomfort or stress in your lower back. Ifyou do, experiment with the movement until you feel no discomfort at all.The nice thing about doing stiff legged deadlifts this way is that you can use a farheavier weight, thereby getting better adaptive stress applied to the targetmuscles. All without any low back trauma at all!One more important caution: NEVER do this exercise explosively! You'll risk pullinga hamstring or blowing out a lumbar disc. Bodybuilders are well-advised to steerclear of heavy deadlifting movements, as they are potentially dangerous to thelower spine.

STRENGTH SHOE TRAININGSneakers with special "platforms" attached to the soles keep your heels off theground while running, jumping and walking. Most of you may remember Boyer Coeused to endorse this strange looking footwear. Wearing these strength shoesaround for an hour or so each day while you're running, jumping and walking willmake your calf muscles incredibly strong and put meat back there better than anycalf exercise I've ever seen.Be careful, though! You must gradually work up to an hour. Begin by wearing themonly 5 minutes a day. Add 5 minutes every third day or so. Don't rush it! You'll findthat these shoes will put at least a couple inches of size and ad up to 5 inches toyour vertical jumping ability in 3-4 months!

GLUTE-HAM-GASTROC RAISESPicture this: Valery Borzov, the great Russian sprinter (Olympic gold medalist in1972) in the same archaic setup doing explosive hip extensions followed by animmediate bending of the knees to simulate the glute-ham pull characteristic ofsprinters in full stride. He carries 7-0 pounds behind his head. That means 1) fargreater gluteal and hamstring speed-strength, which is something no other sprinttraining exercise can claim, and 2) almost one hundred percent injury-proofingagainst hamstring pulls, which is also something no other sprint training exercise --

or any exercise for that matter -- can claim.Your "butt" muscles are called the gluteus maximus (or "glutes" for short). Yourhamstrings ("hams") are the backs of your upper leg. And, your calf muscles arecalled your "gastrocnemius" muscles (or "gastrocs"). So, a "glute-ham-gastroc"exercise is one that sequentially strengthens all three of these muscles in onemovement.This is an exercise developed in Russia, and perfected by an American sportsscientist named Dr. Mike Yessis. It is the single best weight training exercise thereis for improving speed and explosiveness in running and jumping.Bodybuilders can also benefit markedly from this exercise for the same reasonscited for explosive high pulls. You use your "glutes" to raise your body to a straight(horizontal) position. Then, your "hams" continue the movement to pull you up to abent-knee level, and the "gastrocs" help the hams finish the movement.You will need the specially-built machine described in the section above on backraises in order to do this exercise.

THE SQUAT HARNESSThere are many variations to the squat movement. One extremely important onefor athletes is the "lunge" squat. Lunge squats can be done to the left, right orforward, placing the weight on the lead leg. The quad muscles of the lead leg aretargeted with both front and side lunges. Side lunges also target the groin muscles(especially the adductor gracilis of the opposite leg).Also, from a front lunge position, you can "twist" while ascending from the lungeposition. This is an exercise which I had originally developed for athletes like down-linemen or shot putters who are required to explode laterally out of a lunge orsquat position. All other benefit too, in that fuller leg development is achieved inthe sartorius and adductor muscles of the upper leg. Remember, almost everysport requires explosive twisting motions -- throwing, hitting, exploding laterally offthe line, and so forth."Twisting squats," as they're called, require a special squat harness to wear onyour chest and shoulders to hold the short bar in place. DO NOT attempt to dotwisting squats with a long bar, or with the bar placed on your shoulders! Thesquat harness is built for safety, but a short bar or EZ curl bar must be used.

Q: How do I estimate my calorie needs?

A: The Harris-Benedict Equation for estimating one’s BEE accounts for gender, age,height and weight. As the research abstract appended below indicates, the BEEderived using this equation for obese people are somewhat overestimated. That is,the equation appears to be reasonably accurate for normal people with normalbody fat. Given that there were far fewer obese people around back in the early1900s than there are today, you should be aware of this minor weakness. Here arethe equations:For men, the B.E.E. = 66.5 + (13.75 x W) + (5.003 x H) - (6.775 x A)For women, the B.E.E. = 655.1 + (9.563 x W) + (1.850 x H) - (4.676 x A)Where:W = actual weight in kilograms (1 kg = 2.2046 pounds)H = height in centimeters (2.54 cm per inch)A = age in yearsThere’s another factor that you should be aware of. For any given body weight, theperson with the lowest percentage of body fat is going to burn more calories.

Bigger muscles burn more calories than do little ones. Thus, when using the tablesbelow, which are based on an average person with an average percentage of bodyfat, bear in mind to add or subtract from the tabled figures accordingly. Since theHarris-Benedict equation uses total body weight, we are assuming that (forexample) the average woman back in the year 1919, with 100 pounds of lean bodyweight, and 20% body fat, actually weighed 125 pounds. And a man with 170pounds of lean body weight, and 15% body fat, actually weighed 200 pounds.

Determining Your Average Daily Caloric NeedsObviously, there is more to life than just resting in that temperature-neutralenvironment. You must also have energy from your diet to support your activitiesabove your basal level. Once you have determined your BMR, you must estimateyour actual metabolic rate. You do this by estimating how much your dailyactivities "cost" you each day, and adding the total caloric cost of these activities toyour BMR.To simplify this task, we have divided several activities into five levels from "verylight" to "very heavy" (see Table One). The results you derive are only an estimate,but should nonetheless give you an idea of your daily caloric needs.

The higher your body fat percentage, the fewer calories you'll burn (lower activitylevel, and less muscle to burn calories). The lower your body fat percentage, themore calories you'll burn (bigger muscles burn more calories than little ones).Thus, it becomes much easier to get rid of fat permanently by increasing yourmetabolic rate. You do this by increasing both your muscle mass and your activitylevel. You can (and SHOULD) gain muscle mass and lose fat at the same time.Never sacrifice muscle tissue during the fat loss process. Instead, build moremuscle to burn more calories. You'll lose more fat faster, and you'll be more likelyto keep it off. The KEY is to control your calories!

The “Quick Check” MethodThe caloric expenditures listed in Table Two are for people with about a 20% bodyfat level. The smaller your muscles are, the fewer calories you'll burn; the biggeryour muscles are, the more calories you'll burn. That means that the higher yourproportion of fat is to your total body weight, the fewer calories you’ll burn. On theflip side of the coin, the greater your proportion of muscle to your total bodyweight, the more calories you’ll burn. Remember that strenuous exercise withweights (including dumbbells and barbells, Nautilus-type machines, your own bodyweight, and other forms of resistance exercises) is the best way to increase your

muscle size, thereby increasing your metabolic rate. This will result in far morecalories being burned all day long, even at night while you're sleeping. This, inturn, makes it easier to keep your body fat level in check.

Determining Your Hourly Calorie NeedA more precise method for determining your caloric need is to compute it hour-by-hour.For each of the 24 hours in your "average" day, determine your energyexpenditure by reading the descriptions in Table Three. Then, multiply your hourlyBMR (BMR divided by 24) times your energy expenditure. For example, if BobJones’ hourly BMR equals 85 calories, and his average activity level during thathour was 300 percent above BMR, you simply multiply 85 times 3.00. His hourlycaloric expenditure equals 255 calories. Remember, most people intersperse eachhour of heavy activity with brief quiescent periods (e.g., resting 5 minutes betweensets or chatting with your training partner during a workout). Therefore, it isimportant to get an AVERAGE for that hour! You may have to break each hour ofactivity down into briefer periods for the sake of accuracy. Do this for each hour ofthe day, add all of them together, and that is your daily caloric requirement.Be SURE to apportion your daily calories over at least five meals, with the size of

each meal reflective of your UPCOMING caloric needs. For example, if you expectto train, eat more; if you expect to take a nap, eat less.

For example, Bob Jones weighs 161, and his lean body weight is 159 (fat weight is9) with 5.7% body fat. His BMR is 1750. Let’s look at his day (Table Four).

* The caloric value of each meal is predicated on the caloric cost of upcomingactivities. Then, approximately 400 calories are added to workout days andsubtracted from days in which there is either no workout or workouts for smallermuscle groups. In this example, that would equal 80 calories added to orsubtracted from each of 5 meals. This “zigzag” pattern ensures both muscle gainand fat loss.

Illustrations

Q: What about drop sets for the 3x40 or the 10x10?

A: In bodybuilding and weight training, using drop sets is a technique for continuing anexercise with a lower weight once muscle failure has been achieved at a higher weight. Itis most often performed on weight machines because reducing the weight quickly isthought by some to be extremely important, but it can also be performed with dumbbellsand other free weights.

Example

While performing a bicep curl, the person lifting the weight would start with a 25-pounddumbbell and do as many repetitions as possible without significantly compromising form.Then a 20-pound weight would be used until exhaustion is reached. One could continue to"drop" down as many times as he or she wishes.

So can you use drop sets to complete the 3x40 or the 10x10?

Yes you can, there is no reason why you can’t use the drop set method, remember nothingis set in stone. However I would not use it as a constant method performed on the abovesets, but more of a muscle endurance and strength enhancer to help get you on your way tocompleting these sets using a constant weight throughout.

Using drop sets may also help you break through plateau's leading to increased weightswhen do these sets at a constant weight.

You could look to use drop sets every second to third workout as something new into theroutine, this also gives you a good cardiovascular workout throughout all the reps as it getsyour heart rate up. So you’re basically getting an interval cardiovascular workout whilestrength training.

The rational behind introducing drop sets in every second to third workout is that you wantto break down your muscles and then let them repair/rebuild this is how you gain muscle.If you break down your muscles with these intense exercises and never lay off you are notgiving your muscles time to repair/rebuild. Hence you are losing muscle gains.By following the A B C B A cycling and only using drop sets once or twice; throughperiodization you will allow enough time for targeted muscles used in your drop sets to rest/repair.

The way to insure you get the best benefits from using drop sets in your workout is to havea partner, they’ll be able to switch out the weights for you as quickly as possible so that youdon't have to take time to rest in between the reps. You should not rest until the set iscompletely over.

Q: So if Drop Sets can be used, What about Negatives?

A: One thing that's of note, most of the microtrauma (muscle tearing that causes delayedonset muscle soreness-and later hypertrophy) occurs during the eccentric phase of thenegative movement. Concentrating on doing this on every set would almost certainly lead toover training-due to lack of proper recovery.

Hypertrophy (muscle building) occurs when the microtrauma is repaired, so compoundingthis over and over throughout your workout would most likely cause so much microtraumathat you'd never fully recover. During ANY type of high intensity weight training theminimum time between training the same muscle group is around five to seven days.

The use of negatives on this program will come down to timing, due to the stresses involvedand the time required for recovery, using this principle on an already demanding programrequires that you spread out your negative sessions, to one maybe two body parts perweek. This is only a rough guide and not "Do as I say" approach.

Leave this to the advance lifters out there - You'll know if you are one of theseguys.

I'll just stress two key factors if you decide to incorporate negatives:

1. Keep it to a minimum

2. Allow plenty of rest between sessions that incorporate the use of negatives

In saying the above, don't go and schedule a heavy day of 2 C set exercises right afterthe day your did your negatives, this will lead to over training.

Q: How to best "personalize" this routine?

A: The problem is, that each muscle group's tolerance to exercise probably differs. Eachexercise you do for each body part can - and often does - possess entirely individual repability at 80 percent max. To discern your specific tolerance level for each body part, followthese simple instructions:

1. Determine your approximate one rep maximum (1RM) for each exercise.2. Load 80 percent on the bar (machine) & rep out with it for one all-out effort to see

how many reps you can do.

3. Apply this information to the table below to determine each body part's exercisetolerance.

4. Take into account ALL of the factors listed above that can affect your exercisetolerance.

5. Critically evaluate whether your predicted exercise tolerance levels stand up to whatyou know from experience to be true. Remember, “low tolerance” means that youprobably make easy gains for that body part, and “high tolerance” means thatyou’re probably a hard gainer for that body part.

Here is an example of in regards to exercise tolerances for fast gainers, average gainers andslow gainers. Perhaps you'll find these figures and estimations to be pretty close estimates,or perhaps you won't.

One thing is clear you must look! Your continued progress toward your maximum potentialmay well depend on it!

By critically evaluating your individual muscles' tolerance to exercise, you can more easily"fine tune" your training regimen to provide maximum gains in the shortest possible time.But don't forget the other factors that may affect your recovery rate. Look at the list again

(above). How have you accounted for each of these variables’ effect on your progress?

Have you raised or lowered your reps and sets accordingly? Have you increased ordecreased the frequency of your workouts commensurably? Training intensity?

Have you taken into account your ratio of white versus red fibre, and adjusted your exerciseload and movement speed accordingly?

Q: Bad Workout? No Problem. Here's some tips

A: One thing to keep in mind is that bad workouts don’t just happen; there isalways an explanation. Lets look at a few of the factors outside of the actual trainingthat may be contributing to your training problems and can be done about them.

1. Too much training, not enough rest

This seems pretty straightforward and it is a bit of a refresher from the repeated restmessage through this document but this is advice that always bears repeating. Forsome reason, when it comes to grip training, many people tend to throw logic outthe window. For example, it is a commonly held belief by many people that “becausethe hands and forearms are small muscle groups they will recover faster and Ican train them hard everyday.”

2. Sleep to grow

Are you getting enough sleep at night or staying up to the wee hours playing videogames (or otherwise screwing around) when you should be resting? Several weeks ofrestful sleep every night can make you grow like a weed. Eight hours isrecommended though I know that with so many things going on in your life,sometimes that just isn’t going to happen. For the amount of sleep you are ableto get, try to make that as restful as possible.

3. Feed the machine

How about your diet, good wholesome food or pop and potato chips? A Ferrari isn’tgoing to run as well as it can when you pump it full of low quality fuel and neitherwill your body. If your diet is a case of Garbage in, garbage out then you have tomake a change. There is nothing better than wholesome, real food. Also don’t makethe mistake of trying to live off supplements only. They are called supplements for areason, because they supplement the real food you eat.

4. Don’t underestimate the impact of stress from work/school/family etc.

Darn, there’s real life getting in the way of my workout again! With some things, youjust have to do what you have to do. If you are under a lot more stress lately thanyou have had to deal with in the past, there is a good chance that you are going tohave to adjust your workout. Of course a workout can be a great stress reliever onits own but don’t assume that you can train the same way under high stresssituations than you did when things were going a lot smoother. For example duringexam week, I always had to cut my workouts down by about half. I knew I had onlyso much energy to expend and needed to devote it to studying. That way I couldkeep making good progress in my workouts, even if in a few things, as well as getmy studying done.

5. Alcohol or tobacco

You’d be better off dropping these altogether for a lot of reasons. I won’t go into all

the ways that these will put a big time damper on your potential. It should be prettyobvious.

6. Active rest & cardiovascular work

There is no doubt that It is important to recover between workouts but you willactually hinder your progress by "veg-ing" out on the couch too often. I have alwaysfound that being somewhat active between workouts helps me to recover at a muchgreater rate. This helps get the blood pumping, warm up the joints and get rid of thelactic acid and other waste products in the blood. It doesn't take much even just alight jog can work wonders for this kind of thing.

7. Stretching and active rest for the hands

This one is building off #6 and is directed specifically toward hand and grip strengthdevelopment. Yes, I feel the same rules apply as in #6, some active rest workbetween workouts will go a loooong way as far as enhancing your progress. BUT thiskind of thing is very easy to put off and I know that I have that problem at times.

There are other factors but I would say these are the most straightforward.