This article should be of use to everyone, the inexperienced and experienced alike, we are constantly learning new techniques and new ideas and thus ever making continued progress.

The Ever-Growing Myths

Myths, there are so many of them with regards to Progressive Resistance Training. Here I have outlined the common Myths and haveexplained why they are or are not true.
Myths and old ‘tales’ will always spawn as long as there is something we are not fully in understanding of, luckily the powers of science are prevailing and we are learning more about the Human Body everyday. A simple comparison of Training techniques over the last 20 years clearly reveals there is a multitude of training styles that have immerged through the ages, each can be adapted to suit individual needs but the fundamentals of exercise always remain the same. Myths are often challenging these fundamentals and cause mass confusion; hopefully this will clear a lot of this up.

1. Muscles can be re-shaped by performing different exercises. - FALSE
Unfortunately no muscles cannot be reshaped doing any form of exercise, it is simply genetically impossible. Muscles simply grow, this can change their appearance and yes they will look a different shape due to the increased size and definition, but the muscle itself never changes shape.
A group of muscles however can change appearance, for instance if you only stimulate your Front Deltoid it will predominantly stick out and thus change the appearance of your Shoulder, it will never change shape.

2. Muscle turns to fat, and vice-versa. – FALSE
Another age old myth that spawned because of a lack of science. Simply put each pound of muscle on your Body burns abut 50-60 calories at rest, obviously if you suddenly start weight training and put on a lot of muscle the fat will start to ‘melt’ away if you daily calories remain unchanged.
This creates the appearance of Fat turning to Muscle, similarly if you stop weight training and loose a lot of Muscle chances are you will still be consuming a LOT of calories as per weight training, so you will gain more fat.

3. Carbohydrates build Muscle – FALSE
I don’t know where this came from but to put it simply, Protein is used for the building of muscle, Carbohydrates fuel this process, Fat is simply a denser energy source.

4. Weight Training stunts Growth – FALSE
It has been proven time and again and yet people still believe this myth, Weight Training does not stunt your growth. The only reason it was ever associated with this is the use of Anabolic Steroids which can close the Growth Plates in younger individuals and thus do stunt growth.
Weight training in fact can have quite the opposite affect; it can increase your rate of growth. Not above your genetic limitations but due to the increased Calories you should consume and the increased concentrations on hormones. Whilst there is little research on this it is very pheasable and should be taken into consideration.

5. High Reps Build Definition, Low Reps build Mass – FALSE
Now not all the above is false, but let me explain.
The Low Reps vs. High Reps debate has gone on for years, and will probably never be resolved, simply put everybody is different and you will need to experiment and see what works best for you.
Higher Reps though DO NOT build greater definition, it is simply impossible. You Build Muscle and you need to loose fat to see this muscle, not use higher reps.

6. Spot Reducing – FALSE
Again doing hundreds of sit-ups will not melt away fat from your Midsection, fat is burnt off in any number of places in a seemingly random process, so doing hundreds of sit-ups will not refine your Midsection.

7. Abs and Calves need to be trained differently to other Muscle Groups – FALSE
This myth started because of the Fast and Slow twitch fibres debate, (Type II and I). It was said that Fast twitch fibres are recruited more using heavier weights and Slow Twitch when using a lighter weight with more reps. Whilst this is partially true it makes no sense to relate it muscle growth.

Simply put your muscles respond to a Stimulus, whilst the number of reps and sets required varies from individual to individual the basic principal is you need to overload you muscles to force them to grow. All Muscle fibres are recruited when using a heavy weight, and even if Slow Twitch fibres where not recruited it would make little difference, as Fast Twitch fibres have the greatest potential for muscular development of any fibres and thus it would be much more effective to overload these fibres.

Now onto Calves and Abs, these Muscle Groups are used a lot during the day. Thus people say you need to shock them into growth by working them more often, this is wrong.
Muscles respond to a stimulus, be it Calves or your Chest they all require the same treatment and take the same time to recover, so it makes sense to train them with the same frequency as all your other Body parts.

8. Squatting Lower than Parallel Damages your Knees – FALSE
False again, in fact it is beneficial to your Leg Development and puts less stress on your Knees.
Simply put Squatting to Parallel allows you to use a lot more weight, often a lot more weight than your Body can cope with, this puts enormous pressure on your Knees joints and is potentially harmful. Being able to use this much weight also gives some people a false confidence and this can lead to injuries, and spinal injuries.
All the great Powerlifters and Bodybuilders Squat below parallel, it sure is harder and will require the drop of weight, but put your pride aside for a moment and Squat ass to grass!

9. Machines are better than Free Weights – FALSE
Machines are not better than free weights PERIOD, and here’s why.
Using a machine takes a whole element out of the movement, the element of balance and stabilisation, this means a lot less muscle fibres are recruited and this is obviously not useful when trying to build muscle.
They may be attractive because they look safer but quite often they are not, simply put the range of motion they lock you in is not natural, for instance in Bench Press and Squat your Body moves in an arc motion, and machines stop this from happening which puts undue stress on your body.
Some machines do offer a slightly more Natural Range of motion but remember everybody is different so it offers little consolation; machines are easier but with everything in life if you take the easy way out you will never reach your full potential. Work around your ‘excuses’, don’t have a spotter? Use Dumbbells.

10. Barbells vs. Dumbbells is there a better?
Truth is each has there own use, and a gigantic proportion of the population will never reach there full potential unless they combine the benefits of both. Everyone has there own preferences and each individual will respond differently, but the inclination of both is required into any serious athletes training regime.

11. Creatine is unsafe - FALSE
This has to be the most annoying myth of all; Creatine is a natural compound and, afterall, its only energy! Creatine is found in a lot of meat and other foods, the reason why we take it in powdered form is because of the lower concentrations of Creatine in meat, and it’s a lot Healthier to take 5g of Creatine in Powered form than eat 10 chickens!
Scientific research also clearly shows that Creatine supplementation is beneficial to your Health; I suggest doing a search to see for yourself.

12. A Pump is beneficial to building Muscle - FALSE
This myth came about because it was thought that the Pump occured because of increased Blood Flow, which if true would be beneficial due to the increased flow of Nutrients. However this has no been proved to be scientifically wrong, what actually happens is "trapped" blood accumilates within the muscle. When a muscle contracts the actual fiber diameter increases as it shortens. This muscle contraction exerts an "inward" force upon itself. This inward force temporarily shuts off vascular activity that blocks blood flow out of the particular muscle group being trained.
When this happens, an increase in blood pressure occurs as an attempt to clear the backed up blood from the congested capillaries and into the maze of interstitial spaces of the muscle cells. As a result of this congestion, a muscular pump prevails. Obvisouly this is of no use to building muscle, so a Pump is not good for building muscle.

The Basics

First off let’s say you are totally new to training, you have never worked out in your life and wish to get into shape, this is the basis of what everyone wishes to achieve. To IMPROVE your current Physique, whether to increase your performance in a certain sport or to look better.
First off you need to know that Progressive Resistance Training is probably the most rewarding thing you can ever do, and one of the healthiest things you can do. But it will take a lot of time and perseverance to achieve your goals, just remember that it takes more than a day to build an Empire, and a lot longer to build a Physique.

One useful tip that I have always used to inspire myself if this: Think to the future, think in one year where you will be and realise that in that year will you look back and think that you have made great progress and are happy with your results? Or will you look back and think I could have been fitter, like that guy if I had done it. But I didn’t so oh well.
Remember in one year you will either look back in prosper, or in frustration. Hopefully you choose the right one.

It’s your first day; you’ve joined a new Gym or bought some basic equipment. Your feeling rather nervous because everyone around you seems to know exactly what to do and everyone appears fitter or bigger than you. However you think back to the preparations you have made over the last month, and feel confident that you will get the grasp of things soon.
Well first off do not be intimidated, everyone has to start from somewhere and people will honestly not care what you look like, they are all there trying to do something and they do not care about you.
So lets get going!

First off you need to know the basics to build a program around, and here they are.

1. Start off with 6-10 sets per Body part.
2. Train each Muscle Once a Week.
3. Eat a Healthy Nutritious Diet, high in Protein.
4. Train intensely; remember the harder you push yourself the better the rewards will be.
5. Do about 3 exercises per Body part.
6. Rest 2-3 minutes between sets.
7. Try not to train for longer than an hour, as the catabolic effects of training kick in and actually start to diminish your gains.
8. Learn the correct way to perform exercises.
9. Get yourself in the right frame of mind, visualize what you are going to do and do it.
10. Train every Body part for maximum effectiveness, every muscle has its use so do not neglect them!
11. Use predominantly Free Weights if you can, if you cannot (an injury) or you just don’t want to fine, I cannot stop you but remember than you are only sacrificing yourself.
12. Use Compound exercises as the Core Foundation to your program, Bench Press, Squats, Deadlifts, Shoulder Barbell Press, Barbell Bicep Curls etc.
13. Warm-up correctly! I prefer to use a weight of about 30-70% of the maximum I will use for my working sets to warm-up with, I perform about 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps. Remember its only a warm-up and you do want to fatigue your muscles before the working sets. Stretching has its place but I do not find it to be a useful warm-up.
14. Use Common Sense! If you’re back suddenly feels painful STOP working it! Never try to ride out pain; it will definitely hinder you in the long run. Ice it, Rest it, and visit the Doctor.

Lastly ease into your training gradually over a month, if you have never trained before you need to let your body acclimate to the weight you will be using so make sure you work your way into any program you design.

The Training

First off you need to decide when you are going to train, what time, and how many days per week.
The best method and most convenient method is the Five Day Split, a program would look something like this:

Monday:
Chest and Triceps

Tuesday:
Legs

Wednesday:
Biceps and Forearms

Thursday:
Back and Traps

Friday:
Shoulders and Abs.

As you can see if fits nicely into a Five Days, you can do as little as three days but this means your workouts will be longer and less productive. However think on the positive, at least you are bothering to workout!
I would also remember to rotate the days you workout every few weeks or months, simply because the Muscle Group worked on Mondays will always have a slight advantage to the others, I mean by the time you work Shoulders on Friday the muscles that assist in a lot of the exercises, Triceps for instance will already be tired!

Exercise selection is now next on your list; I would recommend the following exercise for being the most effective for the selected Body part.

Chest:
Barbell Bench Press – All Variations, Incline, Decline.
Dumbbell Bench Press – All Variations, Incline, Decline.
Bar Dips

Triceps:
Lying Tricep Extensions
Standing Tricep Press downs
Overhead Tricep Extensions
Narrow Grip Bench Press

Legs:
Calf Raises – Seated and Standing
Squats
Lunges
Stiff Legged Deadlifts

Biceps:
Standing Barbell Curls
Alternate Dumbbell Curls
Hammer Curls

Forearms:
Barbell Wrist Curls
Dumbbell Wrist Curls
Gripping exercises, holding heavy dumbbells etc.

Back:
Deadlifts
Barbell Rows
Pull-ups
Lateral PullDowns

Traps:
Barbell Shrugs
Dumbbell Shrugs

Shoulders:
Seated Barbell Press
Dumbbell Press
Lateral Raise
Bent Over Lateral Raise

Abs:
Cable Crunches
Leg Raises

All these exercises are superb for Building maximum mass, for more exercises and details of how to perform them correctly visit these links:

Complete Exercise Listing
Another Complete Exercise Listing
Exercise Execution Videos

Now you have a complete list of exercises, you need to know how many sets and reps to do. First start off with 5-10 sets per Body part, and 8-10 reps. Simply adjust these as you see fit, remember everyone responds differently so you will need to adjust these depending on your current progress.
Remember to give it a few weeks before making another adjustment as Progressive Resistance Training is not an overnight work!

Nutrition

Nutrition is probably the most overlooked area of anyone’s training regime, yet this seemingly irrelevant area can single handily speed up your progress by over double if you are currently on a bad diet.

It’s simply a matter of providing your Body with a sustained released of Carbohydrates, Fats and Protein throughout the day. This is because muscle takes a long time to build and thus it is very desirable to have your boy in an anabolic state all day.
The terms Bulking and Cutting are derived from this mass eating, simply put to consume enough Protein and Carbohydrates to fuel muscle anabolism you will be consuming more calories than your maintenance level (the level by which you remain constant) so you will gain fan or 'Bulk'. Cutting is when these calories are reduced below maintenance level to rid your body of fat to make the muscle more visible. As you become more experienced with your own body's needs and nutrition, you will learn to bulk whilst gaining minimal bodyfat. This is called a 'clean bulk'."

The basis of a good diet is to simply eat healthily; a healthy diet is always a good one. This is however only the foundation of your diet and much more will need to be added to attribute successful gains.
First off your Body will need a LOT of Protein while Bodybuilding, constantly throughout the day plenty of Protein will be needed, ideally 1.5g of Protein per every lb of your Bodyweight, so a 100lb person would need 150g of Protein per day.
Next are Carbohydrates, they fuel your whole body, including muscle growth! So it is again worthwhile to eat plenty of Carbohydrates, to make sure your Body gets enough you should eat a minimum of 3g per lb of Bodyweight, that’s 300g for a 100lb man. That’s a relatively small amount and generally it is best to eat as much as possible, as something as small as taking a walk will increase your need for Carbohydrates.
Lastly Fat, this is something you do not want in an abundance but you do want some Fat, there are very healthy Fats such as Omega 3 fatty acids and Flax Oil, these are very beneficial to your health, and these 'good' fats are often found in foods such as Cottage Cheese.

Now one the most important muscle building aspects is what you take Pre and Post Workout, you ideally want a fast absorbing Whey Protein for your Protein needs. This is because after a workout your muscles are depleted of Nutrients and will absorb them like a sponge, in fact they will over absorb them creating a phleora of muscular growth. This is the only time of the day that this happens so do not miss this important time!
I also recommend taking 30-50g of Dextrose before and after your workout, not only will it provide your muscles with a rapid flow of energy during your workout but after your workout it has some crucial benefits.
Dextrose is rated 100/100 on the Glycemic Index, meaning it is the fastest absorbed compound on the world; Dextrose creates a huge insulin surge after a workout which is incredibly beneficial as Insulin drivers Nutrients into cells which equates to more growth.

Lastly Vitamins, Minerals and Water are vital to the optimum performance of your body so do not overlook taking a Multi-Vitamin and Drinking plenty of Water (5 pints a day minimum), Calcium is also something Progressive Resistance Training requires a lot of, so either take this in capsule form or drink plenty of milk.

Here are some links to Nutritional Calculators which will give you a breakdown of the optimum calories you need to consume to build muscle, and how many of these calories should come from Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat.

List of Various Calculators
Nutritional Calculator

Equipment

If you cannot join a gym or simply wish to purchase you own Home Gym then here is the equipment you should think about purchasing, obviously Gloves and Straps are necessary if you train at a Gym sooner or later as well. So don’t overlook the basics.

Typical Training Gloves.

Typical Training Belt
.

First off a Weights set, a Barbell, Dumbbells and some Plates. Vinyl Plastic disks are of no use apart from being friendly to your carpet!
Becuase of there huge size and compartively lower weight you will find often you will outgrow them very quickly, I suggest you invest in some Cast Iron plates.

Next off is a Bench, its worthwhile investing in a solid fully adjustable Bench. Olympic Benches are worth the extra money, they offer many more features and are very stable providing room for expansion if necessary. Many olympic benches also support standard sized bars which is also very useful, not many people have room for a 7ft Bar!

Obviously these are the Basics, Lateral Pull downs, Calf Machines, Squat Racks and Chin-up bars are all great additions, but they are pricey. Just make sure you look carefully at what you buy, equipment varies greatly from piece to piece.

A Typical Lateral Pulldown.

A Typical Calf Machine.

A Chin-up Bar.

Finally

Remember you are trying to overload your muscles in every workout, so make the most and remember this.

You can never make up a missed workout, and never make up missed time.
At the end of Arnold’s Bodybuilding for Men he describes a middle-aged man who had a great physique and worked out at the same gym as him.
Arnold found some pictures on him in an old magazine and he had been a very successful Bodybuilder winning many competitions, Arnold plucked up the courage to ask him one day why he stopped competing because to Arnold that would be like stopping breathing.
The man said “I used to be just like you, I wanted to win competitions and was very competitive, after I had one my share of competitions I was offered a job with a reputable company and I got married I suddenly didn’t have the time to workout and I didn’t for years. One day I looked in the mirror and saw the Double Chin, the Saggy Chest, and Protruding Belly.
I could not believe the man I was looking at, I went back into training that afternoon” Arnold looked rather bewildered and the man seeing this young lad who obviously didn’t understand “said I still train Arnold, but only now its against this.” He turned and pointed and returned to his workout. He had pointed to the clock.

If you would like to see my current nutritional and training habits please vist My Journal.
I will update this guide as often as possible, if you have any queries or questions please feel free to ask me anything, anytime. :)

Arnold