CREATING BACK DETAIL FOR BODYBUILDING

I am a 52 year old man, and I have been training for over 30 years. I have competed in bodybuilding contests and although I have always placed high in the rankings, everyone says I do not win because my back does not have “enough detail.” I do everything there is to do; Pull-ups, Pull-downs, T-bar-rows, Low-Pulley rows, and One Arm-rows; even heavy Dead-liftts. I have done every routine, from every book and magazine that has been printed; and, yet nothing has worked—my back gets wide, but it lacks depth and detail. Since you have helped others with similar problems; is there something that you could recommend?

If you look at a complete picture of the musculature of the back on a large chart in an anatomical book; you will notice that the back has many muscles that crisscross over one another, often in diagonally opposing insertions. This makes the back an extremely intricate muscle group by design. Having said that however, I have seen guys who do exactly what you are doing and create a wide, deeply cut, and detailed back. On the other hand, some men, such as yourself; try everything and can not get depth and detail, but can create width. This particular problem is usually rooted in a fundamental flaw of the spine. That is, the shape of the spine is the first major problem that you must address. If you look at your spine from the rear (with someone holding a mirror up so you can see the entire back), and, then looking at your profile of the spine; I think you will probably notice that your spine is either slightly, or possible greatly, Kyphotic. Kyphosis[1] is most often a spinal deformity; that is often over looked during a child’s growing years. It is when the middle of the spine comes outward too far (and loses its lordotic profile and shape). Kyphosis can also be the result of poor posture; and ironically, one generally leads to the other.

When you say that there is a lot “width,” to the outer-edges of the back; (That being the lattisumus and teres major muscles), I am even more convinced that your problem is congenital). Fear not, though, for where there is a will, there is a way.

 Noticing your lordotic shape in the mirror, (or the spinal profile—being Kyphotic) is why your “detail” has been so difficult to grow and create. The muscles around that area are only worked properly when your shoulders are back far enough to engage them. This means that all of your back exercises will be of the squeezing nature. In other words, it is more important for you to get your shoulders back and squeeze the lower traps, scapulas and the inner muscles that run down either side of the spine. In order to do this, you want to do the following:

1. Three sets of Lat-pull-downs to the back of your neck. You want to be sure not to let the bar go all the way up and your want to focus on squeezing the scapulas inward as you pull the weight down to the back of your neck. (Everything that you do from here on should be done with the idea of squeezing your scapulas together as much as possible). Forget about the “stretch” part of your back exercises—you are stretched too much already. From now on, you must focus on, “shoulders back, and squeezing the scapulas.
2.  Seated low-pulley rows: You want to find a weight that is heavy enough to put a strain on your muscles; and yet moderate so that you can get your shoulders back and your scapulas together. Again, it is not important to “stretch” all the way—you need to squeeze those scapulas together on every rep!! Do 12-15 reps for three sets. At the end of each set, do as many “squeezes” as you can. To do this, merely keep contracting the back muscles and never letting the bar go back towards the weight rack more than two inches and then squeeze again. This is really important for you to do a lot of.
3. Upright, Seated Pulls: This exercise is done by setting the seat low enough to ensure that your arms come back high enough to engage the higher portion of the muscles on either side of the spine; and allowing you to also squeeze the lower part of your traps. You want to do at least 15 full-reps and as many, short, squeezing-type reps as you can do. Three sets of 15 and then to failure at the end of the set.
4. Finally, you want to take a set of Lifeline cables (some thick multiple rubber cables with handles) and wrap the length of the cables around a pole or other structure that is upright. Sit on the floor and grab the handles. Pull them in so that your hands (and handles) are back as far as you can go. (This should be so that your handles are at least back far enough that your shoulders are back and your scapulas are together). Now, just allow the  cables to go back 2-4 inches, and then squeeze your scapulas together as you bring the handles back again—doing this over and over. You want to do this as much as you can, at least for 40--60 seconds. At first, you will do this every other day until you begin to see your shoulders literally being brought back to where they should sit. (This will take 4-6 months for most people; depending upon the severity of the kyphosis). Once your shoulders seem as though they are sitting even with the center of your neck (profile view); then do this after your other back exercises, only once a week.
1. There are two more things that you might want to do outside of the gym. First, find yourself a Feldenkrais practitioner. Make sure this person has been taught and has a certified degree in this science/art-form. The person will begin by having you lay on your back on a very flat and hard-wood surface. You will see how severe your congenital problem is by simply seeing how many parts of your body are not flat, touching the floor of this apparatus. Each time you come; this professional will teach you how to reprogram your nervous-system and your neuromuscular signals. You will find within a couple of months, that your shoulders will site back naturally (from the way you are exercising and the way that you are retraining your neuromuscular feedback during Fledenkrais sessions.
2. Lastly: Ask your Feldenkrais Practitioner for a 4foot log of Styrofoam that you will roll on at home in your spare time. This will help a bit as you roll back and forth on your back atop of this simple device. Over time this will help the curve become a bit less severe.

It is most important for you and anyone else with this type of problem to be sure to do exercises that help pull the shoulders back and pull and grow the muscles closely to either side of your spine. You may never have the detail of someone such as Victor Martinez; however, what you will do with this workout is not only build yourself a great, thick, detailed back; but you will also save yourself from potential musculoskeletal damage as you age. Most people have various musculoskeletal problems that may not be evident until they cause a problem. The key is to identify them and work them properly. Learn to look at the shape of your entire musculoskeletal system. Whenever there is question; ask to see a Physiatrist and have them look at the problem and they should have some exercises that you can do to increase proper usage.

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[1] (Greek - kyphos, a hump), in general terms, is a curvature of the upper spine. It can be either the result of bad posture or a structural anomaly in the spine.

In the sense of a deformity, it is the pathological curving of the spine, where parts of the spinal column lose some or all of their lordotic profile.

THE KEY TO MAXIMUM MUSCLE STIMULATION

THE KEY TO MAXIMUM MUSCLE STIMULATION

by

Paul T. Burke, M.Ed.

Maximum Muscle Stimulation (MMS) is a phrase that I coined explaining any bodybuilder’s goal when going into the gym. It is my belief that if you want to create Maximum Muscle Hypertrophy (MMH), then the fastest way is to employ MMS at each training session, with each muscle group. Combine MMS with a diet suited for you and adequate protein and rest; and the magic of muscle hypertrophy will come as fast as a stalk of corn growing in the long straight fields of Nebraska’s farming country.  

What do I mean by Maximum Muscular Stimulation (MMS)?

1. First, examine your muscular-skeletal make up, and look at each body-part closely as if looking at the schematics to a house that you want to build. Start at the foundation, and systematically work your way up to the center and then up to the roof of the structure. You now must develop, or find and master an exercise for each body part based on leverage Advantageousness for each limb; the thoracic muscles (front and back); and, conclude with an overall assessment of the tendency of your fibers to be more on the slow-twitch (fast and explosive) and/or slow-twitch (slow with endurance being a predisposition).  Define your joints and muscle-belly length and overall size and circumference for each area. This is all for developing the perfect exercise combination for your entire body, and yet, muscle to muscle perfecting the two or three exercises that you find are not only easy for you to do, based on leverage advantage, but also the one’s that make you feel comfortable in and you don’t have to struggle with to make a perfect fluid, rhythmic, non-stop set after set, heading toward total muscle failure.
2.  In your mind, look at your body and visualize what you honestly believe it will look like in its’ peak form. Identify with a past or present bodybuilder who has developed his body to a Mr. Universe level; however, not someone who you want to look like; rather, someone that you might be able to look like as a finished product knowing what you know about your muscular skeletal make-up. Knowing all of the subtle and obvious details of your body; and bringing in some visualization will give you a new outlook; a fresh start on how you are going to go about training from now on. The key to anyone’s success is to find, not only the right exercises, but how you are going to do them.
3. If there is no exercise that you can find to give you this leverage advantageousness for a certain muscle; i.e., such as a person with long-arms and narrow shoulders trying in vein to build his chest by doing heavy barbell bench presses. This person must use Bio-mechanical logic to create an exercise to suit him, and thusly bring his level of intensity up to match, perhaps his triceps that are more than likely very good because of the length of his arms and the triceps attaching all the way down to the elbow are doing a good deal of the “pressing” when doing Barbell Bench Presses; while the chest lags behind. This person might consider doing heavy dumbbell declines (to shorten the stroke) or be daring and do heavier dumbbell presses lying on the floor. Now, I do not have narrow shoulders, but I do have long thick arms and the only way to get my chest to grow is to do this very exercise: Dumbbell presses lying on the floor. I also pump up my biceps between each set, very quickly by doing some Preacher Curls to make a “cushion” for my arms when they touch the floor, and biceps hits my forearms and there is a bit of a “spring” to the drive upwards. I drive the dumbbells back up and down in this fashion; never stopping, always pushing harder and harder and squeezing half-reps, when no more full-reps can be accomplished and thus, without breaking the rhythm, I continue but, half-reps and a few quarter-reps are accomplished until there is nothing left. I call this Maximum Muscular Stimulation. It must be done with your bio-mechanical imagination (and go outside of the “laws” of bodybuilding creed and dogmatic ideology of what I call “The Old Paradigm.”). Thus, one must create an exercise that suits you if none of the standard ones give you what kind of stimulation and ultimate hypertrophy that you are looking for. The first key: Using imagination to create a new way to do an old exercise; or, create an entirely new exercise suited for your specific body part.
4.  Thus, for each weak body-part; you have to become very imaginative and creative, so much so that what exercise you create gives you the same feeling and ease and results that the ones that you do with ease do. And, please, do not ever ask a person with a great pair of arms or a great chest how they got those muscle groups so large. They had the huge amount of cross-fiber, the thick joint near the muscles, the right amount of slow-twitch fiber and the right biomechanics for almost any standard exercise to blow those muscles into the stratosphere. No, if you have a weak body part and nothing seems to help it; you have to be the creator of your own exercise. You want to remember, that there is no such thing as a standardized “Full range of motion.” The range is whatever your muscular skeletal system requires; and, what you can conceive that actually works to achieve MMS. Also, there are no fast and hardened rules at all, per se. Let us look at an example of breaking some more “rules” to gain advantage to reach MMS and create huge muscles.
5. Let us look at forearms. Now, I have 17 ½” forearms, pumped up and flexed. I might do the same exercises as most people do, but the duration of a set and yet the simplicity of this exercise will make you ask yourself: How? Why? First, the key words are duration and intensity in any exercise that I do and that you should keep in mind when training this way. In other words, I use the word duration rather than reps, because I don’t count reps, I merely hang on and do as many full-reps, half-reps, quarter-reps, squeezes and so on before I put the bar down with whatever muscle I am working. With forearms, if you have the guts, you can make them grow freaky big real easy—just follow this method.

            Example: Forearms: I take between 125-145lb. on a barbell and grasp the bar a little less than shoulder width. I sit on the edge of a bench that allows me to have my feet planted firmly on the floor in front of me. I place my forearms on my thighs and my hands hang out beyond my knees (right at the articulation point where wrist and hand move, but my hands will never go lower than that the entire time). With the bar in both hands, I begin to move the bar upward with my wrist and ulna flexor and pull it up as far and as fast as I can; all the while squeezing the bar as hard as I can. I only let the bar down to where my hand is parallel to my thigh. (In other words, I don’t go “all the way down,” or as some might call it, do “a full range of motion.”) I immediately bring it up as much as I can after letting it down to parallel. I continue this, one squeezing rep after another until it begins to burn and then I shorten the stroke even more and more; until, I am just moving the bar up and flexing the belly of my forearm as fast and as hard as possible---squeezing the bar as if I were holding on to the edge of a cliff with just my hands. At some point, I feel like I am going to blow the side of my forearm bellies out and I put the bar down; forearms pumped so, that I cannot move my hands. If I were to count “repetitions” it might come out like this: “Standard Full Range of Motion” Reps”:0; Half-reps 15; Quarter reps; 10; moving the bar a fraction of an inch up toward my forearm and down a bit:10-12. Do you see what I am getting to here? This works for me, and but for a few exceptions, it seems to work for everyone. The key is to forget about a standard range of motion, for it will be different for each person. Think about what you are doing and always analyze how you are doing an exercise. Is there a better way? Is there a way that may work for me only? Is there a way I can put more into each set? All these questions should be going into your make-up exercise routine.

Good Luck and hit it hard!

For help, contact Paul at: www.paulburkefitness.com 

Short Intense Workouts Spike Maximum GH in Men Over 40

Short Intense Workouts Spike Maximum GH in Men Over 40        

by

Paul T. Burke, M.Ed.

            There are two distinctly different ways that Growth Hormone is excreted into the blood stream. One: During Stage 4 Sleep. Two: After intense exercise. There is no debating this, it has been studied and tested for the last two decades, extensively.

            Many men over 40 have decided to buy and inject growth hormone (GH) because of the onslaught of information about it, and many anti-aging doctors believing strongly in the use of it. I have no issue with this because it has therapeutic benefits and at low doses seems to help many people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, MS, Parkinson’s and many other debilitating diseases. On the flip side, many bodybuilders and your average guy wanting to get in shape are (ab-) using GH. The problem with using doses above biologically correct doses is simple, but in a very complex system; once you begin, you have to continue for life—if you want to ever maintain any muscle. What? For Life?

Yes, once you inject GH into the blood stream, within two weeks (actually with 48 hours) the Hypothalamus senses that this new spike in GH levels is going to be ongoing. Now, if they are small doses this isn’t a major problem (small dose, 0.2. mg., once a week), but with higher doses (the doses most people are using); this giant spike in sensed in the blood by the Hypothalamus and tells the pituitary (through feedback loops both neurologically and through the blood) that GHLH (Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone) will not be necessary any longer. GHLH must be released to “make” GH with other endocrine system mechanisms. Making no GHLH isn’t the worst physiological problem, since you are injecting GH itself, and so long as you have lots of money, you will be all set…Right? Wrong? The real problem starts with a little known endocrine hormone called Somatostatin. When a normal person, (not on synthetic GH) is injected with a high dose of Somatostatin the response would be an increase in body fat and loss of muscle tissue. It would be doing the exact opposite of what injecting GH will do. The person on GH synthetically will physiologically over ride the Somatostatin/GH axis, which allows for the decrease in body-fat and an increase of lean muscle mass (the obviously positive results); however, they stand a high probability of becoming diabetic with high doses. Why diabetes? Because once you disrupt the natural endocrine axis of GH and Somatostatin, then it drastically decreases the balance needed to ensure cyclic Amp hitting its targets (cells and organs). When cyclic AMP cannot be sent (or accepted) into (from) target organs and cells, then insulin resistance isn’t far behind. In fact, this is a form of insulin resistance. Although the increase in synthetic GH will continue to build lean muscle mass (especially if you lift weights), since the second half of this endocrine axis is now not able to keep homeostasis in this very complex system, cyclic AMP won’t be able to penetrate cells and organs properly. Cyclic AMP may continue to be made, but if it cannot penetrate a cell, the Hypothalamus will sense this through feedback loops and call for more insulin—because insulin is the ultimate storage hormone. And, naturally, if this person using synthetic GH increases their intake of dense high glycemic carbs, they will make more insulin and the vicious cycle of Type II diabetes begins to wreak havoc on the entire body.

So what is the alternative to this?

            This answer must come in two parts. First, the more intense you train with weights and other forms of fitness, the more you will excrete GHLH and ultimately GH. If you take it easy at the gym, you won’t get the same GH spike that the person who is all business in there with a short but intense workout will. So, as I have always preached to Over 40 men, train intense, short and not too often.

Secondly, you must eat hormonally supportive. That means to learn to eat the proper amount of lean protein, low glycemic carbs and small amounts of monounsaturated fat with each meal. You should eat a minimum of four small meals a day like this.

If GH is excreted during exercise: Why not workout everyday?

Those of us over 40 know that you cannot train with weights everyday because of the time it takes to recover. I tell all my clients not to train with weights if they are sore anywhere on their body. That would be a day to take a nice walk. Why a walk?

Walking is important to neuromuscular and neurological function. Not only does it give you a small spike of GH; it rejuvenates the nervous system and the brain. Think of locomotion as the “awake state” that heals the nervous system, organs, and the brain, as does the REM stage of sleep. My program usually allows for someone over 40 to walk almost everyday, training with weights 3 times in 8 days, and swimming at least twice a week. Swimming is great for aerobic capacity; but even better, it elongates the muscles better than stretching on a matt because the body is buoyant and you can relax and stretch while exercising.

Editor’s Note: Contact Paul Burke via email at www.paulburkefitness.com . Burke has a Master’s Degree in Integrated Studies from Cambridge College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is presently in a Doctorate Degree Program at A. T. Still University, and will be a Doctor of Health Education upon completion. Paul has been a champion bodybuilder and arm-wrestler; and, he is considered a leader in the field of Over-40 fitness training. You can purchase his book, “Burke’s Law,” A New Fitness Paradigm for the Mature Male, from any online book store and Barnes & Noble.

** His second book: “The Neo-Dieter’s Handbook,” A Guide to Finding Your Nutritional Root; Past, Present and Future, will be out in March, 2009 and his third book, “Burke’s Law II,” Quantified Bodybuilding; Finding Your Greatest Muscular Potential through Musculoskeletal Designation (Book Surge/Amazon Publishing, 2009) will be available soon.

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BICEPS TRAINING FOR PEAKS AND SIZE

Hi Paul,

I am 55 years old and I have been training for ten years with weights. I cannot get my arms to grow any further than they are now (They are 15’ in circumference). I have tried every exercise and nothing seems to work. My biceps are very flat looking and I can barely see the triceps muscles. What do you think that I am doing wrong?

First, don’t get too nervous because where there is a will, there is a way. That being said, how much fat comes off of any particular area of your body is directly relative to three particular pieces to this puzzle: One, how your body naturally stores fat; Two, how long the fat has been in that area; what type of diet you are on. No one can spot-reduce fat—train (or exercise) it away, directly. You can train those areas with weights proficiently and diet correctly and that is how we are designed to perform, grow, and lose body-fat. Speaking of designation; I am under the belief that your musculoskeletal measurements determine which particular exercises you should be doing for each body-part. Let’s first throw out the notion that there are three “body-types.” That is foolish and too restrictive. Instead, look at each joint that the muscles in question attach to, or are near. Then look at the amount of muscle and how it is shaped—in this case, the biceps and triceps (and forearms).

The larger your wrist, ulna/radius (bones of the forearms) and humerus (bone of the biceps), the more likely there is that there is adequate muscle, once hypertrophied, to support a lot of weight. It is all relative to the frame—which in this case is the bones of the arms. Let’s say that you have fairly large bones in the wrists and arms. Let’s also plan that there is a normal to above average amount of muscle fiber from birth to this point in your life. For the biceps, I would predict that regular straight bar curls (as heavy as you can handle for ten fairly strict reps) should be your number one exercise for biceps. Do four sets and move over the straight bar preacher curls, ensuring that your humerus bone is resting up against a pad that is 90 degrees to the floor. This is so that when you are pulling the bar upward, it is all biceps and no shoulders when done this way. Doing these on a 45 degree incline is not going to get you the stimulation and ultimate response that is necessary to make those biceps pop. Do three sets of 10 reps for this exercise. Finally, execute some type of dumbbell concentration curl. This can be done with the dumbbell hanging away from the body (ala Arnold in “Pumping Iron”); or, with the dumbbell-holding-arm resting on the inside of your thighs. The key here is isolation and supination. To understand how the hand and wrist are supinated by the biceps; the key is turning your hand as far to the pronated position at the peak of contraction of the exercise. (Put your left hand on your right biceps and turn your wrist of that arm that you are holding the biceps as far as you can clockwise (counterclockwise if you do this with opposite hands). You notice that the more you turn your wrist to the pronated position, the more the biceps moves upward? The bio-mechanics of this demonstration show you that you should always use a straight bar for curling. It also reveals to me that when using a dumbbell, when curling, pronate your wrist as far as you can so that the biceps are at their highest contraction (away from the point of insertion) when your wrist has turned the hand as far around to the pronated position as possible. Say good bye to flat biceps after three months of doing these three exercises once a week.

As far as the triceps are concerned; I like to challenge people with what they think are weak triceps with reverse-grip bench press. Yes, reverse grip, with a spotter to both lift the bar off the rack and put it back on.  Use as much weight as you can to get at least 10-12 reps for four heavy sets. Be sure to lower the bar fairly slowly and allow it to touch the lower part of the pectorals and go right back up again. Use a grip that will just allow your elbows to pass your torso when the bar is slowly being lowered. These will weaken the triceps if done properly, so strict push-downs should follow. Using a straight bar and a cable, keep your elbows in and work your triceps with simple up and down movement. I see many bodybuilders doing this exercise with their elbows out. I challenge you to keep them close to your body and allow the bar to come up above the parallel plain (to the floor). Do three sets of 12 reps. The last movement, for triceps, is standing cable-over-head pushes with a small bar. These should be done standing, in such a manner that the forearms collapse onto the biceps (overhead) and then push upward and/or outward and lock the triceps and I say just hold that lock for a millisecond—especially on the last 3 reps of each of the 10-12 repetition sets; for three sets. Hello horseshoe-shaped triceps!

The forearms should be trained with a relatively thick, heavy bar, rested on the thighs, as you are seated on the end of a flat bench. The bar should not move more than a few inches: from the starting position of the wrist being straight with the forearm and then moved inward as far as possible toward the belly of the forearm (known as the ulna-flexor). By working with a very fast pace, continue to contract and never release your hands (or fingers) and do 20-25 reps and don’t stop until they burn like a gasoline dowsed fire. Between these three sets, use another lighter, straight bar, and reverse the wrist-curls—attacking the radial head, with the same pace and go for the burn). The key here is to not move the bar too much, nor ever release the hands—always grip the bar as tightly as possible and keep the bar moving.

To ensure that you see your work with clear definition only eat lean proteins (skinless chicken-breasts; salmon and other cold-water oily fish, egg-whites, skinless turkey, etc.) For carbs, only take in steamed vegetables and fruits; a small portion of rice each of the five to six meals that you should be taking in. Eat small meals and utilize “good fats” by eating raw almonds, pecans, hazel nuts, Brazil nuts, olives and avocadoes. Take in at least 1-3 grams of protein per body-pound and keep yourself hydrated with a mixture of protein shakes with frozen fruit and water. Dieting is as important as training, so stick with it; then you will see what you are creating. 

TRAINING UPPER PECS FOR HARD-GAINERS

Dear Paul,

 I have struggled to make my upper pectoral muscles thicker; and it seems as though no matter what exercise that I do for that upper-chest, it does not grow. Am I doing something wrong by doing all Incline movements, as per what is written in the many bodybuilding books that I have read?

I have had this problem myself, but I have made improvements over the years; and, yes, this problem does require specialized, thoughtful, bio-mechanically prescribed training. I don’t agree with many bodybuilders and trainers who teach that training the upper-pectoral region requires lots of Incline Bench Presses and Incline Fly’s. Let me explain why their catch-all theories do not apply to everyone.

First, you probably do not have a lot of muscle tissue in that area. This is something that is genetic; however, you still can make gains there; it will just require some extremely intelligent and diligent training.

 Your lower pectorals (pectoral major) are probably responding to most of the resistance exercises that are directed toward the chest area; whereas the upper pectoral region responds to little that you have tried; and, this has to do with autonomic muscle engagement. The body is doing this automatically; just as if you were hanging from a windowsill atop a building, the body would call on every muscle necessary to get you back into safety; however, what it will not do is isolate one small group to handle the task and that is why specialized, focused, training is necessary for isolated muscle groups such as pectoral minor.

 The ideal bio-mechanical person (which there are very few out of hundreds of millions); would isolate the pectoral division in just the way that the books that you have read are teaching. According to most books (and some articles in other magazines), Flat Bench Presses tend to hit the entire pectorals (pectoral major and minor); Inclines tend to hit the upper-pectoral (pectoral minor); and, Declines tend to hit the very lowest area (of the pectoral major). What would you think if I told you to do the exact opposite for your circumstances? My bio-mechanical understanding of this is quite simple; yet it took me some 20 years (out of 40 years training with weights) to realize three important points when it comes to upper pectoral development for those having this as a problem area.

The most important thing to do is to look into a mirror, with the body sideways and shirtless, so as to see where your deltoids sit on your upper-thoracic region (and how they are situated at the end of the clavicle area, or AC (Acromioclavicular) joint. If you turn your body to either side, looking into the mirror (so that you are looking at your arms, center of the shoulders and center of your neck and ear), take note where your shoulders are in relationship to all of these locations. Now make note of where the center of one shoulder is in relationship to the ear on that side of your head. Is there a direct line from the center of the shoulder straight to your ear? Are the shoulders forward of the center of your neck and ear? Now, take note of the frontal deltoid and your upper pectoral muscles. Are your shoulders forward of your upper chest? Are they situated so the frontal deltoid is even with the upper pectoral area? Now, take your index finger and move it along the clavicle from the center point (where the sternocleidomastoids attach from the back of the ear to the center of the clavicle) and move your finger over the clavicle to the end (at the AC joint). Is there a big curve from midway to the AC Joint?  My sense is that your shoulders are forward of both the center of your neck and ear; and your frontal deltoids are forward of your upper chest. Why is this important? It informs me that your deltoids will grow before your upper-pectorals will if you do as the Standard Rule of Pectoral Development teaches (the more the incline of the bench; the higher on the chest the exercise hits; the reverse for declines; and Flat Bench Presses hit the entire Pectoral region).  This makes sense for a modicum of those with a near perfect upper-thoracic musculoskeletal design; however, most bodybuilders (and all resistance trainers, for that matter) do not fall into this “ideal” musculoskeletal category. Even if you puff your chest up when doing inclines (by arching your back); there is still too much of a load put on your shoulders because the deltoids are positioned as such that they are forward of the center of your neck, ear and are being worked more than your upper chest.

Now you have two items to attend to. First, you have to start doing more center-back work in order to pull your shoulders back enough for them to be in that straight imaginary line from the center of the deltoid to the center of the ear when standing erect, side-ways, in front of the mirror. What actually has happened here is a lot of musculoskeletal changes. You have gotten a little bit taken by the weak upper-pectoral problem and you have made your upper thorax move enough to make the shoulders change position. The body may seem like a static group of bones held together with some magical glue; however, each time that you emphasize one muscle group more than the opposing muscle group; you will stand the chance of changing the arrangement of the musculoskeletal structure. If I were you and you do have this problem, I would do more work for the middle of your back, such as low-pulley rows done with a bar that allows for maximum squeezing of the scapulars together. You might want to do a couple of sets of those every other day, until you get your shoulders back where they belong. In the meantime, we have to get you to the exercises that are going to hit the upper pectoral area and keep as much of the frontal deltoid out of the picture during the exercises.

Before we get to that, we have to address a couple of other potential bio-mechanical predispositions so that you have the big-picture, albeit one step at a time.

The other two bio-mechanical presets that I am assuming are that (a) you have rather long arms and (b) narrow or medium width (shoulders) across those fairly extreme bends on either side of your clavicles, from shoulder to center to shoulder. First, since the arms are long, you are at a leverage disadvantage when doing almost any pressing, but especially for the upper-pectoral region when doing Inclines as your primary resistance modality for upper-pectoral stimulation and ultimate hypertrophy. This is where your bio-mechanical predispositions; and the way that you have altered your shoulder area are giving you the greatest difficulty doing your present “standard” routine.

Add these two bio-mechanical leverage disadvantages to the small amount of fiber in your upper-chest and you are never going to create hypertrophy in that area until you get at least two of these problems out of the picture. The first answer to your problem is going to be doing Decline Bench Presses. Why? Because this will put you in a position that will shorten the overall length of pressing range, and it will take out your frontal deltoids, which, during this exercise are below the upper-pectoral area. It also allows you to use more weight; and lastly, if you use both barbell and dumbbell Declines, you will find your upper-pectorals being directly stimulated perhaps for the first time in your life. After one warm-up set of a light weight on the bar; do 2-3 heavy sets of 6-8 repetitions for Declines with the barbell. Then do 2-3 sets of 10-12 same way with the heaviest dumbbells that you can handle. You may want to switch these two in prioritization, based on your body’s response. Give this three months and you should notice a major change in both where your shoulders sit on your upper-thorax and how much more tissue hypertrophy you will begin to see in the pectoral minor area. Be sure that you use the heaviest weight possible to get those repetitions that I put in this paragraph. When you can do no more full-reps, do X-reps (extended reps) by moving the bar a few inches up and down until failure.

As a finishing exercise, I would suggest that you find a Peck-deck that has the handles and long arms as a way for maximum benefit. You want to set the seat fairly low so that when you are doing the exercise, your arms (slightly bent) are at the exact height of your clavicles—right straight across your upper-chest. There should be one continuous line coming out from either side of the upper-pectoral area out to both arms and hands; so that when you are in the contraction mode, it should look like a big-tree hug from the top view. Keep your chest up throughout the exercise. Use as much weight as you can and really squeeze that chest on each contraction. Do three or four sets to absolute failure.

Your upper pectoral area will begin to grow within three months using this routine; doing your chest muscles no more than twice in eight or nine days. Be sure to keep your mental focus when training this area, for it will require a great deal of mental and physical isolation to provoke muscular stimulation and hypertrophy.

Also, remember to work on getting your shoulders back into the place where they belong---straight in line with the traps, neck and ear. This is important for both your overall upper-thoracic health, but also your upper pectorals will become more stimulated once the shoulders are back in place (as you try to take out the frontal deltoid by doing those declines).

Best of luck.

Paul Burke

Editor’s Note: Contact Paul Burke via email at www.paulburkefitness.com . Burke has a Master’s Degree in Integrated Studies from Cambridge College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is presently in a Doctorate Degree Program at A. T. Still University, and will be a Doctor of Health Education upon completion. Paul has been a champion bodybuilder and arm-wrestler; and, he is considered a leader in the field of Over-40 fitness training. You can purchase his book, “Burke’s Law,” A New Fitness Paradigm for the Mature Male, from any online book store and Barnes & Noble.

** His second book: “The Neo-Dieter’s Handbook,” A Guide to Finding Your Nutritional Root; Past, Present and Future, will be out in March, 2009 and his third book, “Burke’s Law II,” Quantified Bodybuilding; Finding Your Greatest Muscular Potential through Musculoskeletal Designation (Book Surge/Amazon Publishing, 2009) will be available soon.

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DIETING AND GAINING MUSCLE AT THE SAME TIME: POSSIBLE??

Hi Paul,

I compete in the Over-50 Class of a local Natural Bodybuilding Contest every year. It gives me a reason to get into shape for the summer. Last year I came in fifth in my class. I am getting beat by guys who look half my size in the gym (where some of us train). I think that I am losing too much muscle, because every time I diet, in order to see my abs, it seems like I have to lose a lot, just so the abs will show. Is there some advice that you might have?

Yes, there is. There are a few guys who can diet down and get shredded and never lose much muscle in natural shows; however, it is very tough to hang onto muscle and get your abs to come in really sharp when you are natural. Other guys seem almost contest ready all year and then they get ready for a show and they lose a lot of muscle and look flat onstage. Now, of course everyone’s metabolic rate is different, and at this age, skin quality can be an issue, and knowing your body is a key piece to the puzzle—but there are some different ways to approach this with great results.

 The last time that I wanted to get into shape, I got into contest shape with a 12 week diet that I had used during my bodybuilding years. It was diet that took me from 230 pounds, down to 210 pounds and I looked pretty good, but that year I decided to stay in shape for the entire year and for the entire following year, for I was doing a lot of photo-shoots and getting a lot of roles in acting, living in New York City. I was even down as low as 205 (at 6’) that first year. I dieted on grilled chicken, or grilled salmon, broccoli, beans, hummus, two protein drinks with half-water—half-apple juice, two-scoops of pure whey (no flavor) and I would have a piece of fruit here and there—that was it—nothing else--six meals a day.

As I trained on this diet, I first felt tired and weak, for about the first three months after I had done the regular 12 week diet bit that many bodybuilders are used to. I wasn’t that motivated to keep training while eating like this, but this was an experiment that I had wanted to do my entire life, so at 46 years of age, I did so.

Normally, after I get ready for a contest, or even a photo shoot, once it is over, I go right back to where I feel most comfortable. I was used to filling out my clothes more and lifting heavier weight when not contest ready; but, I was seemingly on a mission this time, so I dieted on—for the next 18 months the only things that changed were that I ate more often (still the same food) and I was slowly getting bigger, harder and more separated. How is this possible? I wrote down everything because I had done something that I had never been able to do in the past—gain weight when getting ready for a contest (or in this case—commercial work).
For me, something started working about month six. Something that I would have never been able to experience if I had listened to my ice cream craving ab-crunches at the end of every other workout. Right around that timeframe, I increased my consumption of the same foods again—added another protein shake also, and the results kept going against everything that I had ever read or spoke of with other bodybuilders—I kept getting bigger and stronger while on a extremely limited diet. By the time a year passed, I had gained ten pounds of muscle—but it looked like I had gained 25 pounds because my skin was so tight and my arms had grown almost a full inch and a half. My power level was way up there with lifts that I hadn’t done since I was in my early thirties.

By the fall of my 47th year—35^th year lifting weights (and some 22 months into the diet), I weighed just shy of 220 pounds and I was more ripped than I had ever been in my life. That is a net muscle gain of almost fifteen pounds during these two years of dieting and training.  I knew that I looked good when people started to ask me if I were “taking anything?” All I was taking was protein powder with diluted apple-juice, plain grilled chicken, broccoli, hummus, and some other greens on occasion. I also would eat a handful of pecans or macadamia nuts every few days—but nothing notable really. I had tossed the fruit and tossed the beans, but I was eating five plates of this “muscle-food.” Plain-grilled chicken, a plate of broccoli with hummus and a protein shake (made as described—only

What I had learned was something that few people will get a chance to experience and that is why I wrote this out so that if anyone reading this wants to give it a try, it really takes (took me) two years to reach this pinnacle of natural bodybuilding. What was so amazing about the whole experience was that once I got over that initial six months, I felt fantastic, powerful, huge and always ripped and ready for any shoot or audition.

This is something that I think everyone should try once to see if this works for them because when it works, it is profoundly noticeable. People who didn’t see me during those two years could not believe the size that I had put on, and the separated, ripped, vascular, thin-skin work of art that had occurred.

Editor’s Note: Contact Paul Burke via email at pbptb@aol.com. Burke has a Master’s Degree in Integrated Studies from Cambridge College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is presently in a Doctorate Degree Program at A. T. Still University, and will be a Doctor of Health Education upon completion. Paul has been a champion bodybuilder and arm-wrestler; and, he is considered a leader in the field of Over-40 fitness training. You can purchase his book, “Burke’s Law,” A New Fitness Paradigm for the Mature Male, from Home Gym Warehouse, call (800) 447-0008, or visit www.home-gym.com. His Burke’s Law Training DVD is also now available.

** His second book: “The Neo-Dieter’s Handbook,” A Guide to Finding Your Nutritional Root; Past, Present and Future, will be out in March, 2009 and his third book, “Burke’s Law II,” Quantified Bodybuilding; Finding Your Greatest Muscular Potential through Musculoskeletal Designation (Book Surge/Amazon Publishing, 2009) will be available soon.

Training for the Tall Man and Woman

Hello Natural Bodybuilding Enthusiasts,
My name is Paul Burke. You may have read one of my books or articles. If not, please read this Blog. It is designed to help both "average" men and women who want to gain muscle and burn fat; and to those who compete on a Natural Stage.
My first Blog is about How to Train Biceps and Triceps for people with Long-limbs. I have a direct question from a reader and a direcet answer as part of this Blog. If you have something on your mind; or, would like me to write about--please let me know.

I am 6’5” tall, not very broad and I have thin knees, elbows and wrists. I have read a few articles that you have written about training for tall men, but they seem to center mostly on chest and legs. Can you tell me how I can make my triceps fuller? They look long and thin, without the three heads showing.

Being just over 6 feet, I can imagine how much trouble you must be having considering that you have small joints along with a very long musculoskeletal system—especially your limbs. I can say that if you stick with the following methods for six months to a year, you will probably surprise yourself.

Let’s talk triceps. You can isolate your triceps to the most ultimate of details in the sense of intricate and elaborate exercises: and yet, if you don’t do something in the way of the multi-joint variety (for chest/triceps), you cannot make them as big as possible. So, that said, try using wrist wraps (or straps, anything to help your wrists stay in line with your palm) and do four sets of relatively heavy flat bench presses with your palms facing upward. Yes, reverse grip, fairly close grip (just enough to allow the elbows to drop by your sides before pushing the weight up again). Use a flat, long-bar, on a flat bench press. Be sure that your feet are flat on the floor and your long-legs are parallel with the floor—evenly so-- if not, the bench is not for you—find one that allows you to have both feet flat on the floor; and yet, the bench high enough to account for your long legs. The legs should be such that your tibia/fibula (calves) are directly ninety degrees straight down from your knees, and you femur (thighs) are perfectly straight and form a 45 degree plane from which your upper and lower legs will be in when the bench is the right height.

 I am a huge fan of using dumbbells (and not a bar) for chest (pectoral major and minor, when one’s arms are long); however, when it comes to this movement, I don’t think it can be matched for a multi-joint press for triceps. Is your chest going to be worked a bit? Yes, and that is why you will work your chest first and triceps just after. Doing these reverse-hand barbell presses are going to change the way your triceps grow—maximum hypertrophy for those with long arms, narrow shoulders and small joints. You find the weight that you can handle for 10-12 repetitions and be sure to have a spotter. Have your hands already tightly secured just an inch wider than shoulder-width. You and your spotter count to three together (if you want to take in three big breaths before each second of the count—that sometimes works on heavy training) and once you have the bar in total control over your head, then you drop the bar just about where you would a regular bench press. On the way up, drive the bar up with your triceps, and only lock-out on the last two (hardest) reps. Let the spotter put the bar back. Do four sets and keep building weight with this (using more weight as months pass as you master the movement and grow. As mentioned, you should be doing mostly dumbbell and machines for your pectorals; therefore, this “palms-up” flat bench press will be the only time that you will use an Olympic bar for chest or triceps—make it heavy and keep your cool—this is a bit tricky in the early stages of learning the movement. I think that you will find that this will help your triceps quite a bit.

Naturally, you should do two isolated exercises for your triceps after that one rather large and heavy exercise (reverse grip bench presses). I would advise that you go to heavy triceps push-downs with a straight bar; however, if a straight bar hurts your wrist, then use the bar that does not hurt your wrist, but still helps with leverage. Do four sets of 12 reps, with partials and/or X-reps at the end of the last two sets. Lock out those last few full-reps and partial-locks. Go from there to either a machine that has your elbows and hands above your chest (while seated); or, do what I like to call “Over-head triceps Push-outs.” Use a straight bar, a V-bar or a rope (depending upon which one you get the most leverage with) and with the pulley attached somewhere over head (preferably, the lowest of course is from the floor, but that will change the point of attack). Assuming the pulley is above your head and the bar is in your hands, push out so that the forearms and hands land directly above your head and end up right in front of you. Allow your forearms to collapse all the way back onto your biceps and press outward again. This seems to hit an area that nothing done below this height can touch. Obviously, I am giving you these with knowledge of what works for people such as yourself; however, don’t be afraid to use something else if this doesn’t work out for you. Use the dip-machine, or use another extension type triceps exercise. Keep the repetitions at a good pace and lock out towards the end of each set (the last 2-4 reps). Do as many lock-out X-reps and partials as you can for the last two sets of both isolation exercises.
One last thing that I always tell people with long limbs: If you pump up your biceps before doing your triceps (or if you are a professional bodybuilder and squat heavy and low, your leg biceps). What I mean by this is to pump the biceps muscles up so that they are full of blood and yet you are not working them so as to cause any tissue tearing or lactic acid build up—just pump them full of blood. What you will find is that everything that you do pressing wise will be easier. Your pumped up biceps will act as a cushion when your forearms come back to bump up against them in the negative part of the triceps extension/stretch movement. Once you have mastered this, you will find that it will help your long arms (and legs is the case of leg biceps) to act as an absorber of some of that long extension/stretch; and, you will power to the full extension with better force and torque from the bottom of the lowest, toughest angle that you can find a pulley for triceps cable extensions.

Hit them hard twice in an eight day cycle. This will give them plenty of time to grow and plenty of hard work to coax them along. Train moderately heavy and be sure form is perfect. You will have those three heads popping out like the horses shoe that so many people call them.