Old School Bodybuilding Tips

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Worth Considering

by Alan Palmieri

How many different tips are there in a bodybuilding notebook? Thousands and thousands, maybe even more than that! Just like the darned computer, there is more than one way to do something that produces the same end result. Over the years I've discovered some truths that work, not to the same degree for everyone but they do work given a fair chance.

I put some of these findings in a book titled "Bodybuilding Bulletin". Some of the items are presented here. They are what I would call - worth considering as they may provide you a little different way of looking at and doing things.

Abs

It is impossible to spot reduce the waist. You must follow a good all around exercise program and diet for the best results. Working the stomach region alone will not produce the "6 pack".

Weight Loss

Those wishing to lose weight should not drink water during workouts. They should wait at least one hour after working out before they drink water.

Weight Gaining

Those trying to gain weight should drink plenty of water during workouts. The exception is when working abs.

Squat

The single best exercise for the body is the deep breathing full squat. Performed correctly it will provide the catalyst for weight reduction, weight gaining, endurance, stamina, muscle growth, heart and lung improvement and all around better conditioning and health.

Desiccated Liver

Perhaps long forgotten with today's hi-tech supplements is the importance of desiccated beef liver tablets. The story use to go; take 2 desiccated liver tablets every hour for two weeks and a bodybuilder could gain almost one inch on their arms. Desiccated liver is a great supplement containing protein and B vitamins.

Rib-Cage

The most effective routine I have found for increasing the size of the rib-cage is the deep breathing full squat and pullover superset. Four of five sets of heavy deep breathing full squats super-set with heavy across the bench bent-arm dumbbell pullovers will greatly increase the rib-cage. Make certain you take two full deep breaths, filling your lungs completely before you descend on the squat. Make certain you breathe in deeply and fill you lungs completely as you lower the dumbbell on the pullover. Be careful. If you're not use to taking in this much oxygen it will really make you dizzy.

Layoff

It is wise and advised to take scheduled layoffs from you training. They should be planned and carefully thought out, not haphazardly taken. A good idea is to take a week off every three months of regular non missed training. Some will take a week every six months and others still once per year. Just make sure it lasts for only one week and you don't overdo the breaks. You will return to training in a more refreshed mood full of energy.

How Fast Is Fast

The speed in which one performs reps is always a point of contention. Some suggest fast while others slow. I have found the best way is to use a concentrated and forceful movement on the beginning of the rep, contract the muscle being worked at the top of the movement and, return to the beginning part of the movement slowly. The important thing is to keep your tempo in rhythm. Athletes and power lifters however need more explosive power and should use explosive movements throughout their training. Bodybuilders are different and should be more concerned with the shape and size of the muscle.

Alternate Dumbbell Pullover, the forgotten exercise

A great finishing movement for the latissimus dorsi, serratus magnus, and the anterior deltoid is the Alternate Dumbbell Pullover. Lie flat on the floor with two fairly heavy dumbbells in each hand. Start with one hand outstretched behind the head and the other along the side. Without bending the arms, raise them together at the same time; the one from the side goes behind the head until it almost touches the floor the other one goes from the head to the side. Never allow the dumbbells to rest on the floor. This is a great finishing movement and will provide a fantastic stretch and pump.

Sticking Points

It seems a lot of beginner and intermediate bodybuilders are having a problem with sticking points right now. In the past two weeks I have had more questions regarding sticking points then I have had in the last year. Advanced bodybuilders are constantly hit with this problem only they have developed the experience to handle the situation much better. Not that they are not bothered with sticking points, just better equipped to handle them.

Sticking points, the time when muscles fail to respond, grow, improve and, move beyond their present state is a problem faced by every bodybuilder. In fact it is such a problem that many drop by the wayside and discontinue training because they become frustrated and feel they have made all the improvement they can. In reality, bodybuilders never come to a point where they cannot improve. Bodybuilding itself is a progression that never allows one to get to the end of the journey. From the first day you begin bodybuilding, if you train for fifty years straight, you will continue to improve and make progress. Granted the longer you have been training the slower the progress will come and be seen but it does not diminish the fact progress is still being made.

Beginners make gains and see results rather quickly. The longer you have been training the slower the results come. Your muscles become adjusted to the workload placed on them and it becomes harder and harder to gain after you have been training for any length of time. Advanced and professional bodybuilders recognize this fact and continually alter their training and diet programs in order to move forward.

Instead of viewing sticking points as a burden, view them as a result of proper training. What you were doing allowed you to make progress. Now move on to the next step and go on to bigger gains in strength and size.

It is impossible to outline a single program that will move you past a sticking point because in order to do so a person would need to know what you have been doing, how often you were doing it, your bone structure and metabolism rate, genetic potential, diet, along with every other piece of information one can obtain.

Needless to say, if you have hit a sticking point a change is required. You will not move past a sticking point if you continue to follow the present program you are on. You must make a change. Some will find that a drastic change is needed, others will respond with only slight modifications to what they are presently doing. Some will even respond simply by changing their diet. I have known of some that would take a one week layoff and come back to the same program with good results and break through the sticking point they were experiencing. The point is you need to search for what will work for you. Don't be afraid to experiment.

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