Yes, leg night is here again! Strange how it seems to come round faster than the more enjoyable body parts.

First up was leg curls, just 2 warm up sets to get the blood flowing through the quads, then on to leg press.

1st set 80kgs 50 reps (this gets the legs used to the plain of motion)
2nd set 240 kgs 30 reps
3rd set 360 kgs 15 reps (No hands on knees. Please if your knees hurt reduce the weight, you want big legs, not a big head!)

Next over to the squat rack…..oh I mean towel rack for you beginners! …..Only joking.

Start with a nice light weight and check your form in the mirror before increasing the weights. Form is everything when it comes to squats.

I think the easiest way to perform squats is ‘chin up and sit down!’ But not all the way of course. When you reach parallel, push back to start and don’t lock those knees. Locking out the knees only transfers the weight to the skeleton, and besides it means those leg muscles are resting!!!
Nice clean smooth reps are what you’re after.

1st set 60kgs 30 reps
2nd set 100kgs 20 reps
3rd set 180kgs 8-10 reps…..on a good day!

Blast from the Past: Ians’ first LoI first published March 2004

Tuesday night is chest night, probably the most trained body part of them all, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t one of my favorites.

To start I isolated the chest with a couple of sets of incline flys, cables or dumbells will do the job, then it’s straight on to Incline barbell press – 3 sets slow and controlled pausing at the bottom of the movement for the count of 1, this will increase intensity and the muscle spends more time under tension!

The weights chosen for a chest workout say a lot about the individual, he or she should aim to exercise the muscle not the ego.

My weights for incline press were:

1 set 20 reps 60lbs
2 set 12 reps 100lbs
3 set 10 reps 100lbs

After incline press I moved on to the Cybex upright press machine.

I like to call this the “stretch arm strong” because the stretch at the bottom of the movement is awesome and because it’s a machine you can control the weight and descent of the bar much more safely than with a barbell.

The weights for the “stretch arm strong”? The full stack!

1 set 10 reps
2 set 8 reps
3 set 7 reps and 2 forced reps.

That’s all for chest. Quality not Quantity!

Now on to calves probably the most under trained body part of them all, but they have to be trained with the same passion as your arm’s or chest.

I started with 2 warm up sets on the seated calf machine. This is not one of my favorite machines as I don’t think that both the Soleus and Gastrocnemius get full weight distribution, both muscles are activated only when the legs are straight (e.g standing calve raises) But some old geezer was hogging the standing calve machine…..bless him!

So as not to waste time I decide to do calf presses on the leg press. These are one of the best size builders for calves.
I did 3sets with 240kgs, 20 reps per set!

Then home to complete the bodybuilding triangle…Training….food….rest…

To succeed you’ll need all three.

That was a bit like Jerry Springers’ final thought….only nothing about love cheating midgets!!!!

Having some time off work with my baby son set my mind a wondering! Do you train harder with a training partner or without?

The answer may simply boil down to your level of motivation. I personally think I train harder when somebody is there to give me a swift kick up the butt when things aren’t going to plan. There’s also the safety issue to think of how can you possibly train to the max without a spotter!

I know there’s drops sets and rest-pause techniques to use but these are not quite the same for me. Most of my workout life I’ve had a spotter or workout partner but for the past year or so I have trained solo.

Probably the best situation I have ever been in was when I shared a flat with one of my old training buddies. We pretty much trained, ate and talked about bodybuilding full time – both keeping check on each other’s diet,sleeping and training routines. I definitely made most of my gains in muscle and female companionship during this period. (me smiling)

At the moment with work and family commitments it would be impossible for me to have a training partner. I basically train different days and different times every week. Although I do miss the comeradery and intensity of having a training partner, I don’t miss the baggage that usually comes with them: if they’re having a crisis or simply having a bad day, the workout usually goes down the pan. I suppose this is where I should step in and lift the mood as all good workout buddies should. Fine, as long as they’re not one of those people who are a complete drama queen—not a good training partner quality if you ask me.

In choosing a workout partner, they should have similar lifestyle to yourself and similar workout goals. It’s no good you wanting to look like Ronnie Coleman and your partner wanting to look like Frank Spencer! I suppose opposites do attract but Frank constantly dropping the weights and shouting, “Oooh Betty,” would put me off. If you choose a member of the opposite sex, better make sure they’re pig ugly to deter you from losing the plot and chasing them round the gym or chasing other men round the gym to keep them away from your new glamour model training partner( I suppose this would count as cardio though).

So in conclusion, choose someone like yourself and if you’re looking for maximum gains choose a chemist.(only joking!)

Cheers Ian

Well with all the hoo-haa over full body workouts I decided to give it a go. I’ve been training full body over the last couple of months, and lets just say it’s not the be all and end all of training.

The full body workout I started with went as follows:

Day 1
Flat Bench x 3
Bent Over Rows x 3
Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press x 3
Back Squat x 3
Then pick 2 isolation exercises to finish off.

The idea was to do this workout Mon, Wed, Fri changing the four compound exercises each workout. For example, Incline Dumbbell Press instead of Flat Bench and Deadlifts instead of Bent Over Rows and so on.

Now all was going fine and dandy until I came to do the legs part of the workout on day 2! My joints really began to hurt and I just couldn’t go heavy which kinda defeated the object of the workouts so I twisted things slightly to cope with my nagging knees.

This is the workout I’ve been doing since. Oh and I altered a few other things that didn’t work for me either.

Day 1 Monday
1 set Incline Fly’s 30 reps (warm up)
1 set Incline Bench 12 –15 reps
2 sets Flat Bench Press 6-7 reps

2 sets Chin Ups (body weight) 12 reps
2 sets Barbell Bent Over Rows 8-10 reps
3 sets Smith Machine Shrugs 8- 10 reps

3 sets Standing Bicep Curls 8-10 reps
2 sets Tricep Rope Pushdowns 8-10 reps
1 set weighted Dips 8 reps
3 sets Seated Calf Raises 10-20 reps

Day 2 Tuesday
1 set Cable Cross-Overs 30 reps(warm up)
1 set Incline Dumbbell Press 8-10 reps
2 sets Hammer Strength Press 6-8 reps

2 sets Hammer Strength Pulldowns 10-12 reps
2 sets Dumbbell Rows 10-12 reps
3 sets Standing Lateral Raises 10-12 reps

3 sets Preacher Curls 8-10 reps
3 sets Skull Crushers
3 sets Standing Calf Raises

Day 3 Wednesday
5 min stretching and 5 min walking(treadmill)
4 sets Leg Press (1 warm up) alternate between Squats weekly 10-12 reps
3 sets Walking Lunges until failure
3 sets Lying Hamstring Curl
3 sets Stiff Leg Deadlifts

Thursday Off

Day 4 Friday
1 set Incline Barbell 30 reps
3 sets Flat Dumbbell Press

2 sets Straight Arm Pulldowns (isolates the lats)
2 sets Hammer Row
3 sets standing or seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
supersetted with standing Bent Over Rear Delt Flyes

3 sets Dumbbell Bicep Curls
3 sets Hammer Strength Dips
3 sets Seated Calf Raise

Saturday and Sunday rest.

As you can see the workout now spans over 4 days not 3 which was a change I had to make inorder to accomodate legs. All exercises are done to the last full rep – no forced reps or negatives and no spotter.

I feel this allows for better recovery and the upper body can be trained 3 times per week without that dreaded over training fatigue.

I have been doing this for 2 weeks then returning to a 5 day split absolutely hammering each bodypart once per week. My strength has increased on some lifts, my bench is now 275 for 7 reps with out a spotter so maybe the rest my body gets from the 2 week no-failure training is paying off. I’m also a believer in the more you do an exercise the more you can lift without necessarily getting stronger – just improved technique with repetitiveness.
So maybe my be my strength hasn’t increased?

The whole workout takes me 1 hour to complete so anybody wishing to try a fullbody workout give it a go.

Ian

I knew that would get your attention!

For me the most important thing to gain success in any field, and especially in bodybuilding, is “ Consistency”. Your training, diet and rest must be consistent and a hit and miss approach won’t cut the mustard. Quiet simply consistency is the key to becoming huge or ripped which ever takes your fancy. Workouts must done, meals must be eaten and the TV turned off.. so you can drag your sorry arse off to bed.. no, I don’t care if that movies just started, record it and watch it at the weekend (except if Arnie’s in it, of course).

If there’s one thing I’ve been over the years it’s consistent, I’ve never missed a workout (is my nose growing?), never missed a meal and always gone to bed on time — yes I’m totally selfish and have no life outside bodybuilding. Obviously I’m only joking but at times we must make a choice. Do I want to give this my all or am I going to carry on bitching and blaming bad genetics and lack of steroids for my shortcomings!

I remember one Friday night in about 1995. The gym I was training at was in the city centre and it was around 8:30pm. Every normal 20yr old male was putting on his weekend undies and splashing on the old spice… but not me. I stood by the window staring out at all the other young people on there way to bars and clubs while I rested in between a set of biceps curls.

It was at this point in the space time continuum (yes, I’ve just watched Back to the Future) I made the choice! Am I going to be like them always asking how do you get huge arms or, Jesus, your legs are awesome, mine just won’t grow?

NO! I finished my arm workout, went home with a sense of accomplishment to eat my chicken and veggies. Did I feel like crap and very lonely! Nooo! I felt good, like a loan warrior who stood in that empty gym, making a sacrifice. Yes, it felt good I tell ya!

I’m not preaching or saying don’t have a life because believe me I have. But I’ve made sacrifices along the way like not partying all the time and not eating junk food every time its put in front of me, just some little choices that make all the difference.

I try and train every body part at least once per week, its no use skipping the ones you don’t like. At meal times eat the correct foods and ff you’re faced with a visit to Macca’s eat this in addition to your normal diet not instead of it.

What I do to make this whole life style change easier is, and believe me it’s a life change for Buggles (no bodybuilding folk), is to treat weekdays as strict time ie training, meals and rest and at weekends relax a little. And when I say relax a little I don’t mean go on a 2 day drinking binge to Bali eating all the crap you can find. Just don’t be as strict as your weekdays, allow for family time and time away from bodybuilding and work. Believe me your body, family and mind need it.

Bodybuilding is a regimen, a religion or a uniform so consistency and sacrifice go hand in hand.

To be continued…

Ian Hales is available for public speaking at Weddings, Funerals and party’s.
Contact: www.youmustbekiddin.com.au… NOT!

Cheers
Ian

Well it has been an interesting couple of months! Firstly I’ve only just received my computer back from repair “under warranty.” Hmm, I think this means, stick it on the shelf for two weeks and then kick around the warehouse until the warranty runs out!

But its back now and I’m free to browse the net at any time at least until it breaks again!

Well, well, well, what have Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan been up to? Murdering there personnel assistant buy the sounds out it. Millisa James a former fitness instructor, moved from New Jersey to live with Titus and Ryan. Her body was found in Ryan’s burnt out Jaguar in Las Vegas, The’re both due to appear this week in court and are both claiming to be innocent. I guess we will all just have to wait and see what becomes of these two.

My dieting is going well although after working out my BF% it’s not as low I thought. I’m currently at 15% BF…. yes 15%. I thought it would be around 12% — but my abs are starting to appear. I’m weighing 97kgs and planning on getting down to under 10% without too much strength loss.

I‘m concentrating on heavy compound movements — Deadlift, Squat and Bench with a few isolation exercises thrown in for good measure. This is my current 4 day split.

Monday.
Back, Traps, Rear delts.

Tuesday.
Chest, Fr Delts,side laterals and calves.

Wednesday.
Quads, Biceps, Abs.

Thursday-off

Friday.
Triceps, Hamstrings, calves.

I’ll roughly use this programme for 4 weeks then switch again, My calories at this stage are around 2500 a day, 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight and 150 grams of carbs on non-training days and 180-200gms on training days.

Over the 5 weeks I have been dieting I’ve lost around 5kgs. Every 5th week use I Vince Girondas 8 x 8 training for 1 week just to give the body a bit of rest from the heavy lifting.

I’m hoping to get more articles wrote over the coming months (not heard that before) due to the fact my wife works weekends and I play Daddy daycare for Lydia who has just mastered the art of standing up straight… with a little help from the furniture.

Well its time for Lydias lunch and mine, so catch you next time.
Oh, I’ve just started some Tribex 500 (Tribbulus) so I will let you know the outcome!

Cheers Ian

Well the summer is here and it’s time to shed those extra pounds I’ve gained whilst eating for a small family. So two weeks ago I reduced my carbs (TimTams) and began the journey to Visible Abs Town. All I’ve done is drop my daily carbs — ie pasta, potatoes and bread — and increased my “good fats” by the way of a generous helping of flaxseed oil in my daily protein shakes, up to now I’ve dropped about 2 kilos although one of those is probably water.

My training has been mostly heavy duty in the past 6 weeks. This included 3 body parts a day and only 1 set to failure followed by 2 rest pause. My strength increased quite considerably on some of my major lifts such as bench and shoulder press.

I trained legs the usual once weekly due to the fact that they just can’t recover if I train them more than that. I am now back on training my whole body just once a week. As I’m still on day shift at work I’ve managed to catch a few training sessions with my old training partner Matthew at Dee Why Fitness First which has just bought some new — yes! my favourite — Hammer Strength equipment. I guess you could say Christmas has come early for me. Also, its surprising how much a training partner helps with motivation and encouragement,

We trained legs today and the workout went like this.

2x Leg Extension warm-up
5 mins stretching

Back Squats
1x warm up 60kgs 20 reps
1x 100kgs 15 reps
1x 140kgs 12 reps
1x 180kgs 10 reps

Seated Leg Extension
3 sets medium heavy 20 reps a set…with a good squeeze at the top.

Walking Lunges with Dumbbells
2 x 15 metres there and back with 35lb dumbbells, when you hit failure just drop the D. bells and finish the distance, this is the beauty of using D. bells over a barbell — they’re easier to drop.

Then on to Hamstrings

4x Hammer strength Standing Hamstring Curl 10kgs
1x Stiff-Legged Deadlift

As I walked out of the gym my knees were buckling beneath me… and then I burst out laughing because Matt had to ride his motorbike home and I was in the car.

Well folks I’d better go and save my New York steak from the Barbie… I don’t like them to well done.

Till next time

Ian

No it’s not my age or my waist size! Its my 40th ‘A Life of Iron’. I hope you’ve all enjoyed my rantings on training and everyday opinions. I haven’t written as many as I’d have liked but, hey, life gets in the way…I said ‘life’ not ‘wife’, he he.

My life has changed considerably since I began writing these training logs. In the beginning I was care free and did pretty much what I wanted when ever I wanted. But as you all know not these days as things have changed. My spare time is precious and so I have to make the most of it, usually, in the gym or with my wife and little Lydia, just the way I like it.

Training is going really well at the moment apart from those stupid little injuries which we all pick up along the way. I jumped over a box at work on Friday (still thinking I was 17) and my knee gave a little twinge so I’m nursing that at the moment. I try to turn these things into positives and train other bodyparts that wouldn’t normally get the extra attention.

I haven’t done flat bench for ages, usually using the hammer strengh flat press instead so on Wednesday I gave it ago. 300lb for 5 reps and 1 with a spotter, the poor guy looked a little worried when I asked him for a spot but after explaining exactly what was required of him he relaxed a little. A common mistake individuals make when asking a complete stranger for a spot is expecting them to know what they want. The spotter doesn’t know you from Adam, so why would he know how to spot you? You must always explain exactly what and when you require it. Theres nothing worse than someone taking the bar off you when you’ve still got another rep to go! Or standing there with his 2 pinkies under the bar when its going to drop on your head at any moment. So its always worth telling them exactly what you want-your head will thank you for it later!

I trained legs really heavy this week ( before the knee twinge) which felt really good until 2 days later…aching wasn’t the word!

This was my workout.

5min stretching
10 min walk on treadmill, quick pace just to get the blood flowing.
2 x Seated Leg Curl (warm up)
3 x Hammer Strengh Squat working upto 6 x 20kgs a side for 8 reps
3 x Back Squat
1st set 100kgs
2nd set 140kgs
3rd set 220kgs or 5 plates a side for 4 reps
my body was shaking a little by now — time for Hamstrings!

3 x Lying Reverse Leg Curl
2 x Seated Hamstring Curl
2 x Stiff Legged deadlifts — 20kgs aside really going for the stretch

After this I did another 5mins of light stretching mainly focusing on my hamstrings.

Well I hobbled off home for my post workout grub. I read an article which said that after some considerable testing they found that 30% more protein is absorbed by waiting an hour after training before consuming a quick absorbing protein rather then slamming it down ASAP. So it looks like the window of opportunity has moved a little. I’ll give it go anyway.and let you know if I suddenly gain massive amounts of muscle! lol.

Well its daddy daycare today. My wife’s going to have her hair done so I’d better go and pay attention to the how’s and when’s of feeding Lydia.

Speak soon

Ian

Well things are pretty normal in the Hales’ household for a change. Little Lydia is sleeping through most nights and waking at 5.00 o’clock in the morning is now acceptable as a good nights sleep. I was back on day shifts until one of my co-workers went on his hols so I’m back on evenings for a week or two, so my training is all over the place. One day it might be back in the mornings and chest the following night, god knows! But a change is as good as a rest so I’ve been told.

One thing that’s been playing on my mind lately is my weight… oh, I hear you shout, a bodybuilder concerned about his weight never! But, yes, my bodyweight has gone up by a couple of kgs and so has my belt notch, damn! I’ve been trying to keep a little leaner so the transition to summer body will be easier than usual (dropping about 5 kgs) but for some unseen reason my bodyweight has gone up with out any changes to my diet or training. Just doesn’t figure.

Maybe my metabolism has changed down another gear with my ever-increasing age; it’s just not fair is it? So maybe its time to decrease my food intake a little although I’m eating clean already so that really miffs me off!!!

Something else I’d like to raise is the Great Bench debate. What you’ve never heard of that before? Ha Ha that’s because I’ve just made it up! The Great Bench debate is this: do all these different angled exercises for chest really make any difference what so ever? In my view the shape of your chest is as pre-determined as any other muscle in the body. For example, you can’t put a peak on your bicep if your biceps aren’t shaped that way!

I know some research has been done with electrodes to record the stimulated areas of the chest-and the results say the upper chest is no more stimulated from Incline Press than it is from Decline Press so why’s everybody wasting there time with all these different angles then?

I see personnel trainers (you know how I feel about most of them) giving poor newbies about 50 different chest exercises and then they wonder why they’re not growing? Mike Mentzer states that if your chest isn’t exhausted from one chest exercise then you haven’t hit it hard enough and you’re simply wasting your time doing anything else. And I’m in pretty much in agreement with him on that although not to be a hypocrite I do Inclines just for variety. And if you listen to Vice Gironda he states that Bench Press is for Triceps and not for chest at all! His chest workouts consisted of Flyes and Dips only. So maybe give it a try let me know what you think.

Today I trained legs and things didn’t go to plan, everybody in the gym wanted the squat rack so I should have taken that as a sign!! So first up were Leg Presses (after my stretches and 2 sets of leg curl).

1st set 80kgs 30 reps
2nd set 240kgs 20 reps
3rd set 240kgs 20 reps

After my 2nd set of leg press I began to think this wasn’t leg day, I had that flu kind of weak feeling when everything is just that little bit harder so I didn’t up the poundage for my 3rd set.

So as soon as an elderly lady had finished doing her Pilate’s/Yoga stretches in the squat rack I moved in.

1st set 100kgs 20 slow strict reps squeezing my quads at the top of the movement.
2nd set 140kgs 12 good slow reps and then disaster struck just as began my 13th rep…yep unlucky for some!!

A sharp pain shot right across my lower back… and took my breath away. So I sucked it in and managed to re-rack the bar. For about 10 seconds I was in complete agony and then the pain slowly began to ease.

So in my usual stubborn way I put 4×20 plates aside on the hammer strength squat and did 2 sets with little to no pain. This was not the right thing to do so please don’t take this as the way to go! I have no doubt that my own stupidness will be my downfall one day! So after that ridiculous stunt I wobbled over to the hamstring curl and did 3 sets then 2 sets of stiff legged dead lift with just the Olympic bar. This arvo my back as been ok with just a small ache and will probably be killing me tomorrow… but my legs looked good, Duh!

Tomorrow morning I have shoulders and triceps to do… I’ll let you know how I go.

Hope you all learn by my mistakes and save your own for someone else… lol

Cheers Ian