In the suffocating sweat sock of Florida’s Pompano Beach, with its heavy hissing midday air, motorists taking to the freeway do so with a dread not unlike that of entering Erebus, that benighted pit stop on the way to Hades; Ahmad Haidar sees that heat-shimmering snake of macadam wiggling its way into the city and eagerly straps it on like a leash.

Five days a week, year in, year out, Haidar has been lapping up that highway like a puppy dog, loving every mile, and the farther he drives, the hungrier he gets. His trip from home to the gym takes 45 minutes, but he wouldn’t mind an even longer time to stew. This is his chance to become immersed in the prep for his chest workout, where he can plumb his passion and start the momentum for what’s to come, running through every exercise, set, rep and sensation he’ll face. “When I walk through that door,” he exclaims, “I’m at full boil, ready-pumped and ready to go.” His is a silent burning, but one as evident as Florida’s steam. At first glance, he’s laconic, almost shy; but a slight thing, like the timbre of his voice, reveals more of his character than battles where thousands fall. The more Haidar describes the pile-driving pump he’ll feel in his upper chest, the delicious pain that will tear at his outer pecs or the drum-tight fullness he’ll build with a forced rep, the more you share his excitement. Bodybuilders brag about willing certain means to achieve certain ends, but Haidar extols the converse: throughout his 20 years of gym life, he has allowed experience to have its way with him, pitting one random training style against another, until only the best was left standing. Now, at 38, Haidar has arrived at the truth and has discovered that, as with all truths, it is blindingly simple: the best chest routine is based upon the four most basic exercises, each one performed with four sets of 10 repetitions. Chaos has congealed into predictability. “That was not always so,” Haidar confesses. “When you’re inexperienced, it’s not so much a matter of discovering what works as it is of discovering what doesn’t work. For example, I used a barbell for just about all of my chest exercises in the same workout–flat-bench presses, incline barbell presses, decline barbell presses–but I wasn’t building enough peripheral pec fullness or lower and medial separation.” He pauses, then adds, “But you learn.” His most valuable lesson? “Have patience, no matter how long it takes. Listen to others and eventually you can look back and notice what worked best for you,” he says. BODY SLAM Ironically, Haidar’s introduction to the art of muscle was not through weight lifting. His uncle, Hassan Bchara, who earned a bronze medal as a wrestler in the 1980 Olympics, took Haidar and his brother to a gym to learn wrestling. Then came the fateful day when Haidar’s uncle suggested that he needed to work out with weights to gain muscle. To wrestle, he was told, he needed a strong body. “I started liking the weights better than I liked wrestling,” Haidar says. “What I liked better was feeling the muscle getting pumped and actually seeing it bulging bigger and harder. It was an immediate sensation. It was exciting, and the more I felt the muscle working and pumping, the more I wanted. Wrestling did not give me that feeling.” Haidar was hooked on bodybuilding, and when that happens, its siren companion is a twinge of vanity that masquerades as motivating pride. “When you’re young,” Haidar admits, “you want to show off a little bit–’Oh, look, I have muscles’–and I felt a little bit of that when I started competing. I wanted to compete in Mr. Lebanon, and when I won Mr. Lebanon, ‘Oh, I want to win the Arab Championship’; then this, then that. Step by step. I still feel that way. My goal, now, is Mr. Olympia.” Patiently, he pursues the idealist’s goal of perfect balance for every muscle group in his body, as well as his muscular infrastructure. He doesn’t want his upper pecs, for example, to cantilever over his center or lower pecs, nor his lower pecs to jut prognathously past the uppers. Likewise, he wants his outer-pec sweeps symmetrical with his inner pecs. To this end, he employs three different chest routines that rotate sequentially in a Monday-through-Friday, five-days-on, two-days-off training split, in which he covers his entire body in four days. Bodypart order is chest and triceps on one day, followed by legs the next, shoulders and triceps the day after that, with back and traps the following day. This means that his Friday workout returns to the same bodyparts he trained on Monday. It also means that the bodypart workout sequence is different the next week. Furthermore–and this is a big furthermore–Haidar uses three different chest routines that rotate sequentially with each workout, further complicating things. Here’s how: the exercise order for the first chest workout is flat-bench presses, incline dumbbell presses, flat dumbbell flyes and standing cable crossovers. For his next chest workout, the order is incline barbell presses, flat dumbbell presses, incline dumbbell flyes and finishes with standing cable crossovers or decline presses. The movement he selects for the last exercise is determined by whether he feels his chest needs more pump or more fatigue at that point. If the former, he’ll use the dumbbells or cables; if the latter, he’ll go with heavy decline barbell presses. The next time he trains chest, the exercise order is decline barbell presses, flat dumbbell presses and incline dumbbell flyes, finishing with decline barbell or dumbbell presses, pec-deck flyes or standing cable crossovers. Again, for the last exercise, he’ll choose dumbbell presses, pec-deck flyes or standing cable crossovers if he thinks his chest needs more pump; if he thinks it needs more fatigue, he’ll go with decline barbell presses. “In every workout,” Haidar says, “I try to focus on each chest muscle independently, with separate exercises for upper pecs, middle pecs and lower pecs.” PUMP PLAN To economize on energy, Haidar is parsimonious with warm-ups, allocating only one set of 10 reps at 135 pounds for his first exercise, the bench press. From there on, he pyramids through four more sets of 10, adding a pair of plates at a time–225, 315, 405–up to his max set at 455, which he usually takes to failure at six reps. “I don’t like to do fewer than 10, but for power, it has to be done,” he explains. “At all times, though, I have a spotter with me, not only to help me get two more forced reps, but to stay with my movements, so that I can perform every rep, even the heaviest, slowly and with perfect control. Unless I do that, I can’t feel the pump; the pump is what I want. For some other muscles, such as biceps and calves, I want a burn; for chest, I want a pump.” From here on, no more warm-ups. Haidar charges into the first set of his remaining exercises with full power; again, four sets each, targeting 10 reps per set, but hoping, on the fourth set, to reach failure at eight reps, with two more forced. Incline dumbbell presses, for example, begin with 120-pounders, then 130s and 140s, all for 10 reps. His final set, with 150s, is for, as he says, “as many reps as I can.” Dumbbell flyes, too, are four pyramided sets, again with 10 reps through the first three. The last set is eight reps, plus two forced. Haidar warns: “With flyes, I make sure I do not bring the dumbbells lower than chest level. That would invite injury.” The only exercise for which the angle does not change in successive workouts is his last: standing cable crossovers. That’s because Haidar performs them in the only style that’s worthwhile: one that activates the most muscles through a greater range of motion and with the most resistant contraction. “I mimic a most-muscular pose,” he says, “bringing my hands together at a low angle, to hit my lower pecs; I do not cross my hands. I use a lot of weight for four sets of eight to 10 reps, and I flex hard, with a peak contraction.” Surround and conquer is Haidar’s strategy for chest: build a foundation of mass by means of old-fashioned free-weight movements, then attack the pecs from all angles, to tweak their peripherals and give them the definition that has earned him the reputation as bodybuilding’s beau ideal of refinement.

Four to grow by

1

Find the routine that works best for you. Learn from the pros, but don’t copy them. I followed Arnold Schwarzenegger, Samir Bannout and others, but the time came when I had to modify those lessons to do what worked best for my body. Listen to your own body. You will find that some exercises your idol uses won’t necessarily work best for you.

2

Don’t overtrain. Yes, there is such a thing. It’s possible to burn a muscle to the point where it no longer fires. If you’re using heavy basic free-weight exercises and going to failure, 16 sets per muscle group are enough.

3

Ideal repetitions are eight to 10, but push the weight. Make sure the eighth or ninth rep is a failure rep; then, use a spotter for forced reps. If I can get 10 reps without a spot, it’s time to increase the weight.

4

Rest between sets only long enough for your training partner to do his set. Don’t let the pump subside; don’t lose your intensity. Your body and your mind need to retain the sensation of the previous difficult set.

Ahmad Haidar’s training split

Haidar trains Monday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday off; however, he covers his entire body in four days, which means that his Monday workout is repeated on Friday. The workouts then continue, in rotational order, the following week.

1. Chest, biceps, calves and abs
2. Legs
3. Shoulders, triceps, calves and abs
4. Back and traps

I was about 12 when my dad introduced me to the weight room. Once he got the train rolling, it didn’t plan on stopping. As I grew older and more knowledgeable about bodybuilding, I realized what advantages a powerful physique could give me in sports. Sports were very big for me growing up, and I always wanted to be the best, so putting time in the gym everyday outside of practice was no big deal to me. To be the best you have to train harder than the rest. This type of mentality took me to the college football level. After a torn ACL in spring ball of my sophomore year, I knew that only better things would be in store for me as I switched over to the fitness world. I give recognition to the science of bodybuilding, to my dad for getting me started, mom for all the grocery trips, to the genetics inherited, and God for making everything possible up to this point.

Care to share some of your accomplishments?

The ultimate accomplishment would be the ability to understand my body more than ever before. I am eating and living healthier, while improving my physique one day at a time. I might live as a bodybuilder, but I also take pride in my academics as well. I thoroughly enjoy the sport of bodybuilding, but I must also prepare myself for future career endeavors. I have either been on the president’s or dean’s list academically all throughout college up until this point.

As far as bodybuilding goes, I competed in two competitions in the spring of ’09 where in my last one I placed 5th in Men’s Open Heavyweight. Not the greatest accomplishment, but that was my first time competing against experienced 30 year olds at age 20. I will compete in the future, and have set a goal to win a men’s open overall title. I was also recruited to be an affiliate for the tried and true supplement company Cellucor.

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What keeps you motivated to reach your goals?

When it comes to bodybuilding I am my own worst critic. Give me a mirror and I will find a lagging body part or a muscle that could be improved. If you are looking for motivation go to a local bodybuilding show or even compete in one. That to me is the ultimate motivation, seeing individuals who have taken their mind and body to the edge in competition is truly inspiring. It truly an indescribable experience.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjyQX4c8xoY

What’s your philosophy on training?

My main philosophy with training routines is just to listen to your body. You can read all of these workouts and diets that the pro’s do, and while they might be very good, nobody’s body works the same. Progress will definitely come when you listen to what your body is telling you. If you had a great workout one night and felt so good, reflect on your meals throughout the day. Meals are a 100 times more important than what most people realize. Developing an efficient diet will take your physique to the next level. As I always say abs are made in the kitchen not in the weight room.

Going back to the listening to your body idea, there are times when I will go heavier with around 6-10 reps, and then times that I will go with lighter weight with around 10-15 reps…or even 20 reps (leg days). Obviously you want to train with as much weight as possible with as many reps as possible but we are all human! I always keep it intense with supersets but sometimes my joints wear down from heavy poundage. I believe bigger body parts require more sets than the smaller ones. I tend to vary the volume of working sets and reps based on my current body fat or goals.

If your joints are aching, or maybe you have lingering injuries (you have to be careful especially at a lower body fat percentage), lighten the weight up and focus on a higher rep pump (SQUEEZE!). I usually do a couple warm up sets on the first exercise of that body part. I have found personally that stretching has worked the best for me after the entire workout instead of before. When it comes to which set of dumbbells you are going to pick up, set your ego down and pick up the smart thing. Injuries will set you farther behind. Believe me!

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Could you share with us an insight on your workout routine?

Here is my current training split:
Monday: Chest/Calves
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Bi’s/Tri’s/Forearms
Friday: Legs
Saturday: Shoulders/Abs
Sunday: Off

• Currently preparing for a contest so I am doing calves, forearms, and abs twice a week.
• Shooting for cardio around 3 times a week.
• I do my best to avoid four days of lifting in a row. Recovery is the biggest part to growing, so avoiding over training is very important.
• The exercises for the particular body part I’m training also vary from workout to workout. I’ve gotten to where I just improvise from one exercise to another based on what I feel I need. I like to throw in bands and chains when applicable to mix it up.
• Continue muscle growth with the addition of forced, negative, and partial reps
• You are an artist! Sculpt the physique you wish to attain.

What’s your philosophy on nutrition? How does your diet change leading up to shows/photo shoots?

You will never see your full potential until you master your nutrition. I have yet to completely master my nutrition, but I have learned enormous amounts of knowledge up to this point. Everybody’s metabolism is different. I feel that when you get the hang of how your metabolism works you can figure out what helps and hurts you. For me, I started manipulating my protein until I figured out how much I needed to look and feel my best. Once I got my protein down I started messing with my carbs, and recently I have been experimenting with my fats. I try to drink at least 2 gallons of water a day for efficient digestion, absorption, hydration, and a recently discovered natural test boost.

This process has taken me years to determine, and I am still introducing new foods and strategies into my diet to give me the best look. I eat 8 or 9 meals a day counting shakes, usually spread out over about every two hours. This, for one will help speed up my metabolism. For more help on nutrition check out some of the tools offered on bodybuilding.com. As far as getting ready for shows and photo shoots, I get strict with

the number game (grams of each source). Keeping track of your numbers enables you to detect problems, making it easier to make proper adjustments. Obviously when dieting for a show you are going to want to drop your carbs to induce efficient fat burning, and raise your protein to evade muscle loss in the process.

Whats your supplementation like if any? Anything you prefer to use?

I run through 5lb. tubs of whey protein and casein like it’s nothing. I usually consume two whey shakes a day, and then a whey/casein shake with skim milk(off-season) or water(pre-contest) before bed. I’ve always loved the flavors of protein Optimum Nutrition offers, and I also take the multivitamin they offer. My company of preference for all other needs is Cellucor. All products are 100% money back guaranteed, and have been the guarantee I seem to rely on when I need a boost in supplementation. I use Cellucor preworkout formulas M5 and N0 for untouched focus and pumps. I also look to their P6 test booster for lean gains, and especially the D4 thermal shock for getting cut to shreds before competitions.

Any tips or advice for beginners?

When you walk on stage, or even notice the slightest change in physical appearance you will recognize that all the previous pain and suffering was worth the end result so:

• Be Consistent- if you are going to make a change, what’s the point in wasting time half-way doing it?
• Be Disciplined- if you want to be a champion, prepare yourself for achievement.
• Get Focused- mind over matter!
• Be Creative- keep it interesting and productive
• Be PATIENT- “Rome wasn’t built in a day”

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Once again I’d like to thank God for the opportunity to do what I love. Thanks to my family and friends for their support. I’d like to thank trainer Brett Underwood at

Extreme Health Club for all his help and encouragement in my bodybuilding quest. I’d also like to thank fullyflexed.com for being recognized among all of the tremendous athletes on this website, and to the people at Cellucor for all of the help here recently.

www.cellucor.com (discount code – MB0629) **supplements to change your life

www.sixpackbags.com (discount code- MB0629) **a must have for dieters

1.866.927.9686 (mention Weaver for a discount on all supplements)

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email me- bartleyweaver@gmail.com for information on cheap personalized diets

What’s the difference between doing chest pullovers and lat pullovers? Should the exercise be modified depending on which bodypart you’re trying to work?

A:

You may have noticed that some bodybuilders do pullovers in their chest routines while some do them for their backs. What gives? Well, both the pecs and lats, not to mention the long heads of the triceps, are involved in pullovers. (One muscle that’s often thought to be involved but isn’t is the serratus anterior.)

Which muscle you’re stressing the most depends on the range of motion (ROM) you use. The chest and triceps’ long heads are maximally involved when you move from the overhead position (or beyond) to perpendicular to the body. The pecs span from the sternum and collarbone all the way to a tendon on the front of the humerus (upper arm bone). Because they’re located on the front of the body, they have the strongest line of pull from this position. Once the arms are perpendicular to the body, the pecs aren’t able to pull the arms farther.

The long head of the triceps is maximally involved because it’s stretched in this overhead position, allowing it to contract with the utmost force. The closer the arms come toward perpendicular to the body and beyond, the less the stretch in the triceps’ long heads and the less help they provide.

The lats are also involved to assist the pecs in bringing the arms from overhead to perpendicular, but they don’t get the most emphasis in this ROM. Because they’re attached to the spine, they’re at a biomechanical disadvantage here. The ROM in which the lats are maximally involved is moving the arms from perpendicular to the body to the sides. Since the chest can’t provide much pull in this ROM, the lats take over to complete the move.

Of course, if you’re performing pullovers on a flat bench, the ROM stops when your arms are perpendicular to your body. After that point, if you continue to extend your arms, the weight will just fall toward your hips. One way to overcome this and emphasize the lats is to use a decline bench, which allows you to increase the ROM. By declining your head, your hips are higher and the point at which your arms are perpendicular to the floor is no longer where they’re perpendicular to yourbody, as they’re now closer to your hips.

Final thought

The pullover does involve both the pecs and lats, as well as the triceps’ long heads. Yet you can place greater emphasis on the chest or back depending on which ROM you use.

For chest, perform pullovers lying crosswise on a flat bench and maintain a slight bend in your elbows, emphasizing the stretch as you drop the weight behind your head. We suggest using a dumbbell.

For lats, do your pullovers on as much of a decline as possible, maintaining a slight bend in the elbows to protect them from strain. We suggest using a barbell. Another way to increase the ROM at the bottom of the pullover is to use a decline bench and a low-pulley cable. This lets you bring the bar all the way to your hips for the greatest lat involvement. This version mimics the straight-arm pulldown, which is simply a pullover done standing up.

Done correctly, the pullover can seriously develop chest and lats

A guy at my gym told me not to waste time training forearms, because you either have them or you don’t. Mine are stubborn, so should I even bother training them?

A:

You think your forearms are stubborn? You should meet the mule we keep at Haney’s Harvest House!

In all seriousness, absolutely train your forearms. They are part of your whole body and, as a bodybuilder, it’s your duty to train them, just like any other bodypart. It is true that the forearm muscles can be quite stubborn for some people, but that is no reason to avoid training them. Think of it as a challenge to make them grow.

Forearm training is a simple matter for me. I knew from the start that they didn’t require many different exercises, because they receive a lot of stimulation from other upper-body workouts. So I would simply do one exercise to hit the flexor muscles of the forearm and one to hit the extensors.

For the flexor portion, which is the side in line with your palms, I recommend barbell wrist curls. I prefer doing higher reps for forearms than for other bodyparts since they’re designed to take so much stress throughout the typical day. With the lickin’ they get from doing daily chores and activities, you have to give them some extra work if you want them to respond.

Load a barbell with a weight that will allow you to get 15 to 20 reps, and place it on the floor at the end of a bench. Now grasp the barbell with an underhand grip, keeping your thumbs below the bar. Sit on the end of the bench and rest your elbows on your knees. Then curl the barbell up and let it slowly drop back down until your hands are hanging. Make sure not to swing or jerk the weight, as this is a sure-fire way to pull something. Do three or four sets of these, remembering to concentrate on your form, not the weight. Sometimes, I would put only a 25-pound plate on each side of an Olympic bar for these. If my forearms burned afterward, that was all that mattered.

Next, I suggest doing reverse wrist curls. This is basically the opposite movement of the one you just performed. Take an overhand grip this time, making sure to keep your thumbs under the bar for support. You will definitely have to go lighter for this exercise as you put yourself at a mechanical disadvantage in comparison with standard wrist curls. Again, aim for 15 to 20 reps, three or four sets.

Train your forearms twice a week, but not on arm day. You want to have the strength to really focus on your forearms, but if they’ve just spent the last half hour working on preacher curls, dumbbell curls and pushdowns, they’re going to be sapped already. Ideally, you should train them with legs. That way, they’ll be fresh by the time you get to them.

Whatever days you decide to train them, please don’t give up on your forearms. They may be stubborn as a mule, but that doesn’t mean they won’t budge. Trust me on this one.

Chidi Ekebere: My name is Chidi Ekebere. I’m an IFPA professional natural bodybuilder and a self employed professional personal fitness trainer . I have been competing in bodybuilding shows since 2009. I have competed with the NANBF, and I am currently competing with the International Fitness and Physique Association (IFPA), which is the professional category to the NANBF. Prior to bodybuilding, I played soccer, boxed and was involved in many other sporting activities. I’m a Nigerian native and are the youngest of eight children. Four older brothers and three older sisters. I currently reside in Kansas City, Missouri, and are pursuing a degree in Physical Therapy. I began weight training in my early high school days to get bigger and stronger to be able to compete in everything with my brothers since I was the smallest and skinniest at the time, but didn’t get serious with it until 2001 when I picked up boxing while living in United Kingdom (UK). I got into natural bodybuilding when my also natural bodybuilding friend, Joshua Davis, approached me about competing and said I had the physique for it. I decided to give it a try even though I didn’t like the idea of wearing those trunks and the fact you had to shave…damn! I began competing with the NANBF in 2009, and won the 2009 Natural Missouri Men’s short Class and Overall Title. Soon thereafter, I won my natural pro card with the IFPA by winning my class and the Overall Title at the NANBF Natural Nutri-Sport Central Midwest America, and got hooked after that.

Care to share some of your accomplishments?

Chidi Ekebere: My accomplishments in natural bodybuilding to date are as follows:

• April, 2009 -- NANBF Natural Missouri, Liberty MO. 1st place & Overall Champion
• May, 2009 -- NANBF Natural Nutri-Sport Central Midwest, Des Moines, Iowa. 1st place & Overall Champion (IFPA Pro-Card Awarded)
• September, 2009 -- IFPA Pro International, Johnson County, KS. 4th Overall weight class.
• April, 2010 -- IFPA Men’s Pro Bowl, New York. 1st & Overall Champion.
• May, 2010 -- IFPA Pro North American Championships, Minnesota. 1st & Overall Champion

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What keeps you motivated to reach your goals?

Chidi Ekebere: Hunger. When you’re are hungry you find a way to eat. I’m still hungry in this sport of natural bodybuilding, so I’m putting in the work so that I can eat. I also stay motivated just knowing that there’re many people that look up to me and are inspired to start living a healthier lifestyle by seeing how the body can change by what you eat and exercising.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnLsXWC2eIo

Whats your philosophy on training?

Chidi Ekebere: My training philosophy is to train heavy to force the muscles to grow in my off-season when I have more carbs in my meals and train with lighter weights as I diet down for a competition. I normally train 5 -- 6 days a week and include a variety of high, moderate and low intensity cardio about 3 times a week depending on my schedule and would train one muscle group a day.

Could you share with us an insight on your workout routine?

Chidi Ekebere: My basic workout routine looks like this:

• Monday: Chest, Abs, calves.
• Tuesday: Back, Cardio
• Wednesday: Legs, Abs
• Thursday: Arms, Cardio
• Friday: Shoulders, Abs, Calves
• Saturday: Deadlifts, Cardio

Whats your philosophy on nutrition? How does your diet change leading up to shows/photo shoots?

Chidi Ekebere: I try to keep my body fat % relatively low all year round by eating clean for the most part. I get on a high carbs, high protein, and low fat diet in my off season consuming about 3000 -- 3500 calories a day. My calorie intake reduces to about 2000 -- 2500 leading up to a competition, and my carbohydrate and fat intakes are reduced as well, but my protein still stays high.

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Whats your supplementation like if any? Anything you prefer to use?

Chidi Ekebere: Anabolic addiction (www.anabolicaddiction.net) has the best natural supplementations you can find anywhere on earth, and I personally use and prefer their MFV-Multi Functional Vitamin.

What’s your opinion on the usage of steroids in this sport?

Chidi Ekebere: It is just NOT that serious to ruin your health with steroids just to walk around and be the biggest dude in the gym or on stage.

Any plans for the future?

Chidi Ekebere: My future plan is to continue to grow in natural bodybuilding and possibly be one of the best natural bodybuilders in the world. My other plan which is a very important one is to use the experiences aquired from natural bodybuiding to educate and guide people in overcoming the obesity epidemic faced in different parts of the world.

Any tips or advice for beginners?

Chidi Ekebere: Hard work pays off. Put in the work and avoid short cuts. Stay consistent and have fun with whatever you do. Believe in your own ability. Bodybuilding and staying healthy is a life long journey. There will be forks in the road along the way, and that’s part of life. How you approach them is what’s important. Always give your very best effort.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Chidi Ekebere: Thanks to my Lord Jesus Christ for blessing me with health and giving me the strength to keep moving forward. Thanks to Marcus Ludwig for the opportunity to do this interview with fullyflexed. Huge thanks to my family & friends and everyone who support my effort in life.
Special thanks to Anabolic Addiction for your sponsorship and support.

During this diet, the brain goes into ketosis (it uses ketone bodies for energy, fats) and thus the energy requirements by the body can almost all be supplied by fats (which you’ll be taking in plenty of). The only activity that uses carbs will be the weight workout which may use 40grams per workout. You will get these 40g indirectly through the foods you’ll be eating. As a backup, the cheat meal you’ll be having once per week will provide a storehouse of glycogen (glucose) in case of emergency. So, you see, very little gluconeogenesis in the liver will be occurring. If we keep cortisol low (by restricting stimulants) we’ll ensure that muscle is spared!

A few tips to remember for this diet

• Have your cheat meal on the same day every week, last meal of the day so you don’t cheat again.
• Fiber helps burn fat! Everyone should take fiber two times per day. Fiber actually helps increase the absorption of calcium. When following my diet plan (which includes getting your brain into ketosis), there can be NO starchy carbs eaten!
• Always eat before lifting, and never between lifting and cardio.
• Remember, it takes 3-4 days to get into a strong ketosis where your brain is using ketone bodies (fats), instead of carbs, for energy. Be patient.

For a 200lb man & for women in general you will eat 4 to 5 out of the 6 meals (4 if you weigh under 130-150lbs)

Meal 1- 5 whole eggs (make sure to buy OMEGA-3 EGGS from the supermarket. They contain virtually NO saturated fat and tons of good OMEGA-3 fats); add another 4 egg whites to this (they don’t need to be the Omega-3 ones; you can use liquid egg whites).

Meal 2 - 50g Whey Protein with 1 tablespoon of All Natural Peanut butter (no sugar).

Meal 3 -8oz chicken with 1/2-cup cashew nuts (almonds, or walnuts).

Meal 4 - 50g Whey Protein with 1 tablespoons of All Natural Peanut butter (no sugar added).

Meal 5- 8oz Salmon, Swordfish, or red meat with a green salad (no tomatoes, carrots, or red peppers) with 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil or Macadamia nut oil and vinegar.

Meal 6 - 50g Whey protein with 1 tablespoon all natural peanut butter or 4 whole (Omega-3) eggs and 4 extra whites

For a 250lb+ man

Meal 1 - 6 whole Omega-3 eggs

Meal 2 -8oz chicken with 1/2 cup raw almonds

Meal 3 - 50g Whey protein with 2 tablespoons all natural peanut butter

Meal 4: 8oz salmon with 1 cup asparagus with 1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil

Meal 5 - 50g Whey protein with 2 tablespoon PB

Meal 6 - 6 whole eggs

When fat loss plateau’s

Once fat loss slows, I always increase cardio first, then I increase the amount of fat burners. After those other methods are exhausted, only then, do I play with the diet. Many times I’ll switch to an alternating diet where one day it will be protein/fat, then another protein/vegetables (very little fat). The great thing about the body and fat is that EFAs can be stored in the muscle for several days, up to 2 weeks. Therefore, once an adequate storehouse of Essential Fats are built up, the body can be “tortured” a little and it still won’t give up muscle (that’s assuming you’re still taking in adequate protein. Protein can’t be stored).

Cardio

Cardio should be performed at a low intensity (under 120bpm heartrate). This will ensure that you use FAT as a fuelsource since as your heartrate increase, carbohydrates begin to become the preferred fuel of choice for the body. When on a low carb diet, you’re body will break down muscle and turn that into carbs. Remember, fat cannot be changed into carbs. Therefore, for bodybuilding, the rule of cardio should be long duration, Low intensity.

Defense
Bodybuilders have been doing incline bench presses for decades to bring up the upper chest.

Prosecution
Research on incline and reverse-grip bench presses suggests that reverse-grip bench presses my be a better upper-pec builder.

Evidence

• Australian researchers reported in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research that when weight-trained subjects performed incline bench presses, the muscle activity of their upper pecs was only about 5% more than the muscle activity of their upper pecs during the flat bench press.
• Canadian scientists found that when trained lifters did the reverse-grip bench press, the muscle activity of their upper pecs was 30% greater than when they did the bench press with a standard overhand grip.

Verdict

Reverse-grip bench presses
Since muscle activity is the measurement of how many muscle fibers are being used during an exercise, reverse-grip bench presses appear to be a better exercise for the upper chest than incline bench presses.

Sentencing
To target the upper pecs, start your chest workout with 3 or 4 sets of reverse-grip bench presses. Then, move on to incline bench exercises, such as incline presses and flyes.

Example of reverse grip benching

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCwrSFdeXyQ

May be the number one calf-training mistake is picking the wrong parents, because more than any other bodypart, calf size is determined by genetically structured anatomy. Those with high gastrocnemius can suffer thousands of sets and still have “peg legs”; while others, despite never having entered a gym, possess footballs that seem to sprout from their ankles. You can’t change DNA, so you have to be even more resolute to earn an A in calving. This month, we show you how to boost your lower-leg grade point average by remedying the most common calf-training errors. Class is in session.

Mistake#1 – Performing short, low-intensity reps

Explanation
You likely take anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 steps daily. Think of each stride as a rep, and you can see how acclimated your calves are to short-range-of-motion, low-intensity work. That’s their thing. To make them grow you need to do what your calves are not accustomed to.

Solutions

• Get a maximum range of motion on each rep.
• Hold each stretch (as low as you can go) for one second and each contraction (as high on your toes as you can get) for two seconds.
• Perform shorter, faster repetitions only after you’ve reached full-rep failure. For example, a set might consist of 10 full reps with top and bottom pauses followed by 10 shorter reps without pauses.

Mistake #2 – Failure to train all muscles

Explanation
When you think of calves, you probably think foremost of the heart-shaped gastrocnemius muscles. Your gastrocs are the largest and most visible muscles of your lower legs, but the soleus beneath and below the gastroc also needs to be fully taxed, as do the flexor muscles on your shins, foremost the tibialis anterior. These small shin muscles are not going to wow anyone, but they do set off your calves when viewed from the front, and strengthening them guards against shin splits (a common injury for runners).

Solutions

• The soleus is isolated when your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle, so always include seated calf raises in your calf routine for at least four sets of 10-20 reps.
• The flexor muscles are trained with tibialis raises. If your gym doesn’t have a machine for this, sit on a lying leg-curl bench, hook your toes under the leg pad and, while keeping your knees steady, raise the pad up and back toward your shins. Very little weight will be required. Do three or four sets of 10-20 reps at least every other calf workout.

Mistake #3 – Insufficient exercise variety

Explanation
Just as your calves long ago grew accustomed to the same old, plodding repetitions of walking, they acclimate to the same old, plodding repetitions of standing calf raises. Unfortunately, not many exercises isolate your soleus or flexors, although you can do seated calf raises or tibialis raises with both legs simultaneously or one leg at a time. By contrast, there are a lot of exercises for your gastrocnemius, and you can alter each lift for still more variety.

Solutions

• Never do the same gastrocnemius exercise two workouts in a row.
• You may think you’re limited to machine standing calf raises, but here are five more gastroc exercises you can do in most gyms: calf presses on a 45-degree leg press, calf presses on a vertical leg press, calf raises on a hack squat machine (toes on a board), calf raises on a Smith machine (toes on a board), one-leg standing calf raises while holding dumbbells.
• Do some sets for the gastrocnemius with your toes pointed in to hit your lateral (outer) gastroc head and some sets with your toes pointed out to hit the medial (inner) gastroc head. New research presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine confirms that this technique works.

Mistake #4 – Staying in the same rep range

Explanation
It’s commonly believed that the calves consist of mostly slow-twitch fibers, since they’re acclimated to the endurance load of walking. In fact, although the soleus does have more slow-twitch than fast-twitch fibers, the gastrocs typically have nearly equal quantities of fast- and slow-twitch fibers. They’re sprinters, as well as marathoners. Furthermore, although there is much empirical evidence that calves respond better to higher reps than other bodyparts do, your calves adapt to rep quantities, whether high or low. Keep them off-guard (and growing) by mixing up your workloads.

Solutions

• Perform mostly moderate- to high-rep sets of 10-20 reps.
• At least every other workout, do some lighter sets of 20-50 reps.
• At least every other workout, do some heavier sets of 6-10 reps.

Mistake #5 – Not stretching enough

Explanation
Just getting the fullest possible range of motion during each rep is not sufficient. You also need to fully stretch your calves between sets and immediately after training them. This increases mobility, enlarges the fascia and boosts the pump, which in turn aids recovery and growth.

Solutions

• Between sets and immediately after your workout, stand on the edge of a riser, block or stair and let your heels drop as far as possible. Also rise up as high as possible, flex and hold. Stretch your calves individually and together.
• Perform some stretches with your toes pointed in and others with your toes pointed out to elongate both the lateral and medial gastroc heads.
• Stretch your soleus while sitting on a seated calf raise machine, keeping your toes on the riser and letting your heels dip down as far as possible. Alternately, with your knees bent at 90 degrees, bring your toes back toward your shins as far as possible.

Lessons learned

• Stretch and contract your calves maximally on each rep. Do shorter reps only after reaching full-rep failure.
• Don’t neglect your soleus or flexor muscles.
• Perform a wide variety of calf exercises, and do some sets with your toes pointed in and others with your toes pointed out.
• Keep most sets in the 10-20 range, but sometimes do higher (20-50) or lower (6-10) reps.
• Stretch your calves after each set and after your calf workout.

Nicknamed The Gift”, Phil Heath is an IFBB professional bodybuilder, and is on a mission to become one of the best bodybuilders in the world. Some of Phil’s notable victories include: * 2010 -- IFBB Arnold Classic (2nd) * 2009 -- IFBB Mr. Olympia (5th) * 2008 -- IFBB Arnold Classic (2nd) * 2008 -- IFBB Mr. Olympia (3rd) * 2008 -- IFBB Iron Man Pro * 2006 -- IFBB New York Pro * 2006 -- IFBB Colorado Pro * 2005 -- NPC USA

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pFEvRV-F0k