by Jeff Orr

In an ever-expanding sea of choices, what are the best products out there?

Thumbing through ads in bodybuilding magazines, it’s hard not to notice that so many products have one thing in common — they’re all The Best — which makes it virtually impossible to choose. The ads have certainly become entertaining though, comparing users of their product to wild animals or ancient warriors who always get the girl. But if you give in to the gloss, there’s no doubt when you hand over your hard-earned cash for these proclaimed miracles you’ll be paying a considerable amount for the glitter. And the results you get may be fair at best because, unfortunately, the recent trend for many supplement companies is to trade off real science and superior quality standards for these expensive multi-page ads in an attempt to get attention and bolster profit margins.

So, if the ads can’t help you decide, what then is the best way to choose a product? Actually, choosing a company instead makes things simpler and more sensible too because the products you choose are only as good as the raw materials used, research methods involved, quality controls established and how well they’re formulated. With these four criteria established, choosing a product by selection of a manufacturer can be considerably less frustrating.

The Four Qualities of A Superior Supplement Manufacturer

To put it in perspective, the basic industry standards to look for when deciding on a quality supplement manufacturer and product are:

• Purity and Potency of Ingredients
• Research and Development
• Formula Innovation
• Quality Control

Purity and Potency of Ingredients

The key to any supplement’s efficacy can be found, first of all, in the purity and potency of its ingredients. A lower grade supplement will not only provide fewer results but will not be cost effective either. And the ill-advised habit of taking more of a product to make up for its lower quality may very well have an effect on your health. Certain residual by-products left over from the extraction of herbs and the production of amino acids, although not dangerous if taking recommended dosages of a product, may build up over time if you take too much. It becomes apparent then that it’s crucial to find the highest-grade supplements possible for any workout program you undertake if you intend to make any real progress.

ProSource was founded on this basic principle of product purity and potency and has established a reputation industry-wide of offering only top-of-the-line compounds with validated purities. Years ago, ProSource introduced pure ultra-filtered whey protein isolate to the industry, which has now become the gold standard protein for any serious bodybuilder or fitness enthusiast. Since its inception, the NytroWhey protein line has been recognized as the highest-grade, most potent and amino rich whey isolate available worldwide. In fact, there is no other protein out there that remotely compares to the superior whey isolate found in NytroWhey protein products. And this is why many top pro bodybuilders, even those under contract with other companies, rely on NytroWhey. But ProSource didn’t stop with proteins, they recognized a dire need for a higher level of purity in every aspect of sports supplementation and set out determined to address this problem. An example of this commitment can be found in the 100% pure Degussa Creapure® German pharmaceutical grade creatine monohydrate used in ProSource’s Creatine. Unfortunately, the quality of creatine varies widely from brand to brand, so ProSource simplified your choice by offering the highest purity form, the only one shown to deliver the phenomenal increases in size, strength and power that this super-supplement has become famous for. Many other ProSource supplements get their start from the highest quality sources from around the world, like Italy for Ultra Glutamine or Japan for green tea, among many others. Word of the superior quality of ProSource products has continued to grow over the years, making a phenomenal difference in the lives of countless bodybuilders and athletes. Tremendous customer feedback touting a huge range of gain increases and success stories from use of ProSource products has confirmed that validated product purity and potency is essential to make any substantial progress from your workouts.

Research and Development

Producing products with clinically validated purity levels is one of the primary jobs of the research and development and therefore the level of purity and potency in compounds being offered becomes an indicator of how much intensive research is being done there. This quest for higher-grade compounds was a critical issue in the recent emergence of new natural T-boosting formulas, where a high level of pure and potent extracts became crucial. Several years ago, it became clear among researchers that a much higher-grade extract was needed for any serious testosterone-enhancing efficacy.

Seeing this need, the ProSource R&D department took the problem to task, invested the enormous time and money that other manufacturers refused to do, and developed an extract of Tribulus terrestris with a purity and potency well beyond anything being offered at the time. The result was the revolutionary testosterone booster AndroTest. This scientific wonder became the greatest advancement in natural testosterone enhancement the supplement industry had ever seen, boasting an unprecedented 40% protodioscin level (the most active T-boosting component of the herb). ProSource’s elite R&D team managed this phenomenal feat by developing an intensive extraction process of high-grade Bulgarian Tribulus terrestris involving up to 20 separate extractions — far more than any competing product. Added to this was a powerful extract of the only Tongkat ali (Longjack) standardized for active constituents — LJ-100™, which studies show can increase testosterone levels by 50% and DHEA levels by 47% after just one months usage. The crowning achievement for AndroTest though was its product-specific landmark hospital study. In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind clinical study involving 31 healthy males between the ages of 35 and 55, subjects taking AndroTest experienced up to a 275% increase in total testosterone compared to a control group. This verification established AndroTest as the only scientifically and independently validated natural testosterone booster on the market. This was very good news for bodybuilders and athletes, but bad news for all the other supplement companies that have not yet, years later, even come close to a formula to match it.

The PhD’s and others on the R&D team at ProSource were so pleased with there success that they decided to see just how far they could push the T-boosting envelope by taking the existing, super potent AndroTest formula and ramping up its test boosting power even more with AndroTest Extreme. This exceedingly potent androgenic formula uses a specialized fenugreek extract standardized for 50% fenusides trade named Testofen™. Remarkably, this precursor compound has been shown in a human clinical study to increase free testosterone levels by 98.81%, adding even more substantial test boosting to the heretofore-highest potency formula. The AndroTest franchise is now complete with the premier powerhouse formula AndroTest and a professional-grade T-booster, AndroTest Extreme. These scientifically proven testosterone giants are proof that top-notch research and development can make a world of difference.

Formula Innovation

To bridge purity of ingredients with research and development in pursuit of the perfect formula requires unique and creative formula innovation. This aspect of product development is what separates the good from the best and should be kept well in mind when searching for products. There may be no better example of this much-sought-after quality than the innovative development of the SynthaTrex products from ProSource.

The original SynthaTrex gave a whole new meaning to the phrase creatine transport with its highly effective vasodilation and creatine utilization compounds that helped launch a new market of zero-sugar creatine formulas. Before SynthaTrex, most creatine formulas were comprised of massive loads of simple sugar, creatine, flavoring and not much else. SynthaTrex changed the way the industry approached these formulas with a comprehensive, ultra-potent transport matrix to effectively shuttle creatine and support-nutrients quickly into muscle tissue to deliver unheard of anabolic results. But that earth shattering innovation was not enough. The formulators at ProSource upgraded SynthaTrex to SynthaTrex Xtreme, which took creatine transport to an entirely new level with the most highly validated mechanism for packing creatine into muscle tissue — the creatine monohydrate plus high glycemic carbs model. To further add to its insulinogenic response, it was fortified with 4-hydroxyisoleucine and taurine along with potent levels of beta alanine to support increased carnosine production for enhanced muscle endurance. The SynthaTrex duo has clearly set the model for others to emulate.

This standard of progressive innovation is also evident in the ProSource protein line as well. The introduction of cross flow micro-filtered whey isolate in the original NytroWhey was an industry wake up call years ago, setting a standard for protein quality that most companies have not yet come up to. The next advancement in the line, NytroWhey Extreme, pushed that standard a bit higher with an arginine AKG infusion to dramatically increase the uptake of the amino acid-rich CFM whey isolate for incredible anabolic effect. The most recent innovation, NytroWhey Ultra, has surprisingly surpassed both its formers in customer response offering a highly advanced, state-of-the-art rapid-action hydrolyzed whey isolate — the new elite formula in the industry’s most celebrated protein line. These are the types of premier formula innovations that ProSource has become known for and which has helped establish the company as a true industry leader.

Quality Control

The above three qualities would be useless without a high level of quality control in place. The foundation corner stone for any formula, which assures its efficacy, is the legitimate and validated bioactivity of the highest-grade compounds available via strict quality control standards. The bottom line is that a high level of purity must be substantiated through lab-testing to deliver any meaningful results.

This is why ProSource has the most demanding quality control standards in the industry. In fact, every product in the ProSource line is designed in strict accordance with a quality control mandate that is in some ways even more comprehensive than what is seen in the pharmaceutical industry. From the initial exhaustive, worldwide search for the highest-grade compounds to creative and cutting edge formulation of the best products available, ProSource never loses site of this immovable quality control standard.

So, to get back to that burning question — what are the best products out there? Easy answer: the ultra-premium lab-tested products in the ProSource line. As a supplement industry leader since 1996, ProSource has recognized the basic industry tenants listed above and kept them at the same superior level despite rising raw materials prices while many manufacturers have loosened their standards to cut production costs and spend the savings on flashy ads. Steadfast adherence to the four standards has established ProSource as one of the most trusted brands available, helping customers take the guesswork out of purchasing supplements in full confidence — with no phony ads and no compromises.

“But why don’t you guys have expensive 10 page glossy ads with incredible story lines and beautiful babes?” Sorry guys, we opted to take that money and pass the savings on to you, which is one compromise we don’t mind giving in to.

Bust boredom in your workouts and get the most out of the common machines at your gym with these five unique exercises

Versatility isn’t an attribute limited to switch-hitting infielders and infomercial products. (Hey, who hasn’t needed their Ginsu knife to slice through nails and tin cans?) Indeed, at the gym, you can find this trait in an unexpected place - the typical machines that populate weight rooms.

For instance, did you realize you could do biceps curls on two different types of back machines? Or train your legs on an assisted pull-up machine? The following are five ways you can squeeze brand new benefits out of the same old equipment, thus giving you more options to keep your workouts fresh and your muscles growing.

1. Shrugs on a Standing Calf Raise Machine
Shrugs with a barbell or dumbbell are excellent trapezius builders, but both have one limiting flaw: the strength of your grip. Without straps, if your grip gives out before your traps, you’re forced to end the set prematurely. Doing shrugs instead on a standing calf raise machine eliminates this issue. And although a calf raise machine comes with a limitation of its own - the amount of total weight on the stack - a beginner or intermediate lifter who hasn’t advanced to super-heavy poundages can benefit from adding calf-raise machine shrugs to their regimen. Performing them is simple: Step into the machine, feet centered on the toe supports, body upright, back and abs taut, with your shoulders squarely under the pads. From there, shrug your shoulder caps upward as high as you can, then lower them deep and repeat. Make sure the machine is adjusted so the weight stack does not touch down at the bottom of each rep.

OPTION B: Another machine option for shrugging? If your gym has one, try using a flat-bench press machine, straddling the seat and taking a handle in each hand.

2. One-Legged Presses on an Assisted Pull-Up Machine
Outside of pull-ups and dips, the assisted pull-up machine may seem pretty limited in what you can do with it. But did you know you could also work your legs on it? By using the platform where your knees usually rest as a footplate, you can do presses one leg at a time - a handy option if a leg press isn’t available or if you’re just looking for an occasional twist to add to your usual leg-training regimen. To perform it, place one foot on the side support, the other in the center of the knee platform; you should also brace yourself by holding onto the rails with both hands. Then, flex the muscles of your thigh to press the platform down until your leg is straight, pause for a second and reverse, bringing your knee back up until your thigh is parallel to the floor before starting the descent into the next rep.

3. Lying Biceps Curls at a Seated Row Station
Biceps training can get tedious. After all, there’s only so many ways to do a curl, and curling is the one and only viable way to work your bi’s. So a lot of keeping your biceps routine invigorated is cycling in new exercises, and that’s where lying curls come in. For this exercise, you lie flat on the bench of a seated row station, feet firmly on the platforms, knees partially bent, holding a short straight bar or short cambered bar attached to the cable. From this position, bend your arms, doing a curl the same as if you were standing up, keeping your elbows at your sides throughout. The benefit of the lying curl is the reduction of body english - when you stand, you can use your hips to help swing the weight up, but in a prone position, it’s just your biceps versus the weight.

OPTION B: You can also do this lying on the floor in front of a lower cable pulley, which allows you to keep your legs flat and out of the way of the range of motion.

4. Overhead Curls on a Seated Pulldown Machine
Here’s another biceps curling option - sit in a pulldown machine, take an underhand, shoulder-width grip on the bar overhead and keep your upper arms alongside your ears. Now, curl the bar down behind your head, hold and flex your biceps for a moment, then slowly re-extend your arms.

5. Calf Raises on a Leg Press Machine
Of the five variations outlined in this article, this one is the most common. But if you haven’t tried calf raises using a leg-press machine, you’re missing out on an incredible way to attack your gastrocnemius, the larger, thicker muscle on the back of your lower leg. Here’s how you do it: Sit in the machine and place your feet at the bottom of the platform, your toes and balls of your feet on it, your heels off the edge. Then extend your legs to straighten your knees, release the safety latches, and start doing full calf raises. Be sure to work through a full range of motion, with complete flexion at the top of each rep and a deep stretch at the bottom. To give each calf undivided attention, this movement can be done one leg at a time.

OPTION B: Calf raises can also be done on a hack squat machine, by hanging your heels off the bottom edge.

When you glance at some of those old black and white pictures of Arnold Schwarzenegger, taken in the original Gold’s Gym in Venice on Pacific Avenue, what’s most noticeable about his physique is his massive chest. It is full and thick and when he does his side chest pose it swells up and seems to stick out a mile. Just standing there relaxed it appeared thick and dense like two massive slabs of beef sitting on his rib cage.

In fact a lot of the old school guys had thick chests back in the day, Lou Ferrigno, Serge Nubret, Franco Columbu, but it seems these days very few bodybuilders have that really impressive chest development. Thick, sweeping chest muscles have been overtaken by monstrous front delts making it obvious where all the pec muscles went.

When Arnold was growing up, everyone trained chest and biceps and didn’t pay as much attention to other muscle groups, like shoulders for instance. Since shoulder muscles were weaker, they didn’t take over all the work when training chest. Stretching the shoulder girdle and chest was a common practice years ago in an effort to expand the rib cage and increase the overall measurement of the chest. Inadvertently this created more flexibility through the chest and shoulders so when a bodybuilder performed a full range of movement on his chest exercises, his chest muscles were flexible enough that the load was not as easily transferred to the shoulder muscles which would then do much of the work.

When chest muscles are not very flexible they can only stretch so far before they will either tear or the load will be transferred to another muscle group or connective tissue in the shoulder joint. If you are doing dumbbell presses for instance, as you lower the dumbbells to your chest you will reach a point where your chest muscles cannot stretch beyond. If you continue to lower the dumbbells past that point then the shoulders will take over most of the work. If that happens you will feel tightness in your shoulders at the lower part of the movement and after doing the set your shoulders will feel pumped and burning. When you over-stretched at the bottom of the movement your shoulder muscles took over the workload. You thought you were training your chest and just doing your best to perform a full range of movement but instead you have just trained your shoulders, which explains why your shoulders grow but your chest doesn’t.

One obvious solution might be to perform partial movements when training chest (meaning not lowering the weight all the way down to your chest). While partial movements have their place in an advanced training program, your chest muscles won’t be getting much work if the range of motion is limited by inflexibility. The further a muscle group has to travel when performing an exercise, the more work it does and the more it will grow. Muscle inflexibility will stop your progress cold.

Increasing flexibility and Range of Motion is the goal

• Muscle tissue can be trained to be more flexible by stretching regularly. But it’s always important to ensure your muscle tissue is warm before you try stretching it. For the next 4 weeks, do 3 sets of pushups to warm up and stretch for a couple minutes between each warm-up set. For the first set of pushups just go 2/3 of the way down to keep your shoulders out of the movement until you are more flexible. After stretching between the 1st and 2nd set, the rest of your pushups should be full movements.
• Stretch between every set during the entire workout.
• Since your chest has not been doing all the work during your chest training you will have to teach those muscles to contract through the entire movement because they are used to your shoulders taking over at the bottom. Start with a weight about 50% less than you normally use and add weight each set. Be prepared to use a lot less weight than you have been doing because you will perform your reps slowly going the same speed up and the same speed down like a hydraulic piston.
• When you get to the bottom of the movement feel your chest muscles stretch and then don’t go beyond to the point where you feel your shoulders stretching. As you get more flexible you will be able to go deeper but you will always gauge the depth you go on your chest exercises by whether or not your shoulders are involved in the movement and not how far the weight travels.
• Don’t use weight training as a stretching exercise, stretch between sets and after you train. Using your sets to stretch your chest muscles will just involved your shoulders in the work.
• Finally, lay off your front delt training for 4 weeks while you do this chest specialization program. They could probably use a break anyway while your chest catches up.
• Train chest 2 times a week for 4 weeks then return to your normal training cycle.

Day 1

Day 2

Shock Treatment Series: Part I

It’s easy to think that bodybuilding is just about building big muscles and getting lean enough to show them off. It’s easy because getting big is easy and so is getting lean, or at least it’s easy compared to balancing all that muscle development so that your body is symmetrical and proportionate. The problem with easy is that one day you look in the mirror and realize you have lagging muscle groups that seem so far behind the rest of your body that you think they will never catch up.

Size for the sake of size is meaningless. We’ve all seen those guys with one or two incredible body parts and nothing else. Building a well-developed body that is both symmetrical and balanced is what bodybuilding has always been about.

That’s easier said than done because despite how much hard work you do sometimes, there are muscle groups that simply refuse to co-operate and grow. This series of training articles is designed to help solve any problems you may have with one of those stubborn muscle groups.

Build Those Stubborn Calves

Calves are the one muscle group that almost everyone trains incorrectly. Isolating the workload on muscle groups that have only one fulcrum (one joint involved in the exercise) like seated calf raises for instance is theoretically the most direct way to train a muscle group and in most cases that theory holds true. Calves are a different animal, pun intended, because of how the lower leg is constructed so just isolating the movement isn’t enough to necessarily make them grow.

The Gastrocnemius muscle or calf muscle is attached to a tendon that attaches on the other end to your heel (your Achilles tendon). The Achilles tendon is very strong and if you train your calves improperly it is very easy for some of that workload to be transferred from the muscle to the Achilles tendon. That will logically result in a lot of work with very little return in the way of calf muscle growth.

If you have calves like a homing pigeon and no matter what you do they refuse to grow, then try these four things for 8 weeks and just see if those calves don’t start turning into cows.

• Keep constant tension on the calf muscle during the entire set
  

  When you are training calves you want to avoid movement that will transfer the load onto your Achilles tendon from your calf muscles. The best way to do this is to keep constant tension on the calf muscle through the entire set by keeping your calf flexed as hard as possible through the complete arc of movement. This will be hard to do the first few times you try as you need to teach your muscles to stay contracted while they move through the movement of the exercise. It’s easiest to learn this by starting with seated calf raises. Position yourself in he calf machine and remove the safety placing the load on your calves. Reach down and feel your calves as you apply tension to your calf muscles by flexing them. Slowly raise the weight keeping your calves flexed. When you reach the top of the movement flex as hard as you can for a 3 count then slowly start to lower the weight while keeping the muscle tight (this is the tricky part). You will really need to go slow and concentrate on keeping your calf muscles flexed. By holding your hand on your calves you will be able to tell if the tension goes away or remains through the whole movement.

• Don’t over stretch during your calf exercises
  

  When you stretch your calf muscle as far as it will stretch under a load, it becomes hard to keep tension on the muscle and if you can’t keep tension on the muscle then it can’t contract as hard as it possibly can, stimulating growth while you lift the weight. If you over stretch on the bottom you will take the workload off the calf muscle and distribute it elsewhere which will result in a lot of work with very little calf muscle growth. You only need to lower the weight a little but not all the way to get enough work done to grow.

• Don’t bounce to get higher on your toes at the top of the movement
  

  So often you will see a bodybuilder bouncing at the top of the movement trying to get a peak contraction. Since the Achilles tendon and not the calf muscle is being used to lift the weight into position there is very little benefit from getting the extra height. At very best you perform an isometric contraction at the very top of the movement after the weight has been bounced into place and isometric contractions are not effective for building size. As you perform your calf raise with tension on the calf muscle through the whole movement you will reach a point at the top of the movement where you cannot go any higher without bouncing. Don’t Bounce! When you are at the top of the movement just hold the contraction for a 3 count then start back down again. Getting as high as you can on your tip toes by bouncing is completely ineffective for building calf size and just because your muscles are burning doesn’t mean they are being stimulated to grow, it just means you have a high amount of lactic acid in your muscles from metabolizing glucose. You can get a burn and not have stimulated your muscle effectively enough to grow.

• Keep your movement slow and steady – same speed up, same speed down
  

  By performing each calf exercise with a controlled, steady pace, it is much easier to keep constant tension on the calf muscle and you need that tension to be able to contract hard enough to stimulate growth. Think of your car for a minute. It will go 60 miles an hour but it takes a few seconds to get there. Your muscles will contract very hard but that is not instantaneous. If you keep tension on the muscle all the time it is much easier for that muscle group to contract near 100% of it’s capability much quicker. The harder you can contract through a movement the more that muscle group will ultimately grow. Theoretically, the purpose of weight is to force the muscle to contract harder by adding resistance but in the real world the load is not always handled by the muscle alone. Keeping tension on the muscle will help focus as much muscle building tension on those stubborn calf muscles as possible.

Sample 8 week calf program – train calves no more than 2 times a week for 8 weeks

There was a time years ago when working out in the gym meant something more than a strenuous hour of super-setting ‘hang-outs’ with ‘check-out-chicks’ followed by 30 minutes on the treadmill watching a giant television screen among an endless sea of cardio equipment. Weight training equipment back then didn’t come with speakers and silky voices cautiously encouraging you through your set. In fact silky voices of any kind were rarely heard and machines for the most part were frowned upon as the “easy” way out. They were believed to be less effective as basic movements with barbells and dumbbells for building those enviable mounds of thick dense muscle.

A lot of things have changed since way back then, gyms are getting bigger, supplements are getting better, and there is far more knowledge out there about what works and what doesn’t. Yet as much as things have changed, many simple truths about building muscle have prevailed.

The simplicity of training with basic compound movements combined with lots and lots of hard work and good food was the accepted path to building muscle. Back in those days loudly proclaiming in front of everyone at the gym that you were about to “Clean and Jerk” or get that “Snatch” you dreamed about the night before, would not get you tossed out of the gym by the politically correct gym management.

Rather, it would set you apart as one of the elite few that incorporated traditional Olympic weightlifting movements into your training program. Times and trends may have changed over the years and while the rules about building muscle have for the most part remained the same, some secrets to getting there seem to have been forgotten. Nowadays power cleans are usually reserved for athletes like football players that want to improve their explosive strength. But there is so much more this super-exercise can do for a bodybuilder. It could well be the secret bullet that adds mounds of thick muscle on your eagerly awaiting body.

Not far away from your local gym some of the top athletes in the country and perhaps the world are using power cleans in their training routines to increase strength, speed and muscle size and density. An example is Mark Philippi CSCS, world champion powerlifter and 6-time world strongest man competitor, who owns and operates a training center in Las Vegas for elite athletes called PSI (Philippi Strength Institute). Despite his lengthy history with powerlifting’s 3 lifts (squat, bench press and deadlift), he relies heavily on a wide variety of power movements including variations of power cleans to train his athletes now. Mark feels there is a distinct advantage to incorporating power cleans into a workout. “It’s going to develop more power than a squat or deadlift because of the speed of the movement and the distance the movement travels, so you are going to get more work done at a faster rate.” Mark also explains that power cleans work your entire body through the movement—legs, hips, lower and upper back, shoulders, arms and even chest to a small degree—making it the most complete all-round muscle and power building exercise there is.

Fast and Slow Twitch Muscle Fibers

Mark teaches the athletes he trains about slow and fast twitch muscle fibers and explains the difference between a typical bodybuilding method of training with time over tension and power training like an athlete would experience training with power-cleans. “Slow twitch muscle fibers contain more mitochondria and myoglobin which makes them more efficient at using oxygen to generate energy without lactic acid build-up. In this way, slow muscle fibers can repeatedly and for an extended period of time fuel muscle contractions such as those required for endurance or time over tension training (slow repetition training) like most bodybuilding workouts. Fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers generally produce the same amount of force per contraction but fast twitch muscle fibers produce that force at a much higher rate which makes them more suited for explosive movements like sprinting or power-cleans.”

By incorporating power movements that recruit fast twitch muscle fibers into your regular bodybuilding workout which predominantly recruits slow twitch muscle fibers, you stimulate more growth by forcing your muscles to adapt to a different workload. Since power-cleans recruit such a wide variety of muscle groups to complete the movement, it is the ideal exercise to incorporate into your bodybuilding routine to stimulate growth of fast twitch muscle fibers.

Anatomy of a Power Clean

Power cleans are a complex exercise where the weight travels a great distance and a wide variety of muscle groups are used. So using proper form in the execution of the movement is absolutely vital to avoid injury and gain all the benefits possible from doing the exercise. Balancing and controlling the weight is key throughout the movement and gaining that control starts at the beginning in how you set up the lift.

Step One – The Pull

Positioning your feet, hands and body at the start of the exercise is known as “setting up” the movement. Properly setting up the movement is key to avoiding injury and performing a successful lift so strict attention must be paid to this portion of the movement.

• Hands are positioned evenly on the bar, palms facing downward and shoulder width apart.
• Feet are also approximately shoulder width apart, toes and knees pointing forward.
• As you position your hands and feet you sit your hips down so they are slightly lower than your shoulders so you can more readily incorporate your hips and legs in the pull.
• Your back should be flat and most importantly your head and eyes should be facing forward.
• The bar is positioned just behind the toes but not on top of the arches of your feet.
• As you set up the pull your core should be tight to protect your back by tightening your abdominal muscles. Mark suggests visualizing drawing your navel into your spine to tighten your abdominals.
• The pull is a sequence of 3 events that must take place in the proper order for the movement to be performed properly. The first event is to drive upward using the hips and legs while keeping the back flat and head facing forward then simultaneously shrug the bar upwards with your traps and shoulders until the bar rises to a full shrug position where the arms will continue the pull until the body is fully extended.

Step Two- The Catch

The catch is the second part of the movement where the bar has been lifted in the air to a full body extension, the hips are fully extended and then the body drops beneath the bar as the elbows thrust forward to catch the bar in a low squat position with the bar resting in the hands on the top of the front deltoids. From this position the athlete stands up with the bar resting on his front deltoids just as you would with a front squat except the hands remain under the bar ready for the pressing position.

• For the catch to be successful the body and hips must be fully extended in a straight line jumping motion with the bar shrugged and pulled as high as possible keeping the elbows high above the bar.
• From this point the elbows are thrust under the bar and forward as the knees bend and the body drops underneath the bar to catch it as it falls.
• The bar should come to a final rest with the hands or fingers underneath the bar as the bar sits across the front deltoids.
• Once stable the bar is squatted upward to a standing position similar to a front squat.
• The core muscles must remain stabilized by contracting the abdominal muscles to support the torso and the back must remain flat through the entire movement.

Step Three – The Press or Jerk

From the standing position with the bar resting on the front deltoids you have an option to either simply press the weight up over head or you can jerk it overhead to a position where the arms are fully extended.

• Pressing the weight overhead is simply a matter of shoulder pressing the bar.
• Jerking the weight overhead is slightly more complex and involves generating more power to perform the movement. The knees bend slightly and as the bar is rapidly pressed upward to where the arms are fully extended while simultaneously the hips drop lower while one leg moves forward while the other moves back in a scissor position. Once the arms are fully extended and the weight is stabilized, the feet are brought back together in a standing position.
• When the exercise is completed the weight is dropped to the lifting platform provided rubber Olympic Weightlifting plates are being used. If not then the weight must be lowered slowly to the start position.

Mark Philippi’s Power Clean Program Mark Philippi recommends that power cleans be trained two times per week preferably on back day or if need be can be done on leg day. Warm up doing squats, pulls, and presses with an empty bar to prepare your muscles as well as rehearse the movements before adding any weight.

Exercise 1 – Pulls 2 sets of 5 reps

Pulls are just the first part of the movement from the floor to a full shrug

Exercise 2 – High Pulls 2 sets of 5 reps

High pulls are the same as pulls except you pull the bar as high as possible while keeping the elbows high and above the bar. This is the final position before transitioning into the catch.

Exercise 3 – Power cleans 1 set of 5 reps, 1 set of 3 reps, 1 set of 2 reps, one set of 1 rep

This is the full power clean with either a press or a jerk at the end to bring the bar overhead at arms length. Mark will change the sets and even have some reps in a set performed with a press and the rest as a jerk just for variety. These last 4 working sets are heavy and each set the weight is increased but never to the point where good form is sacrificed

Exercise 4 – Stiff Legged Deadlifts 2 sets of 5 reps

These are a traditional stiff legged deadlift but not performed with speed or acceleration.

Exercise 5 – Bent Over Barbell Row 2 sets of 5 reps

Again this is a traditional barbell row with a wide grip and the bar is pulled into the midsection. Maintain a flat back with your head up to avoid back injury.

Marks Training Tips

• Always train power cleans first because if you fatigue your muscles doing other exercises before doing power cleans technique can break down and you risk an injury.
• Warm up with the empty bar on all components of the movement so you prepare the muscles as well as rehearse the technique before adding heavy loads
• Train power cleans using rubber Olympic weightlifting weights so that if you are unable to complete the movement at any time you can simply drop the weight to avoid injury.
• “Never try to save a bad lift”. Drop the weight and try it again.
• At the start of the movement you perform the pull by shrugging first rather than finishing the movement by pulling with your arms and keeping your elbows high above the bar.
• Always keep your head and eyes facing forward and your back flat.

By Anssi Manninen

Nutrient partitioning is the term used to describe how macronutrients are shuttled to the cells; your body will either send the nutrients to muscle cells or to fat cells. Certain drugs and supplements have favourable nutrient partitioning effects, ie., they promote fat loss while maintaining or even increasing lean body mass. The most popular nutrient partitioning agents among gym rats are clenbuterol and the ephedrine-caffeine stack; however, these products cannot be purchased legally for body composition enhancement purposes in US. Fortunately, there is a legal and safe supplement, which has proven nutrient partitioning effects, namely ForsLean.

Landmark ForsLean Study
A recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study at the University of Kansas examined the effect of ForsLean on body composition, testosterone and metabolic rate in overweight and obese men [1]. Of the 30 individuals recruited, 15 were randomly assigned to receive ForsLean, whereas the other 15 subjects were assigned a placebo. Subjects were assessed for physiological changes a total of three times (pre, mid, post) during a 12-week trial period.

Although there were no significant differences across time or among groups for daily caloric intake or resting metabolic rate, forskolin promoted favorable changes in body composition. Specifically, the ForsLean group lost 4.52 ± 5.74 kilorams of fat mass while concurrently gaining 3.71 ± 4.07 kg of lean body mass. The placebo group lost 0.51 ± 1.91 kilograms of fat mass and gained 1.57 ± 2.56 kilograms of lean body mass.

Thus, the subjects of the Forslean group sent more of their incoming nutrients to muscle tissue, while the subjects receiving a placebo sent more of the incoming nutrients to fat tissue. In other words, ForsLean acted as an nutrient partitioning agent. The reduction in fat mass in the ForsLean group was attributed by the authors to ForsLean’s ability to directly activate adenylate cyclase within fat tissue, resulting in a greater release of free fatty acids.

The majority of fat loss supplements work through adrenergic receptor activation, but adrenergic receptor activation can down-regulate over time, resulting in diminished fat burning effects. However, ForsLean bypasses the adrenergic activation step and increases cAMP levels by either stimulating adenylate cyclase or by increasing the cAMP accumulating properties of catecholamines (e.g., noradrenaline). Thus, ForsLean can be used for LONG periods of time without diminished fat burning effects.

In addition, ForsLean significantly boosted testosterone levels. In fact, testosterone increased 16.77 ± 33.77% in the ForsLean group compared with a decrease of 1.08 ± 18.35% in the placebo group. Any gym rat or athlete knows how crucial testorone is for muscle growth.

Finally, this study demonstrated that ForsLean has no adverse effects on blood pressure; within both groups, a trend toward a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (the top number is the blood pressure reading) was shown.

Once you know the benefits of ForsLean, the paramount question becomes one of determining which supplemental source to add to your regimen. ProSource produces the highest quality ForsLean product in a serving amount EQUAL to that used in the above mentioned study. Just ingest two capsules of ProSource Forslean and you get exactly the same amount the active ingredient than the study subjects. And since this is a ProSource product you can be assured that each production batch is stringently lab-tested, from raw materials to the finished product for purity, potency and bioavailability.

References

1. Godard MP et al. Body composition and hormonal adaptations associated with forskolin consumption in overweight and obese men. Obes Res. 2005 Aug;13(8):1335-43.

About the Author
Anssi Manninen holds an M.H.S. in sports medicine from the University of Kuopio Medical School. His cutting-edge articles in Muscular Development firmly established him as a leading authority on hardcore sports nutrition. Anssi´s articles have also been published in scientific journals, including The British Journal of Sports Medicine, The Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition, Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, Nutrition & Metabolism and Journal of Sports Science and Medicine

By Mike Berg

Sometimes, if you’re after maximum muscle mass, one exercise just isn’t enough. Here’s how to combine two, three, even four movements into one hellacious and effective set.

In the 1987 movie “Wall Street,” corporate raider Gordon Gekko famously proclaimed, “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.”

Of course, he turned out to be the so-called bad guy in that film, and in many instances it could be argued that more is not necessarily better. Greed, however, in the gym, does have a place. After all, why do only one exercise, when you can pair two together? Or how about three? Four?

It’s not recommended all the time, but combining two or more exercises into one mega-set can pay off in a big way as far as muscle growth. Use the tactic too much, and your body will go bust from overtraining, but knowing when to get a little greedy can be, to paraphrase Michael Douglas in his Oscar-winning turn, a very good thing.

TWO FOR THE MONEY

In a standard set of an exercise, you choose a challenging resistance (i.e. weight) and aim for a particular number of repetitions or a range of reps. Then you stop, rest for 30-90 seconds (closer to the former if you’re doing lighter weight and high reps, and toward the latter if you’re working at near-maximal poundages), and do it again. For instance, you select 140 pounds on the leg extension machine, do 12 reps, then stop and rest.

The concept of a superset is simply to take two of those standard sets, for two different exercises, and put them together. Thus, in our example, instead of stopping to rest after 12 reps of extensions, you immediately jump on, say, a lying leg curl machine, and perform 12 reps. Then you rest the same amount of time as you would if you were only doing one set, and perform the sequence again.

What’s the point? Whenever you can squeeze more workload into a shorter period of time, you’re increasing the intensity of your training, which propels growth processes in your body. In the case of the extension (which hits your quadriceps) and the curl (which targets hamstrings), you’re also taking advantage of the efficiencies of working two opposing muscle groups. In this type of superset, you work antagonistic muscle pairings, pumping more overall blood into that area (which brings nutrients and carries away waste products) and takes advantage of their synergistic nature.

Of course, supersets can also consist of two exercises that attack the same muscle group, basically taking a two-barreled aim at the target. (This style is sometimes referred to as a compound set, although in the accepted gym vernacular today supersets can refer interchangeably to both versions.) There are a few different ways you can effectively home in on one muscle group with supersets — using “Standard,” “Pre-Exhaust” or “Leverage” approaches, all of which we get into a bit later in this article.

LAGS TO RICHES

The benefits of pairing exercises are not limited to two. You can also experiment with tri-sets, which are three exercises done back-to-back-to-back with no rest in between. And, for those who want to go even further, there are giant sets, which are simply four (or more) moves assembled together into a string.

Whichever you choose, the training techniques are designed to help thoroughly exhaust a muscle group, helping ensure no individual muscle fiber goes untouched during your workout. Think back to your last training session to envision how this can benefit you. If you were training chest, maybe you did five sets of bench presses, pyramiding up in weight set-to-set, working in a 6-10 rep range, stopping about 60 seconds between each to catch your breath. You may have followed that up with five pyramided sets of incline presses, and finished up with dumbbell flyes and a few final sets of cable crossovers.

Now, that’s not a bad workout, all in all. But think of all that time between sets you spent resting, allowing your pectorals to recover — even if you took a number of sets to momentary failure, the most your muscles were ever put through in any one set was 10 reps. Imagine going back and, this time, pairing your incline presses with dumbbell flyes, and your bench presses with crossovers. Essentially, your total rest would have been cut in half, causing your muscles to undertake more work in a shorter period of time. And, best yet, you didn’t drastically cut the weights you used for each exercise, as you would have to if you instead increased your bench press reps from 6-10 to 15-20 per set. More volume in less time with an overall heavy workload — that’s improved intensity, and especially valuable for a lagging body part.

Whether you go two, three, four or more, you can choose the “Standard” option (simply picking two exercises that hit the muscle in the same way); the “Pre-Exhaust” method (using an isolation exercise for the first move while the second is a heavier compound move); or the “Leverage” technique (moving from an exercise that puts you in a weaker position to one that puts you in a stronger position, thus allowing you to continue repping longer overall). Here’s more on each:

Standard: As mentioned, a “standard” superset, tri-set or giant set simply pairs two-to-four exercises that hit one body part. For example, pairing a lying French press for triceps with a cable pressdown, or a standing calf raise with a seated calf raise. It’s brutally simple, yet brutally effective.

Pre-Exhaust: The pre-exhaust technique has been around gyms for decades, and with good reason — it works. The theory is this: When you do a compound move (such as a seated barbell press), your triceps, being a smaller muscle group, will likely fatigue before your stronger deltoid muscles, thus causing you to end the set prematurely. However, if you do a movement that isolates the target muscle first, such as standing dumbbell lateral raises in this instance, when you do the compound move after, it’s more likely your “pre-fatigued” delts will give out before your tri’s do. This technique is meant for larger muscle groups, and not smaller ones such as biceps, triceps, forearms, calves and abs.

Leverage: This technique takes a bit more forethought, but it can really help extend your muscles beyond what they’re used to. In this sequence, you move from an exercise that puts you in a weaker biomechanical position to one that puts you in a slightly stronger one, like a martial artist dropping his center of gravity to throw an opponent or a baseball power hitter shifting his weight on a swing. Here’s an illustration: Start a shoulders tri-set with seated dumbbell presses; then, when you reach failure, stand up, which allows you to use a slight knee bounce to get the weights up, and continue repping. A common pattern for “Leverage” would go from a dumbbell exercise, which calls on a lot of stabilizer muscles, to a barbell, which puts you at a slightly better biomechanical position because a weaker-side muscle can help a stronger side, and finally to a machine, which takes most assisting muscles out of the equation.

For more examples that cover every body part, see our “Sample Pairings Chart” below. But keep this final caveat in mind — Mr. Gekko may not have agreed with this, but too much of a good thing is, in fact, counterproductive. Instead, like all training techniques that drastically increase your workout intensity, you want to use this one judiciously, and not in every single workout. With that said, feel free to cash in on everything supersets, tri-sets and giant sets have to offer.

SAMPLE PAIRINGS CHART

Looking for a way to include supersets, tri-sets or giant sets in your own training? Here are a few options to get you started.

                                Superset                                                Tri-Set                                   Giant Set

BACK                     Pre-Exhaust:                           Leverage:                                Standard:

                                Straight-Arm Pulldown           Pull-Up                                   T-Bar Row

                                Bent-Over Barbell Row          Assisted Pull-Up                    Smith-Machine Bent-Over Row

                                                                                Wide-Grip Pulldown              Seated Cable Row

                                                                                                                One-Arm Dumbbell Row

CHEST                   Standard:                                Pre-Exhaust:                           Leverage:

                                Incline Barbell Press               Flat-Bench Dumbbell Flye     Incline Dumbbell Press

                                Incline Dumbbell Flye            Cable Crossover                      Incline Barbell Press

                                                                                Smith-Machine Bench Press   Flat-Bench Barbell Press

                                                                                                                                Decline Smith-Machine Press

SHOULDERS         Leverage:                                Standard:                                Pre-Exhaust:

                                Bent-Over Lateral Raise         Upright Row                           Cable Lateral Raise

                                Reverse Pec-Deck Flye           Seated Dumbbell Press           Bent-Over Cable Lateral Raise

                                                                                Seated Lateral Raise                Barbell Front Raise

                                                                                                                                Seated Machine Press

THIGHS                 Pre-Exhaust:                           Leverage:                                Standard:

                                Leg Extension                          Barbell Squat                           Barbell Squat

                                Smith-Machine Squat             Hack Squat                              Romanian Deadlift

                                                                                Leg Press                                 Horizontal Machine Squat

Dumbbell Walking Lunge

TRICEPS                Standard:                                Leverage:                                Standard:               

                                Parallel-Bar Dip                      Seated EZ-Bar Extension        Close-Grip Bench Press

                                Rope Pressdown                     Standing EZ-Bar Extension     Flat-Bench EZ-Bar French Press

                                                                                Cable Pressdown                    Overhead Cable Extension

                                                                                                                                Dual-Arm Dumbbell Kickback

BICEPS                   Standard:                                Leverage:                                Standard:

                                Standing Barbell Curl              Incline Dumbbell Curl             EZ-Bar Preacher Curl

                                Alternating Dumbbell Curl     Seated Dumbbell Curl             Dumbbell Concentration Curl

                                                                                Standing Dumbbell Curl          Standing Cable Curl

                                                                                                                                Reverse-Grip Cable Curl

CALVES                 Leverage:                                Standard:                                Standard:

                                Standing Calf Raise                 Standing Calf Raise                 Donkey Machine Calf Raise

                                Seated Calf Raise                    Donkey Machine Calf Raise   Seated Calf Raise

                                                                                Seated Calf Raise                    One-Leg Standing Calf Raise

                                                                                                                                Weight-Plate Toe Raise

ABS                        Leverage:                                Standard:                                Standard:

                                Hanging Leg Raise                   Reverse Crunch                       Swiss-Ball Crunch

                                Hanging Knee Raise                Crunch                                    Vertical-Bench Knee Raise

                                                                                Oblique Crunch                       Decline Twisting Crunch

                                                                                                                                Plank

FOREARMS          Leverage:                                Standard:                                Standard:

                                Barbell Wrist Curl                   Reverse-Grip EZ-Bar Curl     Behind-Back Barbell Wrist Curl

                         Behind-Back Barbell Wrist Curl    Dumbbell Wrist Curl              Dumbbell Wrist Curl

                                                                                Reverse Dumbbell Wrist Curl Reverse Barbell Wrist Curl

                                                                                                                                Farmer’s Walk*

* Grab the heaviest dumbbells you can handle and walk them across the gym as far as you can.

Forget the concrete slippers, here’s seven reasons why you should take fish oil before you go to bed.

By Elizabeth R. Carey

To build muscle, you need a little bit of inflammation in the body. A hard workout can do that for you. However, diet can cause inflammation too—just not in a good way. One of the reasons that a typical western way of eating can contribute to high levels of inflammation in the body is that the amount of bad omega- 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids consumed is more than 20- to 25-times more than good omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids consumed. You can counterbalance this by taking fish oil.

This is because much of fish oil’s benefits are attributed to its high content of omega-3 fatty acids. Among other things, these omega-3s help discourage formation of hormone-like agents that trigger inflammatory processes which destroy arteries and joints, and encourage cancer and overall cell malfunction. One way the omega-3s do this is by replacing excessive amounts of the omega-6 fatty acids—fats predominant in corn and sunflower seed oils—that are readily oxidized into free radicals. By balancing out the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in the body, you can improve your health in numerous ways. In fact, studies on fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids have flooded the scientific journals touting benefits from improved muscle recovery, heart health, mental focus and more. It is for all of these reasons that you should take fish oil before you go to bed, so it can put its powers to work when you are completely at rest.

1) For Muscle Recovery:
First thing first: fish oil can help your performance in the gym. And here’s why: Exercise is going to increase your levels of many different inflammatory markers. When your body is in a high inflammatory state, it cannot be in a tissue building or tissue-repairing state, which is what you work so hard for. Instead, it remains in a breakdown phase. Also, too much inflammation means you’ll be too catabolic. Omega-3s, found in fish oil, can help you get those inflammation markers rebalanced. It is this rebalancing that helps decrease muscle breakdown, increase muscle growth, speed recovery time, support hormone secretion and support healthy joints.

2) To Lose Weight:
Fish oil may help your weight loss efforts, according to an Australian study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers, from the University of South Australia in Adelaide, examined the effects of fish oil and exercise, alone and together, on fat mass, lean mass, and cardiovascular health in 75 overweight adults ranging in age from 25-65.

Subjects were randomly assigned to receive daily fish oil supplements (260 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 60 mg eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)) or placebo (sunflower oil), with or without an exercise regimen. The fish-oil supplements led to a 14 percent decrease in blood triacylglycerols levels and a 10 percent increase in plasma HDL cholesterol levels. The placebo sunflower oil effects were five and three percent, respectively.

The combination of exercise and fish oil supplementation reduced fat mass by 1.6 kg (about 3.5 pounds), with no significant changes observed for fish oil alone, or placebo with or without exercise. None of the subjects saw change in lean mass.

3) To Improve Your Cholesterol:
Keep your blood arteries supple by taking fish oil, especially if you have high blood levels of triglycerides, a risk factor for artery hardening also known as atherosclerosis, which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. But taking supplements of the omega-3 DHA may help you combat this, says a study published in the August 2007 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The researchers, from University of California Davis, Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System, and Agricultural Research Service (US Department of Agriculture), recruited 34 men between the ages of 39 and 66 years of age who have high triglyceride levels and randomly assigned them to receive 3 grams of DHA daily or an olive oil placebo for 90 days. After 45 days, those taking the DHA supplements experienced decreased levels of triacylglycerol of 24 percent.

4) To Improve Your Focus:
Wandering minds can be harnessed by omega-3 fatty acids, whether you are age 8 or 80. While numerous studies have proven that fish oil can help hone mental focus, a recent Nutrition Journal study found that high-dose supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids (10.8 grams of EPA and 5.4 grams of DHA) for eight weeks calmed children with attention and hyperactivity issues.

This research is in-line with an Australian study on 132 children that was published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. It showed that after 30 weeks of omega-3 supplementation parents reported significant improvements in ADHD-related symptoms.

5) Prevent Prostate Cancer:
Over half a million new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed every year world wide, and the cancer is the direct cause of over 200,000 deaths. What’s more, the incidence of the disease has increased over the past 15 years. You can protect yourself.

Higher intake of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA may cut your risk of developing prostate cancer by 40 percent, says a Harvard study. In particular keeping your ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids balanced will help improve your health, especially that of your prostate.

When the researchers compared blood levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids in 952 men, half were diagnosed with prostate cancer and the other were not. After comparing men with the highest and lowest levels of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA, DPA, DHA), they found that men who had high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids had a 41 percent reduction in prostate cancer risk. In addition, linoleic acid consumption was also associated with a 38 percent risk reduction when comparing the highest versus lowest intakes. According to the researchers, these results suggest linoleic and omega-3 fatty acids may actually decrease the risk of developing prostate cancer.

This supports earlier research done at UCLA. The results of that study suggest that changing the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio might reduce prostate cancer tumor growth, as well as PSA levels. In addition, a study in the British Journal of Cancer reported that omega-6 fats increased the spread of prostate tumor cells into bone marrow, while omega-3 fatty acids were seen to block this invasion.

6) Improve Eye Health:
According to a study published in the Nature Medicine, fish oil may enhance your eyesight. Harvard Medical School and National Eye Institute researchers reported that increased omega-3 fatty acids and decreased omega-6 fatty acids in the diet reduce the blood vessel loss in the retina that can ultimately cause blindness.

The researchers fed genetically-altered mice diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids or omega-6 fatty acids. The mice on the omega-3 diet, rich in DHA and EPA, were found to have 40 to 50 percent less initial blood vessel loss in the retina than the omega-6-fed mice.

This study suggests that after initial loss, vessels re-grew more quickly and efficiently in the omega-3-fed mice, thus helping increase the oxygen supply to retinal tissue, and increase production of the anti-inflammatory compounds in the retinas. These compounds, derived from omega-3 fatty acids, also potently protected against pathological damage. No detection of these compounds was reported in the retinas of mice fed the omega-6 diet.

Ultimately, this suggests that omega-3 fatty acids act as protective factors in diseases that affect the retina’s blood vessels.

7) To Prevent Asthma
Breathe in, breathe out and repeat. If you suffer from exercise-induced asthma, this isn’t as simple as it sounds. But it can be. Indiana University researchers analyzed the scientific literature on omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation as it could possibly have an effect on asthma, exercise-induced or otherwise. What they reported in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is that dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation may help alleviate the symptoms of asthma, especially the exercise-induced kind.

By adding fish oil to your nightly supplement routine, you’re insuring your body’s development and good health. Ultimately, you want to look good, but why not feel good too?

The following is a brief excerpt from the newest e-book from Renegade Training™, “More than a Game”. “More than a Game” is an in-depth look at Hockey Training for intensely dedicated players. Encompassing nearly 300 pages, this book reveals the proper dry-land training methods for the world’s fastest game. The book is available immediately at www.renegadetraining.com/more_than_a_game.html

The following section pertains to Medicine Ball training and specific use of restorative circuits. It is applicable to virtually any individual involved in fitness, health or athletic based training.

Medicine ball training is one of the most effective training mediums available. It allows for a free range of motion, is easily adaptable to athletes of all abilities, can be used for explosive power training as well as general recovery and fitness work, and is highly affordable and transportable. No training program would be complete without Medicine Ball work.

As a training medium, Medicine balls are one of the most versatile of all items. It allows for simple adherence to the Renegade Concepts of Training™ and one of the few items definitely required within Renegade Training™. It is a safe, affordable resistance medium for users with a variety of goals and athletic abilities. The benefits of medicine ball training are enormous and extend to every component of the Renegade Wheel of Conditioning™. Med ball work equally allows for all three planes of movement in the body, unlike many other pieces of equipment.  With all these factors in mind, it is an absolute must for Hockey dry-land training.

Med ball training could be loosely categorized within four major areas:

1. recovery and regeneration,
2. mobility specific work,
3. introductory explosive training,
4. advanced explosive complexes

Certainly the first two sections are very closely related to one another. My consideration for distinguishing the two relates to the varying planes of motion and the concern of dynamic flexibility within the torso, which is of course a highly important sport-specific function.

With the progression of physical abilities to advanced levels, the concept of being able to stabilize within destabilized environments is displayed as the user is able to perform these circuits in imperfect environments, the most extreme being on an Indo Board, thus displaying an increased awareness of the body in handling diverse functions simultaneously and in tactile response. This is only in advanced levels where intense harmony of hands to feet, shoulders to hips, elbows to knees are displayed with the duality of mind and body unity and thus limited exclusively to highly advanced athletes. Once this occurs, the imperfect or chaotic environment has been adapted to and evolves to a perfectly calm setting. With a heightened level of intensity, whether in the form of the weight of the ball or the force of the throw in return similar exercises can be used for point 3, introductory explosive training.

Renegade Training™ coaching tip
Through the first use of med ball training, the following 2 circuits are performed to assist in generalized muscular recovery (generally speaking on Tuesday / Thursday and Saturday, opposite to major “lift” days of Monday / Wednesday and Friday). Ensure work is done with proper technique, perfect posture and never reinforce bad habits. Utilize a light 5-8 lb med ball and err on the side of caution. Each movement is performed with 5-10 throws per exercise depending on levels of fitness, generally within 24 hours before and after an intensive day of exercise. Circuit B is optionally performed in conjunction with other weighted movements that emphasize core development such as Overhead Squats and Split Jerks. Please note not only should circuit B be done in a manner to assist recovery and regeneration but in a highly explosive manner to promote vicious turning power.

Medicine Ball Circuit A
Please note these are presented as restorative circuits and should be performed with a modestly light medicine ball, reflective of strength levels. Typically I suggest a four to eight pound med ball. Additionally these exercises can be highly explosive and such as in this case, you’ll want to use a heavier med-ball like the one used in the photos which is 20lbs.

1	2
Feet should be shoulder width apart and hips squared directly at the target. With a solid, rooted base and good posture explode ball forward with as much velocity as possible.

1	2
Pay careful attention to set-up. Opposite hip should be directly facing target. Elbow is high with rear delts pinched back. Twist body back in a ¼ to ½ turn with weight transferring to back leg. In an powerful explosive move, twist body, with weight shifting to lead leg. With care, this can be a used to emulate sport specific hip turn of shooting.

1	2
This is same as typical chest pass but starting with one leg behind. Initiate the movement with a powerful step into the target, exploding the ball forward with power generated from your legs (repeat to opposite leg forward).

1	2
Feet should be shoulder width apart and hips squared directly at the target. With a solid, rooted base and good posture and the body facing target, lift ball behind head and explosively throw ball directly towards target overhead.

1	2
This is same as typical overhead pass but starting with one leg behind. Initiate the movement with a powerful step into target and throw (repeat to opposite leg forward).

1	2
3	4
Feet should be shoulder width apart and hips squared directly at the target. With a solid, rooted base and good posture with body facing target; swing ball up and behind head. Swing ball above head, then between legs as you push buttocks back (into a neutral position) and then explosively pull hips through and bring ball up above your head slamming the ball straight ahead.

1