Ah, the eternal
quest for big guns. Ask any new male trainee what their
goals are with training and chances are strong that you will
hear about the desire for a decent pair of pipes. In fact
the desire for bigger arms is so strong among male trainees
that there are tons of books and hundreds of articles on how
to get bigger arms.
While
many of these books and articles are good, the truth is that
doing tons of isolation work for your arms will only take
you so far. The body has to be worked as a complete package
for individual parts to grow significantly. Moreover, it
makes sense to focus on areas that will produce the most
overall benefit.
Enter the
"Compound Solution Program." In this article, I am going to
go over a different, albeit super effective approach getting
much bigger and stronger. The side effect of this program
will be a pair of guns that you can be proud of.
The Compound Solution Program
According
to strength coach Charles Poliquin, trainees need to add
twenty pounds of muscle to their physique in order to add
one inch to their arms. Sounds like pretty depressing news
right? Not if you want a balanced physique rather than a
"California bodybuilder look."
Of course
that brings up a good question. How come many male trainees
have big arms and small legs? Doesn't this mean that you can
get big arms without having big legs? Perhaps, but your arms
and upper body will never be as big as they could be with a
well developed lower body.
Moreover,
why would you want to have a weak foundation when you can
have the entire package? Finally, if you have any athletic
desires, forget about being effective on the field without
some strong wheels.
If you
have to gain twenty pounds of muscle to pack on an inch to
your arms it makes sense to focus your training regime
around exercises that will build the most overall size. This
means that isolation exercises are out and old-fashioned
compound exercises are in fashion.
It is
time to stop using the squat rack for ten sets of
barbell
curls. Yes, you are going to have to leave the ez-curl bars
alone for a while and forget about triceps pushdowns and
skull crushers.
Step Away From The EZ Bar.
It is
time to get back to the basics and focus on some proven
compound lifts that will help you pack on some size on your
entire body including your arms. Let's go over seven super
effective exercises that will get the job done.
The Majestic Seven!
Bench Press
Of course no training program
would be complete without the bench press. In addition
to being a great chest ex
ercise,
the bench press is a great triceps builder. Actually, I
think that the military press
is the best overall pressing movement for the upper
body. However, I am already
depriving you of
curls
and do not want you to go through further withdrawal
symptoms by depriving you of the bench press.
Regardless, I am going to have
you do the bench press in a way that might be new to
you. Instead of doing the bench press the traditional
way, try doing bottom-position bench presses with a
medium width grip (Medium being just an inch wider than
shoulder width).
Bottom position bench presses
are much harder than regular bench presses. It takes a
lot of power and strength to lift a heavy barbell off of
your chest without the benefit of doing the eccentric
phase of the lift. Make sure that you use a power rack
and place the safety bars at chest level.
Bench Press.
When you initiate the lift,
take a tip from top strength coach Louie Simmons and
imagine that you are trying to push yourself through the
floor. Do not be surprised if you have to reduce the
weight by 25% from what you normally use for the bench
press. Pause for a second on the safety pins at the
start of each repetition.
Barbell Row
A mistake that many trainees make
is focusing too much on the bench press and not enough
on the antagonistic muscles. This is where the bent over
row comes in. In addition to building up your back and
lats, the bent over row will build up your biceps
tremendously.
Barbell Row.
Try to keep your body as stable
as possible when doing the bent over row. Keep your back
flat and look straight ahead at all times. Pull the bar
to your stomach rather than straight up.
Before you even pull the bar
off of the floor, flex your lats and legs as hard as
possible. This will give you the stability that you need
to pull some heavy weight.
Military
Press
According to Brooks Kubik, author
of " Dinosaur Training", years ago trainees used
to look at the standing military press the way that
trainees look at the bench press now. A 200 lb. overhead
press is what separated the men from the boys.
I doubt that you will see more
than two to three people at most gyms today that can do
a standing military press with 200 lbs. This is a shame
as the military press is one of the best exercises for
building up the triceps, shoulders, and upper-body.
Military Press.
Use a power rack and place a
bar at chest level. Breathe in as your take the bar off
of the rack and start your set. Focus on flexing your
legs, stomach, lats, and arms as hard as possible to
press the maximum amount of weight.
Weighted
pull-up
Forget about the lat pulldown. If
you want a respectable pair of lats and some killer
biceps to go with it, get to know the weighted pull-up
on a first name basis.
Another option it to place a
dumbbell between your feet, but that is not too
practical once the weight gets past fifty pounds.
Pull-Ups.
Thus, do yourself a favor and
invest in a weighted belt. If you cannot do any pull-ups
yet, then make that your first goal. Do some negative
reps off of the bar and have your training partner help
you with the concentric portion of the lift. Do static
hold in the top position as well and flex the lats as
hard as possible.
Weighted Dip
The weighted dip is referred to by
many as the upper body squat. Once you try it you will
see why it has this distinguished title. The weighted
dip is the best exercise to build up your triceps. If
you lean into it, it is also a killer exercise for the
chest as well.
In addition, the weighted dip
requires a great deal of stabilization. Much more so
than the bench press. If the weighted dip does not build
up your triceps nothing will. To complete a rep, lower
yourself slowly to the bottom position. Pause for a
second and then drive out of the hole.
Dips.
Pause at the top for a second
before doing the next repetition. We will be using the
weighted dip as a chest exercise so make sure that your
arms go out when you do the dip rather than keeping them
close to the body. Don't worry your triceps will still
get a lot of work.
Barbell Squat
When it comes to building a strong
pair of legs, the barbell squat is king. There is really
no way around it. If you want big strong legs, you need
to squat! Forget about the leg press and leg extension.
All that the leg press does is compress your spine and
place tremendous stress on your knees.
Instead of doing quarter
squats, or parallel squats, focus on using a complete
range of motion. In other words, go as deep as you can.
Pause at the bottom for a second and power out of it.
Full Range Squat.
By using a full range of motion
you take the pressure off of the knees. When you go to
parallel, your knees have to put on the breaks. If you
find that you do not have the flexibility for full range
squats, work within your limits and gradually focus on
increasing the range of motion.
Stiff-Legged
Deadlift
The stiff-legged deadlift is
basically the bicep curl for your legs. It will build up
your hamstrings and even out all of the quad development
that you get from doing barbell squats.
You might be asking why I
picked the stiff-legged deadlift over the regular
deadlift. I will let top strength coach Ken Leistner
answer that question, "The stiff-legged deadlift gives
the spinal erectors and biceps femoris more direct work
than the regular deadlift.
Stiff-Legged Deadlift.
In addition to building up your
hamstrings and spine, the stiff legged deadlift will
help build up your biceps as well. In addition, since
the stiff legged deadlift requires you to hold on to a
heavy weight, expect your forearms to get stronger and
bigger as well.
Finishers
I like to
have my clients end each workout with a "finisher." A
"finisher' is an exercise that is done for high repetitions
(25-50) at the end of a workout to increase nutrient uptake
into the worked muscles.
While
there are a lot of fancy things that we could use for
"finishers", I am going to keep it simple and pick two basic
exercises:
Pushups
Bodyweight Squats
Bodyweight Squat (Shown One-Legged).
At the
end of each upper body workout, do one set of 25-50 pushups
and at the end of each lower body workout, do 50-100
bodyweight squats.
The Program
Here is a
sixteen-week training regimen that will have you ready to
purchase a new wardrobe in no time. The sixteen-week program
is comprised of four four-week programs.
Each
four-week phase is a micro cycle in which training is very
focused. The program changes every four weeks in order to
avoid adaptation and plateaus. This also keeps training
interesting and challenging which are two important keys to
training longevity.
Phase 1:
The Break In
Phase one involves a full body
workout that is done three times a week in order to
bring you up to speed with all of the exercises and to
hit the muscles hard. The more often you do something
and recover, the stronger and bigger you will get. Also,
practice makes perfect and this phase will give you a
chance to practice each exercise frequently.
Day 1:
Mass Day
A-1: Bottom position bench
press 3x5
A-2: Bent over row 3x5
B-1: Barbell squat 3x6
B-2: Stiff legged deadlift
3x6
C-1: Military press 2x5
C-2: Weighted pull-up 2x5
Finisher
Pushups: 25 reps
Bodyweight squat: 50 reps
In order to save time and
make each workout more effective, the exercises are
paired up in antagonistic fashion. In other words,
exercises that work opposite muscles are paired up
into modified super sets.
Here is how it works, do
one set of A-1, wait a minute and then do a set of
A-2. Again wait a minute before doing another set of
A-1. Go back and forth until you have completed all
of the sets and reps.
Once you have completed one
pair move on to the next pair. Use the same weight
on all of the working sets. Once you can complete
all of the sets and reps, increase the weight by
5-10lbs at the next workout.
Day 2:
Power Day
A-1: Weighted dips 3x3
A-2: Bent over row 3x3
B-1: Barbell squat 3x3
B-2: Stiff legged deadlift
3x3
C-1: Military press 2x3
C-2: Weighted pull-up 2x3
Finisher
Pushups: 25 reps
Bodyweight squat: 50 reps
Same instructions as day 1
with this workout.
Day 3:
Rest Pause Strength Day
Military press 6x1
Weighted pull-up 6x1
Stiff-legged deadlift 6x1
Barbell squat 6x1
Bent over row 4x1
Bottom position bench
press 4x1
Finisher
Pushups: 25 reps
Bodyweight squat: 50 reps
In this
workout,
you are going to apply a super effective training
method called Rest Pause Training (RPT). Legendary
bodybuilders such as
Mike Mentzer and Dorian Yates used this intense
training method to blast through training plateaus
and pack on size and strength.
Here is how it works. Pick
a weight that you can do three times with excellent
form. Do one rep, wait 10-15 seconds and then do
another rep and wait 10-15 seconds. Keep going until
you have completed all six sets.
If you manage to nail six
sets, increase the weight by 5-10 lbs. at the next
workout. This is an intense training method that
will stimulate your CNS (central nervous system)
tremendously. Rather than feel fatigued after a rest
pause workout you will feel energized.
One thing that you have
probably noticed with this program is that the
legwork is always in the middle. Barbell squats and
stiff-legged deadlift workouts take the most amount
of energy. Thus, doing them first might make you too
fatigued to finish your workout.
On the other hand, if you
wait until the end of your workouts, you might be
too fatigued to hit the exercises properly. Thus, we
are going to take a lesson from the Buddha here and
take the middle road.
Phase Two:
The 5x5 Method
Now that you have a good
foundation, it is time to take training up a notch and
apply a proven training protocol. The 5x5 program was a
favorite of legendary bodybuilder Reg Park and for good
reason. It flat out works when done properly. Here is
how it is done, do two warm up sets and then begin your
first working set.
The goal is to complete five
sets of five using the same weight on all of the sets.
Lets say that you nail three sets of five, but only hit
2-3 reps on sets four and five. No big deal, just stay
with that weight until you can complete all five sets.
Once you achieve five sets, increase the weight by five
to ten pounds. Because more volume is being used, you
are only going to hit each muscle group twice a week.
Here is how the program will break down:
Day 1:
Monday-Thursday
A-1: Bottom position bench
press 5x5
A-2: Bent-over row 5x5
B-1: Weighted pull-up 5x5
B-2: Military press 5x5
Again do each pair in
antagonistic fashion. Do a set of A-1, wait two
minutes and then do a set of A-2. Wait two minutes
before completing another set of A-1. After you have
completed all five sets of A-1 and A-2, take a
three-minute break and then move on to B-1 and B-2.
Apply the same rest periods there.
Day 2:
Tuesday-Friday
A-1: Stiff legged deadlift
5x5
A-2: Barbell squat 5x5
Same Instructions as Day 1.
Make sure that you rest up
as much as possible on all of your day off. While
this program does not look like that much on paper,
you will find that it is very challenging (assuming
that you are putting in maximum effort).
Phase 3:
Pump Up The Volume
Now that you have built a good
foundation with Phase 1 and took it up a notch with
Phase 2, you are ready to play in the major leagues. Now
it is time to apply a method called the German Volume
Training (GVT) method. GVT calls for doing ten sets of
ten reps for each exercise at each workout.
While the 10x10 program worked
for many trainees, a lot of trainees found the volume to
be way too much. One hundred reps per exercise is a hell
of a lot and will get old real fast. I have found that
10x5 works much better. In addition 10x3 works very well
as well. Thus, what I am going to have you do is do 10x5
in week one.
In week two, you are going to
do 10x3. Then in week three, you will return to 10x5.
Finally in week four, you will rap up with 10x3. By
varying the reps each workout, you will be able to avoid
burnout and get stronger and bigger faster. Because the
volume is much higher in this phase, you will only be
hitting each exercise once a week. Here is how it will
breakdown:
Take ninety-second breaks
in between each set of A-1 and A-2. Stick with the
same weight until you can complete all ten sets.
Once you can complete all ten sets, increase the
weight by five to ten pounds.
After four weeks of super high
volume, you will welcome going back to full body
workouts with much lower volume. In fact, the full body
low volume workouts will feel like active recovery in
comparison. Thus, we are going to end the program where
we began. Repeat phase one for the final four weeks.
After sixteen weeks on the
"Compound Solution Program" you should have increased
your size and strength tremendously. Moreover, your arms
should look bigger than ever. At this point you have a
great foundation in the most effective exercises for
size and strength.
Feel free to add in some
variety to your program by trying out some other similar
exercises such as:
Dumbbell press
Dumbbell clean and press
(Ex. Shown With Barbell)
Front squat
Dumbbell row etc.
In fact you could do the entire
sixteen weeks again with a dumbbell only routine to
really rock the stabilizers and really bring in some
thick muscle growth.
While variety is important,
make sure that you focus on compound exercises to
maximize your time and to achieve the best results. Make
sure that you email with some feedback on the program or
get in touch with me if you have any questions at
mahler25@yahoo.com
Tips To Maximize The
"Compound Solution Program."
Have
a protein shake
with some healthy fat
two hours before each workout.
Have a protein shake after
each workout for recovery.
Get a sports massage 1-2 times
per month to enhance recovery.
Take a cold/hot shower after
each workout (30 seconds cold/ 60 seconds hot).
If possible, take a 20 minute
power nap after each workout.
Take advantage of Cryotherapy
and get a cryocup.
Stretch
for 10-15 minutes after each workout.
About The Author
Mike Mahler is a strength
coach and Senior RKC based in Santa Monica, Ca. He is also the author of
the DVD "Mahler's Aggressive Strength For MMA." Mike is available for
seminars around the US and overseas. Visit www.mikemahler.com
for more info.
Bench Press
