TODAYS MOTIVATIONAL PICTURE IS....

ADD A REST-PAUSE TO THE END OF YOUR SET

Using the "rest-pause" principle allows you to extend a set beyond failure. Dorian Yates used this technique to prolong a set of machine shoulder presses after he hit failure at the 8th rep. To squeeze out a couple more, he remained seated and rested again to gather his energy before pressing out one more. He recommends the rest-pause principle as a great strength builder for anyone who is training without a partner and cannot utilise forced reps.
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HIIT To Maintain Muscle While Burning Fat - Even Hours After Gym

HIIT (high intensity interval training) will not only help you shred your body fat faster than endurance cardio, it’s going to help you hold onto more of that hard earned muscle mass as your cutting as well. It’s the old analogy of the sprinter and the marathon runner. Look howthey train and look at their body types. Marathon runners train at a steady pace for long amounts of time while sprinters train by going as hard as they can for a short amount of time followed by a recovery period to get the heart rate back down and then they go hard again. Marathon runners generally have less muscle and more body fat while sprinters have low body fat and hold an impressive amount of muscle mass. Fat burning is a strategy of hours not minutes and interval training will keep your metabolism burning fat for hours after your done while endurance training allows you to come back to normal minutes after being finished.

I have two favorite routines I use for my HIIT training when I need to get my abs ripped for a photo shoot or a competition.

30/30 – 30 seconds fast followed by a 30 second rest interval, repeat. This can really be done on any cardio machine or even on foot outside. My choice is usually the stairmill or stair climber. Start by setting the machine to it’s slowest setting and just go through the motions for the first 30 seconds. Then at the 30 second mark, ramp up the speed to as fast as you can handle for 30 seconds. It should be at speed that makes you struggle to get 30 seconds. After 30 seconds bring the speed back down to super slow and focus on catching your breath, calming your heart rate, and getting your legs back under you during this short 30 second rest. Repeat.

10 second incline sprints, 50 sec rest – Set the treadmill to a 15 degree incline and while straddling the belt, crank the speed up to a speed that’s going to make you struggle to run at for 10 seconds. When the treadmill hits the 1 minute mark, carefully step on to the front middle of the belt holding yourself with your hands until you get your stride, then pump your arms and sprint for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds lift yourself up and straddle the belt. You need to be running at a speed fast enough that you wouldn’t be able to run for 12 or 15 seconds. For the next 50 seconds, just standing there catch your breath, calm your heart rate, and get your legs back. At the 2 minute mark, get back on for another interval.

You only have to do 10-15 minutes of either of those routines at the end of a weight workout to kick start that resting metabolism for hours and hours after you’re done. If you can go much longer, you didn’t go hard enough during speed intervals.

Don't Weight Train On An Empty Stomach

Muscles need amino acids to grow. You need plenty of them around following a weight workout. Amino acids such as leucine, L-glutamine, and Branch Chained Amino Acids are the building blocks of muscle proteins and serve as signalling chemicals that turn on protein synthesis. Researchers from Great Britain and the Netherlands found that protein synthesis was 20% higher in an exercises leg compared to a non-exercised leg after eating a high-protein meal.
They studied the rate of muscle protein synthesis by measuring the muscle uptake of a labelled aminoc acid following unilateral leg presses and leg extensions (one leg exercised, while the other was inactive; 8 sets of 10 reps). They took muscle biopsies from both legs. A practical appplication of this study would be to consume a high-protein energy bar or sake about 30 minutes before a weight-training workout.

WEAK BODY PART? TRY THIS IN YOUR NEXT WORKOUT!

Okay Trenchers, who here has a weak body part? Something that's lacking compared to the rest? Most of us do and its perfectly fine, it could be genetics, neglecting or you're just not doing it correctly. Here's something I do to tackle this situation.

For the past 2 years I have incorporated FST-7 into my Chest Workout. What is FST-7?? Fascia Stretch Training is a technique that has been a while but officially labelled and made popular by Hany Rambod who trains some of the biggest IFBB pro bodybuilders such as Phil Heath, and 4x Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler. FST-7
The seven refers to 7 sets performed usually as the final exercise of a target body part but can also be in the beginning. Basically you train that bodypart on any given day heavy as you normally would keeping the rep range between 8-12, but the last exercise you perform the seven sets to finish off that particular muscle, with 30 second rest between each set. Make sure you also drink water between each set.

How It Works?
It works by stretching the Fascia which is a layer of fibrous tissue that covers your muscles. By stretching the fascia you allow the muscle to pump more blood into the area. More blood means more nutrients going into your muscle fibres and allowing maximum potential to grow.

I usually do FST-7 in the beginning of my chest workout. I do this because it gives me a great pump, better contractions, and better mind muscle connection while doing the rest of my exercises. Therefore I would start with a cable fly and get that full stretch.

So try that in your next workout, It has worked very well for me.

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 Bigger Than Yesterday, Smaller Than Tomorrow. See you guys in the TRENCHES!.