Muscle by John

by John
(Toronto)

The best routine I know includes three equally important factors:

1. Holistic physical application of resistance.
2. The nutrition that provides the elements to grow lean muscle.
3. Proper amounts of rest and relaxation to allow recovery.

Important: if even one of these factors are neglected or substandard, poor quality will result - and smaller muscle groups like the biceps will suffer the most!

This will always be the case and millions struggle with it.

A natural bodybuilder must make every effort to cover these areas, because pushing the natural body into areas of "Super Mass", and retaining it, demands the 100% application of all three.

Muscle by John

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In The Beginning
by: Anonymous

Don't laugh, I was the Skinny guy u may have seen on the back of your Superman comic book many years ago when guys like Steve Reeves were considered icons in the Muscle Business.
At the tender age of seventeen, I was invited by a new friend to visit the High School gym, weight room.
My new buddy place 315lbs on an Olympic bar and proceeded to do reps.
I was then invited to jump on the bench.
To my dismay, I couldn't even get that bar to jiggle.
And yes, I smoked 25 cigarettes a day, because that was the cool thing to do.
My new buddy and I visited a small store front in Brampton to check out the weights and machines.
It was there, I met for the first time, Mr. Robert Kennedy.
In his British accent he pointed to a dumbbell and said; this just came in. It was a new phenomenon to me, he called it; "a fixed dumbbell". It was bright orange in color.
I tried to pick it up, it didn't move.
My buddy started to do one arm curls with it, one after the other.
I asked Mr. Kennedy; "How much is it?" He said; 70lbs. I said; "no...how much does it cost"?
Sound like a rookie to you, yet?
I ended up purchasing, an Olympic bar, and adjustable bench, squat racks, 25, 30 and 35lb dumbbells and a two stage cable, Lat Machine.
Simply put, I did all my future purchases with Robert Kennedy, at his tiny little store front.
Months later, Robert asked me if I wanted to be "on his mailing list". He had a monthly newsletter which invited interested folks to comment and share.
I went to town in my basement (my parents house) grunting out deep squats and all the rest. A year went by so fast, I wrote an small blurb to Robert and he published it Under the Heading I wrote it as; "The Basement Body Builders Association".
Well when I visited him next, he had a stack of mail for me to Reply to. He said my Blurb, was a hit.
Well today, things have certainly changed.
We lost Robert kennedy several years ago, but there's no question that he left us an impressive legacy. Muscle Mag.
I salute him for his encouragement to so many young men who stumbled into his little store. I salute my new buddy for taking me there and teaching me the ways and means of Body Building greatness.
I was 17 back then, today I am 61.

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Nutritional Stacking Part Five
by: M b J

So far, as we read in Parts one through four, the basis for a Nutritional Stacking Thesis has been developed.
The NEXT LEVEL, is a method than can be incorporated which Dramatically takes N.T. to a new level.
We have all read the endless promotions and benefits of; "eating a series of FIVE or SIX SMALL MEALS in a day" rather than 3 large meals.
One of the factors in this multi-meal day equation, is DIGESTION.
In essence science has told us that we can assimilate More nutrients in smaller meal consumption AND, reduce the blood sugar highs and lows, thus retaining a constant stability in energy.
I discussed Eating your meal using a method that requires the champion to, eat each food substance separately not mixing them in the mastication process.
Nutritional Stacking 2.0, would further recommend
That the champion consume One food type ie. meat protein and then wait an HOUR, before consuming the Veggie food type. Here we can allow the digestive system to concentrate on One Singular food type exclusively. Without having any other food type substances at all, to interfere.
Example; consume your meat or egg protein, wait and hour and consume your grain or veggie portions.
So, if you dine at the Olive Garden with friends 3 times a week, forget it. The champion eats for scientific purposes that do not include social activities. It's a sacrifice we need to make.

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Nutritional Stacking Part Four
by: M b J

Because we know that the digestion process is very important and that different food types Digest at Different rates and that smushing veggies with meat and then meat with veggies creates digestion chaos, because each one is so very different in the assimilation process.
The Remedy although a tad unique in its implementation, is simple.
I will consume ALL my veggies FIRST, then my meat protein, both completely separate or, one at a time. (visa versa works too)but separate them.
Eat one AND THEN the other. (see part 5)
Your digestive system can Better assimilate each different food type easier and more efficiently reducing Chaos

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Nutritional Stacking Part Three
by: M b J

DIGESTION.
Imagine u work stocking shelves in a grocery store.
3 forklifts pull up.
1. one has a skid of loose cans of vegetables.
2. one has a skid of loose cans of meat.
3. one has a skid of loose cans of fruit salad.
Which scenario would be best?

1. all three folk lift trucks simultaneously dump their respective loads down on the floor in front of u?
2. U systematically stock the respective shelves with each individual item, One Fork lift truck at a time?
If u chose #2, then u realize that u WONT have to SORT through the confusion.
If u chose #1. u like chaos.
Here's what we know about Digestion.
All different food types, digest at different rates as they go through digestion, process.
OK..your plate (normally) has meat, and veggies, often two different veggies.
Often, u will take a bite of meat, while u r still chewing your bite of veggies.
The two food groups end up "Getting mixed together".
u will repeat that same process in consuming your dinner.
Veggies mixed with meant and meat mixed with veggies.
In the end, your tummy is full of a smush of mixed veggies and meat. yummy!
But your digestive processes for each food type ARE DIFFERENT!
And so, how does your tummy deal with a Mix and Match Smush, of food digestibility types?
One food type may take a lot longer to digest than the other. And yet they are smushed together and your digestive system has a job to perform.
What do u think happens?
Well, the stomach ends up doing, the best job it can, in a confused and complicated situation.
Result; Digestion Chaos.
In fact, u will retain less of the important elements in each food group, because of poor digestion.
For now, I want u to look at what u r seeing and SEE what u r looking at.
Today, more than ever before, we see endless commercials about INDIGESTION and the endless Remedies on the market sold to avert the discomfort.
People; INDIGESTION is a pandemic issue in the USA and western nations.

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Nutritional Stacking Part Two
by: musclebyjohn

Nutritional Stacking part two

Beans beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot.
Why do many vegetable like beans and cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, give us gas?
In fact, no one wants to be in the same room you are, when you drop a "cabbage rose". (or farfle)
It's true, these types of veggie give most folks gas and there is a reason for that.
DIGESTIBILITY
When food items are poorly digested, they tend to Stay in your digestive system LONGER.
When these items remain in a warm constricted arena, they will FERMENT.
Fermenting processes create gases.
Gases, create bloating and discomfort.
Gases like these create toxins that get into your blood! (the ones that didn't escape the Other way)
Toxins require the Liver to remove them in it's two platform functionality. This causes the Liver to Labour.(an over taxed liver can create "dark Spots" on hands and face")
So...if the cow has assimilated the veggie vitamins in and through its Own metabolism, then they will be that much more refined.
If a vegetable gives u gas, it's your body trying to alert u, that they "don't agree" with u.
If u consume any foods that disagree with your digestion, this WILL affect all the other food substances being digested With them!
U don't want red meat sitting around for extended periods of time in your digestive system. because they will ferment too.
Here's the ting; it is Not just what u eat, that packs on the mass, it is also how well your body type digestion process assimilates them.

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Nutritional Stacking Part one
by: M b J

Nutritional Stacking. Part one
You have heard it said; "you are what you eat".
And so, let's "Back up That Train" for a moment.
If, you are what you eat then you are what the animal flesh you eat...eats too!
Cows eat grass and various grains, in essence a Beef Producing Animal IS a Vegetarian.
If you eat vegetables raw or cooked, you will end up Getting the vitamins and minerals extracted from the veggies in the limited capacity your digestive system allows.
But IF the vegetarian animal product (cow) which is red meat has already consumed veggies as its natural Staple diet, one can easily assume that a herbivore has a higher capacity to extract the vitamins and minerals from veggies, than a human.
Look how big they get and how quickly they get there? In fact, following this logic, the herbivore has actually converted veggies to lean red meat For You! It has actually reconfigured the vitamin chain within its own metabolism, something that seems to represent a "Further Refining Process". And voila, huge bone structures and mega tonnage lean red flesh! bam..

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Holy Grail of Mass
by: Anonymous

Arnold was notorious for his pranks and practical jokes.
But he had a method in his madness, no mistaking that!
He would deliberately send starry eyes wannabes on a wild goose chase, then sit back and laugh.
Nothing has changed in fact many pros write articles sending starry eyed wannabes in all sorts of directions in search of the "Holy Grail" of mass and the mysteries (mostly created) therein.
Here's one u'll recognize right off the bat!
"Only train your arms ONCE a week or twice???
Oh No...u are so overtrained, no wonder you have poor bicep development???
Look in the mirror!
what do u see.
1. do your arms look Over trained?
OR....do they look UNDER TRAINED???
Look at what u r LOOKING AT!
SEE...what you are looking at!
I hit my arms FULL ON EVERY DAY, before I do anything else in a 3 day split.
Close grip bench super set with pulldowns and then Pulldowns to close grip bench. (murder)
Pre exhaust pulldowns THEN close grip bench, watch out the stress on a pre exhausted tricep can run u out of gas in three reps! bam!

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Upper Arm Phenomenon
by: Anonymous

The "Bicep" phenomenon. In fact, should really be the "Upper Arm Phenomenon".
By now we should all know that the size of the upper arm demands the increase in size of Both the tricep and the bicep.
Again, when u look at yourself in a mirror, the mirror doesn't lie, u see what the world sees.
U see that "Multi insertion muscle head muscles, ex. chest, shoulders back,+thigh appear to be leaving your upper arms behind.
This is largely due to the Multiple muscle insertions.
The bicep and tricep have fewer, right?
Strangely enough, thighs, shoulders and chest muscles have very few techniques to impose resistance training, ex, presses flys.
For most guys, bicep training involves a single motion, curls dumbbell and curls barbell.
The truth is, that the bicep can be trained in the hammer curl and the reverse curl as well, but u will notice that two things are true.
1. your upper arms are lacking.
2. u consistently Leave your Reverse curls and hammers, to last!
Consistently, IS the revelation you need to stop and appreciate.
consistent poor results.
consistent leaving reverse curl and hammers, to last? eh?
So...what would happen if u did your reverses first, then your hammers and then your bicep curls?
In fact, I trash my reverses and my hammers with dozens of sets each, leaving my "Curling ability" palms up, to the end.
The significant pre-exhaust alone leaves my bicep curl "palms up" in a very lonely place.
in a few weeks, yer gonna see a big dif

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Mass vs Strength
by: musclebyjohn

Mass vs. Strength. (no steroids thank you)
Sometimes the musclehead needs to see the Reality of what he or she, is actually looking at.
There are 3 basics results we can achieve in Body Building.
1. extreme mass.
2. super hard and ripped to shreds.
3. somewhere in between, 1 and 2.
If we finally come to our senses, then we quickly realize that each separate 1 of the 3, demands a completely different training and diet schedule.
In fact, most guys Train for super mass Hoping to get Super ripped?
For ex. implementing the use of Heavy weights for mass and then eating like a bird to maintain detail?
The other day I had a pizza delivered, when I answered the door the Pizza guy gasp and said; "how did u get that big"?
I replied; "eating lots of food"!
Ask yourself; how do u build a 15 bedroom home?
well, u will need a lot of bricks!
If u try to build a 15 bedroom home with enough bricks for a 5 bedroom home, well what do u think!
Here's the thing; u may be envisioning super mass but only showing up with a 5 bedroom house eating
schedule. remember when u were a kid, what did your dad tell u? eat all your dinner so u can what" grow up to be a big boy!

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The Human Body Learns by Training
by: musclebyjohn

What then is "Training"?
Is it not Teaching ?
The human brain learns through teaching and then Testing..
and as you learn, which Teaches you to Retain and Improve, you Advance to the next highest grade.
And so at the end of the school year, you have been tested 3 times to insure that you have retained the knowledge within your mind..
Likewise, the Human Body Learns through Training and likewise it is necessary to Test it.
Contest Prep, Calls OUT all what you have worked for and puts it to the test...
Then and only then can you move to the next level.

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Hiding in Plain Sight
by: musclebyjohn

Most novice and more advanced Body Building enthusiasts practice proper diet, proper training, proper rest, proper psych and clarity of focus and wonder why they hit plateaus or fail to create super mass.
Most written articles blame genetics.
But ask yourself this question,
"What is the ONE THING (besides drug use) these champions do that most of us in the local gym DO NOT DO?
They DO CONTEST PREPARATION.
THEY DO IT DOZENS OF TIMES IN A YEAR.
They get BIGGER every time they do it!

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Intensity
by: muscle by john

There is a misunderstanding among novice and intermediate or semi-pro Body Builders, regarding intensity.
True Body Building Intensity is defined as one's ability to focus on the repetition with clarity of purpose as well as and as far reaching as, the embracing of a strong and healthy lifestyle commitment.
Immediately you will realize that "Busting a vein" while doing your bench press Does Not equal True Intensity.
Intensity is taking the "Who,What,Where,When and Why" of your commitment to healthy Living and applying it to a sovereign purpose.

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Skinny Who?
by: Muscle by John

Just a moment ago I went on a website where this fella "Skinny Vinny" tells me that 97% of all muscle building advice is false?!

Dear friends, watch out for these adds that promise huge muscle gains in short periods of time. Much like the "Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow", "The Fountain of Youth", and the Moon Landing in 1969, they are all fantasy.

These adds all take about fifteen minutes to get to the point, which ends up being, "Hand Over Your Dough"!

OK Vinny, so you are a "Fitness Model"; if you want to look like a girl, that's your stuff!

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