HAPPY NEW YEAR

It’s a new year and here’s the newest edition of The Muscle Times. Now get those images of plum pudding out of your head and get back to work! It’s time to set some new goals and crank it up a couple of notches, and we want to help. We’ll inspire you with the information and advice to kick you up to the next level. Just remember, we know the new year can be a tough time in the gym, not only to stay motivated in the dark of winter, but to keep your cool when you have to deal with the New Year’s Resolution Crew that are cluttering up your gym. So focus on being consistent, work hard when you hit the gym, and show those newbies how to do it right. You never know, you might provide a little inspiration of your own. Bodybuilding’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it!

QUICK GYM TIP
– By: Dave ‘Ballistic’ Naugler

POSING POWER

If you’ve decided to compete, remember it’s not just about your muscles it’s how well you show them off when you’re on stage. Posing is the art of displaying your physique in its most favorable way. Perfecting posing requires countless hours of practicing, stretching and flexing. Keep this in mind when you’re training a body part. You should squeeze the muscle after each set and stretch it to help bring fullness to the area. This simple practice will bring out your best lines and create a more sculpted look. And yes, you really need to practice. It isn’t easy holding a perfect pose, perfectly still, for what feels like forever, especially when you’re carb deprived.

Dave Naugler, the 2006 National Middleweight Champion, is a gym-rat who is living his bodybuilding dreams. When he’s not training and entering and winning competitions he’s studying bodybuilding and sharing his knowledge. He’s next slated to appear on the National stage in 2008.

RAISING THE BAR – Tips for setting your bodybuilding goals

The New Year is the time to decide what you want to achieve. Here are some tips on nailing your goals.

1 > Write them down. Having them in black and white makes them real and gets you moving to accomplish them. Post them in a place where you’ll see them, it’ll keep you motivated.

2 > Do other things. Being too focused can be harmful. If all you are doing is driving, driving, and driving some more toward achieving your goals you’ll get worn out. Be sure to spend time doing other things in life without forgetting what you want to ultimately accomplish.

3 > Think positive. Things do not always go according to plan. In fact, it’s guaranteed they won’t. Regardless of the situation, always be positive, do your best, and don’t worry about things you can’t change.

4 > Share your goals. It isn’t cocky to tell others your goals, it’s smart. Sharing what you want to achieve with friends creates positive pressure that will keep you working hard. If you tell your goals to 10 people they get to hear them once – but you’ll hear it 10 times. This is a very powerful technique.

5 > Be realistic. Setting the bar high is a good thing, but setting it out of reach is just frustrating. Make your goals hard but achievable. That way you can focus on reaching them. You can always set a new goal once you accomplish your last one.

6 > Be grateful. Bodybuilding is an awesome form of raw competition – you work hard and kick ass. But even with all your competitive drive it’s important to realize you’re doing what you love, and doing it well.

SUCCESS SECRETS:

PLATEAU KILLERS: Taking it to the Next Level
Bodybuilders hate the moment when they realize they’ve stopped making gains and they’re stuck on a plateau – but it’s inevitable. Here’s the secret – look at plateaus in a positive way. By shaking up your current routine you’ll see big gains. Here are three guaranteed ways to blast through plateaus:

Be radically different: Don’t just switch up your choice of exercises or repetitions, take up a new sport or activity that forces you to use your muscles in a totally different way. You’ll be surprised at the results.

Train at a different time during the day: It’s good to train at the same time every day, but your body adapts. Switching the time you train can often produce dramatic results – like in the case of morning trainers. It’s well known that testosterone levels are higher in the morning and training in the wee hours can often produce fantastic results.

Get a training partner: Building muscle is part hard work and part motivation.
If you’re lacking motivation, the stuff that makes intensity possible, a training partner can give you the kick that you need to blast it out in the gym.

MUSCLE SCIENCE
THE IMPORTANCE
OF BCAA’S

You’ve heard of the Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA’s) Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine, but are you using them? They’ve gone in and out of style in recent decades, but they shouldn’t have. Why? Because they’re incredibly powerful at building muscle.

BCAA’s work by directly increasing the amount of protein your body turns into new muscle tissue.1 BCAA’s also increases testosterone levels, which leads to further muscle growth2 while simultaneously preventing muscle wasting.

Get them in your supplement stack to make massive gains. And to ensure you’re getting the maximum results make sure you’re taking BCAA’s at the scientifically proven ratio of 2:1:1 for Leucine to Isoleucine to Valine.

1: Carli G, Bonifazi M, Lodi L, Lupo C, Martelli G, Viti A. Changes in the exercise-induced hormone response to branched chain amino acid administration. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol, 1992;64(3):2727.

2: Kraemer WJ, et al. The effects of amino acid supplementation on hormone responses to resistance training overreaching. Metabolism, 2006 Mar;55(3):282-91.

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