GET TO WORK

In this month’s intro you won’t find yappy speeches or even over-enthusiastic encouragement. The temptations of the holidays are over and it’s time to stop talking, get in the gym and make some gains. So go lift big.

— Adrian Burke — Co-Prez FUSION BODYBUILDING Inc.

WEIGHTY WORDS

“If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.”

Carl Lewis — Track and Field Olympic Medalist

THE GYM CHALLENGE

Are you Gym Rat enough to take the challenge?

Increase the weight of your shoulder press by 30% before you get the next MT issue. That's three months for you newbies!

QUICK GYM TIP

MIX IT UP

It’s easy to get comfortable without even realizing it. Before you know it you’ve fallen into a routine, and that’s going to keep you from making gains in the gym. Like you, your muscles get comfortable doing things the same way over and over, but more than just getting comfortable, they get good at expending as little energy as possible to get the job done. Problem is, that means they won’t grow at nearly the rate they could. To maximize your gains you need to continually keep shaking things up. That doesn’t just mean changing barbell curls to hammer curls; it means changing up every aspect of you workout. Use an overhand grip for a few weeks. Switch your workout to the morning and try reversing your training so that instead of starting with heavy movements like a bench press, then moving to lighter movements like a cable crossover, you do the lighter movements first (with added weight) then move to the heavier movements (now with less weight). By keeping your body guessing, you’ll avoid plateaus and make huge gains.

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.

MUSCLE SCIENCE

Beat the winter blues so you don’t get sidelined

When the winter comes around, you can end up getting the blues — but not just the regular blues. You can get Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also called “the winter blues.”¹ This disorder is more common than you might think, with up to 20% of people suffering from it.

SAD usually sets in when there’s less light and less concentrated light, like in the winter or when the sun goes down. Often, this can cause significant mood changes.

But SAD can be confusing for bodybuilders because the symptoms of the condition mimic those of overtraining. The symptoms of SAD include sleeping too much, having low energy levels, a losing motivation, feeling depressed and anxious, and craving for sweets and junk foods.

The key thing for bodybuilders is to notice if they experience these symptoms from training too much or whenever the sun goes down.

SAD isn’t permanent — you can beat it. Here are some quick tips for beating SAD before it beats you:

	See the light Bright-light therapy is a proven method of getting the full-spectrum light you need to chase the blues away.
	Get to the gym A hard workout is a great way to stimulate your energy levels and heighten your mood. It’s also one of the best ways to treat SAD.
	Melatonin Melatonin supplementation helps reset your natural sleep cycles — cycles that, when disrupted, can cause SAD. Melatonin supplementation is proven to chase away SAD.
	See your doctor If your SAD gets chronic and severe, see your doctor. Often, doctors will prescribe anti-depressants that have a powerful track record of successfully treating SAD.

SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES:

1. Ivry S. Seasonal Depression can Accompany Summer Sun. The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2008.

From Kitchen to Cooler

Winter Nutrition — Focus on food before you feel funky

When it gets cold outside and people around you start getting sick, you need to be armed. In short, you need an action plan before you get sick from the latest superbug.

Naturally, your diet is the front line of your defences, so it makes sense to start there. Here are the three best tips for modifying your diet this winter.

	Eat more calories During the winter months, your body has to use more energy because it works harder to keep you warm and mount a defence against harmful bacterial and viral invaders. Eat more and give it the extra energy it needs to keep you on top of your game.
	Eat more vegetables Less selection is available in the winter, but don’t let that stop you. You need plenty of vegetables in the winter, especially green vegetables that are high in calcium and immune-system-boosting chlorophyll. Veggies fight back inflammation and white vegetables such as garlic and onions are antibacterial and antiviral — natural antibiotics — that keep you healthy and in top form. Eat up.
	Eat more fats Fatty acids are critical for your health, especially in the winter when fresh fish isn’t so easy to get. Essential fatty acids not only are calorie-rich sources of energy, but also boost your testosterone and hormone production and reduce inflammation that comes from training and sickness.

TOP TIPS

– HITTING LAGGING BODY PARTS

We all have body parts that just don’t cut it. The difference between being well-proportioned and making excuses for your too-small calves, shoulders or lats is proper training those weak parts and realizing it’s going to take time.

Work it on Monday

Work your lagging muscle group right at the beginning of the week. It’s when you have the most energy and are the most motivated.

Top of your training

Just like hitting your weak spots first thing in the week, you need to hit them at the start of a session. Chances are you’re working several body parts, and while it’s easy and gratifying to hit your good muscles by putting your underdeveloped parts at the beginning, you’ll give it your full attention.

Isolate and pre-exhaust

Make sure you’re properly isolating and exhausting your lagging muscles. Doing large compound movements that cover several muscle groups might not be properly working your weak spots. Hit them hard with isolation exercises before you do any compound movements. This will ensure they’re more than half-worked.

Hit it more often

Put it on your training program twice or three times a week. It’s important not to overtrain, but hitting it more often will give you results.

Hit it harder

Punish that part for not growing by either upping the reps or the weight. By adding more poundage or pushing up the number of lifts, you can snap it out of its lethargy. Just be sure to lift with the proper form and safely

Take a picture.

Most times it’s a question of motivation. If you don’t get results, why train? If it’s a slow-growing muscle group you might not notice the gains. Making a visual record can reveal growth and keep you on track

Try a superset

Supersets are simply two exercises back to back without rest. One of the movements should be an isolation exercise, while the other can be either an isolation or compound movement.

In 1965, Harold Poole was the youngest person to compete for Mr. Olympia at age 21. He came in second, but he had already been Mr. Universe in 1963 and the first African-American to be Mr. America in 1964.

Check Out This Site

www.gymjournal.com

Thank you for taking the time to sign up for The Muscle Times — let us know what you think. If you have a second, please drop us a line. We answer all our emails. themuscletimes@fusionbodybuilding.com

The information contained in this newsletter is for informational use only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a qualified medical professional before you begin any exercise program. Perform the programs in this newsletter at your own risk. FUSION BODYBUILDING Inc. accepts no responsibility for injuries that may occur as a result of performing these exercises. There are no typical results with use of these workout programs. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. PRIVACY POLICY.

© 2009 FUSION BODYBUILDING Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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