BODY OF WORK: THE COMPLETE EVOLUTION OF ARNOLD

See how Arnold Schwarzenegger transformed from bodybuilder, to movie star, back to bodybuilder.

Trying to choose Arnold Schwarzenegger's best look is like trying to pick his best movie one-liner. His physique has undergone so many changes over the years, each one awesome in its own way, that it becomes the proverbial apples vs. oranges debate. But many bodybuilding pundits agree that Arnold’s peak shape—onstage, anyway—came at the 1974 Mr. Olympia, a year prior to the contest filmed for the movie Pumping Iron (which casual fans usually assume was Arnold’s most impressive showing). On the 40th anniversary of that competition, we look back at how Arnold’s physique has followed his amazing career, changing for contests, movies, and the demands of a life as public as any ever lived.

’74, AND SO MUCH MORE

On Oct. 12, 1974, Arnold swaggered onto the stage at New York City’s Felt Forum to meet Lou Ferrigno. Though the man who would be Hulk was four years younger and 20 pounds heavier, Arnold’s smirk grew wider as he hit his first few poses. At 240-plus pounds, yet with a waistline that still measured just 34 inches, Arnold had brought his best-ever body to the Olympia dais—and he knew it. He’d decided months earlier that he’d retire from bodybuilding after that night, and wanted to punctuate his reign over the sport by leaving no doubt that he was the greatest bodybuilder ever.

His blend of mass, symmetry, and definition was absolutely perfect. His arms were thick, his already legendary biceps fully peaked. Even Ferrigno, at 6'5", couldn’t outmuscle him.

At the same time, Arnold hadn’t sacrificed any of the definition he’d shown the year before. When he hit his chest poses, lines etched across his pecs as if being chiseled in right before your eyes. His abs and thighs, though never his strong suit, were sharp and fully formed.

He had no weak points. He was the best bodybuilder in the world.

NUTRITIONAL RULES FOR A FULL-BODY SHRED

Apply these strategies to your diet and watch your physique respond.

Shortcuts to packing on new muscle mass and getting ripped to the bone are frequently peddled on late-night TV, but sadly, these feats cannot be accomplished with quick fixes or next-day miracles. You can, however, implement certain dietary practices that, over time, will guarantee your investment in fitness. Yes, getting in your best shape ever requires hard work in the gym, but without the proper nutrition to fuel your gains, you’re dead in the water. Feeding your body the right way is just a matter of repetition—learning and developing the kinds of dietary habits that leave your body with no choice but to respond with cover model-worthy size, strength and detail. By applying the bulk of these 16 strategies to your diet, you’ll find that things really do fall into place automatically, even if they don’t happen overnight.

Adding new muscle to your frame is an admirable pursuit, but no matter how much weight you lift in the gym, you’ll never obtain that tight, shredded look you covet without chipping away at your bodyfat stores. Many people mistakenly think that losing fat is simply a matter of exercising more and eating less, yet a bodybuilder can’t afford to arbitrarily hack calories and run until it hurts. It’s about striking a balance. These tips will help you get lean without losing hard-earned muscle.

1) CYCLE CARBS

Limit your carbohydrate intake for 4-5 days, then boost carbs for the following two days. When you cut calories you lose fat, but when you cut calories and limit your carbs to 100 grams or less for 4-5 days, the body goes into a fat-burning mode that’s influenced both by fewer calories and a favorable hormonal shift. When you reverse the process and increase your carb intake to 250-300 grams for two days, you drive your metabolism even higher. Just remember to keep protein intake high to spare muscle tissue.

2) CLOCK YOUR CARBS

Too many carbs can make you fat, but too few for an extended period can slow your metabolism. That’s why timing is important: Consume a hefty sum of your daily carbohydrates at breakfast and after training. Eating at least 50 grams of fast-digesting carbs first thing in the morning and immediately postworkout hinders training-induced muscle breakdown and keeps cortisol, a stress hormone that destroys muscle and slows metabolism, in check.

3) USE BCAAS TO PRESERVE MUSCLE

To help prevent catabolism, take 5-10 grams of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) with breakfast as well as before and after training. Ingested preworkout, BCAAs are used by the body as a substitute fuel source so it doesn’t tap into stored muscle protein to get through a session. Also, when you’re going low-carb, BCAAs can better trigger protein synthesis.

4) MAKE CARBS WORK FOR YOU

Since building muscle is the best way to burn more fat in the long run, you need to make your workouts intense enough to elicit the gains you want. Taking in 20 grams of fast-digesting whey protein and 20-40 grams of slow-digesting carbs (from sources such as fruit, sweet potatoes or brown rice) 30 minutes or less before your first rep helps you power through your workouts with the required intensity. Keep the weight loads up and your rest periods short to burn through your preworkout fuel.

5) INCREASE NEUROTRANSMITTERS

What’s a neurotransmitter? Think spark plug. These chemicals in the brain signal the body’s internal fat-burning machinery to shift into an active state. Caffeine, evodiamine and tea (green, oolong and black) boost these fat-fighting chemicals, especially when taken before training and in the absence of carbohydrates. Dosages vary, but each can be taken in a stack with other fat-burners 2-3 times a day, with at least one of those doses coming 30-60 minutes preworkout.

6) PRIORITIZE SLOW-BURNING CARBS

Slow-digesting carbs such as beans, whole-grain breads and pastas, oatmeal, brown rice and sweet potatoes should constitute the bulk of your daily carbohydrate intake (the exceptions being first thing in the morning and immediately postworkout). Slow carbs reduce the effect of insulin, the hormone that initiates both hunger and fatstorage. Research confirms that athletes who consume slow-digesting carbs burn more fat throughout the day as well as during exercise.

Bodybuilding Tips for Hands and Feet

Exercise articles and video usually do well when showing solid training techniques. You can easily find out what body geometry to assume and what your knees should look like; to apply a tight back, proud chest, and more. Where these articles drop the ball is in their frequent neglect of hands and feet.

Get a Grip, Set Your Stance

It’s easy to take your hands and feet for granted, but you shouldn't, they're the anchors for all the weight you're lifting! The truth is, minor changes to hands and feet can mean huge differences to what you hit during your set. Here’s a few FAQ’s that can get things started on the right foot -- pun intended.

Should I use a false grip for barbell presses?

A false (thumb less) grip is a subject of plenty of controversy. Since the thumb isn’t wrapped securely around the bar, the risk for injury increases. That said, there’s a reason many elite-level power lifters and advanced trainees alike use it. Having the bar located directly above the wrist can be better achieved using a false grip. Without the thumb in the way, the bar can travel straight across the base of the palm. More importantly, a false grip allows you to squeeze the bar harder through the fourth and fifth fingers. This makes for more triceps activation when bench pressing. You'll feel a difference, but this is not a grip for beginners. Use a false grip at your own risk, and be sure to squeeze the life out of the bar when you use it.

I’m always told to press through my heels when squatting. What do I do with my toes?

This is one of the most misconstrued blanket cues in all of fitness. People practice the cue to apply heel pressure with good intention, but then proceed to take half their foot off the ground as a result. This creates another variation of the same problem. In truth, the ball of the foot and toes should get FULL pressure when doing an exercise that requires pushing through the feet – that includes squat variations, leg press, and lunges. As long as you’re not specifically asked to do otherwise (like in the case of sissy squats, for example), press down through the whole foot.  A lifter needs to have all the muscles of the foot and shin active to enforce stability, and that comes from pressing through them. Moreover, I like to apply mild outward tension (spreading the floor) with my feet to involve more leg musculature.

Shoulder-width stances are best when squatting, right?

Wrong. The real answer (which is actually the same with most definitive fitness questions) is: It depends. See, for many, I’m sure a typical shoulder width stance isn’t bad. But it really depends on what stance works for you based on your levers, goals, mobility, and most importantly, your skeletal frame. If your hip sockets are positioned facing more frontwards than the next guy, chances are a narrow-stance squat will promote the best depth and least resistance for you. Alternatively, if you have a wider hip width and outward –facing sockets, then your best depth may be hit with ease using a wider stance.  

Schedule for Beginners in Bodybuilding

Weight-lifting machines help guide beginners through movements. Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
By Tina Pashley

Bodybuilding develops strong, impressive muscle throughout your body and should concentrate on your major muscle groups, including your chest, back, shoulders, arms, abdomen and legs. If you are new to bodybuilding, start slow and build your strength gradually. Attempting to lift too much weight too soon can put you at risk for injury. As you physically progress, increase the amount of weight you train with and incorporate different exercises with various forms of strength-training equipment. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults perform at least two full-body strengthening sessions a week. Target every major muscle group twice a week over three days of training. Complete two sets of eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise.

Strengthening Equipment

Three main types of strengthening equipment exist to help you build a muscular physique. Strength-training machines are ideal for beginners because this equipment isolates specific muscles and helps you learn proper technique. However, as you progress physically, incorporate free weights into your routine as well as body-weight exercises to help strengthen stabilizing muscles that help you complete your movements.

Monday

Use strength-training machines to target your legs, back, chest and abdomen. Use a leg press machine to target your quadriceps and a seated leg curl machine for your hamstrings. Perform lat pull-downs on a strength-training machine for your central back. Move on to a chest fly machine to concentrate on your pectoral muscles. Complete your workout with oblique crunches for both your central and side abdominal muscles.

Wednesday

Target your shoulders, arms, abdomen and chest on the second weight-lifting session of the week. Strengthen your chest, triceps and shoulders with a bench press machine. For your biceps, use a biceps curl machine. Finish your second bodybuilding routine of the week with an abdominal strength-training machine or perform traditional crunches on an exercise mat.

Friday

Strengthen your back, legs, arms and shoulders on the last day of training. Use a lat pull-down machine with a wide grip to target your back and biceps. Strengthen your quadriceps with a leg extension machine and your hamstrings with a lying leg curl machine. Move on to a triceps extension machine for the backs of your arms. Finish your last workout of the week by using a shoulder-building military press machine.

 Source Internet.

Vitamins for Building Blood

                           By R. Y. Langham, Ph.D.

Hemoglobin is a protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and organs and transports carbon dioxide from your organs and tissues back to your lungs. Your bone marrow constantly produces new red blood cells because they typically wear out and die after 120 days, according to Barbara Bain, author of "Beginner's Guide to Blood Cells." When your body does not receive an adequate supply of blood and oxygen, it can lead to anemia and fatigue. A variety of vitamins can replenish or rebuild red blood cells and increase blood circulation.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A improves immune-system function, aids in red blood cell production, helps absorb iron, supports cellular development, promotes a healthy bone marrow, produces hemoglobin and improves blood circulation, according to Michael Zimmermann, author of "Burgerstein's Handbook of Nutrition: Micronutrients in the Prevention and Therapy of Disease." The recommended daily dosage for vitamin A is 900mcg for men and 700mcg for women. Foods rich in vitamin A include whole milk, baked or canned sweet potatoes, broccoli, kale, collard greens, butternut squash, nonfat milk, butter, eggs, canned pumpkin, raw carrots, mangoes and fortified breakfast cereals.

Vitamin B-12

Vitamin B-12, also known as cobalamin, aids in red blood formation, supports healthy bone marrow, regulates cell division, increases blood flow to your heart and brain and lowers your risk of developing megaloblastic anemia, a type of anemia that occurs when abnormal red blood cells cannot store or transport oxygen to your tissues, according to Dr. Darwin Deen and Lisa Hark, M.S., authors of "Complete Guide to Nutrition in Primary Care." The recommended daily dosage for vitamin B-12 is 2.4mcg for adults. Foods rich in vitamin B-12 include steamed clams, steamed crabs, skim milk, Brie cheese, roasted chicken, beef, salmon and roasted turkey.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C strengthens your immune system and protects your red blood cells from harmful free radicals that can deplete your blood supply, according to Judith Brown, author of "Every Woman's Guide to Nutrition." Brown says that vitamin C also aids in cellular metabolism, accelerates the healing process, increases red blood cell production and improves blood circulation. The recommended daily dosage for vitamin C is 1,000mg for adults. Foods rich in vitamin C include strawberries, cranberries, pineapples, kiwi, kale, turnip greens, spinach, oranges, tomatoes and grapefruits.

Iron

Iron supports cellular growth, transports oxygen to your tissues and organs, improves bone marrow function, increases red blood cell production and lowers your risk of developing iron-deficiency anemia, a type of anemia that occurs when your blood lacks an adequate supply of healthy red blood cells, according to Steve Blake, author of "Vitamins and Minerals Demystified." The recommended daily dosage for iron is 45mg for adults. Foods rich iron include beef, oysters, shrimp, raisin bran cereal, kidney beans, cashew nuts, firm tofu, molasses, light tuna and dark meat chicken.

A variety of vitamins can increase the amount of blood your body produces. Photo Credit vitamin image by Olexandr Chub from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>

Your First Workout Plan Beginners Workout Plan (first workout schedule)

Now we are going to speak about bodybuilding for beginners. I know, that beginners are not ready to digest hard workouts because of little recovery abilities. In additional to, beginners do not feel their muscles correctly. There is not muscle – mind connection and work efficiency is too low. That is why your first workout program (if you are a beginner) must be short and easy. The main target of beginner’s workout plan is preparing body for next overloads and to master your technique. Your should understand it clearly:

1. Prepare body for next hard workout overloads

2. Master your workout technique (muscle-mind connection)

You can achieve these targets by use this beginners workout plan. I give my clients two such programs. Choosing is depending on your Physical Condition. Ok, here they are.

1.    Full body workout plan

2.    Two day workout plan

When you use first one, you have to train all body parts on every workout. Than you have one day rest for recovery and repeat workout again when go to gym next day.

The second beginner’s workout plan is harder. You split your body for two days workout. But, as in first program, every workout day follow after one rest day.

First workout plan is good for woman, people with very bad physical conditions, and for workout at home gym. I name it pre-beginners schedules.

Pre- beginners workout plan (Full body per day)

(workout 3 days per week or every other day)

Day 1 –rest–
Day 2 workout
Day 3 –rest–
Day 4 workout
Day 5 –rest–
Day 6 workout
Day 7 –rest–
Day 8 workout
and so on…

Abs	crunches	3×8-20
Legs	squatsLeg extension	1×20 + 2×8-12 1×20 + 2×8-12
Back	PulldownsLow cable rows	1×20 + 2×8-12 1×20 + 2×8-12
Chest	incline bench pressIncline dumbbell press	1×20 + 2×8-12 1×20 + 2×8-12
Shoulders	Front presses	1×20 + 2×8-12
Biceps	standing curls	1×20 + 2×8-12
Triceps	Pushdowns	1×20 + 2×8-12
Calves	Standing Raises	1×20 + 2×8-20

·         You perform two exercises for big muscle group (Legs, Back, Chest)

·         And one exercise for other muscles (arms, abs, shoulders)

·         Firs set per each exercise must be warming up. (light weight and 12-20 reps)

·         Than you perform two “working” sets (6-12 reps). Do working set without help.

Ok. And now lets see more harder program.

Beginners workout plan (two days divided)

As you see I add rest day after each training day in beginners workout. It is very important for recuperation. You have to know, that muscles grow not during workout, but when you are resting. In this program we use this method too. We split your body into two parts (leg, back, abs and chest, shoulders, arms) to workout muscles more closely. Bat each second day is for rest.

Your workout program in this case look like this

Day 1 –rest–

Day 2 A) Legs Back Abs

Day 3 –rest–

Day 4 B) Chest Shoulders Arms

Day 5 –rest–

Day 6 A) Legs Back Abs

Day 7 –rest–

Day 8 B) Chest Shoulders Arms

and so on…

When you begin use this workout program, you can add few sets per each exercise. I, as usual, advise to use compound exercise because of their high efficiency. Your workout routines can be look like this:

Day A (first)Legs Back Abs
Crunches	4 sets Х maximum quantity of reps
Barbell Squats	2Х20 (warm-up) + 3Х10 (working)
Lying Leg Curs	1Х20(warm— up) + 3Х10 (working)
Pull-Ups or Pulldowns	4Х8-10
Bent Over Barbell Rows	4Х8-10
Day B (second)Chest, Shoulders, Arms
Barbell Incline Bench Presses	2х15 (warm-up)+ 3х6-8 (working)
Dumbbell Bench Presses	4х6-8
Military Presses	1х10 (warm-up) + 3Х8-10 (working)
Barbell bicep Curls	1×15 (warm-up)+4×6-10 (working)
Dips or tricep extension	4×6-10

·         Rest between sets for 1 minute. Your workout duration is only 40 minutes. It is very good for beginners and not only.

·         You have to follow this workout for 3 months or more. Afterwards, we begin use more spitted workouts.

·         Do remember main target. Master your technique and prepare body for next hard workouts.

·         Your weight will be increasing greatly but do not be too glad. The reason lies not in muscle growth but in technical adaptation to perform exercises in more ‘economical’ way.

·         You have to increase you protein daily intake and sleep duration. 10 hours to sleep per day and 1 gram of protein per each bodyweight pound.

·         You have to ran workout log (workout journal) in order to check your progress

About beginners workout plans and first workout schedule. Written by: Dennis Borisov
© May 2010 www.gymper.com. All rights reserved. Reprint article with link only.