Let's talk - Natural Mr Olympia gives advice

[QUOTE=Natural_O;229941361]Hi John,

I have purchased your book and have to say it is one of the best I have read. I have a few questions for you if you do not mind.

I am somewhere between mesomorph and endomorph, probably more towards endomorph.
I am actually following the sample diet you have outlined for endomorphs on page 101 for 175lb body -table 4.5.
I was able to go from 184 to 175 in about 3 weeks but for the last two weeks I am stuck at 175. Should I increase cardio lets say from 30min to 45min after workout? Any other suggestions?

Due to a back problem, I am not doing any Squats or Deadlifts. I am basically following the Two day alternate split on page 76, except that I have moved Deltoids to the Arms day.
Monday:Chest/Back/Calves
Tuesdayeltoids/Arms/Thighs/Abs
Wednesday:Off
Thursday:Chest/Back/Calves
Fridayeltoids/Arms/Thighs/Abs
(I can not workout Saturday/Sunday since the Gym is that my work)
I know that I have read somewhere in the Forum or maybe in the book that it is best to do muscle groups two times per week in order to generate enough TEST. Is that only for the first year until you get very strong or would that hold true all the time? Should I switch to a different program after 6 months?

I know one of the problems is that I do not do Squats/Deadlifts and leg work is relatively high rep. Should I designate more sets for Arms and Shoulders instead?

Does Beta Alanine works as good as Phosphatidylserine you have suggested to reduce cortisol levels?

I obviously do not compete, my main concern is to get to around 7-10% body fat. I am currently between 15-20%.


Thank you,
Steven[/QUOTE]

Hey Steven,

Glad you liked the book so much. As for losing the fat, I would suggest making changes in the diet first before adding more cardio. Do you know exactly how many calories and carbs you are taking in?

The routine you are following is a good intermediate routine for adding muscle mass. You are training each bodypart twice a week with this routine. You can increase the rest time for each muscle group by splitting the bodyparts over 3 days instead of two days. However, if you feel like you are getting good results from this routine, you can stick with it as long as you feel it is productive.

Testosterone is released with any type of high intensity anaerobic workout. The heavy compound movements like squats and deadlifts are the most effective for releasing large amounts of testosterone.

I wouldn't add more sets to your shoulder and arms workout just because you can't train your legs heavy. You can still train your legs intensely by doing higher reps on the leg press and hack squats. You may even be able to do squats with a lighter weight and more repetitions or you can superset squats with leg extensions to make the exercise more difficult for your quads without having to go so heavy.

Beta alanine is a great supplement for reducing lactic acid levels in the muscles during an intense training session. Phosphatidylserine is a supplement that helps reduce cortisol levels after a workout so they are two different supplements.

[QUOTE=jrjt27;229856161]Hey john,

how do you feel about pullovers with cables, barbell or dumbbells? Are they an affective exercise for the chest/back? Are they more affective for chest or back? What version of the pullover do you recomend? Or is it better to stick to the basics for chest?[/QUOTE]

I do pull-overs with a dumbbell at the end of my chest routine. I've only tried them with a barbell a few times and I felt it more in the lats. Doing the pull-overs with a single dumbbell at the end of my chest routine helps me feel it in the upper-inner pecs. You can also feel pull-overs in your lats too if you do them with your back routine. I think pull-overs are a great exercise for expanding the ribcage and building up the inner-upper pecs.

Hi John,

Thanks for a reply.

Do you mean it would be best to do something like 2days on, 1 off, 1on,1 off, 2days on...etc?
Not sure how to incorporate this since I can not workout on the weekend.
Should I just change it to a bodypart once per week? I am definitely not at the beginner level, intermidiate I would say.

Thanks

i would like to thank you for your relpies Mr. O. I believe that you are truly a man who is concerned with the better ment of the BB world. Thanks

[QUOTE=Natural_O;229947791]I do pull-overs with a dumbbell at the end of my chest routine. I've only tried them with a barbell a few times and I felt it more in the lats. Doing the pull-overs with a single dumbbell at the end of my chest routine helps me feel it in the upper-inner pecs. You can also feel pull-overs in your lats too if you do them with your back routine. I think pull-overs are a great exercise for expanding the ribcage and building up the inner-upper pecs.[/QUOTE]

would you consider them a staple exercise for chest? for back?

[QUOTE=Shreddedz;229963431]Hi John,

Thanks for a reply.

Do you mean it would be best to do something like 2days on, 1 off, 1on,1 off, 2days on...etc?
Not sure how to incorporate this since I can not workout on the weekend.
Should I just change it to a bodypart once per week? I am definitely not at the beginner level, intermidiate I would say.

Thanks[/QUOTE]

You can just keep it the way it is or, if you wanted to split your body over 3 days, you could do the first two days, take a day off (Wed), train Thursday and Friday and then take the weekend off. Pick up on Monday where you left off the week before.

[QUOTE=buffpastor;229991271]i would like to thank you for your relpies Mr. O. I believe that you are truly a man who is concerned with the better ment of the BB world. Thanks[/QUOTE]

Thanks, I appreciate that!

[QUOTE=jrjt27;230081071]would you consider them a staple exercise for chest? for back?[/QUOTE]

I think they are a staple exercise for developing a bigger ribcage and they also work the lats and upper chest. More young bodybuilders should do them to develop more depth in the ribcage which really helps you look more impressive in a lot of upper body poses.

[QUOTE=Natural_O;230456951]I think they are a staple exercise for developing a bigger ribcage and they also work the lats and upper chest. More young bodybuilders should do them to develop more depth in the ribcage which really helps you look more impressive in a lot of upper body poses.[/QUOTE]

guess its time to expand my goods , thanks for the help.

another quick one john, I got a problem with a lagging upper body. My legs are huge compared to my upper body , almost like a younger version of branch warren. Not really sure if i should stop the heavy squats/presses and focus more on leg extensions/lunges? should i train legs every 2 weeks? not reall sure how I should go about training my legs at this point , they keep growing!

[QUOTE=jrjt27;230876721]another quick one john, I got a problem with a lagging upper body. My legs are huge compared to my upper body , almost like a younger version of branch warren. Not really sure if i should stop the heavy squats/presses and focus more on leg extensions/lunges? should i train legs every 2 weeks? not reall sure how I should go about training my legs at this point , they keep growing![/QUOTE]

Tom Platz had this same problem at the height of his pro career. I would cut back on whatever exercise is giving you the most size in your legs. If heavy squats are the main exercise for you for building size, I would only do this exercise once a month and do extensions, leg presses and hacks on the other workouts. I did this with my biceps when I was competing about 10 years ago. They would grow so easily that I would only train them directly about 2-3 months before the contest. Normally, they would get so much stimulation from training back, I didn't need to train them directly.

[QUOTE=Natural_O;231377341]Tom Platz had this same problem at the height of his pro career. I would cut back on whatever exercise is giving you the most size in your legs. If heavy squats are the main exercise for you for building size, I would only do this exercise once a month and do extensions, leg presses and hacks on the other workouts. I did this with my biceps when I was competing about 10 years ago. They would grow so easily that I would only train them directly about 2-3 months before the contest. Normally, they would get so much stimulation from training back, I didn't need to train them directly.[/QUOTE]

im gonna give it a shot , prob only do 1 main exercise and realy pound out the extensions more

[QUOTE=Natural_O;231377341]Tom Platz had this same problem at the height of his pro career. I would cut back on whatever exercise is giving you the most size in your legs. If heavy squats are the main exercise for you for building size, I would only do this exercise once a month and do extensions, leg presses and hacks on the other workouts. I did this with my biceps when I was competing about 10 years ago. They would grow so easily that I would only train them directly about 2-3 months before the contest. Normally, they would get so much stimulation from training back, I didn't need to train them directly.[/QUOTE]

im gonna give it a shot , prob only do 1 main exercise and realy pound out the extensions more and curls , think there at close to 29inches now at 10% bf as a natural

hate to keep slamming you with questio but i wanted to ask you a quick question about your offseason nutrition? Do you ever keep a nutrition log in the offseason and write down what your eating? or do you just try to hit your protein totals and kinda balance the carbs and fats on how hungrey you are/fat gain/ appitite? knowing at this point you know your body pretty well?

Hey Natural~ I'm currently very confused when it comes to nutrition.
I'm trying to bulk very slowly, and add mainly lean mass. Completely lean mass if possible. I feel like I'm very insulin resistant, and my body doesn't respond well to carbohydrates. So usually I'll eat about 2k calories a day with mostly protein and fat. I use to carb cycle, which was working quite well before cross country but also very time consuming. I'm curious to what you think my diet should be macro wise/calorie wise @ 160 lbs 6'0. In my progress pic's I've basically weighed the same with minor muscle gains and a good amount of BF% gone. But I feel like I need to do something different. My ab's just aren't "popping" In the gym I usually do a 4 day split and switch up my lifts increasing every week. And do you recommend eating the bulk of my carbohydrates in the morning? Or consuming the PWO or both? I'm very confused atm I'd guess that my macro's would be like 20/40/40.

And example of my diet for a day would be

1 c oatmeal + 2tbs PB with 1 c black coffee in morning

school

Lunch: chicken breast with carrots +apple + ranch + cheese stick.

Protein shake with mixed berries after lifting

Dinner varies, and if I'm not too full from dinner I'll eat some CC + yogurt mixed with some cereal.

My main problem is I'm not very consistent, and sometimes I'll binge, and eat way out of proportion. I use to weight 205 lbs, and play football now i'm 160ish and run XC.

XC is over, and with winter starting I'd like to get my diet in key for bodybuilding.

Edit** I was considering starting the anabolic diet to add lean mass, would you recommend this?

NATURAL BODYBUILDING RADIO!

Hey Everyone, my new radio internet show, Natural Bodybuilding Radio, is now up and live! The show is sponsored by Optimum Nutrition and you can check out the first show today at [url]www.naturalbodybuildingradio.com[/url]. We will have a new show on each week. Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas for some new shows.

John Hansen

[QUOTE=Natural_O;232390721]NATURAL BODYBUILDING RADIO!

Hey Everyone, my new radio internet show, Natural Bodybuilding Radio, is now up and live! The show is sponsored by Optimum Nutrition and you can check out the first show today at [url]www.naturalbodybuildingradio.com[/url]. We will have a new show on each week. Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas for some new shows.

John Hansen[/QUOTE]

Cool! Listening now!

[QUOTE=jrjt27;231580021]hate to keep slamming you with questio but i wanted to ask you a quick question about your offseason nutrition? Do you ever keep a nutrition log in the offseason and write down what your eating? or do you just try to hit your protein totals and kinda balance the carbs and fats on how hungrey you are/fat gain/ appitite? knowing at this point you know your body pretty well?[/QUOTE]

Yes, I still try to write down my diet in the off season. Many times, I don't follow a strict diet in the off season and then I get away from writing it down. I'm in that situation now as I haven't written down my diet for quite a few weeks and I notice that I am adding too much bodyfat. When I write everything down and calculate how many calories, carbs, protein and fats I am taking in, I eat much better. When I don't write it down, I tend to eat more carbs than I need.

Hey John awesome physique! Natural is the only way I can imagine going.

I have a question on how heavy I should get b4 I should cut? What weight do you think I can get to b4 I start putting on too much fat. Right now I'm hovering around 220 @ 14% bf. Should I continue to bulk to mb 235. Do you think I would look cut at 225 if did that?

Sorry if that was a bit confusing, I'm just not sure when I should stop bulking and start cutting.

[QUOTE=Natural_O;232390721]NATURAL BODYBUILDING RADIO!

Hey Everyone, my new radio internet show, Natural Bodybuilding Radio, is now up and live! The show is sponsored by Optimum Nutrition and you can check out the first show today at [url]www.naturalbodybuildingradio.com[/url]. We will have a new show on each week. Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas for some new shows.

John Hansen[/QUOTE]

get layne norton on there!

Hi John,

I've enjoyed your thread and your honesty. I was wondering if I could ask you a couple questions, one training related, one a random appearance question

I'm not asking this to be an ass, I'm honestly curious. Is there a reason that almost all of your current pictures, your waistband is really high? Lower ab injury/scarring or something? Again, if you think this is too personal just ignore it.

Secondly, can you tell me if you think this workout regimen is over the top?

A little background:

I used to lift in my 20s, quit for about 7 years due to some personal problems. I started again 2 1/2 years ago but had problems with being consistent due to ongoing mood/energy levels so while I was better off than not working out at all I didn't make a lot of progress. Finally got those sorted out about 4 months ago and its been a different story since then. I've made twice the progress in these 4 months than I made in the prior 2 years.

All this is mostly to say I'm not a rank beginner but I'm still nowhere near where I would like to be.

My routines for a good while were still based on pre-internet info/random stuff I heard at the gym and just plain misinformation. I was making gains but in a lot of ways working against myself. After finding this site about and doing a ton of reading I started incorporating more compound lifts, reducing the amount of time I spent at the gym for a given session (it had gotten up to two and a half hours, I have problems not buying into 'more is always better) drinking a real post-workout shake and doing a split rather than all full body workouts.

I'd really prefer not to do more than 3 days a week in the gym, I have too many other things going on; working full time, need to spend time with my wife etc.

I tried doing a chest/back/legs+arms split Mon/Weds/Fri but recovery-wise it didn't feel like I was lifting heavy enough to justify a week between body parts. By the time Friday rolled around I was ready to work chest again, similarly with back, you get the idea.

So instead I tried alternating days so Chest/Shoulders one day Back/Legs the next with some alternating exercises so it looks like this:

Week 1
Mon: Back/Legs A, 20 min cardio
Tues: Off
Weds: Chest/Shoulders A, 20 min Cardio
Thurs: 30 min cardio
Friday: Back/Legs B
Saturday: 45 Min Cardio
Sunday: 30 min cardio

Week 2
Mon: Chest/Shoulders B, 20 min Cardio
Tues: Off
Weds: Back/Legs A, 20 min Cardio
Thurs: 30 min cardio
Fri: Chest/Shoulders A
Saturday: 45 min cardio
Sunday: 30 min cardio

(I know you generally aren't a proponent of a lot of cardio but I'm at 255 and 24% bodyfat and its a lot easier for me to do a little more cardio than try and cut back my food more. In 4 months I've come down from 268/28% while gaining strength so that part's been working for me)

This routine to be working pretty well in terms of making increases and being ready to work each muscle when it comes up. However, I have found I'm feeling pretty wiped out the day after I workout. This may be due to the fact that some of the lifts I'm doing are still very new to me, I've tried to make my workouts better rounded in terms of hitting things from different angles and I'm still getting used to doing deadlifts. I'm also doing my routine with less rest and more intensity than I'm used to in order to get everything done in in 90 minutes (including cardio) which is the time limit I'm trying to stay within.

Ok, all that being said, heres the workouts:

Chest/Shoulders A

Dumbell Bench Press 3x8
Dumbell incline press 3x8
Dumbell Decline Press 2x8
Calf Raises 4x12
Arnold seated dumbell 3x8
Rear Lateral raise 3x10
Barbell Curls (EZ) 3x10
Skull crushers (half
reverse grip) 4x12
Pec Deck 3x10
Crunches 3x20
Wrist Curls up 3x10
Wrist Curls down 3x10

Chest/Shoulders B
Barbell Bench Press 3x8
Barbell Incline Press 3x8
Barbell Decline Press 2x8
Donkey Calf Raises 4x12
Dumbell Shoulder Press 3x8
Reverse crunches 3x20
Reverse curls 3x10
Dumbell Curls 3x10
Tricep Kick-backs 3x10
Lateral Shoulder raises 3x10
Bench chest flys 3x10

Back/Legs A

Pullups 4x10 (assisted with a band)
Squats 4x8
Dumbell Row 3x8
Deadlift 4x5
Bent over row 3x 8-10
Leg Curl 2x10
Leg Extension 2x10
Crunches 2x20
Reverse crunches 2x20
Supermans or back Hyperextensions 2x14

Back Legs B

Wide Grip Chinups 4x10 (assisted with band)
Squats 4x8
Dumbell Row 3x8
Lunges 3x10
T-Bar Row 3x8
Leg Curl 3x10
Leg Extension 3x10
Reverse crunches 3x20
Supermans or back Hyperextensions 2x14


Addl. info:
I do a warmup set for each muscle which isnt included in the count. Exercises are done at about 70-80% 1rm.
I superset most of the isolation exercises.
Numbers are not 100% accurate, sometimes I pyramid or do drop sets

Does it seem like I'm trying to do too much? What should I drop if so?

Sorry it was so long but I wanted to include as much relevant info as possible.

Thanks,
C

john, Do you feel that leg training should be split up into quads/hamstrings on there own seperate days? The legs are indeed a big area to hammer in one day. My legs are a big strong point for me and I split up the quads and hamstrings on seperate days, but a respectable bodybuilder mention to me that if my legs are a strong point I should be training them together(hams and quads) on the same day. whats your input?


What is your opinion of the adduction/abbduction machines for legs? benifical? or a waste of time and not needed?

[QUOTE=LiftingAddict;233238391]Hey John awesome physique! Natural is the only way I can imagine going.

I have a question on how heavy I should get b4 I should cut? What weight do you think I can get to b4 I start putting on too much fat. Right now I'm hovering around 220 @ 14% bf. Should I continue to bulk to mb 235. Do you think I would look cut at 225 if did that?

Sorry if that was a bit confusing, I'm just not sure when I should stop bulking and start cutting.[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure what 14% bodyfat looks like so you would really have to use your better judgment in regards to how smooth you think you are now. Going up another 15 pounds is a lot if you think you already a little smooth now. However, if you think you can add a lot more muscle to your current condition, than you can slowly keep gaining more weight. To be cut at 225, you would have to be a very big guy. You would probably have to be pretty lean at 240 pounds to be cut and ripped at 225. I wouldn't worry too much about the numbers. Try to put on quality pounds and slowly gain the weight and don't focus so much on just getting to 240 pounds.

[QUOTE=corpun;234077751]Hi John,

I've enjoyed your thread and your honesty. I was wondering if I could ask you a couple questions, one training related, one a random appearance question

I'm not asking this to be an ass, I'm honestly curious. Is there a reason that almost all of your current pictures, your waistband is really high? Lower ab injury/scarring or something? Again, if you think this is too personal just ignore it.

Secondly, can you tell me if you think this workout regimen is over the top?

A little background:

I used to lift in my 20s, quit for about 7 years due to some personal problems. I started again 2 1/2 years ago but had problems with being consistent due to ongoing mood/energy levels so while I was better off than not working out at all I didn't make a lot of progress. Finally got those sorted out about 4 months ago and its been a different story since then. I've made twice the progress in these 4 months than I made in the prior 2 years.

All this is mostly to say I'm not a rank beginner but I'm still nowhere near where I would like to be.

My routines for a good while were still based on pre-internet info/random stuff I heard at the gym and just plain misinformation. I was making gains but in a lot of ways working against myself. After finding this site about and doing a ton of reading I started incorporating more compound lifts, reducing the amount of time I spent at the gym for a given session (it had gotten up to two and a half hours, I have problems not buying into 'more is always better) drinking a real post-workout shake and doing a split rather than all full body workouts.

I'd really prefer not to do more than 3 days a week in the gym, I have too many other things going on; working full time, need to spend time with my wife etc.

I tried doing a chest/back/legs+arms split Mon/Weds/Fri but recovery-wise it didn't feel like I was lifting heavy enough to justify a week between body parts. By the time Friday rolled around I was ready to work chest again, similarly with back, you get the idea.

So instead I tried alternating days so Chest/Shoulders one day Back/Legs the next with some alternating exercises so it looks like this:

Week 1
Mon: Back/Legs A, 20 min cardio
Tues: Off
Weds: Chest/Shoulders A, 20 min Cardio
Thurs: 30 min cardio
Friday: Back/Legs B
Saturday: 45 Min Cardio
Sunday: 30 min cardio

Week 2
Mon: Chest/Shoulders B, 20 min Cardio
Tues: Off
Weds: Back/Legs A, 20 min Cardio
Thurs: 30 min cardio
Fri: Chest/Shoulders A
Saturday: 45 min cardio
Sunday: 30 min cardio

(I know you generally aren't a proponent of a lot of cardio but I'm at 255 and 24% bodyfat and its a lot easier for me to do a little more cardio than try and cut back my food more. In 4 months I've come down from 268/28% while gaining strength so that part's been working for me)

This routine to be working pretty well in terms of making increases and being ready to work each muscle when it comes up. However, I have found I'm feeling pretty wiped out the day after I workout. This may be due to the fact that some of the lifts I'm doing are still very new to me, I've tried to make my workouts better rounded in terms of hitting things from different angles and I'm still getting used to doing deadlifts. I'm also doing my routine with less rest and more intensity than I'm used to in order to get everything done in in 90 minutes (including cardio) which is the time limit I'm trying to stay within.

Ok, all that being said, heres the workouts:

Chest/Shoulders A

Dumbell Bench Press 3x8
Dumbell incline press 3x8
Dumbell Decline Press 2x8
Calf Raises 4x12
Arnold seated dumbell 3x8
Rear Lateral raise 3x10
Barbell Curls (EZ) 3x10
Skull crushers (half
reverse grip) 4x12
Pec Deck 3x10
Crunches 3x20
Wrist Curls up 3x10
Wrist Curls down 3x10

Chest/Shoulders B
Barbell Bench Press 3x8
Barbell Incline Press 3x8
Barbell Decline Press 2x8
Donkey Calf Raises 4x12
Dumbell Shoulder Press 3x8
Reverse crunches 3x20
Reverse curls 3x10
Dumbell Curls 3x10
Tricep Kick-backs 3x10
Lateral Shoulder raises 3x10
Bench chest flys 3x10

Back/Legs A

Pullups 4x10 (assisted with a band)
Squats 4x8
Dumbell Row 3x8
Deadlift 4x5
Bent over row 3x 8-10
Leg Curl 2x10
Leg Extension 2x10
Crunches 2x20
Reverse crunches 2x20
Supermans or back Hyperextensions 2x14

Back Legs B

Wide Grip Chinups 4x10 (assisted with band)
Squats 4x8
Dumbell Row 3x8
Lunges 3x10
T-Bar Row 3x8
Leg Curl 3x10
Leg Extension 3x10
Reverse crunches 3x20
Supermans or back Hyperextensions 2x14


Addl. info:
I do a warmup set for each muscle which isnt included in the count. Exercises are done at about 70-80% 1rm.
I superset most of the isolation exercises.
Numbers are not 100% accurate, sometimes I pyramid or do drop sets

Does it seem like I'm trying to do too much? What should I drop if so?

Sorry it was so long but I wanted to include as much relevant info as possible.

Thanks,
C[/QUOTE]

I don't think the sets for the total workout are too excessive and you seem to be concentrating on the basic exercises, which is good. I also think it's a good idea to superset the isolation exercises to make the workout a little faster and more intense. What you might want to try is a different workout split. Doing back and legs in one workout is very difficult because those are the two biggest muscle groups in the body. Also, you are forced into doing chest, shoulders, triceps and biceps in the next workout. What I recommend to those who want to split their body into two workouts is to do chest, back and delts on the first workout and legs and arms on the second workout. You could also do a chest and back superset and a bicep and tricep superset for one of the two workouts just to change things up.

[QUOTE=jrjt27;234912711]john, Do you feel that leg training should be split up into quads/hamstrings on there own seperate days? The legs are indeed a big area to hammer in one day. My legs are a big strong point for me and I split up the quads and hamstrings on seperate days, but a respectable bodybuilder mention to me that if my legs are a strong point I should be training them together(hams and quads) on the same day. whats your input?


What is your opinion of the adduction/abbduction machines for legs? benifical? or a waste of time and not needed?[/QUOTE]

You could split up the quads and hamstrings into separate workouts if you wish. I always liked working these two muscle groups together because I seem to get a better pump in the legs by training them together. If I train quads first, I get a great pump in the hams when I train them after quads because there is so much blood in my quads. Same thing if I train hams first and then go to quads. When I tried doing hamstrings on their own separate day, I was stronger on hams but I didn't get the same pump. You can give it a try and see which way works better for you.

John just listened to the first naturalbodybuilding radio and I have to say, I'm very impressed with how candid you were about your personal competitive history and up front and no nonsense you are. You have a great perspective from being on both sides and I think this show has a bright future.

Eric

Hey John

i do 16 sets for chest , 20 sets for back& legs

12 sets for biceps, triceps, shoulders ,calves and abs,

Is that alright for high volume trianing or too much?

[QUOTE=Quelly;235318511]John just listened to the first naturalbodybuilding radio and I have to say, I'm very impressed with how candid you were about your personal competitive history and up front and no nonsense you are. You have a great perspective from being on both sides and I think this show has a bright future.

Eric[/QUOTE]

Thanks Eric, I appreciate that. Yes, I've always been very honest when it comes to bodybuilding. I am so tired of reading b.s. interviews and not getting the full truth and I think everyone else is also. I hope to bring that honesty and integrity to Natural Bodybuilding Radio and I think the show is going to be a fantastic show also. Thanks again for listening!!

[QUOTE=nz_shadow;235376561]Hey John

i do 16 sets for chest , 20 sets for back& legs

12 sets for biceps, triceps, shoulders ,calves and abs,

Is that alright for high volume trianing or too much?[/QUOTE]

I think you could cut back a little on the sets. If you are using the basic, growth-producing exercises and are training with heavy weights (6-10 reps) and really pushing yourself hard, you could do less sets and still get a great workout. I use about 10-12 sets for chest, 12 sets for back, about 10 sets for shoulders and triceps and only 7-8 sets for biceps. For calves, I do about 7-8 sets and 4-6 sets for abs.

[QUOTE=Natural_O;235311201]I don't think the sets for the total workout are too excessive and you seem to be concentrating on the basic exercises, which is good. I also think it's a good idea to superset the isolation exercises to make the workout a little faster and more intense. What you might want to try is a different workout split. Doing back and legs in one workout is very difficult because those are the two biggest muscle groups in the body. Also, you are forced into doing chest, shoulders, triceps and biceps in the next workout. What I recommend to those who want to split their body into two workouts is to do chest, back and delts on the first workout and legs and arms on the second workout. You could also do a chest and back superset and a bicep and tricep superset for one of the two workouts just to change things up.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the feedback John. I listened to your 1st bodybuildingradio segment, I remember those crappy concrete filled weights. I didn't lift weights in high school but my father bought a set around then, which sat in the back yard and rusted (well the bar did).