Let's talk - Natural Mr Olympia gives advice

[zzlxxlzz]

Wow, that is a big difference. I would definitely do some one-arm work at the end of your bicep workout and then do a separate workout about 2 days later working only that weaker arm. You could probably do that for 1-2 separate workouts each week until it catches up.

thanks john , your answer always useful for me

[romeo196]

hi Natural O, is there any good supplements that I can add for my cut other than fish oil? Is carnitine a good supplement to lower your bf or is a waste of money? thanks once again

[Natural_O]

hi Natural O, is there any good supplements that I can add for my cut other than fish oil? Is carnitine a good supplement to lower your bf or is a waste of money? thanks once again

Carnitine is supposed to help mobilize fatty acids so many bodybuilder take it before cardio. I'm not totally convinced any fat-burner on the market really works wonders. I've tried many but it's really all diet and cardio for getting ripped. Eating the right food is the key and some supplements will help but there is no magic pill for getting ripped. It all comes down to eating right and doing cardio.

[thereaperman]

Thanks for the replies John...

I was wondering what your opinion is on this 3 days on/1 off split

1. chest/triceps
2. back/traps/biceps
3. shoulders/legs
4. off
5.repeat

I know a lot of people that use this split and it seems it is very popular but usually among newbies... Is it a good split that u would recommend? Just wondering


Also do you ever come out to Northern California for shows or promotions and what not?

[al_77]

Hey John, can you critique my back workout? I have to say the most outstanding bodypart of yours is your lats lol.

Deadlifts: 3-4 sets (first set 8-10, rest of the sets 3-5)
Barbell Rows: 4x6-12
Seated Rows: 4x8-12
Lat pull downs: 4x10-12

Thanks man!

[zzlxxlzz]

hi john , with close grip bench press chest width grip or thumb width grip is better for mass ???

[Natural_O]

Thanks for the replies John...

I was wondering what your opinion is on this 3 days on/1 off split

1. chest/triceps
2. back/traps/biceps
3. shoulders/legs
4. off
5.repeat

I know a lot of people that use this split and it seems it is very popular but usually among newbies... Is it a good split that u would recommend? Just wondering


Also do you ever come out to Northern California for shows or promotions and what not?

It looks pretty good but you might have some overlap from training back the day before you train legs. If you are doing heavy rows and deadlifts, your lower back will probably be tight or sore the next day and it might interfere with squats and stiff-leg deadlifts. You might be better off doing legs the day before you train back. Another option is to take a day off after 2 days of training, then train for the third workout and then take another day off. For example:
Day 1 - Chest, Triceps, Biceps
Day 2 - Abs, Legs
Day 3 - Off
Day 4 - Delts, Back

[Natural_O]

Hey John, can you critique my back workout? I have to say the most outstanding bodypart of yours is your lats lol.

Deadlifts: 3-4 sets (first set 8-10, rest of the sets 3-5)
Barbell Rows: 4x6-12
Seated Rows: 4x8-12
Lat pull downs: 4x10-12

Thanks man!

That looks good, those are all mass-building exercises. I usually do it in reverse. I'll start out with the width-building exercises like chins or pulldowns and then go to barbell rows and seated rows and finish with deadlifts. It's good to start with deadlifts too though, just make sure you are warmed up so you don't pull anything with those heavy deadlifts.

[Natural_O]

hi john , with close grip bench press chest width grip or thumb width grip is better for mass ???

For the close grip bench, I use a grip width wider than thumb width but not as wide as a bench press exercise. It's sort of in the middle. That works your triceps better. If it's too close, you will feel it more in your wrists and shoulders and not as much in your triceps.

[zzlxxlzz]

thanks for this reply john
here is my next question : many bodybuilders said that short biceps is better for peak , but in "muscle muscle and fitness -arm part 2 , they suggest routine with barbell curl , ez bar preacher curl (for length ) hammer curl and concentration curl (of course for peak ) so, if they want training for length , why they suggest concentration curl (while short biceps is good for peak )???
hope u will reply soon , thanks so much

[Natzo]

hey John let me congratulate you for your physique! you are inspirational.

what's your opinion about higher frequency, training each bodypart twice per week?
and how would you put that into a split?

- do you think natural bb gains more from resting more and from low volume?

[Natural_O]

thanks for this reply john
here is my next question : many bodybuilders said that short biceps is better for peak , but in "muscle muscle and fitness -arm part 2 , they suggest routine with barbell curl , ez bar preacher curl (for length ) hammer curl and concentration curl (of course for peak ) so, if they want training for length , why they suggest concentration curl (while short biceps is good for peak )???
hope u will reply soon , thanks so much

They are putting the concentration curl in there for the peak and the preacher curl is included for the development of the lower biceps (or length). Your bicep shape is mostly determined by birth but you can do a lot to develop the biceps, obviously. I like including an exercise for the belly of the muscle like dumbbell curls or barbell curls. I also like to do preacher curls for the lower biceps and hammer curls or reverse curls for the brachialis muscle. When I was younger, I did concentration curls all the time but my peak was mostly genetic. I had a peak on my biceps when I was in the 8th grade, before I even started seriously lifting weights.

[Natural_O]

hey John let me congratulate you for your physique! you are inspirational.

what's your opinion about higher frequency, training each bodypart twice per week?
and how would you put that into a split?

- do you think natural bb gains more from resting more and from low volume?

Training each bodypart twice a week can be done, as long as you recuperate before you train that bodypart again. I was training each muscle group twice a week when I was younger (teenage and early 20's) but I increased the rest time between each muscle group as I got older. It takes longer to recuperate as you get older so the muscles stay sore longer. If you can train each muscle group twice a week without interfering with your recuperation, than I say go for it! I used to train the pushing and pulling muscles together like this:

Monday and Thursday - Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and Calves
Tuesday and Friday - Abs, Legs, Back, Biceps and Forearms

If you wanted to do a 3 day split, you could do this:

Day 1 - Chest, Deltoids, Triceps and Calves
Day 2 - Abs, Legs
Day 3 - Back, Biceps and Forearms
Day 4 - Rest
Day 5 - Repeat Cycle

[zzlxxlzz]

They are putting the concentration curl in there for the peak and the preacher curl is included for the development of the lower biceps (or length). Your bicep shape is mostly determined by birth but you can do a lot to develop the biceps, obviously. I like including an exercise for the belly of the muscle like dumbbell curls or barbell curls. I also like to do preacher curls for the lower biceps and hammer curls or reverse curls for the brachialis muscle. When I was younger, I did concentration curls all the time but my peak was mostly genetic. I had a peak on my biceps when I was in the 8th grade, before I even started seriously lifting weights.

wow so amazing , your biceps so great!

[italianplaya30]

Hey John in ur interview with Layne norton

you talk about a program you used to help get stronger
it was like 10 sets of 5 reps one week
and 10 sets of 4 the following week

Can you describe that program for me ?

thanks

[zzlxxlzz]

hi john , in chest training , barbell or db is better fot thick or i should train both barbell and db , and for lower chest decline bench press or db pullover is better?
and in arm training , can i peak my triceps ? , if it's possible which are exercises can make it peak ?
thanks so much

[NaturalLoco]

Hey John,

I am currently at around 15-17% bodyfat @ nealy 250lbs or to be precise 114Kg.. I will be competing next year in around october.. Do you think it would be wise to do maybe a 2 month cut to loose the excess bodyfat that i have accumulated while bulking or continue to eat and gain on a clean bulk ?

I am in two minds about this considering i feel i need to add more muscle to my outer quads, calves, triceps and upper chest

What do you suggest?

thank you

[TeamFlex]

For natural bodybuilders, how long would you recommend one cuts for in order to keep the most muscle?

[Jansen_Ongko]

you are inspirational for us sir

[Natural_O]

Hey John in ur interview with Layne norton

you talk about a program you used to help get stronger
it was like 10 sets of 5 reps one week
and 10 sets of 4 the following week

Can you describe that program for me ?

thanks

I did this routine with squats. This is how I did it:

Week 1 - 365 lbs x 5 reps x 10 sets
Week 2 - 385 lbs x 4 reps x 10 sets
Week 3 - 405 lbs x 3 reps x 10 sets
Week 4 - 385 lbs x 5 reps x 10 sets
Week 5 - 405 lbs x 4 reps x 10 sets
Week 6 - 425 lbs x 3 reps x 10 sets
Week 7 - 405 lbs x 6 reps x 10 sets

[Natural_O]

hi john , in chest training , barbell or db is better fot thick or i should train both barbell and db , and for lower chest decline bench press or db pullover is better?
and in arm training , can i peak my triceps ? , if it's possible which are exercises can make it peak ?
thanks so much

For me, it seems like the barbell bench press hits my lower pecs more because I am bringing the bar down to the lower chest. The DB Bench Press hits more my outer pecs because that is where the dumbbells are being lowered. Both are good for thickness. I would recommend doing both. For the lower chest, the decline bench press is definitely better. The DB Pullover hits more the upper-inner pecs as well as expanding the ribcage.

Can you peak your triceps? Hmmm, I never heard of a peaked triceps. I'm not sure what you mean by that. There are exercises for the outer head of the triceps as well as the long head and the medial head but I'm not sure how you would peak the triceps muscle.

[Natural_O]

Hey John,

I am currently at around 15-17% bodyfat @ nealy 250lbs or to be precise 114Kg.. I will be competing next year in around october.. Do you think it would be wise to do maybe a 2 month cut to loose the excess bodyfat that i have accumulated while bulking or continue to eat and gain on a clean bulk ?

I am in two minds about this considering i feel i need to add more muscle to my outer quads, calves, triceps and upper chest

What do you suggest?

thank you

Making the decision to keep bulking up or to get a little leaner depends on your metabolism. If you have a super fast metabolism and have a hard time gaining any weight, it would probably be wise to keep gaining as much weight as you can, as long as it's not too much fat. If you feel you have enough fat on your body, you can continue to make gains in those bodyparts simply by training hard enough and eating enough calories to feed the muscle but not so many calories that you continue to put on excess fat.

[Natural_O]

For natural bodybuilders, how long would you recommend one cuts for in order to keep the most muscle?

I did it as long as possible so I only lost a pound or two a week and didn't lose any muscle. I would typically diet for 16-20 weeks, depending how bulked up I was in the off season.

[Natural_O]

you are inspirational for us sir

Thanks!

[zzlxxlzz]

For me, it seems like the barbell bench press hits my lower pecs more because I am bringing the bar down to the lower chest. The DB Bench Press hits more my outer pecs because that is where the dumbbells are being lowered. Both are good for thickness. I would recommend doing both. For the lower chest, the decline bench press is definitely better. The DB Pullover hits more the upper-inner pecs as well as expanding the ribcage.

Can you peak your triceps? Hmmm, I never heard of a peaked triceps. I'm not sure what you mean by that. There are exercises for the outer head of the triceps as well as the long head and the medial head but I'm not sure how you would peak the triceps muscle.

Oh no i'm so stupid >< i'm just want to ask how can i train long head of triceps and which exercies can build long head mass , so if the long head so big , people will ez to see it , the big long head of triceps is always look so good (in my opinion)
Hope u will aply soon and sorry for this stupid question

[Natural_O]

Oh no i'm so stupid >< i'm just want to ask how can i train long head of triceps and which exercies can build long head mass , so if the long head so big , people will ez to see it , the big long head of triceps is always look so good (in my opinion)
Hope u will aply soon and sorry for this stupid question

LOL, no problem. I understand what you mean now. For the long head, any type of overhead extension movement is good. My favorite is the seated tricep extension using an EZ Kurl bar but putting a very slight incline on the bench, so you are almost sitting straight up. If you lower the bar really deep, you will feel it in the long head of the triceps. Also, doing skull crushers on a decline bench hits the long head also. You can also do bench dips with your hands behind you on the bench and your feet elevated. All are good for the long head of the triceps.

[zzlxxlzz]

LOL, no problem. I understand what you mean now. For the long head, any type of overhead extension movement is good. My favorite is the seated tricep extension using an EZ Kurl bar but putting a very slight incline on the bench, so you are almost sitting straight up. If you lower the bar really deep, you will feel it in the long head of the triceps. Also, doing skull crushers on a decline bench hits the long head also. You can also do bench dips with your hands behind you on the bench and your feet elevated. All are good for the long head of the triceps.

thanks so much john

[.assassin.]

John, what would you say is more effective at hitting the long head of the tricep?
Skullcrushers or one arm DB overhead extensions?

[zzlxxlzz]

John, what would you say is more effective at hitting the long head of the tricep?
Skullcrushers or one arm DB overhead extensions?

in my opinion , skullcrusher hit the lateral head more than long head , and db overhead extentions hit the long head

[zzlxxlzz]

hi john , with close grip bench press and with ez bar triceps ext
, i should lock my elbow or not ?
thanks so much