Let's talk - Natural Mr Olympia gives advice

[al_77]

I like sticking with exercises that work. I don't think you can replace a squat or barbell row or bench press, etc. Those exercises have been proven effective over time. However, I do think the body can get stale very quickly if you do the same exercises over and over again. I have two different routines for each muscle group and I alternate these routines week to week. Sometimes I will throw in new exercises or do drop sets or supersets to switch things up. I can also use lighter weights for more reps to get a different response.

Hey John, this is a quick addition to my question.

I currently have one set program for each muscle group, just like anyone else. I do not follow the weekly switching protocol that you follow. How long should I stick with it; do you suggest a set-limit (8 weeks, 4 weeks, etc-) then switch it up

[Natural_O]

Hey John, this is a quick addition to my question.

I currently have one set program for each muscle group, just like anyone else. I do not follow the weekly switching protocol that you follow. How long should I stick with it; do you suggest a set-limit (8 weeks, 4 weeks, etc-) then switch it up

Yes, if you are doing the same routine each time, I would stick with it for about 6 weeks and then use different exercises that work the same area of the muscle (example, switch barbell bench press with db bench press). That should shock the muscles enough as long as you can increase the intensity (reps, resistance, intensity) each week during those 6 weeks.

[Buka]

Hey John,
Was at the Natural Illinois this weekend. You put on a great show and it really has me motivated to get in the North American Natural Bodybuilding contest that you are putting on in August.
I will be competing as a Grand Master. One question I have is how do you train the last few days before the contest. Do you train hard and heavy even the last week before the show or do you rest some to be ready for a full day of hard posing?

Thanks
Sam

[Natural_O]

Hey John,
Was at the Natural Illinois this weekend. You put on a great show and it really has me motivated to get in the North American Natural Bodybuilding contest that you are putting on in August.
I will be competing as a Grand Master. One question I have is how do you train the last few days before the contest. Do you train hard and heavy even the last week before the show or do you rest some to be ready for a full day of hard posing?

Thanks
Sam

Thanks Sam! Glad you enjoyed the show and I look forward to seeing you onstage in August!

For the last week, I usually recommend training just moderately heavy or even a little light. I used to train Monday through Wed and take off the last few days before the contest. You don't want to risk an injury by training too heavy the last week before the show. Just pose a lot and really watch your diet.

[Buka]

Hey John
Well currentely I am doing legs,calves, and abs on Monday. Then chest and back on Wednesday. Shoulders and abs on Friday. Then biceps and triceps and calves on Saturday. So I will plan on a moderate leg workout on Monday. A moderate to light chest and back workout on Wednesday and then spend the last few days doing alot of poseing.
Thanks for the info.

[Natural_O]

Hey John
Well currentely I am doing legs,calves, and abs on Monday. Then chest and back on Wednesday. Shoulders and abs on Friday. Then biceps and triceps and calves on Saturday. So I will plan on a moderate leg workout on Monday. A moderate to light chest and back workout on Wednesday and then spend the last few days doing alot of poseing.
Thanks for the info.

Sounds good. Another tip is to not do anything too heavy for the legs. Don't do heavy squats or leg presses because it can actually blur the separation in your quads for the show. Just do leg extensions and lunges, get a good pump and nothing heavy.

[Natural_O]

Check out my interview with Tricky Jackson, Tracy Beckham and Jose Raymond on Pro Muscle Radio!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/promusc...o-muscle-radio

[Buka]

Sounds good. Another tip is to not do anything too heavy for the legs. Don't do heavy squats or leg presses because it can actually blur the separation in your quads for the show. Just do leg extensions and lunges, get a good pump and nothing heavy.

Thanks for the tip John. I need all help that I can get. Its been 25 years since I did any contest. I got in a few here locally in the Quad Cities and a few in the Chicago area that a man named Ira Hurley put on back in the late 70s and early 80s. I made a good
showing for myself but never really had a prayer because all these shows where full of drug users. I got very discouraged and quite trying to compete but contined to train.
These drug tested contest have given me new motivation.
Thanks again.

[A_Hard_Rain]

John

What are your thoughts on a HIT training style? That is, for each exercise, one balls to the wall set to failure, 3-5 exercises per body part. I've been doing it for about a week and it's been feeling pretty good in the gym, but I'm not getting as sore as I normally would with a higher volume training style.

Thanks

[Natural_O]

John

What are your thoughts on a HIT training style? That is, for each exercise, one balls to the wall set to failure, 3-5 exercises per body part. I've been doing it for about a week and it's been feeling pretty good in the gym, but I'm not getting as sore as I normally would with a higher volume training style.

Thanks

I've never used HIT exclusively in my workouts. I like to gradually go heavier each set and finish with 2 heavy sets of 6-8 reps. I never felt like I could get enough from just one all out set although it does work for some people. The way Mike Mentzer used to do it (according to his articles) was he would use a very heavy weight for 6 reps to failure and then take it beyond failure by using negatives or forced reps or rest pause or a combination of those methods. You're probably not getting as sore because you are not producing lactic acid from the low repetitions. I'm doing a power phase now where I'm going slow on the eccentric part of the movement and only doing 4-6 reps and I don't get much of a pump and I'm not as sore as I thought I would be from going so heavy.

[zzlxxlzz]

hi john , when i do ez bar triceps extension , i feel stretch on my shoulder , so should i flare my elbows when i do extension or not to prevent stretch on shoulders ?

[Natural_O]

Thanks for the tip John. I need all help that I can get. Its been 25 years since I did any contest. I got in a few here locally in the Quad Cities and a few in the Chicago area that a man named Ira Hurley put on back in the late 70s and early 80s. I made a good
showing for myself but never really had a prayer because all these shows where full of drug users. I got very discouraged and quite trying to compete but contined to train.
These drug tested contest have given me new motivation.
Thanks again.

Wow, Ira Hurley! You are going way back! Ira ran bodybuilding in Illinois when I first started as a teenager. He was super critical of everyone who competed so you knew when he gave you a compliment that you were really making improvements!

[Natural_O]

hi john , when i do ez bar triceps extension , i feel stretch on my shoulder , so should i flare my elbows when i do extension or not to prevent stretch on shoulders ?

I don't know why you would be feeling the stretch in your shoulders on the triceps extension. Is this lying down or seated? If you feel the exercise more in your triceps by flaring your elbows, then by all means do that. Maybe you are bringing the bar too far down at the bottom of the movement.

[Buka]

Wow, Ira Hurley! You are going way back! Ira ran bodybuilding in Illinois when I first started as a teenager. He was super critical of everyone who competed so you knew when he gave you a compliment that you were really making improvements!

I did have fun getting in his contest. One thing I will have to say about his contest was that he gave out some very nice trophies.
I got in the 1981 Junior Mr. Illinois. I placed 7th in the Medium Class and received a 2ft high trophy.
That was a thrill for me but the biggest thrill was that Sergio Oliva presented me with my trophy and shook my hand. That is a moment I will never forget. My bodybuilding Idol then and still to this day shaking my hand and giving me that trophy. He was in awesome condition and HUGE.

[Natural_O]

I did have fun getting in his contest. One thing I will have to say about his contest was that he gave out some very nice trophies.
I got in the 1981 Junior Mr. Illinois. I placed 7th in the Medium Class and received a 2ft high trophy.
That was a thrill for me but the biggest thrill was that Sergio Oliva presented me with my trophy and shook my hand. That is a moment I will never forget. My bodybuilding Idol then and still to this day shaking my hand and giving me that trophy. He was in awesome condition and HUGE.

Wow, the '81 Jr. Illinois! Where was that held and who won, do you remember? I was competing as a teenager that year so I'm sure I was there either watching or competing.

[Buka]

Wow, the '81 Jr. Illinois! Where was that held and who won, do you remember? I was competing as a teenager that year so I'm sure I was there either watching or competing.

Hey John,
It took some digging but I did find it. I have a huge pile of old magazines,newsletters, and fliers. I had a subscription to a small magazine called "Physique Action Line" back then. The first scan is the August 1981 issue. The second scan is the June 1981 issue where I found your name.

[Natural_O]

Hey John,
It took some digging but I did find it. I have a huge pile of old magazines,newsletters, and fliers. I had a subscription to a small magazine called "Physique Action Line" back then. The first scan is the August 1981 issue. The second scan is the June 1981 issue where I found your name.

That is so cool! Thanks for scanning those. I used to have those magazines too. I might have them buried somewhere. Wow, I remember a lot of those names. It's amazing that Bart Woods beat Phil Rohde for the overall at the Jr. Illinois. I competed against Bart when I was a teenager. That's great stuff, thanks again!!

[Natural_O]

We have a new show up today on Natural Bodybuilding Radio!
This week, we interview some of the Champions from the 2010 ABA Natural Illinois Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure Championships. Here is the link:
http://naturalbodybuildingradio.com/...winners-part-1

[MagicSteve]

Hi John.

5 weeks into my cut and I'm seeing some major progress which is good! Whats your opinion on training in the morning before no breakfast?

Just listening to your podcasty radio show! You sound a lot like Bob Chick!

Steve

[Natural_O]

Hi John.

5 weeks into my cut and I'm seeing some major progress which is good! Whats your opinion on training in the morning before no breakfast?

Just listening to your podcasty radio show! You sound a lot like Bob Chick!

Steve

Hey Steve, if you are training in the morning, I would recommend that you have at least a protein drink (Optimum Nutrition Hydro Whey protein is very fast absorbing) along with some oatmeal so you have the amino acids and carbs that you will need for a good workout. You definitely don't want to go in on an empty stomach (unless you are doing cardio) because you won't have the energy or glycogen to get a good workout in. It will be worth it to get up 45 min earlier to have that meal. It will make a huge difference! Good luck with your diet!!

[markandspike]

HI john

Looking at the pro bodybuilders on you tube and non of them have very long sets(tempo is very fast) but dr squat and charles polquin both state that the negative part is very important for the growth of the muscle fibers. Why are most pro training different but show huge muscle mass.

Thanks

mark

[Natural_O]

HI john

Looking at the pro bodybuilders on you tube and non of them have very long sets(tempo is very fast) but dr squat and charles polquin both state that the negative part is very important for the growth of the muscle fibers. Why are most pro training different but show huge muscle mass.

Thanks

mark

I'm not sure which pros you are talking about Mark but my guess is that it's probably the drugs. The powerful combination of anabolic steroids, growth hormone and insulin creates an incredibly anabolic environment in the body so the training almost become secondary, in a way. Many of these guys just have to go in the gym and lift, some go heavy and some go light but they all blow up because of how their bodies respond to the drugs. They don't have to use perfect form or go slow on the negative or extend the length of the set in order to get great results. Again, if you are natural, it's not a good idea to follow the routines of the pros or expect similar results because what they are taking and how their bodies respond compared to someone who is natural is not even comparable.

[Natural_O]

We have another new show up this week on Natural Bodybuilding Radio. This week is Part 2 of the interviews with the Champions from the 2010 ABA Natural Illinois competition. We interview Maggie Pawelek, the Figure Open winner and Pierce Walker, the Overall Men's Open winner. To listen to the show, click on the link here:
http://naturalbodybuildingradio.com/...onships-part-2

[kluska399]

John Hansen says hes a natural competitor and has won the natural mr. olympia and universe. Do you think he is natural? He is a very big guy, probaly the biggest claimed natural. I know Ronnie and Jay and those guys claim natural but this guy actually has competed in national natural events. I know the human body is capable of great things but getting this big naturaly is hard top concieve. Whats your thoughts?

ronnie and jay do not claim that they are natural.. they are just silent whenever asked. check out dorian's cycle... http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/an...s-s-cycle.html

[kluska399]

i heard that natural bodybuilders who "take a year off" use steroids in that time and then when they compete they are off of them. of course you lose a TON of your muscle when you stop taking the juice.. but it does help

[Natural_O]

i heard that natural bodybuilders who "take a year off" use steroids in that time and then when they compete they are off of them. of course you lose a TON of your muscle when you stop taking the juice.. but it does help

That sucks if that's what competitors are doing. The whole reason for the natural contests is to allow a venue where bodybuilders who do not want to use steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs can compete on a level playing field. That's why I love it when the tests catch those who cheat.

[juan072]

That sucks if that's what competitors are doing. The whole reason for the natural contests is to allow a venue where bodybuilders who do not want to use steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs can compete on a level playing field. That's why I love it when the tests catch those who cheat.

I never hear about anyone failing, I guess they don't publicize it at all. Have any high profile winners ever been stripped of their titles because of this that you know of?

[Natural_O]

I never hear about anyone failing, I guess they don't publicize it at all. Have any high profile winners ever been stripped of their titles because of this that you know of?

To be honest, the only organization that I know of that publicly reveals the people who have failed the test is the INBA. In fact, on their website, www.naturalbodybuilding.com, they have the Hall of Shame where they list who failed the drug test and what drugs they tested positive for. I'm not too familiar with the other organizations and how they handle this. I have tested several people at the contests that I promote and I honestly thought a couple of them would fail but everyone has passed so far.

[Quelly]

To be honest, the only organization that I know of that publicly reveals the people who have failed the test is the INBA. In fact, on their website, www.naturalbodybuilding.com, they have the Hall of Shame where they list who failed the drug test and what drugs they tested positive for. I'm not too familiar with the other organizations and how they handle this. I have tested several people at the contests that I promote and I honestly thought a couple of them would fail but everyone has passed so far.

Alot of the other orgs poly, and those that fail don't even get on stage, they only take the urinalysis if they've passed the poly, so very few are caught by urinalysis....but every year here in california at the the INBF show (that's now an NANBF show) about 1-4 people end up not getting on stage.

[Natural_O]

Check out our interview with NPC Team Universe champ Jeff Rodriquez on Natural Bodybuilding Radio this week: http://naturalbodybuildingradio.com/...jeff-rodriguez