Let's talk - Natural Mr Olympia gives advice

[zzlxxlzz]

hi john , do u think about training arms with supersets biceps&triceps , is it good ? , i see a lots of natural pro do this , such as kane sumabat & lanye norton .. , if traning with heavy weight is the best way to packing on muscle , why they do supersets ?
looking for your reply and thanks so much

[co1e_train]

Hey John, question about bb splits for a natural.

It seems that many natural bb'ers from the forums here, such as Layne Norton, Tommy Jeffers and a host of others on the board, are advocates of some form of upper/lower split that is done in a hypertrophy/heavy alternation of workouts or a push/pull/legs etc. Basically, some form of split that allows for body parts & workouts to be completed twice a week.

Im curious on what your take on this is in terms of is that kind of split more beneficial for a natural competitor for building mass/strength opposed to a 1 body part a week workout plan that is used by a lot of IFBB. Im more less just wondering what your take and opinion is and even as to your reasoning why.

Thanks!

[Natural_O]

hi john , do u think about training arms with supersets biceps&triceps , is it good ? , i see a lots of natural pro do this , such as kane sumabat & lanye norton .. , if traning with heavy weight is the best way to packing on muscle , why they do supersets ?
looking for your reply and thanks so much

Yes, supersetting the arms is a good workout. It's a great way to pump a lot of blood into the area. You're right that the best way to get bigger is to use heavy weights for 6-8 reps. You can still do this if you are supersetting because you are doing opposing bodyparts (biceps and triceps) and not supersetting the same muscle (i.e., doing two exercises for the biceps consecutively). I always found the best way to build my arms was to really heavy on chest and back movements. My biceps grew a lot from doing heavy barbell rows and chins, probably more so than doing heavy biceps exercises. Some people have a hard time getting bigger arms and this may be due to having slower twitch fiber types in the biceps and triceps. If this is the case, doing higher reps (longer tension time) may help to increase the size of the arms. Also, doing more reps causes more of a pump and this will increase the size of the arms by getting more blood into the muscle and affecting growth in a different way. One good method is to train the arms heavy in the traditional 6-8 reps method earlier in the week and then do a short superset workout at the end of the week to really pump them up and get them even bigger.

[Natural_O]

Hey John, question about bb splits for a natural.

It seems that many natural bb'ers from the forums here, such as Layne Norton, Tommy Jeffers and a host of others on the board, are advocates of some form of upper/lower split that is done in a hypertrophy/heavy alternation of workouts or a push/pull/legs etc. Basically, some form of split that allows for body parts & workouts to be completed twice a week.

Im curious on what your take on this is in terms of is that kind of split more beneficial for a natural competitor for building mass/strength opposed to a 1 body part a week workout plan that is used by a lot of IFBB. Im more less just wondering what your take and opinion is and even as to your reasoning why.

Thanks!

I think how often you train a muscle group depends on your age and your recuperation ability. When I was younger (19-24 years old), I would train each muscle group twice a week. As I got older, I started training each muscle group only once a week. In order to get the proper number of rest days (completely off from training) and still train each muscle group in a week, you cannot split the bodyparts up more than three days. Like you mentioned, push/pull/legs. If you worked the body over 3 days and took a day off, that would be four days so you could train each muscle group twice over an 8 day period. When I started training less frequently, I was splitting my body over a 4 day split (chest and triceps, legs, shoulders and calves and back and biceps). At first, I was doing this 4 days on, 1 day off. This would have me training each muscle group once every 5 days. When I started throwing in a rest day (chest, triceps on day 1, legs on day 2, rest day on day 3, shoulders on day 4, back and biceps and day 5 and rest day on day 6), I was now training each muscle group once every 6 days. You can train each muscle group more often if you train more muscle groups together in one workout (push, pull, legs) but, again, this depends on your ability to recuperate and this changes as you get older. When I was 20-21 years old, I used to train chest, delts, triceps and calves on Monday and Thursday and abs, legs, back and biceps on Tuesday and Friday. This was BRUTAL workout, especially doing legs, back and biceps on the same day. However, I was able to do it and grow from it because I was still very young.

[co1e_train]

When I was 20-21 years old, I used to train chest, delts, triceps and calves on Monday and Thursday and abs, legs, back and biceps on Tuesday and Friday. This was BRUTAL workout, especially doing legs, back and biceps on the same day. However, I was able to do it and grow from it because I was still very young.

Wow! I bet that was tough split and def tough workouts. It seems from your post that your and advocate of training more frequently i.e a push/pull/legs (which I happen to be doing currently) unless someother circumstance's make it less optimal like age. In your experience as a Natural competitor do you find this method of training (each body part twice every 7-8 days) more beneficial for naturals opposed the regular 1 day a week split I guess would be my follow up question. I just want to get the most out of my split as I can.

Thanks again!

[zzlxxlzz]

Yes, supersetting the arms is a good workout. It's a great way to pump a lot of blood into the area. You're right that the best way to get bigger is to use heavy weights for 6-8 reps. You can still do this if you are supersetting because you are doing opposing bodyparts (biceps and triceps) and not supersetting the same muscle (i.e., doing two exercises for the biceps consecutively). I always found the best way to build my arms was to really heavy on chest and back movements. My biceps grew a lot from doing heavy barbell rows and chins, probably more so than doing heavy biceps exercises. Some people have a hard time getting bigger arms and this may be due to having slower twitch fiber types in the biceps and triceps. If this is the case, doing higher reps (longer tension time) may help to increase the size of the arms. Also, doing more reps causes more of a pump and this will increase the size of the arms by getting more blood into the muscle and affecting growth in a different way. One good method is to train the arms heavy in the traditional 6-8 reps method earlier in the week and then do a short superset workout at the end of the week to really pump them up and get them even bigger.

thanks so much john , it;s usefull for me

[Natural_O]

Wow! I bet that was tough split and def tough workouts. It seems from your post that your and advocate of training more frequently i.e a push/pull/legs (which I happen to be doing currently) unless someother circumstance's make it less optimal like age. In your experience as a Natural competitor do you find this method of training (each body part twice every 7-8 days) more beneficial for naturals opposed the regular 1 day a week split I guess would be my follow up question. I just want to get the most out of my split as I can.

Thanks again!

Yes, I think if you can train each bodypart twice a week and recuperate, than you should do that. I liked training each muscle group twice a week when I was younger because my joints and muscles would recuperate in a couple days. The reason I put so many muscle groups together in one workout is because I wanted at least three full days of rest so I could grow. After I did this routine for a while, I switched to a three days on, one day off program which allowed me to train legs by themselves and it gave me a another day of rest before hitting that bodypart again.

[co1e_train]

Yes, I think if you can train each bodypart twice a week and recuperate, than you should do that. I liked training each muscle group twice a week when I was younger because my joints and muscles would recuperate in a couple days. The reason I put so many muscle groups together in one workout is because I wanted at least three full days of rest so I could grow. After I did this routine for a while, I switched to a three days on, one day off program which allowed me to train legs by themselves and it gave me a another day of rest before hitting that bodypart again.

I see. Thanks John, I appreciate it a ton!

[metallideth]

john,

how lean do natty pros get when on stage. like brian whitcare or layne norton? are they around 4-5% body fat

[Natural_O]

john,

how lean do natty pros get when on stage. like brian whitcare or layne norton? are they around 4-5% body fat

Yes, I would bet they are around 5% bodyfat, which is extremely lean and ripped. When I won the 1996 Natural Mr. Universe - Pro division, I was around 7% bodyfat. I was leaner than that when I won the '92 Universe and the '98 Natural Olympia but I didn't get my bodyfat tested those years.

[metallideth]

Yes, I would bet they are around 5% bodyfat, which is extremely lean and ripped. When I won the 1996 Natural Mr. Universe - Pro division, I was around 7% bodyfat. I was leaner than that when I won the '92 Universe and the '98 Natural Olympia but I didn't get my bodyfat tested those years.

isn't it difficult to get that lean naturally? not that i'm saying it's impossible. just out of curiosity what type of training and dieting regimen would someone follow to get that lean? in terms of diet what type of macronutrient split would you use to get lean? for the natty bodybuilder how much of a role will cardio play in getting of the stubborn fat cause diet could only help you so much i would assume since it's not really normal/natural to be so lean.

[Natural_O]

Hey Everyone,

Check out all the new stuff on Natural Olympia.com!

http://www.naturalolympia.com/index.html

The Latest News features reports from the 2010 Arnold Classic,
the National Fitness Hall of Fame and the 2010 Natural Illinois Championships:

http://www.naturalolympia.com/frameset_latestnews.html

To read about the full Photo Report of the 2010 Natural Illinois Championships:

http://www.naturalolympia.com/frames...toresults.html

Finally, to check out all the information on the upcoming 2010 Natural North America:

http://www.naturalolympia.com/NatNor...rPstr10-lr.pdf


Keep Pumping!

John Hansen
www.naturalolympia.com

[Quelly]

isn't it difficult to get that lean naturally? not that i'm saying it's impossible. just out of curiosity what type of training and dieting regimen would someone follow to get that lean? in terms of diet what type of macronutrient split would you use to get lean? for the natty bodybuilder how much of a role will cardio play in getting of the stubborn fat cause diet could only help you so much i would assume since it's not really normal/natural to be so lean.

to be honest nowadays getting that lean is about what it takes to get a pro card in the natural orgs unless its a pretty weak show or you just have that good of size and symmetry, getting that lean is rare and very difficult, but the good amateurs and the majority of pros do it every time they compete. There are a number of natural bodybuilders on this site who have achieved that level of conditioning naturally even.

[Natural_O]

isn't it difficult to get that lean naturally? not that i'm saying it's impossible. just out of curiosity what type of training and dieting regimen would someone follow to get that lean? in terms of diet what type of macronutrient split would you use to get lean? for the natty bodybuilder how much of a role will cardio play in getting of the stubborn fat cause diet could only help you so much i would assume since it's not really normal/natural to be so lean.

Yes, it is very difficult to get that ripped. The big drawback is that you tend to lose muscle mass when the bodyfat gets that low. The body has to acquire energy from somewhere and it always easier for the body to tap into muscle tissue than to keep drawing on stored fat. Too much cardio will eat up muscle tissue, especially when you are eating a lower calorie and lower carb diet. With the macro nutrients, you would definitely need to eat a high protein diet to maintain the muscle tissue and also use the protein as energy because the other macros are lower. I always tried very hard, when I was competing, to keep my muscle mass up and stay full while getting lean. I wasn't always successful at it and sometimes I would lose a show because I wasn't ripped enough even though I was big and full. It seems like the natural bodybuilders from the last ten years or so have gotten extremely ripped and shredded, even to the point of losing muscle. I personally could never get striated glutes. I would probably have to lose a good 15 pounds of muscle to get that ripped. I would normally compete at 200-205 ripped. I'll bet I would have to get down to 185 to have shredded glutes and I never wanted to sacrifice that much muscle that I worked so hard to get.

[metallideth]

Yes, it is very difficult to get that ripped. The big drawback is that you tend to lose muscle mass when the bodyfat gets that low. The body has to acquire energy from somewhere and it always easier for the body to tap into muscle tissue than to keep drawing on stored fat. Too much cardio will eat up muscle tissue, especially when you are eating a lower calorie and lower carb diet. With the macro nutrients, you would definitely need to eat a high protein diet to maintain the muscle tissue and also use the protein as energy because the other macros are lower. I always tried very hard, when I was competing, to keep my muscle mass up and stay full while getting lean. I wasn't always successful at it and sometimes I would lose a show because I wasn't ripped enough even though I was big and full. It seems like the natural bodybuilders from the last ten years or so have gotten extremely ripped and shredded, even to the point of losing muscle. I personally could never get striated glutes. I would probably have to lose a good 15 pounds of muscle to get that ripped. I would normally compete at 200-205 ripped. I'll bet I would have to get down to 185 to have shredded glutes and I never wanted to sacrifice that much muscle that I worked so hard to get.

to be honest nowadays getting that lean is about what it takes to get a pro card in the natural orgs unless its a pretty weak show or you just have that good of size and symmetry, getting that lean is rare and very difficult, but the good amateurs and the majority of pros do it every time they compete. There are a number of natural bodybuilders on this site who have achieved that level of conditioning naturally even.

thanks for the insightful responses

[Quelly]

Yes, it is very difficult to get that ripped. The big drawback is that you tend to lose muscle mass when the bodyfat gets that low. The body has to acquire energy from somewhere and it always easier for the body to tap into muscle tissue than to keep drawing on stored fat. Too much cardio will eat up muscle tissue, especially when you are eating a lower calorie and lower carb diet. With the macro nutrients, you would definitely need to eat a high protein diet to maintain the muscle tissue and also use the protein as energy because the other macros are lower. I always tried very hard, when I was competing, to keep my muscle mass up and stay full while getting lean. I wasn't always successful at it and sometimes I would lose a show because I wasn't ripped enough even though I was big and full. It seems like the natural bodybuilders from the last ten years or so have gotten extremely ripped and shredded, even to the point of losing muscle. I personally could never get striated glutes. I would probably have to lose a good 15 pounds of muscle to get that ripped. I would normally compete at 200-205 ripped. I'll bet I would have to get down to 185 to have shredded glutes and I never wanted to sacrifice that much muscle that I worked so hard to get.

Well hell John, you've built such a fantastic physique that you don't have to get uber ripped to be competitive, and you're right, its very tough to get that lean without sacrificing fullness or muscle mass, but it can be done! Heck you've interviewed some guys like Phillip Ricardo Jr, Doug Miller, Jim Cordova, Brian Whitacre, and Jeff Rodriguez who manage to get striated glutes and keep their size....but hell....its HARD work to do and its tough to figure out!

[DanTheManB]

Well hell John, you've built such a fantastic physique that you don't have to get uber ripped to be competitive, and you're right, its very tough to get that lean without sacrificing fullness or muscle mass, but it can be done! Heck you've interviewed some guys like Phillip Ricardo Jr, Doug Miller, Jim Cordova, Brian Whitacre, and Jeff Rodriguez who manage to get striated glutes and keep their size....but hell....its HARD work to do and its tough to figure out!

they'd keep MORE size if they didnt get that lean. still going to end up sacrificing muscle to get that lean. but it depends on how one wants to look on stage. i've seen guys win pro cards and not be the leanest on stage. i nfact what helped them MORE was keepin size

[Natural_O]

they'd keep MORE size if they didnt get that lean. still going to end up sacrificing muscle to get that lean. but it depends on how one wants to look on stage. i've seen guys win pro cards and not be the leanest on stage. i nfact what helped them MORE was keepin size

Yeah, it all depends on what the judges are looking for. I would say, in general, that the judges want conditioning over size. I was always hesitant to sacrifice size for conditioning though. I lost the Natural Mr. Universe one year to a competitor who was my height but he only weighed 170 pounds and I was 208. I was almost 40 pounds heavier than him and he still beat me and I wasn't smooth by any means, I was down to around 7% bodyfat but he was ripped so the judges went for his look.

I recently interviewed Rich Fitter, the new head of the WNBF organization and he mentioned that that organization is going to add an additional round of judging this year in their pro shows where they will specifically be looking for muscle mass and proportion. Robert Kennedy, from Muscle Mag International Magazine, also said on my show that he thinks Natural Bodybuilding is not growing that much because the bodybuilders are small and ripped instead of being big and full. Here is the link to that interview if you want to listen to it: http://naturalbodybuildingradio.com/...robert-kennedy

[o24u2]

Hi John,
Great thread. I have a question for you. Completely natural bodybuilder,age in upper 40's , 6' 1", lifting heavy , eating correctly, resting sufficiently. Currently have gone from 233 after lengthy layoff to 212 in about 10 weeks. Losing it slowly and correctly, weights still going up and all looking good so far.Muscles filling back in, seperation starting to show, some vascularity .. My question concerns later, when I have leaned out enough ( not competing but looking for about 9%) I intend to bulk add more muscle to my frame.
As an observation on your part, I was considering bulking by going over on my calories and was wondering, how much should I eat over Maint. ?considering the amount required to build lean mass, and the excess bulk that always seems to come with it..
I guess I'm asking...
1. How much actual lean mass can I put on training correctly in a months/ or weeks time ? During a bulk..
2. Of weight gained during a good clean bulk what is the LBM/ratio? Typically.
3. Whats a good number of calories to eat daily based on that? No sense eating 1,000 calories over maint. if at some point the ratio of fat gain gets to be not optimal.
Does this make sense?

[Natural_O]

Hi John,
Great thread. I have a question for you. Completely natural bodybuilder,age in upper 40's , 6' 1", lifting heavy , eating correctly, resting sufficiently. Currently have gone from 233 after lengthy layoff to 212 in about 10 weeks. Losing it slowly and correctly, weights still going up and all looking good so far.Muscles filling back in, seperation starting to show, some vascularity .. My question concerns later, when I have leaned out enough ( not competing but looking for about 9%) I intend to bulk add more muscle to my frame.
As an observation on your part, I was considering bulking by going over on my calories and was wondering, how much should I eat over Maint. ?considering the amount required to build lean mass, and the excess bulk that always seems to come with it..
I guess I'm asking...
1. How much actual lean mass can I put on training correctly in a months/ or weeks time ? During a bulk..
2. Of weight gained during a good clean bulk what is the LBM/ratio? Typically.
3. Whats a good number of calories to eat daily based on that? No sense eating 1,000 calories over maint. if at some point the ratio of fat gain gets to be not optimal.
Does this make sense?

It gets tricky when you are trying to put on mass and gain weight after 40. I think it is a good idea getting really lean before you try to put on more mass because your metabolism will be faster when you are leaner than it is now. It's hard to say exactly how many calories or carbs you will need to gain size. What you should do now is count exactly how many calories, protein, carbs and fats you are taking in and then slowly increase it when you are trying to gain mass without getting too fat. Instead of eating the same higher amount of calories, it would probably be better to cycle it just like some people do when they are dieting. You can go higher with the carbs and calories for 2-3 days in a row and then go lower for a day or two. Try out different numbers (calories and carbs) and different amount of days in a row. See what works best for your body at this point. The more you write everything down, the easier it will be to figure out what your body needs to respond and gain size without gaining too much fat. You're right, if you just eat a higher amount of calories every day, you will get fatter. It's a totally different situation when you get past 40.

[o24u2]

Yes, I realize that age has it's disadvantages for gaining mass. I have in past had arms over 17". So there is a history of muscle, though neglected for a few years.

I document my food every day in an Excel spreadsheet I created so I can track calories and macro nutrients and what their percentage of my diet they are daily. I also document my workouts in a notebook, excercise, weight, reps and rest between sets.I have a list of excercizes for each part and rotate them at regular intervals as well as styles.

My worry was, at my age, overeating to the point where the optimal amount of calories taken in were being met. I have no idea how much of that extra food it takes to build LBM.
In my younger days, I just ate till the cows came home and then some. I'm just not sure what to go by here,but, I guess I could simply start off by increasing enough to expect a pound a week gain in weight and watching my waistline to get a feel for the amount that going to the storage shed.

Do you have any idea at what age it actually becomes impossible to build lean mass?
Also, any idea how long I will be able to recomp during this cut? I definitely want to take advantage of what time I have for leaning out with minimum LBM loss.
Thanks .

[Natural_O]

Yes, I realize that age has it's disadvantages for gaining mass. I have in past had arms over 17". So there is a history of muscle, though neglected for a few years.

I document my food every day in an Excel spreadsheet I created so I can track calories and macro nutrients and what their percentage of my diet they are daily. I also document my workouts in a notebook, excercise, weight, reps and rest between sets.I have a list of excercizes for each part and rotate them at regular intervals as well as styles.

My worry was, at my age, overeating to the point where the optimal amount of calories taken in were being met. I have no idea how much of that extra food it takes to build LBM.
In my younger days, I just ate till the cows came home and then some. I'm just not sure what to go by here,but, I guess I could simply start off by increasing enough to expect a pound a week gain in weight and watching my waistline to get a feel for the amount that going to the storage shed.

Do you have any idea at what age it actually becomes impossible to build lean mass?
Also, any idea how long I will be able to recomp during this cut? I definitely want to take advantage of what time I have for leaning out with minimum LBM loss.
Thanks .

Well, the goal when you are cutting up is not to lose ANY muscle tissue. If you lose it slow enough, you should only lose the fat and keep all the muscle. That's why it's better to diet slow so you keep feeding the muscles while slowly starving the fat cells.

As for what age it becomes impossible to gain more mass, that's very hard to say. I have a friend here in Illinois who is one of the most dedicated bodybuilders I know. He's a life-time natural and is 69 years old. He is always lean and stays in shape all the time. He told me for his last contest, he was a couple pounds heavier so he said he put on muscle in the last year. You have to keep the intensity up in order to grow and if you can find a way to do that, at any age, your muscles should grow if you feed them right.

[djoba]

if someone takes prohormones are they still natural?

[Quelly]

they'd keep MORE size if they didnt get that lean. still going to end up sacrificing muscle to get that lean. but it depends on how one wants to look on stage. i've seen guys win pro cards and not be the leanest on stage. i nfact what helped them MORE was keepin size

I'm not gonna say you're wrong, but I'm not a fan of absolute statements. If you want to believe that it is impossible to maintain all your size while getting shredded that is fine with me. And for you, as long as this is your belief, it will be true. Personally, I plan on keeping all my size and getting stupidly diced.

In my experience, if one is not genetically already very lean, the key to keeping size is to be ready early, and come into the show increasing calories.

But like John said, it depends on what the judges are looking for, the individual, and the way they compare with others. Some physiques don't need to be diced....unless they are going up against an equally impressive physique in terms of size.

[Natural_O]

if someone takes prohormones are they still natural?

Depends on how you define natural. If you are competing in a natural organization and they do not allow prohormones, then you would not be natural. In my opinion, natural means no anabolic steroids, no growth hormone, no diuretics, no clenbuterol, no performance enhancing DRUGS. I don't know much about pro hormones. I tried them once in 1995 and got nothing from them, literally nothing. If there are new prohormones out there now that produce some amazing effects, I'm not aware of it. I doubt that they are going to be as powerful as real drugs such as steroids, growth hormone, etc but that's just my opinion.

[bryantone]

I'm not gonna say you're wrong, but I'm not a fan of absolute statements. If you want to believe that it is impossible to maintain all your size while getting shredded that is fine with me. And for you, as long as this is your belief, it will be true. Personally, I plan on keeping all my size and getting stupidly diced.

In my experience, if one is not genetically already very lean, the key to keeping size is to be ready early, and come into the show increasing calories.

But like John said, it depends on what the judges are looking for, the individual, and the way they compare with others. Some physiques don't need to be diced....unless they are going up against an equally impressive physique in terms of size.

You are 27 years old. When you get older like me, It will be alot more difficult to lose BF without losing muscle. It is best if you maintain a good BF ratio and dont let it get away from you. I have lost 20 lbs since nov 09 and unfortunatly, 3/4 inches off my arms, and legs. Your pics and post show that your dedication is very good, so Im sure you will succeed.

[bryantone]

John. Once in a while I get bad muscle cramps in my trap down to my lower back so intence that twice I had to get a cortisone/muscle relaxer injection to settle it down after a couple of days. Also I get deep bicep soreness that takes weeks to clear up from hammer curls. Do you ever get deep tissue massages?

[Quelly]

You are 27 years old. When you get older like me, It will be alot more difficult to lose BF without losing muscle. It is best if you maintain a good BF ratio and dont let it get away from you. I have lost 20 lbs since nov 09 and unfortunatly, 3/4 inches off my arms, and legs. Your pics and post show that your dedication is very good, so Im sure you will succeed.

thanks for that perspective! Even, now I do lose muscle when I diet down, but it comes back very quickly as the calories are increased again, the trick is to do this in a controlled fashion, before a show, so that you can come into a show full with all of your size.

And also losing 20lbs and 3/4 inch off your arms doesn't necessarily mean you lost muscle, we all carry fat on our arms and legs, I went from 17 inch arms to under 16 inch arms when I lost 30lbs to compete, and this was without a significant strength loss, and my arms improved the way they looked, I think that is normal. We also have intramuscular fat in our bodies, so inches lost all over is to be expected with or without muscle loss.

[Natural_O]

You are 27 years old. When you get older like me, It will be alot more difficult to lose BF without losing muscle. It is best if you maintain a good BF ratio and dont let it get away from you. I have lost 20 lbs since nov 09 and unfortunatly, 3/4 inches off my arms, and legs. Your pics and post show that your dedication is very good, so Im sure you will succeed.

Amen brother! When you get older, the situation totally changes. It becomes MUCH harder to lose fat and get ripped!

[Natural_O]

John. Once in a while I get bad muscle cramps in my trap down to my lower back so intence that twice I had to get a cortisone/muscle relaxer injection to settle it down after a couple of days. Also I get deep bicep soreness that takes weeks to clear up from hammer curls. Do you ever get deep tissue massages?

I don't get them as much as I used to but I definitely believe in them. They can get rid of adhesion's and knots in the muscle and definitely help with the recuperation process. I know Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler also get deep tissue massages weekly (Jay gets them several times a week) when they are preparing for a contest. You should have a chiropractor check out the cramps in your traps. That's a weird spot to get such severe cramps. There might be something off in your posture or your spine.