HOW TO GET BIG

A There is no "simple" answer to your question, but that doesn't mean getting big is overly complicated. If you're a beginner, the best way to get started is with a basic routine like some regularly featured in FLEX. However, the long-term "secret" is to get to know your body: what exercises it does and does not respond to, and what training frequency suits you best. For instance, I always found that my biceps grew quicker with barbell curls rather than dumbbell curls. As you progress, you must build piece by piece a blueprint that is custom-made for you in terms of exercise selection, volume of sets and reps, workout frequency and all the elements that constitute a total bodybuilding programme. Bodybuilding is an individual journey, and your ultimate goal is to be the one who knows exactly what is best for you. Although I stress that we are all our own best coaches, certain mass-building fundamentals work best for me and for others who have trained with me. Here they are. #1 The best routine I ever used was a three-days-on, one-day-off programme in which I trained the complete body twice in seven days. #2 For large bodyparts, such as legs and chest, do three or four exercises for four sets each. For smaller bodyparts, such as triceps and biceps, do two or three exercises for four sets each. #3 Use at least two heavy compound exercises (see the "Prime Movements" sidebar) as the core of your workouts for each major muscle group. #4 For developing quality mass, keep your reps in the six-to-10 range. If you go lower than six, you're getting into powerlifting territory; above 10, you won't be hitting the muscle with the level of intensity it needs for growth.
#5 To stimulate maximum response, use proper form throughout each rep with a full range of motion. It's the quality of the reps that builds muscles, not the amount of weight you can sling around in a haphazard fashion. #6 Listen to what your body tells you. On days it's not responding as it usually does (for example, your poundages are down and you feel lethargic), don't be afraid to cut back on your workload or stop the workout and go home to rest. Then commit yourself to coming back with renewed energy for your next workout. #7 You can't eat like a bird if you need to train like a horse to pack on muscle mass. The body works by the simple rule of "supply and demand". Eat six or seven nutritious meals a day, with the bedrock being that you should be consuming one gram of protein for each pound of bodyweight per day to meet the demands of hard workouts and muscle recovery. Follow these guidelines, believe in yourself, gauge how your body responds, change and adapt as needed and you'll nail down a template that is right for you. You'll soon be growing faster than a bodybuilding rumour!

PROTEIN CYCLING

PROTEIN CYCLING

PROTEIN CYCLING Implement this cutting-edge protein strategy for improved muscle gains "Take in a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day." That's the baseline held by the bodybuilding community as the gold standard for muscle growth. In the past few years, some bodybuilders have begun to raise the bar, consuming much more protein than that. Some take in as much as three times the recommendation. Does increasing your protein above the baseline result in greater gains in mass? Yes and no. Eating enough protein is a must for growth, and if you eat more than one gram (g) per pound of bodyweight, you'll certainly cover all your bases, ensuring that you don't fall short. However, eating more for the sake of it may not be as wise as cycling your intake of protein. In this article, I explain how to move your protein around — eating less protein on some days, more on others. This type of "protein cycling" is a great way to stimulate greater protein retention and muscle growth.

BASICS OF PROTEIN CONSUMPTION • Take in the protein baseline amount every day: 1 g per pound of bodyweight. The typical intake is highly effective at supporting muscle growth for hard-training bodybuilders. When you eat at least 1 g of protein per pound of bodyweight daily (200 g for a 200-pound bodybuilder), you're supplying your body with sufficient protein to rebuild and repair muscle tissue that has been damaged by training. When you rebuild and repair, the result is obvious — you grow. Regardless of whether you're training to add mass, dieting for a contest or taking a few weeks off from training, you should strive to take in the baseline recommendation. The exception to this is when you're following the protein-cycling guidelines explained in this article. • How much is too much? If you think you need 2 g of protein per pound of bodyweight, you would be consuming 400 g of protein a day if you weigh 200 pounds. That's a lot of chicken, meat and eggs. If you rely on protein powders, that's a lot of shakes (and gastric distress is one possible outcome of downing too many shakes). I believe that such high daily protein consumption is excessive, although it is common among many of today's pro bodybuilders. I don't recommend it because this practice demonstrates a misguided understanding of how muscles grow. Growth depends on a sufficient intake of protein — not on shedloads — and it is also correlated with carbohydrate intake. The right combo of carbs and protein tends to promote a muscle-building state better than a diet overloaded with protein and short on carbs. Those who go heavy on protein usually eat far too few carbohydrates. Regardless of a huge daily intake of protein, shortchanging carbs may prevent the body from growing optimally. Plus, there's a limit to how much growing a body can do no matter how much protein is consumed. I contend that 2 g of protein per pound of bodyweight daily is far in excess of any bodybuilder's threshold for growth. • How much is too little? P.W. Lemon, one of the world's most reputable protein researchers, has often stated that muscle building occurs with a protein consumption of roughly 0.7 g per pound of bodyweight a day (140 g a day for a 200-pounder). If you consumed less than that on a daily basis, you probably wouldn't make significant gains. Although 160 g might be enough protein for a 200-pound bodybuilder, FLEX still recommends 200 g for a trainer that size, just to be on the safe side. HOW TO CYCLE PROTEIN The best answer to the question of how much protein should be consumed daily may defy conventional wisdom. Although you will certainly get excellent results by eating 1 g of protein for each pound of bodyweight, you may get even better results from cycling your protein consumption. Here's a protein-cycling programme that you can follow for 14 days at a time. • STAGE ONE. For five days, eat less protein than usual. Contrary to popular belief, a bodybuilder won't shrivel up overnight if he takes in slightly less protein (0.7-0.8 g per pound of bodyweight; see "Protein-Cycling Schedule"). In fact, the body responds at first by shifting its metabolism to slow the loss of protein. In essence, when you eat less protein, your body quickly adapts and slows the rate at which protein is broken down. Slowing protein breakdown is a classic anticatabolic effect. Anticatabolism, or "muscle protection", is half the battle in supporting muscle growth. In theory, if you could induce an around-the-clock anticatabolic state, you'd grow like a weed. Temporarily decreasing your protein intake encourages just that — a strong muscle-preservation state. • STAGE TWO. Boost protein consumption after five days. In stage one, eating less protein caused a release of enzymes to ramp up anticatabolism. Now, after five days in that lower-protein state, switch gears. The additional protein, in the presence of enzymes that are slowing the breakdown of protein, can result in the "hyperstorage" of protein in muscles. Also, a change in protein intake from less to more triggers a strong increase in protein synthesis, a build-up of new muscle tissue. In stage two, consume 1.5-1.75 g of protein per pound of bodyweight each day (see chart). Do this for nine days during the two-week cycle. This is long enough for the body to benefit from a hyperanabolic state, an enzymatic environment that is favourable to rebuilding. FINALLY. If you want to try protein cycling, follow the ranges of daily protein consumption listed in the chart. At times when you are not protein cycling, stick with the gold standard: 1 g of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. Protein cycling may give you a slight advantage, but adhering to the basic FLEX protein recommendation will also help to ensure that you're feeding your muscles all they need for continued growth. FLEX

If you didn’t exercise when you were younger, it could be dangerous to start when you’re older.

If you didn’t exercise when you were younger, it could be dangerous to start when you’re older.

“Many people think they’re too old to start an exercise program,” says Tufts University’s Miriam Nelson. “They think it’s unsafe because they have heart disease or diabetes or because they’re too out of shape to start.”
You’re never too old to start, says Nelson. And she ought to know. In one Tufts study, the participants were frail nursing-home residents whose ages ranged from 72 to 98. After just ten weeks, strength-training improved their muscle strength, ability to climb stairs, and walking speed.¹ “When they see what a difference it makes, they’re thrilled,” says Nelson.
The same goes for people with chronic diseases. “People say they can’t exercise because they have arthritis,” she adds. “But we see some of the greatest benefits in people with arthritis. Exercise reduces pain and increases range of motion, strength, and mobility.”
That doesn’t mean that anyone can plunge into a bout of vigorous exercise, regardless of health history. In a recent study, ordinarily inactive people — especially men who had high cholesterol or angina or were smokers or obese — were ten times more likely to have a heart attack within an hour of exerting themselves (usually by jogging or heavy lifting) than at other times.² Anyone with multiple risk factors for heart disease should check with a physician and start slowly.
As for the all-too-common “I don’t have time to exercise,” Nelson responds, “somehow, you’ve got to make the time, or you’re going to have medical problems like heart disease, diabetes, or osteoporosis. And it will take a lot more time to deal with them than it takes to exercise.”

If you can’t exercise regularly, why bother?

If you can’t exercise regularly, why bother?

It takes ten to 12 weeks of regular exercise to become “fit” — that is, to improve your performance on a treadmill (a measure of your oxygen capacity). But your health can improve after that first brisk walk or run.
“Take a 50-year-old man who is somewhat overweight and typically has moderately elevated blood sugar, triglycerides, or blood pressure,” says Stanford’s William Haskell. “A single bout of exercise of moderate intensity — like 30 to 40 minutes of brisk walking — will lower those numbers.”
And not just while you’re moving. “If you exercise at, say, five o’clock in the afternoon, the improvement will be there the next morning,” he adds.
That may be why postal carriers (or others who are active at work) have a lower risk of heart disease than postal clerks (or others who are sedentary at work). “There’s not much difference in their fitness levels, but the carriers have lower blood sugar, triglycerides, and blood pressure,” says Haskell.
People should still try to at least follow the Center for Disease Control’s modest advice to get at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most — or preferably all — days of the week, he adds. But if you can’t, don’t let that stop you from taking even a single walk.
“Every bout has benefits,” says Haskell.

No pain, no gain.

No pain, no gain.

“Many people still believe that you have to work at a very high intensity in order to get a benefit,” says the Cooper Clinic’s Steven Blair.
In fact, moderate-intensity exercise lowers the risk of dying just as much as high-intensity exercise. For example, says JoAnn Manson of the Harvard Medical School, “in the Nurses’ Health Study, women who regularly engaged in brisk walking reduced their risk of heart disease to the same degree as women who engaged in vigorous exercise. You don’t need to run a marathon.”
The trick is making sure that the exercise is at least moderate-intensity — that is, equivalent to walking at a pace of three to four miles an hour.
“You can vacuum at a very low pace or at a moderately intense pace,” says Blair. Running or jogging is, by definition, high-intensity. But walking, raking leaves, mowing lawns, dusting, and gardening may be either moderate- or low-intensity.
High-intensity exercise does have one advantage: it saves time. It takes less time to burn the same number of calories at higher intensity.
“You can jog for 20 minutes or walk for 40 or 45,” says Blair. “You pay your money and you take your choice.”
Does all the heart-pounding of high-intensity exercise do anything else for you? “Some things probably respond better to high-intensity and some may respond better to moderate-intensity exercise,” says Blair. “But in general, there doesn’t appear to be a lot of difference as long as you expend the same number of calories.”

A dozen other reasons to exercise

Sleep A 16-week exercise program (30 to 40 minutes of brisk walking or low-impact aerobics four times a week) improved the quality, duration, and ease of falling asleep in healthy older adults.1 Exercise may improve sleep by relaxing muscles, reducing stress, or warming the body. Gallstones Active women are 30 percent less likely to have gallstone surgery than sedentary women. In one study, women who spent more than 60 hours a week sitting at work or driving were twice as likely to have gallstone surgery as women who sat for less than 40 hours a week.2 Colon Cancer The most active people have a lower risk of colon cancer — in two studies half the risk — compared to the least active people.3,4 Exercise may lower levels of prostaglandins that accelerate colon cell proliferation and raise levels of prostaglandins that increase intestinal motility. Increased motility may speed the movement of carcinogens through the colon. Diverticular Disease In one of the few studies that have been done, the most active men had a 37 percent lower risk of symptomatic diverticular disease than the least active men.5 Most of the protection against diverticular disease--pockets in the wall of the colon that can become inflamed--was due to vigorous activities like jogging and running, rather than moderate activities like walking. Arthritis Regular moderate exercise, whether aerobic or strength-training, can reduce joint swelling and pain in people with arthritis.6 Anxiety & Depression Getting people with anxiety or depression to do aerobic exercises like brisk walking or running curbs their symptoms, possibly by releasing natural opiates.7,8 Heart Disease In one study, men with low fitness who became fit had a lower risk of heart disease than men who stayed unfit.9 In another, women who walked the equivalent of three or more hours per week at a brisk pace had a 35 percent lower risk of heart disease than women who walked infrequently.10 Exercise boosts the supply of oxygen to the heart muscle by expanding existing arteries and creating tiny new blood vessels. It may also prevent blood clots or promote their breakdown. Blood Pressure If your blood pressure is already high or high-normal, low- or moderate-intensity aerobic exercise — three times a week — can lower it.11 If your blood pressure isn't high, regular exercise helps keep it that way. Diabetes The more you move, the lower your risk of diabetes, especially if you're already at risk because of excess weight, high blood pressure, or parents with diabetes. In one study, women who walked at least three hours a week had about a 40 percent lower risk of diabetes than sedentary women.12 Falls & Fractures Older women assigned to a home-based (strength- and balance-training) exercise program had fewer falls than women who didn't exercise. 13 Exercise may prevent falls and broken bones by improving muscle strength, gait, balance, and reaction time. Enlarged Prostate (men only) In one study, men who walked two to three hours a week had a 25 percent lower risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) than men who seldom walked.14 Osteoporosis Exercise, especially strength-training, can increase bone density in middle-aged and older people.15 Bonus: postmenopausal women who take estrogen gain more bone density if they exercise.

You can’t be fit and fat.

You can’t be fit and fat.

“The notion that all fat people are sedentary and unfit and at high risk of disease is not true,” says Steven Blair of the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas. “Overweight and obese individuals who are fit do not have elevated mortality rates. We need to get off those people’s backs.”
But in Blair’s study of 25,000 men who have come to the Cooper Clinic, ten percent of the normal-weight men — and half of the overweight men — were unfit.
Getting all of those unfit people — fat or thin — to move more could make a difference. In Blair’s study, low fitness was as strong (or stronger) a predictor of dying as other risk factors, like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Yet doctors rarely test a patient’s fitness as part of a checkup.
“Fitness is such an important predictor of mortality, it’s inexcusable not to evaluate it as part of a person’s health risk,” says Blair.
It wouldn’t cost much. It’s just a matter of measuring your heart rate — by measuring your pulse with a wristwatch — while you cycle, walk, or run at a given speed.
“A stress test for diagnosis of coronary heart disease at a major medical center can cost several hundred dollars,” he says, “but you can go down to the YMCA and get a fitness test for 25 bucks.”