Your Best
 Joe DeAngelis

When Troy gave me the opportunity to write for Fire Iron Magazine, we talked about what the readers wanted to learn about, what my first article would be.  How to do a bench press?  How to put 1” on your arms?  What protein food is better…tuna or chicken?  What about pro hormones?

 While it can be fun to pick apart the nuances of nutrition or exercise, to be the equivalent of an “exercise” rocket scientist with a notepad in the gym documenting every rep, set and ounce of food that goes into your mouth, it really wont add up to anything unless you add “your best”.

 I remember years ago getting ready for the Teen New Jersey, and commenting to the gym owner that Ill hopefully be bigger this year than last year….he asked “have you been training as hard as you can all year and eating a lot?" When I answered “yes”, he said….”then you’ll be bigger…”

 It was a matter of fact moment that made an impression…..no BS about supplements (though they are important), drugs they are there), the new routine in a muscle magazine…..it comes down to doing “your best” day in and day out nutritionally and effort-wise in the gym. 

 What does doing  “your best” entail?


EXERCISE PERFORMANCE

Do you really think you are fooling anyone with those half rep squats?  Or bouncing the bar off your chest during bench presses?  Or doing shoulder presses and only bringing the bar to the top of your head?  Working the muscle thru a FULL range of motion is a necessity…and yeah, you’ll need to use less weight than when you do those half rep wonders.   The payoff?  You’ll start growing….  

 

EXERCISE CHOICE

Sorry, folks…while that shiny new cable machine looks neat…it wont make you a  monster in the gym!  Recently at  a health club I saw an individual hitting the pec deck with the stack plus a 45, some half rep Hammer Strength Presses, and some half rep Machine Presses….he was really impressed with himself, despite the fact that he didn’t have a shred of muscle to show for it….the rest of his workouts were similar, with a total disdain for free weight work.  He was also free to throw out the  “he’s all drugs” comment about others.
If you are choosing leg presses over squats, lat pulldowns over rows and deadlifts, etc, be realistic in that you will NEVER have an appreciable amount of muscle mass and just enjoy being a wannabe.  And yes, there are a chosen few that will grow a ton of muscle no matter what they do, and I really don’t want to hear about how Paul Dillet never did squats.  YOU have NOTHING  in common with these individuals.

 Nothing…but NOTHING …..will build muscle as quickly as making a concentrated effort to bench , squat and dead lift more and more every week.  Bottom line…bench press 400 lbs….you will have a big chest, arms and shoulders…..no matter how many cable crossovers, and tricep pushdowns you NEVER do.  When you feel your self justifying why leg presses  are better than squats…its time for a serious reality check!
EXERCISE EFFORT

One of my favorite stories is a room mate I had in California…he had been training about 15 years, had every bodybuilding video, book, and magazine you could imagine.  Every supplement.  A closet full of bodybuilding clothes…..remember baggie pants?

His problem?  That in 15 years, he hardly gained a pound of muscle…hes a hopeless hard gainer, right?  Well, I went over his eating habits, exercises…it all looked okay…until we did our first leg workout together…..I was shocked….”Rob….you’ve been training for 15 years and the most you’ve squatted is 135 for ten?!?!?!?”  Long story short, after kicking his butt for a few short weeks and forcing him to increase the weight and reps…he started getting bigger…a few months later he accomplished his dream of winning his first bodybuilding contest.  He even ended up in some national muscle magazines.  What did I add?  A work ethic.

 I see teenagers stumbling thru the gym, going thru a  whole leg workout in sweats, and leaving the gym so sweat free I doubt they need to wash their clothes.  How is this possible?  If you want it that little, that little you’ll be. 

My favorite description of the work ethic needed is “grinder”.  Every once in a while you’ll see it…a trainer who barely squeezes out a single deadlift….then manages to “grind” out another one….then another…until 10-15-20 reps are done.  Its no coincidence that this is usually the bigger stronger guy in the gym, the one who all the wannabes on the pulldown machines whisper about..

 So, be honest with yourself when you go into the gym…are you training like a barbarian or a pussycat?  Do you attack the weights, put all your love and hate into each set?  Do you enter the gym wanting it so bad you can feel it in every pore in your body?  If this describes your attitude, I don’t care what your genetics are, what supplements you are taking, how rich or poor you are, whether you are training in your basement or at a health club…..you will grow!

Joe DeAngelis

Visit Mr. Universe http://www.joedeangelis.com 

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