BODYBUILDING AND FITNESS

E-mail your questions or answers to fitnesslib@hotmail.com and if we think its worth a read we'll include it on these pages!!
Please remember if you are replying to questions to include the question number / code.

QUESTION F001

From - MICHAEL F
I HAVE BEEN WORKING OUT NOW FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS AND I AM
REASONABLY HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS ON ALL THE MAJOR MUSCLE GROUPS
EXCEPT MT CHEST. I WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF ANYONE COULD RECOMMEND A
GOOD EFFECTIVE CHEST WORKOUT.
THANK YOU,
MICHAEL.

ANSWERS TO F001

From - RICH
MICHAEL, I RECOMMEND THIS WORKOUT TO BUILD AN IMPRESSIVE CHEST.
I GOT THIS WORKOUT FROM A PRO AND IT HAS WORKED WELL FOR ME.
I WORK EACH BODY PART ONCE A WEEK.

Choose one of the following three exercises ( indicated by an * ) per chest workout:

Barbell flat bench press*
3 x 6-8 reps Use a wide grip for the 1st set, a medium grip for the 2nd set, and a narrow
grip for the 3rd set

Dumbbell flat bench press*
3 x 6-8 reps

Barbell incline press (30° or less incline)*
3 x 6-8 reps Use a wide grip for the 1st set, a medium grip for the 2nd set, and a narrow
grip for the 3rd set

Follow the exercise chosen above with the following:

Cross over cable incline flies
3 x 8-10 reps Place a bench (with a 30° or less incline) in the middle of a cable cross over
machine. Perform flies making sure you bring your hands together in the middle of each rep.
This is the key. When doing flies never let your triceps go below parallel to the ground.

Decline press with barbell or dumbbells
3 x 6-8 reps

I HOPE THIS WORKS FOR YOU!!
Rich.

FROM - F.I.L.
Michael see our section on CHEST EXERCISES for further tips.

QUESTION F002

From - Andrew Rice, England
I want to know what peoples views are on ab workouts. I work my abs twice a week for
around 45 minutes each workout. Is this too much or too little. I really want a six pack
but no matter how hard I train it just doesn't have the required effect. Can any one help??

ANSWERS TO F002

From - SIMON P,
I have been working out for six years and I have never heard of any one over training their abs.
The abs are different to other muscle groups as you can work them almost as much as you want,
without over training or causing an injury ( If the exercises are done correctly ).
Instead of having rest days between workouts, I work my abs on these days. Use a wide variety
of ab exercises and do sets of 3 with 25 reps for each different exercise.
I hope this is of help to you.

From - PHILL,
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR STOMACH MUSCLES IS
THAT THEY CAN'T BE SEEN IF THEY HARE HIDDEN BEHIND LAYERS OF FAT! BEFORE
EVEN STARTING TO TRAIN YOUR ABS WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE AT THE DESIRED WEIGHT.
DON'T DO WEIGHTED CRUNCHES AND DUMBBELL SIDE BENDS TO REDUCE YOUR
WAISTLINE. THESE EXERCISES ARE ANAEROBIC (I.E. NOT FAT BURNING). WHEN YOU
DO WEIGHTED AB EXERCISES YOU DEVELOP YOUR ENTIRE WAIST, THEREFORE
CREATING A THICKER WAISTLINE.
I RECOMMEND THAT YOU ONLY TRAIN YOUR UPPER AND LOWER ABS AND NOT
YOUR OBLIQUES. THE BEST EXERCISES FOR YOU ARE CRUNCHES AND LEG RAISES.
I SPEND 20 MINUTES WORKING MY ABS 4 TIMES A WEEK. I RECOMMEND THAT
YOU TRAIN YOUR ABS AT LEAST 3 TIMES A WEEK BUT NO MORE THAN 5 TIMES A
WEEK.
PHILL.

FROM - F.I.L.
Simon, see our section on AB EXERCISES for further tips.

QUESTION F003

From - Ron
I am interested in building a home gym, as I don't have the time to go to the nearest gym which is an hour
away. Is it possible to get results using home equipment? I don't want to buy all the equipment at once.
What is the best starting place and what equipment will I need?

ANSWERS TO F003

From - A.Stewart
I also have a home gym and I think it is possible to train at home successfully. I have only been
bodybuilding for a year and I have put on a reasonable amount of muscle. It is best to gradually increase
the amount of equipment you buy over time. The equipment you buy will depend largely on the amount
you are prepared to spend, the amount of space you have available and what exactly you want to achieve.
I recommend starting with the basics, which will be a weight bench, weights and some form of cardio machine.
Be careful when buying home equipment. Cheap equipment is often not capable of holding very heavy weights
as it is designed more for fitness and cardio purposes rather than serious bodybuilding. Before buying a bench,
check the max. weight restrictions to ensure that you won't out grow the equipment in a matter of months. When
starting out you'll need a good set of weights, i.e. a barbell and a couple of dumbbells. Avoid buying from home
equipment suppliers which offer barbell and dumbbell sets with a lot of smaller weights. Try to get a decent
set with less and heavier weights. I found this out the hard way and now have about 20 weight discs lying around
which are useless because they are ridiculously light. I recommend you buy some form of cardio machine as
well. I bought a rowing machine and find it a great way of keeping fit and loosing that excess fat. I do cardio
for half an hour, twice a week and weights, three times a week. If a rowing machine doesn't sound like your thing,
you could buy a cycling machine or running machine for example, or if you have the time, don't buy any form of
cardio machine, get out into the fresh air and do it the natural way!
I hope this has been of help to you. This is where I started and I am still buying equipment as I progress.

From - Jon
I would also recommend that you get yourself a good weight training belt, sweat bands and weight gloves.
The weight training belt will help give support to your lower back, and helps you to lift heavier weights when
doing exercises like squats, rows and deadlifts.
Sweat bands keep sweat from running into your eyes and onto your hands while trying to grip weights.
Weight gloves also help to prevent callouses on the hands.

Concept and design by A.W.S 2000

All images and text on this site are used on the understanding that they are free from copyright ( unless otherwise stated ). If you are aware of any copyrights on any of the images or text used on these pages please contact us at the e-mail address on top of page.