Tuesday 23 December 2014
Wednesday 17 December 2014
Friday 12 December 2014
Friday 5 December 2014
Wednesday 3 December 2014
Thursday 27 November 2014
Saturday 22 November 2014
Thursday 20 November 2014
Thursday 13 November 2014
Tuesday 11 November 2014
Saturday 8 November 2014
Friday 31 October 2014
Wednesday 29 October 2014
Saturday 25 October 2014
OPTIMIZING YOUR ARM TRAINING
1. Contrary to popular belief; arms have to be trained directly with good frequency (1-3 times per week) to grow to any appreciable size. Foregoing extremely good arm genetics, the triceps will not achieve great enough stimulus to grow adequately from just benching, nor will biceps from barbell rows. These are just examples of exercises, the same could be said of any primary chest/back exercise, other than perhaps dips which hit the triceps hard. Direct arm training must be included within your routine regularly if you want to surpass 16 inch lean guns.
2. Prioritise your arm training. Schedule in a day of only arm training once a week or even start sessions with arm movements if their really lagging. Yes this will hinder the performance of other movements and the subsequent development of other body parts, but if you REALLY want bigger arms then you must utilize the most amounts of energy training them. You will be strongest at the start of the workouts and bigger weights can therefore be used. Leaving just enough energy at the end of the session to squeeze out a couple of sets will not create outstanding arms. This is potentially one of the downfall's of 3x per week full body training.
3. Fine tune your form to accentuate certain movements and muscular contractions. Small tweaks to exercise technique can make a big difference over a long period of time. For instance on dumbbell curls, keeping the elbows close to the body and rotating the wrist outwards slightly (little finger towards outside of shoulder) towards the top of the movement will incur a far greater bicep stimulus than letting the elbows move outwards and bringing the wrists in towards inner shoulder/chest. Dumbbell kickback tricep stimulation varies massively dependant upon body position in relation to elbow position; allowing the chest to rise and the elbows drop will not tax the triceps anywhere near as efficiently as keeping the upper torso low and the elbows high.
3 quick tips there to help optimize arm growth and blast past those plateaus. Advanced arm training theories coming soon.
Natural Aesthetics
2. Prioritise your arm training. Schedule in a day of only arm training once a week or even start sessions with arm movements if their really lagging. Yes this will hinder the performance of other movements and the subsequent development of other body parts, but if you REALLY want bigger arms then you must utilize the most amounts of energy training them. You will be strongest at the start of the workouts and bigger weights can therefore be used. Leaving just enough energy at the end of the session to squeeze out a couple of sets will not create outstanding arms. This is potentially one of the downfall's of 3x per week full body training.
3. Fine tune your form to accentuate certain movements and muscular contractions. Small tweaks to exercise technique can make a big difference over a long period of time. For instance on dumbbell curls, keeping the elbows close to the body and rotating the wrist outwards slightly (little finger towards outside of shoulder) towards the top of the movement will incur a far greater bicep stimulus than letting the elbows move outwards and bringing the wrists in towards inner shoulder/chest. Dumbbell kickback tricep stimulation varies massively dependant upon body position in relation to elbow position; allowing the chest to rise and the elbows drop will not tax the triceps anywhere near as efficiently as keeping the upper torso low and the elbows high.
3 quick tips there to help optimize arm growth and blast past those plateaus. Advanced arm training theories coming soon.
Natural Aesthetics
Monday 20 October 2014
If I Could Only do 5 Exercises....
1. SQUAT - The best lower body exercise. Nuff said!
2. DEADLIFT - The best exercise for overall posterior development. Hamstrings/glutes/lower back/abs/lats, rhomboids and traps/forearms. Massive exercise, must be included.
3. INCLINE DUMBELLS - Hits the chest hard and shoulders (varies depending on the % of incline) therefore more bang for your buck. Much prefer this movement to decline work.
4. WEIGHTED CHINS (close grip) - Best exercise for the lats. Heavy chins gives you wings!!!...and a hefty pair of biceps to match.
5. CLOSE GRIP BENCH - BIG tricep exercise as well as hitting the chest. Large triceps will do more for arm thickness than biceps.
Natural Aesthetics - Dream and Achieve
Sunday 19 October 2014
Tuesday 14 October 2014
IS SQUATTING AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY IN BODYBUILDING?
The question refers to whether or not the Barbell Back Squat is an absolute essential exercise for BODYBUILDING. Note the use of the word 'bodybuilding'; training purely for aesthetics. This is not in regards to strength training or powerlifting s the answer would be ENTIRELY the opposite.
For aesthetic purposes only, the squat is not essential. If you were to train your lower body HARD, smart and consistently for years without touching the squat rack you would more than likely have a decent set of legs. Heavy leg press, extensions, curls and lunges are great tools to build thigh mass - do these for long enough and hard enough and results will come. Aesthetically, its not the end of the world if you don't squat.
However, results would be FAR greater if squats were trained (properly/full depth) regularly with other lower body exercises or even as a replacement to all other lower body exercises. That's how good an exercise it is. I know I sound like I'm contradicting myself, but bear in mind the question is wether they are an absolute necessity for leg development. Leg muscles grow without squats, but you would be foolish to leave squats out of your routine knowing that they would produce far greater results in overall leg mass than any other exercise. I had decent legs a few years ago and my squatting was poor, infrequent and the technique inadequate. My legs were muscular from training HARD on exercises like lunges, leg press and extensions. The last 2 1/2 years or so I have focused mainly on progressing the squat for lower body training and subsequently my legs are bigger than ever.
As a natural trainee aiming to develop serious muscle mass - strength and it's progression must be considered. Simply pumping light weights with no regard to progression of reps, sets, weight or intensity variables will not yield the results commonly seen by trainers using steroids. The squat is the key exercise in the development of lower body strength and strength progression is the catalyst for any natural bodybuilders muscular development.
Although we can build lower body muscle without the back squat, progression will be far greater if heavy back squats are included in your routine regularly - especially for NATURAL trainers where strength progression is so key (but not the only way) to increased muscular development.
Although we can build lower body muscle without the back squat, progression will be far greater if heavy back squats are included in your routine regularly - especially for NATURAL trainers where strength progression is so key (but not the only way) to increased muscular development.
Any questions, OR ONLINE TRAINING enquiry's email me at rossi01@hotmail.co.uk
Facebook - www.facebook.com/naturalaesthet1cs
Youtube - www.youtube.com/naturalaestheticstv
Natural Aesthetics - Dream and Achieve
Thursday 9 October 2014
Friday 3 October 2014
SHOULD I TRACK CALORIES OR JUST EAT CLEAN?
"Should I track Kcal or just eat clean?"
First, lets define 'clean' as foods that are generally not subjected to refinement processes prior to consumption and contain no or very little artificial ingredients. This is not black and white; there is no clear line separating 'clean' and 'dirty' foods from one another. Foods might contain clean and dirty components, meals also might be a mixture of the too which makes it difficult to be so clear cut about what's what. I don't particular like labelling foods as clean or dirty; but for the sake of the discussion we will as most have an understanding of what 'clean' eating entails (I hope).
Person a) Average trainee struggling with controlling bodyweight decides to diet. A considerable portion of their diet will perhaps be made up of calorie dense foods; breads, cereals and sandwiches with fatty fillings. These foods are easy to eat and are often branded as 'healthy/lighter' choices. The truth is that many of these foodstuffs are not much different from foods that we generally think of as 'unhealthy' in terms of kcal and or macronutrients (carbs/fat/protein). Companies pay huge sums of money to make their products appear healthy and attractive to consumers conscious of weight and health. The vast majority of shop bought sandwiches contain more fat and salt than a McDonalds Hamburger; yet have been labelled as the 'healthy' go-to for lunch in the UK for years. Add to this sugary cereals and toast or fruit juice for breakfast, coffees and tea throughout the day and a ready meal for dinner with a glass of wine and person a) will more than likely be in a calorie surplus. This means weight gain; how much and how quick will be dependant on many calories over BMR (the kcal you need to maintain body weight) that person is consuming over a longer period of time. BMR will depend on multiple factors, but it is often low in untrained/sedentary people (which makes it easier to overeat and thus gain bodyfat).
So, person a) decides to reduce carbohydrates, cut them out completely after 6pm, cuts out wine and sugar in coffee, replaces the ready meal with salad and chicken, uses skimmed milk instead full fat ETC. ETC. This is a generalisation but most people follow those sort of procedures when decided to diet.
After 4 weeks of this they will have lost some bodyweight, some of that body fat. They will then associate said weight loss with the new foods they are eating; rather than the calorie deficit that these new foods have created. Salads, vegetables, lean meats and low GI (glycaemic index) carbs such as brown rice, quinoa, oats etc. are filling and generally leave you feeling satisfied for longer. 500kcal of chicken, rice and veg is ALOT harder to eat than 500kcal's worth of microwavable lasagne, thus causing the dieter to generally eat LESS when eating 'clean'. These 'clean' foods do not have magic fat loss properties, its the reduction in kcal brought about by switching from processed, calorie dense foods which are easier to eat in large quantities, to these lighter unprocessed foods that causes the weight loss. This is something people tend to misinterpret and thus contribute to the weight loss confusion; person a) will proudly tell their friend that the secret to their fat loss was simply no carbohydrates after 6pm or by eating less red meat and more white fish but fail to realise the REAL reason why this worked; calorie reduction. The friend then desperately tries this but of course this will only work dependant on the friends overall diet and kcal intake in relation to BMR.
I'm not saying that kcal intake is the absolute be all and end all to weight management, because its not. Im not advocating a whatever fits into your kcal and you'll loose weight approach. Health is number 1, I always advocate a 'clean' eating approach; consuming MOST of your kcal from unprocessed, fresh produce. Fresh meats and fish, good quaility dairy and fibre rich carbohydrate sources aswell as nutrient dense fruit and vegetables. Allowing a small percentage of overall kcal to be derived from 'dirty' food, if you wish, will not harm your weight loss goals; as long as you eat within your BMR.
In summary, Kcal will have the most bearing on weight management and that eating 'clean' generally causes weight loss because of the reduction of kcal associated with choosing these foods over denser, calorie rich processed foods. Not because of some magical weightloss property in certain foodstuffs; which so frequently people are lead to believe. Track Kcal; apply science and common sense to your weight management and take out the guesswork. Eat mostly unprocessed foods, rich in micronutrients, but allow yourselves to eat foods that you enjoy as this WILL help in the long run.
For more information on dieting and how to apply it to yourself to help reach your goals, message me at rossi01@hotmail.co.uk, via www.facebook.com/naturalaesthet1cs or www.youtube.com/naturalaestheticstv
Natural Aesthetics - Dream and Achieve
Ross Newham
First, lets define 'clean' as foods that are generally not subjected to refinement processes prior to consumption and contain no or very little artificial ingredients. This is not black and white; there is no clear line separating 'clean' and 'dirty' foods from one another. Foods might contain clean and dirty components, meals also might be a mixture of the too which makes it difficult to be so clear cut about what's what. I don't particular like labelling foods as clean or dirty; but for the sake of the discussion we will as most have an understanding of what 'clean' eating entails (I hope).
Person a) Average trainee struggling with controlling bodyweight decides to diet. A considerable portion of their diet will perhaps be made up of calorie dense foods; breads, cereals and sandwiches with fatty fillings. These foods are easy to eat and are often branded as 'healthy/lighter' choices. The truth is that many of these foodstuffs are not much different from foods that we generally think of as 'unhealthy' in terms of kcal and or macronutrients (carbs/fat/protein). Companies pay huge sums of money to make their products appear healthy and attractive to consumers conscious of weight and health. The vast majority of shop bought sandwiches contain more fat and salt than a McDonalds Hamburger; yet have been labelled as the 'healthy' go-to for lunch in the UK for years. Add to this sugary cereals and toast or fruit juice for breakfast, coffees and tea throughout the day and a ready meal for dinner with a glass of wine and person a) will more than likely be in a calorie surplus. This means weight gain; how much and how quick will be dependant on many calories over BMR (the kcal you need to maintain body weight) that person is consuming over a longer period of time. BMR will depend on multiple factors, but it is often low in untrained/sedentary people (which makes it easier to overeat and thus gain bodyfat).
So, person a) decides to reduce carbohydrates, cut them out completely after 6pm, cuts out wine and sugar in coffee, replaces the ready meal with salad and chicken, uses skimmed milk instead full fat ETC. ETC. This is a generalisation but most people follow those sort of procedures when decided to diet.
After 4 weeks of this they will have lost some bodyweight, some of that body fat. They will then associate said weight loss with the new foods they are eating; rather than the calorie deficit that these new foods have created. Salads, vegetables, lean meats and low GI (glycaemic index) carbs such as brown rice, quinoa, oats etc. are filling and generally leave you feeling satisfied for longer. 500kcal of chicken, rice and veg is ALOT harder to eat than 500kcal's worth of microwavable lasagne, thus causing the dieter to generally eat LESS when eating 'clean'. These 'clean' foods do not have magic fat loss properties, its the reduction in kcal brought about by switching from processed, calorie dense foods which are easier to eat in large quantities, to these lighter unprocessed foods that causes the weight loss. This is something people tend to misinterpret and thus contribute to the weight loss confusion; person a) will proudly tell their friend that the secret to their fat loss was simply no carbohydrates after 6pm or by eating less red meat and more white fish but fail to realise the REAL reason why this worked; calorie reduction. The friend then desperately tries this but of course this will only work dependant on the friends overall diet and kcal intake in relation to BMR.
I'm not saying that kcal intake is the absolute be all and end all to weight management, because its not. Im not advocating a whatever fits into your kcal and you'll loose weight approach. Health is number 1, I always advocate a 'clean' eating approach; consuming MOST of your kcal from unprocessed, fresh produce. Fresh meats and fish, good quaility dairy and fibre rich carbohydrate sources aswell as nutrient dense fruit and vegetables. Allowing a small percentage of overall kcal to be derived from 'dirty' food, if you wish, will not harm your weight loss goals; as long as you eat within your BMR.
In summary, Kcal will have the most bearing on weight management and that eating 'clean' generally causes weight loss because of the reduction of kcal associated with choosing these foods over denser, calorie rich processed foods. Not because of some magical weightloss property in certain foodstuffs; which so frequently people are lead to believe. Track Kcal; apply science and common sense to your weight management and take out the guesswork. Eat mostly unprocessed foods, rich in micronutrients, but allow yourselves to eat foods that you enjoy as this WILL help in the long run.
For more information on dieting and how to apply it to yourself to help reach your goals, message me at rossi01@hotmail.co.uk, via www.facebook.com/naturalaesthet1cs or www.youtube.com/naturalaestheticstv
Natural Aesthetics - Dream and Achieve
Ross Newham
Monday 29 September 2014
Wednesday 24 September 2014
Monday 22 September 2014
HOW TO MAKE CONSISTENT PROGRESS IN THE GYM.
Food for thought hear guys; just a really quick article regarding training progression and why most people do not achieve the results they want.
The top graph in the diagram depicts the progress 95% of gym goers see. After their initial gains in strength/muscularity from the body adapting to new loads (starting training) they will generally stall and fail to make any headway. They have no plan, do not track performance or variables and thus have no idea what to do to improve. They train MINDLESSLY, hopping from exercise to exercise, seeking out the pump.
The second graph shows a linear approach to training - in that progress is attempted each and every session. These guys have a plan and train hard to try and reach their goals but fail to understand that progress cannot be made continually. This works, to a point; until injuries start building up, fatigue sets in, demotivation perhaps and plateaus. This, combined with the first graph was how I trained for many years. Poor exercise form/chronic muscle tightness on key exercises as well as an inability to back down lead to plateaus and injuries.
The third chart represents the few trainers who understand patience is key to making consistent progress. Periods of intense, heavy training are followed by periods of lighter training to help the body recover and enable continued progress to be made once the intensity rises again. This can be called 'periodization' and is the best way to train for the longest without encountering injuries. Progress may be slow, but consistent. This is the phase of training I'm moving into now and I urge you to follow!
Ross Newham - Natural Aesthetics
www.youtube.com/naturalaestheticstv
www.facebook.com/naturalaesthet1cs
DREAM AND ACHIEVE
The top graph in the diagram depicts the progress 95% of gym goers see. After their initial gains in strength/muscularity from the body adapting to new loads (starting training) they will generally stall and fail to make any headway. They have no plan, do not track performance or variables and thus have no idea what to do to improve. They train MINDLESSLY, hopping from exercise to exercise, seeking out the pump.
The second graph shows a linear approach to training - in that progress is attempted each and every session. These guys have a plan and train hard to try and reach their goals but fail to understand that progress cannot be made continually. This works, to a point; until injuries start building up, fatigue sets in, demotivation perhaps and plateaus. This, combined with the first graph was how I trained for many years. Poor exercise form/chronic muscle tightness on key exercises as well as an inability to back down lead to plateaus and injuries.
The third chart represents the few trainers who understand patience is key to making consistent progress. Periods of intense, heavy training are followed by periods of lighter training to help the body recover and enable continued progress to be made once the intensity rises again. This can be called 'periodization' and is the best way to train for the longest without encountering injuries. Progress may be slow, but consistent. This is the phase of training I'm moving into now and I urge you to follow!
Ross Newham - Natural Aesthetics
www.youtube.com/naturalaestheticstv
www.facebook.com/naturalaesthet1cs
DREAM AND ACHIEVE
Wednesday 17 September 2014
Tuesday 16 September 2014
INTERVALS, EPOC AND WHY THEY ARE GOOD FOR FAT-LOSS
First, lets define EPOC: Excessive PostExercise Oxygen Consumption, or simply, recovery oxygen consumption. Following exercise, the body does not immediately return to resting levels. Light, short duration activity, which causes little disruption in body temperature and hormonal balance, is followed by rapid recovery, almost unnoticed. Of course what's classed as'light' exercise depends on the physical condition of the individual, for instance, an overweight person whom is unused to any considerable amount of exercise or even movement, will not recover as quickly doing the same activity as someone who is generally better prepared for physical exertion. One half of the total oxygen recovery consumption will occur within 30 seconds and total recovery within 4-7 minutes, this is known as the fast component in recovery oxygen consumption.
On the other hand, stressful exercise such as completing 20 back squats nearing muscular failure, or running 400m as quickly as possible will require considerable time for resting metabolism to occur (slow component). The length and the intensity of exercise will determine how long this takes; research has shown this can take as long as 24 hours for the body to return back to baseline oxygen consumption levels (McArdle, Katch and Katch, 2007). To reiterate, a considerably greater oxygen debt will be placed upon the body following strenuous exercise. This means that the body will utilise more oxygen (Litres) in an attempt to return to pre-exercise oxygen consumption.
Why does the body need so much oxygen following exhaustive exercise (where the activity requires a significant anaerobic component as well as aerobic)? There are a few factors that contribute to EPOC; a small part of it is used to aid re-synthesis of lactate to glycogen (although this is mostly the job of dietary carbohydrates - which is a good thing for fat loss). Elevated body temperature also contributes to EPOC. Temperature can rise by up to 3c during exhaustive exercise and can remain elevated for hours after the exercise. This stimulates metabolism to increase oxygen consumption during recovery. Natural Fat burners guys...
Up to 10% of of recovery oxygen will be used to take the blood from the trained muscles back to the lungs, as well as the restoration of oxygen lost via bodily fluids and that which is bound to myoglobin in the active muscles. Ventilation volumes remain elevated, the heart works harder and requires greater oxygen supply during prolonged recovery, tissue repair and redistribution of key minerals and ions and the residual thermogenic hormones relaesed during exercise all go towards keeping metabolism elevated during EPOC.
In summary, after prolonged strenuous aerobic or exhaustive anaerobic activity the body requires more oxygen for considerable lengths of time to recover. This means a potential greater kcal expenditure during EPOC, rather than just kcal expended during exercise, something which can make weight management easier for everyone.
However, attempting to train at the intensity and duration required to induce said EPOC is difficult. Extreme intensity is necessary, something which trainees need time to work up to. Imagine performing 20 back squats with a weight you would usually do 10, or a cross country race for for a 5 second pb, or perhaps 2 minutes worth of clean and press with a 70%1rm followed by 50 burpees. Extreme pain comes to mind. This is where intervals can become very useful. Shorter (supermaximal) bouts of exercise, intermittently spaced between rest periods, can produce substantial recovery oxygen consumption for well over an hour (McArdle, Katch and Katch, 2007).
An exercise that when performed continuously would normally cause exhaustion within several minutes can be split up into intermittent segments of work and rest periods. By structuring the workout in such a way a much greater volume of workload can be achieved thus overloading the energy transfer system. Exercise up to 8 seconds (all-out intensity) relies on intramuscular phosphates to provide the majority of the energy. Due to quicker recovery and lower blood lactate levels, intense exercise can follow after a brief recovery period. Total work volume over a session can increase using interval training. Christenson EH, et al. found that by adding a 5 second rest period to every 10 second of running the athlete improved the total distance ran by nearly 5 times that of the distance ran at a continuous speed before exhaustion.
Total Distance run (yards) for 4 min of continuous (until exhaustion) - 1422
Total Distance run (yards) for 10s exercise/5s rest - 7294
{Same speed for both days)
Intervals are a fantastic tool for increasing workload, past the point one would usually fail at if exercising continuously. This means greater kcal expenditure and potentially better weight management. Think twice before you jump on that treadmill and half ass that 5km. Utilize full body weight lifting movements within your intervals (squat thrusters/clean and press etc.) to produce the physiological adaptations associated with weight bearing movements (increased muscle mass/strength etc.) AND burn substantial kcal during and after exercise!
Ross - Natural Aesthetics
www.youtube.com/naturalaestheticstv
www.facebook.com/naturalaesthet1cs
On the other hand, stressful exercise such as completing 20 back squats nearing muscular failure, or running 400m as quickly as possible will require considerable time for resting metabolism to occur (slow component). The length and the intensity of exercise will determine how long this takes; research has shown this can take as long as 24 hours for the body to return back to baseline oxygen consumption levels (McArdle, Katch and Katch, 2007). To reiterate, a considerably greater oxygen debt will be placed upon the body following strenuous exercise. This means that the body will utilise more oxygen (Litres) in an attempt to return to pre-exercise oxygen consumption.
Why does the body need so much oxygen following exhaustive exercise (where the activity requires a significant anaerobic component as well as aerobic)? There are a few factors that contribute to EPOC; a small part of it is used to aid re-synthesis of lactate to glycogen (although this is mostly the job of dietary carbohydrates - which is a good thing for fat loss). Elevated body temperature also contributes to EPOC. Temperature can rise by up to 3c during exhaustive exercise and can remain elevated for hours after the exercise. This stimulates metabolism to increase oxygen consumption during recovery. Natural Fat burners guys...
Up to 10% of of recovery oxygen will be used to take the blood from the trained muscles back to the lungs, as well as the restoration of oxygen lost via bodily fluids and that which is bound to myoglobin in the active muscles. Ventilation volumes remain elevated, the heart works harder and requires greater oxygen supply during prolonged recovery, tissue repair and redistribution of key minerals and ions and the residual thermogenic hormones relaesed during exercise all go towards keeping metabolism elevated during EPOC.
In summary, after prolonged strenuous aerobic or exhaustive anaerobic activity the body requires more oxygen for considerable lengths of time to recover. This means a potential greater kcal expenditure during EPOC, rather than just kcal expended during exercise, something which can make weight management easier for everyone.
However, attempting to train at the intensity and duration required to induce said EPOC is difficult. Extreme intensity is necessary, something which trainees need time to work up to. Imagine performing 20 back squats with a weight you would usually do 10, or a cross country race for for a 5 second pb, or perhaps 2 minutes worth of clean and press with a 70%1rm followed by 50 burpees. Extreme pain comes to mind. This is where intervals can become very useful. Shorter (supermaximal) bouts of exercise, intermittently spaced between rest periods, can produce substantial recovery oxygen consumption for well over an hour (McArdle, Katch and Katch, 2007).
An exercise that when performed continuously would normally cause exhaustion within several minutes can be split up into intermittent segments of work and rest periods. By structuring the workout in such a way a much greater volume of workload can be achieved thus overloading the energy transfer system. Exercise up to 8 seconds (all-out intensity) relies on intramuscular phosphates to provide the majority of the energy. Due to quicker recovery and lower blood lactate levels, intense exercise can follow after a brief recovery period. Total work volume over a session can increase using interval training. Christenson EH, et al. found that by adding a 5 second rest period to every 10 second of running the athlete improved the total distance ran by nearly 5 times that of the distance ran at a continuous speed before exhaustion.
Total Distance run (yards) for 4 min of continuous (until exhaustion) - 1422
Total Distance run (yards) for 10s exercise/5s rest - 7294
{Same speed for both days)
Intervals are a fantastic tool for increasing workload, past the point one would usually fail at if exercising continuously. This means greater kcal expenditure and potentially better weight management. Think twice before you jump on that treadmill and half ass that 5km. Utilize full body weight lifting movements within your intervals (squat thrusters/clean and press etc.) to produce the physiological adaptations associated with weight bearing movements (increased muscle mass/strength etc.) AND burn substantial kcal during and after exercise!
Ross - Natural Aesthetics
www.youtube.com/naturalaestheticstv
www.facebook.com/naturalaesthet1cs
Monday 15 September 2014
Wednesday 10 September 2014
Monday 8 September 2014
Monday 1 September 2014
Sunday 31 August 2014
6 COMMANDMENTS OF NATURAL MUSCLE GROWTH
1. EAT TO GROW! Feed your body the necessary calories required to add muscle. Your trying to gain weight; to add muscle tissue...this is not possible if your chronically under-eating. Rice cakes and chicken will not cut it 24/7.
2. INTENSITY IS EVERYTHING! Stop farting around and start training like its your job. 15 rep sets with a weight that you could do 25 reps with will not cause serious growth. Embrace pain - learn to love it!!
3. FOCUS ON WHATS IMPORTANT! Stop worrying about stuff that doesn't matter....how many meals are optimal/what type of carbs should one eat/how many sets should one do? Just DO something, its never going to be 100% optimal.
4. PATIENCE! Unless you have amazing genetics to build muscle its going to take years. Accept it and your training will benefit from that. Stop looking for a shortcut, supplement or a secret training formula that will get you to where you want quicker.....leave that for those who want to use drugs.
5. TRAIN HEAVY! To build a big natural physique your going to have to lift heavy! Ive never seen a BIG natural who trained with light weights exclusively. Include compounds lifts (multiple muscle movements; bench/deadlift/squat/overhead press/pullups and dips etc.) in your training. Focus on getting stronger over time on these lifts and they will act as a catalyst for your training and physique.
6. VARIETY ISN'T ESSENTIAL! Variety for the sake of it is far too common. Why change exercises when the basics have not been mastered. TOO much variety will hinder progress. Muscles do not need exercise surprises, bludgeon them into growth with variations of volume (how much training, sets and reps)/frequency (how many times per training cycle) and intensity (weight and or overload techniques) instead.
Ross - Natural Aesthetics
Monday 25 August 2014
Sunday 17 August 2014
Sunday 10 August 2014
Thursday 7 August 2014
Monday 4 August 2014
Sunday 3 August 2014
Saturday 26 July 2014
Tuesday 22 July 2014
Sunday 20 July 2014
Friday 11 July 2014
Wednesday 9 July 2014
Sunday 6 July 2014
Tuesday 1 July 2014
Tuesday 24 June 2014
Monday 23 June 2014
Saturday 21 June 2014
Friday 20 June 2014
Tuesday 17 June 2014
Monday 16 June 2014
Tuesday 10 June 2014
Sunday 8 June 2014
Wednesday 4 June 2014
Sunday 1 June 2014
Thursday 22 May 2014
Saturday 17 May 2014
Friday 9 May 2014
The Decline of Boybuilding and the art of Posing.
Its my humble opinion that the physiques of top tier bodybuilders have been getting worse since the 1990's. Mass is obviously the order of the day, but with little regard to shape, balance, aesthetics and quality of posing. Don't get me wrong, there are some fantastic physiques out there but it seems that for guys to push into the top tier (IFBB) they have to add so much mass to compete that it ruins the balance and aesthetics that made them good in the first place.
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There is far less emphasis on the athletes individual posing routines nowadays. Top IFBB bodybuilders nowadays cannot pose as well as the bodybuilders 30 years ago. This is not just because their heavily muscled physiques are not suited to many of the artistic poses but also because the judging doesn't seem to care for it or at least encourage it during shows. Kai Greene is an exception (he is a master in posing). Only the mandatory poses (essential) seem relevant now.
The increasing dosages of drugs, as well as the introduction of other drugs/compounds (namely HGH and insulin) have ruined top tier bodybuilding. The physiques are impressive; massive behemoths with striated glutes - yet very few of them can perform side poses that well and none of them can perform a vacuum (sucking your abs in to make the waist like tiny from the front/side). What is the point of having an extra 20kg of muscle on the frame but adding another 3+inches to the waist?! This destroys the purpose of having more muscle because it looks far less impressive!
Top tier bodybuilders nowadays seem to present a collection of fantastic body parts, rather than a flowing, strong entire physique. A lot of these athletes (not all of them) train mostly with machines now and it shows in their body shape and presentation. Unfortunately with the drugs available its clear that heavy, intense training with free weights isn't needed to build a massive physique when these compounds are used. Many top tier natural bodybuilders still train very heavy with mostly free weights and achieve fantastic results, whilst keeping a narrow waist!
Monday 5 May 2014
Monday 28 April 2014
Tuesday 22 April 2014
Thursday 17 April 2014
Tuesday 15 April 2014
Tuesday 8 April 2014
Thursday 13 March 2014
NATURAL AESTHETICS Competition Training Program 2014
Day 1 [upper]
Incline DB's - 5x5
BB row - 5x5
Military Press - 5x5
Low row - 3x10
Rear delt rows - 3x10
Close Grip bench - 5x5
DB hammer curls - 3x10
Day 2 [lower]
Back squat - 5x5
Leg Press - 5x12-->4
Hamstring curls - 5x5
Calves - 3x10
+cardio (25min)
+Ab circuit
Day 3 [upper]
BB bench press - 5x5
Pull-ups - 5x5
DB Shoulder Press - 5x5
DB Flys - 3x10
DB Laterals/upright rows - 3x10
Cheat curls - 5x5
Bar Pushdowns - 3x10
Day 4 [lower]
Deadlift - 5x5
Front Squat - 5x5
Hamstring Curl - 3x10
Calves - 3x10
+cardio (25min)
+Ab circuit
+ Cardio (HIIT) 8x30sec sprints/60sec recovery - on Day 5
Notes -
* 5x5 will usually indicate 5 sets of 5 including ramping sets, only last set will be a true 'working set'.
* Occasionally, I may veer away from the layout of the program during a particular session and blast a compound exercise for more sets than prescribed.
* Attempting to increase, or at the very least fighting to maintain strength, in the big compound movements will be of the upmost importance.
Aiming to beat the size achieved last year:
Natural Aesthetics - Dream and Achieve
Ross
Tuesday 11 March 2014
Wednesday 5 March 2014
Sunday 2 March 2014
Sunday 23 February 2014
Wednesday 19 February 2014
Monday 17 February 2014
Are Isolation Exercises Worthwhile for Novices?
The first and probably hardest part of the question is to actually define a novice. I'm not going to give a definitive set of numbers for the major lifts as this can be misleading. Trainees can see massive improvements in musculature during their first few months without touching the big three lifts. Most weight bearing exercise is usually above and beyond what the trainer will have experienced thus far, illiciting rapid adaptations in musculature and strength. Instead I will simply define a novice as someone who has very little or no understanding about the general movement patterns needed to create changes to their physique. There is little or no understanding about training protocols such as volume or frequency or even how to train specific muscles appropriately.
Onto the second part of the question: are isolation exercises worthwhile for novices? The novice should allocate most of their training time and energy to learning the basic training movements: push, pull, squat and lift. Learning these properly as early as possible will put them in good stead for future training. These exercises will also provide the most carryover in strength to other movements both in and out of the gym.
However, I also believe that a lot of time should be spent on isolation exercises to further develop movement patterns and practise 'contracting' specific muscles. One of the key differences between a novice, intermediate and advanced trainer is the ability to focus on and prioritise certain muscles during both compound and isolation exercises. The quicker this 'mind to muscle' contraction is established the quicker the trainer can then potentially progress from novice to intermediate. Over-training becomes more important as the trainer becomes more advanced, it is not something to worry about in the novice stages.
The novice trainer should first and foremost concern themselves with learning and improving technique in the main movements (push/pull/squat/lift). Weight should then be added in a mostly linear fashion to each main exercise, whilst dedicating perhaps a third of time in the gym to isolation exercises. The novice should use this time to learn which muscles contract during certain exercises and more importantly to reiterate the contraction or 'feel' of the muscle during certain movements rather then simply moving weight.
Ross Newham - Natural Aesthetics
Sunday 16 February 2014
Tuesday 11 February 2014
Monday 10 February 2014
The Optimal Rep for Muscle Building.
During my last Bench Press session I did my usual working sets, steadily easing back into moderate/heavy loads. I had lightly strained my pec a couple of weeks back so I'm not quite back up to full strength levels. I finished up with 110kg for 5 reps; the speed was good but well below what I'd been doing 2-3 weeks ago. I'm startling to add more frequency of training to the bench again so it should be up to 120kg+ for 5 in 2 weeks.
After the regular training sets, myself and my training partner for this particular session opted for some band work. We looped one side of the band around the barbell and the other around a heavy dumbell placed directly under the bar on the floor. We could then create more tension by twisting the dumbell around to create extra loops in the bands.
We did a few sets, progressively adding more weight to the bar and extra loops to the bands. For the last set I asked my trainer partner to push down on the negative portion of the rep. So not only was the band adding more tension towards the easier half of the positive phase of movement (lockout), the negative phase of the movement was also made more difficult by the extra load.
Remember, one can handle a lot more weight during the negative phase of the lift than the positive phase; between 120-140%. It would be a waste not to incorporate 'forced negatives' into your training routine at some point, although bear in mind that they are extremely taxing so use sparingly!!
During the positive phase of movement, the lockout is generally far easier to execute than the bottom half. By adding bands this is no longer true as the tension is increased the further the bar moves away from the chest. Added to forced Negatives this makes a brutal combination; perhaps in terms of tension, as close to optimal as your ever going to get!
Ross - Natural Aesthetics
Saturday 8 February 2014
Friday 7 February 2014
Wednesday 5 February 2014
CURRENT TRAINING PROTOCOL
Recently made a few subtle tweaks to my training program. I will continue this protocol for 5-6 weeks then go back to 4 day a week training to add more volume on bodyparts.
Day 1 - Front squats 5x5/Barbell row 5x5/Behind neck press 5x8/Upright rows 3x8 + Heavy arms (5-8reps)
Day 2 - Deadlift 5x5/Bench press 5x5/DB incline 5x5/Pullups 5x5/Hamsstring curls 5x8
Day 3 - Front squats 5x3/Barbell row 5x3/Behind neck press 5x5/Rear delt rows + Arms (8-12reps) and calves 10x10
Light cardio - 20 mins x4 pw
Tuesday 4 February 2014
Sunday 2 February 2014
Thursday 30 January 2014
Tuesday 28 January 2014
Saturday 25 January 2014
Friday 24 January 2014
Wednesday 22 January 2014
Saturday 18 January 2014
Thursday 16 January 2014
Monday 13 January 2014
Sunday 12 January 2014
The importance of Static Holds in Natural Strength Development
Static holds are something that I have been experimenting with for my squats for a couple of years now.
The exercise involves simply taking a heavy weight from the rack and holding it for 5-10 seconds. The weight would typically be between 125%--175% of 1RM (the maximum amount of weight one can lift for 1 rep). I have done this primarily for back squats but also front squats to a lesser extent.
The progress I have seen in the back squat has partly been due to my static hold lifts - I was holding weights upwards of 320kg the week prior to performing my 1RM tests. Upon testing, I managed 205kg with confidence and comfort. Had I not done the static holds for the weeks previous to this I doubt the weight on the bar would have felt as light.
After my 205kg squat I attempted 20 reps at 140kg - a benchmark I had for a long dreamed of accomplishing. The 65kg difference meant that the bar now felt light in my shoulders and I proceeded to blast out 10 with barely a breath, followed by a slower 10.
So not only can heavy, static holds help with mentally preparing yourself for a big lift, they can also serve as a quick way of boosting confidence before a rep record attempt. As a weightlifter/bodybuilder it is of the upmost importance to continually push into uncharted territory (both in weight and intensity) - to accomplish what we have not yet succeeded in. If static holds provide an edge; or a confidence boost then they are worthwhile addition to your program!
Start with adding a set at 125% - placed at the end of your regular squat sets. Hold for 10 seconds and contine to add weight with each session.
Ross - Natural Aesthetics
Thursday 9 January 2014
Tuesday 7 January 2014
Monday 6 January 2014
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