Every waking hour drink 12 ounces of water along with 6 desiccated liver tablets. Also, snack on nuts and olives all day long. If you have the vigilance to adhere to this activity, in one week you should be 5 to 10 pounds heavier. Of course, much of it will be water weight but so what? In order to obtain more size it is necessary for the body to get accustomed to carrying more weight. This is an excellent method to do just that. Anyone familiar with the steroid ANADROL will tell you that most of the weight obtained from that drug is water, but increased water weight will make you very strong! (Creatine works very much in the same way.) Desiccated liver tablets have fallen out of favor in recent years but they are not only an inexpensive source of protein, they are also high in the most assimilable form of iron. (Note: iron in supplemental form is usually ferrous sulfate which can effect the absorption of vitamin E as well as be toxic in high dosages). Liver also contains more vitamin B12 than almost any other food source. B12 is a highly effective appetite stimulant. In order to gain weight of any kind, it is necessary to increase your caloric intake. More strength + more water + more food = MORE MASS. Give this tip a try and you'll be amazed at how dramatic a difference it can make.

SWEAT BELTS...

Remember those? Actually, I'm surprised so few people incorporate this apparatus into their workouts. Sweat belts at one time were a very common training aid but because some manufacturers made overly enthusiastic claims, (Lose inches! No need to diet or exercise!), it lost credibility as a viable product. Sweat belts not only provide warmth to the lower back (which in my opinion makes it more advantageous than a lifting belt) but by inducing sweat, many athletes swear that it seems to "spot reduce" the waistline. This is probably due to the fact that the generated water loss allows for sodium removal which in turn induces a "harder" appearance. Here's a suggestion for even more subcutaneous water loss. Mix Vaseline with the contents of a yohimbe capsule and apply it to the skin under the belt before your workouts. You may soon be seeing some abdominal definition that you once thought was unobtainable.

STATIC CONTRACTION...

Be it in the form of isometrics such as pressing a barbell into the immovable bar in a squat rack, or by simply "holding" a weight in the strongest range of motion, this technique is too often neglected. Static contraction is a safe and effective way of fatiguing a muscle group and increasing strength and vascularity. It also works great as a Pre-Exhaustion technique. Posing is also a terrific form of static contraction. Posing gives the muscles density and definition. Believe it or not, at one time, the posing routine of a competitor was a significant factor in their placing. Today, it is entirely the pre-judging, consisting of the mandatory poses, that determines the outcome of a contest. Hence, there are very few posing routines on par with that of the past masters. Watch some film clips of Arnold, Ed Corney and Frank Zane. Their routines flowed and told a "story". Notice how the muscles "popped" when they flexed them. A phenomenon curiously absent in today's competitors.

ROMAN CHAIR SIT UPS...

Once a staple in most gyms, you hardly see this archaic device anymore. Nevertheless, Roman Chair Sit-ups hyperextend the lower abs, thus providing stress and development in a way "normal" sit ups can't.

ODD LIFTS...

As mentioned previously, many of the old timers loved fooling around with different exercises, so an occasional "test of strength" was not uncommon. Power cleans, snatches and one arm presses might evoke a peculiar glance from onlookers in most health clubs, but many a powerful physique were built with such movements. Try tossing around a twelve pound medicine ball for twenty minutes and the term "cardio training" will take on a whole new meaning!

GET OUTSIDE!...

I wonder what Eugene Sandow would think if he saw people riding bicycles that didn't go anywhere and running on treadmills for no apparent reason other than to run? Years back, nobody did aerobics. What for? They don't build muscle! However, it was a common practice to use those beautiful muscles for something practical like sports or to be able to more effectively perform manual labor. Getting out in the fresh air and sunshine was a healthy activity that went hand in hand with a healthy appearance. If you look for the dangers in anything you're sure to find them and this certainly is the case with exposure to ultraviolet light. Everyone these days seems to avoid the sun like the plague. In my opinion, the dangers have been grossly exaggerated. Sunlight provides the purest form of vitamin D. It also assists in the production of certain hormones (including testosterone!) Simply follow two rules when it comes to sun exposure. 1.. Don't burn. 2..Don't get so tanned that you no longer can burn. As a colleague of mine who is in his 60's and still has great looking skin says, "There will be plenty of time to spend in the shade after you're dead!"

AVOID STARCHY FOODS...

Nutritionists are finally catching on to what our predecessors knew instinctively. It is the "starchy" carbohydrates such as rice, potatoes, bread and pasta that make you fat! One area where many of the old timers look as good, if not better, than today's bodybuilders is in abdominal development. No ephedrine. No clenbuterol. No diuretics. They ate meat and drank whole milk by the gallon yet they were sharp as razors (with great skin tone I might add). Getting in shape for a contest didn't take months. These guys were always in shape. Just a few days of eating clean and they were ready to step on stage. Back in the days when athletes such as boxers needed to lose some fat in order to make their weight class, the only advice they were given was "lay off the starches." That's because it worked!

BE SMART WHEN IT COMES TO PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENTS...

When Dianabol was introduced in the 1950's, its negative side effects were unclear and some bodybuilders were willing to "take a peek under the covers", as it were, and explore the possibilities. None of them seem to have suffered any ill effects and years later many of them look remarkably good for their age. I don't think we'll be saying the same about some of the "walking science projects" competing today when they get to be around 50 years old.

Here's a great method for...

NATURALLY INCREASING TESTOSTERONE...

It comes from one of the forefathers of modern bodybuilding, Angelo Siciliani better known as Charles Atlas. Did you know that the excessive heat from a hot shower can lower your sperm count? In fact, the Aztec Indians used this as a form of birth control (don't ask). Anyway, Charlie recommends finishing off your shower with cold water. Allow the cold water to flow from the solar plexus onto the genitals. The belief was that these areas contain the highest concentration of nerve endings, therefore, the cold would stimulate the nerves which in turn strengthened the entire nervous system. "Stimulate" is certainly the operative word here. I can attest to its effect since I've been doing this for some time now. It takes a little getting use to but it sure is an eye opener!

LEARN TO TRAIN AROUND INJURIES...

Back in a time when not only was there no money in bodybuilding but it wasn't even considered an acceptable activity, bodybuilders trained out of the sheer love of the sport. If an injury occurred, the idea of losing a workout was unthinkable! There would be no coddling of injuries either. Exercise was always considered a healing activity.

Today, more and more doctors are prescribing exercise instead of bed rest for many ailments that were thought to need "inactivity." Hurt your elbow? Work legs again. Chances are they can use it. When was the last time you worked your abs so hard they were sore the next day? If you really want to make progress, there is always something you can do. Again, use a little imagination.

These are just a few of the long forgotten techniques that may still prove valuable. In this age of hi-tech exercise machines and computerized diet plans they may seem quaint and simplistic but they worked once for others and they will work again for you.

Maybe someday you'll be passing along this information to a neophyte of the game and it will seem new all over again. For now, start incorporating some of these rediscovered secrets on your own. Along with all the current advancements in training and nutrition, they can bring about a whole new dimension to your bodybuilding progress. The best of the old combined with the best of the new. Now that's progress.




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