Seasonal Cycles - Advanced Workout Tips By Mo Mendez
One type of training cycle rotation is to do a "seasonal cycle." The champion bodybuilders often employ a similar scheme. When they are preparing for a contest or two in quick succession, they trim down and use primarily shaping exercises. But in the off-season they spend time adding new muscle bulk to their body. The noncompetitive bodybuilder can do the same thing. During the spring and summer months when you run around wearing less it is a better time to get slim and trim, lean and mean. But in the fall and winter when you wear more clothing you have an excellent opportunity to bulk up. Use the winter months to your advantage. If you happen to carry a couple of extra-unwanted pounds, no one seems to notice as much as they would in the summer. But take a tip from the top professionals and don't let your excess weight get too far out of hand. Porter Cottrell says that "the primary objective, even for those who are intermediate bodybuilders, is to put on muscle tissue . . . if, during my mass-building, notice my bodyfat levels climbing, I'll slightly increase my aerobic activity. Doing so will keep my bodyfat to a minimum." Use this technique to get big without getting fat.
A good bulk/muscle-size program is to take 5 or 6 months in the fall/winter season. Increase your dietary intake and emphasize rest and recuperation during this time also.
Keys to Putting on Massive Muscle Size
There are several primary keys to packing on muscle mass. If you use these keys they will greatly assist you in gaining muscle mass. If you ignore them, you will have a difficult time getting as big as you want. These all-important keys to size include:
Basics - Focus on the basic compound movements, the exercises that pack on mass such as bench presses, squats, weighted dips, deadlifts, heavy curls, rowing motions, chin-ups, presses, etc.
Heavy Duty - Use primarily heavy weights.
Power/Pump Rotation - Rotate between power and pump workouts.
Fuel - Get adequate fuel, meaning muscle replenishment food. Get tanked up after the workout to refill your carbohydrate needs, and get filled up with plenty of protein for the muscle-building action.
Rest - Get more than adequate rest between workouts.
Intensity - Make each workout as intense as possible.
Stretch - Stretch often - before, during and after workouts.
Aerobic/Cardio - Include some (fairly minimal) aerobic/cardio work.
Plan - Have a definite plan of attack - diet, routine, etc.
Positive Attitude - Believe that you can build that muscular body size.
Squats - Heavy-duty squatting stimulates overall muscle-mass production like crazy.
Heavy-Duty Lifts - Perform a lot of weighted dips, bench presses, rowing movements, basic curls, and deadlifts with increasingly heavier weights during any size cycle; and most important:
Focus - Focus on building muscle size as opposed to just body size!
One of the most basic and fundamental elements for putting on massive muscle size is the use of heavy metal. There is no quicker way to put on muscle size than with a specified muscle mass-building program utilizing heavy weights. Used in conjunction with a nutritious and adequate diet, the results are dynamic.
The main concept to grasp in building a "buff" body is this: focus on increasing muscle size as opposed to just body size. The bigger the muscle, the more appealing the body mass will be.
Apply a hard work ethic in a wise manner when in the gym and you can build a massively muscular body.
The behind the scenes training and preparation right up until Mo's overall win at the 2003 Musclemania Atlantic! Mo shares his secrets in this exciting new DVD release - Get your copy today! (1 hour)
