1) Chicken, egg whites, rice, and rice cakes ONLY…..If you want to get shredded.
PLEASE DO NOT do this! Your body needs micro nutrients and vitamins. I know of so many aspiring bodybuilders and people that just want to better their physique that hire people who tell them to follow this diet. FIRE THEM!
2) Fats make you fat.
Fats are essential for countless essential body processes. All fats are good (trans fats excluded) in some proper ratio. Rotate your fat sources and watch your libido and test levels skyrocket. I’m just saying…
3) You’ve gotta lift heavy to grow
Cmon people! If you’ve ever read anything I’ve written you know this is not true. You’ve got to lift properly, and maximize tension to grow! Don’t worry, its easier than it sounds once you get it.
4) A calorie is a calorie (all calories are created equal)
Sounds like meathead math to me! Even when trying to get as big as possible, the WORST thing you can do is eat indiscriminately. This will set you up for insulin resistance and LESS muscle growth. I can’t believe all the kids brainwashed into thinking pop tarts are okay!
5) I’m trying to work my “tie ins”
I still laugh when I read this. J WTH is a “tie in” There is NO SUCH THING people. A muscle is a muscle, and its structure is what it is. Where two muscles tie together is simply where two muscles tie together. You CANT train that. You can certainly train a muscles ENTIRE length, but not the space between two muscles.
6) I’m training to stretch my fascia.
Ummm, FASCIA DOES NOT STRETCH! 100% proven fact that fascia has the tensile strength of STEEL. It may expand, much like muscle does when it gets warm, and become more pliable, but as soon as it cools its right back to where it started. Fascia grows in much the same way muscle does. You may break fascial adhesions which gives the illusion of expansion or greater range (this is a great thing!) but unfortunately its not stretching to allow for muscle growth peeps. Volumize your muscle via training and fascia will see a need to adapt and expand or grow.
7) Narrow grip T-Bar rows work my inner back
A-mazing! NO-IT-DOES-NOT! Narrow grip on back simply impedes ranges and forces you to use greater internal rotation of the shoulder joint (rotator muscles)
8) I don’t want to “overtrain”
Listen, an hour or two 5 days a week IS NOT overtraining…EVER…PERIOD. Unless you don’t eat, and don’t sleep…in which case overtraining is the least of your worries.
9) Low intensity cardio is best for fat burning
Hopefully, by now, most of you know that this is a big load of BS and that low intensity cardio does in fact burn a greater percentage of overall fat WHILE doing the exercise but does NOTHING for your BMR aka calorie burning for the rest of the day.
10) Fasted cardio burns more fat
NOPE! Never been proven. Ever. In fact, it has been showen that cardio(or any exercise for that matter) done after consuming calories has a greater thermogenic effect.
(more calories burned)
11) Preacher curls work my lower bicep
Oh boy! Weve ALL done this at some point. Myself included. But thankfully I know better now. As much as it would nice to work my lower bicep or lengthen my bicep, preacher curls do not do this, and either do any exercises. They may overload the lower portion of the strength curve, thereby making you stronger in that part of the range giving you the misconception that youre lengthening your bicep. In reality, youre just getting overall thickness to your bicep.
12) Close grip bench works my inner chest
Or ANY exercise for that matter…you CAN NOT work your “inner chest”. I actually had a fight with another pro about this. To improve development of your inner chest it is simply necessary to fully shorten your pec muscles. Much like a bicep curl “for peak” forces your muscle to be fully shortened and thereby grow upward, same idea for inner chest.
13) I must touch the floor on stiff leg deadlift for a full range and maximum stretch in my hammies.
Cool you can touch your toes. That doesn’t mean that youre getting a greater range in your hamstrings. It often means that youre achieving a greater range via putting your spine in a compromised position. Go only as far as your hamstrings flexibility will allow.
14) When you stop working out, does all that muscle turn to fat?
Clearly every bodybuilder that stops training will turn to a massive fat slob. All that muscle has to go somewhere right? Well, no. Fat and muscle are two completely different entities. Its like turning chicken breasts into donuts. Although it might be cool, I don’t see it being likely anytime soon unless you can track down Doc Brown and his flying Delorean.
15) Saturated fat is bad
Actually, saturated fat has never been shown to have any correlation with all the negative things the media might have you believe. Heart disease etc. When it does become bad is when its combined with sugars! Saturated fat on its own actually have many great positive benefits in the body. Hormone production etc.
16) Taking glutamine and Whey protein together is bad. They compete.
In fact they can help with increased protein synthesis when combined.In fact glutamine improves immune function and immune function is an indicator of strength. Weak immune system = weak muscles.
17) I’m going to diet and lose bodyfat before I start weight training
Ok, maybe not said by a lot of bodybuilders, but I still here this idiocy all the time. Listen people, Weight training is THE best way to lose body fat and change composition. Vinny and I can take ANY physique to 10% body fat with weights and diet alone!
18) Can I get a lift off?
If somebody says this before they start, walk away! If you cant lift it on your own, you have no business lifting that weight. The only exception is some crappy old shoulder and incline presses that make you reach 4 feet behind your head to grab the bar. In such cases I remove #18 😉
19) Creatine causes cramping and muscle tears.
Nothing even close to that has ever been shown, but the media loves to tell stories that sensationalize everything that they put out.
20) I just can’t build my triceps (insert YOUR lagging bodypart here).
YES you can. You just need to learn HOW to do things properly. They might never be the best in the world, but you can bring up any lagging bodypart to match the rest of your body with knowledge of proper execution.
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Guest Post By IFBB Pro Ben Pakulski of www.HypertrophyMAX.com
Love this article but for the record I disagree with number 18 when you’re training for max strength or powerlifting. You do want a hand off for a few reasons. 1) To conserve energy. 2) By getting a hand off on the bench press for example it keeps you from over-extending and allows you keep your shoulder blades retracted shortening the distance the bar travels.
If you’re just training for size or a pump, Ben is right you don’t need a hand off. Westy
Haha great
I agree with Mike. Why is point #18 on a site called critical bench? Not only is it a good idea to get a lift off to conserve energy it’s necessary to get one’s shoulders set properly when doing heavy bench. Especially if you’re equipped with a bench shirt.
I never read or see anything Mike does that I don’t agree with. He’s right on with his 20 points.
People who are smaller or are beneingrs should do a 3 day full body workouts. I guarantee you will be much better if you lift one compound lift per major body part. Also you never have to work out arms. I havnt worked out arms in 2 years and they have kept up with the rest of my body because of chest and back. I just now after 3 years started a 4 day split with chest, back, shoulders one day and legs and abs the next. You will put on mass this way if you work the diet. Its mostly diet anyways.