Periodisation Models

There has been a lot of harping on about daily undulating periodisation (DUP) recently. It has been toted as the ultimate training solution for making gains in strength and muscle hypertrophy. It is also spoken about as if it is mutually exclusive from other kinds of periodisation. Simply put, that just isn't true. DUP is a periodisation model and it can be implemented with effect but it isn't the holy grail and it isn't necessarily exclusive from other models.

Periodisation - what it is

Periodisation is how training is put together. It is organised in three ways:

Microcycle - this is typically one week of training or thereabouts.

Mesocycle - this is usually around 2 - 8 weeks in duration, though it is not a strict rule. It consists of multiple microcycles.

Macrocycle - this is the big picture plan usually in preparation for a competitive event of some kind. It consists of multiple mesocycles. It could be 6 months, 1 year, 4 years etc.

What kinds of periodisation are there?

Linear - Starts with low intensity, high volume and works up to high intensity, low volume. Generally volume and intensity are the variables which are periodised but other variables can be periodised as well.

Non Linear - This includes undulating periodisation and conjugate periodisation. Typically volume and/or intensity are changed daily or weekly.

Block - Block periodisation involves organising training into blocks which each have a focus on a goal. For example a training block may focus primarily on developing strength with higher relative loads.

Periodisation is not mutually exclusive

The idea that these types of periodisation are separate from each other is incorrect and I think poorly understood. Rather each type of periodisation contains components of the others.

Firstly all training is essentially linear periodisation because it contains linear progression. The nature of weight training is progressive. If you add volume in the form of more weight, an extra rep or an extra set then you made a linear progression in volume and/or intensity. So even if you are training with what you think is a DUP set up, you will ultimately have a linear element to your training. In reality you'll have undulation of training variables occurring daily and linearity occurring weekly (or however often progression happens to occur).

If you're training with a frequency of 2 times per week or more per muscle group then chances are you have undulation occurring to some degree in your program. For example if you do bicep curls with 4 sets of 8 on Monday and then you do bicep curls with 3 sets of 15 on Thursday then you just did DUP. You undulated the volume and intensity via changing the sets, reps and load over a period of days.

You can have a block of training which is largely focused on strength which also has elements of undulation and linearity. Allow me to illustrate with an example:

Lets say the macrocycle is 8 weeks, with 3 weeks of training, 1 week of deload, 3 weeks of training and 1 week of deload/testing. You perform two lifts each day of: squat, bench, deadlift, OHP 4 days per week at varying numbers of sets, reps and percentage of 1 RM. You also do some accessory work - one week you do 3 sets of 12, the next week you do 3 sets of 10, the third week you do 3 sets of 8 prior to deloading during the fourth week and starting again the next week.

This is set up as a block where the primary lifts and the associated loads, sets and reps have a trend toward developing strength. It has a block periodisation element to it. You have your reps, sets and load for the primary lifts undulating from workout to workout (a daily undulating periodisation element). The secondary work is set up with load (intensity) increasing and volume (reps) decreasing week to week as would typically occur in linear periodisation. And of course we are trying to get stronger from the start of the block to the end of the block (another linear element).

As you can see there are endless ways to organise training and periodisation doesn't fit into the neat little package of  specifically "DUP" or "linear periodisation". Rather periodisation models are going to contain elements applied over periods of time. If you see someone trying to sell you a DUP program, remember it's because it's a popular buzzword right now and not because it's exclusive or superior to any other way of organising training.

That's a wrap for this week. Have any feedback? Leave a comment below or on social media. As always you can contact me via the details provided below if you want to speak to me about my coaching services.

Muscle Academy contact details:

Email - info@muscleacademy.com.au
Website - http://www.muscleacademy.com.au
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/MuscleAcademy
Instagram and Twitter - @evansoooon

- Evan

Deadlifting for back development?

This entry is going to address deadlifts and whether they should be used as an exercise to develop the back.

Defining the "back"

The Upper Back Musculature

Firstly let's talk about the upper back. In the upper back we have a variety of muscles but for the purposes of this blog I will address the major ones which are the latissimus dorsi, teres major, rhomboid major/minor and trapezius. I'm about to get a little anatomy heavy so brace yourselves.

Latissimus Dorsi

Attachments: iliac crest of pelvis, thoracolumbar fascia, lower three to four ribs, inferior angle of the scapula, humerus. What this means is it attaches to the pelvis, a bunch of stuff in the middle including the spine (indirectly), ribs, shoulder blade and finally attaches to the upper arm bone.

Actions: shoulder joint extension, shoulder joint adduction, shoulder joint internal rotation. In other words it brings the arm back to the side from the front and the side and it rotates the arm inwards.

Teres Major

Attachments: posterior surface of scapula near the inferior angle, humerus (bottom of back of shoulder blade to the upper arm bone)

Actions: shoulder joint extension, shoulder joint adduction, shoulder joint internal rotation. These are similar actions to the latissimus dorsi.

Rhomboid Major/Minor

Rhomboid Major Attachments:  spinous processes of T2 - T5, medial border of scapula
Rhomboid Minor Attachments: spinous processes of C7 and T1, medial border of scapula
(this means it attaches to the thoracic spine and the shoulder blade on the same side)

Actions: scapula retraction (it pulls the shoulder blades backwards).

Trapezius

Attachments: occipital bone, ligamentum nuchae, spinous processes of C7 - T12, lateral third of clavicle, acromion process and spine of scapula. In other words the trapezius muscle attaches to the skull, a ligament that runs down the back of the neck, the full length of the thoracic spine and attaches onto the collar bone and shoulder blade on each side of the body.

Actions: scapula retraction, scapula depression, shoulder girdle elevation, cervical extension, cervical lateral flexion. Translation - it does a few things because it has different sections. It pulls the shoulder blades backwards, downwards, lifts the shoulder blades and attached structures up and bends the neck backwards and to the side.

The Lower Back Musculature

When discussing the lower back muscles I firstly want to note that there are a whole bunch of muscles which have functions in this area. There are muscles that extend the trunk, that laterally flex the trunk, that rotate the trunk and that flex the trunk. There are also muscles that can increase intra-abdominal pressure and others that produce inspiration and expiration (breathing). For the purpose of this discussion I'm going to cover only the muscles which produce extension of the lower back. These muscles are quadratus lumborum, multifidus, erector spinae and interspinales.

Quadratus Lumborum

Attachments: iliac crest, iliolumbar ligament, lumbar transverse processes, twelfth rib. More or less it attaches to the pelvis and up top to the twelth rib with some attachments in between to the lumbar spine.

Actions: lumbar spine lateral flexion, lumbar spine extension. This means it bends the trunk to the side and, when both sides contract, to the rear.

Multifidus

Attachments: sacrum, lumbar vertebrae mamillary processes, thoracic vertebrae transverse processes, lower cervical vertebrae articular processes, spines of all vertebrae from L5 to the axis in the cervical spine. This is a deep muscle clearly with extensive attachments from the sacrum at the base of the spine all the way up the spine to the top of the neck. It has several layers which span between one and three levels of vertebrae at a time.

Actions: rotation, lateral flexion and extension of the spine. Basically this muscle rotates, bends to the side and bends the spine to the rear.

Erector Spinae (iliocostalis, longissimus, spinalis ie there are three sections of erector spinae)

Base Attachments: T11 - L5 spinous processes, median sacral crest, iliac crest. For the non anatomically inclined this means the muscle group attaches at the bottom to the lumbar spine, sacrum and pelvis. The erector spinae then splits into three columns as described below.

Iliocostalis Attachments: ribs 1 - 12, C4 - C7 transverse processes (the attachments of this section of erector spinae span from the base attachments to the ribs to the middle of the neck).

Longissimus Attachments: lumbar transverse processes to T1 - T12 transverse processes and lower 10 ribs. T1 - T6 transverse processes to C2 - C6 transverse processes. T1 - T5 transverse processes and C4 - C7 articular processes to mastoid process. (the attachments of this section are extensive and run from the lumbar spine to the thoracic spine and ribs and into the neck).

Spinalis Attachments: T1 - T6 spinous processes (the attachments of this erector spinae section are from the lumbar spine to the thoracic spine).

Actions: lumbar, thoracic and cervical extension, trunk lateral flexion, trunk lateral rotation. That is, this muscle group bends the spine to the rear, to the side and rotates it to the same side.

Interspinales

Attachments:  in between spinous processes mainly in the cervical and lumbar spine ie in between vertebrae in the neck and lower back.

Actions: cervical and lumbar extension. In other words, this muscle helps to bend the neck and the lower back to the rear.

Now that covers the anatomy of the upper and lower back muscles in detail. Apologies if you got lost in the terminology. I did try to include some layman's descriptions for each part to keep everyone on track. For the most part the muscles of the upper back move the shoulder joint and shoulder blades around and the muscles that I described in the lower back and spine move the spine in a few different directions. As well as producing movement, they can also all control or prevent movement in the opposite direction. For example the erector spinae group can control or prevent lumbar flexion (bending forward of the trunk). All this is important for what we are going to discuss regarding deadlifts.

The Deadlift - a basic description

The deadlift is a hip dominant movement. Whether you are pulling conventional or sumo stance you're always going to start in knee flexion, hip flexion (hips and knees bent), with an ideally neutral lumbar spine. During the concentric phase of the movement the hips and knees will extend (straighten) simultaneously until both full knee and hip extension are reached. The motion is reversed for the eccentric phase. Throughout the motion the lumbar spine should remain in neutral. If the lifter cannot get into a neutral spine position to begin with that is ok but the lumbar spine should remain in that position throughout the lift. It should not move further into flexion or further into extension (bend further forwards or backwards) for injury prevention reasons.
 
What are the major movers in a deadlift?

The two major movements that occur in a deadlift are hip extension and knee extension. The muscles which extend the hip are gluteus maximus and the hamstrings (semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris). The muscle which extends the knee joint is quadriceps femoris. I don't think it's necessary to go over their anatomy for the purposes of this discussion, so long as we understand what muscles they are and what they do.

As an added note - as you can see from the previous discussion of the upper and lower back anatomy, the lumbar extensors and the upper back muscles I have mentioned do not cross the hip joint. As such they aren't involved in extending the hips (the primary motion of the deadlift).

The role of the upper and lower back musculature in a deadlift

So if the muscles that are doing the actual moving in a deadlift are the hip and knee extensors as described above then what are the muscles in the upper and lower back doing? The simple answer is they are contracting isometrically to prevent movement and stabilise joints in certain areas.

When we are setting up a deadlift one of the things we do is pack our lats and retract our shoulder blades. The muscles that are achieving this are the latissimus dorsi/teres major (shoulder extension) and the rhomboids/trapezius (scapula retraction). These muscles then help to hold this position by way of isometric contraction throughout the lift.The rhomboids and trapezius are of course holding the shoulder blades in place and the latissmus dorsi because of it's multiple attachments (shoulder, scapula, ribs, spine, pelvis) serves as a stabiliser of the trunk locking it's position down.

The lower back muscles I described earlier (quadratus lumborum, multifidus, erector spinae, interspinales) are also contracting isometrically. However the movement they are primarily resisting is trunk flexion. That is, they are stopping the bar from pulling our back into a bent position whilst our hip and knee extensors do the moving part.

So the upper and lower back muscles are actually playing a very important role here. They are resisting unwanted motion in the trunk and stabilising joints for optimal position. These muscles are all working hard when we deadlift but they are secondary to the lift in that they are stabilisers working isometrically. They don't (or shouldn't) produce any significant movement during the lift.

Alberto Nunez sumo deadlifting. As you can see his back is doing a lot of work (video included below)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BASZ1rpCZNX/?taken-by=nunez3dmj

So do deadlifts develop your back?

Yes deadlifts will develop the muscles of both your upper and lower back. But you need to keep in mind that their role in the lift is secondary. Their contraction is isometric and they aren't moving any joints through a range of motion. So whilst they do contract and they will hypertrophy, doing a deadlift is not the most efficient means of developing these muscles. The most efficient way to develop these muscles is to perform exercises which take the involved joints through a full or close to full range of motion (see below):

Latissimus dorsi and Teres major: Pull ups, pull downs, rows, pull overs

Rhomboids and Trapezius: Rows, shrugs

Lumbar Extensors: Back extension variations on the floor or on equipment

These are better options if your goal is specifically hypertrophy of the upper and lower back musculature. Which is of course not to say deadlifts are not valuable, they are still going to be a contributor to hypertrophy of these muscles just not in the sense that a prime mover contributes.

Including deadlifts to develop the hip and knee extensors as well as some added hypertrophy benefits for the upper and lower back muscles is a good idea. Attempting to use deadlifts as the primary means to develop the muscles of your back isn't the best idea. This would be akin to doing squats with the purpose of developing your lumbar extensor muscles (the lumbar extensors play a similar isometric role, preventing lumbar flexion during a squat). And of course the primary reason to squat is to develop the lower limb muscles, not the lower back.

Summary

- the role of the gluteus maximus, hamstrings and quadriceps is to extend the hips and knees, producing movement during the deadlift.
- the role of the upper and lower back muscles described in this article is to isometrically stabilise joints and resist movement of the trunk in undesirable directions during the deadlift.
- deadlifting will produce hypertrophy primarily of the gluteus maximus, hamstrings and quadriceps and secondarily of the latissimus dorsi, teres major, rhomboids, trapezius and lumbar extensor group.
- deadlifting used as the primary means of developing the latissimus dorsi, teres major, rhomboids, trapezius and lumbar extensor group is unwise.
- instead incorporate deadlifts for their hypertrophy benefits but include exercises that target the muscle groups that move joints through their range of motion eg pull downs, rows, back extensions etc.

Thank you for reading, that's all for this week. If you have something to add to the discussion please do so in the comment section or on social media. As always you can contact me via the details provided below if you want to speak to me about my coaching services.

Muscle Academy contact details:

Email - info@muscleacademy.com.au
Website - http://www.muscleacademy.com.au
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/MuscleAcademy
Instagram and Twitter - @evansoooon

- Evan

Genetics vs Hard Work - Which is more important?

When it comes to competitive bodybuilding we all know that genetics plays a big role. This post has come about because I've noticed people say at times that bodybuilding is a genetics show. That is, the role of genetics in bodybuilding is over dramatised at times. And of course on the other side of the fence  you have the camp of people who thinks that with hard work alone they will be able to build a champion level physique. I'm going to discuss this and let you know why I think neither is true.

What does "genetics" mean?

When we are talking about bodybuilding, genetics refers to the traits you inherited from your parents that determine the structure and function of your body. This can mean:

- bone structure
- muscle attachments
- muscle belly shape
- potential for muscle size
- muscle symmetry
- weak and strong points
- metabolism and ability to lose fat
- fat storage distribution
- vascularity

These are some examples and I'm sure there are certainly more. It is possible (and common) to be blessed with one gift but not another. For example you may have a lot of potential when it comes to muscle size but you may have a hard time losing body fat. The more genetic blessings that you have, the easier it is going to be for you to do well as a bodybuilder.

Starting Off

Now that we've discussed what genetics mean lets talk about the genetics of novice bodybuilders. People who are just starting to lift weights might think that because they start off skinny, or fat, or they don't gain muscle at an astounding rate that they have poor genetics. The thing is most everyone that is just starting to lift weights is going to look like they have poor genetics unless they have an athletic background in which case they may have already developed some muscle mass. So when you are just starting you really don't know yet whether or not you have good genetics. You need to put years of training in to develop your physique before you will know whether you have good genetics or average genetics.

Things that may give you a hint towards certain genetic qualities being present are if you've always been able to eat a lot of food but have remained slim (fast metabolism), bone structure eg wide clavicles, big rib cage, small hips, small joints etc and if you notice things early on as you develop from weight training eg muscle shape, rapid size developments for particular muscles or muscle mass in general. But if you don't have any obvious qualities to begin with don't fret. That doesn't necessarily mean you don't have good genetics because there are a lot of genetic qualities and like I said before you generally need years of training under your belt until this stuff becomes apparent.

At 15 years old before starting weight training, but with some martial arts and body weight training. Not exactly what you would call "good genetics" at first glance.

Your genetics are fixed

That's the thing about genetics, you are stuck with them for life and you can't do anything about them. If you've hit the genetic lottery then you are lucky and if you've been training solidly for ten years and you still look like Steve Urkel then I don't know what to tell you, that's the way it is. Since we can't do anything about what we were dealt, the best thing is to not worry about it and instead just focus on self development. We might not all be able to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger but we can improve ourselves and get better over time. The ability to always improve is under our control and that is an encouraging thought.

Is it all hard work?

There are definitely people who think that you can always just outwork others. And this may actually be true in some things, but not in bodybuilding. That isn't to down play the role or the value of working hard towards goals. Hard work will actually get you far even if you have genetics that are average, but having said that it will only get you so far. There are some things that you can never outwork such as muscle belly shape, bone structure and muscle attachments because those things are entirely genetically determined. However there are actually areas in bodybuilding where you may be able to outwork the competition eg conditioning (fat loss), muscle size (to some degree) and also to some degree muscle symmetry and proportion. We have at least some level of control over all of these qualities. This is good news because while there are some things we can't do anything about, there are clearly things we definitely can do something about in order to improve our physiques.

Is it all genetics?

As I mentioned previously, I have heard some people refer to bodybuilding as a genetics competition. While genetics definitely does play a big role in what a physique can look like I feel that referring to it in this way really diminishes the effects of nutrition, training and time and I don't think that is fair or accurate.

Nutrition - Nutrition has a permissive effect on muscle hypertrophy ie if you are eating enough food you are going to allow muscle growth to occur providing there is a sufficient training stimulus. A good nutrition structure will be consistent, be sound in terms of micro and macro nutrients and be quantified calorically in a fashion appropriate to one's goals. In the big picture if nutrition is planned well for a bodybuilder then probably 80% + of his/her time will be spent in a caloric surplus to allow for muscle growth to occur. If this kind of structure is put in place over time then it sets a very good back drop for potential muscle growth and physique development.

Training - Training is the primary stimulus for hypertrophy ie you may have perfect nutrition but if you aren't training with weights then you don't have much telling your muscles to grow. There are many ways to structure resistance training, some more sound than others. Good programming for bodybuilders is usually periodised in one fashion or another with a training frequency of twice/week upwards for each muscle group and volume and intensity adjusted accordingly. Consistent and well structured training (both in the short term and the big picture plan) can certainly make a big difference to physique development.

Time - Here I am really referring to training age. If you've been training without too many set backs for a long time then chances are you will have a well developed physique. That's usually how it works. And in this case I'm talking about real training where you actually try to improve over time, rather than just training where you show up and tick the box for training that day. Training age where progressive overload has been applied definitely will affect how one's physique looks.

These three things that are under your control - nutrition, training and time spent training, have real, measurable effects on physique development. The little things add up over time. So no, it's not all genetics when it comes to bodybuilding.

My Experience

Novice Years

In my case I could definitely tell that I had decent genetics after six months of training. This wasn't exactly in a competitive sense because I never even considered competition until about seven years into training. But what I did notice was that my strong body parts (my arms) did grow rapidly in that window and for the most part I grew more than the average gym goer. Having said this I'd say I also spent more time training and trained harder than the average gym goer (at least in regards to those immediately around me). The rest of my physique other than my arms developed a bit slower and I'd say at this time was fairly average.

Nutrition: Three balanced meals/day and a few snacks. Tried to include protein in each meal. No tracking of macros or calories.
Training: 5 days per week, body part split
Cardio: Martial arts 4 - 6 days per week

Lol at this pic, not the best one but it does show roughly what my physique looked like at one to two years into training

Intermediate Years

About four or five years into training I'd developed a pretty decent physique. Still full of both genetic and training related weak points but decent nonetheless by non competitive standards. That is at this point I'd put a lot of hours into my training and I'd look around the gym and realise that I had a physique better than the majority of gym goers around me. The exclusions would be competitive bodybuilders and some steroid users.

Nutrition: Three to four balanced meals/day. More emphasis on getting enough protein and food to grow. No tracking of macros or calories.
Training: 5 days per week, body part split. Transitioned at one point (due to time) to a body part split over 8 days (no rest days) ie Day 1 - Biceps, Day 2 - Triceps, Day 3 - Shoulders, Day 4 - Rear delts/Traps, Day 5 - Quads, Day 6 - Hamstrings/Calves, Day 7 - Chest, Day 8 - Back
Cardio: Martial arts 3 - 4 days per week

 Again not the best photo but it gives an idea of what my physique looked like after about five years of training

 Advanced Years

At around seven years into training I'd frequently get comments from gym members who would suggest I should compete in bodybuilding. I'd tell them no I wasn't interested in that though eventually I of course did compete. But now having put seven years of consistent training in and starting to look at my diet more closely I really was starting to look like I had a place on stage and might even be able to do pretty well.

Nutrition: Four balanced meals/day. More emphasis on consuming enough protein, food and consuming typical "bodybuilder" foods. Roughly aware of protein intake.
Training: 6 days per week, body part split (legs twice per week)
Cardio: Martial arts 1 - 3 days per week

Just over six months into competing and the first overall I won at the WNBF Sydney Titles

Pro Years

Now a full fourteen years into my training I've turned pro, won my first pro show and placed in the top five at the pro world championships. I am no stranger to steroid accusations despite being a natural bodybuilder. My physique has developed a lot in the last seven years due to the time I have put in, my consistency and also the knowledge I have gained and applied in this time in regards to training and nutrition.

Nutrition: Tracking macros and calories from 2011 onwards.
Training: From 2012 onwards trained all body parts a minimum of twice/week, utilising a variety of rep ranges and incorporating structure deloads. Have used a variety of periodisation models to this point.
Cardio: Martial arts 1 - 2 days per week

At the 2014 WNBF World Championships

I hope this serves as more than just a "cool story". What I have tried to describe is how my physique has evolved over time. I think people tend to see the end result now and think "well he's just got great genetics". This may be true, I do have good genetics, but it took a hell of a lot of hard work, consistency, learning and time to develop what I was born with into something substantial. All the details that I've paid attention to over a long period of time have added up turning a pretty good physique into a pro standard physique. These factors can't be down played because had I approached things in a different way, a way that yields less results, then I wouldn't be where I am now physique wise. I hope that in another five to ten years I can look back and say I have developed further again.

Thank you for reading, that's all for this entry. Have something to contribute? Let me know in the comments below or on social media.

Muscle Academy contact details:

Email - info@muscleacademy.com.au
Website - http://www.muscleacademy.com.au
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/MuscleAcademy
Instagram and Twitter - @evansoooon

- Evan

A word about New Years Resolutioners

I'd like to start off by wishing all my readers a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and generally a happy holidays.

I've decided to do an entry about New Years Resolutioners because I've seen a lot of negativity (usually jokes) about this group of people on social media. Understandably this stems from the frustration that is associated with the stereotypical New Years Resolutioner. That is typically the gym is full of newcomers at the beginning of the year due to everybody making fitness based resolutions and within a few weeks the crowd thins out again as people struggle to stick to their commitment.

Why is this frustrating?

Most committed gym goers find New Year an annoying time of year because the gym typically gets busier, full of people suddenly wanting to get in shape. These people of course end up using equipment, making lines for equipment longer and training sessions generally less time efficient. I think people also get annoyed with the resolutioners not only because they are making the gym more cluttered but because time after time we see that the motivation and commitment doesn't last. So I suppose it feels like the gym just gets temporarily busy and committed people are inconvenienced for no reason. If all the resolutioners were to actually stick with their resolutions then I doubt that regular gym goers would become as frustrated because they would have a real reason to be there and a genuine dedication to achieving their goals. That would make a crowded gym much more tolerable.

Tips for New Years Resolutioners

1. Make a real commitment - Like I mentioned above, there is nothing more annoying around this time of year than someone who joins the gym in the new year and takes up space and equipment in the gym only to quit soon after. Make your commitment real. You are going to find it difficult to adjust to training, to changing your eating habits, you will experience some soreness, you will have days where you don't want to train. Be prepared to deal with these things and make sure you are mentally committed to complete the task you set for yourself because it is good for you even when you don't want to do it.

2. Have a realistic plan - Your plan needs to be achievable both in terms of your current level of fitness and your life circumstances. If you aren't used to going to the gym, you have a busy job, 3 kids and 2 pets then training for 3 hours/day, 6 days/week might not be very realistic for you. If you were to set a plan to train 3 days per week or even 2 days per week for 1 hour then honestly that would be a great start. And if someone were new to training then that would yield some results over time provided they were consistent in implementing it. Don't be over-zealous when setting plans initially, in fact it doesn't hurt to be conservative.

3. Don't listen to the naysayers - I realise I've just written a few paragraphs about how annoying New Years Resolutioners can be. However I realise that some of you may be in this situation and you might not be very motivated. So if you are a New Years Resolutioner who wants to get in the gym and improve themselves then I encourage you to do it. Giving it a go doesn't hurt and there have been some people who have changed themselves dramatically having started off with a New Years resolution. I recall that natural pro bodybuilder Ryan Doris was once one of these people. No doubt many others have been the exception to the rule and have made huge changes to their lives and their health. You have the capacity to do it too, you just need to take the appropriate steps and stick to it.

4. If you fail don't give up - Clearly not everyone who starts out with the best intentions to get fitter in the new year is going to be successful the first time. If you do mess up then there is nothing wrong with that. Just get started again. There is a quote that I saw posted on instagram the other day that said "if you were serious about your New Years resolution, you'd be doing it already". There is some truth to this. You don't have to wait for a particular date to start. You don't have to start diets on Mondays. Just start these things whenever you want to. If you start your New Years resolution and fail then don't wait until January 2017 to get started again. Keep at it throughout 2016 until you fail less often.

5. Set a goal and go after it - The worst thing you can do is go into the gym with the vague idea of "I want to get fitter". What does "fitter" mean to you? Stronger? More muscular? Lower body fat? Improved cardiovascular endurance? Increased flexibility? etc. Think about exactly what you want to achieve, set some SMART goals, create a plan, hire a coach/trainer if you need help and make sure you stay dedicated to it.

I hope that this post was helpful to anybody considering embarking on their fitness journey. Again a Happy New Year to you all and all the best to you for your health and wellness in 2016.

Need help with your 2016 goals? Send me an email and let's discuss what you want to achieve.

Muscle Academy contact details:

Email - info@muscleacademy.com.au
Website - http://www.muscleacademy.com.au
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/MuscleAcademy
Instagram and Twitter - @evansoooon

- Evan

The 3 biggest misconceptions about deloads

Deloading is a beneficial strategy to improve recovery, sometimes boost performance, reduce the likelihood of developing injuries and improve mental focus. Some people get anxious about including deloads and may not want to do them at all because they have made assumptions about them. This is especially true of people who are not used to deloading. Fortunately these assumptions simply aren't true. In this blog post I will discuss the three biggest misconceptions about deloads.

Number 1 - Muscle Loss

Some people think they may lose muscle if they don't train at full intensity or with the same volume of training they are used to. This isn't true because deloads generally only last for around one week and the amount of atrophy that can occur in that time period is negligible or perhaps nil. And we of course need to mention that during a deload we are actually still training (with low loads and training volumes). By continuing to train at low loads/volumes we are allowing to recovery processes to occur but we are maintaining all or most of our adaptations. Funnily enough the people that are against deloading are often the same people who decide that every once in a while they need to take a week off the gym completely, and that whilst it's not going to have a huge impact, will produce more muscle atrophy than deloading will.

Number 2 - Mentally unable to perform the deload

This is not a misconception but it is something that I see and hear frequently. What I mean here is that some people just don't feel like they can go into the gym and train at a level below what they are accustomed to. They can't go into the gym and not give it their all because it doesn't feel right for them. This is fairly common and people need to realise that giving it your all sometimes just means carrying out the plan. Being dedicated is going in there, doing your job and being able to do that both when it is difficult and when it is easy. Deloads are supposed to be easy, that is the point. They promote recovery, hard training doesn't promote recovery. So for these people it's a good idea to firstly chill out (mentally), stay focused on the task, get it done, enjoy it and know that it's doing you good in the big picture.

Number 3 - "Training is going well, I don't need to deload"

In this section I need to cover two points:

(i) One of the reasons for including deloads into one's programming is that it serves as pre-hab. It's a pre-emptive strategy that helps to reduce the likelihood of developing injuries. We all have those little niggles that happen as a result of training every now and then. Sometimes all those things need to recover (or at least to not get worse) is a bit of time away from the constant pounding of heavy weights.

(ii) Another thing is that yes you may feel like training is going perfectly and you don't feel like you need to deload at all. But unless you are very experienced your "normal" might actually be under-recovered. You may be so used to training in a chronically under-recovered state that it just feels normal to you. This is more common than you'd think. It's not until some of that training stimulus is removed that we can begin to notice that we weren't as recovered as we thought and that the deload is actually beneficial.

That's it for this week. I hope you guys got something out of it. If you have anything to add to the discussion then please comment below or on facebook/instagram.

Muscle Academy contact details:

Email - info@muscleacademy.com.au
Website - http://www.muscleacademy.com.au
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/MuscleAcademy
Instagram and Twitter - @evansoooon

- Evan

Why I choose to stay natural

No doubt many natural bodybuilders have been asked this question numerous times throughout their careers - "Have you ever considered taking steroids?". I have personally been asked this question many times. I think that most natural bodybuilders have given thought to it at some stage and I think that there is always the question of "what if?". Ultimately I have decided to stay a natural bodybuilder (unless some kind of unexpected and severe health circumstances mean that it would be a necessity to use some kind of TRT in the future). Regardless I want to take you through my personal experience and my thought process on this issue.

My background with natural bodybuilding was I started training in 2002. I was still in my final year of high school at that point and I really was just training once/week. The results were of course minimal. The next year I started studying at university and I had more opportunity to train at the small on campus gym. I trained 5 days per week and found that I put on muscle fairly quickly, especially in my stronger muscle groups. For the most part over the years I was fairly consistent with training, only really taking time off when I had to study for exams. So I continued to gain muscle gradually over time and later on down the track I have come across good sources of knowledge that have allowed me to improve even further.

Because of my consistency, application of good information and my genetic ability to gain muscle I've never really felt disheartened with my results. So whilst I have thought about what it might be like if I did take steroids I haven't ever felt the need to consider them seriously. Though it is of course tempting to wonder just what might happen if I did decide to go that route. For the most part however, I figure if I'm getting great results and I'm happy with the way I look, why would I need to take substances to accelerate the process.

Reasons why I choose to stay natural:

1. Health - I think this one is controversial since we don't have a lot of scientific evidence to back this up because of ethical issues with performing studies and because there are so many factors that contribute to the health issues disorders that steroid use may be associated with. It is impossible to do anything other than correlate steroids with health issues that occur chronically (as opposed to acutely). Anecdotally and logically though it appears to be likely that steroids can have negative consequences on one's health in the long term.

Now I'm sure some people are going to say "but Evan, there have been very few hospital admissions for anabolic steroids!". Well of course there haven't because like I hinted at above, the negative side effects of steroid use are not acute they are chronic and they manifest themselves as things that might be contributed to by various other factors eg a heart attack. Anyhow, it's not a risk I personally wish to take.

One logical way to look at it is we definitely hear semi frequently of enhanced bodybuilders suffering from adverse health conditions and sometimes dying from them. But when is the last time you heard of a natural pro bodybuilder dying of a heart attack or suffering from liver failure? I haven't even heard of one case.

Whilst we can't say for sure that steroids definitely cause or contribute to any serious illnesses, I think we can say that there is likely to be some risk involved. Whether or not one wants to assume those risks is up to the individual. Personally it's not something I want to be hanging over my head later in life.

Nothing is ever free, there is always a cost involved or consequences to be paid at some point.

2. Competitiveness - The current context is that I am a natural pro bodybuilder and I compete at a high level. I can envision that indeed I may be able to win a World Championship at some point in the future. I could say that I'm not the best in the world but I could consider myself somewhere on that world level playing field. If I were to switch now to enhanced bodybuilding I go from somewhere close to the top, straight to the bottom. And doing this all at 30 years old mind you. I would then have to take enough drugs to push myself to a point where I may be able to win a pro card. How long would that take? How much would that cost? And there is no guarantee that I would be able to win a pro card. And if I did win a pro card I don't think I would have the genetics to be competitive at the world level. So to me it's a no brainer that competitively it just makes a tonne more sense to remain a natural bodybuilder and to excel in this area.

Ronnie Coleman - I don't think I'm going to be on his level any time soon

3. Financial - I had always assumed that using drugs was costly. I guess this depends on what you take and how much you take. Recently however I have learned that for the most part it isn't as expensive as I had assumed. Regardless it's really not another cost that I want to add to my list of expenses. The other thing about this is that it is a long term expense because let's face it, after most people start using and leave humanity behind they usually don't want to stop using and go back to being "normal" again.

4. Fake Natties - With enhanced bodybuilding there is not just the obviously enhanced side, there is also a good number of fake natural bodybuilders. Some fake natties use their developed and shredded year round physiques to make a good amount of money. Ethically I cannot bring myself to become a fake natty and lie to people so that I can personally make more money. It's the wrong thing to do and I will not do it.

5. Physique - there is often a certain look that is associated with steroid use. I'm talking about more than just muscle size, there are issues with proportion that I see as well as changes in things like skin tone. That isn't a look that I desire to achieve for myself. Another way I like to think about this is there aren't a lot of enhanced bodybuilders around that I look at and think "I would prefer to look like that!". I personally am content with the way my physique looks and I don't want to change that.

Best physique ever

6. Satisfaction - There is something satisfying to me about developing my body and knowing that I did it with nothing other than consistent training, diet and application of sound knowledge over a long period of time. I know that ego is involved to some degree here but I have to be honest. I derive something mentally out of it. I suppose it's like working with timber and creating something nice that you can use eg a chair. Sure you can just buy a chair or pay someone else to make a chair for you (most people obviously would including myself lol) but when you do create something like that by yourself it does kinda become that much more special and satisfying because you appreciate that much more what it took to create that thing.

7. Dating - Not all girls like guys that look like Jay Cutler. In fact I'd say it's a minority that prefers that look. At the end of the day I train for myself and what I like but I think it's wise to take into account that most girls are going to prefer someone that looks like Thor rather than someone that looks like the Hulk. Disclaimer: I'm not saying that I look like either Thor or the Hulk and yes I am aware of the irony that the actor that plays Thor is most likely using drugs to help him look that way. But I'm sure you get my general point here.

8. Personality - It is my personality that I like to take a slow and steady approach to most things. I like to enjoy the process of making progress over the long haul and doing things methodically. It just wouldn't make any sense to me to take something that accelerates that process. It's not me, it's not how I work, the thing would lose value and I wouldn't enjoy it.

9. Community - I actually really like the friends that I have made both within Australia and internationally through natural bodybuilding. I know that I probably would stay in contact with these people if I were to use drugs but I don't know that it would be the same in terms of inclusiveness into that culture and community. We tend to associate with those of us that we can relate to and are like minded.

At Layne Norton's Bodybuilding VIP Camp 2013 with Ben Esgro (left) and Ryan Doris (middle)

10. Challenge - Training for hypertrophy and strength has always been a challenge to me. I like that it is difficult, I like that it takes a long time, I like that in order to maximise my progress I need to apply sound principles. I frequently see people that start out as natural bodybuilders end up using and they seem to just lose their interest in training. They will go from training for 1 - 2 hours to training within 45 minutes, they complain about having to train, they seem to put less thought into the programming behind their training and they just don't appear to enjoy as much as they once did. I'm absolutely sure this is not the case across the board because I know of enhanced people that definitely put a lot of thought and effort into their training but it is what I have observed with some people who have gone from natural to enhanced. Perhaps the challenge is gone for them or they feel they can still get results by doing less. I'm not sure but it's not something I am interested in. I want to keep the challenge alive.

11. Carry Over - Some of the things I have learned from natural bodybuilding are things that I have carried over into other areas of my life and are things that I appreciate. Some of these qualities are patience, discipline, focus, prioritisation, organisation, self reflection, intuition, critical thinking and passion. I'm sure there are others too. These valuable qualities can and should in my opinion be learned from the bodybuilding/weight training process. To me it really is about more than building a lot of skeletal muscle, it's about the process that you have to go through to get there and the things learned along the way. The primary purpose of anabolic steroids is to accelerate the process of gaining muscle (or losing fat) and to increase the total amount of muscle that can be gained for an individual. To me that achieves one end (the physical goal) but it hastens the process and as such glosses over some of what you would normally expect to develop from weight training eg patience. By losing those things, it kind of defeats the purpose as far as I'm concerned.

Note: I am NOT saying that steroid users don't work hard or that things are not difficult for them. I am saying that by accelerating the process certain qualities that I consider valuable are missed or less likely to be developed.

Final Thought

At the end of the day staying natural or using steroids is a personal decision and one that I don't judge others for. I have plenty of friends and even some clients who have chosen to take stuff and it isn't up to me to say what they should or should not do. I realise that others have their own personal perspectives on life and their own reasons for doing what they do. So the above should be taken not as me having a go at those who do use anabolic steroids, but rather just as my own personal reasons for why I make the choice to remain a natural bodybuilder.

Disagree with any points I have made? Let me know your own perspectives in the comment section below or on social media.


Muscle Academy contact details:

Email - info@muscleacademy.com.au
Website - http://www.muscleacademy.com.au
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/MuscleAcademy
Instagram and Twitter - @evansoooon

- Evan

PNBA Pro Qualifier

INBA Fitness Expo Show/ Pro Qualifier

The last show of the 2015 season (as far as my clients are concerned) was the INBA show held at the Sydney Fitness Expo last weekend. I had one client competing in this show (Jonathon). We were coming into this show with some great momentum coming off the overall win at the ANB Nationals the weekend prior.

Jonathon entered three divisions on the day - novice, open class three and the PNBA pro qualifier. There was no overall held for the INBA section, with class winners instead being encouraged to enter the PNBA pro qualifier.

Getting ready for stage - perfecting the colour

Jonathon won both of his divisions in the INBA fairly easily. We actually didn't get to pump up much for the open class so he went on looking a little flat but still prevailed.

Award presentation of Open Class 3

Last of course was the pro qualifier. I believe there were seven competitors in this line up and some of them had turned up exclusively to compete in this division. Just about every competitor (I'd say five or six out of the seven) were absolutely shredded which made the line up very competitive and very interesting to watch. At the end of it all the top three (who received pro cards) were announced. In third place was Adrian Franco who won the overall at the INBA NSW around four weeks prior. We also discovered on the day that Adrian was a childhood friend of Jonathon's. Talk about a small world. Anyhow Ash Drake was announced second in the pro Q line up. First place was then taken out by none other than Jonathon. This was a tremendous way to cap off a big 2015 season for both Jonathon and myself.

Introducing the competitors at the start of the Pro Qualifier

Rear double bicep during the Pro Qualifer mandatory round

Award presentation after the Pro Qualifier

Left to right: Adrian (3rd), Jonathon (1st) and Ash (2nd)

Backstage after the big win

We went out to celebrate that night at hurricanes with Jonathon's family and we ate a LOT of food as you can see!

Jonathon, myself and Kim at Hurricanes

In the days that followed the show we considered whether or not Jonathon would extend his season by traveling to the USA to compete in the PNBA Olympia. After much deliberation we decided that we would end the season there. I think Jonathon would have done very well and had a good chance to win the Olympia this year but it's just not the right time. So by all means we are ending his very successful season on a high note and moving into some much needed recovery focused time.

Post show photo with family and friends

That's it for this week. Thankyou for reading as always. I should be back with some more informative posts in the coming weeks. If there is anything you are dying for me to write about feel free to drop me a line and make a suggestion.

Competitor Announcement

Remember as well guys and girls that if you are a competitor wanting to compete in a show in season A or B of 2016, right now is the ideal time to get in touch with me. Don't leave it too late or we might not have enough time to get you ready. I am also taking on off season (improvement season) competitors who wish to make noticeable changes to their physiques. Of course non competitors are also welcome to apply for coaching too.

Muscle Academy contact details:

Email - info@muscleacademy.com.au
Website - http://www.muscleacademy.com.au
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/MuscleAcademy
Instagram and Twitter - @evansoooon

- Evan