Bodybuilding Our Way by Dr Lyuber

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TL;DR WARNING!!!

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Doctor Lyuber’s
BODYBUILDING OUR WAY or THE SECRETS OF THE BASEMENT

Introducing Dr. Lyuber – Has it been that long?

Time flies inexorably, and already so much has happened that contemporary young people are either puzzled by the mention of “Lyubers” or imagine something entirely exotic or obscene. In light of this, and in order for this author to be adequately understood, some introduction is needed.

There is, in the east of Moscow, a city called Lyubertsi (“Youthful Vigor”) which in the latter half of the 1980s was forced to speak for itself about Russia. The youth there were given little, and had little to give, but lived for the idea of purifying their surrounding world of what it considered to be alien elements. Included in this designation were hippies, rockers, pacifists, metalheads --the many factions of Moscow’s youth in this era--who for a long time afterwards would remember the day the Lyubers arrived.

A complete examination of the psycho-social aspects of the phenomenon known as the Lyubers is not my wish, so let us leave it at this: for us Lyubers, physical fitness was the very soul of our adolescence, and the benefits of our devotion offered us something unique. What we Lyubers had was something which made it possible for us to invariably leave our youthful battlefields as victors. While some stories inevitably attributed our conquests to numerical superiority, this criticism can’t stand up; how could the youth of one county match the combined numbers of millions (by their own estimate) of Muscovite youth? In truth it was the Lyubers physical development and sheer volume of muscle which gave them upper hand. And it wasn’t by accident.

So that everything can be explained simply and specifically, Lyubertsi in the 1980s was one of the centers of that sport so long neglected and unloved by the Soviet regime: bodybuilding. In those days, nowhere in the USSR had the enthusiasm for bodybuilding achieved such a critical mass as Lyubertsi, with the exception, perhaps, of the Baltic States.

A group of basement bodybuilders, not limited to just kids and yielding to no amount of official inducement, occupied themselves there. Despite prohibitions, there were regular bodybuilding competitions which drew all the best athletes from around the entire country, the halls crowded with the jostling fans of iron. After government prohibitions against bodybuilding were repealed the first championships were held in Moscow, in the spring of 1987. Naturally, the Lyubertsi team won, with second place going to the team from Tula, led by a Lyubertsi native, Alexander Tarasevichem. Moscow proper, under the leadership of the great trainer, methodologist and organizer V.M. Shubova knew only enough to secure third. The first domestic professional bodybuilder, Nikolai Yasinovskiy also began his ascent, by the way, in Lyubertsi.

I don’t write this in order to surrender myself to a flight of nostalgic remembrance. Rather, I see all around me the universal, almost proverbial Russian sloppiness and write in the hope that our experience, earned by trial and error, is not forgotten by the current generation of basement bodybuilders. You see, at the beginning of the ‘80s, we didn’t have any foreign bodybuilding literature available, any access to foreign (or useful) information and methods at all, really. For us, at the time, a 200 kgs (~440 lbs.) bench press was astonishing and unattainable. But then something changed: perestroika, and with it appeared the Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Suddenly, all of us together understood that thus far we had been training incorrectly.

And it was true, although over the years there remain many who argue that the only way to make progress in physical development lay in ever increasing dosages of steroids (and among whose number once was I). Even so, the modern interest in natural bodybuilding without anabolic steroids is normal and expected. Everyone desires to have a beautiful, strong body and at the same time avoid subjecting themselves to anything that might endanger their health (although, in my opinion, the dangers of steroid use have been greatly exaggerated.) This is a matter which must be approached reasonably and without hysterics (see Chapter 10).
But as a rule, before you waste your time and place your unconditional faith in me or any guru, there is perhaps some worth in looking back with me into our past. The system I suggest to you here makes no pretense of being a universal panacea. The ideas herein may be found agreeable to some natural bodybuilders, and some of them may be found contradictory. This is not important. What is important is this:

There are no universally applicable methods in bodybuilding, and it cannot be otherwise. The only precision prescription is the approach you develop yourself.
The pseudonym I use, Dr. Lyuber, was chosen out of these considerations, and is to me more valid. I do so that the systematic prescriptions regarding bodybuilding presented here may come to be associated in the readers’ mind with the place of their appearance, and not with an individual person, who in any case only took upon himself the job of transferring them onto paper. At any rate, “bodybuilding the Lyubertsi way,” sounds much better than, “bodybuilding by the method of so-and-so unknown trainer X,” and modesty demands as much…

So here it is: by training according to the Lyubertsi method it is possible for practically any novice, within two years, to surpass 120-150 kgs (~264-330 lbs) bench press, perhaps to as much as 150-180 kgs (~330-396 lbs), and to do it looking like a bodybuilder and not like a powerlifter. This method is characterized neither by any special complexity nor any supernatural expense.

Finally, a word about chemistry: yes. The Lyubers made no denials about their use of steroids; however they achieved results far beyond the majority of bodybuilders, even of those acquainted with steroid use. But all things come in due time…

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Chapter 1
On Lyubertsi

The Lyubertsi basement training halls of the 1980s would not impress even the most trained eye. At most there was a cable pulley block, a leg sled, usually an adjustable bench and some uprights for squats, dipping bars and some dumbbell rods (or kettlebells), and a barbell. That’s it. And there was no such thing as sports nutrition, at least if you don’t count those of us fortunate enough to bootleg the soybean isolate farmers used to fatten their pigs. Bodybuilding athletes made due with only the natural products which were available at the time, enriching our rations with powdered milk made for kids. Even the entire spectrum of chemistry was limited to three or five anabolic steroid substance, and at doses which today seem microscopic. Nevertheless, on the summer beaches of Lyubertsi imposing muscles rippled before your eyes.

It would seem then that the Lyubertsi system of pumping iron must be something supernatural. In fact, I have probably already disappointed my readers, having already told them that there is nothing special or unique about it. In truth it confirms the wisdom best formulated by Joe Weider himself:

“Bodybuilding is not rocket science.”

The incomprehension of this simple truth among the majority of those involved in the sport generates endless problems. It is painful to see the truth of this in training halls everywhere. Beginners—but not only beginners—with great enthusiasm, worthy of the best application embody this craze, their heads filled with translated literature on bodybuilding. They try to carry out abstruse splits, coming up with unimaginable numbers of exercises in supersets and triple sets. Or, they run to the other extreme, managing a half an hour in the gym, once or twice a week. In both cases, the result is constant. After several years wasted like this it is rare to see someone move even 100 kgs (~220 lbs) on the bench.

Since in the translated literature on bodybuilding it is accepted practice to give obnoxious named to different methods, I would bill the above approach as the “System of Masturbation” since the result is about the same as far as building muscle goes. So that the idle moralists won’t condemn my indecency, I invite them to send away for any of the men’s health and fitness magazines, any number of which are concerned with this very subject. Apparently, it’s the spirit of the times.

I am man of old school views, and therefore instead of this maze of serial masturbation, propose to everyone who has already realized the sheer futility of any attempt to build muscle by following the guidance of what amounts to beauty magazines for men (or if you will excuse me, Muscle & Fitness) to familiarize themselves with the three year program of work given below. It is neither the product of office bound calculations nor abstract computer simulations, but a living path repeatedly proven in practice over many years.

In no way am I trying to say that in the 80s everyone in Lyubertsi was working out just like this. There were so many basement dwellers and so many systems. I don’t pretend to have the talents of Joe Weider or Bob Kennedy, to be able to generalize and reduce them all down to a common denominator. The plan offered here is one of many possible variations. I will not assert that it is the best; however, the indisputable authority on bodybuilding in Lyubertsi Sergei Zaitsev, USSR three event powerlifting champion, who has often worked out in our hall not only spoke well of this system but also used parts of it in his own training.

Before I switch over to a description of the complexes of exercises, I want to chew over some general recommendations since it is exactly the incomprehension and misunderstanding of these basics which turns any training into jacking off.

1. “Training is a pleasant pastime conducted between pleasant discussions about girls and football.” If you walk in the gym with this attitude, you better off sitting at home where you won’t take up space. The bodybuilding here is a hard man’s work; there is pain, there is sweat, there are results. Yet there is too much of this thinking still. If you want to actually change your body, don’t spend money on a fancy Gold’s Gym membership or some other place like it. With too many chiefs and not enough Indians, you will just end up confused.

2. In spite of all the opinions on the market about pumping iron being an individual pursuit, it is best to start off working out with a partner who has approximately the same physical conditions as you do. Carrying on with the same exercises, as part of the same regime, you will strive not to be the inferior one. This spirit of healthy competition never places the success of one over the missteps of another, but before beginning to compete with oneself for its own sake it is necessary to learn to compete with someone that you can touch. This helps to build the habit of not sparing oneself in training.

3. The first two or three years of workouts (but not more) should be dedicated exclusively to the collection of muscular mass. Thoughts of creating a pleasing form and muscular relief should be considered only if there is already something there to sculpt.

4. The only thing required for the creation of muscle mass and strength is an adjustable barbell and dumbbells. Forget about the existence of finishing exercises and methods until you reach a sufficient size.

5. The increase of muscle size is proportional to an increase in loads lifted during training, with a few twists. Some minor manipulations of volume and intensity of training make it possible to continue the progression of weights lifted without any special coaching for two to three years. All the details are given in the system presented below. There is no point to search for shortcuts other than weight lifted, or experiment with hormones until you have reached “the ceiling”—the limits of your natural potential—which depending on the individual can take between 2.5 and 5 years. This is reality.

6. So that the muscles will be able to raise ever larger, heavier weights, they must be allowed to rest and restore between training sessions. Therefore, to allow continually increasing volume, it is necessary not to work out more frequently than every other day. It is optimal to exercise three times a week.

7. Beginners should concentrate on working the whole body in each training session, since the weights they are working with are no so great. Subsequently, and in proportion to an increase in loads lifted, it is possible (but not completely necessary!) to move on to split training, using different exercises and muscle groups in different training sessions. However, since all muscles are—to one degree or another—antagonists, synergists or stabilizers in relation to each other it is still better to train every other day when doing split sessions for muscle mass.

As far as the amount of time it takes to transition to split training, it is possible to identify a couple of milestones: time and strength. In terms of time, it should be somewhere around the one and a half year mark after beginning proper workouts. As for strength, the athlete should be able to bench press 1.5 times his bodyweight for 6 repetitions and squat with the same weight for 15 reps. If the athlete strictly adheres to the recommendations of this system, these two points will generally coincide. And I repeat once again, this has all been repeatedly confirmed in practice.

8. While gaining muscle mass, the number of exercises for each group of muscles must be limited to one or two. Larger numbers of exercises interfere with the process of gaining strength and lifting heavier weights, particularly for natural athletes.

9. The total volume of training must not be excessive, although in every-other-day training the temptation to load up the bar every workout is common. Volume must not be static, it should fluctuate up or down depending on the energy level of the athlete. However 30-40 sets per workout is the limit maximum. Spending more than two hours in the training hall won’t bring any special benefits.

10. With the exception of the introductory course, it must be understood that in each exercise you attempt to work to failure in each set of each exercise. You must psychologically arouse yourself before approaching the weights. Let each training session be a small victory over yourself.

11. The day after a training session the muscles should be sore, which is indicative of the fact that they were properly loaded. The classic, “no pain no gain” inversely means that if there is no pain, there is no gain. Any long absence of muscle soreness after workouts means that something isn’t right with your training.

12. So much bullshit has piled up around the simple question of bodybuilding nutrition, it gives me a headache. What are these new discoveries? In just one August, 2000 issue of Muscle & Fitness an article advised eating an entire day’s protein in one sitting! The rules for the nourishment of an athlete doing abbreviated workouts can be summed up in three points:
• Eat everything, and then a little more. Naturally, lean towards protein foods like meat, fish and dairy products and complex carbohydrates like oatmeal or kasha.
• Eat frequently enough to never experience hunger.
• If, in spite of proper training, you don’t gain weight, you are eating too little and your food intake should be increased.

For the first two years of training, it’s just not worthwhile to introduce any strict limitations to food intake or dieting, but at the same time it is better not to eat beyond reasonable boundaries. Your job is not to look like a pink-cheeked piggy ready for the slaughter. While I’m on the subject, let me drop a lightning bolt on all the armchair bodybuilding theorists:

Without anabolic steroids it is not possible to profoundly increase muscle mass without also accumulating a layer of fat.

But this is not any great misfortune for the trainee. As a great coach once said, “it’s easier to carve a great sculpture from a large block of stone than a small one.”
Another thing about this kind of intensive eating is the fact that if you suddenly increase the food beyond your body’s ability to assimilate nutrition, you have gained nothing but more frequent visits to the toilet. Analogous to what I have said about the volume of loads lifted, the amount of food eaten must be increased slowly, giving the organism time to adapt.

Here is a decent menu for building muscle mass on a bodybuilding routine, published at the end of the 1980s. Here is the outline, divided into several phases based on the development of the athlete:

STAGE I: This stage lasts for at least three weeks. If your weight doesn’t increase, progress to Phase II.
• the 1st breakfast: 2 eggs, 100 g of meat, fowl or fish, 200 g (1 container) of milk, 1 piece of black bread (all this - approximately 50 g of protein);
• the 2nd breakfast: a bowl of oat or buckwheat porridge, 200 g of milk or juice (15-20 g of protein);
• the dinner: 200 g of chicken broth, 100 g of meat, bird or fish, 1-2 pieces of black bread (42-45 g of protein);
• [poldnik]: 100-150 g of cottage cheese, 1-2 table spoons of honey, 1 piece of black bread (20 g of protein);
• supper: 200 g of meat, fish or fowl, baked potatoes (2-3 pcs) with oil or sour cream, 100 g of lettuce (42-45 g of protein).
.
STAGE II: This menu should begin when the first stage has run its course and continue as long as bodyweight continues to increase.
• the 1st breakfast: 2 eggs, 100 g of meat, fowl or fish, 200 g of milk, 2 pieces of black bread with oil (Total: 55 g of protein);
• the 2nd breakfast: a bowl oat or buckwheat porridge, 200 g of milk, cheese pastry (Total: 15-20 g of protein);
• the dinner: 200 g of meat, bird or fish, 2 pieces of black bread, 200 g of chicken broth, 100-150 g of boiled beans, fresh fruits (Total: 71-72 g of protein);
• [poldnik]: 100-150 g of cottage cheese, 1-2 the table spoons honey, 1 piece of black bread (Total: 20 g of protein);
• supper: 200 g of meat, baked or boiled potatoes (2-3 pcs), lettuce from the vegetables 100-120 g (Total: 59 g of protein).

Stage III: Graduate to this plan when following the menu in Stage II no longer results in increased bodyweight.
• the 1st breakfast: 2 eggs, 100 g of fish, 200 g of milk, 2 pieces of black bread, bowl of oatmeal (Total: 55-60 g of protein);
• the 2nd breakfast: 100-150 g of boiled bean, 100 g of cottage cheese, fruits (Total: 20-25 g of protein);
• the dinner: 200 g of hen bouillon, 200 g of meat, bird or fish, 2 pieces of black bread with oil, 200-300 g of milk (Total: 74 g of protein);
• [poldnik]: 200 g of cottage cheese, 1-2 table spoons of honey, fruits, raisin, sandy pastry (30 g of protein); 200 g of milk (Total: 60-63 g of protein).
• supper: 200 - 300 g. of meat, bird either fish, buckwheat porridge or potatoes, 150 deg of fresh vegetables, 200 g of milk (Total: 60-63 g. of protein)

Compare this approach to the exaggerated claims of food supplement companies. I saw 50 cm (~19 inch) arms over and over again, for years, before these supplements were even available in Russia. Don’t buy in to the advertisements or load up on ten different kinds. At first just one protein and carbohydrate product as a nutritional supplement should be completely sufficient.

Don’t forget that my main point here: even the most superbly conceived training plan will not have good results without adequate nutrition.

13. As simply as I can put it, the reason for a lack of progress or for poor progress is insufficient rest and recuperation outside the gym. You should sleep no less than 8 or 9 hours a night, and as far as possible, it would be desirable to nap for an hour each day as well.

If your muscle mass is not developing properly, reduce to an absolute minimum all other forms of physical activity. The same recommendation applies to all activities, including your sex life. The stud who hits it up five times a night is hardly likely to be ready for hard training the next day.

One of the benefits of an education at the Institute of Athletics was to burn into my mind this simple formula: “Combining two or more contrary training methods leads to a poor result in both.” Regarding the prospect of combining combat sports and bodybuilding workouts, please see Chapter 13.

14. Overtraining…the scourge of the majority of athletes. As a rule it is the consequence of excessive enthusiasm (see chapters 6, 8 and 9). In order to avoid overtraining, always track your general health thoroughly. Poor appetite, difficulty sleeping, nervousness, irritability, or long periods without muscle growth or a lack of desire to train are all explicit symptoms of overtraining. In such cases, special measures must be taken without delay: you must reduce the number of sets by 50% for 1 to 2 weeks, training only for a pump and doing 12-15 repetitions per set, never to failure. After two weeks, return to the normal number of repetitions, but still with only half the normal training volume. Then after two weeks like this, you can return to the normal regime of workouts.

However, in cases of profound overtraining, it is generally sensible to refrain from lifting weights for one month, switching instead to some less taxing aerobic exercise like swimming or jogging, only slowly returning to the weights and very gently ramping up the volume and intensity with a careful eye on one’s general health.

15. Over and over again I have seen people begin working out and begin taking steroids at the same time. This is unwise in every respect. In no way am I pandering to the enemies of steroids when I say that everything will come in its due time. In the first 2.5 to 3 years of training the organism develops well without any added chemistry. The application of anabolic steroids only makes sense if you have already reached your natural genetic ceiling. Moreover, the muscles of an advanced trainer will receive a much better return from anabolic steroids than the muscles of a novice. Because of this, starting steroids before one has been consistently working out for 2.5 to 3 years is simple stupidity (please see Chapter 10 for more detail about the correct and safe way to use anabolic steroids.)

16. The principal misfortune of modern athletes is this: there is too much information and too many opinions about the right way to pump iron. One can’t help agreeing with Stuart McRoberts (although I can’t guarantee the accuracy of the quote): “You can’t follow all the latest gimmicks and build big muscles; if you chase every new invention you will remain skinny forever.” It’s similar to the character of Professor Preobrazhenskiy in Dog’s Heart by Mikhail Bulgakov, who advised against reading Soviet newspapers to improve digestion. For the best results in building muscle mass it is best to refrain for at least one year from any purchase or reading of conventional bodybuilding literature or periodicals. Ignorance of special training methods in the first year of working out will do more good than harm when compared to constantly switching training methods, infinitely discussing and dissecting minutiae.

If you are going to follow the system described here, for your own good please do not try to straddle the fence. Do not change or supplement anything. The framework for possible and allowable variation will be presented in detail with the description of the complex. Even so, for those new to training, do not stray from these guidelines. It is necessary at first to be dogmatic and to scratch the itch to innovate in some other sphere of your activities.

SUMMARY: remain aware of the fact that only certain genetically predisposed individuals can become bodybuilding champions. Yet for anyone wishing to improve their build it is still necessary to add muscle mass and eliminate excess fat to the limit of one’s abilities. It is entirely a matter of perseverance, a correct approach to training and adequate rest and recuperation. And if, after five year you still can’t bench 150 kgs (~330 lbs) please don’t tell anyone that you work out. Don’t disgrace the sport or whine about it, but instead admit that you have wasted your time in idle masturbation.

Reasonable human beings differ from other animals by the fact that, when confronted with their own incorrect views and dogmas, they are capable of rejecting them and beginning anew with a clean sheet. And it is not by random chance that I accentuate the word “reasonable” since because there are remain many people who, despite chronic stagnation, panic at the thought of changing their approach because Yates, Coleman and Wheeler (according to bodybuilding magazines) work out just like this. Folks like that don’t need this book, they need a psychiatrist.

Here the possibility of a new direction for your training is brought to your attention. Only remember that there are no such things as miracles in bodybuilding and no routine can turn you into Arnold Schwarzenegger in a couple of months. So curb your enthusiasm and soberly turn yourself towards long term, systematic training. Instead learn to derive pleasure from hard, even grueling training, or take up some other pursuit. You will not succeed without perseverance, dedication and a certain fanaticism, in the healthy sense of the word.

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Chapter 2
What, Where and How It Grows…the ABCs

To be frank, your author had originally thought to dispense with this chapter, since I assumed that a discussion of which exercises work what muscles had been covered exhaustively elsewhere and that this subject had been firmly closed long ago. However a recent tour of known fitness centers in Moscow and her suburbs, and the nonsense that I have heard from the mouths of local coaches about squats being bad for the shoulders or presses being bad for the neck have shaken my faith in the universal understanding of bodybuilding and among coaches in particular. A particularly amazing example of this trend are the legions of young guys from working class neighborhoods who can totally out-lift the bronzed, androgynous personal trainers with their ridiculous, sprayed up hairstyles that try to make money off this enlightened and noble sport. All of this only confirms the thoughts of Stuart McRoberts about the fact that there is a rare, genetically gifted breed who can build a strong, muscular body without giving a thought to proper training methods. For the rest of us, we must start at the beginning, with the ABCs.

A Brief Overview of the Muscle Groups and Their Function:

1. Muscles of neck - answer for the motion of head.
2. Trapezius - raises arms.
3. Deltoid - answer for the motion of arms in the humeral joint.
4. Pectoralis - extend the arms before the body.
5. Latissimus - The widest muscles of back which lower and draws back the humerus bone.
6. Biceps - bends the arms inwards from the elbow joint and revolves forearm outward and away from the spine.
7. Triceps - straightens the arm at the elbow joint.
8. Forearm muscles - allow for grabbing and holding, and for extension and flexion of the hand at the wrist.
9. Abdominals - when contracted, it draws the chest towards the pelvis.
10. Oblique Abdominals - allows the body to turn and twist at the waist.
11. Quadriceps– straightens the leg from the knee joint.
12. Leg Biceps or Hamstring - draws the foot up and back towards the knee joint.
13. Gastrocnemus - raises the heel heel.
14. Gluetus - straightens the back from a bent position.

Fundamental Exercises for Each Muscle Group

Chest – (Wide grip) bench pressing, incline pressing and parallel bar dips are foundation. In the 80s a common exercise was the prone fly with heavy dumbbells for low reps.
Lats – Pull ups done to the chest or behind the neck, bent rows, t-bar rows and dumbbell bent rows.
Delts – Standing barbell press, pressing behind the neck, and the dumbbell shoulder press.
Traps – Shrugs and upright rows.
Biceps – standing barbell curl, seated dumbbell curls, and chin ups.
Triceps – Narrow grip bench press, seated and lying French press.
Quadriceps – Squats and leg press.
Hamstrings – Hamstring curls and stiff legged deadlifts.
Calves – Standing, seated and donkey calf raises.
Lower Back – Deadlifts and cleans.

Correct Exercise Technique

There’s no need to take up a bunch of space philosophizing about the importance of correct exercise performance. However, the author has seen too many athletes who ostensibly work one group of muscles, all the while pumping up an entirely different group. For example, squats are intended to emphasize the quadriceps, but many people incorrectly end up working only their gluteus and lower back.

Moreover, in many exercises moving the weight along an incorrect trajectory causes micro-trauma to the joints and tendon, which over time can lead to serious injuries. Therefore, all exercises most only travel through planes which are natural for the joints in question. This is the first requirement of good technique.
The second condition is a full range of motion. You must maximally extend a muscle at the beginning of the exercise and maximally contract it at the end. This is necessary so that the muscle is stimulated along the entire length of the fiver, from one tendon insertion to the other. The entire motion of each repetition must be smooth, without any artificial pause or delay.

Now I will cover correct technique for each exercise, although it is difficult to master correct technique from words and photographs alone.

Bench Press
From a lying position on the bench take the bar from the supports with straightened arms, with a chest-width grip. Next lower the bar, always keeping your forearms perpendicular to your body. Do not raise your back or pelvis from the bench and do not bounce the bar off your chest as you execute the press. The center of the bar should touch your chest at approximately nipple height. The technique is the same for incline presses, except that the bar should contact the body nearer to the neck.

Parallel Bar Dips
If the point of the exercise is to emphasize the chest, flare the elbows away from the trunk and incline the torso forward, chin on chest. Lower the body as deep into the dip as flexibility allows.
 
Dumbbell Flyes
Begin from a lying position on the bench, with dumbbell in each extended arm. Bend the arms slightly at the elbow, and lower the dumbbells in a broad arc down and away from the body’s centerline, going as low and wide as flexibility allows.

Pull Ups
From a position hanging beneath a bar with palms facing away from your body, pull yourself up as high as possible, trying to make contact with either the breastbone or the back of the neck.

Bent Row
From a standing position, with trunk parallel to the ground, knees slightly bent. Grip the barbell at shoulder width. In the lowered position the arms should be completely straight. Pull the bar up and in toward the stomach, pulling the shoulders blades back and together towards the spine as the weight rises. A T-Bar row is carried out the same way, with a narrow grip on the handle, the only difference being that the range of motion is slightly smaller.

Standing Press
Take the barbell from the rack or uprights with a shoulder width grip. As you push the weight up and overhead, try to resist any tendency to bend backward by actively trying to lean forward so that in the end position, with the weight on extended arms, the bar will be directly overhead. Do not use the legs or any swaying of the back to begin the pressing motion.

Seated Press Behind the Neck
It is desirable to perform this exercise in a seated position, braced against a backrest. The width of the grip should be adjusted so that, at the lowest point of the motion, the forearms remain vertical.

Upright Row
From a standing position with knees slightly bent, grip the barbell close to the center. Raise the weight to chin height, flaring your elbows outwards at the highest point of the movement.

Standing Barbell Curl
Begin with a barbell in hands, and a supinated shoulder width grip. Bend the arms at the elbows, without leaning the torso back and without using the legs to begin the movement, raising the weight in an arc out and up towards the chin. The humerus bone of the upper arm should always remain completely vertical. This point is relevant to all curls, including standing and seated dumbbell curls.

Narrow-Grip Bench Press
If this is being done as an exercise for the development of the triceps, then in contrast to a normal bench press the arms must be kept pinned to the sides and not allowed to move away from the trunk.

Supine French Press
In the beginning position the humerus bones are angled upwards approximately 30° from vertical alongside the head. Lower the barbell behind the head and then raise, keeping the elbows together.

Squats
Begin in a standing position; the feet shoulder width apart, the feet allowed to turn outwards slightly. The spine is straight, the head is up, and the trunk is drawn back tightly under the barbell. Squat deeply, as deep as you can, going well past a position where your thighs are parallel with the ground. Do not bounce out of the bottom position. Most importantly, do not add weight to this exercise until you have mastered the correct technique.

Leg Press
Always make sure that you complete each repetition through a complete range of motion, bringing the knees all the way up into contact with the chest.

Hamstring Curls
Never allow the pelvis to rise up off the bench when performing this exercise. Always keep the hips straight and emphasize the eccentric phase of the exercise, slowly lowering the weight as you extend our legs.

Stiff Legged Deadlift
Begin in a standing position with the barbell held in your hands, legs straight, your arms hanging down against your body and your chest pushed out, causing a slight concave in your lumbar region. Start the repetition by allowing your hips to move back, keeping the back straight as you bend forward from the waist. Lower the barbell until your hips stop travelling backwards, then reverse the process to raise the weight back up. If you lower the bar any further than this the hamstrings cut out, and the stress is placed on the spine. The concentric phase of this lift is through the action of the hips travelling forward.

Deadlifts
In performing this exercise, the back is drawn back into a slightly arched position. If your purpose is the development of the extensor muscles of the back do not use a Sumo or Frog style. Always use a belt when lifting heavy. After each repetition, lower the bar all the way to the ground. In addition to the basic exercise given here, several supplementary exercises will also be used.

Dumbbell Pullovers
To begin, lie perpendicularly across a narrow bench, using only the shoulder blades to contact the bench. Hold an appropriate dumbbell in each hand overhead. Slowly lower the arms in an arc back and over the head, until your chest is completely extended and expanded and the arms are parallel with the torso. It has long been thought that this exercise, in supersets with high rep breathing squats can contribute to the expansion of the chest.

Reverse Flyes
To start with, from a standing position incline the torso forwards and bend slightly at the knees. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, resting against the thighs and touching each other. Raise the dumbbells up and to the sides, keeping the arms slightly bent at the elbows. As the dumbbells move upwards, rotate the hands inward at the wrists as if one is pouring water from a pair of jugs (forgive the banal description, but it’s the best I could do.) In performing this exercise, never jerk the weights or use any cheating, this is pointless and counterproductive.

This exercise places the load on the medial and rear deltoid muscles. It is also possible to perform this exercise with one hand at a time, with the other hand holding onto some point of support, or with the use of a lower pulley. Both of these versions make it possible to use more weight than a dumbbell.

Seated Dumbbell Incline Press
Trunk is is inclined on a bench, the hands are slightly bent. Raise dumbbells as high above the head as possible, keeping the hands perpendicular to the centerline of the body. This exercise is directed toward the development of the rear beam of deltoid muscles, and during the displacement of hands forward or back from the perpendicular to the trunk position load from this beam it departs.

Incline Flyes
With the trunk inclined, perform as per normal flyes.

Scott (or Preacher Bench) Curls
To avoid injury to the elbow capsule, never completely extend the arm as you lower the weight and never use any kind of rebound with the forearms to bounce out of the bottom position. If you lower the weight into this position, the bicep is inhibited and receives no further benefit. Also, never draw the weight inwards, only upwards.

Incline Dumbbell Curls
Lying on an inclined bench, the trunk elevated 30-45° above the ground, allow the hands to hang down to the sides, each gripping an appropriate dumbbell. Bending the arms at the elbows, draw the dumbbells forward and up towards the humerus bones, using only the strength of the biceps muscles.

Reverse Curls
This exercise is technically the same as a normal curl, the only difference being that the exercise is conducted with pronated palms. Because of this, substantially smaller weights must be used. The proper execution of this exercise works the muscles of the forearms and the brachialis muscle of the upper arm, which lies beneath the biceps.

Cable Pulley Triceps Extensions
Standing approximately 30-40° degrees away from the centerline of the weight stack, grip the bar. Pin the elbows at your sides and fix your arms so that the humerus bones remain in a vertical position throughout the entire exercise. As you begin the position of the bar should be at chest height. Press it down in an arc to a position with the elbows completely extended. Hold the weight at the lowest point for a moment, allowing the triceps to feel the weight.

Dumbbell Lunges
Take one step forward, bending the lead leg at the knee until the thigh of this leg is parallel to the ground. The knee of the other leg will descend until it skims the ground. You will hold your trunk perfectly straight and erect, never allowing your torso to incline forward or bend backward. Execute the planned number of repetitions with one leg and only then switch to perform your reps with the other leg. Lunges are considered the best exercise for finishing the tie-in between the quadriceps and biceps muscles of the legs.

Calf Raises
Do not use sharp motions in this exercise. At upper point fix the weight for a second for a peak contraction. Do not use a variations in the position of the toes facing outward and inward - this will result in nothing but injury.

Seated Leg Press
Never use sharp or explosive motions in this exercise. Pause between each repetition at the peak of the movement, and while some variation of foot placement is allowable, never perform the seated leg press with the toes angled inwards. There is nothing to gain but injury by doing so.

Hyperextensions
In this exercise the load can be placed either on the extensors of the lower back or on the gluteus muscles of the buttocks. Fold the hands behind the head and descend as low as possible, bending only from the hips and keeping the back straight. Rise up to a position where the upper body is horizontal, parallel to the ground. Moving past this point can cause trauma to the lower back.

Miscellanea
The rules for breathing are the same for all weighted exercises: the peak of exhalation must coincide with the moment of maximum exertion for each repetition. Some athletes grunt or shout, with the claim that it gives them additional muscle tension. However, bear in mind that these sounds are not always well received by other lifters; if you are still squatting with a broomstick avoid this behavior or consider seeing a psychiatrist.

As far as proper exercise clothing is concerned, it must be loose and good at absorbing moisture. Cotton fabrics are ideal. In spite of the modern revolution in gay acceptance, it is unwise to prance about in ridiculously tight clothing. Besides unnecessarily drawing attention to your nontraditional orientation, such things can actually restrict the proper flow of blood to the extremities, which decreases your strength and increases the chance of injury.

As far as footwear goes, the more acerbic Lyubers have identified one major criterion: if a guy trains in sandals or slippers, no matter how long he works out, he will never make any appreciable progress. In 20 years since this law was first discovered, it has been proven to be a 100% accurate predictor of failure. How is it possible to squat or do bent rows without a solid support for the feet?

If you don’t have money for proper work or lifting shoes (with a raised heel), it is better to train barefoot. Arnold Schwarzenegger trained barefoot, in fact, and probably not because he was too poor to afford decent shoes.

My last piece of advice for this chapter is this: if you do not want to be known as a slovenly skunk in your gym, take your training clothes home regularly and wash them. Guys who work out in filthy clothes, cloaked in their own stench, cause spontaneous thoughts of pity for their wives or girlfriends to spring to mind.

[d4nd3l10n]

Chapter 3
Your First Step on the Path of Recovery from Dystrophy

Practice has shown that dystrophy of the muscles is a serious condition and must be treated gradually. It has been observed that the muscles will respond better to heavy workouts if the novice starts from a base of general physical preparedness. Our minimum standard, developed empirically, builds on this base:
• 12-15 Pullups
• 40-50 Pushups
• 20-25 Parallel Bar Dips

If you cannot meet these three standards, it is still premature to begin working out with the iron and one should stick to bodyweight workouts for a little while more.
In order to progress rapidly to this base level, a special complex has been devised. The complex is consists of two separate routines, which are alternated on consecutive days (e.g. Workout A on Monday and Workout B in Tuesday.) A rest day may be inserted where your energy levels demand one, but it is possible to do 2-5 workouts in a row, then rest for a day and begin the cycle again.

Workout A
1. Pushups with Hands Elevated
2. Pushups
3. Pushups with Feet Elevated
4. Wide Grip Pushups with Feet Elevated
5. Parallel Bar Dips
6. Hanging Leg Raises

Workout B
1. Wide Grip Pullup Behind Neck
2. Wide Grip Pullup to Chest
3. Pullup to Chest
4. Narrow Grip Chinups
5. Neutral Grip Pullup
6. Hanging Leg Raises

For each exercise perform your repetition maximum (RM) for 2 to 3 sets, except the Hanging Leg Raises which should be done for 4 to 5 sets. It is crucial to always approach your workouts with the goal of getting a least one more rep, even if you need some assistance with your pull-ups.

For beginners who are carrying too much weight around, preparing for the iron must be divided into two stages. From the very beginning it is necessary to get rid of the excess fat, and only then progress on to the A & B workouts given above. The method for this is simple: each morning go for a run on an empty stomach, covering 2-3 km (~1.1-1.6 miles) followed by 1000 repetitions of various bodyweight movements (pushups, situps, etc. etc.). Refrain from eating fatty foods, sweets and booze and take a sauna at least once a week.

Serious training traditionally started in September, so it is important to have set aside some time for preparation so that by the middle of August you are well within the standards set down above. Some people can accomplish this in one month; others will need as many as three.

From Personal Recollections
When this author was still in high school, but had already been training with the iron for a couple of years, I could bench 140 kgs and had a corresponding reputation. A classmate of mine came to me who had been called up for the army. Remember that this was 1980s, service in the Soviet Army was compulsory, and getting out of it wasn’t as easy as it is today. So to make a long story short, anticipating the coming unpleasantness, my classmate asked me to help him pack on some muscle.
At that time, I had not yet felt the urge to train people, but nevertheless I gave my little disciple a program of a daily run and sauna, a diet and a workout routine like the one above. Since he was a neophyte, he began by just hanging from the bar instead of performing full pullups and then graduated to performing them on a low bar, using his legs to assist. To be honest, I had assumed that he wouldn’t last a week—tops—but I had underestimated either his passion or his terror. After four months had passed, he weighed 80 kilos, could easily do 12 pullups and had a very athletic appearance….off to the military academy. Now he is a colonel, but when our paths crossed at a party for old classmates he still managed to do 35 pullups on a dare.

I tell you all this so that you understand there is no such thing as a hopeless situation, but it is necessary to believe in your own strength. It takes the willpower to overcome all obstacles in your path.

P.S. For many years competitive athletes were frequently given similar programs during periods of active rest. It was believed that the pullups and pushups would strengthen the tendons and connective tissue. Further, there was a prevailing belief that these types of exercises were excellent for young athletes and could substantially increase the breadth of the shoulders and the depth of the chest, as well teach the correct use and development of the different muscle groups. No one has yet proven otherwise…

[d4nd3l10n]

Chapter 4
At the Beginning of Glorious Deeds: The First Year of Working Out

Before you begin to workout with the iron, you should conduct a careful measurement of all your muscles. The circumference of your chest, waist, biceps, forearms, thighs, calves and neck should all be taken and recorded. However, there is no point in endless vigils of measurement taking; once a month is plenty. The mere fact of measuring your biceps every day changes nothing. The one of criterion of muscle growth is this: if you are increasing the weight used in your workouts, your muscles will get bigger. The only measurement which really must be frequently monitored is your waist. Any sudden increase in your waist is a sign that you are eating too many redundant fat and/or carbohydrate calories and storing the excess. If this happens you must immediately decrease your food intake, with the exception of athletes in their second year of workouts according to this system, as a breakthrough to new levels of muscle mass (see Chapter 5).

Now, for the workouts themselves: according to the system I am laying out here the first two years of workouts each corresponds with one of the seasons. During this time the athlete must dogmatically adhere to the complex given for those three months.

I faithfully assume that my readers, familiar with the literature on bodybuilding, may express some confusion at the first complex. Why begin not with squats and bench presses but with something so different? Believe me when I tell you that there is a method to this madness. While I am not a strong theorist, I have repeatedly observed in practice that those athletes who from the very get-go focus on the muscles of the shoulder girdle and back built muscle size and strength (for example, in the bench press) much more quickly than those who went straight into training the chest. The order of exercises given in the first few complexes was typical of routines from the pre-steroid era of bodybuilding.
 

Complex № 1 - Autumn
Perform the following complex three times per week (i.e. Monday, Wednesday and Friday).
1. Clean & Press 1 x 12, 2-3 x 10
2. Upright Row 1 x 12, 2-3 x 10
3. Strict Barbell Curl 1 x 12, 2-3 x 10
4. Front Squats 1 x 12, 2-3 x 10
5. Bench Press 1 x 12, 2-3 x 10
6. Bent Row 1 x 12, 2-3 x 10
7. Hanging Leg Raises x 50

In this first complex, the number of sets and repetitions prescribed is the same for every exercise except the last. For the first set, do 12 reps, with a light weight, or even an empty bar. Then do 2-3 sets of 10 reps each, always trying to feel the exact muscles worked. As far as weight is concerned, this is the only phase of training where you shouldn’t feel like vomiting from effort at the end of each set. This is important, because at this stage the connection between mind and muscles is still being developed. However, there’s no point in forgetting that generally, bodybuilding workouts should leave you feeling like a pancake under the bar.
In exercise 7, the Hanging Leg Raise, one should perform 50 reps divided into whatever combination of sets is required (i.e. it can be 20-15-15 or 15-15-10-10, even up to 10 sets of 5 reps).

If you are not yet at least 20-22 years of age, the first workout routine should be substantially modified. It is thought that at this age, with the help of correct exercise methods, it is possible to considerable enlarge the bone structure of the arms and chest.

If this is your situation, you should replace your middle workout (i.e. if you workout Monday, Wednesday and Friday, replace the Wednesday complex with this one):

1. Breathing Squats 3 x 20, with each set done in super-series with…
2. Dumbbell Pullovers 3 x 15
3. Wide Grip Pullup Behind the Neck x 30 (in as many sets as necessary)
4. Wide Grip Pullups to Chest x 30 (again, in as many sets as required)
5. Chinups x 30
6. Parallel Bar Dips x 100 (as above)
7. Hanging Leg Raise x 50 (as above)

From my point of view this kind of introductory training, besides its potential to expand the chest and shoulders, makes it easier to rapidly adapt to the coming loads and improves the trainee’s ability to recuperate from his other (i.e. Monday and Friday) workouts.

Complex № 2 – Winter
This program consists of two workout routines, which alternate training days. Use the first set to warm up, using only an empty bar.

Workout A
1. Wide Grip Pullups to Chest x 50
2. Bent Row 1 x 12, 3-4 x 8
3. Seated Press Behind Neck 1 x 12, 3-4 x 8; at first perform this exercise sitting without a back support.
4. Squats 1 x 15, 3-4 x 12
5. Bench Press 1 x 12, 3-4 x 8
6. Dumbbell Flys 3 x 10
7. Seated Incline Curls 1 x 12, 3-4 x 8
8. Hanging Leg Raises x 50

Workout B
1. Bench Press 1 x 12, 3-4 x 8
2. Dumbbell Flys 3 x 10
3. Seated Incline Curls 1 x 12, 3-4 x 8
4. Squats 1 x 15, 3-4 x 12
5. Wide Grip Pullups to Chest x 50
6. Bent Row 1 x 12, 3-4 x 8
7. Seated Press Behind Neck 1 x 12, 3-4 x 8
8. Hanging Leg Raises x 50

As you have probably noticed, these two workouts are made up of identical exercises, sets and repetitions, but sequenced differently. Basically, this method allows for the fact you are capable of lifting more weight at the beginning of a workout, when you are fresh, than at the end. By changing the order, you are lifting a weight which you have already previously managed and there is no psychological barrier to doing so again, now in the middle or end of your workout, and because you already know that you are capable of lifting the weight it is less mentally taxing. Then, the next time you train, you will begin your workout with the same exercises you finished with last time, and what was heavy will seem light and you can add more weight to the bar. I realize that this sounds naïve but nevertheless, practice this method for your first year of training and you will see how well it works. 

Complex № 3 - Spring
Its springtime and you are ready to hit the weights hard. This is the centerpiece of the first year of training, and time for the greatest increases in strength and mass.

At the very root of this complex are two important ideas. The first is a sharp change in the type of load; if in your previous workouts the exercises were done in a smooth and measured style, they should now become rapid, even explosive. Second, the number of repetitions in each set is lowered to 6, done in a loose cheating style (e.g. using a small jerk of the back to help start a heavy curl), and a forced rep may be used for the last movement of each set.

This second approach is based on the fact that if, during different training periods, we load the muscles from different angles (using different exercises) we will allow the muscles to better recuperate and so accelerate the growth process. I read in the magazine Ironman that this approach is called the Conjugate Method. Of course it would have been a shock to the originators of our system, back in the 1980s, to know that their recommendations would be considered high-technology decades later.
From these two ideas arise the following two workouts, which are alternated consecutively.

Workout A
1. Bench Press
2. T-Bar Rows
3. Standing Press
4. Seated Dumbbell Curl
5. Breathing Squats
6. Wide Grip Pullups

Workout B
1. Incline Press
2. Bent Row
3. Press Behind the Neck
4. Standing Dumbbell Curl
5. Breathing Squats
6. Wide Grip Pullups

The dose of iron for each exercise, except the squats and hanging leg raise is as follows: for the first set perform 12 reps with just the bar. For the second set, perform the same number of reps with a weight 10-20 kgs (~22-44 lbs) less than your day’s work sets. Finally, perform 4 to 5 work sets of 6 reps. Don’t pyramid your weight or do drop sets! The weight you start your first work set with should remain on the bar throughout the remainder of the exercise. If you can’t get your 6 reps for all the planned sets, switch to a cheating or “forced rep” style. You should explode through each rep, with the emphasis placed on lifting as much weight as possible in a reasonable style. Attack each workout like your life depended on it. Take longer breaks between sets, but still only just enough to get your breathing under control.

For the 5th exercise, breathing squats, perform as follows: limber up with 20 to 25 repetitions with just the bar. After that, add some weight to the bar and do another 20 reps, immediately followed by 15 reps of the dumbbell pullover, lying crosswise across a bench. For the second set, add more weight and do 15 reps, followed by another 15 dumbbell pullovers. For the third and final set, again add weight and do 12 reps, followed by another 15 pullovers. Use the same weight dumbbells for all the pullovers, the point of this exercise is to maximally expand and contract the chest.

Exercise 6, the wide grip pull up is introduced into this workout with the similar goal of expanding and broadening the back. 50 reps should be performed in as many sets as necessary.

The load in this complex of workouts is more than sufficient, so special attention should be given to your rest and recuperation. Once a week you should take a sauna and have a general massage. However, if one feels that this is too much work, he can occasionally reduce the workouts to twice a week, for example Monday and Thursday.

At this stage it is worthwhile to put together a small supply of pharmacological supplements which can be purchased at any pharmacy or drugstore: potassium orotate (3 x day take 0.5 to 1 tablet a half an hour after eating), calcium glycerophosophate (1-2 tablespoons immediately after training), and a balanced multivitamin (2 x day take 1-2 tablets with a meal). This program should be continued for no more than 30 days. If it is absolutely necessary, you may repeat this course for a second month.

Complex №4 - Summer
The program for summer of the first year of training had a supporting role, a time of relatively easy work after the shock of spring. Strengthening the bones and tendons was a primary goal during this season, in order to prepare them for the next burst of strength and mass development which would come in the fall. This goal was achieved, in part, by changing the type of load: the number of repetitions was increased and the rest periods between sets were shortened. After the “lazy” spring, this approach was good a good way to shake things up.

(Monday-Wednesday-Friday)
1. Wide Grip Pullups x 50
2. Bent Row 1 x 12, 4 x 10
3. 45° Incline Press 1 x 12, 4 x 10
4. Dips 1 x 15, 4 x 12 (with added weight)
5. Squats 1 x 20, 4 x 15
6. Seated Neutral Grip Dumbbell Press 1 x 12, 4 x 10
7. Alternating Dumbbell Curl 1 x 12, 4 x 10
8. Hanging Leg Raise x 50-100

Although this complex had a supporting character, one should still attempt to add weight to the bar. It is also important to do some aerobic conditioning work: swimming or slow jogging. This is to prepare the heart for the increased work load to come and the increase in bodyweight that will come with the second year of training.

P.S. I am certain that in the process of reading this plan for the first year of training, many questions have come to mind. I will try to anticipate the most obvious of them here.

1. What about the absence of adequate load on the triceps?
In the 80s, many powerlifters believed that the triceps got sufficient indirect work from all the pressing and arm work. It was felt that adding additional stress on the triceps would just slow down progress on the bench. Accordingly, in the system presented here, you should only begin to do direct triceps work if you can already bench 1.5 times your bodyweight for 6 reps. It was assumed back then that only once you have gotten to this point that the triceps needed new stimuli to continue growing in strength and size.

2. In comparison with modern programs, why is less attention was paid to building the muscles of the thigh?
This is easily explainable. In the 1980s, the ideal build was somewhat different than it is now. Pushing the thighs to their muscular limit wasn’t a priority, as it was with the upper body. Of course, we were very aware of the importance of squats in creating an overall massive physique. Moreover, in the second year of work, squats took a central role in the workouts, so in the first year development of the thigh was consciously restrained.

Personally, I endorse this approach. Unless you are interested in the professional bodybuilding scene, 70 cm (~28 inch) thighs will only complicate your life. I speak from my own experience of not-so-long-ago, wearing out a pair of pants every month, condemned to life in a shabby old pair of jeans. Baggy “No Limits” or “Giant Killer” pants hadn’t been invented yet, and we spent almost as much on new clothes as we did on steroids. Is that what you want?

Remember the old line (from Uncle Vanya by A. Chekhov), “all of man must be beautiful: his looks, and dress, his spirit and mind.”
[Editor’s Note: this is my best attempt at the original, “В человеке должно быть все прекрасно: и лицо, и одежда, и душа, и мысли." I make no pretense of being a littérateur.)

3. Where are the deadlifts?
This is a similar situation as the squats, discussed above. The deadlift is an excellent exercise, and it develops the entire back. However, when it is performed improperly it will not, as a rule, give the desired result and there is no advantage in dampening a beginner’s enthusiasm. True mastery of correct deadlift technique, much as is the case with squats, demarcates the boundary between the trained athlete and the novice.

4. What makes the hanging leg raise so great?
When your goal is gaining muscle, there is no point is going crazy if you can’t see your abs in bold relief. To really define the abdominal muscles without strict dieting is unlikely, and at this stage too strict a diet will conflict with our goal of building muscle mass. This is to be expected prior to beginning hormonal supplementation.

The hanging leg raise fits into these workouts in two ways:
a. It optimally strengthens the Rectus abdominis, the long straight muscle of the abdomen, which balances and compliments the action of the extensor muscles of the back which we are strengthening with our squats and bent rows and prevents the stomach from sagging outwards;
b. Because this exercise is performed without any kind of supportive gear or belt, it also develops the grip and forearm, which makes it possible to drop any special work on these muscle groups.

[d4nd3l10n]

Is door een amerikaanse dude vertaald vanuit het russisch. Some solid advise imo, als het je doelstelling is.

[chris]

Citaat:

If your muscle mass is not developing properly, reduce to an absolute minimum all other forms of physical activity. The same recommendation applies to all activities, including your sex life.

[Flamingo]

lol, pcies op dat moment stopte ik met lezen van de rest.