Training Tips for Faster, Bigger Results

 

We all want to look great, with bigger or more muscle mass and a more shredded or ripped physique. It’s why we choose to put ourselves through the sweat and tears and sometimes, pain in the gym. Our bodies weren’t designed to have such great forces pushing against its these very forces and the reaction to them that causes the muscle growth we so desire.

 

The question we all want to shout out loud….. How can I get faster results? This might seem counter intuitive to this article, as a true gym goer will tell you that it’s not possible to get “real” results any faster, however, you can turbo charge your initial results or first gains.

 

In this article, I’ll take you through some simple training techniques that you can add into your normal training routine to get the most out of them.

 

Chest: Make Your Pecs Pop

The chest bench is always the business area of the gym for some reason. Many men (and some women), see a bigger and fuller chest as one of the signs of strength and power. I don’t fully follow this line of thinking, but I can certainly understand the argument.

 

The key to achieving the desired look when it comes to a bigger chest, is to make sure you’re fully stretching the muscle through the exercise. For example, on a bench press, whether it be with a barbell or with dumbbells, make sure you’re using a wide grip – as wide as possible!

 

A close grip will engage more of your arms, specifically your triceps which takes away from the reasons for doing the bench press in the first place. A wide grip, will engage the full width of the pectoral muscle, give you a much fuller rounded chest look. Don’t get me wrong, using a wide grip might seem harder at first, but it’s totally worth it.

 

Also, when you’re training your chest, don’t forgot to always work at different positions. Flat bench is good, but I would also recommend dumbbell work on an incline bench and decline bench if possible. This will engage the full height of the pectoral as well as the width with the wider grip.

 

Biceps: How To Get Bigger Arms

Again, this is another area of the gym that is always busy – the free weights, where every man and his dog is doing biceps curls. Don’t get me wrong, bicep curls will build your arms – biceps, but there are tricks you can deploy to a) get bigger results, and b) get the results much faster.

 

The first thing I’d say is to always alternate and do standard bicep curls, as well as hammer curls. This will not only work on increasing the peak of your bicep, but also the length of the bicep. The end result being a much bigger set of guns. Don’t forget that there are two heads in the biceps – hence the name “bi” so it’s important to always work on both of these areas for the best results.

 

Another great tip for building bigger arms is to start the bicep curl from behind your body, this gives you maximum stretch, thus promoting more growth. You can achieve this by setting up a bench so it is raised just a little higher than if you were performing an incline bench press, but not as high as if you were performing a seated shoulder press – somewhere in the middle. With a dumbbell in each hand, if you let your arms hang naturally, you’ll find they fall behind your body. This is the perfect position to start the curl from.

 

The real trick to making your arms look bigger is the smash your triceps. The clue is in the name – bicep has two heads, but the tricep has three…. It’s physically got more potential to grow!!

 

Abs: Get A More Shredded Core

A ripped six-pack is arguably one of the hardest things to achieve, not because ab exercises are hard, but because most of us spend a good proportion of our days sitting down which does absolutely nothing for our core! It’s also the place where all of our food and drink sits, whilst it’s being digested so even before we’ve started exercising, the elements are already against us.

 

Fear not, there is a solution! You need to be ready to do two key things to make your abs pop. The first is to be ready to put yourself through some hard graft. It’s easy to do hundreds of sit up in a session, crunches every day with added resistance or just your body weight. However, this won’t do a great deal, until you target the mid-section with some serious fat burning exercises….

 

NO, I DON’T MEAN LOADS OF CARDIO

 

High Impact Interval Training or HIIT for short is perfect for fat burning and you can do it anywhere. There are literally hundreds of HIIT sessions you can copy or use on the internet that will get your heart racing and sweating in minutes. I’ve even written a few HIIT sessions myself that are available at crazygain.com

 

The second thing to consider is the time you exercise / perform the HIIT sessions. Yes, you heard me correctly. The time you exercise can have a huge impact on the end results.

 

Here’s a little science behind it. If you train on an empty stomach, when your body is looking for energy it will search for fat stores and sugar as it can burn this faster, and any food that is being digested. However, if you’ve not eaten, the sugar and fat stores are already naturally lower so there is less to collect and use, therefore the body will use the next available energy source – the excess mass around your core.

 

So, for better, more defined abs, I highly recommend adding some HIIT sessions into your training routine, as well as looking at the time of day you’re exercising.

 

Legs: Build Tree Trunks

If I had a dollar for every time I saw someone on the squat rack, loading on the plates then only doing half reps (BECAUSE THE BAR IS FAR TOO HEAVY!), I’d be able to retire tomorrow!! It’s so frustrating when I see guys doing this as they’re not doing themselves any favours. Training this way in my opinion will promote three things:

 

  • Poor Form
  • Weak Legs
  • Injury (this is almost guaranteed)

 

The trick to building strong legs and glutes is to squat deep and slow. What I mean by this is you need to be able to get down to a minimum where there is a 45-degree bend at your knee, where your hamstrings are parallel to the ground. Going lower is even better.

 

When you’re at the lowest point of the squat, hold the position for a second or two, then slowly power up until you’re back in the standing position.

 

THIS IS A REAL SQUAT!

 

Secondly, make sure you’re working the full range of the quads when you’re squatting. Once you’ve done all of your sets and reps on normal squats, start again with front loaded squats. This is where you squat with the barbell on the front of your shoulders, keeping your arms high, parallel to the ground and using your hands to steady the bar.

 

Just like with normal squats, go as low and as deep as you can, hold the squat for a second or two, then slowly power up to the standing position. Please always remember to keep your back straight and push your hips forward when you’re in upwards movements. Arching your back will only lead to an injury and you being in serious pain.

 

Train Well and Look Great!

These are just a few changes that you can make to your training routine that will transform the results you achieve. As you can see, I’m not suggesting any dramatic changes, just a focus on technique to ensure you’re getting the most you can from each exercise. I’ve tried all of these techniques myself – check out my story to see my results.

 

Utilising the full range of movement, thus the entire muscle will mean you’ll soon start looking bigger and lifting more – why? Because you’ll be using all of your muscle mass as opposed to only the peaks where you’re not at full stretch.

 

If you’re looking for more training advice or just want to see what others are up to in the gym, you can find me on Facebook as – Crazy Gain Fitness – Good luck!