TRAINING Q&A WITH DANE FLETCHER
Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. If you have a training question, he has an answer – send questions to Dane@GetAnabolics.com.
GET A GRIP
Q:My buddies and I have a bet going... What do you think would yield better strength gains? A textured thick-handled bar that wouldn’t slip out of your hands, but might be too heavy to hold for long? OR, a bar with no texture, that is smooth and can slip, but is lighter and not as thick? If you held both for 20 seconds until they had to be dropped, which way would get you stronger?
A:Okay, first off, you guys maybe need to get some more things going on in your lives, but that is just my first impression! Nah, just kidding... but man, you’re making me feel like Marilyn Vos Savant in Parade Magazine on Sundays.. the one who answers logic and mathematical-based questions. Okay, if I understand you correctly, I’d have to say both and here’s why: The thick bar is something that would stick with you and probably not HAVE to be dropped after 20 seconds. In that way, you’d be lifting heavier and that generally equals mass gains. The thinner, smoother bar would be easier to handle because of weight and narrowness, but would eventually have to be dropped because of grip. However, before it got to the point of “too slippery to handle” it served a far better purpose than the thick bar if you could actually handle it better. If you can’t handle a weight, it is probably no good to you. I say both are good, but if I had to pick, I’d say pick the bar that you can handle better. But, why not just lighten the weight on the bar that is grooved or has texture on its grip? It would solve the problem a lot better than choosing between two inferior choices.
AB BOARDS
Q:Ab boards... I see some guys using them and some guys not using them, and the ones who use them seem to have better abs. Are ab boards the best thing for building abs?
A:Not necessarily. Truth is, ab workouts should focus on isolation. However you are able to achieve that isolation is what you ought to go with. Some people can really bear down on their abs on an abdominal board that has a slight foot elevation. But remember, you can lose isolative focus on anything - the floor, a board, or in some other crunch position. It’s all dependent upon motion that is unnecessarily into the mix. So ab boards, being narrow, often keep the mind visualizing staying balanced on the board while crunching, so crunching is often executed more carefully than it would be on the floor. There is less room for error, too, because the boards can rock from side to side. So keeping the core absolutely still, while isolating the abs, produces a much tighter effort; literally and figuratively.
SHEEPSKIN LINED
CUFFS
Q:I see people in my gym bringing in leg/ ankle cuffs with sheepskin inside that they put around their ankles and then attach to cable stations. What purpose would this serve and should I follow suit?
A:First off, it depends how they are executing these exercises and which ones they are doing. Typically, when you train for a contest, you’ll be doing some exercises you may not be doing in the off season when mass is a priority. Pre-contest, you’ll be doing things that, in addition to diet, will bring out the best in each muscle group. Often, that means repetitive exercises using lighter weights, different apparatus and different stations, and a focus on bringing out the insertion points between one muscle group and another or at the joint of a muscle when all muscles come in at a junction and create an attachment. These attachments, when lean, appear pronounced. The more you can work these, the more freak factor you’ll get when it comes time to step on stage. These cuffs can provide an attachment for areas of the body where you have no hands or ability to attach yourself to a weight. Often, people work the front quads and hip flexors or adductors/abductors of the hips and legs. Have someone show you how to do it, so that you won’t injure yourself.
A ROYAL PAIN
IN THE BICEP
Q:I experience a lot of pain in my biceps when I train them. It’s not injury pain, it’s excruciating lactic acid pain, I guess, and it actually makes me feel angry. Is there any way I can avoid this?
A:Well, of course, lactic acid sets in earlier for some people than for others, but there are ways to increase your tolerance for lactic acid build up. Mostly, that’s working through the barrier of pain. But I know what you mean about pain so bad it angers you. And I don’t think that’s a response to AAS use along with it, because at least 3 of us here have had that feeling and not been on a cycle. I suggest maybe you take one aspect of your training and change it at a time, so you know what works and what doesn’t. By that, I mean, eliminate one thing - either lower the weight and continue what you’re doing and see if you have the same amount of LA build up, or lower the number of reps and see what happens. One thing that helps a great deal is to drink a LOT of water before, during and after workouts. and in the days in between when you rest. This clears away residual LA so that you don’t have any old LA trapped in muscles going into a workout. You may only be able to do a certain number of reps with a certain % of max weight each workout. Let me know what happens...
STRAP-IN
Q:I have a question about straps... Before I go up any further in weight, I try to perfect my form so that I can really handle the weights and get out all I can. I’m now up to 250 on my deadlifts and my grip can’t handle more than 3 reps, though I can! I’m just hesitant to use straps because then I’ll always need them. Straps or no straps bro, what do you think?
A:Okay, I’m actually pretty happy you asked me this, because it addresses something I hear as a theme fairly often and it makes no sense to me! First off, training aids, like belts, straps, wraps, etc.. were created to “assist” in the lifting process. I think it’s the inherent macho of bodybuilding that causes people to eschew their use. But really, think about it... You say, “I don’t want to use training aids as a crutch” to get to 300 lbs. But I ask you this: How can you lift 300 pounds without a training aid? One hand washes the other. The misconception that training aids are a crutch is ridiculous. Sure, if you used them all the time, maybe you could claim that you were using them as a crutch. But when you wrap your legs prior to a squat that is DAMN heavy, are you crutching it, or are you merely insuring that you do not blow out a knee? Sure, training as far as you can without a wrap, strap or belt is great, but sometimes, it’s fool-hearty to think that you don’t need anything to help you out.
Why take a chance of a knee collapsing or a wrist failing you and you dropping a bar on your forehead or windpipe, or shins? It doesn’t make any sense. I ask, Why hold back your muscles from progressing because you have some macho hang-up about using accouterments? These rigid beliefs and myths only serve to hurt us. What you can try if you’re dead set against using straps until the last possible minute is to use a different grip, such as an “alternating grip” or strengthen the grip you have now. Use static grippers, static holds, or hang as long as you can from the chin bar and keep topping the bar over with your hands and holding your wrists as tight as possible. This will all help, but you can relent and use a training aid if it means you’ll add more mass to your frame. I just think it’s ironic that people “cheat” by taking AAS, but call using straps “cheating”.
TRAINING
DEFINED
Q:Is there such a thing as training for definition? Is there a way for me to continue adding muscle mass while leaning out to have more definition? (btw, I’ve already lost 9 pounds in the last 2 weeks by dropping my carbs and doing zero cardio. I’m 41 if that makes a difference, and I take in 300 grams of protein a day, but under 100 grams of carbs and about 60 grams of fat) Am I making a mistake?
A:That’s a tough one, guy. Really, you’re asking two different things, though I think I know what you’re really asking... On one hand, training for definition, which isn’t to say that you’re dieting while trying to add mass, is something I’d answer with a workout prescription, and maybe a little diet. What you’re asking is a little different. You want to actually lean out like a pre-contest diet, but still add mass or keep size. You can’t keep adding size AND lose body fat without a lot of chemical help. Because then you’re talking a total change in body composition. What you can do is this: Train hard with a lot of intensity - that means keeping weights heavy and moving FAST and taxing yourself with a lot of great variety in set types and rep schemes. Supersets, giant sets, drop sets, pyarmids, 21’s, etc.. Eat a tight diet, but not a dieting diet. It’s going to take longer and that’s why people quit and go back to what they know, which is either lowering their carbs to nothing or overdoing cardio, to get lean.
Then they end up losing a ton of size and they scramble to get it back and get fat and bloated. What’s the RUSH PEOPLE?? Rome wasn’t built in a day and that is the best answer I can give. If you diligently train with intensity, and damn hard, and keep a CLEAN diet (50% protein, 30% carbs and 20% fats - good ones). That means to keep your calories up to actually gain mass or keep it, but NOT gain fat and get bloated. Do this and you will achieve what it is you’re after. But you’re going to have to do this for a year, not for 12 or 16 weeks. That is what truly GOOD athletes do. What they are able to accomplish doing this is truly remarkable. But, most don’t have patience! Be the guy with patience. What you’re asking from your body is a tall order. Get off that low or zero carb crap. You’ll never put on size that way, you’ll only get lean, and even then, it won’t be for long. But keeping your insulin levels that low is detrimental to your muscle building program. All things in moderation is better than anything else out there. Just give it time and it’ll happen. Do cardio, but mix it up and do really intense things like sprint intervals mixed with the traditional elliptical or treadmill workouts. Vary duration and intensity there, too. Good luck and let me know how you are keeping!
WEEK OFF
DO YOU NEED IT?
Q:I’ve heard that some people just automatically take a week off from all of their lifting after about 8-10 weeks. I’ve been lifting a short time and don’t know whether to do this or not. What do you think?
A:Well, it’s a good question and very valid if you were to have been training longer than 4 months. But you really have not been training long enough to warrant taking a full week off. You could change your training routine to reflect more time off during a given week, but to take a whole week off might knock you out of your rhythm, particularly if it’s going well. And that’s the real measuring stick for taking time off: Are you doing poorly in the gym? Have your weights dropped rather than gone up? Do you feel fatigued and look smaller or softer? These are the reasons to take time off. Some say you can take time off after 8 or 12 weeks, and some say you absolutely should do it. I think it’s dependent upon how you are doing in your workouts, and how you look and feel. Boredom is one thing, and if that’s the case, then you need to find ways to invigorate your workouts, not take time off. I do think that time off is essential for experienced or competitive lifters. Gains come quickly after a week off, so definitely try it out once you have at least 6-10 months under your belt. And only do it if you really feel like your energy, enthusiasm, or results are slipping.