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Happy New Year
To all my customers and readers, I wish you a Happy New Year. It's hard to believe that this is the seventh year of The Muscle News. I started out with a newsletter that sat on the counter to one that is sent out to over 1000 people a month. The Muscle News has also evolved into a web site that receives thousands of hits a month. I am proud to have as my readers enthusiastic beginners to Pro bodybuilders, AFL footballers, and Australian Cricket Team members. To all of you, thanks for your support
Some of you may have received a computor for Christmas. If you have recently joined the world wide web and this is your first visit and would like to receive The Muscle News electronically, then e-mail me your address. The on line version is much more comprehensive with pictures and more articles.
You can e-mail me at this address;
kim@australianmuscle.com.au
Or you can register on line at my home page.
What's The Secret?
This month I asked a number of successful bodybuilders a question that is asked frequently of me at the shop. All of the athletes questioned are State or National champions.
In all the years that you have been training, what is the single best advise you could give to a fellow trainer?
I would have to say that in my 15 years of weight training (has it really been that long??!!), both as a recreational and competitive bodybuilder, the best advice I could give anyone, especially those starting out, is;
"You dont grow while you are training!!. Train hard and heavy (train bloody hard) but more importantly get adequate rest and nutrition. I can remember training 6 days per week, each body part twice per week (often doing a "double split") and I never grew like I did in latter years once I worked out you had to rest to grow. (I never had any trouble with the eating part ha ha ha)."
I know this is becoming a bit of a cliché but numerous highly successful local bodybuilders such as Bruce Leong, Quin Lay, Justin Wessells and Rui Mu would all tell you the same thing. Its just a shame we take so long to get it through our thick heads.
Chris Hosking NABBA Mr Northern Territory, Mr Australia Contender.
After 20+ years of training my single best advise is CONSISTENCY with your training, never lose sight of your goal to attain physical perfection and always be open to learning new training methods - no matter how long you have been training you can always learn more in this sport.
If you want to continue to improve your figure/physique or even maintain where you are right now you must never stop/start your training. Gains are slow, losses are fast. Rome was not built in a day!! Six years ago when I met my partner Nick Jones and we were doing a back workout together he told me that I was not contracting my back properly during back movements, hence I was getting thick traps and rhomboids and no lat width. He told me to back off on the weight I used and do all close grip movements (always, always do chins first) and use the strictest of form, feeling my lats contract right down into my waist. (Now if you have ever seen Nick's back you know he knows what he is talking about!!) So ever since then I have never missed a chinning session and year by year my back has improved a little. Bringing me this year I think to my best back development ever which I definitely know helped me to take out the prestigious title of Miss Universe. So CONSISTENCY is definitely the only way to make those gains.
Teri Robert NABBA Ms Universe Figure.
Set Goals, make them specific and realistic. Have a mentor, someone you can ask advice and someone who is honest and knowledgeable in Bodybuilding. Read as much as you can about diet and training, the knowledge you gain is your power.
Connie Garner Miss Fitness Australia
My best advice we are "HERE for a GOOD TIME not a LONG TIME" so make the most of your LIFE. Of course this has many applications not only in Bodybuilding terms but in everyday living. Because you are awarded accolades for bodybuilding does not guarantee life happiness. Life is a collection of experiences some good, some bad but your outlook on life depends on you. Take Control of your Life and do it now. Be responsible for your own destiny, who knows if you will be available to wait for the next contest. Quitters never Win and Winners never Quit.
Graeme Lancefield, Masters Mr Universe
Years ago I went to a Lee Haney (8 time Mr Olympia) seminar and asked him the same question. His response?
Train Less!
Lee Haney Mr Olympia
There is no secret supplement, drug, or training program for bodybuilding success. I've traveled the world with my bodybuilding and quizzed the top professionals and trainers (such as Charles Glass). The best advice I could give a fellow trainer is to be CONSISTENT!
Consistently set new achievable goals.
Consistently train all bodyparts.
Consistently eat quality bodybuilding foods every 3 hours.
Consistently sleep 8 - 10 hours a night.
Consistently use the basic quality supplements.
Nick Jones Mr Australia.World
And this response from King Kamali???????
Thanks for the kind words and support Kim. I would love to conduct this online questioner but due to Weider exclusivity restraints I just cannot. I'm sorry about this and wish you the best in all your endeavors. Take care and God Bless.
King Kamali IFBB Pro
This response was
from a great mate of mine. Andy is not a champion bodybuilder or
personal trainer. He is however one of the most articulate people I
know, and he came up with a great answer.
If I had to pass on my one most valuable piece of training advice to another trainer I would first of all describe it to him as a tiny sentence with some huge implications.
My advice is simply: Know why you do what you're doing.
I know it might sound a little simplistic but hear me out. I'm pretty sure you've got a fair idea of the reason why you're lifting in the first place... Something along the lines of "to look good naked," "to get a little more attention from the opposite sex," "to compete in an upcoming bodybuilding competition," or even "to improve apon my current physical condition," okay so you're aware of why you bother to drag your butt to the gym in the first place, but that's not even half of the battle. The initial motivation's the easy part.
Lemme ask you about your training split... How do you divide up your bodyparts? How often do you train each body part? Do you know what you want to occur as a result of the training you give to each specific bodypart?
To start with, where did you get your current routine from? Was it a random discovery in a muscle magazine? A routine handed down through the generations? Or was it the product of many hours of reading and researching and creating a training program to suit your specific training goals?
To move another step forward, how many sets do you do per bodypart? Why? Do you know why you do as many sets as you are currently doing, or have you just happened to end up with your current routine? How many exercises? Again why? How many reps... Yep, you guessed it , why?
Just to clear things up I'll let you know right now that I'm not going to try to sell you something at the end of this article, nor am I going to claim to have all the answers to your training questions. But what I do have to offer you here is the question. And that question is WHY?
I could tell you how I train, or even why I train the way I do, but that wouldn't help you at all... It's the challenge of making your own new discoveries and coming to your own conclusions that makes bodybuilding such a rewarding experience.
Okay to keep on moving, take the subject of nutrition. I'll start from a different angle here. Are you relying on thermogenics or caffeine just to make it through your training? If so, why is that? This is something I made the mistake of doing for years. Is it due to a lacking diet? Or is it possibly due to too high a training volume/frequency? There is a reason for everything and if your body doesn't have the energy to train you should take a couple of steps back from what you are doing in the gym and work out why you don't have enough energy. It sounds simple enough but I know how easy it is to overlook.
High protein diet? High fat diet? High carb diet? Whatever it is do you know exactly why you started it? Are you aware of the pros and cons for you diet? Will your diet help you achieve what you want out of you current training routine?
Then there's the cardio? How much, how hard, how often? And why?
The bottom line is that if you are steadily moving closer to your goals by following a training and nutrition plan that you created to fit your own specific needs, you're constantly making improvements in the gym and you feel positive and energetic pretty well all the time, then the questions I'm asking you would've been met something like "Yep, you're damn right I know why I'm doing all of this, and I'm kinda proud of it too!" But on the flipside, if you've started to think "Actually, I'm not too sure why I'm spending all those hours in the gym every week and getting nothing in return but feeling run down," you'd better start asking yourself "Why?" and soon!
Andrew Blum, Hardgainer.
Goal-Setting
Unless you have some idea of where you are going, it's hard to get there. Your map in bodybuilding and getting lean is the goals you write down and set for yourself. If you don't set goals for yourself that are to be accomplished realistically by a certain amount of time and then seriously work to achieve them, then, honestly…it's not going to happen. So, that's what it takes! Set goals, write them down, put them in front of you so you see them everyday, reminding you of what you need to do and think about how you're going to do it. Once you've laid out the road map, it's just a matter of applying your foot to the gas petal to get where you want to go!
You're goal setting should be similar to climbing a mountain. The ultimate goal is to get to the top of the peak so you can look out over the world and relish in your amazing accomplishment in life. But, to reach that ultimate goal, you must meet your daily goals in steps. All of those steps add up to the ultimate. Sometimes you won't even realize how steadily you've made progress until you look behind you and see just how far you've gone. Once you're on your way, the journey will become shorter and easier. You will feel ultimately exhilerated at your progress and you will start to make the progress faster and better until you finally reach your goal! So set small goals and try your hardest to reach them. All of the small goals add up to the big goal….getting lean and cut. Once you're there just workout and eat right to maintain your physique…you'll be glad you did!
INBA NEWS
Last year, The INBA clearly became the premier bodybuilding and fitness federation in Australia. Competitor and audience numbers were at a record high. Each state produced a record event which culminated in a massive 140 competitors at the Australian Titles. There is a rumour going around that this years Australian titles will be held at The Crown Casino complex! A truly prestigious venue.
All contests were ASDA drug tested and also some out of competiton testing was done. The INBA is proud to announce that no one failed a ASDA drug test last year.
This years SA Titles will be held on the 13th of October at the Norwood Concert Hall. Interest for this years show is already high. If you are thinking of competing this year, let me know and I will place you on the INBA SA Newsletter which will start around May this year. This newsletter will bring you INBA news as well as many contest dieting tips and hints.
The following
pictures are from last years INBA Natural Olympia, which was held in
Hawaii. Thanks to INBA Australian President, Wayne MacDonald.
The bashful Australian
girls
Top 3 in the Pro Division,
Keith Bullock Aust (C)
The phenominal Ron
Williams, USA
Australia's Warren Clampit
and Keith Bullock
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DEC
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
AUD.
