Above And Beyond - The BeyondMass Magazine

February 2004

Training Tips - by Junkyard Dog
If you have any training tip questions you would like answered email me at jyd@beyondmass.com. I will answer all inquiries and your question just might make the monthly newsletter!

This months questions:

Question: I need some advice on Deadlifting I see that a lot of people routines are built around heavy doubles and triples with larger sets of more reps building up to that. What do you think about this and what is your idea of a good deadlifting routine?

Answer: I consulted our resident expert and got you the answer you need - Thanks BigShug.

I think your deadlifting routine should mirror what your body tells you it can do. For an aspiring deadlifter who has never performed such a lift, I think it would be dangerous to incorporate sets with rep schemes below 5 especially since they are such a taxing lift to begin with and most new exercises are performed with less than perfect form. Only when form has become paramount and the lift has been performed for a few months would I let my reps dip into the max-rep range.

Deadlifts, for me at least, are one of those strange exercises where the traditional rep schemes of 10 or more don't seem to build mass for me. Of course I make sure to warm up VERY well and I stretch in between sets too, but I've found that on those weeks I'm able to squeeze out an extra rep with my heaviest weight I'm the most sore the next day (or two....lmao).

I made the mistake not too long ago of focusing too much time on weights that weren't a challenge for me so that when the time came to really lift big, I was already too fatigued. So, according to our member goldenear, I made two changes. One, rather than perform 10 reps with weights all the way up to 495 I dropped those numbers greatly so I could concentrate more on the 2-5 rep sets with 585-600+ pounds. This has given me much more thickness than repping 405 and burning myself out before I get to the heavy sets. Secondly, I started performing full reset sets. That is, each lift is treated as one lift with the weight being rested fully on the ground in between each rep. It does wonders for strength gains and if you're currently a deadlifter who's reached a plateau I challenge that you try them for a few weeks and check your results - if your diet and rest are on time, you'll blast right through your sticking point.

So, just to stress it again - LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Start slowly with deadlifts and perform 3-4 sets every other week to get your body accustomed to the stress involved in picking up weight from the floor. Stick with it and you'll not only develop a thicker back, but all of your other lifts will benefit as well.

Follow-up question: Should deadlifts only be done every other week instead of every week like other exercises?

That all depends on you and your recuperative abilities....obviously, if you're taking performance enhancing supplements your recovery times will be lessened BUT I've found that for myself it just works better to do these every other week. Deads are such a physically taxing exercise that I found myself really run down and sore for way too long when I tried to go heavy every week. Now, doing them every other week (again, advice from goldenear) for the past couple of months I've seen much more rapid gains than ever before.

Yeah, I still get sore every time...but it's actually something I look forward to now. Each session *knock on wood* now I'm able to either go a little heavier or squeeze out an extra rep with my heaviest sets from prior weeks.

Question: I am having a hard time developing my outer biceps. Front the front my biceps look nice but from the back they look small. What can I do to help this problem?

Answer: As you may or may not know, there are two muscles that make up the bicep (thus the bi in the name, bi = 2). The bicep is made up of these 2 muscles: Long Head (Outer) and the Short Head (Inner).

The answer to your question is rather simple. It has to do with your hand positioning on the curling bar.

I prefer to use the EZE-Curling bar because it holds the wrists in a more ergonomic position. But the same rules apply to using a barbell.

How can you work both muscles at once?

Hold the bar so your arms are parallel to one another therefore perpendicular to the curling bar. We will call this the neutral position on the bar. This will target both muscles equally. However, your dominant bicep will tend to carry more of the load. It is important to target each head of the bicep separately.

How can I target the Short Head (inner bicep)?

Moving your hand position inward from the neutral position on the bar. The more extreme you move your hands inward the further inward you will be targeting the inner bicep. It is uncommon to move your hands closer than 3-4 apart. However, you can do this using cable machine attachments if you so desire, such as ropes.

Moving your hands inward from the neutral position on the bar you will feel the inner biceps burning as your exercises progress.

How can I target the Long Head (outer bicep)?

Moving your hand position outward from the neutral position on the bar. The more extreme you move your hands outward the further outward you will be targeting the outer bicep. I typically move my hands 3-4 inches outside of the neutral position on the bar (per side).

Moving your hands outward from the neutral position on the bar you will feel the outer biceps burning as your exercises progress.

For added intensity, is it strongly advised that you work out your biceps using isolation, such as the preacher bench.

The information and articles discussed are not to be accepted as medical advice. All articles are to be interpreted as role playing. The site does not advise the use of anabolic steroids nor condone them.