Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Day before Thanksgiving

I recently got an email asking about 'sticking points' and how to overcome them.  There's lot you can do but the first step is to get feedback on what you look like with photos.  A file containing photos taken of yourself every month or so will give you good indication of how your body is changing; and it is always changing.  Just because you don't get stronger all the time or gain weight doesn't mean you aren't making progress.  Progress in bodybuilding is visual, not numerical.  When you study photos of yourself you learn what other people see when they look at you.  The awareness gained from learning exactly what you look like is the first step in improving your training.  Simplest thing to do is lighten up the weights a little and do an extra rep or two each set, do slower negatives, stretch between sets (the 10 stretches I do are illustrated in Zane Body Training Manual and the Workouts book), and rest less between sets.  You'll get a better pump and start showing a difference in appearance.

Been working on the Winter 2010 issue of Building the Body and expect it to be published early January.
Here's one of my favorite photos taken by Art Zeller 1982 two weeks before the Mr. Olympia competition weighing 205 pounds, it was my biggest ever.

2 Comments:

At November 24, 2010 at 10:54 AM , Blogger varungoku said...

Frank you look really bigger then 1979 mr olympia which is actually your best olympia ever. But this photo is insane .

 
At January 26, 2011 at 6:53 PM , Blogger yrrej said...

I've been doing everything you noted except the stretching between sets. I'll have to look into this. Up to this point, I'd assumed full-motion movements were adequate for stretching. From my running training, I realize the best time to stretch well is actually after running when the muscles are tired and less able to resist. We limited ourselves to light stretching only to avoid injury before running when the muscles were cold and the tendons weren't getting the benefit of higher blood flow. Funny thing, the latest athletic advice I've been seeing in some places is to forego stretching altogether.

 

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