In the Trenches Bodybuilding - Advice from Dallas, Dennis, Victor & Maxx
In the Trenches Bodybuilding
Insider Advice from Dallas, Dennis, Victor & Maxx
Bodybuilding Pep Talk: Suck It Up
Here’s something I’ve wanted to discuss, but I haven’t really known how to address it without stepping on some toes or hurting some feelings. So, everyone, please remain calm and no one get butthurt. Also, this is not meant to discourage you guys in any way from asking any and all questions you may have, as I don’t know your individual situation and can’t speak directly for each of you.
A lot of itty-bitty, detailed questions are asked and that’s fine, but let’s keep in mind a few things that are always going to be most important. I’m going to lay out three key things that I think, honestly, overrule everything you do in this sport— and if taken seriously, will eventually lead to inevitable success (within genetic limitations, obviously).
1. Intensity
Bust your fucking ass! We’ve got guys worried about the type of shoes, fish oils, exact intra workout mixes, rest period times, exact ratios of protein to fat to carbs, how many grams of BCAAs and glutamine to take, yet they train like Bikini girls! So let’s all step back from the drawing board and nut up to the grinding stone. Keep in mind that none of this nitpicky, itty-bitty bullshit will replace you getting in that gym and busting your ass to the point of fainting and/or vomiting every damn day! Fuck overtraining, fuck all this modernized bullshit— just get in there and BUST YOUR ASS! Same with the diet. You’ve got to suck it the hell up and eat your meals on time, as you should. None of this I was too busy, or tired, or whatever. If you want it, get to it!
2. Consistency
Once you actually learn what true intensity is, which few actually understand, you do that shit, day in and day out. Learn to live for those meals, learn to miss that nauseated, dizzy feeling in the gym. You’ve got to crave that shit, because that ultimately is what’s going to get you to where you want to be! If you love the results, you’ll learn to love the process.
3. Intensity
Oh, I already mentioned that? Well that’s because it’s that damn important! Heavy weight won’t hurt you, if it’s done properly and with strict form! Yeah, it hurts … yeah, you can’t breathe … you wanna lie down and quit? Do another set, now! There’s nothing wrong with being intense to the point of being a little crazy or even angry. I used to have a football coach who said, “Intensity is the key to success. You gotta give it all you got, and then give that again if you want to be great! Do you not think the next guy is giving what he thinks is all he’s got? You’ve got to know you’ve got more to give than him!”
Not really a rant, guys, just a pep talk. Let’s all remember, none of this nickel-and-dime, minute-detail stuff we discuss will ever take the place of consistent, hard work!
DENNIS WOLF
Turning Calves Into Cows
Dennis, my calves have never responded as well as I would like them to, and I know you have also struggled with yours. I’m wondering, actually hoping, that you have found some techniques that have led to new growth in them.
We have something in common, because my calves still don’t grow like I wish they would! It’s tough, because I have asked a lot of guys with big calves what they do for them and you know what some of them admit? They have never trained them! But you can’t cry about it. That gets you nowhere. I will tell you what has worked for me, but keep in mind that it may not be the best way for you. I tried training calves with high reps, low reps, once a week, three times a week, every day … you name it. What finally worked best for me was to choose just two exercises, and do those twice a week. This is my calf routine:
Seated Calf Raises 3 x 15
Standing Calf Raises 2-3 x 15
You have to make sure you get a full range of motion, and don’t do the reps too fast. Come up slow and squeeze the calves for a second, and then lower them slowly until you feel them stretch. I wish I had some magic routine or trick for you. I tell you what— if you find one, please let me know because I would appreciate it very much!
Cheat Meals Help With Gains
How many cheat meals do you have a year, and what do they consist of?
A year? Maybe you meant every week? I can tell you that in the off-season, I have a “cheat meal” every day. It could be a few slices of pizza, some cake or a bowl of ice cream. I tried to eat clean, but because my metabolism is so fast, I couldn’t make any gains that way. Don’t go imitating my example, though, because most guys would get fat eating the way I do. When I am dieting for a contest, I have a cheat meal every six days. I find that I feel better, and look a lot fuller the next day.
Pre-Exhaust a Lagging Chest?
Do you think that pre-exhausting is a good idea to bring up a lagging chest? I’ve heard some people say it’s great, because you don’t have to go as heavy on your presses if you do flyes and pec deck first— and you feel the presses more in your pecs instead of your shoulders and triceps. Others say the fact that you can’t use as much weight on your presses makes pre-exhausting a bad idea. Which side do you agree with?
I think it can be a good idea, but you really shouldn’t rely on it all the time. You should make more of an effort to figure out exactly what you need to do to get your pecs to do the work, even if you start with presses. I had a similar problem, because my shoulders always wanted to take over. You need to play around with different body positions, like rolling your shoulders back and down, and pinching your shoulder blades together. You’ll be better off in the long run, using heavier weights on your pressing movements for chest.
Some will say a muscle doesn’t know how much it’s lifting, and that you can make a lighter weight feel heavy— but that’s only something you should consider if you’re injured and really have to go lighter. Otherwise, work harder on feeling your chest. Don’t be afraid to use lighter weights to learn that, and also don’t be afraid to try machines like the Smith or Hammer Strength. They can definitely be effective if you have a good mind-muscle connection and work hard with decent weights.
VICTOR MARTINEZ
Make the Best Gains When You’re Young
You recommended a training schedule for a 19-year-old that’s two days on and one day off, with mostly basic, compound exercises. I’m 20 years old and really want to see how that goes, because it makes sense— hit the big muscles hard, and the little ones will take care of themselves. Is one day off enough rest?
At that age, you should be able to recover pretty well, so two days on and then one day to rest should be about right. But play it by ear. As long as you’re continuing to get stronger and put on size, you know you are recovering. If you find that you’re not gaining and you’re starting to feel tired a lot of the time, that’s a sign that you probably need to throw an extra rest day in there somewhere. You could do two on and one off, then two on and two off, or any combination that works for you. It’s just that you’re only a beginner once, and you’re only young once. You should take advantage of those facts and make the best gains you can, before you start getting older and you can’t recover so easily anymore.
Stop Drinking Shakes Before a Contest?
There seems to be a debate going on about whether a bodybuilder dieting for a competition needs to cut out shakes at some point, like eight to 12 weeks out. What do you think? At what point do you ever stop drinking shakes, and why?
I think cutting out shakes so far from a show is ridiculous. The argument is that shakes keep you from getting lean. That doesn’t make sense to me. It’s protein, and your body is using it easily and more efficiently than solid food, so how would that keep you from dropping fat? In my case, I find that I actually drop weight faster when I include a couple of shakes every day. Usually, I cut shakes out around two or three weeks out, but that’s because solid food helps me stay thicker and fuller. But I also know there are guys who still drink shakes all the way up to the contest. Really, you have to try it yourself and see how they affect you. Some guys honestly feel like they have to stop having shakes a couple of months away, and maybe for them that’s the best way to go.
Simple Rules for Big, Round Delts
What’s up, Victor? I was just wondering if you had a solid shoulder routine or workout you love to blast your middle delts with. I have a hard time getting my middle delts to grow, and getting that cannonball shape you have.
My delt routine is:
Dumbbell Side Laterals 4 x 10-12 reps
Barbell Press 4 x 10-12 reps
Rear Delt Machine 4 x 10-12 reps
Upright Rows 4 x 10-12 reps
If that routine looks familiar, it’s because it’s probably close to what every other guy with great shoulders does. Nothing works like hard work with good form, on the handful of basic free-weight exercises. You can try and get all fancy, and maybe for some advanced guys that’s fine, but anyone trying to get those big, round delts needs to keep it simple and to the point.
My First Contest: There Was No Stopping Me
Hey Vic, how long after starting training did you do your first competition?
It was exactly one year. I had just started training at Elmo’s Gym, and I saw a guy walk in with a trophy. I asked him where he got it, and he told me the gym held its own in-house contest every year. That was the first I’d heard of it, but right then I said, I’m getting that trophy next year! I entered the teenage division and I won it. Looking back, I was so clueless. My diet had a lot of simple sugars in it, and nowhere near enough protein. But I was 18 years old and the bug had bit me in the ass. From that point on, there was no stopping me.
MAXX CHARLES
Training Advice for Beginners
When you first started going to the gym, how did you know what to do?
I asked as many questions of the older, bigger guys that I could. Some had bad attitudes and didn’t want to help me, and others would give me advice that conflicted with what others were telling me. It was tough to sort out the right information from the wrong.
Kevin Levrone Was the Greatest
Who inspired you the most when you first started looking at bodybuilding magazines?
I liked Shawn Ray— he looked so polished and professional in the way he presented his physique. Flex Wheeler also had a very pretty look, like a sculpture. But my favorite pro, the one I really wanted to look like, was Kevin Levrone. To me, he was the greatest.
When Full Range of Motion Doesn’t Cut It
Maxx, first let me say that I think you are one of the most impressive new pros in the sport, and I am a fan of your physique. I just have to ask, what’s up with your form? I watched a video of you training chest, and you don’t even seem to do half-reps. Why don’t you go all the way up and down? Your chest is huge, so I guess it works, but maybe your chest would be even better if you tried using a full range of motion.
I have tried using a full range of motion in the past, yet my chest was not responding and growing. I realized that when I locked out, I was losing tension in my chest. As I experimented, I found that as soon as my biceps were higher than my chest in any pressing movement, the stress shifted from my chest to my shoulders and arms. I found that if I just worked in the mid-range of the rep, I was able to keep the tension on my chest as well as use much heavier weight. The combination of those two things led to my chest getting much thicker and fuller.
I never say that the way I train is the best way, or that it would work for everyone. It works for me. If the standard way of training, using a full range of motion, isn’t doing much for you, you should at least try my way for a little while, just to see what happens. You have nothing to lose!
Maxx’s Arm Workout
Biceps
Standing Cable Curls (facing stack) 1 warm-up x 30, 4 x 20-30
Standing Cable Curls (away from stack) 3 x 20, 1 x 40-50
Close-Grip Lat Pulldowns 3 x 16-30
Rope or dumbbell hammer curl 2 x 16-20
One-Arm Dumbbell Curls on Preacher Bench 2 x 20, each arm
Alternate Dumbbell Curls 2 x 20-30
Curl Machine (elbows above shoulder level) 1-2 x 20-30
Curl Machine (elbows just below shoulder level) 1-2 x 20-30
Dumbbell Concentration Curls 1 x 20-30
Triceps
Wide-Grip Cable Pushdowns (using lat bar) 5 rest-pause sets,
total 25-30 reps each
Rope Pushdowns 7 rest-pause sets
total 25-30 reps each
Lying Cable Skull-Crushers+ 3 rest-pause sets
Dip Machine 2 rest-pause sets
Cable Kickbacks* 1 x 40-50 reps, each arm
*These are done alternating arms until rep total is reached.
+Maxx prefers to do these lying on a seated cable row with his head facing the stack.