Well, I did promise you all a part 3, and both of the techniques I am about to describe will shock your body for sure. However, you are going to have to wait until part 4 until I show you the real body shockers. All good things come to those who wait. Muahahahaaaa

And now for the body shockers.

Drop Sets

What is a drop set?

The formula

1. Start with (X amount) of weight

2. Perform as many reps as you can (Till failure)

3. Strip off some of the weight, then perform another set (Till failure)

4. Continue until your muscle dies… literally

‘Damn Shaun, that looks painful’

Well, that’s the whole point. It’s supposed to be painful… and it is!

I do have to warn you though, if you don’t have the mental or physical strength to perform the above, then this exercise WILL send you crying home to mommy. If you are up for the challenge, then make sure you find yourself a spotter before even trying to attempt this.

Here are some exercises which I have performed using drop sets.

• Bench Press
• Squats
• Leg Extensions
• Leg Curls
• Bicep Curls
• Tricep Extensions
• Dips

Forced Reps

This is basically the principal that I have been preaching to everyone who asks the question,

‘How can I build muscle faster’

We all know there is no quick magic solution and for the most part your routines will consist of a lot of trial and error. But if you use the following technique, a few months from now you will find yourself in the ‘awesome gains’ territory.

What you need

• A spotter
• Supreme dedication

How to force rep

Exercise for examples sake: bench press

• You can lift 100kg at 6 reps to failure
• Get your spotter ready and push that to 8-10 reps to failure.
• If you are able to manage that, then it’s time to increase the weight a little. Lets say 110kg
• You’ll probably manage to lift 6-8 reps at this weight (Still using your spotter)
• Now if you manage to keep this up, you may soon find that you are able to lift up to 125kg at 6 reps.

At this point you would have achieved the goal of the forced rep. Which is to increase your strength AND to be able to lift heavier weights quicker… WITHOUT a spotter. But more importantly you will no longer be asking the question,

‘How can I build muscle faster’

Because you will already be on your way to doing so.

See you in the comments.

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It’s been a while since I’ve done a bugs best of. The time where I rap up the most popular posts for the month. Well… like this classic song from Moloko I’m bringing it back, sing it back to me….

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z06gUeqUpeo

BUGS BEST OF: February 2010

Shock Body Exercise Variations

Shock Bodybuilding Preparation

The Most Important Bodybuilding Supplement… EVER!

The Only Exercise That Will Truly Test Your Strength

Why You Should Get Your Girl To Be A ‘Sexy’ Bodybuilder

15 Things Successful Bodybuilders And Successful Entrepreneurs Have In Common

Until next month… Bugs out!

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Back when I first started this site. The first thing that you would have read, is this,

” Part of why i like to share my experiences and knowledge is due to the fact that most of the information people read is just that….FACTS! The thing about facts is that they often neglect the things that affect us in our everyday lives…sometimes unavoidable things such as unexpected injuries, illnesses, stress from work, stress from girlfriends, boyfriends…the list goes on.”

This is the statement that will hold some truth in all of our lives at some point, but I have yet to talk about any of these in specific detail… until now. Yes, I have given you many tips regarding weightlifting routines, protein supplements, gym equipment to to use and other things. But I haven’t yet given you any stayfitbug.com pointers to overcome the hurdles which you will inevitably face regarding the things quoted in the above statement.

And i begin.

New relationships

We all know about that 3 month honeymoon period, and a great time it will be in any new relationship. However, after that time things may become a little stale and your relationship may face ups and downs with some challenges to face. All of which could stress you out. The key to maintaining a healthy relationship while maintaining muscle mass, is to keep things adventurous. The ‘adventure’ part of the activity will keep you fit. The ‘together ‘ part of it will keep your relationship alive.

My recommendation

Go mountain biking

The speed, sweat, and rhythm of the ride will function as foreplay to the day’s second workout.

You Face Injury

It is very easy to get into a negative mind set once you have faced a major injury. The initial thoughts you will have in your mind are pain and recovery. Once those thoughts take over, going back to your workout becomes an instant no go area.

My solution

Set a 6 month goal

Give yourself a goal to reach within 6 months, such as a mile swim that will take place in 6 months time. That way, when you do get injured, that goal will be a key reminder of why you need to recover, get back up and push ahead with your workout routine.

New Job

We all know what it’s like when starting a new job. That 10 week trial period is usually quite intense and will require complete focus, which means that you sacrifice most of the fun things in your life until you have settled in. That means you may have to sacrifice your workout time for a short period.

My solution

Identify the office athlete

By doing so, you can mimic their workout routine, see what works for them, then structure your own. The same routine but different. Then find ways to make it better

New Born Baby

Any new born baby in a family will require your utmost attention, and you shouldn’t sacrifice that. However, you will be doing yourself a favor if you manage to keep some sort of workout routine going, as you will need to be fighting fit once the real baby dramas kick in.

My solution

Cut your workout routine in half by doing shorter, more intense exercises. Or stick to supersets.

Moving house

I’ve done this a few times and I still say that this is one of the hardest and most stressful things a person can do. This will, without a doubt, put a strain on your weightlifting routine.

My Solution

Stay one step ahead. Checkout all of the running routes around the new area and sign up at one of the local gyms… before you move into your new place. Doing so will alert your subconcious mind, and your brain will stay in workout mode, regardless of your location.

You Take A Vacation

Going on holiday is actually a very good thing to do at least once or twice a year. This will allow you and your muscles to relax. You can stack up all of those meals you may have been missing back in the hustle/ bustle lifestyle, while cheating a little too . However, when you get back home from vacation, you will not want to jump right back into your workout. Besides, you won’t have that hunger since you’ve slowed yourself right down.

My Solution

Ease yourself back into it. Cut your number of sets and reduce the weight you lift by 20 percent for a week before blasting back into your routine.

These are the key dilemmas I have faced during my time of working out in the gym over the years, and overcoming the challenges mentioned above aren’t always easy. But if you use my solution for each as a first step, you’ll be well on your way to living a less-stress free life… while maintaining a fit and healthy one too.

See you in the comments.

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For those of you that have been following for a while, you will know that I have been training since I was a fresh out of school athlete. Those days only lasted until 17-18 years old, but since then, I have met and learnt many new things from some very interesting people. One of those people was a security guard that I use to work with part time as when I was a university student.

I don’t have any pictures of this guy, but he was a worst case scenario hardgainer. I’ll repeat… a worst case scenario hardgainer! Which means he was skinny as shit!

But you would never have thought it by looking at him when I met him. He was HUGE!

At first I thought,

Ah, he’s taken something to get that big.

But one lunch time he invited me to the gym he worked at and showed me just how he worked out.

What did I find?

Complete surprise and utter shock!

That is,

Complete surprise and utter ‘muscular’ shock

You see, the workout regime he introduced to me at this time was where I really picked up the mantra,

The only way to train, is to train insane.

Why?

Because this workout was BRUTAL! I could have swore blind that this guy was ex-army or something of the sort after being shown this way of working out. Also known as,

The 15 minute Workout

You see, I know that most of you won’t train insane in most of your workouts (Losers!)

I was like that once too. But for you serious types, you may want to start thinking about performing the 15 minute workout every so often.

It really is that intense!

It didn’t take long for me to realize why that security guard got as big as he did, starting off from a frame that was much smaller than mine. It was because he was training insane… literally! No drugs or no other funny business. Just pure HARD WORK!

So when you think you are training hard, stop and pull this workout routine out of the hat.

If you pull it off without fainting… good! That means you’ve been training quite well. However, if this workout knocks you for six, start thinking about stepping out of 2nd gear for a change and go full throttle on your own ass.

Enough talk from the Bugmeister.

The 15 minute workout (Consists of exercises that produce the quickest results)

Exercise Reps

Bench press         10
Chin-ups               10

One minute rest

Bench press          8
Chin-ups                8

One minute rest

Bench press           6
Chin-ups                 6

One minute rest

Shoulder press      12
Rows                         12

One minute rest

Shoulder press     10
Rows                        10

One minute rest

Shoulder press      8
Row                            8

Now get a move on, you only have 15 minutes to go.

P.S The few hours pump part of the title is for those of you who feel like showing off on a hot summers day, but don’t have the time for a full 45-60 minute workout. Go get pumped!

See you in the comments.

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I hope you are all enjoying the bank holiday weekend, where ever you happen to be located. This gives you plenty of time to rest OR workout. If you are going to spend time doing the later, then slip this chest workout routine into your programme.

The Target = Isolation and lower chest muscles

Decline Dumbbell Flyes

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 8-12
• (Increase the weight after each set)

Bent Arm Barbell Pullovers

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 8-12
• (Increase the weight after each set)
  

Machine Bench Press

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 8-12
• (Increase the weight after each set)

Just an intense variation to add to your workouts.

See you in the comments.

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted about any unique forearm exercises. Quite ironic really, seeing as that is one of the weaker parts of my body, in terms of size and mass. However, I did stop focusing on growing them with specific exercises, as I have come to realize that I find better results by focusing on compound exercises.

• Bench press
• Pull ups
• Chin ups
• Dips

Nevertheless, here is a routine that will make your forearms feel the burn.

Seat Barbell Wrist Curls (Palms facing upwards)
Sets: 3
Reps: 8-12

(Increase the weight after each set)

Wrist Curls Over A Bench (Palms facing down… Classic )
Sets: 3
Reps: 8-12

(Increase the weight after each set)

Reverse Cable Curls
Sets: 3
Reps: 8-12

(Increase the weight after each set)

FEEL THE BURN!!!

See you in the comments.

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Get Ugly!

• Focus
• Motivation
• Inspiration
• Sticking to the program

These are all the things that you would love to have huge stacks of when you workout. But as we all know, it never is that easy to tick all of those boxes every time you workout. There will always be that one day where you lose motivation, simply feel uninspired and will eventually be drained from that ‘training insane’ focus that you need to keep your muscles pumping. I’ve covered many techniques on how you can tick all of the above boxes, but one area I haven’t quite touched upon is how to build a great bodybuilding environment.

Building muscles by pushing weights is just the starting point to getting (and staying) ripped!

There are many other ‘life’ factors that set in which will determine if you stick to it, or quit it.

• Relationships
• Stress
• Workouts feel like a chore

And others

Again, going back to the purpose of why this site got started in the first place.

But in terms of your environment, what can you do to help you stay focused?

Stop Looking Cute And Get Ugly!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trd49Da0gf0

This kind of reminds me of how some great companies were built. Let’s take Google for example. We all know how big Google are these days, but most people only see the flashy ‘aftermath of success’ side of Google. The IPOs, The acquisitions and the rest. But what many seem to forget is that the real Google wasn’t built by men in suits. It was built by individuals, whose situations at the time were quite un-sexy. Think of geeky hackers, doing work into the late hours with left over pizza boxes everywhere.

Now, I don’t know what it is about that non sexy environment. But that just seems to be when the best work gets created. In fact, I’m lying. I do know!

When you are up against the wall and you have no other option but to perform. You will perform. It’s eat or die!

It never really does get that drastic, regardless of the situation. But when you have that mindset forced upon you,

Pressure will bust pipes or create diamonds!

Now, If you apply the above mentality to your workout, you can easily see how such a mindset can help push you to perform to your MAX in your workouts. It’s a case of telling yourself that you are not happy with your body (Even though you might be to some degree). It’s a case of developing an ‘ Always want to improve’ mindset.

Now, if you already have great looking muscles, you probably do want to have them on display. Not just for vanity reasons, but to see them working as you workout. However, I think that this mindset can make you lose focus.

Why?

The classic scenario

‘ Wow, my muscles look great! I’m happy with what I’ve achieved’

All is good, but then you secretly tell yourself,

‘Right, my hard work is done… time to take it easy’

FAIL!!!

I actually think this is the mindset that destroys any one that finds some success. They forget about the hard graft that it took to get them to where they are and they lose that focused mindset that got them to where they are in the first place.

It’s the

‘Hollywood Syndrome’!

A syndrome which destroys things that are truly great, leaving the true essence of it’s being in the dust.

And this is one of the reasons why you need to stop looking ‘cute’ in your workouts and start looking ‘ugly’

Wear Clothes That Hide Your Physique

This is definitely something you should do, especially if you are a hard gainer. The fact that you can’t see your muscles will drive you to push even harder when you workout. It’s all psychological, but completely beneficial and will help you keep that raw focused mentality.

Find A Gym With Like Minded Bodybuilders

If everyone that you workout with thinks and acts like you do, then it’s only going to rub off on you, which is exactly what you want in this scenario. Not only will they help you when you workout, they will also help to keep you grounded. Not just in the gym, but in your non-bodybuilding activities too (Less alcohol please!)

BTW -- I know that most of you drink alcohol ( I do too ). Surveys are a great tool.

To conclude

My intentions are to always make working out fun and engaging, so taking you away from the glitz and the glamour is NOT something that I intend to do. But when it comes to building for those results that you desperately want, hard work is just the default, and you can only keep that up by staying focused. Getting ugly and installing a gritty attitude towards your workout is just one effective way to do that.

On that note, I’ll leave you with Bubba once again.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trd49Da0gf0

See you in the comments.

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What’s a bodybuilding network?

Well, a short while back, I wrote a popular article called ’15 things Bodybuilders and Entrepreneurs Have in Common’… It turned out to be quite controversial (Wasn’t intended… maybe I’m one big controversy), but one thing I didn’t talk about was the importance of having a strong network. A network of people that you choose to associate with, who just happen to be just as good or even better than you are at what ever game you are trying to succeed in.

Why do you want to build a strong network?

Simple…

# 1 Because you are only as good as the company that you keep!

So if you decide to associate with fat lazy bastards in your spare time, then their habits will likely rub off on you and you too will become a fat lazy bastard. If your current friends ARE fat lazy bastards, then ditch them and find some real muscle heads to ‘knock heads’ with. Doing so will have a serious positive impact on your bodybuilding lifestyle and achievements.

Troubles finding serious people?

Then feel free to join my network over on Bodyspace.

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/Shaunus

At least one person there will inspire you, other than myself of course

# 2 We Naturally Compare With Others Close To Us

I’m not quite sure why this is, but us humans tend to have a habit of comparing ourselves with others, when in fact, we should only be comparing with ourselves. We are all individually unique in our own way.

Nevertheless, comparing is what we do. If you are going to compare yourself with anyone, then it might as well be against other great people. At least that way you can improve and develop the traits and mind set to be great throughout your body building life. Comparing yourself to crap will make you… well… crapper!

# 3 Find A Motivational Partner With Ease

Once you have a great network at your disposal, finding motivation and inspiration from others will be a breeze. No more searching around for someone to go to the gym with, or to seek sound advice from. Just jump on Google talk, Skype or what ever it is you use to communicate and shout! Its your trusted network. People will listen.

# 4 Rapid Learning

Mistakes will be made in almost anything that you pursue in this life. That includes bodybuilding too. Lack of knowledge is a key reason why you haven’t got the body that you wish you had. But the fact is, you can only learn so much by yourself. Your best bet is to learn from others. Learn how they,

• Avoided injury
• Overcame hurdles (Mental and Physical)
• Busted through plateaus
• Made the bodybuilding lifestyle work for them.

I mentioned earlier that we are all unique in our own special way, so the information you take away from your network should be used and incorporated into your own bodybuilding lifestyle plans. Only you can make something well work for you. No one else.

# 5 Be Introduced To Even More Powerful Peers

This is that whole 6 degrees of separation thing. It just takes ONE great connection in your network to be able to be introduced to the people that you would like to meet. And once you become connected with these folks, you too will be perceived as great by their peers. It’s a case of being guilty by association.

However, perception of greatness isn’t what’s important here. It’s all about the doors this can open up for you, inside and outside of bodybuilding. We are all human beings and we mostly do and want the same things.

• Good Health
• Good fun
• Build families
• Find happiness

Amongst that sea of needs and wants is a network (6 degrees of separation). A network where each and every person has the power to give someone one of the above, and the ability to receive one of the above too. There WILL be something that you can give to someone in that network. No doubt about that! But it’s all about what you can give. You have to give to receive. The more you give, the more you get back. That’s just the way the world works.

Once you do begin to receive, your lifestyle inside of bodybuilding will change for the better. But even more important than that is how your lifestyle will change outside of bodybuilding. None of us are bodybuilding robots. We don’t turn off our personal on-goings the moment we enter the bodybuilding zone. Life and bodybuilding merges as one, just like everything else, such as the relationships with colleagues you work with in your profession.

Once your bodybuilding life does merge with your personal life, you’ll find that good health, good fun, good family and happiness just happens. When it does, just remember who told you to go out there’ and build a strong network.

See you in the comments.

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I’m actually quite shocked at myself that I haven’t written a post about this sooner. After all, repairing muscles is a vital key in the muscle building process in this bodybuilding game.

NOW…

I’m not quite sure what each and every one of your lifestyles are like in regards to going to and from the gym, but it’s probably one of the following two scenarios

Scenario no.1

• Eat
• 2 hours digestion time
• Workout
• Shower
• Home and Relax

Or…

Scenario 2

• Eat
• 2 hours digestion time
• Workout
• Skip the shower then go home and do whatever

I prefer to do the later (unless I’m at a top notch gym). It’s not that I like to be stinky and nasty after I workout. It’s the fact that some gyms washing facilities are just that… stinky and nasty, even though it may not be visible to the human eye (who remembers gym etiquette?)

Any how, If you are like me, and your work sessions reflect that of the 2nd scenario, you now need to make it compulsary that you do what the title of this post says.

Relax your muscles with Radox herbal bath muscle soak after a workout!

Radox products have been around for years, and it was actually back in 1999 when I got introduced to this (From that same personal trainer/Athlete I spoke of in the Unique Bodyweight exercise Ebook!). Since then, I have been taking hot steamy bubble baths right after a workout, with this very product.

It’s always good to take a hot bath to relax your sore muscles after a workout, and a hot bath by it self will do just that. But like everything else you read on this site, it’s all about taking things one step further, and we do that by adding this liquid to the mix.

NOW…

I’m not a specialist in this area, I just know that what these scientist guys have produced works! When you lay in the bath, it does wonders for your skin (For your face go for King of Shaves products -- trust me! It cleared up all the tiny spots I had on my forehead) without leaving your skin feeling too soapy when it’s time to get out. It smells damn good and it contains sea minerals (Which you will definitely sense once you inhale). The thing that is ment to be doing all the magic is clary sage and sea minerals, both of which are known for their soothing properties.

Again, I’m not an expert in this area, but these folks have done well for the consumer. That is

You buy THIS, you get THIS… with no crap talk in between.

I don’t know what EXACTLY is doing all the magic, from

• The smells
• The minerals
• The Clary Sage

Or

• The soapy effect on the skin

I just know that if you workout and want to stop feeling like crap, hours after the workout is done, jump in a bath mixed with this stuff, because it works. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Stay tuned for tomorrows post where guide you through the perfect after workout bathing session.

See you in the comments.

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