By Michael Berg
Photos by Irv Gelb and Chris Lund
Welcome to the lair of bodybuilding behemoths, a laboratory that makes Dr. Frankenstein's seem friendly. Here, science gives way to pure brute force - monster vs. immovable object. Often, the monster wins, as flesh is molded, shaped, transformed into beastly proportions.
How can you harness these powers of transformation for yourself? Use the knowledge gained from these freaks of nature to conduct your own experiments. Who knows, you soon may find yourself right at home among these fearsome barbarians!
Experiment No. 1: Focus your thoughts for
mind-altering growth.
Don't be the "headless horseman" of triceps
development. Building and defining all three heads of your
triceps muscle to proportions like these bulging off the
arms of Paul Dillett isn't accomplished lackadaisically.
Note the steely gaze during his set of dumbbell
extensions; it's not about intimidation, it's about
intensity. The object is simply to move the greatest
amount of weight you can in a very short period. Your mind
controls your muscle - tell it what to do, and go after it
with all the determination of a hungry wolf stalking its
wounded prey. See it etched in Dillett's face - behind his
eyes burns the fire to morph muscle beyond mere mortal
boundaries. Where your mind goes, your body will follow.
Experiment No. 2: Forcefully push beyond your
outer limits.
Has your strength on the military press plateaued? If your
shoulder development is languishing, step it up in your
next training session. Put 10-20 more pounds on the bar
than usual, and with the help of a spotter, give
everything you can to move that weight. You may get one
rep, you may get five, but either way you've provided your
shoulders impetus to grow. Whatever you do, don't walk
away without at least getting a rep or two, even if
they're forced ones with the assistance of your spotter.
Experiment No. 3: Go primal for tremendous
traps.
No doubt about it, your traps can be damn obstinate when
it comes to prodding size out of them. If you want traps
that flare from your neck, go basic. Just ask Dorian
Yates, who didn't earn six Sandows while schlepping
through fancy machine exercises. Simply put, you won't
achieve pure, explosive growth without shrugs. Dumbbell
shrugs or barbell shrugs, it doesn't matter. Just be sure
to shrug straight up (try to touch your ears with your
delt caps) and release straight down. Never roll your
shoulders, as it's unproductive and invites injury.
And don't let your forearms dictate the amount of weight you can handle. On this exercise, straps are highly recommended. Travel to that dusty end of the dumbbell rack, grab the largest pair you can handle and go for it.
Experiment No. 4: Feed your bloodlust for more
plates.
You want King-Kong-size legs? Repping out on leg
extensions won't even get you close. Legs respond to
heavy, gut-wrenching sets of compound movements like leg
presses and squats. Just ask Kevin Levrone: He didn't
build his gargantuan gams with lazy isolation movements.
Instead, he has pounded them into submission, mercilessly
pressing piles of plates until his legs are left trembling
and quaking, sometimes for days afterward.
Experiment No. 5: Reach the peak - and hold it.
Raise your biceps from the dead with this ageless Weider
Principle. A peak contraction should be at the core of
each biceps repetition you perform.
If you want biceps that look like a subcutaneous explosion, such as case study Shawn Ray displays here, you need to put yourself through a torture test. Visualize and feel your muscle filling with nutrient-rich blood at the top of each contraction. Squeeze the muscle - hard - for a count of two before lowering the weight slowly through the eccentric (negative) portion of the rep. Then, do it again. And again . . .
TPS Duce Routine (Cutting Edge Training Method) The Pumping Station Exclusive
(c) Copyright 2000 The Pumping Station Weight Training
Fitness Equipment / Exercise / Bodybuilding / Gym Equipment / Flex Bodybuilding