Gaining 10 pounds in 30 days is a toughie, tough but not impossible. For a hardgainer, 10 pounds is something they can only fantasize about – well wake up because your fantasy is about to become reality. Before you go giddy with excitement realize the truth, this will be hard and you’ll have to ensure … Read more
Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or more advanced lifter, there are some rules which are universal. Today, I would like to address the importance of breaking plateaus in your training. When we begin training initially, we somehow seem to accrue large amounts of size rapidly. The reason being is our seemingly frail bodies are … Read more
MuscleToughness responds to five fitness questions that should be of interest to anyone interested in improving the effectiveness of his or her fitness program whether for sports or simply for greater physical ability. Weight & Fat Loss As the New Year starts I’m beginning a new exercise program to lose weight. I’ve been training on … Read more
Okay before you all start sending me hate mail, no I haven’t totally gone crazy! For those of you who have a total disdain for the “volume” trainees that we share our gym time with, there is a version of High Intensity Training that incorporates high volume training into the mix. Commonly referred to as … Read more
Ok, so you haven’t made any muscle gains worth mentioning for the past few months. That’s probably a sign that you need to jump-start your muscle growth, both physically and mentally. It’s easy to get stuck in a comfortable routine – you know what’s coming up, and you know that you can handle it. Why … Read more
Even in the offseason, a true bodybuilder has to watch what they eat, or what would otherwise be a powerful, strong physique becomes fat and mush. Some bodybuilders don’t worry about it, the ectomorphs like Dexter Jackson and Flex Wheeler burn so many calories at rest that it’s difficult for them to stay in an … Read more
This is still very much the question these days. It’s one thing to stay away from illegal muscle-enhancing substances and all that they bring with them, but in my eyes that doesn’t make you any more natural. As long as you treat your body as something you can fill up with spare parts, like an … Read more
For all of those whose gains have either slowed down or stopped, I know how frustrating this can be. You feel like you want to quit, don’t know what you’re doing wrong, and often get suckered into some new routine based on little info or bought some useless supplement from a no-name company expecting to … Read more
Not a week goes by without numerous emails from fellow weightlifters seeking answers to questions and affirmations about those little annoying aches and pains that require us to make program modifications in our quest to redefine the aging process. In the gym, we bond together giving each other the knowing nod, as we share literal … Read more
Introducing The Negatives Mechanical loading of your muscles is one of the key principles on which your training should be based. For a long time, however, muscle fatigue has been relied upon as a gauge for the effectiveness of one’s training. According to tradition, one must work the muscles to momentary muscular failure so as … Read more