Between my blog, gmail account, Weider email, and Twitter, I get a ton of questions every single day. Many of you are interested in getting new workouts that are effective. Well, for those of you looking for a new kick-ass workout, I highly recommend you pick up the November 2009 issue of Muscle & Fitness Magazine (it happens to hit newsstands today). Turn to page 98 and read my latest workout Training for Mr. T.  This workout I designed to help you boost your natural testosterone levels. Since testosterone is a critical anabolic hormone that boosts muscle size and keeps you lean, you should consider training to optimize your testosterone levels. It's like taking a supplement that actually boosts your test for free! Things to remember when it comes to training to boost your own testosterone levels: 1) train multiple muscle groups together; 2) be sure to include ample multijoint exercises; 3) higher volume works - go with a few more sets than normal. To read more about these tips read the article in M&F.

Another way to find great information is to read the QnA's of my blog every week. You're bound to find a question that is very similar to yours. And more importantly the answer to your question. Also check back on previous blogs to review the QnA's there. And now for  those very QnA's:

Q: Hello, let me preface this e-mail with this! I Am an avid reader of all your articles, follow you on twitter and love your videos On M&F Raw. They are so informational and I really enjoy reading them. Now you probably get dozens of e-mails daily with questions and I don't know if you will answer this one but I figured it was worth a shot! I am trying this program Called Insanity from Beachbody, it is a Interval Based program, but The work to rest ratio is this. 3-5 Minutes of all out work combining Aerobic intervals with anaerobic intervals, Where you work at 80-90% of your max And then get a 30 second break. I would say it is quite effective, now my question is this, I follow a lower carb diet, not low carb lower. Where I have some oats For breakfast and after my workout the rest of the day it is 2 servings of fruit and unlimted green veggies with healthy fats being the staple. I wanted to know if I should switch this, I feel sometimes my legs are just not there with the the rest of me and are being dead leg. In case you want to know more about the workout, here is a more detailed description so if you decide to answer this you can really assess where I am coming from!

Workout length anywhere from 45-60 Minutes of work. There is a stretch period of about 5 minutes. But for the most part it is non stop for that entire duration.

The drills involve alot of plyometric jumps, push ups, and lower body work so much so my legs are pretty shot, but I have gained an inch on my quads from this. Alot of plank work as well. There is full body Resistance moves, going from jump squats to push ups and all sorts of different variations.

3-5 Minutes of work usually followed by

30 seconds of rest

Repeat that sequence for the Entire duration of the workout, so bascially HIIT But turned up even to a higher level.

The program Is laid out like this

3 Days of This type of cardio Training

Recovery Day Where you do Ab and lower body work with Push ups and lots of plank work

2 More Days of the cardio training

On 2 of the 3 days I also do the Ab/plank workout that came with the discs 30 Minutes of Work.

My Stats are

160 LBS

8-9% BF%

20 Years old

5"10

Thank you!

Loyal M&F Reader and Lover of all your articles.

Dayerrick Ireland

A: Hi Dayerrick - That sounds like a solid plan, especially if you are seeing results. As far as your legs being a bit dead - that could just be due to all the plyometrics. These exercises use your fast-twitch muscle fiberes. While these muscle fibers are very fast, powerful and strong, they also fatigue quickly. So it is likely due to the program fatiguing your leg muscles. Getting in extra carbs may help this, but if you are trying to drop more body fat, you will want to keep your carbs lower. Two supplements that will help your leg muscles during this workout are creatine and beta-alanine. Take 3-5 g of creatine and about 2 g of beta-alanine within 30 minutes before the workout and within 30 minutes after.

Q: Hi Jim and thanks a lot for answering all of my questions! It really
help me. I take your advices to heart. Once again just wanted to say
that your vids and articles are very enlighting and useful and provide
a source of solid information to all that are interested.

Thanks again and I can't wait to try the new chest workout you
demonstrated on raw! number 31 it's good for someone like me who trains
at home...

A: Hi Assaf - It really means a lot to know how useful my articles and M&F Raw! videos are for you. I know you'll love the Dumbbell Chest Blast workout. Let me know how it works out for you!

Q: Hi Jim, first of all I would like to thank you for all your valuable
training and nutrition advice which has helped me alot over the past
couple of months. My friend is having a hard time understanding why he
should change his exercises or split every once in a while. He believes
that if he increases the weight that his routine will be good for
years, he does not change exercises it is the same thing every workout.
Since your opinion is a very well respected one within the bodybuilding
community please give me your input on why he should change his routine
more often.

Thank you and hope you get back to me soon.

Jason

A: Hi Jason - Both you and your friend are correct. But let me explain. Many athletes train the way your friend does. They focus just on multijoint exercises and exercises that work specific muscles needed for their sport. They mainly just change up their weight and reps. So his training philosophy is great if he's an athlete interested mainly in performance. But if your goal is building muscle mass, then you need to change more than just your weight and rep ranges. You need to change exercises frequently. That's because each muscle is composed of hundreds of thousands of muscle fibers. If you stick with the same exercises all the time, you are not stimulating the majority of your muscle fibers to grow. This can hold back your muscle growth. You also should consider changing up your training split so that the same muscle groups aren't being trained together. For example, if you always train shoulders after chest, then your shoulders may suffer, because they will be fatigued after training chest. This would prevent you from being able to train with as much weight and intensity as you could if you trained your shoulders first. So it's always a good idea to shift around your training split.

Q: Hello Jim,

I have a simple question about frequency of training and rest.  I am
currently on this split............
Monday --chest
Tuesday --Back w/ traps
Wednesday-- Legs
Thursday--Shoulders
Friday--Arms

Satruday & Sunday OFF
Cardio Tuesday & Thursday morning

I have had people tell me that I should not lift 5 consecutive days,
but this fits my shedule best I am a full time student and work full
time.  I also have made some gains since I started this split my bench
is up some my sleeves are a LITTLE tighter.  So my question is, should
I change to fewer days and combine some muscle groups? Or stick with
this?  Or keep the 5 days a week and change the order?  What do you
recommend?

P.S. I watched you M&F Raw video on seated barbell curls.  IT WAS
AMAZING HOW MUCH THIS HELPED ME. THANK YOU

A: Hey Kevin - I am so glad to hear that the M&F Raw! Seated Barbell Curl video has helped your arm growth. But of course, I am not surprised, as it works great. There is absolutely nothing wrong with training five days in a row, especially if it works with your schedule and it's been working for you.

Q: hey doc..i have a question about my pre workout shake timing..i have a
whey shake with 5g creatine,5g bcaas and some furit for my carbs (apples
if iam lifting heavy or a orange or a banana now and then) 30 mins
before i train..i was thinking about investing in a n.o. booster like
the new dymatize xtreme pump and was wondering what would be the best
time to fit that before i start?thanks

A: Hi Robbin - Dymatize Xtreme Pump is a great NO-boosting supplement. I would suggest taking it about 1 hour before your workout. Follow that with your preworkout shake and fruit no sooner than 30 minutes after you take the NO booster, so the protein won't interfere with the absorption of the NO-booster ingredients.

Q: Mr. Jim
I have a question about exercise, my question is which triceps head (
lateral, medial and long head) could target by doing Dumbbell incline
extension and One arm dumbbell overhead extension? For biceps which
biceps head (Long, Short and medial) could target  by doing seated
dumbbell curl?  Would you please define.

Thanks Doc Jim Stoppani

A: Hi Gervey - The answer to your questions are ALL long head! Both the dumbbell incline
extension and one arm dumbbell overhead extension place the majority of the focus on the triceps long head. And the seated dumbbell curl, if done with the bench on an incline also hits the biceps long head. However, if you mean seated dumbbell curls where you just sit upright on the end of a flat bench, then the majority of the focus would be on the biceps short short head.

Q: Hello Jim,
Ive been weight lifting for almost 2 years.The routines havent really
been consistant,and i just need a good workout,diet and supplements for
me.Im 15 at 145 lbs 5 ft 8 inches.Im trying to develope i diet plan but
school is some times in the way.Alot of people tell me i dont need to
worry because i have a high metabolism,but i just dont want my habits
of eating it to catch up to me.Keep up the awesome videos on M&F RAW
,Thanks for reading- my trap workout (smith shrugs)

A: Hey Cody - I will definitely keep up the M&F Raw! videos. If you send me your detailed diet, giving me a sample typical day that includes the amounts of foods you eat and the times you eat them, I'd be happy to write you a new diet in my column, Diet 911, in Muscle &Fitness Magazine. Pick up the November issue, on newsstands now, to see how other readers have structured their sample diet.

Q: Hi Dr. Jim,
   I'm 25 and am currently an accountant, but I'm thinking it's time
for a career change.  I've always thought about getting certified to be
a personal trainer.  I love working out and am always trying to help
others with it as well.  Do you have any advice as to where I should
start?  Which certifications are held most high in regard?  I have a
business degree, so running my own gym has always been a dream of mine.
 I love the RAW videos and blog, they have really helped and inspire
me, especially when my workouts start to get bland.  Thank you.

Hi: Robert - One of the best personal certifications you can get is the NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association) personal trainer certification (NSCA-CPT). I highly recommend you consider getting certified through the NSCA. I put the link here for you to check it out - http://www.nsca-cc.org/nsca-cpt/about.html

Q: Hey Jim,

The M&F Raw series is awesome and i usually go with the advice and
excercises you do. I was wondering if you could post or email me some
bodyweight workouts that could help put on some good muscle. Also I
would like to know more about those strengthbands.

Thanks Andrew

A: Hi Andrew - Glad you find the M&F Raw! series "awesome", that really means a lot to hear. Thank you! I assume you have seen the no equipment chest workout I did in M&F Raw! #12 - Equipment-Free Chest Workout. I have also promised in a previous blog that I will shoot an equipment free-leg workout when I head to Vegas for the Olympia next week. For body weight exercises you should try Tabata intervals. The short rest periods will make the limited weight of your body feel like a lot. For example, to do this with body weight squats -  do as many squats as you can for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds and then squat again for 20 seconds and rest again for 10 seconds. Do this a total of 8 times. You can also do this with push-ups or any other body weight exercise. If equipment is an issue for you, I highly recommend getting a set of the M&F Strength Bands. To purchase them, go to www.strengthbands.com.

Q: Hi Dr. Stoppani,

I have been a avid M&F reader for years. I watched all your raw video's
and have been following your tips. I am currently over weight. I have
diabetes type 2. I would like to build muscle as well as lose weight. I
read some where if you wanna burn fat don't eat until after a 1hr and
half after your work out. I also saw one of your raw videos that if you
want to build muscle you should eat something with dextrose (gummy
bears) or a quick digesting carb like  a bagel and have a 20-40 grams
of whey plus BCAA's  within 30 min of finishing. What should my post
work out meal plan be to maximize weight loss and build muscle as a
diabetic? I eat an apple and  1/2 cup plain quick oats,24 g
whey,creatine CE3, and BCAA's  an  1hr before weight training. Can you
please help me?
I weight train in the evening  Monday,Wednesday,Friday followed by 30
min of cardio right after. On Tuesday,Thursday,Saturday I do cardio on
a treadmill first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.


Thanks

Tony

A: Hi Tony -  You do not need to avoid food for 1.5 hours after you workout to burn fat. When you consume protein and carbs immediately after you workout it will not interfere with fat burning. However, keeping carbs low in general does help you burn more fat. Since fat loss is a major concern for you I would suggest you stick with what you are doing before workouts, but nix the apple. This will help you burn even more fat during the workout. Then within 30 minutes after the workout, go with the same shake as you take preworkout, but double up the whey protein, and add the apple there. On the days you just do cardio take your standard preworkout shake and apple and consume it immediately after the cardio.

Q: Hi Jim, I hope that you are doing well.  Thanks for all of your awesome
tips and advice...and, I really like the new M&F Trainer.

I was wondering if you had any tips for getting rid of that last inch
around the belly?  All of my training has paid off and people are
noticing that I have put on a good amount of muscle...and, I have
dropped extra pounds for sure...but, I am not as lean as I would like.
I would love a six pack...but, I don't know how to get there since all
the HIIT cardio I am doing and weight lifting have left me with just a
little bit more to lose...any tips?  Thanks so much!!

A: Hey Ethan - I am glad to hear you are liking the M&F Trainer.  That last inch is t he toughest. The only way to get rid of it is the boost your calorie deficit even more. That is, burn even more calories than you consume. So to consume even fewer calories, consider dropping some extra carbs from your diet, such as at your preworkout meal and/or lunch. To burn more calories, consider turning up your HIIT by going for a few more intervals each time.

Q: jim,

i've been working out about one year. i used to weigh about 240 and now
i'm at 190
i've been trying to work on muscle tone but don't quit see it. i still
look slopy. How many reps and sets should i be doin for each body part
to burn the fat and gain muscle

A: Hey James - To burn fat and build muscle you should be starting with heavy sets for lower reps and finishing with light weight and high reps. The heavy weight sets will boost your metabolism after the workout, so you burn more calories while recovering and the high reps will burn more calories during the workout. For example, for chest you can start with 3 sets of bench presses for 6-8 reps, then 3 sets of incline dumbbell presses for another 3 sets of 6-8 reps. Next do 3 sets of dumbbell flyes for 15-20 reps and finish with 3 sets of cable crossovers for 15-20 reps. One other important thing for burning the most body fat is to drop your rest time between sets to 30 seconds.

Q: Dear Jim,

I would like to start off by thanking you for all of the great articles, tips, and information you have provided through the muscle & fitness website and magazine. I recently bought your book Encyclopedia of muscle & strength and find it extremely useful. Your articles and videos are the sole reason I visit the website and buy the magazine.

My questions refer mostly to nutrition. I have been weight training for about 2 months, most of the time with no supplementation except a pre and post workout whey shake. About 3 weeks ago I started a small supp. regimine and was wondering if this would be a good stack to start off with? My ultimate goal is to obviously lose body fat and gain muscle mass. I take 2g of CLA 3x a day, a multi-vitamin, 600mg fish oil 3x a day, 500mg green tea extract 3x a day and GNC APMlified creatine(creatine HCI, 2 tablets=1.25g) Plus my pre workout whey shake (20g) and my post workout whey/casein shake(40g)

I know I should be getting more fish oil but I cant find a supp. that privides enough in one capsule. I would have to take 12 capsules a day with the supp. I have now. I was also wondering if I would be able to take another dose of the creatine even though it says take one a day, or should I change to the con-cret creatine supplement I have been hearing such good things about?

Thanks again for all of your help!

Jonathan

A: Hey Jonathon - Wow! That's quite an honor to hear that the sole reason you visit the website and buy the magazine is due to my articles and videos. Thank you for your support! I will try to do my best to keep bringing you the best info you can get for training and nutrition on the web and in print. Your supplement regimen looks great! You have definitely been paying attention. I am not sure if you have a Vitamin Shoppe near you, but their brand of fish-oil (meg-3) supplies 1000 mg of fish oil per capsule. I believe you can also buy it online. The GNC creatine is good stuff. But yes, take it with your pre and your postworkout shake for optimal results. You may also want to consider taking  beta-alanine (2-3 g) with your pre and postworkout shake, as research shows it helps to increase muscle size and fat loss.

Q: Hey Dr. Stoppani,

Just wanted to say thank you for the hard work & dedication you put into this blog & the Raw videos. They're really great to watch! Thanks!

Just wanted to ask you two questions, if I may. First, I was in my Anatomy class this morning & we had a guest speaker come in to give a presentation. He mentioned that he trains at one of the Olympic training centers in Colorado during each summer. He came to give a presentation on training muscles & such. He strongly preached that we "should never do split training. Only full body workouts. Full body workouts will give you the most bang for your buck." He also mentioned that we shouldn't do isolation exercises such as bicep curls or tricep extensions, etc, because these muscles would get enough training from multi-joint exercises such as cleans, bench press, etc. I guess I can see some logic in it, but I'm not sure if it applies to me. I'm personally interested in bodybuilding. I want to be big like Arnold & the guys from bodybuilding's golden age. I have taken a split training approach for as long as I can remember. While I still add variety, I do designate days for certain body parts. Is there any truth to what this guest speaker had to say? Or is he just a little full of it?

Second, I was wondering if training a body part (chest for example) twice a week would help me see growth faster. I usually split my training into five days (chest, arms, back, shoulders, legs) & take weekends off. Like I mentioned, I'm on a quest for size. Would there be a benefit to working a body part twice a week?

Thanks so much for your time & wisdom!

Jordan

A: Hey Jordan - You are welcome! I put in all the hard work and dedication for guys such as yourself to get the truth about training and nutrition. One thing I NEVER say is NEVER. So the fact that this guest speak said NEVER about split training and NEVER about isolation exercises, tells me he has a chip on his shoulder about bodybuilding training. Let me ask you this - did this guy have the muscle mass and definition you wish to achieve? My guess is no. Stick with the split training and including isolation exercises in your routine. The fact is these work, as have been proven for decades. If you want to look like a bodybuilder, you need to train like one. If you want to be an Olympic lifter than train like one. But to say NEVER to train a certain way is NEVER  the correct answer. : )  As far as training chest twice a week - yes, it can work. Give it a try and I bet you will see some decent progress. Let me know how it goes.

Q: Hey Doc,
About two months ago I started working out again after taking about a
year and a half off. I find that for mental health reasons I like to
lift every day, usually in the morning (by the evening I'm itching to
work out again but usually don't) My question is what would be a good
split for me? I had been cycling through 1. Legs/Back, 2. Back/Biceps,
3. Chest/Shoulders, 4. Chest/Back, 5. Shoulders/Arms. This worked to
build some strength up but now that I am looking to really up the
intensity I don't think I should be doing the same body parts 2 days in
a row. I've never had a problem with recovery even when taking multiple
sets to failure (which I attribute to massive amounts of protein and
youth). I'm 20 years old about 6'2'' and 150lbs (for now). I guess I'm
just looking for advice for someone who really WANTS to work out at
LEAST once a day 6-7 days a week since most of what I find is marketed
towards people looking to work out less than that.

Thank you so much for all your help especially all the great nutrition
information,
Peter

A: Hi Peter - I also train 6-7 days per week. But yes, I would suggest you do not train the same body part two days in a row. You best bet is to give each body part a day or two of rest between workouts. Gibe this split a try and let me know how it works.

Day 1) Chest/Back; Day 2) Legs/Shoulders; Day 3) Chest/Tris; Day 4) Back/Bis; Day 5)Shoulders/Legs; Day 6) Tris/Bis

Q: Hey jim.
Its saturday, so i hope i got this in on time and dont have to wait a
week. ;). I read the ab article posted on the page about getting a
great sixpack. I was wondering if you had any workouts that could help
progress my abs.
oh. I forgot to ask you a vital question ive been forgetting for the
past couple weeks. Im left handed, and ive noticed that my left bicep
is alot bigger then my right bicep. Do you know the best way to fix
this?

Thanks,
will

A: Hi Will: You made it just in time! Check out M&F Raw! #28: Banded Abs for a great ab workout that hits all three areas of the abs. As far as your left biceps being larger than your right - one thing to do is to start doing more single-arm biceps work, such as concentration curls, dumbbell preacher curls, one-arm high cable curls, etc...start with your right arm and only perform as many reps with your left arm as your right arm can perform. This will help to allow your right arm to catch up with the left arm.

Q: Jim,

Below are the supplement recommendations I've discovered through online
research and have been using to gain size, mass and muscle:

1. Multi-vitamins - x2 per day
2. Whey Protein - x3 per day on workout days, once per day on non
workout days
3. Cassein Protein - once per day (before bed)
4. BCAAs - x4 per day on workout days, x2 on non workout days
5. Creatine - x4 per day on workout days, x2 on non workout days

My questions:
1. I noticed in your RAW videos that you reference protein and BCAA but
not creatine. Do you recommend creatine supplements?
2. With regards to cassein protein, do you recommend pure cassein
powder or a product like Muscle Milk.

A: Hey David - The only reason that I haven't referenced creatine is that I haven't done a creatine video yet. But I definitely will now that you bring up the question.  I LOVE creatine. It is definitely one of the most effective supplements you can buy for putting on size and strength. So definitely add creatime to your supplement regimen. Take 2-5 g with your pre and postworkout shake. For casein protein, before bed I usually recommend something that contains micellar casein. This is the slowest form of casein you can get your hands on. However, MusclMilk is not a bad option either. So if that's most convenient for you, stick with the muscleMilk.