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FRANK ZANE'SBUILDING THE BODY
Winter 1998 Newsletter
eWinter is a season with maintenance as its theme. By maintenance I mean training just enough to avoid not making progress. It does not imply staying the same, for nothing, even your body ever remains the same. Your physique is either progressing or regressing in development. Maintenance is about avoiding regression. Since I train hard and reach my year's goal in the Autumn, I gradually step down my training during Winter. This give me time to devote more attention to other things like my body's weak points. Hence there is time for specialization. There's also time for doing things you didn't have time to do when you were spending time training hard and were too tired to expend much energy outside the gym. This issue is about where to focus in your training during the Winter. Get over the illusion that you must be in top shape all the time. No one really is, even though you see it in all the bodybuilding magazines-no bad pictures, everyone's in shape. This is not the way things are in nature and this is not the state of reality in bodybuilding either. As expressed in Mind, Body, Spirit, my personal training diary, in Winter: "the trees have lost their leaves but growth is still to be found as roots drink life fluid a vast network expands deep underground. Just as the roots create the future tree, in this present life abounds the possibility of your next (future) body. Winter's peering right around the corner".
BODYBUILDING IN WINTER
PLANNING NEXT YEAR'S BODY
The training you do in Winter determines what you will look like next year when you reach peak condition. So what you do now is very important from the standpoint of your long term goal, that is, your goal for an entire year. Your short term goal is where you plan to be at the end of this season, Winter: heal injuries, develop my weak points (lagging body parts), work on my overall proportions so I have a new look, become better at eliciting the relaxation response, sharpen my visualization skills, become clear about what my life's goals really are for the coming year. Hope what I do helps you too.
SHORT & LONG TERM GOALS
Short term goals are 13 weeks, the length of a season. Your long term goal is what you want your body to look like in peak condition. For me this is in Autumn when Nature reaches her peak. Planning you goals is all about priorities-what is most important to you at this moment. Your Winter priorities might be having a good time, at least over the holidays. There's nothing wrong with this as long as December doesn't turn into a month long junk food binge and vacation from regular exercise. If you allow yourself a break from your optimum diet and exercise then plan to make up for it as soon as possible. I remember a friend who went to Europe for 2 weeks during the Christmas holidays. Upon his return he bragged to everyone in the gym that he ate nothing but junk food his entire vacation and didn't get fat (since he was so active). Two weeks later, however it was a different story. The bingeing had caught up with him and he was fat as a pig. You can't bend the rules for long and expect to get away with it for long. Body fat sneaks up on you. Pigs don't fly.
THE DREAM BODY VISUALIZATION
Constantly picture in your imagination what you want to look like. This will lead you to take the necessary steps in your everyday life to acquire this body of your dreams. Do this visualization before you go to bed: close your eyes, look upward to the left and picture the way you look right now. Holding this image firmly in your mind with your eyes closed, look now to your upper right and picture the way you want your body to look. Imagine every part in detail starting with your head, seeing each part of your dream body right down to your feet. Now move each image toward the center of your upper visual field, make the image life size, and step into it. The Dream Body Visualization is recorded on audio tape (side 2 of "Sleep Easy") and is described in chapter 12 of Fabulously Fit Forever Expanded
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What to do and not to do
During the Winter there is less sunlight and as a result the body's light meter, the pineal gland, is less stimulated and less serotonin is produced. This accounts for symptoms of "seasonal affective disorder" which is characterized by depressed mood, craving for carbohydrates, and body fat gain. Adding light to you life helps and my favorite way is using the light stimulation of a light sound machine such as the "Mind Muscle Machine". Taking serotonin precursors like 5HTP and/or melatonin before bed can help too. The main dietary rule is to not load up on carbs late in the day. Eat starches early and decrease carbohydrate intake as the day goes on. And of course refrain as much as possible from junk food over the holidays. No ice cream, candy and cake all over the place, and refuse booze as often as you can. Lots of empty calories here. If you eat it you have to work it off in your workout. Body fat and consequently your treadmill will be no stranger to you.
AVOID HOLIDAY BINGEING
Refraining from overeating excessively is a key factor in staying in shape during the winter. Refrain as much as possible from junk food. I know it's hard because the holidays are full of it-pies, fruitcakes, candy, cookies, eggnog, alcoholic beverages. Thanksgiving always seemed to mark my downfall from peak physical condition. The traditional huge meal distended my stomach into a position that later took months of dieting, aerobics, and abdominal exercise to shrink back to respectable condition. Since everybody else was easing up, I got more in the mood for a little junk food, but eatin potato chips went straight to my hips, and bouillabaisse put fat on my waist. A little junk food eaten frequently adds up to a significant amount of body fat over time. This is why gyms are empty during December and overflowing during January: guilt from overeating and excessive fat gain. And while this is motivation to get back in shape, it's a lot easier to not get so far out of shape in the first place. You can go off your diet but don't do it for more than one day a week. If you eat a big dinner late in the evening, make up for it by fasting the next morning. Eat good tasting nutritious foods to replace desserts. I mix up a delicious shake in a blender using 4 heaping tablespoons of my
Super Egg White Protein, a bottle of Diet Snapple, and a teaspoon of flax oil. It tastes great, gives me 50 grams of protein, essential fatty acids with no carbohydrates and curbs my appetite for sweets.What you think about and say lead to what you eat and what you eat becomes your body. Junk food = junk body. Visualize yourself eating nutritious foods to give you energy to train hard and get a great body.
WHAT ABOUT CROSS-TRAINING?
Combining more aerobics with your weight training is wise during Winter. I like to add more treadmill, rowing, and stationary cycling. Cardio work helps keep my body fat levels down, my legs developed and my abs in better shape. . People store fat at their body's center of gravity-for men it's around the waistline; for women it's at the hips and upper thighs. My favorite cardio program is to do 20 to 30 minutes fast walking on my treadmill, one minute at 2 degrees decline alternating with one minute at 2 to 4 degrees incline. My wife Christine always does at least 45 minutes of treadmill while watching TV after her 20 minute weight training workout. On days I don't do my weight training I'll do abdominal work then spend 10 minute on the treadmill, 10 minutes biking, and 5 minutes rowing for variety, exercising my entire body in about 45 minutes. Another of my favorite "rest day" day programs (described in chapter 5 of Fabulously Fit Forever Expanded is "AB-Aerobics".
DON'T BULK UP
A LOT OF BULL
Most bodybuilders, especially competitors, are extremists, who bulk up during the Winter (many of them gain as much as 70 or 80 pounds above their competitive bodyweight) and then lose it all back for their contest the following year. I've fallen into this trap several times. In Winter 1965 while living in New Jersey I bulked up to 220 pounds: my thighs increased to 28 inches and my waist to 38 inches, while my arms and chest only grew a fraction of an inch. It took me a whole year to get in shape again and by summer 1966 I was weighing my original 190 pounds. I learned that to make long term progress, my best strategy was not to gain more than 5% of my competitive bodyweight and to spend the Winter working my weak points, recuperating, keeping a trim waistline, cross-training, staying on a reasonable diet and not bulking up. Gaining just a few pounds of muscle in the right places every year looks really impressive.
THE VALUE OF AB-AEROBICS
it my websiteAb-Aerobics is a form of circuit training where you arrange exercise stations with an abdominal exercise alternated with an aerobic type exercise. A simple ab-aerobic circuit could be leg raise, stationary bike, crunches, treadmill, hanging knee up, rowing machine, seated twist, stair climber. Since this particular circuit has 8 stations, a group of eight people could use it at the same time. We had many great ab-aerobic sessions in the old day of Zane Haven in Palm Springs in the 1980's. We'd do the program to music, spending one minute at each station before we'd switch to the next one. I noticed quick improvement in just 4 days straight of ab-aerobics, spending an average of half an hour each time. Doing this in a group is a wonderful way to use everyone's energy for motivation to do the program longer and longer. The great thing about this form of exercise is that you get both abdominal work and cardio-vascular exercise at the same time. Alternate whatever abdominal and aerobic equipment you have-even 4 stations makes a good circuit. The more exercises you add the more variety you'll get.
WHAT ARE YOUR BODY'S PRIORITIES?
Ask yourself from time to time "what's most important to me right now?" Is it enjoying yourself by eating anything you want, or eating more sensibly to avoid gaining body fat? Maintain a balance between good food choices and exercising enough without becoming compulsive about either of them. And weigh yourself every few days. By staying aware of how you look you will have less desire to go off your diet. One way to eat more nutritiously is to eat out at restaurants less often and cook wholesome nutritious meals at home instead. There's lots of good recipes in Zane Nutrition designed for a minimum of preparation. Don't keep junk food or booze in the house. This way you will be less likely to consume it. Many people eat incorrectly because of boredom. Ever catch yourself opening in the refrigerator and staring in there not sure of what you're looking for? If you find a jar of peanut butter in there you'll probably eat some. Also having nuts and peanuts around the house can lead to eating more of them. While these foods are nutritious, they are loaded with calories because of the monounsaturated oils and it is hard to eat just a little bit. Remember, out of sight, out of mind.
GO EASY ON THE STARCHES
Too much bread, pasta, potatoes, yams, rice, oatmeal can give you a spare tire that's hard to deflate! Dried fruit (dates, raisins) has a high glycemic index and fruit juices cause a quick insulin rise in your body which can lead to fat storage. I've mentioned before to avoid starches late in the day, but this doesn't mean you should overload on them early in the day either. There was a time, a few years ago, when I was eating a very large bowl of oatmeal with fruit for breakfast, and while I was getting a great pump in my workouts (it took me 3 hours to digest this) I noticed a gradual accumulation of body fat around the waistline. Now I don't ingest more than 20 to 40 grams of carbohydrate at one time. Researcher Alice Wurtman of M.I.T. recommends eating 20 grams of carbs every few hours for people who crave carbohydrates. Small amounts of carbohydrates are the perfect chaser for amino acids in free form. Limiting my total carb consumption to less than 240 grams per day keeps my body fat down.
To keep lean stay within the guidelines of 1 gram of protein, 1-1/3 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight, and 25% of total calories from fat. Some other helpful hints are don't have more than one source of starch at breakfast or lunch (no bread with oatmeal, potatoes, or pasta. Eat your evening meal early and make it lean meat and low carb steamed vegetables or salad. No starches for dinner and no desert either. Substitute my engineered food pudding as a separate snack. No fruit juice or regular sodas. Limit fruit to one piece in the morning and one piece before bed. You won't get fat you'll get leaner instead
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SOME FAVORITE RECIPES
Preparing your own food is a good idea to help you eat correctly and save money. Here are some of my favorite recipes:
SPINACH & EGG CASSEROLE
: use 4 cups finely chopped packed spinach; enough cherry tomatoes cut in half to cover your dish, 3 eggs beaten, 3 tbsp. Whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion, 1 clove minced garlic,1/2 cup low fat cheese grated, pepper to taste. Arrange spinach in a shallow casserole dish. Place tomato halves, cut side up on top of the spinach. Beat the eggs with the onion pepper and garlic. Pour egg mixture over spinach and tomatoes and top with the grated low fat cheese. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until set and browned, about 40 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Another of my favorite breakfasts is:APPLES AND EGGS: use 5 eggs, beaten; 1/2 cup finely grated cheese; 1/2 small minced onion, 2 tart apples sliced thinly;' 1/2 tsp. cinnamon; 1 tbsp lemon juice. In a Teflon frying pan put 1 tbsp lemon juice, apples and onions and cook until soft. Add cinnamon and few drops of lemon juice. Mix eggs and cheese together and pour over apple mixture. Continue to cook over medium heat. Do not stir. When egg begins to set, cover and cook until egg is set. When done, slide entire contents onto a platter and cut into wedges to serve. Hint-when cooking eggs, do not overcook them because they continue to cook after removed from the heat.
OATMEAL BAKED CHICKEN - use your choice of 8 skinned chicken pieces, 1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup whole grain flour with 1 tbsp bran, pepper to taste, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1 or 2 eggs beaten with 2 tbsp water or 2-3 tbsp fat free mayonnaise beaten frothy, non -stick cooking spray or olive oil. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl or plastic bag. In a separate bowl place beaten egg mixture or the fat free mayonnaise mixture. Dip the chicken pieces, one at a time in the egg mixture or brush the mayo on the surface of each piece. The place the chicken pieces in the plastic bag and shake to coat or roll in the oatmeal mixture in the bowl. Place the piece in a Teflon pan. Spray the top lightly with non-stick cooking oil (Pam) or whisk on a little olive oil. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 25 to 30 minutes until done, brown and crispy on top. Serve immediately.
HERE'S A GREAT FISH DISH
Fish is a good source of omega 3 oils and are a first class source of protein. This recipe is a whole lot tastier than eating tuna right out of the can. BAKED TUNA OR SALMON CAKES - use 16 ounces of canned salmon or tuna (2 normal sized cans are 14 ounces which is ok), 4 eggs beaten, 1 grated onion, 1 tsp. dill weed, 4 slices rye crisp crackers, 1 & 1/2 cup rolled oats, pepper. Rinse and drain the fish well and place in a large bowl. Break the crackers into small pieces and place in bowl. Add remaining ingredients except the oats. Mix these ingredients with your hands. If there is too much liquid present add another cracker or more rolled oats. Form this mixture into 6 patties. Coat the patties with rolled oats and place in a baking pan (Teflon) sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (Pam). Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until patties are done all the way through. Serve immediately.
Taking a little time to prepare these recipes will help you enjoy tasty nutritious food as well as stay on a good diet. You can also take the extra food you cooked with you to work as a snack or trip and avoid the pitfalls of restaurant eating. By planning and cooking ahead you will always have good food to
Eat at the right time of day.
EAT PLENTY OF SALADS
Salads are great to add fiber to your diet and fill you up. By using low carb vegetables, as most salad vegetable ingredients are, you can stay lean and avoid hunger. Start with a big bowl of mixed salad greens and/or a big bowl of spinach leaves. Some may prefer a spinach only salad. What makes this easy is you can buy mixed greens, lettuce or spinach already in plastic bags in grocery stores. Add your favorite vegetables, raw (tomatoes, sprouts, celery, peppers, radishes, broccoli) or steamed (carrots, zucchini, corn, squash, asparagus) cut into small pieces. Add small amounts of seeds like pumpkin, sunflower, toasted
Flaxseed, sesame, and small amounts of nuts like walnuts or shaved almonds. Finely diced turkey, chicken breast, tuna or salmon, low fat low sodium ham slices, small chunks or steak or slices of roast beef, and eggs can provide protein as well as low fat grated cheese (my favorite low fat low sodium cheese is Alpine Lace Swiss Cheese). Add some fruit like halved grapes, orange sections, small chunks or cantaloupe, apples, or fresh pineapple. For dressing you can mix olive oil and wine vinegar, dark sesame oil and rice vinegar, or a creamy non-fat yogurt based dressing.
To prepare a simple yogurt dressing, mix the following ingredients well: 1 cup non-fat plain yogurt, t tbsp lemon juice, 1 mashed garlic clove, 1/4 cup non fat mayonnaise, 1 tsp. dry mustard, 1 tsp. minced chives. Chill and allow flavors to mix before serving. Be sure to mix well before adding to your salad
PREPARE STEW IN A CROCK POT
Winter is a good time to enjoy conveniently prepared stews. They warm you up from the cold weather and provide a good source of protein from meats as well as the great taste of vegetables. A crock-pot is an inexpensive cooking tool you can use to prepare wonderful stew. Fill with vegetables of your choice, put in some lean cuts of beef or poultry, add a little water and turn on for about 6 to 8 hours. This is a great way to have a nutritious hot meal by setting it on low cooking temperature before you leave for work in the morning and having it for dinner when you get home. You can experiment with a combination of meats or vegetables to suit your taste. Often inexpensive cuts of meat are available in markets that you can use in your crock-pot. They are ideal because the long cooking period makes them very tender. If you don't already have a crock-pot, Christmas is a good time to get one; they usually sell for about $20. Another good cooking tool is a deep-dish electric frying pan. We like it because it is like cooking in a small oven. And don't forget vegetable steamers for cooking vegetables just enough to break down the cellulose.
FOOD SUPPLEMENTS FOR WINTER
Holidays are social occasions where friends get together and often drink excessive amounts of alcohol. If you have overindulged it's a good idea to get on a regular supplementation program of silymarin or milk thistle extract, which helps detoxify the liver. Other liver protectors are the amino acids methionine and L-glutamine. Taking ample amounts of vitamin c (1000 mg. a day) vitamin E (400 I.U. a day) zinc (not more than 150 mg a day because it's a trace mineral that could be toxic) selenium (not more than 150 micrograms a day because it could be toxic too if taken in larger doses) Also one buffered aspirin daily has health benefits. Amino acids in free form are great to keep your immune system functioning healthy. And if you feel as if you are "coming down with something" don't force yourself to go to the gym and train. You won't make gains. Getting more rest is the best antidote for illness and stress.
GOAL OF WINTER TRAINING
After I'd reach my long-term goal in the Autumn of each year, I would take a good look at my body in the mirror. And checking out the photos I'd taken too, it was only then that I would decide what to do in my Winter training. I was after a new look every year and would ask myself, "what parts of my body still need to improve more to balance better with the rest of my body?" My ultimate goal was one of proportion. Mathematics as in bodybuilding, proportion means a statement of equality between two or more ratios, I.e. if you measured 2 or more body parts, the numbers would compare equally. Years ago David Willouby wrote that true body proportion is achieved when upper arms, calves, and neck measure the same, and it was reported that Steve Reeves had attained these dimensions. For me proportion was more about how the parts of the body compared visually with each other. When you look at the body not one body part overshadows any other. Many people mistake the meaning of the word "symmetry" for proportion. Symmetry is simply a balance between the development on the left side and right side of your body. Now while it is a goal to develop both sides equally, everyone has differences between the left and right sides of their body). The idea is not to show it. And the way I didn't show it was by posing asymmetrically, that is by positioning the left side of the body differently than the right side. The pose looked more interesting & gave the illusion of "sym a tree".
Symmetry and proportion
are not the same. While perfect symmetry does not exist, the closest we can come is to be able to do the same side poses from both sides, such as side chest, triceps, and back three-quarters poses. One of the best ways to get better symmetry is to develop both sides of the body so they are more alike: do dumbbell training where each arm works independently. Proportion refers to balance of development between body parts, a quality that takes a lifetime to perfect and is the ultimate long-term goal in bodybuilding.
SILHOUETTE PHOTOGRAPHY
An aspect of the body most people don't pay attention to is its outline or silhouette.
WHAT IS SPECIALIZATION?
Specialization means using weight-training to improve your symmetry and/or proportion. When you specialize you put more emphasis on training certain body parts and Winter is the perfect time to do it. The idea in Winter is to cut down on your training and rest more to heal injuries and also to specialize. Everybody has parts of their bodies that respond well to exercise, hence they are well developed. When you specialize, you do a minimum of work for these parts and a maximum of training for your weaker areas. The result is when you start up in Spring again with all over training working each body part equally, the formerly weaker parts now look better in comparison to everything else. So the first step is to decide what parts of your body you need to specialize on. With me it was always calves and biceps. Later I learned that keeping fat off my abs as much as possible during the Winter was a good idea too, and I also began cutting back on pec work, especially lower pec work so my delts would look more developed along with upper and outer pecs.
THE WINTER 6 DAY SEQUENCE
In order to get more rest, heal injuries, and have more time to specialize, a 6-day workout sequence is ideal. Using the 3 way split of Day 1 back, biceps, forearms; Day 2 thighs, calves; and Day 3 chest, shoulders, triceps, (working abs every training day) here's a good way to arrange these workouts with the 6 day sequence: Day 1, Day 2, rest, Day 3, rest, rest. 6-day sequence means it takes 6 days to work each body part once with the exception of abs, which are worked every workout day. Now instead of resting on the first rest day at the end of the 6 day sequence, you do a specialization program. You simply work your lagging body part s on this day, making your workout program one where you train most body parts once in 6 days, but you train your weak points twice in 6 days (you train your abs 4 times in 6 days). What I'd like to do is to give a number of specialization programs for each body part and explain how to work it into the 6-day sequence program. I'm also going to go over other ways to specialize using a 7-day sequence program where you work each body part once in 7 days, but your weak points at least twice. I have tried all these methods at one time in my training career so I know they work. The important thing is to really focus on these body parts and get a maximum pump when you are working them.
The exercises described in each specialization program that follows can be found in the body part index of Mind, Body, Spirit, the personal training diaries. Another way to specialize is to simply do a body part routine from this book on the day you would train the specialized body part.
SPECIALIZATION STRATEGIES
The parts of the body that are the least developed are those parts you can't see directly, that is the back side of the body: back, especially lats, rear deltoids, hamstrings, and often calves. Go to any physique competition and you'll see that most everyone looks good from the front, but when they turn around to the back you can notice that the backs aren't nearly as developed. A cardinal rule for building a proportionate body so that all body parts match one another is: In order to change and improve an area, you must first become aware of it. And the best way to become aware of all parts of your body is to get photographed on a regular basis, every month or so and compare the sets of photos. You will learn what needs the most work and how those areas you are specializing on are shaping up. Another challenge confronting bodybuilders who compete is to have all body parts reach their muscular development peak at the same time. This requires continued monitoring and awareness. Start with back specialization & remember do this program on the first rest day after day 3.
BACK SPECIALIZATION PROGRAM
When I mention back specialization I am specifically referring to lats. Latissimus dorsi in Latin means the "widest muscle". So if your lats are not your widest muscle you probably need specialization. Here's a poem/song to help you remember the back program: "Front pulldown no foolin around, best upper back exercise I've ever found. Cable crossover behind the neck/pulldown supersets work my upper back don't tire my biceps. Low cable row on your negatives go slow, you'll get lats like Franco Colombo. One arm dumbbell row makes me feel real wide, my lats are hangin way out to each side. 2 sets dumbbell shoulder shrug works traps just enough, be sure to em you'll look really buff. 5 back exercises, lat stretches in between, soon yr lats'll be lookin really mean.
HINTS: Do first set with a weight that allows you 12 reps, slow negatives, increase weight for 10 reps on the 2nd set, and stretch 15 seconds between sets. Stop 2 inches short of lockout on front pulldown to keep tension on the lats. If you don't have a cable crossover do pulls behind neck with a rubber cable-you can substitute T-Bar row for low cable row. You'll have less stress on your elbows if you use a neutral grip with palms facing each other. Lean slightly forward on shrugs. Rest 2 minutes between sets for a great pump.
WORK YOUR ENTIRE WAISTLINE
A good practice is to do rowing along with the abdominal work you do at the end of your workout. Consider your lower back to be part of your waistline since fat accumulates in the back as well as in the front. Years ago I always did 2 sets of 15 to 20 reps on hyperextension, but now I do 1000 meters on my Concept II Rowing Machine. If you've got $700 it's a great investment in your waistline and the best rower you can get for the money. Here are some specialization ab tri-sets: Hanging knee up (this is my favorite lower ab exercises and I hang using the "Ab-originals" straps advertised in Muscle & Fitness Magazine), crunches, and seated twist (rowing after three tri-sets of 30 to 50 reps of this). On leg days when I want to rest my upper body I do 10 degree incline leg raise, crunches, and one arm cable crunch then do treadmill for 12 to 20 minutes, walking at 3 to 4 miles per hour. I like to keep my total reps at least 200 to 300 each ab workout. Another great exercise is side leg raise on the hip machine (if you have one, if not you can use a rubber cable firmly attached to the floor stuck under a door) raise at 45 degree angle between the side and the rear to isolate the rear oblique. My favorite "love handle" tri-set is 1 arm cable crunch, hip machine, and seated twist, 3 sets of 30 apiece. Go easy at first on this so you don't get a sore lower back. Another exercise that really works the rear obliques is ice skating, cross country skiing, roller blade-ing, or the Nautilus Skating Machine.
STRETCHING & TENSING MUSCLES
I often awaken in the morning with a stiff lower back whether I've done a lot of ab training or not. I also noticed I sleep longer if I've worked out the day before, no doubt because my body needs it. And then all the muscles I've worked and even some I haven't are initially stiff. So after I get up and put on some warm clothing, I go through a short series of stretches and poses to get my blood circulating: one leg up stretch for lower back and hamstrings, alternately tensing each thigh as if walking in place (I did a lot of this before competition and it helped give me great thigh definition), stomach vacuums by exhaling completely and then sucking in my empty stomach as far as possible, one arm shoulder stretch, isometric contraction standing in a doorway and pressing outward on the wrists, doorway stretch, 2 arm lat stretch on doorknob, arms back stretch for triceps, isometric curl on doorknob for biceps. If you take a warm shower when you get up, practice your stretching after you shower. It's a great way to start the day.
If you're sore in the morning s t r e t c h, don't bitch
REAR DELTOID SPECIALIZATION
Ever wish you had broader more squared off shoulders? This illusion is created by developing the rear deltoids, the rear/side deltoid cleavage, and side deltoids more fully. In many bodybuilders quest to build their chests, the front deltoids get overdeveloped, especially with lots of barbell incline and bench press. When pressing is done with the thumbs facing each other, the front delts work more than the pecs do, but more on this later. Rear delts work a lot with back exercises, especially low cable row and pulldown behind neck. So it's not a bad idea to do some rear delt work along with back work if your posterior shoulder muscles are lagging. (There's a good program for this on Train with Zane tape 1) Some ways are: superset low cable row with bent over dumbbell rear raises or rear delt machine, superset one arm dumbbell row with one arm bent over rear cable raise or even standing one arm cable raise or dumbbell side raise lying on a 45 degree incline bench. When you do bent over dumbbell raises keep your little finger pointing up. A great rear delt/side delt exercises that strengthens the rotator cuff as well is pronated dumbbell side raise Be sure to do rear deltoid stretching as well as one arm shoulder stretching between sets and supersets.
UPPER & OUTER PECS SPECIALIZED
Shapely pectoral muscles enhance the look of the upper body. My goal has always been "Gladiator pecs", not too heavy lower pecs, thick upper pecs, sharp line across the bottom and outer pecs, no flabbiness around the nipple but a good squared off outline in this area, and striated inner pecs. One mistake bodybuilders make as they continue to train is to keep doing heavy bench presses. This exercise is best for beginners and intermediates to build chest, front delt, and triceps mass, but after this is attained to keep going heavier and heavier especially with a wide grip can result in injury and pecs that overshadow the rest of the upper body. The best way to use flat bench press is with a close grip-hands 12 inches apart on the inside with elbows out make this a terrific triceps exercise. For great looking pecs try this routine: 30 degree incline press with a shoulder width barbell and slow negative builds mass (not locking out at the top keeps tension on the pecs); 10 degree decline dumbbell fly or a good pec deck getting a deep stretch all the way down builds outer pecs; parallel dip machine or v-bar dips get lower pecs just enough if you go deep into the dip and lean slightly forward; and dumbbell pullover lying across a flat bench or Nautilus Plate Loaded Pullover Machine is the best exercise I've found for serratus. Do doorway stretch between sets of the first 3 exercises, and one arm shoulder stretch between sets of pullover. Do 2 sets of 12, increase weight then 10 reps on each exercise and go to three sets of each after a few weeks, increasing the weight on the third set and doing 8 reps. Be sure to do slow negatives on all reps.
FRONT DELTOID EMPHASIS
Most people get enough front deltoid work from doing pressing movements, dips, and flyes, but if you want to emphasize front delts and bring out great separation between the side delt and upper pecs, try this super-set: Overhead front press with dumbbells on a 70 degree incline super-setted with one dumbbell front raise. As an alternative you can use a pressing machine or even a Smith machine for the pressing and front cable raise with both hands holding a thick rope on the cable. On the front raise it's important to use a grip where both hands are together with fingers interlocking around the dumbbell or cable. This isolates the front deltoid, whereas if you did barbell front raise, some side deltoid would be involved. Also, don't lock out when pressing, stopping two inches short of lock out, and only raise the dumbbell on front raise to eye level. This will keep tension on the front deltoids where it belongs. Front delt isolation movements also work well when super-setted with biceps work since they are adjacent muscle groups and working one doesn't affect the strength of the other. Keep reps 8 to 12, with 2 to 3 sets.
THE CANNONBALL DELTOID LOOK
Nothing sets off the look of the upper body more than wide well rounded deltoids when viewed from the front or the back. The bodybuilder who best exemplified this was Don Howorth of 1960's fame. I was greatly inspired by this look and did lots of deltoid work to get. When I finally did get to ask Howorth about how he got his shoulder development, he said all he did was press behind neck super-setted with bent over dumbbell rear delt raises, and would sometimes combine chins behind neck with the rear delt raises. Naturally he had wide clavicles to start with so it was easier for him to develop wide shoulders. Here's a super-set for delt specialization which helped me: front presses super setted with any kind of rear deltoid raise, either bent over with dumbbell or cables or rear deltoid machine, like Nautilus torso row machine. 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps each, then finish off with one arm side cable raise 10 reps for each arm doing 3 non-stop sets until finished. This gives a pronounced curvature to the lateral deltoids and also defines the outer upper arm.
FOCUSING ON UPPER ARMS
The biceps and triceps muscles of the upper arms probably attract more attention than any other muscle group. They also get a lot of exercise when you work other upper body muscles-biceps work on all pulling motions and triceps work on all pressing motions. A good way to specialize on biceps/triceps is to do super sets. Supersets enable you to save time and get a great pump without losing strength in either biceps or triceps. Here's a few I've found productive:
Preacher cable curl/ close grip bench press - position your elbows near the top of a preacher bench and curl to the point of maximum tension and hold for one second. Close grip bench press can be done with a barbell, EZ curl bar or on a Smith Machine with hand 12 inches apart on the inside, keep the elbows out , do a real slow negative and stop an inch short of lockout. This is a great mass building triceps exercise......On a 60 degree incline bench facing downward superset dumbbell curl/ dumbbell kickbacks - do 2 to 3 sets of 15, 12, 10 reps holding at the top of the curl for a second and at the top of the kickback for one second. Go light at first, work for a burning sensation. 45 degree dumbbell incline curl/ incline EZ bar extension - pronate the dumbbells at the bottom of the curl and supinate (turn your wrists outward) as you curl upward, pausing and tensing the biceps at the point of peak contraction. Be sure to let the bar go all the way down behind your head and stop an inch short of lockout on extensions.
You can do single sets with dumbbells for better focus on biceps like: concentration curl, alternate dumbbell curl, one arm seated curl, and 15 degree incline DB curls.
HINTS ON TRICEPS TRAINING
An important question regarding triceps training is whether you should lock out or not on the exercise. The answer is if you increase the tension on the triceps by locking out then you should do it and hold it for a second, tensing the triceps even more. I find that exercises that come under the heading "triceps extensions and presses" are best not to lock out on: one arm dumbbell extension, lying triceps extension, close grip bench press-by not locking out on these movements I support the weight with my triceps not with my straightened arms; whereas exercises like pressdowns, kickbacks with dumbbells or with a cable, reverse triceps dips give me a better pump when I lock out and hold the lockout for about one second, going slowly into the negative. I really like training triceps on chest day because triceps work so much with pressing movement used for chest. Since I always include pullovers either with a dumbbell or with Nautilus Pullover Machine in my chest workout, I get a terrific triceps pump from this and it's only natural that my next exercises are for triceps. I you want to work outer triceps select exercises like close grip bench press or dip machine with elbows pointed outward. The best movement for the rear head of the triceps is the one arm dumbbell extension, going deep into the stretch.
CORRECT CURLING FOR BICEPS
Probably a better way to specialize on biceps is not to super set but to just do single sets, increasing the weight and lowering the reps each set. I've used a method to improve my biceps development before competition where I'd work up in weight on curls for the first two sets and then without any rest after my second set I'd drop the weight to slightly less than the weight I used on my first set and do reps until I got a good burn. This is called a pyramid, where you work up in weight and then go down again. A couple other pointers for great biceps development is use only dumbbells for curls, no barbells. Dumbbells allow you complete rotation and more supination at the top of the curl. Always squeeze the biceps at the top of the curl, don't curl past peak contraction, then go into your negative slowly. Keep your upper arms "glues to your sides" moving only your lower arm when you curl. Be sure to supinate or turn your wrist outward as you curl, and don not turn your wrist inward toward your body as you curl because this works forearms.
Super-setting biceps and triceps exercises are time saving and you can get a great pump but you need to concentrate more on each exercise. I find it best to superset for a few workouts in a row and then go to single sets of biceps and triceps separately to put more focus into the movements. Also doing sets of 8 to 10 reps one workout and 12 to 15 reps the next workout can help jolt your arm development.
SENSATIONAL SERRATUS
The anterior serratus are the finger like projections one-foot under each armpit where the lats meet the ribcage. If you are a competitive bodybuilder these are important muscles to pay attention to because they improve the look of any pose from the front with the arms flexed or over head. Along with good abdominal, oblique, and intercostal development, serratus sensationalize the center of your body, putting the finishing touches to it like nothing else. In Arnold's Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding (which is being revised and called the "New Encyclopedia") he features a particular bodybuilder who is known for having a body part developed better than anyone else. And I lay claim to serratus development. Not that there's much competition. There are almost no bodybuilders with sensational serratus, the closest one being Bill Pearl yeas ago. The reason? Many of them don't do pullovers. I got any early start on this exercise doing pullovers lying over a 3-foot diameter log in my basement with a swingbell as a teenager. For 30 plus years I did dumbbell pullover lying across a bench, sometime super-setted with stiff arm pressdown (or pulldown) on a lat machine. Now I use the new Nautilus plate-loaded pullover machine since it incorporates both movements. And I do it on chest day since it pumps up my triceps as well as my serratus, lower pecs, and stretch my ribcage. This is always the last exercise I do before I begin triceps work.
Don't leave serratus development to chance.
INTERCOSTAL/OBLIQUE SUPER-SETS
Intercostals are those muscles between your outer ribs that run from the serratus down to the obliques-they are your "spare ribs". Anytime you do crunches, situps, knee ups, or leg raise in a twisting fashion you work the intercostals. This area is most directly worked by the same two exercises I favor for oblique development: one arm cable crunch and seated twist. Avoid side bending directly to the side as this can build the obliques. A little of this can be ok without any weight held in the hands, but be careful not to add muscle directly to the sides because when you do get a little out of shape fat will accumulate here like a spare tire. One arm cable crunch works the frontal obliques and intercostals and seated twist with a light pole on the shoulders stretches these areas and helps define them. And if you have a hip machine - or you can attach a lower pulley to your ankle with an ankle strap and do standing leg raise out to the side (at a 45 degree angle between the rear and the side) to directly
effect the rear oblique as well as the outer buttock and the outer hamstrings. I often tri- set these 3 exercises, keeping my reps between 15 And 50 each set. Swinging a tennis racket, baseball bat, or a golf club on each side with both hands really works the intercostals and obliques.
DON'T FORGET FOREARMS
The ideal time to work forearms is right after you train biceps. At this time forearms are already pumped, especially if you are in the habit of turning your wrist inward as you curl upward (which is a habit you should break if you want better biceps). Forearms work is simple, as little as two exercises super-setted: my favorites are reverse curl with an EZ curl bar super-setted with barbell wrist curl with an Olympic Bar, keeping the reps at least 10 to 20 especially on wrist curl since it is a short range movement. I usually follow two such supersets with sets of gripper, 15 to 20 reps. Forearm exercise is very important to prevent and heal elbow injuries. Pronation/supination rotation is very good for stretching the forearms, wrists, and elbows to strengthen elbows. Years ago Nautilus made a plastic device called the "Sports Mate" where you rotated each hand. Nowadays you can get a similar effect from holding a 4-foot bar weighing 5 pounds in the middle and slowly rotating it with each hand, much like a baton twirler would do. Keep elbows warm when exercising and you will get your best forearm workouts and heal elbow and wrist problems.
At times I've had a tennis elbow type injury recur if I'm not careful. If you've got elbow injuries try doing forearm work first in your back, biceps, forearm workout. Avoid reverse barbell curl with heavy weight but rather do reverse wrist curl for 2 sets of 15 reps tri-setted with barbell wrist curl 25 reps and squeezing gripper for 15 reps. Some great adjustable gripper are sold by Ironman Magazine called "Ironman Super Gripper" @ $29.95.
STRONG SPINAL ERECTORS
Well-developed spinal erectors resemble two thick rope like columns that run from the top of the buttocks right up to the base of the trapezius on each side of the spinal cord. They are extremely important muscles and their development should not be neglected. Years ago, I always finished each workout with 2 sets of 15 to 20 hyper-extensions right after ab work. I think of spinal erectors as part of the waistline (a line around your waist) and fat can accumulate here in the same manner it accumulates on the front and sides of the waist. I'm beginning to do hyperextensions again after a bad experience doing them on the "back revolution", a device for hanging upside down. This is great for traction especially in the L-5 area, but doing hyperextensions with it you should be careful not to come up too far and by all means avoid doing twists in the hyper-extended position. Otherwise it's a good piece of equipment. My favorite hyperextension benches are those that slant forward 45 degrees, giving a good stretch forward and lessening the tendency to come up to come up too far. Don't over extend in the hyperextension. Another good exercise for spinal erectors is 5 minutes of rowing daily on the Concept II Rowing Ergometer. This not only works the lower back, but if you tense your abs while rowing (I like to do 1000 meters at a clip) you'll work your entire waistline as well.
DON'T LOSE YOUR BUTTOCKS
A common problem with men as they age is loss of muscle size and strength in the buttocks along with "toothpick thighs". Since these muscles are the largest in the body, when diet is low in protein as it so often is with elderly people, the body "leaches" amino acids from the big muscle masses and turns them into glucose to be use as energy. The legs and butt still "run" the body butt in a different way! These muscle shrink away and after a while older men have trouble getting up from a seated position. Squatting is the best way to keep size in the thighs and buttocks and should be done on a regular basis. Full squatting is best but if you have lower back or knee aches you might consider using the Leg Blaster like I do, as well as the leg press machine. I have an AFS horizontal leg press in my gym and it is terrific to work the thighs with just enough butt and lower back stimulation. I place my feet low on the platform with my heels hanging off (60% of my foot stays on the platform just as in doing calf work) and I go as deep as possible into the negative on each rep for two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps on squats and leg presses.
FULL HAMSTRINGS ARE THE THING
Since you can see them from the front, hamstrings or leg biceps are some of the most neglected muscles in the body. I knew power lifter who could squat with over 600 pounds but couldn't do reps with 60 pounds in the leg curl. And that's the exercise for hamstrings: all kinds of leg curls. My favorite leg curl machines are the bent back varieties which accommodate your body since your butt is forced up in the air when you curl your legs upward. Adjust your position so that the roller doesn't roll up and down your ankles, curl all the way up to the top and without pausing (pausing works the lower back) lower the weight slowly down and pause briefly in the stretched out position. The seated leg curl works the lower hamstrings right above the knee. We used to super-set stiff-legged deadlifts with leg curls to stretch the hamstrings. Now I'm sure to always to one leg up stretch between sets of leg curls. At the last equipment trade show I attended, I was most impressed with the Flex Leg Machines: they have a great "hamtractor" for lower hamstrings and a one legged curl machine that made me sore for days. To specialize on hamstrings, try doing 2 sets of leg curls before you squat and 2 sets after. Your hamstrings will be hanging out a lot. Hyperextension is also a good hamstring stretcher.
Go to see a bodybuilding contest if you don't think the back side of the body is less developed. First, all competitors come out on stage and everybody looks ok in their own way from the front. But when they turn around and show their backsides you begin to see who the winner will be. This is probably the main reason why Dorian Yates won the Mr. Olympia so many times. There were contestants who looked as good, even better than he did from the front but no could match his outstanding back, hamstring, glute, and calf development. The secret to improving your backside is to first become aware of it. Start looking into a rear-view mirror and most important of all, have photographs taken of your body from all angles, especially from the rear. Remember, before you can prepare you must first become aware.
QUINTESSENTIAL QUADS
The muscles of the frontal thighs or quadriceps are some of the most impressive muscle of the body when fully developed. For me thighs grew easily and I was squatting 3 sets of 10 reps with 300 pounds by the time I was 18 years old and then everything else had to catch up. Just because a muscle grows easily doesn't mean you should work it hard and get it out of proportion with your other body parts. I consider ideal quad development to be: not too thick above the knee, great separation between all three quad heads-they should stand out visibly: teardrop shaped vastus internus above the knee, sweeping vastus externus from right above the knee up to the hip, and striated vastus medialis right in the middle of all three. Well defined upper thighs are possible to if you do lots of ab work like hanging knee up, Roman chair sit-up with butt hanging over a flat bench, your thighs being in contact with the bench will contract on each and every rep, and I know you will get deep cuts in your thighs from high rep leg raises too. But the main exercise for shaping and defining the quads is the Leg Extension. Ya gotta have a great leg extension machine if you want cut up quads. I've had a single chain Nautilus Leg Extension machine for 20 years and still haven't found one better. I always do leg extension before squats and leg press to warm up the knees. Pushing the weight up as high as I can, I don't stop at the top of each reps but lower the weight slowly, and man you can bet my quads are sure burning at the end of each set. I usually super-set leg curl and leg extension first thing in my thigh workout. For even more thigh definition, I've often done one leg partial leg extension going halfway down up to lockout, and stair climber facing backwards with short steps, tensing my thighs hard each and every reps, doing one hundred reps before I would stop.
DO PEOPLE LAUGH AT YOUR CALVES?
They won't if you get them to grow by doing two things. Rather than doing a lot of sets, get a burn on every set by holding each rep for 5 seconds at the top, and do at least 15 reps before you stop. You'll get a good burn and as you walk around the gym between sets you will feel you calves pumping up. Do the calf stretch between sets by holding your heels in the down position for 15 seconds while standing on a calf block. Incidentally every gym needs a good calf block which you can make by nailing 2 twelve inch long 2 by 4s underneath an 18 inch long piece of 4 by 6 lumber. (We sell a really slick calf block as part of our Leg Blaster combination). The purpose of the calf block is to allow your heels to stretch below the plane of the floor. Your heels should travel at least 4 inches to get an effective calf workout. I select 3 or 4 different calf exercises and do no more than 6 sets total in my calf workout. Every set is reps to a burn: Standing, leg press calf raises, donkeys, seated (which because the knees are bent a lot, work the soleus, a large muscle berneath the two headed outer gastrocnemius.
PERONIUS, TIBIALIS, AND ACHILLES
No, these are not the names of Roman emperors but muscles of your calves. Tibialis is out in front, Peronius is on the outside and the Achilles tendon runs under your calf down to your ankle. Your tibialis works when you lower your heels and so does your Achilles tendon, so be careful to warm-up before you go too heavy on calf work, especially seated calf raise since this one really stretches the Achilles tendon (for this reason I never do seated calf raise first in my calf workout). To work the inner part of your calves keep the pressure on the ball of your foot and your first two toes. To work the outer peronius and soleus, roll outward as you raise up on your toes (this is more common with heavier weight). And to work the lower calf, keep you knees slightly bent and stretch as low as possible at the bottom A very good calf exercise if you have no calf machines is the one legged standing calf raise on a step.
Jumping rope is great calf work. Start with 2 legs and then skip for a while one leg at a time. Using a weighted rope gives your delts and arms a great workout too.
SOME UNIQUE SUPER-SETS
Super-sets, that is one exercise followed immediately by another without any rest in between are good instruments for specializing on underdeveloped areas. My rules for choosing exercises are: pick exercises for the same body part or for adjacent body parts, don't do 2 pressing (e.g. bench press and overhead press) 2 pulling (pulldowns and rowing) or two big muscle group exercises together like squats followed by leg press. You will just be too exhausted from the first to put much into the second exercise. Aside from those already mentioned, here are some favorite combinations I've discovered over the years: front pulldown/cable crossover behind neck, one arm cable row/ one arm bent over rear delt cable raise, low cable row/ rear deltoid machine, front press on machine/ 2 arm incline DB curl, barbell incline press/pec deck, DB pullover/close grip pulldown, preacher cable curl/incline curl machine (Panatta), face down incline DB curl/ face down incline DB kickbacks, one arm DB concentration curl/ arm DB overhead extension, leg extension/full squats (erect position), leg curl/ leg press, donkey calf raise/seated calf raise, leg extension top half of movement/ stair climber facing backwards, lunges/ hip machine, wrist roller/wrist curl, front chin with neutral grip/ v-bar dips, pressdown/ rear delt machine, 1 arm DB extension/1 arm side cable raise, non-lockout close grip bench press/ DB kickback, Parallel dip machine/pullover machine, DB front raise/ standing DB curls. My Mind, Body, Spirit Personal Training Diaries documents over 180 different workouts I've done with many unique super-set combinations and an illustrated body part index to look up all the different exercises. You can keep track of your workouts here.
SPECIALIZE DON'T OVER TRAIN
When you specialize it means that you do more concentrated work for one, or two at the most, body parts. You are able to do this in post season training because you are cutting down on the amount of work you do for your stronger body parts. You can't specialize on everything at once, this would be over training and one of the goals of Winter training is to get enough rest. The nights are longer in Winter so why not take advantage of these extra hours of darkness and sleep? As long as you train your strong points once a week and your weak points twice a week you are following a sensible specialization program and should have time to recuperate from your workouts. A good area to specialize on during the Winter is waistline, since there's a tendency to add body fat over the holidays. So be sure to do at least 200 to 300 total ab reps every workout, and do your best to stay away from junk food. Also remember to keep warm during your workouts to avoid injury.
7 DAY SEQUENCE FOR SPECIALIZATION
The 7 day sequence means training each body part, with the exception of abs once a week. In other words you train 3 workouts a week: Back, biceps, forearms, abs on Monday; abs and legs on Wednesday; and chest, shoulders, triceps, abs on Fridays. This 7-day sequence is a perfect program for specialization because you can do your specialization exercises on any of the days in between workouts. For example if you want to improve your abs and lose body fat you can work abs and aerobics on the 3 days between workouts and take one day of rest. Saturday would be a perfect day for leg specialization given the program outlined above. Tuesdays, a good triceps day; Thursdays a good biceps day, and it is ok to train a part of your upper body two days in a row since you are getting enough rest the other days. If you do this be sure to do different exercises than you did on your regular training day. I realize this could still be a lot of training if you need more time off, so here's an idea. For a short period of time, instead of taking a total layoff, train abs and 3 weak points twice a week. Space the workouts several days apart and begin with one exercise for each body part but do two exercises for your weak points and don't do more than 12 to 14 exercises total in one workout.
Mind Body Spirit
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FRANKLY SPEAKING
LEAVING PALM SPRINGS
As you know by now we left Palm Springs in early October this year after living there full time for over 10 years and part time since 1978. It was an interesting change, moving from the Santa Monica bodybuilding capital of the world, to the quiet desert, where there was little else to do but train and tan, and looking back in retrospect I realize how things might have been different. Many of my friends told me I was crazy for moving from Santa Monica to the desert, but after starting Zane Haven in 1980, our live in bodybuilding learning center which operated until 1988, living in two places was too energy consuming. So in 1988 we acquired the Cary Grant Estate in Palm Springs on 2 lush acres in the historic old movie colony area near the center of town and for 10 years taught weight training and consulted from this magnificent setting. With each trip back to Santa Monica, I saw how it was changing from a sleepy little ocean front community to "Hollywood on the beach", as more and more media production companies moved there. After finishing 95 half-hour episodes of a weight training oriented television show there last year I was glad I no longer be living there. All the fancy restaurants and long limousines did nothing to inspire the feeling of relaxation and sense of well being I once felt here.
LOOKING FOR A NEW HOME
Some of the problems with living in Palm Spring year around became more and more apparent the longer we lived there. At first I felt it was the ideal training climate-cooler at night and almost always sunny and warm during the day. Indeed it was there I escaped to from Santa Monica to tan and train in my home gym in 1978 and 79 and to prepare form winning two Mr. Olympia titles. In the summer you didn't have to be in the sun very long to get a tan and I made a habit of floating on a raft in my pool between workouts to get as dark as possible to show all my definition under the bright stage lights of competition. But after retiring from competition, the value of intense sunbathing was gone, and along with concerns of just how good is all that sun for me anyway, I only tanned when I absolutely had to. True, a little color made me look better when I had an appearance to make and that became the limit of my exposure to the sun. The long hot summers became harder to take, with temperatures soaring into the 120's during the hottest days, the astounding utility and maintenance bills, along with the limited tourist season, Palm Springs became simply not what we needed anymore. So we began searching other locations, Las Vegas (but we didn't want to live in another desert), and California's Orange County seemed too crowded.
SAN DIEGO WAS THE PLACE TO GO
So every weekend we'd drive the 140 miles to San Diego and follow up on real estate leads. Our Palm Springs abode sold the beginning of July and we were concerned about finding a suitable place to live and do business in such a short time, since we only had until the end of September to move. Finally we found a nice location in an area near the city of La Mesa (called "jewel of the hills") and just south of Mount Helix, at the top of a hill with a fantastic view where we could see all the way to the ocean, downtown San Diego, the Coronado Island bridge, the tip of Point Loma, and even into Mexico. We've been here going on three months now and find the fitness awareness of San Diegans very high. There are literally hundreds of gyms, and the gym I was able to move from Palm Springs and set up in San Diego I like even better than my old one. The weather is wonderful and there's never a boring moment. Christine is pursuing her silversmith work and in addition to writing this newsletter, training people, and attending to our mail order business, I am finding time to practice harmonica and study guitar as well.
LIVING A WELL ROUNDED LIFE
So now after we move to San Diego, I discover that I had written a poem about it several years earlier that appears on page 68 of Mind, Body, Spirit: "Driving to San Diego today saw away in a field stand row upon row stalks of corn, masters of form, being reborn, green growing ears of concern, wearing away like loose bales of hay, from strong gusts of wind, blowing all day, away in the field." I'm amazed when events like this happen in my life, because I wrote this when I wasn't even thinking about moving to San Diego. Life is full of meaningful coincidence when you have balance in it. Perhaps the thing I enjoy most about Winter training is that it gives me an opportunity to enjoy other pursuits in my life. After training continuously for over 40 years, it's nice to down shift from hard training into an exercise mode where I have the time and energy to broaden my perspective and grow in other areas of life (and I don't mean growth around the waistline!). One of the feelings I remember most vividly from my competitive years was how tired I felt most of the time and if I didn't pay attention to getting enough rest how easy it was to get over trained. So the idea in Winter is to train but just enough so you have time and energy to enjoy other pursuits. There will be a time when you put this energy into intense workouts, so give yourself a rest, just as nature does during Winter. I really enjoy the opportunity to develop my musical skills. My mother was a good singer and my brother had his own band in which he played bass guitar and sang. My father taught me harmonica at age 10 and it is only in the last 3 years that I've gotten serious about it enough to collect different keys and kinds of "harps" and practice seriously. In the process, I met keyboard player Dave Bott of Columbus, Ohio at the Arnold Classic and recorded with him. Recently I got together with Les Borhi, a very talented musician who plays bass, keyboards, and lead guitar and played 2 concerts in New York City.
UPLIFTING THE WORLD
I've written about Sri Chinmoy, the 68 year old athletic guru, who lives in New York City and conducts the peace meditation at the United Nations. So the day after Thanksgiving, I'm at York College in Queens, New York with Les on guitar performing "Guru Blues" and the next day too at an outdoor concert with 400 people. The Guru lifted Bill Pearl, Mike Katz, Dan Lurie, myself and many others in different lifts all night long!! It was an amazing feat of strength and endurance. This incredible being trains every day with weights and sleeps only two hours a night and has accomplished amazing feats such as drawing 9 million birds, writing 1300 books, and playing 150 different musical instruments. I was inspired by his words to me " you have built your body, studied and earned a masters degree and trained your mind, and now with your music you are developing your soul." The next day Les and I recorded "Mind, Body, Spirit on Tape" in his recording studio. We feel inspired listening to the original reading as we add the sound track. The tape will be ready at about the time you receive this newsletter.
MUSIC AS STRESS MANAGEMENT
After writing "Mind, Body, Spirit" I started to compose songs and to date have written over 150 numbers. One of my favorites that I recorded with Dave Bott is "Bill Pearl": "London, Mr. Universe 1971, there stood Bill Pearl at age 41, Bill Pearl like the Duke of Earl, behavior king, lats like wings, calves and thighs maximized to an astonishing size, deep dark tan, weighed 238, posing supreme, he looked really great, Bill Pearl." Only after I sent the lyrics and recorded song to Bill did he tell me that he was an accomplished saxophone player and still practices to this day. There is really something to this music thing. With Bill it's the saxophone, Sri Chinmoy its flute and 149 other instruments to boot, and with me it's the harmonica or "blues harp". So when I'm feeling down or depressed, filled with unrest, I practice new tunes, and soon my mood improves. Doesn't matter any time of night or day, the worse I feel, the better I play. My blues go away, and a part of my inner self I call the Muse emerges. Listening and appreciating music is relaxing and a good form of stress management, but I find playing my own music works even better for me.
BEGINNER'S MIND
Zen Master S. Suzuki said "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few." No wiser training advice could be given than this. By training in a seasonal cyclic fashion as nature does, you start each year with a beginner's perspective, fresh and open to new experiences. It's only the expert who already knows everything-there is only one way, the expert's way-and this doesn't spell progress. When you think you know everything is when you stop experimenting and get stuck in a rut. . I like to approach my training every year as if I was doing it for the first time. I'm more enthusiastic about it and less likely to be bored with the same old patterns. My intention in this newsletter is to explore all these patterns. If you read Mind, Body, Spirit-My personal training diaries you'll see some of the many ways I've trained over the years and what I've learned. A fitting way to end this issue is a quote from the December 20th entry in my personal training diaries: "Now another year is vanishing into the past and I'm back to where I began my quest. Have I reached my goal? If the path is the goal then the quest is what teaches best that only the end in itself has meaning. Now I see it's not the assumption of what the end might be. Whatever it is, I'm getting ready to do it all over again. Let the wheel continue to spin, amen, until the end, when even then,
I will win." Please accept my best wishes for your best training year ever!TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 800-323-7537
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Frank Zane PO BOX 4088 LA MESA, CA 91944
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The purpose of
Building the Body Newsletter is to explore workout, nutritional, and psychological ideas that lead to the development of the classic proportionate physique. Since moving to San Diego, our set-up to do this is even better than it was in Palm Springs. Newsletter subscriptions keep increasing, and the Zane Experience is going very well in our new location. Working hard to promote my Mind, Body Spirit: the personal training diaries book, I've developed a special program for health clubs, health food stores, and educators: Purchase 50 books at the wholesale price and I will appear at your club, store, or school and conduct a one hour seminar and book signing, at no cost except for the wholesale price of the books (which sponsors can sell at retail price). This is a good way to publicize your facility by drawing people in for the seminar. Interested parties please feel free to call or E-mail me so we can discuss further details. Thank you for your support!Frank Zane
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