Guest Article Post by IFBB Pro Ben Pakulski of www.MI40System.com

1) Chicken, egg whites, rice, and rice cakes ONLY…..If you want to get shredded.

PLEASE DO NOT do this! Your body needs micro nutrients and vitamins. I know of so many aspiring bodybuilders and people that just want to better their physique that hire people who tell them to follow this diet. FIRE THEM!

2) Fats make you fat.

Fats are essential for countless essential body processes.  All fats are good (trans fats excluded) in some proper ratio. Rotate your fat sources and watch your libido and test levels skyrocket. I’m just saying…

3) You’ve gotta lift heavy to grow

Cmon people! If you’ve ever read anything I’ve written you know this is not true. You’ve got to lift properly, and maximize tension to grow! Don’t worry, its easier than it sounds once you get it and this is completely taught in the Instructional Videos of MI40.

4) A calorie is a calorie (all calories are created equal)

Sounds like meathead math to me! Even when trying to get as big as possible, the WORST thing you can do is eat indiscriminately. This will set you up for insulin resistance and LESS muscle growth. I can’t believe all the kids
brainwashed into thinking pop tarts are okay!

5) I’m trying to work my “tie ins”

I still laugh when I read this. What the heck is a “tie in”? There is NO SUCH THING people. A muscle is a muscle, and its structure is what it is. Where two muscles tie together is simply where two muscles tie together. You CANT train that. You can certainly train a muscles ENTIRE length, but not the space between two muscles.

6) I’m training to stretch my fascia.

Ummm, FASCIA DOES NOT STRETCH! 100% proven fact that fascia has the tensile strength of STEEL. It may expand, much like muscle does when it gets warm, and become more pliable, but as soon as it cools its right back
to where it started. Fascia grows in much the same way muscle does. You may break fascial adhesions which gives the illusion of expansion or greater range (this is a great thing!) but unfortunately its not stretching to allow for
muscle growth peeps.  Volumize your muscle via training and fascia will see a need to adapt and expand or grow.

7) Narrow grip T-Bar rows work my inner back

A-mazing! NO-IT-DOES-NOT! Narrow grip on back simply impedes ranges and forces you to use greater internal rotation of the shoulder joint (rotator muscles).

8) I don’t want to “overtrain”

Listen, an hour or two 5 days a week IS NOT overtraining…EVER…PERIOD. Unless you don’t eat, and don’t sleep…in which case overtraining is the least of your worries.

9) Low intensity cardio is best for fat burning

Hopefully, by now, most of you know that this is a big load of BS and that low intensity cardio does in fact burn a greater percentage of overall fat WHILE doing the exercise but does NOTHING for your BMR aka calorie burning for the rest of the day.

10) Fasted cardio burns more fat

NOPE! Never been proven. Ever. In fact, it has been shown that cardio (or any exercise for that matter) done after consuming calories has a greater thermogenic effect. (more calories burned)

11) Preacher curls work my lower bicep

Oh boy! We’ve ALL done this at some point. Myself included. But thankfully I know better now. As much as it would nice to work my lower bicep or lengthen my bicep, preacher curls do not do this, and either do any exercises. They may overload the lower portion of the strength curve, thereby making you stronger in that part of the range giving you the misconception that youre lengthening your bicep. In reality, you’re just getting overall thickness to your bicep.

12) Close grip bench works my inner chest

Or ANY exercise for that matter…you CAN NOT work your “inner chest”. I actually had a fight with another pro about this. To improve development of your inner chest it is simply necessary to fully shorten your pec muscles. Much like a bicep curl “for peak” forces your muscle to be fully shortened and thereby grow upward, same idea for inner chest.

13) I must touch the floor on stiff leg deadlift for a full range and maximum stretch in my hammies.

Cool you can touch your toes. That doesn’t mean that youre getting a greater range in your hamstrings. It often means that youre achieving a greater range via putting your spine in a compromised position. Go only as far as your hamstrings flexibility will allow.

14) When you stop working out, does all that muscle turn to fat?

Clearly every bodybuilder that stops training will turn to a massive fat slob. All that muscle has to go somewhere right? Well, no. Fat and muscle are two completely different entities. Its like turning chicken breasts into donuts. Although it might be cool, I don’t see it being likely anytime soon unless you can track down Doc Brown and his flying Delorean.

15) Saturated fat is bad

Actually, saturated fat has never been shown to have any correlation with all the negative things the media might have you believe. Heart disease etc. When it does become bad is when its combined with sugars! Saturated fat on its own actually have many great positive benefits in the body. Hormone production etc.

16) Taking glutamine and Whey protein together is bad. They compete.

In fact they can help with increased protein synthesis when combined.In fact glutamine improves immune function and immune function is an indicator of strength.  Weak immune system = weak muscles.

17) I’m going to diet and lose bodyfat before I start weight training

Ok, maybe not said by a lot of bodybuilders, but I still here this idiocy all the time. Listen people, Weight training is THE best way to lose body fat and change composition. Vinny and I can take ANY physique to 10% body fat with weights and diet alone!

18) Can I get a lift off?

If somebody says this before they start, walk away! If you cant lift it on your own, you have no business lifting that weight. The only exception is some crappy old shoulder and incline presses that make you reach 4 feet behind your head to grab the bar. In such cases I remove #18

19) Creatine causes cramping and muscle tears.

Nothing even close to that has ever been shown, but the media loves to tell stories that sensationalize everything that they put out.

20) I just can’t build my triceps (insert YOUR lagging bodypart here).

YES you can. You just need to learn HOW to do things properly. They might never be the best in the world, but you can bring up any lagging bodypart to match the rest of your body with knowledge of proper execution.

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Interested in following Ben Pakulski’s complete 40 day muscle building system? You can read more over here:

==> http://www.MI40System.com

We have some EXCITING news for you today. Until TONIGHT at midnight, we’ll be GIVING AWAY at least  3 FREE  Phase 1 Packages because of how much we appreciate your interest and positive response gearing up for the reopening of the Hypertrophy M.A.X. Monthly Series on December 18th.

As you can see above, the ENTIRE Phase 1 Package  is valued at a legit $1,069.00 per month. Don’t worry, we won’t be charging $1,069.00 a month — not a chance.  

To enter to win the first monthly installment of the Pro-Created Hypertrophy M.A.X. Monthly Series we’re GIVING AWAY, simply reply in the comments section below this post (reply form is at the bottom of this page) with the following answer:

Tell us EXACTLY the dollar figure  of how much you would pay to get access to this entire Phase 1 Hardcopy Package come Tuesday.

Simple, fast and easy!

Based on everything we’ve shared this past week, simply tell us what this bad boy would be worth to you!

This contest is only open for 24 hours. If more than three people guess correctly, the first three correct submissions will win.

So hurry, and get your guess in right away and the winners will be announced over the weekend.

Good luck and have fun!

Vince Del Monte and Ben Pakulski

I have finally found a simple equation to help you calculate your 1 rep max (1RM) without having to put your anatomy and joints in danger. This equation was developed by researchers at the University of Mexico (albuquerque), to calculate your 1RM on the bench press with 99% accuracy.

All you need to know is your 5RM, which is the weight that you can lift for 5 total reps without any assistance from a spotter. A safe way to figure out your 5 RM is to do three warm up sets of 5 reps and increase your weight about 15-20% each set until you’re ready to do your 5RM at 95-100%. Here’s a gross example:

135 lbs for 5 reps – warm up at about 50% effort
160 lbs for 5 reps – warm up at about 70% effort
190 lbs for 5 reps – warm up at about 90% effort
200 lbs for 5 reps – 95% effort.  Consider this your 5RM.

Here’s the formula:

(5RM weight x 1.1307) + 0.6998

So if your 5RM is 200 lbs, the 1RM math will look like this:

(200 x 1.1307) + 0.6998 = 226

Your 1RM is  226 lbs.

Want to figure out your working weights at 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% or other percentages, just multiply 226 by 0.2, 0.4 or the percentage you wish to lift for that set.

This formula was conducted using the bench press but it should be fairly accurate for determining your 1RM in other big lifts too.

Post your 1RM for your bench press below!

Serious about packing on quality muscle size with just four 15-minute workouts a week? The 6-12-25 Workout is designed for individuals seeking maximal muscular development by trashing the Type 11b, Type 11a and Type 1 muscle fibers in one giant 43-rep set.

Warning: This is not for anyone with less than one year of consistent weight training experience. Nor is it for anyone not prepared to enter the hurt box, because this workout demands a high level of discomfort, focus and motivation.

The 6-12-25 method was introduced to me while attending Charle’s Poliquin’s 5-Day Hypertrophy Bootcamp, and I provided an extra tough twist to tailor it to any skinny hardgainer who wants to explode new muscle off his frame by exploiting the less-is-often-more training theory.

Today we’re going to share five rare muscle building tips for skinny guys who want to build muscle quickly and naturally.  The information below will require you to read with an open mind.

Muscle Building Tip #1 For Skinny Guys: Train on a stable surface 

Unstable surfaces are more neurologically challenging. Let’s compare a supine dumbbell chest press on a ball versus a dumbbell chest press on a bench.  During a supine dumbbell chest press on a ball, most skinny guys will barely be able to press 50 pounds a side and the unstable surface will result in firing the lateral stabilizer motor units you don’t need (to prevent you from flipping off the ball), so it reduces neural drive from the muscles you do need and are trying to improve (pecs, shoulder flexors and triceps).  Whenever the body recognizes an unstable foundation for force production, its force generating output is orchestrated (down-regulated) accordingly.  In short, overloading the muscle is required to stimulate new muscle growth so why limit the load? There’s no point!  And if you think you’re “core” is getting a workout, it’s not because those muscles are only acting as stabilizer. You’re not overloading your “core” muscles with sufficient stimulus so trying to build your chest up on a stability ball is a big waste of time.