Lose The Over Weight

Question: Jason, your transformation was pretty incredible going from 147 lbs to 231 lbs. How much trial and error did you think you went through training wise until you found what really worked?

Answer: Oh man, I can’t even begin to tell you. I tried so many different methods and systems it was unbelievable. I actually started out as a beginner on a six day a week high volume body part split. This was back in the 80’s so I think I was just looking in the magazines at whatever Shawn Ray or Aaron Baker or Gary Strydom were doing and just copy it exactly. Obviously that didn’t work out too well.

I entered high school weighing less than 100 pounds and after four years of training my ass off and growing almost a foot taller, I only weighed 147 pounds at graduation. So obviously, all my experimentation during high school didn’t work out to well either.

During those four years I was still doing whatever I could find in the magazines and even ordered some courses like Cybergenics and some other stuff that was popular at the time. I think the first training books I had were the Arnold Encyclopedia and one of Dr. Hatfields. I tried everything I read in both of those.

My experimentation during college was quite extensive and quite varied. I finally stumbled upon the HIT movement and Mike Mentzer and Arthur Jones. It was like a beacon of light and I adopted that training philosophy immediately. And for the first time I started to really grow, which isn’t shocking since I was so grossly overtrained. But as anyone who has had a similar experience can tell you, those gains don’t last too long either.

I could be here all day telling you about all the crazy stuff I did but I think it’s pretty safe to say that I was in the game and wasted an inordinate amount of time and money for a good ten years before I really figured out what really worked.

Question: It is one thing to find something that works for you personally but you routinely pack 20lbs of muscle on the frames of your clients in spans of only 3 months. How do you get results like when other people seemingly struggle endlessly to get bigger?

Answer: At this point I have been training people for 14 years. During ten of those years I worked with clients for an average of ten hours per day; and twelve hours per day every summer. Now since I was always a C math student I can’t tell you how many hours that is right off the top of my head but, take it from me, it’s a friggin lot.

When you have that much experience doing anything you are bound to become somewhat proficient at it and just develop a knack for it and for reading people and recognizing commonalities.

Most people are making the same mistakes in their training and nutrition and some even have a faulty belief system that is holding them back. I address each of these issues and we’re off and running.

Training is not rocket science not matter how many people try to turn it into that. But figuring it all out isn’t simple either.

Question: Everyone nowadays is always worried about getting fat when “bulking up” what are some strategies that you use to ensure that you put on more muscle than fat? Or do you even care?

Answer: Well, first of all, a lot of people that worry about that have a fear that is completely unfounded. If you are an athlete, under twenty years old or both, this is not that great of a concern unless you are eating deep fried chocolate donuts and dipping them in butter six times a day.

I have worked with plenty of guys who could eat whatever they wanted to and could still stay lean. In that case you have no excuse for not being able to pack on twenty pounds in a couple months.

If you have trouble staying lean there are a few adjustments you need to make. First off, you need to make smarter food choices. Eat lean proteins like chicken, fish, eggs, lean red meat and cottage cheese instead of burgers, hot dogs and pork chops. Next, be sure to keep your carb sources clean as well. This means fruits and veggies are at the top of the list followed by oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, and sweet potatoes. By now everyone knows the benefits of eating good fats like fish oil so I won’t bore people to death with that.

If just eating clean is not enough then we move onto more advanced strategies like carb cycling and calorie cycling. This takes some time to explain but to make it really simple for everyone, you should eat more calories and carbs on training days than you do on non training days. Bottom line. Training days are higher calorie days, off days are lower calorie days; pretty simple. Of course it’s more complicated than that but that’s the gist of it.

Question: What are the biggest mistakes you see people make when trying to pack on muscle? Is it usually related to nutrition or training?

Answer: It’s hard to say if it’s one or the other because they do go hand in hand. But if I had to pick I would say it’s gotta be training. It doesn’t matter how great your diet is, if your training sucks, you’re not gonna make progress.

But, you know what, I’m not even going to cover the training mistakes that people make because looking at that is missing the bigger picture. You know what the biggest mistake people make really is? The one thing that everyone seems to do these days, especially with all of the conflicting information that is out there?

It is a lack of consistency and a lack of belief in what you are doing. There is so much information out there these days that people don’t know who or what to believe. And because of this they are confused. They are constantly reading something different and always in search of the next best thing. They do a workout for a week or two and then read so and so’s new article about changing your tempo every rep or some brand new way to fire up the CNS or some nonsense and they try that system. A week or two later they decide that is not working so they switch to something else. And so on and so on.

If you are always changing programs and training philosophies how can you ever make progress? You can’t; it’s that simple. If you don’t believe in what you are doing you will never, ever be successful. That is a universal principle that applies to everything in life. It has to apply to your training if you ever want to make real progress. You can use the crappiest training program in the world but if you are consistent, have the balls to train the way you really should and really and truly believe in what you are doing, you will get results.

Pick a training program, system or philosophy and stick with it; believe in what you are doing and train your ass off. You can’t fail if you do that.

Question: Okay so tell us a little about muscle Gaining Secrets. What makes this stand out from other products?

Answer: Well, first of all I tried to make it more of an entertaining read than a lot of the stuff out there so I included a lot of stories and personal anecdotes that people could relate to. The topics of sets and reps and proteins and carbs can be kind of boring so I try to spice it up a little bit.

Aside from that, I have tried to make it as simple to understand as possible while still including information that will help anyone from a raw beginner to an advanced lifter. I have had guys who have trained for over twenty years tell me that they learned quite a bit from reading muscle Gaining Secrets, which makes me very happy to hear. If I can do that while not alienating beginners, then I know I achieved the goal I set out to accomplish.

I have included some unique methods of periodization which have rarely been covered. I detail every single mistake that people make in their training and show how these can be avoided. And of course, a book from me wouldn’t be complete without getting politically incorrect and calling bullshit where I see it. I definitely expose a lot of the gimmicks and nonsense that is out there and do my best to help people save time and money and avoid making all the same mistakes that I did.

Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He is the head training adviser for Men’s fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more great muscle building information, please visit:

This week I’m very excited, because I’ve just discovered a new informative resource about bodybuilding. Usually I read only medical studies and scientific books at my local library. I do NOT buy bodybuilding magazines because those magazines are full of crappy information, nutritional supplements ads and fallacies. This the the main problem of most bodybuilding magazines and internet websites. They only tell you half truths and half truths are probably the worst of the lies, because they are credible unless you analyze them deeply.

This is the reason I’m very excited this week. I’ve just found a small blog written by the top competitors coach: “Doc” Frank. He writes about his personal view of bodybuilding. It does not contain crappy information, only true sound strategies you can immediately use. Besides there is not any kind of advertising in his blog.

If you want to get a higher bodybuilding level just go to:

The 20 rep squat - does it work?

If you’re bored of your normal run of the mill training programme, here’s a new one to shake up your training and kick start your muscle growth into a new phase. Some of you may have heard of the 20-rep squat program at some point along your training life, if not, it’s an old-school approach to putting on size that was common a few decades ago when men were men and drugs were unavailable. You do one set of 20 reps of the squat, plus a few other exercises.

Every successive training session you add 5-10 lbs to your squat weight. It has been touted as one of the most effective programs ever designed for adding muscular size and strength in a short period of time, and with good reason; it works!

High rep squats work wonders for building muscular bulk and strength, not just for the legs, but for the entire body. The program is ridiculously simple to follow, brutally hard to do, and extremely productive. It’s so productive, in fact, that I have never ever heard of anyone who did a version of this program correctly and didn’t gain muscle size and strength.

Whenever I have a client who wants to get big in as little time as possible, this is where we begin. I am going to outline a 6 week program that has put slabs of muscle on everyone who has ever followed it. It is time to stop living in Tiny Town. This is your ticket to Hugeville.

Get into the right Mental focus

Before discussing the actual program, you must understand the psychology of 20-rep squatting. You can’t just go to the gym, put some plates on the bar, start squatting and hope for the best. This program is as much about focus and mental toughness as it is physical exercise, probably more.

You have to be mentally prepared or you will not make it. Pain and fear will be there with you, tempting you to stop, telling you to give up. Your body will be screaming for you to listen to them, and the little voice in your head will be begging you to do cease and desist. Tell them to shut up. You’ve got some growing to do!

Squatting a heavy weight for 20 reps will not feel natural for your body. It will hurt. You will feel dizzy and light-headed. You will probably want to vomit. Go ahead. Your body may decide to completely shut down and leave you in the bottom of a squat, unable to rise. Obviously, safety is of primary concern.

DO NOT attempt a 20 rep squat program without a power rack, safety pins or a spotter. Being stuck under a heavy barbell in the bottom of a squat with no place to go while you are gasping for air is not a good scenario.

The Training Program

Let’s jump right into it. The heart and soul of this program is the barbell squat, done for 20 reps. Please notice I didn’t say the “Smith machine squat,” or any other machine squat, for that matter. There are tons of gimmicky machines that promise to deliver a “safer” squat.

You’ll be plenty safe as long as you are in a power cage or have sturdy safety pins for your squat rack or a trusty strong spotter. Moreover, your technique will always be your greatest safety. Before I proof this section, it’s important that you note whether this is an Olympic squat or a powerlifting squat; the techniques will be entirely different.

I tend to favor a more powerlifting-based approach in squat technique because it suits my body type. If you are unsure of your technique, find an experienced powerlifter (preferably one who has competed) and ask him to teach you the proper form.

Proper form is vital:

A straight (not to be confused with upright) back is core to a good squat. Keep a fairly close grip on the bar and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Push up on the bar slightly as if you were going to do a behind-the-neck press. Do this before you ever lift the bar clear of the pins. The purpose of this is two-fold: it will create a “shelf” just below the traps for the bar to rest on and the tension in the shoulders and upper back will stimulate the upper body while keeping it rigid and safe.

The feet should turn out slightly for most people and the knees should track over the toes. Do not allow the knees to buckle in at any time. If they do, you will die.

Your gaze should be forward or slightly upward. Looking down will round your back and compromise your structure. This increases the chance of injury. Your body tends to follow your head. Rolling a bar over the back of your head in the middle of a squat set does not make for productive training. Keep the abdomen tight and keep the anus contracted, especially in the bottom position. It sounds strange, I know, but there are horror stories throughout the iron community about people who neglected this important point. Load the bar, get under it, tense up, and lift it clear of the pins. Step back, take a deep breath and begin. Squat all the way down, at least to parallel. Come back up, take a few deep breaths, and squat again. The further you get into the set, the more of an issue breath becomes.

In fact, old-timers sometimes called them “breathing squats”. By the time you get to the last few agonizing reps, you will be doing more breathing than squatting. One of the reasons so much growth is stimulated on this program is that the muscles of the upper body are constantly working to support the weight and to fill the lungs with air. Take as many deep breaths as necessary between reps. You must keep complete focus throughout the entire set. Convince yourself before you even get under the bar that you WILL NOT quit. The only reason to stop short of 20 reps is going into the hole and being physically unable to stand back up. It is going to happen at some point; you will get into the bottom position and your legs will simply stop working. That’s okay; next time you simply load the bar to the same weight and attack it again.

The length of the cycle is six weeks. This is a good amount of time for building size and strength without going into overtraining and burnout. Longer than six weeks usually amounts to diminishing returns. The standard protocol in the beginning is to train three times per week on non-consecutive days.

For example, the classic Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule works perfectly. If you are not recovering well, you may train twice per week. The first time I tried this routine, I did well with MWF. A few months later, after I had done a couple of 20-rep cycles, I had great results training only on Tuesday and Friday. By this time, I had learned to focus better and was using fairly heavy weights, so the extra recovery was more warranted and well appreciated for me.

I have heard many different ideas concerning weight selection, and I believe that it is good to begin with the end in mind, especially for a first-timer on this program. Most people can reasonably expect to be squatting their 5-rep max (5RM) for 20 by the 6-week mark. To determine your starting weight, take your current 5RM and subtract 5 lbs for each scheduled workout. So, if your current 5RM is 315 lbs and you are planning to train three times per week for 6 weeks (18 workouts), you should begin with 225 lbs, as 18 workouts x 5lbs per workout = 90lbs. Subtract 90 from 315 and you get 225. Simple enough.

After your squats, do a light set of pullovers for about 20-25 reps. I recommend using a 25lb plate and doing them across a bench, but you can use a dumbbell if you like. Think of this as a recovery aid more than an exercise. Stick with the same light weight for the duration of the cycle. Other exercises are added based on your recovery ability. You should include at least one pressing movement and a pulling movement but you can add more if you feel like you can adequately recovery from the additional volume. Listen to your body; if it gets to be too much, you can always drop a set or two later.

A sample program for someone with good recovery ability might look like this:

Squat: 1×20
Pullovers : 1×20
Deadlift: 1×15
Bench Press: 2-3 x 10
Seated row: 2-3×15
Shoulder press : 2-3 x 12

I personally am not a fan of single-joint movements such as curls and calf raises in spite of the fact that they show up in most of the “classic” 20-rep squatting programs. I believe that you get enough stimulation through the compound exercises listed. If your ego simple can’t get by without doing a set or two of curls, add them at the end. For those who tend to recovery poorly, here is a more abbreviated program that has worked for everyone with whom I have ever used it:

An abreviated program, for those that need more recovery:

Squat: 1×20
Pullovers: 1×20
Deadlift: 1×15
Parallel Dip: 2×10
Seated row: 2×10

Notice the squats are first here. This is to get the most painful part out of the way early. Rest as long as you need to between sets. You may substitute chins for the rows and bench presses for the dips. Stay away from the pulldown machine and the pec dec; just imagine that you are in a time when such things didn’t exist! If you choose to do dips or chins, add weight as soon as you are strong enough to do so.

After six weeks of this, switch to something else. The classic 5×5 routine is a good choice, as is a more conventional bodybuilding routine. Wait at least six weeks before giving the 20-rep squats another go-round.

Recommended nutritional requirements

To get big, you must eat big. Meat, cheese, fruits, and vegetables are in order. Even though you are purposely consuming lots of calories, don’t fill up on bad calories, such as; pizza, donuts, cookies, crisps, etc… You need quality in your calories as well as quantity. The nutritional “secret weapon” of the original program was milk, but now that has been replaced by whey protein. Milk was a huge component of the original 20-rep programs years ago - so big a component, in fact, that it was sometimes called the “Squats and Milk Program.” It worked then, but today you can expect even better results with whey protien, which has even better research than the casein found in milk. For maximum results on this type of protein expect to consumer at least 2lbs per kilo, ie: an 80kg male would need 160gm of protein per day on a bulking cycle from food and protein powders combined. Stick to quality whey proteins with low lactose levels to ensure you keep good digestion and wind free.

Typical menu:

Here is an example of a typical day’s eating for this program back in the day:

Breakfast
3-4 eggs with cheese
2 slices of toast
1 glass of milk or whey protein shake

AM Snack
whey protein powder or weight gainer (depends on calorie requirements)

Lunch
Sandwich (i.e. meat, cheese, tuna, etc.)
Fruit
Salad
1 glass of milk or whey protein shake

Afternoon Snack
Piece of fruit
1 glass of milk or whey protein shake.

Dinner
Steak, chicken, or fish
Pasta, rice, or potatoes
Steamed veggies
Salad

PM Snack
whey protein shake mixed with milk (to slow digestion)

This is just a suggestion. Customize your food intake to suit your personal tastes, but make sure you eat plenty of food, keep protein intake high and eat often, at least every 2-3 hours to prevent hunger and your body from losing its positive nitrogen balance and slipping into a catabolic state. Drink plenty of water throughout the day as well. To make the old-school approach a little more modern, add a good EFA supplements to insure that you are getting enough healthy fat.

This is a good program for loading up on Creatine too. Take care not to eat for at least an 1.5 hours before your workout to minimize being sick in the gym; most gym owner’s frown on such things.

I strongly recommend taking a good Creatine suppplement.

What to do when you’re not in the Gym

On days when you are not in the gym, doing some active recovery such as walking or swimming, as doing so will help reduce soreness and flush the lactic acid out of the body. Daily stretching and if you can afford it or get a free one at home, a sports massage every week or two will also help in recovery. Strenuous activity such as intense cardio or hard sports should be avoided since you want all available energy and recovery to go into building muscle. Get lots of sleep: 8-9 hours per night and sneak a nap in whenever you can, this will keep natural testosterone and growth hormone levels high, which will increase muscle growth.

If you follow the guidelines I have set forth for you, you can realistically expect to gain 10 to 15lbs in the next six weeks, although lots of people will gain even more than that. Either way start saving up for new clothes, because by the end of the program, you will need them.