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Dear Sports Performance Bulletin Reader,
Building bigger muscles and gaining strength are prime reasons why people lift weights and go to the gym. However, very often trainers don't have the specific training knowledge they need to systematicallydevelop the body they would like.
So they spend weeks, even months, lifting weights - with little to show for all that serious effort.
Often, gym-goers aren't sure which is the right muscle fibre to target - and how to do so. Or they're not familiar with the various different weight training systems - and when it's best to use them. And crucially, even if they do have some of this information, they don't know how to blend together all the necessary training ingredients into a systematic and progressive programme that really works.
So they almost certainly wouldn't know how to harness the body'snatural daily hormone production - no supplements required here! - to boost their weight training efforts.
Yet this single training 'secret' can work wonders for your physique - and your muscular strength - if only it were more widely known. (And this is just one of the training 'tricks' we can show you...)
That's why I asked John Shepherd - a former UK international athlete and regular contributor to Peak Performance - to construct a 12-month muscle-building programme for our athletes to use.
You'll find all the information you need in our Peak Performance '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' to gain lasting muscle and strength - steadily, safely and without injury.
Just follow the detailed, month-by-month programme and in a year's time you'll have developed a bigger, stronger, symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing great body shape. Each month we take your strength and fitness one step further, mixing up the weight you lift and the exercises and weight training systems you use.
There's a specific training goal each month to keep you on track, and all the information you need to complete the workouts is provided in a preliminary table - not just detailed step-by-step instructions for all the lifts and exercises in the programme, but even the speed at which you should complete each lift (because how fast you lift or lower a weight can significantly affect muscle growth)..
Whether you're an athlete or a coach, you'll find the Peak Performance '12-Month Muscle Builder
Programme' maximises your understanding weight training and conditioning, so you can build all-round muscle and strength - whatever your particular event.
What sets our 12-month muscle building programme apart from the rest - including all the 'freebie' stuff you'll find on the internet? Simply this - our training advice is PROVEN to work, because it's based on the very latest sports scientific thinking.
Our track record of helping athletes achieve their best goes back over twenty years. Because since 1990 we've been taking the very latest sports science research, as soon as it is published in peer-reviewed academic journals, turning it into plain English, and sharing it with our many thousands ofPeak Performance members worldwide.
That's why you can be sure every word of the Peak Performance '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme'programme rests on a solid, proven scientific foundation - and that it's safe for you to use.
The programme carefully weaves together a number of advanced weight training strategies into aunique, 12-month programme which will give you muscle development that makes you the envy of your friends...
The Peak Performance '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' is available to you as an ebook, so you can start putting the ideas it contains into practice within just 24 hours. So why not order your copy right away.
As you're a subscriber to our weekly Sports Performance Bulletin, it's available to you at an exclusive,discount price - but for a LIMITED time only. (More details on how to get your copy below.)
Where else can you find such reliable, cutting-edge advice in one place - all of it based on the very latest sports science research?
Get your copy of the Peak Performance '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' TODAY, at our special, 42%-discount. What's more, you've got 30 days in the convenience of your own home or sports club to decide whether or not you want to keep the program or return it for a full refund.
Make sure you order your copy TODAY.
Yours sincerely,
Jonathan Pye
Publisher, Peak Performance
About the Author
You can be sure every page of the Peak Performance '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' is packed with high-level, practical information you can put to use right away because it's written by John Shepherd - a former international athlete who competed for Great Britain.
He is the author of 8 books, including '101 Athletic Drills for Young People' and 'The Complete Guide to Sports Training', and a long-standing contributor to Peak Performance.
John speaks from personal experience of elite level sports training and competition - he's no 'armchair expert'. Indeed, he coaches elite athletes across the UK - but right now you have the opportunity to access his expertise for afraction of what you'd pay for just one morning of coaching input from him.
Successful Muscle Building - What You Should KnowBefore You Start Training
It's not enough simply to hit the gym several times and week and start lifting weight. You need to know what to do, when - and, most importantly, why.
Too many weight trainers seem to think that enthusiasm alone will get them results, when what they need is a greater understanding of what really works... and what doesn't...
That' why we devote the first few sections of the '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' to giving you a concise, yet informative overview of the science behind gaining muscle and strength.
So you'll be able to train smarter, not just harder - and get the weight-training results you deserve.
Among the many issues we address: how to target the right muscle fibre to build strength and size; how to load the bar with the appropriate amount of weight to meet your objectives in any particular session; what you need to do to get your brain in 'synch' with your muscles (and boost your results accordingly!); even what speed to lift and lower the weight - a weight training 'trick' that can make a considerable difference to your performance on the day... and your subsequent muscle growth.
Our 12-month programme uses seven different weight-training systems - each of which is fully described in this section. We also explain the importance of combining cardiovascular training with your work in the weights room - but the RIGHT kind of cardiovascular work. (Again, this is an area in which there is a lot of misunderstanding in the typical weights room...)
NB: Because doing too much cardiovascular work can inhibit muscle growth, but too little can undermine the final result, you'll want to pay particular attention to this section. We tell you exactly which training exercises to do, and when - and what to avoid.
We also devote a full section to understanding the causes and cure of overtraining - and what steps you can take to avoid this problem in the first place. Because we all know how easy it is to get carried away with enthusiasm in the gym... only to be forced to lay off training for weeks, or even months owing to injury of one sort of another.
With the knowledge contained in our '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' you'll be better placed to avoid the curse of overtraining entirely.
Indeed, by the end of this section, you should have all the underlying knowledge about weight-training that you need to get the very best out of the exercise programme itself.
It's a veritable 'Master Class'!
How the '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme Works For You - Month by Month
Now let's get to the nitty-gritty.
The 12-month step-by-step training programme that contains everything you need to know to get the muscle strength and size you want - and without injury.
The previous section of our 12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' gave you the necessary understanding of how to get the best out of your time and effort in the gym. Now it's time to take a close look at each monthly routine.
Month 1: Pre-Training the Body
In the first month, the emphasis is very much on preparing your body for the months to follow. Each session is designed to increase your ability to lift and crucially strengthen soft tissue, so as to minimise injury risk. You'll see that a number of body weight exercises have been included - in line with the preparatory aim of this month, these are designed to develop preliminary strength and prepare you for the heavier work to follow.
There's also an emphasis on your core, with the plank, crunch and Swiss ball back extension exercises included in the workouts. This is because it's important to condition your back and abs (aka your core) against potential injury. The core functions a bit like a transmission between your legs and arms and a weakness in this area can affect your heavy weight training technically and as noted increase injury risk.
NB: Don't rush into going heavy, the programme is specifically designed to build muscle and strength progressively, and you want to make sure you don't do anything now that might lead to injury further down the line.
Month 2: Developing Familiarity with Heavier Weights
During this month the weights you lift get heavier, as the aim is to more fully prepare your muscles for the really heavy loadings to come, and at the same time increase your levels of cardiovascular fitness in order to improve recovery between workouts.
There is an increased emphasis on dumbbell exercises this month, to stimulate balanced body and strength development. You'll be lifting medium load weights to build a great foundation for when you begin to lift heavy next month. It's medium to heavy and heavy weights (over 70% of 1RM) that will create the specific conditions needed to promote muscle growth. Basically this hypertrophy is the result of the overloading of fast twitch muscle fibre and the breakdown of its proteins.
Remember: it's in the period when you are not training when these proteins replenish and muscles grow bigger and stronger - so it is important to stick to the programme and ensure you get optimum rest.
Month 3: Start Building Serious Muscle and Gain Greater Strength
The intensity increases dramatically this month. Unlike in the previous two there's an emphasis on working to failure. The last rep/reps must be performed with a degree of difficulty as you push your muscles beyond previous boundaries.
The simple-set system is still being used, as a gradual increase in intensity is the aim across the Peak Performance '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme'. This ensures you make steady progress from month to month - and reach your desired target in Month 12 without being forced onto the sidelines by injury along the way.
Month 4: Boost Muscle Building by Harnessing the 'Magic' of the Body's Natural, Anabolic, Hormonal Response
Simple-sets are still being used this month but the key difference is the increase in lifting speed as set out in the programme. This will alter the anabolic effects of the workout and boost your muscle building. It is for this reason that the more dynamic high pull exercise is included - pulling the bar from the floor to shoulder-height rapidly, as is required by this exercise, will create a very significant hormonal boost.
Despite the emphasis on speed, good form must still be maintained.
Month 5: Developing Real, Baseline Strength by Going Heavy
By now you will have developed familiarity with most of the key lifts that form the Peak Performance '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme'. Your body should be up to handling intense workouts - and starting to show the signs of increased proportion. We now progress to lifting heavy weights much more consistently - ones that will create difficulty completing on the fourth or fifth rep.
As with the power sessions in month 4 you must be 'in the zone' and fully focussed to complete these workouts. You need to be able to mentally fire up as many of fast twitch fibres as you can to get the most from your workouts.
This month also introduces the 'complementary' CV workouts which are more attuned to working your fast twitch muscles fibres so that they benefit your weight training and vice versa.
Month 6: To Maximise Muscle Growth by Stepping Up the Training Intensity
After 5 months training it's time to really start to trigger hypertrophy - a typical body builder's workout is therefore used this month. Make sure you keep to the number of reps and sets as stipulated in the programme - and also to the required rest intervals between lifts. And be warned! These sessions will be very taxing.
NB: If you feel more tired than normal and don't seem to be recovering as quickly as you should, then you could be suffering from over-training.
If you feel that this is the case then ease back and cut out a workout or two, or train really lightly - you could drop the weight and/or the number of sets. If you don't take 'evasive' action then you risk stunting your muscle growth and at worse injury and illness.
Month 7: Using Eccentric Muscle Strength to Provide a New Muscle 'Growth' Stimulus
This month is as intense as the previous one although it uses a totally different approach to muscle growth - so called 'negatives' or eccentric muscle training. You'll lift (the concentric contraction) to a 1 count and lower to a 5 count. Weights will be near to maximum and if you have a training partner super-heavy (above 100% of your concentric maximum) on selected lifts for the last set. Eccentric lifts specifically target your fast twitch muscle fibre and will give a further boost to your muscular growth and development.
Month 8: Major Growth Month - Using High Intensity Work to Stimulate Hormonal Response
This month we're back to going for a big 'pump', as the routines return to higher number of reps and sets at a medium weight, most completed at a lift speed of 1:1. In month 6 we progressed to 6 x 10 reps, now we progress to 8 x 10. After the previous month's negatives your muscles will be primed to lift heavier loads and this month capitalises on this ability. It's the month when you should experience significant size gains.
NB: It's a very demanding training period so watch out for signs of over-training.
Month 9: Emphasis on Muscular Endurance and Fat Burning
This month we want to develop greater muscular endurance and provide time for muscles (and mind) to recover and regenerate. You've completed three particularly intense months and now it's time to reduce the intensity slightly to speed up recovery and growth, before progressing to the final muscle building push. You'll be lifting light to medium weights over multiple simple sets with reasonable recoveries. Repetitions will be high. We do include a more intense workout a week, using a special weight training system designed to maintain your high-end strength.
The aim is to build up more endurance in your muscles, which will assist your lower rep, heavier work over the following months.
NB: It's often a lack of endurance, rather than strength that leads to failure at heavier weights and 'last few reps tail-off'.
Month 10: Another Key Muscle Growth Month
To keep your mind and muscles on their toes this month, we introduce another new system of training in the Peak Performance '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' - 'drop sets'. Four variants are included in the plan - simply alternate these, session by session, week by week. Drop sets are tough - you max out on every set in terms of repetitions, the only concession being that you use a lighter weight each time (where applicable). After a couple of workouts you'll soon get a feel of what weight to use and start with.
Month 11: 'Shock' Tactics to Maintain the Muscle Growth Process
As the Peak Performance '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' nears its conclusion we continue to build muscle with more muscle shock tactics - this time using the very demanding, pre-exhaust, post pump system. You perform an isolation (i.e. single joint) exercise and then follow up with a compound (multi-joint) exercise. This combination adds up to more muscle fibre recruitment, more hormonal stimulation and greater size, power and strength gains.
NB: To make the best muscle and strength gains, you must keep to the stipulated number of reps in the pre-exhaust set and post pump sets respectively - and maintain the required lifting speeds as set out in the programme.
Month 12: Add the Final Touches and Reveal the Sculpted Physique
You've reached the end of the Peak Performance '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' - well almost, so congratulations!
By now you should have packed on a substantial amount of lean muscle and will have developed a great physique. Month 12 is all about adding the final touches. You'll lift a combination of light to heavy weights, using high repetitions to pump, grow and tone. In terms of weight training systems a decreasing load pyramid is utilised.
The cardio workouts will contribute to your fat burning and remove that last layer of body fat to reveal a 'cover model' body.
And there you have it. All the weight training information you need to build significant all-round muscle and strength in the next 12 months.
Make sure 2012 is the year in which you make the gains you've always wanted. Get your copy of thePeak Performance '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' TODAY!
Details of your special discount offer
Because you're a registered member of our Peak Performance web site, you qualify for a copy of the'12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' at a special 42% discount.
Place your order today and you pay just $29.99 instead of the full price of $50.00.
You save 42%.
The '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' is the very latest in a series of exclusive, special reports fromPeak Performance, the sports science newsletter. This practical work book is not available elsewhere.
Order your copy today and receive the following additional benefits:
- A $20.00 saving: the special price of the '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' is a full US$20 less than the official cover price. You pay just $29.99, instead of the normal price of $50.00.
- Our Unconditional Money-back Guarantee: if, for any reason, you decide the '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' doesn't deliver what we promise, just let us know. We'll refund your money in full, immediately and without question.
To order your copy, simply go to our secure site, which is administered and guaranteed by Worldpay, and enter your details.
Please note: you have received this special offer through your subscription to our weekly email newsletter. To receive the Peak Performance '12-Month Muscle Builder Programme' at the discounted rate of $29.99, please apply within the next 24 hours by clicking on any one of the links in this message.
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