Joe Weider, along with his brother Ben, are considered the founding fathers of bodybuilding.  Together they founded the International Federation of Bodybuilders and created competitions like the Mr Olympia, Ms. Olympia and Master’s Olympia.  He is the publisher of several bodybuilding and fitness-related magazines, most notably Muscle & Fitness, Flex, Men’s Fitness and Shape, and is the manufacturer of a line of fitness equipment and fitness supplements.  But perhaps the most important of his contributions to the health and fitness industry is his series of training methods collected over many years, which became widely known as the Weider Principles.

The Weider principles are more like  a guide than a system, assisting you in developing your own personal routine based on your own unique recuperative ability, experience, goals, strengths and weaknesses.  The Weider Principles are grouped into three distinct categories:

1. Planning Your Training Routine
2. Arranging Your Exercises In Each Workout
3. Helping You Perform Each Exercise

This group of principles grows as new training styles and methodologies are developed, but they all started with the concept of splitting your workouts to train specific body parts. The split system, double split system and triple split system, as they became known as, are Joe’s unique contribution to bodybuilding science.

Below is a list of all the principles for each category.  In the near future, we will dive deeper into each individual principle and discuss how it can be used to help you reach your goals. Until then, enjoy the building blocks of bodybuilding science.

WEIDER PRINCIPLES TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR TRAINING CYCLE

1. Cycle Training Principle (Dividing your training year into cycles for strength, mass or contest preparation)
2. Split System Training Principle (Diviving your workout week into upper versus lower body training)
3. Double or Triple Split Training Principle (Dividing your workout down into two or three training sessions per day)
4. Muscle Confusion Principle (Constantly varying exercises, sets, reps and weight to avoid muscle accommodation)
5. Progressive Overload Principle (Increasing any parameter of fitness to make your muscles work harder than they are accustomed to)
6. Holistic Training Principle (Using a variety of rep/set schemes, intensity and frequency to maximize muscle mass)
7. Eclectic Training Principle (Using your instincts to combine mass, strength or isolation-refinement training techniques in your workout)
8. Instinctive Training Principle (Constructing diets, routines, cycles, intensity levels, reps and sets that work best for them based on experience)

WEIDER PRINCIPLES TO HELP YOU ARRANGE YOUR WORKOUT

1. Set System Training Principle (Performing multiple sets for each exercise)
2. Superset Training Principle (Alternating opposing muscle group exercises with little rest between sets)
3. Compound Sets Training Principle (Alternating two exercises for one bodypart with little rest between sets)
4. Tri-Sets Training Principle (Doing 3 exercises for one muscle group with little rest between sets)
5. Giant Sets Training Principle (Doing 4-6 exercises for one muscle group with little rest between sets)
6. Staggered Sets Principle (Performing small muscle group exercises in between large muscle group exercises)
7. Rest-Pause Principle (Performing 2-3 reps of 85-90 percent of your max for 3-4 sets with little rest between sets
8. Muscle Priority Principle (Working weaker body parts first in any given workout, or working larger muscle groups first
9. Pre-Exhaustion Principle (Performing auxillary, isolation exercises for a muscle group before performing primary, compound exercises)
10. Pyramiding Training Principle (Gradually adding weight and reducing reps for each set of an exercise)
11. Descending Sets Principle (Reducing the weight for each set of an exercise while keeping reps range the same)

WEIDER PRINCIPLES TO HELP YOU PERFORM EACH EXERCISE

1. Isolation Principle (All muscles act as stabilizers, synergists, antagonist or protagonist. By making any given muscle the prime mover in any given exercise you’ve “isolated” it as much as possible, and therefore the stress applied to it)
2. Quality Training Principle (Gradually reducing the rest between sets while still maintaining or increasing the number of reps performed)
3. Cheating Training Principle (Using momentum to move the weight past the sticking point at the end of a set in order to add stress)
4. Continuous Tension Principle (Maintaining slow, continuous tension on muscles to maximize muscle fiber involvement)
5. Forced Reps Training Principle (Assisted reps at the end of a set)
6. Flushing Training Principle (Doing 3-4 exercises for a bodypart before moving to another bodypart)
7. Burns Training Principle (2-3 inch, quick movements at the end of a set)
8. Partial Reps Training Principle (Because of leverage changes throughout any given exercise, it’s sometimes helpful to do partial movements with varying weight in order to derive maximum overload stress for that bodypart)
9. Retro-Gravity Principle (“Negatives” or “eccentrics” as they’re called, make it possible to get more muscle cells to respond because you can lower about 30-40 percent more weight than you can successfully lift concentrically)
10. Peak Contraction Principle (Holding the weight through maximum contraction for a few seconds at the completion of a movement)
11. Superspeed Principle (Compensatory acceleration of movements to stimulate hard-to-reach fast twitch fibers)
12. Iso-Tension Principle (Method of practicing posing, tensing each muscle maximally for 6-10 seconds for up to a total of 30-44 flexes in a variety of posing positions)

Sometimes you just have to wonder what people are thinking. Can they possibly be this incoherent about etiquette or even basic courtesy?  Is a west coast lifting environment different from an east coast lifting environment? That is a question for another day, but for now I have some advice for some specific people who will remain nameless.

1. If you are done working out, get the hell out of the gym, or at least go hang out with your friends somewhere else.  If you are going to sit on a machine and hold court over your past week in high school, you’re wasting people’s time who have shit to do still.  You shouldnt have to be asked to move, be courteous and have some etiquette and move your crowd to somewhere where there isnt a possibility that people will need to get around, through or by you.
2. Don’t have your belongings on 6 pieces of equipment at one time when you are working out (or pretending to work out).  Use one machine and if you need to do more than one exercise, let other people work in while you are in between sets.  Don’t just disappear and then come back expecting to have all your stations still unused. Other people are trying to get done so they can get home and start recovery. 
3. Don’t do shrugs in front of the dumbbell racks, in fact, dont do any exercises on or even near the racks.  Get your weight and get the hell away from them. Other people need to use those dumbbels and dont need to dodge someone while returning 120s to the stack.  If the weight is that heavy that you cant walk with it, drop the weight and do the exercise right.
4. I dont care if you want to read a magazine, book or your email between sets, tis your progress that you’re affecting, but don’t do it on a machine that other people are waiting to use.  If your rest periods are 5+ minutes, then come to the gym at midnight, or dont use popular machines.  Save the reading for the cardio machines
5. Do not use a popular machine for some auxillary exercise when all other like machines are taken. For example, doing curls on a barbell bench press when all other benchs are taken.  Chest is a popular muscle group and barbell bench is the king of chest exercises, more than one person is bound to want to do that exercise on that station at one time.  Do curls with a free weight bar,  just becuase you are too lazy to bend over to pick up the bar, doesnt mean you need a station for it.

Thats all for now, I’m bound to have more later until the New Years Resolution crowd dissipates.

Although Training, Nutrition, Cardio and Supplementation should all be viewed as equally important in your transformation goals, I’d rather miss a workout than miss a meal. Timely nutrition is so important in keeping your body fueled and your calorie levels on track.  You won’t see regression from  missing a workout, although a solid workout schedule is necessary for making progress.  Sometimes you experience conflicts in your daily schedule that can’t be prevented.  In cases like this it is more beneficial to sacrifice you workout for the day and still get that meal in when its time.

Thanks to http://sirprofligacy.wordpress.com/  

A new segment for Mind-Muscle will be outlining some specialized meal plans that can help you with your transformation. This plan will put plenty of mass on your frame, but also some fat. The idea is to give your body more than enough calories to rebuild and transform.  You can always strip off the excess in the summer

• Diet Type – Bulking
• Workout Time – Late Afternoon/Night
• Number of meals – 8

Wake Up (7:00 am)

• 7 egg whites, 3 whole eggs
• 1 cup Oatmeal or 1 potato
• Large glass 2% or whole milk

Meal 2 (9:30 am)

• Whey Protein Shake
• 1 cup Oatmeal
• 2% or Whole Milk to mix

Meal 3 (12:00 pm)

• 1 Chicken Breast
• 4-6 oz Top Sirloin Steak
• 1 cup Brown Rice
• 1 cup Broccoli

Meal 4 (2:30 pm)

• 1 Chicken Breast
• 4-6 oz Top Sirloin Steak
• 1 cup Brown Rice
• 1 cup Broccoli

Meal 5 (5:00 pm, Preworkout)

• Whey Protein Shake
• 1 cup Oatmeal
• water to mix

Meal 6 (6:30 pm, immediately post workout)

• Whey Protein Shake
• 1 cup Oatmeal
• water to mix

Meal 7 (7:30 pm)

• 2 cans tuna
• 4 pieces wheat toast
• Mayo/Mustard to mix

Meal 8 (9:30 pm, before bed)

• Whey Protein Shake
• 1 cup Oatmeal
• 2 tbsp Peanut Butter
• 2% or Whole Milk to mix

Notes

• Use High Calorie Weight Gain Protein Powder for optimum gains
• Keep protein and carbs high, to manipulate calories, adjust fat content
• Adjust meal timing depending on when you wake up, go to bed and workout.  Always have your preworkout meal at least 45 minutes to one hour before working out so you arent full.  Post workout shake should be 15 minutes after weight training has commenced.
• Condiments can be added to increase taste or removed/substituted to increase cleanliness of meal plan and results

Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but not everybody wants to lift no heavy-ass weight.

-Ronnie Coleman

Down this road, in a gym far away,

A young man was heard to say,

“ No matter what I do, my legs won’t grow.”

He tried leg extensions, leg curls, and leg presses, too.

Trying to cheat, these sissy squats he’d do.

From the corner of the gym where the big men train,

Through a cloud of chalk and the midst of pain,

Where the noise is made with big Forty-Fives,

A deep voice bellowed as he wrapped his knees.

A very big man with legs like trees.

Laughing as he snatched another plate from the stack,

Chalking his hands and in a monstrous bark,

Said,”Boy, stop lying and don’t say you’ve forgotten,

The trouble with you is you ain’t been SQUATTIN’.”

—-DALE CLARK—

Everyone has a reason they eat and train like they do.  Going to the gym on a schedule or eating 6 times a day is not easy.  Here are the top 10 motivations people have for excelling in health and fitness:

1. Overall Health and Wellness – Maybe its high cholesterol or maybe you were a fat kid growing up.  People turn to health and fitness concepts to get better, get skinny or just get well. 
2. Preparing for a contest or sporting event – Being part of a team, or performing in individual sports allows people to succeed based on their own drive and dedication.  Training harder and eating better than your competition is how you win
3. To attract the opposite sex – Everybody knows that to stand out in a crowd, you have to different.  The ideal human image is that of greek gods and godesses in excellent health and fitness form.
4. Building self confidence – Overcoming obstacles and plateaus builds confidence.  Whether it is lifting a weight you have never lifted before or getting the date with the hot chick, confidence is seeing than achieving. 
5. Because someone said you couldnt do it – Naysayers are everywhere. Just because they dont have the drive and ambition to improve their life, mind and body, they prefer to talk-down anyone else following the straighter route.  Don’t listen to anyone that has anything unconstructive to say, instead use it as motivation
6. Stress Relief – Exercise has been shown to help improve stress-related health problems.  Just clearing your mind and exerting your body can do wonders for your helath in a high-stress environment
7. Bonding time with friends/family/spouse – Joining your family, friends and loved ones in physical activity is fun, creates bonds and is healthy for relationships.  Motivating each other helps everyone progress and reach their goals
8. Meeting people with similar interests – The gym is a great place to meet like-minded individuals who share common goals and ambitions.  Although it is against gym ettiquette to socialize while working out, talking with gym members after a workout can create new friends for life.
9. Burning off energy/getting active - People who are sedentary in their lives start to decline health wise quickly.  Get out of bed, go to work, come home, watch TV, go to bed.  There is no activity to burn off any energy stored up throughout the day, so that energy just starts to not show up anymore and than fatigue takes over. Exercising keeps energy high, although you are still burning energy, and makes you feel great
10. Its a new year and its time for a change – Although I dont believe in waiting a year or for a certain event to happen to start getting in shape, creating the mindset of transformation is a big part of the battle.  Getting in the schedule of eating right and working out is contagious and will benefit you in the long run.

When performing exercises on the cable & pulley station (also called selectorized weight station), it is important to note in your workout log which type of station was used for the exercise.  The reason is that some stations have more pulleys than others, hence making the exercise easier to perform. For instance, lat pull down stations only have one, maybe two pulleys at the top of the station.  The cable goes from the bar through the pulleys to the stack of weight.  On some adjustable height cable & pulley stations, there are 3 pulleys, to allow for the change in height.  When performing the same exercise on this station, the cable goes from the bar to a cable up top as well as another on the bottom and then to another pulley at the top, then to the weight stack. This allows you to pull from the top or bottom or the stack. Other stations have the cable go from top to bottom to top then to the weight.  This effectively makes the exercise easier because there is more slack to compensate for in the cable and more pulleys to pull the weight through. 

So you can do more weight with more pulleys. If you were to perform the same exercise with the same weight on the two pulley station, you could probably do 1/3 the weight of before.  That is why it is important to note which station you used when recording the weight.  This way you can seamlessly move to this station with out wasting reps and energy trying to find the proper weight with a different station.

1MR™ by BPI Sports stands for “1 More Rep”, so you know this is some kind of preworkout energizer.  But hold on,  BPI Sports describes it as “a big dose of energy, vascularity and strength” from an ultra-concentrated pre-workout formula.  Lets look further into this…

Contents

1MR™ contains an extremely concentrated dose of Central Nervous System Stimulants, Nitric Oxide Agonists and Muscle Building Agents measured to support a great athletic response — without unnecessary ingredients. 

Directions

Mix one serving of one of 1MR™ with 4-6 ounces of water.  

Bottom Line (from Bodybuilding.com)

• 1MR™ hits you fast.*
• 1MR™ is currently being used by pro athletes and everyday people everywhere.
• 1MR™ is mixed in a 4-6oz shot glass or cup.  No more having to down huge glasses of revolting crap.
• 1MR™ is designed to help you experience one of the best workouts of your life.  While other companies are busy force feeding bcaa’s down your throat, we are just telling you to buckle your seat belt.
• 1MR™ is an underground phenomenon.  We didn’t get here by tricking you into buying our product. 

Conclusion

If you are looking for a new way to add another dimension to your workout and you have or haven’t tried Pre-Workout N.O. Energizers, I would give 1MR™ a try.  It tastes great, provides energy almost immediately and lets you lift longer, stronger and harder.

As I sit in my chair writing this article, I feel like I am going to pass out.  I fear having to get up and walk somewhere.  I struggle to keep my eyes open and even form words that I am typing correctly.  It wasn’t this bad yesterday, I felt a general lack of energy in my legs, but nothing like the overall soreness felt whenever I have to depend on my legs for some type of movement. 

Tuesday was leg day.  Squats, Hack Squats, Leg Extensions, Leg Curls (standing and seated) and Calves (seated and standing).  Get in, move the weight and get out.  That is my goal.  Plus a little stationary bike at the end while I sip my shake to hopefully suspend some of the soreness that is inevitable.  Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) to be specific.  That is the stiffness, soreness, lack of flexibility, general overall worthlessness that you feel after a big day of lifting at the gym.  You can’t get up in the morning, you can’t move when you are up, you can’t bend down, you can’t sit down, and once you are – you don’t want to move. Getting up is the worst part, you feel like you are breaking two pieces of concrete, cemented in your legs, not meant to be straightened.  Once they are, you feel like you are carrying them around for the whole day.  This part of resistance training sucks, but it is so necessary.

DOMS is a symptom of ultrastructural disruptions of myofilaments as well as damage to the muscle’s connective tissue caused by eccentric exercise.  Delayed onset muscle soreness begins 8-24 hours after exercise, peaks 24-72 hours after exercise and subsides over the next 5-7 days.  Thats right, you can be sore for a week.  Then its time to do it all over again.  But count on the fact that you will come back stronger, bigger and more ready to handle more weight than before.  Thats the point of resistance exercise – to break down the muscles (hence generating DOMS) and then rebuild (with a solid diet, right?) the muscle bigger, faster and stronger. 

DOMS is just a necessary evil in the whole weight training game.  Consider it a badge of honor for a hard days work.  You see, the harder you lift, the more muscle fibers that are affected, hence the more muscle fibers that will be rebuilt more effectively, but of course, the more soreness.  You should learn to charish the soreness.  With legs its the worst because legs have more muscle fibers than any other muscle group and you depend on your legs for most of your daily activities. Upper body muscle groups still hurt, but most people will say the pain of DOMS for anything compared to legs is like being hit with a feather compared to a sledgehammer.  They will also say they havent trained hard unless they cant walk for 4 days.  DOMS is a type of measuring stick.  They more soreness that you experience and the more worthless you feel, the better the workout and the better the results.  Not being sore makes people feel like they wasted their opportunity at the gym for that day, and makes them come back that much harder for the next session.

So when you are sitting there in bed with the alarm clock blaring in your ear, take a deep breath and gather up all your energy to push your dead weight out of your previous comfortable position.  Stand up, limp over to a mirror and look at yourself with pride, knowing that you have shunned the path of least resistance and have taken one step further towards reaching your goals of your ideal self.