Hello Six Pack Abs - My Body Transformation

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Transform your body in 6 weeks?

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:34:00 -0700

At long last I put my first 6 weeks progress photos together and wrote a review of my training system. Check it out and see how I transformed my body in 6 weeks No-Nonsense Muscle building. I build quite a few muscles. You can also see PROOF of how I tested out Truth About Sixpack Abs for 6 weeks and lost my stubborn stomach fat. Some pretty cool before and after photos. You can also get $500 worth of FREE health, fitness, muscle building, weight loss and six pack abs guides and videos through any of those links.

End of my First 12 Weeks of my Body Transformation

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Wed, 8 Jul 2009 03:46:00 -0700

This week was the end of Week 12 of my muscle building body transformation while on the No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program. I am by no means finished with this body transformation, but being finished with the first 12 weeks, means that I am not a complete newbie to muscle building and weights training anymore, and that is definately a good thing.

So where's the After photos? I am going to take them soon as I have time and put them on the blog, so look out for that. I made some pretty good progress even though I couldn't really hold out with my diet, cheating a lot and stuff, hehe. I also got a bit lazy the last few weeks, when it was so hot here in London. The airconditioning at our gym really sucks bad, so that didn't help a lot for the motivation.

Where to from here? I am going to change my workout split and routine this week and start with some fresh exercises next week to keep the body guessing. This way I will get more muscle growth.

Keep tuned for the after pictures coming up!

Body Transformation Week 11 Update!! 1 More week to go!!

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:21:00 -0700

Week 12 of my Body Transformation has almost arrived and not a moment too soon I think. While I have made great gains, I was really starting to slack these last few weeks. Only working out every second day and really cheating a lot with my food. But After next week, when I finish putting up my after pictures so you can see my great abs. (or lack of them), I am going to start a revamp my diet, and start a new workout routine to keep everything fresh.

While my muscle definitions has really gotten better, I didn't pick up a lot of weight, and didn't lose so much fat either. I am sure when I restart my muscle building program that I will see even more gains. Patience is the key, I guess.

So please watch out for my next post, because that will be the one where I grunt and groan and show my muscles and then it's up to you guys to decide if my hard work paid off and how much it did. Until next time then...

My Biceps Exercise videos

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:46:00 -0700

I am currently in the process of making exercise videos. I am filming how to do all the different exercises to workout all main muscles. With the video I also give an overview of the exercise, steps how to do it correctly, helpful hints and tips and also some warnings. It's still a work in progress, but I decided to post a few so that I could get some feedback on them.

Here is a link where I do concentration curls for biceps. There are also other videos for biceps, like the video of me doing Standing dumbbell Curls. And then also my favorite exercise, Hammer Curls, which hits your forearms pretty hard too.

There are also some other exercise videos if you want to have a look.

Would appreciate all feedback. Thanks a lot.

Progress - Week 9 of my Body Transformation

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Mon, 8 Jun 2009 08:48:00 -0700

My Muscle Building and Weight Loss Body Transformation is going pretty well. Week 9 has just started and can really see the difference in the mirror every week. Where I started by bench pressing 40 kg, I am now bench pressing 60kg. I started my dumbbell curls with 10 kg and now I do my sets with 15 kg dumbbells. My Triceps exercises went from a 6kg weight that I use to 10kg weights. Where I started with 50kg quads press, I now work it at 80kg. Overall, I see more than 35% increase in strength! If haven't seen my before and after photos at week 6, you should take a look at it. And it is all thanks to the super cool Muscle Building Program that I am using.

I do a lot of my exercises right here at home. Going to an expensive gym is not needed anymore, you can buy all your basic exercise equipment for pretty cheap. I came across HelloSixPackAbs's Amazon Store, where you can get great deals on all exercise and fitness equipment and supplements. You should definately check it out if you are interested in working out at home.

So what else have I been up to? I have started to make exercise videos of all the exercises that you can do at home and are starting to upload them with full instructions and tips on my website, Hellosixpackabs.com. I will also upload more after photos of me in a week or 2's time. If you want any additional advice or if you want to give me some feedback feel free to comment.

My Muscle Building Before and After Photos (Week 6))

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:45:00 -0700

The end of Week 6 of my Muscle Building and Fat Loss Body Transformation has arrived and as promised I took some photos! Since the start of my body transformation I have gained about 3 kg. I had a problem with the scale in the beginning so I am not sure if my starting weight was right. Although I cheated a lot with my eating, (eating far too fatty foods during lunch and also not enough protein, because I work away from home) I stand by my motto which is that the mirror doesn't lie. I still have tons of work left, but I can definately see some overall improvement in my body.

Well, here are my muscle building before and after photos:

Week 1 -----------------------------------> Week 6

And no muscle building before and after photo post would be complete without some posing and muscle flexing photos, so here are some of my shots, hehe. You can also see workout videos of mine. See my Dumbbell Curls Video for instance.

Well, like you can see, still a far way to go. Normal body transformation competitions usually give you 12 weeks to transform, so according to that standard, I am halfway through. I will upload muscle building before and after photos again soon after 3 weeks. Until then, see you around, and please feel free to leave any comments or advice that you can give. You can also see my workout routines and exercises with videos at hellosixpackabs.com.

Previous before and after photos:

1. Week 1 Before photos

2. Week 3 Before and After Photos

How to Barbell Bench Press 100 kg (Chest Muscles)

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:57:00 -0700

This exercise video is of my friend Os (means Ox in Afrikaans language), and Konstant training in the backyard. They are also following the same workout program that they got from Hello Six Pack Abs. Os is barbell bench pressing 100 kg in this video clip. He just started to workout a few weeks ago, but is naturally strong so he is already using the big weights.

To barbell bench press is one of the favorite chest exercises for bodybuilders. Chest muscles are one of the great show muscles that girls go crazy for. It's also a pretty easy exercise to do, but like all exercises the important thing is to do bench pressing with the correct form.

Chest muscles are also one of the muscles that develops the fastest, so get going and start working those pecs.

This is almost the end of week 5 of my body transformation so I will post pictures again next week. I gained another half a kg and can really see how the working out is working for me.

Keep training!

Body Transformation Week 5 Update and Workout Split Change

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:07:00 -0700

Week 5 of my muscle building body transformation and I am still going strong. Or am I? I decided to make some tweaks to my current workout split and get a more effective workout routine. I also changed my diet to get more muscle gain.

My new workout split:
I got my new workout routine from a list of best workout routines. With my new workout routine, I don't over train my triceps and biceps anymore. I do my triceps with my chest and do my biceps with my back and lats. I also moved legs to a totally new Day 4. I also use this day for additional cardiovascular training. After day 4, I take a day rest and then start with day 1 again. I will continue with this routine for at least 4 weeks.

Day 1:
- 7 Minute warm-up
- Chest: 3 Exercises - 3 Sets - 8-12 reps
- Triceps: 3 Exercises - 3 Sets - 8-10 reps

Day 2:
- 7 Minute warm-up
- Shoulders/traps: 4 Exercises - 3 Sets - 8-12 reps
- Abs/Core: 4 Exercises - 3 Sets - 12-15 reps

Day 3:
- 7 Minute warm-up
- Back/Lats: 4 Exercises - 3 Sets - 8-12 reps
- Biceps/forearms: 4 Exercises - 3 Sets - 8-10 reps

Day 4:
- 15 Minutes Interval treadmill training
- Legs: Leg press 4 x 10, quads 4x10, hams 4x10, calves 4x10

How did I change my diet?
As you know I make use of the awesome fat loss guide, Fat Loss 4 Idiots, for my eating needs. I have picked up lean muscle and lowered my fat percentage, but I decided I am going to concentrate more on bulking now, so I am going to increase my food intake. I am taking an additional protein shake per day. I also try to take in more meats and I realized that I am not taking in enough carbs, so I upped my carbs intake, but still try to use only brown carbs and vegetables. Hope this will speed up my muscle gain.

I hope these changes will help, if you have any comments or advice on these I would appreciate it a lot!

Articles you may also like:

1. Before Photos and Week 1 of my Body Transformation

2. Photos and Progress report after Week 3 of my Body Transformation

3. Full Workout Routines and advice for Muscle Building

4. Best Exercises for Chest Muscles

Workout on Caffeine? Good for you?

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:05:00 -0700

New studies show that consuming caffeine (Get Prolab Caffeinefrom Amazon) before a workout increases your endurance and it also delays fatigue. Having a few cups of coffee after an intense workout has also been proved to reduce muscle stiffness and soreness. And me being on full steam with my body transformation workout program decided to put these studies to the test...

First a few facts about caffeine use for workouts and exercise:

Delays fatigue
Slows the breakdown of muscle glycogen, which means your body has more fuel to keep going
Enhances endurance
Keeps you more alert
Can reduce muscle pain during exercise
May lower perceived exertion, making exercise feel more comfortable

Unfortunately caffeine is also a stimulant which means that it could have some side effects:

Increased urination
Stomach upset
Trembling or shaking
Trouble sleeping
Increased anxiety
Headaches
Nausea

Right, so it Day 4 (week 5) of my workout split (that I got from Workout Routines at hellosixpackabs.com), so today I was doing only legs and decided I am going to consume a lot of caffeine (+- 4 cups of coffee) before I go workout and that I am also going to do some heavy cardio to see if the caffeine will increase my endurance for the cardio (running) and leg exercises (hamstrings, calves, upper legs, squad machine).

After I downed my huge cup of coffee, containing 4 teaspoons of concentrated coffee and honey, I could feel my heart rate go up, muscles starting to tremble and I started to talk a lot. (My girlfriend wasn't impressed) I knew that my ultimate caffeine rush has started, and off I went to the gym.

Full of energy and ready for anything I started on the treadmill. Usually I run on speed 10 for about 3 km, before my legs start hurting and my lungs start aching, but today, I started off at 10.5, and soon upped the speed of the treadmill to 12, (caffeine obviously working) running and maintaining my speed for 2 km, and whereas I would normally be too tired to go on, I still had a lot of energy left. I increased the gradient to 3%, setting my speed to 11, running uphill for more than a km. After this I was sweating like a pig, but still had energy left for the rest of my workout, whereas normally I would be pooped by this time.

Already realizing that a workout on caffeine works, I set off to the weights and machines section of the gym, having a 3 minute rest in between, and started with my leg workout. I did 3 sets of leg presses, 10 reps each. After that I moved on to the hamstrings machine, doing 5 sets of 10 reps each. I do all my exercises at about 80% of my max lift. Then I did the quads machine, 4 sets of 9 reps, followed by some quick super sets on the ass machine and inner thighs machine, 3 sets of 15 reps each. Finally I ended off with some calves exercises on the stair master machine, running flat out on my toes for a quick calves burn. It felt really good and I stumbled out of the gym on my way home, really feeling my legs aching all over, my legs total jelly. (Guess my caffeine level downed after the workout, hehe)

The verdict?
I could do all the exercises I usually do on a normal day and do them more intense. I ran faster, I increased the incline of the treadmill, still having enough energy after wards to give a hard workout at the weights and leg machines section. Even after a heavy leg cardio session, I increased my leg lifts by 3 kg and added a few additional sets, that I don't usually do. So, yes, I think workout on caffeine definately DOES work. It increased my endurance and speed and intensity of my workout.

Negative effects of taking caffeine? [added next day]
My muscles doesn't seem more stiff than usual. Surprisingly good actually. I did however struggle to sleep. Don't know if it could be related to the workout with the caffeine. I did take 4 coffees, so maybe that could still be in my system 3 hours later. Didn't feel any nausea or any of the other effects mentioned.

Will I go workout on caffeine again?
I will try this again, for sure, it definately worked. Caffeine rushes are awesome for exercise! I am sure it isn't very good if you take in too much caffeine at a time, so next time I will just lower my caffeine dosage, or get some real caffeine capsules like Prolab Caffeinefrom Amazon.com.

You can check out some good workout routines that I posted in a previous post, if you don't know what workout routine to do. As I have mentioned before I use a very good workout program from renowned bodybuilder Vince DelMonte. So far I have been having really good gains and I can really recommend it. It is called No-Nonsense Muscle Building and you can also read a review of this muscle building program if you want to make sure if this program is the right one for you.

Articles you may also like:

1. Before Photos and Week 1 of my Body Transformation

2. Photos and Progress report after Week 3 of my Body Transformation

3. Full Workout Routines and advice for Muscle Building

4. Best Exercises for Chest Muscles

Full Workout Routines and Advice for Bodybuilding

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Thu, 7 May 2009 12:14:00 -0700

Workout routines and workout splits are quite the science these days, but what is right for some isn't always right for you. People have different amounts of times/days that they can train, different kinds of gyms or equipment or different goals or motivations. Here is a layout of a bunch of workout routines and splits that have been proved to work well for beginners and pros alike. At this stage I use the first one, very basic. Choose the right one for you and stick with it until you don't get good gains anymore, before you try something else. Alternatively, if you want to invest in a complete muscle building program that has been proven to get you big fast, definately check out Vince DelMonte's No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program. You are getting you money back if it doesn't help you to get really big fast. You can also Read a Full Review of No-Nonsense Muscle Building and decide if it is right for you.

A simple 3 day routine. Each bodypart once per week. Each exercise 2-4 sets, reps 5-8.

Back/Bis

Deadlifts
A Row
Chins or Pulldows
Bicep Curl

Chest/Tris

Bench
DB or Inc Bench
Chest Dips
Triceps Isolation

Legs/Shoulders

Squat
GHR (Glute Ham Raise)
Military Press
Calf Work

A rotation that hits each bodypart once every 4-5 days.

1.
Squat 2-3 x 5, 1 x 10
Ham Work 3 x 8
BB Row 4 x 6
Bicep Iso 2 x 10

2.
Bench Press 3 x 5
Dips 3 x 8
Side Laterals 3 x 10
Tricep Iso 2 x 10

3.
Deadlift 3 x 5
Leg Press 2 x 10 or 1 x 20
Pullups 20-40 reps
Bicep Iso 2 x 10

4.
DB or Incline Bench 3 x 5
Flyes 3 x 8-12
OH Press 3 x 6-8
Tricep Iso 2 x 10

Workout on Mon/Wed/Fri/Mon and alternate workouts 1/2/3/4 etc...

Another rotation that hits each bodypart once every 4-5 days but using a little more volume.

1.
Squats 3 x 5, 1 x 10
Ham Work 3 x 8-10
Pullups 20-40 reps
BB Rows 4 x 6
Curls 2 x 10

2.
DB or Incline Bench 2 x 5, 2 x 8
Dips 2 x 8
DB OH Press 3 x 8
Side Laterals 2 x 10
Skulls 2 x 10

3.
Deadlifts 2-3 x 5
Leg Press 2 x 10 or 1 x 20
Chins 20-40 reps
DB Rows 3 x 8
Curls 2 x 10

4.
Bench Press 2 x 5, 2 x 8
DB Flyes 2 x 8-12
Military Press 3 x 8
Side Laterals 2 x 10
Skulls 2 x 10

Workout on Mon/Wed/Fri/Mon and alternate workouts 1/2/3/4 etc...

A favorite of mine that hits each bodypart twice per week.

Day 1

4x Squats: 5 reps
3x Ham Work: 8 reps
3x BB or DB Row: 8 reps
2x Bicep Curls: 10 reps

Day 2

4x Bench Press: 5 reps
3x Military Press: 8 reps
3x Tricep Isolation: 8 reps
2x Ab/Calf Work: 15 reps

Day 3

4x Deadlifts: 5 reps
3x Pullups: 8 reps
3x Leg Press: 8 reps
2x Biceps Curls: 10 reps

Day 4

4x DB or Incline Press: 5 reps
3x Chest Dips: 8 reps
3x Side Lateral Raise: 8 reps
2x Ab/Calf Work: 15 reps

Day 1: On
Day 2: On
Day 3: Off
Day 4: On
Day 5: Off
Day 6: On
Day 7: Off

A simple 4 day upper/lower.

Mon.

Squat 2-3 x 5
Ham Work 3 x 10
Calves 3 x 15
Abs 2 x 10

Wed.

Bench Press 3 x 5
BB or DB Row 3 x 6, 1 x 15
OH Press 3 x 8
Arms -Tri/Bi - each 3 x 8-10

Fri.

Deadlift Variant 2-3 x 5
Leg Press 2 x 10 or 1 x 20
Calves 3 x 15
Abs 2 x 10

Sun.

Incline bench 3 x 10-15
Pullups 20-40 reps
Dips 2 x 8-12
Lateral Raise 3 x 8-10

A couple of examples of 2 day per week training.

Each bodypart 1x a week.

Chest, Shoulders, Triceps.

Bench or Dips
Incline Bench (optional)
OH Press
Side Laterals
Tricep Isolation

Legs, Back, Biceps.

Squat or Deadlifts
Leg Press (optional)
Pullups
Rowing Lift
Bicep Curl

Hitting each major bodypart 2x per week.

Workout 1.

Squats
BB or DB Row
Bench
Incline Bench
Bicep Curl

Workout 2.

Deadlifts
Pullups
Dips
OH Press
Tricep Isolation

A 10 day strength/hypertrophy rotation.

Day 1: Heavy Upper
Day 2:
Day 3: Heavy Lower
Day 4:
Day 5: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Day 6: Back, Biceps
Day 7:
Day 8: Legs
Day 9:
Day 10:
Repeat, or Repeat on Day 10

Day 1 - Heavy Upper.

Bench 3 x 3 or 3 x 5 or work up to a 1RM
Row 3 x 5
OH Press 3 x 5

Day 3 - Heavy Lower.

Squats 3 x 3 or 3 x 5 or work up to a 1RM
GHR 3 x 5
Calves 3 x 6

Days 5-8 All exercises are 2-4 sets of 8-15 reps.

Day 5 - Chest, Shoulders, Triceps.

Bench or Dips
DB Flyes
Side Lateral Raises
Front Lateral Raises
Tricep Isolation

Day 6 - Back, Biceps.

Wide Grip Chins
Rows
Pulldowns
Shrugs
Curls

Day 8 - Legs.

Squat Variant
GHR
Leg Press
Ham Work
Calf Work

NOTE: The above routine can also be condensed into the 7 day week for those that can tolerate the workload. Monday and Tuesday would be heavy upper and heavy lower, Wednesday would be off followed by the higher rep work on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Sunday off and repeat. This is based on the training style of Layne Norton. Before you try this however be sure that you can tolerate training 5 days per week, this would be suited to more advanced lifters.

Routine Summary.

The routines above are not set in stone, you may like to adjust sets and/or reps to suit you but they serve as a basic template. (from original thread on Bodybuilding.com)

A routine to get you big and strong doesn't need to be filled with loads of "stuff" just heavy work on the important lifts at a frequency that you personally can recover from. If you decide to put together your own program remember to keep it

Simple
Basic
Focus on big lifts
Strength Progression

Add to this a decent diet, and you'll make good progress.

How to deload.

A "deload" is a period of time typically a week where either less intensity, volume and/or frequency, or a combination of all three is used to allow accumulated fatigue to dissipitate. A deload is usually recommended every 4-6 weeks (approx). An example would be to train just once or twice during that week using less intensity and/or volume than usual. You're usually stronger coming back off a deload and often this is when PR's are set. It's an invaluable tool in our box of tricks.

If you want to invest in a total muscle building program to get big fast, you should definately check out Vince DelMonte's No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program. It has everything you need to get started and it has been proven over and over to work. All the best with your training and in reaching your goals.

Articles you may also like:

1. Before Photos and Week 1 of my Body Transformation

2. Photos and Progress report after Week 3 of my Body Transformation

3. Best Exercises for Chest Muscles

Get free ebook "Everything you want to know about fat loss."

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Mon, 4 May 2009 10:19:00 -0700

I want to thank everyone who follows this blog of mine. I am so thankful that I am going to give away a free ebook "Everything you want to know about fat loss". (Worth $29.95) Everyone that views this blog and the reaction of you all really means a lot for my motivation. As many of you who have tried a similar Body Transformation know, it is really not easy. You need all the motivation and support that you can get.

So far at the beginning of week 4 of my muscle building transformation, the hardest part has been to keep eating right. I am supposed to eat at least 5 meals per day, but with my work and all it is really difficult to keep it going. Mostly I just have 3 meals, but I take an extra protein shake which counts as a meal and I also have a snack of fruit in between meals sometimes. I have really upped my lean meat protein intake, and I am having 1-2 scoops of whey protein everyday. I don't eat any processed meats, like mince or sausage and I don't use as much butter and sauces for cooking. Also having more salad and fresh vegetables, but I'm still not eating enough fruits, so I have to improve on that.

I am also having a few cheat days during the week. Like this weekend was a bit bad. Had a rock and roll 30th bday party on Saturday and had a big ribs and kebab BBQ with cheese and bread platters. Also drank a lot which has a bunch of bad things, like all the calories I took in just from the vodka and redbull. Also, because of the bad hangover I resorted to staying in bed most of the next days only eating microwave dinners. BAD! Anyway, I am so confidend in my body building program that I'm sure it won't matter that much in the end.

Oh, I almost forgot telling you about the free Ebook that I am giving away. In order to get the free ebook, you have to Email subscribe (go to left top of the blog). It works with feedburner, so I don't worry I won't give it away to spammers. As soon as I see you subscribed, I will send the free ebook in PDF format to you via email.

Please feel free to comment on my posts and give advice or ask questions, it really helps a lot. If you are a first time reader, you can also read why I started my Body Transformation.

Articles you may also like:

1. Before Photos and Week 1 of my Body Transformation

2. Photos and Progress report after Week 3 of my Body Transformation

3. Full Workout Routines and advice for Muscle Building

4. Best Exercises for Chest Muscles

My Body Transformation Results after WEEK 3!

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Sat, 2 May 2009 03:57:00 -0700

The end of Week 3 of my Weight Loss and Muscle Building body transformation has finally arrived and I can say that there definately has been improvement that I can see. I feel great, I can lift much heavier weights and I feel stronger. There is still a long road ahead, but I'm full of confidence at the moment and my self motivation is at an all time high. So I'm ecstatic about that.

So how exactly have I improved since I started my Body Transformation? Check out the before and after pictures for comparison. I have picked up at least 1kg of lean muscle, because I weigh 70.5 kg now, and I can see that I have lost some fat as well. So hopefully I bring down some more fat, but I am positive that I will steadily continue to pack on muscle and weight from now on forth. Well as I promised, here are some of the pictures that I took today. (Still a long way to go to hotness though, hehe.)

Before: --------------------------------------- After:

Week 1: 69 kg ---------------------------- Week 3: 70.5 kg

Week 1: 69 kg -------------------------- Week 3: 70.5 kg

I hope you will continue my journey with me. I am sure there will be a lot of interesting surprises on the way to hotness. Subscribe to stay up to date with my progress, I will continue to keep you posted on my progress, I will also upload more workouts and exercises and give you the latest on my muscle building programs and guides that I use. Until next time...

Articles you may also like:

1. Before Photos and Week 1 of my Body Transformation

2. Can I go Workout on Caffeine?

3. Full Workout Routines and advice for Muscle Building

4. Best Exercises for Chest Muscles

What are the Best Exercises for the Chest Muscles?

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Fri, 1 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Day 1 is my chest workout day, but what are the best exercises for a complete chest workout? Should you only do heavy bench pressing to get strong pecs?
It's better to get some variety into your chest workout to train all the various areas of your pectoral muscles. Here are some of my favorite chest exercises.

1. Seated Chest Presses
This works in a similar way as the lying down bench press, but using this machine you are seated. You use similar movements as the bench press, but because it is a machine your movements are stabilized and the weights are not bobbing around, meaning that you get a more focused workout for your pectoral muscles. A very easy chest exercise, you grip the handles and just push it forward in controlled motion. Do not lock elbows at end of extension. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

2. Cable Crossovers (High cables or low Cables)
Stand with your one foot forward for balance, grip the upper cable handles tightly and push forward and down bringing your hands to each other, slowly releasing it back again in a controlled movement. This chest exercise focuses a lot of energy to your chest muscles and done correctly is one of the best exercises for your chest. High cable is better for lower chest muscles and low cable is good for inner chest muscles. Repeat in 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

3. Incline or Decline Flyes
This exercise is very good for the upper part of the chest muscles. Adjust the bench to about a 45 degrees angle. Lie on your back and hold two dumbbells at your sides with your elbows bent at about 90 degrees. (for decline just lie with your head closer to the floor. Now arc the weights upward bringing the weights close to each other (about 6 in.), holding your elbows locked at 90 degrees, slowly lowering them again and repeat. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

4. Bench Press Wide Grip
Extend your grip a bit doing this chest muscle exercise. Pushing the barbell upward while lying down on a flat bench with the hands in a wide grip is a very good exercise for the lower chest muscles. The all time favorite chest muscle exercise for most bodybuilders.

5. Bench Press Close Grip
The same exercise as above, but do it with your hands closer together to get more focus on your inner chest muscles and triceps. Very good chest exercise for some power sets.

6. Dips
Doing dips with our elbows out puts more emphasis on lower pectorals and dips with elbows tucked in puts more focus on the inner chest muscles.

There are others, but these are some of the best chest exercises. Try and do about 3-4 of them each chest workout. Each exercise should be done in 3 sets of about 8-12 reps each. Rest in between your sets for about 30 seconds to 2 mins, but not more than that. If you do a good heavy chest workout, make sure and rest them for about 5 days, so they get plenty of time to rest and grow.

If you want more chest exercises and complete chest workouts with videos how to do them and precise instructions to get perfect chest muscles I can recommend that you invest in a muscle building guide that works like top selling No-Nonsense Muscle Building of Vince DelMonte or you can quickly read a full review of No-Nonsense Muscle Building Program to see if it is for you.

Check out Vince Delmonte's
No-Nonsense Muscle Building here

How did I survive the first 2 weeks of my Body Transformation?

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:43:00 -0700

Setting of to the local gym I was really excited and motivated for my new weight loss and muscle building Body Transformation. Full of confidence that I will be able to keep up with all the heavy training and dieting. But all was not as easy as I thought it would be...

I quickly realized that I am not as fit or strong as I thought I was. I decided to just get my body used to all the exercise first and do all my workouts at 60% max lift weight. I kept going with my workout program and worked out 5 days per week for the first 2 weeks. The second week I started working heavier weights and really pushed myself to fail each set. Could really feel the pump, hehe. I kept to my fat loss and muscle building diet, which includes an average of 4 means per day. Eating mostly lean meats, healthy carbs and vegetables and salad. I also had a protein shake or two on all my lifting days.

What is my workout split? I decided I am going to use a 3 day workout split, meaning I have a day 1, day 2, day 3, and then I start with day 1 again. Sometimes I take a break on the 4 day and start day 1 after that. For starters my muscle building workout program consists mainly training my all my bigger muscles, different muscles each day so I don't over train and my muscles get enough time to rest and get stronger.

I will post a full workout split and the exercises with sets and reps in another post later, but here are the basics:

Day1:
- Warm up (5 minutes tread mill and stretching)
- Chest
- Legs

Day 2:
- Warm up
- Shoulders/traps
- Biceps/forearms
- Abs/core
- Cardio 15 mins

Day 3:
- Warm up
- Back/lats
- Triceps
- Cardio 15 mins

I was pretty sore and stiff the first week, but I am already feeling better and I can see how I got stronger, already lifting a lot more, and not getting so sore anymore. The diet is pretty difficult to hold without cheating as my girlfriend still wants to eat pasta and bacon etc. sometimes and of course then there's the weekends, where all the housemates party and drink and barbeque (We South Africans like our BBQ) So I guess I am still cheating at least 2 days out of the week. But mostly I improved my diet a lot. I will upload my next pictures at the end of week 3.

Read more:

1. How and why I started my weight loss and muscle building Body Transformation

2. Week 1 of my body transformation with before pictures

3. Foods that burn fat

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Week 1 of my Body Transformation with before pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:12:00 -0700

I started with my Body Transformation on Thursday, April 16th 2009. I have just returned from a wonderful holiday with my Girlfriend from Turkey, where we got engaged. Of course I stuffed myself, eating out 3 times a day. So we returned I decided to go to the gym and start my new diet and fitness programs the very next day. I really needed some weight loss after that, hehe. It was almost the end of the week, so I will just count days from April 16th to Saturday, April 25th as Week 1 of my body transformation. And from then on every Sunday to Saturday will be one more week.

Here are some before pictures of me that I took just before I went on the holiday to turkey. (Before Week 1. Let's say April 16th, 2009)

Front: Week 1 - 69kg

Side: Week1 - 69kg

As you can see I've got no muscle definition whatsoever, thin petite arms with a fat belly that screams "punch me". These photos are a great motivation for me, because with the help of my workout and diet programs there is no way that I could look crappier, haha. Only forward with my weight loss and muscle building from here!

Keep tuned for my update on how I survived week 1 and week 2 and look out for my brand new pics at week 3! I'm sure we will be shocked!

Read about how and why I started my Body Transformation.

Start of My Body Transformation!

noreply@blogger.com (Bertus) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:49:00 -0700

For my entire life, I have been a scrawny guy with a kind of petite build. (Got it from my mother, I guess) Average weight 65kg, 1.74m. And now that I'm older (30), the metabolism is not what it used to be and I have too much excess belly fat. Being naturally lazy (always thought just smart) I have never really exercised or did training of any sort, cept for some sports back in school. Thus my body is not in great shape. I have also been drinking and smoking quite heavily for most of my life. But now I'm planning to change all that with an all new body transformation!

I have quit smoking heavily for about a year now, and now that I am 30, I'm getting scared that my best and healthiest years are getting less and less. Starting with my 30's I realized that I will never be in better shape than I am now, If I don't make a complete body transformation.

So what am I going to change? I joined the Fitness and Health Centre (Gym) where I am going to start with a workout plan, training at least 4 days per week, doing mostly weight lifting exercises to build muscle. I am going to completely stop smoking, drink less. I am also going to start eating right. LESS junk food, fatty food, white carbs, processed foods and MORE Protein (including whey protein shakes), fresh vegetables, fruits, salads and only healthy carbs like brown rice, whole grain bread etc. (Also going to take regular vitamins) In addition to all this I am going to try out all the things I learned from Weight Loss, Muscle Building and Six Pack Abs guides.

You can read reviews etc. about these various guides and programs on Http://HelloSixPackAbs.com. For building lean muscle I am following the popular Vince DelMonte's No-Nonsense Muscle Building, for more guidance on calorie shifting and how to eat correctly for weight loss, I am using Fat Loss 4 Idiots. For getting rid of my excess stomach fat and getting perfect six pack abs, I am following the programs set out by Mike Gaery's Truth About Six Pack Abs.

So, why did I start this blog with all my rambling? I started this blog to chronicle my body transformation from week 1 as a motivation for myself and as a guide for others that want to try the same. I'm also testing out the various guides and programs mentioned before to see if there are any truth to their claims.

What will I post on this blog? I will post my progress, including weight, measurements, photos, workout programs, diet, recipes and everything else related to my body transformation

What are my body transformation goals? I want to gain weight, building lean muscle, at the same time lowering my body fat %. I am aiming to gain 6 kg of lean muscle in 6 month's time.

I hope you all will be interested in my blog and will follow it closely. I will try to update frequently, so subscribe. Also feel free to comment, give advice, motivate, or share your own personal experiences.