1 Surprising muscle building trick for your YOUNG ATHLETE

There are many things that I have told you about on how to build muscle. First, you've got to eat enough. If you aren't eating enough, nothing else you do will matter. You'll just be a really STRONG skinny kid.

Dead lifts are a MUST for muscle building!

The second thing is you've got to lift heavy. Heavy lifting uses lots of muscle which increases growth hormones and testosterone, both of which are necessary for muscle gain. So skip the body part splits and start doing squats, bench press, deadlifts, cleans, pullups, rows.

And building on the second point, you've got to keep the reps under 8. Anything more and you're wasting energy with reps 1-4, because those first few aren't nearly as difficult as the last 4. So make it work. A great starting point is 5 reps for 5 sets. This keeps you lifting heavy and keeps the total workload low so that you're stimulating type II muscle fibers to grow (which by the way grow the biggest).

Then you've got to sleep and allow your body to recover. This includes drinking plenty of water and sleeping 8-10 hours a day.

But there is another little trick that has been discovered to indirectly increase muscle building: Fat.

A study done by Dorgan, et al. (1996) found that those who had a fat intake of between 20-40% of their total calories had elevated testosterone levels. They also found that higher cholesterol levels were associated with higher testosterone levels. Granted this study had a pretty small sample (10 people) the outcome can still be used, but with caution. 

So how do you increase fat intake? Start eating more tree nuts, avocados, and eggs. Heck that could make a pretty good omelet right there! Grate some cheese and throw it over the top and you've got a muscle building breakfast that is high in protein, moderate in fat and low in carbohydrates!

The take away from today's lesson??

Don't be afraid of fat. Instead embrace it. But not the kind on your hips or around your belly. But rather the kind you eat. Because by boosting fat intake, you boost testosterone, and testosterone builds muscle!!

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Dorgan J. F., Judd J. T, Longcope C.C,, Brown C.C., Schatzkin A.A., Clevidence B.A., Campbell W.S., Nair P.P., Franz C.C., Kahle L.L., Taylor P.R. (1996). Effects of dietary fat and fiber on plasma and urine androgens and estrogens in men: a controlled feeding study. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 64, 850-855.

The Forgotten Part 2: Turning your twiggy legs into tree trunks...

Yesterday I discussed the need to eat with the intention of gaining weight. Basically what that boiled down to is that if your kids aren't gaining muscle, but they want to, they need to eat more. Now granted eating enough is THE most important aspect of gaining muscle.

Lets get Anabolic!!

But all of that food won't do much if you're spending hours on end in the weight room. The reason for this is that after about 45 minutes of some heavy lifting, your body will begin to run out of carbohydrates for energy and instead will begin to break down muscle for energy. This is called catabolism. The buildup of muscle tissue is called anabolism.

So how long should you workout then? Well to prevent this muscle breakdown, workout should be kept to right around 45 minutes. Much longer and you run the risk of catabolism. Now a lot of you are thinking, "Dude, i'm just getting warmed up after 45 minutes!!"

Well start warming up quicker. Say in about 5 minutes. Do some body weight calisthenics such as pushups, body weight squats or lunges and about 20 arm circles in each direction.

No need for calf raises here!

And you don't need 4 different exercises for each body part. Instead stick with the biggest "Bang-4-your-Buck" exercises like squats, bench press, chin-ups, standing military press and deadlifts. Basically make sure your hands have to hold onto something or pick up weight on each lift. So skip the calf raises, the leg extension, the 3 different types of curls and the wrist curls.

The next point is to keep the weight heavy. None of this 3 sets of 10 reps junk. Keep it short and HEAVY! 4 sets of 6 or 5 sets of 5 is sufficient. Do 4 exercises, 4 sets of 4 reps with 1-2 minutes between sets should get the testosterone flowing and the growth hormone pumping!!

But why not those typical body builder schemes of 3 sets of 10-12 doing 3 different exercises for your arms? Well as I discussed above, was that workout will take WAY TOO LONG. In addition, it won't stimulate the proper muscle fibers!

See there are 3 types of fibers. Type 1 are slow twitch, and don't grow much. Type 2a are the middle fibers, and they grow some. But the type 2b are the ones that are begging to grow. And its only through heavy lifting that we'll hit those fibers without burning up the calories. So again, heavy weights, old fashioned tough guy weight lifting and only a handful of repetitions are your best bet.

Here are the exercises you should be doing to gain muscle:

• Squats
• Deadlift
• Bench press
• Chinups
• Push press
• Hang cleans
• Lunges
• Dips

These are the only exercises skinny guys need until they start actually gaining weight.

Now, stay tuned because next week, I'll tell you what you should be doing on the days between your lifting days to keep your physique from being confused with a 12-year old girl.

Are you better than the pro's?

I just got back from a trip to Washington, DC. I did not go to see the inauguration but rather to attend the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) conference. At the end of our conference, we got to visit the new Washington Nationals baseball stadium. It was pretty awesome. We had lunch at the restaurant behind home plate and got a small tour of the Nationals locker room, athletic training room and strength training facility.

Here is my assessment: Although about half the size of Pair & Marotta Sport Performance here in Bakersfield, they had a lot of equipment in their strength room. Most of the stuff I have seen before but is still a little rare in training facilities. The aquatic facility is pretty awesome: two jacuzzi's, an underwater treadmill and a sauna. These guys definitely get to the special treatment!!

Here was the most interesting thing: a handful of the National's players are getting by on mere talent. Word has it a few of them cannot hold a :15 sec plank. FIFTEEN SECONDS!! And most of the guys do not spend much time training at the facility. What does that mean? Well they have finished in the cellar of the NL East the past few years.

Imagine if they spent more time in strength training. They would probably find their way towards the top of the standings!! The baseball season is long enough for pro's. The college and HS season's are shorter. What this means is that you have to stay in shape for the season and you cannot let practice be your conditioning.

Most people are under the pretense that you start the season at your best and the champions are decided by those teams that don't break down physically. But what if you could get stronger during the season?? You can. It doesn't take much.

By combining strength training exercises, such as a DB Squat and Overhead Press, and placing them in a type of circuit, you can prevent injury and actually get STRONGER as the season goes on!! Pair & Marotta Sports Performance is doing just that for you. Our In-Season Training Program is geared to getting you in, working your butt off and then getting out in about 45 minutes.

Want to be part of it?? Send us an email. aaron@pairmarotta.com or call 661-912-9991. If you want this season to be your best, you'll be here.