Tom Venuto's BodybuildingSecrets.com - Fusing MIND with METAL For A Chiseled Chest & Better Biceps

Fusing MIND with METAL For A Chiseled Chest & Better Biceps

Tom Venuto, CSCS, CPT

Thursday, July 7th, 2005. We’re inside of 12 weeks now until show day, and although I’ve already been at it this hard for three weeks, when you get inside 12 weeks, that’s where you really turn on the heat… the diet, and the training… and today’s chest and bicep workout was HOT!

CHEST

A1 Smith Machine Incline Press: 3 sets X 190 lbs X 12 reps, 10 reps, 9 reps X 4031 (slow reps with continuous tension, squeeze on top of every rep, speed up slightly for last few reps)
A2 Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 3 sets X 45 lbs X 10 reps, 10 reps, 9 reps X 4031 (slow reps with continuous tension, 1 second “squeeze” at the top); *No rest between exercises, only 30-45 seconds rest after flyes; repeat superset total of 3 times
B1 Cable crossovers (from high pulley, hands out in front of body): 3 sets X 50, 60, 70 lbs X 6, 6, 6, reps (ascending sets) X 3012 tempo
B2 Incline Dumbbell Presses, Neutral Grip (palms facing): 3 sets X 65 lbs X 10 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps, X 3011 tempo; *No rest between exercises, only 30-45 seconds rest after crossovers; repeat superset total of 3 times

BICEPS

A1 2 Dumbbell Preacher Bench Curl (loose form): 3 sets X 45 lbs X 6 reps + 4 1/2 rep burns at top X 3110 tempo
A2 Straight Barbell Preacher Bench Curl (strict form): 3 sets X 80 lbs X 6 reps + 4 1/2 rep burns at top X 3021 tempo
A3 EZ Bar Reverse Preacher Bench Curl (loose form): 3 sets X 80 lbs X 6 reps + 4 1/2 rep burns at top, X 2010 tempo; *No rest between exercises, about 2 minutes rest 3rd exercise in tri-set; repeat tri-set total of 3 times (“Larry Scott Routine”)

FOREARMS

A1 reverse wrist curl (Olympic straight barbell): 3 sets X 65 lbs X 12 reps, 12 reps, 10 reps
A2 barbell behind back wrist curl: 3 sets X 155 lbs X 15 reps, 12 reps, 12 reps, hold bar until fatigue after each set.

Workout Commentary

When I said this was a “HOT” workout, if you were expecting to see me throwing around the 125 pounders on dumbbell presses and knocking out reps with 275 lbs on the incline bench press, well, that was a “HOT” workout in the old days. This past year, (to work around an injury), I’ve been forced to change my training to moderate (and even light) weights on chest day and find ways to generate intensity and progressive overload without super heavy weights. It can be done.

By using a lot of supersets and short rest intervals, I’ve found that I can get amazing workouts with only moderate weights. But the supersets are only part of it.

Last week I posted an article called FORM: The difference between bodybuilding and weight lifting.” A reader from KUWAIT posted a comment about the article, which said,

“What an article, just fantastic! I reside in Kuwait and there are FREAKS out here because everyone is JUICED UP! It is funny watching these gorillas heave heavy weight and then pummel them down because they just don’t have the strength to put them back. Loosahs!!

However there is this one guy who TRULY is an awe inspiring bodybuilder and is the reigning champion of the country 3 times in a row!! He is a good friend of mine and he told me that it is not the weight that got him big it was his MIND. The next day I fused in my MIND with METAL. I dropped the poundages and did the same exact outine your sadistic trainer put you through. There was no need for a spotter, I swear I never knew I had such muscles in my body. The entire week I felt like a sore baked potato but I grew! It is just GREAT to witness such results first hand!”

I loved that phrase “Fuse MIND with METAL.” That’s what its all about… Focus… Concentration… Strengthening the mind to muscle connection. Feeling the muscle, not the weight.

That’s what I did today, and my pecs looked bigger, harder, more striated and more vascular one day after this single workout. The workout wasn’t anything revolutionary, it was just two pairs of exercises supersetted together. The weights were a fraction of what I’ve handled in the past (although it was progression over the last workout on the same exercises). The difference was the FORM and “MENTAL INTENSITY.” Technique was picture perfect. No bouncing or swinging the weights. Every rep was squeezed like a pose.

After chest it was time for biceps, and I simply repeated the Larry Scott tri-set workout again, with more weight this time. It will be more of the same on the next bicep workout, except even more weight, and I may move up to 4 tri-sets. Gonna stick with this “5-star” workout as long as I continue to see growth. When I feel like I’m approaching a plateau I’ll change it up.

Until next time, remember, you CAN get results after a single workout, if you do it right, and doing it right doesn’t just mean lifting more weight. Put your mind into your muscles next time and watch what happens!

Posted 07 July, 2005 in Workouts

Comments

Marc David said:

Two words:

W-OW!

Tom, as you said, only an animal would follow this. And I consider myself an animal. A mix of rat and part parakeet. The parkeet is the loud part.

Anyway, I didn't need to do 275 lbs or put some massive weight on. I followed this and kept my rest to about 45 seconds between exercises.

By the time 45 minutes had passed, I realized I did 12 sets for chest and I was burnt out.

There was no need for super heavy weights. Doing this, with the listed tempo was pure joy. It totally was an intense hard workout but what I really liked...

I could do this without a spotter! Mentally I needed to be strong but because the weights were lower, I didn't need help in that respect.

Lowering the weight in this case actually bumped up the intensity. This workout was much harder then say, the 100 lbs for reps at no listed tempo.

Thanks! Following your journal is fun. I never know what crazy routine you'll post. I'm getting a lot out of this.

Posted on Jul 10, 2005 08:26 PM

Greg said:

I, too, have been using the fuse mind with metal technique, and ouch! I'm in a cutting phase, so I've been using light weights for up to 20 reps. 20 reps of barbell bicep curls with only 20#, perfect form, no momentum, all-out contraction and pause at the top of the lift, and full, slow descent, well...I might have looked like a sissy in the gym with only 20#, but my biceps today are already yelling at me. I'd much rather grow (or in this case, maintain what I have already achieved) than lift heavy weights to satisfy my ego :).

My other motto has been, "I'm in control of the weights, not the weights of me." Somehow, that stupid phrase makes me push through the pain of the last few reps and gets even more out of me--If I'm supposed to go to failure, it won't be failure until my mind has fought it as hard as my body has been.

Terrific site! I'll be looking forward to seeing your results! You have been an inspiration!

Posted on Jul 11, 2005 02:17 PM