A few years ago I hit a rut in my workouts. I wasn’t seeing any considerable gains and I was stuck in the same routines. Then I called my brother, a personal trainer in New Jersey, and he suggested I try the pyramid technique for my large muscle groups (chest, arms, back). It totally transformed how I workout.

The pyramid technique allows you to get a maximum amount of reps through multiple sets and still allows you to finish off with a “failure set” so you get a major “pump” with each exercise.

For instance, let’s say you start off with dumbell flys for your chest. You’ll start off with a weight that allows you to do 12-15 reps comfortably. Then you slightly increase the weight and do 10-12 reps for your 2nd set. Then for your 3rd set you increase the weight a bit more and do 8-10 reps. For the 4th set you increase again and complete 6-8 reps. Then, for the 5th and final set you go back up to the 1st set weight and drop it down slightly and pump out 20-25 reps (or until failure).

That’s the technique in a nutshell. There are many variations and expert weight lifters can do 6 or 7 sets if they wish. Just make sure you finish off with a high rep set on a lighter weight than the 1st set.

Baseball has been called a “game of inches” and those few inches can be the difference between winning and losing. In order to gain an edge you have to develop a winning exercise program. Evan Waters at Bodybuilding.com has constructed a fitness regimen for baseball players or those just looking to develop the physique of one.

The program is mostly strength-training based focusing on ways to develop and maintain strength throughout the upper body, lower body, and the core. If you had to choose between those three areas the latter two are the most important in terms of baseball specific moves.  A strong core and lower body allows for more power in hitting and throwing. Mostly every baseball move derives from the core therefore it’s very important to develop that area.

On the field, the program outlines a few drills (30-yard dash, throwing with a weighted ball, and long toss) that will complement your work in the gym.

When you’re focused on hitting the gym and pumping some serious iron that last thing you’re usually worried about it stretching your muscles. Well, you might want to think twice about that for your next workout.

The science of muscle building really revolves around the small tissue strands that make up your muscles called fascicle. When a muscle contracts, the fasciciles constrict. The more you workout the more the muscle fibers breakdown. Stretching helps to speed up the recovery process from this breakdown by realigning those fibers.

Simply put, stretching is good for you and your muscles! It will expediate recovery after a strenuous workout and decrease lactic acid.  In the end you’re going to reap the benefits by allowing yourself to workout longer and recover more quickly from soreness.

Tip: Make stretching a part of your workout (like a bicep curl or lateral pulldown). If you keep a log of your exercises make sure you include stretching before and after your regimen. If you usually do cardio after the exercises then stretch afterwards.

With so many bottled supplements out there claiming you can get ripped or lean in weeks by just using their product, it’s hard to weed out the useful ones from the duds. However, there is one supplement that’s gaining popularity that can help you in your quest to get jacked. L- Carnitine.

L-Carnitine is an amino acid produced naturally in your body, albeit very sparingly. It helps to oxidize fatty acids (it helps break them down into energy). Beef, nuts, and legumes are all natural sources of L-Carnitine. However, the best way to ensure you’re getting enough is to supplement.

For someone who exercises regularly, eats a balanced diet, and is looking to gain lean muscle mass and burn fat 1.5 - 2 grams of L-Carnitine daily will suffice.

You can find it at most drugstores and healthfood stores.

Everybody wants washboard abs, but how do we get them? It’s like everything when it comes to muscle building; there are hundreds of ways to get ripped and lean. But which ones are the best, not only in terms of results, but for the well being of your body?

Most of us know that getting your abdominals ripped and allowing them show consists mostly of dieting and eating the proper foods. But to have them “pop” you need to focus on the right regimen and exercises.

AskMen.com answers FAQs regarding ab workouts and techniques. You’ll find that when it comes to frequency more is not necessarily better and the amount of repetitions you do depends on your goal. Like most muscles, your abs need to be tricked and shocked so doing the same ab exercise over and over is not going to do much in terms of helping the muscle grow.

A strong abdominal section and core is one of the keys to a healthy, injury free body and physique.

Choosing a multivitamin can be a confusing task. Most of the ones on the market today are similiar in nature in terms of ingredients. So how do you find the best ones?

First, you should never buy generic multivitamins. Over the years there have been reports of incorrect amounts of minerals (or the wrong or contaminated minerals) found in certain generic brands so it would be best to steer clear of those. Stick to trusted brand names like Centrum, One a Day, and GNC.

Athletes and active individuals need more B-vitamins for sustained energy and antioxidant vitamins (C and E) to maintain the immune system and prevent the body from breaking down from intense training. Make sure to look for vitamins that contain less than 4000 IU of Vitamin A and 100 IU of Vitamin E. Ensure that it does not contain Iron; and if it does make sure it’s less than 10 mg. Overloading your body with these nutrients can cause an array of health problems and put you at risk for certain diseases.

Multivitamins are a great way to fill in the “gaps” of your nutritional regimen if you are not eating the recommended daily value of certain vitamins and minerals. But remember, vitamins are not a substitute for poor eating habits; they are there to supplement your diet.

Tip: Purchase a pill-splitter from your local drugstore and cut your multivitamin in half and take half in the morning and half at night. This will allow for full absorbtion of the vitamin and ensure you’re getting all of the benefits of each vitamin and mineral.

According to Men’s Fitness magazine (April 2008, page 18) it’s safe to train to failure as long as your training volume is low. That is, you’re not doing more than 12 sets per workout.

For those of you who are new to the world of muscle building, training to failure is when you get to the point where you cannot complete another repitition of a particular exercise without sacrificing good form.

If you’re doing more than 12 sets per workout you are risking serious damage or injury. So, although training to failure can get those muscles pumping you need to exercise caution and make sure you’re not putting yourself at risk for injury.

Most of you have read or heard about the many benefits fish oil provides. However, in addition to raising your “good” cholesterol by way of omega-3 fatty acids, did you know it also works as an anti-inflammatory? So athletes, weightlifters, and weekend warriors alike can get relief from nagging muscle strains and aching joints.

Try to aim for 2-3 servings per day (anywhere from 2-6 tablets) depending on the brand and serving size.  Also, make sure that the fish oil contains both EPA and DPA, the two most important good fats in fish.

Some people are put off by fish oil due to nasty aftertastes or what we’ve come to call “fish burp.” Nature Made and some other brands have come up with a way to prevent this by producing a tablet that has an enteric coating which prevents the pill from breaking up until it is well digested.

Hitting plateaus can be frustrating, especially when it seems like you’re not making anymore gains. For me, my shoulders have always been an area that has needed constant “shocking” and exercise variation. We’ve all done military presses and shoulder rows, but MensHealth.com has come up with a variation on the pushup that will help you breakthrough those stalemates and experience serious shoulder gains.

It’s called a jackknife pushup and it works by training your chest and shoulders while maintaining core stabilization throughout. It trains each shoulder individually which also helps to eliminate any imbalances you may have.

They also offer a modified version of the exercise so you can slowly work your way to mastering it.

Met-Rx has really cornered the market when it comes to meal replacement and protein bars. They ususally have the best tasting products and these bars are no exception. The Big 100 Colossal Meal Replacement Bars come in four flavors (Super Cookie Crunch, Crispy Apple Pie, Peanut Butter Caramel Crunch, and the brand new Peanut Butter Pretzel). You could probably pick anyone of them out of a hat because they all taste great.

Depending on the flavor each bar has 31 or 32 grams of protein via Met-Rx’s exclusive Metamyosn protein blend consisting of whey isolate, whey concentrate, milk protein, egg whites, and L-Glutamine. They also contain between 10 and 40 percent of the recommended daily value of selected vitamins and minerals.

Let it be known that this is a true “meal” bar packing 410 or 420 calories per serving. People looking to gain lean muscle mass can replace a meal with one of these bars. Those looking to bulk up and make serious gains may want to combine this bar with their meal or use it as a snack between meals.  The only drawback to this bar is that the four flavors average 14 grams of fat per bar and 25 grams of sugar. Now, if you’re consuming a well-balanced diet then it shouldn’t be a problem. However, if you’re already consuming enough fat then you may want to look elsewhere.

Overall you’re probably not going to find a better tasting bar on the market today that packs this much quality protein.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Serving Size: (Super Cookie Crunch flavor) 1 bar, Calories: 410, Total Fat: 14 g, Saturated Fat: 8 g, Cholesterol: 5 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 43 g, Dietary Fiber: 3 g, Protein: 32 g