Hey what's up guys, Sean Nalewanyj here, BodyTransformationTruth.com with part 4 of my bodybuilding and fat loss
Q&A series, we’ve covered a lot of useful information so far and I hope that you’ve
been finding the tips that I’ve been discussing helpful, I still have quite a few more installments
to come, and you can use the links in the description box below to access all of the
other Q&A’s that are available.
So, let’s jump into the 5 questions and answers for today.
Question #1, is “time under tension” an important factor to pay attention to during
each set, or is counting reps good enough?
The specific amount of time that your muscles spend under stress in any given set obviously
does play some role in optimizing muscle growth, but it’s still not something that I would
suggest that you worry about.
Time under tension just basically tells us something that we already know, which is that,
number one, short sets done in very low rep ranges are going to be best suited for making
strength gains, number two, long sets done in very high rep ranges will be best suited
for improving muscular endurance, and number three, sets that land somewhere in the middle
between those two are going to be best suited for increasing muscular hypertrophy.
However, it’s not as if anyone actually knows for sure what the ideal time frames
are for each specific training goal in the first place, and as long as you’re training
within a standard bodybuilding style rep range, so that's going to be anywhere from 5 reps
up to 12 reps per set and you’re doing your reps with a fast and explosive concentric
and a reasonably controlled negative, then you’re already going to land within the
typical time under tension “hypertrophy range” anyway.
And not only that, but basing your sets on a specific time goal, that might actually
be counterproductive, because it will take your focus away from the things that truly
do matter during each set, things like proper rep speed, overall intensity, and a focus
on progression in weight and reps.
Question #2, what is the ideal length of time that a bulking or cutting phase should last?
Now there really is no such thing as an “optimal” time frame for any particular bulking or cutting
phase, and that's because it just completely depends on each individual person and their
specific situation.
If the primary goal is to put on muscle, then a bulking phase can continue for as long as
it needs to until that person has either gained an amount of muscle that they’re satisfied
with, or until their body fat percentage has reached a level that they’re ultimately
not comfortable with and that they want to reduce.
Depending on the person, that means the bulking phase could last for 8 weeks, 8 months or
literally even 8 years.
And if the primary goal is to lose body fat, then a cutting phase can continue for whatever
length of time is needed for that person to reach their desired level of leanness that
they’re after, or until they just want to shift gears and start adding some muscle mass
based on their preference of how they want to look.
And again, depending on the person, that specific time frame could vary all over the map.
So if you want to lay out a set bulking and cutting cycle length right from the get go
justto give yourself a rough idea of what sort of time frames you might be dealing with,
then that’s totally fine, however, just keep in mind that these are only going to
be rough estimates, because there’s really no way for you to predict exactly what your
specific rate of muscle growth or fat loss will be or how those changes are going to
reflect in your actual appearance, or even how your preferences might change over time.
Question #3, what are the differences between freeweights, machines and cables when it comes
to building muscle, and is one tool better than the other?
Now you’ll often get a typical black-and-white “free weights are king” response from
many people when it comes to this question, I’m sure that I’ve actually said that
myself in the past, but in reality, it’s reallynot quite that simple and there’s
no need to turn it into a “one or the other” argument in the first place anyway.
When it all comes down to it here, free weights, machines and cables are all just individual
items in your overall training toolbox and they each have their own specific use and
specific advantagaes depending on the situation.
Yes, basic barbells and dumbbells are awesome training tools and they probably will form
the underlying foundation of your training routine, however, machines and cables definitely
still have their place as well and in fact some exercises are actually going to be better
suited to machines and cables in comparison to the free weight variations.
For example, exercises that are performed in a circular motion, so things like side
laterals or chest flys or tricep extensions, those movements are actually more effective
when you do them using cables because that's going to allow you to put your muscles under
constant tension throughout the entire range of motion, whereas free weights will always
give you an inconsistent resistance curve because they rely only on the straight up
and down force of gravity.
In addition to that, machines can also be used to perform certain movements that are
just better suited to a machine variation or where they can’t even be replicated using
free weights at all, so exercises like leg presses, leg curls, leg extensions, calf raises,
face pulls etc.
So in the end, none of these tools are inherently “better” than the other, and it just depends
on which specific exercise you’re performing and what it is thatyou’re trying to accomplish
with that movement.
Question #4, does masturbation have any negative effect on muscle growth?
Now this one might seem kind of amusing to some people, but this is actually an extremely
common bodybuilding question that I get asked, I'm still asked this on pretty much a weekly
basis surprisingly enough.
A lot of guys worry that an excessive fapping schedule for lack of a better term is going
tonegatively impact their muscle size and strength gains by lowering overall testosterone
levels, and wonder if doing it less frequently (or even abstaining altogether) is a smart
idea.
Now the short answer is that, yes, when you do have sex or masturbate, you will experience
a temporary drop in testosterone levels, however, that drop is compensated for later on by an
increase in testosterone, and your overall levels will basically balance themselves out
in the big picture.
Always keep in mind that just because a given activity “raises testosterone levels”
or “lowers testosterone levels” that does NOT necessarily mean that it’s actually
going to have any measurable impact on your overall muscle building results, and that's
because those testosterone levels have to be altered by a prettysignificant margin in
either direction in order for it to be of any real concern.
So, from a pure physical perspective of masturbation’s direct effects on testosterone levels and
muscle growth, it’s really not something that I would suggest you worry about.
Now if you do find that doing it less frequently gives you positive psychological effects,
so things like improved motivation or improved focus orenergy, then that may have some legit
carryover to your bodybuilding plan, and anecdotally it is something that a lot of guys do report,
but that’s just something that you’d have to experiment with and see if it has any noticeable
effects for you.
And finally question #5, what are the best exercises and training techniques to build
a bigger bicep peak?
Well, your biceps are made up of two individual heads: there is the short head (which is the
smaller, inner portion that's closest to your chest), and then there's the long head (which
is the larger, outer portion), and since the long head is the portion that stands the tallest
between the two heads, building a bigger bicep peak basically just comes down to adding more
mass to the long head.
And exercises that optimally target the long head are going to be any basic curling motion
where your hands are in a supinated “palms up” position, so exercises like barbell
curls, dumbbell curls, cable curls and machine curls.
Now I know that that sounds extremely simple, but that’s really all there is to it.
As you add more overall mass to the long head of your biceps through consistent bicep training,
its “peak” will naturally increase, and from there it really just comes down to basic
genetics.
Some people shave shorter, “taller” bicep peaks (and that's because the muscle inserts
further away from their elbow), while other people have flatter biceps (and that's because
the muscle inserts closer to the elbow), and there’s really nothing that you can do to,
to change that.
So instead, just focus on building up overall bicep size as a whole through proper workout
structure and proper training form, and then whatever particular “peak” you end up
with on your biceps is ultimately just beyond your control.
So thanks for watching this video lesson, I hope you found this Q&A useful here today
and Part 5 will be on the way soon.
If you want to learn a ton of other no B.S, science based information to help you build
muscle and lose fat as quickly and efficiently as possible, along with concrete step by step
plans that you can follow, make sure to head over to BodyTransformationTruth.com and grab
my complete “Body Transformation Blueprint” System by clicking the icon at the top of
the video or by using the link in the description box below.
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Talk to you again soon.