Training

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If you are not willing to do this, there are those that are and will undoubtedly surpass you.

Hence todays collaboration with Fouad Abiad and John Meadows with Hunter Labrada. John Meadows has been an avid fan, historian, competitor, fellow pro bodybuilder and constant hungry student of bodybuilding/body mechanics and muscular hypertrophy. Hunter and Fouad among a lot of other competitors hungry to improve and surpass their own plateaus have studied and learn from John and his countless techniques and methods.

Today the three of them trained back at American Barbell just outside of Columbus, Ohio. With Hunter being 10 weeks out there is "no room for any filler workouts."

Unilateral pull downs : 3 warms ups x 10-15 reps

1 extended set of trap bar rows with a drop set and transitioning to deadlifts

Video: Hunter Labrada, Fouad Abiad & John Meadows - Back Training

Iconic bodybuilding weekends in iconic gyms with iconic people. Needless to say it makes memorable workouts and reminds everyone why they love the sport of bodybuilding so much.

Here between prejudging and finals of the 2020 Arnold Classic, Hunter Labrada together with his father and IFBB Hall of Fame bodybuilder Lee Labrada hit up downtown Columbus's Powerhouse gym. In typical packed fashion during the ASF weekend they cram in a legit biceps and triceps workout and get to catch up with fans and icons of bodybuilding in one shot.

Video: Hunter & Lee Labrada - Arm Training During Arnold Classic 2020

Hunter Labrada is breaking in the new Legacy barbell in the Woodlands, Texas with Bryan Troianello.

"Being this far out but close enough to the NewYork Pro the mission is tissue preservation!"

Hunter is making his pro debut at the New York Pro in May and is aiming for a big win!

Video: Hunter Labrada & Bryan Troianello - Chest Training

Goal attainment, PR's, diet adherence and difficult times all require mind power PERIOD.

Whether being faced with academics, diet, deadlines or an 800lb barbell, the obstacle/challenge/goal is ALWAYS won in the mind first.

_"When you go up to 800 from 765, you feel it. I have to channel all that animosity, all the anger. You have to take your mind to a certain spot when you're trying to lift some heavy shit like that."

Here Joe Mackey is still tentatively preparing for the 2020 IFBB competitive season. With a bunch of un-knowns he is currently doubling up on training efforts with two a days.

What does someone the size of Joe Mackey preparing for the IFBB pro competitive circuit eat?

Video: All Mental - Joe Mackey Deadlifting

Josh Bryant has a masters degree in science, is a leading expert on strength and conditioning with the ISSA International Sports Sciences Association and holds world records in both powerlifting and strongman. He is co author of best selling book Jailhouse Strong highlighting bodyweight training.

Prisons no longer have weights but still house scores of Jailhouse denizens that could easily win a natural bodybuilding show—all built with nothing more than bodyweight training.

“The Great Gama” built a 56-inch chest during his 50-year undefeated wrestling career and was considered to be one of the strongest men in the world in his prime and trained solely with his bodyweight.

You are never too strong for bodyweight training—the following five strategies are aimed at how advanced strength trainees can make bodyweight movements more challenging.

As you lower yourself on a bodyweight movement, do it with control and feel the muscle fibers you are targeting. Concentration on the negative of a bodyweight movement’s increases intensity because of prolonged time under tension and a greater mind-muscle connection. For example, if a set of six pull-ups is easy, try doing a set of five with a five-second negative.

The greater the distance between the muscles you are targeting and what you are trying to lift, the less your mechanical advantage. When deadlifting, if the bar drifts away from you, it is harder to lift. For push-ups, place your hands on the floor in front of your head, they instantly become more difficult.

Pause at the bottom of the movement for one second, and nearly half of all assisting elastic-like energy stored on the negative is gone; after five seconds, it’s pretty much annihilated. A one-second pause is going to force your body to recruit new muscle fibers.

A larger range of motion forces you to do more work. Some examples are doing lunges from off a step or doing a push-up between two boxes and while emphasizing the stretch.

So push-ups are easy? Go ahead and do them one handed. Besides having to lift a lot more weight, this will require and build better balance and core stability and exploit the bilateral deficit.

 Bodyweight Movements - The Guide to Increasing Intensity by Josh Bryant

Tough times make great leaders. Great leaders lead by example.

Currently the situation is different with respect to where people are located and how densely the area is populated. Henrik Lindh was born in Sweden and is living in Marbella, Spain which is locked down at the moment.

More or less having some aspect of freedom taken away can really weigh heavy on anyone mentally. This is one instance where daily physical training can keep you sane, keep you on track and for some stay motivated and pay the motivation and energy forward.

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Video: Train Anywhere - Henrik Lindh 

Joe Mackey has always had a great work ethic. He has not however always had a clear vision and direction in life with a fully developed plan to execute.

_"Life can be hard. Things are always going to happen. You cant stress about things too much that you cannot control. I just applied that energy into something else that would help me decrease that stress i.e bodybuilding, lifting etc."

Hard work mentality and work ethic transcends the gym. It will always lead to larger things.

_"If you would've asked me 10 years ago where I'd be today I couldn't have told you. Things are going to happen in life, KEEP WORKING YOUR ASS OFF! The word hustler is not a bad thing. It means you work your ass off. So what ever you are doing right now. Keep hustling!"

Video: Keep Hustling No Matter What - Joe Mackey

_"Almost every generation has some challenge they have to get through."

Every time previously a nation has had to come together, sacrifice or get through something has proven to strengthen community ties, bonds and mental aspect knowing what everyone has over come.

For Branch, the majority of his adult life has been dominated with his bodybuilding pursuit. Having said that he made it a priority for bodybuilding to compliment his lifestyle outside of bodybuilding, ie hunting which involves hiking at elevation, slaughtering a kill and hauling 100lbs back to camp.

_"There's a lot of big strong guys out there that cant keep up because their cardiovascular endurance is shit. In times like this, do something out of your comfort zone and go out for cardio and you'll benefit when it is time for the gyms to open back up."

Video: Tough Times Don't Last - Branch Warren 

If you want to get economy cranking, give people some money. You want to grow some skeletal muscle - stimulate it! This is the same concept in both areas which is evoking a specific functional reaction.

Bernardo Costa is an IFBB Pro classic physique competitor preparing for the New York Pro now rescheduled for August 8th. His approach to stimulating growth is more methodical and akin to lifters such as Hunter Labrada and James Hollingshead than the opposite end of the spectrum of Branch Warren and Johnnie Jackson.

_"There's working out and there's training. Training is intentional, it's systemic it's a process. Working out is what most people do. They don't log their workouts they don't look for the progressive over load they don't have any system behind it. How do you compare the progress with no system behind it?"

Check out what Bernardo has to say about stimulus and training vs working out.

Video: Hypertrophy Stimulus - Bernardo Costa

_"Leg day is always the hardest day no matter what. A lot of people will find out that they don't want to win quite as bad as they thought they did."

Johnnie Jackson and Branch Warren recall some of the most wrenching leg sessions they have had. Leg days according to Branch and Johnnie are gut checks that really test your why.

_"Its going to require a gut check and you giving it everything you got to survive. then do it again, and again and again."

Branch and Johnnie are extremely conditioned given their training history on top of years of workouts in the heat of the Original Metroflex in Arlington, Texas. Trying the leg workout Branch talks about in this video isn't recommended.

Video: 'Til The Wheels Fall Off - Branch Warren & Johnnie Jackson Leg Training 

How do you get the best chest training research done? How about analyzing 2 generations of champion bodybuilders for starts?

It's 2020 and Hunter Labrada with Bryan Troianello have access to PRIME variable load pressing machines along with an understanding of biomechanics and muscular hypertrophy that would impress any anatomy/physiology professor. Hunter is preparing for the 2020 New York Pro and a qualification at this years Mr. Olympia.

Pause and flashback to "40 years ago." Lee Labrada would train push and pull similar to what Hunter does today. "Typically I would do chest shoulders and triceps on one workout, back and biceps another workout and legs on a different day."

Hunter, Lee and Bryan train set for set here and discuss similarities and differences between their own generations. Check out what worked for Lee in his prime and for Hunter now.

Video: 2 Eras of Chest Training - Hunter Labrada and Lee Labrada

Part of being consistent and doing this "over and over and over again" as Jonathan Irizarry mentions in the intro to this video is having maintenance periods when work schedules get busy or life explodes and physically getting to a gym with traditional barbells and dumbbells is not possible.

Most of the exercises performed by Jon here have bodyweight or band alternatives. While you might not be able to continually progressively overload and build size and strength with bands and bodyweight exercises especially if you are an advanced lifter YOU ABSOLUTLEY can maintain what you have built this far in you size and strength with bodyweight and band resistance alternatives to these exercises.

Stay active and maintain so you can hit the ground running when we are all past this speed bump!

Every exercise Jon performs in this video are preceded by 2 lighter sets

and 2 heavy working sets for a total of 4 sets of 10-12 reps.