Franco Columbu’s Complete Book of Bodybuilding Read online

  Also, don’t “bounce” in order to try and stretch the body a little further than it wants to go. This kind of movement actually sets off a reflex which causes the muscles to contract, and defeats your purpose.

  #1 Hamstring Stretches. Stand on one leg and raise the other placing your heel on a table, chair, or some other object at hip height. Keep both legs Straight. Then, raise both hands overhead and bend forward to touch your toes, ankle, or as far down the leg as you can reach. Hold this position for a moment, feeling the stretch in the back of the leg. Keep your back as straight as possible to promote stretching in the lower back as well as the hamstrings. Come up slowly into the starting position, then bend slowly forward and do another repetition. Keep the movement deliberate and fully under control.

  Do 10 repetitions, then switch and do 10 more with the opposite leg.

  Hamstring stretch

  #2 Standing Side Bends. Stand with your feet wide apart, hands on hips. Bend slowly to one side as far as you can. Hold this position a moment, then Come back up to the starting position, and bend slowly as far as you can to the other side. Do not force the movement, but try to relax into it and stretch just a little more with each repetition.

  Do 10 bends to each side.

  Standing side bend

  #3 Bent-Leg Sit-ups. (I recommend this variation of sit-ups because it takes all the strain off the lower back and still gives the abdominals a good workout.) Lie on your back — feet slightly off the floor and hands stretched out above you. Bend your knees and pull them as far up toward your chest as you can, simultaneously lifting your head and shoulders off the ground and bringing them up toward the knees. This movement feels difficult at first, but you soon will get used to it.

  Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions each.

  Bent-leg sit-up

  #4 Bent-Leg Raises. Lie on your back — hands under your buttocks for support and head slightly raised off the floor. Raise your legs as high as you can, bending your knees to keep the strain off your lower back. In this movement, the more you bend your knees, the easier the exercise.

  Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions each.

  Bent-leg raise

  #5 Lying Side Leg Raises. Lie on one side, supported by your elbow. Keep your upper leg straight and bend the lower one slightly for balance. Lift the upper leg as high as you can, then lower it slowly again, but do not let it touch the floor. Do a set with one leg, then turn over and do a set for the other.

  Do 3 sets of 20 repetitions for each leg.

  Lying side leg raises

  Level 2: Beginning Resistance Exercises

  The only way to build strength and to shape and develop the muscles of the body is with resistance exercises. In this part of the program you will be working against the resistance of your own body’s weight. This is convenient, since you will need no special equipment and can do these exercises anywhere.

  Another kind of resistance you will need to encounter in exercising is the resistance of your cardiovascular system when called on to supply additional amounts of oxygen to working muscles. Therefore, I have included a very good aerobic exercise to condition the heart and lungs.

  #1 Push-ups. Push-ups are still among the best exercises for strengthening the muscles of the chest, triceps (back of the arm), and deltoids (shoulders). Lie fiat on your stomach — toes curled under and palms flat on the floor about even with your shoulders. Push up with your arms as far as you can, and lock out the elbow. Keep your back straight. This upright position is the starting position. From there, lower yourself so that your chest (but not your knees) just touches the floor, then push back up and lock out your elbows at the top. Continue to keep your back straight throughout the movement.

  Incidentally, there is a good variation of this exercise for those who find it too difficult in the beginning, or who have difficulty getting through their sets doing the movement in a strict manner. In the variation, keep your knees on the floor as you do your push-ups. This gives you much less weight to lift and makes the exercise a lot easier.

  At first, try to do as many traditional push-ups as you can. When you get too tired to do any more, Switch over to the variation and finish your sets.

  Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

  #2 Lunges. Stand upright — feet together and hands on your hips. Keeping your head up and back straight, step forward with one leg, bend the knee, and lower yourself until the knee of your trailing leg just brushes the floor. Push back up, straighten your legs, and return to the starting position. Repeat the movement with your other leg.

  Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions with each leg.

  Lunge using dumbbells for extra resistance

  #3 Forward Bends. Stand with your feet comfortably apart and arms stretched straight overhead. Bend forward from the waist, keeping your arms above your ears to work the upper back. Continue forward as far as you can, feeling the stretch in the back of the legs. Hold for a moment, then raise back up, making sure the arms are stretched out and remain above the ears.

  At the top of the movement, arch your back slightly and bend backwards to get the fullest range of motion. Throughout this exercise, keep your movements slow and deliberate to fully work the muscles of the lower back.

  Do 3 sets of 20 repetitions.

  #4 Between Door Presses. Place your hands on either side of a doorframe at about shoulder height. Straighten your arms, then walk your feet back as far as possible. Make certain that your feet are not resting on a loose rug or some other slippery surface. From this starting position, bend your arms and let your body drop forward and through the door, with your feet remaining in place. From this extreme position, push yourself back to the starting position, straighten your arms, and lock out your elbows.

  Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

  #5 Running in Place. Stand upright and begin running in place, landing lightly on your toes. Once you feel warmed up, continue running, but now lift your knees as high in front of you as you can. Keep lifting the knees higher and higher. This type of running in place is best done like wind sprints, with short bursts of high-intensity effort, rather than long-term, low-intensity movement. Therefore, don’t pace yourself. Go as hard as you can, as long as you can, then stop and take a short rest before trying another “sprint.”

  Do as much as you can of this exercise, and try to increase your efforts from workout session to workout session. Remember, your heart is a muscle, too, and it needs exercise just like the rest of the body. (Caution: Obviously anyone with heart problems, high blood pressure, or any other medical condition, should consult his or her own doctor before undertaking this or any other form of exercise.)

  Level 3: Weight-Training Exercises

  Muscles adapt to being used. And one way to speed up and optimize this adaptation is to add resistance to exercise movements. This is where weight training comes in. When you lift a weight, you are increasing the effect of gravity on the body, and making the muscles respond in super-normal ways. This extra resistance makes your muscles stronger and more healthy, and changes their appearance — giving them a firmer, more shapely look.

  In all of the following movements, be deliberate and keep the weights under control. Don’t throw them around and create all kinds of inertial forces that have nothing to do with making the muscle contract against resistance.

  #1 Seated Dumbbell Curls. Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with a dumbbell in each hand hanging straight down at your sides. The palms of your hands should be facing one another. Keeping your back straight, “curl’’ the dumbbells upward, keeping your elbows unmoving and twisting your hands so that your palms face upward. Continue to lift the weights until they come as close to your shoulders as possible. Then, lower the dumbbells once more through the same wide arc — still not letting the elbows drift back — until they return to the starting position. Repeat the movement with the other arm. The twisting motion, or pronation and supination, of the wrists is done to minimize stress on the elbows.

  Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
You may alternate arms, which allows more concentration and intensity for each arm.

  Seated dumbbell curl

  #2 One-Arm Rowing. Stand with feet apart, left foot forward, right foot back. Bend forward until your torso is parallel to the floor and rest your left hand on a chair, table, or other support for balance.

  Take a dumbbell in your right hand and let it hang straight down from the shoulder. To begin the exercise, lift the weight straight up toward the shoulder, making sure you do not raise up to help the lift with your lower back.

  Bring the dumbbell as close to the shoulder as possible, then lower it under control back to arm’s length,

  Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions with each arm.

  One-arm rowing

  #3 Triceps Extensions. (This is a great exercise for the back of the arm, but a lot of people don’t do it strictly enough to really get the full benefit.) Sit or stand upright and hold a dumbbell in one hand straight overhead. Keeping your elbow as close to your head as possible, lower the weight down behind your head as far as you can. It is important to keep that elbow tucked in and steady, or else you will end up working the shoulders instead of the triceps. Feel the stretch in the back of the arm, then lift the dumbbell up and back to the starting position, fully extended overhead.

  Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions with each arm.

  Triceps extension

  #4 Squats. (This is one of the best exercises for overall body development, especially for the thighs, as well as for the muscles of the abdomen and lower back.) Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Take a dumbbell in each hand and let them hang at arms’ length beside you. Keeping your head up, back straight, and feet flat on the floor, bend your knees and lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Raise back up, straighten your legs, and return to the starting position.

  A lot of people have difficulty keeping their feet flat on the floor during this movement. It is important not to Come up on your toes, so place a board under your heels to help keep your balance.

  Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

  Squat

  #5 Lateral Raises. (This is a combination movement designed to bring out the full shape and width of the shoulders.) Stand with your feet about 12 inches apart, a dumbbell in each hand. Bring the dumbbells together in front of you, palms facing one another. Lift the dumbbells straight out to the side and up, feeling the deltoid muscles working. Keep the elbows slightly bent to relieve strain, and raise the dumbbells to about level with the top of your head. As you raise the dumbbells, turn your wrists slightly so that palms face downward. This keeps the deltoids working instead of letting the biceps take over.

  Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

  Lateral raise

  Bent-Over Lateral Raises. Now for the second part of the combination — bend over so that your torso is nearly parallel to the floor and let the dumbbells hang straight down in front of you. Staying bent over, lift the weights out and up to each side and feel the back muscles squeeze together. Lift as high as you can, then lower the weights under control back to the starting position. These bent-over lateral raises will work the back of the deltoids as opposed to the front and sides.

  Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

  Bent-over lateral raise

  A Primer on Nutrition

  Proper diet consists of a combination of a little special knowledge and a lot of Common sense. Let me give an example:

  Special knowledge — “The body requires a minimum of 60-80 grams of carbohydrate per day, and about 1 gram of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight.”

  Common sense — “If you feel you are too fat and you want to lose weight, you should eat less and exercise more.”

  When we talk about nutrition, we are, of course, concerned with food. Food provides us with energy and the nutrients we need to build and maintain tissue and sustain our various life processes. There are six basic nutrients in food:

  1. Protein — the material of which our muscle structure is primarily constructed.

  2. Carbohydrate — the material which provides us with ready energy in the form of glucose (sugar) in the body, and which fuels the activities of the brain.

  3. Fat — the most efficient form of energy storage.

  4. Vitamins — organic nutrients necessary for life processes.

  5. Minerals — inorganic nutrients found both in our bodies and the planet on which we live.

  6. Water — the most abundant substance in our bodies which assists in dissolving other nutrients and transports them to vital organs.

  The only other item of specialized knowledge you need is an understanding of calories. The calorie is a unit of measure used to describe the amount of energy found in the food you eat, and the amount of energy you expend through exercise.

  A pound of pure fat contains roughly 3,500 calories. This is equivalent to running (or walking) 35 miles. A pound of pure protein, on the other hand, has only about 600 calories. You can readily see from this that you can eat more protein than fat without putting on a lot of weight.

  But many foods that are high in protein are high in fat as well — for instance, beef, ham, lamb, and many other meats. Fish and fowl, on the other hand, have relatively little fat, and so contain fewer calories.

  Given these items of specialized knowledge, what then does common sense tell us?

  • Eat low-fat meat, fish, chicken, or milk, yogurt, and cheese in preference to high-fat sources of protein.

  • Eat a sufficient variety of foods (meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, etc.) to obtain the necessary amounts of the six basic nutrients.

  • In addition to fat, avoid other calorie-loaded foods.

  This last rule simply means eat fruit for dessert instead of foods packed with processed sugar, which contains a lot of calories and has no nutritional value — or avoid putting rich sauces on your food, loading your bread and potatoes with butter, pouring on the sour cream, and soaking your salads with high-calorie dressings (oil, like butter or margarine, is 100 calories a tablespoon!).

  Suggestions for Eating Out

  Following these suggestions is fairly easy at home, but much more difficult if you constantly eat in restaurants while on the road. Since I travel a great deal, here are a few of the tricks that I use.

  • When the waitress brings a big plate of bread, make her take it away. If it isn’t on the table, you won’t eat it.

  • When possible, order your food broiled or baked instead of fried (which adds oil and calories to your meal), and avoid ordering dishes where breading is used.

  • If a meal comes with a sauce, have it brought on the side. You will add less to your entree than the kitchen will. Do the same with salad dressing.

  • Limit your alcohol intake. Liquor is fattening and harmful for your liver. If you must have a beer with your meals, get used to light beer — but don’t have twice as many just because some have half the calories.

  • Don’t get too hungry. If you’re famished when you sit down to eat, you’ll probably eat too much.

  • Take your time. Rushing meals is bad for your digestion. If you haven’t got much time, order something that can be prepared quickly and digested easily. Do not order a heavy meal.

  Other Factors Affecting Weight Control

  The Exercise Quotient. Exercise is often overlooked as a factor in weight, control. After all, if you run or walk a mile every day it will take you more than a month to lose just one pound. However, that means a loss of more than ten pounds in a year, which is a significant amount of weight.

  Calorie restriction for weight loss works best if there is a concurrent increase in exercise. Cut back by 100 calories — a pat of butter, a shot of liquor — and then walk a mile. You will then lose weight at the rate of two pounds per month or more than 20 pounds per year. It takes so little to make such a big difference — if you just look at the long run.

  Body Cycles. Remember that the body is not a machine; it will not lose weight according to a rigorous schedule. It
will even out in the long run, but the body takes its own time. So do not try weighing yourself every day, expecting to see uniform amounts of weight loss. Once a week is more like it.

  You may have noticed that your body goes through cycles — some days you’re up; some days you’re down. This phenomenon is natural and by paying attention to your body’s cycles, you can train, work, play, or do anything more effectively. That is, when your cycle is on an upward Swing, you can train or work harder and benefit more from any activity. When you’re down … do what I often do (when I’m on a down cycle): take the day off. Believe me, you’ll be better off going with the natural flow of your body.

  Weight Control vs Diet. Weight-loss diets are extreme variations of eating behavior that rarely produce permanent weight loss. What will help you to lose weight is to learn new eating habits, stick to them, and get the right amount of exercise. If you do this, your weight will take care of itself. Just remember, it has most likely taken you years or even decades to become overweight, so don’t expect your body to reach a new equilibrium overnight.

  Weight Gain. Some people feel they are too thin and want to gain weight. In that case, I recommend eating more calories in a balanced diet — a fourth meal each day, for example; and exercising as heavily as possible to build up an acceptable amount of muscle mass. The answer to thinness is not overeating to get fat. That is merely substituting one problem for another.