How to build calves

The calves are considered the hardest place in the body to add mass to. At the same time this is the muscle that carries your whole body in your walking, running, and standing. Basically it carries you as long as you are on your feet.

The skeletal function of the calf muscle is to extend your toes. This extension is the move you do on the machine to build your calves. But you have to be careful while doing this move not to bend your ankles and do the move on the outside of your feet. If you do you risk injury of the ankle and this is not something you want to do to yourself.

Practice first with light weights until you master the control over this move, then increase the weight as you grow.

The following youtube video Ben Pakulski, who's famous for his enormous calves, is showing us how to train calves properly.




Ben has a degree in kinesiology and is a pro bodybuilder. He is also famous for his MI40 bodybuilding training that he sells on his website. He lives here in Toronto, if you want to train with him he's the best in my humble opinion.

Testosterone: Natural vs. Supplements

Steroids have been a main supplement in the live of pro body builders since they started showing up in the market back in the seventies. Many pro body builders, including some Mr. Olympia title holders, admit openly that they used them, and some admit "abusing" roids.
If you are going to be in the game you'll need to make up your mind now on which side are you taking regarding steroids. And to help you decide I'll show you some facts about steroids that you will need to keep in mind while making your decision.
The first fact is that your body manufactures these steroids. The main steroid needed for performance and growth is testosterone. It's a hormone that both men and women produce. Because men have testicles they produce more testosterone than women, and that's part of being a man.
Taking testosterone supplements (testosterone itself or it's derivatives, not something that boosts your own body's production of the hormone) will signal your body to stop producing it. This means you'll need to keep supplementing your body with external testosterone if you want to stay in the "manhood".
Naturally testosterone is in balance with other hormones that mainly make the man a man and the woman a woman. The lack of testosterone produced by your body will disturb this balance, giving the upper hand to oestrogen (produced by both men and women, but women produce more and that makes them women).
You can expect the outcome of the decrease of your production of testosterone, like looking more feminine instead of the beast you wanted to build by taking the supplements in the first place. But this is not it.
Shifting the balance towards oestrogen is a cause of osteoporosis, and cancer.
This is what you are doing to your body when you decide to take steroids. The problem is that some body builders who admit abusing steroids are still their and living a happy life. What they are not admitting is that they need this supplement all the time to stay "men" and healthy.
And here comes a bigger problem. The continuous consumption of external testosterone is linked to heart diseases, stroke, and death. There are many examples in the body building community of fatalities linked to the use of steroids, like the late Benaziza. Nasser El-Sonbaty is another example, although it is also said that he died with Malaria in Egypt.

Late Nasser El-Sonbaty and Momo Benaziza

So here is the question you need to ask yourself before you decide on which side you want to be:
Are you in the game to be, and stay, a strong healthy man (or woman)? Or you want to be a professional who earns living showing big masses of lean muscles on the stage?
If you are the first one then by all means stay clear of any steroids or hormonal supplements. There are alternatives that enhance your own production of these hormones, including some life style and dietary changes. These changes should not be a problem for someone who decided to change his life style and become a body builder.

Samir Bannout now

On the other hand if you decide to compete then you need to know that there are competitions for drug-free body builders that you can consider instead of the mainstream ones. Also remember those champions from the past like Sergio Oliva who made it before steroids were known, Frank Zane, and Samir Bannout who chose not to go down this path.
If after reading this article you still want to use steroids then please keep it under medical supervision. If you can not do it this way then don't. Sudden death is not really sudden, it's just they didn't know what was actually happening in their bodies.

Frank Zane at 72

Phil Heath does it again ... 4th-in-raw title.

The personal life of a champ, a business person, a leader, or any successful person should not stand in the way of achieving more and gaining more ground. This last weekend Phil Heath scored his fourth in raw Mr. Olympia title. Congratulations Mr. Heath. You deserve it.

The personal part of the story that makes his winning this year more valuable than the past 3 is what makes a difference between a champ and a weakling (like myself :-)).

Mr. Heath lost his father earlier this year. If you remember his words in the press conference prior to Mr. Olympia competition in 2013 he mentioned that he is determined to win and dedicated his title to his father who's fighting cancer. Well ... he did his part and fate had another say on this battle while Phil was preparing for this year's competition.

Grief is something that you can use as a fuel for more achievement, or you can let kill your dreams. It's up to you really. Whether you think you're strong enough to keep going or too weak to take another step, you're right in both cases.

By looking at Phil's achievement this year you can easily tell which one is he. How about you?

Congratulations again to Phil Heath, and I am sure your late father is really proud of you right now. I wish I could say the same about my late father.

One more thing on this issue. During the press conference before Mr. Olympia 2014, and on the stage you can tell how Phil heath was raised by the father he is dedicating his title to. This is how a champ should be. Strong, and modest.

More Important than Building Muscles

You now have some basic workout for every muscle group in your body, and you might have already built a mass of muscles since the last article published on this blog. I admit being distracted from it a lot in the past couple of years. I apologize and will try to make it up.

Body building and gaining muscles is important and is worth the effort, time, and dedication you put into it. The results are life changing.

One thing most people don't pay attention to though. And that thing is more important that building the muscles.

You know, muscles are part of your skeleton. That's why the muscles your train in the gym are called "skeletal muscles". Their job is to move your bones around your joints, like curling your arm for example.

So if your bones are not strong enough, your muscles are going to be uselss. Ask me. I know.

One of the reasons I can not train with the weights I used to warm up with in the past is that I have osteoporosis. And one of the reasons I had it early in my life is that I didn't pay attention to "building bones" as much as I was focused on building muscles.

Here are some facts you need to keep in mind while evaluating the issue.

1. You only have until you turn 30 (some sources say 25) to strenghten your bones with as much calcium as possible. Whatever extra calcium beyond what you need in your blood will be stored in your bones. After that age the flow of calcium is reversed and your bones start losing mass. The more bone mass you start with at that point the longer it will take you to reach osteoporosis or osteopenia.

2. You need 1200 mg of calcium every day to build healthy bones in your first 25-30 years. And since you are adding calcium to your bones in the form of calcium phosphate you'll need that too in your diet. Magnesium is a facilitating factor and the deposit of calcium in your bones can not be done without it.

3. All of the above is useless if you don't have enough vitamin D3 in your blood to move the calcium from the blood to the bones. It's actually harmful to your liver if you have that much calcium in your blood and there's no vitamin D3 to move it to your bones and teeth.

4. If you focus on bones nutrition while training with weights you are stimulating your bones to gain more mass by causing tiny stress fractures that will be calcified while healing (the same principle of building the muscles).

Calcium, vit. D3, magnesium, and phosphates are your best friends. Keep their company all the time.

After the age of 30 the need for calcium doesn't go down. You need to maintain a certain level of calcium in your blood. If you don't get it from your diet your body will get it from your bones. You don't want that to happen.

If you are concerned about your blood calcium level you should give your doctor a visit and have blood work. And it becomes urgent if you are having too many spasms/cramps, fractures, or your teeth are not in good shape.

Never neglect your bones. They're more important for moving your body and protecting your internal organs than the muscles. And you only have that small window of time to build them. So don't waste that opportunity or you'll regret it for the rest of your life like I do right now.

If it's too late for you give your doctor a visit and ask for a bone mass test. It's done by X-ray on your pelvic area. Based on that your doctor will tell you where you're standing and whether you can train with heavy weights or not. Whatever your doctor says it's your responsibility towards your body to follow it.

I hope this article will help someone avoid my destiny.