There was no August issue - a combination of being busy and being lazy on my part. This month we are going to turn the issue over to Vince Delmonte as he gives his best tips and routines designed to help the skinny guy build some big biceps.

This is good stuff. Obviously, the bicep muscles are a top priority for most trainers and, unfortunately, they can be frustrating. That frustration though, is often related to a simple case of overtraining. Once you start training smart, you CAN build some guns.

In the "Do Not Miss" category, Vince is in the midst of his Birthday Promo for No-Nonsense Muscle Building. Most special promos can be ignored, but this one has some pretty impressive bonuses attached to it and deserves a look (more on the bonuses below). You have to hurry though, it ends on Wednesday at midnight.

In This Issue...

Site New Stuff

• From Sean Nalewanyj, a look at what you need to do to put your body in an anabolic state when you go into a workout.

• Proper Pre-Workout Nutrition For Muscle Building

This article is one that not only deserves a read but some serious thought and self-examination for every trainer looking for maximum results.

• 10 Workout Mistakes and How To Correct Them

• Delmonte's Protein powder Supplements Guide

Program Updates

In an average week, I get several emails from "bodybuilding experts" wanting me to send you, my subscribers, their offers. They want me to tell you about their specials and how their prices are going to increase if you don't buy now and a bunch of other bull. As a rule, I ignore their pleas because their specials and promos have no substance, their prices aren't going to increase and, truthfully, their products are junk.

I don't want to insult the intelligence of my subscribers. If you've ever read my reviews, you know I'm not shy about saying exactly what I think about some of the worthless stuff out there.

I do, however, want to make you aware of a great offer that Vince Delmonte has put together: His Birthday Promo. Vince went out and bugged a bunch of credible trainers (he really did bug, I got those messages) to offer up something of value that he could give away to celebrate No-Nonsense Muscle Building's Birthday (it's been a year since he introduced the product).

The results were pretty impressive. Between September 10th and midnight on the 12th, you can get 9 "Real Value" Bonuses when you purchase No-Nonsense. These aren't the typical bonuses you see tagged onto a program, little ebooks that you can find freely elsewhere on the web if you're at all adventuresome.

Instead, these are products that actually have value, stuff you'd have to otherwise pay for. This is stuff that I don't have (and I have a lot of stuff) but would like to have.

Because Vince seems to be under-selling these bonuses on his sales page (under-selling anything is something rarely encountered in the bodybuilding world), here are some of the highlights...

1. 2 Months free Tuition at Sean Nalewanyj's School of Muscle - This is Sean's latest project - an online muscle building membership site and is expected to open next month (last I heard). Sean is excited about it and from the early news, it promises to be a valuable resource.
2. Tele-Seminar "Ecto No More: Advanced Hardgainer Strategies" - Jeff Anderson and Delmonte talking muscle building? Pretty sure there will be some "take home" from that.
3. 60 Minutes Bodybuilding Audio Lessons from Marc David - I have a ton of respect for Marc.
4. 30-Day Membership to Nick Nilsson's Membership Site - Nilsson is an innovative trainer, best known for his unique but effective exercises and exercise variations.
5. 30-Day Trial Membership at Global-Fitness - Global-Fitness is a private site with a ton of tools that specializes in creating custom programs for all goals.
6. 1-Month Basic Level Membership to Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training Membership Site - Turbulence training is more slanted to fat loss but has some good muscle building tips as well.
7. 3 Additional Impressive Sounding Bonuses - I'm just less familiar with these.

And, after Wednesday, Vince's birthday giving mood goes away in a hurry - No-Nonsense is getting a price increase.

So check into No-Nonsense Muscle Building's Birthday Promo Now.

And, definitely check out Vince's Building Big Biceps Routines just below...


• 2 New Program Reviews Up

Both were, well, not exactly what I'd call strong...

• Review of The Musclehead's "Guide To A Godlike Physique"
• Review of Wade McNutt's "Freaky Big Naturally"

Bodybuilding Tips

(This is the intro to Vince's bicep training philosophy, I have the specific routine and program notes online here - Delmonte's Building Bigger Biceps Program)

The “Guns.” The “Pythons.” “Thunder” and “Lighting.” The “Rockweillers.” There is no other muscle group that has earned more nicknames than when describing a bulging and huge set of bicep! Bulging biceps - every guy wants them. Count me in this group.

The days are far from gone when you walk into the gym and see 9 out of 10 guys doing bicep curls all at the same time with the same determination to add even ¼ inch to their biceps. Training biceps has become almost an 'obsessive addiction' in the gym. I have seen guys do bicep curls in between sets just so they can 'see' a little bit of a pump in their arms. I have seen guys spend an entire hour bent over doing concentration curls while starring in the mirror. I have seen guys take weights on vacation so that they can do some bicep curls at their hotel before they go into the club! I have seen guys spend longer amounts of times shopping for t-shirts than girls shopping for a blouse with the hope that one of these shirts will make his arms look 'good.'

Someone disagree with me that bicep training has become an unhealthy ‘obsessive addiction.' for many. In the “Skinny Arms” defense, the allure of peaked, mountainous biceps will never go away. Why should it? The 'guns' are of a man's most prized possession and one of many women's most desired body parts on a man (of course)!

My question is if 9 out 10 guys are obsessed with seeing their biceps grow and dedicate so much of their workout volume to isolating their biceps and using every technique from forced reps, drop sets, and 21's which are 'promised' to be the most effective methods confirmed by pro bodybuilders, why do they still have little to show for their efforts?

Let's examine five of the most common problems with bicep training before I offer a step-by-step program to take your bicep peak to new heights.

Problem #1 with bicep training – More is not always better

If doing 4 sets is better than 3 sets, why don't you just do 10 sets? Even better, why don't you just train them all day? It has been said before, but it obviously needs to be said again: “Less is often more.” Especially if you are not gifted with “muscle-friendly” genes.

Your goal of each weight training workout should be to simply 'out do' your last workout. Once you achieve this with an extra pound or a few extra reps, then it is time to move to the next exercise. Not to Nazi-torture the muscle for another hour.

I have found this a hard concept for many skinny guys to grasp because they are fixated on the instant gratification of making their biceps 'look' big during the workout and not what they look like when they leave the gym, which leads us to our next problem.

Problem #2 with bicep training – Being more obsessed with how they look while you train rather than when you are not training!

Problem #2 ties in with problem #1. The truth is that the longer you train your biceps, even if the weights are not extremely heavy, you can achieve a fairly decent pump that can turn a few heads while in the gym. This attention and perception that you are doing something beneficial is deceiving. Yes, there is something to say about keeping blood in the muscle as long as possible, but if the workout is done with weights that do not overload your muscles and emphasize an increase in strength, your biceps will quickly deflate back to normal with no true muscle growth.

Problem #3 with bicep training – Not focusing on increasing your overall strength

Some of the biggest guys I know rarely even train their arms. What they do though is put a strong emphasis around increasing their chest, back and shoulder strength. If you simply focus on increasing the weights on your rows, pull ups and chin-ups, rest assured that your biceps will come along for the ride and grow proportionally.

However, if you are always blasting and 'smoking' your biceps, they will always be fatigued when you train your back muscles and, as you should know, you are only as strong as your weakest link. This is another reason to take a lower volume approach to arm training.

Problem #4 with bicep training – Using the same bicep exercises every time

Every pro bodybuilder will put their money on two of the simplest exercises for building huge biceps – barbell curls and dumbbell curls. According to the pros, these two exercises have built more huge guns than any other exercise in the world. I definitely agree that these 'simple' exercises are a safe foundation to build a program around, but let's also remember that pro bodybuilders using steroids are going to have a strong response to practically any exercise they do.

I have no problem using these two exercises under one condition – you are getting stronger from week to week. As long as you are increasing the weights and reps relative to perfect form, then your arms should continue growing. Aim to build your barbell curls up to 110 pounds for a few “slow speed” sets and your dumbbell curls up to 50 pounds for a few “slow-speed” sets that involve zero rocking and swaying.

Once you build your barbell curls up to 110 pounds, you will be ready to try these two different angles on the bar. You will have to drop your weights a bit, but stick with these two variations until you build back up to 110 pounds:

Bicep Exercise 1: “Stress” the outer portion of the bi's by placing your elbows outwards and using a super-close grip.

Bicep Exercise 2: “Stress” the inner portion of the bi's by taking a super-wide grip on the bar and digging your elbows into your side (and don't let them move.)

Bicep Exercise 3: To “stress” the brachialis and brachioradialis stick to good old fashioned hammer curls and reverse curls. Don't underestimate these two exercises in the slightest.

Problem #5 on biceps – Not enough tension on the muscle

I think many weight trainees do not fully grasp the concept of isolating and actually training a muscle. They do not know how to make the muscle work and fatigue. Instead, you see a lot of swinging, momentum and sloppy lifting used to move the weight from every part of the body except the one they are actually trying to train. The biceps have a very strong response to “constant tension,” which means you should never give them a chance to breathe. Keep the bar constantly moving without pausing at the top or bottom. Focus on squeezing the heck out of the bar and never let your biceps relax until the set is over. Your entire goal is to not allow any oxygen into the muscle which creates a spike with your anabolic hormones to promote muscle growth. Resort to a slower 3-0-3 or 4-0-4 tempo to get the job done.

And, again, make sure you check out Vince's No-Nonsense Birthday Promo before Wednesday at midnight (and before Thursday when the price goes up).

Final Thoughts

That's this issue. I had planned many more site improvements by this time but got busy with the offline life. Expect some stuff coming shortly including a downloads page which will let you download the best free bodybuilding ebooks and tools directly from the site.

Start building those biceps and I'll talk to you in a few weeks,