Skip La Cour's Bodybuilding & Training BLOG

Skip La Cour's Products and Services

2011-05-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

Jeff Willet Joins Skip La Cour During This Mass Machine Bodybuilding & Training Podcast (#1 In Series)

2011-04-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

During this podcast, Skip and Jeff talk about:

* What it means to Jeff to be an IFBB Professional bodybuilder

* Jeff's talks about his early years in bodybuilding (starting at 16 years old) and how naive he was to steroids

* Jeff talks about the time in his life when he considered taking steroids

* Jeff talks about what influenced him to stay drug free--and why that's so important to him

* Skip begins to talk about the early days of his bodybuilding journey

Click Here to Listen to and Download This Podcast

This week's BODYBUILDING PODCAST: Quit Making Things So Damn Complicated!

2011-04-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

This week's bodybuilding and training podcast explains why you must start making your approach SIMPLE--instead so damn complex--in order to win at the level you want.

Click here to listen to and download this podcast.

Just How Important Is Strict Form to Muscle Growth?

2011-03-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

By Skip La Cour
World’s #1 Online Men’s Health, Fitness, and Motivational CoachSix-Time Drug-Free National Bodybuilding Champion
15-Time Drug-Free Bodybuilding Champion
Success & Leadership Coach

Many bodybuilders have deemed the quality of their form while doing an exercise to be the most important aspect of training. Some people training in the gym use the rationale that lifting heavy weight causes you to train less effectively. "I always use really strict form!" they state proudly. "Lifting heavy weight is not beneficial at all if you don't use really strict form."

Many bodybuilders are confused with what constitutes effective training habits. They feel as though they are forced to make the decision between executing properly and lifting heavy weight. You don’t need to go one way or the other.

To complicate matters further, those who strive for better execution confuse doing so with using strict form. They feel that, because they use strict form, they are properly executing the exercises. Strict form and proper execution are not the same things.

I would describe execution as squarely hitting the targeted muscle group during every repetition. Contrary to what many people in the gym believe, extremely strict form is not always an effective and efficient route to take when training. A person can use strict form and not be executing the exercise properly. In fact, overly strict form oftentimes inhibits your progress. You can compromise your level of exercise effectiveness when you put too high of a priority on strict form. I’ve come across a lot of guys in the gym who are frustrated with their lack of development—but will boast about how great they think their form is.

I’m certainly not saying you should train with careless, out-of-control form. Even worse, I'm not suggesting that you risk hurting yourself in order to lift heavy weight. Using form that is too sloppy won't work the intended muscle sufficiently. If you get hurt while trying to lift too much weight you’ll set yourself back both in time and momentum. Doing that is unquestionably worse than lifting lighter weights.

There is a happy medium, however. That happy medium is performing each set at what I describe as a good value and proper execution. Lifting heavy enough weight to build significant muscle mass—while still using form that’s good enough to directly stimulate the intended muscle group.

Overloading the intended muscle group with heavy weight is one of the most important keys to effectively stimulating maximum muscle growth. Despite what many people believe, you don’t necessarily need to use strict form in order to stimulate the muscle. But, if you want to build the most muscle in the shortest period of time, you do need to use the heaviest amount of weight that you can lift at the same time that you are stimulating the muscle group.

You have to find the right balance between heavy, challenging, muscle-taxing weight and using exercise execution and technique that’s good enough to hit the targeted muscle group. This may take some time and practice—but you won’t find that right balance until you make it your goal to do so.

Can certain exercises change the shape of muscles?

2011-01-05T17:39:00.000-08:00

Skip--

I want more or a "peak" on my biceps. Can certain exercises change the shape of muscles?

There are no specific exercises that will actually change the shape of a particular muscle or muscle group. Until you reach your maximum genetic potential for that body part’s muscle growth, you’ll never know what the finished product will look like.

When it comes to the shape of a particular body part, muscle, or muscle group, everything is not under your complete control. Your genetic disposition has the final say in the shape of a particular body part, muscle, or muscle group.

What you can control, however, is the amount of high-quality, dense muscle your genetic disposition has to work with. Your goal is to efficiently stimulate the muscle with good old fashioned weight training in order to maximize the amount of size and mass a particular body part carries.

MASS MACHINE® Training Tip: Use Your Physical Strength to Create More Mental Strength

2010-06-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

By Skip La Cour
Six Time National Champion Bodybuilder
Success and Leadership Coach
www.skiplacour.com

Here's a next level training tip when you are doing single-limb movements (i.e. Alternating Dumbbell Curls and Dumbbell Rows):

It's quite common for you to have one arm or leg that is stronger and/or more coordinated than the other.

Always start the set with your STRONGEST limb!

That way, your weaker limb will ASPIRE to match the productivity of your stronger one--rather than your stronger limb SETTLING for what your weaker one is able to do and end the set.

This is one small distinction that will make a MASSIVE difference over time!

Train Hard--and Think BIG!

Skip La Cour

Copyright © 2010 Skip La Cour Consulting. Mass Machine is a registered trademark ® of Skip La Cour. All Rights Reserved.

Know Exactly What You Want From Your Workout Before You Step Into the Gym

2010-06-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

By Skip La Cour
Six Time National Champion Bodybuilder
Success and Leadership Coach
www.skiplacour.com

This is what you must do to take control of your training efforts and win on your own terms.

Everyone hopes to have a great workout every time they step into the gym. But, if you want to be the most effective and efficient with the time you invest training, simply hoping will not get the job done.

The best way to get what you want out of your workout is to first identify exactly what you want to accomplish before you even get to the gym.

What’s most important to you when it comes to your training sessions? Have you taken the time to specifically determine what a “great workout” means to you?

There are many factors that could contribute to a great workout. Components such as the amount of weight you lift, how many reps you perform, if you set personal records, the quality of form you use, how well you stimulate the targeted muscle group, if you get a good pump, how quickly you get and out of the gym, your level of concentration and focus, and for some people, how much connection made with gym friends and getting through an entire workout without quitting could all make a workout a great one.

Which components of a workout are the most important to you and how do you prioritize those components? You usually won’t value each one of them the same. Some are more important to you than others—and that’s perfectly acceptable. How you prioritize the importance of all these factors will definitely have an impact on your results.

Have you taken the time to figure this out and aim for it during every session?

For example, if one person's highest priority is the quality of his form and he has made the decision that he will never sacrifice quality of form for the sake of lifting heavier weight, he can expect to experience a certain level of achievement. His results will more than likely be quite different than a person whose number one goal is to lift the heaviest amount of weight humanly possible—regardless of how sloppy the form he uses becomes. If a third person strives for proper execution, with form effective enough to stimulate the muscle group being trained with the heaviest amount of weight possible, he can expect results different than the two previous training approaches mentioned.

The person who doesn’t want to socialize in fear it will hamper his focus and concentration will produce different results than the person who sets out to both connect with his friends and pound-out a decent workout at the same time.

So, after listing what’s most important for you to achieve during your workout, arrange what you’ve decided upon in their order of priority.

I evaluate the quality of my workouts by my effectiveness, performance, and mental focus:

Effectiveness. My number one priority when I evaluate my workouts is how well I hit the targeted muscle group during every set. Did I stimulate the growth process by feeling the weight exactly where I wanted? Or, did I incorporate other body parts to help me perform the repetitions? Did I give every set everything I had inside of me and work every set to absolute failure?

Performance. After I make sure I've overloaded the exact muscle group I targeted, my next priority is peak performance. I evaluate my performance by how much weight I lifted, how many repetitions I performed with that weight, what kind of form I used, and if I was in a groove, flow, or zone. How close did I come to the most weight I have ever lifted for each exercise? How close did I come to the most reps I've ever performed with that amount of weight? Was the form I used during each exercise the happy medium between very strict and sloppy that as I was aiming for? Did I feel fluent or was every inch of every rep a battle? Again, I only value these components if I have first hit the intended muscle group and worked every set until absolute failure. Who cares how much weight I lifted if I didn't stimulate the right muscle group? I certainly don’t!

Mental Focus. The level of mental focus I achieved and maintained during my workout is the next component I evaluate when I determine the quality of my training session. How well I concentrated during every exercise, the amount of courage and determination I exhibited, and how efficiently I moved from exercise to exercise all contribute to my mental focus. Was I enthusiastic when I trained? Was my mind only on my workout or did I let situations outside of the gym distract me? Did I go for a challenging amount of weight or did I rationalize and settle for less based on a little fear or even laziness? Did I do any excess talking that broke the flow of the workout? Usually, when you are mentally focused, you are going to have a great workout—but that's not always the case. Being mentally focused is great. You can have all the best intentions in the world but fail to be effective or perform well in the gym. I'd rather be less focused and get the job done well rather than be super-determined but unable to produce significant results.

How about you? Have you already consciously figured these things out so you can take control over your training and win on your own terms?

Invest in the quality of your workouts by taking the time to determine what’s most important to you, prioritize what you’ve decided upon, and set out to execute them during every workout—and make every one of them a great one.

Train Hard—and Think Big! You are a Mass Machine Warrior!

Build TWICE as Much MUSCLE in HALF the Time with This Dual DVD Package!

Skip La Cour's Packing On Muscle and WARRIOR Dual DVD Package! (Watch Trailers)

Skip La Cour's
Packing-On Muscle! Max-OT Style
2-disc; 4-hour DVD Set

This two-disc, four-hour DVD presentation is jam-packed with information and inspiration to help you take YOUR physique to the next level. My number one goal with Packing-On Muscle! Max-OT Style is to help you achieve your ideal of the ultimate physique. I will help you build muscle faster, shorten your learning time, end confusion and frustration, and help you enjoy the process at a greater level along the way.

It s almost as if we ll become training partners as I take you with me in the gym for an entire week. After four hours of coaching, I m certain you ll be fortified with what you ll need in order to build some rock solid muscle and feel more confident with the process while doing so.

This is how I plan to help you reach your goals in this DVD set:

An Entire Week of Training --Every Set and Every Rep!During the first part of the DVD, I will take you with me through an entire week of training every set and every repetition. I ll show you how I pack-on muscle more effectively and efficiently as I demonstrate and explain the Max-OT Training Principles and dozens of the physical, mental, and emotional tips I implement along the way.

Discover What You' ve Learned after Watching the Week of Training. Then, I ll let you watch this same week of training bolstered by what I ve shared in the first part with just the real sound and action. You ll be amazed how much you ve learned and how much you ll be inspired watching this section after part one.

Cardiovascular Training. Cardiovascular training is an important part of the physique development process. High-intensity Max-OT Cardio and how it compares to other forms of cardiovascular training will be demonstrated and explained next.

20 More Exercises Demonstrated and Explained. Twenty (20) more highly-effective muscle-building exercises that were not scheduled during the week of training are outlined, demonstrated and explained in the following section of this DVD presentation.

Insightful Tips and Advanced Advice. I ve added insightful tips and advanced advice in the next section of Packing-On Muscle! Max-OT Style. You ll get an inside look at the little things that I do that will help you produce big results.

Action-Packed Body Part Training Clip Set to Music. To drive you to an even higher level of achievement, I ve organized inspirational, action-packed individual body part training clips set to music in the next section. You can cue the body part that you have scheduled to train before you head to the gym for an extra mental push.

Bodybuilding Contest Footage. See the finished "product." Watch contest footage from my back-to-back national championship victories.

Nutrition Seminar. You can train consistently, effectively, and efficiently in the gym, but if you don t back up what you do there with sound eating habits, your results will be severely compromised. During the final section of Packing-On Muscle! Max-OT Style, I will present a one-hour live seminar on nutrition a critical component of the bodybuilding and training process. Now, I can talk for days but I ve limited this seminar to what I believe are the most helpful nutrition tips and the most effective mental strategies and organizing principles.

Efficient Menu System to Help You Watch Packing-On Muscle! Max-OT Style Over and Over Again. I ve created an easy-to-surf menu system to guide you through the DVDs. You ll discover that the more you watch Packing-On Muscle! Max-OT Style the more you ll absorb the extensive information it contains. Also, the more you watch it, the more motivated you will be to get the very most out of your bodybuilding and training efforts!

Click here to Watch the DVD Trailer to Skip La Cour's Packing On Muscle! Max-OT Style DVD Set!

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ALL of This for . . .

Only $49.99 (Plus S & H)

Click Here to Order NOW!

Click here for more information.

If you are not completely satisfied, you have a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee.

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Skip La Cour
The Original Max-OT Training
WARRIOR
DVD and Total Success System

It’s not just an awesome, inspirational DVD entirely created with never-before-seen Skip La Cour training footage; it’s a TOTAL Success System that will help you get the body you really want!

In Skip La Cour: The Original Max-OT Training WARRIOR DVD and Total Success System, the Six-Time National Bodybuilding Champion and Success/Leadership Coach demonstrates his winning strategies with you!

Skip La Cour exploded onto the international bodybuilding scene in the early 90s and soon became arguably the world’s best-known drug-free competitive bodybuilder. The articles that he wrote in Ironman Magazine introduced the high intensity, low volume, highly effective Max-OT Training principles to the world of drug-free bodybuilders for the very first time. At that time, the one-body part, once-a-week, heavy training style was unconventional and highly controversial.

Now, there are legions of Max-OT Training “WARRIORS” all over the world who are earning outstanding muscle gains and learning how to get them in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

Due to La Cour’s leadership, it’s widely accepted that there is no better way for natural, drug-free bodybuilders to train. He is unquestionably “The Original Max-OT Training WARRIOR”!

Are you a training WARRIOR and are you the type of person who does whatever it takes to get what he wants? If so, you WANT this DVD and Total Success System! You NEED this DVD and Total Success System!

For less than the price of a couple bottles of protein powder that will barely last two months, you will have empowering bodybuilding information, inspiration, and structure that will last a LIFETIME!

No matter what level you are at now, you will have the opportunity to get significantly farther in a much shorter period of time through Skip La Cour as your coach, motivator, and friend—without all of the confusion, frustration, and overwhelm you are currently suffering through. You get to Skip La Cour’s 20-year Champion level sooner rather than much, much later.

Shredded-to-the-bone, this training footage was filmed just two weeks before one of his national championship victories. This package also includes bonus footage with Skip sharing valuable training, eating, and motivational insights in a roundtable discussion at the AST Sports Science Headquarters with President Paul Delia and IFBB Professional Bodybuilder Jeff Willet.

Click Here to Watch the Video Trailer

In the “Total Success System” that’s included with your training DVD, you have the unique opportunity to take advantage of his invaluable experience and learn ALL FACETS of the bodybuilding and training lifestyle in the fastest, most effective and efficient manner possible.

Skip La Cour’s over 25 years in the motivation/peak performance field and over 20 years of hardcore bodybuilding has enabled him to become one of the most-successful bodybuilding and training “coaches” in the world. His experiences coaching hundreds of bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts have helped him become a true MASTER at helping YOU get real results.

His dedicated students pay him hundreds of dollars a month for his one-on-one coaching. Now, you can save yourself a lot of money—and still advantage of his very same coaching skills and techniques to help take your efforts to the next level!

Skip La Cour: The Original Max-OT Training WARRIOR is not just an awesome, inspirational DVD entirely created with never-before-seen Skip La Cour training footage; it’s a TOTAL Success System that coaches your through every phase of the bodybuilding and training process and helps you get the body you really want!

The “Total Success System” includes Skip La Cour’s Packing On Muscle Max-OT Style 164-page weight training and cardiovascular training ebook ($24.99 value), Skip La Cour’s Bodybuilding Nutrition ebook ($19.99 value), years of Max-OT Training routines and record keeping forms, a Cardiovascular record keeping form ($19.99 value), "The SECRETS to Getting Ripped and Lean" 50-minute audio seminar ($24.99 value), a Daily Discipline Accountability Checklist and Meal Planner ($4.99 value), and the MASS MACHINE Success Programming 30-minute audio file ($24.99).

This amazing package is a $159.93 Value!

For a limited time only, your investment is:

ALL of This for . . .

Only $69.99 (Plus S & H)

Skip La Cour's Bodybuilding & Training BLOG

Skip La Cour's Products and Services

Jeff Willet Joins Skip La Cour During This Mass Machine Bodybuilding & Training Podcast (#1 In Series)

This week's BODYBUILDING PODCAST: Quit Making Things So Damn Complicated!

Just How Important Is Strict Form to Muscle Growth?

Can certain exercises change the shape of muscles?

MASS MACHINE® Training Tip: Use Your Physical Strength to Create More Mental Strength

Know Exactly What You Want From Your Workout Before You Step Into the Gym

When Does the “Right” Amount of Training During Each Workout End and Overtraining Begin?

It’s Time to Put On Your “Big Boy Pants”! (Here’s Some of the TOUGH LOVE I Promised You)

Start Judging Your Success By the Size of Gap You Create Between Where You Began and Where You Are Now

Build TWICE as Much MUSCLE in HALF the Time with This Dual DVD Package!

Listen to This 10-Minute Podcast NOW and Totally IMMERSE Yourself Into Your Bodybuilding and Training!

Skip La Cour Discusses the SECRETS of Bodybuilding Contest Preparation

Training INTENSITY Defined!

There's No Substitute for Hard Work When It Comes To Losing Body Fat

Here are the Top 5 things I learned about YOU during this past year of one-on-one coaching

Think BIG--and Manage Your Expectations with Your Eating Plan

You Must Make Sure You Eat ENOUGH Food--Even When You Are Striving to Lose Body Fat

Document What You Do in the Gym and Watch Yourself "Magically" Grow

Take SCHEDULED Time Out of the Gym and GROW!