Winter is a season with maintenance as its theme. By maintenance I mean training just enough to avoid not making progress. It does not imply staying the same, for nothing, even your body ever remains the same. Your physique is either progressing or regressing in development. Maintenance is about avoiding regression. Since I train hard and reach my year's goal in the Autumn, I gradually step down my training during Winter. This give me time to devote more attention to other things like my body's weak points. Hence there is time for specialization. There's also time for doing things you didn't have time to do when you were spending time training hard and were too tired to expend much energy outside the gym. This issue is about where to focus in your training during the Winter. Get over the illusion that you must be in top shape all the time. No one really is, even though you see it in all the bodybuilding magazines-no bad pictures, everyone's in shape. This is not the way things are in nature and this is not the state of reality in bodybuilding either. As expressed in Mind, Body, Spirit, my personal training diary, in Winter: "the trees have lost their leaves but growth is still to be found as roots drink life fluid a vast network expands deep underground. Just as the roots create the future tree, in this present life abounds the possibility of your next (future) body. Winter's peering right around the corner".

The training you do in Winter determines what you will look like next year when you reach peak condition. So what you do now is very important from the standpoint of your long term goal, that is, your goal for an entire year. Your short term goal is where you plan to be at the end of this season, Winter: heal injuries, develop my weak points (lagging body parts), work on my overall proportions so I have a new look, become better at eliciting the relaxation response, sharpen my visualization skills, become clear about what my life's goals really are for the coming year. Hope what I do helps you too.

Short term goals are 13 weeks, the length of a season. Your long term goal is what you want your body to look like in peak condition. For me this is in Autumn when Nature reaches her peak. Planning you goals is all about priorities-what is most important to you at this moment. Your Winter priorities might be having a good time, at least over the holidays. There's nothing wrong with this as long as December doesn't turn into a month long junk food binge and vacation from regular exercise. If you allow yourself a break from your optimum diet and exercise then plan to make up for it as soon as possible. I remember a friend who went to Europe for 2 weeks during the Christmas holidays. Upon his return he bragged to everyone in the gym that he ate nothing but junk food his entire vacation and didn't get fat (since he was so active). Two weeks later, however it was a different story. The bingeing had caught up with him and he was fat as a pig. You can't bend the rules for long and expect to get away with it for long. Body fat sneaks up on you. Pigs don't fly.

Constantly picture in your imagination what you want to look like. This will lead you to take the necessary steps in your everyday life to acquire this body of your dreams. Do this visualization before you go to bed: close your eyes, look upward to the left and picture the way you look right now. Holding this image firmly in your mind with your eyes closed, look now to your upper right and picture the way you want your body to look. Imagine every part in detail starting with your head, seeing each part of your dream body right down to your feet. Now move each image toward the center of your upper visual field, make the image life size, and step into it. The Dream Body Visualization is recorded on audio tape (side 2 of "Sleep Easy") and is described in chapter 12 of Fabulously Fit Forever Expanded

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During the Winter there is less sunlight and as a result the body's light meter, the pineal gland, is less stimulated and less serotonin is produced. This accounts for symptoms of "seasonal affective disorder" which is characterized by depressed mood, craving for carbohydrates, and body fat gain. Adding light to you life helps and my favorite way is using the light stimulation of a light sound machine such as the "Mind Muscle™ Machine". Taking serotonin precursors like 5HTP and/or melatonin before bed can help too. The main dietary rule is to not load up on carbs late in the day. Eat starches early and decrease carbohydrate intake as the day goes on. And of course refrain as much as possible from junk food over the holidays. No ice cream, candy and cake all over the place, and refuse booze as often as you can. Lots of empty calories here. If you eat it you have to work it off in your workout. Body fat and consequently your treadmill will be no stranger to you.

Combining more aerobics with your weight training is wise during Winter. I like to add more treadmill, rowing, and stationary cycling. Cardio work helps keep my body fat levels down, my legs developed and my abs in better shape. . People store fat at their body's center of gravity-for men it's around the waistline; for women it's at the hips and upper thighs. My favorite cardio program is to do 20 to 30 minutes fast walking on my treadmill, one minute at 2 degrees decline alternating with one minute at 2 to 4 degrees incline. My wife Christine always does at least 45 minutes of treadmill while watching TV after her 20 minute weight training workout. On days I don't do my weight training I'll do abdominal work then spend 10 minute on the treadmill, 10 minutes biking, and 5 minutes rowing for variety, exercising my entire body in about 45 minutes. Another of my favorite "rest day" day programs (described in chapter 5 of Fabulously Fit Forever Expanded is "AB-Aerobics".

Most bodybuilders, especially competitors, are extremists, who bulk up during the Winter (many of them gain as much as 70 or 80 pounds above their competitive bodyweight) and then lose it all back for their contest the following year. I've fallen into this trap several times. In Winter 1965 while living in New Jersey I bulked up to 220 pounds: my thighs increased to 28 inches and my waist to 38 inches, while my arms and chest only grew a fraction of an inch. It took me a whole year to get in shape again and by summer 1966 I was weighing my original 190 pounds. I learned that to make long term progress, my best strategy was not to gain more than 5% of my competitive bodyweight and to spend the Winter working my weak points, recuperating, keeping a trim waistline, cross-training, staying on a reasonable diet and not bulking up. Gaining just a few pounds of muscle in the right places every year looks really impressive.

Ab-Aerobics is a form of circuit training where you arrange exercise stations with an abdominal exercise alternated with an aerobic type exercise. A simple ab-aerobic circuit could be leg raise, stationary bike, crunches, treadmill, hanging knee up, rowing machine, seated twist, stair climber. Since this particular circuit has 8 stations, a group of eight people could use it at the same time. We had many great ab-aerobic sessions in the old day of Zane Haven in Palm Springs in the 1980's. We'd do the program to music, spending one minute at each station before we'd switch to the next one. I noticed quick improvement in just 4 days straight of ab-aerobics, spending an average of half an hour each time. Doing this in a group is a wonderful way to use everyone's energy for motivation to do the program longer and longer. The great thing about this form of exercise is that you get both abdominal work and cardio-vascular exercise at the same time. Alternate whatever abdominal and aerobic equipment you have-even 4 stations makes a good circuit. The more exercises you add the more variety you'll get.

Ask yourself from time to time "what's most important to me right now?" Is it enjoying yourself by eating anything you want, or eating more sensibly to avoid gaining body fat? Maintain a balance between good food choices and exercising enough without becoming compulsive about either of them. And weigh yourself every few days. By staying aware of how you look you will have less desire to go off your diet. One way to eat more nutritiously is to eat out at restaurants less often and cook wholesome nutritious meals at home instead. There's lots of good recipes in Zane Nutrition designed for a minimum of preparation. Don't keep junk food or booze in the house. This way you will be less likely to consume it. Many people eat incorrectly because of boredom. Ever catch yourself opening in the refrigerator and staring in there not sure of what you're looking for? If you find a jar of peanut butter in there you'll probably eat some. Also having nuts and peanuts around the house can lead to eating more of them. While these foods are nutritious, they are loaded with calories because of the monounsaturated oils and it is hard to eat just a little bit. Remember, out of sight, out of mind.

Preparing your own food is a good idea to help you eat correctly and save money. Here are some of my favorite recipes:

SPINACH & EGG CASSEROLE: use 4 cups finely chopped packed spinach; enough cherry tomatoes cut in half to cover your dish, 3 eggs beaten, 3 tbsp. Whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion, 1 clove minced garlic,1/2 cup low fat cheese grated, pepper to taste. Arrange spinach in a shallow casserole dish. Place tomato halves, cut side up on top of the spinach. Beat the eggs with the onion pepper and garlic. Pour egg mixture over spinach and tomatoes and top with the grated low fat cheese. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until set and browned, about 40 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Another of my favorite breakfasts is:

APPLES AND EGGS: use 5 eggs, beaten; 1/2 cup finely grated cheese; 1/2 small minced onion, 2 tart apples sliced thinly;' 1/2 tsp. cinnamon; 1 tbsp lemon juice. In a Teflon frying pan put 1 tbsp lemon juice, apples and onions and cook until soft. Add cinnamon and few drops of lemon juice. Mix eggs and cheese together and pour over apple mixture. Continue to cook over medium heat. Do not stir. When egg begins to set, cover and cook until egg is set. When done, slide entire contents onto a platter and cut into wedges to serve. Hint-when cooking eggs, do not overcook them because they continue to cook after removed from the heat.

OATMEAL BAKED CHICKEN - use your choice of 8 skinned chicken pieces, 1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup whole grain flour with 1 tbsp bran, pepper to taste, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1 or 2 eggs beaten with 2 tbsp water or 2-3 tbsp fat free mayonnaise beaten frothy, non -stick cooking spray or olive oil. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl or plastic bag. In a separate bowl place beaten egg mixture or the fat free mayonnaise mixture. Dip the chicken pieces, one at a time in the egg mixture or brush the mayo on the surface of each piece. The place the chicken pieces in the plastic bag and shake to coat or roll in the oatmeal mixture in the bowl. Place the piece in a Teflon pan. Spray the top lightly with non-stick cooking oil (Pam) or whisk on a little olive oil. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 25 to 30 minutes until done, brown and crispy on top. Serve immediately.

Fish is a good source of omega 3 oils and are a first class source of protein. This recipe is a whole lot tastier than eating tuna right out of the can. BAKED TUNA OR SALMON CAKES - use 16 ounces of canned salmon or tuna (2 normal sized cans are 14 ounces which is ok), 4 eggs beaten, 1 grated onion, 1 tsp. dill weed, 4 slices rye crisp crackers, 1 & 1/2 cup rolled oats, pepper. Rinse and drain the fish well and place in a large bowl. Break the crackers into small pieces and place in bowl. Add remaining ingredients except the oats. Mix these ingredients with your hands. If there is too much liquid present add another cracker or more rolled oats. Form this mixture into 6 patties. Coat the patties with rolled oats and place in a baking pan (Teflon) sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (Pam). Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until patties are done all the way through. Serve immediately.

Salads are great to add fiber to your diet and fill you up. By using low carb vegetables, as most salad vegetable ingredients are, you can stay lean and avoid hunger. Start with a big bowl of mixed salad greens and/or a big bowl of spinach leaves. Some may prefer a spinach only salad. What makes this easy is you can buy mixed greens, lettuce or spinach already in plastic bags in grocery stores. Add your favorite vegetables, raw (tomatoes, sprouts, celery, peppers, radishes, broccoli) or steamed (carrots, zucchini, corn, squash, asparagus) cut into small pieces. Add small amounts of seeds like pumpkin, sunflower, toasted

Flaxseed, sesame, and small amounts of nuts like walnuts or shaved almonds. Finely diced turkey, chicken breast, tuna or salmon, low fat low sodium ham slices, small chunks or steak or slices of roast beef, and eggs can provide protein as well as low fat grated cheese (my favorite low fat low sodium cheese is Alpine Lace Swiss Cheese). Add some fruit like halved grapes, orange sections, small chunks or cantaloupe, apples, or fresh pineapple. For dressing you can mix olive oil and wine vinegar, dark sesame oil and rice vinegar, or a creamy non-fat yogurt based dressing.

Winter is a good time to enjoy conveniently prepared stews. They warm you up from the cold weather and provide a good source of protein from meats as well as the great taste of vegetables. A crock-pot is an inexpensive cooking tool you can use to prepare wonderful stew. Fill with vegetables of your choice, put in some lean cuts of beef or poultry, add a little water and turn on for about 6 to 8 hours. This is a great way to have a nutritious hot meal by setting it on low cooking temperature before you leave for work in the morning and having it for dinner when you get home. You can experiment with a combination of meats or vegetables to suit your taste. Often inexpensive cuts of meat are available in markets that you can use in your crock-pot. They are ideal because the long cooking period makes them very tender. If you don't already have a crock-pot, Christmas is a good time to get one; they usually sell for about $20. Another good cooking tool is a deep-dish electric frying pan. We like it because it is like cooking in a small oven. And don't forget vegetable steamers for cooking vegetables just enough to break down the cellulose.

Specialization means using weight-training to improve your symmetry and/or proportion. When you specialize you put more emphasis on training certain body parts and Winter is the perfect time to do it. The idea in Winter is to cut down on your training and rest more to heal injuries and also to specialize. Everybody has parts of their bodies that respond well to exercise, hence they are well developed. When you specialize, you do a minimum of work for these parts and a maximum of training for your weaker areas. The result is when you start up in Spring again with all over training working each body part equally, the formerly weaker parts now look better in comparison to everything else. So the first step is to decide what parts of your body you need to specialize on. With me it was always calves and biceps. Later I learned that keeping fat off my abs as much as possible during the Winter was a good idea too, and I also began cutting back on pec work, especially lower pec work so my delts would look more developed along with upper and outer pecs.

The parts of the body that are the least developed are those parts you can't see directly, that is the back side of the body: back, especially lats, rear deltoids, hamstrings, and often calves. Go to any physique competition and you'll see that most everyone looks good from the front, but when they turn around to the back you can notice that the backs aren't nearly as developed. A cardinal rule for building a proportionate body so that all body parts match one another is: In order to change and improve an area, you must first become aware of it. And the best way to become aware of all parts of your body is to get photographed on a regular basis, every month or so and compare the sets of photos. You will learn what needs the most work and how those areas you are specializing on are shaping up. Another challenge confronting bodybuilders who compete is to have all body parts reach their muscular development peak at the same time. This requires continued monitoring and awareness. Start with back specialization & remember do this program on the first rest day after day 3.

When I mention back specialization I am specifically referring to lats. Latissimus dorsi in Latin means the "widest muscle". So if your lats are not your widest muscle you probably need specialization. Here's a poem/song to help you remember the back program: "Front pulldown no foolin around, best upper back exercise I've ever found. Cable crossover behind the neck/pulldown supersets work my upper back don't tire my biceps. Low cable row on your negatives go slow, you'll get lats like Franco Colombo. One arm dumbbell row makes me feel real wide, my lats are hangin way out to each side. 2 sets dumbbell shoulder shrug works traps just enough, be sure to em you'll look really buff. 5 back exercises, lat stretches in between, soon yr lats'll be lookin really mean.

HINTS: Do first set with a weight that allows you 12 reps, slow negatives, increase weight for 10 reps on the 2nd set, and stretch 15 seconds between sets. Stop 2 inches short of lockout on front pulldown to keep tension on the lats. If you don't have a cable crossover do pulls behind neck with a rubber cable-you can substitute T-Bar row for low cable row. You'll have less stress on your elbows if you use a neutral grip with palms facing each other. Lean slightly forward on shrugs. Rest 2 minutes between sets for a great pump.

I often awaken in the morning with a stiff lower back whether I've done a lot of ab training or not. I also noticed I sleep longer if I've worked out the day before, no doubt because my body needs it. And then all the muscles I've worked and even some I haven't are initially stiff. So after I get up and put on some warm clothing, I go through a short series of stretches and poses to get my blood circulating: one leg up stretch for lower back and hamstrings, alternately tensing each thigh as if walking in place (I did a lot of this before competition and it helped give me great thigh definition), stomach vacuums by exhaling completely and then sucking in my empty stomach as far as possible, one arm shoulder stretch, isometric contraction standing in a doorway and pressing outward on the wrists, doorway stretch, 2 arm lat stretch on doorknob, arms back stretch for triceps, isometric curl on doorknob for biceps. If you take a warm shower when you get up, practice your stretching after you shower. It's a great way to start the day.

Ever wish you had broader more squared off shoulders? This illusion is created by developing the rear deltoids, the rear/side deltoid cleavage, and side deltoids more fully. In many bodybuilders quest to build their chests, the front deltoids get overdeveloped, especially with lots of barbell incline and bench press. When pressing is done with the thumbs facing each other, the front delts work more than the pecs do, but more on this later. Rear delts work a lot with back exercises, especially low cable row and pulldown behind neck. So it's not a bad idea to do some rear delt work along with back work if your posterior shoulder muscles are lagging. (There's a good program for this on Train with Zane tape 1) Some ways are: superset low cable row with bent over dumbbell rear raises or rear delt machine, superset one arm dumbbell row with one arm bent over rear cable raise or even standing one arm cable raise or dumbbell side raise lying on a 45 degree incline bench. When you do bent over dumbbell raises keep your little finger pointing up. A great rear delt/side delt exercises that strengthens the rotator cuff as well is pronated dumbbell side raise Be sure to do rear deltoid stretching as well as one arm shoulder stretching between sets and supersets.

Shapely pectoral muscles enhance the look of the upper body. My goal has always been "Gladiator pecs", not too heavy lower pecs, thick upper pecs, sharp line across the bottom and outer pecs, no flabbiness around the nipple but a good squared off outline in this area, and striated inner pecs. One mistake bodybuilders make as they continue to train is to keep doing heavy bench presses. This exercise is best for beginners and intermediates to build chest, front delt, and triceps mass, but after this is attained to keep going heavier and heavier especially with a wide grip can result in injury and pecs that overshadow the rest of the upper body. The best way to use flat bench press is with a close grip-hands 12 inches apart on the inside with elbows out make this a terrific triceps exercise. For great looking pecs try this routine: 30 degree incline press with a shoulder width barbell and slow negative builds mass (not locking out at the top keeps tension on the pecs); 10 degree decline dumbbell fly or a good pec deck getting a deep stretch all the way down builds outer pecs; parallel dip machine or v-bar dips get lower pecs just enough if you go deep into the dip and lean slightly forward; and dumbbell pullover lying across a flat bench or Nautilus Plate Loaded Pullover Machine is the best exercise I've found for serratus. Do doorway stretch between sets of the first 3 exercises, and one arm shoulder stretch between sets of pullover. Do 2 sets of 12, increase weight then 10 reps on each exercise and go to three sets of each after a few weeks, increasing the weight on the third set and doing 8 reps. Be sure to do slow negatives on all reps.

Nothing sets off the look of the upper body more than wide well rounded deltoids when viewed from the front or the back. The bodybuilder who best exemplified this was Don Howorth of 1960's fame. I was greatly inspired by this look and did lots of deltoid work to get. When I finally did get to ask Howorth about how he got his shoulder development, he said all he did was press behind neck super-setted with bent over dumbbell rear delt raises, and would sometimes combine chins behind neck with the rear delt raises. Naturally he had wide clavicles to start with so it was easier for him to develop wide shoulders. Here's a super-set for delt specialization which helped me: front presses super setted with any kind of rear deltoid raise, either bent over with dumbbell or cables or rear deltoid machine, like Nautilus torso row machine. 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps each, then finish off with one arm side cable raise 10 reps for each arm doing 3 non-stop sets until finished. This gives a pronounced curvature to the lateral deltoids and also defines the outer upper arm.

The biceps and triceps muscles of the upper arms probably attract more attention than any other muscle group. They also get a lot of exercise when you work other upper body muscles-biceps work on all pulling motions and triceps work on all pressing motions. A good way to specialize on biceps/triceps is to do super sets. Supersets enable you to save time and get a great pump without losing strength in either biceps or triceps. Here's a few I've found productive:

Preacher cable curl/ close grip bench press - position your elbows near the top of a preacher bench and curl to the point of maximum tension and hold for one second. Close grip bench press can be done with a barbell, EZ curl bar or on a Smith Machine with hand 12 inches apart on the inside, keep the elbows out , do a real slow negative and stop an inch short of lockout. This is a great mass building triceps exercise......On a 60 degree incline bench facing downward superset dumbbell curl/ dumbbell kickbacks - do 2 to 3 sets of 15, 12, 10 reps holding at the top of the curl for a second and at the top of the kickback for one second. Go light at first, work for a burning sensation. 45 degree dumbbell incline curl/ incline EZ bar extension - pronate the dumbbells at the bottom of the curl and supinate (turn your wrists outward) as you curl upward, pausing and tensing the biceps at the point of peak contraction. Be sure to let the bar go all the way down behind your head and stop an inch short of lockout on extensions.

You can do single sets with dumbbells for better focus on biceps like: concentration curl, alternate dumbbell curl, one arm seated curl, and 15 degree incline DB curls.

An important question regarding triceps training is whether you should lock out or not on the exercise. The answer is if you increase the tension on the triceps by locking out then you should do it and hold it for a second, tensing the triceps even more. I find that exercises that come under the heading "triceps extensions and presses" are best not to lock out on: one arm dumbbell extension, lying triceps extension, close grip bench press-by not locking out on these movements I support the weight with my triceps not with my straightened arms; whereas exercises like pressdowns, kickbacks with dumbbells or with a cable, reverse triceps dips give me a better pump when I lock out and hold the lockout for about one second, going slowly into the negative. I really like training triceps on chest day because triceps work so much with pressing movement used for chest. Since I always include pullovers either with a dumbbell or with Nautilus Pullover Machine in my chest workout, I get a terrific triceps pump from this and it's only natural that my next exercises are for triceps. I you want to work outer triceps select exercises like close grip bench press or dip machine with elbows pointed outward. The best movement for the rear head of the triceps is the one arm dumbbell extension, going deep into the stretch.

The anterior serratus are the finger like projections one-foot under each armpit where the lats meet the ribcage. If you are a competitive bodybuilder these are important muscles to pay attention to because they improve the look of any pose from the front with the arms flexed or over head. Along with good abdominal, oblique, and intercostal development, serratus sensationalize the center of your body, putting the finishing touches to it like nothing else. In Arnold's Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding (which is being revised and called the "New Encyclopedia") he features a particular bodybuilder who is known for having a body part developed better than anyone else. And I lay claim to serratus development. Not that there's much competition. There are almost no bodybuilders with sensational serratus, the closest one being Bill Pearl yeas ago. The reason? Many of them don't do pullovers. I got any early start on this exercise doing pullovers lying over a 3-foot diameter log in my basement with a swingbell as a teenager. For 30 plus years I did dumbbell pullover lying across a bench, sometime super-setted with stiff arm pressdown (or pulldown) on a lat machine. Now I use the new Nautilus plate-loaded pullover machine since it incorporates both movements. And I do it on chest day since it pumps up my triceps as well as my serratus, lower pecs, and stretch my ribcage. This is always the last exercise I do before I begin triceps work.

The ideal time to work forearms is right after you train biceps. At this time forearms are already pumped, especially if you are in the habit of turning your wrist inward as you curl upward (which is a habit you should break if you want better biceps). Forearms work is simple, as little as two exercises super-setted: my favorites are reverse curl with an EZ curl bar super-setted with barbell wrist curl with an Olympic Bar, keeping the reps at least 10 to 20 especially on wrist curl since it is a short range movement. I usually follow two such supersets with sets of gripper, 15 to 20 reps. Forearm exercise is very important to prevent and heal elbow injuries. Pronation/supination rotation is very good for stretching the forearms, wrists, and elbows to strengthen elbows. Years ago Nautilus made a plastic device called the "Sports Mate" where you rotated each hand. Nowadays you can get a similar effect from holding a 4-foot bar weighing 5 pounds in the middle and slowly rotating it with each hand, much like a baton twirler would do. Keep elbows warm when exercising and you will get your best forearm workouts and heal elbow and wrist problems.

Well-developed spinal erectors resemble two thick rope like columns that run from the top of the buttocks right up to the base of the trapezius on each side of the spinal cord. They are extremely important muscles and their development should not be neglected. Years ago, I always finished each workout with 2 sets of 15 to 20 hyper-extensions right after ab work. I think of spinal erectors as part of the waistline (a line around your waist) and fat can accumulate here in the same manner it accumulates on the front and sides of the waist. I'm beginning to do hyperextensions again after a bad experience doing them on the "back revolution", a device for hanging upside down. This is great for traction especially in the L-5 area, but doing hyperextensions with it you should be careful not to come up too far and by all means avoid doing twists in the hyper-extended position. Otherwise it's a good piece of equipment. My favorite hyperextension benches are those that slant forward 45 degrees, giving a good stretch forward and lessening the tendency to come up to come up too far. Don't over extend in the hyperextension. Another good exercise for spinal erectors is 5 minutes of rowing daily on the Concept II Rowing Ergometer. This not only works the lower back, but if you tense your abs while rowing (I like to do 1000 meters at a clip) you'll work your entire waistline as well.

A common problem with men as they age is loss of muscle size and strength in the buttocks along with "toothpick thighs". Since these muscles are the largest in the body, when diet is low in protein as it so often is with elderly people, the body "leaches" amino acids from the big muscle masses and turns them into glucose to be use as energy. The legs and butt still "run" the body butt in a different way! These muscle shrink away and after a while older men have trouble getting up from a seated position. Squatting is the best way to keep size in the thighs and buttocks and should be done on a regular basis. Full squatting is best but if you have lower back or knee aches you might consider using the Leg Blaster like I do, as well as the leg press machine. I have an AFS horizontal leg press in my gym and it is terrific to work the thighs with just enough butt and lower back stimulation. I place my feet low on the platform with my heels hanging off (60% of my foot stays on the platform just as in doing calf work) and I go as deep as possible into the negative on each rep for two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps on squats and leg presses.

The muscles of the frontal thighs or quadriceps are some of the most impressive muscle of the body when fully developed. For me thighs grew easily and I was squatting 3 sets of 10 reps with 300 pounds by the time I was 18 years old and then everything else had to catch up. Just because a muscle grows easily doesn't mean you should work it hard and get it out of proportion with your other body parts. I consider ideal quad development to be: not too thick above the knee, great separation between all three quad heads-they should stand out visibly: teardrop shaped vastus internus above the knee, sweeping vastus externus from right above the knee up to the hip, and striated vastus medialis right in the middle of all three. Well defined upper thighs are possible to if you do lots of ab work like hanging knee up, Roman chair sit-up with butt hanging over a flat bench, your thighs being in contact with the bench will contract on each and every rep, and I know you will get deep cuts in your thighs from high rep leg raises too. But the main exercise for shaping and defining the quads is the Leg Extension. Ya gotta have a great leg extension machine if you want cut up quads. I've had a single chain Nautilus Leg Extension machine for 20 years and still haven't found one better. I always do leg extension before squats and leg press to warm up the knees. Pushing the weight up as high as I can, I don't stop at the top of each reps but lower the weight slowly, and man you can bet my quads are sure burning at the end of each set. I usually super-set leg curl and leg extension first thing in my thigh workout. For even more thigh definition, I've often done one leg partial leg extension going halfway down up to lockout, and stair climber facing backwards with short steps, tensing my thighs hard each and every reps, doing one hundred reps before I would stop. 

They won't if you get them to grow by doing two things. Rather than doing a lot of sets, get a burn on every set by holding each rep for 5 seconds at the top, and do at least 15 reps before you stop. You'll get a good burn and as you walk around the gym between sets you will feel you calves pumping up. Do the calf stretch between sets by holding your heels in the down position for 15 seconds while standing on a calf block. Incidentally every gym needs a good calf block which you can make by nailing 2 twelve inch long 2 by 4s underneath an 18 inch long piece of 4 by 6 lumber. (We sell a really slick calf block as part of our Leg Blaster combination). The purpose of the calf block is to allow your heels to stretch below the plane of the floor. Your heels should travel at least 4 inches to get an effective calf workout. I select 3 or 4 different calf exercises and do no more than 6 sets total in my calf workout. Every set is reps to a burn: Standing, leg press calf raises, donkeys, seated (which because the knees are bent a lot, work the soleus, a large muscle berneath the two headed outer gastrocnemius.

No, these are not the names of Roman emperors but muscles of your calves. Tibialis is out in front, Peronius is on the outside and the Achilles tendon runs under your calf down to your ankle. Your tibialis works when you lower your heels and so does your Achilles tendon, so be careful to warm-up before you go too heavy on calf work, especially seated calf raise since this one really stretches the Achilles tendon (for this reason I never do seated calf raise first in my calf workout). To work the inner part of your calves keep the pressure on the ball of your foot and your first two toes. To work the outer peronius and soleus, roll outward as you raise up on your toes (this is more common with heavier weight). And to work the lower calf, keep you knees slightly bent and stretch as low as possible at the bottom A very good calf exercise if you have no calf machines is the one legged standing calf raise on a step.

Super-sets, that is one exercise followed immediately by another without any rest in between are good instruments for specializing on underdeveloped areas. My rules for choosing exercises are: pick exercises for the same body part or for adjacent body parts, don't do 2 pressing (e.g. bench press and overhead press) 2 pulling (pulldowns and rowing) or two big muscle group exercises together like squats followed by leg press. You will just be too exhausted from the first to put much into the second exercise. Aside from those already mentioned, here are some favorite combinations I've discovered over the years: front pulldown/cable crossover behind neck, one arm cable row/ one arm bent over rear delt cable raise, low cable row/ rear deltoid machine, front press on machine/ 2 arm incline DB curl, barbell incline press/pec deck, DB pullover/close grip pulldown, preacher cable curl/incline curl machine (Panatta), face down incline DB curl/ face down incline DB kickbacks, one arm DB concentration curl/ arm DB overhead extension, leg extension/full squats (erect position), leg curl/ leg press, donkey calf raise/seated calf raise, leg extension top half of movement/ stair climber facing backwards, lunges/ hip machine, wrist roller/wrist curl, front chin with neutral grip/ v-bar dips, pressdown/ rear delt machine, 1 arm DB extension/1 arm side cable raise, non-lockout close grip bench press/ DB kickback, Parallel dip machine/pullover machine, DB front raise/ standing DB curls. My Mind, Body, Spirit Personal Training Diaries documents over 180 different workouts I've done with many unique super-set combinations and an illustrated body part index to look up all the different exercises. You can keep track of your workouts here.

When you specialize it means that you do more concentrated work for one, or two at the most, body parts. You are able to do this in post season training because you are cutting down on the amount of work you do for your stronger body parts. You can't specialize on everything at once, this would be over training and one of the goals of Winter training is to get enough rest. The nights are longer in Winter so why not take advantage of these extra hours of darkness and sleep? As long as you train your strong points once a week and your weak points twice a week you are following a sensible specialization program and should have time to recuperate from your workouts. A good area to specialize on during the Winter is waistline, since there's a tendency to add body fat over the holidays. So be sure to do at least 200 to 300 total ab reps every workout, and do your best to stay away from junk food. Also remember to keep warm during your workouts to avoid injury. 

The 7 day sequence means training each body part, with the exception of abs once a week. In other words you train 3 workouts a week: Back, biceps, forearms, abs on Monday; abs and legs on Wednesday; and chest, shoulders, triceps, abs on Fridays. This 7-day sequence is a perfect program for specialization because you can do your specialization exercises on any of the days in between workouts. For example if you want to improve your abs and lose body fat you can work abs and aerobics on the 3 days between workouts and take one day of rest. Saturday would be a perfect day for leg specialization given the program outlined above. Tuesdays, a good triceps day; Thursdays a good biceps day, and it is ok to train a part of your upper body two days in a row since you are getting enough rest the other days. If you do this be sure to do different exercises than you did on your regular training day. I realize this could still be a lot of training if you need more time off, so here's an idea. For a short period of time, instead of taking a total layoff, train abs and 3 weak points twice a week. Space the workouts several days apart and begin with one exercise for each body part but do two exercises for your weak points and don't do more than 12 to 14 exercises total in one workout.

As you know by now we left Palm Springs in early October this year after living there full time for over 10 years and part time since 1978. It was an interesting change, moving from the Santa Monica bodybuilding capital of the world, to the quiet desert, where there was little else to do but train and tan, and looking back in retrospect I realize how things might have been different. Many of my friends told me I was crazy for moving from Santa Monica to the desert, but after starting Zane Haven in 1980, our live in bodybuilding learning center which operated until 1988, living in two places was too energy consuming. So in 1988 we acquired the Cary Grant Estate in Palm Springs on 2 lush acres in the historic old movie colony area near the center of town and for 10 years taught weight training and consulted from this magnificent setting. With each trip back to Santa Monica, I saw how it was changing from a sleepy little ocean front community to "Hollywood on the beach", as more and more media production companies moved there. After finishing 95 half-hour episodes of a weight training oriented television show there last year I was glad I no longer be living there. All the fancy restaurants and long limousines did nothing to inspire the feeling of relaxation and sense of well being I once felt here.

Some of the problems with living in Palm Spring year around became more and more apparent the longer we lived there. At first I felt it was the ideal training climate-cooler at night and almost always sunny and warm during the day. Indeed it was there I escaped to from Santa Monica to tan and train in my home gym in 1978 and 79 and to prepare form winning two Mr. Olympia titles. In the summer you didn't have to be in the sun very long to get a tan and I made a habit of floating on a raft in my pool between workouts to get as dark as possible to show all my definition under the bright stage lights of competition. But after retiring from competition, the value of intense sunbathing was gone, and along with concerns of just how good is all that sun for me anyway, I only tanned when I absolutely had to. True, a little color made me look better when I had an appearance to make and that became the limit of my exposure to the sun. The long hot summers became harder to take, with temperatures soaring into the 120's during the hottest days, the astounding utility and maintenance bills, along with the limited tourist season, Palm Springs became simply not what we needed anymore. So we began searching other locations, Las Vegas (but we didn't want to live in another desert), and California's Orange County seemed too crowded. 

So every weekend we'd drive the 140 miles to San Diego and follow up on real estate leads. Our Palm Springs abode sold the beginning of July and we were concerned about finding a suitable place to live and do business in such a short time, since we only had until the end of September to move. Finally we found a nice location in an area near the city of La Mesa (called "jewel of the hills") and just south of Mount Helix, at the top of a hill with a fantastic view where we could see all the way to the ocean, downtown San Diego, the Coronado Island bridge, the tip of Point Loma, and even into Mexico. We've been here going on three months now and find the fitness awareness of San Diegans very high. There are literally hundreds of gyms, and the gym I was able to move from Palm Springs and set up in San Diego I like even better than my old one. The weather is wonderful and there's never a boring moment. Christine is pursuing her silversmith work and in addition to writing this newsletter, training people, and attending to our mail order business, I am finding time to practice harmonica and study guitar as well.

So now after we move to San Diego, I discover that I had written a poem about it several years earlier that appears on page 68 of Mind, Body, Spirit: "Driving to San Diego today saw away in a field stand row upon row stalks of corn, masters of form, being reborn, green growing ears of concern, wearing away like loose bales of hay, from strong gusts of wind, blowing all day, away in the field." I'm amazed when events like this happen in my life, because I wrote this when I wasn't even thinking about moving to San Diego. Life is full of meaningful coincidence when you have balance in it. Perhaps the thing I enjoy most about Winter training is that it gives me an opportunity to enjoy other pursuits in my life. After training continuously for over 40 years, it's nice to down shift from hard training into an exercise mode where I have the time and energy to broaden my perspective and grow in other areas of life (and I don't mean growth around the waistline!). One of the feelings I remember most vividly from my competitive years was how tired I felt most of the time and if I didn't pay attention to getting enough rest how easy it was to get over trained. So the idea in Winter is to train but just enough so you have time and energy to enjoy other pursuits. There will be a time when you put this energy into intense workouts, so give yourself a rest, just as nature does during Winter. I really enjoy the opportunity to develop my musical skills. My mother was a good singer and my brother had his own band in which he played bass guitar and sang. My father taught me harmonica at age 10 and it is only in the last 3 years that I've gotten serious about it enough to collect different keys and kinds of "harps" and practice seriously. In the process, I met keyboard player Dave Bott of Columbus, Ohio at the Arnold Classic and recorded with him. Recently I got together with Les Borhi, a very talented musician who plays bass, keyboards, and lead guitar and played 2 concerts in New York City.

I've written about Sri Chinmoy, the 68 year old athletic guru, who lives in New York City and conducts the peace meditation at the United Nations. So the day after Thanksgiving, I'm at York College in Queens, New York with Les on guitar performing "Guru Blues" and the next day too at an outdoor concert with 400 people. The Guru lifted Bill Pearl, Mike Katz, Dan Lurie, myself and many others in different lifts all night long!! It was an amazing feat of strength and endurance. This incredible being trains every day with weights and sleeps only two hours a night and has accomplished amazing feats such as drawing 9 million birds, writing 1300 books, and playing 150 different musical instruments. I was inspired by his words to me " you have built your body, studied and earned a masters degree and trained your mind, and now with your music you are developing your soul." The next day Les and I recorded "Mind, Body, Spirit" in his recording studio. We feel inspired listening to the original reading as we add the sound track. The CD is now available for $16.95 postpaid.

After writing "Mind, Body, Spirit" I started to compose songs and to date have written over 150 numbers. One of my favorites that I recorded with Dave Bott is "Bill Pearl": "London, Mr. Universe 1971, there stood Bill Pearl at age 41, Bill Pearl like the Duke of Earl, behavior king, lats like wings, calves and thighs maximized to an astonishing size, deep dark tan, weighed 238, posing supreme, he looked really great, Bill Pearl." Only after I sent the lyrics and recorded song to Bill did he tell me that he was an accomplished saxophone player and still practices to this day. There is really something to this music thing. With Bill it's the saxophone, Sri Chinmoy its flute and 149 other instruments to boot, and with me it's the harmonica or "blues harp". So when I'm feeling down or depressed, filled with unrest, I practice new tunes, and soon my mood improves. Doesn't matter any time of night or day, the worse I feel, the better I play. My blues go away, and a part of my inner self I call the Muse emerges. Listening and appreciating music is relaxing and a good form of stress management, but I find playing my own music works even better for me.

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