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11/30/2013

Josh Boekelman: AAG Fitness Model


His washboard abs seem to be as hard as the rocks by the sea. But this young, avid athlete has many more fascinating traits. Josh Boekelman comes to AllAmericanGuys from the state of Washington. He is an aspiring fitness model and works out five to six days a week in the gym. He's currently pursuing his bachelors in college but hopes to break into the fitness industry. Josh is a champion wrestler and also enjoys all sports.


AAG Debut: July 2013
Age at date of Debut on AAG: 18 years
Height: 5'9
Weight: 172
Most admired body part: Pecs/Chest

You find many high quality photos and videos of Josh Boekelman here on AllAmericanGuys.

11/25/2013

Justin Woltering: 5 Movements For Massive Upper Pecs


Upper Chest Exercises: 5 Movements for Massive Upper Pecs

by Justin Woltering

Need a few killer upper chest exercises? If you're like most lifters, your lower chest is coming along fine – but your upper pecs are barely there! Those top muscle fibers are hard to stimulate, and you've got to change up your routine if you ever want to get them to grow. To be honest, the best upper chest exercises are pretty humbling, too. Most guys just don't want to use less weight than they're throwing around on the flat bench!

Still, if you really want to develop that shelf-like upper chest, you're going to have to bite the bullet and try some new movements. Here are my top 5 exercises for this oft-neglected muscle group.

1. Incline Barbell Bench

The incline bench is the bread-and-butter movement for any good upper chest routine. In fact, the bodybuilders with the best, most fully-developed chests usually prioritize incline benching over flat benching. That may not be the best route to take if you want to be a powerlifter, but it WILL help you get a massive upper chest.

If you haven't been hitting this movement hard, you're in for quite a shock – you'll be WAY weaker than you are on the bench press! Rather than avoiding the exercise, look at this weakness as an opportunity to grow. You'll see some serious growth once you gain some respectable strength on the incline.

2. Incline Dumbbell Bench

Another humbling – but critical – movement, the incline dumbbell press is my second-favorite for the upper chest. Barbells seem to produce the most growth, but you'll always need a spotter when you go heavy. If you're training alone, or if you just don't trust anyone in your gym to give a good spot, this should be your main movement.

Make sure you don't cheat, though. A lot of guys don't bring the dumbbells all the way down, but the fully-stretched position is the best for maximal growth. Use a full range of motion, and only up the weight when you know you can keep good form. Also, keep your reps a little higher than you would with barbell presses. Getting the 'bells into position is an exercise unto itself, and you'll waste a lot of energy if you try to go super-heavy.

3. Fly-to-Press

Flyes are great for getting a great pump, but they only stimulate your pecs during the first half of the movement. The fly-to-press, on the other hand, will allow you to use more weight AND torch your pecs more efficiently. Lye on a bench like you normally would for presses, but descend the weights with your arms flared, just like you're going to do a fly. On the way up, bring your hands in a bit and press, contracting your pecs as hard as possible. Once you get the feel for it, this should be one of your go-to upper chest exercises for shape and size.


4. Incline Smith Machine Press

I'm all about free weights, but machines can be great for hard-to-hit body parts. With the smith machine, you can use heavy weights on your presses WITHOUT having to worry about balance and technique. You're forced into the optimal position for pec growth!

For the smith incline press, set an adjustable bench at just a slight incline – no need to go really steep. Get into position so that the bar hits your chest right below your neck, the best position to hit the upper pecs. This can be a little tough on the shoulders, so don't go super-heavy. Instead, do this exercise later in your routine, when you've already done your heavy movements. Do 15 – 20 reps for a few sets, until you've got an awesome pump in your upper pecs. If you've never been able to feel your upper chest working, this exercise will help!

5. Supersets

This isn't exactly an exercise, but supersetting different movements is one of my favorite techniques for upper chest training. It's always best to pair a “flex” movement with a press: incline bench with incline flyes, cable crossovers with incline smith press, etc. Do the press first to move some heavy weight, and follow it with the flex movement to get a killer pump!

Need more killer training tips on the hard-to-hit body parts? How about help with your nutrition and supplements? For the best info on muscle building, strength training, and fat loss, check out Bigger, Better, Faster Now!

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Background:
Justin Woltering is a distinguished fitness expert, author, sponsored athlete, and top cover model. With five certifications and a life long commitment to fitness, Justin is guaranteed to stay on the cutting edge of the industry. He is an experienced fitness consultant who has helped thousands of workout enthusiasts transform their physiques with his exclusive books, videos, articles, and training tips.

Websites: http://www.justinwoltering.com/
                 http://www.biggerbetterfasternow.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bigger.Better.Faster.NOW
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustinWoltering

11/22/2013

Tim Hartman: AAG Fitness Model


It's clear at a glance: This young man is a top athlete. Tim Hartman comes to AllAmericanGuys from the state of North Carolina. He's a recent college graduate and is looking to become a chiropractor. He models part time and is looking to break more into the fitness industry, but more so as a part time occupation.


AAG Debut: July 2013
Age at date of Debut on AAG: 23 years
Height: 6'0
Weight: 187
Most admired body part: Abdominals

You find many high quality photos and videos of Tim Hartman here on AllAmericanGuys.

11/19/2013

Justin Woltering: 7 Tips To Increase Strength


7 Tips to Increase Strength

by Justin Woltering

Strength: it SHOULD be the main training focus for budding bodybuilders, but far too many guys ignore it. Almost everyone's convinced that certain rep ranges are best for growth, while others are best for strength - but that's nonsense. It's almost as nuts as the idea that light weights and high reps will get you "cut." Have you ever seen a massive bencher with a puny chest? Have you seen a big squatter with tiny legs? It almost never happens. If you really want to spur some incredible growth, start focusing on your maximal strength. Here are a few ways to do it...

1. Don't max out!

Heavy singles can be great (especially when you do a lot of them), but "maxing" all the time is a recipe for disaster. There's a difference between building your strength and TESTING it. You can build it with set after set of heavy lifting, but working up to a one-rep max will do nothing but test. How often do you really need to sacrifice a productive day of training just to "see where you're at?" Leave your ego at the door, and accept that you're not going to hit a max every time you're in the gym.

2. Lift fast.

Whoever popularized slow lifting must never have taken a physics class. Force = mass x acceleration. If you want to produce enough force to lift ever-heavier weights, you've got to train yourself to accelerate the bar as quickly as possible.

Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that you need to incorporate Westside-style "dynamic" workouts. Speed squats and speed benches are useful for some guys, but it's not the kind of thing you want to base entire workouts around. Just start treating EVERY weight like it's your max. When you're warming up, when you're doing higher reps, whenever. Even when the weights look like they're moving slowly, you should be using everything you've got to push (or pull) fast.

3. Up your volume.

"High volume" doesn't necessarily mean high reps. Most bodybuilders operate in extremes, where they're either using light weights, high reps, and tons of sets - or they're doing just a few low-rep sets with heavy weights. A better strength-building strategy is to use heavy weights for LOTS of sets. Just don't blow a gasket by going to failure on every one.

What would an actual workout look like? Instead of working up to just one or two sets of five on the squat, you might use the same weight for six sets of four, or even ten sets of three. Each individual set wouldn't be as tough as one of those fives, but you'd get FAR more total reps in - all of them with a heavy weight.

4. Increase frequency.

Along with an increase in volume, you should also try to up the frequency with which you train each body part or movement pattern. Pulverizing a muscle and letting it rest for a week can work sometimes, but strength is best built with more frequent sessions.

At first, this might mean squatting or benching twice per week instead of once. If you really want to push the frequency, you might work up to three or even four times per week for certain exercises. This is a great strategy if you have a particular lift that really needs improvement.


5. Focus on 3s and 5s.

You can get super-strong with a variety of rep ranges, but sets of three and five are my favorite. Sure, these numbers are a little arbitrary, but the point is that they're low enough to allow for heavy weights - but high enough to require an honest effort on every set. Assuming you're not being stupid and maxing out all the time, singles are just kind of easy - they're over with so fast! I find that using a little less weight and grinding out a couple more reps works MUCH better for building strength.

6. Ditch the cardio.

Even if you're trying to stay lean, cardio should be kept to a minimum. No matter what kind you're doing - sprints, endurance work, easy walking - it's going to eat into your recovery abilities. Your legs may not feel tired after a long walk on the treadmill, but they'll feel shaky as hell once you start squatting.

Don't worry about getting fat, though. If you're increasing the volume and frequency of your strength work, that shouldn't be an issue. Just look at some of the middleweight and lightweight Olympic lifters. They just lift heavy-ass weights all day, and they're ripped to pieces!

7. Gain weight.

This obviously won't work so well if cuts are your goal, but gaining weight is the absolute fastest way to gain strength. This isn't because of some fatty BS about "leverages," either, so don't think you need a big gut to squat big. If you're gaining weight and training for strength, then you're probably gaining new muscle tissue. That makes strength gains WORLDS easier to come by than if you're maintaining or even losing weight.

______________________________

Background:
Justin Woltering is a distinguished fitness expert, author, sponsored athlete, and top cover model. With five certifications and a life long commitment to fitness, Justin is guaranteed to stay on the cutting edge of the industry. He is an experienced fitness consultant who has helped thousands of workout enthusiasts transform their physiques with his exclusive books, videos, articles, and training tips.

Websites: http://www.justinwoltering.com/
                 http://www.biggerbetterfasternow.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bigger.Better.Faster.NOW
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustinWoltering

11/12/2013

Colin Wayne: AAG Fitness Model


He's a husband, dad, fitness model and military man. That's a full load for anybody but for southern guy Colin Wayne, he takes it all in stride. Colin joined the US military in 2006 and has served overseas in Iraq. He was discharged honorably in 2012 and is now focusing on building his modeling/fitness brand. He's also a NPC Physique competitor, striving for his IFBB pro card. Colin has been a hit in the fitness modeling world and is one of the most sought after models today. Watch for his star to rise.


AAG Debut: July 2013
Age at date of Debut on AAG: 23 years
Height: 6'2
Weight: 215
Most admired body part: Pecs/Chest

You find many high quality photos and videos of Colin Wayne here on AllAmericanGuys.

11/01/2013

David H: AAG Fitness Model


His massive arm muscles come into their own by his sleeveless shirt. And when he takes it off, it becomes clear how intensely and effectively he exercises and sculpts his body. David H. is from the state of Florida. He's a full time college student and models part time. He enjoys working out, going to the beach and spending time with close family and friends. David has a mellow and laid back personality, and just likes to take one day at a time.


AAG Debut: June 2013
Age at date of Debut on AAG: 20 years
Height: 5'11
Weight: 195
Most admired body part: Pecs/Chest

You find many high quality photos and videos of David H. here on AllAmericanGuys.