First of all I wanted to say that your blog is awesome and I await daily for a new post!
The thing is I can sort of get a general idea for your approach to fitness through the "low body fat percentage" and reading prety much every article on here. However you don't have one article that synthesizes the most important information (in your opinion), which many blogs have.
Also I feel like some articles are directed for people who are overweight, and some articles are directed for people who are already too big, and some articles are directed for people who are skinny, or whatever.
For me, I am just an average (healthy) guy. I'm not skinny (anymore). I'm not particularly toned either though my abs do show in the morning atleast. but i don't know whats my next step. do i do lots of cardio to try and get the remaining fat? What if I want to get a little bigger to complete my look, yet remained toned? how do I do that?
I just feel that perhaps if your articles said at the beginning "this article is for people that …" it would help ALOT

thanks!

The breakdown of the principle of progressive overload is like this

-progress with number of reps
-progress with number of sets
-progress with weight
-progress with number of training session per week
-progress with number of exercises per body part, if you train for muscle size with split training
-progress with the range of motion in the exercise (partials)
-progress with adjusting the rest periods (this one has limited application)

The way I use partials is when I do handstand push ups I start with first lowering myself t a stack of books. Then, as I get stronger with each day, I go on and remove the books..

Good call Rusty!

I JUST started going these last week on the power rack to help the lockout portion of my bench. My buddy is a powerlifted and has been showing me these 'partial reps' as you called them. I think they're fantastic great post.

Question: I saw you posted on Ballantyne's blog the other day about a killer BW workout you were doing in the winter instead of weights. I have the TT workout guide as well, can you be specific about which workout you did. I'd love to give it a try.

if you could email me when u have a chance, that'd be stellar.

thanks man, all the best

Mike

6 foot at 170 is great for the GQ, male-model look. That is right around what those guys weigh. Brad Pitt is right around those exact stats year round. He got down to 155 for Fight Club. I use this example a lot because I know a lot of people have seen this movie. One of my favorites.

BurritoKid,

I do 2 fasts per week, typically on Tuesday and Thursday. They are really easy. In fact, I add in Monday as well from time to time if I've had a bit too much high calorie food on the weekend. So I follow a typical Eat Stop Eat approach…2 fasts per week and eat healthy food most of the time, but allow myself junky stuff from time to time as well. I'm trying to get at least 2 posts per week now instead of once every 10 days. Glad you like it!

Yash,

Trying to increase the posting frequency. I can't post everyday, but 2-3 times per week will be my target until summer. The thing I enjoy most is reading and responding to comments. You guys have great additions to the posts and ask really solid questions. I'm actually doing the 3-rep thing myself. I started two weeks ago and already noticed a change in muscle definition. You will love it. I always forget how well it works when your body fat is low. If you are doing this, you will get best results by training each muscle group twice. If possible try to get in the gym 4 times per week. These workouts don't take long. Maybe just add in the HIIT after every other lifitng session. That would make sense to me.

Simen,

Rope climbing is great. Do it on the same day you work your back…maybe twice per week. I wich I had access to a rope and high ceiling. I haven't done that in ages. Everything else will seem easy in comparison to rope climbing.

Barbara,

I appreciate the positive feedback.

Chris,

You could do that. I just like doing it at the strongest point to try to handle heavier weights than normal…for the high tension effect. There are many other approaches that work as well.

sky,

More like a concentration curl starting from the mid point of the lift.

Joseph,

Yeah, I didn't make that as clear as I should of. Do all 4-5 sets of your partial rep exercise and then move on to a similar full range movement and do all 4-5 sets of those. So, finish with all sets of that partial rep movement before moving on. I also recommend partial reps where you start from no tension to maximum tension. In 21's you lower the weight and then physically have to stop it with your muscles and then reverse it. That is non-stop tension. I like where a weight is resting on a rack and you go from zero to 100% tension and repeat that 3 times. This is a better way to train your muscles to contract hard. That little one second pause helps you reset your nervous system and prepare for maximum output for the second and third rep.

Methuselah,

I suck at gymnastic exercises, but I think they are incredible. The closest thing I get to gymnastics is pullups (and even those are tough). I know it isn't a great excuse, but I'm 6'3" (close to 6'4") and have very long arms. Someday I may give them another shot. If I wasn't such a tall freak I would do much more of these types of exercises

Yaeger,

Isometric exercises were very popular 40+ years ago. They died down due to the fact that you could gain strength with them, but NOT mass…which is exactly why I like them! By far my favorite ab exercise is "planks" and it is 100% isometric. Isometrics will gain in popularity again…because they work well for that slim and defined look that many guys and girls are after.

Helder,

I get people smirking at me when I do partial dips on the Hammer Strength Dip machine. In fact I'm guessing that over 1/2 of what I do people don't understand. The people who comment on this site and the bloggers who contribute in the comment section on a frequent basis are light-years ahead of the majority of people in gyms. You guys are way ahead of the curve!

Dangeruss,

You are built like some of those guys in the lighter weight classes in the UFC. Pound for pound they kick some serious butt. Very cool!

Chris,

Partials are a great way to blast through sticking points for sure. 5'11" and 165 are great dimensions. I bet you feel much more athletic at that weight, then when you were 190. Lightening up while maintianing strength just feels great. I will never go back to a sluggish and bulkier body.

MrBunny,

I warned you about that Butt Kicking Body Weight circuit! It is way tougher than it looks.

fitness-siren,

No ADD allowed. The main problem with the Internet is info-overload.

Ayra,

Glad to hear your results! Between the workout I recommended , the BodyWeight circuits, and learning from the great Pavel Tsatsouline…you are going to be a bad*ss. Seriosuly, you are going to transform your body quickly. As far as mixing things up. I like the idea of mastering one exercise per body part and keeping that a constant…then mix up the exercises following that. I would say follow that rule 9 months out of the year and you are golden. What you can do is chose two different 6 week periods each year and then throw that out the door. Just do this as a way of recharging yourself, so you can get excited to do that exercise again. I did a little over 6 weeks this winter of nothing but that Bodyweight Circuit and got great results. I couldn't wait to get back to lifting after that time and now I'm hitting personal bests in a few different lifts. Something like this every 6 months will keep the routine from getting stale.

mimi

Thanks. Sometimes it takes me 20-30 minutes just to chose the proper photo for a post. I'm also picky about how the colors will look on my blog. I'm excited that you noticed

hawaiigirl,

Just do planks for abs. Type "planks" into the search field at the top right hand corner of the site. Women don't need to train much differently than guys. Go into your workouts in a fasted state, do brief low volume and low rep strength training followed by HIIT or a bodyweight circuit of some sort. Tons of info on the site…I wish I had more time to give you a more detailed answer.

Red Beard,

Dragondoor is a great site. I've learned a lot from Pavel…especially about strength and muscle definition.

Brian,

You can look great at that weight. I just tell people to get slim in relation to their frame size. Type in "The Rock" into the search bar at the top of my site, you will read an article I wrote about this exact topic. Basically someone like Duane Johnson and Hugh Jackman are heavier than Brad Pitt or David Beckham, but they are all lean and slim for their frame size. They all have an outstanding look. Hope that makes sense. When Duane (The Rock) weighed 275 pounds he looked big and bulky, but now he is 225 pounds and is slim.

Cheers,

Rusty

Just stick to planks and vacuum stomach, they will keep your waist thin and your abs toned, as long as you eat the right way

- Arya

I haven't actually heard of partial reps. I keep learning new things everyday and this just might be something I would try in the very near future. For now, I have to focus on the stuff I have learned a few weeks ago otherwise I'll have an even worse case of A.D.D…haha. Thanks for sharing!

Yash gave the same advice i was going to say forget about how much you weight there is no magical number just judge it on what you see in the mirror and how happy you are with yourself. Ignore what everyone else says its your body and as long as you are happy and not doing damage to yourself all is good. You cannot compare weights to others as someone with the same height and weight as you may look bigger because 20lb of that weight is from muscle whereas only 10lb of your weight could be from muscle…this is just an example so you see comparing weights or looking for a magical number is pointless, everyone is different.

I have always been a fan of Bruce Lee and a true example of strength over size. One of his demonstration of strength at an exhibition was doing 50 one arm pull-ups. Now i don't know anyone who can do a single one arm pull-up let alone 50.

Rusty, i just tried that body weight circuit routine you done an article on (i call it the crazy and it totally kicked my butt more than any other exercise and i love it. I always preferred body weight exercises and this is a perfect setup for me that can be done anywhere no equipment required.

As such, partials are a great way to work on a sticking point if a particular part of a lift is weaker than others. The example of a sticking point on the bench is a great use for this technique.

I'm not so sure I'm sold on the idea of strength training increasing definition per se though. Definition is really a function of something we an change fairly easily (bodyfat) and something we have much less control over (the shape of the muscle, tendon attachment points, etc..).

Tyler – I agree with what the previous posters had said. What are your goals? Are you too skinny for what? Some people think bodybuilders are attractive, personally I think they look freakish and unnatural.

As an aside, I used to be much more focused on size and aesthetics. Now I train solely for performance and ironically like how I look much better. When I was focusing on size, I was around 190lbs and 10%BF (I'm 5'11"). Now I'm around 165 and 6-8%

I'm 5' 11.5", approximately 6', and 140lbs about 6.5% bf, and I'm the strongest and most muscular I've ever been. I used to be 175 – 180 lbs and was somewhat strong, but looked like shit. Don't get discouraged because those guys say you are too skinny, instead just show em up. You'll have to bear with me, and forgive me, because I love to show off how awesome I am. Pound for pound I am probably just as strong as most of the big guys at my gym. At 140 lbs I can bench 185lbs and deadlift 255lbs. Those numbers aren't very impresssive to the guys who bench upwards of 250 and deadlift upwards of 300, but when you look at the fact that i'm benching close to 1.5x my bodyweight, and getting close to 2x my bodyweight on deadlift. I am probably one of very few people in my gym who can do one arm pushups for reps, which I do often to piss others off, and probably the only guy in my gym who can do a one arm one leg pushup.

Rusty,
I love doing the partial bench press you described above, really increases the tricep and chest strength, its very important to be able to lockout on bench, can't remember why though. When I was doing Cressey's Maximum Strength program I did these, and they are pretty damn amazing. Keep up the good work Rusty.

Then i had to explain to them what i was doing, and then i could hear their Ohhh i didn't know, what is that for? Another explanation, but it's really a very good way of increasing strength and muscle tone

When i train at home, i do a lot of isometric and really improves definition and strength, it's worth to try both at the gym and home, you'll get results no matter where you train

what you say about measuring progress with isometric exercises is true. i visited this website, "blackdoor, or blackadoor", i dont have the link right now, and there is an exercise called the "planche" where you start by holding up your body, arms bent and supporting legs, like a frog, and the goal is to add up how long you can hold until you get to a minute straight. the first variation is where you bend your arms to support your legs, like a "frog stand". i started 2 months ago (could only do 10 seconds at a time), and finally i can hold the first variation a minute straight. the goal is work through the variations (there are about 7-8 i think) to get to the point, where you can basically do pushups without leg support!

its so weird since i havent gained any muscle by doing this. its basically a giant isometric contraction over your whole body, and i feel overall "stronger" without adding muscle. (i still dont fully understand the strength/muscle connection) it also goes toward the natural look i am striving for. it is very hard to measure progress, but i will see how far i get! sort of offtopic. also werent isometric exercises very popular at some point in the past?