Hi guys – this is the 4th article in the “100” series videos on Mission Critical body transformation concepts for the older guy.
So, in THIS article we’re going to discuss a practical attack plan on getting those lagging muscle groups up to the same level as the rest.
The problem most guys have
Few of us are perfectly balanced with all muscle groups developed to the same level.
Most guys typically struggle with 1 to even 3 muscle groups lagging the rest.
That lagging groups are killing one’s overall look. Bringing them up to the same level as the rest will impact greatly on overall look and aesthetics and result in that WOW look.
Some fun with Photoshop…
Let say my biceps was lagging in respect of the rest.
Let’s say my legs was lagging in respect of the rest.
A surprising number of guys also struggle with one bicep smaller than the other or one legs lagging the other, etc…
Let’s say just my one arm was underdeveloped to the other one.
Or the legs were un-even developed…
Now this can severely damage your overall look to the point of ridiculous.
All these lagging muscles can be corrected. But as with everything it takes time.
What should my training look like for a balanced attack?
First, every older guy should follow a 4-day training approach which must cover all muscles groups equally with load and intensity. So yes, certain very specific exercises need to be done plus the actual muscle groups you string together and in what order have a large impact on this balanced approach.
It might even be that your 4-day training program that you follow is the actual culprit of your lagging muscle groups. I strongly suggest that you do some investigating into balanced 4-day training approaches for the older guy. Maybe it is time for you to revamp or update your training program. An easy way to do this, is if you sign-up for the ADVANCED SYSTEM II which includes the optimal 4-day training approach for the older guy. But, there are a lot of great articles out there that can help you getting a more balanced 4 day training regime with the right type of exercises. You just need to research a bit on google.
So, let’s assume you got the 4-day training plan sorted out. Remember, the purpose of this 4-day training is to give all muscle groups an equal workout to trigger equal growth. The 4-day training is NOT meant to correct lagging groups as such, it is meant to stimulate equal growth for all muscle groups.
But even if you have the perfect 4-day training approach, some guys still struggle genetically to grow a certain muscle group and that requires extra correction/training.
How do we correct this LAGGING muscle-group shortcoming?
My training concept puts a 5th day training aside (I usually allocate Saturdays). This 5th training day is for no other purpose but to focus purely on lagging muscle groups. Note: 5 days is the absolute maximum number of days the older guy should train. Anything more and you WILL struggle to grow.
None of the other muscle groups must be trained on the 5th day ONLY lagging groups.
It is still a normal training session, meaning warming up, stretching and doing 16-22 sets in just under an hour.
You should design the 5th day training to contain between 16-22 sets where you only do exercises to focus on the lagging muscle group. Be sure to that ONLY the lagging muscle groups are trained.
Some examples:
- If your left calve is smaller than the right one – train ONLY the left calve while the right one rests.
- If your right bicep is smaller than the left, then only train the right bicep dumbells and cables while the left bicep rest completely.
- This is done for shoulders, triceps,biceps, upper legs, traps and calves.
- Single muscle groups like upper and lower back, abs, upper and lower chest cannot be split in left and right and thus they cannot be trained this way. Here you have to perform the normal whole move and activate the whole muscle group.
- Just a note – lagging chest is usually a result of upper pecs not trained enough. Switch to incline bench and hit the chest HARD.
Now a golden principle to get a muscle to respond to growth…especially on the 5th day where you focus on lagging muscle groups, do slow, controlled moves with the same up and down speed. But, when at the top (apex) of the move hold it there for one second and try and squeeze the target muscle extra hard before bringing the weight slowly down. The whole time visualizing the muscle and how it flexes. This mind-muscle connection is important guys, but more on that in one of my future videos.
My coaching & donation request
Just a couple of reminders…My coaching system for the older guy ensure that everything (including the recovery/repair cycle) is correctly in place. It incorporates all my teachings in my videos into a customised system for your body, goal and age. Signup here: https://gertlouw.com/my-transformation-secrets/
Also guys, I ask for small donations to help me keeping my videos coming and keep my information free. Please guys! Donations can be made via PayPal: https://paypal.me/GERTFITNESS
Wish you all happy training!
Gert Louw
