Men’s Fitness Australia – June 2017

● Game Changers Training

30 MEN’S FITNESS JUNE 2017

My knees hurt

when I’m doing

heavy squats —

is that inevitable,

or am I doing

something wrong?

■ Knee pain is not

inevitable if you’re

using proper form.

But your pain could

also be a sign of

patellofemoral pain

syndrome —or a

misaligned kneecap

— which isn’t good.

These tips will help:

First, be sure

you’re wearing flat-

footed shoes made

for lifting.

Next, don’t let

your heels come off

the ground when

you squat — that

can push the knees

too far forward and

cause strain. Flat-

soled shoes will

help you sit back on

your heels.

Box squats can

also help master

proper form. Squat

in front of a box

about 15 inches

high, or high enough

that your thighs are

below parallel when

your butt hits the

box. Set feet wider

than hips and angle

your toes out 15 to

30 degrees.

Finally, build

stability in knees

and ankles by

doing moves that

strengthen them

from different

angles under

different loads, like

walking lunges and

prowler pushes.

ASK THE

EXPERT

WORKOUT TIPS FROM

THE WORLD’S MOST

FAMOUS TRAINER

BY GUNNAR PETERSON

M

Morphing arms as scrawny as pipe cleaners into
straight-up pipes isn’t as easy as grasping a barbell
and curling it until your arms go numb. Yes, barbell
curls are a potent mass builder, but neglecting to train
the triceps and relying solely on barbells won’t give your arms

that extra pop. Your gym has plenty of lifting tools that’ll help you
train the arms aside from barbells. But one you might overlook

is a multifaceted piece of iron that you normally use to swing,
squat and deadlift. Due to their unique design, kettlebells promote

instability that recruits more muscle fibres as you curl or press.
Their shifting weight distribution also increases the amount of

time a muscle is kept under tension. And upping the time under
tension (TUT) translates into greater muscle and strength gains.

Kettlebells

recruit more

muscle fibres

because of

their natural

instability.

1A)Standing KB

Biceps Curl

2-4 sets 5-8 reps

1B)Decline KB

Skull Crusher

2-4 sets 6–8 reps

2A)InclineDBCurl

3sets 8–10reps

2B) Close-grip Bench

Press

3 sets 6, 6, 8 reps

3A) KB Hammer Curl

2 sets 8 - 10 reps

3B) KB Hammer Curl

2 (per arm) 5 - 6 reps

Killer

KB Arms

Perform this

workout to build

bigger guns.

Big bells

Spur growth in your bi’s and

tri’s by curling and pressing

kettlebells instead of bars.

DIRECTIONS

■ For every exercise,

you should adhere

to a 3-2-0-2 tempo:

The first number is

the lowering phase,

the second number

is how long you

should pause at the

bottom of the move,

the third number is

the lifting phase, and

the fourth number

is the pause at the

apex of the move.

If that proves too

diffi cult for you,

you can adjust the

weight if necessary.

Yo u s h o u l d r e s t 3 0

seconds after each

exercise and 90 to

120 seconds between

supersets.

HOW IT WORKS

■ Along with

increasing TUT,

standing curls with

KBs can prevent

overcurling, which

reduces stress from

the biceps and shifts

it to the delts. Plus,

subbing in kettlebells

on moves like skull

crushers and close-

grip bench presses will

allow your limbs more

freedom to move. This,

along with your wrists

not being locked into

place as they would

be if using barbells

or dumbbells, should

help alleviate joint and

wrist discomfort,

and provide for a more

comfortable lift.