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This question was asked on Yahoo Answers and my answer was chosen as the best. By the way, the Stair Step Training System virtually eliminates any chance of a prolonged plateau, simply by forcing periodic short plateaus!

Muscle Building Plateau?

Best Answer – Chosen by Asker

Source(s):

Over the past year, I've done a lot of experimentation with different split routines. I've tried:

• 5-days-a-week, training one major bodypart per workout (not enough frequency)
• 4-day 2-way split, using the Push-Pull concept (workouts were too long)
• 3 full body workouts per week (I was pooped before I got to the end)
• 6-day 2-way split (too much frequency)
• 4-day 3-way split (this one was pretty cool but didn't offer the frequency I needed, but it's great if you have a weak bodypart and are trying to build strength)

Now I'm back to my old standard, working out 3 days a week on a 2-way split. I train Torso one day, Legs & Arms the other, alternating between the two every other day (like Monday-Wednesday-Friday). On weeks where I'm only training a bodypart once, I train HARD & HEAVY. Or maybe just HARD.

On weeks where I train a bodypart 2 times in the week, I may choose one day to train HEAVY, the other day with high reps.

There's a lot of flexibility built in to the system. During bulking phases, I just train with weights. During cutting phases, I add in cardio on off-days and/or after my weight workouts. It's pretty cool.

It's funny to me that I keep coming back to this split. Not so funny is that I make my best gains with this system. This is the system I used to pack on 60 pounds of rock-solid muscle in less than a year. I talk more about that at Hardgainer's Manifesto.

Guest post by Alana D. Richardson

One great way to lower one’s cholesterol is through a reliable exercise routine. If you want to get really good results, you need to engage in daily exercise. Daily exercise, however, can be difficult for people who juggle a lot of roles in life. Then again, regular exercise is still possible if you have tried and tested tips to get you to fit it in your life.

Starting the Routine
It is best to take it slow if you have not exercised in a long time. Succumbing to a very intense schedule is not an advisable thing to do. Ideally, you should exercise five days a week. Usually, people get burned out if they plunge into a strenuous routine at once. One good thing to do is to get in touch with your doctor regarding health problems, as well as the kind of exercise necessary to improve one’s personal condition. It is best to view exercise as something that you really need to do. Always put it in your schedule in the same way you make time for your dentist or your doctor. It also helps to add a mix of varied exercises and activities spread out through your week so you do not get bored of doing the same thing over and over again.

Other Important Factors
To vary your exercise regimen, you can even add active daily chore routines to it. Vacuuming, washing the car, cutting and raking leaves and grass are all household chores that count as exercise. Strive to look for many opportunities to perform exercises in various ways. For example, you can take the stairs as opposed to riding the elevator for an exercise routine. This exercise can strengthen your heart and build up your leg muscles. Also, try taking the longer route as you go about life’s many activities. Bust out those running shoes when walking distances instead of riding your car on your way there. Walking is a great way to lower cholesterol levels while losing weight. When you park at the store, make sure you park it further away to rack up some walking distance.

Having Time 
Some people just can't seem to find the time to fit 30-60 minutes of solid exercise into their daily schedule. You could, on the other hand, break up the workout into ten to fifteen minute chunks of time and you will still achieve results. This method of exercising is proven to be quite effective. Engaging in regular exercise is a great way to lower your cholesterol and strengthen your heart in many fun ways. Throw in the extra benefits you can get from strengthening, weight loss and a stable sense of emotional well-being to discover the great results of it.

About the Author – Alana D. Richardson is the author of the low cholesterol diet sheet blog focused on the preservation of the Italian healthy eating traditions to inform people on heart diseases and unhealthy eating habits.

This is just a quick reminder to let you know that today is the last day on the special 3-day offer where you can get “The Holy Grail Body Transformation System" for free at:

Holy Grail Body Transformation

The Holy Grail is Tom Venuto's new 74 page ebook that is destined to set the record straight in such a way that you could say it's the LAST WORD on gaining muscle and burning fat at the same time.

Tom has competed in bodybuilding 28 times, going through season after season of gaining muscle and competition after competition of getting cut – sometimes as low as 4% body fat or less.

So, when a guy like Tom speaks about losing fat AND gaining muscle, you definitely want to hear what he has to say.

From now until midnight (PST) tonight, you can get a copy of the “Holy Grail body transformation system" PDF ebook format, absolutely free when you purchase Tom’s Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle e-book from:

Holy Grail Body Transformation

Burn The Fat is often referred to as “the bible of fat burning nutrition” and if you don’t have a copy yet, then this is a better opportunity than ever because you will get the new ebook as a bonus along with the classic best selling Burn The Fat program.

This offer is almost over, so I highly recommend you visit the Burn The Fat website today and jump on this deal while you still can. Tom doesn't make offers like this often, and this is one you don't want to miss.

Here’s the link again:

Holy Grail Body Transformation

How can I gain muscle and lose fat at the same time? That’s right up there with “How do I get six pack abs” as one of the most frequently asked fitness questions of all time.

The problem is, when you ask it, you get all kinds of conflicting answers – even from experts who are supposed to know these things.

So what’s the deal? Is it really possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time?

There's now a definitive answer, which is backed by science and real world case studies:

YES - you can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time!

Natural bodybuilder and fat loss expert Tom Venuto has just published a new ebook on the subject that explains it in detail, called:

The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program: how to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time

You've probably heard me speak about Tom Venuto before. I have so much respect for his work, and I think everyone should follow what he’s doing as well…

Tom has definitely hit a home run again with this new "holy grail" book.

The Holy Grail is a 74 page ebook that is destined to set the record straight in a way that you could say it's the LAST WORD on gaining muscle and burning fat at the same time;

It's impressively referenced with peer-reviewed research and frankly, it just makes sense.

New discoveries in the emerging sciences of within-day energy balance, nutritional periodization, nutrient timing and natural hormonal manipulation have pointed the way to a proven method of achieving simultaneous muscle gain with fat loss…

…and it's NOT what most people think!

There's NO magical workout program or supplement that assures you of gaining muscle while stripping off fat. It takes hard work.

This is not an easy goal to achieve – So if you're looking for magic bullets, go elsewhere. This is a serious, scientific and very strategic program.

But for anyone who is serious about getting leaner AND more muscular, you just have to take a look.

Here's a sample of what you'll learn inside the Holy Grail Body Transformation System ebook:

• Why you MUST understand "energy partitioning" – the fat burning, muscle-building process BEYOND CALORIES-IN vs CALORIES OUT! (page 13)
• The keys to forcing your body to drive energy and protein INTO MUSCLE CELLS and pull calories OUT OF FAT CELLS! (page 13)
• The power of hormones to dramatically shift fat to muscle… discover what steps you must take to achieve hormonal control for maximum muscle growth and fat loss (page 13)
• The 4 "X-Factors" of concurrent muscle gain and fat loss – these are the special conditions that allow above average muscle gains while losing fat at the same time (page 9)
• The 5 "X2-Factors" that influence your ability to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time; They all depend on your current body composition (lean or fat) and dieting status (dieted down or not dieted down)… Depending on which category you're in, it can totally change your approach (page 11)
• How to choose the right body transformation goal: should you focus on burning fat, gaining muscle or doing both at the same time? (page 14)
• How to steal the proven system of training periodization from world class athletes and apply it to your muscle-building and fat-burning goals…
• How nutritional periodization might be the single biggest breakthrough for building muscle and burning fat at the same time – This is HUGE! (page 17-21)
• 5 post-workout nutrition strategies to improve muscle growth and optimize recovery from your workouts… (page 23)
• Carb tapering and carb targeting strategies explained for 2010… These are the latest updates to the time-tested techniques used by some of the best bodybuilders, fitness models and figure competitors in the world (page 24-25)
• Cycle dieting techniques under the microscope… find out which methods work and which ones will actually make you fatter (pge 27)
• 4 reasons why cardio can help you gain more muscle and lose fat at the same time, if you do it right… and why you will get weaker and smaller if you do it wrong (page 33)
• 8 carb-cycling menu plans … all DONE FOR YOU, laid out meal by meal, calculated for precision and results (appendix 1)
• Burn the Fat Foods 2.0: … the official new calorie and nutrient data base – it's a CLEAN EATING food list – NO JUNK This is the list of foods you SHOULD eat… (appendix 3)
• Tom Venuto's NEW WORKOUT SYSTEM – "TNB" Training – As Seen in Men's Fitness Magazine … the perfect way to train while following the Holy Grail nutrition plan (FREE BONUS! See bonus section)

Here's the deal:

From now until Midnight (PST), May 13th, 2010, you can get a copy of the Holy Grail Body Transformation program ebook absolutely FREE when you purchase the Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle e-book from this web page:

Holy Grail Body Transformation System

Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is the "bible of fat loss" for tens of thousands of men and women in over 144 countries worldwide and if you don't have a copy yet, then this is a better opportunity than ever because you can get the Holy Grail ebook as a bonus along with the Burn The Fat program. This offer expires on May 13th, 2010 at midnight PST and it will be taken off the market for at least a couple of months before it goes up for sale on its own, so I highly recommend you visit the Burn The Fat website now and jump on this great deal while you still can.

You may have already heard of Tom's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle book before, so if you already have it, the other way you can get his new Holy Grail program is by joining the Burn the Fat Inner Circle – all members there are also getting access to it this week up until Thursday the 13th.

Plus, I'm giving away a whole bunch of stuff if you buy Holy Grail Body Transformation System by the end of the day, May 13. Check out my Super Bonus page.