I’m so glad I found this site (T-Nation.com)! It’s so full of awesome articles that it’s hard not to share it with any and everybody.

Here are Five Habits of Defective Squatters. Read it, do it, get stronger!

Workout Rules

Okay, this goes for just about anything you really care about (i.e., RESULTS).

1. Set a goal (or goals) and measure progress (log your workouts!).
2. Do your workouts in your head before you step foot in a gym (visualize).
3. Enter the gym with a clear head and don’t think about the outside world. If you need to, bring your iPod and some tunes that don’t let you think about anything but the weights and how your body feels pushing or pulling those weights.
4. Do full, complete reps. You can cheat, but do full-range reps.
5. Feel the weight. You don’t have to train with super-heavy weights. If you are deliberate with your reps (i.e., feel them, note how your muscles feel), you can reduce your weights by at least 20 percent and get a better workout! (Better on the joints, too.)
6. Pre-workout protein! (Add some creatine.)
7. Post-workout protein! (Add some creatine here, too.)
8. Strive EVERY workout to a) increase your weights lifted, b) increase reps performed, OR c) reduce rest intervals (raise your intensity).
9. Variety is the spice of life. There are only a few basic exercises you ever need to do (think “compound”), but you can (and should!) change up their order or do variations of them.
10. Remember that rules are made to be broken. Next up: Why breaking the rules will make you bigger, stronger, and faster!
    

In my quest to wring out as much from my workouts as possible, I have begun a 5 day a week program that consists of the following:

1. Legs. Squats or leg presses, curls, extensions. Some form of calf work.
2. Chest. Incline bench presses first and foremost. Some Flats and Declines.
3. Back. Rows, Pull-downs. Deadlifts too.
4. Shoulders. Some form of Overhead press coupled with Upright rows, shrugs, and laterals, usually targeting the rear and side delts.
5. Arms. Dips, Extensions, Curls of all kinds.

(I work the calves most of the 5 days. My weight workouts take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, max. I do some cardio work, too, like cycling, walking, or running, too, which obviously adds time to my overall workouts.)

Sets and reps vary according to how I feel. Usually, 2-3 sets per exercise, with a rep range of 5-12 (usually in bands of 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12), but I do “mix up” my rep ranges, say by doing 2 sets of 10, then one set of 15. You get the idea.

The objective is to get the muscles to grow efficiently, by doing relatively high intensity sets with varying rep ranges to maximize hypertrophy. If I want to add intensity, I add weight or reps. Generally, I don’t do more than 3 sets per exercise.

Unless they’re some sort of “drop set” (I sometimes do them backwards – low weight, add weight do a few more reps, add more weight, do one or two reps, etc.), which I would consider all one set anyway.

If you want personalized exercise and diet help, use my “Contact Me” form here.

This is by far the best resource I’ve read on how to improve your Pull-Up performance. There is a TON of info on how to do more reps for more sets. The Pull-Up is one of the hardest exercises to master, and the advice given in this article will help you master it in less than 8 weeks!

T-Nation.com | Things You Should Know How To Do #1: The Pull-Up

You simply have to get better at Pull-Ups if you want to improve the width and thickness of your upper back!

These are some good rules – T-Nation.com | 7 Rules for Building Your Body

1. Be Specific With Your Training Parameters
2. Train Like a Fighter
3. Diet When You Need It
4. Just Because Something Sounds Good Doesn’t Mean it’s Good

More at 7 Rules for Building Your Body