Frank Zane

If you’re trying desperately to shrink your waist, and you’ve done crunches, sit ups, planks, and every other exercise known to man…

You’ve dieted down to single-digit body fat percentage…

and you can’t lose that last inch or two on the old waist measurement, try this. It’s an old-time bodybuilding technique, best exemplified by Frank Zane and his famous “Vacuum.”

Here’s how you do it:

• Exhale as much air as possible
• Suck in the stomach
• Bend at the waist and put your hands on your knees
• Pull back on your knees and really feel the vacuum
• Hold this position for 10-15 seconds, trying to “touch” your belly button to your spine. Repeat 5-10 times
• You can do this exercise many times per day, every day of the week

Now, this exercise will not remove belly fat, nor will it build the six-pack. But it will make your waist considerably smaller.

Giant Arms

The article below is another from Jason Ferruggia – it’s about the shortcomings of volume training and how to overcome them, as applied to arm training.

In a nutshell, it works like this: You can grow any bodypart by training it with volume (mostly high sets), but the results have diminishing returns. What happens when you stop growing after 10 sets? 15? 20? 100? You get the point.

The only effective way to keep progressing is through adding weight. Getting stronger gets you bigger. You can always add weight. You cannot practically add sets or reps; there is a point at which you just simply don’t have enough time.

Plus, the calories you’d burn by doing 100 sets of squats…

Or, you could always direct inject your arms with massive amounts of steroids, like the guy in the picture! (Seriously, DON’T EVEN CONSIDER THIS!)

Read Jason’s story here – How to Build Bigger Arms

The article below was posted by Jason Ferruggia of Muscle Gaining Secrets. He talks of how, over 15 years, his best and biggest strength athletes were also the smartest. They listen and watch intently. They always try to improve themselves and others.

They “Get It.” I have similar observations.

What have you found? Does super performance come from super intelligence?

Armand Tanny

A legendary bodybuilder and fitness writer named Armand Tanny died this month. I am too young to have seen him in his heyday, but I most definitely remember not only reading about him but also reading the articles he wrote in Muscle & Fitness.

From the LA Times:

Armand Tanny, a pioneering figure in bodybuilding who won national titles in 1949 and 1950 and was a popular figure on Muscle Beach in Santa Monica during its heyday in the 1940s, has died. He was 90.

According to the story, Tanny had been active (even drove) up until his last year when presumably his health went downhill and he was placed in a nursing home.

If Tanny’s life isn’t a testament to the effectiveness of a bodybuilding program (without steroids, of course), I don’t know what is.

Of course, he also had awesome genetics! That certainly helps in the longevity department.

Armand Tanny dies at 90; Muscle Beach bodybuilder won national titles in ’49, ’50 – Los Angeles Times

I love stories like this, where unknown folks take on bad guys and become heroes!

By the way, “Caveman” might be this guy.

ACWORTH, Ga. – Police said a would-be robber got more than he bargained for when he tried to rob a Quik Thrift store with a knife. A quick-thinking customer, known only as “Caveman,” grabbed a step ladder and hit the suspect at least once Monday. The customer chased the suspect from the store using the ladder as protection.

Full story is here – ‘Caveman’ thwarts store robber with step ladder