Relative Strength Advantage

This is a long over-due interview with my buddy Mark McManus. When it comes to training specifically for aesthetics and muscle growth, I consider him my go-to guy. And, he definitely walks the walk – check out how he looks!

Mark, tell the readers of Relative Strength Advantage a bit about your training experience and how you came up with your system of training? You have systematized your approach to building muscle in a free downloadable book. How can people get a hold of it?
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I find myself getting really pumped up when I watch a good movie. For one thing, I enjoy a good movie. Plus, it never hurts to see one in which the actor or actress is in top shape. Well, Caleb Lee happened to tag me to share 25 random things about me. So here goes – my top 25 movies that motivate me to train hard, kick ass and take names.

American History X
We got Edward Norton. Personal trainer Anthony Cortés got him so buff and the change was so dramatic, that Arnold Schwarzenegger himself supposedly thought Edward was on steroids. Norton’s comment – he says he just are like hell and trained like it was going out of style.
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Why I LOVE Asian Cinema

If you haven’t been watching Asian movies, I got news for you – you’ve been missing out on a lot of cool flicks. Before I finish my next post about this new killer movie that is coming out and the physical training that went into it, here is a quick little non-fitness post. I want to tell you why I love Korean, Japanese, Cantonese, etc. movies… Here is the reason why I included many Asian movies in my post 25 Movies That Motivate Me To Train Hard. Also – this story was somewhat inspired by Chris McCombs recent post on his favorite books in different fields. So here is just a small selection of some of my favorite Asian flicks:
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Chin-ups and pull-ups for me are the most intense upper body exercises. Ever since I was a kid, I have been fascinated by them and had always wanted to master them. This wouldn’t happen until my early twenties and here I will share my approach with you. But first let me tell you what happened today.

[No picture of a dude struggling on the pull up bar? Lets have a totally random gorgeous woman instead! By the way, most guys are totally clueless when it comes to what women like about a man's physique. Here is the deal: hot girls dig the V-shape of the torso (the waist to shoulders ratio). Gunz or bi's or however you call 'em serve mainly to intimidate other guys.]

I Was Chilling After A Nice Walk In The Saturday Sun

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Ever since I was a kid I remember being very winded when I had to climb up to the top of my building. And since lately I’ve been strapped for time, I decided to start running stairs when get home. I’d just run up to the last floor and take the elevator down to my apartment. There are very few people that run stairs and also very few people that don’t get winded when they climb a 8-9 storey building.

[Working the stairs makes girls trim and sexy and the dudes lean and mean. This is why bodybuilders, soccer players, Shaolin monks and even Victoria's secrets models keep their conditioning up with this drill.]

But many athletes such as basketball and soccer players, track athletes and martial artist include this drill in their conditioning. And for good reason. Running stairs kicks ass! It melts fat and conditions you to be efficient at short distance sprinting such as running to catch the bus, scrimmaging on the basketball field, or rushing to get to class on time.

Running Stairs Technique

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A couple of weeks ago I watched a cool sci-fi movie – The Day The Earth Stood Still. I just wanted to share some reflections on it with you. The reason for this is that some of the lessons from the movie have very much in common with the kind of transformation, or change if you will, a guy or a gal has to experience in order to get a great body. My point is that in order to change some people need to hit the very rock bottom of their condition. They need to realize how pathetic their situation really is in order to take the drastic measures that are needed to change their body… or their lives!

[OK, I admit it. The post was kind of an excuse to feature a pic of the beautiful Jennifer Connelly. Couldn't help it LOL. Seriously, her eyes...]

Here Is the Quote From the Movie that Made Me Write This Post

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I receive many questions from young guys asking me how they should train. Almost every single one of those emails includes a question about what supplements I would recommend to someone who is trying to build some muscle or burn a bit (or a lot) of fat. Every single time my answer is that you don’t really need supplements. If you even take any, they should be the icing on the cake. What matters when building muscle is that you do the right exercises and that you always, and I mean always seek progressive overload. As for losing fat – no pill will help if you don’t learn the cold hard truth that you need to eat less and exercise more.

[Our lady visitors were starting to complain of too much hot girl coverage and practically no dudes. So here is a fit good looking guy... under another hot girl lol. Ok, I couldn't help it! Can't blame a guy for sneaking in pics of gorgeous girls... Plus, I know most... ok practically ALL guys actually workout because they want to hook up with beautiful women. Just reporting on a fact lol]

I Was Pleasantly Surprized

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A reader of this site, Andy, asked me in Part I of the renegade rows series what to do once renegade rows become way too easy. He says he doesn’t feel his abs sore after workout. I will answer this in two parts. First, I wanna make something clear regarding muscle soreness. It is a sign of only one thing – that your body was not ready or adapted for the stress that caused the soreness. Nothing else. So you may continue to workout, especially when training for strength as opposed to muscle size (these are two different goals!), without needing to blast your body so that it’s sore every time.

[She wanted to know if getting that tat was a mistake. Hm, let me think, girl... Tell you what - I like the ink, but all this other extra stuff covering your body needs to go LOL!]

The second issue is whether you do the renegade rows with proper form to ensure that your core gets maximum stimulation. So in this article I will address the issue of proper form in more detail.

Here Is A Video With A Good Explanation Of The Proper Form For Renegade Rows

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The renegade row, developed and named by coach John Davies, is one of the hardest and most effective abdominal exercises. The reason for this is that renegade rows force you to use the primary function of the stomach muscles – stabilization. In other words the exercise teaches you how to keep your body as rigid as possible. You have no other choice but to contract your abs a hard as possible. Otherwise you won’t be able to maintain a rigid body.

1. Technique

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Hey wassup. Just wanted to give you another quick heads up re Rambo’s training – a special video with Stallone’s workout. If you missed the recent pic featuring ripped Sly, here it is once again – Sylvester Stallone Ripped for His New Movie The Expendables.

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What if it were possible to achieve the core and abdominal strength of a world class gymnast while training at home, only for a few minutes per day with no equipment or gadgets? Well guess what – it is possible to do it if you master the L-Sit.

[You are a stud if you can hold this position for 90-120 seconds.]

1. Variations

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This is a quick little post because I wanted to share with you this ‘leaked photo’ that is taking the net by storm. Sylvester Stallone ripped and in uber shape folks! And look at that bad-ass ink work on the shoulders. This is going to be one sick puppy folks, can’t wait for the flick.

[Sly hasn't looked this good the last 15 years. And, get this, he is 62 now. O, yeah!]

And If This Wasn’t Enough, Here Are Some of The Other Action Stars Who Signed Up For The Expendables

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Hey what’s up. I wanted to talk about one of my favorite TV shows – One Tree Hill. The reason I’m mentioning this is that it gives a perfect representation of what I am talking about when I describe the lean look and urge you to lose fat first thing. Do it as soon as possible folks. This is the number one key to looking good. That, and having some muscle mass – passing a beginner strength training level is enough. But a low body fat percentage comes first.

[This is one of the coolest shows on the tube, at least the first couple of seasons will have you hooked. What is cool about the show is it gives a realistic image of getting a lean and attractive physique. That's what I always stress - get lean first!]
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[Lying on the beach, music and a good book. I take an afternoon like this any day.]

January comes and it is a time when many people decide that they are going to change their lives. We have all heard it and we have all done it. You know the kind of resolutions I’m talking about. From next year I’m going to train or starting next month I won’t eat junk food anymore. Or how about from next week I will start saving money. Starting tomorrow, I will drink more water. Blah, blah, blah. Well guess what?

There Is No Tomorrow
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Lots of programs and approaches exist when it comes to gaining muscle. Do this, do that, count tempo, lift fast, train with high volume and no failure, train with low volume to failure, etc. But do you know what the real secret to gaining muscle is? It’s all about consistency and intensity.

[Will Smith transformed his body from the skinny teenager in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" to a muscular athlete for his powerful impersonation of the greatest boxer who has ever lived in Ali.]

The Worst Workout Program In The World Will Give Results If You Stick To It

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