Jim Cipriani's Body Transformation Blog
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Introduction to Bodybuilding
and
My Personal Body Transformation Program
by James Cipriani
Weight training, specifically that for bodybuilding, is a very trendy endeavor. What was “in” a few years back might get relegated to realms of old-school ineffectiveness for a while before resurfacing again in full force.
Mr. Numero Uno, Arnold!
In the late 70s and early 80s, bodybuilding training was the most popular form of weight lifting being performed in gyms. With the popularity of Arnold and his Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding came the notion of the more you workout the better. There was the belief of the more sets you did and the more frequently you did them = the harder you were training = the greater the results. There wasn't as much emphasis on the recovery process, yet major emphasis on the work.
Gaspari, Labrada, and Haney dominated the 80's
By the mid to late 80's and into the early 90's, bodybuilding was gaining popularity by leaps and bounds with the likes of Rich Gaspari, Lee Labrada, and Mr. Olympia Lee Haney. Gym franchises were popping up at a very rapid rate. Everywhere you looked, you could find a Gold's, World's, or Powerhouse Gym. It was around this time that people started to focus a little more on the recovery process, albeit mostly through the use of proper nutrition and supplements. Although the volume was being toned down a little through the common practices of training, the more is better attitude still reigned supreme and the frequency of workouts remained high. Training 6 days a week on a 2 or 3-way split was the norm.
The reign of Dorian helped revive Mike Mentzer's Heavy Duty Training
From the mid-90's to the new millennium we saw the rebirth of Mike Mentzer and his Heavy Duty training through the popularity of his protege', Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates. Now we were starting to realize the importance not only of the work we were doing, but the rest and recovery we needed to grow. And this was even more so for the drug-free athlete, which was also gaining popularity thanks to the WWE's Vince McMahon. It was around this time he had tried starting an alternate organization to the only real professional bodybuilding organization, the IFBB. Vince McMahon's WBF saw the stealing away of such IFBB greats as Gary Strydom, Mike Christian, Berry Demay, Mike Quinn, Jim Quinn, Tony Pearson, Vince Comerford, and legend giant-killer Danny Padilla (just to name a few). This also became the time when Mr. McMahon saw a steroid lawsuit surface that forced him to clean up the drug use within his wrestling and bodybuilding organizations. Heck, even the IFBB jumped on board with some drug-testing for awhile.
Gary Strydom, Mike Christian, and Barry Demey were among the stars that made an impact within Vince McMahon's WBF
None of this lasted more than 2 years, but with the mass media that surrounded this subject matter, the birth of Drug-Free competitions such as Musclemania and the Team Universe surfaced. Now there was a high level to aspire to as a natural bodybuilder. There were supplement contracts being given out, Twin Lab-owned Muscular Development Magazine was devoted to the drug-free competitor (funny how much of a 180 this magazine has done), and even ESPN was covering the shows. We were truly at the pinnacle of the sport from all ends! The IFBB flourished. The NPC flourished. The AAU and ANBC saw packed houses of competitors and spectators for local and regional shows. Gold's, World's, and Powerhouse Gyms were packed to the rafters with people from all walks of life training and socializing. Supplement companies were on the rise. Everything was great!
Then, all of the sudden, bodybuilding became taboo. It was becoming the
black sheep of the strength training and fitness family. The Gold's, World's, and Powerhouse franchise was being overtaken by franchises such as 24-hour Fitness and Curves. Attendance was so low at many of the local and regional shows, you could hear crickets. The AAU (the premier organization for all amateur sports) doesn't even sanction bodybuilding anymore. WHAT? The AAU was responsible for the Mr. America and Mr. Universe contest....staples throughout history in the sport of bodybuilding. Functional training, Olympic lifting, kettle bells, swiss balls, BOSUs and other such means became all the rage. A sad fate for what is actually the main reason why lifting weights became popular in the first place.
Yet one thing hasn’t changed: most people start training in the first place
because they want to look good, period! Sure athletes train to improve their
performance. But from working with literally hundreds of athletes I can tell
you that if you scratch the surface hard enough, you’ll see that deep down
they all want to improve their look at least as much as they want to perform
better.
I have a rather unique point of view since I’ve been on both sides of the
table: I was a high school and collegiate athlete as well as having competed in Power-lifting and bodybuilding. Forget about bodybuilding being easy. It’s by far the hardest “sport” to be successful in. While sport training or strength training only requires hard work for 8-10 hours a week (in training), bodybuilding is a 24 hour thing. It is not limited to the 1-2 hours you spend in the gym or at practice. More than any other activity on the surface of the planet it is dependent on your nutritional and recovery habits – especially if you’re natural. And this isn't just for bodybuilding. Anyone interested in a body transformation at all, this holds true. Of course, that’s not to say that bodybuilding is a notch above all other sports, that’s not true. But it deserves to be treated on equal ground.
With my lengthy introduction out of the way, I’d like to introduce the
program you will be reading about over the coming months. This program is designed to help anyone interested in bodybuilding or a body transformation get in the best shape of their life by first adding muscle mass and then getting
rid of all excess body fat while maintaining or even gaining additional muscle
mass. While it is specifically designed for me and what I am presently doing,
anyone who is simply interested in getting big, lean and muscular can use
the program with great results.
The program itself will be divided into several different phases/mesocycles with a different focus and goal in mind. Although the single goal of each phase may be different, they all add up to our 1 ultimate primary goal - Getting Big, Lean, and Muscular!
We will start off with a full explanation of Phase 1 - the General Preparedness Phase (GPP).
The information on this site is written to help you get closer to your physical potential with sensible bodybuilding strategies. Weight training is a demanding activity, however, so it is highly recommended that you consult your physician and have a physical examination prior to beginning a weight-training program. Any comments provided are for general information purposes only and do not represent medical advice. Proceed with the suggested diets, exercises and routines at your own risk.
Results using the programs and diets presented on this site will vary from individual to individual. Testimonial endorsers’ results using it may be considered atypical.
Copyright © 2009 by Cutting Edge Personal Training
All rights reserved.
Blog Updates:
"Rip it Up" Body-blog: My daily workout report, with diet updates and training tips highlighting every move I make during my Fall Pre-Exhastion Training Phase.
"Build it Up" Body-blog: My daily workout report with diet updates and training tips highlighting every move I make during my Summer Neural Potentiation Training Phase.
Coming - Neural Potentiation Phase: An inside look at my first phase of training focused on strength and muscle mass. Get a complete workout by workout breakdown as well as the full scientific details.
Coming - Pre-Exhaustion Phase: An inside look at my second phase of training focused on pure hypertrophy. Get a complete workout by workout breakdown as well as the full scientific details.
My "Build it Up/Rip it Up" Nutrition and Supplement Schedule: My exact meal-by-meal and supplement-by-supplement plan for each phase geared towards maximizing musclular gains and obliterating fat!
