Wanna go from Scrawny to Brawny?

At last!  My gym finally opened up after the holiday season.  Why they think no-one wants stay fit over the Christmas period, I fail to understand.  But I guess they deserve a break.  Just annoying to the gym addicts like myself.

But all was not lost.  I had my home gym after all, exactly for times just like this.  In a future blog, I have been requested to talk about how one can effectively make use of things around the home to create a decent workout session.  But today I have decided to share with you the current regime I am following.

Unlike many people who are constantly trying to lose the weight, I am someone who suffered as a child from being one of the skinnier kids (often called 'Where's Wally?' and, according to British Airways, I was underweight to be a flight attendant), so it has always been a challenge to put on the muscle and keep it there.

For those of you who suffer similar muscle building and retention issues, you maybe pleased to hear that the basis of your exercise regime is quite a simple one, albeit one that requires a lot of effort.  The key to your workouts, as well as consuming sufficient protein and carbs, of course,  is two words:  COMPOUND EXERCISES.

Compound exercises are exercises that utilise multiple muscle groups in one go as opposed to isolation exercises which generally focus on one muscle at a time e.g. bicep curls.  The main compound exercises are Bench Press, Squats and Dead Lift, but I also incorporate Barbell Rows and Military Presses.  I am currently lifting only 3 sets, the first two at just 5 reps and the third one to utter exhaustion (well, not 'utter', I need you to still be alive, but until you can lift no more).  Simple.  Simple, but effective, and extremely hard work.  Paricularly on those squats.  Damn I hate them, but I love them too!  You'll understand.

I am doing just 3 exercises in a session, finishing with either dips or pull-ups and I am in and out of the gym in under an hour.

So skinny guys, Compound is key.  Don't over complicate things.  Keep it simple!  Keep it compound!