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If you want to build SIZE and MUSCLE you are in the right place! Getting stronger is of course part of the process, but it is NOT the main aim and if you just focus on strength you will likely fail to maximise your size and fall short of achieving your size goals. So, with all of that said, here is my guide to bench pressing for SIZE . Pay very close attention, apply what I am about to tell you, and you will see faster results! #1 Dumbbells More, Barbells Less Get away from the idea that your flat bench with a barbell is the fastest route to a big chest, it usually isn't. I prefer to use dumbbells more because of the increased movement they give me, enabling me to squeeze my pecs more effectively through a fuller range of motion. I’m not saying ditch the barbell altogether, but definitely do more dumbbell work! #2 Use All Angles Get strong on incline, flat, AND decline. Be sure that you alternate which one you use first within each of your 4-5 week training blocks, by covering all of the angles it leaves no room for weakness! #3 Check Your Elbows When you are going for max weight you will tuck your elbows by your side to recruit your triceps, this makes you stronger - it is just instinct. However, if you want to isolate your pecs AND build size, then you need to make sure that you keep those elbows higher and away from your torso. Doing this gives a much better stretch across the pecs! #4 Change Your Range of Motion If you watch me bench with dumbbells and barbells, I NEVER lockout. I stretch to the bottom and then go about 80% of the way up, then come back down. When you lock out you just hit the triceps. Bodybuilding is about isolating the muscle you are working on as much as possible and by ensuring that you don’t lock out then you will be doing just that. Of course, getting your bench pressing techniques dialled in for MAXIMUM gains is just one part of the overall bodybuilding picture, but if you start to implement the techniques I have mentioned above then you will be on the right track. Talking of being on the right track, if you want to maximise your WHOLE training journey then why not check out my personalised workout programs? They are 100% customised to YOU and YOUR NEEDS, with bespoke training programs, techniques, tactics, mindset and nutrition to give you an ALL ROUND program that will guide you to success. CHECK OUT MORE INFO HERE So, what are you waiting for? Be stronger than your strongest excuse and GET SHIT DONE!

When you are putting in the work the Big Granty way and training with high volume intensity - exactly how I like to train! - recovery really is the name of the game when it comes to building lots of muscle. With that high volume intensity training also comes muscle soreness however. It comes in the form of DOMS, which stands for ‘delayed onset muscle soreness’. If you have DOMS it is a good sign that your workout hit the mark, but how you handle your recovery from that intense workout really is the key when it comes to building lots of muscle. You cannot hope to grow thick slabs of muscle unless you are recovering right! So, here are my 3 top tips to kick start your post workout recovery for maximum muscle growth potential: 1) PROTEIN Make sure you are getting enough protein. Protein gives you all of the amino acids that are required to recover. You need to be hitting 1.5g of protein per pound of body weight every day. Ensure you eat this over several smaller meals, every 2-3 hours. That way the muscle protein synthesis is higher than if you ate it in one sitting and it helps the muscle tissue repair and grow faster. 2) SLEEP And I mean sleep a LOT! This means getting 6-8 hours through the night and also trying to fit short naps in during the day where possible. I know not everyone can do this, but it makes ALL the difference to recovery. Eliminating caffeine at night time and taking a little magnesium are two things you can do to help with sleep if it is something you struggle with. 3) FUEL You have got to eat enough fuel for your recovery - this is why you may see me having a hamburger & fries before bed or large pizzas. Your muscles can store carbohydrates as energy which can be used in recovery, so make sure you are fueling your body post workout in a way that allows your muscles to recover from high volume training and still have enough energy left over to grow. If you maximise your effort in these three areas - protein, sleep and fuel - post workout then you are giving yourself the best chance of boosting your recovery and achieving the muscle growth that you are aiming for. Speaking of maximising, if you want to explore more ways in which you can MAXIMISE your training potential then check out how you can get involved in my bespoke personalised workout program here . It is 100% customised to you and your needs, advice on all things training programs, techniques, tactics, nutrition and mindset to help get you to where you deserve to be in your fitness journey. Last but not least always remember …. be stronger than your weakest excuse and get shit done!

Training frequency, put simply, is the number of times you train per week. If you are finding that you have plateaued in your progression and can’t figure out why, then 1 thing to consider is to increase your training frequency - i.e. train more times per week than you currently are. This is because what can happen when you have been using the same training frequency for some time is that you reach the ceiling of where that routine can take you. When you reach this point it is then time to progress things and push yourself harder! For example, if you are currently training 4 times a week - by moving things up to 5 times a week it will help you to be able to do the following: Get more specific with more isolation exercises for each muscle group. For example you can now have a dedicated arm day Use more secondary stimulation sets in the same training week for your weakest muscle groups Challenge your central nervous system to a greater extent so that your body learns to deal with more overload You will also find that by upping your training frequency your body burns more calories. This in turn makes it easier to get leaner as a result of improved insulin sensitivity, elevated androgenic hormones, and obviously overall increased general energy use. So my advice, if you have the time and capacity to go from 4 days training per week to 5 days training per week then DO IT! You won’t regret it and will almost certainly see the benefits. And if you want to explore more ways in which you can MAXIMISE your training potential, then don’t forget to check out my other blog posts for more advice on all things training techniques, tactics, nutrition and mindset to help get you to where you deserve to be in your fitness journey. Last but not least always remember …. be stronger than your weakest excuse and get shit done!

I’m here to tell you that if you only use one grip technique when you are training your back that you are limiting your potential - FACT! Because your back is such a large muscle group, changing up your grip technique when focusing on your back will really help you to reach ALL areas and maximise your growth potential. So, here are the top 3 grips that I recommend you try for faster and more effective back growth! Reverse Grip This is my favorite grip for pulldowns, I find it hits my lats the best. You can also use a reverse grip for pull-ups & bent over rows. Top tip - at the peak contraction, make sure you give an extra squeeze on the lats so that you really get that pop! Semi-Supinated Using a semi-supinated grip for pulldowns & seated cable rows is a great way to introduce new stimulation. You will use less weight, but I find it's a great angle to squeeze the scapulas together and really get a hard contraction in the middle of the back. Top tip - using a semi supinated grip really helps you to achieve maximum contraction at the bottom of each rep! Rotating Grip This can be used for single arm dumbbell rows & seated single arm cable rows. Make sure you start with your wrists internally rotated, then rotate them into a semi-supinated position as you pull the weight. Top tip - using the rotating grip technique can really help with getting a stronger contraction in the lats! One important thing I want to highlight with grip variation is that although changing up your grip techniques when training your back is a good thing and will definitely make a difference to your progress, it is also very important that you make sure you spend enough time really mastering each movement. Using a poor technique is a waste of your time and energy and you won’t see the recruitment of muscle that you are looking for, so always make sure you get the technique right and do them well. We are looking for quality reps, so make each one count! And if getting a killer back is one of your goals but you feel you are just not getting the results you are looking for then why not join my personalised transformation program to give you that extra guidance to help you to achieve your FULL potential? It is 100% tailored towards you and your goals, including a personalised workout program and bespoke meal plan, to help guide you to success through your health and fitness journey. Click here for more information, it would be my honour to help you finally achieve the results you have been dreaming of! And remember, be stronger than all of your excuses and GET SHIT DONE!

When it comes to getting the abs of your dreams there is much more to it than making a plan to smash out 100 sit ups a day and hope for the best! Without the correct combination of technique and training tactics you will find your progress is slow and you will likely become frustrated. So here are some tips for smarter abs training that will help you to achieve the results that you are looking for! #1 Time Your Breathing When you are training biceps, at the peak contraction you squeeze the muscle, right? With abs when you crunch you need to do the same! In order to do that correctly, you must time your breathing. As you crunch breathe out, and as you move through the negative inhale. #2 Train Your Abs First Thing I recommend training your abs in the morning after your fasted cardio. This is because you have a much better chance of contracting the abs when your stomach is empty, as opposed to when you are bloated from food which makes training your abs properly much harder. #3 Don't Forget Resistance The abs are a muscle so you need to add some resistance along the way to make them develop faster. However, not all abs exercises are a good fit for adding resistance - I highly recommend kneeling cable crunches, weighted crunches and decline bench weighted sit ups as great abs exercises for adding resistance. #4 Frequency & Reps I suggest that you train abs twice a week, however you can push that to three times a week if you want to because your abs recover faster than other muscle groups, and although I usually use 8-12 repetitions for most body parts you can take this up to 15-20 reps for abs because I find this generally works a little better. As with all training plans consistency is key, and abs are no different to any other muscle group. Implementing the plan is the first step but it is consistency that will get you where you want to be and KEEP you there!

I feel that there is a lot of focus on the mistakes that beginners make when they are starting out on their training journey, but what about those who have been lifting for years and could still make better progress if they identified mistakes with their training and changed them? Once someone is established and supposedly knows what they are doing it is all too easy to make these simple errors which will ultimately hold them back in the long run. So let’s talk about it now! Here are the top 3 things I see experienced people overlook to the detriment of their overall progress… #1 Forgetting The Basics It is common that when people have trained for years they get dragged into a routine that almost becomes too instinctive. They forget to apply basic principles of lifting which are proven to work, from progressive overload to building training volume, tracking rest periods, and tempo. Leading them to fall into a stagnant phase with no real progression. #2 Training Favourite Body Parts First When bodybuilders become more experienced they develop a liking for certain workouts, usually the body parts which are their best. If a guy has big arms, he probably loves training them in front of the mirror. Likewise, if he has weak hamstrings, he probably doesn’t focus so much on this workout. This is a problem because it means the gap between weak and strong muscle groups only continues to widen so you should ALWAYS focus on the weakest areas and aim to bring them in line with your strongest areas! For me for example, my shoulders are a really strong muscle group naturally so I focus harder on my chest and by doing so it improves my overall physique. #3 Not Reassessing Their Physique Your physique will change over time, that’s a fact. Sometimes an athlete will have an especially strong muscle group so they then work over time to bring their other areas up to be equally strong. This means that the previously strong muscle group now needs more work to be inline with the growth of the other muscle groups. Your physique is constantly evolving so you have to make sure that you regularly reassess where you’re currently at in order to maintain the overall balance. Another really important thing in relation to this point is mobility. As your physique grows, you naturally lose mobility which can then reduce your opportunity to build size in certain areas. Always assess this and introduce new measures to address it, when needed. In conclusion, your physique is a constantly evolving thing. Longevity, constant reevaluation, and progression should always be the priority and at the forefront of your mind at all times. If you take on board these 3 points I have highlighted then you will be one step closer to giving yourself the best chance of success to achieve your full potential. Train smart, train hard, never give up, and keep moving forward. And remember, be stronger than all of your excuses and GET SHIT DONE!

You may be thinking that a winners mindset is all about getting on stage and competing at the world championships, and if that’s not one of your goals then this blog doesn’t apply to you. Well you’re wrong! Although you may never compete, a lot of the principles for preparing for a competition remain the same when it comes to achieving your own training goals. However big or small they may be. You see, it’s about going all in, giving the whole process everything you have got to give and not compromising. At the end of the day only you will know if you have given it your full 100% or not. To help you understand if you are REALLY setting yourself up for the best chance of success there are 2 key questions you can ask yourself to keep yourself on track.

I often get asked if it is wise to go above 12 reps per set. My short answer is YES , in some situations going above 12 reps is definitely beneficial. Before you head off to the gym and increase your rep count across the board, let me explain this theory, what the benefits can be, and why I recommend going above 12 reps in certain situations is a good idea. 3 benefits of going above 12 reps per set are: Increasing blood flow to the muscle which helps stretch out the fascia (the tissue which surrounds your muscle and can limit growth potential) It creates more time under tension which is great if your muscle is less responsive and needs that extra time to develop a stronger mind-to-muscle connection By going a little higher with your reps you can target different muscle fibres and stimulate sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, making your muscles look more swole opposed to hard I go to 15-20 reps on certain exercises. Mainly for calves, biceps, triceps, sometimes delts with isolation movements, and even quads occasionally. From my experience, calves and arms are the muscle groups which really benefit from using some 15-20 rep sets. There is no need for your whole workout to be done with a higher volume of reps, just 1-2 exercises for that specific muscle at the end to burnout can work great! I highly recommend using isolation exercises for your 15-20 rep sets for getting the best results. That’s just a taster of my training tactics that get me my World Championship winning results, if you liked what you’ve read and want some support to MAXIMISE

I have a question for you, how is your training going? If I were to hazard a guess it’s probably going OK but is ‘OK’ going to get you to where you want to be? So if you are honest with yourself, how is your training REALLY going? No matter how good you think you are doing, there is always more which can be done to get even better results and that is where I am here to help! Here are 3 easy to action examples of things you can do to move your progress to the next level, just to make you realize what can be done if you really want to maximise your effort: Time your rest periods This instantly adds intensity to a workout, and with only the minority of gym trainers tracking their rest periods between sets when you track yours it will put you one step ahead of the rest of the gym! Weigh your food and track calories accurately The majority of people guess what they're eating and are usually out by at least HALF! To build a killer physique and get awesome results you NEED to know what you are really eating day in day out so it’s time to get counting! Be totally honest with yourself Identify which muscles are weak and in need of extra work. This should force you to train that specific area to your body - everyone is different so you need to figure out where you need to pay extra attention. Maybe your chest is awesome but your back really lacks definition, your workout plan needs to reflect this!