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Written by Craig Titus
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Wednesday, 25 April 2007 |
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Page 2 of 2
ALL THE TOOLS IN THE SHED
Craig, how you been doing brother? I want to change things up with my program; nothing drastic, just a break from the norm. A sample routine for the legs would be much appreciated. I only have dumbbells, a Smith machine, leg extension, and a leg curl machine. By the way-even though Phil Barone would kick my ass-everything I have seen and heard about this guy shows that he is a huge prick with no respect for anybody. Thanks bro, and good luck in the future.
In regard to Phil Barone, I don't even know who the guy is. It's not even worth my time to think about him. That's all I've got to say about him, and frankly it's more than he deserves. As far as your leg training goes, you have everything necessary to create some pretty monstrous wheels. Here's a good routine:
Hamstrings
Leg curl 4 x 10-15
Single leg curl 4 x 10-15
Straight leg deadlifts 4 x 10-12
with dumbbells
Quads
Leg extension 4 x 10-15
Single leg extensions 4 x 10-15
Front squats 4 x 6-10
Squats 4 x 6-10
Smith machine lunges 4 x 8-12
Don't do every single exercise in one workout. Split it up so that you're doing two to three moves for both quads and hamstrings. You have to work extra hard for massive legs. Eventually, you will need to join a good gym with a wide variety of equipment and enough weights. That old myth about being able to create a great physique with a barbell and some dumbbells at home is exactly that, a myth. High intensity and hard work are paramount, but you need variety to stimulate complete muscle growth. I have a 500 square foot gym in the back of my house, yet I still go to Las Vegas Athletic Club every other week. The energy of the environment is something you can't duplicate at home, either.
LARDASSING IT IN THE OFFSEASON
Dear Craig, what do you think about the following training ideas? First, whatever happened to the old concept of eating over 3,000 calories a day? You could eat 6,000 calories a day. You'd bulk up and put on a lot of fat and water, but muscle too. I believe Lee Priest does this. If it worked so well then, why not continue to use it? Second, what do you do for your forearms? They don't receive much attention, but you have radical development. Your vascularity is disgusting, and I mean that as a compliment. Do you train them specifically or was it just a natural occurrence over time? Thanks Craig.
I'll address the second question first. I don't train forearms. Sorry, bro. They've just developed through years of training. I do a lot of my movements without straps, forcing me to use forearm strength to hold the bar or ‘bells. I only use straps when the weight's way too ridiculous. There's no sense in using them if they're not necessary. The vascularity is genetic. They've always had the thousand rivers since the very beginning. I don't know why I'm so vascular.
As for bulking up, holding a lot of water and fat in the off season weren't issues cuz I wasn't booked twenty-seven weeks a year to guest pose when I first started. As professional, you can't show up to guest pose at NPC and IFBB shows held all over the world when you look like a "before" ad. Believe me, the bad taste lingers. I'll get to a show and they'll tell me how fat so-so was last year when they guest posed. I want promoters to be satisfied and entertain the possibility of inviting me back. It's about repeat business. That's the reason I don't balloon up in the off season.
Now, that doesn't mean it won't work. Putting on fat and water works. I used to eat Burger King once a day. However, I don't think you can necessarily pack on more muscle by hauling around all that extra luggage. I haven't gained any more muscle in a year's period of time whether I was forty pounds or just twenty pounds over contest weight. It's been six to eight pounds of muscle per year for the last three or four years, regardless of how heavy I get. Plus, instead of looking like a donut junky, you get to look like a bodybuilder year round.
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: REDEMPTION
Well, getting set to kick off 2005 with a bang-Titus Style, of course! My sights are set on the Ironman in February. Me and Kelly will also be doing the Superstar Seminar the following Sunday after the show.
Been traveling a lot. I've been to Spain and Portugal for seminars and guest posings. I feel rested, to say the least. Training commenced on Monday, December 6th, making it eleven weeks out. I'm working with Richard Greenbaum, one of my main buds since day one. We're going old school. Whatever I look like two weeks out from the show is exactly what I'll look like on stage. No miracles, secrets, or black magic rituals. It's just old school hard work. There'll be no drastic changes at the end.
I was guilty of the cardinal sin: trying to fix something that ain't broke. In all the shows I've placed well in-2001 USA, 2001 San Francisco, 2001 Arnold Classic, 2004 Ironman-I never made humongous changes during the week prior to the show. Everytime I did, it was a disaster. The water fluctuates and the glycogen doesn't stay in the muscle. I end up flat. Those days are over. I'll be in shape and walk onstage in shape. I'm gonna train like an animal. This is my redemption. I feel fantastic. There are no injuries to hold me back. I won't disappoint my fans again.
I'm at 255 pounds right now. After the GNC disaster, I didn't go crazy and bulk up. I took a few weeks off to regroup. Since then, I've been hitting the gym for about three to four days a week; nothing hardcore, just an easy pace to get the blood in there.
HEALING THE HOUSEHOLD
Other than preparing to kick ass, there's not a whole lot going down. Kelly's had a hard time recovering from that kick in the stomach at the Olympia. We thought it was her time. I've never seen my wife so low after an event. She was totally devastated. My focus was on getting her back to her championship form. It was touch and go for a moment, but she's back to her old self now. Don't let her sweetness fool ya'. Kelly's as tough as they come. Team Titus is primed for next year.
LET'S PARTY DUDE
I'm still trying to decide if I want to do the Arnold Classic After Party. I'm not sure. I may make a few calls this week and see if I can do something with one of the club owners. I had almost 1,800 people last year. I'd like to bring it to a different place and give an Ohio club promoter the chance to jump in on the party. The Olympia party was such a wild success that we're debating whether to do one for the Arnold or not. We just haven't tasted the same sort of success at the Arnold.
PIMP STYLING
Some young dude asked me how to pick up a fitness chick. I told him to get one of those fake Jacob watches, spend a couple hundred on some nice duds and tell them you're a doctor. That ought to do you some good. Seriously, I've never had to play that role. Do you have to be a bodybuilder or a model? I don't think so. Every girl is different. I know industry girls who are married to bodybuilders, football players, and just normal, everyday guys. I think the only thing you can do is walk up to her, tell her she's fine and you'd like to take her out. See what happens from there. Just be confident. Don't be an arrogant prick and try to be something you're not. Just be yourself. You never know what will happen unless you try.
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