Do your forearms tend to get more pumped than your biceps while doing curls? If so, you are robbing your biceps of the intense stimulation they need to grow! Why does this occur? Because many trainees get into the bad habit of initiating the biceps curling movement with a wrist curling movement. This is great for hitting the forearm flexors hard, but not very beneficial for blasting the biceps!

So what’s the solution? Try doing some of your curling exercises with your wrists bent back (so that your forearm flexors are in a stretch position). This will effectively take the forearms out of the movement, and force the biceps to take on all of the work!

Expect to reduce your curling poundage somewhat in the beginning, but over time it will return to normal…however, during that time your biceps will look anything but normal with the added size they will pack on!

Q. Eric, I am looking for a good OTC fat burning stack, as I want to be shredded for summer. I saw your pics on the PRRS website and would die to look like that. I am nowhere near as big as you, but I just want to get that rock hard look you have. If money were not an object, what would you recommend to me? Thanks!

A. First let me start by saying thank you. I sincerely appreciate your kind words about my physique. Obviously you know that the main keys to obtaining the muscular look you are after lie in your training, cardio program, and especially your diet. You did not mention anything about these things, so I will assume you have it all under control. The reason I mention this is because so many people think that magical pills and powders hold the secret to getting huge and/or ripped, but truth be told, they are only one piece of the bodybuilding puzzle. However, if you are doing the right things in the gym and at the table, then the sports supplements available today can absolutely hasten your progress, and help you reach a level of development somewhat beyond what you could without them. Consider supplements as “the icing on the cake!”

Now, to answer your question more directly, here is the stack I recommend for not only burning a ton of body fat, but also retaining lean muscle tissue as you diet. This is pretty much exactly what I utilized when preparing for the photos you were referring to.

• *Thermogenic Fat Burner-I recommend SAN Tight Hardcore, Nx Care Methyl Ripped, or Nutrex Lipo 6
  
• *Thyroidal Support-I recommend Thermolife International Dicana or ALRI Thyro-X
  
• *Night Time Fat Burner-I recommend ALRI Lean Dreams or Nutralogix Labs Dream Tone
  
• *Insulin Potentiator-I recommend USP Labs Anabolic Pump
  
• *L-Glutamine-I recommend VPX Ultra Pure Glutamine
  
• *BCAA’s-I recommend Scivation X-tend or VPX BCAAEX

If you decide to use any of these products, please read each bottle thoroughly and follow the instructions carefully. Good luck!!

Q. Bro, I know you have written about this before, but I can’t find anywhere. I am having a problem developing the “tear drop” of my thighs and wanted to know what you recommend to bring these muscles up. Thanks!

A. Ahhh yes, the famous “teardrop” issue! I find it rather amazing how some people do nothing special for their thighs and yet have extremely well developed vastus medialis (teardrop) muscles, while others do everything short of kneeling down before a picture of Tom Platz and praying to the thigh Gods, and still can’t get these muscles to “pop!” First you need to understand that a lot of this is genetic. If you look at IFBB pro Art Atwood or Paco Bautista, both known for their massive thigh development, you will notice that their VM’s are not all that big compared to the overall volume of their quads…and I am sure they have done every leg exercise in existence at every conceivable angle! Thus, you can still have enormous and outstanding legs without having monstrous teardrops.

However, while genetics play the largest role in the equation of muscle shape, there are still some techniques available that will better activate the VM while training legs, which should help you get some extra development out of them.

The first and best technique for making the teardrops cry (pun intended) is 1 and ½ rep squats and leg presses. If you have never done these before, let me warn you that they HURT! During a normal set of squats or presses, you would slowly lower into the bottom position and then explode back to the top. With 1 and ½ reps you will lower to the bottom position and press slowly only ½ way. You will then slowly lower to the bottom position again before exploding to the top. That entire sequence counts as one repetition. The reason this works so well is because in the bottom position the VM’s have to work the hardest to get you moving on the concentric rep. Thus, with 1 and ½ reps, you will spend more time in the ROM where the most VM activation takes place.

The second technique for blasting the old teardrops is to utilize a “duck stance” during squats and leg presses. By duck stance I mean that you should perform your sets with your feet pointed outward at about a 45-degree angle. Not only will this strongly stimulate the inner thigh muscles, such as the sartorius and gracilis, but it will also help you feel the VM’s working more intensely during those movements (especially if you focus on pushing with those muscles specifically).

Finally, you can also work the teardrops harder during leg extensions by turning your feet outward at the top of the movement. EMG studies show that using this technique shifts some of the emphasis from the vastus lateralis (outer thigh) and rectus femoris (middle thigh) to the VM’s.

Now that I have described a few teardrop-crushing techniques, here is a program that puts them into effect:

• -1 and ½ rep Squats…1 x 13-15, 1 x 10-12, 1 x 7-9
  
• -Superset: Leg Extensions (turning feet out at the top) and Duck Stance Leg Press…2 x 8-10 each
  
• -Smith Lunge…2 x 8-10 per leg
• Try that for the next 8 weeks and I bet you will be crying a bit less about your teardrops!

VISUALIZE FOR SIZE!

Very few people consider the role of the mind when it comes to training effectively. Most trainees are very careful to make sure they get in their pre-workout meal at a specific time, as well as their glutamine, creatine, BCAA’s, NO2, and stimulants. Some go so far as to make time for a nap before they train so they can wake up refreshed and ready to hit the weights. And don’t get me wrong…all of those things are critical to optimizing your time in the gym. However, if you truly wish to realize your “intensity potential,” then its time you start using visualization. This is a tried and true technique that is used by many top athletes to bring about their best performance on game day. You too can use it to bring about your best performance in the gym. It is easy to do, and only takes a few minutes. I believe that the best time to use visualization is before you go to sleep at night (to optimize the following day’s workout), and/or right before you take a pre-workout nap. Visualization can also be used while at the gym, right before performing a lift that you particularly want to improve upon. Ok, so now that you think you might want to try and VISUALIZE for SIZE, you are probably saying, “So what do I have to do?” Below is how I like to approach visualization, but with practice you might find other unique ways to enhance the experience.

• 1. Relax. Lie down. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply. Clear your mind and calm your body.
  
• 2. Picture yourself in the gym. See the weights, the machines and the people. Hear the music, sense the intensity and even smell the perspiration in the air.
  
• 3. See yourself how you wish to be. Bigger…harder…stronger…more vascular
  
• 4. Think about each lift you will be performing and picture the perfect set. See a record weight on the bar and feel the iron in your hands. Imagine yourself lifting it with ease, as if it were no heavier than a feather.
  
• 5. Experience the burn and incredible pump the workout will give you, and the tremendous satisfaction it will bring about.
  
  
  

Pre-program your mind for success and your body will follow.