THIGH SEPARATION

I am competing in a couple of months and I really want to win this time. In the past I have done okay, but that first place trophy has always eluded me. I came in second in the last show I competed. The judges said I needed more thigh separation if I wanted to win my next contest. I really dieted hard for that show and my bodyfat was at the lowest it could be without putting me in some sort of physical danger. I follow the Heavy Duty method of training, so I don't do a lot of sets for my thighs. Do you think my training style has something to do with my lack of thigh separation? What do you recommend?

Jim Spence
Niagara Falls, Ontario

In the past ten years, I have spoken with thousands of bodybuilders about their precontest training programs. Being a former competitor (you never know when I might come back) and a bodybuilding fan precontest programs interested me the most because I was always fascinated by the transformation process. Watching a person totally transform his physique in a few months time is amazing.

The question you are asking me is what would I do to get more muscle separation in my thighs? You wouldn't want to know what l have done in the past to bring out more separation in my thighs. You would think l was nuts.

Many so-called experts think bodybuilding training is very cut and dry. It is not. Sometimes you need a really outrageous routine to get your body to respond. In your case, you need something for leg separation.

Do you remember the leg-building story about Arnold Schwarzenegger? Arnold wanted to increase his leg mass so he used to have squatting parties in the forest. He and a bunch of his bodybuilding friends would go into the forest and squat until they couldn't move. I am not telling you to bring a leg-extension machine into the forest, but maybe you should try a routine that will shock your legs and get you that separation you are after.

You said that you are following the Heavy Duty program. Well, I would switch to a different program. I am not a big advocate of the Heavy Duty system. I am sure it is effective and I know a lot of great bodybuilders have used that system, but when it comes to bodybuilding I think you should do more sets and reps.

In all of my conversations with bodybuilders, and through my own experiences, the best way to get more muscle separation is to do more sets and higher reps. I know a lot of experts out there will disagree with some hard scientific c facts, but I am telling you what has worked for me and other bodybuilders I have spoken to.

Sometimes these so-called experts don't know what they are talking about These are the same people who years ago told bodybuilders they shouldn't do cardio. Go to the gym and find a precontest bodybuilder. He is probably doing two hours of cardio a day.

These experts are also the ones who probably have said that 2.0 g of protein per pound of bodyweight a day is way too much for a person to be taking. Now you have guys eating 600 to 900 grams a day.

I believe the only way to find out the truth about the effectiveness of a plan is to try it and see if it works. Remember the workout is only one factor in getting great muscle separation, your diet and cardio program have to be up to speed as well. Here is a leg routine that I used to bring out more leg separation when I competed.