Keen to bulk up? Struggling to lose the "man boobs"? Read on to find the solutions to your troubles.

Muscle man Paul Haslam is an Australian representative body builder and fitness and personal training instructor. Want to ensure you're working hard and smart? Send Paul an email. He'll spot you, no worries.

Q:  I play AFL and train at the gym twice a week in the off-season and once a week during the season. I have always had trouble improving chest strength. My maximum rep for bench is 75 kilograms and has been like that for years. How can I get a stronger chest?
- "Aaron"

A: The bench press is a good upper-body exercise, but not always an indicator of true chest strength. The limiting factor is triceps strength and poor leverage (ie, long arms) doesn't help. Do triceps exercises like the close-grip bench and bar dips.

If you want to increase chest strength and would like a good indicator of your progress, switch to the dumbbell bench press. Electromyography studies have shown that the chest is activated more and the triceps less with dumbbell movements than with barbell movements.

Once you have chosen the correct exercise, try this routine: week one, 3 x 8; week two, 4 x 6; week three, 4 x 4; week four, 5 x 2. Increase the load each week. Repeat the cycle, but on week one use the same load you used previously in week two and continue accordingly.


Q: My 33-year-old husband gets painful calf-muscle cramps. He's not over or under weight, drinks a decent amount of water, has daily protein shakes and eats pretty well. His exercise routine involves alternate days of exercise bike, a floor routine (push-ups and sit-ups) and a three-station weights gym working upper and lower body. He is a metal worker and stands all day. These painful cramps can occur any time - sitting down, after exercise and even during sex. Use of his legs prompts the cramps and I grab his foot to try to help. Minutes later, life returns to normal, but I hate to see him go through these moments of pain where he is beyond help.
-" Louisa"

A: The exact cause of cramping is not known. In your case we can rule out things like dehydration and unaccustomed exercise. You husband should consider wearing support stockings under his overalls for the lower legs. This would improve circulation and may prevent accumulation of any metabolic by-products.

Consider supplements such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium (only if sodium intake is low and/or he sweats a lot). Stretching the calves regularly will help. Stretching immediately before retiring for the night should alleviate any unwanted episodes during bedroom aerobics.


Q: I'm in my early forties, 195 centimetres tall and weight 125kg. Unfortunately, it isn't all muscle. It's an arduous task to burn fat these days. On average, I do a 30 to 45-minute gym workout five days a week. I've lost about 10kg so far, but only in certain areas. How can I burn fat faster and more completely?
- "Robert"

A: There are two regimes you could follow. Both include resistance and cardiovascular exercise.

The first is a weight-training circuit. You do one set of an exercise, then go straight to another exercise after minimal rest. Keep the load light to moderate and the reps high. Use compound movements to involve as much muscle as possible. Pick eight to 12 exercises and perform three to five circuits.

The second option is a superset workout. Select two exercises that use opposing actions, for example, bench press and barbell row. Using a moderate weight and reps of 15 to 20, alternate between the two exercises with minimum rest for a total of six to eight sets.

Perform more opposing actions (lat pull-down/shoulder press, barbell curl/barbell triceps extension, leg extension/leg curl, crunch sit-up/back extension) in the same format.
You might like do cardio for 20 to 25 minutes before or after the circuit or superset.

This should comprise an interval-style workout, alternating one minute of intense effort with one minute of moderate effort.

Q: No matter what I do, I can't put on muscle mass. I'm now eating 140g of protein every day and lift heavy weights with five minutes' rest between sets. Am I on the right track?

- ST

A: Increasing your protein intake is a good first step - you should be ingesting 2g for every kilogram of body weight you want. If you're happy to be 70kg, eating 140g is great. Basically you need to eat enough protein for your desired end result, so for 80kg, down 160g of protein; 85kg, 170g.

I would also look at increasing your overall food intake by upping carbohydrates as well as good (poly- and monounsaturated) fats. In my experience, most people with a fast metabolism just don't eat enough - you need to be having at least five to six small meals a day.

Food is the bricks and mortar of your physique. Heavy weights are a good idea, but still stick to around eight to 10 reps. Also, five minutes' rest is far too long if you want to gain size. Between 90 seconds and 2.5 minutes is ideal.

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Q: What can I do in the gym to build muscle for speed in the pool, specifically for freestyle?

- TM


A: Swimming engages almost all your muscles - in freestyle, it's the lats, pecs, triceps and quads. At the same time, your core must be strong to maintain a rigid link between the upper and lower halves and to reduce drag by keeping the body as streamlined as possible.

The best exercises are the lat pull-down (using a shoulder-width, overhand grip), straight-arm pull-down, decline press (using a dumbbell or machine), cable kick-back, leg extension, ab wheel, three-way ab bridge (side-front-side) and back extension.

Also pay attention to your rep speed and intensity - to be fast, you must train fast! This means that traditional, slower movements won't cut it. Be as explosive as possible and use relatively heavy loads (five to eight reps). This will allow you to generate maximum strength without adding too much extra size, which may compromise your power-to-weight ratio.

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Q: I'm 33, 177 centimetres tall and 73kg with a 32-inch waist. I jog up to six kilometres, five days a week, with either seven sets of 20 sit-ups or five sets of 20 push-ups. I replace three of my five meals a day with protein shakes; the meals are grilled chicken or fish with steamed vegies. In four weeks I've shed 4kg, but can't lose the "man boobs". Help!

- IJ

A: You're following the correct course of action, you just need to be patient. Your body has two fuel tanks: one large, for long-term supply (body-fat stores) and one small, for short-term supply (creatine and glycogen stores). The latter is easily accessed and preferred by the body for energy, plus it's topped up daily by our diet.

You'll only access your body fat when those short-term stores are depleted, which can take time. The longer you go, the better the results. Unfortunately, the storage areas around the pecs and abdomen seem to be the last places to finally go. But the push-ups and sit-ups will certainly help, by toning the muscle underneath.

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Got any other body bothers? Send your most curious conundrums through to Paul today.



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