October 10, 2005

#2: Magnum Shoulder Presses and Off-Season Eating

Q: Hello Vince,

Great article on training. I loved it! I understand it all except the "Magnum shoulder press." What is that? How do you do it? You can do 360 pounds with it?

...Robert Hullman

A: Thanks for the comments, Robert. The Magnum shoulder press is a biangular press made by Magnum Fitness Systems of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is very similar to Lever or Hammer Strength equipment. The free-weight plates are added to each side of the machine. I personally like this type of equipment, because it allows you to train until failure without needing a spotter.

Yes, I am currently using 360 pounds. I have also used 450 pounds for 8 reps! It is a good feeling to have five 45-pound plates on each side. That being said, I have been doing this type of training for years. Be careful, and use weight that you can handle with proper form. Preventing injuries is priority number one. If you are injured, you will not be training at all.

I hope this helps.

...Vince Wawryk, Canadian Champion

Q: Hey Vince,

How far do you let yourself go in the off-season? I am talking about your weight. A guy at our gym said I should try to put on 50 or 60 pounds extra. Is that a good idea?

...Daryl Williams

A: For everyone, the off-season is the time to grow. However, that being said, you don’t want to just get fat. I personally try to be about 30 to 35 pounds from contest condition in the off-season. At this weight I can still see my cuts and vascularity, which allows me to still see the progress I am making during the year. Too many people just get fat and think they are bigger then they are. Remember, it is the finished product that counts.

So, without knowing your age, height, and the number of years training experience you have, I am going to assume you are about 180 to 200 pounds. At that, I would follow the 30 to 35 pounds above your contest weight as a general guideline. A typical pre-contest diet runs a course of approximately 16 weeks. Healthy weight loss with minimal risk of lean muscle loss is about two pounds per week. So, if you do the math, 2 pouds x 16 weeks = 32 pounds. If you get any heavier then that, you will have to diet longer. This would mean a shorter off-season.

In closing, I would like to thank you for your question and I hope I provided you with some information to make the correct decisions.

Until next time… train hard, train fast, GET BIG!

...Vince Wawryk, Canadian Champion

If you would like to ask Vince a question, please e-mail: askvince@seriousaboutmuscle.com.

SeriousAboutMuscle.com contributor Vince Wawryk is from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a three-time Canadian bodybuilding champion. Vince won his class at the 2002 CBBF National World Qualifier, 2003 CBBF Canadian Bodybuilding Championships, and 2004 CBBF Canadian Bodybuilding Championships. Right now Vince is training for the 2006 Canadian Bodybuilding Championships where he hopes to again win his class as well as the Overall title.