Cortisol - An adrenal-cortex hormone that is active in carbohydrate and protein metabolism. Protein is the building block of muscle. Without efficient amounts of protein, muscle cannot be built. Carbohydrates convert to glycogen, which gives the muscle energy. Since cortisol is active in carbohydrate and protein metabolism, it will start to burn them off, not letting any be absorbed my the muscles. The lack of nutrients in the muscle will cause muscle loss, which is the last thing you want to happen as a bodybuilder. Cortisol is created when you start to put strain on a muscle, small amounts of cortisol start to build up, and the only way to rid the muscle of the cortisol is to rest properly. This is why many bodybuilders workout for 45 minutes, then rest the muscle for at least 5 days.

It is impossible to naturally hit a muscle group every other day, and still gain mass. But according to Daniel Martin, if you follow his workout plan, you will gain 4 pounds of muscle in just 10 days! I will warn you right now, if you follow his workout plan, you will be lucky if you mantain all the muscle you have before you start. Here is the workout plan that he suggests:

DAY 1,3,5,7,9: Workout 1 30 mins 2-3 min rest	Thighs 4-12 reps add weight on every set. 5 sets of squats 5 sets of lunges
Workout 2	Calves10-15 reps
30 mins	5 sets of standing heal raises
2-3 min rest	5 sets of standing calve raises
Workout 3	Chest 6-8 reps
30 mins	5 sets of bench press
2-3 min rest	5 sets of incline dumbbell press
Workout 4	ABS 10-15 reps
30 mins	5 sets of crunches
2-3 min rest	5 sets of hanging leg raises
Workout 5	Triceps 4-10 reps
30 mins	5 sets of extensions
2-3 min rest	5 sets of french curls

Workout every 2 hours
Diet: high protein, high carbs, medium fat
minimum 6,000 calories- Target is 7,000 calories
Take 2 hour breaks between each workout
You have the idea on time, breaks and sets so I'm going to keep this one brief.

DAY 2,4,6,8,10: Workout 1	Back barbell rows weighted chins
Workout 2	Calves seated heal raises donkey raises
Workout 3	Deltoids military shrugs
Workout 4	ABS roman chair Sit-ups
Workout 5	Biceps e-z bar curls barbell curls

Rep ranges: endurance;8-10, strength;6-8, and power;4-6

This is way too much work for your muscles to handle (Overtraining), which will lead to excess cortisol buildup. I am not going to tell you a workout to do, because everybody's body is different. Some people have fast metabolisms, some people have slow. Some people have more fast twitch muscle fibers, some people have more slow twitch muscle fibers. What I will do is link to ICE, which is a workout routine created by Big Cat which is based upon finding out what your body reacts to, and using that to your advantage. Hopefully this will steer you clear of using Daniel Martin's workout plan.

Train Hard, but more importantly, Train Smart!
-Todd Torns

Todd8544@aol.com

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