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Tim asks "How do I build up my chest?"...

Lionel H. wants to "Get big quickly"...

Four email messages back to back today ask basically the same big question: "How do I build muscle and lose fat quickly?" The first, a boy of 16 wants a big chest and "six things on his stomach" (the latest in abs I'm guessing) - FAST. The second, a guy about 25 I estimate, is already strong with muscle yet is torn between bulking or getting cut in his quest for greater muscle size The third fellow, 30ish, wants to recondition and lose "the tremendous weight" gained over the past three years. The fourth, a young man, Tim, is ready with all the particulars to help me build a chest routine for him.

I respect all four aspirants and dare not minimize their efforts to press on by clumping them together. But under the clothing of each request is the same matter at hand: more muscle, less fat, as soon as possible.

The answer will vary slightly with each person. Age, frame, weight, metabolism, personality, desire, lifestyle, genetics, training maturity, equipment at hand, gym environment, menu…plus many more factors bear influence. Still, the quest remains pretty much the same. The answer lies in the Six Keys I wrote some 15 years ago on paper. They existed in my mind 15 years before then and I can't add to or take away from them today - they are the pillars and cornerstones.

Attention Young Lionel and Young Tim - we all need to be reminded that none of this muscle stuff comes FAST - take "fast" out of your bodybuilding jargon. Replace it with perseverance, endurance and patience - Godly qualities - and don't think of building your chest apart from building the rest of your body. Training the entire body with chest as your favorite muscle group will assure symmetry and greater overall systemic muscle growth - (the body grows as a systems of muscles, nerves, bones, organs, etc). "Muscle Priority" is a popular training technique - where you devote more time and effort to a particular muscle group by adding extra exercises or sets or reps - some times training that muscle group exclusively one day per week is a smart way to emphasize specific muscle growth.

I suggest you persist with a routine to include benches, dumbbell inclines supersetted with pullovers and finish with cable crossovers - 4 sets of each (15, 12, 10, 8 reps) - light weight to heavy weight pyramid. Add some bent over rear delt laterals and count this series as you chest and shoulder workout for the next few months - till mid Spring - continue your pre-workout tight hi-rep focused crunches and sets of leg raises (try supersetting these movements) and throw in 3 sets of 15-20 hyper-extensions every other gut workout.

Tim & Lionel - champs - you gotta have time and heart. Be consistent. Be sure. Eat your protein. Visit often. Smile.