Name: Monazir
Age: 30-34
Training time: 8 years
Question for Cameron: Hi, Cameron. I loved your workouts, but I have certain complaints as well. Why are there so few arm exercises in each phase? Why aren’t your workouts more like a conventional bodybuilding program? Yours are very different.

A: The traditional bodybuilding approach usually leads to overtraining. For example, if close-grip chinups are in your workout, do you need to follow that up with biceps curls, hammer curls, and preacher curls? The chances are slim that you will need that much biceps work in order to grow. As long as you are performing compound movements, such as chinups and bentover rows (which the YWP has plenty of), you will hit every muscle and get all the results you are looking for.

Name: Brian
Age: 45–49
Training time: 15 months
Injuries: Right shoulder strain
Question for Cameron: I feel very weak in the back of my shoulder when I do pushups. What other exercises can I do besides pushups to strengthen my shoulders and back?

A: The two most commonly weak areas that prevent people from doing successful pushups are a weak core and a weak shoulder girdle. In your case, you have a strength discrepancy between your pushing strength and pulling strength. You need to concentrate more on your rowing lifts—the three-point dumbbell row, bentover row, etc. This will shore up that shoulder girdle and help improve all your pushing lifts. It would also be beneficial for you to just do pushups on an incline. As long as you keep your shoulder girdle stable, you will be able to improve the strength and stability of the shoulder. As you get stronger, you can lower the angle of the incline. Be aware that too much load can damage the shoulder while the proper load can help it. If the problem is serious, you may want to seek the help of a physical therapist.

Name: Anthony
Age: 18-24
Training time: 5 months
Question for Cameron: I was just wondering if there is any exercise I can do in place of the neutral-grip row to face? I don’t have a cable station and was hoping I could substitute something that uses dumbbells, a barbell, or resistance bands.

A: Dumbbells or resistance bands work equally well with this particular lift. The problem with bands is that it is difficult to calculate the weight you’re really lifting when you use them, and when you move on to a stronger band, the jump in the amount of resistance the band applies is usually pretty big. I recommend using dumbbells and performing a bentover “w” row (as seen in Phase IV). The movement is exactly the same—just bend over at the hips as if you were doing a dumbbell row, and row the weights up to make a “W” shape over your head (the end position should look like you’re hitting a biceps pose). If you have trouble maintaining good posture while bent over, you can lie chest-down on a bench.

Name: Luis
Training time: 4 months
Question for Cameron: Hello, Cameron! I finished Phase IV of the Yearlong Workout Program, but then got the flu and lost a week of training and several pounds of body weight. Should I move on to Phase V (the fat-loss workouts) and lose more weight, or do you think I should do a muscle-building phase? My BMI is 23.

A: Since you have taken time off, you can repeat the previous phase for a couple of weeks to gain the weight back, or you can just keep a high caloric intake while doing Phase V and start dieting for fat loss when you feel ready. You will gain a lot of that muscle back quickly. Since losing one week is not that significant (and most of your losses were likely pounds of water weight), I would recommend staying with the program and going on to Phase V. As for using the BMI (Body Mass Index) to measure your physique, be careful—you could have a full six-pack and still register obese by BMI standards. At the same time, if you have very little muscle mass you could register normal and actually have a high body-fat percentage. Go by what you see in the mirror, on the scale, and the measurements you took when you started the program.

Name: Aakaash
Age: 35–39
Training time: 15 years, off and on Question for Cameron: I am five feet, 10 inches tall and weigh 134 pounds. I used to train really hard but then took a break for almost a year. I’m on Phase I now, but since I want to build lean muscle ASAP, can I do a little heavy training—say, 10 reps instead of the prescribed 15–20? Also, how soon do you think I could move to some serious muscle-building workouts, such as in Phase III? Since I want to gain weight, do I still need to do some cardio? My body fat is 16%, and I want to get it down to 10%, but not at the cost of my muscle.

A: I want you to stay with the program—it is designed this way for a reason. Remember that you will not be able to gain your previous fitness level back all at once. We will eventually get into some pretty heavy weights, but in order to make sure your body is prepared for that, I am using high reps early on. This preps your connective tissue, thus making it safer to lift heavy weights. You need to lay the groundwork now to get the greatest benefits later. Just follow the program and be patient. Each phase will yield better results if the previous phase has been finished. As for the body fat, you will be able to lower your body fat percentage simply by increasing your muscle mass. That is all you should concentrate on for now. Cardio is likely not important for you at this time. If you do any, it should be steady state (such as a light jog) for about 20 minutes, and done no more than three times per week. Good luck!

Name: Nick
Age: 18–24
Training time: 5 years
Question for Cameron: The workout plans look great and I’m looking forward to following them. I was wondering if this is something that my girlfriend can follow also, or will she end up looking like a bodybuilder if she does?

A: Your girlfriend can follow this program without turning into a bodybuilder. Her diet will dictate what happens to her body—if she eats a ton of calories, she will get bigger muscles, and if she eats fewer calories than she’s taking in now, she’ll get leaner. Either way, she won’t take on any manly characteristics. If I had written the program specifically for females, I would have done things a little differently, but she can still follow it as written and get great results. Following the program may put her in danger of looking like a lean, muscular athlete (which I doubt she’ll object to), but that’s all.

Name: Rick
Age: Over 60
Question for Cameron: I am interested in your Yearlong Workout Program, but I am 60. I’m probably too old to build a lot of mass, but I don’t think I would have trouble firming up what I have. How can I tailor this program for my age?

A:As long as you don’t have any pre-existing injuries that prevent you from performing the prescribed exercises, you should be able to do the programs pretty much as written. You just have to be smart about the loads you choose. Start light, and monitor your recovery. If you are staying sore for a long time, feeling fatigued, or just not getting stronger with each workout, then add a day or two of recovery between workouts. You can go on a 10-day lifting cycle instead of seven, meaning that you might do just two workouts per calendar week.