Ok fellas, Im sure there's a few out there who workout and may have some questions. Let me stat this post off by saying that I have been at the iron game since 1995. Started bodybuilding seriously in 2000, and almost did a natural show in 2002. I got to 3 weeks out and tore my right rotator cuff, rendering my posing pretty much useless. I have trained with several top level NPC (National Physique Committee) amateurs, and one former training partner is now currently an IFBB Professional Women's bodybuilder. I've also earned ISSA certs in Performance Nutrtition and Kinesiology (muscle movements). Not that it's that impressive as anyone who takes the courses pretty much pass, but it's nice to have the paper. I've also helped people diet and helped prepare a few former training partners for contests. I have been out of the gym seriously for the last couple of years due to personal issues, but as of last week, I have begun to hit it again, and still have a wealth of knowledge that I like to share. Now, if anyone has any questions, don't be afraid to ask. There's no such thing as a stupid question. If I don't know the answer, I will find the answer. While yes, I have researched, studied, and used Anabolic/Androgenic Steroids, I will not discuss them. If any out there are thinking about them, all I will tell you is learn proper and sterile injection techniques, and please read and research as much as possible before you ever decide this route. While yes, I have no problems with the drugs, I will tell you that there is a wealth of misinformation out there. This is not to say that the drugs themselves don't have side effects, but also, don't believe everything you hear.
Now with all that said, I will give a few tips. Weather you're training for size, to get lean, or just to keep in shape, I can help in all areas.
First up, set a goal. This is why a lot of people fail in their fabled "New Year's Resolution's". They never set a goal and follow it seriously. Try to stay positive as well. Negativity will always sabotage any gains or improvements you see. When you set your goal, make it a realistic goal. Don't set out and say Im going to step on stage at the Mr. Olympia in 8 months when you've never competed before. If you want to add size, set your goal out and draw it up on paper.
Next, get your diet together. This is 90% of your results. No matter if you're trying to lean out, shred up, or put on mass, if you're not eating properly, your results will not show. When trying to lose fat/weight, I always tell people DON'T look at the scale. If you want, the best time to do it is upon awakening and after going to the bathroom. This way you've been fasting for a few hours, plus any excess water or waste has left your body. Remember, when you step on the scale, everything that is in and on your body has a weight to it. Your liver, kidneys, bones, etc all have a weight to them. If you're wanting an accurate number, I always suggest getting a bodyfat caliper test. Your doctor can do them, or you can get calipers at home and do them yourself fairly easily. Go by the mirror and how your clothes fit. This is where you're going to notice it first. Usually the first 5-10lbs that come off of you are excess water pounds. Next, if you're trying to lose bodyfat, you have got to create a calorie deficit, meaning, you must burn more calories than you are consuming.
If you're wanting to put mass on, you must EAT!!! You will not grow if you don't eat, bottom line. I always ask this question to people who are trying to gain size and ask them how much they're eating. I usually get the "I think Im eating enough". If you think you are, you're probably not. You want to get your calories from lean meats like chicken, lean beef, tuna, cod, eggs and egg whites, low-nonfat milk and cottage cheese, turkey. These are some of your best choices for protien. Don't forget the carbs as well. You need to learn to time these. This is where many get confused. You basically have 2 types of carbohydrates. You have simple (fast burning) and complex (slow burning). Simple carbs come in the form of table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc. Complex carbs come in the form of starchy type foods like yams, brown rice, whole oats, etc. Learning to time these is one of the most crucial things to your results. Also how much you should be consuming. Next, don't forget the healthy fats. Your omega 3,6, and 9. Flax oil, natural peanut butter, almonds, cashews, avocado, and salmon. Salmon is one of the absolute best foods you can eat for both protien and healthy fat.
Also, a food scale is key to gaining solid and sustainable results. If you can weight and measure your portions, you can always know exactly how much of each nutrient you are getting at each meal as long as you have read your nutrition facts or have a nutrition book handy.
Another key to your goals is water consumption. You need to keep the body hydrated, especially during your training or cardio sessions. I have always recommended getting at least 1 gallon per day. Water helps you feel full between meals, flushes out the body, and keep the liver and kidneys working. Water also helps keep your skin healthy. At times it can get mundane and tedious so add in some Crystal Light. Hardly any calories and tastes fairly good. Also, if you're trying to drop excess fat, stick to diet soda if you have to drink it. Sometimes this can help curb a sweettooth. Other things that are great to drink is low-nonfat milk, orange juice (depending on timing), cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, green tea, and even black coffee which can help give you a boost of energy for your workout. One thing I would stay clear of are energy drinks. I have never liked these things. Loaded with tons of sugar and caffiene. If you must, try to stick with the diet energy drinks. The small "5 Hour Energy" shots are fairly decent and low in calories if that's an option for you.
Next up is supplementation. Oh boy this is one of my favorites. First and foremost remember this before you EVER go into a GNC, Vitamin World, or Vitamin Shoppe, etc. A supplement company that makes a supplement, wants to SELL a supplement. Look, if you open up a magazine, beit a bodybuilding, Maxim, Men's Health, etc. you're going to see adverstisements, promising "steroid like gains" or you'll see a famous bodybuilder or MMA fighter's picture with a comment that they SUPPOSEDLY said about the product. Don't buy into the hype guys. One of my former training partners got an endorsement for a particular company. His pic was put in their catalogue and online next to one of their creatine products and a comment. I can assure you that my friend didn't say anything that the company put in print.
Another tip about supplements is this guys. The bigger name doesn't always mean better product. Take a company like BSN for instance. I first got ahold of a BSN product in 2005. This was well before the UFC knew about them. I got a sample of their "Lean Dessert Protien" powder. It was quite good. Nothing I would have purchased again. Flash forward to now, and BSN is arguably the top supplment company on the market. Along with companies like EAS, Muscletech, and a few others. Remember guys those companies that are that well known have HUGE advertisment budgets. They also have endorsement contracts that they have to pay for. So yup, when you buy BSN's NOXplode, makes you wonder how much of your money goes to whatever MMA fighter or bodybuilder who was in the print ad for it. By no means am I discrediting the companies as they do make great product, but rest assured that you can get just as good a product for much less money. I have always tried to stick with companies that have little to no advertisment. Companies like NOW Foods, Health From the Sun, Primaforce/Scivation, ALRI, and Beverly International.
Next with supplements, fellas, if you're going to GNC or a big name store, there's a huge chance you're overpaying. GNC is good if you're in a pinch and need something quickly. Here's an example. In 2004 I was using EAS Myoplex for my meal replacement drinks. I ran out and didn't have time to order any, so I ran up to my local GNC. I usually always got the 42 count box. I go in and GNC has it ON SALE for $103!?!?!?!?! I asked the kid at the register if this was going to add 15lbs of new muscle and guarentee that my bench would go up 30lbs in the next 3 weeks. I didn't even bother and just went to my normal online order site and paid a whole $52 for the same identical product. Fellas, there are plenty of good sites out there. My personal favorite is DPSnutrition.com. Great service, great selection and usually if you go over $100 on an order they'll throw you a few shirt, shaker cup, tank top, hat, hoodie, etc. There's plenty of others out there like netrition, affordablesupplements, islandsupplements, bodybuilding.com, etc. All are much better and much cheaper choices than GNC will ever be.
Finally with supplements fellas, keep it simple. You don't need or have to have every single new supplement out there. If you open a bodybuilding mag, there's a new company or two every other month these days. I've known guys who have to have the preworkout drink, the vasodialators, then the postworkout drinks, this latest ethly, methly, ester,etc etc. I stick to basic stuff. A good multivitamin, flax oil, primrose oil (great for skin), BCAA's (branched chain amino acids), Glutamine powder, a good whey protien powder, and a good meal replacement powder. There were other supplements that I would use when I used AAS, but usually that was the only time I would use those such as Saw Palmetto (great for the prostate), Selenium, Vitamin B-12, Liv-52 (great liver detoxifier), etc. Remember guys before you go drop $200 on supplements, remember what the greatest supplement of all is.....FOOD!!!!
When it comes to training, keep it simple guys. Don't try to re-invent the wheel. There's tried and true methods that have been there for years. My motto is this. If it was good enough for Arnold Shwarzenegger, it's good enough for me. If you're starting out trying to gain mass, you want those basic heavy compound movements like bench press, squat, and deadlifts. Freeweights work best, but don't be afraid to mix in some machines and cables as well. Whatever you do, don't make machines the base of your sessions. It truly can hamper your potential. Learn to listen to your body. If you're feeling sick, stay home. If you're getting burned out, take a week away. But always keep your workouts simple guys. I always believe in the 1 bodypart per day. This way you can effectively train each bodypart. It also gives each bodypart plenty of time to rest and recover, and fellas, rest and recovery are key. Remember, you don't grow in the gym, you grow outside after you train. The goal is to recover your muscles bigger and larger than the last time you were in there.
Next, keep your sessions short. You don't need to be in there for 3 hours in a clip. You can get effective training sessions in in under 60 minutes. The more time you spend bullshitting with everyone, the more you lose your pump. Ah yes, the pump. What is the pump you ask??? Simple, the pump is the feeling you get when the body releases blood into the muscle tissue. The feeling is the blood flooding into the muscle.
Ok fellas, now you have some basics to go out there and get big, lean, or shreadded. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Remember, there's no such thing as a dumb question. Anyone who's been in the gym for years had to start somewhere as well. Take care and God bless fellas.
Now with all that said, I will give a few tips. Weather you're training for size, to get lean, or just to keep in shape, I can help in all areas.
First up, set a goal. This is why a lot of people fail in their fabled "New Year's Resolution's". They never set a goal and follow it seriously. Try to stay positive as well. Negativity will always sabotage any gains or improvements you see. When you set your goal, make it a realistic goal. Don't set out and say Im going to step on stage at the Mr. Olympia in 8 months when you've never competed before. If you want to add size, set your goal out and draw it up on paper.
Next, get your diet together. This is 90% of your results. No matter if you're trying to lean out, shred up, or put on mass, if you're not eating properly, your results will not show. When trying to lose fat/weight, I always tell people DON'T look at the scale. If you want, the best time to do it is upon awakening and after going to the bathroom. This way you've been fasting for a few hours, plus any excess water or waste has left your body. Remember, when you step on the scale, everything that is in and on your body has a weight to it. Your liver, kidneys, bones, etc all have a weight to them. If you're wanting an accurate number, I always suggest getting a bodyfat caliper test. Your doctor can do them, or you can get calipers at home and do them yourself fairly easily. Go by the mirror and how your clothes fit. This is where you're going to notice it first. Usually the first 5-10lbs that come off of you are excess water pounds. Next, if you're trying to lose bodyfat, you have got to create a calorie deficit, meaning, you must burn more calories than you are consuming.
If you're wanting to put mass on, you must EAT!!! You will not grow if you don't eat, bottom line. I always ask this question to people who are trying to gain size and ask them how much they're eating. I usually get the "I think Im eating enough". If you think you are, you're probably not. You want to get your calories from lean meats like chicken, lean beef, tuna, cod, eggs and egg whites, low-nonfat milk and cottage cheese, turkey. These are some of your best choices for protien. Don't forget the carbs as well. You need to learn to time these. This is where many get confused. You basically have 2 types of carbohydrates. You have simple (fast burning) and complex (slow burning). Simple carbs come in the form of table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc. Complex carbs come in the form of starchy type foods like yams, brown rice, whole oats, etc. Learning to time these is one of the most crucial things to your results. Also how much you should be consuming. Next, don't forget the healthy fats. Your omega 3,6, and 9. Flax oil, natural peanut butter, almonds, cashews, avocado, and salmon. Salmon is one of the absolute best foods you can eat for both protien and healthy fat.
Also, a food scale is key to gaining solid and sustainable results. If you can weight and measure your portions, you can always know exactly how much of each nutrient you are getting at each meal as long as you have read your nutrition facts or have a nutrition book handy.
Another key to your goals is water consumption. You need to keep the body hydrated, especially during your training or cardio sessions. I have always recommended getting at least 1 gallon per day. Water helps you feel full between meals, flushes out the body, and keep the liver and kidneys working. Water also helps keep your skin healthy. At times it can get mundane and tedious so add in some Crystal Light. Hardly any calories and tastes fairly good. Also, if you're trying to drop excess fat, stick to diet soda if you have to drink it. Sometimes this can help curb a sweettooth. Other things that are great to drink is low-nonfat milk, orange juice (depending on timing), cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, green tea, and even black coffee which can help give you a boost of energy for your workout. One thing I would stay clear of are energy drinks. I have never liked these things. Loaded with tons of sugar and caffiene. If you must, try to stick with the diet energy drinks. The small "5 Hour Energy" shots are fairly decent and low in calories if that's an option for you.
Next up is supplementation. Oh boy this is one of my favorites. First and foremost remember this before you EVER go into a GNC, Vitamin World, or Vitamin Shoppe, etc. A supplement company that makes a supplement, wants to SELL a supplement. Look, if you open up a magazine, beit a bodybuilding, Maxim, Men's Health, etc. you're going to see adverstisements, promising "steroid like gains" or you'll see a famous bodybuilder or MMA fighter's picture with a comment that they SUPPOSEDLY said about the product. Don't buy into the hype guys. One of my former training partners got an endorsement for a particular company. His pic was put in their catalogue and online next to one of their creatine products and a comment. I can assure you that my friend didn't say anything that the company put in print.
Another tip about supplements is this guys. The bigger name doesn't always mean better product. Take a company like BSN for instance. I first got ahold of a BSN product in 2005. This was well before the UFC knew about them. I got a sample of their "Lean Dessert Protien" powder. It was quite good. Nothing I would have purchased again. Flash forward to now, and BSN is arguably the top supplment company on the market. Along with companies like EAS, Muscletech, and a few others. Remember guys those companies that are that well known have HUGE advertisment budgets. They also have endorsement contracts that they have to pay for. So yup, when you buy BSN's NOXplode, makes you wonder how much of your money goes to whatever MMA fighter or bodybuilder who was in the print ad for it. By no means am I discrediting the companies as they do make great product, but rest assured that you can get just as good a product for much less money. I have always tried to stick with companies that have little to no advertisment. Companies like NOW Foods, Health From the Sun, Primaforce/Scivation, ALRI, and Beverly International.
Next with supplements, fellas, if you're going to GNC or a big name store, there's a huge chance you're overpaying. GNC is good if you're in a pinch and need something quickly. Here's an example. In 2004 I was using EAS Myoplex for my meal replacement drinks. I ran out and didn't have time to order any, so I ran up to my local GNC. I usually always got the 42 count box. I go in and GNC has it ON SALE for $103!?!?!?!?! I asked the kid at the register if this was going to add 15lbs of new muscle and guarentee that my bench would go up 30lbs in the next 3 weeks. I didn't even bother and just went to my normal online order site and paid a whole $52 for the same identical product. Fellas, there are plenty of good sites out there. My personal favorite is DPSnutrition.com. Great service, great selection and usually if you go over $100 on an order they'll throw you a few shirt, shaker cup, tank top, hat, hoodie, etc. There's plenty of others out there like netrition, affordablesupplements, islandsupplements, bodybuilding.com, etc. All are much better and much cheaper choices than GNC will ever be.
Finally with supplements fellas, keep it simple. You don't need or have to have every single new supplement out there. If you open a bodybuilding mag, there's a new company or two every other month these days. I've known guys who have to have the preworkout drink, the vasodialators, then the postworkout drinks, this latest ethly, methly, ester,etc etc. I stick to basic stuff. A good multivitamin, flax oil, primrose oil (great for skin), BCAA's (branched chain amino acids), Glutamine powder, a good whey protien powder, and a good meal replacement powder. There were other supplements that I would use when I used AAS, but usually that was the only time I would use those such as Saw Palmetto (great for the prostate), Selenium, Vitamin B-12, Liv-52 (great liver detoxifier), etc. Remember guys before you go drop $200 on supplements, remember what the greatest supplement of all is.....FOOD!!!!
When it comes to training, keep it simple guys. Don't try to re-invent the wheel. There's tried and true methods that have been there for years. My motto is this. If it was good enough for Arnold Shwarzenegger, it's good enough for me. If you're starting out trying to gain mass, you want those basic heavy compound movements like bench press, squat, and deadlifts. Freeweights work best, but don't be afraid to mix in some machines and cables as well. Whatever you do, don't make machines the base of your sessions. It truly can hamper your potential. Learn to listen to your body. If you're feeling sick, stay home. If you're getting burned out, take a week away. But always keep your workouts simple guys. I always believe in the 1 bodypart per day. This way you can effectively train each bodypart. It also gives each bodypart plenty of time to rest and recover, and fellas, rest and recovery are key. Remember, you don't grow in the gym, you grow outside after you train. The goal is to recover your muscles bigger and larger than the last time you were in there.
Next, keep your sessions short. You don't need to be in there for 3 hours in a clip. You can get effective training sessions in in under 60 minutes. The more time you spend bullshitting with everyone, the more you lose your pump. Ah yes, the pump. What is the pump you ask??? Simple, the pump is the feeling you get when the body releases blood into the muscle tissue. The feeling is the blood flooding into the muscle.
Ok fellas, now you have some basics to go out there and get big, lean, or shreadded. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Remember, there's no such thing as a dumb question. Anyone who's been in the gym for years had to start somewhere as well. Take care and God bless fellas.
