50 Renegade Nutrition Rules

1)  Like Jack LaLanne said, “If man made it don’t eat it.” In other words, if it comes in a box or a bag your best bet is to skip it. Eddie Vedder also recommended that during YellowLedbetter, “Don’t eat it if comes in a box ooorrr aaaa bag… oh, no, no.” Go take a listen.

2)  Buy locally at farmers markets as much as possible. Stick it to the man.

3)  Focus on pesticide free produce and hormone/antibiotic free animal protein.

4)  Make sure your fish is wild caught and not farm raised.

5)  Avoid drinking or eating out of plastic. Unless it’s one of those Giants helmets that you put beers into with the straw permanently connected to your mouth. Anything NY Giants related is acceptable as far as I’m concerned.

6)  Up your fiber intake. A healthy pooping schedule will keep you around a little longer.

7)  Shop for food at least twice per week. Keep it fresh like a pair of Jordan 1’s.

8)  Chew your food until it’s pureed before swallowing. Then open your mouth and show it to everyone at the table like you did when you were six. Chicks dig that.

9)  Eat organic.

10)  Eat raw foods as much as possible. But not turkey and lamb chops. You know what I mean.

11)  Eat more green vegetables. Then a few more.

12) Cut down on grains and strongly consider eliminating most of them completely.

13) The best carbs for gaining size are potatoes (sweet, white, red, Yukon gold, purple). Next on the Renegade list is rice. I typically don’t recommend any other starchy carbs or grains, though some buckwheat and quinoa is acceptable if you’re trying to build muscle and need variety.

14) Drink half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day.

15) Use digestive enzymes and probiotics.

16) Eat probiotic containing foods such as kimchi and live sauerkraut on a daily basis.

Not to be confused with Kamala's handler

17) Limit fruit consumption if your primary goal is fat loss.

18) Take 5-6 grams of Vitamin C per day during the winter and times of stress. This keeps you healthy and is great for high cortisol/ adrenal fatigue.

19) Cut out sugar. There is nothing good about it.

20) If possible, don’t eat while you’re working. Learn to enjoy your food and focus on one thing at a time.

21) Drink fresh pressed cranberry juice. The real stuff; not Ocean Spray.

22) Don’t overcook your food and destroy vital nutrients.

23) Avoid gluten.

24) Oatmeal’s not hugely offensive on the gluten scale but I’d still replace it with some kind of hot rice cereal.

25) As Paleo expert Robb Wolf says, eat nuts like you do condiments- in limited quantities. And when you eat them make sure you say “Deez nutz,” like the guy on The Chronic did.

26) If you have any digestive or autoimmune issues get rid of nuts until you’re healthy.

27) Beer has hops, which can elevate estrogen and also contains gluten, which causes inflammation and some more serious issues for certain people. I recommend vodka and soda with a lime.

28) Always maintain an adequate intake of Omega 3 fatty acids.

29) Don’t fear saturated fat. High quality sources like coconut oil and grass fed beef are essential for good health.

30) If you’re gonna make weed brownies don’t make them taste too good. You know why.

31) If you have symptoms of adrenal fatigue cut out all stimulants. And take a nap.

32) If you don’t, a cup or two of black coffee per day isn’t a horrible thing and can actually enhance fat burning if timed properly.

33) That means on an empty stomach before a morning walk or training session.

34) If you train early in the day before eating and your main goal is muscle gain take 10 grams of BCAA 15-30 minutes before.

35) Drink freshly squeezed vegetable juices daily. This is a great source of vital nutrition and live enzymes.

36) Use apple cider vinegar with meals to improve digestion. It’s also fun to replace your buddy’s bottle of apple juice with this sometimes when he’s not looking.

37) To improve recovery from workouts eliminate inflammation-causing foods.

38) For muscle gain set calories at 16xBW per day as a starting point.

39) For fat loss set calories at 12xBW per day as a starting point.

40)  Rotate your food choices. Don’t eat the exact same thing day after day.

41) Try new foods as often as possible. Instead of chicken try quail. Instead of an apple eat some exotic type of pear you’ve never had before. Or a cumquat. I just mentioned that because I love that word and could say it all day. In fact, I think I will. Cumquat. Say it with me…

42) Red palm, coconut and macadamia nut oil are the only oils I recommend cooking with.

43) Spend less time per day in the fed state. This will improve your overall health and you will feel a hell of a lot better.

44) If you don’t get 20 minutes of sunshine per day on as much exposed, sunscreen-free skin as possible be sure you supplement with Vitamin D. Or move.

45) Learn to deal with hunger. It will not cause your immediate death. Learn to control all of your desires and you will gain more control over you life.  Malcolm X was very big on this.

46) If you travel a lot and need some bars for convenience check out YouBar. This is an awesome resource to get fresh made bars with clean, organic ingredients. Use the coupon code Renegade for a 5% discount at checkout. Warning- since these are made fresh they only last a few weeks, so don’t order too many boxes at once.

47) Cook your own food at home more; go out to eat less.

48) Avoid all artificial sweeteners and dyes. Unless you are dying stripes into your goatee like Superstar Billy Graham.

Say yes to beard dyes, no to food dyes.

49) Change the way you cook your eggs regularly. Some days hard boiled, some days over easy, some days scrambled, etc. This helps avoid any possible food allergies.

50) I know I said not to work while eating but once in a while you could try a George Costanza and combine life’s two greatest desires. Think organic raw whipped cream or coconut cream and melted organic dark chocolate. Keep it healthy. Let me know how it works out.  Or, ladies only… send pics.

If you got some sort of enjoyment out of this post can you do a brotha a HUGE favor and hit the Facebook Like button? I thank you in advance and will fax you a picture of my big toe to show my appreciation.

View the original article here

Calories To Build Muscle Calculator

This is probably one of the most useful posts ever here at MuscleHack.

While most sites will tell you how to work out how many calories you need to build muscle, or how much protein you’ll need, the Hack goes one step further and gives you a free calculator that will do all the complicated math for you!

You can work it out here with the web version and/or download the free program and install it on your computer (PCs only).

All you need to know is your current weight and body fat percentage. If you don’t know your body fat percentage, it’ll work that out for you too!

The calculator works on the MuscleHack philosophy that only 200-300 calories above maintenance are all that are requirement to build maximum muscle. There’s a good reason why everyone on “bulking” diets get fat: they’re eating too damn much!

If you want more on why exactly 500 surplus calories is too much, read this post, “Want 12lbs of Muscle this Year?”

MuscleHack is unapologetically about adding muscle, dropping fat and looking good. I don’t see the point of getting bigger and stronger only to walk around looking like someone who eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner at McDonalds.

Anyway, on to the calculator…

Note: The calculator defaults to “moderate work” for the activity factor. I recommend the vast majority of you keep it at this level.

It looks like this…

Download Calorie & Protein Calculator – Click Here (it also has a body fat calculator tab if you don’t know your percentage)

Here’s the web version for mac users (make sure you hit the calculate button at the bottom after you enter your stats. If you don’t know your body fat percentage, use the calculator in the sidebar of this site)

Again, MuscleHack is all about lean gains. However, this calculator is not intended for use by those wishing to drop body fat. Neither is the MANS diet, the GLAD diet, or even THT training. If you are really serious about leaning out once and for all, do yourself a big favor and grab Total Six Pack Abs.

Train With Intensity!

Mark

P.S. This protein and calorie calculator was originally supposed to come with the free ‘MuscleHack Chow’ book. However, since I lost all the work I had done on that almost-completed book, I decided to just release the calculator by itself. Unfortunately, I won’t be re-writing or releasing MuscleHack Chow.

Related posts:

How Many Calories Per Day Do I Need To Build Muscle?Are Excess Calories Really Required To Build Muscle?How Much Protein is Needed to Build Muscle?How to Build Muscle with Post Workout NutritionTop 30 Foods That Build Muscle

View the original article here

Skinny to Muscle - Tips to Gain Muscle Fast!

Going from skinny to muscle is not as hard as many people say but it is harder than perhaps you might think due to the genetics in your body that keep you getting fat but also inhibit muscle growth. If you are looking to gain muscle fast not just incrementally then it becomes another step harder that the only solution is to work harder but more importantly to work "smarter".

This does not mean you can find shortcuts around hard work but it does mean that you, the skinny guy who wants a ripped physique needs to plan your workouts and understand exactly how your body works so you can be more efficient and spark muscle growth in extreme amounts! These tips proven to work for skinny guys to build muscle can get you started.

1. Do Not Do More Than 10 Reps

If you are doing more than 10 reps per exercise then you are not activating the right muscle fibers but instead activate the "slow-twitch" muscle fibers that have the least muscle growth opportunity. With this in mind you should always choose weights that would mean that an 11th rep would not be possible as to recruit the muscles you really want to grow.

Fast muscle growth equals heavy lifting and a heavy lifting mentality must be present in your workouts because doing more of a light weight does not increase your strength and muscles ... you have to CHALLENGE yourself and your muscles.

2. Lower Workout Time, Increase Intensity

A simple equation: Work / Time = work capacity

This means that to increase your work capacity (a mixture of fitness and strength) you either have to increase your work which is what most people think they need to do, but you can also Decrease the time you do the work in for the same result!

This is another challenge to your body and one that actually saves you time because spending hours upon hours in the gym is pointless if you could do the same amount of work in 30-45 minutes. This will really push you to the limit but it is well worth it, move on to the next exercise quicker, take shorter rests .. compress everything and the weight will stack on faster.

3. Only Do One Exercise per Muscle Group

Punishing your muscles do not make them grow and will not get you from skinny to muscled. You need to stress them and challenge them but once that task is done and you have sparked the muscle growth further exercise on that group is wasted.

So do the right number of reps and sets for a muscle group, but once you have reached your 100% maximum effort on that muscle group you have activated all the required muscle fibers so you should move on.

4. 3-5 Sets per Muscle Group Only

If you are doing more sets that this on a muscle group then you need to look at your intensity level!

As a general rule the first 1 to 2 sets should be about 85% max effort, the next set at 95% and the last set(s) at 100%. The last sets are the ones that really spark the muscle growth as you attempt to go beyond your body's abilities which forces it to adapt and start trying to get bigger to cope. You should also be trying to force an extra 1-2 reps or a little bit more weight on those last all out sets for maximum muscle growth.

5. Track Your Strength Increase to 5% More Per Fortnight

It can be easy to fall into a routine with weight training but if you really want to go from skinny to muscle then you need to pay attention to each and every workout and track your progress or you risk just going through the motions and not really challenging yourself.

For each exercise you should be increasing the weight by about 5% every two weeks. Writing these things down really helps you focus on progress and when you achieve them gives you the motivation to go back in every time with vigor and determination!

These tips are not just a bit of good skinny to muscle advice, they come from one of the most respected bodybuilders around who like you was not blessed with great muscle building genetics but was for most of his life a skinny little runt!

Click below to find out what he has to say and what he can do for YOU.
http://skinny-muscles.1001-solutions.info

Should Athletes Use “The Big 3?”

Question: Hey coach, I was just wondering if you consider the squat, bench press and deadlift essential exercises for all athletes? Do you have to do the big three in order to become a better athlete?

Answer: Absolutely not. As an athlete you usually need to get stronger and more explosive. You need to improve mobility, dynamic flexibility and agility. Speed position players and weight class athletes need to minimize bodyfat. Many athletes need to improve conditioning, and often times they need to build muscle. You can accomplish all of those tasks without any of the lifts you mentioned.

Athletes are not powerlifters so why would we assume that the three powerlifts are the best exercises for them? Many times strength coaches get caught up in chasing numbers. I made this mistake myself for several years. The thought process is that you take a football player who squats 225, pulls 315 and benches 185 and bring him up to a 315 squat, 405 deadlift and 225 bench, then… PRESTO- he’s the next Bo Jackson.

It’s not that simple. Unfortunately he may be the exact same player he was with the weaker numbers. As unfathomable as it may sound he could actually be worse. If in the pursuit of those numbers he beat up his joints or ignored other important facets of his training, let imbalances occur, or perhaps wasn’t ready to be squatting because one hip flexor was much tighter and weaker than the other (or a million other possibilities) then he may have compromised his movement efficiency and no longer be as good as he was.

The concept that athletes should do some type of compound squatting, pushing and pulling movement is a solid one. These are definite requirements; the exercise choice, however, really depends on the athlete.

The back squat is a great exercise and I personally love it, yet a lot of people cannot perform it correctly. Even if the athlete in question has a perfect back squat I think a smarter choice for some would be a safety bar squat or a front squat with a harness. Purists will be upset with this recommendation (which I totally get) but I have seen a lot of people put undue stress on their shoulders and elbows while back squatting (which is why I recommend a high bar position but this can still be problematic for certain individuals). You can add in wrist stress if you use the free bar front squat.

If you are training an athlete to become better why would you want to even consider the risk of possible nagging upper body injuries being accumulated from a LOWER BODY EXERCISE?! It’s asinine.

I’m not saying don’t squat. Definitely squat but maybe use the safety bar instead if elbow or shoulder issues are a possibility. Or at least use a high bar position that doesn’t stress the shoulders.

And maybe the squat doesn’t have to be trained extremely heavy with certain athletes who are incapable of doing so. The act of squatting is what is important. So sometimes you may have an athlete who can only kettlebell front squat or goblet squat. That’s fine. Then you will have to find another way for them to get maximal strength work in.

Remember, the goal is for him to play better on the field, not to have a higher powerlifting total.

If bilateral squatting is out of the question for whatever reason (injury, imbalance, restriction) go with some type of single leg squatting exercise and heavy sled work. This will get the job done and sometimes more effectively for certain athletes.

As far as pulling goes the deadlift isn’t a horrible choice but an Olympic lift variation is a better one. I don’t use straight bar deadlifts from the floor with athletes. I’d recommend pulling from rubber blocks or mats set somewhere around mid shin height. The other option is the high handle trap bar deadlift. In both cases submaximal weights should be used and the bar should be dropped to eliminate the eccentric component. This is THE exercise where picture perfect technique is crucial.

I know that Hugh Cassidy, John Inzer, Mark Chaillet and numerous other powerlifters round-backed up a new PR or world record. This does not concern me when training guys who want to be better at getting from the 20 yard line into the endzone.

The bench press is truthfully not the greatest exercise for athletes. It’s widely considered a “shoulder-fucker.” So if you have an athlete who has a goal of one day playing in the Pro Bowl do you think it’s a great idea to prescribe them an exercise that has led to more rotator cuff surgeries than any other? Probably not. Healthy shoulders usually come in handy on the gridiron. Or basketball court.

If they get tested on it then you have to train them on it. But I would minimize the damage by spending most of the off season working with fat bars with neutral or angled grip handles like the ones we have at Renegade. Even mix in some two board presses. Then switch them over to straight bars and full range as camp gets closer.

==> The bars we use at Renegade (use the coupon code JasonF for a discount at checkout)

If you don’t have to worry about testing then go with an overhead press, some type of heavy, one-arm horizontal dumbbell press, a standing landmine press and ring dips and pushup variations for heavy pressing work.

So, yes, all athletes need to do some variation of “the big three.” They need to push, pull and squat. That could be a pistol squat, a power snatch and a handstand pushup or it could be a back squat, high pull and fat bar 2-board press. Nothing is written in stone, nor should it be.

View the original article here

How To Rest For Max Gains In Muscle Size & Strength!

“If you don’t rest enough, you don’t grow enough”

Those are the words of the late Mike Mentzer.

And while I don’t agree with Mentzer’s sometimes protracted rest periods (1 week or longer between workouts), the FACT is that the growth you desire occurs in the rest periods between workouts. If you interrupt this process, you delay or impede the growth, not accelerate it.

So much for the “more is better” doctrine.

The Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports reported on a study [1] by Finnish scientists looking into this idea.

8 trained men did 4 sets to failure of leg extensions. The researchers then measured their levels of adrenalin, noradrenalin, testosterone, cortisol, and growth hormone.

2 days later when the subjects had NOT recovered and were still experiencing soreness (DOMS), they repeated the procedure.

RESULT: Firstly, the subjects were LESS strong during this second workout. Furthermore, hormonal levels dropped across the board (except testosterone); growth hormone decreasing the most (-45%).

Since this issue is ignored all too often by the bodybuilding orthodoxy, I coined a term for this a while ago: PEAK OVECOMPENSATION POINT (POP).

Stated simply, POP is the length of time it takes for your body to fully recover and grow from a workout, but not so long that you begin to atrophy again. The sweet spot, if you will.

The following is from my free THT4.0 book…

“Sufficient rest or recovery between stresses, or training sessions, must be allowed for adaptation to occur. Adaptation will only occur during the inter-training recovery periods.”

And…

Any adaptation can return to a genetically determined, pre-training state if the stress is not maintained or developed properly.

So it should be obvious here that training again before you are fully recovered is a bad idea in terms of strength and size gains.

So, what is a budding trainee to do to hit his sweet spot and ensure continuous and CERTAIN gains?

Well you’ve got 2 options. Both work, and both should employed in CYCLES.

You can do 1 or 2 sets to failure, and hit each body part 3 days a week e.g. Monday, Wednesday, Friday-  full body workouts.

Or you can do multiple sets per body part (6 or more) in a 5-day split, hitting each body part once a week.

Both of these approaches work very well. And all of you in the know, know that this is exactly what we do in Targeted Hypertrophy Training (THT).

For those of you not in the know, simply add your name and email into the form at the top-right of this page to get your FREE copy of THT training, and start training intelligently right away!

Size and strength gains are not a dream with THT, they are a CERTAINTY! Expect to succeed!

Train With Passion!

Mark

[1] Resistance exercise-induced hormonal response under the influence of delayed onset muscle soreness in men and boys. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21039902

Related posts:

Activate Genes For Increased Muscle Size In The Next 3 Days!Muscle Mind Hack #2 – Use Music For More Muscle & Strength!Magnesium Supplements No.1 For Strength & Muscle Growth!How To Flip The ‘Growth Switch’ For NEW Muscle GainsMassive Muscle Gains: Want 12lbs Of Muscle This Year?

View the original article here

How to Modulate Intensity

by Mike Tuchscherer – 2/02/2012

Intensity is a hot topic in the iron world. The mainstream muscle magazines seem to interpret training intensity as simply "working really hard," and will describe Mr. Sponsored Bodybuilder Du Jour's rigorous training as something like "mind-blowingly intense," further illustrated by pages of grainy photos of a 300-pound behemoth scowling through every biceps exercise the Weider brothers ever came up with.

However, after graduating beyond typical musclehead bathroom reading, one learns that "intensity" in strength training doesn't refer to the amount of emotional arousal or discomfort experienced during training, but rather the weight on the bar.

Absolute intensity refers to the absolute load on the bar, often measured in pounds or kilograms. But when people start talking about percentages in strength training, what they're referring to is relative intensity. This is a description of intensity relative to your 1-rep max.

Percentages are an integral part of intelligent strength training. They allow coaches from all corners to get on the same page, so discussions about training and loading parameters can take place without the need to ask a lot of background questions.

Yet to the new trainee, this may seem unnecessarily exclusive or pretentious, like the strength training equivalent of chubby, bespectacled men in Bazinga t-shirts greeting one another in Klingon, but understanding percentages is decidedly more useful.

For most strength sports, intensity is the parameter that determines much of the training effect. If your goal is to develop absolute strength, then that will require certain levels of intensity, just as if your goal is to develop hypertrophy, it wouldn't make sense to train with very light weights or the newest late-night infomercial gadget.

The weight on the bar – or more accurately, the effort required to move it – will determine the vast majority of your training effect. Volume will determine the magnitude of that effect.

So if you're training with a purpose in mind – any purpose – and aren't paying attention to intensity, then there's a strong chance that you won't achieve the effect you desire. Better still, the more you understand the training effect that each type of intensity can produce, the more surgical you can be in your training. And precise training is effective training.

As noted, training intensity is often described as the percentage of 1-rep max for a particular lift. But there are issues with this method, namely that the body doesn't know or particularly care about how much weight is on the bar. The adaptations that occur from training are a result of tension and duration.

The body responds to things like the force of the muscle's contraction, how long the contraction lasts, and how many contractions there were. A percentage isn't necessarily a precise way to describe this as different lifters will perform differently.

If two lifters perform 3 reps with 85%, one lifter may find the task to be moderate effort while the other may find it to be next to impossible. The ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch fibers, training history, and other physiological issues all play a role here.

Next, there is the matter of having accurate maxes to work with. Such accurate data isn't always available, especially for assistance lifts.

For these reasons, I prefer to describe intensities in terms of reps-per-set and the RPE (rate of perceived exertion). This allows for greater individualization of training.

The RPE scale is described in the following chart:

@10: Maximal Effort. No reps left in the tank.
@9: Heavy Effort. Could have done one more rep.
@8: Could have done two or three more reps.
@7: Bar speed is "snappy" if maximal force is applied.
@6: Bar speed is "snappy" with moderate effort.

With this chart, not only can we describe the intensity of a lift with more accuracy, but RPE charts are also auto-regulatory in nature, meaning that they help us to modulate our training on a given day.

Here's an example. For most, doing 85% for 3 reps will result in a @9 RPE. That means when you put the bar down, you think, "Yeah, I could have done one more."

But if you forgot to pack your lunch or stayed up late watching Missing in Action (again) the night before, while you might feel half-bagged, that 85% load doesn't change – it will require the same work as it would if you were having a good day.

At a minimum, you won't get the same training effects in terms of tension and duration. Worse, you could end up injured.

A better approach is to work with RPE's so that on a bad day, the weight on the bar is reduced, since it will take less weight to reach x 3 @9. But on a good day it will take more weight to reach x3 @9. That's how RPE's are auto-regulatory in nature.

Describing intensity in terms of reps and RPE brings us closer to approximating the tension and duration that your muscles respond to, allowing for a more precise training effect.

Now that you understand the importance of properly describing intensity, here are a few potential training effects and how to achieve them.

Training for improved neural efficiency is often mistaken for training to improve maximal strength. However, a wide range of intensities can be used to improve maximal strength, not just low reps.

The goal of neural efficiency training is improving the central nervous system's ability to activate motor units through inter-muscular coordination, intra-muscular coordination, and rate-coding. To achieve these effects to help prepare for a 1RM, you need to train at high intensities.

This means you should focus your attention on the 1-3 rep range and use RPE's from 9 to 10. Something like x1 @8 could also fit into the neural efficiency category, but not as well as some others. The same applies for x4 @10, but this is bordering on other objectives.

Learning to grind is a big topic. There are very good reasons for learning how to grind out a heavy weight, although they're beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say, if you're unable to grind out a PR, you would've hit that PR if you could grind it out. So getting better at what you suck at is usually a priority.

To get better at grinding out a weight, basically you need to practice. That means increase the reps and RPE's slightly. Reps should sit around 3 to 6, usually concentrating on sets of around 5. RPE's will be in the @9 to @10 range, most often being @10.

If you're very good at grinding out a maximum weight, then it may be time to introduce some explosiveness into your training. This will help your overall force production and can help spark new gains in maximal strength.

Developing explosiveness is basically the opposite of learning to grind. For this, you'll want to reduce the reps and RPE's. Doing 1 to 3 reps is again most effective, but keep the RPE's in the @7 and @8 range. This will allow you to do more sets to achieve the required volume levels, resulting in more "first reps." Since your first rep is your most explosive rep, this will teach your body to be more explosive.

"Hypertrophy" itself can be developed using almost any rep range, but I've found it more effective to break hypertrophy into specific parts. Addressing it this way narrows down the choices and allows more precision in our selection.

Myofibrils are the contractile elements of the muscle fiber, meaning they do the actual contracting. By growing the myofibrils larger, you'll have more contractile proteins available. More contractile proteins (used by a well-tuned nervous system) results in greater strength. Or if you're not into strength, it will result in the denser look coveted by bodybuilders.

Myofibril hypertrophy is best achieved by lower reps (by bodybuilding standards), but not "powerlifting low reps." We're talking 4 to 8 reps, with most of your time concentrated in the 5 to 6 range. This provides sufficient time under tension to stress the myofibrils into adaptation.

As for your RPE's, keep those in the @8 to @10 range. Using @8 is acceptable for the lower end of your rep range while using @10 is better if you'll be on the higher end of the rep range. If you're in doubt just use @9.

So how can you incorporate these ideas into your training?

Start by logging your RPE in your training log. This is a great habit to get into and is a much more descriptive means of describing how hard a particular set was as opposed to saying "easy" or "so-so" or "I just shit my pants."

As you learn what RPE's your program is trying to produce, start relying on them more.

For example, if your program requires you to do 3 reps with 85% and you know that this usually produces an @9 set, then just work up to 3 reps @9 and let the weight fall where it will, either above 85% if you're having a good day, or below 85% if you're having a bad day.

Eventually you'll be able to structure your program around reps and RPE's, but this takes time so let it happen organically.

Watch your RPE's long enough and you'll see the patterns show up. Then, you can start managing them and be more specific with the training effects you're pursuing. This will lead to better gains in the future.

So, to review:

Start recording your RPE's today based on the chart aboveAs you get used to them, focus on RPE in your training rather than percentageOnce you notice patterns, incorporate RPE's when planning workouts

Hopefully this article gave you some insights on how to use rep and RPE pairings to efficiently program your training based on a few common training objectives.

Remember, intensity is a sliding scale. We like to compartmentalize things since it helps us understand it easier, but the training effects described above aren't isolated. Training for one objective will have a certain amount of bleed over to other objectives.

Use this information to help you program your own training with greater precision, but don't forget to consider volumes as well. There are plenty of resources available to help you plan appropriate training volumes such as Preliphin's chart or a host of other tools. You can also use the RTS methods for volume management found on the Reactive Training Systems website.

Either way, greater precision in your training will result in you getting the training effect you're after. It will allow you to plan with more accuracy, and will help you get better, faster results by listening to your body – because even the best of us occasionally has on off-day!

View the original article here

5 Amazing Muscle Building Tips - Learn How to Gain Weight the Right Way Today!

I could say there are millions of skinny men looking for anyway to build muscle and gain mass. Research suggests that most skinny men are looking to gain around 100 pounds of muscle but find it impossible. If you one of these men you are in the right place at the right time. I will show you these 5 amazing muscle building tips that will help you gain muscle faster in short periods of time. You could possible gain the muscle you want in no time.

The first amazing muscle building tip: is to never go over the 45min mark. Overworking out can decrease your testosterone levels and your cortisol hormone level hormonal level is dropped. Testosterone is very important part of stimulating new muscle growth in your body. You can t grow muscle without it Therefore you over training can damage your bodybuilding quest.

The second amazing muscle building tip: work the large muscle groups first doing a full over all body workout is necessary to grow muscle effectively. The trick with working out the larger muscle groups is that they spoke your body with hormone like chemicals that are essential to muscle growth including the manly hormone testosterone. This will simple tip will help you gain muscle much faster.

The third amazing muscle building tip: Eat high quality proteins meal with high fibre meals. The correct diet is a very important to gain lean muscle mass. If you don t eat big you won t get big. I recommend 6 small high nutritional meals. When you provide your muscle with the correct muscle building foods they will reward you will amazing muscle growth.

The fourth amazing muscle building tip: limiting your reps. most newbie's to bodybuilding believe that doing large numbers of reps they going to grow faster this is untrue. You should do a rep range of 5 to 10 and never exceed that limit.

The fifth amazing muscle building tip: when you do a rep range of 5 to 10 if is very important to put the correct load on your muscles. The correct weight you should be looking for is a weight that will challenge you past your best in a 10 rep range. When you putting the correct load on your muscles the will grow faster and adapt to your training so it is important to load more weight as you get stronger.

Did you know that almost all people in the gym are training the wrong way. They will never learn from their mistakes and eventually give up with the poor results they achieve.

If you want to gain weight correctly I suggest you have a look at this information about this muscle building guide that changed my life even got me my wife. I personally thank the writer everyday in my preys. I gain 38 pounds of rock hard muscle in 90 days. To find out more information of this amazing muscle building guide please visit this site www.betterbodys4u.com thank you for reading hope this information is beneficial to your bodybuilding quest.

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12 Reasons You’re Not Losing Fat

This should be pretty obvious to most people by now, but there are still the old die-hards out there who swear that everyone should be consuming two grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight every day while maintaining a low fat intake. Load up on whole grains and fruit while cutting down on healthy, essential sources of fat like grass fed beef they’ll tell you.

Anyone experienced in physique transformation knows this is nonsense. Most people have a terrible tolerance for carbs, shitty insulin sensitivity and simply don’t do enough physically demanding work to warrant too many carbs. If you want to get lean cutting carbs is usually one of the first and most important steps you need to take. That doesn’t mean you can’t have any but you need to make smart choices and they need to be taken in at the right times and cycled properly.

If you’re above 20% body-fat pretty much any time is the wrong time. In that case I would only recommend vegetables and possibly some post workout potatoes or a once per week refeed. When you get down to 15% you can increase the amount of carbs in the post workout meal or the weekly refeed. Everyone else should limit carb consumption to post workout and night time, as per The Renegade Diet rules. During the day you want to be alert and focused, which is one reason why you don’t want to load up on starchy carbs during this time. Save for them for the night time when you want to optimize serotonin production and rest, relax and repair.

Some people cut carbs and assume that they’re good to go and there’s nothing else to worry about. Unfortunately, the low/no carb diet isn’t as much fun as Dr. Atkins made it out to be. You can’t just eat pounds of bacon and mayonnaise with reckless abandon and think that you’ll magically end up ripped. Fat contains calories; nine per gram to be exact. At the end of the day total calories still matter, and if you’re eating more than you burn you’re never going to get ripped. Please don’t mistake this as my advocating a low fat diet. That’s just as bad, if not worse, than eating too much fat. A bare minimum of 20% of your calories should come from healthy fats like pastured egg yolks, wild caught salmon, grass fed beef and coconut oil to ensure optimal health. Just be careful about going overboard with it and thinking that low carbs automatically leads to single digit body-fat. You still need to keep a handle on things like total calories.

In my experience it’s usually only females who are guilty of this but guys can make this mistake on occasion as well. The average female who can’t lose body-fat usually eats a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast with an egg. One… single… egg.

Then she’ll have a sandwich for lunch with four ounces of lean turkey. For dinner it will be a salad with low fat dressing and four ounces of chicken or fish. Although, in all honesty they may skip the protein all together and just have a salad for either lunch or dinner. Let’s assume she weighs 135 pounds. Most experts would agree that she would need to consume at least 100 grams of protein per day, if not a gram per pound, which would equal 135 grams. Each ounce of protein is around 4.5 grams of protein. So in this example she had 36 grams combined with lunch and dinner plus the six grams from the egg. So that’s a total of 42 grams, which falls just a wee bit shy of where she needs to be.

Females often freak out when you tell them to eat more than six ounces of protein at a sitting but when you break down the numbers for them and reveal just how many calories they’re eating it should make more sense. If they had eight ounces of protein three times per day it would 108 grams of protein. That’s only 432 total calories. Add in the fat and it’s still not that much.

People who eat a sufficient amount of protein usually end up having an easier time getting ripped than those who don’t. Make sure you’re getting enough.

There are two problems associated with drinking shakes when you’re trying to get ripped. First of all, whey protein can raise insulin levels, as I have been telling people since the mid 90’s. If you’re trying to get lean you don’t want insulin to be flowing like the Nile all day. You want a nice insulin surge post workout but the rest of the day you want it under control. That’s why The Renegade Diet limits the intake of whey protein to very small amounts during most of the day and only allows a larger amount post workout or at night.

The second problem with drinking too many shakes is that they are so easy to digest that you don’t really burn any calories when you eat them. When you chew down some salmon and broccoli your body works harder to digest that food and you burn more calories during the digestion process. When you drink something that is so easily digested, like a protein shake, your body does almost no work in the process.

So, when getting ripped is your main goal, limit your shake intake and chew as many calories as you can.

This is usually the last thing people think of when embarking on a fat loss diet but it can sometimes be the most important. Everything that goes into or on your body has to be processed by the liver. That means all food, alcohol, suntan lotion, environmental pollutants, etc. If you are constantly exposing yourself to this kind of stuff and overstressing the liver fat loss will be much more difficult to come by. Cut out booze, stop eating grain-fed, chemical laden meat and incorporate some regular periods of intermittent fasting to give the liver a break and you will find your rate of fat loss is noticeably faster.

I love nuts. I mean, who doesn’t? Give me a bag of pistachios or cashews and I won’t look up till the whole thing’s gone. The problem is nuts have a ton of calories. When you’re dieting for fat loss the rules are usually the opposite of those followed by skinny hardgainers trying to gain size. Those guys want the most calorically dense foods possible. Fat loss dieters do not. You’re better off filling up on nutritionally dense foods that don’t pack a lot of calories, like green vegetables. If you’re dieting you need to limit your nut consumption to about ten almonds per serving. No too many people can eat ten almonds. Most people eat ten handfuls. If you are strictly tracking and calculating everything all day and you want to load up on nuts at certain times I suppose you could but I wouldn’t recommend it. Nuts can be very problematic for a lot of people, especially those with digestive or auto immune issues. As Paleo Solution author Robb Wolf has noted, nuts should be used the same way you use condiments- sparingly.

I should also add, and this is strictly my opinion, meaning it has NOT been proven and posted on Pubmed… nut butters seem to be easier for most people to digest than actual whole nuts. Just something to consider.

“What?! You’re telling people not to eat fruit!? Everyone knows that it’s impossible to get fat from eating too much fruit!”

Yeah, yeah I know, that’s why physique competitors eat so much fruit and why all fat loss experts who specialize in getting people shredded recommend such high quantities of it. In our hunter gatherer days fruit was nothing like what you see in the supermarket today. Berries were small, dark and bitter; not the huge sugar sacks most people consume these days. Don’t get me wrong, fruit is healthy and can be eaten by lean individuals in limited amounts but any type of excessive fructose (a sugar found in fruit) consumption will lead to fat loss. Fructose can only be processed by the liver and once liver glycogen stores are full the excess gets converted to triglycerides and stored as body-fat. If you want to get ripped cut fruit completely for a while or limit it to one to two small servings per day. Just be sure to really up the vegetable consumption so you can keep your vital nutrient uptake where it needs to be.

When you want to lose body-fat the first inclination is often to crank up the reps and cut the rest periods. I actually have no problem with fairly low rest periods. But not if you’re used to resting three minutes between sets and all of the sudden cut them down to thirty seconds because you decided it was time to get shredded you’ll be in trouble. That never works. All that happens is your weights start plummeting on every exercise and you get weaker and smaller. High reps have the same effect.

When dieting, the primary role of strength training is to maintain muscle mass. That is the single most important thing. Don’t use it as your primary “fat burning” activity… UNLESS you are seriously overweight. If you need to lose more than fifty pounds or so that would probably be fine (although please don’t ever do any of the bullshit you see on those fat camp TV shows). Females can actually get something out of metcon workouts in the right situation as well. The caveat, however, is that that they need to be strong and actually have some muscle mass. If you take a weak female with no muscle and give her a silly metcon circuit she won’t usually get much out of it because she’s too weak to produce enough force. Females should get strong first before they attempt that type of training.

If you’re a guy and are trying to lose 10-20 pounds of body-fat without losing all your muscle mass in the process you should use strength training as a way to maintain size and strength; nothing more, nothing less. So the same principles that helped you get big and strong apply when dieting. Keep the reps low and the resistance high.

Traditional forms of cardio are largely useless for fat loss. But useless is even okay, it’s when it starts to be counterproductive that we have a real problem. Excessive amounts of cardio lead to an overproduction of cortisol which leads to more abdominal fat and numerous health problems. If you want to do cardio that won’t actually hurt you and could do you some good, go for a long walk. No self respecting man should ever be spotted on an elliptical machine.

Sled work builds muscle, burns fat and is irreplaceable

Dieting is the most important thing for fat loss. After that you should be doing some form of strength training to maintain your muscle mass. When you have those to things dialed in you’ll want to add in some type of sprinting or sled work. There is nothing more effective for fat loss. See all wide receivers, defensive backs, sprinters, soccer players, etc. for proof. Two or three 20-40 minute sprint or sled sessions per week will be enough for most people.

Don’t have a sled? Get one HERE.

When you’re short on sleep your insulin sensitivity decreases and your cortisol goes up. Both things lead to less than optimal fat loss. You also miss out on the critically important Growth Hormone boost that comes each night during deep sleep. If you want to lose more fat you have to get more sleep. Most people will ignore this and some of you are probably reading this at 2am. Unfortunately this just might be the most important thing on the whole list. More sleep improves EVERYTHING. Make it a priority.

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7 Ways to Minimize CNS Fatigue

When it comes to getting results in the gym there’s a simple formula that must be followed. You want to supply the signal for size and strength gains to occur without doing too much damage in the process. In other words, you do the work necessary to force adaptation but consciously take steps to minimize spinal compression, joint degradation and CNS (central nervous system) fatigue. Like Lee Haney said, “Stimulate, don’t annihilate.”

While they are each critically important, today we’re going to focus on CNS fatigue. If the CNS is not recovered or ready to perform at max capacity your training and thus, your results will suffer.

Here are seven ways to minimize CNS fatigue and ensure that you always remain fresh.

If you’re one of those people who always gets fired up like Lyle Alzado before a set there’s a good chance you are suffering from some type of CNS fatigue. I did this for years and can honestly remember not sleeping more than a few hours each night for a very long period of my life. That sucked. You can’t get that nuts, crank up the Static X, hit smelling salts and head butt the wall before every set. Hell, even doing it once per workout will fry you. Reign it in a bit and train with focus but not so much off the wall intensity. You’ll feel a lot better when you do.

Training at or above 90% of your one rep max is very stressful to the CNS. Yes, you should do it occasionally, but not all the time. And when you do be sure to limit the attempts done in that range. If you follow Prilepins chart stay on the low end. For the most part, I prefer to have my clients work up to 85%, and no higher, for most of their strength work. The 90% stuff is still done but with far less frequency.

I’ve said this a million and one times so I won’t get into too much detail here. When you train to failure you burn yourself out and delay your recovery from one workout to the next. Always finish your sets with something left in the tank and be sure that the final rep of each set was crisp and clean. No slow grinders. Ever.

Anyone who has done my programs knows that jumps are a big part of them. However, there can always be too much of a good thing. Basic low level jumps can be done with more volume and frequency but weighted jumps and depth jumps need to be minimized. I usually only keep an advanced form of jump in the program, at a low number of ground contacts, for no more than three weeks.  After that we either completely stop jumping for a week or switch to some very easy bounding type drills.

Gripping excessively heavy weights can be quite stressful on the CNS. For this reason I recommend using straps on most Olympic pulls (except cleans) and deadlift variations. If you plan to compete you will, obviously, want to train the competition lift without straps but I suggest using them on assistance work. Please note that I am not advocating straps to help you artificially lift more weight than you can without them. That’s not what they’re good for, in my opinion. I want you to use them on a weight you could lift without straps but simply use the straps to ease the CNS stress because you don’t have to grip the bar so tightly.

Squeezing a pencil thin standard bar and trying to crush it with all your might is stressful to the CNS. It’s not normal either. There’s never time in real life where you would grip something that thin with that much force. The body associates the closed fist with the fight or flight response. Opening the fist up a bit and gripping a wider diameter bar is somewhat less stressful. That is why I have no problem with people doing farmers walks sans straps. The handle is usually much fatter and you can almost have a relaxed calm about you while walking with the missiles versus the intense focus required to grip a regular thin bar. I have advocated the use of fat bars for years now and this is just one of the reasons why.

At Renegade Gym we only use the best of the best, angled fat grip bars. I love them so much that I contacted the owner of the company and was able to get a 5% discount for all members of The Renegade Nation on these exact bars. If you have a home gym or your own training facility these are the bars you want to have. Be sure to get them with revolving sleeves to keep your elbows healthy. Use the coupon code JasonF at checkout. ??If that’s not in your budget right now I still highly recommend ordering a pair of Fat Gripz.

As usual, the way to improve almost anything comes down to getting more high quality sleep. If your sleep is suffering your CNS will probably not recover quite as quickly and you won’t feel quite up to par when it comes time to train. Get to bed earlier and take the necessary steps to ensure deeper sleep.

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Thanks.

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3 Tips To Help You Build Sexy Six Pack Abs Fast

We have all become more conscious about the way we look. It isn't only guys who would like the opportunity to get into shape and have a great looking body. A lot of women these days are looking for information about how to get 6 pack abs as well. Well below we offer 3 tips for helping to develop such in a much shorter space of time.

Tip 1 - Do Bicycle Crunches

Although they may look very similar to regular crunches there is an additional movement included that needs to be carried out. As you perform a regular crunch you will need to touch your left elbow to your right knee and vice versa. Not only does this help you to lose stubborn belly fat but is also very effective in helping to tone up those slabs of muscles underneath.

Tip 2 - Include More Healthy Fats In Your Diet

You may think that this isn't right, yet by consuming more healthy fats you are actually helping to suppress your appetite. So of course this means that you will find yourself eating less. The kinds of foods that you should be eating on a regular basis in order to develop sexy six pack abs includes eggs, avocados and nuts. Plus you should also be eating grass fed meat and plenty of organic foods.

The benefits to be gained from eating organic foods are that they reduce the amount of toxins your body is taking in. So of course they are helping to prevent your body from retaining calories and fat. Also they will contain properties in them that helps to boost your metabolism. These in turn results in your body being able to burn off those extra calories a lot quicker.

Tip 3 - Never Spend All Your Time Working On Your Abs

One of the most important secrets that people are unaware of when it comes to getting 6 pack abs is that their body fat percentage needs to be low. Generally most people who want to get lean ripped abs will focus the workouts on this area of their body rather than on their overall fitness.

When working out it is important that you actually focus as much time as possible working on all the major muscle groups. As this will again help to stimulate your metabolism and so help to fire up your core and burn away the unwanted fat that is hiding your abs.

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10 World Champ Training Tips

The NFL season has come and gone. Here in America we are entering that great sports void that happens every year between the end of football season and the beginning of baseball season. It’s the dead of winter, there’s very little to do and neither of the two most popular sports is on TV for your viewing pleasure. A difficult time for fans, to be sure.

The good news is that gives you more time to dedicate to your training. There’s only about 16 weeks until Memorial Day weekend so there’s no time for slacking off. (***Shameless Plug Alert- 16 weeks also happens to be the exact time frame of both the Yoked and Uncaged programs which are on sale this week… I’m just sayin)

In case you need some extra motivation to help you make it through till the start of baseball season I’ve compiled a list of 9 training and success tips from this years Super Bowl champions, The New York Football Giants.

Now, even if you don’t bleed blue like I do, you can still apply these lessons to your own training for faster results and better long term progress.

Without further adieu here’s the list:

Throughout the Giants season, “All In” was a recurring theme. You’ve seen it on the banners and heard it discussed by the announcers. When it comes to your training you have to be “All In” or you’ll never get the results you’re after. That means you can’t just train properly and hope to make progress. You also have to eat properly, you have to get enough sleep, you need to reduce stress in your life, you need to find the right gym or training environment and you need to make sure to pay as much attention to recovery as you do to training and nutrition. Each of those factors is equally important. If you’re not “All In” and one of those is lagging behind your results will always suffer.

Eli Manning discussed this at the ticker tape parade, talking about how Coach Coughlin always told them to make it difficult. He joked about starting the season 6-2 and then saying, “Coach, it’s not hard enough, we need to go lose a bunch of games and make this more difficult.”

Applied to your training this means that you should always strive to add more reps or more weight over time. Make it difficult. Challenge yourself to get better. Do this slowly over time; not at every single workout. Contrary to what I used to believe many years ago there is actually quite a lot of value in easy workouts. You need the easy workouts and the back off weeks just as much as you need the hard ones. But the hard ones are what make you.

Over time make your training more difficult by adding more weight or moving on to more advanced bodyweight exercise progressions or training more often with more volume (if your goal is to build muscle). Don’t settle for easy and fall into the same rut most typical gym rats do.

This is another recurring theme that was discussed throughout the season and the playoffs. With eight come from behind wins, the Giants certainly finished strong like no one else this season. I have said over and over again that if your goal is to get stronger you should finish your workouts on a high note and leave feeling great.

Some people have been brainwashed by mainstream nincompoops to believe that they should finish their workouts feeling like they just played one on fifty two against the entire New York Giants roster for sixty minutes straight, while wearing no pads. That’s fine for those who want to get… tired… I guess. But if your goal is to develop strength and power you never want to leave the gym feeling like that. You should feel just as good, if not better than when you started. That means no excessive endurance type work or training to failure. Keep everything short duration, heavy and explosive.

Tom Coughlin is as old school as a coach can get. One of his infamous rules is that you have to be five minutes early for every meeting or you’re considered late and owe a fine. If building size and strength is important to you and you want to get in shape show that goal some respect. By that I mean allow yourself the proper time required to achieve that goal. In the short term that means don’t just rush into the gym hoping to get a quick twenty minute workout in with no warm up then get out. If it’s truly important to you make the time to get your workouts in. I’m sure when you cut out TV time and wasted time on Facebook and all kinds of other nonsense you will find the additional ten minutes to get to the gym with enough time to foam roll and warm up properly.

I’m talking to myself here as much as anyone else because when I get extremely busy I’ve been known to do this when there is really no excuse for it. Getting in a solid training session always makes you feel better and makes you more productive at work. And with my history of injuries I really can’t afford to skip the warm up stuff.

For the long haul this means you have to be dedicated and show the respect to those who paved the way and came before you. I don’t mean that you have to put up posters of Arthur Saxon above your bed but you have to show respect to the game and be dedicated, realizing that high levels of size and strength take time and hard work. There are no overnight magical solutions. Be prepared to work for it and earn it over time or find another hobby.

The basics, which Tom Coughlin is a huge fan of, win football games. They also build muscle and strength better than any kind of new fangled high tech gizmo’s or training protocols. Before you question what you should be doing in the gym think back to what the founding fathers of Physical Culture did long before we were born. Basic, compound, barbell lifts, gymnastics exercises and odd object lifting, full body workouts, low reps, three meals per day, lots of rest and low stress levels. If you want to improve your training and your life emulate guys like Paul Anderson, George Jowett, Eugene Sandow and George Hackenshmidt did.

Two or three years ago I got my first massage from a girl named Nicole who has since become a good friend of mine. At the time I told everyone within driving distance that she was without a doubt the best massage therapist I had ever come across in twenty years of searching. The difference in my training when I am regularly getting worked on by Nicole versus times I’m not is night and day. There is no comparison. Everyone who has gone to her has reported the same thing.

Like the majority of all good advice in life my words were ignored by most and probably only a quarter or a third of the people I told about Nicole went to see her. That’s too bad because she now travels with the New York Giants, works the NFL combine and is rapidly heading to the top of her profession. I rely on her as does Justin Tuck and numerous other members of the Super Bowl champs.

If you live within an hour of central Jersey you owe it to yourself to pay her a visit. Shoot an email to our customer service and someone will get you her contact info. If you’re not in the Tri State area seek out a very good massage therapist and ART practitioner and see them regularly. When you beat yourself up with hard training you need to take active measures to recover and heal faster. If you’re interested in making rapid gains, that is.

“There’s no way a seven and seven team is going to make the playoffs, let alone with the Super Bowl.”

“Tom Coughlin needs to be fired.”

This was the talk back in last third of the season. The Giants had the toughest schedule in the league and also had the greatest number of starters lose the most playing time due to injury. Even when it looked like all was lost they never paid attention to the haters and shit talkers.

Earlier in his career Eli Manning had to deal with his own teammate, Tiki Barber, telling the media that he was a joke and could never be a leader. Eli ignored it and went on to win two rings while Tiki disappeared into anonymity, never again welcome in Giants Stadium.

When you have a goal that is incomprehensible to most average people who sleep walk through life like zombies haters will always voice their opinions. They won’t understand why you eat the way you do or why you go to bed two hours earlier than they do. They’ll tell you that no one cares what you squat on the beach and that you should get over that obsession with heavy weight.

“Haters gonna hate.”

Fuck ‘em.

Do what you want to do and don’t let anyone bring you down or deter you from pursuing your goals.

While ignoring the haters is one thing you always have to believe, just like the New York Giants did. In this case I’m talking about believing in what you’re doing. Most people read far too many blogs and magazines and get themselves so confused that they don’t know what to believe. They read that low reps are the only way to go so they get crankin with that on Monday but by Wednesday they’ve read that high reps work better so they make the switch. Then on Friday they read that any type of reps suck and that isometrics are the only way to build size and strength. The problem is they never believe in what they are doing and are always doubting themselves every step of the way.

You don’t win world championships with that mindset and you don’t get any bigger stronger that way either. Pick one training system or methodology you can believe in 100% and stick with it. If you’re a member of The Renegade Nation read this site and follow the Renegade Method. If not go elsewhere and do something else. It doesn’t matter to me as long as you believe in what you’re doing. I’d rather see you guys actually get results than wasting time reading what I recommend if you don’t believe in it.

During post game interviews they kept asking Eli Manning what the key to his success has been. Since the beginning of his career in New Jersey (which is where the Giants actually play) hardly a week has gone by when sports writers and fans didn’t want to run him out of town. But Eli ignored the haters (#7), believed (#8) in himself and made an effort to keep getting better, day after day. Slowly but surely he transformed himself into an elite quarterback. When asked about next season he talked about things he needed to work on and how he and the team just needed to keep getting better.

When it comes to your training, nutrition and recovery this is a never ending process. In tip #1 I talked about being “All In.” The reality, however, is that even if you are all in there will always be something that can be improved. For most of my life that was sleep. Over the past year or so I’ve gotten a lot better at getting more high quality sleep. Next I started working harder on my mobility, and while it’s improved greatly I know that I still need to dedicate more time to it each week.

What can you improve upon?

A better warm up?

Not injuring yourself in the gym with bad decisions (like I used to do)?

Eating more protein?

More vegetables?

Drinking more water?

Less booze?

There’s always something you can focus on. Pick one thing and improve it. When it finally becomes a habit pick something else. Don’t try to change fifty things at once or you’ll fail miserably.

In the end Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning had earned their respect. They could have handled it differently but they remained as humble as possible. Many years ago while reading the words of the greatest writer in the history of the Iron Game, John McCallum, I was first made aware of how this concept applies to training.

John said that if you follow the old school basics- squat, chins, dips, lots of food and rest- you will grow very big and strong. The temptation to use that new found size and strength in less than honorable ways might arise but you must always remain humble and respectful, he advised. In other words, remember the struggle you went through, be willing to help newbies in theirs, and don’t turn into a complete asshole.

Just because you are bigger or stronger than someone doesn’t make you better than them or give you the right to be disrespectful. Big juiced up dudes who walk around with a bad attitude and start fights at clubs just give the whole Iron Game and Physical Culture movement a bad name. Then you wonder why the mainstream labels us dumb meatheads.

Don’t be a black eye on the game.

***
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Deep Meal-Frequency Thoughts

by Nate Miyaki – 12/08/2011

Like many T Nation readers, I grew up with bodybuilding nutrition. That's right, I studied Championship Bodybuilding by Chris Aceto like it was the Bible, snuggled Arnold's Encyclopedia every night, and waited anxiously every month to read my favorite bodybuilding magazines from cover to cover.

Bodybuilding-style nutrition (six small meals, specific macronutrient ratios and food distribution patterns, etc.) is one of the most effective ways to change a body, no doubt about it. Anyone who tells you it doesn't has never done it, with any real consistency, dedication, or discipline.

But as I've worked with more people in the real world, and as my theories have evolved, I've begun to ask myself three major questions regarding this approach.

The answer for the majority is no, even for the most hardcore of athletes. Many competitors can attest to this experience firsthand: post-contest bingeing, weight rebound, and the negative hormonal feedback loop associated with extreme training/nutrition approaches and/or drug protocols.

Anyone can eat a certain way when motivation is high, be it for a contest, a new photo on Facebook, or even just that summertime pool party where you know the hot bartender you've been eyeballing for months is going to be attending.

But what is the preparation for that one big day doing to your long term metabolic and hormonal health, and your ability to get lean the next time around?

Is doing no carbs for weeks at a time, three hours of cardio a day, and having the personality of a snail and the libido of a corpse the only way to get in shape? No six-pack is worth that.

Some will justify bulking and cutting cycles as necessary, but for many it's a simple yo-yo scenario, despite it being part of an athletic realm. That's not sustainable, nor is it good for your long-term physique goals or overall health. I've seen former competitors yo-yo themselves right into obesity, type II diabetes, and a lifetime of health and body composition struggles.

If that route sounds appealing to you, then great, go for it man. To each their own. I'm more interested in finding a plan that's sustainable for the rest of my life, and allows me to be in shape year-round.

For years I had no problem getting to the grocery store every other day, cooking a crap-load of food twice a week, packing a man purse full of Tupperware every day, etc. Discipline and dedication are just part of my personality.

I falsely assumed the same was true for everyone when I started in this game. You want to get in shape? Then do what you f#!king gotta do to achieve that goal.

But as I've worked with more real people in the real world, I've come to realize that this isn't as functional or realistic for most outside of the fitness industry.

Have you ever consulted with a Silicon Valley entrepreneur whose industry moves at a thousand Tweets per second? Have you ever advised a doctor or a lawyer who can be in surgery or court for a half day at a time? Or a college kid who has a full load of classes, is working a part-time job to pay for tuition, and is trying to squeeze in just enough time to try to get laid?

No stopping off for tuna and broccoli every two hours for any of these demographics. Pro Tan and "pube trimming sessions" are the furthest things from their mind.

Is eating 6-8 small meals a day functional and sustainable for the next year, five years, or the rest of your life when priorities change and you're chasing other career goals, yet still want to be in good shape?

If you are leaning towards "not really," the next question is, is it absolutely necessary to achieve results, or is there another way?

I'm not talking bodybuilding competition diets here, so I don't need a bunch of angry bodybuilders throwing their soiled posing panties at me, unless you're a woman, of course.

Getting stage-ready is something different. If that's your pursuit, I hope you're following an informed approach and not some outlandish protocol formulated from gym rats. If you're in doubt, hook up with an expert coach. I'm a fan of the Mountain Dog myself – someone who combines education with practical "street" experience.

Furthermore, I'm not talking about bulking phases or guys eating strictly for improving athletic performance. If your calorie requirements are 5000+, you probably have no choice but the 5-6 meals a day route.

This article, however, and my writings in general, is geared towards the other 90% of the noncompetitive strength-training population that's just looking for a sustainable approach to cutting up and being able to say, "I look good. I mean really good. Hey everyone, come and see how good I look."

Just as I ask that you not get caught up in ADA or Paleo dogma, I ask that you not get caught up in bodybuilding/fitness nutrition dogma. If you can maintain some objectivity, the reality is there are other methods and approaches to getting into great shape.

The late, great Serge Nubret used to eat two meals a day composed of pounds of horsemeat with rice and beans. I know what some of you are thinking – steroids – but that's not just what worked for him. Many of his non-bodybuilding clients reported great body composition transformation results as well.

The three-square meals a day approach gets bashed in our industry and is often criticized as being counterproductive for fat loss and physique enhancement.

However, this is most likely because the typical Y2KAmerican Diet is used as the representative/control group of this approach – mocha and pastry for breakfast, sandwich and chips for lunch, pizza and cookies for dinner.

This is problematic for comparison because these are not the typical meals eaten by someone pursuing body composition transformation.

It's more the suboptimal food choices that are the problem, not the meal frequency pattern itself. Three meals a day can work just fine for fat loss provided you're making good food selections.

To contrast, the traditional Japanese diet (fish, lean meats, eggs, vegetables, rice, sweet potato, low refined foods, etc.) yields some of the lowest obesity and diabetes rates in the world. And don't give me "genetics," there are studies that show when native Japanese people switch to more westernized dietary patterns, biomarkers of health skydive and body fat skyrockets.

I'm not trying to get everyone to start feeling like they're "turning Japanese," but you can certainly learn a thing or two from their dietary approach, just like you can from any effective approach (Paleo, Mediterranean).

While I think a Paleo Diet is a good starting template for an overweight and sedentary office worker, I think the traditional Japanese diet is a good template for a strength-training athlete taking a healthy approach to physique enhancement by way of a carb-based approach.

Here's a typical day. I've adjusted the totals to better fit a 180-pound dude as opposed to a 95-pound Geisha:

Breakfast: 2-3 whole eggs, 4oz fish, 1-cup rice, sea vegetables*, green tea.
Lunch: 8 oz teriyaki chicken, 1-cup rice, mixed vegetables
Dinner: 12 oz salmon or mackerel, miso soup, 1-cup rice, spinach salad.
Dessert: 1 piece whole fruit or 1/2 cup mashed sweet potato.

This supplies our 180-pound bodybuilder with a great base diet of roughly 180g of protein, 180g of carbs, and 40-50g of fat as byproduct of protein foods.

*Sea vegetables are basically, well, seaweed, which might not sound appetizing but have been a staple of the Japanese diet for centuries. Sea vegetables also offer one of the broadest ranges of minerals of any food including iron, magnesium, zinc, and especially iodine. The name "sea vegetables" is actually a broad term for a number of vegetables like nori, hijiki, wakame, arame, kombu, and dulse.

The next step is on training days to add the appropriate peri-workout nutrition protocol. For lean guys or those trying to gain as much mass as possible, the original Anaconda Protocol is the most effective (natural) method I've ever encountered.

However, heavier-set guys or those with weight class restrictions may be better suited with the Anaconda Protocol 2, which yields significant yet less dramatic gains in size and strength.

Back when I was in school, I always had to make up for spending too much time wet daydreaming about the handful of scintillatingly hot girls in my Organic Chemistry by cramming with Cliffs Notes. Here's the Cliffs Notes version of just some of the science on meal frequency:

A study by Bellisle, et al. looked at the proposed benefit of frequent meals on the thermic effect of food (TEF). While the researchers found support that TEF was higher with frequent feedings, the results were neither unanimous nor significant, concluding that the intake side of the energy balance equation is still paramount.(1)

Another study by Burke et al. looked at equal 24-hour carbohydrate intakes divided into feedings every four-hours versus every hour. There was no significant difference in muscle glycogen storage between the two groups.(2)

Finally, a study by Norton found that while frequent "dosing" of amino acids is common practice, it's unlikely that eating another meal 2-3 hours after the first would be sufficient to induce another rise in protein synthesis since amino acid/leucine levels are already elevated.

Norton concludes that it may, therefore, be more useful to consume larger amounts of protein at a meal and wait longer between protein doses than the 2-3 hours typically recommended in the bodybuilding community.(3)

Disregarding personal bias or tradition and looking at the objective science, clearly there's no major difference between smaller, more frequent meals or larger meals spaced out further apart for fat loss, and metabolic factors related to fat loss (dietary induced thermogenesis, 24-hour energy expenditure, etc.).

Now, some will use this science to "hear what they want to hear" and bash bodybuilding nutrition. "I knew it. Three-meals a day is superior to the six-small-meals a day approach. Bodybuilders are obsessive, compulsive idiots."

That's not what the research is saying. It's saying they're relatively equal. Translation? Both can be effective in a real-world protocol.

Remember the hierarchy of fat loss: Optimum food choices, total calories, and targeted macronutrient ratios based on individual factors are the most important steps in designing an effective fat loss diet. If these variables are controlled for, meal frequency doesn't matter as much.

The optimum meal frequency pattern for you is whatever pattern helps you consistently stick to your diet the most. The most sustainable and functional approach in your world is the best approach for you.

In other words, the physiology of meal frequency doesn't matter so much. Both science and anecdotal evidence prove that. It's the psychological and social factors that are the most crucial variables in your decision.

This, of course, requires some self-experimentation on your part. How does meal frequency fit into your daily schedule, career demands, lifestyle habits, and social patterns?

Some find that eating smaller, more frequent meals allows for better blood sugar control, makes them feel more energetic, and makes them less prone to bingeing and cheating. Although they're eating smaller, calorie-controlled meals, psychologically they like the idea that another meal is always right around the corner. They like staying ahead of hunger, or that never hungry, never quite full feeling.

If they do go a long period without food and are hungry, they can't make good food choices. They end up overeating junk. A traditional fitness/bodybuilding approach may work better for this group.

Many fitness athletes have a fear that if they ever go more than three hours without food, the body will start cannibalizing itself and they'll lose all their hard-earned muscle tissue. These guys have a "feed the machine" mentality. Regardless of physiological truths, psychology is a key component of dietary success. Smaller, frequent meals may be the best approach for this demographic as well.

With busy career demands, and an unwillingness to pack foods and carry around Tupperware everyday, some find that eating 6-8 small meals a day is hyper-inconvenient and unrealistic for their lifestyle. They can't consistently fit in six balanced and complete meals a day. What ends up happening is they have a few solid meals and then just eat snack foods – usually of the highly refined and processed "high carb plus high fat American" type.

Furthermore, when they eat, they like to eat full, complete, satiating meals. The small fitness-style meals don't satisfy appetite and leave them constantly hungry and craving more. Psychologically, it makes them feel like they're constantly depriving themselves or they're always "on a diet."

Finally, there are those whose career or lifestyle demands fit neatly around the traditional three-meals-a-day approach. After all, this is the pattern that society and civilization has set up as the normal structure in most cultures. We have our breakfast business meetings, our lunch breaks, and our social dinners.

Three-square meals may be the easiest approach to consistently follow for those working professionals who are not fitness professionals or athletes. Slaving away trying to fit into a fitness approach of eight small meals a day may be unrealistic and counterproductive.

Just remember, food choices are critical. Three square meals a day with good food choices will yield much different results than three square meals a day of junk foods, and average Y2K American food choices.

So to bring closure to this piece and sum it all up in a short, sweet sound bite, three meals a day can work – if that works better for you.

Next up on the hierarchy is food distribution. In the Samurai Diet approach I talk about a modified bodybuilding-style approach to protein and fat intake, and an intermittent fasting-style approach to carbohydrate intake. Am I just confused or am I onto something? Noodle with that, and I'll catch up with you soon.

You can check out Nate's book The Samurai Diet: The Science & Strategy of Winning the Fat Loss War. You can find the ebook version here or, if you prefer a PDF version, here.

Bellisle et al. 1997. Meal frequency and energy balance. Br J Nutr Apr;77 Suppl 1:S57-70.

Burke, et al. 1996. Muscle glycogen storage after prolonged exercise: effect of the frequency of carbohydrate feedings. Am J Clin Nutr 64(1): 115-119.

Norton, L. 2008. Optimal protein intake and meal frequency to support maximal protein synthesis and muscle mass. SlideShare.

View the original article here

3 Tips on How to Build Lean Muscle

So you finally have decided to start beefing up. You are relatively new to body building and maybe it is the first time that you have heard the term lean muscle. You may be too afraid to ask anyone about it, but lean muscle is all about fatless muscle. This is when you achieve gaining muscle less the fat. We all know that gaining muscles also means gaining fats, but how to build lean muscle is a process that eliminates fat from your muscle gain.

We all know that the word fat is something that most of us are afraid of, it is such a dreadful word that even kids cannot accept being called a fatso or fat kid. How to build lean muscle is not as hard as it sounds. In this article, you will be taught how to build lean muscle easily.

TIPs:

Tip 1 - Ingesting lean meat and whole wheat: We all know that eating or ingesting something is rather quite important when it comes to gaining lean muscle in body building. You must be able to eat a lot of food with lots of calories in it to support your muscle growth while hindering you from gaining fats. The best way to do so is by ingesting all natural food in the likes of skinless chicken breast and breads that are made out of 100% whole wheat. This way, your body is able to process this easily while leaving you with no fat intake at all.

Tip 2 - Avoid intakes of Carbs before bed time - This is one kept secret by most bodybuilders out there. Avoiding intakes of Carbs right before bed time will do you go. This makes your body stop it s fat storing while you are sleeping. If you ever get hungry, then just down a protein shake instead of eating carb rich food at night time.

Tip 3 - Lots of Cardiovascular Activities - Yes, you read it right. You need to get involved in lots of cardiovascular activities at least two times per week for about 30 minutes. This will make you store less calories and end up burning more. While at it, exercising is also the best way to keep fat away from your body and hence leaving you with lean muscle only. Try to focus on one part of your body per week, but not ignoring other parts as you would look funny with uneven body size.

Now, it is not that hard to follow this how to build lean muscle tips. All you have to do is to discipline yourself and control yourself when it comes to eating. The more that you know on which food to avoid the better it will be for you.

Getting in shape does not have to be a struggle. With the right program and knowledge building muscle and burning fat can be obtained by anyone. Learn more about burning fat and building lean muscle at Lose-Fat Build-Lean-Muscle. Sign up for my weekly newsletter and bookmark my blog. Gain full access here http://www.losefatbuildleanmuscle.com/

3 Myths About Muscle Gain That Are Ruining Your Muscle Building Efforts

When it comes to muscle gain, you really need to be sure that the person you're talking to has qualified credentials and actually knows what they're talking about. Many people who put information about muscle gain on the Internet are teenagers who already have tons of testosterone and muscle-building hormones in their body, plus they're taking steroids and other muscle-enhancing drugs on top of it!

Believe me, with both of those factors working together, almost anybody can gain muscle. But there's one problem that bugs me more than anything. If you go to any of the weightlifting forums, you'll see some very conflicting ideas. This is because some things work for some people while they don't work for others. Everybody is different! There are tons of myths that are causing people to get very lousy muscle gain results and I want to take those myths and throw them in the trash.

So here are my 3 top myths about muscle gain that are ruining your muscle building efforts:

1) If I Lift Weights I'll Get Bigger - This myth has caused more people to stop lifting weights than probably any other myth in the world. Here are the simple facts. When you lift weights, it creates microscopic tears in your muscles one of the reasons you get sore). You get bigger muscles when your body repairs those tiny tears. However, also need protein and calories to do this. If you body does not have enough protein or calories, muscle gain comes to a halt. If you're not gaining muscle, figure out how many calories your body burns per day and start eating more calories than that - and eat protein every 3 hours.

2) Isolated Exercises Work Best - In my opinion the reason people want to do isolated exercises is not because it builds bigger muscles, it's because they're easier to do. Doing exercises such as squats, deadlifts, should presses, bench presses and pull-ups releases a flood of muscle-building hormones in your body - resulting in bigger, stronger muscles. It's been shown that doing squats alone can actually produce extra muscle gain and stronger muscles in your entire body.

3) "X" Times Per Week Is Best - Listen, every person on this Earth has a different body. Don't listen to people who say a certain exercise program is best for you. Test out various programs full-body 3x per week, split-body workouts 4x per week, etc.) and see which one you like the best. Everybody reacts differently to different workouts and you may be cutting yourself short with the one you're currently using.

The most important thing to remember is that you're an individual person with individual needs and characteristics. There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to muscle gain. While one person may only need 2,500 calories to gain muscle, you may need 5,000 calories - or vice-versa. While one person gets away with doing each body part once a week, you might need to do it twice.

There are dozens of muscle gain tips out there, but you need to take them with a grain of salt. I highly suggest learning the techniques of gaining muscle because they're very important, but never forget to customize them to yourself.

Eric Carlson
http://www.TheTruthAboutBurningFat.com

Fitness Trainer, Author, Speaker
America, World & Universe Fitness Champion-Winner of Worlds Best Abs
Home:http://www.EricCarlsonFitness.com