Why Squats Are Killing Your Lower Back

5 Reasons Why Squats Are Killing Your Lower Back

Try finding a Squatter who has never experienced lower back pain at least once during his Squatting career. There was a time where I had to stop doing Squats completely for several months because I couldn’t do them painlessly anymore – too much sitting was my culprit. Maybe that sounds familiar to you.

Fast forward today and I’m not only 100% free of lower back pain, I also Squat 400lb raw at 165lb bw. From my personal and coaching experience, here are 5 reasons why Squats might kill your lower back, and what to do about it.

1. The Bar Is Too High. When you Squat high bar don’t try to sit back like when Squatting low bar. This is a guaranteed way to stress your lower back because the barbell is too far away from your body’s center of gravity. Either Squat high bar and keep your torso upright, or put the bar lower and sit back.

I am NOT against high bar Olympic Squats, but when you’re doing StrongLifts 5×5 I recommend you to Squat low bar because that gives you much better leverage (you’ll lift more weight, and thus gain more muscle/lose more fat)

2. You’re Squatting Too Deep. First, you can not Squat “ass-to-grass” low bar or your lower back will round at the bottom – you need the high bar position for that. Next, if you’re going to Squat rock bottom with the high bar position, then make sure you’re flexible enough for that otherwise your lower back will round at the bottom, and this will hurt once you’re Squatting weights heavy enough.

The fact is that most guys do not have the hip flexibility to Squat “ass-to-grass” because they’re too sedentary (not your fault, I’m also a desk jockey). That’s why I advise you to Squat low bar and stop when you hit parallel. It’s safe on your knees, safer on your lower back, and you’ll Squat more weight.

3. You’re Not Staying Tight. So you’re not Squatting too deep, but your lower back is still rounding at the bottom, now what? Well make sure you’re not losing tension in the bottom of the Squat. Here’s how to stay tight:

• Tilt your tailbone back – Squat down by sitting back with your hips, and keep your lower back tight by pushing your tailbone towards to ceiling.
• Pinch your psoas – this will automatically pull your lower back straight, pinch the muscle between your belly and your upper-thighs.
• Tighten your upper-back – you can’t keep your lower back tight if your upper-back is loose. Lift your chest and keep your shoulder-blades tight.

Be warned, this position will not feel that comfortable if your hips are all tight from sitting a lot. Just keep practicing, you’ll quickly improve if you stick with it.

4. You’re Not Using Your Glutes. If you’re a desk jockey like me, you’ll tend to Squat with your lower back too arched. But hyperextending your lower back is as bad as rounding it at the bottom. One trick to keep your lower back neutral is to engage your glutes when you Squat. Here’s how:

• Push your knees out – make sure your stance is at least shoulder-width and then rotate your hips outwards as you Squat.
• Grab the floor with your feet – this creates a hollow in your feet and allows you to push your knees out better (wear the right shoes).
• Stand tall – finish the lockout portion of all your Squats by moving your hips forward and contracting your glutes hard.

5. You’re Not Using Your Abs. Never Squat with your belly pulled in to activate your TVA like some of those idiot personal trainers will tell you to do. This is a guaranteed way to suffer a hernia because your lower back will round.

You should always take a big breath before you Squat, fill your belly with air, and then push your abs out. This increases pressure in your belly, adds support to your lower back, and will automatically boost your Squat.

One trick to learn how to use your abs correctly is to wear a powerlifting belt when you Squat. Wear it one notch loose, pull air into your belly and then Squat while pushing your abs against the belt. I own the Inzer Forever Belt 10mm single prong and highly recommend it (no affiliate link, not paid to say this).

It should be clear that if your lower back hurts on Squats, it is almost always a problem of technique, not of the exercise. Don’t be one of those Squats-hurt-my-back-whiners. Tape yourself, fix your technique and pass on the word.

More info at: http://stronglifts.com/squats-exercise-lower-back-pain/

Bodybuilding for HIV+ guys

HIV positive and bodybuilding

Every time I visit my gym there is this guy I always greet. He is always smiling and always on time for his training. Everytime I see him I feel something in me wanting to reach out to him. He is just this bag of bones. Month after month this little muscle he has is withering away even further. He tries his best to train hard, but in vain…I don’t know for sure, but I have a strong feeling he is fighting against HIV infection. My heart goes out to this guy and many times he has been in my prayers.

I am not blessed with my mouth, it is the most difficult thing for me to talk to a stranger. My blessings are in writing and researching subjects objectively. I just so hope that this article somehow lands on his computer or the very least someone else’s where it can make a difference…

HIV infection is all around us, we just don’t know about it. No-one wants to talk about it. Those that have it can even talk less about it…in fear. It is a lonely and heavy burden for any person to carry and a painful one.

Many people in the past used to point a finger…”they deserve it!”, but remember how Christ treated the woman who has just been caught with adultery and where brought in front of Him? For the one finger you point to someone, 10 will point back to you. Let those without sin cast the first stone…

Seeing that guy at my gym day after day and me failing to have the ability to go and chat to him to help him, I decided I need to write an article for HIV+ people who don’t know where to turn too.

I did a lot of research, spoke to many doctors who specialize in HIV treatment and have also spoken to some people who are positive. What I say here can make a big difference for the HIV sufferer.

But before I start with the article, let’s get one thing straight. No matter who tells you what, or who makes what claim, THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE to taking HIV medication.

You don’t have time to experiment with your life…the line has been drawn. NOTHING can substitute your HIV medication. So the assumption I make with this article is that you will be on HIV medication and you are taking it EXACTELY as prescribed. Yes the medication has sometimes some serious side effects. You must work through those side-effects together with your doctor. Do NOT stop the medication unless your doctor instructs you to. On this note: You MUST make sure you get a very skilled HIV treatment doctor. Talk around, call universities medical departments, search on internet, but make sure your doctor is VERY skilled. Your life will depend on it.

Later on in the article I will cover one particular side effect – Lipodystrophy and will briefly touch on others.

My main aim with this article will be to show the HIV positive person how to lead a quality life…one even waaay better than before.

The article will be divided in the following 2 sections:

1. I am aware of death now…
2. How to increase the gap as wide as possible between awesome living and death.

I am aware of death now…

Suddenly death is a close reality for you. Time cannot be wasted anymore. Every moment must be spent rejoicing in life.

You cannot live irresponsible anymore. You received a wakeup call.

My friend, 8 years ago I had my own unique wakeup call and nearly died – you can read about it in my first blog post. I used that opportunity to change EVERYTHING in my life.

• time is precious,
• my wife is precious,
• my child is precious,
• my family is precious,
• every day is precious,
• I will NOT waste it anymore.

I changed my eating habits, I started training intensely and I changed the person who I am on the inside. Seeing my reflection in that mirror, I can truly say I like what I see, outside and inside.

I settled my bill with God and has walked a long road with Him since. This is YOUR opportunity.

Do you realize not many people get such a great opportunity…a wake up call?

You have been blessed my friend – you just don’t know it yet, you can change what need to be changed and you can become the best you can be on ALL levels. Grab this opportunity with everything you have and you WILL live a life truly worth living.

This is THE most important point you must accept. You have received a great blessing. How you are going to use this blessing will decide what person you will become.

You CAN have an awesome live, a life where you’ve made right with God, a life where you look the best you looked ever, a life where you start seeing the people in need and start making a difference, a life truly WORTH living!

Surround yourself with people who only adds to your goal post. Cut those out that break you down and pull you in the wrong direction…just make sure your aim is in the right direction.

Don’t surround you with people who make you just feel good. Life is not about feeling good, it is about a life WORTH living.

Listen to music that built you up, read books that feed your soul, care for your neighbour…

So you might be married and desire kids oneday? Nothing is stopping you. Many married couples have conceived naturally under the guidance of a doctor. Under hiv medication your viral load becomes undetectable and with a high CD4 the risk is VERY LOW when penetration is done once at time of ovulation. (Risk less than 1 in 10 000 for woman to become infected…that is very low).

As with ALL things in life…the choice is yours. If you are reading this article then you are already busy making that choice…

How to increase the gap as wide as possible between awesome living & death.

After making the choice of will in point one I will move on to more practical points for obtaining an awesome life for the HIV positive person.

The aspects to be covered:

a) growing muscle – why?

b) eating for survival.

c) supplement for healthy immune system

d) anabolics and human growth hormone

A) Growing muscle – why?

Ok, first of all you gonna look kick-ass! (I refer to my post “Get motivsted for training” http://gertlouw.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/get-motivated-for-training/ )

Secondly, the bottom line is, the more muscle mass you carry as a hiv+ person, the better your chances of survival.

Let me explain: Due to a compromised immune system hiv+ people can get more frequent and sometimes very severe bacteria infections. This can happen anywhere, anytime. You can go white water rafting and get thrown over in the water and take just one mouthful of water and you can potentially become very (very!) sick ending up in hospital for 2 weeks due to bacteria infection.

Obviously the higher your CD4 count the less your risk.

Everytime such a sever bacterial infection occurs, you will lose anywhere from 2- 10 kgs in muscle weight. Since the muscles carry the primary energy source for you immune system (Glutamine), it is critical that a HIV+ person has very healthy muscle mass and the more he has the better his long-term changes of survival.

When a HIV+ person lose too much muscle weight, his body cannot provide Glutamine to feed the immune system. Sadly this is one of the MAIN reasons of death for HIV+ people.

It is thus not for “looks” but CRITICAL that every hiv+ guy start doing bodybuilding.

In my research I ran across quite a few highly skilled hiv doctors who unashamedly support any safe means for the hiv+ person to increase muscle size to above average levels even with the help of anabolic steroids where necessary…but more on that later.

Don’t listen to the average house doctor telling you there is no need for a hiv+ person to have more than average muscle size. With much respect, he does NOT know what he is talking about. It is basic common sense that, the more muscle mass a hiv+ person carries the better his/her long-term survival ability – full stop!

Doing regular exercise will further enhance the immune system.

Some research have shown that severe excise might actually hamper the immune system.

But you should enter in the bodybuilding arena in a step by step fashion. Slowly increase intensity and duration. It helps the body get accustomed to the excercise and builts up endurance and stamina. Feeding the body for growth and supplement with all the listed supplements will keep the body and immune system healthy (+ taking your HIV medication). In such a scenario there is no reason why you cannot do fairly strenuous workouts for muscle growth.

Hiv+ bodybuilders might find it slightly more difficult to build muscle than hiv- people…but the differences is very slight. Obviously the stronger the immune system the lesser the impact.

Go for it and built those muscles!

Having a strong good-looking body will further help you feel positive and good about yourself.

Excercise is well-known for releasing all the feel good hormones…you need it!

Lastly, excercise is also a great way to release stress. Having the constant reminder of being hiv+ will be taking its toll, working out will help you to mentally cope better.

b) Eating to survive.

The general thought is that the hiv+ person need a higher calorie diet because of the strain the infection puts on the body and resulting energy required to fight it.

Though this might be true for the hiv+ person who have a highly compromised immune system (below 300 CD4 count) it is not really applicable to the hiv+ person with a strong immune system and undetectable viral load. For such people they can pretty much stick to the eating guidelines I’ve already laid down in my previous articles:

Diet is for LOSERS http://gertlouw.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/diet-is-for-losers/

Supercharging your metabolism http://gertlouw.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/340/

My Transformation Program http://gertlouw.wordpress.com/2010/12/30/hello-world/

My bodybuilding.com interview http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/body-transformation-body-gospel-according-to-gert.html

The key is to feed your body every 3-4 hours with a small balanced meal containing a clean protein source. See above articles for eating regimen details.

C) Supplements for healthy immune system

A supplement which must be avoided at all costs for the hiv+ individual is echinacea. Echinacea “feeds” the hiv virus and will result in a massive increase in your viral load.

L-Glutamine:

A critical supplement for the HIV+ person. Suggested dosages: 4 x 5g spread out during day.

Glutamine feeds the immune system. Without Gutamine our immune system cannot function.

Since Glutamine is primarily stored in the muscles, one can easily see why it is critical for the HIV+ person to have a healthy muscle mass…in fact, the more the better.

This extract from www.thebody.com gives the best accounts of glutamine

“Normally, nutrition provides enough antioxidants to combat “oxidative stress” and neutralize the “free radicals.” But under continuous siege by HIV, the need for anti-oxidants begins to grow beyond what a regular diet can provide. Wasting is one result — muscle tissue is rich in glutamine. The body starts breaking down muscle to fight the “oxidative stress.” Another result is a higher viral load, because HIV thrives in an environment rich in free radicals. Some nutritionists have begun to call glutamine a “conditionally essential” nutrient.

A recent study of about 100 PWAS, mostly men with less than 200 T-cells, done by Drs. Leonore and Leonard Herzenberg at Stanford University, found that glutathione levels are directly linked to survival. 85% of those who started the study with high glutathione levels survived the three-year-long study while only 18% with low levels did. It isn’t known whether low glutathione levels cause or quicken disease progression or if they are a symptom of some other process — however supplementation to increase glutathione levels in cells is increasingly popular. Glutathione is also crucial for liver health.

Some recent studies have suggested that taking glutathione itself can raise the glutathione levels in immune cells.

A recent study in the Lancet, for example, reported that glutamine supplementation significantly decreased the incidence of pneumonia, and other life-threatening infections like bacteremia and septicemia, for patients with multiple traumas and who were being fed intravenously. In the study, only 17% of patients on glutamine got pneumonia, compared to 45% of the participants who were not on glutamine. 7% on glutamine contracted bacteremia, while 42% of the non-glutamine group did. Finally, 3% (one person!) of those in the glutamine group experienced sepsis, compared to 26% of the non-glutamine group.

The effect of glutamine on the gut is pretty well documented because supplementation has been found useful not only for people with HIV, but with other conditions that require intravenous feeding like severe bums and intestinal surgery.

Studies of people with other conditions have found that glutamine supplementation speeds recoveryand can even restore firm, healthy stools to people who have only inches (of a former 21 feet!) of intestine remaining.

Most people think the intestine is just an organ needed for the elimination of waste, but in fact, it is a crucial part of the immune system. Like people with HIV, cancer patients on chemotherapy often suffer severe diarrhea. Charles Smigelski, RD, a nutritionist and researcher at Harvard University, reports seeing a cancer chemo patient who had disabling diarrhea for six months. Within a week on glutamine, his bowel movements were normal.

Smigelski is high on glutamine and other antioxidant supplements for people with HIV. He has about I 00 HIV patients in his practice that are supplementing with glutamine and says, “Most people report that they feel better on every level. It improves their energy, it reduces diarrhea, and it’s hugely useful in wasting and dealing with oxidative stress. A ton of people swear by it.”

Smigelski believes that such supplementation may be able to prevent or reduce lipodystrophy (“Crix belly”), thought to be a side effect of protease inhibitors. His patients find it useful for diarrhea caused by protease inhibitors as well. “A very common experience is that someone will have protease related diarrhea. Immodium will stop the explosive diarrhea that often comes before people can get to the bathroom, but it won’t firm the stools or reduce frequency. Glutamine, which I use in combination with probiotics (natural gut bacteria like acidophilus, lactobacillus, etc.), firms the stools. It really improves quality of life.”

Body builders also tout glutamine because it is anabolic (builds muscles). A poster presented by Dr. Shabert at this year’s International Conference on AIDS in Geneva reports that patients with wasting given 40 grams a day of glutamine (along with NAC, vitamins C and E, selenium and beta-carotene) gained an average of 1.7 kilograms (3.75 lbs) in lean body mass in 12 weeks. Patients in the control group were given glycine (another amino acid protein) and a multivitamin and they did not gain similarly.”

POTENT Multi – Vitamin:

Your body is under much more pressure due to the HIV infection. A “normal” multi vitamin for hiv- individuals will not do. You need a daily POTENT one. The only one’s really sufficient I know off is: Animal Pak Multi Vitamin and OPTI-MEN Multi Vitamin (Take one dosage daily with meals). There may be more but make sure they contain significant more RDA dosages than the average multi vitamin. Must be taken with food for good absorption.

Vitamin C:

Vitamin C is one of the cornerstone supplements for the HIV+ individual. It ‘s benefits in fighting of infections is well documented. Take a slow release version not less than 2000mg per day. 1G after morning meal and 1g after evening meal. Must be taken with food for good absorption.

Alpha Lipoic Acid:

Recommend dosage: 200 mg. lipoic acid capsule three times per day

The following extract from www.hepatitiscfree.com gives a good overview of the importance of ALA.

“Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant used in Europe to restore liver health. It confers protective benefits against oxidative processes involved in degenerative diseases. It is more potent than vitamins C, E, and Co-Q10, and according to Dr. Ester Packer, professor of molecular biology at UC Berkley, alpha-lipoic acid may be the most important antioxidant ever discovered:

Vitamins C, E and glutathione work together to deactivate and prevent free radicals from causing uncontrolled damage in the body. But at this stage we run into a limiting factor regarding availability of glutathione, which is an important free-radical deactivator offering protection against cataract formation, as well as immune enhancement, liver protection, cancer protection, and heavy-metal detoxification.When taken orally like Vitamins C and E, glutathione is broken down in the stomach before it reaches the bloodstream. What does end up being absorbed can raise serum levels, but the effect inside of the cells is minimal.Alpha-lipoic acid is the missing link. Not only is ALA a powerful antioxidant in its own right, but it also regenerates glutathione, giving cells a double dose of antioxidant protection. In addition, it is easily absorbed when taken orally, and once inside cells it is quickly converted to its most potent form, dihydrolipoic acid, which is an even more potent free-radical neutralizer than ALA. Because both alpha-lipoic acid and dihydrolipoic acid are antioxidants, their combined actions give them greater antioxidant potency than any other natural antioxidant now known.Scientists have also found that lipoic acid can inhibit replication of HIV-1 and other viruses through its ability to bind directly to DNA. (47)

Dr. Packer and Chandan K. Sen, a researcher from Finland, have described how alpha-lipoic acid regulates aspects of the immune system, and in particular, immune cells called T-lymphocytes. These two researchers, along with other scientists, have reported how alpha-lipoic acid may help people with HIV:

ALA inhibits growth of HIV more effectively than NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) ….alpha-lipoic acid completely inhibited activation of a gene in the AIDS virus that allows it to reproduce. “

d) Anabolic steroids and Human Growth hormone.

If ever, for any group of people the use of anabolic steroids and HGH is recommended, then it is for HIV+ people.

Some medical doctors do not really support this notion, but talk to any highly skilled hiv physician and he/she is much more open to the idea. Simply because due to the nature of the disease having excess muscle mass will have a great positive effect on your long-term survival. Remember our earlier discussion about Glutamine and bacterial infection?Thus, although some doctors might still not support the idea, I will stick my neck out here and blatantly claim that the correct use of anabolic steroids can have a great positive effect for the hiv+ person. I refer to my article “To Steroid or Not” http://gertlouw.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/to-steroid-or-not/

Remember this guy I saw training at my gym who is just a bag of bones…? Anabolic Steroids could be a LIFESAVING tool for him! For those seeking more info, please contact me.

A common side effect when hiv+ people start medication is nausea/vomiting/diarrhea. This can go on for months before the body get used to the medication. During this time the person can lose a rather severe amount of muscle mass (something that must be avoided at all cost). It is very difficult to prevent it. However a certain anabolic steroid, Primobolan Depot (one of the safest steroids available), has been known to protect muscle wasting when the body experience a very low-calorie intake. Taking this anabolic during the side effect period might just help you losing a lot of your precious muscle mass.

HGH or human growth hormone is mostly use in cases where a hiv+ individual develop a hiv medication side effect, lipodystrophy. Usually when hiv+ people develop this side effect they have to stop or alter their medication. HGH might help get the lipodystrophy fat layer down slightly but in most cases it has only but a mild effect to get the condition under control.

I do not want to make this article to lengthy.

I rather proclaim my availability to help people who have more detailed questions – see my CONTACT ME page:

http://gertlouw.wordpress.com/contact-me/

Should you just wish me to pray for you…let me know.

Wish you a healthy living

Gert Louw

How to GROW lagging CHEST (PEC) muscles

Good pecs are very much the result of good genetics. You either have it or you don’t.

Well, I for one was not about to accept that. My logic goes, that any muscle given the right stimulation WILL GROW. So I was out on a quest to find the “right stimulation”.

My pecs was not the worse I have seen but in comparison to my shoulders, arms and abs it was lagging badly. And it was not if I was not pounding them with presses, fly’s and the like.

I spoke to many people and there was many different suggestions…some strange ones.

I wanted pecs that is not just visible at the bottom but have a definite shape starting right at the top against the shoulder muscle moving down the middle and with a good bottom definition go all the way round back to the armpits again.

Naturally my curiosity just kick started my research instinct again. I needed to get my pecs to respond and I need to find a way to do it.

Some guys even go for pec implants. A lot try the anabolic steroid route. I however kept my firm believe that wisdom needs to be applied to get results…as with all things. I knew muscle growth has no quick solutions.

After a lot of nose in the book stuff (ok, nose in the internet to be more correct), I started to formulate my approach. When I had it well planned, I decided to apply my new ideas. At this point my whole upper body was well-developed except my pecs. My diet and supplements regime was well sorted for growth. So I just needed to apply the correct training solution for pec growth.

After a 6 month period of my new approach, I could see some significant growth. There was a very good roundness to the whole pec muscle starting against the shoulder muscle and right down to the bottom pec area was started to lift out of my chest with decent form.

I knew I got it nailed down and that it would now simply be a matter of time to get them bigger and bigger…

So to all your genetic gifted lads…pecs is NOT just your domain…us “non-gifted” guys can, and will show you a thing or two. You might be as gifted as you like, but with wisdom we will kick your butt…be sure of it.

Ok, too much testosterone talk – lol! Let me get down to business as to what I did.

Pecs are a difficult muscle to get to respond.

Two main things must be done to get them to respond.

Number ONE:

You are NOT going to get it to grow with fly’s, dumbbell presses and cable machines, no matter how hard you train.

There is one way and one way only. HEAVY BENCH PRESSES with a barbel and spotter.

You must get a person to help you spot because you must go HEAVY. Four sets of eight (3 times per chest training session) and you MUST fail on that 6-8^th rep of each set…I mean complete failure…don’t be a sissy…it MUST hurt!

You must go very low – get a FULL range of motion.

Wide grip on the barbel to transfer focus to the pecs and not the triceps.

 

During a pec session you must do at least 3 x 4 sets of 6-8 reps to failure.

Don’t play around with fancy stuff, do each set with the heaviest weight you can muster to get failure at 6-8^th rep.

Later on, after you are happy with the size of your pecs can you start introducing fly’s, cables and other machine pec excercises, but initially stick to the basic movements to induce growth.

Number TWO:

No matter how hard you bench, it is still not going to stimulate the whole pecs especially the top part to give fullness to the pec muscle. The top part of the pec muscle is where most guys lack development and that is why the pec looks so flat and weak even if the bottom part is developed fairly decently.

The top part will respond by the same point number one, but instead of a flat bench you must use an incline bench.

In fact I do ALL my pec exercises with an incline bench. The incline angle focus on the top part of the pec, but the whole pec actually get a better stimulus from incline presses than flat bench.

I strongly suggest that you focus on doing pecs exercises with incline benches. You can revert to flat bench not more than once every three weeks. I just stick to the inclines.

 

To recap: You MUST get a spotter and you MUST lift to failure for each set at the 6-8^th rep.

Stick to incline benches. No less than 3 x 4 sets of 6-8 reps during a session…and it MUST PAIN!

That muscle MUST be very sore the next day.

No PAIN no GAIN…

Keep training smart and grow.

Gert Louw

For those wanting more opinions, here is an article by Gunter Schlierkamp on lagging chest muscles:

The upper chest is an area that many lifters tend to ignore in their quest for a bigger, thicker set of pecs. The flat bench, admittedly, is incredibly effective at bringing up your overall chest mass because you can handle more weight. But if you’re looking for a complete, polished look, then dedicated upper pectoral work has to be a part of your program.

Gunter Schlierkamp is a big proponent of balanced pec training. While he will also admit that flat benching is crucial for overall chest development, he says that the only way to bring this area up is to attack it with the same ferocity as your other bodyparts. Here are his top six tips for blowing up that upper shelf of your torso.

1. Always Start With Inclines

“If your upper pecs are really lagging, the best way to bring them out is to always start with incline moves,” he says. You can do this with a barbell, dumbbells or a Smith machine. Starting with incline moves will ensure that these underused fibers are fresh, allowing you move the most weight possible to trigger growth. From there you can move on to flat and decline moves, where you’re likely naturally stronger.

2. Try Power Pressing

Think about this as you would the deadlift. With the deadlift, you work without the benefit of elasticity or momentum, pulling the bar from a complete rest on the floor. This builds strength and power quickly through the positive portion of the movement. Power presses are the same idea.

“Using a Smith machine or power rack, set the safeties to a point that only allows for a partial range of motion,” he says. “As you come down, let the bar settle completely before pressing hard back to the top of the movement.”

As you get stronger through each range of motion, lower the safety pins.

 3. Use Dumbbells

“Using dumbbells will give you a completely different kind of tension and range of motion than a barbell,” says Gunter. “Make sure that you don’t get locked into using the barbell on inclines all the time, or any of your angles for that matter.”

4. Tweak Your Flyes

Incline dumbbell flyes are a great way to not only add mass to your upper chest but to etch in freaky detail. Gunter does a variation where his palms remain pronated throughout the movement. This version involves the front delts a bit more but, according to Gunter, ” “Facing the palm forward, it gives you even better tension in your upper chest and it stretches the upper pecs.”

5. Stay High on the Pec Deck

The pec deck – and similar flye machines – allow you to really bombard your inner chest and get a great stretch on your entire pectoral complex. But, Gunter says, keeping your elbows high and parallel to the floor will allow you to bring the upper pecs into play as well.

6. Stretch for Size

It’s not just lip service: stretching after your workout will absolutely assist with muscle growth and recovery. Gunter says that this is especially critical after a grueling chest day. Giving your upper pecs a good stretch, particularly if they’ve been undertrained, will help to create an environment for much-needed growth.

For more on Gunter Schlierkamp, visit him at www.gunters.net.

Does training REALLY make one happy?

There is a lot to be said for being inactive. It has some very good plus points. No-one can dispute that it feels good to regularly crash out in front of the tv…sitting for hours and watch your favorite shows.

At the same time you can also have your favorite tasty snacks on hand, and when you go out you can eat whatever tasty meal you want.

Your can drink your alcohol, smoke your ziggie and just chill.

When you feel like a chocolate, well you just eat it…that’s what life is about…or is it?

One cannot dispute that for the inactive person there IS certain pleasures.

But with this article I am hoping to allow inactive people to count the cost of that pleasures, to draw up a checklist of sorts and see where you stand with pros and cons.

 

The following is a bit stereotyping – I do NOT meant to offend but am trying to make you think about your current lack of inactivity. Draw up your own list and look very well at it.

Inactive Person                                         Workout warrior

                                            

Chill on coach eating crisps watching tv.            Struggles to find time to watch tv.

Party with friends and social drinking.                No drinking and few parties.

Like smoking cigarettes.                                     No smoking.

Enjoy regular chocolate binges.                           One bite of chocolate per week.

Have tasty rich food and meals.                           Fatless food & lots of veggies.

Feel exhausted and get tired easily.                     Have energy to spare.

Regular sinus problems and colds.                       Little problems with sinus and colds.

Struggle to get a decent erection.                         Wife smiles.

Low sex drive, too much of an effort.                   Healthy sex drive – love it.

High blood pressure.                                             Healthy blood pressure.

High cholesterol.                                                   Healthy cholesterol.

Easily forget.                                                         Brain sharp – good memory.

Struggles to do hard labour.                                  More than enough power.

Don’t wanna go outdoors – shy.                           High self-esteem and proud of body.

Skin bad and pimples.                                             Good skin & few pimples.

Regular headaches                                                    Hardly ever any headaches

Looking 10 years older than he is.                       Looking 10 years younger than he is.

He disgusts most women.                                       Most women look twice.

Guys don’t notice him.                                             Guys look at him with respect.

Struggles to sleep.                                                    Sleep when head hits the pillow.

Depressed a lot.                                                        Lust for life.

Lazy.                                                                         Energetic.

Love the indoors.                                                       Love the outdoors.

Wife wish…                                                            Wife proud…

Struggles to find decent clothes.                         Can wear anything and look good.

People ignore you when you talk.                       Got a presence – people listens.

Doctor warns about heart problem.                  Very healthy heart.

Don’t wanna do active things with kids.            Love to do active things with kids.

Negative outlook.                                            Brain chemicals give positive feeling.

Various serious health issues.                             No significant health issues.

Fairly significant diabetes risk.                           Very low diabetes risk.

Kidneys and liver not so good.                             Very healthy kidneys and liver.

Life expectancy not good.                                       Life expectancy far above average.

The list can go on and on…

The advantages to not being active is few, very few…

For the active person it is clear that the advantages is overwhelming.

TOTALLY OVERWHELMING!

 

For those of you pondering about taking the step to a lifestyle change…make a list like above and look at what you score and what you lose.

Then if you are not yet convinced, make a list how you think it will be in 10 or 20 years time. It very quickly gets very bad.

 

Now is the time to wake up. Be the BEST you can be and make it happen!

 

Wish you happy training.

Gert Louw

Getting calves and abs to RESPOND to training

Getting calves and abs to GROW!

Probably the two hardiest muscle groups for most people to train and grow is the calves (well, legs for that matter) and the abs.

Sure there are some genetic gifted lads out there that just blow up by looking at a protein shake but for us average folks it sometimes is close to impossible to get hose two muscle groups to grow and respond effectively with training.

And then you get these over 40 dads climbing up on the treadmills and their calves are the size of my waist. I am not joking here…it is ridiculous. Maybe it is something to do with why South Africans are so good in Rugby? Well, I am Afrikaans and a South African but I sortoff missed that gene…! I’ll go and talk to my mom and dad!

But for us average folk, there is a good reason why calves and abs don’t respond the same as other muscle groups to training.

The two muscles you use more than any other muscle in your body is the calves and the abs.

For just about everything you do, these 2 muscle groups are active and busy working while all the other muscles groups only get used infrequently as when needed.

What it boils down to is that calves and abs specifically have a type of muscle makeup that respond to different type of training type and frequency than all other muscle groups.

Because they get use so often, you have to train them in a fashion that they will understand.

The key here is “frequently”.

Both these groups need to be trained 2-3 times a week. And they must be trained HARD. Hitting them with a higher frequency than once a week is just about the only way that most of us is going to get a decent growth response from calves and abs. You don’t have to do too many sets and exercises but at least 2 x 3 sets of 2 different exercises.

Burnouts is a good idea because it is a “language” calves and abs will understand. With burnouts you will start at the heaviest weight and do about 8 reps, then without resting lower the weight one step and do as many reps to failure. Continue with this until you can only squeeze out 2 reps. It hurts like hell but is great for growth stimulation for calves and abs.

All the other muscles groups should be trained only once a week at high intensity.

Training other muscle groups more than once a week is moving very close to overtraining, which will mean a decrease in muscle size as well as feeling exhausted the whole time.

Slot calves and abs in once a week before a training session and once a week after a training session and on the last day of training do them on their own.

Many guys struggling with calves and abs had good success with such an attack.

Obviously all the other factors needs to be in place: eating for muscle growth, resting well enough and train wisely.

Wish u MUCH success!

 

For those that want to know more, here is a much more technical article from [www.bodyrecomposition.com] about how to train calves:

Calf Anatomy and Fiber Typing

The muscle group called the calves actually include several muscles although most only focus on two: the gastrocnemius and the soleus.  The primary function of these muscles is to act as plantarflexors (pointing the toe) although the gastroc also has very weak knee flexion activity (which is why some people will catch calf cramps on leg curl type movements).

This is also why doing calf work with the knee bent (e.g. seated calf raise) tends to work the soleus preferentially, since the gastroc crosses the knee, if the knee is bent, the gastroc can’t contribute as significantly to force output.  Put differently, if you do a straight legged calf movement, both the gastroc and soleus get trained, if you do bent-knee work, only the soleus really works.

Anatomically, the soleus essentially lies ‘underneath’ the gastroc but both give the calf its distinctive diamond like shape (when developed).   As I sort of alluded to above, the soleus doesn’t cross the knee, the gastroc does (why it can function as a weak knee flexor).

Many people seem to still think that the calf is a primarily slow twitch muscle but this is incorrect.  The gastroc is actually a fast twitch muscle and is involved in explosive type movements.  This is actually part of what is colloquially referred to as Black Man’s Calf Syndrome.

Black bodybuilders have commonly been completely unable to develop calves and the function of the calves is part of why.  High/short calves are excellent for jumping and sprinting but have little potential for growth, they are simply too short.  Black bodybuilders (or white bodybuilders for that matter) who have a short/high gastroc with a long tendon will make fantastic jumpers and sprinters; but great calves they will never have.

In any case, the soleus is predominantly a slow twitch muscle as it is more involved in overall stability (what rehab types often call a tonic muscle) of the ankle complex.  The difference in fiber type between the gastroc and soleus has implications for training that I’ll get to at the end.

I really should note another issue with the calves and that has to do with the very tiny lever arm of the achilles tendon relative to the ankle (the axis of rotation).  Because of the specific anatomy of the calves, a rather small muscle can actually generate a massive force (technically: torque) around the ankle.  This is one reason that many people can use such absolute massive amounts of weight on calf work (in addition to something I’m going to talk about below).

So Why are the Calves So Stubborn?

I haven’t honestly ever seen anything to suggest that the calves are genetically resistant or prone to muscle growth but there is one lesser well known biological fact about calves that contributes to the difficulty in making small calves into big cows (see what I did there?).

I’m assuming that everybody reading this knows or has heard of androgen receptors (AR).  The AR is what testosterone and related molecules bind to and one of the effects is to stimulate protein synthesis.  In men, there is a distinctive pattern of AR whereby there is a higher AR density in the upper body (especially the traps and shoulder girdle which is why steroid users tend to have their shoulders BLOW up when they take anabolics) decreasing as you move down the body.   If you think about it, this makes sense, since the typical wide shouldered v-shape is sort of the ideal ‘male’ physique, and we evolved like this for a reason.

By the time you get to the calves, the AR density is very low.  So even if you train the absolute hell out of them they simply don’t get the same training effect because testosterone can’t exert as much of an effect.  Even the legs of most men don’t have the same androgen receptor density as the upper body; yes, I’ve just given you guys an excuse for chicken leg syndrome.

On this note, my friend and altogether too smart guy Bryan Haycock once hypothesized to me that he thought that modern bodybuilders had better legs and calves than guys of old due to their essentially year round anabolic use.  By constantly bombarding even the low AR number of the legs and calves with constant dosing (not to mention that studies show that steroids actually upregulate the AR number), he felt that this contributes to better leg size (compare for example, the size of Lee Haney’s legs to that of Arnold in his prime, despite all that squatting with logs, Arnold had proportionally smaller legs compared to his upper body).

In any case, this is a big part of the reason that the calves are so hard to develop.  I’d note, and this is purely an empirical observation on my part, that some people seem to have somewhat reversed patterns whereby AR density seems to be higher in the lower body and lesser in the upper body.  These folks develop legs easily but the upper body never seems to catch up.  Women, especially those carrying more weight seem to have this happen but I’ve seen it in men too.  Again, no research on this, just an observation over the years.

What We can Learn from Kangaroos

There’s another aspect of calf function that most ignore but that I think contributes massively to most people’s complete inability to develop their calves.  Everyone reading this at some point been in the weight room and seen the absolute skinniest of folks bouncing enormous amounts of weight on calf exercises without appearing to be working very hard.  They couldn’t do this on any other exercise, did you ever wonder what was going on?

To understand what I’m going to explain, I need to talk about elastic tissue and how it stores and recoils energy.  Tissues like tendons are termed elastic tissue (meaning that they can stretch/deform and come back to normal afterwards), if you load them quickly (e.g. through a fast eccentric), they actually store energy which you can then get returned to you if you move quickly enough.  This is part of why it’s always easier to bench out of a bounce than with a pause (there are other reasons that aren’t relevant here).  So just remember that: elastic tissues can store energy and return it if you move quickly enough.

And that brings us to kangaroos.  Ever seen a kangaroo hop, ever notice how bouncy they are?  As it turns out, when kangaroos hop for distance, they do it in a very certain frequency.  And research has shown that this frequency allows them to load the tendon on the back of their leg to get a massive amount of elastic recoil; this allows them to keep going and going without using much muscular energy.  It’s massively efficient because tendons don’t really get tired.

Do you see where I’m going with this yet?  The human achilles tendon, the elastic tissue connective the calves to the bottom of the foot works similarly (not to nearly the magnitude of the kangaroo mind you).  This is an adaptation for human locomotion, when you walk and the shin moves forwards, it loads the achilles which gives you a bit of energy return, it saves energy for walking and running

Quite in fact, running shoes have tried to build mechanical versions of this, spring type cushions in the heel of shoes that return energy when you run so that less muscular energy is required.

What do you think is happening when people do bouncy bouncy calf work?  That’s right, they are basically using the elastic energy return potential of their calves to move enormous amounts of weight without performing much muscular work; and since the combination of tension and work is what stimulates growth…biology isn’t the only reason most people’s calves don’t grow.  Most people just train them terribly.

I honestly think this is where the idea of doing massively high reps on calves came from: when you bounce, you use such a tiny amount of muscular effort with each rep, that you have to do hundreds of reps to get the muscle to feel anything at all.

Of course, there’s a much easier solution; you’ve probably guessed what it is but this brings me to the next section: how to train the calves.

How to Train the Calves

First, let’s sum up what I’ve covered:

• The gastroc is primarily a fast-twitch muscle
• The soleus is primarily a slow-twitch muscle
• If you do calf work with straight legs, you work both the gastroc and soleus
• If you do calf work with bent legs, you work only the soleus
• When you bounce, the achilles tendon does much, if not most of the work and the calf does little

I didn’t mention the androgen receptor density thing because, short of taking steroids year round, there’s nothing you can do to control that.  But with proper training, we can take all of the above into account.

First, here’s my standard go-to calf routine.

A straight legged calf exercise: 5 sets of 5 done in the following fashion.

From a dead 2 second pause, explode up, squeeze for 1 second at the top, 3 second eccentric (for tempo freaks, this would be written X/1/3/2: explosive concentric, 1 second squeeze at the top, 3 second negative, 2 second pause at the bottom).  Take 3 minutes between sets and GO HEAVY.   When you get all 5 sets of 5, add weight at the next workout.  The gastroc is fast twitch, it responds to heavy loads.  The explosive concentric out of the pause will maximize tension, the squeeze makes sure that you’re controlling the weight, the slow eccentric is critical for growth.  Note: be careful on the pause, don’t overstretch the calves or you can give yourself plantar fascitis.  But don’t cut range of motion either.  You want some stretch on the calves, don’t try to drop your heels as far as possible.

Follow that up with:

A bent-knee calf raise: 3-4 sets of 8-10 done in the following fashion.

From a 2 second pause, take 2 seconds to squeeze the weight up, brief pause at the top, 2 second eccentric (so 2/1/2/2).  60-90 seconds rest and use as much weight as you can in good form, you may have to drop weight after each set due to fatigue.  Being slow-twitch, the soleus will respond to longer sets and more of a fatigue stimulus. This should hurt like hell.

Putting it a little more clearly:

• Straight leg calf raise: 5X5/3′ rest on a X/1/3/2 tempo
• Bent knee calf raise: 3-4X8-10/60-90″ rest on a 2/1/2/2 tempo.

That’s it, do the above twice per week (once every 5 days if you have poorer recovery) either as specialization or after legs.  Oh yeah, and you need to be gaining weight to grow calves (or any body part).  You’re not going to build muscle out of thin air and wishful thinking and if you’re not gaining weight while doing the above, you won’t grow anything.

Do the above for an 8 week cycle, take the first 2 weeks sub-maximally (you won’t be able to walk the first week if this is your first time dead pausing calf work) and then push the weights as much as you can (especially on the heavy sets).  After 8 weeks, drop the weight for 2 weeks and either hit it again or move on to something else.

I can’t guarantee that the above will turn your piddle calves into cows but compared to how 99% of people train calves, the above coupled with a slight caloric surplus can only help.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/training-the-calves.html

Supercharging your METABOLISM

Is that at all possible? Let me put it this way…not by sitting on the coach with the bag of crisps in your hand it’s not!
Most of you are aware that I am preaching a complete lifestyle change but with this article I am going to focus on how you can get your metabolism fired up to function at its peak level.
I think it is common knowledge that the higher you’re resting metabolism is the quicker you are going get rid of that unwanted fat layer.
Before we get to the nitty-gritty of the how, let’s quickly delve into why a lot of people are sitting with these slow metabolisms. I’ve already touched on some reasons in some of my earlier articles.
Granted, for some people it might actually be genetic, but for the most (and I claim easily 95%) they have enough control over the metabolic rate to make a very big difference weight wise.

The slow metabolism origins

 

The first main reason
In my article DIET IS FOR LOSERS I already discussed how people are training their body in a complete negative way by following short-term diets. Each diet train the body to drop the resting metabolic rate since it senses it might be in a famine period. After the diet target weight is reached and you revert back to your normal eating habits, your body is adding on as much fat as possible to prepare for the next approaching “famine” period and it then lowers the resting metabolic rate every time you hit a new diet…for good!
Therefore DIETS is one of the main reasons the resting metabolic rate is slowing down year after year.
One should never follow a diet (or short-term solution) but make a long-term lifestyle change if you want a healthy metabolic rate.

 

The second main reason
In conjunction with above problem, the same people will tend to become more and more inactive due to various reasons:

• Our western lifestyle is that of coach potatoes in front of tv.
• Being more overweight year after year make it even more difficult to become active.
• Time and work may sometimes be limiting factors.

 

How are you going to get this slow resting metabolic rate fired up for peak performance?

If you are not ready to make a complete lifestyle change, skip this article…but be aware there is absolutely NO quick fix available anywhere in our little spot of the universe. The closest you will get to a quick and last fix (not to get a healthy metabolic rate but get rid of the fat layer) is the operation that restrict your amount of food uptake by your body…serious stuff…..we were designed a certain way, alter with that design and you ask for serious problems. That being said, there are success stories out there of people who did the operation…
So a lifestyle change is a basic need to start the process of correcting your resting metabolic rate.

Part of a lifestyle change is eating a small balanced meal every 3-4 hours (from waking up to going to bed). Why? Well, the body was designed that way. The 3 meals a day plan most people follow is far from what the body need to act optimally. It allows your blood sugar levels to drop too low and also does not give the food in the correct way for your body to grow/lose fat and function optimally.
After you’ve ate a meal, even small, your resting metabolic rate will be much higher than normal for the next 3 hours. That is due to all the functions your body is performing to get the food from your stomach to your blood to feed the body. Your digestive system uses a lot of energy to do it’s job. Whether it is a small or big meal does not matter so much. Therefore the more frequent you can keep this system active the more energy you will burn and the higher your metabolic rate. But please, this is not a ticket to hit the fridge on the hour! You must stick religiously to the 3-4 hour rule and the meals must be small and balanced and ONLY what your body need. No more, no less.

But that alone is not going to solve the problem. There is much damage done and that damage need to be undone.

For years on end your body has been trained to slow down you’re resting metabolic rate and no matter what you do now that metabolism will need time to adapt. There is no quick way out. The more the damage the longer it will take. Let me put it to you like this, the more diets you’ve tried in the past the longer it is going to take to get your metabolism to function optimally.
No two people will react the same, but a general guideline is it can take between 6 to 8 months for worse case scenarios metabolic rates to start functioning optimally again. But don’t fear, on average it take 2 – 3 months to sort out the metabolism for most people.

Put the scale away!

Another point I want to raise at this stage is weighing yourself too often.
Put that scale away. You are aware of the damage that has been done to your metabolism and that will take some time to repair. Implement your lifestyle change and religiously stick to it.
I suggest that you never weight yourself more than once a month – at the same time every month.

Think about it…
It allow yourself to slip up once or twice, it gives enough breathing space for woman to avoid problems about periods etc. Your scale is not going to tell you the true story of what is busy happening in your body for the first couple of months. You need to re-program your body and while that new program is being written you do NOT want the scale to show you week after week a negative picture that will demotivate you within the first month.
You’ve made that lifestyle change (with all that goes along with it) – stick to it and once a month you can check yourself. Even measurements must only be done not more than once a month.
NEVER let the scale or measurements rule your lifestyle change. That is one of the quickest ways to fail and fall back. With the lifestyle change you eat right, train right, supplement right and do all in the right combinations and frequentcy…your body WILL respond.

Lean Mass and resting metabolic rate

A very important factor that determines the resting metabolic rate will be the amount of lean mass your body carries. The more lean mass the higher you’re resting metabolic rate.
Now I already hear (once agin) many women (and men) crying out, “we don’t wanna built any muscle just tone a bit”. Well, “toning” IS BUILDING MUSCLE! An inactive person losing all the unwanted fat would need to built at least 15 – 30% muscle to reach his/her target for a “toning” look/appearance. There is NOT something like toning, toning IS building muscle. So adding 15-30% muscle will have a dramatic effect on your resting metabolic rate and will give you that “toning” look.
This is also why I always recommend to overweight guys, to first focus on building decent muscle, then the process of losing the fat will be MUCH easier. In fact, without you even trying, you will loose fat because you’ve change your lifestyle.

Body builders generally have this aspect very good under control and that is also one of the reasons they are so successful in cutting to low body fat levels.

Now let’s return to get a shortlist of what you need to do to supercharge your metabolism:

1. Lifestyle change (eating + training + supplements + vitamins + spirituality). In some of my earlier posts I dealt in detail with what lifestyle chances involves.
2. Eating every 3-4 hours [keep metabolic rate fired up for up to 3 hours after eating]
3. Training 4-5 days a week [resting metabolic rate raised for up to 24 hours after training]
4. Grow muscle as much as you can but 15-30% minimum fore real change = toning. [more muscle = higher resting metabolic rate].

The above WILL kick start your metabolism into overdrive. It again is the combination of ALL the above and not any single item that makes the difference. You need to cover ALL THE ANGLES if you want to get your metabolism fired up and restored to function optimally.

 

As you can see, you cannot get away from some key changes in your life if you want to get rid of fat, look good and have a great body. These factors will always remain constant because it brings us back to how we were designed and suppose to live. Not as chips eating coach potatoes but as active people eating right and small meals every 3-4 hours.

Yes there are other supplements out there can can have a positive effect on your resting metabolism for a couple of hours (caffeine pills, green tea extract, etc…) but this should be ignored at first. Focus purerly on getting to grips with all aspects of your lifestyle change. Once you have that fully under control (I reckon it will take you at least 3 months) then by all means investigate other avenues of boosting your resting metabolic rate. But remember: NOTHING is a substitute other than above to fire up your metabolism in the correct way. Do not try to take any shortcuts!

 

Fire up that metabolism guys and girls and make 2013 the year that you become the best you can be…for good!

 

Wish you success
Gert

Fibromyalgia – excercise and treatment options

Fibromyalgia and training

Severe muscle pain from the tip of your finger to the tip of your big-toe…struggling to do just about anything and have to live with constant pain 24 hours a day year in year out…this is the people suffering from Fibromyalgia (plus fatigue, stiffness, sleep disturbances, headaches and mood disorders, such as depression or anxiety).

It is so common that I felt it necessary to give some insight into how sufferers can make life bearable.

 

Up to 1 in 50 people struggle with the condition of Fibromyalgia and it is the 2nd most common ailment affecting the musculoskeletal system after osteoarthritis.

 

Between 80%-90% of sufferers are women.

Most men only get it due to a traumatic episode or the likes.

 

Due to how common Fibromyalgia is, I thought it warrants attention in my fitness blog.

 

Medical science struggles to explain the real origin of why people have Fibromyalgia and as such also struggle to treat it effectively. It is however a clear defined condition that can very easily be determined by specific pain pressure points of the muscle system.

Some have it worse than others…some to the degree that they truly cannot get out of bed.

A lot of women get it straight after pregnancy.

Medication

Effective medication is scarce and doctors struggle to find tools to treat the pain. Yes, you can drink an anti-inflamatory but for how long before the liver or your stomach lining is damaged…not a good solution. Some doctors even reverted to anti-depression drugs which has shown to have a safe long-term pain relief effect. But I don’t know about you…anti-depressents alter brain chemistry and I for one would use that as an absolute last resort and those I know said it had little to no effect.

There just is not an effective long-term pain reliever for Fibromyalgia sufferers.

Some sufferers even went as far as starting to use Marijuana/Dagga. They claim it helps making the pain manageable. Well, I for one must be close to my deathbed before I will start using street drugs or the likes to treat pain.

But sometimes it is easy for us non-sufferers to talk. The pain for the sufferers is very real.

Other routes treating Fibromyalgia

However, there are alternatives to deal with Fibromyalgia and it slots in nicely with making a lifestyle change.

The following “treatment” is safe and can relief more pain then all the conventional and unconventional treatments for Fibromyalgia.

Granted, due to the medical science struggling to determine the exact cause Fibromyalgia can possibly be a diverse type of illness that is not necessarily the same for every person and thus a “standard” treament might not have the same effect for everyone.

However, the following treatment regimen has been followed by some Fibromylagia sufferers with good to great results (although no specific scientific research has been done to verify the success level of these strategies). Either way, great success has been reached by following it and it may just make a huge difference in the sufferers life. Note, it is rather the combination of the “total attack”, than any specific aspect of the following that makes the difference for the sufferer:

1. Start a dedicated, 4-5 day a week intense training program.
2. Start using Co-Enzyme Q10, Ecklonia Cava Extract and Omega 3.
3. Follow a lifestyle change in your eating program (+ lots of water and potent multi vitamin).

Training for Fibromyalgia.

Yes it will be painful. To get past the first two weeks or so you might consider anti-inflamatories.

But training will be your most powerful tool in dealing with Fibromyalgia…any sufferer who train intensely will confirm this. Being very fit makes it MUCH easier to cope with the pain. The workouts also helps you cope mentally and emotionally much better with Fibromyalgia. Training also relieves all those feel good hormones that puts Fibromyalgia in the backseat.

The more intense the training the better. I would clearly suggest a good mix between resistance and cardio type training.

Co Enzyme Q10 for Fibromyalgia

Scientists in Sevilla, Spain (2010), demonstrated increased oxidative stress and reduced coenzyme Q10 levels in the cells of some fibromyalgia patients. But they also demonstrated that coenzyme Q10 does not prevent or cure fibromyalgia.

Coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10, is synthesized by your cells using the same metabolic pathway that produces cholesterol. CoQ10 can also be obtained from foods, such as fish, organ meats and whole grains, or from supplements. CoQ10 serves two critical purposes in your body: it acts as a cofactor for the enzymes that produce high-energy molecules called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, in your mitochondria, and it functions as an antioxidant in your tissues. CoQ10′s ability to simultaneously do these two functions could prove beneficial for some people with fibromyalgia.

(Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/466161-q10-for-fibromyalgia/#ixzz2KPYQ6eJC)

I personally know of quite a few Fibromyalgia sufferers who had good success with CQ10 at dosages varying between 200mg to 300mg per day spread out to 3 times a day after meals. They mentioned that within 48 hours after stopping the CQ10, the intense pain of the Fibromyalgia returned. Your local pharmacy should have various over the counter CQ10 available.

Ecklonia Cava Extract for Fibromyalgia

“In an eight-week, double-blind, placebo controlled study, Ecklonia Cava Extract demonstrated profound benefits in a group of established fibromyalgia patients. It reduced the time it took participants to fall asleep, and increased overall nighttime sleep. It improved soundness of sleep and boosted energy levels. Study participants also reported more good days per week, reduced pain, and an improvement in their general condition.”

For the Fibromyalgia sufferer, it is a must have supplement, a super antioxidant.

Suggested dosages 800mg after morning, midday and evening meal.

Together with CQ10 it provides a powerful weapon for the sufferer.

Omega 3 for Fibromyalgia

Omega-3 fatty acids inhibit inflammation and may reduce the amount of pain suffered in fibromyalgia. 2 x 2g after each meal 3 times a day. In combination with CQ10 & Ecklonia Cava it attacks the Fibromyalgia symptoms on various levels.

Lifestyle eating change for Fibromyalgia

A lifestyle eating change will not necessarily cure of relief pain, but due to its healthy eating habits it will make sure the body is feed correctly and as such give the body with a lot of tools needed to fight the condition. Part of this lifestyle eating plan is to get a potent daily multi vitamin as well as LOTS of water (2L-4L). The water is required to “flush” your system and help remove the bad stuff from your body. As you start loosing fat in your new lifestyle endeavour, the body will be faced with larger than normal amounts of “bad stuff” that was stored with the fat. Good daily water intake help to get this out of your system effectively.

The CQ10, Ecklonia Cava, Omega 3 and lifestyle eating change with intense training can potentially change the life of Fibromyalgia sufferers.

Anabolics and other banned substances for Fibromylgia

Ahhh, the sorted topic of anabolics, but the truth is some people with Fibromyalgia (especially men), have experimented with Anabolic Steroids and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) in treating Fibromyalgia and they swear by it, but some doctors are sceptical although I have spoken to a few that say they can see a possible link due to the fact that both anabolics and HGH primarily stimulates muscle growth, add a feel good factor and positive feeling with enhanced energy levels, etc…

What must be noted here is that nearly no scientific research has been done about Fibromyalgia and anabolics/HGH.

I have personally spoken to people who claim that a combination of anabolics and HGH makes the pain and other Fibromyalgia symptoms much more bearable and also give them a new lust for life.

It is an expensive route which might have some bad pitfalls for the user who do not know the substances and its side effects well. So it must be used with caution.

Although the lack of medical research and some scepticism from some medical doctors raise a question mark, it does sound not too far-fetched that these substances might have some positive effect in treating Fibromyalgia since both these substances have a direct impact and effect on the musculature structure of the body and energy levels. For those at the end of the road struggling to cope with the pain, it might just be a last option to try. But again…take care. I can suggest the safest route to you with these substances (there are many anabolics and many behaves differently and have different danger levels) but I would strongly suggest it being done under doctors supervision. Contact me if you need some help.

 

I truly hope this article may help some Fibromyalgia suffers out there…and if you know of someone, please pass on the info. I know some of these sufferers and it is not something I wish on my enemy.

 

Happy training without pain!

Gert Louw

How to train for aesthetic growth?

You might notice many guys (and girls) doing their sets religiously, train hard, eat right and rest well but it just seem that they not really getting anywhere. Yes they get bigger but it is not really a good-looking big but just …bigger.

Then you see these guys (not many of them) looking really good…muscles in proportion, well-formed and they just got this “wow factor” when you look at them. But you don’t understand because they simply do not train harder or lift heavier weights than you…what is going on here!?

 

The jealous bunch will scream “steroids!” of course…but there is another much less sinister reason.

OK, granted, some of them might actually be juicing but I am gonna stick my neck out here and say me don’t think so.

 

What they do is they train right, but what is right?.

Let me explain…

• It don’t help just lifting heavy and training hard week after week. You need to get a “mind muscle” connection for each rep of each exercise that you do.
  
• You need to focus in your brain on the primary muscle you going to use for contraction and then do a slow controlled rep with perfect form. When you reached the max position you need to squeeze the target muscle for a second or two before you lower the weight AT THE SAME SLOW (!) SPEED that you used to lift or push the weight.
• The negative move of the exercise must be at the exact same controlled slow speed and perfect form that the positive move of the exercise.
  
• NEVER throw the weight around in a quick fashion.
  
• Look less in the mirror and focus more on getting this “mind muscle” connection and absolute slow perfect form for positive and negative aspects of the rep.

Each and every exercise should be performed this way.

You will find that you will gradually increase this “mind muscle” connection until you eventually have very specific control over the target muscle for a specific exercise.

 

Range of motion

Do NOT cheat on the range of motion of an exercise…you need the full range of motion to targets ALL AREAS of the muscle.

Cheating on the range of motion means you will not be targeting the complete muscle and thus not develop an aesthetic pleasing look. (ie: only your middle part of the muscle will develop well and not the sides or front/back)

Strengthening the “mind muscle” connection

Doing 20 minutes of posing in a mirror after training helps to further strengthen this “mind muscle” control.

The better this control the better your technique and focus on the muscle exercised and the result will be a full and balanced development of the muscle.

 

Look at those guys that have this wow factor. Look at how they train. You will see that their positive and negative speed and form is with absolute control and full range of motion.

Sure genetics always play a role.

But no matter how bad your genetics, training in the correct way will develop that muscle in a balanced way and you WILL LOOK GOOD!

 

Stop plundering ahead and start training wise.

Wish you success!

 

Tennis/Golfers elbow and muscle tear PREVENTION

Injuries will be one of the main obstacles for anyone in serious training, especially for the over 40 crowd. Even the youth don’t escape it, but us more mature subjects has less flexibility in our muscles and tendons. This result in injuries.

For a 20-year-old one month from training does little harm. For a 45-year-old it is a severe setback (due to the lower testosterone and growth hormone levels).

So the older you are the wiser you need to train!

I am going to focus here on just the most common injuries:

• Tennis and Golfers elbow.
• Muscle tear prevention.
• What to do when a muscle is torn?

Tennis and Golfers elbow

Tennis elbow is the tearing or damage of the tendon on the outside of the elbow and golfers elbow the damage on the inside of the elbow. Both hurts like hell and can derail your training completely.

If you already have the condition, step number one is to go to the doctor and get and injection to get the inflammation under control. That should be followed up by about 10 days of anti-inflamatories to keep the inflammation down and allow for healing.

You should be able to keep training but the following training guidance is critical.

Train correct to allow healing or prevention of Tennis/Golfers elbow.

How to prevent Tennis/Golfers elbow?

For guys (and girls) who lift…there is a simple rule to prevent both those conditions: Keep your wrist straight. Your hand must ALWAYS be completely straight and aligned with your forearm. This should be during the WHOLE movement. NEVER bent your wrist up or down while lifting or carrying weights. That focus the tension on the inside or outside tendon (depending on which way the wrist is bent, bent upwards = outside tendon, bent downwards = inside tendon) and result in the tear or damage.

Concentrate on this during your whole workout. Never ever bend your wrist while lifting weights or train on machines or even while holding weights. Keep the hand and forearm always a perfect straight line. That place equal pressure and stress on both the front and back tendons and lower the change for damage.

Muscle tears

Just about 99.99% of muscle tears (shoulder, bicep, leg) is a result of failure to warm up the muscle sufficiently.

What to do to prevent a muscle tear?

• Make sure you do proper warming up. Basically that means get the blood flowing and just start to break a sweat. (It takes me 7 – 10 minutes). That could be treadmill or similar cardio exercise.
• Before you jump into lifting heavy you need to do at least 40 reps with a light weight to make sure the target muscle is well warmed up.
• Now you should be ready to start lifting heavy, but I always make sure my first set is just 50% of my max weight. My 2^nd set is at full force.

Another point of note here: I believe stretching the target muscle after each set keeps your muscle and to a lesser extend the tendons flexible. Many fitness people don’t support the stretching benefits (some research has been done which actually support some aspects of their thinking.) However, I believe in the stretching even if it just to help the muscle relax after the intense contractions. Choose for yourself but stretching has only helped me in my training.

I am speculating and say that that stretching might even influence the muscles eventual shape. Intense lifting make the muscle tense up. Stretching help it relaxes and does the opposite than the intense contraction. I believe it does play a part in the aesthetics of the muscle even if a small part.

What to do when a muscle is torn?

Do not run off to your physio!

Go straight to a sports medical doctor.

He will most probably send you for a scan to confirm the suspicion. If that suspicion is confirmed a small operation need to be done to attach the muscle again.

It is CRITICAL that the muscle is attached as soon as possible. If you want to fix this 2 months or so down the line…sorry but that muscle cannot be attached anymore.

IMMEDIATELY get to your doctor and make sure no muscle was torn.

If a muscle is only partly torn then no operation is needed and with some treatment (injections + anti inflamatories + physio) the situation can be remedied. But if the muscle is completely torn, YOU HAVE TO GET OPERATED and quick!

Steroids and muscle tears

To the steroid crowd, you need to be very carefull of tearing muscles and tendons. Some anabolic steroids will make the muscle stronger and more powerfull instantly but the tendons stay weak. It means you can more easily get injured. Even if you have the power, be carefull to lift too fast too quickly because the tendons needs time to grow and get strong before you can jump too much in weight size lifted.

 

Diet effects on tendons and muscle tears – Make sure you get a good amount of omega 3, 6 & 9 in. This has been shown to help keep joint and tendons healthy.

 

LEARN FROM MY INJURY: The bicep has two muscles – upper and lower. Four months ago I’ve torn my left arms lower bicep muscle. I thought it was just a small tear and went to the physio instead of the doctor. Not a good move. Today my doctor told me that he thinks my bottom muscle has been completely torn off and that he cannot attach it because it must be attached very soon after the tear occurred. So my left bicep will only function with one muscle and theoretically be 50% weaker.  NEW UPDATE 7 Feb 2013 – Just went for proper scans of the bicep and it showed that the lower bicep muscle is intact, slightly deformed due to the tear but intact. The problem is rather the tendon of the bicep which is partly torn as a result of lifting too heavy while the bicep tear was not healed properly…so nothing that some injections + anti-inflamatories + wise training won’t remedy…praise God!

 

Be wise…train wise…and grow!

Can I still transform my body when over 40?

Flabby, fat, low energy and very, very unfit couch potatoes…yeah such is the over 40 years for many of us men. But when we hit 45 we start to crave the lost youth…or is it lost?

Many a guy try to recap his youth with a fast car…even disasterous extra marital affairs.

But when that has come and gone…it just leaves a sad unpleasant taste in the mouth.

Then they realize they are bald, grey, overweight and have a heart problem plus high blood pressure…not even to mention the cholesterol.

The pills add up and they are bigger in volume than your breakfast.

Life’s future seems dim…and what you once had in your youth seems to be completely out of your reach and faaaaar gone…

For many who have reached this point and have a serious heart problem…it might just be too late to recap what once was…but not impossible.

 

This blog-post is meant for those over 40′s…Wake up! Open you eyes…there is a way…a GREAT way out.

You might even feel better that you did in your youth because now you can apply some wisdom as well.

Yip those testosterone levels will be waaaaay lower than when you where 20…but they are still very far from zero and each milligram of testosterone flowing in your veins has got SERIOUS abilities to help you regain that youth.

You will not turn back the clock but you can start utilising each bit of testosterone to the fullest and let them do what they do…grow muscle, built up your body and in the process you will release even more testosterone. Those that have little will have less and those who have little but start to use it will get more…as simple as that. And on top of that, your body will start releasing higher levels of growth hormone when you reach a high activity level, meaning: feeling younger, better skin, more energy, lust for life and many other positive things…too many to mention.

 

As with so many things in life those that grab opportunity and DO something will have and those sitting back will have less…much less.

Yes, you CAN look better than you did when you was 20. I do and I am now 48 and every year I am looking even better than the previous one.

 

You have serious control over both those two miracle hormones: testosterone and growth hormone.

That is two key ingredients why you felt so good and look so good when you where young.

But it will not just come by itself…you will really have to MAKE it happen.

 

It will not happen by changing a single thing or starting to jog a little.

To get those hormones released and get them to do their job you will have to train hard and vigorously.

It will be painfull..initially. You can easily throw in the towel. Many does. How much do you want it? Think about it…I say…there is NO CHOICE! JUST DO IT! DO NOT TURN BACK!

 

Be wise how you do it. Slow gradual steps…climb the ladder step by step…leap and you will fall.

Full attack: Train right and train hard, eat correct for growth and recuperation, rest enough to allow recuperation and supplement with potent multi vitamins and lots of water.

 

Become what you never was….become the best you can ever be.

Be noticed…have a presence…and the best part…change inside.

Don’t just make it and outside change. Make you like the whole you, inside and out. That makes this new change soooooo much more worthwhile.

Care about the less privileged, care about your neighbour and start joining projects to help needy people.

You can have a new body, a new lust for life, look and feel the best you’ve ever did and have the cherry on the cake of having that awesome feeling that you helped someone today…that you’ve made a difference…

 

Those over 40′s have more time at their disposal…there should be no excuses.

The same hold true for those over 50.

It does not stop there…you can still look kick-ass and be over 70. The choice really is yours.

For those that want to know more, here is an article on testosterone release with training:

Testosterone Training

By Chris Thibaudeau

Okay, before you get the wrong impression, this article is not about training on the “juice”. It is an article on how to maximise the effects of your own serum testosterone and how to increase it naturaly.
A Little Reminder

Testosterone is known as the male hormone, It is secreted by the testes and according to the most recent research it is so in a circadian (regular cycling) manner. Still according to these studies even if each individuals have slightly differant cycles it is the general rule that testosterone levels are at their highest in the morning. So training in the morning do have a slight advantage over working out later in the day.

As you probably already know testosterone is the muscle-building hormone. By synthesising proteins it rebuild the muscle fibers damaged by resistance training.

The amount of testosterone in your body is a limitating factor because you can’t build more muscle if your testosterone levels are not high enough, that’s why athletes who take synthetic testosterone (steroids) experience faster muscle growth, their limitating factor just disapeared.

But without plunging in the hell of performance enhancing drugs there is a way to increase your level of testosterone naturaly.
Effect of Weight Training on Serum Testosterone

Again, research prove, in a consistant manner, that the level of serum testosterone is higher after a bout of demanding resistance training. That increase being affected by the amount of muscle mass stimulated, the training load and the level of intensity (again intensity reffering to a %age of your 1RM).
Effect of the amount of muscle mass stimulated on serum testosterone

Findings all flood in the same direction as to say that the larger the amount of muscle mass is stimulated simultaneously, the more the testosterone level increase. You might have heard a trillion time that multi-joints exercises were better than isolation exercises to develop muscle mass and strength but without really knowing why.

Well this is one of the reasons: multi-joints exercise stimulate more testosterone production compared to single-joints movements. That’s why doing heavy sets of squat will build you all around, because it shut your natural levels of testosterone through the roof!

For that reason the bulk of your program should be constituted of the basic, multi-joints movements, if you want more testosterone that is!

Yet despite that we see countless people doing endless hours of biceps curl, leg extension and the likes. Literaly wasting their time when they could be training productively!
Effect of the Training Load (volume) on Serum Testosterone

Most of the literature goes in the same way on this issue. Resistance exercise must be done at a sufficient volume to fully stimulate testosterone production. Too low a volume will not cause testosterone to be released a level near what higher volume do.

But that doesn’t mean that you should hammer countless sets of countless exercises. Because if studies shown that an higher volume do cause more testosterone to be released those levels quickly decrease after 45 to 60 minutes. So giving that evidence I have to disgress slitghly from my original plan to include:
Effect of the Rest between Sets on Serum Testosterone

Since an higher volume lead to more testosterone but longer training time lead to less there must be a time factor somewhere that will enable us to conciliate the two. Of course it’s the time of rest between your sets.

To cut a long story short, many studies researched that variable, the most significant being by Kraemer et al.

This research consisted of two groups, one performing an hypertrophy workout made of sets of 10 RM with a minute of rest between each sets.

The other one was a strength training consisting of multiple sets of 5 RM with 3 minutes between each sets.

Both group shown significant increase in serum testosterone, the earlier showing a slightly higher increase.

That indicate that hypertrophy workout do increase testosterone level more than strength training. Also shorter rest periods seem to have the same effect.

If 1 minute seem to lead to bigger increase in testosterone level than 3 minutes I wouldn’t recommand going below 1 minute in hope to increase the testosterone level even more, because by doing so you would greatly impair your short-term recovery and would have to decrease your load.
Effect of Intensity on Serum Testosterone

As I just said hypertrophy training seem to bring more serum testosterone increase. But one shouldn’t forget that the group performing sets of 5 RM with 3 minutes of rest also showed a significant increase. In fact for optimum testosterone increase the intensity should be kept between 5 and 10 RM with a rest time proportionate to these levels of intensity.
Effect of Time Under Tension on Serum Testosterone

If the repetition range is a good way to determine the level of intensity it might not be the best way to determine the optimum time under tension. TUT also play a big role in testosterone stimulation since it directly influence the type of training followed, and since hypertrophy showed an higher increase in serum testosterone the time under tension should be aimed toward that type of training (to maximise testosterone production at least, maximum strength is another thing). The optimum time for hypertrophy has been found to be between 40 and 70 seconds. Thus 10 reps at a tempo of 101 might be in the correct rep range but the time under tension (20 seconds) is not high enough for maximum hypertrophy, in this case it would be geared more toward neural adaptation.
Points to remember

1-You should stick with as many multi-joints exercises as you can.
2-You should use a training load high enough to fully stimulate testosterone production.
3-Keep your reps in the 5-10RM range,
4-Keep your rest between sets in the 3-1 minute(s) range according to your intensity level.
5-For maximum testosterone release keep your time under tension between 40 and 70 seconds.
6-Train early in the morning if you can. Not to worry if you can’t since this don’t have a huge effect.
7-Increase your post workout protein intake to take advantage of the testosterone spike.
References

Baxendale, P.M., M.J., Reed and V.H.T. James. Testosterone in saliva of normal men and it’s relationship with unbound and total testosterone levels in plasma. J. Endocrin. 87:46P-4P.1980

Booth’ A.A., A.C. Mazur, and J.M. Dabbs. Endogenous testosterone and competition: The effect of fasting. Steroids 20:269-278. 1972

Bridges. N.A., P.C. Hindmarsh, P.J. Pringle, D.R. Matthews and C.G.D. Brooks. The relationship endogenous testosterone and gonadotrophin secretion. Clin. Endocrin. 38:373-378. 1993

De Lacerda, L., A. Kowarski, A.J. Johanson, R. Athanasiou, and C.J. Migeon. Integrated concentration and circadian variation of plasma testosterone in normal men. J.Clin.Endocrin.Metab. 37:366-371. 1973

Fahey, T.D., R.Rolph, P. Moungmee, J.Nagel and S.Morata. Serum testosterone, body composition and strength of young adults. Med.Sci.Sport Exerc. 8:31-34. 1976

Florini. J.R. Effects of testosterone on qualitative pattern of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle. Biochem. 9:909-912, 1970

Florini. J.R. Hormonal control of muscle cell growth. J.Animal Sci. 61:21-37. 1985

Fleck, S.J., and W.J.Kraemer. Designing Resistance training program. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1997

Hakkinen, K,. and A.Pakarinen. Acute Hormonal responses to two differant fatiguing heavy-resistance protocols in male athletes. J.Appl.Physiol. 74:882-887, 1993

Kraemer, W.J., L. Marchitelli, S.E. Gordon, E.Harman, J.E. Dziados, R.Mello, P.Frykman, D. McCurry, and S.J. Fleck. Hormonal and growth factor responses to heavy resistance exercise protocols. J.Appl.Physiol. 69:1442-1450. 1990

Landman, A.D., L.M. Sanford, B.E. Howland, C.Dawes, and E.T. Pritchard. Testosterone in Human saliva. Experientia 32:940-941. 1976

Lejeune-Lenain, C., E.Vaucauter, D.Desir, M.Beyloos, and J.R.M. Franckson. Control of circadian and episodic variation of adrenal androgen secretion in man. J.Endocrin.Invest. 10:267-276. 1987

Loebel, C.C., and W.J. Kraemer. A brief review: Testosterone and resistance training in men. J.Strength and Cond.Res. 12(1):57-63. 1998

Staron, R.S., R.S. Hikida, F.C. Hagerman, G.A.Dudley and R.Murray. Human skeletal muscle fibers type to various workload. J.Histochem.Cytochem. 32:146-152. 1984

The exercise-induced growth hormone response in athletes.

Godfrey RJ, Madgwick Z, Whyte GP.

Source

Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.

Abstract

Human growth hormone (hGH) is secreted in a pulsatile fashion, generally following a circadian rhythm. A number of physiological stimuli can initiate hGH secretion, the most powerful, non-pharmacological of which are sleep and exercise. hGH has many varied roles throughout life, from growth itself, including the turnover of muscle, bone and collagen, to the regulation of selective aspects of metabolic function including increased fat metabolism and the maintenance of a healthier body composition in later life. The exercise-induced growth hormone response (EIGR) is well recognised and although the exact mechanisms remain elusive, a number of candidates have been implicated. These include neural input, direct stimulation by catecholamines, lactate and or nitric oxide, and changes in acid-base balance. Of these, the best candidates appear to be afferent stimulation, nitric oxide and lactate. Resistance training results in a significant EIGR. Evidence suggests that load and frequency are determining factors in the regulation of hGH secretion. Despite the significant EIGR induced by resistance training, much of the stimulus for protein synthesis has been attributed to insulin-like growth factor-1 with modest contributions from the hGH-GH receptor interaction on the cell membrane. The EIGR to endurance exercise is associated with the intensity, duration, frequency and mode of endurance exercise. A number of studies have suggested an intensity ‘threshold’ exists for EIGR. An exercise intensity above lactate threshold and for a minimum of 10 minutes appears to elicit the greatest stimulus to the secretion of hGH. Exercise training above the lactate threshold may amplify the pulsatile release of hGH at rest, increasing 24-hour hGH secretion. The impact of chronic exercise training on the EIGR remains equivocal. Recent evidence suggests that endurance training results in decreased resting hGH and a blunted EIGR, which may be linked to an increased tissue sensitivity to hGH. While the potential ergogenic effects of exogenous GH administration are attractive to some athletes, the abuse of GH has been associated with a number of pathologies. Identification of a training programme that will optimise the EIGR may present a viable alternative. Ageing is often associated with a progressive decrease in the volume and, especially, the intensity of exercise. A growing body of evidence suggests that higher intensity exercise is effective in eliciting beneficial health, well-being and training outcomes. In a great many cases, the impact of some of the deleterious effects of ageing could be reduced if exercise focused on promoting the EIGR. This review examines the current knowledge and proposed mechanisms for the EIGR, the physiological consequences of endurance, strength and power training on the EIGR and its potential effects in elderly populations, including the aged athlete.

PMID:

12797841

Get motivated for training!

Time to get motivated for training.

I’ve collected the following group of transformations before and after pics of guys who decided to transform and completely change their body.

Looking at these pictures makes me very dedicated to my training…I am NOT going to let the opportunity to be the best I can pass me by.

It makes me insanely jealous and this jealousy makes for great training.

The last pic is of me. I am still on my journey…but I posted my pic just to show guys older than 40 that body transformations is not reserved for just the younger crowd (I am 48).

It is in your control and within your grasp – and MUCH easier than you think.

I’ve done alot of effort to put everything I have learned along the way in my blog to help you get started…are u up for the challenge or are u mouse?

BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE!

Happy training.

Gert Louw

Just a few more pics to motivate you…

To STEROID or NOT?

To Steroid or Not…

We are at a time where all anabolic steroids are banned substances to the degree that in many cases it is even considered worse than street drugs like cocaine and the likes.

Considering that anabolic steroids is in its pure form normal testosterone which already is flowing in our veins and which define us as men, it somehow raises an eyebrow about what is going on here?

Don’t get me wrong, I believe the successful road for making lasting lifestyle changes lies not in anabolic steroids neither in diet drugs. It lies in changing your lifestyle in such a way that your body performs optimal to grow muscle (or lose fat) without applying such substances.

 

I make a claim: 99% of all competing bodybuilder take anabolic steroids. In fact most of all the seriously competing athletes (of all sports) take anabolic steroids or banned substances. Take a peep into some fitness forums or just read some “unoffical” reports of the olympic games or talk to those in the mix.

 

It is not a matter of wrong to use it, but rather a wrong when you get caught out.

Plus it is VERY easy for these athletes to use it and not get caught out. I’ll explain later.

So the controlling mechanism to stop the steroid abuse is failing miserably. This makes the testing and catching out of guilty parties a farce. I honestly feel sorry for people who get caught out with testing and now must face the brunt of the world while just about all the other athletes are just continue juggling their use of anabolic steroids.

Yes, no other athlete should have an unjust advantage over the other, but the fact is the system is failing miserably.

 

But, what make it “wrong”, and is it really “wrong”?

There are many sides to the story and I am not gonna settle the bill with just this one article…but to fitness enthusiasts I would like to shed some light on certain aspects of anabolic steroids.

 

I make another statement: You are doing much more harm to your body by taking a diet pill than by taking an anabolic steroid in its purest form (testosterone). Overdosing on diet pills (even over the counter medication) might even kill you where no person has ever died from a single dose of steroid overdosing or abusing.

The reason why non-athletes use a diet pill is because they want to look better…exactly the same reason why non-athletes use anabolic steroids. The testosterone in its pure form is a natural substance for the body, the diet pill is not!

But the anabolic steroid is considered illegal and by using this natural product you can end you up in jail.

There are reasons why we are in this situation. So many teenagers and people started using steroids that it led to lawmakers trying to apply methods to control it. But in the effort to control it, it was made illegal.

Double standards are being applied and it is not solving the problem .

 

If you’re a fitness enthusiast it is important that you are aware of exactly what an anabolic steroid is.

Let’s look at some key anabolic steroids and facts surrounding them:

 

There are two groups: 17-Alpha steroids and the non-17-Alpha steroids.

The 17-alpha steroid is what creates the stir in the media. They are potentially harmful and since they are the most inexpensive and often in pill form, they get abused often by youngsters without knowing the harm it can cause.

The main problem of the alpha 17 steroid is that it is hepatoxic. (The liver cannot easily break the steroid down before it is released in to the blood stream.) The liver has to work harder to break down these steroids.

Examples: winstrol, anavar/oxandrolone, dianabol, halotestin.

 

The non-17-alpha steroids has much less side effects with some having nearly no side effects at all (primobolan). This often get’s overlooked in discussion about steroids. When the media refer to steroids they nearly always referring to the 17 alpha steroids. But they are uneducated in the matter.

Examples: testosterone propionate, testosterone enanthate, equipoise, primobolan.

With abusing even non-alpha-17 steroids there will be side effects as with any other medication getting abused. But by using low recommended dosages it is generally very safe.

 

Teenage abuse

A danger that teenagers is unaware off is that any anabolic steroid will disrupt your HPTA function which means zero fertility and shrinking balls (depending on the steroid used of course) while on the steroid cycle.

With some anabolic steroids there is almost no effect on the HPTA axis (Primobolan & anavar) but with just about all the others (in both groups) this is a normal effect of the steroid because the body realizes it does not have to produce its own testosterone anymore. (remember the balls, sorry testes…are the testosterone factories.)

It is not such a big problem as it sound since when discontinuing the steroid the HPTA axis will normalize by itself and the ball size will get back to its original size. However what youngsters don’t realize is that if they are continuing too long on the steroid and don’t give the HPTA axis regular intervals to recover, they can permanently damage their sperm production and become infertile. This is a real threat and young guys must truly be aware of this – it is not something to be trifled with.

Anabolic Steroid users should strongly consider to follow a post cycle treatment program to help normalize the testosteron production of the testes. This typically involves Nolvadex or Clomid (to stop the estrogen backlash until the testosteron levels has been normalized again – take about 3-4 weeks) and in severe cases HCG injections to stimulate the testes to produce testosterone again (but be carefull since overdoing the HCG can cause the “bitch tits” problem).

 

I spoke to my medical doctor (a fitness enthusiast himself) and he mentioned that one of his patients, a teenage rugby player, told him that he was the only person in his team who is not using steroids.

So there is real reason the be concerned…

 

Another problem that youngsters don’t realized is that testosterone help stop bone growth (a natural function of testosterone), meaning it stop you from growing taller. So if you take it before the age of 25 you are speeding up your process of halting your growth. Growth continues to occur at a slow pace until the age of 25. The ONLY steroid that does not halt bone growth in youngsters is anavar (which at high dosages or long cycles can damage your liver but with shorter cycles generally safe).

 

Let’s quickly delve into some of the other possible side effects of anabolic steroids that is often listed in the media:

1. Liver damage (quite possible with extended use of alpha 17 steroids, very unlikely with non alpha 17 steroids).
2. Loosing hair – become bald. (unfortunately the more testosterone you have in your system the quicker you will loose your hair…that is the fact and this does NOT mean ALL bald guys is steroid users! They are just very virile!)
3. Acne (Can be a problem with high dosages of anabolic steroids in both groups).
4. High blood pressure (Only a problem when high dosages are used – but some steroids is more prone to raise blood pressure than others. Primobolan and Anavar, for example has nearly no effect.)
5. Shrinking balls size (That can happen but will be restores as soon as anabolic steroid is discontinued)
6. “Bitch Tits” (Some men is prone to fat around the nipples and they are more susceptible to get this condition on anabolics. It is normally a result of stopping a steroid cycle abruptly and not tapering off the usage which result in the “bitch tits” or when the backlash estrogen gets to high during a anabolic cycle.)
7. Steroid rage. (If you were a bastard before steroid use you will just be a bigger one on it. If you were a nice guy before, you will still be a nice guy on it…this is just a myth.)

 

What effect does an anabolic steroid have?

An anabolic steroid is NOT a wonder pill as many are thinking. If you take it you will pick up a few (3-5kg) of muscle but that muscle will still be covered in fat and will still be loose and not well-formed. To get a body worth looking at NOTHING helps but hard work!

Another class steroids (like Primobolan, Winstrol, Anavar) can help shredding fat while keeping muscle. But the same hold here. If you do not eat correctly and train hard during the process there will be little changes. Training and eating right is and ALWAYS will be the key, not anabolic steroids. Steroids helps and can do wonders but not instead of training and eating right.

 

The route that should have been taken to control steroids:

By making steroids illegal a whole underground black market has been established. For many decent people who enters this territory it means breaking the law to use it or have it in your possession. Breaking the law once makes it so much easier to do it again for something else. It creates an environment not conducive to create a law-abiding society.

A MUCH better solution (with much less double standards) would have been to put the various steroids according to their danger levels in different classes of medication with the least dangerous class being available over the counter but controlled dispersion (meaning monitoring the amounts and durations dispensed on a national database per person to prevent abuse.)

In its purest form it is less harmful than diet pills…it should be treated that way.

 

Why can athletes use it and get tested negative?

Any anabolic steroid in oil suspension (which need to be injected) is still detectable in your system for up to 8 months, sometimes even longer. Athletes use the pill form of steroids which in most cases is undetectable within a week. Even some injectables steroid that is suspended in water instead of oil quickly leaves the body without traces.

 

Do I approve of steroid use?

Hell no, but if my doctor ever find out that I have a testosterone deficiency (not likely…look at me!) then I will be running to my nearest chemist!

 

Human Growth hormone is a complete different cattle of fish…and VERY expensive. I will leave that for a future discussion.

 

I find the subject of anabolic steroids fascinating and have much knowledge about the subject. I would rather use knowledge to help people making safe and informed choices than let them put their life’s at risk due to lack of knowledge, so if you have specific anabolic steroid questions I am quite prepared to try to help. Please email me.

 

Happy training without steroids!

BEFORE and AFTER training – WHAT TO EAT?

The period before training and for the first two hours after training is critical to stimulate, protect and feed the muscles for ideal growth.

Now, I can already hear many women (and guys) crying out and say but I am only walking, jogging, cycling or doing cardio, I don’t need to eat for growth!

My answer is (and I mean this in the nicest possible way): you are only fooling yourself!

No matter what sport or exercise you do, be it jogging or be it weight lifting, one of your main goals is to look better. How do you think that is going to happen…just by loosing fat?

I am going to disappoint you here and say that the chances are very good if you only lose the fat and not grow and tighten up the muscles you might even look worse after you have lost the fat than before.

If you want to look better in the mirror that flabby small muscles need to grow and tighten up. Toning means growing no matter who tells you otherwise.

Those muscles underneath that fat has been unused for a loooong time and any muscle not being used get smaller and smaller every year and lose form. That “small” muscle is NOT going to look good when the round fat layer is gone. For many people the fat layer actually give an aesthetically pleasing roundness to the body that make it look much better with the fat than without it.

So, anyone telling me that they only want to lose fat not built muscles, I just smile because they do not know what they are talking about.

Not matter what exercise you do, you need to build up the muscles and feed them correctly to respond best. You want to train as little as possible and feed the muscles perfectly to respond the best they can.

Feeding the muscles and body for exercise is nearly exactly the same irrespect if you’re a bodybuilder or jogger.

I do admit, for those pushing the limits there will be slight changes to accommodate their specific sport requirements. But for 90% of us average people there will be almost no difference.

 

I have done my personal research for the past 8 years and had many trials and errors and devised my pre and post workout eating requirement to be very effective. This same basic structure can be used by men and women alike, especially initially. As time progress and you educate yourself, you can make small alterations to suite you better. BUT ALWAYS small steps, one change at a time and VERIFY that it works before you move on the next change.

 

PRE-WORKOUT

You need to prepare your body for the training. 30 to 45 minutes before training you take the following:

• BCAA‘s 8g (Branched Chain Amino Acids – take the pill form, they taste very bad in powder form.)
• Pre workout shake: containing caffeine. You can also take caffeine pills. I am using Shotgun by VPX. But there are MANY other brands and all contain roughly the same basic pre workout muscle feeding mix.

The BCAA’s is the most critical part of the pre workout feeding. It is a specific group of Amino Acids that protects the muscles from being broken down while training for energy. The last thing you want to do while training is loosing the muscle. Protect it!

The pre-workout shake gives you and energy boost and also a muscle volumizing effect. Many cardio only trainers may prefer to skip the pre-workout shake but for cross-trainers, swimmers, gymnasts or anyone doing any form of resistance training, this becomes increasingly important to give you energy to do your routine.

 

During training water is of critical important. Carry your water bottle with you throughout and sip often. I easily drink up to 2L during a 50 minute training session and do not visit the toilet once because I sweat it all out.

 

IMMEDIATELY after training:

This is a critical time to feed the muscles as soon as possible.

• Your muscle requires two things urgently: quick absorption fat-less protein and quick energy.
• The ONLY protein you should consider is whey (preferably whey isolate). It is clean and is absorbed very quickly by your system to feed the muscles. (Some people use also BCAA’s 8g after training instead of the whey protein although you will find most people use the whey.)
• No protein contain fat, no matter how small will suffice. No casein type protein will suffice because the get absorbed too slow by your body. I use one scoop of 50g in 500ml of water. For those who do cardio only, I would suggest not more than 25g in 500ml water. I do intense weight training.
• The best quick energy source is something like a banana (or maybe apple – but apple bloat me). A banana’s energy is released very quickly to replenish your muscle energy to normal levels.
• The whey protein and banana covers nearly everything your body needs for directly after training.
• I prefer to also use a combination of strong vitamins and anti-oxidants after training. (I use: alpha lipoic acid, Saw Palmetto, Potent Multi-Vitamin, Co-Enzyme Q10, Potent slow release vit C and Ecklonia Cava Extract.)

During training your body is put under strain and your muscles underwent exercise induced damage which needs to be repaired. vitamins and anti-oxidants create the environment for your body to effectively repair these “damaged” muscles, tendons, etc…

I’ve done it for years and had great success by following this routine of pre and post workout feeding.

 

Another important point: You should consume another small meal within the next 2 hours after training containing whey protein and small fruit/veggies. These 2 hours is golden growth period for your muscles and is probably the most important two hours of the day for growth.

This is especially important for people who take part in resistance training type of sports. It is of less important for cardio orientated sports.

 

Point of Note: Recent research are pointing to the possibility that taking anti-oxidants before or after training might actually slow down the fat burning environment resulting from training. This is all due to IL-6 which increase in the post exercise window where it enhances insulin action and fat burning. Taking the anti-oxindants (especially Vit C and E) stop the releasing of IL-6 and thus slowing down the post exercise fat-loss environment.

My take on IL-6 and anti-oxidants? Well I am not in a position to dispute research but I am not yet convinced and will wait for further developments before I drop my post exercise antioxidants. I’ve used potent post exercise antioxidants for years and had great results in health and fat-loss. The other side of the coin is that if I did not took my post exercise anti-oxidants I might have even greater fat-loss success. Choose for yourself but watch this space, I will definitely report more on this in future again, meanwhile I will continue using my anti-oxidants after training…it just seem to make sense.

 

Wish you all MUCH success and happy training!

Gert Louw

Diet is for LOSERS!

Diet is for losers!

I’ve seen this happening over and over…The latest diet book hit the shelves, everyone is raving about it. My wife and her friends is part of the crowd and decided to jump in.

She and her friends lose a fair amount of weight. Happy faces, goal reached…

But so they think…

Life returns to normal and so the eating does too. No need to diet anymore, they have reached their goal. In any case one can only continue for so long on the diet…

One year later and the crowd is each 20kg heavier than before they started with the previous diet. So it goes on…and year after year the diets come and go and every year they end 20kg heavier than the year before.

No matter how good that diet is, it is still a diet which means a short-term solution. That short-term solution, year after year, wreak havoc on your metabolism and literally train your body in a complete negative fashion about fat-loss.

And every year it becomes more and more difficult to get that fat off…

Year after year your metabolism is slowing down and due to the strict diet interruptions your body thinks it must add-on as much fat to cope with these “starvation” periods.

This is as true for guys as it is for girls

Once your body is trained in such a negative way…it is gonna take some time to straight things out and reverse that process. By time I mean anything from 6-9 months.

And that is why most people later give totally up with dieting because nothing is working anymore even when they try it for months! And so they become…MASSIVE!

At long last it look like my wifes eyes has opened and she is done with dieting. She now start seeing the logic behind a lifestyle change.

What is a lifestyle change?

We’ll it is a lot of things but for this discussion I will focus on the eating aspect.

A lifestyle eating plan is NOT a diet. It is an eating regimen you will follow day in day out, year in year out…

You can change this regimen but it will always adhere to the same basic principles.

Those basic principles are:

1. You MUST eat every 3-4 hours.
2. You MUST always eat SMALL meals.
3. Every meal MUST contain a clean protein source (fat-less) with little carbohydrates (preferably in the form of lots of veggies)
4. At least 2L water per day.
5. No smoking and very little alcohol.
6. Potent multivitamin every day.
7. Cheating once a week with only one meal and do NOT stuff yourself even with the cheat meal.

Let’s look at the first principle: “You MUST eat every 3-4 hours.”

The bottom line is, your body is designed to be fed every 3-4 hours. The western 3 time a day eating habit is NOT good for the body. Your whole system works near perfect when fed every 3-4 hours. It keeps your blood sugar levels stable and is perfect for feeding muscle for growth and speed up a fat-loss environment.

Yes, it can be cumbersome to eat so often but the fast solution to that is protein shakes. Make sure it has no carbohydrates but a clean, preferably slow release protein matrix. Slow is better because it keeps the releasing of the protein stable over a long time and does not flush the body with too much protein at one time. Together with a shake you can eat a few veggies or instead a fruit with not too much fruit sugar (bananas and mango’s = no-no).

You will have nearly no cravings anymore because your body is fed the way it was designed to need food. You should not feel hungry at all. (Although initially if u were used to high volumes food it might be a bit of a problem and you might need a craving suppressant to help you through the initial period.)

You can carry a shaker and small container with the protein powder with you. To mix and eat takes you 3 minutes…there is NO excuse for not taking such a meal no matter how busy you are.

Principle two: “You MUST always eat SMALL meals.”

Small means a fist size protein with two fist size portion veggies or if rice/pasta, just one fist size.

Your body does not need more than this every 3-4 hours unless you partake in strenuous training (Then refer to my training eating regimen in my first blog post.).

Small also means your stomach will literally start to shrink. Yes, without loosing any fat the tummy will already be smaller just because of the stomach that shrinked.

Your body will also start to use the food more efficiently. You will feel less bloated and will have less constipation.

Principle three: “Every meal MUST contain a clean protein source (fat-less) with little carbohydrates (preferably in the form of lots of veggies).

Clean protein means NO FAT. Before preparing chicken, get rid of the skin and any visible fat. Any meat with any visible fat is completely out. The only red meat you should eat is fillet.

Fatless pork and of course fish is also great clean protein sources.

Protein uptake is more efficiently when the meal is combined with some sort of carbohydrate. But rather try to eat a fair portion of veggies (2 fist, maybe even 3 fist sizes) instead of rice/pasta. Bread should be avoided. Rice crackers and provita will be better choices. If you have to eat bread, then low GI.

Principle four: “At least 2L water per day.”

Yes, you might get the a frequent toilet routine the first week or so, but when your body is used to it, it will be near normal.

Water assist in flushing the bad stuff out of your body. It also assists with the metabolism of fat and as such will literally help with your fat-loss process.

Water has a multitude of beneficial aspects and you CANNOT expect a successful lifestyle change without at least 2L water per day. Less than 2L will also severely hamper your fatloss efforts.

Note: People training vigorously will obviously need higher amounts of water.

 

Principle five: “No smoking and very little alcohol.”

No lifestyle change can be made when any form of addictive substance is abused. Social drugs are COMPLETELY out. You cannot make a successful lifestyle change and think you can continue smoking. I am not gonna give you the ins and outs about smoking here…It is very well-known and available on the internet. Drinking more tha n one to two glasses per week will make you struggle to lose fat. Alcohol is a fat magnet! Especially for guys struggling to lose fat around the waist.

No serious fitness enthusiast or bodybuilder smoke, drink…it simply goes against everything that fitness stands for. Get rid of it!

 

Principle six: “Potent multivitamin every day.”

No matter how balanced you eat, you will struggle to supply the body with all the necessary vitamins, minerals and antioxidants it needs, especially when training hard.

It is rather crucial that you use a very potent multi vitamin daily, It helps the body to function optimally. And an optimal body makes it easier to get rid of fat, regenerate exercise damaged tissue and help keep the body healthy. It is proven over and over by serious athletes that a potent multi vitamin is very important.

 

Principle seven: “Cheating once a week with only one meal and do NOT stuff yourself even with the cheat meal.”

Once a week with one meal you can cheat…not more than that.

Plus after that cheat you must NOT feel stuffed. NEVER ever must you stuff yourself.

Eat what you want during this cheat but one or maybe two portions. After this cheat it must be a full 6 days before you are allowed to cheat again.

 

These are just core principles of eating correctly for a lifestyle change. There are many other smaller points of note…but don’t concern yourself from the start with too much info. The smaller your steps the better you can climb the ladder…the bigger the leaps the harder you fall.

Every week or so educate and learn more about healthy eating for fitness enthusiasts and climb the ladder step by step.

Just by following these basic principles you will have nearly and 80% success eating correctly. Make it simple and make it easy.

 

Wish you all MUCH success!

What! Get off my butt and train?

It is the beginning of a new year…into the 3^rd week already and many people are already failing on grand new years resolutions made.

I boldly make this statement: “There is no bigger gift you can give yourself than by making a serious lifestyle change.”

But I have to give up watching tv, sitting on the couch and eat my favorite crisps, drinking with the guys, partying, eating my favorite pudding everyday…and I am waaay to fat and old to start with such stuff…that is only for the youngsters, in any case I don’t really want to look muscly!

Let’s take a tour…

This is me when I “followed” the typical above lifestyle.

 

Now this is me after making a serious lifestyle change. (granted a few years later…)

 

 

I am 48 now…and I look and feel the best in my whole life…and also very healthy.

If I did not make this change…imagine how bad I would have look now…

 

My goal with this post is to help some of you realize your dream of a total new you are very close and very much possible.

 

First, let’s get down to the basics.

 

What benefits does such a lifestyle change have (to name just a few):

1)       Better self image.

2)       Better self control

3)       Learning to eat healthy.

4)       Lower cholesterol

5)       Significant lower blood pressure.

6)       Sharper brain function.

7)       More energy.

8)       Stronger bone structure.

9)       Healthier heart, kidneys and liver – longer lifespan.

10)    Younger looking skin.

11)    Better sexual ability

12)    People start noticing and envy you.

13)    Dramatic decreased change of getting diabetes or similar conditions.

14)    New lust for life.

…alas for the bald heads…the hair does not grow back no matter how big a lifestyle change you make. Some things are just inevitable. Accept it, it makes life easier.

 

What do I have to give up:

1)       Smoking!

2)       Regular drinking (The odd – one or two glasses a wine per week is fine).

3)       Late nights

4)       Fast Food

5)       About 90 minutes per day (be that early morning, over lunch or evening)

 

What is it gonna cost me:

1)       Basic exercise clothing.

2)       Gym bag, towel, etc…

3)       Gym membership (I am on Discovery Vitality so it cost me R80 ($8) per month.

 

Now, look again at those 2 pictures. This is real and there are MANY other cases where people made similar changes, maybe even better!

Your biggest hurdle you will face is to break out of your comfort zone. You have trained yourself very well to be entrenched in that zone and that zone is mighty nice…but that is what is gonna be your biggest thing to overcome.

First week is fine…but then the mind and body start realizing it is not in its comfort zone anymore and the cravings start to get back into that comfort zone again.

 

You will have to decide if you are going to be a slave to this mind controlling mechanism your whole life or not. You have the power to overcome…believe me u have. But no-one is going to grab it on your behalf – YOU MUST!

 

Be the BEST you can be…rise above the rest…make yourself proud in yourself…make yourself someone u like inside and out when you look in that mirror. Make your wife and kids proud of you.

 

How can I stick to this new mindset?

1)       First you must focus your mind and entrench the new you in your mind. Visualize yourself and where you want to be. Visualize yourself training and eating right. Get yourself determined…no-one and nothing must be able to sway that determination.

2)       Take small steps!!! Climbing a ladder step by step and you will get to the top, leap and you will most probably fall very hard! So control that eagerness with wisdom.

 

How do I take these small manageable steps?

That must be done on three levels: training, diet and addressing your spirituality.

 

Training: You cannot start training from the first day like a guy who has been doing it regularly for the past 5 years. For example: You cannot use my program at my level and think it is going to work for you. It is a far to great a leap, you will burn and fall and loose that determination.

You will have to break such a plan down into very small manageable portions. If you are very unfit you must spend something like 10 min at gym for 4 days (2 days on one day off and 2 days on again) in the first week. Week two you make it 15 minutes. Week three 20 minutes.

The 3^rd week is usually a week that the body start realizing something is going on, so for the 4^th week keep it at 20 minutes for 4 days per week. Then the 5^th week up it to 25 minutes, and so on until you reach a 50 minute workout. Be in touch with your body…if you feel the pace is to quick keep the time pinned down for 2 weeks at a time instead of increasing it.

Just make sure you get a overall body workout during each session: legs, upper body (arms, shoulders, back, abs) as well as a little cardio (treadmill, etc…) When you reached the 50 minute mark, start doing some good homework as to the type of programs (mine might be a good starting point) out there and how to start splitting the days up between the different muscle groups. Then you can start moving to the next level. By then your body and mind would have broken the comfort zone mold and you are well on your way.

 

Diet is and always will be your most important part of any lifestyle change. You cannot get muscle to grow if you do not feed them correctly.

With a diet you can make bigger leaps that the small steps required for training. However, rather take a step by step approach to get to your desired eating plan. A too big change might just through the whole body off balance and give you serious headaches, constipation, low energy, etc…

Introduce weekly a change in the diet to get to your target diet within a maximum of 2 month period.

When you reached that target diet, you can start focusing on the finer detail, like supplements, etc…

This is a lifestyle change so this will be how you will eat from now on…you can still cheat, but ONCE a week.

 

Spirituality – Make this the opportunity to become a better person inside and out. It is well know that I am a follower of Christ. You have to choose your own path. But get your life sorted in the face of God. Get Him part of everything you do. Cut out the wrong things from your life. It is one hell (excuse the pun!) of a feeling when you can look in that mirror and you like the person you see…inside and out.

I do believe this should be a critical part in your transformation process. I’ve been there and changing this aspect makes it soooo much easier!

 

What! You say you don’t want too look too “muscly”! Really?

Look at my after pic and truly tell me you think I look worse than my before picture. Here I am quite direct…I believe a man was created to be a muscled creature…leave the nice flowing shapes to the women. We are supposed to be strong, muscled creatures to lead and protect our families. Feel free to differ from me…

 

I am but one of MANY other guys who made such a transformation. I did it by a choice I made and I followed a certain process to get to the goal. I am still on my way, but never ever do I want to turn back again. Life is too precious to WASTE!

 

Here is a short video I did on some key aspects of growing muscle fast:

 

 

Contact me anytime if you need some encouragement or pointers –

ScoobyMuscle (Gert Louw)