A lot of people are aspiring bodybuilders out there.
This article is basically written to a younger me. That doesn't mean it's not useful for others either. In fact, anyone can use this information to start their bodybuilding journey.
No one wants to start, everyone wants to be 250 lbs and ripped to shreds. Unfortunately, it takes years of training, recovery and proper diet to reach that.
Here's what you need to do to start bodybuilding.
1) Pick a diet you can stick to
I don't care how hard you workout, if you're in the military, or used to play college football. If your diet sucks you will look like shit. If you can't handle that then find something else to do. You won't look the way you want to through consuming junk food. The guys that tell you they eat whatever they want are rarely jacked and ripped.
Now, you need to pick foods you will consume. If you like steak, and beef, don't follow a fish and rice diet. Follow a diet that you can stick to.
If you're broke buy hamburger patties, eggs, cans of tuna, and oatmeal for carbs. Lack of funds is no excuse to not get started. Eat hamburger and white rice if you want to bulk. Eat at least 4 meals per day and then gradually increase to 5.
2) Find a gym with a squat rack
If your gym doesn't have a squat rack it's not a real gym. Pick a gym that has a squat rack, because squats are the best exercise for building your physique. If you're too lazy to squat, get your balls cut off and get a sex change. Yes I really just said that.
3) Don't train more than 3 days per week
The main issue most people have when they first start training is that they try to do too much.
I demand that you train no more than 3 days per week when you first start training. For your first year don't touch anything that's not a barbell. The one exception I will tolerate is working your calves on a calf machine. If you try to train more than three days per week you will fall on your face and want to quit.
You need to build the habit of training.
Now that I covered the fundamentals, I will tell you exactly what steps you need to follow.
Now, you need to analyze where you are right now. If you're a 250 lbs lard ass, you will need to diet. The fastest way to lose body fat is to eat a low carb diet, if you're too much of a pussy to do keto, have 1 carb meal of oatmeal, nothing else.
If you're less than 200 lbs and you're not fat, I recommend slowly bulking for at least your first 3 years. I made the silly mistake of yo-yo dieting. Don't do what I did, bulk until you're at least 200-220 lbs.
This can be done. To bulk multiply your body-weight x 20, if you're getting too fat with those calories reduce it to body-weight x 18.
Here's a sample meal by meal bulk diet.
Meal 1: 4 whole eggs cooked with olive oil, 2 slices of bacon, and 1 cup of plain steel cut oatmeal
Meal 2: 2 handfuls of cashews and 2 chicken thighs and green vegetables
Meal 3: 8 oz of beef with 2 cups of white rice
Meal 4: 8 oz of beef with 2 cups of white rice
Meal 5 Shake: 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 cup of whole milk, 2 whole eggs, egg whites, fruit of choice, banana, strawberry, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter: Drink this shake either meal 5 or 2. Drink this shake exactly as written once per day.
Meal 6: Can of tuna with green vegetables
If you can't build muscle on that diet, you didn't do it right. I gained 35 lbs following this exact diet.
Now, if you're looking to lose body fat this is what you'd need to eat every day.
Meal 1: 3 whole eggs, cooked in olive oil
Meal 2: Snack: 2 handfuls of cashews
Meal 3: 6 oz chicken breast with green veggies
Meal 4: 6 oz of beef 80/20 is fine, with green veggies
Meal 5: same as meal 4
Now, that we covered the diet it's time for you to follow exactly what I write in the gym.
Workout A:
Low bar squats: 2 x 5 reps, 1 x8
Flat bench press: 2 x 5 reps
Power cleans: 5 x 5 reps
Barbell curls: 2 x 12 reps
Tricep extensions: 2 x 15 reps
Workout B
Low bar squats: 1 x 5 (warm up sets don't count, 1 good set of 5)
Incline bench press: 1 x 12 reps
Dead-lifts: 1 x 6-8 reps (no warm ups, 1 hard set of dead-lifts)
Dumbbell curls 1 x 15 reps (make the set count)
Close grip bench press: 3 x 8 reps
Workout C:
Low bar squats: 3 x 5 reps, 1 x 20
Flat bench press: 3 x 5 reps
Barbell bent over rows: 3 x 5 reps
Calf raises on a machine: 3 x 15-20 reps
Follow this workout exactly as written and take at least one off day in between.
It's perfectly fine if you take two straight off days. You want to master these exercises. If you don't like bent over rows, use chin ups instead. I'm fine with seeing people do chin ups.
The volume is low like this on purpose. I want people to be able to continue to show up each week. Try to add weight each week on every exercise, if you can't it's okay.
These are the best bang for your buck exercises, get good at these exercises and you'll see the progress in your physique.
You must squat, low bar squats will allow you to lift the most weight and target the most muscle fibers.
Power cleans and dead-lifts will build your entire posterior chain. Flat bench and incline bench press will build your upper body.
Since everyone loves curls and training arms, you'll be training them twice per week which is more than enough.
Thank you for reading.
Share this article with everyone.
If you do the program exactly as written you will make gains.
This is the program I wish I had followed for my first two years of training.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Monday, January 22, 2018
10 Reasons You're Not Making Gains in the Gym
When you aspire to build your body and become a classic barbaric man, you need to start simplifying things. This means that you need to sacrifice the need to know more than everyone, and start implementing what already works.
Here are 10 ways to not make gains.
1) Talk about how hard it is to build muscle
This one is my favorite. Every year people tell me how hard it is to build their body and build muscle.
The issue with this is that if you repeat it enough times your brain will start to believe it.
Then you will convince yourself that you are a "hardgainer" these people are the worst.
You're not a hard gainer, you are an ignoramus that thinks it happens overnight. Keep telling yourself how hard it is and you'll see how you end up becoming a hard gainer.
Bodybuilding requires a strong disciplined mind.
The more you talk about how hard it is, the harder it will be.
Where the mind goes the body will follow.
2) Train for 2 hours per day 6 days per week
When you train this way you will tax your nervous system and ruin your ability to recover and build more muscle. Sure training every day works for Olympic lifters, and power lifters who don't want to add size. If you're goal is to add lean muscle mass you need off days to let your body heal.
You need to be focused on getting out of the gym in less than 1 hour.
If you can't get it done in an hour, you wasted an hour.
3) Avoid basic barbell exercises
This is the number one way to keep yourself from making gains. Basic barbell exercises are as brutal and barbaric as they come, and this is why they work the best. Barbells allow you to lift the heaviest, enabling you to recruit more muscle fibers than dumbbells or cable machines. Avoiding the barbell will keep the gains away from you.
4) You're concerned with getting a pump
This mistake is usually made by moronic beginners who want to fit in and look smart. They talk about how great their pump is, when they weigh 160 lbs soaking wet. The best pump I've ever had was when I squatted 405 x 15 reps. My legs were on fire and my entire lower body was "pumped."
Focus on getting stronger on the big compound movements in the 6-8 rep range. This will give you the best gains.
5) Your training intensity sucks
Most people say they went to failure when they could have done 5 more. When you train in a barbaric way, you grow from the intensity and exercise selection. You don't need to do 5 sets per exercise. 2-3 sets done to failure is just as good if not better. This is a mistake that most people make since they want to train like Arnold.
6) You coddle yourself
I see a ton of men and women who take it easy on themselves during each workout. This leads to a complete lack of progress. You need to push yourself to your limits and beyond your limits. This is why you don't make gains. You think you're pushing yourself when you're really not.
7) You're too concerned with the opposite sex
As men and women we will be attracted to each other. But gym time, is gym time. When I'm training in the gym the last thing I care about is women. I've seen guys who put a lot of energy and effort into actively staring and looking to get girls. If that's your thing fine, but if you're serious about making gains in the gym, get their number before or after your workout.
8) You stay away from fats
This is the number one nutritional mistake I see people make. You need to make sure you're consuming enough healthy fats. Avocados, almonds, cashews, olive oil. People don't eat enough of these calories. These calories will help you add lean muscle mass on your body. If you want to make more gains in the gym, you need to eat more healthy fats.
9) You eat too many carbs
You will never need to consume too many carbs. If your goal is fat loss I would keep them at no more than 100 grams. If you're trying to gain weight/size 350 grams of carbs is plenty. Depend more on protein and fat to add the size. Carbs will give you a lot of bloat and water retention if you over consume them.
10) You have no structure
To make gains in the gym you need to make it a priority. This means that you will need structure. Most people have no clue how many meals they consistently eat, and they don't know how much progress they've made on key lifts. Set a bench press, and a squat goal and reach it. If you want to squat 315 for 12 reps you need to make it a priority and do every thing you can to reach that goal.
Thank you for reading.
Share this article with everyone and stay tuned for the next post.
Here are 10 ways to not make gains.
1) Talk about how hard it is to build muscle
This one is my favorite. Every year people tell me how hard it is to build their body and build muscle.
The issue with this is that if you repeat it enough times your brain will start to believe it.
Then you will convince yourself that you are a "hardgainer" these people are the worst.
You're not a hard gainer, you are an ignoramus that thinks it happens overnight. Keep telling yourself how hard it is and you'll see how you end up becoming a hard gainer.
Bodybuilding requires a strong disciplined mind.
The more you talk about how hard it is, the harder it will be.
Where the mind goes the body will follow.
2) Train for 2 hours per day 6 days per week
When you train this way you will tax your nervous system and ruin your ability to recover and build more muscle. Sure training every day works for Olympic lifters, and power lifters who don't want to add size. If you're goal is to add lean muscle mass you need off days to let your body heal.
You need to be focused on getting out of the gym in less than 1 hour.
If you can't get it done in an hour, you wasted an hour.
3) Avoid basic barbell exercises
This is the number one way to keep yourself from making gains. Basic barbell exercises are as brutal and barbaric as they come, and this is why they work the best. Barbells allow you to lift the heaviest, enabling you to recruit more muscle fibers than dumbbells or cable machines. Avoiding the barbell will keep the gains away from you.
4) You're concerned with getting a pump
This mistake is usually made by moronic beginners who want to fit in and look smart. They talk about how great their pump is, when they weigh 160 lbs soaking wet. The best pump I've ever had was when I squatted 405 x 15 reps. My legs were on fire and my entire lower body was "pumped."
Focus on getting stronger on the big compound movements in the 6-8 rep range. This will give you the best gains.
5) Your training intensity sucks
Most people say they went to failure when they could have done 5 more. When you train in a barbaric way, you grow from the intensity and exercise selection. You don't need to do 5 sets per exercise. 2-3 sets done to failure is just as good if not better. This is a mistake that most people make since they want to train like Arnold.
6) You coddle yourself
I see a ton of men and women who take it easy on themselves during each workout. This leads to a complete lack of progress. You need to push yourself to your limits and beyond your limits. This is why you don't make gains. You think you're pushing yourself when you're really not.
7) You're too concerned with the opposite sex
As men and women we will be attracted to each other. But gym time, is gym time. When I'm training in the gym the last thing I care about is women. I've seen guys who put a lot of energy and effort into actively staring and looking to get girls. If that's your thing fine, but if you're serious about making gains in the gym, get their number before or after your workout.
8) You stay away from fats
This is the number one nutritional mistake I see people make. You need to make sure you're consuming enough healthy fats. Avocados, almonds, cashews, olive oil. People don't eat enough of these calories. These calories will help you add lean muscle mass on your body. If you want to make more gains in the gym, you need to eat more healthy fats.
9) You eat too many carbs
You will never need to consume too many carbs. If your goal is fat loss I would keep them at no more than 100 grams. If you're trying to gain weight/size 350 grams of carbs is plenty. Depend more on protein and fat to add the size. Carbs will give you a lot of bloat and water retention if you over consume them.
10) You have no structure
To make gains in the gym you need to make it a priority. This means that you will need structure. Most people have no clue how many meals they consistently eat, and they don't know how much progress they've made on key lifts. Set a bench press, and a squat goal and reach it. If you want to squat 315 for 12 reps you need to make it a priority and do every thing you can to reach that goal.
Thank you for reading.
Share this article with everyone and stay tuned for the next post.
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