How To Get Summer Shredded

I get a lot of questions from people about what is the best way to go about getting shredded.  Everyone wants the latest diet or workout.  These are basic and simple.  This is what people need to make gains.  The easier something is to understand, the easier it will be to stick to it. 

When you're trying to get shredded, the main obstacle is dieting.  Most people fail miserably on this part.  This is due to a failure to plan.  When you have a goal and want to accomplish it, you have to put your energy and focus into it.  Never think about how you're going to diet or how long you want it to last.  This leads to paralysis by analysis.  You also need to know what foods you crave and what time you get these food craving.

What needs to be done next is to inventory what you're currently doing in the gym and analyze how well it is working for you.  Unfortunately, most people don't do this correctly.  To do this right, write down every top set of each workout.  If you're not getting stronger, or making visible changes in the mirror, it means what you're currently doing isn't working.  

Without proper inventory, it's hard to find out what your habits are.  If you don't know your daily habits how will you know what to correct?  These are the questions that people don't want to ask themselves.  If you focus and correct these mistakes you can make gains and help yourself .  This is the reason I have been able to make gains myself.  If you can't stick to the program and focus you will never make gains. 

Now, let's get to the actual workout and plan.

The number one mistake people make in the gym when dieting is not lifting heavy enough.  When you lift heavy during a diet, you force your body to keep as much muscle mass as possible since you're continuing to train heavy.  The goal here is to lift as heavy as possible during the diet in order to preserve as much lean muscle mass as possible, 

As far as how you structure your diet.  Here are some useful questions that you need to know the answer to.  What healthy foods do you enjoy eating?  I know you enjoy your donuts and pizza.  Well how's that working out for you?  For most people, go ahead and skip the donuts and pizza.  Other questions you need to answer are why are you dieting?

What is the reason for the diet?  Are you getting ready for a wedding, bodybuilding show?

How often do you get or "feel" hunger during the day?

If you take it seriously and actually answer these questions you'll make gains.  This is only if you stick to the diet as written and I'm assuming you'll continue to train heavy even when it's inconvenient.  You will have sleepless nights, there will be moments where you will want to give up, it will be up to you to decide how you will react.  If you know what you like to eat, and when you get hungry you will be better prepared to make a good decision about what to eat.

Get Shredded Diet and Training Plan

Sample Diet and Meals:

Meal 1: 5 whole eggs, 1/2 cup of oatmeal

Meal 2: 8 oz canned tuna, with 1 serving of almonds

Meal 3: 6 oz of lean beef, w 1 cup of green beans and 1 cup of rice

Meal 4: 1 serving of almonds, or protein shake

Meal 5: 8 oz of canned tuna, or cottage cheese

As far as the meals are concerned, follow this sample diet and if you do it exactly as written you will make gains.  The problem people have is that they don't know understand what needs to be done to get shredded.  Sticking to an effective diet is most important for body composition.  

Get Shredded Workout Program

Day 1: Push Day

Flat bench press: 3 x 4-6 reps

Weighted dips: 3 x 8 reps

Overhead Press: 3 x 6 reps

Close grip bench press: 3 x 8 reps

Ez bar tricep press downs: 3 x 20 reps

Day 2: Pull

Dead-lifts: 1 x 6 reps

Deficit dead-lifts: 3 x 6 reps

Weighted chin ups: 3 x 8 reps

Pendlay rows: 3 x 10 reps

Barbell curl: 3 x 12 reps

Day 3: Legs

Back squats: 3 x 3-5 reps

Front squats: 3 x 6 reps

Leg press: 3 x 20 reps

Walking lunges: 3 x 20 steps per leg

For the best possible gains, do each workout once per week with a day off in between each workout.  It's important to take the off days.  Dieting is hard and stressful on the body.  In order to successfully diet down, you need to preserve as much lean muscle mass as possible.  When you're on a diet the body doesn't have the required amount of calories to build lean mass.  

Building muscle requires a caloric surplus.  For fat loss, a caloric deficit is the most important.  Contrary to what the fitness industry says, you can't build muscle and lose fat simultaneously.  Muscle building simply requires too many calories.  What this means is that you need to make sure that you're in a caloric surplus every day.

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What Should You Focus on in The Gym

After a long hiatus I am back and we will be bringing more useful content to you guys soon.  Now, a lot of people go into the gym and they have no plan.  They don't understand what needs to be done in the gym, and they lack the skill to execute the effective movements.  The best thing to do is to admit you're not making gains and learn to focus on big barbell movements.  This is what the majority of people need to pay attention to. 

The average Joe is never going to compete in a bodybuilding show.  With this being the case, it wouldn't make sense to train them the same way a bodybuilder you would train a bodybuilder.  For the overwhelming majority, they're energy needs to be focused on making strength gains on the big compound movements in the 6-12 rep range for upper body and 2-8 rep range on squats and do 20 rep squats too.  When you double down on what works, you will make gains.

When you're doing what you're supposed to in the gym, you'll make noticeable gains and most people will come up with an excuse to talk to you.  The bare bones minimum is what is needed for most people, you don't need fancy techniques or long isolation exercises.

Average Joe Bare Bones Minimum Program

Leg Day:

Low Bar Squats: Work up to a heavy set of 2-5 reps and then complete 1 set of 20 reps

Walking barbell lunges:  4 sets 12 steps per leg

Romanian dead-lifts: 4 x 8 reps

Calf raise machine: 4 x 12-15 reps

Shoulders and Triceps

Overhead press: 4 x 6-8 reps

Dumbbell Seated overhead press: 4 x 12 reps

Bent over lateral raises: 4 x 15 reps

Close grip bench press: 4 x 6 reps

Weighted dips: 4 x 8 reps

Back and Biceps

Dead-lifts: 4 x 3-6 reps

Weighted chin ups: 4 x 3-5 reps

Bent over barbell rows: 4 x 10 reps

Lat pull downs: 4 x 15 reps

Barbell curls: 4 x 8 reps

Hammer curls: 4 x 8 reps

Preacher curl machine: 4 x 8 reps

Chest

Flat bench press: 4 x 6 reps

Incline bench press: 4 x 8 reps

Decline bench press: 4 x 12 reps

Dumbbell pullovers: 4 x 15 reps

That average Joe program is simple and it is effective.  Any one who does this program and makes gains is proof that the plan and training style works.  

That program is basic and bare bones minimum, if you have a gym membership, you will be able to do every single exercise.  This website focuses on gym training not body weight or calisthenics, so if you don't have a gym membership obviously you would have to do a modification of this and do what you can do.  

When you put your focus and energy on programs like this, you will make more progress in the long term.  This program will make you grow if you're bulking, and if you're cutting it will help you shed weight fast.  

How to make this program effective for you.  The best way to look at this program is to focus on the key lift of the day.  On push day it's bench press, on legs it's squats, pull day is dead-lifts.  This is where people struggle since there's so many exercises people don't know how to prioritize.  This means that you'll need to pay attention to the lift of the day, and do anything you can to help yourself add weight on the bar while continuing to use the correct form.  

Recap:

You need to focus on the bare essentials in the gym. 

This means putting at least 80% of your training focus on the big barbell compound exercises.  

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Try the program and comment below with your results.  

Blueprint for Gains

There will be many times when you decide you want to look a certain way, also you want to make sure that you have a good blueprint for gains.  You have to find out what exercises work best for you and then start progressing on those exercises immediately.  A good example would be a sumo dead-lift vs a conventional dead-lift.  Now, I do conventional dead-lifts, this doesn't mean you should do the same thing.

Here's what you need to do.  Pick 3 exercises for each body part and then rotate them.

Chest: Flat bench press, Incline bench press, Dumbbell incline press

Back:  Dead-lifts, bent over row, weighted chin ups

Legs:  Low bar squat, high bar squat, Front squat

Shoulders:  Standing overhead press, Seated overhead press, seated behind the neck press

Biceps:  Barbell curls, 1 arm preacher curl, Hammer curls

Tricep:  Close grip bench press, reverse grip bench press, ez bar tricep pressdowns

There's a list for every body part.  Pay attention to this list.  For every body part I want you to rotate each compound exercise until you have done it 3 times, then pick your best exercises and do them every week.

Your push day should look similar to this.

Push Day:

Flat bench press: 4 x 6-8 reps

Incline barbell press:  3 x 12 reps

Standing overhead press: 4 x 3-5 reps

Seated dumbbell press: 4 x 12 reps

Ez bar tricep extensions: 3 x 15 reps

Cable overhead tricep extensions:  3 x 15 reps

This push day template is how most push days should work.  Moderate the volume, if you know how to train to failure correctly just do 1 warm up set for each and one working set.

But, if you're not advanced I would stick to the workout as written.  One modification could be to do overhead presses first, this is just because it will be easier this way for some and could save their shoulders. 

A bodybuilding style pull day will look something like this.

Bodybuilding Pull day:

Dead-lift: 3 x 6 reps

Weighted chin ups: 3 x 8 reps

Bent over barbell rows: 4 x 10 reps

Barbell curls: 4 x 10 reps

Preacher curl machine: 3 x 15 reps

If you stick to that pull day as written you will make gains.  Do it exactly as written.  The only thing that you could change is, you can do weighted pull ups instead of chin ups, you can also do 1 arm preacher curls instead of the machine.  This training style will also help you build strength and mass.  Strength and muscle are one in the same, but not always.  Sometimes the strongest guy isn't the biggest guy and vice versa. 

For a power lifter the accessories would be different.

Dead-lift day:

Dead-lifts: 3 x 3-5 reps

Deficit dead-lifts: 4 x 6 reps

Block pulls: 3 x 8 reps

Snatch grip dead-lift: 3 x 6 reps

1 arm dumbbell row: 3 x 15 reps

When you're power lifting the dead-lift needs to be trained at a deficit and the block pulls are to help you increase lockout strength.  Afterwards, the snatch grip dead-lift and 1 arm dumbbell rows will help with adding muscle mass.  Deficit dead-lifts can help with speed at the start of the dead-lift.  For some of you, if the volume is too much, take out the block pulls.  Every other exercise do it exactly as written.  Although you could substitute bent over rows for block pulls.

Just keep in mind that this workout will wear you out and make you hungry.  Eat as many clean calories as you can because that's what's going to help you make gains.  Take your diet just as seriously as you take training.  

How to Make Gains outside of the gym

Eat 1.5g of protein per lb of body weight

Sleep 7-10 hours per day

Meditate

Visualization

Relaxation

The first strategy to make more gains outside of the gym, is to eat 1.5 g of protein per lbs of body weight.  This is because your body needs protein to repair muscle.  Eating this amount of protein will make you strong fast.  The next one is to sleep, 8 hours of sleep is ideal, I do realize this can be a challenge for most people.  Meditation is another way to help calm down and reduce your stress levels.  Staying calm is important for making gains, if you can't relax you will be stressed out and your cortisol increases.  

Visualization is an important tool because a lot of people subconsciously sabotage themselves.  Visualization is important because it will give you an exact picture of how you want to look and how strong you eventually want to be.  This mental rehearsal will help train the subconscious mind to help you achieve and accept success.  

Try all of these tips and try the workout.

Comment below and let me know how the workout felt.

Signing out as usual.

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How To Deal with Setbacks and Stress

Like a lot of people my day to day includes stress and I've had to deal with setbacks this year.  Due to a piriformis injury I have suffered this year, my squats haven't been the same.  I haven't been able to use as much volume or weight that I want.  This means that I haven't been doing as much either.  The point is that when you're dealing with stress and setbacks, you just need to keep showing up.  Keep doing what it takes and keep eating clean.

It's natural for us to run from our responsibilities when we are stressed or dealing with setbacks, but if we don't push forward, we'll never grow or improve.

This is why you need to learn to embrace failure and mistakes.  This is an issue that most people have.  When you start out on your fitness journey, whether that be bodybuilding, power lifting, you will make mistakes and fall flat on your face.  You need to think about what it is that you want to accomplish and do what's necessary to get there.

It will be harder than you expect it to be.  If you can have realistic expectations, you could be more prepared to deal with setbacks and stress.  When you're stressed out, your body begins to produce a stress hormone called cortisol.  This hormone is terrible for building size and making gains.  This means you have to find a way to make your body relax.

How To Relax

• Make sure you're breathing properly:  When you're breathing shallow and through your chest, you are not getting as much oxygen as you need, this will make it hard to relax.  The key here is to breathe through your diaphram.  
• Let go:  I know so many people that worry about useless unnecessary crap.  Cut it out, let go.  If someone cuts you off in traffic let it go.  If someone is gossiping abut u let it go.  This is hard for people.  But when you let things go, you develop control over your emotions.
• Don't overdo caffeine.  This one is as simple as it sounds.

Once you're able to relax, this will lower your cortisol, which in turn will help you make gains.

This way if you have some setbacks in your training you'll be able to understand why the setbacks are happening.  If you get injured, do your best to train around the injury, don't just not train if you can train around it.  Obviously if the injury is too debilitating don't go to the gym.

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Why you Should Bulk First

A lot of beginners when they first start training or bodybuilding have no clue where to start.  This is not surprising.  The issue that they have is that they spend their time in the gym on foolish nonsensical exercises and machines.  This will keep anyone small and lead to no gains.  What beginners need to do is focus their energy and the bulk of their training on the heavy big lifts.

Now, lucky for you, in the era of the internet there are plenty of free programs out there that can help you make consistent gains.  What you need to do is pick one program and do that for 6 months straight without stopping.  With that being said, you need to focus on bulking when you first start training.

Assuming you're not 30 lbs overweight you need to bulk.  This is because your first year of training is when you can make the most gains.  People in the fitness industry call these noob gains.  This means you need to consume 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per day and consume at least 250 grams of carbs per day as well.  Unless you want to become a lard ass, you need to watch how many carbs you eat.  Because over-consumption of carbs can turn into body fat fast.


Now lets's get back to the gym.  For your first year of training here are some recommended programs.

Workout A:  

 Low bar Squats:  4 x 6, 1 x 20

Bench press: 3 x 6

Power clean: 3 x 5

Dead-lift: 5 x 5

Workout B:

Low Bar squat: 1 x 20

Standing overhead press: 5 x 5 reps

Dead-lifts: 1 x 5

Weighted dips: 3 x 8 reps

Weighted chin ups: 3 x failure

This workout is to be done exactly as written.  Perform this 3-4 times per week every other day.  Some weeks you'll do Workout A twice and others you'll do Workout B twice.  If you eat enough food you will make progress.  I suggest that you eat a minimum of 4,000 calories per day.  If you do this every day and stick to it you will make impressive gains.  

The weighted chin ups and weighted dips are more than enough arm training.  This will build thickness in the arms.  If you skip out, you will miss out on major strength gains.  The power cleans in workout A are done 3rd on purpose.  Make sure you never miss a rep on power cleans.  Don't take power cleans to failure ever.  Every body part is trained in this program.  Except calves.  

It's up to you whether or not you want to train calves.  If you want to be a bodybuilder, train them, if not, don't.  I train calves, it's up to you if you want to train them.  

Now, if you want a program that is purely for adding mass here it is.

Barbarian mass program

Workout A

Low bar squat: 3 x 20 reps

Weighted dips: 4 x 8 reps

Weighted chin ups: 4 x 8 reps

Dead-lift: 2 sets 6, 12 reps

Dumbbell pullover:  3 x 20 reps

Weighted cable crunches: 4 x 15-20 reps

Workout B:

Low bar squat: 3 x 20 reps

Incline bench press: 4 x 6 reps

Bent over barbell rows: 5 x 5 reps

Barbell curls: 5 x 12 reps

Dumbbell pullovers: 3 x 20 reps

Workout C: 

Low bar squat: 1 x 20

Flat bench press: 5 x 5

Barbell overhead press: 4 x 8 reps

Dead-lifts: 2 x 10 reps

The mass gain program is superior to the other if you're talking about pure muscle gains.  20 rep squats add crazy mass all over your entire body.  Weighted dips and weighted chin ups are functional exercises that everyone needs to do.  If you can't do them with weight just start off with body weight until you can.  Progression on all of these exercises will lead to size gains.  

How to Build Cannonball Shoulders that Turn Heads

Have you ever been to the gym and seen someone with massive shoulders?  If the answer is yes, then you know what I'm talking about.  Just massive cannonballs, people with these kind of shoulder can't be missed or looked over.  They turn heads in every gym they go to.  Think about what it would feel like to have those round dense, sculpted shoulders.  Behind every set of shoulders like that is years of hardcore training.

Why your shoulders are small?  Most people have small shoulders because they train them incorrectly.  This is because, they follow outdated routines that are for guys with elite genetics.  What you need to do if you want to grow your shoulders is make them a priority.  Train them your first and last workout of the week.  In this article I will guide you down the right path.

Do you have a poverty overhead press?  Here's mine.  Overhead press

If you do that's a big reason why your shoulders are small and weak.  Here's what you need to do grow your shoulders.

1. Overhead press with a barbell 2 x per week

I can tell you from experience of going to the gym consistently for 5 straight years, most people don't do the standing overhead press.  In fact, if you don't call it the standing overhead press, they'll think you mean seated.  Look there's nothing wrong with the seated overhead press, it just doesn't build the same amount of muscle as the standing overhead press.

What you need to do is have one shoulder focused pressing workout, and the second overhead press day, would come during your push workout after bench press, as an accessory.

Shoulder workout A:

Standing overhead press:  3 x 6, 4, 3 reps

Seated smith machine behind the neck press: 3 x 8, 8, 6 reps

Seated dumbbell shoulder press:  3 x 6, 6, 4

Rear delt machine:  3 x 20-25 reps

This workout needs to be done early in the week since it will lay the foundation and set the tone for the rest of the week.  On workout A you will do the Standing overhead press power-lifting style.  I want you to lift as heavy as possible for the first exercise.  I want you guys to focus on moving weight here.  If you have to push press the last 1-2 reps that's okay with me.  After that the smith behind the neck is excellent at strengthening the standing overhead press.  I find that to be an effective accessory.  On the dumbbell presses I also want you to focus on moving as much weight as possible.  I have done these with 100 lbs in each hand.

On the rear delt machine, this is where you will do some"bodybuilding."

Go slow, take 3 seconds on the way down the eccentric and 1 on the way up.  Get 20-25 reps I don't care how much weight you guys use on this exercise.  The objective with this one is to get a great pump and feel your rear delts doing the work.  Lean back in order to minimize back involvement too.

This is where a lot of people make mistakes, they lean forward and take their rear delts out of the movement.  

The next workout will be workout B

Workout B:

Flat bench press: 3 x 6, 4, 2 reps

Incline bench press: 4 x 8 reps

Standing overhead press: 4 x 8 reps

Push press: 5 x 3 reps

Dip machine: 4 x 20 reps

Workout B is supposed to be your heavy bench press day.  Remember that bench presses also work your shoulders, so don't neglect the bench press during delt training.  It is important to remember that the bench press carries over to the overhead press and vice versa.  People think they have to dump one to get better at the other and that's not true.  I put the standing overhead press as the 3rd exercise here.  

During this workout I want you guys to go for volume, so pick a weight that you can get 10 reps with and do 4 x 8.  The push presses after that I want you to go for strength and power.  Push press allows you to use your hips and legs to get momentum on the lift.  Normally I despise momentum, in this case though the push press is a great exercise that also develops athleticism.  Which is something most people lack in today's gyms.

Most people in gyms are also incapable of doing a push press that's more than 135 lbs.  Then they wonder why their shoulders are so small.  Remember that you need to be able to overhead press your own body-weight, if you do that your shoulders will be better.

You might be wondering how come I didn't program lateral raises and front raises into this program.  The reason is because if your overhead press is less than 200 lbs, it sucks and it needs to be improved.  Too many people watch juice pumping bodybuilders do lateral raise after lateral raise and build big shoulders.  Of course it works for them.  Everything works for them.  Stop working out the way a pro bodybuilder does.

If you do this program as written and eat like a maniac for the next 60 days, you'll have a better pair of shoulders and a stronger overhead press.  Not to mention, you'll be turning heads and getting looks from women you never got before.  Keep training hard and heavy and don't let up on your goals. 

Action Steps:

How much do you want to bench?

How much do you want to overhead press?

What do you want your body to look like? 

Answer these and figure out what you want to look like.  It's important that you answer these because this is what will give you a purpose.  If you're directionless in the gym you will fail and you will be frustrated with your progress. 

  

Why training heavy is key

Every time I go to the gym I see nice people who are clueless when it comes to training.  They think that they can get big and strong on Joe Blow routines.  They are sorely mistaken.  All it takes is the right program and diet and you can get big and strong.  You need the right combination of strength and form to build a great body.  Meaning you have to lift heavy with good form.  If you're not willing to do this it will make the whole process longer.

You need to master the 4 basic compound lifts.

1: The squat

2: Overhead press

3: Bench press

4: Dead-lift

Once you develop proficiency at these, you'll begin to see muscle gains and dense hard muscle.  The kind of muscle that can't be built through pump sets.  Pump sets are good for pretty boys and girls.  But if you're trying to build solid mass and thickness good luck with those pump sets.

There are a few exceptions though.

20 rep squats are some of the best leg builders I've ever seen as well as 20 reps on the leg press.  Basically for the thighs, high reps are king.  Now, I realize I said that, that doesn't mean you can neglect the heavy lifting.  For the high rep squats to work you need to be lifting at least 275 lbs on the barbell.  This is what will build leg size.  Unfortunately, this is hard work and brutal, most people don't have what it takes to get that done.  However, if you're willing to learn and get under a barbell you can make consistent progress and gains.

Here's a sample power bodybuilding workout

Chest:

Flat bench press: 4 sets 4-6 reps

Incline bench press: 3 x 8 reps

Dumbbell pullovers: 3 x 12 reps

Over head press: 3 x 6-8 reps

Rear delt machine: 3 x 12 reps

Close grip bench press: 3 x 8 reps

Skull crushers: 3 x 15 reps

Dip machine: 3 x 15 reps

You see, the beginning of the workout is dedicated to power lifting style training.  As in as heavy as possible for the given rep range.  

The most important part of this workout is the first part as well as getting stronger on that primary exercise.  When you take that into account and focus your effort and energy on improving your strength on that lift you will make the most gains.  This is what will help people the most.  To build strength and muscle you have to focus on your form and the weights you're using.   

You'll see the gains continue to come as you get bigger and stronger.  Don't try this program during a cut.  You will need to be in a calorie surplus to see the muscle gains.  Remember that heavy training is what will allow you to pack on muscle in the fastest amount of time.  I don't peg my audience as a bunch of IFBB pro bodybuilders.  Don't do what these guys do.  These guys spend more money on drugs than you do on rent.

Keep in mind that some people will grow faster than others on this program.  Also, some people will use this program and they will use steroids.  That's fine with me, I'll never judge what someone else does with their body.  Their body belongs to them.

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