Nutrition First, Supplementation After…

It’s a new week folks. It’s getting colder, darker and Christmas is right around the corner. And… I’ve always got some presents on the way to give to you all. Will you get them early? Well, you’re just going to have to wait and see.

Any how, today marks the release of the first ebook, of a series of ebooks. All of which focus on a specific aspect of the fitness lifestyle.

The Guide To Necessary supplementation

I won’t bore you with any more text blurb. Watch the video instead. British accent and all

+

119 Page Cookbook

100′s of recipes to take advantage of

Note: $9.99 for the next 72 hours ONLY!

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Test Your Might While Bodybuilding

I hope all of you muscle heads are staying true to the Stay-Fit Bug mantra and maintaining those muscle building results from your workouts. And if you are, you might just want to take a break from your workouts, and just like in the video above, you will need to ‘TEST YOUR MIGHT’.

Why?

Well, for the same reasons people conduct performance reviews in the work place.

Every few months it would be a good idea to test your strength gains to see where you have improved, where you are lacking and how you can fix that. After all… it’s all about progression… right?

There are many tests you can take, and I’ll go over most if not all of them at some point, but to begin with, I’ll start with Just Three.

Lower body, Upper body and Core strength tests

These are 3 key areas of your body that you will need to know for sure if you are improving or failing. Here are the basic tests for each.

• Lower Body – One rep max squat
• Upper body – One rep max bench press
• Core – Sit ups test (Performing the most number of sit-ups you can in 30 seconds straight)

All of these are essential if you intend to build real strength in your workouts, and if you aren’t testing your strength, you could well be training blind. But fear not, I will soon provide you with a detailed post on how to perform these, along with some other vital strength tests. And now to portray my flying strength like Raiden from Mortal Kombat.

Yelllalalalalaloooouuu…

See you in the comments

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The #1 Method For Effective Muscle Building

In The Zone ‘ Training insane’

 

 

In The Zone Training Insane = Workouts where you perform at your utmost intensity, explosive exercises, for only 25-35 minutes per workout.

Why?

Because that is when your muscles will positively react, talk back to you and REALLY grow.

Why not 1 hour + workouts?

A good muscle building program places a strong focus on the big 4 compound exercises. As it has been proven time and time again that these are the most effective exercises for overall gains in strength and size. Each workout only requires you to perform just 1 core compound exercise per workout plus assistant exercises (usually 2 or 3 extra exercises).

Why extra exercises if compound lifts work so well?

• Strengthen weak areas of the body that compound exercises may miss
• Help increase your performance of the 4 compound lifts e.g Barbell rows to help with bench press performance
• Balance and symmetry
• To build muscle (Dips, lateral raises being my personal favorites)

All of those performed at max ‘In the zone’ intensity will only take you max 40 minutes to perform in one workout. After that, you workout no more.

Why?

Because a lot of the growth you achieve with a good program will be a result of what you ‘don’t do in the gym.

This is where you may have previously been going wrong in your works. By doing too much. Causing you to plateau, get frustrated, become demotivated and in turn, quit your workouts. No growth. (boo hoo!).

Now, we do indeed have a ‘core’ program to follow here and as you will notice, there are exercises other than the big 4 that can benefit you. The program isn’t designed so that you train like a robot. No. The program is designed so that you do whats important (the big 4). And then do what is important to YOU. There are no right or wrong exercises.

If you feel and believe that dips is helping you build upper back strength and size, then keep on performing dips.

If you feel that bent over barbell rows are helping you increase your bench press performance, then keep on performing bent over barbell rows.

I personally like to regularly perform dips and lateral raises, because I know that I notice better trap/lats development. Which is of course a vital piece of the bodybuilding puzzle in terms of building that perfect ripped v shape physique with the bulk to match.

So don’t be afraid to experiment with the ‘after core’ exercises. Tweak and repeat.

 

Choose progression over fast bulk

 

 

Now, if you are a newbie weightlifter, it wont be an uncommon thing to pack on a ton of muscle mass within the first few weeks of this program. In fact, I’m 99% certain that you’ll gain 4-5 times more than the monthly goal of 3lbs increase in size per month.

But the common problem that arises is the dreaded plateau. You’ll hit those super gains within the first several weeks, but then it all changes.

The gains stop, you start experiencing jack shit gym days, your motivation levels drop (A natural thing… that this program will help you maintain) life happens. You just simply stop growing, which is of course the ultimate motivation killer. And is the reason why the average gym goer will look the same year in year out.

Now, the goal is of course to build a physique that makes you stand out from the crowd, so that you don’t look like the average gym goer. Shred with bulk! But the goal is also maintenance.  But we also want to be progressing all of the time.

The first part of that solution is to focus on steady progression ‘over time’.

Lets start with the goal of shred + bulk when it comes to the goal of building a shredded physique with muscle mass to match. Now, the common way to get big fast would be to follow a bulking and cutting phase. There is nothing wrong with that. But that simply is not an ideal approach when it comes to building the shred + bulk physique, while living the fitness lifestyle. That approach is an end goal approach, which of course rings true for why bodybuilders train that way. Which is of course to prepare for bodybuilding contests. The program is not a contest and it certainly isn’t an end goal. Therefore, bulking and cutting approach is void.

The approach we take in terms of the actual shred with bulk program is to increase your gains steadily over time..

Why?

• Avoid facing those dread dreads plateaus.
• Actual progress year after year

Its entirely understandable why one would want overnight success and wanting to increase their bench weight by 30-40 pounds in a matter of a several weeks. But the long term result will be disappointing to say the least.

Remember this…

The gains stop, you start experiencing jack shit gym days, your motivation levels drop (A natural thing… that this program will help you maintain) life happens. You just simply stop growing, which is of curse the ultimate motivation killer. And is the reason why the average gym goer will look the same year in year out.

That is what will happen if you take the bulk approach.

 

Strength is relative to size

 

 

Now, it is because of this why its important to focus on steady progression along with what has been mentioned above. If you grow fast with ‘In The Zone’ nutrition, you’ll bulk up yes, but with the excessive fat, and you’ll look like the average gym goer. Learn to switch your mindset to increasing your weight from 220lbs to 225lbs before you try to lift 275lbs.

1) You’ll actually make real progress over time
2) You won’t plateau
3) You’ll actually get strong this way. Focus on ‘In the zone’ intensity yes, but without sacrificing good form, (Which I know is the no.1 killer of why most people quit working out due to injury).

The second part of that solution is how to stay motivated?

The way to stay motivated is by not treating what we do here as an end goal. But to treat it as a lifestyle. (You’ll learn a lot about how to do that with the habit builder). Motivation itself is driven from an outside inspiration. Something that you have seen or heard has motivated you to walk in to that gym and get the best bang for your buck. However, motivation will eventually die, so what you have to do is focus on the things that matter to you in life, so that you create your own inspiration (Again, much of what you’ll learn about in the habit builder). This is what will separate you from everyone else. Because you will now learn how to adapt the goal of shred with bulk to your everyday life, without it feeling like a means to an end.

Rest

- Stop training after 3 months
- Get more sleep and focus less on actual workouts – working out more is actually counter productive in terms of the goal.

 

Death of the hardgainer

 

 

Introducing – The hard struggler

And naturally, you will ask. What is a hard struggler?

A hard stuggler is some one who struggles to build muscle, not because of their genes. Not because they are natural ectomorphs. No.

A hard struggler is someone who struggles to build muscle because they have struggled to stick to a process of building muscle. In most cases, not following a good program.

Seriously, this concept relates to ANYTHING that you decide to put your mind to in order to achieve something greater. It could be anything from building a successful business, relationship.

If you are going around trying to blame your lack of muscle building gains on your genes, think again.  Your genes only account for approx 10% of your inability to build superior muscle building gains. The other 90% is down to what you are ‘not’ doing, for reasons why you are still puny and un-shredded.Therefore, I today have eliminated the word hardgainer from the bodybuilding dictionary and re-labeled it with the word

HARD STRUGGLER

Hardgainers are just individuals that are simply under eating and NOT because of their natural physique or bad genetics.

 

This is the Fit Bug approach to building muscle. An approach where you actually enjoy the journey. If you want to know more about it, just enter your BEST email below to stay updated about the program and all things muscle building related.

 

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3 Essential Fitness Habit Builders

This post was actually going to be a bonus ebook for a product I was going to release earlier in the year. But instead, I decided to turn it into a blog post. The fitness lifestyle is all about turning what we do into a habit. That’s how you stick to it long term. And the habit builders below will help you do just that.

 

1) Get your recovery periods in check @ food ‘The Big 3′ (meals)

 

 

 

You already know what that is. But if there is one aspect of your training that you need to learn to get right, it’s this

A.    The types of proteins and carbs you consume
B.    The time of day you decide to train

if you plan on training in the morning then its a good idea to get into the habit of eating your 3rd of ‘The Big 3′ a little later than usual. This is because that will be the meal your body feeds off for that morning workout. Eating late has also proven to be an effective strategy for increasing muscle mass and promoting fat loss. Which is of course the ultimate goal when building the shred with bulk physique. And it is because of this meal why you wont really need to eat a big breakfast.

Why?

Well lets look at the realism of the situation.

Now, ‘The Big 3′ is all about meal portion size over meal frequency. It’s just a more realistic way to eat and structure your day. Heck, the majority of us were taught to eat this way anyway. And even then, most of us wouldn’t even keep up with that, even when we weren’t fitness meat heads. So while lack of extra nutrition may have previously been your concern, it really doesn’t need to be, because all you are doing now compared to what you wasn’t doing before, is just doing what you were supposed to be doing in the first place. eating ‘The Big 3′ (That’s whether you are bulking as a hard-struggler or shredding as a skinny fat)

But again, lets look at the logistics behind that.

Now, we all know about carbs, proteins fats and that they aren’t all equal, in terms of the foods we need to consume in bodybuilding nutrition.

But heres some real basic understanding on food digestion periods

Fast absorbing protein              Empty stomach    On a big 3 stomach
                                                                3 – 4 hours             5-6 hours

Slow  digesting protein              10 hours                 More

With that being the case, can you see how and why the 3rd ‘Big 3′ meal will act as ‘In The Zone nutrition’ for your morning workout. Of course you can.

1st – You will get plenty of rest from sleeping a max of 8 hours (growth time)

2nd – You will have snacked on so many extra macronutrients in that big 3rd meal as well as 100 grams of protein or so (regardless of the type, although solid slow digesting is recommended) that the digestion period of all that protein and carbs would have been largely slowed. Which means your ultimate pre workout meal worry has been cured.

Which is..

What if i don’t have have enough protein and carbs in my system to get me through the workout?

Seriously, that 3rd Big 3 meal will stack your body so well that you shouldn’t wake up hungry. (An emphasis of slow digesting proteins does indeed help and make a difference)

But cant the body only handle a certain amount of protein consumption in one sitting?

That really has nothing to do with it. If you eat more protein in one sitting, it just means it takes longer to digest into your system. Its all about portion size. You were raised that way I’m sure. Why should that change now that your in fitness. The only thing that changes is

1)  Food recovery periods
2)  Types of foods that you consume in the red zone

That’s it. And if you train the ‘In The Zone – Train insane way’, trust me… you will get plenty of sleep and rest, which is of course when you grow.

The only concern here is that when you wake up, you may feel a bit peckish. Most of this is your brain and tastes buds getting at you. Which is fine. At this point just snack on a high protein snack. It never hurts to get some quick protein in before a workout for an energy boost. But in terms of what your body needs in order to build the shred with bulk physique… you gave it all of that the night before on your 3rd meal of ‘The Big 3′.

 

2) Prevent sickness

 

 

Wear layers

Sickness is 2nd to injury in the race to what will kill your muscle building endeavors and fitness motivation. The natural way to prevent sickness is to…

- Eat well.
- Sleep well
- Next, is to take supplements
- Hygiene in the gym

Wear layers in winter

All of these are pretty common ground, in the goal to prevent sickness. But I’m pretty certain that many of you don’t follow through with all of them. And if you want to find long term success with any of the Stay Fit Bug workouts (Year long workout broken down into 4 periods), then you better just start doing that. Because I can tell you now. Sickness will knock you for 6 when it comes to maintaining that shred with bulk physique you worked so hard to build. You’ll  lose your appetite, you won’t be able to get out of bed and worst of all, you won’t be able to workout. If you do, you’ll only be adding fuel to the sickness fire, as well as putting everyone else in the gym at risk of picking up your nasty germs. Yuck.

Eating well

This is a no brainer. Just follow the In The Zone nutrition plan to perfection and you’ll get all the correct nutrition needed in order to help prevent you from catching the flu or any other related sickness.

Sickness detection solutions

Avoid crap food

When you are sick, the first thing you will start to think about is eating more food in order to…

1) Maintain your gains (More protein in this case – more on that later
2) Help you get over the flu

So good thinking. That’s the right mind set to have. But what you need to be avoiding is crappy foods such as cookies, hot chocolate and ice cream. Those will just make your shred with bulk results disappear. Banishing you back to the land of the ordinary gym goer. Something you definitely don’t want. So avoid them like the plague.

What you can do

Like I mentioned earlier, stick to the meal plans over at In The Zone Nutrition on the spreadsheets. In short.

The Big 3 +EFA’s + 1.5 grams protein per pound of lean body weight.

The decrease in calories should account for that extra time you find yourself in doors knocked out on the bed from sickness.

The drop in the amount of carbs you consume is due to you being out of training and because of the drop in calories.

The higher protein in take is of course related to balance out catabolism rates while you are in your sick state. And of course to keep a positive nitrogen balance. The food sources you should consume here should of course be lower in carbohydrates. In fact, you’ll need foods to be low in simple fast digesting carbs too (cottage cheese,omelets or other fast digesting proteins – refer to the guide to necessary supplementation)

Why?

Because a sick body is not in a good state to ingest these type of carbs (Which we know are best consumed pre-post workout).

So unless you’re on a morning in the zone workout, consume slow digesting carbs early on in the day. When you awake is the time when your body is in a positive state of glycogen storing.

And if you were wondering what the importance of consuming 1 fish oil in each of the big 3 meals, then this is it.

We know that EFAS play a vital role in improving the function of immune cells in our bodies. And when you are sick your body will start forming new cells in order to fight off the sickness (Hence the importance of good structured nutrition). With this being the case, it’s important to get those EFAS in (omega-3) To ensure your body fights off the flu effectively.

Basically follow ‘In the zone’ nutrition as it stands. Nothing extra needs to be consumed there in the case of sickness

Drink water

Why?

1) Because the body is made up of 70% water
2) Because we lose water, even more so when we train insane.

- Through the build up and excretion of mucus
- Stationary breathing
- Sweat (Obviously we do plenty of this in training. But if you ever suffer from a fever or flu, trust me, you will sweat)
- The bodies extra work in creating new cells and fighting off the sickness
- Higher protein intake

The importance of staying hydrated when we workout is high enough as it is. All the extra factors listed above raise those stakes even higher. And trust me, when you are sick, you will feel the need for the extra H2O consumption.

Sleep well

I wrote a pretty detail post back on stayfitbug.com about the importance of getting enough sleep throughout your lifestyle of fitness and bodybuilding.

Detection

Like I mentioned earlier, when you are sick. Stay away from the gym

1) You’ll delay the process of getting better (Backwards thinking)
2) You’ll spread your nasty germs (When there really is no need for it)

The best thing you can do is sleep and nap the flu off. Stick to the usual 8-10 hours that I speak of in the article. And try to nod of a few times during the day too. The more rest you get, the better you will feel each waking morning during the sick period.

Taking supplements

 

 

There are a lot of positive and negative discussions when it comes to bodybuilding supplements

A) Supplements aren’t needed. You can get all the nutrition you need from natural food sources in order to build muscle. (True). Big supplement companies are just pure evil, unnecessarily robbing from the pure to feed their own riches. (Which is why we created the guide to ‘necessary’ supplementation).

B) As a bodybuilder, our bodies are put through extra stress than your non gym goer. There fore, the body needs to be supplemented extra in order to grow effectively…. And to avoid sickness

Both arguments are true. Point A is fully covered in In the zone nutrition and which supplements are needed and when to take them is fully described.

Point B holds true to. But all one really needs to do is…

- Eat well
- Sleep well
- Focus on gym hygiene

And most worries about extra body stress are put at ease.

What you really need to take note of in point B is the last part…

And to avoid sickness

If you intend to live the fitness lifestyle and make it a year 5-10 year stretch. Then your best option is to take a long term approach in regards to the extra supplements and vitamins you need to take. Building a strong foundation is paramount in any long term plan to prepare for a ‘brighter’ future) (House building being the usual cliche here).

With that said. It is indeed important to focus on taking extra vitamins and supplements in the case of preventing future sickness (More so extra vitamins).

 

3) Cheat meals moments (the evening meal)

 

It’s time to talk about real life.

Now, as this is real life, and not just some robotic program to turn you into a living terminator (Now head of Cali – what has the world come to). The chances are that you will probably have some real friends. And unless you have just come out of a relationship, chances are you probably have a special someone in your life.. or at least have your eye on someone. If so, how would you think they feel about you becoming some robotic drone that lifts weights all day. As a male, I can tell you now. She will not appreciate. Yes, she doesn’t want a skinny man, fair enough. But she definitely doesn’t want some one who puts working out before her. However as a woman, she’ll be into fitness too, as it’s a natural way of healthy living and also prevents hair loss in women.

Any how, as we are on the habit builder and as we are talking about nutrition under this sub heading. One thing you could start to get used to is to go out every week with your partner.

Specifically.. go out for a meal, to a restaurant of your personal choice. It really has nothing to do with bodybuilding nutrition. Go out to go out and enjoy yourself.

How to gauge it?

Now, it would be very bad of me to tell you to just gauge down cheat meals freely. But the core rule that stands is that you should stick to a in the zone nutrition plan at least 80-90% of the time.

- 28-30 meals per week

- 6 cheat meals max per month

Meaning you are eating clean 80-90% of the time in a 4 week period.

Meaning that you should make it a habit to go out and eat what the hell you like at least once a week, a night out, with your partner. Which is actually healthy for both your sanity and for maintaining a healthy relationship. Seeing as the no.1 relationship killer is a break down in communication.

What makes it an even better habit to get used to?

If you have picked any of our programs/ebooks, the chances are that you are probably either a very busy (possibly cash strapped student) or a busy professional. In either case, time is against you. Even if it isn’t, I know that going out 4 times a month with your partner is still probably a rarity (unless you are going through that honeymoon period). With that being the case, this one habit could therefore enhance your relationship and save it at the same time, from preventing you from becoming a robot gym bore who does nothing but lift and eat for the gym ONLY.

 

P.S

We also recently bundled all of our ebooks into one package. So feel free to check it out below

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Sleep vs 5 Workouts Per Week

Before I begin my rant, I just want to get one thing clear.

Bodybuilding is not complicated!

• Train to stimulate muscle growth
• Eat the right foods at the right time to feed that muscle growth
• Supplement when necessary
• Sleep

You do the above and you will achieve. Simple!

But the mistake that many people make (Especially new lifters) is that they become addicted to the 1 hour muscle pump. Which is, that period where your muscles inflate briefly during the period that you workout. What then happens, is that thought then becomes fixated in their minds, that they have to train more to maintain that ‘look’. It’s not a completely silly way of thinking either, because it’s like, what you see is what you get. And looking fantastic for that brief moment in time does feel nice. But it’s a flawed way of thinking that needs to be corrected. Because as most of you may know. The real growth happens in your sleep, and most of you don’t get enough of that as it is.

Now, if you are a mature muscle mass lean machine, you’ve probably trained your body over the years to handle 5 workouts per week. But for those who…

• Are still working to get shred with bulk results.
• Hold down a separate professional career

5 workouts per week will often prove to be too much.

Think about it….

A young professional or higher education student will work say 10-12 hours per day. Add 2 hours of travel back and fourth. Add workout time (2 hours with travel). Add evening leisure time (3-4 hours). And you are left with only 4-5 hours to sleep.

You need at least 8-10 hours of rest if you intend on following a good program such as the upcoming shred with bulk program, if you are serious about seeing some serious results. Especially within the first 4 weeks.

You can get the full scoop on the upcoming Stay-fit Bug strength progression program that’s coming in a few weeks below.

You can eat well and train well, but skip that one crucial part of the cycle (sleep) and you will indeed break a very necessary link in the chain in order to build necessary gains. If you feel you have been doing everything right, but sometimes feel you are unusually deflated (Most will feel it in there arms first… this post does a good job of explaining that) it’s probably because you have been depriving your body of the necessary rest that it needs.

How much rest do you need?

Well, first things first. If you train insane the ‘In The Zone’ way, as described in the upcoming shred with bulk program (Enter your details above to learn more) then getting enough sleep will be an after thought. Because the way the program teaches you to train will indeed put you to sleep.

But the amount of sleep you should aim for is about 8 hours, to be realistic in this day and age. Which of course is something that we all struggle with. Some people may need even less. But if you find that your gains are lacking compared to the amount of dedication you are putting towards your nutrition and workouts, then sleep is the link in that chain that you need to fix. Yes, I know you may like those late nights. Sitting up on Facebook, PS3 or whatever. Just save 2 hours out of those few hours of leisure time that you have to get some proper rest. You’ll make your mirror very happy.

5 day workouts vs 3 day workouts

Like I said earlier. 5 workouts per week will often prove too much for a gym goer with a separate career. Yes, it’s fine for those pro bodybuilders who do nothing but lift all the time, or for those who have built stacks of mature muscle over the years. But for Mr. I have a career, Mr. I have a Family, or Mr. ”I have a damn life”. 5 workouts per week will prove to be too much. Your body simply will not get enough rest between the days in order to develop some real muscle growth.

A break down for your perspective.

168 hours in a week

• You work 50-60 hours of those (Young professional or busy Further education student – Masters degree)
• Travel 10 hours back and fourth
• Workout 10 hours of those (Assuming 5 day workouts)
• You need 56 hours of sleep per week
• Leisure time 20 hours per week (On week days)
• Weekend of doing nothing or leisure time of 24 hours

That is your entire week ‘overly’ maxed out. And this is without leaving room for actual ‘life’. Because as most of us know. Most weeks aren’t stream lined and perfect like that. You have things like…

• Spending time with your partner/love interest
• Seeing a friend on the odd day
• Evenings out with colleagues
• And other things

Training 5 days a week for someone with life demands other than bodybuilding is not a lifestyle. You become a prisoner to the gym, when you really don’t have to. Seriously, cut back. Change 5 days a week to 3 days a week.

”Most of what you achieve from going ‘to’ the gym, will be a direct result of  what you do ‘outside’ of the gym”

Let that quote sink in. Because it’s the truth in all its simple glory.

Have ‘Jack all’ days. Focus on the other links in the bodybuilding chain other than working out. Live the lifestyle! Once you do, you’ll start getting quotes such as this…

‘Dude, what you been doing. You been juicing haven’t you?’

That is a compliment in all its glory right there. And your response will be something like…

”Dude, I haven’t even been training’

‘Yea… right dude, I really do believe you’ (I’ve experienced this first hand. It was a glorious day to say the least )

Once that happens, you are succeeding with the formula of obtaining more sleep, a balanced bodybuilding chain, a balanced lifestyle. And a happier fit bugger.

”Less is more”

Be consistent

The only other thing you need to focus on is consistency. Which is in fact, arguably, the most important aspect of this lifestyle. Because if you don’t stick to it, you won’t grow and progress. And even worse, you won’t develop any mature muscle mass. Which is of course muscle mass that sticks. Which allows you to decide if you want to train more or less, without there being much effect on your gains.

So when it comes to getting your optimum hours of sleep per night, whether its 6, 8 or even 10 hours. Stick to it. Try not to miss 1 -2 hours of sleep every other night. That’s 30-60 hours of rest that your body would have missed out on. And you can bet a mighty dollar that the hours missed will have an affect on your shred with bulk results.

Training tired is the same as training drunk

Lack of sleep… worse than training drunk?

I didn’t realize this in my earlier years of training. When I got my first car, I would do crazy things like, drive in a tired state of mind (And body). All I can tell you about that now, is DON’T DO IT! You will crash and die. And for a while I argued that driving tired is actually worse than being drunk, or driving drunk (Which of course is illegal. Again… don’t do it). And it wasn’t until later on that I found out that being awake for 24 hours or more has the same physical affects as being over the legal driving alcohol limit. But again, from experience, I’d say driving tired is worse.

That then means, in regards to your training, that training while you are tired is the same or worse as training as if you were drunk. Obviously something you would never do… right?

Of course not.

Therefore emphasizing the importance of getting enough sleep. Besides, lifting and dropping a 30kg dumbbell on your toe (Or on someone elses) is not a good look.

Don’t workout too late in the day

Working out too late in the evening may also be a factor in keeping you awake. Efficient sleep is directly connected to body temperature. Build up heat, you’ll stay awake. Get cold and you’ll go out for the count. Intense workouts will raise your body temperature high, therefore it’s a good idea to keep your workout periods up until the early evening hours only.

Conclusion

Don’t put sleep on the back burner just because you are ‘busy’. Set goals and structure into your life and getting enough sleep will become an after thought. Besides, what’s the point of being ripped and sexy only to look like a dead zombie half the time

Get those hours in.

See you in the comments.

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4 Ways To Cure Deadlift Pain

Lets get one thing straight…

The deadlift is arguably the king of all back exercises.

Actually ill rephrase…

The deadlift IS the undisputed king of all back exercises!

However, it is not uncommon to hear about the deadlift being trash talked about, due to the lower back pain it has known to cause individuals. This may have happened to you too, even when you swear blind that you have been following correct form and technique for weeks on end.

Could it be that you don’t have the optimum physique to perform deadlifts at max capacity/ intensity?

Possibly.

Could it be that you have actually started to sacrifice good technique as you’ve increased the weight, without realizing it?

It could be that too.

There are indeed other reasons why you could b etaking an injury beating from performing the deadlift. But the main focus point of the deadlift is that you are supposed to feel the pain in your upper back, and not your lower back. And the last thing you want to be doing is sacrificing your health just to grow big. Seriously… it’s not worth it.

However…

I’m not here to talk about quitting exercises. Especially the ones that will get you those super gains. I’m here to show you what you can do to prevent, cure and substitute those exercises with. And in this case, the deadlift.

#1 Deload week (Go light)

This is what you’ll probably need to do, if you happen to be one of those whose lower back pain has ‘suddenly ‘ appeared out of nowhere. This is because you’ve probably been going ‘at it’ for 6 weeks or more.

Note: A 12 week program is usually best in most cases. It’s always good to take a breather after that period. Say a week or two, before getting back into the swing of things.

You can get the full scoop on the upcoming Stay-fit Bug strength progression program that’s coming in a few weeks below.

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If that is the case, then it’s time to deload. Take a week off and then work in again lightly over the next week or two at about 60% intensity (higher volume).

#2 Perform an alternative exercise

Deadlift on a Hammer Strength shrug machine

This machine is actually designed for performing the shrug exercise. But you can use it as a machine to perform deadlifts on.

The benefits?

1. You can concentrate on what you need to do and be more upright as it helps you take out the dangerous lower part of the deadlifting movement whilst still getting a good range of motion.
2. You can load on the uber heavy weights without getting scared. Which is understandable when performing deadlifts with a free weight barbell.

#3 Strengthen your lower back

With stiff leg deadlifts

This exercise is geared towards working your hamstrings, glutes and lower back. And unlike normal deadlifts, you should indeed feel tension lower down your back and not your upper back. If you do suffer from pain from performing ordinary deadlifts, then this is an exercise that you should include as a core part of your program.

Why?

1) Isolation
2) Less explosive than ordinary deadlifts

Focus on this (While performing correctly) early on in your progression and you should indeed find that it helps quite a bit. But please.. do it right, otherwise you’ll just be back at square one. Pain central!

#4 Focus on good form

Last but not least (And probably should have been first). Focus on good form.

It’s a well known rule that you should be starting out with light weights. That’s with any exercise. But one reason you could be feeling pain in your lower back is due to performing the exercise with incorrect form… over a period of time. Don’t be a dumb meat head and shrug off pain, thinking your ego is all bad and that your body can ‘take it’. Taking pain for the sake of looking cool is the dumbest thing ever. Don’t do it.

Get someone to watch you perform the exercise to see if you are doing it right. Especially once you start lifting heavier weights. Or better yet, record yourself and make sure you tick all the boxes below.

Preparing for the Deadlift.

1. Position the bar first, 2-4 inches away from your shins before attempting to lift. Don’t walk with the bar. Do so and something like this could happen.
2. Hold the bar at Shoulder-width
3. Point your toes outwards and curl them upwards. (Stability)
4. On the way up, make a big chest & lift it up, and pull your shoulders backwards. Do this and your back will never ’round out’ on the way up.
5. Look forward throughout the entire lift. It’s not just a psychological thing either. It really will prevent you from arching your back.
6. Grip the bar with your fingers and not your palms. Start my allowing the bar to just sit in your fingers. Roll the bar in, close your hands and lift. Doing so will help prevent the formation of big calluses.
7. Keep your arms locked and straight through the entire lift. Bend them and risk tearing a bicep.
8. Lift with your hips and not your lower back. This is the critical part of the movement which will determine if you feel pain and cry, or continue to lift big and grow. The upper back is the target and where you should feel all of the tension.
9. Keep the bar close to your shins on the way up. Move your hips first before bending your knees and you won’t risk scraping them.
10. Squeeze you glutes. Bring your hips forward by pushing from the heels & squeezing your glutes . This too will help prevent lower back pain as it stops you from pulling with your lower back.

There’ll be a more detailed video version of this upon the launch of the new program, so make sure you enter your email address below to get the full scoop.

To conclude

After all is said and done, the deadlift is still the champion back exercise. If pain has struck you, or if you have been afraid of even performing the exercise because of all the trash talk you hear about the exercise, then follow the above. And of course, keep an eye out for the upcoming program.

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See you in the comments

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10 Reasons Why This Is The Best Post Workout Food Source Ever!

Ok… very soon you’ll be introduced to the concept of ‘In The Zone’ nutrition. I wont reveal all of the specifics just yet. But the short version is to stack your guts and deliberately spike your insulin levels around the times that you workout.

Now, if we fast forward to the post workout meal, you’ll know that its important to refuel your body full of nutrients. Nutrients that you would have used up during your workout.

You can read more here

If you have been following, you will also know that it’s important to refuel your body with the RIGHT sources of carbs and proteins… especially within 30-45 mins after working out.

There are many food sources you can choose from (Many of which you will learn about in the coming weeks).

But if there is one food source that does it all and has gained the crown to be labeled the ‘best’, it would be…

Whole milk

Why whole milk?

Let’s look at the specifics…

#1 Whole milk is highly anabolic

Anabolic…?

This is just a word used for the process of building muscle. And whole milk is very good for that (More on this below).

#2 Whole milk is highly soluble

Milk is 87% water, which means it’s largely a liquid food source. Which also means it’s a easily digested food source. Which is exactly what you want to be consuming 30-45 minutes post workout. As you want to get the right nutrients into your muscles as quick as possible.

#3 Whole milk is convenient

We all want to make the process of building muscle an easy one as well as a pleasurable one. Milk is packaged in bottle form, which means you can…

• Take it with you on your travels
• Buy it from the store and take it with you into the gym
• Drink it as you please
• No preparation time (Great for you talentless cooks out there )

#4 Whole milk is cheap

Where I’m from (UK) 568ml of milk (2 cups) costs about 45 pence/ 72 cents.

That is 72 cents per workout.

4 workouts a week x 4 weeks = 16 workouts x 72 cents

= $11.72

That is pocket change!

Your ultimate post workout nutrition source costs next to nothing. Follow a good program (Coming very soon) and you’ll look like a million dollars… at the cost of nothing!!!

Hail to whole milk…

#5 Whole milk contains a good balance of protein

Now, unless you have been living under a rock, you would be well aware of the popularity of whey protein for post workout nutrition. The reason being is that whey protein is a fast digesting protein, which makes it right for post workout nutrition in order to refuel your muscles. (You can learn more about the different types of protein/supplements in The guide to necessary supplementation ebook).

However, I do not represent any supplement companies, and I won’t force every supplement in existence down your throat. So I’ll introduce you to a case of did you know.

Did you know that whole milk consists of 80% casein 20% whey?

Well now you do. With that being the case. One swift gulp (say 250-500ml) of milk post workout will give you the best of both worlds.

1) Fast digesting protein into your muscles
2) Slow digesting protein into your muscles

This means that you can keep on guzzling milk even up until bed time, which of course means muscle repair activity even while you sleep!

Did you know that whole milk contains a strong dose of BCAA’s? (The main 3 chain BCAA’s – There are 21 in total).

Branch chain amino acids are what proteins in your body are made up of (They are like long strips).

I talk about these in ‘The guide to necessary supplementation too‘. But drinking whole milk actually means you won’t have to spend any extra money on supplementation. Whole milk is already very affordable as mentioned above. You’ve now saved yourself a stack load of cash!

#6 Whole milk contains a good balance of carbs

That’s right, whole milk is high in carbs too. Carbs are what you need along side protein after you workout. Yes, you will be spiking your insulin levels through the roof, but don’t worry. This is the one time of day that you are allowed to do so. Your muscle receptors will greet the flow of food into your muscles with open arms (Read this post for more on that).

Oh, and another thing. Earlier I talked about eating the right type of carbs post workout. Meaning you need to be consuming simple/ fast digesting carbs. Also known as lactose. Which is largely found in products such as… milk (Whole milk wins again). And again… this will indeed spike your insulin levels. But it’s ok. This is the one time of the day you are allowed to do so.

Cant drink milk because you are lactose intolerent?

If you’re lactose intolerant you can consume lactase pills instead. They’re just as good as taking lactaid milk, but they cost a lot less.

#7 Whole milk contains a good balance of fat

Earlier I mentioned that whole milk is highly anabolic. This is partly due to the increased levels of saturated fats contained within it.Yes, you may have understood that saturated fats are ‘bad fats’ (Which I actually state in the guide to necessary supplementation ebook). But in the scenario of post work out nutrition, they happened to be the right fats. Because they are known for sending testosterone levels through the roof. Which is of course what we all want when it comes to building muscle.

The increased fat content in whole milk is also very beneficial post workout too, because of ‘fats’ slow digesting nature.

#8 Whole milk tastes better

We all know that Stay-Fit Bug is all about living the lifestyle while us ‘meat heads’ pump our way to muscle bound oblivion. And one important part of that lifestyle is to make sure that we aren’t just eating food… bust tasting it too!

With that said, whole milk makes another winning entry for reasons why it makes for the best post workout food source.

More fat > more tasty >  digests slower> Therefore…keeps hunger at bay

#9 Milk is better than Water

Milk is about 87% water. Proper hydration improves muscle recovery and can increase strength by preventing fatigue & stalling. However, milk contains electrolytes and minerals such as potassium and sodium which improve re-hydration by retaining the fluids you consume post workout. Read killer foods for fitness for my favorite post workout milk… shake.

#10 Whole milk (Contains fast & slow digesting protein?)

That’s right. And if you have been reading The guide to necessary supplementation, you might think this article is contradicting itself a bit. Because you would have learned that whey protein is good for refueling right after a workout, and that casein is good for well… all other times of the day. Mainly before bed time though.

Now, even though I gave you the ultimate post workout cocktail in that ebook, you would have also noticed it has a mix of both whey and casein. This is because a mix of both slow and fast digesting proteins ‘together’ actually work better post workout, when your goal is look like this…

Don’t worry, you’ll be just fine once I introduce you to ‘In the zone’ nutrition. Either way, whole milk contains both, and wins again.

 

Last words

Whole milk isn’t the be all and end all of post workout nutrition. But it is hands down the best food source for refueling your body/muscles post workout. Myself, along with a few others are still testing the new workout/nutrition program, so expect to see something very different than just guzzling on bucket loads of milk daily in order to build that ripped body, with the bulk. Sign up below for the full scoop.

Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Note

Since publishing this article, there has been some confusion. Whole milk is indeed great as a post workout meal. But when it comes to the post workout meal, we are usually talking about 2 meals.

1) 30 minutes right after a workout

2) 2-3 hours after a workout

The idea is to get the nutrients into your muscles as fast as possible after you workout, because they would have been radically depleted from intense activity from your workout. Hence why I state that this is the only time of day where it’s ok to spike your insulin levels. Now, whole milk is great because of it’s saturated fat content… leading to increased testosterone levels, which is of course great for muscle building. However, saturated fat increase does indeed mean slower digestion. Which means our food sources pass through a lot ‘slower’ than usual (Remember the hose vs tap concept). Therefore this means that whole milk will make for a better meal no.2 post workout nutritional boost. Which of course is where all the benefits listed above come into effect. So, whole milk is great for meal 2 yes, but not meal no 1.

Meal 1 options include…

1. Semi-skimmed milk (Or chocolate. As mentioned in killer foods for fitness, which I mentioned back in 2009). Semi-skimmed milk is in fact what I take right after the workout at this moment in time. I drink 568ml right after the workouts that are currently being tested. Nutritional values are as follows (Protein 3.6g/Carbs 4.8 grams/Fat 1.8 grams). Fat is under 2 grams per 100ml serving.
2. Hydrolyzed whey protein

A cocktail taken from the guide to necessary supplementation ebook

• Platinum Hydrowhey + iced coffee + Glycomaize + Glutamine Powder.

1. Fast-acting proteins (Whey protein)
2. Free form amino acids (Amino acids only – Glutamine) – Build/Repair muscle faster
3. Quickly digested carbohydrates (Starch – Glycomaize) Replenish muscle

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4 of The Best Ways To Treat ‘Big’ Calluses

It’s been a while since I’ve talked on this topic, but it is something that has caught my attention recently, especially as I too am one of the guinea pigs testing out the the workout program. Which means I’ve been lifting weights more than usual, which means an increase of the chances for me to develop calluses.

Now, you’ll notice that I placed an emphasis on the word ‘big’ in the title. The reason for this is that big calluses is what will cause you pain and grief. They’ll bleed and make your hands look like you have been playing around with razor blade sharp… ‘balls’.

Once this happens you will indeed be turned off from wanting to lift the bar. Which of course means no muscles to rip and build, no progress, super catabolism and a loss of muscles mass. This you don’t want (obviously).

So how can we avoid developing big calluses? (Small calluses aren’t a bad thing btw. It’s better to have some kind of callus formation rather than none. Because the bar will chop away at your baby soft hands and hurt. So grow some man hands already )

#1 Be friends with Mr.Chalk

And I’m not talking about chalk for the use on the blackboard either.

Now, just like you see in the picture above, our fellow olympians don’t just use chalk because it looks like a cool thing to do. No. They use it for the same reasons that you will be using it. The first reason…

Chalk smooths out the grooves

If you look closely at the palms of your hands, you’ll see that they have grooves along the surface. Placing your hands in chalk will help fill the gaps in the grooves, giving your hands the feel of a smooth surface.

Prevent the sweat

If there is one thing that annoys me more than anything else while lifting is not being able to grip the bar, due to execessive sweat. It’s like being stuck in a traffic jam behind the wheel of a Ferrari. You know your car can move, but there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. You know you have the strength to lift big, but your sweaty hands just won’t hold out.

ANNOYING!!!

And that’s where Mr.Chalk comes in to save the day. Because he will indeed help prevent sweating in your hands, which in turn will increase your grip strength, especially when performing pulling exercises such as the deadlift, pull ups and cleans.

Note #1

Don’t use gym gloves

Unless you want to keep lifting baby weights all your life.

This is because in order to become proficient at lifting the heavier weights as you progress, you will need to place an emphasis on some callus formation. That really is the only way you are going to survive the big weights later on in the program when performing exercises such as the deadlift.

But Shaun, isn’t the point of this article  to help prevent the formation of calluses?

Yes… but again, take notice of the word ‘big’. That is what you don’t want. However, what you do want is the beginning stages of callus development, and then to keep it that way and under control!

Note#2

Now, since we are living in the year 2011, you will probably notice a strong disappearance or lack of chalk in your local gym. Especially mainstream ones (Haaail to the old school hardcore gym).

The main reason for this is that chalk is messy, and gym owners don’t want to have to clean up extra mess. Especially when you have people such as those described in this article.

The solution?

Metolius Eco Ball

This is basically a coloured chalk ball. It is more expensive than generic chalk, but if you want to get away with using chalk without being caught in those mainstream gyms, then this is the stuff to use. Key benefits?

• Increases grip
• Reduced chalk dust present
• Less messy (No white chalk stains everywhere)
• However, may dry your hands out

(I would have mentioned liquid chalk as an alternative. However, recent tests of using the stuff has indeed been disappointing. Avoid).

#2 Buy a pumice stone

Now, I already know that you will walk away from this page, fresh advice and gym ready. And a few weeks from now, you’ll start to get some callus formation and there will be one day where it starts to go out of control. One way to prevent this is to use a pumice stone. I’ve actually used these for years, long before I even touched a weight plate. Just be warned… use it properly, otherwise you may do the opposite and wreck your skin. Don’t know what a pumice stone is? Click here.

Alternatives

• Nail file
• Foot file

(We all know your girlfriend has one of those )

#3 Hire Edward Scissor Hands

Well, not really… he’ll probably take your whole hand off, along with the calluses.

But if your calluses are really bad, just cut them away with scissors… gently! Just use basic tissue paper to wrap your hands while you lift for the next few weeks after doing so.

Other prevention methods

• Weightlifting gloves
• Weight lifters’ wrist straps
• Inner-tube rubber wrapped around the barbell (Most mainstream gyms will have this)
• Weight lifting hooks

I’ll probably be experimenting with this again soon, and put it on video towards the launch of the program, seeing as my hands are almost callus free at present. But until then, follow the above and you will indeed prevent the formation of ‘big’ calluses and avoid the screaming gym owner by not using loose powdered chalk.

Leave your thoughts in the comments.

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Muscle Building… It’s a Lifestyle

It’s a new year folks, which means yet another year of building muscle.

Have you made any new years resolutions?

I’d say yes, you probably have. However, in terms of building muscle… heck, in terms of living your life as a whole… while building muscle, most of those resolutions should be defined by short term and long term goals and NOT just some new years eve happy moment mantra. Those happy moment mantras are meaningless, and just like a guy who is crap in bed, won’t last very long.

But Shaun, I like to take each day as it comes. Live everyday like it’s my last?

Yes, so do I. Spontaneity has been a true hard coded rule of how I have lived my life for the past 12 years. That may be how you have been living yours too. If so, good! Don’t stop. All you do is just set short term and long term goals along side that way of living. That way, you can ensure that you are always growing as a person, and when you look back, years from now, you can cherish those moments, reflect and be proud that you achieved what you achieved ‘at the time’. I say ‘at the time’ because the world is constantly changing. Time does not stand still. One look in the mirror 30 years from now will be hard proof of that (Although it is a good idea to preserve youth with fitness . This post and this post may help with that too).

Humans are also lazy, which means that any action taken that doesn’t have a goal and an end date fixed to it probably won’t ever get completed. Heck, no end date will probably burn you out, because motivation is driven by inspiration, and in most cases, that motivation won’t last very long. So having a goal and having the motivation to complete it when you say will, will both work hand in hand.

But let me give you some examples before I blabble on any further.

Possible short term goal

Obtain my IFBB pro card

I call this a short term goal because it can be achieved within the space of a year for most people. It requires a hardcore focus on training and good dieting to get your body in shape where you either…

1) Qualify to attend a bodybuilding competition (Which is a great way to start, if catching the fit bug has taken you down this route)

2) Obtain your pro card directly via your weight class

However, this is a means to an end (or a beginning, depending on how you look at it). And once you achieve it, you will scale back on the intensity a little and get back to some normality.

1. Goal
2. Do what’s required within a certain time frame
3. Work towards a desired end date
4. Achieved!

Possible long term goal

Open a new local bootcamp business and build it to a certain level

This might be a new goal for many in 2011, especially if you’ve caught a nasty dose of the fit bug. If so, starting up any new venture may take some time until it starts to develop it’s own set of legs to drive itself forward. Which means you are going to have to set quite a few short term goals along side those ultimate long term goals (e.g, build a 200K a year business). It probably won’t be all whistles and bells throughout that journey, but structuring your goals like that will allow you to at least enjoy it to some degree.

Now, those are just examples. Everyone who reads this will all have different career paths. And the point is this…

If you want to enjoy your life, along side a life of fitness, then you need to treat it as a lifestyle.

Whatever you do inside and outside of fitness will affect how you live your life as a whole. Heck, in many cases living the lifestyle may cause you to change career paths altogether. Look what happened to my recent interviewee Christina Adler. Who is now dubbed ‘attorney turned figure nut’ and who will most likely drive herself forward to a full time career in fitness.

That’s right… the lifestyle will impact not just your body, but your mind too, because they work together. Having a great looking body will improve self esteem, amongst other things (You can read what they are here). Once that happens your confidence will go through the roof, and that will in turn create a mindset where you believe that anything you want can be achieved, if you put your mind to it.

This is actually a very powerful thing.

A process that allows individuals to improve their lives for the better. And with so many avenues to go down to make a living out of the lifestyle, the next question to put to yourself would be, ‘why not’?

Remember what I said a few days ago…

If you have a goal to do something or become the person you are meant to be, then do it. Do it now. Time is precious and you can’t buy it back once it’s gone.

With that being said, make sure to keep any eye out for the upcoming program that I’ll shine upon your world within the next 4-5 weeks. Which has a core ‘lifestyle’ theme to it. I’m still testing the waters with it (I too am a guinea pig at present ), but I’m certain it will cure a quite a few of the dilemmas that you face TODAY on your on your journey to build that near perfect physique… supreme muscle mass, with the supreme cuts. New readers can sign up below this post to stay updated on that.

Nevertheless, muscle building should be treated as a lifestyle. And let’s make 2011 an exciting lifestyle at that!!!

Leave your thoughts in the comments.

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Put Your Stay-Fit Bug to Work: Become a CPT Online

This is a guest post by Tamara Wysell

If you have a particular zest for health, exercise, and physical fitness, then becoming a certified personal trainer is the best career path for you! Many people who love to work out and have a passion for helping people in an active environment can put their stay-fit bug to work by enrolling in a certified personal trainer (CPT) school online. You can obtain your CPT certification much quicker than you think, utilizing any of a number of online personal training schools and turn your fever for exercise into a very successful career.

Put simply, a personal trainer helps people exercise by enhancing their workout and maximizing the results for their clients. It should not be confused with an athletic trainer (AT), which requires a bachelor’s degree in a specific athletic training health professions field. Most personal trainers work through gyms and health clubs, and many train privately, going directly to their client’s place of residence to train them. A personal trainer is expected to demonstrate prowess with many exercises and help clients improve their exercise technique. Due to the one-on-one contact that a personal trainer has with clients, he/she must be able to provide support and motivation in an effective, encouraging fashion; a great personal trainer will get as excited about their client’s success and results as the client(s) is. In addition, physical trainers must be well versed in nutritional sciences so they can recommend the proper diet for their clients to achieve their physical fitness goals.

One of the fastest growing fields for personal trainers to work in is corporate fitness training, where large companies pay a personal trainer to service their employees in an attempt to keep their workforce healthier and at peak physical condition. It is also becoming popular for certified personal trainers to run their own private studios, affording them the ability to personalize all aspects of their training regimens with their own equipment and tools. A private studio is also generally the best way for a certified personal trainer to maximize their earnings, as they do not have to pay stipends to any other source for using their facilities and/or equipment.

A personal trainer can obtain certification from any of a number of sources. Most certifying organizations require students to have a GED or high school diploma, obtain certification in CPR and AED (automated external defibrillator), and pass a series of exams testing their knowledge in the human body and techniques that maximize exercise. The rigor and difficulty of these requirements vary by organization, as some focus on narrower specialties such as muscle building, and others train for a broad variety of specialties. Organizations that offer certification for personal training include the ACE (American Council on Exercise), the NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine), and the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine). No matter whom you choose to get certification from, your career as a personal trainer will bring you satisfaction, fulfillment, and will allow you to put some money in your pocket doing the things that you love.

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