So I got my testosterone test results back…

This is how I feel right now

…and it's not good.

I've been lucky most of my life.

Lean, healthy, can take a beating. Strong, fast, and active. Smart, inquisitive, and kind.

But too much stress, too little rest, and shortcuts have killed my metabolism, fucked up my heart, and cut my T in half.

Shit!

So it's time to get really fucking serious.

I'm too young to feel this damned old. Plus, I have 4 kids, all under 11 years old (my youngest just turned 2).

I ain't having no more. Trip to the doc's a couple years back virtually guarantees that! (snip snip)

I need to be here with them. And I love my wife and want to spend another 50 years with her.

Early death isn't an option.

And zest for life is a high priority.

This is what I'm going to do:

• MOVE every. damned. day. Do something active and physical for 60 minutes. I may split this into 2 sessions of 30 minutes each due to time constraints.
• Meditate. I need to calm the hell down. Relax. Chill.
• Lift weights 3-4 times a week. I still haven't decided if I want to do my trusted 3x a week split or a M-Tu-Th-Fr split. I've had my best results on the 3x split but 4 days a week may prove more beneficial at this point in time. Hell, I should just try both.
• Cardio 5x a week, in the gym. At least 30 minutes every day at a fairly high intensity.
• Go back to small, frequent meals. I've experimented with intermittent fasting (don't eat from 8pm until 12pm the following day). It's easy, but totally ineffective for me.
• I need to drop 40 pounds. I know. How the fuck did I get this out of shape? Shit, I could see myself getting fatter. Why didn't I just turn this fatass around before it got out of hand? Reasons, that's why 🙂
• Use supplements wisely. Below I will post my “supplement stack.” I've always been a huge believer in supplementing for specific effects. Now is the time.
• Mindset matters: That's where the meditation comes in. Plus, I'm going to try the wishy washy “affirmations” and “gratitude.” Yes, I said it. It's feel-good shit but man, in the past, when I did it, I'll be damned if it didn't work! Visualization will play a role here, too.
• I'm going to write more. Writing is my heaven, my safe place, my mental yoga.

Dang, I didn't mean to lay it all out on you. But I bet at some point, you've faced similar challenges. And I bet you overcame them, just like I will.

Here's the supplement stack I mentioned:

• Omega 3s from krill oil
• A good food-based multi-vitamin/mineral
• A supplement I've used in the past that made me feel great – Longevity
• A supplement I've researched that can naturally help T levels (and I know it works in the libido area, because I've tried it – it works super fast and doesn't have any noticeable side effects like I've heard Viagra and its cousins have) – K20
• To help metabolize fat and keep my insulin and glucose levels where they should be – Gluco Guardian
• I have used, and will use now and in the future, MexRx – I love this stuff!

If the above doesn't produce results (mostly in higher T levels, losing body fat, and feeling better), I will pursue the HRT path – yes, sticking myself with freaking needles full of testosterone.

I'm reading up on all of that now. I've been in consultation with a doctor who is open-minded about this sort of thing, which I've found is pretty darn rare.

How to Cancel Out the Effects of Alcohol

There is one activity that you probably do on the weekends—or some nights during the week—that could be leading to extreme weight gain (depends on how much).

It could also lead to your death—if you’re not careful.  What activity is it?

Drinking.

Now, I agree there are plenty of benefits to having a drink or two at night.

It’s been shown to improve heart health, may reduce your risk for diabetes, and may even decrease your risk for having an ischemic stroke.

But again, this is light drinking—only a glass or two a night.

More than that and you could be putting your health—and life—at risk!

Studies show that heavy drinking could lead to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, memory problems, and weight gain.

Now, up until recently, it was believed there was no way to reverse the damage associated with drinking.

But that was then, and this is now…read more

The “Mass in 30 Minutes” Program

It is more common than not to see and hear guys lifting weights for over an hour a day 5 or more days a week.

There is something I need to tell you – this is too much.

If you are lifting weights for an hour or more per session then you are not working out hard enough.

What do I mean by “not lifting hard enough?”

• It could be that you are using too many isolation exercises.
• It could be that you are focusing on small body parts.
• It could be that you are using light weights.
• It could be that you are ending sets too many reps short of failure.
• It could be that you are using long rest intervals.
• It could be one or more of the above.

Personally, I am exhausted at the 30 minute mark.

Do you want to get a sense of how you should be working out?

Perform 10 sets of hack squats where you hit failure at rep 20 on each set.

Rest 60 seconds in between sets.

Guess what happens?

You won't last 30 minutes.

The “Mass in 30 Minutes Program” will change the way you look at training.

I can almost guarantee you that you will build more muscle in 30 minutes than most people will in an hour or more.

Keys to this program

1. Rest 60-90 seconds between all sets
2. Take all sets to either 1 rep short of failure or to failure
3. Think about your muscle when it contracts.  This is the mind-muscle connection.
4. Lift angry (before each set you must psych yourself up)

Mass in 30 Minutes Program 

Monday – Back & Bi's

1)  Lat Pulldowns  8 x 8-12 reps

2)  Alternating Dumbbell Curls  4 x 12-15 reps (each arm)

Tuesday – Chest & Tri's

1)  Chest Press  8 x 8-12 reps

2)  Dip Machine  4 x 12-15 reps

Wednesday – Legs

1a)  Goblet Squats  5 x 15-20 reps

1b)  Hamstring Curls  5 x 15-20 reps

Thursday – Off

Friday – Back & Chest

1a)  Seated Cable Rows  8 x 8-12 reps

1b)  Push Ups or Weighted Push Ups (use weighted push ups if you can do more than 40 push ups) 8 x failure

Saturday – Legs

1)  Leg Press  5 x 15-20 reps

2)  Dumbbell Lunges  5 x 15-20 reps (each leg)

Sunday – Off

Stick with this program as long as you want, but for a minimum of 3 months.

Record your workouts and try to add weight when possible.

You might be noticing that you are only using a small number of exercises.

What about muscle confusion?

What about exercise variety?

Muscle confusion is a bull shit term that was created within the fitness industry to help market products and programs.

In reality, most people fail to gain significant results because they use too many exercises and, therefore, never really gain any significant strength in certain exercises.

So, stick with the exercises in the program above and slowly try to add weight over time.

5 pounds here and there occasionally, over time, adds up to a lot of weight and a lot of muscle.

As far as your diet goes I like to keep it simple.

You don't need to eat like a pig unless you want to look like a pig.

Take your bodyweight and multiply that by 18 and that's roughly the number of calories you should be consuming every day.

So, if you weigh 200 pounds you should consume 3,600 calories a day.

Take a before pic now.

Take an after pic 6 months later.

If you love the results, send them over to me and you will be featured on our website.

photo credit:  Svavar “Suave”

What Olympic Athletes Eat (Infographic)

Below is an infographic showing what some of the top athletes at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games ate while they were in Beijing, China.

At first, I thought the information about Usain Bolt was made-up. But this article corroborates the McDonald's diet.

Sources: “Usain Bolt by Augustas Didzgalvis (cropped)” by Augustas Didžgalvis – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Usain_Bolt_by_Augustas_Didzgalvis_(cropped).jpg#/media/File:Usain_Bolt_by_Augustas_Didzgalvis_(cropped).jpg

Infographic: http://www.decibelnutrition.com/blogs/news/19120407-the-diet-of-champions-infographic

5 Reasons Why Your Muscle Building Program Sucks

His results speak for themselves. What about yours?

Building muscle has always been a passion of mine.

The #1 goal of the majority of my clients is to build as much muscle as possible.

If you want to build significant muscle, you need to start taking it seriously. Below are 5 reasons why you're not making the gains you should be making.

1. You wing it.

You need a plan.

Do you think Washington just yelled “Charge!” during the Revolutionary War?

Hell no.

Do you think Tiger won the 2000 US Open by 15 shots by simply “Grippin & Rippin” it?

Hell no.

Do you think Dorian Yates won 6 consecutive Mr. Olympia's without a plan?

Hell no.

So, what makes you think you can build large slabs of muscle without a plan?

You can't.

So pick a muscle-building split and stick with it for the next 3 months.

2.  You are focusing too much on isolation exercises.

To get big you need to lift big.

You wanna know how Arnold got huge?

He picked up heavy shit and moved it.

What a genius, right?

Relying mostly on curling 20 pound dumbbells and doing leg extensions ain't gonna do anything for you.

Try doing 50 pull ups, 50 dips, and 50 squats a week and see what that does for you.

3.  You are trying to build muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Look, unless you can re-write the universal laws of thermodynamics, you cannot build muscle and lose fat at the same time.

You know who can do that?

Those that take steroids and/0r are genetic freaks.

I'm talking the top 1%.

That is not you.

You need to gain weight.

Gain weight, but don't get fat.

There is a difference.

When dudes try to gain muscle they eat anything and everything.

The result is that they gain muscle and a ton of fat.

Don't do this.

You cannot force feed a muscle to grow.

4.  Your form blows.

Your form when performing exercises doesn't need to be perfect, but it can't be terrible.

Strive for “solid” form.

Whenever possible, lift in front of a mirror so you can see what you are doing.

5.  Your recovery blows.

The key to building muscle fast is frequency.

That is to say, the more often you can stimulate a muscle, the more a muscle will grow.

But, frequency depends on recovery.

You can train a muscle whenever it has fully recovered from its previous stimulation.

Increased Recovery —–> Increased Frequency —–> Increased Muscle Growth

Things that affect recovery ability

• nutrition
• sleep
• stress
• booze
• smoke

What can you do to enhance your recovery?

• Make sure you are eating healthy.
• Make sure you sleep about 8 hours a night.
• Try to limit stress.
• Limit your boozing.
• Dont' smoke, dummy.

So, there you have it — 5 reasons why your muscle building program sucks and what you can do about it.

Which do you fall victim to? Tell us in the Comments.

photo credit:  PUMPING IRON – TWO