hang out with your body

8/13/2019 Hang out with your body

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Also, there is a theory that every hour of sleepyou get before midnight is equivalentto 2 hours of sleep. So if you go to bed at 10pm and wake up 6amyou will feel as if you have just slept 10 hours (and notthe actual 8 hours)

I would say try this one out for yourself and see. Too be honest, I personally feeltremendouslybetter going to bed earlier and waking up earlier.Take advantage of power napsthey are not for wimps. Professional bodybuilderstake them regularly in the course of a day. It is said that a 20-minute nap in the middle

of the day is the equivalent of a 2-hour sleep. Again, try it out and see for yourself.Naps are extremely beneficial if you did not sleep well the night before.Remember that your muscles grow when you restthis is the time between weight

training sessions. Sleep is the best opportunity to let your muscles rest.

Some hormones build muscle while others breakdown muscle. Somehormones burn fat while others store it!

We need to appreciate the influence of these hormones so we can manipulate ourresults by maximizing the amount of muscle building and fat loss hormones andminimizing the production of muscle wasting and fat storing hormones.

Cocktail #1: Insulin

Insulin is released by the pancreas and can be either your best friend or worsenightmare.

It is good when it promotes muscle building and it is bad when it promotesfat storage.

The job of insulin is to lower blood sugar levels when they get too high. When you eatany sort of carbs, proteins or fat, most of that food is broken down into its simplestformglucose (sugar) and released into your bloodstream. This release of glucosecauses your blood sugar levels to rise above normal levels. Insulin comes to the rescueand returns your blood sugar levels back to normal.

Prolonged high blood sugar levels result in inflammation in the body.

Insulin lowers blood sugar levels by shuttling the glucose into muscle and liver cells.Insulin will also carry amino acids into the muscles promoting protein synthesis (musclebuilding) and inhibiting protein breakdown (muscle loss). Remember, your muscles andNo Nonsense Muscle Building Introduction


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Chapter 5

liver have a limited storage capacity - similar to a warehouse. Once your musclewarehouse and liver warehouse are full insulin has to carry the remaining glucose

somewhere elseunfortunately the next available warehouse is your fat cells. Soinsulin can also stimulate the storage of fat.

As you can see, insulin is a double-edged sword and you must learn to controlyour insulin levels to maximize the benefits of muscle building and to minimizethe affect of fat storage.

So if you want to see how fat you can get consistently keep yourinsulin levels as high as possible (this will consequently lead to a short life span) . And if youwant to grow like a skyscraper then consistently keep your insulin levels low (theexception to this rule is during the Energy and Anabolic Phases, which we will discuss shortly) . You can

control insulin levels by what you eat. Different foods can cause higher insulin releasethan others:

Carbs: When eaten alone, carbs cause the largest insulin response because theyare converted directly into sugar by the body - 100g of ingested carbs is equal to100g of glucose entering the bloodstream. This sudden surge of glucose into thebloodstream causes a huge rise in blood sugar levels, which will cause a massiverelease of insulin.

Protein: Protein causes a smaller insulin release than carbohydrates. Only 58%

of dietary protein will appear in the bloodstream as glucose. Note that this is onlyin the absence of carbs. The fewer carbs you eat, the more protein is converted toglucose, and vice versa.

Your liver will convert the amino acids from protein into glucose. If adequate carbsare consumed with the protein, the body will not convert much (if any) of the proteininto glucose. It would rather use those amino acids for other purposes whenadequate glucose is available.

Fats: Only 10% of fat will appear in the bloodstream as glucose. Fat has almost noblood sugar increasing affect. When fat is digested, it is broken down into glycerol

and free fatty acid chains (FFA). Your liver converts the glycerol into glucose.

There are really only a few hours in the day where you can eat a ton of food andcreate an extremely powerful anabolic environmenteven with the presence ofhigh insulin levels.

Remember, once your liver and muscle storage capacity is fullthe excess food mustget stored somewhere and we have discussed the next storage site is your fat cells.


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IGF-1 is not released during times of low insulin levels. Low insulin and low IGF-1levels are the primary reasons it is difficult to gain muscle on low-carb diets. Low proteinalso causes a decrease in IGF-1 levels.No Nonsense Muscle Building Introductionapter 5

Cocktail #4: Cortisol

Cortisol is the most catabolic hormone in your body and is released from theadrenal cortex in time of mental and physical stress.

It is involved in the breakdown ofmuscle for fuel and promotes fat storage.Cortisol is necessary for joint and tendon health but levels must be controlled to

maximize natural testosterone production. To understand cortisol you canrelate it to the exact opposite of testosterone for muscle growth. Testosterone isan anabolic hormone and a catalyst for many reactions in your body responsible formuscle growth. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone that is actually responsible for breakingdown muscle tissue. Cortisol converts amino acids to carbohydrates and prevents

protein synthesis.

Since you are limited to the amount you can naturally increase yourtestosterone levels, it is imperative that you make all possible effortsto limit cortisol levels.

The following tips may point to problems you have experienced in the past orwhy you have not progressed in years:

Decrease levels of personal, mental and physical stress. Learning how to deal with

daily stress and challenges will separate the skinny from the muscular. Learn how tokeep your problems in perspective and how to treat stressful times with relaxationmethods.Stressing yourself out has shown to increase cortisol levels and inhibit muscle growth.Stress is relative to the perspective of the person experiencing the stress. By changingyour perspective you can lower stress levels.

Severe caloric restriction has been shown to increase cortisol levels. This is whydieting and cutting phases, where your calories are restricted for longer than 3-5 days,result in an increase of cortisol. This is the main reason for muscle tissue loss duringperiods of dieting. Cortisol also increases insulin resistance and inhibits thyroid function.

A diet lacking essential micronutrients and macro nutrients may increase cortisollevels.

Add a high quality multivitamin and antioxidant supplement, perhaps even doubleor triple the dosage, during stressful times, to suppress cortisol levels.

Get at least 8-9 hours of rest a night. Your body needs ample rest or cortisol levelswill elevate.


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High volume workouts with short rest periods and training too frequently will elevatecortisol levels. Training more than two days in a row, especially if you are a hardgainer, increases cortisol levels dramatically. Also, long periods of training withoutrecovery weeks can dump a ton of cortisol into the body.

Cortisol levels have been shown to increase with age. This is why a younger male canget away with longer duration sessions of 60 minutes but these should be decreasedapproximately 10 minutes every 10 years. Therefore a 15-25 year old male could afforda maximal training session of 60 minutes, a 25-35 year old male 50 minutes, 35-45 year old male, 40 minutes; a 45-55 year old male 30 minutes and so forth. Thoseare very generic recommendations and can be used as a maximal starting point.

Cocktail #5: Testosterone

Probably the most well known hormone, considered to be the big daddy, testosterone

is produced in the testes. Its primary job is muscle growth. It also helps to burnfat and establish your sexual characteristics. Testosterone causes muscle growthby directly stimulating protein synthesis. Women also produce testosterone in theiradrenal gland, but in much smaller quantities than men do. This is why it is easier formen to build large amounts of muscle.

Under normal circumstances (no exercise or diet), testosterone production begins todecline by about age 40 in most men. As it does, it can cause muscle loss, bone massloss, increased body fat, weakness and depression.

Fortunately, to some degree, testosterone levels can be controlled

by the ratios of food in the diet and exercise.

In order to support optimal testosterone levels ones diet must be balanced and consist

of ample amounts of vitamins and minerals specifically from the B vitamins,vitamin C, zinc and manganese. When trying to gain mass, a high-fat intake isnecessary to stimulate maximum testosterone production. Diets low in fats or productsthat contain fat, like a vegetarian diet, produce much lower testosterone levelsthan a meat or fish-rich diet. The fat provides cholesterol, which is needed fortestosterone synthesis. There is about 100mg of cholesterol in 3 oz of red meat.

Heavy resistance training (80-95% effort) and short rest intervals alsostimulate the production of higher than normal testosterone levels.

How to naturally increase Testosterone levels (and other interesting tips): Runners and power lifters show lower levels of testosteronethan bodybuilders do. Higher volume activities (greater than 8 hours a week) resultin lower T levels.hapter 5


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The higher your stress level the lower your T levels . Intense training causes a periodic increase in T levels but then drop.T levels stay low for a day or two before rising again. Another reasonfor hard gainers to train every second day. Dont plan a growth cycle when you know your mental and emotional

circumstance will prevent your best gains. Alcohol decreases T level and even one night on the town can causeT levels to plummet. Sex, masturbation and erotic stimuli will cause an increase in T levels. Painkillers such as aspirin, marijuana, codeine will decrease T levels. Diets high in protein, cholesterol, fat, and saturated fat will increaseT levels. Increasing polyunsaturated fat and decreasing saturated fat willdecrease T levels. Higher protein typically equals more animal fats therefore equalsmore saturated fat and cholesterol.

T levels decrease with restricted diets but are restored within 48 hoursafter refeeding.

To summarize, T levels will fluctuate throughout the day, week, and year and arepredictable to being the highest around summer, winning streaks, higher fatintake periods, and even when you are getting it on regularly. And it ispredictable that T levels will be low during winter, losing streaks, stress anddepression, low carb diets, drug and alcohol binges and dry spells.

Cocktail #6: Growth Hormone (GH)

Growth hormone promotes muscle building and fat loss. It works with testosterone tobuild muscle. GH helps to regenerate/strengthen our bones and connective tissuecrucial to support increased muscle size and strength. GH appears to affect everyorgan in the body, has been shown to support protein synthesis, a positive nitrogenbalance, increased amino acid uptake, lipolysis (fat breakdown), stimulate cartilagegrowth, and enhance immune cell function.It is released in response to low blood sugar levels caused by fasting, dieting,exercise or sleep.No Nonsense Muscle Building IntroductionChapter 5

Women have high GH levels during exercise and at rest than men do.

Once released, it promotes growth by increasing protein synthesis, and causing therelease of IGF-1. It also promotes fat burning by moving stored fat into the bloodstreamto be used as fuel. This is its primary function. Because of this fat mobilizing effect,GH reduces the amount of glucose and protein that is used for fuel, so high GH levelswill protect against muscle loss. Produced in the anterior pituitary gland, productionis highest during adolescence andpeaks around age 20. During that time, your bodyproduces about 500 micrograms per day.


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Under normal circumstances, production begins to decline rapidly after age 31. Ittypically declines about 24% per decade. So, at age 40 you are producing 200 mcg,and at age 80 you will produce only 25 mcg per day.

How to naturally increase GH levels (and other interesting tips):

Eat low glycemic carbohydrates to keep blood sugars low, especially beforeexercise and sleep. Go to bed on an empty stomach (no heavy carbs). Carbohydrates produceinsulin, which can help store fat. Get a good nights sleepon a regular basis. Large amounts of GH are releasedduring the first 30-70 minutes of sleep. High intensity weight training increases GH levels. While performing yoursets, keep tension as high as possible on muscles without rest to optimize GHlevels.

Wear warm clothing. Supplement with higher levels of protein, Glutamine and Creatine, may increase GH levels regardless of age. Use certain aminos throughout the day, L-ornithine and L-arginine. Use 500mg of ornithine and 500 mg of arginine twice per day (before exercise andsleep), five days per week. L-ornithine is not very practical becausepharmaceutical grade is very expensive. Eat a balanced diet. Carbs/protein/fat. Eat 5-7 times a day. Use the sauna 20 minutes a day.Chapter 5 Train using powerful lifts, for example, squats, dead lifts and power cleans.

Take naps. Avoid doing the same exercise every time you go into the gym. Reduce your intake of fructose. Excessive fructose intake can block activityof GH and stop the burning of fat for fuel.

Cocktail #7: Catecholamines

The catecholamines are a group of 3 hormones secreted by the adrenal glands,epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine. When you get nervous or get thatadrenalinerush, you are experiencing release from these three hormones.They are important for strength and power because these hormones act to produce

force production and contraction on muscle fibers. Intense weight training withheavy weight and little rest between sets has been shown to increase levels ofepinephrine and norepinephrine.


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Cocktail #8: Thyroid Hormones

One final hormone that I would like to address is called T3 (triiodothyronine). This

hormone is produced by your thyroid and controls your overall metabolism. Yourthyroid actually produces two hormones, T3 and T4 (thyroxine), but T3 has thegreatest influence on your metabolism.

Your metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories.

Increased T3 production increases your metabolism so you burn more calories per day(fat and muscle). This is why skinny hard gainers typically have low body fat levelsand difficulty gaining muscle. Their metabolisms are very high so they burn a largeamount of calories.

Decreased T3 production slows your metabolism so that you burn fewer calories(fat and muscle).

Your thyroid regulates T3 production based on many things, including health, stress,overtraining, and of course diet. How much you eat plays a very large part in T3levels. Eating a consistently large amount of calories will keep T3 levels fairly high. Ifyou decrease your calories too drastically, your body will reduce T3 production to slowyour metabolism. It does this to help conserve calories, preserve muscle mass andmaintain body fat levels. In times of famine (or low calorie dieting), your body triesCto conserve as much as it can to survive. Low T3 levels means very little fat is beingburned. Since T3 also helps regulate protein synthesis, low levels mean no newmuscle is being built.

During long-term, low calorie diets, your T3 levels can drop by as much as 30%. Yourbody also begins to lower noradrenaline production by almost 50%. Fat loss productslike caffeine and the ECA stack help to minimize this metabolic drop in both hormones.

Exercise and increased protein intake will also help in keepingyour metabolism elevated.

Applying this information is critical in the muscle-building and cardio debate because

in this section we will first examine some of the popular beliefs and I will allow you tocome to your own conclusions. Remember, when it comes to muscle building there arealways three sides to every storymy side, your side and the reality.


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1. The Difference Between Aerobic Training and CardiovascularTraining

What is an accurate way to describe cardio? Cardio is when the heart and lungs areinvolved to perform exercise. Whether you are performing a swim workout, bikeworkout, run workout, sprints or circuit trainingcardiovascular work is being performedwhen you sustain your heart rate, elevate your breathing and sweating.

Aerobic training refers to one form in which cardiovascular activity can be performed.The definition of aerobic is with oxygen.Aerobic training refers to any activitythat can be performed continuallyalmost indefinitely at a low intensityas long as

oxygen is constantly being supplied. All aerobic training is cardiovascular training. Notall cardiovascular training is aerobic training. This will make more sense shortly.

2. Cardiovascular TrainingTo Do or Not To Do...

One of the most popular beliefs is that cardio will kill any chance of muscle gain. Thereality is that cardio must be a part of your training program even if you goal is puremaximum muscle gain.

Aerobics have been shown to speed up recovery from weighttraining by transporting oxygen and blood flow to the muscles.

The circulatory system is developed because more oxygen is pushed through yourblood resulting in a greater number and size of blood vessels. Since there is a greatercardiovascular density of blood vessels, your circulatory system has more supply routes to shuttle oxygen and nutrients to the body tissues, including muscles, andshuttle away waste products that can slow muscle growth, repair and recovery.

I do not know of anyone who can naturally get their body fat into thelow single digits with resistance training and diet alone.

Interestingly, weight training can augment muscle loss just as much as cardiovascularif performed the wrong way! Thats right, cardiocan be another powerfulmusclebuilding tool (that many do not use) in getting big and even staying lean in theprocess. I repeat, cardio training, if implemented the correct way, will help you buildmore muscle and turn the brewery around your midsection into a six-pack. We will getto the details shortly.No Nonsense Muscle Building Introduction

3. Steady State AerobicsWhy itsNot as Effective


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Its well known that low intensity exercise utilizes primarily fat as fuel for energyand high intensity exercise utilizes more carbohydrate as fuel.In the past, this was the basis for the idea that steady state aerobics (also referred toas long slow cardio) was superior for fat loss. Some people were afraid to exercise too

hard because they thought it would take them out of the fat burning zone and make

them burn only sugar and no body fat.

Consider the reasons why most overweight individuals favor steady state aerobictraining, also referred to as long slow cardio, for fat burning. It burns calories.There are so many other activities beyond the gym that burn calories, such assleeping, cleaning, gardening and talking. Sure, these activities do not burn asmuch calories as sprinting and weight training but they do still burn calories. Aslong as the muscles are at work and demand extra oxygen to continue working

than you are burning calories. So, no extra points for aerobic training.

I spent 10 years of my life training at 80-120 km a week and racing 800m, 1500m, 3k,5k and 10k races. I was immersed in the endurance world so I had an inside view ofthis topic. Ironically, some of my training partners who raced and trained at the samevolume were not as lean as you would think. This shows real-world proof that highvolumes of cardio activity do not make you lean. So I can not give extra points foraerobic training as the most effective way to lose body fat.The fat burning zone. Do you think its a coincidence that the majority of people whotrain in this zone are still fat? This myth was developed years ago when scientistsdiscovered that carbohydrates were the primary source of fuel for high intensity

exercise and fat was the primary source of fuel for low intensity exercise. Howconvenient?

Exercisers all over the world praised the idea that they could lose fat whilebarely breaking a sweat! If low intensity fat burning workouts proved to be themagic bullet than you would expect to see a lot more leaner people around wouldyou agree?

It is true that a greater percentage of fat is burned during lower intensity aerobicexercisethan it at higher intensities. So if we take this assumption to a furtherconclusion,we could assume that lying on a coach will burn a greater percentage of fat

by just lying there all day.And we all know how people look when they sit on a coach all day doing nothing!

The secret to maximal fat loss is to focus on burningmore overall calories.

Even though higher intensity training only burns 35% of calories from fat whilee


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lower intensities burn may burn up to 50% of the calories from fat, the higherintensities will burn more overall calories than lower intensities.

Think about a real world exampleare sprinters (running 10-20 seconds) fatter thanmarathon runners (2-2.5 hours of running)? No. Actually sprinters carry less body fat

than distance runners due to their muscle mass. I can personally testify to this. Eventhough I was running 80-120 km a week, during my competitive running career, I hada little potbelly when I ran. This is also because long distance runners, at least in mycase, justified poor food choices for the volume of training we did!

Aerobics makes your body burn fat. The problem is that too much aerobics burnsmuscle and the ONLY tissue on your body that burns fat at rest is muscle. Aerobicscan strip away too much muscle on your body which is not good because fat is adormant tissue and does not encourage your body to burn calories.

The whole physiology of someone who lifts weights is geared up to burn calories. The

opposite is true of aerobic junkies, whose physiology is like that of a Honda Civic;stretching a gallon of fuel for 40 miles. When you want to lose fat, you want to belike a Cadillac or a Hot Rod; you want to be fuel inefficient! Therefore you want to doexercises in such a manner that fuel efficiency is sacrificed.

Sure, aerobic training will burn fat but it will also strip your muscleleaving you less muscle to burn fat during the day. So if muscle is the onlytissue that burns fat, and aerobic training makes your muscles smaller than thats noteffective for fat burning during the rest of the day.

The last time I used low intensity cardio was during my very first fitness model show. Icame in very ripped but was told that I would have placed in the top 5 instead of 17thof 34 guys if I had an extra 5- 10 pounds of muscle. I know for a fact that I lost those5-10 pounds in my last 4-6 weeks of show prep because long slow cardio was whateveryone else did (and I followed the herd without questioning).

When many young guys start up on a training program, they always neglect the mostcritical factorthey always fail to grasp the following:

1% Workout + 38% Sleep + 33% Diet + 28% Lifestyle = 168 Hours In The Week

How did I calculate these?3-4 hours a week max weight training / 168 hours in a week = 0.017.So giving this component 1% was actually generous!9 hours of sleep a night X 7 days = 63 hours / 168 hours in a week = 37.5%8 meals a day for a 1 hour sitting(I know this is very generic side but lets inc lude prep timeto this as well to make 30 minutes of eating + 30 minutes of prep)

X 7 days a week = 56 hours / 168 hours in a week = 33%Lifestyle = The remainder of the time: 100% - 1% - 37.5% - 33% = 28.5%


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The percentages do not reflect the level of importance of each component but only todemonstrate where your time is allocated. This will help you re-focus your mindset onwhat is actually happening.This formula could also be summarized like this:1 % Training + 99% Recovery = 100 % Results

N

4. Which strategy to use? Bulk Up

(Advanced Weight Gain) or Stay Lean All Year (Progressive Weight Gain)One of your goals in eating-to-grow should be to maximize the muscle:fat ratio. Asthis concept seems obvious enough you must be aware that there are two methods ofgaining weightthe slow way and the fast way. There are pros and cons to each butyou must decide for yourself which method you are prepared to pursue and acceptthe consequences of each. The meal calculator has provided both options. Lets lookat both options in depth.

Bulking Up

Warning: What I am about to share is not meant to scare you or discourage you abouthow much food is required to TRULY build SERIOUS MUSCLE MASS.

Unless you want to take the long and hard road of building 5-10 pounds of muscle ayear, skip this section and start reading Stay lean all year round. I do not want to sugarcoat the truth or water down the reality of SERIOUSLY building mass ive muscle...Imtalking 20,30, 40 and even 50 pounds of SOLID muscle in the next year.

When I say solid muscle I am referring to a SIGNIFICANT amount of muscle on yourbody that will be NOTICEABLE to every person who sees you. Adding 5-10 poundsof muscle does not turn heads. You may look all right and decent but you will not stand out in a crowd and you will not cause awe, jealously or impress onlookers. Not that these should be your goals but they are certainly many peoples motivation so itis important to know what it will take to get what you TRULY want.

Lets get specificnow; REAL bulking will be achieved if you use the AdvancedWeight Gain selection on the calorie calculator. Go see for yourself how manycalories this will work out to and then go take a walk around the block to catch your

breath! Yes, this amount of calories will be your personal requirement to bulk up.Sometimes you just have to ignore what the magazines, websites and experts sayabout gaining weight and start observing what people are REALLY doing.Unfortunately, 99% of sincere skinny guys trying to gain weight are often misled by rolemodels with high levels of muscularity who say that they achieved all this muscle whileNo Nonsense Muscle Building IntroductionChapter 7keeping their body fat levels around 9-10%. You have probably read tons of articles,


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ads or sites that promote these guys who kept their calories at this certain level,never let their body fat drift too high and packed on all this muscle at the same time.If you are like many then you have probably tried this strategy and if youre lucky, you may have seen your weight go up very minimally. It can become downrightembarrassing if you have been training for all these years and your body weight is still

fluctuating around the same weight as when you first started.

Interestingly, I discovered something when I put down the academic text and startedlooking around. I noticed that every person (who had used steroids or not) and possessed aincredible physique had at ONE POINT IN THEIR LIVES bulked up, which led togaining the largest percentage of the muscle on their body. Later, they went on a fatburning program to shed off the excess body fat. And let me tell you, I would havetakentheir overweight period of life any day IF I knew I could reveal the finalproductof a super muscular, ripped look at consequence.

Also, it was a major eye-opener for me when I watched a few bodybuilding shows

and attended a few fitness conferences and trade shows where professionalbodybuilders were presenting and guest-posing. Now, I was absolutely STUNNED thatjust about every bodybuilder I saw did not look anything like their pictures in themagazines. They looked big and bulky and strong but they also looked very

OVERWEIGHT and DOWNRIGHT CHUBBY. There was no definition or cuts at all.I continued to research my amazement and started looking at pictures of some thesepros in their off-seasons and the theme continued - these guys looked straight up FAT.Ironically, some of these guys were the same guys that I envied the most and thoughtwere absolutely incredible, but after viewing their off-season pictures I did not evenrecognize them. I would probably not have even taken a second look and would

have never guessed they were bodybuilders.

My mind was made up after this incident. I decided to email a natural pro builderthat has a lot of before and after pictures in a variety of magazines. His magazinestalked all about his reps, sets, nutrition program, supplement program etc. Hey, hesgot the body to back it up so his routine and information he gives must be right?Thats what I thought.

His advertisement shows a before shot where he is very thin and skinny. And his nextshot shows how he is completely different and super muscular. I decided to email himup and ask him if he bulked up first and than got cut for the after picture. Sure

enough, he humbly told me that there was a picture missing. He actually bulked upfirst and than got cut up for the pictures. He even went on to say that it would take too long to gain that much muscle if he did not bulk up first and than cut it down. The MAJORITY of his gains were a result of the bulking phase. But all his info productsand ads say he built all that muscle using the stay lean all year concept....BUTthats NOT how he gained all his muscle.Chapter 7I also discovered that the majority of very successful bodybuilders who preach, make


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sure you can always see your abs, or keep an eye on your waistline, or never let your body fat go over... blah blah blah - actually do the complete opposite. They doNOT follow the you do not need to bulk up to gain muscle camp at all. Historyshows that almost ALL of the massive bodybuilders take at least 3-4 months each yearand focus on simply putting on as much WEIGHT as possible.

I can testify this myself in the real world. When I climbed from 149 to 208 pounds Iwas consistently pushing near 5000 calories a day and I was not using the stay lean all year mentality. In addition, EVERY ONE OF MY FRIENDS, who has attempted togain weight without a bulking phase looks pretty much the same as they did when they started training 2-3 years ago. No exaggeration.

You can say all you want about how much more advantageous it is tostay lean all year and not have to do a huge cutting phase at the riskof losing muscle, but the reality is that the guys staying lean all yearonly gain 3-5 pounds of muscle versus guys who bulk, and yes, look

fat, BUT come back with an extra 20 + pounds of muscle each year.

Which would you prefer? To train like a madman and make few gains each year or tocommit half a year or more to JUST getting BIG and than cutting down? Remember,youll only be chubby for 6 months of your life but you will have a lifetime to look MUSCULAR and look like someone who actually works out with weights. NOW, you willstart turning heads and probably even start getting asked for advice.

Yes, you will gain some fat and yes, you will not be able to see your abs for a littlewhile but who cares? It will take 3-4 months to get rid of the body fat BUT you willbe 30-50 pounds heavier. Think about the long-term picture not short-term picture.You can stay lean all year for the rest of your life, but you will never make those massive jumps in muscularity (that you really want) and you will have to live the rest ofyour life with the build you have now. Or maybe youll be just a little bigger overthe course of the next few years. I kid you not, if you choose this method because youare fearful of gaining some fat, you might make gains of 3-5 pounds max per year. Andthis is being generous!

And since you downloaded this e-book I assume you want to build20-50 pounds of muscle in the next 2 years instead of building 5-10pounds in the next 5 years!

I am telling you this because I assume YOU WANT TO LOOK LIKE SOMEONE WHOLIFTS WEIGHTS. Dont be that guy who trains week in and week out and month in andmonth out and spends tons of money on supplements and has nothing to show for it. Allyou have to do is accept the fact that bulking up will truly get you what you want IN THEEND.


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You must be 100% committed and not question this theoryonce. No, you do not have to become obese but you will definitelynot be a lean machine anymore.

Trust me, you will not regret saying, forget staying defined and lean and just give ityour all by gaining TRUE size and STRENGTH when it results in 20-50 pounds of newmuscle growth! But I think you will regret it dearly if, in 5 years, you see the exactsame guy looking back in the mirror and you are not even sure if you have gainedmore than a few pounds of muscle!

Again, its an individual decision and you can see that I trump the AdvancedWeight Gain Plan more than the Progressive Weight Gain Plan. I could go on for awhile with more examples but I think you get the point.So let me summarize:

IF YOU ARE TRULY COMMITTED TO SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGING THEWAY YOUR BODY LOOKS AND DESIRE A SERIOUS AMOUNT OFMUSCLE....YOU MUST DEDICATE A PERIOD OF YOUR LIFE TOBULKING, AND THEN TRIM OFF THE BODY FAT LATER .

There is really NO other option.Any other method is slow, frustrating and almostimpossible. Here is the situation: It appears that you have to overshoot your body. You have to go to the extreme and gain a lot of weight, and if done properly, which Iwill teach you shortly, most of it will be muscle. Then after putting on a great deal ofsize you can burn off the excess and reveal a massive and shredded physique. Follow

my eating plan and my training plan and after you gain 30-50 pounds of weightTHEN you can follow my cardio tips and get lean. And I guarantee you will be a MUCH,MUCH, MORE muscular person!

5. How Much Weight Should I Aim For or Overshootfor Before I Start Cutting?

Here is the scary part. And before we continue let me remind you that this programis only for those that are truly committed to transforming their bodies, packing onserious muscle size, and having an eye-popping body. This is not some get huge in12-weeks garbage. This is a SUBSTANTIAL JOURNEY that does not stop with gaining weight but you must also be committed to dropping the body fat or else you will just Chabe a bulky guy. This program is for serious and truly committed individuals whowant to pack on as much muscle as possible and make consistent and significantgains each year.

Just to give you a general example, the average natural weight lifter (with averagegenetics) has to weigh about 40-50 pounds more than his defined and ripped look


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is going to be! For example, someone who wants to be a ripped 175 pounds need tobulk up to 215-225 pounds before you even think about heading into your fat -burningprogram. Or a guy who wants to be 200 pounds ripped and defined needs to climb

to 240-250 pounds on the scale before he even considers coming down.I wasntkidding when I said you have to pack on some serious size to build muscle.Anybody who makes it sound easier than this is only misleading you.Remember, our bodies were not designed to carry around a lot of muscle. Your muscleswould prefer to sleep all day and not have to grow at all. So to force your bodyto do what it has no interest in doing then we must really push its limits. So once yougain an extra 40-50 pounds of weight that exceeds your goal ripped look then you can start following the cardio instructions. Remember, this is a general example. Iprovide a range because genetics will dictate a lot. Some will be able to put on a lotof muscle with little fat gain so will not have to overshoot as much.

7. Supplements to Avoid Weight Gain Powders

If you have been thinking about using weight gain powders, consider that you are betteroff wolfing down a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, which will provide about thesame nutrient intake. Sure, the doughnuts dont have the protein but dont kid yourself, most of these weight gain powders dont even have the protein amounts that are advertised. The protein is substituted with chalk or cake mix that is much cheaperand profitable, tastes OK and meets the consumers needs more convenient calories.

These products should be avoided because they are loadedwith low quality ingredients, will cause you to lose all your friendsbecause of their farting potential, put a lot of stress on your digestivesystem and make you even lazier.

Meal Replacement Powders

MRPs are another result of nutrition industry commercialization, and have gained popularity simply from the marketing hype promoting these engineered foods. MostMRPs have better ingredients than weight gain powders but not by much. Basically

you are consuming a modern day weight gain powder for the Average Joe.No Nonsense Muscle Building IntroductionChapter 8

If you want to save money then buy a high quality proteinpowder, mix it with a tablespoon of flax oil, olive oil or naturalpeanut butter (good fat) as well as a cup of yogurt or acup of fruit (for your carbs), and some ice cubes, and you nowhave a homemade - and healthy - meal replacement.


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Below is the Stretching Program to be followed during the entire year:

Lower Body Stretching:

1. L ow Back (Lying)2. L etter T Stretch3. K neeling Hip Flexor Stretch4. Side Lying Quad Stretch5. Supine Hamstring Stretch6. Gluts/Piriformis Stretch7. Double Leg Straddle Stretch8. T ensor Fascia Latae Stretch

9. F orward Lunge Calve Stretch

Upper Body Stretching:

1. T rapezius Stretch2. C hest Stretch (doorway or wall)3. A nterior Shoulder Stretch4. Back Stretch (wall)5. Q uadratus Lumborum/Lat Stretch6. Seated Lateral Stretch7. F orearms (kneeling)

8. Not Stretching At Least Half the Amount of Time That You Lift.

Stretching is not popular, nor has it ever been. Most current thinking leads traineesto believe that stretching is bad and results in a fear of the unknown, leaving manyto avoid it altogether. I think the fear is more of an excuse for laziness and anuncertainty of what stretching can actually do. And interestingly, most of the anti-stretchadvocates change their reasoning every few years and can not touch their toes!Many believers in stretching have learned the side effects of not stretching, notstretching enough and not stretching effectively. Before you read any more literatureon the academic stretch debate I encourage you to decide on this one for yourself.

You can create your own laboratory and test out my recommendations yourself, andIm confident to say that your participation in this experiment will teach you - by doing- the role of flexibility training.

I really dont care what kind of stretching a person uses, providing that the desiredrange of motion is achieved and sustained to minimize injury and maximizeperformance.


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Studies show that shortened muscles perform weaker, slower and have a higherincidence of injuries.

But big muscles require strong, lengthened and healthy tissue

so why would you neglect a component of your fitness that can skyrocket yourstrength through the roof, maintain healthy specific joint relationships, greater jointangles and accelerate recovery?

Flexibility Tips and Guidelines:

Flexibility training should be treated just like every other component of your fitness program. If you have a nutrition, strength, and cardio programwhy would you nothave a flexibility program? You should spend just as much time and effort into makingconsistent progress and gains with your range of motion as your other physical

qualities.

As a general guideline, you should spend just as much time stretching as in allother training. This means if you spend 2 hours lifting weights in the week, youshould spend 2 hours stretching. Ghaah! I can hear the groans now. And if you spendan additional 2 hours doing cardioyoud better find time to do at least 2 hours ofstretching. The consequence is greater for those with lower levels of flexibility.

A 1:1 ratio is the optimal amount of time, based on my personal study and experience,for injury prevention and performance enhancement. For the lazy man I recommenda bare minimum of 0.5:1. This means that if you train 2 hours a week withweights, you MUST stretch for at least 1 hour total.

Flexibility training is the only component in exercise where more may be better.Strength training, endurance, speed and power training more often lead to injury,unlike stretching. There is a positive correlation between more frequent stretchingsessions, longer stretching sessions and holding the stretch longerand improving thelength of a tendon, ligament or muscle tissue.

Monitor your progress in flexibility. From session to session, ask yourself whatkind of progress you have made. Compare the difference. Have you improved? Ifnot,why not? If you have, how much did your range improve and note what you didprior.

Flexibility training involves progressive overload just like your cardio and strengthtraining. One of the main reasons I believe people give up on stretching is that theydo not experience the benefits. They make a lame attempt and say, Ive never been able to touch my toes. The lack of progress is because of the absence ofprogressive overload. If you are not attempting to improve your flexibility fromsession to session then your tissue will continue to maintain the same length.


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Dont take advice from people who cant touch their toes. Most coaches, experts,and athletes have little exposure to true flexibility training and have little knowledgeof the real-world benefits. You would not take money advice from someone who is broke, so why take stretching advice from someone who is always injured, tight, sore,

and who has never personally experienced the benefits of flexibility training?

Start off by stretching your tight muscles. It does not matter which order youstretch them in (it actually does but for now lets just develop the habit) . Start by stretchingthe tight side first. Spend at least one minute per side and focus on building up to5-10 minutes per stretch in each session. If you increase the range bit by bit I canpromise you that almost any ache or pain in your body will disappear, you will feelabsolutely incredible, and your strength will go through the roof!

Stretch before you work out. I can hear the cries right now, Stretching before youwork out makes you weaker! Does it? I, myself, and the majority of my clients have

set personal bests after 30 + minute stretch sessions prior to lifting. Please note that Iam referring to stretching over reactive muscles. For example, if your hip flexors areextremely tight it will be in your best interest to reduce the amount of tension sothat you can attain a deeper range of motion when you squat or deadlift etc. It is notnecessary to stretch muscles or around joints that currently have optimal ranges ofmotion. This guideline applies to your tighter muscles that can limit range of motion.

hang out with your body

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