I'm back! Facebook question: Best snacking ideas?

First off I'd like to say sorry to everyone who had been reading. I havent written anything in a while because I honestly didn't think anyone was reading! After several questions through facebook, text messages, and instagram (@mike_blackford) . I will also attempt to update my twitter as much as possible (@MikeBlackford).

Facebook question: What are the best things for snacking on?

Well, this is a problem I often run into, with working long shifts, taking classes, and everything else in my crazy busy life.  Like I've often said before, I think it is smarter to eat every two-three hours, to keep your metabolism increased throughout the day; although lately I have been reading up alot on intermediate fasting, but that will be talked about in another post.  Many people with an on-the-go lifetyle see fast food as a quick and easy answer to their hunger problems, but even Taco Bell's drive-thru-diet is a joke.  Sure the fresco chicken soft taco is under 200 calories and only 3.5g of fat, but those over processed foods are much harder to digest, and lose their protein while they sit in the heater all day.  Obviously there are healthier quick options like Subway and Tropical Smoothie, but they are LOADED with unnecessary complex carbs, that will build up and store as fats.  Christ, even the salads at some of these fast food joints are packed with sugars.  THE BEST WAY IS TO PREPARE ALL OF YOUR FOOD IN ADVANCE! Most days, you know what your schedule looks like, and rarely does something pop up out of the blue, so you should have some sort of meals prepared in advance, so you know your macros for the day. Protein bars, and drinks are obviously another option here, but real food is the most familiar to your body, and can be  utilized in the best ways.  And for you gainers, I'm talking to you as well, this isn't just for the people who are trying to cut fat.  I know you need your extra protein and carbs, but processed food will create more muscle than fat, so EAT CLEAN!

For those wondering, I am back to cutting. It's been a slow start, but with another Savage Race just a week away, I am buckling down, getting my diet back to near perfect, on an awesome supplement plan, hitting the gym ATLEAST 5 days a week, no matter my work/school schedule. Because I WANT THIS MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD! That will forever be my motto. Please tweet, message, text, me any questions you have, I will answer them as soon as possible and give an extended answer here anonymously. Soon I will be reviewing some new products to the market, including my new supplement regimen, and my personal records and measurements. Stay tuned, thanks for reading!

Facebook question: What's a good beginners diet/workout

Well, assuming you've read my other posts, you know what I'm going to say here; Diet is key!

It unfortunately has taken me over a year to realize this, but it's never too late to start doing things the right way.

Once again, your metabolism is going to burn about 2000 calories off you a day, so if you are wanting to put on weight, you've gotta eat more than that, trying to cut, just a little less than 2k.

Always check the fat content of what you're eating, bulking or cutting, you don't want to get chubby.
Cutting try to keep it around 80g of fat a day, bulking allows for 120-150.

Exercise:

No matter your experience in the weight room, you always want the basics, the fundamentals. Squats, deadlifts, bench press.

If you are just starting out, or wanting to get back into your old shape, I recommend starting off with a 3-day/week workout split in the 8-12 reps per set range.  You don't want to overwhelm yourself with soreness, and you need time for those newly torn muscle to recover fully.

Always rest 60-90 seconds between sets, and drink plenty of water during your workout.

Monday - Since Monday is the unofficial chest day at every gym on the planet, you're gonna do legs and shoulders.  Take it light, because otherwise you'll hate your life.

Warmup - Walk on treadmill 3.0-3.5mph for atleast 8 minutes.
Light Stretch - Toe (or knee) touches, butterfly stretches, quad extensions; hold each for atleast 15 seconds with regular breathing.

Squats - Do 12 self-weighted squats (no barbell) with the lowest point being a 90 degree angle at the knee, hold for 1 counted second on each rep. Breathe as you drive up through the quads and glutes. Hold your arms straight out for balance.

3 weighted sets of 10-12 reps, with the same motion as the warmup. If self weighted was difficult, start with just the barbell (45lbs.) to get an idea of how much weight to add.  You want to push yourself here, but don't strain yourself, you aren't a bodybuilder just yet.

Leg press - 3 sets (12,10,8) - lower the weight slowly until your knees touch your chest, drive through, extending your legs fully and breathing simultaneously.

Shoulder press (dumbbell or barbell) - 3 sets of 12, keeping your back straight, not arched, and exhaling while you push up, don't completely lockout your elbows.

Wednesday - Back and Biceps - Hopefully you can walk now, but your legs should still be feeling it.



Warmup - Walk on treadmill 3.0-3.5mph for atleast 8 minutes.

Deadlift - Make sure you are following proper form and technique (watch previous post with follow along video). Do 3 sets of 10-12, go slow, breathe as you bring the weight up.  Once again, light weight, I don't want you pulling your back out because some gorilla guy next to you has 5 plates on each side.

Lat pulldowns - You can substitute pullups here, but when first starting out, most people can't lift their own weight in a controlled fashion.  3 sets of atleast 8 reps, breathing out as you pull the weight down toward your chest.

Dumbbell Bicep curls - 4 sets (12,12,10,8) - Start out light, squeeze through your bicep and breath as you curl the weight up. By your 8 set your arms should be ready to fall off.

Friday - Chest and Triceps

 Warmup - Walk on treadmill 3.0-3.5mph for atleast 8 minutes.

Bench press (Barbell) - 3 sets of 10 reps. Once again, light weight, control it, push through slowly and breathe out on the extension.  Don't bounce the weight off your chest like the idiots next to you.

Pushups- 2 sets of as many you can do - With keeping a straight, controlled form, complete 2 sets of as many reps as possible.

Take the weekend off, you deserve it! Thanks for reading guys. Any questions feel free to ask me on Facebook.

Building Bigger Biceps

For most guys (and girls) the point of lifting weights it to sculpt your body in a way that pleases you.  Most of the time peoples initial reactions when you bring up hitting the gym is to check out your arms, if they haven't already noticed them.  Many gym-goers aspire to have massive biceps more than anything else. Although I often think the biceps get too much attention, they are a nice addition to building better arms.  So many guys kill their arms, trying to make gains and they see little to no results - this is because many mistakes are made when training, that just a few tips can help:

1. Don't overtrain! - Your biceps are small in comparison to your chest, back, and legs, when pushing them to their limits, they need much more time to recover.  After you tear them down, they build as they regrow. Keep that in mind.

2. Improper form or wasteful exercises - As with most other weighted exercises, you want to control the weight, don't let it fling you around. Don't be embarrassed to pick up the 15lbs to finish your curl set, there's no shame in dropping weight.  When you start breaking down the body, learning it's anatomy, you find that there are many muscles you have that you didn't know about. The BIcep, is a two headed muscle, the larger one being the biceps brachii, smaller being the brachialis.  The basic dumbbell curl only works the brachii, which will cause you to develop a short round bicep, that looks unnatural and quite frankly, hideous.  You can train the brachialis by turning your forearms outward, or having a wider grip on the barbell.  A recent study showed that the biceps exert more force and power, therefore building larger in a shorter amount of time, when being trained with straight barbells versus an EZ bar.

3. Diet! - I've said it before and I'll say a million more times, you aren't going to get to where you want to be if you don't eat right.  You wanna get big? Eat big.  Training your muscles as hard as you can is just going to go to waste if you don't fuel them with protein, carbs and calories immediately following training, and the days afterward.  Are you a hard gainer? GOMAD - Gallon of milk a day - Whole Milk!

I got many of these tips from this link, I suggest you go read it if you have the time.  Good luck and thank you for reading!

Testosterone Boosters.

Test boosters can be something to consider if you're stamina at the gym is low, your overall drive is lacking, or you have trouble making gains.  Many guys testosterone is naturally low, and others hinder their test production, to find out how you can raise your test levels without a pro hormone check out my previous entry on testosterone.

If you have decided to take the leap and spend the cash on a testosterone boosting supplement, I suggest you do a bit of research.  There are just as many test boosters out there as there are proteins powders, pre workouts, and diet pills.

Many people would believe that my peers and I don't need these pro-hormones because your natural testosterone begins to decline around the age of 24, but there are many benefits for these products for anyone over 18 years old.

-Quicker strength gains
-More energy in and out of the gym
-Libido booster
-Mood support

The absolute overall best test boosting pro hormone supplement on the market is Cellucor's P6 Extreme, once again another great product by an outstanding company.  It not only turns your body's extra cholesterol into extra free testosterone that supports heart health, but it has an estrogen blocker, to help with the fatty deposits in unwanted areas.

Other products include MHP's T-Bomb (which I have tried and personally dislike); bpi's A-HD, currently ranked #2 and is rather economic friendly with its price; Testoripped, which also has a fat burner, interesting addition; and many more.

Anyone who takes these supplements needs to cycle them, because when the body begins to have an excess of test, your natural production can shut down, and it is difficult to start back up again without medical help, so no more than 2 months on one of these products, followed by at least a 4 week off period.

Thanks for reading guys!

Pre-workouts.

Most people who take pre-workout drinks are looking for that super energy, extra tingly feeling that is gonna help them lift 10x what they usually can.  Pre-workout drinks are much more than that.

The beta alanine (tingles) and caffeine are nice for energy, especially if I've had a long day, but the ones with high amounts of arginine, citrulline, creatine; Those are the ones I'm willing to spend my money on.  Those are the ingredients with lasting effects.  Which is why I absolutely dislike VPX Friction.

Cellucor C4 is my pre-workout of choice, high in arginine, which builds up your body's nitric oxide levels, allowing for more blood flow and oxygen to your veins, creating a better pump, and also making you more vascular. The taste is great and its reasonably priced.  When I start bulking I will switch to their M5, which adds way more creatine and arginine, giving it the nickname, the Mass Machine.

Those of you who know me well, know that I absolutely despise Jack3d, not only does it taste bad, but everyone builds up a huge tolerance to it, so you have to start using 3, or 4 scoops to feel anything, and when you start abusing the 1,3 Dimethyl thats in it, it can begin to eat your muscle.  1MR also builds up quite a bit of tolerance, tastes like piss, and I've heard that some guys cannot 'perform' in the bedroom when they are on 1MR frequently.

I don't mind Bullnox or Nitraflex, I think the idea of a testosterone booster with a pre workout is actually pretty ingenious, but they taste pretty horrid, and I always get a better pump on C4, which also is only 5 calories per serving.

There are WAY too many to go over in just one post, but if you guys want me to break down and review a certain protein, supplement, or anything, just ask me on facebook, or leave it in the comments below and I'll gladly do so.  Thanks for reading!

Testosterone.

This post is obviously for the male readers who are looking to get the most out of their workout routine, because testosterone is what give you your drive, motivation, and muscle growth.  Even the guys who are cutting should read this, because lack of test in your system, can lead to excess estrogen, which makes your body store unwanted fats in the breast tissue.

There are two vital procedures in releasing your body's natural testosterone.  One is extremely simple, the other is difficult for most.

#1 - Sleep! Not only is sleep important for aiding in muscle regrowth and recovery, but during REM sleep the body is releasing its hormones, most importantly testosterone.  It may sound funny, but this is why more often than not guys wake up with morning wood, your testosterone is highest when you first wake up, causing you to have an overly active sex drive early in the morning.  Since REM sleep only happens for a short amount of time, once you have already been asleep for 5-6 hours, it is important that you are getting long, uninterrupted periods of rest.  If I know I have to be up for work at 8am, I am in bed with the lights off by midnight.

#2 - Squats and Deadlifts! These are the ones some of you are going to have trouble with.  When you first start going hard in the weight room, these are probably the two most hated exercises. But trust me, you will come to love them.  Not only do you see quick gains in these exercises, they actually MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER. As long as you have good safe form, it is during these two lifts that your body is completely exerted, using everything you got, forcing itself to release testosterone.  Now don't run to the gym and put 700lbs on the squat rack, then blame me when you become a paraplegic.  Take your time, do it at your own pace, if you feel your form isn't perfect then ask for help, watch some videos on YouTube, get a weightlifting belt. Safety comes first in the gym guys, I can't stress that enough.

PROPER FORM:

IMPROPER FORM (for laughs):

Olympian Bulking Diet

For all of you who think you're eating big to get big, think again.  This is a diet from the man himself, 4 time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler!

MEAL 1 8:00AM = 15 egg whites 2 yolks,4 slices Ezekiel toast,1 cup (dry) Ezekiel

MEAL 2 10:00AM = 10oz steak,2 cups of rice

MEAL 3 12:00PM = 10oz of chicken,4 cups of rice (cooked)

PRE-WORKOUT 1:00PM = Protein Shake

POST-WORKOUT 3:00PM = Protein Shake, Creatine

MEAL 4 5:00PM = 10oz of buffalo meat,2 cups of rice,BCAA drink

MEAL 5 7:00PM = 10oz of turkey,1 cup of Ezekiel cereal,2 slices of Ezekiel bread,Protein Shake

MEAL 6 10:00PM = Protein Shake,4 slices of Ezekiel bread

Calories: 4948
Fat: 95g
Sodium: 5701mg
Carbs: 839g
Dietary Fiber: 118g
Sugars: 84g
Protein 522g

Now THATS a real bulking diet.