Archives for November 2011

Underground Muscle Growth Technique: INTENTIONS

Hey guys,

I just had to share an underground video I just checked out explaining a pretty cool muscle growth technique called: "INTENTIONS"

A little while ago Jimmy (my training partner) once told me his philosophy when it came to building muscle. He said "Rich, think of your muscles as being a wet sponge. And with every exercise you do it's like squeezing that sponge out. So with that being said in order to build muscle the goal of your workout should be to squeeze ALL THE WATER you possibly can out of that sponge when you're in the gym"

What Jimmy was talking about was putting the maximum amount of TENSION on your muscles during each exercise.

FACT: The only way to build muscle is to create the greatest amount of "tension" or torque in a muscle within a given period of time.

Putting the "maximum" amount of tension your muscles is tough. And if you don't know what you're doing or how to do it then your results will suffer.

In fact if you have a lagging or "stubborn" body part then this might be the answer you're looking for because the video below explains not only why you have lagging body but also how to fix it... with an "underground muscle growth technique called INTENTIONS.

Ben Pakulski Explaining INTENTIONS

The guy in the video is Ben "Pacman" Pakulski (an IFBB Pro Body Builder). I was actually on my way to attend a fitness seminar to meet him as well as a few other Pro Fitness Models and learn some tricks of the trade.

Unfortunately, my trip was scheduled on the same weekend of Hurricane Irene and I had to cancel. But I was so eager to go that I was literally 2 seconds away from hopping in my car to try and outrun the storm just so I could attend the seminar (fortunately my sister and cousin helped talk me out of it)

But that's how much I respect Ben Pakulski and the body building advice he gives.

Ben actually has a free ebook called: 5 Tricks to Double Your Gains

I've read it, and I highly recommend you check it out. Make sure you read:

Page 10: Being Obsessed with...
and Page 24: Not Understanding Muscle...

Because those two sections definitely gave some "AH HA" moments on things that I going to apply the next time I go to the gym. And I have a feeling those will help you out the most as well.

5 Tricks to Immediately DOUBLE Your GainsClick Here to Download Ben Pakulski's 5 Tricks to Immediately Double Your Gains

Til next time,

Rich

Can You “Really” Build Muscle Without a Gym?

Question: What type of workouts can you do if you don’t have access to a gym, to gain extra weight and build muscle?

Now here's the problem - You NEED heavy weights to build a significant amount of muscle if you're a hardgainer, or someone who hasn't touched a weight before in their life then you can get away for sure while in the beginning with just bodyweight exercises.

But your body will adapt to those exercises fairly quickly, and it'll be time for you to start exercising with heavier weight (heavier than your bodyweight)

I remember back in high school, I didn't understand this concept that you need to lift heavy weights in order to build muscle.

I remember doing some crazy things like doing a gazillion push-ups every morning and every night, and curling water jugs thinking I was going to get big and buff.

Boy was I wrong!!!

So why wasn't this enough...

Why do You Need to Lift Heavy Weights to Build Muscle?

And to answer this question we need to look at your muscle fibers. Your muscles consists of two main types of muscle fibers, and they are your Type 1 and Type 2 muscle fibers.

Marathon Runner

Type I Muscle Fibers (Slow Twitch)

These muscle fibers have a slow contraction, produce very low-power, but these muscle fibers can be used for a duration of hours. The size of the motor neuron: Small (they don't get that larger.

When you think slow twitch think of a long-distance runner.

Marathon runners probably have the most developed slow twitch muscles in the world, yet they aren't that big and muscular, and it's because the size of type 1 muscle fibers are very small compared to other muscle fibers within your body.

Type I I Muscle Fibers (FAST Twitch)

These muscle fibers have a fast contraction rate, they produce a very high amount of power, but these muscle fibers can only be used for a duration of one minute to a maximum of 30 minutes. The size of the motor neuron: Large to Very Large (compared to Type I Muscle Fibers).

Usain Bolt

Think of a world-class sprinter like Usain Bolt. A lot of power (Type II Muscle Fibers) is needed within the sport of sprinting.

And since Type II muscle fibers grow very large compared to Type I Muscle Fibers that's why sprinters always look bigger than Marathon runners.

With that said you need some type of way to progressively overload your muscle with heavier weight, because it's heavier weight that targets your Type II muscle fibers, which are the muscle fibers that grow the largest.

So if you don't have access to a gym you'll have to find another way to target your Type II muscle fibers. You can use such things as:

  • Resistance Bands
  • Kettlebells / Free weights
  • Home Gym
  • Do some backyard "strong man" stuff (IMPROVISE)

Remember, in order to build muscle or ultimately change your physique you need to build your Type II muscle fibers and to do that you need to lift heavier weight.

If you don't have access to a gym I strongly suggest you invest in a home gym or you can try one of the other alternative I mentioned.

All the best,

Rich

Which Muscle Building Supplements You “Should” Be Taking

Sportvoeding
Creative Commons License photo credit: d_vdm

Today I want to go over something really important and it's muscle building supplements.

Just to set the record straight “You DON'T NEED Supplements to Build Muscle”

I used to think supplements were the holy Grail to muscle gains, especially as a naturally skinny guy. I used to think all I need to do is suck down as many supplements as I can and I’ll get huge. Boy was I wrong!!!

I remember one time back in college 90% of my diet consisted of sucking down protein supplements, after about two days of doing this.

My body eventually crashed. I remember waking up sucking down a shake before going to class, then realizing it had absolutely no energy at past out of my bed for hours.

Not only did I miss all my classes that day, but that was a huge wake-up call.

You NEED to have a balanced diet, not only to build muscle but to promote a healthy lifestyle as well.

So why take supplements and if they're not necessary to build muscle?

  1. the truth is supplements provide certain nutrients in various combinations of nutrients at peak times, whereas if you tried to get them from whole food sources. It would be very difficult and even in practical.
  2. Supplements also make it easier to consume the right combination of nutrients at the right time
  3. supplements help you reach your caloric goals (consuming six meals a day, not only is tough to cook, but it's also tough to eat, tough to store and also tough on the wallet)

So, which muscle building supplements to take (which ones are essential for muscle gains)?

Muscle Building Supplement #1- Protein Supplements

There are three types of protein supplements that I'm going to be discussing:

Whey protein: whey protein is the most common muscle building protein out there and for good reason. Whey protein hits the bloodstream very quickly. Which makes it the ideal protein to consume before during and after your workouts.

Casein Protein: casein protein is almost the exact opposite of whey protein. Casein protein is slowly digested within the body, where whey protein supplies almost a surge or immediate supply of protein casein protein provides a steady flow of protein to your body and muscles. This protein is ideal to consume throughout the day and right before you go to sleep.

Weight gain shakes: weight gain shakes is another popular dietary supplement. Weight gain shakes are high in primarily protein, carbohydrates.

These supplements are used to help you reach your caloric goals.

Remember you have to consume an extra 3500 calories in order to gain 1 pound of new muscle, weight gain shakes makes it easier to consume those extra calories.

Here are some quick tips I want to give you if you choose to use protein supplements or any supplements for that matter

Quick Tip#1: DRINK LOTS OF WATER - If you’re going to be increasing your protein and your caloric intake with supplements in any way shape or form drink LOTS of water. I recommend AT LEAST 6 – 8 cups per day, in all honesty you should be doing this anyway to promote a healthy body but it’s especially important when you begin increasing your caloric intake.

Quick Tip#2: Make sure you’re getting the MAJORITY of your protein from whole food sources - When I first started out, I thought supplements were way better than “actual’ food when it came to building muscle.
But that couldn’t be farther from the truth, whole foods have so much more benefits that supplements don’t have, so make sure you’re consuming NO MORE THAN 40% of your daily protein from supplements. Remember supplements are used to SUPPLEMENT (or assist) your diet not replace it so make sure you’re consuming the majority of your protein from whole food sources.

Muscle Building Supplement #2 - Essential Fatty Acid Supplement

Believe what all fat is not bad for you. Some fats actually help boost your metabolism, regulate you're hormone producing glands which helps keep your testosterone”the big daddy muscle building hormone” levels high, also reduces inflammation, and joint pain.

You can usually find EFA’s in whole food sources like:
walnuts, avocados, extra virgin olive oil etc.

But to ensure you get quality amounts of your a censure fatty acids. It is recommended that you take an Essential Fatty Acid Supplement

Supplements to REALLY consider

Just note that with a proper balance diet (unless you have a fulltime nutrtionist this is VERY hard to do) you don't need these but remember since you're putting alot of STRESS on your entire body when you workout you need to provide your body with an ABUNDANCE of nutrients.

This not only will this speed up your recovery, keep your energy levels high, but it'll also ensure your body (not just your muscles) stay in tip top shape while you're damaging and stressing it through your transformation phase.

  • Multi-Vitamin
  • Calcium
  • Vitamin C

But just remember, you don't need supplements to build muscle Supplements are just that “supplements”, the are used to assist your current diet. They're basically a convenient solution to help you reach your dietary goals.

No supplement can replace a well-balanced diet

Train hard,

Rich