Love Mass Building Time

Started out at the beginning of December at 182 pounds and at the end of January I'm currently 195 pounds.

Love the mass building:

 

 

 

Soon 200 will be mine!!

quick curl and press

Nailed 7 sets of 1-arm barbell snatches, 6 sets of quick curl and press (reverse clean and press) and 5 sets of 1-arm deadlifts. Here's the 6th set of the quick  curl and press. Had to work for it an it was awesome.

1-arm barbell snatches

These are coming along rather nicely. Here's the 7th set:

The Super Bear

Nailed 5 sets of 4 reps of the super bear, followed by 3 sets of 12 for abdominal roll outs.. Here's set number 4:

So, you say you want to get toned, huh

It's too bad that Eugene Sandow (pictured above) didn't know the benefit of high rep training for "muscle tone" and "shaping." If he did he might have had some definition in his physique.

As you can tell I'm being a smart ass. Sandow was one of the strongest men of his time and an absolute stud who trained hard, really heavy with low reps, and frequently.

So what does that have to do with anything?

Glad you asked. More often than not you'll hear people say that they don't want to get to big or muscular, that they just want to get "toned."

This is the rationale that they usually give to you to explain why they're using pathetically tiny weights while doing countless reps for their exercise. They'll then go on to tell you that everyone knows you use heavy weights and low reps for size an light weights with high reps for tone and definition.

Apparently everyone should have attended physiology 101, or simply looked at bodies like Sandows and really every single male gymnast in the world to see how horseshit that is.

Myogenic tone, or tonus is what people usually refer to as muscle tone.

Tonus is a state of stored residual tension inside of a relaxed muscle. In other words, muscle tone it where you're muscle are slightly flexed no matter how relaxed you are. This is what gives muscles that "hard as stone" look even when they're not being flexed.

Now, how does one go about creating stored residual tension in a relaxed muscle, or muscle tone?

It's easy. Put your muscles under conditions where they have to create loads of tension.

How do you do that?

Again, very easy. Take a big movement like a squat or a deadlift, load it to 85, 90, 95 percent or more of your 1 rep max; then hit 1-3 reps with it. Rest for a little bit and repeat often.

If you're a bodyweight enthusiast, take a movement like a Maltese or an Iron Cross that takes a ton of tension; hold it for 5-10 seconds, rest a little bit and repeat often.

In other words, muscle tone is best created by training with high resistance and heavy weights for low reps quite frequently.

This explains why Olympic lifters look like this:

Why gymnasts look like this:

And why old school strongman and bad asses looked like this:

I'd say that all of the above are pretty fucking toned!

And all of them trained hard and heavy on full body movements with low reps. And they trained that way often.

Now, go squat, clean, press, deadlift and snatch hard.

Grinding out some good bottom position squats

I love these. One of my favorite ways to squat. Here's set number 6.

Jump Squats

Finished off Saturday night by crushing 6 sets of triples in Jump Squats with 355 pounds.

Weighted Pull Ups

And, the 6th set of weighted pull ups to go along with the Hindu push ups. Bodyweight plus 53 pounds.

Weighted Hindu Push Ups

Going back and forth between weighted Hindu Push up and weighted Pull ups. Doing 6 sets of each. Here's the final set of push ups with bodyweight plus 160 pounds.

Killing the Zercher Squat

After 6 sets of military pressing, it was time to hit the Zercher pull/ squat. Here's killing the 6th set of 525 pounds. Should have gone heavier.

Strict Military Pressing, Owning it!

Was set to hit my 6th set of 3 reps, but it felt too easy so I made it into a 5.

1-arm straddle deadlift

Nailing the 5th set of these

1-arm barbell clean and push press

Going old school. Hitting 7 sets of the 1-arm barbell clean and push press. Here's set 7.

Crushing the bear

Nailing 6 sets with minimal rest:

Squatting nicely 3 weeks after hamstring injury

Was a little conservative with these tonight, being only 3 weeks out from the hamstring injury. But they went well. Hit 6 sets of triples with 455 pounds. This set is a little high, but still good.

Reverse Grip Bent Rows

Hit 6 sets of reverse grip dips with bodyweight plus 100 pounds then jumped into 6 sets of reverse grip rows with 315 pounds

Jump Squats

Hitting 6 sets of 3 with 335 pounds.

Fun Push ups

Hit these with bodyweight plus 180 pounds (I say the wrong weight in the video, lol). Did super sets with these and weighted chin ups on the rings.

A great one for the triceps

One of my favorites for the triceps. Overhead extensions on the Jungle Gym. Did these in a super set with barbell concentration curls.

The shrugs that didn't happen

So, hitting some shrugs last night. Doing a warm up set with about 500 pounds on the bar. My lifting strap pops in half and my bar slams into my safety stands, bending the hell out of it. Had to get a new bar today, have to get new straps too. But the worst part of the whole thing was I wasn't even to my working sets yet!!

Behing the neck Strict presses

Hitting my 6th set of behind the neck strict presses. Messed up on my 5th set so I had to add a rep to this one.

1-arm deadlifts

After the neck work, 7 sets of 1-arm bb snatches and 6 sets of quick curl and presses it was time for 5 sets of 1-arm deadlifts.

Quick Clean and Press

After the neck work and the 1-arm barbell snatches it was time for 6 sets of the Quick Curl and Press aka the Reverse Clean and Reverse Press. Another awesome movement!

1-arm barbell snatches

Thought I'd play it old school and nail 7 sets of 1-arm barbell snatches after my neck work. Went awesome!

A little fitness ranting!

Thor heard a rumor that in a land called The United States, in a time called 2015 most people made a priority off sitting on their asses and watching television, all of those shows that they had DVR'ed; rather than making their health, fitness, strength and bodies a priority. In fact, he heard, they didn't care about being healthy, being fit, being strong, or being chiseled. They only cared about what the bachelor did last night or binge watching "Breaking Bad." And it did not please him. Thus, Thor swung his mighty hammer and laid havoc to the world!

The RDA can SUCK IT!

For those of you that don't know the history behind the US recommended daily allowance of nutrients (or the RDA), let me tell you a little bit about where it came from.

A number of years ago the government researched what the minimum amount of various vitamins, minerals and nutrients you needed to ingest in order to not come down with a terrible disease, and this amount became the RDA for each of those nutrients.

For example, the RDA of vitamin C is the minimum amount of vitamin C that you need daily to not come down with Scurvy.

Now, if you notice, this isn't the amount that you need to be healthy, and it really isn't the amount that you need to kick ass, take names and be awesome. It's simply the minimum amount you need to not die!

Let that sink in a little bit for a second!

The RDA has nothing to do with how much you need to be healthy. And it certainly has nothing to do with making you into a ass kicking physical specimen.

So what, you may be saying!

But remember, you won't be able to change your body, drop body fat, gain muscle, be strong, be fit or do amazing things unless you are truly covering all of you nutritional bases.

In order to cover all of your bases you better not only be eating like a mother fucker, you better be supplementing too. If you take a multi vitamin, take "animal Pak" because it kicks ass. Otherwise, if you're taking a 1-a-day, make sure to triple the amount.

For your protein needs, 1/2 gram per pound of body weight isn't going to cut it. Push that shit up to 2 grams per pound of bodyweight and always err on the side of having too much.

For fats, aim for 3/4 to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight.

Crank up the veggies, especially shit like broccoli, spinach, and cauliflower.

Add in a great protein supplement like Myozene or Carnivore.

Load up on it all. Eat like a king, train like a gladiator and look like a god.

The RDA can suck it as can any one that will question why you're eating so much, why you're taking so many vitamins, etc. They'll be jealous when you're never sick, you're strong as an ox, fit as can be and ripped to the bone.

Remember, look around at everyone you come into contact with on a daily basis. How fit are they? How healthy are they? How strong are they? How's their body? I'll bet you don't want their fitness,    their health, their strength or their body, do you? So, don't eat like them.

Now, go create your greatness!!

Pendlay Rows

Hitting some Pendlay style explosive rows. Here's the 6th set of triples with 245 pounds. Way too light.

Bottom Position Squats

One of my favorites. If you've never done bottom position squats you should. You can't do as much weight as a normal squat (no stored elastic energy, stretch reflex or momentum), but it'll up your normal back squat a ton. Awesome movement. Played conservatively tonight to make sure the hamstring was good.

The end of the 30 day dip challenge

Ah, it's sad that my personal 30 day dip challenge is all done. Over the last month I've hit at least 100 dips everyday (ranging from normal dips, to reverse grip dips, to weighted dip, etc.) and many times hit between 200-250. I've seen a good amount of change in overall strength, and specifically pressing strength; as well as better chest, triceps, and upper back development and endurance. Great stuff.

Here's a picture from the last day. Hitting the final 10 dips with bodyweight plus 141 pounds (an 88 pound and a 53 pound kettlebell.).

Looking forward to next week when the back off week is over.

The quest for 200 continues

This is awesome.

Four weeks ago, when I started the quest to 200 pounds I weighed in at 182 pounds.

Currently, I'm a larger, stronger, and tighter 191.

Not a bad gain at all. Pretty damn good for only 4 weeks.

A powerful and ripped 200 pounds will be coming soon.

Don't be this person

 Ah, new years time. The time in the fitness world that I hate the most. It's the time when people have made their resolutions for the new year. Which means, tons of people have decided that this year was going to be the different one. This year will be the time to change everything. This year they'd actually make the changes and accomplish their resolutions.

Yes, new years, when scores of people have told themselves that thy were going to really do it this time. They would lose the weight, eat better, get in shape and all of the other resolutions.

Of course, three weeks from now around 90% of those people will have quite. By March, the number is nearly 99%

Ah, what a great time to be in the fitness world.

However, with all of that being said, there is one "most offensive" culprit in the scores of people.

And please, don't be this person.

Don't be this douche bag.

You all know this person, this guy or gal.

They're the person that starts "training" a little bit. They'll hit the elliptical or the treadmill and read their book or watch one of the oodles of televisions on the gym wall and think that they're really training. They're really working hard.

If they're a guy they'll probably throw in the odd set of bench presses (usually on some god awful machine) and a few curls here and there. Because, you know, you have to look good for the girls.

They may even get a little bit in the way of results for the first two weeks.

Then, of course, their body adapts to the pitiful training and they stall.

Then the excuses come in.

You all have heard these, so you can probably even say them with me:

"All those other guys and gals have great genetics, so that's why they get the results that they do."

"Everyone that's getting great results is on 'roids or some other type of PED drug. I'd get results like that if I was on them too."

"Of course so and so looks better and gets better results, it's their job to."

"I don't have enough money to buy the foods and train the way that I should."

"I'm naturally fat so I should just be happy being fat."

"I'm a natural hardgainer so I can't put on any muscle."

and loads, and loads, and loads, and loads of other bullshit excuses.

When you actually mention to them how to train properly for the results that they claim they want they'll all say the same types of things. Things like:

"That's too hard."

"I don't ever want to have to train that hard."

"I'm not a pro athlete."

"It's still genetics, even if I trained that way, I wouldn't get anywhere."

"I could only train like that if I was on the 'roids."

"I'll get sick or overtrain training like that."

and loads more.

The truth, however, is that these people are fat, weak and lazy. They want to mark it in their check off list that they "worked out" today. And, they want to let you know how "hard" they trained and how sweaty they got so you'll congratulate them.

However, they're too soft and lazy to ever actually put in the real, result producing type of work that would get them to the results that they want.

They simply aren't willing to do it.

It's true. Look at the typical gym member. How fit are they? How ripped and impressive are they? How strong are they?

If you're honest, you'll be shocked by how out of shape, unfit and weak they all are.

Now look at the way they train.

It sucks, doesn't it.

Now look at the actual people that are out there getting real results. Look at the chiseled physical specimens that are truly fit and strong. Notice how much different they train than everybody else.

The people that actually get the results are people that are willing to do what the others are not.

They're willing to push through any level of pain, to work on hard ass tough movements like squats and deadlifts, to push passed any preconceived limits that they may think that they have. And, even with no drugs and shitty genes, they get great results.

So, be more like them and less like the douche bags.

Now, go create your greatness.

Why handstand training?

Why handstand training?

Because, screw gravity, that's why!

Gotta love hitting some dips and handstand work to start out the back off week!

The bear, modified

 

After injuring my hamstring on Monday night I knew that the bear was out of the question but I didn't want to hamper my progress so here's my modification: seated 1-arm KB snatches, seated double KB clean and presses and seated double KB cleans.

Here's the 5th of 5 sets.

Dip challenge still going strong

From Thursday night:
Here's the 10th of 10 sets of dips, alternated these with 10 sets of pull-ups. Used bodyweight plus 88 pounds for the dips and got 10 reps on each set. Used bodyweight plus 20 pounds for the pull-ups and got 10 reps on each set. Here's the final set, not the prettiest, but still strong.