Category: Iron Advice

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Modified Keto and Me

We all know carbs are fucking delicious.  Pizza, Swedish Fish, pasta; I want to rub them all over my body they’re so tasty. But I’m older and my body hates me when I start eating more than 50-100 carbs a day.  Most days I aim for less than 50, but I need a cheat day once every 10 days or so.

I thought my life would suck without carbs.  I figured I’d be starving all the time and miserable.  I mean, how often could I eat meat and nuts or chicken and avocado.  Turns out I can eat these meals way more than I thought without getting bored.

I love going out to eat and housing some delicious gourmet.  However, most of my meals I consume for fuel for my body, nothing more.  Consistently eating the same or similar meals actually makes eating for this purpose much easier and less time consuming.  Which is great for someone like me who’s short on time and indecisive.  Now, making decision about what to eat is no longer taking up space in my day that I can devote elsewhere.

There’s some obvious benefits to cutting carbs, most notably is fat loss. When you start a modified ketogenic diet, your body starts using ketones (fats) for energy instead of sugars.  You can peel off a lot of fat while maintaining lean muscle if you keep your protein and fat intake high.  Somewhere around 250-300g  of protein and 90-110g of fat for someone my size (215-220) seems to be a good starting point.  You can experiment by increasing or decreasing these macros depending on your body goals, but we will talk about that a little later.

It’s important to choose your fats wisely.  I stick to coconut oil, olive oil, whole eggs, avocado, cashews, walnuts, almonds, lean meats and occasionally some cheeses. (more…)

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How I’m Dealing with Low T and ED….Naturally

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My hand reached into the fifth pocket on my jeans, praying I would find a little yellow pill inside. My Cialis, the only thing that could help.  Then the panic would set in.  Nothing was there!  I had a girl lined up ready to go and I was so fearful my dick just wouldn’t work.   Anxiety was the mental problem; Low T was the physical problem.

I wreaked havoc on my body and my hormones by playing “science experiment” on myself for a decade.  Now, At 35 with testosterone levels floating around 300 (A man my age should be around 500-600), I struggle with the side effects of Low T.  Including the most dreaded issue, erectile dysfunction.  Some of the other common side effects are:

  1. Low sex drive
  2. Lack of energy and fatigue
  3. Hair loss
  4. Muscle loss
  5. Increase in body fat
  6. Mood Changes

Normally, Low T can be easily treated with a low dose of testosterone (hormone replacement therapy).  However, in my case, that’s not an option.  During my years of using steroids I developed what are known as hepatic adenomas.  This is a rare side effect of steroid use.  A hepatic adenoma is an uncommon benign liver tumor that is hormone induced.  It is most commonly found in young women who are on an oral contraceptive pill.  Large hepatic adenomas have a tendency to rupture and bleed massively inside the abdomen. (more…)

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Wanna Get Ripped For Summer?? Here’s How!

I no longer use steroids and have the Testosterone levels of a man 20 years my senior.  Cutting up for the summer is now a much more difficult process for me.  Two years ago I would clean up my diet a little, bump up my weekly Test dose by 150-200 mg,  throw in a little bit of Anavar or Winstrol and boom, I was in beach shape without losing appreciable muscle mass.  Those supplements are no longer options for me.  I have to be much more careful about how I cut or I’ll end up looking like Justin Bieber without all of his money or fame.

Here’s some tips that I’m using to get lean while retaining or even gaining the most amount of muscle possible.

  1. Eat your Greens – Kale, spinach and broccoli are your friends.  Eat one of them at every meal.  Not only will they help fill you up and keep your from gorging on empty calories, but they also can help increase testosterone levels.
  2. Take Magnesium and Zinc – Take 30 mg of zinc and 750 mg of magnesium daily.  You need to be careful not to consume too much of these minerals as there could be issues with toxicity.  I like to take these post-workout and before bed as magnesium has a calming effect on the body. Studies have shown that taking 750 mg a day of magnesium boosted Testosterone levels in men who suffer from Low T by up to 26%.
  3. Earn your carbs – Eat the majority of you carbs (65-75%) when you body needs them the most; around the time you train.  I am a big proponent of intra-workout carbs.  My intra-workout shake has anywhere from 40-60 grams of Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrins to fuel my workout and restore glycogen levels.  Post workout I have a whole food meal where I consume anywhere from 50-70 grams of carbs in the form of a sweet potato or rice.  I prefer using sweet potatoes lately as my body seems to react better to them – less inflammation and water retention as compared to rice.
  4. Time your carbs – I eat the majority of my carbs at two key times during the day.  Around my training (which I explained above) and during the last meal of the day, which is roughly two hours before I go to sleep.  I eat a half cup of oatmeal with a tablespoon of raw honey.  Your body tends to be more insulin sensitive later in the day.   Plus the carbs produce serotonin that can help make you sleepy.  Stay away from processed carbs and sugars as much as possible as they will wreak havoc on your diet.
  5. Keep your protein up – I aim for 250-270 grams of protein a day.  I weigh 210 pounds now that I have cut.  As a general rule I like to keep protein intake around 1.2-1.3 grams per pound of bodyweight during this phase.
  6. Eat your good Fats – I increase my fat intake when I am cutting carbs.  I eat at least 15 grams of good fats per meal.  My favorite fat sources are coconut oil, avocado, olive oil, raw nuts, eggs, grass fed beef and grass fed butter.  Adding these to my meals keeps me satiated.  MCT’s help with energy and research shows they increase testosterone levels.
  7. L-Leucine – Supplementing with Leucine has greatly enhanced my ability to retain muscle mass while stripping body fat.  I take 5 grams of Leucine with 3-4 of my meals, as well as my intra-workout shake.  Leucine regulate’s muscle protein synthesis.  If it’s present the body will synthesize protein.  If not, the body will break down muscle tissue to find the leucine and BCAA it needs.
  8. HIIT –  I limit my HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) sessions to 3 times per week.  I warm up on the treadmill for 3-5 minutes.  After the warm-up I sprint for 20-30 seconds and then walk for 30-40 seconds.  I repeat this interval for 7-10 minutes.  I end my HIIT session by walking for 3-5 minutes to cool down.  HIIT training is anabolic and continues to burn fat hours after you have finished training.

 

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Get in Shape Anywhere in Less than 20 Minutes – Bodyweight Complex Training on the Go

Anti-Gym

If you can’t make it to the gym, or you just aren’t a “gym person,” but you want a killer total body workout check out what I have created below.  These are exercises you will perform one after the other in sequence.  Taking 10-20 seconds rest between each exercise.  One full round of this exercise complex is call a “wave”.  After one full complex wave take 45-75 seconds rest and repeat the complex 1-3 more times.

Once you are done with your sets of Complex 1 then perform Complex 2.  Do this program 3 times per week.  It should take you less than 20 minutes to complete.  These exercises should all be performed in a slow, controlled manner in order to really engage and feel the muscle being worked (Unless it’s noted to explode and work on speed as some exercise are below).  I added Youtube links for the different exercises to show you how the exercises should be performed if you are unfamiliar with them.

Complex 1

  1. Plyo-Push up – 6-15 reps depending on your strength level http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYU5MeZ1Xco
  2. Pull ups – reps to failure
  3. Lunges – 10 reps on each leg Get a nice deep and controlled lunge.  Slowly drop yourself down and squeeze your glutes way thighs on the way up to fully engage the muscles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33ZeWaJwmg0
  4. Pike Push- ups – 10-15 reps. Depending on the angle you can work with more or less of your bodyweight.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sposDXWEB0A
  5. Planks – hold for 30-45 seconds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSHjTRCQxIw
  6. V-ups – 15-25 reps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP2fjvG0g3w

Complex 2

  1. Jump Squats – 10-15 reps.  Really explode of the bottom and jump as high as possible do not pause at the bottom you want to work on exploding and working on the Stretch Reflex.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utQShuge6Vk
  2. Inverted rows – 10-12 reps. Depending on the angle you can work with more or less of your bodyweight.  You would set up the pull up bar lower to the ground to perform this exercise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cnXBP1bUSU
  3. Close Grip Push Ups – 10-15 reps. Really focus on contracting and squeezing your chest and triceps at the top of the movement.  Hold the contraction at the top of the movement on every rep for 2 seconds to really activate the muscles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4lnOrykocg
  4. YTI’s – 10-12 reps. This may not look like much of an exercise but if you really squeeze and contract your shoulders at each level of the movement (the Y, the T, the L) it really burns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvLm_llzkCE  Do them the way she does them at 54 seconds into the clip in progression Y,T, I that’s one rep
  5. Glute bridges – Excellent core and glute exercise. Make sure you keep your weight on your heels and Really squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement and hold for 2 seconds each rep http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwNP1Ure28Q  You should feel this in your core and your glutes NOT in your back.
  6. Mountain Climbers – 30-45 seconds . I want you to really dig hard on these and get as many reps in as you can in that 30-45 second timeframe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA9Xhv2ktgw
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Peri-Workout Nutrition

Peri-workout nutrition is a fancy term that encompasses what you eat before, during and after training.  After rather extensive amount of reading and experimenting with this subject I have realized how incredibly important this is to my training and recovery.  Getting this protocol right for me has drastically changed my body composition.  The right peri-workout nutrition has allowed me to increase my training volume and intensity without becoming overwhelmingly sore.  Decreased recovery time means I can train more frequently.

Since I no longer using any PEDs, my nutrition and the manner in which I train have to be dialed in much more to get the results I want.  I am a firm believer that hypertrophy can be maximized with proper form, increased volume, time under tension and the use of extended sets.  These training principles that have changed my body since becoming natural.  To optimize hypertrophy I need to make sure I am feeding my body in a manner that will allow it to grow.

My peri-workout nutrition Protocol looks like this:

Pre-workout –  about 45 minutes before my workout I will consume a small meal of easily digestible protein, carbohydrates and fats (medium chain triglycerides) .  I almost always make a shake for this meal.  I lift in the morning so this is what I eat upon waking.  The shake consists of 40-50g of Hydrolyzed Whey protein, 1/2 cup of oats, and a Tbsp. of coconut oil.  This primes my body for my workout

Intra workout – I believe fueling my body during the workout may be the most important piece of the puzzle for me.  Since adding nutrition intra-workout I have been able to train longer and with more intensity.  My intra-workout shake contains fast acting proteins, carbs as well as BCAA’s.  I use 25g of Hydrolyzed Whey protein, 25-50g of High Branched Cyclic Dextrin, 5g of creatine, 10g of BCAA’s and 5g of L-Leucine.  This combination gives my body the building blocks it needs for hypertrophy.

Post Workout – I prefer a whole meal post workout.  I consume this meal about 30 minutes after I have finished training.  I had good nutrition during my workout so I don’t feel the need to rush to slam another shake or choke down a meal as soon as I leave the gym.  Normally I eat 7-8 oz lean grass fed beef, with 2 servings of Basmati Rice.  Sometimes I will eat 8 oz of chicken or grass fed steak for protein a large sweet potato for my carb source.  I shoot for about 50g of protein and 60-75g of carbs for this meal.

I will eat again about 90 minutes after my workout.  This meal consists of 40-50g lean protein, 30-40g of carbs and 15g of fats.  For example, 7-8 oz of chicken, a sweet potato with a Tbsp. of grass fed Butter.  I believe in carb partitioning.  This means I take in the majority of my carbs (70-80%) for the day around the time I train.  Nutrient timing has been very important for me.  It has allowed me stay lean while building mass and improving my recovery time.

If you would like to read more about the science and theory behind these peri-workout principles I would highly recommend checking out the following sites.  They are experts on this subject and can convey it in an easily digestible manner.

 

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3 Day Split – “Complex” Workout

complextraining

I created this program in June 2014.  I used myself several times personally and with people I’ve trained.  It can be rather taxing on your body.  You really need to make sure your nutrition is on point, especially your peri-workout nutrition.  I take in the 65-75% of my daily carbs around the time I train.  Starting 45 minute pre-workout, intra-workout, and final carbs within 30 minutes of completing this workout.

I have trained several people with this routine and nutrition protocol.  The ones who stuck with it gained appreciable muscle mass while staying lean or even losing fat.  I lean up rather well using this routine without having to add any additional cardio work.  I PROMISE YOU, the results are rather dramatic.

Complexes are not a new style of training, nor something I came up with. This is just my spin on using complexes, as they are not complexes in the traditional sense.  This is going to be a 3 day split based on Push/Pull/Leg.  It’s mainly comprised of complexes – a series of exercises performed one after the other with 10-30 seconds taken in between each exercise in order to set up the next exercise.

I refer to one completed round of the complex as a “wave.”  I use pretty straight forward compound movements for the most part.  You will take about 45-90 seconds rest between each “wave”.  If you need more time take it, this is not set in stone.  I have added Youtube clips of exercises in case you do not know what they are.  If you need any other info just ask.  We will do this for the first 4 weeks and see how you are progressing and then make changes from there as needed.

VERY IMPORTANT: FOR ALL EXERCISES make sure you pick weights that are challenging so that you do not easily hit the rep schemes and then move to the next exercise as that will not lead to the best possible conditioning

Day 1 Push

Chest Complex – Start out with 3-4 waves of this and work your way up to 5-6 waves as you can.  Do not try to progress to fast and risk injury or discouragement

  1. Heavy DB press – pick a weight that is taxing that you can do for a rep range of 4-7 reps before failing (don’t go completely to failure here)
  2. Banded DB Press ( or Incline DB Flyes if you don’t have resistance bands)– pick a weight that is taxing that you can do for a rep range of 8-10 reps before failing (don’t go completely to failure here)
  3. Plyo Push ups – you want to be able to get anywhere from 3-10 reps on these before getting to failure. I want you to really focus on exploding off the bench with no pause  at the bottom when your chest is about to touch the bench.  This will allow you to learn how to better use your stretch reflex.  This should be performed with fast and explosive movement   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF6Fd-vdB-8
  4. Speed DB press – I want you to perform regular flat DB press but in a fast and explosive manner.   Use a weight that is about 50% of your 1 rep max. Do as many reps as you can in a 15-20 second time period.  Really focus on accelerating the weight as fast as you can

Shoulder Complex – Do 3 waves of this

3 sets 8-12 reps per movement (I use 25-30 lb. dumbbell’s for this complex for reference)                         Do these seated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ3T5V_Etnc

  1. DB Front delt raise
  2. Side DB lateral raises
  3. DB Shrug, clean, press

Triceps Monster Set – 3 to 6 waves of this, start with 3 –

  1. Triceps V bar pushdown – 12-15 reps
  2. Triceps kickbacks – 8-10 reps
  3. 1 arm overhead DB extension – 6-8 reps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znaQrmMYEYw

Day 2 Push

Back Complex  – 4 to 6 waves of this, start with 4 .  If you want more volume later we can add some pull-down work

  1. Rack pulls – (start bar at knee height and really use your hips to drive the weight up ) 3-7 reps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCG8NfBcnys
  2. Deadlifts from the Floor – 3-5 reps
  3. bent over rows – 5-7 reps
  4. Hang cleans – 4-7 reps
  5. Jump deadlifts – 8-10 reps. This video shows you how these works but you really only need to bring the bar down to your knee. Start light with these like 20% of your max deadlift http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_imsU6O4CAA
  6. Speed inverted rows – do as many of these as possible and as fast as possible during a 15-20 second timeframe http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t97EjUsCFNw

 

Biceps Monster set –3 to 6 waves of this, start with 2

  1. Supinating DB Curls – 8-10 reps
  2. Incline DB curl – 8-10 reps
  3. Hammer curls – 5-8 reps

Day 3 Legs

  1. Leg curls – 2-3 of 15 just to warm legs up

Leg Complex- 4-6 waves of this, start with 3- 4

  1. Squats – 4-6 reps
  2. DB Jump Squats – 8-10 reps. Use 10-20% of your max squat so maybe start with a 10-15 lb. DB in each hand to get movement down.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cynl9l0eB4  This example in the video is ok but don’t pause at the bottom like she does, just land, squat and fire right back up into the jump.
  3. DB Step Ups– 4-6 reps. Really do these once again in an explosive manner on the (concentric) stepping up movement.  Try to press yourself up onto the stand as quickly as possible. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfMlQDGydnk
  4. Body weight lunges – 8-10 reps on each leg. Do these lunges very deep and long to active the glutes, hamstrings and VMO (Tear drop muscle around knee).  Do these in a very slow controlled manner, focusing on feeling the movement.

Glutes

  1. Weighted Hip thrusters – 5 sets of 8-12 reps. Start out with little to no weight.  Eventually through the weeks/months, work your way up to using more than your body weight.  You start with your weight on your heels.  When you get to the top of the movement really squeeze the glutes and feel them doing the majority of the work.  Here are two videos of different ways to add weight, you could also use a DB.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUG0JfITlFI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_ru8S6FETg Don’t go as fast as this quick, slower and more controlled

 After 4 weeks I do a deloading week.  I will drop the volume and weights about 30-40%, but stick with the same workout.  Some athletes do not need this type of deloading, but for me its a must.  My body starts to slow down progress and I tend to flare up old injuries if I don’t take a break.  This is me personally, it is important to understand and listen to your body as your progress with your training.

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3 Day Volume Training

hypertrophy-training-program-design-the-alternate-undulate-method-theoreticsl_full

This is a workout I put together for a friend of mine who was only able to train 3 days per week.   He is someone I would consider to have moderate to advanced experience with training.  In my opinion a Push/Pull/Legs split is extremely effect.  I think this is an approach anyone with at least a years experience in the gym will be able to handle.  This is a plan for hypertrophy.  As always, diet is incredibly important.  Periworkout nutrition is also key for recovery from these workouts.

PUSH DAY 1

  1. Incline DB Press – warm up 2 sets of 15 then I want you to do 3-4 sets of 8 reps, increasing weight until you can no longer get 8 reps.  Then I want you do do a double dropset on the last set dropping the weight 15-20% each time.
  2. Decline Hammer Press or Decline DB – 4 sets in the following manner 10,8,6,6. Last set I want a double rest pause.  So after your 6 (which should be very difficult) you will rest take about 10-15 breaths then bang out as many as you can with the same weight.  Then repeat that process one more time
  3. Incline Flyes with manual resistance – 3 sets http://youtu.be/AjJ8U7wObTw On these take a weight that you can do perfectly for about 10 and just do 10 normal flyes. Straighten your arms out at the top and you will feel an unbelievable flex and pump (from the last exercise) in your chest. Then drop the weight and do 5-6 reps where your partner pushes you down and you resist hard. It is important that your partner only push down ½ way, do not keep pushing all the way down into the stretched position or you will get injured
  4. Ladder Push up with Cambered Bar – 3 sets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpwPJ1QtqcU
  5. Side DB Raises – 6 sets of 10

Superset

  1. Bent over DB rears delts – 6 sets of 10
  2. BB Shrugs – 4 sets of 12-15. I want you to do each set as the following way.  The bar in front of you for 12-15 reps then put the bar behind you and another  10 reps.  That is one set
  3. French Press – 4 x 10 last set double drop set
  4. Dips – 3 sets to failure

PULL DAY 1

  1. T-bar Rows – 2 warm up sets of 15. Then 4 worksets of 8.  Last set dropset of 3
  2. Wide Grip pulldowns facing away – 4 sets 12,10,8,8 Last set double drop set These are done facing away so your knees are not under the pads, so you will not be able to do more than your body weight and stay seated.
  3. Rack Pulls – 4 sets using heavyweight 10,8,5,5 . Make sure to keep good form with these as to avoid injury.  Start out with bar around knee level with all the weight is starting on the glutes and pull the weight off the bar keeping back straight until you are in full standing position.  Use this to build density and thickness
  4. Seated Machine Pullovers – 4 sets of 10-12. I want you to really focus on the contraction and use a 3 second position and really squeeze at the bottom of the movement.  Then a true 3 second negative.  You may have to do less weight to achieve this tempo, but really focus on making the tempo.
  5. Pinwheel curls – 5 sets of 8. I want only a 45 second rest between sets.  Once again really focus on the contraction at the top and a slow 3 second negative  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgSEnXug25s Don’t use the tempo this guy is using or the momentum, but just wanted you to see what they were in case you didn’t
  6. Incline DB Curls – 3 x 8 Last set double dropset.  Once again really focus on the contraction at the top and a slow 3 second negative

LEGS

  1. RDL’s – 2 sets warm up with 15 reps. Then 3 sets of 10.  Really warm up your hamstring with this and on the last set try to hit some good weight with reps and keep form perfect
  2. Split Squats – 4 sets of 8
  3. Squats – 5 sets 12,10,8,6,6 Keep good form and make sure your knee is good and warmed up. I would prefer you to foam roll your quads before you start this workout to help with any issues you may have.
  4. Leg extension -4 x15 Last set double drop set, pump out as many as you can even if you are only getting half reps. I want you to really burn out here and push as much as you can to really get the blood pump and get all the growth factors and nutrients in your quads
  5. Standing Calf raise – 4 x 12

SuperSet

  1. Standing One legged Bodyweight calf raises – 4×12

If you’re looking for a challenging and effective hypertrophy program this is one I would suggest.  Hit me up if you have any questions.  I would love to hear your results from my program.