It's Not East Being Pretty But There's More To You Than That

     Earlier this year beginning with the finish of the 2014 NFL season it seemed appropriate to kick-off my own dieting experiment slowly and surely after Super Bowl Sunday.  Allowing one last final blow of nachos, dip, soda, meatball sandwiches, and the like to a non-existent "physique" seemed the ideal way to end an off season in hopes of hitting the stage or platform.  Coming to a close with what could be considered another ugly winter of "dirty bulking" 10-12% body-fat naive but aspiring athlete was eager to quickly maneuver from the 200lb starting point.  A little over four months at this current time I should be "stage ready" but as in real life things do happen and instead of the 20+ needed to lose for stage weight I may have managed 14-15 or so only wiggling around the 5% body fat range.  Considering roughly 16 weeks to only lose 15lbs seems to be right on target and cannot complain but stage ready at this point does not seem too likely although I wouldn't have it any other way.
     Each time I go through something like this I grow not just physically but mentally with my experience in the weight room and outside most importantly.  Many of us who go through something like this realize there are plenty of ups and downs, trials and errors, great successes, and of course the inevitable failure but when it comes to dieting for a purpose these errors build experience.  These are just a few of the things I have learned in no real particular order but I do hope that those who read this can take into consideration not only what it takes to participate in power sports or bodybuilding, at any level, but what you can learn about yourself through the dieting process.

• You didn't do your cardio....
• Me of all people will tell you that cardio is a royal pain in the ass but the bottom line is to suck it up and get it done.  While my marathon running days are over this does not mean that it is even necessary to do to lose weight but in order to keep pushing forward it is unavoidable.  For example, I was able to drop almost 10lbs with only a daily deficit of 250kcals (nowhere near 500) and no cardio but soon suffered a stifling plateau around 190lbs.  Tapering calories down to 2450 could not shake things up as I told myself I didn't need cardio as much as weight lifting would be enough alone.  Sucking it up and adding sessions within recent weeks has allowed my to shatter that plateau as my losing almost 4lbs in 3 weeks by adjusting my caloric deficit from food as well as from cardio.  Although there are only 3 sessions a week for me and will vary greatly from situation to situation, no cardio can only take you so far.
• You weren't training heavy enough....
• The very reason I kept going back into the gym in the early years had been from a desire to be stronger than I had been last session.  Coincidentally these were the periods in which I not only became stronger but saw the most drastic changes in my body; so what happened?  The "bodybuilding bug" seems to leech onto a lot of us thinking it's just as easy as focusing on overly specific exercises or over isolated exercises that just don't cut it for natural athletes.  Given the difference between natural and enhanced athletes it is overlooked that there are huge benefits from heavier lifting and power movements during a caloric deficit.  Personally I went toward the Cube Method to structure my cut and it helped keep things greatly in check as I was able to lean out as well as set huge PRs in the gym.  
• Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize....

• What?  Well whether you believe in carb-backloading as a 100% go-to source or not, nutrient timing has played an essential role this year.  Eric Helms, 3DMJ Coach, explains that whether we are eating to "cut" or to "bulk" there are times where we can be in a caloric surplus or deficit.  This also brought awareness to things such as insulin spikes and glycogen storing.  Basically this had translated to timing carbohydrates and protein appropriately around a workout or around night-time in order to make the best of my workout for the next day.  While this is a very vague description of the strategy it helped optimize the periods when I would need carbs and times when I could let them slide down and maximize the ketosis.  
• Ignoring the big picture of progress....



"Almost" doesn't pay the bills but 570 might have

• It should go without saying but when it comes to strength gaining or dieting any progress is considered a victory.  Some weeks the scale wouldn't budge but my strength would skyrocket while other weeks I could see the picture coming together but my strength would be anything but stellar.  While school and work will drain your prep pep it is incredibly difficult to often see how great you're doing.  While I did take some pictures to see where things were leading visually, videos helped show my PR progress with the weights.  My deadlift had skyrocketed from 515 to just shy of 570, squat from 400-435, and bench from a paused maybe 250-285.  My weight handling confidence had led me to be more brave in the gym, which impacted how I looked physically, and the combination has left me with a different overall perspective about my body.  

Looking back on this year's process there is still plenty of summer to enjoy how far I've come and I think it's critical to those who may feel discouraged they did not hit their goals (or maybe not even start) to acknowledge that things do get screwed up.  It's not too late to begin being the kind of person you want to become, do the things you need to do, or to beat yourself to death over not doing something.  There is light at the end of any tunnel you go down and your successes in this kind of endeavor are marked by what you decided to allot yourself.  There is certainly more to the bodybuilding scene than being pretty but when it comes to a sport that is based off of aesthetics, you need to be thinking like an athlete to begin appreciating how far you've come.  

Why I lift and maybe why you should start...

     It was a bit after 5:00pm and the evening rush started to come in.  Leaning on my elbows against the stationary bike, they quivered, my arms too weak to support myself upright.  My  shoe laces whipped my screamingly sore legs with each pedal, untied from an innumerable amount of calf raises, as I watched the gym floor become flooded with its after-work patrons.  They shuffled in one by one, in pairs, or in groups; some coming across familiar faces and other seeking solitude to venture solo.  Pedaling on, nobody dilly dallied, everybody was doing something.  Footsteps fell heavy in the aerobics room, cables ran smoothly across pulleys, barbells and dumbbells came crashing down to the ground, and sweat fell onto the belts of the treadmills.  Split tank tops, yoga pants, heavy hoodies, running shoes, straps, wraps, and belts; we were all equipped to go to work.  There is something deeper than the face value.

      The test wasn't good enough, my classmates and I had been shut down saying our grades were not perfect enough and would have to retake out Kanji test.  The day before was a letdown as my marketing test was not as stupendous as it was hoped.  The day before that I was trembling in my shoes proposing an argument of an essay to a leader in the field of modern Chinese history that may have been swatted down. 

But it didn't matter.

     I had 250lbs on the bar and another 200lbs in bands attached sitting my my back as I was going down for the tenth rep, and damned if it wasn't coming back up.  I had 500lbs on the floor, the bar and my palms dusted in magnesium carbonate, belt snugged, and only focused on ripping the weight off the face of the floor.  I had 280lbs in my hands over my neck, lowering the bar, and making its only objective to come back up or face otherwise.  There is only ever one focus.

     This world is full of everything from the bad luck, the accidental, the unfortunate, and the dreadful.  The small things build in the form of annoyances, turning into stress, adding to the tragedy we may call our lives and it's never ideal.

     The car you fixed came back broken down, your boss gave you shit for not making that sale, your teacher hated your thesis, your dog shit on the carpet, you package didn't get delivered on time, you woke up late and started your day off wrong, spouse is fighting with you, death in the family, missed a bill.  There's a lot in life we cannot control.

     Maybe an hour or maybe two hours there is complete control and clear objectives.  There is no failure because there is always success in even trying.  Everything is something to be proud of whether it be five more pounds to your max lift, another rep with a weight you've been working at, a faster mile run, another centimeter to your arms, that extra pound lost; there is no failure in even the smallest accomplishment regardless of me being the biggest or the baddest or not.

     It's a "lift life", a "swole life", the "fit life"; all the same.  Humans all have a desire to better themselves in one way or another and this has never let me down.  Everything I do is in my control whether it's moving a max weight, or making sure my inner traps come to meet my rear delts, it's all the same.  

     There's sweat, tears, and sometimes blood and pain, but there's is always an improvement and solitude.  There's always satisfaction in knowing that although sometimes I can't give my all, I came in and tried.  The shaking in my arms, the swelling in my legs, and the nagging shoe laces whipping against my ankles were a sign of something greater and reaffirm me of a feeling, a feeling nobody wouldn't want even if they tried to ignore it. 

  -Pq

What we learned at camp - Part 1

Although we are a little late in the game to start reporting our coverage, useful knowledge is something that doesn't age.  Back in February I was fortunate enough to attend the 2013 Universal Nutrition Bodybuilding Camp at Fit Gym in Philadelphia with my brother, father and a few other aspiring friends of mine eager to learn from the best.  The event included more swag than you can handle, free samples of their products, six stations with personal instruction from their athletes as well as a question and answer session for the price of $10 (I know right?)  Luckily we were able to attend and can pass the knowledge onto anyone who stumbles across this as it will be broken down into the sections we had encountered; chest, arms, legs, back, abs and shoulders.  In honor of my most recent workout I'm going to go over chest which was taught by Josh Halladay and bodybuilding legend Greg Long. 

Greg Long; don't worry he's still jacked.

We had twenty minutes and there was no time wasted.  Greg Long was a man who knew what he expected out of his athletes and was going to hold you to it ready or not.  The four of us were immediately seated on an incline hammer strength machine unloaded and told to press as fast and tight as possible for fourteen reps, then we got off and the next person went; each with the former Mr. Universe egging us on, no bullshit.  We rotated fast and after each set a 45lb plate was added to each side, and then another.  Why was this so?  During the mayhem we were put through Mr. Long taught us about varying intensity.  The poundage was light but the motion was fast and fierce with a longer amount of reps (14-16 range) to use our own explosiveness to engage differently than a slow repetition.  Without realizing it we also had incredibly short rest periods between sets with some in the 45 second range.  This was all crucial and led to a tempo that was not at your body's normal pace which wore it faster than waiting for conventional rest periods of a minute or longer.  He had also emphasized a training partner, which explains why he was right in our face the entire time.  Not only was somebody cheering us on but when our explosiveness died down a partner was there to spot but also force the repetitions to make the target goal with no exceptions. 

Josh Halladay

After we had spend a few minutes with Mr. Long we were given the Josh Halladay treatment.  After a volunteer was selected there was no questioning this big man telling you to get in a push-up position and put your feet on a bench.  Before we knew it we had a 45lb plate on our backs and were being barked at to pound out push-up after push-up until we kissed the ground.  You'd think the mercy was when he removed it but not a chance.  John was pushing on our backs, ignoring rep count and pushing us further and further.  We all kissed the ground a second time until his hand backed off and we kept going before collapsing and kissing the ground a final time.  After helping us up we realized the torture was a bit of a body weight drop-set.  Heavy presses can be fine and dandy but nothing beats ripping through push-ups at the end of a chest workout to throw it into muscular chaos; and that it did.

Tim getting the good ol' Halladay special.

What we took away was a bit of insight regarding how weight does not have to be the main factor and how much tempo can effect our efforts toward maximum hypertrophy.  Simply exchanging the heavy slow blows for fast, and sometimes forced if necessary, can make the difference between having a big chest and a chest well conditioned with striations to turn heads.

Don't just take this for granted with chest workouts, this can be applied to any spectrum of someone's workout routine as explosiveness is the new slow. 

Two final pieces of advice before parting to the next station was to utilize a training partner as much as possible and the realization that weight is a mindset.  While I typically train alone but after working with Mr. Long it was clear how effective a partner can be so long as they can keep up.  And with regards to the weight, it was almost irrelevant.  "It's not going to be the same workout every time.  What you did last week and how much weight you used might have worked last time but isn't going to be the same this time around."  While I admit that quote was paraphrased the importance lies in what your body is telling you from rep to rep, set to set, workout to workout and week to week.  It's about growing, adapting and making the necessary changes for your growth that makes you good at this sport rather than the quantity you can move.  Unless you want to be a power lifter... whatever floats your boat.

-Pq

Don't worry... they made up.  

TRYING ON MAGNUM FOR SIZE - A sample look at Opus!

While the world of sports supplementation is as much diverse as the general grocery market it get cluttered with tons of products full of synthetic products that are made to be just as effective but less expensive.  Artificial sugars, flavors, colors and man-made extracts that some people would consider unnatural by any means when it comes to food or supplementation. 

Enter the world of Magnum Nutraceuticals (heh get it?  natural!) where the goal is to seemingly provide you with the best in sports supplementation as but naturally without adding additional stimulants or synthetic products.  Recently I decided to snag a sample packed of their "natural" pre-workout booster Opus.  Having thought that this kind of product was more of a gag as being "natural" I threw it in my smart shake and casually headed to the gym.  I must say that as far as a blue raspberry flavor is concerned, it was one of the most delicious and savory tastes I have ever had.  Almost like cotton candy it was mild with no punch and no grit as it all two servings dissolved easily within 10 ounces but I was beginning to think I could be wrong about the casual aspect of it all. 

About ten minutes later I had started warming up my shoulders and minor pectorals for a relentless chest workout when the Opus came into effect.  Like Mike O'hearn's vicious huskies were ready to attack me I felt chills and tingles through my body, a rush of heat pushing through my veins and a hot sweat which I could feel make its way through each and every pore in my body.  I was beginning to think this was something more than an ordinary workout.....

He's really a super nice guy.

Energy came fierce and in incredible quantities that it almost scared me although I never felt out of control.  Jitters were non-existent (a typical side effect of excessive caffeine) and I felt more primed for a workout having been sick and dieting down than I would have at the peak of my last bulking phase. It's been a long time since I've had the barbaric urge to relentlessly pound my way through any workout without no remorse or concern for my own body that it was almost as if Mr. O'hearn was right in my face screaming at me to push out more reps with fiery chains and his dogs barking, snarling and ready to attack if I didn't make the most of each rep.  

Muscular strength and endurance also seemed as relentless allowing me to push and truck on, nothing seemed to be quite enough to satisfy this workout.  The pump was insane and my chest still feeling quite inflated through and still after a mile run, sauna and shower.  All things considered I was quite surprised that something with no creatine or caffeine could deliver such a punch but I wasn't sickly or upset by it's effects.

The bottom line is this.... Well.... it's hard to put into words.  We're so used to the staples of pre-workouts being caffeine, ginseng or even taurine that this was a complete surprise.  Would I consider dropping some money on this anabolic powerhouse at roughly $.80 a servings?  Yes

Just.... Yes...

-Pq

This is a filler article before something bigger.... deal.

Well it's been quite a bit since we were able to post an article but Nick and I are still here.  Being full time students is wearing a bit thin but we're looking to launch an article of our coverage as we attend the 2013 Universal Nutrition Bodybuilding Camp in Philadelphia.  Yup.... it's a four hour session with hands-on training with a few Universal athletes such as Antoine Vaillant and Evan Centopani.  We're fully prepared to be emasculated my some of the biggest monsters in the game and hopefully strike a few poses as I will be attempting to prep for the Philadelphia Pro/Am in May.

We will return soon with dieting tips, a plethora of new training ideas from the pro's themselves and coverage of the event itself.

<3

-Pq

Bro Habits - Part 1

Time and time again we frequent the gym and do things that we typically would not do on a day-to-day basis.  On the other hand, we also see things that other people do and frequently judge them.  No matter what skill level they are, or even yourself, we still find a way to point out those things that "that douche" does or even "that chick" (to be fair to both sides).  We're now going to explore a few gym pet peeves otherwise overlooked by the majority of the fitness community that often give real athletes and bodybuilders an embarrassing aura.  These are Buff-U's Bro Habits Part 1

Yoga Pants
Now as any real member of the male community will proudly admit, we can appreciate a decent pair of yoga pants.  Not only are they functional for exercising in the gym but are greatly appreciated by the male population for a woman being able to pull these off going out to the bars and strolling around campus when there is little time to prepare a decent outfit for the day (yup we appreciate that).

This is not ok...

 










Unfortunately with every upside to a fad like this, there is a downside and it strikes with a furious vengeance.

 The real issue is not that larger women wear these in public (you can do whatever you want, I'm sure there's a market for it) but the fact that they become labored with holding in, well, yourself, that the wearer's skin tone becomes apparent.  Knowing how white a white girl is and how black a black girl is only exacerbates how vulgar wearing a pair of pants can be.  Please stop this.  I admire you're willing to sweat in these for further self improvement but there has to be a limit and courtesy for anything living around you must be considered.

That Stupid Half Shirt Thing

Sick kutz, brah.

 I'll admit that I don't know the name for it and really hope there isn't a technical one.  From my early high school gym adventures there were always a group of guys who had the urge to butcher their favorite athletic oriented shirt in an effort to modify it into the worst looking tank top on the face of the planet.  Not only that, the majority of the guys who do this are nowhere accredited enough in their physique of lifting credentials to warrant showing off their "sick cuts, brah."



Brah quite frankly, if there's a need to modify a shirt to accentuate how "jack3d" you really are then the fashion should be the least of your concerns.  Sometimes a tank top is acceptable, a wife beater is pushing it,  but this is just too much.  I hate this and I hate you for doing it.

Curling In Front Of The Mirror

The more you watch yourself, the more anabolic...it's science.

Every single gym I know has a mirror and every single gym that has a mirror has their typical set of dumbbell racks.  Now directly in front of every single dumbbell rack in every single gym is a set of egotistical dirt bags checking out their pump in the mirror while doing half-assed bicep curls.  

I'll admit to doing this because of purposes of form but it's done about ten feet away from the dumbbell racks and away from any walking zone of high traffic.  Understandably it's ok to watch form and sometimes you want to check out progress, we understand, but get the hell out of the way.

With love,

-Pq

Trying to be the big man on your college campus?

Every student in college, that is attempting to be a bodybuilder, wants to be the biggest and strongest person in the gym in college. Well a great man named Steve Cook has the answer. You may have seen him on Bodybuilding.com once or twice. Cook is a Bodybuilding.com spokes model, Optimum Nutrition athlete and IFBB Pro Men's Physique Competitor.  Cook took time out of his busy life to compose this great training program.

































(The man himself (Steve Cook), just chillin')

I have seen outstanding results in just 6 weeks of the 12 week trainer. I have also seen other people in my gym doing the same routine and have heard nothing but great things.

Being a college graduate Cook understands this is an exciting and new area to explore in a young adult's life. Naturally this program is called Big Man on Campus, because it is directed toward a college students, and has so much insight to offer. First of all there is five sections: nutrition, supplementation, goal setting, time management and life style.  The five sections are meant to break down the complicated life of a college student. Cook discusses in short videos (6-10 minutes) what you can expect being a college student and building muscle.

As I am currently enrolled in college, I thought to myself, "eh...I am on campus, why not try and be the big man?" 




The first week I was sore, very sore. I introduced my body to something I have done before but haven't done in a while, dropsets.  A drop set is, using heavier weight to get to a point of failure, then picking up a lighter weight, and doing the same exercise to failure. For example, you are doing an incline dumbell press with 70 pound dumbells, you get to 10 reps and you can't do any more.  Here is where the fun starts, pick up a weight that is 30-50 percent lighter, so lets say 45 pound dumbells and try to match that rep range immediately after you put down the 70's. Sound easy right?

The idea is simple, just keep going. One thing I want to stress is form.  You can do dropsets till your arms fall off, but if your not hitting the muscles the right way you won't see a change or feel the pump where you want.  Remember from before, the strech, then a contraction? Keep that in mind and have that mind muscle connection on the specific muscle group.

There is more to this program and all you need to do it take the time and watch the videos it's a lot to write out and explain.  Cook does a great job of stressing the importance that this is a lifestyle change and everything needs to be in check.  From your nutrition, training, supplementation, time management and life choices, Cook understands the college life and makes it all clear and easy to follow.

I have taken tips from this that I will alway remember as a progress further not only into the sport of bodybuilding, but in life.