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

Grinding out your grindage: All about easy food prep!

 This can be the biggest enemy of progress for a busy college student....... the diet.  I'm sure many kids think they have it down pat though; eat breakfast around noon, hit the cafeteria for a salad (cause they're mad healthy, yo) and then eat around dinner time or something (can't eat too late you'll get fat!)  That's nice but unfortunately it's completely wrong.

The average bodybuilder eats at least 6 times a day with the frequency ranging from every two to three hours from the crack of dawn until night.  A fast metabolism helps to not only keep you less hungry through the day (since you're constantly fed) but keeps a constant supply of aminos, carbs, vitamins, minerals and all those good jimmies floating in your system constantly.  Unfortunately this is the hardest part of being fit and achieving your goals healthily but don't worry I got you guys.

The best way to keep things simple is to start in the supermarket and figure out what you need.  I have a methodical way of deciding what to buy and it varies by week depending on what I want or can stand to eat that week but always have similar principles.

-Lean meat in bulk packages is cheaper and since you're going to need it! Lean beef, turkey, chicken, fish (if you have deep pockets) or tofu or whatever vegetarians get their swole from.
-Pick out a complex carb source!  Whole grain pasta, brown rice, Ezekiel bean sprout bread, etc.  If it's on sale... snag a bunch... why not?
-Milk... if you don't drink it... you better start.
-Eggs!  Fast absorbing protein in a vulnerable shell?  Yes plz.  Egg whites are great if you prefer but are much more expensive than their shelled counterparts. 
-Vegatables!  I prefer a few frozen bags to keep around (I'll explain why) and a few sweet potatoes too.

Now that you have all of this lovely food what the hell do you do with it?  Cook it... all of it.


One of my favorite tools for this involves my cast iron griddle/grill.  Invented by Emeril Lagasse in 1942, it was originally used to shield Nazi radio waves while he was on stealth missions into Berlin.  These days its purpose is to supply me with a great cooking utensil.  George Foreman also had a similar electric griddle which might be a better and more suitable for all you college dorm, bros.  Whatever you have, heat it up and get going. 

This week I went with my usual chicken breasts that I butterfly down the side in order to help it cook more evenly on the grill and usually portions slightly bigger than one serving when it's cut.  I'm not a chef so I really just cook it until it's done.  Sorry if that seems lame but it's true.  I also don't use seasoning or special sauce for the whole recipe, why?  I prefer to cook it plain just in case I decide to use the chicken differently per meal.  It might be cut up into a wrap, chicken parm, salad, or a sandwich.  It doesn't help me to have 4-5lbs of chicken seasoned in one particular way and get sick of it right off the bat. 

  While that's going on you can throw your pasta on and let that cook through.  This can be kept in a separate container and used with whatever sauce you feel like, or plain if you're into it. The same thing can also be done with rice or whatever grain you feel like using.  Just as long as you have some sort of substantial carbs to hold you over, pick what works best.

Don't forget to move onto cooking steak if you have it; always something I have on hand.

Once it's cooked, tupperware it up and let it chill for when you need it! 


 But what about frozen vegetables?  For me, I keep them that way and for a particular purpose.  When I portion a meal to go I throw the vegetables in there frozen.  That way when I heat it up in a microwave they're perfectly steamed in the container.  I've found that cooking them ahead of time and then reheating them will leave them mushy and unappealing. 

See not so bad, right?  The process usually takes no longer than 2 hours; including cleaning, cooking, texting, potty break etc.  This way you have a plethora of meat and food to pick up and go at your ready disposal leaving no excuse to not be ready! Now of course I don't eat 6 meals of solid food, this is in addition to any weight gainers and whey proteins around meals and post workouts as well.

Just the tips:
-Buy tupper ware!  Nothing fancy, it just needs to hold food
-Bust out a deck of cards!  A typical meat serving is 4 oz and about the size of a deck of cards.  This deck of cards will help you eyeball out each serving to take with you properly to ensure proper nourishment.  Each serving is roughly 23-25g of protein as well so keep that in mind while packing your food.
-Keep it interesting!  Experiment with different sources of carbs and different meats around different points in the day.  Sometimes I'll bring a sweet potato with me to eat before a workout and they seem to be an incredible source of energy.  I encourage you to try and figure out what works best for you.
-Keep no excuses.  This is it, you're prepared and ready for the battle against nourishment.  The gym is the easy part and now the hardest part has been tackled. 


What foods do you typically like to keep around?

-Pq