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

Product Review: Universal Storm

Everyone who sets foot in a gym is dying for the biggest and best "pump" they can get.  Along side this comes the immensely flooded marked of "Pre-Workout" boosters and N.O. enhancers (nitric oxide).  What does that mean?  Mix some sweet powder in your fluorescent colored shaker bottle and drink a magical concoction of typical ingredients to get your mind energized (via caffeine) and your muscles primed for blood flow and performance (arginine, beta-alanine etc.)  The problem with these is that you sometimes want something basic and effective to help you get the job done when tossing around the iron.

While toying around with a few thermogenics and working days (only being able to hit the gym at night) my muscles wouldn't be primed enough for lifting after a long day and didn't want to supplement additional caffeine late in the evening as it would disrupt my sleeping (or make me jittery as all hell).  I thought to myself "There has to be a better way!"   Not too much later it was found...

This is Storm by Universal Nutrition.  More so labeled as a "Creatine Cell Volumizing Supplement" this magical blend of essential manhood can be used as a pre-workout and a post workout supplement as well (a post? yeah I know right?!). 

-          So what’s it got?

o   4 different kinds of creatine

§  Creatine Monohydrate

§  Dicreatine Malate

§  Tricreatine Matrix (consisting of Creatine Gluconate, Creatine AKG, and Creatine Orotate)

§  Magnesium Creatine Chelate

o   INOXsulin-7 (wtf?)

§  A blend of supplements that help speed up the absorption and helps keeps insulin maintained during and after a workout for proper nutrient absorption (your “window of opportunity”).

·         L-Taurine

·         Betanine Ahydrous

·         Citrulline Malate

·         Arginine AKG – Nitric oxide enhancer

·         Beta-Alanine – inhibitor of lactic acid

·         Aplha Lipolic Acid

·         4-Hydroxyisoleucine (20%)

Ok cool, a bunch of scientific mumbojumbo and a bro flexing on the container; who cares right?  How is the experience?

The flavor I had was grape and was about as awesome as any grape Kool-Aid will get.  The mixability leaves a minimal amount of grit but considering this is a creatine based product some can be expected.  Keeping the formula simple allows for a modestly small serving size as well and the 9.4g scoop doesn't require a ton of water to take in and goes right to work.

Where the Beta-Alanine "tingle" side effect is not as present as some other pre-workouts (i.e. Cullucor's C4 or Muscle Pharm's Assault), it makes up for in an unbelievable swelling and engorging of your trained body parts.  Most notably, for myself, was the incredible swell in my legs for leg day.  I was impressed at how much swelling my legs would contain considering it is a rather large muscle group to work and yet the muscular stamina induced was top notch.

"Well I see you get a great pump... but it's not as awesome as Assault of Jack3d!" is what a lot of kids might be saying but here's where it gets good.
-No Caffeine in exorbitant doses (which is a nitric oxide inhibitor anyway!) but can be supplemented additionally and in your desired amount if need be.
-80 servings per container (More than that big ol' jug of whey you have!)
-An unbeatable price!  This can usually be purchased for around $30 or less making this less than $.40 a serving!

Why is this not a more popular pre-workout?  Could it be that it doesn't feature a bunch of gritty and maniacal pictures of Frank McGrath in a dungeon of a gym?  It could be.

Cheer up Frank!  I love this stuff and will recommend it to any beginner who may be sensitive to caffeine, a more advanced level lifter looking for a pure nitric oxide enhancer, or a fellow bro who can't afford the sky rocketing prices of other name brands. 

So go ahead and pick up Storm and make Frank McGrath smile a little (he's so sad looking.)

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/univ/storm.html

-Pq