Your Focus in the Gym and Your Focus In Life Go Hand In Hand
I must say, after much observation in my day to day life that there are way too many distractions in society and that is definitely evident in gyms. Just take a quick look around and you will see nearly half the gym burried head first in their phone or talking or doing anything other than focusing on what they're there to do and that is TRAIN. You see there are just way too many things in today's world that is trying to pull us away from what we are trying to focus on in the moment, and I will admit I do fall guilty to this at times.
But one thing that I will say is that what you put into your training can translate into every other aspect of your life. If you are distracted when you are there to work, its very normal to be distracted while you are at your job or when you are doing any other thing. Now again I have fallen victim to this, but as I have gotten older I have found ways to be and perform much better. Its hard to perform any task well if you are not fully engaged or invested in what you are doing. Do you honestly think you will get that promotion if you are distracted and half-assing your job? Fuck no, not in a million years. So why cant you take that same mentality into the gym? Wouldn’t you think you would get much better progress?
One thing that I really finds helping me is silencing my phone once that music goes on and the headphones are placed over my head. This has really helped me not look at it and get distracted and pulled away from what I am there to do. One thing I challenge you to do this year is really get more involved with what you are doing in the moment. If you are at work, focus on work and stop bullshitting. If you are on a date, pay fucking attention to your date. And if you are in the gym, focus on your workout. I mean you may start getting results and have 2026 be your best year yet!!!!
Beyond Just Bodybuilding!!!!!!!
Beginner Bodybuilder Fundamental Tips!!!!
Man I can remember when I was first starting out in the gym and I didn’t know a single thing lol!!! There were very few resources back then and we mainly relied on trial and error to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Sure there were magazines, but much of the information in those pages were not telling the whole truth or were geared more toward the seasoned bodybuilder. So, there are 10 tips that will help a beginner make the most amount of progress during their formidable years and take advantage of the gains that can be made with the right tactics.
Just eat a lot of food and don’t worry about food sources. Now I am not saying just eat whatever, but don’t focus so much on what you are eating and just eat a lot of food!!!
Aim for 1 gallon of water each day. This will ensure that your body can transport all the nutrients consumed and this will also aid in teh digestion of all the food that is required to grow.
Focus on getting stronger. Heavy weights is the name of the game!!! You will not get big unless you lift heavy, I do not care what anyone says, big weights leads to big muscles.
Don’t neglect cardio. Now you do not need to get carried away, but you still can’t neglect this. 20-30 minutes a few times as week goes a long way.
Stick to big, compound lifts and sprinkle in accessories to fill the gaps. Leg press, squats, presses, pullups and rows need to be the priority. Get stronger on these and watch your body grow
Don’t worry so much about arms, they will grow as you grow as a whole. If you want to include an arm day that is fine, but prioritize the bigger body parts and growing as a unit
Train only 5 days a week. Trust me this is enough and if you are lifting with intent and intensity you will need the 2 days off., Remember your body grows when you recover
prioritize sleep, 7-8 hours consistently because again your body grows during recovery.
Do not focus on your body-weight!! This is so against the grain, but focus on getting stronger and do not obsess over your weight. If you are following these tips you will grow!!!!
Enjoy it!! I mean this should be fun and fall in love with the process above all else!!
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!!
Anadrol 101
Anadrol or A-bombs for short, is one steroid I have done on a few occasions back in the day and 1 that I personally no longer use. Buuuut, when I was younger and used it the results were pretty fucking phenomenal to say the least. The one thing about Anadrol is you will gain strength very, very fast and weights that you use to struggle with will become a breeze. This is often due to the fact that your body will aromatize very very fast and along with that water retention will happen rapidly. That is the main reason that you see such a big strength increase and it is not uncommon to gain 10 lbs in your first week.
Anadrol is one compound that is pretty liver toxic, so limiting its use to 4-6 weeks is extremely important if health is a priority for you. Dosages will fall at the 50 mg a day range which is exactly 1 A bomb tab, with an option to split and do 25 mg in the am and 25 in the pm if you so choose. This will ensure a little more of a steady blood release over the day and help manage side effects a little better, which was the biggest reason I no longer use the drug.
Side effects such as headaches, lethargy, deceased appetite, increased liver enzymes, as well as nose bleeds are very common. Me personally I just felt down right sick on Anadrol, and I frequently got nosebleeds so it just wasn’t worth it for me to continue taking the drug any longer. I stick to easier compounds such as testosterone, EQ, Primo and occasionally Anavar and have had great success with that. But if I was just starting out and was looking to get stronger and gain size quick and take advantage of the gains that you will make as you first start cycling, then Anadrol is one that I would use.
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!!!
How to train back the RIGHT way!!!!!
Oh good ol’ back training, one area where I feel there is a huge misconception on how to do this right. Now I am not one to ever discredit other methods of training, BUT I feel if you (just like me) want to build a monstrous back and have some real quality muscle there are just some things that have not changed over the years, which I will be explaining here.
First and foremost you must fucking lift heavy!!! I do not care what you hear, read or see. I am not here to discredit anyone, but if you look at anyone who has build a good amount of muscle on their back they all, and I mean all, have 1 thing in common and that is that they lift heavy!!!! Sure, as they have gotten more advanced, way beyond where many of you are at in your journey, they may have listened the load and focused more on the overall contraction. But I promise you with all certainty that at one point (likely in the beginning) they lifted fucking heavy!!!!!
You have to remember that your back is a very large muscle group and it can take a lot of stimulus and recover from a high degree of stress. It needs a high workload or really respond and grow, and that means the weights used need to be challenging. I know, I know “but coach my favorite influencer on IG told me to drop the ego and focus on form”. Well I am here to tell you that your favorite influencer did not get to where they are at with the advice they are sharing, I can fucking promise you that!!!! They may focus more on quality now, but they did not get HUGE by training like a fucking pussy!! It just does not happen like that I am sorry to tell you. They put some fucking weight on the bar and lifted that shit.
Will form be a little sloppy as the weight goes up? Sure and that is ok to a degree! We need to really make the muscle work against a heavy workload and if that means there is some slight rounding of the back as you are rowing 315 on the bar than so fucking be it!! YOU WILL GET BIGGER doing this I promise you. Will your traps take over a little bit to help you half deadlift 500? Likely yes, and that is ok!!!! Again we are trying to really get the bigger lifts up and add some overall muscle and strength to your body. And as you get more advanced and have build a large degree of muscle we can focus more on the fine tune approach of form and whatnot later. You can’t fine tune muscle you have not build yet lol and that is a concept that has always stuck with me over the past decade.
Here is a sample of a back routine that will get you BIG, Strong and set you up to make fine tunes later on down the line
Single Arm Cable row
2 lighter sets of 15 really squeezing followed by 2 sets of 10 where you really push the weight at only 85 percent of your max for that weight.
Bent over barbell row
3 or more warmup sets of just 6 reps before doing 1 set of 10 all out as heavy as fucking possible. Then 1 additional set of 12-15 as heavy as possible at slightly lower than your 10 rep set.
Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns
1 warmup sets of 8, followed by 2 moderate/heavy sets of 15 then 2 heavy AF sets of 10
1 Arm dumbbell row
2-3 warmup sets of 5-6 then 2 heavy AF sets of 10 followed by 1 moderate to heavy set of 12-15
Straight bar lat pushdown
1 warmup set of 10, then 2 moderate/heavy sets of 15 followed by 2 heavy sets of 10!!
Bodyweight hyperextensions
3-4 bodyweight sets of 12-15 holding each rep 3 seconds at the top keeping the rest at 30 seconds!!!!!!
There you have it!!! Give this a try on your next back workout and tell me if you are not sore for 2-3 days and start making some serious progress again with your back!!
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!
The Secret To Making and Sticking to YOUR Physique Goals in 2026!!!!
Ah man, this time of year again lol. The time of year where we reflect and look ahead to the new year. And many of you all will be either trying to get in shape for the “who knows how many times” or taking your progress to another level. Either way, what I am about to share will be applied to both groups. The number 1 mistake that too many make when trying to stick to any program is what I like to call “the kitchen sink method” approach. In a nutshell all this means is that they try to change every single thing that they have been doing, all at once and do a complete 180!!! THIS DOES NOT WORK!!!! Think about it, did you get to where you are now at once or was it a gradual progression over time? If I was a betting man I would say the latter. At one point you were in shape, worked on a regular basis, and had some decent parameters as to what and when you were eating. Then life got in the way and disrupted that, and trust me I have been there, I just knew how to manage because this is a part of me that I simply cannot let go.
You got married, had kids, got involved in your career and slowly priorities shifted to where you just neglected your physical health!!!!! But again this was a progressive thing that occurred over years. You went from going to the gym 4-5 times a week to missing days here and there to completely stopping!!! You went from eating decently well, to skipping meals to completely eating like garbage. You went from enjoying other activities in life, to slowly getting away from them and using the excuses “I don’t have time or I just got out of it”. To that I say fucking bullshit, you just let yourself go and that is not an excuse. But the good news is we can all get ourselves back with the right approach. It comes down to first not succumbing to the kitchen sink approach lol.
What I mean by this here is trying to change every single thing at once, where it is so far away from your current norm that you simply cannot sustain it. So lets say that you have stopped going to the gym and you commit to getting back. Instead of saying I am going to go to the gym everyday, commit to just 3 days a week and THAT IS IT!!!! It is very realistic and maintainable to stick to 3 days a week. Then after a month of doing that add just 1 extra day to your routine. This makes the chunks very realistic and manageable and sets you up for success over the year.
Now lets talk about diet here. Again at one point in time many of us had some sort of structure (in a traditional sense) comprising of your standard 3 meals a day, Then again life got in the way, things changed and now here we are. Skipping breakfast, eating a shitty lunch and gorging for dinner or skipping all together before doing it all over the next day. The very first step for 90 percent of people is pretty simple. Instead of thinking that you are magically going to change habits overnight, just start by eating breakfast!! I do not care what it is, just start with that. I get it, you are not hungry and why should you be. You haven’t given yourself a reason to use that food. But we need to sort of force the body into gear. The easiest thing we can do is start by just doing a shake. Simple, effective and gets your body in the habit of getting things kick started in the morning. Do not change anything else diet wise, just start by eating breakfast or in this case a shake. And after a few weeks on this, change just 1 other meal. So say lunch is typically take out or whatever you can get your hands on, start by eating a more balanced lunch. Something like some chicken and a baked potato or a salad with some chicken or turkey will do just fine. Then after a couple weeks on this we can change dinner.
So you get the point here, instead of trying to make all these damn changes all at once, which many people do and fail to maintain, we are changing just 1 thing at a time and allowing our body to adjust to the change before moving to another change. Slow and steady will not only win this race, but also keep us in the race for the long haul and lead to lasting change. So lets crush these goals in 2026.
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!
Best Ways to Do Cardio for Bodybuilders
Cardio, one of the most underrated aspects of any bodybuilder and one of the most important at the same time. Here I am going to break down my 3 favorite types of cardio to do and things that you can implement into your own program if you are looking to progress your physique to a new level. Now I do not care if you are trying to bulk or cut, YOU NEED TO BE DOING CARDIO ON A REGULAR BASIS PERIOD!!!!!!!! This is a non negotiable and if you are serious about your health and physique, need to take this element as serious as you do your diet and training. Not only will regular cardio help keep you leaner on a bulk (or lose bodyfat) on a cut, it will enhance your ability to build muscle due to the oxygenation effects and increased capacity to train harder and longer with the weights. Below are my 3 favorite types of cardio.
1. Outdoor Walking!!!
There is nothing like getting outside and doing a long walk outdoors. Not only is this beneficial for your mental and emotional health, but getting out in the elements, especially when it is hot or cold, has the ability to make you more mentally strong and that directly translates to pushing past your limits in the gym. For me I like to go about 1 hour to 1.5 hours at a fairly brisk pace. This will not eat up muscle trust me and will only benefit you in the long run. I know and hour is a little long, but remember this is low intensity and for me I just enjoy doing it. There is no better feeling than getting outside and feeling the fresh air!!!
2. Incline Treadmill Walk
See a common theme here with walking!!! It is low impact, easy to do and can be very beneficial for overall recovery from the intense weight training needed to make long term progress in the gym. I would recommend setting the treadmill at a 11/12 percent incline and walk at a speed of around 3.0 mph. This will get your heart rate up a bit, but will not be overkill and should be enough to get a light sweat going!!! One key here is DO NOT hold onto the rails!!!! Allow your arms to naturally swing and just walk with your natural rhythm. 25-30 minutes is a good place to start and as you get deeper and deeper in a diet phase, 45 minutes should do just fine here.
3. Stairmaster
Last but not least we have one that will most certainly get your heart rate up a bit more and something I would recommend only doing a few times a week. I would keep the starimaster at a level 6-8, which is slow enough to not be gasping for air, but hard enough to be out of breath and breaking a decent sweat!! The key to cardio is get a bit out of breath and break a fucking sweat!!! If you are doing cardio you need to sweat!!!! I would recommend 20 or so minutes a few times a week here, and alternate those with the other 2 forms of cardio mentioned above to keep things fun and your body fresh!!
Here you have it, 3 forms of cardio that I would recommend if you are serious about your health and physique!!! Train Hard!!!
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!!
How to bulk like a pro!!!!!
With winter fast approaching, many of us will bundle up, hibernate and enter into the BULKING phase of the year. Now this is absolutely not an excuse to get fat, and if done right, can lend yourself some pretty good gains in the coming year!!!! BUT, there are some rules that need to be followed if this is bound to happen.
Continue to do cardio multiple times a week!!!!! This is one of the biggest mistakes that I see a lot of guys make and that is they neglect cardio during this phase of the year. Now, I am not saying that you need to overdo it here, but you cannot neglect this aspect of training either. I would recommend 20-30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio 4-5 times a week. Not only will cardio help to keep you on the leaner side (which will make cutting easier) but will also allow you to make progress with the weights because of the increased capacity to do work with the weights, and as we know more work equals more gains!!!!
Allow yourself 1 un-tracked meal daily, but no more!!!!! It is a pretty common mindset for guys to use this bulking season as an excuse to get lax with their diet and kind of eat whatever they want. That will not only lead to unnecessary fat gain, but will also lead to insulin resistance and from a muscle building standpoint that is not good!!!!! Now, I will say having 1 meal daily that is not your typical bodybuilding meal will go a long way to not only keep you sane but also give your metabolism a little bit of a boost.
Lift heavy weights!!!!! I mean its pretty simple, if you want to grow you need to lift heavy!!!! There needs to be a stimulus to trigger growth in the body, and without that progress will stall. Focus on incrementally increasing weight week to week.
Keep water at 1 gallon a day!! This is something that you should be doing daily regardless but becomes even more important during a bulking phase of the year. Water will ensure that digestion is on point and will also aid in not only recovery but also will ensure that your workouts are effective.
There you have it, some things that I would recommend as you enter into this BULKING time of the year. Follow these 4 simple principles and watch your progress skyrocket going into the spring and summer cutting season lol!!!
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!!!
Pre-Exhaustion techniques 101: Everything you need to know to supercharge your workouts and progress!!!!
So you want to know a way to supercharge your workouts and bust through some plateaus in terms of size and strength? Well adding a pre-exhaustion technique to your workouts are a way that will really add a lot of progress that goes against much of the mainstream literature that you read online.
Lets take a leg day for example. Everywhere you read we start with the hardest lifts first when we are fresh, and from a scientific standpoint that makes sense. Do the hard stuff while you are fresh, when you can push heavier weight, blah blah fucking blah!!!! Well there comes a point where we need to think outside of the box and challenge the rules a bit to continue making progress. And you would be surprised to find that something you think would make you weaker actually makes you stronger!!!!!
Think about this, would’t doing some heavy sets of leg extensions BEFORE squats or leg presses lead to an increase of blood flow and in term oxygen transport to the working muscles that will lead to a bigger and better squat? I can tell you without a doubt YES!!!! Now at first this will be hard, you will be fatigued. But as you get more advanced you will recover much quicker and will utilize the enhanced blood flow to your advantage to gain strength and overall create a new stimulus that is often needed for growth. Below is an example of a Pre-Exhaustion technique that I will often use on chest sessions that has led to some pretty drastic progress!!
Exercise 1: 4 sets of 25 push-ups super-set with 30 seconds of a most muscular chest flex to drive as much blood flow into the chest as possible.
Exercise 2: 4 sets of Pec Dec fly’s working up to 1 really heavy set of 10, followed by a 30 second ISO hold at 50 percent of the work weight.
Exercise 3: MAIN lift, usually and incline or flat press!!!
As you can see you are a few exercises deep BEFORE even hitting the main lift. You will be fatigued and tired a bit, but mark my words you will GROW, and isn’t that what bodybuilding is all about!!!
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING
HGH 101: All about Human Growth Hormone
Out of all the performance enhancing compounds I have used over the past decade I have been in the gym nothing has drawn more questions or confusion more than HGH!!!! The biggest misconception that I often see is that it’s often confused as an anabolic steroid and that is simply not the case at all. HGH is a protein peptide, that is released by your Pituitary Gland, wheres steroids are testosterone or testosterone derivatives that are androgenic (produce masculine effects) in nature. In addition to that, the mechanisms of action are very different which I will be explaining here.
Anabolic steroids are primarily responsible for growth in regards to what we call hypertrophy, which is the enlargement of existing muscle cells. But, the one caveat here is that there is a cap to how much growth you will obtain, assuming training and nutrition are locked in and that is you only have a specific number of muscle cells in a muscle. Let’s take your chest for example, you have 1 million muscle cells in your pec, and that is largely genetic. Now through training, diet and the introduction of androgens (steroids), you can maximize just how big those existing cells will become. But again you still only have 1 million cells that can undergo that process. Now here is where GH, the granddaddy of performance enhancement (in my opinion, but many will agree) comes into play that will allow you to take your progress to a whole new level!!!!!
GH does not make existing cells bigger, they actually create new muscle cells through a process known as hyperplasia, which in turn can grow bigger!!!!! This is the biggest reason why HGH is such a sought after addition to a performance enhancing protocol, and this effect is invaluable and can lead to a much greater ability to continue building muscle well beyond what steroids can provide. In addition to creating new muscle cells, GH will provide a handful of additional effects including enhanced overall recovery, decreased body fat, increased metabolism, improved sleep, increased growth of cartilage and tendons, improved bone density and improved sexual performance!! But these improvements do come with some side effects and most of that is going to be dose dependent!!! Buuuuut, the greater the dose of GH the more performance effects we will see, so this is where it is like walking a tight rope. Side effects such as lethargy, decreased insulin sensitivity, numbing of the hands and feet and the potential growth of organs (with very high doses for an extended period of time) are not uncommon, but for the most part can be controlled with responsible use.
In regards to dosing we really have 2 categories here and that is therapeutic, mainly used for healing and rejuvenation and performance enhancement. For a therapeutic effect just 1-2 IUs a day is more than enough and should provide some nice effects, especially for the aging male. Now when it comes to performance enhancement this is where it can get a little tricky. Generally speaking a starting dose of 3-4 IUs a day will be a great place to start and allow your body to adjust to the addition of GH to the body. But to really begin to see the muscle gains that we seek, a dose of 5-6 is usually the sweet spot, where side effects are for the most part (except for feeling a bit tired) are kept at bay. But if we increase the dose up to 7-8 IU we will grow even more, but now we are having to counter act the host of side effects that come with this. The most notable is the insulin resistance, which is why its not uncommon for GH users to add insulin to the protocol as a way to combat this. But I will say this is not ideal, especially for someone not looking to compete at a high level. There is too much guess work dealing with insulin dosing and it is not worth it for most people to gain a few additional pounds of muscle. Stick to the 3-4 IU range and you should be fine!!!!!
GH ideally needs to be ran for at least 20 weeks, to really give your body time to slowly create and build the new muscle cells. When combined with anabolics (which is the only way I would see even using GH) those new cells that are built will continue to grow bigger and stronger leading to a bigger and leaner physique!!!!! Happy cycling!!!!!
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING
3 things YOU can do to not lose progress over the Holiday season!!!!!!
Holiday season is quickly approaching and that means holiday parties, family gatherings and work functions will be in full swing as we ring out of 2025 and into 2026, and that typically means fitness and progress typically takes a hit as we navigate this time of the year. Lets be honest, it does become a little harder to stay on plan when we have so much good food all around us, or co-workers and family members telling us to “live a little” its the holidays. And by “live” they really mean be like everyone else and be a fat slob with no regard to their appearance or health. So how exactly do we partake and not feel like an “outcast” but still adhere to some parameters so that progress does not all go out the door?
1. Drink a larger glass of water before you take your first bit of anything!!!! lets face it, when we are somewhat full our chances of overeating are much smaller. Filling up on water first gives our brain the illusion we are “full” so even though we may end up eating off plan, this will mitigate a lot of the damage. The worst thing you can do is not eat all day to “save up” for a party. This leads to eating way to much food, feeling like a complete fat-ass and not making smart choices!!!!
2. Eat smaller meals throughout the day. Much like tip 1, this will ensure that we are a little more full, so overeating is much less. Plus, by eating a little more frequently throughout the day, our metabolism will be much higher and that is the key to limiting the damage from our food choices!!! I mean, we should be eating consistently throughout the day anyway, but this is even more important the day of a gathering.
3. If you drink, stick to vodka redbulls!!!!! My theory behind this is the stimulant effects of the redbull speeds up our metabolism and in a way reverses the damage of the alcohol and junk that we may be consuming. Plus, you will get intoxicted quicker lol, and isn’t that the main effect many of us are seeking anyway?!?!
So there you have it, my top 3 tips for managing the holiday season and not falling behind the 8 ball, but allowing you to still enjoy life with people who matter to us. I understand there is life outside of just the gym, and I will never tell someone to forgo those things in life.
10 best bodybuilding foods on a budget!!!
Lets face it, Bodybuilding is EXPENSIVE and as you get further and further along on your journey this expense will get even greater. There will come a point where you will either need to level up financially (aka make more money) or find a way to still get the proper foods in that are more cost effective. I mean shoot, I have myself leveled up financially but still utilize these options because they still get the job done. You do not need to eat filet mignon or grass fed organic eggs to achieve a really good build. Below are 10 muscle building foods that are cost effective and will still get you results.
1. 85/15 lean ground beef!!!!! Yea yea I know its not the leanest cut, but the little bit of extra fat is not going to hurt your physique. A way to make it leaner is to use paper towels after cooking to soak up the extra oil and that will make the beef leaner and dryer.
2. Whole Eggs. This is a huge bodybuilding staple and one that I utilize almost daily still today. If you can afford to just eat the whites then great, but I will say that it is not necessary and you can still get in really great condition and build some serious muscle just eating whole eggs. I mean the Golden Era guys were notorious for eating whole eggs and gallons of milk lol, so there is proof in the pudding,
3. Regular Peanut Butter. Not the organic or natural peanut butter but the regular, store brand. Yes the one that has some sugar and oil. It’s not like you’re going to be eating the entire jar, but this is a great option to get the added healthy fats and calories needed for growth. This is something that I eat and utilize on the regular.
4. 85/15 ground turkey. Much like ground beef go for the fattier, cheaper option here and use paper towels to make it leaner on your own. This will save you some money and lets be honest, the higher fat turkey tastes a little bit better anyway lol!!!
5. White pasta. A regular staple for me, here is a pretty cheap option that will give you some solid, clean carbs. I will say rice is the preferred Carb source, but there is nothing wrong with using pasta on occasion. It is still a pretty clean source and one that taste pretty good as well.
6. Jasmine Rice. This is my regular staple Carb, and one that is a little lower on the glycemic index. You can get a fairly large bag for around 10 dollars!!!
7. Cream of Wheat. I am a big advocate of cream of rice, but lets be honest cream of rice can get pretty pricey. So here is a solid plan b. Cream of wheat is pretty damn similar with the only difference being that cream of rice is slightly higher in terms of simple sugar content, which is good pre or post workout. But this will still get the job done at a fraction of the cost.
8. Rice Crispy Treats!!!! Yes I said Rice Crispy Treats. I know what you are thinking, how can this be part of your diet plan. Well its all about timing. If eaten around workout time, this is a perfect pre or post workout food that will spike blood sugar and help transport proteins and fats to the muscle that is needed for growth. Limit this to around workout times, because this is a little more on the junk side of things but can still be a part of the bodybuilding diet
9. Bag of mixed nuts. Another great way to get some added calories and fats in our diet, with most of the fat coming from unsaturated fat. And a handful of nuts is going to be much higher in calories that 10 ounces of chicken, and lets be honest calories are truly what are needed for growth.
10. Bag of frozen Veggies. Fresh veggies and fruits are always the preferred option, but again we are trying to keep cost down while still reaching our goals. There is nothing wrong with using frozen fruits and veggies, as we are still getting many of the same vitamins and minerals.
So there you have it, 10 budget friendly foods that don’t break the bank but still get the job done. Happy Training!!!
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!!!
Why you need to create your own reality!!!!
Just take a look around and it will take all but 5 seconds to see just how brainwashed much of society has become these days. Take a look around the gym and you will quickly see how many people are distracted and who have become slaves to a false reality, aka their phone, social media , etc…. It seems as if people no longer have the ability to think for themselves and that my friends is a huge fucking problem.
Every where you look we are being groomed by society to think a certain way, be a certain way and act a certain way. Shit it even comes down to having a family and what you do for work. Get married and have 2.3 kids because that‘s what “normal” people do. Sit in traffic for hours to then sit your fat ass behind a desk at a job you hate is what “normal” people do. Let yourself go as you get older because, you know, got out of it is what “normal” people do. Well I don’t know, because I live in my world and created my own reality, and I suggest your ass does the same thing.
You see, what others find normal I find a joke. I am not one to work the 9-5, sit in hours of traffic, to get out of shape to come home to a house full of kids screaming and a nagging wife who looks like a bag of ass. I had this vision in my mind of how I wanted my life to play out and I am creating that vision in my head. Not saying that everythign will be smooth each and every day, but as long as your taking steps ahead, you are getting closer to your reality.
If you dream of owning a business do it!!!! If you think that looking like a real life action figure looks cool, become that. If the thought of coming home to a bunch of kids crying and screaming and to a wife who only gives you a piece of ass once a month, then don’t!!!!! You do not have to fall victim to this picture that society has painted for you. At the end of the day, they are not living your life for you. They are not paying your bills nor are they controlling your happiness, and to that I say live a life that brings you joy, no matter what or how that looks to society. Because at the end of the day, much of society wishes to do what you are doing anyway. Be a winner and create your own reality!!!!!!!
Deca 101: Everything you ever wanted to know about Nandrolone Decanoate
Deca, every time I hear that word out of someone’s mouth it brings tingles to my body!!!!! Well not exactly like that, but I will say that Deca is a pretty great compound lol. For starters, it bangs one hell of a punch in a very small amount! On just 100 mg a week you will see some nice recovery and tendon healing benefits, as well as a nice increase in strength that a lot of other compounds will not give you.
One huge benefit of Deca is the long chain ester that it is attached to, allows for a much lower injection frequency compared to a lot of other compounds. With a half life around 9 or so days, a once a week injection frequency is the most common among users. Now if you are getting the dosage up to around 600 mg or so, then you may want to increase the injection frequency, but anything 400 mg or lower a once a week injection works well!!!
Now I have used Deca a handful of times over the years and it is one of the most side effect friendly steroids one can use. It has very little in terms of estrogen conversion and is low on the Androgenic scale, meaning acne and other notable side effects are often minimized. Now that does not mean that this steroid is side effect free, it just means that estrogen and androgenic side effects are often times not of a concern. But the one difference between Deca and a lot of other compounds is it does have a fairly high rate of Prolactin conversion. For me, this was a concern and one of the big reasons that I no longer run Deca. Prolactin will cause many of the same side effects that estrogen will, as well as a few that are unique. Gyno, acne, mood swings, lethargy and the like are still common with higher levels of Prolactin. For me personally, Gyno was an issue, especially when my dosage was taken a little bit higher. Now everyone is different, and I know plenty of guys who have no issues with Prolactin induced side effects while running Deca, I was just not one of them. Now most of this can be remedied by the use of Cabergoline, which prevents Prolactin from forming in the bloodstream. Typically a dose of 0.5 mg twice a week will be all one needs. Another common side effect you hear about is the dreaded “Deca Dick” which is essentially a limp pecker lol. When Prolactin levels get too elevated it will be very difficult or damn near impossible to get an erection no matter how hard you try. Keeping your Testosterone dosage neck and neck or slightly higher than the Deca dose can often prevent this. So if the Deca dose is 400 mg, 500 mg of Testosterone will often times be used as an offset for Prolactin induced side effects.
In terms of cycle length, I would recommend 12 weeks as a minimum, with 16 being far more common. This is due to the longer ester attached to Deca, which causes peak blood concentrations to be reached around the 8-10 week mark. Deca is best suited as an off-season builder, do to the fact that it is not going to have much leaning out or hardening properties. One can see a pretty high level of size gain in a fairly short amount of time with Deca. The strength increase is also quite a bit higher than many other compounds, so much so that one may need to really focus on keeping the weight lighter and training in the higher rep range to keep one from getting injured. One big issue with some compounds is that because we get so strong so fast, we essentially outgrow the tendons and ligaments. This is where a lot of strains and tears come from, essentially the body has not adapted to the increase in strength because it was so rapid. But, by modifying things and being smart, we can remain in this game for the long haul. Always remember there is no finish line with bodybuilding!!!!!!
Sample Growth Phase Cycle
Weeks 1-16 500 mg a week Testosterone Cypionate
Weeks 1-16 400 mg a week Deca Durabolin
Weeks 1-4 25 mg a day Dianabol
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!!
Why Hunger is the Most important marker for physique progress.
When it comes to fat loss and muscle building, hunger is a tall tail sign that what you are doing is working. Let me give you a little insight about hunger, and why it is so important. Well first off, hunger is your bodies way of telling you that it needs more food. In a diet phase this is a great thing because it shows your body is burning through the food you are giving it and it is in need of more. Hunger shows that your metabolism is firing on all cylinders is and primed and if your goal is weight loss or building muscle that is what we want.
One thing I hear and see all the time are guys saying “I am not hungry when I am dieting and this is awesome!!! I have no cravings and I really don’t feel like eating much, if at all.” The problem with that thought process is that if your not hungry there is a pretty good chance that your body is not using food as efficiently as it should, and that is a BIG problem. This is your body telling you that it does not need any fuel and what it is getting is being stored.
Have you ever wondered why no matter how hard you diet you just cant seem to drop fat? You have no hunger and even though you are eating less and less you start moving in the wrong direction. This my friends has all the bit to do with your metabolism, or lack there of. Hunger will tell you everything that you need to know about how well your body is using food. It is pretty simple, the hungrier your are the more your body is burning through its calories. Now you still need to be in a deficit here, but keeping hunger high as you increase the defecit slightly week to week will ensure that fat loss remains high. The same can be said for gaining new tissue. Being hungry shows that all the increased calories that you are consuming, or should be consuming lol, are being used for growth and your body is in dire need for more.
So, here my friends is a quick explanation as to why and how hunger will give you a very good picture of what is going on with your body. If you are not hungry, then it is about time to analyze what you are going to ensure that you get back on track and get the ball rolling again for long term progress.
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!!!!
The Big Benefits of Cialis for Bodybuilding
Cialis is by far one of the most beneficial health supplements that any bodybuilder, especially the aging male, should include in their overall stack. Cialis works by relaxing all of the smooth muscle in the body, allowing for a greater blood flow effect that is NOT just reserved to your penis lol. It affects all tissues of the body and that is incredibly important to us as bodybuilders in many different ways.
First and foremost, this will dramatically lead to a decrease in blood pressure because now that blood doesn’t have to work as hard to transport blood throughout the body. And as we know, overtime blood pressure can potentially rise due to the use of Anabolic and overall lifestyle. Secondly is prostate health, and I can tell you that Cialis can really benefit prostate. With a relaxation in the smooth muscle of the prostate, this can help protect the prostate from potential enlargement that often occurs due to Anabolic use.
Lastly, in a performance enhancement sense, Cialis can really help with muscle pumps in the gym. I can tell you that there is nothing that will give you better pumps than Cialis. Now since it has a long half-life. 7.5 mg a day is really all you need to do the job. You can get by with even 5 mg being an effective dose, but I believe that 7.5 is the best dose.
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!!!!
How to make a physique transformation
Transformation, that is a word that everyone dreams of hearing about themselves, yet very few actually end up going through and accomplishing it!!! Now why is that? Well my friends I am going to tell you, because it HARD, and requires quite a bit of work and consistency that very few people have!!!! You see, this shit requires work and quite a bit of it and people are just inherently lazy!!! Most people just want the easy way out and the fast result. They want the results without putting in any of the work or taking any of the steps necessary to reach said goal. But before we can even begin a transformation journey we must first understand what is actually required in the first place.
Number 1 is understanding where it is that you even want. This goes way beyond just saying I want to lose fat. How much fat, where on your body, what is the timeline and why do want this/why is this goal important to you? We must first be able to answer these basic questions before we can even begin. I recommend writing these things out ion a sheet of paper and taping it to your fridge or the mirror in the bathroom that way you have to look at it everyday to serve as a reminder of what YOU committed to. If you don’t follow through with this its on YOU!!!!!! YOU failed yourself and nobody else!! Next we must have a plan set in place. What are you going to do, what is your game plan? How are you going to get there? Having a layed out plan of attack is imperative? If you don’t you will fail!!!!!! Hire a fucking trainer if you don’t know where to go! Leave the ego at the door and admit that you need professional help. Let them take the guess work out of the equation and make things easier for you. This will ensure that you are taking the right steps toward progress, and this is even more important if you have tried in the past and failed!!!!!! Don’t think even for a minute that if you do the same thing you did last time that you will get a different result, nope you won’t! You will get the same result and that is likely failing at reaching your goal!! So put the ego aside, get a plan of attack put together and get to work.
Lastly we have consistency. Listen you can’t half ass this shit. You have to stay consistent if you want results. You have to stay with the plan, no matter how you feel. Trust me, motivation will dip and if you aren’t strong enough you will fail and nobody wants to be a FAILURE DO THEY. I sure as hell don’t, and neither should you. There will be days that you don’t want to go to the gym or eat your meals. WHO THE FUCK CARES!!! Do it, stay disciplined and tell that voice in your head to shut the fuck up there is work to be done. And what you will realize that as you stack more and more of these days together you will see how much control that you have over your results. You and only you are in control and nobody can take that away from you.
So there you have it when it comes to 3 things you need in order to really make a transformation this year. Make this the year that you stick to it and follow through with what you set out to do. You will never regret the results that you go with the work that you put in. But you first need to have what it is you want to accomplish written out. You then need to have a detailed plan as to what you are going to do. Make it specific, not go to the gym. Yea no shit but what are you going to do in the gym. What does the diet look like, supplementation and rest/recovery. Be as specific as possible. And last but not least stay consistent and understand that this shit takes time and is a long term journey. There will be days your not motivated or feeling your best and you still need to execute just as much as the good days. Stack each day and watch your body change week to week and month to month.
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!!
Masteron 101: Everything you ever wanted to know about Drostanolone
Masteron, the absolute king of adding the finishing touches of an already polished physique. Masteron is not what we would consider a mass gain steroid, as it has very little, if any muscle building properties. But one thing that this compound does better than almost any other is giving your body a harder and more defined look that no other steroid can duplicate. Now I will say that if you are not already in single digit body fat this compound is pretty much useless. But for those already in a very lean state looking to add a little extra to their physique, this compound works wonders.
Masteron is a DHT derivative, which means that it has very strong Androgenic activity. With that, Masteron has the ability to directly burn body fat, as well as acting as an anti-estrogen in the body. Because of the anti-estrogen effect, Masteron will provide the lean physique with a harder look as well as a drying effect due to lower estrogen levels leading to a dryer and harder look. Then comes the strength boost and I will say that Masteron will provide the user with a pretty decent increase in strength, that is even more impressive when you consider that you will most likely be in a caloric deficit while using the compound. It is very important to keep the reps on the higher side, to avoid getting hurt lol. Remember that you are depleted, so your bodies ability to recover is compromised.
Now in terms of side effects, Masteron is pretty moderate compared to many of the other compounds on the market. Since this steroid does not aromatize, there is no concern for water retention or gyno. Now since Masteron is a pretty strong androgen, side effects like acne, slightly enlarged prostate and in the case of Masteron, male pattern baldness, are definitely a concern. This is why finasteride is often times used with any DHT derived steroid. But again, much of this is dose and individual specific. What affects one person may not affect another.
In terms of cycle dosing, 300 mg a week is the typical sweet spot dose, with a Monday, Wednesday and Friday injection schedule. Typically this is an add on to an already put together cutting cycle and used toward the end of the fat lose phase to add the finishing touches to the physique.
Weeks 1-12 300 mg Test Prop/week
weeks 6-12 300 mg Tren Ace/week
weeks 6-12 300 mg Masteron/week
weeks weeks 8-12 50 mg Winstrol/day
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!!!!!
Dbol 101: All you ever wanted to know about Dianabol
Right here is one of, if not, the oldest and most well known steroids known to man and this is good ol’ Dbol tabs. Dbol (Dianabol) has been around since the dawn of time and was a favorite among the golden era bodybuilders, in part because its effective and rarely faked. Dbol is one of those steroids where work weights soon become warm-up weights and everything just feels lighter in your hands. You just feel like a strong ox, and the results come on FAST. Now the only issue here is the results fade away just as fast as they come on once the cycle is discontinued and that is why Dbol is often front loaded as part of a longer ester cycle.
You typically see Dbol ran the first 4-6 weeks as part of a cycle, often called front loading, in order to get some faster results while the longer chained compounds (most often test and Deca) are building up in your body. A modest dose of 25-30 mg a day for 4-6 weeks tops should provide some solid size and strength, while keeping side effects more on the moderate side. It’s not uncommon to gain 5-10 lbs in 3-4 weeks, with a good majority being water retention, while using Dbol.
With that being said its very important to fully understand what the purpose of the compound is and how to use it properly. Dbol has the ability to provide a good amount of volumization in the form of water retention. This allows for much greater strength and nutrient transport, which is important for overall progress. Dbol is very good at increasing carb uptake in the muscle as well, which is why one common side effect is high then low blood sugars. This can be advantageous during a growth phase because the user will be able to get more carbs and nutrients into the muscle, allowing for an increase in strength and muscle tissue breakdown. Even though most of the weight gained is due to this water and carb retention, if you are training and eating effectively, you will be able to take advantage of the strength and vlumization to help with enhanced muscle tissue breakdown and allow for greater gains once the longer chained esters of the cycle start to kick in.
Now, this is no side effect free steroid, and is one that I no longer use!!! First off is the liver toxicity! Dbol is liver toxic and more so that most steroids. You often feel ill and run down, at least I did, while running Dbol and this is due to the fact your body is in full blown repair mode. Next we have the estrogen conversion and the potential for gynecomastia. Dbol converts to estrogen at a high level and it is imperative that one has Arimidex in the mix. 1 mg 2-3 times a week should suffice, but a lot of this is very individual. Next we have the elevated cholesterol and blood pressure and just added strain on the body because of the increase in water and carb retention. Now this can be controlled with the AI but it is very important to ensure that you are eating clean and keeping a good amount of cardio in the mix (which you should anyway no matter if you are bulking or cutting!!!!!!!). High blood sugars are pretty common with Dbol use and that is why limiting use is very important to keep you from crossing into pre-diabetic territory. Lastly we have acne and the effects on the skin, due to the increase in estrogen. Again the AI should help with this, but it is not a bad idea to shower 2-3 times a day and use an exfoliating body wash to keep the skin as clear as possible.
Dbol is a very effective steroid, but I am at the point now where I am more focused on feeling good and taking compounds that are more of a long and steady gain, and not something that just throws a bunch of shit weight on me. But for someone who is newer to cycling that wants to really GAIN on cycle then I think Dbol is a great addition and provide a quality look if everything is in place!!!
Weeks 1-12 Test Cypionate 500 mg/week
weeks 1-12 Deca Durabolin 300 mg/week
weeks 1-4 Dbol 30 mg/day
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!!!
Tren 101: Everything you need to know about Trenbolone!!!!!!
Tren, Tren and more Tren. Trenbolone is by far the most talked about steroid in the game and it has been for quite some time. First and foremost, there is no steroid on the market that is as cost effective as Trenbolone and that is a fact. For the cost, the results that you get are nothing short of remarkable and this steroid packs an insane punch mg per mg in a very small amount. The strength gains that you will see are absolutely insane and the muscle building effects are crazy. This is also one of the only steroids that has direct fat loss properties, meaning that it burns fat on its own!!! So you essentially build muscle and lose fat at the same time with a huge boost in strength. This is due to the fact that Trenbolone has an Anabolic:Androgenic rating of 500:500, with Testosterone being 100:100!!!! So Tren is 5 times stronger mg per mg than Testosterone, and as many know Testosterone is a very Anabolic hormone. So this is some powerful stuff we have here and needs to not be taken lightly.
Tren is commonly seen in 2 different formats, Tren Acetate and Tren Enanthate. Tren Ace (Acetate) is more common in a contest prep or cutting cycle where as Tren E (Enanthate) is more commonly found is a muscle building phase, due to is long half life. But you can use either during both phases will phenomenal results!! But, I will say these results come with a host of side effects that can make it a very tough Anabolic to manage. I myself no longer use Tren because of how it made me feel and act, and I am at a point where I would prefer to pay a little more money to feel good and less shitty on a cycle, which is why my go to’s now are EQ, Primo, NPP and DHB!!!!
First and foremost Tren will make you edgy, and I do not care who says what to defend it!!! Tren made me edgier than any steroid I have ever used, and it happened every single time that I ran it. I am talking 0 to 100 type edgy , wanting to strangle someone at any given moment type of edgy. Tren just made me a nasty and mean son of a bitch and I just did not like that side of me. Now we have the nasty and unpredictable mood swings. My mood was so up and down that it was not even funny. I would be happy, sad, angry back to happy in the span of 20 minutes!! My anxiety was horrible and the paranoia was insane. I would almost stop breathing because I would get panic attacks and I was just on edge all the time. But body looked great so it must be worth it right lol. Sleep went to absolute shit, and I think most can agree that Tren will wreck your sleep more than almost any steroid that you can run. I am talking 3-4 hours a night, mind constantly racing feeling like you just can’t relax. Prostate issues are extremely common and it just seemed that you had to take a piss every 5 minutes, to the point it was annoying. Others experience acne, blood pressure elevations and possible cholesterol issues depend on genetics. So you can clearly see that this stuff is pretty fucking toxic and powerful, but no one can deny the fact that Tren works and it works fast and very fucking well!!!!
Tren is suited as an add on to a stack or as an addition to Testosterone. Tren is also a steroid that I would limit to 8 weeks max!!!! Let me repeat that again. Tren is a steroid that I would limit to 8 weeks max!!!!!!!! Anything over that and you will see some issues with your health. I mean you will see issues regardless, but you will see many more if you stay on Tren long-term lol!!!!
Sample Tren cycle
weeks 1-16 300 mg Testosterone Prop a week
Weeks 1-8 600 mg EQ a week
weeks 8-16 300 mg Masteron a week
week 8-16 300 mg Tren Acetate a week
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!
Equipoise 101
This right here is the steroid I have personally used more than any other steroid!!!! Man I love EQ and will continue using it over and over again for quite a while. When something works well for your body and produces results you stick with it and for me EQ does just that.
For starters, EQ (Boldenone Undecylenate) does not convert to estrogen so bloating is not an issue. It is also the most versatile steroid in my opinion that one can run, do to the fact that is has a pretty good anabolic and nitrogen retention effect. EQ will put on muscle at a pretty steady rate, assuming that you are eating in a surplus and training with intensity. It will hold muscle well during a diet and keep your body in an anabolic state even while in a deficit. This will ensure that you do not lose muscle and keep your metabolism high during a fat loss phase. Now EQ is weaker in terms of overall growth mg per mg compared to Testosterone, but due to the fact that there is little to no estrogen conversion, everything gained on cycle will be true muscle tissue!!!!
Now with that being said, the proper dosage for EQ will need to be a bit higher compared to Testosterone. I would, at minimum, be using 600 mg/week with 800 being the upper sweet spot. Now due to the fact that EQ has a very long ester attached to it, I personally like to front load this with 800 mg the first 3 ot 4 weeks and then drop down to 600 mg per week for the remainder of the cycle. This will allow the hormone to reach a peak dose quicker and then you can drop back and maintain a more steady blood level following the front load. Now I would recommend 12 weeks minimum on EQ, with 16 truly being a very effective duration. This steroid is one of, if not the most side effect friendly steroid known to man , so a 16 week run should not knock you out all that much.
The most common side effects that one should experience is elevated hematocrit (due to the steroid having a very pronounced red blood cell elevation), a little anxiety, shut down of natural Testosterone production and some possible elevations in cholesterol. But due to the fact that this steroid has very little conversion to estrogen and is much weaker from an Androgenic point of view, the side effects should be pretty minimal and easy to control.
EQ cycle template (best used as a third cycle after Test only and Test with 1 other compound, most likely Dbol)
weeks 1-16 500 mg/week Test Cypionate
weeks 1-4 800 mg/week EQ
weeks 4-16 600 mg/week EQ
weeks 1-16 0.5 mg Arimidex 2 times a week
Cycle Hard!!!!!!
BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!!!