Monthly Archives: March 2015

Gym Stuff

6 Lame Excuses for Skipping the Gym

We all know guys who would still go to the gym after losing a leg walking through a blizzard at 2am. But, most of us are not quite that dedicated. For many of us, our lives can sometimes get in the way. On some days, it  feels impossible to balance the gym with everything else in our lives.

The fact remains, health is a priority and we have to make time for the gym. While there are some valid excuses, there are some very, very lame ones as well.

I’ve got 6 for you right here:

1

It’s too cold outside: I’ve heard the chanting, “If I can’t wear shorts, I’m not going to the gym.” One big issue,  is the fact that the sun goes down much earlier during the winter months. Some people prefer to workout later in the day and it’s hard to feel motivated in the dark. 5pm feels like 8pm and the imagined sense of exhaustion kicks in. Too many times, you may end up going home and eating dinner in front of the fireplace watching Netflix. Don’t give in. The best way to beat the cold is to get your body moving, your blood flowing and your temperature rising.

2

I’m beyond tired: Whether you didn’t get much sleep last night, work is causing mega stress or you and your girl are having a rough patch…you may just feel too worn out to workout. Fighting the urge to put on your pj’s rather than gym gear is tough, but getting to the gym is well worth the reward. Remember, the gym helps to relieve stress, increase endorphins, and no one ever said, “I regret that workout.”

3

I’m hungover as f*ck: You had a crazy night out partying it up and your body feels like absolute hell. After a night of heavy drinking, your body needs anywhere from a few hours to a whole day of recovery. If you’re making trips to worship the porcelain god, stay home. Nobody wants you vomiting on the weight rack. I’m not telling you not to have fun, but you need to choose whether you want to be healthy or want to be completely blitzed out. You can’t have both.

4

I need to do laundry: I’ve literally heard this excuse more times than I can count. All of your gym clothes are dirty and you have nothing to wear. At this point, put on a pair of regular shorts and a t-shirt. If you don’t have your “special” gym clothes to wear, make do. Who cares if people give you a few stares? At least you made it there. This will also teach you to wash your clothes more often, son.

5

I’m out of pre-workout: Don’t even go there. You ran out of your “pump me up” and you’re afraid you won’t lift as heavy or as long. You know what’s worse than not getting into full beast mode? Not going to gym. Real beasts workout no matter what. Sure, pre-workout helps, but it isn’t required. It’s definitely not an excuse to skip.

6

I don’t have time: You picked a gym that is a 15-minute drive from your house and on days you feel lazy, you start adding up the time in your head…let’s see, 15 there, 15 back, 60 minute workout….a whole 1 hour and 30 minutes? I just can’t do that today. I don’t have time! The “time” excuse it the most popular. “I have a date tonight, I don’t have time.” “I’m working late tonight, I don’t have time.” “I have a test tomorrow, I don’t have time.” “My dog needs a bath, I don’t have time.” The list goes on and on and on. I have one simple solution: MAKE TIME.

These are just a few examples of excuses people make every single day to keep them from hitting the gym and reaching their goals. These are the same people that get frustrated when they look in the mirror and their muscles are shrinking and waistlines are expanding. No one can force you to do anything if you really don’t want to do it. We have to keep ourselves disciplined, not just with working out, but with everything in life in order to truly succeed.

Stop making excuses and start seeing results!

Tristan "Lucky"

 

 

 

 

Written by: Tristan “Lucky”

Gym Stuff, Muscle Science

Do You Even Lift? You Might Be Wasting Gains

Even if you hit the gym every day, if you aren’t lifting properly, you’re losing out on massive gains. Some guys who have been lifting for years claim to be lifting experts. While that may be true for some, we can certainly argue that the wisdom of others may be lacking.

While old-school lifting methods have been proven time and time again over the years, the fact is that there is a new biology to get bigger muscles. With the power of science, we are learning that the “big lifts=big gains+greater intensity=greater results” may not be as good as it gets. lift2

Old Way: Go Hard or Go Home
NEW WAY: DO LESS WORK, BETTER

To get the results you desire, you don’t have to push your body past its limits. Training actually will eventually become less effective as you tire and your form breaks down. After that threshold, gains dwindle and injury risk increases. The key is to figure out the dose that helps you meet your goals without putting your health at risk.

How to do it: Hold off on doing more than a total of 22 good sets in a workout if you’re looking to bulk up. Limit yourself to 4 sets per exercise. Australian researchers found that more than 4 sets offers diminishing results. I doubt you want that.

lift1

Old Way: Lift Heavy Always
NEW WAY: GO LIGHT, GROW BIG

High weight, low reps is the age-old mantra of guys trying to pack on size and strength. Science has revealed that lifting lighter weights for more reps can boost growth as much as lifting heavy weights.

How to do it:  Including both high and low rep sets in your workouts ensures that you hit both your fast and your slow twitch muscle fibers. First, do 3 sets of up to 30 reps. Then, load a bar with a weight you can squat, press, or lift 12-15 times and do those reps. Without letting go of the bar, set it down, take two breaths, and do 1-or-2 more repetitions. These are called “breathing reps.” Continue this process until you reach 20 reps. That’s 1 set. Do a total of 3 sets.

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Old Way: Count Your Rest Period
NEW WAY: MAKE YOUR REST PERSONAL

Exercise affects everyone differently and scientists have confirmed that over the years simply by finding that people differ significantly in their recovery needs. Without proper recovery, performance suffers, especially if you’re doing circuits. Use a heart-rate monitor to customize your rest. Wait until your heart rate reaches a safe level of true recovery between workouts.

How to do it: Determine your maximum heart rate. Then, multiply your age by 0.7 and then subtract that number 207. Then strap on a heart rate monitor and track your pulse between circuits. An example if your 30 years old: (30 x 0.7 = 21 and 207-21 = 186) Wait until your pulse lowers to a target HR zone which would be between 95-160 beats per minute.

These three simple methods will help your body take advantage of extra gains that you potentially could be missing out on. Now, go out there and share your new-found wisdom with your gym buddies.

Tristan "Lucky"

Written by: Tristan “Lucky”

Diet & Nutrition

Reality Check: Eating Junk Because You Workout

junk food 5You’ve heard the phrase: “I workout so I can eat whatever I want to.”

For some guys, eating “clean” is a four-letter word. Indulging in the monster burrito with a frosty beverage is worth extra time in the gym. But, is that added workout time truly X-ing out the poor food choices? Let’s find out.

We can take a wild guess that the calories in that burrito are not being torched even with an extra hour of working out.  Some guys think that if they eat a lot of unhealthy calories they can just work it off, but that’s not the case. While exercising can certainly help mediate the damage done by a less-than-healthy diet, there aren’t enough hours in the day to work off the foods that are eaten in the mindset of  It’s OK, I just worked out.

A January 2014 study from Arizona State University found that strength-based exercises burn the following calories:

  • Push-ups burned 514 calories per hour
  • Crunches burned 437 calories per hour
  • Squats burned 560 calories per hour
  • Pull-ups burned 597 calories per hour

junk food 7Obviously, no one does any of those exercises for a solid hour. According to a Harvard Medical School study, a vigorous hour of strength training burns an average of 532 calories. Make that only 266 calories for a general weight training session.

Ready for some shocking news? Per the University of Washington’s recent research, the number of people meeting their exercise guidelines is rising. Good stuff, right? Now here is the big BUT. So is the number of people who are obese.

Trying to out-exercise a junk food diet is about more than calories in vs. calories out. The body is complex and hormonal factors can have a huge influence on weight gain and loss.

For instance, when you eat a sugary waffle, soda or scoop of ice cream, your body’s levels of insulin rise. This forces your body into “fat-storage” mode. You aren’t just eating X number of calories. You’re basically injecting X number of calories straight into your ever-expanding fat cells. Now doesn’t that sound delicious?junk food 6

A junk-food diet allows fat to accumulate under the skin, on top of your muscle. Even if you exercise daily, you won’t see the muscle definition until you get rid of that fat. Muscle growth requires lean protein, not poor fats and sugars.

Eating poorly, despite your exercise routine, can lead to health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and other adverse medical issues.

As if this wasn’t enough to clean out your cupboards, eating a lot of unhealthy food promotes inflammation. This can lead to weight gain all on its own, per research published in the journal Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome.

junk food 4

The Bottom Line: When it comes to sculpting your body and enhancing your performance, without a diet to support your training, you are wasting your time at the gym. Save your sweet tooth for “cheat” meals.

Tristan "Lucky"

Written by: Tristan “Lucky”