Volume 3: Time to GET BIG - Lifting Strategies

Ok, so you're a pro now - you've bought and have been using your belt, wraps and straps. Everything you've read from the basic advice to the eating habits I've described are second nature to you. You're at the gym, you know your way around, made some beastly gains .. but wait for it.. you've been doing that same 4x10 routine for the past year and can't figure out why your shoulder hurts from benching and why your squat looks like a curtsy. Yep, that was me too. Here's bro-science that will blow your mind (I hope you all get my sense of humor in all of this).

Working Sets -

4 (sets) x 10 (reps) - Great for beginners. My absolute go to recommendation for folks looking for a base routine. Gradually increase your weight, but make sure you can complete all 10 reps on the last set.

5x5 - Monster routine for building strength. Usually preceded by 2 warm up sets x 20 reps of light weights. You usually need a spotter for this program, as you go as heavy as possible (keep your weight consistent through the 5 sets).

10x10 - Known as 'German Volume Training' - Lift with a spotter or on a rack, light weight (guide says 60% your 1RM, but I'd suggest even closer to 50%), builds an insane amount of strength and muscle endurance. (also keep your weights consistent through the sets)

5x15/20 - Better known in the bodybuilding world when you're trying to really make your muscles grow, but not necessarily make them super super strong (like a power lifter would). Great for those guys looking to try something new and are typically coming off their bulk right now. The biggest factor of this type of program is to SQUEEZE everything. You'll know what I mean once you're finished watching the below video.

Pyramids - My favorite. You can pyramid any amount of sets you'd like. Currently I go 'up' the pyramid for 3 sets, 2 peak (same weight), 3 sets 'down'. This of course, has varying weight loads. Also typically lessen the reps as the weight gets heavier. E.g., (reps) 16, 12, 10, 8, 8, 12, 14, 20

Mind Muscle Connection -

I don't even need to write. You just need to watch and be amazed.

Splits -

There's a hundred different splits you could do. It depends on your lifting style, what you want out of your plan and how much time you're willing/can to dedicate to training. I'll just give you 3 examples of my own lifting splits. After all, this blog is about me, isn't it?

Cut/Summer plan:
Pyramid/4x10/5x15/20 (depending on how I feel that day)

• Legs/shoulders/arms
• Back/bi/abs
• Chest /tri/abs
• 2 or 3 days of HIIT drill training (think boot camp style), running and/or cycling

Bulk/Winter plan:
Typically 5x5 or heavier/less reps pyramids

• Zero cardio, some boxing once in a while
• Legs x2 a week/abs
• Back/bi
• Chest/tri
• Shoulders/arms/abs

Maintain plan:
4x10/12, pyramids

• Legs/abs
• Shoulders/arms/abs
• Chest/tri
• Back/bi
• Cardio once or twice a week

Techniques: Here are some tips that I really believe in.

Full range of motion (ROM) and partial ROM have their place in lifting. You're not a bastard if you can't ass-to-grass squat, but you are if you rack 3 plates and barely move your legs. Full ROM should always strive to be achieved, with intense mind/muscle connection - but on those special beastly days you feel super strong and you want to throw around more weight, then by all means, don't take your squat past parallel and see what you're capable of. Just never lose your form or risk injury and/or embarrassment from your other brotastic gym rats.

In order to make gains, change things up. Switch your program, change your lifts, grips, weights and reps.

Have some fun. If you're tired of the gym, go outside. If you're tired of outside, go inside. If you don't want to pick things up and put them down, go mountain climbing or something. If you're burnt out, don't worry at all, pour yourself 3 fingers of scotch and watch some Walking Dead. No one says staying healthy requires slaving away at the gym.

When you're in the gym, focus on what you're doing. Have some conversations, but remember why you're there. And when you're there, pay attention to what you're doing. MIND MUSCLE CONNECTION! I always hate this expression "it doesn't matter if you run or walk a mile, you'll burn the same calories'". That's so horseshit. Maybe scientifically it's true, but I dare you to walk a full mile while watching a TV show and then walk another mile with no headphones, TV or magazine, focusing intensely on how you walk, how you move, how you step - tell me there isn't a difference! The benefits aren't always in the numbers.

Lastly. Squeeze your ass. In everything you do when you lift. Sounds funny right (especially when you drop the soap)? When you squeeze your butt-cheeks together, you force a more natural pelvic tilt - which is so important if you are deadlifting or squatting.. even doing machine stuff. Squeezing your butt also engages your abs and therefore your core - which will ultimately give you more power throughout all of your drives (muscle contraction).. even when you're doing something like arm curls. Try it.

Volume 2: Food Strategy for my bro-nation

So in reality there's probably about 2 people who read my blog (thanks!), but in my head, I'm a rock star that will change the eventual course of the bro-nation with my vast knowledge of bro-science. Just kidding. I just want to make sure my gym rants at least include nutrition and lifting techniques.

Let's start with mentality. As it's said, mind over matter. I won't bother with trying to tell you what to eat, how to cook it or what color your bell peppers should be - just do a google search on 'nutrition' plan and you'll find a bazillion different diets/plans that will tell you that theirs is the best. I'm going to focus on explaining some of my fundamentals. Again, always keeping things simple will make your life so much easier/better.

First, learn your macros (your daily dietary split of where your calories come from: protein, carbs and fats). Then stop caring about them. Eye-ball your food, don't measure it. Unless you're body building or are capable of micro-managing your diet everyday without becoming insane, just don't obsess over those details - to make things easy, just visualize everything in a fist-size. that's your portion. So eat a fist-sized portion of meat, carbs, veggies/fruit every meal. Easy, right? It really shouldn't be any more complicated than that. Next, you can choose to calculate your daily caloric intake, or if you're first starting out, just focus on what you're eating instead of how much. Too often people step into these insane cardio/diet programs with a thousand new rules and restrictions that are too much to handle. This is the true reason why people fail at these things. Don't make such dramatic changes to your life. Nothing in life that's worth it happens overnight, so accept that the cliche 'it's a lifestyle change' is true.

THINGS TO DO:
- Eat when you are hungry
- Eat consistently
- Eat an equal portion of meat, carbs, fruits/veggies.
- Eat breakfast
- umm. don't have cheeseburgers, excess bacon, soda, that 'extra' kit-kat bar you keep at your desk, etc. (and F it, if you do, split that bad boy up and eat it at 4 different times during the day)

And if you're reading this and say 'well, I enjoy food too much to do all of this' then your mind-frame is not where it needs to be anyway. So come back when it is. In my opinion, the key to a successful healthy lifestyle is being conscious of what you're taking into your body, enjoying the wonderful food life has to offer, but also understanding the trade-off.

THINGS NOT TO DO:
Initially (as you ease into the lifestyle shift)
- DO NOT count calories
- DO NOT weigh your food
- DO NOT decide on a macro split and micro manage the hell out of it
- DO NOT give up on the food you love
- DO NOT starve yourself when you are hungry

Gradually:
- Start being conscious of your calories, macros
- Start deciding which foods you love and decide which you can live with and without. then live without.
- Start allowing yourself to be a little more hungry, your body will adapt.

So I'm sure I haven't said anything you've haven't heard before. The whole purpose of this writing is to now examine what objections you've just made up in your mind as you read this.. and then address those objections. Once you resolve to conquer those objections and actually step up and do something about it. That right there is the 'lifestyle change' I was just talking about.

Cheers.