Fat Free

On my road to the first photo shoots of the year I was very excited to get a hold of Fat Free even though it was not available on the market yet.   For me it helps me maintain energy, supress apetite, and maintain my muscle as I diet down for the Los Angeles, CA photo shoots!

I have one at the end of the month and one the first week of February.  These are HUGE shoots and I will talk about the details when I can.   Often times it is easy not to have energy when you cut carbs and lean out on nutrition plans and with the aid of Fat Free I keep my energy high!  I can’t afford to be moody and lazy with trying to be the best husband and father I can.  On my quest to get to 3% bodyfat it is not easy and I am grateful for the research and product development that Appnut puts into there products. 

Already starting to see different cuts on my obliques and abs!  Training is going well and I will keep you posted on progress pics as I get closer and closer to the shoot!

Plateaus

Many of us get frustrated when we hit plateaus in our training.  These are when weeks and months go by and we feel like we are stuck and not seeing any progress.  Here are a few things that I do to break through these times in my training.

 

1.  I up my calorie intake by as much as 500 calories per day for a few weeks

2. I train smarter.  I slow down my form a bit, and really try to gain that mind      muscle connection. 

3.  I switch up my supplement routine.  I love the triple threat stack.  It is Lit Up, Free Test, and HGHup. 

4.  I drop my rep ranges down by 3 reps per set.  This means if my program calls for 15 reps I do 12.

5.  I also switch up lifts all the time, but I do this anyway.  Sometimes the simple hand grip change, or twist at the top or bottom is good enough.

   I also suggest adding intensity, the type that makes you uncomfortable and completely drained at the end of a workout.  You must keep in mind to train smarter, not just harder.  With the triple threat stack it should send your training into over drive!  There is nothing else out there that is all natural and will send my gains to new levels.  Appnut did an amazing job formulating this formula.  I feel like I have sustained muscle hardness and fullness in my muscle bellies, and I could train for hours. 

  I Have two major photo shoots coming up in January.  One is for a magazine cover and spread, and the other could lead to a cover as well.  I also have a video I am shooting in a few weeks with bodybuilding.com.  The next two months are some of the biggest and most important months I have ever had.  Many major life decisions and big events are going to be made and determined.  You guys are not going to be disappointed when I begin to reveal some details.  Dreams are becoming realities.  Second Chance, sometimes all it takes is remembering where you left off, picking up the pieces, and forming the life that you know you were put on this earth to lead.  Believe…  

 

tools for the job

  

I hear a lot of people ask what they can do if they do not have enough money for a gym membership but the want to start working out to gain muscle and lose fat.  There are always a variety of tools that can yield the same results.  Just like when I am working on a job and I do not want to go all the way out to the truck to get the hammer, I might use my tape measure, or a pair of channel locks instead.  This applies to the gym.

Before I was a sponsored athlete I had a lot less time and resources.  I often did upside down wall push ups for delts, pistol squats for legs, one armed (or side to side) push ups for chest, all while still achieving failure at desired rep ranges.  here is a data base with endless instructions for all lifts.  I suggest you find a program and dissect it.  Figure out the muscle group each lift is targeting, and then find the appropriate lift that you CAN do with the tools you have available. 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

Most good programs are twelve weeks long and are designed that way for a reason.  stick to them and don’t give up if you do not have the tools that they call for.  Swap an exercise for the correct target muscle and continue on the path. 

And with good training and proper nutrition, supplementation can take you to the nest level.  There is a search engine like google on bb.com, and you can search all supplements for the best ones, and best deals.  Check out the Ben Booker stack and see how it helped me achieve my goals.  Don’t ever let lack of tools stop you from getting a job done.  If you look around, there is always a way around it. 

 

Blueprints

   I have been asked a lot lately about how I maintain my low body fat and how I gained my muscle definition.  I like to think of fitness like a construction blueprint of a house.  My background being in plumbing, heating, and electric I have a lot of experience of start to finish construction projects.  And although 3 different contractor’s get the same blueprint, there are often 3 different ways to build the same house. 

 

    I look at fitness in the same manner.  There is no one way to get where we want to be.  For instance, I swear by a big breakfast every single morning.  I eat 6 whole eggs, two pieces of toast, and oatmeal.  Supplement wise, I take my IGF-2 upon waking with my drive, and then my Neovar with breakfast.  If you workout at 3:30 p.m. I would highly suggest this routine.  But what about the person that wakes up and hits the gym?  The approach is completely different.

   There are a few things that are always true.  During construction of a building there is a foundation poured, a floor and walls constructed, mechanicals put in, finish work, and then end installation.  And when it is all said and done, there will have to be maintenance to the house to keep it in good shape.  Our bodies are no different.  Many people try to get a perfect program set and when they stray a bit, they give up.  But we must first get a solid diet, workout program, and then make it a part of our everyday life.  Then once we feel we have reached our goals, we don’t quit, we either maintain or set new goals and go after them. 

   Whether you hire the best construction contractor available and get the job done right, or try to take the lowest bid and often times fix mistakes or except that it will take longer to get the job done,  getting started is the main thing.  My experience tells me that the best way is to hire the construction contractor with the best reputation, but many of us have to learn from experience.    In fitness you can look to the top personal trainers and fitness professionals for help and you are sure to see results fast.  And just like the 3 different contractors with the same blueprint, those trainers may have complete different approaches.  No matter what route you take, learn from experience and never get satisfied.

The Way I See It

The way I see it is that we have choices.   People often ask how I do it.  The answer is simple.  I do it because I want to do it more than I don’t, and Go of course.  It is that simple.  The question really is, then, how do I get to where I want to do it more than I do not want to do it?  The answer… choice.  Prioritize your life.

    You might be thinking that this is not the truth, but I am speaking from experience.  Ask anyone who is really successful and enjoy life and they will tell you that they love what they are doing.  Or maybe that the prioritized.  For me it is God, family, and health, in that order.  Without me being at my best, there is no family.  With out me leading the life I do, there is no leading by example. 

  Whatever it is you are waiting on to get fit, get happy, get money… get off your ass and do it.  I am not telling you it is easy, I am simply saying that the longer you wait, the harder it is to do it. 

   I began working out regularly as a passion soon after I sobered up.  Fitness is a way of life.  You must be the one that decides it and I am sorry to burst your bubble, but there is no magic pill.  But you do have a choice.  You can choose to want to do it more than you do not want to do it.  This usually involves facing fears, a lot of uncomfortable change, and willingness to become who you know you can. 

   What I know is that the other side is way more better than you could have ever imagined.  No joke.  I would have short-changed myself if I followed my plan 5 years ago.  This life is a vast sea of hope, dreams, and opportunity just waiting to be seized.  With the technology and ever evolving world, there is nothing but advantages to pick up.  The problem is not the world, but the world as you choose to see.  Do me a favor, and look around at your life… right now… in this moment.

Are you happy?  Are you truly who you want to be?  If you answered yes, thank God and congrats, I hope you share your story so that others can see how.  If you said no, then choose to become who you want to be… now.  That is the way I see it.

Giant Sets

What I do when I want to switch it up is add Giant Sets to the mix.  I will do this for a week straight.  Each day choose one body part for a giant set.  I usually do 3 different lifts with no rest.  One set, for example, would be for biceps:  straight bar curls (15 reps), dumbbell curls (15 reps), and ending on pull ups to failure.   This would be considered one set.  Do this up to 4 or 5 sets. 

I have been back on my IGF-2 and my recovery and strength has been awesome. Proper diet and supplementation can make a huge difference if you are not seeing the results you think you should.  Check out my Ben Booker Stack at appnut.com and use booker40 as the promo code for 40% off. 

If you need to up the intensity in the gym, try blasting some music that gets you pumped up.  I like Linkon Park and some old school rap on occasion. 

9/11

Today I pray.  I pray for the men and women that lost their lives on this day.  I pray that their families have found peace.  Just as there is a good in this world, there is evil.  The tragedy that was 9/11 should never be forgotten. 

My hope is that in times of weakness, I remember these men and women that gave their lives.  I hope that I can kiss my wife and kids a little more each day.  I pray that I become a better man day in and day out.   I can only hope that my short comings become less and less as the days go on, and that I am able to slow down to enjoy what God truly wants us to enjoy. 

It is the cool breeze on a summer morning.  My son’s smile as I toss him a foot above my head.  That gentle touch my wife gives me when she sees my daughter smile.  These are the big things in life.  I hope to become the father and husband I know I can be.  9/11 must not be forgotten, and I hope that it continues to teach me that this life is a gift that the good Lord grants me every morning when I set foot on the ground.

I do not know who will read this, I just hope who ever does can look around at what they got, and not what they don’t have.  We as Americans should slow down and take in what God has intended us too.  Tell your friends, family, and loved ones just how much they mean to you, because you never know what tomorrow brings.  I choose today to live my second chance.  God Bless.

F.E.A.R.

The way I see it, you have two options.  F#** Everything And Run, or Face Everything And Recover.  For years I ran, and ran, and ran.  You have two paths to choose.  One takes you back, and one forward.  The forward one is usually the hardest, but the rewards can be better than you can imagine. 

I used to drink when I was happy, drink when I was sad, angry or stressed, and drink when I had nothing better to do.  Whatever it is that is holding you back, face it and recover.  Fear is a human instinct that helps us survive.  The day I bagan to thrive was when I let God take the wheel and began opening my eyes and ears to what is truly out in this world.

Here is a workout of the week.

Day 1 – 13-15 reps – 60 sec. rest

Pull ups (Back) – 5 sets to failure

Bottom Cable Fly (Low Chest) – 4 sets (on last set, super set with push-ups to failure)

Curl Bar (Biceps) – 4 sets (last to sets end on five half curls)

Sit Down Calf Raise – 4 sets

 

Day 2 – 13-15 reps – 60 sec. rest

Arnold Press (Delts) – 5 sets

Single Arm Ball (Triceps) – 4 sets

Spuats (Quads) – 4 sets

Decline Sit UPs (Abs) – 5 sets (to failure)

 

Day 3 – 8-10 reps – 2 min. rest

Single Arm Seated Row (Back) – 3 sets

Incline Dumbbell (Upper Chest) – 4 sets

Stiff leg Dead lifts – 3 sets

Military Press (Delts) – 1 sets

Single Calf Raise on Cable Machine – 2 sets

Weighted Curls on pull up bar (Bicep) – 1 set

U-Bar Push Down (Tricep) – 3 set

 

Day 4 – 4-6 reps – 3 min. rest

Dumbbell Lunges (Thighs) – 3 sets

Alternating Free Weight Incline Machine (Upper Chest) – 3 sets

Single Arm Smith Machine Bent over Rows (Back) – 3 sets

Military Press (Delts) – 2 sets

Sit Down Single leg Calf Raise – 2 sets

Single Cable Pull Down (Tricep) – 1 set

Straight Bar Curl (Bicep) – 3 set