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Recovery, Recovery, RECOVERY

      Let me paint a scenario for you: You join the gym and start hitting it HARD 7 days a week. Sure 2 or 3 of those days are your "cardio" days, and sometimes you take a Zumba class. But you are going hard in the gym and you feel great. Now jump to one month later: You are dreading going to the gym because it is squat day and you are still beat to shit from your bench day (the day before). Your ankles and hips hurt, you are getting snippy with your significant other, and you feel almost depressed. You haven't lost an ounce of bodyfat or gained an oz of muscle and you are sitting on the couch, waiting for your pre workout to kick in for some chemical motivation.      You have officially done what millions of trainees have done before you: went too hard too fast and skipped "recovery". The process of gaining strength, and therefore muscle mass, is referred to as the "stress, RECOVERY, adaptation" cycle. The stress is the hour or so you spend in the gym...
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Common Sense (Isn't So Common Anymore)

      "Volume is the driver of growth." Trainees have heard this time after time from coaches that don't quite understand the stress, recovery adaptation cycle. Well let's put on our thinking caps and pretend that you are talking to a 6 year old. Ask the kid: "Which will get you bigger: 10 curls with 10 pounds or 5 curls with 50 pounds?" The answer is obviously 5 with 50. The only way to get to doing curls with 50 pounds is to GET STRONGER. The only way to get stronger is to lift heavier weights each session, adding a pound or 2 per workout in a training cycle.      But if volume was the driver of growth, you could just do 10 sets of 10 with 10 pounds and you would get bigger and stronger. But I ask you, who has gotten bigger and stronger with light weights? The answer is obvious and right in your face: no one. You knew these things, in your heart of hearts, because it is common sense. However, exercise "science" will give you 20 different "me...
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Story Time : Your Coach in His Twenties

    The purpose of this post is to get some stuff off my chest. I would like to let people know that I am NOT special, I am simply a guy with an above average IQ that likes to lift heavy stuff. What I have accomplished is attainable for anyone and everyone.      In my twenties, I was (in my words) a dipshit. I have always had a substance problem and an addictive personality. Whether it was booze, nicotine, or  caffeine, I wanted it in large amounts. Every week was the same pattern: Work my buns off slanging pizzas for 40 hours, collects tips, and hit the bars on the weekends to blow those tips. At this time I was a believer, but one of those "believers in name only". I was not glorifying God with my reckless behavior. I was simply looking to get messed up as quickly as possible as soon as the weekends rolled around.           My friends and I would go down to our local dive, drink way to much, sing karaoke, smoke too many cigar...
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The Best Exercise for EVERY Body Part - GFitY Ep. 10

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How To Lose 20 Pounds in 2 Months! - GFitY Podcast Ep. 9

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Things You Think Are Healthy (That Aren't)

      Today, I will discuss some common frequently asked questions and statements I often get about a meat based diet.       1. "Fiber is good for you." - The only study worth a damn that was ever conducted on fiber and constipation (the one thing you think fiber is good for) showed conclusively that high fiber diets lead to constipation and gut issues. Not only is fiber not GOOD for you, it might actually be BAD for you. Another argument FOR fiber is that the microbes in your gut eat it. This is true, but both the good and the bad bacteria thrive on carbohydrates and fiber. If you are constantly feeding the bad bacteria, you might encounter bacterial overgrowth which may lead to leaky gut and IBS. Feed your bacteria fermented veggies like saurkraut and kimchi instead. This will add new beneficial bacteria to your gut without wrecking it with fiber.       2. "Vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals, plus fiber." - Vegetables ma...
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Pain and Training

      When it comes to training, one of the things that holds too many people back is pain. Whether it is the low-level, constant inflammation of arthritis, or the acute, sharp pain of an injury, this is a very common excuse for not training. One of the things you MUST ask yourself: "Would I rather be in pain and weak, or would I rather be in pain and strong?"      The clear answer is you would rather be strong. If you are suffering from a nerve condition or arthritis, it can be frustrating and make training uncomfortable, but regular strength training will ONLY make the conditions better if it is properly performed and prescribed ( https://arthritis-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13075-018-1624-x).       If you have an acute injury in a small muscle that you can not train around, the goal of training would be to strengthen the surrounding tissues. If you have a knee that won't stop hurting, getting your quadriceps, ha...
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