What About Cardio?

What About Cardio?

Just the other day, I had someone ask me about cardio.  The question was “How much cardio do you do a week?”.  He knows my writing pretty well so he probably knew that I would not give him a short answer.  So, here I go again.  I’m like the little old man at the corner store.  Don’t ask him about the weather unless you are prepared to hear the bigger story.  He has a rain gauge in his front yard, a thermometer on each porch, and the weather channel and news is all he watches.  Open that can of worms if you dare.  Anyway, cardio (cardiovascular exercise) is a very important part of physical fitness and deserves more than a passing word.

Over the years, I have tried a lot of different approaches to bodybuilding.  At one point, I was convinced that I didn’t need cardio during the off-season.  I was trying to bulk up and wanted to focus on hard and heavy weight training.  Well, I was able to get the heavy weight but the hard training fell a little short.   With the extra weight from my off-season bulk and my unconditioned lungs, I could not complete the grueling task that I call a workout.  Learning from my mistake I went back to the cardio.

With trial and error as my coach, I have found that doing cardio about four days a week works best for me.  I try to swim for 30 minutes, ride my bike for an hour, do wind sprints, or run the steps at the local stadium.  I don’t really concern myself with my cardio being aerobic or anaerobic.  I do try to push my lungs to the point of gasping for air at least twice a week.  For me, cardio in the gym is a last resort on a rainy day.  So, go out and get some air in your lungs.  You’ll feel better and it will help you grow.

 

 

To Cheat or Not To Cheat

To Cheat or Not To Cheat

 

The subject of the cheat meal has been debated on fitness forums for as long as forums have been around.  Before that, we chiseled our thoughts on rocks and threw them at each other.  It was a better way to get your point across if you ask me.  Anyway, the cheat meal is one of those issues that bring grown men and women to the brink of violence.   After arguing for hours, we agree to disagree and move on with nothing solved.  Knowing this, I will give you my opinion and please feel free to quote me.  It depends!!   That’s not a cop out either.  Actually, it’s a lead into one more round of facts (tainted by my opinion) from both sides. 

 

I read a post just the other day that I thought was a good argument against the cheat.  “I don’t understand the cheat day.  You don’t plan a drug day or a smoke day.  Why plan to eat junk?”  The basic argument against the cheat meal (or cheat day) is that planning to cheat is planning to fail.  It’s a pretty good point.  I’ll give them that.  In fact, some have been lead astray by the tasty treats in his or her cheat meal.  One taste of chicken wings with ranch dressing, and they were off to the races.  So, why chance it?  Just eat right all the time and you will never be tempted.  Yeah right!!

 

For most of my life, I have been on some kind of good nutrition program.  No big shock.   Let me tell you something you probably don’t know about me.  I love junk food.  I know it is very counterproductive to what I’m trying to do, but I love it.  It’s a love-hate relationship.  If I have a contest coming up, I can stick with the program.  16 weeks of diet for one big pay off.  No problem.  The off-season is when I have issues with the evil foods.  With no immediate goal in front of me, I find it harder to stay the course.  When (not if) I wander off my diet, I have a hard time going back to the right stuff without a short-term goal.  This is where the cheat meal helps me.  Knowing that I can have a junk food reward of my choice at some fixed point in the future, helps me stay focused on the diet until that time comes.  If I have planned the reward (cheat meal), it really isn’t cheating at all.   When I finally get my cheat meal, I don’t feel guilty because it is exactly what I planned to do.  There is no going on binges and no giving up.  I get right back on track with a new reward day to look forward to and some good memories.

 

People tell me all the time “ I can’t believe you would work so hard and then eat that junk”.  It’s just one meal folks.  Usually, I look at the person telling me this and just say to myself “consider the source”.  Some very qualified people have a problem with the cheat meal too.  To them I say, “I respect your opinion but I don’t need your approval”.  I have tested this process through trial and error until it has become a great tool in my bag of many tricks.   

 

How can eating junk food be a great tool to someone who wants to be lean?   Well, I have already stated that it helps keep me on the straight and narrow.  What else do you want?  Ok, I’ll give you more.  The human body is an incredibility efficient machine and it adapts very easily.  When I start to eat healthy and lower my carbohydrates, my body adapts by using stored fat as energy.  After a couple of weeks, my body gets use to the change and I must change again to get the same results.  During the contest season, I change by adding more cardio, lowering my carbohydrates again, and adding more protein.  The cheat meal gives my metabolism the boost I need during the off-season and keeps me somewhat sane.  Please do not use this information as an excuse to eat what ever you want.  It should be a well thought out process that leads to a profitable end not a binge that you will be sorry for later.

Mentor versus Trial and Error

Mentor versus Trial and Error

 

During the course of my life, I have been privileged to have some great teachers.   In the field of bodybuilding, one stands out from the rest.  Big Steve (the man) from Rockingham, NC (by way of New Jersey) taught me the basics I needed so disparately.  Under his tutelage, I went from 16^th place to 1^st two times straight.  It was real easy to grow with Steve as a coach.  I just did what he said and I grew. 

 

After a few years, I moved away from the area taking with me all the things that I had learned.  I was truly the guy who believed there was only one way to do things right and that was the way I did it.  How could anyone else be right when Steve’s way was so successful?  Little did I know that I had just scratched the surface of the knowledge he possessed.  I only knew the basic how and he knew that I was not ready for the why yet.  Pick it up, put it down, eat this, drink water, and grow.  Like I have stated in other blogs, I had a really short attention span when I was young. 

 

Now, I was a whole State away from my mentor and I began to question the why.  I read Arnold’s book and thought “why can’t I train legs three times a week”.   I soon learned it was because my legs couldn’t recover fast enough, but I also learned some really cool new exercises.   That marked the beginning of my information quest that I still pursue till this day.   Reading everything that I can get my hands on, eliminating some of it as crap, and trying the things that I think might work for me.  Sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t.    After a while, the (don’t) pile gets smaller because your screening process gets better.  Even after 20 plus years, I am still learning all the time.

 

It is a great advantage to have a mentor to point you in the right direction and teach you the basics of bodybuilding, but if you ever want to really grow you have to venture out on your own.  Just like a child must leave the protection of the parent to find his or her own way.  Maybe you are still in the “ just do it” stage and that’s cool for now, but try to figure out the big picture as you go.  Stop depending on someone to bring you a fish and learn to fish for yourself.

 

 

Change To Receive Change

Change To Receive Change

 

 

Being the self-proclaimed know it all in the gym, people often come to me with their fitness issues.  I love this because it gives me a chance to show people that I can do more than grunt like a silverback gorilla during mating season.   I only have one rule and that is as follows:  don’t talk to me when I’m in the zone.  You will know the look.   The eyes get wide open and the nostrils start to flair.  I begin to pace a lot and mumble to myself (seriously).  Don’t talk to me then!!!  It’s best for everyone.  Anyway, people often ask me why they are not making any progress.  They do the same workout with the same weight and also do the exact same cardio every time.  Don’t they get points for good attendance?

The answer is yes and no.

 

Of course, it is better to come to the gym and do something than to stay at home, watch TV and eat chips.  Did I step on some toes?  The problem is when you do the same thing in the gym all the time your body gets use to it.  After a while, you are not only making no progress but you begin to go backwards.  That’s right.  You no longer expend the same amount of calories doing the same thing but you are still eating the same amount. What’s the cure?  Anyone?  You have to change.  It seems so simple because it is.  I mean really, you guys saw that one coming a mile away.

 

Change doesn’t always have to be dramatic to be effective.  Start with small changes.  When I write workout programs for people, I often write something like” Pyramid up (10,6,4,2)”. That means do one set of 10 reps, one set of 6 reps and so on.  The numbers are only guidelines not rules.  If you have the strength to do 8 reps instead of 6, do 8 reps.   Next time, you will know to use more weight.   See, we are already making progress.  If you are not doing more weight, more reps, more sets, or more something (with the same routine) then you are not making progress.  Change to receive change.  It’s as simple as that.

What’s Your Goal?

What’s Your Goal?

 

What do you really want to do?   I’m not talking about running through an enchanted forest chasing sugar plum fairies.  What is a realistic goal that would make you happy with yourself?  Do you really want to look like a bodybuilder?  Being a bodybuilder is harder than it looks and is not for everyone.  So many people drive themselves crazy because they never set down and think about what they really want and what it takes to achieve their goal.

 

I would love to be able to play the piano.  What?  I would!   When I think about how much time I would have to put into practicing and how unhappy that would make me, I think maybe not.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying don’t try to achieve your dreams.  In fact, I’m saying just the opposite.  Define what would really make you happy and go for it.

 

If you want to have six pack abs (really want them), there are things you have to stay away from.  Beer and chocolate cake are not on the list of things you can have.  Now, do you really want six pack abs?  See, you have to be realistic with yourself to be happy.  Maybe you just want to be healthy and happy.  Me, I want the six pack more.   I didn’t say the cake and beer wouldn’t be good.  I just want abs more.  Again, define what you really want and go for it.

 

Now, ask yourself if you really want big bulging muscles like the guys and girls you see in bodybuilding competitions.   Do you realize the sacrifice and hard work it takes to get there?  If you just want you be healthy and fit, that’s ok.  Most of my friends think I’m crazy, but I know what I want!  I want big muscles and I am willing to pay the cost.  Take the time to reevaluate your goals.  Know with deep conviction what you really want and take the steps to make it happen.

Even or Odd

Even or Odd

 

 

If you are a bodybuilder or you know a bodybuilder, you know how obsessive we are about symmetry.   When you work hard at making your body something to be proud of, remember the little things.  Calves, abs, and forearms are all part of the package.  Everyone knows someone who only works his upper body.  He looks odd doesn’t he?  You have to train every body part if you want to be even.

 

When I first started training, the gym I went to didn’t have any equipment specifically for calves.  I didn’t go the extra mile and use the equipment we had either.  Consequently, I had little calves and big thighs.  I looked like a quarter horse when I entered my first show.  Came in 16^th out of 16.  After learning the lesson of my life, I had to train hard for years to even them out.

 

Being the stereotypical bodybuilder, I have bounced at a few bars in my lifetime.  I know most guys lift for bar muscles (chest and arms). What about when you go to the beach Chester? Most girls seem to work legs and butt.  Wish I had something bad to say about that.  I would like for all you guys and girls just starting out to here this plea if nothing else.  Don’t just work your favorite parts.  Work the ones you hate working even harder than the ones you like.  If you don’t look even you will look odd!!!

Boiling The Frog

Boiling the Frog

 

Over the years I have tried to convince myself several times that I did not need to train heavy but it never really took.  I would train light and high reps for about a week or two then feel like my muscles were going flat.  Maybe it’s mental, but I feel all mushy if I don’t go heavy most of the time.  I mean; it is a fact that heavy weights make dense, hard muscles.

 

I have also told myself that I just wanted to maintain and not gain anymore.  That didn’t work for two reasons.  Reason one; I am a sick man and I realize that I will NEVER be big enough. The second reason or reason two; I just cannot be stagnating.  I’m either going forward or going backward.  That’s just me.

 

Now, I have to go forward.   The best way I know to go forward is with heavy weights. There is only one problem.  How does a 40 plus man get to the heavy weights without injury?  Very carefully!! 

 

Never tried this myself (don’t think I will), but they say you can put a frog in hot water and he will jump out right away. They also say if you take that same frog (well, one like him) put him in cooler water and turn the heat up slowly he will stay in until he is boiled.

 

Using that same kind of thinking, I start really light and go up slowly doing lots of sets along the way.  If I am doing squats, I start with the bar and squat it 10 times.  After that, I add 25s, then 45s and on and on it goes till I get heavy enough to pyramid(10,6,4,2,10).  In the end, I get my heavy weight injury free.  Yes, it takes more time.  True, you cannot go as heavy as if you had gone straight to the big weight, but you don’t get hurt and you still grow.  Now, It’s your set!! 

 

 

 

Oz and The Tin Man

The title may be a little misleading because I believe that some supplements are good.  In fact, the supplements that I am taking right now seem to be working very well.  Over the past few years, I have tried many different brands and categories of supplements.  Some have worked well and some not so well.  Being the information junkie that I am, I have studied others opinion of the same things I have tried.  To my surprise, most people give negative reviews to the products I liked best.  In fact, most people give negative reviews to almost all natural supplements.

 

Are the supplements really that bad, or are they looking for something to blame their lack of success on?  Surely, It can’t be their poor diet and lack of effort in the gym.  Maybe, I am the other end of the spectrum.  I expect them to work and I diet better and workout harder while on something that is suppose to be “off the chart” good.  I get good results only because I believe they will work.  Sometimes when you are a “glass is half full” guy you get more free refills.

 

I’m not saying that there are not some bogus supplements out there.  Do your research.  Spend your money well.   When you decide which way to go, give it all you have.

 

 

 

Stay Hungry

When I talk about staying hungry, I’m not talking about being physically hungry.  I’m talking about keeping your mental and physical drive alive.  Most of us have been guilty of the “remember when” game.  I know I have.  Back in Humpteen Twelve, I could pick up a car with one hand and change the tire with the other.  Don’t fall in this trap.  It’s poison to the mind and body.  We set on our (use to be) butts and give up on ever achieving new goals again.

 

I have had to start all over again more than once.  Life happens.  That’s a whole blog in itself.  The point is you can’t just be satisfied with success in the past.  You have to go for it now.  Maybe you won’t be as successful as you were in Humpteen Twelve, but you can be better than you are now.  Every day is a new challenge.  Don’t let life pass you by because you use to be somebody.   Be somebody today!!!

Do you want it?

First, let me say that I realize most people have no desire to be a bodybuilder.  Most of my friends think I’m a freak and that’s the way I like it (I’m trying to be serious here and your off thinking about KC and the Sunshine Band!!!).   If you have ever said, “Wish I could look like that.” then let me tell you something that you might not want to hear.  You can!!  You just don’t want to pay the cost.

 

I know there are some limitations to genetics and I’m not saying that you could be Mr. Olympia, but you could be a bodybuilder.  You could be a guy like me, but you’re not.  It’s not because I take some magic pill, because I don’t.  I know that’s what you like to tell yourself.  It helps you sleep at night when you think I’m cheating and you don’t want to be a cheater!!!  Lean closer to the screen and I’ll whisper my secret.    The secret is HARD WORK and DEDICATION!!!

 

When you Squat (if you squat at all), do you feel like you have to vomit?  When you dead lift do you feel like you are going to pass out?  When you do calves, does the pain make your eyes water?  If you said no to any of these questions, now you know why I’m bigger than you.