Buling is eating more food than your body needs to maintain weight so that you gain weight. The idea is that when bulking and lifting, your body will gain muscle (and maybe a little fat feelsbadman.jpg). It's part of the traditional bulk-cut cycle many people do to gain muscle mass.
Peanut butter. You get 190 calories in two spoonfuls. I can eat that much in .5 seconds and it doesn't make me even close to full. It's high in fat, so don't eat too much of it on days when you're eating out. For people who need to consume >5000 calories a day to gain weight but don't love the feeling of being bloated every second of the day, peanut butter is a godsend.
Smoothies. Is this a cop out because it's too obvious? If you blend 2 bananas, 2 servings of PB, some chocolate, and 2 cups of soymilk... that's close to 1000 calories. These smoothies will you keep you satiated while not bloating you. You only get bloated because your body needs to break down the food you eat, but the blender here has already done most of that job for you. If you're in college, this is a little tougher because you can't always keep a blender + fridge + ingredients in a dorm room. But in every other situation in life, smoothies are an easy way to hit your caloric goals.
Rice. I know, I know, this isn't revolutionary. Rice has been a staple of bodybuilding diets since the birth of Arnold. BUT it is mainly used as a carb source, and not as a calorie source. I have never gotten full off of rice alone, so I'm confident it its capacity as a bulking food. At 200 calories in just a cup, it's a great complement to whatever normal food you're eating (even MENTOS).
I've been bulking for about 2 years, sometimes tracking calories, sometimes not. When I'm not tracking, I know that I'll under-eat. So, I make sure to get a few hearty spoonfuls of peanut butter each day, drink a smoothie in the morning, and have rice with my meals to compensate. These foods have kept me on track towards my fitness goals. BUT DON'T FORGET YOUR VEGGIES.
Friday, February 17, 2017
Friday, February 10, 2017
Why You Should Eat These Foods When Cutting
Cutting is eating less food than your body needs to maintain weight so that you lose weight. The idea is that when cutting and lifting, your body will lose fat (and maybe a little muscle feelsbadman.jpg). It's part of the traditional bulk-cut cycle many people do to gain muscle mass.
Broccoli. Broccoli is higher in protein per gram than steak. Literally more protein than muscle. The reason athletes don't substitute out all their chicken for broccoli is because the darned vegetable is incredibly calorie-light, so they'd have to eat a shit ton of it to get the same amount of brotein as a chicken breast. BUT this high protein + low calorie setup is great for people who are cutting looking to get the best bang for their buck. Be careful to not eat too much or you will be bloated until your body musters up the courage to digest that monster.
Kale. Low calorie like broccoli, and with tons of vitamin and minerals. Lots of fiber, vitamin A, and a little iron. The iron is particularly important for women and vegans. Why else would all those hippies be eating kale by the bottle? There has to be some reason there all those shirts about it. They even named a college after the vegetable, for god's sake. Just like Abraham Lincoln was said, "I never leave my tent before downing a couple of kale shakes."
Oatmeal. "You'll get fat from eating oatmeal," said your obese teacher in 8th grade health class. Dry oats are 150 calories for half a cup. Sure, you could get down maybe 500 calories of dried oats before you feel like you've eaten anything. But who eats DRY oats? If you make a cup of oatmeal with hot water, and eat it while it's still hot, it will keep you full for hours. Four hours of feeling full in exchange for 300 calories is a great deal.
Broccoli, kale, and oatmeal. All great for cutting, so long as they're not in the same dish.
Broccoli. Broccoli is higher in protein per gram than steak. Literally more protein than muscle. The reason athletes don't substitute out all their chicken for broccoli is because the darned vegetable is incredibly calorie-light, so they'd have to eat a shit ton of it to get the same amount of brotein as a chicken breast. BUT this high protein + low calorie setup is great for people who are cutting looking to get the best bang for their buck. Be careful to not eat too much or you will be bloated until your body musters up the courage to digest that monster.
Kale. Low calorie like broccoli, and with tons of vitamin and minerals. Lots of fiber, vitamin A, and a little iron. The iron is particularly important for women and vegans. Why else would all those hippies be eating kale by the bottle? There has to be some reason there all those shirts about it. They even named a college after the vegetable, for god's sake. Just like Abraham Lincoln was said, "I never leave my tent before downing a couple of kale shakes."
Oatmeal. "You'll get fat from eating oatmeal," said your obese teacher in 8th grade health class. Dry oats are 150 calories for half a cup. Sure, you could get down maybe 500 calories of dried oats before you feel like you've eaten anything. But who eats DRY oats? If you make a cup of oatmeal with hot water, and eat it while it's still hot, it will keep you full for hours. Four hours of feeling full in exchange for 300 calories is a great deal.
Broccoli, kale, and oatmeal. All great for cutting, so long as they're not in the same dish.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Why You Shouldn't Count Calories
Counting calories is the phenomenon by which people track their caloric intake by keeping records of everything they eat every day. They do this so they can calculate the amount of calories they need to accomplish their body goals (whether they're bulking, cutting, or maintaining). Counting calories can go from helpful to neurotic real quick if you find yourself counting the number of Equal packets you're putting in your coffee.
Calorie labels are woefully inaccurate. Casey Neistat proved that in a random convenience store in NYC. In one instance, a sandwich that claimed to be 228 calories was proven to be 548 calories. THAT'S HUGE. It's not about the extra 250 calories, it's about the fact that it is twice its advertised amount. So if you eat 10 of those sandwiches all day to hit your cutting calories of 2500, you're actually eating 5000 calories a day. Holy shit! You will get fat REAL quick unless you're running marathons everyday.
Your calorie expenditure changes every day, so why does your caloric intake stay the same? Some days you take the elevator, some days you take the stairs. Some days you lift weights, some days you do cardio. Some days you're walking around at work, some days you're in bed all day watching Netflix. It doesn't make any sense to eat the same amounts of the same foods everyday when you will not be expending the same amount of calories every day.
Social events will kill you. When you're going out with some friends you haven't seen in years, are you going to make them sit around as you enter your calories into your iPhone app? Are you only going to take 2.3 shots of vodka because that's how much you have left in your daily allotment? Weddings have some of the best food you can get, but you can't enjoy yourself if you're restricting your menu to celery and broccoli. This restriction only makes sense if you're a bodybuilding competitor in peak week, a morbidly obese person who needs to control their eating, or an Olympic athlete a day before your competition (or maybe not...).
Most people getting into fitness go through their counting-calorie stage. I did it for about 2 years. My life was fine, but the restriction was unnecessary. I would have rather just gone with the flow depending on how hungry I was on any given day. As long as you have reasonable portions of healthy meals, you will be just fine.
Calorie labels are woefully inaccurate. Casey Neistat proved that in a random convenience store in NYC. In one instance, a sandwich that claimed to be 228 calories was proven to be 548 calories. THAT'S HUGE. It's not about the extra 250 calories, it's about the fact that it is twice its advertised amount. So if you eat 10 of those sandwiches all day to hit your cutting calories of 2500, you're actually eating 5000 calories a day. Holy shit! You will get fat REAL quick unless you're running marathons everyday.
Your calorie expenditure changes every day, so why does your caloric intake stay the same? Some days you take the elevator, some days you take the stairs. Some days you lift weights, some days you do cardio. Some days you're walking around at work, some days you're in bed all day watching Netflix. It doesn't make any sense to eat the same amounts of the same foods everyday when you will not be expending the same amount of calories every day.
Social events will kill you. When you're going out with some friends you haven't seen in years, are you going to make them sit around as you enter your calories into your iPhone app? Are you only going to take 2.3 shots of vodka because that's how much you have left in your daily allotment? Weddings have some of the best food you can get, but you can't enjoy yourself if you're restricting your menu to celery and broccoli. This restriction only makes sense if you're a bodybuilding competitor in peak week, a morbidly obese person who needs to control their eating, or an Olympic athlete a day before your competition (or maybe not...).
Most people getting into fitness go through their counting-calorie stage. I did it for about 2 years. My life was fine, but the restriction was unnecessary. I would have rather just gone with the flow depending on how hungry I was on any given day. As long as you have reasonable portions of healthy meals, you will be just fine.
Monday, February 6, 2017
Why People Hate Connor Murphy
Connor Murphy is a fitness YouTuber and vlogger known for creatively taking his shirt off. He also recently joined the Six Packs Shortcuts & Abs After 40 YouTube team. He is the embodiment of r/bb.
Connor is vain. I guess that comes to mind first. I mean, the guy just keeps trying to figure out more ways to take his shirt off. Vain can be defined as "having a high opinion of one's opinion", and it's clear that Connor goes American Psycho whenever he smashes.
Connor is shallow. Not to hate on the guy, but it doesn't seem like THAT much is going on up there. You don't need to be smart to look good, just like how you don't need to be smart to be an athlete. Connor just doesn't ever discuss anything really deep on his videos. He mainly talks about taking his shirt off and hyping up his videos where he takes his shirt off.
Connor sold out. This is more valid criticism. Connor has officially joined the Six Pack Shortcuts YouTube channel. A channel known for spouting bullshit upon bullshit. A channel known for trying to convince their viewers to complete "towel workouts". A channel known for promoting fake natties. Every fitness YouTuber knows how cancerous SPS is, so I'm assuming that Connor only signed with them with the promise of a big fat check.
Connor is cringe. Connor isn't just cringey. He embodies cringe. When you do shirtless pull-ups from the ceiling of a Walmart after you tell a random girl to "spot you", that isn't awkward, that's cringe. Mega cringe. His videos get posted to cringe reddit on the regular. People hate seeing things that make them feel second-hand embarrassment.
People are jelly. Connor has a body that few will ever achieve. Haters gonna hate. Connor isn't a bad dude, so any hardcore haters are kind of pathetic. Let a homie live his life.
I don't hate the dude, namely for the reasons stated in the PEOPLE ARE JELLY section. I actually like him, he seems like a nice guy. However, if I had his body, I wouldn't be taking off my shirt at every opportunity. BUT I'd imagine anybody without crippling anxiety probably would.
Connor is vain. I guess that comes to mind first. I mean, the guy just keeps trying to figure out more ways to take his shirt off. Vain can be defined as "having a high opinion of one's opinion", and it's clear that Connor goes American Psycho whenever he smashes.
Connor is shallow. Not to hate on the guy, but it doesn't seem like THAT much is going on up there. You don't need to be smart to look good, just like how you don't need to be smart to be an athlete. Connor just doesn't ever discuss anything really deep on his videos. He mainly talks about taking his shirt off and hyping up his videos where he takes his shirt off.
Connor sold out. This is more valid criticism. Connor has officially joined the Six Pack Shortcuts YouTube channel. A channel known for spouting bullshit upon bullshit. A channel known for trying to convince their viewers to complete "towel workouts". A channel known for promoting fake natties. Every fitness YouTuber knows how cancerous SPS is, so I'm assuming that Connor only signed with them with the promise of a big fat check.
Connor is cringe. Connor isn't just cringey. He embodies cringe. When you do shirtless pull-ups from the ceiling of a Walmart after you tell a random girl to "spot you", that isn't awkward, that's cringe. Mega cringe. His videos get posted to cringe reddit on the regular. People hate seeing things that make them feel second-hand embarrassment.
People are jelly. Connor has a body that few will ever achieve. Haters gonna hate. Connor isn't a bad dude, so any hardcore haters are kind of pathetic. Let a homie live his life.
I don't hate the dude, namely for the reasons stated in the PEOPLE ARE JELLY section. I actually like him, he seems like a nice guy. However, if I had his body, I wouldn't be taking off my shirt at every opportunity. BUT I'd imagine anybody without crippling anxiety probably would.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Why You Shouldn't Buy Preworkout
Preworkout powders are supplements designed to be taken before a workout to help you work out harder, faster, stronger. Just like every other supplement that is not an illegal steroid, they are SCAMS.
You don't know everything that is in it. Preworkouts mostly contain the same ingredients: a stimulant, a pumping agent, and a muscle aid. These often take the form of caffeine, citruline, and beta alanine. HOWEVER, after these ingredients, companies will list a 'proprietary blend' without giving the specifics. They argue that if they list what they put in, other companies will copy them. You would never eat food with a blindfold on, so why take sketchy preworkout?
You are paying for an addictive drug. Even if the ingredients aren't physically addictive, it can become psychologically addictive. If you take a scoop of DickPump Preworkout every time before you work out, you start to believe that the only way you can make progress is if you got a scoop or two of that pink powder. That's how they get you: you incorrectly believe that the preworkout is an essential part of your routine. They got you shelling out dough forever.
The manufacturers could be illegally dosing it with weird shit. Jack3d came under heavy fire a few years ago for dosing their products with too much DMAA, a noted amphetamine and cousin of meth. You will come down HARD from amphetamines which will make you feel like shit. How do you bounce back? You take MORE amphetamines! Physically addictive drugs like these can ruin your life. Not to mention failing drug tests for jobs, schools, sports, etc.
You are overpaying by a fat, sweaty margin. Many of these companies charge $30 for 30 servings. that's $1 every time you want to work out. And, your body will become used to the formula in a few weeks, so then you'll have to take 2 scoops to get the same edge. Now you have to pay $2 for every work out?? Dude, if you're that fucking rich skip out on that shit and buy some Lululemon workout clothes instead.
Making your own pre-workout is 1/10th the cost. If you want to get amped, all you need is caffeine. You can buy 200mg caffeine pills on Amazon for $12 for 100. THAT'S 6 CENTS FOR ONE PILL! That's really all you need.
Preworkout is for the people who go to meetings wearing yak heads and decide which world economy they will overturn next. You are likely not rich enough to buy useless shit. Buy caffeine pills or go au natural.
You don't know everything that is in it. Preworkouts mostly contain the same ingredients: a stimulant, a pumping agent, and a muscle aid. These often take the form of caffeine, citruline, and beta alanine. HOWEVER, after these ingredients, companies will list a 'proprietary blend' without giving the specifics. They argue that if they list what they put in, other companies will copy them. You would never eat food with a blindfold on, so why take sketchy preworkout?
You are paying for an addictive drug. Even if the ingredients aren't physically addictive, it can become psychologically addictive. If you take a scoop of DickPump Preworkout every time before you work out, you start to believe that the only way you can make progress is if you got a scoop or two of that pink powder. That's how they get you: you incorrectly believe that the preworkout is an essential part of your routine. They got you shelling out dough forever.
The manufacturers could be illegally dosing it with weird shit. Jack3d came under heavy fire a few years ago for dosing their products with too much DMAA, a noted amphetamine and cousin of meth. You will come down HARD from amphetamines which will make you feel like shit. How do you bounce back? You take MORE amphetamines! Physically addictive drugs like these can ruin your life. Not to mention failing drug tests for jobs, schools, sports, etc.
You are overpaying by a fat, sweaty margin. Many of these companies charge $30 for 30 servings. that's $1 every time you want to work out. And, your body will become used to the formula in a few weeks, so then you'll have to take 2 scoops to get the same edge. Now you have to pay $2 for every work out?? Dude, if you're that fucking rich skip out on that shit and buy some Lululemon workout clothes instead.
Making your own pre-workout is 1/10th the cost. If you want to get amped, all you need is caffeine. You can buy 200mg caffeine pills on Amazon for $12 for 100. THAT'S 6 CENTS FOR ONE PILL! That's really all you need.
Preworkout is for the people who go to meetings wearing yak heads and decide which world economy they will overturn next. You are likely not rich enough to buy useless shit. Buy caffeine pills or go au natural.
Friday, January 27, 2017
Why People Hate Christian Guzman
Christian Guzman is the CEO of clothing brand Alphalete, the owner of Alphalete gym, a YouTube fitness guy, and a physique competitor. He started out as a small time YouTube online fitness coach and just skyrocketed to stardom with Alphalete. He also bought his pops a car one time but took 32 years to go fishing with him.
Christian is materialistic. He's like 23 years old and every other month it seems like he's buying a new sports car. He lives in a giant house, wears expensive clothes, and dates hotties. To many, this is shallow. Apparently, he should give it all up to go live in a monastery. The haters want him to run Alphalete out of a homeless shelter. Live yo life ma G.
Christian broke up with popular YouTube fitness personality Nikki Blackketter. HER fans say he broke up with her unjustifiably for hooking up with some guy while the two were on a break. HIS fans say that he broke up with her because she lied to him about said hookup and can no longer be trusted. Either way, he pissed off a whole lot of Nikki's fans (tween girls and horny guys) who now attack him for whatever they can get they grubby little hands on.
Christian is an annoying philosophical bodybuilder. Lifting weights doesn't make you Ghandi's disciple. And yet so many bodybuilders have to take lifting and turn it into this higher art that only those pure of heart and mind can achieve. Christian is one of those people who has to extrapolate deeper meanings from bodybuilding and turn it into motivational bullshit. It's annoying, it's cliche, and it comes off as extremely insincere.
Christian is vanilla. Heck yeah, man! He barely curses, seems to have no strong opinions, and isn't very funny. He seems like an okay dude, but just a bit bland. And he has to be -- that's how you get the most subscribers. Normative celebrities have the greatest outreach.
Christian is natty. Should people hate him for this? No. But while he's big for a natty and is a master of angles, he looks DYEL in some of his pictures. People think his physique isn't that impressive and that he's overrated.
Honestly, he seems like a good guy. Like any public celebrity, he has his faults, but his contributions to this world are a net positive. THOSE GLUTE GAINS!
Christian broke up with popular YouTube fitness personality Nikki Blackketter. HER fans say he broke up with her unjustifiably for hooking up with some guy while the two were on a break. HIS fans say that he broke up with her because she lied to him about said hookup and can no longer be trusted. Either way, he pissed off a whole lot of Nikki's fans (tween girls and horny guys) who now attack him for whatever they can get they grubby little hands on.
Christian is an annoying philosophical bodybuilder. Lifting weights doesn't make you Ghandi's disciple. And yet so many bodybuilders have to take lifting and turn it into this higher art that only those pure of heart and mind can achieve. Christian is one of those people who has to extrapolate deeper meanings from bodybuilding and turn it into motivational bullshit. It's annoying, it's cliche, and it comes off as extremely insincere.
Christian is vanilla. Heck yeah, man! He barely curses, seems to have no strong opinions, and isn't very funny. He seems like an okay dude, but just a bit bland. And he has to be -- that's how you get the most subscribers. Normative celebrities have the greatest outreach.
Christian is natty. Should people hate him for this? No. But while he's big for a natty and is a master of angles, he looks DYEL in some of his pictures. People think his physique isn't that impressive and that he's overrated.
Honestly, he seems like a good guy. Like any public celebrity, he has his faults, but his contributions to this world are a net positive. THOSE GLUTE GAINS!
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Why Bodybuilders Shouldn't Take That Second Rest Day
A second rest day is the phenomenon in which some bodybuilders take off two days a week from the gym. It's often Saturday and Sunday. A rest day gives the body a chance to recover and keeps the nervous system from going full scrambled eggs mode, but two in a row is often overkill.
You are not overtraining. Unless you are working out on 3 hours of sleep everyday, eating a grape for dinner, and doing Rich Piana's 8 hour arm workout, you are not overtraining. Unless you a CrossFitting and doing 300 squats followed by 300 deadlifts, you are not overtraining. Unless you are flailing your arms for 1000 bastardized pull ups, you are not overtraining. You don't need that much rest, dude.
You get off rhythm. Motivation may get you into the gym for that first week or month, because to form a habit you must commit to several weeks of repetition. But after that, regimen is what gets you in. You just go because you always go. If you take too much time off, it's much harder to get back on the gainz train. Why not ride the gainz train with no breaks??
You will never achieve your goals. Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh. But it stands to make sense that if keep resting instead of lifting, it will take much longer to reach your aesthetic goals. If you take an extra day to rest, not only is your body done recovering and that 'rest' time is actually calories turning to fat, but that's a lost opportunity to smash your muscles. If you just get enough sleep, you should be fine with one rest day.
There is no scientific reason for bodybuilders on muscle-split workout programs to take more than one rest day. The fun REALLY begins if you hop on PED's and you never have to take a rest day, just an endless cycle of Rich Piana workouts -- KILL THAT SHIT.
You are not overtraining. Unless you are working out on 3 hours of sleep everyday, eating a grape for dinner, and doing Rich Piana's 8 hour arm workout, you are not overtraining. Unless you a CrossFitting and doing 300 squats followed by 300 deadlifts, you are not overtraining. Unless you are flailing your arms for 1000 bastardized pull ups, you are not overtraining. You don't need that much rest, dude.
You get off rhythm. Motivation may get you into the gym for that first week or month, because to form a habit you must commit to several weeks of repetition. But after that, regimen is what gets you in. You just go because you always go. If you take too much time off, it's much harder to get back on the gainz train. Why not ride the gainz train with no breaks??
You will never achieve your goals. Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh. But it stands to make sense that if keep resting instead of lifting, it will take much longer to reach your aesthetic goals. If you take an extra day to rest, not only is your body done recovering and that 'rest' time is actually calories turning to fat, but that's a lost opportunity to smash your muscles. If you just get enough sleep, you should be fine with one rest day.
There is no scientific reason for bodybuilders on muscle-split workout programs to take more than one rest day. The fun REALLY begins if you hop on PED's and you never have to take a rest day, just an endless cycle of Rich Piana workouts -- KILL THAT SHIT.
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