Small break, but no rest over the holidays!

At the moment, I'm enjoying some extra sleep and a few mornings of no gym.

Why?

Because, a:you need a rest every once in a while (more than just the regular rest days), and b:I need to spend some quality supervision time with my new kitten and older cat. (The wife stresses too much when the interact together). 

So these two elements combined will give me a short break and allow my body to repair, re energize and be ready for the next assault at the gym. 

What about Christmas and new year? Some gyms aren't open, some are. I would recommend a healthy break at this time to recoup AND most of all spend some time with family and friends!

Your gym will return to normal hours eventually and a small break isn't going to ruin your gains or make you stack all of your weight back on. 

If you start to feel guilty or want to keep a little active, remember that you can jog anywhere at anytime, push-ups require no gym and a whole array of body weight exercises can be found that can give you a nice little catch up workout in the mean time. 

So till the new year, stay fit, stay safe and ENJOY this time of year. (Hope Santa brings you loads of protein powder. )

Kdawg!

Picture © J Scott Campbell. 

Wow! That was fast!

Much year!

Such speed!

Plenty fitness!

Very muscle!

So action packed!

WOW!

 

Yes indeed it has been a real busy year.

 

For me it has been an exciting year for fitness. Having my first fitness pupil (if you don’t include my gym buddies of yesteryear) he is still attacking fitness and keeping up with appearances in the gym and on the scene at Beast Beach (when he’s not sleeping in).

 

Beast Beach was a semi success, a good amount of gear and planning went into making for some well spent days at the beach under a range of weather from blistering heat to wild windy weather. I gained some extra insight into some of the participants and their thoughts on fitness and what it means to them.

 

I now have a new pupil, a female no less! She is hungry for change and I’m seeing a great willpower from her to keep increasing the weights, increasing the targets for time on our jogs… Bring on next year’s challenges for my pupil, I’m excited!

 

I have gone through my own struggles, tweaked muscles and a small gap in the middle there where I struggled to get out of bed and workout! Yes that’s right, I lost a bit of motivation about mid-year! I think I had burned the candle from both ends for so long, that my body just said NO! So now I have re assessed and created some new goals, this is what is keeping me driven!

 

What will the new year bring?

 

More fitness for sure and new challenges!

 

BRING IT ON! THIS BEAST IS READY FOR YOU 2014!!!

Science of steroids National geographic

If you have the time, an interesting and informative watch.
Answers quite a few questions and FAQ's that lots of us have.

Stic.man featuring NYM - Let It Burn

THE anthem! nuff said

What gift NOT to forget

Christmas time...

Where did the year go?

But this time of year is always busy, food, family, events, holidays (for some).

So what is the one gift you shouldn't forget?

The gift for your mom?

The gift for your other half?

NO... (well yes you shouldn't forget these but...)

The gift of fitness, for YOU!

Don't leave your exercise till the new year, keep it going, even if it's in a lesser capacity.

If you are in holiday mode, sleep in, then go and get a half hour of exercise, jog, gym, body weight exercises in your own home.

If you start getting time poor due to mass scheduling, plan for three days of the week that you are going to exercise.

Doing this will ensure that you don't get the holiday blues when it comes to eating all of that rich food for Christmas (and for some, indulging in the alcoholic beverages in a higher capacity).

the other thing you can do, is really balance the food and fitness. on days that you don't have to visit family and eat like a human vacuum cleaner, ensure that you eat, fresh and lean. don't continue the cycle once you're back at home.

And one last thing that you can do to help your fitness though this time of year, when it comes to present suggestions, tell people to get you vouchers for sports shops. If not vouchers, actual fitness gear. Its a whole lot healthier than a big old box of chocolates.

DO NOT USE BULKPROTEINS.com.au

Well...once bitten, twice shy. 

I'm always on the hunt for the next bargain for my protein. And ever the test pilot that I am, I decided to lash out all of under 100 for a few kilos of unflavored 'tein.

I stumbled across the site bulkproteins.com.au via a free samples email that I had signed up to. "Cool!" I thought, "I'll sign up for the free pack of 'tein and check their site for price. I was amazed. Most groups claiming the cheapest are never actually cheap. The industry standard for price can not be considered "the cheapest" by any means. 

So I took a chance. 

All seemed good. Got an email apologizing to all for shipping delays, email me if you have question it said. Then got an email to say my goods had been despatched. Only problem. No shipping ref. 

A couple of weeks went by, by then I had already emailed once to see if they could supply a ref. Then I started emailing and using their Facebook page and website to query the shipping of my goods. 

Nothing. 

I checked the Facebook page and found a couple of others who had not received their goods. 

So, to PayPal I went with a dispute. Let's see if I can get my money back. 

And now this blog blast to make sure others don't fall into the same trap. 

Sad that people start a company and cannot back up their product, sadder when they don't respond to your requests for simple answers. 

Bulk proteins, you seem to only be selling, BULK BULLSHIT.

Simple advice, do not buy from these guys. Save yourself the hassle. 

Earn your breakfast!

Ok, religion aside, it's pretty hard to ignore the primal history of mankind. 

What happened when we woke? No fridge, no milk, no breakfast? Well even then we would have woken and know that we would need food for the day. 

So out for the hunt!

Running, stalking, spear throwing, axe chucking, carcass lifting and the journey back home. All to feed the younger ones and feed yourself for the days worth of.. More hunting and general activities. 

So if you really want to kick start your day AND kick start shaking the excess fat...EARN IT!

Use the morning period just before breakfast to not only use up the last energy stores, but to crank up the metabolism and then reward your hard work and start the day with a clean macro filled breakfast. 

You'll feel the results!

Cardio and resistance training will give you results. Go for an early morning jog or a early lifting session. You won't be disappointed. 

Green eyed monster!

Sometimes family and friends can become your biggest enemy in achieving the body and lifestyle YOU want. 

I've seen it happen, lose some kilos and next minute, "oh no, you should eat more!" Or "geeze you're looking TOO thin!" Come from your closest loved ones. 

This can be the most dangerous thing for achieving your goals. Who wants to disappoint family or close friends?

I have also seen the opposite, thankfully I have this scenario, with always positive affirmation from my mom, dad, brothers, wife and friends. So a big thank you to them. 

So what do you need to do if you are getting a different green monster appearing instead of the hulk?

Well firstly, don't discount what has been said. Some statements come from jealousy and some come from sincere concern for your health and well being. So ask yourself,"is what you are doing healthy?". There is no health benefits to starving or exercising beyond your energy limits, something will give and it will most likely be your health, then you start a viscous cycle of stop start and on top of that, you ARE damaging your body. 

Secondly, correct them. That's right, don't be afraid to correct them! If they say you're not eating enought, tell them what you eat. I'm sure they'll be surprised. I eat, breakfast, morning tea, lunch, arvo tea, mid eve snack, tea, pre bed snack.

Thirdly, surround yourself with more positive thinkers. A training buddy that you can bounce this issue off, or family that support you etc. Even motivational Facebook pages and blogs... Wink wink. 

And lastly, only you know who YOU want to be so don't let others dictate what you need to do to archive it! As long as it's healthy and safe, go hard and go strong building your ideal YOU!!!

More beast beach.

http://youtu.be/2sWUDUCAG8k

Beast beach

Abandoned? NEVER!!!

Sorry fitness freaks, I have been a little ore occupied of late organizing, cross promoting and generally being busy, so I haven't posted for a while. 

What have I been up too?

I now have a new pupil, female this time, and a different kettle of fish compared to my previous pupil. She's already quite slim, she eats relatively good but hasn't exercised for 6 or so years.

Yep we're back to the beginning here. But a challenge that I will keep you all posted on non the less. 

Beast Beach! This had been great so far, two sessions in already and I have puked from one if the exercises!! Woohoo this has been an ultimate goal somewhere along the line, to spew from an exercise. 

I did a supplement review a week ago, HYPHY mud. Wow ah, talk about a caffeine high! This was interesting, but will most probably not cross my path again. 

My own journey continues and I have changed my path back to heavy lifting, and with more leg, to grow them big and strong. It's too easy to work the upper body and neglect the legs, I have a bit of catch up to do. 

So I'll leave you with a tip to use this week. 

If you are time poor for a session at the gym, consider suicide sets (drop sets with little rest). Run the rack or move the pin, start heavy and try for 3-4 reps and then rest 5-10 seconds and drop the weight and go again, slowly gaining in reps. I guarantee that by the end if you have done them right, the smallest weight will feel as heavy as what you started on. 

Supplement review!

Ok so... My brother hooked me up to a YouTube clip from a beast named Kali. 

It was the instruction, no wait, tu-tor-rial!, for a concoction called... HYPHY MUD!

Ultimately it is a backyard preworkout mix, simple ingredients, instant coffee and coke. (The soda not the powder)

So of course I wanted to try this out. 

But, it is not something that I will continue with. I'm keen to see if it actually works and how well it works (as well as noting any side effects. )

So either look at the clip (which is hilarious wHAOP!) or follow these instructions. 

1.one can of coke (not zero or caffeine free)

2.mix 4-6 heaped teaspoons or table spoons of instant coffee. 

3.stir, let sit for a couple. Then drink, and sip through workout. 

Protein!

First up, sorry for being away from a good post for so long. 

Ok, so a few weeks have passed now where I have found myself having to take 2 rest days, AND I struggled to get out of bed in the mornings, preferring an evening session instead. 

What was the missing factor?

What was making me so tired?

It turned out that after a bit of experimenting and testing, it turns out to be as simple as protein. 

I've been without my protein supplements for a little while now, just cost of other things taking priority. So my body has taken more time to recover from workouts than usual. 

I have kept my protein intake as high as possible by other means, steak dinners and stacks of tuna in lunches etc. But the protein supplementation that I had been used to that got me through a 6 day training week and waking with vigor each morning was no longer there. 

So the answer and solution?

Simples, get some protein powder. But when I can afford it. In the mean time, I need to increase my protein per meal again, to keep up in the mean time. 

Tuna chunks in a can are fairly cheap per serve and offer aminos and good protein. So watch out woollies, I'm coming for your tuna supplies!

Weekend Pump UP!!! Music and thoughts.

As I sit, listening to Kanye West's album, and rest my tweaked back (yes, I tweaked it again 2 days ago) I get energised for Sunday.

Resting sucks but there is no point in visiting the gym to not be able to give 100%!

So I'm spending my time searching for new gym music. This one is a definite to go on the playlist.

Tomorrow is a new day, and what has transpired in the week before means nothing. The future is where changes are made!

So if you have been slack. Not given 100% in the past... don't stress. Leave that to the past. Make Future YOU responsible for fixing it! then make sure the YOU of the present keeps those commitments.

Motivational music

I haven't done a motivational music post for a while and with the weekend just around the corner I thought it best to give you a few new tunes to workout to. 

This new one from eminem is cranking

It's sacrilegious to touch an ACDC song but I find dub step a powerful lift motivator. 

And this new one from Britney reminds us that if we want it, we gotta work!

AB-solute secrets!

Besides the biceps, I think the next most “fit” indicator that people always strive for are abs.

 

But there are many myths and tips and secrets to building that popping six pack, so many that some people don’t know how to achieve it or are let down when they don’t find what they are looking for.

 

Secret number 1 – everyone has abs, just like everyone has muscles. It’s the ability to see them on people that varies. So lower body fat = visual abs.

Secret number 2 – you don’t need a special “abs day”! If you set up your free weight sessions correctly you can avoid needing a separate day for your abs. Standing with your feet together during most exercises and locking/holding your core while performing these exercises will strengthen your core while you work out your other body parts. To really make them pop, or to strengthen your core (you might struggle with the feet together thing) then you can have a separate abs day to focus on weak points in your core.

Secret number 3 – everyone has a different looking ab structure. Just like the uniqueness of your finger print, your abs are stacked different to everyone else. So don’t feel bad if your abs seem to look disjointed. Mine are stacked like a brick structure, they seem to be slightly offset from one side to the other.

Secret number 4 – you cannot spot target your stomach for body fat loss. Sad but true, just doing ab exercises will not lose fat from around your abs. Just as you cannot spot target fat loss on any other part of your body, it comes down to genetics and luck.

Secret number 5 – you can attack the abs like any other muscle group. To grow use heavy weights/resistance + lower reps and to tone light weight/resistance + higher reps. But remember, as you grow your abs your overall core will increase in size, which from a visual stand point, could make your lower body seem thicker rather than slimmer. SO if your’re looking for a flat and trim stomach, you might want to consider how much ab exercise you do…

Secret number 6 – there are no secret tips to make your stomach fat disappear. Sad I know because there seem to be so many links on the web through sidebar advertising that claim it… there is never a fitness miracle. The miracle is plain and simple health and fitness as a lifestyle, not a FAD diet or trick.

 

So now the secret is out, are you going to get your abs out for summer?

 

Next phase... Beast building!

Some of you by now, know that this October will launch Beast Beach 2013!

So if you are deciding to join in on the fun...cough, cough... What could you be doing to prepare yourself? Well I'm about to start a pretty full on prep routine that borrows from my previous Arnold routines and combines some useful compound movements that will be used on the beach. So here are a few exercises to put into your routine to get BEAST ready!

Kettle bell/plate swing - grab a plate or a kettle bell, stand with your legs apart and take a slight squat with the weight being able to swing between your legs. Then swing it back and then forward carrying the movement through and up almost directly above your head. This movement is going to help with the keg toss!

Rear delt cable fly - you will need a close double cable machine. If adjustable, set up the machine at about shoulder level or a little lower. Grab the handles fromeach  side in the oposite hands. Stand back a little and unfurl your arms to a winged stance. This movement will assist in the slave drags. 

Dumbbell Beginner squat - don't let the name fool you. Place your weights at your sides. Squat down and grasp the weights. Stand back up using proper squat technique (push through the heels and don't lean to far forward) keep squatting for the desired reps, but keep the weights in hand till the final put down.  This squat will get you ready for the wheel barrow. 

I'll try and post a few more exercises to get you prepped even more for the beast beach experience, till then. 

BEAST MODE ON!

As long as it fits my macros!... Brah!

What is a macronutrient and what is a micronutrient?

Even more so, why should you bother to know what these are?

Well once you get your head around these two nutrient groups, you can make better choices for the foods you eat. 

Ok so here's the "simples" macro; protein, carbs and fats. Micro; vitamins, minerals and trace elements. 

So why is this important? With each meal you eat, you should include those macro nutrients in a rich form. And balance it out with micronutrients if they are lacking from your macros!

Your carbs give you energy/fuel while the other two macros give your body to building blocks for repair and growth. So cutting carbs out of ones diet will inevitably lead to tiredness! DO NO CUT CARBS!!! Make better carb choices. Your macro portions should be something like  30% protein, 15% fat, 55% carbohydrates. 

Here are some examples of macros.

Oats - complex "carb"(complex carbs are normally found among more unprocessed foods like whole meal products and veg, these digest slower and power you and your metabolism longer)

Steak - certain cuts have "protein" & essential "fats" (remember not all fats are good for you)

Avocado - essential "fats"

Chicken and turkey - good lean "protein"

Sweet potato - complex "carb"

Broccoli - complex "carb"

These macros all contain good micros as well. Start planning better meals with this in mind and you will lose fat, make gains (if desired) and feel better all round! So long as it fits your macros brah!

 

Power BURGER!!

Here is one of my fav recipes for not only making a healthy meat patty to smash into a self made healthy burger, but it spreads the mince a little further if you are money wise!

1. Grate some sweet potato into a bowl. You decide how much to taste. 

2. Add mince, again you decide how much you want as per the amount of patties you need to make. Add an egg, depending on the batch size you might need to add more. Don't stress about the yokes, they are full of nutrients and won't effect your waistline or bad cholesterol. 

3. Now add some oats and mix together by hand. Add more oats as required to make a patty that holds together.

4. Make your patties to size and squash flat. Coat lightly in flour, corn meal or bread crumbs and spices if desired. 

5. Cook these suckers in a pan, use minimal oil. Flip and keep cooking till cooked through. Then either slap into a burger or add to a salad and eat like a rissole. 

There you have it. You can do the same with turkey mince or chicken mince!

Power BURGER!!

Here is one of my fav recipes for not only making a healthy meat patty to smash into a self made healthy burger, but it spreads the mince a little further if you are money wise!

1. Grate some sweet potato into a bowl. You decide how much to taste. 

2. Add mince, again you decide how much you want as per the amount of patties you need to make. Add an egg, depending on the batch size you might need to add more. Don't stress about the yokes, they are full of nutrients and won't effect your waistline or bad cholesterol. 

3. Now add some oats and mix together by hand. Add more oats as required to make a patty that holds together.

4. Make your patties to size and squash flat. Coat lightly in flour, corn meal or bread crumbs and spices if desired. 

5. Cook these suckers in a pan, use minimal oil. Flip and keep cooking till cooked through. Then either slap into a burger or add to a salad and eat like a rissole. 

There you have it. You can do the same with turkey mince or chicken mince!

Think of the gains!

Sometimes you might get caught up thinking about what you want to lose when it comes to fitness like losing weight and losing fat. But this is often one of the slower effects of the overall fitness process. So let’s take a minute to think about the GAINS that fitness brings.

 

1.       Gain Confidence – even before you hit your target weight loss or body shape you will stand taller, see the slight changes and emit more confidence. You clothes will begin to fit better and you will feel better about yourself.

2.       Gain better health – it sounds obvious, but eat well, train well, live well. I see posts from people about how they are sick and hurting and how the day feels meh. Well I reckon you’ll find 99% of those people are in a unhealthy weight bracket and are suffering from their ailments due to their poor fitness.

3.       Gain strength – with all aspects of fitness you will gain strength. Poor food choices lead to a poorly nourished body, which leaves you weak. Good resistance exercise creates stronger bones, muscles and blood circulatory system which leads to strength all round!

4.       Gain relaxation – a few things occur when you implement a training routine that have an effect on your mind. You get an outlet for stress, you build up stress through the day and having an outlet that lets you vent this in a physical way is good for your stress levels.

5.       Gain money – what? How can you gain money from fitness? Become a personal trainer? No, I’m talking long term! By investing in your fitness you are investing in less sick days at work, lower medical costs for illness later on, cheaper food (buying good fresh produce is cheaper than eating maccas every day) and lower costs for living long term.

 

These are just some of the gains from implementing the whole fitness package. Have a look at the attached image for a bigger list of benefits.

 

And remember GAINS aren’t just for a bulking phase…

Get serious! Get results!!

Don't half ass it!

If you want results from your fitness, you can't half ass it!

If you are going to the gym, don't go there to talk. I know of some who talk more than they work out. I've seen all sorts, the social catchup-ers, the hard core animal (this is the one you want to be), the cool cat (I've seriously seen a guy wearing sunnies and looking around to see who is watching him) and the half assers who just mill away for 20mins on the treadmill. 

Sure catch up before and after your session. The gym doesn't have to be a dungeon... All of the time... But leave the talk till after. Once you begin the session you should be in one state of mind! Get it done, and get the results!!

The other thing to consider is, no one cares what you look like, you don't need to have perfect hair, you don't need make up, because the only reason you are there, is to become a beast, sweat and unleash your fitness potential.

So next time you think about striking up a conversation with your fellow gym members, have a quick check, are you in beast mode? Are they in beast mode?

Cycling supplements

No I'm not talking about what Lance Armstrong used to win his Tours.

I'm talking supplements that we take for fitness and even some that we take every day that we forget are supplements.

Firstly lets remember that the body is always your worst enemy! When it comes to fitness your body has a great trick up its sleeve for making each session easier...adaptation. Your body adapts to the situation rather well as it gets more efficient at doing the job. Hence why you always need to be stepping it up if you feel it's getting easier.

Now that aside, what does your body's ability to adapt have to do with supplements?

Well in case you hadn't drawn the lines between the dots, your body just as easily adapts to the supplementation you hit it with. This means that you might feel something from a pre-workout for a week, then not feel anything for the next few weeks of using it. And unless you are willing to jack up the dose, which can lead to issues of over stimulating or exceeding the recommended dose, you might find that the $60+ you spent was a waste of money.

Ok so I hear you saying that you don't do pre-workout supplements? What about one of the most common supplements on the planet? COFFEE!? Have you ever thought about cycling your coffee routine?

Coffee is part of the methylxanthine compound group, and is used rather heavily in pre-workout supplements. So just like most things you throw at your body, it will get used to it. Sometimes to the point where you might have a coffee as a late night drink and find it doesn't affect your sleep pattern at all. We'll that's me, I can take down a black coffee before bed and find myself fall asleep just as easily.

However I know that due to the constant workplace, household and commonness of this supplement, it will not only be hard to cycle off it for a month, but it will take a toll as it cycles out of my system in the first week or so. Coffee withdrawal symptoms can range from feeling sleepy early in the morning, to having dependency headaches.

Other supplements that you should cycle are, Beta Alanine (recommended to be cycled on a 10 weeks on 5 weeks off), Creatine ( recommended to cycle 8 weeks on 4 weeks off), pre-workout energy booster ( see package for recommended cycle) and even certain protein powders, as you will find your body will get more out of a mix of proteins to gain it's sustenance from. You will find that with a proper cycling routine you will benefit more from the work and dollars you have put into your body/health investment then if you just keep hammering your body with scoop after scoop of pointless supplementing (coffee teaspoons included).

So, goodbye nice warm coffee in the morning before gym, I guess I'm going to have to put up with a bit more yawning and perhaps have a warm milo as a substitute for now. Bring on a month of coffee free days!!!

Eat to FIT

Meal planning is crucial for the sustainability of your fitness. Eating the right things at the right time is key to staving cravings and keeping the body nourished and the metabolism cranking. 

Some people "eat to live" and others "live to eat", I like to think of myself as a "eat to fit" guy.

I do love my food, haven't touched a Macca's burger in a while (since a certain friends baby was born this year), but I'm sure I'd still ho one down given the right circumstances.

So what do I mean by "eat to fit"?

Eating to FIT into your schedule, eating to stay FIT and eating to FIT your FITness goals. Do you think I got enough FIT in there?

Anyway... I'm lucky enough to have a desk job that allows me to get up and head to the lunch room to grab my morning tea, lunch and arvo tea, throughout the day. I enjoy a fairly mundane repeat meal base through my working day, Monday to Friday. This is fantastic! I set myself up for a weeks' worth of food and store it in the fridge and then take a days' worth each morning in a cooler bag, destined for the work fridge. That's not to say that the meals aren't yummy or varied in some way, they are nutrient rich and correct (goal dependant) sized for each meal.

But what about if you only get morning tea and lunch?

What if you are always on the road?

What if you hardly work and spend your time at home or away from home?

"eat to fit!" so get a cooler bag and an ice block and take your meals mobile, make all of your meals as if you are going to take them to work or not and keep the routine while at home, include arvo tea and morning tea meals that don't need refrigerating and keep them at your desk to eat at the right time.

OK so what about eating to fit on the weekend? Well know your weekend is the first thing. If you know you are heading to a friends house for a barbeque on a Saturday night, plan for this, eat your breakfast at the right time, have your morning tea snack as close to the right time as possible (this can be hard if you have suffered from a case of the sleep in), lunch on time and have a smaller arvo snack. Eat minimal pre BBQ snacks (unless they are super healthy, but still, best not to spoil the main event) and then limit all of the unhealthy condiments and bulk up on the good salads to balance the meaty goodness of the BBQ.

What if you're going to the cinemas on a Sunday arvo? Stick with your routine, and make sure you have a good healthy snack BEFORE you head out. Things like frozen cokes, popcorn, chocolate bars and the appeal of that $1 upgrade need to be limited.

Everything really comes back to the planning of your food intake, not so much the calorie counting and carbs v's fat (that can be left to the formula set out for your goal), if you "eat to fit" and plan what is going to happen, you will stay hunger free and guilt free from one gym session to the next.

Steroid

 

A lot if people look around a gym or even as they walk around town, and see giants and think..."how did they get so big?" Their next thought moves quite rapidly to "steroids!"

Most definitely the big Mr Olympias at the moment have used or continue to use steroids for growth and other barbaric practices to maintain a beastly body. But there are also those who have worked hard and eaten right and trained hard to get a great, drug free body. 

 

So how can you spot the fakers (don’t get me wrong a lot of hard work goes into the training even with steroids, but even more goes into getting a naturally big and muscular physique)? Well, short of asking them, or getting them to show the shrinkage in their balls, there are some obvious signs. One obvious one is odd proportioning, what I mean by this is that the person might have one muscle area bigger than the other. If a person trains excessively on that one muscle they love so much, the steroids use will increase the hypertrophy dramatically in that area. This can lead to giant biceps but smaller shoulders, or massive lats but small chest. It looks odd. Another sign is the acne. Extra testosterone causes puberty woes all over again, mix this with, excessive sweat from training and BAM acne, backne, I’ve even seen a chap with backneckne. Prolonged use can cause early male pattern balding, so most opt for the shaved head look. Another sign is in the chest, some people get Bitch tits, this is where the nipples turn down and breast tissue development occurs, it looks pretty messed up. Other signs for those close to the person will also include ADHD like edginess, always needing to be doing something. Rage spurts and energy spurts, and odd behaviour in their demeanour.

 

I’m pretty sure that I had a fellow gym goer raise concern quite discreetly that I might be on the roids. Big lol, wouldn’t take it unless it was doctor prescribed to recover from an injury or major medical issue. Besides a few pre-workouts and supplements I remain and will remain all natural baby! Reaching for the genetic potential.

 

What if you think, I need a helping hand to get the physique that you dream of?

 

Well I would put it to you that you might want to consider all of the effects that this drug can have on your body BEFORE you decide to break free of your genetics. Here is a rather comprehensive list if what using and abusing the drug can do;

For men.... 
- infertility 
- breast development 
- shrinking of the testicles 
- male-pattern baldness 
- Enlarged prostate

For women.... 
- enlargement of the clitoris 
- excessive growth of body hair 
- male-pattern baldness 
- masculinization 
- breast reduction in females

Musculoskeletal system..... 
- short stature (if taken by adolescents) 
- tendon rupture 
- aching joints 
- swelling of feet and ankles

Cardiovascular system.... 
- high blood pressure 
- heart attacks 
- enlargement of the heart's left ventricle

Liver... 
- cancer 
- peliosis hepatis 
- tumors

Skin..... 
- severe acne and cysts 
- oily scalp 
- jaundice (skin and the white part of the eyes become yellow and in severe cases, brown.) Click on the first link of my ''know your sources?'' for more details. 
- fluid retention

Infection (if unaware of exactly where the product was produced and/or sharing needles).... 
- HIV/AIDS 
- hepatitis

Psychiatric effects.... 
- rage, aggression 
- mania 
- delusions 
- post-use depression

Other effects... 
- nosebleeds 
- incresed sex drive 
- reduced libido

So my advice?

Eat right for your goals, train right for your goals and benefit from reaching your goals. Don’t set a goal to look like the next Mr Olympia unless you are prepared to start killing yourself from the inside out.

Let your fitness fit your life

Sometimes life throws a few curve balls and changes your plans around.

So no matter what you normally have planned for fitness you may find your plans unstuck.

This could put you out a day or two or maybe a little longer.

This week I have had three small setbacks.

A short notice funeral invite that meant I couldn't train Monday, due to travel time.

A Wednesday morning stomach cramp, this impeded my ability to stand until it passed. But now that it has passed, RPM is still on the cards for the arvo!

And the final problem, is two days of training away from home which will mean that Thursday and Friday are out of the equation.

So what must be done?

Catch up of course!!!

Saturday morning will be a double session with Legs (can't skip this) and calves (I split the legs and calves into 2 separate sessions) and Sunday morning will be arms and abs, though technically this will be 3 workouts in one morning (biceps, triceps and abs).

Normally I would treat Sunday as a rest day if possible, but if my life won't fit the fitness, the fitness must fit the life.

Be prepared to replan. Skipping altogether shouldn't be an option. Make the effort to replan and catch up. If you take classes and these are un-catch-up-able, catch up in another way, go for a jog, do a half hour of home gyming, just catch up!

Motivational music selection.

This week found myself stumbling upon a treasure chest of old music locked away in a hard drive that had become abandoned in favor of portable hard drives in more recent times. 

I spent about an hour sifting through and finding little gems to ad to my iPod for abs day (regardless of the fact that I forgot to transfer the playlist to my iPod making abs day a repeat of my old music) never the less I found some songs that I wanted to share via the medium of YouTube. 

Here they are. 

http://youtu.be/aUyFZ0nL4TY

http://youtu.be/UUI874piajI

(I couldn't get the embedded links to work on my my mobile. )

Golden bodies

For the last week I have posted onto my Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ff2f-Kdawg/307244492734782 ) some inspirational male and female fitness bodies, ranging from athlete to actor and fitness models. 

Here is the golden bodies collection all together. 

Franco Columbu

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Andreia Brazier

Sergio "the myth" Oliva

Jodie Marsh

Dwayne Johnson

Eugen Sandow

Ashley Horner

Lazar Angelov

Now these people might be at an elite level that you think you yourself cannot attain but if you never see the peak of the mountain how will you know what you are climbing towards?

Use these people as inspiration and motivation because even if you only could get to 80 % of what they have achieved what would you have accomplished against what you are now?

What's the new routine?

So what plan did I devise while I was away?

I still wanted to focus on my lifting, but I had found that the second time around, RPM was a great enjoyable challenge. I have always lagged behind a little on my leg development. It's hard to intentionally want to make your legs hurt for a few days at a time, and that is what really working the legs in a session will do. So along with the usual lifting routine (that has been tweaked) an abusive leg regime will be under taken along with 1 to 2 RPM sessions in the week.

The hardest part is going to be doing the RPM a couple of days after the leg session, so timing of the legs day is going to be paramount. 

The tweaking that I have done to my regular lifting routine, and the legs day routine itself, is inspired by one if my fitness idols Arnold!

It won't be ground breaking, having me jump onto blocks or making me do 100 different things in a session, it will be solid lifting with solid reps and sets. 

I want to be as powerful as I can by the time October rolls around, and ensuring that my food is kept clean and healthy, I will have my Beast Beach body.

I also have another fitness coach roll to take on a bit later in the year, a female this time. I will be doing a lot of research and forethought so that when she returns from her trip abroad, the punishment... I mean the torture can begin!!!

Till then, everybody that can, "Train like a beast!"

Time away

Sometimes it seems human nature to give in to temptation and just leave the fitness world behind for just a short time. 

To break from the routine of waking up early or fitting in that after work fitness activity.

I know that after devoting a good portion of my time to my last fitness achievement, fitness was going to be the last thing on my mind while I holidayed on the other side of the country with my family. 

I enjoyed food, family, fun, being full (most of the time), sleeping in, more eating and most relaxing of all no gym. 

Thankfully, I'm an addict. Yep.

My name is Kyle, and I'm an addict!

Hello Kyle. 

A gym junkie, a fitness freak! 1 week of no gym was starting to drive me crazy. By the end of the week I found falling to sleep hard, I had all if this energy but had not used it. 

While I was lying in bed, not falling a sleep, all I could think of was the prep for Beast Beach. When I wasn't thinking about that I was thinking about Tuesday morning and kicking into my new routine. 

So what if you are not yet an addict, or you are heading off for more than a week. (A week off won't hurt your results to much and will give you a good break and body rest) ???

Here are some things to consider that will help you get back on track after a short break. 

# It's a Holiday, not a fat-a-way, if you have the choice at a restaurant or at a relatives house (or wherever you are eating) try and stay healthy with your food choices. Avoid fast food outlets and consider assisting family members in preparing a healthy option for the meal. 

# Drink (alcohol)to be enjoyable but try not to drink excess. Sounds like I'm preaching here but besides the regular hangovers and health side effects, drinking is liquid calories. Easy to consume and a quick way to shrink your clothes. 

# Do not punish yourself for over eating or eating the wrong kinds of things. Putting yourself in a depressed mood can become the anchor when you return to the norm. Instead think about how great it's going to feel getting back into your fitness!

# Take a little time to plan. Sometimes having a holiday break can give you some clarity of where you want to be taking your fitness and body. So use a bit of your down time to write down some goals or plan out your new routine (I know I did )

# If you have the time or are away for more then a week, try and get some fitness into your trip. Pack at least one pair of fitness clothes an consider packing your joggers (if your normal shoe attire would not suit in a gym) and go for a jog, access a gym (some do free trials for a a short period, that you can abuse) or sped some time in your place of stay doing push ups, sit-ups or whatever you can for a bit of a 15 min to half hour session.

Make sure however... That you have FUN and RELAX a little!

That is what you went on the holiday for, after all. 

I love a week off.

There is nothing quite like having a week off to make you hungrier for change. 

So far I haven't eaten too badly, but compared to my usual food intake I have been eating more. I have not exercised at all, beside walking here and there.  If I was to be away for more than a week, I would definitely be seeking out some sort of gym to appease the fitness gods. 

But the week of leisure  and indulgence is almost over and I cannot wait to start off on another course of the good stuff. 

The week of recovery can assist as a break from a rigorous routine that can sometimes feel a little monotonous.

So bring on the start of a new week as the body has been bad... And needs to be punished... Mwahahahahha!!

Phase 3 - the reveal!

Shredding or cutting isn’t everybody’s goal, but it is nice to try and rip the fat away even more to expose all of that hard work that you have been toiling away at.

Phase 3 – 2 months

This phase was the hardest. It involved getting into some intense cardio fitness classes at the gym, this included the sweaty 45 minute RPM class, the “feel like dying” GRIT strength and a Super gym session that worked on every part of the upper body and abs.

The Super gym session included,

Chest fly’s, incline bicep curls, lateral pull downs, dips and pushups. All of these activities super-setted the exercise with leg raises until the dips and pushups. The dips and pushups were a superset of their own.

For the dips and pushups the goal was this.

Do as many dips as you can, then do the same number of pushups.

Whatever number of pushups or dips you make, you then aimed for one lower for the next round of dips and pushups.

Eventually you would make it to 1 and 1, or you can “break the machine” and push out a higher number of dips and pushups a couple of times consecutively which would also end the test!

Ultimately once you are at phase 3 in the fitness plan, you are ready to try most exercises and start to really tailor a routine that challenges you, keeps fitness fresh and allows you to keep achieving your goals.

Trying new fitness classes will unlock balance skills, cardio variance and a multitude of different exercise to try.

You should now be addicted to this simple thing called fitness…

What are you waiting for? Whichever phase you need to start at…just start!