Little Talked About Benefits of the Workout Lifestyle

Hey everyone! Today I want to talk about one of the lesser discussed parts of working out. It's not really interesting or "sexy" to talk about. Not that it isn't important. Usually, we all work out or go to the gym to get bigger, stronger, slimmer, better looking and appealing to find a romantic partner, or whatever. Those goals are clearly defined and very motivating to go after.

But one of the most important parts of going through the workout grind day in and day out is for the health aspect of all that sweat and effort you put in. I know, so revolutionary to be discussing health along with working out! I mean, duh obviously this is one of the most important parts of actually exercising.

It's funny though, because in today's gym going world, it's almost as if everyone is doing things just for the superficial rewards, and they want immediate results and gratification, no matter what the actual effects are for themselves and their health. In the pursuit of trying to always get stronger, slimmer, or bigger, people can actually be hurting their health, rather than helping it.

Let's be clear, I'm not here to lecture anyone. I'm absolutely a fan of putting 100% effort into everything you do, especially when it comes to working out. I'm merely commenting on the fact that the fundamental health aspects of exercise seem to be getting completely tossed aside now, and this is becoming more and more apparent. Especially taking into account that everyone wants instant results so they can look better tonight or post a picture of themselves posing in the mirror on instagram for all their buddies to see.

I'm suggesting that we continue pushing the envelope, keep on dedicating 100% to the workouts, but also keep in mind that what we're doing can benefit our lives so much more than just in the superficial realm. Let's all remember that we exercising actually feels good and can totally transform you into a better person on the inside as well. Obviously it can help you live longer, avoid getting sick, and make you therefore better in all aspects of life. You have more time on this earth to spend time with your family, you can take less sick days off from work, and you can actually accomplish more in every other part of you life since you're used to pushing yourself so hard in the physical world of the weight room.

There are also the intangible benefits that come along with working out as well. I'm talking about that incredible feeling, that rush you get from powering through a particularly heavy set of squats or pushing through that last mile of a half marathon. Though they might not seem the same since the method of exercise is so different, these incredible feelings all come from that part of your mind that allows you to overcome and succeed in the face of trying obstacles. Then there is the actual physical high you feel from the endorphins your body kicks loose as a reward for putting in the work. At the end of the day, let's not lose sight of the amazing benefits working out can give us all by focusing just on what we can see.

Best Food to Fuel Gym Gains

Hi guys, today I thought I'd talk about what food is best to eat to fuel your progress in and out of the gym. Now I know that so many of you are concerned with your workouts to a crazy degree, and that's great. Certainly one of the biggest pitfalls around when it comes to lack of progress is not pushing hard enough in the gym. This is certainly one of my pet peeves - if you're going to do something, go all the way, after all.

Once you have that workout and training intensity dialed in though, you need to keep pushing the envelope in order to see results. I'm not only talking about increasing sets, weight, reps, etc. to keep the body adapting to new stress. I'm also referring to the all important fuel that you give your body in order to enable it to actually respond to the stress you're placing on it. This is the only way to grow.

Ok, everybody knows that protein is incredibly important for making muscle gains, so I'm not going to go too in depth on that here. Recommendations vary about what is the absolute best amount of protein to ingest per day for optimum muscle growth, but it will vary depending on the person, training intensity, current muscle mass, and so on. A safe recommendation, however, for someone looking to put on as much muscle as they can, is to make sure to get around 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day. This will make sure that your body always has enough protein to call on to build new muscle.

Great, we got protein down, but there's so much more that's incredibly important to fueling growth. Often demonized or overlooked is sufficient carbohydrate intake. Fact is, you need plenty of carbs to fuel those intense training sessions, or you just won't have the energy to work hard enough in the gym to push that growth. Plus, carbs help fill out the muscles, giving them a larger, more full appearance too. And who doesn't mind that?

Last but not least, always make sure you're getting plenty of green and colored vegetables in your diet as well. These guys have all the vital micronutrients your body needs to run at its highest level. As far as supplements go, I'd recommend leaving them at GNC or whatever and just spending that money on good food. That's the way to go for optimum absorption, etc. The one thing you all should have is a good protein powder for those after workout shakes. Other than that, focus on your foods for all your nutrition needs.

How to Make Your Arms Grow

When I'm at the gym, a lot of times guys will come up to me and ask if I have any tips to help them get their arms to grow. Most guys would like bigger arms, no doubt, but a lot of people see their progress stagnate after only a year or so when they first get into weight training.

One of the biggest mistakes I see in terms of getting more results out of arm day is just flat out training the wrong way. This includes several aspects of training. First of all, too many guys aren't training hard enough. To get the most out of your workouts, you have to push yourself to the limit. There's simply no other way. The muscle only grows in response to a stimulus that it isn't used to. In order to bring about that stimulation, you have to really bring it during your time at the gym.

Second, many don't do the right kind of exercises. I see a lot of guys spending their time on isolation exercises like concentration curls, one arm preachers, cable curls, and machines. These exercises are popular with casual gym goers because they're just plain easier to do than a heavy barbell curl or weighted chin ups. However, if you really want your arms to grow, you have to pound them with some heavy compound exercises and barbell curls. Pullups, chinups, bent rows, etc.: these are all back exercises primarily but can put some serious work into your bicep growth as well. As far as curls go, ditch the one armed preacher machine and pick up a barbell with some plates on it and lift. Just make sure you're not swinging the weights too much. Work with a spotter to help you get that extra rep and negatives.

Third, many forget that the tricep muscle is about 2/3 of your arm. The biceps get all the attention, but the tricep is what really forms the base of a powerful, large arm. Again, compound exercises are key here. Close grip bench and weighted dips are two of the best arm growers you can do in the gym. Stay away from the smith and nautilus machines and use free weights.

For isolation, cable push downs can be a great exercise for tricep growth. However, these are one of the most poorly performed exercises you'll see people do. Make sure you get a full range of motion on them, really forcing your tricep to do the work. And use the heaviest weight you can do for a solid 8-10 reps. And another tip: forget about tricep kickbacks. Stop doing these right away. This is the most useless exercise you will ever see people do.

Last of all, once you've put your time into an effective workout at the gym, make sure that you're resting enough and getting the nutrition your body needs to recover and rebuild itself. All the hard training in the world won't grow your arms if your body doesn't have the necessary building blocks to create new muscle. And without enough recovery time, you'll just be tearing yourself down again before you can grow.

That's it for me, stay tuned for more of my very own thoughts.

Why Don't I See Progress in the Gym?

Hey guys, thought I'd do a post about some of the fundamentals of making progress in the gym. I get a ton of questions from people asking what's the best diet for this, and what's the best exercise for that. I feel like most of them are missing the point, ultimately, because they don't have a basic understanding of what is the foundation of progress.

By that I mean: training and diet. Yes, boring I know. Not the sexy new crossfit workout or all paleo vegan whatever diet. Just basic, time-tested, tried and true principles of good health and training.

Now you don't hear too much about fundamentals lately, and I have a good idea why. Like I said before, they're definitely not sexy. And more importantly, if they're not sexy, they won't sell. Nobody can start a fitness empire today by telling people to do basic compound lifts with a ton of effort and make sure they're eating a sensible diet. Nope, that's boring. What sells are the crazy, gimmicky one legged resistance ball squat plus raise plus whatever combination and all kale diet. No wonder most people never make progress in the gym.

Yes, sorry to say, but there is absolutely no getting around the basics. In weight training, the basics are compound exercises with free weights. Compound in that they utilize larger and more than one muscle group. We're talking squats, deadlifts, bench press, bent rows, shoulder press, and pullups. And you have to PUSH yourself to continually add weight and reps. I can't describe how many people I see doing the same weight for the same amount of reps week in and week out, then complaining about how they never get stronger. Come on people.

On the other side, you'll never make any progress without the proper diet. Without the right building blocks, your body can't recover and build more muscle. Proper diet is basic here too - screw all that calorie counting BS. Get enough protein from lean sources like chicken breast, fish, eggs, and lean meat. Eat a ton of fresh vegetables - almost at every meal. And eat enough carbohydrates to keep you fueled up. Yes, I said carbs. I'm talking about good carbs here though - brown rice, whole grains, sweet potatoes. Not white bread and cookies.

At the end of the day, keep your basics right and you absolutely will make progress. As the saying goes, without a good foundation, you can't build a house in the first place.

Sick workout update!!

What's up guys, I had a sick workout today at the gym and just thought I should share.

Got there mad early, like 6am, sun wasn't even barely up yet. Old men doing the elliptical, you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, when straight up to the squat rack, busted out 20 BW reps and got to work. Added a plate each side with only 60 seconds rest until got up to 4 each side, then added 25s and busted out 5 good ones. Then peeled off the 25s, then 45s, each one with a set until got back down to body weight.

No lie after this I was spent! So much harder to stick to a strict 60 secs rest than you would think. Espeially once you get up to that 4th or 5th set. Brought a stop watch with me to keep me on track..no phone app, just a straight up analog stopwatch old school style. Can't be dealing with phone distractions when I'm hitting the weights.

this was literally all i did for legs and it was more than enough. Sometimes doing the most simple shit is what you need to put yourself over the top for that day. Especially when you're giving it100%.

got a short video I'm trying to upload but its not working, idk check back later and I'll try to get this to work.

Till next time

TB500 Review

Hi guys, just a short update on peptides and about TB500 dosage, reviews, and all of that...

Anyway, Tb500 has been used to enhance performance in racehorses for a while now. But bodybuilders, fitness competitors, athletes, etc. have all been using peptides for some years as well.

I'd like to start by saying this stuff is definitely legit. I noticed improved flexibility, joint mobility, and energy almost IMMEDIATELY. Absolutely feeling great there. Also I had great recovery and healing while on it.

This is a decent video explaining all about TB500's effects, results, and such:



So where did I buy it? I looked at a few peptide sites initially. They had pretty low prices, but I wasn't too sure about the quality. I'm really concerned with building the maximum amount of muscle mass possible with peptides, so quality is totally a top concern.

However, in addition to muscle growth, I really want to enhance my recovery as well. It's honestly not much good to be packing on muscle with a bunch of different peptides, but then have it all go to waste because of an injury.

Some other peptides can help prevent against joint damage, ligament strains, tendon injuries, and so on. I really wanted to take advantage of these healing effects by dosing with a peptide that is specifically geared towards recovery, and that's why I chose TB500 over another peptide like GHRP2, Sermorelin, or CJC-1295.

So, some peptide sites were selling for about $40 a pop (for a 5mg vial). I thought this was pretty low, even though it would really help my bank account with my dosing. I'm worried about getting fake stuff.

Here's a video that talks in-depth about the risk of buying fake peptides online:




Later on, I saw some online sites selling peptides for veterinary use. Like I said before, they seem to be marketing it for racehorses. Apparently, the horse trainers see a BIG improvement in endurance, recovery, and overall healing when they dose their horses. So I was really interested in buying from here.

I looked at several of these, but I chose to buy from this website. The fact that this business specialized in TB500 gave me a lot of confidence in their product.

Also they are not selling it as a research chemical. This was important to me, and I didn't have the same concerns about buying fake stuff.

How did it go? Fantastic. This site's product is definitely the real deal. I noticed my joint pain in both knees and should improve a lot within just a few weeks of starting to dose. Additionally, I saw my muscle and strength gains skyrocket with the new increases in healing time.

Would I recommend the site I bought from? Absolutely. Their product is 100% legit, and I have the results to prove it. It's a very competitively priced compared to other sites, and at least I don't have to worry about the quality when buying from here.

Anyway, that's my spiel. Stay tuned to VVO for more peptide reviews!