Ryan J. Mathias's Blog, page 12
November 12, 2019
525 Squat = All I Ever Wanted
All I Ever Wanted
Hi, my name is Ryan Mathias and all I ever wanted was to Squat 525 pounds RAW. Now, to many people that may seem mediocre since many people can squat 500+ pounds. But to me, it wasn’t easy, and there’s a reason 525 means so much to me. This is why…
My 525 Story
I officially started weight training as a 16-year-old Junior in high school for one of my P.E. classes. And my favorite exercise was the squat. I loved it so much that it was basically all I did during our short 50-minute classes 4 days per week.
As you can imagine, I progressed rapidly as a beginner that only squatted. So, after about 2 months I attempted my first max squat, and I got a pretty easy 355 lbs! Pretty great for a 180 lb kid with no guidance or help (the “coach” in there didn’t care what you did. As long as you didn’t run off or get hurt, he didn’t pay any attention to you.)!
Well, a short while later I was repping 315 for 4×10 and able to do 405 lbs. And that is when I had an idea…
The Record Board
Like every high school, we had a football team (coached by the weight training “teacher”). And in the weight room, they had a record board that recorded all the best lifts of the football players for that year.
At the top of the record board, there were all-time school records for Squat, Bench Press, and Power Clean (should have been deadlift, I know). The records at the time (2009) were 505 Squat, 355 Bench Press, and 330 Power Clean (set by my older brother Tanner, that year!)
Well, the best squat for the current football players was only 315 lbs. Something that I could easily do! So, in the hopes of getting some recognition by my peers, I asked the coach if he would put my name on the board, as he just watched my squat 405 in front of him.
Of course, he said, “No! That board is for players only!”
Obviously, I was bothered by this. But it also truly infuriated me, because of the way he said it. His tone was like I didn’t deserve any recognition for my work. I was so upset that I went right to the squat rack and did 405×2.
He didn’t say anything, of course.
My Goal
Well, I knew he was not going to put me on the board by choice. So I decided that I was going to break the school squat record so that he would be forced into putting my name on the record board! But I didn’t just want to break it by a few pounds. I wanted to annihilate it!
So I decided that 525 lbs was the goal!
I trained harder than before and was pushing for as much progress as I could! But, unfortunately, that lead to injury.
Again, I had no help with proper technique or rest and recovery. All I knew was that I needed to squat low and squat often. So I did, and my hips were not happy about it.
In fact, I did so many things wrong that I still have to fight the bad habits I grew over my first few years of lifting.
Well, long story short, the most I ever squatted in high school was 435×2 with a belt and spotter assistance.
Slow Progress
The next few years were waves of progress and regression. I would build a lot of strength, then get injured. Learn from it, and progress again. Over and over again. Always learning and growing.
All I can say is that I wish I found a website like this one back in those days to help me along!
I even broke my back in 2012 (unrelated to weight training) in which I was told to lay in bed for 5 weeks and never lift heavy again. That didn’t happen, but I did learn a lot from it!
My 525 lb Squat Redemption
Well, after all these years of learning through both education and experience, I have healed my body, corrected my mistakes and become ready for my redemption!
And here it is! My first, but not last, ever 525 lb squat!
525 lb Squat by Ryan Mathias
What I am most proud of is my journey getting here. It was a long hard road, but I accomplished it on my own terms. I don’t take supplements or drugs and only use minimal support (my knee sleeves are there for looks, not so much support. They are too big and torn out on both sides so they slide down my legs as I walk.). I learned from my mistakes and only grew stronger from them.
Thank you to everyone that has supported me along the way. Thank you to my dad for recording this life-changing event. And to me…
“Yo, Ryan…we did it!”
If you want to learn how to do it too, get my 12-Week Squat Program which I used to accomplish this feat of strength!
Ryan’s 500 lb 12-Week Squat Program >>
What’s Next
Now, of course, I am not stopping all lifting and moving onto other things. I will always be a powerlifter because I love the sport. I will continue to get stronger in all my lifts, but I am proud to have accomplished my main goal after only a mere 10 years!
Other Strength Goals:
Squat = ???
Bench Press = 405×3
Deadlift = 650
October 30, 2019
Tendonitis Treatment | How To Treat, Prevent and Cure Tendinitis Fast!
How To Treat Tendonitis
Tendinitis sucks! Especially for those of us that love to workout and get stronger. And it doesn’t matter where the pain is (wrist, elbow, knee, ankle, etc.), it is going to slow you down and hold you back from what you want to do. So, this article will teach you the best and fastest ways to treat, prevent and cure tendonitis using a Voodoo Muscle Floss Band and Medical RICE Treatment; to decrease inflammation and pain, quickly.
Table Of Contents:
What Is Tendonitis?
Best Treatments
RICE
Rest
Ice
Compression & Elevation
Voodoo Muscle Floss Band
Other Treatments
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
Acupuncture
Massage
ICY HOT
Tendonitis Prevention
Move Properly
Stretch
Build Strength
Conclusion
What is Tendonitis?
First, tendonitis, also known as tendinitis, is inflammation of a tendon. It is commonly caused by muscle overuse or repeated improper movement. And if not corrected and treated properly, it can lead to a tendon strain, or tear. Which will keep you out of action for months, or even years. So take this minor inflammation seriously.
What makes tendonitis such a hard injury to treat is your tendons themselves. Tendons are a connection between muscle and bone. And they hold similar properties to both. For example, they are slightly stretchable like a muscle but dense like bone. And they take a lot longer to heal than muscle because they are not vascular (do not have veins).
Muscles are quick to heal because they are vascular and have a lot of blood flow. But tendons are not so the healing process takes a lot longer. Plus, they are in constant motion just like your muscles but take longer to strengthen. Which means they need to avoid being broken down more than they are built up. As that is how this all occurred in the first place.
With that being said, let’s get into how to treat tendonitis and prevent it from occurring again.
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Best Treatments for Tendonitis
Whether you have acute (short term) or chronic (long term) tendonitis, the treatment is the same. It will just take longer to fix the longer you put it off.
You need to increase blood flow, while decreasing inflammation.
To treat tendonitis or any inflammation, you need to both increase blood flow and decrease inflammation. The greater the blood flow, the faster the healing. However, the greater the blood flow, the more chance of building up inflammation. And, though it is your body’s healing mechanism, inflammation causes pain.
So, the goal is to allow enough inflammation for healing to occur, while decreasing pain as much as possible. With all this in mind, doctors came up with the RICE Method Treatment.
RICE Method – Tendonitis and Inflammation Treatment
The best protocol for treating any inflammation is known as RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).
Rest
Rest the tendon and affected muscle group as much as you can. This means you need to take some time off from all activity. And decreasing the intensity or taking it light will not work, because the problem is not the intensity of the movement. It is the movement itself.
For acute tendonitis, you can likely take 10-14 days off from all activity and be back to 100%, if you follow the entire RICE Treatment daily during your time off.
For chronic tendinitis inflammation, it depends on how long you have put off treatment. But you will likely need to avoid as much activity as you can for at least 1+ months.
Ice
Ice the inflamed area for 20 minutes on and 40 minutes off, as often as you can. This means all day, every day.
It is best to use actual crushed ice in a thin plastic bag applied directly to the area. Do not put a towel or even paper towel between when using real ice because you need the cold to get deep into the tissue.
However, if using an ice pack, you MUST put a thin towel or a few paper towels between your skin and the pack. This is because your skin freezes as 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and ice packs can get colder than that. But ice melts at 32 degrees Fahrenheit so your skin will never freeze from normal crushed ice.
For even faster results, apply heat to the affected area during your 40-minute bouts off cold. However, always finish your sessions with cold.
This is because cold decreases blood flow and decreases inflammation. While heat increases blood flow but also increases inflammation. We want your body to have better blood flow to help repair your tissue, but it is more important to decrease the built-up inflammation.
So always finish with cold, before taking a break from the regiment.
The 5 Stages Of Cold
While icing, you should feel the affected area go through the 5 Stages Of Cold. That is how you determine if your icing is effective or not. These 5 stages are:
Stage 1 – Cold
Stage 2 – Burning
Stage 3 – Tingling
Stage 4 – Aching
Stage 5 – Numb
It normally takes about 5 minutes to go through the first 4 stages. But if you can get through it, then you will be numb and can go for as long as is needed.
Plus, the more you do it the more your body will get used to the sensations and eventually it will learn to go straight from cold to numb.
Compression & Elevation
Compression and elevation both help to decrease inflammation by decreasing blood flow and draining the area of inflamed fluid. Compressing the affected area prevents it from filling up with inflamed fluid. And the higher you elevate the area above your heart the easier it is to drain out any bad fluid.
Realize that sitting in a recliner with your feet up does not count as elevation. The affected area needs to be at least 12 inches above your heart. And the higher the better for drainage.
Unless there is major swelling, you do not need to focus a lot on these with tendonitis, but they can help while icing.
Voodoo Muscle Floss Band[image error]
The Voodoo Muscle Floss Band, originally created by The Ready State (formerly known as MobilityWOD), was designed to treat and cure Tendonitis in athletes. And it works REALLY WELL! Most people are 75-100% cured after just one 2-5 minute treatment!
VIDEO: Watch the Voodoo Muscle Floss Band in action >>
WARNING: Though the Voodoo Muscle Floss Band works very well, it is EXTREMELY PAINFUL! If I was to describe it, most people think it feels as if their skin is being peeled off for 2-5 minutes. And almost everyone cries (even grown men that think they are tough).
But if you can get past the pain, you will almost instantly be cured!
So the way that I think of it is this…you can either feel a little bit of pain over a long period of time. Or feel a lot of pain over a short period to be healed. Your choice.
Get your Voodoo Muscle Floss Band >>
Other Inflammation Treatments
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories can help with some pain relief. However, by decreasing inflammation, they slow down the healing process. So only use them if absolutely needed, and do not think that they are healing the injury.
Massage
Foam Rolling and Deep Tissue Massages can help to relax your tight muscles pulling on the inflamed tendon, and therefore help to relieve pain. This is preferred over stretching the surrounding muscle groups because stretching increases the stress placed on the tendon.
So, do not stretch the tendon until all pain has gone away for at least 7 days. And focus the massage on your muscles, not the inflamed tendon.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture can help by increasing blood flow to the affected area and therefore helps your body heal itself, only faster.
ICY HOT
IcyHot Patches and creams, or other related topicals, do help you feel good through different skin sensations. However, on the deep tissue level, where the actual problem is, they have no effect.
If you are an athlete and need something to help you “play through it”, then give them a shot. But it is not recommended as the more activity you do the longer the healing process will take.
Tendonitis Prevention
Now that you know how to treat your tendonitis symptoms, let’s go over how to prevent and cure it from happening again.
Here is how to prevent tendonitis from ever holding you back:
Learn how to move properly
Increase Your Mobility
Build Strength and Endurance
Move Properly
Again, one of the most common ways to develop tendonitis is through improper movements. If you move in a way that your body was not designed to move, then you are placing extra stress on your muscles, joints, and tendons. Your tendons are the weakest of the 3 and are therefore the most common to show warning signs and/or tear.
How to move properly for you depends on the activities you do and the sports you play. But if you can do most bodyweight exercises perfectly, you are off to a great start.
Perfect your bodyweight movements with the Daily 30 >>
Strength Training Exercise Guide >>
Stretch
We know, stretching is boring and painful. But it is one of the best ways to help prevent injury in any activity that you do. Movement just simply isn’t enough. You need to force your muscles, joints, and tendons to work properly. And the more you neglect them, the harder it will become.
Again, DO NOT STRETCH YOUR INFLAMED TENDONS! If you do, you risk tearing them! Wait until the pain has gone away for at least 7 days. Then start back with light stretching and slowly increase over time.
In the meantime, massage the surrounding area instead.
How To Warm-Up Properly before a Workout >>
Mobility Stretching Exercises >>
Build Strength
Fact: The stronger you are, the less likely you are to injury your muscles and tendons. It is the weakest muscle/tendon in a chain of movements that gets overworked and fatigues the fastest, leading to an overuse injury in the form of tendonitis. So work your weaknesses and don’t neglect any area.
Remember, the tendon that is inflamed with tendonitis usually attaches to the weak muscle that needs to be built up.
Most Common Examples:
Patellar Knee Tendonitis = Weak Quads
Bicep Tendonitis = Weak Biceps
Tricep Tendonitis = Weak Triceps
Of course, the opposing muscle does play a huge role in this as well. For example, with patellar knee tendonitis, those with weak quads usually have really strong hips and hamstrings that put more stress on the knee-tendon.
And improper movement is another factor, but if the muscle is strong, it is still less likely to develop tendonitis.
Tendinitis Treatment in Conclusion
Overall, tendonitis inflammation can instantly hold you back from your sport, training or other activities. But if you use the RICE treatment to decrease inflammation while increasing blood flow, you will be back to action in no time! Then make sure you always follow our tendonitis prevention tips so that you can be cured for life!
Learn more about how to decrease muscle and joint pain >>
September 29, 2019
Stronger Than Cancer
Prevention As A Cure
What is Cancer? What are the Signs and Symptoms? Am I at Risk for getting Cancer? And how can I prevent it? These are some very common and important questions to ask about this terrible disease known as Cancer. This article will tell all and even teach you about using prevention as a cure for cancer!
Plus, join the fight, and help cancer victims when you buy a shirt today!
Cancer Awareness T-Shirt for Charity >>
Women’s Breast Cancer Awareness Tank Top >>
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Table Of Contents:
What Is Cancer?
We Are All Born With It
Signs and Symptoms
Risk
Prevention
Maintain A Healthy Body
Weekly Exercise Guidelines
Body Composition
BMI
Waist-Circumference
Muscle vs. Fat Tissue
The Bottom Line
Take Action
References
Introduction
First, I want to begin by stating that, to date, there has not yet been found a cure for cancer. Cancer is a disease that the best doctors and scientists in the world are still trying to truly understand; to better help care for those with it.
This article is not meant to give false hope that a new discovery has been found. Or to argue against qualified medical professionals on how to treat cancer of any kind.
This is merely a helpful guide, for both those with and without cancer, to better understand how to decrease its negative effects. And how to prevent it from ever occurring to you.
With that being said, let’s begin…
What is Cancer?
Cancer is a disease where your body’s affected cells grow rapidly, randomly, and without control; blocking normal cell growth. This continuous growth forms into what is known as a tumor, or group of continuously growing cells. These cells can break off of the tumor and spread to other areas of the body, adding to the damage created by this unforgiving disease.
Tumors are also dangerous because they affect the cells around them, and start to modify the functions within the body’s systems to where the systems can no longer do their job properly. And if the cells within a system cannot perform their job, then the system breaks down and that body part no longer functions.
Imagine if that was your lungs, bones, or digestive system (colon). If any of those systems no longer function properly, then we will soon be brought to the harsh reality of cancer.
We Are All Born With Cancer
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The truth is, we all already have cancer.
We are all born with cancerous cells within our bodies. If we did not, we would not be alive. Cancer is just a continuous growth of cells that can get out of control if triggered. That is why we see cancer occur at all stages of life. Even in children.
We all have cancer cells. Though many of us will live a long healthy life without ever experiencing its devastation at work.
Why is simply unknown. But we can speculate that it is due to the cancerous cells being triggered by a combination of unhealthy living, heredity, and old age. And the more triggers you send to your cells, the more likely you are to start having them grow rapidly.
If un-triggered, then you will likely never get a tumor. So the best way to prevent cancer is through healthy living.
Signs and Symptoms of Cancer
Before continuing, here are some common signs and symptoms that may help you determine if someone has cancer.
Unexpected Weight Loss
Prolonged Fever
Fatigue – felt often
Pains – that are reoccurring or in specific common cancer sites
Skin Changes
Change in Bowel Habits or Bladder Function
Sores that Don’t Heal
Lumps or Thickening of Skin
Prolonged Illness
Reference: *Cancer Basics 2019 http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-basics/signs-and-symptoms-of-cancer.html
Often times, many of these signs and symptoms need to be felt to indicate the possibility of increased cancer activity. However, there is no guarantee.
So, if you are ever concerned that you may have cancer it is imperative that you see your doctor right away and thoroughly explain your reasons for speculation.
For more information on Cancer signs and symptoms go to: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/
Cancer Risk
The risk of getting cancer among US citizens is relatively high, but there is still hopeful news.
In the US, the risk of getting cancer for males is 42% and 37.5% for females.
Of those with cancer, 86% are over the age of 50. And of those with cancer, ~70% survive and are able to live complete lives.
Also, it is estimated that 1.7 million people in the US will get cancer in 2019 (Cancer Basics 2019). And though these numbers can be scary, they can also be improved.
This is because the best treatment for cancer is PREVENTION through living a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.
Do our complete Risk Assessment >>
Cancer Prevention
Prevention is the best treatment for cancer. And healthy living is the best way to prevent cancer and other illnesses.
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Again, we are all born with cancerous cells within our body. And the more triggers, or “bad habits”, we give these cancerous cells, the more likely they are to become destructive.
So by avoiding a number of bad habits, we can greatly decrease our chances of ever triggering these cancer cells from growing out of control.
Here are some ways to prevent “triggering” cancer:
No Smoking or Inhalants
Little to no Alcohol with NO binge drinking
Avoid Allergens
No Gluten (Barley, Rye, Oats, Wheat, or Spelt)
Limit Dairy After Puberty
Pollens
Animal
Fish
Others
Avoid Processed Foods
Decrease Stress
Avoid Supplemental Anti-Oxidants
Limit Added Sugars
Keep Daily Protein Intake To
No Special Supplements or Unnecessary Drugs
These are some basic ways found to help prevent cancer as well as many other forms of illness; including diabetes, internal organ failures, or common sicknesses.
Of course though, to be healthy enough to prevent illnesses you must have a combination of exercise, a good diet, and the avoidance of “bad habits” such as those listed above.
Maintaining a Healthy Body
We know that we need to be healthy, but how do we know if we are healthy or not? The answer to that question varies because it is very individualistic.
“Healthy” is an opinioned term. This means that something may seem “healthy” to one individual and “unhealthy” to another. But the official definition is unclear.
However, a health assessment can be very beneficial in determining your risk level. And give you valuable insight into cancer prevention.
Take Your Health Assessment >>
Next, here are some physical guidelines that can help you better determine if you have a “healthy” amount of exercise and body composition to help prevent cancer:
Weekly Exercise Minimums
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Below is a chart stating the minimum amount of weekly exercise you need to do in order to maintain a healthy body and prevent cancer. But realize that these are only minimums. And if you truly want to be healthy, you should do at least twice as much exercise, if not more.
Intensity
% VO2 Max
Minutes / Day
Days / Week
Moderate
40-60%
30 min.
≥ 5
or
Vigorous
60-85%
20 min.
≥ 3
or
A Combination of these 2 Intensities
Reference: Williams, L., Wilkins. (2019). ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. American College of Sports Medicine. Tenth Edition. [Text]
Note: These are the weekly physical activity minimums as stated by the American College of Sports Medicine for an individual to obtain the physiological benefits of exercise required to not be considered sedentary, or without exercise.
Exercise Intensity
First of all, I know that most people do not know their VO2 Max. Also known as, the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use at one time during exercise. So let me simplify it for you.
Moderate-intensity is a pace that you can maintain for an extended period of time. And is intense enough that you cannot maintain a conversation during the activity. Think of it as between a 4-6 difficulty on a 1-10 scale. 10 being the hardest thing you have ever done and 1 being just above rest, such as standing.
Vigorous-intensity is a near-maximal intensity where you are working at a rate in which you may need to stop and do multiple bouts within the given time. Usually, this exercise lasts only 3-7 minutes per bout and is between a 6-8.5 on a scale of 1-10.
Why Do We Care?
Now, why do we care about VO2 Max and meeting the exercise minimums, suggested by ACSM? We care because it has been shown that an increase in VO2 Max, also suggesting an increase in heart efficiency, decreases the rate of all-cause mortality.
This means that the more efficient you are at exercising, the better chance you have to avoid all causes of death by cardiac (heart) instances, illness, and disease.
This, of course, does not guarantee that you will not have something like a heart attack or cancer occur. But it greatly decreases your chances.
ACSM Body Composition Guidelines
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Another way to decrease your all-cause mortality and prevent illnesses, such as cancer, is through maintaining healthy body composition. This is what the ACSM gives as basic guidelines for body composition:
Calculating BMI
BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a measurement of body mass density. This measurement is the leading standard for determining the risk level for all-cause mortality. Or the likelihood of death from a heart-related incident (heart attack, heart disease, etc.) or illness (cancer, life-threatening diseases, etc.).
BMI = Bodyweight (kg) / Height² (m)
Or
BMI = [ Bodyweight (lbs) / 2.204 (kg) ] / [ Height (inches) X 0.0254 ]²
Weight (kg) = Bodyweight (lbs) / 2.204
1 kg = 2.204 lbs
Height (m) = Height (inches) x (0.0254)
1 inch = 0.0254 cm
Body Mass Index (BMI) Risk Level and Classification
BMI
Risk Level
Classification
Increased Risk
Underweight
18.6-24.9
Normal Risk
Optimal
25-29.9
Increased Risk
Overweight
30-34.9
High Risk
Obese – Class 1
35-39.9
Very High Risk
Obese – Class 2
≥40
Extreme Risk
Obese – Class 3
*Risk Level is greatly increased when paired with a large waist circumference.
Reference: Williams, L., Wilkins. (2019). ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. American College of Sports Medicine. Tenth Edition. [Text]
Waist Circumference
Your waist circumference is a measurement around the largest area of your stomach, or just below the navel.
While standing with feet together, arms at sides and feet relaxed, take a horizontal (level) measurement around the narrowest part of the torso between the umbilicus (belly button) and xiphoid process (base tip of the sternum).
Waist Circumference Risk Level
Men
Women
Risk Level
Very Low
80-99cm / 31.5-39in.
70-89cm / 28.5-35in.
Low
100-120com / 39.5-47in.
90-110cm / 35.5-43in.
High
>120com / >47in.
>110cm / >43.5in.
Very High
*Risk level is greatly increased when paired with an obese BMI measurement (≥30).
Referenced by: Williams, L., Wilkins. (2019). ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. American College of Sports Medicine. Tenth Edition. [Text]
Muscle vs. Fat Tissue
By improving your body composition, you are much more likely to live a longer, healthier, cancer-free life. As you will place less stress on your body’s systems, allowing them to function better.
However, both your BMI and your Waist Circumference present the same health risk; whether your mass is made mostly of fat or muscle tissue. In fact, the stress on the heart may even be greater in those with more muscle.
This is because muscle tissue has blood vessels and must be maintained. While fat is simply stored, with little maintenance. And muscle puts increased stress on the heart to function at a higher rate at all times.
So it doesn’t matter if you are made mostly of rock-solid muscle or fat. The same risk applies because it is based on your heart. Not based on your tissue.
Helpful Weight Management Articles:
[image error] JACKED – How To Build Muscle >>
RIPPED – How To Get 6-Pack Abs >>
The Bottom Line For Cancer Prevention
A lot is still unknown about Cancer. Except that we are all born with the potential for it to occur.
This is why we see children with cancer even though they have done nothing to trigger these uncontrolled growth responses. We simply do not know why they occur. And they can happen to anybody.
Even the most elite athletes can obtain cancer, such as Lance Armstrong. He was a world-class athlete and had multiple battles with cancer. But he survived them all. And he is a great example that cancer can be overcome.
Yet, the best treatment for cancer is still prevention.
And many people can prevent cancer, along with other illnesses, just by simply taking care of their body’s. If you live a lifestyle where you do not care for your body, then you cannot expect it to be able to protect you when you need it most.
However, just by taking a little time to exercise, eat clean, and avoid bad habits, you can greatly decrease your chances of ever getting a life-threatening illness. Then you can feel better and be there for the people and things that you love.
Take Action
So I suggest that you choose to challenge yourself. To make a better life for yourself, and those around you by taking action. And fight back against cancer, by preventing it all together!
I know it is not always easy and many of us already do way too much. But we have to put ourselves first sometimes to better be able to help others.
And that can be as simple as just being there for them in the future. And not placing the stress of possibly preventable illnesses on them.
So take action and be different today. Because tomorrow may be too late.
I wish you the best of luck at preventing cancer. And remember to keep getting stronger my friends! Stay Stronger Than Cancer!
References
Cancer Basics. (2019). Retrieved from
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-basics/signs-and-symptoms-of-cancer.html
Wilkins. Williams, L. (2019). ACSM’s Guidelines For Exercise Testing and Prescription. American College of Sports Medicine. Tenth Edition. [text]
September 20, 2019
STRONGER | How To Build Strength
Of course, we all workout to get stronger. Yet, few people truly understand how to build strength properly. Then, even fewer people know how to continue building strength over time. This is because the stronger you get, the harder it becomes. That is unless you know what you are doing. This article will go over the 3 best ways to build strength for years to come!
Get the Ultimate Strength Guide to Building Unlimited Strength! >>
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Getting stronger is simple, it just takes a lot of hard work.
First, building strength is very basic and, over time, can be boring. As most people are looking for a new innovative way of how to workout, because it is more exciting than the simple formula that has been around for decades. The thing is, the ways to build strength have been the same since the start of time.
Now, to clarify, what we mean by building strength is your body’s ability to do more work (training volume), or lift more weight (training intensity), than before. By increasing your work capacity, or the amount of total work you can withstand, you are stronger than before. This is the same as the ability to lift a heavier weight.
These are the 3 best ways to continuously Build Strength:
Improve Your Technique
Get Bigger
Do More work than Before
Improve Your Technique To Build Strength
First, by improving your technique you will train your body to move more efficiently. And as a result, improving your leverages will ultimately increase your strength potential; also known as, the ability for your body to get stronger.
Improving your technique includes improving your positioning throughout the lift; so that your body moves through the strongest positions. A simple way to picture this is by imagining lifting a weight off the ground. Such as during a deadlift.
During the deadlift, if you have an improper or inefficient technique, such as standing back away from the weight a foot or so, you will be out of position during the entire lift. Then you will not be able to lift as much weight, because your body will not be in the strongest position with the greatest amount of leverage. This improper positioning is often seen through back rounding and shoulder shrugging. And, of course, this would also increase your risk of injury.
However, by simply improving your technique by lifting the load closer to your center of balance you will improve your efficiency and be able to lift more weight. It is as simple as that!
The technique for every lift is specific to every individual, due to different body types. But there are proper and improper movement patterns for every body movement. And if you learn the few basic movement patterns for the human body, then you can apply them to every other movement and exercise you do.
Learn the proper technique to every lift and exercise with our Complete Exercise Guide!
Set-Up Properly
What many people fail to realize during any exercise is that how you set up for the lift is equally as important as actually performing the lift. This is because if you set up improperly, the lift has no chance at being technically efficient, as you are already out of position. So, by simply setting up properly, your body has a better chance of using the proper movement pattern throughout the entire exercise.
Repetition
Research says that it takes 300-500 repetitions to learn a new movement pattern and 3,000-5,000 repetitions to correct an improper movement pattern.
And, along with improving your set up, you can further improve your technique by improving your movement, or motor pattern. To do this you have to repetitively practice the same movement pattern over and over again. This will increase your body’s neurological signal to each muscle and further your movement efficiency.
It has been found that it takes 300-500 repetitions to learn a new movement pattern. But it takes 3,000-5,000 repetitions to correct an improper movement pattern. That may sound intimidating but, if you break it down, it is not as difficult as it seems.
To improve a movement, such as a squat, you can do as few as 10 repetitions a day for 30 days to start seeing a change.
With that in mind, it is best to learn how to move properly from the start of training by getting assistance from a trained professional. Or by training yourself with the right knowledge, as we provide here.
Take our 30 Day Challenge to correct your body’s movement patterns! >>
Just remember, technique improvement is a never-ending task that will always be changing as your body grows over time. But, as your positioning, neurological efficiency, and overall technique improve, your strength will increase dramatically!
So, by simply improving your technique you will get stronger and build strength.
Get Bigger To Build Strength
Next, another way to increase your strength is by simply getting bigger. By gaining size and increasing your body mass you will be able to withstand heavier loads as they are lighter relative to your body weight.
By simply getting bigger, by building more muscle or increasing body fat, you will improve your mechanical leverages and allow for greater support. Of course, increasing your muscle size and density will allow for stronger contractions. But, as your muscles grow, they will also have a better angle of pull.
This is because as a muscle grows it slightly changes the angle the muscle fibers lay in and pull from, which allows for more efficient contractions. Plus, as your muscles grow, they will increase the number of myofibrils (“pulling chains”) within each muscle fiber. This will create more connections for your muscle to pull with, leading to a stronger contraction. But do not confuse this with increasing your number of muscle fibers.
You Cannot Build More Muscle Fibers
You are born with a certain number of muscle fibers within each cell, which cannot change. So the only way to grow muscle is through increased density or size. Both of these forms of growth increase the number of actin-myosin connections (the cells that go through the action of contracting each fiber) within each myofibril. And therefore the ability to create tension within a muscle.
The definition of muscular strength is the ability to create tension within a muscle. Any stress placed upon a muscle, which it initiates growth, will increase the muscle’s ability to create tension; through the addition of more myofibrils or actin-myosin connections.
However, body fat can also allow for greater strength gains. Though the addition of body fat does not directly improve the contractibility of a muscle it does also aid in improving the angle of pull; by adding mass and increases the energy storage within each muscle.
So if you do nothing else towards building strength, getting bigger alone will make you stronger.
Do More Work Than Before
Third, the most common way to increase strength is by consistently doing more work than before. This can be an increase in the total training volume or an increase in training intensity.
For example, if one week you do a certain number of repetitions with a particular weight. And then the next week you do more repetitions, you are building strength. Similarly, if one week you use a certain weight; and the next week you do the same exercise with a heavier weight you are, again, increasing your strength. These are the simplest formulas used by strength athletes to build strength.
Both of these progressive overload techniques are useful in building strength. And are commonly used together in a workout program. However, for both techniques to work, they must be done consistently over time to truly increase strength.
When building strength, your body will adapt to the stresses you place upon it. By continually increasing the stress placed upon your body, it will adapt by becoming stronger.
However, if you place too much stress upon your body without proper recovery your body will not be able to adapt fast enough. And you will see a breakdown in the form of injury or weaknesses of some kind.
So to continue a safe strength progression, do not forget to allow proper time for recovery; through proper rest, nutrition and other recovery methods.
Keep Getting Stronger
Again, building strength is simple but takes a lot of hard work over a long period of time. You must stay consistent and always progress forward by doing more work than yesterday.
You can quickly increase your strength by improving your technique or by gaining more size. But eventually, it all comes down to how much work you are willing to put in.
Strength training is something where what you put in is what you get out. If you only put in a minimal amount of work you will get a minimal amount of results. If you train hard, stay consistent and always push for progress then you will continue to get stronger.
Keep getting stronger my friends.
Get the Ultimate Strength Guide to Building Unlimited Strength! >>
September 14, 2019
Stronger In Minutes | Home Bodyweight Workout Routine
We all want to get strong, lean, and fit. But we don’t all have the time we need to go to the gym or run around doing cardio classes. Well, now you don’t have too! Stronger In Minutes is the perfect every day home bodyweight workout routine for beginners to get fitter, leaner, and stronger in just minutes a day!
A Workout anywhere, anytime! Just set a timer and go to work at your own pace!
All you need to get started is:
A Timer
Some floor space
The FREE Daily 30 Bodyweight Strength Training Guide
A Home Bodyweight Workout Routine for Beginners
You need something fast, that fits your schedule and does not take away from other parts of your day.
One of the greatest difficulties with exercise for most people is time and equipment. Many of us have long, hard days, full of work, caring for your family, and our beloved T.V. shows that leave little time for any extra activity.
The last thing we are thinking of on these days is our health and doing exercise. Some of you may be progressive and take the occasional walk or staircase climb, but we should know by now that that does not actually create any needed changes to your health.
You need something fast, that fits your schedule and does not take away from other parts of your day. Well, as our Motto says, “If you can Change Your World, you can Change The World”, and we are here to start changing yours.
So, that is why we made this home bodyweight workout routine for beginners. To help fit fitness into your life, making fitness a lifestyle for you and your family!
All you need is some floor space, a timer, and the Daily 30 Bodyweight Strength Training Guide to guide you!
Try it today and you will feel great, guaranteed!
The Daily 30 Bodyweight Exercise Routine
The Daily 30 Bodyweight Exercise Routine has already helped thousands of men, women, children, and teens just like you:
Get Stronger
Lose Body Fat
Improve Mobility
Recover Faster
Increase Muscular Fitness
Decrease Muscle and Joint Pain—Naturally
and so much more!
Take our 30 Day Challenge to find out for yourself!
The Daily 30 Bodyweight Exercise Routine is a simple, fast and effective Bodyweight Exercise Routine that combines only the most effective Bodyweight Strength Training Exercises into an easy-to-follow Full Body Workout!
The best part is, anyone can do it; children, teens, men, women, and even seniors! You can do it with your family, while you’re watching kids, during your favorite T.V. shows, or throughout the day as a short break from stressful work.
This makes it the perfect home bodyweight workout routine for beginners that want to get strong, lean and fit—fast! Do it anywhere, anytime! And it only takes a few minutes every day!
Learn more about the Daily 30 Bodyweight Exercise Routine! >>
The Daily 30 Bodyweight Exercises
One round of the Daily 30 Bodyweight Exercise Routine consists of the following 3 exercises performed for 10 repetitions each.
Standard Version:
Paleo Squat
Push-Up
Prone Cobra
*You can always add more Bodyweight Exercises . However, never skip over or vary from these 3 base movements.
Modified Version:
Assisted Paleo Squat
Decline Push-Ups
Standing Prone Cobra
This modified version is for those that are injured or unable to perform the standard version due to other limitations.
Get the FREE Daily 30 Bodyweight Strength Training Program! >>
The Stronger In Minutes Workout
Finally!!! You can start getting stronger anywhere, anytime in just a few short minutes!
This is a home bodyweight workout routine that you can do anywhere, anytime, and at your own intensity. It can easily fit into your life and will help you get stronger, leaner, and fitter!
Simply evaluate how much time you have and use every minute of it to improve your health! If you have 5, 10, 15, 20, or even 30 minutes, then set a timer and do as many rounds of the Daily 30 Bodyweight Exercise Routine as you can.
Try to do a minimum of 1 round per minute, resting only as needed. If you need more rest, then catch your breath and keep going. If you can handle the intensity, then push your self to go faster and do even more with less rest.
The key is you have to push yourself. The more you put in the more you will get out. So, work hard and always strive for progress!
This home bodyweight workout routine should be done 3-6 days per week. Try to do a minimum of 50 minutes of total work every week.
Bodyweight Workout Details
What makes this bodyweight workout routine so effective is its simplicity. You are only doing the most effective and basic bodyweight exercises that are bodies are designed to do every single day. Nothing fancy or too hard for beginners. Just what works!
Also, as you switch between upper and lower body exercises your heart will have to work extra hard to circulate the blood to these peripheral areas, adding to your metabolic demands. This will help to improve your heart function, blood flow, and cardiovascular conditioning with minimal work.
Scale the intensity of the exercises as needed to complete each with proper form. If your strength is holding you back from continuing the workout you may also hold a low squat position or the top push-up position for a count of 10 to continue the workout.
Get Started Today!
This is a very simple and easy home bodyweight workout that will help you get strong, fit, and lean all at once! Plus, you will gain physical and mental strength while relieving any built-up stress.
Again, all you need to get started is:
A Timer
Some floor space
The FREE Daily 30 Bodyweight Strength Training Guide
Then you’re all set! So go get the guide and set that timer today!
For more No Equipment Home Bodyweight Workout Routines check out:
September 5, 2019
Yoga for Athletes: 4 Ways to Advance Your Practice
4 Ways to Advance Your Practice
No matter what type of athlete you are, yoga can improve your performance. Yoga builds strength, flexibility, and balance to keep your body in peak condition and prevent injury.
However, like other workouts, your yoga practice can plateau. If your yoga flow has started to feel like you’re just going through the motions, why not introduce new challenges into your yoga practice? These are four tips, tools, and tech you can use to keep things interesting on the mat.
This is a guest article by Jason Lewis from StrongWell.org!
Get our FREE Daily 30 Bodyweight Strength Training Guide! >>
1 – Set Goals for Yourself
Yoga might not be your primary athletic pursuit, but progressing in yoga requires setting goals and tracking results just like your cardio and strength training does. If logging workouts in a notebook is a little too old-school for you, download an app to set weekly and monthly goals for yourself. You can use a yoga-specific app with progress-tracking features, like Pocket Yoga, or a general fitness tracking app like Fitness Buddy or MyFitnessPal.
If you’re sporting an outdated phone that doesn’t support the latest apps, use this as the push you need to finally upgrade. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go broke just to replace your smartphone; even the iPhone XS is only $41.66 a month through a provider like Verizon. Android users also have options at all budget levels, and it only takes a little research to find the right one.
2 – Find a Teacher You Click With
Most people tend to stick with the same few routines when practicing yoga at home. Searching for videos is tedious, and once you find an instructor and flow that you like, it’s easier to return to an old favorite than sift through the countless options online.
Taking a yoga class can be just what you need to push your practice to the next level. In class, there’s no fast-forwarding through sequences or turning the video off early. And with an instructor to mix things up each time, you’re forced to stay alert in order to keep pace.
You’ll get more out of a yoga class if you find an instructor you enjoy learning from. Look for instructors who teach your preferred yoga style, whether that’s Vinyasa, Bikram, Ashtanga, or another yoga variant, then test out different classes until you find a teacher who makes you feel comfortable yet motivated in your yoga practice.
3 – Incorporate Mini-Sessions Into Your Practice
If you struggle to find the motivation for full-length yoga practice, give yourself permission to practice for as little as seven minutes at a time. You might not get the same physical workout you’d get from a 60-minute flow, but short sessions are a great centering activity. Incorporate seven-minute flows into your morning and bedtime routines, squeeze a session into breaks at work, or intersperse high-intensity workouts with yoga stretches to prevent stiff muscles.
4 – Attend a Yoga Workshop
Is there one yoga skill that keeps tripping you up? If something is holding your yoga practice back, a yoga workshop is a great chance to overcome it. Workshops let yogis dive deep into one particular skill or pose, and with more opportunity for one-on-one work, you can get the expert advice you need to step up your practice.
Yoga workshops might focus on mastering an advanced pose, learning yogic breathing styles, improving alignment and posture, overcoming an injury, or another topic. Ask your instructor if you’re not sure where to find yoga workshops near you.
There’s no one right way to practice yoga. Maybe you practice yoga as a “rest day” activity, or perhaps yoga is a core part of your fitness routine. No matter how you approach yoga, you should always strive to grow in your practice.
September 2, 2019
Live To Be Remembered
What is your legacy? What will people remember you for? Will you be remembered for your kindness or your bad attitude? And, what do you want people to remember about you?
I have written many motivational posts, but these Words Of Wisdom may be my most important…
This is an excerpt from my Book “Motivated Mindset“.
Don’t let your lack of motivation hold you back from achieving your goals!
Find your motivation and change your life forever!
If you want an easy life then go be Normal.
But, if you are willing to take on the challenges and difficulties of life, then get ready to be remembered.
Leave A Legacy
Every day we have the opportunity to leave a mark on all those in which we come across. And, the opportunity to give people something to remember us for.
We can stand out, or be invisible. We can present them with kindness, or leave them with a bad feeling towards us.
You cannot just make up a lifetime of wrongdoing, and bad impressions, with a few kind acts. What we do every single day matters!
You have one shot at making every day a success.
It doesn’t matter what you choose to do with your life, as long as you choose to make an impression when you do it. If you are a teacher, have an office job, do a service, sell products, create things, or work for yourself; be the best at it.
Whatever you do with your life, be the best you can be at it. Be the one that everyone looks up too, and put your heart into every moment.
You don’t need to be famous to be great. You just have to show yourself, how great you are, and can be. Some of the world’s greatest people were only ever known to a few people. And yet they made a lasting impression.
Everything you do, everything you say, every choice you make, every interaction, every day, every moment, you need to leave a lasting impression that you are someone worth remembering…forever.
My Dream
To be remembered. That is my dream, and that is my motivation. That is the motivation behind everything I do and have done. I want to be remembered by everyone that I interact with. I want to leave an impact on people’s lives so that they always remember who Ryan J. Mathias is.
I am not perfect, and I have no extraordinary powers. But I do try to help people as much as I can. I hope that I have helped you in some way and given you something to remember me by. And, I hope I have helped you find your motivation and given you some valuable wisdom to continue forward with.
I Believe In You
I want you to know that I believe in your ability to be successful.
The same as I beleive in myself, I believe in you and I want you to achieve your dreams. I want you to continue along your journey to success and help to change the world!
So, never stop fighting for your dreams and always live to be remembered!
Always remember, you are not average and never will be!
You are here to make an impression that everyone wants to emulate, but just can’t replicate! You are leading your own journey to success and carving a new path for the world to follow!
And there’s nothing that can stop you!
You are not only going to reach the mountain top but raise the peak higher! You are great, and you are rememberable!
Now go Change The World!
Live each day as if to build your legacy and to be remembered for the greatness in you.
Create Your Motivated Mindset Today!
Follow the Strength Blog for more great content like this!
August 26, 2019
Your Future Is Up To You
Your future is up to you. No one can make you do anything. You have to choose what to do, then take action. If you want to have a successful future, then you have to make it happen. And if you want to achieve your dreams, then you have to fight for them. Whatever your future becomes, is up to you. So, you have to make the future you want.
This is an excerpt from my Book “Motivated Mindset“.
Don’t let your lack of motivation hold you back from achieving your goals!
Find your motivation and change your life forever!
Leave A Legacy
The decisions you make should reflect the future you want.
Live your future not only for yourself but also for those that follow in your footsteps. Because your future does not only affect you. It affects those around you.
If you want to create a better future for your family, then it starts with you. You are constantly paving a path for others to walk down. You can create an easier path for others while creating your own success.
It’s not about how far you can go, but how far you can lead others in the same direction. Those that follow you will carry on your legacy.
Be the foundation they need to succeed and present them with a legacy that they can build on!
Work For It
Then, you have to work towards creating your future every day and be motivated by the dreams you have. Visualize what you want and base your decisions off of that image every day.
Plan your path to success and walk along with it. Figure out what you need to do everyday in order to keep working towards your successful future and do it.
Don’t hold back, push forward. Be strong and take on the hard challenges with passionate intensity. Be confident and respect others along the path.
Your future is in your hands, and it is your responsibility to create it. So, go get it!
Create Your Motivated Mindset Today!
Follow the Strength Blog for more great content like this!
August 24, 2019
RIPPED Six Pack Abs
How to Get Six Pack Abs—Fast!
Of course, we all want to build a pair of sexy six-pack abs. The problem is, that it is not easy! It takes hard work, dedication and time. But if you can stay focused, then you, just like anyone else, can get ripped! You just have to lose that belly fat and get those ab muscles bulging! This article will teach you how to do it best! Then you can get those ab muscles bulging in time to show off your summer beach body!
First: Get our FREE Bodyweight Strength Training Guide! >>
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We all want those nice-looking, six-pack abs that everyone stares at. However, few people know how to get them. There are just too many ab myths around to sort through for people to really the truth of how to get a nice pair of abdominals.
Some people say it’s all diet, while others say diet doesn’t matter. And too many people believe that if you just do a bunch of abdominal exercises you will get those abs popping. While others say you don’t need to train them at all.
A lot of people also believe it is all about genetics, and how fit your parents were.
So with all these beliefs, which one is it? How do we get those nice looking six-pack abs? How do we get ripped?
The truth is, most of those beliefs are true. However, doing only one of those things will not give you those nice looking six-pack abs we all want. It takes a lot of things added together to get yourself a pair of ripped abdominals that really show.
It takes a lot of things added together to get yourself a pair of abdominals that really show.
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Exercise for Six Pack Abs
First and foremost, many people believe that weight loss is 70% diet and 30% exercise. This is absolutely NOT TRUE.
How can it be? Diet only adds in calories while exercise takes away calories. Plus, exercise gives you long-lasting benefits, including metabolic effects that can continue burning off calories long after your workout ends. Read more on this here! >>
Therefore, the main piece to any weight loss, or transformation plan MUST BE EXERCISE.
With that said, you need to exercise at least 5 days per week, if not every day. And remember, walking is NOT exercise!
By exercising often, especially on a daily basis, you are constantly burning off calories and gaining the muscular benefits of exercise. And, when training that frequently (5+ days per week), you should do moderate-intensity exercise.
Moderate Intensity Exercise
The minimum amount you need to do is 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise daily. Also, make sure to keep your heart rate up to where it is difficult to breathe the entire time. Examples are running, cycling or a circuit at the gym with minimal rest periods.
You can also do bodyweight exercises or any other form of exercise that keeps you moving the whole time. But focus on keeping your heart rate up.
Try this Bodyweight Circuit Routine! >>
High-Intensity Interval Training
High-Intensity Interval Training burns the most belly fat the fastest!
If you have a lot of belly fat to remove in order to see your developed abdominals, you should consider doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT) 2-3 days per week.
High-intensity training done 2-3 days per week, in the form of sprinting, burns the most belly fat the fastest. And, therefore, is the fastest way to get RIPPED six-pack abs! The problem is, most people are unwilling to put in that kind of work.
It is best to do sprints, but you can also do other forms of high-intensity cardio training such as cycling or jump roping. But, with any exercise you do, it MUST BE INTENSE.
An example is sprinting for 20-30 seconds, then resting for up to a minute. You can also do shorter and longer rest periods, but a 1:2 work to rest ratio works well with high-intensity exercise.
Again, this should only be done 2-3 days per week. And it replaces your moderate-intensity exercise for that day.
However you choose to do your daily exercise, just remember that it is the main piece to any weight loss, transformation or six-pack abs plan. However, there is still more to it.
Diet for RIPPED Six Pack Abs
You simply cannot eat your way to a six pack.
The next important piece to getting ripped is diet. Your diet is important and plays a major role in fat loss. But, it is not the main piece.
You cannot eat your way to a 6-pack from a high body fat state, without the use of exercise. Again, diet can only add in calories, it does not take them away.
Also, there is nothing magic about your diet that is going to suddenly make you lose fat or weight. It is as simple as calories in, versus calories out. If you eat more calories than you lose from exercise, you will gain weight. If you eat fewer calories than you use daily, you will lose weight.
However, when you lose this weight, you are more likely to lose muscle than fat. That is unless you give your body a reason to maintain the muscle mass you have.
This is because muscle is hard for your body to maintain. So your body tries to get rid of any extra muscle mass that is not important for survival. That is why it is important to do some amount of strength training, or resistance exercise, while on your diet. This will give your body a reason to maintain muscle mass and just burn off fat.
Strength Training for Six Pack Abs
The strength training you do does not need to be highly intense. And can be done as part of your training circuit at the gym.
If you choose to do that, do 10-15 repetitions per exercise on compound (multi-joint) exercises that use multiple muscle groups, for the greatest results. Things like squats, deadlifts, and presses.
Strength training should be utilized 3-6 days per week and be added to your other exercise activities; which are done afterward.
Strength Training Programs! >>
More on Diet
Also, our diet should not consist of high-density foods with a lot of calories. For example, ice cream, cheesecake or other high-calorie desserts.
Also, avoid added sugars, because these change your hormones to where you will end up retaining, if not gaining, more body fat.
You can have some treats, but limit yourself to one day per week that you have something very sugary.
Also, avoid drinking your calories in things such as juices or alcohol. These add up calories quickly.
Try to eat a good combination of healthy, nutrient-dense foods, such as meat (white and dark), fruit, and vegetables.
Also, try not to overindulge in too many fruits or nuts all day, as those add up calories quickly as well.
Eat a wide variety of healthy foods, and just keep track of your overall caloric intake.
Review our Diet and Nutrition Principles! >>
More on Diet and How To Cut Calories. >>
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Six Pack Genetics
A third and smaller piece to the puzzle is Genetics. Diet and exercise are the main pieces that take up most of the efforts. But you also need to think of other factors.
Genetics is an important factor. Some people are more predisposed to have less muscle growth and more abdominal fat. While, some people have very clean cut looking abs, almost naturally while others may not ever see them.
The genetics we have effect our metabolism to some degree and also shape how our abs look. So genetics is mentionable as a factor.
How To Train Your Abs
Train your abs for size, not endurance!
Also, you should train your abdominals for hypertrophy (size), if you want them to stick out more. If you train them for endurance, you are more likely to make them shrink than stand out.
They need to be built, not just worked!
Even through layers of fat, large abdominal muscles can give you some base look of a six-pack. So train your abdominals. Not so much with high repetitions like a cardio session, but more like other muscle groups; such as the biceps.
Do 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions of abdominal exercises that are difficult for you, 3-4 days per week.
It’s best to do weighted exercises such as weighted crunches or hanging leg raises. See more six-pack abs exercises and their descriptions here >> Ab and Core Exercises.
Get our FREE Bodyweight Strength Training Guide! >>
Sleep More to get RIPPED
Sleep is very important for not only recovery from exercise, but also to regulate your hormones and rid you of unnecessary stress.
The final extra piece that needs to be mentioned is sleep.
Sleep is very important for not only recovery from exercise, but also to regulate your hormones and rid you of unnecessary stress. Stress leads to increased abdominal fat. And sleep alone can help greatly in decreasing your stress levels.
So make sure you are getting an absolute minimum of 7 hours of sleep daily. However, 8-9 hours per day is best.
How much Sleep do you actually need? >>
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Final Notes
Of course, there are many other small factors that can be added into your ripped six-pack plan, but these are the main ones:
Exercise
Diet
Genetics
Sleep
So there you have it! Your very own guide on how to obtain those sought after ripped six-pack abs. Now all you have to do is apply it!
You have to choose to go out and exercise on a daily basis. You have to choose to make a change in your diet and eat only what will help you reach your goals. Then you have to choose to put all the pieces together, such as getting to sleep on time every day. And you have to choose to go after the goals you set and achieve them.
Just remember, to work towards your goals every day, and you will soon reach the mountain top. Then be ready to look for the next one! Now, go change your world!
Keep getting stronger my friends!
Get our FREE Bodyweight Strength Training Guide! >>
Read more articles from the Strength Blog! >>
Related Articles:
6 Steps to Fat Loss Forever! >>
JACKED – How to get BIG and Strong! >>
SHREDDED – How to get Lean and Cut! >>
August 23, 2019
SHREDDED How To Get Lean
How to Get Lean and Cut
If you workout, then we know you want to get SHREDDED; aka Lean, Cut, Aesthetic, Defined and Muscular. I mean, who doesn’t want to have 6-pack abs to show off? The thing is, as with everything in life, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. This article will go over the best way of how to get lean while maintaining your hard-earned muscle mass. So, then you can look like Bruce Lee, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or the new Bodybuilding Mr. Olympia sooner than you think!
First: Get the best program for SHREDDED Lean Muscle! >>
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Read Part 1: JACKED Muscle Plan – How To Get Bigger! >>
First, this article is a continuation of our previous article, JACKED – How to get Big and Strong. In that article, we discuss your basal metabolic rate, activities for muscular growth and nutritional concepts to manipulate your weight. If you have not done so already, I recommend you go back to that article first to get a base for what we discuss here. Then you will have a basic understanding of how to get bigger and build muscle mass, properly.
This article will teach you how to maintain your muscle mass while losing body fat. So then you will look lean and shredded like a pro bodybuilder!
What does it mean to be SHREDDED?
So what do we mean by getting SHREDDED?
What most people want to do when losing weight or getting leaner is lose body fat while maintaining, or even increasing, muscle mass. This helps to give an aesthetic look that shows off the muscle you have already built. But, oftentimes people have a non-optimal way they go about losing body fat that also decreases their muscle mass.
So, before getting into the details of how to get lean, let’s review a little…
Metabolism Basics
“To lose weight you simply must eat fewer calories than you use.”
First, to lose weight you simply must eat fewer calories than you expend through your basal metabolic rate and daily activity, or exercise.
Your basal metabolic rate is the number of calories you expend without activity, or at rest. This rate can be raised by increasing your muscle mass; as muscle is calorie expensive tissue compared to body fat. That means your body has to work to maintain your muscle mass where fat tissue just sits around. This puts stress on your body to keep your muscles working.
So, if you want to increase or maintain muscle mass while losing weight, you must give it a reason to stay. You can do this by placing stress on the muscles, forcing them to be maintained.
Then, if you want to gain weight, you just have to eat more calories than you use daily. However, if you don’t stimulate muscle growth, then the extra calories will be stored as body fat.
This is the basis for using muscle mass to your advantage when manipulating your body weight.
Designed for Survival
Our bodies are designed very efficiently and only have one goal in mind…survival. So, our body systems work in unison for us to be able to survive out in the wild on our own.
With this in mind, we were not designed to have a plentiful supply of food throughout the day. We can see this through our ability to absorb almost all of the nutrients we consume and our capacity to store body fat.
Our bodies were designed to be ready for fasting, or starved states. So everything we consume is absorbed and what we do not use is stored.
Body Fat Is Necessary
Knowing this, we can see that storing excess calories as body fat is a necessary adaptation for survival. However, that does not always fit into the current aesthetic goals of most people today.
Many people of today want to lose body fat but maintain muscle so that they can look good, or SHREDDED. The problem is our body does not care how we look. It just wants to survive. And, unless properly stimulated, body fat is more valuable to survival than muscle.
This is because muscle is energy costing and vascular, or has blood vessels. These characteristics of muscle make it difficult to maintain compared to body fat; which is stored energy that can be used for survival when needed.
This poses a problem for those trying to maintain their muscle while losing weight. But there is a solution…exercise!
How To Lose Weight
Overall, losing bodyweight is an easy concept to understand. It is just the opposite of gaining size. You just have to eat fewer calories than you expend daily.
This is easier said than done because many people do not like to feel hungry.
Still, what do people do to lose weight? They eat less and start to exercise more by doing a ton of “cardio”. This can work, but it is not the best way for your health or long term success.
If you exercise more, you must eat more, or be in caloric balance, to adapt to the new workload. Otherwise, you will not have enough energy to workout as hard as you should. Then you will lose muscle mass due to lack of nutrients.
Also, “cardio” is not the best way to lose weight.
Weight Training vs. Cardio
“Cardio burns calories today, muscle burns calories forever.”
Doing cardio is great for burning calories but it does not have long-lasting effects extending beyond 24-48 hours after training.
Think of this…cardio burns calories today, muscle burns calories forever. What that means is that when you do cardio you burn calories during and shortly after. However, the effects will wear off within 24-48 hours, depending on the intensity. Then you will have to do another session to get the same results.
When building muscle, though, the new muscle burns calories during your training session and every day thereafter as long as you maintain it.
Of course, resistance training and cardiovascular training should be used together to present the greatest results.
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Train With Intensity
Just remember that whatever you do, it must be intense.
Resistance training must be intense enough to stimulate the muscle to grow or maintain itself. And your cardio should be done as high-intensity intervals. That form of cardio helps to maintain muscle mass while burning the most fat.
Overall, it is better to use muscle stimulating training that will cause growth in combination with some intense cardio training, such as sprint intervals, to obtain the greatest overall calorie deficit.
Training vs. Dieting
“Weight loss is NOT 10% training and 90% diet!”
How many times have you heard people say something like, “Weight loss is 10% training and 90% diet.”?
I’m here to tell you that is not true. Not even close! How can it be? Diet has limits much smaller than that of exercise. Plus, you do not get the same adaptations through diet as you do for exercise.
Diet affects your energy balance, but exercise affects everything.
Exercise influences your energy balance, muscular growth, hormonal changes, cardiovascular system, digestive system, central nervous system and so much more!
Still, don’t believe it?
Let’s think of it like this…an elite athlete is going to look like an elite athlete even on a poor diet. However, a sedentary person will not get a 6-pack no matter their diet.
Sedentary means “without exercise”. And remember, Walking is NOT Exercise!
Sedentary vs. Active
“When it comes down to it, exercise is what makes people look lean and SHREDDED.”
Sedentary individuals can be lean but they cannot have a strong muscular look without some form of exercise to create muscular growth. This is because diet does not influence your body as much as exercise and activity do.
Yet, it almost doesn’t matter what an endurance athlete eats because their energy expenditure is so high that even if they only eat what we consider to be “unhealthy”, they will still have low body fat. Assuming that their caloric intake to energy expenditure is balanced.
However, a sedentary individual that is in caloric and energy balance, meaning they eat the same amount of calories they expend through their basal metabolic rate and any activity, will be much more likely to lose muscle and gain body fat even on a healthy diet.
Diet only plays a role in energy balance and performance but has minimal influence on your ability to lose body fat alone.
Exercise, however, plays a major role in stimulating muscle and reducing body fat. So, when it comes down to it, exercise is what makes people look lean and SHREDDED.
Stimulate Your Muscles
Again, losing weight is as simple as eating fewer calories than you use to survive on or use for activity. This is true, but when losing overall weight on a caloric deficit you will likely lose muscle faster than you lose fat unless you give it proper stimulus.
If you stimulate your muscles for growth or at least put enough stress on them to be maintained, then you will lose less muscle and more body fat.
Again, your body just wants to survive. So if you put stress on your muscles to where they need to adapt by growing you will maintain your muscle mass while using your body fat to balance your caloric deficit.
This is beneficial in two ways: by allowing you to maintain your muscle mass and burning more body fat than you would have without the exercise.
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SHREDDED Workout Plans:
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Cut Back Calories
Now in order for this to work the best, and allow for the least muscle loss, you must make only small, incremental changes over a long period of time.
After you have built yourself up enough by eating enough to maintain your current activity load, then you can start cutting back calories to lose body fat.
You should start by being in a 200-500 calorie deficit while training in order to start losing weight. Then, only drop another 200-500 calories after it has stopped working. I recommend you start with 200 calorie change, then adjust as needed.
This should occur while doing intense exercises such as strength training, sports training or intense cardiovascular exercise, like sprints.
Whatever you choose, the exercise MUST be intense. Without enough intensity and volume, as discussed in the previous article, your muscle will not have enough of a reason to be maintained.
Also, you must continuously increase your total workload, so your body to be forced into muscular adaptation or maintenance.
With a caloric deficit and intense training, you can force your body to survive in a low body fat state, making you look lean and SHREDDED!
Eat More and Exercise More
“Eat more, exercise more, and then start to drop weight.”
For most people trying to lose weight, it is best to simply start increasing their workload through exercise. Start small and progressively increase over time for the best results.
As you increase your activity, you should actually eat more before trying to lose weight. This allows your body to adapt to the stresses of exercise while increasing your basal metabolic rate, before decreasing body fat. Basically, you need more calories to meet the energy needs of your new activity level.
Then, by eating more you will increase your muscle mass and basal metabolic rate so you can eat more calories than before. This allows you to have more room for free eating, or cheat meals. Then you can stay satisfied with little effect on your total caloric balance.
Which would you rather be?
This can be best viewed by thinking of two situations.
Situation #1: An individual trying to lose weight eats 2,000 calories daily on average. Then they cut out 500 calories per day to be in a deficit. After they plateau, they then cut out another 500 calories to lose more weight. They are now down to 1,000 calories per day which greatly limits the amount of food they can have to reach their nutrient needs and poses health risks.
Situation #2: An individual exercises and eats more calories until they reach a 3,000 calorie daily balance. They then have a much greater amount of calories they can cut down on to lose weight while still getting in enough food to be satisfied and healthy. Not to mention, they also gained more size and strength in the process. So, when they cut back calories they have more room for adjustments. Plus more drops they can do. And that is how the IFBB pro Bodybuilders do it, so it obviously works!
So the best approach is, eat more and exercise more, first. Then you can start to decrease your caloric intake by 200-500 calories while maintaining the same workload.
This allows you to eat more than you would have previously so that you can feel more satiated, while still allowing you to lose weight.
Eat more, exercise more, and then start to drop weight.
Final Notes on How To Get Lean
So, the next time you start on your goal to look lean and SHREDDED or hear of someone trying to lose bodyweight, you have an idea of what it takes.
I recommend anyone trying to get leaner does so with a partner. You can make each other accountable and help each other during the times when it gets hard. Just remember, consistency is the key.
Exercise intensely while consuming appropriate amounts of calories before starting to slowly decrease calories over time. As you reach your goals, keep training hard but then you may begin to eat more so that you are in caloric balance with your activity level, or excess to build muscle.
I wish you the best of luck and remember to keep getting stronger!
Read Part 1: JACKED Muscle Plan – How To Get Bigger! >>
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