Colin R. Stuckert's Blog, page 18
January 21, 2021
Do You Have Grit?
“If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.”
―Michelangelo
I’ve learned a lot about people over the years as a small business owner. The number one thing that I have observed is this:
Most people don’t have grit when it comes to success or accomplishment.
I define “grit” as having the unwavering dedication to do what you say you are doing to do no matter how hard it gets. It’s rare when you find someone that has natural grit.
Grit is necessary for accomplishing great things, but it’s not just grit that keeps people from reaching the greatness they have inside of them. I know plenty of people that have all the grit in the world, but still lack the understanding of what it takes to be successful. They don’t realize how long or how hard the work really is, and it’s this lack of understanding that sabotages their best efforts.
Success is always longer and harder than people expect.
I know people that have mountains of natural talent yet are in the same place they were 5 years ago. I also know that most of them will be in that same place—or very close to it—5 years from now.
This is because they either 1) don’t have the grit necessary, or 2) haven’t made the commitment to do the work that is necessary because they either do’t understand what the commit entails or because they are paralyzed by fear or laziness.
It’s sad because so many are stuck and there’s nothing I can do about it (although I try to help through my writing). There is no amount of advice or opportunity I can give them to make them change their ways. The human condition is one that changes from within, and only from within. No amount of coaching, advice, or help will ever do anything for the person that hasn’t first made the decision to do it for themselves.
You have to want it. Then you have to be willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to get what you want.
How far will you go
What if you have the grit and you want to do the work for as long as it takes?
I’m glad you asked. There is a way.
First, you have to understand what the work looks like. Second, you have to do everything you can to get good at doing that work (yes, getting good at work takes practice) until you get to the point where you do the work naturally on a daily basis.
Before we get to my specific recommendations for doing the work, I want to point out a few things that you have going for you as you venture on this journey.
First, you have access to all the information you will ever need, which has not always been the case. This is something most of us take for granted, especially the younger generation. 20 years ago, if you wanted to start a company, you would’ve needed network and capital, and most of the time plenty of each. Most business back then were started by those already in the business, or that had a partner that was in the business (or by those that paid a consultant a lot of money to teach them the business). These were the rules of the game before business become democratized by the Internet.
Nowadays, you can go from idea to first sale for a fraction of what it used to require and cost (free in some cases). Thank the Internet for that.
Not only has the Internet provided access to the information you need, it has also commoditized nearly every part of the business process. You can run a business for less than $100 a month and still have a website, 800-number, customer support, newsletter service, fulfillment service, and so on. It’s incredible.
What this all means is there has never been a better time to build something for yourself (and you should because the only way to have real security in life is to invest in yourself).
You would think that the opportunities the Internet now provides would mean a larger percent of the population would become independently successful. But the numbers don’t show this, and from what I’ve seen, it’s still the same 1% it’s always been.
Think about that. Only 1 out of every 100 people have the grit and unwavering determination necessary to become independently successful. In fact, I think the numbers are probably less than that… like maybe 1 out of every 200 or 300 people have what it takes.
So, what does this mean for you? Well, it could mean a lot of things; take from it what you will. Now, with that long aside out of the way, I want to share with you some of my ideas about the specific work that is needed to become successful. But before we get to that, I want to offer a couple disclaimers.
Disclaimer #1: The word “successful” can mean different things to different people so let’s avoid getting hung up on schematics. Whatever successful means to you is what you will strive for. Either way, the principles of grit and work are the same whether you are trying to become rich or just live a happy and healthy life.
Disclaimer #2: I’m not claiming I am “successful”—I know I have a long way to go. That said, by certain standards of time and freedom but not necessarily money, I consider myself successful—I set my own schedule and have assets I’ve built that pay for my living expenses. I am writing this from the point of view of someone that has accomplished certain things in life yet who still wants to (is going to) accomplish much more.
Sitting in front of this thing to work can be tough, but it has the power to change your life. Do you have the grit to force yourself to stay off of Facebook and in a spreadsheet?
Here is the most fundamental lessons about success that I’ve learned so far in my life:
You can build anything in the world if you invest 4 hours of focused, non-distracted or interrupted work on a daily basis.
4 hours. That’s it.
Of course, I need to explain a few things.
First, doing an hour of work in a quiet room with your phone and Facebook “off” is different than work in a coffee shop, office space, or other distracted environment with your phone at your side and notifications and distractions running rampant. I would say it’s about a 4-1 ratio—for every 1 hour of work you do that is hyper-focused and uninterrupted, you are getting about 4 hours of the work output you get in a distracted environment that is constantly pulling you away from focus.
There is a ton of research showing the negative effects that interruption and distraction have on work output, but I won’t get into those here. Do some research on your own if you want to understand why this is. And no matter what: turn notifications off when you are working!
Since a large part of the American workforce works in an office environment that is full of distractions and interruptions, you can get miles ahead of others by locking yourself in a room and focusing. It’s as simple as that.
It’s not only people that work in offices that you can outperform, it’s most people. The majority of people are addicted to the distractions that social media and connectedness provides. So, when I say “4 hours,” it’s a different kind of 4 hours from what most are probably used to. This is your opportunity.
Hours in a dayIf you sleep eight hours a day (and you should), you’ll have sixteen waking hours left to do with as you please. If you work the standard eight hour workday, you’ll still have eight hours left to do other things. If you commit only four hours of this “leftover” time to do focused work, you’ll still have four hours left to eat, commute and spend time with other activities. Not bad at all.
Of course, people are habitual time-wasters. This is why I always say that getting good at work takes practice. Building the habit of regularly putting in focused work takes time to develop. The more full your schedule is, the more time it will take to build the habit of focused work because you’ll have less time and energy to get the work slotted in. But if you keep at it, you will eventually build a solid routine. And that’s what you want because that’s where the results come from.
When you start dedicating two or more hours a day to focused work, magical things start happening. It gets much easier when you are habitually working focused hours because you will more easily get into flow state, and, before you know it, two hours becomes four, and four becomes six, and so on. It’s the first two hours of habit that are the bitch. This is why you should start trying to get the first hour into habit (then the 2nd and so on).
Take note: If you can’t commit to 4 hours a day to work towards your goals, regardless of how “crazy” your schedule is, you should take it as a sign that you don’t want it enough.
Of course, none of this is going to happen overnight. That’s why you should start with the goal of getting just one solid work hour in a day. Goal-reaching (is that a word?) 101 states that if you start small, you set yourself up for success because you can celebrate small wins—and on the flip side, if you start big, you are likely to fail because you make it too hard on yourself and you get frustrated and quit.
Start small, get a win, then build on that. Positive momentum is necessary for accomplishing anything in life. No matter how grand your goal is, you get there the same way you get any where: by taking strategic steps.
Start with one hour a day of focused work and grow from there.
What it takesIn anything you start that is hard, you are going to struggle in the beginning. This is the process so you better just accept it. From what I’ve seen, most people don’t have what it takes to stick with the long haul in anything. I say this not from judgement or contempt, but from pure factual observation.
Not everyone needs to be, or can be, “successful”—at least in the terms that society defines it. That’s totally fine. As Thoreau said, “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” Not everyone needs to exchange life for success. Don’t assume that you need to just because those around you are or want to. C’est la vie… “That’s Life.”
Success is as glamorous as they make it out to be. Many successful people are miserable and become depressed or drug addicts. If you think about this, it makes total sense. Think about your life: If you had everything and anything you wanted at any time, what would add meaning to your life? So much of our lives is a balance of having and wanting and needing and if you immediately take away the wanting and needing and provide only the having, you get problems. I often think of this; I sometimes think that life would become too boring if money immediately become of no concern. Sure, I could spend time helping others and philanthropy, but I would lose the competitiveness that only comes with a yearning to excel in business and other competitive games like poker or magic (also known as Magic The Gathering… don’t ask). If I had all the money in the world, why would I want to play poker? The result wouldn’t sting or provide joy. It would completely lose it’s most valuable force motivator for wanting to win. I think the game would lose its appeal I think. (And I think this is the effect you see when you see millionaires and billionaires risking their entire fortunes to get more. It’s a form of playing the game in a way that provides enough “string” or excitement.)
Hell, there are plenty times when I wish I wasn’t so driven to be successful. Life would definitely be easier, although probably more dull. I dunno. Either way, I long ago accepted the fact that I’m willing to forgo temporary pleasure in exchange for greater enjoyment, and security, in the future. This is my choice. Yours may be different, and again, that’s completely ok.
For those of you that want to be successful, and that are ok exchanging some life now for greater enjoyment in the future, you have to understand—and accept—what it’s going to take. Start by making it your mission to get to 4 hours of focused work a day, preferably in the mornings. After that, keep adding more work until you reach where you want to be for what you want to accomplish.
Closing disclaimers: Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Make sure you enjoy the journey. Make sure you have a clear “why.” Most importantly, make sure you don’t sacrifice health, family and friends throughout the process.
If you are true to yourself, and honest with the world about who you are, then you have done all that you can. The world will have to accept you for who you are. It isn’t a debate or as discussion; it is you. Make the world accept you. The easiest way to do this is to be completely yourself beyond any reasonable doubt.
Live for yourself. The rest will follow.
The post Do You Have Grit? appeared first on A GYM LIFE.
Life Should Be Fun And If It Isn’t, Change It Until It Is
― Richard Branson, Screw It, Let’s Do It: Lessons In Life
Why don’t more people live this way?
I think it’s because they are scared, they are risk-averse. They don’t have enough faith in their ability to do the work and figure out what works.
People want “security” but they go about it the wrong way. The only security you have in life is the security of you health and the skills and knowledge you posses. That is security because no one can take those away and you can always use them to do what you need to do to get what you need to get. It’s as simple as that.
You want security in life? Well, it’s definitely not in that job. It’s in the value you provide for others. As Zig Ziglar said, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
To have security, start focusing on other people. Be useful to them. Ask how you can help. Tell them you are here to serve because it makes you feel good. Don’t ask or expect anything in return. Just give and help. You can help with your time and skills, so don’t think it’s always about money.
Are you a marketing major? Help someone rebrand their website or social media profile. Are you a writer? Help someone rewrite the same things. Are you a fitness professional? Train someone for free (and write it off). And so on.
Second, focus on becoming the best you can be by working on your people skills, and any other skills or hobbies you have that could end up helping others some way or another. Study psychological and sociology. Understand how people tick. Read “How To Win Friends and Influence People” and “It’s Not About You.”
Third, read. Read a lot. Read books, articles, magazines, whatever. Learn knowledge that makes you interesting. I’ve an avid reader and it is the single skill that is responsible every ounce of success I’ve had in my entire life. Not only can you read to become more interesting, you can also read to learn how to run any business or learn about any subject. With the Internet, reading is the most valuable skill in the world. If you can read, you can literally do and know anything.
Lastly, make sure you are healthy. Sleep 8 hours a night. Exercise daily. Perform resistance training at least 3 times a week. Walk multiple times a day. Always take the stairs. Drink coffee and tea. Laugh as much as possible. Eat Real Food. Avoid sugar and refined grains. Don’t drink soda. Limit alcohol.
When you are healthy, you are a better person in every way. Let me say that one more time: When you are healthy, you are a better person in every single freaking way. Every one.
I just said that reading is the number one skill I’ve used to become successful, but health is the number one THING. If I don’t get my sleep, I’m useless. If I don’t eat well, I can’t focus and I feel like shit.
I’m going to toot my own horn real quick because I want it to be an inspiration to you by showing you what you can do when you are healthy and full of energy:
I run 2 brick and mortar businessesI write 1-2 hours every dayI have a popular blogI am starting a new company based out of Austin, Texas (Wild Foods)I train at CrossFit Central twice a weekI lift weights 3-4 times a weekI walk twice a day on the treadmill for 30 minutes to an hour while readingI make time for friends and family and regularI read a lotI cook most of my meals for myself from scratch with quality ingredientsThe only reason I can do any of this is because I focus on my health. I eat clean, get plenty of sleep and exercise often. And I’ve made it so that I enjoy all of it.
Make your health a fun experience and you will have fun being healthy. Then make your work fun and you get to work while having fun. And so on.
Life really is too short. You will not get this breath back or the last. This day or the day before. This year or the many years before. And on and on. If you truly understood what this meant, would you still live the way you are now?
The post Life Should Be Fun And If It Isn’t, Change It Until It Is appeared first on A GYM LIFE.
Enjoy The Moment… It’s The Last One Of It You’ll Ever Get
When I read this quote I got goosebumps.
This doesn’t happen often—usually during a great movie—but it definitely just did.
The line that keeps replaying in my head is, “And yet your time eventually runs out and you wonder in your heart of hearts if those seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years and decades were being spent the best way they possibly could.”
Goosebumps, again.
Think about this for a moment: your time eventually runs out.
My time is running out, right now, as I type this. And yours is as you read this.
(By the way, I’m thrilled you decided to share this moment with me. Thank you.)
When you think about the moment, you become aware of it. You come to The Now. You get a chance to savior it, to appreciate it, to feel it, to embrace it. Instead of it being just another moment ignored by a distracted mind, it becomes a valuable gift you appreciate forever.
Take a moment to be in the moment. It’s amazing and powerful how each moment is a moment. There is beauty in every moment.
How many moments of your life have been lost to laziness or sloth?How many moments have you spent working on a future that may or may not come?How many moments are you giving up because you are in a rush to get to a future where you will be in a rush, again, to get to another future.When does the cycle stop? (I ask myself this on a daily basis.)
When do you get to appreciate The Now? Do you only appreciate it when your bank account is full? Or when you are driving a new car or living in a big house?
Can you only appreciate the now if you have the perfect partner, job, or career?
What if there was another way? What if you could enjoy each moment of the journey instead of waiting to enjoy the future? Doesn’t that sound nice? It sounds like heaven to me.
Sweet.
The post Enjoy The Moment… It’s The Last One Of It You’ll Ever Get appeared first on A GYM LIFE.
January 19, 2021
The Front Squat – A Foundational CrossFit Movement
Whether you are a trainer, gym owner, or just an average Joe that wants to get in shape with CrossFit, I highly recommend you master the 9 CrossFit movements. Learning how to perform them effectively as an athlete or as coach will drastically improve your personal fitness and that of your client’s.
Remember: Fit clients tell all their friends and fit Joe’s take their shirts off at the beach…so become a better CrossFitter or Coach by mastering the basics!
The 9 CrossFit MovementsThe Front SquatThe front squat is tricky for many people because of the rack position shown in step 1. The flexibility of the wrists and elbows makes it nearly impossible to hold a perfect front squat position for many new athletes.
There is also the issue of improper form. Many athletes try to hold the bar and don’t make a shelf with their shoulders by pulling the neck back and making a solid base to place the bar. This is further compounded by the flexibility issues of the hips when in the bottom of the squat (the pocket) where very few athletes can hold a perfect position (even fewer with heavy weights).
Step 1:
The post The Front Squat – A Foundational CrossFit Movement appeared first on A GYM LIFE.
Win Without Doing Anything
― Eleanor Roosevelt, This is My Story
And… nothing can make you feel anything without your consent.
We’ve all seen it: Someone freaking out in public. They yell, scream or curse. Maybe they get physical and hit, push, shove or fight.
You watch. Then tell your friends about it later.
But what do you feel about it? Do you judge and condemn? Do you sympathize and feel sorry for the person? Maybe you just laugh and go about your day.
For me, I feel sorry for the weakness and ignorance I see. I see a lack of control of feelings and thoughts and beliefs. I see a lack of self-awareness. I see the release of pent-up emotions that have probably been stewing for years.
And I feel sad that life is such for that person.
But that’s just me.
What about you?
Do you get angry in traffic? Do you talk about other people behind their back in a way that is mocking and judgmental? Do you get emotional when something doesn’t go your way? Do you get angry?
Don’t lower yourself to their level
And most important of all: Do you know why?
You wanna know who I imagine when I think of the steely calm demeanor of a man in control of his emotions? I think of Daniel Craig as James Bond.
Watch Casino Royale when he is at the poker table after just being poisoned. That’s what flashes in my head as a prime example of the kind of control I want to have.
Imagine someone insults you to your face and you respond by getting angry and upset. Congratulations: You did exactly what they wanted. “You succumbed to their level,” as my Dad always used to say. When you do that, they have won no matter what the outcome ends up being. That’s a poor scenario if you ask me.
The way to beat an aggressor is to not respond (or sometimes, to respond with a smile).
The most powerful way to squash criticism and rumor is to remain silent. When you defend yourself, you add fuel to the fire.
The way to win in any confrontation is to not play the game at all. Walk away or ignore. Don’t succumb.
This is the Taoist way of action through inaction (wu wei). It is the way of the pacifist, and country to what many might think, it is not weak, it is actually a supreme form of power. Just look at what Gandhi did.
Find ways to act through inaction. Respond by not responding. If you respond the way your opponents are goading you into responding, they have won. Remain calm, cool and collected.
Be like James Bond after nearly dying from poison and say to your opponent, “Oh, I’m sorry… that last hand… it nearly killed me.”
That is power. That is winning through inaction.
Win Through Inaction.
The post Win Without Doing Anything appeared first on A GYM LIFE.
How To Gain Weight The Clean Way: A Hardgainers Guide
But for some people, it’s a real problem.
Some people have medical issues where they need to gain weight to stay healthy. Some want to gain weight for a sports-specific gaol or to feel better about themselves. No matter the reason, gaining “clean” weight isn’t the easiest thing to do.
It’s easy to gain weight, sure, just eat a ton of junk food calories. But gaining “clean” weight, which consists of keeping body fat gain as minimal as possible while putting on lean mass, is very hard to do.
Most people would say, “just eat more” and brush this off as “case closed.” This seems simple enough, right? And who doesn’t love eating more?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
I’ve been a skinny guy my whole life. My genetics allow me to gain weight just fine… gain fat that is. Obviously that’s not the kind of weight gain I’m looking for. Trying to pack on lean muscle mass has been a life-long struggle (and still going).
There are some guys who can go to the gym a few times a week, bench press and do bicep curls, and pack on 20 pounds of “mass” in a few short weeks with relatively little fat-gain.
Life. Is. Not. Fair.
For the females, there some who can’t gain a pound no matter what they eat and there are others who can look at a cupcake and gain 5 pounds. Life isn’t fair on both ends of the spectrum and we always want what we don’t got (just full of cliches today).
That said, this post is for the “hardgainers” that want to pack on clean weight in the healthiest way possible.
Maybe you want to gain more mass and stay lean. Maybe you are too lean and need to put some fat and muscle on you frame. No matter your goal, the principles below will help you with you regulate the kind and amount of weight that you gain. And you can stay healthy doing so.
Three Rules For Clean Weight Gain:Consume more calories (from clean sources)Become best friends with fat (the right kind)Use a blender to make “mega shakes” (with clean ingredients)While there are many aspects to gaining weight and being overall healthy—like sleep, water consumption, stres, etc—we won’t get into those here. (Check out this post to get the basics down)
By focusing on the “big three” above, you can start developing the a mindset that will get you gaining weight. Your actions are always rooted in your beliefs, so it’s important that you learn what it’s going to take. The better you understand what gaining weight actually entails, the more likely you will be able to actually gain weight. Make sense?
This seems obvious, but trust me, most fail here. They fail at the “belief” part and that keeps them from making gains.
Since you now have this guide, you will be able to create the “operating template” that will get you gaining weight the healthy way. But it’s still going to be a process so it’s time to strap in and get ready for some work ahead…
To get a general idea of the amount of calories you are currently taking in, you need to track your current calorie intake for a few days. There are some useful apps for this.
Don’t Skip This: You need to know where you are at now so you can know where you need to be.
What I’ve found with people who have trouble gaining weight is they think they eat wayyyy more than they actually do. After counting calories for a few days, they realize how little they are taking in. (This is also prevalent in many things in life: we are terrible judges of ourselves.)
How To Eat More Calories:
Track your calories for at least 3 days. Take the average.Set a target “daily calorie goal” that is 300-500 calories above this average.Spend the next week forcing yourself to eat 300-500 more calories a day to reach this goal.This process will be a struggle for some of you. You eat what you eat because your body has been maintaing the homeostasis for a while now. This is the main reason you have trouble gaining weight.
To break free from your body’s inclination to stay the way it is through homeostasis, you need to go above and beyond, and sometimes, to the extreme.
And this is often uncomfortable.
The next steps two steps help you go “above and beyond.”
Onward.
Contrary to popular belief, fat is the human body’s best friend. Fat fuels your brain and body and is essential–meaning you will die if you don’t consume it (the same goes for protein but not carbohydrates—we can live just fine with zero carbs).
Fat has been demonized in our society. And ironically, we are fat because of it.
We are fat because we stopped eating fat.
It’s a bit of a paradox, I know, but such is the case with most things that are “common knowledge.”
Without going too far down this rabbit-hole (use this post), just know that fat needs to be a HUGE part of your diet. It should make up somewhere between 40-60% of your total calorie intake.
Yes. That much.
Here are some of the best Paleo-Friendly Fats:
Fatty fish: salmon, mackerel, sardines, etcPastured animals: beef, bison, game, etcCoconut in all forms (MCT, Oil, Milk)Pastured Unsalted butter. Kerrygold unsalted is my favoriteUnheated olive oil (recommended)AvocadosOrgan meats from healthy animalsOystersRaw, Organic nuts/seeds (in moderation)Egg yolksThese are the products I use on a daily basis to get my fat calories in:
People always think they are eating enough fat. This is often what I hear, “I cook everything in coconut oil!”
In saying this, they are usually assuming that they have their fat “in check” and nothing further is needed.
Wrong.
Cooking in coconut oil, or any other clean fat, is simply not enough. Adding a few drizzles of olive oil or a teaspoon of butter to your meal is NOT ENOUGH.
Most of you just aren’t eating enough fat. Most of you aren’t eating enough variety of high-quality fat, either.
Healthy levels of fat consumption can range between 30-60% of total calorie intake. This can be more than HALF of the total calories you eat. Most of you are not even close to that. Everyone should be focusing on more quality fat intake and not just the “hardgainers.”
Fat is your body’s preferred fuel source, it regulates a ton of things in your body and it is essential. Fat is hormonally neutral, meaning it doesn’t spike insulin or glucagon like protein and carbs do. It also helps “buffer” (stabilize them) your hormonal response when eating carbs or protein. Unfortunately, fat has been villanized in our society as the result of faulty research in the 60’s and it has RUINED the health of our country.
Fat is awesome and we all need to eat more of it.
So how do we start eating more fat?There are two techniques that you can use to start eating more clean fat. The first thing I want you to do is to start partitioning out a part of your plate just for fat. This will make up about 1/3 of your meals…
Right between your veggies and protein, drop some fat bombs until 1/3 of your plate is covered with clean, yummy, nutritious fats.
The second way to get more fat into your diet is to start focusing on having a “side” of fat with each meal. This will be a tbsp or two of extra fat that you take like a supplement.
How To Have a Side of Fat:
Grab a small bowl, cup or tablespoon and get a scoop full of clean fat.Get a glass of water to chase if desiredTake your “side” of fat in one bite or spoonfulThis technique will ensure that you are always getting an extra healthy dose (pun intended) of this nutrient that your body so desperately needs (and is probably defunct in).
This is on top of having fat as a regular portion of your diet (30-60% of total calories).
Examples of a “side” of fat:
Half avocado and sea saltMelt TBSP of Pastured Butter and slather it everywhereTat a tbsp or two of coconut oil and honey with a spoon (I love this).Egg yolks – raw (at your own risk) or cookedCan of sardines (my fav)TBSP of unheated olive oil, MCT oil (link), or otherPiece of raw, quality cheese (if you can tolerate it)
Back to the “Hardgainers”…
One gram of fat equals nine calories and one gram of protein or carbohydrate is only four calories. If you want to gain weight the “cleanest” way possible, eat lots of quality fat.
Eating plenty of fat will help you reach your daily target goal that much easier (try doing that with chicken breasts… vomit). It also has the benefit of curbing your hormone levels. As far as fat gain goes, this is one of the most important aspects of gaining clean weight.
When you eat junk, your insulin and cortisol levels are all out of whack. Not to mention the inflammation and strain on your organs to digest all the poisons moving through your system. But you can avoid this. You don’t have to succumb to eating junk food or massive amounts of carbs to get lasting weight gain.
Fat + consuming more overall calories + mega-shakes is the safest way to put on clean weight in the most gradual and healthy manner.
That brings us to number 3…
I’m sure you’ve heard of using high-calorie shakes for weight gain—especially if you are a hardgainer.
And yes, shakes work…. when they are done right.
The main problems with the typical protein shake recommendations is they consist of “crappy” ingredients—peanut butter, cheap whey, milk, oats, etc—and they don’t include enough fat.
Another important tip for avoiding fat gain when using shakes that no one probably told you about is to sip the damn thing. The faster you intake calories into your system, then more fat gain you promote (due to insulin). So drink your shake gradually and keep from shocking your body with a massive flood of calories.
The typical “bodybuilding” shake is an insulin-ab-blurring disaster waiting to give you plenty of belly fat and little in the way of clean weight-gain. These are best suited for the “hormone-injecting” folks (And yes, they could totally benefit from a “cleaner” shake, as well).
Utilize high-calorie shakes using quality ingredients in intelligent portions and you have the most powerful tool in the world for gaining weight.
Below is a general “shake” template. Mix up your ingredients and always adjust to “taste.” There are no hard and fast rules for making shakes other than having some combination of liquid, fat and protein.
A Template For “MEGA” Shake Making
1. Include a bunch of healthy fat (2-6+ TBSP):
Coconut oil or MCT oil (Bulletproof MCT oil is perfect for this)Grass-fed butterGrass-fed cream (use gradually and test how you feel afterwards)Raw nuts/seeds butter (use raw/organic and not roasted) (link)Coconut milk (link)Coconut fleshLiquid fish oil/cod liver oilRaw chocolate or Cocoa Powder2. Use a high-quality grass-fed whey (40-60g):
Bulletproof WheyProgenexChoice protein3. Add 1-2 cups organic frozen fruit (always keep this in your freezer):
BananasBerriesMangoEtc.4. Use 4-16oz water, coffee, unsweet organic almond milk, coconut water or milk as a base:
You need a liquid to help it blend and provide a drinkable consistency. My favorite protein shake is made with Bulletproof coffee (Recipe), whey, coconut milk and a touch of cream (sweetened with Xiltol).5. Add in random ingredients to taste:
Yogurt from grass-fed milkRaw honeyRaw eggsAvocadoCooked sweet potatoMint leavesSpinachMaple syrupCashewsAlmondsMacadamia Nuts (link)Nut butterLet’s ReviewHow To Gain Clean Weight
1. You need to consume more “clean” calories than you are now.
Consuming clean calories will give you the best chance at building lean muscle mass with the least amount of fat gain. What they don’t tell you about gaining weight is the fact that weight gain always comes with fat gain. It’s how the body works, you can’t put on weight while completely avoiding fat gain.
You can, however, mitigate how much fat you put on (And utilize fat burning techniques as well). If you take your weight gain slow and strategic, you can put on lean mass with a minimal amount of fat gain.
2. You need to become best friends with clean fat.
Adopting a “fat priority” mindset will help you in more ways than one. First, you will be consuming more essential fatty acids and this will improve your health more ways than you know. Second, you’ll consume more calories and this will help you break through your body’s current homeostasis that is keeping you from gaining weight.
3. Use your blender to make MEGA shakes.
The key here is using the best ingredients you can find. Don’t use milk or cheap protein or cheap fat or cheap anything. Use the best. Check out the products I recommend here. I use these products every single day… and you may or may not know, but I’m obsessive about what I put in my body.
The post How To Gain Weight The Clean Way: A Hardgainers Guide appeared first on A GYM LIFE.
The Push Jerk – A Foundational CrossFit Movement
Whether you are a trainer, gym owner, or just an average Joe that wants to get in shape with CrossFit, I highly recommend you master the 9 CrossFit movements. Learning how to perform them effectively as an athlete or as coach will drastically improve your personal fitness and that of your client’s.
Remember: Fit clients tell all their friends and fit Joe’s take their shirts off at the beach…so become a better CrossFitter or Coach by mastering the basics!
The 9 CrossFit MovementsThe Push JerkThe push jerk adds a jump and dip landing to the push press. It takes a lot of practice to get good at this movement and you should train with a dowel or bar every workout as a skill warmup. In time you will develop the technique awareness to start lifting reasonable weights overhead.
According to CrossFit, you can typically lift 30% more weight with the push press than with the shoulder press and 30% more with the push jerk than with the push press.
The post The Push Jerk – A Foundational CrossFit Movement appeared first on A GYM LIFE.
The Overhead Squat – A Foundational CrossFit Movement
Whether you are a trainer, gym owner, or just an average Joe that wants to get in shape with CrossFit, I highly recommend you master the 9 CrossFit movements. Learning how to perform them effectively as an athlete or as coach will drastically improve your personal fitness and that of your client’s.
Remember: Fit clients tell all their friends and fit Joe’s take their shirts off at the beach…so become a better CrossFitter or Coach by mastering the basics!
The 9 CrossFit MovementsThe Overhead SquatThe overhead squat is one of my favorite lifts. It offers so much bang for time-invested-buck as well as requiring a high level of skill to perform well. A simple way to evaluate weaknesses in yourself or a client is to have the athlete perform overhead squats with a light load (PVC even). It will be clear where the weaknesses in the athlete’s flexibility balance, and strength.
For those looking to get strong abs there is no better movement. Train overhead squats with light and medium loads often, and sometimes at near maximal loads, and you will see a huge improvements in your fitness and strength.
Step 1:
From The CrossFit Training Guide:
“The overhead squat is the ultimate core exercise, the heart of the snatch, and peerless in developing effective athletic movement.”
If you enjoyed this article please consider checking out my Shop.
If you would like to contact me or hire me check out my Contact page.
The post The Overhead Squat – A Foundational CrossFit Movement appeared first on A GYM LIFE.
The Shoulder Press – A Foundational CrossFit Movement
Whether you are a trainer, gym owner, or just an average Joe that wants to get in shape with CrossFit, I highly recommend you master the 9 CrossFit movements. Learning how to perform them effectively as an athlete or as coach will drastically improve your personal fitness and that of your client’s.
Remember: Fit clients tell all their friends and fit Joe’s take their shirts off at the beach…so become a better CrossFitter or Coach by mastering the basics!
The 9 CrossFit MovementsThe Shoulder PressThe strict shoulder press is a fundamental move that is very neglected by many. Even within the bodybuilding community you will hear things such as “never go overhead” to the detriment of many gullible trainees.
The shoulder press is excellent for developing upper body strength and health as well as developing the power zone. The power zone includes the hip flexors, hip extensors, spinal erectors, and quadriceps. Developing power from the core to these extremities (the power zone) is a fundamental skill needed for athletic success.
A common fault I see with the shoulder press is not fully extending the elbows out at the top and the arms not fully pressing out. Often times you will see athletes stick their head completely through like on the thruster and this is not necessary of advisable You should press the shoulders straight up and avoid pushing your head forward or through too much.
Step 1:
The post The Shoulder Press – A Foundational CrossFit Movement appeared first on A GYM LIFE.
The Air Squat – A Foundational CrossFit Movement
Whether you are a trainer, gym owner, or just an average Joe that wants to get in shape with CrossFit, I highly recommend you master the 9 CrossFit movements. Learning how to perform them effectively as an athlete or as coach will drastically improve your personal fitness and that of your client’s.
Remember: Fit clients tell all their friends and fit Joe’s take their shirts off at the beach…so become a better CrossFitter or Coach by mastering the basics!
The 9 CrossFit MovementsThe Air SquatThe squat is a fundamental movement that is a part of our human evolutionary biology. It is not an ‘exercise’ created by a trainer or coach, it is a natural human movement. Everyone can and should squat.
Squatting is not bad for the knees, in fact, it is necessary for healthy joints (and helps the hips and back as well). If you don’t squat you don’t have functioning and healthy knees. The use it for lose it concept very much applies to the squat just as it does to the brain and the rest of the body.
Scaling options for the squat are many but my favorite is a box. Position a box at the heels of a weak squatter and have them sit down. Then have them stand up following the same knee-to-foot plane in which they sat down. Then do reps of this. That’s it.
Step 1:
The post The Air Squat – A Foundational CrossFit Movement appeared first on A GYM LIFE.
