The Man Smoothie: Change your life. Change your body. Save Time.

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AppId is over the quota

There are so many fad smoothies out there they have polluted Google searches to the point of exhaustion.  I am here to cut through the bullshit and give you guys something you want.  This is a smoothie that will give you a ton of energy in the morning, let you keep your sick days for vacation days, increase concentration, and build muscle.  It sounds ridiculous, I know.  Since I have been drinking this every day I haven’t been sick, had a cold, nothing for about 2 years. It is antioxidant heaven.  Its good for you and it tastes good…now that’s hard to beat.  The following recipe has been carved from years of failure into a work of exquisite art.  I will now pass my smoothie secrets on to you.

***Buy a good blender.  Look at the Blendtec or the Vitamix.  The Ninja will do, but anything less than $100 is garbage and will turn out chucky and more like salsa than a smoothie.***

3/4c Frozen Mixed Berries (I buy them at Costco.  Blue, black, and raspberry)

2 Whole Frozen Strawberries (Also huge bag at Costco)

2 Cups of Frozen Kale (Any kale will do.  Get the deepest green you can find and throw it in the freezer

2/3 Cup Fat Free non-flavored Greek Yogurt (I but at Costco to save a few bucks but you can find this anywhere)***NOTE: you can leave this out if you are dairy free

1/2  Cup Raw Oats

8-12oz Water

3 Ice Cubes

***NOTE: If you blend the mixture on high with protein powder it will turn very frothy and be full of air.  So add the protein after like described above.

I add the following but can be substituted depending on your supplement regimen:

5g Creatine Monohydrate, 1tbls Ground Flax Seed, LG EAAs and BCAAs

WHILE BULKING:  Try adding 1tbsn almond or peanut butter, 2 raw whole eggs, and use VitD milk instead of water.

WHILE CUTTING:  Omit the oats and the yogurt

FOR WOMEN:  Omit the yogurt and add some love

 Without modifications, the original smoothie above should get you around:

25-30g Protein60g Carbs1-2g Fat

I eat this smoothie every morning with 2 whole eggs and 3 egg whites boiled.   This is great post workout as well.

ENJOY!

Gain Muscle While Staying Lean. Train Fasted.

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AppId is over the quota

a very controversial topic as of late with some of the hot dieting methods such as carb cycling and intermittent fasting.  I have always been under the belief that eating every few hours is best for maintaining muscle mass, especially while in a caloric deficit.  I also have been a firm believer of a high protein/moderate carb or high protein/moderate fat pre-workout meal to reduce muscle catabolism and fuel the body during training.  There is some evidence out there that suggests this might not be as concrete as we have been led to believe.  These studies suggest that training in a fasted state, such as when you wake up before breakfast, may create an increased response to your post workout meal creating a more anabolic state after exercise.  In this article I will explain these theories.   In fact, the arguments are so convincing, I have started experimenting with fasted training myself.

there is scientific support explaining the effects from two types of training; training fed, and training fasted.  When we lift weights, the body responds by activating myogenic (inside the muscle) genes that control protein synthesis.  P70s6 is referred to as an activator of muscle growth and often used in studies to determine the latter.   In this study, they used two groups of young men and put them through a basic full body workout in a fasted state and in a fed state.  The subjects that were given breakfast ate a meal consisting of 722 cals consisting of 85% carbs, 11% protein, and 4% fat.  After they trained, both groups rested for a 4-hour period and drank a recovery supplement.  The results show the fasted group, I will call them group F, had twice the levels of p70s6k in comparison to the other group at the 1 hour post workout mark.  As time continued through until the 4-hour mark, levels started to equal out between the two groups.  Here is a quote from the study:

“Our results indicate that prior fasting may stimulate the intramyocellular anabolic response to ingestion of a carbohydrate/protein/leucine mixture following a heavy resistance training session. ”

the increased levels of p79s6k may lead to a more pronounced and rapid anabolic effect by shuttling amino acids into the muscle at a faster rate.  We all know that training fasted causes some degree of muscular catabolism.  These findings would suggest that the body has a response that compensates the possible muscular catabolism that may outweigh the losses and cause actual gains in the long term.  This is fascinating.  I think that it has to do with insulin sensitivity as it is increased as glycogen stores are depleted.  When your body has enough glycogen stored in the muscle, it does not respond as efficiently to insulin as not as much glucose needs to be shuttled to replace a deficiency in the muscle.  When you eat a meal pre workout, your glycogen is restored.  After working out fed, the rebound isn’t pronounced as you supplied much of what you need already.  This results in a flat line response where nutrients are not needed for the muscle to reboot.  Training fasted results in high insulin sensitivity so your post-workout meal is shuttled very efficiently and glucose and other nutrients are soaked up into the muscle like a sponge.

training on an empty stomach from here on out.  If you train at night, this can be very hard to do while still getting in the calories, protein, fats, and carbs you need for the day.  I suggest trying fasted training in the AM before you eat breakfast and see what you think.  Drink 5-10g of BCAAs pre-workout to counter the muscle catabolism that comes from training fasted.  More is explained on BCAAs positive effect on p70s6k here.  I have been experimenting with this for the past week and can honestly say that I feel great.  I thought I would have no energy in the gym and that my lifts would suffer but that has not been the case.  I actually had a stronger deadlift the other day….go figure.  Some people will take a week or so to get adjusted but my experience has been quite pleasant.  It is too early to report physical results but I did take measurements prior to this experiment so I can measure my results.  I will report back on what I find in a month or so.  So far I feel a bit more alert in the morning and not as foggy throughout the day.  I drink my pre-workout supplement in the morning and starting this week will be supplementing with BCAAs prior to training.  See what you think.  You can always go back to what you are doing now, but you can’t get results from something you never try.

2013 Mr. Olympia: He Will Crack the Top 6….and He Just Joined the Gym

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AppId is over the quota

The year was 2010.  Perhaps one of the most genetically gifted men in bodybuilding history didn’t even have a gym membership.   In 2011, after working out for a year and eating as much as he could, he shot up to 200lbs.  In 2012, on the Amateur Olympia stage, he stood peeled at 286lbs.   His professional resume consists of one contest where he placed first in the NY Pro.

 Now it is 2013 and only a week and a half until the Olympia where some of the industry’s best, like Flex Wheeler, are calling for Big Ramy to take the crown from Phil Heath. Ramy was born Mamdouh Elssbiay in Cairo, Egypt.  He grew up fishing with his brother and father and now he’s knocking on the door of the Olympia, while putting his stamp on every big name muscle mag in the world.

 Ramy was discovered in Kuwait and trains under IFBB pro and Team Weider prep coach Dennis James.  If you GoogleDennis James, he will be with Ramy, and vise versa.  James has made statements about Ramy like, “…so much potential its unreal.”   He said, “Pictures do not do him justice,” and “…in person, the size and mass of Ramy is incredible!”  Ramy won his 2012 Amateur Olympia class and the Overall Title, which earned him both a Pro Card and a spot on the 2013 Mr. Olympia lineup.  This guy is a freak and has the genetics of a Greek god.   If he can come on stage again at 285lbs conditioned, there is no one who will “out mass” him.  He took pictures 4 weeks out at 310 with abs like blocks so it looks like he’s right on track.

German American Technologies, or otherwise know as GAT, sign the Egyptian masterpiece this year.  They have high hopes for Ramy, saying that they have never seen an athlete with the size that he has.  Ramy is excited as well saying, “I know I can count on GAT to help me continue gaining muscle at the super human speed that I have come to be known for.”  No doubt, Ramy has the potential to knock off bodybuilding’s top tier; and he’s only been lifting for 3 years.  His trainer has said that there is no secret supplement or food that he is implementing but sheer genetic gifts that Ramy is blessed with.  I’ll say.  At 5ft 9’ and 285lbs shredded, if I saw this guy on a street corner I’d throw my wallet at him and run.  This year’s Mr. O line up is the most impressive we have ever seen and the competition for the top 6 is incredibly hard to predict. We at Mind & Muscle will keep you up to date with Ramy, and other surprising threats, as the stage is dusted off for the 2013 Mr. Olympia.

Break Through Any Plateau With These Techniques

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AppId is over the quota

One thing I have been having success with is incorporating static holds.  This is a great way to smash through that stubborn plateau.  A static hold is performed when an athlete holds an exercise while the muscle is in the contracted position for an extended period of time.  This is in contrast to the normal 6-15 repetition format and is sometimes used in conjunction with static holds or drop sets.  For example, if you are performing a bicep curl and you hold the dumbbell in a static position (usually until failure) when you bicep is fully contracted, that is a static hold.  For this exercise, your arm will be bent at a 90-degree angle, holding the dumbbell palms up and arms parallel to the floor (see below).

Each muscle has different strength levels and the goal here is to exhaust all of them.  More time under tension = more stimulated muscle growth.  The first muscular function to fail is simply lifting the weight during the repetitions.  When you can’t lift the weight anymore, that “strength level” is gone.  At this point your muscle can still hold the weight in a static position, even after you can’t perform a full repetition.  When you can no longer hold the weight with your muscle contracted, then you lower the weights slowly back down.  When you fail simply lowering weight back down, that’s when you know you have hit all three strength levels and achieved complete failure across the whole spectrum of muscular tissue.  This type of muscular confusion and time under tension is a great way to confuse the muscle and force it into adapting to the newfound workload…. i.e. building more muscle tissue.

Examples:

I will perform (varying grip) pull-ups for 4 sets and end the last set with a static hold.  Think of the static hold as a 4th set superset.  I pull my chin slightly above the bar and hold it.  I hold it until I start shaking and then hold it longer.  Hold until you fail.  Repeat the same process the next week.

While performing incline or flat dumbbell presses you can incorporate static holds at the bottom position.  Be conscious of your shoulders because this is an exercise that can end with injury if you are not careful.  At the end of each set hold the weight at the bottom position while keeping tension on the chest.  It is important NOT to let the weight simply rest at the bottom putting tension on your shoulder and rotator cuff.  Make sure you are holding the weight with your chest and maintain that position until failure after your normal reps.

This is one of my favorites as I always have had a hard time shredding the bicep.  This does the trick every time.  Perform any bicep exercise such as the incline dumbbell curl.  Every set should be immediately followed buy a hammer curl static hold.  I use a 45lb plate and hold it at the sides in the contracted position.  Keep your chest up and your core tight.  Hold until failure and lower it down as slow as possible.  Repeat for 4 sets.

You can also experiment with static lifts on each of the following exercises to stimulate growth:

Leg Curls/Extensions

Skull crushers (with spotter)

Shoulder press (see below)

Sit-ups and ab machines

Pull downs

Rows

Pec deck fly’s (one of my favorites)

Standing Calf Raise

Lateral, rear, and front deltoid raises

Push Ups (see below)

Have some fun with this.  Try different things and don’t be afraid to get uncomfortable.  It is too easy to get stuck in the trench of maintenance.  Today is Monday, which is 1 of my 2 leg days during the week.

Heavy Back Squat

Barbell Lunges (with elevated rear foot)

Static hold Leg Extensions

Followed by 1hr of Yoga

Enjoy your week and be thankful for the ability to train!

-DG

Bigger Calves in 30 Days

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AppId is over the quota

I am writing this article out of frustration.  For me, calves have been the hardest muscle to grow out of any individual muscle on my frame.   The genetic gods have cursed me.  The only thing that has come out the past fifteen years of calf training has been veins….more and more veins.  My legs are veiny as shit.  But the mass just wouldn’t come.  I have tried everything.   I have tried working them everyday, supersets, once per week, twice per week, heavy weight, light weight, high reps, low reps, seated, standing, sprinting, etc.  All of my frustration and countless hours of calf training have led me to this:  SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY WORKS!  And it works in only around 15min/day.  Read and follow the workout listed below and you will put on ¼-1” on your calves in 30 days.  If mine can grow, yours can grow too.

First of all, you need to do something that the calves are not used to.  They are a very unique muscle in that we use them all day every day while walking, standing, and driving.  They are used to performing high repetition movements, so lets just throw that idea out the window now.  High reps = bad for calve growth.  The calf raise is a great exercise that really isolates the calf muscle.  We need to incorporate muscle isolation, with time under tension and an unfamiliar movements.

What I have found, under direct recommendation from people that I respect in the sport, is that the calves respond great to heavy weight and constant tension.  We are not giving this motion to the calves all day so they are not used to performing in this way.  Warm up, and lets get going.

Load the standing calf raise machine with heavy weight.

Stand on the balls of your feet in the “tiptoe” position and hold it.

All we are doing is contracting the muscle and holding it until it fails.  THAT’S IT.

Make sure that you are connecting your thoughts with the flexion of the calf muscle.  When your mind starts to wander, bring it back to focusing on contracting the muscle as hard as you can.

Hold that position for as long as you can.  Usually your hips will fail first as they start shaking and wobbling.

When you start shaking, keep holding.  When it burns, keep holding.  This is when you know you are tapping into something that the body hasn’t seen before.  This is when the real work starts.

Perform 4-5 sets of these 4-5xs per week at the end of each workout.  It shouldn’t take but 10-15min at the most.  You can use this idea for seated calf raises as well, although I do not find it as effective.  Try rotating your stance with pointing your toes inward and outward to get both heads of the calf. If you haven’t trained calves in a while, do not start with this.  You will not be able to walk if you train this way with untrained calf muscles.

Train hard and train consistent!  Leave me a comment after you give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Andro Prohormones and Protein

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AppId is over the quota

If you are going to start an andro prohormone cycle it’s important that you have the necessary items on hand to make the most of it.  Prohormones are not going to do the work for you in either the kitchen or the gym, so you need to understand the principles that will make each cycle successful. 

There is no way you are going to see results on a prohormone cycle unless you do the proper kind and amount of exercise.  The routine you pick is somewhat immaterial as long as you workout hard and put in maximal effort. If you don’t have an idea how to best workout you should look at one of our training programs and also start with this article to help you choose a workout that’s right for you!

Workout By Body Type

Once you get an idea of how to workout, it’s important to eat right.

Protein is very important on a prohormone cycle.  No matter if you use natural andro or even the harsh chemically altered prohormones, it is important that you take a large amount of protein.  The minimum we suggest with any cycle is 100g per day.  This is a good amount to help you grow yet still manageable on the eating spectrum.  To give you an idea though, protein is hard to come by unless you drink shakes.  An egg has about 5-6g of protein, so to get 100g you would need to eat roughly 17-20 eggs per day.   Meat isn’t that much more dense.  Chicken, Steak and Pork have about 7-8g per ounce of lean cuts.  This means to get a full day, you would have to eat about 12.5 ounces of meat per day.  That’s not too bad, but can get pretty expensive and also inconvenient to eat throughout the day.  

Shakes can add in a good mix of protein and also give you another tasty source of protein to consume during the day.  While it’s not necessary to drink protein shakes, they do give you a high dose of L-Leucine which can improve your amino acid profile when working out.  

Shakes come in 20-30g scoops and can contain everything from zero carbs and fat (whey isolate) to night time protein for slow digestion (micellar casein) to high carb weight gainers. Depending on your goals and body type it is important to pick the right kind of shake and drink it during the day to help increase the amino acid profile. 

Amino acids can also help you increase your mass gains when you want to get an extra edge.  The best form of amino acids to combine with an andro cycle is BCAA or branched chain amino acids.  These are the primary amino acids used for building muscle and L-Leucine is king of the mass builders.  Also important are Arginine and Beta Alananine, but the big ones to take are BCAA’s.  These give you the most intense recovery while making a very anabolic environment. 

If you want to make sure you get the best gains in the gym with your prohormone cycle, its best to make sure to get the proper nutrients in the right amounts.  Water and protein are key to mass growth, so consume each one of them liberally!  

Mr Olympia 2013: Future Mr. O at only 3 years pro

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AppId is over the quota
Roelly on the Rise

A small island named Curacao sits in the southern wakes of the Caribbean Sea.  Off the coast of Venezuela, Curacao spans only 40 miles from the southeast corner to the northwest tip.  This island is considered to be one of the best islands to live on in the world.  The “Dutch Beast” was born here; on an island most would call paradise.  Wait a second.  “Dutch Beast” doesn’t really make much sense when it comes to describing the dark skinned, muscle bound islander.  Here’s a little geography lesson for all those who were confused as I was.  Curacao is a Dutch island that is actually part of the Netherlands Antilles.  One thing is for sure; this island breeds some pretty big boys.  Roelly Winlaar happens to be massive, and he sports what some call the best set of arms in the world.

The 2013 Mr. Olympia qualified the most impressive set of bodybuilding athletes in history.  There are crowd favorites like Kai Greene, Jay Cutler and Phil Heath.  And there are old school vets like Victor Martinez, Branch Warren, and Dennis Wolf.  The massively muscled Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay is sure to make his mark as well.  What kind of room does this leave Roelly Winlaar, a pro since only late 2009?

The Dutch Beast’s first professional competition was in 2010 at the IFBB Arnold Classic.  He went up against incredible competition and still snagged a respectable 7th place finish.  2010 was big for Roelly.  He placed third at the Australia Pro Grand Prix and pummeled the competition in the IFBB New York Pro placing first place.  This guy came out of nowhere.  He was a bit of a late starter, competing in his first pro competition at 33.

2011 brought a couple 2nd place finishes and a discouraging 9th place at the NYP, losing his crown that he held from the year before.  But there is something special about this guy and people are predicting a top 6 finish at the upcoming Mr. O.  Shit, he moved here from paradise island to throw weights around and eat chicken and rice so he must be on to something!  He “grows every time we see him,” says Mike Salazar, author from Flex magazine.  One thing that helps the older competitors is muscle density and quality.  With age comes grey hair, Hawaiian collared shirts, and dense muscles.  We like the dense muscles part so we will ignore the rest.  Roelly is beefy beast off season at 280lbs.  Keep an eye out for Roelly making an impact in the top tier this year.  He should be coming in at 5ft 6” and a chiseled stage ready 230lb frame.  His back is retarded and his arms are in a world of their own and will rival last years champion, Phil Heath.