Fitness Exposé

Bodybuilding Secrets Exposed

You are here: Home / Archives for Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT

Posts written by Michael J. Mahony

The following posts have all been authored by Michael Mahony

Saturday Sharing: Motivate Your Own Damned Self

By Leave a Comment

Motivate Yourself

Motivate yourself. That's the point of today's message. Too many people all over the world are looking for someone else to motivate them. It never works. It is time to realize that the only one who can truly push you is your own damned self!

It is sometimes difficult to get motivated, but that is what has to happen consistently for you to achieve the success you are looking for. Sure, you can look at pictures of bodybuilders and dream what it would be like to have their body, but the true motivation has to come from within. You can't have that picture in front of you 24/7 to motivate you. When you are about to make a poor eating choice, motivate yourself to do the right thing. Don't fall into the trap most people fall into.

When you wake up in the morning and don't feel like going to the gym, reach deep and motivate yourself to get the gym session in as planned. It is far too important to let something derail you. This is why I truly believe you have to want it more than anything so that you can push yourself properly. Digging deep is an important skill not many have.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

Mission Best Ever Take Two Progress

By Leave a Comment

Best shape Ever Week Two progress

Mission Best Ever Take Two has one week in the books and just eleven more to go. I even started an online Journal of Progress where I detail my daily thoughts, training, struggles and progress. Please make it a habit to read and comment on that journal as it is for my accountability as I go through this mission. My goal is to be in the best shape I've ever been in just 11 more weeks from today.

This week was spent fine tuning my nutrition and training. I spent time corresponding with the coach I selected especially for this mission. We discussed my goals and he put together a nutrition and training plan for me. I am quite interested in the nutritional approach he is using because it is just slightly different from what I would have expected. I am quite excited to see what the next couple of weeks hold for me.

The Training Split (For Now)

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
Back Chest Legs Shoulders Cardio Arms Legs

This should be quite a lot of fun because I will be hitting my legs twice in a week. That added volume should really spur growth in my legs. It is going to be very interesting because my legs usually respond really well to heavy weights. There are some exercises being thrown at me that I have not done on a regular basis (or at all).

Nutritional Approach

The approach is similar to low carb dieting, but coach has thought through when I train and how to maximize energy. Certain nutrients are pushed towards the beginning of the day while other nutrients are towards the end of the day. It is not a cookie cutter approach as it takes into account my own personal needs. The idea is to eat and grow and watch the fat fall off. I am beyond excited!

Progress

While many might not see much progress in a week, I can see definite changes in my body in just one week.

Best Shape Ever Week 2 progress photo

Have a close look at my midsection last week and compare it to this week and I think you will see the progress I am mentioning! It excites me to see my body respond almost immediately. Things will only get better as we progress through the plan.

Best Shape Ever – Eleven Weeks to Go!

I have just 11 weeks until this mission is completed. I plan to be in the best shape I have ever been in my life. I have failed at this goal several times, but those failures have simply motivated me to get it this time around.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

Mission Best Ever Take Two Begins!

By Leave a Comment

Mission Best Ever Take Two Begins

Back in late October 2015 I began Mission Best Ever. My intention was to be in the best shape I've ever been by January 16, 2016, my 51st birthday. As happens, I completely failed at this mission. I badly sprained my ankle and at

The same time had a major arthritis flare up in my foot that kept me out of the gym. While I say it was a failure because I didn't manage to achieve my goals in the time period I originally specified, I still lost 9.8 lbs and 4% body fat. Today begins Mission Best Ever Take Two.

The plan is essentially the same, but I'm adding a coach to the mix and that's going to make it interesting. I've also formed an accountability partnership with a friend, Melissa. These things are going to up my game in a big way. The time span will be from February 21, 2016 through May 14, 2016. During this time span my goals are to drop 20 lbs and achieve 10% body fat. It isn't going to be easy, but it is definitely achievable.

I am going to show all of you that setbacks happen, but your attitude about those setbacks will determine if you ultimately hit your goals or not. I am taking this as more of a challenge than anything else. I still managed to drop weight and fat despite the setbacks I experienced.

I hope you enjoy sharing in this journey that I am on and will come back on a regular basis to see what I have going on. I've added a special section where you can follow my progress called Best Ever Take Two.

Mission Best Ever Take Two – Starting Point

Week 1 of Mission Best Ever Take Two

 

12 week goals:

Body fat %: 10%
Body weight: 234.8 lbs (not the most important goal)
Increase bench max to 245 lbs
Increase deadlift max to 400 lbs
Increase squat max to 350 lbs

Long term goals (1 year):

Add size to my chest
Add size to my arms
Sculpt my legs
Improve my cardio fitness
Increase deadlift max to 500 lbs
Increase squat max to 405 lbs
Increase bench max to 300 lbs

 

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

Meal Preparation Techniques

By Leave a Comment

Meal preparation

Meal preparation is the key to any successful physique transformation. It is a discipline that must be developed. In this article I am going to present you with my own approach. Feel free to use it exactly as is or modify it for your own use.

I use 5 steps for my meal preparation. The first step is only done as necessary while the other steps are part of a process that repeats over and over. I will be discussing the following meal preparation steps:

  1. Purchase the appropriate meal preparation containers.
  2. Analyze past results to create macro and calorie targets.
  3. Plan the menu for the week
  4. Create a meal preparation shopping list
  5. Complete the meal preparation

Purchase the appropriate meal preparation containers

containersWhen it comes to meal preparation you need a way to conveniently store and carry what you've prepared. You can go with one of those fancy bags made for this purpose or you can get containers. I personally prefer to get containers. It is far cheaper. This is one of those steps that only need to be completed when containers are required. For me that's about one time a year. I have found that ChefLand Microwavable Food Container with Lid Bento Box, Black, 10-Pack from Amazon are the best containers for me. They are capable of going into the microwave, clean up easily and hold plenty of food. The tops are very secure and do not leak easily.

Analyze past results to create macro and calorie targets

Meal preparation by itself isn't enough to achieve the results you want. You have to couple meal preparation with results analysis. I track things like body fat percentage, scale weight and body part circumference measurements to determine how my plan is going. I use this weekly analysis to make changes to my macro and calorie targets. If I am not losing fat like I want I simply make adjustments. Once I have settled on my macro and calorie targets for the week I can move on to the next step.

Plan the menu for the week

Planning is a key component of meal preparation. Armed with my macro and calorie targets from the previous meal preparation step I can plan my menu for the week. I like to keep it simple. At most I will have two different daily meal plans. I usually stick to one daily meal plan repeated seven times for a week. I look to vary my protein sources. I make sure I am getting the appropriate carbohydrates at the appropriate times. Along with this menu planning comes workout planning as well because I feel what I eat before and after a workout makes a difference

Create a meal preparation shopping list

Once I know what foods I will be eating I create a shopping list (being sure to include the spices I might need). I tend to shop at the same store over and over, so I try to plan my list in an order that will take me straight through the store. I use an iPhone and the built-in Reminders app to create my shopping list. This enables me to check off the items as they are completed. Two other amazing apps for this purpose are Clear and Evernote.

Complete the meal preparation

Once all ingredients have been compiled it is time to cook. I cook up my meals on Sunday and Thursday each week. It is like an assembly line. I am going to describe the process to you using some of the common foods involved. I will cook up a large batch of brown rice. Because my meals on Sunday are for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I calculate how many of my meals involve brown rice and portion that out into the containers. I then take my chicken that has been cooked and portion it out into the containers. I do the same thing with my beef. I then add a healthy portion of vegetables to all containers. I then attach the lids and place the containers into my fridge.

Meal preparation is the key to getting the results you want. Take the time to complete the steps as outlined and you will begin seeing some amazing results. If you have any meal preparation tips that I didn't share please leave them in a comment below.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

Monday Madness: Full Body Training Revisited

By Leave a Comment

full body workout

A little more than a year ago I did an article called Monday Madness: Full Body Assault. In that article I discussed the logistics of full body training. I also laid out a great workout plan that assaults the entire body. This type of full body training is something everyone should experiment with to see if it works well for them. Today I would like to teach you about ways to modify your full body training to give it more of a push.

Full Body Training HIT Style

In my previous article (Monday Madness: Full Body Assault) I presented you with the HIT approach to full body training. It works quite well because you are able to use maximum intensity to get through an amazing workout. HIT style involves 1 set per exercise with minimal rest between sets. Many people scoff at this method, but it works.

Full Body Training Heavy Style

Mike Mentzer did what he called Heavy training. His style was slightly different from HIT. While this Heavy style is derived from HIT, it involves higher volume than a normal HIT workout.

The Full Body Training Workout Plan

We are going to use the exact plan from Monday Madness: Full Body Assault, but modify it for the higher volume.

Exercise Repetition Range
BB Bench Press 4 to 6 (3 sets)
Lat Pull Down 4 to 6 (4 sets)
DB Pullover 8 to 10 (3 sets)
Pec Dec Flyes 4 to 6 (4 sets)
Arnold Press 4 to 6 (3 sets)
Seated Cable Rows 4 to 6 (4 sets)
Leg Extensions 4 to 6 (3 sets)
Standing Calf Raise 4 to 6 (3 sets)
Seated Calf Raise 4 to 6 (4 sets)
Chin ups 12 to 15 (2 sets)
BB Curls 4 to 6 (2 sets)
Tricep Pushdown 6 to 8 (2 sets)
Back Squats 10 to 12 (2 sets)
Deadlift 4 to 6 (2 sets)

This style of full body training is performed 3 times a week. You would generally have an “A” workout (like the above) and a “B” workout. The “B” workout would follow the same exercise pattern as the “A” workout, but with different exercise choices. I really think this is part of why it works so well–you are keeping your body from adapting too quickly.

Give this a try for 12 weeks and you are going to see the gains you've been looking for.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

New eBook!