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Posts written by Michael J. Mahony

The following posts have all been authored by Michael Mahony

Do You Even Lift?

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So many people have seen memes like the one to the left. “Do you even lift?” is the question to be answered. It got me to thinking about the topic of lifting and what that means. I know that the memes approach it from many different angles, but I came up with one angle and one angle only and I discuss that in a brief video.

Lifting means you go to the gym consistently and make progress. What kind of progress? Well, if youu are squatting 135 lbs. today you should see that number go up week after week. It is really that simple.  If you are not seeing that than you don't lift. I am a big believer in progression. I am sure you are as well and my comment probably seems stupid, but look around the gym. You will see the same people training with the same weights for years. That's not lifting.

I laugh when I hear people say they go to the gym regularly as though it is a badge of honor only to find out that they also lift the same weight at every workout. Have a listen to my video rant below.

[pro-player type='video']http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSs9o5_eS9Y[/pro-player]

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Great Sources of Protein

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Have you bothered to think about the great sources of protein that are available to you? Do you know if it is important to change up your sources of protein on a regular basis? What exactly do you know about protein and its role in bodybuilding?

Great Sources of Protein

Protein is a building block for muscles. Having good, lean sources of protein is a must if you are going to build muscle. The table below is a list of the best protein sources available to you.

Lean beef Elk
Chicken breast Buffalo
Salmon Tuna
Cottage Cheese Turkey Breast
Egg whites Cod fish
All kinds of white fish Whey protein powder

How to use protein in your diet

I recommend one gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. I am currently sitting at 245 lbs. and 15% body fat. That means I have 204 lbs. of lean body mass, so I should be getting 204 grams of protein daily. I spread my protein intake out throughout the day. I take in about 56 grams with my breakfast protein shake. I will then get about 30 grams per actual meal after that using chicken or beef. That will get me to about 206 grams of protein, more than enough to build muscle on a daily basis. I eat 5 to 6 meals a day including that breakfast protein shake. This isn't a necessity, but it works for me.

Why change up your sources of protein

Protein contains Branch Chain Amino Acids. To be sure you are getting a balanced amount of each BCAA you should change up your protein sources regularly. I currently use beef, chicken, turkey, egg whites, whey protein and fish. This helps with my BCAA profile by keeping my body full of different protein sources. This and the fact that I supplement with BCAAs helps my body build the muscle I am working on. The results have been good for me so far. I have gone from 240 lbs. and 30% body fat to 245 lbs. and 15% body fat. That's an increase of 36 lbs. of lean body mass in just 24 months time.

Take Your Time

As I stated, it took me 2 years to gain 36 lbs. of lean body mass. It takes time to get big. Don't feel bad because it is taking longer than you expected. All good things are worth waiting for and this is definitely something worth waiting for.

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Musclecast Video Program Coming Soon

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For a long time now I have tried to come up with the the best way to share all the knowledge I have in my head. I use this blog, medium.com and some guest blogging appearances to do this, but it just doesn't seem to be enough. After giving this a lot of thought I have come up with something amazing.

Announcing The MuscleCast!

I have decided to begin recording a video podcast that I will call The MuscleCast. I will secure interviews with industry professionals, share workouts and just give you my opinion on the latest bodybuilding and fitness news. I have not yet determined the location where I will host The MuscleCast but you will always be able to get the latest episodes right here at Fitness Expose.

How Can You Help?

You can help me out by suggesting some topics you'd like to see me cover. Tell me what your favorite topics are. Keep me informed of your interests.  By doing so I will be able to provide you with the content YOU want to see.

Interviews and More!

As stated, I plan to secure interviews with some of the top people in the bodybuilding industry. Up and comers will be interviewed so that you can see what it takes to make it in this industry. I will cover topics like training, nutriion, contest preparation and more. I will show you training techniques and explain them to you in detail. I will demonstrate sample workout plans for lagging body parts. Really the sky is the limit with this medium.

Sharing the Knowledge

I have built up a bunch of knowledge over the years. I have had so many people help me out that I just want to pass on the knowledge. It is really simple. I sincerely hope you will learn from The MuscleCast

Frequency

I am currently planning to do a new episode every two weeks. Who knows if that will hold true, but I am going to give it my best shot.

Watch my preview video

I did a very quick Mobli video with my thoughts on the new podcast. You can watch it here.

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How an Old Guy Uses Intensity

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How does a guy like me use intensity in my training? To me intensity is the key ingredient. It is a variable that can be manipulated in so many ways that it just has to be used over and over again. Intensity will bring mass and that's the goal right?

Intensity and Repetitions

The more repetitions you do at a given rate the higher the level of intensity. By adding at least 1 repetition with every workout you are slowly increasing the intensity of that exercise. It is completely within your control. You can push yourself harder and harder to gain intensity.

Intensity and Weight

The more weight you move the higher the level of intensity. The Stronglifts 5 x 5 program increases the intensity at every workout by adding 5 lbs. to the exercises. This approach increases the amount of intensity being displayed. 

Intensity and Rest Periods

This is my favorite intensity technique. Using the rest period to increase the intensity. By shortening the rest period the intensity naturally increases. I love this technique. I  combine it with weight and repetitions for some amazing intensity.

How Intensity Works to Build Muscle

The introduction of intensity into your routine will make you work even harder. The hard work will result in muscle gains. You can make your body go to places you never thought possible by using intense training techniques. Push yourself to do more repetitions and your strength goes up. When your strength goes up you can move more weight. Moving more weight adds to your muscle mass in a big way. Just think about that as you do your workouts.

Dig deep and push yourself to a new level. Don't give up. Make yourself go beyond. You will not regret it when you look in the mirror. For the results of intensity watch my progress as I aim to put on more muscle.

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Monday Madness: Ab Altering Moves

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ab_trainingCore training is an important aspect of bodybuilding that many people overlook. Many people I talk to think they have no reason to train their core if they still have a big layer of fat covering it. The point is to work the core so that when your fat layer is gone you are showing some awesome abdominal muscles.

In today's Monday Madness workout I am going to show you a great abdominal only workout that can be done on cardio only days or on rest days. This is not something you would do after a weight training workout.

The Exercises

Exercise Sets Repetitions
Crunches with legs off ground 4 15-20
Leg thrusters 4 15-20
Cable crunches 4 20-25
Decline Reverse Crunch 3 15-20
Plate twists 4 20-25

The Workout Described

This workout is aimed to really hit the midsection hard. We start off with crunches with your legs up off the ground. The video I give you to look at has the legs on a ball. Just picture doing this without the ball and you've got it. Next up are leg thrusters. This is a favorite of mine that works the lower abdominals. You do a knee in and then thrust your legs in the air.  This is followed by a standard cable cunch with as much weight as you can handle. Be sure not to rock back and forth on your torso. Make sure your abs are doing all the work. Next set a bench on a decline and do reverse crunches. Finally do plate twists. These work your obliques. 

Make sure you do these exercises with intensity. Do not just cruise through the workout. Also, as with the calf workout, don't let the burn fool you. Work through it. You will be successful if you push yourself hard.

The Kitchen

It is true when they say “abs are made in the kitchen” so keep this in mind. You are working hard on your core now so that when the kitchen payoff happens you will be ready. Dont' give up. Give it your all and the sky's the limit.

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