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Y3T Review Revisited

February 17, 2015 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT 1 Comment

y3t-review-revisted

Y3T is an amazing training program that I've used in the past. I actually did a review of it not long ago. Y3T is a program created by the Yoda, Neil Hill. It has been used by one of my favourite bodybuilders, Flex Lewis. The principles it contains really seem to work, but I will discuss all that later in this article and in further detail in another article.

Y3T is an extremely intense training program. It switches up rep ranges weekly to maximize your strength and size gains. Each cycle is 3 weeks in length and it is recommended you do 3 cycles. When I use it I go for 4 cycles because I like the neatness of a 12 week training program.

Week 1 of the 3 week cycle focuses on heavy compound movements with a low rep range. Week 2 focuses on compound movements and isolation movements with a slightly higher rep range and slightly lighter weights. Week 3 takes you to complete muscle failure with a very high rep range.

Y3T is a unique multi-dimensional program that hits every aspect of the muscle in a short period of time. Another focus is to stretch the fascia of the muscle and the connective tissues. By only lifting heavy once every 3 weeks you get the benefits of lifting heavy without the fear of injuring your joints.

I found the Y3T program highly effective. It was one of my most successful training programs where I saw the most changes in my body. It is the type of program you go back to all the time to see even more gains. I love to train with mass intensity, so this was the perfect program for me. I suggest you give this a try. You will be very happy with the gains you make.

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Filed Under: Featured, Reviews, Training

Monday Madness: Smoothie Recipes You Will Love

February 16, 2015 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT Leave a Comment

smoothie-recipes

I find that smoothies are a great way to get in a meal first thing in the morning or at any point in the day. The recipes I use all tend to use the exact same base. I change things up when I feel like it, but mostly stick to exactly 2 bases and then add everything else to it.

The Bases

Base #1 is made from 8 oz of Vanilla Greek Yogurt and 8 oz of water

Base #2 is made from 8 oz of Vanilla Greek Yogurt and 8 oz of low fat chocolate milk

The Recipes

All of these recipes go into my Ninja Blender. Use whatever blender you have. Make sure to blend until liquid.

Green Smoothie

Base #1
1/2 cup of spinach
1/2 cup of kale
1 cup of blueberries
1 scoop of Whey protein

Cal: 309 Protein: 34 Carbs: 38 Fat: 5

Carb Up Delight

Base #2
1/2 cup spinach
1 cup of blueberries
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 scoop of Whey protein

 Cal: 600 Protein: 47 Carbs: 88 Fat: 11

Veggie and Fruit Loaded

Base #1
1/2 cup spinach
1/2 cup kale
5 baby carrots
1 small Gala apple
1 cup of blueberries
1 scoop of Whey protein

Cal: 409 Protein: 34 Carbs: 64 Fat: 5

The Benefits

Smoothies like these are going to get you some servings of fruits and vegetables that you might miss out on otherwise. I strongly recommend experimenting with other vegetables and fruits as you can make some very tasty smoothies that way. You can even change up the base by using Almond milk instead of low fat chocolate milk. The combinations are abundant.

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  • Carb Up After Workout Shake
  • Great After Workout Shake!

Filed Under: Diet & Fat Loss, Featured

My Focus Journal Entry #8

February 15, 2015 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT Leave a Comment

focus-journal

Training this week was phenomenal! I focused on getting a good pump by squeezing hard on every repetition. This caused me to miss some of my prescribed numbers, but I saw an increase in DOMs so I feel like maybe this was needed. Honestly, I didn't feel much like training this week and when that happens I get back into it by experiencing every single repetition. I do this through the extreme squeeze technique that I've described in a previous article.

My nutrition was good, but I feel it could have been better and that's going to be a focus for the new week coming up. I am collecting healthy recipes into my Evernote right now. I plan to use those to help me hit my macro goals each week. This is always going to be a work in progress. I know this and I am not going to beat myself up.

Starting this week I have pictures to go along with my journal. Have a look at them below.

20141219 thru 20150215

You can see some slight differences. This is for the first 8 weeks. I guess I had farther to go than I thought, but at least I am heading in the right direction.

My stats are looking good as well:

Weight: 252.8 lbs.

Body Fat %: 20.1%

I will continue to focus on the workouts and getting my cardio done. I am enjoying working with my coach, Ryan Miller. He is very supportive and always there for me when I need him. If you are looking for a coach I highly recommend getting in touch with him. FYI, I get nothing for referring you except the satisfaction of helping you work with an amazing coach.

Coaching Banner

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Filed Under: Experiment of One, Featured, Regaining Focus

Some Unsolicited Advice

February 15, 2015 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT Leave a Comment

unsolicited-advice.

Unsolicited advice. We've all gotten some and we've all wanted to give some. The question becomes “Should advice be offered when not requested?” The secondary question is how I personally feel about it. This is where things become murky for me.

Offering Unsolicited Advice

This is an area I often struggle with. I see someone at the gym and they are doing an exercise entirely wrong. I don’t mean slightly wrong, I mean it borders on dangerous. Because I am a CPT I struggle with keeping my mouth shut. My general rule of thumb is what my relationship is to the person making the mistake.

I have people at the gym that I interact with regularly. We encourage each other and look for each other to be there. In a sense, we hold each other accountable for getting to the gym. With these people I would inquire as to what they were attempting to do and then make suggestions based upon their response.

As for people I don’t know at all, I tend to avoid any kind of advice for them unless I see immediate danger of injury. In that case I might say “Be careful, you’re putting your back in a dangerous position…wouldn't want you to get hurt.” I did say “might” because even in this situation it is touchy, so I usually just look the other way and hope they don’t get hurt.

Receiving Unsolicited Advice

I listen to everything someone says to me and then process it through several filters before deciding on its veracity. The filters I use are:

  • Who is giving the advice?
  • What have I seen from the advice-giver at the gym?
  • How does the advice compare to the technical things I already know?
  • How does the advice square with my current program?

Once the advice has passed through these filters I make a decision what to do.

I believe we should have an open mind and listen to the advice of others. We should never just dismiss something, especially if we've never tried it. At the same time, just because the advice-giver is “big” doesn't mean his advice is better than our own. Keep an open mind and you may see some major improvements as a result.

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Filed Under: Experiment of One, Featured

Saturday Sharing: My Thoughts on the IIFYM Debate

February 14, 2015 By Michael Mahony, ISSA CPT 1 Comment

iifym-debate

There is a debate currently going on between the “clean eating” people and the “IIFYM” people. What does IIFYM stand for? It stands for If It Fits Your Macros. The clean eating people have made the claim that the IIFYM people believe you can eat junk all the time and still lose fat. My thoughts on this are really simple.

Intellectual Honesty

To me being intellectually honest is extremely important when having a debate of this sort. Neither side should be allowed to make claims they know are untrue. If either side is allowed to get away with intellectual dishonesty then the entire debate is rendered useless.

Eating Anything You Want

It is simply not true that the IIFYM people preach eating anything you want at all times. There are guidelines. It is referred to as flexible eating for a reason–it provides flexibility. The guidelines say you should be eating healthy food 80% of the time. As discussed in a past episode of my Expose Podcast, a calorie really is a calorie, but in order to be healthy you must eat healthy a certain percentage of the time. If all you did was eat doughnuts all the time you would soon be feeling fairly ill.

Flexible Eating

The flexible eating approach is quite important to someone trying to lose fat. By allowing them to participate in normal activities like parties it helps them stay on the nutrition plan. It enables them to eat with their family as long as they watch their macros. It works. I've been using it for just 4 weeks and I have already lost 3% body fat. That's about the same as when I did strict clean eating, yet without the discomfort.

My Conclusions

I think everyone should be honest. Both ways get results. One way may just simply work better for some than the other way. That is all good. People should use the approach that is best for their situation. It is just like the answer to the age old question “At what time of day should I train?” The answer is “You train at the time you will get it done consistently.” Whether you use clean eating or IIFYM, the key is to use the system that you will stick to consistently.

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Filed Under: Diet & Fat Loss, Featured

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