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11 More Bodybuilding Myths Destroyed

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bodybuilding myths

Bodybuilding myths are everywhere. Not that long ago I published 11 Myths About Bodybuilding Destroyed. The response was so good that I decided to expand the list with another 11 bodybuilding myths that need to be destroyed.

  1. If women lift heavy weights they will begin to look like a man. The facts are that any woman who lifts weights will become stronger over time, but that doesn't make her look like a man. Women produce just a fraction of the natural muscle-building hormone testosterone that men do. Even serious female trainers with many years of experience can't build the bulky muscle seen on male bodybuilders. Of course, anyone—man or woman—who injects themselves with testosterone or anabolic substances will super-enhance their muscular development, but that's well outside of what one can do naturally. MYTH DESTROYED!
  2. You must train your legs daily in order to get a curvaceous butt. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, training your legs daily will eventually lead to injury. Give yourself the required 48 to 72 hours rest before hitting those legs again. MYTH DESTROYED!
  3. The amount of protein bodybuilders eat is bad for your health. Protein is the raw material that helps you build muscle. Once digested your body breaks all protein down to individual amino acids. The facts are that you need a variety of protein in your diet in order to not shortchange your workouts. MYTH DESTROYED!
  4. Eating more than 3 meals a day will make you fat. Honestly the number of calories eaten each day is much more important than the number of meals you eat. Bodybuilders “graze” all day long. They eat many smaller meals rather than 3 larger ones. The number of calories is the same. You won't get fat doing this. Just look at how lean a bodybuilder is for further proof. MYTH DESTROYED!
  5. Women need no supplements. While the supplement plan for a woman is different than that for a man, this bodybuilding myth is ridiculous, but repeated over and over again. Most women need at least a multi-vitamin. They will also benefit from fish oils. Eat right, train hard and get on the right supplements and you will see massive changes in your body. MYTH DESTROYED!
  6. There is a “best” exercise for each body part. This would be a direct contradiction of the Experiment of One. There is no “best” exercise for each body part. The fact is that your “best” exercise, the one that hits that body part the best, will change over the  years. MYTH DESTROYED!
  7. Training like a bodybuilder will make you look like a bodybuilder. The people making this claim tell you to do more cardio than anything else. They believe they don't need weights. Obviously they are wrong. The most dangerous aspect of this bodybuilding myth is that it sets limitations that don't need to be set. MYTH DESTROYED!
  8. Over training will happen if you push yourself too hard. This one bugs the hell out of me. I personally believe this bodybuilding myth came about because people don't want to train as hard as they can. I say get in the gym and push yourself to the limit. If you consistently hit the gym and keep pushing the intensity to the next level you are doing real training. MYTH DESTROYED!
  9. It is best to follow the training plan set up by a professional. Everyone has done this. I have done it. These workouts are a great guideline and by studying them you will learn a lot about programming your own workouts, but you won't ever get the kinds of results you want by copying other people. MYTH DESTROYED!
  10. There is a quick fix to gaining muscle. This bodybuilding myth is also ridiculous. There are no quick fixes in bodybuilding. This sport takes hard work. Changing your physique takes hard work. Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can gain 30 lbs of muscle in 30 days or any of the other quick fixes. MYTH DESTROYED!
  11. The longer you lift the harder your workout. This bodybuilding myth is completely false. I have had some of the most intense workouts in just 45 minutes per session. The difficulty of your workout is directly related to the effort you put in. It has nothing at all to do with the time you put in. Try doing a Tabata workout and tell me that 4 minutes isn't intense enough. MYTH DESTROYED!

 

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Saturday Sharing: My Opinion on Jerks at the Gym

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Gym jerks

The gym is full of all types of people. Some are easy to get along with and some are not. It is a microcosm of the world itself. The way you handle the jerks you encounter is going to determine how you enjoy your workout. Today I am going to rant about the jerks you meet at the gym.

What is a Gym Jerk?

There is an etiquette when training in a public gym and it is very important to follow. The gym jerk is not going to do this. He or she will take their sweet time while they see others waiting for the equipment. They will tell you they have 3 sets left only to do 5 more. They will refuse to let you work in with them. It is all something that would drive a normal person insane. Don't overreact.

Funny Reactions to a Gym Jerk

The gym is one of the very few places the gym jerk can interact with people who aren't their employers or the staff at the halfway house, so sometimes they'll meet their girlfriends there and they'll go to a corner of the gym and make out or something… or girl of ill-repute will take up a bench to sit there and watch her boyfriend workout and of course mean-mug everyone and talk like she's on Jerry Springer. Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! But I didn't know she was married, seriously!

The cellphone guys. People who carry on conversations while they're working out. I don't mind people having cell phones and answering them at the gym, but when people have conversations, it bugs me. I remember this one guy who had a cellphone that would “blow up” and he would always answer it “Mandingo Interprises”. I guess he claimed to have some sort of a business. I will admit it was funny to listen to him talk to people about how his business is a “hot blue chip stock”. How about the woman who sits on the bench while talking on the cellphone and refuses to give up the bench because she still has some sets to finish? Seriously? Come on crazy lady let me have the bench!

Teenagers. At my gym we get a lot of teenage kids who believe they are thugs. They come in wearing wife beaters and usually beanies or doo rags. They crowd around the bench and see who can get 135lbs up once or twice. I'm not going to make fun of someone for not being able to lift much because that's not right, but when these kids come off all cocky and act hard they're fair game for any humor I want to poke at them. They spend a lot of time making up excuses for why they can't lift like “Yeah, last night I benched 200 so I'm all sore.” They leave weights on the floor and spend a lot of time looking in the mirror at muscles they don't have. Yo, kid! Be careful, you may break the mirror with your bony physique.

I always enjoy watching the pull up bar. Pull ups are harder to do than most people think. When people like the above-mentioned teenagers try to do them,they  jump up on the bar and pull themselves up a little bit and realize it's a lot more difficult than they thought, I always make sure to make eye contact with them as they look around to see if anyone was watching before they drop without getting one. It's not a matter of making fun of people for what they can't do, it's an issue of the people with cocky attitudes.

The gym jerks are just fair game for every kind of humorous statement. When you encounter the gym jerk have fun with it. By doing so you will enjoy your own workout that much more.

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Cardio Techniques: Body for Life Cardio Plan

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Body for Life cardio

The Body for Life cardio plan is one that is extremely intense. It is an interval plan, but not in the manner you are used to. I would qualify it as a type of HIIT plan, yet it is quite different at the same time. You can find out the Body for Life philosophy here.

Body for Life Cardio Benefits

As with any cardio program, the Body for Life cardio plan has some major benefits. It will increase your metabolic rate and keep it that way for many hours after you stop the workout. It will increase the release of growth hormone. Your cholesterol levels will improve and your digestion as well.

Body for Life Cardio vs. HIIT

As  you may already know, I am a big proponent of HIIT cardio. At the same time I use Body for Life cardio all the time. To me the main difference is that Body for Life doesn't give you the kind of rest that HIIT does. It appears that the program was designed to take on the benefits of steady state cardio and mix it with HIIT. It results in a really intense workout.

Body for Life Cardio – How to Execute It

Body for Life cardio can seem complicated to some, but it really is not. My basic plan is to do 20 minutes of Body for Life cardio each time I use it. The following is how I handle my 20 minutes.

4.0 mph – 2 minutes
5.0 mph – 1 minute
5.5 mph – 1 minute
6.0 mph – 1 minute
6.5 mph – 1 minute
4.0 mph – 1 minute
5.0 mph – 1 minute
5.5 mph – 1 minute
6.0 mph – 1 minute
6.5 mph – 1 minute
7.0 mph – 1 minute
4.0 mph – 1 minute
5.0 mph – 1 minute
5.5 mph – 1 minute
6.0 mph – 1 minute
6.5 mph – 1 minute
7.0 mph – 1 minute
3.5 mph – 2 minutes

20 minutes total

The intervals stay the same length, but the intensity slowly builds. I find that I am extremely winded when doing this program. When done you know you've done some intense cardio.

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How to Break Your Goals into Manageable Pieces

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manageable-goals

Goal setting is a process. I have been attempting to teach that to you over the past month with my articles on Setting Goals for Fitness and Bodybuilding, My Goal Planning Analyzed Step-by-Step, and How to Set Long Term Goals. Today I want to discuss how to break your goal into manageable pieces and why that matters.

Long Term Goal = Daunting Task

As discussed in a previous segment in this series, I have spoken to many people who want to lose 100 pounds or more. They all think they are just going to change some things and they will start dropping the pounds. Well, goals like this are definitely long term and they take so much time to accomplish. I estimate most people would take more than a year to lose 100 pounds (though some could do it slightly sooner). How do you stay motivated that entire time? A long term goal needs to be broken down into manageable pieces because that will give you baby steps to celebrate along the way.

When I travel long distance in a car I always pay attention to milestones. These milestones make the trip go by faster. Goals are no different. Setting some milestone goals will help you achieve the bigger goal by keeping you focused on the daunting task you've undertaken.

A Goal is a Project

I follow the time management system called Getting Things Done. No, that's not some kind of joke, it is an actual system designed by David Allen. In that system anything that takes more than 2 steps to complete is a project. Think of a goal as a project and come up with a project plan. That project plan is going to involve breaking the goal down into smaller chunks and setting due dates for those smaller chunks. It is important for your continued motivation that you do this. Treat a goal like a project that must get done and you will get it done.

A Goal Has Consequences

All goals have consequences. Either you accomplish them or not. However, how much more likely would it be that you complete the goal if you were to have a positive consequence for accomplishing it and a negative one for not accomplishing it? I did this when I wanted to drop weight. I entered a bodybuilding competition and told every single person I knew that I would be up on stage fat or in shape. Clearly being fat and in front of a couple thousand people wasn't my idea of fun, so I worked harder than I ever have before and I made my goal happen.

Conclusion

Goal setting is sort of an art, but accomplishing them doesn't have to be. Break your goal into more manageable pieces and treat it like a project and you will see the results. Good luck!

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Expose Podcast Episode #1: Let’s Talk About IIFYM

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podcast-iifym

Listen to Expose Podcast #1: Let's Talk About IIFYM

Today our topic is IIFYM — If It Fits Your Macros. What is IIFYM? IIFYM is an eating strategy designed to keep you in your best possible shape year round. It has recently gained in popularity among physique competitors who don't want to constantly live on a restrictive diet plan. While IIFYM has some major names backing it there are also many in the industry who are picking it apart. Let's have a look at this and see what we conclude about IIFYM.

As I did my research for this episode I came across a lot of things I know do not define IIFYM, yet they attempt to do so over and over. It is definitely a heated topic and one that probably will be for quite some time. This approach requires a change in thinking and so many people are not ready to change their thinking, especially when it comes to their way of eating.

On one side of this discussion is the clean eating crowd. This group claims you need to focus on what you eat and to some extent, how much of it you eat. They claim their way works because the food they eat is “clean” and that by watching their caloric intake they are able to take the fat off and keep it off. The clean eating crowd looks at IIFYM and claims it is about how much you eat with no regard to food quality.

On the other side of this discussion is the IIFYM crowd. They claim you need to pay attention to calories and macronutrient ratios and the rest will follow. To them it is more important to hit your macros than pretty much anything else. They see the clean crowd as being far too restrictive. In fact, it seems they believe most people will fall off the wagon with the clean crowd's approach because it is too restrictive. To me, the best term to fit this is “flexible dieting.”

So what really is the story with IIFYM? Basically it isn't much different from the clean eating crowd at all. It is a way of counting calories because it actually tracks your macronutrients which translates directly into calories. Confused by that? Don't be! One gram of protein or one gram of carbohydrates is 4 calories. One gram of fat is 9 calories. Thus, via the macronutrients, IIFYM counts your calories automatically. You might now be wondering where the controversy is. If both crowds seemingly believe the same thing where is the problem?

The part of IIFYM that throws people for a loop involves what they say you can eat. The IIFYM crowd says that as long as you hit your macronutrient numbers every day what you eat to get there won't affect your body composition in a negative way. Thus, you could get your protein from 99% lean turkey or you could get it from fatty ground beef, as long as you hit your protein macronutrient target it won't matter. The question on everyone's mind should now be “Does this really work?”

The short answer is that it definitely works. But why does it work? When you are trying to lose weight and/or fat the calories  you take in must be less than the calories you put out. In the strictest sense, while trying to lose weight and/or fat, a calorie is a calorie. The source of the calorie truly is irrelevant. However, in terms of body composition, macronutrients begin to matter a great deal. You will need to take in an ample amount of protein to maintain muscle. You will need an ample amount of carbohydrates to maintain training intensity. The right amount of healthy fats plays a huge role in hormone synthesis. It is at this point that we can understand why tracking your macronutrients is the key.

If you hit your macronutrient numbers you are going to hit your calorie goal as well. It is just that simple. So the clean eating crowd is completely wrong, right? You can eat whatever you want and as long as you hit your macronutrient numbers you're going to lose weight, right? We just said that, didn't we? Well hold on just a second because I am about to throw you a curve ball.

Eating junk food to get shredded is idiotic. The food we put into our bodies provides us with many vitamins and minerals that assist the physiological functions of the body itself. Candy and junk food are very deficient when it comes to micronutrients. These are essential to a healthy functioning body. So, this is where the clean eating crowd has it right. Health is more important than how you look. I will now suggest that merging the mindset of the two crowds is the correct answer in the long run.

I would like to suggest that you can implement the principles of IIFYM in the following manner and be very happy in the end with your results from both an aesthetic and health standpoint.

  • Get 80% of your calories from a healthy source that you actually like. By “healthy” I mean micronutrient dense. This addresses one problem people have when trying to stick to the clean eating group's approach–they get tired of chicken and vegetables all the time and one taste of something savory sends them off the wagon. If you want steak instead of chicken, merely adjust for the fat content. If you want whole fat Greek yogurt, adjust the other fats you intake that day.
  • Don't be afraid to eat some small indulgences. As long as those indulgences work into your macros for the day you will not derail your progress. You want some chocolate? That's great! Just fit it into your macronutrient numbers for the day and all is good.
  • Adjust your meal timing if necessary. So many people love food that is calorie dense. If that is you, don't be afraid to eat less meals. Your body won't slow its metabolism down by eating 3 meals instead of 5. I personally prefer smaller, more frequent meals, but that's me. Follow the Experiment of One when it comes to this and you are going to be just fine.

Like everything else in physique transformation, the Experiment of One is an essential tool. Don't try to force the approach of others to fit your own needs. It just isn't going to happen. Your body will tell you (or perhaps show you) what works best for it. Follow along and you will have great success.

Hopefully I have taken away some of the confusion surrounding this debate. Simply put, focus on your health before all other things. Don't use IIFYM as an excuse to eat horrible junk food non-stop. At the same time, use the flexibility built in to eat something savory every so often. It will keep you on track.

Thanks for your time and I look forward to the next episode of Expose Podcast.

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