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A Real Review of MI40 by Ben Pakulski

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I spent the past month going over the MI40 Mass Intentions program from IFBB Pro Ben Pakulski. My intention in this review is to inform you on the content this program provides and advise you as to whether or not it is worth purchasing.

In my opinion, most training programs released on the internet today are just a rehash of someone else’s ideas. They rarely bring something that I have not seen before. I tell you this because I want you to understand what my mindset was going into my review of MI40 by IFBB Pro Ben Pakulski.

What Do You Get?

MI40 is primarily a video program. It has several written components to it, including a training guide, but the meat of the program is the video presentations. I will discuss the quality of the videos later in this review, but I found it interesting that Ben spent so much time on videos.

What Is the Significance of the Term “MI40”?

When IFBB Pro Ben Pakulski uses the term “MI40” he is really telling you a lot about his program. For one, the “MI” stands for Mass Intentions. Mass Intentions is simply a way of tweaking an exercise to recruit maximum muscle fibers. It is difficult to put this into writing, which is why Ben has spent hours on video content with this program. One example I can give of Mass Intentions relates to lying hamstring curls. Ben discusses (and shows in a video) how to make sure that the exercise is really hitting your hamstrings directly. It is a small tweak, but one that seems to work (I’ve tried it).

The “40” part is related to many aspects of the program. It relates to the 40 exercise examples given, the 40 minute length of each workout, the 40 seconds rest between exercises and the 40 days length of the program itself.

Quality or Quantity or Both?

I really enjoyed the videos that were done for this program. They were professional and actually helped to explain the concepts quite well. My complaint is that there is not enough written material. I am the type of person who likes to read over a description and mentally absorb it.  That just isn’t possible with the way this program is designed. It is primarily a video program. I would be happier if the program had a matching manual similar to the way Jeff Anderson does things in his eBooks.

My Opinion on MI40

While a lot of what is contained in MI40 is far from revolutionary, I’d say there is enough here that it is a worthwhile purchase. IFBB Pro Ben Pakulski shares some great tips for activating the muscles in a unique way utilizing angles, tension, etc. For a fan of bodybuilding like me, this is a great program to review because it gives you a glimpse into the training of an IFBB Professional. At the same time, there really wasn’t enough of the revolutionary material if you are an advanced trainee. Ben offers a money back guarantee, so what have you got to lose? Give this program a try. Just be aware of the fact that you will not be able to utilize this (or any program for that matter) continuously without changing it up.

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Get A Cardio Coach for Your HIIT Workouts

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When it comes to doing HIIT cardio training, having a coach to motivate you definitely helps with your intensity. However, who can afford to have a trainer standing by to push you harder? Who can afford a person to motivate you? Until now, the answer was probably “nobody”, but now we have the Cardio Coach, Sean O’Malley, to do all these things at a very reasonable price.

Cardio Coach is an 8 volume downloadable MP3 cardio coaching audio series. It takes you through a series of HIIT cardio sessions that are sure to get your heart pumping and the fat buring off quickly. Each of the 8 volumes is slightly different, but just as intense as the last one. It can be used on any piece of equipment. Each volume is a different length, but there are options for shortening or lengthening any given workout.

The Cardio Coach programs break down the intensity into 4 levels:

  • Level 1 – Low Intensity
  • Level 2 – Medium Intensity
  • Level 3 – Moderate to High Intensity
  • Level 4 – High Intensity

The program also breaks things down into heart rate zones. For simplicity, the zones are color-coded:

  • Zone 1 [55% to 65% of Maximum Heart Rate] (Blue Zone)
  • Zone 2 [65% to 75% of Maximum Heart Rate] (Green Zone)
  • Zone 3 [75% to 85% of Maximum Heart Rate] (Orange Zone)
  • Zone 4 [85%+ of Maximum Heart Rate[ (Red Zone)

You can read all about the zones by visiting the zones description on the Cardio Coach web site.

This is a great program to motivate you during your cardio sessions. The Coach, Sean O’Malley, talks you through the entire workout, encouraging you to do your best the entire time. This, along with the very interesting and motivating music, push you to your limits. You will never be bored during cardio sessions ever again when you use Cardio Coach. I personally think this is one of the best investments in your health that you can make.

If you have a motivational tool that you use during your cardio, leave a comment for me below describing what it is.

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Optimum Anabolics for Maximum Growth

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Optimum Anabolics is a program from the Muscle Nerd, Jeff Anderson. Jeff is known for putting together incredibly easy to follow training programs. His approach is the same in each training program he releases, which makes it easy for the user to create a great training experience.

The Optimum Anabolics program focuses on both training and nutrition to put your body in the most anabolic state possible. The training program varies your workouts so that your body is continually guessing at what is coming next. The methodology Anderson uses is so simple that it is sheer genius. He provides charts for every workout and indicates “Pick an exercise from Table 5 and superset it with an exercise from Table 9” so that you easily put together a customized program that fits your needs. This approach is awesome because it doesn't attempt to provide you with a cookie cutter workout that is supposed to work for everyone who uses it. Instead, you get a customized plan that fits your own preferences.

The program guides you through workouts that are aimed at increasing the GH levels in your body. It then adds to the training schedule by synching up a nutritional plan that is aimed at maximizing what you are doing with the workouts. There are some bizarre things that Anderson does with the nutrition, but his reasoning behind each item is sound.

I would recommend the Optimum Anabolics program for anyone interesting in building mass. The workouts are intense, but short. They push you to your limits. The nutrition is different and will teach you alot about the right approaches for building muscle with the right nutrition plan. You will find that your results show quickly as long as you are doing what the program says to do. It is like having Anderson there as your own personal trainer. Do not hesitate to pick up a copy of this program today!

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Book Review: Never Let Go

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Never Let Go by Dan John is an account of the life and training philosophies of Dan John, an Olympic weight lifter and discus throw champion. His book is subtitled “A Philosophy of Lifting, Living and Learning.” It is a very appropriate subtitle indeed. Dan John has alot to say and he says it in this book.

He covers a variety of interesting topics. His discussions are all centered around selecting the best training methods for you. There are several things about this book that have stuck in my mind and I discuss those below.

I have always wondered about “cookie cutter” exercise programs. Dan seems to say that you should try different things. Utilize the items around you to do different things. He talks about a guy who wanted to lean up and get stronger, so he took a barbell, 2 45 lb. plates and himself to a track. He set up the barbell and plates on the grass at one end of the track. He then proceeded to do a simple workout that consisted of sprinting a lap, then doing 10 deadlifts. He repeated this 10 times.

Dan then relates how he has done workouts using a hillside and a boulder. He'd roll the boulder up the hill and then let it roll back down. He used this for fat loss.

In this book, Dan makes the case that we should be trying different things to see what works best for our given situation. Everybody is different and they require different stimuli to get the job done. He promotes the exact philosophy I do when I speak about the Experiment of One (thank you, Carlos DeJesus).

I highly recommend that you read this book. It is not a long list of different exercise routines to try. Instead, it is a philosophy of training that you can apply to your own situation in order to achieve fantastic results. This book gets a thumbs up from me!

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Combat the Fat for Quick Fat Loss

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Combat the Fat is a workout aimed at burning fat while maintaining lean muscle mass. It approaches things in a different manner, through the use of various types of circuits. Its author, Jeff Anderson, has put out some very good programs in the past, so I expected nothing less from this program.

Combat the Fat – The Training

The training follows the principles of shortened rest times and intense work periods. I cannot go into details as this is a paid program, but I will say that the approaches are very effective.

Combat the Fat – Pyramids

The CTF pyramids are not like the usual pyramid system. They pyramid up and down based upon repetitions. You combine 3 very specific exercises from some charts that are provided and then you perform a pyramid with them. As an example, you will perform 1 repetition of Exercise A, then 2 of Exercise B and 3 of Exercise C. You then rest for 30 seconds to a minute. You then do 2 repetitions of Exercise A, then 4 of Exercise B and 6 of Exercise C. You keep going up like that until you reach a maximum number of reps for the first exercise (based upon what level you are at in the program).

My personal experience is that CFT pyramids can be extremely intense. I found that by keeping my rest periods to 30 seconds (clocked) I got a really tough workout without risking injury. The sheer number of repetitions that must be completed makes the workout intense by itself. I really enjoyed the CFT pyramids.

Combat the Fat – Intervals

The CFT intervals add another dimension to the program. As I said, this program is designed to burn fat and we all know that cardio is a necessary evil for that to happen. Most of us avoid cardio like the plague, but CFT forces it upon you through the use of the CFT intervals.

The CTF intervals involve doing a cardio exercise (from a very specific list of choices) for 5 straight minutes. You then switch to a weight training exercise and complete as many repetitions as you can with the weight you chose. You then switch back to another 5 minutes of cardio, but using a different mode (from a different list of choices). You keep switching back and forth until you've completed 30 minutes of cardio.

I found myself doing my cardio during the time that I used this program. I also found myself losing 20+ pounds throughout the entire course of the program and that was without really dialing in my nutrition. I personally believe that the CTF intervals are the perfect compliment to the CFT pyramids. The two approaches make up the entire Combat the Fat System.

Combat the Fat – My Judgment

I would highly recommend this program to anyone wanting to burn fat quickly. This recommendation gets even stronger if you are the type of person who tries to avoid cardio training. The cardio approach in this program is aimed at mixing things up and that keeps you interested in your training. This creates results that cannot be denied. I found the program very easy to stick to, but will warn you that it is a 6 day a week commitment. If you need to lose fat, give Combat the Fat a try. You will not regret the decision.

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