Also, there is a theory that every hour of sleep you get before midnight is equivalent to 2 hours of sleep.

So if you go to bed at 10pm and wake up 6 am you will feel as if you have just slept 10 hours (and not the actual 8 hours)
I would say try this one out for yourself and see. Too be honest, I personally feel tremendouslybetter going to bed earlier and waking up earlier. Take advantage of power naps they are not for wimps. Professional bodybuilders take them regularly in the course of a day. It is said that a 20-minute nap in the middle of the day is the equivalent of a 2-hour sleep. Again, try it out and see for yourself. Naps are extremely beneficial if you did not sleep well the night before. Remember that your muscles grow when you rest this is the time between weight training sessions. Sleep is the best opportunity to let your muscles rest.

Some hormones build muscle while others breakdown muscle. Some hormones burn fat while others store it!
We need to appreciate the influence of these hormones so we can manipulate our results by maximizing the amount of muscle building and fat loss hormones and minimizing the production of muscle wasting and fat storing hormones.

Cocktail #1: Insulin

Insulin is released by the pancreas and can be either your best friend or worse nightmare. It is good when it promotes muscle building and it is bad when it promotes fat storage. The job of insulin is to lower blood sugar levels when they get too high. When you eat any sort of carbs, proteins or fat, most of that food is broken down into its simplest form glucose (sugar) and released into your bloodstream. This release of glucose causes your blood sugar levels to rise above normal levels. Insulin comes to the rescue and returns your blood sugar levels back to normal.

Prolonged high blood sugar levels result in inflammation in the body.

Insulin lowers blood sugar levels by shuttling the glucose into muscle and liver cells. Insulin will also carry amino acids into the muscles promoting protein synthesis (muscle building) and inhibiting protein breakdown (muscle loss). Remember, your muscles and No Nonsense Muscle Building Introduction

Chapter 5

liver have a limited storage capacity - similar to a warehouse. Once your muscle warehouse and liver warehouse are full insulin has to carry the remaining glucose somewhere else unfortunately the next available warehouse is your fat cells. So insulin can also stimulate the storage of fat. As you can see, insulin is a double-edged sword and you must learn to control your insulin levels to maximize the benefits of muscle building and to minimize the affect of fat storage. So if you want to see how fat you can get consistently keep your insulin levels as high as possible (this will consequently lead to a short life span). And if you want to grow like a skyscraper then consistently keep your insulin levels low (the exception to this rule is during the Energy and Anabolic Phases, which we will discuss shortly) . You can control insulin levels by what you eat. Different foods can cause higher insulin release than others:

Carbs: When eaten alone, carbs cause the largest insulin response because they
are converted directly into sugar by the body - 100g of ingested carbs is equal to 100g of glucose entering the bloodstream. This sudden surge of glucose into the bloodstream causes a huge rise in blood sugar levels, which will cause a massive release of insulin.

Protein: Protein causes a smaller insulin release than carbohydrates. Only 58%
of dietary protein will appear in the bloodstream as glucose. Note that this is only in the absence of carbs. The fewer carbs you eat, the more protein is converted to glucose, and vice versa. Your liver will convert the amino acids from protein into glucose. If adequate carbs are consumed with the protein, the body will not convert much (if any) of the protein into glucose. It would rather use those amino acids for other purposes when adequate glucose is available.

Fats: Only 10% of fat will appear in the bloodstream as glucose. Fat has almost no
blood sugar increasing affect. When fat is digested, it is broken down into glycerol and free fatty acid chains (FFA). Your liver converts the glycerol into glucose. There are really only a few hours in the day where you can eat a ton of food and create an extremely powerful anabolic environment even with the presence of high insulin levels. Remember, once your liver and muscle storage capacity is full the excess food must get stored somewhere and we have discussed the next storage site is your fat cells.

What times in the day are your muscle and liver storage sites depleted and at their lowest levels? At breakfast and during and after your workout (cardio or weights)! These are the three main times in the day where your body will take full advantage of the anabolic effects of high insulin with little chance of fat storage. If your goal is to maintain low body fat levels year round it is critical to maintain moderate levels to prevent fat storage. In the nutrition chapter we will discuss the topic of nutrient timing in more detail. You will learn about workout nutrition and how to optimize these critical windows for muscle growth.

Cocktail #2: Glucagon

Glucagon is a hormone that has the opposite task of insulin. Insulins job is to lower high blood sugar levels and glucagon raises low blood sugar levels. Glucagon released from the pancreas - comes to the rescue when your blood sugar levels are low. Like insulin, glucagon can be your best friend or your worse nightmare. Insulin promotes muscle building and fat storage, whereas glucagon promotes muscle breakdown and fat burning. If blood sugar levels are too low (if you have not eaten for more than 3-4 hours) it mobilizes stored glycogen from the liver and releases glucose for energy. It then begins to help release stored fat into the bloodstream also to be used for energy. For very low blood sugar levels (not eating for 4-5 hours), it also plays a part in the breakdown of muscle tissue for fuel.

During fat loss diets, elevated glucagon levels are important because it causes the burning of stored fat for fuel. Cocktail #3: IGF-1
Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) causes increased protein synthesis and tissue growth. Many believe that it is the key factor in muscle growth. It is released from the liver during times of high insulin and high GH (growth hormone) levels. I will repeat, to stimulate the production if IGF-1, GH levels must be high and insulin levels must be high simultaneously. This is the tricky part because when insulin levels are high, GH is normally suppressed. This is another reason why insulin levels must be consistently controlled. Insulin levels must be raised at specific times to promote enhanced growth and IGF-1 production. For example, after a hard workout of 45-60 minutes GH levels will be very high. If you then eat a high carb/high protein meal, you will cause a rise in insulin levels, which will cause the release of IGF-1.

IGF-1 is not released during times of low insulin levels. Low insulin and low IGF-1 levels are the primary reasons it is difficult to gain muscle on low-carb diets. Low protein also causes a decrease in IGF-1 levels. No Nonsense Muscle Building Introductionapter 5

Cocktail #4: Cortisol

Cortisol is the most catabolic hormone in your body and is released from the adrenal cortex in time of mental and physical stress. It is involved in the breakdown of muscle for fuel and promotes fat storage. Cortisol is necessary for joint and tendon health but levels must be controlled to maximize natural testosterone production. To understand cortisol you can relate it to the exact opposite of testosterone for muscle growth. Testosterone is an anabolic hormone and a catalyst for many reactions in your body responsible for muscle growth. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone that is actually responsible for breaking down muscle tissue. Cortisol converts amino acids to carbohydrates and prevents protein synthesis.

Since you are limited to the amount you can naturally increase your testosterone levels, it is imperative that you make all possible efforts to limit cortisol levels.
The following tips may point to problems you have experienced in the past or why you have not progressed in years: Decrease levels of personal, mental and physical stress. Learning how to deal with daily stress and challenges will separate the skinny from the muscular. Learn how to keep your problems in perspective and how to treat stressful times with relaxation methods. Stressing yourself out has shown to increase cortisol levels and inhibit muscle growth. Stress is relative to the perspective of the person experiencing the stress. By changing your perspective you can lower stress levels. Severe caloric restriction has been shown to increase cortisol levels. This is why dieting and cutting phases, where your calories are restricted for longer than 3-5 days, result in an increase of cortisol. This is the main reason for muscle tissue loss during periods of dieting. Cortisol also increases insulin resistance and inhibits thyroid function. A diet lacking essential micronutrients and macro nutrients may increase cortisol levels. Add a high quality multivitamin and antioxidant supplement, perhaps even double or triple the dosage, during stressful times, to suppress cortisol levels. Get at least 8-9 hours of rest a night. Your body needs ample rest or cortisol levels will elevate.

 High volume workouts with short rest periods and training too frequently will elevate cortisol levels. Training more than two days in a row, especially if you are a hard gainer, increases cortisol levels dramatically. Also, long periods of training without recovery weeks can dump a ton of cortisol into the body. Cortisol levels have been shown to increase with age. This is why a younger male can get away with longer duration sessions of 60 minutes but these should be decreased approximately 10 minutes every 10 years. Therefore a 15-25 year old male could afford a maximal training session of 60 minutes, a 25-35 year old male 50 minutes, 3545 year old male, 40 minutes; a 45-55 year old male 30 minutes and so forth. Those are very generic recommendations and can be used as a maximal starting point.

Cocktail #5: Testosterone

Probably the most well known hormone, considered to be the big daddy, testosterone is produced in the testes. Its primary job is muscle growth. It also helps to burn fat and establish your sexual characteristics. Testosterone causes muscle growth by directly stimulating protein synthesis. Women also produce testosterone in their adrenal gland, but in much smaller quantities than men do. This is why it is easier for men to build large amounts of muscle. Under normal circumstances (no exercise or diet), testosterone production begins to decline by about age 40 in most men. As it does, it can cause muscle loss, bone mass loss, increased body fat, weakness and depression.

Fortunately, to some degree, testosterone levels can be controlled by the ratios of food in the diet and exercise.
In order to support optimal testosterone levels ones diet must be balanced and consist of ample amounts of vitamins and minerals specifically from the B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc and manganese. When trying to gain mass, a high-fat intake is necessary to stimulate maximum testosterone production. Diets low in fats or products that contain fat, like a vegetarian diet, produce much lower testosterone levels than a meat or fish-rich diet. The fat provides cholesterol, which is needed for testosterone synthesis. There is about 100mg of cholesterol in 3 oz of red meat.

Heavy resistance training (80-95% effort) and short rest intervals also stimulate the production of higher than normal testosterone levels.
How to naturally increase Testosterone levels (and other interesting tips): Runners and power lifters show lower levels of testosterone than bodybuilders do. Higher volume activities (greater than 8 hours a week) result in lower T levels.hapter 5

 The higher your stress level the lower your T levels. Intense training causes a periodic increase in T levels but then drop. T levels stay low for a day or two before rising again. Another reason for hard gainers to train every second day. Dont plan a growth cycle when you know your mental and emotional circumstance will prevent your best gains. Alcohol decreases T level and even one night on the town can cause T levels to plummet. Sex, masturbation and erotic stimuli will cause an increase in T levels. Painkillers such as aspirin, marijuana, codeine will decrease T levels. Diets high in protein, cholesterol, fat, and saturated fat will increase T levels. Increasing polyunsaturated fat and decreasing saturated fat will decrease T levels. Higher protein typically equals more animal fats therefore equals more saturated fat and cholesterol. T levels decrease with restricted diets but are restored within 48 hours after refeeding. To summarize, T levels will fluctuate throughout the day, week, and year and are predictable to being the highest around summer, winning streaks, higher fat intake periods, and even when you are getting it on regularly. And it is predictable that T levels will be low during winter, losing streaks, stress and depression, low carb diets, drug and alcohol binges and dry spells.

Cocktail #6: Growth Hormone (GH)

Growth hormone promotes muscle building and fat loss. It works with testosterone to build muscle. GH helps to regenerate/strengthen our bones and connective tissue crucial to support increased muscle size and strength. GH appears to affect every organ in the body, has been shown to support protein synthesis, a positive nitrogen balance, increased amino acid uptake, lipolysis (fat breakdown), stimulate cartilage growth, and enhance immune cell function. It is released in response to low blood sugar levels caused by fasting, dieting, exercise or sleep. No Nonsense Muscle Building IntroductionChapter 5

Women have high GH levels during exercise and at rest than men do.
Once released, it promotes growth by increasing protein synthesis, and causing the release of IGF-1. It also promotes fat burning by moving stored fat into the bloodstream to be used as fuel. This is its primary function. Because of this fat mobilizing effect, GH reduces the amount of glucose and protein that is used for fuel, so high GH levels will protect against muscle loss. Produced in the anterior pituitary gland, production is highest during adolescence and peaks around age 20. During that time, your body produces about 500 micrograms per day.

Under normal circumstances, production begins to decline rapidly after age 31. It typically declines about 24% per decade. So, at age 40 you are producing 200 mcg, and at age 80 you will produce only 25 mcg per day.

How to naturally increase GH levels (and other interesting tips):

Eat low glycemic carbohydrates to keep blood sugars low, especially before exercise and sleep. Go to bed on an empty stomach (no heavy carbs). Carbohydrates produce insulin, which can help store fat. Get a good nights sleep on a regular basis. Large amounts of GH are released during the first 30-70 minutes of sleep. High intensity weight training increases GH levels. While performing your sets, keep tension as high as possible on muscles without rest to optimize GH levels. Wear warm clothing. Supplement with higher levels of protein, Glutamine and Creatine, may in crease GH levels regardless of age. Use certain aminos throughout the day, L-ornithine and L-arginine. Use 500 mg of ornithine and 500 mg of arginine twice per day (before exercise and sleep), five days per week. L-ornithine is not very practical because pharmaceutical grade is very expensive. Eat a balanced diet. Carbs/protein/fat. Eat 5-7 times a day. Use the sauna 20 minutes a day.Chapter 5 Train using powerful lifts, for example, squats, dead lifts and power cleans. Take naps. Avoid doing the same exercise every time you go into the gym. Reduce your intake of fructose. Excessive fructose intake can block activity of GH and stop the burning of fat for fuel.

Cocktail #7: Catecholamines

The catecholamines are a group of 3 hormones secreted by the adrenal glands, epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine. When you get nervous or get that adrenaline rush, you are experiencing release from these three hormones. They are important for strength and power because these hormones act to produce force production and contraction on muscle fibers. Intense weight training with heavy weight and little rest between sets has been shown to increase levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Cocktail #8: Thyroid Hormones

One final hormone that I would like to address is called T3 (triiodothyronine). This hormone is produced by your thyroid and controls your overall metabolism. Your thyroid actually produces two hormones, T3 and T4 (thyroxine), but T3 has the greatest influence on your metabolism.

Your metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories.

Increased T3 production increases your metabolism so you burn more calories per day (fat and muscle). This is why skinny hard gainers typically have low body fat levels and difficulty gaining muscle. Their metabolisms are very high so they burn a large amount of calories. Decreased T3 production slows your metabolism so that you burn fewer calories (fat and muscle). Your thyroid regulates T3 production based on many things, including health, stress, overtraining, and of course diet. How much you eat plays a very large part in T3 levels. Eating a consistently large amount of calories will keep T3 levels fairly high. If you decrease your calories too drastically, your body will reduce T3 production to slow your metabolism. It does this to help conserve calories, preserve muscle mass and maintain body fat levels. In times of famine (or low calorie dieting), your body triesC to conserve as much as it can to survive. Low T3 levels means very little fat is being burned. Since T3 also helps regulate protein synthesis, low levels mean no new muscle is being built. During long-term, low calorie diets, your T3 levels can drop by as much as 30%. Your body also begins to lower noradrenaline production by almost 50%. Fat loss products like caffeine and the ECA stack help to minimize this metabolic drop in both hormones.

Exercise and increased protein intake will also help in keeping your metabolism elevated.
Applying this information is critical in the muscle-building and cardio debate because in this section we will first examine some of the popular beliefs and I will allow you to come to your own conclusions. Remember, when it comes to muscle building there are always three sides to every story my side, your side and the reality.

1. The Difference Between Aerobic Training and Cardiovascular Training

What is an accurate way to describe cardio? Cardio is when the heart and lungs are involved to perform exercise. Whether you are performing a swim workout, bike workout, run workout, sprints or circuit training cardiovascular work is being performed when you sustain your heart rate, elevate your breathing and sweating. Aerobic training refers to one form in which cardiovascular activity can be performed. The definition of aerobic is with oxygen. Aerobic training refers to any activity that can be performed continually almost indefinitely at a low intensity as long as oxygen is constantly being supplied. All aerobic training is cardiovascular training. Not all cardiovascular training is aerobic training. This will make more sense shortly.

2. Cardiovascular Training To Do or Not To Do...

One of the most popular beliefs is that cardio will kill any chance of muscle gain. The reality is that cardio must be a part of your training program even if you goal is pure maximum muscle gain.

Aerobics have been shown to speed up recovery from weight training by transporting oxygen and blood flow to the muscles.
The circulatory system is developed because more oxygen is pushed through your blood resulting in a greater number and size of blood vessels. Since there is a greater cardiovascular density of blood vessels, your circulatory system has more supply routes to shuttle oxygen and nutrients to the body tissues, including muscles, and shuttle away waste products that can slow muscle growth, repair and recovery.

I do not know of anyone who can naturally get their body fat into the low single digits with resistance training and diet alone.
Interestingly, weight training can augment muscle loss just as much as cardiovascular if performed the wrong way! Thats right, cardio can be another powerful musclebuilding tool (that many do not use) in getting big and even staying lean in the process. I repeat, cardio training, if implemented the correct way, will help you build more muscle and turn the brewery around your midsection into a six-pack. We will get to the details shortly. No Nonsense Muscle Building Introduction

3. Steady State Aerobics Why its Not as Effective

Its well known that low intensity exercise utilizes primarily fat as fuel for energy and high intensity exercise utilizes more carbohydrate as fuel. In the past, this was the basis for the idea that steady state aerobics (also referred to as long slow cardio) was superior for fat loss. Some people were afraid to exercise too hard because they thought it would take them out of the fat burning zone and make them burn only sugar and no body fat. Consider the reasons why most overweight individuals favor steady state aerobic training, also referred to as long slow cardio, for fat burning. It burns calories. There are so many other activities beyond the gym that burn calories, such as sleeping, cleaning, gardening and talking. Sure, these activities do not burn as much calories as sprinting and weight training but they do still burn calories. As long as the muscles are at work and demand extra oxygen to continue working than you are burning calories. So, no extra points for aerobic training. I spent 10 years of my life training at 80-120 km a week and racing 800m, 1500m, 3k, 5k and 10k races. I was immersed in the endurance world so I had an inside view of this topic. Ironically, some of my training partners who raced and trained at the same volume were not as lean as you would think. This shows real-world proof that high volumes of cardio activity do not make you lean. So I can not give extra points for aerobic training as the most effective way to lose body fat. The fat burning zone. Do you think its a coincidence that the majority of people who train in this zone are still fat? This myth was developed years ago when scientists discovered that carbohydrates were the primary source of fuel for high intensity exercise and fat was the primary source of fuel for low intensity exercise. How convenient? Exercisers all over the world praised the idea that they could lose fat while barely breaking a sweat! If low intensity fat burning workouts proved to be the magic bullet than you would expect to see a lot more leaner people around would you agree? It is true that a greater percentage of fat is burned during lower intensity aerobic exercisethan it at higher intensities. So if we take this assumption to a further conclusion,we could assume that lying on a coach will burn a greater percentage of fat by just lying there all day. And we all know how people look when they sit on a coach all day doing nothing!

The secret to maximal fat loss is to focus on burning more overall calories.
Even though higher intensity training only burns 35% of calories from fat while e

lower intensities burn may burn up to 50% of the calories from fat, the higher intensities will burn more overall calories than lower intensities. Think about a real world example are sprinters (running 10-20 seconds) fatter than marathon runners (2-2.5 hours of running)? No. Actually sprinters carry less body fat than distance runners due to their muscle mass. I can personally testify to this. Even though I was running 80-120 km a week, during my competitive running career, I had a little potbelly when I ran. This is also because long distance runners, at least in my case, justified poor food choices for the volume of training we did! Aerobics makes your body burn fat. The problem is that too much aerobics burns muscle and the ONLY tissue on your body that burns fat at rest is muscle. Aerobics can strip away too much muscle on your body which is not good because fat is a dormant tissue and does not encourage your body to burn calories. The whole physiology of someone who lifts weights is geared up to burn calories. The

opposite is true of aerobic junkies, whose physiology is like that of a Honda Civic; stretching a gallon of fuel for 40 miles. When you want to lose fat, you want to be like a Cadillac or a Hot Rod; you want to be fuel inefficient! Therefore you want to do exercises in such a manner that fuel efficiency is sacrificed. Sure, aerobic training will burn fat but it will also strip your muscle leaving you less muscle to burn fat during the day. So if muscle is the only tissue that burns fat, and aerobic training makes your muscles smaller than thats not effective for fat burning during the rest of the day. The last time I used low intensity cardio was during my very first fitness model show. I came in very ripped but was told that I would have placed in the top 5 instead of 17th of 34 guys if I had an extra 5- 10 pounds of muscle. I know for a fact that I lost those 5-10 pounds in my last 4-6 weeks of show prep because long slow cardio was what everyone else did (and I followed the herd without questioning). When many young guys start up on a training program, they always neglect the most critical factor they always fail to grasp the following:

1% Workout + 38% Sleep + 33% Diet + 28% Lifestyle = 168 Hours In The Week How did I calculate these? 3-4 hours a week max weight training / 168 hours in a week = 0.017. So giving this component 1% was actually generous! 9 hours of sleep a night X 7 days = 63 hours / 168 hours in a week = 37.5% 8 meals a day for a 1 hour sitting
(I know this is very generic side but lets include prep time to this as well to make 30 minutes of eating + 30 minutes of prep)

X 7 days a week = 56 hours / 168 hours in a week = 33% Lifestyle = The remainder of the time: 100% - 1% - 37.5% - 33% = 28.5%

The percentages do not reflect the level of importance of each component but only to demonstrate where your time is allocated. This will help you re-focus your mindset on what is actually happening. This formula could also be summarized like this: 1 % Training + 99% Recovery = 100 % Results N

4. Which strategy to use? Bulk Up

(Advanced Weight Gain) or

Stay Lean All Year (Progressive Weight Gain) One of your goals in eating-to-grow should be to maximize the muscle:fat ratio. As this concept seems obvious enough you must be aware that there are two methods of gaining weight the slow way and the fast way. There are pros and cons to each but you must decide for yourself which method you are prepared to pursue and accept the consequences of each. The meal calculator has provided both options. Lets look at both options in depth.

Bulking Up
Warning: What I am about to share is not meant to scare you or discourage you about how much food is required to TRULY build SERIOUS MUSCLE MASS. Unless you want to take the long and hard road of building 5-10 pounds of muscle a year, skip this section and start reading Stay lean all year round. I do not want to sugar coat the truth or water down the reality of SERIOUSLY building massive muscle...Im talking 20,30, 40 and even 50 pounds of SOLID muscle in the next year. When I say solid muscle I am referring to a SIGNIFICANT amount of muscle on your body that will be NOTICEABLE to every person who sees you. Adding 5-10 pounds of muscle does not turn heads. You may look all right and decent but you will not stand out in a crowd and you will not cause awe, jealously or impress onlookers. Not that these should be your goals but they are certainly many peoples motivation so it is important to know what it will take to get what you TRULY want. Lets get specific now; REAL bulking will be achieved if you use the Advanced Weight Gain selection on the calorie calculator. Go see for yourself how many calories this will work out to and then go take a walk around the block to catch your breath! Yes, this amount of calories will be your personal requirement to bulk up. Sometimes you just have to ignore what the magazines, websites and experts say about gaining weight and start observing what people are REALLY doing. Unfortunately, 99% of sincere skinny guys trying to gain weight are often misled by role models with high levels of muscularity who say that they achieved all this muscle while No Nonsense Muscle Building Introduction Chapter 7 keeping their body fat levels around 9-10%. You have probably read tons of articles,

ads or sites that promote these guys who kept their calories at this certain level, never let their body fat drift too high and packed on all this muscle at the same time. If you are like many then you have probably tried this strategy and if youre lucky, you may have seen your weight go up very minimally. It can become downright embarrassing if you have been training for all these years and your body weight is still fluctuating around the same weight as when you first started. Interestingly, I discovered something when I put down the academic text and started looking around. I noticed that every person (who had used steroids or not) and possessed a incredible physique had at ONE POINT IN THEIR LIVES bulked up, which led to gaining the largest percentage of the muscle on their body. Later, they went on a fat burning program to shed off the excess body fat. And let me tell you, I would have taken their overweight period of life any day IF I knew I could reveal the final product of a super muscular, ripped look at consequence. Also, it was a major eye-opener for me when I watched a few bodybuilding shows and attended a few fitness conferences and trade shows where professional bodybuilders were presenting and guest-posing. Now, I was absolutely STUNNED that just about every bodybuilder I saw did not look anything like their pictures in the magazines. They looked big and bulky and strong but they also looked very OVERWEIGHT and DOWNRIGHT CHUBBY. There was no definition or cuts at all. I continued to research my amazement and started looking at pictures of some these pros in their off-seasons and the theme continued - these guys looked straight up FAT. Ironically, some of these guys were the same guys that I envied the most and thought were absolutely incredible, but after viewing their off-season pictures I did not even recognize them. I would probably not have even taken a second look and would have never guessed they were bodybuilders. My mind was made up after this incident. I decided to email a natural pro builder that has a lot of before and after pictures in a variety of magazines. His magazines talked all about his reps, sets, nutrition program, supplement program etc. Hey, hes got the body to back it up so his routine and information he gives must be right? Thats what I thought. His advertisement shows a before shot where he is very thin and skinny. And his next shot shows how he is completely different and super muscular. I decided to email him up and ask him if he bulked up first and than got cut for the after picture. Sure enough, he humbly told me that there was a picture missing. He actually bulked up first and than got cut up for the pictures. He even went on to say that it would take too long to gain that much muscle if he did not bulk up first and than cut it down. The MAJORITY of his gains were a result of the bulking phase. But all his info products and ads say he built all that muscle using the stay lean all year concept.... BUT thats NOT how he gained all his muscle. Chapter 7 I also discovered that the majority of very successful bodybuilders who preach, make

sure you can always see your abs, or keep an eye on your waistline, or never let your body fat go over... blah blah blah - actually do the complete opposite. They do NOT follow the you do not need to bulk up to gain muscle camp at all. History shows that almost ALL of the massive bodybuilders take at least 3-4 months each year and focus on simply putting on as much WEIGHT as possible. I can testify this myself in the real world. When I climbed from 149 to 208 pounds I was consistently pushing near 5000 calories a day and I was not using the stay lean all year mentality. In addition, EVERY ONE OF MY FRIENDS, who has attempted to gain weight without a bulking phase looks pretty much the same as they did when they started training 2-3 years ago. No exaggeration.

You can say all you want about how much more advantageous it is to stay lean all year and not have to do a huge cutting phase at the risk of losing muscle, but the reality is that the guys staying lean all year only gain 3-5 pounds of muscle versus guys who bulk, and yes, look fat, BUT come back with an extra 20 + pounds of muscle each year.
Which would you prefer? To train like a madman and make few gains each year or to commit half a year or more to JUST getting BIG and than cutting down? Remember, youll only be chubby for 6 months of your life but you will have a lifetime to look MUSCULAR and look like someone who actually works out with weights. NOW, you will start turning heads and probably even start getting asked for advice. Yes, you will gain some fat and yes, you will not be able to see your abs for a little while but who cares? It will take 3-4 months to get rid of the body fat BUT you will be 30-50 pounds heavier. Think about the long-term picture not short-term picture. You can stay lean all year for the rest of your life, but you will never make those massive jumps in muscularity (that you really want) and you will have to live the rest of your life with the build you have now. Or maybe youll be just a little bigger over the course of the next few years. I kid you not, if you choose this method because you are fearful of gaining some fat, you might make gains of 3-5 pounds max per year. And this is being generous!

And since you downloaded this e-book I assume you want to build 20-50 pounds of muscle in the next 2 years instead of building 5-10 pounds in the next 5 years!
I am telling you this because I assume YOU WANT TO LOOK LIKE SOMEONE WHO LIFTS WEIGHTS. Dont be that guy who trains week in and week o ut and month in and month out and spends tons of money on supplements and has nothing to show for it. All you have to do is accept the fact that bulking up will truly get you what you want IN THE END.

You must be 100% committed and not question this theory once. No, you do not have to become obese but you will definitely not be a lean machine anymore.
Trust me, you will not regret saying, forget staying defined and lean and just give it your all by gaining TRUE size and STRENGTH when it results in 20-50 pounds of new muscle growth! But I think you will regret it dearly if, in 5 years, you see the exact same guy looking back in the mirror and you are not even sure if you have gained more than a few pounds of muscle! Again, its an individual decision and you can see that I trump the Advanced Weight Gain Plan more than the Progressive Weight Gain Plan. I could go on for a while with more examples but I think you get the point. So let me summarize:

IF YOU ARE TRULY COMMITTED TO SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGING THE WAY YOUR BODY LOOKS AND DESIRE A SERIOUS AMOUNT OF MUSCLE....YOU MUST DEDICATE A PERIOD OF YOUR LIFE TO BULKING, AND THEN TRIM OFF THE BODY FAT LATER .
There is really NO other option. Any other method is slow, frustrating and almost impossible. Here is the situation: It appears that you have to overshoot your body. You have to go to the extreme and gain a lot of weight, and if done properly, which I will teach you shortly, most of it will be muscle. Then after putting on a great deal of size you can burn off the excess and reveal a massive and shredded physique. Follow my eating plan and my training plan and after you gain 30-50 pounds of weight THEN you can follow my cardio tips and get lean. And I guarantee you will be a MUCH, MUCH, MORE muscular person!

5. How Much Weight Should I Aim For or Overshoot for Before I Start Cutting?
Here is the scary part. And before we continue let me remind you that this program is only for those that are truly committed to transforming their bodies, packing on serious muscle size, and having an eye-popping body. This is not some get huge in 12-weeks garbage. This is a SUBSTANTIAL JOURNEY that does not stop with gaining weight but you must also be committed to dropping the body fat or else you will justCha be a bulky guy. This program is for serious and truly committed individuals who want to pack on as much muscle as possible and make consistent and significant gains each year. Just to give you a general example, the average natural weight lifter (with average genetics) has to weigh about 40-50 pounds more than his defined and ripped look

is going to be! For example, someone who wants to be a ripped 175 pounds need to bulk up to 215-225 pounds before you even think about heading into your fat -burning program. Or a guy who wants to be 200 pounds ripped and defined needs to climb to 240-250 pounds on the scale before he even considers coming down. I wasnt kidding when I said you have to pack on some serious size to build muscle. Anybody who makes it sound easier than this is only misleading you. Remember, our bodies were not designed to carry around a lot of muscle. Your muscles would prefer to sleep all day and not have to grow at all. So to force your body to do what it has no interest in doing then we must really push its limits. So once you gain an extra 40-50 pounds of weight that exceeds your goal ripped look then you can start following the cardio instructions. Remember, this is a general example. I provide a range because genetics will dictate a lot. Some will be able to put on a lot of muscle with little fat gain so will not have to overshoot as much.

7. Supplements to Avoid Weight Gain Powders

If you have been thinking about using weight gain powders, consider that you are better off wolfing down a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, which will provide about the same nutrient intake. Sure, the doughnuts dont have the protein but dont kid yourself, most of these weight gain powders dont even have the protein amounts that are advertised. The protein is substituted with chalk or cake mix that is much cheaper and profitable, tastes OK and meets the consumers needs more convenient calories.

These products should be avoided because they are loaded with low quality ingredients, will cause you to lose all your friends because of their farting potential, put a lot of stress on your digestive system and make you even lazier. Meal Replacement Powders
MRPs are another result of nutrition industry commercialization, and have gained popularity simply from the marketing hype promoting these engineered foods. Most MRPs have better ingredients than weight gain powders but not by much. Basically you are consuming a modern day weight gain powder for the Average Joe. No Nonsense Muscle Building IntroductionChapter 8

If you want to save money then buy a high quality protein powder, mix it with a tablespoon of flax oil, olive oil or natural peanut butter (good fat) as well as a cup of yogurt or a cup of fruit (for your carbs), and some ice cubes, and you now have a homemade - and healthy - meal replacement.

Below is the Stretching Program to be followed during the entire year: Lower Body Stretching: 1. L ow Back (Lying) 2. L etter T Stretch 3. K neeling Hip Flexor Stretch 4. Side Lying Quad Stretch 5. Supine Hamstring Stretch 6. Gluts/Piriformis Stretch 7. Double Leg Straddle Stretch 8. T ensor Fascia Latae Stretch 9. F orward Lunge Calve Stretch Upper Body Stretching: 1. T rapezius Stretch 2. C hest Stretch (doorway or wall) 3. A nterior Shoulder Stretch 4. Back Stretch (wall) 5. Q uadratus Lumborum/Lat Stretch 6. Seated Lateral Stretch 7. F orearms (kneeling)

8. Not Stretching At Least Half the Amount of Time That You Lift.
Stretching is not popular, nor has it ever been. Most current thinking leads trainees to believe that stretching is bad and results in a fear of the unknown, leaving many to avoid it altogether. I think the fear is more of an excuse for laziness and an uncertainty of what stretching can actually do. And interestingly, most of the anti-stretch advocates change their reasoning every few years and can not touch their toes! Many believers in stretching have learned the side effects of not stretching, not stretching enough and not stretching effectively. Before you read any more literature on the academic stretch debate I encourage you to decide on this one for yourself. You can create your own laboratory and test out my recommendations yourself, and Im confident to say that your participation in this experiment will teach you - by doing - the role of flexibility training. I really dont care what kind of stretching a person uses, providing that the desired range of motion is achieved and sustained to minimize injury and maximize performance.

Studies show that shortened muscles perform weaker, slower and have a higher incidence of injuries. But big muscles require strong, lengthened and healthy tissue so why would you neglect a component of your fitness that can skyrocket your strength through the roof, maintain healthy specific joint relationships, greater joint angles and accelerate recovery?

Flexibility Tips and Guidelines:

Flexibility training should be treated just like every other component of your fitness program. If you have a nutrition, strength, and cardio program why would you not have a flexibility program? You should spend just as much time and effort into making consistent progress and gains with your range of motion as your other physical qualities. As a general guideline, you should spend just as much time stretching as in all other training. This means if you spend 2 hours lifting weights in the week, you should spend 2 hours stretching. Ghaah! I can hear the groans now. And if you spend an additional 2 hours doing cardio youd better find time to do at least 2 hours of stretching. The consequence is greater for those with lower levels of flexibility. A 1:1 ratio is the optimal amount of time, based on my personal study and experience, for injury prevention and performance enhancement. For the lazy man I recommend a bare minimum of 0.5:1. This means that if you train 2 hours a week with weights, you MUST stretch for at least 1 hour total. Flexibility training is the only component in exercise where more may be better. Strength training, endurance, speed and power training more often lead to injury, unlike stretching. There is a positive correlation between more frequent stretching sessions, longer stretching sessions and holding the stretch longer and improving the length of a tendon, ligament or muscle tissue. Monitor your progress in flexibility. From session to session, ask yourself what kind of progress you have made. Compare the difference. Have you improved? If not, why not? If you have, how much did your range improve and note what you did prior. Flexibility training involves progressive overload just like your cardio and strength training. One of the main reasons I believe people give up on stretching is that they do not experience the benefits. They make a lame attempt and say, Ive never been able to touch my toes. The lack of progress is because of the absence of progressive overload. If you are not attempting to improve your flexibility from session to session then your tissue will continue to maintain the same length.

 Dont take advice from people who cant touch their toes. Most coaches, experts, and athletes have little exposure to true flexibility training and have little knowledge of the real-world benefits. You would not take money advice from someone who is broke, so why take stretching advice from someone who is always injured, tight, sore, and who has never personally experienced the benefits of flexibility training? Start off by stretching your tight muscles. It does not matter which order you stretch them in (it actually does but for now lets just develop the habit). Start by stretching the tight side first. Spend at least one minute per side and focus on building up to 5-10 minutes per stretch in each session. If you increase the range bit by bit I can promise you that almost any ache or pain in your body will disappear, you will feel absolutely incredible, and your strength will go through the roof! Stretch before you work out. I can hear the cries right now, Stretching before you work out makes you weaker! Does it? I, myself, and the majority of my clients have set personal bests after 30 + minute stretch sessions prior to lifting. Please note that I am referring to stretching over reactive muscles. For example, if your hip flexors are extremely tight it will be in your best interest to reduce the amount of tension so that you can attain a deeper range of motion when you squat or deadlift etc. It is not necessary to stretch muscles or around joints that currently have optimal ranges of motion. This guideline applies to your tighter muscles that can limit range of motion.