Saturated Fat Does NOT Cause Heart Disease - A Thorough Evaluation Of The Literature.

EDIT: December 2011 - The previous version of the article was much too long, filled with unnecessary references and graphs. My main points were led astray by unintended digression and general waffling. For these reasons it behooved me to rework the article. This revision collates a sizeable portion of all major studies to date and exactingly examines them. The result is a sharper piece that systematically annihilates the great falsehood that saturated fat causes heart disease.

Vegetarians live longer? Rubbish.

Much ado is made about vegetarians having a lower all-cause mortality or CHD mortality than non-vegetarians. Suffice it to say, this is all unfounded. No randomized controlled trial has ever been conducted comparing meat-eaters with vegetarians, so on what grounds do people conclude that meat is causally associated with disease? There is none, any argument for the superiority of a vegetarian dietary regimen is unsubstantiated. In this article, I systemically assess the literature we have so far and debunk the much propagated myth that vegetarians live longer than omnivores .

What you need to know about MILK

Hey, so I revisited my post on milk and decided to change a few things. The end result is a much shorter, more fully referenced article that is just better to read in totality. If you haven't read it I strongly suggest you do so. Peace.

My lack of postings!

Yo, just got off an exam block and a pretty stressful month altogether. I'm aware I haven't posted anything is yonkers and quite a number of people have requested articles. Holidays are coming up and I plan to put out a few so stay tuned.

Anyway I have been pretty busy defending my saturated fat and cholesterol article against alot of bashings. Mind you, most of which are poorly articulated, self-defeating and utterly vapid attacks that fundamentally lack even the slightest sense of cogency. This is for the most part of course, certainly not everyone.

And while many decide to diverge from the subject and prefer ad hominems instead, I still prove that a 16 year old with no background in science (let alone bio-chemistry) whatsoever, can maintain a tenable position on one of the most contentious subjects in modern science against people with degrees in biology and chemistry.

Hahaha oh internet, such is the devastating irony you have bred.


Ya, so keep your eyes peeled for some more posts in the coming weeks (days?) Till next time.

Why you are STALLING

Before I write the main article, I wanted to address this real quick. So lately I have been approached by many people who have this overwhelming desire to add in additional movements such as incline presses or other stupid shit like wrist curls to their otherwise sound workout plan. The simple answer you will get from me each time you ask if you can just "throw in a couple sets" is - DO NOT FUCK WITH THE PROGRAM.

For the sake of clarity, I'm not addressing those people who are on some fucking, fabricated-out-of-your-ass 6DAW-split because I really don't care as it won't change the fact your plan is already a piece of shit.

But if your on a good routine (e.g SL, SS) then yes, It's important you DON'T FUCK WITH THE PROGRAM. Why? Because adding/removing anything fundamentally alters your response to stress. That means recovery which means strength which means mass. It's that fucking simple. Routines such as SL-5x5 are created in a way that incorporates ever single muscular system and then prioritizes their need accordingly. You don't need to add shit in because "I don't feel my biceps are getting enough work", because there is a reason for that, and that reason is that biceps are fucking gay. Everything that is 'neglected' is with good reason, they are powerlifting programs, designed to bring up your squat, bench and deadlift. Not your biceps or calves or forearms or any other insignificant muscle group for that matter. If you have a problem with this, then feel free to make the changes as desired, but don't complain to me about it when you start stalling as frequently as me trying to drive a manual car.

This whole rule extends to just about everything outside your program. That means everything from including an incline movement to swapping the barbell to a dumbbell on a particular exercise. Just don't fucking do it. There is a reason for everything. Don't tell me shit about 'your bored' because that instantly concedes your lack of motivation and tells me indubitably that you shouldn't be lifting in the first place. Okay just had to clear that up.

So here's the main article. A couple of guys have told me they have stalled on the squat and asked me to write on it.

I understand squatting 3DAW is extremely stressful, but the fact is you shouldn't be stalling so soon. Both guys are at about 70-85KG in the squat and both have reported they have stalled for 3 sessions in a row. Now there are a couple of obvious reasons for this. 

1) SLEEP

Firstly, sleep is NOT just lower brain and body activity. Both our brain and our body do a lot of shit while we sleep: the most important memories and teachings of the day are stored in your memory, while other less important ones are discarded. Hormones are released, muscles repair, and everything gets re-evaluated during the process of sleep. It is a systemic consolidation period.

There is no question that sleep is important. In our natural habitat (think jungles), sleeping leaves us incredibly vulnerable. Yet, we do it, so surely, we must do something important in our sleep. And if we don't sleep? Well that's obvious. So its pretty fucking important. Got it?

Despite what has just been said, not that much is known about the functions or mechanisms of sleep. Most of what we know come from controversial studies on sleep deprivation, for example from Nazi concentration camps in WWII. We are much more advanced in describing sleep than we are explaining it, so I will mostly do the former.

There are two types of sleep: REM and non-REM (or NREM). REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement. Let's discuss each of these separately, since they are as far apart from each other as sleep is to awake.

During REM sleep, the motor neurons that command your muscles do not fire. Hence, no matter what your brain does, your body does not move (or moves very little). REM sleep can thus be described as a fully functional brain on a paralyzed body. Roughly 25% of the time you spend sleeping is spent in REM sleep, which amounts to roughly 2 hours per night. REM sleep gets its name from the fact that your eyes move around a lot under your closed eyelids.

Non-REM sleep is in many respects the opposite of REM sleep. Your brain is much less active than when awake, and your body is not paralyzed. Body-wise, it is thought that NREM sleep helps boost your immune system and it is the time during which your muscles do most of their growth. More specifically, deprivation of NREM sleep reduces the levels of growth hormone in adults.

See newborns? All they do is sleep and drink milk. Fucking madcunts. But seriously, babies sleep alot and this obviously explains why they develop so fast. Take home message? Make sure you get at least 8 hours. Actually, more importantly, make sure you get a deep, uninterrupted sleep. Having trouble sleeping? Have a glass (or a litre) of warm whole milk. Should knock you out good. 

2) Caloric Intake

I won't talk at length about this but basically, you have to eat to grow. You can't be eating like a fucking raccoon and expecting shit to happen. You need to provide your body with the tools to make repairs and to stay anabolic and in a positive nitrogen balance. You achieve this by eating very close to/at/or above your TDEE and make sure you get 1-1.5 grams of protein per POUND of bodyweight. It's not hard. The higher surplus you are in, the faster you will recover, which means the faster you will gain strength, then mass follows etc etc. Forget your fucking six-pack when your already at like under 8% bodyfat. I'm sorry, but quite simply,  it's not impressive. A six-pack on a skinny guy is like big tits on a fat chick - it doesn't count.

Take home message? Stop being a bitch and eat heaps. (Which actually means, drink more fucking whole milk!)

3) Extra activities

This is somewhat questionable but worth a mention. If your squatting 3 times a week and doing other forms of strenuous exercise on top of that like rugby training or sprinting, then this may impede on recovery. Generally, normal aerobic cardio such as basic jogs and walks should not be a problem. Actually they may be of benefit because aerobic activity circulates fresh blood to the muscles and this may subsequently aid with recovery. Take home message? Steer clear of  other forms of heavy lifting, sprinting and high impact sports as they may mess with recovery. But this shouldn't be a problem until you really start to push your 5RM's, and even then, the degree of hindrance is trivial. 

Conclusion

 

So yeah, I mean for most people the explanation for their premature stalling will lie with one of those three parameters, or a combination of them. Nobody should be stalling on the squat till past the 100's (where I first had mine). And even then this can be resolved quickly with one or two de-load sessions. As for your other lifts, I don't see why your deadlift shouldn't make it to 130+ without stalling as it's only 1x5 and uses large muscle groups. Your bench, row and press will all stall before the squat and deadlift for the reason that they utilize smaller muscle groups and smaller joints, ligaments and tendons. So recovery will become exponentially harder. But still, they should recover adequately.

I've had requests to do a write-up on milk so people can finally know why I keep raving on about it. And another request for a how-to squat article. So I'll get onto them when I have the time. Until then.

How to Deadlift

Sorry for no post in a while, been studying up on more saturated fat and cholesterol literature. But anyway this weeks article is on deadlifting.

i) The Name and Benefits

In the common gym circles, the "deadlift" is (unfortunately) often synonymous with a high risk of injury and often seen as generally precarious exercise. It's probably for this reason - more than any other, that the deadlift has been ostracized and neglected from most peoples training regiments.

This is a grave mistake as the deadlift offers an array of unique benefits. Ones that are manifested specifically in the deadlift per se, and cannot be achieved elsewhere. The deadlift works more muscles than any other exercise (even the squat). The efficacy of the deadlift lies in the fact that it's unequivocally the absolute greatest developer of the total posterior chain. No other exercise can conceivably produce the same effect, period.

The deadlift also works a shit-ton of muscles. Including but not limited to -  quads, hamstrings, glutes, abductors, erectors, lats, abs, traps, forearms and the tongue while yelling obscenities etc).

Another great thing is that the deadlift builds functional strength. This can be simple things like posture to more useful and practical things like picking up heavy objects off the ground.

The name itself is called a 'dead'-lift simply because the weight starts at the floor on each rep - at a dead stop. I'll discuss this more later but essentially you should not be bouncing the weight up (aka touch 'n' go). The deadlift is devoid from any stretch reflex, in theory this means there is no eccentric portion of the lift. This is why the deadlift is such a fucking hard exercise and will tax your muscular and nervous system like no other.

ii) The Setup

So, you have the loaded bar on the ground.  Now what?  Well before you decide to wrench your back into a question mark trying to pick the weight up, set it (and yourself) up correctly.  The setup is the most difficult and longest part of getting ready for any exercise.

iii) Bar Height

First, be sure that the bar you are using is around 8 inches.  This is the standard radius of a 45lb (20kg) plate from the edge of the plate to the edge of opening for the bar.  Optimally, you should use an Olympic barbell.

There are two reasons for using an Olympic bar: (a) you don't want the bar to bend and get destroyed and more importantly, (b) 1-inch plates (that fit on a regular bar) aren't the correct height.  If you lift less than 135lbs as many beginners do, unless you use training plates of the same height as 45lb plates, then you need to stack up some plates, or something that will give you a total height of ~ 8 inches.  When you have gotten the bar at the correct height then proceed.

iv) Stance

The most common stance to take is one with feet shoulder width apart and toes pointed slightly outward. For most people it is your static jumping position, which is the position in which you can achieve the greatest power output. We do not want to take an extra wide stance here because this is not a squat (forget sumo's). We also do not want an extra narrow stance because this eliminates any hip activation.  The toes pointing out slightly also aids hip activation and encourages the proper tracking of the knee.

To continue about stance, this part will be about distance from the bar.  The bar should be around 1 inch away from your shin when standing straight up. The bar should ideally be in the middle of your foot.  That is, not in the middle of the front part of your foot, but in the middle of your entire foot, from heel to toe. This will place the bar approximately an inch from your shin.  A little less or a little more depending on your proportions. At first this will seem that your hips are too high, but this fixes itself (read on).

v) Gripping and Preparing for the Pull

First, bend over with straight knees and grip the bar. Your hands should be on the outside of your knees, not too much further - in fact, they should be just far apart for you to clear your knees on the way up.  Grip the bar with a suitable grip (more on this later)

After gripping, bend the knees so that the shins touch the bar.  Do not move the bar, just touch it.  Your back will be bent now. Straighten it. This means flex your spinal erectors so that the lower back is flat. As a result your hips will come down a tad perfectly into position.  Keep your arms straight, the whole time, and raise the chest without looking up.  You should look slightly downward, but with a raised chest.  Imagine a tennis ball under your chin and you having to move your chest upwards to keep it there.

This next part is crucial, and it really helped me to get the form right.  Make sure that your scapula's are over the bar. Keeping your actual shoulder in front or behind the bar is subjective, so just choose what's comfortable. The arms will make approximately a 10 degree angle with the bar path.

If you done everything right, you should be in this exact position:

Notice that the arms are not hanging straight down.  They are angled.  Also take into account that because of this, you will have to engage the lats to keep the bar against your leg. The natural tendency will be to let it hang out, but that's wrong because the bar will not be over the mid food anymore. I will not go over the anatomical importance of this position as it exceeds the span of this guide, but know that it makes sense, and is correct.

Also notice that the shins are nearly straight. If this is necessary for the shoulder blades to be over the bar, and the bar to be over the mid foot, then so be it.

Now, tighten your upper back, take a deep breath, hold it (Valsalva Maneuver - very important) and get ready to PUSH.

vi) The Pull

Wait.... push?  That's right. Technically this is a pull, but it helps to think of it as a push. Think of driving your heels into the ground when you do the movement. The force transfers acutely through the heels and into the ground.  That is because the motion you first should think about is knee extension.

There are three angles to keep in mind. The torso to ground angle (aka back angle), the hip to ground angle (ground being an imaginary line that runs parallel to the ground splitting your torso and legs, that runs through your hips) and knee angle.  The knee angle opens up first.  This is accomplished by knee extension.  You will never correctly lift what your quads cannot handle, so these move first.  Keep the glutes tight as they aid the movement and subsequently the hip angle begins to open up and the bar brings to clear the knees.  Once it does the back angle now opens up and drags the bar up the thighs to the semi- lockout position. There is a lot of crossover with these movements, and the transition between them should be fluid and seamless. The knees do not fully extend until the bar is on the thighs, at this point, bring the hips back forward to complete the lift.

Remember - the lower back stays in rigid isometric contraction to keep the back angle the same. When the bar clears the knees the torque is reduced on the lower back so it is safe to lock out the knees, and tighten the glutes, bringing the hips forward and opening the back angle.

All the while, you should be keeping your shoulders down (unshrugged) and your back and arms tight.  Do not make any attempts to bend at the elbow and keep the bar against your leg the whole time.  Do not dig a trench into your leg, but keep the bar against the leg so that the bar path is as vertical as possible.  Also remember to keep the chest raised ('proud') and back straight the whole time.

vii) Lockout and Reset

Despite the hardest part being over, the lockout deserves its own section. Lockout is accomplished by having straight knees, straight arms, straight back, and looking forward.  Chest is still high. Do not shrug your shoulders. They are back, down and back. That is it. No extra fiddling is necessary. Do not hyper-extend or over-exaggerate the lockout as many people do. Not only can this injure your back, but you look like an idiot. Do not let your breath out yet.

To reset, simple do in reverse what you did to lift the bar, except faster since you're essentially doing a controlled drop of the bar.  Nevertheless, do not re-lift until the bar is safely on the floor and has no upwards kinetic energy due to any bounce.  Re-achieve the same position aforementioned.  Don't bend the knees too early or the bar will have to go around them and dig a hole in your shins.  What you essentially want is a vertical bar path.  Now let your breath out, assess your stance and grip, and correct any deviation, take a big breath and start again.

Troubleshooting

Read this at your discretion - I won't underline what's important because it's mostly all important and not everyone has these problems.

Grip:

Always go for double overhand as that is the easiest and most conventional.  For heavier pulls, you may want to switch to a mixed grip, but only do this after completely exhausting your double overhand (pronated).

When pulling with a mixed grip, do not attempt to flex the bicep of that arm. Use chalk if your hands are sweaty, this will do wonders for grip strength. Also, grip the bar close to the fingers (not palms) this reduces the formation of calluses.

A word on straps: use them only if the grip is seriously impeding your lifting.  Do not use them until your working set if anything, and if you can handle using a normal strapless grip (mixed or double overhand) do that instead. Obviously, if you use straps, use a double overhand grip for that.

Footwear:

Squatting/Olympic shoes are good (and expensive).  For most people, barefoot is the best, and next are compressible shoes such as a good old pair of Chucks.

Why you shouldn't bounce:

Bouncing is detrimental because it helps you out in the first few inches of the movement.  As diminutive as it may seem, this is actually very important. These few inches are what develops the lower back and legs the most. If you bounce, you don't work as hard in this part of the ROM, leading you to think you can increase weight whereas the reality is that you cannot. If you bounce, the first rep is always unbounced, while the successive reps are. So, when you increase weight you pull the first rep with a curved back since it is weak and cannot remain rigid, and throw your back.  Then you complain that deadlifts are dangerous and bad for your back when you're just doing the exercise wrong.

Why you shouldn't pull with bent arms:

Pulling with bent arms (elbow flexion) is a great way to tear your biceps.  Unless you can curl the weight that you deadlift (lol) the biceps will not be able to support all the force being put on it to open up while you give it the signal to close the elbow angle.  You telling it to contract and the bar prying it open is a recipe for disaster.  If you have particularly strong biceps, you can tear the tendon which is not only painful, but takes time to recuperate from.  So in sum, do not lift the bar with bent arms - especially while using a mixed grip as the tendency is greater then, when one of the palms faces up.

Final Words

The deadlift is an incredibly important exercise. Learn how to do the fucking thing then thank me later when your back looks like a rugged mountain. Anyway there is no point in me regurgitating myself, what has been said is pretty straight-forward, but if in any case you don't get something just hit me up.  And last but not least - drink your fucking whole milk. You are a baby mammal, do what your supposed to do.      - Nemo

How to add 10kg to your bench in 20 minutes.

By popular demand. I have mentioned briefly on occasion to some mates about how to fix your bench and get the most out of it but it seems they all want the full story.

Ill dissect the bench down, analyzing each part individually from when you first touch the bar to when you rack it.

1.0  SETUP

The most important part of the bench happens before you even touch the bar. I cant stress enough how important setting up properly is.

1.1  ARCH + UPPER-BACK

The arch. You probably already do it, but you also probably do it wrong. What you want to do firstly, is lay on the bench and start to develop a rigid arch and squeeze your shoulder blades together. This is imperative. Make sure your arching as hard as you can and as much bodyweight is resting on your upper-back (traps) as possible.

Now there should be distinct gap between your ass and upper-back. For a test, somebody should be able to pass their hand cleanly through the gap made by the arch and the bench.This is step one in getting tight. Remember to keep those shoulder blades squeezed together as hard as possible.

1.1.1  BENEFITS OF ARCHING

Arching lifts your whole chest up, this in effect reduces the ROM needed for the bar to travel. So the bars path is shortened, that's the first advantage. Next, arching as aforementioned raises your chest, this engages the lower portion of  your pectorals (similar to a decline bench) which are actually the strongest part of your pec. Thirdly, arching reinforces whole-body tightness. I cannot emphasis how important keeping tight is.

1.1.2  BENEFITS OF THE UPPER-BACK

Your upper-back is the platform on which your will press off. Make sure you get as much weight as you can resting on your traps and into the bench. This will create a solid base. This is vital. Secondly, squeezing your shoulder blades together pull your whole arms back, further reducing the ROM of your arm. The hardest part is keeping your shoulder-blades (scapula's) squeezed together. By resting as much bodyweight on them as possible, you can keep them from moving, but this takes practice.

1.2 LEGS

Legs your thinking. What relevance do they have to the bench press? A lot. Make sure your legs are on the ground to begin with. Also make sure you can push into the ground with them, if you find you cannot, force your feet back towards your head with the heels raised and toes on the ground and think about wrapping your legs around the bench and squeezing your ass. This will tighten your lower-body by keeping it firmly grounded into the bench and provide the necessary foundation for leg-drive to occur. But more on that later.

2.0  UNRACKING

Such a simple thing, but here's how to do it properly. So assuming you have done all the above, and you are properly set up and now, grab the bar ready to unrack. Take a comfortable grip, "ring finger on the ring" is a good gauge on where you want to have your hands. Whatever  is comfortable. Remember your shoulder-blades are squeezed together, unracking like you normally would is going to make them come apart because your arms are fully stretched grabbing the bar. The key is so unrack with your lats. Squeeze your fucking lats and pull it out of the pins so its directly above your head. Try your absolute hardest not to lose tension in your upper-back, it takes practice that's all.

3.0  DESCENT

The descent is very important, at this point all you want to be focusing on is not losing  the tightness you have created so far.

3.1  SQUEEZING THE BAR!

Very, very important. Squeeze the fucking bar! I mean, literally squeeze your palms together as hard as physically possible. Not only that, think about pulling the bar apart, so your hands are squeezing the shit out of the bar and simultaneously trying to pull the bar apart. Why all the squeezing? Well, as you sit reading this, clench your hands and squeeze your fists as hard as possible. What happens to your whole body? Everything contracts. Same analogy with the bench. By squeezing you are FURTHER reinforcing the tightening of your entire body. By pulling the bar apart, you are engaging your triceps more.

3.2  WRIST ALIGNMENT AND TUCKING

As you now descend, your wrists must be IN-LINE with your hands and your forearm should be perpendicular to the ground. This will allow for the best power-transfer through the bones. Its also safer. Next is tucking the elbow. DO NOT flare them out beside you as you descend because you run the risk of your hyper-extending your rotator cuff and severely injuring yourself. Instead, tuck your elbows in beside your ribs as you come down. As you descend, do not go in a straight line. Lower the bar to about your sternum or even lower. Why? Because this is where you have the best leverages. AS SOON as you feel the bar touch your shirt or skin, FUCKING PRESS like your life depends on it.

4.0  PRESSING

The next most important part of the bench is actually the press. There is alot to cover here.

4.1  MENTAL PROCESSES
What I mean here is what you are thinking. When pressing you should not be thinking about pushing the bar away from you, but rather, pushing your self into the bench (and through the floor). Of course, this is physically impossible, but it gives you the right frame of mind needed to press as hard as you can.

4.2  BREATHING

Breathing is not as important on the bench as it is on the squat and deadlift but it can help if done right. What your going for is the Valsalva Maneuver, which is pretty much taking a huge gulp of breath and holding it in your stomach, while pushing your abs . This creates IAP (Intra-Abdominal Pressure). This technique has a much more pronounced effect in the squat and deadlift (where is pretty much invaluable) but it can still help you keep your mid-section tight and your abs flexed. 

 4.3  LEG DRIVE

I mentioned this briefly before but this is also important. With your legs already in the positioned I mentioned in 1.2, think about pushing you feet into the ground. This will add stability to your lift and provide more power.

4.4  PRESSING WITH SUPER-COMPENSATORY ACCELERATION

What does super-compensatory acceleration mean? It means pressing the bar by overcompensating for acceleration. In other words - AS FAST AS YOU FUCKING CAN. Why so fast? Because Force = Mass x Acceleration. What we are looking for here is maximal force output, this can only be achieved by pressing as fast as you possibly can. This is very important.

4.5  PRESSING IN A "J" FASHION
Remember when I said to tuck and lower the bar to at least your sternum? Yep, well now we must press in a fashion that will exploit this position to our advantage. The key is to press in a backwards diagonal movement, then straight up. So pretty much  a "j", if you can imagine that. The diagonal angle backwards you press in will reflect how low you brought the bar down initially. People with longer arms will find it harder to tuck and therefore will not lower the bar as low as someone with short arms.

So that's about it. Finish the lift like a hero or go for reps whatever. It's alot to remember but keep doing mental checks in your brain at every stage of the lift and eventually it will become innate. So incorporate all this in your bench technique and expect to add anywhere from 5-10kg to your bench in about half an hour tops. I had a mate take his 3RM of 92.5kg to 105kg just by tweaking his technique as elucidated by this write-up.  Neemz.

New Squat World Record - 854 (No wraps)

Awww laters Konstantinovs.

No write-up this week (or next) too busy with school and other shit. 

But I will post this - Efferding 854 squat NO WRAPS. I don't have words for this, its so amazing. I think im gonna cry. I have unimaginable amounts of respect for Stan. Good music, great grind.

"I was gonna do a double"    LOL.

I LOVE CATS WHAT OF IT?

Ignore the title, just being my usual crazy self. So school has really intensified yo, and I've had no time to make any serious progress on the big Saturated Fat and Cholesterol article I said would be put out last Friday. Its already over 3500 words and by end, im estimating it will end at around 4.5k. So im hoping I will finish that soon! It's actually a ground-breaking debunk that will blow your mind. SO READ IT MANG.

Anyway I thought for this weeks post I would just update my progress. Tested 1RM squat yesterday, and was quite pleased with results:

Raw @ 135

Belt + Wraps @ 150 (UMADEDDIELOL?)

Still a weaksauce bitch, but im getting there. Here's the 150 vid, yes im aware its not pretty.

Viewer discretion is advised - Mega grunt at the end LOL.

Next post will definitely be the giant Saturated Fat and Cholesterol article. Ill try my best to publish that by next week (ai pwomise!). 

I leave you with an adorable cat picture AHAHAHHAHA. Night.

FAQ's and the 'Royal Wedding'

FAQ's

OHAIGAIS, so here are some common questions I get asked.

1.  You're not even big? Why should I listen to anything you say?

Lol. Okay well, this isn't a FAQ but I thought I should address this anyway. Firstly I have no intentions on getting big, that simply isn't my goal. I train for strength (under 5 reps = myofibrillar hypertrophy, mostly neurological adaptations). You should also listen to me because I could have been on my way to a recognized Bachelor in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences before I was 18 (deferred the course). There have only been 46 people in UQ to ever do that. So while you may be great at Maths, or dominate in Rugby, or  maybe you can assemble a Honda engine with one hand or 360 no-scope some cunt blindfolded on COD, you probably know nothing about the human body, fitness or nutrition. Everyone has their forte(s), this is mine. To each their own. Being meek never won anyone anything.

  

2.  Can you write me a fully sick workout plan man?

No, because quite simply, I cbf. But if I were to I'd just refer you to Stronglifts 5x5 anyway, it delivers incredible results. Be consistent, read all the articles on the website, don't miss workouts, eat ALOT and train hard. You will see results.

3. Oh, but bro that's a strength routine, I just wanna get big!

What matters is consistent progressive overload, not the difference of 2 or 3 reps. Add weight to the bar every workout and you will get bigger, its as simple as that.
Strength gains = Mass gains. That's a given.

4. How much should I eat? I don't wanna lose my abs brah?

Firstly, I would recommend you really re-considering you goals. So you want to stay lean or get big? If its stay lean, then eat AT your TDEE. You will not gain fat and you will put on mass at a modest rate. If you want to get big, then simply eat at a surplus. 500+ is healthy and wont make you super fat super quick This is a faster way to put on muscle but as said, you will gain fat (Oooh how scary! -.-). Just Bio-chemistry 101.

5. Im pretty chub man, I wanna lose this fat and gain muscle as well? What should I do?

Losing fat and simultaneously gaining muscle is possible, but you must be willing to put the work in. Every calorie will count. Basically, find your TDEE and eat at a 500 deficit. Your body will be able to efficiently partition calories towards lean mass and the remaining will come from your deficit (fat). When your bodyfat drops below 13% this becomes an inefficient process, and at that point bulking and cutting will be more productive.

  

 6. How much protein do I need?

1-1.5grams of protein per POUND of bodyweight.

Eg. I weigh around 80KG (176lbs). Therefore I need anywhere from 176grams to 264grams per day of protein. I go for about 200.

7. Whats some good supplements?

I'm going to come out right now and say you do NOT need ANY supplements. And don't think by not doing so, you are at a disadvantage or a loss. Supplements are simply that, supplements. They supplement food or something already naturally occurring in your body. 

Common ones people come to me with are Creatine and protein powder. Im going to briefly explain what Creatine does, but mostly I will explain why you DONT need it. Creatine is naturally occuring in your body, and helps to refill glycogen stores faster and increase water retention. It can temporarily increase performance and poundage's, translating into a higher performance and poundage's when you cycle off. All that being said, its not necessary in the least. Creatine is only a small part in the overall process in gaining muscle. It wont give you super fast results, nothing will. Save your money, and focus on the other parameters that need to be met (eat, lift, sleep etc) before investing your hard-earned money into Creatine.

Next is protein powder.  Let me make this clear. Drinking protein powder will not get you big. Protein Powder is simply a supplement for the macronutrient, protein. You can get the exact same protein from eating a can of tuna, a piece of chicken breast/steak or an egg etc. Also, foods are much better for you than protein powder, they are more wholesome (increased satiety), nutritious and tasty. The only reasons you should be drinking protein powder is when you are unable to get all your protein requirement for the day from whole foods, or have trouble taking/eating meals due to a constraint time-frame or scenario. Eg. I drink a shake at school, because taking a can of tuna can get messy, and there really isn't anything else I can take that will satisfy my requirements that I already wont eat throughout the day.

8. Why do you even have this blog?

I have this blog to dispel common myths about nutrition that everyone is trapped into. I also have this blog because writing about shit like this is excellent practice. 



9. "Bro squatting below parallel is bad for the knees, you've got it all wrong".

'Bro', say this to my face with conviction and I'll clean out your house and slaughter your pets then drink their blood. (notsrsbutstillmad)

Anyway, hopefully that cleared shit up. If you have any other Q's just ask me homies.

The 'Royal Wedding' 

I'm not sure what has actually driven me to write about the royal wedding. Maybe its the fact that Kate Middleton (and her sister to some degree) are babein? Though more seriously perhaps it's the extravagant publicity and undue hype that I find both distasteful and demeaning. The wedding was delivered with more precision than the bullet to JFK's head. The overly organized, mechanized and perfected nature of the ceremony really seemed to detract from the reality of it all, rendering it somewhat fictitious in my eyes. In Laymen's terms, it looked like something out of a movie, thoroughly rehearsed and displaying painstaking attention to detail.

I can understand perhaps the general interest one may have due to the rarity of the event, but this? This is pure obsession. How easily billions can become so devoted, so patriotic in such short time makes you really question the loyalty of people. Some watch with the promise of an event filled with limitless wealth, a material ecstasy. Such things only fathomable in their dreams. Not to mention the fanatical following that has religiously fixated themselves upon the very idea of 'the dress' like some extremist group. And then we have the average, conformist individual who watched because they were half curious and half because it's what everyone else is doing. But no-one watched because two people in love were being bound in holy matrimony. This is what has shaped my belief that their marriage has lost most, if not all true meaning. It has essentially transposed from being one of holy and sacred values to a purely secular one based merely on surface-level elements such as aesthetics and ostentation.

Anyway, just my opinion (not trolling). I just wanted to share my disgust views on the 'royal wedding' and how its nothing more than a highly publicized fashion pageant.

BTW - Ill try to put out one article a week alternating between fitness and nutrition. Next one should be a GROUND-BREAKING post on Saturated Fats (replacing the one below) that will blow all preconceived notions away. That should be done by Friday hopefully.

Why Crunches are fucking useless

Crunches are a misunderstood subject. If you are looking to strengthen (Power-lifting, martial arts etc) the abdominal region, aimlessly doing sets of 100 crunches is NOT the way to go about it.

(Skip down 3 paragraphs if TLDR). Firstly though, I need to get this off my chest. For the love of god, why do so many people obsess with abs? Its like some epidemic contaminating society followed only closely by skinny jeans and straight caps. Fuck me dead. Chicks may like a six-pack, but they also like Tiffany's and they also like big dicks. Moral of the story? Get the fuck off the ground you twat because your wasting your damn time son.

In a nutshell, when you workout you are basically exploiting the ROM for a particular muscle through  a particular movement which in addition to subjecting it to unfamiliar stresses, muscular (hypertrophy) and CNS (neurological) adaptions occur as a result. To all you ass-monkeys out there, we don't have muscle as humans, so we can workout and be "huuuge cuntz to pull da bitchez". We have them so we can move. Muscles allow our bones to rotate, adduct and abduct etc. You get the picture. What's my point? My point is that muscles have a purpose, and to properly train these muscles we must exploit their unique characteristics. Eg. Chins are an effective  bicep movement because they exploit the fully supinated position of the forearm which fully engages the bicep muscle. Because supinating the forearm is the natural function of the biceps-brachii. So are we on the same page here? To properly work a muscle, we must work with it.

Relating this all back to abs. Whats the sole purpose/function of abdominals? If you are thinking its for "da chix bru", go jump off a bridge you useless maggot. The principal task of the abs is to stabilize specifically the lumbar vertebrae and the whole fucking mid-section of your body. When I say mid section im not just talking about your rectus abdominis, im talking about your entire core. Namely, the rectus, the internal and external obliques running across the lateral aspect of the abdomen, the transversalis abdominis, and the muscles of the floor of the abdominal cavity. They stabilize in an isometric contraction. Now when I say isometric, im talking about a static position in which the muscle is fully contracted without movement of the joints or muscle itself. Think of doing a regular curl and stopping half-way through the concentric and holding it. That's isometric resistance. Got it fool?

Okay so (finally), why are crunches useless? They are useless ineffective because they do not adhere to the natural role of the abdominal muscle, which sole function is to stabilize the entire mid-section including lumbar region in an isometric contraction. Therefore it would only make sense to train them accordingly; through isometric resistance training. Crunches are NOT isometric movements. Feel free to quote me on this, because im willing to put my money on it - From an anatomical standpoint, the BEST exercise for your abs is  (correctly performed) major compound movements like the squat, deadlift and OHP. They all force your midsection to stabilize the weight, therefore making the abs do what it does best.  Planks and ab-rollers also fall into this category. There's also  probably a million other variations and exercises too. Special mention to the front squat, which freaking demolishes your core! So whats so wrong about crunches? Okay, so maybe I went off on one of my signature rants again, over-exaggerating and blowing it out of proportion. The point I am ultimately trying to press here, is that if your doing heavy squats, deadlifts and OHP's, they will suffice and further ab work is not necessary until you are a well seasoned lifter. And it all comes back to basic fact that compounds are better than isolation's (crunches etc) at doing just about everything. Those 3 (and other isometric exercises mentioned etc) will do more for your core than crunches will ever do, therefore rendering them useless.

Mark Rippetoe covers this in SS. Don't be like "WHERS DA PubMed BRA?" Because dude, its Rippetoe, he is a genius. Don't fuck with him. He explains it much more in-depth using sophisticated language and particularity focuses on the relationship of the lumbar curve to the abs and finally their relation to the deadlift and squat.

Link - http://startingstrength.com/articles/abs_rippetoe.pdf

So to end, crunches are not the most effective way to hit your abs, period. Go squat, deadlift or hold some heavy planks before you even think about doing crunches. Now in saying this im not drawing the definitive conclusion that they are absolute garbage and should never be performed. I'm saying they have their place, but its way way way behind exercises that utilize isometric resistance for your abdominal's.

- Later homies

Common Myths Debunked

When was the last time you heard someone say you need to eat regularly to increase your metabolism? Or that you need a fast-digesting protein such as whey post-workout? 

Did you question them? Did you ask them to supply peer reviewed scientific publications to back up their claims? Or did you blindly follow their advice because it 'sounds right' and has been repeated many times before? Chances are you did the latter like a fucking stupid tool.

People believe shit because of repetition. Ask someone how 6 meals a day increases basal metabolic rate, and they will respond with "... everyone knows that". That seems to be the response for everything. People 'just know'. They 'just know' because they've been told by other people who 'just know'. Well people don't 'just know'. Blindly following advice is a sure-fire way to set yourself up for failure, as is taking anecdotal evidence over scientific. This isn't just relevant to fitness & nutrition, but to life in general.

Science > Anecdote

Broscience is fucking contagious. Don’t fall victim.

       Meal Frequency

Having to shape your life around eat precisely 6 meals a day with the perfect amount of macronutrients “so they don’t get wasted” is a load of shit and complete and utter broscience. I know all you IF'ers out there are keen to tear this to shreds like I am, but I want to disprove this through science, so there is no argument to the contrary left standing

The generally accepted thought is that your metabolism is like a fire. Firstly, what is the metabolism? We know it has something to do with calories. It basically determines how many you will burn in a rested state (BMR). People with a high metabolism will burn more calories sitting still than people with a low metabolism.

What determines how fast it is depends on two main thyroid hormones - T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine). When those are high, your metabolism is high, and vice-versa. When you are in a state of underfeeding, these hormones will down-regulate. When you are in a state of overfeeding, they will up-regulate. Its not that fucking hard.

Now back to the original idea that your metabolism is like a fire. You need to keep adding wood to a fire to keep it going out. What this -supposedly- correlates to, is that you need to keep adding food (wood) to your body (fireplace) to keep your metabolism (fire) burning steady and strong. Why do people believe this? Because it kind of makes sense, and this plays a big part in myths and why they are so easy to be fooled by. The fact that a calorie is also a unit of heat makes this explanation a lot more believable.

When food is consumed, it has a thermic effect on the body. This is called the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). Basically, it's your metabolism rising. Your metabolism rises because energy is required to break down the food you're eating in order to absorb it. The amount of energy needed is directly proportionate to the amount of food being consumed. (A 200 kcal meal will take 200 kcal of energy to breakdown and absorb the nutrients). The total energy expended by the TEF is your metabolism.

Let’s take a 3000 kcal diet.

i) Split into 6 meals - 6 x 500 kcal meals/day

ii) Split into 3 meals - 3 x 1000 kcal meals/day

iii) Split into 1 meal - 1 x 3000 kcal meal/day

Now let’s look at the total energy expended over the day by the TEF.

i) 6 x 500 = 3000 kcal expended to absorb nutrients

ii) 3 x 1000 = 3000 kcal expended to absorb nutrients

iii) 1 x 3000 = 3000 kcal expended to absorb nutrients

You can see, the total TEF energy expenditure is exactly the same over each method no matter how you split the meals up. It's the same if you walked down a 20km straight line. It doesn't matter if you sit down every 5km and take a break, or if you just walk the 20km in one go - you still walked a total of 20km.

I hope that explained things simply enough, now here's the scientific backup;

A comparison of 2 meal/day to 7 meal/day. Conclusion: 

"With the method used for determination of DIT no significant effect of meal frequency on the contribution of DIT to ADMR could be demonstrated."

- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8399092

A comparison of 1 meal/day to 3 meal/day. The 1 meal/day approach resulted in an increase in hunger, but lower fat free mass and cortisol levels. A very good study showing that reducing meal intake to 1/day will not cause a stall in fat loss because your metabolism "isn't burning".

- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17413096

This study compares 6 meals/day to 2 meals/day, its effect on energy expenditure and total energy levels. It shows that a decreased meal frequency does not have an effect on your metabolism (energy expenditure) as well as no decrease in physical performance.

"In the short term, meal frequency and a period of fasting have no major impact on energy intake or expenditure but energy expenditure is delayed with a lower meal frequency compared with a higher meal frequency."

- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11319656

There have also been studies showing that alternate day/intermittent fasting have a positive effect on overall health - quite contrary to the broscience belief system that is contaminating our society. I thought LeanGains fucking destroyed all those IF haters once and for all, but they seem to be popping back up.

One benefit is the effect on neurodegeneration which is the precursor to such diseases as Alzheimer's, dementia and Huntington's. This study showed neurodegeneration was less prevelent in individuals who restrict calories.

- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15741046

There are also studies showing fasting has a positive effect on the body's glucose, lipid and cholesterol profile. This study showed fasting improved overall blood sugar regulation and reduced LDL cholesterol in individuals subject to fasting.

- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19940418

Basically, don't eat because you think your blood sugar is dropping (it actually takes 84 hours of fasting for your blood sugar levels to drop, not because you missed a meal. And don't eat because you think by not doing so, you'll crash your metabolism

- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2405701

You should eat to fit your lifestyle. Don't strain yourself to eat every 2-3 hours to 'keep metabolism burning', and don't have an unnecessary snack because you think it will help overall. People should eat at their own preference, and not feel they 'have too' because it's healthier.

   

Post-workout shakes and Nutrient Timing

“Finished my workout bruz, let’s go smash down this shake ASAP to make the most of the anabolic window”

*Facepalm*

Well first of all, why do people do it? A lot of people don't actually know. Again, they are mere victims of repetition. They just do it because that's what they've been told and everyone does it.

Again, the general thought is that after you workout, your body is craving nutrients, and for a small amount of time post-workout, your body will absorb a lot more protein than usual so you must take full advantage of this and slam a fast-digesting shake to improve anabolism.

While this IS true and protein synthesis is infact higher post-workout with the consumption of a protein beverage, the only thing that matters is net anabolism and total protein intake.

The timing of the nutrient is irrelevant as it results in the same thing. A whey protein consumed immediately post-workout will result in a quicker peak amino acid balance, but having any other type of protein will produce the same affect - total protein synthesis - overall.

Here's a study showing Whey  and Casein proteins being consumed post-workout. Both achieved the same peak level of amino acid balance, with the whey protein in a shorter amount of time, but net balance was the same.

"In conclusion, whey and casein intake immediately after resistance exercise results in an overall equal MPS response despite temporal differences in insulin and amino acid concentrations and 4E-BP1." 

- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21045172

Here's another showing the same thing, with net protein synthesis resulting in the same despite a 'slow-digesting' protein being consumed in place of a 'fast-digesting' one.

"Acute ingestion of both WH and CS after exercise resulted in similar increases in muscle protein net balance, resulting in net muscle protein synthesis despite different patterns of blood amino acid responses."

- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15570142

The bottom line? It doesn’t matter where the protein comes from (slow/fast digesting), the net protein balance is the same. So drinking milk post-workout is a perfectly fine option. Heck, you don’t even need to eat protein post-workout if you have had enough beforehand throughout the day or optimally, in your Pre-WO meal. And “refilling glycogen stores”? I haven’t looked into this enough to make substantial claims about it, but to me it seems that it’s pretty pointless to load up on carbs post-workout if you’re not going to do any other strenuous physical activity. Everyone’s body reacts differently to insulin spikes. Only reason I can think of is if you’re doing a carb-load and wanted to make the most of the naturally elevated metabolism Post-WO.

And also, you should only be drinking your calories if you have trouble eating your a) daily calories or b) total minimum protein intake. Other than that, there is no reason why you should be drinking calories. Skip the shake and get your calories from a meal. A big steak is a lot more appetising than a protein shake, and A LOT more wholesome and nutritious.

Training Frequency and Single Body Part Splits 

I know this topic is now pretty wide-spread and alot of people have gotten the picture, but I still want give my opinion on it. I’ll make it short though; I don’t want to be repeating what is now already common knowledge.

Does your training routine look something like this?

Mon: Chest/Tri
Tues: Back/Bi
Weds: Shoulders
Thurs: Arms
Fri: Legs

Or does your chest routine look something like this?

Bench - 3 x 6
Incline DB Press - 3 x 6
Flat DB Flyes - 3 x 10
Decline Bench - 3 x 6
Cable Cross-over - 3 x 10

You might want to consider that ridiculous typical single body part split, because research shows that training your muscles 2-3 times a week, even at the exact same amount of sets, reps, exercises and weights, will elicit a greater response in muscular hypertrophy unless you're a) an advanced lifter (5 years+ not including retard training and including proper nutrition) b) juicing, and even this is debatable. Furthermore, reducing your total sets to 4-8 each workout (that means, 2 sets DB press and 2 sets DB flyes is enough for chest OMG) will have the same effect.

Why do people do absolutely preposterous amounts of sets for their muscles, and why do they follow stupid splits like the one above? Because AGAIN, it’s what everyone does. It's in magazines, it's what the big guy in the gym does, and again, it’s what everyone does. But once again, science has something else to say about this.

Here's a peer-reviewed scientific study showing that training each body part 3 times a week at a mean volume of 4 sets resulted in greater strength gains and in turn muscular hypertrophy in beginners. Before you conclude you're not a beginner because you've been lifting since yr10, remember what I said above - training like a retard does not count, neither does disregarding nutrition.

"For untrained individuals, maximal strength gains are elicited at a mean training intensity of 60% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM), 3 days per week, and with a mean training volume of 4 sets per muscle group. Recreationally trained non-athletes exhibit maximal strength gains with a mean training intensity of 80% of 1RM, 2 days per week, and a mean volume of 4 sets. For athlete populations, maximal strength gains are elicited at a mean training intensity of 85% of 1RM, 2 days per week, and with a mean training volume of 8 sets per muscle group."

- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16287373

In conclusion - training like Arnie won't get you big like Arnie. There’s heaps of FBW’s for beginners so I won’t bother even naming any. This will result in maximal strength and muscular hypertrophy gains. The biggest take home message from this? More is not always better. In fact, it rarely ever is.

  

The Body Can Only Absorb So Much Protein in One Sitting

Ah one of my favorites. It really is a load of nonsense. Your body is not stupid - it's not going to shit out 100 grams of protein because it only needed 20g at that point in time. We are designed to survive, not waste nutrients.

Here's a big article written by Alan Aragon (renowned fitness & nutrition guru) who explains the entire thing in detail and concludes;

"So, is there a limit to how much protein per meal can be effectively used? Yes there is, but this limit is likely similar to the amount that’s maximally effective in an entire day. What’s the most protein that the body can effectively use in an entire day? The short answer is, a lot more than 20-30 g."

-   http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/is-there-a-limit-to-how-much-protein-the-body-can-use-in-a-single-meal/

What is important to note though is that the amount of protein able to be absorbed is dependant on a number of things. Total absorption will be relevant to the person's LBM and current protein requirements, length of time since last protein-containing meal, amount of protein at previous meal, type of protein source, state (Post-WO, Pre-WO, resting?), total calories in the meal, overall caloric balance, level of circulating amino acids and the composition of the foodstuff itself (increased fiber = faster transit time = generally more excreted without absorption). 

But the gist of it still comes down to net balance. What matters in the end is total protein intake, not timing. Do you think cavemen had to space out their meals into 30g portions throughout the day because their body could only absorb so much? Don’t be a fucking twat.

"Starvation Mode" and Not Eating Will Cause Muscle Loss

Well this already ties in with all the other myths somehow so I’ll just get to the point.

The only thing that matters is total calorie & macronutrient intake and net balance. Generally speaking, if these are in check, it doesn't matter how you space out your meals, the end result is the same. Believe me, it takes longer than just missing a few meals for your body to go into "starvation mode".

There is a study that shows a decrease in fat mass with lowered meal frequency despite calorie intake being the same. Your lean mass retention is dependent on total calorie and macronutrient intake, not the timing.

"Normal-weight subjects are able to comply with a 1 meal/d diet. When meal frequency is decreased without a reduction in overall calorie intake, modest changes occur in body composition, some cardiovascular disease risk factors, and hematologic variables. Diurnal variations may affect outcomes."

- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17413096

There is a set order in which your body breaks down and uses energy sources in the body, an order which does not change. This order is Glucose > Glycogen > Fat > Protein.

Glucose is the first to be used by the body as it is vital for many tissues and organs, most importantly the brain. Sadly it doesn’t last long and when the body is deprived of glucose or has none left to use it turns to glycogen stores and converts them into usable energy. This process can last for up to a few days, but probably not for longer than 8-12 hours. Body fat is then converted to ketones, a usable fuel source. After around 2 days of fasting you enter starvation and muscles begin to catabolise for proteins. This stage will never be reached through normal fasting and certainly is not reached overnight just because you have not eaten for 8-16 hours. This is also why it is not necessary to have 'fast digesting carbs post workout to restore glycogen stores', as glycogen stores take a much longer time to empty.

I’ve debunked (or tried my best to) most of the common exercise and fitness myths that are evident in the bodybuilding circles with solid scientific back-up. Not much else to say, I hope you learned alot, and are no longer a victim of broscience propaganda.  If there are any errors please let me know. Proofreading 3k + words can become quite the chore. Hopefully I will do regular write-ups on hot-topics. Hit me up on MSN if you have questions or suggestions.

Nemo out.